"Dad," Valeriana's voice came out weak. She held a sword in one hand, feet apart as she practiced her stances. "Corvan gave me a book about the Lost Heralds case. Tell me what it is, really. What did you come down for? What did the demons come down for? I estimated everything. Thirty-six years of King Laedin's reign. He was on his prime. He wasn't weak at the time so the barriers and strongholds of the kingdom were in full force."

Janus—Garvyn, rather—continued watching her. This time, his eyes carried a bit of apprehension. "The darkness has taken root, not just in Valemnia, but Earth as well. The reason we kept these worlds separate is to avoid getting Earth into the mess we have to deal with. Years of searching in vain. We felt as though we were working against something greater than we expected."

Valeriana let the sword drop to her side as she walked over to her father in concern. "Dad, tell me what it is you found. What if everything is related? Prince Bertram turning into a demon, the demons trying to go to Earth—they can't be just doing this for no reason, there must be something."

"It's too dangerous, Valery," said Garvyn worriedly. "You haven't even graduated from the academy and knowing you, you'll be rash. I've fought hard to keep you, Jareth, and your mother safe. I will not ruin it."

"But what is it? Dad, tell me. There's no use keeping me in the dark! Do you think keeping secrets will actually help?"

"That's what you think . . ." he trailed off. "But, Valery, once you meddle in this business, you won't be able to get out. I've made a lot of enemies and they're serious people. If it weren't for . . ." He hesitated. "Let me think about this for a moment. I still don't know how to go about this issue. It's a lot more complicated than you think. It's not that simple."

"Dad." Valeriana was on the verge of crying from frustration.

Garvyn came forward. He threw his arms around Valeriana and pulled her close. "Valery . . . oh my girl, please don't make this any harder for me. I told you I will tell you things—things that you actually need to know. But the state you are in right now—without adequate experience, it will only put you in unnecessary danger. Oh gods forgive. Work on those blessings first. This isn't the right time."

When the time was up, Valeriana had to leave the dream state, troubled more than ever. She approached the book and notes she left on the table yesterday, going through more of the information recorded. It was just a thin journal-like record. It didn't delve into details and was somewhat vague as though whoever the writer was feared it would be discovered. It didn't contain more than the names of the knights who participated in the event, the reason why they went down, the place they went to, and what they did—but whatever they found, they purposely left it out.

Valeriana got up from the bed to ready herself for their trip. They planned on taking horses, so her butt would probably swell as big as the face of the moon by the time they get to where they were going. She gathered her notes, the books, and stuffed them into her satchel.

She then drew a bath on—it wasn't a tub but a pool. She let the water flow in as she retrieved a towel and some bathing essentials from the cabinet. There were different jars of essential oils color-coded and bars of scented soap. The purple one smelled like lavender and vanilla, so she opted for it—having liked the scent very much.

She then readied her toothbrush and some toothpaste. Valemnians rather liked chewing on herbs when grooming their teeth and mouth, but they did have brushes as well. She only used her own brush because it reminded her of home.

When the water filled the pool, she helped herself in. The warmth was relaxing so she took her sweet time, contemplating and gathering her thoughts, before getting out. She dressed in fresh clothes—casual, comfortable-looking ones. She found some hanging in the closet of the bedroom she was staying in and decided that perhaps borrowing a couple would not harm anyone.

Denovegasian clothes were indeed different, anyhow. The shirt she found purposely reached the thighs while the sleeves were loose and long. She decided on wearing the black one trimmed with a row of tassels before paring it up with pants and the high boots she wore when she came.

While she was tying up her hair, she heard a couple of knocks. She turned away from the mirror, her scrunchie clipped between her teeth. Once she snapped it in place, she exclaimed, "Come in!"

The same staff from yesterday entered. "Good morning, miss. Breakfast has been prepared. Will you be dining with His Highness and the rest? Or should I bring up your food?"

"No. No," she said with a smile as she stood. "I'll be down."

"Then, this way, I'll lead you to the mess hall."

"Wait a moment," she finished up Valeriana let the staff girl lead the way. She looked fairly young, not even in her twenties. "I'm sorry, may I ask for your name?"

The girl looked up to meet her eyes. "My name is Jaiah, miss. I believe you are called Valeriana."

"Yes." She nodded. "How long have you been working here?"

"Since I was born," she said, but then realized her words carried a different meaning. "But no, it's not that I've been working since I was born. My mother is also a worker here. She brings me with her since no one will take care of me and I sort of have been helping out ever since."

"Oh, that's nice." Valeriana smiled.

The mess hall was—a mess hall. There were unexpectedly a lot of people this time. Valeriana didn't expect it. The room they dined it yesterday had only one table, but this time, it had six, long tables only five steps apart and there were men and women sitting together.

When Valeriana arrived, some people gave her curious glances but did not stop.

"Let me lead you to Lord Keelan," said Jaiah.

The first table on the right was where her friends sat including Lords Dillian and Eres. There was one seat vacant beside Brindon which she unhesitatingly took.

"Thank you, Jaiah," she said, smiling at the girl. Jaiah nodded and quickly left as fast she came. "I'm sorry, was I the only one late?"

"Don't mind it," Keelan told her. "You came in time."

The food was served, but no one made a move. Valeriana looked around, waiting for someone to start. Grandpa Drigo sat opposite of the fifth-ranker while Lord Eres sat on his right. Lord Dillian took the head of the table as usual.

"So, what's the occasion?" she asked. Keelan did not sit away too far. Despite the distance between them, he still heard her over the noise in the room.

"This is the usual scenario during breakfast," said Keelan. "Sort of a tradition. Everyone who works for and dines in the palace eats together during the morning. It helps bond people together, you know."

"This is cool."

"Eat fast, because everyone here eats strong." Keelan's smile was big.

"Alright!" Lord Dillian stood and the room was immediately silent. "Remember, whoever eats the most and finishes first will get seconds! This feast will start . . ." His eyes scanned the room. "Drigo, put your hand back down!"

Grandpa Drigo withdrew the hands he had reaching out with a sheepish grin. When his command was obeyed, Dillian once again looked at the room. Everybody sat still.

"Start . . . now!"

To Valeriana's surprise, everyone started pulling food to their plate faster than she could see. Panicking, she pulled an egg to her plate but missed the ham and cheese. She could not help but sulk. Luckily, Brindon managed to snatch himself quite a hefty serving and shared with Valeriana what he got.

Keelan's plate was filled to the brim higher than anyone else while Lord Eres was not far behind.

Everyone wolfed on their plate and she could not help but feel pressured and somewhat out-of-place. She felt like a rabbit sitting in the dining room of wolves. She stuffed her mouth, determined not to be left behind, drinking in between to help push down the food.

The table was hammered, Keelan's fist landing on the spot beside his snuffed out plate.

"Lord Keelan wins!"

Everybody burst into a fit of cheers and laughter. "No one beats the young lord!"

Valeriana swallowed her food before she laughed. Even in this sort of environment, no one could best Keelan when it came to eating.

The atmosphere was much more settled after that and Keelan got his promised reward. With so many people being fed, it was no wonder they were contesting about who gets seconds.

Breakfast was over about ten to fifteen minutes after that and everyone left the room to go back to their duties. Some came forward and greeted High Lord—even Keelan and Lord Eres. Despite Eres's cool and somewhat quiet nature, he was nevertheless accommodating to those who came to talk to him.

The close camaraderie between these people was astounding. No wonder Keelan knew everyone. With this sort of activity, it was not hard to know them all.

"Sorry for that, Val. Were you uncomfortable?" Keelan asked once the room was filled with but a few people.

"No. Not at all. It was fun." She shook her head with a smile.

"Good thing though. We may not be traveling horseback," he said. "Eres said we should just ride his familiar on our way to the Dirinian forest. That way it'll be faster!"

"Are you serious?" she asked.

"He is," Eres answered in his brother's place. "I'll meet you at the training grounds where we'll take off.  Be there in fifteen minutes. We leave immediately."

"Oh. Um. Can I use these clothes? What about Cifaro and Anton and stuff?"

"Don't mind it, Val. You can use those clothes and Anton will be meeting us there." Keelan winked at her before running after his brother and throwing an arm around his shoulders, the bright smile on his face once more. Eres' arm swung his arm up to wrap around his brother as well, pulling him close as they shared a smile.

Valeriana ran to the southern accommodations with Jaiah, the staff girl, to grab her bag before asking to be led to the training grounds. The palace was a large place and hard to get used to, so she was glad to have a guide to help her around.

Once there, she saw a small crowd gathered around a giant creature as tall as five men. Among the crowd was Lord Dillian, Brindon, Lord Eres, and Keelan. It was a furry creature that had the body of a wolf—only that instead of wolfish snout, its head seemed to resemble a deer more, especially since it had branching horns that echoed the silhouette of tree branches. Its mane was a curtain of brown, silken threads. It had a long tail—thick and strong.

As if sensing her presence, it turned to her. Its lids were lined with silver shimmers while its eyes were a haunting green.

In case you're having a hard time trying to imagine, it kinda looks something like this. This illustration is supposed to be a baby dragon, based on the original source, but this is the nearest illustration I could find.

"Come on, Val! Meet Arsene," said Keelan waving to the girl to hurry on up.

A/N: Pronounced [ar-si-nehy]

Valeriana approached the creature, enamored by its unique beauty. It was like the first time she met Avaro. Shyly, she turned to Eres when she neared.

"What is she?" she inquired.

"She's an Oread," Lord Dillian told her. "She lives in the western part of Denovegasia. Quite a rare one, actually. There are only a few of her kind. You'll have to introduce yourself before she lets you on. Brindon already has."

"Okay . . . alright. Here I go! Hi, you can call me Val," she said smoothly. "Arsene, right? You're really beautiful. I hope you don't mind me saying."

Its eyes softened at the sight of her and the semblance of a smile pulled on the corners of its mouth. 'How do you do?'

"I'm doing good," she replied with a smile. "You wouldn't mind me for a ride, do you?"

Arsene's interest seemed piqued. 'Thou art able to hear me?'

Valeriana nodded.

'How rare . . . I do not mind at all.'

Eres gazed at Valeriana for a moment. "You're a Direct Controller, are you not?"

She nodded once again.

"Interesting," Dillian commented.

"Your Highness!" yelled somebody.

The crowd parted to let Anton through. He came forward with a small box, an excited smile on his face. "I have finished it! Just in time!"

"Anton! That's great!" Keelan replied enthusiastically. Valeriana's stomach turned with excitement when she saw the guy that she had to stop herself from running forward to see what came to be of Cifaro. "So what do you have for us?"

Anton looked worn, greasier than yesterday, and sweaty as though he hadn't taken a bath the last few days. He opened the box he was holding and showed it to Valeriana. Cifaro sat in a small crevice fit for him perfectly.

"I made him into a ring, if you don't mind. Since I wanted to maximize his size and everything in one go, I didn't use anything else for the band. Pure ice. Pure crystal. If I were to make him into a small stud in the middle, he'll take up space and be too eye-catching, so I decided to make the entire ring out of him."

True to Anton's words, Cifaro didn't have anything else aside from himself. The ring itself was made purely from two bands of crystal half a centimeter thick, clasped together by the same material which served as the centerpiece. They weren't just a simple bands, even so. He seemed to be twisting in and out of himself in an infinite cycle while shining brighter than he had before.

"He's been polished and refined. You can rest assured I did not leave a speck of impurity in him. Not a dust of his crystal was wasted. I compressed it all there," Anton said. "Since he transforms into a sword, if he's directly in your hands, then a lot of time will not be wasted."

"He's beautiful," Valeriana whispered in awe as she took him out of the case and put him on. He fit around her middle finger just right. "How did you finish this so fast?"

"I wasn't able to rest last night at all. Don't worry. Even if the work is fast, I made sure my work is clean and meticulous!"

"It's good. Keelan trusts you, so I do too. I guess it's time for the moment of truth." She nervously breathed. "Sierra vu eldon sith!"

It didn't take more than a moment to have him transform into his sword self. There were no negative side-effects in this form. In fact, he seemed a lot lighter. Drawing him from the sheath, the blade reflected the light so sharply it was almost blinding.

Lord Dillian was fascinated as well as the other people watching. He rubbed the stubble on his chin. "How remarkable—for the lack of a better word."

"Cifaro," she said. "Wow. He's . . . he actually looks sharper than before. Thank you so much for this, Anton!"

"You're welcome. If you have any more soul crystals, please don't hesitate to come to me."

"I might come to you for everything. Thank you!" She wanted to hug him, but he looked dirty, so she abstained. After all, she just took a bath. "I want to hug you, but I don't think I can."

"Haha, that's fine." He scratched her head, watching as Cifaro transformed back to his crystal self, sitting around her finger once again. Valeriana squealed in childish excitement—because it was, one word, cool.

"Are you done?" Eres gently asked. "Let us get settled then." He brushed Arsene's side, pointing to the readied saddle on her back. The saddle fit snuggly and was shaped like a bowl—big enough to accommodate all of them without having to cramp the space.

Eres jumped in first before lending out a hand to Keelan, who pulled on the furs of Arsene to hoist himself up. After that, Valeriana followed, helped in by both men. Brindon came in last, but was offered the same attention since he seemed to have trouble balancing himself.

"Lean back," Eres told them, gesturing to the leather board at the far back.

They all obeyed as Arsene stood on her four legs. The people started waving and yelling out their goodbyes.

"Make sure to keep yourselves safe, my boys! Make your father proud!" Lord Dillian raised a fist at them.

"Farewell, father." Eres nodded. "Rest assured. Let's go, then. Arsene?"

"Brace thyselves!" Arsene ran for the open path ahead, beginning slow before eventually gaining speed. She jumped over the gate instead of going under, catching Valeriana by surprise. The wind rushed to their faces that it almost seemed like they were flying.

No wonder Eres told them to lean back on the leather board. He himself, however, seemed perfectly contented sitting near front, his legs crossed in yoga position as he calmly gazed forward. Valeriana was skeptic with how perfectly balanced he seemed doing that. Despite how many maneuvers or jumps Arsene took, he didn't give any signs of budging—at all.

Valeriana gazed out of Arsene's back and watched the passing green and brown blurs that were trees. Instead of ducking under the umbrellas formed by their branches, the lord's familiar felt contented tipping herself on trees, jumping from the top of one to another one with ease. Despite the huge bulk she was, there were no palpable groans or clear disturbance.

The agility and speed of Oreads were amazing. They have already traveled quite a distance within the span of a few minutes. The Kaiven Fortress has turned into a small dot in the horizon.

"How long will this take?" Valeriana asked.

"We'll be stopping in one of the cities before nightfall. Just enjoy the ride, we'll pass by a lot of places on the way!"