"So, this Dark Genie is powerful? More powerful than ME, even?" - Ruby

"Go!" Ingus shouted to his troops as they faced each other, wooden swords at the ready. The field broke into a flurry of thudding blows and surprised shouts, startling a crow away that sat on a nearby post.

Ingus walked among the soldiers, watching for foul play, distractions, intruders – he stopped by one pair and wordlessly nudged one of their feet to the side, almost tripping him.

"What?"

"An unstable stance like that will get you down and killed," Ingus said. "Stand with your legs further apart."

Some of these people were older than him and people didn't like being corrected by their junior in age. It could be dangerous, putting him in a position to train the new recruits. There were always malcontents, those who succeeded so well in their smithy or shed that correction would make them quite… irritable.

Ingus absently touched his pendant. He never learned where it came from, but he assumed it belonged to one of his parents. Cid only told him that he'd been wearing it when they rescued him from the ship. It could have come from anywhere. Now, it served as a reminder to Ingus that all men died eventually, no matter how hard they fought or how intensely they trained. And that was strangely comforting. It told him that there was nothing especially dishonorable about dying. It simply made all men equal in the end.

The trainees' breath puffed out clouds and some struggled to keep their footing in the snow and rocky terrain.

"Captain, sir!" one called out. A younger kid, probably about twelve years old, with bright hair and a freckled face. "I have a question!"

Ingus waited for him to continue.

The kid looked to his older friend, who glanced nervously toward Ingus as he approached. The older friend must have been at least two, four fingers taller than Ingus. "What do we do if they ask for mercy?" the young one asked. "The king believes in fairness to all, after all."

Ingus looked between the two. "Render them unconscious, then."

"How do you knock someone out without killing them?"

Ingus took one of their swords and tapped it against the kid's friend's leg that was protected by cheap padding. "You drop a person by targeting the right places. The heart is here. If you cut through it?"

"They die."

"What about here?" He tapped the stomach.

"Die."

"Here?" The friend looked concerned when Ingus tapped his arm.

"Probably not die."

"Right." Ingus gave him the sword back. "Most would be overwhelmed with the pain and give up. Once the situation is secure, then, if necessary, you can take them to a medic."

"Okay." The two looked… not satisfied, but dropped the topic and returned to practice.

Most would get it with time. It was only a matter of repeating the same drills over and over until these defensive techniques became second nature.

He stopped by another soldier and pulled their arm up. "Don't grow so lax. It slows you down."

"Thanks, Mr. Fancy Hair," the recruit muttered under his breath. Some of his friends snickered.

"Pardon." Ingus rounded on him. "I did not catch the underlying implications of your appreciation."

"… Forget I said anything." He was about the same age as Ingus, but had a bigger build. Not big enough to be a former smith, but he probably hauled some lumber or other heavy materials.

Ingus left it alone and turned to continue on.

And stopped again when another recruit barrelled in front of him and punched the soldier that insulted Ingus. … Punched him in the face.

Ingus and the other troops stopped to watch, and there was a moment's pause as everyone took in what just happened. The recruit that threw the first blow straightened as his target stumbled, gripping his jaw. A menacing growl ripped free of the assaulted's throat and he retaliated with a clenched first at his aggressor.

Boys forced themselves in front of Ingus, more concerned with the excitement of the scuffle than on the outcome of their training.

Ingus came to himself again and pushed his way through the gathering crowd, using his spear to nudge feet and faces out of the way.

A scuffle promptly erupted with recruits pushing and shoving and generally lapsing into a fight that held all the elegance and skill of a bar brawl. Sides were lost amid the scuffle and Ingus sighed as he shoved his way toward the soldier that started it.

Whether it was because they noticed the red cloak or his face, many of the soldiers broke away on their own and allowed Ingus to finally grab that malcontent.

And blocked another hit to the face.

He glared at the offender, but the boy still wore a helmet unlike the rest that shed theirs.

Ingus narrowed his eyes and raised his spear. "Give me your name, soldier."

The recruit didn't respond. Instead he rolled back on his feet and raised his sword in a taunting gesture. Ingus frowned at the direct challenge. "You wish for violence?"

The masked soldier still said nothing. Something about his stance reminded Ingus of training with his chrystalchosen brethren.

Ingus relented. "Then a fight you shall have."

The soldier charged.

Ingus pulled up his spear and easily deflected the soldier's blows. Granted, given the wood sword up against his Dragon's Spear… there wasn't much of a hope for this trainee.

Ingus knocked the sword out of his hands and used the shaft of his spear to hit the boy's neck, forcing a choke.

Knocked the helmet off before the kid stumbled back and took a moment to recover.

Ingus froze. "You-!" Silver hair fell in a mess around a too-pale face. "Luneth?"

"Ingus!" Luneth shouted gleefully, pulling out another sword, this one sparkling with the light of a thousand stars. Diamond blade. "I've missed you!"

"Maker," Ingus hissed as Luneth charged again. "What are you doing here? And why didn't the Crystals warn me this was going to happen?"

For what it's worth, you weren't paying a lot of attention.

"I'm getting in a round of sparring!" Luneth said. "You wouldn't believe how lame Arc can be!"

Ingus deflected a blow and spun out of the way, shooing away recruits. "Luneth! Now isn't a good time!"

He was starting fights in a random squad, many of whom had barely begun their training. This was not a good example to show them.

"You don't want to give them a good demonstration? Isn't the whole point of training, to show off? It's not like we're defending the country from anything anyway. Don't you remember the part where we saved the world? It's good now! We've got nothing to worry about! It's really boring, actually."

Ingus growled. "You idiot."

"Sorry, what?"

Luneth was a Warrior of Light, and he was acting like this, in front of Ingus's all-too-impressionable trainees. "I said you're an idiot!"

"Aw, see! You really do care! Thanks!" Luneth took the opening and grazed Ingus' armor, leaving a small gash in the metal. The soldiers started chanting "fight" in the background.

Ingus forced Luneth back. "What are you even doing here?"

"I just told you!" Luneth chinked Ingus' boot with his sword before jumping away again. "Good to see you haven't gotten too rusty."

Luneth lunged again and Ingus leaped out of the way. What was he to do? Luneth was impossible to reason with when he was like this - or at any time, really. It often seemed like he only listened to reason when it came from Arc, but Arc was currently nowhere to be seen.

Ingus stopped and let his spear fall idle. Luneth slowed, likely trying to find the catch in Ingus' nonresistance. He hesitated, trying to decide if it was worth it to swing his sword that could slice clean through Ingus' mythril plate, before tapping tentatively against Ingus' shoulder.

Ingus didn't react. Luneth sighed, catching on, and lowered his sword. "Fine."

Ingus relaxed his grip on his spear. "Thank you." He directed his attention to the recruits. "What are you all standing around for? Back to your upper swing!" He turned aside and grabbed Luneth by the collar. "I will have words with you."

"Okay!"

Refia stopped before the massive gate into Sasune, jaw dropping at the crowds bustling to and fro. Things had really picked up since the fall of the Cloud some months back. Including, apparently, traffic and business in Sasune. Kazus stayed quiet, but Refia noticed a rise in their bulk orders from the captain here.

Forcing her mouth closed again, Refia turned her chin up and urged Gerard on behind her.

People milled around her, voices murmuring and exclaiming in awe at the various shops open along the road toward the castle. Refia almost didn't notice when a small, dark-haired boy in strange clothes approached, ducking and maneuvering his way through the bodies toward her.

"Lady Refia!" he said, followed by a younger girl. "I was told to help you carry your merchandise inside."

They took her further in and the girl grabbed Gerard's reins. "The king is waiting in the throne room. We can take the supplies, if you'll just bring a few display samples."

"Thanks." Refia took a helmet and sword. "Actually, can you-" she gestured to the boy- "take some of that plate there?"

"Yeah." The boy hefted a breastplate into his arms, back arching under the weight. "I'll take you to the throne room, then."

The place hadn't changed at all from she came a mere three months ago. The same kind of people still rushed and strutted down the halls. She recognized some of the faces. One of them, a girl with green hair and wearing beads very characteristic of the current fashion, seemed especially familiar. What was her name? Fefi?

The throne room was always easy to find. The doors weren't any bigger than standard and they had an image of the king etched in gold at the head, framed in stained glass. A dozen guards moved and shouted as she approached, armor scraping. They fell into formation, lining up in two even rows on either side.

"Your Majesty!" they shouted, "Presenting Lady Refia of Kazus, Warrior of Light and Victor over the Cloud of Darkness!"

"Welcome, welcome!" The king boomed, standing as she entered, his daughter rising on his right and Ingus on his left. "We've been waiting for you! What an honor!"

"Sire, the honor is all mine," Refia said as she moved to present the plate mail.

"Well, this is just too wonderful! All four Warriors of Light, right under my roof! Sara, dear, do you think tonight would be too soon for a feast?"

Refia paused. "What?"

Sara cocked her head humorlessly. "That would be impossible, father."

"Tomorrow night it is! Inform our guests and send our fastest messengers to alert the people! Make sure you get Trier – he'll want to be here."

"Father…"

"That's right! Let me admire these wonderful gifts from our good lady's father!"

Sara let out a prolonged sigh. Given a gesture from the king, Ingus stepped down from his position to help Refia.

"Your Majesty," Refia bowed and awkwardly gestured to the items she laid out. "Your latest request."

"Good, good!" the king exclaimed, examining the breastplate the servant kid was holding. Refia forgot about him. "Nice edges you have here," the king said. "Not too sharp."

"Thank you, Majesty."

"How are the swords, Captain Ingus?" the king asked as Ingus tested the weight of a longsword.

"I must say," Ingus offered one blade to the king, "I think I prefer my current weapon."

"Oh, your diamond one?" Refia asked. "I'm sorry we can only work with steel and mithril."

The king threw back his head and laughed. "I'm quite sure we'll appreciate these ones just fine! The rest of our captains were becoming quite desperate."

"Ingus," Refia said. "What was that about 'all four…?'"

Ingus didn't take his eyes off one shortsword. "Ah, yes. Luneth and Arc came to pick up the Nautilus. They speak of a journey."

"Where?"

"To the other side of the planet, to find Arc's long-lost father."

"An admirable endeavor," the king said. "And we will honor tomorrow."

Sara piped up, "I thought that was to celebrate the Warriors as a whole?"

"It is for both," said the king. "No reason it can't be both."

"Your highness," Refia said. "If I may, where are Luneth and Arc now?"

"Guest chambers, west side."

"Thank you." Refia barely checked her impulse to run off in the moment and leave her duties. "Now, see," she said, forcing herself to focus. "The metal forming that particular blade was forged from the best steel, with the most precise balance of carbon and iron that you'll find this side of the Continent. It's just short of the durability and lightness of mithril."

Ingus quirked an eyebrow at her. The king, however, was too distracted studying the work of hers and Takka's to react much beyond his initial impressions. Was he dissatisfied? Did that matter?

He eventually thanked and dismissed her and it couldn't come fast enough. Refia gave a full bow before dashing off.

The halls passed in a blur, mostly empty now. She wondered what might have emptied them. Skidded around a corner. And stopped before the doors to the west guest chamber.

Refia paused and took a deep breath.

"Refia!" Metal clacked up beside her. Ingus gave her one of his stoic glares. She ignored him and shoved the doors open.

Ingus folded his arms across his chest as Refia burst through the doors to the guest chambers. "You are about to do what!" she shouted.

"Refia!" Luneth leapt to greet her. "Just in time! Guess what we're going to do!"

Arc grabbed a pillow to protect himself.

"I already heard from the king! Why did I first hear about this from the king!"

"Well-" Luneth started.

Ingus cut him off. "They waited for you."

"You!" Refia turned on Ingus. "You also knew! And you didn't say anything?"

"The king speaks first."

"He-!" Refia placed her hands on her hips. "Ingus, you had more than ample chance after the king opened his mouth to say something!"

"I did not see a proper opportunity."

"Anyway!" Luneth said excitedly, grabbing their attention. "So, Arc found this journal – no, that's not right, he was reading the journal that Cid gave us and apparently it belonged to his father and his father was traveling with his son – not Arc's son, he doesn't have a son, but the father's son, Arc's brother – and they apparently came from the east and he has a mother and brother back there – Arc does, they're the father's wife and son – and they're probably still alive and we think his father might be dead 'cause he stopped writing-"

"He left this apology at the end," Arc said, interrupting Luneth. "So we were thinking that maybe if we go and find those people he apologized to, given we have their names now, we might find them. We were just going to visit the land across the ocean, where I may or may not have a family. But it's fine – we don't have to go, if you don't want us to."

"But me, too!" Luneth continued. "It looks like I might also have a father, only he's a little more murderous than Arc's, and it wouldn't surprise me if all three were across the ocean with-"

Refia turned to Ingus. "What were you going to do about this?"

"I offered to go with them."

"Great," Refia said. "So I was not only the last in hearing about it, but I'm also the last to join the party. Perhaps I'll just go right back to Kazus, since I'm so clearly not needed here. Thanks, guys."

"You're welcome," Luneth said. "So, we have the Nautilus, see..."

Arc pulled a map out of the bottom of his bed. "Luneth took this from one of the other rooms. Please don't tell anyone."

Ingus' lip twitched. Luneth stole a map. Not like that was new or anything, but…

"They won't miss it. So, we have the world below us, right? Saronia-" Luneth tapped the icon marking Saronia in the north-east, "-is our most likely option for finding ships heading east, but I doubt those leave very often."

"Why not?" Refia asked, quieter now. She still frowned, but it appeared her intrigue got the better of her frustration.

"The Cloud," Arc said. "They've been reestablishing contact for the past year after being frozen, so ships only get sent out every week or so."

Luneth continued, "Waste of time either way. So, we're leaving ourselves. Straight from here, down the east edge of the Continent, pass over the eastern portion of the land below, and continue east at an angle until we hit land again."

"And what if we don't find land?" Refia asked. "At what point will we turn around?"

"We don't." Luneth pulled the map up to his chin. "Check this out."

Arc took the cue and cast a spell, a small one given by the lack of chanting or motions. The paper of the map curved at its own edges and the image distorted. The top compressed inward while the middle stretched out, forming a partial sphere. A large circle, almost half of the sphere, was missing out of the side. They made a paper globe.

Ingus narrowed his eyes. If that spell wasn't reversible, then Luneth would answer to the map's owner. He said, "There's undiscovered land. We knew that."

"Yes, we did." Arc held up a finger. "But our point here is that the author of the journal very specifically refers to a distinct eastern land and western land. He doesn't mean these two-" he gestured between the two continents of the world below- "he passed by this one and called it the eastern continent of the western land. So there's a western land and an eastern land, and the eastern land has got to be here." He gestured to the empty portion of the magicked globe.

"So we'll hit land eventually," Luneth said. "It's not just water forever. There's definitely someone over there."

"And," Arc continued, "he flew from here, the east, which implies that it's the fastest direction. The Nautilus is quick enough that we should know within a matter of days if we're on the wrong or right course. But if I have it all mapped out right, then we should be arriving, at the very latest, on the other land within a couple of days after we set out."

"You got that all figured out, did you?" Refia asked, folding her arms. Luneth and Arc nodded in sync.

Ingus watched the sphere slowly spin in the air. "How long would we be gone?"

"That's the hard part," Arc said slowly. "I don't know where he is over there. We're going to have to ask around, pinpoint locations, and all that. We'll have the Nautilus, but…"

"A week or two isn't so bad," Luneth said. "Refia, your dad was betting on you being gone for a bit anyway, right?"

Refia nodded. "I'll send a letter."

"Ingus," Arc said. "Are you sure the knights will be okay without you?"

It would keep Luneth away. "I prefer to be back by the end of the week."

"That's doable," Luneth said. "Sounds like we'll be just fine. With me! Warriors of Light!" He punched a fist toward Ingus and Refia. "Come on! Say it with me!"

The other two joined in on Luneth's shenanigans, but Ingus maintained his dignity.

"I've got your flute," Goro greeted, waiting at the entrance to the Wise Owl Forest and holding up a small instrument.

"Oh," Toan took the flute, pleasantly surprised, "How did you convince Cacao to give it to you? Wait, how did you explain how you knew about it?"

"Didn't do either of those things," Goro said, stamping through the gate into the shifting woods beyond, "He probably figures I'm going out for revenge, though. He wouldn't be wrong."

Toan frowned and followed. "Do I want to know how you got this?"

"No."

The shade-cooled forest swallowed them, its narrow paths winding deeper and deeper into the woods. They walked in silence, surrounded by the chirps and whistles of birds and following the paths of the owls. Xiao dashed in and out of the foliage that surrounded them, but never got too far away.

"Hey," Goro said.

"Hm?"

"What happened to your dad?"

Toan stumbled, "W-what do you mean?"

"Your mom's in Norune. You have a brother somewhere. Is your dad dead, or what?"

"Uhh," Toan fumbled for words, "Probably. I think so. Why?"

"I wanted to know."

Toan exchanged a glance with Xiao. They never mentioned Steve's comments to the rest of the party, after Demon Shaft. He… didn't want to change that.

The shifting green of the Wise Owl woods passed peacefully as they approached the Killer Serpent's residence. Thankfully, Treant had been happy to give the Serpent Sword to Toan again – the old tree remembered the erased time, as well. So that was probably normal among the fae guardians of villages.

As well, Mom was relieved when Toan and Xiao returned the night before. She seemed much more at ease now, knowing that they'd come back at least one more time before leaving the borders of the map. And the villagers stopped looking at him sideways as well – apparently, while he and Xiao were on the road, Dran had left the depths of his cave just to make sure everyone knew that Toan was not, in fact, insane. Komacho even sent a message ahead so his cousin in Queens could make travel arrangements for when Toan arrived.

Dran's feathers, he was glad that whole 'I'm not crazy' issue was settled, and people treated him as normal again!

The trees opened up into a wide clearing, with a dark cave to one side and a sealed wooden gate on the other. It was quiet here, compared to the rest of the woods – the smaller creatures likely knew to avoid this place.

Toan retrieved Cacao's flute from his pouch and looked into that cave and it occurred to him that he could just walk right by. Once he got to Queens, he'd have no reason to ever come this way again. All that stood in his way was a little gate.

Well, that and his conscience.

Toan played the flute as well as he knew how, which really wasn't much more than just puffing air into it, but it would do the trick. The Killer Snake had been a plague to the Matataki villagers for five – no, six years now. He'd killed it before, now it was time to do it again, and hopefully this time it would stick.

Although, if its death had been reversed… what about the Black Knight?

"Gotta say," Goro said, "I'm kind of glad it's back. Now I can watch it die in person."

Toan grimaced and drew the Serpent Sword from his belt as he stepped toward the cave. He could understand Goro wanting to watch his father's murderer die.

Something shifted in the darkness.

Two.

One.

Blue shot into sight in a blinding flash. Toan dove to the side, but couldn't twist fast enough to slash the snake before it faced him again with mesmerizing amber eyes. It didn't seem to even notice Goro and Xiao as they kept their distance, but was entirely focused on Toan's scarlet sword.

Hmm, on second thought, perhaps he didn't understand Goro's spite. Toan hadn't had a father growing up, so he supposed he couldn't really know what Goro went through when he lost his. Toan could sympathize, sure, but understand? Probably not.

The snake lunged, but not like last time. He couldn't jump over it – he had to duck under.

The Chronicle Two was a heavy weight against his side.

Slashed as he rolled, cutting a long line through the serpent's belly.

If the Black Knight didn't die, then how do I have the Chronicle Two?

The Killer Snake thrashed, then went limp. Toan got to his feet brushed the dust from his elbows and knees.

History had been rewritten, and most of that he'd done in that phantom year never happened. But memories remained, and the Chronicle Two was still at his side. Clearly, some things hadn't been erased.

"That was fast," Goro said. He sounded disappointed.

Toan just nodded and wiped the blood off his blade.

Flagg sat at his desk in this small, rented room. The culmination of a ten-year search rested before him, distilling inside a simple alembic. He didn't need to modify the substance like this, but a few of his sources reported that it went down easier when properly cooked.

He got to his feet and meandered over to the window. The capitol sprawled out before him, seagulls flocking through its skyline. It was a long time since his country went to war, but that didn't concern him as it once did. The gleaming liquid behind him was sure to secure his future, after all it had cost. First in the years tracking down those sources, and then in the simple monetary cost of procuring a live corrupted fairy.

Flagg looked back at the dripping, violet blood. He met some resistance when he gave the order to drain the fairy dry while it was alive, but it was simple enough to squash. Naïve ideas of right and wrong tended to move aside quickly when faced with the threat of never finding a job again.

The thing was quite inarguably evil anyway. Sure, the process made even him a little queasy, but a bit of discomfort shouldn't have been enough for any of his subordinates to defy his orders.

Well, it was done now. Flagg grimaced to think that he had to resort to threats, but that was a small price to pay compared to everything else he'd gone through for this. He shut off the burner and lifted the flask of distilled blood. Though it was violet, it smelled the same as human blood, with undertones of ash. There was quite a lot of it, and his throat closed up at the thought of drinking it all.

This is it. No more fear. No more weakness. My life will be mine to do with as I please.

He brought the potion to his mouth, and almost choked in surprise.

It tasted… good.

When he emptied the flask, his muscles froze. Glass, flecked with fae blood, shattered on the floor. Something other sparked in his mind, twisted under his ribs and writhed inside his gut. Spread through his every muscle, permeating his body. For a full minute, he couldn't breathe.

Then he could move again. Flagg gasped and dropped to his knees, gripping his head against a sudden, pounding headache.

You again.

The voice was his, and yet not. He gulped, clenching his fists. The Dark Genie, I presume.

So I have been called, of late.

I command you–

Laughter, reverberating through his bones. Flagg's spine straightened of its own volition and memories flooded through his mind. Floating in the sky, raining death on the villages, towns, entire cities below – including Queens, where he sat now. Facing a titan warrior made of metal, the strain of the fight destroying his body.

He broke out in a cold sweat. The laughter continued.

You understood me better in that timeline, General. But then, you had the advantage of my presence in recent history, as well as a more direct manifestation of my body to work with. I suppose I'll have to make do with you now – don't worry, I'll be careful not to break you. You are valuable to me, for now.

"The records," Flagg said, trying not to tremble, "They say you give power in return for loyalty."

Indeed I do. You could have even more than your memory shows – in time, you may even withstand the forces at play against creatures such as the Sun Giant. First, however, there are those who would destroy you for using my power. If you do not eliminate them quickly, they will succeed.

"Who?"

I will tell you when it suits me. Right now, you must go to the southern border. There, I will direct you to an ally – a soldier of utmost loyalty, who will serve you well.

Oh, a soldier was it? Flagg relaxed, climbing to his feet and smoothing out his uniform. So there were yet some things he had to do to cement this power. He could tolerate that, so long as his comfortable retirement was assured.

Oh, I assure you, you will either retire in luxury, or die. Whichever occurs is entirely up to you.

He went to the door and called down the hallway, "Captain!"

"Sir?"

"Prepare the ship! We sail for the southern border immediately!"