The Dread Knight's Rage

The sun had only just begun to grace the realm of Komen with it’s brilliance, yet there was already plenty of movement at the Xu Estate.

A construction crew had worked through the night, repairing the damage caused by Raidis’ and Abel’s attack.

Ryth had been overseeing all of the repairs since they’d begun. He was quite happy to see that they were nearly completed already.

"Now... Maybe things will go back to being quiet around here once again... Though for some reason, I am not overly enthusiastic about the prospect."

The blue-skinned titan-blood shook his head as he sipped from a small cup of tea.

"Ryth."

The butler’s heart almost stopped in his chest. It took near-perfect control of his reflexes for him to avoid dropping his teacup.

He slowly spun his body around, finding a man he knew all too well floating atop a golden carpet.

The man was extremely distinctive. Silky white hair, half of which hung freely behind his back in soft, silver waves, while the other half was bound in a heavy braid draped over his shoulder.

His skin was an ashen shade of bronze, nearly rendered gray by some mysterious effect.

Embedded in his skin were numerous glowing tattoos that were knit in rows like constellations. Their azure light matched the color of his blue robes to a tee. Perhaps by design.

His eyes, lips, and even eyeshadow were all of the same shade as his clothing. At first glance, he appeared rather effeminate and thus easily dismissible.

But underneath the guise of his beautiful appearance and clothing, there rested one of the most ingenious and frightening minds in all of Komen.

He was someone whom Ryth truly believed that he would never see again. Least of all in this place.

His voice was soft and refined, but not playful.

"My daughter has been missing for two days now. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?"

-

After a night of discussion, the horsemen decided that they could no longer wait for Everett to finish his awakening.

Standing around Lioraeth’s home was a nice respite, but it was not what they had come for.

With the news that Raidis was on the move and stalking Jiaoying like prey, the siblings were even more desperate to have some power returned to them.

Solomon was in an especially poor predicament because he did not seem to be able to use the powers of Disaster at present.

With the group experiencing such urgency, it was expected that they would all be awake and ready to leave the spire bright and early the next morning.

However... that is not what happened.

"If I have to knock on this door one more time, I’m going to headbutt it! Cease your deviancy and come out this instant!"

Nila looked back at Dakota, who held their favorite three-headed pooch in her arms.

"And the puppy hasn’t been let out this morning! I can tell she’s holding in something incredibly flammable and difficult to mop up! Cease now, or I will lay a devious trap right outside your door!"

"I would actually prefer that you didn’t dirty my glorious home with the defecation of the adorable little mutt." Lioraeth said, still sleepy herself. "I take extreme pride in it’s cleanliness."

"Your lawn was being watered with semen and star powder when we first got here." Dakota raised her brow.

Lioraeth had a hard time hiding her surprise.

"Are you aware that you seem to have developed a bit more bite in the wake of obtaining Clarity?"

Dakota nodded proudly, her smile showing full teeth.

"You are a very insistent woman, my niece..."

The door finally opened, and Solomon came out with Yari and Jiaoying at his sides.

On the surface, they appeared clean and no worse for wear. That was, until one observed the blemishes on their necks and the dampness of their hair.

"Can we not, at the very least, have a bath to ourselves in the morning..?" Yari huffed.

"Last I checked, baths go a lot quicker when you aren’t trying to bathe two other people, Sunseed." Giselle said mockingly.

"And exactly how long has it been since anyone had a desire to see you laid bare? There isn’t exactly much to uncover, is there?"

A vein bulged in Giselle’s forehead. " Dear sister. What I lack in deposits of fat on my chest and in my glutes, I believe I more than make up for with this unattainable, irresistible beauty. Or have you forgotten that it led me to charm an immortal? You were simply lucky to get their offspring."

Yari and Giselle stared at each other with heated gazes for an uncomfortably long time.

With no warning, the two of them broke into a fit of laughter as they linked arms with each other.

Jiaoying leaned toward Solomon discreetly and whispered.

"Bear, I’m a little frightened."

"Just let it happen, you’ll eventually get used to it... at some point."

"Has that happened for you yet..?"

"No, still working on it..."

The group moved as one down the hallway toward the lift. As they moved, Jiaoying looked around for her children. After last night’s talk, she had hoped to see them.

"My kids..?"

Lioraeth yawned. "Your handsome son is-"

"Watch it."

"Tavian is still asleep. And the girl..."

- Raizel’s room...

Raizel lay on his back in bed, his eyes bloodshot and his body motionless.

One thing he hadn’t missed about being alive was sleep deprivation and the effect it had on him.

Though perhaps his bodies had simply been defective. The need to sleep certainly had not seemed to plague the girl in the wheelchair beside his bed. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"Does it feel weird being back from the dead??"

"Not compared to the first time you asked me seven hours ago..."

"Oh, right, right, right." Liora scribbled in her notebook at near-lightspeed.

She looked back up at him, her eyes as sparkly as ground-up diamonds. "What about your dietary system? Are you experiencing any side effects in your stomach since last night’s dinner?"

"If I said yes, would you leave me alone to do my business..?"

"Oh, of course, of course!"

"Then-"

"But of course, I’m going to have to ask to check your stool afterward to ascertain it’s consistency and color. Could you refrain from using toilet paper for a bit until after I take a sample??"

Raizel rolled over in bed, covering his ears with both pillows.

Not since his mother died for the second time had he been as close to tears as he was right now.

As he prayed for an end to the madness, he saw a piece of paper flutter onto his bed. He could already read it without picking it up.

I asked if you were feeling gassy, but you didn’t answer so I figured your ears were seeing some sort of failure. Or perhaps they’re hurting? Could you describe your comfort level on a scale of one to ten? Also, is there a buzzing sensation or more of a hollow sound, and - oh, I forgot to ask if you were experiencing any lack in sexual potency. But if you aren’t, and you’re going to go relieve yourself, I would like a sample of that too if you don’t mind!

-

"She’s... studying" Lioraeth finished.

"Aww... That’s my girl." Jiaoying smiled bitterly.

Outside, the horses were already trotting about on the lawn, grazing along the grass and playing to their heart’s content.

As the riders hopped atop their steeds, Giselle jumped onto her daughter’s mount while Jiaoying and Yari naturally joined Solomon atop Mercy.

Lioraeth was the only one who did not hop a steed. Instead, she sprouted several lace-like wings with a light-golden sparkle.

She pointed into the distance over her shoulder.

"I hope those mounts of yours don’t get tired easily. The way to the Veil of Tears is quite far and perilous."

Solomon reached out to stroke Mercy’s mane. "I’m sure they’ll be fine."

"Oh? Well, do tell the horses not to fall behind. I despise having to fly slow for others."

In unison, the ears of all three horses twitched.