Chapter Six

"So, any reason why we're back in our room?" Jenaline asked as they entered the area in question. "Wouldn't Diana hide her notes elsewhere?"

"Who do you think Diana would trust with her stuff?" Korra replied, heading directly toward Leona's bed and diving under immediately. "Even if she didn't agree with her viewpoint, Leona wouldn't think twice about helping with keeping her notes safe, on the off chance she was right." She grunted for a second. "She's… just that… nice… Get moving, you lug!" With another grunt of effort, she managed to pull Leona's trunk out. "Geez, what did she keep in this? Rocks?!" She quickly unlatched the trunk, throwing it open. "Leona would keep it in the one place no one would ever look."

"And what better place would there be than among her personal effects," Dorius added. "No one would even think about searching her."

Jenaline nodded, realizing that very thing. "Good point. But considering the current circumstances, would her personal effects be the first place they would check? Their relationship wasn't exactly Targon's best-kept secret."

Korra began sifting through everything within, checking every piece of parchment as she came across it. "Except they never stated that Leona was in league with her," she replied. "Even if they think that was the case, they have no reason to perform a random search if they don't discuss it. Besides, they said she was kidnapped."

Dorius nodded. "Of course, there is a good chance they had already come here and performed their search while we were in class."

Jenaline took a look at the trunk's items. "They didn't. Her clothes are still very rumpled. A 'true' Solari would have folded her garments."

He had to concede that point. If the Elders had performed their search, they would have folded Leona's clothes and straightened everything out.

After some more time had passed, Korra sat back on her haunches, shaking her head. "So much for that hope," she grumbled. "There's nothing here." She sighed. She was so sure that they would be here.

"Maybe they didn't have the time to do anything," Jenaline suggested.

"Or they're not here in Auroral Triumph." Dorius frowned. "What if Leona sent them to her parents or that Atreus fellow she had fought?"

The two girls blinked at the suggestion. It hadn't even occurred to them. If that were the case, they might have more problems than they thought.

Solari Acolytes were forbidden to go to the villages unless they were performing holy sacraments or spreading the teachings of the sun. The Rakkor didn't take kindly to the Solari's involvement in local affairs.

Jenaline smiled. "Well, we can still go after Rhia," she stated. "Hopefully, we can get something out of her. And she can't stay hidden forever."

"I'll leave that to you, Jenaline. Doroius, you're the best at sneaking around. Can you get to the village and ask Leona's parents about any letters sent their way?"

Dorius nodded. "I can do that."

"And while we're trying to achieve the semi-impossible. What will you be doing?" Jenaline asked.

Korra sighed. "Hopefully, I'll talk to one of the two Elders who treated Diana like a living being. I hope Elder Sek is willing to talk."

LOL

Kespina had to admit; the Lunari were freaking cool.

Their escorts had shown them the areas they would be allowed access to, then their beds. They answered every question (and there were quite a few) without grunting in irritation once. Her Regimental Instructors didn't have that level of patience.

What they had learned… was amazing.

The Lunari had hidden by utilizing the same Runic Stones that protected the mountain. They had also spread themselves throughout several enclaves to stay out of the Solari's sight. And finally, they enjoyed sneaking around, pulling pranks on the Solari. (The best thing.)

And their beds were soft! A lot softer than back home. That was a definite bonus.

"Don't even think about it," Aidonal suddenly stated.

"Don't think about what?" she asked, having an idea what he was implying.

"You are not jumping on any of the beds."

"I have absolutely no idea what you mean."

Phenos chuckled, watching them. "For some reason, young lady, I don't think he believes you," he informed her cheerfully.

The guards watched them all, trying not to smirk at the unbelievably… normal display between siblings. It humanized the Scorching Dawn and the Rakkor quite a bit for them.

Aidonal turned to them, sighing. "Do either of you want a little sister?" he asked. "I can promise you that she is housebroken."

"Oh no," the first guard stated. "I already got a little terror of my own at home. I don't want to discover what happens if I give her a partner."

The second guard grinned. "And I have a 'No Siblings' policy back home. My wife forbids it."

Kespina grinned. "Sorry, Adi. You and Leo are stuck with me." She giggled when her brother mock-glared at her.

Phenos chuckled as he watched this. The innocence of youth was indeed something special and needed to be treasured. "Well, I will leave you two to figure out the bunking arrangements. Gentlemen, if you could please show me the Archives. I suspect that time is of the essence now that my former colleagues are hunting us."

"Of course. This way, Sir."

Kespina plopped down on a bed after Elder Phenos had left, moaning in joy. "I call dibs on this one!" she declared.

"Be my guest. This one's mine."

The somewhat tired sound in her brother's voice caught her attention, and she looked over at him again. "You okay?"

Aidonal sighed. "I'm fine. I was thinking about how much things have already changed throughout a single night. Yesterday morning, you and I were having breakfast with Mom and Dad, discussing the latest bandit attacks. Now, we have to worry about the very religion that was supposed to protect us. A religion that seems to be rotten to the core. Who knows what would have happened if Leo had stayed with them, thinking she could change them?"

Kespina got up, frowning. She had been enjoying this impromptu adventure so much that she forgot that they were now fugitives, hiding from people who wanted to hurt their family members. But that ever-eternal family optimism showed through at that. "Don't worry about it, Adi," she stated cheerfully. "Leo's strong. She wouldn't have let them taint her ideals. You know that."

"I know. I'm just going through a number of what-ifs. We've always believed that the Solari cared and were our allies against the darkness. Now, to find out that they are perfectly willing to kill innocent people just because they have a different viewpoint from them, and that they would lie, just to make themselves look the victim…" He looked at her. "If they were willing to lie about that, what else are they lying about?"

"…What do you mean?"

"Well, you know about the attacks on the other villages." She nodded. "We were always told they were because of the bandits or the monsters. Some of the Regiment even believed that it was the Lunari coming back from the grave to wreak vengeance upon us. But I'm starting to think that not all of them were for those reasons. And, from what I've seen so far, I don't think the Lunari would have gone after the Rakkor settlements."

She was quiet as she thought it over, which was a first for her. Even for a ten-year-old like herself, who had yet to see any actual combat, she hadn't wanted to think about that. Finally, she said, "You know what? I want to help Leona and Diana strangle the entirety of the Solari Council."

"You and me both, Sis. You and me both."

LOL

Diana looked around, eyes wide in excitement. "Definitely larger than the Solari Archives," she whispered, grinning.

"Yes, it certainly is." Leona caught sight of her girlfriend's expression and rolled her eyes. "Would you like to be alone with your new love?" she asked teasingly, earning her a light slap on her shoulder. "I mean, I don't get that look of pure bliss."

"Oh shut up, Leo."

Phenos, who had arrived just before them, finished setting his supplies down and chuckled. "Leona, Diana has always been like this around tomes. You should know that better than anyone… though I wonder how you got her to put a book down."

"…I'm pretty sure you don't want to know the answer, Elder."

He took one look at their slightly red cheeks, nodding in agreement. Some things are best left in the past. Instead, he asked, "So, where do you think we should start?"

"Well, let's see what they have on the Chosen." Diana picked up a scroll, whistling. "This is definitely larger. At least three times larger than ours." She unrolled it. "And for a good reason."

Leona looked over her shoulder, nodding in agreement. "There is more information here," she stated. "The Lunari must have been the primary keepers of knowledge and history in the old days. The Solari don't have this much information, even in the undamaged books and scrolls." She pointed at the scroll. "And there are Xeno and Selene."

Diana looked it over. "The usual stuff is here. At least they put in some biographical information, like where they died." She frowned. "They were on the other side of the mountain protecting some place called the Shrine of Twilight. Their bodies were found after the Temple had slid back into the Spirit Realm, their weapons within each other." She sat down, rubbing her eyes. "They were dead for two days before they were found. And it must have been a Lunari that found them because a Solari would have been more dramatic."

Phenos nodded in agreement, already writing it all down. "Well, regardless of that, we have just found our first piece of evidence to corroborate our theory," he stated, picking up a book. "Let's start with the day of the Ruination and work our way forward."

"Good idea. Hopefully, there's something here that will help." Grabbing a scroll, Leona sat down and started reading.

LOL

"What were you thinking, Lyra?!" the Elder shouted once they were within the relative privacy of their home. "While I am grateful that you were able to find the Moon Mother, sneaking out to the Rakkor settlement at night when you had no reason to? And befriending a Solari's brother on top of it?!"

Lyra sighed. This was not the lead Elder of the Council reprimanding her. This was her Grandmother yelling at her for putting herself in danger. "Grandmother, I'm not going to apologize for my friendship with Aidonal," she stated. "Also, considering how his sister is the Sun's Chosen and is friends with Diana, that friendship with him paid off!"

"Yes, but the Solari are never going to stop hunting them. Not only that, but their parents are also in danger!"

"Their Elder Sek is running interference simply because he cares for Diana and Leona. And with your permission, I'll sneak into Auroral Triumph on a fact-finding mission."

"... ... ... You want to sneak into their main Shrine at a time when security will be at its highest. For what reason would you put yourself in that amount of danger?"

"I want to see if any of Diana's research survived. I also want to find out what the Solari Elders are planning."

"The only thing you will do right now is rest and think about everything you have done. And you better hope that I don't ground you until you are fifty, young lady." The Elder raised her hand to stop the inevitable protest. "Not another word in this subject," she ordered before softening. "Lyra, it's not just your indiscretions I am concerned about. You have been running yourself ragged ever since you became a shadestalker. Even you need to rest now and then. And you have no idea what they would do to you if you were caught."

Lyra finally deflated at that. It was true that she hadn't had a lot of time to relax over the last year. There were days when she barely managed to get any sleep. That didn't include the nights she would sneak out to see Aidonal and talk with him.

Her Grandmother smiled. "As you said, your friendship bore unexpected fruit. After finding two Chosen, that alone will give you much prestige. Besides, I'm not forbidding you from seeing your friend. Just... be careful."

"I always am. I remember what you told me about my parents. I won't make the same mistake they made. You won't lose me as you lost them."

But as the two embraced, Lyra was already planning to head for Auroral Triumph at her earliest convenience. This was far more important than whatever influence she would obtain.

She had a feeling that the safety of Mount Targon was hanging in the balance.

LOL

They had to wait until the Nadir before they could even try anything. But once it arrived, they tried to make their moves.

Dorius, despite his size, was quite adept at sneaking around. So, when no one was looking, he managed to sneak out of the Temple and headed for the village. Hopefully, after he explained the situation to Leona's parents, they could help.

Catching Rhia alone, on the other hand, was proving more difficult. The Acolyte was always surrounded by her little gang or speaking to one of the Elders. It had been like that for the entire day, and it wasn't changing soon.

And then there were the rumors starting to spread throughout the Solari Shrines. There were tales of how the Chosen of the Sun had been found, how the Heretic had managed to overcome them, and so many other points of view that seemed outlandish.

None of them were taking them seriously.

"Oratory was a bust," Korra murmured as they returned to their chambers. "I think Rhia knows something, and she's doing everything she can not to be caught."

Jenaline nodded. "What about Elder Sek?" she asked.

"He's been pretty busy. Combat drills were canceled because of yesterday, so he's been in meetings." Korra shook her head as they entered their quarters. "Hopefully, Dorius has had more success."

Indeed, Dorius was already there, looking somewhat shaken. "Never again," he informed them. "Leona's mother is freaking scary. I'm half tempted to believe that she sleeps with that spear."

The girls winced at that. Leona had told them about her parent's eccentricities and accomplishments. Both had distinguished careers in the Regiment, so pissing off either was a bad idea.

"On the other hand, they did give me every last scrap of paper Leo ever sent them. They didn't throw a single thing out." He sighed. "Most of them are letters, so I don't think we'll find anything."

Korra picked up a letter, looking it over. "Geez, Leo should have been a poet or an author. This has got to be the most articulate writing I have ever seen." She frowned. "Well, this is different."

"Huh?" Jenaline asked, confused.

"Dorius, does this paper feel… different to you?"

Dorius took the paper running his fingers over it. "It does," he muttered. "The paper feels like it has something else written on it." He looked at it from both sides. "It feels like it was written with some kind of ink." He grabbed another letter. "Check and see if any others are the same way."

As it turned out, every last letter was, in fact, two. Leona's visible letter and whatever it was that was hidden.

Jenaline sighed, putting the last letter down. "Anyone want to bet that Diana created some invisible ink, wrote all of her work down using that ink, then put it all in Leona's trunk? Probably unaware of this, Leona used the parchment to write her letters."

"Sucker's Bet," Korra replied. "So, how are we going to make it visible?"

That was the trick. What would Diana do to ensure that her work could be accessed? It would have to be a way others would only discover by accident.

Diana was quite the cunning soul.

As they thought about it, there was a knocking on the door. All three looked up in a panic, then at the door and back at the letters. "Come in!" Korra called out, praying for a miracle.

To their surprise, Elder Sek entered, smiling. "Acolytes, my apologies for dropping by," he said in greeting. "I just wanted to see how you three were holding up."

"About as well as can be expected," Jenaline replied. "We still can't believe Diana would turn on everyone like that, kidnapping Leona to boot."

"Speaking of Leona, has there been any luck finding them?" Dorius asked.

"None, though our patrols remain optimistic that they will find her eventually." His gaze shifted to the bed, where the letters were still. "That is a large amount of parchment," he noted.

Korra nodded. "It's a bunch of letters Leona never sent out," she replied, hoping he would buy the little white lie. "We were hoping to go through them to see if there were any clues as to why the Heretic did this."

Sek nodded. "Well, if you learn anything, let me know. Perhaps then, we will discover the truth then. I will leave you to it." He made for the door before stopping. "You three… be careful," he said. "There are forces both within and outside moving against us, and they will do everything in their power to silence the truth." With those words of warning, he left, shutting the door behind him.

The three Acolytes looked at the door for a second, then at each other. "Is it just me," Jenaline asked, "or does it seem that Elder Sek may know more than he let on?"

LOL

Sek returned to his office after his little detour to the dormitories. His movements remained as steady as they always did. None of his inner turmoil showed.

He did not doubt in his mind that those were the letters that Leona had sent out. One of them must have snuck out after classes, managed to make their way to the Rakkor settlement, spoke with Iasm and Melia(most likely becoming scarred for life in the process,) and managed to obtain the letters. Why they would do that is beyond him, but if they thought they could learn something new… well, he wouldn't be the one to stop them.

'Perhaps they will learn something Leona wouldn't have even thought about,' he mused.

LOL

"I could spend a lifetime learning about the Lunari!" Diana gushed as the group sat down for dinner. "Mathematics blessing, astrological studies, and signs I have never seen before! I must be dreaming!"

"I hear wedding bells in the future," Leona stated dryly. "Why am I jealous of a bunch of scrolls?"

Aidonal shrugged. "I don't want to know how that's possible." He took a small bite of meant, chewing slowly for a second. Satisfied with how it was, he began eating in earnest.

Leona followed suit, grinning at the taste. "Well, here's one thing they have against the Solari; better cooks." Diana nodded in agreement.

Phenos nodded. "I have to agree. Perhaps they have had more time to experiment with different flavors."

Kespina smiled. "Hey, maybe they can teach Dad!" she suggested. "That way, he wouldn't burn water anymore."

The three siblings shuddered at the thought, remembering the one time he had cooked for them. Mother had him banned from the kitchen forever.

Kespina looked around, taking in the sight of many Lunari warriors in conversation. Now and then, one would look at them before looking away. She sighed, going back to eating.

Leona saw her expression and sympathized. "They don't know what to think of us," she reminded her. "We're probably the first sun worshippers they've ever seen. Most were told stories of the Solari being absolute monsters with a light that burned away all compassion and kindness." She sighed. "Where most Elders are concerned, they were probably true."

"Indeed." Phenos sighed. "I can't help but wonder how many people they had murdered under the guise of religious purity. Not just among the Solari, but among the Rakkor themselves."

"How many of our practices were given to us by the Solari Elders," Aidonal added. "I know the Right of Kor was one such practice."

Leona nodded, gaze darkening. "Wanna guess when they suggested that?"

Their studies had barely begun, and already they had found several little nuggets of information. It didn't help with finding out more about the Ruination itself, but it gave them more evidence of how the event had affected the Solari. The Rite of Kor hadn't existed as a punishment before that point, instead used to determine who would wield a relic weapon. It was also not lethal. There were also many minor changes that, at first glance, were meaningless. When seen together, though, it revealed a subtle influence to try and control the Rakkor and their belief.

Diana set her fork down, thinking hard. "We'll need to broaden our research. The prior Aspects were in operation for decades before the Ruination began. Maybe they felt something was going to happen before it happened."

Kespina nodded. "Well, tomorrow I will talk to the other kids living here. Maybe they have the same kind of games we do."

"Of course, you would want to know how they have fun." Aidonal shook his head. "One of these days, you're going to have to join the rest of us in the adult world."

"But I'm not an adult yet. I've got a few years before I have to worry about it."

Leona grinned. "She's got you there, Adi. But speaking of what we will be doing tomorrow, what will you do?"

"Train. I do not doubt that the Lunari fights those creatures as we do. I want to stay in shape for that."

"Not a bad idea," Diana noted. "You should do the same, Leo. We must be ready for when the Solari Elders strike against us." She grinned mischievously. "I also want some alone time with my new love."

Leona groaned as her siblings started laughing at her expense. "Don't even joke about that!"

LOL

I'm writing out the next episode of Season 2 of Hope and Light, so it will be a while before I return to League of Legends. Thank you for your patience.