《Eyes of Magus》


 Prologue

    There was a thunderous crash heard that night. It cut through the music of night parties and broke into the sound-proof barriers of every home in Lidantium. Every lens in the room had shattered, and the weapon of glass that had been painstakingly worked on lay in ruin.


    ¡°What was that?¡± a girl cowered, covering her ears.


    A man rushed over to the window. His eyes widened at what he saw. The dark indigo of the sky was missing the golden glow that always hung over Lidantium. All that was left was the fading glint of what could be mistaken for dying stars; the shields were gone. Not long after, there were screams that could be heard from a distance. They were quickly drowned out by something heavy and unseen. The burning lights of the streets were snuffed out as quickly as the screams. Whatever it was, it spread fast, crawling up every single tower, every district. Immediately, the man threw himself back and shifted the stone walls to seal up the windows and front door. A terrible, familiar feeling left him shuddering. No. Not again. Not now¡­


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡±


    His sister¡¯s voice thrust him back into reality. This was no time to freeze up. Immediately, he rushed over to his sister and took her by the hand to the storage room. Shifting the clay tiles and stone floor, he revealed a hiding spot. There was enough space to fit one. Just as intended. The girl shuddered and her breath quickened as terrible memories resurfaced. She thought she had left it all behind in the ruin the siblings once called home.


    Her brother placed his hands on her shoulders, ¡°Listen to me. I need you to be brave now. No matter what, you must ensure that your knowledge is shared with as many people as possible.¡±


    Tears cascaded down the girl''s cheeks. Her brother pulled her into a tight embrace.


    ¡°Live, Euterpe.¡±


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    He closed his eyes, seeing into her Mindscape before she could block him out. The slow-dancing symbols of a spell formed. Then, a sudden sense of calm washed over the girl. Her eyes were beginning to feel heavy.


    ¡°Marcus¡­ Please¡­ Don¡¯t leave me alone¡­¡± the girl trailed off as she fell into a deep slumber.


    His eyes opened, pouring with tears. One hand rubbed the teary fog from his eyes; he couldn¡¯t let anything obscure his sight. Not now.


    He lowered her into the hiding spot. His eyes shimmered with another spell, surrounding her in a translucent shield. Those monsters wouldn¡¯t find her whilst she slept. He prayed to Magus to guide another human to rescue her from this place. With one last look, he sealed the hole with stone and threw down the surrounding shelves.


    Back in the main room, he snatched a vessel of pure Elecule oil and drank it dry. His eyes snapped wide and ablaze with viridian and golden hues. Everything around him sharpened with painful clarity - it took him a second to adjust. He formed a spell; sand, fire, stone and light were brought together to form a blade of glass. Within it were several lenses. His eyes drew another golden symbol, then channeled a beam of Paradisian light through the blade. Shards of remaining glass and debris that had fallen on the bare ground rose as he formed a shield around himself.


    Cracks started to form in the stone covering the front door, growing and widening into jagged, crumbling teeth. As the stone fell apart, the man raised his blade. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes to keep his mind calm. The thing on the other side slammed itself against the stone over and over until many shards of stone flew. The jaws in the wall opened.


    Marcus buckled but found his footing. A great beam of essence-burning light shot into the breach. He charged forward, pushing the creatures back out with all his might. Each thrust of his blade felt as agonisingly futile as stabbing into water. The blade of tempered glass shattered and reformed. He threw everything he could at them. Every element. Every spell. His sight began to darken at the edges. The blade in his hand: crude and cracked. Whisperings of an unnatural magic crawled up his spine and the rush of adrenaline began to slow. They sounded pleasant yet frightening all at the same time. They promised him many things. Impossible things. All the while it savoured his fear. Yet even till the end, he dared not give it his memories of his sister. With all his remaining energy, he burned out his eyes with light, sending what he could save of himself to Paradis. His grip faltered and the light dimmed to nothing. Fear and pleasure swallowed him whole.


    And then all was quiet.

 Chapter I - Lull

    It had been days since the city of euphonies fell silent. Everyone across Ludceta awoke to find that all connections to all of Lidantium¡¯s Praeterium Gates were severed. Concerned friends and family made attempts at contacting those who resided in the city or those who were visiting for festivities. Instead of finding the thoughts of their loved ones, they were met with silence. When the Magisterium investigated, cautiously searching through the mindscapes of Roya, their worst fears had been confirmed. The consciousnesses of all of Lidantium¡¯s people had gone. Only a thick haze of unreadable impulses remained in their place. It was a sure sign that Daimons had attacked the city, but for this threat to have destroyed a heavily guarded city within Ludceta¡¯s borders was unheard of. The Magisterium quickly made their move, first spreading the news and evacuating the surrounding settlements before closing off the region around Lidantium. Scouts were dispatched days ahead.


    Then came the legion. Men and women adorned in wavering cloaks and mail marched through the path to Lidantium. They had arrived through the Praeterium Gates of Lumis to the closest city of Solerianum. From there, they traveled by Muskulos carriages to the edge of the Aracean Forest. They left their vehicles to return to the elements and continued on foot. The paths within the thick forest had been cultivated only for small groups of Druidii to traverse through, so the legion had taken on the formation of a long, thin line. Had this been any other forest, a wider path would have been cleared, but this forest was frequented by the Druidii who remained regardless of Daimon presence - to harm their forests would certainly provoke them. A fight with them would be foolish and completely unnecessary. It was best that Focus was reserved for the Daimons ahead.


    At the tail, there was the last cohort donned in black cloaks. The 13th were as vigilant as the rest of the line. None had sensed a single threat during their journey but since they were within the exclusion zone in what was already dangerous territory, they remained cautious.


    Adonis looked to the side suddenly, as if sensing something. His dark eyes began to illuminate faintly with rotating symbols as he scanned through the many shades of green and blue.


    ¡°What is it, Ado?¡± whispered Rufinus, ¡°Druidii? Daimons?¡±


    Some had begun to search through the trees but Adonis rested his eyes to recover his Focus and shook his head. Everyone around him sighed in relief. Whatever it was, it had gone by now. If it were Druidii, the trees would have already closed in on the legion. If it had been Daimons, the forest would have been scarred and twisted with their presence. He concluded it must have been an animal, though he noted it was odd that it hadn''t fled the area yet. Perhaps it was blind, unthinking. An undesirable host.


    ¡°D-don''t scare us like that, Ado¡­¡± said Valerian.


    ¡°Must be the nerves,¡± Rufinus chuckled. ¡°I suppose we¡¯re all feeling a bit jumpy.¡±


    He had been right. Since stepping foot within the excluded region, everyone felt tense and that terrible feeling only grew with every step towards Lidantium. Valerian sighed before closing his eyes and opening them to Roya. He was in the midst of forming a Soothe Spell to put the men at ease but a tap on his shoulder pulled him back to Tirra.


    ¡°Reserve your focus,¡± said Adonis. ¡°We¡¯ll need it when we reach the city.¡±


    ¡°You can t-talk,¡± Valerian humphed, ¡°Weren''t you wasting your Focus on a¡­ a woodmouse a minute ago?¡±


    ¡°He''s right, you know,¡± Rufinus smirked.


    An annoyed look crossed Adonis¡¯ face. He relented in silence, resting his eyes whilst Valerian put everyone at ease. His mind was cast upon what he had seen. It certainly wasn''t a woodmouse. He knew that it was something small. Something in flight. A newborn tree seedling? Or some other benign something. It was an inconsequential thing, perhaps, but it bothered him that he hadn''t gotten a clear look at it.


    The three had been friends since their Collegium days. When the Daimon attacks began, all Collegium-educated mages were swiftly sent to train in the legions. Because of their circumstances, Adonis, born with mixed Draekslanni and Ludcetan ichor, and Rufinus, a Vattirmanni, were automatically placed in the 13th Cohort along with the other so-called non-Ludcetans. The only exception to this was Valerian. Coming from a respectable Scholarly family, he was meant for the 6th Cohort as a Soother in addition to a soldier, but due to his terrible performance during training, he was put in with the other fodder. In spite of that, he didn''t seem too upset about the ordeal; as long as he was among friends, he felt safer.


    At the head of the legion, Magister Bellaxus Lucianus Pelecanus Laevinus had neared the edge of the forest¡¯s clearing. He leaned forward slightly and swept his nerve-scarred hand across his Monoceros¡¯ neck.


    ¡°Slow, Nethuns.¡±


    The horned steed obeyed with cautious steps and in turn, the troops behind them slowed. As the thick trees cleared from view, the 1st cohort stopped. The fresh and battle-hardened alike all stared with the same wide-eyed horror at the sight before them. Only Laevinus and Nethuns remained unfazed.


    Lidantium had been like many of the other grand metropolises across Ludceta. Its magnificent tower districts stretched high but its most significant feature was its hollow passages and great domes that had been shaped to carry sounds all across the region. Its endless music could be heard even faintly from the region around Lumis (which was rather far). Now there was only a twisted mound, webbed in throbbing veins that pulsed with intense violet light. The same terrible quiet that settled around the region was at its loudest.


    ¡°By Magus¡­¡±


    Laevinus turned to the trembling Tribunus beside him. There was a stern look on his face that remained when he closed his eyes.


    ¡°Steady yourself, Pavonikos,¡± he spoke into his mind. ¡°For the men and women¡¯s sake.¡±


    Tribunus Virgilius nodded and Laevinus led them onward. Waves upon waves of soldiers were met with the sight and all recoiled. If it weren¡¯t for the Soothers, many would have turned and ran. The Cohors Malefica were the last to see the ruined city. The same terrified looks crossed their faces. Even Adonis¡¯ inexpressive exterior faltered. He, and the few other Draekslanni in his contingent, not only felt the same strange terror that the rest did, but a kind of sudden pain. He almost doubled over mid-march until his two friends caught him. Valerian attempted to soothe his mind but it had no effect on the pain he felt.


    ¡°W-what''s wrong, A-Ado?!¡± Valerian blinked.


    ¡°It''s nothing¡­¡±


    He rubbed his eyes but it didn¡¯t help. Neither did any of the healing spells. He felt old frustrations rise up again. It was an ache coming from eyes that he had not opened for a long time. Rufinus tapped him on the back.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give us that¡­ Look. Let me see.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re no healer. Just keep marching.¡±


    The entire cohort began to hear a loud voice in their heads.


    ¡°What are you doing? Stop slacking off and get back into formation!¡±


    Duxus Gallus continued to repeat himself until the stragglers marched back into their positions.


    Rufinus gritted his teeth. His friend had pushed his arm and Valerian¡¯s off from his shoulders.


    ¡°Save your fire for the Daimons,¡± Adonis said, ¡°The cock¡¯s not worth your focus.¡±


    He got to his feet, straightening up and matching the pace of his line.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯ll be fine marching?¡± asked Rufinus.


    ¡°The pain¡¯s gone away,¡± he said. The ache persisted though he had gotten used enough to the discomfort to get to his feet again. By then, it felt like background noise.


    ¡°You¡¯re a b-bad liar as always¡­ A-Ado,¡± said Valerian. ¡°What you need is¡­ uh¡­ to sit down.¡±


    An annoyed look crossed Adonis¡¯ face as his friends fussed over him.


    ¡°I wish Strixius were here.¡±


    ¡°What difference would that make? He would have said the same thing. We can¡¯t lag behind.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ But I¡¯d trust Strixus with my life over this cock. He¡¯d care.¡±


    The 13th shared the same sentiment. Duxus Marcus Strixius was supposed to be leading them. From humble beginnings from a lenscrafter family, he had enrolled in the Bellaxii during the end of Vattirheim wars. He was firm but he had been much kinder to these outcasts, training them from the very beginning and treating them fairly. But when news came that Lidantium had fallen, he had disappeared with it; for he had been visiting his only family there. He had hoped to bring his sister to Lumis the day after his visit. Unfortunately that day never came to pass.


    Each cohort found a spot along the edge of the treeline, forming a curve overlooking the silenced city. The soldiers were relieved to finally rest their legs but being this close to Lidantium meant that they could not put their minds at rest, even with the Soothers doing their best to keep their fellow soldiers calm. The 13th cohort was the last one to find a spot. The Draekslanni among them had happily collapsed to the ground whilst the few expert healers in the cohort did their best to ease the pain. Both Rufinus and Valerian took it upon themselves to help their friend.


    ¡°Is that b-better?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The pain remained, leaving the healers quite baffled. They thought their Draekslanni companions were pretending to be in pain but Rufinus and Valerian knew Adonis well enough to know when he was hiding his pain.


    ¡°This is beyond either of us,¡± said Rufinus, ¡°We need a Magister here.¡±


    ¡°I''ll be fine,¡± Adonis said, sitting up. ¡°I just need to-¡±


    He was cut off by the sound of a rough sounding voice.


    ¡°Did I say you could sit? Get in formation!¡±


    At once all of the Cohors Malefica stood back up and organised themselves into neat rows. Approaching them was a tall man wearing a black cloak over red. His features were engraved with deep lines criss-crossing his face, making him look beyond his years.


    ¡°Do you think you deserve rest¡­¡± he sneered, walking across the line of soldiers. He looked each of them up and down,¡°...when it was you Maleficari that let the Daimons in?¡±


    Everyone¡¯s faces darkened but none looked as furious as Rufinus. His eyes shimmered with fury.


    ¡°D-don¡¯t¡­¡± Valerian whispered.


    He shut his eyes too late, for Rufinus¡¯ mouth had already opened.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t cause this!¡±


    Silence. Adonis, Valerian and the others closest to Rufinus set their wide eyes upon him.


    ¡°WHO SAID THAT?! Step forward this instant!¡±


    For a time, none had stepped forth. The longer this went on, Gallus continued to shout. Rufinus began to step forward before he was stopped by a cold grip around his hand. He turned to see Adonis, slowly turning his head.


    ¡°Too cowardly to own up? If you don¡¯t come out here right now, I¡¯ll discipline all of you!¡±


    Rufinus pulled his hand away. The soldiers parted for him and returned to their positions. Adonis and Valerian could only watch from their line. Gallus turned around the moment he heard Rufinus¡¯ steps. A disgusted look crossed his face.


    ¡°Of course it had to be a Vattirmannii dog.¡±


    Rufinus¡¯ fire opal eyes sparked with rage. Deep creases formed around his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s Rufinus Phoinikos,¡± he answered.


    ¡°Phoinikos, eh? So what? You think you¡¯re one of us just because the Magisterium were so merciful? You¡¯re just an undisciplined pet.¡±


    Rufinus gritted his teeth. Heat radiated from him but he kept the flames in.


    ¡°What? You think you can kill me? You wouldn¡¯t even dare.¡±


    Rufinus stared at him for a long while. He shut his eyes.


    Gallus looked at him smugly.


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Gallus¡¯ shimmering aqua eyes flashed bright gold. A whip of air and light struck at Rufinus¡¯ face, sending his hat flying. Briefly his mind was sent reeling, overwhelmed with muddled thoughts. After he gathered himself, he felt an ache in his mind; his very essence had been burned, leaving a gash in his thoughts and unprotected memories. Tension fell among the soldiers, but the tension was felt at its heaviest around Adonis. His frigid demeanour had sublimated.


    Rufinus eyes flickered weakly with gold, putting his Focus into his translucent shield, but no matter what he tried, he could not visualise the spell. Gallus shot him a warning glare and Rufinus met his eyes directly. Flames threatened to pour out of those fire opal eyes.


    ¡°What? You want to kill me, Warg-Eyes? You wouldn¡¯t even dare.¡±


    Rufinus¡¯ eyes twitched. Heat radiated from him. There was a change in his expression: fear. He turned, shutting his eyes and turning away.


    ¡°Thought so.¡±


    Gallus smirked before turning to his men.


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    ¡°Your previous Duxus was too soft on you. If I had it my way, I would have trained you properly. By Kaeva¡­ There are some of you who would be better off with your eyes sealed.¡±


    Valerian pulled Adonis back. He closed his eyes, using a soothing spell on him. It worked somewhat. Adonis took a deep breath, exchanging a thankful glance. He couldn¡¯t let his emotions get the better of him. His eyes focused on the Duxus, noticing that he seemed to blink from his own whip¡¯s wind.


    Gallus looked back down at the red haired mage. His eyes began to glow gold with the light of Paradis. He extended his hand in front of him, visualising his weapon.


    ¡°Look everyone and remember this well! Any dog that steps out of line¡­¡±


    A long strip of bright light snaked down from his hand. He gripped it tight, drawing his arm back.


    ¡°... gets the whip!¡±


    Gallus threw his arm forward. Rufinus flinched and braced himself but he felt no impact from the essence-burning whip. He looked up to see the Duxus¡¯ arm stop short, whipping up the air above him whilst madly blinking and crying out in surprise. A burst of cold wind had blown directly on his eyes. The rope of intense light began to dim in his hand. After blinking out the dryness from his eyes, he shot around, red with rage and shouting incoherently.


    ¡°For someone who barks about discipline, I thought you¡¯d have just as much to keep your eyes open.¡±


    Gallus whipped around. He saw one soldier step out of line. The blue outline of a spell faded from the soldier¡¯s eyes - black like the deep unknown realm of Kaeva - and remained directly affixed to Gallus¡¯ own; he was challenging him. Gallus¡¯ eyes glowed white with rage.


    ¡°Do you have a death wish, Matiasma? State your name!¡±


    ¡°Adonis Tyto,¡± the black-eyed mage answered plainly.


    Gallus smiled in disbelief. Why would someone from one of the Great Scholarly Houses be in this cohort? He could hardly believe that someone with eyes like those would even belong to one of those families. He looked up to the band of his hat and his smirk fell; the mage before him had the distinct emblem of an owl surrounded by Elecule branches engraved on the band. He really was a Tyto. He grinned again when he remembered a certain bit of gossip from some time ago.


    ¡°A Tyto? Oh¡­ You must be the mongrel born of their heretic son.¡±


    There was a small twitch around Adonis¡¯ eyes but he remained straight-faced. He wouldn¡¯t give this man the satisfaction.


    ¡°And you must be the failure sent to lead the fodder.¡±


    ¡°You have some nerve!¡± the Duxus held back, falling back into a sneer. He¡¯d relish his rage later, ¡°So, half-serpent. Would you rather take this man¡¯s place?¡±


    Adonis looked at the coughing mage at his feet. Rufinus shook his head, pleading with his friend to step back in line. His friend did not relent; he knew that look in his eyes all too well.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it. Please¡­¡±


    Instead, Adonis got on his knees and looked up at Gallus in defiance. His shield dissipated and he closed his eyes.


    ¡°If it will get you to stop barking, gladly.¡±


    ¡°You damned mutt!¡±


    He braced himself for maddening pain to take hold. Instead, he heard a voice stop the crack of the whip.


    ¡°Duxus Galus, what¡¯s the meaning of this?¡±


    A Tribunus adorned in shimmering white cloth and a flowing red cloak over lamellar armour, trotted over with his Monoceros. They dismounted their companion and approached the men. They wore a hat banded with ichorsteel laurel leaves atop their golden hair. At its centre was the engraving of a peafowl; an all-knowing bird with its many eyes open wide to the truths of the world. The rim of his hat was tipped back to reveal his gold-nacreous eyes.


    ¡°Tribunus Virgilius Pavonikos,¡± the Duxus bowed, lowering his eyes, ¡°I was disciplining my men. You know how these Matiasma are.¡±


    The Tribunus looked towards the men. Their attention fell on Rufinus, who was still nursing his poorly healed wound; superficially, the flesh had healed to the best of his ability but the Tribunus could see a small gash in his essence. They crouched over to Rufinus, eyes aglow as they focused on the wound. The pain subsided and his essence had been woven back together. When the Tribunus held their hand to help him up, Rufinus found himself even more bewildered than when his essence had been burned. He took their hand; he had meant to thank him but he couldn¡¯t get the words out.


    ¡°What did you do to warrant such a punishment, soldier?¡±


    ¡°I spoke out of line. It won''t happen again, sir.¡±


    Pavonikos looked at him and the rest of the 13th cohort carefully.


    ¡°The soldiers are meant to be resting. Why are they still standing?¡±


    Gallus stammered, ¡°They were out of line, Tribunus. They¡¯re an unruly bunch and this man is proof of it.¡±


    The Tribunus closed their eyes to Tirra and opened their Royan ones. Rufinus felt that all too familiar feeling of someone probing around in his mindscape. The memory was too recent for him to protect like the rest. Pavonikos very briefly glanced at Gallus before turning to the other soldier.


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°I was defending my friend. He did nothing wrong by speaking the truth.¡±


    The Duxus opened his mouth to say something but Pavonikos raised their hand.


    ¡°What truth did he speak for him to be punished so severely?¡±


    ¡°We did not start this war.¡±


    The Tribunus said nothing. Though they had stepped out of line, both men had answered truthfully, and Pavonikos¡¯ probing had shown them the full picture. The Tribunus finally closed their eyes.


    ¡°Your methods are too excessive, Duxus Tullus Gallus Caparius.¡±


    The general¡¯s expression remained stern and he replied aloud, ¡°Tribunus, it¡¯s discipline. If my predecessor had been firmer, these Maleficari¡­¡±


    Pavonikos¡¯ eyes opened and they exchanged a stern look.


    ¡°I understand you place great importance on discipline, Duxii. However, we need these men and women in good condition. You mustn''t let your prejudices cloud your judgement.¡±


    The Duxii made an agitated noise but held back. He disliked being told how to lead, but even so, he would not dare go against rank, let alone the son of a High Magister. Trying his best to not sound so flustered, he went on, ¡°Of course, sir, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Leave these men to rest, Duxus Gallus. You¡¯d do well to heed Magister Bellaxus Laevinus¡¯ order. Look after your soldiers.¡±


    Pavonikos scanned through the ranks, noticing something in Adonis and his other fellow Draekslanni. They called them over, each assessing all of them.


    ¡°You¡¯re in pain. What¡¯s causing it?¡±


    Some of the soldiers'' faces fell at their question. They could tell what they were thinking without even needing to peek into their minds. ¡°You¡¯re the expert healer. Shouldn¡¯t you be giving us the answer to that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our Matiasma,¡± answered Adonis.


    ¡°Don¡¯t call it that,¡± Pavonikos said, still focusing on tracing the source of the pain. ¡°When did you start feeling this pain in your Sealed eyes?¡±


    Each answered truthfully. It had begun the moment they crossed the threshold and set their eyes upon Lidantium. The corners of Gallus¡¯ mouth twitched into a nervous smirk; this was all the validation he needed to confirm his worst fears; there was a connection between the Drake-worshippers and the Daimons. And yet, the Tribunus didn¡¯t appear frightened, but curious. The gold-pearl of their eyes shimmered with several symbols, each covering the men and women with warm light. The pain in their Sealed Eye numbed until it was a barely noticeable tingle.


    ¡°This feeling in your Sealed Eyes may prove useful. It may even be a lifesaver for all of us coming forward.¡±


    The Tribunus climbed back atop his monoceros in one swift movement. ¡°Magister Bellaxus Lucianus Pelecanus Laevinus wishes to meet all Bellaxii and Duxii in Roya. I suggest you prepare your tent, Duxus Tullus Gallus Caparius.¡±


    The Tribunus rode toward the next cohort. No doubt, he had been sent to assess the legion by the Magister Bellaxus himself. The Cohors Malefica were thankful that a Tribunus that merciful had been sent.


    All had finally begun to rest, recovering their stamina and Focus. The red velvet-grass below them, a welcome cushion that formed the border between the forest¡¯s influence and the corruption not too far away. Some still had the appetite to summon their own food and drink. The others found other ways to distract themselves.


    Rufinus stared out to Lidantium.


    ¡°All of those people,¡± Rufinus trailed off, heart heavy.


    ¡°D-don''t look at it too long,¡± said Valerian.


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± said Adonis, who was trying to rest his eyes. He was faced away from the city.


    Rufinus nodded then sighed.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t believe that a place like Lidantium was attacked. Right at the heart of Ludcetan territory no less¡­¡°


    Lidantium was as well-guarded as the cities of Ludceta but as they were always protected by the border city of Soleranium and the forests, they hadn¡¯t expected any kind of invasion. Such invasions by Tirrans or Daimons would have hit the border cities first. If it had gone that way, it would have helped Lidantium to prepare. Unfortunately, it seemed they had been caught completely by surprise.


    ¡°I-It¡¯s hard to feel safe anywhere these days, Rufus. I heard the last wars were¡­ uh¡­ bad enough. B-but this¡­¡± Valerian cut himself off, sighing. ¡°I shan¡¯t g-go on. I¡¯m s-supposed to be helping keep everyone c-calm, n-not adding to the anxiety.¡±


    The other two silently agreed with their companion. With the knowledge they possessed, humans were already capable of doing so much damage. An army could crush a poorly defended settlement in hours. They had seen it first hand. However, none were capable of the unrestrained destruction wrought by the Daimons. A single Daimon could render entire lands corrupted in the blink of an eye.


    Why was the city destroyed this way? And why hadn¡¯t the Daimons continued spreading outward whilst they had the advantage? Most importantly, how did they get in?


    There was only one way they''d know they''d find out. They would have to enter the city to answer at least one of those questions. Unease was setting in again.


    Adonis¡¯ eyes glowed. Rufinus¡¯ hat was reconstructed right on top of his head. It was a perfect replica of his original hat, down to the emblem of the eternal firebird. Rufinus smiled thankfully at his friend. Adonis returned with a small nod.


    Rufinus wrapped his arms around his friends, ¡°We''ll make it through this. I promise you, we''ll be back in Lumis drinking Ichor Falernum in the Garden District.¡±


    ¡°M-Magus¡­ I wish I knew how to m-make some.¡±


    Adonis¡¯ eyes were aglow. Before them, three glass cups materialised from the unsullied soil. Each cup was filled with light fluid. It didn''t have the deep golden hue that Ichor Falernum had but it was much appreciated.


    ¡°You''re getting better at Culinamancy, Ado. Slightly earthy but at least it doesn¡¯t taste like dirt,¡± Rufinus chuckled.


    ¡°I-I think the earthiness makes it¡­ unique.¡±


    Adonis rolled his eyes but smiled slightly at that. He didn''t want to admit it but he had spent a little more Focus on making the drink this time. If this was going to be their last drink, it might as well be his best.


    ¡°You both should spend some time learning the culinary arts when we get back home. Unless you want to keep putting up with my dirt loaves on our next dispatch.¡±


    The other two agreed with that sentiment. They continued with more lighthearted chatter; they appreciated anything that would alleviate the nervousness they were feeling now that they were this close to experiencing their first battle. Eventually, the group and the rest of the troops acknowledged what lay not too far from them; the clear violet skies and fair weather that was almost constant in this part of Tirra took on a reddish hue around that quiet city. It was troubling, especially amongst the many soldiers that had been to Lidantium. Some still had family there. Some still called it home. The shadows of its mighty towers had stretched out enough to loom over the resting men and women.


    ¡°Do you think anyone survived?¡±


    Rufinus¡¯ question remained unsaid. It wasn¡¯t something that anyone wanted to dwell on. Survivors of Daimon attacks were a rarity but there was a sliver of a chance that they were still there. It was just that those who did survive were rarely left unscathed.


    Magister Bellaxus Laevinus was in his tent. He rubbed at the ends of the root-like scars on his hand. The meeting with the Duxii and other Bellaxii had ended on a grim note. Just when they thought they could predict what the Daimons would do next, they would completely throw them through a loop. Daimons were smart but usually savage in their approach, rendering everything they tore through into golden viscera and dust. Destruction seemed to be all that they knew... Until now. Those strange vessels that pulsed with light were entirely new. In truth he and the others knew that the entire legion was sent to study as well as eliminate the threat. He knew from experience, what the High Magisters were expecting from him and his men would be near impossible to do both in a new situation such as this.


    Daimons had always appeared where fear and strife were strongest, requiring large groups of thinking creatures in order to cross over from Kaeva. They traveled in and out of Roya and Tirra, but they always appeared in the mindscapes of Roya, just waiting for someone to let them in. Fauna were common victims of these creatures for that very reason. A Daimon invasion of this scale was always led by a Caputidaimon or a Princidaimon. The only difference between the two was their predictability. Caputidaimons often attacked in great hordes with the intelligence of a competent Duxus. Princidaimons were less predictable, coming in alone or in legions of their own but wreaking a lot of damage. The scariest of reports and testimonies was their ability to possess humans. Only one human had ever been possessed by such a Daimon, and that human was believed to have let the Daimons cross over into Magus. Yet, none had known how that rogue scholar had managed to get himself possessed. It was entirely within the realm of possibility that a Daimon of that status could infiltrate a Ludcetan city known for its good spirits.


    The legion was to enter through the main gate. The 12th cohort would be left behind on the outskirts to construct containment shield markers around the city and wait. Should the Daimons try to spread out of the city, they would raise the shields.


    Laevinus rubbed his temples.


    ¡°Salve, Magister Bellaxus.¡±


    Pavonikos was at the door of his tent, bowing with his eyes cast down. They were younger than Bellaxus was when he first saw battle. Like many of the men and women drafted into the legions, the Tribunus was too young for war.


    ¡°Tribunus Virgilius Pavonikos. At ease.¡±


    Pavonikos saw the worry hidden in Laevinus¡¯ stern expression.


    ¡°I''ve finished my assessment of the troops. All are well and fully supplied with Focus potions. Well, besides a few from the 13th Cohort.¡±


    The Bellaxus lifted his head. Not another problem. He couldn''t afford that.


    Pavonikos continued, ¡°Soldiers of Draekslanni origin report feeling the sensation of pain since setting eyes upon the city.¡±


    ¡°Did you heal them? We can''t have our soldiers distracted by pain. Especially in that area.¡±


    ¡°I soothed their pain, sir, but not fully. They should only feel slight discomfort, but not too much that it will affect their ability to fight.¡±


    Laevinus¡¯ eyes looked up at the Tribunus with interest, ¡°I take it you have a reason for doing so?¡±


    Pavonikos nodded, ¡°The soldiers told me they felt it in their Sealed Eyes. I learned from the Paradisian library that the Draekslanni had always a strong relationship to Kaeva through Eudai-¡±


    ¡°They''re Daimons, Tribunus. Make no mistake, there is no such thing as a good Daimon,¡± Laevinus sighed, ¡°But I see what you mean. You think that this¡­ quirk of theirs could help us detect Daimons?¡±


    Pavonikos was taken aback by his words but he nodded, ¡°The records show that the Daimons are expert ambushers. If the Draekslanni are more receptive to them, then we can seek them out before they can attack us first¡­¡±


    Laevinus began to stare out distantly as Pavonikos went on.


    ¡°Magister?¡±


    Snapping out of it, Laevinus rubbed his eyes.


    ¡°The 13th shall march alongside the 1st at the head. Show me what you''ve gathered.¡±


    They both closed their eyes. Pavonikos showed him everything he had seen from the troops. Once they opened them, Laevinus took a drink.


    ¡°I will inform the High Magisters of your findings about the Draekslanni. With this, maybe they''ll finally consider deploying more of them instead of keeping them locked away.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else you need of me, Magister?¡±


    ¡°No. Go and rest with the others, Pavonikos. Await my orders.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    With another bow, the Tribunus walked out, cloak trailing gracefully behind like the rising of the Morningstar. So much like their mother, Laevinus mused. Once again, the Magister Bellaxus was left to his thoughts. He remembered his last conversation with the Elder Pavonikos. Again, it was another impossible promise from a High Magister, but he had a duty as a friend and godfather to ensure the Tribunus¡¯ survival.


    ¡°Flavius¡­ I''ll keep your promise. No matter what.¡±

 Chapter II - Into Lidantium

    A faint, golden fog hung around the air. The legionaries were overpowered by the metallic taste and smell of ichor the moment they entered Lidantium. Their boots fell upon the ground with a sickening squelch; the entire city had been covered in a messy network of root-like flesh. They pulsed with life, small lights of intense violet hues ran through them, carried by similar chain reactions the soldiers had seen in their Collegium studies. Nerves. Mostly of human origin. Several soldiers were ordered to collect samples to bring back to the Magisterium. The Magister Bellaxus closely examined one of them in his scarred hand. Daimon attacks were always messy but living nerves made of their victims? What was the purpose of this? Dying without ever knowing was the worst thing for any Tirran, let alone a human.


    The Soothers at the centre of each cohort were working their hardest. Strong, sustained spells to calm the mind were necessary to hold the legion together, but this left the Soothers vulnerable. With their eyes closed, constantly looking into Roya to cast their calming spells, they were heavily guarded by several layers of soldiers. Along the edges of the legion were soldiers surveying their surroundings: one¡¯s eyes were open to Tirra and the one after them open to Roya and so on. After 60 chronocycles, these soldiers switched positions with those further in to rest their eyes and reserve their Focus.


    The exception to this was the 13th. The 1st and 13th cohort had merged, with the Draekslanni covering the edges of the head. They were allowed no reprieve. They were the essential eyes of the legion, as the Tribunus had put it, but Laevinus had yet to test their effectiveness.


    As they passed through the streets, Adonis felt a strong sensation behind his eyes the moment he set them upon an alleyway. His eyes flashed with a series of bright blue symbols and a rod of ice formed in his hand. The rod flew straight into the alleyway and split into eight spears.


    A strangled equine cry rang throughout the streets.


    The march stopped and all turned their attention to the alley. The Draekslanni were the first to act, hurling spells Fragments of twisted stone and wood were thrown at the soldiers only to be smashed into many small fragments by the legion¡¯s magical shields. Creatures charged toward them out of the alley, their own shields pierced with ice spears. A wall of golden shielding held the monsters in place before they could reach the head of the legion. They were hoofed things; once-Monoceri that had been twisted and nerve-scarred by the Daimons possessing them. Magic began to glow from their warped horns. Quickly, the soldiers summoned their blades of Brightsilver and severed the horns. Their shields fell apart and the soldiers wasted no time striking them through the head. At last, the creatures fell dead.


    The Monoceri collectively threw their heads up, the whites of their eyes showing. They refused to move after the whole ordeal. It took some time before their riders could calm them. In that time the soldiers examined the Daimons. The dead steeds had been possessed by Minoridaimons, fresh ones that hadn''t yet grown used to their vessels to access knowledge of resisting the combined restraint spell. Laevinus then ordered the Last Rites to be performed on the slain Monoceri. Tribunus Pavonikos and a few of the Duxii placed their hands over the eyes of the dead. With a flash of light, the eyes of the dead were burned out and the essences within were released to Paradis.


    ¡°...May they become one with Magus forever in the Eternal Library¡­¡±


    The Monoceri eventually calmed and lowered their heads reverently. They took a moment before Laevinus closed his eyes again.


    ¡°Keep moving,¡± Laevinus said.


    So they moved onwards. Besides the Daimon Nerves, there was nothing worthy of study around here. The legion encountered more of the same creatures in small numbers. Monoceri, dogs, cats and vermin came at them. The Magister Bellaxus seemed pleased by the quick reaction of the Draekslanni. It seemed a waste that more of them hadn¡¯t been deployed. Were it not for the Magisterium¡¯s fears that they were more susceptible to Daimonic possession because of their Matiasma - their ability to see into the realm of chaos that was Kaeva - perhaps many more lives would have been saved.


    On the next change, Rufinus and Valerian had finally rejoined Adonis on the edge.


    ¡°Miss us, Ado?¡±


    Adonis acknowledged Rufinus with a small nod. The rim of his hat was angled to keep his face shaded past the bridge of his nose to conceal the tiredness in his eyes but nothing got past Valerian; he was particularly receptive to how others felt which is why he was made a Soother. Valerian glanced at his friend¡¯s supply belt - he was down to one vial of Focus potion.


    ¡°Y-you¡¯re exhausted,¡± Valerian said, passing along his own vial, ¡°Here.¡±


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    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    He took a swig of the teal fluid. Bittersweetness touched his tongue and rejuvenated him. He exhaled and in a few blinks his eyes felt awake.


    ¡°It''s unfair what they''re doing to you and the rest of the Draekslanni,¡± Rufinus said, passing along one of his own vials.


    ¡°It¡¯s necessary,¡± Adonis replied.


    ¡°They should at least let you rest.¡±


    ¡°The entire legion can¡¯t stop for the few of us. I''ll live,¡± Adonis said. ¡°It¡¯s the others you should be worried about.¡±


    He led their eyes to several points on the edge. The other Draekslanni soldiers were starting to tire. A few weren''t as lucky as Adonis - they didn''t have considerate friends like him or the others so they went mostly unnoticed among the ranks. Rufinus and Valerian had passed the message around the ranks to notify the others to pass along any spare Focus potions to them.


    They swept through the district. There were more or less the same kind of Minoridaimons that inhabited the Monoceri from earlier and little else worthy of study. Things seemed too easy. Despite the Magister Bellxus¡¯ resolute demeanour and the calming spells of the 1st Cohort¡¯s Soothers, Pavonikos could sense that this place was getting to him. He opened his mouth to address it but something in one of those fleshy towers caught Tribunus Pavonikos¡¯ eye.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Laevinus.


    Through a wide wound in the tower, he saw a part of a shimmering shield meant for human eyes only.


    ¡°There¡¯s a Haven Shield in there. Should we investigate it?¡±


    Laevinus closed his eyes, seeing what Pavonikos was seeing. He opened his eyes, looking in that spot again, face unreadable.


    ¡°Magister, what if it¡¯s a survivor? We have to help them.¡±


    ¡°Be careful, Tribunus,¡± Laevinus said sternly, ¡°Do not make the mistake of rushing in blindly.¡±


    Laevinus closed his eyes once more, his voice could be heard by Adonis and his fellow Draekslanni.


    ¡°Cast your eyes to this tower.¡±


    With his command, they were shown what he was seeing. They turned their heads to the tower. Adonis winced and so too did the others. There were some Daimonic presences moving around the structure - Minoridaimons. It seemed like nothing that a small group of soldiers couldn¡¯t handle on their own, but you could never be too sure with Daimons. The soldiers relayed what they had seen back to the Magister. He took a moment to consider. He could spare no more than a few men to search the building, but who would he send?


    ¡°Duxus Tullus Gallus Caparius,¡± Gallus heard in his head, ¡°You are to lead some of your soldiers into that building. Take no more than three Draekslanni and fifteen others. Eliminate the Daimons and search for survivors. Should you find any, get them out of the city.¡±


    Duxus Gallus faced Laevinus and bowed, ¡°It shall be done, Magister Bellaxus.¡±


    Laevinus could sense the slightest bit of agitation in the Duxus¡¯ mind, though he meant what he said.


    Laevinus made his decision heard to the rest of the legion, ¡°Tribunus Pavonikos shall lead the rest of the 13th in their Duxus¡¯ absence. We will assemble together again at the Scholar¡¯s District.¡±


    The Scholar¡¯s district was the iris of most Ludcetan cities. From where the legion was situated, Laevinus had the option to lead his soldiers through the tunnel bridges or through the Crafts district to get to there. Since the tunnel bridges had darkened - Everburn torches extinguished and skylights covered in nerves - their safest and most Focus-efficient route would be through the Crafts district.


    Adonis and Rufinus were among the three and fifteen that were picked out to join the search and rescue squad. Valerian looked on apprehensively as his friends parted from the rest of the cohort. He wanted to speak out, but when he turned to the Magister Bellaxus and the Duxus, his words cowered to some part of his mind. Rufinus gave him a reassuring smile whilst Adonis simply nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be back, Val. Don¡¯t worry about us.¡±


    But he couldn¡¯t help but worry. The last thing he wanted was to be separated from his friends but there was little else he could say or do. He could only hope that Magus guided them safely.


    Of the two other Draekslanni picked out, there was one woman who appeared deeply troubled by Gallus¡¯ decision. Adonis saw her glare at the Duxus. Gallus must have felt her gaze, for he whipped his head towards her. For a moment they held their gaze. It seemed that Gallus was silently goading her into saying what she was thinking. Wisely, she said nothing and with a deep breath she joined the rest of the party. Adonis may have not personally known everyone in the 13th Cohort - his aloof disposition made him poor at making new friends - but he was sure he had never seen the rose-haired, lapis-eyed woman before. Yet, he remained silent. She didn¡¯t seem like an enemy but he made a mental note to keep an eye on her.


    As Gallus led his search and rescue party into the ruined tower of flesh, the legion continued their march towards the Crafts district.

 Chapter III - Through a Lens, Darkly

    The interior of the tower retained some semblance of its former self with some furniture and the previous inhabitants¡¯ belongings untouched by Daimonic corruption. All else was covered in that same mesh of violet nerves; everything they touched appeared to form a jagged mess of carbon, silica and metals. The Teleostium that would have easily transported them to the upper apartments had been destroyed, so the soldiers used some of their Focus to push the walls and ceilings into a staircase, large enough to fit their triangular formation. Slowly, Gallus led their ascent from the back. The two friends were separated, with Adonis at the head and Rufinus marching uncomfortably in front of Gallus.


    ¡°You¡¯d better not get us killed, half-serpent.¡±


    Adonis ignored the Duxus¡¯ words. The moment they ascended up into the next room he scanned through the vicinity. An ache formed in his sealed eye the moment he glanced to one corner.


    A spear of ice shot, piercing a rodent-like mass with a squelch and a screech. The other two Draekslanni followed suit, sending out several bolts of sparking electricity and darts of glowing thorns which each marked many other hidden rodents around the room. The rodents then formed a horde of small earthen puppets in the image of lesser Daimons. They rose up from the floors and walls, each looking like swarming, many tailed worms in the vague shape of their possessed makers. They rushed at the soldiers, gnawing at the bottom of the magic shield surrounding them. The soldiers in front dared not break their concentration; once one rodent got in, the entire swarm would surely follow and tear them to shreds. Those behind began infusing the shield with all manner of elemental magic. Cold froze the air within the puppets and the fluids that circulated through the poor rats. Then sudden heat formed cracks in all of them. The puppets were the first to crumble into rubble. The rest were quickly burned away, leaving behind their red bead-like eyes. Before they moved to the next room, Gallus made sure to destroy their eyes with light, sending them up to Paradis.


    ¡°What are you all standing around for? They¡¯re just rats! Keep moving!¡±


    And so, they continued their ascent. Were it not for their collective urgency to find any signs of life in this tower, the soldiers would have dared protest against the Duxus for a moment of reprieve. At least the non-Draekslanni could rest their eyes. The other three on each corner had to rely purely on Focus potions and the brief rests during each blink of their eyes. By the fifth floor, things were quieter. None of the Draekslanni had picked up on the presence of Daimons, but they didn''t dare let their guard down.


    Adonis felt discomfort briefly pass his eyes. It wasn¡¯t the usual ache he had with the Minoridaimons. He could feel pain through the Tribunus¡¯ Numbing spell. The squad stopped their advance as he glanced around the room quickly. The other two followed suit.


    ¡°Where did it go?¡± said Cenau, the other Draekslanni.


    ¡°Well you¡¯d better find it quick,¡± said Gallus.


    After a long pause, the Draekslanni woman answered by hurling several darts of glowing thorns towards one corner of the room. A shrill clink resounded. The thorn¡¯s glow revealed the remnants of a smashed glass.


    ¡°It was right there. I felt it.¡±


    As Adonis peered over, he noticed something reflected on the glass and he immediately glanced upwards.


    ¡°Look there.¡±


    There were a few holes and gaps between the nerve mesh in the ceiling above, but the one they gazed at was larger than the others.


    They entered a large room on the sixth floor. Some streams of dim light poured in from the broken windows. Broken glass and spilled drink lay on the nerve mesh, which was much denser on this floor compared to the others. Poking out between the nerves were the remains of gold-stained, navy robes marked with the dulled symbols of an Altus Collegium, but the eyes of each cloak pin were fully open; a graduation party had taken place here. The youths would have just completed the better portion of their school life, perhaps looking forward to (or dreading) the next 24 Blinks of institutionalised education.


    Something moved past Adonis again. He readied his eyes. At that, everyone assumed a defensive position at the centre of the room looking around themselves. A few almost lost their footing to the holed ground in their haste.


    ¡°Idiots! Watch your step!¡±


    The discomfort grew stronger amongst all of the Draekslanni, but they couldn''t properly locate the Daimon. The Draekslanni woman saw something in one of the hallways. A figure. The discomfort in her sealed eyes was strong. She shot a spray of her thorn. Her darts met not flesh, but mirror glass, shattering it to pieces.


    Everyone scrambled to search for the reflection¡¯s source but as they did, more mirror glass began to cover the walls, the floors, the ceiling¡­ everything. The mirror glass¡¯ advance stopped at the shield surrounding the soldiers. Many more saw the figure dashing across multiple places. More glass was broken. Distracted, many hardly noticed the shards rising from the ground.


    Glass shards flew straight at the men and women. Their shields blocked the majority of the shards, however one shard managed to lodge itself to the cracked shield. There was then a flash of light that bounced across mirror shards before channelling through the aligned glass. Cenau cried out, clutching one of his eyes. The others pushed him back to fill in the hole in the shield he had left. He fell backwards into the centre and one of the healers caught him. His essence had been deeply scorched to the point where he was incoherent. One eye was completely shut, the other darted around wildly to form a nonsense spell.


    Whilst the healers mended their brother in arms, the others quickly destroyed the shard and filled in the gap that was left behind. Multiple rays of light bounced across the floating glass shards seemingly out of nowhere. The soldiers shot back, destroying or obscuring the shards and disrupting the lights.


    Another scream, this time from a soldier close to another Draekslanni. The light just barely grazed him enough to interrupt his spell. If he weren''t in the way, the Draekslanni woman¡¯s eyes would have been directly burned like the other. Gallus could see what the Daimon was doing.


    ¡°Draekslanni! Are you blind?! Get behind the line!¡±


    Adonis and the woman slipped behind the line. With one corner lacking a Draekslanni, they needed to change their formation.


    ¡°Orbis!¡±


    By Gallus¡¯ order, the triangle smoothly formed into a circle at the centre of the room. Soldiers focused their efforts on destroying and obscuring the glass shards before them to disrupt more rays of light. Yet, none could find the Daimon amidst the endless barrage.


    There was too much light. It was hard enough tracking the Essence-Burning beams from the ambient light. Adonis turned his attention to the broken windows. His eyes began to glow with another spell and the stone walls started to cover up the gaps. More mirror glass infected the new walls but the room darkened on one side.


    ¡°What are you doing, fool?!¡± Gallus barked. ¡°You¡¯ll kill us all!¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Rufinus interjected. ¡°Duxus, look at the lights!¡±


    Gallus quietened up the moment he looked. Surrounded in darkness, the beams were far easier to follow. He hated that he was taking the suggestion of a low-ranking Maleficari but he was willing to take anything if it meant surviving this encounter. By his order, more walls were patched up much faster. Though it had become difficult to see where the glass shards were, the rays of light could be clearly seen bouncing around the room. As the others concentrated on destroying any nearby shards briefly illuminated by the lights and their own spells, the two remaining Draekslanni focused on following the lights. With the mirrors, it was hard to know where they were coming from from Tirran sight alone. Adonis focused hard, tracking the rays to their point of origin. With the slightest movement of his eyes, he felt a strong sensation. Amidst the flashing lights, he could see the same violet pulse that ran through the nerves of all Daimons.


    ¡°Duxus! To your right!¡±


    Gallus immediately saw what Adonis had seen. He turned his head to see a small flash of ice pinpoint its target. From it, he followed its rays of light hitting several points around the room. An idea formed in the Duxus¡¯ head. His eyes glowed and a whip of light snaked down from his hand. He struck it at one of those points - a glass shard - and it extended all the way. Bouncing. Splitting. Then striking its target. The whip wrapped around its form in a tight grip.


    The soldiers followed suit and began concentrating their spells at that point. The sound of glass shattering rang through the air. The whip broke. The beams ceased.


    ¡°Is it dead?¡±


    The soldiers circled around with the same thought. Adonis and the Draekslanni woman looked deep into the darkness. Left¡­ Right¡­ Up¡­ Down¡­ Corner to c-


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    A bright flash of Starlight flooded the room. Everyone cried out as the light blinded them. Most thought that they¡¯d been essence-burned. Gallus thought so too, until his vision recovered. He saw shards lodging themselves into the cracked shield. Some pierced through and struck several soldiers. He needed to act now before they¡¯d all truly become blind and very much dead. He visualised his whip in his hand once more and threw it back with a crack. With one hard swing, the whip struck the light and wrapped around it. The bright ball quickly dimmed and shrank as the whip drained it of its light. The light dimmed enough for the soldiers to recover.


    Gallus saw a beam of bright white light bounce and go through those shards. As if the passing of change itself had slowed, Gallus saw the beam shoot towards a single glass shard that fell in front of his eye.


    Red flames blew just inches from his face. Gallus doubled back, face feeling warm but unburnt. His vision remained unaffected and his mind untouched. The flames continued to engulf the shards and disrupt the light¡¯s path. Gallus traced the source of the flames; air and pieces of furniture were drawn to a Focus Circle just in front of one hand of the Warg-eyed soldier.


    Rufinus¡¯ irises blazed brightly yet its fires remained confined within the boundary of his irises, like the Morningstar in the confines of space. The shards in the room melted into bright orange molten glass that dripped around the nerve-covered ground. A rancid smoke filled the air till none could see with their Tirran eyes. The outer edge of the squad rotated with Adonis and the Draekslanni woman on opposite sides of the circle.


    ¡°There!¡± came the Draekslanni woman¡¯s voice. Vines sprang from the floor and they moved with her deep blue eyes. They whipped at the Daimon, dragging it forward. The others followed, shooting their own projectile spells at the creature. More barbed vines sprang up wrapping around its entire head with a loud, glassy crack. Broken glass poked out of its mangled body. Out of all the Daimons the soldiers had encountered so far, this one looked¡­ human.


    The Daimon raised its hand, snapping the vine holding it down. The Draekslanni tried to reform the vine but the Daimon was faster. Two eyes appeared on its hand flames engulfed the vines.


    Adonis nodded at Gallus. He focused on forming several pillars of ice around the room, all curved at the top, much like a series of lenses, all leading towards the Daimon.


    Gallus struck his whip at the mirror and let it slip from his hand. It bounced across the mirrors and shot through the lenses, amplifying in its brightness.


    The light struck the Daimon¡¯s face and flooded its eyes. It threw its head back with a hollow screech. It crumbled. It couldn¡¯t stand up. It didn¡¯t know how anymore. Nothing but a mess of limbs and nerves. The Draekslanni woman quickly moved forward and reached out a hand in front of her eyes. With a flash of deepest blue, she formed a strange, scaled spear. She sprang forward and drove it deep between its eyes. The creature finally stilled. The violet lights no longer pulsed.


    Once she was sure it was dead, she let go of the spear as it began to degrade into a fine dust. Like her, everyone stopped to catch their breath and rest their eyes. Everyone except Gallus. The Duxus pushed past her.


    ¡°Get back in line,¡± he said. His voice was much quieter than usual but the soldier still didn''t take kindly to his tone.


    Rubbing the ichor from her face, she cut her eye at him and rejoined the others. As he did with the other possessed victims, Gallus started performing the Last Rites. He stared deeply into the viridian orbs. They dripped with gold as if the essence inside were still weeping. These were the eyes of a human. The content of the flesh was proof of that. Like the other soldiers, Gallus was deeply troubled by the revelation. They felt themselves lucky that they had survived the encounter but the fact that a human had become possessed once more scared them deeply. The last time a human was possessed, a whole legion had been wiped out. Studying the body and based on its movements, it seemed that the host had slowed the process of possession.


    ¡®Damned Maleficari¡­ if only they weren''t born with those accursed eyes!¡¯ Gallus shook.


    Gallus shut his eyes and searched through the deceased host¡¯s memories. Anything he could find on the possessed human would be useful to the Magister Bellaxus. But then he stopped. His breath hitched in his throat.


    ¡°Strixus¡­¡±


    The words slipped from his lips. It was all everyone needed to put everything together. Duxus Marcus Strixus had been met with a terrible fate, one that should have been impossible for someone born a Ludcetan. Ludcetans did not possess the Matiasma - the eyes that saw into Kaeva¡­ But here was Strixus, dead in a terrible state. It was a huge blow to the party. Strixus may not have led them to battle but he did train each and every one of the 13th. Gallus may have thought that he was too soft on them but they had thought side by side once.


    The squad fell silent and hung their heads in silence. Gallus said a few words, hands trembling as he held his predecessors¡¯ eyes in his palm. Gallus¡¯ eyes finally glowed with the Final Rites, engulfing Marcus¡¯ malachite and gold eyes in bright light. They broke down into fine Essence Grains, passing from Tirra to Paradis. Now, no Daimon could use his knowledge against the people he swore to protect.


    After another brief pause, Gallus ordered the squad to proceed to the next floor. He reminded himself of why they had come here yet dark thoughts crept into his mind. If Strixus could be possessed, then anyone could. But why did Strixus become possessed when all others had become nerves? He also wondered if it was by some strange chance that they had actually survived the encounter at all. Or was it by design? Thankfully, the Soothers had put those thoughts to rest. He needed to focus on the job at hand.


    They arrived on the next floor, one that Gallus had seen often in Marcus¡¯ memories. There were huge holes that cut across the walls of each room, as if a huge beast had smashed through the defences and flooded the building. There was one place untouched by mirror glass. Marcus was protecting something there, but the memories had been fuzzy; it seemed that Marcus managed to keep the Daimon out of that part of his memories by burning them away. At last, they found the partly-concealed Haven Shield on the edge of the other hole.


    The lines on Gallus¡¯ face softened.


    ¡°It¡¯s a child. She still lives.¡±


    He carried her - still masked by the Haven Shield - passing her over to the healers. She was examined for any wounds. Besides the sleeping spell in her Mindscape, she hadn¡¯t been harmed and there was no Daimonic presence in her. All seemed just as relieved as Gallus when they heard those words. Whoever formed the shield spell on this girl had come prepared and had time to keep her protected. There were bound to be other survivors in the city. Gallus searched her memories as she dreamt. Shock crossed his face again when he discovered that she was Duxus Marcus Strixus¡¯ sister. From what memories they could access, they discovered not much else about how the invasion started, just that it happened suddenly. Strixus had quickly hid her away before Daimons could reach her. But they did discover that she was entrusted with knowledge of great importance. What that knowledge was exactly couldn¡¯t be determined; that had been securely locked safely away under layers of protective spells and dreams. They would have to wake her if they wanted to find out, but they first needed to bring her safely.


    They continued upwards, clearing out the building of Daimons - thankfully they only encountered more rodents. They found a few more survivors but not all were as lucky as Euterpe Strixus; some had died within poorly formed shields.


    Once each floor had been fully swept of all Minoridaimons, they went back to the bottom of the tower. When Gallus gave them the order to rest, they were almost astonished. They took what rest they could get. Their Duxus wouldn''t give them much time before their next move.


    Gallus closed his eyes. His mind raced with so much information, he needed to contact Laevinus right away.


    ¡°Magister Bellaxus Laevinus, we¡¯ve cleared the tower and recovered survivors. But there is something I must tell you. Are you free to speak?¡±


    No answer. He was sure he was using the correct connection.


    ¡°Magister?¡±


    He focused on the thread again, following the line all the way. Nothing seemed to be wrong with the connection. It wasn''t broken, but it no longer led to the Magister¡¯s mind. Laevinus must have disconnected it in a hurry, or...


    Gallus felt cold dread creep up his spine. He wanted to follow that thread and investigate but Gallus was no high scholar of Roya. To search for Laevinus¡¯ mind without proper knowledge was extremely dangerous in a place filled with Daimons. And with what he knew now, Gallus didn¡¯t want to risk becoming possessed like Marcus was. He felt paralysed. His own Mindscape began to close in on him, resembling the rock faces of that Drakes-cursed mountain pass.


    ¡°Duxus?¡±


    He felt himself being jolted back into reality. The first thing he saw was the Vattirmanni¡¯s face. Why is he so concerned? Don''t look at me like that, Maleficari dog¡­


    Gallus had been in Roya for an unusually long time. Rufinus had been first to notice him shuddering, muttering the Magister Bellaxus¡¯ name. What else was he to do but pull him back to Tirra? The Soothers soon came over and fully roused him back to consciousness. Rufinus had expected the Duxus to bite his ear off. Instead, Gallus remained unusually pensive.


    ¡°Are you done sitting around?¡± Gallus finally said, ¡°Get up. We need to get these survivors out of here now.¡±


    ¡°Duxus,¡± Rufinus said, ¡°Did something happen to the legion?¡±


    ¡°Nothing happened,¡± Gallus snapped. ¡°Need I remind you of our orders, soldier? Get in formation.¡±


    Rufinus couldn¡¯t argue. As much as he wanted to rush back to the legion, he didn¡¯t want to endanger the civilians they had just saved. He exchanged a look with Adonis, both men felt something terrible as they thought about Valerian. The other soldiers were equally worried. Gallus¡¯ words hadn¡¯t done anything to reassure them. Gallus didn¡¯t care what the others thought. The survivors were their priority now.


    The Craft¡¯s District was deathly silent. There was a trail of Daimons in various states strewn all around. Amongst them, human soldiers and Monoceri all laid scattered on the ground. Not dead but asleep.


    The only one that remained awake was Valerian. He didn''t know why. Perhaps it was no coincidence that he, the most frightful Soother in the legion, would be the last to succumb. It was as if something were savouring his fear.


    He crawled towards the centre. Tiredness was beginning to outweigh his fear. Fear was all that was keeping him awake but at the same time he knew it was feeding it.


    As he looked around, he could see the nerves were beginning to spread over his fellow legionaries. Parts of their skin were beginning to unravel in their sleep, bit by bit. He could feel it happening to him too, just at his extremities.


    He needed to keep awake. If he could find and wake the Magister Bellaxus before all of his Focus ran out, then the entire legion may be saved.


    But he could hear its voice in his head. Just let go. This was all just a bad dream, wasn''t it? He could almost hear Rufinus and Adonis trying to wake him up before he missed his lessons. Yes. There was nothing to worry about. Well¡­ aside from his research assignment becoming a disappointing failure.


    How tempting it was to give in.


    ¡°Stay calm.. stay calm¡­ Oh¡­. By Magus, what have I gotten myself into?!¡±

 Chapter IV - The Crafts District

    ¡°Magus¡­ Please let the others be alright.¡±


    Valerian sighed inwardly - and outwardly, though he was too deep into Roya to notice what his body was doing. He wished he had finished his studies sooner. If he had 18 more years then he would have learned how to check on his friends from this distance like his higher ranking officers could.


    As a Soother, his focus had to constantly be on the minds around him. He and the other Soothers had done well to keep the legion calm, although there was some unrest at the centre of the 1st cohort. It was hard to exactly pinpoint who exactly it was that was radiating the emotion; it was a mix of fear and dread but not the kind that people usually radiated when faced with a threat like a Daimons. It was the kind of fear that matched Valerian¡¯s own - fear for someone else''s safety. Although, in addition to his own worry for his friends, Valerian was feeling a plethora of fears piling on. Fear of being attacked by Daimons amongst other things, though, that small by comparison to what he thought Ado and Rufus were going through. They were good fighters - better than him, sure - nonetheless, his mind raced with the possibilities. What if they got ambushed or ran into a trap? And even if they did make it out alright in the end, what if they ran into more Daimons the legion might have overlooked on their way back?


    ¡°Corvus, your Soothing spell is wearing off,¡± came the voice of one Soother several rows behind him.


    Well that explained it. He turned his attention behind him and saw that his spell was indeed fading from his Mindscape. It wasn¡¯t his turn to rest yet and he wasn¡¯t keen on disturbing the next Soother just yet. Nothing a bit of Focus potion couldn''t fix. Finding his vials of Focus potion wasn''t a problem for him. A good trick he and others who spent their time looking outside of Tirra learned was doing things with his Tirran eyes closed. That was how he and the other Soothers managed to march with their eyes closed to Tirra. He reached down into his pouch and tipped the vial into his mouth¡­


    Oh no¡­ This one¡¯s empty already?!


    Only a drip touched his tongue. Feeling around, he realised he was now down to one full vial.


    The memory of him handing Adonis one of his potions appeared in his Mindscape. Part of him regretted giving up that potion in the moment but those thoughts quickly went away when he saw Ado thank him and smile. Wait. Did he actually smile? Alright sure, maybe his recall of events had been slightly embellished but that wasn¡¯t important. Ado was tired and needed it more after all. At least the Soothers could rest.


    After renewing the Soothing spell, Valerian took a deep breath and those worries that drifted around him faded out of sight; they were still there but just pushed into the background enough so that he could focus on the job at hand. He remained vigilant until it was finally his turn to rest. And rest he did. He closed his eyes to every realm. Pure darkness. A soothing reprieve for his tired eyes. And thanks to the renewed Soothing spell, his thoughts did not dwell on his fears. It reassured him that Adonis and Rufinus were fine. They were strong. They weren¡¯t the kind of people who¡¯d break a promise either. Yes, everything was going to be fine¡­


    ¡°Val, it¡¯s my turn. Let me rest.¡±  came the voice of the Soother who had been covering for him.


    He felt like he had hardly recovered much Focus. The first thing he did was open his eyes to Tirra to check his Chronograph on his gauntlet. The correct amount of chronocycles had passed for him to switch.


    Sigh¡­


    He was going to need that extra Focus potion after all. He eyed the others. Quite frankly those in the rows inside had not used any of their focus potions.


    ¡°Ex-excuse me. W-Wulfgifu?¡± he whispered to the soldier next to him.


    She looked at him, giving him an odd sideways glance with her red, hawk-like eyes. He could tell without needing to look into Roya that she didn¡¯t like how she used her name. Obviously, she wanted to be left alone, especially from the likes of a Ludcetan like him. He¡¯d have no luck asking her so he looked over to the soldiers on either side of him. Surely they¡¯d be generous? Right? Perhaps they¡¯d be willing to help, but Valerian felt that he¡¯d be bothering them.


    ¡°Val? What are you doing? Everyone¡¯s getting nervous again.¡±


    Oh, right.


    So he shut his eyes and opened them to Roya, hoping that he wouldn¡¯t have to empty his next vial too soon before they encountered some real danger. As silly as it was, he hoped that there wouldn¡¯t be much danger ahead of him. Ah, but there was no need to worry himself with those thoughts, right? Or was that just the soothing spell talking? Either way, he had a job to do. Just keep everyone calm.


    At the centre of the head, Laevinus was feeling anxious. Minoridaimons aside, this place was far too quiet compared to all the other Daimon attacks. He had expected to at least have encountered Caputidaimons to lead the stragglers. He felt that there must be something big waiting for them. His gut instinct told him that much. If this was the work of the Princidaimon, he wondered if it was biding its time to strike. But why wait for so long? He felt that they were being lured into an obvious trap. But he couldn¡¯t turn back, nor could he just give the order to flatten the city, not with the possibility of survivors and the possibility to learn more about their enemy. The Magisterium was depending on them but at the same time how could he keep his promise to High Magister Flavius Pavonikos?


    ¡°Magister Bellaxus?¡±


    The Tibunus¡¯ voice snapped him out of his thoughts.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    At the very least, the younger Pavonikos was glad that the Magister had responded. There was a tiredness in his mentor¡¯s eyes that had grown progressively worse as they proceeded through the city. It wasn¡¯t the kind that was the result of heavy magic usage - the Magister had been reserving his Focus for when it mattered - instead, it was the kind of tiredness that came with constant anxiety. In turn, it made Pavonikos worry. What was weighing so heavily on the Magister¡¯s mind that the Soother¡¯s spells couldn''t ward away?


    ¡°Tribunus?¡±


    Pavonikos closed his eyes briefly.


    ¡°Magister, is there something troubling you?¡±


    Laevinus didn¡¯t respond right away.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Tribunus. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°You seem on edge. Shall I notify the Soothers to administer a stronger spell?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need,¡±  Laevinus sighed, ¡°Let them reserve their Focus, Tribunus. I can take care of this.¡±


    Pavonikos wanted to press him more but he said nothing else. This was neither the time nor the place.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ Yes, Magister.¡±


    The two opened their eyes once again. Pavonikos had noticed a Royan spell faintly fade from Laevinus¡¯ eyes. The Magister was partly thankful that the Tribunus had pulled him up on his visible fear, but part of him was upset at himself for letting those thoughts take hold of him. He had to keep it together, for everyone¡¯s sake.


    They had come to a crossroads between four crescent buildings. By design, the Crafts District had many winding paths that led citizens to see more of what it had to offer. Lidantium, in particular, had illusory paths which seemed to lead to one place, only to land someone right before craftsmen or entertainers. There was no straight path from here to the Scholar¡¯s district and normally people would have traveled through the Praeterium Gates dotted around the city. All of the gates were shut off - a defense mechanism during times of war.


    ¡°Which path should we take?¡± asked the Tribunus aloud.


    Taking a moment, scanning each direction to find the shortest and surest path to the Scholar¡¯s district, Laevinus finally answered, ¡°Forward.¡±


    It didn¡¯t seem so straightforward at first; the path forward actually led to a balcony section overlooking their destination. There was a great gap between the districts, but Laevinus and the others knew that they could sacrifice a bit of Focus to form their own path.


    They passed through the large foundations that marked the Architect¡¯s Sector. Some parts of the incomplete concept buildings retained their initial shape. The rest had become so heavily warped that they almost resembled twisted coral of corroded metal, glass and stone, covered in the same nerves that covered the entire city. Enclosing the space were the two crescent buildings; once lively stalls and galleries where other artisans and craftsmen would showcase their skills and inventions, now empty husks filled with more pulsing flesh. The smell of food and perfumes had long been replaced by the metallic scent of ichor and rot.


    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.


    Several of the Draekslanni were beginning to tire already.


    ¡°Magister,¡± Pavonikos spoke up, ¡°The Draekslanni are beginning to run out of Focus. We should let them rest.¡±


    Laevinus scanned around. The eyes of the head were indeed tiring but he didn¡¯t want to stop now, nor did he want to risk letting them rest in rotation as the Soothers had. There weren¡¯t enough Draekslanni in the legion to allow that.


    ¡°We cannot afford to lose our eyes, Tribunus. Your hypothesis has been proven that much.¡±


    A tinge of guilt filled Pavonikos. It had been his suggestion that had led to the overuse of the Draekslanni after all.


    ¡°But Magister, if we continue like this we may very well lose our eyes. Surely there must be something we can do.¡±


    Laevinus thought for a moment. His Tribunus had a point. If the Draekslanni tired themselves to the point of exhaustion they¡¯d have to continue the rest of the way mostly blind as most of the other legions had done in the past.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Laevinus said, taking out a vial of Focus potion from his pouch.


    ¡°To all those who have more than three Focus potions. I ask that you give up one of your vials for the Draekslanni,¡± he ordered.


    Pavonikos nodded. He could spare a few more.


    The vials were passed along to the Draekslanni. It would be more than enough to tide them over. At least that''s what Laevinus hoped. He knew all too well that anything could happen in a situation like this. What if the soldiers he took those vials from would need them more when it mattered? If there was a reliable spell for foresight then he would have used it now.


    He stood by his decision, unable to afford any surprises from Daimons. It was always the ambushes that hit a legion hard. He knew that all too well. His scarred hand began to itch each time he thought about the last time he led his previous legion against Daimons.


    No. This time would be different, for they had eyes against the Daimons now.


    Straight away, a bolt of lightning shot out from the head of the legion.


    ¡°They''re in the stalls!¡± shouted one of the Draekslanni


    ¡°There''s several in that building!¡±


    The rest were quick to follow. They all began shooting projectiles towards those areas, demolishing the buildings entirely. Like disturbed hornets, the Daimons sprang out from their hiding spots. Minoridaimons scrambled on all fours, casting all manner of spells at the legion, but the legion¡¯s Golden Dome had been assembled, absorbing hit after hit.


    The legion began to change its shape from a line to a four-winged formation. The first cohort manoeuvred to the tail end, leaving the 13th at the head. Valerian scrambled to catch up with the rest of the 13th. The other cohorts making up each wing began to spread out, and the Golden Dome spread out along with them.


    Several figures emerged alongside the horde. Just looking at them made the Draekslanni from the 13th wince in slight pain. Unlike the other Daimons, these ones were not a mess of nerves but instead had flesh, fur and scales, taking on more stable, chimeric forms.


    ¡°C-c-a¡­¡±


    Valerian¡¯s mouth hung agape, his Soothing spells flickering for just a moment. They were indeed Caputidaimons facing them. As his eyes darted around he discovered three, each leading the legion of Daimons from the South, the East and West...


    Then, a fourth smashed through one of the crescent buildings. It charged towards them; a beast with many twisted Monoceri horns upon its headless bulk, shooting a barrage of fire and ice. A multitude of stolen eyes circled each knee upon its many legs. Seeing it coming, the head of the legion formed several thick, spiked walls to slow the Caputidaimon¡¯s charge. Each wall exploded into rubble, sending some of the debris bouncing off of the Golden Dome. A few soldiers noticed that some of the stone spikes had damaged the eyes on the front legs. More spiked defenses rose aimed at the legs of the beast. It stumbled but kept galloping forward, the eyes remained unharmed and its horns were aglow. It had erected its own shield around itself and smashed through the barriers. The 13th began to brace themselves, all concentrating their focus into their part of the dome. The beast crashed against the shield, forming a small crack with the continuous barrage. Valerian felt afraid, but then he could feel the fears of his fellow soldiers. He was reminded of his purpose. He couldn''t afford to let his fears get the best of him and watch the rest of his fellow soldiers fall apart. So he closed his eyes again and set forth to calm them down.


    Cracks were quickly forming, especially near the Draekslanni who already felt weak from their constant vigilance. The beast continued to push its horns through the Golden Dome until the barrage entered the Dome. Tribunus Pavonikos put his efforts into healing the wounded in rapid succession, numbing the pain of those caught in the crossfire. The 13th receded backward, forced to move the Golden Dome inward to slide away from the horns and patch the holes they had left. Several Minoridaimons had also slipped through the cracks, wounding several soldiers with lightning and pellets of stone.


    In Roya, Valerian could see Daimons appearing. Once a Daimon¡¯s physical body had been destroyed, they would slip back into Roya and prey on the minds of soldiers to feast on their emotions or even make an attempt to inhabit their minds - such attempts to possess a human rarely ever worked on non-Maleficari. Right in front of him, Valerian saw several preying upon the exhausted Draekslanni. Their mental shields had fallen just enough that the fallen Daimons began swarming around them. Valerian was quick to act. Steeling himself, he formed a thick wall around them. That wall became impregnable fortresses, insulating their emotions against the swarm of ultraviolet beasts. Here, in this world of thoughts, the possibilities were endless so long as you had control over those thoughts. The Daimons turned their attention to him. At first, he unintentionally let a bit of fear slip through. As they charged straight towards him, he envisioned another spell; memories of being forced to endure constant staring at plain white walls as part of his studies into Kyrus infused themselves with his shield. Repulsed, the Daimons retreated away from him. One couldn¡¯t really kill a Daimon -no one had ever succeeded yet- but they could be warded away with the most unappetising emotions of boredom or calm. Relief and confidence spread through him as he watched the Daimons escape. He decided to push them back further to protect the others from their influence.


    One pellet hit Valerian in the chest. He cried out mostly in shock as he was pulled back to Tirra, confronted with more chaos around him. Many others lay at his feet and those around him began to lose their resolve moments after he lost concentration. Some began to scatter; without his Soothing spell maintained, fear took over. They became choice prey for the Daimons that entered the dome. One of the Minoridaimons turned its attention towards Valerian, nerves flicking about like antennae tasting his fear in the air. In desperation, Valerian hastily formed the spell, Fulgruis at the thing. The meagre streak of lightning was easily glanced off of its target. Valerian felt himself freeze up, holding a poorly-formed blade of iron in his trembling hands. Warm ichor trickled down his nose with each painful breath. With each step closer, he could hardly visualise another spell nor will himself to move. He could see its beady silver-slate eyes beginning to glow with an indecipherable violet spell. His last thoughts were of his friends.


    I¡¯m so sorry¡­ I failed¡­


    But then he heard a shrill, yet melodic sound cut through the air.


    Several feather-like blades of light sliced into the Daimon¡¯s head. The Daimon flinched for a moment but before it could recover, its head exploded with light and it fell backward. Valerian collapsed on his knees, barely acknowledging his wound until he took a breath and felt the agonising pain of ichor filling his lungs once again. Hacking up gold, he struggled to get his thoughts in order enough to use a healing spell until he saw glowing symbols circling his wound. The pain quickly subsided and he could breathe again. He looked up to see the blue-black neck of a Monoceros and the Tribunus¡¯ glowing eyes over him.


    ¡°We need you, Soother. Get behind the others!¡± ordered Pavonikos.


    That was enough to snap Valerian back to reality. With a firm nod, he stood up and scrambled several rows inward. He wasn¡¯t sure if they were going to make it¡­ No, he and the others made a promise. He was going to make it. Everyone else was counting on him, so he couldn¡¯t afford to panic. After downing another vial of Focus potion, Valerian shut his eyes and poured all of his Focus into calming the others.


    Meanwhile, Tribunus Pavonikos was still at the front, tending to the wounded whilst running down Daimons with their Monoceros companion, Cyane. They looked at the scene before them. The 13th was being pushed back, barely given a chance to strike as all of their focus was on maintaining their side of the dome. At this rate, the Caputidaimon was sure to shatter the shield down eventually. Pavonikos gritted their teeth as they wracked their brain for a solution. They couldn¡¯t hold out like this forever.


    Laevinus¡¯ heart skipped a beat when he turned his attention over to the head of the legion. Looming over the 13th cohort, one of the Caputidaimonii had smashed its many horns hard against the Golden Dome with a resounding bang. He felt stuck, wanting to gallop forward to protect Pavonikos. But he couldn¡¯t leave when his soldiers needed him too.


    ¡°Magister!¡±


    His eyes were torn away from the head of the legion. They were attacked on all sides from an immense number of Daimons, but what caused the legion the most trouble was the Caputidaimon leading the attack from the South; a hound-like thing with many heads. It barked orders at the lesser Daimons surrounding it whilst the other head''s eyes were aglow with an indecipherable spell. The Daimons within its many views led by it seemed to pulse with terrifying strength as each head focused on them. Their shields were more difficult to break let alone crack. If this continued, the soldiers would tire and more Daimons would bleed through.


    Then, Laevinus caught sight of a bolt of his soldier¡¯s lightning spell ricocheting into one of the heads. The head was quickly fried and the Daimon was momentarily stunned. Did it not have a shield? Laevinus noted. He wondered if it was solely focusing on enhancing the other Daimons around it. Perhaps that¡¯s why it spent most of its time hiding behind the Minoridaimons.


    ¡°3rd division! Fire at the Caputidaimon!¡± came his order, loud and clear to the cohort in front of him.


    They followed, apart from the cohort in front focusing on cutting down the Daimons biting at the shields. None of the soldiers could get a clear shot of it as it pounced to the cover of the other Daimons, several heads ate up the dead or dying to form a new head, as if it were an awful mix between a hydra and a warg. But with each head that they cut down, the strength and shields of the Minoridaimons momentarily weakened. Using the small window of opportunity, the other divisions met the Daimons at the front of the Golden Dome with Brightsteel and the full fury of the elements.


    Laevinus gritted his teeth. They couldn¡¯t keep this up. Not with this many Daimons. He could see the Duxii of the other cohorts struggling on their respective sides.


    No. I can¡¯t let that happen! Not again¡­


    Shaking off his doubts he focused on the Caputidaimon once more. It had perched itself up high within another newly raised structure where ranged Minoridaimons had taken cover. The building was made of some kind of jagged rock cut in organic patterns. No matter how many times the legion shot down the building, the Daimons would just re-erect it. Laevinus¡¯ eyes narrowed. If they could change the environment in their favour, then so could he.


    ¡°1st Cohort Monoceri, prepare to cast Nebelos!¡±


    The mounted soldiers and their Monoceri stood to attention. Laevinus ordered the 3rd to hold their fire, watching the Caputidaimon carefully. It finally stopped moving, standing at the highest point of the building whilst shielded by other Daimons. From there, it could Focus on more Daimons below it.


    ¡°Now!¡±


    At once the horns of the Monoceri flashed as brightly as their own eyes. Gold mist formed right around the occupied structure. All of the ichor in the air was drawn towards the Caputidaimon no matter where it went, until the North of the battlefield was covered in a thick fog. Sure enough, the strength of the advancing Minoridaimons dwindled and all of them were quickly defeated with ease. Once the mist had cleared, the Caputidaimon was met with the sight of its forces thinned out. The creature¡¯s heads began to snarl as its stolen eyes met Laevinus¡¯ own.

 Chapter V - Advance!

    Tribunus Pavonikos and the 13th were struggling to hold their position. Many had forgone their usual arrangements and positions in the cohort to focus their attention on maintaining the shield. Their survival depended on it, but those at the front were dwindling with each breach. At the back, Healers were tending to the heavily injured. The wounds inflicted by normal magic were easy to heal, even for a soldier trained only in field healing magic, but these weren¡¯t ordinary wounds; the Kaevan magic used by these Daimons was difficult to heal. The best they could do was ensure that the afflicted didn¡¯t die from ichor loss.


    The 13th had depleted most of their Focus potions but the Caputidaimon showed no sign of tiring out as it continued to ram into the Dome. Pavonikos observed the beast long and hard, but the opening he sought eluded him. It was tempting to believe that their enemy was impenetrable but Pavonikos remembered one crucial lesson during their training under Laevinus.


    Everything has its weaknesses.


    Several of the horns pierced the shield once more, only held back by the efforts of the soldiers in the front. A few more soldiers were caught in the barrage. Pavonikos immediately turned their attention to heal them quickly. They watched many of them rise back up, still shocked from the wounds they had sustained and survived, but they couldn¡¯t help but linger on those few who lay still¡­


    No, don¡¯t focus on them now, the Soothing spell told the Tribunus. There were still so many others they had to keep alive. Pavonikos¡¯ eyes drifted up towards the dreadful sound of another crack above them all. More horns were about to breach through. They cast their gaze over to where the horns were aimed.


    Meanwhile, Valerian remained with his fellow Soothers, shutting out the danger looming above them whilst they pushed the rising fear down. The horns pierced all the way through, raining fire upon them once more, but the efforts of the Soothers had not gone in vain. Emboldened, soldier formed a sharp wall of steel and managed to sever a few of the horns to protect Valerian and her other fellow soldiers. Her eyes shut but what she had done had not gone unnoticed by the Tribunus. The Caputidaimon¡¯s horns had been severed. But how? Its shields should have protected it. Unless¡­


    Pavonikos observed the horns carefully as the beast made another attempt to ram against the shield. Their eyes glimmered. The Golden Dome had been so strong that the Daimon¡¯s own shield shattered the moment the horns pierced through. With the horns unguarded, they could be severed. It was a big risk but there was hope yet!


    ¡°Healers,¡± Pavonikos called, ¡°Assist the front!¡±


    The Healers left the wounded safely at the back of the cohort. They gathered behind the rows at the front and waited. Next, Pavonikos ordered a line of Brightsilver to be formed a step in front of the dome. Once they were done, Pavonikos gave the next order.


    ¡°Advance!¡±


    The rest of the 13th looked at him as if he had gone mad.


    ¡°But sir!¡± one said. ¡°If we do that, its horns shall breach the shield!¡±


    ¡°Let them through. Once they do, we may cut them down!¡±


    Seeing what his plan was, the 13th followed the Tribunus¡¯ order. Most had seen the horns cut down yet they feared that once those horns got in that they¡¯d all fall before they had their chance to strike. But it was worth a shot.


    The Golden Dome began to weaken as several rows of the 13th lent their Focus to forming shields over themselves. Pavonikos and the rest of the healers braced themselves for the carnage unleashed by the Caputidaimon¡¯s many horns. With a shrill crack, the horns breached through the dome again. Many were caught up in the fire, shields breaking but regenerating. Their pain was numbed by the Soothers. Their bodies, quickly repaired by the Healers. Pavonikos galloped back and forth healing as many as they could at an incredible rate. They continued to push forward until the metallic line was between what was left of the dome and the front row.


    ¡°Elevare il Admantis! Cut the horns down!¡±


    A sharp wall of Brightsilver rose up. Like a reverse guillotine, it severed many of the horns. The Caputidaimon buckled backwards, trampling on a few of the Minoridaimons underneath. Its shield had weakened enough for the 13th to destroy the eyes on its many knees. With renewed vigour, the 13th pushed forward back to their original position. When the Caputidaimon¡¯s last eyes were burnt out with rays of light, it collapsed in a dead heap.


    The other wings of the legion were seeing results too; Caputidaimons from the East and West lay dead. All that was left was the one to the South. Laevinus¡¯ earlier attack had cut down the Daimons to a thin line. At first, the Daimons had tried to push away anymore fog attacks, but there was so much ichor in the air, making another fog thick enough to blind it was no problem for the human soldiers and Monoceri.


    Laevinus didn¡¯t take his sights off of the Caputidaimon once. Forced to the front, it surrounded itself with other Daimons. Wherever it went, it was always closely shielded. The human soldiers tried to jostle it out of hiding by raising the terraining suddenly to knock it upwards. Their plan would''ve worked, had it not been for the surrounding Daimons gripping their captain to protect it from several elemental missiles. Laevinus almost lost sight of it when it fell. His eyes caught sight of it rushing around the battlefield, scarcely avoiding a rain of lightning infused daggers brought forth by the 2nd division.


    The Caputidaimon eventually broke out of its patterns and headed in a specific direction. The Minoridaimons followed and began to concentrate on one side of the Golden Dome as they followed the Caputidaimon¡¯s lead. Laevinus followed their movements. He soon realised that the soldiers there were beginning to tire. Cracks were forming more easily on the dome in that particular spot. With fewer of its own soldiers at its disposal, it was now focusing on any weak points in the Golden Dome. It was becoming desperate.


    Laevinus had one problem. The Caputidaimon was closely guarded and it was harder to get a good shot at it now. Wherever it went, there were always several Mimoridaimons glancing off any attacks. It seemed invincible where it was but Laevinus knew there was no such thing as invincible.


    Its form was clearer now. It was bigger and had many more heads upon its body. The Daimons around it weren''t just guarding it. They were part of it. Laevinus¡¯ eyes narrowed with realisation; earlier, it had been gathering more heads. The Daimons had increased in strength, unleashing more spells upon the weakening shield. Just as the soldiers began to falter, Laevinus saw the Caputidaimon poke its heads out, all eyes aglow. Ultraviolet light intensified, vaporising the residual golden fog that hung in the air. The heads pointed towards different parts of the dome. Several bolts of ultraviolet energy arced out of their heads and through the air.


    Before it could break the shield on several spots, enough soldiers had rushed over to mend and reinforce it. The force of the attack had knocked several on their backs. Some weren''t so lucky; on other sides of the shields, the dome had shattered. Where some were standing at the blast, only smouldering ashes remained. Daimons flooded in but were pushed back out. Those who didn''t escape before the Golden Dome was repaired were left at the mercy of soldiers engulfed by rage thanks to the Soothers. The Caputidaimon quickly receded back to the safety of its minions, shielded against the return fire. Like before, it had been too fast for the soldiers to land a hit on it.


    The Daimons began to spread out again. Laevinus traced it to another weak point in the Golden Dome. He had seen the slim opening before when the Daimon first emerged from the safety of its minions. It was time that he used his specialty against it.


    ¡°On my signal, shield your eyes!¡±


    All of the soldiers obeyed. Reluctant or not, no one dared disobey such an order from their Bellaxus; their lives depended on it. They backed away a few steps from the Golden Dome and formed a small wall of stone. Laevinus took a long drink of Focus potion and crushed the vial. His eyes began to glow brightly. The glass shards reformed into lenses, hovering over his eyes in a line to form a scope. His eyes began to form more intricate circles and symbols as he readied himself to strike.


    The cracks formed once more and the Caputidaimon reared its heads once again. The moment he blinked, all facing the South saw his signal, took to the cover of the walls and shut their eyes. A great gaping hole was opened in the Golden Dome.


    In the blink of an eye, a thin beam of light shot out before stopping right in one of the Caputidaimon¡¯s eyes. Blades of light exploded out of its heads and shot out in all directions with a melodious shrill. Anything that saw those blades was swiftly cut down, blades cutting through all eyes that saw them. Once the music stopped, Laevinus ordered his men to open their eyes again.


    The fighting continued and the soldiers scrambled to quickly reform their side of the Dome. Several soldiers fell at the hands of the Daimons that poured into the ranks, but the Daimons themselves were weaker now and much easier to take down. Looking out into the battlefield amongst the piles of dead Daimons, all could finally see that the Caputidaimon¡¯s headless form sprawled out amongst the corpses.


    With the final Caputidaimon falling, hope swelled amongst the legion. But that moment only lasted for a scant few moments. The remaining Minoridaimons did not flee, they continued fighting with the same ferocity they had under their commanders.


    Laevinus had sensed their hope faltering. Shutting his eyes, he let his rallying cry be heard by all.


    ¡°Don''t lose hope now! Victory is closer than you think, Legionarii. Just one final push!¡±


    At hearing his words, the legion felt their courage renewed. Gradually the Daimon¡¯s numbers began to dwindle and hope returned to the legion. The wings of the legion opened up and pinched the remaining Daimons on one side, facing against the head. The tail opened up, unleashing the 1st cohort. Laevinus and his soldiers galloped out with their Monoceri, building speed as they rounded past the wing. At last, they ran through the Daimons.


    When the last Daimon fell dead, the legion could finally breathe and close their eyes in relief. Some cheered, most were silent. All felt incredibly lucky to be alive. Laevinus surveyed the area and the legion. Though the losses were minimal, they were still losses. Though he didn¡¯t show it, it made his heart sink to see some of his men and women weeping for the dead. Amongst the mourners was Tribunus Pavonikos, who like the Duxus had ordered their men to go about the battlefield to collect eyes for the Final Rites. As Pavonikos waited he had set about helping the other healers tend to the living; those with grievous injuries that no field healing spells could mend. Their supplies had dwindled and most importantly they were dangerously low on Focus potion.


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    Laevinus galloped by Pavonikos¡¯ side. The Tribunus was dismounted from Cyane and he stood over the eye-scorched corpses lined up before him. Their head was lowered, eyes staring. Not once did Pavonikos take their eyes off the dead. Laevinus dismounted and stood beside them.


    ¡°You did what you could.¡±


    ¡°I could have done more.¡±


    ¡°Tribunus,¡± Laevinus said, turning Pavonikos to him, ¡°There was nothing more you could have done.¡±


    ¡°No. I don¡¯t believe that one bit. If I had seen some other way¡­¡±


    ¡°Even a Caputi Scholaris of foresight cannot see everything in the heat of battle, let alone you.¡±


    ¡°And that''s a failing on my part! They wouldn''t have had their lives cut so short if I hadn''t been so blind. They shouldn''t have died here.¡±


    Laevinus frowned. It was as if he were talking to a younger version of himself. It was this kind of naivety that brought him so much misery in his years as a leader.


    ¡°You made your decision. If you did not give that order when you did, who knows how many more would have been lost? We must focus on the living, to make the sacrifice of the dead count.¡±


    Laevinus knew that look on Pavonikos¡¯ face; they weren¡¯t convinced in the slightest. Laevinus put a hand on their shoulder.


    ¡°If we try to save everyone, we may very well end up saving no one. Remember that well, Tribunus Pavonikos.¡±


    As they both mounted their Monoceri, Laevinus looked around at the state of the legion. They couldn¡¯t advance further like this. He would have to contact Duxus Gallus and Duxus Aquilina of the 12th to send more supplies their way.


    Just before he could close his eyes, there was a bright flash of ultraviolet light from the North of the legion. Following this, there was a great cry of pain from the 13th legion. Nearly all of the Draekslanni doubled over in pain, clutching their heads. All of the corpses and nerves seemed to gravitate towards the source of their pain.


    Laevinus felt his breath catch in his throat. The Daimon that appeared before the legion looked more human than any Daimon he had seen before. It climbed out of the pile of corpses, still connected to many nerves which now pulsed with life. It was adorned in a robe with its own flesh-coloured nerves, pulsing with ultraviolet, dripping with gold. Its hat was made of much of the same material, merging with the top part of the head whilst several stolen eyes lined the band, all iridescent and brilliant like the eyes that all Ludcetan citizens bore. Its eyes glimmered and each exit was promptly blocked off by walls of hardened flesh and warped stone.


    The legion quickly reassembled. Laevinus remained in front of the 13th and called the rest of his cohort to him; in a situation like this, he wasn''t going to remain far from his student like before. The Golden Dome reformed but much weaker. Many tired eyes watched the strange Daimon approach, feeling their fear strengthening beyond what the Soothers could calm with what little energy they had.


    ¡°Stand ready!¡± Laevinus commanded


    It appeared to glide across the battlefield. Upon careful inspection, the nerves and flesh below it propelled it forward; each pulsing dendrite stuck and detached from the bottom of the flowing robe.


    Laevinus gave the signal, each cohort attacked the Daimon with everything they had. All of the elements, every construct and a great explosion of lights struck it, but it hardly budged. Several soldiers sought to contain it but that did very little to slow it down; its shield merely pushed everything away. In Roya, mental attacks did nothing to it. It swallowed up the most mind-numbing of thoughts without showing any signs of weakening. It was as fruitless as shooting water at the Morningstar. Nothing seemed to stop its advance. It was clear to the Magister Bellaxus that this thing before them was a Princidaimon.


    ¡°Pavonikos.¡±


    Laevinus pushed something into the Tribunus¡¯ hand. A small metal ball with various engravings. Socketed at its top was a clear white stone made of the same rare material used to make all doors and gates. It glowed with the symbol of Lumis.


    ¡°A Teleportare?¡±


    ¡°Quick! Get out of here whilst you still have time!¡±


    Tribunus Pavonikos held the ball in their hand. All they needed to do was pour what little Focus they had left into it and they¡¯d be return to Lumis, safe. Instead, they stowed it away.


    ¡°Tribunus, what are you doing?!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not leaving everyone behind.¡±


    ¡°Go! That¡¯s an order, Tribunus!¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t condemn another soldier to death. We¡¯re making it out of this alive!¡±


    Pavonikos exchanged a look of disappointment before galloping off to continue rallying the rest of the 13th. Laevinus reached out to them, but there was little he could do now. Immediately, he closed his eyes, sending word to the 12th to begin closing off the city entirely. They cannot let that Princidaimon out, no matter what.


    The taste of fear was growing in the air. Valerian was working even harder to pour his Focus into keeping the soldiers around him calm. He could already feel his eyes drooping and his Soothing spells had weakened enough that the soldiers were beginning to falter. He saw several breaking away from the ranks after one Soother collapsed from exhaustion. He was quite tempted to do the same but that little voice from his spell was urging him to remain awake. With no chance of rest, there was only one thing left to do. He downed his last vial of Focus potion. He drank it up so fast that he almost felt ill - at least the discomfort was keeping him conscious.


    Several wings unfolded from the robe and hat. All at once there was a flash of ultraviolet light that filled the entire district, momentarily blinding all that beheld it. As their sight returned, the afterimage of an unknown spell hung in their eyes. The legion began to tire quickly. All of their spells shot towards the Princidaimon barely made a dent in its shield.


    ¡°Halt! Reserve your Focus!¡± Laevinus ordered. Sending that order alone made him feel drained, as if he had unleashed his earlier attack on the Caputidaimon.


    Laevinus gritted his teeth. With the legion close to going blind from exhaustion and passing out, they were cornered. Even he was down to his last Focus potion. With their exits blocked it was unlikely that they would all survive this. But he had to try, for Flavius¡¯ sake.


    He ordered several cohorts to break down the walls behind them. Those facing the Princidaimon were ordered to concentrate their efforts on slowing it down. More and more people on either side were becoming too exhausted to continue. As a result more collapsed. Amidst it all, Pavonikos and the 13th were rallied to carry those who had fallen. The Tribunus was determined to not leave a single man or woman behind, but he and the others could only carry so much, even with their freshly constructed wagons - building those alone had caused several of the 13th to collapse.


    The Princidaimon had caught up with the legion. It held out one hand and pressed it against the dome. A single eye opened up on its palm and in an instant, the Golden Dome completely shattered to dust.


    Fear, like a terrible collective scream of every soldier, overwhelmed Valerian. It was far too much for him to handle, so much that the Soothing spell he had in his own mindscape had shattered. Losing his concentration, he opened his eyes to Tirra. He wished he hadn''t.


    Several soldiers next to Valerian fell to their knees and he almost stumbled over several more. Before they collapsed, Valerian entered Roya and tried in vain to place a spell strong enough to wake a normally comatose person up. The spell disintegrated the moment it tried to touch their minds.


    Drat¡­ I''ll have to do this the old fashioned way.


    He tried travelling into the mind of one of his comrades, only to feel a sharp jolt that made him back away in confusion. When he rearranged his thoughts, it all started to make sense; that Daimonic spell on them was behind all of this, he was sure of it. He looked around as more of his brothers and sisters in arms fell unconscious, locked in a strange dream within their dimmed mindscapes. He began to fear that he was about to do the same. So so tired¡­


    But he couldn''t fall asleep now.


    He snapped his eyes back open to Tirra; the lack of Focus was already causing his Tirran eyes to darken at the edges fast, but he could still make out what was around him. The sleeping bodies of his comrades lay all across the Craft¡¯s District. Some had fallen asleep before they could even drink the Focus potions in their hands. Mumbling an apology, he collected what vials he could and guzzled them down. He was losing Focus faster than he could recover, but it was enough to tide him over. Crawl. Drink. Crawl¡­ The Magister seemed so far away.


    Adiuta Magus¡­


    He finally crawled over several sleeping Monoceri before finding two familiar faces in the distance. Tribunus Pavonikos lay close to the Magister Bellaxus. Laevinus had him held close to his chest to shield him. Valerian forced himself to down all of the Focus potions he had borrowed from his comrades. By the sixth and last vial, he felt close to throwing up but he felt awake enough to properly concentrate again.


    Valerian looked up; the strange Daimon was fast approaching him. With its approach he felt those same whispers strengthening in volume, sucking away his energy. With that, he crawled as fast as his limbs could carry him over to the Magister. His hand gripped onto the cloth of one¡¯s cloak and he shut his eyes. With every bit of Focus he had, he opened his eyes to Roya, piercing through the Daimon¡¯s spell until he found himself in someone else¡¯s Mindscape. He was marching along the rest of the legion and up ahead he saw the Magister Bellaxus. He implanted his waking spell as fast as he could within this mind, feeling exhaustion pulling back towards his own Mindscape. To pleasant dreams.


    ¡°Please! Wake up! The legion is in danger-¡°


    The legion had finally liberated Lidantium from the Daimon scourge. It wasn¡¯t easy and there were losses, but Pavonikos had done what they could to ensure that the rest of the living returned home alive.


    The Tribunus couldn¡¯t wait to return. There was so much they needed to tell their father and the rest of the Magisterium.


    Tribunus Pavonikos was pulled out of those thoughts. They felt a strange sensation as they marched past the city gates.


    ¡°Is something the matter, Tribunus?¡± asked the Magister Bellaxus.


    Pavonikos looked around before shaking his head, ¡°I thought I heard someone calling out to me.¡±


    The Magister paused for a moment, eyes closed. He opened them again with a smile.


    ¡°Pay it no mind. Let¡¯s get this over with so we can get back home sooner.¡±


    Pavonikos nodded. He looked back momentarily before continuing onward. Still, he couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy as he recalled what he had heard.

 Chapter VI - Respite on the Edge

    ¡°Squadron! Let¡¯s move out!¡±


    Gallus¡¯ soldiers began leaving the Residential District, having several of the strongest soldiers pull the carts of survivors along. But after a few steps, Rufinus faltered. He felt the embers of anxiousness flickering out past the Soothing spell in his mind, and ignited a sinking feeling in his chest. It told him that something terrible had happened to someone close to him. It was a feeling shared by the other Vattirmanni. His suspicions about what had happened to the legion grew.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Adonis asked.


    ¡°I just had a bad feeling. I don¡¯t know¡­¡± his voice quieted down to murmur before stopping completely. He peered over to where Gallus was at the front; an earshot of where he was positioned. Just to be safe, he closed his Tirran eyes and opened his Royan ones.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid something has happened to Val.¡±


    Adonis narrowed his eyes as Rufinus shared his suspicions about Gallus. How strangely he had reacted when they left the residential tower after supposedly reaching out to the Magister Bellaxus. It seemed strange that the Duxus would keep that information from them all. But even if something did happen to the legion, Adonis couldn¡¯t see any good reason for their small squadron to rush to the Scholar¡¯s district to meet them. They were all tired and the survivors in their care would be a hindrance if they were faced against an army of Daimons.


    ¡°Val will be fine, Rufus,¡± Adonis said.


    ¡°How can you be so sure? He-¡±


    ¡°Because out of us, he¡¯s the most knowledgeable. I trust him to get himself out of any situation.¡±


    Adonis meant those words, though he too was fearful for Valerian. Even if he didn¡¯t outwardly show it.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Sorry, I can¡¯t help it. It¡¯s just-¡± Rufinus was cut off, both men snapping their eyes open to the sound of Gallus reprimanding Adonis for having his eyes closed.


    As they resumed their march, Rufinus felt the weight on the handle of the cart. Looking at the survivors inside, he took a deep breath. He had to get them back to safety.


    When they entered the outer districts, they noticed a silvery hue growing around the outside of the city, reaching over the sky. Murmurs were heard amongst the squadron, all of them wondering what it could have meant. But Gallus heard one soldier answer correctly.


    ¡°They¡¯re Sealing walls,¡± the Draekslanni woman said. ¡°Have you never seen one?¡±


    Most shook their heads but a few remained silent, expressions darkened just a bit. Adonis and Rufinus looked up, reminded of times best left forgotten but too painful not to remember.


    ¡°The 12th¡­ They must be closing off the city.¡±


    ¡°But, what about the rest of the legion? They can¡¯t do that unless-¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Gallus barked, ¡°No one is closing off the city. Not on my watch. Now stop yapping and keep marching.¡±


    The squadron remained quiet for the rest of the way. Some of their worries bled through their Soothing spells. Thankfully, they encountered no Daimons on their way back to the city¡¯s gates - the legion had been thorough in securing the outer districts much earlier. Once they passed the gates, they noticed several structures, like miniature Shield Anchors, had risen from the ground, evenly spaced from each other. But these were not Shield Anchors; these ones had a different spell engraved into their large gemstone eyes. Instead of the welcoming golden shield dome used to keep people safe from outer forces, these produced a cold silver to contain threats from within. Gallus looked at the Sealing Anchors in disdain and his expression did not change when they approached the 12th.


    There was a wide gap in the Sealing Shield that led to the edge of the forest where the 12th had been stationed. The 12th were hurrying along to construct the rest of the anchors but they remained inactive, likely because they had seen the squadron from the 13th approaching them. The survivors were passed along to Healers of the 12th to be checked for injuries. The survivors had first priority, so Gallus¡¯ group waited patiently or took some time to heal themselves of their wounds.


    Adonis sat beside Rufinus, both resting their eyes to recover all their Focus with the others. But Rufinus was restless despite being this close to the 12th¡¯s Soothers. He wanted so badly to return to Lidantium that he found himself staring at the walls of his eyelids, shifting about to get comfortable.


    Why am I just sitting around here? Val is in trouble. We should have left by now¡­


    ¡°I can hardly rest in this heat,¡± Adonis said, with one eye open.


    Rufinus quickly realised that he had unconsciously formed a spell. He shook it off to break it off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rufinus rubbed at the side of his head, ¡°


    ¡°Shall I call one of the Soothers?¡±


    ¡°No, Ado. I''ll be fine.¡±


    Adonis held a long intense stare. Just long enough to get Rufinus to crack.


    ¡°Alright, fine. I''m not¡­ fine,¡± Rufinus sighed, ¡°It''s just not one of those things they can help with.¡±


    Adonis understood what he meant from experience. It wasn''t that the Soothers couldn''t help; Rufinus wanted to do this by himself. As stubborn as he was, Adonis knew he couldn''t completely do this by himself. So, he clasped his hand as if to steady him. Rufinus was surprised at first but gradually, his body slackened.


    "You make this all seem so easy."


    "Mn."


    As always, he followed Adonis¡¯ lead. He took deep breaths in sync with his companion. It took him back to simpler days. When the stresses of youth seemed as frightening as wildfire. They were still young and their troubles were far worse, but Adonis always seemed to know how to extinguish the flames. Bit by bit, Rufinus felt all his eyes close to all realms of Magus. He felt himself taking control again. The thoughts were silenced, replaced by the ones amplified by the Soothing Spell.


    Rest. For Val¡¯s sake.


    Both had eased themselves into a deep rest and Focus flowed back into them. They could have spent longer in that state, but then they heard a voice.


    ¡°Sorry, am I interrupting something?¡±


    They both looked up to see the Draekslanni woman staring down at them. This close, they could see her solid eyes of ultramarine, lit up with her smile.


    ¡°No, not at all,¡± Rufinus said. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    She rubbed at the side of her neck, ¡°Less achy and bruised than before but I can¡¯t wait to collapse on the grass and get some shut-eye.¡±


    ¡°Well there¡¯s enough room here,¡± Rufinus gestured.


    ¡°No need but thanks. I already have a spot in mind. I prefer the shade you see¡­¡±


    As they chattered on, Adonis eyes glanced at the pendant hanging from her neck; it was made from dragonscale, shaped in a spell formation that resembled a flower native to Draekslan. Each petal was notched with draconic runes; a familial keepsake, much like the familial symbols etched on the hat bands of all Ludcetans. So the wearer wouldn¡¯t forget. Unfortunately for him and many Draekslanni of Ludceta, they weren¡¯t lucky enough to keep theirs.


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    ¡°I just came to say that you both fought well today. Especially you, Frawdairch.¡±


    Adonis¡¯ expression remained neutral.


    Rufinus raised an eyebrow, ¡°Frawdairch?¡±


    Saorise opened her mouth to speak but Adonis spoke first, ¡°It means friend.¡±


    ¡°Ah. It¡¯s good to see that someone at least remembers our mother tongue.¡±


    ¡°Why are you really here?¡±


    She seemed a bit taken aback by his directness. There was a short pause as she considered his question.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had your eye on me since we parted from the legion. Why?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re not one of the 13th,¡± Adonis answered.


    Her expression shifted to that of slight exasperation, ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    But she recovered her composure, ¡°I can assure you I¡¯ve been here the entire time.¡±


    ¡°I would have recognised you if that were true.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big army,¡± she shrugged. ¡°You can¡¯t have possibly known everyone personally.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to. Looking at their faces is enough and I¡¯ve never seen yours before.¡±


    The Draekslanni woman¡¯s brow, ¡°I believe you¡¯ve clearly missed mine, Dath¨²il.¡±


    Adonis turned his head away slightly, a little soured. It wasn¡¯t an insult - far from it - but Rufinus misunderstood it as such based on his friend¡¯s reaction.


    ¡°You should rest whilst you can,¡± Rufinus cut in. ¡°There¡¯s no knowing when Gallus will call us back.¡±


    Gallus¡¯ name made Saorise wince slightly, ¡°Of course. That damned cock barely gives us any time to rest. Well, if you need me, I¡¯ll be resting by the trees. It¡¯s much quieter than over here.¡±


    It almost seemed like an invitation, but the two men had already made themselves comfortable where they were.


    ¡°Say,¡± Rufinus scratched his head, ¡°This is embarrassing but what was your name again?¡±


    ¡°Saorise,¡± she turned back, looking at Adonis, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll remember it.¡±


    She left the two besides themselves again.


    ¡°She seems friendly enough. Did you have to be so forward?¡±


    His companion didn¡¯t answer.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t trust her.¡±


    Adonis shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to make of her.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rufinus started massaging his right eye, ¡°If she were an enemy she had every opportunity to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    ¡°But, if she really was who she says she is, why doesn¡¯t she have a Ludcetan name?¡±


    He was referring to the symbol of a sparrow on the band on her hat. If she really had been of the Scholarly House Passer, they wouldn¡¯t have let her keep her real name. It would attract too much unwanted attention, that much they both knew.


    ¡°Alright, good point. But my gut tells me that she harbours no ill intent. And anyway, what assassin in their right mind would march with us into Daimon territory?¡±


    Adonis was trying to find that out. He suspected that she might have ulterior motives. It was rare for foreign so-called Maleficari to willingly volunteer themselves to the war effort. Even if they had a shared enemy, there had been too much resentment since the last Inquisition.


    The two went back to resting their eyes. They needed to recover as much Focus as possible if they wanted to return to the legion. Their run-in with Duxus Strixus had left them drained and shaken. Rufinus hoped that was the last they¡¯d see of a possessed human but Adonis predicted that they¡¯d be seeing more victims. His Kaevan eyes were struggling against the seal placed on them and the pain had increased so much more whenever he faced the city. He couldn¡¯t quite place why but he, and perhaps the other two Draekslanni, had noticed something had changed in Lidantium. And he didn¡¯t like it one bit.


    ¡°When did he give the order?¡±


    Duxus Aquiliana of the 12th Cohort pulled away. They had just finished exchanging information with each other - what Gallus had seen had left her looking grim, and what she had heard had left Gallus feeling equally so. She answered, ¡°40 Midis ago.¡±


    Gallus¡¯ tightened fists shook. It lined up some time before he tried contacting Laevinus. His squadron had still been searching for survivors after their terrible encounter with Strixus. Images of the legion being overwhelmed by a horde of Daimons or worse swirled in his mind. He felt guilty for feeling so lucky. But what could he have done if he had been there? But when he glanced over at the survivors being tended to by the 12th, he shook those thoughts off; no one would have thought that anyone would have survived the invasion, but here these survivors were - alive.


    ¡°You can¡¯t close the wall. I have orders to go back to the legion.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you understand what this means, Duxus Gallus? The legion is lost. The final order overrides all else."


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°You heard them for yourself. For once, can you not be so stubborn?¡±


    ¡°Duxus Aquilina,¡± Gallus spat, ¡°Even Magisters make mistakes.¡±


    ¡°This is insubordination and you know it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll worry about that when I return to Lumis. I only ask that you keep the shield open until we return.¡±


    ¡°This is foolhardy, even for you, Gallus,¡± Aquilina said, head tilted upward. ¡°You¡¯d endanger the rest of Ludceta just to throw your own life and the lives of your soldiers away.¡±


    Gallus gritted his teeth but did not respond. She was right. It was foolish. But he couldn¡¯t just turn around and leave.


    ¡°Just give us 8 Major Chronocycles. We will be back.¡±


    ¡°5 and no more. If the Daimons come, we¡¯re leaving.¡±


    As much as Gallus didn¡¯t like that time limit, he understood. He began to leave.


    ¡°There may be more survivors,¡± Gallus said from over his shoulder.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So they''re going to need someone to save them. You have enough soldiers to form rescue parties.¡±


    ¡°Those weren¡¯t part of my orders,¡± Aquilina said. ¡°The 12th leaves with the survivors we have already. I can¡¯t afford to sacrifice my soldiers for a rescue mission.¡±


    It was all procedure. In an event like this, at least one cohort could make it out alive. Nonetheless, Gallus could only think of one word: Coward.


    ¡°So you''ll abandon many more to their deaths, Aquilina?¡±


    ¡°If you want to play the hero then be my guest. Let¡¯s see how that works out for you this time.¡±


    That seemed to hit a nerve with Gallus. It took him a lot to bite back his tongue. Fury passed his face as he looked back at the other Duxus. It was a blessing that one of his men came to interrupt him.


    ¡°Duxus, we¡¯ve finished loading the Focus Potions onto the carts.¡±


    Gallus nodded at the soldier, one of the three Draekslanni that had been temporarily blinded in the tower.


    ¡°Get yourself and the others ready. We¡¯re leaving.¡±


    When the soldier went away, Gallus briefly exchanged a final glance with Aquilina. Her expression remained cold. If there was one thing he knew about this Duxus, it was that she was pragmatic to a fault. It was likely that she¡¯d shorten down their time limit if it ensured the survival of those in her stead - and that included the rest of Ludceta. She tipped her hat to him but he did not do the same.


    Duxus Gallus¡¯ squad took a fairly generous amount of Focus potion with them on the very carts that they used to haul the survivors. He watched all 18 of them assemble quite hastily. Duxus Aquilina seemed right in thinking that this was completely suicidal, but Gallus had been in a situation like this before. He had told them all that he had been keeping from them. There was some apprehension but it lasted for only for a moment. None showed any sign that they wanted to leave. Most had someone they knew. Oaths sworn. Promises made. Whatever the reason, it relieved Gallus. He wouldn¡¯t have to waste time or Focus into forcing them to march with him.


    Even if the legion had fallen, finding out what had happened to them was worth the danger - that kind of information would be highly valued by the Magisterium. But more than anything, it was hope that compelled Gallus to go back. After finding and recovering all of those survivors in the residential tower, that hope was renewed. And if there were surviving soldiers in the legion, how could he abandon them?


    He looked back towards the city. Though he couldn¡¯t find any trace of the legion - there were too many tall buildings obscuring his vision to see that closely - he noticed there had been a change in terrain in the middle section of the city where the Craft¡¯s District was usually located. Huge structures like walls appeared around the area. Beyond that, the Scholar¡¯s District pulsed brighter with ultraviolet light.


    ¡°Squadron! We march for Lidantium!¡±

 Chapter VII - Save the Legion!

    Warped stone clogged the passages and bridges leading to the Crafts District. The material was Daimonic in nature and thus its structure was as ever changing and complex as the beings that brought it forth into the Tirran plane. Near impenetrable. It would take a lot of time and Focus to break through the material - resources Gallus could not afford to waste. Had they grasped a greater understanding of the structure, it would have been greatly useful to wield and bend to their uses. Alas, the Magisterium Scholars that were tasked with studying the few shards recovered from previous battles had yet to yield results.


    Smashing a path through was off the table for the squadron. Going through the darkened tunnel bridges was less ideal. But nothing was stopping them from building a bridge of their own. They found a gap across the other side between two tunnel bridges; a sweet spot closest to the fastest path back to the city gates. It took four of the soldiers and a half vial of Focus to make a sturdy bridge that reached the other side. One wide enough to carry the entire legion out of the city. That is, if they did manage to let them survive.


    Taking no chances, Gallus ordered two soldiers to guard one end of the bridge and another two to go ahead and guard the other end. When both ends were fully shielded, and the two at the front signaled that the path ahead was safe, the Duxus led the squadron across.


    Adonis briefly over the side of the bridge to the chasm below. Layers upon layers of buildings and structures stretched all the way down; once giants themselves, they eventually formed a foundation built up over many Blinks to support the towers above. If they had found survivors in the Residential District, there must have been more still residing down there. Stuck. It seemed like it went on forever, so deep that even if the sky hadn¡¯t been dimmed by the thick Ichor and corruption in the air, the light of any star couldn¡¯t reach the darkness below.


    ¡°Do heights scare you?¡± came a familiar voice in his head, one he wasn¡¯t keen on hearing. Saorise.


    Hardly, he thought to himself. He sensed her poking about in his mind.


    ¡°Or, is it the dark?¡±


    ¡°Your eyes should be looking for Daimons.¡±


    ¡°Relax. A quick blink won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Keep out of my-¡±


    His voice cut off once they crossed into the Craft¡¯s District. Gallus¡¯ group took quick and careful steps through. It was as quiet as the Residential District. None of the Draekslanni sensed any Daimons hiding anywhere. Gallus had expected the entire place to be overrun for the legion to have fallen so quickly.


    ¡°Duxus, over there,¡± one soldier pointed out one of the many winding roads that rose upwards to the levels above.


    There was the sign Gallus needed; markings in the fleshy ground left by the boots of the legion. They wasted no time tracing the footsteps, finding corpses of Daimons in their wake until they came to another clot in the path leading to the Architect¡¯s Sector. They took alternate paths, but as they got closer they realised that the entire sector had been walled off by warped stone and hardened flesh. It wasn''t impossible to build a lift over the wall, it''s just that the squadron couldn¡¯t see what lay on the other side. Only the Draeklanni could feel a discomfort in their sealed Kaevan eyes but they couldn¡¯t pinpoint where it was coming from. Even Gallus acknowledged the stupidity of proceeding in blindly.


    ¡°We need to find higher ground,¡± Gallus said through Roya.


    The paths that would have given them a better vantage point were destroyed. The only other option was to look for a tall structure to peek from. Adonis¡¯ gaze fell upon one of the crescent buildings. The blockage stuck to it at the same level. The roof was exactly what they needed. His gaze hung on the building, not feeling anything in his sealed Kaevan eyes.


    ¡°Did you find it, half-serpent?¡±


    Adonis nodded, pointing Gallus toward the building.


    ¡°Any Daimonic presence?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    The other two Draekslanni took a long look at the building and gave a nod at Adonis¡¯ assessment. Gallus almost praised them but he remembered who he was addressing. He led his soldiers towards the building. As there was no entrance from their side, they constructed a lift up towards one of the windows and pushed the carts of Focus potion on. Inside, they saw that one half of the building had been completely blocked off by the wall, but saving on Focus, they could quickly reach the roof by forming another lift.


    They walked in a crouch for the cover of the parapet. Gallus halted the legion. He was the first to look over.


    If it hadn¡¯t been for the Soothing spell on him, he would have felt sick to his stomach by what he saw below. The entire legion lay in heaps across the Sculptor¡¯s Sector. The dulled colours of sullied cloaks and ichor-stained Monoceros horns poked out from under the web of sickly, purplish nerves. On all sides, they were surrounded by the corpses of Daimons - some more large and terrifying than anything they had seen before. A battle had taken place here. Despite the victories, it seemed to come at a heavy price.


    They didn¡¯t even make it to the Scholar¡¯s district.


    Gallus¡¯ eyes darted wildly, searching for the Magister Bellaxus. But with their positions and the pulsing flesh concealing their features, only a few faces could be made out. The longer the squadron looked, they soon realised that they were not all dead but instead, asleep. It relieved the group greatly to see that the soldiers below were breathing. Their chests rose and fell, some more erratically than others. But some weren¡¯t so lucky; they began to fall apart in a mess of nerves, sloughing off from their mail and lamellar. The squadron could only watch from above as some very quickly degraded into an unmoving mess of flesh with their eyes rolling out of their sockets.


    Many questions ran through their heads. No Daimon had ever done something like this before. They preferred a messy, yet quick and efficient kill. And looking closely, it seemed that the legion was fleeing from something. But what?


    ¡°What¡¯s happening to them?¡± Rufinus said - only one of many questions.


    ¡°The Daimons are trying to possess them. And with not much success, it seems.¡±


    The soldiers turned to Saorise.


    Gallus narrowed his eyes on her, ¡°And just how do you know that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a theory,¡± Saorise said, ¡°You ever wonder why there¡¯s so much of this guck on the floor?¡±


    Everyone seemed to recoil a little - their emotions were dampened, no thanks to the Soothers. That stuff was all over their boots. All of those people. On their boots. On their clothes¡­


    It almost made the Minoridaimons below look up. The squadron had to stifle their disgust and fear. The Daimons had crossed over from a bridge of warped stone that reached all the way to the Scholar¡¯s District. Thankfully none of them had noticed the soldiers from atop the crescent building.


    Still, the Draekslanni¡¯s words made Gallus feel a twinge of fear as some of his anxieties pushed against the Soothing spell in his mind. It was something that made him wonder if she was right. What actually determined the success of a possession? But even more pressing was another uncomfortable question.


    What if he saved someone that had been possessed?


    ¡°Fears. That¡¯s all they are. Don¡¯t abandon your brothers and sisters for a hunch,¡± the Soothing spell in his head told him.


    The voice was right. They were indeed just that: questions in his mind leading to frightful answers - irrational ones. No. He needed his mind clear - as contradictory as that was. Irrational hope brought him here after all.


    The squadron remained, observing the Minoridaimons. There were only a few targets to dispatch, all of them simple shambling Daimons that had arisen from bulky, equine Leucrocotta. Their eyes were stretched out from their sockets, probing at the sleeping bodies until they remained still over one of them. Tendrils from their bodies pulled the soldiers onto their backs. The possessed beasts picked up the eyes of the dead and some began carrying off a few bodies of the soldiers back over the bridge.


    ¡°Where are they taking them?¡± one soldier whispered.


    ¡°The Scholar¡¯s District, it seems,¡± Adonis answered.


    Rufinus¡¯ eyes were ablaze with urgency, ¡°We have to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Then enough talking, get yourselves ready,¡± Duxus Gallus said.


    The squadron took their positions, focused on the Minoridaimons below. Targets marked. Spells at the ready, the symbols glowing from their eyes.


    Gallus gave the signal.


    Quick, precise shots of light, fire and electricity struck their targets, burning out the possessed Leucrocotta¡¯s eyes and rendering them messy heaps of nerves. The soldiers on their backs fell off but did not wake. After a quick scan for any other hiding Daimons, the small squadron formed a large lift that reached the bottom and hauled the carts of Focus potions down. Once they descended, they hurried over to the sleeping soldiers.


    Rufinus took one by the shoulders and shook them firmly. When that failed, he tried pouring some Focus potion into their mouth. A sip should have been enough to stir someone awake, but the vial quickly emptied to halfway.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Adonis said. ¡°You¡¯re wasting it.¡±


    Rufinus stopped and shook his head as he set the soldier back down, ¡°Why isn''t it working¡­?¡±


    Adonis approached the soldier and placed a cold hand on his face. The soldier shifted in discomfort but his eyes did not open. He pried one lid open - the soldier¡¯s eyes were darting in a state of wild dreaming.


    ¡°This must be the work of a spell.¡±


    Like the others, they opened their eyes to Roya. He and Rufinus weren¡¯t as well studied as Valerian in Royan magic but like all humans, they just needed to know what they were dealing with. Both were met with the same sight. When they tried entering the Mindscapes of their brothers and sisters in arms, they felt themselves being thrown out, as if their minds were completely shielded off. Something really didn¡¯t want them in there.


    To Rufinus, he couldn¡¯t make sense of the mess that made up the shielding spell. With a few basic Royan spells, conjuring simple memories of his boredom, he tried to punch through. But his desperation bled into his spells, barely leaving a dent on the shield and instead making it stronger. Rufinus stopped. He was lacking in knowledge and he cursed himself for it.


    This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.


    Meanwhile, Adonis focused deeply into the mess. Looking closely, there were faded shapes. Symbols. They were blurry, but he could make out some of their vague forms. It seemed that Daimonic spells followed similar principles to the spells of this world. But what they meant eluded him. There seemed to be no rhyme or reason to how they were structured, nor what the symbols were meant to represent. It didn''t help that he couldn''t clearly see them. Not with these eyes.


    Still, that didn''t mean he couldn''t at least try.


    Like the others, he made an attempt at breaching the shield with spells conjured from the most mind-numbingly boring memories to sap the energy from the spell. Barely a dent - at least he hadn¡¯t fed the shield with any stray emotions. Then he tried something different. From the stray shapes he could make out, he tried repurposing them into a crude counterspell. Again, nothing happened. If he couldn¡¯t study the spell properly then finding the counterspell would be difficult and he didn¡¯t have the luxury of time on his side. He hissed through his teeth as he opened his eyes.


    ¡°Any luck?¡± Rufinus asked.


    Adonis shook his head and began rubbing his chin as he thought over what he had seen.


    Rufinus went on, ¡°This is no good. If only I''d paid more attention in Royan classes. O animus meus, I wish Val were here¡­¡±


    He turned to see his friend still ruminating on his thoughts.


    ¡°What¡¯s on your mind, Ado?¡±


    ¡°Lack of knowledge isn¡¯t the problem,¡± he began drawing out what he had seen in lights, ¡°¡®We can''t study what we can''t properly perceive.¡¯ I could barely make out the symbols myself.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah, I remember that class in form fundamentals¡­ Wait, you saw symbols? Is that it? All I saw was a haze.¡±


    ¡°Only faintly. And before you ask, I do not know what it means. Yet.¡±


    ¡°So, what are we going to do?¡±


    Adonis tensed. The backdrop of the silvery shield put even more pressure on them.


    ¡°We should look for Val. There isn¡¯t much time.¡±


    Rufinus nodded back but still bothered by his inability to help. They began looking around for their friend, searching through all of the black-robed soldiers that were oddly scattered across the battlefield, mixed with the others. Close to them were wagons, toppled over with more bodies spilling out - some alive but others long passed away. Not one of them had their friend¡¯s face.


    They overheard the Duxus in passing, shouting at the Soothers around him.


    ¡°What''s taking so long?¡± Gallus barked at his Soothers. ¡°Do you have any idea how little time we have left?!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying, Duxus. There¡¯s a Daimonic spell on their minds. We can¡¯t-¡±


    ¡°Don''t you dare give me that, Maleficari!¡±


    It frustrated them all that none could figure out a counterspell. They cursed their lack of knowledge but one could hardly blame them. They were young and had hardly finished their Collegium studies. What they needed was a High Scholar or a Magister. Their Duxus was no specialist of Roya either - Gallus was even more frustrated, especially with the lack of time they had given. 30 Chronocycles had passed and they hardly had any time to waste. As much as they wanted to carry them all out, there was no knowing if they¡¯d be carrying dead weight; the soldiers could unravel into nerves if left like this. Or worse¡­


    ¡°Even our own Soothers can¡¯t wake them¡­¡± Rufinus muttered, occasionally kneeling down to rip off the grimy flesh covering the soldiers to get a good look at their faces.


    ¡°This is beyond them.¡± Adonis had his eyes to the ground, spotting any other soldiers from the 13th that were missed.


    ¡°A little harsh, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a slight to them. They lack knowledge.¡±


    ¡°All of us do,¡± Rufinus let out a sigh. He felt frustrated by how powerless they all felt. ¡°So you¡¯re saying we need a Magister of Roya to wake them?¡±


    ¡°No. A prodigy.¡±


    Rufinus smiled uneasily. There was only one person that they knew by that description - even if that person didn¡¯t believe it themselves. They hoped to find him soon.


    They passed by Saorise, eyes closed and kneeling before some of the soldiers.


    Or perhaps someone who can see what we can''t¡­


    Adonis¡¯ attention was taken by the sight of a cloak some yards away. It had been mired by dirt, but he could see that undoubtedly, that it was once a shimmering white. He broke away from Rufinus, to search through the 1st Cohort. It looked as if they were trying to hold something back with a few other cohorts before they all succumbed to cursed sleep. There were strange patches here, gaps and impressions that suggested that someone once lay there but had been taken by the possessed Leucrocottas that came to carry them away to the Scholar¡¯s District. He had seen patches like this about the battlefield but not nearly as many as what he had seen anywhere else - it seemed the 1st Cohort was favoured.


    He froze. Beyond the heaps of soldiers and Monoceri, he saw a small flap of dark cloth; the tip of a hat with raven feathers hanging from its pointy end.


    His hands pulled apart the nerves hurriedly. He dug out the hat but its owner was missing. He searched further and deeper but he couldn¡¯t find the person. It was only then when he had tore out most of the nerves that he saw it. There was an impression on the ground where he had found the hat. There were two other impressions. There were dragging marks on the ground. The owner seemed to have crawled to the other two.


    ¡°Rufus,¡± Adonis called out.


    Rufinus rushed over to him. In his hands, Adonis held Valerian¡¯s hat and passed it to him in his trembling hands - the emblem of House Corvus and his name engraved on the metal band of his hat. His amber eyes stared down at the imprint left by his body.


    ¡°No¡­ Val, this can¡¯t be¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not dead. They¡¯ve taken him.¡±


    Rufinus should have felt relieved but he felt the slight twinge of dread pushing through the Soothing spell.


    ¡°It looks like he crawled here,¡± Adonis said, looking at the surrounding soldiers of the 1st Cohort.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Adonis gestured outwards and Rufinus followed his hand back and forth around the area.


    ¡°Did you notice how strange how the 13th were spread across all of the Cohorts? All of them have wagons with the wounded on them.¡±


    Rufinus¡¯ eyes widened, ¡°They were rescuing people.¡±


    Adonis nodded, ¡°But, why would Val be all the way here? He¡¯s too far from the rest.¡±


    ¡°Then¡­ There was someone that needed rescuing in the 1st Cohort.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    They looked at the space by their feet. The other impressions suggested that there were once two other people there who had fallen close by. They uncovered the nerves close to them and found two Monoceri. There was a silver one, the red and white colouration of the cloth hanging from its lamellar suggested that this was Magister Bellaxus¡¯ Monoceros. Straight away, they recognised the blue-hair from underneath the lamellar armour of the second steed and the patterns that adorned its cloth. This was Cyrene, the Tribunus¡¯ Monoceros. It was all coming together for them. Valerian had crawled all the way to help the Tribunus and the Magister Bellaxus.


    They heard footsteps approaching and turned to see their Duxus, searching grimly amongst the 1st Cohort.


    Gallus pushed past them, ¡°Move aside.¡±


    They watched his reaction as he saw what they had seen; the Duxus had let his face go pale. After a long pause, Gallus turned and saw Valerian¡¯s hat in Rufinus¡¯ hands.


    ¡°Whose hat is that? Did you find that here?!¡±


    Rufinus nodded, ¡°Valerian Corvus.¡±


    ¡°Corvus? Why was he here?¡±


    His question sounded accusatory. The two told him what their investigation had led them to believe. The Duxus didn''t know what to say; it surprised him that the ¡®coward¡¯ would do something so brave. Surprise turned to a blank stare. The Magister Bellaxus and the Tribunus had been taken along with nearly a quarter of the legion. As to why, he didn''t know. He needed to go to the Scholar¡¯s District to find out.


    But they couldn''t just leave the sleeping soldiers behind. More of them were falling apart from failed possessions the longer they remained. But the worst of their worries was the possibility of a successful possession. All the Soothers could do was ward away the Daimons that hovered around the vulnerable minds, but even they were stretched so thin that they couldn''t protect everyone.


    In the worst case, he would order his soldiers to create a chain of large carriages to transport the survivors far from Daimon infested territory, but that would leave him with few men and women to take with him to the Scholar¡¯s District. He still held onto hope that Laevinus and the Tribunus would be alive there. His hope had brought him this far. He wasn''t about to give up on anyone now.


    ¡°Duxus! I managed to wake one of them!¡±


    With his attention taken, he ordered Adonis and Rufinus to keep gathering more information and to take on the grim task of gathering eyes along the way. One of the soldiers had woken up near the Soothers. And then more began to stir.


    ¡°How did you do that?¡±


    The Soother shook her head, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I just cast another spell to break the shield and then it broke!¡±


    She showed everyone the spell. With that, Gallus and the others quickly learned it, too desperate to notice the strange shapes found within; it seemed like a typical Royan spell but harsh gashes formed the symbols of the script. Immediately everyone began using the spell - to varying success - on the sleeping soldiers, waking them from their accursed sleep.


    But Adonis noticed Saorise resting her eyes. They slowly opened with the faint violet trace of an unknown spell on her deep marine eyes. She must have felt his suspicious gaze on her as she immediately glanced at him for a moment. She gave him a casual wave before helping the others rejuvenate the awakened soldiers with Focus potions.


    The waking soldiers were tended to by Gallus¡¯ men. The few Duxii that had awoken thanked Gallus for coming back to them and showed him all they had seen.


    ¡°A Princidaimon¡­¡± Gallus went pale again.


    ¡°Yes. We couldn''t do anything to stop it.¡±


    It disheartened Gallus to hear such things but he didn''t want to let it discourage him. There was a mad fear that was being suppressed deep inside him.


    ¡°I''m leading the 13th again,¡± Gallus began, ¡°And we shall go to the Scholar¡¯s District to save those who were kidnapped by the Daimons.¡±


    The other Duxii paused in horror.


    ¡°That''s suicide!¡±


    ¡°Aquilina told me the same thing. Yet I did not abandon you.¡±


    The other Duxus looked ashamed and quieted down.


    ¡°Then do you at least have a plan to kill the Daimon?¡±


    Gallus paused, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You expect us to join you to fight that thing without a plan?!¡±


    ¡°I don''t plan on killing the Princidaimon, Galanis. I intend to retrieve the rest of the legion. The Magister Bellaxus included.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s preposterous. For all we know, they could all be dead! Or possessed!¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t know that,¡± Gallus said, ¡°I intend on finding out.¡±


    ¡°I''ll go with you,¡± said one newly appointed Duxus of the 1st Cohort, Aegeus Columbidos. ¡°I won''t fault you all for wanting to leave, but remember that Magister Bellaxus Laevinus and Tribunus Virgilius were willing to give their lives so that most of you and your troops could escape. And should we fail to save them, at least the ones that survive will have something to tell the Magisterium.¡±


    After that, the Duxus of the 2nd, 5th, 6th and 10th agreed to join Gallus. The rest wanted to return with the 12th at the edge of the forest. When Gallus told those that wanted to leave about the potential survivors in the Residential District, many were willing to take the time to search and rescue survivors on their way back.


    The Cohorts had reassembled on their own. They had used up nearly half of the supply of Focus potion and the other half had been distributed amongst most of the soldiers who were going to the Scholar''s District. Adonis had returned back to the outer layer of the legion with Rufinus by his side. Rufinus had Valerian¡¯s hat band attached to his belt like many others who had done the same for their missing friends and loved ones. But Adonis and Rufinus were determined to find their friend. They knew in their hearts that he was alive. Saorise lined up a few in behind Adonis. He could feel her gaze on him. She was holding onto her pendant tightly as she looked at the Scholar¡¯s District with the same determination as the others.


    Then, the representative Duxus of the 1st Cohort led the march. The legion finally split and parted ways.


    Gallus checked his Chronograph. They had less than 4 major Chronocycles left.

 Chapter VIII - Trapped in Dreams

    Valerian¡¯s steps shattered and tore through the piles of holograph tablets and paper pages. He tried to ignore the crashing sounds behind him, but he couldn¡¯t push them out of his mind. As if he suddenly had an extra set of eyes at the back of his head, he could see shelves being knocked over by something in the growing darkness. Through brief glimpses in the orange lighting, purplish tendrils propelled the thing forwards, extinguishing the light around it as it advanced. And it was gaining on him fast.


    Seeing both forwards and backwards wasn¡¯t doing poor Valerian any favours. He couldn¡¯t tell what direction he was running in. Then as if it couldn''t get any worse, his vision was filled with the sight of that thing running towards him. He was incapable of stopping, nor turning or running backwards. Even so, a part of him knew that it would have been futile - that¡¯s what sealed the deal for him. Time seemed to slow as he ran towards it until it felt as if he was a minor Chronocycle away from colliding with it. Its entire form flashed with ultraviolet; a faceless giant, with many writhing protrusions like wings, hunched over with its hat¡¯s point poised at him like a sharp beak.


    ¡°You''re no son of mine.¡±


    A short scream escaped his throat.


    Then he fell to the side. He didn''t know how it happened. At least he didn''t collide with that thing.


    Stumbling through the shelves and rolling through books, papers and tablets, he found himself in a secluded space. It was lit by a few thoughts and feelings, some of those opened up showing him the Magister Bellaxus lying unconscious, looking as if he were trying to shield the Tribunus. Another showing the small slip of a Teleportare stone poking out from the Tribunus¡¯ pocket. This was one of many hidden compartments created in his mind to hide away things that needed to remain hidden. As a Corvus, it was one of the first things he was taught to make.


    Finally, some peace and quiet.


    He knew he was dreaming. Everything he observed had all the classic hallmarks of a nightmare. He was just powerless to wake from it. Any attempt to open his eyes to Tirra would deplete what little Focus he had regained - no thanks to that damned Daimonic mind-trap spell that drained any Focus that went past a very low threshold. At least he had enough energy in him to be lucid.


    Barely so. I suppose that¡¯s better than not being lucid at all. Magus¡­ What have I gotten myself into?


    The surface of his Mindscape had been ransacked and as a result of it, there were less thoughts around to throw him into long tangents. Memories of some minor Chronocycles before he was trapped in his own mind were hazy and confused but he did remember crawling over the bodies of his sleeping brothers and sisters and arms. He remembered reaching the Magister Bellaxus and the Tribunus. But whether his spell to wake them reached them remained to be seen.


    As much as he wanted to, he couldn¡¯t remain in hiding for long. He could sense something wriggling and poking around the surface of his mind, trying to burrow deeper but finding no purchase. How it made him shiver! This Daimon that was really trying its best to possess him - at least that''s what he assumed it was doing. Other than that, he had certainly fed it a good helping of fear.


    Thankfully, it hadn¡¯t breached. He didn¡¯t feel as though he were losing any control over his mind. The fact that this place still reassembled the library that he was familiar with was more than enough proof of that, even if it were in disarray. All entrances leading to his deeper parts of his mind were locked up tight and hidden. Again, it was another bit of compulsory learning that only members of house Corvus were privy to - though that didn¡¯t stop him from sharing what he knew with his closest friends. Well, he did try to explain it the best he could but he had a feeling he was annoying them¡­


    Ah, I¡¯m thinking in tangents again. Wait. Does this mean the Daimon¡¯s given up?


    That was certainly a possibility. Maybe it was safe to come out of hiding. With limited Focus, his awareness of his own mind had been greatly reduced. The landscape of the surface layer of his Mindscape had changed drastically thanks to that rampaging Daimon, so he couldn¡¯t teleport as easily between thoughts.


    At least, there was one thing that remained the same: the edge of his mind. At least there, he could see the Princidaimon¡¯s spell.


    Maybe¡­ Maybe I can study it and find a counterspell. Damnare! Of all the things I could have forgotten, why did it have to be the counterspell?


    That final memory of him shattering past the spell to enter someone else¡¯s mind came into view. He was sure he had entered the Magister Bellaxus¡¯ mind; that was his intention. It was a wonder how he managed to do it so quickly but then again, he made similar miracles happen during his exams.


    As he pictured the edge of his Mindscape, it appeared before him. He climbed out of the small tunnel of books and found a huge wall of partly- transparent ultraviolet; the Daimonic Mind Trap spell surrounded the whole of his mind. He couldn¡¯t get out and nothing could get in. Beyond it, he saw the faint trace of other minds, all locked up the same way and the overwhelming presence of that same monster that chased him in his nightmares.


    Long tendrils of ultraviolet, like probing fingers, seemed to be stuck in all of those minds. A leviathan of squiggles that pushed themselves into places so vulnerable to most beings of Magus. He felt his skin crawl - a scent most satisfying for the creature. But he had to stifle that fear, lest he attract that nightmarish thing to himself again.


    Studying the wall before him was¡­ Challenging to say the least. It seemed impossible to study - a messy soup of symbols. Overlaying. Moving with no rhyme or reason. Or at least it seemed that way. A failed attempt at a counterspell would take all of his remaining Focus and pull him back into the nightmare. Each failure would cost him time before he¡¯d be completely possessed.


    How in Kaeva did I manage to figure it out earlier¡­?


    Whilst lost in his thoughts, he felt that crawling feeling on his skin intensify. It was too much for him to ignore. So, he made the mistake of looking down.


    Numerous violet worms wriggled up his cloak. They crawled under his lamellar. Inside his boots. In his-


    He let out a blood-curdling scream. His hands slapped and brushed them off but they just kept coming. The whole ground was covered in those worms. As his fear grew, he sank deeper. Arising from the mass was the Princidaimon. Or at least, a part of it. For a moment he saw how the rest of it extended beyond the ultraviolet wall and moved freely, just like the other protrusions that poked into the other minds. A faint, crackling shimmer surrounded where its form touched the spell.


    A tablet resurfaced from the mass of worms; he remembered a flash when he broke through into the Magister¡¯s mind. He waded through the worms, scarcely catching the memory before it was lost to the Daimon¡¯s destructive influence again. The Princidaimon extended its wings and dove upward like a writhing wave. Clutching the memory tightly, Valerian braced for its descent.


    The bodies of Daimons littered the marble floors and several dozen more fell as the legion advanced through Lidantium¡¯s Magisterium - the centrepiece of every Scholar¡¯s District. There were no casualties since they had left the Crafts District; it seemed that the legion had seen the worst of it. Pavonikos didn¡¯t want to celebrate too early, but they couldn¡¯t deny that spirits were high in this instance. And they were only rising higher with every civilian they rescued along the way.


    Each Cohort split apart and rejoined for each section of the Collegium. They scoured each room, cleansing it of Daimons and finding survivors hiding within Haven Shields. Students, Scholars and other faculty of D''Luminarii were saved then left behind to wait in a designated safe zone - the Duelling Halls.


    Before the 1st Cohort left the room to rejoin the others, Pavonikos stopped in their tracks. There was that voice again, quieter now but unmistakably it was the same voice that had been trying to warn them since the legion secured the Craft¡¯s District. They had brushed it off as a prank earlier. If it was a prank then the person behind it was very perseverant. And this really wasn¡¯t the time or place. They glanced at the other soldiers as they left the room, looking for any signs of mischief.


    ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Tribunus?¡±


    Pavonikos turned to see the Magister Bellaxus standing beside them. He wasn¡¯t the prankster - the voice he heard was too light and unassertive. Still, it never did hurt to ask.


    ¡°Did you say something to me, Magister?¡±


    Laevinus shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing a voice, Magister. It¡¯s been bothering me. I wanted to ask if you had heard the same thing for some time.¡±


    Laevinus arched a brow, ¡°I can¡¯t say that I have. Where did you hear this voice?¡±


    Pavonikos told him the details and relayed what the voice sounded like. Laevinus¡¯ face went serious.


    ¡°It must be a hallucination. A Daimon trick, perhaps. Pay it no mind, Tribunus.¡±


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    Pavonikos nodded as he watched the rest of the 1st and 13th trickle out of the room. For a moment, they lingered. That message seemed important but he couldn¡¯t tell what it meant.


    They were already awake.


    The words were beginning to create a strange uncertainty that he didn¡¯t need. The Magister was right. They were beginning to think that this was some Daimon trick intended to make them doubt themselves. So, they put that voice aside in their mind. They wouldn¡¯t entertain it anymore, no matter how much it called to them.


    Valerian crawled back to the edge of his Mindscape once more. He had lost count of how many times he had come to this point before being thrown back. But he always made sure to keep a memory with him before it was destroyed by the Princidaimon. In his arms, he had a sizeable number of books and tablets from those experiences. Most importantly was a memory that he had to sneak deep into one of the hidden layers of his mind to recall.


    Activating the tablet, he was met with images of the battle in the Craft¡¯s District. He remembered how that behemoth of a Caputidaimon was brought to its knees as it passed through the Golden Dome. It seemed that its own shield was shattered the moment it breached past the dome. The whole thing seemed very similar to how the Princidaimon can move in and out of its own Mind Trap spell - which behaved similarly to a shield, keeping things in and specific things out. The shield that encompassed the Princidaimon seemed strong enough to disrupt its own shields without completely shattering it.


    But he did shatter the spell before. He just couldn¡¯t remember what counterspell he used to do it.


    It was impossible for him to fully study the Mind Trap spell; he didn¡¯t need to understand it fully to break it last time so he looked to what he already knew. What did he understand about the spell in his moments of extreme stress that led to that breakthrough? If he could remember that then perhaps he¡¯d remember the counterspell.


    He had studied specialist spells that behaved similarly to the thing encasing his mind. A Royan one had been created with the specific purpose of locking people in dreams like this one had. Others were used to completely shielding themselves from other minds. And he had heard of a few Kyrusian spells that had been used by the Neqarii that drained the Focus of others to subdue them. Perhaps a combination of their counterspells would work. Something to disrupt the Mind Trap enough to shatter it completely.


    But there was just one problem. To come up with such a counterspell would completely drain him.He could feel the Daimons burrowing into him and their attacks were increasing in frequency. And there was no knowing if the spell would work.


    ¡°Come on¡­ Just this once¡­¡±


    A weakly shimmering combination of rings formed and adjoined together. He did his best to translate what he had learned from the Neqarii texts and wove them together with the rest of the Ludcetan script that formed the intricacies of the spell. The rings rotated and interlocked into a 3 dimensional shape, just stable enough to hold together.


    With an imagined deep breath, he pushed the finished spell into the shield. The counterspell spun violently, trying its best to break the Princiaimon¡¯s spell. There was a bright flash. It took a while for his vision to clear.


    But the spell remained.


    Disregarding whether the Daimons sensed him or not, Valerian cried out and threw his fists upon the shield. After that brief bout of madness, Valerian sunk to his knees and pressed his hands upon the shield. Self doubt returned once again. He could hear those voices reaffirming just how useless he was.


    ¡°A disappointment of a Corvus¡­¡± whispered the worms that engulfed him once more.


    The Princidaimon lay dead at their feet. Pavonikos stood in astonishment, gold-nacreous eyes still aglow with the killing spell.


    The legion fought fiercely with all their might, but all it took to down the monster was the light of Paradis. Pavonikos had trained hard to attain ancient knowledge, but it was only now that they wielded the pure knowledge of Magus as a glaive, right when everyone needed it the most. That very glaive pierced through its defenses, disrupted its spells and severed it at the stem of its brain, striking it off from all of Magus¡¯ five faces.


    Most would have been proud of themselves for such an impressive deed but Pavonikos didn¡¯t know what to feel. The tap of a hand on their shoulder snapped them out of their daze.


    ¡°It''s over, Tribunus.¡±


    Laevinus¡¯ words sounded surreal in their ears. As if emerging from underwater, their ears were then filled with joyous frenzy from the legion. Pavonikos couldn¡¯t help but be swept up by it all.


    Lidantium was saved. That was something to celebrate.


    After taking some time to process it all, Laevinus ordered his men:


    ¡°Legionarii, we march for home.¡±


    Words Pavonikos was relieved to hear.


    As they streamed out of the Magisterium, they were met with huge crowds of survivors; they had all emerged from their hiding spots to thank their saviours. It was like the ending scene to an epic theatre play. The city of Euphonies was filled with music once again as they were leaving and they were met with more music as they walked through the Praeterium Gates and into Lumis. Home at last.


    Celebrations extended all across Ludceta over their victory. At the heart of Lumis, Pavonikos found themself sat beside their father amongst all the other High Magisters on a table overlooking the entire city. The Magisterium sang their praises to the brave soldiers. Men and women reunited with their loved ones. Nothing overjoyed Pavonikos more than seeing peace finally being restored.


    So why did they feel so drained?


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, Floriana.¡±


    The younger Pavonikos blinked in confusion. The words had certainly come from their father¡¯s mouth. How had he known¡­? But the genuine look on his face brought Pavonikos overflowing with joy.


    And yet, it all seemed too easy to be real.


    Beneath their happiness, there lingered a sense that something was amiss. Something they couldn¡¯t quite place.


    ¡°... please, wake up¡­¡±


    There it was again. That voice came back a little louder, germinating that small seed of doubt. Pavonikos looked around to find its source. It repeated itself, loud enough to hear clearly even under the music. They got up from their seat.


    ¡°Where are you going, Floriana?¡±


    Pavonikos stopped in place. They weren¡¯t really sure themselves.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going out for a bit of fresh air.¡±


    Their father didn¡¯t seem to think much of it. He raised a cup and simply told them to come back soon before they missed the Light-Dancers and the Cornucopia Ceremony. Pavonikos walked away and their smile fell into a look of uncertainty. They wandered past the crowds, picking up the faint voice in their head again with their eyes open to Roya.


    ¡°... in danger¡­¡±


    ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°... wake up¡­¡±


    ¡°Why do you keep saying that? I¡¯m already awake!¡±


    With hurried steps, they followed the voice. They could hear it much clearly as it led them through the winding streets to an oddly barren part of Lumis. But these streets didn¡¯t look like Lumis. The Craft¡¯s District of Lumis should have been bustling with more performers and partygoers. But it was barren and bereft of any structures or stalls.


    Pavonikos could hear it much clearly with each advancing step and there was that same presence they felt before. Like an overwhelming sensation of fear in their head. They could have sworn that they had felt this sensation before. It was powerful. Suffocating. But they couldn¡¯t quite place where they had felt it before.


    The voice was so loud that it filled their entire head. The source of it was nowhere to be seen but it sounded so close. Pavonikos grabbed at their ears and threw their head down to block it all out.


    When they opened their eyes, they discovered that the source had been right below them. Right in the centre of the Architect¡¯s Sector, there were several rings, weakly glowing and rotating with Ludcetan script. Written at the centre of the spell was the message that plagued them ever since leaving the Craft¡¯s District. Based on the pinkish-coloration and its structure, Pavonikos recognised it as a Royan spell. But that couldn¡¯t have been possible. All Royan spells dissipate out of their respective realm, especially in the realm of elements.


    Unless this place wasn¡¯t Tirra.


    Upon touching the spell, their whole world seemed to unveil. Pavonikos¡¯ mind was flooded with memories. They remembered that battle. The Princidaimon. How they failed to stop it. Their Mindscape quivered with fear, shifting into that terrible scene. Lumis became the ruins of Lidantium. Piles upon piles of bodies surrounded them. Pavonikos looked up to find that same Princidaimon burrowing into their Mindscape, feeding off of their joy. With the dream lifted from their eyes, Pavonikos could feel it accessing their memories, trying to learn everything it could about them. And with each bit of information it gathered, more of the Tribunus¡¯ mental shields broke down.


    Pavonikos needed to think fast. They didn¡¯t know how long they had left before the Princidaimon would taste their change in emotion and they only had a limited amount of Focus to use.


    Royan spells could only ward away these Daimons. But if he wanted to get rid of them once and for all and avoid getting possessed, they needed to take drastic measures.


    Paradis was knowledge and its light could be summoned throughout any of the realms. And here in Roya, even with the smallest bit of Focus its power was strongest, but highly destructive. Releasing that much knowledge within their own mind would surely burn their own essence.


    But, if it meant preventing a powerful Daimon from using their knowledge to harm others, Pavonikos was willing to scramble and scorch their own mind to do so.


    They formed a small spell; a single circle marked with the symbol of Paradis. From it, a tiny ball of light flashed quietly. A miniature Morningstar.


    The Princidaimon retracted its head, looking directly at the thing.


    Light quickly flooded the entirety of Pavonikos¡¯ Mindscape. Engulfed in pure knowledge, the Princidaimon shrieked with signals of pure agony. It thrashed about, looking for an exit. Too little, too late. Too much knowledge made parts of it erupt into small globules. Only a slither of it made it out.


    When the light faded, a large gash was left in Pavonikos¡¯ mind. Confusion and exhaustion overtook Pavonikos, but they remained standing, looking up for a brief few moments. Before they fell back into their dream, they blearily glimpsed a few more tendrils of ultraviolet approaching.


    Music returned to their ears. How pleasant. They didn''t want to miss the rest of the celebrations.

 Chapter IX - A Violent Stirring

    The legion had split into Imisyions. One half made their way out of the city, whilst the other half led by Aegeus, Duxus of the 1st Cohort continued onward into the Scholar¡¯s District. The Cohorts spread themselves out and travelled through the district under the cover of illusory Veils and extensive Soothing spells - an expensive manoeuvre, but they could not afford to attract the Princidaimon to themselves again. Not with how unprepared they were.


    Eliminating the threat was no longer their objective. Now, their goal was solely to investigate and rescue.


    They followed some distance behind some shambling Leucrocottas carrying civilians on their backs - from their clothes, Caputi Scholarii. The 13th were situated at the front of the Imisyions, with the Draekslanni looking out for any other Daimons and keeping track of the Leucrocottas. The mounted 1st Cohort led from the back. The remaining Monoceri that were unmounted were absent, having been ordered to join the other half of the legion. Except one.


    Nethuns walked, riderless and with the same unwavering determination in his eyes that he always had. He had been adamant on finding Laevinus, dead or alive. None could dissuade the Monoceros, not that anyone wanted to. It would have been hypocritical on their part if they tried.


    It was a quality that Rufinus admired in the Monoceros. He too had come to this awful place to look for a friend. Once more, it had been his turn to maintain the shields and Veil, and he took his place beside Adonis.


    ¡°Any sign of him?¡± he spoke into his friend¡¯s mind between blinks.


    Adonis shook his head subtly without looking at him. He was more vigilant than ever, despite the discomfort that bit through the Tribunus¡¯ pain suppression spell - he was good at hiding it. The background sensations had gotten stronger since the Imisyion entered the district. It was becoming incredibly difficult for him and the Draekslanni to distinguish a Daimon from the rest of the environment. Instead, it was easier to pick out one of their own and Adonis hoped to use that to find any sleepers. Not a single person had been found yet. Let alone his friend.


    Rufinus left Adonis to it, lending his Focus to the veil and his sight to the darkened areas. The rest of Lidantium had been in terrible shape but to him and others, the Scholar¡¯s District barely resembled anything in Ludceta or anything within Magus¡¯ Five Faces. It looked like the forming body of some impossible beast rather than a district. The entirety of it was built upon warped stone and flesh. Strange buildings seemed to contract and relax on instinct.


    The only thing that he vaguely recognised was the spine-like structure that ran through the centre of the district; where the city¡¯s Magisterium once stood. A line of spiked segments, glowing with an intense ultraviolet hue that lit the entire district in an eerie purple hue. The signals that ran through all of the vessels and nerves spread over the entire city appeared to originate from the spine.


    ¡®Adiuta Magus¡­ What happened to this place?¡¯


    Even more troubling were the many empty scraps of clothing that clung to the flesh ground, almost forming mounds in places.  It seemed unlikely they¡¯d find anyone alive or unpossessed here, yet, Gallus was determined. The other Duxii were less optimistic, but they still wanted to find out what happened to those who were selected to be brought here.


    As they slowly passed through, they spotted a few Daimons a few blocks ahead of them: possessed Monoceri kneeled in a line, pressing their branched horns against one of the larger vessels. Adonis¡¯ gaze lingered upon the Daimons.


    ¡°What do you see, Ado?¡±


    Adonis pointed with his eyes. Upon closer inspection, the Daimons were falling apart slowly. The ultraviolet that ran through their vessels had grown weaker, almost showing no impulses around the extremities. Bit by bit the Daimons were sloughing away. Then their eyes had completely fallen out of their heads, rendering them a mess that spilled over the floor. The mess began to slowly reform, joining the larger vessel. Upon joining the whole, ultraviolet began to run through it once more.


    ¡°Any idea why this is happening to them, Ado?¡± asked Rylan.


    Adonis¡¯ eyes were narrowed. It seemed as though the Daimon¡¯s hosts were degrading just as if they were in the process of death. They weren¡¯t injured. Was it disease? Or something more? There were too many gaps in his knowledge to understand what was happening. Perhaps he was looking at it with the wrong set of eyes.


    ¡°No,¡± he finally answered.


    Rufinus sighed. He knew that look in his friend¡¯s eyes but he quickly tapped his shoulder, ¡°Come. Before the Duxus bites our heads off again.¡±


    As much as Adonis wanted to stay there and observe, the Imisyion was already moving on to catch up with the Leucrocottas. In the meantime, he compiled what he had seen before sending it to the Duxii. They all passed through the Monoceri once stood, picking up their eyes along the way, as they had done with all the eyes they had found.


    When they came past a certain street, the Draekslanni stopped in their tracks.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Saorise spoke first.


    ¡°Everyone, hide!¡±


    Their message reached Duxus Gallus first. Immediately, he relayed it throughout the Imysion. Everyone took their positions around the area, holding still - they were near-invisible, so long as they didn¡¯t cause the slightest disturbance in the environment around them. A great wind blew through the wide pathway. It almost knocked the pointed hats off of most of the soldiers, but they held onto them tightly.


    They saw it: up in the air, the Prinicidaimon rushed through the sky with its great, interlocking wings of flesh. Its body crackled with energy as it dove unsteadily over the Daimonic structures.


    Adonis and Rufinus stared up at the thing, fear mounting under the Soothing spell. It was nothing like their encounter with the possessed Duxus Strixus. Adonis and the other Draekslanni felt pain shoot through their heads even with just a momentary glance. As much as he wanted to, Adonis didn¡¯t flinch. He didn¡¯t blink.


    But to the others that had encountered the Daimon before, its main body looked worse for wear; its human limbs were crossed over each other, shrivelled. The robes of nerves that it donned were beginning to slough off. A few of its eyes fell from its wings and head, raining down upon the soldiers below.


    One of them bounced off of the brim of one soldier¡¯s hat.


    The Princidaimon stopped.


    All were still. The soldier in question had shut her eyes, focusing on clearing her mind. Others did the same. As if it heard the closing of eyelids, the Princidaimon landed, each wing grasping on the two structures on either side of the path. It lowered itself like a spider. Everyone struggled not to let any bit of fear bleed out and the Soothers were working overtime to keep everyone calm. Bodies became statues. Breaths held. The Imysion grew light-headed. Those few Minor Chronocycles felt like forever.


    The Princidaimon eventually moved on, quickly launching itself upwards, towards the spine-like Magisterium building. Rubble and viscera rained down upon the soldiers once more. They delayed their breaths and movements a few seconds more until few could hold it no longer.


    Relieved, everyone took a moment to regain their breaths and recharge their Focus in turns. Some did not hesitate to take a long drink of Focus potion. Looking back, Adonis saw the Princidaimon perch itself at the top of the spinal structure. With a strange jerky movement, it descended down.


    ¡®It¡¯s atrophying, Adonis thought to himself; a blessing, for if it remained above them any longer, it would have surely sighted the Imysion.


    The others took this time to rest and digest what they had experienced. They had lost the Leucrocottas for now. It would take some time before they could recover their energies and regain their bearings to continue onward. Ample time for Adonis to get his thoughts together before relaying what he saw to all the Duxii.


    ¡°That was close,¡± Rufinus said with a wavering mental voice.


    He descended to a kneel beside his companion and took a sip of Focus potion - they had both been conservative of their consumption, still having 4 full vials and one less than halfway empty.


    ¡°It was falling apart like the others. That¡¯s a bit strange, wouldn¡¯t you say?¡±


    ¡°I think I know why,¡± Adonis said.


    ¡°Huh?


    ¡°Later.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Ado. Don¡¯t keep me in suspense.¡±


    Meanwhile, the Duxii had the grim work of collecting up the eyes discarded by the Princidaimon. As they collected up the eyes, they noticed that they were all different colours, gleaming like gemstones and dripping with ichor - their gemstone quality, a sign that they once belonged to Ludcetan citizens. Human ones.


    Gallus stared at the eyes in his hand. He was reminded of what befell Strixus. Disgust and horror rose up, blocked within the Soothing spell. So many people had befallen such a terrible fate. Though he wished he had been there earlier by some strange circumstance, what could he have possibly done about it?At least it was a mercy that they were in his hands once more. He could grant them some peace.


    Yet, as he burned them away to Paradis, he felt uneasy. The Daimon possessing Strixus had used a twisted version of his own knowledge against them before. It was as if the Daimons had used these eyes the same horrible way Maleficari had done to their enemies. At least their essences could still be saved. He suspected even more that the Daimons were stealing their victim¡¯s knowledge. No wonder they kept becoming stronger and more unpredictable with each encounter.


    He and the other Duxii were briefly interrupted with a message from one of the soldiers - one of his.


    Valerian found himself back where he had started.He¡¯d lost count of the number of memories he had collected of all of his failed attempts at breaking the Mind Trap. They lay in a messy pile in front of him. Right at the edge of his Mindscape, he stared long and hard at the wall that kept him trapped and weak. Frustration grew. Self-deprecating thoughts started to fade out of view when he caught sight of the occasional bright lights that flashed beyond his prison.


    It relieved him to see that the other person close by was still fighting. Like the light of a Nightstar, it kept him from sinking back easily into the nightmares. But the lights had grown weaker. The Princidaimon had stuck many more of its extensions into that Mindscape. It refused to relent, and it seemed as though it would keep burrowing until its host yielded.


    He needed to be quick and not just for the Magister¡¯s sake. The Princidaimon¡¯s worm-like tendrils were burrowed deep past the surface of his own mind, lost in convoluted tunnels and blocked off by layers of mental shielding. It was far from getting what it needed to possess him, but he could feel it getting closer. He could sense that had learned a fair fraction of knowledge from him already.


    Anxious thoughts manifested around him. Noxious clouds, thick enough to constrict his movements and make him feel as though it was hard to breathe. Pressure forced him downward as he looked through the pile of memories. What was he missing? He was sure he was close to reaching the counterspell, but none of his recent attempts had succeeded. His mind jittered around between different thoughts, connected but hardly useful to achieving his goal.


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    ¡®Unless¡­¡¯


    There was a pattern emerging in his panic-fuelled search for an answer. He had remembered the base-shapes of the spell correctly: a circular framework- obviously - and the exact symbols used in the Nequarii counterspells. He dug through the books and tablets, picking out several from the pile.


    ¡®What if I use the exact symbols?¡¯


    It seemed stupidly simple, but then again, he didn¡¯t have to waste so much time thinking about translating Nequarii to Ludcetan last time. He made a mental note to slap himself if it did work.


    ¡®This had better work.¡¯


    He began forming the new counterspell. It was expensive - he predicted that most of his remaining Focus would deplete, as with the other attempts - but he could worry about that later.


    ¡®Hold on, Magister. Just a little bit longer¡­¡¯


    The spell was nearly complete. All he needed was a few more finishing touches to bring it all together and-


    A horrible squelching faded in, like a myriad of worms approaching. Whipping his head behind him, he saw the Princidaimon slithering toward him.


    ¡°O Skata!¡±


    Perhaps his anxiety was too strong; it had given him a solution but the Princidaimon had sniffed him out.


    He dove straight out of its reach as it charged towards him once again. It went in and out of the Mind Trap¡¯s wall and continued its chase. Memories of his previous encounters floated freely in his mind enough for him to determine its next moves. And there were many of those memories that the Daimon had become somewhat predictable. Although, it would have been easier if he could cast another spell. But with most of his Focus depleted and the counterspell still ready to be released from his eyes, he couldn¡¯t cast another one.


    He wasn''t about to let it send him back into his nightmares again. He couldn¡¯t afford to. His anxiety grew, forced to dodge the Daimon and finish the spell.


    ¡®Done. Magus, please let this work!¡±


    His eyes grew brightly, ready. Upon dodging the leviathan of worms once more, he threw himself against the Mind Trap.


    And released the counterspell.


    After a violent tremor that shook Valerian¡¯s thoughts into confusion, the Daimonic spell finally burst. Small blebs of ultraviolet flew outwards, some bursting and releasing bright particles. A snow of stardust fell over his Mindscape and he felt his stolen Focus returning to him. It was a small fraction, compared to what he originally had. At least, with rest, he could recover more without the Mind Trap siphoning it away. It was enough for his Mindscape to naturally reform its shields.


    And just enough for him to kick the Princidaimon out. He saw the thing that tormented him flailing around. The ruined library shifted into a sky of Nightstars. The writhing beast stood out, stark ultraviolet against a midnight sky.  Confidence filled Valerian like an elixir and his eyes were aglow. Circular frameworks covered the surface of his mind and symbols came together in a uniform manner, drawing out memories and thoughts of pure boredom.


    Rings of oblivion encased the Princidaimon. It left a bad enough taste that it swiftly retracted out of Valerian¡¯s mind like a snail¡¯s eye to salt.


    At last, Valerian¡¯s mind was freed. He collapsed to his knees, feeling the weightless ground become an endless horizon of soft bedding from Lumis. He took a few more moments to recover more Focus before he got his thoughts in order. It was unbelievable that he had fended off against a Princidaimon, he thought he was in a dream. But no dream could replicate the feeling of Focus returning to him as he rested.


    The bed-filled landscape began to shrink as Valerian rose up. His Mindscape reformed, becoming the endless library organised with every single thought and recent memory. He found himself sitting on a comfortable seat, comfortably overwhelmed with stray thoughts. But the one that shone the most - and most uncomfortably harsh - was of that other mind that weakly flashed.


    ¡®The Magister! How could I forget?¡¯


    His thoughts turned grim. The light grew dull before being snuffed out and warping into a single extension of the tendrils that invaded it. Not a memory but a possibility.


    ¡®N-no. There¡¯s no chance I¡¯d let that happen.¡¯


    He flew from his seat, rushing past the parting bookshelves until he found himself at the edge again, greeted by the rose-gold glow of a protective shield. He could see the rest of Roya better now, finding himself surrounded by many more ultraviolet stars in the distance. He tremored with horror at the sight before he remembered himself. Other Daimons flitted around; he couldn¡¯t let them enter his weakened mind, so he placed a Soothing spell on himself.


    He turned his attention to the nearest Mindscape. Its light could be barely seen, but there were faint pulses. Without much time to lose, Valerian took a habitual deep breath and began casting a spell. He took one leap forward.


    Pavonikos was on their last ounce of Focus once again. They had fought long and hard against the Princidaimon but they weren¡¯t any closer to freeing themselves of its terrible spell. Through their muddled mind, and Essence-burnt memories, they managed to preserve the essential parts of their mind that kept them fighting.


    But they were tiring out. Again.


    ¡°Tribunus. Where are you?¡±


    The distant sounds of partying followed, growing louder.


    But Pavonikos covered their ears, even if it was in vain, as they could still hear the voices. They knew it was just a dream, but they could only hold on to lucidity for so long.


    Another tendril entered their mind, but something was different. It struck their mind violently, enough to bring Pavonikos to their knees. A deathly silence snuffed out the music and cheering. When Pavonikos opened their eyes again, their Mindscape was unrecognisable.


    Pavonikos found themselves leg-up in golden ichor. They tried to shut their eyes but each time they¡¯d see the same thing over and over again endlessly. Bodies bobbed up and down. Brothers and sisters in arms¡­ Beloveds¡­


    Their breath hitched in their throat. A sharp, cold spikes formed as the ichor crystalised around the entire landscape. Pavonikos felt a million needles pierce through their limbs. They couldn''t move, no matter how much they wanted to turn away, but even they knew if they could turn away it wouldn''t make the bodies disappear.


    Pavonikos screamed.


    But their scream was cut short by the sound of crackling all around them. Past the red skies, cracks of violet lights flashed briefly before breaking down into fine, glowing particles. Pavonikos felt those lights rain down upon them, returning some of their stolen Focus.


    A new scream echoed through the nightmare. Then a large splash. Pavonikos¡¯ scream was silenced by the sight of something splashing around in the ichor - which was losing its lustre and changing a gloomy blue-green like sea water.


    A soldier with a black cloak shot up from the water, splashing around wildly before he got his bearings.


    ¡°Magus, where-?¡±


    ¡®That voice..¡¯


    He swung around, catching eyes with the bewildered Tribunus. His eyes lingered and glowed - a Royan spell of identification, as Pavonikos recognised it. Many thoughts gathered around the soldier¡¯s head.


    ¡°Tribunus? What are you..? Oh, this isn¡¯t¡­¡± His voice was overlaid and quick, it was hard to isolate the thoughts. This was normal of people who were often overwhelmed with too many thoughts at once.


    The Soother blinked and stammered incoherently before wading towards them. As if realising he made an error, he quickly formed another Royan spell. The stinging needles of fear subsided and Pavonikos felt themselves falling down weightlessly in the darkness.


    And sank into dreamless sleep.


    The darkness gradually faded as they recovered their Focus. Once more, they were back in the familiarity of their Mindscape - the garden aviary of their home in Lumis. Birds of all kinds appeared and sang, carrying their thoughts and memories. They looked up to see the soldier from the 13th kneeling over them with timid, tourmaline eyes. They remembered this soldier. Valerian Corvus.


    ¡°Tribunus. I¡¯m so glad you''re alright. I must admit I didn''t expect to see you here.¡±


    Pavonikos got to their feet. Their immediate reaction was to look at their surroundings


    ¡°What happened¡­? Is this real?¡±


    Valerian nodded vigorously, ¡°It is. Well, in a way. We¡¯re still in your mind but you¡¯re free.¡±


    ¡°How¡­?¡± Pavonikos said, their tired voice was a mix of bewilderment and relief.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you asked. The counterspell is not as efficient as it could be but it does what it needs to do. You see, I had to use a combination of several counterspells for similar cases and¡­¡±


    As he rambled on, Pavonikos struggled to pay attention. Their mind was still quite addled and in a state of recovery. Noticing their attention drifting from exhaustion, Valerian cut himself off and shared the spell directly into the Tribunus¡¯ mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I tend to get carried away.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s fine,¡± Pavonikos sighed, ¡°I don''t know how much longer I could have held out for. Thank you for placing that spell in my mind.¡±


    The thoughts around Valerian took on a rose gold glow before shifting to a blue neutered by his Soothing Spell.


    ¡°I must make a confession,¡± he began, ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting to see you here, Tribunus. You see, I hoped to wake the Magister Bellaxus.¡±


    Pavonikos¡¯ eyes widened as memories of the Crafts District filled their surroundings. The Mindscape resembled that moment when they and the Bellaxus fell victim to the spell. They could still feel Laevinus¡¯ arms wrapped around them.


    ¡°The Magister. Do you know what happened to him?!¡±


    Valerian shook his head, ¡°I¡­ I¡¯m sorry Tribunus but your guess is as good as mine.¡±


    Pavonikos sunk to their knees, both soldiers saw that passing memory bleed out, or at least a version of it.


    After the Princidaimon¡¯s initial attack, the Magister Bellaxus had seen something follow after. A splinter of its ultraviolet light arced through the air, directly hurtling towards him. Instinctively, he raised a shield. But it wouldn¡¯t be enough - the Princidaimon had shattered the Golden Dome without much effort. That¡¯s why Pavonikos galloped towards him.


    Before the Tribunus tried to save him in vain, Laevinus grabbed him and turned around. The shield had disappeared, his attention disturbed. Pavonikos felt a slight thump and heard the Magister briefly cry out before they came tumbling off their Monoceri. They collapsed together, his arms still wrapped around them, alive but sapped of Focus. His voice, urging Pavonikos to use the Teleportare to go back home echoed through their ears.


    They remembered the pain, but nothing hurt more than the understanding they came to upon reflecting upon these memories.


    ¡°It was my fault¡­¡± Pavonikos choked.


    Valerian held them as they began to collapse, ¡°Tribunus, don¡¯t blame yourself.¡±


    ¡°How can I not take the blame?!¡± their voice made Valerian flinch back, ¡°If I hadn¡¯t tried to play the hero, he wouldn¡¯t have been distracted.¡±


    Valerian held them as they began to crumble.


    ¡°I killed him.¡±


    ¡°He might very well be alive,¡± Valerian blurted. It seemed weak, but he just knew he had to reassure the Tribunus.  ¡°I mean. We''re still alive. Have faith, Tribunus. You never lost it then, so please, don''t lose it now. There are others that need us.¡±


    As brittle as those words were, it was enough to renew some hope in Pavonikos. Just maybe, he must have been right.


    ¡°Where are we now?¡±


    It occurred to Valerian that he hadn''t seen where their physical bodies lay in Tirra and now he was tempted to open his eyes to the realm of elements.


    ¡°I don''t know.¡±


    ¡°You stay here and rest whilst I look and survey the area,¡± Pavonikos said.


    ¡°Are you sure? But you¡¯re-¡±


    Pavonikos held up their hand, ¡°If there are more like us then you will need your rest more than I do. Rest, soldier.¡±


    Taking the order, Valerian returned to their mind, fully able to rest their eyes but not before renewing a Soothing spell upon their Tribunus. He sensed they¡¯d need it.


    Taking a deep breath, Pavonikos opened their Tirran eyes. They found themselves gasping for breath, struggling against the thin membrane of flesh covering them and the thin neurons that wrapped around their body. Pavonikos tore off the nerves and broke through the membrane, then sat up to take the sight in.


    They felt as if they had woken up in Kaeva but as they looked at the structure of the room carefully and noticed the unmistakably Ludcetan architecture, they realised that this wasn¡¯t the case. The entire room was covered in purplish nerves, pulsing with those eerie lights. This was not like anything they recognised. More people were wrapped up in pods like they had been, still trapped in their nightmares.


    Pavonikos felt something brush against their hand. They looked down to see Corvus resting, a meditative expression on their face. Unlike the other soldiers, the purplish nerves attached to him were dead, no longer pulsing with light.


    Pavonikos opened their eyes to Roya once more, thinking over what they had seen.


    ¡°Corvus,¡± they called out, ¡°I need you.¡±


    Once more Valerian appeared before them, this time in the aviary.


    ¡°T-tribunus,¡± He almost forgot to show his sign of respect, ¡°What did you find?¡±


    Pavonikos looked grimly at the soldier before him, ¡°Nothing good.¡±


    Pavonikos gestured to the fountain water. Valerian looked inside, seeing what Pavonikos had seen. His eyes widened and he threw a hand to his mouth, inviting fleeting pages of fear that made a few purplish weeds form in Pavonikos¡¯ mind. When he noticed what he had done he calmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. This¡­ This isn''t good. Where are we now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Pavonikos sighed, ¡°But it seems like we might be in the Magisterium. Did you notice the structure of the room?¡±


    Valerian had indeed noticed. With the way it curved upwards into a dome and the arrangement of those pods, he could picture it once being a Curia where Inferi and Secundi Magisters flocked. He¡¯d know. House Corvus had their own little murder of Magisters observing. Pecking.


    Pavonikos raised a hand to scatter the birds that had gathered around them, ¡°There¡¯s something else.¡±


    The bright Lisianthus pink skies of Pavonikos¡¯ Mindscape cleared, revealing many more Mindscapes surrounding them, all trapped within that accursed spell.


    ¡°We must wake them,¡± Pavonikos said.


    Valerian couldn¡¯t agree more. He was already prepared with the spell, ¡°As you command, Tribunus.¡±

 Chapter X - The Daimon Spine

    The Imysion led by Duxus Aegeus drew closer to the mouth of what was once the Magisterium building. The remains of the gate¡¯s doors lay shattered, flesh and stone grown over it. The entrance - an open wound within warped stone, the raw edges of which twitched with the slightest contact with the elements. Still invisible to the Daimons surrounding them all, the soldiers carefully followed the Leucrocottas. More of the possessed beasts had congregated here, all burdened with people donned in the patterns of the D¡¯Luminarii and the Res Publica Magisterium.


    The interior was brightly lit with violet light. There were many vessels that pulsed at varying speeds through the hallways and the rooms contracted to them, each causing the walls to contract at different intervals whenever ultraviolet crackled along their cords. Ichorous fluid could be seen flowing through transparent parts of the walls.


    Some of the wearier-looking Leucrocttas and other Daimons migrated to certain areas, particularly in places where remnants of the original building could be seen, as if fighting a losing battle against the corruption. Once again, the soldiers witnessed the Daimons unravel and fuse to the building, but this time the purpose for this seemed clearer. Most theorised that they were spent and so gave up their flesh to make it whole - what that whole would look like couldn¡¯t be determined. None wanted to know what the end product would like at the very end.


    But under the layers of corrupted flesh and otherworldly impulses, the overall structure remained vaguely the same.  The Magisterium building of Lidantium wasn¡¯t too different from the one some of the more esteemed soldiers were used to back in Lumis, with the exception of the observatory that floated over Lumis¡¯ Grand Magisterium like a second Morning Star. So long as they kept a mental note of any obstacles and blockages, navigating the corrupted building wouldn¡¯t give them much trouble.


    They had been following those creatures for some time, spread out in formation and sticking close to the walls to avoid the Daimons that travelled uniformly through the middle of those wide hallways. Several other Daimons passed by, attaching some of their appendages to the sleeping soldiers before leaving, looking rejuvenated. It was as if they were taking something from the Scholari. Or perhaps feeding on them.


    Adonis noted the looks on the sleeper¡¯s faces. Like the other soldiers he saw in the Crafts District, they seemed engulfed in various strong emotions. Good dreams. Nightmares. All completely unaware of the sensations that should have woken them from their slumber.


    It was difficult to tell the Daimons apart from everything else when the entire building made their sealed eyes strain restlessly. This place made his head throb. He wasn¡¯t alone. The other Draekslanni were in pain too, despite the numbing spell given to them by the Tribunus, even if they couldn¡¯t show it thanks to the Soothing spells. But where the others had been given additional help from the Healers to further numb the pain, Adonis made no indication.


    He reasoned he¡¯d been managing just fine on his own, why waste anyone else¡¯s Focus? Besides that, he sensed that he needed this particular pain. As irrational as it seemed at first, this wasn¡¯t the first time that he felt this guiding pull. He visualised it as a thread amidst a bundle of other senses. As to what lay at its end, he was still in the dark.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright, Ado?¡± he heard Rufinus say in his mind.


    Adonis silently nodded. Rufinus hated it when he did that. He was about to call the nearest Healer to help when Adonis added,  ¡°I¡¯m fine, Rufus. Please, trust me on this.¡±


    ¡°But the pain-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m handling it,¡± he lied.


    It was hard to tell with him, especially with emotional blocking charms in place. Rufinus relented but he kept a careful eye on his friend.


    The Leucrocottas led them to the massive tower section of the Magisterium. Usually, lifts and Teleostium would have helped people traverse the tower with ease. But all of these structures had disappeared, replaced instead with steep, narrow walkways made of warped stone that wound through the tower in an ascending spiral with smaller branches that cut through, reaching the central structures in segments.


    With the line of Leucrocottas becoming more densely packed, the soldiers were forced to split in two lines. The luckier ones got to remain close to the walls. The rest had no choice but to balance along the edge. A few soldiers on that side started widening their path with a similar dark-reddish stone in slow increments. Any faster and the Daimons would surely notice.


    Rufinus struggled to focus on widening the pathway whilst keeping away from the Daimons. Though the growing width of the path gave him enough leeway for his feet, his broad shoulders were close to brushing against the beasts. He shifted his position to a less balanced one, angled facing towards the Daimons and shuffling along the edge as quick and as quietly as he could.


    Meanwhile, Adonis walked steadily behind, focusing on the ground beneath his friend. As he proceeded along, he felt like he was getting closer to the end. Like seeing the world around him through partly-opening eyes, the Daimonic presences around him seemed to grow slightly sharper.


    He lost his footing, and with it, the thread of pain. The world, a blur of motion. There was a raised bit of ground he failed to see. He let out a quiet gasp as his body began reeling over the edge, too far for him to stop himself from falling over. Forcing himself to blink, he stopped himself from over-extending the path. His mind raced. He could form a platform to save himself. Not just yet - he couldn¡¯t give away the position of the others. If he could break his fall just a bit further down he could keep the Daimons attention on himself whilst the others got to safety. He¡¯d sustain a few broken bones from that height and his likelihood of surviving would be extremely low, but as long as the others didn¡¯t suffer for his misstep.


    Rufinus lunged forward and gripped his arm tightly. The spell in his amber eyes flickered brighter, and the path underneath them jutted out wider. The sound of sliding stone cut through the clacking of hooves and the heaving of flesh.


    Everyone froze in place, including some of the Leucrocottas in the line. The Daimons turned to the source of the noise. To them, there was a strange growth in the spiral-shaped rib of this tower. One crawled close to the space. Its tendrils and eye stalks twitched closer towards the head of the legion, edging closer to Adonis. He held his breath, showing no sign of emotion, not even daring to make the slightest movement of his eyes. But they were ready with a spell - the glacial outline of one that would freeze the beast in place appeared faintly in his dark eyes.


    After what felt like an eternity of held breaths and sustained focus, the Daimon finally went about its business along with the other Daimons.


    He winced slightly as he heard Gallus¡¯ voice in his head, ¡°Are you trying to get us killed? Watch where you put your damned foot, half-serpent!¡±


    The Cohort began to relax and resumed following the Leucrocottas. Regaining his composure, Adonis followed along at the same pace.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Rufinus said between blinks. ¡°And be honest.¡±


    Adonis hesitated to answer for a moment - he was caught up in focusing on moving carefully and thoughts of shame.


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    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then let us help you.¡±


    Adonis let him call for a Healer. It wasn¡¯t long before he felt the pain in his sealed eyes go numb. He would have to put that thread aside for the moment, at least until he was on stable ground. The Imysion moved onward, following the Leucrocttas without much trouble. They stopped at one part of the rib, crossing over into one segment of the spine.


    They entered a vast room covered with pods full of people - it was one of the lesser Centumviri courtrooms, repurposed into a horrific nest. As the soldiers streamed in, they spread out, watching the Daimons. The Leucrcottas unloaded the civilians into empty crevices, covering them in membranous flesh. Several of the exhausted Leucrocottas collapsed in between pods, forming more stone and tissue-like substances to support the pods. The ones that were still active left one other end of the room to a rib leading down the tower. Once the room was filled, the Leucrocottas lessened until all that was left was the Imysion and the sleeping people in pods.


    The Imysion uncloaked themselves, taking their time to recover Focus whilst the Duxii spent time trying to unpack what they were witnessing. Whilst resting, the Cohorts were ordered to keep the room secure, whilst keeping a lookout for Daimons. Meanwhile, the Duxii gathered in a circle, eyes closed; they decided to discuss their next move in private.


    ¡°Any sign of Valerian?¡± Rufinus said as he scanned the room. His eyes were sharper, particularly in the darkened spots, but it was always good to search with another set of eyes.


    Adonis shook his head. Rufinus sighed in response. If the other rooms along the spine were like this, there was a good chance that Valerian was somewhere here. His attention fell back on the Duxii. It had been a few Minor Chronocycles too long since they entered Roya and Rufinus was beginning to get restless.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been sitting there for a while,¡± Rufinus said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t we started waking these people yet?¡±


    Adonis stepped forward and sat cross-legged, facing the circle of Duxii. The pain had still been numbed and he started to see the advantage it gave him now.


    ¡°Ado, what are you¡­? Are you sure that¡¯s a good idea?¡±


    His friend looked up at him with those dark eyes, ¡°You asked first. We won¡¯t find the answer if we wait.¡±


    ¡°But what if you get caught?¡±


    ¡°I won''t.¡±


    He closed his eyes before Rufinus could dissuade him more. In Roya, he saw a circle of Mindscapes intersecting each other. As a boy, an Alumnus just at the start of his Collegium days, Adonis had found himself in one such occasion. After some convincing, Valerian had taught him a secret spell that would get him to pass into a congregation of minds without being seen. With that, he was able to stop a group of other boys that had been picking on Valerian from sabotaging his duel.


    The spell cloaked him, making his mind-self appear like a shimmering mirage that blended with the closest thoughts close to it. So long as he kept his own thoughts under control, he would remain cloaked. Once he was fully enveloped, he stepped into the intersection. He found himself in a misty-looking version of the courtroom. He slowly drew close, sticking to the fog-white thoughts that floated around the room. In a circle of chairs, the Duxii sat in conversation.


    ¡°... But be cautious when waking them,¡± Duxus Aegeus told the rest of the Duxii. ¡°They appear to be closely connected with the Princidaimon. We¡¯re in no position to deal with it if it¡¯s alerted to our activity.¡±


    ¡°How do you suppose we do that?¡± asked Duxus Clamatorus. ¡°If we wake them at all, wouldn¡¯t that alert the Daimon to us anyway?¡±


    Aegeus replied, ¡°We will only wake some and see what happens. Should the Princidaimon come for us, we will remain hidden. If not, we will secure this room and wake more in the other rooms.¡±


    ¡°But if we wake all of them, surely the Princidaimon will notice? And we have so little time. Even with our combined forces, we can¡¯t possibly wake them all and sneak them out of Lidantium undetected and before we get trapped in here.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say we would wake them all, Duxus. Prioritise saving people from Lumis and important figures.¡±


    Gallus stepped in, ¡°I thought we were here to save these people, Aegeus.¡±


    ¡°We are saving people, Duxus Gallus. With all due respect, will you all let me finish.¡±


    When the Duxii quieted down, Aegeus continued, ¡°Once we wake these people, we will teach them the spell to free the others. The experienced and well-learned ones should be able to grasp it much faster. That should quicken the time it takes to wake everyone else. Our only challenge will be sneaking them out¡­¡±


    He and Gallus gave a short glance. Gallus¡¯ face became like stone, knowing what he¡¯d say next. Before they parted from the Crafts District they had discussed in private what they had planned. Gallus nodded for him to continue.


    ¡°... Which is why some of us will provide a distraction for the others to get out.¡±


    The other Duxii looked at each other grimly. The courtroom turned a shade of grey.


    ¡°By some of us, who do you mean?¡± asked Duxus Enicurus.


    ¡°Gallus has already volunteered. We need another. And if the Princidaimon is involved, we all must do what we can to save the ones we came for.¡±


    Chatter and thoughts flooded the space. Meanwhile, Adonis remained hidden, eyes narrowed as he Focused past the fog of thoughts. The decision made sense to him, although it struck him as strange that Gallus or Aegeus had waited this long. Neither did it sit right with him that the Duxus made the decision behind the rest of his soldiers¡¯ backs.


    ¡°B-but that¡¯s suicide!¡± Clamatorus exclaimed. ¡°We all fell to the Princidaimon in mere Minori¡¯cycles with a single spell. We don''t even know what it''s fully capable of!¡±


    ¡°You''re surprised?¡± Gallus smirked mirthlessly, ¡°What did you expect when you decided to march with us, Clamatorus?¡±


    ¡°Watch your tongue, Gallus. You weren''t there when we were attacked. I at least thought that we''d save the important few and sneak out undetected. This isn''t what I agreed to, Aegeus. I say we save the Magisters and prominent scholars and leave. If you continue with this hairbrained plan, I''m taking my Cohort back.¡±


    ¡°Getting cold feet now? Don''t be a fool. It''s too late for that.¡±


    Their bickering continued. Like fire to oil, it spread to the other Duxii. It was difficult for Adonis to listen in, not that anything important was being said. To him, this was a waste of time - even if it was all happening a lot faster than it seemed; time in Roya moved strangely. They had already come so far.


    ¡°That''s enough!¡± Aegeus stepped in. ¡°You all knew the risks when you decided to come here. And don''t forget, the soldiers that followed you willingly came here with the hopes of saving lives. If we turn our backs on everyone here now, it will all be for nothing.¡±


    ¡®Finally,¡¯ Adonis relaxed.


    The rest of the Duxii were silenced. Adonis could see thought-clouds of guilt and agreement filling the space again.


    ¡°I shall ask you all again,¡± Aegeus spoke, ¡°Which of you will assist Duxus Gallus?¡±


    One Duxus put her hand up.


    ¡°I will do it,¡± said Duxus Lophura of the 10th Cohort.


    ¡°Very well. Is there anything else?¡±


    None had anything else to say. And with that Adonis pulled out from Roya. His eyes opened to see Rufinus pulling him upward. They went to a space away from the Duxii and acted inconspicuously.


    ¡°So? What did you find out?¡± Rufinus asked, voice low.


    ¡°They plan to save everyone trapped here. Magisters and important scholars first. They''ll help with rescuing the others.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a relief¡­¡±


    Adonis continued, ¡°But if the Princidaimon comes, the 13th and the 10th are expected to sacrifice themselves to buy time for the others.¡±


    Rufinus went quiet.


    ¡°I suppose¡­¡± His knuckles whitened, eyes briefly alight with determination. His thoughts going back to memories of the sobs of people on the streets of Lumis. All of them flooding the specialist Collegiums dedicated to Paradis and Roya to contact loved ones, only to be met with silence. An even more distant hope crossed his mind - longing for the embrace of people far from reach.


    ¡°If it means ensuring their loved ones will see them again. Be it in Tirra or Paradis.¡±


    Adonis said nothing. He gave him a slow nod, though it didn''t mean that he had any intention of letting his friends die.


    Not long after, they heard Gallus¡¯ order. They wasted no time preparing the spell. They each went to light-marked pods containing Scholars; marked for the experience shown on their clothes and the slight signs of a long and experienced life. Like before, Adonis and Rufinus used the counterspell and cleansed their minds. Once the sleepers awoke, they were each given a whole vial of Focus potion to drink, and the spell was hastily taught to them. Once the Scholars were given a quick brief, the two moved on to find more people to awaken.

 Chapter XI - Isolation

    A soldier quickly sat up. His breath hastened at first, until he felt a Soothing spell work on his mind. Shapeless blobs sharpened into a familiar human form. Then a face with iridescent eyes, framed by the wide rim of a white hat made purple from the surrounding light. It took him some time to register the person¡¯s features until he noticed the colour of their uniform, and the engravings on their brooch.


    ¡°Tribunus¡­ You¡¯re¡­ What is this¡­?¡±


    Pavonikos covered his eyes with one hand, ¡°Be still, soldier. I¡¯m not your enemy.¡±


    When they uncovered his eyes they were half-lidded and slowly collecting his surroundings. It was to be expected of someone who was trapped in a pleasant dream - nearly 700 Blinks of a false life. A happy one. It pained Pavonikos to see the soldier¡¯s confusion turn to bleak realisation.


    ¡°It was all a lie¡­¡± he said emotionlessly - the Soothing spell and other emotional blockers had kicked in right on time.


    Pavonikos gripped his shoulder, ¡°Not a lie. A vision of things that may come.¡±


    The words seemed to soothe the soldier somewhat, despite the melancholy contained by the spells in his mind. Even if it was just a baseless guess or a comforting lie, it was just what he needed to hear for now.


    ¡°Will I really survive this to see those days¡­?¡±


    ¡°On my life, I swear it.¡±


    As he began to rest in his arms, Pavonikos searched him for injuries - nothing serious and no nerve scarring either. His mind suffered from some disorientation but he¡¯d recover fine on his own, even though the Princidaimon had burrowed deep into his Mindscape. If they had spared a moment longer, he would have been fully possessed. Memories of the other pods were fresh in the Tribunus¡¯ mind. Those they were too late to save had fully degraded into more nerves and strange organ-like structures. All of their eyes were missing, likely absorbed into whatever they were forced to become a part of. Doing their best to put those memories aside, Pavonikos left the soldier to recover his Focus and moved onto the next pod Valerian was tending to.


    Another soldier rose from the pod. The process had left Valerian completely spent. At most, he could only use his counterspell on two soldiers at a time before needing to recover. This time, he had tried to awaken three in one sitting.


    ¡°Take a break, Corvus.¡±


    ¡°Y-yes, Tribunus.¡±


    Pavonikos continued with the rest of the process, first by purging the soldier¡¯s Mindscape of any trace of the Princidaimon, then by helping restore their mental shields. After drawing more protective spells, they took a short rest.


    When they opened their eyes, Pavonikos scanned their surroundings again. They and Valerian had succeeded in awakening a small group of soldiers with what little Focus they could both recover. Most of them had come from the upper Cohorts. Those that had recovered had started using Valerian¡¯s counterspell to awaken more soldiers.


    ¡®There¡¯s so many of them¡­¡¯


    Their eyes scanned the entire room. Hundreds of pods - no -many people still lay trapped. A good portion of them were soldiers from the legion - Pavonikos guessed they were amongst the recent additions to this place. Further in the room, there were civilians. Those that hadn¡¯t unravelled bore insignias and colours of importance. All of the ones the Tribunus had seen weren¡¯t just Scholars or Magisters. These were people that had their discoveries and specialties proudly marked on their brooches and cloaks.


    ¡°I think they were chosen,¡± Pavonikos heard Valerian say as they continued searching - it was easier and less embarrassing for the soldier to speak to the Tribunus through Roya. ¡°The soldiers here aren¡¯t just high ranking Militii. Before the war, a lot of them used to be geniuses in their respective fields. High achievers! This one started specialising in Paradisian magic, and we¡¯re the same age!¡±


    Pavonikos could sense a bit of bewilderment in Valerian¡¯s mental voice. They didn¡¯t have to reach into his Mindscape to hear the ¡®Why did I end up here?¡¯ behind his words. The man felt like an outlier amongst everyone in this place, despite the fact that they wouldn¡¯t have broken out of the Mind Trap without him.


    That aside, the same question that bothered them since the beginning nagged at their mind: Why were they chosen? From what they knew so far from Daimons, they were learning spells from whatever creature they possessed, using their bodies and eyes to cast them. But unlike other Daimons that had been encountered, this Princidaimon seemed to be deliberate in its choice of hosts.


    ¡°Do you see a pattern amongst them, Corvus?¡±


    ¡°Hmm¡­¡± Corvus rubbed his chin in contemplation, searching the minds of the sleeping soldiers at random.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of variety here, but most seem to have a Paradisian and Kyrusian background.¡±


    ¡®Paradis and Kyrus¡­¡¯ Pavonikos grew more troubled at the thought. A Daimon with access to the Eternal Library and a mastery over the veil between Magus¡¯ faces would be a dangerous one.


    ¡°Tribunus, what do you think happened to the others?¡± Valerian asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Corvus.¡±


    They could have very well been the only survivors aside from the 12th and Gallus¡¯ squadron. It was very likely that the latter two would have followed protocol and fled by now. It sunk in just how alone they were.


    ¡®At least the others got out safely,¡¯ Valerian thought to himself. The thought of his companions leaving him behind left him feeling hopeful, though he couldn¡¯t help but feel abandoned. Why was it that he was here, someone less capable, with little chance of survival. If they were in his place- ¡®No. Cast that out of your mind. I should be glad that they¡¯re safe¡­¡¯


    ¡°Corvus.¡±


    The thoughts stopped before they overfilled his mind, ¡°Tribunus?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to try to wake one of the scholars. I may need your assistance. Are you rested enough?¡±


    He was reprieved to hear those words, ¡°I am, Tribunus. Which one do you want to wake?¡±


    Pavonikos pointed with their eyes. Not too far off was a Magister - from her attire, a specialist in Paradisian magic and one that managed the record keepers of knowledge transcribed from the Eternal Library. They appeared to have been here the longest, bearing poorly healed wounds that suggested she struggled and fought before being forced into slumber. Valerian could see why she was picked out - she may have some important information about that night and it was strange that she hadn¡¯t unravelled despite likely sleeping in that pod for a long time.


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    ¡°Are you ready, Corvus?¡±


    Valerian nodded. Peeling back the membrane covering her, the two sat beside the Scholar. They closed their eyes at the same time.


    There was no telling how close another person was to unravelling until they went into their Mindscapes to see the damage. The Scholar¡¯s Mindscape was near unrecognisable, not a trace of their own thoughts could be found here. Instead, it was a space covered in a thick haze of ultraviolet threads, tangled and moving - a common pattern that Pavonikos and Valerian had seen in others who were close to full possession - each touch, a fractional glimpse into the Princidaimon¡¯s mind. Both did their best to avoid them; instinct and experience in their respective fields warded them away from any thoughtform they didn¡¯t recognise.


    It was difficult to make sense of the amalgam of thoughts here. The symbols were a mix of Ludcetan, bestial and other strange languages that they had never seen. In Pavonikos¡¯ eyes, there was no cohesiveness to any of it, yet it felt all too familiar.


    A sacrilegious thought arose in Pavonikos¡¯ mind. The reason why this Mindscape felt somewhat familiar was because it felt a little like being in Paradis. As much as the idea sickened them, they couldn¡¯t deny it. After studying that face of Magus for so long, they knew what it was like to be in a place completely filled with so much knowledge.


    One tendril brushed against Pavonikos. They felt a strong tug that pulled them deeper into the haze.


    ¡°Tribunus!¡±


    Pavonikos heard Valerian¡¯s voice quickly grow distant. Darkness engulfed their world until their eyes snapped open again. Colours that they had never seen before flashed almost blindingly across them. They couldn¡¯t look away nor retreat to the safety of their eyelids; here in this vision, Pavonikos existed as a bodiless observer - a feeling they had been used to during their exploration of Paradis. Their eyes adjusted and the lights took on tangible forms. It was difficult to separate them out, but this vision told them that there were a multitude of separate entities here. Daimons.


    Next, Pavonikos saw a multitude of places all at once, not unlike any found on Tirra, with many kinds of strange people. The sky opened up. The land and people too. Out of them, Daimons poured out, consuming everything they were.


    And everything they knew.


    Pavonikos felt something grip them tight, pulling them back with some force. The vision faded from view as the outline of a spell engulfed their sight.


    With one more heave, Pavonikos fell back to the other side, Valerian gripping their arm. Before Valerian could sense anything strange about the Tribunus, Pavonikos began casting Paradisian light.


    ¡°Tribunus, stop!¡±


    He tried casting a spell to pull him out. Too little, too late. Bright light shot out, absorbed and channelled through the threads.


    A terrible mistake.


    The Essence Burn quickly spread. What followed was a loud screech as the final vestiges of mental shielding tore apart. The Daimon began to implode inwards to a single point, dragging whatever was left of itself away. Any signs of conscious signal were waning quickly until it could be barely felt.


    Their eyes snapped open only to find a pool of ichor before them. Pavonikos¡¯ eyes glowed intensely with every healing spell they knew, trying to mend the soldier. Whatever flesh and bone was left continued to disintegrate; the shield holding the physical form had been destroyed. It was too late - her eyes no longer had the glow of life. They too were beginning to degrade.


    ¡®No¡­ What have I done?¡¯


    The Soothing spell finally snapped. The full horror of the situation had started to kick in. Valerian looked down, noticing that look on the Tribunus¡¯ face. Despair, fear and guilt. Valerian quickly closed his eyes and felt it even more strongly from within the Tribunus¡¯ mind. A tempest of distress, blew at them but he pushed forward as fast as he could and recast the Soothing spell. The tempest began to calm.


    ¡°Tribunus! Daimons are coming!¡±


    Before they could fully recover themselves, the look-out¡¯s voice was heard by all who were awake. Pavonikos quickly closed their eyes, instantly seeing what the soldier had seen: five unique Minoridaimons were approaching, all medium-sized phagic-looking creatures.


    No one had enough Focus to take on a small group of Daimons on, let alone ones that they had never seen before.


    Pavonikos was drained. They could hardly register all of the information fast enough, let alone think straight.


    ¡°T-tribunus, what do we do?!¡± Valerian blurted aloud.


    His stammering brought them back to reality.


    ¡°Claidys! Hurry!¡±


    The small group assembled in one corner of the room and combined all of their Focus into casting a cloaking spell. They were invisible so long as they didn¡¯t move or feel.


    They saw the Daimons lurch into view. They crawled across each pod, scrutinising them with their many eyes and feelers as if searching for something. Or someone.


    ¡®Me.¡¯


    Pavonikos tried to recalibrate their thoughts. They distracted themself with analysis.


    ¡®Did the Princidaimon send them?¡¯


    The idea had lingered in Pavonikos¡¯ mind since they started waking the other soldiers. They had expected the Princidaimon they encountered in the Crafts District would come to investigate the strange disconnect. This scenario was slightly better than the others, but still undesirable. Regardless, their plan for either situation remained largely the same: hide.


    But they couldn¡¯t hold out for long.


    One of the Daimons stopped, its feelers tipped with stolen eyes pointed towards them. The group stilled, holding their breaths. It drew closer to them, waving its feelers around, almost close enough to touch the Tribunus¡¯ face. Pavonikos remained Focus, pouring all they had to help their tired soldiers remain hidden under the cloaking spell.


    It was a mercy that Valerian¡¯s eyes remained closed, open only to Roya. He and a few others put all of their Focus into containing everyone¡¯s emotions. But the fear was filling up too quickly. Dreams were threatening to take over again like before. His vision of Roya was going hazy and so too was his control over his thoughts.


    ¡®Just a little longer,¡¯ he promised himself. Even if they all didn¡¯t have a Chronocycle to spare.


    Suddenly, the Daimon stopped. It and the others quickly moved outwards. There was a muffled noise from beyond, like shouts. Then the noise of thunder and magic missile fire. All of the soldiers¡¯ faces lit up, relieved to see the familiar cloaks and faces streaming into the room. They could hardly believe their eyes and some thought they were still dreaming. They all relaxed, the cloaking spell dissipating.


    ¡°We have to help them,¡± said one soldier.


    Pavonikos agreed. By his order, the group joined in, fighting with all they had.


    Sandwiched on all sides, the Daimons were pinned down by spells. As the dust settled, there was nothing left of them.


    One of the soldiers on Pavonikos¡¯ side came forward. They were met with missile fire.


    ¡°What are you doing?! We¡¯re on your side!¡± Pavonikos yelled out.


    There were murmurs beyond the smoke.


    ¡°If what you say is true, then come closer! Eyes closed,¡± came a voice from the other side.


    Pavonikos¡¯ group obeyed. They shut their eyes, and covered them with their hands before walking forwards.


    ¡°That¡¯s far enough.¡±


    They waited for a while, feeling their minds being probed. After a few more murmurs, the voice - which grew more familiar to the Tribunus - eventually said, ¡°Open your eyes.¡±


    They saw the Imysion opposite them. Both sides were frozen in place.


    ¡°Is this a Daimon trick?¡± Pavonikos asked hoarsely.


    ¡°No trick, Tribunus. We¡¯re here,¡± answered Aegeus.


    ¡°Then how¡­?¡±


    ¡°You can thank Duxus Gallus for that.¡±


    The group looked over to Gallus and the 13th. Valerian searched their faces. It wasn¡¯t long before his eyes met with Adonis and Rufinus. He would have cried and rushed over, had it not been for the Soothing spell on his mind.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad, you found us¡­¡± Pavonikos trailed off, relief letting them feel the full effects of their exhaustion. They almost collapsed to their knees before the soldiers surrounding them held them up.


    Pavonikos heard Aegeus¡¯ voice call out for the Healers before sleep embraced them.

 Chapter XII - Reunion

    ¡°He¡¯s waking up. Tell the Duxii.¡±


    After unpleasant dreams, a vial of Focus potion was brought to Pavonikos¡¯ lips, the bitter taste of Elecule renewed their senses. And something a bit more. Taking the vial from the Healer, they drank the rest down. Their eyes opened fully. The first thing Pavonikos saw were the faces of Healers and Soothers that they had saved before in the Crafts District.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± one said. At once they each made a small sign of gratitude.


    ¡®What for? You''re all here because of my failure,¡¯ Pavonikos felt like saying, but the words stayed in their throat.


    One of the Healers pressed a few things into their hands; a few vials of Focus potion, one containing the head of a Golden Kiss. The flower was an easily-conjured gift of thanks in Ludceta, as well as a mood-booster when consumed. Something the Tribunus sorely needed.


    ¡°This isn''t much, but we needed to repay you somehow. Sorry, Tribunus.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise, soldier. This is a thoughtful gift. Thank you all,¡± Pavonikos smiled, voice full of gratitude even if they didn¡¯t think themself worthy of the gift.


    ¡°We¡¯ll thank you in more than flowers when we get home, Tribunus. We owe you our lives after all.¡±


    The Healers and Soothers all fell silent as Duxus Gallus came over. He dismissed them all and they scattered, all hurrying over to tend to sleepers and the freshly awakened alike. Gallus set his eyes down and made a short bow.


    ¡°Tribunus Virgilius Pavonikos,¡± he addressed them, ¡°How are you feeling?¡±


    ¡°Better,¡± Pavonikos answered, ¡°I remember what Aegeus told me. Thank you for coming back for all of us, Duxus Gallus.¡±


    Gallus remained stone-faced, immune to praise as ever, ¡°You should be thanking the Vattirmanni. We would have blown you straight to Paradis if it weren¡¯t for his Warg-eyes.¡±


    Gallus¡¯ words sounded different from when they had first met. He sounded almost respectful towards the soldier that seemed to draw his ire. Pavonikos followed his gaze to one soldier in the 13th Cohort. Right away, they recognised the man: Rufinus Phonikos. Beside him were the equally familiar faces of Valerian Corvus and Adonis Tyto. All three were hard at work like the others, trying to awaken as many as they could.


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank everyone as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°Save it for when we get out of this miserable place. We have many more people to save and so little time.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right. No one told you the ins and outs, did they?¡±


    Gallus opened his eyes to Roya, relaying his memories from the Residential Tower up until that very moment to Pavonikos. The most important memories bloomed brightest in their mind. The possessed Duxus Strixus fell. His eyes burned away. His sister lay asleep - important knowledge locked away in her psyche. Duxus Aquilina stood at the edge of the forest, the backdrop of a silver shield behind her. A Chronograph appeared next. 5 of its notches were marked. As the hands of the Chronograph passed, notch to notch, Pavonikos saw the Crafts District, the Scholar¡¯s District, then rooms like this one.


    The Imysion had secured each room, leaving behind groups of soldiers with civilians. It hadn¡¯t been long until they caught the attention of Daimons. Since then, their approach changed, and it was with great urgency that the Imysion awoke all of the sleepers within the Magisterium and clear out a safe passage for escape. Most of the Leucrocottas were slain. Any more that were seen were to be dispatched on sight without killing their load. Finally, the memories ended when they found themselves once more, face to face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t find the Magister Bellaxus on the other floors...¡±


    Gallus shook his head, ¡°Not yet, Tribunus. I was hoping that you might know something of his whereabouts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not. He isn¡¯t in this room,¡± Pavonikos sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in¡­¡± they winced, rubbing their temples again, ¡°And so little time¡­¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me twice,¡± Gallus took out his Chronograph, showing it to Pavonikos. ¡°We have a little over 2 Chronocycles left.¡±


    ¡°2 Chronocycles to check the last few rooms and make our way back towards the city,¡± Pavonikos recalled Gallus¡¯ earlier memories. From the distance, he counted eight segments - which corresponded to the number of courtrooms in a Magisterium. Out of those eight segments, the Imysion had only visited 5 rooms, the current one being the 5th.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, Tribunus.¡±


    Pavonikos looked around themselves, ¡°It seems doable. I have no doubts about that¡­¡±


    All around, soldiers and civilians banded together to wake everyone within the room. There were so many people taking part in the rescue efforts and the spell they were using seemed more efficient than the one Corvus patched together. The time taken to wake the sleepers was trivial compared to the other concerns that Pavonikos had.


    ¡°... however with the rate we¡¯re going, it¡¯s likely that more Daimons will come to investigate. We¡¯re incredibly lucky that we¡¯ve only faced weaker Daimons so far, but I worry that we¡¯ll be attacked again by a full scale force. Worse yet, we might be attacked by the Princidaimon.¡±


    ¡°Duxus Lophura and I agreed to buy everyone time in case that happens.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very brave of you and Duxus Lophura, however, I have no intention of letting anyone throw their life away, especially someone who went out of their way to come back for us.¡±


    ¡®Don¡¯t be foolish. There is very little else we can do if that happens. Some of us will have to make sacrifices. Didn¡¯t Laevinus teach you that?!¡¯ Gallus felt like saying those words, but they remained as thoughts that lingered in his mind.


    He cleared his throat, ¡°Then, should the situation arise, what do you suggest we do, Tribunus?¡±


    Pavonikos paused. They ran through the scenarios in their mind but they could hardly concentrate. Something else was disrupting their thoughts. Each scenario led to a bleak end.


    ¡°I¡¯ll discuss it with you and the other Duxii later. I need some time to think.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Tribunus,¡± he paused as if hearing someone¡¯s thoughts, ¡°I must go. We should discuss our next plan of action as soon as possible.¡±


    With a sign of respect, Gallus returned to the 13th, leaving Pavonikos alone with his thoughts. It felt strange being relied upon for direction. In the absence of the Magister Bellaxus, the Tribunus was next in rank. They had been trained for this and yet, Pavonikos still felt unprepared.


    Before they went over to assist the other soldiers, they were stopped by the sound of a voice, ¡°Tribunus Valerian Pavonikos.¡±


    Pavonikos turned, ¡°Aegeus Columbidos. Or should I call you Duxus now?¡±


    Under his white cloak, Aegeus was adorned in red cloth and lamellar, a sign that he had taken on the role of Duxus. The red started to fade back to its original colours.


    ¡°Now that you¡¯re here, I suppose the 1st has no need for a Duxus.¡±


    The red started to fade back to its original colours. As it did so, Pavonikos felt a heavy feeling in their chest. Memories of the vision they had seen in the Scholar came flooding back, threatening to overflow and break past the Soothing spells.


    ¡°Stop,¡± they muttered.


    ¡°Tribunus?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry¡­¡± Pavonikos shook their head, rubbing at their temples, ¡°I took some Focus potion too fast. Carry on.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Tribunus,¡± Aegeus said. Relieved of his colours, he bowed.


    ¡°Oh and one more thing,¡± they said, stopping himself from walking off, ¡°The other Duxii told me they wanted to meet with you in Roya.¡±


    Pavonikos looked surprised, ¡°Really? If that''s so, then why didn¡¯t Duxus Gallus tell me?¡±


    A troubled look crossed Aegeus¡¯ face. Briefly he shut his eyes.


    ¡°The other Duxii have taken issue with his ideas. I suspect that he and I aren''t too popular with them.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    Aegeus relayed his memories to Pavonikos. They saw the plan Aegeus devised with Gallus in secret and the other Duxii¡¯s reactions when they revealed it to them.


    ¡°I see. Gallus informed me of your plans. I hadn¡¯t realised you kept it from the others.¡±


    ¡°It was necessary, Tribunus,¡± Aegeus sighed, ¡°We all agreed to risk our lives to come here, but there are those among the Duxii who believe that we should abandon those at the upper floors.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Pavonikos thought to themself. It¡¯s no wonder why there were disputes in the Imysion. Divided in their goals, it would be easy for the Daimons to break them. The cracks were already showing. ¡° I still believe you should have been more transparent about this with the Duxii.¡±


    Aegeus lowered his eyes, ¡°Forgive me, Tribunus.¡±


    ¡°You did what you thought was right,¡± Pavonikos placed a hand on his shoulder, ¡°Together you came this far and handled things as best as you could.¡±


    ¡°But what will happen, Tribunus? The Duxii will be looking to you for direction now.¡±


    Pavonikos paused, feeling their stomach drop at the thought. They took a deep breath and closed their eyes.


    ¡°Well¡­ It seems they''ll find their Tribunus quite unpopular too. Don¡¯t worry Aegeus. I have no intention of abandoning anyone else to the Daimons.¡±


    It took what they could to sound confident in their thoughts alone. Deep down, Pavonikos was unsure if they would be able to keep their word.


    Yet, it was enough to reassure Aegeus, ¡°Thank you, Tribunus.¡±


    Pavonikos dismissed him. As they were about to part, Aegeus turned.


    ¡°And Tribunus.¡±


    Pavonikos turned their head back slightly, the tip of their hat concealed their troubles.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have you back.¡±


    Pavonikos smiled back at them. When Aegeus left to rejoin the others, their smile went away. The weight in their chest remained. They saw the Duxii circled together, their gazes joined Pavonikos¡¯ own expectedly. But Pavonikos turned to Gallus first and closed their eyes. This time, no one would be left out. They were all looking to the Tribunus for guidance now. As much as Pavonikos was dreading this meeting, they would stand their ground and make their decision known, even if the other Duxii disagreed with it.


    Meanwhile, the three friends from the 13th stood together on lookout after waking several more people. To save Focus potions, the Imysion and the awakened civilians of Lidantium alternated through their duties. With the steady addition of people, they could afford to maintain the rotation of work and rests.


    ¡°I-I was so scared I¡¯d n-never see you both again,¡± Valerian said.


    ¡°We made a promise. How could we leave you behind?¡± Rufinus said, ¡°Nevermind that. We¡¯re here now.¡±


    Rufinus pulled both his friends into a tight hug. It caught the eyes of some of the lookouts and passing people.


    ¡°R-rufus. Everyone¡¯s watching,¡± Valerian whispered.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be reprimanded by the cock again,¡± Adonis joined in flatly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Let him shout. Is it a crime to embrace friends?¡±


    They remained in Rufinus¡¯ embrace for a few more moments before he released them. Rufinus sensed Gallus¡¯ eyes on them, but the shouting or whipping didn¡¯t come, strangely enough. They caught up on what they each experienced and what they learned.


    ¡°So you think this Princidaimon is targeting Paradisian and Kyrusian specialists?¡± Rufinus asked, scratching at his beard.


    ¡°Y-yes. If I¡¯m r-right about my assumptions, then I think its l-looking for¡­ uh¡­ access to some very potent knowledge¡­¡±


    ¡°Well that can¡¯t be good¡­¡±


    ¡°Mn,¡± Adonis answered.


    ¡°Any idea what its goal is?¡±


    Valerian shook his head at Rufinus¡¯ question.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to imagine what would happen if it gains access to the Eternal Library¡­ And if it masters Kyrus, we¡¯ll be in big trouble.¡±


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    Kyrus was the veil between Magus¡¯ other faces. Sealing eyes¡­ Drawing out objects from the different realms¡­ Seeing and learning the true essence of something¡­ A master of Kyrus could do all manner of things.


    But something else was bothering Adonis.


    ¡°Kaeva¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Hmm? What is it Ado?¡±


    He turned his deep dark gaze on Valerian, ¡°Did you see any Draekslanni?


    ¡°N-no, Ado. Not even anyone from the 13th.¡±


    That¡¯s because no Draekslanni from the 13th had been chosen. And Draekslanni were a rare sight in cities like this one. Any other supposed Maleficari were even rarer. Still, it seemed strange that not a single Maleficari that had anything to do with Kaeva had been seen in this place, despite supposedly being more susceptible to possession. The more Adonis lingered on the thought, the more he wondered if it had something to do with the Seal on his Kaevan eyes. Was that what kept his fellow Draekslanni safe?


    ¡°What are you thinking, Ado?¡±


    Adonis shook his head. He had very little evidence to support his theory, ¡°Nevermind. I-¡±


    ¡°Tyto,¡± called out one soldier. ¡°You¡¯re up.¡±


    ¡°S-so soon?¡± Valerian asked.


    ¡°I came here earlier than either of you,¡± Adonis answered.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right,¡± Rufinus said.


    Adonis walked up to the soldier.


    ¡°You¡¯re switching with Passer of the 13th. We tried contacting her but she hasn¡¯t responded back.


    Adonis took a moment to recall who Passer was. When he did, he groaned inwardly.


    ¡®Saoirse .¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯ll find her and let her know.¡±


    Rufinus and Valerian watched him leave before turning forward.


    ¡°P-Passer? I d-don¡¯t remember there being a Passer¡­¡±


    Rufinus leaned over to whisper - if they were caught closing their eyes whilst on guard duty, they¡¯d have their heads bitten off, ¡°Do you remember seeing a strange woman in our ranks?¡±


    Valerian shook his head.


    ¡°Well, Ado certainly did,¡± he chuckled, ¡°I think he likes her.¡±


    ¡°R-really? I didn¡¯t think he liked anyone. A-aside from us, at least¡­¡±


    They continued to whisper amongst each other, catching a few jokes until one of the Duxii came to check up on the lookouts.


    Saoirse scoured through the pods carefully. All of her attention since stepping foot in the Magisterium was set on searching. As much as she wanted to deny it, something deep within her told her that what she sought was somewhere in this tower. It was close.


    After some time searching the room and spending Focus to ignore the ultraviolet lighting, she could make out a woman with long rose-coloured hair.


    ¡®Could it be¡­?¡¯


    Saoirse tore the membrane apart fast. The face of the sleeping woman was not what she expected and her hair had been dyed by magic, but just to make sure Saoirse opened one of the lids of her eyes. Topaz eyes - another false lead. Inspecting the rest of the body, she noticed her attire: Grey lamellar and a white cloak that had lost its glow. The symbols upon the cloak and silver clasps made the gold ichor in her veins run hot; this woman was an Inquisitor.


    Saoirse opened another set of eyes which darkened with a spell - something potent, written in an otherworldly script. The others wouldn¡¯t be able to trace it, just as they hadn¡¯t traced the true origin of the counterspell. It would be easy to dress up the death as another failed awakening.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    The spell disappeared from her eyes. Keeping calm, she slowly looked up to see the Draekslanni man with black eyes.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you again, Frawdairch.¡±


    He looked at her with an unreadable expression. Had he seen the spell in her eyes? Maybe he hadn¡¯t really lost his ability to see into Kaeva.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± she asked, hoping that would throw him off.


    ¡°You¡¯re on lookout duty. We¡¯re switching places.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± she recalled those messages she had ignored for some time.


    She stood up, dusting herself off, ¡°Very well. Take care of this one, Adonis Tyto.¡±


    After she had walked some distance and felt his gaze turn away from her, she looked back to see his reaction. He seemed to stare at the Inquisitor for a long time. Something glinted in his eyes - a trace of resentment. But he kneeled over and closed his eyes to awaken the Inquisitor.


    ¡®He has a great deal of restraint,¡¯ she thought to herself before heading to the room¡¯s entrance.


    The Duxii were gathered within the garden of Pavonikos¡¯ Mindscape. They were sitting around by the curve of a stream. Memories and other information streamed across the waters. Occasionally the Duxii would look over and slip in their own thoughts - theirs flowed like leaves carried across the stream.


    The Duxii had all said their piece. Some suggested taking the survivors they had accumulated so far and leaving whilst they still could.


    ¡°... So? What are your thoughts on this matter, Tribunus?¡±


    The waters were agitated. Something beneath the surface struggled uncomfortably. As much as it wanted to drift to surface, it was repelled by all of the people here. Steeling themself, Pavonikos took a breath. The thought emerged just as they opened their mouth.


    ¡°I stand with Duxus Aegeus¡¯ original plan,¡± the expressions of the other Duxii remained unchanged with those words, but their thoughts were coloured with what they truly felt, ¡° I will not leave here until every last person in this place is saved. That said, I suggest a change to Aegeus¡¯ plan. No one will have to make any sacrifices and no one gets left behind.¡±


    ¡°And how do you suppose we achieve that, Tribunus?¡± Gallus asked. He was the only one stood up, leaning against an Elecule tree with his arms crossed.


    ¡°Sacrifices won¡¯t be necessary, Duxii. That¡¯s because, I believe if we are swift enough, we can avoid encountering the Princidaimon at all.¡±


    Eyebrows were raised. They didn¡¯t even have to say what they were thinking aloud.


    ¡®That¡¯s an incredibly naive idea. Hardly a plan at all.¡¯


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re all wondering why the Princidaimon has not appeared before us itself. Or why it has only sent lesser Daimons instead of an army of the same force we saw in the Crafts District,¡± Pavonikos continued, ¡°I believe it may be unaware of our meddling so far. We¡¯ve made many direct attacks to it in Roya and we¡¯ve stepped foot in its territory in Tirra. Isn¡¯t curious that it hasn¡¯t come out to defend itself beyond sending in lesser Daimons.¡±


    ¡°That hardly answers why it hasn¡¯t appeared,¡± Duxus Enicurus said. ¡°Forgive me, Tribunus, but it seems you are making a lot of hopeful assumptions.¡±


    ¡°I must admit, I am only basing all of this on what I currently know. Assumption is all we have. Unless, you all know something else.¡±


    Duxus Lophura began to speak, ¡°Suppose you are correct in its desire to seek out knowledgeable hosts. Wouldn¡¯t it be possible that it¡¯s merely drawing us towards another trap?¡±


    ¡°If that were so, Duxii, it would have taken us all when it had the chance. Why risk losing so many hosts at once?¡±


    ¡°May I add,¡± Duxus Minerva chirped in, ¡°that these hosts appear to be important in building a body for this particular Daimon. As we¡¯ve seen before, the Daimon-possessed creatures have a limited lifespan. And in every corner of this city, flesh and Ichor moves as if sustained by the very energies that pulse through a Daimon. If I were to guess..¡±


    ¡°Another guess,¡± Clamatorus scoffed.


    ¡°Let her finish,¡± Pavonikos said, ¡°Continue, Duxus.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes. I think the evidence points to Lidantium becoming the cradle for a much larger host.¡±


    The Duxii were silent. They had fought Daimons the size of an elephant, but none the size of a city.


    ¡°Then¡­ Why pick and choose which people to bring to the Magisterium?¡±


    ¡°Well, if we look closely at the structure of this place¡­ It does resemble a central nervous system. Perhaps it needs to be choosy about who to incorporate. Everyone else might make up the other parts of the body.¡±


    The similarities were not lost on all who had a basic knowledge of Anatomia. To be rendered a simple organ- No. A mere cell in a body that had no place being in their world to begin with¡­ it was a terrifying idea.


    ¡°Choosy indeed¡­¡± Pavonikos said grimly. ¡°You¡¯re all aware how it has mainly targeted specialists of Paradis and Kyrus, correct?¡±


    The implication was clear to the Duxii. It wanted access to all of Magus¡¯ knowledge and a way to see past, or perhaps break the veil that obscured and separated the different realms.


    ¡°All the reason why it¡¯s plausible that it''s unaware of our meddling,¡± Minerva added. ¡°I don¡¯t think a creature that intelligent would want to lose such precious parts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s assuming a lot,¡± Gallus said.


    ¡°Assumption is all we can go on right now, Duxus Gallus,¡± Pavonikos sighed, ¡°The least we can do is thwart this Daimon¡¯s plans by saving all we can from this place.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still adamant on that?¡± Clamatorus said, ¡°We don¡¯t even know how long we have till the Princidaimon is made aware of our meddling.¡±


    The arguments continued, many started gathering towards the edge of the stream, quickly covering its surface. The Duxii began forming groups based on what they should do. One group suggested leaving with those they had saved so far, the second believed that they should continue with the plan set out by the Tribunus and fall back on Aegeus¡¯ plan should the Princidaimon attack them. One final suggestion came up.


    ¡°May I suggest a combination of these ideas?¡± Duxus Lophura said, ¡°It may be wise if we split our forces to evacuate a majority of the civilians we¡¯ve awakened. Namely, we should keep those with extensive knowledge in Paradis and Kyrus far away from here.¡±


    ¡°Splitting the Imysion? Do you have a death wish, Lophura?¡± Duxus Enicurus exclaimed, ¡°Not only would we be ill prepared to face a small army of Daimons, but it would slow us down dramatically without the civilians to assist us in our rescue efforts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only scared because you decided to dedicate your life to Tirra,¡± Calamotrus smirked, glad that he had specialised in the ¡°right¡± realms.


    Though Enicurus was agitated, he had enough self control not to respond at all.


    ¡°In that event,¡± Pavonikos cut in, ¡°You would still need a Tribunus to lead you here. Despite my specialism.¡±


    Gallus nodded. ¡°I too would prefer to stay. If our predictions are correct then the 13th will be the last thing this Daimon scum wants in its head.¡±


    The others muttered in agreement, though Pavonikos felt even more sympathetic towards the 13th. Hearing that, they were reminded how anyone labelled Maleficari were barred from specialising in Paradis or Kyrus. Only few would have the privilege of studying Roya. The exception to this of course was Valerian Corvus, who Pavonikos recalled, was only there as punishment for his poor performance during training. Though, after spending some time with Corvus and knowing what he was capable of, Pavonikos wondered if it had been done on purpose.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Pavonikos said, ¡°I believe we should settle this with a vote.¡±


    The others nodded in agreement. With that, Pavonikos led them down the riverside to a clear pond.


    ¡°Cast your votes, Duxii.¡±


    The votes concluded. The circle of commanders broke apart to rejoin their cohorts and manage the rescue efforts. Pavonikos felt like they had been there for days, trying to argue and mediate between the Duxii, but checking their Chronograph, they found that they had been there for the better part of 5 Midi¡¯cycles. Drained - in emotion rather than in Focus-, they took a moment to rest their eyes.


    They heard hooved footsteps approach heavily upon the flesh-covered ground. Pavonikos opened their eyes.


    ¡°Nethuns.¡±


    The horned steed walked beside Pavonikos.


    ¡°Ave, Tribunus Pavonikos,¡± he said unto their mind, bowing his head slightly.


    Pavonikos blinked, ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you, friend.¡±


    They spoke in short, catching up with each other about what they had missed.


    ¡°What about Cyrene? Is she¡­¡± Pavonikos trailed off, not wanting to hear the answer.


    ¡°Do not despair. She is well. She decided to remain with the others to help with the rescue efforts.¡±


    Those words relieved the Tribunus, ¡°That¡¯s good. There are many still here in this city that will need her more than I.¡±


    They ran their hands through Nethuns¡¯ hair, ¡°You came here for Laevinus too, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    Nethuns made a small nodding motion, ¡°I owe him that much.¡±


    Nethuns flicked his head towards his back. Pavonikos understood what this sign meant but shook their head. Pavonikos was not his rider.


    ¡°Nethuns, I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°A Tribunus must have a mount.¡±


    Pavonikos hesitated. The Monoceros tilted his head to the side to get a good look at Pavonikos. Despite the Soothing spell, Nethuns¡¯ deep, pale eyes saw past it.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think yourself worthy,¡± he stated.


    ¡°No, I-¡± Pavonikos paused, realising that they had blurted the words aloud. ¡°I¡¯m not ready.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡± Nethuns shook his head, gesturing for Pavonikos to look about the whole room, ¡°Do you think anyone here is?¡±


    Pavonikos went quiet. They knew the answer very well.


    ¡°You are not an army, Pavonikos. There is a reason why you have Duxii by your side. Do you remember what Laevinus taught you?¡±


    Don¡¯t carry everything on your shoulders. Pavonikos remembered the words well.


    ¡°Of course, Nethuns. Every lesson. But some of the Duxii disagree with how we should proceed.¡±


    Nethuns snorted. Disagreements between humans annoyed him to no end, ¡°What was agreed upon?¡±


    ¡°We are to split our forces. Some of the cohorts will leave to save those we have saved thus far. The rest of us will stay to proceed to the other floors.¡±


    ¡°A reasonable strategy,¡± Nethuns rose their head.  ¡°But I can imagine why not all would see it that way.¡±


    ¡°Nethuns. Do you really think it''s impossible to save everyone?¡±


    ¡°I believe,¡± Nethuns exhaled, ¡°that anything¡¯s possible in hindsight. You mustn¡¯t blame yourself for not taking paths you couldn¡¯t see.¡±


    They looked around the room. As the Imysion finished up with waking those they could and collecting the eyes of the dead, they assembled.


    Nethuns nuzzled them, ¡°Let¡¯s go, Floriana. Your soldiers await your orders.¡±


    Pavonikos stroked the length of Nethuns¡¯ nose. His third eye - his horn - was glowing slightly with determination. They mounted their back, a saddle reforming to their specifications. They trotted over to join the head of the 1st Cohort.


    The Tribunus announced to the Imysion their next steps. They would be split once more - Duxii Clamatorus, Enicurus and Minerva of the 5th, 2nd and 6th were to go with all they had saved so far to the safety of the forest¡¯s edge. That would leave Tribunus Pavonikos, Duxii Lophura and Gallus of the 1st, 10th and 13th to continue onward. There were murmurs amongst the soldiers and civilians. Few civilians began saying farewell to relatives in the 10th and 1st cohorts before they parted once more.


    Pavonikos drew forward upon Nethuns. Their breath hitched in their throat when they came across the unravelled bodies of the soldiers they couldn''t save. They picked up their eyes and held them in their hands, before quickly performing the Last Rites.


    When the Last Rites were done, they moved on.


    Once they entered the next room, Saoirse saw something glint in the ultraviolet lighting of the hallway ahead of her. Looking closely, she saw something wedged between the larger branches of purplish nerves that ran across the ceiling and walls.


    She recognised it straight away. Her eyes glowed with simple Tirran symbols. A small plant grew, wrapping around the object and wrenching it out. Before it withered away, it dropped the object down. She caught the thing with ease, not attracting any attention - it could have easily been mistaken for a piece of falling debris.


    Saoirse checked the thing in her hand. It was a dragonscale pendant, shaped like a Star Poppy. Draconic runes wove together names and sweet memories she recognised. Saoirse pressed the ichor-stained pendant against her own.


    ¡°Draekslanni girl!¡± the sound of Gallus¡¯ voice almost startled her, ¡°Stop lagging behind.¡±


    Saoirse didn¡¯t realise she had slowed her pace. She had almost joined the Cohort behind her. She stowed the necklace into her pouch and hurried over to join her Cohort.

 Chapter XIII - Renegare

    Laevinus stood, surrounded by shadows of endless war. Daimons slaughtering humans. Humans slaughtering humans. The figures merged, indistinguishable from each other. It didn¡¯t matter to him - the nightmare was all the same. His sense of being disappeared, he became one with the screams.


    Intense heat snapped him out of his frozen state. He threw his hands over his eyes. As he lowered them, they felt heavy; he looked down and found them stained gold. Lives, cut so short and so brutally at the blink of an eye. How many did he send to Paradis, carrying the memories of their traumatic end? And to what end? They made him Magister, yet all he had ever done was desecrate the Eternal Library with Ichor. All in the name of Magus. The hypocrisy was never lost on him.


    A softer voice cut through the screams. The sensation of warmth on his skin and the whispers of sweet nothings made the world around him slow. The memory of a promise brought him to his senses. The fear from his eyes glazed over. He could see the tinge of ultraviolet lining the shadows around him. This was something more than his usual nightmares.


    ¡®They were a threat,¡¯ he told himself. His Thought-Form shifted; he donned black and grey, marked by the symbol of the Inquisition. ¡®The Draekslanni were led astray by Daimons. They were given enough warning to turn away from Kaeva. The Magisterium acted rightly.¡¯ He reverted to his red upon white. ¡®The possessed can not be saved. It was a mercy that he burned them to Paradis.¡¯ The Ichor on his hands began to evaporate along with the carnage around him.


    He repeated those words to himself, swallowing his disgust. Each affirmation multiplied, layer upon layer, and buried the doubts in his heart. They formed the reflective walls of a great maze. Laevinus knew where to go - he stepped forward through one wall and found himself on a balcony of glass. Endless turquoise skies marred only by many long pillars of ultraviolet stretched along the horizon. The Daimonic protrusions pierced deep into his mind, stopping only at dead ends. Had he not erected the maze in time, he would have surely been possessed.


    He rested for a moment to recover some Focus, then looked over the balcony. With his mind cleared, he drew forth the surviving memory shards of the Crafts District. Not a single legionnaire was spared the Daimon¡¯s spell. Not even Pavonikos. He held him tight in his arms in vain. Laevinus pulled away from that moment. He sought the comfort of happier times but stopped himself - he could not afford to give away those memories to the creature residing in him.


    This was no time to mourn. If he was alive, then there was a possibility that Flavius¡¯ child was alive too.


    He parted the skies and turned his sights to the spell that encased him. It was unlike any Kaevan spell he had encountered but like any spell, it was bound to have a weakness in its form. He envisioned a single circular lens and looked through it.


    Scanning the mess, he spotted weaknesses around the spell where the protrusions poked through. The tangles of threads were spread thin and waved around freely around the breakage. Could it be that the spell was unraveled by the fingers themselves? He gave the protrusions a brief study and quickly determined that he was half-right; as he had seen in the Crafts district, the tendrils were covered in their own shields.


    It was just what he needed to carve his way out. He may have lacked the eyes to comprehend the spell fully, but in all his experience, he knew that the light of Paradis could sunder any spell if applied correctly - like spreading roots through the cracks of a stone.


    He took a step backward until he was back in the glass balcony and dissolved the imaginary lens. His eyes remained focused on the very point he marked out. With limited Focus, he approximated that he could summon several minor bolts of light. His eyes glowed faintly, constricting the sky around him into a single point to mark the weakness like a scope - a trick he had picked up on over the years to limit the damage of Essence Burn.


    The first bolt met its mark. Violet tendrils shook violently as the light spread through them. It had been strong enough to expel the pillar-like tendril, yet the dome remained. The bolt wasn¡¯t strong enough, but the way it caused the structure to vibrate showed promise. He shifted the point to another weak spot, this time widening his scope significantly. His mind would be scorched but it was a risk he was willing to take.


    Paradisian light flooded his vision and washed through the scope. Pure knowledge uncontrollably spread through the Daimonic spell, popping each part of its bramble-like structure with a glassy clangour. Laevinus¡¯ mind was blank for a moment until he regained sense of himself. The boundaries of his Mindscape slowly came back to him until he was grounded once more.


    He looked up to see that the skies were free of the ultraviolet haze. The only problem left were several thick tendrils that remained in his mind. Inspecting them closely, he saw that these had dug deep into his mind, probing around within the protective maze he formed earlier. He could sense the Daimon still scratching at the walls. Had he more Focus, he could have banished them already, but breaking out of its trappings had left him too drained. They wouldn¡¯t be a problem for now. He needed to establish where his physical body was.


    He opened his eyes to Tirra and what he saw terrified him - fear that the Daimon latched to him surely supped upon well. His surroundings resembled that of the inside of a beast; lit intensely by vessels of ultraviolet, the room was filled with wrinkled blue masses. The more he studied them, the more he noticed their resemblance to the Sanctus Vivliotekum housed in every skull.


    He heard weak laughter from one end. Straining his eyes to their peripheries, he could make out human features sticking out from the casing; there were others here too. He had sensed them before in his Mindscape - he had caught stray thoughts and fears that didn¡¯t belong to him. Then, he thought it was the Daimon interfering with his mind. He wondered if this was a small taste of what becoming a part of the eternal library would feel like. No. This place was a twisted parody of Paradis. He felt sick just thinking about it.


    Before Laevinus could let it all sink in, he felt his nerves flare up in warning. He slowed his own breathing, trying to subdue himself without using up anymore Focus. He lowered his eyelids, just enough to see through a thin slit. Haggard breaths echoed through the room. A figure glided slowly past him. Its body drooped and its thin membranous wings sloughed off, revealing eyeless pits in its ragged body. Several more things dropped out of it, glinting faintly before sinking into the ground.


    He kept watching the Princidaimon, cursing himself for being so powerless when it was in this weakened state. The Princidaimon walked to one end of the flesh wall, tendrils digging deep into the creases. There was a pleading cry as one person was wrenched out. He could feel what they felt. Burning fear and a brief sense of desperation.


    The screams were cut short once they were pulled in and smothered by those wings. The Princidaimon shook slightly and moved to find another victim. With each person wrenched out, Laevinus felt their terror, thoughts and memories that were not his flashed through his mind. All the while, the Princidaimon grew stronger.


    When Laevinus¡¯s mind returned to him, he tried to reach down for a Focus potion, but his arm wouldn¡¯t respond. His burnt Essence had left all of his limbs non-functional. There was a hand next to his side. Not his, but he could feel the slight sensation of tempered glass against it. It hung loosely outside the flesh prison. He could manage only a small twitch of the fingers, brushing lightly against the vials of precious Focus potion. Whatever was connecting him to the hand wasn''t strong enough to give him full control.


    He opened his eyes to Roya once more. The memory of glass on skin grew close like a guiding light. He took it and brought it to one eye. Through it, his Mindscape appeared dull in colour. He searched around until a bright gold slither of pulsing thread caught his attention in the distance. Looking closely, it was tinged with ultraviolet - threads that wove together with parts of his own mind.


    His journey ended at the wall of ultraviolet encasing the other mind. The Daimonic tendrils that bound the other person¡¯s connections to him couldn¡¯t get past the maze below to give him enough control over the arm.


    He set his eyes down to the maze and rearranged some of the walls. He would have to ensure it would go no deeper than his control over his own arm. Guiding the violet tendrils along, he finally allowed them to bind deeper into that burnt part of his mind. He felt a terrible feeling pass through him, making his own arm shake uncontrollably. It was difficult to wrangle control back but after some time the feeling passed. Lingering memories that did not belong to him drifted freely in his Mindscape.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The arm¡¯s owner was one of the few visiting Magisters who had come to Lidantium for an meeting. Laevinus couldn¡¯t determine its purpose from what few memories there were, but he could have sworn seeing a glimpse of a High Magister¡¯s cloak in those memories. But that couldn¡¯t be possible. No High Magister had gone to Lidantium that fateful night. Laevinus shook the thought from his head. He couldn¡¯t waste any time thinking about this now.


    He opened his eyes to Tirra once more. The Princidaimon was close now, back turned as it began feeling around for another person to consume. He flexed his new fingers. Once he had gained control of the arm he searched for the vial of Focus potion once more. His half-lidded eyes kept a careful watch of the Daimon in front of him. The tension rose, but he stifled it down.


    The vial slipped against his fingers. His eyes darted downwards and so too did his hand. Before it fell past saving, his hand caught it.


    The slightest movement from the creature made him shrink back and assume a false-sleeping state. Within his Mindscape, he waited in the darkness, hoping that the Princidaimon would pass him by. After some time, he gathered enough courage to open his Tirran eyes again.


    The Princidaimon was gone from sight. Taking his chances, he willed the arm that wasn''t his to life. The seal broke the moment he met eyes with the dirtied glass. The vial touched his lips. Rejuvenating bitter fluid touched his tongue but the feeling stopped too short to quench his thirst. Desperately, he shook at the vial and pressed it against his tongue. There was nothing left in it. He felt around again for another vial. None were left, not even on the arm¡¯s owner.


    Quickly, he weighed up his options. He had enough Focus to heal his Essence Burn and free himself of the Daimonic tendrils inside him, but not enough to free the people here. Would he even have enough to fight the Daimon now?


    ¡®It¡¯s not enough¡­¡¯


    The answer was as clear as a warped lens. He accepted it begrudgingly. If he was to keep his promise, he needed to escape and find Pavonikos.


    Back in Roya, he set to work on healing the parts of his mind that were scorched from his earlier attack. The repair was quick and imperfect, but he had full control over his limbs once more. He felt sensation return to those areas again, the signals giving him some sense of what was happening in Tirra now that he had more Focus and awareness. The Daimonic brain matter had constricted their movements somewhat, but he could manoeuvre them just enough to move himself deeper into the crevices between the flesh.


    With his sights set upon the many tendrils, he shifted the balcony into a great scope. Each lens, a portal to every tendril in his mind. His surrounding Mindscape darkened, shielded fully from what he was about to do next. All he needed was a single shot of Paradisian light, and all at once, every one of the Princidaimon¡¯s fingers were scorched and flailing. They all receded out of his mind, finally leaving his mind blissfully to him alone.


    The serenity did not last. There was a change in Roya - what followed was a sense of quiet dread that stilled Laevinus¡¯ surroundings. Then, like a terrible shriek, a deep hatred flooded his Mindscape and engulfed him as quick as wildfire. Overwhelmed by primal fear, he was paralysed, his screams blending with the others neighbouring him. For the first few moments, he begged it to stop. After a few minor Chronocycles, he forgot all concept of stopping. Once more he lost his entire being to the screams.


    The screams began to die down, but the rage was there. He saw through a hundred pairs of eyes. One of them slid out from somewhere and dropped down. Looming above was the Princidaimon. All of its stolen eyes looked deep into his. Something told him that it knew where he was - many thoughts warned him. It lunged into his view.


    He was jolted back into his own mind. All sense had not yet returned to him, but he knew something was after him. He returned to Tirra to quickly move his body deeper into the mass surrounding him, using minute amounts of Focus to form small gaps lined with air-producing moss to sustain himself. With very little knowledge of the room around him and an active threat that could spot him easily in the open, he had so few choices. At least the Princidaimon would have a hard time reaching him so far in.


    As the fear cleared, he regained enough of his mind to crush the vial in his scarred hand. He cast his eyes down towards the shards, reforming it with his Ichor to form a gold-stained lens fitted over one of his eyes. The mass seemed to go on endlessly - that is until he stumbled back into a cavernous space. He almost lost his footing on a stringy bit of flesh that stuck out at an odd angle.


    There was a figure at the centre of it all. They were tangled within the flesh, form mostly concealed and warped as a single pillar suspended by many tendons like a bird caught in spider¡¯s silk. He pried one eye-lid open - their iris and pupil were one solid ultramarine colour.


    ¡°This is¡­¡±


    To confirm his suspicions, he looked to their memories. Draekslan appeared before him. Then Lumis. He caught a glimpse of the woman she once was before she wound up in this accursed place. Whatever her intentions were, he could not tell; her memories were too scrambled. But she had been Draekslanni. From her memories and state, she must have been here for a very long time.


    Her mind was a ruined forest. The trees seemed dead, but still bore fruits of thoughts and memories - no doubt due to the bright tendrils that ran through them. He caught sight of recent ones - recent for he saw memories of his own approach into this strange cavern. What caught his eye right away was the glimpse of legionaries making their way through the insides of this corrupted place.


    Hope swelled in him as he saw many being awakened. What was more was that he saw Pavonikos amongst the many. He wished to see more, but the memories were fragmented. It troubled him to see that rather than leaving, those soldiers were continually ascending up the spine.


    ¡°The Princidaimon is here! Turn back!¡±


    He shouted it into Roya, all in vain. He strained to hear anything but the voices of surrounding minds. No thoughts could not reach past this room.


    He felt eyes upon him - the same sort of feeling when someone was aware of another in their Mindscape. He stumbled backwards and accidentally brushed her deepest memories. He was in the wings of Draekslan again. The city of Eidigan had been torn from the skies. The Drake-given gifts that kept them held up were mangled, never to fly again. From a distance, two young girls about Pavonikos¡¯ age emerged from the dust. One led the other, who constantly looked back.


    She stared at him with those wide ultramarine eyes. There was no hatred in them. Only the question, ¡®why?¡¯. With that single look, his maze-like defenses were shattered. He forgot himself, forced to face the same question that haunted him for many Blinks.


    ¡°Run.¡±


    Hot pain wrenched him back into Tirra. Several tendrils had pierced through flesh and bone. His limbs and spine were destroyed. The girl¡¯s thoughts reached him too late. He was quickly pulled out of the brainy mass.


    The Daimon he had faced before weakly walked along toward him. As it got closer he felt its limbs constrict around his form. He felt its desperation. He felt its victims emotions ebbing through him. The Princidaimon could see through him, his defenses were gone. His thoughts, his most delicious passions and fears were laid bare. It pulled him closer and closer, hardly resisting his scent.


    Mustering every bit of Focus he had left, he released the spell he had prepared. The lens covering the surface of his eyes glowed bright. Reflexively, the Daimon tried covering its eyes, for it knew what he was about to do. Too late. Light engulfed the room, and all eyes that gazed upon it absorbed the onslaught of Paradis. When the light cleared, Laevinus was barely conscious but he saw that the top half of the Daimon had been blown off.


    Laevinus could not move. His body was paralysed by his injuries. Before he could rest his eyes, he saw the pile of flesh twitch. Several stolen eyes around the torso looked up at him. The remains of ragged wings pulled the abomination forward. The Magister could only watch as it crawled over him. On the verge of passing out, he tried one last time to unleash the light of Paradis upon his foe. Only a slither of light escaped as he began to lose consciousness.


    As it consumed him, he was lucid enough to see what it intended to do. He found himself in that very room again, lying in wait. Powerless to do anything, he saw the Imysion ascend into the room. His own light was turned against them. With them all blinded, he lunged forward. When the dust settled, he saw the Tribunus pierced by a long spear like tendril. His tendril. He carried the blinded youth¡¯s limp body, holding him as he did when they were but a small infant. The memories of that joyous day coalesced with things he was forced to see.


    Down he fell to despair.

 Chapter XIV - On Borrowed Time

    The last specks of colour trickled out through the narrow gap in the Sealing Wall. They approached the edge haggardly in imperfect formations, some cohorts smaller than others, more civilian than soldier. The Imysion gathered to the forest¡¯s edge where they received aid from the soldiers of the 12th Cohort. Duxus Aquilina made note of each cohort that returned and those that did not. Several of the original Duxii were among the missing.


    The Magister Bellaxus was not amongst them. Nor was Duxus Gallus. The remaining Duxii had filled her in about the small division from the 13th. Any sane human would have taken their chances and left whilst they still could, but Gallus had joined the other half of the legion to the Scholar¡¯s District. And because of that many more from that accursed ¡®Daimon Spine¡¯ were saved.


    ¡®The stubborn fool¡­¡¯


    He may have been right. Perhaps this time would be different from the last. But, she had seen the Princidaimon through the other Duxii¡¯s experiences. How it felled everyone with one spell. How it flew above the city in all its terror. Though its wings were imperfect, she couldn¡¯t help but wonder if it had every opportunity to escape and spread its corruption before they had come. If it were so, then why hadn¡¯t it? Would the wall even contain such a thing? They had sealed off lesser cities to seal away Caputidaimons in time for a Cleanse, but never had they had to do the same for a Princidaimon. She recalled from rare reports that Princidaimons only lasted in Tirra for a few Chronocycles, but the memories of the survivors formed a different picture.


    She kept those questions tucked to the back of her mind as she turned to more pressing matters - the High Magisters were better suited to ponder those questions than a mere Duxus, she thought.


    Aquilina and the other Duxii gathered in Roya. The meeting was hosted in her mind - a space of dark marble dimly lit by wards. At its centre was a domed war table and upon it, the shadows of human, beast and Daimon moved across. The point of discussion: to extend their wait, or leave whilst they still had time.


    ¡°One Chronocycle isn¡¯t enough time, Aquilina,¡± said Duxus Lucilla, ¡°We must extend it.¡±


    ¡°And endanger Ludceta? I¡¯ve extended my hand enough, any longer than that is pushing it.¡±


    ¡°I concur,¡± said Duxus Clamatorus, ¡°We can¡¯t afford to let that thing run rampant through our lands.¡±


    Duxus Tetraxus snapped, ¡°How could you say that? Gallus came back for us, and you want to abandon him and the others?¡±


    ¡°Gallus agreed to those terms,¡± Aquilina argued. ¡°I would rather risk the lives of a few soldiers for the entirety of our country.¡±


    ¡°A few soldiers? Half a legion is still in there! That¡¯s not even accounting for the countless others that could be saved.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the sacrifice we must be willing to make.¡±


    Tetraxus glared at her, ¡°It must be so easy for you to say that, for someone that sits behind the lines.¡±


    He made no attempt at resisting his emotions. Instead, he let his thoughts gather in the room like thunderous clouds. And yet, Aquilina remained as hard as jade.


    ¡°You¡¯ve only been a Duxus for a few Chronocycles, Tetraxus. Don¡¯t pretend you know what it means to make hard decisions.¡±


    ¡°I hardly need any experience to know a coward when I see one.¡±


    ¡°Enough,¡± A new voice emerged, cutting through the noise. ¡°I know you¡¯re all afraid, but don¡¯t lose sense.¡±


    All noticed a new presence entering. Its thought form may have taken a human shape, but it was unmistakably inhuman. Not a Daimon, but a beast of Magus.


    Aquilina looked sharply at the newcomer, ¡°Who gave you the authority to enter this place, Monoceros?¡±


    ¡°Tribunus Virgilius Pavonikos,¡± Cyrene answered.


    It was rare but not unheard of that a beast belonging to a Magister would speak in their place. Rarer so that a mere mount belonging to a High Magister¡¯s child would be trusted to discuss important matters. By extension, that made their word as equally important as any Magister¡¯s. Sensing their skepticism, Cyrene presented them with the spell-mark: encircled within the official symbol of the Magisterium was the Delegate¡¯s Decree, and signed within was the renowned insignia of the star-eyed peacock.


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious,¡± Tetraxus scoffed.


    ¡°These are uncommon times,¡± Lucilla said. That much was true, with Maleficari fighting by their side and all. ¡°If the Tribunus permitted it, then we should hear what she has to say.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Aquilina said, ¡°Speak then. What would you have us do?¡±


    ¡°My decision alone won¡¯t be enough to settle this matter. I believe we should call a vote. The rest of the Imysion should have a say in this.¡±


    All were in silent agreement. Aquilina begrudgingly nodded with the others. She had a strong feeling that the outcome would not turn in her favour but the Monoceros spoke sense.


    ¡°Then it shall be done.¡±


    All in the room relayed what was spoken about throughout the edge of the forest. Soldier and civilian brought together their solutions and cast their votes. The options narrowed as the process continued. What felt like Chonocycles in Roya happened in mere Midis. The last bout of votes determined their final decision.


    ¡°Then it¡¯s decided,¡± Duxus Aquilina finally said, ¡°We shall wait 1 Chronocycle. No more. No less.¡±


    Many quietly thought that it was barely enough time, but after that session of voting and with all that they had seen, they couldn¡¯t disagree with the decision.


    ¡°But,¡± she added, ¡°Should we see any sight of Daimons, we shall seal the wall immediately. Is that clear?¡±


    All agreed. With that, everyone began to make their preparations. The 12th remained at their posts close to each of the wall¡¯s anchors. The rest could only wait anxiously.


    Gallus checked his Chronograph. 1 Chronocycle and 20 Midis left - yet his thoughts went back to the 12th. The other half of the Imysion had ample time to rejoin the survivors, but would there be enough time for themselves? The others were convinced so, but no one in the Imysion knew Aquilina enough as he did.


    ¡®Eyes straight, Gallus. We¡¯ve already come this far.¡¯


    He repeated those words over and over. The next rooms the group visited drained some of their hopes. As they ascended the spine, the pods took on stranger shapes - some recognisably Tirran in anatomy, others resembled organs never before seen. They recovered more samples of flesh than survivors. Those they did save didn¡¯t wake, their minds were too broken to recover anymore useful information. They would have to be taken to Lumis to heal them, but some of them had wounds that couldn¡¯t be repaired.


    There were those with damaged eyes and those missing their eyes - no replacement would give them back the knowledge and lifespan that was stolen from them. What horrified the Imysion the most was pulling out bodies missing the top half of their heads, yet still with a beat in their chest. Some faint part of their minds remained, struggling even to sustain basic bodily processes. Pavonikos had dismounted from Nethuns, holding one in their arms, doing what they could to mend what they could. The three Duxii gathered around them.


    ¡°We can¡¯t leave them here like this.¡±


    ¡°Tribunus, there¡¯s nothing we can do for them,¡± said Lophura.


    ¡°A quick death is the best thing for them,¡± Enicurus added.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Gallus said, ¡°Tribunus, what are your orders?¡±


    Pavonikos paused, drawing a long breath.


    ¡°Enicurus, have your healers carry all of the wounded. Her included. Nethuns, help gather the wounded.¡±


    As Pavonikos placed a shield on the wounded Magister and stowed her atop Nethuns¡¯ back. Enicurus knew that the Tribunus¡¯ orders were absolute yet he couldn¡¯t accept it. Perturbed, he shut his eyes.


    ¡°Tribunus, why must my men and women carry the wounded? Surely the 13th are better qualified-¡°


    ¡°I need the 13th at the front as our eyes,¡± Pavonikos answered, ¡°I don¡¯t mean any offence. I chose the 2nd to remain at the back because I can trust you and your cohort to save the wounded. I need you to trust me, Duxus Enicurus.¡±


    The Duxus stifled his frustrations. When he opened his eyes, Pavonikos met his gaze, expecting an answer.


    Enicurus lowered his eyes and bowed, ¡°It shall be done, Tribunus.¡±


    They continued their rescue efforts, however fruitless it seemed to most. In fact some felt as though it would be more merciful to send the remains straight to Paradis. As Pavonikos saw it, that was not their decision to make.


    Meanwhile, the 13th stood watch over their compatriots. Adonis was on watch duty once again, his friends never far from view as they dug through flesh. Even with the spells suppressing their emotions, he could feel the strain this was having on both Rufinus and Valerian, but if he moved from this spot he would be caught by Gallus again.


    Strangely, their ascent so far had been quiet. Too quiet. Like some of the others, Adonis¡¯ mind whispered to him of a theoretical trap lying in wait for them all. Even there was some truth to those whisperings, it was difficult not to want to keep ascending upwards. The impulse to save others was enough reason for most here to continue, but for some, it was morbid curiosity.


    He briefly glanced at Saoirse beside him. It wasn¡¯t lost on him that she had stopped bothering him a few rooms ago. She seemed more vigilant than before too, taking extra care to scan through the room and move from post to post as discretely as possible. She wasn¡¯t here to pester him, that much he gathered.


    ¡°Ogling me again? Dath¨²il, I¡¯m flattered, but shouldn¡¯t you be looking out for Daimons?¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here. Go back to your post.¡±


    ¡°Or what? You¡¯ll tell the cock? You¡¯re not that cruel.¡±


    He answered her with silence. From his peripherals, he watched her search around for a few Midis more.


    ¡°Why are you still here?¡± he finally asked.


    ¡°I could very well ask you the same thing, Frawdairch. Why, indeed? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re clever enough to escape this place with your friends if you wanted to.¡±


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.


    ¡°Desertion is a serious crime.¡±


    ¡°So? It¡¯s not like that would stop you,¡± laughter echoed around his mind. ¡°You¡¯re itching to see what¡¯s up there too, I know it. If we work together, we can slip away unnoticed.¡±


    He went quiet again, exchanging a warning look.


    Her laughter stopped, ¡°Be honest with yourself, Tyto. We both know you can¡¯t get what you want if you hold back-¡°


    Adonis¡¯ eyes opened. He saw alertness pass over Saoirse¡¯s own. Her eyes darted upward.  Thinking it was Daimons, he readied a glaive. Before he could pass the message on to those closest to him, his mental voice was drowned out.


    A noiseless scream filled the building, stopping the Imysion in their tracks. The world around them reverberated, leaving all pinned to the ground. Adonis struggled to hold up his head against the pain. Like a fierce torrent, strong hatred cascaded against the walls of his mind, drawing out pure primal fear. All sense told him to protect himself but he willed himself to fight his instinct. Taking his chances, he dispelled the cracked Soothing Spells, letting the wave flood in.


    Enveloped. Submerged. The sensation left nothing else. Essence, naked. Head, raw and ready to split. In those few Midicycles, Adonis wandered through the squall. In it, he glimpsed a path leading towards hazy door. Each step through this path intensified his pain. With pain, came understanding - memories of Daimonic script flashed in his mind and sharpened in clarity. Before he could take another step, the pain began to subside.


    He found himself in the room once more. Valerian and Rufinus were crouched close to him. His partner, however, was missing.


    ¡°Where is she?¡±


    ¡°Who, Ado?¡±


    ¡°Saoirse. She was here.¡±


    Rufinus and Valerian looked around in search of the elusive woman. When they first recovered, they hadn¡¯t seen a trace of her.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t see her.¡±


    Adonis rubbed at his eyes and when his senses were restored, he felt something brush against his neck. He picked the object that had been stuck to his cloak - it was a small feather, white at its bone and brown at its tip. It brought to mind the colour of Saoirse¡¯s hair.


    ¡°I-is everyone alright?¡±


    ¡°My eyes still ache, but I¡¯m fine, Val,¡± Rufinus answered.


    ¡°I¡¯ll live.¡±


    ¡°Stop it, Ado. C-come here.¡±


    Valerian quickly went to work to restoring the mental shielding of those around him. The ghost of pain and terror faded and with it, the path to that strange door in the darkness that Adonis had glimpsed.


    And yet, there was this unsettling feeling that hung in this room.


    Suddenly, an image was projected into Adonis¡¯ head. He saw the room from above; he and his friends directly underneath. The fleshy mass behind the other two pulsed unusually. A terrible urgency filled his being.


    Adonis grabbed at his friends, pulling them away from the nearest wall of flesh. Bursting out from the greyish blue mass were split arms with elongated digits. They whipped around, grasping wildly. A shadow emerged from within the pod, pushing itself forward. Adonis drove his glaive into the pod. Another screech ran through his arm - the image of that elusive door flashed in his mind. He held fast, the voids of his eyes illuminated with the harsh blue of a spell. In a flash, spikes of frost filled the inside of the


    ¡°Get away from the pods!¡± Rufinus screamed into Roya for all to hear.


    Many scrambled away from the flesh walls. The warning came too late for some. Others were unlucky enough to be surrounded by narrow passages. Daimon-puppeted limbs pulled them from all sides until their bodies gave way with a sickening rip.


    ¡°Outside! Quickly!¡± yelled Gallus.


    The three friends ran for the exits, dodging, freezing and burning through possessed. Several, half-bodied figures rose up to block their path, their misplaced eyes shot spells of light at the escaping soldiers. One cut through Valerian¡¯s shield and he let out a cry of pain as it struck him on the shoulder.


    Rage flared up in Rufinus. In mere seconds, the wall of possessed went up in flames. The screams that came after froze him place long after they were turned to ash.


    Valerian pulled him back to his senses, ¡°Rufus, we have to go!¡±


    Adonis shoved them both downward, shielding their eyes from a blinding flash of light. He returned fire with a cold glaive, pulled his friends upright, and all three continued their escape.


    Rufinus caught sight of the Tribunus; Pavonikos cut and burned through flesh to save those they could. As the walls closed in, the Tribunus shoved the last of the soldiers out of chaos. Pavonikos fought their hardest to slash away the tendrils that wrapped around their body, but one had taken them by their blindspot. They were dragged closer and closer into one of the pods, their forearm fully submerged. They attempted to cleave off the arm but another limb from the opposite wall wrapped over their eyes. They could feel the strain on their neck and arm. They cried out as the blindfold tightened around their skull.


    Nethuns charged in, driving his horn into the freshly formed wall, blowing open a gaping wound. The hole was too small for the Monoceros to get in. At best they could only hold it open with their shielding.


    Rufinus broke away from the others, rushing forward and vaulting over Daimon flesh. Through that hole, he could see the Tribunus suspended in place, body close to being torn apart. Wild flames lept from his eyes and sprinted towards their mark. The first caught the edge of the wound left by Nethuns. The Monoceros held his nerve, watching the fire savage the flesh. The Vattirmanni followed, leaping through the smoldering wound.


    The other flame then pounced up. Orange jaws engulfed the tendril, greedily rending muscle and sinew to soot and gold steam. Right before the flames touched the Tribunus¡¯ head, Rufinus¡¯ Brightsilver blade tore through the blindfold.


    Through bleary eyes, the Tribunus saw the red-haired Vattirmanni digging his blade at the flesh that held their arm in place. Over his shoulder, Nethuns was struggling to hold their exit open. At this rate, their efforts would be wasted.


    ¡°My arm,¡± Pavonikos croaked, ¡°Cut it off.¡±


    Rufinus hesitated. A bit of his frustration bled out into him. He channeled his fire into the blade. In one clean strike, Pavonikos was freed of their arm. He slung the Tribunus over his back effortlessly and quickly rushed towards the exit. Grasping things and something worse emerged, following after them.


    ¡°Get out of there!¡± Nethuns urged the two as he struggled to keep the wound in the mass open.


    Ice and hot earth quickly formed at the rim, frostbite eating away at regenerating flesh, the rim was quickly replaced with petrified skin. It gave Pavonikos¡¯ rescuers a chance to break free. As they made their escape, one of those mangled things covered in spell-readied eyes broke out of the grey matter and shambled behind them. The Daimon poised to attack.


    Narrowly missing Rufinus¡¯ head, a bolt of light and several elemental projectiles shot past him, striking the possessed down. A distance ahead of them, he saw his Duxus and a small group from his cohort. They fought back against the surroundings, keeping a clear path to escape.


    ¡°Get the Tribunus on my back.¡±


    Rufinus quickly obeyed the Monoceros. Once Pavonikos was securely stowed, Nethuns galloped through the path at breakneck speed. With the Tribunus safe and Rufinus rejoined, Gallus finally gave his order.


    ¡°Fall back!¡±


    The group retreated into the exits, passing through a golden shield constructed by Lophura¡¯s cohort. With the last of the soldiers and survivors out, all readied their spells.


    On the other side of the shield, what remnants were left of the possessed stared the soldiers back pitifully. Some begged to be let out. To be saved. It was difficult to ascertain if this was Daimonic trickery or the last remnants of Tirran resistance. Mercifully, the Soothers hardened everyone¡¯s hearts. The Duxii gave their order.


    ¡°Sponte Iacite!¡±


    And they gave it their all, even after no signs of life remained.


    At the back of the lines, Healers quickly gathered around Nethuns and took Pavonikos down to mend their wounds. Their eyelids opened - sight immediately went from bleary to clear. By the Healer¡¯s assessment, their eyes were undamaged. Looking upward, they noticed something emerge from top of the spine and disappear out of oculus of the dome roof. In the shadow of those wings, Their eyes widened with horrifying realisation.


    Pavonikos shot up from the ground and shut their eyes.


    ¡°Retreat! The Princidaimon is here!¡±


    The soldiers stopped, their focus turning upward. They moved inward, away from the edges of the spine into straight lines. The 13th and the 10th assembled at the front and were situated at the uppermost part of the spiralling walkway. Leading from the back was the 2nd. Pavonikos¡¯ small group was at the centre.


    All were cloaked in a variety of different shields. The Golden Dome had proved useless back in the Crafts District. Before ascending to the uppermost portion of the spine, groups within each cohort had come together to design new shields in case they encountered the Princidaimon.


    The line marched hastily downwards, right until that shadow was cast again. Another wave of terror filled the building. The 13th and the 10th saw the Princidaimon descend and rest at one side of the wall. Its veins pulsed fresh with gold. Its cloak and hat-like head renewed. Many of its eyes, however, were closed as if asleep. The few that were open stared down, wide and unknowable


    ¡°Brace yourselves!¡±


    The Imysion stopped their march and got into their positions. Staring up at the Daimon directly, Adonis felt that pain ravage him again. Surrounding him, the other Draekslanni were faring the same, but he refused to tear his eyes away from it. He felt so close to reaching that door. What it exactly was, he could not say, but he was enraptured by the need to find out no matter what. Something inside him began to open.


    The Princidaimon opened up its wings. Several faces were revealed to all, only part absorbed, as if hastily combined. Only one of those faces stood out to the entire Imysion. The Duxii looked up with horror clashing against their mental shields. Their Tribunus could feel despair trickling through the cracks of their own.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    Magister Bellaxus Laevinus¡¯ eyes opened from within the Prinicidaimon. His expression was listless, enraptured between dreams and the waking world. For a moment, he locked eyes with Pavonikos. Was it recognition? Or coincidence? Regardless, the Princidaimon did not move for a few moments more. The Tribunus hoped it was the former.


    The recognisable symbol of his signature spell lighted Laevinus¡¯ eyes and those hopes were dashed.


    ¡°Shield your eyes!¡±


    The first explosion of light cascaded upon the soldiers. Not a trace was left of the few that had not shut their eyes in time. Before the Imysion could recover, the next set of eyes unleashed their spells, keeping them all pinned down in defensive positions until finally they were set upon by the Mind Trap. Many of the remaining soldiers¡¯ shields gave out before they collapsed into accursed slumber.


    The few groups that remained raised their heads - their shields had withstood the attack. The Princidaimon closed up its wings and twitched violently, digging tendrils deep into the wall of the spine. Whatever the reason for this, all saw an opportunity. Some began firing spells at the Prinicidaimon, but nothing could crack its shields. Amidst those that remained awake was Gallus.


    ¡°Stop wasting time and wake the others!¡± he commanded in Roya.


    As quickly as they could, the remaining groups woke as many as they could. When Pavonikos rose from the Mind Trap, they saw that the Princidaimon was stirring again. Many had woken up but there some that were still in the throes of the Daimon¡¯s spell.


    ¡°2nd Cohort, carry the rest! We must leave at once!¡±


    They did as commanded, the 13th and 10th covering the rest. As they descended down, the Prinicidaimon swooped down to follow them. Its movements were as clumsy as its control over its own spells, but powerful nonetheless. Using the shields that had defended the first groups against the Mind Trap, they were able to avoid being trapped in sleep again. As long as they kept moving, they had a better chance of survival.


    Yet, Pavonikos noticed the men and women that fell behind - some were rendered into golden vapour, others were quickly absorbed by the Prinicidaimon.


    As they continued their descent, the Princidaimon finally made one last move of desperation. It launched itself off the spine and dove down, before rising up and planting itself ahead of the 2nd Cohort, blocking their escape.


    ¡°Halt!¡±


    The Imysion stopped in their tracks. Before rushing to reassemble themselves, the Princidaimon let out another onslaught of attacks upon them. Though they could resist the Focus-draining Mind Trap, they were beginning to run out of Focus Potion once again. They couldn¡¯t maintain their shields forever.


    ¡°Tribunus, what should we do?!¡±


    Pavonikos held fast, lending their own Focus to the shield. They were all being moved up the spine once again. The Princidaimon¡¯s rimmed head undulated, and with each wave came thoughts of what it intended to do to them. Images of being sealed into those pods to make up for the damage done to the spine shifted into images of a Ludceta warped into its idea of Paradis. The Soothers didn¡¯t know if they could keep the fear at bay any longer. It was difficult enough keeping their own selves sane.


    ¡°Lophura and I are ready,¡± Gallus said into their mind. ¡°Give us the order!¡±


    ¡°Tribunus, this is the only way.¡±


    Pavonikos gritted their teeth. That¡¯s when they noticed several of the 13th extending the walkway with stone to prevent themselves from falling off the edge. Surely, they could build their own path out of this. Or better yet¡­ A floating platform, like those that were used before the Teleostium were invented for instant travel.


    But how would they distract the Princidaimon to protect themselves?


    Pavonikos looked past the wings that wrapped around the floating faces in its body. Nethuns, seemed to sense the idea that passed their mind.


    ¡°Tribunus,¡± he said, ¡°If you think its right, then give the command. I will ride.¡±


    Pavonikos took a breath and closed their eyes.


    ¡°Duxus Enicurus. Begin constructing a floating platform at the edge after the next wave. Ensure that it¡¯s large enough for us to all escape. Duxii Gallus, Lophura. Hold fast until my signal.¡±


    And all obeyed.


    After defending against the next wave of attacks from the Princidaimon, the 2nd focused all their efforts on the floating platform. It had been made hastily, but it was large to hold the entire Imysion. On Pavonikos¡¯ signal, the 1oth, 13th and Pavonikos¡¯ soldiers quickly began assembling on the platform.


    ¡°Tribunus, hurry!¡± Gallus called out.


    Pavonikos and Nethuns remained facing the Princidaimon. They could both sense the last of the 13th embark on the platform. At the same time, the Princidaimon was stirring again.


    ¡°Duxii, it has been a pleasure fighting alongside you. Now go.¡±


    Pavonikos looked over their shoulder. At once, the platform began to move down. They blocked out their cries and braced theirselves for what came next. The Princidaimon unfurled itself, exposing its faces once more.


    ¡°Magister Bellaxus Laevinus! Look upon me!¡±


    Laevinus opened his eyes, dazed as if waking from a long dream. He saw Flavius¡¯ little pride and joy before him. If he could reverse the passing of change, he would have been there for them when they needed him most.


    The Princidaimon lunged forward with outstretched wings. Joy turned to horror. The Princidaimon reveled as Laevinus¡¯ nightmare came to being.

 Chapter XV - Til the End

    Time slowed.


    Adonis had one foot on the platform, the other on the walkway. The feeling that beckoned him to the top of the tower tugged at his being. Nostalgic cold prickled his skin; his instincts told him to pursue the source of the pain behind his eyes.


    ¡®In dolore, claritas.¡¯


    But his heart was seized by the sight of his companions urging him forward. Their promise, remembered: they¡¯d escape the horrors of Lidantium together. So, he lifted his foot off the walkway.


    Then, his eyes caught movement. A small blur of brown flew to the top of the Spine. Stray feathers flitted down - they belonged to a sparrow. The pain urged him: ascend.


    Beside him: Duxus Gallus turned back. The very moment Pavonikos¡¯ words entered their minds, the Tribunus was already far from their reach, riding towards the winged abomination that wore their Bellaxus¡¯ face. The soldiers cried out to their leader in vain - Pavonikos had already made up their mind before they all boarded the platform.


    Gallus found himself caught between past and present; memories of leaders past trickled out through the cracked wards in his mind. Faint afterimages overlapped Pavonikos: first, a woman and lastly, Laevinus. Their final words echoed in his mind.


    He made a vow. He may have failed his Bellaxii of past, but he refused to let Pavonikos fall.


    Just as the platform began to descend, Gallus and Adonis pushed themselves back onto the Spine. They had not sensed each other¡¯s movements - urgency narrowed their vision and all they could see was the object of their separate goals blind to all else. They rushed in opposite directions.


    ¡°Ado!¡±


    Valerian¡¯s words were drowned out by the cries of the others. Rufinus leapt across to catch his friend, but Adonis cloak narrowly slipped from his reach. Valerian¡¯s concentration broke. Possessed by the fear of losing his brothers again, he left all sense behind and followed after Rufinus. Valerian landed at the edge of the walkway. The ground beneath his heels crumbled. He flailed, falling backwards.


    Suddenly, a strong hand gripped his arm and pulled him forward - Rufinus had caught him in the nick of time. They both stumbled onto the Spine. Looking back, they saw that their chance of escape had descended too far for them to jump down without risking death.


    ¡°Damnare, Val! What were you thinking?!¡± Rufinus said, eyes ablaze.


    Valerian¡¯s breaths were shallow and he struggled to regain his faculties enough to reform his mental shields. Though speechless, the look in his eyes told Rufinus everything he needed to know.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose either of you again.¡±


    Rufinus¡¯ gaze softened. He felt a twinge of guilt for his outburst. But then, a small spark of anger ignited in his chest as he thought of their missing friend.


    ¡®Why? What are you doing Ado?!¡¯


    But he shook those thoughts aside and pulled Valerian up with him as they surveyed the situation. As the other calmed, he could feel his emotions being contained again, mind unclouded from his temper.


    They were at an impasse: on one side, they saw Adonis ascending towards the tip of the Spine. Downwards, they saw their Duxus running after the Tribunus, both descending towards certain death. The Princidaimon had opened itself up, eyes and tendrils poised to consume their leader whole. From here, it was clear now what the Tribunus intended to do; this was no mere act of suicide - they were buying time for everyone else to escape! But whatever plan the Tribunus had made with their Monoceros, they couldn¡¯t carry it out alone.


    Rufinus gritted his teeth, a bit of his frustration flickered past the forming Soothing wards, ¡°Come on. The Tribunus needs us.¡±


    ¡°B-but what about Ado?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t stop that Daimon, none of us are going home!¡±


    They could only hope that Adonis didn¡¯t meet his end in whatever lay above them. Both hurried downwards, preparing their spells.


    Tribunus Pavonikos was close to the Princidaimon. They hoped that their cries would reach the former Magister within and for a moment, they thought they did. But then, the beast propelled itself forward with a single wingbeat. There was a flash of light and a glassy ring reverberated throughout the corrupted Magisterium.


    The Princidaimon was held in suspension. Nethun¡¯s horn and Pavonikos¡¯ eyes glowed vividly with Ichorous colour as they poured their Focus into the shield enveloping themselves. Tendrils of flesh spread across the dome, branching out into tiny roots, each tipped with destructive spells. Tiny cracks formed and disappeared as steed and rider held fast against the assault.


    Pavonikos was forced to stare at their former Bellaxus. They could see the faint flickers of consciousness in his hollowed eyes. They could be healed! They could be saved! With all the knowledge of Paradis, Pavonikos wanted nothing more than to tear Laevinus from his flesh prison and heal him cell by cell. They could free him with the counterspell!


    Though Pavonikos¡¯ mind raced with all of these ways to save their Bellaxus, nothing could extinguish the glaring truth of their situation. Pavonikos knew that the moment they closed their eyes, they and Nethuns would be dead before the spell was even cast.


    ¡°Bellaxus, fight it!¡± Pavonikos strained, ¡°Let¡¯s go home together!¡±


    For a moment, that was enough to bring Laevinus back to consciousness. Beads of gold streamed down from his defeated eyes.


    ¡°¡­ kharissima, forgive me¡­¡±


    The Princidaimon¡¯s wings wrapped around the golden dome, pressing each of its stolen eyes against the surface. Within all of them, Laevinus¡¯ spell was forming. All too late, Nethuns and Pavonikos knew they had made a mistake. Regardless if they both kept their eyes open or closed them, they were dead.


    ¡°Tribunus, shield your eyes!¡± Nethuns screamed, all three of his eyes glowing so intensely that his ichor began to pour from their edges.


    Pavonikos held their gaze, frozen by uncertainty. Nethuns had hoped to sacrifice themselves - but would it even work? They braced themselves for what came as they were enveloped entirely.


    Then, came the crack of a whip. A great lash of light tore around the wings. The Princidaimon retracted itself from the dome. Tendrils flailed and returned to its source. Gallus flicked his eyes, directing his bright whip once more. It tangled around the wings and torso of the Daimon, wrapping to conceal every one of its eyes. The Princidaimon was bound and mangled, flesh folded over itself like a horrifying cocoon. With the whip¡¯s searing glow came the myriad screams of every assimilated victim. Its strength and resistance to the Daimon¡¯s straining increased as Gallus poured his focus into the spell.


    ¡°Tribunus, get back!¡± he called out as he held his gaze upon the Princidaimon.


    Nethuns quickly worked his legs. His eyes spent, he galloped blindly towards Gallus¡¯ voice. His rider came to their senses first. When Pavonikos saw that they were headed for the ledge, they tugged at Nethuns¡¯ reigns, turning him back toward the Duxus. They caught Gallus by the arm, helping him mount Nethuns.


    Even with Gallus¡¯ concentration torn away, his bindings of light held fast around the Princidaimon - but, it was only a matter of time before the whip broke. Wasting none of that time, Nethuns galloped upwards as fast as he could. His sight recovered as Pavonikos healed him. The Tribunus looked over the side of the walkway, seeing that the platform carrying their troops were still halfway down the spine.


    ¡°Duxus, we must buy the others time!¡±


    Gallus looked over his shoulder, understanding immediately. The moment the Princidaimon had snapped out of its restraints, its wings opened up, ready to release an onslaught of spells. A few of its eyes caught sight of the escaping Imysion and cast its dark fire upon their shields.


    Gallus launched several spears of light and flame at the Princidaimon¡¯s wings. At once, it abandoned its attack and its wings rose upwards. Gallus¡¯ spears shattered upon the Daimon¡¯s impenetrable shield. It returned with its own attacks, launching a myriad of spells at them. Pavonikos¡¯s eyes flashed just in time to protect their small group with a shield of light.


    Nethuns followed, forming silvery droplets with which Gallus¡¯ attacks were channeled through, reflected, then refracted into several more spears - they were weaker than Gallus spears, but they spread out more evenly across their enemy¡¯s shields. Upon meeting their mark, diluted knowledge flashed in violent pulses, confusing all that bore witness to them. The Princidaimon slowed in its ascent, shielding its remaining senses from the assault.


    Then, fire engulfed the Princidaimon¡¯s entire form. Looking behind theirself, Pavonikos saw two familiar faces from the 13th. Rufinus held his burning gaze even as his steps faltered from the uneven terrain. By his side, Valerian no longer concentrated on maintaining mental shielding. Instead, he channeled all of his Focus on maintaining their physical shields. At this rate, they¡¯d be feeding more Daimons that hung around Roya.


    ¡°Hurry, get behind me!¡± Pavonikos called out to them.


    They quickly obeyed, joining the rest of the group within the miniature Golden Dome. This wasn¡¯t meant to happen. Pavonikos never wanted to sacrifice anymore lives for their sake. But they¡¯d have to address their insubordination later. Whilst their soldiers continued attacking the Princidaimon, Pavonikos searched for another way to slow it down. Looking over to the side, the rest of the Imysion still had a long way to go.


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    Whilst it was distracted, Pavonikos looked to the walls of scorched flesh that made up the spine then at the disappearing wounds sustained by the Princidaimon. An idea formed in their mind.


    ¡°Duxus, Phonikos. Focus your attacks on that single breach!¡±


    The image of Pavonikos'' target flashed in their mind in a blink. A crack in the Daimon''s defenses, barely mended. They focused their attacks on the weakened point that had been kept unusually thin compared to the rest of the recovered shield. Pavonikos noticed it - this was Laevinus'' doing; as the wings flickered, they saw a glint of his eyes flashing faintly within the darkness of those terrible wings.


    Gallus sent another bolt forward like a harpoon. The piercing rope of light hooked itself on the edge of the shield''s breach. With one yank, the Princidaimon was pulled towards them, a piece of its shield rent asunder. Through the hole that was left, leapt Rufinus¡¯ ravaging flames. With its scorching, tearing bites, a great burnt-gold hole gushed with smoke that smelled foul with burnt flesh.


    The fire tore through one of the Daimon¡¯s wings. The cries of its multitude victims rang out, but the soldiers were unshaken - had it not been for Valerian¡¯s Soothing, they would have all been paralysed by the noise and their resolve shattered with it. Pavonikos remained steadfast, focusing intensely at the new wound and the surrounding damage to the spine. That twisted flesh that made up the beast and the structure was once of Tirra. The Tribunus could still see the fundamental shapeforms; they could be broken and rewoven.


    They knew full well that one could not undo change, but invoke another to heal the damage rent. They cursed themselves for their limitations, for not knowing enough to purge the Daimonic corruption and rebuild the bodies of the victims. But, they could mend what they did understand - it would buy the others time. An ichorous spell flashed in Pavonikos¡¯ eyes. Muscle and sinew grew from damaged flesh, intertwining and weaving together, forcibly merging wing with walls.


    The Princidaimon halted its attacks and pulled against its errant flesh. It began trying to cleave itself free from the spine but Pavonikos poured more Focus into their spell. Nethuns joined them in turn whilst Gallus and Rufinus continued their assault to create more wounds in the Daimon.


    In its last ditch effort, it opened up its remaining wings. Laevinus¡¯ cries rang out louder than the others, sending images of mess of ultraviolet lines that kept him partially imprisoned within himself - a warning.


    ¡°Mind Trap! Prepare yourselves!¡± Pavonikos barked.


    They mustered the little remaining Focus they had left to prepare the counterspell, when the Mind Trap had shattered over them, they were already feeling too exhausted to continue their assault. The Princidaimon had begun tearing at its flesh bindings, trying not to damage the spine too much in its attempts to free itself.


    Pavonikos reached around to take a full swig of Focus potion whilst they still had time, only to find they had run out.


    ¡°Tribunus, here!¡±


    Rufinus tossed them a vial - his only vial. He was aware he was low on Focus and yet Rufinus continued materialising torrents of fire through the cracks of their enemy¡¯s mending shields. It seemed that the Princidaimon was exhausted too, as it had taken a defensive position once again. Only a few of its eyes had been kept open, focused on maintaining shields and counteracting Rufinus¡¯ attacks. Where its eyes were closed, the Daimon was left vulnerable.


    Pavonikos drank half of the vial, giving Nethuns the other half. Their unrelenting healing combined with Rufinus and Gallus¡¯ constant wounding had started wrapping the Princidaimon in a tight, unyielding cocoon of calloused flesh and bone. But they were starting to lose their concentration and they were only down to one vial of Focus which was held by Corvus. They could not maintain this cocoon forever when they were losing so much energy whilst the Princidaimon took this opportunity to recover itself.


    The flames in Phonikos¡¯ eyes had become mere sparks of embers. He wasn¡¯t the only one whose eyes were drooping; though Gallus had remained quiet so far, he too was showing signs of faltering. And their Soother, whose eyes were closed, seemed close to passing out for their prolonged maintenance over their mental shielding and the earlier counterspell.


    ¡°Retreat upwards. Quickly!¡± Pavonikos answered.


    The Militi were hesitant, ¡°Tribunus-¡°


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare disobey my orders again. Go!¡±


    Finally they went, breaking their concentration. Staggering hurriedly, they ascended up to the top of the spine. Only the Duxus remained stubbornly by Pavonikos¡¯ side.


    ¡°Duxus, go. Nethuns and I will slow the Daimon down.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Nethuns cut in. ¡°You go, Belaxus.¡±


    The Monoceros¡¯ words struck Pavonikos heavily. It was as if Nethuns had just admitted that their leader was lost.


    ¡°Nethuns!¡°


    Nethuns reared back, throwing Pavonikos off.


    ¡°I still have a debt to repay, Floriana. You do not. Now go do what you promised.¡±


    Before Pavonikos could say or do anything more, Gallus pulled them towards him and slapped them against the face. Stunned, they were paralysed on the spot.


    ¡°Stop this foolishness at once! Do you want their sacrifice to be in vain?!¡±


    Clarity and sense returned to Pavonikos. Gritting their teeth, eyes hard, they went with Gallus, ascending up the spine to join the rest of their group. Over the side of the spine, the rest of the Imysion had long gone - they had succeeded in saving them. Taking one last look over their shoulder, Pavonikos caught a glimpse of Nethuns galloped towards the flesh prison encasing the Princidaimon. The newly-made Bellaxus tore their eyes away as friend charged third-eye first towards the final remains of their father.


    Nethuns¡¯ glowing third eye pierced through the shields of the Princidaimon. He put all of his focus into a constant cycle of destruction and reconstruction so much that his own eyes bled.


    He drove himself further in, the flesh beginning to surround him. He could feel them merge with his own wounds. More smaller streaks of bone lashed against his skin purposefully; if the Princidaimon deigned to consume him too, he would make sure he¡¯d buy the others enough time to escape.


    Deeper, Nethuns was surrounded on all sides. The boundaries between himself and his enemy had fallen apart. When his other eyes faltered, his horn - his third eye remained perpetually open, steadfast in carrying out its purpose. Its golden glow was the only thing illuminating the inside of the coccoon he had trapped himself and the Princidaimon in.


    In Roya, Nethuns searched for his rider in the fused Essences that had become of the Daimon¡¯s victims. Piercing through the fog of nightmares and memories, he finally found what remained of Laevinus.


    He was a lone foal again, stepping out of the Sea of Sorrows to meet the boy that visited this place every Blink. Out of the ruins of his fallen home. Their home. Both had only been babes when Atlanaril fell, and by Magus¡¯ wisdom they had avoided the fates of their people on that fateful day, but the memory of that day had been etched into their very Essences. From the beginning of their lives, the stories of their lives had been stained with Ichor. They were brothers. Through every tragedy, every broken promise and heartbreak, they stormed through unabating.


    The golden tide had risen to their ankles. They were steed and Magister marked with all of their scars. Laevinus embraced Nethuns, pressing his forehead upon the bridge of his muzzle.


    ¡°Are they safe?¡± Laevinus asked.


    ¡°For now. I can only buy them so much time.¡±


    ¡°Then we must not waste it.¡±


    Laevinus guided Nethun¡¯s head downward, until the tip of the Monoceros¡¯ horn was pointed directly at the one of his Marcasite eyes. The shape of his deadliest spell was reflected through each lens until they reached Nethun¡¯s third eye.


    ¡°You know what we must do.¡±


    Nethuns nodded. Both shared the heaviness in each other¡¯s hearts. With what little of themselves they had left, they planned to wound their host. Even if this act didn¡¯t send all of theirselves to Paradis, at the very least, they¡¯d have weakened the Princidaimon enough to help Pavonikos and the others survive.


    ¡°Til the end, adelphos¡­¡±


    Nethuns tore his way back into Tirra, cutting through scar tissue and new flesh with his hooves until he was face to face with Laevinus. His eyes were open, readied with the light of Paradis. Nethuns prepared the same spell.


    Light filled the cavernous space. Everyone of the Princidaimon¡¯s eyes that gazed upon it were overwhelmed with searing knowledge. Intense white light burned away the brothers¡¯ sights.


    In a flash, they were gone. The Princidaimon stilled from within its prison.


    Adonis entered the room at the tip of the spine, panting heavily as the pain in his head had reached terrible heights. It was harder to search for what he was looking for now that he was so close, but he concentrated, looking around with strained movements. Amidst the wrinkled flesh maze that covered the floor and walls, there was a cage-like frame that made up the roof. It was all that was left of the room¡¯s original purpose. Seeing the hanging mangled remains of twitching wings and spines in between the gaps of the dome confirmed his suspicions.


    Though Adonis had never been to the top of Lumis¡¯ Magisterium, his home had a similar structure; every important building in Ludceta had an aviary to house their Patrons and the Magisteriums were no exception to this rule. Birds saw deeper into Paradis, imparting sacred information that the most trained of scholars could not yet reach. So trusted were the birds in their advice and wisdom that they were equally revered as High Magisters and Scholars.


    No wonder the Princidaimon had wings. Like everyone else in this building, the birds were trapped here. But there was little time for Adonis to investigate or speculate on what happened further. Adonis felt as if his eyes and brain were close to splitting open. He resisted the urge to collapse into the pain and instead trudged on. What he sought was close - it lay to the center of the room.


    He happened upon a trail of feathers. Not the kind that were strewn with ichor and viscera. These were recently dropped. Brown, white and black; the distinct feathers of a sparrow. They and pain led to the same point.


    There was a great pillar of flesh and at its base, there was a fissure cutting deep, beckoning him in. Laying eyes upon it brought him to one knee. It was then that he knew he had found the right place.


    As he got up and stumbled forward past the boundary, his thoughts were of his friends, but he did not hesitate. Answers lay ahead. A door to be opened. A stranger in need. He disappeared deep into the pillar.


    There was a familiarity in all of this; he could easily replace the pain with the comforting memory of cold. He did not need to waste his focus to illuminate his way so he kept his eyes shut to the world, relying on sensations. Though blind, he could rely on the searing in his eyes to lead his steps.


    What was sealed so long ago was beginning to open with each step. It was not a conscious act - he had long forgotten how to use what was taken from him. Now, he could vaguely see out through those small slits, though his sight was too vague and bleary to be useful. They needed to be unsealed fully.


    Then, he collapsed into an open cavity, the pain no longer bearable. With his legs paralysed, he opened his eyes to Tirra, finding himself in a room harshly illuminated with pulsing ultraviolet vessels. He scarcely adjusted to the brightness, but he could make out two shadows at the center.


    Half a human figure lay encased within glowing flesh. Within its embrace was another human: a woman. As he crawled forward, he recognized both of their features. The sparrow-brown hair and the soft curves of their oval faces. There were only slight differences between Saorise and the other Draekslanni trapped in the Daimonic structure, but undoubtedly, they were related.


    But what was the unknown woman doing in such a place?


    He noticed a glowing tendril attached to the back of Saoirse¡¯s neck. He followed it¡¯s source straight to the spine of the other woman were many other similar protrusions were found, running through various parts of the room like Filum meant for channeling lightning. Upon grabbing it, the unknown sister opened her eyes - the same deep ultramarine. He could see her fighting for her awareness as her mouth trembled open.


    ¡°Mil¡¯dthoile¡­¡± she pleaded in a tongue Adonis had long buried, ¡°¡­ Please¡­ Save her¡­¡±


    Her eyes directly met his own. The shape of a spell entered his mind. He cast it and the tendril in his hand loosened its grip on Saoirse¡¯s neck. He yanked it off, closing his eyes to break her out of the Mind Trap that kept her asleep. She was safe and unwounded, but his sealed eyes still called to him. His sight fell upon the tendril in his hand: the key.