[TWS] Chapter 314 – One of Us

“Well, I don’t think anyone expected a connection like that,” Asterios commented with a wry smile.

“Does that mean Abyss is Umbra’s mother?” Miria tilted her head while adorably furrowing her brows.

“I don’t think it’s that simple,” Althea answered. “There are many ways something can be born into existence in the universe. Sometimes out of spiritual energy or essence, sometimes out of complete nothing. Her actions might have created an environment that provided the necessary conditions for something new to be born. If she can be called a mother is debatable, but it certainly doesn’t take away from the fact that she cares for the result of her actions.”

“Umbra said he was born out of shadows,” Tina pointed out. “They might be indirectly connected to her. As we’ve seen, she did have some influence over him during the conversation.”

“I think it would be better to ask these questions to the person in question.” Grea snickered. “Now, what are you going to do?”

Noticing her smirk directed at him, Asterios shrugged. “We’ll think about it. Consider all the angles. Discuss it amongst ourselves. Before that, we do have to finish our previous topic.”

The Dragon lady turned to the queen. “You’ve been awfully quiet, Little Levander. Are you alright?”

Civienne sighed lightly. “It’s just a lot to take in. But, you are right, we need to finish what we started. Are you going to accept his offer, Teacher?”

Althea glanced at Asterios. “I believe it to be the best choice for me at the current moment. That mysterious woman might not be as helpful as I first suspected and I did promise to guide him through his ancestry as much as I can. And I’m curious how the other lands changed during my absence.”

“Then I shall do the same.” The queen made a resolute nod before also turning her gaze to him. “Will you accept my pledge, then?”

He considered it for a moment, diving into his mind. After a brief discussion with his mates, he decided to grant Civienne’s request. Althea had suggested he started growing his retinue and the Elf Queen was certainly a valuable ally. Plus, it would allow the two to keep in touch, which would ensure that Civienne didn’t suddenly fall into melancholy with her motherly figure gone from her life.

“I will,” he finally agreed. “I guess it will benefit you too. Contacting some of the other rulers will get much easier since they are included in the connection we’ll be sharing after the ritual. It might make cooperation much simpler.”

“That’s true. I was going to discuss our further involvement in the town of Glimmervale with the Human King anyway,” she added.

“Umbra should be able to produce a better environment for such talks than the Mirror Cube when our minds are linked. After we give him some time to process everything that has just happened.” Asterios petted the shadowy raven still standing more or less still in the middle of the table.

“That ability you used to visit me in the academy, right? And some other people. It’s such an amazing thing.” Tina showed a reminiscing smile.

“Very well.” The queen stood up. “We should not delay any further. There is much we have yet to do today and prepare for.”

“And what’s that, exactly?” Selene raised a curious brow at her.

“Most importantly, the commendation ceremony,” Civienne replied.

“Commendation ceremony?” Bryn asked.

“You didn’t think everything you’ve done for our nation would be swept under a rug?” The queen regarded them with her usual, icy gaze. “Your assistance was a crucial element in ridding our homeland of an unknown threat. We can’t leave you unrewarded. Especially not when you are here on an official delegation from the Human Kingdom. Plus, while informing the people about the evil spreading right under their noses would be unwise, letting them know about the fact that the issue has been dealt with and thus made their lives safer would raise morale. There rarely comes a chance to show that we are actually doing something for the masses and not just sit in our elevated positions.”

“And I’m sure the news that the elves are grateful to our kingdom for the received help will only strengthen the support my father receives from our nobles and citizens,” Silvia added with a noble smile. “I bet he is already preparing his own ceremony as we speak. This delegation turned into something much bigger than anyone ever expected.”

“And to think we first assumed it was all about the summoning incident.” Grea chuckled. “Things are never as you see them.”

“If we are this tight on the schedule, let’s get right into it.” Asterios stood up too, followed by everyone else. “I hope you don’t mind conducting the rituals here?”

“Not in the slightest.” Althea shook her head. “This place contains lots of memories. For both of us. I don’t think there is a better location for the next step in our long lives.”

Miria and Selene tidied up the table while Asterios dismissed Umbra to take a moment of rest. His shadowy friend was still processing everything and some time alone would do him good. They were definitely going to need him at full mental strength the day they decided to step into his cruel realm.

Silvia brought in two ornamental cups, one silver and one gold, which were going to hold Ast’s blood. He didn’t think it would be appropriate for either of the ladies to lick it off his hand like Zoe had and he didn’t completely trust Miria not to play a trick on him again, this time with Althea. Though, perhaps Grea was the bigger threat, considering the sly grins she shot at him.

Civienne and Althea stood side by side as the latter observed Ast’s preparations, adding some interesting comments and guidelines for the upcoming process, already taking her role as his mentor quite earnestly. Cutting himself and letting the wound bleed was a slight challenge due to his newly-gained self-regeneration, even with a quite deep slash. Tia came in with some help too, teaching Asterios how to suppress it for a moment. It was harder than he would have thought, but he was glad to learn that it worked this intensively all the time even when he wasn’t paying attention to it.

After enough of his blood dripped into the chalices, Asterios let the cut in his palm seal itself while the girls looked at it in awe. They hadn’t seen his regeneration in action that many times yet but they all agreed that they would never get bored of watching the injuries magically mend themselves in front of their eyes. Even Bryn was fascinated as it was something slightly different from her Healing Magic which was based majorly on light.

Using the gathered blood, he drew the correct sigils on Althea’s and Civienne’s foreheads, continuing to listen to the former’s advice. She corrected him a few times, ensuring that everything was perfect. Slight discrepancies wouldn’t impact the ritual that much since Asterios had completed it on his own plenty of times already, but he could tell that their new draconic companion was a serious teacher, intending on her pupils to be nothing less than complete aces.

With that done, he handed them the ornamental cups and the pair consumed the scarlet liquid at the same time. Asterios noticed a faint change in Althea’s expression as she sipped on her share, noting the hint of surprise on her forehead, followed by a pleased smile gently curling up the corners of her lips. Civienne didn’t react in any special way. She didn’t seem to mind the blood either.

Miria and Selene took the chalices back and offered the other two handkerchiefs to wipe their mouths. Then, Asterios proceeded to approach them one by one and placed a kiss on the sigils decorating their foreheads. He took his time to linger within that action, letting the flow of his draconic energy continue at a steady pace, instructed to do so by Althea.

Asterios felt the connections click into place just as they did. It was still a mystery how he could perceive their tiers almost subconsciously, but that was perhaps part of his draconic origins. He hated the names given to the tiers by his ancestors, yet they somehow continued to linger in the back of his mind no matter what other ones he tried to enforce. At least his tongue wasn’t compelled to speak them too so he was able to be more respectful through spoken words.

In just a moment after Asterios stepped back, the bloody marks evaporated from the duo’s foreheads. A delicate, crimson glow illuminated different parts of their bodies and everyone watched as Ast’s mark appeared on the back of Althea’s hand and over Civienne’s heart. Both ladies examined the symbols before turning to him.

“Is it completed now?” the queen asked.

“Looks like it,” he confirmed. “You should be able to sense the connection already.”

She glanced Althea’s way and the Dragon lady met her gaze. They stared at each other for a moment while Asterios felt a little tingle in the back of his mind. He knew that it was a direct conversation between the two of them, but if he put a bit more focus into it, he would have no issues either listening in on them or joining it. That might be the privilege of being the host of the bond.

Within just a few seconds in the outside world, both women looked back at him and the queen nodded. “It really works. Thank you. Now, as much as I would like to explore this new ability more and discuss all the details of the connection with you, I unfortunately have to take care of the preparations.”

“I’ll explain it to you in the meanwhile so don’t worry.” Althea smiled at her. “You always loved to listen to my classes when you were little. We now have a new topic to cover. You can look forward to it.”

“Since Umbra is still a bit indisposed, I’ll help you get back up,” Asterios offered. “Are we needed for those preparations?”

Civienne took his hand and shook her head. “You just have to show up in the main palace at the correct time. Most of the ceremonials will take place there and will be displayed for the rest of the citizens through the announcement panes.”

“Announcement panes?” Miria glanced at her curiously.

“Our airborne divisions uphold big panes of clear crystal in each of the four cardinal directions. Those are used by a few select mages who operate altered memory crystals from within the throne room. Instead of recording what they store in their memories, those artifacts just copy what they see and share it with the linked panes. Naturally, there’s also at least one mage who strengthens the volume of all the sounds and sends them outwards,” the queen explained. “We’ve learned long ago that people appreciate this more than crowding in a single plaza where only a handful can see what’s happening on the stage.”

“That’s so cool!” The panthergirl bounced in place excitedly. “I almost want to see it but would hate to miss the ceremony at the throne room!”

“We’ll definitely get another chance.” Asterios ruffled through her hair, caressing her soft ears.

“Definitely.” Civienne nodded. “Back to your earlier question, you don’t need to do anything specific, but I think it would be proper for Captain Tina to let her squad know about the ceremony.”

“I’ll do just that.” Tina made a respectful bow. “Thank you for including them too, Your Majesty.”

“It’s nothing you have to thank me for. They played their role in the subjugation and shall receive the proper honor for it,” the queen replied. “I’ll let you know when the time is right through our new connection. Until then, you are free to spend your time however you wish.”

Exchanging one last nod with Althea, she turned her attention to Asterios and they were swallowed by shadows. He returned the queen to the palace before moving near the barracks where Tina’s squadmates were stationed, joined by the captain herself. The rest of the girls went to prepare themselves for the ceremony in Selene’s realm while their new Dragon friend did the same in her little cottage.

All of Tina’s subordinates were training alongside the elves when the duo arrived so they decided to wait a little and watch the joint practice. Two teams faced off in the air, one mounted atop their winged tigers while the other sat atop their huge hummingbirds. The formations and evolutions both groups performed were something truly unique and showcased their strengths and weaknesses pretty well.

Tina made a mental note of what she’d noticed to pass to her second-in-command later. Seeing her so invested in her role as a team leader brought a smile to Ast’s face.

After the sparring match finished, Kathy lined up her colleagues and Tina shared the good news with them. While the members of her squad were surprised and shocked to receive such honors, the elves applauded them from the side. It looked like the forces of the two kingdoms weren’t hindered by any unnecessary prejudice or malice and might have developed a healthy companionship during their cooperation.

Then, Tina ordered her men to tidy themselves up and dress in their official garments. Since she had no idea when exactly the big event was going to take place, she requested them to be ready as soon as possible. They saluted their captain at once and rushed back to the barracks.

Asterios then brought them to the beastfolk realm through Selene’s portal and they joined everyone. A quick bath later, without any mischief, they were discussing their choice of clothes until Silvia suggested they just go with their usual attire since that was what they were using in the field. Asterios agreed with her but the girls then teased him about his ability to remodel his clothes at the spot whenever he wanted so he left them alone to their friendly argument.

In the end, they did choose their usual uniforms and regrouped with Althea. She also remained in the robes they had usually seen her in but freshened up a little bit. While she wasn’t going to be introduced to the people by their side, as per her and Civienne’s decision to avoid revealing anything about Althea’s past, she was still going to attend from the sidelines.

It turned out that the queen didn’t need that much time to finish her preparations, most likely already having her people work on the ceremony from very early in the morning, and after just two or three hours, they received a word to make their way into the palace. It was up to them if they wanted to show up from inside or outside so Miria quickly requested them to walk in there, hoping to experience the magical transmission.

So, Asterios helped Althea get to the surface and they were joined by the girls jumping out of their portals. It looked like Miria was at least partially in luck. They could spot four massive sheets of crystal being upheld by eight hummingbirds each, split evenly per side, but they were still inactive. At least the sight was quite impressive.

As they neared the palace, people were starting to gather in the streets and look up. Selene noted that the view would have to be incredible from those city-touring flying boats and Miria’s eyes lit up with pure excitement at the very thought of it. But, they had to save that idea for another time and pushed forward to their destination.

The closer they got to the palace, the more royal guards lined up the path for them, raising their weapons into the air as they passed. Civienne must have expected them to take this option rather than the other one. And it definitely created a memorable atmosphere.

Soon, they reached the royal hallways and were stopped in front of the entrance to the throne chamber. Waiting to be let in, they made final fixes to their attire and looks, forming two rows behind Asterios and Tina, who were the official representatives of their delegation. Althea bid her temporary farewell with them and strolled into another corridor. When the gates opened, the girls almost gasped at the additional splendor in the spacious hall, now filled to the brim with people and ornaments.

One sentry led them in and announced their arrival, listing all their names one by one. They walked down the rich, emerald carpet while trying not to gawk around. To their sides, guards in the finest armor stood to attention. Behind them, nobles and important elves gathered, lowering their heads as Ast’s group passed. The only empty space in the entire chamber was in front of the queen’s throne, right before the short steps leading up to her elevated position.

They reached the designated spot and formed a line too. Soon after, they heard the gate to the throne room open once more and the sentry announced the arrival of Tina’s squad, who walked in without their trusty mounts and stopped behind Ast’s group. The queen regarded them with a firm glance, turned her head to one of the magicians standing by a pedestal with a crystal orb at the back side of the chamber, and stood up after a while.

“Welcome, dear citizens,” she began, spreading her arms while moving her eyes over the entire hall. “You might be wondering what’s the reason behind today’s quite festive gathering. Today, we come here to show proper respect and honor to the representatives of the Human Kingdom’s delegation for the huge service they have done to our nation.”

Civienne paused for an added effect and Asterios had no doubts that outside the palace the crowds on the streets were whispering to each other curiously.

“You might still remember the joint operation shared between the kingdoms and nations of Kraedorion to rid the realm of an evil cult aiming to poison all existence,” the queen continued. “While the operation was successful, it did not eliminate the threat completely. We were sure that the remnants of the malicious organization remained in hiding, including the leaders. But, that state did not last for long.”

She paused once more and gestured down at Asterios and Tina’s subordinates.

“It was but a coincidence that we discovered those remnants thinking themselves safely hidden amongst us, lying in wait for the storm that hit their cult to pass. These people in front of me were the ones who noticed the hints and led the investigation alongside our best, who of course, have been properly rewarded for their efforts too,” Civienne explained. “But, this ceremony is for those who had no obligation to go out of their way and deeply involve themselves in the matters of our society, risking their health and lives in the process. A friendly, peaceful delegation from our neighbors proved that they are more than just paper allies. They are friends, comrades who are ready to do the right thing for the sake of not just our people but even the entire realm.”

With one more sweep of the chamber with her gaze, she began slowly descending the light steps toward the group. Two ladies in long, intricate dresses Asterios recognized as the robes belonging to the Elders came in from the sides, carrying a decorative tray each, one silver and one jade green.

“With their help, the evil organization has been banished from the realm for good,” the queen stopped between them, behind Asterios and the knights, who turned towards the hall. “Our nation is safe again, perhaps more than it ever was with the ancient threat finally gone from our lives. And after a period of trial and combat, comes the time for honor and awards. Therefore, with the power granted to me by my predecessor, our ancestors, and the Tree of Life, I hereby issue the following.”

Civienne moved closer to the line made by Tina’s squad, accompanied by the lady holding the silver tray. She picked up a thumb-sized pin shaped like a gentle leaf on the wind. Its edges, veins, and venules were gold while the filling of the blade was pure silver. Holding it between the fingers, she raised it up for all to see.

“For the brave knights of the Twelfth Regiment of the Royal Division from the Human Kingdom, I offer the Leaf of Faith,” the queen announced. “This is the highest honor we can award to members of other races and citizens of another nation. Their input in our cause will forever be remembered and they shall be treated with respect equal to our finest wardens wherever they go in our lands. Let my words be known to all.”

As she started attaching the pins to their uniforms, the elves gathered in the throne chamber applauded them. It didn’t take long for Civienne to reach the last person, who turned out to be Kathy, and she nodded at them respectfully. They all saluted together and stepped to the sides, splitting into two halves. Then, they mirrored the position of the elf sentries and lined themselves up around Ast’s party, continuing the path of honor to the very steps leading up to the throne.

The queen was then joined by the person with the jade tray and the pair approached Asterios and Tina first. She picked up a small depiction of a lush tree and he could tell that it definitely had to resemble the Tree of Life when it still had its crown. The entire shape was made of beautiful emerald, including the trunk and the tiny leaves, while the contour of the pin was adorned with a silver line.

“Now, for the heroes who fought the threat directly, facing the true leader of the cult alongside my own person, I make an offer that hasn’t been made in a long time. The Elders agreed with my decision and even endorsed it. Without these seven, nothing would have changed, and perhaps in the far future, our nation could have been met with serious internal strife,” Civienne said, evoking an eerie silence amongst the people. “Today, I have the honor and pleasure to award them with the Order of the Tree.”

Whispers and murmurs exploded almost immediately, filling the spacious hall. It wasn’t hard to imagine what the situation looked like outside of the palace. Whatever she was going to award them with, seemed extremely serious amongst the elves.

“Therefore, as our tradition states, Asterios Hestizo, Tina Nobelle, and their trusty companions are now considered national heroes of our people. Wherever they go, their status shall be no lesser than mine and the Elders. From this day on, they can be considered our own kin and shall be treated as such. Let the blessings they receive from the Tree of Life descend upon us too,” she explained and made the slightest bow towards them.

A loud applause echoed through the chamber once more as the queen attached the pins to their uniforms. Meanwhile, Asterios and the girls shared a glance. He started wondering what the hell had they gotten themselves into once again.