(Svarthelm, Continent of Jörvaldr, Morning Time, Western District)
The streets of Svarthelm were alive with the clash of two worlds—the gleaming wealth of the upper echelon and the grimy desperation of the poor. Massive brass pipes jutted from buildings, spewing plumes of smoke into the air, while the rhythmic clanking of automaton enforcers echoed down the cobblestone roads. The rich strode confidently through the avenues, their high-collared coats and silk dresses adorned with intricate gearwork and jewels. Meanwhile, the poor scurried in the shadows of towering structures, their ragged clothing barely shielding them from the cold morning air.
The Western District, notorious for its stark divisions, was a maze of opulence and squalor. The smell of oil and coal mingled with the tantalizing aromas of street food, wafting from stalls powered by small, sputtering steam engines. Rich nobles, escorted by automatons, sneered at the commoners who dared to share the same streets. Among the chaos, Xyenn and his group strolled, their presence drawing curious and wary glances alike.
"Yuuna, get off me," Xyenn grumbled as Yuuna clung to his back, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Nope!" she declared, grinning from ear to ear. "I'm comfy."
"You're heavy! And you keep hitting me on the head…"
"Are you calling me fat?" she gasped dramatically, smacking him on the side of the head.
"Tch! Stop!" Xyenn yelped, nearly stumbling into a passing noblewoman, who huffed indignantly and raised her nose as she walked away.
"Hey, watch where you're going!" Yuuna yelled after her, leaning over Xyenn's shoulder. "You're lucky I don't bite!"
"You do bite!" Xyenn shot back, twisting his head to glare at her.
"Only you, darling," Yuuna said with a mischievous grin, baring her teeth playfully.
The group stopped at a busy row of food stalls, each one offering something unique and extravagant. The vendors, dressed in soot-stained aprons, shouted over the noise of the crowd, advertising their wares. The smells were intoxicating—spices, roasted meats, and sweet glazes mingling in the air.
"Alright, let's eat," Xyenn said, finally managing to pry Yuuna off his back. She landed on her feet with a laugh, immediately bounding toward the nearest stall.
'Illyana thought this was a good idea. After everything that happened last night, Illyana told me food was one of the many ways to tame her chaotic mind. Plus, everyone is starving as well.'
The group dispersed, each person gravitating toward something that caught their eye.
Yuuna returned first, holding a plate of brassbeak skewers, the meat marinated in a fiery orange sauce that dripped onto her hands as she bit into it. "Agh! It's spicy!" she exclaimed, her eyes watering. "Darling, try this!"
"No thanks," Xyenn said, holding up his own dish: ironboar ribs, slow-cooked until the meat fell off the bone and glazed with a sweet, sticky sauce. "I'm good with this."
"Don't be a baby!" Yuuna said, shoving a skewer in his face. "Now you have to eat it!" Yuuna cackled.
"Fine." Xyenn said, grabbing the skewer and taking a bite. His face immediately turned red. "What the hell is this?! Lava on a stick?!"
Yuuna doubled over laughing, slapping her thigh. "You look like you're gonna cry!"
"I'm not crying!" Xyenn yelled, reaching for a nearby stall's water barrel and dunking his head in.
Illyana, standing nearby with a plate of celestial fruit salad, chuckled softly at their antics. The plate in her hand shimmered with slices of glowing fruit, each piece radiating a faint light. "Yuuna," she said gently, "don't torture him too much. He still has to carry you later."
"He'll live," Yuuna said, waving her hand dismissively before grabbing another skewer.
Draeven, nervously watching the commotion, held a tray of steamberry tarts, the small pastries topped with a bubbling, frothy cream. "Uh, Xyenn, you okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," Xyenn muttered, pulling his head out of the water barrel. "I'll live."
'Fuck that was hot!'
"You should try these, though," Draeven said, offering him a tart. "They're not spicy or anything."
Xyenn grabbed one and popped it into his mouth, his expression softening. "Alright, not bad," he admitted.
Draeven beamed, clearly pleased.
'My bro said it's not bad, that means we have similar taste! Awesome..'
Yuuna said to Draeven, sneaking up on him with a menacing jealous glare, "Trying to steal my darling from me, huh? Think your food is better than mine, scum?"
"N-No!"
"Draeven," Mertha said, walking up with a massive hunk of razorhorn steak, charred on the outside and dripping with juices. "You're too soft. Real food is supposed to fight back." She tore into the steak, chewing loudly. "You too, Xyenn."
"Do you ever eat anything that doesn't look like it was hunted with a warhammer, Mertha?" Quinara teased, nibbling on a delicate plate of skywhale souffle again.
"Not if I can help it," Mertha replied with a grin, her teeth stained with sauce. "It's the best!"
"Gorran, you want some of this?" Quinara asked, holding out a piece of her souffle.
"No," Gorran said flatly, staring at the plate of shadow eel dumplings in his own hand. The black dumplings steamed faintly, their surface glistening like polished obsidian.
"Gorrannnnnn," Quinara said, leaning against him and poking his arm. "You'll love it. It's sweet, just like me."
"No." Gorran was slightly flustered.
Xyenn, Yuuna, Mertha, and Draeven huddled together and pointed at Gorran, gasping dramatically with comedic flair, saying, "Gorran?! He's in love?! He blushed or something—!"
Gorran slashed his Xenith blade at them, "I'm not!"
They dodged it easily while laughing.
Kivorn, sitting lazily on a nearby crate, poked at his bowl of crab stew with a spoon. "Why are all of you so noisy?" he asked in his usual monotone.
"Because we're not boring," Zyphira shot back, holding up her plate of emberwing kebabs, the spicy meat sizzling faintly on its skewers. "You should try these, Kivorn. Might wake you upppp."
"I'm awake," Kivorn replied, though his half-lidded eyes suggested otherwise.
"No you're not."
"I am."
"You're not."
"I am."
"You're not."
"I am."
"You're not." Zyphira teased with a grin.
Gridd, standing nearby, grunted in agreement. He was chewing on a volcanic rokwyrm steak, his expression stoic as always. "At least he doesn't talk too much," he said, glancing pointedly at Sethrak.
"That's because he doesn't have anything interesting to say," Sethrak replied with a smug grin, sipping from a glass of velvetroot wine. "Unlike me."
"Your arrogance is exhaustin'," Gridd muttered.
"And yet, here you are, still listening," Sethrak said, raising his glass in mock salute.
"Got me there, didn't ya lad?"
"I only joke."
"Folks aren't gonna be too happy seeing two children sippin' velvetroot wine early in the mornin'."
Zyphira stepped in, "We are grown! Remember we took the appearance of children temporarily for a reason, duhhhh."
As the group continued eating, the voices of town criers rang out over the noise of the crowd:
- "BREAKING: THE DUCHESS OF GEARHAVEN ACCUSED OF TREASON! Sources say she's been funding rogue automatons to rise against the city's council!"
- "AUTOMATON ENFORCERS MALFUNCTIONING IN THE LOWER QUARTERS! Citizens report strange behavior, including unauthorized arrests and random violence!"
- "WHISPERS OF AN ASSASSIN IN THE HIGH DISTRICT! Nobles fear the return of the legendary Blackthorn Guild!"
- "NEW TAX ANNOUNCED BY THE COUNCIL OF BRASS! The poor suffer while the rich prosper!"
- "A NEW PETITION TO BAN BEASTKIN FROM THE CITY GAINS TRACTION AMONG THE NOBLES! Activists rally against the discriminatory laws!"
As the group finished eating and continued walking, Yuuna suddenly leaned close to Xyenn while no one else was looking. Without warning, she kissed his ear, then ran her tongue along the edge in one swift motion.
Xyenn froze, his face turning bright red as he whipped his head around to look at her. "Wha-?"
Yuuna pointed at him, bursting into laughter. "You're blushing!"
"Shut up…" Xyenn whined, his voice cracking slightly as he tried to compose himself.
"You're adorable," Yuuna teased, skipping ahead of him with a wide grin.
"That's you."
'I'm opening up as a romantic partner?! I'm definitely becoming a man!'
Yuuna poked his face with a manic grin, "Hmmm? Are you thinking about what you just said?! HAHA!"
"I-Impossible! You can read my mind?!"
"Noooooo! It's written all over your face!"
The Western District of Svarthelm was already buzzing with its usual chaos of clanking automatons and bustling crowds, but the presence of Xyenn and his group injected a kind of unpredictable energy into the streets that even the hardened residents seemed to notice. The group drew stares as they walked—partly because of their loud banter, partly because of the sheer diversity of their personalities, and partly because they were clearly not the kind of people who belonged among the gilded streets of Svarthelm's upper crust.
At a quiet moment, Yuuna, still holding onto her brassbeak skewer, still on Xyenn's back, narrowed her mischievous eyes at Xyenn, who was cautiously picking at his ironboar ribs. Her grin widened as she leaned toward him.
"Hey, Xyenn," she purred sweetly, just before shoving the skewer into his mouth.
"Mmph!" Xyenn's eyes widened in surprise as the spicy meat hit his tongue. He grabbed her wrist, trying to push her away, but she only laughed harder.
"Eat it, you big baby!" Yuuna cackled, leaning her full weight against his arm.
Xyenn managed to wrench the skewer out of his mouth, coughing slightly as he glared at her. "Oh, you think that's funny?"
"It's hilarious!" Yuuna said, doubling over in laughter.
"Alright, then, your turn!" Xyenn said, grabbing a piece of his ironboar rib and shoving it toward her face.
"Hey, no—!" Yuuna protested, but it was too late. Xyenn smushed the sticky, sweet-glazed rib against her lips, and she groaned dramatically. "Ugh, it's so… sugary!"
"Good!" Xyenn teased, but before he could pull back, Yuuna bit down on the rib—along with part of his finger.
"OW! Did you just bite me?!" Xyenn yelped, shaking his hand.
"Yup!" Yuuna said smugly, chewing the rib. "Tastes better when it's stolen."
"You…," Xyenn muttered, though the small smile tugging at his lips betrayed his amusement.
Nearby, Draeven watched the exchange with wide eyes, his hands clutching his plate of steamberry tarts. "Wow. They're, uh… really comfortable with each other, huh? Jealous.."
"They're feral," Quinara replied dryly, nibbling on her skywhale souffle. She smirked as she glanced at Gorran, who was quietly eating his shadow eel dumplings. "What about you, Gorran? Want me to shove some food in your mouth too?"
"No," Gorran replied flatly, not even looking at her.
"Awww," Quinara teased, leaning closer. "Open wide, big guy. Here comes the..the uh, the dragon."
"Are you..fond of me? You're always rubbing up on me."
"Maybe."
Further back, Gridd was muttering to himself as he chewed on his volcanic rokwyrm steak. "Bloody nobles an' their fancy food," he grumbled. "Can't even find a proper pint o' ale in this damned city. All they've got is that…" He gestured vaguely toward Sethrak, who was sipping his velvetroot wine with a smug grin. "...fancy pisswater."
"It's not pisswater," Sethrak said, his tone laced with condescension. "It's a refined vintage, aged in crystal casks for thirty years."
Gridd snorted. "Aye, sounds like pisswater to me."
"Perhaps your dwarven palate simply can't appreciate the finer things," Sethrak said with a smirk. "And seems you want a taste as you keep commenting on it."
"An' perhaps yer royal arse needs a good kickin'," Gridd shot back, his eyes narrowing.
"Now, now," Illyana interjected gently, stepping between them with her usual serene smile. She held out a piece of her glowing celestial fruit salad. "Gridd, would you like to try this? It's sweet and refreshing."
Gridd hesitated, eyeing the fruit suspiciously. "Fruit, ye say? Bah. Fine. I'll try it, lass. But if it tastes like pisswater, I'm blamin' Sethrak." He popped a piece into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully before nodding. "Alright, that's not bad. Not bad at all."
"See? Even Gridd can find something nice to say," Illyana said with a soft laugh.
Sethrak responded with a smile, "It's about time."
As the group continued walking, they passed a trio of richly dressed nobles standing near a steam-powered carriage. The nobles sneered as the group approached, their eyes scanning the mismatched, rough-looking band with disdain.
"Disgusting," one of the nobles muttered loudly. "They let anyone walk these streets now, don't they?"
"Look at them," another said, his nose wrinkling. "Barbarians. They don't belong here."
The group stopped in unison, their collective gazes turning toward the nobles.
"What did you just say?" Mertha growled, cracking her knuckles.
"Oh, nothing," the first noble said, smirking. "Just commenting on how… out of place you all seem."
"Out of place, huh?" Sethrak said, his smile sharp and dangerous. "Funny coming from someone who looks like they got dressed in the fucking dark. Even if I were born here, I never could stand you family nobles."
The noble bristled. "How dare you—"
Before he could finish, unknowingly, Xyenn and his group were standing together in a spread out gesture, staring the nobles down with matching manic grins. But Kivorn was just staring, and yawning, "Huh? What are they looking at?"
The effect was immediate. The nobles paled, their bravado crumbling under the group's intense, intimidating presence.
"W-we're leaving!" one of them stammered, practically tripping over his own feet as he scrambled toward the carriage.
"Y-yes, good day to you!" another said, his voice shaking as they climbed into the vehicle and sped off.
As soon as they were out of sight, the group burst into laughter.
"Did you see their faces?" Zyphira said, clutching her sides. "Priceless!"
"Rich folk are all the same," Mertha said with a grin. "All talk, no guts."
"Ye'd think they'd learn to shut their mouths," Gridd added, shaking his head.
Yuuna watched their smiles, especially Sethrak and Zyphira, thinking, 'Being here, Sethrak and Zyphira were disconnected from us for a while. As this is the place where they escaped and ran to me to become my Tyrants. Now they're smiling..being with us, they're being refreshed. It's like they both needed to be around us to feel a slight hint of happiness.'
The group continued their journey, occasionally getting caught up in the chaotic life of Svarthelm.
At one point, they helped an elderly vendor whose cart of mechanical fireflies had tipped over, the tiny glowing insects scattering across the cobblestone. Illyana and Draeven worked together to gather them, while Yuuna chased a particularly fast one with Xyenn in tow.
Later, they passed a street performer playing a strange, steam-powered violin. Sethrak and Zyphira stopped to listen, and Zyphira convinced Kivorn to give the performer a coin—much to Kivorn's annoyance.
Mertha got into a friendly arm-wrestling match with a burly blacksmith at a roadside forge, drawing a small crowd. She won, of course, but not before Quinara placed a playful bet on her victory.
"You got this, muscle woman!" Quinara clapped.
Mertha grinned, "Put all your coins on me! I got this!"
As they rounded another corner, Yuuna's grin faded slightly, and she glanced at Illyana, who had been quiet for most of the walk. "Hey," she said, her tone surprisingly soft. "Time to spit it out."
Illyana hesitated, then gave her a small, tranquil smile. "I will."
"What's happening?"
Everyone stopped, and Illyana told Yuuna everything.
"I found out Faera, Vektor, and the surviving members of the Holy Branch were here in Svarthelm. And so I took Xyenn and Draeven with me to see them last night. They said the current draconic vessel of Lancelot has been hunting them down alongside the witches we used to hunt down. They had a demon in their possession, one that took over a baby's body.."
Illyana tried her hardest to continue talking, but the thoughts of last night flickered in her brain, she was tensing up, and she was about to mutter the words: "I can't do this.."
But Xyenn and Draeven stepped up, and spoke for her.
Xyenn continued her story, "A noble family had done a dark ritual, which a demon had..devoured a baby's very soul, and the Holy Branch were trying to communicate with the bastard. It only wanted to speak with me, of course Illyana and the others tried to stop me, but I was stubborn. With as much power I had, I couldn't stand by and look pitiful. So I talked to him—."
Yuuna, her eyes obscured by her bangs, her arms folded, asked, "Him. You said him."
"Yeah.."
"What's his name? Did he tell you?"
"Zerzoth."
"Pfft." Yuuna spit on the ground, and said, "…Continue."
Xyenn explained, "He explained how I was some kind of Jotyin. Born from a Jotyin seed created by the one who birthed Gabriel and the First Monarch. Jotyin were designed and created to lead the charge into Hell when the time came and kill the First Monarch. The King of Sen, or something like that. Apparently me, Haldrek, the sealed first vessel of Lancelo named King Samuel, and a few others are Jotyin, born from the Astral world and brought to Kyrrin to sprout. The seeds were premature, but mine..I guess was the last to sprout in Kyrrin. Considering how Haldrek is 400+ years old, and me being 19 years old. The demons and all of Hell believe your mother moved the seeds from the Astral world to Kyrrin. Why? Don't know. They don't know. And there was mention of the Ohnupilath Tree, the Tree Gabriel used to create everything. A tree created by the dragon god of light Lancelot, his closest comrade—."
"Please tell me you killed demon Zerzoth."
"I did. But only sent his soul back to hell where it belonged."
"Yeah. Anything or anyone born from Hell doesn't die. There's a source in Hell that keeps their soul intact. Like how my heart is the source of the dragon gods Cycle of Rebirth, and the Ohnupilath being the source of Kyrrin, tied to the gods, and my heart. What else?"
Gorran had an uneasy look, feeling slightly anxious as he thought, 'Jotyin…where have I heard that before?'
Xyenn continued, "Zerzoth said the First Monarch already had contracts with some dragon deities, even some elders. And they don't know once they deal with dark magic from Hell, they are automatically soul bound to Hell once they're dead. Or killed by me and you, Yuuna. A permanent death to them seals their fate in Hell. And we're the only ones who can give it to them for right now."
Gridd interrupted with a question, "What can he do with the dragon souls, eh lad?"
"He can puppeteer them. And he wants Haldrek, as Haldrek is already bound to Hell now, since dealing with…Death."
Yuuna gasped slightly, saying, "He made a deal with Death..he really did then. Remember the first day we fought him, darling?"
"Yeah."
"If we encounter him again, he will be stronger than last time. If he was claimed by my father, the First Monarch, then his power has increased greatly."
Xyenn thought, 'I was too in shock to react how I wanted when Zerzoth was telling me everything. I remember fighting Death awhile ago, the same day I met Yuuna, the same day I became her vessel. And that reminds me now…since we know the rule of darkness has been established: Those who perform dark rituals from Hell or makes contracts with devils…are automatically bound to Hell.'
Xyenn clenched his chest, his breathing becoming ragged. One thought ran through his mind:
Was his soul bound to Hell? If he dies..does he go there?
Yuuna's other vessels before him, they never got as far as he has. They didn't even last a day, and Yuuna didn't connect with them like she has with Xyenn.
But Xyenn is connected to Yuuna. He now knows she was hiding the fact that beings created and born in Hell die and are reborn without any of their memories before.
Xyenn wanted to ask her about it, all the rules established around it made too much sense to NOT be true, but something held his tongue. How would Yuuna react? Is this the reason why Yuuna has been trying her hardest to help people? To grow out of her monstrous nature by saving instead of condemning. Sure, she may be working towards growing into a better being, the pressure around her weighs her down heavily, and she has a lot to deal with as her own demon family could wipe everyone in Kyrrin out if she is taken by The First Monarch, or if the First Monarch gathers all the Jotyin family members..
Yuuna slowly walked up to Xyenn, holding his hand softly, and asked, "Xyenn…"
Xyenn didn't want to look up at her. His face basically said: "I don't get it."
Xyenn just answered, "Yuuna."
"What are you thinking about? Can you please tell me?"
"….I have only one question."
"Anything! Anything.."
"Am I…bound to Hell?"
Yuuna slightly stopped, and she let go of Xyenn's hand. "Why are you asking that?"
"You know why. Everything we've been through, everything that's been established to us. Everything I've learned about darkness, Hell, and rituals..and those who deal with them. Those who are connected to it. Please tell me.."
Draeven was about to reach out to Xyenn, but stopped himself.
Xyenn said, "Yuuna tell me…please."
Yuuna replied, "Xyenn, I—I don't know."
"You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Yuuna. All of you are. But there's too many things not being told to me. Please Yuuna..I wanna know everything you know."
"I told you..I don't know, Xyenn. If I knew I would tell you."
Xyenn stepped back, and said, "I know I'm guilty of not telling you things. And you can call me out on that. But I just wanna know where my soul will rest. Everything makes too much sense, all the rules I've learned slap me in the damn face."
"..I…"
Xyenn then sighed. And his fists clenched, as he started walking away, saying, "I need to be alone right now. Don't follow me."
'I don't wanna walk away..I really don't. But maybe I really need this. I'm always around people. And honestly, I love Yuuna, more than anything. I have a literal child with her. And she took my virginity so..I mean…yeah. We're close. But I need to be alone for right now, get my head straight. I need a breather. She probably thinks I'm mad at her, Yuuna. But I'm not. I don't know what to feel. This is why I hide things from people. To avoid things like this, to avoid making them feel a certain way, but it had to be asked. If I'm gonna be taken seriously, as a man and stuff, I have to confront my own thoughts and take a walk. I'll be around though, and still deal with the noble family who had their baby consumed by a demon…'
Illyana wanted to go after him, but she stopped herself.
'Is that what he needs? For me not to push my own beliefs onto him? Maybe this is for the best, even when I hate division.'
Yuuna stood there, she didn't chase after Xyenn. Though her heart ached seeing Xyenn like this.
She really cared about him.
'Why…why do I keep information from him…? To protect him? I hate this.. I could call him back, tell him everything I know. If only mother was here..she would know what to say, what to tell me. Even if he did withhold things from me before, I don't blame him for it. He's new to all of this, it's overwhelming, but he still deals with it all. He's still 19 years old, and I've been here since the damn beginning of Kyrrin. Me keeping information from my darling, a man who deserves to be told everything I know, it hurts. I want to protect him mentally and emotionally. When he cries, I cry. Maybe I'm being overprotective…? Am I really considering his feelings? Holding back Information, that's hurting him. And I don't like him hurt. Where would I even start? I don't want to overwhelm him. I'll give it time.'
Gorran walked past Yuuna, and said, "Stop all this pouting. If this is what he wants, let him have it. I'll watch him from a distance. I'll make sure he doesn't get himself brutally slaughtered."
Mertha said to Gorran, "Please do."
Sethrak thought, 'Being alone..to clear his head it seems. I need that.'
'Kid..' Gridd thought, watching Xyenn walk away.
Zyphira said to herself, "Walking away to deal with everything. He has a lot going on…"