"Yeah. It happened while we were staying in Deathwhisper Tavern," I replied with a nod, prompting him to raise a pair of eyebrows expectantly. "Gods, it was almost painful to see how slow he was to notice she liked him," Irun added, causing Bernar to chuckle. "Sounds about right," he said between laughs.
"You could tell back then?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. "Listen, I might be an idiot, but I'm not stupid. Anyone who leaps after you into a portal leading to fuck knows where with tears in their eyes doesn't strike me as someone who doesn't care at least a little," Irun scoffed and shook his head. "That's it? That's all it took for you to know?" I asked in disbelief, but he shook his head and laughed to himself.
We gave Bernar a few more details about the time we spent down there, mentioning Krozz and only some of what took place in Pyrdredd, so he wouldn't be caught by surprise when he heard the complete account in just a few moments. There were a few things he had questions about, but I didn't feel it was my place to explain them.
As we entered the main hall and took a left down one of the passageways, we arrived at a large meeting room. There was a large table borne from the roots that lay about the city, with a considerable variety of snacks and other such treats already laid out for us. However, what surprised me the most was that at the far end of the hall, Elhael was already waiting for us with Thorn, Anwill, and Nenvalur at his side.
The other members of my mother's team, Derion, Eirenne, Vyra, and Haldir, were off conducting a scouting mission that morning so that they wouldn't be back until at least the following day.
It's going to be a long one, isn't it? I sent my brother, who, judging by his expression, agreed with my assessment.
"Welcome, everyone. Please, take a seat where you see fit," Elhael's majestic voice rang out from across the room as he gestured toward the chairs. Aurae and Elhael sat at the head of the table with Nenvalur and Anwill standing behind them, while Taegin and my mother were across from each other beside the king and queen.
On my side of the table, we sat in the order of me, Ysevel, Kalia, Athar, Irun, Ren, and Thorn. On the other side were Bernar, Leona, Thorsen, Gwili, Wyrran, Neko, and Marte, with an empty seat beside Marte, and another at the far end of the table.
"I'm sure you're all wondering why there are still two who are not yet present, but they will be here shortly. Right now, I first wanted to formally thank the members of Nightfall's Blade for their accomplishments in the Underworld in putting a stop to the plans of one of our greatest enemies yet; Nexis Pelantyr," Elhael began, shocking Gwili and Wyrran more than others.
A few of the servants standing by stepped forward and immediately presented each of us who had fought Nexis with a metallic medallion that almost hummed with mana. Each one held the Caegweni Royal symbol engraved on the front, with an individual symbol on the back.
"This medallion will tell others across the Continent of your deeds, and will allow you greater privileges than nearly anyone in our kingdom," he said.
Mine also has my family's crest on the back, I caught myself smiling as Mom, Taegin, and Bernar each gave me a nod of approval.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," we said in unison, bowing as we could from our seats. I was grateful to see that Athar had adjusted his behavior accordingly, but, as usual, he remained unpredictable.
"It is we who should be thanking you. Your deeds have echoed far beyond the reaches of this kingdom already. However, there are some things regarding the thwarted return of Nexis Pelantyr that have been put into motion we need to address," he said, immediately shifting his gaze toward the door. "Ah, he's back. Good. Please, let him in," he signaled to the two guards by the double door.
As the door swung open, all eyes turned to see none other than Ardrin standing in the doorway. He'd since changed out of his robe into formal Caegweni attire, and while his hair and sideburns had been trimmed neatly, there was no denying that his presence filled those who didn't know he was here with a sense of fear.
As he entered the room, a handful of mages drew a vast amount of mana and summoned a sound-suppressing barrier around the room. Seeing this, Leona immediately shifted uncomfortably, but Bernar put a hand on hers to let her know it was alright. "He wouldn't be here if he weren't our ally, right?" she whispered cautiously, to which Bernar gave her a single nod, but also sent an uncertain glance my way.
As the silence from everyone present permeated the room, he glanced at each of us as if determining whom he knew. "I see there are a few faces I recognize, and more than a few I don't," he raised an eyebrow, then took a few steps forward, making Neko and Marte look at each other with apparent confusion.
"To those who don't know me, my name is Ardrin Pelantyr, but you may recognize me by the name The Masked One," he said, making Leona's eyes widen in both anger and fear. "Y-You? It was you who destroyed Coltend?" she asked in disbelief. "Hello, Leona. It's good to see you in good health, but yes, that was me; in part, anyway," he bowed, ignoring her seething anger momentarily.
"I-I can't believe it. Your Majesty, what is the meaning of this?" Leona asked Elhael directly. "He slaughtered my people and brought death and destruction, as well as a horde of creatures and corrupted members of the Church of Mideia, into my home that nearly wiped out the people of Coltend!" Leona raised her voice just enough to prompt Taegin to raise a hand.
But as he was about to speak, a portal appeared at the front of the still-opened door, causing everyone to shift their attention to it immediately. Those of us in Nightfall's Blade already knew who it was, but there were still more than a handful who didn't immediately recognize who could create a portal like that.
"I believe I should answer that question, Queen Leona," Erumon's voice and presence immediately permeated the barrier, forcing everyone to remain deathly still. As he crossed the door's threshold, he immediately reduced his presence drastically, but it was still enough to make Neko and Marte shudder in fear.
This is going to be interesting, I sent Ysevel, who silently nodded her agreement.
"I'm afraid I must be the one to apologize for the near-destruction of Coltend, as it was under my instruction that Ardrin was forced to do so," he began to explain, his voice resonating loudly through the room. "Lord Erumon, it's good to see you again," Taegin rose from his seat and bowed.
"Ah, Taegin. It's good to see you again, as well, though I don't believe that the pendant I gave you all those years ago is needed any longer," he said in a much more amicable tone than I was used to him using.
So they do know each other. Just how deep does this all go? I asked Ysevel and Kalia, but neither of them could give me an answer before he did. "An excellent question, Thoma. Though I will have much to explain here, as well as a mission for you and the other members of Nightfall's Blade in the coming months," he said, acknowledging me with a short nod. "Of course, Lord Erumon," I rose from my seat and bowed as Taegin had.
The look of surprise on his face wasn't anywhere near as strong as Bernar's, whose jaw might have dropped through the floor had it gone any further. Still, it made me feel like I finally knew something he didn't, for once. Leona, however, was just as confused as the rest of them, including my own mother.
Erumon and Ardrin took the last two remaining seats, with Ardrin sitting down next to Neko, while Erumon, who was almost too large for his seat, was at the end of the table opposite Elhael and Aurae. "As I'm sure you all have many questions to ask about who I am, or why Ardrin was acting under my orders, I will explain what I can for now in as much detail as I dare, for there are still things even I don't fully understand yet," Erumon began to speak, creating a placating gesture with his hands.
Everyone listened intently, and even Leona's momentary outburst was quelled by the tone and smoothness of his voice.
"Allow me to begin with more ancient events, as they will help provide some context for things I will state later, including the invasion of Coltend Castle," he said, prompting Leona, Bernar, and Thorsen to immediately focus their attention on every word that left his mouth.
"Over a millennium ago, I came to the realm of Kavrass, which you all know as the Between, to find a former comrade of mine named Mideia," he began, but as he spoke the true name of the realm, there wasn't a single one among us who didn't feel like we just learned something we shouldn't have.
So that's this realm's real name. I wonder if the others have their own as well, I sent Ysevel. I would assume they do, but I can't help but wonder whether knowing the true name of a realm is a good thing, she cautioned.
"While we didn't know what he was up to at the time, it became apparent that the creatures that began to spawn and reside in this realm didn't belong here. The other Wardens and I, you may consider us realm guardians of a sort, knew that something was wrong and began to investigate the matter. However, what we found carved a deep wound in our ranks: Mideia had been corrupted and betrayed us," Erumon continued, his tone dropping in dejection as he spoke the last words.
While no one present knew of anything that could corrupt someone so powerful, we all immediately understood that his words carried a sense of duty behind them. As the heavy silence continued, no one felt they could say a word, as we all waited for him to continue.
"As a result of our investigation, we discovered that there was an elven mage, known as Nexis Pelantyr, who'd come into contact with him sometime before I arrived, but it was almost too late. Mideia's influence had already taken over him, promising him domination over Kavrass if he followed his orders," he continued, gauging everyone's reaction to his words.
"I've had to study the Coltendian archives countless times as a child, but there was never any mention of this Nexis Pelantyr," Leona began, still a little confused as to how her country played a role. "With all due respect to you and Lord Erumon, Your Majesty, I can help with that," Athar raised a hand. After a gesture from Erumon, it was evident, though his tone of voice, that he was in absolute control over his alternate's abhorrent personality.
Either that, or it was too scared of Erumon to dare show its face.
Athar retold the same story he'd told me and the others in the dome, about how Nexis stored a piece of himself inside the core of the then-king's unborn child, and that it was struck from all the records. When he finished his, thankfully short, retelling of the events leading up to our meeting in Kalia's homeland, those who didn't know the story were taken aback by the events that he'd been through.
"By the Graces, I had no idea he would have gone to such lengths," Leona put a hand to her mouth in shock. "I'm sorry you all had to go through that, but I'm glad you made it out alive. Rest assured that I will see you given a proper place in Coltend when this is all over," she continued, acknowledging his struggle like the others in the room did as well. "Thank you, Your Majesty," Athar blushed momentarily, but bowed his head in graceful acceptance.
"Thank you for that information, Athar. Those details will also help explain certain aspects of this situation we find ourselves in," Erumon gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
"After his banishment to the Underworld, formally known as Vareluth, we placed a barrier around it to prevent Nexis from being able to leave, or even draw from other realms we knew he could, once we discovered what he was doing with the Gwynnleaf. Mideia, however, was interested in this work of his, knowing the potential that it contained, and sought to continue his alliance with Nexis by teaching him how to manipulate the Leech mana present within Pyrdredd; a power he's used on countless realms already," he continued, causing Kalia to shift uncomfortably this time.
"Does this have anything to do with the Great Partition and why Sabura and I were the only two Wraithborn in Vareluth, Lord Erumon?" she asked in an even tone, though I could feel her tension and worry seep through our connection.
"I'm sorry, Kerra Kalia, even though I know it does, I wasn't present, since I was off hunting down many of my former comrades during that time," he said solemnly, causing her to lower her head.
"Regarding the Great Partition, at least, it was a plan devised by my master to separate the hubs of mana that existed within Kavrass. Nexis and Mideia's cooperation was one of the catalysts for it, though I don't know much more than that," Erumon admitted. However, Taegin, Kalia, and Ardrin were the only ones not surprised by that information.
"Was Pyrdredd one of those hubs?" I asked as much to myself as the others. "Indeed, Thoma, but like I said before, I don't know much else," Erumon said with a nod, causing Ysevel and I to share a glance, recalling the painting we saw in the dilapidated room.
"Nevertheless, after Nexis' banishment, Mideia went into hiding so deep that it even allowed him to evade my master's abilities. To draw him out of hiding and stop him once and for all, we had to devise a plan that would entice him enough to step forward," he continued, letting his words hang.