Eizen Rangetsu-Crowe was roused from his sleep by the smell of smoke.
Groaning, the 17-year-old rolled over, trying to cover his mouth with a sheet. It felt like he had just collapsed onto his bed a split second ago, after his youngest sister's birthday party had finally ended, and he was more exhausted than he had ever been in his life, even worse than the first day his father had started training him with a katana in preparation for the greatsword training he never let himself take. But the smoke worked its way through the cloth, and after a few moments, he realized he could hear the crackling of flames.
Blearily, he pushed himself up to look around. An orange glow coming through his window jolted him to full awakeness, and he registered the heat and cloying odor that only got stronger.
What's going on? he wondered, quickly getting dressed. Did one of the lanterns fall and start a fire?
Then, as he buckled on his katana, more out of habit than because he thought he might need it, a new sound cut through the roaring fire outside: laughter. Not the laughter that had filled the air during his sister's party, but the loud, full laughter of a single person. It sounded unhinged, deranged, like the laughter of a lunatic who felt no real joy but was struck with hysterics all the same, and all at once, Eizen understood what was going on.
Hellion.
"Dad," he muttered, lunging for the door to the stairs that led up to his parents' room. "Dad. Dad!"
When he opened the door, a wave of intense heat blasted into his room, followed by a cloud of smoke. He could see flames just a little ways down the stairs as they crept up through the wooden house his father had made himself. Coughing, clasping the sleeve of his tunic to his mouth, Eizen stumbled up the wooden steps.
"Dad!" he choked. "Dad, wake up! Mom!"
Upstairs, Eizen turned right and burst through the door to his parents' room. Luckily, his mother and father appeared to have fallen asleep almost fully dressed - presumably, they had been even more exhausted than him. The air was slightly cleaner here, and Eizen ran forward to shake his father.
"Dad!" he shouted. "Wake up!"
"Huh?" groaned Rokurou, turning over, and Eizen winced as he remembered how many times he'd seen his father stop by the liquor table during the party.
"Dad, there's a hellion," Eizen quickly told him all the same. "It set fire to the house. Get your swords." He reached over and shook his mother as well. "Mom, get up, we have to get out of here, the treehouse is on fire!"
A loud crash against the roof woke Velvet and Rokurou far more quickly than Eizen's cajoling - Rokurou sat up all at once, nearly headbutting Eizen, and Velvet lifted her head.
"What's going on?" she groaned.
"Fire, mom," Eizen repeated as Rokurou cursed under his breath and struggled to stand. "And there's a hellion outside, I bet it started it."
"How do you know there's a hellion?" Rokurou asked, reaching for his legendary blades.
"I heard it laughing," Eizen answered.
"Where are your sisters?" Velvet queried, pushing herself into a sitting position.
"I don't know," Eizen replied, "but the fire had almost reached my room by the time I got up. Either they're out and safe, or…" No. Don't even say it. "I'm sure they're fine," he insisted instead. "But we have to get out of here before the smoke kills us." Already, the room was getting hot, and the scent of burning was filling Eizen's mouth and nose.
But Velvet's golden eyes were distant. "Celica," she whispered, pushing her way out of bed and slipping into her boots. "Niko…Cellie. Celica!"
"Mom-?"
All at once, his mother tore out of the room, and he lurched to go after her.
"Celica!" she screamed, crashing through the door and heading for the stairs. "Niko!"
"Mom, wait!" Eizen shouted, chasing her down the stairs to where the flames raged hot and vicious. He grabbed her arm just before she dove headfirst into the fire, and she struggled to escape his grip.
"Niko!" she wailed. "Celica! Celicaaaaaaaaa!"
"Mom, we can't go that way!" Eizen tried to tell her. "We'll have better luck going around front. Dad'll take care of the hellion, and we'll get Niko and Cellie there."
But Velvet was not listening, still straining towards the tongues of flame that almost seemed to reach for her in return.
Another crash sounded, followed by two more, and the entire treehouse shook violently. In the chaos, a burning chunk of wood fell from above and hit Velvet square in the temple; she crumpled instantly.
"Mom!" Eizen exclaimed, bending down to put her arm over his shoulders. "Mom, come on, let's go." He turned around to face up the steps. "Dad! Dad, help me!"
Rokurou came running, only a little unsteady, and he didn't ask before helping Eizen drag Velvet back upstairs.
"Celica…" Velvet mumbled. "Niko…"
"Mom, Cellie and Niko will be fine," Eizen insisted once they were back in the entryway.
Gaining speed, Rokurou dashed for a small box on a shelf, opening it and grabbing something from inside. Then he turned for the door and kicked it open. "Eizen," he called, "help your mother over here. I'll catch her." And he jumped down.
"Come on, mom," Eizen murmured to his mother, half-carrying her, half-dragging her to the open door.
Cool night air met them as they reached the threshold, smoke that had started to build up trickling out into the starry sky. With his mother delirious, Eizen made a split-second decision and pushed her over the edge, counting on his father to catch her safely, before jumping down himself. Velvet landed neatly in Rokurou's arms, and Eizen dropped to a knee to reduce the impact of his fall. All three of them took a minute to cough the smoke out of their lungs.
"Here," Rokurou told his wife once he caught his breath, popping her mouth open and dropping a red glob between her parted lips. "Eat this, hurry."
"An apple gel?" Eizen asked as his mother chewed twice and swallowed.
"Good thing I bought them," Rokurou chuckled, though Eizen hadn't known they'd ever stocked the medicine at all. He didn't ask questions, though, as Rokurou helped Velvet to her feet and Eizen took back his place under his mother's arm, instead focusing on the catastrophe at hand. Focus now, think later, he reminded himself.
Together, they worked their way slowly around the tree, Velvet stumbling only a little as they made for back entrance, which was right next to Celica's room. As they rounded a corner, they were met with the sight of both an inferno, and the hellion who had caused it.
The creature looked vaguely human at first glance: it stood on two legs, and had two arms and one head. Its torso hinted at female curves, covered in a small black dress that came down to midthigh. At the knees and elbows, however, the beast's limbs seemed to swell and distort, covered in shiny black scales, until becoming unrecognizable at the ends. The feet were more like claws, with three front toes and one behind, and massive talons speared forth from the bloated palms, each one nearly as long as the beast's arms and dyed a deep crimson; they were so long that though the hellion appeared to be holding its fingers splayed, palms parallel to the ground, the curved, needle-sharp points barely avoided gouging the earth underfoot. Above the neck, the face, while not otherwise distorted, was also covered in black scales, through which glowing red eyes slitted over a grinning mouth full of fangs. Black, thorny horns twisted on either side of its head. From its back sprouted two draconian wings that looked too small to allow for full flight, though a glide might not have been out of the question.
A seraph? Eizen thought. It looks part-dragon…and also not much bigger than Edna… He shook his head. Oh, big sis, please don't let that be you!
"Those claws," Velvet breathed.
Eizen and Rokurou turned to her.
"They look like mine," she said distantly, her golden eyes glazed over.
"Nah, yours weren't nearly that long," Rokurou dismissed with a smile. "Yours were more like the Kurogane Daggers; those are more the size of greatswords. Take it from the guy who's still covered with scars from being on the receiving end of your talons back in the day."
"This isn't the time for jokes," Eizen pointed out to his father.
"True." Rokurou's grin twisted as he drew the swords he always had slung over his back but only ever took out when battling hellions. Just having his weapons in his hands seemed to wipe away the last traces of a hangover, and he dashed forward, roaring a battle cry as he bore down on the beast that had set the fire.
The creature turned towards the noise and smiled, lifting its massive claws and blocking Rokurou's swords easily, as though it knew what he would do. Then it opened its mouth and spoke.
"Always with the battle cries, father," she taunted. "Why can't you ever sneak up on an opponent for once?"
Her voice was horribly familiar, and Rokurou stumbled back.
"Niko?" Eizen gasped, his blood running cold.
Niko threw her demented head back and laughed, that same, unhinged laugh Eizen had heard before. "Behold, my family," she declared with a grin, spreading her crimson talons wide, "the darkness accepts me at last! Come! Join me in its burning embrace, and together, we will live forever!"
"Niko, stop this!" Eizen shouted. "What have you done?! The house is burning down, Celica will die!"
"My dear sister will never die," Niko told her brother proudly. "None of us will. Come, join me!"
"Eizen." Rokurou had slowly backstepped to shield his wife and son from any attack Niko might set on them. "Get to Ladylake; take your mother. We need the Shepherd's power."
"I don't think so!" Niko said in a singsong voice.
In her bloated palms, black flames ignited, building and expanding as she thrust her hands forward, sending a torrent of dark fire straight towards her family. Though Eizen had only ever heard of the Silver Flame, whatever Niko was doing looked like the polar opposite of that.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl as Eizen helplessly watched the malevolence bear down on them. Glancing over, he saw his father sheathe one of his swords, the one that was black and red, before grasping the other in two hands and raising it above his head. With a cry, Rokurou brought down the silver blade, and a blast of energy burst forth, cutting through the wicked flames and pushing them back.
Eizen blinked. He had never known his father's swords could do that.
"I'll hold her off," Rokurou told Eizen, his eyes gleaming as he glanced over his shoulder at his family. "Take your mother and go to Ladylake. Find Sorey. Now!"
Without waiting for a response, the ancient swordsman charged towards his corrupted daughter, who laughed again as she deflected the swing of his blade with her talons. Eizen stared at them for a moment, then shook his head hard, snapping himself out of his daze.
"Mom," he told his mother, who was still draped over his shoulder, "we have to go."
He turned away from the burning house and began walking, forcing his mother along with him.
"Celica," she whimpered as he put one boot in front of the other.
"Dad'll take care of Celica," Eizen told her, unsure if this was true or even possible. "But we need to find Sorey. Come on, let's get to Ladylake. There's no way he and Mikleo have left by now."
And he dragged his mother under the trees, while behind him, his home burned, his father and sister battling it out in the midst of a hellish inferno.
~o~
Though it was dark, and the ground underfoot was uneven, Eizen managed to find solid footholds with each step, not stumbling even once; this wasn't much help, though, as his mother refused to move more than a little. As he made his way around the lake to the entrance to the city, he muttered soothing reassurances mindlessly, focusing his energy on doing what had to be done: Focus now, think later. Sometimes, she would mumble things too, and he would fall silent, only for what she was saying to make little sense apart from his youngest sister's name.
"Cellie will be fine," he told her repeatedly. "Everything will be fine. We just need to find Sorey, all right? Come on, we just need to get to Ladylake, everything will be okay…"
It felt like hours before the trees began to thin out; as they finally reached the open spaces of Lakehaven Heights, the sky was just beginning to brighten with pre-dawn light. Still, the party had run obscenely late, so the journey had probably only taken a little less than two hours - it usually took about an hour by foot, and they'd been slow. With the bridge into Ladylake in sight, Eizen felt a surge of energy, and he dragged his mother across the grass to the road, where at last she managed to start placing her feet, if unsteadily.
"Hey!" he called to the guards who stood at the Ladylake entrance as he approached. "Hey, open the gates!"
"What on earth…?" asked one of the knights.
"We need the Shepherd," Eizen told them firmly. "Is he in there? Please, we need his help."
"Shepherd Sorey has not yet left Ladylake," one of the guards stated, though his tone was questioning.
"Then let us in," Eizen said. "Please…please let us in…" Desperation mixed with fatigue sent his eyes burning, though he managed to hold himself together. "Please…"
The two knights on duty looked at each other, then turned and called for the gates to be opened. Not waiting for them, Eizen carried his mother forward, shoving through as the massive doors began to crack.
"We're here," he murmured to Velvet as he dragged her along the path. "We're in Ladylake, we've almost found Sorey, everything's going to be okay soon." Raising his head, he turned to the first person he saw, of which there were very few around at this hour. "Where is the Shepherd?" he asked. "Do you know where the Shepherd is?"
"Think he's in the Sanctuary," the man in question slurred; Eizen didn't recognize his face, but guessed he'd been at the party and had had too much to drink, and had only come outside now to leave the puddle of vomit on the sidewalk that Eizen skirted around.
"Thank you," Eizen told him as he passed, and he forced Velvet up the stairs to the marketplace and through the deserted stalls, muttering reassurances to her all the way.
At last, Eizen pushed the Sanctuary doors open, and was met with the welcome sight of Sorey, Lailah, and Mikleo standing together, presumably saying their goodbyes before Sorey and Mikleo set out on another expedition. Seeing Sorey sent Eizen dropping to his knees, relief washing over him and reminding him of just how exhausted he was. His mother slumped to the floor beside him, her arm slipping from over his shoulders, and she curled up on the Sanctuary floor.
"Oh my goodness!" Lailah exclaimed, running over to them. "What happened?"
"It's Niko," Eizen told her as Sorey and Mikleo approached, and he turned his eyes on the Shepherd. "Please, please help us. Niko is a hellion."
Lailah gasped and recoiled.
"No."
Everyone looked at where Velvet lay curled on her side.
"Niko is the Lord of Calamity," she whispered.
It hurt to hear it said out loud, but Eizen nodded. "She is," he admitted. "Please, Sorey, please help…"
"Where's everyone else?" Mikleo asked sharply.
"My father stayed behind to fend Niko off while my mother and I escaped," Eizen answered. "As for Celica…we don't know. There was a fire, the treehouse was on fire, and her room was right in the middle of the blaze, we can't be sure…" He trailed off as his vision went fuzzy and he fought to stay conscious.
"Lailah, Mikleo," Sorey said, "let's go."
"Shouldn't we find Edna and Zaveid?" Mikleo asked.
"There's no time," Sorey stated, shaking his head. "You know how long it takes to get there, there's already a chance Niko has escaped, or worse. We need to go now."
"But Sorey-!" Mikleo began, but the Shepherd was already charging out the doors of the Sanctuary. Mikleo looked at Lailah, who nodded, and they both vanished, presumably to rest within their Shepherd for the journey.
"Thank you," Eizen gasped to no one, and he collapsed beside his mother, only finding enough energy to spare a passing thought to worry about being in the way of anyone else who entered the Sanctuary before losing consciousness.
~o~
It felt like no time at all had passed, but Eizen must have gotten some sleep when light burned through his eyelids and roused him, because he didn't feel as battered as he had seemingly moments earlier. Opening his eyes, he saw white lights rising through the floor of the Sanctuary and gathering over the altar, quickly taking the shape of a dragon.
"Lailah!" Maotelus called out the moment he'd manifested.
Eizen stared.
Maotelus looked around. "Lailah?" he asked. "Sorey?" His gaze fell on Eizen and his mother, and he jerked in shock. "Eizen? Velvet? Velvet!"
The same light rose from the dragon, who dulled to a stone grey, and Maotelus's childlike form took shape.
"Velvet!" the boy exclaimed, running forward to kneel at Velvet's head. "What happened?"
"It's Niko," Eizen told Maotelus as the divine seraph held out his hands and began casting a healing arte on the fallen woman. "She's…the Lord of Calamity. Sorey already went to stop her. What are you doing here?"
Not ceasing his arte, Maotelus turned his jade eyes on Eizen. "I felt a tremendous malevolent domain in the east," he said; "I've been trying to burn it away myself, but I can't. I came here to tell Lailah she needed to find Sorey and send him to confront the source…but I guess he's already doing that, huh?"
"Yeah, that would be my sister," Eizen sighed.
Just then, Velvet gasped, her eyes flying open. Eizen realized she must have been more injured from the falling wood than he'd thought, and was grateful Maotelus had thought to cast a healing arte on her.
"Velvet," Maotelus said gently, putting his tiny hands on her shoulders, "it's okay. You're safe now, and Sorey's gone to quell Niko. You can rest."
"Rest…" Velvet whispered, crumpling to the floor again. "No rest…never rest…always pain…always…"
"Mom?" Eizen asked, alarmed. He put a hand on her shoulder, which was shaking now, and he realized she was crying as she kept muttering words.
"Lose…lose everything…always…my family…my love…my home…gone…always gone," she mumbled. "Always lose…no point…no point in love…no point in family…lose it all…just like before…like always…"
"Velvet, stop it!" Maotelus cried. "I'm here! Eizen's here! You haven't lost everything! And Sorey's going to rescue everyone else, you won't lose anything! Everything's going to be fine, Velvet!"
"Why me…?" Velvet went on, and Eizen got the sense she wasn't listening. "Always me…always mine…gone…lose it all…no point…hope…a waste…happiness…all a waste…always a waste…I'm poison…love…is poison…"
"Velvet, stop talking like this!" Maotelus shouted, grabbing her arm and shaking her. "It's not a waste! It's never a waste!" As he shouted, liquid pooled at the corners of his eyes, then slowly began to track down his face.
A malak's tears.
It shouldn't have occurred to Eizen, he was exhausted and had so many other things to worry about, but the moment he saw Maotelus cry, he reached for the leather cord around his neck and was unscrewing the top on the little glass jar he carried before he even realized he was moving his hands at all.
"Maotelus, hold still," Eizen said, and he quickly placed the edge of the jar against the small seraph's cheek, just under where his tear was slowly pouring down.
"Huh?"
"Your tears," Eizen said. "I'm sorry, but I need to catch your tears. It's the last thing we need for the Omega Elixir."
Maotelus's jade eyes widened, and then he squeezed them shut, clearly trying to force more liquid out of them. One droplet slid into the jar, and a little bit more pooled with it. Quickly, Eizen moved the jar to Maotelus's chin, where the tears from his other eye were gathering, and caught another droplet, dragging the lip of the jar along the divine seraph's tiny face as he tried to scrape as much as he could into the glass. When it was done, there was a small amount of liquid in the bottom, just enough to pour out a single drop, maybe a bit more.
"Mom, look," Eizen said, screwing the lid back on and holding the jar in front of his mother's face. "A seraph's tears. It's the last thing we need. And I bet Maotelus's tears are pure enough that he might as well be a malak. See? Cellie's going to be okay!"
"Fire…" Velvet murmured. "Fire…"
"But the other ingredients were in a stone box," Eizen reminded her. "The one Edna made, remember? Even if the whole treehouse burns down, the other ingredients are safe, we just have to go back for them. Mom, Cellie's going to live!"
"No hope…" Velvet whispered. "Won't hope…can't hope…can't waste…never again…"
Before Eizen or Maotelus could argue further, the doors of the Sanctuary creaked open, and a small figure stumbled in, her boots dragging on the floor.
"Edna!" Eizen exclaimed, relieved to see her safely away from Niko. "You're okay! I'm so glad to see you!"
"Baby brother," she mumbled, shuffling forward, and he noticed she had one arm around her stomach as though she was injured. "You made it…"
"Are you hurt?" Eizen asked, alarmed and torn between the desire to rush to his big sister's aid and to stay by his mother's side; the fact that he stayed where he was probably had more to do with being tired than his priorities.
"No…" Edna replied. "Just got through…rrrgh…one hell of a domain…"
Eizen understood immediately what was wrong. "Maotelus, can you help her?" he asked the divine seraph who still knelt in front of Velvet. "If she had to drag herself all the way through Niko's domain, the malevolence probably poisoned her."
"Right." Maotelus stood and jogged over to the earth seraph, white fire lighting along his right hand. As Eizen watched, the Great Lord placed his burning hand on Edna's arm, and the flames of purification spread across his big sister, who sighed with relief.
"Thanks," Edna told Maotelus, straightening up and opening her umbrella. Blue eyes turned on Eizen, and she said, "So that was Niko's domain, huh?"
"Yeah…" Eizen sighed.
"I figured as much." Edna looked around, assessing who was and was not present. "Where's everyone else?"
"Dad stayed behind to hold her off while mom and I escaped," Eizen explained. "When we got here, we told Sorey what was happening, and he took Lailah and Mikleo and went to quell Niko and help my dad. And Cellie…we don't know what happened to Cellie. The whole treehouse was on fire, and her room was right in the middle of the blaze, but Niko insisted that Cellie wouldn't die, so…we don't know."
"Sorey already left?" Edna asked. "Without waiting for me? Please tell me Zaveid joined him, at least…"
"Not unless they happened to run into Zaveid on the way," Eizen replied; "Sorey said there was no time to look for either of you. And considering how long it would take to get to where we saw Niko last, he was right."
"So he went charging in with only half of his seraphim," Edna muttered. "Yep, that sounds like Sorey, all right."
"Sorey is the finest Shepherd the world has ever seen," Maotelus piped up. "He saved me, even when I was too far gone for my own power. I'm sure he'll be fine."
"I doubt it," Edna said tonelessly. "Niko cast a more powerful domain than even Heldalf did, and Sorey only beat Heldalf with the help of that weird tool Zaveid gave him. With only half of the elements at his command, he probably won't last long."
"Don't say that!" Eizen and Maotelus exclaimed at the same time.
Edna chuckled mirthlessly. "You two really are family."
"The hell is going on around here?" came a new voice, and Eizen's wind seraph uncle came storming into view. "Can't a man get a little rest after a long night of partying?"
"Zaveid," Edna said dully. "What are you doing here? I'm guessing you read the wind?"
"I couldn't not read it," Zaveid grumbled; "it's been doing nothing but howl that something's wrong for hours now. I thought maybe I'd find out what has the world all upset if I came here…Huh? Eizen? Is that you, kiddo?"
"Uncle Zaveid," Eizen greeted. The words he wanted to add, I'm glad to see you, stuck in his throat, as the fact that his uncle was here meant he was in fact not helping Sorey.
"What're you doing here?" asked the wind seraph.
"Long story short," Edna explained, "Niko is the Lord of Calamity, Rokurou fended her off while Eizen and Velvet escaped here, Celica's room was on fire last they saw, Sorey took Lailah and Mikleo to go and help clean up the mess without taking the time to look for either of us, and Maotelus…I don't know. Why are you here?" she asked the divine seraph.
"I came to tell Sorey he needed to go investigate in the east," Maotelus explained; "I tried to burn away the malevolence there, but it was too strong for me, so I needed the Shepherd to go and confront the source. But by the time I got here, he'd already gone."
"Then you should probably get back into the earthpulse," Zaveid told him seriously. "Don't worry about what's going on here, Edna and I have everything covered. The world needs the Dragon of Light right now."
"Yes, you're right," Maotelus agreed, nodding, and he returned into the dull grey dragon that lay slumped over half the Sanctuary. Arising as he regained his glow, Maotelus spoke in his Great Lord form, "I will do everything I can to aid Sorey. Eizen, Velvet, you should rest. You've been through a lot."
And he dissolved back into the earth.
"Well, this is a mighty fine mess," Zaveid remarked, rubbing a hand over his face. "I thought Niko's resolve was too pure for her to turn."
"It's like I told Edna yesterday," Eizen said softly; "something had to give eventually." He sighed heavily; he was so unbelievably tired, but with bright sunlight streaming through the Sanctuary doors, he knew he couldn't rest. "Has school started yet? I need to get going."
"School?" Zaveid repeated with a laugh. "Eizen, you just escaped the Lord of Calamity, Lailah's off attending her Prime Lord duties, and most of your teachers had at least as much to drink last night as I did. I think today's an unofficial holiday, especially for you."
"But…" Eizen forced himself to his feet, his knees shaking. Discipline, he reminded himself, drawing on the lessons his father had taught him. The wants of the body are nothing against the resolve of the mind.
"No buts," Zaveid said firmly, even as Eizen steadied himself. "You need rest. Velvet too, from the look of things." He walked over to the crumpled woman, whom, Eizen realized, had passed out at some point. "Come on, babe," Zaveid muttered as he hefted Velvet into his arms. "Let's get you somewhere more comfortable."
"Our house was on fire," Eizen reminded his uncle. "Where are we supposed to stay?"
"Follow me," Zaveid told him in response, walking towards the back of the Sanctuary. "The priests here keep a couple of beds nearby just in case their duties tire them too much to settle at home. If any of 'em are in there now, we'll clear 'em out."
"Agreed," Edna concurred, walking up beside Zaveid, and Eizen followed them. "They can't say no to the will of the seraphim without spitting on everything they claim to believe in."
Though he knew he could have lasted the day, Eizen was relieved enough at the prospect of being able to sleep that he didn't argue. No one opposed them as they exited the back door of the Sanctuary and rounded a couple of corners before barging in on a small house that contained only a couple of cots; Zaveid settled Velvet on one, taking off her boots and her gauntlet blade and setting them on a nearby table before tucking her under the blankets, while Eizen unbuckled his katana and stepped out of his own boots before collapsing onto another other bed, surrendering to sleep at last.
~o~
It was dark when Eizen awoke. For a moment, he was confused by his surroundings - the thin bed, the stone room, the huge window that let in the moonlight. Then he remembered.
Breathe, he told himself, closing his eyes. Just breathe. You did everything you could. Whatever happened, whatever you're about to find out, there was nothing else you could have done, for anyone.
After calming himself for a minute, he sat up and reached for his katana.
"It's about time you woke up, baby brother."
The familiar, emotionless voice was like a cool drink of water to his parched soul.
"Big sis," he smiled, turning to see Edna leaning against a wall. "I'm really glad you made it out okay, you know?"
"And I'm glad you made it out too," she said simply.
Her face was completely blank, and she didn't offer any further information at all. Eizen's smile faltered. "What's wrong?" he asked. "Where…where are Sorey and the others? Where's my dad?"
"They haven't come back," she told him. "There's been no word from the east, from anyone. Nothing about the Lord of Calamity, nothing about the Shepherd. It's as though everyone to the east of Ladylake simply vanished."
Eizen closed his eyes again and took a breath, sitting up straight and cupping his hands in front of his naval in what Edna always called his 'thinking stance' as he processed this unexpected news. "That's good, then," he responded at last. "If Sorey had fallen, Niko would have wanted to tell the world."
"And if Niko had fallen, Sorey would have wanted to tell the world," Edna pointed out. "The fact that we haven't heard anything at all is just weird."
"It's probably taking a while to fully stop my sister," Eizen sighed, relaxing his pose to put a hand to his forehead and rub his temple. "This is what she's always wanted. Even if Sorey beat her and purified her, whatever she did to make this happen, she would just do it again."
"Not everyone can be purified, baby brother," Edna said. "Sometimes hellions hold onto their malevolence and reject the flame. Your parents did, at first."
"Yeah…" Eizen sighed. "And Niko won't let this go now that she has it. There's not much Sorey can do about that."
"So what do you think he'll do?" Edna asked.
"You know him better than me," Eizen pointed out.
"Without Rose as his Squire, he'll try to find a peaceful solution," Edna said resignedly. "He has a hard time killing hellions who won't be quelled."
"Well, my dad's there," Eizen mused. "He has no problem killing hellions. Maybe…maybe he and Sorey teamed up to beat Niko down, and now they're trying to decide what to do with her."
"For a whole day?" Edna asked pointedly.
"It takes a while to get there from here," Eizen stated. "They'll probably be back any minute, one way or the other."
"Keep telling yourself that," Edna muttered as Eizen stood and walked over to where his mother still lay. "She's fine, by the way," Edna added before Eizen could speak; "no injuries left, at least."
"She worked so hard all day yesterday to set up Cellie's party," Eizen said softly. "From the moment she woke up, she slaved over fires and cutting boards trying to prepare enough food. Then there was the party itself, which lasted almost all night. She had maybe an hour's sleep before I woke her up…and then everything that happened after…" He sighed. "I'm glad she's still asleep. I'd be more worried if she'd woken up by now."
"But you are worried."
"You didn't hear the stuff she was saying before she passed out, big sis," Eizen said. "It was like she was reliving the night she lost her brother, or her sister, or both, all over again. She kept saying hope was a waste and her love was poison, that she's always going to lose everything she cares about and there's no point in trying anymore."
"While I understand she's been through a lot, that's a really stupid thing to say," Edna remarked. "You're still here, after all. And Maotelus wasn't even touched by this. She hasn't lost everything."
"I know, but…but she's lost so much," Eizen whispered. "After everything she went through just to build a new life for herself with my father, only to have it all come crashing down again…" He looked over at his seraphic sister. "Yes, I'm worried about her. If dad and Cellie don't come back okay, I don't know what it will do to her. We've already lost the house."
"What about Niko?"
"Niko…I think even mom knows she's a lost cause," Eizen admitted. "She doesn't want to say it, but I think she knows. But dad and Cellie…" He shook his head.
"Well, standing by her bedside talking about it isn't going to help," Edna said. "You might as well go and get some fresh air."
"Did school happen?" Eizen asked. "How much did I miss?"
"Relax," Edna told him, rolling her eyes, "school was canceled for the day. Between Lailah being gone, most of the other teachers being hung over, and me and Zaveid declaring a local emergency, no one even bothered opening the doors."
"A local emergency?" Eizen questioned.
Edna shrugged. "There's a new Lord of Calamity," she said. "Whether Sorey takes her down or not, no one is safe until we hear otherwise."
"I see…"
There wasn't much else to say. Eizen left the room he'd been staying in and walked outside, taking the back alley around the Sanctuary to the marketplace. No one else was around; presumably, they were all trying to stay in their homes until the threat was gone, and Eizen was grateful for the quiet.
As he walked through the deserted streets, he tried to process everything that had happened. 'Focus now, think later' was what his father had always taught him, and now was the 'later' when he could think…and yet, there was one thought that stood like a blockade in his mind, preventing him from progressing beyond it:
My sister is the Lord of Calamity.
This was a difficult idea to process - even more so than that his mother had once been the Lord of Calamity, as that was in the past, a time long gone, and people changed with time. Niko, meanwhile, was the Lord of Calamity now, and that was unbelievable. The Lord of Calamity was a monster of legend, only appearing in the darkest times of the past fifteen hundred years, and now was not a dark time. Now was a peaceful time, a time when all should have been right with the world. Eizen had known, had said to his big sister, that Niko's purity couldn't last forever, given how determined she was, but for it to suddenly strike like this, for seemingly no reason…
There was nothing else anyone could have done, he told himself, though this fact wasn't comforting. Everyone tried everything to get her to understand how wrong she was, and mom and dad always avoided giving her any reason to feel angry or resentful as they tried to guide her. She wouldn't listen. She never listens to anyone. And now…now we're all suffering for it. Especially mom.
Mom… He shook his head to himself. If people gave me trouble for being hellion-spawn before, they'll never let me hear the end of this now. My whole family is branded forever, not just by my mother and father but by my sister too…
"Hey?"
Quick as a flash, Eizen turned towards the unexpected noise with his katana drawn. Behind him stood a tanned, shirtless seraph with green-tipped hair.
"Uncle," he sighed, sheathing his blade. "What are you doing out here?"
"I'm keeping watch," Zaveid replied; "what are you doing out here?"
"Edna suggested I get some air," Eizen explained. "And I…I needed to think."
"Hm." Folding his arms, Zaveid leaned against the nearest wall, and after a moment, Eizen walked over and joined him. It was comforting, being with his family as he stood here in the stone city of the lake, far from home and everything else that was familiar, and he felt his racing thoughts ease. For a long minute, they just stood together, both weighed down by the recent events and leaning on their family to help them through it all.
"I, uh…I hear you and Edna declared a local emergency, and that it kept school closed," Eizen said at last.
"Yeah, we're the only acting seraphim around, with Lailah and Mikboy off fighting the new Lord of Calamity," Zaveid responded. "Everyone'll listen to us because there really isn't anyone else to listen to."
"What about the royal family?"
"Eh, they're figureheads and they know it," Zaveid dismissed. "Now that we seraphim can be seen by everyone, we get to make all the rules. Just as well…" His expression darkened. "I don't like that we haven't heard back yet. It's best that everyone stay as safe as possible in their homes, without politicians arguing over what should be done."
"Yeah…it's weird," Eizen agreed pensively. "If Niko had won, she'd want everyone to know it…but if Sorey won, he'd want us to know that everything's okay. Why would there be nothing?"
"Beats me," Zaveid grumbled. "But I'm keeping an eye on the wind around here, so nothing sneaks up on us. Whoever comes back, we'll know if we need to be ready."
"Can you read the wind to tell us what's happening at the treehouse?" Eizen asked.
"Who the hell do you think I am, Hyanoa?!" Zaveid exclaimed. "I'm just an ordinary wind seraph, I can't see that far!"
"An ordinary wind seraph who can cast illusory artes," Eizen pointed out.
"Yep, I can cast illusory artes," Zaveid sighed. "I took an oath not to kill, in exchange for the power to conjure illusions. Nothing else."
"I see…" Eizen looked up at the sky. A couple of thin clouds scudded along in front of the twinkling stars, and a crescent moon shone just above the city skyline. There were so many things he wanted to say, but he couldn't find the words for them, wasn't sure even the stars would be able to find the words.
"No sense in worrying," Zaveid told him after a minute, somehow reading his silence perfectly. "Whatever's coming, it'll come, whether we want it to or not."
"Do you think Sorey might lose?" Eizen asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"I think I've seen less likely things," Zaveid answered. "In this world, you never know. Take it from someone who's been around a while, and seen everything he could: You never know."
"I understand," Eizen nodded, though he still refused to consider the possibility.
"No you don't," Zaveid muttered, and he sighed. "Go on, get back inside. As soon as word comes, I'll tell you."
"Thanks, uncle," Eizen said, and he left the old wind seraph to watch the night.
~o~
After he was done walking and breathing the night air, Eizen went to the Sanctuary, where he stat on the steps to Uno's vessel and meditated. No amount of fatigue could combat the nervous anxiety that was building in his gut with each minute that went by without word from the east, so he rested the only way he could, practicing the discipline his father had worked so hard to teach him.
Father…Please be okay. You and Celica both. Please…Mother couldn't bear it if something happened to you…
Time passed, and still, there was nothing. Sunrise came and went, and then there were people out and about in the city again; Eizen could hear the vendors at the market setting up and calling out to passers-by, and light streamed through the stained glass windows. When the noise, muffled though it was, became too much, Eizen opened his eyes and stood to take another walk outside.
No one paid him any mind, even though he came out the Sanctuary doors, which felt oddly unnerving. After a minute, he found the person he was looking for: Zaveid was among the people milling around the marketplace, though he didn't seem to be going anywhere in particular.
"Uncle," Eizen greeted, jogging over to him. "Will there be school today?"
"I don't think so," Zaveid replied, his eyes looking around warily. "I wish more people would stay in, honestly."
"Any news?"
"Nothing yet, but - wait." Zaveid's eyes widened, and he turned to the southeast. "Something's coming," he murmured. "Be ready."
"Something?" Eizen repeated. "Something like what?"
A roar in the distance answered his question, as two black specks took shape on the horizon in the direction Zaveid was watching.
"Dragons," Zaveid cursed under his breath.
A few people nearby heard his word and looked, though the warning didn't do them much good; the dragons were approaching fast, their roars growing louder and more distinct. Soon, panic began to spread through the people of Ladylake, some ducking and hiding, others running and screaming.
"Mom," Eizen said under his breath, and he turned for the path to the Sanctuary rear, but even as he took his first step, a massive shadow was cast over him.
Eizen looked up, and saw two enormous, scaly beasts hovering overhead. He had only read about dragons in books, but now here they were, right in front of him. And yet…they didn't dive at the people below, or breathe fire. Instead, they flapped their wings just hard enough to stay in place, as though they were waiting for something.
"Lailah," Zaveid breathed. "You too, babe?"
Alarmed, Eizen glanced at his uncle, then followed the wind seraph's wide-eyed gaze to the white-horned dragon overhead. It looked similar to the illusory display Eizen had seen years ago of the dragon Theodora turned into, but it wasn't quite the same: instead of black, ethereal shapes implying wings, the serpentine monster had two pairs of physical wings that beat, buffeting the panicked crowd below with gusts of wind. That's Lailah? he thought, dazed. Does that mean…? He turned his attention to the other dragon, this one bulkier and with horns the same color as its scales - it looked like the dragon Silva had become. Is that Mikleo? But…but then where's Sorey?
"Behold!"
The sudden voice drew the attention of everyone still outside, and the people looked around, trying to figure out where it had come from.
"Up here!" Niko shouted, rising to her clawed feet on one of the dragons' backs. "Up here, you fools!"
With gasps of alarm, the crowd raised their heads to look at the Lord of Calamity, who stood perched on the back of the white-horned dragon. Her crimson claws spread wide, and her left hand flicked slightly; as though on command, the dragon hovering beside her threw a load it was carrying to the ground, and people screamed and ran to get out of the way as a bloody bundle wrapped in a feathered cloak crashed into the cobblestones hard enough to leave a crater.
"Behold!" Niko repeated grandly. "Sorey, the Shepherd of legend, is dead by my hand, his seraphim now dragons who fight at my side! You have no choice but to hear what I have come to say!"
Cries of alarm nearly drowned out this last, and Eizen stared in horror at the crumpled heap that had been the Shepherd.
"Damn," Zaveid muttered from beside him, "the girl sure knows how to make an entrance."
