-Three Months later-

Matthias had kept to his word. Dame and Celest had stayed around for a bit and had seen how stronger the Faedom military was due to Matthias's rules. Matthias had been sending Celest to Seisan, asking her to search for places which made her feel off or places where she felt some arcane power. Matthias had confided in Dame that he was searching for the six cores, the hearts of the nation. "To stop the war, I need to unite the warring kingdoms. I know that Glacius is hiding its core in its high temple and that the core of Soraj is held by the leader of their trade council. I will spend my time here, enhancing the Faedom military while searching for the Faedom core. Once I do, I'm going to write to Richard and challenge him to a friendly duel, to strengthen relationships between the Faedom and Ignation." Dame had been practicing her knife combat and doing some target practice, occasionally having training duels with Matthias. Whatever had happened to him, it had changed his way of fighting drastically. Instead of the extremely close combat he had been doing, he made more use of throwing one of his six floating swords and dashing in, skirmishing with two, while the other three guarded his back. He hadn't been very good at managing all six, but over the three months he had become frightfully good at it. Dame had been doing some maintenance on the Lightchaser, an update here and there and replacing the wrecked engine had kept her busy. She was taking a break, enjoying the light that spilled into the dock, clean and pure, when she heard the sound of metal covered feet ascend the stairs. Matthias, only he made those kind of footsteps, entered the dock, a shining white stone in a chest. "I found it." Matthias said, his voice excited and joyous. "I also sent the letter to Richard. Now we just wait for a reply."

"You know he will say yes." Dame said, confirming what they both knew to be true. "He can't resist a duel."

"I know. That's why I said friendly duel and not negotiations." Matthias replied, taking a seat next to Dame. "I forgot to thank you for saving me." Matthias said, his brown and black eyes somber and intense.

"For what?"

"For sacrificing your engine to bring me to the Faedom."

"Don't worry about it." Dame said. Matthias got up to leave, walking briskly down the stairs, most likely going to his meditation hideout. She had found a few days earlier while memorizing the less known parts of Ainesgrove. It was a small outcropping of rock overlooking the sea that separated Daemia and the Faedom. It was far from civilization and quiet as the grave and Dame had only found it when she saw Matthias walk there and had a passing interest in where he was going. Dame got up, heading into the Lightchaser to make sure the updates and repairs would all function properly, her mind straying to the new Matthias. He was different. It wasn't just the physical changes, the arms and legs black as spilled ink, or the new right side of his face, just as black as his limbs, separated from his left by a jagged silver line that traced from the top of his left forehead, snaking down to the top right of his throat. His right eye was now a void, black and soulless, and the hair, split according to the scar, was now brown and a pale, iridescent silver. However, those were minor things, things that would become normal over time, but there was something much more unsettling than his new appearance:It was his attitude toward pain. He lived off the stuff, pushing himself to unethical limits. More than once he had to go to the infirmary for one thing or another. Thankfully it was blood loss or burns and not broken bones or torn muscles. It was a worrying and unhealthy habit, but Matthias had been growing exponentially because of it. Dame looked at the internal clock on her dashboard as she sat down in the pilot's seat and turned the Lightchaser on, its engines humming musically. Once Dame had checked everything and made sure all the updates and the new engine integrated smoothly, Dame lifted off and headed towards Seisan to pick up Celest and check on her progress.

-Meanwhile in Ignation-

Richard muddled through his mail in a bored way, his hair a red disheveled mess. If Richard had to name one thing he hated about being the emperor of Ignation, it would be the endless tide of mail. Taxes, complaints, questions, and invitations to various social events were annoying and required long and tedious replies. There were a few letters that redeemed the whole affair; these being the friendly challenge from Faedom's regent, and the invitation to the Seisan Grand masquerade ball. It was a great occasion, a time where people could forget the war and have fun, dancing and eating. "Hey Dina, which should we go to first? The ball or the duel?" Dina swung herself out of the hammock where she had been quietly resting, and sauntered over to Richard's desk. "I think that we should go to the ball first. It would be nice to have a break and you still need a day or two to recover from that fight with Matthias."

"Yeah." Richard said, his hand clutching the bottom half of his ribs. The one hit Matthias had landed had shattered at least four, maybe more, ribs and they had been healing and were almost repaired. He got up and went to his closet, dragging out a dark black cloak. The cloak transitioned into crimson as it reached the floor, a good compliment to his hair and eyes. Dina walked over to a similar closet, although this one was a walk in, hopped in and closed the doors. A minute later, Dina emerged with a silky red dress, black lines cascading from the top tracing outlines of fire and dragons, curving upward and coalescing into the emblem of Ignation on the back of the dress. Richard raised his eyebrows, "Well, that looks like quite a nice dress."

"It's a very formal occasion and I did want to wear this dress, so it's two birds with one stone." Dina said as she opened the door and gestured to a waiting Leviathan. "I believe that it is time to go, Richard." Richard nodded and walked alongside Dina as the two got in the Leviathan and sped toward Seisan, it would take all the night, and they could change before the dance.

-Meanwhile near Seisan's border-

Dame landed in a clearing in the dense forest that crowded the mountains that separated the Faedom from the entrance to the underground world of Seisan. This was where Celest had arranged to be picked up by Dame, and the loud crunching of leaves told her that Celest was arriving on time for once. Celest appeared from the dense forest, a big bag of candies in one hand and three scraps of paper in the other. Celest hurried up the Lightchaser's ramp and quickly deposited her bag in the newly installed preserver, a large box that used Glaciun cryomancy to keep things fresh for long journeys, and said excitedly, "We have a ball to go to!

-Meanwhile on a outcropping of a rocky cliff facing the Daemian sea-

Matthias was sitting in his meditation spot, the place where he always went to solve problems and clear his head. He was thinking over two problems this time. First, he was figuring out how to change his clothes. Sure the black and silver battle suit was great for combat and training, but for social occasions and other times when formal dress was required, it was very much lacking. He had figured out the solution quite easily, he had to picture what he wanted to wear and his outfit should, in theory, change. He hopped down and brought his liquefied swords into the shape of a mirror and focused. When he opened his eyes, Matthias was wearing black combat pants and a white shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had started simple, so that if anything went wrong it wouldn't be too hard to fix it. He spent a few minutes shifting between outfitts, making sure he had mastered the technique. He shifted back into his black and silver battle suit and hopped back on the outcropping, resuming his meditation. The second problem was a much more complex and troubling problem than the first. Ever since absorbing the core of Daemia, Matthias had felt this odd energy inside him. It was an unsettling, powerful yes, but quite unsettling feeling. Matthias sat there for hours, still as a statue, trying to figure out what it was.

-Meanwhile in Ainesgrove-

Dame parked the Lightchaser and opened the ramp, releasing Celest, the giant watermelon in her hands, to go and hunt down Matthias. A few minutes later, Celest returned, watermelon still in hand, saying, "Dame where is Matthias because he isn't at the cathedral." Dame's mind immediately went to Matthias's secret meditation spot, a place only she knew about. "I know where he is, so hand me the watermelon and I'll deliver it to him." Celest nodded, gently handing Dame the watermelon. It was a heavy monster of a watermelon. "Don't forget to tell him about the ball that we have to go to tonight and yes you do have to wear your dress to it." Celest said as she walked back into the Lightchaser, most likely to prepare their dresses. Dame hurried through the streets of Ainesgrove, making sure not to drop the watermelon, her head mapping the quickest route to Matthias. In about thirty minutes, she had turned the corner and was about to tell Matthias the news when he turned, looking at her, his brown eye shining green and the black one blazing blue, and said, "Yes Dame?" Dame almost dropped the watermelon in surprise, she had made the watermelon and herself invisible, so how could Matthias know she was there? Turning visible, Dame gave the watermelon to Matthias and said, "Celest found the Seisan core. It's being presented as the main attraction in the big masquerade ball tomorrow night." Matthias leapt down, landing neatly beside Dame. "Perfect. We'll be able to move ahead of my schedule." Matthias broke into a brisk walk, eager to get the Seisan core. "Wait Matthias. What are you planning to do exactly?" Dame asked as she easily kept up with Matthias.

"I will provide a distraction at the ball and that will give you and Celest time to steal the core, and then we get out as quickly as possible." Matthias said, keeping his brisk pace.

"Hold on. Do you know how big a distraction you are going to have to cause to draw the attention of that many people? This isn't just any ball, it's one of the most prestigious events in all of the Syrician continent."

"I know and I'm up to the challenge." Matthias said as the two entered the outer wall of Ainesgrove. "Trust me on this one. I have a plan and all I need is for you and Celest to not be seen when you take the core." Dame stopped arguing with him, she could see that his heart was dead set on doing this. As the two reached the Lightchaser's dock, Celest came out and yelled at Matthias. "You didn't eat your watermelon!" Matthias barely replied as he and Dame boarded. "Unfortunately, the watermelon will have to wait until after we steal Seisan's core." Ignoring Celest's growing protests, Matthias slid the watermelon back into the preserver and strapped himself in. "We get to have fun and further peace at the same time, so sit down Celest and I'll fill you in on the plan. Dame can hear us from the intercom right?" Dame, who had sat down in the pilot's chair and turned on the Lightchaser's engine, replied with an annoyed "Yes." Thusly, Celest sat down and Matthias filled them in on the plan.

-Fifteen minutes before the Seisan masquerade-

Dame walked in her dress, the same one she had worn to Roxy's coronation, Celest in her dress and Matthias, his normal battle suit changed into a quite handsome outfit. He was wearing boots, black but not shiny, black pants the same color as his boots, a formal black shirt, and over this shirt he was wearing a midnight blue cloak, a striking cobalt near the shoulders turning to an abyssal blue, deep and mysterious, as it reached down to the middle of his lower legs. Together the three descended down into the massive maze of caves that formed the cities and communities of Seisan. A Seisan soldier took their tickets and guided them to the ball room. It was a gigantic cavern, a sprawling mass, perfect for a large group of people. As Dame scanned the faces, her eyes alighted onto a big brown jewel, set fifty feet above the ground into solid stone. Matthias gave a shudder as he saw it. "There it is. The core of Seisan. Don't look at it too much, that will give you away." Dame gave him a sour look. "I know how to do my job Matthias. You focus on distracting the horde of people." Matthias gave a wolfish grin, "Don't worry. By the time I'm finished you could park the Lightchaser in here and not be noticed." Dame was about to give a reply when a Seisan soldier announced the arrival of Richard Gardner, the Emperor of Ignation, and Dina Brightflame. Matthias looked at the two, his eyes burning blue and green. "Well, things just got a lot more interesting."