“Your Excellency, a human by the name of Yuriko Mishala Davar seeks an audience.”

Gonir looked up from his canvas, a large piece as wide as he was tall. He had just finished the preliminary sketches and was beginning to mix a set of paints. His planned piece would showcase his time in Lucenti City, a view of the marketplace with the Palace of Light in the background.

Three Adaviren Trees featured prominently and of course, his residence there. Gonir had struggled to detail as much of the place as he could. His gut told him that it would probably be the only record left of the reptilians once Tiath and Vizugmon were done with them. Of the people, he’d planned to draw the varied Elders, hazy with displayed Geist, standing on the palace’s balcony, addressing the populace. He’d been there that day when Elder Otlaca announced the start of aggression.

He even planned to draw Elder Yuriko there, where he glimpsed her just inside the hallway. So he was more than surprised to realise that she had made her way to Viterra after all.

“Bring her to the sitting room,” Gonir said after too long a pause, with his manservant waiting as still as a statue.

He could see the minute movements of Arrag’s cheeks though, a small sign of impatience. Odd, since he was usually so composed. Ah, of course. Elder Yuriko.

Arrag gave a short bow, spun on his heels and left. Gonir, on the other hand, sighed and lowered his palette. Thankfully, he only mixed a small dollop of paint. Unfortunately, it would dry up by the time he returned. That meant it was wasted and he’d have to mix in a fresh batch. But, even uninvited, he would not make a guest wait. He glanced at his canvas, laid down his brushes and headed to the lavatory to freshen up. It wouldn’t do to appear a slob.

The sitting room, where intimate guests were welcomed, faced the eastern side of the mountain. This late in the day, most of the light came from bronze lamps burning aromatic oil. Arrag stood by the side of the low table, serving Elder Yuriko a cup of tea. Gonir took a moment to observe his guest.

Elder Yuriko’s brow was somewhat furrowed, and aside from thanking Arrag, she sat and stared at the flower garden. Unlike most of the city’s homes, Gonir’s had an outside portion constructed from worked stone and wood. A decorative garden was walled away from the road with hedgerows, and was host to a hive of honey bees, the fruit of their labour graced the tea setting.

Yuriko had changed.

Gonir couldn't quite put a finger on it. There had been a light and innocent air about her before. Now, there was a heavy weight. Arrag could feel it, Gonir was sure. His manservant’s shoulders were slumped and his back stooped. For that matter, Gonir felt it too, as though a knife was pressed against his throat. If the reports he’d read were true, there was much blood on her hands.

Not that anyone on this plane was clean. Oh, no. Not at all.

“Greetings,” he offered, with forced cheer.

For a moment, he wondered why he dared to invite such a beast into his home, but he remembered the lighthearted talk they had when she first came to the embassy. Perhaps…

“Oh, Your Excellency, Gonir.”

Yuriko smiled and stood. There was a stiffness to that smile, but the grave air had disappeared. Sunlight and warmth. The scent of flowers in the Season of Earth. All at once, Gonir could feel his Anima tugging at him. He resisted reflexively, then relaxed. There was no hostility there.

“Please, sit,” Gonir replied with a warm smile, “I’m glad to find you here in our lovely Viterra.”

“Thank you,” she answered faintly as she returned to her seat and sipped from her cup. “This is a lovely tea.”

“Arrag, prepare a tin of the Vivid Mountain leaf.”

“Oh, I couldn’t!”

“Nonsense, I’ve got more of the leaf than I know what to do with. Let it be a gift to your wellbeing.”

Gonir took his own cup and drank. The little woman stared up at him wordlessly, then smiled, genuinely, in thanks.

“So, I’ve read quite a number of reports and I must say your heroics bought Lucenti time to muster their defences,” he smiled, “which also gave my embassy enough of a leeway to make a proper exit.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, we didn’t have to burn any documents,” Gonir laughed. “Not that we had many that were sensitive anyway. Hahaha!”

“Well, thank you.”

They sat in silence while sipping tea. After the first cup was done, Arrag refilled the cups then stepped back discreetly, towards a small decorative waterfall ornament. The sound of the water would muffle any words they spoke.

“So, may I inquire about the purpose of your visit?” Gonir asked politely.

Yuriko shook her head, “I was surprised to hear your name from your harbourmaster, since last I knew, you were still in Lucenti. I was merely curious why you left your posting. And also to see a friend.”

Gonir smiled widely. “I am honoured that you consider me a friend.”

“Well, I heard from my aunt that you sent word here so that the Ebon Horizon would know of my request for passage. I was delayed by the battles and if not for you, they would have left me behind. So, thank you!”

“Ah, you were worried about that.” Gonir nodded. “It was simple enough to arrange. Though, I wonder why you fought on the side of Lucenti? Ah, no, I remember. Elder Otlaca helped you, didn’t he?’

Yuriko nodded, but her face remained troubled.

“In truth, after we left the camp, I came across an acquaintance, a Kutin clanner by the name of Masa, who I met before I did the Lucentians. She spoke to me after we fought a group of warriors from Tiath.”

“After you’d left the Lucenti forces?” Gonir asked, barely containing his surprise.

That was strange. Why would they run after her when she was clearly exiting the stage? Hmm, perhaps they didn’t know? Shoddy work in that case.

“Yes. A couple of days after. I…” Yuriko looked down at her hands.

Gonir grunted. He knew that look. While Viterra wasn’t peaceful by any means, a lot of blood has been shed in the name of both freedom and profit. Even now, Gonir knew that the Elders of the city were considering sending forces down south. As it stood they were the only sovereign state uninvolved in the war for the Labyrinth. At the end of it all, if they didn’t push for their own benefits, then nothing would change for the Oskans. Ivory would remain difficult to obtain or would cost an arm and a leg.

The time was ripe, too. Having battered themselves against each other, Lucenti and Vizugmon have lost quite a bit of their forces. Field reports claim that both sides had lost at least one Elder each. Tiath was the wildcard here.

That city didn’t really have a stake. At least, he didn’t think so. Some of the Tiathans made use of Geists, but those Animas weren’t bestial. Would that city-state change from being a nation of humans to one of walking and talking plants?

“I’m curious, Elder Yuriko,” Gonir said after a heavy silence. “Do you know why Tiath meddled in the fight between Vizugmon and Lucenti? It can’t be for control of the Labyrinth. Tiath’s across the inland sea, even with their airships, the supply lines would beggar them.”

Yuriko shook her head. “I don’t know, but a Sorcerer of Tiath conquered Lucenti’s Lardell Keep. They were with Vizugmon from the beginning.”

Gonir steepled his fingers and leaned his elbows on the table and frowned.

“That bodes ill. Perhaps the humans are feeling itchy.” He glanced down at the diminutive girl. “Ah, I meant no offence.”

Yuriko shook her head. “I took none. Not all humans are brothers and sisters.”

“Alas, the same could not be true for the People.” Gonir sighed. “We were once one nation, but in the pursuit of power, we have been changed.”

The small Elder looked up at him in puzzlement. “You mean about, er…Keta?”

“Kettu,” Gonir chuckled. “Yes, the ancient king of our people. Back when we were once like you.”

“Eh?”

“Surprised?” Gonir boomed with laughter. “Why should you be? You know that the Chaos changes people. It just so happened that the great King learned of a powerful technique, to harness the strength and Anima of vanquished foes and take them into his own.”

“Your…Geist?”

“Yes.” Gonir snorted. “I won’t go into specifics, but as the generations come, we took on more and more aspects of our Geist, passed it down to our children, until we have become what we are now.”

Yuriko looked bewildered, then thoughtful. She tilted her head and looked lost in thought for a few moments. She looked back up to Gonir and asked, “Where did he learn the technique?”

“He never did say. But there were rumours. It was several hundred years ago, after all.” Gonir shrugged.

“I see.”

She looked thoughtful again. Gonir sipped his tea, happy to see that the beautiful girl’s countenance had lightened considerably. She must be young for a person with Elder level power. Was this her first time fighting in a war? Maybe.

They spoke of other things afterwards. He gave her a tour of his prized garden, pointing out some of his flowering shrubs. They were bare now, of course, with the year coming to an end. The cold of the north was quite evident with the early snow. Truth to tell, he missed the comfortable chill. The humidity in Lucenti always made him sweat too much.

“I thank you for receiving me,” Yuriko said, giving him a small bow.

“You’re very much welcome,” Gonir chuckled. “And if you find your way back here in Viterra, you’ll always be welcome in my home.”

“Thank you.” She smiled, “If you ever come to my home plane, Rumiga of the Eternal Empire, know that you will be welcome in my home.”

“I appreciate it.” Gonir grinned then drew her into a farewell hug. She patted his side after a moment, then left.

Gonir returned to his study and picked up his brushes. As he expected, he needed to blend a new batch of paint. He contemplated just scraping the crusted film over the dollop, to see if the remnants were still usable. But no, there had been too little and everything had dried up. He glanced at his canvas and wondered if he would ever see her again.

________

The next couple of days passed by in a blur. For Yuriko, she spent most of it sleeping in her quarters. She hadn’t been in the mood to explore the city further. The joy and laughter of the children made her miss Rami and his friends.

Well, she missed her friends, too, considering that when she disappeared they had been fighting the northern barbarians. Oh, Ancestors! Were they alive and well? Please…

She’d pushed to the back of her mind her concerns while she had been in Kogasi and in the Labyrinth. Then she had been too preoccupied with the battles between Vizugmon and Tiath. Now that she was safe, and all her worries came back with a vengeance.

She found herself teary-eyed at odd times. Her hands trembled and she was sick to the stomach. The area below her navel twisted and cramped up, and there was a bit of shooting pain from her lower back. Recovery helped with the pain, but it always came back a few hours later.

Battle sickness. Damien said in her mind. You have it bad. Well, nothing for it. You must continue your Radiant Refinement. You’ll feel better afterwards. Hmmm, your physique absorbs the energy incredibly well. His voice had a proud tinge to it, but it could have been Yuriko’s imagination.

So she spent the rest of the two days getting as much sun as she could, shedding her jacket to bare her shoulders and arms while she sat in a meditative pose on the deck. The sailors eyed her curiously but they didn’t linger with their tasks.

On that last day, Layla came crawling back on deck from town, followed by an equally sloshed Riley and Aidan.

“Where’ve you three been?” Yuriko asked crossly.

“Drinking,” Layla said hazily, “only chance we have. Huh, why are you sitting there?”

“Meditating.”

“In the cold air and without your jacket?” Layla’s eyes sharpened for a moment before they blurred in a drunken haze. “Well, go back inside, we’re leaving in an hour.”

“Oh!” Yuriko exclaimed. “Finally.”

She wanted to stay on deck to watch the ship enter the Chaos channel but her aunt wouldn’t let her. Well, it was against regulations, apparently, despite how Riley tried to insist on accompanying her. So, she was back in her quarters waiting. Then the Ebon Horizon shook, and she felt a strange pressure against her skin. And just like that, they had left Bella plane.