Eating Your Weight: Awakenings and Shadows Revealed

Been thinking about Sea of Dreams and I'm probably gonna scrap the rework and continue the original story where it left off. The tone is completely off and I'm starting to realize that it didn't need a rewrite at all, just some revisions and edits. The chapter that will be posted this update will be a continuation of the old fic instead of the new.

~~~

Miyo's eyes snapped open with a gasp as the woman was thrust from the serenity of her dreams into the world of the living once more. She looked around, her heart thudding in her chest as she came to terms with her new circumstances, and she paused so she caught sight of a familiar face.

A few feet away, a tan woman with short black hair and sapphire eyes blinked at her sudden awakening. She was holding a wet rag in one hand, clearly in the middle of putting it on Miyo's face when the woman woke up.

Her surprised features brightened as she realized that Miyo was awake, and she tossed the rag away in favor of wrapping her arms around the maid, “Miyo! You're finally awake!” She cheered.

Miyo was startled, still in a state of confusion from just waking up, “Lucia? What are you doing here?”

“You called us, silly!” Lucia responded cheerfully as she let go of Miyo, “I'm so sorry it took so long for us to get here. We were on a mission and it took us forever to sneak away from Father Truman. Not to mention the plane tickets to Japan and actually trying to find this place, that was a pain and a half! But we're here now so you don't have to worry anymore.”

Miyo's mind slowly came back to the present as the woman stopped hugging her. She looked around, noticing for the first time that she was in her living room of the summer home. A fire burned merrily in the fireplace nearby and a bucket of water was on the floor just beside the couch.

She brought a hand up to her chest, slowly rubbing the bandages running over her tender skin as she remembered what had led her to these circumstances. She shuddered as light flashed behind her eyes and thunder boomed in her mind, before her eyes widened and she stood up.

“Naomi! Where's Naomi!” She asked frantically, looking for the teenager in a panic. Lucia grabbed her shoulders before she could work herself up too much. She looked at Lucia, her heart thudding in her chest, “Lucia, what happened to Naomi? That man, did he-”

“Woah, calm down, Miyo!” Lucia squeezed the maid's shoulders, giving her a reassuring look, “She's fine. She wasn't even hurt.”

Miyo sighed, relief flooding her, “Thank the Lord. I'm so glad you got here in time to save her.”

“Save her?” Lucia laughed, “Miyo, we didn't even get here in time to throw off our cloaks, much less fight. She took care of everything and herself and carried you all the way back here. Heck, I'm pretty sure she was getting ready to fight us when we showed up at the door.”

So Naomi managed to beat that man without her? That was… good. Really good. She must have gotten even more powerful than Miyo had thought if she was able to take on such an opponent by herself.

“It was really something, Miyo.” Lucia said as she let go of Miyo’s shoulders, “We could feel that fight from miles away, and even when we got here I could still feel her power all over the place. You’ve managed to find quite the little protege there. She’d be an amazing exorcist if she could learn to control all of that strength she’s got. Maybe even better than you…”

Lucia gave Miyo a look and the woman’s expression immediately turned sour at what the other woman was implying, “No.” She said firmly, “Naomi will have nothing to do with the church.”

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that. Marcille would be mad if I didn’t ask though. You know how he is when he sees untapped potential.”

“Marcille is here?” Miyo asked, a bit surprised, and Lucia nodded, “Where is he? Is he with Naomi?"

Lucia just pointed behind her towards the backyard and it was then that Miyo’s lagging mind finally picked up on something that had faded into the background of her confusion. Draconic power slid over her skin and shouts tickled her ears alongside the telltale sound of steel meeting a hardened light blade.

Miyo made her way towards the backyard as Lucia followed closely behind her, and as she stepped into the back entrance, she saw what she was looking for through the glass doors leading into the yard. Just outside, Naomi and Marcille were engaged in a heated spar, one that had clearly been going on for quite a while judging by the state of the yard itself.

Marcille was a veteran exorcist and a much better sword fighter than Miyo, but Naomi was holding her own pretty well, probably owing to that intimidating black sword in her hands as well as the wings on her back, neither of which she had just a few days before. Miyo watched as she used the air to her advantage, swooping down and attacking Marcille seemingly at random, all the while harassing him with her chains. It was eerily reminiscent of some of the tactics that Miyo had seen the Fallen use, and the woman wondered if that was a product of Marcille’s instruction or Naomi’s own decision.

Either way, it wasn’t working as well as she probably hoped it would. Naomi was covered in sweat, while Marcille looked barely winded as he defended and attacked in conjunction with his light sword. Miyo could see his mouth moving as he spoke, and his face was set in that knowing expression he got when he was lecturing one of his students. They were training.

Miyo watched them go at it, already seeing the minor flaws in Naomi’s form disappearing under Marcille’s expert critique. She was handling that sword like it had always belonged to her, attacking with more skill than she had ever shown when she fought Miyo, and the woman’s heart clenched as she watched the girl block the light blade with her own sword before lashing out with a chain that Marcille ducked under. This was not the same girl that she had been training with before, and she couldn’t help but wonder…

“How long was I unconscious, Lucia?” She asked the woman as she walked up behind her. 

Lucia put a finger to her chin and made a thinking noise, “Uhh, about a week and a half? Ten days, I think. It took a while for my magic to go to work on you. You had to heal a bit on your own before I could help.”

Whereas Miyo used water magic to devastating effect, Lucia specialized in healing magic. She wasn’t anywhere near as good with her chosen art as Miyo was, but when it came to normal exorcists, she was second to none when it came to healing. Miyo must have been in really bad condition if it took that long for the woman to be able to heal her.

“I see… And how has Naomi been taking my absence?”

“About as well as you'd think. She's been waiting on you hand and foot pretty much twenty-four seven. The only time we were able to pull her away is when she slept, and when I finally healed you up. Lucia put her hands on her hips, watching the girl dodge a kick from Marcille, “She's smitten with you, you know?”

Miyo nodded, “I do.”

“Are you going to do anything about it? You aren't with the church anymore. You don't have to follow our rules.”

Miyo didn't answer Lucia's question, ignoring the woman in favor of sliding open the door and walking into the yard. 

Her presence was noticed almost immediately. As Naomi dove down towards Marcille again, sword held tight as she prepared to thrust out at the man, she caught sight of Miyo standing there in her periphery and her eyes widened 

Unfortunately, it seemed that Miyo had chosen the worst possible time to reveal herself as Naomi’s dive immediately turned into an out of control corkscrew directly into the ground. She landed on her head with a crack and immediately went limp, falling on the ground in a heap.

“Oh my Lord, Naomi!” Miyo shouted as she ran towards the girl. She fell to her knees beside her as the teen groaned, and put Naomi's head in her lap, cradling her softly. Naomi’s eyes fluttered but she didn’t seem to be too hurt, and as her eyes opened and she was met with Miyo’s concerned face only a few inches away, she couldn’t help but smirk.

“Excuse me ma’am, I think there’s been some sort of mistake.” She said, confusing Miyo greatly, “You see, I’m agnostic and definitely not allowed to cross the pearly gates. There’s no reason for the big man upstairs to send an angel down to take me away if I’m heading to the smoldering land down under.”

Miyo’s concern for the girl immediately faded into dust at the corny line and she stared at the girl with annoyance even as her cheeks burned red at her words, “Really, Naomi?” She said in a flat voice, though she couldn’t quite keep all of the amusement out of her tone.

Naomi just grinned unrepentantly, going to say something else, but she was cut off as Marcille walked up, putting away his light sword, “Anyone is allowed to enter the kingdom of heaven, Naomi. So long as you repent, our Father will welcome you with open arms.”

Naomi gave the man an annoyed look, “Dude, I’m gonna repent all over your face if you ruin the moment like that again.”

Marcille stared at her in surprise at her words while Miyo sighed in fond exasperation, “Let’s reconvene somewhere else.” Miyo said as she stood up, helping Naomi to her feet as well only to blink as the moment the girl had her feet underneath her, she was wrapped in a right hug. Her head was filled with the smell of sweat and, oddly enough, woodsmoke as Naomi buried her face in Miyo’s shoulder, squeezing the woman tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Miyo.” Naomi apologized, “I should have taken Agnir more seriously but I didn’t and you got hurt. I’m sorry.”

Miyo squeezed the girl back, “You have nothing to apologize for, Naomi. I’m experienced enough to know not to let my guard down around an unknown opponent and yet I did. It was my fault.”

“You still got hurt though, and I couldn’t stop it. I should have been able to-”

“Naomi.” Miyo leaned back and gave the girl a hard stare, “Stop. It wasn’t your fault that we were both caught off guard like that. You may be part dragon now, but I don’t expect you to be able to react to a lightning based attack the first time you see it. Besides, Lucia is one of the best healers in the church outside of the Holy Maiden. I’m not even stiff after she healed me.”

“I know. She wouldn’t stop talking about it every chance she got.” Naomi said, causing Lucia to huff nearby as the woman overheard her. Naomi smiled at her reaction, before it softened as she looked at Miyo once more, “Still, that doesn’t mean I wasn’t worried. I’m not sure what I’d do if you died like that and I couldn’t stop it.”

Miyo leaned down, pressing her forehead against Naomi’s in a decidedly intimate gesture, “I know, Naomi. But I promise you’ll never have to go through that. This won’t happen again.”

Marcille looked away from the scene while Lucia had her eyes glued to the show in front of her as Naomi smiled, returning Miyo’s gaze just as fondly as the woman herself, “I’m glad. Now let’s go find somewhere to talk about everything that happened before Marcille pops a blood vessel. I’m pretty sure we’re bordering on committing multiple sins here.”

Miyo just smiled, embracing Naomi a bit tired, “He can wait.”

~~~ Ten Minutes Later ~~~

Sitting around the table, the four of them were all cradling their own drinks as Naomi finished up her tale, espousing what had been happening while Miyo was unconscious, from the fight with Agnir itself, to the long road to recovery that her maid had undergone.

As her story finished, Miyo stared down into her cup of water with a placid expression, “I see. So that’s how it all went down.”

Naomi nodded, cradling her own glass of cranberry juice, “Yep. I almost had that bastard, but he pussied out at the last second so I couldn’t finish him off!” She huffed before shrugging and taking a sip of her juice, “Oh well. At least I got a nice sword out of it, I guess.”

“Nice is an understatement. I’ve seen holy swords with worse craftsmanship than that sharpened shadow you call a blade.” Marcille said, a bit of envy leaking into his tone, “Your Sacred Gear must be something else if it’s capable of making something like that. I wonder what else it could do”

There was a leading undertone to his voice and Miyo glared at the man over the rim of her own cup, silently telling him to cut that line of thinking off right there. Marcille acted like he couldn’t see her, but the subtle tensing of his shoulders told her all she needed to know.

Oblivious to their interaction, Naomi shrugged, “I didn’t make it from nothing. My gear has to have something to build off of to make a badass weapon like this. It just happens that I got my hand on that awesome sword and made it even better. You should have seen his face when he saw what I did to his weapon, it was hilarious! Almost makes it worth it that he got away. I bet he’s so freaking pissed right now.”

“It’s not good that he managed to get away, Naomi. Now he knows what you look like as well as some of your abilities..” Miyo chided, “And if what Nidhogg said is true, then there could be any number of people just like him out there, and they’ll all be coming for you. We need to be prepared.”

“No, we need to chill out and take a break.” Naomi countered, “We just spent two weeks working our tails off to get ready for that Devil and he was such a schmuck that he didn’t even get my blood racing. And besides, if Agnir does have pals, I doubt they’ll come after me any time soon after that ass kicking I just gave him.”

The teen downed the rest of her cranberry juice and stood, “Not to mention, we aren’t even going to be here soon anyway. Now that you’re up, we’re heading back to Kuoh as soon as possible. I’m sick of this place.”

Naomi stretched her arms high into the air, cracking her back with several dozen pops, “Now I’m gonna go take a nice long bath to unwind. I’ve been wound tighter than a steel coil waiting for you to wake up and I’m sure I absolutely reek after that spar.” She winked at Miyo, “You’re welcome to join me, Miyo. The tub has more than enough room for two.”

Rolling her eyes fondly, Miyo brought her glass up to her lips, “I’ll think about it.”

Naomi grinned before turning to walk deeper into the house. Miyo stared after her as she walked away, watching as the teenager ran her hands through her wild hair, giving everyone present a nice profile of her lithe frame just before she disappeared up the stairs towards her room.

Miyo ignored the feelings that the girl’s actions produced within her as she turned back to the group. Lucia was grinning at her widely while Marcille had a disapproving look on his face at her actions. Miyo just rolled her eyes, “Shove off, you two.” She said, ignoring their expressions, “I’m sorry for calling you both out here so suddenly. Especially since it seems you’re just going to have to leave in a few days.”

Lucia waved her off, “It’s not a big deal. We’re happy for the vacation, especially in a swanky place like this.”

“Since there were two Strays in the area, we have an excuse to stick around and keep an eye on things around here.” Marcille said, “If any more show up, we can deal with them before they have a chance to prey on any nearby humans.”

“It won’t be too hard. If they’re from the same peerage as the last two, then they’re definitely Low-class, maybe even weaker. You two shouldn’t have any trouble with the likes of them.”

“It’ll be a good chance to try some new techniques on an unwilling target. When we have to actually try, it doesn’t leave a lot of room for error or to experiment.” Lucia said, “It’ll be nice to actually be able to kick back and have some fun.”

“Like you don’t do that anyway?” Marcille said as he took a sip of his drink, “Remember that time in Ireland with the banshee? You could buy two or three of these houses with the amount of property damage you cause in that village thanks to your fooling around.”

Lucia’s dark cheeks became even darker at the embarrassing memory and she pouted, jabbing her finger at her partner, “Like you’re any different! When you find someone with a sword, it’s like all reason goes out the window! Like that time in Germany with that Stray Knight!”

Marcille coughed, blushing slightly, “That's… that wasn’t my fault. How was I supposed to know that train would be coming?”

“You’re just lucky it was carrying freight and not a passenger.” Lucia said smugly and Miyo giggled as Marcille’s expression became even more embarrassed.

Unfortunately, that only turned the topic of conversation on her as Marcille looked at her challengingly, “You have no room to be giggling, Miyo. You may not be an exorcist anymore, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t remember that little incident in Venice.”

Miyo’s mouth slammed shut and Lucia barked a laugh, “Oh, you really got her with that one! I’ve never seen Miyo’s magic mess up like that before!”

“That’s what happens when you try to perform magical equations while blackout drunk.” Marcille smirked as Miyo’s face burned red, “I'm pretty sure Father Truman is still getting stains out of his robes to this day.”

Lucia laughed loudly at the memory and even Miyo couldn’t help but chuckle as she remembered the look on the man’s face when she sprayed him with gallons of red wine. To this day, she wasn’t sure how she accomplished the feat, but it had certainly been a memorable night, even if she had been extremely intoxicated even into the next day.

As the laughter died down, Marcille let out a long sigh, gazing into his drink as his expression became solemn, “We all miss you, you know?”

Miyo nodded, “I know, Marcille. But I can’t come back.” Even if she could, she wasn’t sure that she would. Not anymore.

“That’s so stupid. Why were you even excommunicated in the first place?”

Marcille shushed Lucia, “We aren’t allowed to talk about that.”

“It’s stupid!” Lucia said stubbornly, “Our best friend was taken from us and the higher ups won’t even tell us why! The Lord preaches about forgiveness, but apparently that doesn’t apply to people the Cardinals and the Pope don’t like, huh?”

“It's best that you don’t know the reason.” Miyo said solemnly, “I don’t want to do that to the two of you.”

While Marcille furrowed his brow at her cryptic words, Lucia huffed, “Whatever you say, Miyo.” She muttered as she stared down at her drink. A moment of uncomfortable silence pervaded throughout the room as neither exorcist nor ex-exorcist knew exactly how to continue the conversation after that.

And then it was almost immediately broken. Miyo and Marcille glanced at Lucia with curious expressions as the women giggled softly into her cup as she remembered something funny. She looked up at them with mirthful eyes as she reminisced, “Do you two remember Sister Maria’s face when she heard that Miyo was going to be excommunicated? I’m pretty sure the only reason she didn’t literally jump for joy was because the rest of the church was watching her.”

Miyo and Marcille smiled at the memory, “Maria never could stand the fact that I was better than her with water magic. It’s like she took my talent as a personal insult to her.”

“She still talks about you, you know?” Marcille said, dark eyes twinkling with amusement. Miyo laughed.

“Really? But I haven’t seen her in nearly two decades. There’s no way she’s still jealous.”

“Oh yeah she is.” Lucia laughed, “Literally the week after you left, she was back to being moody as usual, cursing your name with every breath. Honestly I think that the fact that she never got to actually beat you probably made her jealousy even worse.”

“They say obsession is a sin.” Miyo said as she took a sip of water, “I don’t believe our dear Maria has gotten the memo. Someone should inform Father Godwyn.”

“Oh don’t even get me started on him!” Lucia groaned, “He was caught in the chapel with one of the older nuns last month. I don’t even want to think about what they were s doing in there.”

“Ah, so he’s still a raging pervert with a fetish for old women. Good to see some things haven’t changed, I suppose.”

“Is it?”

“Well its a little funny, I suppose.” Miyo giggled.

As the three began to reminisce on old times, speaking well into the darkness of the night, Miyo’s mind never strayed far from Naomi, and what Lucia said earlier ran through her head again and again.

‘She’s smitten with you, you know?’

Miyo did know. She had known about Naomi’s feelings for her for years now but given their positions and the girl’s age, she never felt right to act on it. Not to mention, she would be lying if she said that she herself had feelings for the girl before their trip this summer. Perhaps a distant attraction, but nothing more potent than that.

That had changed with her transformation. Miyo hadn’t been lying to Naomi when she claimed her draconic aura would attract people to her, though. And with her admittedly attractive new body, that distant attraction had become something much more. She wouldn’t let anyone else see, much less actually touch her like she had been letting Naomi do over the past weeks, after all, and it was only a matter of time until that final line was crossed and they did something that neither of them could take back.

Naomi would be more than fine with that, but there had always been a bit of hesitance on Miyo’s part, perhaps the last dregs of her conscious telling her that it was wrong to take advantage of the girl in this way, but after her near death experience, those last dregs had been swallowed down the drain and with it, disappeared the remains of her hesitance.

Naomi had saved her life. The girl clearly cared for her and was quite possibly in love with her, and she might just be starting to feel that way as well. Why should she hold herself back at this point? They had already done more than any maid and master should do outside of an erotic novel. Why not take it to its natural conclusion”

After everything that had occurred recently and all she had done, Naomi deserved another reward. And Miyo was pretty sure she knew the perfect one. The one that only she could possibly give. 

And if the last month was any indication, she was sure the girl would love it.

~~~

Elsewhere, in a world of shadows and deathly gloom, the thick wooden doors of a castle swung open and Agnir strode forward into the hall beyond. In front of him was a large, open hall surrounded by stone columns, guiding him towards the stairs that lay ahead and the throne sitting just beyond them.

Dozens of people were gathered in the hall, and each one of them was silent as he passed them by. He could feel their eyes on them, could hear their whispers as he saw the state he was in, but it was drowned out by his mismatched footsteps from his limp, and the dripping blood from his missing arm.

He reached the steps of the throne and kneeled down, prostrating himself before the steps like a serf addressing their king, “Master… I failed.”

Up the steps and lounging languidly across the throne, a woman stared down at him with an unimpressed gaze. Wrapped in the finest gold and black silks and donning a crown of obsidian topped with amethyst, the woman was the very picture of regal authority despite her young age. Inky black hair fell around her shoulders, and green eyes peeked from underneath delicate lashes as she gazed upon her supplicating subordinate. Beside her, a woman with white hair stood stoically, staring into the distance with her hands resting in front of her as she awaited command.

The hall was silent at Agnir's proclamation, before a rough voice shattered it like glass. A tan woman wrapped in furs and just as many scars as Agnir himself stepped forward, her bare feet padding on stone as the chains attached the axes on her belt struck against one another.

“Failed?” Ylva stared at Agnir, openly eying his wounds and missing arm, “You didn't just fail, Agnir. You got your ass kicked and you lost your sword. You must be steaming mad right now.”

Ylva and Agnir had a complicated relationship. On a good day, most would call them friends. On a bad one, many would think they were the bitterest enemies. The woman had a mouth full of venom like no other and had a way of getting under his skin, and yet he felt a camaraderie with her that he seldom had with any other.

Agnir gave the woman a glare and opened his mouth to speak, but just then, the woman on the throne raised a single hand. The action sent ripples through the room, accompanied by the swell of her power, and Agnir's face met the stone floor once more.

The woman swirled the glass in her wine with deliberance. She gazed down at Agnir with poisonous green eyes, before taking a slow sip.

“I am disappointed, Agnir.” Her deceptively young voice rang throughout the hall, soft and disappointed, “You disobeyed my orders, and now our existence has been revealed far before I had planned. What do you have to say for yourself?”

At the woman’s question, Agnir didn't think twice about dropping to the floor and prostrating himself before his master, every part of his being screaming in a silent apology, “Forgive me, master. I underestimated her.”

Black nails tapped on stone as the young woman regarded him with a delicate frown, “That is not the issue here, Agnir. I ordered you to simply study her. To get a feel for the scope of her power. And yet instead you decided to engage the girl and I'm doing so, lost an arm, a divine weapon, and overplayed our hand before the game even started. Your failure is… astounding. In any other circumstances, I would congratulate you for it. I didn't know it was possible to muck things up this badly.

Agnir's lone fist clenched against the stone, “I nearly had her, Brynn! If only I-”

“No.” Agnir froze as his master's voice came from mere inches away. Ice cold mist brushed against his skin as Brynn kneeled in front of him, reaching down to cup his chin with two fingers. She slowly raised his head, staring at him with glowing eyes, “You overestimate yourself, Agnir. That creature held within her is fated to survive that which not even my mother can. Did you think my warnings were the worrying of a child?”

Brynn's tone was dead and her eyes glowed with divine power, and Agnir swallowed as his hard thudded in his chest, “Master, I-”

“Shhhh…” Brynn pressed one finger to the man's lips, silencing him, “Had I not returned you to this realm, you would be dead, and though the concept means little to me, I would so hate to go through the inconvenience of reviving someone who believes my orders are ones to be ignored. Do you understand what I'm saying?”

Agnir did. The man bowed his head and in the barest whisper, offered his apologies again. Sighing at his pathetic demeanor, his master stood and snapped her fingers, appearing upon her throne once again.

“I am beside myself, Agnir.” Brynn said softly, crossing one leg over the other, “You are so very useful to the cause, but this is going to cause many problems for us in the future.” 

As Agnir trembled, she reached a hand out in askance. The woman standing next to her throne moved forward, placing another full glass of wine between her delicate fingers. Brynn swished the liquid in the glass before taking a small sip, relishing the rich favors sliding over her tongue.

She placed her wine glass down once more, looking at Agnir who had yet to move. She deliberated on the man's fate, weighing her options as everyone in the hall awaited her judgement, ready and more than willing to accept whatever she decided.

Such was the power she held in her fingertips, the power to command and have her subjects follow, regardless of their strength. Many in this very room could raze nations with the barest amount of their strength. Devils and Angels and Gods alike, few could dare to stand up to those she had chosen to join her in obtaining her goals. 

Agnir was one of her weaker subjects. The man was powerful, certainly, but he often got in over his head and suffered for it, which is what Brynn suspected had occurred this time. As she said before though, he had his uses. She would be remiss to throw him away

Brynn raised a single finger, pointing at Agnir like a god from on high. Many in the room tensed, awaiting her judgement, and as her power gathered at the tip of her blackened nail, Agnir himself tensed in fear.

But he needn't worry. None of them needed to worry while they still had her favor.

“I forgive you.” Brynn said softly. A bolt of sea green magic flew forth from a tiny magical sigil on the top of her nail flying towards Agnir and being absorbed into the man's body.

Agnir let out a horrific scream as fire raced throughout his entire body, as if he had been submerged in a lake of lava with no chance of escape. He fell to the ground as a writhing mass as a foreign power invaded his very being, changing his soul with its presence regardless of his say.

When all was said and done, Agnir's screams had been reduced to mere whimpers and the rest of the room was left staring at the massive man as he panted on his back. Even Ylva, so cocky as she grated on the man's nerves earlier, looked worried for his fate.

Agnir groaned, his face and neck slicked with sweat from the ordeal. He rolled over, putting one hand on the stone below him, and then the other. Brynn's power faded from the newly grown limb as he slowly stood up, clutching his restored arm with a pinched expression.

“Thank you, master.” He whispered, his voice hoarse from screaming. Brynn just looked at him dully.

“Next time you disobey a direct order from me, your arn will stay gone. If you are going to prioritize your own need for battle over our goals then I have no need of you.” She waved dismissively, “Now get out of my sight.”

Agnir bowed one last time before walking away and moving to stand with the rest of the crowd, coming to a stop between Ylva who poked his new arm curiously and an armored knight who didn't even spare him a single glance.

As the crowd settled around him, Brynn slowly got to her feet, striding forward in front of her throne. She gazed out at her subjects, taking in the dozens of faces standing before her, before speaking.

“My friends, the time has come.” Her soft voice carried throughout the hall, reaching the ears of everyone present, “The one we have been searching for for so long has finally made themselves known. Though Agnir's actions have thoroughly eliminated the element of surprise, their purpose and goal remains the same. The Devouring Dragon's power will be mine to share with you all and together, we will defy fate and brave Ragnarök. The end of days will be naught but the beginning for us all!”

The hall was filled with the cheers of the men and women who had pledged themselves to her power and goal, and Brynn let her eyes drift close as she relished in their adulation.

As their cheers died down, Brynn glanced to her right, locking eyes with the smirking Nekoshou standing only a few feet away. Wearing a low cut dress that showed off her ample bust and holding her own glass of wine, the woman's slitted yellow eyes observed the proceedings with dull amusement.

Brynn gave her a nod and received one in turn, before turning back to her subjects and raising her arms high, “Together, we will stand atop the new world that remains once the fires have burned themselves to cinders. Nothing will stand in our way!”