· · · · · · ·

At reasonable times (by which Filia meant every other evening and no, this was not overkill) the whole Ul Copt family teleported to Sylphiel and Rygoon. It became a steady rhythm of fleeing from a city full of humans side eying beast folk, and seeking out places to experiment. For Filia, it was her lessons with Claire, for Jillas it was Sylphiel's fireproof training hall; there were plans for another chamber. Along with Elena, Gravos also had cooking lessons from Sylphiel, but nobody was supposed to talk about that.

Val, Palu and Molly spent their time exploring the vast maze. With their sharp nose, the vulpen could always find their way back, but for Val it was a game to get lost and find his way back. Finding new tunnels, treasure hunting (Val suspected Sylphiel hid things just for them) and wild flight were other favorites. Val could control his transformation a little better now, so he could become large enough to carry the cubs and small enough to make it fun.

Today, the game was firemouse hunting and incidentally, Claire was off early (Val was sure Filia was worried they'd hurt them). Palu had sniffed them out, but it was up to the dragon children to catch any for a closer look. Firemice were odd little winged mammals, like fairies were tiny winged humans. They glowed too, which had an extra appeal to little kids.

Claire had caught on how to grow wings for this occasion. To be honest, Val envied her for the ease with which she did it. Whoop, just like that, she had these blue batwings with a pink green fade out because she wanted it. Ancient knowledge, sure, but still.

Val felt a little better when he realized that despite the ancient knowledge, she had no idea how to actually fly. She'd always been astral and gravity hadn't been a real concern. Val caught a firemouse long before she had figured out how not to fly into walls.

"Got one!" he hollered.

Molly was at his side first, pulling the feathers of his tail softly. He knelt down and opened his hands a little. Molly bonked his head with her own, smiling. As he bonked back, he let the firemouse go. Molly chased it, but Claire lingered. Then she bonked his head too and ran after Molly.

Baffled, Val rubbed his head. "Why'd you do that?"

Surprised (maybe), Claire looked over your shoulder. "Integration into local social atmosphere. Molly gave permission."

"Eh, yeah ... but Molly's tiny and soft. It kinda hurts when you do it."

"I'll adjust my caliber next time," she said with a shrug.

What was a kalibur anyway? He would have asked, but Claire probably would dump a boring adult explanation. Getting information was a lot more fun if he could just have the bible plant it in his mind.

He couldn't make heads nor tails of her most of the time. Like right now. She was climbing the tree root even though she had wings. It was really slow, Molly got to the top before her. Why do things the mortal way when she didn't have to act? Or was she afraid of flying now?

"What are you confused about?" Claire asked. "You taste of confusion."

"Huh? How can I taste of anything? You're not even touching me." Val's imagination ran away with the image of Claire licking people and declaring their moods with her doctor's graveness. The feathery lady in his head buried her face in a hand.

Claire reached a horizontal piece of root just after Molly, who slipped into a tunnel there. Withdrawing her wings, she turned on a heel and sat. "You should know this."

Val shrugged.

"Doesn't miss Filia always say Xelloss eats our annoyance?" Palu asked as he caught up. "If she's a piece of god, I bet she can do that too."

Claire nodded. "I can eat both emotions and physical food. The former's more educative."

"Val always knew about the emotion eatin," Palu said. "Did you forget?"

He scratched his head. It wasn't like he hadn't known, ... he should have known ... didn't all fall together ... nah, there was nothing to talk about.

"Hey, Claire, does this tree also taste like anything to you? Is that why you all like it so much?" he asked.

"It's not like food, but it has resonance with spiritual beings. The tree eats all miasma, not only the emotional type. It is like the ultimate expression of the flow of the world," Claire said with sudden animation. "It is a holy life. And you're not answering my question!"

"You," he said. "You confuse me."

She tilted head head. "Why?"

"Are you a kid or not?" Val asked.

She was about to answer when Molly popped up behind her. "Are you a god or not?"

"Sort of," Claire said. "Why?"

"If you're a god, does that mean you would to kill cone thingy one day?" Molly asked.

"Sure, if he makes it necessary," Claire said nonchalantly.

Beat.

— It shouldn't be easy to kill people who once were your allies. —

"Why'd you bring up Xelloss anyway, Molly?" Palu asked quickly, shifting on his feet. Val was glad to notice he wasn't the only one creeped out.

"Cause he's back there. I thought he was afraid."

The kids didn't need more of a prompt to follow her. Val and Claire had to squeeze through the hole, but they did manage in wingless form. All the while, Val avoided eye contact.

In the next big cavity, Xelloss lay in a messy heap. He turned a pained head when they arrived.

"Ello there," he said, somehow still smiling. Val yanked him up by his cloak, forcing him into crosslegged sit.

"What are you doing here?" Val demanded.

"Well you see—" He got no further, as Claire headbonked him.

"Hello," she said happily. "I got my own annoying trademark gesture now. Copyright to Molly."

"I see ... " said a befuddled Xelloss. "Anyway, I've been looking for you. Deep Sea Dolphin had the you know which and coerced me into leading her to you know where. She brought in her cult and they are now trying to figure out how to do you know what that I don't. Soon. I am to shield you with fusion magic."

"Damn," Claire said monotonously. "Are you alright? Zelas must have been furious."

"Indeed, but this time she had braced for it. No inconvenient outbreak of rage in the wrong place. Deep Sea Dolphin was still suspicious, however. Lord Beastmaster has returned to Wolfpack Island to cool off. It is almost certain there is another master in the game."

Palu tilted his head. "Val, do you have any idea what they're on about?"

"Nope," Val said, slowly shaking his head.

"Val! Claire!" That was Filia's voice, echoing down the hall. "Kids, where are you? Miss Sylphiel senses a strange shift in the trees energies, there may be ... wait ... aww no!"

Half a minute later, Filia, Elena and Sylphiel entered the small cavity, tripping over roots in their hurry.

"Yes, he's back," Filia said with a sigh. "Miss Sylphiel, meet the beast priest, Xelloss. Never trust him." Hands on her hips, she marched to Xelloss. "What are you doing with my children, corrupting them again?"

"I would never try to steal your thunder," Xelloss said. "After all, you're doing such a fine job corrupting them yourself."

"Oh, I don't think so, miss Filia is doing a wonderful job with the children," Sylphiel said with so much faith and sincerity Xelloss scooted away from her. Val, Elena and Filia both chuckled; Xelloss didn't do well with people who brimmed with good will.

"Ahem," Xelloss said. "Miss Filia, it might suit you to make a public appearance soon. Julecopt is a very suspicious name, you know. In particular, you might want to plant a rumor on where that name comes from. There is another matter, but I'd prefer we discuss it somewhere outside this tree. It doesn't like me."

"We're planning something to deal with that during the gala in two days," Filia said. "Whatever you're here for better not interfere, Xelloss!"

"I may hope it won't," he said before disappearing.

"Is this usual?" Sylphiel asked.

"My life hasn't been usual for seven years," Filia said with a look of resignation. "Will you please show us out, miss Sylphiel?"

"Off course."

With a quick pace and no complaints, they made their way out. They emerged on a thick root that grew into the lake, the wind carried the sound of reed to them. Claire clacked her tongue and the wind reversed, stirring the water so Filia had a clear teleportation beacon.

Filia picked the girl up, as she usually did; in Sailoon Claire allowed her to play the doting mother. Val wanted a little of that as well (icecream might happen), so made up his mind to join them after all.

He unfolded his wings and launched himself at Filia, who startled. Claire slipped down, dangling by her small arms. Val sat on Filia's shoulders, claimed the pointy hat for himself and put his arms around her head.

"Coming along after all, Val?" Filia asked with a warm laugh.

You don't have to worry about things like weight and gravity anymore. It just takes a little concentration to think them away. In fact, it's best to make gravity a natural feature of your projection, because it's so easy to forget ... —

If he did forget, she'd be a bloody smear on the ground. Val tensed up.

"Val, dear, you're holding a little tight." Quickly he loosened his grip and forced a smile.

"Sorry." His heart beat so fast he blurted it out.

Why'd he think about her dying?

He tried to think something happier, but a chill on his wings distracted him. When he looked over his shoulder, he met both of Xelloss's eyes. His smile was fake, behind it predator ready to pounce.

Filia noticed his movement and looked back as well.

Xelloss had his eyes closed by then and all his attention on Sylphiel, who spoke to him cheerfully.

Filia realized a little too late what it was about. "No, miss Sylphiel, don't invite him!"

· · · · · · ·

Xelloss, off course, ended up with an invitation because Sylphiel was whole heartedly convinced he wasn't that bad. He would have come anyway, but as Filia said, it was the principle of the matter.

Val, for some reason, ended up strange pieces of dream that night.

· · · · · · ·

a devil came to kill me? —

ship is headed to the quadrant of —

we'll always be on the run, boy, until we fix this world ... the system's all wrong, you know ... —

check the circuits and see whether you can —

there's a thing to having minions ... don't bother with devils, they'll betray us ... get some mortals —

the armies will be deployed at the nearest quasar point and demolish the server —

No, let me help you! I can restrain myself, I won't get in the way if you need to negotiate with them!

I give up ... won't you? Aren't we both in pain from this existence?

It's all wrong, this world. Why can't we even know why it is as it is? —

wings as black as night —

· · · · · · ·

The sky was stark morning blue, without a single cloud. Blue was a merciless color of heat, but why he didn't know why he saw it like that. Deserts ... ? No, this day was cool, and the sky was unfathomably lonely. Not a single bird save one lone dove turning circles. Nothing lived. The impression of journeys across the stars pulled at his mind. Beyond the cold dead blue was a worse emptiness.

The reality was that Val lay on his back on a flat roof in the palace of Sailoon, waiting for Claire to finish nightly work with Zelgadis. But that meant so little under the weight of all that nothingness.

He closed his eyes and tried to pull up any memories that belonged to the ideas. The fringes kept slipping away every time he grasped them. For a long time he tried anyway.

When a shadow fell on him and a sting ran up his spine, he opened his eyes again. Xelloss was before him, blocking the weak sun. His arms were full of scrolls.

Val groaned. "Don't you have someone else to harass?"

"Not particularly. I was rather curious what you were doing here."

"Meditating."

The devil had the nerve to chuckle. "You? Meditating? How peculiar. You never struck me as the type to do anything that ... cerebral."

Val had no idea what cerebral meant, but if Xelloss liked it he didn't want to.

"Hmm. What do you want?" Val asked.

With overacted movement, Xelloss dumped half the scrolls on Val. "Be so nice as to lose these somewhere near the trading district."

"Pay me," Val said as he crossed his arms, flatly refusing to even get up.

Xelloss scratched his cheek. "You are taking after miss Filia. Very well, what would you have me pay you?"

Val was stumped. Filia always had something clever or useful to ask in return. Val didn't really know anything like that. Plus, Xelloss might just turn things back on him if he worded it badly.

Any chance to think about it was killed when a blob of blue and white hurled itself at Xelloss from the left. Now Val sat up, just so he could see the mess better.

Xelloss and Claire were a mess of cloak and batwings that poked holes in the devil. Claire's human center was furiously grabbing the scrolls and shredding them with claws. She destroyed about five before Xelloss tossed her away. She sailed into the nearest tower.

Val almost sprouted his wings, worried and ready to help her, but Claire didn't even fall. She just pushed off the wall and flew back.

Indignantly, Xelloss stood dusting himself off with one arm, the other holding the remainder of scrolls. "Rude," he muttered.

Claire landed before him, looking up sternly for a moment. Then she turned to Val. "Destroy those things, will you?"

"Okay." He gathered up the scroll and considered whether he'd grow claws and shred them. Claire had her wings out, so maybe it was safe now to grow his own. No, wait, she was hiding them again and there was a ripple in the air. Glamor?

He vaguely recalling being able to incinerate things ... some far away memory ... He held out his hand and tried summoning one of those green spheres he knew would work.

"Miss Claire, you have wings?" Xelloss said, scratching his head. "I do not recall Aqualord Ragradia projecting them."

"I'm being creative. You might have heard of it."

"Eh, it's nice to know you are expanding your identity."

"Such is a necessity when my associates are potentially double crossing me. Why are you planning to spread Zenaffa knowledge outside of controlled environments?"

"Oh my, your flow is that perceptive? Well, I'm sure you recall our little predicament. I have been ordered to dramatically fail another mission, to give my lord an excuse to be pissed off at all times. So I figured, I let knowledge from the Claire Bible leak into the world without any copies of the Claire Bible involved. That way, I can honestly tell the other lords I failed, even though I did my best to keep all copies of the Claire Bible out of human hands. I call this the Eternal Fun Bible," he said proudly, shaking the remaining scrolls.

Claire kept the exact same deadpan expression throughout the entire rant. "Screw up something else. I can't let you do this. Not when there is a risk some hapless fool will be consumed by the armor."

"Aww, now, miss Claire. I'm sure you understand I am incapable of disobeying my creator."

"You've bent the words plenty of times and Zelas gives you that kind of leeway. I on the other hand don't function like that. As many must live as possible."

"Well, too bad," he said and warped away.

Remaining were withering, soaked bits of the paper he had been writing on. Xelloss was back in a second, and Claire was actually smirking at her little success.

"You do realize I'll just write it on something else, right?"

"You do realize you are obligated to stay around me for an undetermined time, right?"

Val groaned and let his face drop on the roof. "Xelloss, can you be around any dragon girl without starting a feud?"

"What feud?" Xelloss said airily. "We merely have a conflict of instinctive needs that we mutually understand. A feud would indicate personal emotions of resentment. I'm sure you know the difference, it's what I have with miss Filia."

Val looked up just in time to see Claire nodding sagely, shadows against the rising sun. "Yes, purely mechanical conflict of annoying instincts that neither of us can escape."

Astral things were creepy.

The only one who wasn't a shadow against the sky was the feathered lady. Laying around Val were the remnants of scrolls, withered in green.

· · · · · · ·

Morning passed into an irritable afternoon, which had been reserved by Amelia for ball gowns and etiquette. Everyone meant to attend was to try on their clothing, which included not just Filia, but also Val, Jillas and Elena. Gravos was determined on not coming, but they'd talked him into trying something out anyway. Zelgadis suffered the same fate. The two of them sat near the walls of the showcase room and grumbled quietly.

They would have been the damper on the mood, if not for the latest arrival. This torrid affair just wasn't calculated for Xelloss. When Filia had gone to change in another room, she had put aside her hat on a dresser. Xelloss 'accidentally' sat on it. In his true form.

Val idly wondered why Xelloss had only done this after seven years.

After Amelia had explained the horrified seamstresses that there really was no reason to fear the whirling black cone that had just speared a piece of furniture — "I hope nothing important was in there!" — she had tried getting Xelloss to wear one of the ceremonial Sailoon outfits. Xelloss had gone nauseous at her perkiness and blurted out a quick explanation of astral physics. During this time, Filia had time to quickly emerge in a bathrobe and shout about her hat.

Gravos grumbled something about how weird hairy critters were when it came to dresses, at which Jillas started on the virtue of dresses that complimented beige fur, and Val decided it was time to disappear into the men's dressing room with the two of them.

Val was pretty sure he didn't need to fear accidental transformations anymore, but he still insisted on a dark cloak. Filia worried very much, so maybe that would make her feel more at ease.

Nowadays, there was a new undertone to her concern. Filia had worried about wanton transforming in the past, about how he might accidentally crush a kid he played with, but this time was different. Ever since that thing with Azonge, she was a little ... not less friendly or kind, but it was like that fear was more frequent, more strong. Val was more puzzled than ever, not because the fear existed ... but because she had known. The way his mother made it sound, killing was a horrible thing and she was sad but not surprised.

The men's room's door opened slightly, and Filia shouted, "Everybody decent?"

"Yep," Jillas said.

She shoved a black cone through it and tossed some clothes after it.

"But miss Filia, the show room is for everyone!" the cone whined.

"You're astral, walls don't exist for you. You're going as far as possible from the lady's changing room," Filia snapped.

"As an astral being, I'm asexual, inorganic and extradimensional. I swear that nothing I might see wou—" the cone started, and got no further.

"So what? There is a thing such as private space and said space expands when people are changing clothes. Most people in there only know you as a man, and everything that entails. Why don't you go feed on jerks, rather then hardworking innocent people, hmm?"

"Jerks by whose standards?

"Ugh, not now. Just stay out, or our tea deal is off! Oh, mister Jillas, you look great. That color will match Elena's outfit well. Val, darling, why aren't you changed yet?"

At this point, the tailors recovered from their shock over the cone devil and ran for it.

"Eh ... I tried some but it itches ... wait, don't run away!" Val said quickly, not really interested in the terrified humans but needing an excuse that wasn't I was brooding about what you might think of me and what you won't tell me. Xelloss could tell if he lied. "I'll go fetch them, okay?"

He caught the tailors and dragged them back, but he didn't figure out much about himself or Filia. At least she didn't notice anything.

· · · · · · ·

The hat saga had a sequel that evening in Rygoon. Filia had transformed into full dragon form to help Sylphiel with creating a new room for practicing magic, Val and the rest of the family helped out by dragging aside roots. They couldn't harm the tree, but Sylphiel could coax it into giving permission to rearrange itself.

Xelloss chose this time to appear with a substitute hat. Or to be more specific, with things that allowed him to be the hat.

All of the workers froze to look at the nutty devil, who had an dragonsized half circlet with antenna over his arm, and broken teapots with large red gems crudely glued into them hung from each end. In his other arm was a bucket of white paint.

"Hello, miss Filia. It occurred to me my lord's crown is very similar to yours. Due to familiarity, I was able to construct it."

"I don't want —" Filia started, to no avail.

Xelloss phased on her neck, placed the circlet on her forehead and turned into a black cone. He pinched himself under the falling bucket of paint, turning himself into a mixture of black and white. Twisting upside down with the circlet at his wide end, Filia did indeed have something resembling her old hat.

There was just no way to not snort at this, but most did an admirable job not laughing out loud. Filia's expression was ... just no.

"Get off," Filia hissed.

"But how else will I make up for the loss of your hat?" Xelloss whined, hobbling back and forth a little.

"Get off without making a further scene and I'll consider it even!"

"Oh, you don't need to make things easy for me."

Claire sighed. "If Siephied could see what the ancient war has come to ..." She twisted her mouth oddly, then her face lit up. "Ooh, I get it now!"

"Get what?" Val asked her. She hopped down her work spot and sat down close to him.

Whispering, she told him, "Why they keep annoying each other. It's about their ideals and pride. I didn't put that together till just now, when it is purely about pride. Normally, other emotions muddle things and I'll be the first to admit I'm no expert at reading people. They're playing each other, for better or worse. Now's worse, this tastes foul."

Everyone was playing each other. What else could they? The Lord of Nightmares played the entire world.

"Want to go help mom?" he said, because he felt like playing too.

Claire nodded happily, clasping her hands together. "Let's try creativity."

She even got the expression right. It looked a little fake, like Xelloss sometimes looked fake, but Val knew it was real.

At least, he thought he did. He didn't actually have any evidence.

· · · · · · ·

The night of the royal gala came almost unnoticed amidst the racket of Filia and Xelloss. Compared to them, the sea of colors and curtsies was forgettable.

Jillas and Elena were early arrivals, Filia and Val were to come a little later. Mostly, this was due to last minute changes in what they'd look like.

One of the things Filia had picked up from Claire was advanced transformation. While still limited to a human body, it allowed her to make changes to her body by messing with melanin and weight. Val himself had dark mossy green right now and looked seven years older, but wasn't skilled enough to change his face. His job was to accompany Filia and pretend to be her younger brother, who wasn't seven and account for any rumors about the boy with her.

Any rumors about Sailoon's sudden magical prowess shouldn't be accompanied by rumors that made any dragons or elves think Filia and her family had moved here. Amongst the best lies were mundane truths behind mysteries like an overblown rumor about the mysterious owner of the suspiciously named Julecopt turning out to simply be a smart human woman. (Xelloss was downright miffed he wasn't needed for any of the secret keeping.)

To Filia, this task was a calling turned dream. She mingled with the crowd, with dark blond and only slightly pointed ears, dressed in spring and forest green. Slightly elvish, but everyone could see she was no more than a human who happened to be skilled in trade and was filthy rich. That done, she went ahead to make sure everyone knew the genius behind the weaponry side of her company.

After so long in Kataart, Val had become used to his mother as a fidgety, nervous lump of pink and yellow. Before that, she'd only been a shop keeper, even if he knew of faraway business empires. Here in Sailoon, she was radiant. Everything about her attitude and posture was Filia at her peak, but only to those who knew her. Others would see a calm, dignified and jovial woman who naturally became the center of attention, whether anyone liked it or not.

She played the crowd like she played her customers : friendly when needed, making covert threats and blackmail in the face of those she disliked. Val had never been interested in her business affairs, but now he saw it, it was frightening for a reason he didn't get.

Everyone's playing because that's how the world was made. A game.

This was a very boring game, though. Val stayed at his table and stuffed his face while projecting disinterest towards anyone who approached him. As far as he was concerned, that was good enough. He'd been a playful seven year old in Kataart, a moody teen was just fine for this occasion. He didn't want to deal with these snobs.

He was just lamenting that Claire got out of this when she showed up. Claire had morphed herself into an age to match him and wore light blue and green with complimentary pink, mirroring her dragon form. No expert at creativity yet. Xelloss trailed behind her, conspicuously wearing the clothes Amelia had insisted he don. He blended in but still managed to look suspicious.

"Why don't you don't you just stay somewhere safe with Claire?" Val grumbled at him. "Not that I mind that you're here, Claire."

"It occurred to me that it would be detrimental if miss Filia accidentally slipped up and revealed her true nature," Xelloss said, wagging finger raised.

"He just wants to play with Filia when she's in her optimal environment," Claire whispered. "And I'm hungry."

Claire held out her hand to Val. He looked at it, confused.

She gave a sideway nod at the dance floor. "I want to eat there, where people have the most fun. Dance with me?"

Some women behind them muttered about poor manners, unaware of his sharper hearing. He shot a glare at the eversmiling Xelloss and let Claire lead him to the dance floor.

For three dances, they acted the cute clumsy teens amidst the adults. That was enough for Claire to decide dancing held no particular appeal to her any more than it did for Val.

It was also enough time for Xelloss to arrange a dancing pair to accidentally stampede into the group with whom Filia spoke. Incidentally, this involved Filia's face meeting the floor.

Xelloss stood by all too innocently as the drunken dancers were disentangled from Filia by servants. He feigned utter surprise when she turned to him the moment she was free.

"Honestly? More smacking my face into rock?" she said, pointing her closed fan at him.

"You do seem to have an affinity for sediments, I don't see what you're so upset about," he said with a shrug. "If one is to assume I caused this."

Filia shared a look with her newly squired posse.

"We happened to see you tampering around with the wine. It is your fault the duke drank the wine he could not bear, surely. He never loses control that badly while dancing," a lady with tall hair said, nose upturned. "Clumsy as the poor man may be."

Claire gave an odd little smile and pulled Val away from the dance floor and towards Filia and Xelloss.

"Claire, what are you doing? The dancing was boring, but better than them fighting, right?"

She continued pulling him along. "This is for better. It's a thing they do for ... what was the phrase ... for shits and giggles. It feels like something I can eat yet I shouldn't ... oh ... it's emotional junk food," Claire whispered. She looked troubled by this, but after a beat she said, "I shall have more."

Social situations were to Claire like a recipe was to him. A shiver ran over Val's back, even as Claire's godly presence made him feel good.

Unaware of anything wrong with the girl that came to stand at her side, Filia swishes around dramatically. "Ladies, I'd like to officially introduce you to my old acquaintance, Zelbi Garubaga Turashu. I owe him the generous stipend that helped me along my way in the business. He is a giving man, even if at times he does the most unfortunate things. There are days when he just has to dig around in the garbage for his food, so I've taken it on my generous back to occasionally provide for the poor man. Do forgive his win crime, I'm afraid he loses his mind at times."

This elicited laughter from the group and shaking shoulders from Xelloss. Filia directed the entire group to a nearby table in the secondary dinner room, followed by a grudging cone thing and last, a smiling Claire. A count and two dukes joined them as well.

Lacking anything else to do, Val followed. As he caught up, he heard his mother and Xelloss bicker under their breaths. They lagged behind just for this purpose.

"Oh, you wish I was upset," she muttered, twirling her fan around her finger by the loop. "Your continued efforts to relive bygone times only testify of your pitiable inability to move on."

"You overvalue your entertainment status, as always. Not the only erroneous view of your value that you have."

She lightly tapped her fan on his arm. "You're the entertainment tonight, cockroach. Let's see how well you fare when you're not just covering for yourself but me too."

"Oh? Intent to make me squirm or bore me to death? I'm afraid I must disappoint. After Milgazia, my tolerance ceiling had been forced much higher."

The entire group took seat on a circle of embroidered cushions, intersected with small tables on which wines, cakes and elaborate bottles with pipes stood. Contrary to the dance hall, the atmosphere here was spicy and thick with incense. More like Sailoon's native culture than the central hall.

Some of the ladies with poofy dresses had trouble sitting down here, but managed with a laugh anyway. Claire joined them in this effort, breaking the ice with friendly, empty words. Val took a seat at her side on the same massive pillow and tried to look gloomy and uninteresting. There was enough space between the pillows one could whispered without being heard, but most conversation was theatrically loud, so he couldn't quite escape.

"I'm afraid I failed to understand, duchess. I though this was a gala to celebrate the advancements of Sailoon," Filia said with an ease Val knew to belie a serpent. "The vulpen was a vital contribution to this."

This earned an all around scoff, covert or not. Jillas and Elena were still in the main hall, but Val knew that even if they were here, they'd be ignored.

"Well, you have to admit they are smart," a lady with too much eyeshadow said. She was one of the humans who had become a chimera, albeit only half blow demon, foregoing the golem part. "Not that this changes much about their bestial nature."

Filia gave Xelloss a sideway glance, just briefly. "I might agree, but is such truly their fault?"

"It's actually been proved that aggression can be heritable," Xelloss said. "A certain scientist wished to breed domestic foxes not too long ago. He did so by disregarding the aggressive ones in favor of the docile for breeding. A dozen generations later, he succeeded. Such is natural selection. And we all know how that works on the greater scheme, now do we, miss Filia?"

Filia nodded sagely. "Considering all the genocide, murder and starvation that human culture forces on them, off course they are predisposed towards aggression. It's only the aggressive who survive to have children."

This was total nonsense, Val knew. He had heard Filia rant for all his life on how ridiculous the stereotypes were. Sometimes with a suffix of how dragons deserve the title of rampant violence more.

"Well, it was just a theory," the count said, shifting in his seat a lot all of the sudden. Off course, now it might be their fault, they suddenly weren't eager to support genetic evil.

Smoke and blood and iron in the air. The village was burning, he could see the smoke from miles away. Another slaughter party by humans. Wandering around, he spotted a survivor ...

He pulled the arrow, but didn't help him up. He just waited for him to stop growling.

One of the great things about the more social beast folk was that they were loyal. Loyalty was what had allowed them to survive the brutality of the humans, banding together. He didn't care for humans, but beast folk were acceptable enough. They fit him.

He offered him revenge and life, and from the growing taste of gratitude, he learned quickly this was a keeper. —

Val snapped awake, back in the spicy smoke of the lively palace, amidst the kind of people who had ordered that genocide.

Claire was poking him incessantly. "Val, did you drink too much wine? You blacked out completely."

"Huh?"

"I keep saying, it's poor protocol that the Sailoon court allows such youngsters to attend. The princess is no more child, there is no need to keep up that silly rule," someone muttered. Val didn't bother figuring out whom.

He was positive he'd remembered Jillas ... but Jillas hadn't been alive hundreds of years ago. Valteira had not been around a decade ago, right?

Maybe Claire knew ... yet he didn't ask.

There was nothing to talk about.

The count stood up at this point. "Maybe we should have a word with the genius himself. I suppose there may be exceptions. Ladies, gentlemen, please excuse me."

Val frowned. "What'd I miss?"

"Fun," Claire said blissfully. If anyone looked drunk, it was her.

Filia leaned over to Claire, taking the pillow the count had vacated. Xelloss moved right along, skipping her vacated pillow and sitting on Filia's. Well, more like reclining behind the little table and making short work of the cookies. Distance enough from her to retain dignity, but close enough to whisper.

After rearranging the many folds of her dress and claiming tea, Filia whispered, "I can't believe you spent ten minutes being useful. Maybe all the happiness is damaging you, that you'd be on my side by choice."

"Now now, you'd think I'd refuse helping you on principle when such a juicy fool is before me? Tsstss. I believe I proved already I'm quite capable of cooperation for the greater good."

Filia looked skyward. "As if you did it for the greater good. Humiliation is your second favorite flavor. That count was ripe for the plucking."

"Oh come now. I'm not all about food. I genuinely enjoy seeing you try to undermine the authorities. You're very good at chaos, whether it be physical or social."

Filia's hand clenched around her glass, causing hairline cracks. "Any compliment from you is akin to an insult."

"You can do better than that, miss Filia."

"Yes, I have about five laserline replies to your implications about my chaos, but why would I share them? We never agreed I'd do my very best to entertain you." Behind her open fan, stuck out her tongue.

Just like that, they were back to needling each other. Claire looked no less happy.

Val was just about to claim a turkey leg and munch it down in the most anti-etiquette way he could muster when it happened again.

"Are priestesses wont to eavesdrops?" He reeks of amusement. The dragon just fell for it, never realized he probably lured her here.

"Never mind that!" she snapped. —

Val couldn't ever imagine them truly being spiteful towards one another ... so why did he? That was exactly where it went. Xelloss would betray them. Him.

"You don't have a right to lecture her ..."

Xelloss is one and the same, he has no business being judge when he should be on trial. Only I have that right, I am the one who suffered at their hands. —

Who?

"After all, I'm a devil."

She looked so shocked, it was ridiculous. Perhaps she really was as naive as she looked, but he knew what that child would grow up to be like. —

The strange vision left him, but the unease stayed. Val had always known what Xelloss was — Filia didn't allow anyone in the family to forget — but he hadn't understood even when he'd seen him kill. Before, that had been something Xelloss did to Others, not to anyone in the Family.

Opposite of him sat a ruthless killer who would keep that smile as he tortured people to death and he would do it to Val if it suited him. But not Filia. Just Val.

Filia was the Other. Xelloss was the Other.

Us was ...

He shook his head.

The warm light and busy chatter of the crowds forced back into his reality, and before him were once more his mother and the silly priest she rivaled with. The world went on in a bright golden drone, unaffected and careless, but it didn't return to normal. Mere weeks ago, he could have believed this hall was everything, in feeling if not mind. Yet now everything like a lie. The world wasn't this bright.

A cold hand touched his arm and he startled. Claire leaned ahead, no more blissfulness on her face.

"Are you okay?" she asked quietly.

He had no idea. "I ... ehm ... "

There wasn't anything to tell. He couldn't talk. There was nothing to talk about. He couldn't talk. Couldn't talk.

Yet he wasn't okay.

Couldn't talk.

Didn't want to talk.

Claire abruptly stood up, took his hand and pulled him along. A table fell over in her careless move, but she paid it no attention.

Val let her lead him onto the terrace. They weren't alone, there were at least two duos in the garden. Claire looked for the nearest stair and led him there, out of sight of the windows and in the shadows, so none of the wanderers saw them too clearly. She sat him down in the steps and stood before him.

"Talk."

He looked up, helplessly. It didn't make sense. There was nothing to talk about. Nothing to talk about.

But he wasn't okay. Things he either imagined or remembered. He could be going insane. But what was he supposed to talk about? There was nothing to talk about.

"Val, you're scaring me." She didn't look scared. Maybe that exactly meant she was, if she forgot her expressions altogether.

"Your face is off," he muttered.

"Your emotions are off! What's happening? It's like you weren't there."

It wasn't quite right that she had no expression. Her eyes were wide. For the first time, Val realized how wrong her lack of pupils was.

There was nothing to say about memories. But he could ask her things, because in a way, they were both the same kind of wrong thing. She feigned mortality, so did he.

"Claire, I want to know who you really are. Can you make me understand?"

"Will knowing that help you answer my question?"

"Maybe. I'll try. There is nothing to say about whether I'm okay. But ... I'll try. I'm ... can I be between Valteira and Val? Or something else?"

She took a deep breath and sat down at his side. "I was astral before this body, which added faculties to my mind I never had or needed before. All of life is a sum of combined pieces, no specific limit, no unit on its own. Always changing."

As she spoke, she held up her index fingers about an arms length apart. With little hops on an invisible meter, she closed the space between them.

"I have been Granny Aqua, and before that I was Aqualord Ragradia, and before that I was Siephied. Every time, I was cut smaller and smaller. There were new personalities, but the fundamental nature remained the same." Her fingers touched and she looked up. "Now I am a child, sum of a remnant and a new body, yet all the memories of the past. A shrunken god and Claire. What that makes me to others will always be subtly different."

"Won't you lose yourself?"

"So what?" She added a shrug.

There was nothing to talk about. — Valteira was dead.

"Val?" She took his hand. Only now did he notice his right arm had become draconian. Claire still had cold hands. "Val, don't go."

"Huh? Where? I'm here."

"Maybe you're changing," she whispered. "Everyone changes as they grow older, they are not the same people as when they were young. Anything, trauma, a friend, a spiritual paradox, a transformation, a moral dilemma can drastically change a person. I want to be more, but I know what I can expect and will become. Do you know?"

There was nothing to talk about.

"You're worried about nothing."

"There are hollows in your emotional expulsion. This is not normal."

Val shrugged. "Maybe Filia screwed up something when she used her life law magic on me."

"She can't rewrite personalities or cut away the sources of emotions. I know what she can do, I've been teaching her. We've tried it on others, it's safe. Val, what's happening to you has to be something else."

She almost pulled off a pleading look. He shook her hands off. "There is nothing to talk about."

"Yes, there is. Val, I have to help you. Let me!" she said through gritted teeth. Her eyes were still dead.

"Hmm. It's just your stupid obsession with improving lives that makes you say that. I don't need your help."

She seethed, for as far as someone so dispassionate could. Her look had nothing of the subtle changes that happen with normal people. At least the golden dragons of Kataart were just stoic, but this was like she was trying to show anger, yet only had one mask.

Far more expressive was the water in the environment. Droplets formed in the air, and a nearby plant turned brown as steam rose from it. The fountain seemed to forget gravity and sprayed out in all directions.

So did the two lovers at the fountain's edge, who were after all overwhelmingly made of water. All water gone, they collapsed onto themselves.

They had no chance to scream, but Val did. He got out exactly a yelp before Claire clamped her hand over his mouth.

In the dim light of the torches, the heaps were barely visible before the foundation, but the sickening scent of blood filled the air. To humans, it wouldn't be obvious yet. To Val, it summoned a nameless revolt.

"I did not intend for that to happen," Claire said. "It appears my limited powers have difficulty acting under your shadow, coupled with the distraction of emotional turmoil. I will add this to my list of training. Now, Val, we have to talk about what's the matter with you. It may very well relate to—"

He twisted his arm up and grabbed her throat, pushing it close enough that she couldn't talk anymore. Her eyes widened, but otherwise she still failed at expression. It was unsatisfactory.

He let her go again, expecting her to keep talking, but she edged away. When her back hit the baluster, she stopped for a second It was a bit like a wild animal that couldn't decide what to do. Then she shot for the top of the stairs, only to stop a second time.

Oh, now she was worried. Typical of gods, they could only understand their own pain.

"You murdered two innocent people. Don't you feel sorry?" he whispered. The low sound was only to avoid drawing attention from the remaining people in the garden, but he would have screamed otherwise. The other people in the garden hadn't noticed yet, but soon someone would walk by.

Claire narrowed her eyes, testing, waiting. Slowly she said, "I cannot feel remorse, if that is what you mean. I know it exists, but it is a form of regret that relies on conscience. I regret that I caused their deaths, more I cannot feel."

"You don't have a conscience?" He glanced back at the dark splatter at the fountain, the heaps of goo and cloth.

"Consciences are social constructs ingrained in the instinct to prevent misbehavior in a group. I am not the product of generations and individuals. No, I do have such a system. Val, why did you try to hurt me?"

He forced his claws back into a hand and stood up. Slowly, he walked up the stairway. Claire was still crouched at the top.

"You need to develop a conscience," he bit. "Or you don't deserve to rule this world."

"I see no reason or method to. Unlike preference and dislike, it is not something I have a natural predisposition for," she said. She didn't stand, instead the tips of wings edged below her mantle.

He crossed his arms. "So you refuse to understand why you're a murderer?"

She shot away to the other end of the terrace. Her wings were slipping out just in the shadow of a tree. When she spoke, her lips did not move, her face did not change. Everything about her was dead.

"Don't mistake conscience for an intellectual understanding of right and wrong. That I have no intense emotions about killing doesn't make me evil, just like I'm not going to assume you're evil because you don't have any emotions about hurting me. I'll try to understand you if you'll try to understand me."

"Don't try to turn this around! You're the one who—"

"Has not made the decision to hurt anyone, unlike you. Are you going to do it again? People are looking our direction now. You're the one who is acting aggressive in their eyes. You should leave."

She was right, they were watching him both from windows and garden. This wasn't good. He had to remain unnoticed. Nobody should suspect him.

"Let's go home," he muttered.

"You go. I will talk to them." Her wings withdrew.

He walked away without a second though. There was nothing to talk about. They shouldn't try to make him.

Once, he looked back. Claire still stood on the balcony a tiny dot clearly visible to his sharp eyes. She didn't look sad as she spoke to the guards who had just arrived.

She was a god, after all.

· · · · · · ·

Val shrunk himself to his natural age, crawled under his blankets and tried not to think about the things that had happened.

The death of that couple wasn't okay and he couldn't bear Claire's callous attitude about it. Oh, he'd be a murderer if he had to be, he knew that. But he had killed bad people. Innocent people was a completely different story.

By the time Filia and the others returned home, it was nearly morning. There probably had been a commotion about the death. Would Claire have told them the truth?

The door of his room opened softly and Filia approached. He remained where he was, pretending to sleep. When her hand was on his shoulder, he stayed still.

"Val, are you alright?" she asked gently. "I know what happened. Xelloss says Claire may have lost control of her powers due to some sort of magical effect of that plot of theirs. The enemy took over something miss Lina built."

He didn't respond.

"Val, I know you're awake. If you'd been asleep, you'd be sprawled all over the bed. Claire would like to talk to you and apologize."

Oh. Claire hadn't told them about what he'd done.

He peeked out from below the sheets. Claire stood in the open door. Filia nodded at her, like an actor on cue. Still playing?

"I don't like that I scared you, Val," Claire whispered. "I'm sorry for that."

Val didn't look ahead to having a heartfelt talk about this, so he turned over and pulled up the sheets. Everyone was faking everything. "Iws wokay."

"You're lying," Claire said sharply.

"Don't eat my emotions, it's rude! They're mine."

"I don't eat confusion and fear, I just smell it. Can you turn off your nose?" she huffed.

"No, but —"

"Claire, Val, stop. I don't know exactly what happened, but you need to talk it over. There's no good in bottling up rage," Filia said. She brushed Val's head. "The truth needs to be out."

Claire killed and didn't feel bad about it. Gods killed so callously. He wanted to rage at her, to make her get why she was something wrong. But he also knew if he did that, Claire might push that back on him by telling Filia his response. He couldn't talk about that and shouldn't make Filia afraid of him.

So the truth didn't come out.

He fully expected a speech about responsibility to come up, but instead there was a gasp. The room lit up slightly in blue, and Filia sped to the window.

"What in Siephied's name?"

Val raised up, curious now. Claire was at the window as well, both women's eyes wide with shock.

The nightsky was its usual dark blue, typical of breaking dawn. The galaxy's edge was tougher to see due to light pollution from Sailoon and the pillar of light that rose in the west, but otherwise the sky looked exactly as he knew it to be. No stars out of place, no doom objects descending, no rifts in time and space.

"Miss Claire, what exactly is that machine miss Lina built?" Filia said with a shaking voice. "This can't be."

Val scratched his head, he didn't get it. What were they so upset about? The light pillar stopped rising and broke into eight thinner wires, blocking out more stars. Were they getting upset because they saw slightly less stars now?

Claire's face contorted with terror. "Too early ... " She backed away from the window as the light pouring in become brighter and colder. All shadow disappeared from the room when one of the beams hit Sailoon.

An inhuman shriek escaped Claire. She fell, convulsing. Wings ripped from her back only to break themselves on the floor. Filia dropped to her knees, tried to grab her and screamed, "Xelloss! Get over here! It's not enough."

Val knew. Sailoon's shield wasn't enough, off course. It wasn't meant to be.

Barely had she finished or Xelloss phased in. One of his hands and both eyes were open. "As we discussed," he said.

Filia held up her hand to match his, a determined look on her face. "This better work."

They released magic from their fingers, black and white that mingled to a tighter shield.

Claire stopped thrashing around. Now limp, she was carefully taken into Filia's other arm and her tail. After a few deep breaths, the girl started crying.

Xelloss sat down opposite of Filia, allowing Filia to lower her hand to her knee. "I think at this time, you likely guessed this is a replica of Megiddo. It's calling for Siephied's pieces."

Val didn't like that. Filia might not have guessed that, but Xelloss was cutting edges again with his orders.

"But how?" Filia said.

"How not? Mister Pokota managed to replicate Gorun Nova and Galveira, didn't he? Now, please do not ask more."

"She's said it was too early ... so this was meant to turn on some day?"

"I don't know more," Xelloss said. He closed his eyes again, which was enough to signal defeat for Filia.

Val turned back to the light, which might just come from the center of the world. They were upset about that, eh?

The beam had a very distant sound that he could pick up if he focused. Maybe it had been there since yesterday ...

It was like a song, yet it wasn't a sound, a melody or even a lyric. Still, something in his mind was so similar to when he heard music. The bards Filia liked would describe music as nourishment for the soul, like food was humans and light for plants. He had scoffed at it, but this resonance was something similar. It was a pull, a need, there was an atmosphere and a pulse to it. Some part of him craved it.

It became easier to remember things. No more need for astral corridors or Claire's bible. Like stars clear in the night, he could recall the names of his first parents, of lands he once walked, of a terrible light and a comforting darkness, and in a split of utter misery, he fell onto the name of that man who had meant so much. Gaav.

Someone grabbed him. The prickle of a shield — void — momentarily passed him, and then the song was entirely gone. Disoriented, he looked around.

Xelloss had pulled him into the barrier, and now Claire tugged him at his hair.

His mother changed a worried look between him and Xelloss. "Why did you pull him in?"

"I believe he was being affected as well, miss Filia," Xelloss said as he let go of Val.

His mother grabbed Xelloss's cloak. "Xelloss, please, tell me what's going on! Any hint will do!"

Xelloss shook his head.

"A hint for what? And what's that big light out there?" Val pointed to the window. That strange beam of light was fading away, or perhaps being pulled back to the thin light in the distance. It consumed all the darkness, even though it was so thin. Val wondered why he hadn't really noticed it before, it looked beautiful.

But Claire was afraid of it. She clung to his mother's dress and would have soaked it if she had tears. Val knelt at her side. Folding out his wings, he embraced her, hoping she'd be in less pain.

"So what now?" his mother asked.

"Now, we wait inside this nice little safety barrier until that thing turns off," he said, and his smile reappeared. "Fortunately, I happen to have an solid supply of tea and board games. Don't worry about Claire, she'll be fine in a while. Her astral form is just a little bit jostled."

His mother resigned and gave a weak smile.

"Given all the trouble this is causing us, I expect to get the tea for free."

"Eh ... naturally."

· · · · · · ·

Val woke late in the morning, just as someone slipped the cover of his bed over him. He didn't open his eyes, but he could tell it was Claire. A very tall version of her. The fusion magic shield was gone, he was all in control of himself again. Didn't mean he wanted to have their attention.

When Claire turned away, he slipped one eye open. Xelloss went through scrolls while Filia still lay curled up on the ground. Claire just stepped over her like she was another piece of furniture.

"Yes, and he said something about wanting me to develop a conscience," she told Xelloss.

"How typical of the saintly narcissist. Those hollow moments, can you give me more details about the time and conversations?" Xelloss handed her an empty scroll.

Claire sat at a desk and wrote. Val couldn't see from his angle, and he wasn't about to wake and ask about it.

Gods and devils are both astral. They cannot feel guilt and remorse. They do not experience compassion. They can be nice but not kind. The experience of empathy would harm their sense of self, but they need to fear that, for they cannot even sympathize. These are the creatures that rule your world. How unfair, when your world is populated by creatures for whom crime and compassion is so important to function.

I understood at a time you were neither little nor one. —

"This may take a while," Claire said.

"I see. I better return miss Filia to her room," Xelloss said. He picked her up, careful not to wake her but without gentleness. He might just as well have been holding a carton of eggs.

"Let me know whether anything changed about Val's shadow range," Claire said. She nodded and continued writing.

Xelloss walked out of range of Val's emptiness before warping Filia way. He returned soon, but only to retrieve the scrolls. He said a 'see you later' to Claire, she didn't reply. Didn't bother with any expressions.

He should tell Filia what he had seen. But he would not. There was nothing to talk about with any of them.

The world was all a game.

· · · · · · ·