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Blue feline-like eyes stared through the glass window of the car. He could see rows of trees and houses pass by quickly as the car moved forward.
“So…P’heon, are you exited for your first day of High School?”
The miqo’te turned to look at the driver seat next to him. There sat his aunt, Artemis, who had both of her hands on the steering wheel while her sharp blue eyes are focused on the road in front of her. P’heon placed his arms on top of his school bag, which was placed on top of his lap.
“I guess so…” He hummed as he turned to look back at the window. “I just hope it will go well compared to middle school...”
He could see his aunt’s grip on the steering wheel tightening at the mentioned of his previous school. She let out a sigh before giving him a small smile.
“I hope so too…” She suddenly perked up. “You know… I heard from my brother that Raha might be there as well.”
P’heon quickly turned to look at her with wide eyes. “Raha applied for Eorzea High too?!” He asked as his tail wagged in excitement.
Artemis let out a chuckle. “At least that’s what Apollo said. He explained that since Hades is a teacher there, he thinks that it might be the best option.”
She glanced at the boy beside her and, saw how his ears twitched, something she had seen Raha do the same whenever he’s nervous or exited.
The car eventually slowed down before stopping in front of the drop off section of the school. Artemis pulled on the handbrake before turning to fully look at the miqo’te. “So, have fun. And try to cause any trouble.”
P’heon let out a chuckle before giving his aunt a hug. “I’ll try not to.” He said before exiting the car.
Artemis watched as the miqo’te walked down the path to the school with a smile. She let out a small chuckle when he was suddenly tackled by a familiar red haired miqo’te. She watched as the two chatted excitedly as their figures slowly grew smaller before disappearing inside the building. She let out a sigh as she leaned against her seat. A familiar ringtone could be heard coming from her phone. She checked the contact name and let out a soft smile before taking the call.

“Hiya Artemis! I just dropped off Raha at school. Want to hang out?”

“Sure Apollo, I think I remember a café that just opened recently. How about we go there?”

“Cool! Just send me the location and I’ll meet you there!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shara closed her yellow eyes and took a deep breath as the strong wind blew past her. The familiar scent of the salty sea entered her nose.
It had been almost a week since she had arrived in the city of Tuliyollal with the twins. So far it had been different from other places she had been to. It was more bustling than Kugane, and the weather is warmer compared to her time in the Crystarium. Speaking of the Crystarium…
The viera let out a sigh as she looked sun setting in the distant horizon. While she did enjoyed her time here, she still missed her brother and lover. Heon’a had decided to stay behind in Ishgard to properly spend time with Aymeric, something that the blue haired miqo’te have been wanting to do ever since his fight with the Endsinger. Thinking back, she hadn’t really heard much from him ever since she had called him to tell him about her journey.
‘They must be quite busy with each other’ She let out a quite chuckle. She let another sigh.
Meanwhile her lover, G’raha, had decided to stay back in Sharlayan to handle the Students of Baldesion in place of Krile, who wanted to join on her journey to Tural in hopes to find information about her grandfather.
She’ll be honest, this was probably the longest time she had been away from him. While she wasn’t attached to the hip like G’raha was with Heon’a, they were still always together most of the time. So, it was quite weird to not have the red haired miqo’te beside her.
As she watched the sun slowly disappeared in the horizon, she couldn’t help but think about the sun hairclip that G’raha had been wearing recently. It was a matching pair with Heon’a, who wore a crescent moon hair clip. From what she remembered her brother told her, they found it in a market and thought it might complement each other’s looks. Shara thinks that there were more to the purchase of the hair clips, since they both had a nostalgic look on their faces whenever one of them adjusted their hair clip.
If Shara would’ve been any other person, she should’ve been jealous of their relationship. But she knew how loyal Heon’a is to Aymeric, and she knew very well G’raha is loyal and loved her very much. If there was a word to describe their relationship, it would be brotherly. Twin-like if you want to push it a bit further with how similar their faces were along with their style of clothing. Shara was beginning to wonder if G’raha’s parents were a distance relative to theirs’s.
Seeing as it had become dark and night had come, she decided to return to her room.
‘Maybe Heon’a can explain whatever the two saw during their fight Emet-Selch one of these days…’

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Deep within The Tempest, lies a city created by a man who mourned for his people and loved ones.
The city was large with towering buildings and structures, fit for the people who used to live there.
Though, it’s quite saddening that the people were no longer there, all sundered and their souls split into fourteen identical pieces. Their memories of their life before the great sundering, all long forgotten.
However, as the man’s memories of the ancient past slowly fades, slowly replacing with nothing but to free his god, he created shades to preserve the memories of those people he couldn’t save. Figures dressed in a hooded robe and their faces covered with a mask, something similar yet not quite accurate to the way how the ancient people used to dress.
However, there was only one place that seemed out of the ordinary in the city. There was a park, filled with varies of florals such as trees, flowers, and other plants. From the state of those florals, it had looked as if it had been carefully cared for, as if to preserve its shape and size. The light that pierced through the tempest’s water, reflected the leaves and petals. Making it look almost glowing.
At that park, there were always four shades no matter what. Shades of children. Their voices and laughter echoed through the empty park. A reflection of a what used to be a happy memory of a time before the great sundering. A memory that the man never wanted to forget, no matter what. A childhood memory of his time as an innocent child, enjoying his time with his friends. Friends that had been long gone by now.
One that died that during the Final Days.
One that sacrificed himself to summon the god, Zodiark.
One that had chosen to follow Venat, and had been sundered …along with everyone…
Well… except a few individuals.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

P’heon let out a groan as he stretched his arms above his head. It had been a long day for him. Instead of being out, he was mostly stuck in his office doing paperwork. He was finally starting to understand Aymeric’s dislike for it. The urge to go out and fight some nearby monsters was strong, but the urge to lay down was more stronger.
He opened the door to the living room, expecting to be greeted by his son, Haru. Instead, he was surprised to see a familiar young elezen sitting on one of the sofas. Arthurioux, a child from the Dzemael house, with dark blue hair, tan skin and yellow eyes.
The boy looked up when he heard him enter, before quickly turning his gaze.
“Hello Arthurioux, I’m surprised to see you here.” P’heon greeted him with a smile. Honestly, he was very surprised. Out of all the children from the high houses that his son had managed to befriend, Arthurioux was the only one who never visited the Borel house. When he asked his son why the boy never visited, even he didn’t know.
“I’ve been trying to invite him a few times, but he just kept rejecting! Saying he’s busy or something like that…” Haru had once explained.
Noticing that the boy was alone and haven’t spoken since he entered, he decided to take a seat on the sofa across from the boy.
“So…How have you been? Did you finally caved in after Haru kept pestering you?” P’heon joked with a grin.
Arthurioux slowly turned to look at him, but still remained silent. The miqo’te noticed how his hands were fiddling with the end of his shirt.
There was an awkward silent as boy continued to refuse to talk. After a while, just as P’heon opened his mouth to break the silence, he heard the door opened. He turned to see his son entering the living room with a tray of tea along with some cookies.
“Oh! Hello Papa!” Haru greeted with a cheerful smile, one that resembles his father; Aymeric. He walked over to the two and placed the tray on the table. “You’re home quite early.”
P’heon chuckled. “Yes, I managed to finish my work early and your aunts and uncle insisted that they could handle everything.” He closed his eyes and let out a sigh as he wiped a fake tear. “They grew up so fast…”
Haru let out a small laugh before turning to pick up the tea pot and pour some tea for his friend, who still hasn’t uttered a single word. “Sorry for taking too long. The shelf was too tall, so I had to go find a stool.” He explained before turning to look at his Papa. “Papa, would you like some tea as well?”
P’heon waved his hand dismissively. “Its alright Haru. I don’t want to bother you and Arthurioux’s fun.” He said as he moved to get up.
“Actually Papa… we… he wanted to talk to you.” Haru suddenly said.
P’heon slowly sat back down; he looked at the two boys with a worried look. Haru sat next to his friend, before nudging his shoulder.
Arthurioux shot him a glare, before looking back at the miqo’te in front of him with a hesitant look. With a shaky sigh, he pulled out something from his pocket before placing it on top of the middle of the table where all could see.
There on the table, was a perfectly cut yellow gem. P’heon recognized it as a labradorite, a very familiar labradorite.
“Oh…”
“Arthurioux explained to me that he found it on his table. When I saw it, I immediately knew you had something to do with it.” Haru looked at his papa with a worried look.
“Papa… are you really planning to recruit Arthurioux into the guild?”
For a moment, the room was silent. Until P’heon let out a sigh, before leaning forward with a mysterious smile. “Maybe.”
“Haru… What guild are you talking about?” For the first time since he entered the room, Arthurioux spoke up with a worried look on his face.
P’heon hummed. “There is a… guild that I run. It’s a secret, of course, so the members have been carefully picked.” He explained with a smile. “It’s associated with the Temple Knights, if you are worried, and only Aymeric along with other high rank officials knew about us… Alongside Haru, of course, since he’s my son.”
Arthurioux looked down at the gem on the table, before looking back at the miqo’te. “Why?”
P’heon tilted his head in confusion.
“Why me?” The young elezen asked again.
“I heard rumors, stories even, about my family’s reputation. How some of them would treat other people badly…” The boy was glaring at miqo’te, but there were also tears slowly forming in his eyes. “I even heard some of them were mean to you, back when you first came here.”
P’heon mentally wince. Mean wasn’t the right word to use for his experience, but he decided to keep quite.
“So… why me? What if I betrayed the guild? What if I betrayed you?”
“Arthurioux…you wanted to change, right?”
The boy looked at him with surprise. P’heon couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. At this, Arthurioux took notice of his blue eyes, that used to look lifeless, now has a spark of life.
“The guild… I created it as a place where it can help people change for the better. To help them move on from their past, to break free from their chains, to forge a new road for themselves…” The miqo’te explained with a smile. “When I first saw you, I knew you were different from the rest of your family. I didn’t say anything, of course since I didn’t want to worsen our family’s relationships, but it was something that I needed to be thinking about.”
Arthurioux looked at him with wide eyes, his mouth slightly opened. Haru placed a hand on his shoulder with a small smile.

P'heon held out his hand with a bright smile.

“So… Arthurioux de Dzemael, are you willing to join the Scorpio Guild?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

G’raha looked at the letter in his hand with a bright smile. There, on the wax seal, was a familiar stamp that had been always used by his daughter, Lyna. He slowly traced the stamp with his finger, a nostalgic look could be seen on his face.
He could remember all those times where he would receive letters from her, either they were official documents or a simple greeting while she was away on an expedition. Overall, this specific stamp was always associated with his beloved daughter.
Cracking the seal, he opened the letter to read the content.

Dear Father,

How have you been? I hope you have been faring well. Have you been resting? Have you been taking care of yourself lately? I hope you haven’t been overburdening oneself with too many work.

The Crystarium has been doing quite well. With the lack of sin eaters nowadays and with Rayne’s help with restoring the Empty, it had been peaceful for the most part.
Everyone has been working hard to run the city, ever since your departure. We all missed you dearly and we hoped that there would be a time where you can visit us.

I would also like to congratulate on your newfound relationship, father. I knew that there might’ve been something going on between you and Shara, but nevertheless I am happy that you have finally found someone to share your life with. Even if it had taken you almost hundredths of years later.

Regardless, I would try to write more often in the future. I hope to hear a reply from you soon.

From your dear daughter,

Lyna

(P.S – There is also a jar of coffee biscuit that Ryne had gotten for you. I hope you enjoy them.)

Looking up from the letter, his red eyes wandered to the jar on the table. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as he took the jar. Opening it, he could smell the familiar sweet and bitter smell of the pastry. Just as he was about to take one from the jar, he heard the door opened.
Turning around, he saw his beloved entering the living room with a cup of tea. The viera raised an eyebrow when she saw his hand already inside the jar.
“Is it really alright for you to consume that?” Shara asked as she place the cup on the table before sitting next to him. “Didn’t the healer said that you should reduce your caffein consumption?”
G’raha let out a sigh. “As far as I remember, I don’t think they put that many coffee into the biscuits.” He explained as he took one from the jar. “Plus, I’ve been craving something sweet lately.”

“Alright… but maybe try eat one or two only.”
“Alright, alright!”

Shara shook her head with a soft smile. She couldn’t believe this stubborn miqo’te in front of her. Watching her lover munching on the pastry with a fond look, she nudge the tea closer to him. “I heard from Ameliance that this tea might help you.”
Giving her a curious look, G’raha picked up the cup and took a sniff. He could tell it was chamomile with a hint of lemon in it. Taking a small sip, he could feel himself starting to relax.
“Hmmm, thank you Shara.” He thanked her with a soft smile. His ears twitching in delight.
Shara nodded as she carefully wrapped her arm around his waist. Her hand placed on the small bump on his stomach.
“Hmmm…” She hummed. “You know… you should tell Lyna about this. She is, after all, going to be big sister.”
G’raha nodded in agreement. “I’ll announce it to her in my next letter. She deserves to know.” He said softly as he placed a hand on top of her’s. “…I just wish… she could be here herself to see it.”
Shara nodded as she leaned and place her chin on top of his head. “I know… Y’shtola is working hard to find a solution…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Apollo remembered those halcyon days. Back when he was just a young child, back when the days were nothing but peaceful. His earliest memories he remembered were when he was laying beside his sister and beloved twin, Artemis. Looking into her eyes, he remembered being mesmerized by how blue it was. He later found out that he had cyan eyes, a bit different from his sister’s, but she had pointed out how pretty it was.
He remembered a time when he met Hades and Hythlodaeus for the first time. He and his sister were out in the park for the first time without their parents. The two had promised not to go any further than the housing area and to always stick close to each other. Apollo remembered sitting on a bench while his sister was leaning against him, enjoying the comfortable weather.
That was when they noticed two other children entering the area. He remembered how Hythlodaeus came over first and greeted them with a cheerful smile, to which he greeted back. He didn’t remember what they were talking about, but he guessed it was just mundane things like: “What’s your name?” “Where do live?” “What do you like to do?” and other stuff.
Meanwhile, Hades had decided to stay behind, watching them quietly with his arms crossed over his chest. Artemis too, was staying quite, watching them with her sharp eyes. However, before the knew it, the two of them were dragged into the conversation. There was laughing, small banter, arguments but nonetheless it was… enjoyable. It felt like everything just…
Clicked.
Before they knew it, it was getting dark, so they had to head home for today. But there was a promise to see each other again, here at this very park. Soon enough, they started meeting each other every day.
Apollo remembered how he would sometimes heard the adults would talk about them, how they were inseparable the four of them were.

He remembered those times when they would run up to Miss Venat, who was still Azem at the time, and how they would beg her to tell them her travels. He remembered being in awe as Miss Venat told them of the other areas she had seen, all the different floras and faunas she had discovered.

As years went on, Apollo couldn’t believe how long their friendship continued on until they were full fledge adults.
He remembered when Hades was chosen for the seat of Emet-Selch while Artemis was chosen for the seat of Azem. How proud he felt for his friend and sister. He remembered how they celebrated at the park by having a picnic, like they usually would as children.
At the time, Apollo felt like there was something blooming between him and Hades. Gone were the playful nudges and the relaxed postures or even the friendly hugs. Now, whenever he was standing close to Hades or even made eye contact with him, he felt nervous. How his cheeks would turn red, how his face felt warm, how his body froze. It didn’t felt like him at all.
So, when Hythlodaeus went to get more water with Artemis, leaving the two of them together (alone), the situation felt… awkward. When Hades turned to tuck a long strand of his red hair behind his ear, he felt his body froze up.
Realizing what he had done, Hades quickly pulled away before looking at away from him. Apollo took notice of the red blush on his cheeks.
The two sat there, in an awkward silence. Eventually, Hades spoke up after a few minutes. “I.. Sorry for doing that…I didn’t know what I was doing.” He had apologized. Unexpectedly, Apollo let out a chuckle, which made him blush even more.
“It’s alright Hades.” Apollo had assured him with a smile. Without him realizing it, his body had moved to sit closer to his taller friend. Hades couldn’t help but gave the shorter man a soft smile. The two sat there in a comfortable silence, enjoying each other’s presence.
Apollo remembered how happy he was when Hades confessed his love to him a few weeks later. How Hades pulled him into a tight huh, one that wasn’t as awkward as it was when the feeling started to bloom.
Apollo remembered how Hades gifted him sun hair clip that he still wore today. “Have you gotten this for me because I am ‘your sun’?” He remembered asking teasingly, enjoying how red Hades’ face went. But he loved the gift very much… he was happy

Until… The final days happened.

He remembered holding tightly onto his sister’s hand as they both ran through their once beloved city, Amaurot. He remembered fire everyone, bodies of people that he probably once knew littered around the path. How debris scattered around as monsters attack anything that moved.
He remembered reaching toward the familiar park, one that they had visited for so long it had become a small meet-up place if anything were to happen. He remembered how the once colorful trees were now burned. He remembered how the waters from the small fountain was now dried up. He remembered the benches they would used to sit was now gone and instead was replaced with debris.
He remembered screaming…
He remembered pain…
He remembered his sister’s blue eyes now filled tears…
He remembered…

Darkness…

When he woke up again, he saw that he was surrounded by crystal and… blue? He got up with a gasp as he quickly looked around his surroundings. His body felt… light and almost… transparent?

‘Where am I?’

Looking around, he noticed that the are felt… familiar. Like he had heard it before from someone….

Hades.

He remembered how Hades would tell him about the Underworld. How it looked like and how beautiful and mesmerizing the place is. How almost peaceful it was sometimes.
Realizing where he was, he suddenly felt… numb…
“Did I… died…?” He whispering to himself, as he sat there… alone…
He didn’t know how long he had sat there. He had started to miss his sister dearly and was wondering if his sister missed him too. He started to wonder if Hades and Hythlodaeus were alright, since he hadn’t seen them yet and assumed that they were still alive.
What felt like days, years even, he suddenly noticed a flood of souls entering the Underworld. And amongst them…
Was Artemis…
“Artemis!” He called out as he ran towards his sister, who turned to look at him with teary wide eyes.
The twins embraced each other, holding tightly as if they didn’t want to let each other go. Eventually, they broke apart.
“Artemis… what happened?” Apollo softly asked as he wiped the tears from her face.
The blue haired woman sniffed, before giving her brother a small smile. “Venat… she sundered the star.”
He looked at her with wide eyes. “What…?”
Artemis explained what had happened ever since he died. How the Convocation planned to sacrifice half of their population to summon Zodiark. How Hades agreed with the idea. How Hythlodaeus willingly sacrificed himself for the summoning. How she gave up her tittle as Azem in protest to the idea. How Venat, the kind woman who loved her people, became a primal named Hydaelyn and sundered the star.
After Artemis finished her story, Apollo had to take a moment to process everything.
“So… what happens now?” He asked.
“Venat explained that she is going to split our souls into fourteen shards. She believed it was for the best…”
He was silent for a moment. “Does that mean… we will be separated again?” He whispered.
She shook her head, before taking his hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Venat promised that she would find a way for our souls to meet no matter what.”
Apollo looked into her eyes, before giving her a teary smile. “Promise?”
Artemis leaned forward and placed her forehead against his. “Promise.”
“No matter what star…”
“No matter what year…”
“No matter what race…”
“No matter what age…”

“We will always find each other…”

“No matter what…”

In another time, in another star, a miqo’te woke up.
G’raha tia woke up with a groan as he got straighten his body from where he was leaning. He looked around the room in a daze.
Right… he was in their shared bedroom…
After P’heon returned from his battle with the Endsinger, his body was in a terrible state. He was thankful that the Scions have three capable healers at the moment, including himself. Speaking of him…
The red haired miqo’te turned to look at the body resting on the bed that he was just leaning against. P’heon had bandages wrapped around his body that almost made him look mummified. While it looked concerning, he is thankfully in a stable state. Though, G’raha couldn’t help but still feel worried about him.
Even though they were not related by blood whatsoever, the two miqo’te have a close brotherly bond. One that might confuse many, thinking that they were related. It also didn’t help that they both share some similarities like their face shape and height.
Letting out a sigh, he got up from the chair he was sitting in and let out a small groan as he stretched his arm above his head. Just as he was about to move away, he noticing a small twitch coming from the unbandaged hand of the slumbering miqo’te.
G’raha couldn’t help but smile before taking the hand and giving it a reassuring squeeze.

‘This felt… familiar…’

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The miqo kitten watched in curiosity with wide yellow eyes as a slice of fruit was held up to her face.
"Come on Lmette! Don't you want to try this?" A young Haru asked as he nudged the fruit to her mouth. "Its Faeri Apple! It’s really good!"
But the kitten only tilted her head. Her miqo'te ears were twitching every few second, just like how his uncle does whenever he’s nervous or happy. Even though she mostly looked like a miqo'te, her ears were place more upright on her head like a viera's.
Although, she still looked very cute.
"Haru,"
The miqo'elezen turned to look at the figure beside him.
"Lmette is still a kitten, she can't eat solid food yet." His uncle G'raha explained softly as he placed a hand on top of his daughter's red hair, which made the kitten let out a loud giggle. Her stub of a tail started wagging quickly.
"Once she's a bit older, you can try giving it to her again."
Haru pouted as he took ate the slice of apple. His miqo'te ears, which were on the side of his head like an elezen's, were down as if he was sulking.
"But that will too long..." He mumbled.
G'raha’s ears twitched as he couldn't help but let out a chuckle. "Don't worry Haru, she' growing up quite quickly just like when you were her age. She'll get to try your favorite fruit just before you know it."
The miqo'elezen perked up at that. Looking up at his uncle with wide blue eyes, he asked hopefully "do you think so?"
G'raha hummed. "Just give it a few months, and we'll see."
Haru mummed as the kitten in front of him started babbling words that he doesn’t understand.

A few months had passed since his Uncle G’raha and Aunt Shara's last visit to Ishgard. It had also been a few months since he had last seen his cousin, little G’lmette Alcyone.
His papa had explained that they had been busy since for the past few months ever since Uncle G’raha was now able to continue his work in Sharlayan. While it saddened him that he couldn’t see them more often nowadays, he was still glad that they still get to communicate via letters or linkpearls.
However, Haru now stood at the door with a small jump on his heels. His tail wagging excitedly behind him. His Uncle and Aunt was now visiting Ishgard and he couldn’t wait to see them.
His Papa, who was standing next to him couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle.
Suddenly, a knock could be heard coming from the door. Haru quickly opened the door with a wide smile. There, stood his Aunt Shara with Uncle G’raha standing beside her. In his arms was G’lmette, who was looking down at him with a wide smile.
“Aunt Shara! Uncle Raha! Lmette!” Haru greeted him cheerfully.
Aunt Shara nodded, but he noticed how her yellow eyes softened and there was a very small yet noticeable smile. Meanwhile, the two miqo’te greeted him back cheerfully.
“It is good to see you, Haru!” Uncle G’raha greeted him while G’lmette babbled happily at seeing her cousin.
The three entered the house, escaping from the cold wind. Aunt Shara gave his papa a hug, along with a few soft words. After pulling away, Papa started fawning over G’lmette. Pointing out how big she had become since they had last visited. Uncle G’raha chuckled at that.
Eventually, Papa brought them over to the living room where they had set up tea along with a few snacks while dinner was being prepared. “Sorry that Aymeric isn’t at the moment. There was a suddenly an emergency at the headquarter, but he would be here during dinner.”
G’raha nodded. “That’s alright, you know busy politics can be.”
The two giggled at that.
Haru watched as the adults talk to each other (or more like, his Papa and Uncle talk while his Aunt snack on the cakes and biscuits on the table.)
He soon took notice of G’lmette eyeing the different slices of fruits on the table with her mouth slightly open. But her eyes were drawn to one particular fruit, in which it had been sliced and cut to resemble a rabbit.
Seeing this, he decided to take this opportunity.
“Lmette, do you want to try this?” He asked as he picked up a slice of the Faerie Apple.
Seeing how she started making grabbing hands, he gave her the slice to which was quite big in her tiny hands.
She eyed the fruit curiously, before gnawing on the slice. He watched with delight as her eyes sparked and her ears twitched happily.
“I knew you would like it!” Haru cheered.
The adults watched in amusement as the two children bond over their love for the red fruit.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Apollo watched with soft cyan eyes as the little miqo'te silently nibbled on the sandwich he made. It had been a few days since he and Hades had decided to foster the little boy, G'raha. He had heard from the Social Services that the boy was abandoned at an orphanage in the middle of the rain. No one knew what happened to his parents, and the little boy could barely remember the address of his home.
The red-haired man leaned against his palm as he watched the boy. He couldn't help but smiled.

'Is this what mother felt like when watching us eat?' He thought as he wiped off a small crumb from the boy's cheeks.

G'raha let out a small squeak before turning away from the man. Apollo noticed how his face was red like his hair and his adorable stubby tail was wagging quickly behind him.

'Cute...'

"G'raha? Is everything alright?" He asked. "Do you not like the sandwich? I can make another one for you."

The boy quickly shook his head. "N-no! Everything is alright! Just..." He trailed off, looking down to his lap as his ears dropped.

'Again... so cute...'

Apollo let out a chuckl. "Don't worry G'raha. Just take your time." He said softly. He slowly placed his hand on top of his head, making sure to see if the boy wouldn't mind. There was a small flinch, but the boy seemed to be alright.

Seeing this, he caresses his hand between his ears. If he focused enough, he could hear a small purr coming from the little boy.

"You know G'raha, I heard from my sister that she had recently adopted a little boy. He's about the same age as you." Apollo watched closely at the boy's expression. "Would like to meet him one day?"

G'raha was for a moment, but Apollo could tell that he was deep in thought. After a moment, the boy shrugged.

"I don't know..." He mumbled. "What if he's mean to me? Just like the other kids..."

Hearing this, Apollo couldn't help but feel angry at whoever's been hurting this little boy in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down.

"G'raha, just give him a chance. I'm sure he would be a nice unlike those kids. Even IF it turns out he's treating you badly, I'm sure knowing my sister she would set him straight." Apollo tried to comfort him as he caressed his hair.
G'raha looked up at him with his wide red eyes, before setting down his unfinished sandwich. Apollo let out a quite gasp when the boy gave him a hug, to which he hugged him back with a soft smile.

"Raha..."
"Hmm?"
"You can call me Raha..."
"...Alright then"
Later that night. after putting G'raha to bed, Apollo expressed how he wanted to fully adopt the little boy to his dear husband, Hades. The man couldn't help but shook his head with a soft smile.
"I knew you would say that."
Eventually, after a few days of legal paperwork, meetings and other important stuff...
G'raha had officially become part of the family.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The leader's office of the Scorpio guild had heard and seen many things. Either it was a deep discussion amongst the leader and the high ranks about their next mission. Either it was the hushed whispered of words between the leader and his dear husband (to which the members knew not to interrupt.) Or it was sound of pen against paper, followed by a loud groan as the leader went through piles and piles of paperwork. The office was never quiet.

However, there were also times where the members would wish to speak with the leader... alone. Those were the times they would let out their fears, worries, anger, sadness and happiness even.

The leader, P'heon'a de Borel, knew to expect this the moment he founded the guild.

The guild, while filled with many talented people, were also mostly consist of those who wanted to change, break away their chains, to let go of their past and to move forward.

Because of this, P'heon was always opened to lend an ear for those who needed. An example would be like what was happening right now:

"Ser P'heon, I need your...help..."

The miqo'te looked up at the young man in front of him with a worried look in his eyes.

Arthurioux, now a teenager instead of a boy when he was first recruited. Taller than when he was just a little boy, but still the shortest amongst his group of friends.

"Is everything alright? Are you having trouble with something?"

The elezen was quite for a moment. At this point, P'heon was starting to wonder if it was more serious than it looks.

'Is he having trouble with his family? Is there a problem at school? What if...'

Before he knew it, his thoughts had begun to spiral. After all, Arthurioux was starting to become like a second son to him.

“Ser P’heon… how did you knew your husband was… the one?”

The miqo’te snapped out of his thoughts at that. He looked at the elezen with wide eyes, not expecting the question at all. “A-ah… come again?”

Arthurioux shifted from one foot to the other, his face and ears were bright red. He let out a loud sigh. “Well… there is this person I like. We already knew each other for a while now…but…”

P’heon silently blinked at him. “I… see…” He leaned forward on his table. “And I’m assuming that you are having trouble confessing or…?”

Arthurioux shook his head quickly. “Here’s the thing ser P’heon. He knows that I like him, I know that he likes me. We both know that we like each other, but…!” At this point, the elezen had started pacing. “I just don’t get it! Why would he want to have arelationship me! After all! My family…”

Ah… P’heon had started to see the problem. The guilt that the young man had carried in his chest ever since he was just a child. Whoever this person was, he was probably from a minor house or someone who doesn’t have a tittle.

“Arthurioux… remember what I told you about the guild?” P’heon softly asked.

The elezen stopped, his bangs shadowing his eyes. “…The guild was created as a place where people change for the better. To help them move on from their past, to break free from their chains, to forge a new road for themselves…” He replied with a whisper, yet loud enough for the miqo’te to hear.

He turned to look at him with wide yellow eyes filled with tears. “But what if I can’t change? What if I ended up hurting him?”

At this, P’heon let out a soft sigh and gave him a sad smile. “Arthurioux… when I first came to Ishgard, my mental state was never really the best. Especially ever since I lost a dear brother of mine…” His eyes trailed off to look at the picture frame on the table.

It was a picture of him standing next to Ser Edmont. On each side, there was Artoirel and Emmanellain. It was taken after he was officially seen as a part of the house of Fortemps. While it looked like any family photo, there was still something missing…

or more like someone.

P’heon mentally shook himself out of his thoughts. “What I’m trying to say is that, there many times that I got lost in my bloodlust. I could’ve hurt my friends, I could’ve hurt my family… I could've hurt Aymeric… and yet, there were still there for me. They supported me, when it was during my darkest moment.”

At this, P’heon got up from his chair and walked over to the elezen. He gave him a soft smile before pulling him into a hug. “Arthurioux, what I’m trying to say is that you will always have people who will support you. People who can see the best in you, even if you don’t see it in yourself…”

Arthurioux looked down at him with wide eyes, before it softened. Hesitantly, he returned the hug. “Thank you…” He whispered.

(Some time later…)

“Actually Arthurioux, now I’m wondering. Who is the person that you like? Do I know them?”

“Ah… You kind of do…”

“hmm?”

“Its… the second son of House of Valentione…”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Raha looked down at the head resting on his lap. He couldn't help but smile as he gently caressed through locks of light blue hair, making sure to be careful of his long dark horns.
How long has it been since his dear friend, someone who had known for so long since he was just a kitten and someone he saw as a brother, was blessed by the great dragon Hraesvelgr? Raha could still remember that day, when the great dragon came to their tribe and blessed a handful of children, including his friend.
He remembered how his friend grew horns on the side of his head, how his dark blue eyes that were once feline became more draconic, how his nails became sharper and how his once fluffy light blue tail grew scales.
His friend shifted in his sleep, before letting out a groan. His sharp dark blue eyes slowly opened, unfocused and still in a daze.
Raha couldn't help but chuckle. "Good afternoon, Heon'a." He gently greeted him as he continued to gently pat his head. "Did you have a nice nap?"

Heon'a looked around for a moment, his mind still processing. Eventually, his eyes met familiar soft red feline eyes. He let out a yawn.
"Good afternoon, Raha." He greeted tiredly.
Raha's ears wiggled in joy. He watched as his friend rubbed the sleep away from his eyes before sitting up. They were seated in a small clearing that could be found near where their tribe was settled. There wasn’t much, but it was something that he and Heon’a liked to go to whenever they needed some time away from the other members of their tribe.
Raha looked up at the clear orange sky and let out a sigh. Since Heon’a has the blood of the dragon running through his veins along with the power that was given by Hraesvelgr, there were many moments where he couldn’t control his instinct. There were times he would become feral, in both miqo’te and dragon form. Because of this, Raha was chosen to become his Tamer. A duty and role that was given to him was to help stabilize his friend’s emotions. To help him feel more relaxed. To help him feel more… grounded.
A Tamer… only those who have a VERY close relationship with the blessed dragon could have that role. Raha couldn’t help but feel glad that he was chosen to be his friend’s Tamer.
Turning to look at the other miqo’te, he noticed that he was staring ahead of him. His ears were moving, and his tail was twitching. Raha tilted his head in curiosity.
“Heon’a, is everything alright?” He quietly asked.
Heon’a closed his eyes before letting out a sigh. “I hear them calling for us.” He opened his eyes and turned to look at him with a pout. “I don’t want to head back now…”
Raha placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile. “As much as I agree with you, it is getting late.” He then placed his hand on his head. “We should head back before we worry them.”
Heon’a leaned against his touch and nodded solemnly.
The two friends got up from where they were seated. Raha crouched down to picked up his staff, to which the bells that were tied to the side let out a gentle chime from the movement.
The blue haired miqo’te turned to look at him with a smile. “Do you want me to fly us there?”
Raha shook his head with a smile. “Maybe not at the moment, you did just transform today. You know how tired you can get.”
Heon’a raised an eyebrow, but eventually shrugged when he realized that his friend won’t budge.
The two friends walked down the familiar path and eventually, they came across their tribe.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Sharp red eyes blinked at the miqo'te in front of him. "Ser, can you repeat that again?"
P'heon softly shook his head and let out a sigh. "I need you to substitute for me, Ruby."
Ruby, his codename in the guild, stared at his leader with wide eyes. "May I ask why, Ser?"
"Well... the chirugeon ordered for me to rest and not do anything extreme. And she also, and I quote," He raised his hands and form an air quotation. "'have the mother form a strong bond with the baby'. Which means I won't be able to be at the guild for a while."
The red eyed elezen blinked a few times before letting out a loud sigh. "May I know, why you choose me? You could've picked one of the girls."
P'heon shrugged. "Amethyst is always doing field work you know she's not one to stay at one place." He smiled sheeply. "And Carnelian is... well... you know how she is..."
Ruby couldn't help but agree with that.
The guild leader gave him a bright grin. "Meanwhile! You are always at the guild, you practically lived there now! And you've substituted for me a few times before."
"That was only a few hours Ser..."
"Still!" At that, he gave the elezen a soft smile. "Plus, you already know how to handle things on your own. Afterall..."
Ruby watched as his leader's voice trailed off, but he knew what he was talking about. Before he joined the Scorpio guild, before he became one of the founders, he was the eldest son of a minor house. Born, taught and raised to become the next head.

However... he didn't want that that life.
He didn't want to become head, he didn't want to have that responsibility, he didn't want to become a knight, he didn't... want all of that...
He wanted freedom...
He wanted the freedom to choose his own path. He wanted the freedom to gain knowledge of the things he wanted to…
The knowledge of alchemy.
And the Scorpio guild gave him that.
However, here was the guild leader, asking him to become the acting leader while he was gone on maternity leave.
Seeing his reluctance, P'heon gave him a reassuring smile. "Elphiosan... The reason why I choose you is because I trust you." He placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't think that the knowledge you gained as a count is a curse, think of it as a blessing to become a leader to help guide your fellow guild members. Think of it as a good thing."
'Elphiosan'... how long had is been since he went by that name. He had been 'Ruby' for so long... ever since...
Ruby let out a sigh. "Alright..." he gave his leader a smile. "I'll think about it."
P'heon's ears wiggle at that. "That's the spirit!"
"How long will you be gone for?"
"The chirugeon said maybe around a month or so. Unless she said otherwise." He perked up. "However, if there are any problems or emergencies I can still head over to the guild if needed."
Ruby nodded, but then he grew quiet. As if he was deep in thought.
"...Can we visit to see your child? When we have the extra time if I mean." He asked shyly. There was a blush on his cheeks and the tip of his ears.
P'heon's once lifeless blue eyes suddenly had a spark in them. "Of course! I can't wait to introduce you and the rest to little Haru!" His ears and tail wiggle in joy.
The elezen tilted his head in curiosity. "Haru? You gave your son an Eastern name?" He couldn't help but ask.

The miqo'te scratched the back of his head. "It’s his nickname." He then had a faraway look in his eyes.
Though, Ruby noticed a hint of sadness in it. Like he was reminiscing something, or someone…
"His full name is Haurchefant. Haurchefant de Borel..."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dark blue draconic like eyes silently watches its prey. Its body barely moving and its breathing calm and focused. It watched as red feline like ears twitch as its prey sits underneath the shade of the large tree. After watching for a while, it decided to make a move, making the bush that the hunter was hiding in let out a rustle.
Red feline-like eyes quickly turned to look at it. The young miqo'te stared at the bush for a moment, waiting to see if anything would happen, before turning back to the book on his lap. His long feline tail twitching in nervously.
Suddenly a small dragon-like creature jumped out of the bush and tackled the miqo'te.
"RAAWW!"
"AAAHH!"
Screams echoed through the forest quiet, followed by loud laughter.
"Heon'a!"
The miqo'te looked up at the dragon with a glare. "That was mean!"
The small dragon had a large grin on his scaly face. "Sorry Raha, I can't help it!" He giggled.
Raha pouted and got up with a huff, dusting off the grass from his long skirt while doing so. "Don't you have anything else to do? Like... I don't know... dragon stuff?"
Heon'a shrugged. "What kind of dragon stuff?" He rolled onto his back, his scaly stomach exposed, and his feathery wings spread out on the ground. "I'm bored Raha! You've been sitting here all day reading that stupid book! When can we go hunt together?"
Raha placed his hands on his hip and let out a sigh. "First of all, the book is a history about Tamers, so it has good information. Second of all, why not go hunt with the other dragons?"
The small dragon looked up at his friend with a frown. "They don't want to play with me... saying they were busy with their own tamers or something like that..."
At that, Raha couldn't help but feel bad. He knew that he was kind of an outcast from the other children and young tamers. That's why he mostly spends time reading books alone or with Heon'a.
After a while, Raha let out a sigh. "Alright... we'll go hunting."
Dark blue draconic like eyes perked up at that. He quickly got up as his tail wagged behind him.
"Finally!" He cheered.
Raha couldn't help but let out a chuckle as he watched his friend bounce around the area.
Eventually after calming down, Heon'a let his friend climb onto his back (while also making sure not to forget his book that he left on the ground). Making sure that the miqo’te was secure, the dragon flapped his wings a few times before taking flight into the sky.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

A figure could be seen standing on top of a butte. Even though they were surrounded by snow, the cold didn't bother the figure as they were used to it. After all, they grew up with this weather ever since they could remember.
Sharp red eyes stared at the group of knights below. Quietly watching them as they carefully walked through the snow-covered path.
On the ground, a tall elezen knight walked down the path, leading his fellow knights towards their destination. The wind blowing through his long blond hair, even though it’s been tied into a low ponytail.
The knight let out a sigh. They had traversed this road for almost a few hours now. He had hoped they had reached their base at this point, but it seemed like it won't be a while if it weren't for the thick snow covering their path.
The elezen out another sigh, a small cloud of air could be seen coming from his mouth.
While walking down the path, he couldn't help but feel excited to see his siblings again. He couldn't wait to see his older sister greeting him with a soft smile. He couldn't wait to see his younger brother and sister, a pair of twins, greeting him at the door with wide cheerful smiles. He couldn't wait to see... see...
Ah... that's right... he's no longer there anymore...
How long has it been since his older brother ran away? How long has it been since he had went missing? The elezen had lost count of the days. He knew his brother wasn't happy. He knew that his brother was suffering... and yet he didn't do anything. He let his brother went through this for years. He let his parents shape his brother into becoming someone that wasn't him. He let this happen. It was all his fault-
Eyes soon wandered to look up at one of the tall snow-covered buttes. Eventually, he noticed a hooded figure.
His eyes widen when their eyes met. Familiar red eyes that he had seen so many times. One that was similar to him. Blinking a few times, the figure suddenly disappeared. As if it was just an illusion of the snow... and yet, those eyes were so familiar. It reminded him of...
"Elphiosan...?"

Blue feline-like eyes looked up from the report on the table to see a familiar elezen entering his office.
"Oh! Hello Ruby!" The guild leader greeted him with a smile. "How was your patrol? Did it go well?"
Ruby looked at his leader with sharp red eyes, before giving him a small smile. "Yeah... it went well."
The guild leader nodded. "Well then. Since there wasn't any problem, how about you take a rest for today? Staying out in the cold isn't that good for your body, even if you had lived in this weather for a long time."
The elezen nodded in agreement. After giving his leader his report, he exited the office. After walking for a bit, he eventually found himself walking back to his empty lab. He let out a loud nervous sigh.
It had been so long since he saw his brother, let alone his siblings. He placed a hand over his eyes as he leaned against the wall.
It had been years since he ran away... Since he threw away his family name.
And yet, ever since their parents passed away... the house has been thriving. Being the next eldest, his sister took over the role of countess. He knew that she had better knowledge of politics than him and also had a strong interest in it.
He also knew how the twins have been excelling well in their education.
He also watched as his brother climbed up the ranks of the knights.
He was proud that each of his siblings could finally walk down the path that they always wanted, without the influence of their parents.
And yet, he couldn't help but feel guilty as each of them thought that it was their fault that he ran away.
It was his decision to join the Scorpio guild. It was his choice to run away and disappear from his family. And yet...
There were so many things he wanted to say to them. He hoped maybe that day would come, but for now, he would watch over his family from the shadows.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“Papa! Papa!”

A pair of soft green eyes turned to look at the miqo’te child in front of him. Lmette’a couldn’t help but chuckle when his son ran up to him with a book in his hand. “Yes Heon’a? Is there something you need?”

His son held up the book in his hand, his tiny tail wagging excitedly. “Can you read this for me?”

Seeing the title of the book, he let out a chuckle. “Of course. Let us go to the reading room.”Picking up his son, he walked to another room. The reading room was where he and his dear wife stored all their books and research in. It has a few two windows that were constantly open in the morning to let the soft breeze in. In between there is a couch that could fit their little family of four along with a wooden coffee table. It was small, but it was also comfy. It was a place that he would like to stay whenever he wanted to relax.

He sat on the couch, while his son sat on his lap. Opening the book, he started reading out loud its contents.

“Once upon a time…”

Looking up from the paperwork in his hand, he noticed a pair of dark blue feline-like eyes could be seen peeking from the ajar door. P’heon couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Haru,” He called out. “Is there something you need?”
The young miqo’elezen let out a yelp, when he realized that he was caught. Shyly, he entered the room. His hands behind his back and his small tail swishing slowly behind him.
“Papa… I heard from someone that you help stopped the Dragonsong war.” He looked up at his Papa with a bright smile, one that resembled Aymeric’s.
P’heon titled his head in curiosity. “And may I ask who told you that?”
“Ysayle told me about it! She said that you also fought side by side with Uncle Estinien against Nidhogg!” At this, his tail was wagging quickly behind his back. “So, um…can you tell me about it? I want to hear your version…” He asked shyly.
P’heon gave his son a soft smile. “Alright then. Let us head to the living room because it is going to be a VERY long story.”
He walked over to his son and picked him up (while also making sure to give him a small throw, which made his son let out a loud laugh), before heading towards their destination. Sitting on one of the plush couches, he placed his son on his lap.
“Alright then… where should I begin…” P’heon hummed. Haru looked up at him with excitement in his eyes. His ears twitching and his tail wagging quickly behind him. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.
“Alright then… It all started in Ul’Dah. The day when I met with the Sultana.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The two miqo’te clans that can be found in Valisthea are an interesting one. The clans are divided into two, the Seeker of the Suns and the Keeper of the Moons. Even though they were divided, they lived very closely by to each one with a harmonic bond. One lived through the day, while the other lived through the night. It was an interesting concept, but the clans made it work.
Just like the other realms, they too have their own Eikons that they worship.
Amaterasu, Eikon of the Sun and Tsukuyomi, Eikon of the Moon. Protectors of the miqo’te clans, the two eikons watched over their people through the eyes of their Dominant.
While it must be a good thing that the clans have two powerful Eikons, there was always a downside to this.
Once their powers are awakened, the Dominants will only be awake during the rise of the sun or the rise of the moon.
One will sleep, while the other will be awakened. While it doesn’t sound as problematic, it is for the two Dominants. For centuries, the Dominants of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi have had a close knitted bond with each other.
Either it was friendship, sibling like, lovers...
So, to see someone who you cared for long sleep while you go about your day, never to interact again…
It was a blessing to the rest of the clan, but it was a curse to the Dominants.
So, when the current Dominants of Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi, G’raha and P’heon’a, brothers in everything but blood, were asked if they were willing to give up their Eikons to stop Ultima… They agreed without another thought.
If giving up their Eikons means that they can finally, finally see each other again… then so be it…

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ruby stared at the bottle in front of him. The bottle had a few cracks and the liquid inside is pitch smokey black. Blinking a few times, the elezen let out a loud groan before slamming his head against the wooden table, making it shake.
It had taken many tries, but he still had yet to perfect the potion that the guild leader had asked him to make. Countless of research, countless of experiments, countless of trial and errors. And yet, he still couldn't make it.
Suddenly, he heards a familiar knocking coming from the door.
"Knock knock!" The person announced. "Everything alright in here?"
Red eyes looked up to see a familiar Auri Xaela with glowing purple eyes. He gave her a small smile. "Good afternoon, Amethyst."
The auri gave him a smile of her own. "More like good morning, Ruby."
Confused, he turned to look up at the clock hanging from the wall. "Ah... it appears so..." He flinched.
Letting out a chuckle, she entered the room with a small skip in her step. "I thought you might be hungry, so I stopped by your favourite stall..." She pulled out a papper bag and gave it a gentle shake. "And got you a little something."
Looking at her curiously, he took the bag from her. He could smell a fruity and sweet scent emitting from it. From the warmest, he could tell that whatever it was it was freshly made.
Opening the bag, he could help but smile at its contents. "Thank you, Amethyst. Who would've thought you knew what I like."
The auri let out a laugh at that.
The two sat at the table, chatting while Ruby ate his breakfast. Although…Amethyst noticed how her friend would look at the cracked bottle every once in a while with a solem look on his face.
"Hey..." she placed a hand on his shoulder, a soft smile could be seen on her face. "One of these days you will get it."
Ruby shook his head. "Ser P'heon is counting on me. If I can just find a way to make it a first-rate, the guild will finally have something to help us during a high-stake battle..." He placed a hand over his eyes and let out a tired sigh.
Amethyst was quiet for a moment. As if she was deep in thought. "What if you use high grade ingredients?" She suddenly suggested.
Ruby looked at her through the gap of his fingers. "As much as I would love to, purchasing those ingredients will cost us a lot of gil, and I don't want to ask that much from Ser P'heon..."

"But what if... I- we find it for you?"
At that, Ruby turned to look at her with wide eyes. "Come again?"
"Well... since we have people who specialise in scouting," she gestured towards herself. "We might be able to find those ingredients you needed. Even IF we couldn't find it... I don't think Ser P'heon wouldn’t mind if we ask."
Ruby let out a hummed. His fist over his mouth as he was thinking this carefully. "I'll... ask Ser P'heon on his thoughts about this..."
At that, Amethyst let out a cheer.
"That's the spirit!"

After relaying his thoughts on this matter to the guild leader, Ruby was shocked to hear that the miqo'te agreed.
Soon, a group was formed to collect the necessary ingredients for the potion. Some were tasked to go out in the field while some were tasked to purchase or negotiate for any ingredients that couldn't be found in the wild.
After countless days, weeks, even months, Ruby was finally able to create the first-grade potion they needed.
"Congratulations Ruby." The guild leader patted his back with a smile. "Have you had any thoughts what you are going to name it?"
Ruby thought for a moment. He looked at the vial in his hand, filled with a glowing crimson red. One that almost resembles blood.
"Bloodlust. A potion that increases a person's adrenaline and their urge for blood..."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

In the Scorpio guild, it is known to every member that it has three factions. Each was led by one out of the four founding members of the guild.
Ruby, with the Alchemist faction.
Amethyst, with the Scouting faction.
And lastly, yet quite well known to the public eyes…
Carnelian, with the Assassin faction.
To the many guilds in Ishgard, to those who knew about them, they were taught to stay wary of the last faction. They were known to be to be strategic, yet aggressive when it comes to battle. Fast on their mind, fast on their feet.
Their shoes were specially made to ignore the ice and snow underneath their feet. Increasing their chance to sally against their unknown or… known opponents.
Wielding a weapon known as the ‘Rope Dart’, with its blade specially made so that they can easily apply potions that can either make their enemies slow down, poisoned or paralyzed. Each potion was personally made by the Alchemist faction in the guild. They want what was best for their guild after all.
However… surprisingly, the guild also specialized in healing as well. On one end of their weapon, there was a medium that they could tune in with their aether. With that, they can help heal those who are in need.
An odd combination, but quite a welcome one for those who allied with them.
The guild, the factions, they are a secretive bunch. Known to call each other the name of gems that is known, yet some quite unknown to many. Many were curious, why would the guild associate with gems?
They were known were known for their alchemy, scouting, assassinations…
There were theories of course. Many of them. One of them was that it was because of the guild member’s eyes. Whenever they attuned with their weapon their eyes would sometimes shine. Like a gem when light shined through it. Except, their eyes shine with bloodlust…
Another was that the Guild Leader and the founding members were fans of gems. Quite a simple theory, yet it would make sense one way or another.

But in the end… those who knew about the guild never knew why. It is their little secret after all…

A crystalized sound could be heard, followed by a gurgle as blood came out from the person’s mouth.
Glowing amber eyes stared at her target with bloodlust. A long tail, made out of crystals gems could be seen. Swishing slowly behind her. The end, made to look like a scorpion’s tail, was dripping with blood.
“Carnelian, the rest of the target has been eliminated. Shall we proceed with the next step?” A hooded figure asked, their own tail could be seen out and about.
After many days of gathering information, after many days of spying… They had finally had the opportunity to sally the targets into an area where they can never escape. Where their screams could never be heard.
The woman stared down at her target for a moment. The body on the floor stared up at her with fear in their eyes. Her brows furrowed. Her expression cold, like the snow surrounding them or the ice underneath their feet.

“Proceed…”
Her tail raised, before quickly entering the ground. It was silent for a few seconds, before another crystalized sound could be heard. Suddenly, amber like crystals could be seen surrounding her target. Before they could let out a scream, they were suddenly consumed by the crystals.

Crystalizing them.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Books and papers could be seen scattered around the small, yet comfy, living room. Two miqo'tes could be seen sitting on the soft couch. The one with light blue hair let out a groan as he slumped against the wooden coffee table.
"Picking names is so hard!" He groaned. "I don't remember having trouble when naming Haru!"

The one with red hair couldn't help but let out a small chuck, before softly patting his friend's head. "No need to worry, Heon'a. We still have plenty of time."
P'heon turned to look at him with a small glare. "That's what I said before... and look where it brought me now."
The two turned to look at the small miqo'elezen sleeping in the basket placed on one of the chairs. The basket was filled with a fluffy blue blanket, making the half kitten comfortable.
G'raha couldn't help but let out a nervous sigh. He gently caressed his stomach. He took note that it was getting bigger as the months passed.
It had taken them almost the whole day, just to pick a name. Yet, they have barely picked something that stuck.
P'heon sat up and picked up one of the papers on the table. There was a list of names, varying from miqo'te names to viera names. There were also a few notes and scratches here and there, some names that they rejected or taking note of.
"Hmm... We agreed that she will have your tribe's name. How about G'intana?"
"Hmmm... anything else?"
"G'konnala?"
"Hmm..."
"Oh! How about G'majha?"
G'raha let out a hum, before shaking his head. "Some of these names... they almost sound... typical..." He let out a sigh. "Is there anything else?"
Just as the blue haired miqo'te was about to say something, a whimper could be heard coming from the basket.
"Ah, I guess its feeding time." P'heon let out a sigh, and yet there was a soft smile on his face. "Maybe we can discuss this a bit later?" He asked sheepishly.
G'raha nodded in agreement. Speaking of feeding, they hadn't had lunch as well. Too focused on their research that they had forgotten the time.
A grumble could be heard coming from him. The red haired miqo'te blushed in embarrassment. "Ah... it seems that Haru isn't the only one hungry."
The two friends laughed.

Some days later, P'heon had to went back to Ishgard. After saying goodbye to his sister and friend, he left with little Haru waving over his shoulder.
It was an adorable sight.
That night, G'rah laid in bed while staring at the ceiling. His hands slowly caressing his stomach, to which he could feel his child moving. He couldn't help but smiled.
"Raha? Is everything alright?" A familiar voice could be heard next to him.
Turning his head, he faced his beloved who was laying next to him. While there was barely any expression on her face, compared to her brother, the truth was always in her eyes. There was a soft fondness in them.
"Everything is alright...just thinking about names..."

Shara raised an eyebrow. "Still haven't picked one?"
G'raha shook his head. "Let's just say, we eventually got distracted."

The viera let out a hum. Her brows slightly furrowed, as if she was deep in thought.
"Then... may I make a suggestion?" She asked after a few minutes of silence.
The miqo'te tilted his head in curiosity.
"G'lmette"
G'raha hummed as he stared up at the ceiling, thinking about the name. With wide eyes, he quickly turned to look at her. "Wait, isn't that-"
Shara nodded; a small smile could be seen on her face. "Yes, named after my father, Lmette'a."
"G'lmette..."
He gently rubbed his belly and let out a chuckle.
"I think I finally know what to name our little princess."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Shara remembers the time when her parents took her in. She was just a little viera at the time, one who had lost their parents too early. So early in fact that she could barely remember their faces. All she knew was that she had gotten her yellow eyes from her father and her dark reddish-brown hair from her mother.
Nowadays, if someone were to ask who her parents were, it would be the miqo'te couple who found her in the Black Shroud surrounded by monsters. They took her in, they raised her as if she was their own child. As if she was part of their little family. They loved her equally, even when they had a child of their own.
And that child was someone who she had promised to protect, ever since she saw how small he was.
That was until... the Calamity happened...
She remembered when she found out that their parents had perished. She remembered visiting their grave, while holding her brother close to her. Both of them, still young, crying for their parents.
She remembered how small her brother's hands were before letting go as she was suddenly taken away by the Garleans. She remembered the look of fear in his wide dark blue eyes. She remembered his screams. She remembered screaming...
She remembered meeting Gosetsu for the first time. She was barely a teenager at the time and had gone through a lot for the past few years. She was trained to become a soldier, forced to fight in a battle she didn't want to.

That was when they met, he saw her training with a katana instead of bow like how she was taught by her mother. He noted how she had potential and decided to take her in as his apprentice.

She never knew what his true intention was, but if it meant staying away from the Garleans... then so be it.

(It wasn't until years later when she found out the true reason why. However, she didn’t blame him for thinking that she reminded him of his daughter in some way.)

During her time as Gosetsu's apprentice, she had trained alongside Hien, a prince of Doma. At first, she was nervous. Training beside someone who was royalty seemed almost illegal for someone who grew up in the forest like her.
However, she soon found out that Hien was pretty... friendly. A few training sessions later, a few sparring, and practically enough they became best friends.
Looking back, the Gosetsu, Hien and the rest of the people she had befriended while she was in the Far East were practically like a second family to her.
A few years later, her brother had told her that he was taken in by the Fortemps Family while he was staying in Ishgard. Similarly, like her, the noble house was practically like a second family to him.
Her brother admitted, sheepishly, that he felt more at home in Ishgard than in Gridania. He had many friends here, family and even someone who he loved dearly.
There were many bad memories of course, but there were good ones as well.

Shara stared at the sights in front of her. While her face was stoic, there was fondness in her yellow eyes.
There on the bed, sat her beloved, Raha. He was holding their daughter, who was bundled up in a soft pink blanket. She slept soundly as he softly sang a song she never understood. She had heard this song before from her brother. However, she, and her parents, couldn't understand what he was singing.
It was like as if the lyrics were... gibberish...
Thinking back, there were a few times she and the rest of the Scions heard Raha and her brother sing that song together. While the lyrics were still incomprehensible, the song almost sounded... harmonic...
"Shara? Is everything alright?"
She quickly snapped out of her thought. This was probably something she would think about later. Right now...
"Nothing... it’s just that, it’s been so long since I felt... peaceful." She gave him a small, yet noticeable smile.
Raha smiled softly at her, before turning to look down at his daughter. "Yes... it’s been quite a while." He said softly as he caressed her soft cheek.
The kitten shifted in her bundle, before returning back into her deep slumber. The two parents couldn't help but chuckle at the adorable sight.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Once a year, Ishgard will host an annual duel where each guild will send their best fighters to test (and showcase) their skills and strength against each other. It was mostly just a fun event, sometimes to just get to know each other better and maybe form alliances and so.
However, it would also form rivalries. Some were quite harmless, just a thing to remind them to keep training and enhance their skills. In a way, a some sort of friendship between opponents.
Some were… quite concerning…
Or at least, that was what his seniors told him.
Arthurioux, or Labradorite as he’s currently in public, was here to witness his first duel as a member of the Scorpio guild. He stood near the ledge where the duel was being held below, his yellow eyes wide with awe.
Currently, it was a Machinist and a Dark Knight. An odd match up, but watching as bullets flying through the arena while a large sword blocked its attack was a interesting and adrenal running sight to see.
Looking away from the fight, he noticed a few Astrologian and Temple Knight Conjurers standing nearby in case of an emergency. It made sense, since they were having their best fighters from each guild face each other.
Cheers could be heard and the young elezen quickly turned to look back at the fight. The Dark Knight seemed to have managed to get the upper hand by quickly rushing into the Machinist’s range before swinging their large sword at their opponent.
Seeing this, the Machinist quickly dodged from the attack. However, they still had managed to receive a large slash to their shoulder.
“I see you are enjoying the show.”
Labradorite tuned to look at the voice and couldn’t help but smile behind his mask. “Amethyst! I didn’t know you were here as well.”
The hooded person gave him a wave. “Well of course! I have to show some support for Carnelian, even if she told me she doesn’t need it.” She chuckled.
Loud cheers erupted from the crowd. The two turned to the arena and saw that the Machinist was aiming their gun at the fallen Dark Knight. Their legs shaking and shoulder still bleeding.
A few Astrologian quickly rushed into the arena, ready to heal and assist the fighters.
After carrying the injured fighters out of the arena, a temple knight walked up to the middle of the arena.
“Next would be Annabellan from the Temple Knight versus Carnelian from the Scorpio Guild! Please have your fighters prepare for duel!”
The crowd once again cheered in anticipation for the next battle. Once it died down, Amethyst turned to look at her junior with what he would guess a cheerful smile behind her mask.
“You will love this.”
The younger elezen tilted his head in curiosity, but only got a shushing motion in reply followed by a giggle.
He watched as Carnelian entered the arena with confidence in her steps. Her sharp amber eyes were filled with determination. Standing at her designated spot, she unwrapped the rope around her arm to reveal her rope dart.
On the other side of the arena, her opponent walked towards her spot with stride. Seeing the Scorpio member, she grinned as she unsheathed her sword and shield.
The arena was quiet as the two opponents stared down at each other. No one dared to spoke a word as the air was thick with anticipation and excitement.
The loud chime of the bell broke the silence.
“BEGINE!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

"Sister... what do you think about this song?"

P'heon stopped from his track and turned to look at the two shades sitting underneath a large tree. On his back, was G'raha, who was found injured after escaping his captivity from Emet-Selch. The red haired miqo'te had insisted that he was fine, but after seeing his trembling feet and how his hands were tightly gripping his staff, P'heon basically forced him to climb onto his back.
"Hmm... it sounds nice." The other shade replied with a nod. "Can you play it for me again? I think I have something in mind."
The shade, holding the harp, let out a chuckle. "Of course! The more ideas, the better it might sound!" With that, the shade raised their hand. Their fingers hovered over the strings, before a harmonic melody was played.
Filled with curiosity, P'heon adjusted his hold on his friends before walking closer towards the two shades. As he got closer, he started to recognize the tune coming from the lyre.
One that was always on his mind ever since he could remember.
One where the lyrics sound random yet had a harmonic tune to it.
One that felt incomplete whenever he sang it alone.
One where...
P'heon turned to look at G'raha, who also had a look of recognition in his red eyes. "Raha... this song… it sounds familiar, doesn't it?"
G'raha nodded in agreement. "Yes... it reminded me of the time we first met." He gave him a soft smile. "The time where we found the other half of the song..."
How could he ever have forgotten that moment. After years of singing a song that sounded incomplete, to suddenly find the other half through a random stranger you met in Mor Dhona.
A stranger who felt familiar with…
A stranger who you felt like you had known each other for a long time…
“Kuwata tsunowo vralai,
Souta tsunowo vralai...”
He heard G’raha started singing. He couldn’t help but join in as well, for old time's sake.

“…Tzuriji pforaalekai, Saaha pforaalekai...”

"Kwondzuvai...."

"...undovartu wronduwail."

“P’heon! G’raha! What’s the hold up?”
The two miqo’te turned to look at the source of the call and noticed that they had wandered off away from the group.
“Nothing!” P’heon called out with a smile. “Thought I saw something and wanted to check it out!”
Alisae placed her hand over her hips. “Well, you better hurry up! The faster we get out of here, the faster we can return to the Crystarium!”
They couldn’t help but laugh, and yet they agreed with her statement. Looking back at G’raha, he couldn’t help but worry at the state of the miqo’te who he saw as a brother.
Seeing his look, the red haired miqo’te gave him a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I will be alright once we get back to the city.”
Nodding, just as he was about to head back to the group the shade spoke again.

“Sister, do you know what to name of this song?”

P’heon stopped in his track and turned to look at the two shades again. G’raha too, was looking at them with peaked curiosity.

"Hmm? How about you name it, since you were the one created it brother, I only helped by being a second voice.”

There was hum, as the shade started to fiddle with their harp.

“Then… I do have a name in mind.”

"Pray tell what it is brother, I'm curious.”

“Well… How about we named this song….”

“Song of the Ancients.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Two sets of eyes stared at one another. One was a bright red while the other pair was a sharp dark blue. The two tilted their heads, curious about the other miqo'te standing in front of them.
Apollo let out a chuckle as he watched his son meet his cousin for the first time. He turned to look at his sister, who also wore a small (yet noticeable to him) smile on her usual stoic face.
"Isn't this great Artemis? They're getting along so well." Apollo said, his hands clapped together.
Artemis nodded in agreement, before turning to look at her brother who was sitting across from her. They were currently at Apollo's and Hades's house since they had planned for their sons to finally meet each other.
It took a while, with Artmeis' busy schedules, but they had managed to find the perfect time for them to meet.
"Apollo! Can you help me with this!" A call could be heard coming from the kitchen.
The red-haired man beamed at hearing his beloved. "Coming!" He called out before rushing over to help his husband.
Meanwhile, Artemis shook her head in disbelief. The fact that they had been married for a couple of years now, they still act as if they were young teenagers who had just started dating.
Letting out a sigh, she turned to look back at the two children. They were now currently sitting on one of the couches with G'raha holding a book while P'heon was sitting closely next to him.
"And this is the crystal tower."
"Crystak tower? I never heard of that before."
G'raha nodded. "Hmhm! That's because it can only be found at in Norvrandt. And it’s really REALLY far away from where we are!"
P'heon looked at the book with awe. "Woah..."
The blue haired woman placed her arm on the table and leaned her head on her palm. There was a soft look in her sharp dark blue eyes. One that was only seen by her brother, Hades, Hythlodaeus and now, her son and nephew.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Haurchefant de Borel, son of Aymeric and P’heon’a de Borel, could be seen walking down the path towards his home. The sound of his boots against the stone pavement could be heard by those he passed by.
His miqo’te ears, that were placed at the side of his head like an elezen’s, twitched from the gentle snow falling from the sky.
Although, if one were to look closely, they could see the small skip in his steps or the way his long fluffy tail is swishing and slightly upwards beind him. It seemed like he was in a very good mood today. “Yo! Haru!”
The miqo’elezen stopped in his tracks and turned to look at the source of the call. He grinned when he spotted his cousin sitting standing next to the fountain. “Kollaux!” He called out with a wave before jogging up to him.“What are you doing here? Its quite rare for you to be out and about.” Haru nudged him with his elbow.
The dark haired elezen rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. “Rude. I’ll have you know I DO go out of the house, I’m just quite… busy these past few months…”
The half miqo’te tilted his head in curiosity, but decided not to ask any further when he noticed the tired look in his eyes.
“Anyways, I’m currently waiting for Leondaire. He told me to meet up here since he wanted to talk about something…” He looked around the area with a raised brow. “…and I’m guessing its nothing serious if he wanted to talk within public ears…”
Kollaux turned to look at his cousin with a small smile. “Though, I noticed you looked quite happy just now. Did something happen?”
Haru perked up at that “Oh yeah! Just now I was at Ariane’s and-“
“Kollaux! Haru!”
The two cousins turned to see a blond elezen ran up to them. “Sorry I’m late! I had to help my father moved some things in the manufactory.” He panted.
The cousins looked at each other again and shook their heads with a small laugh.
“Anyways, what do you need to talk about Leondaire?” Kollaux asked once his friend had managed to catch his bearings.
Leondaire shot up and looked around the area. He must had spotted something because he quickly pulled the two towards a bush.
“Wha- hey!” Kollaux yelped before finger was placed on his lips.
Leondaire made a shushing motion, before pointing at a certain direction. The trio looked at the direction and noticed two familiar figures walking down the stone path. One was a tall elezen with long light pink hair that was tied into a ponytail. There was also a familiar heart shape mark on his left cheek, confirming his identity.
Eugenaire de Valentione, the second son of the well-known Lisette de Valentione.
Though, it wasn’t a surprise to see him walking in the city. What surprised the three was the short elezen next to him. Although he was wearing a hat, they could see the strands of dark blue hair peeking out. He was also wearing a scarf that coved the lower half of his face, but both Kollaux and Haru could see his yellow eyes, eyes that reminded them of a certain friend of theirs.
“Arthurioux?!” The two whispered/exclaimed.
Leondaire quickly shushed them, and quickly checked if the two noticed their presence. Thankfully, they didn’t.
“What is he doing?” Haru whispered. His eyes squinting to get a better look at the two. “I don’t know. I saw them walking together few weeks ago and I noticed they always walked the same path.” The blond elezen turned to loo at the two cousins with a large grin. “So, I called Kollaux here to hear his opinion and thankfully, Haru is here as well!”
The trio continued to watch the pair. Haru noticed that Arthurioux walked with a skip in his steps, and the way his eyes were squinting the miqo’elezen could tell he was smiling. He looked like he was on cloud nine.
“Do you think they’re… you know…”
“Out on a date?”
They stared at each other with wide eyes. Although it might be a long stretch, but the way Arthurioux was behaving next to the taller elezen, who was in fact smiling and had a soft look in his eyes, it might be possible.
They continued to watch as the pair walked before disappearing out of sight. “Well… that was new…” Leondaire mused.
“Yes… I’m surprise…” Haru agreed with a slow nod.
Kollaux stared at the direction of where the two had disappeared to before he remembered something. “Oh. Haru, you wanted to say something before you were interrupted right?”
Haru looked at him in confusion, before perking up. “Oh yeah!”
Leondaire looked at him with a tilt of his head, curios about what his friend wanted to say.
“Ariane and I are now officially engaged!” The miqo'elezen revealed with a clap of his hands.
“…”
“…”

“HUH?!”

“So, how was your date Arthurioux?”
The short elezen looked at his guild leader with wide eyes. “I-its not a date sir!” He stuttered, the leader noted how his cheeks were a bright red. “I was just trying to get information about the task you assigned me and Eugenaire offered to help me.”
Although every Scorpio member wears a mask that covered the lower half of their face, Arthurioux could tell that the leader had a sly grin on his face.
“Hmmm, sure… ‘Helping out’” The guild leader said with a teasing tone in his voice. “I believe you.”
“S-SIR!”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

The Forgotten Knight was quite crowded at the moment. With the knights that were out on an expedition in the cold climate of Coerthas had finally returned, many of them wished to indulge in a drink or two.
One of them is a certain knight with long blond hair and sharp, yet, tired red eyes. He was hunched over at the bar, with a half empty cup of warm ale in his hand.
Ever since he saw the hooded figure, he couldn't stop thinking about them. Those eyes... it reminded him of his late mother, it reminded of his siblings, it reminded him of his own eyes, it reminded him of... his brother...
He could feel mind began to become fuzzy. Ah... he was starting to feel drunk. He was never a heavy drinker in the first place, but at this moment he really needed something to keep his mind off the figure he saw.
As he took another sip from his cup, a hooded person sat next to him before ordering a cup of wine.
He glanced at the figure and gave him a small smile. "Not an ale person I'm assuming?"
The figure turned to look at him slightly and gave him a small nod. After a moment, a cup of wine was placed in front of them.
The blond elezen let out a light chuckle before taking a sip of his drink again. The two sat there in silence as the sound of the other knights could be heard around them. Their loud chatter followed by a laugh or two made the atmosphere more lively.
He watched as the figure took a sip of their wine. "You know, I was never really a wine kind of person. I prefer ale or sometimes beer if I'm with friends." He stared dazely at the cup in his hand. "Even so... it does bring back some memories..."
The figure tilted their head. "What kind of memories?" He asked in a low voice.
He turned to look at them in surprise, not expecting them to speak. "Ah... well... my older brother, he would always drink wine whenever he had the chance." He sighed. "At first I thought that he just really enjoyed it, since you know, nobles and their wines… but as time went on, I started to realise it was probably a way for him to cope. With all the stress and expectations that our parents put on him, I don't blame him for it. But after he ran away... I just wished I could've done something more to help him..."
He took another sip. Ah... his friends always told him had a loose mouth when he's drunk. He should probably keep quiet before he spills more about his life stories to the poor stranger.
"I don't blame you... and our siblings." The sound of the stool scraping against the wooden floor could be heard. "I just hope that you don't blame yourselves for something that is own decision... it was nice talking you again... little brother..."
Red eyes widened, he quickly turned to look where the figure was sitting next to him, only to see an empty stool alongside a few gils placed next to the empty cup.
He stared at the empty seat for a moment, before placing his hands over his face. He let out a loud sigh and a smile could be seen peeking through his fingers.
"I'm glad you are alive and alright... Elphiosan..."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

As one of the dragons from the First Brood, Vrtra had lived in perpetuity. He had seen people who he loved, people who he sees as his friends, people who he had seen as his own children, come and go. There were moments where he would reminisce of the olden days.
He would remember how the Scions of the Seventh Dawn helped him and his people during the Final Days. How they travelled to the end of the universe to help save their star. How the Warrior of Light fought with all his strength to give hope them hope for a better future.
They were long gone though... their souls had returned to the Aetherial Sea.
However, they had all lived a long and fulfilling life.
Their legacies would carry on their names.
The star had changed. With the contribution and help from everyone, the cities that he knew had evolved with technology to help them with their daily lives. In a way, the world had modernized.
On rare occasions, there would be people who would visit Thavnair that reminded him of the friends he had made all those centuries ago.
"Vrtra! Azdaja! Are you here?" A voice called out.
Speaking of which, there was one of them right now. Closing his eyes, he awakened in the body of his simulacrum. With a smile, he opened the door of his room and walked down the long hall.
There were some changes that his city had went throughout the years. However, most of its tradition and history were still intact.
Eventually, he came across a familiar pair of siblings.
They were an interesting pair of twins, born with miqo'te ears at the side of their heads like an elezen's. They carried on the legacy of the de Borel family in their name.
Vidofnir and Vedrfolnir de Boreal
Named after the dragons that had once helped their ancestors faught for peace in the Dragonsong War.
Vidofnir, the female miqo'elezen, reminded of him of the warrior of light with her light blue hair and dark blue eyes.
Meanwhile, Vedrfolnir, the male miqo'elezen, reminded of the warrior's companion, G'raha Tia, with long braided red hair. Although, the only difference was his cyan eyes, compared to the bright red that he remembered.

"Vidofnir, Vedrfolnir. It is good to see you!" Vrtra greeted them with a welcoming smile.
The male twin's eyes widen before running up to him. "Vrtra! It’s been so long!"
Vrtra chuckle as he was pulled into a hug. "Yes, it has been quite long." He looked over his shoulder to see Vidofnir standing closely by. She had a small smile on her face.
"I'm quite sorry that my sister isn't here to greet you two at the moment. It seemed that she was pulled into a meeting at the last moment." He explained with a sigh. "Although it is something I could handle, she insisted she take care of it."
"Well, that could be just her saying that you need a break." Vidofnir said with a hand of her hips. "Speaking of breaks, why don't we head to Mehryde's Meyhane? I want to see if I can finally handle that spicy curry."
Her brother looked at her with a raised brow. "Vidi, are you sure? The last time you ate that you had a stomach-ache that lasted a few days!"
She looked at him with a strong determination in her sharp dark blue eyes. "I'll have you know I have been building my spice tolerance for the past few months."
"... Was that the reason why you've secretly buying those spicy noodles behind mom's back?"
"VEDRI!"
Virtra couldn't help but let out a chuckle at the twin's antics.
Eventually, they headed towards the location they had agreed upon. As the three were seated, Vrtra looked around the Meyhane and couldn't help but remember some old memories. The owner was long gone now, and instead her legacies had taken over her business.
"Vrtra? Is everything alright?"
Snapping out of his memories, he turned to look at the twins who were sitting in front of him. They both had a worried look on their faces.
Vrtra shook his head and gave them a soft smile. "Just... remembering some old memories..." He suddenly had a thought.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Aymeric opened the door with a sigh. Mentally tired from all the paperwork that was piled up on his office table. Right now, he just wanted to spend time with his family. To spend time with his dear moon and his little-
A crash could be heard coming from the hallway, followed by a shout.
"HAURCHEFANT DE BOREL GET BACK HERE!"
He could see a familiar little boy zipped passed him, wearing nothing but the suit he was born in.
"NO, I DON'T WANNA!"
He watched as the boy turned to a corner. He blinked a few times, still trying to process what just happened.
Before he can actually fully process, another familiar blur zipped passed him. This time, it was bigger and faster than the little boy.
"GET BACK HERE!"
He watched as the miqo'te turned to the corner. After a few minutes, a scream was heard followed by the miqo'te running past him. This time, the boy was slung over his shoulder, thrashing against the soft baby blue towel that was tightly wrapped around him like a bundle.
"I DON'T WANNA! I DON'T WANNA!"
"Oh yes you do young man. It's bath time and you WILL."
"NOOOOOO!"
Ah, it seemed that their son was refusing to have his bath again. Lately he had been a struggle to get inside the bathtub. He had heard from other mothers that they were just going through a phase, but Heon'a guessed that the miqo'te genes were far stronger than they thought since...you know... felines...
It reminded him of his dear cat. She was also a struggle when it comes to baths, but it was to be expected.
As he watched the two entered the bathroom, Aymeric could hear the usual bloodlust in his voice, but it wasn't one the usual one that he would hear whenever his beloved moon was truly angry. So, it was relieving that it means that their son hasn't truly angered him.
With another tired sigh, he decided to walk towards their bedroom to change out of his armor and into a more comfortable clothes. He guessed that he might as well try and help his moon give their son a bath, while also having a bath himself as well.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

“I’m sorry…” A man softly apologized. He had a strained smile as he pointed his sun shaped staff at the group in front of him.

“We had no choice…” A woman stood next to him as she pointed her moon shaped staff at the group. Her eyes sharp but there was a touch of hesitation in them.

It was obvious from the looks of it that this was something the two didn’t want to do.

“We will not let you go further!”

P’heon woke up with a gasp. His breath coming out in short exhales as he clutches the sheets underneath him. His eyes wildly wandered around the room, before he realized where he was. He was in his room at the The Rising Stones. It had been a few days since he had came back from the First with everyone’s soul back in their bodies, including…
He turned head to the side and saw a familiar figure sleeping on the bed beside him. Right… G’raha was finally here. He was terrified at first at the thought of loosing the miqo’te that he saw as a brother. But the moment he placed the soul crystal next to his sleeping figure, the moment he saw a pair of familiar red eyes tiredly staring back at him, he knew he was finally back. Back home in the Source.
P’heon let out a sigh as he whipped the sweat forming on his forehead. It has been a while since he had gotten that dream. Whatever it was, it was always the same thing.

Two figures.

A man and a woman.

Both wearing black robes.

The man held a sun shaped staff.

The woman held a moon shaped staff.

A pair of
T̸͚̯̥̄̓̏͠w̶̡̨̨̜̹̬̹̟͍̻͇̝̪̿̒͊͂̈́̽̎́́͆̓͠͠ỉ̷̟̪̹̉̉͊̿̂͗̒͂̕ņ̴̛̞̺̰̮̣̗̮̤͚̘̞̞̦̲͊̄̀̐͊̀̇̋̿̋̀̈̕͠s̷͎̮̪̮̠̺͚̀̾̿͋̔̒̐̅̆͂̽̌͘͘͜

P’heon winced as a wave of nausea hit his head, before quickly disappearing. With another tired sigh, he decided to finally get up and got ready for the day. After decided what outfit to wear, he made his bed and was about to head out when he suddenly remembered something.
He walked over to the other bed where his friend was still sleeping, making sure that his steps were as quite as possible. Once he got there, he slowly sat on the edge of the mattress before placing a hand on his shoulder.
“Raha, its time to get up.” He said with a gentle shake, making sure not to surprise him too much.
The red haired miqo’te let out a grumble, before tired red eyes finally opened. “Five more minutes please…?” He pouted.
P’heon let out a chuckle and shook his head. “As much as I want to, It is pretty late and you probably don’t want to miss your checkup with Krile.”
G’raha stared at him for a moment, before letting out a sigh. “Alright alright…” He eventually got up, with the help of the other miqo’te of course.
“I had… an odd dream…” G’raha suddenly said after changing into a more casual outfit. “There were two people, a man and a woman. They were saying that they were sorry and-“
“…They had no choice.”
The two looked at each other with wide eyes, shocked at the revelation.
“Do you think… there must be some relevance if we both share the same dream?” G’raha asked.
P’heon shrugged. “I’m not sure…” He replied as he crossed his arms over his chest, his brows furrowed as he thought about the dream. “Do you think… it must have something to do with… the song?”
Red eyes stare at him in surprise.
However, after seeing the two shades in the large city built by the memories of Emet-Selch, after hearing the familiar song that the two miqo’te had known for their whole lives, after finally, finally, knowing what the song was called… The thought of it wasn’t far off. It made the most sense to them since not only that they had the same dream, but they’ve also known the same song where none knew about.A song where the lyrics were in a language where none known about, a language that sounded like it was a mix of every language they had known, and yet it sounded harmonized.
A song of the past.

A song of the ancients.

“Maybe… we should discuss this with the others. Maybe they might know something that we don’t.”
G’raha nodded in agreement. “Yes… this doesn’t sound like something Allagan…However, we can never know what they were up to at the time as well…”
With that, the two exited the room. Determined to finally figure out the mystery of the dream they shared, but also the song of the old.

“No one can know about this…”

“Yes…no one can know. This knowledge, we will take it until the end of our time…”

The sound of a large door closing could be heard.

“What should we place as the lock?”

“Hmm… How about… that song?”

“The song…? Are you sure sister?”

“Yes brother. Although, we should make where only us can open it.”

“And only our souls it would recognize.”

“Yes… if worst comes to worst, and the door had to be opened…”

“Only our souls… our memories can open it.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Ember eyes stare at the content inside the small vial she held in her hands. She held it up to the window, noting how not even the light could bypass the dark liquid inside.
"Truely... Ruby has done an excellent job..." She muttered , and placed the vial inside her pocket for safe keeping.
"Are you sure you really want to do this?"
The elezen turned to look at the auri standing across from her. She had a worried look in her purple glowing eyes. Looking down, she noticed how she was also clutching the end of her coat. She was worried, yet also nervous.
"Amethyst..." The elezen started. "Inside this vial is a deleterious liquid. When consumed, it will run through the bloodstream, making the person who ingested the liquid experience a slow and painful death."
There was a calm smile on the elezen's face, and yet Amethyst noticed the hint of manic in her ember eyes. One that she had seen in her guild leader's eyes, one she has seen in Ruby's eyes, one she had seen in her comrades... and one she had seen in her own...
"Carnelian... what if you regret this?"
"...No." They way she tilted her head as her bangs covered her eyes. The way her hands were clenching into fists, shaking.
Amethyst couldn't help but feel a chill up her spine. "Carnelian, maybe we should-"
"Mayu..." The auri flinched when she heard her friend called her by her real name. "I have every desire to go through with this plan..."
Sharp ember eyes looked up at her. Filled with anger, filled with sadness, filled with betrayal, filled with bloodlust. "THAT MAN! THE MAN THAT I FELL IN LOVE WITH, THE MAN I GAVE MY HEART TO, THE MAN WHO WAS MY FIANCEE, TRIED TO HAVE ME KILLED MAYU!" She screamed.
The sound of crystallization could be heard as the tail, that seemed to be made out of carnelian gems, grew out from behind the elezen. It was obvious that she was agitated, making her a threat to not only to her friend, but also to herself.

With that realisation in mind, Amethyst grits her teeth. "OPHELIA!"
Silence surrounded them. The sound of heavy breathing could be heard coming from two, and yet, no one dared to spoke a word.
The auri let out a sigh. "Carnelian... I'm saying this because I don't trust you. I'm saying this because I'm worried about you..." She let out another sigh and gave her a soft smile. "For as long since I had known you, you always tried to close off your heart from others. And yet... you were strongly driven by it as well."
She slowly walked over to her friend, making sure to see if there was any aggression from the elezen. When she realized that the elezen wasn't showing any signs of attacking, she placed her hands on her shoulder.
"Ser P'heon, Ruby, me and everyone in the guild understands that this is a big decision for you." Amethyst pulled her into a hug. "We just... don't want you to end up hurting yourself more than you should..."
Surprised by the sudden hug, Carnelian's arms hovered over her friend, no sure what to do. Eventually, she wrapped her arms around her friend. She let out a sigh as she leaned against the hug, the crystallized tail eventually disappearing back into her spine.
"I'm sorry for getting mad..."
"It's alright... we all had those moments..."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Silver stared down at the young elezen standing in front of him. The girl tilted her head in curiosity, her shoulder length red hair flowing to the side due to the movement.
She blinked a few times, and suddenly her silver eyes widen. "You look just like me!"
Carvallain, captain of the Kraken's Arms, stood there in surprised when the girl suddenly ran up to him with a smile.
"Papa always told me I should stick by to those with familiar faces. Since you look just like me..."She looked up at him with wide eyes as she fidgets with the hem of her dress. "Does that mean you are my family?"
Thank goodness that his crew were out doing something else, or not Carvallain couldn't imagine the teasing he would have to endure if any of them saw this.
The captain let out a shaky cough into his fist. "Young lady, this is possibly a mere coincidence." He tried to reason. "As far as I have known, I don't have any family left."
"Ehh?" The girl pouted, as she placed her hands on her hips. "Everyone should a family. Ser P'heon told me that family doesn't have to be tied by blood. Family could also be your best of friends! Just like Haru is to me!"
"Yes, and family also shouldn't wander around alone in an unknown city."
The girl froze at hearing the voice, before slowly turning around. There, stood P'heon with his arms crossed over his chest. He was smiling, and yet there was the hint of anger in his dark blue lifeless eyes.
Meanwhile, next to him stood Haru, his son, who's eyes widen at the sight of the girl. "Ariane!"
Carvallain watched as the miqo'te? Elezen? He wasn't sure, ran up to the girl and pulled her into a tight hug.
"Where were you? I was worried that you've been kidnapped by pirates!" He said as tears fell down from his feline dark blue eyes.
The girl, Ariane, realising that she had made her friend cried, returned his hug. "I'm sorry Haru! I saw something pretty and wandered off too far and before I knew it, I had gotten lost!" She explained as she patted his back.
The two adults watched as the two children embraced. Carvallain turned to look at the miqo'te who was now standing next to him.
"It has been quite a while, 'Moonlight'."
P'heon nodded with a small smile. "Yes... it has been quite a while..."
They continued to watch as the two children converse with one another. However, Carvallain noticed some more similarities between him and the young elezen.
Dark skin…
Red hair…
Silver eyes…
"That girl, Ariane, is she..." The elezen trailed off.
P’heon grew quite for a moment, before giving him a small smile. "Yes... she is your niece."

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Dark blue eyes glared down at the book on the table. "So, if I do this equation, and add this..." He mumbled as he scribbled a few notes into his notebook. "And if I do this..."
He hummed as he placed the end his blue mechanical pencil on his lips. Frowning, he leaned back with his hands covering his face, and let out a loud groan.
"WHY IS THIS SO HARD?!"
Suddenly, the door to his room opened to reveal his cousin, G'raha, who looked around the room for a bit before landing on him sitting on the floor next to his bed. He noticed the books and notes scattered around the blue haired miqo'te, along with the pencil opened pecil box next to him.
G'raha walked over to him with a slight frown on his face. "Is everything alright, Heon'a?" He asked as he sat next to him.
P'heon let out a sigh as he leaned his head back against the mattress. "No..." He muttered as he tilted his head to looked up at the ceiling with a glare. The fluffy blue light blue tail could be seen thumping against the floor. Whatever he was doing, it was probably something important to get him that stressed out.
Looking closer at the notes on the floor, G'raha noticed that it contained some notes and scribles regarding a certain math homework they had received.

Noticing him look at his notes, P'heon let out a grumble. "Math has never been my strong suit... " He suddenly reached up and clutched his hair. "UGH! WHY DO THEY HAVE TO MAKE IT SO COMPLICATED?!"
G'raha looked at him with a small smile and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It’s alright, Heon'a...maybe it isn't so bad?"
The blue haired miqo'te gave him a glare. "Says the person who went to THE Norvrandt Middle School..." He pouted.
G'raha blushed and fidgetted with his fingers. The sound of his tail could be heard thumping against the wooden floor.
"A-ah! How about I help you? In fact! I brought my homework as well, so..." He could feel the sweat forming on his forehead. Ah, why is it hard for him to say it?
"M-maybe you can help as well? We can help each other in a way!"
P'heon looked at him for a moment. At that point, G'raga was starting to grow nervous at the silence. Suddenly, his cousin let out a chuckle.
"Alright! Alright! That sounds like a good idea." He said with a bright smile as he leaned his head against the back of his hand.
P'heon couldn't help but let out another chuckle when he saw the sparkle in his cousin's red eyes. He watched as he nodded before getting up and heading back to his room.
While waiting, P'heon decided to clean up his notes and books. He hummed, before taking out the short foldable table from his closet. It would be more comfortable than laying down on the floor.
Just as he was setting the table, G'raha came back carrying his books and pencil box in his hands. Seeing the table in the middle of the room, the red haired miqo'te beamed.
After settling down at the table, they had decided to help P'heon first with his math homework. The blue haired miqo'te listened diligently as G'raha taught and gave him tips on how to solve each of the questions. There were also moments where he would also gave his own input on the question, slowly understanding on how to do it.
At one point, P'heon's mother, Artemis, had came up to check on them.
"Ah, I was wondering why you were both so quite all of a sudden." She said as she leaned against the doorframe. She noticed the frown on his face and gave him a small, yet, noticeable smile. "Math?"
P'heon let out a sigh and nodded as he leaned forward, basically putting half of his body on the table.
G'raha chuckled and nodded. "Yes, although he had gotten quite better at understanding the equations."
Artemis nodded. "Want me to bring some drinks and snacks?"
The two miqo'te nodded eagerly, and the hyur exited the room, making sure to close the door.
After taking a small break by eating the snacks that Artemis had brought them along with the drinks, they continued with G'raha's homework.
A few hours had passed and before they knew it, it was already late in the afternoon.
P'heon let out groan as he he stretched his arms above his head. He fell back as he landed on his back against the soft carpet. "It's done!" He sighed with a smile.
G'raha nodded in agreement as he too, fell back and landed on his back on the floor.
The two laid there in silence, enjoying their accomplishments. After a while, P'heon turned to look at G'raha with a grin.
"Thanks for helping me, Raha." He said as he closed his eyes. "If it weren't for you, I'll probably never finish this, and I will never hear the end of it from Y'shtola."
The red haired miqo'te turned to look with a soft look on his face. "No problem, Heon'a. You know as they say…” He suddenly had him his own grin. "’Two heads are better than one'".
The two cousins let out a laugh at that. Their ears twitching in happiness.