The Eidolon System chamber was a space rarely visited, but when it was, it was also a nerve-wracking event.  With nothing stopping Etienne from tracking him down, Rylen bit the proverbial bullet and manifested at the foot of his pod, looking down with near-contempt at that frail-looking figure within the stasis-fluids.  It was strange, seeing that face, knowing it was his own and yet being so divorced from it as to nearly not accept it.


    “Took you long enough.”


    Rylen didn’t need to look to know who it was – he’d seen the alert on his overlay nearly as soon as he’d arrived - and he moved to clasp his hands behind his back, “I look fine.”


    Etienne hovered closer, and bent forward to glance at the broody dark-elf, “You can try to hide it from Xanarken all you want, but you won’t have that luck with me.”  She floated further into sight, and sat cross-legged above the First’s pod, those three foxy tails swaying like melted wax in a lava-lamp, “I know what the vitals look like when someone is experiencing extremes of emotion.  That attack scared the crap out of you.  I could’ve given you something by now, but you’ve been avoiding me…and I can’t do anything for you if you don’t talk to me.”


    “This is why I didn’t want to come.” He grumbled in annoyance.


    Etienne pointed a finger at him, the tip so close between his eyes that it made those orange irises cross to see it, “Don’t think I won’t make you regret it if you even consider the idea of saying I’m nagging you, Rylen Vor’antiss.  Nagging is what a parent does to their kids, and I am not your mother.  I’m your doctor, and you are one of my noncompliant patients.”


    Rylen gave a sigh, “…Yes, ma’am.”


    That satisfied the eclectic-looking Fifth Eidolon – for the moment – and she backed off to ‘sit’ normally.  After a moment, to be sure the First actually meant his words, she uncrossed her legs and hovered backward a bit, so she could face him from the other side of the pod.  She manifested her solid-light panels again, and loaded one in particular with some data-points she’d collected, then turned it around to show the man, “These E.E.G. rhythms are from the first seizure you suffered, during the initial attack.  These other ones are aftershocks.  If you’re not interested in hearing about it, at least let me give you something for the pain.  You must have been dealing with a terrible migraine this whole time, given how frequent the aftershock-seizures have been.  I’m surprised you’re functional.”


    The First narrowed his eyes and furrowed his brow, but he looked down and set his hands onto the ridge of the pod’s lid, “…I thought it would subside on its own.”


    “Your blood pressure has been high.  I can tell you’re still hurting.”


    “…Fine.” Rylen agreed, “But nothing serious.  I need to be lucid for Xanarken’s announcement later tonight.”


    “Have you slept?”


    “…No.”


    “Then let me give you the full cocktail, and you can get some rest.  If you’re not already seeing sounds and hearing colors, you will soon.  There will be plenty of time for the meds to run their course and you’ll be ready to go for later.”


    “You’re sure?”


    “Of course.  Eight hours to sleep, two after to taper-off…then you’re done, and you can do whatever you like.”


    He hesitated, looking at his own agonized face, but then pushed off the edge and gave a reticent nod, “Eight hours, and two to taper-off.  If I’m still hazy later…”


    “You’ll be fine.” Etienne answered, and floated off towards a small supply-chute on the far side of the room; if that space had once had a door to let them in, it had been closed-off so long ago, only the shape of it still loomed as a reminder, massive and imposing.  She withdrew a zippered-up bag and came back to the First’s pod, opening it onto the glass, “You want to watch?”  She asked curiously, drawing up the medications into a few different syringes.  Rylen said nothing, but those eyes followed every movement.  Etienne shrugged and continued, opening up a compartment on her side of the pod.  Within were several fluid-lines, which emerged inside the vessel, two of which connected an I.V. to each arm.  She grabbed for a small atomizer and spritzed a cleansing mist onto the first Y-port she’d seen, then injected the first of the two medications.  Once done, she closed the panel again, and dissipated her panels, “All done.  In a few minutes, you’ll experience a cut to black, and when you wake up again, it’ll be…roughly 15:00.”


    Rylen looked on with a worried expression, but nodded, and dissolved his mantle.  Etienne glanced down through the glass, and rubbed a small section over the face-plate to clear away the new condensation.  Within, dark blue eyes fluttered slightly, looking back at her through that oily iridescent liquid, then closed again.


    .


    The nations surrounding Sargon included Mayrain to the northeast – sharing a coastline - and Goethe to the east.  Furion had set out for the latter soon after the unexpected morning pep-talk, and had gotten far ahead of the storm-front as he headed for one of Goethe’s major population centers; Kōln.  Near to it, but slightly south, was a smaller town, and his ultimate destination.  The map overlay over his eyes told him exactly where to go, and when he spotted the house – looking so normal and inconspicuous on its completely-normal street, surrounded by other homes and book-ended by large parks – he hovered high above.  He drew in a breath, and loaded his armor’s Angel of Death protocol.  The white turned to black, and those four massive wings reshaped themselves to a single pair.


    It was nearly noon, and he began his descent.  A handful of locals spotted him and stopped what they were doing, dropping their yard tools in some cases, and stared in confusion at the ominous sight.  They knew their neighbor was a Fafnir Knight, but to see one in person – and looking like that – was a worrying sight.  A nervous hand went up to the front door and knocked gently, and the Captain took a few steps back.  He removed his helmet, and from his left hip, he withdrew Ianori’s signature weapon; a double-ended blade.


    Footsteps stomped within as – what sounded like – a child came rampaging for the door.  A voice commented after it, but was indiscernible from outside…and then the door opened.  A woman in her mid-20s answered, holding back the excitement of a 4-year-old girl.  Seeing her was like seeing Suzu, and Furion felt a sharp pain through his chest, but he lifted his gaze to the knowing eyes of the woman he’d come to see.


    “Captain…?” She spoke quietly, her voice caught in her throat.


    Furion kneeled, leaned forward, bent his head down, and spoke, “…Mrs. Chelsae Noardin…I’m afraid I bring bad news about your husband.” He said quietly, and held out the hilt in both hands, deactivating it permanently, “We lost him during a mission to bring others back home.”


    She couldn’t blink or breathe.  She could only lower down until she was on her knees, and wrapped her arms around her daughter, “…I…I knew it…”


    .


    Though dismissed from the procession, the rest of the Fafnir Knights had not been relieved of their duties.  For the next few days, they would be staying at the Imperial palace, and that meant they had to follow an escort through the building to know where they could go.  In spite of the formality of the guided tour, once they were settled, they all ended up gathering into a single room anyway.


    And they waited…until they could hear knocking outside.


    Ravan quickly went over to open the door, and spotted both Wing Commanders outside, “Over here!”


    Ren turned around first, “Oh…wrong door.” She puffed, and came back the other way with Donivan in tow.  Once the door was shut behind them, eyes were on her, and she pulled a bag off of her shoulder, “Courtesy of the new Vice Eidolon of the Fourth.” She explained, and revealed a large bottle of sweet-potato shōchū.  Donivan had a separate bag with two tubes of glassware.  With cups handed out, Ren began the solemn pour, “Right about now, the Captain has probably given the news.  It’s been weeks-coming...and I still can’t get out of my head what I saw at the end.”  She set the bottle down and held her glass with both hands, the left trembling slightly where the cup sat in her palm, “…Part of me really hoped that there was something more to be done, or that if he’d really died, we’d get his body back, so we’d have something to put into the monument…  After all, his last words to me…were asking me for help…”


    Everyone lowered their gaze.


    “But Lord Rylen has declared that Ianori is lost.” She continued, “One of the only Fafnir to be K.I.A. in decades…and we don’t even really know what got him in the end.  So…while it’s not our place to question…I will never stop wondering what happened.”  Ren lifted her glass, “To Ianori.”


    “To Ianori.”


    Three were all Ren could manage on an empty stomach before her head started to swim, and she took her leave from the wake.  There weren’t a whole lot of places the Luminary crew were allowed to roam within the palace, but she knew that the exterior-facing walls eventually lead to a large ballroom, and through there, she could get outside for some air.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    She wasn’t the only one thinking the same thing though.  For a moment, she wasn’t even sure she was actually seeing what she saw, and she blinked hard a few times to try and clear whatever syrup had gummed-up the gears in her head.  Yet…the image didn’t go away.


    Gabriel was out there, braided ponytail lifted-up behind him like a cat’s tail, eyes alight.


    Ren wasn’t sure what he was trying to do, given his sights were set away from the balcony’s railing.  But, given the lack of anyone nearby – other than the nervous-looking guards that stood at their posts by the doors – she began to wonder if he was actually doing anything at all.  Curiosity got the better of her then, and she started to make her way forward, making a point to tap her heel on the stonework a few times to signal her coming.


    His head lifted up, and he glanced around, looking relieved when he realized it was her there instead of literally anyone else, “Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.”


    “Long day?” She wondered, and set her elbows onto the banister beside him.


    “I don’t normally think of J’ard Qiste in terms of being helpful, but…he came by at just the right moment, so I’m taking a break.” He explained, and released the intimidating sight of those golden eyes.


    “J’ard is here?  How come?”


    Gabriel tilted his head at her and puffed a laugh, “You first.  I know you didn’t subtly drop the idea that Ianori liked shōchū for no reason.  The Captain is out there notifying next of kin and you guys are all stuck here…  It was kind of obvious you were planning a wake.”


    That surprised her, and she let out a quiet sigh, then turned her eyes back out onto the distant water, “I…I know I have to accept the decision of the Eidolon.  If Lord Rylen says Ianori is dead, then…it’s not my place to say he’s wrong.  But given Ianori was still talking to me when I last saw him, and he was up and moving when the others last saw him…how can I just believe he’s gone?”


    “…I understand.” Gabriel answered quietly, and took a similar posture on the banister, fingertips laced together ahead of himself, “It’s like a novel, with an author who keeps bringing people back from the dead.  You can’t take any death seriously until or unless the body is shown, burned, and buried on the page.”


    Ren puffed a tipsy laugh, “You think he’s just going to come back to life inconveniently?”


    “I think…after what you and the others saw aboard the Sterling Rose, I don’t know how to define dead anymore.” He answered, “And I keep hearing the words ‘what we saw on the Magistrate’s ship was not Ianori’ and I can’t help but wonder if there isn’t truth to that.  I remember what I saw at the rift in Kitez, and how those fingers of whatever the Hell that was reached out, clasping and clinging to Ianori’s body until it eventually yanked him right through…  I remember the whispers…those sinister fucking whispers…  Most of all, I remember that vortex above the Exclusion Zone…and how it sent a chill through me, like I wasn’t supposed to see it.”


    Green eyes narrowed slightly, but Ren slouched and set her cheek against her crossed arms, “I sometimes think Seth is barking up the wrong tree when he complains that he isn’t afflicted, but…hearing you talk about it, I can understand why he’d think that way.”


    “Is it really so bad?”


    Ren huffed a laugh and turned her face into her elbow.  She swayed herself back and forth a few times before she finally pushed up again, and took a good long look at her left arm, “In my world, Limitless means danger.  Do you know why it’s called that way?  Limitless?”


    “I envision some guy, hundreds of years ago, trying to think of a cool name for a phenomenon no one understands.”


    “That’s probably true, but…it’s called that way because of its myriad manifestations, and its nigh-unlimited potential.” She noted, and closed her eyes to the afternoon sky, “…For some afflicted, their power is barely more than a parlor trick.  Being able to hear really well, or see telescopically – like a bird of prey.  Others have seriously terrifying capabilities…being able to turn a body to chunks of mist and gore at a glance.  My job – the Fafnir’s job – is to be a swift and decisive answer to the most terrible power held in the hands of the worst kinds of people.”  She reached her right hand across the meager gap between them and set it gently on her former-mentor’s forearm, “You’re one of the first afflicted I’ve met who I didn’t have to think about killing, too.  Maybe it’s just the alcohol talking, but…it’s nice, you know?  To see the other side of something that has only meant pain before.”


    That made his brow crinkle, and he felt his hand flinch, wanting to return the gesture but resisting, “…J’ard is here because of the Bulwark incident.” He answered, going back to Ren’s original question finally, “Or, that’s what Xanarken said, anyway.”


    “…It isn’t?” Ren wondered; her hand hadn’t moved.


    “It was already on the books that we were going to Kitez to get Seth.” He explained, “But since it was supposed to be a secret mission, Xanarken had to come up with some excuse to explain why he was hanging out in Trazad in my place.  It’s still the official story, even though the incident has become a bit of a scandal around the world…and J’ard is well-known as a guy who gets to the root of certain kinds of problems.  Prince Iresha resented me, as the first face of the Council he’d been forced to deal with, so…Xanarken wondered if bringing in someone else would calm things down.  And, of course, Rylen knew just the guy.”


    “J’ard is legendary as being like a bounty hunter for afflicted.  If bringing him here was going to send any kind of message, it would be to intimidate.”


    “That wasn’t always his job.” Gabriel shrugged, “He’s also been known to mentor the lost now and then.”


    “How so…?”


    “He guides dangerous afflicted kids who struggle with controlling their abilities, who ardently want to do the right thing but – for whatever reason – have a hard time actually doing it.” He answered, “…I was one such.  Now Iresha is.”


    “You were mentored by J’ard Qiste?” Ren gaped; her hand pulled away so she could hold herself up in surprise, only then to suddenly lower down again a little in realization, “…Well, I guess you would fit the bill.  You don’t sound particularly thrilled with saying so though.”


    “J’ard represents change and uncertainty to me.  The only times I ever see him, things happen that I don’t like.” Gabriel was the one to lower down then, and set his chin onto his crossed forearms, “It was really weird when Seth showed up earlier and was so enamored by the man…looking up to him like a hero.  I knew already that he felt that way, but seeing it in person was still strange.”


    “Oh, you talked about it with him?”


    “Yeah.  After we got back from Kitez, but before the docs woke you up, Seth came calling, asking after my affliction, and what I’d seen at the scar…among other topics.  When I mentioned that J’ard was the guy who Xanarken put in charge of me when I first came here from the Exclusion Zone…he got super excited about it.  I didn’t have the heart to tell him how much I disliked the guy.” Gabriel slouched forward onto his elbows, and set a toe down onto the stone behind him, swaying his foot idly.  He nudged his head out towards the Aegis, “Seth’s giving him and Iresha a guided tour of the ship.  I guess they became friends after all.  Maybe the Captain can forgive me then for meddling.”


    “I don’t think it’s something that needs to be forgiven, per se.” Ren shrugged, and with most of her inhibition dwindled from the shōchū, carelessly reached around to take-hold of the man’s braid.  She scooted a bit closer to give it a bit of slack, but then idly played with the end of it, fascinated by the red coloring, “But I think you’ve said sorry enough lately, and I’m sure he understands that you didn’t mean any harm by asking Seth to help out.  It wasn’t a bad idea…I think Furion would just rather have had you ask him first.”


    Gabriel stared at her, eyes moving between her face and her fingers, “…You having fun there?”


    “Ah!” She stammered and dropped it, and the braid slithered back behind him, “Sorry!  My brain is gone…  I…start to fiddle when I’m out of it…”


    He huffed a laugh and pulled the length of it back over his shoulder, and offered it back to her, “It’s fine.  I just can’t tell if it’s fiddling or flirting.”


    Her face went red, and she clutched the braid with both hands close to her face, “…Yeah, I guess it would be hard to tell…  It would probably be a bit…uh…improper…”


    “Why’s that?”


    “I mean…you’re about to be a…and I’m just…”


    Gabriel shook his head and set his chin against his palm, “It’s fine.  I’m just teasing.”


    Are you though? She wondered, and sagged a bit where she stood, “It’s different, with Furion and I…” She attempted to explain, or justify, she wasn’t sure which, “We’re on the same ship, and spend most of our time in close proximity anyway…  You and I aren’t even in the same Wing anymore.  I shouldn’t…” She set the braid’s loose end down onto the banister, “…Sorry…  I must’ve had too much to drink…  I came out here looking for air and ended up pestering you instead.  I didn’t mean to put you on the spot.  Maybe I got too comfortable.”


    Eyes looked on quietly at the abandoned length of hair, and they stood there for a little while in awkward silence.


    Ren finally took a breath though, and pointed back towards the glass doors, “I should-“


    “You were right.” He blurted.


    “Eh?”


    “I can feel it.” He explained, and let his eyes light-up again for emphasis.  He pointed out into the gardens below, where it expanded out towards the cliff like a tiered rice-patty.  Around 20ft away, there was a tall potted bush, and Gabriel waved his hand in its direction.  On that windless afternoon, to see it suddenly move as if a gust had blown through it was sobering, and Ren gaped at him.  Gabriel continued to move his hand though, and with each pass, the bush leaned and bowed, “I can’t quite grasp it yet, but…I feel the scratches of the leaves and sticks as my hand goes through…”


    “Is that what you were doing earlier?”


    “To pass the time, yeah.” He answered, “After the Prince and Seth took off, the Emperor went back inside to…well, do whatever it is that Emperors do.  Managing the squabbles of all his different provinces, I guess.  In the meantime, I’ve been trying to get hold of Xanarken about tonight, but he’s not answering my calls.  Guess he’s busy preparing whatever he’s planning on saying.”


    “He hasn’t brought you into that conversation?”


    “Nope.”


    “Shouldn’t he?”


    “I would certainly think so, but maybe he doesn’t plan on having me be part of it.  Knowing him, the meeting might be more of a dressing-down of the Captains than a simple declaration.  I mean, Rylen may be the Eidolon of the Council’s symbolic standing army, but…Xanarken’s the one who gets scary when he’s serious.”


    “…I’d keep trying.” She suggested, “There’s only a few hours left.”


    “Y-“ He started, but suddenly found himself cut-off by the near-miss of a hawk flying past his head.  He ducked, eyes flaring brighter for a moment, but when he looked up again, he looked around the terrace adamantly, “Oh no, did I kill it?  Where did that thing even come from?”


    Ren was baffled, “No…you…” She pointed straight ahead, “…I saw the purple haze around it, but it…it’s fine.  Look.”


    Gabriel let the light fade quickly, and he narrowed his eyes at the sight.  The bush he’d been messing with earlier was now the perch of a very peculiar-looking bird…one that was only half-present, and it’s left leg and wing were…still reforming, “Xanarken?”


    “He came as a hawk?” Ren guffawed, “Why go to all that trouble?”


    “Because I’m not Xanarken.” It answered stiffly, and stretched out that wing as the nanotech that had been separated from it reorganized and returned, “You’re a difficult man to find, Lugios.”


    “…That voice…”


    The sharp-looking creature fluttered slightly, then took off again, landing on different bushes as it went down the length of the garden.  When neither of the two Knights followed, it screeched at them loudly, then continued.


    Gabriel could hardly believe it, and glanced back behind himself as the guards tried to figure out what to do.  He gestured a hand at them, “It’s fine, just a bird…probably has a nest around here or something.  We’ll move.” He whispered to Ren, “C’mon, I wanna know what this chuckle-fuck is here for.”