[[Day 27 of Month –2, Tethel]]<br/>“Do you have to go, darling?”  A voice whined sulkily.<br/><br/>There was an amused laugh and then the sound of lips meeting lips.  “I can’t go into the bath with you, sweetie.”<br/><br/>“Yes you can.”  The first voice was now breathless, panting softly in the deserted hallway.  “You’ve seen it all already anyways.”<br/><br/>This time, the laugh was resigned, a sign of concession.  “True, but there are some things I need to finish up first.”<br/><br/>“It can wait till later!”<br/><br/>“You won’t be saying that tomorrow when I can’t have breakfast with you.”<br/><br/>There was a sound of protest from the female, “What does breakfast have to do with you joining me in the bath?”<br/><br/>“I need this done by ten am, sweetie.  It’s either now or later.”  There was a pause before the man added regretfully, “I’m sorry.”<br/><br/>The sigh was long-suffering before the female acquiesced with ill grace.  “Fine then.  But I’ll see you after!”<br/><br/>“I promise.”<br/><br/>Verlassen waited for the door to close before he turned to walk to his study.  He paused outside of the room for a moment before entering it.  He ignored the woman sprawled on the couch as he unbuckled his helmet and tossed it in a basket specially placed for his gear.  He loosened the cloth mask and dropped that as well, then his gauntlets, gloves, and shoulder guards.  Now garbed only in leather, the Knight-King of Tethel shrugged his shoulders back to loosen the muscles.  His armor was comfortable, but not<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>comfortable.  Two hands rested on his shoulder blades, gently massaging the muscles there.<br/><br/><span style="color: teal"> “Well aren’t I lucky? Getting a free strip show.” </span>The woman behind him leaned forward to whisper in his ear.<span style="color: teal"> “Your wife won’t like that.” </span><br/><br/>“Who cares what that brat thinks.”  He muttered as he rolled his head around in a circle.<br/><br/>There was mocking laughter as the woman stepped away.  When he turned around, the brunette was leaning against the back of the couch, malicious red eyes sparkling with glee.  “What do you want, Syndra?”  He questioned, even as he reached for the scotch and two tumblers.  He poured the amber liquid into both, one more generously than the other, and kept that one for himself as he passed the other to the demon.  He swallowed half of it in one go.<br/><br/><span style="color: teal"> “That bad of a day?”</span>Syndra wondered, idly swirling her own glass.<br/><br/>Scornful black eyes glanced at her before the man finished the rest of his drink, immediately pouring himself a refill.  After he’d finished his second glass, Verlassen finally turned to face his guest.  “How are things down in the Barrens?”<br/><br/><span style="color: teal"> “Same old, same old.”  Syndra shrugged nonchalantly, “Amon’s still mucking around with his experiments, Anrui’s still panting after him, Eve’s still doing whatever evil consorts do in their spare time, and--”</span><br/><br/>“Imagining ways to strangle their monarch.”  At the confused look, the black-haired man sighed and clarified, “what evil consorts do in their spare time.. imagine ways to strangle their monarchs.”<br/><br/>A look of distaste crossed the demon’s face before she continued as if uninterrupted.<span style="color: teal"> “and Vulcalina’s still being a pain in the ass.” </span>There was a pause before she added thoughtfully,<span style="color: teal"> “at least she’s being a useful pain in the ass..” </span>The orange-haired demon had somehow gotten it in her mind that they were now<span style="font-style: italic">friends</span>after that first escapade.  Syndra unconsciously bared her teeth at the reminder of that demon having the audacity to<span style="font-style: italic">ride</span>her like she was some common mount.  She had been the second Exalted!  She’d—no.  Vulcalina had been both a Sinner and Pure Sinner before her.  If the orange-haired demon hadn’t been so batshit crazy, the God of Sin probably would have exalted Vulcalina for the sheer amount of damage the Pure Sinner could produce.  However, the Pure Sinner was indiscriminate in her mass destructions and everyone had deemed it easier to just drop the Pure Sinner on some random continent and leave her be.  If she destroyed all the Immaculate there, great.  If not, no big loss.  Somehow Eve had forgotten that and exalted the whack-job.  An even stronger, teleporting Vulcalina…  Syndra pinched the bridge of her nose, a human gesture she’d picked up from imitating Victorie for so long.  It didn’t actually provide any relief but she felt a bit better letting the world know how annoyed she was.  It had always helped convince annoying bureaucrats to finish their squabbling as Mayor.<br/><br/>Unfortunately, she was no longer the Mayor and was not in the presence of groveling bureaucrats anymore.  Verlassen only snorted in amusement at her pain.  He also wasn’t deterred by her glare.  “And how is your<span style="font-style: italic">friend</span>doing on Palaugrim?”<br/><br/>A low growl reverberated through her throat but Syndra answered nonetheless.<span style="color: teal"> “As well as can be expected.  She’s hit about a third of the places I wanted.”</span><br/><br/>“Only a third?  I thought the list already wasn’t comprehensive.”<br/><br/><span style="color: teal"> “What about you, Knight King?  Have you figured out the seal yet?”</span><br/><br/>The glare he shot her was equally venomous.  “No.”  He admitted sourly, “Centienne’s been more clingy than normal.”  He bristled at the snort of derision.  “And I<span style="font-style: italic">do</span>have obligations to perform, unlike some people.”<br/><br/><span style="color: teal"> “Oh I’m <span style="font-style: italic">sorry</span>.  ‘Hold my purse, darling.  Give me your elbow, dear.  Stand there and look pretty, hunny.’”</span>The demon mocked, laughing as a bolt of Sin sliced her cheek.  The wound fizzled and then re-knit itself together.<span style="color: teal">“Such <span style="font-style: italic">onerous</span> responsibilities you have, poor Chevalier.” </span><br/><br/>Verlassen raised his tumbler to his mouth before he said any more.  He hated that name.  It reminded him of how weak he’d been in the past.  And that was exactly why Syndra used it.  “When can you take the next shipment of Sinners?”  He asked instead, “They’re getting too populous again.”<br/><br/>The demon rolled her eyes in disbelief,<span style="color: teal">“Humans!  Do you do anything but breed?”</span><br/><br/>“Why don’t you tell me?  After all, you seemed to have your fair share of fun as Victorie.”<br/><br/><span style="color: teal">“We should have space in Evollan.  If not, we’ll drop the rest on Palaugrim.” </span><br/><br/>Verlassen shrugged; he didn’t care where they went once they were off Tethel.  The island was small enough without having to accommodate all the Sinners.  “As for—”  A knock on the door interrupted his words.  The two shared glances before Syndra smirked and waggled her fingers, jumping and vanishing into the ceiling.  The door opened and Centienne peered in.<br/><br/>“Is everything okay, darling?  I thought I heard a voice..”<br/><br/>“Fine, sweetie.”  Verlassen used his glass to cover his grimace.  “Are you finished with your bath?”<br/><br/>Blue eyes stopped scanning the room and turned in his directions, eyelashes fluttering coquettishly. “Yes.  But it still would have been better if you’d been there.”<br/><br/>“I’m sorry.”  The darkening of the Queen’s eyes warned him that he hadn’t appeared loving enough for her.  He hurried forward to press a kiss to her forehead before she threw a tantrum.  As expected, she settled immediately.  “Shall we go to bed?”  He led Centienne out of his study, just catching sight of Syndra blowing a derisive kiss at him before the door closed.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~</div><br/>[[Day 28 of Month –2, Caletta]]<br/>Cricket flopped down on his bed, smothering his groan with his pillow.  Good Light, his head was killing him.  After five minutes, he mournfully sat back up.  It wasn’t going away.  He stumbled back off his bed towards his bathroom.  The bottle of painkillers rested on the sink’s edge, just where he’d placed them last night.  He flicked the cap off and poured out a trio of them.  Tap water eased them down his throat and he stumbled back out to wait for them to kick in.  Instead of returning to his bed, he opened the door to his second room.  Some might wonder why a single man needed a two bedroom apartment.  In his case, the answer was simple: he needed a second walk in closet.<br/><br/>He slipped into his sanctuary, taking solace in the countless dresses and outfits he’d acquired throughout the years.  One wall was dominated by his cosmetics, jewelry, and accessories.  His eyes traced lovingly over the various flower-ornaments and hair combs.  Konan had always loved flowers.  He pulled his hair loose from its bun and let it fall free.  It reached mid-thigh.  His first few Squad Captains had tried to get him to cut it off to no avail.  Konan had wanted hair that draped on the ground, never mind how impractical that seemed.<span style="font-style: italic">“But that’s what the princesses in the fairytales always have!”</span>Cricket shook his head at the memory even as he idly brushed through his hair.  With so much of it, it wasn’t hard to believe it’d become second nature for him to brush it any time his hands were free.<br/><br/>Konan…<br/><br/><blockquote class="uncited"><div>When he opened his eyes again, all he could see was grey and white.  Had he fallen asleep?  Cricket sighed even as he ran a hand over his face.  He didn’t mind sleeping, but somehow he thought Lethe might mind if he was goofing off during this.<br/><br/>Light’s Wrath.  He had to admit, it’d be pretty cool to have.  Captain had divine magic.. he remembered the blast of light that had illuminated the night, the way the Sinners all around them had crumbled, and—His face fell into a frown.  And the way she’d fallen to the ground and refused to wake for days.  The reminder of her drowning in that overly large bed had him getting to his feet.  If anyone was going to be in a coma, better it be him than her.<br/><br/>Once standing, he realized he couldn’t see anything.  It was a foggy place, wisps of mist obscuring everything from sight.  The Old Man had mentioned something about steps and a door but.. there was no staircase in sight.  In fact, all he could see was some huge slab of darkness.  With a shrug, Cricket headed for the unknown structure.  It was better than nothing.<br/><br/>As he got closer, he realized the shadowy structure was a door.  It was a set of double doors, seemingly free-standing, that was easily three times his height.  It was also, no doubt, heavy.  He couldn’t recognize the material but the symbol on it pretty much looked like a sun shining down.  Well, this didn’t seem that hard.  The Old Man had made it sound way harder.<br/><br/>When he was only ten feet away, he realized that there was someone waiting for him.  An adolescent girl, caught somewhere between child and woman, was leaning against the door.  When she finally looked up, Cricket found himself freezing.  Familiar hazel eyes stared back at him before familiar lips curved upwards in a smile.<br/><br/>“Brother!”  Konan lunged forwards and so did he and the two collided in a tangle of limbs and laughter.  “Brother! I’ve missed you so much!”  The teenager leaned away, still wrapped in his arms, and beamed up at him.<br/><br/>“Konan.”  He tightened his arms again to reassure himself that it was real.  That she was real.  <br/><br/>“Your hair’s grown so long!  And! Oh my Light!”  He pulled away at the sound of shock and looked at her frantically.  Was something wrong?  A trembling hand reached for his hair and extracted a comb.  When had he put that in his hair?  But that seemed unimportant given the tears spilling out of Konan’s eyes.  “Oh.. Brother..”  She cupped the accessory and laid it close to her heart.  “Did you..?”<br/><br/>He finally saw the shape of the comb and he understood.  With a bittersweet smile, he finally told her the words he’d never gotten to say, “Happy sixteenth birthday, Konan.”<br/><br/>Watery hazel eyes glanced up at him and then she threw her arms around him once more, sobbing into his chest.  “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry!”<br/><br/>He whispered the words back to her as he drew her close once more, the two voices mingling into an endless stream of apologies.  When they finally grew quiet, Konan led him towards the door, sniffling all the way.<br/><br/>“So… is this it?”<br/><br/>“Yes.”  Konan replied quietly, “If you open this gate, you can access Light’s Blessing.”<br/><br/>“What?”  Cricket teased with a fond smile, “you don’t think your big brother can open this measly door?”<br/><br/>The teenager sniffed but shook her head.  “You can do it brother.”<br/><br/>He leaned against the door and pushed.  As he’d first surmised, it was heavy.  Really heavy.  He might be one of the front line of his squad but that had never been because of his raw strength.  He had always trained more for speed and it just happened he’d gotten so fast, he made a good enough distraction to be a part of the “front line.”  With a grunt, he dug his feet into the ground and strained against it.  Come on!  Even though that was all true, he had some pride as a man too!  Not only would opening this stupid door help his squad and Lethe, he had his little sister watching him!  Slowly, ever so slowly, the door crept open.  Bright light spilled from the crack, illuminating the endless plane.  With another grunt, he slammed against the door once more, pushing and struggling until it was a third of the way open.<br/><br/>Cricket fell back with an exhausted sigh.  Lights Above, that was a heavy door! He wiped a hand against his face even though there was no sweat and turned to look at Konan.  She was still smiling at him, but tears were streaming down her face.<br/><br/>“Konan?”  Her smile turned sad and she reached a hand out.  In the light of the doorway, it looked translucent.  The sight was enough to make him jump to his feet.  “Konan!  What’s wrong?”  He rushed towards her and she retreated back into the darkness where she became solid once more.  After assuring himself that she was fully there, Cricket turned to look at her face.  “Konan?”<br/><br/>She laid a bruised hand against his cheek but shook her head.  “I’m..”  She glanced at the door before looking back.  “The Light.. it’s not for me.  When that door opens all the way, I’ll go with it.”<br/><br/>Hazel eyes widened.  He looked between the door and Konan in horror.  “Why didn’t you?”<br/><br/>“Go.”<br/><br/>No!”  He clutched at her.  “No!  I already—I can’t.  Konan! I can’t.”<br/><br/>But she wasn’t looking at his face anymore.  She tucked a free strand of hair back behind his ear.  “I always did want long hair.”  She murmured wistfully as she slid her fingers down the overly long strand.  “To the ground, if I remember correctly.  Just like a princess.”  She let the lock drop and she looked back up at him.  “Go, brother.  It’s too late for me, but you can still save them.”<br/><br/>“I won’t!”  Cricket denied, even as his feet collapsed beneath him and he fell to his knees.  His arms remained wrapped around Konan’s waist as if he could physically anchor her here.  “I won’t.”  There was a sigh and he felt Konan place the comb, the sixteenth birthday present she’d never received, back in his hair.<br/><br/>“I won’t.”  Cricket pledged.</div></blockquote><br/>Cricket idly flung the brush in the direction of his vanity, no longer feeling like brushing his hair.  His head still hurt like crazy but his closet wasn’t giving him any solace.  He climbed to his feet and walked back into his bedroom, eyes studiously avoiding his numerous outfits.  They reminded him too much of Konan.  He didn’t even pause at his window like normal.  Even if Captain wasn’t around, he didn’t think he could face the reminder of her right now.  She’d be disappointed he wasn’t trying his best.  No, she wouldn’t.  She’d understand.  She’d understand and just work harder to keep him safe.  That’s what made it worse.  He fell onto his bed once more, praying for oblivion.<br/><div style="text-align: center;">~~~~~~</div><br/>[[Day 28 of Month --2, Palaugrim, between Kaiser Outpost and Solium]]<br/>The scream overhead drew both travelers’ attention upwards.  Two sets of eyes tracked the bird that was drawing circles in the cloudless sky, seemingly in search of prey.  After a minute of observation, the taller one sighed and went back to looking at the map and compass in her hands.  The other reached into her saddlebag, hand reemerging with a thin wooden whistle.  A blow on the instrument had the hawk re-aligning its flight towards the two women.  As expected, there was a tube attached to the bird and within, a sheath of papers.<br/><br/>Lethe extracted the leaves, flipped through them to ensure their veracity, and then dismissed the bird.  It would find its way back to Kaiser Outpost on its own.  A glance at her companion revealed that Mei was still determining their next route.  The horses they rode added speed to their journey but limited their flexibility, forcing them to find paths the beasts could traverse.  It was an unfortunate necessity.  She took the respite to examine the report the bird had delivered: a report on the current status of the rebellion, without any conveniently missing information.  It seemed he’d followed her directive carefully.  Despite its brevity, the pages contained a thorough explanation of the situation.  It was an admirable job.  Or had he happened to leave something out again?  Leaving so hastily had been a mistake on her part; she was forced to second guess everything Kaiser Outpost produced despite Kanna’s presence there.  But if she had stayed…<br/><br/>A frown marred her brow at the reminder of the confrontation, the heady emotion that had rushed through her veins as she released Light’s Blessing, brought that condescending jerk to heel.  He dared—  She paused, discomfited by her own thoughts.  He dared what?  Her free hand idly rubbed her arm as if warding away a chill.<br/><br/>The creak of leather broke her from her reverie.  Mei had swung herself back into the saddle, a clear indication the brunette had found a path.  Lethe followed suit, remounting her steed as well and bringing it beside Mei.  The woman looked at her for a moment but then turned to walk down the path once more.  Their protective seal broke as Lethe dismantled it; it was an easy seal, one Mei could have easily created herself.  However, her ‘teacher’ had pointed out, practice made perfect and Mei wasn’t the one who needed practice.  Thus all seal making was dumped on the white-haired woman to attempt first.<br/><br/>The ride was quiet, neither women inclined to speak.  The elder was naturally reticent and the younger busy pondering the report, the attacks, and Palaugrim in general.  They were easier topics to entertain than the ones on Gless.  A burn in her wrist informed her that they were reaching their destination: the first new site that had been missing from Report 4893.<br/><br/>“Coordinates -- by --, formerly the town of Rovener, attacked eight days ago on the twentieth of the month.”  Mei recited faithfully.  Between her training to be a seal master and her work as a librarian, she now had near eidetic memory.  They broke through the canopy to a graveyard.  It had no orderly rows or slabs of marble, granite, or wood, etched with names and dates, but the pall of death was unmistakable.  The horses refused to wander closer, so the two women dismounted once more.<br/><br/>“They’ve cleared here as well.”  Indeed, despite the wreckage, there were no bodies.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver"> “Of course.”</span>Lethe replied off-handedly as they wandered through the destroyed village.  The Pristine Knights would have never left the corpses out to be desecrated by the world.  It was the proper thing to do; it also made investigation difficult.  What had truly happened here?  Why had this location been redacted from the report?  What was Knight Commander Sigfried seeing that she couldn’t?  A hand on her shoulder derailed her from her self-ire.  Once more, Mei was examining her, as she had been since the confrontation in Kaiser Outpost.<br/><br/><span style="color: silver">“I’m going to see if I can see anything from above,”</span>the Knight muttered, wings appearing before the other could respond.  A few steps for momentum, a boost from a still in-tact house, and she was up in the air.  No one quite understood how her Heaven’s Judgment blades worked, not even her.  All she knew was what she wanted, her magic provided.  Tried to provide, at any rate.  Blue eyes surveyed the wreckage.  In addition to the various scratches littering the buildings, the entire village had been carved into… a… a… Lethe craned her neck to one side then another, trying to make sense of the lines she could vaguely see.  Her wings flapped uselessly, a small jump up but then she was descending once more.<br/><br/>Once on the ground, Lethe traced what she’d seen into the dirt.  Perhaps she had seen wrong?  Because it really looked like…<span style="color: silver">“A fish?”</span>Mei confirmed her deduction with a nod.  Yes, it wasn’t just her who saw a stick figure fish in what she’d just drawn.  The sheer randomness was almost funny, if it hadn’t been carved from countless lives.<br/><br/>“Let’s move on.”<br/><br/>Lethe scanned the village one last time before nodding in acceptance.  Whatever secrets Sigfried had divined from Rovener’s wreckage, she couldn’t see it. Yet.