Drops of blood landed on the ground, covered by green grass, as she got up, ignoring her aching head. She hoped she didn't have a concussion from the heavy blow on the head she had just received. She brought her hand to the top of her head, spotting blood on it. She was sure had a lacerated wound on top of her head.
But she didn't have the time to worry about it or its possible consequences. The battle was still ongoing, and the Tenarians received reinforcement once again. It was looking grim. They should have stayed in Dragdom and never invaded Tenaria. Perhaps it was a mistake to bring the battle to the Tenarian realm.
But now was not the time for complaints. The battle was not over yet. It could still turn out in their favour if they fought in unison. She had to return to her leader to receive new orders. The past few hours had been anything but coordinated. Sheer chaos had been unleashed when Tenaria had received reinforcements from the sky. The poultries had dived down on them and scattered their forces. Instead of one united army, the Yxal army was split into several divisions scattered over the battlefield. She had to find her leader to receive new orders. He was the only person who could bring order to this chaos. He knew what to do to unite their forces again.
Sonder was the most powerful and strong-willed Yxal she had ever met; she had no doubt he could deal with any Anxoyal. Just like he had nearly a month ago when he killed Solarion the Blinder, the leader of the Tenarian army. But killing him had not been enough to demoralise or defeat the Tenarian forces. Another one had taken his place and led the Tenarian troops in this battle, just like he had done a month ago when the false light had been extinguished.
Tenaria quickly recovered from the loss of their supreme commander after the next in command chain took over. Solarion's eldest children, Superion and Aetherion, had taken over ever since then. Or Inferion and Fragilion, as her people liked to call them. The Tethered Twins. Her people had many names for these butchers.
She had heard that Aetherion had arrived in defence of Tenaria, but she had not seen him anywhere near the battlefield yet. But she trusted her brethren, who claimed him to have brought his troops to the village of Caeluna and joined the battle from there.
Sonder defeated Solarion in battle, so Cruxia had no doubt he could defeat the Tethered Twins. Nevertheless, she should look for him. Deamoen was with him as well; she didn't want to let him die either. She had grown quite fond of him ever since she had fought with him side by side. They needed to regroup if they wanted to win this battle. Their chances were much lower if they stayed as scattered as they were now.
The warrioress let her gaze wander, spotting dozens of Yxals around her. Sonder made her a Sergeant because she had fought well in the previous battles and proved that she could command soldiers and keep a good overview during a chaotic battle. She was responsible for nearly three dozen soldiers who followed her lead.
She had already lost several of those under her command; she regretted their loss, but now was not the time to mourn. She would have plenty of time to do so after the end of the battle if they would win and if she would survive. She had no idea about the state of the battle; she didn't know if they were winning or losing it.
She had lost track of how many hours the battle was already going; the adrenaline her body was producing and the spells her allied sorcerers were casting on her kept her going; without them, she would have been too exhausted to fight at this point. She could not know how long the battle would last but was confident she could fight for much longer.
Cruxia shouted commands to those around her. The soldiers around her were not only from her company; many belonged to other companies or squads. She spotted two leaders around her. A female sergeant with green hair and orange skin, and a bald male officer. The soldiers under her lead followed her without hesitation. The other sergeant and the officer also ordered their soldiers to head north.
They fought through numerous Tenarian soldiers and even managed to bring down one of those flying poultries, whose armour gave in after getting hit by multiple spells, arrows and throwing spears. Where she came from, only more winged soldiers were awaiting them. She climbed the hill ahead of her, and her eyes widened as she spotted dozens of those winged creatures in the sky. She had never seen so many Anxoyal in the same place simultaneously. And many of them were also on the ground, fighting her people.
She saw thousands of Yxals scattered all over the vast semi-flat battlefield, as well as numerous Tenarian soldiers. Excluding the Anxoyal, their people were numerically stronger. But the presence of the winged soldiers made the balance of power tip in the opposite direction. The battle was far from over, but it looked grim. She could see the hesitation, worry and even fear on the faces of those who reached the top of the hill after her. There was no time for a motivational speech; they had to aid their brethren immediately to retain any hope of winning the battle.
She lifted her mace and charged down the hill; a loud war cry escaped her mouth as she joined the ongoing battle. The soldiers that had come with her did not hesitate to follow her, even those with conflicted emotions on their faces.
Cruxia had no idea how many hours had passed in which she had slain numerous Tenarians when she finally caught a glimpse of Sonder the Sunderer, who was dealing with a bunch of Tenarians and even an Anxoyal at the same time. She fought her way through more soldiers, getting closer and closer to Sonder with each soldier she slayed.
Sonder had gotten rid of the Keristian soldiers as she finally reached him, but the Anxoyal persisted. She had never seen anyone like them before. Even she had to admit that their appearance and aura were impressive. Their armour was purely golden, and despite the dents it had suffered, it still looked more remarkable than the armour of any other Tenarian soldier, including the other Anxoyals. She had no doubt the firmest and rarest material had been used to forge the masterpiece of armour he wore. She could feel the magic radiated by it.
The Anxoyal wore a great helmet which entirely covered their face, besides the eye slit and the holes through which they could breathe, but also allowed their platinum hair to come out through the openings in the sides and back. The only Anxoyals with platinum hair she knew of were Solarion's children. This could be either Superion, Aetherion or Seraphina.
The Anxoyal swung their double-edged sword at Sonder, who managed to block it with his massive double-edged axe at the last moment; a clanging sound was produced when steel clashed against steel. Sonder seemed to do well against the golden-winged Anxoyal; nevertheless, Cruxia wanted to come to his aid, but a few too many Tenarian soldiers suddenly appeared between her and Sonder.
She managed to fight her way through them, leaving their corpses on the bloodstained, filthy ground. She had no idea how much time had passed as she finally managed to approach Sonder and the Anxoyal. She pushed another Tenarian soldier aside, whose neck had been pierced by a thick crossbow bolt, leaving them to die on the ground. Her eyes widened in shock as she caught the side of the scene before her.
Sonder the Sunderer, the last hope of Dragdom, leader of Yxals, slayer of Solarion the Blinder, was supporting himself with one arm from the ground. The other arm, which still tightly clutched his massive axe, lay on the ground not far from him. The Anxoyal had severed it with a clean cut of his two-handed sword. On the other hand, Sonder had managed to cut off one of the Anxoyal's wings, but that didn't bother them. They still had one left if that was of any use.
The platinum-haired Anxoyal was walking towards Sonder, who was getting up, and pushed him down again with a forceful kick. The Anxoyal regarded the Yxal with narrowed eyes as they lifted their sword above their head; only when they heard Cruxia's loud war cry they turned their head.
Cruxia tightly grasped her mace with both hands as she charged at her enemy. The Anxoyal kicked Sonder again before they turned towards her and swung their sword. Cruxia intended to block their blow with her mace, but the sword cut right through the mace's head as if it was made of paper.
At least she managed to avoid getting sliced in two by stepping to the side at the last moment. Before she was allowed to act, the Anxoyal had already executed their next move. They jumped upwards, using their remaining wing to land a forceful jump kick on Cruxia's chest. Cruxia was thrown backwards and collided with an approaching Yxal soldier, causing both of them to tumble to the ground. She hit her head in the process, but she ignored the pain as best as she could.
It took her longer to get up than expected, and even orientation took longer than usual. She must have hit her head harder than she first thought. She felt dizzy, the back of her head was hurting, and the pain could no longer be ignored, no matter how hard she tried. She finally managed to get an overview of the situation around her. Many more Tenarian shoulders were near her than before; among them was another familiar Anxoyal.
She had first met him a month ago, right after Sonder slew Solarion the Blinder. He wore the same armour that shimmered silver and radiated a sense of majesty and intimidation. He swung a thick spear like he had when she first met him. It was a different spear, but his technique and movement were the same. It had to be him. She didn't know his name but knew who he was related to. He was one of the children of Solarion. Two of Solarion's brood were here and had to die if the Yxals wanted to have any hope of winning this war.
The silver-armoured Yxal was between her and his sibling, who was still fighting Sonder. The Sunderer had gotten up in the meantime and retrieved his mighty axe, clumsy swinging it in his non-dominant left hand. She was glad that she at least bought Sonder enough time to get up and make himself ready to fight again. Hopefully, he would fare better this time. The Sunderer was not known to be trained with his left hand. He always used his right hand or both hands. It was the first time she had seen him swinging his weapon with his left hand; she hated to admit that it looked anything but graceful. At this rate, Sonder would lose if no one would come to his aid.
Unfortunately, the other Anxoyal would not let her through without a fight. His silver wings were spread wildly, and the spear's tip was pointed at her. She had no weapon to fight him, but fortunately for her, there were enough weapons scattered all over the blood and gore-stained ground. The Anxoyal rose into the air and dove down at her, thrusting his spear forward. Despite her tall physique and heavy armour, Cruxia was able to move fast enough and jump forward and roll under the attack, causing the silver-armoured winged warrior to miss her.
She managed to pick up a sword in the same movement, not hesitating to sprint towards her leader. Swords were unfamiliar to her, but it would have to do now. It was better than not having a weapon. She got much closer to Sonder and the Anxoyal, but their fighting situation had changed once again. It was similar to the previous one when Cruxia had first reached them. The Sunderer was also missing his left forearm now, leaving him without the option to pick up any weapon to defend himself.
She was too far away to reach them in time. She could not prevent what the Anxoyal was about to do. The Anxoyal's voice sounded masculine as he spoke. "You never stood a chance," were the only words he said in Dragda with a strong accent before he swung his sword from the hip up. A loud scream escaped Cruxia's lips as the head of Sonder the Sunderer, the last hope of Dragdom, was separated from his shoulders.
The Anxoyal said something in his native language as he sent Sonder's body to the ground with a forceful kick, bending down to pick up the head he had just chopped off. He lifted high in the air, euphorically shouting something in his native language. Those Tenarian soldiers who were not engaged in combat with a Yxal were cheering loudly but didn't do it for long. Only a few moments later, they rushed towards the unsettled Yxal soldiers, who seemed conflicted. Some were still fighting, others were frozen in place, while lots of her brethren had already dropped their weapons and ran as fast as they could.
The battle wasn't over yet, but She had a bad premonition that it would be soon if more Yxals continued to desert. Cruxia shouted loudly, commanding the soldiers to continue fighting, but too few of them listened. Most of them were already running before Cruxia had the chance to motivate them to continue fighting. She had to accept the painful, bitter truth. After everything she had gone through at Sonder's side, she hated to admit that it had been all for nothing. The dream he had shared with his followers, the dream of a free Dragdom, undisturbed by enemies, just died with him. His followers abandoned his cause as quickly as they had joined it.
The cause was lost, just like the battle; there was no point in fighting and dying for nothing. Not while her brethren were fleeing the battlefield. There was no point in dying for a lost cause. She hated admitting that there was no other option than fleeing. She hated the thought of this cowardly act, but she didn't do her people any favour if she got herself killed. She could not defeat the Tethered Twins alone; killing one of them alone would have been pretty hard to achieve, but fighting both simultaneously was impossible for her.
She didn't want to be known as a coward, but running was the only logical thing to do in this situation. If her brethren had stayed and continued to fight, she would have happily led them, but now, there was no longer any reason to stay and fight. She had to think of her survival first. Dragdom had already lost its greatest hope; it mustn't lose more of its heroes.
She felt anything but pride as she turned around and moved as fast as her body allowed her to, ignoring the dreadful feeling in her stomach as best as she could when she headed south. Sorrow and despair accompanied her on her shameful path.
---
"How is she?" a familiar voice asked. Celeste didn't hesitate to turn around to look at the person who had just spoken despite knowing who it was. Rion leaned against the doorframe; arms crossed in front of his chest as he regarded the woman lying in bed.
"Not much better since you returned from your hunt," Celeste replied, letting her worried gaze wander back to the Yxal. "The corruption is still spreading, and Cruxia still hasn't regained consciousness. Neither Phione nor the other healers, doctors or priests know how to treat and stop it from spreading."
"How bad is it?" the male Anxoyal asked.
"The greying has reached her neck and even started affecting her upper thighs. It's only a matter of time until her entire body is affected. Who knows what will happen then?"
"You worry for her." It was not a question but a statement. Celeste could only nod. "It's unusual for a Tenarian to worry for the sake of a Yxal." Another statement from Rion.
"You are not wrong," Celeste said after a short moment of hesitation. "We are supposed to be enemies, but the more time I spend with her, the more I realise she is not like the other Yxals. She is not the bloodthirsty, violent creature our people keep telling us about."
"I must admit I never met a Yxal who doesn't have bad intentions, but I'm always open to surprises. If what you say about her is true, she is the first Yxal who does not thirst for power or seek unnecessary violence." Rion replied, stepping closer to the two women.
"You allow Crimson Sylphs, a race known for aggressive behaviour towards the Aetherial Elu'vani and Shadowliths, to fight with you. This means you managed to look past your prejudices and judge each individual regardless of origin. I'm certain you will realise that Cruxia is not like her brethren once you get the chance to talk to her."
"You have a point," the bronze warrior responded.
"I assume you didn't come to me primarily to check on Cruxia."
Rion nodded. "I also wanted to check on her, but I'm mainly here because I need to talk to you. I was away for almost three days, so you had plenty of time to think about everything we discussed."
Celeste got up and went to the door. "I would like to talk to you privately."
Confusion was reflected in Rion's golden eyes. "We are alone, I doubt your friend can hear us. And even if, she can hardly do anything in her condition."
"I was referring to those in the bordering rooms."
She received an understanding nod from Rion. "In that case, we should go to my hut."
"That's fine by me." She didn't hesitate to follow him. They met familiar faces, which Celeste had seen occasionally in the camp on their way out of the infirmary. Every one of those creatures lowered their heads in respect when they caught a glimpse of their leader; some even bowed. The camp was modest and not overly large, so they could reach the place where Rion chose to sleep within a short amount of time.
The male Anxoyal stopped before the wooden door and placed his left hand on the surface, muttering a few words. The blue shimmer around the frame of the door and the door itself faded quickly until it was no longer visible. He pushed the door open and allowed her to enter first before he got inside as well. He closed the door behind him and led Celeste to the living room.
"Take a seat," he said as he pulled out two chairs. "Do you want anything?" he asked once Celeste had sat down.
The black-haired woman shook her head. "I'm good."
"Very well," Rion responded as he sat opposite to her. They stared at each other for several minutes, neither knowing where to start.
"I assume you still have so many questions; otherwise, you wouldn't be so conflicted," Rion said eventually.
"I do," Celeste admitted honestly.
"Go ahead," he replied, leaning back.
Celeste planned to start with the less important things and then discuss the big questions. "You didn't tell me what happened to the other Yxals that went with us." With us, she clearly meant herself and Cruxia, but she had no doubt Rion was aware of that.
"Most of them answered Malcoroth's call for aid and fought with him. Many didn't make it; the rest fled once Malcoroth abandoned them. Among the casualties were two clan leaders. One was a dark-skinned woman with bone-white braided hair and deep purple horns. The other was a shorter but muscular man."
"These descriptions fit Cestra of the Bonebreaker Clan and one of the two males that lead the Deathchanter Clan," Celeste replied thoughtfully. She was wondering how the death of those two would affect her and Cruxia's situation. The Deathchanter Clan was at least not leaderless. She wondered if the Bonebreaker Clan had already chosen a new leader and what they would do. Will they want to avenge their fallen leader? What would this mean for Cruxia's situation? Would the new leader still want her dead?
"Too bad Malcoroth escaped," Celeste said to break the silence that had formed between them again.
"Malcoroth is a slippery cowardly creature who thinks about himself first and then about those that follow him. He is not fit to be a leader if that is his intention. I hope your friend will finally wake up. I'm dying to know what Malcoroth told her."
"He may be a coward, but he is still pretty powerful and dangerous," Celeste replied, toying with her nails nervously. She would never admit to anyone how much Malcoroth was scaring her. She had not been afraid of him when she first met him; she had been way too worried about Cruxia to feel any fear. She was still worried about her these days, but since she had had enough time to think about everything, she had realised how dangerous he was. He was a great threat.
Many bad things could happen if Malcoroth were to walk around unchecked. Someone had to stop him. She doesn't know much about him and his intentions, but she believed Rion. She knew Malcoroth was very dangerous. She witnessed first-hand how powerful he was. He shouldn't be allowed to become any stronger than he already was. She assumed Malcoroth had fled mainly because he had been outnumbered by Rion and his band of soldiers.
Rion nodded in agreement. "The worst thing is that we know so little of the corruption affecting him and your friend. We don't know its origin nor what it does exactly. It made him much stronger; that's what we know for sure. We don't know if the corruption is deadly or turns your friend into one of his minions. Not that he has any yet, but it's still possible. There are so many possibilities..."
"And he is not even the only one you are worrying about," Celeste replied, giving Rion a serious look. "You told me a lot about Superion and what he did. I do know Superion in some way, at least, not to mention that my mother always spoke highly of him. So, I cannot just believe what you told me about him without seeing proof first. It's still hard for me to believe that he attacked the Man-Eater Clan and left nothing but ruins and corpses behind. You seem to know much about him, but I hardly know anything about you. I cannot trust you as long as I do not know who you truly are. I understand you don't want to reveal your identity, but I also hope you can understand that I cannot trust a stranger even if they saved my life. If that was your goal in the first place. I assume you were after Malcoroth and only saved us because we were there when it happened. Don't get me wrong, I still appreciate that you saved us."
Thoughtful eyes rested on her and then wandered to the bookshelf on the other side of the room. They stayed there briefly before they walked back to the light-brown-skinned woman. Rion took a deep breath and then exhaled loudly. "I was hoping to avoid this, but I have no choice. Your connection to the Nine makes you a valuable potential ally for me. I understand you cannot trust me without knowing more about me and the incident in the eastern Yxal territory. I'm willing to reveal my identity to you, but only to you. Your friend must not know who I am. Can you promise me that?" Rion asked
"That depends on who you are."
Rion couldn't help but chuckle. "I have to take that risk then. Taking risks is necessary if you want to achieve your goals these days. Always remember that."
The curiosity inside her grew as Rion slowly reached for his helmet. The tension turned almost unbearable as Rion finally grabbed the underside of his helmet and pulled it over his head much faster than she had expected.
His golden eyes were not the only familiar thing about him. Celeste had seen his face before. The last time she had seen it was over half a year ago. She knew the man to which this face belonged. Confusion quickly replaced curiosity.
She saw an elegantly shaped face with sharp, defined cheekbones and a strong, slender jawline.
"Superion!"
The man couldn't help but chuckle. "Not quite. You are only slightly off the mark."
It took a few moments for Celeste to realise who the man before her was. "Aetherion?!"
"Exactly."
Celeste was speechless for nearly an entire minute. She cleared her throat when she finally managed to pull herself together. "But you are dead?" she exclaimed disbelievingly.
"Am I?" Aetherion asked, his voice reflecting a slight amount of amusement. "I feel very much alive, I must say."
"But...the chronicles claim you are dead..."
Aetherion chuckled. "You will soon figure out that not all written down in the chronicles or spread by poets, bards, or storytellers is true."
She wouldn't believe him if she couldn't see his face so clearly. She believed Aetherion died during the Second Siege of the Broken Spire. Her mother had told her about Aetherion's sacrifice when he grabbed Sarvessa Obsidianheart and threw himself off the top of the Broken Spire with her, ending both of their lives. A dreadful enemy was slain that day, but Tenaria lost one of its greatest heroes in return.
But Aetherion was not dead. He was right in front of her, softly smiling at her. His face was almost identical to Superion's; the only differences were his cut-off right ear and the scar that started below it and vanished beneath the collar of his armour. She had the impression that it went even further underneath.
"My mother claims that your body shattered when you hit the ground. All of your bones are supposed to be broken. You are not supposed to be alive," Celeste said, still confused.
"It seems to me you were lied to. You and every inhabitant of Tenaria. There is so much else you don't know yet. There is so much I need to tell you about myself and Superion, among other things. You have yet to learn the truth. I would appreciate it if you listened to me and then asked me all the questions that come to your mind."
Celeste nodded, so Aetherion didn't hesitate to continue. "My brother has always despised the Yxal race, his hatred for them has only grown stronger when our mother sacrificed herself to stop Cerestus the Monstrous. The death of our father, Solarion the Dazzler, by the hands of Sonder the Sunderer only made things worse. Superion has vowed not to stop until the entire Yxal race has been eradicated."
Celeste blinked in surprise and opened her mouth to say something but closed it again, not knowing what to say exactly. She opened her mouth again when she finally managed to order her thoughts. "Superion was never fond of the Yxal race. That's no secret. But there is a big difference between disliking them and wanting to exterminate them. Are you certain about this? This is a big accusation..."
"He said that to me during our father's funeral. He was upset and full of sorrow, but he meant every word. When he told me again, I realised he wouldn't stop until the last Yxal was rooted out. He said that right before we laid siege to the Broken Spire over forty years ago."
"So, you faked your death for what end?" Celeste asked, curiosity written all over her face.
Aetherion shook his head slightly as he gave her a weak smile. "It's not that simple," he replied and stood up, pacing back and forth. "I was grievously wounded by Sarvessa Obsidianheart; I only survived because of Phione. She dragged me from the battlefield and tended my wounds. The battle was already over when I regained consciousness after several days. Many of the soldiers under my command stayed with me. We could have returned to Tenaria, but we decided not to. Neither Superion nor Tenaria knew of my survival; everyone assumed I was dead. I knew I couldn't stop Superion from preparing another campaign against Dragdom once Tenaria regained its military strength. Not after he had me removed from the Nine. I was no longer in the position to challenge him and stop him. Phione and I decided to hide and search for a way to stop Superion.
Only a few months later, Malcoroth, or Deamoen as he called himself back then, showed up and terrorised the citizens of Calae'vanyr. Since I had no idea how to stop Superion, I decided to hunt Malcoroth. I have been hunting him ever since but without success, unfortunately. He is now stronger than ever, and I'm afraid I can't defeat him alone." Aetherion stopped before the small window in the right wall, glancing outside.
"Fortunately for you, you are not alone," Celeste replied warmly.
"Neither is he," Aetherion replied with a stern expression on his face. "Ravakor, or Malcoroth as he calls himself now, is a dangerous troublemaker who needs to be taken care of. But the expanse of the havoc he can cause is nothing compared to what will await us if another war between the remaining kingdoms breaks out. Even if Superion does not plan to attack the other kingdoms, they still might feel threatened enough to consider launching an attack while Superion's troops attempt to conquer Dragdom. If Superion can continue doing what he wants, nothing but death and destruction awaits Xevas. Stopping him is of utmost priority."
Celeste was silent for several minutes as she considered what to say to him in return. Many things were going through her mind. She had received a lot of new information but still had so many questions she required answers to. "I believe you are who you claim to be. You could be a form shifter or an identity thief, but I rule that out. I believe you are indeed Superion's twin. I do not need any additional proof that you are him, but I need proof of what you said Superion did. I need to see with my own eyes if Superion has indeed attacked and wiped out the Man-Eater Clan."
"That would mean I would have to take you there. The journey will take some time even if we ride on horseback," Aetherion replied as he walked to his chair and sat down again.
"You have horses here?" the black-haired woman asked in surprise. "How do they survive without daylight?"
"We don't keep them here but outside of Umbryssia in a special place. They allow us to move through the realms much faster and are not as noticeable as if we were flying around in groups. Flying over a longer period of time is quite exhausting. Imagine getting caught in a fight after having travelled for several hours. We would be too weakened to defend ourselves properly.
Not to mention, not all of us have wings. We would have to go without Shadowliths, Aetherial Elu'vani, Crimson Sylphs or even the Rukthar. Keristians couldn't join us either. The number of people we could send out would be small if we only travelled by air. The groups we send out on investigations or missions are usually pretty mixed. If we had to get somewhere as fast as possible, we would fly to the destination, but we would only do that if we had no choice."
"How long would it take us to reach the settlement of the Man-Eater Clan if we travel by horse?" the female Anxoyal asked once Aetherion was done with his explanation.
"We would reach it within ten days or so. We could make it in seven days if we keep our rests short and skip a night or two."
"We shouldn't arrive at the settlement while lacking sleep. That would be suboptimal in case we have to fight."
"You are right. We should avoid missing too much sleep," Aetherion replied, running his fingers over the table's edge before him.
"So, this is the fastest and safest travel method you can access?" Celeste asked.
"For the surface, yes. You can find faster creatures than horses in the Umbryssia, but they detest daylight. Unless you keep a protective spell that helps them deal with the sunlight on them the entire time, you won't be able to use them much outside of Umbryssia. Keeping up such spells on multiple creatures is very taxing, so that's not an option for us," Aetherion replied.
"I know you want to do anything but take me to the Man-Eater settlement, but I need to see it myself. I can't just trust your word without clear proof," Celeste said, her voice and facial expression reflecting appreciation.
"I understand why you are so cautious. I would act similarly if I were in your position. With so many liars and frauds out there, it's sometimes hard to figure out what is true and what is not. I knew you wouldn't follow me blindly, so I expected you to demand proof. Travelling back and forth will cost us time, and I must admit that's a resource we lack, but I cannot expect that you just believe every word I say. Travelling to the settlement might not only cast aside your doubts. We might be able to achieve more than that."
"I'm listening."
"It might be possible that Superion did not find all members of the Man-Eater Clan. Perhaps some of them managed to hide or escape the bloodshed. Either the survivors went to other clans looking for refuge or returned to their ruined homes after some time. If Superion didn't leave any troops behind to patrol the area, we might find survivors there, which we could recruit for our cause."
"You expect them to trust you after your brother and his Tenarian army laid their home to waste? They will think we are with him once they spot us," Celeste argued.
Aetherion gave her a slight smirk. "You have a point, but I can make them see reason regardless. Don't forget that other people who are not Tenarian come with us. That way, the chances that they listen to us are much higher."
"Does any of your followers speak Dragda?"
She received a nod from the platinum-haired man. "Nocturiel does, along with others. Communicating with them won't be an issue."
Celeste nodded. "Alright, I'm up for it."
The corners of Aetherion's lips formed a pleased smile. "I'm glad to hear that."
"When will we set off?"
"Today during the hour of the owl."
"Hour of the what?" Celeste asked, confused.
Aetherion chuckled in amusement. "That's not a term which is often used nowadays"? When Celeste shook her head, he continued. "What I mean is that we set off at midnight."
"It's always dark in this place; how am I supposed to know when it's midnight?"
"Don't worry. We will wake you an hour before we leave if that's enough time for you to prepare."
"I don't have any armour I need to put on, so I shouldn't take that long."
"Now that you mention it, I'm certain we have spare armour that fits you. Seek out Vorathen; he will supply you with sufficient armour, weapons, and supplies."
"I don't think I met him before. Can you describe him for me?" Celeste asked.
"Vorathen is a male Shadowkin with dark eyes, midnight-blue skin and long grey hair. He usually wears a purple robe. No other Shadowkin fits the description in the camp, so I assume you will find him eventually."
Celeste said nothing and only nodded at him.
"Is there anything else you want to know?"
"Not for now, but I need to speak to you again once we reach our destination."
"We will speak for certain."
That said, Celeste left the room and hut, searching for Vorathen.