Reviews:

Quatermass: Umbridge will have to be dealt with sooner or later once her involvement is discovered. Sorry about the name, I went back to fix it. I'll be sure to give it a read and follow it.

Pyromania101: She will have to be dealt with sooner or later with all the meddling she's done. I tried to let every character get a chance to shine during the fight but wanted the Guts vs Voldemort to be the main focus. There's no going back from the spotlight after a fight like that.

PrometheusDark: I wanted the dementors to be added during all the confusion after the fight so I'm glad you enjoyed that bit. Casca is indeed in need of a cool weapon of her own. Also glad to see you liked the little moment between the two of them.

MorphCross: I've been looking forward to writing this one and hope that it will also be one to remember. The fight was a blast to write as always.

Guest: Yup, just a normal day of surviving an attack and living to tell the tale.

Necrogod: Not a problem! I hope you enjoy this one as well.

Kaxipoptos: Voldemort won't be able to justify his loss for sure. I tried to keep it as balanced as possible for all the characters involved and wanted everyone to shine in their own way. Lucius is an interesting one to write for since he does help the villain but ends up the one getting punished every time. Snape was willing to help, but not without his usual attitude and Umbridge will have to be punished soon for her meddling.

Greer123: The fight was a blast to write and I tried to give all the cast their time to shine as well. I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Tero7323: The plot does thicken and much is revealed about the past this time.

Putrid: Why thank you, glad that you think so.

GameNoLife: Here you go, enjoy!

Guest: Thank you.

Hairul The Nightrage Beast: Skull Knight is back and he has much to tell. The final arc of the story will be happening soon so all debts are going to be paid.

Disclaimer- Harry Potter is owned by J.K. Rowling and Berserk is owned by Kentaro Miura. I own nothing.

The sun was shining brightly overhead. It was a clear sign that the long, wet season of spring was, at long last, coming to an end and making room for the promised season of summer. Spring had been a painfully long season this time around and while it was preferable to the cold and harsh winter, few crops grew even with the immense rain and trees were late to start blooming once again.

Summer was looking to be the promised time, a gentler time. Crops would grow and flourish in the rich fields and bring forth a multitude of surplus supplies to last all throughout the fall season, the time of great harvest, and then through winter once again. And then it would repeat all over again. The same seasons, the same routine, same migration routes, same plan as always.

It was indeed like a cycle in that regard; moving in a state of repeat. The seasons were in a cycle and so too was the life of the families who lived to see those seasons through. The families who worked the fields, who sold the crops, who domesticated the beasts, who built new homes, and all of lived and died in that same wheel of motion that spun for all families throughout the land. From the poorest beggar to the highest of rank; they all fell to that circle.

From the east, a cold wind blew. It could be interpreted as a sign that the lingering spring and cold winter were not through just yet in their conquest to stay in relevance for a few more weeks, but the breeze only served as a complement to the hot sun in the sky above. It was refreshing, no more, no less and utterly pointless to believe that it heralded some premonition of darker tidings to come. Truly absurd indeed.

Dark times were always ahead of them. They were always ahead of them, and they were behind them as well. Just the same as they were present in this very moment in time. Much like the changing wheel of seasons and people, the same could just as easily be applied to actions done to and committed by the very people of those cycles. The actions could always vary, there was no end to any offense be it small like a couple of children flinging pebbles at one another, or something as drastic as the rape of all the women in a village. They all happened. Some were much worse than others, but they still happened all the same. People lived and died, but the deeds would continue to be done.

That was human nature, perhaps. With all the mistakes made over time, people would never learn that they were not breaking the wheel at all, just conforming more and more to its already immense power. And how to fight the wheel if there was a way? Swords? Oh, they would be preferred any day of the week, but an idea is an idea for a reason; so it cannot be killed. Even if the idea is evil by a normal sense of the word, it still exists in the hearts and minds of humans alike.

It seemed like such a dull and meaningless topic to even bring up, but that was philosophy and it always had an attraction to those of a keen mind and thirst for knowledge. And there was a respect to be had for any who took to believing in or even crafting their own theories on the behavior of people in this world, not that it held the same appeal to all. Some were lions, others were sheep, but not all lions believed the same.

That was the thing about philosophy; it could take a topic as mundane as the weather and start making all sorts of comparisons about its nature and to how the world works. It could be amusing to see just how creative it could become if one had enough time to properly think it over, but it just took away from the moment. Perhaps one such theory or phrase existed that said to live for the present and just enjoy the moment while it lasted. Since dark and troubled times were always to exist, a moment of true peace and tranquility was to be valued. Even if peace just made one complacent and dulled their skills, humans had to relax at one point or another.

A change of topic was needed and needed fast. It was too nice a day to just think about thinking about things. Yes, something far less dull was needed, especially when it was just the two of them.

"Must you always be so dramatic when going on one of your speeches?" he held the reins of his horse loosely. "I am not some peasant that can be so easily swayed by talk of things beyond my understanding."

"You seemed quite enraptured by what I was just saying. Your mind is a muscle as well; you would stand to benefit from listening to that voice inside your head every now and again, you know."

"That was because I was falling asleep," he countered the first observation made. "And as for that voice inside my head, I have the real thing talking to me in person. One voice is enough for my liking."

A dry chuckle was given. "Your sons seem to find my voice quite soothing. I would imagine they prefer a much softer tone when being told stories. It helps put them to rest."

"And you have destroyed yourself in your own argument."

"How so?"

"You just admitted that your voice puts children to sleep." It was hard not to hide a triumphant grin. "And here I thought you were supposed to be smart."

He was met with that devilish smirk. "I could say the very same about you."

"And how do you figure that?" he rose to the challenge.

"Why are your sons coming to me for stories instead of you, their father?"

"I would say the same as I had previously."

"And I would do the same as well." His brother rode up beside him. "In theory, we could then keep this debate going for infinity. Wouldn't you agree, Gaiseric?"

He halted his horse so the two of them may ride alongside each other. "It would hardly be a debate at all, Gunderic. It would as soon turn into a one-sided conversation once I grew bored of listening to your voice."

"Silence can be as powerful a tactic as any," Gunderic pondered the possibility. "Then it would all depend on my ability to amuse myself with my own voice." He brushed a strand of his dark-brown hair behind his ear. "I would feel like I was talking to a dead man otherwise. And if I may ask-?"

"You would do so anyway," Gaiseric said, knowing that it would be said one way or the other.

"Why do you insist on riding with that on? Do you expect to be attacked in isolation such as this?" it was just the two of them taking the time to ride in the open plains of the land. With all the wars and conquests that Gaiseric had fought and won, he hardly had the time to just be with his brother outside of war meetings and council sessions. So under the ruse of needing valued advice, he had gotten his brother to go out riding with him. If it wasn't for their rise in status, it might have just been like when they were kids. Gunderic had figured this out, of course, and was now inquiring about the helm that he was currently wearing.

"Do you not like it? I believe it was you who had the smith make it for me." The helm covered his entire head leaving enough space for his eyes to be fully displayed. The design of a snarling lioness was put on the forehead and the back allowed for the black pelt of a skinned wolf to hang. But the whole design closely resembled a skull.

"I never said that I did not like it," Gunderic defended. "I merely find its use impractical at the moment." He glanced down to the side of the saddle, eyeing the shield in place. It was fashioned from the same metal as his helm and held the design of a woman's face. "I would think that you are going off to wage another campaign."

"At least I am suited for riding. You look rather uncomfortable in that attire."

Gunderic gave a mock look of displeasure. "If I had known that your true intention was to just seek isolation, I would have changed." Unlike the armor that Gaiseric was wearing, Gunderic was dressed in much more lavish attire. He carried no shield or sword, just a dagger with a studded hilt, a gift from their mother. His robes were a purple color, a rare shade, but it complemented well with his appearance. And the high collar of said robe no doubt put his mind at ease about his neck. Gunderic was self-conscious about his neck believing that it was too long.

He had many little peeves and quirks like that. Gaiseric watched as his brother once again brushed a strand of dark-brown hair behind his ear. One of his biggest peeves was the feeling of hair being in his ear. Gunderic absolutely hated that feeling and was constantly brushing stay locks back; everything had to be in an order for him. He had tried cutting it short, but his hair seemed to grow at an unnatural rate, always going back to how it was. And his most obvious oddity was made very visible as he brushed his hair back behind his ear. Gunderic had been born with six fingers on each hand.

As far as anyone knew, there were no stories about anyone being born with six fingers on their hands. It was an oddity, a mystery in the making, but one that Gaiseric had never cared about. He was not without his own oddity as well. While Gunderic had dark-brown hair, Gaiseric's hair was as black as night, the same as their mother's, and that wasn't the only trait he had inherited. The both of them had inherited her eyes as well, an almost glowing purple that could be mistaken for gems. Their mother's eyes were said to be the reason why their father… chose her to bear his children.

He instantly pushed that thought away and out of his mind. It was a dark time in the past, a dark time that had past. Thinking about it now would only give him grey hairs and he was only thirty-four years of age. A cold breeze blew past once more causing Gunderic to brush his hair back once again.

"You know, you fiddle with your appearance more than any young maid I know." It was actually amusing to watch him get so worked up over it.

To that, Gunderic raised a brow. "Oh? And how many young maids have you known? You are the emperor of this continent and many women would be pleased to share your bed, but I thought better of you. Will your wife react with heartbreak? That would be a shame. Licinia is the most sensible woman I know."

"She would perhaps lay with another man out of spite. My sons are fond of you and you are a bachelor, I could think of no greater disservice to be done to me." He continued on with the play. While a great many women had offered to lay with him due to his status as emperor, he had refused them. What they saw was a title, a way to advance their own wellbeing. Licinia saw him as something different.

The two of them shared a good-natured laugh and Gaiseric was relieved to hear it. The two of them were so busy most of these days that the only time they really saw much of the other was in meetings. It seemed like so long since he heard his brother laugh – since the two of them got to laugh at their own childish banter. It was… refreshing.

"Shall we return to the capital then, my Liege?" Gunderic asked a legitimate question, adding the title to show that the moment had ended. Gaiseric was sure that was how his mind worked; quick to process and change when he was sure a subject was done.

"Yes, I do believe that would be best." Gaiseric allowed a brief image of his Emperor Voice to emerge. His voice was deep enough already, but it carried much more authority depending on the context. He used this voice on occasion to ensure his own sons would not turn out to be brats.

His sons were privileged, being born after he had already conquered many neighboring city states and had been crowned king or emperor; they were interchangeable at this point. They still wore a mix of basic tribal furs and a mix of jewels that befit their status as his heirs, but they had always known that particular style of life. They did not know all of his and Gunderic's family history and he thought that may be the best and Gunderic agreed.

They set back on their trek back to the capital, the wind picked up a bit more and the chill with it. And from somewhere off in the faint distance, Gaiseric spotted something in the air. His eyes were keen and finely tuned for spotting anything out of the ordinary; it was a skill that could mean either life or death on the field of battle. He halted his horse and Gunderic did the same.

Gunderic looked over to him, obviously seeing it as well. "What do you suppose-?"

"-I do not know." His authoritative voice was much more dominate now. "But that is what we will soon find out. Hyeh!" he spurred his steed to a sprint. His horse made not a sound as it ran and Gaiseric did not expect him to. He had raised this horse since it was but a calf, caring for and tending for it as custom of his birth culture. If he was to one day ride into battle, he would need to forge an unbreakable bond with the animal that would accompany him into the fray.

The wind blew in his purple eyes as he raced to where he had seen the shape flying in the air. It had happened directly over a few trees and shrubs that sprouted up from the relatively empty field of tall grass and small hills. Whatever it was, it seemed to have fallen out of the sky at this point. As he neared, Gaiseric thought he heard a shriek of some kind come from around the trees. "Gneeah!" it was followed by a faint sound of impact.

Cautiously, he drew his sword, a sturdy blade with a hilt that was decorated in a thorn design. He rounded the shrubbery to find a most unusual sight to behold.

It was a young woman upon the ground, rubbing her head of somewhat messy auburn curls. She was dressed in dark purple robes of similar design to Gunderic but lacked the high collar, but she had a pointed hat lying next to her instead as well as a wooden staff. Falling from a branch of the tree, two pieces of broken wood came down. Her grey-green eyes locked on to the wood which Gaiseric realized to be pieces to a broom.

She began to panic. "Oh no no no no no no no! Why?! Oh this is going to take forever to get fixed!" she had yet to turn and see their presence, but they knew exactly what she was by her broken item alone. She was a witch.

"Lovely day for a flight," Gaiseric spoke in a deep tone but not a loud one.

The witch scratched her head. "I'll say. It would be even better if it wasn't for… for…" she slowly turned around, realizing she was not alone. She was met with the end of Gaiseric's sword being pointed directly in her face. "Eh… ehhe…"

"You are a long way from the woods, witch," Gaiseric addressed in full kingly persona. "Have an accident on your broom." He didn't say that as a question.

"I, um… yes," she admitted in an embarrassed and frightened state.

"Yes, 'your Majesty,'" Gunderic corrected the witch.

She looked confused. "Well, I'm flattered, but I'm not royalty, good sir."

Gunderic showed a bit of steel from his knife. "You are speaking to a king, mind your manners."

"Oh!" she appeared more nervous than before, hurriedly taking off her hat and giving the closest thing to a bow. "I'm terribly sorry, I meant no offense, I assure you."

She sounded genuine. Genially lost and confused. "You are a long way from the woods, witch," Gaiseric still kept his sword trained on the unknown woman. "Where is your coven?"

"I do not come from any woods of this continent, King, uh… apologies," she rubbed the back of her head. "I do not quite know what to call you by."

"You may call him your Majesty or Supreme Emperor," Gunderic warned the witch. It was clear he was of little patience with what he considered to be insults and slights. Gaiseric had earned all the titles given to him through the right of conquest. That and Gunderic's own mind.

"Either will suffice," Gaiseric told her. "But if you are looking for a name, you may call me King Gaiseric."

"My King!" Gunderic said with worry. "You do not need to comply with the needs of this witch. Besides," he rode a bit closer so only Gaiseric may hear, "you never know what a witch can do with a person's name."

"Your concern is well warranted but unneeded," Gaiseric told him. "Look, she is without her staff."

While they had this exchange, the witch took the time to properly compose herself. "Well, you have my apologies then, King Gaiseric. As I said, I do not come from any woods of this land so I am unfamiliar with your customs. And I shall give you my name in return; I am called Flora."

"Then you come from that island to the north-west," Gunderic deduced. "Our ships have crossed there as well, you should have heard of your rightful king there."

The witch, Flora, shook her head. "I do come from an island, but it is more west than north."

Gaiseric looked over to Gunderic to see if he knew of such an island from any of the documents of the lands they brought into the empire. Gunderic gave an almost invisible shake of his head.

"Do you lie to a king, witch?" Gaiseric asked, his blade inched a bit closer.

"No, King Gaiseric, I do not lie."

"Then what is the name of this island and your purpose for leaving?" Gunderic questioned. She was clearly out of her element and coming up with a lie on the fly would prove difficult.

"It is called Elfhelm, an island inhabited by all creatures of magic. And I suspected many would not know of it. The island is near inaccessible to anyone who is not a native." she was quick to answer, no trace of a stammer or pause was present in her tone.

"And how far out to sea is it?"

"A few weeks by boat, but much faster if by broom, King Gaiseric." Flora spared a glance at her now broken broom and sighed. "It is much safer as well."

So she knew of the danger of the sea. All manner of beasts dwelled beneath the surface and he and Gunderic had lost many a good ship as they were sent off to try and explore beyond the northern island. Most sea beasts were passive with their ships, more curious than anything, but one beast stood out more than others. This creature would go out of its way to attack anything and everything in the sea. Very few survivors came back from the failed exploration, but those who did all gave the same description of the beast. How it was like a giant black dome with no eyes and a wide maw with teeth the size of pillars and tentacles as long as any warship. The more it consumed, the larger it became. They just called it the Sea God.

"You claim flying to be safer?" Gunderic scrutinized her answer. "Yet your broom lies in pieces and leaves you exposed to a passing storm. And you could starve or pass out from exhaustion."

"I worried about that too, but I had material on hand to help with that." Gaiseric eyed the satchel hanging from her side. Curiosity got the better of him. "Hey!" his sword snagged the strap of the satchel and he pulled it free from her side. He tossed it over to Gunderic who caught it and began to go through the items she had.

The first he pulled free was a vial of amber liquid that seemed to be half empty. Next came another half-empty vial of a light blue liquid. She had a variety of herbal leaves and a mortar and pestle for grounding them up as well. There was an acorn of some kind, probably used for potions as well. Lastly, there were a few small stone carvings of some sort that closely resembled rounded men.

"Careful with those!" Flora cautioned as she saw Gunderic examine them between his fingers. "Don't drop them."

His brother eyed her with distrust. "What would happen if I did?"

"Those are golem talisman," Flora tried to explain. "Drop them and they'll turn into little mud men."

Gunderic eyed the few talismans he had, studying the symbols carved into them before putting them back into the satchel. "And what of these vials?" he asked. "Some are half empty."

"I drank some of those on my broom," she answered. "As you pointed out, traveling on broom can be dangerous if I fall asleep or go hungry." Gunderic put the contents back into the satchel. "May I have my bag back now?"

"That depends entirely on your next answer," Gaiseric told the lost witch. "Why have you come here?"

To this question, Flora seemed to relax a deal like she was confident in her answer. "If you are the king of this land, I consider myself lucky. I bring tidings from the Flowerstorm King of Elfhelm and was sent to warn of an approaching tragedy."

"And what tragedy is this?" Gaiseric asked. "Tragedy occurs in all forms constantly. Why would elves living on a distant island bother to concern themselves with the likes of the mainland?"

"The Flowerstorm King had a premonition about it," Flora continued. "This will mark the first of a series of events. Even if our island is spared, a time will come when the same disaster will spread throughout the world. And that is why I have come; to try and prevent a disaster should it unfold."

From his side, Gunderic scoffed. "Leave it to witches and elves to instantly resort to the theory of premonition. It is not to be taken lightly." It wasn't that he sounded doubtful, just irked beyond reason. And Gaiseric did not blame him for it one bit. If people believed in something hard enough, they would will it to be true.

"I'm sorry, but I don't believe you've introduced yourself," Flora, at last, asked of his brother.

He straightened on his horse. "High Advisor Gunderic. Not that it is important in this situation."

"He is correct," Gaiseric drew her attention back to him. "I am king and your fate lies in my hands at the end of my sword. I have the final say in this matter." normally he could convey that message without the use of his sword, but this witch was clearly lacking in tact to their culture and history.

Her eyes found his behind his skull-shaped helm. "I understand that, King Gaiseric. If you choose to end my life here, I will at least know that you have knowledge of a coming darkness. And if not," she gave a more formal bow, "then I will assist in any way I can to prevent such an event from happening."

The manner of which she spoke, it was different from mere moments ago. It was as if that lost and clueless nature had been replaced by a much more mature woman. This one was filled with certainty and confidence and conviction as well. She sounded as if she truly believed she could be of use. He doubted it to some extent. Witches were known for two things; trickery and usefulness. Whenever stories were told, it was one or the other. Either witches wanted to steal and sacrifice children to eat, or they were great healers and visionaries, helping those who were in need. His and Gunderic's own mother had been believed to be a witch because of her unique eyes and no man could every say a thing to taint her name. Gaiseric would have broken their jaw if they dared.

"You speak with conviction in your words, Flora of Elfhelm," he addressed her.

"Gaiseric…" Gunderic said like he knew what he was about to say. Before he could speak more, Gaiseric raised his hand for him to stop. While Gunderic was his brother, he was still king and he had made his decision. Dark times always lay in the future; it was just part of the cycle, that inescapable wheel.

"If you indeed speak the truth, witch, I will listen to what you have to say." Gaiseric put his sword back in its sheath. "You will accompany us back to the capital."

She gave a bow of her head. "Thank you, King Gaiseric. I promise that I will not deliberately waste your time."

"Only unintentionally waste it," Gunderic said to himself.

"But be warned, Flora of Elfhelm," Gaiseric fixed her with his full stare, "should I find any lie or trickery in your words, you will meet the fate of other witches who have proven troublesome." And he would take her head off himself. He looked to his brother. "She rides with you."

Gunderic did not appear pleased in the slightest to have to share a horse with her, but he followed the order the same as always and offered Flora a hand up once she had collected her stuff. "Sit side-saddle," Gunderic instructed her.

"I'm just sitting the same way you are," Flora copied his manner of sitting once she was up.

"It will be more appropriate if you sit side-saddle," Gunderic sighed. "Do you want the people of our city thinking you some sort of harlot?"

"Are you concerned for my reputation or your own?" Flora asked.

"At least you are a tad perceptive," Gunderic said in a monotone.

As they rode, the hills began to lessen and the trees and vegetation started to appear in much greater abundance. The main road which had been laid out was also visible, a clear sign that they were nearing civilization once again. All the while, Gaiseric would spare glances over at Gunderic and Flora who seemed to contrast heavily with his usual pessimistic attitude with a bright and bubbly one. Gaiseric was like his brother in that regard of pessimism but always thought himself more optimistic in some cases.

"The air here is so much different from the island," Flora said as they rode. "It feels so much heavier."

"You do not have to talk, we will question you when we get back," Gunderic said, clearly annoyed that the witch was so calm despite essentially being their prisoner.

"I know, but you have not made a move to quiet me," Flora pointed out. "The archmage I studied under said I was a lovely conversationalist."

"He must not have many to talk to then," Gunderic remarked.

The remark clearly stung, but it did remind her that she was to be respectful when in the presence of the king and his brother. "Sorry if you do not enjoy the company, High Advisor. I was merely trying to make – huh?"

Gaiseric craned his head to see what had caught her attention and saw that she had taken notice of the scars on Gunderic's additional fingers. He caught her staring too and adjusted the rings he had on to cover them up. He followed by brushing a strand of hair back behind his ear. Gaiseric knew exactly what those scars were from.

It had happened back when they were both children. Mother had just passed after failing to deliver their father's third child. He was not in a right state of mind and his words to both of his sons had been harsh. To someone like Gunderic who had enough insecurities already, he had taken a knife later that night and attempted to cut his own fingers off but was unable to handle the pain.

Seeing him like that in so much pain after their father went to go and drink, Gaiseric had taken the same knife and cut himself below his lip to show Gunderic that scars were no big deal. If he were to take off his helm and rub his chin, his hand would pass over his scar and the bit of stubble that covered it. Scars were no big deal. He would certainly know. His back was covered with them. Father had been insistent on having a son who could withstand any pain and gain him more status than just chief warlord of their providence and kingdom. It was the same reason their father sought out their mother to have his children believing her traits would grant him the divine right of kings.

Godigisel, their father, said that it was something bestowed by God and it was the right to rule all. His city-state had not been the biggest nor the strongest, but its strategic location made it right in resources. He took that as a sign of God from the start and sought children who could bring him more and believed that the divine right of kings was tied to their very bloodline.

Maybe it was real; Godigsel had believed hard enough and Gaiseric had all but united the continent under his own banner. But Godigsel had passed before the two brothers set out to unite the land. And they would unite it in their own vision, not his.

Flora seemed to pick up on the fact that she was close to treading on dangerous ground and she did not pry. Instead, she actually didn't say anything else at all. It was good to know that she had enough sense to know when a sensitive topic was at hand. Gunderic rarely, if ever, shouted or raised his voice when he was feeling angry. He did his best to retain his calm and collected persona at all times. Gaiseric had only heard a truly unsettling voice come out of his brother after their mother had passed. They had been but only adolescent, but as he reached out to try and reassure him, Gunderic had said but one word as he clutched the fur above his heart, "don't."

The way in which he said it was much too low and deep for how his voice usually was. It was like he had approached an angry god, one who was beyond reproach. It was the only time that Gunderic had ever truly scared him. Even after every campaign he fought, all the men he had killed, that voice had been the only thing to send a shiver down his spine.

The witch kept silent, her eyes closed to make it appear that she was meditating. Gaiseric could tell Gunderic was relieved that she had stopped talking. He did not intend to make this seem like some sort of punishment for his brother and he would have to assure him of such once they got back to the capital. Licinia was native to the city and if it hat been to her inside position, his army would have to siege the city instead of just riding through as they did. Damage was minimal, but the architecture was a true marvel. With Gunderic's mind, they were planning an expansion in the works.

The capital was located in the middle land of the continent, a rich land and strategic should and new conflict to emerge. The Northlands tended to be too cold and dry of resources, the west held a more arid climate for growing grapes for wine and had access to the sea, but it also rained too much during spring and too much water often caused floods. To the south laid a peninsula and string of islands within the Uterine Sea. There, the weather was warm and tropical and said to home to the most beautiful women in the land and it was where their mother had come from. Conquering them had been easy, they had no united army and submitted with little resistance. Besides, blades were not what one had to beware of to the south, only what was in the wine. Farther o the east it became more mountainous and the people of the region proved hearty and strong-willed. Fighting there had been a nightmare due to the terrain, but mountains often held hidden paths around. Beyond that, there was a vast swampland that o one dared to inhabit. And south of that, there lay an arid jungle marking the entrance to the land of Kush where the hottest weather was and the richest land of resources.

Each and every land held their own systems and beliefs and with it, more leaders of city-states. War was always breaking out until he rode onto the scene. Divine right of kings or not, he had did what many others had tried, he did bring about unity. Some might say God had something to do with it, but God had not been on that battlefield. God did not swing his sword. People could believe what they wanted, he believed in what he knew for certain, the world was a battlefield.

The quiet mood was ruined as Flora suddenly opened her eyes in a state of shock. "There's something up ahead!"

Both stopped their horses as they eyed the witch carefully. "What do you say?" Gaiseric demanded of her.

"Up ahead! I felt an additional source of od."

"Od?" Gunderic parroted. "What are you talking about?"

"It's a life-force," Flora answered. "I was meditating and discovered it up ahead." She pointed in the direction the od was supposedly coming from. Gaiseric scrutinized the surrounding area. They were not in the forest so there were no trees for anyone or anything to hide behind. The hills were not as numerous as they had been, but they were still present in far fewer quantities. One such hill seemed to stand out from the rest.

It had the grassy-green color to it, but it also seemed to be mixed with a grey rock color that just seemed off. A thick tree branch lay just to the side as well and Gaiseric doubted that anyone just left it there. And... the hill seemed to rise and fall very slowly. Almost like it was snoring.

He drew his sword. "The two of you stay back." He rode off to investigate.

"He isn't planning on fighting and killing it is he?" Flora asked with concern.

"Most likely," Gunderic watched, certain of the outcome.

"He could get hurt," Flora said quietly.

"You don't know my brother."

As Gaiseric neared, the "hill" started to rumble and move. What was once a bump near the side of the road was a now a fully-grown ogre. Its legs were hairy and the color of fresh moss. The body and torso were the grey color Gaiseric had first spotted than gave it away. The head was long and slanted upward with two curved tusks protruding from the side of the triangular maw. It picked up the club beside it as it heard his approach.

He thought that ogre's usually kept to the watery swamps and wetlands, but this one appears to have wandered a bit far from its home. But seeing as it had, it could cause trouble for any travelers taking to this route. As such, it could not be allowed to remain.

The ogre snarled at him as he rode closer and lifted its club, ready to swing down at him. Instead of bothering to evade the attack, he met it with his own sword, driving the end straight into the wood as it came close to him. With his blade stuck, Gaiseric then twisted with the hilt, splintering the club and nearly cracking it in half.

Seeing that the club would be of no use, the ogre tried to just pull it back and take Gaiseric's sword along with it, but Gaiseric moved faster than the ogre. Pulling his blade free, he circled around behind the ogre, making clean cuts to the back of its hairy knees and ankles. Blood began staining the thick fur a dark red color. It gave a howl of pain as it began to tremble. Before long, it was forced to take to its knees as it found itself unable to fully stand.

Beginning to panic, the ogre began to wildly swing at him like a cat would a bird that was just out of reach. Gaiseric noted the clear weakness in the beast and decided to quickly end things. There was no need to draw out a fight with a near-mindless beast such as this. His feet moved from the side to up upon the top of the saddle giving the impression he was about to jump off at any moment. And that was exactly what he planned to do.

With all the hacking and cutting he had done, the ogre was at a perfect height as to where he could deal a fatal wound to it. With one hand still holding the reigns, Gaiseric directed his trusty steed to head straight for the wounded ogre. Once he was close enough, he lept from the saddle, his sword thrusting out and penetrating the meaty flesh near the collarbone. Blood shot out as he drove his sword in deeper into the flesh and began moving the blade upward once he got a firm stance with his footing.

His blade moved with unwavering skill all the way up to the maw of the ogre. It began to topple over. Gaiseric yanked his blade free and stabbed it down where the heart would be and then waited for his horse to return like always. He never expected to see a stone object come flying through the air, growing in size until it was human height and land on the ogre's arm, preventing it from rising any higher to swipe at him. It was still alive.

From Gunderic's horse, Flora was shouting. "Hill ogre's have two hearts!"

So... that explained it. With the stone man still holding the arm down, it bought Gaiseric enough time to quickly plunge his sword into the other side of the ogre's chest, halting any further movement from it. And for good measure, he stabbed it through the head, careful to avoid the tusks on the sides of the maw. Now, he was sure it was finished.

As his horse loyally returned to him, Gaiseric spared a look at the stone golem. It just passively stood there like a statue now that its purpose had been fulfilled. As had his. He rode back to join Gunderic and Flora. He noted that Gunderic had a hand on his dagger, but showed no sign of drawing it.

"You let her use what she had in her bag?" Gaiseric asked of him.

"She did so of her own accord," Gunderic answered. "She was too fast to stop."

"Well..." Gaiseric looked at the witch in question, "perhaps that was for the best."

She visibly perked up at hearing the closest thing to a compliment so far. "Well... of course, King Gaiseric. As a witch of Elfhelm, I took a solemn oath to always give assistance where needed. But, if I may ask, was it necessary to kill it?"

"I was able to kill it easily, others would have had a greater difficulty." Besides, it helped to quell the thirst of battle that he held. All men possessed it so it was best to find a way to deal with it so their judgment could be clear. "I did what I had to. Do you mean to tell me there are no dangers like this in your land?"

"All sorts of magical creatures inhabit Elfhelm, King Gaiseric," Flora told him. "Some can get a bit rowdy when excited, but none go out of their way to attack humans."

"You are welcome to send a few creatures back there then," Gunderic let go of the dagger hilt. "They cause enough problems as is."

Flora noticed his change of grip. "Um, High Advisor, you don't strike me as being a violent man, but would you have cut me if my intentions had not been pure?"

"I killed once before and would have done what was necessary. If it meant taking your life, yes."

That bit came as a bit of a surprise to Gaiseric. He always made sure Gunderic handled terms of surrender and kept to planning as opposed to field work. He asked, "When?"

Gunderic did not answer right away. He was either reliving it or he just preferred not to. He fixed his stay strand of hair. "...You weren't there."

Gaiseric would leave it at that for now. There was no point in discussing some dead man and he would not make an issue of it in front of the witch, Flora. "Very well. With our path clear, we return to the capital."

The rest of the journey passed by without further incident. Gaiseric still kept a keen eye out and Gunderic remained silent, not bothering to make any further conversation with their unexpected guest. Flora often looked between the two of them, trying to make heads or tails of them properly, but she kept silent as well but wore a soft smile. She was ultimately the one to break the silence when the capital, at last, came into view.

"You live here?" her voice sounded almost like a child.

Gaiseric nodded. "Indeed."

A multitude of roads all led directly to the pristine-looking city. Most of the earthen and country roads changed to being a laid cobblestone detail that had been expertly placed. Stone homes and shops lined the winding and ordered streets and the more important buildings like pavilions and arenas were crafted from a spotless white stone marble. And beyond all of them at the heart of it all was the main palace.

It almost seemed to stretch from one end of the city to the other with how expansive it was. The height was also a contributing factor as it towered above all the other buildings to give it an appearance of a man-made mountain. That was their destination.

As they rode down the road, people stopped to stare at their emperor, calling his name and tossing flowers in his wake. They cheered for Gunderic as well and Gaiseric noted the mild look of embarrassment on his brother. Gunderic was often shut up in his own solar and rarely left the palace, but the people still knew of his work.

"You two seem to be quite beloved," Flora noticed all the praise coming their way.

"It isn't as if they're about to start hurling stones at us," Gunderic told her. "They wouldn't dare do that." The memory of how fast he had disposed of that ogre was still fresh in their minds. "Although, I imagine the reaction would be even greater if he were to remove his helm."

"Now is not the place," Gaiseric responded as they neared the central building. It wasn't that he was shy or embarrassed in any way of his appearance, many seemed to find his features quite comely. He just always felt more at ease when he wore his helm. Being emperor, he never knew when his life would be put into danger and the element of intimidation always helped to some capacity. Besides, being on the field of battle was more reassuring than the realm of politics. In war, he knew exactly who his enemy was.

His helm also helped to keep some of the more fanatic ladies away. Maybe they would look toward Gunderic instead; his brother was an eligible bachelor.

The gates of the palace opened to them as soon as the watchman caught sight of the unique and unmistakable sight of Gaiseric's helm. A couple of servants and stable hands rushed toward them once Gaiseric dismounted. To Gunderic's credit, he did offer Flora a hand to assist her off the horse, not that he looked pleased to do so, just maintaining his professional nature.

"See to it our horses are fed and watered properly," Gaiseric instructed as he passed the reigns over to the head of the stable.

"Yes, Emperor!" the servants bowed and led the horses off to the stable.

"Gunderic, see to it that our visitor is given a proper room." His brother subtly raised a brow at the request. "One with a heavy door." Gunderic nodded.

"Come along then, I will escort you the way," Gunderic began walking off with Flora. She would not be kept in a cell, rather, a room used for political prisoners during times of war. While Flora boasted no political power so the speak, she was an envoy for an island far out to sea. And, Gaiseric would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't a little grateful for her usage of the golem previously. He still could have handled it, but it did prove her intentions were harmless.

For now, at least.

He then proceeded into the palace himself. All the while, guards stood at attention and various other servants bowed as he passed by. He would give a slight nod of his head to those he passed as a sign that he recognized them, but he was in search of the one who actually knew him. As it turned out, they found him.

"You're back early."

His wife approached. She wore a light pair of sandals with a few golden cuffs on her arms and wrists. She wore her brown hair down and tied it off midway to her back. Her shoulders were bare as the dress she had on complimented the approaching warm weather. The dress also matched her eyes perfectly as well, a deep blue color that looked like the sea.

"I did not want a usurper to take the throne, Licinia. The battlefield is one thing, this place can be a den of vipers." He finally removed his helm in her presence.

"Is that the only reason?" she asked like she knew there was more. "I watched from one of the balconies and I could swear I saw Gunderic riding with a young woman. Has my brother-in-law finally found a woman who can match his wit?"

"You are free to ask him that yourself, he'll find it hilarious." Gaiseric had a pretty good idea of what Gunderic thought of the witch. "Where are the boys?"

"Off hiding," Licinia answered. "Playing soldier no doubt."

"Hm." Gaiseric pondered.

"They're still boys," she reminded him. "Let them enjoy themselves."

"I didn't say that they were not. But they will not be boys forever. One day they will have to pick up from where I leave off." He at least hoped that he would be able to prepare them for that day.

She gave a dry chuckle as she felt the small amount of stubble on his face. "Why do you have to talk about such a topic? You may wear that unique helm but that does not mean that you are a dead man walking."

He allowed a small movement of his upper lip. "Not for a long time, at least."

"That's better. The boys were looking for you though. No doubt they wanted to ask you to show them a few of your techniques."

Gaiseric nodded. He could better prepare them for when they had to pick up the mantle. "Fine. Where were they last seen?"

She pondered the question. "I'm not quite sure. You'll just have to find them yourself. It feels like it has been too long since you properly entertained them."

He almost chuckled at that. But she was right, it had been far too long since he had spent proper time with either of his sons. As important as it was for them to know how to survive and to be a leader, they must also know how to be father's themselves. From some of the talk among servants, his eldest seemed to have a little infatuation with the daughter of a local noble, a girl named Eudocia. There would be a time to fully question Flora, but now was not that time for that.

A few hours had passed before Gaiseric felt it appropriate to go and pay a visit to the witch in question. He summoned Gunderic as well considering his brother usually went on record to keep detailed notes and texts concerning any business involving council meetings and general information about the various cultures they had within the empire. He was even set on writing his own text as a set of guidelines for after they both had passed.

"Not that I doubt your judgment, but one of us should be enough to suffice," Gunderic voiced his opinion as Gaiseric unlocked the door to Flora's current residence.

"She knows the both of us," Gaiseric told him. "She might feel more at ease."

"Might being the word that should be emphasized," Gunderic mentioned as the door opened.

The room was basic, it had a bed for one and some small furniture for decoration and mild comfort, but it was far from anything as impressive as some of the royal rooms within. But it seemed more than enough for Flora. She sat on the edge of the bed lightly kicking her feet back and forth along the floor like she was a child who was tasked with entertaining herself while her parents were busy.

"Ahem," Gunderic cleared his throat to get the witch's attention.

She stopped her movements and hopped off of the bed. "High Advisor Gunderic, I wasn't expecting to see you so soon. And..." her eyes studied Gaiseric's face before settling in on his eyes. "Oh! Emperor Gaiseric." She gave a quick bow as a sign of politeness. "I'm sorry, I didn't quite recognize you without your helm on."

"It is not necessary for this," Gaiseric said as he stepped further into the room. "I do not believe you to be a danger, but that does mean that I am wrong. A mistake made by a king can cost the lives of a kingdom. I would like it if you could dispell of my doubts."

"Well, I would certainly like to clear that up as well," Flora agreed with little hesitation. "What is it you would like to know?"

"Gunderic, her bag." Gaiseric held out his hand as his brother handed him the confiscated item. "We went through what you had on hand. The potions you claimed were to help you on your journey, but what of this acorn? Even for a witch, it seems a strange object to carry around."

"Ah, that," Flora nodded. "It's an acorn from one of the spirit-trees on the island. I did not know how long I was going to be here, so I took to plant it here, so I would have a tree to live in once it grew."

"Then you'd be without a home for quite some time with how long it would take to grow," Gunderic reasoned.

Flora shook her head. "Before I left, the archmage told me that time moves differently here than it does on the island. Since this acorn came from a spirit-tree, I would expect it to grow much faster than average." She noticed their blank reactions. "It all has to do with how connected it is to the astral layers."

"You are not making a believer out of me," Gaiseric warned her. "You speak of nonsense."

"It isn't nonsense, I promise you, King Gaiseric. It... how can I explain it?" she seemed to think it all over. "Alright, imagine a tree, a large tree, as big as one can get. It has branches that go in all directions, spreading everywhere. Depending on which branch you take, time and locations will vary, it will be like taking a shortcut to get to a destination. Where we are now, think of it like the base or middle of the tree, the top is the most magical part and it drips down to where we are after a rain. At the top, it is the Ideal World, a mix of mundane and magical both."

Gunderic chose to speak out at that. "You mean to say that creatures like ogres and trolls do not belong here? That they are just unwanted products of someplace else?"

"Not unwanted," Flora corrected. "Just, they are able to exist because people believe in them."

"And strong enough belief will result in reality," Gunderic added not looking pleased with having said it. No doubt he was reminded of that belief of their father.

"That's right," Flora nodded. "Did you know I was going to say that?"

"I cannot read minds," Gunderic shook his head. "I just remembered an old saying is all. It boasted a ridiculous claim that no matter who or what, a person was destined to fulfill a purpose."

"Hm." Flora rubbed her chin. "That sounds an awful lot like causality, the belief that things are all planned out and will happen one way or the other."

"And it is ridiculous," Gunderic repeated. "It speaks of some god with control over all lives."

"You do not believe in god?"

"We would not be here if not for a higher power," Gunderic repeated. "If that is a god or not remains to be seen."

"Enough, both of you!" Gaiseric lightly raised his voice. "We are not here to discuss the existence of a god or higher power."

Flora had the decency to look embarrassed that she had gotten sidetracked. "Sorry once again, King Gaiseric. But, it does allow me to mention the bottom layer, beneath the roots of the tree. That is known as the Abyss. No one knows what lies at the center and all who have tried to astral project have wound up worse than dead."

"And you believe the danger you spoke of comes from this Abyss?" Gaiseric asked. He still wasn't sure if he believed her or not, and this whole astral layer business was not making it easier to understand. Gunderic was writing down what was being said, perhaps he was having greater luck figuring out what she was saying.

"I... do not know for certain, King Gaiseric," Flora confessed. "It lies in an entirely different astral layer is impossible. Unless the world tree does actually exist, physical travel is impossible."

"You speak many creative words," Gaiseric told her, still not sure what to believe. He sensed no deceit from her but he was still not going to take her explanation at full face value.

"I agree," Gunderic nodded. "You tell this to us to rid of us of ignorance, yet you raise more questions than you answer. And you have no solid idea on what disaster is heading our way. Surely you can see the fault in that. Can you offer anything as to how we may prevent such a disaster?" he was testing her again, waiting to see any benefits that could come from having a witch.

"King Gaiseric is a warrior by heart, is he not?" Flora asked.

"You ask a question you know the answer to," Gaiseric said with a hint of annoyance. "Why?"

"Well, it's just, I was told that there were dwarves living in this land before I left."

"Dwarves?" Gunderic repeated. "They live off in their mines looking for gold and care nothing about human affairs. Mischevious little creatures as well. If they seal away treasure, there is no getting to it."

To that Flora smiled. "Maybe if you mention the Flowerstorm King's name they might just be inclined to be more friendly."

"And you would be able to persuade the dwarves?" Gaiseric asked. If they had a weapon of dwarven make, it could change the tide of any battle. Dwarves were not the best smiths for nothing.

"If I knew where their home is, perhaps," Flora admitted. "But anything they make, it will always come with a price."

"How much?" Gaiseric asked knowing the current situation with the treasury.

"Price does not always have to be gold." Her tone carried a weight of warning to it like even she did not know what it would cost.

Gaiseric ran a thumb across his chin, almost missing the feeling of cool metal in place of his actual flesh. "If you speak the truth about this, then you carry a great deal of weight with your presence." He could feel his brother's stare on him. "You will remain here for the time being. If you have anything more you wish to tell us, inform the guard outside and have him fetch one of us."

"Er, right, understood," Flora said. "I'm not a prisoner here, am I?"

"You are not in the stockades," Gaiseric told her. "Make of that what you will." He closed the door behind them as the two of them left.

A brief moment of silence passed between them. "What do you make of her?" Gaiseric asked.

"I can believe what she said about the dwarves," Gunderic concluded. "If they can be swayed into making a weapon it could complement the new suit of armor I have the smiths working on for you. If there are actual layers to this world and ours happens to be caught in the middle, I am unsure of."

"Only unsure?" Gaiseric asked. "I thought you would flat out deny such claims and label them as lies."

"Every lie has a hint of truth in it," Gunderic told him. "I can go and look up some scrolls from the archives, see if any culture makes mention to a 'world tree' or astral layers." It was hard to figure out if he sounded doubtful or cautious at what he might find.

Gaiseric nodded. "Good. But before that," he pointed to around the corner where a pair of shadows could be seen. "Come out you two."

Slowly, two boys walked around the corner. His two sons, Huneric and Gento. Both had taken to wearing the furs of his custom but also wore some jewelry as well that befitted their status. Both had dark hair like him but Huneric wore his longer as three braids behind his head while Gento kept it shorter with only a single braid on the side. Instead of their father's purple eyes, both had inherited the blue of their mother, something Gaiseric was grateful for. It was a small stab at his own father's crazed belief.

"How much did you two hear?" Gaiseric demanded of his sons but did so without anger in his tone.

"Not much, father," Huneric answered first. "We only came by to try and find you."

Gento nodded. "Yes. And Huneric was hoping of running into Eudocia."

"Shut up," Huneric told his younger sibling. "No, I wasn't." He said so with flushed cheeks.

Gaiseric might have found it funnier under different circumstances. "Regardless of that, you two shouldn't be sneaking around if you want to speak with me. Take pride in who you are otherwise you still have much to learn before you lead one day."

"Yes, father." "Sorry, father." They both nodded their heads.

"Now, what is on your minds?" Gaiseric asked them.

Gento spoke first this time. "Is that one woman really a witch?"

So they had heard some. Luckily, Gunderic answered this. "If she is or isn't is not of importance. She is suspicious and will remain here until such a time as your father deems necessary. Besides, the story of how we came across her is far more interesting." Gaiseric saw that this brother held their rapt attention. "I believe it involves your father slaying an ogre. Why not tell them about that?"

Gaiseric saw what he was doing; he was taking their interest in what they would find interesting. "There was an ogre blocking our way so I disposed of it by stabbing it through the heart."

Both his sons and Gunderic looked at him with blank expressions. "How incredibly vague," Gunderic said with monotone.

"You tell them then," Gaiseric suggested.

"If I must," he said with a smile. "Come, young ones, and let me weave you a tale."

It was a bit impractical to have three rooms refurbished to all connect to each other, but with all the papers, documents, and various other scrolls that Gunderic kept in neat order in his solar, he wanted to be as close as possible to his own quarters so as to be closer to his work. The third room was for his own personal use and where he tinkered designed what he believed what help benefit the people of the empire.

There were just so many people now, it was getting near impossible to keep track of just how many there actually were. They didn't have a unified language yet as the people from the Kush land all still spoke in that smooth tongue of theirs. It was beautiful to listen to but so difficult to actually speak. He knew enough words, enough to hold a basic conversation with someone from the east, but it would be rough at best.

Currently, he was looking over the design plans of the city. The architects truly knew what they were doing when they had constructed all of this. Even among the chaos that plagued the various city-states when it was being built. They still had some of those builders on hand, an expansion was possible. The main problem would be the funds, they had been dwindling as of late.

It was troubling and something he could not take his mind off of. He knew that there was always the option to levy heavier taxes, but it would come with a massive backlash. Many of the conquered lands still held resentment in some way shape or form and making the decision to raise taxes would go over quite poorly.

He knew exactly where some of that money had gone. It went to ensuring that the fighting arenas still stayed open on behalf of pleasing the rats that were the members of nobility from elsewhere in the empire. Violence in itself was already a gross conduct, but it was made even more repulsive when it was slaves who were the ones fighting.

Many, if not all, previous city-states had slaves. The Uterine Sea Isles were big on the trade as was the far east. His and Gaiseric's own mother had been a slave to their father, a practice that later resulted in her death. If a god truly did exist, Gunderic was thankful to it that Gaiseric had enough sense to put that portion of the practice to a close.

But he would have thought that he would have just declared it all illegal as Gunderic had suggested to him countless times; sometimes during meetings, sometimes when they were in private. He knew Gaiseric hated the practice as much as he did and the reason he gave for it was solid, "I am a fighter, but I do not go looking to start a fight."

He was probably right. Banning the practice would only lead to more conflict or even a civil war. Gaiseric even encouraged the slave men to take wives and start families with the promise that if they won the match, they would be freed. Of course, the loser would die a pathetic death for hundreds to see. Gaiseric was right, and he hated that.

Even now with the shutters of his window closed, Gunderic could hear the sounds of the crowd as the combatants made their way to face off in battle. The sound was faint and muffled, but it served as a cold reminder that the shadow of the past was right behind him, never truly going away. The thought of it, he just kept picturing his mother's face and the pain she felt up until her death. Somewhere down in that fighting pit, a man had that exact same look on his face.

Gaiseric knew exactly how he felt about it and he had to know that things weren't the same as they had been before between the two of them. Gunderic was a lot more skeptical about some of Gaiseric's choices and he would often send him strange looks whenever his brother made a decision that did not seem reasonable. Gunderic had no doubt that Gaiseric tried to rekindle that bond when he had asked him to go riding that day they met Flora.

Flora... It had been close to two months since they had first met the witch. It was adequate time for the both of them to know she truly did not mean any harm. She was granted permission to leave her granted room, but under escort and only allowed to see him or Gaiseric.

He halted his sketch for the expansion as he massaged his temples, not caring right now if some hair touched his ears. Based on what Licinia told him as she walked past the other day, he could stand to have his hair cover the side of his head. A grey hair. Licinia pointed out he had a single grey hair by his temple. Grey was a sign of old age and stress, and he knew plenty of that. He was only a year younger than his brother and he was already feeling the stress of helping to run an empire. He felt a pang of pain from his chest as he thought about it.

Gaiseric felt his brother's still youthful appearance was in part to his excellent physical prowess. Father had made sure he had been trained from the ripe age of four, as soon as he knew how to properly hold a dagger. The edge of staying in shape elevated Gaiseric to maintain a well-kept form. Licinia could be a factor as well, Gaiseric was truly happy when he was around her and her somewhat aloof personality. Then there was the prospect of the new armor Gunderic had designed for him.

Seeing as how his brother had adopted the skull theme as his own, Gunderic had modeled the new armor after a human skeleton. The helm looked just like a skull and the outer chest plate closely resembled ribs as well. He even went and had some armor made for the horse as well. One did not earn a title like King of Galloping Death without a reason.

But as creative as it was, it also put another heavy hit to the funds.

He knew Gaiseric was king, but he really should be spending more time on this. Gunderic was happy to be the backbone, but that spine needed a skull. And the noise from that arena... come the next expansion he would tear it down and use it to pave a new road.

If Gaiseric would allow it.

A knock came from his door. "Who is it?"

"The one called Flora wishes to speak with you," the guard said.

Gunderic sighed. With Gaiseric gone to settle a dispute near the Vanhal River, he would be the only one she was allowed to see. "Very well. Send her in."

The usual smiling face of the young woman entered and Gunderic closed the scroll he had been reading. "To what do I owe this visit?"

"Nothing in particular," Flora openly admitted. "I just thought that we could both use the company with your brother off for the moment. Where was it he went?"

"The Vanhal River," Gunderic answered. "It's to the west and the largest river on the continent. A group of bandits has taken to raiding the local villages near the shores. And Gaiseric is not about to let a good fight get away."

"Your brother seems like quite the interesting man."

Gunderic flicked a strand of his hair. "Have you come to gossip about my brother to me? Gossip is a fickle hobby, you know?"

"No gossip," she said. "Just an observation I made."

"He is still just a man," Gunderic reminded her. "And a king as well."

"You're both interesting," Flora then added.

"How do you figure?" he made sure his rings covered the scars on his fingers.

"Back on the island, many believe people from the mainland to be savages that are thirsty for blood. I thought that of your brother when I first saw him, but knowing that he has a family and children of his own, I could understand if he has to protect them. And you... you seem gentler but have the same goal as he does."

"How observant," Gunderic said in response. In the few months Flora had spent with them, she had been getting a better understanding of how people behaved and acted here. She still had an upbeat and optimistic personality that Gunderic found annoying, but he would tolerate her as he needed.

"Were you mapping out the city?"

"For an expansion. It's as if planning this city is in collaboration with time. I've experienced the sensation of feeling as if you've seen something before, but this is entirely different. It is almost as if the design was planted in my head, waiting to be tilled. I can see and know what's behind every corner."

She nodded. "What's in that room?" she spotted the contraption made of wood he had been working on in the third room.

"I don't know if your magic can comprehend real advancement," Gunderic snarked as he moved to step in front of it, but Flor was too fast and caught a glimpse of it.

"Really? Because it looks like some way to make books or scrolls." So, she was learning.

"You wouldn't be incorrect," Gunderic told her. "Apart from the problems of any government, exchange of ideas is a vital role. All the text we have has to be copied by hand in order for a copy to be made."

"And you found a way to make it happen faster with that?" Flora asked sounding more than impressed. "You really do have a great mind. If I didn't know any better I would say you would pick up magic quickly."

"I believe in having a rational mind, not relying on magic to solve problems. I had hoped Gento might pick up for me where I leave off." Maybe he could bring the change that was needed. Gunderic made a face as he heard the crowd cheer.

Flora was very observant. "Those fighters out there, you disapprove of their practice?"

"I don't disapprove of fighting to live. I disapprove of fighting to live a life where life is meaningless. If a choice is not present, what is the point of their struggle?"

He might have revealed too much. "Were you ever...?" she was stepping on dangerous water asking that and she seemed to know it.

"We might as well have been. Gaiseric hates the concept as much as I but it is useless to sway him."

"Perhaps I could help?" she suggested.

He actually gave a dry laugh. "It would take a miracle to change the world."

The dispute had been solved with ease, not that Gaiseric had any doubt about that. There had been no reason to even bring additional troops as he had handled the conflict by himself. But it would inspire the men, give them the idea that they would be protected as well warn them what would happen if they ever disobey or show signs of treason.

He was expecting a welcome return once he arrived back and he did from his wife and sons, but Gunderic had only briefly stopped by before he too had to leave. Apparently, a small settlement had been discovered in the southwest region and was reaching out to become a part of the empire. He knew Gunderic could handle it so he let him go without question.

In the meantime, Gaiseric took to showing his sons how to ride better. They were not born from a low standing and did not have the same bond he did with his horse. It would be far more difficult for them.

"Ease on the reigns, Huneric," he instructed his eldest.

"L-like this?" Huneric asked as he loosened his grip. That one girl he fancied was watching from a balcony and he did not want to make a fool of himself.

"Gento, your's is too loose."

"Is this better, father?" his second asked.

"Now you are doing what your brother did. Try it again. This time do not be so passive, you will lead your horse and it will carry you."

They were rookie mistakes and showed the clear contrast to how his upbringing was compared to theirs. They might never be as good as him, the skill naturally deteriorating over time. And that did worry him. Without a strong leader, others would see only weakness and wars would last much longer, maybe close to a century at a later date.

"Not being too hard on them are you?" Licinia asked as she joined them on the grounds.

"Perhaps not hard enough." He meant it as a joke but it would help them strive to do better. "You have news?"

"Gunderic has just returned. He requested to meet with the one called Flora right away."

It must be serious then. "Is he in his solar?" she nodded. "Very well. I'll be back shortly."

When he got there, Gunderic was seated, running a hand through his hair. Flora was leaning over the desk closely examining something. "What is the meaning of this?" he asked as he looked to see what it was. It was a bauble of some kind, red in color and decorated with assorted facial features. It was weird. "Where did you get this?"

"Down in the southeast," Gunderic said. "When I arrived I was warmly received and the village soothsayer gave me a token of gratitude. She called it a crimson behelit. She said it was for one who was anointed by God."

"Then she is a fool. This looks like a trinket she would pawn off to a beggar to be rid of it. Don't concern yourself with this, brother."

"I wouldn't be so sure," Flora spoke and for once lacked her upbeat attitude. "This... behelit has a source of od to it."

"The life-force?" Gaiseric asked.

"The very same," Flora confirmed. Looking at it again, Gaiseric felt like one of the eyes could open up at any second to stare back at him. He reached for his sword.

"Don't!" Gunderic shouted as he snatched it away. "Don't break it!" his eyes were wide and he kept it close to his heart like he was starving and it was a loaf of bread.

"Why not?" Gaiseric asked, not liking that sudden change he saw flash across his brother's face.

"I... I don't think that... it just..." this was unlike him. he was stuttering and fumbling for his words like he was unsure of what he wanted to say. It worried him. Gunderic seemed to become aware of the change as well and after taking a calming breath, threw the behelit out of the window. Even after the throw, his hand remained stuck in place like he couldn't believe he had just done that.

"Brother?" he did not respond.

"Gunderic?" Flora called him by name.

It wasn't until Gaiseric reached out a hand to brush a strand of hair behind his ear did he react. "Ahem! My apologies. I... I do not know what came over me."

"You have been working hard. You've been gone for a short time as well. best get some rest and that is an order," Gaiseric advised his advisor.

Gunderic nodded. "Rest. Yes. If you two wouldn't mind..." they nodded and let him be.

The instant the door closed, Gaiseric turned to Flora. "That behelit, what was that?"

"I... do not know to be honest. There are all sorts of magical fetishes, but I've never heard of a behelit."

Gaiseric rubbed at his chin. "We let him rest, for now, there will be time later to ask him more about it."

Even though he suggested that idea, it didn't help him get any sleep either. Licinia had been in the mood and even with the idea of bringing another heir after they had finished was not enough to banish the memory of how Gunderic had reacted. It hadn't scared him, but it still made him uneasy. Licinia seemed to sense his distress as she rolled over on the bed.

"Do you want to go again?" she asked.

"I am sleeping with my eyes open, go back to sleep."

"Do you fear for your life that you would do so?" she asked. "Besides, you have me sleeping here to protect you from an assassin's blade."

"I have no doubt about that," Gaiseric told her. "Strong women attract strong men. But, it was just something on my mind is all." He wanted so bad to just let it be for now, worry about it until tomorrow, but he knew he wouldn't be able to do that.

"Is it anything I can-?"

"Ssssshh!" Gaiseric said as he listened.

"...ahhh. Aahhh. Gggneee. Ahhh!" screaming coming from near Gunderic's room.

He quickly jumped from the bed, grabbed a pelt to wear and rushed down the hall. From behind the door in Gunderic's room, the screaming was getting louder. The door was locked so he put all his weight into his shoulder and knocked it down.

Gunderic was seated at his desk, some papers strewn about him and his head resting on the desk. His eyes were closed like he had fallen asleep at his desk and was in the middle of some terrible nightmare. He continued to yell in his sleep.

"Aaahhh! Nnnuuggh! Haaaa! Ggnnneghh!"

Gaiseric rushed to his side, grabbing him by the shoulders and shaking him awake. "Gunderic! Gunderic, wake up!"

Purple eyes shot open and Gunderic fell from his chair and Gaiseric's hold. His eyes were wide with terror as they looked around trying to determine what was real or not. A strand of saliva drooled from the corner of his mouth as tears started to leak from his eyes. One hand went up to clutch his heart like he was worried it might burst from his chest.

"Gunderic!" Gaiseric was at his side. "Do not worry, it was just a dream! Gunderic, I'm here."

His breathing came out ragged like a man who almost drowned. "Gai...seric?"

"Yes, that's right."

"I... I had... a horrible nightmare. The city, the people, they all..." he didn't finish as he brought a hand up to his head. "It was because of me..."

"Calm yourself," Gaiseric told him. "It was just a dream, nothing else. Let me help you up." With one hand, he lifted his brother back up and into his seat. He noticed the papers Gunderic had on his desk. "You were working late again. I told you to get some sleep." His brother was going to kill himself from stress.

"I... had an idea for the expansion," Gunderic explained. "I didn't want to lose it so I wanted to get it down as soon as possible."

"I'll call a servant to fetch you some water." Gunderic didn't drink wine to begin with and it would only detriment him right now.

"No." Gunderic raised a hand. "That won't be necessary. I feel... I feel it's past."

Gaiseric eyed him. "Do you want me to stay?"

"No," he refused again. "No, I should be fine. I... strange. I don't even remember what it was about."

Gaiseric had no idea if he was just saying that or if he meant it. "...If you insist. But do put work aside. The expansion can wait... what is that?"

"What?"

"You drew something on this paper here," Gaiseric pointed to it. It looked like two diamonds stacked on top of each other with a line running through the both of them. Unless Gunderic was planning on changing his seal, he could have gone with a better choice.

"I... must have just scribbled that." He crumpled up the paper and tossed it. "Nothing to be concerned over."

The following night, it happened again. The sounds of Gunderic's screams did not wake him, but the sound of wood being tossed and broken. This night, he did not go alone. He had told Flora of all that had happened and the two agreed to stay up and see if any other disturbances came from Gunderic's solar. It did.

With the door still knocked off, the two entered with ease. Gunderic was not at his desk as he had been previously. Instead, he was in the tinkering room, the same room where he kept that device he planned to make quick copies with. The door was open to them, allowing them to see the damage that had been done. The device had been physically torn apart and while Gunderic was of a height with Gaiseric, he lacked the muscle his brother did. The papers he had designed it on were torn and tossed about in a mess, completely unlike the Gunderic that needed an order for everything.

They found him slumped against the corner of the room, face in his hands and his hair a mess.

"Gunderic!" Gaiseric yelled ready to rush over to him, but Flora held up her hands.

"Wait! He could have done this in his sleep. You might startle him. Please, allow me." she closed her eyes and began to chant a language he did not understand. Gunderic began to stir from his position.

His eyes took in the sight. "No."

"Gunderic," Flora spoke.

"No. No, no, no, no, no, no." He started shaking his head. "It was meant to bring people closer."

"Brother," Gaiseric approached. "Do not blame yourself for this."

Gunderic didn't meet his gaze. "And who should I blame? God? How often is it that people blame God for what they cannot explain? It adds to the belief. Did God create man, or did man create God through belief?"

"You are speaking nonsense."

"And yet you consort with a witch," Gunderic took in Flora's presence as she watched with concern. "I will have to start all over again."

When it happened a third time, Flora was granted permission to mix up a sleeping drought for Gunderic. He had not destroyed any of his other projects, but he still screamed like a man being murdered until someone came to wake him. But Gunderic did not drink the potion she prepared for him. Some of those nightmares, they involved magic, great destruction, walls of flame, the sea rising up to devour the land, great twisters, and landslides too.

It was all... too much for him to handle. And the creatures as well. Dragons, trolls, ogres, they were all out there and posed dangers to them as well. Why, why did the world have to function like that? They were caught in the middle of a land of mundane and magic. Why? Why couldn't it just be separate? It was unfair, but it was life. People were used to it and they functioned. But they were not ready for a world to be like this. It could be chaotic and people needed a path. He needed a path.

He knew exactly what they talked about when they discussed him. He knew his being here was only putting stress on his sister-in-law and nephews. They... they did not deserve any of this stress. The boys most of all. It was the more he find them and give them the one work he still had that was not tarnished.

"Huneric, Gento," he called as he saw them one day.

"Uncle Gunderic," Huneric greeted. "What is it?"

"I'm not interrupting you two, am I?" the shook their heads. "Good. I had something that I cannot hold onto for any longer and was wondering if one of you boys would like to hold onto it for me."

"I'll take it!" Gento quickly responded.

"I love to see the enthusiasm, here."

"A book?" Gento asked as he examined it.

"One I wrote myself. You can consider it a doctrine of a sort. Everything supernatural or dangerous, I made note of it here."

Huneric looked at the cover. "It looks like a hawk on a cross."

"Something that helped me in a dream recently," Gunderic provided.

"Are they getting better?" Huneric asked. "Mother is worried about you."

"Your mother is a sweet woman," Gunderic honestly told him. "I... wanted one of you to have this though. It will bring me peace of mind." He had overheard the talk of the palace. He was to be removed to a place to better clear his thoughts. A site he had helped construct, the Tower of Conviction.

"Is there anything else we can do to help you?" Gento asked.

"You've been taught how to ride, yes?" Gunderic asked. They nodded. "A very important skill to have. To better prepare, you should practice riding outside the capital. Huneric, you can even take that girl you fancy out as well. I'm sure she would like to get out once and a while."

Huneric looked embarrassed. "You too with the teasing?"

Maybe, just maybe they would turn out better. Better than Gaiseric, and certainly better than him. They did not deserve a cruel fate like that. "Just a suggestion is all. But please, do hold onto that text. It is my lifes' work."

And he was glad that he passed it off to Gento. They came for him later that day. He went without a fight being escorted to the tower he had helped to create. It would be safer for him there, or so they said. In reality, it was safer for no one, especially him. Gunderic would not face torture by conventional means, but rather from his own.

Every night when he closed his eyes from then on, he would see it. Death, destruction, blood and gore. It was all around him, dragging him down deeper, deeper, deeper... It would not stop. And then there was the tree he saw above it all. From the tops of those branches, there were people looking down at them. They were savage, lawless, but without freedom. It was all the same. Chaos wherever his eyes looked. The people, they needed a king to lead them. It didn't have to be Gaiseric, but they needed something, someone. The chaos that was above, that had to be reigned in, the people weren't ready for it all. He had to put a stop to it. But how?

How?

How...

Divine right of kings.

Yes. That could... it could be the only way. not for his father's sake or for his own, but for those who lived in fear. Those who felt what it was like to be in a constant struggle. This world just wasn't ready. Not with him and Gaiseric, maybe not even with Huneric and Gento, but there would be a time when it would come into practice and the world would not have to be the way it is. He knew he would not live to see that day. Not as Gunderic.

It had been close to a week since Gunderic was moved to the Tower of Conviction. Gaiseric took no joy in making the decision and he had ignored the question asked by his sons as to where their uncle went. All he had said was that Gunderic had gone to clear his head. Right now, his brother was too unstable to be kept back at the palace. Gunderic helped hold things together, but he could not even do that for himself.

"Wait out here," Gaiseric told Flora as he dismounted his horse. "I just wish to speak with him for a moment."

The guards all snapped to attention as he passed being led to where his brother was being kept in the tower. It was used as a prison, but the top room was designed for luxury for those of importance. He noticed that the guards standing outside the door looked oddly uncomfortable. Did they have to listen to Gunderic suffer at night? "Open the door." They did as instructed.

The sight that greeted him sent him into a fit of rage. He pinned one guard against the wall with his elbow pressing into his throat. "What has been done to him?! I said he was not to be touched!"

"We... did not... touch him... He... the spoon we gave for his meal... he... his eyes..."

"...He speaks the truth, Gaiseric." Gunderic's voice sounded so weak. "I didn't want to see them anymore. I wanted to hide from it, from causality. But I can't. Neither can our family. Divine right of kings... I thought it stupid, idiotic, foolish. The power to rule bestowed by God. I'm glad father isn't alive to have it. You know it was me who killed him, right? Mother showed me how. Being from the Uterine Sea, wine and poison taste the same. Do you hate me for that?"

"...He was mad. If you hadn't, I would've."

"...I see. Why have you come here, Gaiseric?"

"...It does not matter now." Whatever it was that had been plaguing his brother's mind had festered beyond repair. The man who lay on the floor was his brother only by name. All the laughs and okes they had shared, there was no reversing the damage he had done to himself. Unless... "Flora is with me. I can ask her to-,"

"-I am well suited here, Gaiseric. Thank you."

He moved like his feet were filled with lead back out and to his horse. "What happened?" Flora asked as he put on the new skull helm Gunderic had designed.

"We go and meet the dwarves. They should have finished with it by now." He needed something to get his mind off of what he had seen. It was a quick ride to the mountain than to the capital. He never thought those would have been the last words he would have shared with his brother.

Back at the tower, Gunderic's hands scraped across the floor. Even though he had taken his own eyes, he could still feel his way around. He still had his ears so he could still hear. He could hear the breeze from outside, the scurrying of a rat across the floor and the sound of the rat trying to gnaw at something.

Whatever it was, the rat gave up on it and scurried back to its home as if afraid. Gunderic reached his hand out and found what it had been chewing on. It was small and shaped like an egg. Across its surface, there was a multitude of ridges and bumps like he was touching someone's face.

It couldn't be.

He had disposed of it back at the capital. How did it come back to him? His six fingers closed around it.

"G"

. "U"

.."N"

..."D"

..."E"

..."R"

..."IC"

"Who... who said that?" it was not one of the guards.

It felt like his body was falling through the floor. He was going down, down, down... down...

Down... down... falling... he was falling. It was a weightless fall. He felt like he would never land. He could spend an eternity like this, just falling and never miss a thing. He was in a cyclone almost, he could hear the swell of turbulence around him followed by a powerful beat.

BaThump!BaThump!BaThump!BaThump!

It was deafening. He would be blind and deaf. A cripple trapped in an endless void of turbulence and... not chaos. This was... this was order. His hand moved up to his own heart to feel each beat. It matched perfectly with what he could hear.

He could be... he could be more than he was now. He could live to see his bloodline help make this world what it was meant to be. And he knew the only way that would happen. The capital, Licinia, all of them... "I... I don't want..."

But he could, he very much could. All he had to do was say the words.

"...God?"

BATHUMP!

"I... sacri... I don't want... I sacrifi... I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I sacrifice."

Those were the last words spoken by Gunderic.

"What is happening?" Gaiseric asked as he halted his horse. They had just arrived at the dwarven lair when the sky began to darken. Storm clouds began to roll in from out of nowhere, directly over where the capital would be. And it was like a funnel touched down on the earth, reaching up to the sun above which was blocked out by the moon. A full solar eclipse was in progress.

"Agh!" Flora cried as she nearly fell from the horse.

"What is it?" Gaiseric caught her wrist.

"This od... this feeling of od is... ugh!"

"Can you stop it?" Gaiseric handed her her staff and satchel. "The storm of the century is happening right now. You must-!"

The whole earth seemed to shake as even from this distance, the unmistakable sound of a city falling apart reached their ears. The dark funnel arced with purple lightning and it began to dissipate. But standing in place of it, or maybe it was right in front of them was a tall figured covered in shadow. A high collar popped up to the oversized head like the brain had exploded outward. And it raised its arms to the sky where the moon eclipsed the sun. Hands with six fingers each.

"The First Great Eclipse has passed."

When the arms began to move down, the moon also began moving as well. And it was like the shadow melted upward to join with the darkened sky while it was still there. Causality had won its first battle. After that day, the God Hand was born.

"You know the rest of the story, Struggler, Wizard."

Skull Knight stared at them with his glowing red and purple eyes. Harry, like everyone else, just stared back at him as they processed all that had been told to them just now. Skull Knight had answered Schierke's question of how he knew Flora and by extension how she was able to live so long by means of the Sprit-Tree. Since it came from the island, it affected her differently in Midland than it would others.

Harry had wanted to know more about Gaiseric as a person and Skull Knight had not skipped on that, at least. Guts had wanted to know how exactly he had came back if he died as Gaiseric.

"Gaiseric did die," Skull Knight confirmed. "What you see before you now is but a fragment of the past that should have passed. Flora used my spilled blood to bind my soul to this suit at Gaiseric's request. After the Eclipse, apostles began appearing throughout the land. Gaiseric's goal was similar to yours."

"I have a question," Casca said next. "A few night's ago, there was a boy, one I thought that I lost. He looked human as well. And he spoke the name Gaiseric."

"I have never met the boy you speak of," Skull Knight told her. "I only ever saw it when you first sired it and that night at the beech."

"He certainly seemed to know you," Casca said with a trace of stubbornness.

"If he is somehow connected to the God Hand, he might have seen what they plan to do," Skull Knight suggested.

"What they plan to do to you?" Farnese asked.

"No," he denied. "Their plans to fully merge these two worlds together. They care not for Gaiseric, only what came after. And the blood of that legacy."

"Huneric and Gento," Serpico supplied. "Both would be dead as well."

"Indeed," Skull Knight confirmed. "They survived the Eclipse by chance of riding horses outside the capital with the girl Huneric liked and one day marry. When they were grown, they returned and built a monument above the old capital. Huneric eventually built a new capital and Gento went to spread the words Gunderic had written in what became the Holy See doctrine."

"Why?" Harry asked. "Why would Gunderic try to cut the world off from magic only to bring it all back with the World Tree and Griffith. It doesn't make any sense."

"Think," Skull Knight told him. "What would the people do if creatures long thought to be myth started showing up and they had but one haven in Falconia?"

"They," Schierke began, "they would trust what Griffith would say and follow him."

"It would line up with his dream of having a kingdom," Harry continued. "But how does this divine right of kings fit into it?"

"It is the God-given right to rule," Skull Knight said. "Not just one world, but this as well. A sacrifice of the last of Gaiseric's descendants would make it possible. Gunderic believed it in his final moments and a strong enough belief may yet become reality."

"Who?" Guts asked. "Who is it?"

"Think, who is it who can grant him a kingdom of his own and be disposed of after to merge the worlds together by sacrifice." And it hit Harry like a ton of bricks. He knew exactly who it was. The last living descendant of Gaiseric.

Charlotte looked over the material for the dress. Her deep blue eyes were filled with anticipation as she looked at what would become her wedding dress. She had finally set a date for her and Griffith to be wed. It would be on her twentieth birthday, it would represent her coming into womanhood. It was all so exciting she could hardly contain the excitement she was feeling. The dark times of the Kushan invasion were behind them now and they could, at last, focus on something good.

Granted, it was a few months away, but it felt shorter than that. Did brides always feel that? She had no friends who were married so she couldn't ask them. She could always speak with Sir Laban about her mother's own wedding day. He was still a rising knight at the time, but he was always willing to help her out. She wondered, was Griffith feeling the same as well?

A/N: Chapters 8, 16, 18, 26, 36, 44, 45, 47, 49, and 54. Those were the main chapters with hints to the past and Charlotte's relation to Gaiseric. This is just a theory of mine that came about when reading and Charlotte mentioned how her family was somehow related to Gaiseric and since I didn't see anyone else mention it in any theories or threads, I put it here as Miura wouldn't just mention that without having a deeper meaning to it. A lot of this chapter in regards to the past is not canon and we may never know SK's origin, but this is just fiction on my end. A lot of the names were from the family of the real Gaiseric as a fun fact. This chapter also signifies the story moving into the last arc so that'll be exciting. Thank you for reading.