Red.

On the whole, Leon didn’t think he liked the color that much.  He never had much of a favorite color, but after the past few weeks, red was certainly his least favorite.

So, as he slowly returned to consciousness, he was more than grateful to see above him trees, leaves, and a cloudy sky.

Or rather, as he realized a moment later, not the sky, but the Mists of Chaos.  He was in his soul realm, yet not in his Mind Palace.

He remained still, opening his senses to all around him.  He made no noise, and even closed his eyes again, hoping to get a better feel for where he was and what was going on around him before having to deal with it.

He heard the crackling of fire, though not nearly as intense as it usually was around Xaphan, so he figured the demon wasn’t nearby.  The forest was still, no wind blowing through his soul realm.  Were it not for the fire, everything around him would’ve been completely silent.  He felt the ground beneath him, soft and loamy.  Grass poked through it, forming a nostalgic bed that reminded him of his youth.  He felt like he could go right back to sleep if he laid there for too much longer, the comfort of his facsimile of the Forest of Black and White almost overwhelming him after the past few weeks.

But that would be foolish; not only was he unsure how he got here—the last thing he remembered was trying to flee Arkhnavi—but he could also sense a presence, something large, powerful, and much closer to him than he would’ve hoped for.  This presence was neither Xaphan nor the Thunderbird.

‘Has my soul realm been invaded again?’ Leon wondered, his heart momentarily stopping from the horror of the question.

“Open your eyes, bastard,” a gruff, masculine voice commanded.  “I know you have awoken.  Arise now and greet your elder.”

Leon scowled, his fear replaced with irritation.  He recognized the deep, almost resonant voice, and he wasn’t thrilled to know that its owner was here again, even if it meant that his soul realm was more likely than not free of Primal Devils.

He opened his golden eyes and took his time pushing himself off the soft earth.  He ignored the enormous man standing imperiously on the other side of the black fire burning in the middle of the clearing they occupied.  Instead, he occupied himself with looking around at their surroundings, noting that they were, indeed, in his soul realm.  They were about fifty miles away from his Mind Palace, in a wide valley filled with purple grass and the darker trees of the Forest of Black and White.

“Insolent child,” the man growled, his eyes narrowing in anger.

Leon almost chuckled provocatively until he noticed a detail that had him momentarily freezing; the man’s eyes were the exact same shade of gold as his own.

The last time they’d spoken, the man’s eyes had been bright red-orange.

Other than that, his appearance was unchanged—still the same dark skin, his arms and the skin around his eyes glittered with scales as black as night, and his body was covered in animal furs.  He was still enormous, standing at more than seven feet tall, with long, wild hair loosely tied back, and a look of utter dismissiveness on his face.

Although… as Leon studied the man further, he realized that there was one more difference: his chiseled jaw and chin, which had been smooth and hairless the last time they’d met, was now covered in black stubble.

“Ancestor,” Leon said, noting these changes in the Great Black Dragon’s appearance while taking a proud stance, determined not to appear at all servile before this being that had so long spurned him.

“Is that how you acknowledge your elders?” the Dragon inquired.

Leon shrugged.  “I’ve taken your attitude to heart, Ancestor,” he said.  “You want nothing to do with me.  So nothing is what you’ll have.  That includes respect.”

The Great Black Dragon stared at him for a long moment, his face impassive.  Then, he softly snorted and growled, “At least you have sufficient pride.”  He went silent for a long moment, then slowly circled the fire until he stood before Leon, an arrogant smirk spreading across his face.  “I will give you one chance, bastard.  Bow before me and acknowledge me as your highest elder.  Pay your respects to me as the highest of your Ancestors.  Swear your allegiance to my blood as your greatest power.  Do these things, and I shall acknowledge you as my descendant.  I shall legitimize you as a member of my Clan, removing from you the stain of bastardry.  I shall then send someone to pick you up and take you to your proper place at the heart of the universe, with the rest of my Clan.”

Leon’s mood grew worse with every word spoken.  The Great Black Dragon was dead, yet here he was, demanding Leon swear obeisance to him, when Leon was, himself, a King!

But he controlled himself despite his fury almost reaching his tongue.

“How did we get here?” Leon asked, ignoring for the moment the Dragon’s demand.

“Answer me, boy,” the Dragon responded.

“You first,” Leon shot back.  “Where is the Thunderbird?  Where’s Xaphan?”

“A dragon pays no mind to lesser creatures.”

It was Leon’s turn to snort, though his was far more derisive.  “Your demand,” he began, “what does that mean for me?  I’m the head of the Thunderbird Clan already, heir to one of the most powerful beings to ever grace this universe.  I have a Kingdom, and those who follow me do so because of their loyalty to my blood.”

His aloof and arrogant Ancestor sneered and repeated in a more dismissive manner, “A dragon pays no mind to lesser creatures.”

“Lesser or not,” Leon said through clenched teeth, “I would appreciate some specificity.”

The Great Black Dragon rolled his golden eyes and said, “The lowest member of my Clan is higher than even the greatest King.  Disregard your lesser titles and weak vassals; a dragon has no need for either.”

Leon blinked in surprise, the Great Black Dragon’s arrogance still shocking him despite the answer being perfectly in line with what he’d been expecting.  “Perhaps a dragon can fuck off, then,” he said, unable to help himself.

In an instant, the Great Black Dragon’s demeanor changed completely.  Where he’d been standing imperiously, now he loomed ominously over Leon, his golden eyes darkening to their more familiar red-orange hue.  “Keep your loyal worms, then,” he spat.  “Be always scorned by my Clan.  Never shall you be accepted.”

“Choke on my indifference,” Leon responded with a grin even as his heart began to race.  “I’ve craved your acknowledgment.  You can’t take away the power I already possess.  It’s a part of me, beyond your control.  And why should I care about your Clan, anyway?  A dragon pays no mind to lesser creatures, right?”

The Great Black Dragon’s eyes began to glow with greater ferocity, and Leon could hear a high-pitched whine growing in the forest.  Before he could get concerned, however, the Great Black Dragon disappeared, the black fire burning in the fire pit and the high-pitched whine vanishing with him.

“Fine,” the voice said as if spoken from a great distance and only barely reaching Leon’s ears, “a bastard you are, and so shall you ever be.”

“I don’t need you,” Leon growled back, unsure if his words could be heard, yet not letting that uncertainty stop him.  “Keep your scorn and your ‘acknowledgment’.  I am Leon Raime of the Thunderbird Clan, and that will never change.  I will find my mother, and if I ever desire any kind of acknowledgment from your Clan, I will gain it myself.  I have no need for the regard of the dead.”

Naught answered him but the silence of the forest.  He cast his gaze around, searching the shadows for any sign of the Great Black Dragon.  When no sign presented itself, he gave the blackened remains of the fire one contemptuous glare, snapped his fingers to incinerate the remaining wood with black fire, and then rose into the air.  Since this was his soul realm, he knew exactly where he was and where his Mind Palace lay, so he began flying there with all haste, thoughts of the Great Black Dragon fading in favor of all that had happened over the past day.

He was grateful to be alive, and as the memory of the pain he felt before falling unconscious slowly returned to him, surprise joined his gratitude.  That he yet lived wasn’t something he would’ve expected had he the spare capacity for thought in those final moments when the Primal Devil turned its baleful gaze upon him.  He wasn’t sure why he was alive, nor if anyone else with him was alive, either, but he intended to get some answers.

And then he was going to go home.  He wanted to curl up with his wives and sleep for a week; he wanted to train with his friends; he wanted to do his duties as a King and lead his people to the Nexus.

‘Fuck giving them up,’ Leon thought with a deep snarl.  ‘They’re my people.’

Fury burned within him, but he quieted it as best he could.  Replacing it was a more complex blend of emotions, which had him frowning deeply as he landed in the center of his Mind Palace.  There, he found Xaphan and the Thunderbird waiting for him, a look of grave concern on the Thunderbird’s face.

“Leon,” she whispered as she sprang forward and embraced him.  After a moment, she pulled back and began fussing over him.  “Are you hurt anywhere?  Did that flying lizard do anything to you?  Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” Leon growled.  “I’m just…  I’m fine.”

“You look about the entire breadth of the Elemental Plane of Fire away from being ‘fine’,” Xaphan observed.

“I’m fine,” Leon insisted.  He knew he was lying, but he would deal with that later.  “What happened?”

“You…” the Thunderbird hesitantly began before cutting herself off and thinking over her words more carefully.  “…  The Primal Devil attempted something.  Whatever it was, it seems to have failed.  It fled under the pressure of the Grave Wardens.  After that, the Great Black Dragon appeared here and took you from your throne.  This seems to have caused you to pass out.  He then took you out into the forest.”

Leon scowled.  He didn’t pass out because his draconic Ancestor had taken him from the throne, he could remember that much.  “He just did that?” he asked.

“I followed him fully intending to teach him of lightning’s heat, but he swore that you would return unharmed.  He was… polite.  Strangely so.”

“He wasn’t polite when I awoke,” Leon stated.  “Let’s talk about this later.  Right now, I need to get back to everyone else.”

“I’ll watch over you, Leon,” the Thunderbird said, to which he nodded gratefully.  Knowing she’d be here was a balm to his frayed nerves.

So, as he sat down on his throne, he set the matter of the Great Black Dragon aside, at least for a little while, and focused on the matter at hand.

The Primal Devil.  It escaped—fled, apparently—after it… ‘attacked’ him.  He wasn’t sure what it did, but he remembered how it affected him, and he wasn’t eager to experience that again.

As he closed his eyes in his soul realm, he came to consciousness in the physical world.  This time, he didn’t wait around trying to get a feel for the situation; he simply opened his eyes and sat up.

He found himself in a bed in a room made of stone bricks.  The floor was tasteful hardwood, and simple red and blue tapestries hung from the ceiling around the walls.  It was a comfortable place, though sparsely and simply decorated.

A coldness seeped into his eyes, and he had to rapidly blink to keep from tearing up.  The longer his eyes remained open, the colder they felt.  Eventually, he simply closed them again and projected his magic senses, using them to perceive the world around him as he struggled to his feet.

His legs were shaky, almost causing him to collapse as he rose from the bed.  Weakness pervaded his body, to the point that just crossing the room to the door was a struggle.  When he reached out for the door, however, it flew open, revealing Mari standing there looking quite haggard and stressed.

“Lele!” she shouted.  “That guy wasn’t fibbin’!”  She threw her arms around him, almost sending them both crashing to the ground.  Leon grunted and did his best to remain upright while patting her on the back.

“Mari’Kha,” he said.  “Where are we?  What’s going on?”

Mari released him and backed up to give him some space.  Her expression was fairly grim, and she opened and closed her mouth several times as if searching for the right words.

“We… um…  Let’s go find Tir’Anu, yeah?  I can’t explain this for shit, so let’s get that fucker to do it!”

She bounded off down the hallway, and Leon, a frown spreading slowly across his face, followed.

Much like the bedroom he’d awoken in, the hallway was sparsely, though comfortably, decorated.  However, out here, the hardwood floors had been replaced with cold stone with thick carpet.

They didn’t go far, the door on the other end of the hallway opening into a fairly large dining hall.  The table was simple, and there were chairs for a dozen, though only two were filled.  Tir rose to greet Leon as he walked in, while Ambrose merely nodded respectfully.

“Leon!” Tir exclaimed.  “Thank the Mothers Above and Below, you’re awake!”

“Allegedly,” Leon replied as he banished his frown and plastered a smile on his lips.  “I still feel half dead, honestly.”

“Better half than full,” Ambrose said with a smile as he finally rose.  As he did, Leon noted that Tir paled slightly and backed off, giving Ambrose all the initiative in the conversation.  “It’s good to see you up and about, Leon.  Good to see you.  I regret deeply sending you to Arkhnavi, though I will not demean us both and ask for your forgiveness.”

Leon stared at the man for a long moment, all that had happened since being teleported to Arkhnavi rushing through his head—his thoughts lingered especially long on the breaking of Arkhnavi’s moon, and the appearance of the Primal Devil around the red orb that had been encased within.

“Given the seriousness of the situation,” Leon said, “I understand your insistence.  How long has it been?  What’s the situation like now?”

Ambrose’s bright smile dimmed.  He tried to speak, but caught himself and sighed.  Eventually, he was able to ask, “How are your eyes?”

Leon, his eyes still closed, thought about giving some vague platitude.  However, he figured that Ambrose had a reason for asking, and so decided to be more honest than he was inclined to be.

“They’re… cold,” he said.

“Any pain?” Ambrose asked.

Leon frowned in thought and shook his head.

“Good,” Ambrose whispered.  “Good.”

“Why ask?”

Again, Ambrose hesitated to answer immediately.  “Tir’Anu, Mari’Kha, would you two be so kind as to give Leon and me the room?  Apologies, I simply wish to speak with him completely freely.  Apologies.”

Tir bowed and made for the door, while Mari stayed just long enough to whisper to Leon, “Be careful with this one, Lele; he’s got a real look’a mischief ‘bout him.”

“I can handle a bit of mischief,” Leon replied, grinning at her.  She returned the grin and followed Tir out of the room.

Silence fell upon the room for an uncomfortably long moment, and Leon almost repeated his question.  However, he knew that Ambrose hadn’t forgotten, and simply waited for the answer.

“After the battle,” Ambrose eventually stated, “I found you.  I found you.  Your eyes were gone.”

‘What?’ Leon thought, his face freezing too quickly for him to ask the question aloud.  ‘Gone?  Absent?  My eye sockets were empty?’

It took him a moment to fight through the anxious smile that appeared on his face to ask, “What do you mean by ‘gone’?”

“They were gone,” Ambrose repeated.  “You had no eyes.  They had to be healed.  They had to be healed.”

Leon stared at him disbelievingly, though his eyes remained closed.

“Are they functional?” Ambrose asked.  “There can be some complications with such complex restoration, but I had the best of the best help me…”

Leon cracked open his eyelids, and immediately, the air upon his eyes felt frigid, but all-in-all, his eyes seemed otherwise fine.  He told Ambrose as much, and the Grave Warden walked over to inspect him a little more closely, peering directly into Leon’s eyes.

“They… look normal,” he stated.  “They look normal!  Just wait a little while and they’ll acclimate.  If you have any problems, be sure to let me know!”

Leon hesitantly nodded even as he wiped the tears from his eyes, resolving to see some of the best healers on Kataigida as soon as he could once he got home.

“So,” he said as Ambrose took a few steps back, a thoughtful look on his face, “what in all the hells happened?  What do we do now?”

“The latter’s easier to answer, so that’s what I’ll start with,” Ambrose replied.  “For you: nothing.  You go home.  You go home.  I’ve asked enough of you.  I can ask no more.  I can ask no more.”

“That Primal Devil got away, didn’t it?” Leon asked, wishing that the Thunderbird hadn’t been right.

“He did,” Ambrose confirmed.  “He fled before we could stop him, to my great dismay.”

“And Arkhnavi?”

“Intact.  My friends and I are working to ensure that all traces of our ancient foe are expunged from the plane.  The people who call it home will have a chance to recover.”

Leon nodded, happy for that, at least.  “None of the other prisoners escaped, did they?”

“No.  But what we do now will be… difficult to answer.  I have some thoughts on the matter, but I must confer with my friends first.”

Leon nodded.  “When you decide on a course of action, let me know, yeah?  At this point, I’m kind of invested.”

“Will do, will do.  But before we discuss matters further, why don’t you tell me all that happened?  I must know.”

Leon nodded, but asked instead, “Where’s Ard’Nara and Serena?”

“They are still recovering in these halls,” Ambrose answered.

Leon sighed and nodded.  That they were still alive was quite the silver lining, he supposed.  A Primal Devil escaped, and he was unable to stop it, but he at least saved two people.  That was something.

So, he settled in to tell Ambrose all that had happened.  He suspected it would take a while, after which he had more questions he wanted answered…

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