Chapter X

Turn II

Elynne III

Stars gathered by the late morning stood watch above the city of marble. The great walls seemed like giants in the distance, towering over the river moat that surrounded it. The small huts and cabins outside were likewise as insignificant to the colossal marbles behind them.

Elynne sat on some cloth so she would not stain herself. She leaned against a large stone on a hill that overlooked the city, far enough that no one would find them, but close enough to enter through the gates at any moment.

Dannar still slept behind the stone. His face was covered in sweat, sometimes contorting. He was prone to nightmares, most likely. At least that was what she thought, but she never asked. If he did not complain, there was no need to ask. He was fine. And besides, he was tasked with keeping watch on her, should she show signs of anything destructive. He would kill her, should the need arise.

…Or maybe he would not. Elynne trusted him somewhat. Enough to believe that he would not, but not enough to not make her wary.

The magus looked towards the city once more. Towards the great palace tower that rose from the very centre of the round city. Four spires surrounded it, arched from the inner gates, nearly connecting to it. In fact, they were close enough where one could jump from a spire and land on the palace. The safety of the jumper was not included.

The Inquisitor groaned as he sat himself up. “…Is it noon yet?” he asked.

Elynne took a deep breath, filling her lungs, then let it all out before standing up. “Give it a few hours.” She walked towards him. “Get yourself up and going, I’d really love to eat breakfast before it turns into lunch.”

“Aye, aye…” He rubbed his eyes and helped himself up. “Shame the gates were closed after midnight. Neck wouldn’t be hurting if we got ourselves some beds…”

“A little ache never hurt anyone. Besides, shouldn’t you, as an Inquisitor, be more resilient?”

“Aye, I should. It’ll go away when I wake up fully. Maybe. Hopefully.” He stretched his arms and looked down towards the city. “Wonder how Kyrione brew tastes like.”

“Whatever it tastes like, make sure you stay sober before we go to the palace.” Elynne started walking. “Come along now, time to see what the imperial city has to offer.”

For a little while did they walk down a dirt road and reached the city outskirts. The housing around the city walls was numerous, but quite small. Hovels and huts made from wood. But they were not impoverished. No, rather, they were clean and polished, like tiny little manors. Smaller roads connected each and every house, clothes were left to dry on lines that connected the houses, and a large building was near every dwelling. The buildings were half open, revealing the crafting stations inside such as smithies and tanneries. Other buildings seemed to be storehouses surrounded by fertile soil. Vegetables grew abundantly.

All of these places were shared between the village folk. At least, that was what she understood. A book she had read explained that every person in the Empire was equal to other people that belonged to the same caste. A strange equality where there was still a noble and a farmer. But no noble was greater than the other, and no farmer was greater than a smith. At least when it came to taxes and the like. All of it could, of course, be seen right here. Every other part of the Empire directly underneath the emperor’s control was no different as there was no other part. Every Kyrionean was living in the city or in its outskirts. All the produce came from directly outside the village or one of the vassal states.

A strange place. She had always thought of it like that. That was the only conclusion she drew from all the stories she had read. Silly norms, silly people.

They quickly passed through the village and reached a lowered drawbridge that led into the city itself. These were the great northern gates. They were grand and decorated. Lynxes made from stone sat on each side of the gate, peering at passing travellers with their gemstone eyes. Above them, high up on the wall, stood patrolling archers. They could be barely seen, but they were there. And below them were guards, as well, standing in their chainmail and plates and white surcoats.

“Sun’s glory,” said one of the guardsmen as Dannar and Elynne passed by. Three others were making a trader fill out some sort of form, but there was no other activity by the gates.

White stone was all that was in front of them. Pavements made from white tiles, large houses that were like walls were on every side of the wide street. Teal flags flew high, few chimneys puffed out smoke, old women gossiped with one another from their balconies underneath their orange rooves.

And the streets themselves were crowded more than any street should be. There were no carts or carriages here, even though walking from one side of the city to another was tiring. The law forbid them. After all, how would one go through a street where a few hundred people walked without hurting at least half of them?

The people that walked by were colourful. Hairs of many colours from each part of the Empire. Skins ranging from snow to olive. Clothes of innumerable styles, textures and fabrics. No person here looked like another. It was easy to get lost in a crow like this, but it was also easy to find someone, she thought. She also thought one other thing. She thought that the air in the city was strange and she felt as if something was off. As if, for some strange reason, people were traversing here one centimetre less than they should. It was a strange observation, but she firmly believed that there was a very slight sluggishness here.

But it was just something that could be discarded. After all, it might have been just the Sun playing tricks on her, or maybe the constant paleness of the city messing with her eyes. Regardless, Dannar and Elynne walked forwards towards a large square. There ought to be a notice board or a guard or something to ask for directions. They needed a place to stay, after all. A place to eat, as well.

They stopped by one of the large statues in the middle of the square. It was decently large and bore the name Ambrosius II. written in silver on the pedestal below. There was a fountain that surrounded the pedestal, though the water was not exactly overflowing.

Dannar pointed towards a notice board he had seen. Lots of notes and advertisements. Lots of ramblings, as well. Murderous cat-men skulking the streets at night, a serial-killing butcher that butchered other butchers in their own butcheries, and a complaint about people pissing on food stalls. A note that they were looking for was in the upper right corner. An invitation to the Hairy Hare inn which was just next to a large auditorium that would be holding a number of performances later tonight. The room prices were affordable, and there was even a bonus beer should one order two bottles of beer. It was located further south in the city, near the inner walls.

“Well, seems fine enough for me,” Elynne said. “Close enough to the palace, and there will be entertainment, as well. I doubt it would hurt to listen to a song or two before sneaking in and stealing from the emperor.”

“Who says we are sneaking in? I’ve my Inquisitor insignia right here, aye. They’ll let us in without batting an eye.”

Elynne sighed. “Oh, why yes, of course they would just let us stroll right in. They’ll also treat us with tea and biscuits. No one will be constantly observing our every move should we enter, no, not at all.” She scratched her forehead. “And say we take the weapon while they are watching us. How do you suppose we’ll escape? Two of us against an entire city of guards? We’re sneaking in, and that’s that.”

“Uh, well… couldn’t you use your magic to make us disappear? Move us from one place to another instantly? I mean, you can do that, aye?”

“I can’t…” She shook her head. “I might be able to, but it would kill me, or cripple me at the very least. And I would very much like to stay healthy and able. Which means, again, that we are sneaking in and then sneaking out.”

“It wouldn’t do us any harm to survey the place first, right?”

“You just want to see the palace, don’t you?”

“A bit.” He chuckled.

She wondered for a moment and looked southwards towards the palace. “Fine, we might as well.” She stared at Dannar. “But they better let us in. I do not want to walk there and back for no reason.”

“Hah, worry not, it’ll be for a good reason!” He nodded and the two went towards the palace.

The Hairy Hare sign hung from above the door. It had an engraved rabbit and letters. Nothing special. The pair stood in front of the door. “I, er… you don’t need permits to enter other palaces. At least I think you don’t.”

“Well, this one obviously needed a permit.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “If the guard wasn’t as… insulting, I would be a lot happier. I’ll remember his face. He will regret his words, I promise you that.”

“Aye, er, at least you aren’t angry with me.”

“What gave you the idea I wasn’t angry with you?” She opened the inn door and walked inside.

Marble walls and floors, mahogany furniture. Plenty of tables and chairs, though few were occupied. There was a fur carpet, as well, and some tapestries by the windows. The barkeep tended his bar on the opposite end of the room. it was a bit too far, Elynne thought. Should the bars not be closer to the entrance?

They walked up to the man who was polishing a set of spoons. “Sun’s glory,” he said.

“Good day,” Dan answered.

The innkeep raised a brow. “Ah, you come from the outside, no? Looking for a room, or just drinks?”

“Two rooms, if you could,” Elynne said. “And some light ale.”

“Two gold marks for both rooms, twenty-five silvers for the ale.”

Well, the prices were a bit higher than in Dammrias. But just a small bit. And considering this was near the city centre, it was relatively cheap. She took out the money from her pouch and placed it on the bar. “Where are our rooms, exactly?”

The innkeep kneeled down and produced two keys. “Two floors up and then to the right. They are opposite each other, very end of the hall. Mind that you don’t enter the room prior to that. Not a nice sight.”

“Did something happen?” Dannar asked.

“No, no. Currently happening. Sort of a… permanent customer. Strange fellow, but pays his rent, so, uh, please ignore any noises.”

Dan nodded. “Many thanks,” he said.

Elynne took her tankard of just-poured ale and walked up the stairs with Dannar. Both the rooms were of a decent size with a large bed. There were nice curtains and fine paintings, as well as a candelabra hanging from the ceiling.

The magus drank her ale in Dannar’s room. “I will be checking out the magi library soon,” she said, leaning against the wall in front of the entrance. “Only place that still has techniques and histories written down. Know why?”

“Because the… Inquisitors burned everything else?”

She nodded. “Correct. Now, I know you aren’t allowed to lose sight of me, but how about you do it anyways?”

“I mean, I trust you enough for you not to run away, so…” Dannar stood up from his teal bed. “We could go and eat something warm for a change. Saw they had stew on the menu here.”

“You have your money, feel free to order it. I’ll grab a bun or the like from a bakery. Want me to bring you something sweet?”

“Anything’s fine, really.” He scratched the back of his head. “I’ll probably go for a walk, too. See what the city has to offer. We’ll meet here in the evening, aye?”

“Before the performances start, yes. I might be back sooner, though who knows.” She gulped down her ale. “See you later.” She leaned off from the wall and walked out.

One of the many maps scattered across the city boards showed that the library was eastwards along the innermost wall. It was a thirty-minute walk. Fifteen, if she rushed, though she would have to be careful not to crash into someone. It was not as crowded here in the inner streets as it was in the large squares, but there were still plenty of people around.

There was a bakery or two along the way. Plenty of other vendors sold freshly made food at their stalls. A Kyrione thing, surely. No one offered their food in the middle of the street in Dammrias. Or maybe it was just Dammrias that did not do it? Not like she would know.

There was a circular plaza by the wall. Three buildings stood there; all were towering with their multiple floors. Between the two buildings, a historical archive, and a holy place of sorts, was the library. Nothing special about it, just a typical everyday Lordem building. Marble and white stone, a set of statues above the entrance, and evenly spaced oval windows. Well, the entrance was not as typical. The wood it was made from seemed more orange than the others in the city.

She pushed open the twin doors. A strange smell overcame her. Some sort of mustiness, though weak. It was followed by a delicate fragrance, an artificial flowery scent. Besides the aroma, there were the books. Lots of books. Would be a bad library if it did not have this many books. There were labels stuck on the cases. History, sciences, arts, thaumaturgy – every sort of label.

A single librarian sat behind a desk. A young, small fellow with a set of spectacles. He told her that the more advanced and arcane stuff was on the second floor. The stairs were at the other end of the room, by the wall. Up did they lead, towards more books. And up once more, up to the second floor.

Now, what literature was she looking for…? She did not have a goal in mind, though if she would read anything, what would it be? Alchemy, she supposed. Never read or studied it. Never was a reason to, after all. Alchemy was an art that used that which already existed and turned it into another thing. It could be anything from potions to bombs to even the fireballs she threw. As long as the materials were there, anything was possible. And she, as a magus, did not need any materials to do anything. Just an image in her mind and the understanding of what she was doing.

Might as well grab an alchemical book on potions. Knowing how to make a stamina enhancing elixir of a refreshing pint of magical beer would come in handy. The alchemy section was just here, near the stairwell. A brown leather-bound book stood out. Decoctions, medicines and more by Redhad Swinbutor. She took it out and went to find a place to sit down and read. She could see a table and some chairs behind one of the bookcases.

She went there to sit down and read in her solitude. Like the rest of the library, the table was empty. It was a bit strange seeing not a single soul in a library this large, besides the librarian. Well, it was good for her, she supposed. Never liked reading when there were people around. Just their presence removed her ability to focus on reading. On writing, exercising, even talking sometimes. After all, most of the things she had done were in solitude up to this point.

And she would have really preferred if that solitude did not go away. Life, or the subversive will of humanity at the very least, had different plans. Another person entered the library and went right up the stairs and towards her. Some blond fellow with light eyes.

He was red in the face when he approached her. Out of breath, too, even though he had an athletic build. Did he run from the other end of the city just to get here, then?

The man cleared his throat. “You’re Avenn, right?” he asked. He had a big smile. A happy smile.

Elynne sighed. “And you are?”

“Bren.” He hit his chest. “Well, that’s what my friends call me, at least. Kayone Brendre is what my parents called me.” He was positively brimming with energy. Not just that emotional charge, but actual magical energy was bursting through. Elynne could feel it in the air. See it, even. A prismatic miasma.

“Elynne,” she said and looked at him. “Do you need something from me?”

“Well, erm,” he crossed his arms, “not really. I don’t need anything from you. A friend of mine does, though. Made me run like all hell when he noticed you were here. Haven’t had a run like that in ages, I tell you.”

“You are awfully winded, true. And who is this friend? I assume I know him.”

“Hahah, well… I’m afraid you don’t. Aerin is his name. Me and him have a friend that does know you, though, and he is a part of this. Partly.”

She quickly blinked thrice, clearing her mind. “Right. And this middle friend is…?”

“Darys.”

Darys!? He was part of the reason she was here, outside the castle. He was the one who helped her attain a path towards her dream of freedom, of adventure. Of power. What did they want from her? “Erm, well, what’s needed from me?” There was no use thinking about the possibilities. Something was needed from her. Ask directly, receive directly.

Bren took out a silver necklace. The crescent moon was its symbol. Sharp like a scythe, beautiful like a gem. She reached out with her right hand to grab it. The mention of Darys reminded her of the scar she bore on her palm. It was painless and barely seeable. But it was there. Resting now below the necklace.

“I’m not sure why he wanted me to give you this, but he was awfully pushy. And I’d rather not get on his bad side. Man throws a mean right hook.” He shook his head. “Still feel it sometimes.”

“…Is that all?” she asked.

“Oh.” Bren put a hand against his neck. “Pretty much. It was the only thing he told me to do. Still, since I’m here, might as well tell you that there are tunnels below the palace. You’re planning to steal from the emperor, so might as well go underground to escape, right?”

Why could he not whisper that? If a guard passed by the library, he could have easily heard him. “Thanks.” She pocketed the necklace. “I guess you don’t know what’s the deal with this necklace?”

“Like I said, I’m just the errand boy. Probably magical, though. Might blow up, might make you fly. I’m sure you’ll find out.” He backed off and waved. “Don’t get killed!” And he walked off.

Strange man. Elynne shook her head, clearing it of all intrusions. Then, as if nothing had happened, returned to her book.

The Sun was setting for some time when she returned to the inn. She had bought a couple of sweet tarts and some filled buns from one of the bakeries along the way. Had already eaten two, too. She wished she had had some milk to go with them. Why do bakeries not sell milk? Seemed like such an obvious economic miss.

Without knocking, she swung open the door of Dannar’s room. She expected to startle him, but instead found him lying in his bed facedown in a pool of drool. Well, it was unfair to call it a pool. A light sprinkle on his pillow was more fitting.

She went to place a bun and a tart by his bed when his eyes sprung wide open. He was the one doing the startling now. They quickly went into a more neutral openness after he gave out a deep breath and sat up.

“You’re back, aye.” He yawned and looked at the pastries on the nightstand. “Hm… is now a bad time to say that my stomach isn’t on good terms with strawberries?”

“It would be a very horrible time, had I bought anything with strawberries. The tart is made from cherries, the bun is filled with jelly. You can eat those. If not, I will.”

“I can, I can. Thanks for the meal.” He gave a thumbs up and bit into the bun. “Ugh, is this peach?”

“I am going to beat you to death if you complain.”

“Peach is my favourite fruit!” he exclaimed and violently munched on the bun. His eyes were cast on Elynne whose own stare was, currently, dull and unforgiving.

“Eat up, get dressed, and meet me downstairs.” She walked off.

“Aye mum,” he said with a joking tone and a mouth full of food.

The performances would start soon. There was still time for a drink or two, though. One. One. There was still the matter of stealing the weapon from the emperor. And, as Kyran had said, there was someone in the city bound to her. Was it the homunculus, or was it not? She could not feel it. If she could, she would have known where to go from the start, though.

Elynne ordered a pint of light ale as she waited for Dannar to show up. She was nearly finished by the time he came down, but she did drink fast. So, was he slow, or was she fast? Irrelevant. He was here now and they were ready.

The auditorium was crowded. It was to be expected, of course. It could seat, what, a thousand people or so? Nothing at all for a city of millions. There were still a few free seats, though. The pair found a few empty ones on the righthand side, which was where they sat. It had a pretty view underneath the orange-into-black sky. Lightning was just right. They could see the whole stage from their high seats in the middle. Soon, the curtains moved.

First was a red-haired woman who walked up with a lute and sat down on a stool. She was dressed finely. Too fine for a bard, even. She tuned her lute, greeted the applauding crowd, and began to sing. A youthful voice sang a song in Kyrionean. While Elynne understood nothing, she enjoyed it. A great, rhythmic melody. That was the only song she sang before retreating.

Second came a…

Head hurt. The head hurt. Elynne closed her eyes and furrowed her brow. Did someone stab her with a knife? A knife through the eye. A very long knife that reached all the way into the back of her head.

And it was gone, just as it had came.

“You alright?” Dannar quietly asked. Elynne nodded.

Second. Second came another bard. This one had platinum hair. Blonde, but nearly snow-white. Long. There was a tied tail at the very end of the long hair. The bangs ended just above the eyes, covering the brows. Blue eyes. Like the deepest sea, reflecting the soul. No, like the white clouds. No, both. Blue and white at the same time. And a coat of white, sleeveless, that revealed slender arms. Who was this person?

Lior. That was the name given on the stand. But this Lior was someone familiar. Someone Elynne had never met. Someone she had never seen. Yet, familiar. And, like before with Bren, Lior was giving off energy. A visible mist. People that gave out that energy had impossible amounts of it, and she saw a second person just today, in the same city.

“Thank you for you attention,” Lior loudly said with an angelic voice. The performance went by already? But she did not even hear it start. She did not.

A hand on her shoulder stirred her. “Do you want to call this off for today? You’re horribly pale,” Dannar asked. She had never seen him worried before.

“You’ve just now noticed I’m pale? We’ve been right next to each other for weeks,” she joked. “No. We go now.”

“Now?”

“Now.” She stood up and waddled by the seated crowd. Dannar followed and they soon left the auditorium.

“Elynne, you were just staring in the distance for a full ten minutes. Are you sure you-“

“Dan, god damn it, I am fine!” she shouted out. “Sorry. I’m fine.” She took a breath of fresh air and looked forward, towards the palace. “Our safest bet is to climb up and go through a window.”

“Awfully tall windows, though. You sure we can-“

“Climbing through windows? Even though you can just walk through the door?” Lior came up to them.

“Ahah, n-no, you must’ve misheard us, miss! We’re not, uh,” Dannar stumbled for words.

“Not what?” Lior asked.

“I, ah, not…” Lior raised a brow. “…Window.” Lior raised his other brow.

“Silly man, yeah?” A wide smile stretched across her face. “I’ll be honest, I expected I’d see someone else when I walked up to you, but nae, of course you weren’t the one I’m looking for.” With a shrug of the shoulders, she looked up into the sky. “Well, not quite. You felt similar, but not quite sweet.”

“What are you talking about?” Elynne asked.

“I’ve come to this city in hopes of finding a person dear to me. I don’t know what they look like right now, nor do I know the new name. But I expected them to be here. Maybe you’ve seen them, though. They have gold hair and eyes like no other. That is the only constant. Eyes like honey in which you could drown as if swimming in benevolence. You’d know someone like that if you’d seen them, yeah?”

There was one person in Dammrias like that, was there not? They went with Julius. A boy in a black coat. “I’ve seen a boy with golden hair and golden eyes in Dammrias.”

“Dammrias…? Damn it, I’m not going there for a while still.” She put her hands in her pockets. She smiled once more. “As you may’ve heard, I’m Lior. You two are who, exactly?”

“Elynne Avenn.”

“Dannar.” He crossed his arms. “I have to know. You are a woman, right?”

Why would he ask that? Lior was obviously a… No, it was not obvious. There was some kind of haze around Lior. Something was very different about her. Though the distinct energy Lior was giving off had a feminine flair of sorts. Until told otherwise, Elynne believed Lior was, likewise, a woman.

“Am I?” She looked down towards the rest of her body. “The observer sees what they want to see. Unless, of course, their eyes aren’t clouded. Elynne, what colour are my eyes?”

“Blue… and white,” she answered.

“Dannar?”

“Green,” he answered. Did they see differently?

“Both are true. Both are false. The only person who can truly see me is not here, therefore…” She clapped her hands. “Let’s drop all of this. The two of you will follow me to dinner. I was, after all, invited to the palace, and I’m sure that the dear emperor wouldn’t mind me bringing two friends along, would he?”

Was this a trap? No. No, Elynne did not believe it was. There was, however, a problem if they came along. How would they steal the sword? If they went along with Lior, everyone in the palace would know that Dannar and Elynne were in the palace. That made things more difficult.

“I’ll help you reach an answer by giving you an ultimatum.” She pointed a finger towards Elynne. “Come with me and enter the palace. Don’t, and I tell the emperor you’re going to try and steal his Regalia.”

How does Lior know about that? Sure, she heard them say how they were going to go through the window, but she did not hear why they would do that. “What makes you think that’s what we’re going for?”

“Let’s simply call it intuition. No one betrayed you, no one told me anything. I just know. And you will know why I know at the end of your dream, when you reach the Truth.” Lior gave a wink and then a smirk. “Come with me now. You might not be dressed for a palace dinner, but the emperor is a nice man, so I’m sure he’ll forgive you.”

Dannar, Elynne and Lior simply walked right through the palace entrance. The same guards that had not permitted them entrance earlier now stepped aside. The white pillars were in front of them, rising high up into the ceiling. Chandeliers made from silver hung from the ceiling. Tapestries and drapes decorated the alcoves in the walls between the columns. A throne stood watch on a high pedestal surrounded by a decorative half of a sphere.

They ignored the room and went up a flight of stairs. Then through a hallway of crystalline vases and lights towards a set of doors. The doors were white, like the rest of the palace, but they had a golden doorknob. Lior walked in front of them and was the first to open the door. She walked in first and waved at the other two to come in.

A dining hall. More white. The table, the chairs, the flowers pots and the closets. The silverware was silver, though that was close enough to be white, and the bowls and plates were white porcelain decorated flowers.

Besides the three that just entered, no one was in this room. Dannar and Elynne sat down next to each other at the other end of the table fit for fourteen people. Lior was opposite them.

“We’re a bit early, I’m afraid,” Lior spoke and played with her empty glass. “Could’ve at least placed some wine for the guests, no?”

Elynne carefully eyed her surroundings. The white was oppressing. Just a little smidge of anything else and she would feel much better. But there was no teal here, unlike in the previous rooms. Here, even the curtains on the window were white.

She noticed a painting on a wall above a desk. A horizontal painting of what seemed to be a fairy sitting atop a sunflower. It was not very detailed and there were obvious smudge marks and bad strokes on it, but at least it disrupted the monotony.

“I am seriously considering stealing the Regalia with the two of you right now.” Lior sighed. “I swear, where is that man?”

And as Lior finished her words, the doors swung open. The emperor, Elynne supposed. Though he was dressed very casually, wearing only a short-sleeved tunic and some nice pants. He looked at everyone in the room once, his face never changing, and sat down on the helm. The door remained open.

“I see you’ve brought guests with you,” he spoke. “An Avenn, I presume Lady Elynne, and who? Introduce yourself to the emperor.”

“I’m Dannar, your Grace.”

“Right. Well, good evening to you, newcomers. I hadn’t expected you, but you’re very welcome. Dinner will be served shortly, just as soon as the cooks prepare it.”

“You haven’t even prepared it yet?” Lior asked.

“No. I usually don’t eat this late. Better to sleep on an empty stomach, after all.” He looked at Elynne. “What brings you to Lordem, daughter of the Avenns?”

His eyes were ungodly. They were not what eyes were supposed to be. They were not supposed to hurt and prod. She had no intention on telling him why she came here, no, she merely wanted to give a quick lie and forget it. But his eyes probed inside. His bright eyes revealed. “W-we’re here to-“ She gritted her teeth and covered her right eye with the palm of her hand. That was the entry point. Sweat dripped from her forehead.

Then, the iron grip of his gaze stopped. “I’d rather not overexert you too much,” he said and sighed before looking at Dannar. “Hm? You’ve a Key, do you not? I can feel it.”

“Stay quiet, Dan,” Elynne commanded.

“There is no reason for him to tell me. I already know. Now, the dinner will proceed once you tell me your intentions. I’m afraid we’ll starve at this table otherwise.”

“They’re here for your Regalia,” Lior said. “Now get the food.”

“Truly? You could’ve asked me for it from the start.” The emperor looked behind himself and whistled. A minute later came in another person.

Person? No. This was not a person. This was not a human. This was one of the reason they came here, why she started her trek southwards. This was…

“Key.” The homunculus dropped a sword in front of the emperor. A bronzen shortsword with a brass cage around the hilt. There was a ruby orb where the pommel should be.

“Thank you, Elyn. Now, why don’t you introduce yourself?” The emperor hit his face with the palm of his hand. “Ah, silly me. I hadn’t given you my name! Augustus Selenius, Emperor of Kyrione. A pleasure.”

The homunculus walked forward. It wore a black dress down to its knees and adorned with flowers near the shoulders. Its copper hair dropped just above those very flowers. “I am Elyn.” It bowed. “Hope you are well, dear Elynne.”

“It really looks just like you,” Dannar said, eyes widely gazing. “This thing destroyed your home?”

“Feel free to tell them of your adventure, Elyn,” Augustus said.

“I lost Elynne and left the island. I was hungry. There were people in the village, a lot of them. I didn’t want to hurt them. Got lucky then, though. Broke into a big house because I smelled a horrible stench. So, so horrible. Rotting and bloody. But it was worth going through the smell. Vampires lived inside, see? I killed them and ate them up. I was strong then.” Elynne pulled out a chair and sat down with a smile.

“Why were you hungry?” Elynne asked. Had the homunculus not been given enough power? Were two entire magi not enough?

“I had no one bound with me.”

Elynne never formed a contract with the homunculus. And no contract meant no constant stream of energy to tether the creature to this world. She had unintentionally almost killed Elyn.

“Back to the adventure. I entered a forest. Didn’t like it much, a lot of trees, could easily lose myself if I didn’t have the light calling to me. It was in this city. The light, you know? The power I was going after. But before the city, in the forest, I was attacked by a crazy man. He had no clothes. Had a big spoon, tried to take my eyes out, I think. So I broke his arms. Then his legs. Didn’t break the neck, no. Put him in his cave and found a small spider sleeping there. I thought spider was more deserving of big body, so I made the spider a man and the man a spider. They became one person. Not my plan, but at least spider can eat more now. He was a nice spider.”

Elynne gathered that the man in the cave had killed multiple people and cannibalized them. He would have done that to Elyn, too, but it had turned him into the creature that Dannar and Elynne killed. One thing, however, Elynne did not understand. “What’s this light that was calling from you? The light in this city?”

“Elyn is most likely talking about my orb in the basement,” Augustus said. “As a homunculus, Elyn needed a source of power, which was why he followed the strongest one he could find. He came here and we formed a contract since I believed he would prove useful. I had to teach him how to talk and act, but he’s a quick learner, so there was no issue. You were the one who was supposed to do that, though, but Elyn explained your situation as soon as he could.”

“Situation…?” Dannar uttered.

“Me waking up in front of the tree, remember?” she told him. Telling him the true situation – that this entire adventure was orchestrated for her amusement – would be a horrible choice.

“Augustus, where is the dinner?” Lior asked. Elynne noticed Lior’s rather loud tapping on the floor. She just now realized that it was constantly in the background since halfway through the homunculus’ speech.

“Patience has its merits, Lior.” Augustus stood up with the sword in hand. “You two, come with me. You as well, Elyn.” He walked out. Dannar and Elynne followed. There was a horrible feeling welling up inside her.

In the near pitch black of the basement, a grey cauldron stood. Small wisps and tendrils came out of it, a prismatic dance bursting outwards. This was the source of power the homunculus had felt. This was the source of unease Elynne had tasted on her first step in the city.

Scratching came from within. Scratching and intelligible whispers. What the hell was this thing?

Augustus passed the sword to Elynne and stood behind them, watching them. “You may keep the Regalia. However, you must also participate in a little experiment for me. This orb is a source of great and renewing power. Use a part of the power to leave my city.”

“Leave…? You mean you want me to transport myself with my magic? But I’ve never done that before, I don’t know how to.” And there was a chance that someone could interfere with a spell of this size. Unless someone had already interfered and she would end up somewhere she did not want to. Did Augustus plan this?

“You can do it. I have faith in you, magus,” the emperor said. “Besides, magic is merely imagining things and enabling them to exist in the real world. Which means that all you have to do is imagine you are somewhere else, somewhere far away, no? Now do it. I want to see the results.”

The man would most likely resort to threats if she did not do as asked. And, coming from an emperor, they would not be empty threats. She placed her hands on the orb.

“Should we really be doing this?” Dannar whispered.

“I’m pretty damn sure he’ll kill us if we don’t. Now hold on to my arm or you will stay here.” She closed her eyes. Dannar grabbed onto her arm. First came a gust of wind. It built up and it kept building up and speeding up rapidly as if they were caught in the middle of a storm. The gale began to envelop them and hold them down tightly. She could hear a goodbye being uttered from the homunculus. She wished she could have told it that there was only a short while left before they became one again.

The wind dispersed. Her vision first became tinged with sand and then it faded. She felt as if she was floating in the sea before plunging down into the depths. Tendrils pulled her downwards. They suffocated her and pulled evermore downwards. And after what felt an eternity, she hit the cold, solid ground.