Processing his encounter with Fain took Leon some time.  His mother was now an actual person in his head, and her face and her voice had carved themselves into his mind from the moment he’d heard them.  Despite this, he wasn’t particularly happy.  The revelation that Serana hadn’t simply abandoned him and his father lifted his heart considerably, but now he had a better idea of what stood between himself and her, and he knew that his chances of reaching her were low.

For now, anyway.

The reinforcement of the idea that he wouldn’t be accepted as a member of the Great Black Dragon Clan didn’t help, too.  He wasn’t sure how he might reach his mother, but violence seemed like it was going to be his only option.

‘If the Great Dragons only respect strength, then I’ll show them mine,’ he vowed.

As he flew away from the Heartwood Grove, he sent a quick mental message to his friends and family, letting them know that everything was all right.  He stopped by their rendezvous point to get an update on their situations and was pleased to find that his friends were accumulating plenty of tree sprites.  Thankfully, they were inhuman enough to fit inside the flower that Tikos had given his party to plant in the Forest of Black and White.  Leon wasn’t sure how, his interest in the process having died when Tikos informed him that it wasn’t replicable for humans, else he would’ve devoted no small amount of time to studying it.

So, his population of tree sprites was going to grow considerably when he returned to Kataigida, borne by Tikos’ flower.

Once he’d soothed his people’s anxieties, he and his family returned to his childhood home—or rather, what was left of it, to finish paying their respects to Artorias’ Heartwood tree.

For the most part, Anzu and Leon’s ladies left him alone while he remained with the Heartwood.  He didn’t say much, but he played Serana’s message several times, both for himself so that he could hear his mother’s voice, and for his father.  If an afterlife existed, Leon wanted Artorias to hear her, too.  Serana hadn’t forgotten them.  She still loved them.  They would never be the family that they all wanted, not after Artorias’ death, but when Leon closed his eyes, he did his best to imagine that perfect family life.

He could picture Artorias and Serana there with him, perhaps even with a younger sibling or two.  He knew that given the Inherited Bloodlines involved, the chances of siblings were practically nonexistent, but it didn’t stop his fantasies.  He simply couldn’t help imagining what life might’ve been like if Kamran’s forces hadn’t torn their family apart.

The mere thought of Kamran had his blood boiling, but the aura of Artorias’ Heartwood settled around him, soothing him, banishing his dark thoughts.  Leon appreciated it; he would’ve felt tremendous shame if what could very well be his last time paying respect to his father’s grave was tainted by hate and killing intent.

The clearing around his childhood home was peaceful.  Serene.  Picturesque.  There wasn’t a single monster or errant spark of fell magic to disturb them.  If Leon ever thought of paradise, he would’ve thought of that clearing of purple grass.

But he couldn’t stay there forever, much as he might’ve wanted to.  As the sun set and the sky turned blood red, Leon rested his head against the rough bark of the Heartwood tree.

“I will find her,” he whispered.  He squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to shed tears in that moment.  “No one will stop me,” he vowed.  “No power in the universe will stand against me.  I will find her.”

He thought he might be imagining it, but he thought he felt the aura of the Heartwood shudder.

There were so many other things that he could’ve said, but when he opened his mouth, the words wouldn’t come.  He tried to tell Artorias how much he missed him, how much he wished everything bad that had ever happened, hadn’t.  He wanted to assure the tree that he would return periodically even though he knew he couldn’t guarantee it.  He wanted to boast that he had the support of many powerful and competent people and that he was sure to succeed with such support.

But he couldn’t say anything.  In the end, with his head pressed against the tree, his eyes squeezed tightly shut, he murmured in a trembling voice, “Goodbye.”  He lingered there for a moment longer, burning the feeling of his father’s Heartwood tree into his memory.  He had no idea when, or if, he might visit again.

The aura of the Heartwood enveloped him, embracing him.  With his eyes shut, Leon could almost imagine his father there, arms wrapped around his shoulders.  He could almost hear his father whispering his name, calling him ‘little lion’ again, and wishing him well.

When Leon finally opened his eyes, everything was exactly the same as when he’d closed them.  He’d almost hoped the tree was glowing—more than usual, at least—or showing some kind of sign that his father had heard him.  No such sign was apparent.  In the end, he supposed, while it was his father’s Heartwood tree, it was still just a tree.  Magical, but hardly imbued with any kind of sentience, let alone anything that might be tied back to his father.

That was just wishful thinking on his part.

When Leon turned away from the tree, his eyes glistened with tears that he did all in his power not to shed.  He blinked rapidly, and when his eyes refocused, he found the family he’d built waiting for him not too far away.

Anzu, his white hair grown out, a look of supportive determination on his white-as-milk face.

Elise, watching him with equal parts love and concern.

Maia, a smile gracing her bronze face, quiet confidence oozing from every gesture.

Valeria, resolve passing over her features and obscuring the quiet guilt that had been there before.

Cassandra, a savage grin playing at her lips while she cracked her knuckles, looking like she was readying herself for the battles ahead.

Leon stepped away from the Heartwood and began walking back to them.  Only once did he look back, to sear the view of his father’s Heartwood into his memory.  With his family there and his friends waiting for them, he found that he was surprisingly happy.  But with the memory slate still in his hand, his mother’s message still ringing in his ears, he knew that this part of his journey was over.

It was time to stop looking back.  Now, his focus was on the road ahead.

---

After leaving the Forest of Black and White, Leon’s party flew over the Frozen Mountains directly back to the Bull Kingdom.  It was a rough flight for the weaker members of the party, but with Leon leading the way, hardly debilitatingly so.

They made it back to Teira by the morning of the following day; the Bull King and his family welcomed them back in style, and Leon and his party feasted well that night.

Then started their long trek back to Ariminium.  King Julius wanted to stop for a while in the capital, but with the memory slate practically burning a hole in Leon’s mind, Leon refused his gracious offer of hospitality.  So, after a journey lasting almost three weeks, they returned to Ariminium where Bolt in Shadow still hovered, waiting for them.  Leon was amused to see Red circling the ark in her enormous tenth-tier wyvern form, and he made sure to let everyone know of his return.  They would spend one last night in Ariminium before beginning their flight south to Occulara in the morning.

That night, they feasted and celebrated old times with the Bull King.  Leon wasn’t shy about admitting that this might be the last time they saw each other, and so he chatted with as many people as he could, both that night and during the journey to the city from Teira.  He spoke with and said his goodbyes to the King and his family, including Princes August and Antonius, as well as Princesses Stefania and Aelia.  He reminisced with Aquillius and Minerva and had a short, rather one-sided spar with Constantine.

When night fell, however, such celebrations had to be put behind him in favor of business.  Alix’s parents would be accompanying them south, but no other family members of his former retinue would do the same.  This made some sense as most of his former retainers from the Bull Kingdom had come from noble families, and they were wary of leaving their ancestral homes even if they no longer had political titles.  Leon gave his people as much time as they might want to say their goodbyes, especially since this might be the last time their families would ever see each other.  He wanted them to follow him to the Nexus without regrets, and he especially wanted their kids to know their motherland.

While handling much of this business, he had two important meetings with old acquaintances, both for the same general reason.

The Paladin Roland was both the first and the quicker of the two.  Lucianus, he’d said, wanted to remain with Leon’s Kingdom.  Given how strong and capable Roland’s son had become under Marcus, Leon was perfectly happy to accept his continued service, bittersweet though he knew it would be for both father and son.

The meeting with King Julius was longer, as both Cristina and Asiya wanted to join Leon’s expedition to the Nexus, too.  Leon had long ago accepted their request to join the migration, though he wouldn’t be allowing them to join the first expedition, so there was no convincing needed on that front.  However, the Bull King did emphasize his hope for his daughter and daughter-in-law to continue to grow, both magically and as people, in Leon’s care.  Leon gave the old King as definitive of an oath as he felt appropriate, swearing to keep the two of them safe for as long as they were under his aegis.

It seemed that the King was satisfied with that, and with that bit of business concluded, he invited Leon to have one last conversation, which Leon accepted.

No great lectures were made, nor any words of wisdom shared.  Julius simply wanted to know what the Thunder Kingdom was like, how its people lived, and what kinds of sports they enjoyed.  He was particularly aghast, and a little interested in, the blood sports of the Lions, though the races and other sports that were popping up that made use of transformation enchantments were the focus of Leon’s part in the chat.

When the time came for the meeting to end and Leon to return to his apartment in the Diplomatic Corps’ building, the Bull King gave him one last gift: a small statue of Leon himself, his family’s sword drawn and pointed forward while he rode Anzu.

“It’s a copy of a rather famous piece now standing as a monument in the Southern Territories,” the Bull King joked.  “I almost wish we had taken the Naga River south instead of using the roads.  It might’ve been worth it just to see your face.”

Leon graciously accepted the statue, though not without being vocally grateful that they hadn’t gone that route.  Even though he was now the Thunder King, he didn’t allow statues of himself to be raised anywhere in his Kingdom.  All dedications to him and his Clan were to be rendered in Thunderbird form.

For his part, though, Leon didn’t allow the gift to go unreciprocated.  He left a bottle of ambrosia with the King, making a big deal out of it to stand in contrast with the second object he left: a thick tome filled with instructions for a certain blood magic array to be erected in the soul realm.  Using darkness magic, he impressed upon Julius the importance of keeping such knowledge under lock and key, and only when Julius nodded along did Leon finally say his goodbyes.

He trusted the King to keep that information safe.  It was hardly of much use outside of those rare few who had Inherited Bloodlines, but it was still strategic-level knowledge that shouldn’t be given to just anyone.  Still, it was an amusing thought, the Bull Kingdom being led by what could be seen as another Sacred Bull.  The Bull King’s bloodline already had similar legends telling of members of the bloodline having horns, so it wasn’t like something like that was unprecedented…

When the morning came and it was time to depart, the goodbyes were long and filled with tears.  Many of Leon’s friends said their goodbyes to their families, and Leon farewelled the Bull King and his family.

“You will always be welcome in my Kingdom, Leon,” Julius said as he and Leon clasped wrists.  “Your Ancestors remain here.  So do be sure to visit.”  He gave Leon a cheeky smile.

In response, Leon stated, “And you’ll always be welcome in my Kingdom, should you ever wish to see it, distant though it may be.”  He paused for a moment, then added, “May your Ancestors smile upon you, Julius.”

“And may yours welcome you home, Leon.”

The two Kings released each other’s wrists, and Leon and his people wrapped up their goodbyes.  They entered the landed Bolt in Shadow, their party now larger by three dozen new, young knightesses who’d agreed to swear themselves to Princess Cristina and follow her to the Nexus, Alix’s parents, and more than a hundred new tree sprites captured in Tikos’ flower.

It was a bittersweet feeling for Leon when Bolt in Shadow took flight.  He watched as all of these people he had fond memories of waved them off.  It felt like the land itself where so many members of his House and Clan had ruled for eighty-thousand years was saying its goodbye.

For others in the ark, however, it was far more bitter than sweet.  Leon had long made it known to them that this was most likely going to be the last time they saw their family members for the rest of their lives.  Given how long they’d been away, some of those family members had already passed on, including Gaius’ mother and Marcus’ father.  But it was another feeling entirely to say their last goodbyes to their families knowing that seeing them again was terribly unlikely.

Consequently, as Bolt in Shadow reached cruising altitude and Ariminium slowly disappeared into the haze of distance behind them, the mood aboard the ark became as somber as a funeral.  The comparison was apt, in Leon’s opinion, as this was a permanent end to this part of their lives.  Once they found their way to the Nexus, going back to the way that things were would be impossible.

‘Hells, it already is,’ Leon thought as Artorias and Trajan flashed through his mind.  He thought, too, of Torfinn and his thanes, and how old they’d become, how ready they were to meet their Ancestors.  Life moved on.  Ariminium was largely the same city that Leon had lived in while he served under Trajan, but without the Prince there, it had been irrevocably changed.  When those members of their families passed, when no one remained whom they could call friend, when their remaining blood relatives became so distant that language simply didn’t exist to describe their relation… then how could the Bull Kingdom even be called home anymore?

He'd always found some comfort in knowing that the Bull Kingdom was there, still ruled by King Julius, and with Prince August serving as Crown Prince.  Minerva, old though she’d become, still served as the Consul of the Center, and Constantine was yet the Consul of the East.

That comfort vanished behind him with Ariminium.  The home they left behind would not remain for long, leaving only the home that they’d create to find comfort in.

It was bittersweet now, with an emphasis on bitter, but Leon was confident that as time passed and the possibilities of the future were laid out before them, the sweet would take over.  But until that time came, he, and all the other Bull Kingdom natives on Bolt in Shadow, couldn’t help but feel heavy as the land of their birth disappeared behind for the last time.

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