The next morning Sirius got up and started to pack his belongings and mystic codes after telling Vivian the situation. However, Vivian seemed a little suspicious of Alaya.
"Are sure she is who she says she is?"
Sirius nodded and turned to her. "You saw my memories of the whole ordeal in the dream. You saw that vortex." Vivian nodded. The vortex of will that made up Alaya was not something that could be replicated, only problem was, was that this will was taking her man away.
"It's just five years honey. Five years is nothing to you, with you being an elemental and all. Plus I need you here in case Oberon shows up early to repress his power so he can't kill more people." Sirius was right. Vivian being born from the very planet made her practically immortal and unkillable. She, as a transcendent, will also be vital in suppressing Oberon's existence.
"Sigh....Just stay safe."
"I will. I promise, and since when have I broken my promises?"
"Hey that's a flag!" She said playfully. Then they hugged one last time and Sirius left on his quest to save Britain from extermination.
…
"Artoria, I won't be able to help you govern Camelot as I have a quest to embark on." In a study with thousands of papers that need signing sat Artoria and Sirius.
"So you won't be able to help because you must go to the Land of Shadows and be trained under Scathatch?" Sirius nodded in affirmation. He didn't care about telling her about the training, she was one of if not the closest friend he had. He trust her with his own life if need be.
"I see.....Alright I will tell the others that you are preoccupied and can't help as you have important matters I have sent you off for."
"Thank you. By the way, I heard there was that lad that showed up at the gates the other day right after you and the fairies were done building Camelot. Galahad was his name right?"
Artoria nodded. "Yes, Sir Lancelot's son. The two of them even got into a sword fight with Galahad coming out as the victor and joining the Round Table." She turned her head away from the paper work. "I would have had you meet him, but with this quest of yours, that's probably not possible."
Sirius shook his head. "Maybe when I come back." He stopped at the door and told her one last thing that had been bugging him. "And Artoria, if there is one piece of advice I can give it's this. Don't be the perfect efficient king, be the good empathetic king. Be the king that understands their people." Then he left, leaving Artoria to mingle in his words.
Merlin strolled in right after he left, watching the hallway with a solemn look. "Where's he going?" He turned back to Artoria.
"He has been given a quest by the Lady of The Lake. He has to go to the Land of Shadows to be trained, that's all he told me." She said as she returned back to the paperwork that had been piling up on her desk.
Deeper within the castle however a white haired witch queen snickered as she listened to the two. 'Which means she's all alone, with no help....' She laughed eerily.
…
In a random meadow sat Sirius as he opened a door to the Land of Shadows. Once opened all that was left was to jump into the dark abyss like portal.
"Sigh....She couldn't make the place a tad bit more welcoming?" He said as he walked into the portal that led to an underworld, blinding him.
When he opened his eyes next he found himself in a gloomy foggy like environment surrounded by corpses. That's when he found a ginormous castle sitting on the hill overlooking a deep darkness.
"Well I found her house at least...…"
Then he began the trek under the watchful eye of the realms queen. 'Lets see who you are young warrior....'
Once he made it to the castles doors he pushed them open with great difficulty. What's was revealed was a large empty throne room, and on the throne was a purple haired, red eyed woman clad in a skin tight suit that left nothing to the imagination.
Next to her, leaning on her throne was a red spear. It's very presence screamed murder. "Queen of the Land of Shadows. I have come to learn und-" He stopped as he ducked under the red spear that flew over his head.
"komme." Her words brought forth wonderous symbols that seemed to bend the rules of the world around them. The red spear flew back to Scathatch as she stood from her throne and dashed toward Sirius, ready for battle.
Sirius readied Arcane as he set up a few transmutations in her path to distract her. "Ok this is seriously happening, fuck. I have to fight a fucking god slayer?! I'm not that strong!"
"Wrong words pup." Her words echoed as she swung her spear and Sirius tried to block it with Arcane. Emphasis on tried.
"Kugh!" He was blown back from the force of the clash, crashing into the doors that led into the throne room and landed outside in the courtyard. His automail arm was creaking under the stress being put on it. Scathatch appeared once more and skewing her spear into Sirius, that only phased through him.
"You want to rumble? Then lets rumble!" He casted his true magic, making himself exist outside of the concept of a 'spear' and swung Arcane. Scathatch however just used her runes easily overpowering his attacks.
"skjære." Her words caused the very wind to attack him, causing him to lose ground once again.
"Shit!" His body was cut an innumerable amount of times leading him to bleed. The good thing was, was that they were shallow, allowing him to easily close them with his alchemy.
He snapped his fingers causing an explosion of fire to cover Scathatch body. Only for the said fire to funnel into her new rune spell.
"kanal. kondensere. skyte." The redirected condensed fire turned into a missile of flames directed at Sirius, who raised a wall of earth, furthering it with reinforcement.
The flames were stopped for a second, but soon started to melt the reinforced rock quite easily. However this allowed Sirius to change targets and redirect his true magic to 'fire' instead allowing Scathatchs spell to phase right through him.
"Why are we fighting?! You could have just told me to leave and that I wasn't welcomed for fuck's sake!" Then he rolled under another spear throw and dashed forward against the now unarmed Scathatch.
"Reckless, but decisive." Her words to no one in particular.
"øke." If her movements were fast before, now Sirius was getting smashed, not able to keep up with his sword and not having enough time to designate a new target for his True Magic, he got destroyed, quickly.
'Fuck, think Wilhelm think!' That's when he got it and proceeded to turn around and run away under Scathatchs eyes, who wouldn't let her prey just run away. But Sirius used maximum reinforcement even stressing his dragon core to the limit.
When he stopped running he was deep in the forest in front of the castle. Scathatch stopped right behind him. "Running? Is that your answer to everything?" She asked coldly. A cowardly warrior was no warrior at all. Sirius just grinned.
"No. But I would have to say that my plan is very....bright." He disappeared under nose with displacement and was about to chase him when a bright ball of hydrogen appeared in front of her and detonated.
Her eyes grew wide as she felt the power and defended herself. "beskyttelsesbarriere!" The prana around her, in tandem with the runes flared and molded a barrier.
The flash lit up the entire realm and shook it, spooking all of the undead monstrosities inside. When Sirius looked from the castle he found a sizable mushroom cloud that had appeared in the distance and quickly rushed inside, putting up all kinds of traps and awaited his encounter with the Celtic god slayer.
When she made it back, a little tattered but otherwise alright. She had a fiendish grin on her face as she walked into the throne room and deflected his traps effortlessly. "Is that all you got boy!?"
Sirius grinned through his bruised bleeding face and made his mana burst with all of the meager od he had left and dashed forward, sword in hand. "Sever the unexplainable" Arcane lit up, it's lines gaining a red glow. "Arcane!"
Scathatch grinned fiendishly and readied her spear. "Pierce the sky!" Her spear glowed with power and she thrusted it forward at Sirius. "Gae Bolg Alternative!"
Time seemed to stop as Sirius's sword rushed to her heart and Scathatchs spear pierced to his heart. However, even with Sirius's True Magic the spear was able to break skin and pierce his heart.
He was stunned! He had done it earlier, why didn't it work now? Her spear is forbidden for a reason. Arcane on the other hand struck Scathatch skewering her through as well, with her being equally stunned.
She could feel it again. The feeling of death closing in, it's hands snaking around in it's cold but freeing grip. She could accept it and rest! She could finally die and at the hands of a fierce warrior too!
But she didn't. She could make this pup, this boy, stronger. She could make him with the foundation that she has and make someone who could take her on at full in her prime.
So she reversed the situation. "Spole. Tetning." Their weapons exited their wounds and they closed up. She. under the stunned eyes of Sirius walked back to the throne and sat down.
"Let's get ready to train shall we~"
Her excitement was palpable.