When Artorias described Leon’s mother, there had been some part of Leon that thought that Artorias’ love was clouding his memories or perceptions, but now that he could see her with his own eyes, he had to admit that she was just as beautiful as Artorias had claimed.

Her hair was long and the darkest, deepest black.  Her skin was almost unnaturally pale, though Leon supposed if Fain was right, then she’d spent his entire life, less those few months following his birth, under house arrest.  She wore tight clothing made of the same black material as Fain’s clothes, though her outfit was heavily embroidered with gold thread, depicting roaring dragons of all shapes and sizes.  She was tall and obviously trained hard if her physique was anything to go by.  Her features were long and angular, but perfectly symmetrical, and with a certain vicious undertone, befitting a Princess of a Great Dragon Clan.

In short, she was gorgeous, and Leon could tell that she was strong even without sensing her aura.

The projection of his mother warmly smiled at him, and when she spoke, her voice was sonorous, though her tone was sorrowful.  Leon supposed he should’ve noticed with Fain, but it struck him that Serana spoke the Aeternan common language perfectly, without much hint of an accent.  Aeternan Common was descended from the common language of the Nexus, he knew, and the Bull Kingdom spoke it as their primary language, but he supposed he expected more drift and unintelligibility than what Fain and now Serana were displaying.

“Leon,” she whispered, the mere utterance enough to have Leon’s eyes burning with unshed tears.  He blinked rapidly, not wanting to seem weak in front of Fain.  “My son,” Serana continued.  “And if you’re there, Artorias, my husband, my love.  I have not forgotten you.  I’m waiting for you with my Clan.”  Leon frowned deeply and turned away from Fain.

For a moment, it seemed like Serana was going to say something more, but the projection hitched for a moment, as if some of the message was deleted or she’d been interrupted.

“I don’t expect either of you to find me,” she said, her tone more sorrowful now than it had been before.  “But I’m waiting for you.  I’ll always wait for you.”

She paused, anguish marring her features.

“I look forward to the day when I can see you two again, but I don’t know if that day will ever come.  My father imprisoned me in my own home, hating the family we built.  Sounds familiar, doesn’t it, Art?”  She grinned sadly, and Leon again had to blink away the stinging in his eyes.

Continuing, Serana said, “There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t think of you two.  Know that no matter what, I love you both.  I will do everything I can to get free and find you two again.”  She paused once more, her expression momentarily turning hopeful before she visibly controlled herself.  “I can’t ask you to wait for me.  But at least keep this memory slate on you.  It will identify you as a highly-ranked member of the Clan and allow me to find you when I free myself.  Art… Leon… my father will never allow us to be with each other, but I’ll find you anyway.  Then… if we can… I hope we can be a family once more…

“Always remember: I love you two dearly.”

With that, the message ended, and the projection faded.  Leon stared at where it had been, his heart feeling like it was being torn asunder, his head burning with questions, emotions, and plans.  The emotions within him warred for dominance, but eventually, a determined anger set itself within him.

He turned back to Fain, a look of stony resolve on his face.  “Take me to her,” he demanded.  “Or bring her here.”

“Uuh, no can do, kiddo, sorry,” Fain anxiously replied.  He’d heard the message, but it clearly didn’t sit well with him knowing that Serana seemed intent on escaping her house arrest.

Leon angrily advanced on him.  “You got here!  Bring her here!” he intensely growled.

“This is not an easy thing to accomplish,” Fain protested.

“Twice you’ve come to this plane!” Leon roared.  Killing intent didn’t burst from him in a great flood, but it still leaked into his aura, placing enough pressure upon Fain that he paled and began to back up as Leon advanced.  “You can return!  You can free my mother!  Do NOT tell me you cannot!”

“I c—” Fain began, but his voice hitched when his back pressed up against the nearest Heartwood tree.  Leon still advanced, though, and got right up into Fain’s face.

“Bring.  Her.  Here.”  Leon’s tone brooked no argument, no patience.  However, Fain still disagreed.

The older enchanter snapped his fingers, and a shimmering shield of translucent white light with a pulsing ancient rune prominently displayed on its surface sprang into place, pushing Leon back and nearly off balance.

In a moment, Leon righted himself and conjured Iron Pride, but in the next moment he found himself pressed facedown in the dirt, incalculable weight pressed down upon him.  Fain, however, was not the source of that pressure.

“Have you forgotten where you are?!” Fain shouted.  “Control yourself!”

Leon fought against the pressure, but it didn’t lessen at all.  He struggled as hard as he could, but the aura of the Heartwood trees was simply too powerful, and on the ground he remained, his nose pressed into the dirt.

[Leon,] the Thunderbird soothingly whispered to him, [relax.  Relax!]

Rage burned within him, and for a moment, Leon contemplated harnessing that rage to continue resisting…  But reason won out and he halted his efforts to rise.  It only occurred to him as he pulled Iron Pride back into his soul realm that not even the Iron Needle had come to his aid.  That struck a chord within him that even the Thunderbird hadn’t, and in less than a second, all anger left him.  His body went limp even as the pressure lifted.  He remained on the ground, his mother’s voice still ringing in his ears, her promise of being a family sticking in his head.

“Are you… done?” Fain hesitantly asked.

After taking only one more second to breathe, Leon pushed himself back up.  He assumed he looked dreadful from the Heartwood Grove’s admonishment and his own emotional state affecting his expression, but he no longer cared.

He answered Fain in a dull, monotone voice, “I’ll be done when I’m reunited with my mother.”

Fain clearly did not appreciate that statement; he rubbed the back of his head nervously, gasping and sighing as whatever thoughts he had flitted through his head.  Occasionally, he glanced at Leon, but several minutes passed before he spoke again.

In those few minutes, Leon cleaned himself up, got his thoughts in order, and once more schooled his expression.

“You…” Fain began, but he cut himself off.  His eyes flickered in the direction of Artorias’ Heartwood tree.  “Is… Serana’s husband still… around?” he asked.

Leon gave him a withering glare.  “No.”

Grimacing heavily, Fain continued, “That… she’s… by Great Blue’s ballbag, this isn’t good…”

“You don’t say,” Leon growled without a shred of amusement.

“Uuuh… I’m… going to have to tell her that,” Fain nervously muttered, sweat already beading on his brow.  “I’m… going to die…”  He looked like he wanted to cry, but after a moment, realization crossed his face.  “Wait… no, I was just supposed to deliver the message, I don’t have to return to her!”

Anger lanced through Leon’s mind once again, but it didn’t linger.  “You’re not going to tell her that you found me?” he coolly asked.

The frigidity of Leon’s tone froze Fain for a split second.  “Um… subverting the enchantments placed upon her residence by the Patriarch is not… easy.  Or lightly done.”

“Yet you did it once, it seems.”

“And it was an immense risk.  One I’m not taking again!”

There were few things Leon wanted more in that moment than to punch Fain in the face, but once bitten, twice shy; he was not about to test the Heartwoods again.

“Know this, then, Fain,” Leon gravely growled, “I mean to enter the Nexus.  I mean to build my Kingdom up, return my Clan to the heights at which it once soared.  When I do… if my mother has not come to me by then… then I will come to her, and no power in the universe will stop me.”

A bold statement, but one said with such conviction that Fain was rendered visibly weak-kneed.

“Speculate for me, ‘kinsman’,” Leon continued, “what will I find when I get there?”

“If…” Fain stated, perhaps as a threat, but his wavering tone certainly ruined that impression.  He cleared his throat and started again as Leon’s golden eyes bored holes into him.  “If you try, then you will face the full might of the Great Black Dragon Clan, and our brother Clans.  You will not survive.”

“We’ll see,” Leon calmly stated.  “If you would be so kind, maybe you’ll answer a few questions of mine?”

It seemed Leon’s question gave Fain a real dilemma as he stood where he was, his eyes darting around, his face contorting at random intervals.  But when he refocused on Leon, he said, “I can spare a few minutes.  Then I must return home.”

“Where is the Great Black Dragon Clan in the Nexus?” Leon asked.

Fain stared at him, naked bewilderment flashing across his face.  “After what you just said, why would I answer that?”

“Is it not common knowledge?  Is your Clan so insignificant that I can’t ask in the first city I find in the Nexus?”

“If it was, why would you need me to answer?”

“I’m not in the Nexus.  You’re right here.”

Fain grimaced, then perked up a bit.  “I’ll answer you if you’ll give me answers of my own.”

“That’ll depend on the questions.”

“Then… I guess we’re in agreement?”

Leon cocked and lowered his head slightly in silent agreement.

“Our Clan…” Fain began before trailing off.  A moment of thought later, he began again.  “My Clan is on the continent of Arushae, in a valley shadowed by Morgaun’s Peak.”  His gaze sharpened.  “Now, Leon Raime… what is your Clan?”

Leon gave him a tight-lipped grin.  He toyed with the idea of telling him just as much as not telling him.  Secrecy would be a great help in the beginning, but…

‘I will not hide who I am.  They’ll find out about me anyway.  Only difference will be Fain will know my connection to his Clan…’

“I’m…”  Leon hesitated still, but when he settled on what he wanted to say, his grin became more pointed and genuine.  “When I come for my mother, I will bring the full might of the Thunderbird Clan upon all who stand in my way.”  He raised his hand and conjured a few silver-blue arcs of lightning between his fingers—not enough to trigger the Heartwood trees, but enough to prove his words were true.

To his credit, Fain’s only physical response was a brief widening of his eyes.  “That Clan was supposed to have been destroyed,” he whispered.  “Another casualty in Kamran’s crusade…”

“It sounds like we both have business with Kamran,” Leon noted.  With a sigh, he explained, “Do not mistake me, Fain, I do not want to bring war to my kin, whether knowingly or unknowingly.  I just want my family.  I want my mother back.  My father… is gone.  I hold the other half of my blood no ill will…”

‘Just the lizard itself,’ he silently added, a scowl threatening to spill out across his lips.

He continued aloud, “If we both have reason to hate Kamran, then let us be allies instead of enemies.  Wouldn’t your Patriarch be grateful for allies he can trust?”

“Few are the allies any dragon trusts,” Fain stated.  “Only our own brother Clans are trusted without reservation.  You…  There are a few other Clans that my uncle has been willing to court for allies.  The Phoenixes, the Heavenly Wolves… both Clans suffered from Kamran’s crusade.”

“Not as much as the Thunderbirds, it sounds like.”

“No, that’s true.  But Dragons do not respect blood, we respect strength.”

“Sounds about right,” Leon said, thinking again of the Great Black Dragon.  “Seems like you don’t like mixing with others at all.”

Fain scowled.  “If you’re strong enough, Leon, then it might be considered.  I can’t say how strong you’d have to be, but strong enough for our Patriarch to take notice.”

“Your Patriarch is, to my understanding, my grandfather?”

Fain slowly nodded, his scowl deepening.

“Well.  That’s something.”

Fain gave Leon a long, searching look, and after a moment’s deliberation, stated, “You should know… Serana… the Patriarch swore me to secrecy about you.  He believes that if anyone knew that Serana already has a family, then her prospects would diminish.”

With a look of confusion that quickly morphed into one of irritated understanding, Leon knowingly growled, “Define ‘prospects’.”

“Serana will succeed the Patriarch,” Fain explained.  “She’s favored by the Great Black Dragon, as the Patriarch is.  Our progenitor’s power runs thickly within them, greater than anyone else in the Clan.  The Patriarch believes that she ought to be married to an eligible bachelor from another powerful Clan to cement an alliance.”

Leon suspected that was the case, but to hear it so blatantly stated aloud had him staring at Fain in abject shock.  “You… mean… I thought.”  He took a second to organize his thoughts and bring his tongue back under control.  He then repeated, “I thought you disdained such matches.  That would track with the Gr—with what I know about your Clan.”

“Mixing lineages is not done lightly,” Fain stated.  “It would make having children impossible.”

Leon gave Fain a pointed look.

“Or, uh… unlikely, I suppose.”

“Why would anyone agree to these conditions, then?”

“Both partners would likely have concubines,” Fain stated with a shrug.  “The marriage is to confirm the alliance.”

Casting his gaze upward, Leon stared at the sky, to where he could just barely make out the Nexus amidst the light of the sun.  His mother was there, waiting for him… and Artorias.

“How close is this deal to being made?” he asked.

“Uuh, not even left the conceptual stage,” Fain drily, if hesitantly stated.  “The Princess has not been… cooperative.  Hence the house arrest.”

Leon hummed appreciatively.

“Another war with Kamran is expected,” Fain continued.  “And if… if it’s needed, I believe the Patriarch will order it, regardless of Serana’s opinion.”

“Sounds like that’ll just be a way for her to escape confinement,” Leon observed.

Fain wryly grinned and shrugged.  “Honestly, you’re probably not wrong.  I can’t see my good cousin marrying any of her suitors.  You know she used to make suitors from our Clan and our brother Clans crawl to come see her?  Even then, she’d send them crawling away.”

“Heh.  That makes sense, dragons are particularly arrogant, aren’t they?”

Fain shrugged again.  “We can be.  I make it a point to… not be.”  He sighed and stared pointedly at Leon.  “I think… look, uh, your… two bloodlines is unprecedented.  Maybe… maybe the Patriarch could see… I, uh, maybe he’ll see reason.  Probably not, but he might.  You don’t… you could be a part of our Clan.”

Leon softly snorted, and then with a mischievous grin, said, “I have faced a Primal God and a Primal Devil.  Both times I survived, the latter more recently.  After both, the Great Black Dragon himself came to me.  The first time, he denounced me as a bastard, as someone unworthy of being a part of his Clan.  After the second… he offered me acknowledgment.  I turned him down, and he, in effect, banished me.  It was made abundantly clear to me that I will never be a part of your Clan.”

Fain stared at him, aghast.  After several seconds of silence, however, that expression turned to one of skepticism.  “The Primal Gods and Devils are all dead.  That’s impossible.”

“Believe it or not, it won’t change a thing.  The Primal Devil in question—it goes by, or was given, the name ‘Planerend’—will make its presence known at some point, anyway.  Probably.  It’s been fifty years since then, so it’s certainly moving on its own time.”

A wave of dismissal was Fain’s immediate response.  “Fine, you’re not a part of our Clan.  No need for outlandish stories.”

It was Leon’s turn to shrug, and he didn’t argue the point.

“Strength is what matters to us,” Fain stated.  “If you’re, uh, set on aiding Serana…  I wouldn’t be opposed to it, but you won’t get far without strength.”

“Thanks for the heads-up.  But I wasn’t laboring under any delusions on that front, I assure you.”

Fain quietly grunted.  Then, his eyes widened a moment in realization, and he conjured a crystal from his soul realm that was flashing red.  “I must be off.  Good meeting you, Leon Raime.  For us both, I’ll pretend we never met and that I never came here.  My message has been delivered, and that’s all I was asked to do.”

Leon was about to say something more, but Fain then conjured a second crystal in the first’s place, and a moment later, the crystal flashed with arcane power.  Fain was surrounded by a sphere of inky black darkness with a hint of blue at its core.  The sphere disappeared a moment later, taking Fain with it.

‘And just like that, back to the Nexus…’ Leon thought in admiration.

He spared only a few seconds to process everything that was said, then took off into the air again.  His anger was still there, but he’d contained it well enough, he thought.  He had a lot to process, but in the meantime, his family and friends were waiting for word that everything was all right.

As he flew away, though, he cringed slightly, wondering if he should’ve told Fain about his wives.  In the end, however, he supposed it wouldn’t matter that much.  At the very least, he knew where his mother was, he knew what she looked like, what she sounded like…  He knew that she wanted to be with him and his father, that she was still alive, that she still thought of them enough to send Fain with her message.

He now knew that she needed help.

She was no longer just an idea in his head, a vague goal, a mountain of perpetually unanswered questions and what-ifs.  She was in the Nexus, literally calling for him.

He tightened his hold over the black slate as he flew, resolved to answer her as soon as he could.

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