Meriath was changing. It was not something that could be stopped or prevented, and what anyone could do was only retreat to safety and wait. It didn't help that the sky remained violet, and the sunlight was gone from the world, giving real meaning to the name of the Dark Age. Arcus and the rest of the dragons completed their survey after a month, flying all over Meriath, visiting it from coast to coast. Their conclusion was grim: The continent was in the process of breaking into nine pieces and slowly drifting apart.
The news was a bit hard to take in, but there was no mistake about it. The impact on Meriath created such turbulence that in the following 500 to 1000 years, it will be full of earthquakes until the continent is split entirely, and they start moving to their new position, wherever those may be. It looked like the death of Undead brought along a completely new Era for Meriath, one where everything is changed, even the Realm itself.
...
....
......
Lia, with the Misfit leaders in tow, was back in her ancestral home as they were helping her eldest brother become the new head of House Amarin. It was also the perfect time to have some respite from the troubles and let the Misfits relax and rest before they returned to the continent... as there was much to do.
Kawu and Parthorn were already out, the former looking for Reyra with the 4th Branch sweeping through their own territory, doing the same, without finding anything so far. Parthorn, on the other hand, was taking the 2nd and 3rd Branches, along with many Three Ri experts, to the edges of their territory, where the earth was constantly trembling, cracks opening up. They were continually helping people evacuate and move away from the multiple, deep cracks of the abyss, ready to swallow everything.
Back at the ancestral castle, it was a much calmer night. Although... it was hard to tell if it was day or night because the sky remained the same all the time. Lia was alone in the family's council room, sipping on a cup of tea, looking out of the window, and watching the unnatural weather when the silver disk of Hajna pinged on the table behind her, indicating an incoming transmission.
"Did you find her?" Lia asked, picking up the call from her ancestor.
"No. Which troubles me. She should have exited before us, but nothing. No traces of her."
"Could she be...?"
"She could have either been swept away into No-Space or when the explosion happened, she could have been destroyed or flung out into the Cosmos through a crack. The sad truth is... she most likely... is dead." Erias concluded with a soft and melancholy sigh, "I liked her... I will miss her cold exterior and... well... cold interior. But still... she was a good girl."
"She still could be alive!" Lia tried to remain positive, but Erias just shrugged in dejection.
"With how No-Space is right now, I doubt it. When things calm down, I will enter it and try looking for her again, but... We all knew we could die at any moment... Without her, it wouldn't have succeeded."
"What will you do now?"
"Well, for now, I will sweep the continent with the dragons in tow. I fought for so long that I wouldn't accept the possibility of waking up one day to the news they were back! Soooo, we are going to keep vigil for the upcoming years. It will also give us a chance to look for the Golden Claw disciples. We don't have any identifying characteristics, so... I don't even know where to start, but we will see! I just hope we catch one or two so we can build up a profile of what to look for!"
"So you won't rest, huh?" Lia asked with a chuckle, especially because Erias was going about not wanting any responsibilities to be put on him. "Will you start flirting with girls again? I heard your past stories from Albert!"
"Heh! No... Those times are behind me. Most won't even notice I am walking amongst them. We finished off the Undead problem, but we now have the ghosts of the past to deal with! There was an old saying back in the First Dark Age... not even in death, we are allowed to rest. I'd like to finally say it is wrong, but I can't until there is still a threat looming above us."
"Sadly, true..." She shrugged, emptying her cup and leaning against the window, looking at the disc instead.
"What are your plans?" Erias asked after a brief pause.
"I... well... I thought about it. I will not retake the leading position of the Misfits and be just a leader in name. An honorary title, that is all. Same with the rest... But we won't dismantle the group!"
"Wouldn't have made sense anyway. Will you pass your position down? Like you did in the Academy?"
"That is my intent! It will remain an adventurer group, but I will lay down some rules for who can join and who can't. It will be strict, and they will be oath-bound to help the people of the land. I talked with the others... For now, the new leaders of it will be Ceiline and Simbad."
"Hmm..." Erias hummed, thinking about it as he met with all of them. He was curious about Lia's company, seeing many similarities with how he built up his own group in the first Dark Age. "From the small interaction I had with them, it seems like a good choice. What about the rest?"
"Aurora and Sion are already preparing to leave. They will join up with Solren and Lauron, looking for Mom. Koadriana and Keily, with my cousin's remaining husbands, will stay here. Help to keep the order amongst the people of my House... especially now."
"Yeah, I already ran into a few death cults and groups, preaching that the end of the world had come for us all... They had to be put down."
"Noooo... I meant Koa is pregnant."
"Oh! Really now? From which one?"
"She doesn't even know! At least that is how I felt when I asked her about it!" Lia giggled, shaking her head but happy for her cousin. "Raufon will return to his tribe too. They are near a cracking point, so they will need to move, and he will oversee their survival until everything settles down. It is just unrealistic to hope to go back to how it was... heh... It seems as if I was just a kid until yesterday, going to the Academy... I miss those days... I truly am..."
"What about your girlfriend?"
"We are not like that... not yet, I think!" She pouted, walking over, sitting up on the table, her legs paddling in the air, "Rinzen has maybe the most to do! The old Berison's territory has been ravaged the most. They all want to return and rebuild, but it won't be easy. Not with what is going on... She is working hard on it, though!"
"And what about your boyfriend?" Erias questioned again, clearly grinning on the other end.
"We are not like that... not yet, I think! Wait... I already said this! Hmph! Anyway, the Silly Fox is organizing... stuff!"
"For you. Don't think I missed it! I already have a guess what you are planning, but I want to hear it from your mouth!"
"I guessed you would notice it... especially because it was you who established the Institute." Lia smiled, looking towards the window, watching the dark clouds. "I do plan to rebuild it! It won't be a floating island anymore, but I have planned it out!"
"That is why many of the Misfits are moving down south?"
"Yep! I will establish it right on the top of where Hajna's old home is! That region saw a lot of bloodshed lately, and now this cracking of our continent... they need some stability so the Misfits will bring it back for them! While Ceiline and Simbad can lead them to unify the cities and bring them under me, I will rebuild the Academy and become its new Headmaster!"
"Aaaaand-"
"The Silly Fox knows! He will be my advisor!" She grinned, sticking a tongue out. "I already contacted many of the teachers, and they are willing to return! But first, I will need to rebuild it and reconstruct everything. It will be a lot of work, and I don't know how much time it will take... But I will oversee it personally. It helps my mind... relax. It is good not to think about what happened to Mom... or what happened generally..."
"And I will join you too." Interjected Hajna, who was listening in from the start, being the conduit that they talked through. "I will help maintain the new system, and I can help establish a fixed connection with our destroyed home. Rebuild some stable access points! It can't be fully recovered, but it could be a decent training ground for kids."
"Mhm, Good. Well, when you are finished, I wouldn't mind taking up a position there. It sounds fun!" Erias chuckled in a kind tone.
"Really?" Lia asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Yep! Why not? And having the Misfits rule that area, students from the Academy can join them for experience. A win-win situation! We will have to keep the talented people coming and raising them well! The only thing is... you will be hard-pressed for resources right now."
"You did it. In a much worse situation! I thought if you could manage it, why couldn't I?"
"See? This is why you are my descendant... mhm! Good! I will support you, and don't worry, we can spare things so you can reopen the Institute of Eight Elements soon enough!"
...
....
......
Inside the hidden Realm of the Golden Claw, life was returning to it, quite literally. By now, around two hundred people were present, once again livening up the empty pagodas and training fields, greeting each other in an ancient tongue and with names they hadn't used for a long time. Where the multiple, tall pagodas stood, the ones that both Erias and Lia visited, the leaders of the Sect were having a meeting; Reyra, or more precisely, their Sect Master Paman, was helming the group of five.
"What about the rest?" She asked, her arms crossed, leaning back, her blue eyes flashing with authority and power.
"Every elder who survived the hibernation in No-Space has returned to life, Master. Right now, we four are the ones who haven't taken up any vital position in the outside world and could return when your call has arrived! Three others are unable to leave as they are rulers of nations, but the rest is slowly dripping back! We should reach a thousand souls by the end of the year!"
"Mhm." She nodded and continued thinking. This was not what she envisioned. The cataclysm that happened affected them, too, as even though their senior souls were all back safely, a Sect needed more than that. It needed people.
"Start indoctrinating them slowly. We can turn what happened to our advantage! Use it to establish our Sect and those who are truly devoted, lead them to one of the openings, and have them enter the 'promised land!' If one thing has to be said about Lumamon, it is that he knew how to play with the minds of common men... heh..."
"Master," One of the elders said, cupping his hands, "Most of them can be very suspicious of that and... resistant to such approaches. I experienced it myself while living amongst them!"
"There are always those who are not that type of people." Paman countered, shaking her head, "We don't need the most talented ones! We need a group to serve as our menials so we can start rebuilding! If we find some rough gems amongst them, good. Otherwise, we need ears and eyes everywhere! We must slowly slip into every facet of their life and slowly replace their leaders until we can openly return! Ugh..." She couldn't help but grab at her head, holding it, wincing multiple times.
"Master..." The others whispered, but Paman just groaned, telling them to stay put.
"It's nothing... It's just the cataclysm disrupted my assimilation process... it will take a long time to fully merge with the body's previous soul. I can't just consume or throw her out, or I risk the skies smithing me down! Tsk... those bastards did pull something incredible; I will give them that! I will put down my orders, and you all shall start working! Our return is imminent, and when I deem you ready, I will let them find me... By then, I will have all the memories of this Reyra, and we can take over the topmost position with one masterstroke!"
Meriath was changing. It was not something that could be stopped or prevented, and what anyone could do was only retreat to safety and wait. It didn't help that the sky remained violet, and the sunlight was gone from the world, giving real meaning to the name of the Dark Age. Arcus and the rest of the dragons completed their survey after a month, flying all over Meriath, visiting it from coast to coast. Their conclusion was grim: The continent was in the process of breaking into nine pieces and slowly drifting apart.
The news was a bit hard to take in, but there was no mistake about it. The impact on Meriath created such turbulence that in the following 500 to 1000 years, it will be full of earthquakes until the continent is split entirely, and they start moving to their new position, wherever those may be. It looked like the death of Undead brought along a completely new Era for Meriath, one where everything is changed, even the Realm itself.
...
....
......
Lia, with the Misfit leaders in tow, was back in her ancestral home as they were helping her eldest brother become the new head of House Amarin. It was also the perfect time to have some respite from the troubles and let the Misfits relax and rest before they returned to the continent... as there was much to do.
Kawu and Parthorn were already out, the former looking for Reyra with the 4th Branch sweeping through their own territory, doing the same, without finding anything so far. Parthorn, on the other hand, was taking the 2nd and 3rd Branches, along with many Three Ri experts, to the edges of their territory, where the earth was constantly trembling, cracks opening up. They were continually helping people evacuate and move away from the multiple, deep cracks of the abyss, ready to swallow everything.
Back at the ancestral castle, it was a much calmer night. Although... it was hard to tell if it was day or night because the sky remained the same all the time. Lia was alone in the family's council room, sipping on a cup of tea, looking out of the window, and watching the unnatural weather when the silver disk of Hajna pinged on the table behind her, indicating an incoming transmission.
"Did you find her?" Lia asked, picking up the call from her ancestor.
"No. Which troubles me. She should have exited before us, but nothing. No traces of her."
"Could she be...?"
"She could have either been swept away into No-Space or when the explosion happened, she could have been destroyed or flung out into the Cosmos through a crack. The sad truth is... she most likely... is dead." Erias concluded with a soft and melancholy sigh, "I liked her... I will miss her cold exterior and... well... cold interior. But still... she was a good girl."
"She still could be alive!" Lia tried to remain positive, but Erias just shrugged in dejection.
"With how No-Space is right now, I doubt it. When things calm down, I will enter it and try looking for her again, but... We all knew we could die at any moment... Without her, it wouldn't have succeeded."
"What will you do now?"
"Well, for now, I will sweep the continent with the dragons in tow. I fought for so long that I wouldn't accept the possibility of waking up one day to the news they were back! Soooo, we are going to keep vigil for the upcoming years. It will also give us a chance to look for the Golden Claw disciples. We don't have any identifying characteristics, so... I don't even know where to start, but we will see! I just hope we catch one or two so we can build up a profile of what to look for!"
"So you won't rest, huh?" Lia asked with a chuckle, especially because Erias was going about not wanting any responsibilities to be put on him. "Will you start flirting with girls again? I heard your past stories from Albert!"
"Heh! No... Those times are behind me. Most won't even notice I am walking amongst them. We finished off the Undead problem, but we now have the ghosts of the past to deal with! There was an old saying back in the First Dark Age... not even in death, we are allowed to rest. I'd like to finally say it is wrong, but I can't until there is still a threat looming above us."
"Sadly, true..." She shrugged, emptying her cup and leaning against the window, looking at the disc instead.
"What are your plans?" Erias asked after a brief pause.
"I... well... I thought about it. I will not retake the leading position of the Misfits and be just a leader in name. An honorary title, that is all. Same with the rest... But we won't dismantle the group!"
"Wouldn't have made sense anyway. Will you pass your position down? Like you did in the Academy?"
"That is my intent! It will remain an adventurer group, but I will lay down some rules for who can join and who can't. It will be strict, and they will be oath-bound to help the people of the land. I talked with the others... For now, the new leaders of it will be Ceiline and Simbad."
"Hmm..." Erias hummed, thinking about it as he met with all of them. He was curious about Lia's company, seeing many similarities with how he built up his own group in the first Dark Age. "From the small interaction I had with them, it seems like a good choice. What about the rest?"
"Aurora and Sion are already preparing to leave. They will join up with Solren and Lauron, looking for Mom. Koadriana and Keily, with my cousin's remaining husbands, will stay here. Help to keep the order amongst the people of my House... especially now."
"Yeah, I already ran into a few death cults and groups, preaching that the end of the world had come for us all... They had to be put down."
"Noooo... I meant Koa is pregnant."
"Oh! Really now? From which one?"
"She doesn't even know! At least that is how I felt when I asked her about it!" Lia giggled, shaking her head but happy for her cousin. "Raufon will return to his tribe too. They are near a cracking point, so they will need to move, and he will oversee their survival until everything settles down. It is just unrealistic to hope to go back to how it was... heh... It seems as if I was just a kid until yesterday, going to the Academy... I miss those days... I truly am..."
"What about your girlfriend?"
"We are not like that... not yet, I think!" She pouted, walking over, sitting up on the table, her legs paddling in the air, "Rinzen has maybe the most to do! The old Berison's territory has been ravaged the most. They all want to return and rebuild, but it won't be easy. Not with what is going on... She is working hard on it, though!"
"And what about your boyfriend?" Erias questioned again, clearly grinning on the other end.
"We are not like that... not yet, I think! Wait... I already said this! Hmph! Anyway, the Silly Fox is organizing... stuff!"
"For you. Don't think I missed it! I already have a guess what you are planning, but I want to hear it from your mouth!"
"I guessed you would notice it... especially because it was you who established the Institute." Lia smiled, looking towards the window, watching the dark clouds. "I do plan to rebuild it! It won't be a floating island anymore, but I have planned it out!"
"That is why many of the Misfits are moving down south?"
"Yep! I will establish it right on the top of where Hajna's old home is! That region saw a lot of bloodshed lately, and now this cracking of our continent... they need some stability so the Misfits will bring it back for them! While Ceiline and Simbad can lead them to unify the cities and bring them under me, I will rebuild the Academy and become its new Headmaster!"
"Aaaaand-"
"The Silly Fox knows! He will be my advisor!" She grinned, sticking a tongue out. "I already contacted many of the teachers, and they are willing to return! But first, I will need to rebuild it and reconstruct everything. It will be a lot of work, and I don't know how much time it will take... But I will oversee it personally. It helps my mind... relax. It is good not to think about what happened to Mom... or what happened generally..."
"And I will join you too." Interjected Hajna, who was listening in from the start, being the conduit that they talked through. "I will help maintain the new system, and I can help establish a fixed connection with our destroyed home. Rebuild some stable access points! It can't be fully recovered, but it could be a decent training ground for kids."
"Mhm, Good. Well, when you are finished, I wouldn't mind taking up a position there. It sounds fun!" Erias chuckled in a kind tone.
"Really?" Lia asked, her eyes lighting up.
"Yep! Why not? And having the Misfits rule that area, students from the Academy can join them for experience. A win-win situation! We will have to keep the talented people coming and raising them well! The only thing is... you will be hard-pressed for resources right now."
"You did it. In a much worse situation! I thought if you could manage it, why couldn't I?"
"See? This is why you are my descendant... mhm! Good! I will support you, and don't worry, we can spare things so you can reopen the Institute of Eight Elements soon enough!"
...
....
......
Inside the hidden Realm of the Golden Claw, life was returning to it, quite literally. By now, around two hundred people were present, once again livening up the empty pagodas and training fields, greeting each other in an ancient tongue and with names they hadn't used for a long time. Where the multiple, tall pagodas stood, the ones that both Erias and Lia visited, the leaders of the Sect were having a meeting; Reyra, or more precisely, their Sect Master Paman, was helming the group of five.
"What about the rest?" She asked, her arms crossed, leaning back, her blue eyes flashing with authority and power.
"Every elder who survived the hibernation in No-Space has returned to life, Master. Right now, we four are the ones who haven't taken up any vital position in the outside world and could return when your call has arrived! Three others are unable to leave as they are rulers of nations, but the rest is slowly dripping back! We should reach a thousand souls by the end of the year!"
"Mhm." She nodded and continued thinking. This was not what she envisioned. The cataclysm that happened affected them, too, as even though their senior souls were all back safely, a Sect needed more than that. It needed people.
"Start indoctrinating them slowly. We can turn what happened to our advantage! Use it to establish our Sect and those who are truly devoted, lead them to one of the openings, and have them enter the 'promised land!' If one thing has to be said about Lumamon, it is that he knew how to play with the minds of common men... heh..."
"Master," One of the elders said, cupping his hands, "Most of them can be very suspicious of that and... resistant to such approaches. I experienced it myself while living amongst them!"
"There are always those who are not that type of people." Paman countered, shaking her head, "We don't need the most talented ones! We need a group to serve as our menials so we can start rebuilding! If we find some rough gems amongst them, good. Otherwise, we need ears and eyes everywhere! We must slowly slip into every facet of their life and slowly replace their leaders until we can openly return! Ugh..." She couldn't help but grab at her head, holding it, wincing multiple times.
"Master..." The others whispered, but Paman just groaned, telling them to stay put.
"It's nothing... It's just the cataclysm disrupted my assimilation process... it will take a long time to fully merge with the body's previous soul. I can't just consume or throw her out, or I risk the skies smithing me down! Tsk... those bastards did pull something incredible; I will give them that! I will put down my orders, and you all shall start working! Our return is imminent, and when I deem you ready, I will let them find me... By then, I will have all the memories of this Reyra, and we can take over the topmost position with one masterstroke!"
