"Templars fight for the innocents, but also for the moments between Quests. Each undead they put down brings peace to a soul and a smile to another. Each life they save is a family crying with joy.

Sometimes, particularly devoted Templars decide to put everything they have into this holy task, but… how can you hope to spread light, if your hearth is blackened with grief and pain? Magic can only go so far…”

-Mrs. Seasong, about Templars.

Nashariel pov

The omnidragon and her friends talked until sunrise illuminated their room.

Finally confessing her biggest secret to her friends felt… freeing, almost enough to make Nashariel’s head spin. She told them about her dreams too, but not in detail. That… needed a bit of time still.

“Veliel, would you like to evolve now? I might not be here tonight.” Proposed Nashariel.

The priestess nodded enthusiastically. “I’ll finally be able to talk to everyone!” She wrote with a twirl.

The humans chuckled.

"How does evolution work, actually? Didn't read much about that." Asked Dan.

“It’s like acquiring a new affinity, to put it very roughly. We start, wait a few hours in our status, and we pop out with a new body reinforced with the bonuses that our evolution granted us.”

“How big is the bonus? If it’s not rude asking.” Dorel said, standing up to stretch. A few hours in the same position did a number on everyone, especially with a full plate donned.

The girls shrugged. “Depends on the evolution, on its quality and Tier, to be precise.” Wrote Veliel. “In my case, I got 1000 stat and 500 skill points as a bonus.” She happily scribbled.

Everyone stared at the priestess.

“What. The. Actual. Fuck.” Dan elegantly commented.

Dorel nodded. Twice.

Even Nashariel felt a bit cheated by the system. So many points… I guess that’s Tier 2 for you. The most irritating part is that, no matter what I do, I need to wait until I advance my age category to break through. I doubt that I’ll have more than one evolution available too… Argh, always with the wait for things!

Veliel blushed. “Well, it’s a powerful one. I never heard about a similar reward either!”

The Inquisitor sighed in defeat.

“You should do it now, or you’ll be late for class.” Intervened Dorel.

The soon-not-really-siren nodded, somewhat tense. “Please, keep watch over me.”

With that said, Veliel was enveloped by a gentle light that solidified in a solid sphere.

Nashariel noticed that it roughly looked like a nest.

/Beautiful…/The secondary mind whispered. She was gaining level after level, and her approach to the cap allowed the skill to seem more and more alive.

The dragokin remembered her cold logic during her first levels.

“Boss, now that I think about it, can you evolve?” Asked Dorel.

Dan was too enchanted by the cocoon to listen.

Nashariel grunted in frustration, explaining to the man how dragons worked. "That said, I have a Quest to upgrade my elements, but it's… costly. I have to unlock all attunements and acquire two advanced skills for all of them.”

Dorel nodded. “I’m sure you’ll do it in no time at all.”

Nashariel smiled. “Thanks, Dorel. Still, I haven’t checked my recent unlocks yet, but I know it’s going to be a nightmare to learn everything at once.”

“Makes sense.”

Ah! I should’ve told her about absorbing essences! I hope she won’t waste her points…

/She said that you can check her status. Perhaps you can go as far as Fel did with you?/

Good thinking. Nashariel briefly opened her status, seeing that nothing changed. She’s still in the sleepy phase, then.

/Or she changed her mind/

I don’t think so. She seemed pretty set on that. Nashariel swished her tail in embarrassment. I can’t believe that someone could gain an evolution based on me!

/We learned about your nature as an Empress in the making. It’s not surprising, to be honest/

Nashariel fidgeted uncomfortably at that. Yeah, but I don't think an Empress should be this weak.

/I also said ‘In the making’/

The dragokin rolled her eyes, but didn’t reply to the snarky mind. Gods, she learned sarcasm…

A few minutes later, Nashariel got a notification.

*User Veliel Soothsong would like to evolve into ‘Voice of the Empress’.

Do you accept this retainer?

Y/N

…

Evolution accepted.

User Veliel Soothsong’s inner and outer status are available for display. *

“Guys, I’m going to try something. Shake me if something happens., okay?”

Her woke friends gave her a double thumbs-up.

Nashariel closed her eyes, falling inside her status. As soon as she got there, she saw another small slate appearing on the empty side of the dragon’s statue.

It read ‘Retainers’ and displayed Veliel’s name. Nashariel clicked upon it.

As soon as she did, a door opened next to her.

The dragokin entered.

On the other side, Veliel stared at her in shock. Her form was still roughly misty, probably an effect of the evolution in progress. “How…?”

Nashariel shrugged. “The message from the system told me that I could see in here, so I came.” She looked around.

Veliel’s status resembled her own, aside from the fact that upon each door rested a different avian wielding the element as her wings. The central statue was a breathtaking representation of a winged woman (an angel, perhaps?) who knelt in prayer, looking somewhere up an infinite sky, where a rainbow traversed all the horizon.

“Nice place, by the way.”

Veliel shook her head in dismay. “How’s outside? How much time has passed?”

“Ten minutes? Twenty at the longest, I’d say.”

The priestess nodded. “So, were you just testing something, or…?”

Nashariel scratched her etheric cheek, somewhat embarrassed. "Yes, but…" She explained to the priestess about the possibility of unlocking free attunements.

“Thanks, boss, but I was reading my skills, and I saw that every attunement is already unlocked.”

The omnidragon stood there with her jaws open, frozen in place. “What?” She finally managed to get out.

Veliel looked uncomfortable. “Is… is that bad? Haven’t you too…?”

Nashariel let out a long, prolonged groan. “No, Vel, I do not…” The girl grabbed her face, sighing. “This is so unfair…”

“I’m… sorry?”

“Not your fault. I just don’t understand the logic behind it. Why did I not receive any element outside of the Basic ones? Are you limited in some way?”

Veliel looked into her slate, eyes scrolling rapidly between the lines. “Yes. Apparently, the only advanced skills I can buy must be related to my Song-attunement, and the basic ones can only go as far as my primary attunement goes.”

Nashariel nodded. “A large repertoire, then.”

The Voice let out a happy chirp. “You have no idea!” She stopped for a moment. “I know I don’t!”

The duo bursted laughing at the same time.

“Would you offer me a tour, miss Singer?”

“With pleasure, my bird-obsessed leader.”

Nashariel snorted.

“This looks interesting.” Nashariel said, reading a skill.

As opposed to her status, Veliel’s didn’t have pillars, but solid notes. Each skill, when unlocked, freed itself from the element that blocked them and let out a brief tune that, somehow, sounded like the skill’s effect, which added itself to the permanent music in the background.

Veliel had promised herself to wait until the end of the round, before buying anything else. A task harder than she thought, judging by her expression, and they weren’t even at a fourth of the journey.

They were examining a skill called [Song of might], an advanced skill in the Fire room. Based on what Nashariel knew about the element, this skill was likely a power/strength dedicated booster. It was the first one that the duo came across, and it was likely to be much stronger than a normal empower, as the siren had always used her racial skills to manipulate the effects.

“They all do.” The siren widened her eyes. “Is this why you always seem indecisive about your purchases?!” Veliel asked, comprehending the whole room with a wave of her wings.

"Yep. Do you get it now? And I'm not limited to Song-stuff either."

The siren nodded. “Gods… Let’s keep going, lest I buy everything at once.” She threw a longing gaze at the room.

Nashariel helped by dragging her away with both decision and understanding.

Deep understanding.

“You should enter, Vel.”

“I… I don’t want to…”

The duo was in front of the Cursed chamber. The music in there was a slow, deep song that reminded the duo of the atmosphere of the cursed village.

"Believe me, I know, but you have to. Part of the reason why I've recovered so quickly from the Circle of Torment and the Banshee’s screams was thanks to a skill called [Body of the Cursed dragon]. That thing alone saved my butt, and I’m sure that, in this room, there’s going to be something similar to help you. Please, Vel, at least walk in with me.” Nashariel had colored the truth a bit, but she deeply believed in her words.

/Perhaps you might consider another visit to that chamber, then/Whispered her secondary mind.

Nashariel suppressed an involuntary shudder. I guess…

The priestess nodded, mustering all her courage for a few minutes. Nashariel patiently waited with her hand extended.

As soon as they went in, Veliel’s gaze darted to all sides, eyes widened to an impossible degree. Holding Nashariel’s hand with steel-bending strength, and pressing herself on her, she moved a few steps into the room.

The skills were pretty much what they expected them to be. Mainly, things regarding pain and debuffs. Veliel also recognized some Hybrid skills that improved her vocal depth.

They walked out a bit later. “Thanks, boss… I don’t think I’d ever set foot in there without you.” The priestess said, shaking slightly.

Nashariel gave her a one-armed hug in response.

The rest of the round remained uneventful. Soon, the priestess had seemingly forgotten about the Cursed room and bounced through the various attunements losing a bit of her usual composure.

Nashariel carefully glanced at the various solid notes, doing her best to commit to memory skills that she could find in there, once the attunement was hers for the taking.

At the end of the tour, the duo came back to the central plaza. They talked about what they had found, what to buy, and when. Veliel was, understandably, pushing to unlock most Healing-related skills available, especially against curses.

While Nashariel shared her worry, she asked her to consider all her arsenal. Not one of Veliel’s previous skills had been replaced, so the siren had quite a narrow but well-developed arsenal at her disposal.

Someone tugged at her. “I have to go. See you later!”

Veliel smiled. “See you later, Nashariel. And… thanks.”

The dragokin winked, then let herself fall out of the inner world.

Outside, Dan was still shaking her, although gently. “Ehy, you’re finally awake!”

Nashariel was slightly dizzy. “Yeah. Something’s happened?”

“Nah, we were just a bit worried. It’s been an hour already.”

“Two, more likely.” Intervened Dorel, looking out of the window. “We need to do our things. I’ll warn the students about Veliel’s delay.”

Nashariel nodded. So much time? It felt like minutes. “I’ll keep watch by myself.” She glanced at the cocoon that was Veliel, seeing it slightly bigger and brighter. “May Astill enlighten your day.”

“You too, boss.”

The humans went out, chatting between themselves.

The omnidragon sparred with various weapons, asking the secondary mind to sense anyone who approached.

Some uneventful time later, Nashariel heard the cocoon starting to break down. Smiling, she looked as the mana construct crumbled on itself and the naked figure rose from within.

Veliel was grown to just under two meters tall, having two sets of wings instead of a single pair, one larger than the other. Her white hair and feathers had turned to a lighter shade of gray compared to Nashariel’s scales, and they flickered in all colors of the rainbow in a relaxing pattern, showing that the priestess had followed her recommendation and merged all resistances into one. Veliel’s blue eyes were slitted like those of a dragon, turning their white sclera to black, giving her a more intense, almost menacing, gaze. “Are you ok, boss?” She asked without writing.

The voice held power, reverberating around her, but it held no Mind affinity. “Damn, you need a mirror. And a new size of clothes.” Should we use the sheets for a time?

Veliel quickly brought her taloned hands to her mouth, accidentally smacking herself. “By the Winged Lady…” She touched her face, finding it unharmed. She looked down on herself, instantly covering up with all her wings. “Where are my clothes?”

Nashariel gestured to the rapidly dissolving cocoon. “Somewhere in the Flux, I believe.” Tiering up produces a lot of mana, it seems. “Should I get you a tailor? How’re you doing in that body?”

The priestess nodded gratefully, then moved a few probationary steps around the room. Confirming that the windows were closed, Veliel opened her wings, admiring all four of them and their ever-shifting pattern. She stopped to look at the lower half of her legs, which now had become much more bird-like.

Nashariel noticed that her friend looked much more mature in… many ways. Mainly, her face was that of an adult, having shed off the last childish traits. “Do you mind if I identify you? I’m curious.”

“Sure, but tell me after!”

The dragokin smirked.

*Song/Omni-Voice of the Empress Lvl 211

This Siren, Veliel Soothsong, has decided to follow the Omnidragon’s footsteps, becoming forever bound to her. Armed with an almost endless repertoire, a good mastery of magic, and a voice more powerful than ever, this monster can support her party or hinder its enemies in an unlimited variety of ways, all equally potent in their own manner.

As of now, this siren is specialized in supporting others, and she's, therefore, weaker on her own than another monster in her league. Ambushes and ways to silence her are the primary methods to defeat this monster.

Her Secondary attunement makes every part of her body immensely valuable.

Special: As the Omnidragon, you cannot be hindered by her skills and spells, and the benefits you receive are considerably increased. She benefits from the same advantage, as long as she retains her loyalty to you. *

Nashariel raised an eyebrow. “Holy duck, you got a few levels when I wasn’t looking, uh?” And now I feel behind.

/I don’t like what the system says about her value/

Me neither, but we knew that already, didn’t we?

Veliel chuckled. “I gained them a bit after you left. I think that your stay delayed the evolution.”

Makes sense, since I wasn’t evolving. “Whoops, sorry. Still, I’ll go get you the tailor. Don’t move.”

The priestess nodded, visibly opening her status to check on her changes from outside.

Literally, Nashariel could see the floating screen in front of her friend. Shaking her head, the girl opened the door.

The dragokin brought a very enthusiastic old elf to the inn. Apparently, the tailor had never worked on a monstrous humanoid, and the deed was both good for her levels and original enough to destroy her boredom.

Nashariel heard a pair of young-looking elves talking with Veliel, who sounded slightly distressed. Alarmed, Nashariel dashed like a fury, letting the wood below creak audibly.

As soon as she arrived, the girl saw that the two elves had turned toward her, instantly turning ghostly white. "What do you want?" Snarled the dragokin.

They were frozen in terror.

“Boss, they’re my students! Please, don’t scare them to death.” Came Veliel’s voice from the other side of the wood. “And turn off your skill, please, they’re not immune to it!”

Nashariel noticed that her presence had spontaneously activated. She let it so and identified the duo. Nothing stood out to her, save for their Healing affinity and a higher level than usual. That confirmed, she suppressed her presence. “Were they bothering you?”

“No, they simply wondered what delayed me and wanted to help.”

The dragokin relaxed. “Apologizes, then, but Veliel will be busy for today.” Nashariel pressed herself against the wall, leaving the passage open. “Tell the rest of your group that she’s sorry.”

They frantically nodded, starting to hurriedly walk in her direction.

“Boss, why don’t you go with them? You can replace me for today.”

“I don’t know, Vel. I can’t cast spells.”

“But you’ve read a lot, and your aura can heal, no?”

I mean, it’s not like I had much more to do… She shrugged. “Fine. Have fun with your clothes.” Nashariel turned to the two elves. “Make the way, please. Sorry about the overreaction.” She let out an apologetic smile. Why have I snapped immediately?

They sagged in relief. “I-it’s fine. Come.” One said, walking down the stairs, quickly followed by the other.

Way to make a first impression, Nashariel. The dragokin thought, sighing. The tailor had waited a few steps behind her, looking uneasy but otherwise unperturbed. “Sorry about that. For the payment…?”

She waved her hand. “It’s fine, the younglings need proper teaching about respect. The token bestowed upon you covers necessities, so don’t worry about that either.” The tailor paused for a moment. “Unless your friend wants special enchantments, that is.”

Veliel chuckled. “Go boss, I’ll ask you if I need something!”

Nashariel nodded to her friend and the elven woman, then followed the aspirant healers.

The hours passed quickly.

As always, Nashariel enjoyed her role as a teacher. She couldn't show the young elves proper magic, but they managed to make a little progress by analyzing her aura aligned to Light. She didn’t want to show them Healing, which she didn’t know herself.

Soon after sunset, and after the lesson ended, Nashariel went back to the inn, curious to see what Veliel's clothes looked like.

She met with her halfway. The siren easily towered over everyone, much to her discomfort. She wore simple robes, much like the ones from before her evolution, with Astill’s opened hand sewed right on her chest.

Most elves, especially the young ones, turned to look at her with jaws opened.

“Veliel, you look stunning.” Nashariel said, smiling.

“Thank you! I asked Selina to make a few of these and their combat version. She said that they’ll be ready in a week or so.” The priestess answered, tugging at a strand of her long hair.

“Can’t wait to see Dan’s and Dorel’s reactions!” Nashariel snickered. “Have you tried singing yet?”

The other shook her head. “I can barely control my voice as it is, I don’t know about singing in front of everyone.”

Nashariel nodded. “You’re right, but what about going to the lake with the boys, then?”

“Sounds lovely! I’ll go grab them, wait there for me.”

The gang was on the same patch of shore that Fel brought them on.

Veliel was nervously tugging at her feathers, flushing as the humans complimented her new self.

All of them minus Veliel sat on the grass, waiting for the siren to ready herself.

Nashariel glanced backward, seeing a few other onlookers. Some of them were Veliel's students.

/They shiver every time you look at them, primary mind/

I probably scared them to death. The girl sighed, turning towards her friend once more. I’m not getting jumpy, am I?

/You have been subjected to a prolonged series of heavy traumas. I believe that we simply need a bit of mental healing. And rest/

Nashariel agreed. Thanks.

The siren started her performance.

A popular lullaby from Andriel came out of Veliel’s lips, investing the three of them with its intensity. The somewhat short song was deeply entrancing not because of some mental effect, but thanks to the singer’s talent.

Nashariel closed her eyes, rethinking back to when her mother sang the same tune to help her sleep after a nightmare. A tear fell from her eyes.

She wasn’t the only one.

The dragokin could hear some people weep, others blinked rapidly, getting rid of the sudden sleepiness. The grass itself seemed to swish slower in the wind as if to not disturb the tune.

The song ended, Veliel opening her eyes. She widened them a moment later. “My voice did this?”

“Yes.” Nashariel replied.

Dan enthusiastically clapped. “That was amazing!”

Dorel and Nashariel seconded with a cheer. Even the crowd gave her a few claps.

The priestess let out a nervous chuckle. “That was just a lullaby, nothing special…”

“What about something more lively, then?” Proposed Nashariel with a grin. “’ Been a while since we partied hard!”

Veliel slowly grinned back.

That night, the Templars didn’t go to sleep, and neither did the many elves that came to hear the siren’s songs.

Veliel had the time of her life. It had been months since the priestess had sung so much and so freely, and it showed.

The improvised concert had led some people to bring out drinks, food, and instruments, turning everything into a proper party. Even some small motes of light joined the dance, floating playfully around the tireless Veliel. Pixie's laughter joined the music.

Nashariel breathed in the atmosphere, enjoying the moment of peace where no Quest, danger, or any kind of pressure weighted on her and her friends.

She chuckled when, during the siren’s few pauses, some elves tried to hit on her. The siren refused all of them, though.

Broken hearts aside, everyone stayed until they felt too tired to keep dancing and returned home, probably collapsing on their beds.

Dan didn’t refrain from the attention in the slightest.

Dorel had challenged some elven smith to some sort of contest, and the fires of some summoned forges raged on the side of the party, creating a magical contrast with the holy lake just behind them and the dancing fairies among them.

Nashariel moved along, devouring another meat skewer. The elves surely knew how to cook. Perhaps Dorel and I could take some lessons. She chuckled by herself.

Still, she enjoyed this precious moment as long as she could, for, as a popular saying went in Andriel, another storm was always brewing.

She would be ready.

She needed to be ready.

The morning after, Nashariel was by herself on the shore. Her friends had long gone to sleep, but she had someone to wait for.

“Empress, our sisters talked a lot about this night. We thank you for the warmth provided to our children.” Fel said, announced by the familiar drop of temperature.

Nashariel smiled. “Thank Veliel, not me. I did nothing but empty your people’s reserves for winter.” She chuckled.

The fairy assumed her elven form, some mirth dancing in her eyes. “We shall, and our sisters will too, we’re sure.” She gave her mantle back. “We thank you for your generosity. Are you ready?”

Nashariel reattached her mantle on her shoulders. Creaking her neck, she grinned toward the fae. “Show me my next hunt!”

??? pov

“She evolved!”

“I’m not blind. Have you seen those wings? They look amazing…”

“True, but now what? A dragon was already more than enough, but a Tier 2 monster at Lvl 200? That’s suicidal.”

A duo shuddered. “The moment that the dragon glared at us felt like the First Hunter’s gaze…”

The group paused a moment to think.

“We can handle the humans, but not the singer. We have to get rid of it.”

“But…” The protestor was glared at until he stopped talking.

“It’s a monster, don’t get lured by its pretty face.” He paused. “We only need the right execution, and it will bite the dust without us being noticed. She has barely evolved, while we are experts… More or less,” He threw a distasted look at some of the younger elves.

“I tried to identify her-it, but my skill failed. Do any of you know anything about sirens?”

“It’s a flier, so an Air element is mandatory. I bet two hundred gold that its main attunement is Sound or Song.”

“So, slit the throat and so on?”

“I don’t know, they are Templars. Who knows how powerful their heals are going to be.”

“The letter said that we must capture the dragon, or kill it. I think I know how to make that happen...”

The one explained her plan, getting wide smirks from the small crowd.