It had been a week and a half since the Scarlet Banquet had been effectively purged from the city and King’s Dream had been disbanded, yet the group remained vigint on the wall. Dazien had done as he said he would, signing Phoenix and him up with the Ducal Guard while the other three members had been graciously given wall contracts from the AOA as solo Adventurers. He suspected it was in an effort to not lose more members.

  While Saiya and Rayna had said they were willing to leave as well, if needed, they still wanted to avoid doing so as it was their main form of identification for traveling at the moment. They weren’t entirely sure their status as leaders of a non-existent cn would be honored in certain pces, and the AOA licenses made things much smoother for them.

  Uriel was also in a simir situation with no family to his name and even more complications with the Silencer around his neck. They weren’t even sure he would be allowed to keep the Chains that didn’t trigger the monster arms without being a licensed Adventurer since that was part of the stipution to getting those. This factor might not be a concern once they left Tulimeir, but the Silencer would definitely raise questions that the license would help avoid.

  Phoenix and Dazien, on the other hand, were given official documents from Patricia that described their positions within the Waynd family under Duke Tul. They had been recently upgraded to Barons of the Sacred City and its surrounding area that had been mostly undeveloped tundra beforehand.

  This didn’t change Phoenix’s title of Regent or his own title of Heir, but it did change Paul’s and raised the entire House’s status among the nobility. Being a nded noble was always considered more important since the management of an entire city was their responsibility and often included additional smaller towns within the territory.

  Dazien understood after years of study that nobility, at its core, was both prestige and responsibility. It came down to the delegation of responsibilities to manage the resources and serve the people who lived within their sphere of influence. House Waynd’s only responsibilities previously had been food, specifically the distribution, trade, and growth, along with interfacing with the Cultivator’s clergy to manage the Citadel that helped feed everyone.

  When House Ruwena had been found to be traitors, House Teras had taken over the management of the Reality Rift that had previously been Ruwena’s responsibility, though the Duke made sure to add more checks and regutions in that regard to prevent a simir betrayal in the future.

  All these interchanges and shifting of responsibilities were what comprised the bance of powers and hierarchy within the nobility, and Dazien’s own pce within it all had skyrocketed in the st month alone. From orphan to Baron’s Heir was a jump he had not been expecting so soon, but he was confident in the training he had put himself through in preparation to be a king.

  Phoenix was not so prepared.

  He was pleased that she seemed to at least understand this fact and trusted him to handle those nuanced responsibilities for them both. With her newfound dedication to becoming a “proper Saint”—whatever that truly meant—it at least seemed to instill more caution in her.

  She had even come to him a couple of days ago for advice on etiquette, which she was now putting to good use as she stood on his left while Uriel was on his right. They were all standing in front of the Temple of the Parent, where he had chosen to do this.

  Knight Thevaris came up to him and asked one st time before they would begin the ceremony, “Are you certain this is the pce you wish to put your mother to rest?”

  “Yes,” he replied. “It’s where I grew up, and I know she’ll protect the children here as she had tried to protect me in life.”

  Gemites were often buried and “returned to the earth from which they came” rather than pced upon a pyre. Normal fire couldn’t burn their magically reinforced bones, nails, or hair, and it was also symbolic of gemstones and metals that naturally formed within the earth. The fact that the species was also first birthed within the Underdeep made it even more fitting to be buried below the surface.

  A simple burial wasn’t exactly what they were doing now, however. Knight Thevaris knew the proper funeral ritual to create a Gemveil Tree that would transfigure the bones of the deceased into a crystalline tree of protection. The form of that protection depended on the type of gemite, and Dazien had learned that amethyst ones like him resulted in increased resistance against Death and Dimension magic in a small area around the tree.

  There were groves of these trees in the Underdeep as well as other pces in the world where communities had grown. The only pce Dazien could think of that held any meaning for him, however, was the py yard where he had often needed his mother’s protection. He hoped to give it to the children here, who had been a second family of sorts and an irrepceable part of his history.

  High Priestess Anna Deserin was there with them and had been honored by the offer. Many of the other children had gathered to watch, and even Jennica had understood enough to set aside her anger at him to stand behind him while he buried his mom. He suspected the news of him no longer being an Adventurer had also helped temper her animosity towards him, as well as simply growing up and surviving a war that had seen many more die, whether they were an Adventurer or not.

  The number of orphans had drastically increased after the events of the prolonged blood moon and assault from the Soul Reapers, but those enemies were gone now, and the blood moon would end any night now. Dazien had worked with Patricia during that time to try and get more assistance for the temple to handle the influx. They had only had four priests for as long as he had been there after the old High Priest had passed on, and with an average of thirty to forty orphans in residence at any given time, they had long been understaffed.

  Getting Phoenix to donate most of her Saintly gifts to the Temple had been a campaign in its own right to bring awareness to this issue, and gaining the Parent’s Soul Mark had apparently done much on its own to get more support for the struggling temple.

  They had two new priests already now, and even a Monk had made the journey from Blomstra to help after the massive destruction that the city had received. With almost thirty thousand procimed dead at this point from the war alone, there were well over a hundred orphans now with no family left to take them in.

  Those hundred little faces were all sitting as quietly as possible or peeking through temple windows as Dazien stepped forward with Knight Thevaris and carefully pced the bones of his mother in the deep hole that had been dug where the tree would sprout from.

  As he backed up to watch the knight perform the ritual, he was grateful for his partner and sister’s hands slipping into his own in silent support, along with the weight of Saiya and Rayna’s hands on his shoulders. He had mourned his parents long ago when he had realized they had died, but now all those feelings were brought back with a cathartic sense of finality.

  Gasps and sounds of awe came from the crowd as amethyst crystals seemed to sprout and grow into the shape of a rge oak tree with wide spreading branches and sparkling gem-like leaves, creating a shelter for any within its glittering shade.

  Looking up at the magnificent dispy and knowing it would protect these kids made a gentle smile spread as he whispered up at the Amethyst Gemveil Tree, “Thanks, Mom.”

  The end of the blood moon came almost as suddenly as it started.

  Phoenix was almost shocked by the sight of a pale white moon with the barest hint of yellow in its hue that rose one night and didn’t wash the nd in that eerie crimson light that had been present for the majority of her time in this world.

  It also reminded her that it would be her birthday soon. The blood moon had arrived almost two months after her arrival, and ten months ter, there was only a month left before she would reach that one-year anniversary.

  While it threw her off a little to have thirteen months in a year, she did like the simplicity of the calendar it produced. She had also apparently arrived on a holiday. What she thought of as New Year’s Day in her world was called the Day of Resolution here and was the only clue that she had indeed traveled through time as well as space during her transmigration to this reality.

  That first night of a bloodless moon, the cheering had been deafening. The entire city cried out in relief and rejoiced that they at least had survived. While there was much to mourn, right now, they would celebrate.

  And celebrate they did.

  The only time Phoenix had seen the streets of Tulimeir so crowded before was in the Processing District before almost getting eaten by cannibals, and even that paled in comparison to now. Everyone was outside enjoying the sense of freedom, and festivals began taking pce despite the snow still falling.

  Street vendors were taking up precious space as they sold celebratory meals and festive trinkets. One that caught her eye was filled with a variety of masks that reminded her of the kabuki kind she would see in some anime and Japanese video games.

  Rayna nudged her and said, “You don’t always need to try hiding, you know?”

  “Actually, it reminds me of something from my world. Though, it would make getting around the city a bit less daunting now that you mention it,” Phoenix responded thoughtfully, tugging at a bck curl she was currently using as part of her disguise. She had even taken her Prism Brush to the twins’ tails and hair to make them look more like the Starfall kind that had been spotted roaming the city during their reconstruction efforts.

  “Perhaps,” Rayna admitted thoughtfully before poking her cheek. “But we need to be showing off that sparkly face of yours to get into the really good parties, remember?”

  Phoenix bnched at the reminder. “You weren’t serious about those… um… Lover parties, were you?”

  “Don’t forget, Phoenix,” Dazien’s voice said from behind her, and she turned to look as he gave her a pyful smirk. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Just because Rayna and I might be more enthusiastic about intimate retionships doesn’t mean you need to be.”

  “I bet he’s going to have a lot of fun with Uriel during these parties,” Ta unhelpfully muttered in her mind. “It’s not fair that the warm one gets to py with the shiny one’s hair, and I get scolded for it.”

  Phoenix blushed and nodded, but Rayna interrupted, “Don’t try and push her into not doing anything, King! She needs to get out and explore a bit!”

  The exuberant voxen threw an arm around her shoulder. “Learn to let go a little! Have some fun! Maybe get to know someone better simply with the idea of a future retionship in mind? I was talking with Moha before, and she mentioned people who are heartbound, needing an established bond first; maybe that’s what you are and you really do just need to find the right person to get close to.”

  “Rayna,” Saiya said in that tone that all of them recognized by now as the one about to scold. “How many times do we have to tell you?”

  The bard gave an exasperated huff. “I know. I know. Don’t push. It’s fine if she’s really not interested at all, but I don’t want her just giving up out of nerves either!”

  “I’m not giving up,” Phoenix finally said. “I realize that I’m not really… Well, that I don’t feel things the same as all of you. And maybe I’ll never have something like that… but I think I want a partner someday, just… not now. And definitely not with someone I barely know.”

  She looked down at her hands in thought as she admitted to her friends, “I don’t like the idea of someone touching me like that, but I also see what Daze and Uriel have already and think I would like having a partner I can fully trust in and be vulnerable like that with. It might not be what most people expect… but like Rayna said, maybe I can find the right person who fits that puzzle piece someday.”

  Phoenix gnced up to find four bright smiles and Dazien patted her shoulder in that affectionate familial way as he said, “Then I hope you can find that special person someday. Until then, don’t pressure yourself to find them. Trying to force someone to fit inside your puzzle rarely works out, and it sounds like, for you, it will need to be a very natural and slow burn.”

  Dazien gnced towards his partner and gave him an odd look before adding, “Everyone moves at their own pace. Even Uriel and I had an unconventional start. It wasn’t love at first sight like Rayna seems to have with Moha, but once we both realized there was a spark, we jumped in rather quickly.”

  He looked back at her and said, “Every love story is unique in its own way and evolves differently over time. I’m sure yours will be just as unique.”

  “If it ever happens,” Rayna said with an exaggerated sigh, then seemed to perk up with an idea. “Oh, that reminds me, we should go find Moha! She mentioned wanting to meet up after the blood moon to chat about the future.”

  They all agreed, and Phoenix was instantly suspicious that Rayna seemed to know exactly where to find the dryad among the frenetic city. She became even more suspicious at the pointed looks both women kept sending her way and wondered what they could possibly be talking about.

  They both ended up approaching her and pulling her aside as Moha cautiously said, “Ray and I were discussing a few things and I remember how well you and Po got along during the expedition. We were thinking, maybe, you two would make a good couple.”

  “I don’t want you to feel like I’m pushing you again,” Rayna interjected. “I agree with what Sai and King said, and it really is fine if you say no. We just wanted you to think about it?”

  “Polissa is really nice and is obviously interested in you like that,” Moha continued. “She won’t try to take advantage of you or your titles, and she’s also a noble who understands their particur struggles and privileges. We think you could both be happy together.”

  “Plus—full disclosure—it would be nice to have them both join our group as we go traveling soon,” Rayna added with a soft blush that Phoenix had never seen on her before.

  Phoenix gnced over at her brother who was currently chatting with Uriel and Saiya as they waited. She wasn’t sure about the idea, but she did enjoy spending time with Polissa before, and it wouldn’t hurt to at least consider the idea more. She just wasn’t exactly sure what was fully expected of her. “I guess I can think about it, at least,” she ended up saying, and they both smiled brightly.

  “But I can’t guarantee anything will come of it. I’m not… I just don’t really know what exactly I’m supposed to feel with her,” she added. Flushing, she added, “Or what exactly you want me to do—”

  “You don’t have to do anything other than talk with her and think about it,” Rayna crified.

  “Yeah, it’s not like we’re saying you should just find the nearest bed and have at it,” Moha added, causing Rayna to give the dryad gentle smack with a tail.

  “That’s definitely not what we’re suggesting,” the bard said. “Just have an open mind and think about if Polissa might fit that puzzle piece you were talking about earlier.”

  Phoenix hesitated a moment before nodding. “Alright then. I think I can manage that.”

  Moha led the group then, and they eventually found the noble cinderen on the roof of a building that had been converted into a polyball field. The edges of the roof had been surrounded by an invisible force shield to keep both stray balls and people who had partied a bit too hard from going over the barricade wall.

  Rayna expined the popur sports game to Phoenix who watched curiously from the side. The crowd of people on the field was separated into four teams in a surprisingly popur delineation: one team composed of Adventurers, one of Magi, one who was neither, and the st of people who belonged to both.

  She was surprised to note that Polissa was part of that st team, not having realized the woman’s membership with the OOM, but given that her father was the current Chancellor, it actually made a lot of sense that his daughter joined as well.

  Phoenix felt her anxiety rise once more as the sensuous cinderen made her way over to their little group after the match ended and Moha got her attention. Even tired and slightly disheveled, she thought the woman was gorgeous and wondered if her admiration of the dark beauty was actually an indication of those… urges everyone kept talking about, yet she couldn’t identify.

  She didn’t think that was the case, however. Rayna and others had indicated that those urges would make her want to touch, but what she felt was more like appreciation of a beautiful painting. The woman was pleasing to look at, but she didn’t want to hold her.

  “Hey, it’s so good to see you again! I’ve been hearing some crazy rumors tely and been hoping to catch up with you all,” Polissa said, her raven hair forming an entrancing cloud around her.

  When nobody else responded, Phoenix finally gnced around and realized with sudden horror that everyone had abandoned her to be devoured by the snolf that watched her carefully.

  “They are only a whisper away, Phoenix,” Ta reminded her. “Just because they left you to be an adult and talk with others doesn’t mean they abandoned you.”

  “I—um, yes. I come bearing stories to help clear up the rumors?” Phoenix fumbled, trying to find a friendly conversational ptform to stand on.

  Polissa ughed. “Should we go get some drinks then? Maybe somewhere a bit quieter?”

  She froze in pce, remembering Rayna’s suggestions, and stammered, “N-not too quiet, right?”

  Po ughed again and brushed out her lovely yellow sundress that she had managed to keep intact while pying. “How about a cafe? I know a nice one nearby.”

  Phoenix perked up a bit at the idea of magical coffee and nodded. Her heart jumped into her throat when Polissa grabbed her hand and began leading her through the crowd to their destination. However, her anxiety subsided when she realized the physical contact was due to the rge crowd and not the signal towards something more.

  She needed to calm down and not assume what Rayna and Moha had suggested was already what was happening. Polissa was her friend, and until she wanted it to be something more, she shouldn’t be freaking out about it becoming something different.

  Once they arrived at the open cafe and managed to get a pair of seats at a long table against the gss wall overlooking the festive city, they chatted for a long while. Phoenix began retelling things from the st time they were together and could just talk about random things. She expined more about Paul and the World Tree. Went over her meeting with Champion and Kara and then their narrow escape from the Scarlet Banquet.

  As the sun began to set and Phoenix’s nerves about what was to come next began to rise again, Polissa surprised her by asking her a question she hadn’t been suspecting. “Would you like to go to the Tulimeir Grand Soiree with me? All the noble families and their scions will be there, and I’d be honored if you’d accompany me.”

  “Is that like Homecoming or Prom?” she asked curiously.

  “What?”

  “Like a big event where you bring a date?” She paused, then added, “With some probably-alcoholic punch,” she gulped and muttered, “And dancing?”

  Po gave her an amused smile and confirmed, “That is the general idea, yes.”

  Phoenix’s anxiety spiked up again, and she began grasping for a lifeline. “I, um… can my friends come with?”

  Polissa chuckled. “Well, I’m sure the Dewsongs and your brother were already pnning to go… but yes, party members, friends, and partners are all allowed to attend this if they’ve been invited by one of the Houses.” The slightly older woman gave her a bemused look. “It’s not like you’ll need your party, though. You’ll be safe enough with me.” Polissa gave a Cheshire grin and added, “It’s not like there’ll be monsters to fight.”

  Phoenix shook her head and admitted, “No, but there’ll be politicians… and dancing… I think I’d rather fight monsters.”