Saturday, July 30, 4 S.E.

  Leonidas idly spooned another mouthful of ice cream with a satisfied sigh, setting aside the bowl when he was done and looking over at his sister.

  Kairi was busy doing the same, though in her case, she was using thick potato chips lathered in salt and snatching blobs of vanilla to devour as if it were the greatest thing man had ever invented.

  Leonidas shook his head and rose, idly cracking his back when he did.

  “I’m going to have a shower and change,” he said to her mildly. “Give me twenty minutes, finish that monstrosity, and we’ll talk when I get back.”

  Kairi glanced at him, halfway to devouring another chip, and then shrugged and waved him off, looking back at her snack with happy eyes.

  Leonidas shook his head at the dismissal and did exactly as he said: walking through his rooms to the bathroom and settling in to feel human again.

  Twenty minutes, a thorough towelling, and some casual attire—a black silk shirt, dark jeans, and no boots—later, he returned to find his sister lying across the couch with her legs draped over one arm, and her head over the other, staring at the ceiling with a look of satisfied fulfilment on her features.

  “You look content,” he noted as he flopped back into his chair.

  “Heaven, Ace,” Kairi said with a lazy smile, “that food is heaven. Reminds me of the stuff you used to get at the corner store, what was it called again?”

  “Randy’s Snack Emporium,” he said automatically.

  “Yeah, that one. Fuck that was some good grub.”

  Leonidas smiled wryly and sighed, rolling up his shirt sleeves until they sat below his elbow and taking a steadying breath.

  “So, you wanted to hear the story,” he said to her simply, looking over at his sister. “It’s not exactly short, or pleasant, like I said—but I’ll ask you to just try to save questions until the end, okay?”

  Kairi looked at him when he spoke and just nodded, shifting herself so she slid back into the armchair’s embrace with her legs still over the far arm, folding her arms over her chest. “I’ll listen,” she promised, her eyes serious.

  “Okay,” Leonidas said after a moment, and took a breath. “So, when I was at College that Semester, I got this weird tingling feeling one night…”

  Kairi listened as he spoke, and true to her word, his sister didn’t interrupt. Not when he spoke about his first weeks in Elatra, not when he spoke about Lyara, Caricus, and Bjorn, not when he told her about Miranda and the Sword Arts, not when he explained his realization of how overpowered he was at the Hero—as well as the resultant frustration and hopelessness that came with it.

  She stayed silent, still, as he spoke about the campaign, the Grand Alliance, the massacres, the demons he’d tortured, and the otherwise good people he’d been forced to kill. She didn’t interrupt him when he talked about Miranda’s death, sundering the mountain in grief, the advance on Azrageth’s citadel, and the climactic final battle. She only watched and listened, taking up a pillow to hug quietly while listening to him detail his last moments on Elatra, the morbid desire for death he’d felt, and the anger and shock when he’d seen the Integration screen.

  She never blamed him or cursed at him when he spoke about what the System said about his actions, only furrowed her brow in suspicion, and then reacted—if only slightly—when he mentioned his [Cataclysm Core] and all that it entailed. It was the only thing that seemed to give her pause, but she didn’t speak, and so he continued.

  He told her about his first month in Dawnhaven, the Arena, the offer from Ceruviel, and more besides. Anger seemed to dawn in her at how he was treated, but then he explained what Ceruviel had actually done for him, and she seemed to simmer down, burying her chin in the pillow and just nodding along as he spoke.

  The only interruption she made was to get up and order them some drinks, pouring him some water before he continued, much to his appreciation.

  When he finally came to the act of Core Sundering, she perked up again, only to matter something like ‘cheat code’ when he elaborated on how his Cataclysm Mana functioned. When he told her about the Rite of Ascension, she narrowed her eyes as she listened, but still said nothing—showing a remarkable level of patience and even empathy as he explained each trial.

  When he was finally done, he sat back, and Kairi stared at the floor in silence.

  “...you really did have a shit time of it,” she said finally, her hands still wrapped around the pillow. “I didn’t realize.”

  Leonidas shrugged faintly, no longer as bothered by it as he may have been. Telling his story to his companions had taken some of the immediate impact from it, and he’d been able to more logically assess things after gaining his enhanced Intelligence Attribute. The Willpower also helped keep things in check.

  “It’s bad, but you’ve had it bad, too—everyone on Terra has. I don’t fully believe it’s my fault anymore, not after hearing what the Administrator said about there being previous attempts by other people. I’m just the unlucky asshole that succeeded.”

  “Still mental, you getting to talk to one of them…” Kairi murmured.

  “It was pretty weird,” he agreed, “and I didn’t get all the answers I wanted, but the Evolution path is pretty cool.”

  “Divinity, huh?”

  “Yeah,” he said with a faint nod.

  “Ace, the God of Dweebs,” Kairi said with a quiet smile.

  “Hilarious,” he said wryly and looked at her. “So, questions?”

  “Only a couple,” Kairi said after a moment. “First, how strong were you on Elatra? In System terms, I mean.”

  Leonidas blinked at her and frowned. He’d never really thought about it, but he did a quick mental assessment, using his own feats and the comparative power of the Demons and Azrageth, and then lifted a hand in a side-to-side ‘so-so’ motion. “Probably Transcendant Rank, if I had to guess? The Hero thing gave me absurd growth and power, and there were times I wasn’t even properly able to handle my own strength, but in hindsight, I think that was the System preparing me for my [Cataclysm Core] and how fast that will grow.”

  “Transcendant?” Kairi asked with a low whistle. “Tier Eight, huh? That’s crazy. You must have felt unstoppable.”

  “Sometimes,” he allowed with a nod. “The minor Demons were probably around Contender or Elite, but the Archdemons were definitely at around Paragon. Azrageth was probably a Saint, but I was using Light, so it evened things pretty massively.”

  Kairi shook her head at his words.

  “That’s insane. I can’t even imagine that.”

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  Leonidas hesitated and then smiled wryly.

  “Cutting a mountain in half was pretty cool, though.”

  Kairi snorted at him but nodded in agreement.

  “Yeah. It was cool, though I guess I should warn you, there’s a Quest to kill or capture you, one that was sent to all the human-led factions.”

  Leonidas raised his eyebrows at that and looked askance at his sister.

  “I’m guessing that has to do with your mission,” he ventured shrewdly.

  Kairi just nodded again in confirmation.

  “I was supposed to find information on the Cataclysm and take it back to the Nomads, but knowing it’s you, they can suck a dick. I’m not going back, and I’m definitely not ditching your dumb ass. Without me, you’ll end up dead within a month.”

  Leonidas blinked at that and smiled warmly at her, his eyes searching her gaze as she stared at him.

  “I’ve survived this long,” he pointed out wryly.

  “Because Ceruviel was helping you, jackass, and she won’t always be there. I can be. Besides, the Duchess was pretty damn clear about her conditions. If I’m not helping you and Dawnhaven, I’m an enemy of the state—and since I don’t fancy being separated from you again… here I am.”

  Leonidas frowned at that and reactively glanced toward the door.

  Before he could say anything, Kairi clicked her tongue, drawing his gaze back to her.

  “It’s fine, Ace. It isn’t even really a condition. She was just giving an excuse to do what I wanted anyway. This isn’t some Shakespeare re-enactment. You’re my brother, moron that you are, and I love you. I’m not leaving you again. The Nomads can get fucked, they’re not my family, you are.”

  Leonidas hesitated when she spoke and then finally smiled, his eyes softening as he dipped his head.

  “Thanks, Kairi. I love you, too.”

  His sister hesitated, then buried her face in the pillow, mumbling to herself before turning her head to speak from behind it, her voice only slightly distorted by what he assumed were more tears—the softer kind, this time, in all likelihood.

  “You know, there’s one thing I can’t quite figure out,” Kairi said, her voice solid despite the subtle waver of emotion. “You’ve got everything else sorted, but how are you so blind to what you’ve gotta do here?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked with a blink of confusion. “I’ve proposed to Aylar, so—”

  “Yeah, and you’re gonna rock her world, whatever, that’s not my point, idiot. You’re still a pig for that, by the way! But, not my point,” Kairi said, and took a moment to sniffle before continuing. “Dawnhaven. This whole deal. You know it’s kinda fucked, right?”

  Leonidas frowned at her words.

  “What do you mean? I just have to kill Braedon, and then—”

  Kairi’s head popped up from behind her pillow with a glare, and she ignored her tears to stare at him like he was stupid. Then again, that was her normal expression, even before the Incursion.

  “Not Braedon, you dumbass. Dawnhaven itself. Think about it, Ace! Those trials showed you plenty, and you still don’t get it. This city, this whole system of living, it’s not sustainable. Sure, you marry Aylar, and then what? You just march forward, happily ever after? That’s stupid. You’re stupid if you believe that.”

  Leonidas blinked at her diatribe and then threw his hands up.

  “Jesus, Kai. You don’t have to like Aylar, but you could at least be happy for—”

  “Ugh! Stop!” she said, throwing down the pillow and wiping her eyes, before jabbing a finger at him imperiously. “Listen to me, Ace. Listen. Dawnhaven is fundamentally broken. Just marrying Aylar, who by the way I actually do sort of like, it’s boobs McGee I’m unhappy about—”

  Leonidas opened his mouth reflexively, and she put up a warning finger, at which point he closed it and gestured for her to go on.

  “—but that’s not the point. The point, big brother, is that you aren’t seeing the actual problem. Firstly, I know you, I know how we were raised—you aren’t gonna be happy with ‘Aylar Eldormer’ any more than I would be happy with ‘Kairi Paendrag’ when I eventually find some asshole to marry. You’re gonna want her to have your last name, I know you, I know how you think.”

  Leonidas didn’t bother denying that, only offering a hesitant nod as she continued, seemingly gathering steam.

  “Secondly, you think just marrying Aylar is gonna make all this better? This whole city, Ace, is rooted in Altera. In the Haelfenn and all their fucked up history. These people are supremacists, Ace. Just because Ceruviel and Aylar and a few others aren’t nutjob psychos doesn’t mean the culture changes. I’ll bet you, right now, that Aylar also thought Terrans were inferior before she met you. I’ll bet you a damn platinum on it.”

  “Okay, fine,” Leonidas said with a sigh, “maybe that’s true, but what the hell can I do about it before I’m King? That’s the only way I can affect some change, and sure it won’t be easy, but—”

  “Then we circle back to point the first,” she cut in again firmly, “Aylar. Eldormer. Tradition. You. Want. Her. To. Be. Yours. I know you well enough to see that shit coming, and if she isn’t, if she isn’t fully, it’s gonna tear you up inside—forget the city, Ace, this is about the world. If you want this place to be a Sanctuary for our species, you gotta get your fucking head on straight.”

  Leonidas frowned at her words, but couldn’t easily refute them. Not having his last name would be a point of contention for him; he couldn’t lie to her or to himself. He wasn’t built for the idea of some half-measure or hyphenating; he’d been raised to want something more permanent than that. As for the Haelfenn, Kairi wasn’t wrong there either. Their traditions were embedded in Dawnhaven. They shaped it from the lowest point to the highest.

  “Okay…” he said finally, reaching up to rub his hand through his hair, “so what do you suggest?”

  Kairi smiled at him at the question, that smile she’d use before roping him into mischief when they were kids, and leaned forward conspiratorily. “Stop playing by their fucking rules, Ace. Some things you can’t avoid, I’ll grant you, but this marriage? It’s your marriage,” she said with intentional emphasis.

  “She can’t use Paendrag, thanks to Pops, and I know you aren’t all that thrilled with the attachment either. So, why not do something else? You’re gonna be King and Queen. Monarchs make new Houses all the time. Look at the fucking Windsors. They were some German shit before they were what they are now.”

  “Paendrag is who we are, Kairi,” Leonidas said hesitantly, brows furrowed.

  “No, Ace. It’s not. Paendrag is who we became,” his sister said fiercely.

  Leonidas blinked at that, and then his eyes widened as he stared at her.

  “You’re not serious,” he said in mild disbelief.

  “Deadly,” Kairi replied intently.

  “Kai, it’s crazy. People will think I’m a nutjob!”

  “You mean the same people learning that fucking Lord of the Rings is real life now? Those people? Yeah, no, Ace. I think you’ll be okay. Think about it. It resets the board, it changes trajectory, it makes everything different—and it means your wife, your children, and whatever other women you brainwash into marrying you will have your name.”

  Leonidas paused at that, and eyed his sister speculatively, bringing his hands together to grip them with white-knuckling force as he considered.

  “...you really think it won’t cause issues?” he asked finally.

  “Of course it’ll cause issues, Ace,” Kairi said as she leaned back, arms folded over her chest. “But that’s why I’m here. Anything you and blondie can’t solve, I’ll just shank.”

  “Charming,” he muttered, drawing an eyeroll from his sister, but his focus was already inward.

  Paendrag is who we became, Kairi had said to him. It was true, because he knew the family history, he knew their origins, he knew who they were before the emigration, the generations, and time distorted their identities with bureaucracy and technicality.

  He remembered what their family lineage had long ago been.

  He remembered the name they’d once worn with Royal pride.

  Pendragon.

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