“That’s… quite the story,” said Shidai as he messaged his forehead with his thumb and index finger. The Archon had rarely seen the man look so perplexed. Despite his looks, Shidai was something of a rogue scholar, and one of the most brilliant men the Archon had ever met. “If it was anyone else telling me I wouldn’t believe it. The implications of your tale are… baffling, to say the least.”

“I still barely believe it myself,” replied the Archon, gently rocking the baby to and fro in his arms. The child, Tyhr, looked up at him with his huge green eyes, his little arms reaching towards the Archon’s face as if to clutch at his beard.

“And I thought we had an interesting day.” With and exasperated sigh, Shidai leaned back against the wagon seat, his arms falling limply to his sides. “After you took off for the second time, I tracked you to the edge of the forest, but once we were inside all traces of you dissapeared. We wandered through the Ruby Way for what felt like an eternity, only for all the ground to start shaking. Then everything just sort of…” The big monk’s head sank forward unto his chest. “Got eaten by the ground. It sounds like madness when I say it.”

“I believe you.”

“After what you went through, you better. In all my years exploring the continent I never imagined the Ruby Way held such a secret.”

“Can I trust you to look into this?”

Shidai shrugged.

“I doubt anyone else is as qualified. Not sure what I’ll find though. Given the uh, white hair the kid has, it’s not a stretch to say he’s tied to Ryedyn, and we don’t have any historical records from there, assuming any exist to begin with. Ryedyn is a mystery, always has been. Even back in my archeology days I avoided it.”

“You mean tomb raiding days?”

“Huh, I thought you would say pirating days. Anyway, Just seeing Ryedyn from the coastline used to give me chills. You’ve been there, albeit briefly. What did you think of it?”

“It made the battlefield I saw in the Ruby Way look like a paradise.”

Tyhr reached up and grabbed the Archon’s pointer finger, plopping it firmly into his mouth with a satisfied warble. The Archon smiled at the boy, dimples forming in his cheeks.

Shidai regarded the child, and then looked back at the Archon.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“Take him in.”

“He could be dangerous.”

“I don’t really care.”

“You know, one of these days that reckless attitude of yours is going to get us all killed. You’re supposed to be an old man. Where is your sense of caution?”

“I look younger than you, now. Besides, I formed a contract with him. He couldn’t hurt anyone even if he wanted to.”

“Hm,” the big man grunted. “I suppose that will have to do then. You know, your arts are pretty terrifying. Tyhr, you call him? Isn’t that?”

“It is.”

“You’re a sentimental old fart, my lord.”

“Speak for yourself. Someday he’ll probably call you uncle.”

Shidai barked a laugh.

“We’ll see about that.”

The Archon braced Tyhr as the wagon rolled over a stone in the road.

“Regardless,” continued the Archon, “there isn’t much to be done for it now. We have a long trip ahead of us, and things will get busy as soon as we reach the capital.”

Shidai clenched and unclenched his massive fists.

“I guess this means I’m going to have to fight again. It’s been a while.”

“I’m sorry, old friend.”

“There is nothing to be sorry for. I swore to you years ago I would protect Tieran, and you. I owe you more than I could ever hope to repay. Defending your lands is the least I can do.”

“I feel sorry for anything that wanders out of Ryedyn. To have to face you in combat is a terrifying prospect.”

“Says the only man who’s ever beaten me in a fight. You made it look easy.”

“It wasn’t.”

The two of them sat silently for a moment. Turning to face the road, the Archon sighed. They were still at least two weeks from the capital, even if they traveled the pilgrims road the entire way. As if reading the Archon’s mind, Shidai spoke.

“Not exactly scenic, is it. It would be a great place for an ambush.”

“It is a great place for an ambush. I would know.”

The pilgrim’s road was ancient, and traversed most of the continent from east to west. Before the Ruby Way had vanished, it had been the only way into and out of Ryedyn. It passed through Tieran, all way to the shores of Yinyue. Even though it was made of stone, it was eerily flat and never seemed to wear with time. Instead of cobbles, the road appeared to have been poured into place. On either side of the road, tall chasm walls a hundred men high loomed, casting them in perpetual shade. No plant life bloomed this close to Ryedyn either. The Archon knew that shortly after they entered Tieran proper, the road would start to rise up to ground level, and they would be surrounded by the jungle once more.

“We should stop to give the quillian some water and allow the escort to take a breather,” said Shidai, hopping off the side of the wagon. One of the quillian turned to regard the big monk, it’s feather’s ruffling as it snapped it’s stubby beak. It followed Shidai with it’s eyes as it’s huge scaled feet pawed at the ground. Walking up to the massive animal, Shidai gave it an appreciative pat on the neck.

“Aren’t you a good… lizard? Bird?” he muttered. Turning to the Archon, Shidai grunted. “I’ll never get used to these things. What’s wrong with horses anyway?”

“They can’t see very well in the jungle fog,” replied the Archon. He leaned back in his seat. “Besides, quillian are better fighters. Especially the blue ones.” Now both quillian pulling the cart turned towards the Archon. “And they’re smarter,” he added.

“Forty years in this country and I still miss horses,” muttered Shidai. One of the quillian leaned forward and snapped it’s beak in the direction of Shidai’s face. “Yes, yes. Water. I know. Aren’t you the grumpy one?” Despite his words, he gave the quillian another affectionate pat on the neck. If the Archon knew anything about his friend, it was the he was not nearly as aloof as he pretended to be.

“Alright, break time!” he bellowed. “Get these birds some water, and make sure you all eat something! We’ve still got some jerky and rice, but if you make the rice make it fast. No prolonged stops until we get to Tieran, unless you want to end up monster food.”

The entourage all collectively let out a relieved sigh. The Archon felt for them. Even though the warm climates of Tieran didn’t warrant full armor, their copper breastplates and full face helmets were probably quite the burden, and that wasn’t even taking the gauntlets, pauldrons, and bracers into account. They looked impressive with their intricate armor and weighty glaives, seeing as they were his honor guard, but he didn’t like to imagine how uncomfortable it must have been on a forced march.

Shidai approached the Archon, looking sheepishly from side to side.

“Maybe you should eat something, my lord? Why don’t you let me hold the child for a bit? He’ll be fine with me.”

The Archon grinned, and gingerly handed the baby over to the big monk.

“That’s not a bad idea. Also, tell the men to put their armor in the wagon until we get closer to the capital. They’ll move quicker, and it’s been a hard enough few days for everyone already.”

Shidai reached out and took hold of the baby, cradling him in his arms as if he were made of fine porcelain.

“Of course, my lord.” Shidai looked down at the child, and a look crossed his face that the Archon had never seen before. “Hello there, little fella.” He purred. “Let’s give dad a break for a bit, eh? You can stay with me for a minute.” Shidai turned to the Archon. “He doesn’t cry much for a baby, does he?”

“I have yet to see him stop smiling,” said the Archon with more than a little pride.

“What a strange little man you are, aren’t you.” Shidai wandered over to the side of the camp, rocking Tyhr back and forth as he began to sing him an old sea shanty as if it were a lullaby.

“When seas break, we take, a hard lesson you will learn.

When wind blows, you sow, a hard lesson you will know.

If your ship is aflame, then your in his game, a hard lesson all the same.”

The remaining two weeks of their journey passed relatively uneventfully. There weren’t any merchant caravans traveling west of the capital, on account of there not being anything west of the capital save for Ryedyn and a few smaller farming villages atop the mountains. They did cross paths with a couple of hunting parties, but that was all. Even the more predatory wildlife that called Tieran home seemed to give them a wide berth, which was unusual to be sure, but not something the Archon gave too much thought.

Tyhr, for his part, was well behaved and quiet. He would smile and gurgle, and seemed to be more or less content to be carried about and doted upon. The only thing that seemed odd was that at no point since leaving the Ruby Way behind had the Archon seen him sleep. Despite this, he would stay quiet all night, disturbing no one. He also seemed to be unusually curious, his small hands generally flailing about in the direction of anything that he found even a little interesting. He wanted to touch everything, examine everything, and smile at everything. In many ways he reminded the Archon of a curious student taking mental notes. His examinations felt more purposeful then the Archon suspected babies were capable of, but seeing as he had never had one, it was hard to say for certain. Shidai also found the baby’s behavior odd, but the big monk seemed content to ferry him about, humoring his every whim.

It was a restful journey, especially after the ordeal in the Ruby Way, but when he saw the capital loom on the horizon, it’s back lit by the day moon and the setting sun, he couldn’t help but feel like he was finally home.

Ahkari, the Pilgrims Lantern, the City of a Thousand Schools, the Gateway to the East, and capital of the nation of Tieran, was a sight for sore eyes. The Archon allowed himself a moment to take it all in as he propped Tyhr up on his shoulder.

“Do you see it? This is your home now,” said the Archon. Tyhr cooed, and made a sound the Archon assumed was a happy one. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? No one living knows who built Ahkari, or for what purpose, but today it’s one of most populated cities on the continent. A long time ago, my wife told me a story about a man separated from his love by circumstance and war, who built the city as a beacon of light, so that no matter where in Diadem she was, she would always find her way back to him. That man was apparently the first Archon. It’s just a story, but a nice one, don’t you think?”

Tyhr did not make a sound.

Turning his head, the Archon regarded the baby, and saw reflection of the city lights sparkle in his wide green eyes.

The Archon smiled.

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Like most everything else in Tieran, it was build high atop stone so as to rise above the fog and humidity of the jungle below, but what separated Ahkari was a sense of scale and magnitude. The tall angular mountains common to Tieran were usually separated by miles, except in this one place. Dozens of mountains, all rising into the sky at varying heights formed a conjunction of levels, each level accounting for one district of the city. These mountains were connected by a wide range of bridges, ladders, and stairs, giving the city a maze like quality not seen anywhere else. Buildings of brick and timber dotted almost every surface of the city, their many colored roof tiles giving it an aspect of festiveness. At the very center of this conjunction, atop the highest plateau, was the Archon’s citadel, a complex campus of towers and fortifications strong enough to withstand an assault.

“You probably can’t see it,” continued the Archon, holding the baby with one hand and pointing towards the city with the other. “But high atop that tallest tower is a flag. On the flag is a white lily, the symbol of my reign. Every Archon is represented by a flower, and that symbol changes whenever the Archon does.”

Tyhr reached out, his hands grasping out towards the city, his tiny fists opening and closing.

“I wonder, if you were Archon, what kind of flower would be on your flag, hm?”