He tried to regain his composure, but outside he could hear the eerie song of the white dragons singing in unison only to him. Verial Akilara, King of Oneiro, was on the edge lately. For months the city had hung unbalanced by forces unknown. And only recently did the albino dragons emerge, calling out to him and hovering above like ghosts in the gloomy sky, an evident sign that things were not okay.

The gods had gone missing and the Dreamer family was split up. Bound by their duty to protect the realm, Angelus Psalm had been stationed in the Rotoria Desert building defenses for an attack that was sure to come and Sorvynia Dreamer had taken Verial's only son Kyrian away up towards the mountain, to Selune's Temple on Snowside. Monster invasions were on the rise and while for some time the soldiers and citizens of Oneiro had been able to defend them, the attacks kept swarming relentlessly forward. Though both brothers had been confident moving Angelus to the desert militia would weaken the opposing forces there, Verial wondered if it was enough.

For the most part, things outside Oneiro's main city were relatively calm - white dragons floating in the sky aside. Verial was able to concentrate on making plans and defending those who still lived in the city. Yet, he had this nagging feeling - perhaps his more pessimistic side - that things we're going to go downhill from here. It was not that he lacked faith in his own abilities, but the nightmare creatures kept marching onward, invading both the conscious and subconscious world of those who lived in within this realm.

So it was that Verial stood behind his desk facing a man who was up until now unknown to him. The man was certainly an imposing figure, though there was something in his youthful features, both hopeful and honorable, that reminded Verial of himself. He stood waiting for Verial's words, allowing one King to speak before another. Verial kept his hands in front of him, clasped together so they would not fidget at his sides. Behind him he could hear only the sound of crackling fire, fueled by abandoned plans on parchment paper that had been tossed and wood. Verial cleared his throat, breaking some of the silence and looked with his odd colored eyes at the man who stood just a few feet away from him on the other side of the desk.

A Slayer. A King. A man who was said to be able to help Verial Akilara's family.

"I appreciate your coming here on such short notice," Verial began. "Maxim Redmont, as you can see our forces have been split throughout the land, the army trying to stop wave after wave of attack. We are able to hold our enemies off mostly and while here it may not appear as bad to your eyes, the beasts which roam the sky linger endlessly, threatening. I believe we have reached the calm before the storm, and so I must ask for your assistance in something."

Verial's eyes drifted away for a moment, lifting a bit upwards towards the ceiling. There was a sudden change in tune in the dragons' song for him and Verial briefly felt as if a string was being tugged on his heart. He took an unsteady breath, letting it fade away, and tried to drown out the sounds he heard. He swore with everything that he could hear them singing the lullaby his mother used to soothe him with as a child.

"North of here is a chain of mountains called Snowside and there resides my mother, Sorvynia Dreamer, and my only born son, Kyrian Akilara," Verial said his darkened wings shifting behind him. "They reached Selune's temple weeks ago to survey the area and my mother has come to the conclusion that Kyrian is no longer safe in Oneiro. She is sending him away with a wolf named Naime, and while I believe he will be safe with the animal, I think my mother will try to cling to this land even as it withers and dies... and attempt to go with it. I ask you to make sure she gets out of here, by any means necessary. Can I count on your help with this...?"



Verial Akilara flew above the clouds gracefully and cutting through the wind with ease appearing as a long, dark shadow in the night. He flew silently, only the sound of leather-like wings occasionally pushing him forward marked his journey. Verial stayed where eyes could not find him, for a pitch-colored dragon flying through the night might raise suspicion indeed. Though dragons were often highly regarded as honorable and sacred beasts, people were still skeptical that they might be eaten or killed by a feral one, and it was always hard to tell the difference between a feral one and tame one until it was too late.

When Verial was sure he had met the destination he was searching for, he broke through the clouds transformating into his normal form, emerging as the son of Sorvynia Dreamer, his back adorned by feathered wings. Verial let his wings lower and dropped faster towards the ground. Upon landing, his wings stretched out again and his boots hit the Aleris streets with a silent step. He stood some feet away from the guards that lingered outside the castle, hoping not to surprise anyone. Verial's eyes, one green and the other blue, rose upwards and stared at the landscape of the towering steeples on the Aleris castle. Even in the night, the white marble of the building glistened brilliantly, as if it was the moon itself hanging in the sky. He was reminded of home - of Oneiro - and he let the past overwhelm him until he was reminded of why he was here in the first place.

Kyrian. The barely surviving son of Verial Akilara and Necia Burace was now hanging by a thread and not a person in his family could do anything about it. They had all tried, diligently and desperately, working throughout the night to no avail. The young boy caught a near fatal disease, unidentifiable and incurable, seeming to do nothing else but rob him of his already labored breaths.

Only a few evenings ago, Verial sat on a window sill within his room at the Villa, forehead held within his hands and trying to force thoughts to his brain, possible solutions that might help as Kyrian lay barely conscious in the bed. Whenever Verial looked up at the fated child, he had to gaze very closely and determine whether Kyrian was sleeping or if he had passed on, and so far it was always the first... Would it always be this way though? Verial toyed with the idea that this strange plague on Kyrian might have something to do with his dragon side; both Kyrian's parents had the blood in them, but he had yet to show any signs of becoming or shifting into one.

There was a noisy caw beside Verial and he looked first to Kyrian; the sound had not even stirred the boy awake. As Verial turned, he found next to him was a raven, its head cocked to the side staring beady eyed up at Verial, waiting somewhat patiently. Attached to its leg was a letter, which Verial untied and then sent the bird away. Verial unrolled the letter and read it. The words were short and for a long while, Verial sat wondering if someone was trying to mess with him or if he was just wasting extra time that might be saving Kyrian.

"I have a cure for your son's illness. Meet me in a Kingdom called Aleris, at Grand City's castle, three evenings from now.

-Emperor Lumine Ravenholm"

And here he was in Aleris, either a hero or fool, but any hope that might save Kyrian's dwindling life was better than no hope at all right now. Verial had reason to believe he was being suckered into something he did not want to do in exchange for a cure. After all, he had never met this Lumine Ravenholm. The fact that the man knew both his son was sick and that he somehow had a cure was all too coincidental, as if perhaps Lumine himself had been the one to get Kyrian sick.

Either way, Verial waited outside the palace gates, the guards eyeing his silent figure every now and then. Verial stood patiently for a man who he knew nothing about, but seemed to know a great deal about his own life.

Post originally by Character_Lumine Ravenholm


"Sir, you need an appointment to speak with King Aler-"

There was a rough thud, and then the familiar, grating voice of the Ravenholm demon's darker side.

"We need nothing of the sort; we are Emperor Ravenholm. Out of our way, insignificant fool." The doors to Alerion's room was unceremoniously shoved open, and Lumine Ravenholm stood there -- garbed in full regalia as was usual per his exceedingly rare visits to Aleris, and the secretary could be seen cowering behind his desk, though he was uninjured. Eyes of brilliant, verdant jade hues settled upon Alerion as Lumine stepped inside, going so far as to close the doors -- an act of trust, since his Imperial Sentries were then effectively prevented from watching over their leader. "Greetings, Alerion -- it's been far too long since we last spoke. However, given the relatively peaceful relations between the Outlands and Aleris, we felt we needed to have a meeting to avoid messy, unnecessary prospects like... war."

He made no attempt to conceal the fact that he was, in fact, two separate entities sharing the same form. Alerion had recognized this on his first visit -- several years ago, just after the young king had sacrificed his own immortality, a decision which Lumine had questioned the sanity of. But, Alerion knew only the benevolent Emperor Ravenholm, who had united the warring tribes of the Outlands and ushered in an age of science and sorcery. It was because of him, that the Outlands had prospered for nearly eight thousand years -- Alerion had seen the realm only once, and Leona had shown him what the Outlands were like before Lumine had arrived. While they weren't the best of friends, it was safe to say they were at least on good terms with each other.

"As you know, insurgents in the west have been relatively quiet following the appearance of my Dreadstorms, thanks to technology we salvaged from crashed Alerian craft. Active rebellion ceased, and things have been delightfully quiet. In our youth, when Lumine first met Leona... we sought war. It was what we thrived on; we were purveyors of carnage, wielding both sword and gun upon the battlefield. But we've grown old, though we haven't aged... our minds have grown weary." It was only a half-truth; in reality, neither Christopher Ravenholm nor Lumine Regal desired an end to the turmoil of the realm they ruled over. They rather enjoyed it, though Leona wasn't aware of that. It was the only secret that Lumine kept from her -- beyond that, he truly loved the dark-haired beauty, though Leona didn't know that.

"Governess Bluefield and I have many enemies from a place beyond the Outlands; a hub, once upon a time, like Aleris is now. Our most... formidable," he paused, uttering that word with such distaste that it would become clear to Alerion how much Lumine hated these ancient enemies, "rivals have suddenly surfaced in our homeland. A family, once a proud, valiant line of slayers who sought to protect humanity from those who would enslave and destroy them -- though they are corrupted and dangerous now. When I first met them, I was... different then. Colonel Lumine Regal, of the Navidian Juggernauts; we defended our fortress city with their aid. A day came when their leader, Maxim Redmont, was betrayed by humanity and left for dead; the vampires who captured him tortured and then embraced him, believing they could control him and use him as a weapon against the very people who had trained him. They were wrong; he ended up killing every last one of them and absorbed their innate power. His family was forever fractured; split into two warring sides: the Redmont Dynasty, who were slayers and such that were determined to fulfill their original goal... and the nefarious Redmont Brood, who sought nothing less than absolute chaos governing the world itself." He lifted his shoulders in a brief shrug, ripples cascading through the ivory fabric of his nobleman's coat. Even then, it was rather clear that Lumine cared very little for the tale he was relaying to the King of Aleris -- which was likely why the other half assumed control.

"We won't bore you with the rest of the details; suffice to say, Maxim Redmont and his Brood were an unchecked evil that decimated the lands. Even when his own wife attempted to stop him, she was defeated each time. Something happened, however -- some kind of dimensional accident that transported a copy/clone of some kind to our world. Because of it, Maxim lost his sanity and began slaughtering anybody and anything unlikely enough to cross paths with him. When the clone was executed by a friend of the family, it apparently healed Maxim -- and he then disappeared with his now-united Redmont Bloodline..." He trailed off, and shook his head in disgust as he moved towards the cabinet that held liquor for the guests of Alerion; he lifted one bottle of expensive, perfectly aged whiskey before pouring two glasses, and moving back towards where the two rulers had been seated. Taking a sip of the whiskey, Lumine offered the other leader a rather friendly smile. "They've surfaced in the Outlands, and they're trying to ignite a massive civil war. We're rather concerned that they may come to you for aid, Alerion. We've got mixed reports; some say that Maxim is no longer leading the Redmonts -- but I highly doubt it."

"Investigator Lyseria confronted us outside the palace moments ago, and informed us you had a situation with some kind of stolen artifact. Given we have forces to spare and Governess Bluefield is one of the most accomplished trackers/hunters in either of our realms, we wanted to suggest a deal, of sorts," the other half suggested, as he took another sip of whiskey. "Alasiah will be sent after your artifact to locate and retrieve it; in return, we'd like you to send a garrison of your best troops through the Outlands gateway and storm the Redmont base/estate. A sneak attack; they wouldn't be expecting an assault from within their own home," Lumine explained, in a display of his own military intelligence. He was a strategist, after all; though centuries had passed without requiring his knowledge, his mind was still sharp and formed excellent plans.

He finished the whiskey and set the empty glass upon the desk, before placing a sheet of paper upon it in front of Alerion. "A proposal for a formal alliance between the grand Kingdom of Aleris and the Ravenholm Empire of the Outlands, my friend. It calls for a sharing of technology and other advances both ways -- including our anti-grav crystals that we use for emergency power on our airships. The only thing we ask of you, is that just as the Redmonts are fugitives in the Outlands, Aleris would consider them as outlaws also. If they were somehow to conquer the Outlands and destroy the lives of so many innocent subjects, it wouldn't take long before they declared war upon your realm. This isn't simply for our benefit," he paused, and the shift in his voice was so very subtle that time, "but yours as well."

And with that, the Ravenholm demon fell silent, to see what Alerion's reaction would be. Idly, he had already guessed that Alerion would agree; it would be a huge benefit to both realms to ally with each other and share advancements in science and sorcery.

And... Lumine had plans for a certain Verial Akilara, who was waiting outside the palace gates right now...

Post originally by Character_Calamaya







The large white dragon's shadow swept across the manicured garden, the very tip of that dark phantom shape passing across the lap of Calamaya Everness. Her immediate response is a shiver, hen she tops her angry green eyes up at the sky. Even her garden, which once was her most valued sanctuary, even here they invade. Her gaze drops again defeated, for nothing could distract her from the way her life was crumbling, not even her still beautiful flowers.

Kyrian had been taken to saftey. Verial had drawn away from her and told her that she needed to be in saftey as well. She was not his wife, so the royal officials had paid her little attention as they took themselves to saftey. She was not even Kyrian's mother even if she loved him as a son.

The white dragons flew over her and sang their displeasure down at her. They hated her, hated the love that Verial had for her that bound him to the earth. She shoved to her feet and glared at the two figures high above her. They were getting their wish. Verial had given her one last embrace, one last night of being in his arms. He had caressed her face and her body lovingly. She had not seen the goodbye until it was too late. He was no longer her Verial once the sun had risen on this day. Whether it was for her protection or his she knew not. But as she glared up at the beasts above her, she knew that they were getting their wish.



The Villa was there in front of her. The journey to this point had been long indeed. But she had been trying to get here all this time, she just didn't know it. So many things could come of this. The possibilities swirled through her head as she slowly approached the door. They could have moved on by now, most likely had. Kyrian had been so small it was impossible that he would remember. He would be 8 or 9 now with no memory of the tall blonde woman who cuddled him together in his father's lap.

Sh stepped up to the door and pulled in a breath. Verial had most likely found someone else. Even the thought stung, but she had forced herself to accept it. He had not been her Verial for several years now.

She raised her hand, closed her eyes, and firmly knocked on the front door. It creaked open. She hesitated, then slowly eased inside softly calling out hellos.

The main house was empty and it was obvious they would be gone for a while. The servants had closed up the house. She heard one moving around upstairs and for a moment hope bloomed... But she could sense from here that it was not Verial. It was simply a servant checking the house and was more than likely the reason the door was open.

Her chest grew heavy with dissapointment and frustration. She was just tired though, is what she told herself. She would survive and could come back again someday. While she had a moment, she moved around the entry way and sitting room. Their scents lingered and it soothed her to be in the midst of at least that.

Her gaze just happened to flick over the message that Lumine sent. In fact she had taken a step away before the words registered in her head. Kyrian. She whirled around and jerked up the letter, her face frantic as she read the short message. There was no question in her mind that she must go to him, to both of them.

She stuffed the letter into her cloak pocket and hurriedly began her own journey to Aleris.

"I see," was all Alerion had managed to say for a very long time as Lumine placed the official documentation of an alliance on his desk in front of him. Alerion leaned back in his chair for a moment, staring at the piece of parchment which looked nothing more like scrawled gibberish from his vantage point. He was thoughtful and careful about the next words he chose to say to Lumine, for he had the nagging suspicion that Lumine was always a little bit dishonest with his true intentions. That behind the dual-souled demon was an ulterior motive to just exterminating the Redmonts.

An alliance was a serious thing to consider and Lumine gave Alerion little time to prepare himself. His mind was consumed with thoughts: should he sign the alliance for the sake of his kingdom and in return give his help to weed out the Redmont family that threatened to start a war? Lumine asked for his troops and the last thing he wanted to do was plunge his realm into the growling and snapping jaws of war, especially when they had their own problems at hand. The stolen soul of one of his brothers.

Though he had no chance to prove any innocence the Redmont family might have, his options were boiling down to one single decision. That he had to sign an alliance with Lumine, right here and now, to avert another war that might result if he did not comply with Lumine's request. One future path said that if he rejected Lumine, the man would drag all his forces and technology into his realm and start a war anyway - only he had no idea if this would have put Aleris in the middle of the Redmonts and the Ravenholms. He was not willing to risk a possible ambush from both families. The other path, which he was ultimately walking down, was to sign this alliance and help the man out... for now. Until he found out the truth.

The fact of the matter was that Lyseria had confided in Alerion that she had met Maxim Redmont and while their conversation was brief, from her words he seemed like a man with little attachment to the Outlands. She described him as having plunged himself into a sadness where no one could reach - one that had parted him from his previous life. How could a man, who had seemingly lost sight of his purpose, aim to start a war?

Alerion finally leaned forward and reached a hand out in front of him. He grasped a quill pen, dipped the tip of it in ink, and let his hand hover above the alliance declaration for a moment. Some alliances were made to be broken, he thought and then scratched his name across the paper. Alerion turned the paper towards Lumine for him to sign and handed the quill over.

"The Kingdom of Aleris would be more than happy to accept this alliance with the Outlands, Emperor Ravenholm," Alerion started. "I would also like to meet with Alasiah Bluefield to help recover what has been stolen. Finding this religious artifact is of our utmost importance, I'm sure you can understand. In exchange, you may take a few of our men to lead investigations against the Redmonts. Lyseria will help you choose some of our best soldiers."

Alerion folded his hands in front of him and looked up towards Lumine who stood, drinking whiskey and most likely secretly smiling at his upper hand. There was no doubt in his mind that his signing over to this alliance was just the first part of Lumine's plans - that there was much more to come.

"And Lumine," Alerion started as he nodded towards the door, "please do not throw my secretary around on your way out."

Post originally by Character_Joe_Lumine Ravenholm

His elation was concealed, leaving only the barest hint of a venomous smile as he watched Alerion sign the document; Lumine followed suit with his own signature. With the kingdom of Aleris reinforcing his grudge against his foes, it provided him with the necessary forces and equipment to invade the Redmont base through the very Gateway they sought to protect. The irony of the situation was amusing, to say the least. "Of course, Alerion. Governess Bluefield will be here shortly; her presence was requested in anticipation of our new alliance. I'll meet with Lyseria in a while; I believe there's yet another appointment awaiting me while I'm here. I trust you'll ensure that she's equipped to lead the mission, yes?"

He didn't wait for a response, instead opting to leave the room; the secretary wisely remained silent as the Emperor Ravenholm moved down the corridor at a leisurely pace, no longer caring to hide the almost eerie grin on his face. He wasn't willing to take chances with the empire that he had built with his own hands; Lumine was determined to throw anything and everything at the Redmonts to destroy them -- which included spies, turning Aleris against them, and even convincing old friends to betray them. Something had to work, sooner or later.

It wasn't long before he was descending the steps that led to the main entrance of the palace; ahead, he could see the form of a rather impatient Verial Akilara, another part of the elaborate scheme unfolding. "Verial Akilara, I presume?" "We are Emperor Ravenholm... please accept our apologies for meeting with us on such short notice," the first half of the duo stated flatly. The overcoat worn by the Ravenholm demon seemed oddly plain, though after a few minutes, it would become apparent that it was concealing something. Weaponry, perhaps... or possibly the Djarai armor, if that cursed relic were still 'alive,' as it were.

"Straight to the point, Mr. Akilara... we each have a problem. Your son lays, stricken with an illness for which there is no known cure... or rather, there wasn't. Medical breakthroughs are simply amazing; what will they think of next, hm?" Lumine explained, with that same faint smirk. He held the best hand for the upcoming game, and Verial could likely see that written all over the smug demon's face; Lumine was practically thriving upon the situation that he currently controlled. "My problem, is somebody you know -- Maxim Redmont. Former slayer, former friend to you, which may help you in capturing or killing him."

"That's right, Verial -- if you want to save your son from what comes next, you'll hunt the Kinslayer down and either deliver him to us, or bring us proof of his death."

There was a brief pause, and that smirk widened into a disturbing smile, one that echoed his own malevolence. "Under other circumstances, I would've sent you after the rest of them -- but Aleris is about to declare war upon them for me. They're going to make the mistake of sending troops through the Outlands Gate, and the Redmonts will defend themselves. When Alerion learns that the Redmonts killed those proud Alerisian soldiers, he'll rush to declare war. With your help, Maxim and his Redmonts will be a bitter memory by month's end." The Ravenholm shrugged then, and simply turned away -- but his last words to Verial were meant to remind the man of what was important; his ill son. "Or you could side with your former friend, and tell Alerion what we plan... and explain your actions to your son's grave. The choice is yours, Verial -- choose wisely."

And with that, the Ravenholm waited to see what his choice would be...

It had become clear within the first few minutes of Lumine's introduction that Verial, to the two-faced demon, was nothing more than a puppet in some dramatic play Lumine was happily putting together. Of course, Verial did not know the extent of Lumine's plans, only that he was a part of it and had little say in the matter. He could have just walked away, said a simple no to the demands, but the rewards seemed more worth it. If Emperor Ravenholm did indeed have a cure for Kyrian, that would be a blessing. However, there was always the nagging possibility that this man was full of it - that he had nothing that could help Kyrian and he was just wasting any precious time Verial had.

Verial's looked back towards the palace as Lumine waited for him to answer, the frigid winter winters that swept through Grand City surrounded the pair of men paused just a few feet outside the palace gates. The guards had stopped pacing when Lumine strolled through; they mostly wanted to look on defense now, rather than uneasy. They paid no mind to the rather shady deal that was going on between Verial and Lumine, and instead kept their eyes switching watch between the city streets and the castle. The dark feathered wings against Verial’s back seemed to sag, as if a heavy weight had been placed upon them, and he turned back to Lumine finally.

"You want me to bring you Maxim Redmont - dead or alive," Verial began his odd colored eyes searching Lumine's amused visage for some ounce of truth behind his words, "and bring him to you in exchange for a cure for my son. How you know that my son is even sick, I'm not going to ask - that's not important, though it does bring doubt to your actual, true motives. You want me to get you Maxim Redmont so I can save my son's life? Fine. I'll do whatever I can to save my son's life, but rest assured... if you ever ask me something like this again, and smile about it, I will make sure you never crack a grin again."

Turning his head towards the city for a moment, Verial thought about the task ahead of him. Bringing in Maxim Redmont... He had not seen the man in years, ever since his own kingdom was destroyed. Despite the fact that Maxim was a skilled fighter, one who could probably best Verial's own skills, the Redmont King had once been an ally alongside the Dreamer family and fought to protect the fallen realm of Oneiro. For that, Verial owed him endless thanks and here he was, using the man once again to save one of his family, only this time he had a feeling it would have to be done with force.

Verial felt his honor slipping away; perhaps it was due in part to the malicious grin Lumine wore. He was not even sure that Lumine's promise for a cure put any sort of relief inside his heart. Instead, his mind was swarming with ideas on how to capture Maxim Redmont and how quickly he could do it; every minute mattered and he had to put both his friendship and dignity aside to save Kyrian. Years ago, Maxim had fought to defend Oneiro even while his family battled the Ravenholm Empire. The gracious King of the Redmonts had spared himself to assist in Oneiro's lost cause and presently, seven years later, Verial was playing the hand of betrayal in the name of Ravenholm.

Grand City was now at war and whether the king knew, Verial could not answer. Verial was perhaps the only person who had so freely heard the extent of Lumine's plans. Not only had Maxim's life been bargained with, but Verial was also dealing with the lives of citizens of Aleris, those that would be cast into the war and eventually slain, all in exchange for making his son better. He would become a villain - to this place, to the Redmont family, and perhaps even his own. The question circled in his mind endlessly within the brief encounter between him and Lumine. Was it worth it to save Kyrian, the only surviving heir of Verial and the deceased Necia Akilara?

Yes.

"Where was Maxim Redmont last seen?" Verial said looking back at Lumine. "I do not have time to waste, so if you can spare any details that would be helpful at least."

Post originally by Character_Lumine Ravenholm


He resisted the urge to smile in spite of Verial's threat; sometimes, one could be pushed too far. Instead, he merely lifted his shoulders in a faint shrug to indicate he honestly had no idea where his newest assassin should begin his search. "Even we have been unable to locate Maxim Redmont save for speculation and rumors, though the rest of his family has been horribly easy to find in the Outlands. They currently control the Gate that separates Aleris from our own realm, which gives them significant power despite lacking the numbers to properly engage in any kind of war with my empire, Mr. Akilara. Hence why I've decided to target those who could possibly encourage an uprising, or even stage a coup somehow. Naturally, the former slayer is the prime target; a public execution will send the remnants of that family scattering to the four winds, never to recover."

The shift between the two personalities was subtle, but Verial likely would've caught it due to the sudden gleam of inhuman amusement lurking in those jade-colored eyes. "And when the task is completed, you'll be a hero to my people. Your suffering son will recover, and all will end well," the elder half of the demon explained, before Lumine stepped forward to pat Verial on the shoulder as though they were old friends. In reality, the gesture was part of a planned move; Lumine could see Alerion watching them from a distance, and the impression given would be as he wanted.

"Remember one thing, Verial Akilara: there are no heroes, simply people who do what they must because nobody else can. You alone can save your son. I urge you to keep that in mind, should you have a crisis of conscience when you reunite with your old friend," Lumine whispered, in an oddly sympathetic tone of voice. Perhaps there was still some of that former colonel left in the Ravenholm's dark soul, a sliver of humanity left that echoed the once valiant defender of Navidium. Even the expression left a lingering sense of empathy, something left behind from who he had been, so many millennia ago. "Should you succeed, you shan't be cast aside; with the Redmont name destroyed once and for all, we will in turn offer assistance to you. Oneiro... could be reclaimed." It was quite easy to surmise that Lumine was serious about providing military aid for the reclamation of Oneiro; and more surprisingly, without imposing restrictions.

"Think about that, Verial; we could provide you with the necessary forces to reclaim Oneiro once we control the Outlands entirely. Until then, this mission is the priority. Rumors have suggested that Maxim possibly left the realm and came here; I've gotten mixed reports from my spies in the Alerisian government. Some have stated seeing an individual which fits his description to the north, heading towards Grand City. Much has happened since you first met him, however... humanity betrayed him, and some would go so far as to consider him the most powerful vampire in existence," Lumine suggested, before turning away from his unlikely pawn.

He simply left Verial standing there, moving towards the exit of the palace with a purposeful pace, and that manipulative smile again forming upon the pale features of an angular, stern visage.

By the time he left the palace, Lumine was quietly celebrating his own scheme's imminent success. Unknown to Verial, he was only one pawn in the elaborate game that was being played out in both Aleris, and the Outlands -- in time, others would be brought in to deal with the threats to his empire for him. The broken Kirks were secretly his first victims, though nobody was aware of that yet. Cassandra Redmont, who had thought she had evaded the watchful eyes of the Ravenholm empire, had in fact given them a century of advance warning, during which they had developed new weaponry and strategies to be employed during what would amount to a long, excruciating war.

Emperor Lumine Ravenholm couldn't remember when he'd felt that good, and as the Imperial Sentries fell in to marching position around their leader, he just smiled.

All hell was about to break loose.

Post originally by Character_Alastair Bluefield

Several hours had passed by the time Governess Alasiah Bluefield arrived in Grand City, and made her way towards the Alerisian palace. Anger and stress were both made obvious by the distasteful expression plastered across her lovely visage, straight locks of fiery red hair framing her face. Bright eyes of vivid sapphire hues swept across the guards that were positioned upon either side of the door that led to Alerion's offices, where he met with visitors and other such entities. She smiled briefly and offered a salute, though the woman didn't break stride as she stepped into the outer chamber. The secretary looked up from the documents he was busily checking, and the color drained from his face as he saw the crossed scythe/skull emblem of the Ravenholm Empire displayed proudly upon the overcoat of her uniform. To put him at ease, she smiled warmly and gestured to the doors that led into the palace's library, where she had been told to meet the King of Aleris.

"Good evening, sir. I'm Governess Alasiah Bluefield, from the Outlands. I need to meet with King Alerion -- is he in the library, as I've been told?" she inquired, with a polite tone to her elegant voice -- which was distinctly marred by a soft, but pronounced French accent. "I... yes ma'am, he is in there, Governess Bluefield. Please do not ruin our King's mood, as he's already under a bit of pressure due to our recent theft and the forced alliance by your Emperor, Lumine Ravenholm," he stammered, waiting with a timid stare for what Alasiah expected was the rude mannerisms of her leader. "Allow me to be the first to offer an apology for such a sudden proposal. It's far from Imperial policy to take matters such as alliances so rashly, and will not happen again."

She left the secretary standing there in utter disbelief at the Bluefield woman's respectful demeanor, and Alasiah stepped quietly into the library. That vibrant, assertive sapphire gaze immediately settled upon Alerion as she closed the door behind, and she let a gentle sigh escape her. "Please, forgive this introduction happening on such short notice, King Alerion. I am Alasiah Bluefield, Governess of the city of Navidium. Emperor Ravenholm sent word that he had bargained with my services as a huntress, in order to initiate an official alliance with your realm, and I ventured here as quickly as I could. I'm uncertain as to why His Excellency chose to ask for Alerisian troops to enter the Outlands to deal with the Redmont threat, as I feel we shouldn't risk the lives of others uninvolved in this conflict," she stated flatly, with a shake of her head. Her opinion of the situation was likely very clear to the leader of Aleris, even as she moved towards the cabinet where the liquor was kept upon seeing it opened. She lifted the bottle of whiskey, and gestured towards it with a slightly sarcastic smile, "I trust the Emperor chose to try your Alerisian whiskey? I'll send a bottle of our finest brandy to you, when I've accomplished my mission here, your Majesty."

It wasn't difficult at all to ascertain that the Bluefield beauty was far different from the ruthless, scheming Emperor Ravenholm. She lifted a bottle of wine that had already been opened, and prepared two glasses, bringing both over to the desk where Alerion was seated. Gingerly letting the clear, expensive container rest in between slim fingers, she took a sip and then lowered her voice, a sudden expression washing over her admittedly beautiful features, which were lightly tanned by the harsh summer sun of the Outlands. There was genuine regret mirrored in the young beauty of the woman, as well as something close to anger, directed at the rash actions of Lumine.

"I feel that it's my duty to inform you of the threat your men face, should they attempt to battle the Redmonts. As Emperor Ravenholm hates our foes, he often underestimates them and doesn't seem to understand them. I've had centuries to assess their views, and learn about them. In that time, I've come to respect them. They are a family divided, two polar opposites -- and yet they are united by fierce honor, and courage that would amaze even the oldest warriors. The valiant heroes, the slayers that comprise the Redmont Dynasty were once feared and respected, though they've become a fractured half of the family, and the dark, fearsome power of the Redmont Brood is what frightens the Emperor. They are neither evil, nor good... as you and I know, nothing is ever so clearly black or white," the Governess Bluefield explained, with obvious disdain for the prospect of war. "Between us, your Majesty, I've already attempted to contact the governing leaders of the Redmonts. I've been told that their former King, Maxim Redmont, has been missing for weeks now, ever since they first appeared in the Outlands. Since I couldn't locate him, I sent word to his wife, Daphne McKennah Redmont, and his sister, Ainsley Redmont. I've been alive for a very long time, sir, and I've grown weary of war. They've not yet responded, but I feel certain that Lady Daphne Redmont will agree with me. However... if your troops find them, peace may be farther away than any of us can afford, do you understand?"

She eventually took another sip of her wine, her vibrant eyes lifting and glancing towards the window; drops of rain had begun to fall from the clouded skies above, arcs of lightning erupting every so often to brighten the twilight hours with brief pulses of illumination, followed by the rumble of intimidating thunder. "Nevertheless, I am pleased to assist Aleris in their investigation, regarding the stolen religious artifact. I haven't heard much, I'm afraid, so you'll have to give me the details. I need to know everything, your Majesty -- but rest assured, you can trust me... as I've trusted you with my concerns regarding my Emperor's irrational hatred," Alasiah declared, the accent of her soft voice adding yet another a touch of elegance to the woman. It probably wasn't difficult for Alerion to see why she was so popular as the Governess of Navidium, due to her strict code of honor and her impossibly strong desire for peace. She lifted the glass of wine to her lips once more, and after savoring another drink of the wonderfully delicious wine, she posed another question to the Alerisian king. "The Emperor did mention that you were in contact with an investigator who was also trying to uncover the mystery behind the theft, a woman named Lyseria. Will she be coming, to share her information with me?"

The woman fell silent thereafter, and while she wasn't certain if Alerion knew anything else about her, Alasiah's history was mostly public knowledge -- at least, everything that had happened after she had been resurrected in the Outlands by necromancy. She wasn't a mere mortal; the Governess of Navidium was a werefox, and one of the most cunning generals in the history of either realm. Her reputation was legendary only because she adhered to a strict code of honor and morality, always refusing to stoop to atrocities to defeat those unlucky enough to stand in her way.

However, there were whispered rumors that she hadn't always been that way...

Lumine had left Verial with no clues as to where to search for Maxim; it seemed as if they were both equally in the dark about things. While Lumine (unknowingly to others) staged an all out war with Aleris and various other families, Verial was to betray a close "friend" in exchange for his son's well being. Verial was not sure if he could ever refer to Maxim as a friend now, and not because Maxim had done anything wrong, but because it sickened him with what decisions he was left with.

Emperor Ravenholm had used as much persuasion as he could to convince Verial this was the right thing to do - to capture Maxim Redmont dead or alive. And while the Ravenholm's words were sound, Verial could not shake the nagging feeling he had. He knew turning Maxim in to Lumine would cast him as a coward to the other Redmonts as well as a traitor. After Lumine had gotten his way and completely violated Aleris as well, he would be seen a monster to the survivors - one who had worked to help destroy their beautiful land.

Looking up into the snow filled sky, Verial let his body turn slowly in a circle and his eyes gaze at what was Grand City. He had seen a magnificent city like this perish once and it was becoming clear to him now this would be another Oneiro. Buildings would be razed and lives would be taken all in Lumine's quest for domination and purging of the Redmont name. Verial swore he would never be involved in such a catastrophe again; that any problem he tried to solve would be for the better of his family. Here he was, about to create a ton more issues for Aleris, all on account of capturing Maxim Redmont.

But, Lumine did have a way with words, and Verial was unfortunately weak enough to succumb to such elegant speeches.

"Remember one thing, Verial Akilara: there are no heroes, simply people who do what they must because nobody else can. You alone can save your son. I urge you to keep that in mind, should you have a crisis of conscience when you reunite with your old friend."

He was the only one who could save his son, and nothing else mattered. There was some part of him inside that was possessed with saving Kyrian, more than any simple devotion a father had to a son. Kyrian Akilara was the only link he had to his fleeting wife Necia - the free spirit - which he undoubtedly knew he would never see again. While Verial had learned to accept the fact that she had been lost to the winds, he did not want Kyrian to acknowledge that he had ever been abandoned. No, he wanted very much for his son to know that his father had always been there, even if it was not physically.

Before Verial had departed from Lumine, he had sealed the deal with a few final words - ones which mattered to him more than anything else. Verial had sincerely hoped Lumine had some ounce of dignity to honor this request. In short, Verial was going on a man hunt and he had no idea how Maxim would react. After all, he had strong doubts he could ask Maxim to come along quietly to the Ravenholm Empire and not make a fuss. No, there would be struggle and Verial could not weigh the outcome - who might come out alive or who might die.

"I need some reassurance," Verial started. "I will, as promised, deliver Maxim Redmont to you. However, should I become marked as wanted for my betrayal or should I fall in this task during any point, you must be the one to cure my son."

Nothing else mattered. Lumine's promise to help rebuild Oneiro fell on deaf ears. No matter how much force the man could give Verial to reclaim his fallen home - his kingdom - he did not want to accept it. All he wanted was for his son to live a much happier life than he had and even if his father was a traitor and villain to everyone else in the end, that he was still a hero in his son's eyes. That Verial had been worth something, despite all his failings.

And that was that. There had been no other words - Verial did not even want to hear Lumine say "yes" or "no." He wanted to leave that meeting with some assurance that Kyrian would recover, whether his own father lived or died in the process. Verial assumed after Maxim's untimely execution that he would have every surviving Redmont after his blood.

Verial shook his head, raven colored locks framing his pale face and took his eyes away from the moonlight. He had moved on from the entrance of Grand City and left the gates heading towards the north. It had been a few days since Lumine gave Verial the job of finding Maxim in this huge land, and he had made no progress. Apparently, according to the Aleris Newspaper, The Chronicle, Maxim had been terrorizing the city in a bloodbath the other night. It probably would have been the best opportunity for Verial to meet up with him, only something didn't fit right. The whole incident seemed rather staged and since Verial was sure not many Alerian citizens had actually seen the face of Maxim Redmont, that it was probably not the Kinslayer at all, but an imposter.

"...The attacker identified himself as none other than Maxim Redmont, the very figure implicated in the civil unrest in the Outlands."

Presently, most people in Aleris saw Maxim as ruthless because of his actions the previous evening, unneedlessly slaughtering all those innocent soldiers. That's all they knew of him, and that his mortal enemy the Ravenholm family, was now allied to their own city. It made perfect sense that Maxim might have torn through the city with malicious intent. However, this made zero sense to Verial. Unless things had drastically changed, Verial knew Maxim not to slay anyone unless there was some sort of challenge involved - an attack on his family, a loved one, or a friend. A friend... Verial let the word linger in his mind for a moment before letting out a frustrated sigh into the winter air.

He needed a sign. Something to draw Maxim Redmont to him, but why should that bring the Kinslayer out? Why on earth would Maxim come waltzing out to meet with Verial when he would not even come out and attempt to reclaim his realm or clear his name as a murderous bastard? Probably the same reason Verial had seemingly given up on reclaiming Oneiro. They were tired... of being pitted against endless enemies and being a disappointment to those who gave their unwavering devotion to their leader. Verial knew that despite how much Maxim tried to avoid reuniting with his family, if they were anything like his own, they would not stop defending him even for death. This is what was so frightening in Maxim and Verial's position, that their families would charge until their final breath. By not returning to The Outlands, Maxim was probably trying to get them out of this habit without their knowing.

Still, it had to be done. He had to call out to Maxim somehow. When Verial left the city and was given enough space to spread his wings, he took to the sky. At first his obsidian feathered wings lifted him upwards until they could no longer push him higher. There his body transformed and a dragon took flight where Verial once was, camouflaged by the dark night. Verial glided effortlessly through the clouds, pushing with his leather like wings in the direction of the moon. Snow hit him harder this high up in the air, but he kept moving forward until he was silhouetted by the moonlight. For a brief moment, he hung suspended in the air - a black dragon against a golden moon - and then dived back towards the earth letting out a roar like thunder. To most in the city, the roar and shape against the moon probably meant nothing. People were used to monsters these days. However, to Maxim, perhaps he would recognize Verial's voice calling to him, even disguised as a mythical beast.

Verial did not head back near the city. Instead he landed on one of the many mountainside paths near Aleris. He changed back into his more human-like form and waited. The path was blanketed with snow and quiet. No footsteps had recently disturbed this path and Verial did not expect anyone other than Maxim to come this way, should he decide to. Verial perched on top of a rock and pulled his jacket closer to shield out some of the frigid winds, but absently his hand grazed the hilt of his sword before letting it go. It was a long time since Verial had seen Maxim and he did not want their reunion to start with a sword drawn - not at first anyway.