I found out something interesting. In the original Japanese, the name of the demon inside the Great Tree (Yggdrasil) is actually spelled Alzheimer, not Aruhamel. Suddenly, I get the joke.

Get ready for some major canon changes, simply because I thought the Tunlan quest was insipidly boring.

Chapter Twenty-One: Gathering of Nightmares

The Church of Saint Eva was more akin to a palace than a cathedral. Its majesty seemed almost an effrontery to the clergy's ascetic lifestyle. Yet, this contradiction seemed to slide past the senses of the masses. Enchanting and beguiling, the white stones of the cathedral veritably glowed in the noon light. Even the wind was captivated by the beauty of the palatial temple.

In the highest spire of the cathedral was the Grand Priest's chamber. Habaruku, a wise, stately, and commanding presence even in his winter years, sat in his high-backed chair with a pen in hand. He went through a pile of reports with dry efficiency, his hands moving mechanically. It was the curse of his position to deal with such trivialities, so he went through them with ruthless celerity.

But his pen ceased its swift, precise movements at the report of a knock upon the door. "Enter," Habaruku said in his stiff, yet guileful, voice.

The cleric, Ray Braddoc, entered like a beautiful guardian angel. Upon coming within the Grand Priest's sight, the red-haired man bent to one knee with his head low. "Your Holiness, I've returned from my meetings with your servants. I've come to deliver my report."

Habaruku finished his writings before saying, "Begin."

Ray nodded briefly and began, "It is with righteous joy that our God has graced fruitfulness to your servant, Aruhamel, who controls the regions of Gate, the Valley of Fog, and Farm Town with an iron grip. I spoke with him only a fortnight past—it is my humble pleasure to inform you, Holiness, that Aruhamel has successfully crippled the pagan god, Yggdrasil, the Great Tree of Wisdom."

A brilliant, almost fanatical fire burned in the young cleric's eyes. "Yggdrasil is now our tool, Your Holiness."

Habaruku nodded, as if expecting all this. "Excellent. I knew I could count upon Aruhamel's power. And what of Shupkay, Trout, and Kuwadora?" he inquired.

Ray was all too eager to answer. "Shupkay has insinuated herself into the ranks of the Highlanders. With her skill in politics and courtly methodologies, not to mention her tactical genius, it was almost too easy for her to rise to the rank of General. Though the Highlanders are not fully aware of their predicament, she now holds them in the palm of her hand."

"Good, good," murmured the Grand Priest.

The red-haired cleric continued, "As for Trout, he has successfully taken the magic hood of Deis and secured it for us. It will be delivered to us in a fortnight."

Habaruku let out a sigh of relief. "This is good. The treasures crafted by the goddess Deis are exceptionally resilient; it is impossible for even we, the Servants of Myria, to destroy them. Unmaking the relics of Deis would be folly indeed. It is far safer to keep it here, where no one else can use its powers against us."

The Grand Priest deigned to give his redheaded servant the honor of looking upon him. "This news pleases me greatly."

Ray suddenly stiffened and perspiration dotted his brow. "Your Holiness would be wise to save his pleasure for later," he said through dry lips, "for with boons I bring a single bane. Ill-will has fallen upon your servant, Kuwadora. His attempt to bring Simafort under our control has failed miserably. Indeed, our plan backfired with disastrous results; the Creeping Clan is now doubly wary of our intentions and its prince, Jean de Tapeta, has even denounced Saint Eva as a false god. He has named us all charlatans." Ray's lips were ashen, his jaw clenched tightly; reporting this was difficult for him, for he felt nothing but seething hatred for the frog prince who dared to slander his God.

Ray could feel something inside him, a growling and burning beast. A part of him longed to let the creature free, to exact holy and righteous vengeance upon the blasphemous de Tapeta household.

Habaruku saw the turmoil within his servant and smiled. This was what he trained Ray for, after all—to believe in and embrace the power that swirled within him. But the Grand Priest merely waved a dismissive hand. "Simafort can throw mud at our holy name all it wishes. It will not affect our plans. Tell me: what has become of Kuwadora?"

Ray's shouldered sagged and his brow wrinkled as he spoke, "Your Holiness, I regret to inform you that your loyal and trusted servant lies slain in the dismal dungeons of Simafort Castle."

"What? How can this be? Kuwadora was one of our strongest, second only to Aruhamel and you." Habaruku bashed the arm of his chair with a clenched fist. "Know you the identity of his slayer? Speak!"

"Your Holiness, reports claim that…a blue-haired warrior did the deed. A blue-haired warrior who transformed into a dragon."

Habaruku slipped back into his chair, his breath taken from his thin old chest. "A dragon, you say?" he whispered.

"I have met this blue-haired warrior," Ray continued. "At the time, I did not believe him strong enough to affect a metamorphosis. Clearly, I was mistaken."

"The warrior's name!" the old priest demanded. "His name!"

"Ryu Bateson. From my conversations with him half a year ago, I believe that he came from the town of Gate, now held under Aruhamel's sway. Lord Aruhamel may possess more information, for I do not."

Habaruku nodded and dismissed his servant. "You have given me much to think about, Lord Braddoc. I will give you your orders and then you may leave. Firstly, inform our press secretary to monitor the activities in Simafort. We must make it a priority to dampen the effects of their slander. Discredit Simafort, if you can; silence its speakers, if you must. Secondly, go to Windia and affect the same. The king has grown…obstinate…and he has politely denied our requests to construct a temple in his realm. We must not let the slanders of Simafort reach Windia's ears, lest we lose any opportunity to recast our requests. Thirdly and finally, you will personally go to Farm Town to procure land upon which to build another cathedral, for we must now strengthen our presence in the West; Aruhamel has already informed his servants of your upcoming arrival."

With a second wave of his hand, the Grand Priest dismissed his young servant. When the door closed, Habaruku glanced ever so slightly to a shadowy corner of his chamber. "What do you make of this, Lord Aruhamel?"

The Demon Lord of Nightmare shifted from the shadows and into the pale candlelight. In a voice as raspy as dried leaves against stone, he replied, "This new Dragon can only be the Destined Child. You have already had me slay the other Dragons that reside on the surface, and you yourself have wooed Braddoc into your service. This Ryu Bateson, had he survived my purge in Gate, can only be the Destined Child."

"You sound so confident," Habaruku commented with small humor. "And? Do you recognize the name? Lord Braddoc said you might."

Aruhamel nodded ever so slightly. "It was the name of one of your minor clerics who operated in that region. I believe he is the very man you keep beneath the cathedral to empower your fell machines."

"But that man is human, not Dragon," Habaruku said.

"The warrior's mother was of the Dragon Clan," Aruhamel clarified. "I remember well her screams as I stole the life from her fellow townsmen. I believe it is she who now bars our Master's release."

Habaruku considered his servant's words and laughed uproariously. He appreciated the irony of it all. "And so the son continues his mother's work, unknowingly and unwittingly! Oh, humanity, I love you! Such troubles they give us, and yet such humors. This warrior, then, must also be he who affected Augus and Joker's demise."

"It would seem that way. Shall I dispose of him?"

Aruhamel spoke so flatly that any other listener would have thought him simply making a professional statement. But Habaruku had long worked with the Demon Lord and new well the nuances that separated professionalism from sadism. And here, confronted with the prospect of killing the Destined Child, Aruhamel spoke with nothing but rapture and glee. Habaruku could only smile evilly at the thought of the torments the Demon Lord could devise for the unfortunate blue-haired warrior.

"No," Habaruku said with finality. "I have a better idea. Awaken Barubary." Though the Grand Priest had told Ray that the three strongest in the Church were him, Kuwadora, and Aruhamel, that was not entirely true. For there was one other, a secret weapon, a sleeping beast that was saved only for the most desperate missions in the service of Saint Eva: the Demon Dragon Barubary.

Habaruku said, "Do you recall, Aruhamel, the tale our serpentine ally told us ten years ago? Of how he faced the Destined Child and cast him into darkness? It seems that the Child has crawled out of the darkness at last and has come for revenge, even if he does not yet realize it."

Aruhamel nodded in understanding. "And so we shall pit the Child's greatest nightmare against him. I shall take my leave to execute your wishes."

The Demon Lord of Nightmare slipped back into the shadows, leaving the Grand Priest alone in his empty chamber with his mundane reports.