Dreams of Dawn

by Twilight Incubus

What if Malekith's journey to the realms of chaos went a bit differently after Finuval Plain? Before dying to the flames of Asuryan, he is granted a vision and an ultimatum by Asuryan himself. The god tells him that if he can pass through the six circles of seduction in Slaanesh's realm, then Malekith will be his champion. AU end times fic, Anti-hero Malekith. Full summary inside.

8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Change is Coming

A/N: Quick note before we start. I made a dumb typo and said Sung Lian's sister instead of Shen Zoo at the end of last chapter. Sorry, I kind of rushed that one out without editing more than once. There were a few other typos as well. I'm usually not that sloppy, so I apologize. I assume most of you knew what I meant. Though technically Sung Lian is related to the royal family since all Shugengans are human descendants of them. Alright…just thought I'd mention that since it was bugging me. Oh, also some Cathay lore got dropped for Shadows of Change. Apparently, the Spirit Dragon's canonical name is Shiyama and she was the oldest…and died when all of the others were children. I feel like an idiot for not noticing that since there's a city called "Shiyama's Rest" on the Immortal Empires map. Kind of interesting since Shiyama seems like more of a Nipponese name than Cathayan. She does seem to have the closest connection to Yuan Bo though, so I got that much right. As I said though, I will retcon my imaginings if they released canonical names/appearances…just thought I'd update you on that. Ultimately, it's not that relevant to this story, but I figured I'd let you know about the new canon and so you know I'm aware of it. Eventually I'll go through and reedit this. Most of what I said in chapter 4 is still pretty true minus the spirit dragon information. I doubt we'll ever get an appearance reveal for the Emperor and Empress, so I'm just going to put my own spin on that later.

Malekith's Dream

Running through a crystalline labyrinth that defied all known laws of physics and sane architecture, was a lone orange chameleon skink. Malekith felt himself seeing through the eyes and memories of Oxyotl as the elusive and stoic reptile stalked his way through the Realm of Tzeentch.

Despite the excellent camouflage and near perfect stealth, he was still detected by the inhabitants of this horrific maze as he ran full speed dodging traps and daemonic creatures alike in the attempt to outrun a deadly pursuer.

The memory was gruesome and mentally taxing to live through the skink's eyes as Malekith could feel the normally calm reptile experiencing an unprecedented level of anxiety as he ducked off a platform and suspended himself beneath a bridge to hide from iridescent horrors flying by on discs.

A moment later, a heavy thud sounded on the bridge above as a very familiar dual voice spoke to the horrors that were searching around and above, "Find Oxyotl…we know he is somewhere in the labyrinth still. Do not cease your search."

As he spoke the daemon glanced over the bridge to where Oxyotl was hiding and swiftly flew down to look for him. By the time he got there, Oxyotl had shimmied to the other side and narrowly out of view. The skink calmed his thoughts, and a blank stoicism engulfed his mind as his camouflage activated and he became physically and mentally invisible to the daemons. His mind was so still that Kairos couldn't even detect his thoughts or emotions.

Kairos sniffed the air briefly as he looked around, "He's somewhere in this chamber…we can smell lizard flesh. Cover all the exits…he will show himself soon."

The hunt for the skink continued for quite a while, but Oxyotl eventually managed to escape their search as he found himself in a strange crystalline library filled with floating lexicons and tomes written in every language known and unknown.

Oxyotl searched around the room for an exit after briefly dodging a librarian, and fatefully seemed to find a small nook where several tomes caught his interest. It appeared as if he was looking for something, though Malekith had no context as to why Oxyotl was even in Tzeentch's realm. The skink cautiously touched one of the tomes and saw no effects before carefully opening it.

The skink looked down at the puzzle box of Xholankha in his hand briefly and matched the symbols with the front of the book which seemed to be quite similar. Upon looking through its contents, Oxyotl began to read the language which was written in Anoqeyån. He wasn't certain if Oxyotl fully understood the contents, but many of the words were similar to high saurian making it somewhat legible to the skink.

Malekith could understand most of the words and grammar as he read along with Oxyotl, and its contents were horrific and fascinating. It spoke of how Slann and all of the lizardmen species were created with some kind of arcane science called 'genetic engineering'. The only time Malekith had ever even heard of this term was when he studied the Skaven monstrosities of Clan Moulder several centuries ago.

The tome went into a fair amount of detail about genetic engineering and how the 'spawning pools' actually worked. They were apparently called 'growth vats' that the Old Ones used to create lizardmen in masse from. Saurus were created to be warriors and sentinels that would purge belligerent beings and protect society. Skinks were created to be workers and drones essentially with some specializations. Kroxigors were designed to be beasts of burden with their primary role being construction and combat support. Each race was 'programmed' with genetic memory on how to function and behave…though there were special ones created called the 'Blessed Spawnings' which were usually a creation of a particular Old One's blueprint which had been left 'in the system' for a future time. Apparently, Blessed Spawnings had a lot more variance in cognitive aptitude than other lizardmen meaning they were much smarter and capable of 'unconventional sequences'. Malekith quickly realized that Oxyotl himself must have been a blessed spawning since he was very unique for a skink.

The Slann themselves were all personally created by the Old Ones from their own 'labs' and could no longer be spawned in the world. The tome mentioned five generations of them and what their roles were. The first generation was the greatest and were personal underlings of the Old Ones. The Second generation had apparently moved the entire planet's orbit closer to the sun in order to change the world from a frozen hellscape to a temperate paradise. They also cultivated vast jungles and shifted the tectonic plates to reshape the planet. The third generation was created to build and maintain the geomantic nexus and were administrators in important temple cities. The fourth generation had apparently created the "world pond" which was the world's oceans and were tasked with keeping magic in balance. The fifth and youngest generation was created to be tacticians and warleaders and were apparently responsible for leading the Saurus in their "Great Purge" to eradicate the belligerent primordial races that went against the Great Plan.

Despite their various roles and importance however, all Slann were entrusted to look after the other races and maintain the geomantic web that was strategically positioned at focal points around the planet to allow its connection to the 'webway' and to protect it from the 'outsiders' which Malekith understood to be daemons. The most shocking thing of all was a depiction of a floating temple city descending from the sky in a beautifully colored illustration along with silver solar orbs. Though he could scarcely understand it, Malekith could not deny that it looked like the so called 'starships' that Oxyotl spoke of.

No doubt all of the reptile's mystical faith was completely nullified by cold hard facts and seemingly grim truths that the lizardmen were not very special in the grand scheme of the Old One's great empire. The spawning pools were not as mystical as the lizardmen seemed to think they were. They were 'programmed' to spawn specific types of lizardmen based on their societal needs and the oldest generations of Slann could apparently even access this 'system' to override it for times of specific demand.

It went into extreme detail on how to 'turn on' the spawning pools which was something Oxyotl seemed very interested in learning. Sadly, the skink could not understand it. Malekith himself was shocked by this information as it meant the lizardmen could manually create more of their own kind in large numbers if necessary. To bypass its automatic functions looked about a hundred times more complicated than any type of science Malekith or Oxyotl had ever seen. It required something called a 'genome sequence', a 'coded override', and a 'magic command' which was apparently some kind of Anoqeyån command spell. Neither Malekith nor Oxyotl had any idea what it meant, and the skink eventually moved on in frustration after writing down most of the relevant information on one of his possessions for a future deciphering. Malekith paid close attention to it as the information seemed very useful to know.

Not only did the tome talk about how the spawning pools worked, but it also had a map showing where they all were located across the world. They were obviously most prevalent in Lustria and the Southlands, but Malekith was fascinated to learn that Quintex had an inactive spawning pool as well as the Witchwood north of it. Other locations such as Khuresh and Albion were also shown having inactive spawn pools. There was another one in the Sunken City of Melay in the Far Ocean as well as landmasses Malekith didn't even know about. The one that caught Malekith and Oxyotl most off guard was the depiction of the spawning pools in Lumbria and a map of the mystical continent itself. Lumbria was small continent archipelago between Naggaroth and Nippon and was scarcely known to almost all races…even elves. All Malekith knew about this fabled land was that any black ark that had ever ventured there never returned with the sole exception of the Blessed Dread. He vaguely remembered Laithikir Fellheart once talking about seeing fishmen and sea monsters there that made the Boiling Sea look tame in comparison. She had also warned all black ark admirals to never go there since it apparently had a sea monster as fearsome of Amanar protecting it. Remembering this caused Malekith to wonder about his once favorite admiral and her mysterious fate.

When Laithikir retired as admiral of the Blessed Dread and gave it to her son, she had supposedly taken a ship to Lumbria never to be seen again. It was the last Malekith ever heard of Laithikir Fellheart who was Lokhir Fellheart's grandmother. It seemed quite possible her family knew more, but it wasn't something Malekith had ever concerned himself with until now. It was certainly something he would want to ask Lokhir eventually as the Fellheart Clan had the most knowledge about Lumbria that they shared with no one. They would probably tell him, but he never cared to ask before now.

More information followed as Oxyotl read about the Old Ones themselves further into the tome. Xholankha himself was a highly misunderstood Old One even to the cold-bloods and had some connection to the Naga oddly enough. Sadly, the information from the tome was too vague and cryptic for Malekith to truly understand why. Plus, its translation was so unfathomably complex that he couldn't process the finer details. All of the unique information Oxyotl told Malekith about the Old Ones and their strange origin was mentioned to some degree within, however. It spoke of how Xholankha created a special webway device and entrusted it to the lizardmen for the day of his mythical return. He apparently left before the Great Catastrophe. It also mentioned the interesting dynamic that the various Old Ones had about how to deal with 'the natives' as some believed they should purge species that were too violent and fallible to 'the otherworld.'

It went into surprising detail about the races they created, destroyed, and the ones they uplifted. Contrary to the belief some loremasters and scholars had though, the Old Ones did not actually create elves, men, or dwarves in the way the lizardmen believed. They were in fact all one race eons ago and were a common ancestor to elves, men, dwarves, ogres, halflings, and titans…or giants. It used many scientific terms to explain the common morphologies that these species shared and went into boring detail about their physiologies and divergence of evolution over tens of thousands of years.

The primordial ancestor civilization had apparently warred against other native species and spread across the world back when it was covered in ice. The tome had pictures of this primordial race and to Malekith's fascination they looked very similar in shape to the strange skeletons he remembered from Vorshgar. That wasn't all he saw though…there was a picture of one wearing the Circlet of Iron who stood amongst an army of his kin and was battling some insectoid creatures that were possibly an extinct species.

The description below it was heart-stopping as Malekith read it through Oxyotl's eyes, 'The Silent King was the last ruler of the primordial warm-bloods before their great divergence and speciation. He fought valiantly alongside his army and the ancient dragons to repel the swarms of the Cyrexi hives but would ultimately retreat to his last refuge of Vorshgar where his army would forevermore be entombed by his own terrible magic. Despite the great purge that followed from the children of the Old Ones, none could ever breach Vorshgar and the Slann left it sealed. Not even the dark gods of chaos can breach the inner tomb which has remained untouched by time for countless millennia and locked in shadow. The lost city of Vorshgar stands defiantly against time as the only surface remnant of their once great empire which has stood since before the Old Ones came and after their departure. Many champions of chaos or righteous heroes of order have attempted to plunder its hidden riches with little success. Restless dead, impossible stairs, and darkness itself shield its inner ziggurat from would be plunderers. Within it rests the Silent King's greatest treasure…the Crown of Night. Though it is inherently wicked, the crown was the ultimate weapon in defeating the monsters of the primordial age. It can tangibly see magic in its truest form and is a conduit to the Aethyr itself. It is undeniably a relic of chaos, but it does not originate from the great four. It is particularly lethal against the worshippers of Tzeentch who rely on magic the most. All should beware its power, for not even the Raven cannot hide from its gaze. Should it ever be recovered; it will unleash darkness upon the world and upon the one who wears it.'

Malekith found this particular passage extremely enlightening and horrifying. It meant that Oxyotl recognized the Circlet of Iron. It brought about many other questions though as it seemed peculiar that the skink would trust him if he actually knew how dangerous the crown was. Granted, they had already been working together prior to Malekith getting it back and he had shown no ill intentions towards the reptile while wearing it. The other disturbing part of this passage was the fact that it was completely true. The moment Malekith acquired the Circlet of Iron back at Vorshgar, he changed. He had always been prideful, petulant, and cruel to some degree, but he undeniably went off the deep end and past the point of no return after getting the "Crown of Night". The dark visions it gave him had been the catalyst for his decision to betray Bel'Shanaar. His actions unleashed darkness upon the world and the Circlet seemed to have made him insane. How many terrible tragedies befell the world all because he chose to ignore Yeasir and take the Circlet of Iron? It wasn't solely to blame for his life choices, but it was undeniably the catalyst for his fall into darkness.

This passage seemed to imply that his Circlet of Iron was a lot more powerful than he thought it was and he hadn't even scratched the surface of its potential. The full gravity of this epiphany hit him hard, but it also seemed strange. The Circlet or Iron or "Crown of Night" rather, obviously had some connection to primordial chaos. However, it also seemed like it was something the chaos gods coveted and wasn't connected to the power of the main four. The part about it being able to see "the raven" meant that it was something Tzeentch feared. With all that pieced together, something didn't quite make sense. Either Asuryan was wrong about Tzeentch giving Malekith his vision of the end of the world, or the crown itself was something even the Creator God did not fully understand. The latter seemed entirely possible since the crown was apparently older than the elven race and even the slann. Whatever the case, it wasn't something he would figure out any time soon. All he knew was that he had to keep it safe along with the Puzzle Box of Xholankha.

Malekith found it odd that he could wear the crown now without negative side effects and wondered what Oxyotl must have thought when the skink teleported him to the chariot and saw him wearing it. Perhaps the skink didn't actually realize what it was until Malekith mentioned Vorshgar? It seemed possible that Asuryan's blessing shielded him from its darkness just as it shielded him from Slaanesh's glamour. Whatever the case, he was relieved that he had recovered it before Slaanesh returned to his palace. It seemed to all make sense now why N'kari placed it on the god's throne and why the Chaos Gods were so interested in corrupting Malekith ever since he got the crown. Perhaps they meant for him to acquire it since they couldn't and sought to corrupt him afterwards. The mention of dragons fighting alongside this "Silent King" seemed extremely peculiar though. Perhaps the Cathayan Dragon Emperor would know more? Perhaps that was the real reason the Moon Empress was wary of him? They must have known that he had this "Crown of Night".

Malekith cleared his distraction as he kept following along with Oxyotl's reading. Apparently, the Old Ones all took an interest in the divergent sub-races of this primordial race whom they believed were the only worthy ones among the natives to uplift and modify. From the way it was written it seemed to confirm that the Old Ones molded the ancestors of men, elves, dwarves, halflings, giants, and other warm-blooded species for specific purposes. It implied that the only races the Old Ones actually "finished" modifying were the elves and dwarves and that was why they had such a high resistance to chaos corruption as opposed to lesser beings. The Old Ones had great aspirations for ogres and men but never finished their work. There was also a mention about how halflings and ogres were the most closely related of all the sub-species. That part seemed odd since halflings were tiny and ogres were massive, but both races did seem to have gluttonous behavior.

The passage about men specifically was the most interesting part to read: 'Though they lack the magical aptitude and refinement of elves, the hardiness and ingenuity of dwarves, and the perfected sequences of the cold-bloods, the race of mankind has the highest potential of ascension and evolution among all species. Despite being shorter-lived, they dedicate themselves to the pursuit of great deeds when conditions demand, and they also have variability unsurpassed by all sentient beings in the world. They possess the unique ability to adapt to anything and have the strongest diversity of aptitudes among all species observed. Quick to breed and easy to guide, the race of men could one day become the dominant race of creation itself. The Old Ones looked upon them with pride, but also with concern. A race of this potential would be coveted by the dark gods of chaos…and coveted they were for mens' hearts hold shadows darker than any tainted creature. Above all other races, they desire power, and their primary weakness is their fallibility to corruption. The first daemon prince Be'lakor stands as proof of this. Humans crave authority and purpose much like the cold-bloods, but unless it is given, they will seek it elsewhere. Without celestial guidance, they would have been doomed to damnation. They needed gods to lead them and thus were the gods born from amongst the warm-bloods to bring order to their chaos.'

Malekith was baffled by this passage as it seemed to suggest that the Old Ones created the ancient gods worshipped by elves and humans in order to fill the role of the Slann for the warmbloods. It was interesting as it followed up with the mention of Chotec 'teaching' Asuryan, who was the creator god of the elves. This information implied that Asuryan was once mortal and that mortals could become gods. The mention of the Nehekaran creator and sun god Ptra was another fascinating reference as the tome mentioned how Asuryan and Ptra were both disciples of the Old One Chotec…who was supposedly seen as a sun and fire god to the lizardmen.

It even caused Malekith to ponder on the human 'god' Sigmar who was undeniably just a man once. If this was true, then it meant the Old Ones created the gods of men and elves or that these 'gods' somehow gained the ability to reach a form of transcendence within the mortal world that they learned from the Old Ones. Perhaps it was something else entirely, but the whole thing seemed unusually connected. Whether it was true or not, it wasn't a stretch to assume that the gods all knew the truth about the Old Ones and that they were no more 'gods' than the Old Ones were themselves. It also seemed to explain the contempt that ancient dragons had now since the Old Ones essentially colonized their world and displaced them. This also implied that dragons disliked gods because they were in some way connected to the Old Ones long ago.

Oxyotl could not continue reading this forbidden knowledge unfortunately as upon opening another tome, it began to scream loudly as if it was alive.

The skink swiftly discarded it as he ran out of sight narrowly avoiding several librarians. Sadly, he couldn't avoid all of them and was quickly spotted as countless more flooded into the library on flying discs. These daemons were peculiar to look at as they were tall, slender, and misshapen. They had the look of a humanoid, but their heads had two large spire-shaped extensions which were covered in eyes and seemed very uncanny to the eyeless bottom where a monstrous mouth was present.

"You should not be here!" one spoke in an echoic voice, "Fateweaver's library is forbidden to mortals!"

Oxyotl narrowly managed to escape the library, but soon found himself crossing a massive bridge which led to some peculiar twisting stairs. By twisting, they actually formed a spiral directly ahead that defied gravity.

As the chameleon skink ran along it, he dodged a barrage of blue fire from an ominous winged figure overhead.

"We knew you couldn't resist the allure of forbidden knowledge. We knew you would be discovered here." the voice of Kairos cawed from above.

The dream seemingly ended as Oxyotl managed to jump off the bridge and catch himself on a lower balcony bolting inside and out of sight.

As he jumped though, Malekith did not follow him in this memory. Instead, he kept falling down into the darkness and warped landscape of Tzeentch's realm.

End of First Dream

Jerking upright with anxious worry, Malekith found himself in the middle of a dark void once again. It felt strange because he now realized he was in a dream, but he couldn't wake up.

A voice then caught his attention, "You were successful in defeating Aetaos'Rau'Keres just as we knew you would be…"

Hearing the dual-voice of Kairos Fateweaver quickly snapped Malekith's attention to a blue and pink light where he saw the lord of change flapping his arcane wings nearby. Kairos then held up his staff causing the void to fill and resemble the library he just saw Oxyotl in.

The two-headed daemon quickly landed as he stepped towards the elf and looked down at him, "Yes, you are still dreaming, but we have managed to establish a temporary mind link so that we may communicate with you, Malekith. It requires considerable magic to do so and the Bracer of Xholankha repels our link. We do not have much time to explain everything yet. Stay your confusion and hear our words…for we mean you no harm."

The daemon answered his question before he could even ask it which only caused Malekith to remain silent. He was horrified that Kairos was in his dream trying to talk to him. In some ways this was even worse than his nightmares of Slaanesh.

"To answer your next question, yes, we intended for this to happen. We wanted you to defeat Aetaos'Rau'Keres and establish good relations with Cathay. It was necessary for you to unlock your true potential and for the last alliance. The far east is doomed to fall without your intervention. The Asur and the men of the west cannot win them over, but you can. We must buy more time and that means Cathay and Nippon must stand to hold back the coming storm," Kairos followed up.

Finally, Malekith spoke, "Aetaos'Rau'Keres? Is that Ashenwing's real name?"

Kairos nodded both heads, "Yes, and it is a secret he jealously guards from others. He is a powerful lord of change. He rivals even Amon'Chakai and us. He is not too dissimilar from Skarbrand the Exiled Bloodthirster or the Masque of Slaanesh. They are all disgraced daemons of great power and influence who aspire for redemption in the eyes of their gods. Their eternal struggle to change their fates greatly pleases Tzeentch as does ours. Defeating Aetaos'Rau'Keres in the way you did will no doubt draw the attention of all the dark powers in this world. It will also win you more prestige with Ka'Bandha which will be important eventually. Everything is going according to our design. We must walk the Path of Eternity together."

"Why was Ashenwing in Slaanesh's palace imprisoned? Why was he saying that I freed him?" Malekith couldn't help but ask Kairos questions even in spite of his contempt for the daemon and the horror of this peculiar situation.

The daemon was silent for a moment before answering, "Because we told him to go there. We promised him glory and change as well as knowledge. He is an exile, but also a powerful rival who could incite sedition against our grand aspirations. We could not risk his interference in our future plans and so we lied to him and freed him with your help. It was essential for him to cross your path and distract the chaos gods. We intended for you to remove him from the board so that he would not interfere or be able to reinforce the Changeling. You were correct in your belief that we manipulated his demise at your hand. He realized it as well before his banishment…though he does not understand why we lied to him."

"So, you lied to him about killing me and getting the Puzzle Box. Why would you betray your own ally? Is it simply because of a rivalry? What danger does he pose to your plans? Don't you all serve the will of Tzeentch?" Malekith wondered.

"We all have our own goals, and they often conflict with one another. Aetaos'Rau'Keres will be indisposed for a few years. That is more than enough time for us to accomplish our tasks without his future interference. Despite his exiled status, he commands quite the reputation as you saw from his army. Plus, he is far too closely aligned with the Changeling…whom he was working with prior to his imprisonment. We saw the future in which they united to stop us. Your defeating him has also proven to Cathay that they can trust you…which is also essential for our plans. What is that mortal saying? We killed two birds with one stone. He was a useful sacrifice for our grand plan…and his demise will lure the Changeling to you…who must also be removed from the board in order to save Cathay." Kairos answered.

"I highly doubt you care about saving Cathay when they consider you a mortal enemy. Also, what is the Changeling?" Malekith cocked his head in confusion, "is that another daemon of Tzeentch?"

"Yes, the Changeling is the great trickster of Tzeentch. He primarily torments the race of men since he is wary of elven magic. He can take any form and aspires to sow discord and chaos throughout the mortal realm. He is the eternal enemy of Cathay. The Changeling has worked with us in the past, but he will not stand idle when he sees you allying with Cathay. His entire purpose is to keep the mortal races divided and weak. This is detrimental to our objectives. Order must rise to bring change. The ordertide must ascend," Kairos answered.

"So, this daemon has no idea that you're conspiring against it? Surely it must be aware you betrayed Aetaos'Rau'Keres, right?" Malekith wondered.

"The Changeling is not aware of our objectives. He has always sought to understand and impress us. Even when he discovers our betrayal, the Changeling will see opportunity. We helped the Changeling infiltrate Cathay initially. We told him about you bringing Shen Zoo there long ago. We have manipulated them all. The reason Lothar and Aetaos'Rau'Keres were so confident about dealing with the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress was because the Changeling intended to infiltrate the celestial court disguised as Shen Zoo. We want you to remove our peers in order to unite Cathay for the End Times. The East falls in all futures unless you intervene. Cathay is not the only nation you must rally either. Nippon and Ind are equally as important. They will listen to you," Kairos replied.

"So, you're betraying your own allies just to get this puzzle box open? I can't imagine Aetaos'Rau'Keres is going to be happy to see you again whenever he comes back," Malekith shook his head, "or Tzeentch himself since he probably knows what you're up to. I also doubt this Changeling is completely blind to your deception either. You're awfully confident about all of this."

"That is the nature of the Great Game. However, we do not directly conspire against the Architect of Fate, but we do conspire against the Everchosen and his destiny. We see things even Tzeentch cannot, and he does not understand the entirety of our aspirations. Our unusual pursuits fascinate him. It is a great puzzle that he seeks to solve. We are the only ones capable of deceiving or surprising Tzeentch and he is not fully aware of why we want to open the Puzzle Box despite what we've told you already. He knows we have deeper ambitions, but he does not sense hostility from us and tolerates our secret plan for we are invaluable to him. The Changeling believes that this was all for the purpose of infiltrating the celestial court and that we sacrificed Aetaos'Rau'Keres for him to succeed. What he does not know however is that we want him to fail and you to succeed. To save the west, you must first save the east. To save the elves, you must first save mankind. You've already seen it for yourself...humans are easier to win over than elves are. Give them purpose and be their champion...and they will die for you," the two-headed daemon elaborated.

"You're absolutely delusional if you think Tzeentch doesn't know what you're up to. Also, why would you conspire against an Everchosen? Wouldn't that directly oppose the will of your gods?" Malekith shook his head.

"This path we have led you down has a purpose, Malekith. The Prophecy of Dawn is a lie…and it will not be your salvation. You need our help, and we need yours. We know you will not accept this cooperation, but we will offer our knowledge to you, nonetheless. You may choose to believe it or not, but it is vital that you are aware of it," Kairos explained.

Malekith blinked in bewilderment for a moment before shaking his head, "I don't need your help and I certainly don't care about these stupid prophecies or cryptic warnings of yours! I'll save the world on my own and I refuse to be a pawn in your game, daemon. You may think you're manipulating me, but I know exactly what your plan is. You'll certainly betray me once I get the keys for you...assuming I would ever fall for that. You've already proven yourself untrustworthy even to your own allies and your fell god. Do you honestly think I would ever walk a path you set me on?"

"You doubt our insight, do you? Perhaps you would care to know the truth about the Prophecy of Demise then? We know your futures…all of them." Kairos taunted him.

The elf's face went aghast as he stared at Kairos intensely. The Prophecy of Demise was the sole reason Malekith forbade male sorcerers among the druchii. It wasn't surprising that Kairos knew what it was, but part of him was almost afraid to hear what the lord of change would say about it.

"You say you want me to survive…if that's the case then tell me who the prophecy refers to then. Who is the sorcerer destined to kill me?!" Malekith took Kairos' bait. He couldn't help himself. He needed to know the truth. He figured Kairos would probably lie about this, but he wanted to know what the daemon would say regardless.

"And lo, he shall rule with a dark hand and his shadow shall touch upon every land. Steel will be his skin and fire will be his blood, in hatred will he conquer all before him. No blade forged of Man, Dwarf or Elf shall endure him fear. Though will it come to pass that the firstborn son of noble blood shall rise to power. The child will be learned in the darkest arts, and he will raise an army of terrible beasts. Thus, will the Dark King fall, slain by neither blade nor arrow but by a sorcerous power of darkest magic and so shall his body be consumed in the flames and for all eternity burn," Kairos spoke out the prophecy.

Malekith stared at the daemon anxiously awaiting the lord of change to follow up with its interpretation.

"The Prophecy of Demise does not refer to you…it never did. It refers to two beings more powerful than you are," Kairos simply stated without any explanation.

"I don't believe that! Who does it refer to then?!" he demanded.

"Steel will be his skin and fire his blood," one of the heads stated.

"You are not the only mortal who was bound to his armour or who has an unmatched rage for this world," the other followed.

"The prophecy does speak of a dark sorcerer killing a dark sorcerer king. The word king isn't always literal in these prophecies, but it speaks of the three eyed king. You are also not the one to slay the dark king in the prophecy as you are not a firstborn son either. The Prophecy of Demise has nothing to you with you...it never did. You intended to lift the ban on male sorcerers anyways, so why do you not believe us? Perhaps because you despise your own irrelevance? Or perhaps it is fear...fear that we are lying to you." the two heads spoke in unison again.

"Who is it about then?!" Malekith growled impatiently.

"How odd that you thirst for our insight when you seem skeptical of our knowledge or willingness to aid you…" the daemon chuckled sarcastically at him.

"Ughh…fine you've made your point, Fateweaver. Now tell me who the Prophecy of Demise is about!" Malekith hissed.

"The prophecy refers to Archaon and Nagash. In all futures they battle over dominion of the mortal realm. A climactic battle between the undead and Chaos. Archaon is the king in the prophecy and Nagash is the firstborn sorcerer son. He is of noble blood, and he is also a master of dark magic who leads an army of undead beasts. It is both literal and metaphorical," Kairos finally answered.

"I know of Nagash…but who is Archaon? Is that the Everchosen?" Malekith asked.

"Archaon will be the Everchosen…the mortal we conspire against. He will succeed where the others failed and unite the forces of chaos in the end times to destroy the world. As we said…the Prophecy of Demise has nothing to do with you. It is about them and should that future come to pass, we will have already failed. You however do have an important role to play in this climax for you walk the Path of Eternity," Fateweaver answered.

"So, Archaon is the name of the Everchosen? Maybe it would be a good idea to kill him if you're so concerned about the mortal realm not being destroyed. Your logic isn't adding up to me," Malekith noted.

"Many have tried, and Archaon has even tried to kill himself, but Be'lakor and even the gods of chaos seem quite adamant about keeping him alive and testing him. He cannot escape his destiny even if he resents it. He will also sacrifice us in the End Times. The Eye of Sheerian makes it impossible to deceive him and so we must keep him distracted. We have no allegiance to him," the daemon noted.

Malekith shook his head confused, "So where is this Archaon at right now, anyways?"

"He is gathering the treasures of Chaos. He recently acquired the Eye of Sheerian from a Cathayan dragon which gives him foresight and prescience unrivaled by all mortals. In due time he will acquire the Crown of Domination and be crowned Everchosen. Even if we could kill him, it would be detrimental to our goals. Archaon's rise to power is important in stopping the Great Waaagh and Nagash long enough for our other plans to be fulfilled. It will also delay the vermintide. We will explain that later," Kairos explained.

"Why not uproot those forces before they get too powerful as well?" Malekith wondered.

"Your mortal mind cannot comprehend the complexity of our plan's grand design. Retrieving the keys will be impossible if those forces do not rise to power. They must rival each other to buy us time and create opportunities. You must unite the forces of order to oppose them. They will become desperate and look to you when they have no other choice. Certain events must come to pass," Kairos replied cryptically again.

"It sounds like you just want me to be your pawn in this long game and gather all the keys for you in the chaos of the looming apocalypse. I'm not buying any of this and I don't believe you. Was anything you even told me about this puzzle box true?" Malekith shook his head.

"Yes."

"No." both heads answered contradictorily.

"We told you half the truth about it and why we want it," both heads spoken in unison again, "but its true purpose cannot be explained to you at this moment in time. It will change the future if we do. You will understand why we have chosen to aid you when the time comes but know that it does not involve your death or damnation. We obviously have our own agenda, but it just so happens to align with your interests in saving the world from the End Times. It seems only logical that we work together. You cannot succeed without our aid, and we cannot succeed without yours. We must cooperate. You are more important than a simple pawn in this game...even more important than we are. You are the queen upon the chess board, and we are the king. You can go places we cannot. The hand that moves us is destiny."

"Even if all that nonsense is true, I have no guarantee that you don't have more sinister aspirations beyond it. Giving you this puzzle box, which seems to have ridiculous power, is the last thing I'll ever do. As interesting as this conversation has been, I'll decide for myself what's right. I can also assure you that I have no intentions of helping you and I swear upon my father's name that I will destroy you if you get in my way. I am not going to be your tool in this absurd scheme, and I won't let you beat me at this game. The puzzle box will NEVER be yours!" the elf shouted.

"It was never meant for us. It was meant for you. We already knew you would say that. Whether you trust our long-term intentions or not is irrelevant to the immediate future. If you believe we will betray you, then it certainly won't be until after you acquire the keys. For now, we simply offer you knowledge of the events to come. The Changeling will arrive at Turtle Gate shortly before the Jade Dragon who has been hunting him for years. Yuan Bo won't trust you unless you banish the daemon before his eyes. The Changeling is very powerful and dangerous, but he won't be able to escape or retaliate if you catch him by surprise. He does not know that your Circlet of Iron can see through his disguises. It is the bane of the raven god for a reason. The next time we speak will be when you ask for our help…for you will need it before the end. It might also interest you to know that there is a black ark headed for Haichai. It is following a dragonship. Take it to Nippon and seek out Yamata no Orochi. The great serpent knows much of Khuresh. Time's up..." Kairos said echoically as the dream world began to fade.

Turtle Gate, End of Dreams

Malekith opened his eyes slowly and sat up with excruciating pain as he found himself in some kind of recovery bed back in the real world. He looked around curiously for a moment as he saw the massive chamber which was no doubt the warden's quarters for Turtle Gate.

"Malekith, you're awake!" he heard the voice of Shen Zoo snap him from his grogginess.

He quickly looked over and saw the dragon was seated next to his bed and was actually clutching his arm. Her eyes were filled with anxious glee and relief at the sight of seeing him alive and awake.

Remembering Kairos' strange words from his dream, Malekith quickly looked around for his belongings. There was no sign of them. Neither his swords nor his helmet were anywhere in sight. In a panicked delirium, he quickly tore himself out of Shen Zoo's grip as he leapt out of the bed and frantically searched the room.

Something even more horrifying caught his attention a moment later…he wasn't wearing most of his armour. He instead found himself shirtless with bandages and wearing his skintight underpants around his legs. What was strange however was he still had one gauntlet on. It was the one that the Bracer of Xholankha was still attached to. It seemed the Cathayans had somehow removed his armour while he was unconscious, but they couldn't get that gauntlet off.

"Where's my armour and weapons?! Why am I half-naked?!" Malekith asked Shen Zoo seriously.

"Relax, Malekith, Miao Ying had to take off most of it to fully heal you. From the look of your wounds, you were close to dying. We kept all of your things nearby. They're over there. I've been keeping a close eye on them and on you. I haven't left your side," Shen Zoo pointed towards the corner where Malekith could see his swords, his Armour of Midnight, and thankfully his Circlet of Iron as well.

He didn't even pause to breathe a sigh of relief as he quickly went about trying to put it on again. Though…to his frustration, the armour looked like it was more or less in pieces. It used to be welded to his own body though he hadn't once taken it off since acquiring Asuryan's blessing to find out if it still was. Its magical seals were useful in ensuring he never had to perform bodily functions and he briefly wondered if that would no longer be the case since the preservation seal was opened.

Looking over his armour, Malekith saw it was more or less fine minus dents and holes in the cuirass. Shen Zoo politely remained still as the elf attempted to put it on himself…which certainly wasn't easy at first.

Despite his struggles, he found himself able to equip it. The armour was still extremely tight however since it had once been a second skin to him. As he moved to equip various parts, Malekith found the armour pieces move on their own and clamp in with magical seals almost magnetically. He could feel extreme pain from his injuries as it did so, but a slight numbness followed as the armour attached to his skin. This clearly meant the armour still worked. It was extremely convenient since it allowed him to equip it relatively fast and on his own. It would appear he also had the option to take it off now which he considered doing when he got back to Naggarond. It had been millennia since he bathed, and it seemed baffling how he did not reek from that.

'Hotek was truly a great smith…I shouldn't have let mother kill him. I had no idea the armour would reequip and reseal itself to me if I ever took it off. I wonder how they managed to get it off though? They couldn't get this part with the bracer of Xholankha off…wait where is the puzzle box?!' Malekith swiftly turned his gaze to Shen Zoo as he clamped his helmet to his waist side and finished equipping his armour and his two swords.

"Where is the puzzle box?" Malekith asked her slowly.

"It's on that table there right there…Miao Ying tried to take it several times, but that thing reacts violently when she touches it. Plus, your gauntlet would magnetically pull it back in range of you every time she tried. As you probably noticed, we couldn't get that gauntlet off of you. Whatever that thing is, it doesn't like being touched by dragons," Shen Zoo answered.

He slowly looked over at it and wondered what the situation was. Though something interesting did dawn on him from this information. It appeared only someone with the Bracers of Xholankha could actually handle the puzzle box properly. It seemed entirely possible to him that Kairos Fateweaver meant for him to have it instead of Oxyotl for that specific reason.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Malekith did a quick inventory of his most important equipment. Thankfully all of his things were there which allowed him to relax slightly.

The elf looked at Shen Zoo again and frowned, "How did you get my armour off?"

"It wasn't easy…Miao Ying said it was practically attached to your skin. I believe the term she used was elven alchemy. She said your armour functions as a second skin to you. It's quite advanced and impressive…especially considering how ancient it is. It even equips itself too when put in place. I've never seen elven armour like that before. What was the name of that smith who made it again? Hotek right?" Shen Zoo wondered.

"Yes, it was made by Hotek, a priest of Vaul from Caledor. I'm shocked you were able to remove it and even more shocked that I could put it back on this easily. That's a relief because now I can repair it when I return home," Malekith explained.

"Xu Feng came by a few times to try and look at it. She offered to attempt fixing the damage, but Miao Ying has forbidden anyone to come near you or your things ever since you fell unconscious. She won't even let Sung Lian in here and these are the warden's quarters," Shen Zoo replied.

"I half expected to wake up in a cell or not at all. So, your sister left me in your care? I suppose I owe you thanks for that. I'm surprised your sister would leave you alone after you've been missing for centuries…especially with me," Malekith changed the subject.

A posh and lofty voice quickly interrupted, "She is not alone…but I remained back to observe how you would act when you woke up."

Malekith's gaze shot towards the far end of the chamber where he saw a regal white haired woman strutting in. She had a horned silver crown, a long white ponytail, and similar eyes to Shen Zoo which no doubt meant that she was probably Miao Ying. Similar to Shen Zoo, she had an exotic, oriental, and ageless look about her and was considerably beautiful even to an elf like him. Her poise and movements were extremely graceful. He vaguely remembered her before he fell unconscious after the battle.

"Are you the storm dragon? Princess Miao Ying? The Warden of the Great Bastion?" Malekith asked.

The dragon woman approached with royal poise as she stopped a few body lengths away, "I am indeed, the storm dragon. I would demand you show reverence, but I find myself at a loss for how to deal with a dark elf of your pedigree. It isn't often I find myself in the presence of a notable royal foreigner and I certainly do not have the authority to deal with someone like you as it would affect Cathay as a whole. Unlike my other siblings, I respect the diplomatic process and only the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress have the authority to deal with you in light of this unprecedented situation. Consider yourself fortunate that you crossed my path and not that of the Jade or Sea Dragons. They would certainly have killed you already. If you were lucky, they would have put you in a cell to interrogate. Knowing the Sea Dragon, she would probably torture you first."

Shen Zoo bowed her head to her older sister who seemed like a no-nonsense bitch. Malekith had no idea what to say or do in this situation and simply turned towards Shen Zoo, "I'm guessing you convinced her not to kill me?"

"Bow to her…it's polite," Shen Zoo instructed.

"I'm a king, I'm not bowing to a princess," Malekith stated coldly.

"It's fine, Shen Zoo...he's right. I don't expect a foreign sovereign to bow to me...let alone an elf," Miao Ying stated unfazed.

Malekith stared silently at Miao Ying for a moment before speaking, "You look like you have something to say, storm dragon."

"I would much rather hear you explain this to me. I have already heard Shugengan Sung Lian and my sister Shen Zoo's testimony about your unexpected arrival to Cathay. Would you mind recanting it to me over some tea? I am very curious about how all of this occurred and why." Miao Ying asked.

The elf sighed dramatically as Miao Ying went about preparing tea and pointed to the table for him and Shen Zoo to sit down. He already couldn't wait to get out of this place. Miao Ying seemed far less open-minded than Shen Zoo, and he could tell that the older princess was wary of him. It seemed doubtful she would ever admit fear, but Malekith could sense that Miao Ying didn't take him lightly.

After an awkward minute of tea preparation with Shen Zoo's help, Malekith found himself seated across from a stone-faced Miao Ying and it was incredibly tense. She took her time pouring the tea and placing it in front of him and Shen Zoo.

Malekith watched the younger sister tap her index and middle fingers against the table three times upon receiving it and briefly wondered what it meant. Shen Zoo quickly gave him a look as if insisting that he do it as well. For reasons beyond his understanding, Malekith mimicked Shen Zoo's finger taps which seemed to please Miao Ying for whatever reason.

"Are you aware of the kowtow tea culture, King Malekith?" Miao Ying asked.

The elf shook his head, "No, not really, but I assume it's some form of respect or thanks."

"I find it interesting how compliant you are with my younger sister. She claims that you're her friend and are quite reasonable. It's rather peculiar seeing a dark elf with sophisticated behavior. The practice varies throughout Cathay but among the upper echelon of society, three taps with two fingers is typically how one acknowledges a social peer, friend, or equal sibling with respect when having tea poured by that person. One finger is used for someone younger and lower in status. Three fist taps with the knuckles symbolizes kowtowing and kneeling for someone who is your better in status...which is what all Cathayans are expected to do for a dragon should they receive the honor. For the shugengans we allow three fingers to symbolize a deep bow. Shen Zoo used to use three fingers, but I acknowledge her as my peer even though I'm her elder. The nine all acknowledge each other as peers, though some of us are more exalted and older than others and do so begrudgingly. Since you're a seven thousand-year-old elven king and my sister's friend, two fingers are fine. I appreciate your courtesy and I am pleased that you at least acknowledge me as your peer, your highness," Miao Ying stated cordially as she spoke of the unusual tea customs.

Malekith said nothing in response as he kept his gaze fixed on the storm dragon. They stared silently and intensely at one another for a long moment.

"Start by telling me why you saved Shen Zoo from the Realms of Chaos," Miao Ying began as she sipped her tea gracefully.

Malekith looked at his as if the cup was poisoned. He could see something besides herbs dissolving in it but reluctantly took a sip of the hot liquid. Surprisingly, it did not taste bad much to his disbelief. He was extremely thirsty, and it was quite quenching to his dry throat.

"I didn't even know who she was when I found her imprisoned in Slaanesh's palace. I just assumed she was some human mage. She insisted on us working together even after finding out who I was. I meant for her to be a distraction in the Palace of Slaanesh along with the daemon prisoners I freed while I recovered my Circlet of Iron. My crown was stolen from me by a Keeper of Secrets named N'kari outside of the Marcher Fortress and I pursued him all the way to the heart of Slaanesh's realm. Even after we escaped the palace, your sister still wanted to follow me. It made sense to me at the time since we were both looking for the northern polar gate to get home and she had proven useful thus far. I had no aspirations of keeping her company once we escaped the Realms of Chaos, but she fell unconscious and wouldn't wake up. My only options were to abandon her, bring her here, or bring her to Naggaroth...which would certainly be dangerous and accused as kidnapping. She didn't wake up until i was already at Turtle Gate for a day," he answered.

The white-haired beauty nodded, "Ah yes…that is far more in line with what I would expect from one of your kind. Though according to my sister, you saved her from Slaanesh himself when you had the opportunity to flee, and apparently set the god on fire. I find that rather outlandish. Nevertheless, considering that you wiped out a chaos army with powerful magic…it's not a stretch to believe after all the eyewitnesses I've interrogated about what you did here. Spare me the details. I know all of that already. I want to know why you cared enough to rescue my sister and then bring her all the way here. Was there something you hoped to gain by doing so? Did she promise you anything? Shen Zoo is quite optimistic and sometimes naïve as I'm sure you've noticed by now."

"She was a great help in the Realms of Chaos, and I was repaying a debt I owed to her. Contrary to what you Cathayans and most of the world believes, I am not without honor. Sometimes I do things just because they seem like the right thing to do. I sought no personal gain from this venture. In fact, I would have preferred that we went our separate ways. I have no intention of deceiving you. I don't even want to be here. I wholly admit that I am cruel and merciless…certainly a tyrant. Nevertheless, I repay those who help me. I had no aspirations other than delivering her here and going home, but after encountering that chaos army I couldn't ignore it. They spoke of attacking Naggaroth after Cathay. My actions were far more selfish than Princess Shen Zoo would have you believe. I didn't do this for Cathay...I did it to keep her alive so this trip wouldn't turn into a waste of my time. I also did it because that army was a threat to my kingdom as well," Malekith replied honestly after sipping his tea again. For reasons beyond explanation, he was actually starting to enjoy it now.

"Are you enjoying your tea, King Malekith? I'm surprised you would trust me enough to drink it," Miao Ying asked with an odd look.

"Yes, surprisingly…I've never had tea before. It has a familiar herbal taste in it that I recognize in it as well. Not too dissimilar from a truth elixir, is it? My mother brews them all the time." he noted.

The storm dragon rose an eyebrow, "You knew about that and chose to drink it anyways?"

"I'm mostly immune to things like this. My mother was always paranoid about me being poisoned as a boy and my tolerance for poisons and elixirs is unrivaled. I had forgotten about it until I had alcohol at the inn the other night. You would need ten times this quantity to affect me," the elf explained.

Miao Ying's icy gaze did not change much as her eyes pierced into his and she changed the subject, "Never mind that; you encountered Kairos Fateweaver in the Realms of Chaos. He was after that strange device on the table in front of us. I have seen the oracle several times and he is not one to pursue something without a grander purpose. Would you mind telling me what that thing is and why he wants it? Shen Zoo told me she was unconscious before you took her through the gate. Did the daemon tell you why he wanted it?"

'It sounds like Shen Zoo did not mention Oxyotl at all…strange. She doesn't seem like she's capable of lying. Did she keep all of that including the fact that I rode her a secret for my benefit? Maybe…but then she would know about this truth elixir her sister tried to use. Maybe it's a test? I have no way of knowing whether Shen Zoo told her the whole truth or not. It doesn't matter...I see little point in lying to the Cathayan royal family now. Shen Zoo seems on edge…I should probably take accountability for this. Besides, it seems like they can't take the puzzle box away from me thanks to the bracer of Xholankha.' Malekith thought briefly.

"It's called the Puzzle Box of Xholankha. It belonged to a chameleon skink I encountered in Slaanesh's realm before I met Shen Zoo. He also helped us escape. The skink told me about how Kairos Fateweaver had been after him for millennia to get that artefact. We were separated in the battle with Fateweaver and his underlings and it ended up in my possession. This bracer on my gauntlet is one of two. That skink is wearing the other one. I don't know much about them, but it's somehow connected to the Puzzle Box. From what I could tell even the skink didn't know what it really was. After we separated at the Southern polar gate, Shen Zoo and I ventured to the Northern polar gate ourselves. It was a grueling journey and she lost consciousness once we reached the north pole," Malekith told most of the truth despite Shen Zoo's vague cover story. He conveniently left out the part about riding her since Shen Zoo had requested that back in the Realms of Chaos.

It might have made Shen Zoo look bad for lying on his behalf, but he did not want a reputation for being a liar to the Cathayan royal family. Plus, he couldn't rule out the possibility of Miao Ying trying to catch him in a lie. Those concerns aside, he hoped that Miao Ying might actually have some insight into the Old Ones. He was quite curious to see what a dragon besides Shen Zoo would think about some Old One prophecy.

For the first time, Miao Ying's featured lightened up as she slightly smiled, "Hmm…"

"That's not the reaction I expected," Malekith said confused by her approval.

"She told me everything that happened…even you 'riding' her," Miao Ying followed up with a disapproving look.

The elf shot a quick glance at Shen Zoo who looked super ashamed and embarrassed by her older sister's judgmental expression.

"I had to be certain you wouldn't try lying to me," Miao Ying added.

"So…that was a test?" he asked the obvious despite already knowing that it was. He wanted to come across as ignorant.

The storm dragon nodded, "Yes…and I am pleased to see that you are as honest as Shen Zoo claimed you were. Though I must admit, I found it hard to believe she would let you ride her. That is not only taboo to our family, but downright humiliating. The fact that you withheld that information shows that you respect her feelings and that the truth serum in your tea isn't affecting you. This has been rather enlightening so far. I can see why my sister likes you. With that said, I would ask that you never mention it to anyone. I would not have my sister's reputation tarnished. You should feel honored that she endured pain and humiliation for your sake. Though I am glad to see you repaid her kindness by bringing her here. You are certainly more honorable than your reputation claims. That alone has granted you my full attention and mercy for the time being."

"Sorry, Malekith…I wasn't trying to deceive you," Shen Zoo quickly apologized, "but my sister is not your enemy. It makes no sense for us to withhold information from her. After seeing you nearly kill yourself with that lizard god thing, I just couldn't ignore it. Our parents also need to know about that skink's Prophecy of Dawn. It's not something we should ignore if the Oracle of Chi'an Chi is involved."

"I figured it would come to this anyways. I guess I really am going to meet your parents. Lucky me," Malekith said half-heartedly.

Miao Ying scoffed at him, "Meeting the Dragon Emperor and the Moon Empress is a great honor and privilege that few outside of the celestial court have ever been given. You should be more grateful to have such an opportunity to meet celestial beings. We have denied countless elves from Ulthuan in the past…even the Phoenix King Finubar himself several centuries ago prior to his coronation. Now the Witch King gets that honor. Surely you realize how unprecedented this is, yes?"

"To think I survived all of this just to get held on trial in Wei-Jin. I'm not going there if you intend to execute me." Malekith sighed carelessly.

"If I wanted you dead, then you would already be dead," the storm dragon stated factually.

"It's not you or any of your siblings that concern me, princess. Shugengan Sung Lian told me the Moon Empress hates me and my kind. I don't see things going well even despite my actions here. They'll want someone to answer for Beichai and the millennia of raids. I am not naïve enough to think a few 'good' deeds will erase the animosity your empire has for my people." Malekith noted.

"So, you know about the massacre at Beichai? Interesting…yes, that will be problematic to deal with. The Sea Dragon riled up half of Cathay to retaliate against Naggaroth because of it and swore to kill you for revenge. The Moon Empress forbade her to war against Naggaroth even though the Dragon Emperor gave his blessing. My mother will certainly be less merciful than my father," Miao Ying noted.

Shen Zoo looked at her sister curiously, "Why did mother forbid Yin-Yin to war with the elves?"

"Yin-Yin was humbled by high elven colonists in Elithis centuries ago...do you really think she'd fare well fighting the dark elves? Mother does not wish to see Yin-Yin get killed by picking a fight with Naggaroth. Her track record leaves a lot to be desired and she always bites off more than she can chew. Defeating their raiding fleets is one thing, but I know full well that dark elves are far more powerful on their home territory. They are next to impossible to invade by sea. It's one thing for Yin-Yin to miserably fail at everything and another for her to pick a fight with Naggaroth on their own soil. I mean, she can't even keep pirates and chaos cults at bay…how in the world would she invade Naggaroth when even the high elves can't? Plus, after witnessing King Malekith almost single-handedly obliterate a chaos army with magic, I'm inclined to believe he could kill her in a fight. Perhaps not me, but certainly a hothead like Yin-Yin." Miao Ying noted.

"You're quite well informed, princess. Certainly, more than Shen Zoo was. I was under the impression you Cathayans didn't know much about Naggaroth other than the Sea Dragon or your parents," Malekith noted.

"Is that surprising? Everyone thinks I ignore the world and I only care about the Great Bastion. I know full well the failures of my siblings and the threats they cannot handle. I truly wish I could aid them for they need my help whether they'll admit it or not. Zhao Ming grows crazier every year and has been negligent in keeping the ogres and greenskins out of Cathay. Yin-Yin chases delusions of grandeur trying to conquer Nippon and other lands while her province rots. Li Dao aimlessly dances between the Mountains of Heaven and Khuresh desperately trying to atone for his failure to secure the southern border. Yuan Bo wanders about the whole of Cathay like the cuckoo dragon he is while thinking he knows what's best for everyone. I can see why father placed me in charge of the Great Bastion. I am the only one who isn't blind to my own ambitions or glory. Thankfully, at least Shen Zoo is back. Now I have one reliable and trustworthy sibling left. She was always good at helping the others and making them get along. Li Dao and Zhao Ming have barely even spoken to each other since Shen Zoo went missing. She is the light that keeps our family together," Miao Ying replied.

"Is Zhao Ming actually becoming crazier? You haven't told me much about how he's been yet. Is that just secondhand information or have you seen it for yourself?" Shen Zoo interjected concerned.

"It is not something we should elaborate on in front of strangers, Shen Zoo," Miao Ying replied sharply as she glanced at Malekith.

"Malekith already knows about the drama surrounding our family. If you want him to trust us, then perhaps you should repay his honesty with your own. I can assure you that he has no cause to spread this information outside of this room and it might help him deal with the politics when we get to Wei-Jin," Shen Zoo stated politely.

Miao Ying sighed, "You always were good at making valid points. Very well then…though I ask that you keep this to yourself, King Malekith. I will explain the political situation with my siblings so that you know how to deal with them in the future. They are not as reasonable as I am."

"As you say, princess," the elf nodded.

"In the past, I always trusted the Iron Dragon. He was once brilliant and was a great diplomat for our empire. Zhao Ming has not been himself for over a thousand years. Only a fool would deny it. He strays from tradition and openly challenged Li Dao, myself, and Yuan Bo for daring to question him. He even disgraced himself in father's eyes and doesn't have the decency to learn from it or atone. He tries befriending ogres instead of purging them when those brutes consistently attack our trade caravans. He meddles with warpstone constantly and has turned into something of a mad inventor. He has a mind of metal, a heart of feathers, and the derangement of a skaven engineer. His province is falling gradually and all he does is experiment and forge. He does not honor the traditions of nobility or the dignity of our family's position either. He lowers us all by frolicking amongst the muck of the lowborn peasants trying to be some 'friend of the people' and ignoring his duties to defend the west. It has made all westerners lose touch with the courtesies and castes of our culture. Take that alchemist girl for example. She had the nerve to come into this very room without any sense of respect for the royal family. No doubt she has probably offended King Malekith already as well. The audacity of those former unsanctioned mages is Zhao Ming's fault. He gives the humans this delusional belief about 'equality' implying that we do not deserve their utmost reverence, obedience, and respect at all times. When I last visited that cesspool of a city, Shang-Yang, I was greeted with quiet contempt instead of respect. To summarize it simply, Zhao Ming is a delinquent who incites rebellious behavior. He mocks the celestial court by doing whatever he wants. I cannot fathom why our mother looks so favorably upon him. Perhaps it is pity…or perhaps she loves who he used to be. Who could say," Miao Ying explained with a pitied expression.

It seemed quite clear that she had some kind of animosity for Zhao Ming…though it wasn't hatred. Malekith could clearly see jealousy in the princess' eyes. He understood that feeling more than anyone and from what he could tell, Miao Ying was bothered by the fact that people liked Zhao Ming despite him being the way he was. He could do whatever he wanted and still be liked by commoners while she had to strictly follow her duties and be seen as heartless and uncaring. She was definitely jealous of their mother's love and Shen Zoo's for her brother. Even not knowing the whole family, Malekith sensed it. Miao Ying's eyes told the whole story. He knew how she felt because it was how he felt about his siblings. Everyone loved Morelion and Yvraine despite the fact that he did way more than they ever did to expand and protect the ancient elven empire. Malekith also understood Zhao Ming's behavior as well. Why would the prince bother groveling for the courts when he was treated as a crazy reject even by his own family?

"There's nothing wrong with Zhao Ming trying to inspire the lowborn, Miao Ying. The peasants are Cathay and what is our empire without the people? Mother knows that too and that's why she likes Zhao Ming the most since he doesn't treat them like the rest of you do. Their lives are not irrelevant…even Malekith saw that and he's an elf. Zhao Ming's provinces are loyal to him because he cares about them…and those people probably feel the same way he does. They feel like the rest of Cathay looks down on them. Being elitist and dismissive to the less fortunate lowborn is not the path to harmony. It brews resentment and that's why chaos cults are a bigger problem in your provinces and Yin-Yin's than the west. You may disagree with his unsanctioned mages, but I find it interesting how the Western Provinces have always had the lowest percentage of chaos cultists in Cathay. Zhao Ming has many faults, but I have never questioned whether his heart was in the right place. I can say with certainty that he cares about his people more than you care about yours." Shen Zoo stated with stern disapproval.

Miao Ying seemed a bit caught off guard by her sister's brazen remark and probably wasn't used to being called out like this.

Miao Ying spat in disgust as her eyes sharpened into a glare, "Do not presume to chastise me, baby sister. I do what I must for the safety of the entire empire, and I don't appreciate you taking his side in this matter. If the Iron Dragon really cared, then he would be purging skaven, greenskins, and ogres from our borders for the safety of everyone! There's a difference between inspiring humans and encouraging unsanctioned practices to defy the celestial court. The Iron Dragon doesn't respect his own position and wastes his intelligence on fruitless endeavors in the pathetic attempt to gain approval. Of all our siblings, he is by far the biggest disappointment and that's saying something since they're all failures compared to me."

"Why do you resent him so much though? You two were so close once and it's not like Yin-Yin or Li Dao are much better these days. Also, I wouldn't say Yuan Bo is a failure. He does almost as much as you do to keep Cathay safe even though the rest of you act like he's a nuisance," Shen Zoo sighed.

"Do not repeat this…" Miao Ying paused as she looked between Malekith and Shen Zoo, "but the reason I am primarily frustrated with Zhao Ming is because he is better than this. It is because I remember who he used to be. I'd almost rather he died like Shiyama than fall down into this pit of madness and defiance. He wasn't a mindless brute like Li Dao, a scheming politician like Yuan Bo, or a narcissistic, warmongering fool like Yin-Yin. He was a genius and was reliable once upon a time. I also cannot forgive his audacity to question father and blame him for the Monkey King taking over Cathay."

"Monkey king?" Malekith interjected confused, "who is that?"

"Miao Ying told me about this while you were unconscious, Malekith. The Monkey King rules the Mountains of Heaven between Ind and Cathay. He is a monkey man of great power, and he apparently took over the empire while mother and father were away. One of Li Dao's duties is to keep him and the Naga out of the southern provinces. From what Miao Ying said, The Monkey ruled a few centuries and even had a skaven advisor. He's a wretched and insidious being," Shen Zoo explained.

"I fail to see how your brother was wrong in blaming the Dragon Emperor for allowing that to happen. It is his kingdom and his responsibility if his throne is usurped. Though the Fire Dragon probably deserves the most blame for underestimating that creature and failing to hold it back. This monkey king is clearly formidable if he could overpower all of you. That's undoubtedly the power of a god," Malekith noted.

Miao Ying glared at Malekith for saying that, "I never fought that creature as my duty to defend the Great Bastion could not be ignored under any circumstance. Li Dao, Yuan Bo, and Yin-Yin had to join forces to kick him out of Cathay. It was rather pitiful that it took news of father's return to make them work together. Zhao Ming did nothing during this takeover and blamed father for its occurrence. He could have helped Li Dao, but he chose not to. Zhao Ming had no right to question father who has been nothing but patient with him for millennia. What our parents do and where they go is beyond our right to question. Zhao Ming ignores his duties and yet blames any of us if we ever falter in ours. He is a hypocrite. Even prior to his fall to madness, he was always resentful of me for being our father's favorite. I care about duty, tradition, courtesies, and pleasing mother and father. He bears no great responsibly like I do, he brings shame to our family, and he isn't even sorry for it. If he does not cease his audacious behavior, then Yuan Bo will probably kill him one day. The only reason none of us have put him out of his misery yet is because mother protects him."

"You don't understand him, Miao Ying. He needs help and appreciation…not shame or resentment. It sounds like you want Zhao Ming to be more responsible and help the empire again. Have you ever tried speaking with him about it? I imagine from his perspective he only sees you all looking down on him. Maybe if he knew that you wanted his help and that you liked him more than the others, then he would listen to you," Shen Zoo reasoned.

"Tch…" Miao Ying clicked her tongue, "I don't like him more than the others. He's my least favorite sibling! Anytime I ever cross paths with him, he acts childish and unreasonable. I refuse to grovel or treat him with respect he doesn't deserve. He needs to apologize to our family and start acting like a proper prince. Until then, I have no intention of humoring the idea of being 'nice' to him."

"See what I mean, Malekith…my siblings love each other but are all too proud to work together or ask for help," Shen Zoo spoke to the elf.

Miao Ying's eyebrow twitched upon hearing that, "Are you trying to upset me, Shen Zoo? Don't think I'll tolerate this just because I'm relieved that you're home. You're far more brazen than I remember. I wonder if the elf's influence has rubbed off on you."

"I think one of you should be the first to give the other one an apology. I doubt Zhao Ming will ever apologize to you since you act like he's worthless and beyond help. If you want him to listen to you then show some humility and offer to help him. Apologize and tell him you love him," Shen Zoo countered.

"I don't love him, and I never did. Maybe you can help him, but I certainly can't. I have far more important things to do than rehabilitate his madness. He hates me and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I refuse to justify his behavior by apologizing," Miao Ying stubbornly rejected Shen Zoo's statement.

Shen Zoo shook her head, "Well, I look forward to hearing his side of this story. Zhao Ming has always had the biggest heart out of the Nine and I don't think he's beyond help. Is he in Shang-Yang right now? It's clear he needs someone supportive around since none of you will help him."

Miao Ying looked visibly annoyed by Shen Zoo's question but sighed, "No, unfortunately. Mother actually ordered him to take a vacation and stay in Wei-Jin for a few years. I suppose she hopes that he and father can mend their rift, but nothing has really come of it. According to the Jade Dragon, he and Zhao Ming have been at each other's throats over 'public indecency' lately and Yuan Bo doesn't like him being there in the capital since his brash behavior causes problems in the celestial court. Zhao Ming even has the gall to drink booze with the garrison…as if he wasn't a big enough embarrassment. He would rather show off to commoners than attend to duties in the celestial court. It's unsightly."

"Well, I'll assess his condition for myself when I see him. Is he still in Wei-Jin?!" Shen Zoo asked hopefully.

Her sister narrowed her gaze, "I believe so. Though you'll have to ask the Jade Dragon for the details. I only have secondhand sources on the matter."

"I thought my family had problems…" Malekith said shaking his head at this information.

Miao Ying scoffed at him, "The only reason I'm even allowing you to hear this is because we'll probably see Zhao Ming at Wei-Jin. I dread to imagine how his encounter with you will go."

"Are the western provinces alright with Zhao Ming being gone?" Shen Zoo asked.

Miao Ying shrugged, "No worse than they were before. From what Yuan Bo said, Zhao Ming claims he's been having dreams of you lately. I thought it was another sign of his insanity, but the fact that you're here might give it some credence after all. If you want details, ask the Jade Dragon. I don't really care enough to discuss the Iron Dragon anymore."

"I was hoping Yuan Bo would be nearby when I sent out missives the other day. Is he in Wei-Jin too?" Shen Zoo asked hopefully.

Her sister frowned, "Unfortunately, the jade dragon was in the Northern Provinces last I saw him. We crossed paths near Nan-Li. He's hunting some daemon of Chi'an Chi that can change its form to become anyone. Apparently, it can even imitate us. I've gone through extensive crack downs to root out its cults, but that attack on the Bastion drew my attention away from it. Last I heard, Yuan Bo was heading towards Po Mei to hunt down this daemon after it escaped his army. He's probably in the Northern provinces somewhere still. He should worry about that vampire problem in Noncheng first if you ask me. It's insulting that he tries to patronize me and micromanage my provinces."

'So, Kairos Fateweaver was right…Yuan Bo is chasing the Changeling and it's coming to Turtle Gate.' Malekith thought grimly.

"I believe that daemon you speak of is called the Changeling. No doubt it will be drawn to Turtle Gate soon, princess. It will obviously be interested in the situation between you dragons and myself. The Lord of Change Ashenwing mentioned this Changeling daemon when I fought him outside of the bastion. It apparently meant to infiltrate your celestial court as Shen Zoo," Malekith half-lied.

Miao Ying set down her tea briefly and nodded, "Yes…I had already given that consideration while you were unconscious. It's why I haven't left either one of you unattended."

"How did you get here from Snake Gate so quickly?" Malekith changed the subject quickly.

"I was actually at Dragon Gate when the messengers came by. I had a bad feeling about the Kurgan horde's skittish behavior and figured it was a diversion. They think I'm blind to their obvious tactics…though I honestly wasn't expecting their army to be as large as it was at Turtle Gate or chaos dwarves to be involved. It likely would have been overrun just as I arrived had you and Shen Zoo not been there. It was a failure on my part. I am grateful for your help, but it will probably make me look incompetent to the other dragons of Cathay. They always revel in my mistakes. It is for that reason I am reluctant to actually thank you despite my gratitude for your noble deeds. The Great Bastion is my responsibility, and it shames me to think it would have been breached without your help. I can already hear Yuan Bo's smug voice calling me a hypocrite for letting a foreigner help the Northern provinces over him. All of my siblings conspire against me, but he is by far the worst about it. Don't let his fake humility fool you. Yuan Bo has always sought to elevate himself above the rest of us...especially me. He and I carry father's utmost favor. I am the favored daughter of Xen Yang and he is the favored son. Nothing pleases him more than making himself look better than me," she answered with a sigh.

"Yuan Bo loves you, Miao Ying. He just tries to help you sometimes since you have the biggest burden and you're too proud to ask. I don't think he'll be like that when he finds out what happened. The last time I spoke with him centuries ago, he told me that you were doing a good job and that he admired your vigilance," Shen Zoo shook her head.

Miao Ying scoffed at her, "How patronizing."

"That aside, I'm relieved that you got here when you did. Before Malekith killed them all, I was starting to fear for the worst. Plus, Malekith would have died had you not arrived to heal him. Nobody is as good a healer as you are. It doesn't matter what the others think. Father will be grateful, and we certainly are as well." Shen Zoo said reassuringly to her older sister.

"Indeed," the storm dragon nodded. She spoke with pride, but not arrogance. Her tone was one of pure confidence and it actually made Malekith wonder if she was a better healer than even the Everqueen was.

"Your feats before and during the battle have been a thing of intrigue to me ever since I learned of them, King Malekith. I knew the Witch King was extremely powerful, but not THAT powerful. The level of magic you used rivaled that of a martyring Slann. I have no doubts that it threw the Wu Xing Compass out of alignment. I want to hear your account on how exactly you destroyed that army and with what manner of magic. That creature you summoned called itself Kaela Mensha Khaine. Isn't that the dark elf god of war?" Miao Ying asked.

"I used the puzzle box to tap into the geomantic web and I somehow summoned an Avatar of Khaine onto the battlefield with the excessive magic it siphoned. I don't know how I did it, but I consider those feats some kind of divine intervention," he answered.

"I also saw you flying with the aura of a flaming bird as the skyfleet crossed the horizon. I'll admit, I didn't expect the Witch King to be so lethal. If you're capable of that, I can see why my mother is wary of you." Miao Ying followed up.

"I have Asuryan's blessing…the creator and phoenix god of the elves. I suppose I became an avatar of him. I barely remember what happened out there. I wasn't myself. I could have been possessed maybe. That wasn't my power…it was divine intervention," he explained.

Miao Ying tilted her head, "Humility…how odd. The people at Turtle Gate call you a Xian…that's what we call immortal demigods in Cathay. It would seem it's quite true if you are in fact the Avatar of Asuryan and you could summon the elven blood god Khaine into the world. Honestly, I find that horrifying but also confusing. If you're that powerful and you're the chosen of those gods…why haven't you conquered the high elves yet? You're clearly far more powerful than their Phoenix King and Everqueen."

"I have almost won several times, but fate has a cruel way of holding me back. Also, I only recently acquired Asuryan's blessing. He gave me a test to go to the Palace of Slaanesh after I banished myself to the Realms of Chaos at Finuval Plain two hundred years ago. It also healed my burns. Prior to that, I was encased in my own armour and weak to the Flames of Asuryan. Now, I can control them," he answered.

"I see…your armour was quite difficult to remove. I was surprised you did not have burns as I have heard the tale from Li Dao about how the Witch King burned in the Flames of Asuryan for being unworthy. I suppose that is no longer the case then, is it? From what I understand, isn't the blessing of Asuryan something only the Phoenix King can have? I can imagine how impactful that will be on future elven politics. I would prefer you keep that war out of Cathay." Miao Ying noted.

"I don't care to speculate and I'd rather the Asur not even know about it for the time being. I don't want the Phoenix throne anymore. It's pointless to pursue now. My goals are to correct the downward spiral in Naggaroth. I'm sure Shen Zoo has already told you that I plan to end the raids on Cathay and eventually slavery itself. I won't ignore the threat of chaos any longer. The Great Enemy is our mutual foe, and we stand to gain nothing by warring with the forces of order. It pains me to admit this, but my northern watchtowers in Naggaroth pale in comparison to this Great Bastion. My people will also need better northern defenses for the coming of the Everchosen. I learned his name…Archaon. He's apparently gathering the treasures of chaos. Ashenwing told me that he killed a Cathayan Dragon to get something called the Eye of Sheerian. It supposedly has some type of prescience power," he replied.

Miao Ying nearly dropped her teacup upon hearing that, "What?!"

Shen Zoo seemed even more distraught over this information, "You're serious?!"

"I don't really know what that is, but I'm guessing it was the relic you were looking for out in the chaos wastes, princess? The one your lost sibling stole?" Malekith asked Shen Zoo.

Miao Ying sent a serious glare towards Shen Zoo, "Exactly how much did you tell him about our family, Shen Zoo?!"

"Not everything…just enough to sate his curiosity and make him trust me," she answered her older sister timidly.

The storm dragon shook her head, "You already know way more than you should, King Malekith. Nevertheless, I'm grateful that you told us that. I intend to inform the dragon emperor as soon as possible. If there is indeed another Everchosen coming, Cathay needs to be ready, and we should certainly cooperate for the greater good."

"I'm not opposed to it, but my people probably will be. The cults in Naggaroth need to be culled and shackled. People like my mother need to be dealt with before I can commit Naggaroth's forces to wholly combatting this Everchosen. We need to fortify our northern defenses on par with your Great Bastion and I need to kill all of the dreadlords that won't submit to my new decrees," Malekith sighed.

"Hmm…this is rather unusual. You're nothing like I imagined. Your admiration for the Great Bastion is appreciated though. I never thought I'd see the day an elf complimented it…let alone the Witch King himself. I favor your plan to make one of your own in Naggaroth. The Great Enemy must be fought and held back on multiple fronts. So, do you want to be allies with Cathay then?" Miao Ying wondered. She seemed serious still, but less cold.

Malekith sighed, "That is far too ambitious to hope for and I doubt your people will ever trust mine. Maybe not allies, but I don't consider your people my enemy. I don't even want to war with the Asur anymore either. My purpose is the same as my father's…to protect the world from Chaos."

"Well normally I would say we don't need your help, but you're clearly worth having as an ally if you'd risk your own life to protect the Great Bastion and save my sister. Plus, this news of an Everchosen is not something to ignore. Even as mighty as Cathay is, we cannot stem the tide of chaos alone. Shen Zoo believes you are willing to ally with Cathay. In the past I'd scoff at such a notion, but having seen you save Turtle Gate for myself, I cannot ignore this opportunity for the greater good. You've done more to help our empire than the high elves ever have…and not because of glory, gold, power, or ambition but duty and responsibility. A being of your power using their strength for the greater good of the world is commendable. My siblings cold learn from that. It's rather unusual to see an elf willing to help humans in such a way, but I commend your nobility. According to the countless testimonies of you saving people and even training them…I believe you stand upon the side of light, and I will offer my support should you wish to establish better relations with Cathay. I assure you that my word carries far more weight than any of my siblings. The Dragon Emperor trusts my judgement more than anyone else's save the Moon Empress. If I vouch for you, he will listen." Miao Ying followed up.

"Thank you princess…I suppose I'll consider it after hearing what the Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress have to say. I don't expect anything. Honestly, I'd much rather leave this place as soon as possible so I can get back to Naggaroth. My own kingdom is likely in civil war right now since I've been gone for two centuries. Whatever comes, I would ask that you allow me passage back to Naggaroth. That is all I want. If that won't be granted, then I will fight my way out of this place just so you know," he stated.

"You've shown that we can trust you and you will not come to harm here…you have my word on that. I do have one condition I wish to impose however…for the remainder of your duration here, I would ask that you remain in my presence at all times. Shen Zoo will remain nearby as well. Allowing you entry into Cathay is my responsibility to bear and I am accountable for everything you do henceforth. Plus, with this shapeshifting daemon on the loose, I can confidently ensure it does not try to imitate any of us if we stay close together. As I mentioned earlier though, it is very likely we will encounter several of my siblings in Wei-Jin. I expect Yuan Bo and Zhao Ming will make an appearance when they hear about Shen Zoo coming home. Please restrain yourself if they show you hostility. They will be slow to trust…but at least Yin-Yin won't be there. She will probably become rabid when she hears of you getting an audience with the Emperor and Empress. Shen Zoo and I will speak on your behalf. When you meet the Emperor and Empress only speak when spoken to…and be respectful at all times. You'll greatly offend them if you don't bow as well. I'd strongly advise that you treat them with the reverence they deserve," Miao Ying instructed.

"I'll be respectful, but don't expect me to grovel for them like one of your lords or vassals. You dragons aren't the only immortal monarchs in this world, and I happen to rule an entire continent. I think I can speak for myself to another foreign ruler. If that offends them, then I have no interest in being allies with those who look down on me. I'm not the only one who needs to make a good impression, princess. If that will be an issue, then I'll gladly just cross the chaos wastes again and go home to Naggaroth right now. I am not kowtowing or kneeling to your emperor. Kings only kneel to surrender or swear fealty to greater kings. I am not becoming your vassal," Malekith immediately shut down Miao Ying's commands.

"Do as you wish then, but don't say I didn't warn you. You'll find that my parents are far beyond any beings you've ever met. We'll worry about that later. For now, there are other important matters to deal with. Come with me. I have much to do to ensure Turtle Gate is left fortified before our trip to Wei-Jin. I would prefer we leave as soon as possible before Yuan Bo shows up. There's no way he hasn't intercepted one of Shen Zoo's missives yet. From what my scouts say, crowmen are everywhere in the north right now," Miao Ying stated as she finished her tea and stood up.

Malekith and Shen Zoo stood up as well and began to follow her as she headed for the door. The elf made sure to pick up the puzzle box of Xholankha along the way and double checked that he had all his things before leaving the room.

'If Kairos was telling me the truth, then this Changeling will arrive at Turtle Gate shortly before the Jade Dragon does. I don't like the idea of listening to him, but it seems like a good idea to kill this daemon with these dragons to witness it. The more of them that trust me, the less likely I am to get imprisoned or killed at Wei-Jin. They might even grant me passage home and spare me a trip through the chaos wastes again. If this all goes awry, I should certainly work out an escape plan once I get to Wei-Jin. Fateweaver mentioned a black ark was headed for Haichai. Worst case scenario I can flee east and wait for it,' Malekith reflected.

The elf followed behind Miao Ying and Shen Zoo as they exited the warden's quarters and made their way past a somewhat excessive amount of celestial dragon guards waiting outside. All of them snapped to attention and bowed their heads with respect as Miao Ying and Shen Zoo passed, but their heads turned to follow Malekith with suspicion as he came after.

Although many humans looked similar to him, Malekith did not recognize a lot of these dragon guards which suggested that they were possibly not from Turtle Gate itself but were the reinforcements.

His theory was quickly confirmed when Miao Ying addressed Malekith again in elvish, "Reinforcements have been pouring in for the past day and a half. Many of these troops likely only know what they've heard about you from the original garrison at Turtle Gate. Try to be on your best behavior and don't make me look bad. The same goes for you Shen Zoo. Please be mindful of what you say in front of people. The last thing we need is for rumors to get out of control. They're already spreading like wildfire and I can't even imagine what the crowmen have overheard by now."

'I wonder what crowmen are? Must be some kind of spies,' Malekith deduced as he absorbed the information.

The fact that she addressed him in elvish was a clear sign that Miao Ying did not want the humans to have any idea what she was saying to him.

Malekith sighed, "What preparations do you need to make before we can leave, princess? Is there anything I can do to expedite it? The sooner I'm out of this place the better…for both of our sakes."

"Most of the preparations are already under way such as repairs and bolstering the garrison. I have also sent messages to Nan Gau to reinforce Snake and Dragon Gates since I mobilized most of the western forces to Turtle Gate. Architects and engineers from Po Mei have been arriving for the past day as well as a large labor force of peasants to rebuild the outer wall. These forces must remain until repairs are completed. Normally, I would never leave the bastion unattended after an attack of this magnitude, but we have ample forces to reinforce the bastion. I also doubt the northmen will attempt another assault anytime soon after you killed thousands of them in the manner you did. That gives me plenty of time to bring you to Wei-Jin. I dare not leave you alone in the company of my brothers and I need to inform the emperor personally about the other matters we discussed," Miao Ying replied stoically. Her demeanor was much colder in the public eye and the way she walked slightly in front of him almost came across as condescending.

Shen Zoo frowned at her sister's behavior but went along with it. That didn't stop her from slowing her pace to match Malekith's gait. The younger sister then looked at Miao Ying curiously, "Aren't you concerned about that shapeshifting daemon trying to sow discord while you're away? What if it imitates someone and gives false orders?"

"All of my shugengans and magistrates have already been made aware of that threat and I have specifically informed them of countermeasures. Everyone important is required to travel in pairs or trios. Those here have also been made aware that they are not to listen to you or me unless we are both together. This Changeling daemon can't imitate more than one person at once. Everyone has also been informed to not listen to the Jade Dragon's orders either," Miao Ying added.

'I can't catch a break, can I? I've never missed Naggarond this much in my life. To think I used to take that city for granted. Right now, a day off in my tower studying some artefact sounds like a blessing,' Malekith thought.

"I forgot to ask you, but how long was I out, princess?" Malekith asked Miao Ying after a brief silence.

He could feel the piercing stares of countless new faces from Miao Ying's forces as they rounded the corner and went down the stairs. Many high-ranking officers and nobles could be seen busily going about logistical business as they entered the main chamber.

"You've been unconscious for over two days. Even without my healing, I noticed that you regenerate much faster than normal. I honestly didn't expect you to regain consciousness for several more days. You surely do have some divine blessing from what I can tell. Most of the damage you suffered was from the overuse of dark magic. A normal person would rend their own soul using Dhar like that. You seem to have an unnatural tolerance to it." The storm dragon answered.

Upon seeing Malekith and the two dragons entering the chamber, all of the humans stopped what they were doing and went wide-eyed. Miao Ying ignored their stupefied states as she spoke in Cathan, "Report."

A man that Malekith did not recognize was quick to answer as he approached and bowed his head to the white-haired matriarch, "Your highness…repairs are going quicker than initial estimates suggested. The workforce has been divided into three shifts and has not ceased since yesterday morning. Two additional battalions arrived from Po Mei about an hour ago led by magistrate Chen Jing. Military forces have been dispersed over the high wall accordingly and all peasants are participating in the cleanup and rebuilding efforts. By my estimate, the outer wall should be repaired in two more days. Most of the essential buildings have already been rebuilt and cleanup should be complete by this evening. Turtle Gate scouts report no sign of enemy movement for the past day. Dragon Gate reports no sign of enemy movement as well."

"What is Sung Lian doing currently? I don't see her here," Miao Ying asked.

The man quickly answered, "Lady Sung Lian has been directly coordinating the cleanup and retrieving the wounded and fallen for the past day. She has barely slept from what I've seen and refuses to come to council here despite my best efforts to relegate her to more essential tasks. Last I saw her, she was down in the center plaza helping the water mages heal the wounded survivors. She is currently with Magistrate Cheung and Captain Zhu."

"How noble of her," Shen Zoo said with approval.

The prestigious looking man frowned, "She is greatly needed here, and I believe it is a waste of time trying to heal the lowborn with magic. We have plenty of apothecaries and physicians as well as the water mages I brought here from Dragon Gate. I need her to gather a census on the survivors so we can send word to the families of the fallen."

"I see. Thank you shugengan," Miao Ying nodded her head at the man's report. It was almost impossible to tell what Miao Ying was thinking about this news as the storm dragon kept a stoic and poised expression at all times.

This male shugengan was dressed similarly to Sung Lian and was also a dragon-blooded human from what Malekith learned. The man looked distinguished and was undoubtedly the warden of Dragon Gate if Malekith had to guess.

The man then bowed his head to Shen Zoo, "You bless us with your presence, Imperial Princess Shen Zoo. It is good to see you are fully healed since last we met. If you need anything from us, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you, Miao Lu," Shen Zoo nodded her head at the Shugengan.

'Miao Lu…he must be a descendant of Miao Ying. Come to think of it I wonder if Sung Lian is as well? I suppose that makes sense. The storm dragon would want one of her descendants guarding the bastion as opposed to more distantly related shugengans,' Malekith thought.

The shugengan then turned his wary gaze towards Malekith as his light brown eyes met the elf's emerald green. There was a brief and uneasy tension as the man quietly stared.

The man finally spoke to Malekith when he saw Miao Ying staring at him, "Well met, lord elf. I understand you are the one who led the garrison's defense here at Turtle Gate. I am Miao Lu, the warden of dragon gate and descendant of the supreme matriarch and imperial princess Miao Ying."

Malekith did not respond to the man, but he simply nodded at him with slightly more courtesy than he was used to expressing. It was just enough to not come across as dismissive.

"This is the part where you introduce yourself Malekith," Shen Zoo spoke to him in Eltharin.

"I'm Malekith…Witch King of Naggaroth. I assumed you already knew that," the elf replied blankly. He said it so casually that it actually caused Miao Ying to raise a brow at him confused.

"I expected a more grandiose introduction from an elf," Miao Ying slightly smirked while maintaining her bearing and poise.

Miao Lu looked a bit baffled by Malekith's nonchalant royal introduction, "Forgive me for addressing you by the wrong rank, King Malekith. You have my gratitude for assisting the Great Bastion. I have heard nothing but good things about you from the garrison here. My younger cousin Sung Lian even tells me you saved her life in the battle. I understand that the storm dragon will be taking you to Wei-Jin. I wish I could be there to see your meeting with the Dragon Emperor. You've certainly earned an audience with him after saving the Light Dragon and Turtle Gate."

The elf said nothing in response and simply turned his gaze towards Miao Ying, "Do we have time to go see Sung Lian? I wanted to speak with her about something."

'She must have Lieutenant Kongyu's amulet. I didn't see it with my belongings. I might as well give it to his father in Wei-Jin. I told him I would, and I doubt Sung Lian can leave with Turtle Gate in this condition,' Malekith thought to himself. It felt odd to have a sense of compassion for someone...especially a non elf, but he felt compelled to do it, nonetheless.

Shen Zoo looked at him curiously, "Since when are you so concerned about her?"

"We do have time. She also requested to see you whenever you woke up. I needed to speak with her anyways, so we should probably pay her a visit now." Miao Ying answered.

"May I come along, princess?" Miao Lu asked respectfully.

The storm dragon nodded, "I'll allow it. I also have another task for you as well afterwards. Magistrate Shan, come along as well. Nobody in a position of leadership is permitted to travel alone until we've dealt with this shapeshifting daemon of Chi'an Chi."

"Of course, your majesty," the magistrate bowed his head as he walked up next to Miao Lu. The storm dragon said nothing else as she departed the chamber. Malekith and Shen Zoo swiftly followed along with the shugengan and magistrate.

They walked in silence for about a minute, but Malekith could see the shugengan staring at him through his peripheral vision. He seemed like he wanted to talk to the elf but was too intimidated to start a conversation. The magistrate looked petrified to be in the presence of so much royalty and kept his eyes forward.

Fortunately for Miao Lu, Shen Zoo seemed to notice his curious gaze and broke the ice, "Are you alright, Lord Miao Lu?"

"Y-yes, your highness. Forgive me I didn't mean to stare so brazenly," he apologized.

"You looked like you wanted to say something. Go ahead," Shen Zoo stated kindly.

The man took a deep breath before speaking, "I wanted to ask King Malekith a question if he'll permit it."

Malekith did not even look at the man as he kept his gaze forward which seemed to give an unspoken answer.

"Perhaps later, Miao Lu. King Malekith is still recovering mentally from the battle after all. Plus, he's already answered quite a few questions for the Storm Dragon," Shen Zoo intervened diplomatically.

"I completely understand. Is it alright if I speak with you about it then?" he asked.

Shen Zoo nodded her head, "You may."

"Thank you, your highness. I have heard tales of the dreaded dark elf Witch King before, but I never would have imagined he would help Cathay or rescue you from the maw of Chi'an Chi. The soldiers here speak reverently of him. Not just his power, but the way he inspired them and won your favor. They say he endured a day in the gallows just to prove his innocence to Sung Lian. They say he trained the peasants how to fight like elves and the gunners how to shoot like dwarves. The skyfleet says he practically killed half the enemy army by himself as well as their leaders. It's truly remarkable. I have never seen Sung Lian so humble in my life either. My cousin has always lacked humility, but she insists that he deserves all the credit for this victory. It's quite amazing, if I must say. Not only an elf, but a dark elf at that…saved the lives of thousands of humans. How did you ever convince him to help you?" the man spoke to Shen Zoo.

"He rescued me several times and he carried me all the way here from the north pole. I didn't really convince King Malekith to help me. We just worked together and developed a mutual trust after our experiences prior. All of those things you've heard about him are completely true though," Shen Zoo replied.

Miao Ying seemed like she didn't approve of her sister talking about this, but stayed silent, nonetheless. Malekith himself felt very uncomfortable having people talk about him while he was nearby.

"Even the part about him destroying half the army with some immaculate magic power?" the man gawked.

"Malekith is more powerful than I am and he's the reason this garrison is still standing. He and I battled multiple greater daemons in the realms of chaos including the Oracle of Chi'an Chi. He deserves your utmost reverence," Shen Zoo affirmed with a smile as she looked at the elf.

Malekith showed no interest or reaction to this conversation as he looked around at the damage in the garrison and towards the greater gate in the distance to Cathay beyond. The sight of crows flying everywhere around the garrison was also unusual...especially because they weren't exactly crows. They had human like hands and reminded Malekith somewhat of harpies in a way. Miao Ying had also been silent the entire time Miao Lu spoke as she looked at Malekith to gauge his reaction.

His lack of interest in Miao Lu's awe seemed to intrigue the storm dragon, but she said nothing as her gaze followed Malekith's to the massive gate near the high wall.

'I need to keep an eye out for whoever comes through there. This changeling daemon is going to arrive before the jade dragon…assuming it hasn't already. Maybe it was that magistrate Chen Jing that they mentioned who came from Po Mei?' the elf thought grimly.

"You have our sincerest gratitude for your heroic deeds here, King Malekith. I am truly grateful that you risked your life to help the people of Cathay," Miao Lu tried to speak to the elf again.

The dark-haired elf looked at the shugengan and sighed, "I've never had a high opinion of humans. I didn't help this garrison for any noble reasons, and I won't pretend that I'm a good person. I fought for Cathay to keep Shen Zoo alive and to repay her aid to me in the Realms of Chaos. Your gratitude should be directed towards her because she is the only reason why I'm here and the only reason I bothered helping you people."

"I see…well it is truly admirable, nonetheless. The tales of the Light Dragon are indeed true if she could earn the respect and loyalty of an elven king. I am grateful to her and to you for your heroism here. Perhaps this can bring about peace between our two empires," the man stated cordially.

'I'm not a hero…ughh these humans are going to grovel even more now. No doubt he wants to win favor with both of the princesses or snake his way into some political advantage. I can't wait to get out of this wretched place. I HATE foreign politics. It's getting annoying walking on eggshells in this place,' Malekith thought callously.

For whatever reason, he mentally could not accept the idea of being a hero to humans. Something about it was sickening to his stomach. Maybe it was engrained guilt or self-loathing, he couldn't say. He also still had his doubts that these people actually gave a damn about him. This man was a politician first and Malekith did not like obvious bootlicking. He believed that Lieutenant Kongyu was genuine in his respect for him since the man sacrificed his life to save Malekith. This shugengan on the other hand just wanted to be relevant and in the loop. That was probably the reason he wanted to come along.

Malekith did not speak again as he and the others made their way out of the upper plaza and passed by countless people. To say he was being stared at was the understatement of a lifetime. It was even worse than it was before as Malekith saw everyone stop what they were doing and gawk at him as they passed.

Many bowed along the way, but that was obviously for the two dragons and the shugengan. A company of gunners were marching by and immediately stopped when they saw Malekith. The elf recognized many of their faces…this was Yeung Lan's company.

"Sir!" Yeung Lan exclaimed as she broke her bearing and approached the royals.

She bowed her head low to Miao Ying before turning her gaze to Malekith, "Sir, you're awake! What a relief!"

Miao Ying stopped walking as she looked over and observed Malekith's reaction to the gunner officer. To her surprise, Malekith was actually more receptive to the woman than he was to Miao Lu. The shugengan also noticed this and seemed a bit offended by it.

"Lieutenant Yeung Lan," Malekith said as he turned to face her.

"H-how are you feeling, sir?" the woman asked anxiously.

She was clearly intimidated by Miao Ying and Shen Zoo staring at her curiously as she spoke to Malekith. The Witch King on the other hand was somewhat baffled that she had the nerve to even approach two royals like this unannounced.

"Better now thanks to the storm dragon. She is an excellent healer. Apparently, she saved my life," he replied politely.

"What a relief. I can't believe we all made it through that battle alive. When you came back with Lady Sung Lian and collapsed, I feared the worst. I haven't even been able to sleep. Thank the Emperor you made it," Yeung Lan sighed with relief.

"More like thank the storm dragon," the elf noted. The white-haired dragon couldn't help but smile subtly at his comment.

Finally Miao Ying spoke up, "Is there something you needed lieutenant? It's rather rude to approach without announcing yourself."

"Forgive me, your highness. I'm Lieutenant Yeung Lan of the Fierce Dragons of Nan Gau second company. It was rude of me to interrupt. I am just so relieved to see that King Malekith is alright. I've been so worried about him ever since the battle ended and nobody has told us anything." the woman bowed her head again.

"I see most of your company survived," Malekith broke the following awkward silence as he looked over the gunners.

Yeung Lan nodded, "Of course they did sir…your training paid off. Everything you taught us was lifesaving. I just wanted to say thank you. I'll never forget what you did here. Everyone at Turtle Gate owes you their lives. I won't pretend to understand the politics to come, but you're a hero and I'll make sure everyone knows it, sir!"

The lieutenant then saluted him which was swiftly mirrored by her entire company. To Malekith's bewilderment, he could even see some of them shedding a few tears for some unusual reason. He had no idea why and didn't care to speculate, but something about the raw emotion they were displaying seemed genuine. These humans were actually grateful and even his cold heart couldn't dismiss that. In a strange way, he thought about the passage he read about humans from that dream of Oxyotl earlier.

'Maybe there's some value in teaching and inspiring humans after all? This group seems completely loyal to me now and they're more afraid of their own sovereigns than me. Mother might have had the right idea trying to get human followers. I should try to do the same at some point...Elves alone won't be enough to save the world. I wonder if it's real though? Do they really consider me a hero? I wonder how quickly that would disappear if they knew anything about me other than what they've seen here? What would they say if I praised them? They seem desperate for my validation. Why do they care what I think? Why aren't they afraid of me now? If anything, they should be more terrified.' Malekith thought as he looked over the humans.

"Your gratitude is noted, lieutenant, but don't romanticize what happened or delude yourself into believing such childish things. I would have sacrificed this entire garrison to destroy that army. I'm not nearly as noble as you might believe. Just because I helped you people doesn't mean I'm some righteous paragon. I did what I had to do and nothing more," Malekith stated with a neutral stoic tone.

Yeung Lan frowned, "Yet you fought at that breach alone. You rode out into the midst of that horde to battle their leaders...alone. You challenged that entire army to target you and nearly died fighting them...for us. You saved so many people even though you didn't have to. It's not my place to say this, but I don't understand why you would do that unless you were a hero. There's no need to be humble, we'd be dead if you didn't help us. Everyone here knows that now."

"She's right, Malekith...you also forced me to stay back since you considered my life more valuable than your own," Shen Zoo added.

Hearing this caused Miao Ying to look over the expressions of her sister and the Iron Hail Gunners. She did not say anything but seemed quite curious about witnessing this situation. Miao Lu noticed his matriarch's silent observation and Malekith's completely blank face from hearing people praise him. The elf had no idea what either of them were thinking, but truthfully, he didn't really care.

"I'm glad you all survived. You did well out there and you didn't retreat once. You're competent soldiers...at least as far as humans go. I hope you all learned something from this battle...for I doubt it will be your last," Malekith finally decided to praise the gunners so that he could get attention off of himself.

"Look, it's him!" Malekith heard someone call out from afar.

He glanced over to the source and saw the fire monk Jin Tao running his way. A huge gaggle of peasants were following the man, and all had seemingly dropped their construction tools in the process as they made a mad dash towards him.

"King Malekith! You're alive!" Jin Tao exclaimed joyously as he forsook all customs and courtesies to run up next to Yeung Lan.

Miao Ying looked baffled and slightly annoyed by the southern monk's brazen action and the peasants following him.

"That was some battle! I can't wait to tell everyone in the southern provinces about how you set an entire chaos army on fire! People can't stop talking about it!" the monk followed up with a noticeable slur. He was clearly drunk as were the peasants with him.

That seemed to explain their lack of caution or concern over upsetting Miao Ying. The Storm Dragon visibly winced when she saw Jin Tao touch Malekith's shoulder but was even more surprised that Malekith didn't react poorly to it. The elf simply grabbed the man's wrist and calmly pushed it off.

"You did well rallying the militia and helping me shoot down mortars. What are you doing now?" Malekith wondered.

"We've been assigned to cleanup and rebuilding…but now that you're awake, we need to celebrate with drinks! Don't worry, the inn didn't get damaged in the battle. I definitely owe you one…or maybe twenty. You could probably outdrink an ogre," the man laughed eagerly.

"Who is this unkempt man? Identify yourself and show respect to the dragons!" Miao Lu interjected authoritatively.

His tone caused the peasants to all back away and bow their heads fearfully. Jin Tao sighed at the shugengan's tone before turning to bow to the royals, "Sorry your celestial majesties…I just wanted to see our commander, King Malekith."

"You wear the garb of a Fu-Hung monk and yet you have shaggy long hair and you're a drunk buffoon? How indecent and disrespectful of you to present yourself before the dragons of Cathay in such an offensive manner. This is not the temperament or appearance of a proper monk," Miao Lu stated with disgust at the fire mage.

"Forgive me, shugengan. I'm a former monk. I am no longer part of the order since I chose to get married and have children." Jin Tao said apologetically to the man as he lowered his head.

"Truly pitiful…a monk who forsook his vows for worldly desires," the shugengan shook his head, "what on earth are you even doing up here at the bastion, former monk?"

"He is Jin Tao, a fire monk from a village outside of Fu-Hung and a martial arts master. From what I understand, he was a high ranking and distinguished former monk. He saved a magistrate's daughter from tigermen and ended up marrying her. It caused a scandal, but Shugengan Li Ling granted him amnesty on the condition he leave the order and teach fire magic to her son. She eventually sent him as dignitary from Fu-Hung to teach fire magic to her daughter Li Lu in Wei-Jin about a year ago. Shugengan Sung Lian recruited him from Wei-Jin several months afterwards. He was one of the leaders of the garrison's defense and saved many lives," Shen Zoo spoke to Miao Lu.

"Why is this man intoxicated? He brings shame upon his order by wearing that garb and acting like a fool." the shugengan frowned.

"The battle was quite horrific and I'm certain many have been trying to cope with the horrors and loss they faced. Please show some consideration for him. Jin Tao has been nothing but respectful to me ever since I met him, and he is under Shugengan Sung Lian's authority, not yours, Miao Lu. He is a master of Aqshy magic, and his son is to be a magistrate…so he is no mere peasant and deserves a bit more respect from you," Shen Zoo diffused the situation flawlessly.

"I see…" Miao Lu said slowly as he frowned in disapproval at Jin Tao.

"Where is Fu-Hung?" Malekith asked curiously.

"It's near the entrance to the Great Canal between Ind and Khuresh. It's Li Dao's capital city in the Southern Provinces. You would probably like it, Malekith. It has a great phoenix temple for the vermillion birds, and they even have some elven shrines to Asuryan there that Tor Elasor colonists built for the Fire Dragon. As far as I'm aware it's one of the only places in Cathay where people study elven culture and can interact with them. It's the most frequented port by elven traders in the empire...even more than Fu-Chow, the Sea Dragon's capital city. Fu-Hung has long traded with the elven colony of Tor Elasor southwest of Ind. It's a cultural melting pot of elves, Indans, and Cathayans. Fu-Hung is actually where Yin-Yin learned about most of the elven history from the colonist traders there. Li Dao probably knows more about elves than she does now, but he's not much of a talker," Shen Zoo answered.

"Li Dao doesn't even let her near his provinces these days. The Fire and Sea Dragons had a falling out after Yin-Yin soured relations with the elves by trying to colonize the Isles of Elithis. They won't even let our ships sail through the Gates of Calith anymore because of that. I usually frown upon Li Dao's emotional outbursts, but he was quite justified in denouncing Yin-Yin for her actions. If it weren't for the Great Canal, that he's actually good at protecting, then we would have to sail around Lustria to maintain sea trade with the west. We certainly can't rely on the trade caravans to the west thanks to the Iron Dragon's negligence in protecting them," Miao Ying spoke in Eltharin to give Malekith more context.

"She must have done something bad indeed if they won't let her through the Gates of Calith. The Asur don't even try to stop druchii fleets from passing through that straight. Not they really could though…only dragonships are a match for black arks and the colonies out here might have one or two dragonships at the most. They only attack if we sail too close to their colonies. The Asur don't care if we raid Cathay or Ind," Malekith replied shaking his head.

"Fu-Hung is an interesting city. Probably the only notable one in the southern provinces," Miao Ying went back to Cathan and changed the subject.

"So that city has a phoenix temple? That would be interesting to see one day," Malekith noted.

"I can tell you all about it later, sir when you're not busy. The Southern provinces might not be as fancy as the north, but the culture there is second to none and the food is way better too. If you have time later come by the inn," Jin Tao did his best to act sober and more proper now.

Miao Ying crossed her arms, "King Malekith will not be drinking with you. We will be departing for Wei-Jin soon and he is not to leave my company. It's very disrespectful to treat a foreign king like he's one of your drinking pals, monk. I'll forgive your unsightly behavior only because you're a southerner and you're probably not used to proper etiquette. Perhaps if you clean yourself up, I'll allow you an audience with King Malekith before we leave. Until then, I suggest you all get back to work."

"Yes, your highness. Come on men, let's get going," Jin Tao said disheartened as he left. He made sure to bow respectfully before departing though.

Yeung Lan looked too scared to say anything or move as she briefly stole a glance between Miao Ying and the shugengan.

"What are you all standing there for? Move along lieutenant!" Miao Lu ordered the gunner officer.

'My instincts were right to dislike this man. His entire identity revolves around his position,' Malekith thought annoyed by his condescending tone.

In some ways he understood that the lowborn should respect the highborn, but this man was acting like he was in charge of Turtle Gate. If Malekith actually cared to talk to these humans more, he would have said something in their defense, but he chose not to in order to avoid drama or stress.

"We can spare a minute for the people to speak with Malekith," Shen Zoo spoke up, "you should show some more appreciation to these soldiers, Miao Lu. They just endured a great battle…one that you weren't even here for. Also, I'm fairly certain I mentioned that you are NOT in command here. Perhaps you should know your place before ordering others around. The storm dragon and I can speak for ourselves, Shugengan, and it's incredibly rude of you to dismiss people that King Malekith is speaking to."

"I…princess it wasn't my intention to-" the shugengan stumbled over his words as he glanced over at Miao Ying hoping she would validate his actions.

The storm dragon shook her head, "Miao Lu…this would be a perfect time for you to fulfill that task I had in mind. Take the magistrate and assemble the entire garrison of Turtle Gate for an assembly at sunset. I wish to make an announcement to those who participated in the battle later. Inform everyone who was present for the battle to pack their things as well."

"Y-yes, your highness," the man bowed his head in shame before leaving.

Shen Zoo glanced at her sister curiously, "You're going to announce something to the garrison?"

"Yes," Miao Ying answered vaguely before looking at Yeung Lan, "you will have an opportunity to speak to King Malekith later. For now, return to duty."

"Of course, your highness," the officer replied meekly before leaving with her company.

Malekith looked at Miao Ying confused, "You want the original garrison to pack their things?"

"Yes, everyone who participated in the battle is coming with us to Wei-Jin. The reinforcing armies will watch the gate in our absence," the white-haired princess stated before starting to walk again.

Shen Zoo seemed surprised by this news, "I'm amazed you would allow so many people to leave their post."

"Everyone who fought back that army is a hero of Cathay and they will be properly acknowledged for that when we get to Wei-Jin. If we leave by tomorrow, we can honor them in the New Year's festival. That's the least I can do to repay their sacrifices in my absence. Plus, it's good for morale and will help the commoners accept King Malekith's presence at Wei-Jin," she replied.

"Does that mean you consider Malekith a hero too?" Shen Zoo couldn't help but ask.

The elf visibly cringed at her question which Miao Ying was quick to notice.

The storm dragon ignored her sister's question as she looked at Malekith curiously, "I've been watching the way you react to people. It bothers you, doesn't it? A normal elf or human would revel in this, but you haven't. You seem like you're embarrassed by this entire ordeal. Like you don't believe what they say about you. You risked your life for these humans and yet you feel disgusted by their appreciation. You seem prideful and assured but also ashamed and apathetic to reverence. It's quite curious to me. I've never seen an elf act this way before."

"How should I act?" he replied stoically.

"I don't know, to be honest. I just find you peculiar. My father acts the same way. He is prideful and authoritative, but he doesn't like adulation either. He carries the weight of the world on his shoulders and is aloof to the feelings of most lesser beings. He is proud and confident yet believes himself inadequate to the expectations of others and those he has of himself. I find your alignment of personalities quite intriguing. I eagerly look forward to seeing how he reacts to you." the dragon replied.

"What she means by all of that is she is the same way, and she admires you," Shen Zoo interjected.

Miao Ying was quick to dismiss her sister's statement, "Don't put words in my mouth, Shen Zoo. That is not what I meant."

"Well then what did you mean?" her younger sister prodded.

The storm dragon cleared her throat after covering up her embarrassed face, "I meant that King Malekith is worthy of my support, and I don't believe he is a bad person. He seems to think and act like father does and I can see their interaction going well."

"So, you like him then?" Shen Zoo smirked.

"Tch," Miao Ying clicked her tongue and decided not to answer.

"Comparing you to our father, Xen Yang, is the highest praise she could ever give, Malekith. It seems my sister likes you," Shen Zoo smiled.

Miao Ying rolled her eyes at Shen Zoo's statement before walking forward again, "Come, we're wasting time. I want to finish preparations so we can leave before the jade dragon arrives."

As if fate had deigned to mock her for even speaking it, a loud noise sounded in the distance announced by gongs ringing and horns blowing. Malekith and the two dragons turned to watch as the massive gate built into the high wall began to crank open slowly.

The storm dragon sighed dramatically at the sight, "He arrived far quicker than I thought he would. He probably made them march through the night since he knows you're here, Shen Zoo."

"I recognize that horn. That's definitely Yuan Bo," Shen Zoo perked up happily at the sudden arrival of her brother.

"Let's go greet him before he starts trying to order people around," Miao Ying groaned in disapproval.

'He's already here?! Does that mean the changeling is already at Turtle Gate?! Damn it! I need to stay alert,' Malekith thought urgently as he followed Miao Ying and Shen Zoo back to the upper plaza.

They moved quite quickly thanks to Miao Ying's swift pace and arrived just in time before Turtle Gate was fully opened to allow the arriving army entry into the garrison. Many officers, officials, and even magistrates were all there to greet the arriving army as they lined the streets and allowed them to march inside. By this time, Malekith and his dragon companions were standing dead center in the plaza in front of the marching army who were finally entering the garrison.

The elf also saw Magistrate Shan and Miao Lu were there. No doubt the arrival of the Jade Dragon had sidelined their appointed task and they wanted to be present for it.

"King Malekith?! You're awake?!" the voice of Sung Lian drew Malekith from watching the arrivals.

He turned his gaze behind himself and saw Sung Lian had also arrived along with a host of her officers and Magistrate Cheung. The female Shugengan was quick to approach and bowed her head to the dragons as she stood next to Malekith.

"I heard you were down in the lower plaza healing commoners. I need you to gather a census for the fallen by tonight, Shugengan," Miao Ying ordered her as the group stood poised and awaited Yuan Bo's appearance.

"I already have for the most part, your highness. I was doing that, but I needed to get a concise estimate on fatally wounded and the ones who could be saved. Some of my men were in critical condition and I got distracted trying to help the healers. Forgive me, princess," Sung Lian replied to Miao Ying before looking at the stoic Malekith.

"I see...well make sure it's finished by tonight," Miao Ying ordered.

"Yes, your celestial majesty," Sung Lian bowed her head.

Malekith ignored this exchange as began to brood about the predicament of the Changeling obviously being nearby. Even though he did not trust Kairos Fateweaver, he just knew the daemon was watching them from somewhere close. He would have to expose and kill it somehow.

"It's good to see you're alright, King Malekith. I hope we can speak to each other later," Sung Lian tried to speak to him.

"We will," was all Malekith said before turning his attention back towards the open gate.

"Men, Halt! Make way for the Jade Dragon!" an officer at the front of the arriving army shouted loudly.

The arriving men looked extremely tired and somewhat dirty. There was no doubt that they had probably been marching for almost two days as some could barely maintain their bearing upon being ordered to stop and part to the side.

Walking through the parting army, Malekith saw many jade-clad officers and a several nobles. One man was carrying a massive halberd and looked distinguished in his jade armour. The elf briefly wondered if that man was the Jade Dragon, but it became apparent that he wasn't when a much taller man wearing green and gold walked up through the line behind him and directly towards Miao Ying and Shen Zoo.

His walk quickly accelerated into a near run as he closed the distance. The man had a well-groomed moustache and similar eyes to the other dragons except his were more golden. He was taller than all of the humans matching Malekith in height, but it was difficult to discern his appearance due to the impressive, plumed helmet on his head. The purple plume signified royalty and this man certainly looked the part.

There was no doubt in Malekith's mind that he was the Jade Dragon Yuan Bo. He looked quite imposing and the massive two-handed sword on his back only amplified that aura.

Upon reaching Shen Zoo, the man stopped and smiled at her, "Shen Zoo…I can barely believe my eyes. Is that really you?!"

"It's me, brother," Shen Zoo moved in to hug him, but Yuan Bo stepped back cautiously for a moment.

"Wait…I need to be certain first," he stated sternly.

The Light Dragon frowned, "I'm not that Changeling daemon if that's what you're concerned about. Miao Ying told me all about it."

"I didn't expect you for at least two days," Miao Ying said sassily.

"Storm Dragon," Yuan Bo turned his gaze to Miao Ying and nodded curtly.

"Jade Dragon," Miao Ying mirrored his actions and demeanor.

His gaze then turned to Malekith whom he seemed quite baffled by, "So…the missives and crowmen spoke true. The Witch King really is here. I've received interesting reports from the crowmen about what happened and what the people are saying. They say this elf defeated the chaos army before you even arrived, sister…"

"I have this matter quite under control, Jade Dragon. Though of course, I'll happily answer any questions you no doubt have about the situation here since you're obsessed with trying to micromanage my provinces," Miao Ying spoke up with obvious disapproval in her voice.

Yuan Bo shook his head, "That won't be necessary. The crowmen have already told me much of what happened, and Shen Zoo was quite detailed in her messages about the situation. From what it sounds like, Turtle Gate would have fallen if not for Shen Zoo and her elf friend here. It's not like you to be fooled by the tactics of northmen, Storm Dragon."

"Yuan Bo…there's more to it than that. The army was led by a powerful lord of change and according to Malekith, they were able to shroud themselves with magic." Shen Zoo interjected.

Yuan Bo crossed his arms, "I see…and you trust this elf, Shen Zoo? I read your messages about him, but I find it difficult to believe that the dark elf king would go out of his way to bring you all the way to Cathay. Something about this entire situation seems off to me."

"He is who he says he is, Jade Dragon. Everyone here can confirm it. I saw him summon an elven god with magic and obliterate thousands of chaos warriors in the Flames of Asuryan. He's definitely the Witch King. Plus, that isn't normal druchii armor," Miao Ying said slowly.

"Isn't the Witch King horribly burned and disfigured? I see no burns upon his face." Yuan Bo asked doubtfully.

"Not since he acquired the Blessing of Asuryan in the Realms of Chaos, apparently," Miao Ying replied.

Malekith cringed at hearing the dragons talk about this, but thankfully they weren't speaking loud enough for any of the surrounding humans to clearly understand except for Sung Lian and her entourage.

Yuan Bo frowned as he took a step towards Malekith and eyed the elf up and down, "From what I understand, the Witch King is one of the great evils of this world. A figure of villainy on par with Nagash and the champions of chaos. He is the mortal enemy of high elves and dreaded tyrant of the dark elves. How interesting that he not only recued Shen Zoo where you and Zhao Ming failed, but he even defended Turtle Gate in your absence. It's not like you to accept help, storm dragon. It's even more unusual that you don't find this as suspicious as I do."

"This isn't the time and place to discuss this. I vouch for him and he's under my jurisdiction. We are going to take him to meet father," Miao Ying stated sternly as she looked around briefly at the surrounding humans who seemed deathly curious about what was about to happen.

It was quite apparent that she did not like Yuan Bo trying to make this a public spectacle for whatever reason.

Some of the humans seemed to be overhearing parts of the conversation as they were gossiping quietly and making fascinated expressions.

The Jade Dragon paused briefly as he moved unusually towards Malekith, "When I last saw the Changeling, it took Miao Ying's form at Nan-Li and fled east after I purged its cult. Perhaps it came here…"

"You think we're this changeling daemon? I assure you that we're not. Shen Zoo has not left my sight since I arrived, and I just spent two days healing King Malekith after he destroyed a chaos army. Your paranoia is starting to annoy me," Miao Ying sighed at her brother's suspicion.

"Do you know about the Changeling, elf? I find it very difficult to believe that the Witch King aided Cathay. Perhaps I can find out the truth right now," Yuan Bo said threateningly as he drew his two-handed sword.

The sight of him drawing his weapon seemed to be a fearful spectacle to the onlookers as a collective gasp swept through the ranks. Sung Lian looked terrified as she and everyone else backed away. The look in their eyes spoke volumes about how much everyone seemed to fear the Jade Dragon. Before Shen Zoo or Miao Ying could say a word, Malekith stepped forward and put his helmet on. His action seemed aggressive to the Jade Dragon and all of the surrounding humans who gasped fearfully at the sight of the elf and dragon squaring off.

Shen Zoo quickly tried to intervene, "Malekith, don't! I'll handle this. Brother, stand down please. This is completely unnecessary. We'll help you root out this daemon, but I promise you it's not one of us."

"If he has nothing to fear, then why does he draw his swords?" Yuan Bo replied in protest as he saw Malekith draw his blades.

"What are you doing?! Sheathe your weapons. I'll handle this," Miao Ying commanded.

"I'll prove to you that I'm the Witch King and not this Changeling daemon. Though it would be good to know if you're really the Jade Dragon as well," Malekith stated emotionlessly in a metallic voice.

Ignoring the three dragons and the concerned onlooker humans, Malekith focused magic through his Circlet of Iron. He hoped that perhaps he could find the Changeling hidden amongst this crowd of humans. There was no doubt in his mind that the daemon would probably want to watch him interact with Yuan Bo. He shielded his intentions however by making it seem like he wanted to duel the Jade Dragon and suspected him.

"Very well…let's see is your infamous reputation is in fact true, Witch King." Yuan Bo replied callously as he flourished his blade and got into a defensive stance.

"I will intervene if you don't calm down," Miao Ying spoke to her brother.

"Don't worry, storm dragon, I won't kill him. I just need to be sure that he's not a daemon in disguise. Besides, he looks like he wants to fight me anyways," Yuan Bo replied calmly.

"Yuan Bo, he's not a daemon! Malekith saved everyone here," Shen Zoo interjected.

As his circlet finished channeling magic, Malekith focused his vision into pure witchsight. The crown's inherent ability to see magic quickly altered his sight and allowed Malekith to physically see magic in the air and all around them.

Some humans watching in the crowd had a glow around them and were clearly mages. One included a green clad shugengan at the very front. It was the same man wielding the large halberd. His vision darkened even further as the glow of magic was all he could see now.

In this half-blind state of witchsight, Malekith saw the man's magic fluctuate unnaturally as his skin seemed to glow.

'That's the daemon…it has to be. Kairos Fateweaver was quite literal about the Changeling arriving right before the Jade Dragon. He was walking behind this man when he got here. I have to be sure about this though. If I kill an innocent, there'll be serious trouble. What if it's a trick?' Malekith wondered.

Yuan Bo moved in to strike first as he swung his massive sword around in deadly flourishes that would undoubtedly be able to cleave a normal man in half. Malekith weaved and parried the dragon man as he fought back with both blades.

His swords lit up with dark flames as he did so which was mirrored by Yuan Bo channeling lightning over his. Arcs of magic erupted in deadly flashes as they clashed steel. The Jade Dragon did not seem to be holding back as he sent a wave of jagged stone made out of crystals every time he moved as well. As they dueled, many more people came to watch. Shen Zoo was about to run in to break it up but stopped when Malekith looked her way and spoke, "Stay back!"

"This is why I wanted to leave before the Jade Dragon arrived. What in the world is he doing?" Miao Ying facepalmed at the sight of her brother and Malekith dueling.

Both supplemented spells into their fighting styles which seemed to mirror each other quite evenly. Yuan Bo paused briefly after countering a wave of chillwind before staring down the elf, "Dark magic is illegal in Cathay. People get executed for practicing Dhar here."

"Would you rather I use Qhaysh then?" Malekith replied as his swords changed to a whitish blue magical aura.

"Is that supposed to intimidate me? Elven magic is inferior to Feng Shui," Yuan Bo stated coldly.

"Qhaysh it technically Slann magic," Malekith corrected the Jade Dragon. This comment seemed to irk Yuan Bo a bit more than he expected as the man's stoic demeanor shifted to a sharper calm fury.

Shaping the Qhaysh with his blades, Malekith formed it into a phoenix before launching it at the Jade Dragon. A dark aura quickly countered and grounded the spell causing the flames to disperse skyward. Yuan Bo followed up with a stream of lightning which Malekith countered with his own black lightning.

Sparks erupted violently from the magical midline of the two spells as they pushed each other back and forth.

"This is the same elf who killed an entire chaos army? I don't believe it…I'm not even trying and you're already straining beneath my power," the Jade Dragon stated emotionlessly.

"If you think this is the extent of my power then you're clearly not as wise as the Moon Empress is," Malekith countered.

Yuan Bo glared at him for making that comment and gritted his teeth, "Perhaps you are the Witch King...you're certainly arrogant enough to be."

Doing his best to not directly look at the halberd wielding shugengan behind Yuan Bo, Malekith could see the man's magical aura shifting unnaturally in response to Malekith's Dhar.

'That has to be it…' Malekith thought seriously as he ignored Yuan Bo's taunt.

Without saying a word, Malekith charged towards the dragon bringing a crackling surge of magic with him. Yuan Bo magically ignited himself towards Malekith in response. To everyone's complete surprise, Malekith dodged and ran past the Jade Dragon at the last moment as he dashed towards the halberd wielding shugengan.

The supposed Shugengan had no time to react as Malekith stabbed him in both legs causing him to slump down in pain. The elf then lit up his hand with the Flames of Asuryan before grabbing the man by the wrist and forcing him to drop his halberd.

The man shrieked in pain to the horror of all the nearby humans who warily reached for their weapons.

"Jingyi!" the jade dragon called out in disbelief that Malekith had run past him to stab his shugengan.

Kairos Fateweaver was proven right once again as Malekith saw the man's body begin to bubble and erupt with magic before violently exploding with blue and pink fire. Yuan Bo stopped in his tracks when he saw the trickster daemon take shape directly in front of them.

"I can see you daemon!" Malekith howled hatefully as he ripped Destroyer back and impaled the transformed creature in its chest. The Changeling was strange to behold. It had three arms on its left side and one on its right. Its skin was blue like a Tzeentchian horror, and it wore the robes of a cultist. Its face was unseen beneath a pure black cowl, and it floated like an otherworldly phantom.

"Impossible!" the daemon shouted with what sounded like genuine disbelief.

"Die!" Malekith roared as he flung the daemon to the ground and pulled back both swords.

The Changeling was quick to shift its form into Kairos Fateweaver oddly enough as it flew into the air and fired a barrage of blue firebolts into the crowd. Shen Zoo quickly intercepted the spells with a shield of light to prevent the collateral damage.

Before the Changeling could get far off the ground, Malekith conjured up tendrils of shadow to ensnare its ankles and rip it back down. The daemon tried to retaliate with a wave of pink fire, but that was immediately negated by a jade like magic barrier from Yuan Bo. The Jade Dragon swiftly charged in and hacked at the daemon with his sword until it shifted out of Kairos Fateweaver's form to escape its snare.

Yuan Bo howled as he magically tore a stone out of the ground and hurled it for the daemon smashing it against a nearby wall. Its form then shifted to a bizarre figure that Malekith wasn't expecting...Yuan Bo himself. It quickly countered the Jade Dragon's magic with its own as it charged in and got the two of them mixed up in the chaos.

"Which one is Yuan Bo?!" Shen Zoo asked anxiously as she used a net of light magic to pin down one.

"Not me, Shen Zoo...that's the daemon!" Yuan Bo growled.

"Sorry, brother," Shen Zoo apologized as she released her spell's hold. A moment later he turned and cleaved at her with his sword which Malekith was quick to intercept. The daemon was trying to confuse them now.

Miao Ying by this point had also decided to intervene as she conjured up talons of shadowy stone to snatch up both Yuan Bo's and hold them down. Using his crown's unique witchsight, Malekith made sure to attack the daemon instead of the Jade Dragon with the flames of Asuryan which quickly dispelled its form once again. Shen Zoo then added another light net spell to Miao Ying's talon spell to completely pin the daemon down.

The Changeling quickly tried to retaliate with magic, but it was already beginning to burn from the Flames of Asuryan that Malekith was actively pumping out now. Its form fluctuated wildly between hundreds of forms as it shrieked an unholy cry of agony. Malekith did not give this daemon any chance to use more magic as he stabbed its right staff wielding arm and tried to behead it with Avanuir. The daemon held back Avanuir with repelling magic for a brief moment, but not even a second later Yuan Bo came from behind and brought his massive sword down cleaving the monster right down the middle.

It exploded in a magical eruption once again leaving nothing behind but ashes. Malekith looked around briefly to make sure it was actually gone before sheathing his swords and removing his helmet.

Yuan Bo then turned to look at him in disbelief as he took in the shocked reactions of his siblings and every human present.

'There was no way I would have had an easy time banishing that daemon if I didn't surprise attack it. It took me and three dragons to banish that damn thing. I can't believe Fateweaver told the truth about this,' Malekith thought.

"Was that…" Miao Ying walked up and looked at Yuan Bo in disbelief.

"The Changeling…" he interrupted her, "yes it was. It's been in my army this entire time posing as Jingyi it would seem."

"Jingyi was a daemon?!" a horrified jade warrior cried out in terror.

The Jade Dragon looked at Malekith disbelievingly, "You saw the daemon? How?"

Malekith slowly met the dragon's golden eyes as he nodded, "It's one of the perks of my Circlet of Iron. I can see magic in its truest form. Daemons can't hide from my witchsight. I had a feeling it would be nearby since its intention was to infiltrate the celestial court as one of us."

"How do you know of this?" Yuan Bo asked, shocked.

"The daemon that led the attack on Turtle Gate was called Ashenwing. His real name is Aetaos'Rau'Keres. He mentioned his plan to destroy the celestial court when I encountered their army in the Eastern Steppes," Malekith half-lied.

"I suppose I'm not the only one getting help from foreigners am I, Jade Dragon? Look at King Malekith doing your job for you." Miao Ying couldn't help but say with a slight smirk. She seemed greatly pleased that her brother was now in a similar humbling predicament of Malekith making him look bad.

Yuan Bo sheathed his sword before giving Malekith a nod, "You have my thanks for exposing that daemon, King Malekith. I didn't expect we could defeat it so easily. It likely would have escaped again had you not caught it off guard. I have been hunting it for several years now. I'm shocked that it was wearing the form of Jingyi. He is...was my most trusted Shugengan."

"Hopefully he's still alive somewhere. Though I wouldn't count on it," Malekith replied pessimistically.

Yuan Bo nodded, "I imagine you're probably right. Still, I am grateful it is finally purged from Cathay for the immediate future. Now I can free my time to address other important issues. It would seem Shen Zoo was correct in her belief that you could be trusted. Though I am not wholly convinced that allowing a dangerous dark sorcerer into Cathay is a good idea."

"Well, I'll gladly cross the chaos wastes back to Naggaroth then. I don't really want to enter Cathay. The only reason I came here was to deliver Shen Zoo back to her home. The only reason I stayed was to keep her alive. Meeting the Dragon Emperor was her idea. I'm not going there to be held on trial," Malekith jumped at the chance to get out of meeting the Dragon Emperor.

He was extremely paranoid about following Kairos Fateweaver's plan and wanted to do the opposite now.

"Oh no, he's definitely coming with us to Wei-Jin…whether you like it or not, Jade Dragon," Miao Ying interjected.

"You're bringing him there yourself? Hmm…that won't be necessary. The Bastion is still on high alert, and you should make sure it isn't attacked again. I'll take him to Wei-Jin along with Shen Zoo. Things shouldn't require my immediate oversight now that the Changeling is dealt with," Yuan Bo stated.

"I'm going…I don't trust him in your company after you just attacked him." Miao Ying said slowly as she met his gaze with a fierce glare.

"Fine…we'll all go. Though I am quite surprised you would abandon the Bastion to attend court. It's so unlike you, sister. I wonder what our father would think of that," the Jade Dragon smirked with subtlety.

She shook her head, "I'm curious to see what father has to say about King Malekith rescuing Shen Zoo, and I intend to vouch for his deeds myself...as well as your unwarranted aggression to my guest."

Yuan Bo briefly looked at all the humans staring at this interaction and spoke authoritatively, "Take rest, we depart first thing tomorrow morning! Have the men set up camp around the gate."

"I can't believe you turned this into a public spectacle..." Miao Ying shook her head and sighed.

"It seems I made the right decision since it drew out the Changeling. You have my trust for now, Witch King...though I will have many questions and I can't promise you anything. The Dragon Emperor and Moon Empress will decide whether we can trust you fully," Yuan Bo stated sternly.

Malekith nodded at him, "Very well, Jade Dragon."

Yuan Bo then extended his hand, "I am Yuan Bo...a humble administrator for my parents' empire. Forgive my aggressive paranoia earlier. I am normally not this rude and I hope it does not sour your opinion of me. I merely do my duty to defend Cathay and uphold the law."

Everyone watched with fascination as Malekith reached out and grasped Yuan Bo's hand in a forearm handshake.

"I am Malekith, son of Aenarion, King of Naggaroth. No harm done I suppose...you were well within your rights to find this situation suspicious. Part of me can't even believe I'm here either," the elf reciprocated to the Jade Dragon.

"Am I seeing things or did the Jade Dragon just shake his hand?" Miao Ying asked Shen Zoo disbelievingly.

Yuan Bo broke the handshake before speaking again, "I would ask that you refrain from using your dark magic within Cathay. I will overlook it this time."

"I can do that so long as you don't try to kill me," Malekith replied.

"We have an accord then, Witch King Malekith," Yuan Bo nodded his head.

Seeing Malekith and Yuan Bo shake hands after fighting each other was probably the most unusual but exciting thing any of the surrounding humans had ever seen as they began to gossip like crazy. Malekith wasn't quite sure why, but he had a feeling this was a big deal based on Miao Ying's reaction alone.

'Gods only know what these humans are going to say about this to the rest of Cathay,' Malekith thought as he briefly wondered just how outlandish the rumors of him were going to become now.

"Would you like some tea, brother? We should probably speak in private about everything that's going on. I neglected to mention most of the details in my missives," Shen Zoo offered.

The Jade Dragon ignored Miao Ying and smiled at his younger sister, "Of course, Shen Zoo. I do look forward to hearing about your harrowing time away from home. You have been greatly missed."

"Well, since this Changeling daemon is no longer a concern, do I still have to be in your presence at all times?" Malekith asked Miao Ying.

She eyed him suspiciously, "I suppose not…but why do you ask? Is there somewhere you want to go?"

"I'm going to speak with Sung Lian. Don't worry, I'm not leaving. I'll even help her with the census. I think it's best you all speak amongst yourselves for a while away from me," Malekith seized his opportunity to get away from the dragons.

Miao Ying sighed, "Very well…but don't try leaving. I will come and get you if you do. We're going to Wei-Jin."

Without wasting a moment, Malekith tried to gain as much distance as he could from them and was quick to locate a stunned Sung Lian further away in the crowd. Many humans ogled him with disbelief that he had just dueled the Jade Dragon and moved away almost fearfully. The shugengan herself couldn't even speak as Malekith approached.

He addressed her calmly, "Come with me Sung Lian. I have something I wanted to speak with you about...preferably away from this crowd."

"O-of course your highness," she bowed her head before following the elf.

Malekith glanced back briefly as he saw the three dragons staring at his departure and turned forward to sigh, 'Gods…this is turning out to be way more trouble than it's worth. I don't like any of this. I can't believe Fateweaver really helped Cathay by setting all of these events in motion. What should I do now? Leaving seems like it would be the smart thing to do, but that would cause more issues. I suppose I can't get out of meeting the Dragon Emperor. I'll worry about that later...maybe I will go meet the monk at the inn. I need a break from all of this.' the elf brooded over his mental fatigue.

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Alrighty boys, that's the end of chapter 8. It was another boring filler chapter with lots of talking, but we did see some interesting stuff happen and you get some idea about where things are going now.

To start, Malekith learns a lot more about the Old Ones through a memory/dream he has about Oxyotl in Tzeentch's realm. They'll be more of those. Needless to say, that's going to be important later on. He learns more about his mysterious Circlet of Iron and the last mortal who wore it. In that passage it mentioned the 'Silent King' (not related to 40k), battling insectoid creatures (not Tyrannids I swear). Fun fact, but there was a book that mentioned a bug race in WHFB lore. I think it was one of the Gotrek and Felix novels. It spoke of a primordial insect creature that was mind controlling orcs and dwarves. I imagine this species existed prior to the cold-bloods purging them.

As for the Crown of Night and its mysterious origin, that will be answered later, but it's apparently way more powerful than Malekith thought it was and the ancient dragons know what it is. Malekith speculates that this is why the Moon Empress is wary of him. You'll find out later.

Moving on, Malekith has a fun dream skype call with Kairos Fateweaver. The daemon tells him a lot of disturbing things and we get some insight into the future from him. Kairos even warns Malekith about the Changeling which has left our brooding protagonist with a moral dilemma to deal with. Can he trust Kairos Fateweaver's intentions? Why does Kairos want the mortal races to stop the End Times? Is this all just a ploy to get the puzzle box or is the daemon up to something even more sinister? Obviously, Kairos is up to something if we would conspire against the Everchosen. We also hear from Kairos that the Prophecy of Demise is about Archaon and Nagash...but was Kairos actually telling the truth? It's important to remember that the best lies are always half-truths and there's no telling which is which when dealing with Kairos Fateweaver.

Most of the chapter was Malekith interacting with various people, and he gets to meet both Miao Ying and Yuan Bo. He also learns more about the strange dynamics between the siblings and trust me when I say that all of this information and exposition is relevant to the future of this story. I didn't mention Elithis (Warhammer New Zealand) for no reason.

Don't worry though…next chapter our boy will be getting to Wei-Jin and will meet several more dragons. He'll also get to meet Yin-Yin who's unexpectedly going to be there as well as Zhao Ming. Expect a lot of drama and standoffs since Yin-Yin has company with her to meet the Moon Empress. That shit is going to be wild. Good thing Malekith now has three dragons on his side though. Let's hope it will be enough to ward off the political shitstorm he's about to walk into. Also, I will be showing some other POV's soon. We'll be seeing plenty of Tyrion, Teclis, and others as well and don't worry.

Sorry to blueball you guys, but as usual I got carried away with making this chapter super long. I swear we'll get to the cooler stuff soon. The meeting with the Celestial Court is going to be epic (I hope). Kairos did mention that Malekith should go to Nippon as well to find Yamata no Orochi. If you guys don't know who that is in Shinto mythology, I'll explain. Orochi was a many headed dragon/snake that battled against the Shinto storm god Susanoo. To the dark elves he's going to look like a massive godly hydra...enough to make a beastmaster orgasm on sight. So yeah…Nippon will be in the story as well.

You'll also notice that Malekith is starting to come around to the idea of liking humans more. Will he get his own human followers? You'll have to wait and see. Now here's some food for thought though...which black ark is heading for Haichai and who might be on it? I'll give you one hint...it's not the Blessed Dread, but we will be seeing Lokhir in the future. Stay tuned for all of that and as always thanks for reading.