WIEDERGEBURT Act IV: Chapter 3

We were packed and ready to leave several days after Kari and I informed Hilda of our decision. Our provisions were all packed up and stored inside of our storage rings. I wasn’t sure how much we needed, but it would take at least one year to cross the Endless Desert, so I made sure we had enough food and water to last two. This might have been considered overkill by most people. However, since our storage rings could hold anything placed inside of it in a form of stasis, meaning the inside of the storage ring was frozen in time, it wasn’t like buying more provisions than necessary would be wasteful.

Better to have and not want than to want and not have.

At the moment, I was doing some last minute checks on various documents for my sect and signing off on papers.

I’d been hard at work to make sure the Nevarian Braves would be able to function without me. To make this possible, there were a lot of documents I needed to sign and people I needed to speak with. Most of the documents were in regards to policies I was setting down that would take effect in my absence.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I looked at the door on the opposite side of the room. It looked so far away. However, I could see the doorframe rattle a little as someone knocked on it.

“Come in,” I said.

“Excuse me,” someone said as the door opened.

Standing at maybe a dozen or so centimeters shorter than me, the young man walking in possessed spiky brown hair that gave him some extra height. He had bright blue eyes and walked with his back straight. His broad shoulders and powerful chest were clad in silver plate armor that had Runes inscribed along the surface. He also wore vambraces and shinguards that had a similar Runic scheme. As he walked over to me, the red tunic underneath his armor swished around his thighs, and the sound of his boots thudding against the carpet echoed up to me.

“Felman said you wanted to speak to me about something, Brother?”

“Geirolf, I’m glad you came. Yes, I have something I’d like to speak with you about.”

Geirold Astralia, the youngest of Kari’s three brothers, had changed a lot since that time in Bucharest. He had matured.

Back then, Geirolf had expressed an intense jealousy toward me, making sniping comments whenever he could, claiming he could do anything I did better, and just making a general nuisance of himself. Only after nearly dying at the hands of a Basilisk did he finally begin to mature. Now he had completely come into himself and was someone I believed was worthy of being called Kari’s brother.

As he stopped in front of my desk, I took a moment to simply observe this young man. I must have been studying him for too long because Geirolf began shifting from one foot to the other. Seeing him like that made me smile.

“Geirolf, in the past several months, you have become one of my best Spiritualists. You’ve completed more quests than anyone else, have trained many of our Spiritualists, and you haven’t lost a single person on a quest. Your after action reports are also very detailed.”

“Ah… thank you.” Geirolf scratched at his cheek like he was embarrassed. His cheeks even lit up a bit. “I just… always want to do the best I can.”

“I know.” Nodding, I clasped my hands together and set them on the desk. “I’m sure you know by now that myself, Kari, Fay, Lin, Siv, and Raul are leaving. We will be traveling to the Endless Desert, though our final destination lies beyond that. It is going to take several years to accomplish our goal. Therefore, we need someone who can act as the leader of the Nevarian Braves in our absence.”

I paused to let that sink in. Geirolf stared at me with a blank expression for several seconds, like he couldn’t understand why I was telling him this. Time passed by. Only after nearly a minute had flown between us did he seem to fully comprehend why I had called him.

His eyes widened.

“You can’t mean…”

“I do.” My smile widened when I saw how shocked he looked. “Geirolf, I would like you to become the sect master of the Nevarian Braves. It is a temporary position, but during the time I am away, you will be in charge of all our operations. Don’t worry,” I added when I saw a hint of paleness appear on his face. “I have been working hard to set up the Nevarian Braves as a sect that can mostly run itself. You won’t have as much work as I did while you are acting in your capacity as sect master. I just need someone who understands the sect, and who I know I can trust, to be in charge while I’m gone.”

Geirolf swallowed.

“Wouldn’t someone like Mykkel be better? He’s a lot more talented at managing finances and stuff than me.”

“He is, and I have him working in the finance department to help you out, but a leader isn’t just someone who can crunch numbers. The master of a sect must also be charismatic. Mykkel is highly intelligent, and Earland is incredibly powerful. They might beat you in those two areas, but you have more charisma than either of them. Our members are more likely to follow you than they are those two.”

Geirolf blushed a little when I stated he was better suited to become acting sect master in my absence, but I wasn’t giving him pointless flattery. I had thought long and hard about who I wanted to be in charge while I was away.

“I understand,” Geirolf said after a moment. “If you think I’m the best person for the job, then I will do my best as acting sect master.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I know you won’t let me down.” I didn’t let the relief show on my face, especially since I still had something I’d like to talk about. “Also, while I’m away, I have another task for you.”

“Oh?” Geirolf raised an eyebrow.

“I’m making Sigrid your sub-commander,” I said, my brow furrowing and my lips becoming thin lines. “Sigrid Drage is incredibly powerful and has made her mark at our sect, but she is also a member of the Drage Family. They have been quiet ever since the Sekbeist Invasion. However, I don’t trust that silence and believe they are up to something. Hilda agrees.”

“Mother thinks so too, huh?” Geirolf muttered with a soft frown.

I quirked an eyebrow. “You believe they are up to something?”

Geirolf nodded. “Not much is known about the Drage Family outside of their power and some rumors. They have always kept to themselves. Sigrid suddenly joining the Nevarian Braves is the first time they have ever done something like this, and I can’t help but think the reason is because they wanted to keep an eye on a potential threat.”

“I have had similar thoughts, which is why I’m making her the sub-commander,” I said. “I want you to keep an eye on her. Make sure nothing she does escapes your notice.”

“Will do,” Geirolf said.

“By the way, how is Catalyna?”

“She is doing fine. She’s currently visiting her family. I plan on joining her in a bit. I suspect they are going to try and convince her to conceive a child soon, but, well, we’re only in our twenties. Unlike you and Fay, neither of us are ready to have a kid.”

“Me and Fay were not ready to have one either,” I admitted with a wry smile. “Though I don’t regret it.”

I spoke with Geirolf a bit longer, but he eventually left for the Kriger Family estate. It was nice to see him taking his responsibilities as a husband so seriously.

Leaning back in my chair, I looked at the pile of documents still waiting to be read and signed; the one at the top of this pile was a letter that would be sent to our provisions supplier, informing them of my absence and the temporary change in leadership. I sighed. There was still so much work to do.

***

It was just me and Lin today as we went to visit the wainwright. My lamia wife was hugging my arm tightly and humming a happy melody. Her smile was so big her eyes looked like they were shut, and her longer than a human’s ears were wiggling with what seemed like joy.

“This is so nice,” Lin said with a gentle sigh. “This princess hardly gets to spend quality time with you, Darling.”

“I feel like we do more activities as a group,” I agreed. “But it’s nice to spend time with just you on occasion.”

“Hm Hm. This princess understands perfectly.” Lin nodded several times, her gesture almost exaggerated. “She loves spending time with the whole family, but sometimes it is nice to spend one on one time with you.”

The wainwright’s workshop was located in the Artisan’s District, which was next to the Merchant’s Quarters. Craftsmen and merchants worked closely together. It was often said the two businesses went hand in hand. Craftsmen, or artisans, supplied the product, while merchants sold the product. You’d sometimes get someone who was both craftsman and merchant like Ms. Nadine’s husband, but most craftsmen preferred leaving the actual selling to someone else.

The wainwright’s workshop was a large building with only a single story. It was more like a warehouse than a workshop, since there were so many carts and wagons sitting inside, but there was also a place close to the back where the wagons were built. Even now, I could see a couple of apprentices working on what looked like a standard wagon with a tarp.

“Hello, Mr. Håndverket,” Lin greeted a small dwoerg who was overseeing the workshop.

The dweorg turned around. He looked about the same as any other dweorg. He was short, coming up only to my waist, had a head full of thick brown hair and a beard that trailed down to his stomach. His craftsmen clothing looked sturdy but covered in dust. He gazed at us, clapping his gloved hands, causing sawdust to sprinkle the ground.

“Ms. Lin. I see ye’ve come right on time. We’ve got yer wagon all ready for ye,” he said in that accent all dweorg seemed to have.

“Thanks. This princess appreciates your help.”

Donivan Håndverket was the dweorg’s full name. He led us away from the workshop and toward the stationary carts and wagons, explaining something to Lin all the while. I felt a little like an accessory as the two conversed.

“It took us awhile to figure out how to build this one. Ye said the wagon will be travelin’ through a desert and needs to be able to bear the weight of a lamia and several humans. Yer designs of the interior were also not standard fer a wagon, but we’ve managed to create somethin’ I believe ye’ll be pleased with.”

“This princess cannot wait to see it.”

Donivan eventually led us to a wagon that was larger than the other ones around it by about two or three cubic meters. It was longer, taller, and wider. The design was also vastly different. Most of the wagons present were standard farming wagons or transportation wagons, which featured either a tarp overhead to block out the sun or no tarp at all. There were also a few carriages.

Painted a dark red, this wagon had eight wheels on either side, was about twelve meters long and five wide, had a robust frame with a cottage shaped design, and a living area that extended over the large rear wheels. Brass brackets supported the frame of the wagon and a solid arched roof that was about four meters extended over the length of the wagon to form porches at either end, panelled with tongue groove boards. The porch roof was further supported by iron brackets.

There were many Runes painted onto the surface. I recognized the Rune Array, which was a repeating combination of Fehu, Uruz, Thurisaz, Kenaz, Wunjo, Eihwaz, and Algiz.

“This here is a vardo wagon,” Donivan explained. “Ye can see that it’s design is different. It’s much bigger than yer normal farming wagon and has a roof that extends past the door. We built it to be much sturdier than normal wagons as well. I’ve also inscribed Runes in the interior and exterior. The Runes on the outside protect the wagon from weather and damage… though ye’ll still want to avoid letting it be attacked. Runes can protect it from a hail of arrows, but if it’s struck by something big and powerful, they can fail. And ye’ll still be tipped over if it’s struck by something with enough force. Now, come. Let me show ye the inside.”

We walked inside via a door in the back. As expected from such a large wagon, the inside was a lot more spacious than a normal one.

The floor was made of carpet, though from the sounds of our boots when they hit the ground, wooden floorboards had been laid out beneath the carpet for added protection. That told me the carpet could probably be removed if we ever needed to clean it.

In the very back of the wagon was a large bed that covered about a fourth of the entire space. Soft pillows had been spread out around the bed. I’d say it was about the same size as the bed we currently slept on, which meant it would fit all five of us--me and my wives. There was also a crib right next to the bed for our son.

Not only did this wagon have a bed, it also had a bathroom and a toilet. The bathroom and toilet were separated by simple fabric curtains. The bathing room featured a claw-toothed bath. The toilet was a standard one made of porcelain. When I looked inside, I saw that it was just a hole where the waste would simply fall out. I wasn’t sure how I felt about that, or the fact that we’d have little privacy while taking care of business. However, I’d rather not have to deal with disposing of waste, so I guessed it was okay, and we had grown passed the awkward phase where seeing each other use the restroom bothered us.

Aside from a bed, a bathroom, and a toilet, there was also a couch to lounge on, a desk made of mahogany, and a storage space where we could put supplies, though I didn’t think we’d need that. All of our supplies were located inside of our storage rings.

After being given the grand tour of our new wagon, Lin and I found ourselves standing outside with Donivan.

“It’s a great wagon,” I said at last.

“I’m glad ye like it.” Donivan crossed his arms and straightened his back at my praise. “Ye’ve already paid fer all this in advance, so ye can just take it, though I’m not sure how ye’ll be getting it out o’ here. This wagon is pretty heavy.”

“Don’t worry about that,” I said.

While Donivan looked skeptical, his tune changed when Lin and I moved to the front, where the two of us grabbed the harness and began pulling it out of the workshop. The last I saw of Donivan was his gawking face.

“You know, Darling, he does bring up a good point,” Lin said as we traveled down the street, hauling the massive wagon behind us. “While we can pull this wagon ourselves, this princess does not enjoy the prospect of hauling a giant wagon through the Endless Desert.”

There were a lot of people gawking at us like Donivan had as we traveled down the road. In fact, every person we passed stopped what they were doing to stare at us, their jaws dropping and their eyes widening like they were witnessing a miracle… or something extremely freaky. Well, it wasn’t like I had expected anything less.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” I said.

Lin looked confused, but I just smiled.

***

After returning to the Nevarian Headquarters with our gigantic wagon, we met with Kari and Sterk--another stout dweorg with a thick beard and barrel-like body. Unlike Donivan, who looked like he’d seen a ghost, all Sterk did upon seeing Lin and I easily hauling the massive wagon behind us was sigh and scratch his head. Kari, on the other hand, merely smiled.

“Welcome back,” she greeted us. “I see you’ve got the wagon. It’s even bigger than I expected.”

I shrugged at her words. “We’re going to be living in it for a couple of years. I figured we should get something big enough to live comfortably.”

“That makes sense to me.” Kari nodded several times.

“At least now I know why ye wanted us to capture and tame those Demon Beasts,” Sterk murmured as he eyed the wagon. “This looks like Donivan’s work. Only he coulda built a wagon like this. Anyway, ye two should follow us.”

“We have a surprise for you,” Kari added with a wink.

We followed Kari and Sterk to a large building located on the western side of the Nevarian Braves headquarter’s. It was a stable. While not as large as our headquarters, it was still about the size of a standard warehouse and featured massive double doors on each end for animals to move through.

Most of the animals inside were Mares or Mastodons. Mares were equine creatures that stood on four legs and had sleek bodies. On the other hand, Mastodons were massive four-legged mammals that were covered in thick fur, had two tusks jutting from their mouth, and a long trunk-like nose. Both of them were classified as F-rank Demon Beasts because they were harmless and easily tamed.

Neither of them were what we had come here four.

“Here we are.” Kari and Sterk stopped in front of one stable in particular and Sterk, with a gesture of his hand, directed our attention to the creature inside. “Ye said ye wanted a strong Demon Beast that can survive on little water and won’t have trouble traveling through a hot climate. This is what our Spiritualists found.”

The creature inside of the stable was a massive lizard with black and yellow scales, yellow reptilian eyes, and a mouth full of sharp teeth. It was currently curled up and sleeping, so I couldn’t judge how big it was, but it was probably just a little smaller than our wagon. Affixed to its neck was a collar with Runes etched into the surface.

“This is the B-ranked Giga Monster,” Sterk said. “Our Spiritualists managed to capture this a few days ago as per yer request. Me and Kari put that control collar on it, so ye won’t hafta worry about it trying to attack ye.” Sterk glanced at the sleeping Demon Beast. “This creature is pretty strong. It can haul about two hundred tons, doesn’t tire easily, can go without water fer at least a month, and is used to traveling long distances. It has everything ye wanted in a Demon Beast when ye made that ridiculious request.”

“Hmph. A B-rank Demon Beast isn’t very strong, but this princess guesses it will do.” Lin, ever the arrogant one, crossed her arms and gave the creature a haughty look. I wondered if maybe she was feeling threatened by another reptile… but no, that would just be dumb. Even Lin wouldn’t feel that way about an oversized lizard…

… Right?

“I see you’ve finally managed to reverse engineer the control collars used by the Sekbeist,” I said as I looked at the collar. The Rune Array on it was composed mostly of Merkstave Runes.

“We did!” Kari exclaimed, now excited, as if she’d been waiting for someone to comment on that. “It took a long time. The first thing we had to do was decode the language of the Sekbeists. You would not believe how hard that was. Their language is unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Fortunately, it isn’t a complicated language, so once we had decoded a few of their letters, it was very easy to figure out the rest. However, reverse engineering their devices using our Runes required a lot of trial and error.”

Kari held up her hand like she was a professor giving a lecture. The blonde woman’s eyes were shining with light as she explained everything to us. She was truly in her element right now.

“Our first few attempts ended in complete failure. The first Demon Beast we tried controlling went berserk and tried to rampage through the Demon Beast Mountain Range. The second one died on the spot. I think that happened because our controls were too tight. It tried to resist the mental compulsions we sent it, which resulted in massive brain hemorrhaging that ultimately killed it. We eventually discovered that the best way to control a Demon Beast was to use a control collar that didn’t force control but implanted subtle suggestions that it would be better to follow our instructions.”

I really loved listening to Kari when she got like this. Her passion shone through on her face, causing it to light up brighter than the sun. Seeing her this happy always brought me joy.

Sterk let Kari do all the talking, which was probably because he couldn’t get a word in edgewise. He didn’t look discontent by this. The dweorg were a surely race to begin with, so they weren’t much for explaining every little detail like humans were.

Once Kari finished explaining everything, I ordered Sterk to have some Spiritualists prepare the Giga Monster for our journey. We would be heading out tomorrow. Once Sterk confirmed that he would do just that, me, Kari, and Lin met up with Siv, Fay, and Raul. We had a wonderful dinner and went to bed early.

Our journey would begin tomorrow.

***

It was a little earlier in the morning than I usually woke up, but we had all agreed to leave while the sun was still rising. Part of our reason for this decision was that we didn’t want people panicking at the sight of a massive lizard traveling through the streets.

Nevaria was quiet as I sat on the driver’s seat with Kari. My wife had control of the reigns. She was much better at steering this thing than I was, and she had an intimate understanding of the control collars, which made her perfect for the job. I was merely keeping my wife company.

The sound of our wagon rumbling down the street seemed abnormally loud in the quiet morning, though I knew that was at least partly my own imagination. At the same time, the Giga Monster was massive. Each time it set a foot on the ground, the earth rumbled just a little. I was certain the houses on either side of the street were shaking.

“It’s so quiet,” Kari murmured. “I’m not used to Nevaria being this silent.”

“I’m not used to waking up before dawn,” I replied.

“Hmmm… we usually sleep in these days,” Kari agreed.

Because of how busy all of us were with work, we didn’t adventure as much as we used to. Once a month, the five of us made it a point to travel into the Demon Beast Mountain Range and do some exploring, but we only stayed there for about five days before returning. We couldn’t afford to be away for too long anymore.

“Still, I can’t help but be excited,” Kari continued talking, a bright smile on her face. “This will be the longest journey we’ve taken, and it won’t be something that was forced on us by necessity. We’re not being chased by Demon Beasts. Nobody is in danger of dying. This is something we decided to do on our own.”

“A journey because we want to, not because we have to,” I murmured with a sigh as I leaned back in the seat. “Back then… we had no choice but to run. We traveled into the Endless Desert because doing anything else would have resulted in our death.” I paused as something inside of my stomach squirmed. “Many people died anyway.”

“Do you still blame yourself for what happened?” Kari asked, her tone soft, eyes lowering with sadness. “You know that wasn’t your fault.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.” I tugged on my green bangs, which were getting a little long. I wondered if I should cut my hair. “I know there’s not much point thinking about it, but I still sometimes regret what happened back then. I regret not being strong enough to protect everyone.”

“I understand.” Kari leaned into me as if to comfort me. “I feel the same way.”

Despite how large the Giga Monster and our wagon was, Kari deftly maneuvered it down North Main. We eventually reached Imperial Mountain, where the Imperial Royal Palace sat surrounded by a large road shaped like a circle. Once we were on the road, Kari had the Giga Monster turn and travel around the mountain before setting it onto East Main, the road that would take us to the east gate--the only exit that would lead to the Endless Desert.

“Who’s the cutest baby in the entire world! Is it you?”

As we set on East Main, the sound of Lin’s voice followed by happy baby noises echoed from inside of the wagon. I looked back and saw Lin holding Raul above her as she laid on the bed. Fay was sitting beside her, legs crossed as she smiled. Siv was still asleep. The dragon girl slept with her head on Fay’s lap. The redhead was idly stroking the sleeping girl’s soft green hair, her dragon wings fluttering.

“You have to grow up big and strong, okay? That way when this princess has a baby with Darling, you can protect your sister.”

Raul clearly had no idea what Lin was saying, but he giggled and smiled anyway, which seemed to satisfy Lin just fine.

“That girl,” I muttered.

“She has been trying to have children with you for some time now,” Kari said.

“Yeah, we’ve been trying.” I ran a hand through my hair. “But we haven’t been very successful. I’m wondering if maybe it’s because we’re a different species. I know some humans who married a lamia, but I don’t recall them ever having kids.”

“Me neither,” Kari admitted.

While Kari and Siv seemed content not having children right now, Lin wanted to conceive a child with me and had spoken about doing so at length. I didn’t know if I wanted a second child. However, now that I had one, I had no real reason to refuse her, so I agreed to her demand. Unfortunately, even after over a year of trying, we had not been able to produce a baby.

I shook those thoughts off as we reached the east gate. The giant gate loomed before us, easily five times larger than our wagon. Watchtowers sat on either side of the gate, the flat roofs featuring a ballista that slowly turned in place as though checking for signs of flying Demon Beasts. There were also Spiritualists standing at attention on top of the gate.

Normally, there would only be two Nevarian Spiritualists guarding the gate, but when Kari slowed our wagon to a stop, I spotted an entire group of people waiting for us. At the front of this procession was Hilda, her husbands, and her sons. They were not the only ones present. Stelys Valstine was also there. Next to him was Feinrea Kunis of the Alchemist Association. Catalyna Kriger was standing beside Geirolf. I also noticed that Sigrid had shown up.

“What’s going on?” Lin asked as she peeked out of the wagon. “Why did we stop?”

The bed and the driver’s seat were actually right next to each other, separated only by a thin wall. There was a glassless window that allowed anyone inside to look outside and also speak with the driver.

“It looks like there is an entourage here to see us off,” Kari explained.

“Can you tell Fay and Siv to head outside with you?” I asked.

Lin looked at us, then looked past us at the people standing by the gate. She nodded once before ducking her head back down and speaking with the redhead who was now holding Raul. Fay nodded several times before she began waking up Siv.

Kari and I hopped off the driver’s seat and walked past the Giga Monster. We stopped in front of Hilda, who smiled at us, though her expression seemed a touch sad.

“I knew from the moment Eryk requested that I not keep you in Nevaria and allow you to explore the world that you would eventually leave,” was how she began.

“I won’t be gone forever,” Kari said with a smile, though her trembling lips betrayed her.

“I know, but you will still be gone for a long time.” Perhaps it was because of this fact, that our journey would take a few years, but Hilda threw away her decorum and embraced Kari in a fierce hug. “I will never tell you not to go. I know this is what you want. But I also want you to know that I am going to miss you terribly.”

I couldn’t see Kari’s face because it was buried in her mom’s bosom, but I imagined she was crying as she hugged her mom back. Her voice was soft and filled with emotion.

“I know. I’m going to miss you too.”

“Remember to be safe out there. I know you are strong. You are stronger than me now. However, I still worry about you.”

“I know. Don’t worry. I will do my best to stay safe and not do anything too reckless.”

“That’s all I ask.”

While Kari and Hilda were hugging, Fay, Siv, and Lin came out of the wagon and walked over to us. Fay, upon seeing her father, went straight up to him and smiled.

“Well, this is it,” she said.

“That it is,” Stelys agreed with a smile on his bearded face. He looked close to tears as he lifted a hand and cupped his daughter’s cheek. “I remember when you were desperately struggling to grow stronger. Back then, I was this close to being forced to marry you off. Now you’ve finally managed to take control of your own life. You’re free to do what you want, go where you want, and have fun with the people you love.” At those words, Stelys looked at me, then Lin, Siv, and Kari. His eyes went back to Fay. “I wish you the best on your journey. Never forget that I will always be waiting for you to return.”

“I won’t.” Fay stepped forward and hugged her dad. He was much taller than her, about the same height or maybe a bit taller than me, so she only came up to his chest. “I love you, Dad.”

“I love you too, my darling daughter.”

I looked away from the scene when I saw tears falling from Stelys’s eyes. I strongly believed there were some moments people uninvolved were not meant to see, and this was a moment between father and daughter. As Fay’s husband, it was my duty to make sure I gave them their privacy.

While Hilda and Stelys said goodbye to their daughters, several people came up and said goodbye to me.

“Take care of yourselves out there,” Mykkel said with a smile. His red hair was cut short now, no longer in a ponytail, and his green eyes were sharper than before. He was thinner than Earland and Geirolf. However, that didn’t necessarily mean he was weaker.

“I will,” I said, extending a hand to shake the one he offered.

“I want to see just how powerful you are when you come back,” Earland added.

I smiled. I was not sure I could get anymore powerful than I was now. Was there a state beyond the Fourth State of Spiritualism? I couldn’t even fathom such a thing.

“I’ll be sure to spar with you when I return.”

“See to it that you do.”

“I’m not sure leaving the sect in the hands of my husband was a good idea,” Catalyna said.

“Hey!” Geirolf snapped.

“That’s why I’ll make sure to keep an eye on him,” she finished.

“I’ll be counting on you to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble,” I said.

“Why do you make it sound like I’m going to cause problems?” asked Geirolf.

“We’re just teasing you, dear.” Catalyna patted Geirolf’s cheeks. The young man looked like he was torn between being angry and pleased.

As Hilda’s sons stepped away, I noticed Dante, Rainer, and Valence had finished saying goodbye to their daughter and were coming up to me. The one who arrived first was Dante. He didn’t look much different than usual. He wore the same lazy grin as always, though I felt there was a touch of sombrity in his smile this time.

“Looks like you guys are gonna be gone for awhile.” He scratched the back of his head. “I’m not sure how long you plan on being gone, but I’m sure we’ll meet again.”

“We will. I don’t plan on leaving Nevaria forever,” I informed him.

“I know. Anyway, see you later.”

I exchanged goodbyes with Dante and Rainer, promised Valence that I would look after his daughter, and then watched as they went back over to Kari. She was still hugging her mom as though afraid to let go. I think she was only now realizing what it meant to leave Nevaria. In our previous life, Kari had been forced to leave her mother’s side through a cruel twist of fate. Now that she could leave of her own free will, I was sure some part of her didn’t want to. It was always hard leaving the nest.

Just about everyone who had come to see me off had greeted me, all except one.

“Sigrid,” I said when the woman stepped in front of me.

“Life’s gonna be a bit boring without you around,” Sigrid said. She extended her hand for me to take. “Take care.”

Although Sigrid had not done anything to invoke my suspicion, I still did not trust her or her family. They were being silent for now. However, I knew from experience that being silent did not mean they didn’t have any plans. The Leucht Family had been silent for over a hundred years, but they had been conspiring against Nevaria with the Sekbeist, which had resulted in the city’s destruction during my previous life.

“Thanks.” I reached out and grasped her hand. “You too.”

While everyone else was saying goodbye to me, Kari, and Fay, only a few people went up to Lin and bid her goodbye. She responded with her usual “this princess will be fine.” It was probably thanks to her one-track mind, but Lin didn’t seem to care much for goodbyes and was more interested in holding Raul. On the other hand, I noticed that no one went up to Siv.

It was well-known among those close to us that Siv was not good with people. She was quiet, barely spoke with anyone whose names weren’t Eryk, Fay, Lin, or Kari, and would only reluctantly speak with people when spoken to. Most of the people who knew her avoided her for that reason. It wasn’t done out of malice, but because everyone assumed that was what she preferred.

Yet at that moment, Siv wore an expression that could only be called lonely as she watched everyone else say their goodbyes.

***

I woke up when I felt something push against my chest. Opening my eyes a crack, a dark shadow appeared in my vision, a silhouette of a person who was small but had large wings jutting from their back and a long tail with a spiked tip. The only thing I saw with any clarity were a pair of glowing green eyes with reptilian pupils.

Siv took one hand off my chest, placed it on the bed, and then removed her other hand. Slowly so as not to wake anyone up, she crawled across the bed. She stepped off the bed with a light thump and wandered over to the door in the back.

I watched for a moment as she opened the door and sat down, wondering what I should do. It looked like Siv was contemplating something as she stared at the night sky, though I could only see her back. Even with her wings, her back looked tiny and fragile.

There was no way I could do nothing.

Coming to a decision, I gently removed Lin’s arms from around my torso and extricate myself from her tail. Our sleeping position this time was Lin on my left, Fay on my right, and Kari spooning Lin to help her keep warm. Since Fay was on my right, I ended up replacing myself with her. She and Lin shifted a little when they realized something had changed, but they eventually wrapped their arms--and Lin wrapped her tail--around each other and continued sleeping. Raul was currently fast asleep in his crib.

I didn’t bother moving silently as I walked up to Siv. She turned at the sound of my footsteps.

“I woke you up,” she said, her voice soft like the gentle tinkling of wind chimes. “Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.” I shook my head before summoning a brush from my storage ring. “Anyway, since we’re both awake and it doesn’t look like either of us will be going back to sleep any time soon, why don’t I brush your hair?”

“Okay,” Siv agreed to my request.

I sat down behind Siv, who had extended her wings to their full one-meter span. When Siv’s wings were retracted, they sat against her back and made it hard to get close to her from behind. By extending her wings, she made less space between her and me, allowing me to sit down and scoot closer.

Being married to four women, I had a lot of experience when it came to combing long hair. Lin, Kari, Fay, and Siv were all possessors of hair that went all the way down the middle of their backs. Kari’s was the longest, but Siv’s was still fairly long. I had spent many hours combing their hair for them. You could say I was an old hand at this now.

I gently took the ends of Siv’s hair between my hand and used the brush to undo the knots in her hair. Several strands were also caught on her wings, so I removed each strand and brushed them as well, slowly working my way from the bottom up.

Underneath my gentle ministrations, Siv’s body relaxed, the tension easing from her spine and shoulders, causing her body to appear as if it was sagging. She placed her hands on her lap. While I could not see her legs because she was sticking them out of the door, I was certain from the slight rocking of her body that she was kicking them back and forth.

“You seemed kind of sad when everyone was saying goodbye this morning,” I said. “Is everything okay?”

“I am not sure,” Siv said.

Her words caused me to frown, but I didn’t say anything, nor did I stop brushing her hair. I had reached the midway point. Her hair was much thicker here than it was at the ends. I wanted to make sure I did a thorough job. Brushing Siv’s hair was also something of a guilty pleasure for me. Her hair was so soft that my fingers glided through it, as did the brush in my hands. A gentle scent like freshly blooming flowers came off her hair. It was a combination of the shampoo she used and her own natural scent.

Siv eventually began speaking again.

“I guess I am just realizing how alone I am. N-not that I am lonely or anything,” she added after realizing how someone could take her words. “I never feel alone since I have all of you. You, Fay, Kari, and Lin have become my family, and I love you all so much. However…”

When combing a woman’s hair, you couldn’t just comb the top part. A woman’s hair was too thick for that and there would always be knots on the other side. I moved her hair back and combed the underside as well, ensuring her hair was combed all the way through.

“However?” I asked, prodding her along.

Siv raised her feet and placed them on the floor, allowing her to draw her knees into her chest and hug them. Her jade like feet sat on the ledge. Her cute toes with their sharp nails hung off the edge. She wiggled them a little as she looked up at the night sky.

“I am the only one of my kind that I have ever seen,” Siv finally continued. “Beyond what I have already told you, I do not know a whole lot about who I am or where I came from. Who am I? Who was my father? Where is my mother? Why am I here? Seeing Kari and Fay being hugged by their parents made me realize I don’t have anyone like that. My father is dead. I do not know where my mother is. I don’t even know where I can find others of my kind. All I have are… the memories of my past life.”

Siv was talking a lot more than she usually did, but the topic of our conversation wasn’t something she could finish with a single word sentence. I wondered if she found speaking hard. She once said she just preferred not talking when she didn’t have to, so maybe she was okay speaking in more than single word sentences when such an act was required.

“The one where you were forced into battle against someone incredibly powerful and died in battle?” I asked as I continued brushing her hair.

Siv shuddered a little but nodded all the same.

“In my previous life, you never rescued me. The other people who were enslaved by the Sekbeists were used in a ritual to activate a Warp Gate, and I was dragged through to the other side. We traveled to another world--I don’t know which--and I was used as a mount for the Sekbeists. They forced me to fight against other dragons and races. I had no choice but to obey. I killed… so many people. However, my last opponent was a man who wielded a hammer and controlled lightning. He killed me with a single swing of his hammer. It was probably a mercy killing.”

We had spoken of her past life a few times before and determined that the place she had been sent to was one of the other eight realms.

“The place you were sent to was probably Vindenket… I think. My understanding of the nine realms is that beings from a lower realm cannot travel to a higher realm unless they transcend the limitations of their race and become a Great Overlord. If you were fighting against dragons, then Vindenket or one of the lower realms is likely where you ended up.”

“There were also giants,” Siv added.

“Útgarðar then,” I said.

I finished combing Siv’s hair, but since we were still talking, I decided to braid it as well. This would also help keep her hair from getting tangled on her wings.

The hair style I was going for was called a Bohemian Braid Updo. The woman who did Hilda’s hair taught me how to do this.

I started by taking a small section on the left side of Siv’s hair, dividing it into three even sections, and weaving it into a simple braid, which involved crossing the hair over. Since I was doing an updo, I had to grab extra sections and begin braiding it along the side so it went toward the back of her head. I did this so it would lay back against her head, then tied it together with a small leather band. I repeated the process with the other side of her head. Then I tied both braids together.

There was still a lot of hair left over. I’d only braided the sides of her hair. The back, which was where most of her hair was anyway, still lay flat against her back and wings.

Dividing her hair into strands again, I slowly wove them into one large braid, which I then wrapped around in a circle before pinning it into place with some small magnetic hair pins.

“All done,” I said after finishing.

Siv reached behind her head and felt the braid I’d made for her. I’d made sure the braid looked loose and had some volume, so it bobbed when she tapped it. After doing this several times, she seemed satisfied, turning to me with a soft smile.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I smiled back before reaching out and pulling the dragon girl to me. Siv did not resist as I sat her on my lap, mindful of those massive wings. Placing one hand on the small of her back, I began rubbing the outer thigh of her left leg with the other, enjoying the supple feel of her lithe muscles.

“If you can travel through the Warp Gate without a higher being, it means you are a Drakvar and not just a regular dragon. Dragons are beings who are descended from the Drakvar, but I hear they have human blood mixed in with them. They can transform into a dragon. However, they were born with a human form.” I paused. “Of course, all this is just a theory I made based on what I’ve been told. It might be possible for you to travel between realms if a Sekbeist is with you. My understanding of them is that they do not come from this world but are invaders from beyond. They may have powers and abilities that we don’t know about yet.”

“I think I am a Drakvar too,” Siv said. “When the Sekbeists attacked my home, father took me through a Warp Gate.”

Nodding, I stopped moving my hand and squeezed her thigh.

“I know you are worried about being the only Drakvar in this realm, but I don’t think you should focus on it too much.” When Siv looked at me with an inquisitive tilt of her head, I gave her the most reassuring smile I could. “It sounds to me like the Sekbeist are invading more than just Miðgarðr and Niðavellir. It would not surprise me if they have also invaded the other seven realms. That being the case, it’s likely we’ll have to travel to Vindenket at some point.”

Siv’s emerald eyes gained a vibrant lustre like newly born stars. The hope evident on her face made me fervently wish that my words just now were not misspoken.

“Then… do you think I will be able to see my mother again?” she asked.

“I will do everything in my power to make it happen,” I told her.

“Thank you!”

Siv leaned forward and pressed our lips together. Her kiss was soft, gentle, and hesitant, as were all her kisses until I lit a fire in her loins. I thought about doing that right now, but Siv was loud when we were having sex.

I didn’t want her dragon roars waking up Raul.