Anouncement

I’ve been thinking about a hypothetical return to my favourite MTG set, and I think I’m going to commit to it.

I’ll write a story that WOTC has confidently stated they will never write.

I hope to eventually convert this into a visual novel, I already have an artist potentially interested in doing the sprites. But I’m nothing if not impatient, and I want a trial run, so while I accumulate resources this will be my first take.

The Homelands await.


Flesh

The cages rattled, wood hitting wood a sound more unsettling than the lightning roaring in the night sky, the pitiless splashes the carriage's collective hooves as they punched and marred the bog expanse, the murderous howls echoing through the hills all the way to the snowy peaks of the Koskun. The captives wailed and cried, begging still for Serra and her angels to set them free, a cacaphony almost as blood curling as the rattling.

With each stop, one voice was removed from the choir, and eventually the rattling had no rival.

He, no older than nine, was trying desperately to sleep the nightmares away. His eyes had been shut ever since a vampire slit his mother's throat and a werewolf tore into his father's chest, the sound of fading heartbeats so loud that they might as well drown the world, the roar of twin flames that lit his world. But as he was shoved in the cage and went through the night's strange symphony, only the rattling of the cages stood out. This would be a sound that he would listen until the moment he joined his travel companions, meat reserves for the long journey of this raid band from the former territories of An-Havva to a far southern outpost, established after the Great Restoration.

It took a single night to cross the continent to its southern hemisphere, but with the forcs of the Barony a night could last far longer than normal. It was an agonising process all the same, his heart threatning to explode with each stop, with each pleading or resigned breath. A thousand years could have gone by for all he could tell, and he remembered every single second.

One stop would be the final one. There were no more voices to silence, the rattling was all there was, lasting beyond the roar of lightning and the pitiless splashes and the murderous howls. It took while for it to settle, but just as it did the wood creaked with additional weight and the smell of rot and wet dog filled the carriage. His cage was torn asunder and his eyes were shut as much as the eyelids could muster, trying to deafen the world with his own sobs. But a hand grabbed him by the neck and threw him outside, into the mud. It cushioned his fall and even offered some shelter, but it was humiliating, especially as sneers and laughter filled the otherwise empty air.

"You want this one?" the vampire asked, "Surely you would have stronger ones if you had some self-control. I even starved for your stupid sake, I drun only three drops!"

"Dramatic as always" the werewolf sneered, "Coachman, the steeds if you will."

The man whimpered, but walked to the reins all the same. And a scene that lived on since the days of the Baron unravelled: the horses wasted no time biting as hard as they could into the bony legs and chest, grinding bone and flesh alike as they gorged themselves greedily. The man didn't even bother to scream, his voice was raspy like a broken rake.

"There, now you have blood" the werewolf said smugly.

"Amusing" the vampire deadpanned, "But again, why this one? She choses the most dignified to be her ilk, you seem to go after malnourished runts."

"A leaf can only come from a bud, and a bud can be molded into whatever you like, grown into whatever you need. You vampires deal with death, we werewolves deal with life. It is only natural you don't understand my ways just as I have little interest in yours."

"And yet your philosophy still fascinates me at times. If you weren't stubborn we could actually have a conversation, but you're dead set on pretending we can't relate."

"Buy me a few rounds and we can relate, all night long..."

The vampire chuckled, seemingly embarassed.

"I think you have work to do. I sure as hell wouldn't like to delay her new pet."

"Indeed, let's not."

All pleasantries ended, the werewolf grabbed him by the nape. His eyes were shut until the eyelids hurt and the orbs themselves felt squished, but the smell and sound of the licked lips painted the face perfectly before it was seen.

A horrible watery sound ressonated through his ears, and a claw then grazed his eyelids. Though they were peeled right from his face, he couldn't scream as the light of the moon made the werewolf now truly seen.

With a monstruous lunge, the beast's jaws enveloped the face. Teeth sunk, then melded with the bloody wounds. Flesh poured in and flowed out, boy and beast now one, a horrifying kiss blending two faces in one. Smooth skin intersected with coarse bristles, eyes flowed in two pairs of amber, one rimmed with white and another with canine black. Skulls broke and reformed within the veil, no thoughts but the wild urges of the Garden forming a green hurricane of predation and hunger.

A final couple of sickening bone cracks, and his humanity ended that night. Flesh flowed forth to each rightful owner, eyelids and other wounds restored as though the flesh was new. A trickle of saliva run down the werewolf's black tongue, matched by a torrent of vomit by the other participant.

"Bravo" the vampire clapped, "Make him squirm before we parade him."

"Sit, dog" the werewolf snarled.

And he sat, his flesh a slave to the words of the werewolf. His eyes didn't close for the rest of that night.

***

"Here he stands, my Lady."

The throne room - a makeshift parody of a corruption - was bleak. It rotted of moss and mold and decaying wood, it looked more like a flooded cavern than anything architectural. Eyes betrayed an unnatural court, of all things wrong that accumulated across the centuries the plane rebuilt itself.

Yet, to him, there was only her.

"What fun, what fun!" she cackled madly, "I can tell he'll be the one! Oh, break for me until we're done!"

She wasted no time commanding his flesh. His form was never permanently human or lupine, always a grotesque amalgam in between. His teeth and claws at first gnawed himself, sometimes devouring his quickly regenerating flesh and marrow. This quickly extended to other people; captured humans, fae or even angels and minotaurs, it didn't matter. He would eat them no matter how much his soul reviled that, and that was if he was lucky. Sometimes, he melded with them, sharing their agony with no way of reaping comfort; sometimes he melded with other slaves of Irini, and sometimes with her free servants instead.

The first few days were a nonstop cavalcade of horrors and sensations that ranged from the hellish to the corrupted heavenly, heart flaring when it had the shape to do so. But eventually, even the most chaotic ride becomes a routine, and in routine there is stagnation. Stagnation leads to resignation, and resignation leads to despair.

And it was a great enough despair that fred him.

Remember how old canon had interesting things to say like how mana apparently travels from the base of the skull? Good times.

Also the Ulgrotha guide said the minotaurs were based on Aboriginal Australian cultures so have some Kamilaroi-inspired things.

Chapter 2: Mana

Guway sat at the tavern, patiently watching the drops from his mug slide down.

His mind tended to wander off to weird places when he was bored. As a child he sometimes mixed ingredients within soup coolamons, much to the amusement of the medicine-woman of his tribe and much to the horror of his parents. Still, he earned nothing but concerned hugs. From what he could gather human children - be here in the Koskun's southernmost tail or in Aysen's supposed glory - are more severely punished. As with everything lately, he took pride in not being born in the bizarre amalgamations and divergences of human cultures, ever threatning the Anaba way of life.

And yet, he was here because of a human.

He felt him before he could see him. Some would say because, as a minotaur, he could sense vibrations through his hooves or listen ten times better than a human or fae. The least polite of all company would attribute it to the "inherent spirituality" of his people, and either envy or put him on a pedestal he was pretty sure to have never commissioned. He, by contrast, would say it was because his "date" started a fight outside of the tavern, seemingly entering in a brawl over being called something Guway couldn't be bothered to acknowledge.

Alas, it only took a few moments for him to arrive. He looked battered and bruised, a trickle of blood still running on his cheek, but whatever wound that caused it was already sealed by his flesh-crafting magics.

"I take it you're Rau?" Guway asked.

The boy nodded. Guway was at this point relatively familiar with how humans aged - similar to minotaurs, if maybe as far as physical maturation was concerned - but even he had some trouble placing him on their age range. 17? 19? Surely along those lines, unless the magic he described in his invitation also stalled aging altogether. Silly humans and their abominatory disregard for the natural law. Not that Guway judged; his own style of magic ensured he lived a longer lifespan than usual for a minotaur.

Still, to call Rau a kid was probably accurate. He already didn't strike Guway as mature, and his features did feel genuinely youthful, not a warlock's tasteless thinning to facial skin or the stalling of the nose's decay. In another context, he might even have found the youth cute, but the hieromancer was vigilant at all times. At least Rau didn't seem like a threat, seemingly a few restrained shivers away from crying.

"I didn't hear what those brutes said to you, but-"

"Don't" Rau incised firmly, "I don't want your pity. I just want what I called you for."

"Alright" Guway sighed, "I can teach you what I know, and I will do it on the terms we've agreed upon on your letter. Though you don't have to pay coin for my services."

A mischiveous look flashed in Rau's eyes, but he didn't dare to say it. Guway was tempted to chuckle, but he remained firm, because he had to deliver harsh truths.

"First of all, I have to decline your request to learn Anaba magics, for they are my people's alone."

"But you said-"

"However, I will teach you the arts I have learned by trial and error, by engaging Eron's and Ihsan's forces and besting them. I rely on them primarily, so surely you can see the benefits they will bring you on whatever quest you are on."

Rau clearly wanted to protest, but Guway didn't have to lift one finger to get him to shut up. He resigned to these terms pretty quickly.

"Fine. It better be damn good. Even if I'm not paying you're still asking a lot."

"And that's fair. I will not insist on your services if you find me an awful teacher. At worst, you'll learn something useful, free of charge."

"I guess" Rau said, breathing deeply in what seemed an attempt to vent out his frustration.

Guway took a sip. It was pretty awful compared to the gum sap beverages of the Anaba, but alcohol was alcohol.

"So, where are you staying through all of this?" Guway asked.

"I'll manage" Rau said, seemingly embarassed.

"I would ask you to stay at my place, but I think we can both agree we are not that trusting yet" Guway said, "I can pay for a room in this establishment. It isn't as luxurious as an Aysen apartment or even anywhere at An-Havva, but I hear they have comfortable beds around here."

"I don't want your pity" Rau said venomously.

"Its not pity if I need you to be in peak condition for your training" Guway interjected, though in truth he did feel sad for the kid, "So quit huffing and puffing until you're strong."

"I am strong!" Rau said, but just as quickly as that came out it fizzled like a flame on damp air.

"Tell you what" Guway said, shoving aside his beer, "We'll begin training immediately as soon as I pay this drink. Then you can show me how strong you are."

"R-right now?"

"Yes... unless you admit you need to rest and tend to your wounds. You know, things even the strongest this world has to offer still need to do, and in which there is no shame."

Rau grunted.

"They better have heavenly beds the way you're describing this place..."

***

Training proper began the next morning, as soon as Guway made sure Rau was properly rested and fed. Rau naturally made a hissy fit worthy of the scrappy teen he was, but Guway only found it endearing. There was no doubt that the kid was dark in some way, but he seemed pretty amicable once you pushed the right buttons.

They hiked late in the morning, the sun high in the Koskun peaks. The air was bright but cold, perfect for the teaching conditions Guway hoped for.

"So" Guway began, "Do you know the fundamentals of magic?"

"Obviously" Rau snorted, "Mana comes from the lands. You bond with the lands, and they release mana all over you."

"Well, that certainly is one way of describing it" Guway said, "You told me you can do flesh magic. Do you control it?"

"I think so" Rau said, a bit uncertain, "I spend most of my time in the swamps and the forests, so using it to heal myself or give any **** a new one comes naturally to me. I don't really give it much thought."

"Right" Guway pondered, "Well, for this exercise you won't need to do much thinking either. In fact, it's better if you just give in to your emotions."

Rau seemed to want to ask about that, but he tripped on a stone. Quick as lightning, Guway grabbed his arm and stabilised him, gently putting him back into position.

"Well, it's off to a great start. I'm pissed."

"Good. Keep that, nurture that. Let the anger pull from the mountains like fire pulls from wood."

They were near the peak, so both had a panoramic view of the valleys and gorges, of the snow-capped stone cathedrals and the jagged cliffs. The air was clear but cold, bright fire in the sun passing through biting cold wind. The Koskun surrendered their mana as easily as a phoenix surrenders its plumes, but they were generous when in the right time and place.

"How does it feel?" Guway asked.

"Clear" Rau answerred, in a strange, passionate calm, "It's so much more clear than the mana of the swamps and forests. And bright. Like there's stars everywhere, but I'm not catching fire!"

"I know, right?" Guway allowed some levity in his tone, "I sometimes draw from the forests, and they never feel this intense and open to my eyes."

"Should I do something with it?" Rau asked, "I want to cast a spell, but it feels... well..."

"Good?" Guway asked, "There's no shame in admiting that, no matter what any preacher may have drilled into your head. Like I said, let it pull, let it flare. Enjoy it, you deserve it."

And so Rau did, channeling and revelling in this new source. Eventually, it built enough to feel comfortable casting brand new spells that came up to his head: torrents of boiling blood, devils and gremlins sprouting from pieces of his flesh, bone shards projected far and wide. Truth to be told this was nothing like Guway's hieromantic magic, more an extension of Rau's own flesh magic, but his teacher didn't bother to correct him. No, improvising and creating was part of Guway's process, his own journey similarly using mountain mana to redefine an existing school: namely, to turn hieromancy's rigidity into something more brutal in combat.

Perhaps that was why Guway was not the least bit disgusted by Rau's antics. When you punch soldiers with fists made of solidified order itself you get to see plenty of blood and guts as well.

They had a friendly spar. Neither clearly was using his full strength, the minotaur mostly just redirecting attacks and Rau seemingly only using his flesh magic to create stuff to throw at his teacher instead of the more obvious applications he implied earlier, though Guway occasionally felt his blood flowing oddly inside his veins. Before long they worked quite a sweat and sat down, wincing as the Koskun rocks didn't go gently on their butts.

"That was awesome" Rau said, smiling earnestly for the first time since Guway met him.

"And it's only the beginning" Guway said, "Race you to the bottom?"

"The bottom?"

Guway pointed down at a plateau, deep in the valleys. He predicted Rau's grunt, but it was no less amusing.

***

They made it to the plateau as the sun began to disappear behind the mountains. Light cast deep oranges on the meadows and dusty plains, a distant relic of the Dead Zone at first sight but flaring with mana of the plains.

"Now, to draw mana from the plains you do have to be a bit more calm" Guway explained, "Focus on the order inherent to all things and it will gladly flow to you."

"How do you do it in the midst of battle?" Rau asked, "and can you use it alongside the mana of the mountains? I feel the mana of the forests and swamps is very different but it still flows to me naturally."

"I suppose its the same for me" Guway shrugged, "I don't really have to think too much to draw from the plains alongside the mountains. Though they are like night and day they do overlap in ways I'm very comfortable with. Like the calm before a brawl or the addictive fire of righteous anger."

"You really like fighting, even though you make schoolars look like brats."

"You mean like you?"

Rau tried to be indignant, but all that accomplished was mutual laughter. They knew each other for a day by that moment, but it already seemed like they ebbed and flowed like the tides.

"Alright, enough stalling" Guway said, "Show me what you got."

Rau concentrated, and indeed Guway could feel him trying to reach into the plains. Though night was settling in, to the minotaur's eyes it might as well have been the brightest day, luminous white threads before his eyes. But Rau halted, opening his eyes in shock. Soon, darkness fell once more.

"I d-don't think I can" Rau stuttered.

"Everything alright?" Guway asked softly.

"I... it feels wrong. Like its judging me."

Now this was an interesting development. Guway had seen beings vulnerable to the mana of the plains and the holy force it represented, but usually he could feel them burning as their evil perished in the light. Never had he heard someone say it made them feel uncomfortable, let alone 'judging' them.

"Judging you?"

"Y-yeah" Rau said, shaking in small hiccups, "Like it's telling me I'm nothing, that I deserved what happened to me."

Suddenly he fell on his knees and started crying. All the bravado, all the self-imposed toughness, it dissipated like a vampire before an angel's blast, but for the first time Guway felt incredibly distraught and disturbed at the metaphors his mind created in his poetic lulls. This was no abomination, no matter his flesh magic.

This was a person, broken once and now again.

Wordlessly, Guway lowered and embraced Rau. He expected some resistance, but the young man did indeed just cry into his chest, taking refuge in his arms, hiding like a ferret in a hole. Guway massaged his back, trying to get him to calm down, trying but failing to mutter comforting words. Thankfully, the silence was enough, and soon Rau's sobbing died down, and he just felt limp within the minotaur's embrace.

"I just don't get it" Rau broke the silence, so softly it might as well had remained a soundless void.

"Uh?"

"It felt so horrible, yet its part of you. And you're not horrible, w-we've only met a day ago but I feel like you're not going to judge me if I tell you."

"Do, do you want to talk about it?"

A silence followed. It spread enough for the sun to fully disappear, and for the white crescent to crown the Koskun peaks.

"...yes."

In which I exercise more of the post-mending Ulgroth worldbuilding.

***

Chapter 3: Balance


Laira was a simple faerie.

A bit of sunshine, a warm welcome and the sound of rivulet waters echoing across the creek was enough to please her. Many of her kin lost themselves in Court politics, and that was fine. She wasn't a good argumentator nor ambitious enough to even try. She'd much rather do her duty out in the fields, watching over farmers and their children, keeping an eye out for danger and blessing the Summer harvests.

She yawned, laying lazily on a branch on the outskirts of Kerselin. Underneath her the children of loggers played, occasionally stealing glimpses of their gracious protector but mostly ignoring her. A faerie's mystique can only last so long when she's a regular presence.

Her rest was broken by an argument, laughter suddenly replaced by shouting and crying. Wasting no time, she unfurled her wings and fell from the branch, gliding down gently between her charges.

"Now now, what's going on?" she asked, firmly but gently.

"Zud won't stop hitting Tov!" a girl said, pointing at a boy at the periphery of their group.

"Snitch!" he responded angrily.

"Alright" Laira said, "Why were you hitting your friend?"

Though she asked as calmly and gently as she could, this seemed to elicit a jittery, nervous reaction from the aggressor. Clenching his fists, he took a deep breath, and rant:

"He always has it easy! They always pamper him, they always tell me to 'shut up' when I tell them my father hits me else it'll 'upset him', they always protect him and leave me to fend for myself! That's not fair!"

Laira was definitely not expecting that. This was far more complicated than their usual spats. She took a deep breath, and looked at Zud's eyes, black as the stormy sea. Her's were the color of light passing through the meadows at dusk, so there was almost a continuity in their gaze, that calmed the young boy.

"Zud, I know you've suffered and your friends weren't fair to you, but you shouldn't take it out on Tov. He hasn't done anything to you, your parents did, so nurture that anger to them, not him. Else you're going to add more people who will hurt you, because these kids will probably tell your parents about this."

Before the boy could respond, she turned to the others:

"And you should not play favourites. True, Zud is a bully, but if he actually confesses about his pain you shouldn't dismiss it."

She turned one last time, so as all of the now guilty children looked at her:

"Your parents or village elders probably told you to 'kiss and make-up'. You don't have to, because wounds don't heal with kisses. Do have, however, to try and work things out. Listen to each other, be there for each other. One day you'll grow up; what then?"

None of the children responded to that, though it was clear they understood what she meant. They guiltily excused themselves back to the town, gradually growing more friendly among themselves as they approached their homes. Zud and Tov were now talking together, though Laira could not hear them. It was for the best as far as she was concerned, it was likely very personal.

She could, however, hear wing beats, and see a shadow cast on her.

"Well well" said another faerie, "Seems you're more of a diplomat than you claim."

"What is it that you want now, Fendart?" Laira said, turning to face the other faerie.

He was perched arrogantly on her tree, hawk-like in demeanour and arrogance. He had the face of a man long gone, a servant of the Dark Barony that no longer lived.

"I want you to take your place seriously" he crooned, "Your days of watching children are far beneath your station, especially with war brewing."

"You talk about me 'not knowing my place', yet you seem to want Autumn Willow's role..."

"Funny you should mention her. She requests your presence, at once."

The sheer smugness on Fendart's face broke Laira's relaxed demeanour, and it took a lot of self-restraint to prevent her from decapitating the other faerie with a punch. Instead she opened her wings, reaching to the air.

Fendart followed her, two shadows moving fast across the canopy.

***

The Court gathered at a large clearing, cut through by a wide, fast moving river. Moonlight and meadow flower perfumes filled the air, rendering the intersection of forest, plain and island a surreal, almost dreamy landscape. It was in such places - increasing in number as Ulgrotha healed - that Autumn Willow focused her power, and where her faeries met to discuss their new role as arbiters of the holy balance.

Laira landed on the soft grass and moss of the clearing, sitting down. Fendart, on the other hand, paced himself at the center, wings open and chin high like a rooster.

"We have gathered here at the behest of the Mother of the Wilds, to discuss the impending war."

The faeries gasped and murmured among themselves. Laira was surprised that they were surprised; maybe this was going to be another of Fendart's paranoid rants?

"May I, Mother of the Court?"

A breeze crossed the clearing, breaking apart the river waters for but a moment. Autumn Willow had sent her approval for an argument, though she hadn't deigned to materialise herself yet.

"For 50 years Ulgrotha has been healing and for 50 years we maintained the balance while the Floating Isle fell to decadence. We alone maintained the jaws of disaster from striking, and yet now they are gnawing at our foundations. We've neglected the Dark Barony for far too long, thinking it to be obsolete, and yet they strike at the edges of the world. They are a disease, and in their squalor they bred another strain to fell us down."

"Please stop with that and just get to the point" another faerie yawned.

If Fendart had feathers they would be most assuredly ruffled. He had to make do with his butterfly wings instead.

"The point is that one of their werewolves has gone rogue. He now wanders the Koskun and the Isle and even settlements we control, sewing seeds for war. Warbands of mercenaries now gather, aiming to strike at the Barony. Aysen senses this not as help but as danger, and in turn is gathering its armies. No doubt Eron will make his own moves in response, to say nothing of what the Barony will concoct."

"You are way too paranoid" Laira interjected, "These are mercenaries we're talking about. For better or for worst they won't last against Irini, like the other insurrections did."

"I see you failed to hear the part where I said Aysen is advancing. As usual, your incompetence is astounding."

A gust of wind knocked Fendart off his feet, making him lose his balance if only for a moment.

"Mother of the Daughters of Autumn, you know me to be true! She has neglected her duties, which could have prevented this situation from escalating. But alas, we must correct her mistake at once."

"What do you propose?" a voice like spider threads across rustling leaves filled the air.

At once the winds gathered in a tornado, air becoming flesh and hair and piercing yet gentle eyes. Autumn Willow stood above her faeries, feet sinking into the earth as if roots connected her to all of Ulgrotha. Her motherly appearence bellied a great, almost primeval power, that made Laira feel humble and mortified at once. This seemed to have no effect on the arrogant Fendart, however, who simply opened his wings as he continued his argument.

"Either we destroy the Barony, or we cut the loose thread."

Autumn Willow took a deep breath, a movement of air more subtle yet just as strong as any storm.

"We cannot kill the Barony, for it is what keeps Aysen preoccupied, lest their memory of Serra burn all of the world down. The loose thread we trim, then."

A movement of her hand, and the Court was dismissed. Fendart, though furious, bowed with proper and sincere respect. At once Autumn Willow dissipated, and the faeries left, all but Laira and Fendart.

"Go fix your mess" Fendart snarled.

"Me? You're the one who made a fool of himself over that!"

"He's going to Kerselin" Fendart sneered, "If you are so attached to that town, then do you part. Else you will be another loose thread, that I will gladly cut."

She stared at his single pitiless eye and eyepatch, both grim in pride and wrath. He would not stop until the Barony was dead, and she was his tool to vent his frustration. She never felt so much hatred for a being.

"Fine, but on my terms" she said, rising to her feet, "Once this is over you will stop with whatever it is that you're doing. Or else you will die."

Fendart snorted, and shooed her away.

They tried getting rid of me, but I perservered!

Chapter 4: Trauma

Onella's cathedrals stood tall since Serra was alive.

Even with the Baron's darkness they did not fall, but a stain came about them.

The old abbeys now were suffused with a dimmer light, as if fog clouded them. Here and there there were spots of gathered white light where the window glass focused them, and they were said to be especially pure and graceful, rich in white mana.

This was where Ihsan spent most of his days.

No longer alive, the shade did as shades do: stand still.

Haunting, some would say. In his case, he felt like a statue, as the faithful often came to say their prayers and revere him, albeit giving him a wide berth.

His corner wasn't even well-decorated and grandiose. It was a makeshift pondering junction at the stairs, a platform where he could be bathed in light. Allegedly in peace.

He, of course, had duties to attend to. Like waking from a slumber, the shade rose from his stance - "meditation" might be too generous a term - and walked down towards the war room. He did not step, he glided on ethereal mist, but it felt good to pretend.

There, the council was gathered. Human generals of the various provinces and cities of Aysen. Warrior angels, former knights prommoted to the most divine of being. His arrival silenced a banter and a commotion, the white air of death lingering as he took his place at his sit.

By his side was his confidant, Alanaira. The bearer of the ring, tightly packed beneath her glove.

"So..." Ihsan began, his voice like a chasm, except with a hint of pain, "The Koskun are in unrest as Eron nears the minotaurs, The Dark Barony keeps hiding in the far corners of the world, pitiful snakes as they are. And a new power rises amidst the townships."

"That is the gist of it, my lord."

"Our treaty with Eron shall remain honoured unless he tries to finally outstep his boundaries. Votes against?"

"None, my lord."

"The Barony's festering remains shall remain our priority, hunted far and wide and purged whenever we find them. Is this clear?

"Yes, my lord."

"And what of this new power?" Ihsan asked, attempting to sound comfortable but in practise giving a menancing wail.

"He is a werewolf, we think" an angel said.

"We think?" Ihsan asked.

"He is a flesh-twister, he can shape his body in ways even most werewolves cannot" a general confirmed.

"He is causing unrest... but against the Barony" Alanaira concluded.

"Then monitor him" Ihsan concluded, "That he kills Irini is of no concern to me, but I will not have another dark lord."

"From what we know of his rhetoric he seems quite against the Barony as a nation" a Dead Speaker bishop said, "Perhaps we should let them kill each other?"

"No" Ihsan muttered, "The risk of a new Sengir is too high. Let him kill her, but slay this beast once he serves his purpose."

"Yes, my lord."

"Besides that, there are also matters of the Academy and Autumn Willow's forces?" Alanaira said.

"What of it?" Ihsan asked impatiently.

"The Academy remains ever insular, but rumors speak of a new presence there" Alanaira continued, "We have to monitor this lest they undergo... reforms."

"Wouldn't be the first time, but your request is granted. Bishop, ready the shades."

"Yes, my lord."

"And, of course, there is Grandmother Willow, who seems interested in the werewolf."

"Mayhaps he's a plot for her 'balance'" Ihsan pondered, "Send her a message. I grow weary of her meddling."

"As you wish, my lord" a messenger angel said.

"You are all dismissed for now. I require further pondering on these matters, but in principle this is what you have to do. Understood?"

"Yes, my lord."

***

Ihsan went to another spot, further into the cathedral. Light shone brilliantly, tainted by the hues of church glass but still very white. Spirits, angels and shades flew about in the white mass, as if a living fog of many faces.

Ihsan thrived in quiet. He had plenty of it when the Baron slaughtered, when the Baron shelved him away. He was supposedly free, but he felt trapped in the light. And he indulged that feeling, for he deserved to be trapped, for he deserved to suffer for his arrogance to long ago, his bargain ill managed.

Wings fluttered, more solid than the angels in the light, and he knew Alanaira was behind him.

"My lord-"

"Am I your lord?" Ihsan said bitterly, "You haven't gotten rid of the ring."

He knew her wings dropped, and if he turned to see her she'd be sad.

"Ihsan, you know I'd never use it against you."

"You say that, but you haven't found a way to get me rid of it."

"Because you are a shade, and if I destroy this ring you will fade. You told me you wanted revenge, so I'm respecting your wishes."

Ihsan hated having that conversation again and again and again. But his mind was clouded. Alanaira had gone above and beyond for him, and yet he couldn't trust her, not with that ring in her finger.

"What if I change my mind?"

Alanaira was silent, but bowed.

"Your wish is my command, my lord. I will see to it that this ring is destroyed and our soul rests in peace."

Ihsan also knew an objection was forming in her throat.

"I just beg you not to. I know this is no way to live, but I can't bear to see you die. You deserve a knight's rest by Her side, yet I want you to keep on living. Am I selfish?"

Ihsan didn't sigh, but he wish he could.

"Yes. But I will not blame you. I know that I have returned to Her, but I'm scared."

"Twice would you return to her" Alanaira said, wiping some tears, "First when your soul died, then when you shade fades. You are a remarckable and noble man, serving Serra twice."

"And twice only."

He turned to face Alanaira, her stoicism marred by tears.

"I'm so tired, my angel. So very tired."

Awkwardly, the two embraced, a heatless embrace under a cold light.

Chapter 5: Void

Ngalyod stared at the sea, perched atop the pier. I was really more like a window safeguard, as it didn't exent far into the inky black water. The Minotaur moved their hand upon the water, blue light revealing secrets a lesser mind would strain looking at.

Yes, all the other nations expanded, a free for all for the angels and their sycophants, for the remaining Sengir and her pets, for the isolated clans of the Koskun and even for the oh so wise fair folk and their court. The Floating Island remained where it was. Sure, it had sent spies to keep tabs on the news, and what news they were. But all came to the Academy from all over, hoping to learn and improve themselves.

No need to expand if you're a lighthouse, guiding so many to a higher education. And now that the need to ac s ambassadors was oh so mercifully taken by Autumn Willow herself, Ngalyod and the students could spend more time on perfecting themselves, and freely study anything to their hearts' content.

Especially dark magic.

"If the rumors are true, surely I must study this fleshcrafter."

Fleshless as a construct of blue light and mist, the last of the Labyrinth minotaurs focused their luminous eyes on the abyss. Horrors convulsed and bit each other, pulverising themselves into raw material for their tormentor's magnum opus.

Once the chum surfaced, Ngalyod suspended them by their blood and bile, and put them on several jars.

A paintbrush manifested as did a brush. With not a single thought, Ngalyod painted the grotesque scene they had witnessed, and it was a perfect replica of that moment in time.

***

Wildfire. Azoria. Equilor. To Laurelin, all of these were pushing the boundaries of how a plane should be, so she thought taking a break in Ulgrotha. She was not prepared for an aggressively militant inquisition and a werewolf causing chaos all around, so she enlisted herself in the Academy. There were lot of frankly invading questions like "what are you", "where are you from" and "can you even read". All dissipated with focus at hand.

She wasn't above them, but they were nothing, just void to be ignored.

Soon, she was enlisted for classes on aetherology. Here, the founder of the Academy, Feroz, long wanted to provide an alternative to creature summoning. Most breakthroughs happened elsewhere and well after he died, but now taking this class was a show of utmost respect for him and for the Academy as a whole. Not many enlisted, just two other people: a dwarf and what seemed to be an anthropomorphic manatee.

They didn't question her, and she didn' not question them.

"Ah, so our prodigal student comes to the mos humble of all classes" Ngalyod pranced into their entrance, lying on the table.

"Yes, sir" the manatee said timidly.

"There is no shame if you wish to skip. I hear classes on demonology are quite the rage, and they will lead to many more connections than this decrepit dream of a fallen failure."

Laurelin's fists tightened to drawing blood, but she remained composed.

"So why do you teach it?" she asked, "If you think we're wasting our time here?"

"Someone has to keep the traditions al-"

"No, your facility always does away with classes no longer deemed appropriate, like theurgy and healing. No, you must see the use of this subject."

Ngalyod craned their neck, more bird than minotaur.

"You always speak of pushing the boundaries" Laurelin continued, "So this class must truly embody that: to find a way where few others can."

"Perceptive indeed" Ngalyod clapped, their face as stoic as granite.

Ngalyod sat on the table and took a deep breath.

"You know the basics of mana and spellcasting, yes?"

All three students nodded.

"Well then, it is time you learn how to deal with the aether. Aether is an energy well outside the boundaries of our world, chaotic and unrefined. A being as powerful as an angel is torn to shreds where the aether lies. But aether is potentiality. Is, as Laurelin said, pushing the boundaries of what is possible. To do so involves a lot of concentration and meditation, but studying on water can speed up your progress."

Ngalyod pointed to the pier where they stood not even an hour ago. The painting was now drying, protected by wards to prevent seagulls from adding brushes of white to the black.

"Go fourth, and examine the sea."

***

Laurelin did as told. True to be told, she was already aware of the Blind Eternities and their aether, but she didn't connect the dots until she stared at the bleak waters. She occasionally stared at the morbid painting, and hoped to not spot any of those horrors of the depths.

She reached her mind to the black depths, and there was nothing.

Still water, snowfall. So orderly, so unlike the chaos of the realm between realms.

But then she noticed the currents.

Warm water ascended and cold water descended, revealing a tapestry of currents from all over. It was as if a spiderweb was trying to be a tornado. In the chaos, creatures emerged: plankton sucking the mineral nutrients, only to be consumed by a vast food chain. Gametes floating, leading to new larvae. She reached her hand, feeling the corners of life in the chaos.

As she did, the darkness and void ended, and she was touching the bleak eternities, blind and sonorous and chaotic.

When she pulled back, a copy of a seagull perched itself on her shoulder.


"Very well" Ngalyod clapped, though a hint of malice lurked beneath their smile, "You have mastered this tehnique not only fast but in an incredibly unique way."

"Thank you!" Laurelin smiled, unaware of her teacher's envy.

"A few more exercises for you two" Ngalyod told the others, who sighed, "Dear, would you like to help me with something... important? If you do, yu may yet graduate."

Every instinct in Laurelin's body screamed, but the curiosity was too overwhelming. Besides, listening to one's guts leads to no progress.

"Sure."