"Najarin!"

The sound of my name jolted me awake. I felt my body respond with aching pains the worst of which came from my head. I bent forward and winced. The ritual a week earlier was still having its effects on me. I wondered if the other high muges were taking it as badly or if my years were simply taking their toll as usual. I blinked and looked at the speaker. It was Porthyn, his shadowy form distilled slightly by the early rays of sun coming through the window. The creature looked slightly embarrassed but continued speaking.

"Unda is here to see you again sir, shall I tell her to wait while you get ready?"

I stood up slowly bracing myself against my desk. "That won't be necessary," I said, "I'll meet her outside."

Porthyn floated forward seeing my struggle. "Please sir let me help you"

I waved him away "Not today friend, I need to be on my own."

"Are you sure sir?" the shadow asked Offering out a hand for me to take

"Yes quite, some fresh air will have me feeling better I'm sure of it."

Porthyn nodded and silently floated into the nearby wall disappearing among the other shadows.

I stood and made my way to the stairwell. Unda had met with me twice before. When I and the other high muges first raised the lost city from my lake, creatures from the city had been sent to each of us. Unda had come to me, she had seemed excited and curious. Barraging me with questions about Perim's history, the overworld, and my own role as high muge. She had the spirit of someone who watched their world open up and embraced every bit of it. She'd gone off to explore more of the Overworld and I'd expected not to see her again. However two days ago she had returned to me. Her mood had changed completely. She talked only business and explained to me of that her master, the emperor of water, was permitting an Overworld scouting party to visit the outer areas of the city. She had invited me to participate and when I declined, had left immediately. I wondered how she would be on this day as I reached the bottom of the stairs and opened the doorway. I stared out over the vastness of lake Ken-i-po before me. It was easy to see how an entire city could hide in those waters, so deep they fell into the underworld itself. The servant of water sat on a rock overlooking the lake, her liquid form flowing in rhythm with the waves on the shore.

"Hello again," I called out.

She turned around and smiled broadly "Najarin! You're looking much better today, I was beginning to worry I'd never see you in health."

"I'm afraid your several years short if you want that," I noted.

She smiled "How old are you Najarin?"

Her joking tone was only a shroud. This was a question she had been intending to ask.

"Too old to be worth counting anymore"

She sighed and looked out over the water. "That's an answer in its own way I suppose. I take it you were around when the city fell then?"

I hesitated, the rest of the Overworld knew talking about my past wasn't something I took lightly. But I knew this wasn't really about my past, but about her homeland. I took a seat on a rock next to her.

"I wasn't there during the fall but… I did know someone who was." I stared out over the sunlit water. "As you already know it was the M'arrillians. At the time we didn't even know who or what they were. The attack was so sudden the warriors did what they could but the fight was hopeless. After that, the M'arrillains overtook the rest of Perim and threw things into chaos. Everything was so hopelessly thrown around that Kaizeph was just forgotten in the turmoil."

"But not by you" I could feel the accusation barely concealed in her voice.

"I decided a long time ago not to talk about things in my past that others don't remember."

Unda jumped up suddenly her liquid from churned and foamed with rage.

"Why not?! I saw what the M'arrillians did to your lands, you knew what they were when they came out of hiding, you could have warned the other tribes! But instead, you let thousands suffer!"

"Are you so sure they would have listened?" I asked

"It doesn't matter, that's for them to decide, you made the choice for them, would you really let all of perim just die?"

She didn't stop to let me answer "And you built this disgusting castle over our lake, knowing full well the corpses of my people could be at the bottom! Did you even search for us once? Are you so cruel that you would stare out over our grave every day and feel nothing?!"

I too rose to my feet, a knife-like pain in my side made me wince. I shrugged it off and looked into her eyes. "Why did you come here Unda? To fill an old man with more regrets?"

Her face hardened and her rage faded to a formal address. "I came to inform you that we are permitting large parties to enter the city. We plan on allowing them access to the spire itself and an audience with the four emperors. I'm to ask one last time if you will join the Overworld party."

"I'm afraid not. I know what lies within the city, servant of water, and I don't think I wish to see it again."

She nodded politely "Very well"

Unda began to turn away but I reached a hand onto her shoulder to stop her. "The emperors are making a mistake Unda. The conflict of the tribes has only risen. Your city is not a sacred place anymore you're only inviting war with this move."

Unda shrugged away my hand "I'll let the emperors know your opinion, good day Najarin"

With that, she turned away and walked to the water. As she waded into the depths her form slowly melted with the lake and was gone.