Ugh, I'm sick. And this chapter's a bit short. Whatevs.

Enjoy.

The City of Beacon's Light

The conversation had been brought to a close after that, the Champions deeming it enough information to build on and work with. What that meant for Yu and his friends in the future could only be guessed at, but if Korval and Cahira's scheming were anything to go by, it was looking painful.

"Don't worry, they won't push too hard," Yalathas reassured him, noticing the faint looks of dread on most of the I.T's faces. Then, after a quiet moment of reflection, added, "Well, for the most part."

"Not reassuring . . ." Yosuke said, frowning, "Trying to relearn how to fight properly is one thing, but also learning how to use our Personas out here is gonna be a whole other level of pain."

"But you have to learn," Yalathas put in, "You lack the experience we have, true, but those Personas could help level the playing field for you. If they're as powerful as you say."

"Oh yeah, they're super strong!" Chie blustered, grinning, "Once we get this training off the ground, it'll be awesome to show you!"

"Will you be training with us now too, Yalathas-san?" Yukiko asked.

"Of course!" Cahira answered for him, "That way we won't have to divvy our attention so much!"

Well, he can't say he was surprised. But . . . the prospect was still a little daunting.

"I hope that isn't a problem," Yalathas said, a general statement, but Yu noticed his eyes were focused on him. Oh, had he seen his nervousness?

Yu shifted but nodding reassuringly, "It's not a problem. Although," he unwittingly glanced to the sword strapped to Yalathas' side, "I'm not sure how I'll stack up."

The man noticed and patted a hand against it, "Don't worry. I'm told you have some skill already. We'll just be working on polishing those skills."

"Are you a sword-fighter like Sensei?" Teddie inquired, eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"I-"

"Only one of the best!" Tirin interrupted, leaning against Yalathas' shoulder, "Buuut, what else would you expect from the greatest paladin in the land!"

Ears perked up, fresh curiosity buzzing through the group as Rise asked, "Paladin?"

"My occupation," Yalathas informed, "To put it simply."

"Think of a knight, except one in service to a deity and capable of using divine magic," Rhysana chipped in helpfully.

Oh, he really was a holy knight!

A soft collection of 'oohs' rose up from his friends, ending with a disbelieving question from Yosuke, "You serve a god?"

"I do," Yalathas said, nodding, "The Father-King of Humankind, Irun."

Yu was struck by a chord of familiarity at that, and he had to rerun the statement through his head again to make sure he had heard right. By the slightly perplexed expressions his friends were wearing, they'd been struck the same.

"Irun?" he questioned, though he wasn't exactly sure what he hoped to gain from it. As they'd come to learn, gods and goddesses were fairly commonplace in this world, as was their involvement and their power. He remembered that Ylvaria served a god of some kind too. But it . . . if the matter of counterparts held true with gods too, then . . .

Eh, maybe he was just being silly . . . it couldn't be what he was thinking of.

Could it?

"Yes," Yalathas said, a bemused eyebrow lifting at their reactions, "He's one of the most well-known deities within the human pantheon. One known for his kindness to his followers, and his ruthlessness to those who'd harm the innocent and defenseless. Most humans pay patronage to him, even if they don't personally serve him. Is there . . . something wrong with that?"

Okay, so definitely just being silly, "Ah, no. He sounds nice."

Yalathas exchanged a quiet look with his own companions, most of who shrugged in reply, before turning back, "Well, I'm glad. Perhaps one day I can show you one of Irun's temples."

Well, at least he wasn't pressing, "Erm, maybe."

"Don't go converting anyone now, Yalathas," Rhysana chided mischievously, tapping a lithe finger against his shoulder.

Yalathas smiled, "Whatever converting happens is a completely unintentional side effect, I assure you."

The sound of shuffling feet drew his attention to the door, where he saw with some surprise that Nyras and Korval were stepping out. Behind him, he heard Rise ask, "Where are you guys going?"

"To retrieve our horses," Nyras replied, glancing back only sparingly.

"Good idea," Yalathas said, failing to notice the perplexed expressions on the I.T's faces, "We need to head out soon, I told the Queen we'd be returning shortly."

Nyras nodded, then left without so much as, in her own words, an elucidation. Also, 'heading out'?

Still not bothering to explain what was going on, Yalathas then turned to Tirin, "Tirin, is Xirskam finished?"

The rogue waved a hand at him, "Oh, he's been done for ages! Now we're just waiting for the word to leave!"

"Leave? Wait, what's going on?" Chie asked, looking from one person to the next for the answer.

Rhysana's eyes twinkled with mischief, smiling with faux embarrassment, "Oh, my word, did we forget to mention? We're going to Arvorod!"

"Arvorod? One of the kingdoms you mentioned?" Yosuke asked.

"A bit more narrow than that!" Rhysana said, swinging her arms around with a showman's extravagant flair, "We're going to the capital! And we're going right now!"

Everyone stared wordlessly at the bard.

"Now? 'Right now', right now?" Yosuke asked after a moment, unbelieving and understandably cynical.

"Right now, right now," Cahira said, grinning, "You haven't forgotten that Yvir can place his door anywhere already, have you?"

"N-no, I haven't, but what about our stuff?" he demanded, "It's still in town!"

"Oh, don't worry about that. Xirskam moved it here for you," Tirin chimed in, smiling, "Your things are right upstairs.~"

Silence. Then,

"He . . . touched our things?" Yukiko asked, looking a little disturbed.

"Seriously?! You can't just do that without people's permission!" Chie yelled, looking miffed even as her face flushed.

Tirin quirked an eyebrow as he pointed at himself, voice totally flat as he said "Rogue."

"T-that's besides the point!" she shouted, face going redder.

"Alright, calm down," Rhysana said, holding up her hands and waving for silence, "Look, we were already going to Arvorod anyway. Would you rather walk there, or do this?"

"Besides," Yalathas added, smiling in quiet amusement, "Queen Edda has been looking forward to meeting the ones who've occupied so much of the Champions time. She's even personally asked for an audience with you."

That came as a surprise.

"The Queen wants to see us?" Yu asked, eyes wide.

"How does she even know about us?" Naoto added, just as startled by the revelation.

"Tiruviel told her, most likely," Nyras informed them, "I promise you, she is one we can trust. And she is perfectly reasonable and pleasant in person. You have nothing to fear.'

"That's still a little . . . uh, none of us have ever met a queen before, have we?" Yosuke asked, looking a little floored.

"No," was the resounding response.

"Is she pretty?" that was Teddie, "And single?"

"She's happily married," Rhysana told him, "To her work."

"Aw . . ."

"But what about trainin'?" Kanji asked, rubbing the back of his head, "Weren't we gonna . . . ?"

"Remember, you all just got done training not that long ago," Ylvaria reminded them patiently, "And learning to use Mythic takes a lot of time and effort in the beginning to get the hang of. But we can worry about that tomorrow. For now, we have a Queen to meet!"

"And it is a bit rude to say no to the Queen," Yvir added with a small smile. He held up his hand, the tips of index and thumb only a small space apart, "Just a bit."

"S-so, you're really serious? We're going to be meeting . . . the Queen?" Chie asked, still looking hesitant to believe it.

Yalathas nodded, "Yes, you are. Don't worry, its as simple as introducing yourselves. Just like you did with us."

"Yeah, because that wasn't intimidating at all," Yosuke mumbled sarcastically under his breath, shaking his head.

"Well, it can't be any worse than that . . . I don't think," Yu said, trying (and possibly failing) to make it seem less off-putting. However, in his mind's eye he saw a powerful and stern figure seated upon a gilded throne, surrounded by a massive hall of stone set with pillared columns draped in regal ornamentation, just as imposing and demanding of respect. With a slight nod to himself, he added just as quietly, "Okay, maybe it can be."

Yeah, he totally failed this time.

"Oh, isn't there a dinner involved too?" Cahira added, brightening up a little as she placed a hand on her hip, "Or did I just let my imagination get the best of me while reading your letter?"

"If your talking about feasts, that's not happening until the Grand Assembly," Yalathas answered, "And regardless, I specifically asked we keep our coming a little on the need-to-know until then."

"Why would-?" Cahira fell silent, eyes flicking to the group of children seated across the way, "Oh, yeah. Right."

"You'll survive," Yvir said, rolling his eyes, "Its not as if you're going to go hungry."

"Hm, Ylvaria, is it just me, or is it a bit breezy in here?" Cahira asked, face perfectly smooth aside from the faint twitch of her lips.

Ylvaria giggled, "Just a little."

"Oh brother . . ." the sorcerer groaned, mildly annoyed. Aife chirped, wings rustling indignantly.

Outside, a trumpeting whinny echoed through the windows, followed by a forceful stomping of hooves and loud, unhappy grunting.

"Grak, Bone, relax!" Korval shouted, sounding strained.

Yvir sighed, floating over to the door, "Better go take care of that before Bone kicks a hole in something again."

"He doesn't like it in here," Rhysana explained in passing to them as she followed the sylph.

Tirin hopped up from his seat, idly stretching one arm behind his back as he chuckled, "Hehe, d'you think Bone'll leave another hoof mark on the wall?"

"For Yvir's sake, I hope not," Yalathas told him. Looking back at Yu, he gestured to the open archway behind them, "Go grab your things. We'll be leaving here shortly."

"Hey, Korval, have you been letting yourself go, cause Bone is kicking your ass!" Rhysana hollered from the doorway, grinning hugely and eyes gleaming with mirth and only a slight touch of smugness.

"Shut up! If you're so tough, come out here and try this for yourself!"

"Oh, but my job's supposed to be giving you all support from safely afar!" the bard replied smoothly, laughter in her voice, "And how can I do that if I get up close and dirty?"

"Come on, Korval, show the horse who's boss!" Cahira cheered from the window, keeping a steadying hand braced on Ylvaria's shoulder as the elf laughed into her hands.

"Tryin'!"

"Get him through the door, Korval!" Yvir yelled, irritated and quite clearly done with whatever nonsense was going on outside.

"Tryin'!"

Tirin laughed, leaning against the doorframe across from Rhysana, "I guess this is what humans mean when they say you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink!"

Rhysana snorted, then covered it up behind a slim hand.

"You should probably go while we get this sorted," Yalathas sighed, but Yu caught the glint of amusement shimmering brightly in his eyes as he walked away.

Another round of neighing and angry shouting rose up outside, the horse's furious stomping picking up in speed. Honestly, he kinda wanted to stay and watch . . .

"Hey!" Tirin waved a hand to get their attention, eyes twinkling deviously as he pointed up towards the ceiling, "There's windows upstairs too!"

Well . . .

He glanced at Yosuke, then quickly rose to his feet. His friends were already two steps ahead, btu he knew they'd leave enough space for him. One unnamed perk of being the leader, though he'd never go so far out of his way to abuse it.

Mostly.

It was only when they were halfway up the stairs that he felt a, inquiring touch on his arm, and he glanced back to Yosuke with a puzzled stare, "Yes?"

"Hey, um . . ." Yosuke looked behind to make sure no one was listening before continuing, "I know its not like it really matters, but why didn't you tell them you can use more than one Persona?"

Yu pursed his lips together for a moment, thinking about the answer. He was silent for a long enough time that Yosuke started to fidget before he finally spoke, "Honestly, we're not even sure what we can do with one Persona right now, let alone more. And I'm not even sure if I can use more than one with the way either."

"But why couldn't you? It's like your special power!" Yosuke said.

"For now, let's just take this one step at a time," Yu replied, turning to face him in full, "According to Yalathas-san, this is difficult to accomplish on its own. Let's stick to mastering one before we throw more into the mix."

Yosuke listened intently, nodding along, "Yeah, okay, I guess that does make sense. We don't really know what'll happen with this right now."

"It wouldn't be the first time we've had to figure things out as we went along," Yu reminded him, "And this time, we've got a little bit of help."

Yosuke smiled, chuckling slightly, "Yeah, if you can call that mess outside 'help'."

Yu retuned it, "Well, I can't argue with you there. Now let's go, I want to watch the rest of it."

"Same."

(*)

It took Korval another five-ten minutes to wrangle the angry horse through the door, sweaty and in not that good a mood as most everyone else stood on the sidelines and watched (Yu and his friends included). And even then, it was only because Nyras stepped in towards the end to help the ailing half-orc, calming Bone down long enough for them to lead him through. It then took another five minutes for the group to locate their things and grab them, shouldering packs and bags alike and sharing a few excited words over what to expect in Arvorod and their meeting with the Queen. It took much less time than he expected, honestly, since apparently Xirskam had already packed their belongings beforehand. He was surprisingly good at organizing storage space.

Now, once again and in the same day no less, they stood before the mystical door that had led them here. Except they weren't going back to the quaint stone tavern in Bailsborough.

"Come on, we can't stand around all day," Rhysana said as she stepped through, where most of the Champions were waiting, "The Queen's waiting!"

Yeah, she was . . .

Yu glanced back and Yvir and Yalathas, the only two Champions who remained on this side. They both nodded for them to continue, and for whatever it was worth, it was nice to know they weren't going in this alone.

"Alright," he breathed, turning back to the open portal before them, "Let's go."

He went first, already knowing his team would follow loyally behind. A slight tingle raced over his skin as he stepped through, clinging to his body like a skin-tight shroud before peeling away just as quickly.

Then he was on the other side.

Where he found himself was not the massive, intimidating throne room he had expected. It was kind of small actually, maybe twenty feet long and fifteen feet wide. The ceiling and walls were all mortared stone, with not even a window present. A massive redwood table dominated the center of the room, its legs carved to resemble the scaled appendages of a dragon, wooden talons curling into the fabric of the worn rug beneath it. Its edges showed much wear, the sharp notches of knives and the blunted dents of armored fists evidenced all along its worn edges, but it still held up as sturdy and strong as if it were newly made. Most of its surface was filled to the brim with unrolled maps, thick, leather-bound books, old scrolls, and candles that had seen much use, dried wax clinging to their sides and pooling into the tin holders they perched in. The walls, too, were filled with book and rolled up scrolls, the shelves and open cabinets taking up all the space and barely leaving even a scrap of stone bare. The smell of old parchment and ink filled the air headily, almost overwhelmingly so, Yu involuntarily scrunching his nose as it hit him all at once.

The Champions stood around the table, and ahead he saw with a jolt of surprise that Tiruviel (in her human form) was present as well. With snap reflex, he nodded politely in her direction, to which she replied with a dignified tilt of her own head. But there was one figure he had not seen before. A figure who, upon hearing newcomers, looked up from the open map spread out before her and fixed them with eyes as blue and sharp as a frost-laden glacier. Locks of auburn hair tumbled free down her back, held in place only by a plain circlet of silver that wound neatly around her forehead. Her face was pale, cheeks dotted with numerous freckles and bearing a pocked line of scarred flesh along the right jawbone, not a great beauty by conventional standards. But her eyes continued to hold him, the wintry blue of them bright, dignified, and commanding respect. She wore armor of tempered steel, stark of any ornamentation save the azure crest emblazoned along the breastplate; three teardrops arranged in a circle, facing away from one another so their tapered ends faced inward, surrounding five other, smaller teardrops that overlapped together until they formed an almost flowery shape. A sword was at her side, a knife on her other, and a regal air that drew their eyes towards her as she stood straight and tall.

Queen Edda.

Yu noticed Rhysana covertly wave a hand at him, and he hurriedly bowed in respect. He felt the others do likewise, everyone on pins and needles as they waited to see where this would go. When he stood up again, he saw that she was observing them each in turn, practiced eyes picking them apart like a pickaxe to an ore vein.

Then . . . she smiled, and the tension dissolved as she spoke in a voice that was cultured and strong, but not callous, "Well, I can see why this would warrant your attention, Champions of Kirkwall."

"Indeed, Your Majesty," Yalathas appeared between the group, stepping forward and giving a quick but respectful the woman's way, "Although, it may only be a symptom of a larger problem."

It only took Yu a few moments to realize what they were talking about. The rifts that had been appearing all around the land. Possibly the same thing responsible for he and his friends displacement too.

"Yes, it may," Edda said, glancing at the assembled faces around her, "Which is why I wish to speak to you all later. But first . . ." she refocused her attention on the I.T, "Tell me, you have been personal victims of this phenomenon, have you not? Tell me, what can you remember?"

Yu tensed a little under her stare, hoping it wasn't too noticeable as he nodded, "Y-yes. But none of us remember what caused it, or how it happened. We just . . . ended up here. Your Majesty."

He tacked that last part on at the last minute. He hoped she didn't notice.

Edda nodded, "I see. Troubling . . ." she gnawed at her bottom lip, eyes growing hazy as she stared down at the map.

Tiruviel quietly cleared her throat, golden gaze shifting to the group at the end of the table, "Since this your first time within the castle walls, allow me to be the one to inform you that it is only customary to give a name before the monarch in power."

Yu wanted to slap himself.

"A-ah, of course," he said, hastily turning back to the Queen as she (somewhat distractedly) looked up, brow furrowed. Bowing again, he said, "My name is Yu Narukami, Your Majesty."

Everyone else quickly fell in line, giving their names in turn as they bowed and curtsied alike. The furrow between the Queen's brow lessened with each one until they at last fell quiet, where she finally spoke out, "And my greetings to you. Most would have no need to ask for my name, but given the circumstances surrounding you, you may know me as Queen Edda the Second, Firstborn of King Landear, Heir to the Throne Beside the Lake and Guardian of Beacon's Light."

Yu's first thought was, That was a mouthful.

His second thought was, Don't ever say that out loud.

"Or, as her faithful subjects call her, Queen Edda," Tiruviel interjected with a slight smile, watching the woman with an amused glint in her eyes.

The Queen nodded once at her, "That as well."

With that, Edda looked to Yalathas, speaking clearly, "I take it these children are under your stewardship?"

The paladin nodded, "Yes."

"Apprenticed?" the Queen put that question out a bit more tentatively.

"They are."

"I see . . ." The woman seemed to mull the information in her head, before decisively shaking it and clapping her hands. At once, the door behind them opened, and all turned to see four strangers enter; two men, two women, but otherwise all wearing the same dark robes with only the crest Queen Edda had sewn into the front of the fabric right over their hearts. All four dropped to a knee in unison, heads bowed so low that their hoods completely obscured their faces.

Even the champions seemed a little surprised by their entrance, Tirin going so far as to vocalize the general feeling, "Who are they?"

"Four of my most trusted handmaids," The Queen said, gesturing for the four to rise. They did so, clasping their hands together in supplication as they awaited her orders, "They obey only me, and have served me ever since I was but a child. They can see to your new companions while you are otherwise occupied, and they can keep them out of the public eye."

"Did you decide this beforehand?" Nyras asked, scrutinizing the four with a sharp and probing gaze.

"I did," Queen Edda replied, "For if this phenomena is a portent of greater trouble, your aid will be needed, possibly to lands far distant. You can understand this action, I'm sure."

"We can understand it, Your Majesty," Rhysana said, and while it may have been his imagination, he thought he heard a slight edge to her voice, "We just wish you'd have brought this up with us first."

"If you are fearful of gossip, I can assure you it is impossible. My handmaids have all taken a vow of silence in both voice and written word. You can trust them, as you trust me," Queen Edda reassured them, "They will breathe no word of this to another being, living or dead. You have my personal vow to that as well."

"The Queen does not wish harm upon your charges, Champions, as I'm sure you know. She would only entrust this to those worthy," Tiruviel said, eyes gleaming, "But to put your minds at ease, I will accompany them to their quarters while you speak with Her Majesty."

Well, that was a little more reassuring, and by the way the tension left Yalathas' shoulders, he felt the same, "Thank you, Tiruviel."

The dragon nodded his way before gracefully stepping around the table, stately and noble as she came to the group's side. He could feel the heat exuded through the folds of her beautiful dress, a sign of her inhuman nature, soothing and pleasant and just as warm as her voice as she spoke, "Well, shall we be off?"

Yu glanced at the four, who still stood still and silent before the door, then the Champions, who watched with encouragingly eyes but otherwise did not speak out. Not with the Queen present.

Which was why his next action might be a little-a lot-foolhardy as he stepped forward and spoke out, "With all due respect, Your Majesty, is it not possible for us to stay and listen?" He could feel everyone's shocked gazes burn against the back of his neck, and he sincerely hoped this wasn't too out of line, "This phenomena, the rifts . . . they're responsible for why me and my friends are here. Any knowledge about them could help us learn how to get home."

The Queen studied him, and he tried to keep his breathing even as the silence dragged.

Then, "While I do not doubt your integrity, I'm afraid this matter is not for those of your inexperience, regardless of involvement."

"But-!"

"No," the Queen did not raise her voice even a fraction, but the inflexibility of her tone was unquestionable, and Yu snapped his mouth closed, "As of this moment, you are as wyrmlings before a horde of full-fledged dragons. If you are even a fraction as skilled as the Champions were in years past, then perhaps one day you can stand by their side. But not now, for now you would simply be throwing your lives away, whether you understand the situation or not. And that is my final word on the subject."

Yu bowed his head, understanding where she was coming from, but inwardly frustrated by how right she was. He knew they were inexperienced, but knowing how far they still had to travel before they could truly stand on their own and do something about their situation themselves left a bitterness in his mouth he did not want to swallow. Heh, he supposed he should have seen this coming.

"Come," Tiruviel's soft voice led him back to the waking world, and he glanced at her as she gestured to the door.

Releasing a pent up sigh, he nodded once to the Queen, then the Champions, only catching Yalathas' eye as he turned away. The paladin looked sympathetic, even slightly apologetic, but he did not speak out. Perhaps that was for the best at this point.

The four took to surrounding them like some sort of creepily silent honor gaurd as they left the room behind, the door swinging closed with a click. Whatever the Champions would exchange with the Queen, they wouldn't hear it here.

He felt a reassuring pat to his arm, and he glanced at Yosuke as they walked down the narrow corridor.

"Hey, at least you tried," the boy whispered, and Yu could see the brown of his eyes swimming with frustration, "I wish they'd tell us more too."

"Really took some balls to speak up like that, dude," Kanji told him, face filled with a renewed respect.

"Though I guess that didn't matter to her, huh?" Rise whispered, looking disheartened just as much as anyone else.

"They have to tell us something at some point, don't they?" Chie said, "I mean, we just got done spilling our guts out, it couldn't hurt to give back a little, you know?"

"I'm sure they will," Tiruviel softly interjected, and they all fell silent to let her speak, "The Queen has always been a woman of action, a military leader just much as a political one. She saw your skill level in the way you carried yourself, and she only saw apprentices eager to involve themselves in things that would only end in wasted life. She's seen it happen more than once on the battlefield. She tries to avoid such fates as often as she can, so do not begrudge her for trying to spare yours."

"Really?" Yukiko asked, a sad solemnity falling over her face.

"Yes," the dragon replied.

After a soft hush, Teddie spoke up, breaking the dismal atmosphere, "Its nice to see you again, Ms. Tiruviel."

The dragon smiled wistfully, "And you, little one. I trust your journey has treated you well since our parting?"

"Um, well . . ." Yosuke scratched the back of his head, not quite sure how to make small talk with a dragon, "For the most part."

A flight of stairs came up on their left, and Tiruviel gestured to it, speaking to the handmaids this time, "May we take this route instead?"

They stopped, glancing among themselves, silently conversing trough expression before turning back to the dragon and nodding. Grateful, Tiruviel gestured to the stairwell, and they had no choice but to follow her direction.

Up they went, traveling into what felt like the heavens before they finally broached the end. Where they exited was another, much larger corridor, the ceiling soaring a good twenty-five feet over their head, the walls lined with flags of white and embroidered with the same teardrop symbol. Candelabras and cabinets also line the walls, at some points even a few intervening flower pots bursting with small, pale blue flowers. The corridor was otherwise empty of life.

Except, perplexing, a faint, stirring breeze.

"This way," she said, leading them down the corridor.

It wasn't long before they began to understand the reason for taking them here. One sharp turn of a corner, and suddenly the left side wall was gone, replaced by a large space occupied only by pillars, leaving the rest of the space to open air and sky. Small marble balconies nested between every corinthian column, with a small bench and everything, perfect for sitting and admiring the view beyond.

And what a view it was. Sunset had dominated the land, setting the sky alight with paintbrush strokes of oranges, pinks, and yellows. Below that, the amber light glittered like a fractured gemstone along the gently rocking waters of the massive lake they had once walked beside, its undulating waves cresting and falling and sending new fractals of light skittering over its surface. And closer still . . . was the city.

Many buildings stretched along the curve of the cliff that overlooked the lake, the castle standing on it's very tip and separated by a large, fissured gap in the cliff face that was surmounted only by a large bridge, the white marble of which burned orange and red in the sun's fading rays. The light stretched long over the shingled rooftops, sending lines of deep shadows running through the contours of the city like streaks of ink, a colorful canvas of vivid proportions and life. Even from here, Yu could see lines of people shimmying to and fro from streets cobbled and smooth alike, smoke rising from chimneys and birds flying wild and free over the rooftops.

He placed a hand on the marble railing separating him from a dizzying plunge, the stone cold beneath his fingers, but refreshing as he drank in another cool breeze laced with water and sunlight.

"Welcome to Arvorod, my young companions," Tiruviel said, gazing proudly over the city that shared her domain, "The City of Beacon's Light."

"Why is it called that?" he found himself asking, not taking his eyes off the rich scene before him.

"It is called such because once, in a time long past, this city was a sanctuary for those who'd lost their homes in the war with the demons. A lighthouse for the lost and despondent. The very same place where the remaining kingdoms came together and ratified the treaty to stand as one and fight. The city where hope and guidance always springs eternal for those who seek it," he could feel Tiruviel's eye rest on him, as golden as the light that glittered across the lake, "And should you seek it, this city will also be a beacon for you."

So yeah, Queen Edda, Tiruviel's back, and next time, we get into more mythic training.

Promise things'll get a little more fun next chappie. ;)