“The stone we saw form on the knife disappeared.” Atesh says as he slithers in.
Stone on the knife? Wait. “You brought that with you?” Koriath furrows his brows as he wraps his wings around Kurai.
Hokulani stands beside Koriath, looking to him, to Atesh, then to Koriath again.
Baltin bows his head as he flows in from behind the fire guardian. “Yes, Atesh followed the life flame on that stone, that is how we found Hokulani and your daughter.”
“Atesh, I leave its cleansing and that whole cursed complex on that planet to you if you wish to purge it. At the very least, please get rid of the blade.” Koriath says.
The Guardian of Fire bows his head solemnly, but the sincerity of his words and tone hisses with horror. “I will burn that entire solar system if need be, but Koriath… you carry something far worse.”
Koriath sighs, relaxing his wings, and turning his eyes to the floor. “I know Atesh.”
“No you do not, or you would not be holding it so close to you. Your children-”
Hokulani growls with her fangs out as she steps in front of Koriath. The shaman shares in the other guardians’ disbelief of the flame keeper’s words.
“You are not evil Koriath, but her spawn-”
Baltin grabs Atesh by the arm.“Hokulani, take Koriath home. I will deal with Atesh.”
“They can be peacefully, mercifully, royally put to rest; but they are her spawn. The ritual was plotted- their lives were planned!” Atesh protests as Baltin drags him out.
Koriath whispers to his sleeping daughter in case she has heard any of this. “You are not her spawn Kurai. You are my baby, my princess.”
Atesh wrestles against Baltin’s forceful escort. “They will doom us all. They are not like your past children-”
“That is enough Atesh.” Hokulani growls.
“Malencia can become Evil Incarnate-” Atesh shouts.
Baltin stuns Atesh with regret in his eyes and a debilitating Cephalin limb slap to the head, then drags him out of the room.
Koriath’s head hangs over Kurai protectively, while he shuts his eyes and covers Kurai’s little ears as he holds her close. I only want this moment of her rescue and safety. I do not want to remember the past. “Do not listen to him. You and your sister … I am the one who delivered and carried your egg. You and Phantisma share my divine blood ether, of the Black Lotus. No matter what, Aw’ddy will always love you.”
Hokulani turns and supportively puts a paw lightly on Koriath’s shoulder, his body shudders, she quickly retracts it. “I am sorry Koriath.”
I know it is half of how her language is spoken, but I cannot bear it right now. “It is alright Lani… I just want to go home.”
~
Hokulani escorts Kurai and Koriath through the astral planes as they journey to the Realm of Darkness, the Dimperial planet within a pocket dimension, nestled in an ancient void of primordial darkness. Two barriers hide the planet plane, the lower two layers filter raw light. As the three approach the outermost barrier, still floating in the darkness of space as one of them cannot enter, Koriath turns to Hokulani.
“Thank you.” He bows his head with eyes kept down. “In a cosmos so terrifying, friends and allies are few.”
“Then let the ones you have be true.” Hokulani says solemnly.
“Let me also be true to them.” He bows his head to her again.
"You already are, Kori. Let me know if you need anything later. Even if it is just someone to talk to." Hokulani returns the bow as she speaks in Corvapian Old Caw with a smile on her snout and tears pouring out her golden eyes.
"Thank you so much Lani. I do not have the physical words right now. I am sorry. Just know that I truly appreciate you. I am grateful to be your friend, as well as all you have done for me and my family. Thank you again for saving us."He struggles to respond in the language of the heavenly Wylfens.
"No need for apologies Kori. I'm just glad you and your family are safe. Now get going, Phantisma and the others are waiting for you two." Hokulani wipes her tears on her sleeve.
"Journey safe. I will see you when we meet again." He smiles warmly through his pain.
Hokulani and Koriath bow their heads to each other one last time, as Kurai still slumbers with her head on her father’s shoulder. Hokulani's form shifts with the dimmest of light into a starry shimmer. An Amazonian-like wolf-woman of heavenly stars. Twinkling gentle night lights for rest and the strength to keep others safe. With each step as she runs upward, a stairway of iridescent crystal appears beneath her feet. Leaping from this plane into Elysian fields.
Koriath silently watches the heavens close and the cold vastness of starless space return, then steps to fly gently through the shield gates of his own home plane. The magic of the barriers themselves both holds him like a mother welcoming home her soldier.
He brushes off the magic gently, and flies himself and Kurai down with teleportive speed into a deep, dark, cavernous chamber beneath the guardian’s temple. Kurai awakens as they rematerialize before Devadas and Phantisma. Koriath lands softly on his toelans, and folds his weary wings back.
Phantisma picks her head up, her garnet eyes sparkle. "Aw'ddy! Aw'is!"
Lt Vayav waves in an act of calmness, but silent horror sets upon his face.
“Phasi!” Kurai bursts into life again.
Phantisma's run is almost ghostly. Koriath holds Kurai in one arm now, as he kneels and lifts Phantisma in the other. The twins hold each other with tears of joy, supported in their father’s arms.
I want to kiss both of them on the forehead- I cannot.
Devadas’s heart sinks when he notices Koriath’s eye and lip paint are running, faded, and smudged, his hair is disheveled and knotted. Wearing the wardrobe he left with, originally fit for a royal date-night; most of the jewelry is now dirty, broken, or missing. His clothes are too clean, they don’t match the damage. I don’t like this.
Koriath takes a silent step back as he catches Devadas’s stare.
“Little Brother?” The umbral lieutenant runs over toward his emperor.
Koriath stands still as he sees Devadas take off toward him, the dark princesses are still chatting to each other.
Devadas quickly kneels, then rises as he takes out a first aid kit from his hip satchel, opening it up and taking out a cleaning cloth. He then takes out an herbal solution spray and moistens the cloth. His tone is low and gentle as he speaks while bringing the cloth to his emperor’s face. “I followed your mother’s protocol so while I have heard no reports, the royal evacuation location is not compromised.”
Koriath’s body jerks as the cold moist cloth touches his face, taking the lieutenant’s talon in his own, gently lowering it. “Devadas…”
He retracts his talon, then puts the cloth away in his satchel.
Koriath responds meekly. “Thank you for keeping Phantisma safe... I need to ask you something however. Not Emperor to Umbral Lieutenant, but friend to friend.”
"Yes?"
"Did you hear Adumbra on her communicator?"
“My communicator was only activated by your line, I am assuming Malencia destroyed yours. What happened to Adumbra and Kurai?”
"I did not hear her comms go off either, what I did hear was their desperate prayers. Kurai was kidnapped by Voidists."
Devadas looks back toward the twins, Kurai's eyes look sore, she holds tight to her father’s shirt at the mention of the voidists, then he returns his vision to Koriath.
Koriath’s eyes shift toward the floor. “With everything that happened tonight, I do not know who I can trust right now.” His voice shakes, as he regains eye contact. “Though I trust my heart to yours, Brother. May you please watch over my little ones here while I go check on Adumbra?"
As soon as Koriath asks this, the chatter of the twins ceases. They both cling tight to their father. While they do not tear his shirt, he feels the pressure of their small, yet powerful talons against his skin.
The weight of their talons, tiny, yet… What am I thinking? What is wrong with me?
“Little Brother.” Devadas pauses.
“Princesses, stop. Please. I need to put you both down.”
“But you just got here.” Phantisma cries into him.
Kurai clings to his shirt tightly as he loosens his hold. "No."
Koriath shuts his garnet eyes, immediately his arms tense as he tries to gently pry the girls off of him. "Karasu Kurai. Karasu Phantisma" His voice shakes.
Opening his eyes again, looking into their sobbing faces as Devadas supportively reaches out his talons toward the girls.
Koriath’s toelans subtly draw closer together as he tries to mask his face with a falsely calm gaze. "Nightshade, Moonstone, when someone sets a boundary with you, if they do not want you to touch them, you need to respect them and leave them alone."
Kurai cries as she silently shoves Koriath away and reaches out for Devadas. Devadas takes her in his arms, then gently sets the tiny princess on her toelans. Phantisma continues to cry and cling.
“Koriath, you three have been through enough.” Devaddas closes his eyes for a moment as Kurai holds his talon. “Little Brother, you need to rest. Please, stay with the princesses.”
Koriath keeps his gaze on Devadas as he gently sets my Phantisma down on her toelans. “Vampira led the attack at Malencia’s orders. I cannot risk your safety.”
“Divine Mother told Custodio, Adumbra, and I to keep you and your family safe. You focus on the element of darkness and our people, we focus on you and yours.”
Locking my eyes as he starts to shift into energetic form, he meets my gaze and ceases his sift as I speak. “Devadas, please. Please protect my daughters. They are-”
“And what about you? What about Mal-”
Koriath interrupts him with tears. “That marriage was annulled.”
“Tell me she does not roam free, Little Brother.” Then tension in his voice reverberates like a piano chord played pianissimo.
Koriath looks down, Phantisma looks up, absorbing everything, Kurai sinks inside herself. He shifts his eyes to look at another spot on the floor, unable to make eye contact with any of them. “She does…”
He then lifts his head slowly, trying to focus on the only victory tonight. “But so does Kurai, and Kurai’s freedom is far more important than Malencia’s imprisonment.”
“What about your justice?” Devadas locks his eyes and slightly raises his wings.
“There will be no justice for Adumbra if time continues to be wasted.” Koriath raises his wings higher as his tears hail the crystalline cave ground.
“What happened to Rai?” Phantisma looks at her father and then her sister.
Kurai lifts her head from her knees. “I showed Aw’ddy what the Voidists did. Then… I don't know where Aw’ddy was.”
Kurai looks directly at Koriath. “You took so long and the light werewolf lady saved me first, then you didn't want to hold me, you left me with her while you stayed with- with that-”
Koriath walks back to Kurai, lifts a talon out to her, and helps her up off the floor. “And you are alive and safe at home.” He lifts his other talon toward Phantisma. “Aw’ddy had to do Aw’ddy things to keep you two alive.
He then kneels, holding both of their talons. “Please forgive me, I am sorry if I hurt you, both of you.”
Phantisma immediately wraps her entire talon around just two of his digits, squeezing as tight as she can.
Kurai only looks at my talon and then me. “But you put us down. You don't want to be with us. You keep leaving us.”
“Little Brother, I am going to check on Adumbra now.”
“Wait.” Kurai grabs my talon as she looks at Devadas. “Why don’t we all go together?”
“I have been trying to get Devadas to take me since the guards talking bracelets broke.” Phantisma lifts her head as she takes my other talon.
“Thank you Devadas for not listening to Princess Phantisma.”
“What?” Phantisma stomps her foot.
Devadas tries to force himself to chuckle through the weight in his heart.
Koriath looks at both of his childlings. “Can you both be strong? I will be back. I am just going to check on Adumbra and make sure it is safe enough to carry you both home.”
The twins nod reluctantly. Devadas places his talons gently on the girls’ shoulders as Koriath retracts his talons from his daughters’ holds. He bows his head, then flies off in a darkened mist.
~
As Koriath approaches the palace all seems normal, a calm and quiet night. He teleports into the shadows of the palace entrance hall, he flies to check the throne room, then flies up to the upper levels. Koriath searches from within the shadows, not allowing anyone to sense him.
Finally, reaching the top floor; the floor of residencies for the royal family and advisor, Adumbra's charge. A squad of seven guards lay paralyzed on the floor, a medical team beside them. Voidful energy bolts the entry drape to the hall. Energy that feels umbral and obscure, bordering on intoxicatingly malignant, silently predatory.
Koriath materializes as he kneels down, lifting the paralysis from them one at a time. Once the last one’s affliction is lifted, he summons up a healing surge of dark energy from within himself and sends it through the entire palace complex, completely dissipating the negative effects on a grand scale for the first time in ages.
The first guard who comes back into full consciousness sits up. “Your Majesty, it is the drape door. We heard your order- a lot of staff are missing.” He looks around. “My cousin- a royal launderer- Baran got through?”
“They did, but they have not come back out.” The chief medical officer answers. “And anyone else who has tried has fallen to the magic. There were more guards here after the communicators broke, they now lay in the medical bay.”
“I found the missing staff on Planet Eris, regrettably not on time. The former empress struck again, with the hand of the Voidist church.” Koriath helps the guard up. “All of you need to report to the medical wing together.” He then walks over to the drape doorway that leads into the royal roost hall. “Leave the door to me.”
“Yes sir.” The guard and the medical officer then go to help another guard, who is now starting to stir.
Koriath lifts his wings and places his talons on the energy, his eyes focus sharply on this terrible force. His talons dismantle each piece of the spell, breaking it. With a mighty flap of his wings, reflecting the cosmos, yet soft as a bedroom shadow, his feathers gusts the remainder cleansed. The night air, returning to normal as he swats the drape open and sprints in, the fabric door falls closed behind his wings.
He trips over the body of the launderer, who made it past the drape, but not without falling to the same paralyses as the guards. Koriath catches himself mid fall, then lifts the laundry attendant from their state with his magic. “Baran, thank you for your bravery. The guards are in the entrance hall, go with them to the medical wing.”
They nod, but point in silence down the hall, directing Koriath’s attention before they leave. He looks down the hall, finding broken hall furniture. In the middle of the hall by Kurai and Phantisma's roost room, Captain Ossifragus’s body lays motionless on the floor.
"Adumbra!" He flies to her, kneeling down beside her, lifting her head into his lap.
Her skin is sunken, dark hair faded pale grey, as if the darkness itself was sucked out of her. Her war-braid, usually tight and kept fitting for service, is disheveled, paired with her battle damaged uniform.
He places his talons above her forehead and heart. His sore eyes drip tears onto her skin. Where they fall, the tear drops revitalize her body, like a Rose of Jericho. My tears… bring back her skin’s texture? He pushes thoughts aside and immediately starts to heal her using only the energy of sorrow. She begins coughing as her aqua and seafoam hues start coming back to sight.
"Thank the gods you are alive, Adumbra Ossifragus. I thought we lost you."
"Lost. Kurai." she choked on her words, painfully recovering her life force. "Elder Vampira-"
"Malencia killed her own worshipers, including Vampira. I got Kurai back, with the aid of the other elemental guardians. You did all you could, and that is all I ask of you my friend. Thank you."
"You're too sweet. I should be executed or exiled for failure again." She groans as her body slowly comes back into her lean physique, from the state of a skeletal, muscle less flesh bag.
Koriath starts to rise, still healing her as he guides her. "Never, you are my friend and Big Sister. As of this night, no more executions. That was Malencia’s law, you know how I feel about capital punishment. Enough lives have been lost in our empire. Never again."
"Devadas did not answer." She struggles to rise with him as he continues to heal her.
"Your comms were not working, the seal they had in this hall must have muted the space, then Malencia broke my communicator. This was carefully planned, it must have taken ages to be made."
"Did you execute The Empress?" She desperately searches his face with her eyes.
"No… I-” His silent tears fall furiously, then he pushes back against the fresh memories of broken bones. “However, she is Empress no longer. I declare Malencia hereby stripped of all honors and banished from the Dimperium. As long as Darkness and Night exist."
"Thank the gods. Thank you- Koriath, for whatever you did." She smiles and sighs as she rises up.
"Thank yourself too. I am going to go get Devadas and the twins." He stops his outpour of magic and slows his tears.
"You're already home. Rest up, I will go get them."
"I promised Phantisma and Kurai that I would bring them home myself."
"You can bring them home then, but me and Devadas will bring you home."
He shakes his head, tears still in his eyes, but a smile and a laugh underneath. "Adu, I am way too exhausted to argue." With this, he begins to mist form and travel back, Adumbra follows him in the same manner.
~
Blackened mists of starless night, moonless seas, and sun-frightened jungles. Each of them regain their physical forms in the hallway. Koriath, holding Kurai at his left and Phantisma on his right. Adumbra at their right, Devadas at their left.
"We are finally home now my princesses." Koriath sets both of the girls down.
"I'm so glad to be home!" Phantisma throws her arms in the air.
"Phasi, you have not even gone a whole moon phase." Kurai crosses her arms.
"It was a terrible quarter."
"I think I would have taken Phantisma and Devadas's ordeal." Adumbra grumbles.
"Me too." Kurai groans with exhaustion.
"Well, let us hope the ordeals are over, or at least give us a vacation to process everything." Koriath mumbles wearily.
"I want to go on a vacation sir!" Adumbra teases.
"Oh me too! Aw’ddy, can we vacation with Adumbra?" Phantisma chimes in.
"One thing at a time everyone please. My mind is at its limit, and I just want to sleep. Captain, Lt, if you two want to take your leave, you can." Koriath massages his temples with one talon, and holds himself with the other.
"I can let my leaves stack; I'm not tired Little Brother." Devadas smiles.
"I suppose I can finish my shift if the Lt is on duty." Adumbra walks over to him and puts her talon on Devadas's shoulder.
Koriath smiles and bows his head to them, and they return the bow.
"Come on my princesses, it is way past your roost time." Koriath walks them over to their room. Holding the drape door open for them as they cross through.
"Wait, Little Brother! I'll help them get ready for bed tonight. I'm no nanny mind you, but you should go take your own rest. You look like you're about to collapse, sir." Adumbra runs and takes the drape door from Koriath’s talon.
"What would I do without you Adu?" Koriath breathes with relief, then turns to go to his own roost loft.