Finan Conail Agalmar stood on a balcony, sheltered from the rain by the overhang that also served as a roof. The winds blew droplets all over him so he wasn’t quite as dry as he preferred. The Implacable Jade hovered next to the tower, fifty paces above the ground. The ship had its gangway secured on another balcony, though Finan knew that the moorings would detach quite easily.

Towards the west was the planar Veil, and that was what he was observing. Normally, a planar Veil was invisible to those that were more than a league away from it, but up close, it took on the same patterns and hues as the skies at night. Streaks of light that varied in width and length. The streaks formed patterns, and with careful study and not a little bit of guesswork, it could be used to gauge who or what was nearby. Chaos Storms were thus predicted, and travellers across the Tidelands too.

Right now, the entire Veil stretching across the Tidelands was a solid Chaos green. And the reason? Well, it was because there was a Wyldling Wave occurring.

The bright blue lights from Plasma Carronade shots painted the air, and the whistling explosion of it bursting and spreading superheated plasma all over the Wyldlings’ carapaces, coupled with their pained screeching, was a wonderful symphony.

This was the first time the prince had encountered Wyldlings so close. He’d met Chaos Lords, of course, and not the weak barons or viscounts either. Earls, Marquises, and Dukes. Some had been a guest, a visitor, to his Imperial Mother, while others had been Lady Misha’s…prey. This was the first time he’d witnessed the sheer mindless ferocity of the lower-class Chaos dwellers, and now he imagined why Yuriko was so ferocious. If she encountered this kind of danger regularly as a child…

The Wyldlings weren’t the only danger. There were at least fifty Chaos barons lingering near the Watchtower. He hasn’t seen them, but Swordmaster Kinohara had. She told him that they lingered at the edges of vision, far enough from the Watchtower’s boundaries to be free of the Gemheart’s influence.

“Your Highness.”

“Centurion Abrigo.”

The dark-haired bodyguard from Legion Praetorius saluted him with a fist over his heart. “Will you persist in staying in this warzone?”

The dour man had asked Finan that question every day, and his answer was the same each time.

“Yes.” Finan gave him a side eye. “Perhaps my path will be easier if you assist?”

Abrigo kept his face impassive. “Our duties do not permit us to. Your protection is paramount.”

“Vie’Coera will see to my protection.”

“A single layer of security is often not enough.”

Finan snorted. As if. Even a Chaos Earl would find it hard to penetrate Vie’Coera once it was deployed. His bodyguards numbered ten men and women, and each of them was at least of the Knight level. Centurion Abrigo was a Knight-Captain, though from what Finan understood, he wasn’t one who’d touched an Ennoia yet. That usually meant that Knight-Captain was his limit, but the man himself was quite determined to exceed his limits.

With that in mind, “You should experience more. Maybe you’d find your chance.” Finan smiled slightly.

Abrigo wasn’t deterred and simply said, “If the Threads of Fate will it.”

Shaking his head, he moved towards the southern part of the balcony. The Wyldlings weren’t the only threat to the Watchtower, although the southerners hadn’t done much other than construct bunkers and encampments. Militia scouts on Flying Shuttles spied on the southerners’ progress and Finan was alarmed to note that several camps, three in total, were nearly complete. They were each nearly a league away and contained a thousand warriors each.

The Watchtower’s manpower was only a thousand warriors and half that in logistics and staff. The ancient fortress was impregnable with its varied defences, not just on the perimeter walls, but underground too. The tower was actually bigger underground than above.

However, that meant that the militia here was locked in. Anyway, Finan also knew that their higher priority was protecting the Gemheart over the nearby towns. He had rushed back here when the southerners attacked Faron’s Crossing not by his choice but by his guards’ insistence. The Implacable Jade was ready to leave at a moment’s notice too.

But, he wouldn’t allow it. His forces were enough to turn the tide, either here or back where Yuriko was. In fact, he wanted to go back to Faron’s Crossing and help there rather than staying cooped up here.

Hmmm, he could be willful and forcefully go to Faron’s Crossing, but he knew the backlash from his Imperial Mother would be highly likely. He knew that there was nearly no chance of inheriting the throne, not when there were already forty-nine children, and more than half had already died of old age. It was actually amusing to watch his older siblings next to their mother, and aside from Finan, everyone else looked much older than the Empress.

No, he only had one inherent duty. To make babies.

Finan sighed. Well, that wasn’t quite accurate. He needed to find a partner that could bear the Imperial Bloodline. No lesser lineage could take it. If he just went and fathered a child through any woman, the more likely result was to have a kid whose Heritage was from the mother. In fact, only the Mishala Clan could guarantee that a male child would have the father’s Heritage rather than a chance at both. Female children could inherit from either side.

With any other noble clan, only a few had Heritages strong enough to pass the Imperial bloodline, and none of their scions was near Finan’s age. He didn’t want to wed a literal child and neither did he want a bride that was thrice his age. No thank you. His choice of partner was really the only freedom he had. He’d once considered partnering with Miya Mishala, but that woman was too wily for comfort.

In his eyes, Yuriko Mishala was the perfect partner, even if he didn’t take into consideration his infatuation with her. Although that was probably an effect of the Mishala Mien, even though his artefact insisted otherwise. Ah, well. He’d slowly unravel that tangled knot.

He also knew that forcing things with Yuriko would lead to a dead end. Literally. And the forced engagement had only made it clearer. He needed to woo her properly, and to do that, he needed to be around her. Proximity breeds familiarity, and only from that could true attraction appear. He also loved seeing her flustered, hie hie.

A flash of red and darklight caught his eye and he looked down at the training field. There were several pairs sparring to keep up their skills, despite the active battle going on outside the walls. But then again, most of the kills were done by the Plasma Carronades anyway. There was a line of warriors standing by to fight any that managed to get up the wall, but few make it up.

Finan zeroed in on what caught his eye. A pair of boys, young men really, were using their Animus techniques to spar. Red and dark lightning danced between the two of them, and through Chaos Sight, he could see invisible fields pushing against each other.

“Lightning and force?” he muttered.

“Hmmm, it looks like it,” Centurion Abrigo said after he peered down. “Rare affinities.”

“Ah, those two are the defectors,” Finan said after a moment.

“As I understood it, they are Imperial citizens but their family had turned traitor,” Abrigo snorted. “Good lads.”

“And with interesting Facets.”

“Are you interested in recruiting them?” Abrigo asked doubtfully. “They can’t be more than First Order Journeymen.”

“Maybe. We’ll see,” Finan snorted. “Invite them to tea.”

“As you wish.”

___________

The next few days before the Celestial Refraction were quite peaceful. The Federation didn’t continue with their bombardment but even so, Faron’s Crossing’s Protective Dome had been kept at a low power state the entire time. The other side had been capable of sneak attacks before and while the retribution for breaking a truce and fighting during the Refraction was severe, it wouldn’t matter to the dead.

Yuriko spent most of that time next to her brother’s side. Marron had come out of his coma several days ago, but it took a couple more days to regain mobility. Both she and Niamh took turns taking care of Marron’s every need, much to his consternation and shame.

“There’s really no need for this!” he protested while Yuriko lowered him into the tub and used her kinesis to cleanse his body.

“Why not? You’ll force big sis Niamh to cater to your large body? This is more convenient.” Yuriko insisted.

“But, but!”

“What? We’re siblings. You took care of me when I was younger and smaller, now that you’re injured, it’s my turn,” Yuriko said righteously.

“...You’re just using this to take advantage of me,” Marron sighed, “Oh, how the tables have turned.”

“Yup, that’s right.” Yuriko’s impassive facade broke as she giggled. “If you want, I can ask big sis to help?”

“Fine, fine. Do what you want,” he grumbled.

Seeing his improving health had done much to dissipate Yuriko’s rage. In truth, they’d come out ahead. One enemy Adept killed, several more injured Adepts, and she managed to push the encampments away. She destroyed several cannons and wrecked a couple of bunkers. All they paid for in return was Marron’s eye and half of his lungs.

At least those problems could be dealt with in the future. One cannot cure death.

Afterwards, she helped him back to his bedroom. From up here, her kinesis could already reach the kitchen, though she had to slither her Anima around the hallways and the stairs. Going through the concrete and wooden planks cost her more Anima reach than going around. Ah, her reach had gained another ten inches since then, a rather explosive increase considering the amount of time involved.

Five paces and ten inches now, a bit more than halfway to the threshold of ten paces. Although the Actualisation stage could allow her Anima reach to grow all the way to a hundred paces. As for the Transformation stage, Damien was a bit vaguer on the limits. From what she understood though, the farther she could reach, and the more her body took to the Radiant Body Refinement, the better.

Still, she wished she didn’t gain such a power-up as a result of what happened. It was a bittersweet experience. Part of her delighted in growing so powerful so quickly, but the other part would rather her family wasn’t implicated in the process.

“You melted the cannons?” Marron asked as she helped him get to bed. A tray of food supported by her kinesis floated through the open doorway. His eyebrow rose, “You’re right, you’re quite convenient. Good room service.”

Yuriko grinned back. “Uhuh. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you’re comfortable until you regain your footing.”

“That enhancement I got from Synkrasia helped a lot, you know.” Marron nodded, “I think, with your Recovery, I should be up to seventy to eighty percent good by the end of the armistice.”

“Don’t risk yourself,” Yuriko admonished.

“I won’t,” Marron answered irritably. “At least I’ll be able to operate normally by then.” He ate his ration bar porridge slowly, frowning at the taste. “Huh, tonight’s the Celestial Refraction, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“You’ll stay up?”

“Tradition.” Yuriko pursed her lips. “You should rest though.”

Marron smirked. “Tradition.”

She sighed but didn’t protest.

The rest of the day passed with little fanfare. She brought dinner up to feed him in bed, while he spent most of the day in meditation. Niamh arrived just after dinner, exhausted after scribing more healing charms. That had also been part of the reason he survived, and the Knights’ council and Spellweaver Merill asked her brother’s girlfriend for as much as she could make.

“Thank you, little sis,” Niamh said as she shooed Yuriko out of Marron’s room.

“Don’t tire him out,” Yuriko said cheekily while Niamh blushed and rolled her eyes.

“He needs his rest.”

Yuriko retired to her bedroom and found Gwendith and Desire chatting and giggling on her bed. She shooed both of them off and settled into a seated meditation pose to await the beginning of the Refraction.

At the stroke of midnight, the Luminous Moon disappeared from the skies and darkness reigned.

And Yuriko…abruptly found herself elsewhere.

_________

Empress Vietlanna languidly stretched as she awaited the coming of the Celestial Refraction. Beside her, Misha yawned and flexed like a cat. Both women were relaxed, but as the hour drew near, the air grew tense.

“Another year, huh? It’s been thousands. Another night like this, don’t you feel tired?” The Empress asked.

“Not at all,” Misha smirked. “Life’s so much better as an independent entity.”

‘Yet tribulations always appear,’ Vietlanna thought, but she didn’t say anything out loud. Tonight, and the day after…duty calls, and once again, they fight for their home’s safety.