[b Chapter 1]
[i “A strong-willed soul with fiery determination. It makes sense that it takes so much to bear the burden of the Land Guardian.”
“Is it determination or arrogance? There’s a fine line, and it’s difficult to tell which he happens to be.”
“You speak as if you know what he goes through. Painful visions scorch his mind. He hears the unsaid whispers of those around him, save for The Sea and the Twilight. He cannot stop any of this. Would you not be difficult if you had to witness all of this and survive?”
“You preach to me, yet you act as if we do not have our own hardships to overcome. I care not about-”
“We are not on the same level as a Demi-God! We face nothing compared to them!”]
…
…..
…
[i It was as if they thought they understood me. They all think they understand what it’s like. Even those that bother to defend me.
Virion of the Land; arrogant, selfish, rude, conniving, loud, and a self-proclaimed heartbreaker. The nuisance that kept Avandians from finishing their projects.
They don’t see Virion of the Land; scared, lost, confused, hurt, rejected, and anxious. They don’t feel the pain I do when I see their passing and know there might have been a way to prevent it because I knew it was going to happen and yet nothing changed. I hear what they don’t say about me. Only what they wish they could.
They only see Virion of the Land, Reader of Minds. They don’t see just Virion. They don’t see me.]
--
[i What is beauty, in the truest sense?
In its most basic form, it’s a combination of qualities that pleases the aesthetic senses. This varies by individual. The qualities that are aesthetically pleasing are irrelevant due the case-by-case variance.
To me, however, it’s the rocky earth beneath my feet. The feeling of wind on my face. The mysteries behind the many species that inhabit Avand, and how their lives are lived out. The wonders of the universe. The warmth and welcoming feeling of love. I’ve seen a lot in the six-hundred years I’ve been alive, but for me, nothing comes quite as close as home.
Home is where the heart is, or so they say.]
Virion didn’t consider himself a sentimental person, but even he couldn’t deny that Avand was beautiful. Within its natural flaws – like anything else – beauty could be found. Discovery, mistakes, learning, natural disasters… All of it brought a unique charm to the planet. Many passerby thought Virion spared nary a thought for the planet, but those who bothered who understand him knew how to read him in a different light. Those who truly knew him knew Virion found Avand to be interesting and unique.
He would even say it was lovely.
In the serene hours before the sun rose, while everything below him was still quiet and still, Virion felt at ease. The creations that he flew past were the very ones he was sworn to protect. If he felt like it, he would do just that.
In his own way, he didn’t take the same actions as the other Demi-Gods; he chose to let the planet suffer the consequences of the mistakes that were made, and let the people reap what they sow. Virion chose not to fix anything unless it was severely dangerous to the life on Avand or damaging enough to the surrounding galaxies that Lord Olotl himself would rain fire upon him unless he helped repair the damage. Luckily for him, he had Xyrnys and Khythos to play babysitter for the distinct species below; while they were busy assuming the role of caretaker, Virion would act a fool.
His attitude toward the ‘caretaker’ side of his job lead those around him to believe he did not care, but Virion knew that was not true. He deeply held sincere feelings toward the creatures that adorned the planet – far too much for comfort – but he knew too much. Heard and saw too much. He couldn’t bear to get too close to them and hear their pained cries and he outlived them; to see their haunted souls follow them for many years to come. To preserve what was left of his sanity, he made himself seem annoying and carefree; it was just enough to keep him at a safe distance. Unless Xyrnys or Khythos needed his help, he preferred to remain on his own.
The world seldom found itself in true danger; the most recent that came to mind was when a dark mage had somehow released a red-matter virus into the planet. The virus had slowly started to eat at the core of the world, and the entire planet would’ve been wiped out. Between the three Demi-Gods and two white mages on the surface, they were able to hold it back. Xyrnys had opened a Void Timeline and sent the virus there to float endlessly. The energy required to replace what the virus had destroyed had drained the Demi-Gods, forcing them In Pura to recover their powers. The pair of mages that had assisted them, who called themselves Skylords, vowed to watch the planet while they rested.
Now, in the time of peace the planet was currently in, Virion took every opportunity he had to mess with the Skylords. Now that they had returned to Avand, the mages needed to back off. He couldn’t let them stay close to the Demi-Gods. He couldn’t handle another haunted soul. It surprised him that, through his shenanigans and the risky situations he put the two females into, they never stopped respecting him. The paranoia never faded, but he stopped resisting them so much. He’d let them stay. They’d be okay.
As Virion continued to get lost in his thoughts, the sun finally peaked the mountain before him, light flooding the earth below. The only matter to break through his thoughts was the sound of yelling from the ground below. Jarred, Virion stopped his flight to gather his surroundings. It was as he looked down that he realized he’d absentmindedly flown to Windberry’s factory, and the arguees were none other than Xamchi and Windberry himself. Xamchi was an alien with a terrible memory and a sturdy set of shoulders, and Windberry was a dwarf with a bad attitude and a good heart. They were his favorites if he had to choose.
Never one to miss an opportunity to fuel an argument, Virion slapped on his trademark smirk and flew down to the land below, landing gracefully between the two. “Good morning, lads. It’s looking to be a wonderful day, isn’t it?”
“What do you want now, Virion?” Windberry scratched his beard, his voice rough and impatient as he spoke. It was quite fitting for a dwarf.
“Calm down now, you savage beast! It looks as if a certain dwarf woke up on the wrong side of the rock this morning!” Virion cackled, flying just out of reach as the redheaded dwarf swung an axe at the Demi-God. “Come now, my dear Windberry. There’s no need for such violence. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
Windberry snorted, heaving his trusted axe over his shoulder. “You’ve done nothing wrong yet; you’re always off to cause a scene. What games are you here to play now?”
Virion pouted, feigning an offended demeanor. “How rude. I can’t come by and visit my three favorite playmates without having a bigger scheme in mind?” He laughed loudly at Windberry’s eye roll. “How silly of me to assume you’d trust me. However, contrary to widespread belief, I’m truly here for no reason at all. I just… ended up here.” The Demi-God scanned the area and frowned. “I can’t remember his name for the life of me, but where’s the scientist? He’s usually bumbling around with you clowns.”
“Cipher’s inside fixing a machine.” The alien – Xamchi – finally spoke. He was much shier than his friend, but a lot stronger than he looked. “If you recall, you and Khythos broke a high-powered generator the last time you were here, and we need it.”
“Hm… A high-powered generator… Do you know what Xam? It’s not striking any matches in the ol’ memory here.” Virion knocked on his own head and winked at Xamchi, earning a grimace in return. “Here’s what I can do for you. I’ll visit Kyth myself at the Caverns and see if he remembers anything. Until then, however, I’ll leave you to whatever it was you were doing before you were blessed by the most beautiful Demi-God in Avand.”
The blue-eyed alien could only look on in astonishment as Virion began to fly away. “You must really have not planned on visiting if you haven’t broken anything. Reconsidered, have you?”
“Oh Olotl, no.” The Demi-God smirked as Xamchi and Windberry became smaller and smaller. “I just don’t have my notes prepared. I’ll be back soon, spaceman. I always return, don’t I?”
--
“Virion’s in quite a good mood today, isn’t he?”
Upon witnessing the playful exchange between Virion, Xamchi, and Windberry, Khythos let out an annoyed sigh. “He’s acting like an idiot, Xyrnys.” The blue-skinned male had a heavy, gruff voice, matching his outer appearance. “Perhaps he should use some of that energy for something productive.”
“The odds are against us, Kyth.” Xyrnys chuckled, her good eye holding a teasing glint. “Relax, yeah? He’s just having fun. He cares quite a bit more than most realize – I know you know that. He’s a bit too attached to those idiots for someone who’s trying to distance himself from others.” She shrugged. “Or perhaps I’m reading too much into it.”
“I understand he cares, but he’s a bloody Demi-God. It’d be nice if he at least pretended to act like one.” Despite his barbed words and unreadable expression, Khythos found Virion to be slightly admirable. The humans, regardless of what they said about him, had taken quite a liking to the feisty Demi-God. They would never understand the reasons for his distancing, but regardless, they liked him. Khythos envied the easygoing personality Virion forged. “I think he’s noticed us,” he noted, eyeing Virion as he approached.
“Well, would you look at who’s here. The family is back together again!” Khythos noticed Virion still wore his signature grin. “It’s been quite a while since we’ve all been in the same place. To what do I owe the pleasure of this joyous occasion?”
“Business, unfortunately. Olotl calls.” Xyrnys frowned.
Khythos hummed his agreement. “There was a pile of dead fish in my cavern this morning. They normally don’t hop out of the waterfall – Olotl must’ve decided stinking up my cavern was the best way to say he needs to speak with us. We were just waiting for you to finish harassing the mortals.”
“Of course Olotl wants something. He probably doesn’t want to do his own work and is pawning it off on us.” Virion huffed irritably and crossed his arms.
“Virion, knock it off.”
“Oh, Khythos. So serious, as always. You know just as well as I do that this is what he always does. Right, X?”
Xyrnys flew back slightly and shook her head. "Look, I don't want to get in the middle of your lover's quarrel. Fight by yourselves."
The blue skinned Rhaeadran began to grow irate. "You've an odd eye for romance, Xyrnys. We could be the last two being on Avand and I would never fall for Virion. Then again, you've an odd eye for a lot of things. When you fell in love with-"
"I'm going to stop you right there before I hurt you." Xyrnys' pink eyes glowed dangerously. "We agreed to let that go two hundred years ago. Talking to you two gives me a headache."
"That's not very nice." Khythos shook his head, though he was paying little attention to what she was saying. "We're getting off-topic. We must go to the Silver Altar to speak with Olotl at once." Without waiting for the other two to respond, he flew off into the distance, feeling them follow behind him. Once they caught up, he said "Let's try not to break anything this time, okay?"
"A guy accidentally drops a potion of regeneration and spawns a zombie in the temple one time, and someone just can't let it go, can he?"
The Rhaeadran ignored his fellow Demi-God and simply lead the way, tuning the conversation between him and Xyrnys out. Deep down, the suddenness of the summons worried him. On any other occasion, Olotl would only summon one of them for whatever was necessary, save for the Red Matter incident. Virion wasn’t completely wrong either – Olotl often had work he didn’t want to do and would request one of the Demi-Gods to do it instead. All three of them, however? What was so secret, so dangerous, that the three Demi-Gods had to gather and speak to Lord Olotl, The Overseer, so promptly? He had to repress a shudder. He wasn't sure he was ready to find out.
"Khythos, have you even been listening to me?"
Virion's persistent voice broke Khythos out of his dark thoughts. "I apologize, your Highness, but I have a lot on my mind right now."
"Wow, you do use your head sometimes." Virion laughed, continuing the motion even as he dodged a blue-tinted energy blast. "I thought you were a pacifist. And even so, didn't Serelyn teach you that friendly fire was rude?"
Xyrnys rolled her eyes as she observed the playful argument between the two. "Well, to be fair, you were borderline asking for it." She glanced forward and lowered her head. "Prayer stance. We're here."
Khythos took prayer stance as he lowered himself to the ground, Virion doing the same. Xyrnys landed in front of him, her bare feet flattening the grass underneath. "When you're ready, X."
"Right." Xyrnys closed her eyes and held her hands in front of her, open-palmed. [i "Beyond the wall before thee stand stone-colored statues three. Soon you sleep, then you wake in The Observer's frozen lake."] Raising her head and opening her eyes, she said "In the name of The Observer, we are granted safe passage to the Lake of the Starbelt. I, The Twilight, Keeper of Time and Guardian of the Starbelt, pass his blessing to The Land, Reader of Minds, and The Sea, Mender of Souls." Her body was then alight with several thousand tiny stars. "We have been granted safe passage in our rest. Let us proceed. From here, our words become naught until the lake we reach. Our souls must be open, and our minds must be free."
With solemn nods from himself and Virion, Xyrnys turned and lead the way into the ancient temple. For the outside looking worn down, the inside was near pristine, lit with gentle torches that had been burning since the beginning of time. Without a blessing, the temple was inaccessible. The Lake of the Starbelt was safe.
The center of the temple had a large black-and-white star pattern that adorned the floor, a focus on three barbs of the star where marble pillars sat. The short pillars held statues in different shape and color - a pink star, a blue seashell, and a sandy-colored stone - with designated areas for each Demi-God to kneel and touch the statues. A large marble torch sat in the middle of the star, burning brightly.
From her lead position, Xyrnys stepped forward. Her statue sat on the farthest end of the star; the point that can see all the other points. She knelt in the proper spot and glanced forward, her hands in her lap. Until the other two were seated, she could not start the meeting.
The next to move was Virion, who remained unnaturally silent during the entire process. His silence would have unnerved most; it was always amazing to Khythos how he was able to just… focus when he had to. Another reason to admire him. The Land Demi-God kneeled, facing forward into the burning statue, hands in his lap.
That left Khythos, who instinctively started towards his statue. The magic surrounding the object wrapped around his soul, tugging gently, as if it was guiding him along. He knelt at his statue, facing the direction of the torch in the room's center. His hands remained in his lap as he waited for Xyrnys to guide them.
Silently, Xyrnys motioned for Virion and Khythos to raise their hands in 'open prayer' formation. Her hands were closed in prayer formation. She slowly stretched her arms out, her hands staying closed, until her fingertips pointed towards the torch. The Twilight flicked her wrists, her open palms now outstretched towards the flame. With a rushed gust of wind and twilight, the fire was extinguished and the statues alight with their assigned color. Nodding in the newfound darkness, she placed her hands on the only spaces the statue was not alight. In order, Virion and Khythos followed suit. One by one, the Demi-God's eyes drifted closed, heads hanging low as their bodies bathed in a mysterious starlight.
As Khythos regained consciousness, he was bathed in an Everdusk-lit marsh, his bare feet dangling just over the cool water. He stood between Xyrnys and Virion - fully in their Everdusk forms - as they stood straight and tall. Though he did the same as he waited for Olotl, he noticed how much freer his Everdusk cloak was to his regular clothing - a white gi he wore covered by a black cloak. As usual, when not posing as a human, he wore no shoes. He'd nearly forgotten how nice his Ocean Wings felt as they began to float gently behind him. He could now feel the fullness of his more Rhaeadran traits - the gills, the fins, the Third Eye, and the fuller horns. They made him feel more complete.
Virion was not changed much - his Everdusk cloak was a pair of black trousers, a white undershirt, a red tie, and a black overcoat. His signature brown boots finished the cloak. His Everdusk form gave him wings of jagged stone; with no logical sense otherwise, the light, flaky rock has never let the sandy-haired male down. His hair was neatly cropped, only a slight change from his regular look. Virion's half-elven traits began to show, his normally rounded ears pointed neatly. On his forehead was a sandy-colored gem, a few strands of hair floating in front of it.
It was Xyrnys who changed the most in The Lake of the Starbelt - her Everdusk form jarring in comparison to her everyday look. Her half pale, half Shadow-cursed skin was now all a pale peach color, the only part of her body giving the Shadowborn curse away being the black and pink eye on her left side. Rather than her casual pants and overshirt on the mainland, she adorned a black dress with a brightly lit Starbelt lining. Her wings were thousands of stars from every timeline that existed, forming the shape of the wing. She wore no shoes, as she did in her casual look. Her long black hair was not tied back as usual and hung down in gentle waves.
Once the three were awakened, Xyrnys took two steps forward and assumed the prayer position. Virion and Khythos quickly followed suit; until Olotl appeared in whichever form he chose, they would not speak. They would send their energies to Olotl, to guide him to them.
[b "Rise."]
The Chosen Three lowered their hands and raised their heads, seeing Olotl's Observer form before them. He was nothing more than a pair of giant, glowing silver eyes. Xyrnys stayed in her forward position, her arms raised out, as if creating a connection between the three in the lake and the eyes above. Virion remained in an offensive position; typical of the warrior of the three. Khythos remained defensive, ready to guard Xyrnys' open weaknesses as she remain unprotected. Though they were safe in the Lake of the Starbelt, this was a natural position for the three, and it was not something they could easily refrain from doing.
The silver eyes of The Observer, Olotl, scanned the three as Xyrnys created the connection. He expected nothing less from his planet's guardians, his fine creations. They had learned their roles well. [b "Xyrnys of the Twilight. Virion of the Land. Khythos of the Sea. I am pleased to see you all made it here in such a brief amount of time."]
"But of course, fair Observer." Khythos bowed solemnly, hoping he didn’t appear as if he was mocking Olotl. Xyrnys glanced at Olotl gratefully, while Virion mimicked his gesture. "To what do we owe the pleasure of this private meeting, Lord Olotl? It's been a long time since the four of us have gathered together."
[b "Indeed it has. You three seem to have grown a bit since then. Has it truly been that long?"] Olotl coughed. [b "Unfortunately, we don't have the time to reminisce. I do not bear good news."] His gaze fell upon Virion. [b "Dear Virion… The Land, Reader of Minds, I'm sure your soul has been at unease and your mind scathing these past few moons."]
Virion simply looked away, answering without saying a word. There was a dark look in his eyes.
[b "There is a dark, sickening power arising from the land of Lorne. The Blood Mages that work there seem to have created something even I've never seen. My planet is suffering for it. It is causing my spiritual body great pain."]
Virion looked like he was about to scoff, but as he knew how to behave, he carefully held his tongue. "The visions I am taunted with are dark, reek with blood, and are meaningless. I am scarred with these visions, and I know not what they mean. They may smell of copper and soil, but how are you sure the Blood Mages are the ones responsible? They've been nothing but a mild inconvenience in the past."
Olotl's bright silver eyes sent a chilling glare in Virion's direction, silencing him effectively. [b "I am not concerned with how inconvenient they were, Virion of the Land. I'm concerned with the visions we have yet to see clearly, and the stench that comes from the Land of Lorne. The only mages skilled enough to draw that kind of blood are the Blood Mages, for they made the sacrifice to access that power. I fear they are creating creatures that are not native to my planet, in turn hurting my planet and them. The pain makes sacrifice greater and more powerful."]
Xyrnys shrugged. "It's not impossible, but perhaps we don't assume it's them until we gather proof of this. Instead, we should assume a base nearby and follow the scent of blood, particularly if it's a blood scent we're not used to."
[b "That does seem more efficient. And if we find there's another species of mage on my planet, trying to harm it, we'll be having some words with that timeline."] The giant eyes closed for a moment. [b "What I have told you is all I know. I'm hoping that, with time, Virion's visions will become clearer and we'll get closer to taking care of this problem. I want you three to take to this region for now and keep an eye on the Blood Mages. Anything you find out needs to be relayed back to me as soon as possible. If you can avoid it, do not harm them. They may not fully realize the consequences of this unknown magic. Perhaps there is even no malicious intent."]
Khythos nodded his immediate understanding. "With a lot of ground to cover in this region, are you all right if we ask the Skylord Mages if they are willing to do border patrol for us?"
[b "You may ask of them that only,"] Olotl responded. [b "They are not permitted to engage in battle unless it is their own free will. Try to keep them to the skies, to track their location more effectively."] Glancing at his Demi-Gods, he said [b "I request your full cooperation until this matter is resolved. You three are to work together. If something goes awry, you may need to go to battle. Am I understood?"]
The three Demi-Gods nodded respectfully. "But of course, Observer Olotl."
[b "May the Omen of the Starbelt be with ye three. By my words, you are dismissed."]
--
The end of the meeting brought Xyrnys back into the dimly lit temple. Once she detected the return of Khythos and Virion's souls, she let go of her statue and held her hands out, re-igniting the fire in the center of the temple. The adjustment from dark to light was quick as she rose to her feet. She was back in her normal attire, Virion and Khythos much the same. With a swift hand motion, she pointed towards the temple entrance. Their allowed time in the temple was nearing its end; they did not want to overstay their welcome. Once her bare feet touched the soft grass, she slowly lifted herself off the ground by a mere few inches. Virion and Khythos positioned themselves behind her.
[i "The Frozen Lake is frosted once over. Our spirits have departed safely."] She bowed. "The door to the Temple remains sealed, the Lake of the Starbelt remains safe." Xyrnys took a deep breath before turning around to face the others. "Honestly wasn't sure what I was expecting, but it sure wasn't that."
Khythos nodded his agreement and picked at a peeling spot on his horn - an anxious tick he'd picked up as he grew. "We'd seen the different wavelengths in magic, but without having consistent readings, we weren't getting the full picture. We weren't feeling Lord Olotl's pain. If this truly is the work of those Blood Mages, we'll need to find out how they accessed this type of magic. This isn't their style of foolishness."
"That's exactly it, Khyth." Virion's sandy-brown eyes held a serious look - something naturally out of character for him. "This absolutely isn't their style of foolishness. Which would be a good enough cover for them to start something like this. Think about it." He clapped his hands. "Due to the Red Matter incident, the planet's core is recovering. That's news that went widespread. If they're taking advantage of the weakened core to make cheap sacrifices, it'd be a quick road to power.
Khythos said nothing but shifted his gaze to show his agreement. As he drifted off to deep thought, Xyrnys turned away from him and focused on Virion. "That's possible, but if that's even remotely true, they could learn magics that could rival Lord Olotl himself. We should work quickly. Is there any one of the Blood Mages that would want that much power?"
"I see no reason to trust any of them, if you want me to be honest." Virion snorted his displeasure. "If I had to choose, I don't really see Leomon doing something so tedious, even for personal gain. He's also rather helpful when he wants to be, and incredibly strong in his own right, His flaw is his lack of drive."
"Wilrym Leomon might lack drive, but not if there's a chance to strike rich." Khythos suddenly broke back into the conversation. "He's greedy and has been known to take more than he needs just to say he has it." He shook his head. "We shouldn't rule any of them out yet. Not until we've had a chance to assess the situation."
Xyrnys nodded. "Sounds reasonable. We'll need to produce a way to monitor them discreetly. Using our invisibility for extended periods of time takes a lot of energy; it's not the best method." She grimaced. "As for whoever tracks Entos, I want you both to be careful. I helped him learn his Shadowborn heritage and know what he's capable of. He's cautious, sneaky, and you can't trust him with anything, or a word that he says. He used to be so harmless, too."
Khythos grunted in irritation, "Unfortunately, they lose the right to being 'harmless' once they sign the Book of Bloodseals and commit taboo. Not even we as maintainers of this timeline understand everything Blood Magic entails; only that nothing good comes of it."
"Which is why we can't rule him out. He's just overly cautious, so he'll be the hardest to work with. We may have to use invisibility often with him." She crossed her arms. "Anyway, you mentioned bringing the Skylord Mages into this, would you like me to speak with Leona and ShadowHeart and fill them in?"
"If it wouldn't inconvenience you, that would be most helpful." Khythos nodded at her. "But you should take Virion with you."
Xyrnys grunted in annoyance. "Why am I being tasked with babysitting Virion?"
"I'm literally right here." Virion's voice dripped bitterly. "I hope you're not implying I can't take care of myself, Star Child."
"Enough, you two!" The Rhaeadran's voice was rough and impatient. "I am not implying that you cannot care for yourself, Virion." He took a deep breath. "I'm going to take on the task of tracking Wilrym Leomon, and I'd rather start by going alone. If we go after them all at once, they'll notice us sooner and become suspicious. Until further notice, we should start slowly." He turned to Virion, his face returning to a neutral expression. "Let's be honest, the Skylords will be more likely to believe Lord Olotl's message if two Demi-Gods present the information. Plus, you may need to help set someone straight."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Leona was romantically involved with Entos. They were together for a long time, before Entos began to delve into Blood Magic. Take heed that, while Leona kicked him out, she still cares for Entos. That may cloud her judgement."
"All right, that does make a lot of sense." Virion nodded as he processed the information. "Should we give any information to Windberry and his crew? Or contact Halafarin? I know he's in this region."
"For once, Virion is actually using his brain." Xyrnys turned to face Khythos, ignoring the huff of anger from Virion. "We'll obviously keep most of the information to ourselves, but just asking them to be on the lookout for any unusual sightings could prove useful. And, well, we all know how useful Halafarin can be. He knows this land better than we do; it may be in our best interest to inform him of Olotl's concerns."
The Rhaeadran huffed, rubbing at one of his horns. "The alien, the dwarf, and the scientist could prove useful. They're well known for their supply runs, so they wouldn't arouse suspicion for being in the area. We should leave Halafarin out for now, however. He's not as young as he used to be a thousand years will do that to a faerie, and he's also training an apprentice forest mage. The clumsy Tilud kid."
"Be nice, Khythos. Tilud's a nice kid. He's just young." Xyrnys crossed her arms but decided against arguing further. "If it makes things easier, I'll leave Halafarin out of it for the time being. However, if he comes to us because he notices something strange inhabiting his region and wants to know what, I can't lie to him."
Khythos nodded. "And I would hope not, X. We shall keep Halafarin and the other two spirits in the dark until they ask us what's going on. I should head towards Wilrym Leomon's place so I can talk to him."
Virion raised an eyebrow. "So soon? Leomon Solutions isn't that far from here."
"It still takes quite some time to shift to my human disguise. Will doesn't know I'm the last Demi-God or that I'm connected to you, remember?"
"Right. I forgot."
Khythos glanced at Xyrnys. "We should meet up again at Moonrise. Know of a good spot?"
"XyrnTech, the lab I built for the humans interested in technology expansion." Xyrnys handed Khythos a well-worn compass. "This compass is enchanted; it's programmed to remember the location of the lab. Just follow the needle and you'll be there in no time."
"Understood." He nodded to Virion and Xyrnys. "Take care out there and may the blessings of the Starbelt be with you."
Virion and Xyrnys returned the polite gesture. "And with you, Khythos."
When the Rhaeadran disappeared, Xyrnys glanced in Virion's direction. "We should get moving as well." With a sly smile, she added "You pretend to be Avand's own heart breaker, don't you? Where can I find Leona and Shadow?"
"That's an easy one." Virion laughed, raising an eyebrow. "Shadow's always on the move, but Leona sticks to Owl Island, which is just on the other side of the mountain. If we're lucky, Shadow will be with Leona when we visit. It won't take us long to get there."
Xyrnys rolled her eyes as Virion took off quickly - patience was not his virtue. With her Shadowborn powers, she teleported to Virion's location before replying on flight. "You'd better not get us lost."
