Chapter 18: Respect

Stunned silence filled the room for what felt like ages as Dane tended to his wound. Tahir slowly clenched his hand opposite Dane, gripping the sheet hard enough that it began to tear on his fingers. Blood rushed through his body in molten waves as his hair stood on end. His eyes widened as he pursed his lips, sweat beading on his forehead.

"You…"

"Pardon?" Dane asked, finishing the dressing and looking Tahir in the eye.

"You're the one..." Tahir whispered. Dane lowered his brow, holding out his hand as a dark mist pulled from Tahir into his palm.

"I see. Your Darkness holds much pain-"

"Shut up! You know nothing of the pain you caused!" Tahir seethed, trembling as his grip on the bed sheet tightened further, digging into his palm.

"How is it you come to blame me?" Dane asked, clenching his hand around the small ball of mist until it disappeared.

"You and those following you wasted time escorting the rich when you should have protected us from the shadows!" Tahir rolled out of the bed, grabbed his dagger, and knocked Dane to the ground, holding the blade to his throat.

"If you'd been doing what you were supposed to, my wife and daughter would still be here!" With a swift wrench of his arm, Tahir readied to plunge it into Dane's chest, only to hit the ground when Dane teleported away.

"Why?! Why weren't you there for her?!" he screamed, lunging after him again. Dane palmed the knife away from its path, slipped it from his grip, and pinned Tahir face-first to the wall. He said nothing as Tahir writhed and flailed under his grip.

"Why! Why, why, why, why, why?!" he screamed, his voice eventually giving out from the strain and relaxing his struggle. Dane released him, turning him around with a serious yet kind stare.

"I know your pain, for I have been there once myself. But you cannot let it consume you." Tahir slumped, his horse voice speaking in only a whisper.

"Why did you save my life? I was on the verge of seeing my family again. Why bring me here and keep me from seeing them?"

"I didn't bring you here. I found you on the steps of our chapel. An Omen severely wounded you, and those wounds need careful treatment, or they will rot into ash the way your arm had." Dane sighed, retrieving the dagger he had thrown to the floor, holding it back to him, handle first.

"Take a day and rest; your journey has been long. When you are rested, you can leave or stay." He said as Tahir took the dagger back and Dane left him alone in the room.

"My enemy and my savior; one and the same." He thought, staring down at the dagger in his hand. He was still furious, torn between his aching heart and sense of duty. In the meantime, he would take up the offer to rest. Tomorrow, he would try to convince The White Mage to return to Arentia and speak with his contractor merchant.


"Master Dane, do you think leaving the weapon with him is wise? He did try to cut your throat with it just a moment ago." Vieren asked.

"Let him be Vieren. He has experienced a great loss and has yet to heal fully. The Darkness has a strong hold on him, but he isn't beyond saving; we must do all we can to ensure the healing of that wound." Dane replied, walking to his lab past the Stalactite Crystal chandelier that served as an information depository. As they walked, Mars's voice bellowing in the halls caught them.

"Master, I insist that you do something about your daughter! She has interrupted my class numerous times today, making it nigh impossible to teach the day's lesson." Mars huffed, dragging the late teen with him by the arm.

"You've been teaching one of the fundamentals of general magic wrong! Of course, I will interrupt you!" she said, flinging back her champagne hair and straightening her sky-blue dress.

"Rhinne, how often have I asked you to wait until after the class to voice your concerns?" Dane asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Enough times that I've lost count." Rhinne pouted, crossing her arms and looking away from Dane.

"I know you are more powerful and understand magic much differently. But you must remember that you are here in Usoria; we don't have your abilities." Rhinne pursed her lips harder, looking further away from Dane with an almost comical scowl.

"Now then, what is this fundamental of magic that Mars is teaching wrong?" Dane asked as Mars spluttered and stuttered.

"Master, I have-" Dane held his palm, silencing his protest.

"Mars says all magic is only usable through rune sentences or visualizing the result, shaping it into the desired spell. But that's wrong! You're supposed to use mana from your life force to connect and shape nature's energies. And that whole process is called a spell!" Rhinne explained, swinging her hands in multiple ways to show diagrams of the human body and where points of energy exist within it. Dane studied the diagrams, comparing them to his knowledge of magic and how his master taught him. Rhinne's method was similar but required energies he thought didn't exist within the human body.

"I am sure that your explanation is correct. But once again, you and your mother's powers are far greater and different than we humans here in Usoria." Dane explained. Rhinne crossed her arms and huffed, reluctantly agreeing to what Dane said, following some acolytes after being dismissed.

"I still find it hard to believe she's so grown up after only nine years," Mars muttered to Dane, watching her leave. Dane tensed when he saw Will approach Rhinne, putting an arm around her waist and walking with her down the hall.

"Time moves faster while she is with her mother. She'll be wiser than all of us in a few years," Dane replied distantly, turning for his lab once more, at which Mars and Vieren followed.

"Yes, but it is still hard to wrap my head around," Mars answered.

"Please excuse me, Master Dane; I have some business I need to attend to," Vieren called, waving to the two of them as he left. Mars's face lost all expression as they neared Dane's lab, speaking in low tones while Dane searched for his key.

"How goes the research?" Dane sighed deeply, leaning his head against the door with a solid thud.

"There is still much to know. I can't make it any darker; I can only add more. I can still produce Light from it, but I have hit a wall in how much power I can gain. I'm sure I will surpass this obstacle in time." Dane smiled, unlocking the room and opening the door.

"Shall I have some food brought to you later?" Mars asked, at which Dane nodded and closed the door behind him.


"…I know he means well, but it feels all wrong! How can I get more powerful if I can't learn properly?" Rhinne complained, pacing back and forth in the empty classroom as Will watched her, checking his notes periodically for anything that might help.

"Have you tried asking your mother for help?" He asked.

"She's been teaching me everything she can, but it's all like I'm a goddess. I need to learn more about my power as a mortal, but I can't do that very well since the way I manifest my powers is far different. It's like teaching a bird how to be a mole!" Will had to do his best to stifle a chuckle as he watched her stomp around the room.

"On top of that, my mother AND father remind me how important my power is every other day. But I don't even know how to use it properly, let alone enough to wipe out all Darkness."

"You seemed capable enough when you saved me," Will reminded her, remembering when he first arrived at the temple.

"I found out later from my uncle 'Zin that I was just overwhelming the Darkness and driving it away, not eradicating it. The result is still the same, but it's not a permanent solution." Will flipped through pages of his journal, trying to find something in his years of service to the Aurora that he missed.

"What if you could teach someone here in Usoria how to use magic like you? It might help you understand how it works."

"I asked my mother that same question, but she said humans can't use mana. A human life force isn't strong enough anymore. Mars says that humans can't use it because humans don't have it. The only mortal beings still in existence that can use magic like me are the Elves, and I doubt they'd want to help a human learn after what happened to them."

"Have you ever tried finding out If humans can use mana?" Will asked. Rhinne was about to protest but stopped herself, her brow wrinkling.

"No, I don't think I ever have." Rhinne breathed, her eyes flitting back and forth in thought, making Will chuckle.

"You've been studying here and in your mother's temple for the past 19-ish years, been stubborn enough to help any number of Clerics with their Darkness, sometimes even against their will, and fight with Mars every chance you get about how magic is supposed to work, yet you simply accepted that your mother and Master Mars said that humans can't use mana? You're half human; don't you think that means you shouldn't be able to use mana?"

"My deific half supersedes that, allowing me to use it. But even if humans could use mana, how would I find out?"

"Teach me. Show me how to use magic like you."

"Will, mana comes from your life force. One mistake, and you could burn it out. I don't want-"

"I'll be fine. I survived an Omen attack, so I should be able to survive anything." he joked. Rhinne sighed, staring at Will for a long while, aware of how finite his life would be compared to hers. She didn't want to burn out his life force before his time. His hair had already turned white after healing him of the Omen's Darkness, a sign that part of him had aged a lot after being exposed to so much of her power. And with mana coming from one's life force, there was an uncomfortably high chance he could accidentally use it instead. Rhinne stood before him, looking deep into his amethyst eyes.

"Are you certain about this?" she asked as if giving him one last chance to back down. Again, Will assured her he would be fine, reminding her he was well-studied and excelled in magic. Letting out a long and heavy breath, Rhinne agreed as Will stood and set his notebook down. Pushing aside her misgivings, Rhinne held up her hand, palm facing Will.

"Put your hand to mine and close your eyes." Will readily did so, letting his fingers lace into Rhinne's momentarily before returning to pressing his palm against hers.

"Now, take a breath and relax. Try and focus on your heartbeat and the feel of your pulse." Will remained silent, blocking out all the noises around him, letting the steady rhythmic pressure of his pulse become more and more prominent.

"I think I've got it."

"Good. Now try to imagine or feel the blood flowing through your veins: feel it moving through your body." Will's brow further lowered over his eyes. Minutes ticked in silence when Will slowly nodded, his whole body tingling.

"This is the tricky part; imagine your heart as a roaring fire at the center of your chest. There should be smoke coming from it; that's mana. Once you see that smoke, I want you to imagine it flowing through the veins of your arm and onto your palm, then push my hand away with it." More time passed in silence, the excitement making Rhinne tense, half worried, half eager to feel Will's mana push against her palm. Minutes passed in silent agony until Rhinne felt light pressure against her hand. It was no more than the brush of a leaf against her skin, but it was there.

"Will… you… that's it! You can control Mana! You have mana!" she exclaimed, rushing against him and hugging him tightly, almost knocking him over. Will took a moment to recenter himself, chuckling as Rhinne excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet.

"I don't think it's too much to be excited about yet, my love. I would hardly call it a useful energy source."

"But the fact that you can use it is the point! Mana takes time to build up, and you can expand your capacity to limitless levels with training!" Rhinne smiled, lacing her fingers with his as the room brightened with a golden glow. They looked down at their hands, seeing spears of light between them. They raised their hands together as if on cue, letting go and holding up an orb of bright gold light, spilling out of the windows and lighting the forests.

"What is this?" Will breathed, leaning in to better look at the star floating in their palms.

"I think… I think this is Ultimate Light in its purest form. It's our Light."

"I thought the purest Ultimate Light was white?"

"I don't think it's supposed to be. The Light my father uses is potent, but it- it's missing something."

"What do you think that something is?"

"I'm not sure. But we'll find out together." Rhinne smiled, hugging Will and kissing his lips, basking in the light's glow surrounding them.


The next day, Tahir awoke to the sound of acolytes training in the front yard, letting out hard yells as they moved through stances with their staff weapons. Going to the window, Tahir pressed his face against it to see the acolytes in the dull glow coming from the surrounding crystals. As they moved, the whole group's staves would sometimes light up with bright white bursts, temporarily blinding him.

Once his curiosity was satisfied, he reached for his clothes, put on his dagger, and adjusted the pendant hanging around his neck. He remembered the man dressed in the black and silver cloak as he held it up. Was it that man whom he should thank for bringing him here? If so, where would he find him? His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his stomach groan.

"I should eat something, and then I'll look around. I don't want to stay here too long and risk losing my contract." He thought, walking out into the hall where a few clerics of the order roamed from room to room, some carrying what appeared to be vials of a dark substance. Others were carrying stacks of books or scrolls to and fro. Unsure of where he could go for food, he asked one of the passing clerics, who incidentally was heading to meet his wife for breakfast.

"I am Vieren, one of the leading Clerics of Aurora." The cleric said, extending his hand, which Tahir shook in response.

"Tahir. Tell me, why did you disappear nine years ago? The world has only gotten worse since you

abandoned it." Tahir asked with a sneer. Vieren nodded and sighed.

"It was a gamble we all took with Master Dane. Mars and I are teaching the Acolytes here how to harness and use light to combat Omens. We find them occasionally within the Forest of Peace and have dispatched them."

"Then why don't you take that knowledge into the world and help defend it? People are dying daily from their attacks! All of you have so much power that could make the world a better place, yet you hide away in this forest doing what?!" Tahir snapped, his teeth clenched as his voice echoed off the marble walls. Those surrounding them stopped and stared, murmurs surrounding them. Vieren sighed heavily, almost appearing regretful.

"We have been studying how to find and harness the Ultimate Light so that we may use it to purge the world of Darkness."

"The world needs you now!"

"Yes, I know. But Master Dane has also been studying how to use Darkness to enhance the light we can use."

"So, what's the holdup? Use this Darkness to power your light and wipe it out!"

"It is not so simple." Vieren boomed. "The Darkness permeating the world is thousands of times more powerful than even Master Dane can combat. We must find the Ultimate Darkness and use that to empower our light. But more than that, look within this hall and tell me, how many of our clerics do you see?" Tahir lowered his brow, his hand ever close to the handle of his dagger, scanning the room.

"I see about a hundred." he snapped.

"Ninety-four, to be exact. In all the years we have been here, despite all the power you claim we have, we are few, and even fewer of us are fully Clerics. Believe me when I say that we want to help, but there aren't enough of us to give the needed help." Something about Vieren's words made him never fully reach for his dagger to slay this cleric, relaxing his stance and following him into the cafeteria to eat and talk.

As he sat with him and his wife for the morning meal, Vieren explained the basis for their research, what the Ultimate Light was, its inward and outward properties, and how it wasn't enough to overcome the Darkness despite its power. As they spoke, he watched the interactions between Vieren and his wife, noting a well-defined area around them where the air and the world seemed brighter. After his wife left, Tahir prodded Vieren for more information about this Ultimate Light. It was intriguing that a couple could be the source of this light and that the feelings one felt together or even apart gave these clerics power.

"But what of people that aren't part of this… this… sect. Are they able to produce this light?" Vieren chuckled a bit as Tahir called them a sect but answered.

"All humans can create this light. We've found it doesn't necessarily come exclusively from couples. It can come from family, friends, or even pets. Though the light coming from a couple is the most potent. It is most likely to have the desired outward-facing property to drive away or eliminate the Darkness." Tahir's face slowly fell as a realization came over him, his skin becoming pale and his hands cooling.

"Can light protect against Darkness without using it as a weapon or directing it through a focus?" He asked, his voice becoming serious. Vieren seemed taken aback.

"Yes. We have found that, in most cases, it can stave off or eliminate most lesser forms of Darkness." Tahir slumped back in his chair, pushing his hand through his hair as his breathing quickened.

"It wasn't you who was responsible for their deaths. It was me." Tahir whispered, pushing his hands through his hair but barely making it through as the strength left his arms. His whisper might as well have been a shout in the quiet meal hall; chills began to run up his spine, and the color drained from his face.

"It was me. It was me the whole time!" Tahir wailed, burying his face in his hands, shaking hard as the thought continued to spread through his mind like a cancer. The world fell away from him, and all he could hear were his words repeating over and over in his mind that he was responsible for their deaths. Everything around him sounded as if it were far away in a dark room.

"It was me; it was me the whole time!" he muttered, clutching his face with his fingers until a strong hand wrenched him into the upright position, and a burst of light exploded in his eyes. When the rainbows he saw finally faded, a girl stood before him, with Dane beside her.

"Tahir, Look at me. Tell me what has made you so distressed in clear and precise words." Dane instructed. Tahir began to explain in a convoluted flood of words when Dane gripped his shoulder harder than he thought possible for a mage.

"Slow down. Tell me what is troubling you, slowly." Dane commanded. Tahir took a ragged breath and tried to explain once again.

"I asked Vieren to explain what Ultimate Light was, and after he did, I asked if normal people could make this light. He said we could and that light can just passively erase darkness. It then made me realize when my beloved Talea was attacked when I wasn't near her." Dane gently squeezed his shoulder again to stop him, looking him dead in the eye.

"Why were you away from her?" The girl asked.

"We had just fought, what about I can't remember, and I left to cool my head. But I clearly remember telling her she would have done what I asked if she were truly a worthy wife. It was me. I was the one that killed her by dimming the light we shared. I…"

"Tahir, look at me," Dane commanded. Slowly, Tahir turned towards him again, struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Ultimate Light is not dimmed so easily; I know from experience. The Light you made with your wife is with you even now. Why the Darkness was able to come that close to your wife and daughter, I do not know. But you are not the cause of their deaths. If The Aurora had been nearby, she might have been saved or still died. But you need to know and remember her death is not your fault." Tahir slumped, collapsing into his hands as his tears began to flow. Dane dismissed the other gathered clerics, he and the girl staying until he was sure Tahir could talk again.

"Tell me about Talea. What was she like?" The girl asked gently as she and Dane sat beside him. Tahir wiped his eyes and began to speak despite his sniffling. He talked of how they had met, their lengthy and rocky courtship, and their eventual marriage that brought his daughter. It stung, but Tahir felt hope had returned to his life, a spark of light he'd almost forgotten about. As he spoke, he could feel that Dane had been through something similar as he would ask questions or remind him of his innocence.

With some counsel from the other clerics, he was able to work through the pain he'd accumulated over the years. It was hard as he would often fall back to blaming the order or blaming himself for the deaths of his wife and daughter. But the experience made him stronger than he thought he could ever be. Once he was sure of himself, Tahir explained why he came to find him. Dane acknowledged his purpose but said that he couldn't abandon his quest. There was still much to know, and time was beginning to run short.

Over time, Tahir began to harbor respect for the White Mage and for his daughter Rhinne. Their goal was lofty, just as Haim said, but it was a worthy goal aimed at helping the entirety of Usoria. He chose to stay with the Aurora, helping accelerate results in their study and practice of Light Magic. There were times when Dane would disappear for a week or two, and Mars explained that he would visit Rhinne's mother, The Goddess of Time Ariel. Tahir was floored: this man was not only a lover to the last fairy in all of Usoria, but also to one of the three deities that oversaw all of Usoria.

"How lofty is this man's power?" Tahir wondered. Time passed with ease, coming to know Rhinne, her boyfriend Will, and the twins, Orchid and Lotus. He could see why Dane chose Forest of Peace and now slightly admired the man, thinking that just maybe this White Mage could save the world. His research results were promising as larger and more powerful Omens would be obliterated, and his daughter's power seemed to grow over time.

Still, there was a nagging sense that something was wrong here. Why was Mars so insistent that Dane remained undisturbed in his laboratory? Why was he constantly locked in there for days on end? What were the screams Tahir heard from the lab while Dane was there? He would have to know one day, but for now, he would respect the wishes of the Order and do what he could to help advance their studies.


Hilda slowly opened her eyes when she felt the weight of Magnus' head shift on her chest, making her grin. She put one arm around him, stroking his onyx hair with the other and softly kissing the top of his head. Magnus shifted his position again, the skin-to-skin contact sending a wave of comfort and warmth through her. Hilda pulled his cloak up to cover his shoulders and chuckled softly through her nose. The memory of when she first met him as an outcast of the Dracova and the following events still rang fresh in her mind.

He was strong, much stronger than any man she had ever known, a fact made all the more prominent as her gaze turned to his large sword resting on the ground. At first, Magnus always seemed on edge, constantly vigilant and guarded. Over the previous months, Hilda seemed to slowly gain his trust. And now he was falling asleep in her arms, a sign of unfettered trust among the Dracova; at least, that's what Magnus told her. Did he trust her that much? After a moment or two, Magnus shifted again, pushing his arms under her around her back and holding her firmly in place.

"You usually don't move this much if you're asleep." Hilda grinned as Magnus readjusted his head on her chest.

"I wouldn't be awake if you'd just keep still," Magnus grumbled, holding her tighter for a moment. He repositioned his wings and found a comfortable position again. Hilda smirked, wrapping a leg around his under the cloak.

"And deprive myself of your touch? I don't think so, Dracova."

"Just shut up, Hilda." Magnus snapped groggily. Hilda smiled darkly, running her hand over one of his horns.

"Didn't you say you like my voice?" she teased, feeling Magnus shiver before he propped himself up, staring at her with sleepy but angry eyes.

"Stop talking, and stop moving. I'm tired. I want to be rested before facing Vulcurion again."

"And yet you're here in my bed," Hilda smirked, reaching up and putting her hands behind his neck. Magnus put his hand around her jaw, squeezing it firmly before gently kissing her and laying back down on her chest, falling into a steady rhythm once more.

King Hekaton led a disastrous campaign against Pantheon three weeks prior, losing all but four of his prized Thrall Knights. Magnus confronted the new Keiseer, but he and the Shivi-cova provided much more resistance than anticipated, driving them off within minutes. The king seethed for days after, drawing up more aggressive attack plans, hellbent on capturing Dracova and enslaving them to be his soldiers enhanced to become Thrall Dracova: unstoppable warriors to conquer all of Usoria.

Hilda hugged Magnus close, tracing the muscles in his back. With a heavy sigh, she thought back to the moment she felt a spark of something in her soul. During the attack, the Keiseer hit Magnus with a powerful wave of fire, driving him into a crater. When Hilda saw he wasn't moving, she felt a painful void in her soul; her eyes shrank to pinpricks, and her teeth creaked, turning and unleashing decades of hurt and sorrow onto the Keiseer in magic blasts. After so many years, she'd finally found someone like her, someone she wanted. Someone she… loved?

The Keiseer threw her to the ground, hoisting his sword skyward as bright blue flames curled around the blade. She heard him say something about monsters made for one another, but she could only cry out for Magnus in her daze. Magnus appeared over her in a roar, blocking The Keiseer's blow, their swords sounding like massive clocktower bells. Hilda responded by grabbing her staff, pointing it at the Keiseer's chest, and blasting him away with a burst of dark power, but it had a strange bright white tinge. Magnus collapsed to the ground, his arm bleeding and a wing dislocated. Hilda put his arm over her shoulder, helping him escape the battle with the help of the only four Thrall Knights to survive.

Since that day, Magnus seemed more enthralled with her than usual, his hand brushing across hers and being more accepting of her advances. His flavor of affection seemed aggressive, though, demanding her compliance or submission to him, which only excited Hilda more, for she was the same way. Each of them would try and force the other into submission, leading to many a night of aggressive passion. As her mind drifted back to the present, she extended her hand. Dark flames seeped from her skin, recalling what the magus had told them about the darkness he'd brought them.

"Darkness is not something to be taken lightly, Hilda. It can get out of control very quickly if you let it."

"That may be so, but it's still a great source of power. With it, we are nearing the completion of a means for eternal life." She whispered as her lips hovered just over Magnus's scalp, admiring the power she felt now that Darkness had enhanced her Everlife.

Magnus pushed his hands under her again, his whole being relaxing against her as he fell asleep. Hilda had almost abandoned all hope of finding love ever again since the people of Azwan had crushed her heart. Maybe, even as damaged as she was, she could find something like love with this Dracova in her arms. Hilda reached over to the side, pulling his black and gold cloak up to his shoulders again to protect against the cool of the night, holding him tighter against her, beginning to fall asleep under his comforting weight. With a long breath, she inhaled his scent, which smelled of fire and warm metal. There would be more to do; Arkarium and King Hekaton would ensure that. But for now, this was all she needed.

"Sleep well, Magnus."