Something changed in her, Arylos thought, thinking about how much Iris had changed over the past eight months. She’s no longer the little girl who lost her village; she’s become someone different.

Arylos brought his shackled hands up to his forehead, racking his brain over what had been happening. He has to treat her as her own separate person and yet he can’t stop seeing her as someone to protect. Why? What was causing this? Why was he so torn like this? He knew he didn’t want to lose her, but was that the cause of his fear?

No, he knew why.

He let out a sigh and with it all of his concerns went with his breath. He didn’t care anymore. He needed to have faith in Iris and whatever plan came to her. He needed to learn to trust her entirely. If this is his life now, he must, MUST, learn to treat her as her own capable person and trust her. He needed to stop treating her like a lost child because she has grown beyond that now.

And his time with her was limited.

The door to the small room opened and two guards came in, donned in full silver armour and carried spears in their hands.

“Alright boys, let’s get this over with,” Arylos growled as he stood from the table with his chin held high. He would be strong for her.

The guards came forward and took Arylos by the arms, pulling him by the shackles. Arylos kept his eyes forward, peering out into the hallway outside the room, hoping to find a glimpse of Iris.

But his hands no longer felt weighed down.

Arylos looked down and saw that his hands were free of his binds and the soldiers closed the shackles on themselves and set them on the table. The two guards then bowed and left the room and stood outside the door in the hallway, standing guard.

Arylos massaged his raw wrists and stood still, unsure of what would happen next. He then heard a set of running footsteps coming down the hallway. Iris burst through the door and before Arylos could react she ran towards him and gave him a tight hug, something Arylos was definitely not expecting.

“Let’s go home,” she whispered in his ear, holding him tight as her voice was shaking like she had been crying again.

“Wait, what happened?” Arylos asked, having no clue or indication as to what happened.

Iris let go of him and showed him a set of papers she had in her hand, lightly crumbled from her excitement. “It’s in Kaiyumian, do you need me to read them to you?” she asked while wiping away tears.

Arylos looked through the papers and found another draft in Templarian, a script he can read with some ease. “It seems there’s another draft included just for me,” he told Iris.

Iris smiled and before Arylos could read the papers, she tugged him along, trying to pull him out into the hallway. Arylos desperately tried to read as Iris kept pulling him out and before Arylos could realise it, he was back outside the front of the palace with the evening sun setting overhead.

“Hold on,” he called out desperately while pulling back against Iris as he desperately tried to read the Templarian script that always confused him at first glance.

Let it be known that by the twenty-fifth Lord of the Sentarus Name, has declared refugee status to the following entities:

Vahsmorn’r Arylos, Vlajhilsen entity Nashonaru–Vahsmorn’r Iris, Kaiyumae-Templarian entity

Upon receipt of this refugee status, the listed entities are declared under a protected status due to the following conditions:

Refugees of war from a foreign nation or power Selfless acts of courage and heroism as immigrants from another land Entities listed serve as emissaries of a protected organisation or power

Arylos read through the sprawling legal document, outlining conditions for refugee protection, conditions for maintaining status, taxes and levies, current listed tax waivers, land ownership and titling, and various other legal factors. Arylos realised very quickly that the refugee status declaration was in Kaiyumian for Iris and civilians to read but all of the legal bindings were in Templarian; he was the one meant to be aware of the legality of their new statuses.

The above status declaration has been put to paper and penned on the 16th Day of the Morning Sun, year 2,739 and was signed and put into agreement by the following entities:

Sentarus, Moviron; twenty fifth Lord of the realm of Kaiyumi Nashonaru–Vahsmorn’r, Iris on behalf of entity Vahsmorn’r, Arylos Ausonia, Bellona; Lord Commander of the Royal Guard Sarandiel, Anoron–Orion; High King of Templarius, Archon of the Seekers

“Holy shit!” Arylos exclaimed as he read the names. “Anoron signed off on this too?”

“He wasn’t there if that’s what you’re asking,” Iris responded impatiently waiting for Arylos to read while leaning up against a wall. “Sentarus already had Anoron’s signature by the time I was going to give him mine.”

Arylos thought about the weight of this for a long moment, thinking the signature was fake. Yet he knew Anoron’s signature anywhere; there’s no way this is a fake.

“Anoron actually sanctioned this,” Arylos wondered aloud while stroking his beard. “What the hell is that old boy thinking? He just told Odin that if he wants to fight me, he has to do it himself. Now he’s approving us to receive refugee status here on Kaiyumi?”

“It’s probably just a formality,” Iris wondered aloud. “We are getting attacked by his own people.”

“No, you don’t get it,” Arylos responded, reading back over the paperwork. “Part of our refugee status is that since we are attacked by a foreign power, we will have help as needed but we ultimately need to defend ourselves; Sentarus can only do so much.”

“That’s how I got him to agree,” Iris added with a big smile. “I told him that if we can fight off and defend the city, and possibly the world, from the people trying to kill you, then we can remain here. We’re actively doing our part to keep the people safe and we get to stay here. Win-win.”

“But if Anoron agreed, that means Templarius recognises that too,” Arylos added as he slowly turned to Iris. “That means that Odin’s actions are now against Anoron’s will. In theory, Odin cannot attack us again.”

Iris laughed for a moment before it hit her. “Wait, do you mean that?” she exclaimed.

Arylos went on a long ramble about interplanetary law that went completely over Iris’s head, unable to understand even basic Kaiyumian politics.

“You have to know I come from a small village to the southwest, right?” Iris added, completely lost.

Arylos laughed under his breath as he attempted again. “Basically, there’s no law stating we are to be left alone, however this agreement makes it an unwritten rule. Anoron effectively said ‘if you attack these two, there are no laws against it but also no laws that protect you should it displease me’.”

“He basically drew the line in the sand and dared Odin to cross it,” Iris summarised.

“Exactly,” Arylos responded. “That means we are also indirectly under Anoron’s protection.”

Iris rubbed her chin as she thought about it. “You have a point; why would he agree to that? Are the two of you friends or something?”

“That’s hard to say,” Arylos responded with a hint of sadness in his voice. “We agree on many things but also disagree on a lot, and the last time I saw him, we weren’t exactly on good terms.”

“Why?” Iris asked.

“Because the last time I spoke to him, your world was consumed by the Dragon Wars,” Arylos answered with a deep sigh. “He and I have different viewpoints about that war.

Iris thought for a moment before waving it off and grabbing Arylos by the wrist and pulling him along. “Oh well, we’re now protected refugees so let’s go home already! A bath and dinner is calling my name!”

Arylos laughed for a moment and let the excited girl pull him along. He looked at his own hand, pale skin and black nails reminding him something important.

“There’s something else you should know,” Arylos began in a soft voice.

“It has an interesting ring to it, doesn’t it?” Iris asked, cutting Arylos off completely. “‘Nashonaru–Vahsmorn’r’. You have a really strange name, you know that?”

Arylos raised his voice but ultimately laughed under his breath, letting himself indulge in this dream of his for a moment longer. “It’s the Reig’s language, which is really an imitation of the Vlajhilsen tongue,” he explained.

“Yeah, but I kind of like it,” Iris added with a smile. “It sounds kind of cool and mysterious, even if it is difficult to say.”

“You had to take my name so you could sign on my behalf,” Arylos cut in, trying to curb her excitement. “And I’d rather prefer you not take my name if possible.”

“How come?” Iris asked, rounding a corner that led into the Mutsukanai district.

“It’s a name that is more of a title than anything,” Arylos explained cryptically.

“Is it your true Titan name or something?” Iris asked.

“No, that’s another name entirely,” Arylos answered with a chuckle. “The name ‘Vahsmorn’r’ literally means ‘fire of death’. I’ll leave it to you to imagine how I inherited that name.”

“You really don’t win any popularity contests, do you?” she jokingly asked with a warm smile.

Arylos responded with a laugh of his own. “No, I do not.”

The two arrived at the walkway to their house, untouched from the fighting, and they approached the front door together. “I can help you if you want,” Iris teased as she went to open the door. “Teach you how to get along with the ladies.”

Arylos smiled, entertained by the idea. “I don’t need relationship advice from someone who is still single and couldn’t keep a boyfriend.”

Iris felt her face go red hot and immediately turned and started hitting Arylos’s upper arm. “Says the guy who is thousands of years old and doesn’t have a girlfriend!” she squealed.

“Just thousands of years old?” Arylos teased as the two walked into the foyer, shrugging off the girl. “You have a ways to go if you think I’m that young.”

“That doesn’t help your case, you big idiot!” Iris returned, puffing up her face.

Arylos laughed as he removed his blood-caked boots while in the foyer and came over into the living room, taking in the smell of being back home.

“By the way, didn’t you say there was something you had to tell me?” Iris asked while coming up behind the Titan.

Arylos immediately turned and put a finger to her lips, silencing her. “Tomorrow,” he reminded her. “Things may be looking up now, but dinner and a bath first.”

Iris completely forgot what Arylos told her in the room they kept him in; he wanted to discuss further tomorrow with clear heads. Her improved mood made her forget what happened.

What happened.

She remembered what she did and she found herself slowly nodding, in agreement that now is not the time. “Fine, but you owe me for being gone for a week and lying to me about it.”

“Alright, that’s only fair,” Arylos laughed, happy that at least for tonight, life can return to normal.