Dazien tried to not feel embarrassed as he stood from the old bed he hadn’t been able to just toss out. It had too many memories he wanted to hold on to. It didn’t fit with his room back at the Sacred City, but here in this little pocket of his soul, he thought he could give it a home.

  Phoenix stared at his chest with blatant surprise and curiosity as she took in his new tattoos. As soon as he had entered his [Armory] the constructed replicas of his armor had vanished and he had been left back in his underpants.

  For a moment, he thought she was going to reach out and touch them but she stopped herself short and asked, “They did this to you? Why?”

  “Finndeshin said it was part of preparing my body to become the vessel for a Scarlet Thirst. They’ve been preparing for the ritual for months apparently but had been missing me as a key ingredient.”

  She scrunched her nose at that and asked, “Can we remove them?”

  Dazien shook his head. “I don’t think so. Magically infused tattoos are normally permanent until an ascension, as you’ve already experienced.”

  “Well, yeah, but there’s no way to remove them before that?”

  He shrugged. “You would know better than I do on that one, since you’re the one who absorbed a Knowledge Tome for it.”

  She frowned. “I was hoping it might have been something higher Caste.”

  He didn’t want to speak what he was afraid of, but this place was his refuge and the only space he felt safe enough to be completely open about the things that made him appear less kingly. “There’s a chance they imprinted on my soul too…”

  “Like Uriel’s scars?”

  Dazien nodded. “I won’t know for sure until I ascend to Emerald. I hope they aren’t, but I’m not sure how deep something needs to cut for that.”

  “Well, even if it is, it doesn’t change how any of us feel about you,” she replied, grabbing his hand to pull him toward the entrance. “Just like Uriel. If it’s a part of who you are now, then there’s nothing wrong with that, right?”

  “But what if I—”

  She abruptly stopped and spun around to point a finger in his face. “You’re not Uriel either!” she interrupted. “You’ve seen what he’s been trying to recover from. How many times have you told him that what was done to him doesn’t define him or make him a monster?”

  “Many, but—”

  “You survived and won,” she said, poking the center of his chest where a rune for ‘Hunger’ glinted in the low light. “These are only a reminder that you triumphed over those who tried to make you bow. Do you understand?”

  He gently smirked, finally realizing what she was trying to do, and set a hand on her head to ruffle her hair. “As you command, Princess.”

  “Good. Let’s go watch you be all gross and awkward with Uriel now,” she said, and turned to pull him along again as he chuckled. The tight grip she held his hand with spoke volumes more to him than her words had.

  “I should probably put some actual clothes on first.”

  “Nah, I’ve seen what these people don’t wear around the city. You’ll actually fit right in with just the shorts.”

  Dazien chuckled. “I’m aware of the styles of clothing here.”

  She turned to glare daggers at him. “And didn’t warn me before we left Tulimeir?”

  “I was fairly certain you would have refused to get on the ship if I had done that.”

  With an annoyed huff, she rolled her eyes and said, “Fine, grab some skimpy strings or whatever you might have gotten to wear here, and I’ll go read more of your notes.”

  He shook his head but relented and said, “Just, please, don’t tell anyone else about them.” She snorted a laugh, but he squeezed her hand and said in a more somber tone, “I’m serious about that. It may seem silly, but I would appreciate it if you keep whatever you see in here a secret. Those notes—this entire place was only ever meant for me to see… I don’t know why or how you got in here, but I don’t want to lose this refuge where I can take off all the costumes and just be myself.”

  Phoenix stared at him for a long moment before quietly saying, “I promise I won’t tell anyone. I’m… well, honestly I’m glad that you aren’t just going to get mad and kick me out. I know we joke about it a lot, but you really are like a brother to me, Daze. I trust you with my secrets, and I want to be the kind of sister that you can depend on, too.”

  “I’d like that,” he replied and pulled her in for another tight hug. “Our futures are entwined, sister. I’ll always try my best to be there for you and try to rely on you a bit more, too.”

  “Well, I did just help save you from getting ritually sacrificed by an insane group of cannibals,” she quipped and he snorted a laugh. “And a Vampire, too, apparently,” she added and his smile faltered.

  “Yes, I’m well acquainted with Lady Vanderill. Please tell me the Royal Guards killed her.”

  Phoenix cautiously looked up at him with emerald eyes that seemed to be searching his own until they paused at his neck, and she asked, “She fed off you? I can see fang marks still there.”

  Dazien winced at that. It had been at least a half hour ago and should have healed by now. “I’m pretty sure that’s a soul scar then if you can still see it.”

  She frowned, but softly said, “Just a story you can tell now about how you survived a run in with a crazy Vampire, right?”

  He knew his smile was crooked as he tried to agree, “Right. Just another chapter in our very long tale of divinely inspired heroics.”

  “Exactly. The next chapters are going to be much more exciting… I mean, have you seen the gaming halls here? You definitely need to teach me how to play everything.”

  He chuckled and shook his head as he went to get the clothes he wanted and let her wander around to look at everything for a little bit. He resolved to try and spend more time in here with her in the future. Hoping that this place might help her open up more with him too. Perhaps, they could even make an actual plan for the future together.

  As they finally exited the dimensional space a couple of minutes later, Dazien broke out in a smile since it was Phoenix instead of him getting mauled by a phoenix the size of a swan.

  “I’m sorry! I didn’t know you couldn’t go in there—No—Of course not—I don’t know!” Phoenix replied to the obviously irate bird as Tala squawked at her.

  A hand slipping into his own drew Dazien’s attention away from the one-sided argument, and he tensed as he slightly turned to face his partner.

  “I’m sorry, Daze,” Uriel said, stepping closer. “I’m hoping Phoenix explained, but I don’t want you to think I was rejecting you.”

  “She explained,” he managed to say. “I’m sorry I ran.”

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

  “You don’t need to apologize for that.”

  “Can we start that reunion over?” he asked hopefully.

  Uriel smiled softly. “Just don’t cut yourself on me again.”

  Dazien huffed a sad laugh. “I still think it might be worth it. I can’t even begin to explain how much I’ve missed you.”

  “You don’t need to explain it,” he replied, squeezing his hand tighter with the cool gloves. “I felt it myself.”

  “Phoenix mentioned you all are staying at an inn. Any chance we can go there now and you all can catch me up on what I missed?”

  “Only if you tell us your story, too,” Rayna piped up, coming over to playfully punch his biceps like they would often greet each other.

  “If it’s not intruding too much, I would also like to hear everyone’s stories,” a silver-haired elf said as he slowly approached them.

  Dazien could tell he was a Night Elf and extremely well off if those gems in his torc were real. The silver band alone would have been fairly expensive considering the magic that softly glowed from it due to his [Eagle Eye], but the green emeralds it was inlaid with were also insanely expensive based on just their size.

  “I don’t think we’ve met yet,” Dazien said, giving a polite bow in greeting. “Are you who I have to thank for the guards helping rescue me?”

  The handsome elf smiled. “No thanks is necessary. You and your sister helped give us the cause we needed to capture a dangerous criminal who has managed to slip past us for far too long.”

  Dazien clasped the extended forearm in the type of greeting he had read about being common in Serenydi and noted, “Well, you seem to already know who I am, but I’m not sure what to call you.”

  His smile grew wider as he held onto Dazien’s arm and softly said, “A friend, I hope.”

  Dazien felt his body relax at the elf’s words. He returned the smile and replied, “I think that’s the least I can offer for helping to save my life. I’m not sure exactly why you care to hear our stories, though.”

  “Because I want to understand how the Sanguine Banquet managed to stay hidden in my city for so long, and if you have any additional information on them and the Disciples of the Destroyer.”

  The group all tensed at the mention of the cultists who had tortured Uriel and almost bought him and Phoenix.

  “Why do you think we know anything about them?” Phoenix asked, her eyes narrowed at the man and Dazien was wondering if there was something she knew about him that he hadn’t realized yet.

  The elf lifted what looked like the same kind of ledger that was found in the Scarlet Banquet hideout in Tulimeir and said, “Because according to the Scarlet Banquet’s notes, they’ve somehow managed to gain a foothold here in Serenydi itself.”

  Saiya was having a hard time keeping herself from claiming one of Dazien’s arms. She had been worried sick about him as well, but knew that Phoenix and Uriel meant more to Dazien than she did. It hurt a little to be aware of that fact, but it wasn’t that much different from her and Rayna meaning more to each other than the others. It was normal.

  She still wanted to hold him close and never lose her Defender again. For the last few weeks, she had been worried that the last thing she would ever remember seeing of Dazien was the sight of him sacrificing his own safety to keep her from falling into the sea…

  If she had just held onto him tighter, would he have never suffered the way she could already sense? Was the pain behind his smile her fault? Would he regret his choice once they were all finished recounting their stories?

  She could sense everyone’s underlying relief at finally having everyone back together again, but they also had other flavors to their current emotions. Phoenix and Rayna were both simply excited now, which was adorable as they enjoyed telling their epic tales of monster slaying.

  Uriel was full of nervous trepidation, but that was normal as far as she was concerned. He didn’t feel as scared or guilty as he had during that period of time before he had tried to leave them all. It was honestly a good sign in her opinion that led her to believe he was going to try and keep moving forward and trust in all of them this time.

  Camilla had joined them too as they all sat in the inn room that would be Uriel and Dazien’s to share. Even she felt happier now that Dazien was with them again.

  Emrys was present, too, but he was quietly listening off to the side. He seemed to be simply observing and trying not to intrude much on the gathering. She still wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Emerald Caster that allowed her peeks into his emotions, but for now he felt curious and rather pleased. She can only assume it was from the stories and the fact that they had very successfully rescued Dazien while capturing a majority of the cultists.

  Dazien was actually the hardest one for her to get a read on currently. His emotions felt erratic at best, shifting rapidly between joy and melancholy, though he kept a smile on his face for everyone around him. She had gotten used to that by now.

  “I see you also got another tail,” Dazien said to Rayna, breaking her from her focus on everyone’s feelings. “Congratulations.” He turned to look at her and his smile faltered only slightly before becoming softer as he asked, “Will I be able to celebrate your own coming in soon, Lady Saiya?”

  She frowned momentarily, wanting to ask what was making him so sad about that idea and why he still insisted on using her title, but realized this wasn’t the place or audience for that. “I hope so,” she replied instead. “I think that last fight might have been the last bit I needed actually if you want to meditate with me a bit later?”

  Saiya phrased it as a question and glanced at the others to extend the invitation. The others all nodded and Dazien’s sadness suddenly made a little more sense when he said, “I’m glad. I was disappointed to realize I missed Uriel’s ascension and Rayna’s fourth tail. I don’t want to miss any more important life milestones any of you have.”

  She smiled at that. “I don’t want you to miss any either.”

  It was almost dawn when the group finally finished recounting their stories to each other, though she could sense Uriel had left out some parts as he nervously glanced towards their guest. Emrys hadn’t asked any question though until Dazien’s turn, and he only kept it to more clinical questions like the direction they came in from or how many cultists he had seen during his time there.

  Emrys also requested they come to the palace later to give more formal testimonies regarding what had happened in regards to the Scarlet Banquet but added, “There’s no rush for this. I know you’ve been separated for far too long and have each gone through trying times. Take a few days to rest and recover.”

  As he left them for the morning with Camilla also retreating to her own room, the rest of them got comfortable and began to meditate.

  Saiya found herself back in her soul garden, the dark waters of the lake she slowly cleansed with her blooming experiences was stormy today, and she was sure that was in response to her own internal strife. Despite being a Tranquil Healer, she felt anything but that while worried about Dazien.

  She knelt down atop the surface of the lake and picked one of the pink lotus blossoms like she normally did. As the petals fell from it to form a ring upon the water, it rippled before showing her the memory of Dazien, grinning at her and lifting a golden short sword up for her to take.

  “I want you to be able to protect yourself if I can’t be there for some reason,” his voice echoed around her, matching the figure in her memory.

  It felt bittersweet to her now. Like he had known she might find herself without him. She had hoped he had merely meant what he had said to her before they had walked over to that shop; that he had wanted to get her a shiny trinket and spend more time together.

  She picked up another blossom, the white petals falling from her hand to show another step in her journey.

  “Please help him, Saiya!” Kelana’s begging voice called out to her as the young woman kneeled beside her decapitated uncle. She knew her power wasn’t strong enough on its own to heal a wound like that, but she had tried. Working as fast as she could, she had set up her [Restored Foundation] Zone ability and attempted to accelerate the Emerald Caster’s own regenerative capabilities.

  Her moment of triumph came when her uncle lifted his hand to wipe the elven girl’s tears away.

  Saiya fell to her hands and knees then, feeling that odd sensation trickling down her spine from the base of her neck. It felt like a stream of water trickling down her back as a fourth tail began to unfurl itself from between her first and second one. It wasn’t exactly painful, but awkward and uncomfortable.

  She knew her experience was being replicated by her actual body instead of just this mental projection, and as she felt the magical waters begin to drip away from the new tail, she brought her conscious mind back to her surroundings.

  Everyone was watching her, and Phoenix was the first to cock her head to the side and ask Rayna, “Did your tail look all wet like that? I remember the flames of ascension kinda burning everything away before.”

  “No, mine was way more awkward,” the bard replied with a grimace. “My Gem Attunement basically encased mine as it grew before crumbling off it and becoming magic ash.”

  “If I say that is super weird, are you going to get offended?”

  “No. It was super weird.”

  Phoenix moved closer to put a hand on her shoulder as she said with a grin, “Not gonna lie, that yours looks pretty weird right now, too, but I think you’re starting to look more like Sky now.”

  “Is that your way of saying I look like a kitsune or a plushie?”

  “Well, your tails do look rather plush,” Dazien teased from his seat on a bed. His smile finally matching the happiness she felt through his aura made her own heart sing as he added, “There’s a tail for each of us now when we all fall asleep in the bed of whoever has the next nightmare.”

  Everyone else groaned at that, and Phoenix said, “Should we just cancel the inn rooms and get Uriel to preemptively set up a big cuddle-bed for all of us? ‘Cause I don’t know about the rest of you, but I feel like I’ve been having nightmares non-stop lately.”

  Saiya nodded as she finally sat up and suggested, “Why don’t we see how tonight goes? I’m hoping it was all just our worry over our missing companions.”

  She felt a pang of fear and guilt from Dazien and as she glanced over to him, he gave her a crooked smile before saying, “Hopefully, we’ll all be too tired for dreams tonight.”