Langton Incorporated

The content of this page is relevant to the Gamma Timeline.

The old man slowly rose to his feet, and in the silence, he spoke.

```
*To north he flees, his name here scorned*
*His name shall ring, his fact made wrong*
*Time will not reverse these deeds itself*
*His fate not here, for this time done*
*Long he shall stay, yet later have gone*

```

Here he sat, on the soil of Auzos. It *did* exist after, despite many rumours claiming it to be a false story in order to send fleeing magicians and aliens to their death. The weather had been dreadful during his flight, and he'd nearly plummeted into the sea due to heavy winds. All of that was past him, however. Delinius Rupert Langton, survivor of decades of purging hunts. However, there was little time to ponder on his victorious journey: the sun would set soon, and he had not found any signs of an inhabited place.

He walked in one particular direction, so as to avoid walking in circles. Just as he was about to abandon hopes of finding a sheltered sleeping place for the night, the high buildings of a city appeared in the distance, along with a set of rails in their direction. With the sun already closing in on the horizon, Delinius took to flying a large part of the distance, though he still chose to walk the last few miles. Even if these lands were said to be safe, he knew better than to let that influence his own perception. Fortunately, what money he had gained was an accepted currency here, and he finally found himself a low-quality hotel. That the mattress was thin and the blankets abundant with holes didn't matter to him: this was the first proper bed he slept in in quite some years. Delinius Rupert Langton finally dared sleep in a strikingly open place, given that the windows were not secured and the door locked with no more than a simple key.

## I - Prospect

*It seems that this place is known as Ivinopia, the largest urban area of this continent. There seem to be more exotic individuals of different species here, as they perhaps inhabited this place well before a Gridmask ever set foot here. However, they are not quite warm towards any newcomers. I have seen several lost souls that seem out of place, and they are not helped in the slightest. I haven't quite had the pleasure of finding any means of work until this day. As it seems, my flight serves as a notable advantage, and I am now an express mail deliverer. It is quite a challenging position, and there are no true days off of this work. However, the chances that I work for weeks on end are very low, I was told. After all, express mail is quite expensive.*

*Perhaps, if I can save enough of my pay, I might help the poor refugees that were fortunate enough to reach this land, but unfortunate to be rejected by these peculiar people.*

- Journal of Delinius Rupert Langton, Octavus 37, year 51

Wherever he happened to travel, he spotted lonely individuals who had no fame or fortune and were utterly lost in this place. Today, he had been notified that he had a few days off due to a few colleagues returning from undue breaks that they had claimed for themselves, and so he would explore the urban areas of Ivinopia today. While the architecture was only to some extent different from what was found on the rest of Ludus, the inhabitants were what made this place so unusual: aliens of many kinds roamed here, equal or even greater in number than Gridmasks, who had been late to discover it, according to one of his colleagues, who was one of these aliens too.

There was no reason for this. No valid one, at least. Five days, and not a single opportunity. He was refused everywhere, not even because of his unusual last name, but because he was an outsider. That automatically made him untrustworthy simply because your background was unknown, even if your name was Theo and you didn't appear as too much of an exotic figure among magicians. With no way of going back, he was stuck in a city full of people that didn't want to know him.

"Yeah, you go mock me. See if I care." The man had been following him around for over an hour by now, never coming quite close enough to be within hearing distance, but close enough either way.

"Oh, but I wasn't *mocking* you. After all, it would require words to truly accomplish a state of mockery."

The man took a seat beside him on the bench and shook his head. "Surely you do not think that I am less out of place here than you?" Theo felt an upcoming urge to punch the man in his face. "At least *you* have decent clothing and some actual food! I've been sitting here in this coddamned place for days without a job!" It felt good to finally vent his anger. To his surprise, however, the man did not retaliate. He seemed amused, or even content, maybe.

"Exactly! And that is why I have been following you. I am quite the outcast, not unlike you. I am fortunate to be blessed with a particular perk that has gotten me a job as an express mail carrier, but I have seen many a refugee that is not so fortunate." He stuck out his hand and Theo shook it. A pair of glowing wings briefly sprouted from the man's back before dissipating.

"Delinius." Rather than asking how he'd even gotten here, or how he'd escaped death for so long, Theo merely nodded. Almost anyone who had been running from the results of the witch hunts for any amount of time had heard of the name Delinius, along with the scary tales about him. He was more than just a magician, he was a pretty capable fighter as well, and someone who could convince many people with his words, if need be.

"Theo. Looks like I'm meeting with a famous man now, huh?" Delinius shrugged, clearly not impressed by his own fame, or infamy.

"If that is what you consider me, then it is so, yes. I've never quite understood why I and my irresponsible dance with death have been made famous, but I see that that's the unfortunate truth I will need to live with." He appeared quite young compared to his relatively weighty manner of speech, probably around the age of 30.

"Well, people know you. Probably a lot of them think you've finally died, now that you've gotten here." Delinius smiled, if it wasn't a grimace.

"Ah, yes. The many scary legends of the almighty Delinius, crippler of witch hunters of the Green Day, killer of vile mercenaries, flaming man of the deadly axe. After all, that summarises the majority of the silly stories that surround my name after more than 30 years." Theo laughed. Delinius had a decent sense of humour, enough to nearly make him forget his poor situation.

After a while, Delinius stood up. "Now, I'm absolutely certain that you had some complaints about a lack of food and proper garments. While I believe that the latter is not something that can be remedied immediately with my budget, the least I can spare you is a few meals for the coming week."

This changed everything. The surprise on Theo's face was apparently visible, because Delinius chuckled. "Now now, I didn't say it was bound to be a five-star meal, did I? Alas, my work does not pay quite enough that I can help others out as much as I'd wish, else I would certainly have these conversations with more people. Come, we must eat."

"Hey, where did that one jacket go that you found?" Delinius stopped writing for a second. He'd been writing for the majority of the time he was at home, sometimes departing without more reason than saying "work demands once again". They'd been stuck in this apartment for some time now, Delinius usually being away during the day. Theo generally remained inside, unless he went out to either go help other refugees, or look for things he could use to help them. Stealing was not his speciality, though: that fell to Delinius, who seemed to have some kind of magic trick up his sleeve that allowed him to quickly grab something. That was something he did sparingly, however.

Theo coughed. "Oh, the jacket? Must've left it on the shelf in the hall. Have you found a recipient for one again?" Rather than waiting for the response, he stood up. "There have been more of them, as of late. It's a shame there is no room for a third occupant here, don't you think?" Theo didn't follow.

"You're the only one who currently has a consistent paycheck, so unless you were planning on pulling in-" Without warning, Delinius put on his own coat and gestured Theo to follow him. "Where are we supposed to go?" Delinius remained mysteriously silent, leaving Theo no choice but to follow him. Once outside, Delinius walked through seemingly random streets until they found themselves standing in front of a rather poorly-maintained warehouse. "And... what relation does this have to a third occupant?"

Delinius chuckled. "It has everything to do with more space. All that must be done to prepare it for a little sprucing up is the removal of several permanently intoxicated individuals. They'll be quite willing to leave." When he opened the large doors at the front, daylight rudely disturbed the drunkards and addicts that littered the place. Some tried to avert their heads so they could continue to do nothing in their numbed state, others thought they would handle the disturbance themselves with their drunken heads.

"Wh- who's openin' the door? Close the fucking door! Close it, you-" Delinius cleared his throat, drawing attention to himself and waking more people from their slumber.

"I need this warehouse clear for purposes other than housing numb addicts. There is one two buildings down the street that is equally unoccupied, but a lot more comfortable. Take your leave peacefully, or die with your worthless existence of addiction." His voice resonated unusually well through the building, as far as Theo could hear.

The drunkard that had spoken up had risen from his bed of newspapers and rags, shaking his fist at Delinius. "Yyyooooouu're messsing wiff dhe best! Thiiiiiiiinnnk you can fffffffffffuck with me?" With a notable wobble to his steps, he slowly closed in on Delinius and tried to strike with a punch, missing Delinius by quite a bit. The latter proceeded to grab the man by the arm, locking it firmly behind his back and crudely pushing the drunkard out of the warehouse, where he simply tripped and fell to the ground. "Wha- where am I?"

"And... the rest?" This was not a silly question, but it seemed to answer itself. For whatever reason, every one of them left with not so much as a glance. "A powerful voice, whether powerful by nature or by other means, can achieve a lot."

The warehouse two buildings further down the road was everything but more comfortable, and was actually devoid of any useful materials other than some low-quality sheet metal. Delinius gestured at the large and mostly-empty space around them. "Now this", proceeding through the warehouse as he spoke, "Would be quite a suitable for a third occupant, and quite a few more, don't you think?" He kicked a particularly sturdy-looking crate, which promptly broke. "Well, after we discover which part of these crates and other rubbish is actually usable in any practical way. Pick your way through this treasury to find all that which you could deem remotely usable, no matter how trivial."

Theo sighed rather notably. For the remainder of the day, they both picked through the various areas of the warehouse. It had apparently been in use as a storage of some kind for a company: here and there, a faded logo showing a stylised cardboard box and illegible lettering below them still remained on some of the walls and various items that were lying around. According to Delinius, the company owning the building had gone bankrupt years ago. Whether or not that was entirely true was up for debate: there was a rather worrying amount of items with the appearance of having been in the warehouse for no more than a few weeks or months.

"Are you absolutely sure this is abandoned?"

"Why so, Theo?" Delinius made his way over to Theo. "Oh. Indeed. Well, given that the bankrupcy itself was genuine as far as I could discern, I believe we may be dealing with a shady organisation housing its wares in here. How unusual." Theo scratched his head in confusion. There was a small parcel on one of the shelves with a date stamp of several days ago.

"Ah. Strange, isn't it? I attract trouble no matter where I flee." He'd suddenly frozen in place, turning around to a pile of boxes stacked against the wall. "That there is a suspiciously well-stacked amount of boxes."

With a swift movement, he pulled the entire stack away, revealing an otherwise inconspicuous door. Rather than seeing if it would give way, Delinius cut the door's lock and handle off using his axe, leaving the door to swing open.

"It would seem we are not quite alone. Come, Theo. I think it'd be best if we do not separate ourselves."

For some reason, Theo had the ridiculous feeling that they were being watched, but he was not alone in it, judging by Delinius' words. They quietly proceeded down what seemed a corridor with personal workspaces, some of which were clearly still in use. Somewhere near the end, one of the doors was shut. After a silent nod, Delinius conjured his bow and quiver and beckoned Theo to open the door. A fairly young woman was sitting behind a desk, facing away from the door.

"Reginald? Weren't you supposed to be here later?" She apparently wasn't expecting any visitors, let alone any that she didn't know.

"Rather, explain to us why there is apparently a workspace allocated here to employees of a bankrupt company."

The woman turned around in panic, clenching a firearm in her hands. "W- who the hell are you? Stay back!"

Delinius raised his hands as a non-threatening gesture. "Please, do not fire that horrible weapon of yours. We haven't come to harm you, we merely wish to know to what purpose this warehouse seems abandoned despite housing employees of a bankrupt company. Of course, you would not know the exact details, but I'd be much obliged if you spoke out what you do know." The gun was lowered, and Delinius smiled. "There we are, that creates less tension."

"Alright, alright. Look. This whole thing is a hoax. It was never a real company and until you just barged in, we were safe here." She laughed quietly. "Suppose you won't be letting this go without a word, but let me tell you, you'd better get going." When neither of them appeared to heed this warning, she smiled.

"You two are too curious to quit, then?"

"Most certainly. We refuse to leave for as long as it takes you to explain why you are here."

After some rummaging, she procured a sheet of paper from her desk and held it out. "This should sum it up for you. I've got work to do now, if you don't mind." After Delinius had taken it, she turned around and continued her work. Delinius shrugged, and he followed Theo out of the office into another one a few doors back.

"What's our plan now?" Delinius smiled mysteriously. "Oh, I will see what I can do about this rather unusual situation. For now, we will pretend that we have never seen this. They won't be able to track our address down, though we should be wary of typical shadowing figures following our movements, if this paper summary is accurate. Let's go home."

"So what the hell was it about?" She shrugged.

"Pair of wannabe detectives, if you ask me. Not really worth sending people after. They'll know to forget about it after I gave them a little summary." At least, she hoped they would. Especially the weirder one of the two with his bow didn't seem too impressed.

"Hey, no problem. We're all stuck in here without work, gotta do what we can. Don't forget to stick around, we should have something set up in a few weeks." Once the two refugees had gone out of sight, he wiped his forehead and sighed. The last few days had taken a toll on both him and Delinius, and the latter still hadn't said a word about what had happened to the warehouse and its company. As well, he'd disappeared for a few days last week.

After grabbing a quick coffee from a nearby store, he made his way home, as far as the cramped apartment was a home.

"Grrrrngh!" Delinius was firmly locked in a struggle with some odd alien, though the latter clearly didn't have the upper hand. Theo struck a punch at their skull, ending the fight. "What the literal-"

"An unfriendly assailant related to the warehousing. I'll handle that for now. Meet me at the warehouse somewhere in the morning in two weeks. I need to clean house." The alien figure laughed. Their purple skin contrasted against Delinius' orange vest. "Hah! Like you'll shut us down!"

Delinius didn't seem worried at all. "Oh, don't you worry about that. I will merely make you wish to leave that warehouse for good, and regret any attempt in taking it back. I have no reason to bother rooting you out entirely if it doesn't impede my ability to aid refugees."

"Nice self-help then, filthy refu- ow!" Though there was no sound of bones breaking, it was clear a twist of the arm was quite painful.

"Now leave, before I turn you into a subject of a closed-casket funeral!" He released the individual from his grasp, and they made haste to retreat. Delinius stretched his arms and coughed. "Take care of yourself, Theo. I'm certain you'll be safe here." Before Theo could say a thing, Delinius disappeared in a burst of flames.

"Oh. Well, that's going to cause some trouble..." On the desk was a battered wallet containing the belongings of the alien that had fled. Finders keepers... though in this case the finders part was not so plausible.

If there was any moment when an axe was preferable over a sword, that time was now. Having no sword's sheath blatantly sticking out while trying to hide behind narrow shelves was quite a perk, allowing Delinius to reach into the shady offices without being seen more than once.

"Now, what are they doing here?" He'd picked up a folder containing some files while the workers weren't in their offices. Despite the few incidents beforehand, none of them seemed particularly vigilant, though there was no sign of the female who'd been working alone when Delinius had entered with Theo. He slipped this folder in his bag, along with as many as he could fit. This was everything but the direct confrontation he'd initially thought out, but there were too many individuals present, and many of them armed. And so he would return here many times to steal their documents without leaving a trace. Apparently, this whole mess was a cover for stolen goods.

"Oh hey, didn't know we had a new face around." Delinius briefly froze, then turned around with the kindest smile. "Oh, yeah. Leo. Was a hurried relocation, figured they wouldn't introduce me. But I've got to get some of this to the right hands in time." Without any more words, he exited the office before any questions could be asked, vanishing from the building entirely. That was a little *too* close.

This process repeated itself, aside from the accidental encounter. Several days later, most had caught on that something was amiss: while their local file database was intact, all the physical documents that were supposed to be present vanished without a trace, even when printed again. The days proceeded, and their paranoia grew. Theo had not been to visit at all, though this was actually what he'd hoped for. After a week of stealing merely documents, he'd begun to take various objects, starting with pens and coffee mugs. However, when possible, he'd also move several chairs into the main corridor or unplug various electrical devices, especially the ones that were used for a lot of their work. 'computers', completely immobile yet quite powerful. For now, the things remained a mystery, though it was evident pulling their cords from the power sockets was not doing them any good. According to what he'd heard, these machines were capable of functions similar to a mechanical typewriter, but significantly more convenient when it came to storing documents, storing dozen documents on simple disks that were much easier to keep track of. Perhaps he could take these over if given the opportunity to drive these people out permanently.

## II - Clean House

"Who's there?" Upon finding nobody nearby, he took a peek into the warehouse, which was empty as always. Evening shifts with nobody around were the least pleasant ones, as even the slightest sound seemed suspicious. Now that the annoying duo had chased off the flock of useless people, they didn't have anything to cover their appearance anymore.

A soft noise of air being moved alerted him to something approaching, but he was too late when the side of the axe struck his head, knocking him out.

He woke up covered under a thick blanket, apparently still in the warehouse. Throwing the blanket off of him, it turned out he'd been dragged to a corner. When he arrived at the door to the offices, he found it locked. His key still fit the door, but something else was holding it in place. "Dammit." After several tries, he got rid of whatever had blocked the door, and it gave way.

After the door budged, he saw a middle-aged man leaning against the wall opposite, apparently expecting him. "Who the hell are you? What are you doing here?" The man vanished in a burst of flames, almost as if he hadn't really been there. The offices were unusually tidy. This wasn't because someone had cleaned them, but because every single document, both paper and digital, was gone, except for a single note.

```
*I have, as it's generally said, cleaned house here.*
Leaving is your best option to prevent further losses,
as you won't suffer any more of such if you leave my
operations be. You will not be rooted out. Relocate.
Kind regards,
Delinius R. Langton

```

"What is your opinion on my proposal?"

This Delinius had apparently returned, and he was very real.

"How did you clear this out? Why are you bothering with-"

The man laughed heartily. "Oh, that was but a simple task. After all, you have seen me vanish from one place, and I simply appear in another."

However, his laughing soon stopped, and an axe appeared. Where from wasn't clear, but the odds were that magic had some part in the appearance.

"Hey, we can talk this out, right?"

The axe and its wielder closed in on him, until Delinius' face was inches away from his.

"I'm quite civilised, don't you worry about that. I am not quite an insane axe-murderer. However, there is nothing to be talked out. This warehouse shall be mine from now on. Please make sure you and your associates remember it, or I will see no other option than to begin a true conflict with you."

Delinius had finally returned, looking a little tired, but quite content at the same time.

"Hey. How did it go?" He hadn't been back for nearly a month. His hair was even more of a mess than it had been beforehand, there was dirt here and there, but he was most definitely back. Though the dirt could plausibly be dried blood, now that he looked more closely. Fortunately he knew better than to ask about it.

"It is time." He dropped onto his bed with a loud sigh. "You must go ahead and take all of them to the warehouse. It is cleaned out, and the useful things have been separated from the rubbish. I could join you, but it'd be of no particular use - I am quite tired."

"No, you're the better talker. We'll just wait until you're not a living husk."

Delinius shook his head, apparently too tired to speak any further. Soon enough, he was fast asleep. Eventually, when Theo felt hungry, he went out and bought a meal at a takeaway store. Delinius, on the other hand, had slept through the rest of the day without waking up. Even when Theo accidentally let the door slam shut with a takeaway meal in his hands, he had not stirred one bit. It took holding the food near his head to wake him up.

"Oh, hello." He yawned extensively and stretched his arms, causing him to fall off of his bed. Muttering some curse or other, Delinius rose to his feet. He was quite hungry, once he'd given the idea of food some thought.

"I know it's no five-star meal."

Five stars or not, they both dug into their meal in relative silence, until Delinius raised a hand. Once he'd finished his mouthful, he unveiled a bottle of some kind of alcohol with a torn and faded label.

"A toast. To good fortune, even for the unfortunate. And to our hard work to reach it."

They drank, at which point Theo asked what this actually was. It wasn't alcohol, Delinius assured him. What it really was? He did not know either, but he did know that it was pleasant to drink and did not cause intoxication. He'd gotten it off of a merchant back on Gredile after a turbulent evening and saved it for a good occasion.

They drank a few more glasses until all daylight had faded, at which point Delinius went off to bed. Theo remained up for a while longer, pondering on some of the things Delinius had never explained so far.

First of all, there was the dried blood on his axe. He had asked about it before, but the only answer he got was that the story about the bloodied axe was for another time. Then there was the fact that Delinius could easily pick a few pieces of fruit from a market stall without any trouble, even in plain sight.

"So many things don't make sense about him, and I'm a magician too. Guess that story about him is really true."

However, his questions would have to wait longer, again. For now it was time to get some rest for him, too.

"So this is the actual place?"

"I see holes in those windows up there..."

They all waited there as the last few people joined them, outside this old warehouse. Some broken shelve racks were piled up at the wall, along with other trash objects. At least, they seemed trash to the majority of who had gathered: members of one particular alien species were gazing at it all with mild interest.

"Why is this the place, though?" Theo sighed. It was fairly early in the morning and he'd more or less been summoned by Delinius. After the stunt of cleaning it out, Delinius had performed the stunt of disappearing into it for several more weeks, apparently to begin making something out of it. In fact, he'd probably only seen him three times over the past two months.

"I'm sure Delinius should be able to explain that to you, but I have no idea where or when-" His sentence was cut short as Delinius shoved open the pair of large sliding doors and paced towards them. "Why I have hidden inside this warehouse is of later care. For now, I would like to demonstrate the result of our hard work." He gestured them to follow him.

Theo was most definitely impressed by the result: the lighting had somehow become much warmer, a lot of unusable shelves and other garbage had been taken out, with only a section of the wall opposite to the entrance having any shelves left at all. Probably the rest had been sold to companies or some other interested party. He'd installed a kitchen, decorated a living room of some kind with poorly matching sofas and armchairs, and there was a large dining table, not far from the kitchen. The part of the walls that wasn't taken up by anything else was lined with rooms, or the materials for constructing them out of. They had some amount of insulation on the side of the outer wall, since they did have four walls of their own.

"You wouldn't guess that there's this much space from the outside..."

Once Delinius had finished his little tour, he turned to them. "There is light and running water, although neither needs to be overused. I will be able to provide with more electricity once I have won the struggle with the relevant company." Almost like a salesman, if it wasn't for his language and his lack of a salesman's clothing. He didn't say anything about the little office section, however. That was probably their administration area, or perhaps their living quarters.

"Now, I've put in quite some effort into all of this, as you might understand. I am therefore not claiming that this is a gift, or a bargain. It is, however, far more comfortable than the average housing program provided by Ivinopia's authorities, both in terms of space and your part in its costs. You will be required to contribute some amount of income for sustaining and developing this building, yet far less than the half-share contracts that are currently particularly popular."

He'd let himself get distracted by pointing at the rooms, but he turned to them again. "Right. What say all of you?"

Everyone remained silent, until an otherwise normal woman coughed. She was apparently just a Gridmask, judging by looks.

"We're never finding anything better than this. Screw the official deals, I'm in."

This was apparently just enough to convince the other attendants. Everyone spent the next few hours picking a room to their liking and installing themselves with what little possessions they had. Delinius had picked his in advance, next to the office section. A few days before, he'd come across a folding chair in enough of a condition to be salvaged, and he now used it to have a seat in front of his room. Although he was leisurely reading some of his old notes, he noticed a subtle breeze as someone walked by. Without a word, the same woman entered the room next to his, the one who'd acted as the small push most people needed to be convinced. Nothing too unusual, he thought, but worth remembering. Perhaps she could help rally people too.

She reminded herself of the first time Delinius had stood out to her from the crowd. He was calmly moving in the midst of the busy market's many visitors, and suddenly picked a banknote right from someone's hands without any commotion. The victim could easily miss it, judging both by behaviour and appearance, but it was incredible that they did not notice the theft. Rather, missing the note, a new one was procured after thorough searching of several pockets. Delinius had meanwhile made off with the money and disappeared.

A day or two later, she'd seen him take along a ragged man for something to eat - paying with the same money she'd seen him steal. That was when she'd realised that there was something lovable about the theft from earlier. After that, she encountered him on the streets every now and then, especially around the time that she would try and grab something herself. He was either busy and gone in minutes, or doing absolutely nothing. He was apparently doing that right now, too. Making absolutely no sound, she decided to peer outside to see if Delinius was still sitting on his silly chair. He was, apparently highly interested in the contents of a battered leather book.

"It is not forbidden to look at me while I am reading old notes." He didn't even look up, or move his eyes off of his book, which apparently contained his notes.

"Just a little bit curious. It looks like you've written a lot." Delinius laughed, though Lyka could tell that there was something else on his mind as he did so.

"Since we're going to be living here, I think you should know who I am." She held out a hand, and he finally looked up. He gently took her hand and shook it. "Lyka Westwood."

"I don't suppose you need to know my name?" She briefly put on a stern look that she was unable to hold for long. "Or, if we are indeed doing this, my name is Delinius."

Just as he was about to resume reading, he looked at her again, something of a puzzled look on his face.

"Say, you do appear to me as being a typical Gridmask, perhaps with magic, is it not?"

Lyka smiled. It was a bit early for her to spill all the details of her past, and perhaps he wouldn't understand - it was unclear how old Delinius really was, or if he was even a Gridmask.

"Right, but with a few side notes." She then explained him that she had essentially been a Gridmask up until something happened, at which point she became both more capable of magic and fairly long-lived. Much to her surprise, Delinius didn't ask a single thing. She had to ask why.

"Wait, is this all familiar to you then?"

He seemed almost melancholic in his response.

"Dear Lyka, I have lived with similar effects for the majority of my life. I do believe that is not a properly established fact about myself, possibly for the better." This changed everything. She hated to admit it - she had definitely held some interest in Delinius when she'd first seen him on the streets, before all of this happened. It was something out of a fairy tale. It felt too coincidental, but it couldn't really be anything else.

"Are you alright? You seem somewhat distraught." He was interested in her well-being at least, but she'd seen that side of him before.

"Yeah, just... surprised, you know?" Someone who would stick around as long as herself. "Okay, I'm... gonna go and get some of my things unpacked. I'll see you at dinner."

She'd explained part of her history in regards to being a Soul Flame. All too familiar, but he did not wish to seem uninterested, as the history itself was quite an interesting one. Unfortunately, she did not tell that much about the entire ordeal as to how she'd changed. Delinius could tell that it was not something she was particularly fond of sharing, but she trusted him enough to speak of it.

"Wait, is this all familiar to you then?"

Lyka was apparently surprised that he didn't ask any questions about the concept of a Soul Flame. He sighed, thinking back to some of the times when being different from an average Gridmask had not done him any good.

"Dear Lyka, I have lived with similar effects for the majority of my life. I do believe that is not a properly established fact about myself, possibly for the better."

She seemed to freeze in place, her mouth opened slightly as if she were preparing to speak. Something was stirring in her head, but what exactly was unclear.

"Are you alright? You seem somewhat distraught."

Lyka became somewhat flustered. "Yeah, just... surprised, you know?" After a moment of uncomfortably looking at each other, Lyka added "Okay, I'm... gonna go and get some of my things unpacked. I'll see you at dinner." She then hastily retreated to her room, leaving him nothing but questions about her reaction.

Theo had arranged for dinner this time, seeing as Delinius was nowhere to be seen until he arrived at the table. There were two spots left, but Lyka was also about to join the table, and so the two ended up on opposite sides, in front of each other. While everyone else was happily talking over their food, the two neither dared look up or even speak, worried what the other might or might not think if they did. Of course, it was obvious that the two would be an ideal couple based on their lifespans. While they both noticed what the other was doing, their odd behaviour did not stand out in the slightest to anyone else - after all, everyone was unfamiliar with each other. After dinner, there was no chance to talk to him again - he mentioned something about a desk, and disappeared into the locked offices for some time. She could always do something to make the place look a bit better, though.

The many sofas and armchairs that mismatched had a copious amount of pillows that were equally mismatched to their respective furniture, and so she resolved to try and make them less of an eyesore. However, Delinius did not return before she went to bed.

"Good morning, Lyka." Delinius sat at the table, drinking some coffee after his breakfast.

There were two important things to remember about his mornings. First of all, you did not ask anything of him before he'd had his coffee or occasionally tea. Secondly, his hair looked like some kind of independent monstrosity that was merged with his head when he got out of bed, and it didn't improve before he departed. Probably he did something about it as he went, since express mail delivery generally didn't put him in constant contact with others. According to Delinius himself, he required the coffee in order to counteract a small sleep deficiency. Secretly, she was fairly sure he liked to portray the image of the hard-working income provider who drank coffee in the morning.

After helping herself to something that had conveniently been left on the table by someone else, Lyka headed to her own job. Nearly everyone went to work or went to find some. If they did neither, they were trying to make themselves useful otherwise. The bakery she worked at was manned solely by a short alien of some kind with a thick accent, presumably a male. From lunchtime until somewhere in the afternoon, she worked hard to get the floor and counter clean, which mostly meant sweeping crumbs. When that was done, she called for the baker loudly, since he was generally found preparing more dough or otherwise working on something, and reminded him that she'd swept the place a little cleaner. He paid her for the day and they said goodbye.

Returning home, as far as a warehouse could be home, Lyka got back to her pillow-sorting. Most people were still working, except for a now retired carpenter who was constructing a few extra rooms with the materials Delinius had gathered for that purpose. While she stuck to the design of the other rooms for the most part, the doors had a strange hinge mechanism that caused them to swing upwards while maintaining the same facing. The mechanism wasn't made of anything special - just some metal strips and a few gears - but how it could essentially mimic a door that slid up was hard to tell, even though Lyka could see how it worked.

With the last parcel delivered, he returned to the headquarters and checked out. Some of his deliveries today were either peculiarly heavy or shaped a little strangely, but he'd made them well in time. It broke up the repetitive nature of the work into something mildly interesting. Delinius headed home, where he immediately made a half-hearted belly flop onto his favourite sofa and closed his eyes. A feminine shout told him that Lyka was home too, and apparently something was amiss.

"I was going to take those!"

He stretched his arms and yawned theatrically. "Why yes, I am quite aware that you've been sorting these pillows to match to some extent. Must you hurry so much, however? I personally prefer people over pillows if the matter is getting along with each other, and this sofa is my favourite."

Lyka crossed her arms in a false show of discontent. He smiled. "Oh, very well." She made herself comfortable on the sofa alongside him.

"How many deliveries did you make today?"

He shrugged. "Enough to pay out, I believe. I lose count after the fourth. Have you counted the crumbs on the floor today, perhaps?"

She laughed. Her laugh wasn't quite as high-pitched as that of most women he'd come across all his life, excepting his sister. This apparently gave him a thoughtful face, as Lyka waved a hand in front of his eyes for a moment. "Are you still there?"

Something was different about her. Her hair seemed ever so slightly better kept, her eyes brighter. "A passing memory, don't worry." Lyka merely nodded. She understood him surprisingly well.

"You know, I saw you walking around sometimes. Before this warehouse project came up." She told him the story of the stolen money, as well as a few other times she'd seen him.

"I spotted you with an axe one time. Now, I guess it's pretty sensitive, but I noticed it was a bit..." Delinius sighed.

"Don't worry, I don't mind. After all, that is what has driven all of us here." Despite his words, something sad rested in his eyes. Lyka put an arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm digging this up."

Delinius looked at her. "Was all this bloodshed really worth it, you think?" He shook his head. "Who might tell, Lyka. Some live, some die. I only know that I live." She smiled. "Anything else you know?"

She leaned closer to him. While a few people had already returned home, they briefly faded into the background.

"If there is one thing I could know, I think it is that you like me very much. And presumably..."

He gently pressed his lips against hers. Lyka giggled softly.

"I like you very much, too. Quite a lovely evening, isn't it?"

"How long has it been? Since you, well, you know."

"It has been more than three decades since I had the rest to even think about these things. It will take me some time to adjust." Delinius could see that she understood what he wanted to convey. While she looked lovely, he hadn't known anything remotely resembling a relationship for years. "I hope you will forgive me my caution."

"We'll make do. I'm not new to hardships either."

## III - Discover

Over the next weeks, word spread about a warehouse of refugees. The hard work of the old carpenter paid off, as they gathered a few more refugees. Some were trained to be better at job interviews, others learned to be more assertive in the work they were already doing.

Delinius was somewhat absent in the evening, however. He'd found yet another folding chair, and spent a lot of the evening with Lyka, the both of them seated on their folding chairs. Fortunately, Theo was quite content with it: the only thing he required Delinius for was the intake for new residents, and even there he was only needed for the more unusual cases.

"Hey, I need to show you something." She more or less pulled Delinius into her room, and locked it.

"To what purpose lock the door?" It did seem rather strange for her to lock the door, unless she plotting some kind of romantic scheme.

He got no answer, and instead Lyka broke loose in a passionate account of her past. Unlike him, she had grown up mundane. And yet, quite like himself, she had gotten separated from her family, and she had found refuge with a group of odd outcasts who had found shelter in an old Chronostian church that had been abandoned for some time. She later discovered that these were magicians, which was why they were in hiding. They weren't the monsters they were said to be, however, which had made Lyka realise that the Green Day movement was in the wrong. Unfortunately, they were found after several months. She had been too scared to fight or even run, and she had hidden away instead. None of her new friends escaped execution. Despite the events, Lyka remembered something that a few of them had mentioned quite some time beforehand, and so she had gone about collecting the strange necklaces that a handful had been wearing. Along with a few instructions she had scribbled down, she was able to complete a ritual of unknown purpose. After ensuring a proper burial of anyone who had not been dragged away first, she bade the place farewell to find shelter elsewhere.

While enumerating these things, a strong wind had begun blowing around the room, sometimes enough to blow around papers and knock over some small objects on Lyka's desk.

"It took me really long to find out what those people had me do, and what effect it had on me. I still have those necklaces. I keep them in a box nowadays, to never forget them. They gave me a gift that would never make it to the original destination anyway, and they knew it. This... this is not something I've shared before, but I had to get it out to someone. I guess because you've told me a lot that you don't really put out there much, I just-"

Before she could end her sentence, she broke into tears and buried her face in Delinius' shoulder.

"There, there. Having solid footing torn from you several times in a short period is quite painful. I know that restless feeling like no other." He had his arms wrapped around her.

"You're like a rock, in a good way." It came out somewhat muffled, but it was clear enough. "All this time, I never met anyone who could get what I've gone through. You live your life, and then it's thrown right out the window by something you can't control. Now you're here, and you went through something just like it."

*There is more to live for than just my own sake. There is strength in sharing what makes you weak from emotion. There is something incredibly strange and empowering about knowing that someone is aware of how you came to be as you are, because they have been down a path quite like yours.*

*I am not alone. Lyka and I will see through all that this world can throw at us, perhaps more.*

- Journal of Delinius Rupert Langton, {Tt|Secundus 29|Lazarus 20}}, year 54

Just as he'd written it down, he spotted a pair of law enforcers headed towards his warehouse. After several months, it seemed that the authorities would finally take action because they were displeased with an 'illicit' hideout of refugees that was outside of their control.

This was one of the worst areas to patrol, let alone to be sent out to for a specific task. The majority of these buildings were either unowned and empty or merely storage space that wasn't even remotely near any company or industrial terrain. As a result, it was a popular place for scum of all kinds, from addicts to thugs to entire flocks of squatters.

There were reports of something that went beyond usual squatters, specifically refugees doing so. Some messianic type was taking them in and housing them in a warehouse, which he even had connected to running water and electricity. For some reason, this hadn't raised any questions until now, which was exactly why an investigation had been launched.

"Afternoon, gentlemen." A man in his thirties walked past them, briefly facing them. If he wasn't headed for the same warehouse they'd been sent out to, it was incredibly coincidental.

"Sir, can I ask you a question?" The man turned around.

"Ask right away."

"What's your business walking through here? There's not exactly anything worthwhile to go to here on foot."

His next words surprised them. "Ah, you're headed for a warehouse full of 'squatting refugees', is it not?"

"Very funny." His partner had drawn out his gun, to which the man replied by summoning an axe, seemingly by magic.

"There's two ways this is gonna go: you put that down and tell us what the hell you're up to, or we're going the hard way."

"There's two ways this is gonna go: you put that down and tell us what the hell you're up to, or we're going the hard way."

A very hard way, indeed.

"As you please, then."

Appearing right behind the two, Delinius wrenched the pistol out of the one's hand and picked the other one's from its holster.

"A truly harsh person would now shoot you with your own weaponry. I am not any such. I can lead you to this warehouse you seek, and tell you why it is there. I could tell you right now, too, as you see fit. If you are willing to hear a fool out about his plans and his reasons for acting, you will have your firearms returned."

Instead, they regained their firearms by force and put him in handcuffs.

"What made you think you could pull that off, son?"

He didn't show much beyond slight disdain.

"If you knew the reputation I possess on the large continent, you would perhaps know. I will play by your rules, and let you interrogate me. Then I think you will understand my problem, that of these refugees, and the underlying mechanism that is at fault. But in no way must you think that I am 'tame' or secured. I do this because I want you to see the ugly beast that has reared its head where I've come from."

He'd already had a feeling this would be happening sooner or later, and so he had already notified everyone that he would probably be absent soon enough.

"How did grandpa die, dad?"

Her father sighed.

"We don't really know, sweetie. He was going after one of those magicians, and he never came back. But he was a good man."

He softly muttered the name Delinius. That was the man they had talked about when they told him that his father had gone missing. He was apparently longer-lived, too, probably by magic of some kind. If he himself didn't live to see the damn magician again, some of his kids would, or their kids would. Even if you disappear, if you're long-lived you're going to face the past at some point. And this guy would have it coming.

"Dammit, why isn't he back yet?"

Theo gave her a tired look. "I know he said he would probably be bothered by some mess, but he didn't tell anyone how long?"

"How long did you take part in this supposed fighting against haters of magicians and aliens, sir?"

The answer took them several hours to write out fully, as he more or less answered every question they had in one story. They said very little and wrote it all out as he spoke it to them.

"Now, lastly, one might wonder about two things. My ability to seemingly teleport at will, as well as my peculiar ability to be a step ahead of questions to be asked."

He waited for them to catch up. Why exactly they hadn't simply put some kind of recording device on the table was a good question for him, but he supposed there was a lack of budget for such things, or they were experienced with individuals capable of altering information or sound. The latter was, given the population of this continent, not entirely unlikely.

"This ring here", he spoke, "renders me quite able to perform seemingly easy teleportation. As for apparently predicting certain things, it is mostly a matter of experience, as well as a natural talent."

Neither of these was entirely true: the teleportation was a stone tablet, and his perceptive nature was in part his heritage as the descendant of a deity associated with the sun - light made unclear objects visible in the shadows, and it was why it was possible to see in the first place. It made little sense to some, but most could understand the metaphor fairly well.

"Now, I am dismissed, am I not?"

One of them nodded while the other was still writing.

"A good evening, then." He disappeared from the room in a large fire that sparked up and then immediately vanished with him. He pondered on how surprised the two officers would be because of his sudden exit when the interview was over, but it was probably nothing noteworthy.

He flew back over the street lights and the traffic. He noticed that Lyka was leaning against the wall right next to the entrance with a few blankets wrapped around her.

"There you are."

She immediately dropped the blankets and hugged him tightly. "I was worried sick about you."

"I know that, dear." The two stood there for a little while, until Lyka realised that it was both late and quite cold outside, at which point she allowed herself to be pulled inside by him. Someone had made tea for both of them, and some of the other inhabitants were asking how Delinius' interrogation had gone.

Later, when they were all seated around him, he told about the entire happening in great detail. It was long, and yet nobody dared speak a word until he was finished. After he'd described the interview, he finally detailed some unusual things he had taken note of while inside the building.

"Do we want to let some foreigners with no standards taking our jobs? Will we stand by as they ruin society?"

The crowd cheered accordingly, some shouting derogatory terms aimed at refugees.

Delinius' eyes narrowed. Converting more space within his warehouse was essential in order to reach his goal. Seeing as it proceeded quite well, he'd decided to take some time to observe the crowds around them. Theo continued to work, apparently as unphased as most by Delinius' relationship with Lyka. He was a bit of a lone figure, though. Probably it suited him better.

The speech continued, illustrated by questionable statistics and singular examples of the negative effect that a refugee population had on its surroundings. When most of the crowds had dissipated, he remained near the politician. His name was, as far as bystanders would tell him, Ryan Garfort, a rising figure who was gaining popularity at an incredible rate with his anti-refugee propaganda.

Auzos, as it were, was for the most part populated by other species than Gridmasks. A few could be seen every now and then, but they were greatly outnumbered. Ryan, for example, had clear insectoid features, despite having Gridmask-like proportions otherwise.

"Sorry."

Ryan passed by, presumably headed to some important event or other.

"Oh, not to worry."

He stopped. Clearly Delinius' accent had brought him to a halt.

"Could I ask you something? Where are you from?"

"My place of birth is irrelevant, given your apprehension. I am one your dearly despised refugees. In fact, did you not make mention of some shady band of refugees that have moved into an abandoned warehouse?"

Ryan seemed all the more suspicious.

"Who the hell are you? What do you want?"

"Delinius Rupert Langton, 'Supreme Arsonist', 'Crippler of Men' and many other frightening nicknames. Survivor of decades with witch hunters that wish to eliminate magic on the large landmass south of here. What I want is quite innocent: I simply wish to have a good conversation with you. Does a busy man such as you have time for friendly conversations?"

He could see Ryan hesitate for a moment, but there were a few bystanders who happened to pay attention to the conversation, and so he merely nodded.

"I'm willing to listen to what you have to say. You sound like a reasonable man to me. Since I'll be having dinner with my advisors in several hours, you could join us at the table."

Delinius smiled warmly. Obviously, this was a means by which Ryan could fall back on numbers if he was outmatched in the conversation, but it was quite kind of him to accept in the first place.

"I'd be delighted to. Perhaps I could join you for the time being? It will save you the effort of having me picked up at a given location."

He was very much testing the man's patience, but he could tell that the battle was already won: he would rather be out of this uncomfortable position as quickly as possible, instead of having temporary respite.

"Not to worry, I won't distract you from your business. I will firmly stay put wherever you deem most convenient."

This was the winning phrase. "Sure. I'm headed for my advisors first anyway. Follow me."

After a brief introduction with Ryan's associates, Delinius was left to wait with them. A few of them initially seemed a little wary of him, but they returned to their activities without much conversation, whichever those were. While they were busy, he inspected the room from where he was seated.

It wasn't particularly tidy, in stark contrast to the impeccable suits that each of these campaign workers wore. Clever as he was, he created the illusion that he was still seated, just as he'd sometimes stolen money from wealthy hands in the light of day. He noted down as many things as he could, looking at every piece of text he could see without disturbing anyone, until Ryan finally returned with several of his consorts.

"Right, everyone. As you might've noticed, we have an extra guest for dinner. Let's go."

Delinius followed the lot of them to a fairly expensive restaurant, and was placed right next to Ryan.

"So about why you wanted a talk with me."

"Ah, yes. To preface it all, consider what policy is in effect to treat refugees at all: there simply is none that could be considered satisfactory, and meanwhile these people are generally refused for being foreign. Then, consider why they have come here in the first place. As I mentioned, I have more than enough infamy for decades of being pursued on account of being a magician. While that does not go for all refugees in the slightest, I suppose you could see what I wish to convey. They've run for their lives."

Before Ryan could interject, he continued.

"Of course, there are those that simply came here because they think there is more to be gotten for free here. Such people would very much fall under all that which you've mentioned."

"Is it me, or have you been planning this while waiting?"

Delinius was amused, as far as his face showed anything about his thoughts.

"If it is my quick addition you're surprised about, it is because I know quite well what sort of people you speak against. I understand that you cannot take halfhearted measures. What I do not understand is that you present the whole group as consisting of bad individuals. At least, I do not wish to understand it."

Ryan briefly pondered on it, then found a great retaliation.

"So you do support *some* of my motives."

Delinius surprisingly enough nodded.

"Considering the lack of proper policy, however, I suppose you cannot help but understand why I would begin gathering them and helping them fend for themselves, hm?"

"It makes sense, it's just illegal. Come on, Delinius, you probably know that."

"And exactly because I know is it that I continue with it regardless. Those that are given a fair chance can work just as hard as anyone else. I see the risk inherent in their willingness to work for nearly any price, given that it's better than anything they've been through, but that's clearly something to be arranged by law. A rigid minimal salary that cannot be passed under, with sanction taken against both employee and employer. Harsh indeed. I myself teach each and every one of them to ask exactly what they are entitled to, both in regards to salary as well as any other rights they fall under. No more, and above all no less, than is due."

"You haven't been involved in politics before, have you?"

"And exactly because I have not can I give my opinion without any particular regard for what a politician must generally do. Believe me, Mr. Garfort, I would make much less of a good politician than you might think. If something is not right to do, I will not stand for it, no matter what. An impossibly stubborn figure to work with I very much am, despite being quite capable of adapting to new situations."

"But that's not what matters in the end. I can see your eyes while you're talking about this. You have vision. So do I. I think I got the wrong impression of you at first."

"Nothing to be particularly worried about. I'm acutely aware that I can be a little enigmatic."

Ryan laughed.

"I thought I'd be plunging myself into a hefty but really sensible discussion with you, and now it turns out your ideas aren't as different from mine as I thought. Hell, with some training, you could be an advisor for me."

"Formal power is wasted on myself, as is any indirect formal power. I am best left tending to a problem through directly being involved in it. I couldn't delegate something unless I were certain it was in good hands, and a governing body simply can't be led by that strategy."

Ryan slowly nodded. If that was the case, he could strike a good bargain.

"Since you seem determined to continue that refugee housing project of yours, I might have an idea."

"The exact idea that I had already considered once you noted the similarity between our opinion on the influx of refugees."

Why was he so quick, so perceptive? He seemed a step ahead in thinking, patiently waiting for Ryan to catch up.

"Is it?"

"If I were to support you, you would be so kind as to both apply less-than-ridiculous measures in place of your propaganda, yet in equal fashion keep an eye on fair opportunity as I've suggested."

"In short, yeah."

"It appears bribery at first, yet it isn't quite. I won't actively present myself as a supporter, perhaps - my infamy will follow me from the mainland soon enough regardless - but I will be so good as to explain your true motives to everyone under my care."

"How many people do you have under your care by now, anyway?"

"Enough to warrant employing some of them to keep the whole operation running smoothly. Several dozen, give or take a few."

"Cautious with numbers, I see. Any plans for growth?"

"As large as it needs to become."

## IV - Debate

Delinius had paid for the entire dinner, excluding dessert, which he 'allowed' to be paid by someone else. While not so much an ostentatious display of having enough money to take care of himself, he had decided it was a clearly given signal that he was not an opportunist with no money.

Ryan, on the other hand, was seriously revising the campaign strategy, adding in more detail to how he would solve the refugee problem.

"Hey, you! Yeah, you!"

Delinius looked around, only to narrowly dodge a blunt weapon swung at him. He responded by conjuring his axe, causing the attacker to lose all spirit to fight.

"Aw, hell!"

"Boo!"

He swung his axe and knocked the bat out of the alien's hands, a furious look on his face.

"I'm heckin' out of here!"

The axe disappeared, and Delinius calmly continued back home.

After filling the remainder of the floor with rooms and designating a second part of it as a seating area, they'd begun working on a second floor on top of it, with a sturdy framework encasing the already existing rooms to make sure the whole thing would be safe.

"So, how'd the debate go?"

They'd been calling it 'the debate' ever since someone mentioned Ryan Garfort as a politician and the key points of his campaign. Delinius didn't seem particularly impressed.

"Like any true populist, Ryan Garfort needs to sell by the ridiculous, despite not necessarily having ridiculous ideas in mind. Let's say that he's respectfully scared enough to strike a good bargain. Say, how is the additional layer of rooms coming along?"

"It's going fine, as far as I'm concerned. Most of the work is getting the framework together from all the old shelves that you sent into the office rooms."

The two walked along the first row of rooms to be getting an extra layer above them. Due to an issue with design on some of the ground level rooms, they couldn't simply stack them: the old carpenter had installed doors that had an upwards revolving motion when opened, and they did not allow for a walkway above them. Instead, the rooms above such a door had less depth but more width, and were still firmly anchored on a series of metal supports, constructed from the warehouse's old storage shelves, as far as they had been salvageable.

Delinius tested the strength of the stairs that had been constructed towards the first 'floor'. While any official regulation would perhaps require an even more rigid construction, it would do well enough for anyone who was bound to live there in the foreseeable future. They weren't hosting any particularly elderly people in these rooms, nor anyone particularly heavy. There were a few larger 'family units', meant to house a larger amount of people in one room. This was because a few of the more recent inhabitants had arrived as families or other groupings, and there was something to be said for preparing for any flourishing relationship that could come to develop between the residents of the warehouse.

"Sturdy enough, as far as I'm concerned."

Soon enough, each went to bed, as it was already well past dinner.

"Well then."

The two sisters took a seat. They'd been wearing hoods up until in the office, and now revealed themselves to have rather exotic hair colours, on their heads at least.

"I do not see why you both prefer to remain hooded at all times in most cases, but I suppose that is fine. Is there anything in particular that I need to know otherwise?"

The leftmost sister spoke, her voice somewhat roughened, either from hardship or prolonged overuse.

"Well, sir, you see, we tend to"

"finish the other's sentence, because"

"we constantly know what the other is thinking."

Delinius nodded.

"I see. That, and it seems to mean your thoughts string together as a result. I suppose you'd like a room together? In any case, Theo will bring you to a suitable room."

Theo guided the two to a room on the second layer - it was already finished for the most part by now, and yet there was no sign of the influx slowing down. He quickly returned to the office to find Delinius reading some administrative documents.

"And that makes 78. How many do you reckon we can fit on the rest of the layer?"

"Not quite enough. I'm unsure if it'd be wise to make a third, though. Perhaps if we get additional beams in between them, supported from the floor upwards, don't you think? But then again, the floor space isn't particularly large. It would decrease the already sparse room to walk around."

"Still, we're going to need more rooms. That's a given. Digging them out isn't in my mind, though."

Delinius' reply was oddly short.

"Theo, I think it's time we convert another empty building."

"Excuse me, how many sets?"

"Yes, twenty-seven. Never mind how it'll have to be delivered: that can be arranged."

The employee seemed completely baffled by his request.

"What would you need twenty-seven apartment furnishing sets for?"

"Why, for furnishing twenty-seven rooms with! If that's too much to ask, I'll gladly try another store to see if they have less ridiculous questions!"

He paced out of the store, shaking his head.

There were a few other empty buildings around the old warehouse. As large as it was, it was a warehouse and not anything meant for permanent residence. While none of the surrounding buildings were built with that purpose in mind either, there were two decently large office buildings that had either never been used or had been abandoned in favour of better ones, both in terms of quality and location. They could easily be connected to the electricity grid again, and his financial concept was more than viable enough. In fact, it could be considered profitable, as a lot of former refugees would buy certain things by themselves. Many had a cooking rotation, in which a group of residents would take turns in buying and preparing food for the whole group. As well, some could afford to buy furniture of their own, meaning Delinius had a permanent team of residents ready to move any old furniture that remained usable to another building for storage, instead of disposal. There was quite enough to make a start with converting an office building, and there were enough volunteers for the task.

And yet, something strange lurked about the fourth floor of one of the office buildings: an indistinct feeling of unrest seemed to linger there, as if something was present and watching. That was what Delinius had come for on this day.

"Whatever you are, I wish to house people here. If that does not suit you, make yourself known, so that I might resolve your issues."

Before his eyes, a glowing form became visible, slowly distinguishing from the surrounding to reveal that it was an Ethereal.

"This is *my* place of dwelling."

"It could be shared. An Ethereal does not need a whole building."

"And who would you be to judge that, *Gridmask*? Leave now, or I will prove too strong for even your magic!"

Delinius did not stir.

"You'd be wrong in considering me a Gridmask."

His signature auric wings unfolded, and the Ethereal drew nearer.

"Hm. Is that so, then. Well then, *Soul Flame*. What is this act of housing people for that you speak of?"

"It is because of the poor handling of an influx of refugees from the witch hunts that I have begun this initiative."

The Ethereal apparently didn't think very highly of it.

"Bah! And what if they were to be treated otherwise? This place was inhabited by everything but Gridmasks long ago, and so it ought to be! It is the very unique trait of Auzos!"

"Such a notion is foolish. These people are resented, killed, even. All because they merely possess magic. Mind you, a non-Gridmask is often as suspicious in the eyes of these deluded inquisitors. You would be no better off there than they were."

"And they might as well leave us alone, as should you!"

It shook a fist at Delinius, having had more than enough of the whole discussion.

"Leave, you verbose fool!"

Delinius simply ducked as a magic blast of some sort was sent towards him.

"As you wish."

He then retaliated through casting an equally powerful ray of focused light, forcing the Ethereal to evade the attack, yet putting it right where Delinius could strike it physically.

"Gah!"

"Please, I'm not here to slay an Ethereal."

"Have your foolish idea! I will not share!"

In a puff of smoke, the Ethereal vanished. Delinius smiled. Perhaps the whole city could turn against the whole thing, perhaps the entire continent. That wouldn't be enough to stop him, if he had a say.

"It was just some Ethereal. More boring than I thought."

More furniture was moved in as they talked, most of it not even by the employees of the moving company. Or rather, it happened as Theo talked.

"Suppose we'll just keep going, then. Like you said, you're the one going after the long-term parts, and I'll handle the hands-on."

Delinius left without a word. Strange, but he probably had something else on his mind. He had been very productive as of late, but just as quiet.

"No, wait! Those stairs aren't made for that!"

He ran off to stop the moving crew from accidentally wrecking a staircase that wasn't as structurally sound as it looked.

## Digression

**My sole reason of existence through all this time has been and will always be to protect the existence of other iterations of myself, both for their sake and the damage they might cause otherwise. I fled my native timeline, granted this as a sign of approval of the great time deity Chronos, with several like-minded individuals. Of course, there is no reward for my efforts, and I will remain an unsung hero until I cease to exist, yet it is a very honourable task to me.**

**Time becomes such a strange concept once you are no longer bound to it.**

- The Maintenancekeeper

"Who were they?"

The man plucked his large moustache.

"The witches, you mean? I suppose you have heard of some of them. One is related to you, after all. They were gathered to offer resistance to the invasion of a species of aliens, all controlled by a hive mind: the Nazcans. That they are being hunted now seems to be fate, or something masquerading as such, but you needn't worry about that. It's obviously rubbish to say that they caused the flood of monstrous creatures we see now, but people are often unable to look beyond the most comprehensible explanation."

He looked at the young Delinius, still full of fighting spirit. How long ago was it for himself that he was this age? Could he even truly determine his own age anymore? He did not know: there wasn't even a proper way to keep track of time from his home in Separ.

"The fact is that the witches did not cause this event. However, one of them did give reason for this to happen. You might not-"

He was interrupted when a group of angry people approached the two of them. He sighed and slowed down their movement in time until they came to a halt.

"We have little time, as you can see. One witch, the thirteenth to be exact, was one that surpassed the others in power. However, that witch also contained a fragment of something horrendous, something that was made to be nonexistent to prevent it from causing more harm. The witch later took on the name of Blackspell. It was when this name was spoken out that this disaster was released, so as to rid the planet of Blackspell. Should you ever meet this witch, or any individual related to them, tread carefully. I suppose you may start to sense something if you do encounter such a person, but I warn you in advance."

This young Delinius was confused.

"Wait, but then I'd be fighting someone who is on the same side in this conflict."

"You must go. Remember my words, but forget who I am. Lastly, never forget who *you* are, Delinius Rupert Langton. There are many things that you will see happen yet."

He pushed Delinius demonstratively, and he ran off. And he himself stalled the dozen people that had now started making their way for him before disappearing.

Delinius woke up with a start. Why had the memory of that man suddenly resurfaced? As he continued to think about it, the man's face only seemed to stand out more clearly in his thoughts.

Even though his accent was of Faeric too, that wasn't as much the strange part. Something familiar lay in the face, but he could not grasp what. Dreams of this terrible time resurfaced occasionally, and oddly enough more frequently since the office building was in use.
Lyka briefly stirred beside him. Delinius got up to catch some fresh air. It was four in the morning, and any sleep he would get after this point would not be much good regardless.

"Who, I keep asking. Who would you be to know such things about me?"

## V - Winterfest Strife

"Somebody help!"

A crowd quickly formed around a tragic scene of a couple, a male sitting against the wall with a stabbing wound. Someone applied pressure to it, another called the emergency services. It had supposedly all happened when an unemployed and unhoused refugee had tried to steal something valuable.

"Excuse me."

A man of some length and a slender build gently pushed through the small crowd, briefly took in the situation, then opened a weathered leather-bound book. "Let me see... ah, yes."

He muttered something in a language never heard by anyone present, but almost as if it were a melody. Apparently, it was some form of magic, because the injury became significantly less. However, when the stabbing victim tried to get up, the man quickly restrained him from doing so.

"You are not simply done. An actual doctor still needs to patch you up properly, as it goes."

Just when all those present realised that the healer's accent was not native to this area, and that he was a Gridmask, he left, driving a rather battered vehicle past them with a bit of clumsiness.

Before the crowd could properly process his identity, Delinius left them. It would be sufficient to keep a few stories about himself alive. He had only stumbled across the scenery by chance after finishing his share of the weekly groceries, but it felt right to do what he had just done: helping someone who was clearly in danger, without warning and without any reward, or even expressions of gratitude.

There was one more thing on his list for this afternoon: buying Lyka 'something nice', as her words had been. Nothing was specified any further, and so he stopped by a particularly small store that caught his eye. There was a nicely woven scarf that would probably look very well on her, and with it and the groceries, he drove home.

"Hey, what's that I hear? Saving lives from nowhere?"

Lyka kissed him on the cheek.

"Oh, please. The news has covered it, hasn't it?"

He took the scarf he'd bought out of his bag, and Lyka immediately took it out of his hands, wrapping it around her neck.

"I love it."

"Well, it's simply a scarf."

"It's more about who bought it."

In and around the office building, people were already starting the decoration spree for the winter festivities. The warehouse, on the other hand, was for the time not particularly decorated.

Delinius turned to look outside. Children were playing around in the snow. Some had arrived with their parents, others had grown up here so far. This winter would mark the fifth year of the initiative's lifespan, so a large celebration would be coming too.

And, for the first time, Delinius would have people to properly hold a Dwinian Winterfest.

"Good afternoon."

A Dwinian couple had made their way across the sea, finding shelter and later passage with a group of defiant fishermen who had learned a great deal from them.

"Good afternoon indeed, Iris. I trust your dear man is well?"

Iris smiled.

"You know how it is during the cold season, especially for the two of us old souls."

She was right: her husband, a stout man named Richard, was generally found inside, either reading his newspaper or handling documents, a past occupation that he was willing to pick up even at his old age. During any sufficiently cold weather, he did not leave his room at all except for absolute necessities. While he and his wife had a considerably longer lifetime behind them than even a Dwinian commonly faced, this came at the cost that they were a great deal more susceptible to cold temperatures and any harm that could come from those.

"That's true, indeed. Say, has he-"

A snowball to the back of his head interrupted Delinius. It was commonly known by now that he hated being pulled into snowball fights, but the fact was disregarded because it was an anniversary year.

"And who, might I ask, threw a cold projectile to my head?"

When he turned to the snowball party, all they did was laugh. But he would have them. Without them seeing it, he formed a snowball in his hands.

"I believe someone might want some return on it!"

He threw the suddenly visible snowball at an unsuspecting target, surprising everyone.

"Bring it!"

An unorganised snowball fight broke out, Delinius dishing out only a few more snowballs than he took, until someone announced that dinner was ready. A steaming Delinius took a place at the table next to Lyka. It felt good to have had a fight with snowballs, even if only to be reminded of the first time he'd ever seen snow, and the subsequent snowball fight with his sister Ina and his parents. It was also one of the few times he could remember his father being free of cares as he gladly pretended to be a worse dodger than his children.

"Had fun, snowball warrior?"

He gave no answer: the snow in his hair slowly evaporating spoke for itself.

Just as planned. They were all having dinner, and striking was a piece of cake because they all converged in a limited area that could be surrounded.

"I'm afraid you are all late for dinner."

That wasn't the plan.

"Crap."

The little group of adolescents quickly dispersed, leaving Delinius to wonder where they'd organised, and who they were.

For the remaining days to the Winterfest, very little happened, preparations aside. He had been looking forward to having a Winterfest celebration with fellow Dwinians - he hadn't yet had the heart to teach anyone the workings of Dwin's religion, or anyone who wanted to be taught in them.

"Now, now, everyone, I know all the regular feasting has not yet begun, but a different festivity begins on this day: the Dwinian Winterfest. It's a specific religious feast, but it is for a large part quite the same. If you wish to know a little more about it all, don't hesitate to speak to me about it."

The three Dwinians retreated to one of the offices in the warehouse.

"Well, are we ready, then?"

Iris' voice produced a clear but fragile note to start on, and Delinius and Richard followed.

For the first time in years, for all three of them, they were able to perform a proper song. Iris had chosen the ones they'd sing, with a notable theme in each, of things lost returning.

They continued with the various activities appropriate for such a time for the next day. A handful of people had opted to come and watch, some with their children.

"Hey, I kinda like the whole theme of the light returning soon. Reminds me of how I used to hate it being dark so much in the winter. I'm too old to really get invested into something new, but I'd really like it if you taught my kids a thing or two, maybe even initiate them or however you'd call it. They'd probably do well with something to hold onto."

Delinius nodded. Being away from one's homeland made it hard as it were, let alone for children.

"I see. Well, I'm delighted that you'd like to sign them up for some Dwinian-based education. It's not particularly organised, and a lot goes off of what notes I have left from my own childhood."

He lightly tapped his notebook.

"But it will have to do, and we'll be quite able to fill in the remainder with the three of us."

"Now, in the wake of the great influx of refugees, some have taken the issue into their own hands. Allow me to introduce you Delinius Rupert Langton, a Soul Flame responsible for the creation of Langton Incorporated. It's not a company I've been told, but the initiative is orderly enough that the title's warranted. They have collective rules and funding, and they register newcomers just the same. It is for these reasons that it was legalised to be under Mr. Langton's authority."

After a round of applause, Delinius took place at the microphone.

"Thank you, Mr. Garfort. Now, I'm certain such praise is in excess. There's little to the organisation aside from proper administration and a few community events."

Some of the audience laughed.

"After seven years of intensive work, we've established ourselves as a reliable partner in handling the many refugees that have fled here to escape a terrible fate elsewhere."

He spoke of some of the challenges that they'd faced over time. While most of the audience was fairly quiet, he did take note of a small group of youths that clearly were enjoying themselves in mockery of him. He couldn't hear the exact words, but he'd caught enough that to know what they were speaking about.

"I believe we can all hear you laughing back there. Please be so kind as to keep it down a little, thank you."

Everyone who cared turned to look at the adolescents, who immediately ceased their conversations.

"There was once a man who told me to never forget who I am, and I believe that this awareness must always remain: I am foreign here, if well-adapted, and I cannot lose sight of my own heritage. Understanding the other's background is an enrichment that leads to fewer tensions and appreciation of something originally thought to be entirely alien. That will be all from me."

After a round of applause, he exited the room. Back home, he watched as the last sections of a wire fence were installed. Seemingly unrelated groups of people gathered with the intent to 'attack' Langton Incorporated from time to time. There was surely something they had in common, but it eluded him. On the practical side, however, he'd ordered a fence to be installed for everyone's safety. It was a little over eight years since he'd first set foot here, yet the atmosphere had changed very much. His flight to Auzos seemingly had inspired so many that it had impact on the continent.

"Security measures, I see. You were right about this new one, Delinius. Much more serious. Are you that sure nothing will be done about these attacking groups? You could always voice your concerns if it-"

"I do not trust this man to use any attention I draw for good. It was because of your personal approach that I was able to put trust in you; this man deals only in politics. I would rather take matters into my own hands than draw unnecessary negative attention. After all, think of the reactions with those who maintain their scepsis."

Ryan thought for a moment.

"Things like "should've stayed where you came from" and similar? Let me guess, you've already heard things like that on the streets, haven't you?"

Delinius didn't answer, which he could safely take as a yes.

"Mark my words, Ryan. This will not go well, and it pains me. And yet, the prospect of an endless siege is still preferable to whatever it might be that some people would like to do to this place."

## VI - Snow Fortress

*Crowds of a handful dozen gather, screaming derogatories. One resident has been attacked, although the attackers came to regret doing so immediately. Ever so gradually, it becomes painfully clear what had become of my plans: three buildings of former refugees, surrounded by a distrustful general population and separated by a wire fence and a brick wall lined with barbed wire. Rather than a prison to keep certain people inside, it is a fortress to keep certain people outside. We have a legal foot to stand upon in regards to what we do, yet a public opinion that would rather see otherwise. Integration into the population has been a success reserved to only a few, and eight more years have not increased that rate. And yet, employers across the continent do not complain. My residents work hard, after all. A little estranged from their colleagues, perhaps, but they find their contacts most of all within Langton Incorporated.*

*Perhaps it will not be long until the first voices are raised in favour of bringing this place down. Perhaps there will be need to fortify even further.*

*We will stand firmly when these things happen. There are many roads, and we shall have to go through the path lined with thistles and thorns.*

- Journal of Delinius Rupert Langton, Nonus 12, year 70

"Oh, for goodness sake."

Angry shouts and the banging of objects on a fence were heard outside, and so he sped out of the warehouse. Their demands were ridiculous: for one resident to be brought out for 'a few questions', presumably consisting of their murder in as painful a way they could imagine.

"I will say this once: leave that poor fence alone. It wasn't placed there so you could bang your caveman equipment on it, and it never asked for it. I warn you, should you continue, I will have to stop this behaviour, and your group as a whole."

They didn't comply and instead launched insults at his person.

"Well then. I did warn you, and you have chosen to be deaf."

With the Phoenix in his hands, he proceeded to first disarm them. When it proved useless to simply disarm them, one of them fell to the axe.

"You can all follow, if you wish. My axe doesn't mind helping you accomplish your death wishes."

It only enraged them more, but they were not nearly capable enough to meaningfully oppose him, and so he merely made sure they wouldn't forget their mistake in a more lasting way. When all was done, the idea repulsed him.

"And so the bloodshed commences. I do not want to consider the implications that has right now."

He sat on a sofa, face covered by his hands. Even as Lyka held him tightly, Delinius continued to sit in the same position for a while, the two softly holding a conversation. This was a hunt, all over. He had never wanted to experience such a thing again, yet here he sat on several hundreds of people that were considered undesirables because of his fame.

Several months were of one and the same form. He'd remain seated outside on his folding chair, usually holding a never cooling cup of tea that served as an excuse to sit there. He'd answer questions when asked, but did not speak otherwise. That was, unless someone dared bother a resident again or try to break through the fence. Such people disappeared.

"Whatever you've done, it's still better than letting them be. You might not be surprised to know that I quit politics nowadays."

Ryan had come along for a good lunch, but was somewhat shocked by the state he saw Delinius in. Outside of a professional attitude, he'd been something of a friend, especially in later times when things weren't looking up that much.

"Yet to what end do they disappear? More take their place. I cannot run, there is no option than to hold my ground. It is much like a witch hunt, with the difference that its target is unable to run."

For the first time that day, he looked up.

"This becomes a siege. I shall mourn the day you pass, for I fear I won't be able to attend whatever memorial you have planned. With you, the only one passes of this continent who was willing to listen to a foreign individual for who they are rather than their origin."

Ryan nodded, unable to say much more to the heartbroken man before him. A loud sound of a heavy object against the fence shook them both from their conversation. Delinius immediately rose to his feet, a bitter look in his eyes.

"Alas, the time of peaceful conversation is over, if you will excuse me."

His words stood in stark contrast to both his face and the man Ryan had seen before. This time, he didn't bother with making the assailants disappear: they were quite numerous and unusually organised, hinting that they perhaps had leadership that was not present here.

"Boo!"

A large fireball burst from his location, catching several individuals on fire. In response, some reached for weapons, melee or ranged. Landing hits, however, proved to them that they'd been attacking a fake image that was not vulnerable to any attack whatsoever. The real Delinius, however, had made off with one of their firearms, which he proceeded to wield with shocking accuracy. What survivors were left were wise enough to flee, excepting one that attempted to surrender.

"And what, do tell, is your reason for surrendering, when your surviving associates have chosen to flee."

"It's cowardly to flee. You have won, fair and square."

"Fair and square is the term you wish to handle for such? I think not."

"Okay, fine. Those few who ran away are getting executed, though."

This implied, as he had thought in advance, that some organised force was behind this.

"Is that so, then... And I take it at least some past attacks were of your organisation's doing, too?"

Fear and surprise were easily read in her eyes, assuming this alien's appearance and voice indicated such.

"What makes you think so?"

"Above all else, your reaction now. However, few ran away before all of this, isn't that so? There is a reason that I've never seen news of disappearing civilians, and I have found it in these words you spoke. Well then."

He offered a hand and got his new captive on her feet.

"This whole surrendering act quite clearly serves you as protection, and it will only come in return for some information on what group or organisation you work for."

"I think that's only fair. Instead of being part of an attack, I'm now bothering you because my employers will surely want me dead. One more to the pile of people you have to protect, and this one with a bigger enemy than your home-grown anti-Langton rebels."
Her, surprisingly enough, name was Nalat Thuse, or rather, that was the most accurate representation in Ludusian Common. That was not the most worrying, however, as it turned out that he was not the specific target.

Instead, they were after Lyka. The picture was perfectly clear: whatever their methods, they had taken interest in the girl when she had still been on Gredile, and had tracked her all the way here. Delinius was an obstruction they had not accounted for. It did, however, lift his spirits considerably. These were people who had deliberately been instructed to come here, no poorly informed citizens that mistakenly acted against Langton Incorporated.

"Let me give you a word of advice: clean them up. Much as I was treated well there, what they're doing isn't exactly right. They want to study magicians... by literally inspecting the parts they are made of."

"I want the person here who claimed that this man doesn't let people go and doesn't take prisoners."

They had lost far more people to this whole mess than was remotely warranted, and it had become a petty matter of the pride of some of the senior staff. It did not help that they now had one of the people involved in the operation in the custody of this Delinius figure, which could possibly be considered an act of betrayal, depending on the terms under which she'd done so.

"We've clearly made a mistake here."

Halennia didn't say a word.

"Come on, Hallenia, don't pull out the silent act. I wasn't the one who picked the option of launching raids, and you know it."

"I know what? With the information we had - gathered by *your team* - there was no better option. Infiltration would've been a ridiculous plan for reasons I hope are obvious to you, Edward."

She rose from her chair.

"No, I think it's time someone meets the man in person. The mental part aside, Mr. Langton is hypothetically what I'd describe as the perfect study, if we were able to bring him under control. Impossible, I know."

Her mouth twisted into a little smile.

"The kind of secrets to be found in there would be amazing. But I'd rather tell him our story than let our little runaway tell what she knows."

## VII - Dim Spirits

"Their origins actually start with the same people who murdered magicians back then.

Obviously, it was long before my time, but I keep hearing that they overlooked something back then and want to correct that mistake. Probably your new girlfriend. Believe it or not, they have been tracking her for all that time. We lost track for a while when she went to this continent, but we soon enough established a covert presence here. I was actually one of the people that was in on the initial scout teams. It probably comes as no surprise to you that some of us were pretty scared by the fact that Lyka had found shelter with you, and that was before we figured out you two had a thing. What little we knew wasn't particularly helpful, even with any of the more exotic surveillance methods they've got stored for special cases. From what rumours we had, you were a very tactful individual who couldn't be fooled quite as easily as some thought. Infiltration was ruled out because of that, and the assault option was picked instead. I guess we fed you more information than we thought by sending out small parties and mistook your infamy for more myth than was actually the case."

She laughed. "Then again, I have this feeling some of the more incredible ones might've been ones that you passed to someone along the way."

What was formally an interrogation was more of a conversation, tea and cookies included.

"I see. Indeed, the myth around my person is in part a fabrication on my part, be it a far smaller portion than you might have thought. Much of this leads to new insights. Thank you for sharing this information."

As they each made to go their own ways again, he noted one more thing.

"Oh, one more thing, Nalat...? If I am to take on your former employers, I think it'd be more than appropriate that you accompany myself and Lyka. I've already notified her of the circumstances, and she is quite willing to work alongside someone she should logically be wishing to Separ at any rate."

He left Nalat to ponder on this notion, only to run into a Gridmaskian woman who he had clearly not met before.

"At last, we meet. I'm sure that you can infer who I am, or at least who 'we' are as an organisation."

"The audacity to present in person here after careful infiltration, paired with clear implications of my familiarity with your person. Why, indeed."

The woman stuck out her hand. "Hallenia."

Delinius took care in briefly assessing the hand, then shook it, without stating his name.

"No formal name introduction, then?"

"An attempt by force proving futile, a negotiation is attempted. Make no mistake in thinking that your survival indicates benevolence beyond basic civilised behaviour. You are here in regards to Lyka Westwood, Nalat Thuse, and in the third instance, myself. My dear for a past project, your former operative for obvious reasons, and myself because I am such a valuable target to capture for your pseudoscience."

Hallenia seemed more delighted than surprised.

"Suppose you won't consider any of those three? It does seem to me that your own project here is under pressure from the surroundings, even without our interference."

"Such is not a negotiation I will participate in. Blackmail and threats of the same intent have no grip on me, and only will lead to an effect opposite of what you wish to achieve. You have greater organisational power, perhaps, and have no public opinion to worry about, but I have not only far greater power in numbers, but far greater force if magic is to be taken into account, and perhaps wit, given your organisation's last 'assault'."

"Numbers filled mostly by harmless people that wouldn't so much as hit an assailant in self-defence."

Despite her amused tone, Hallenia felt that something was off. They had found how his word never held empty threats, or unsubstantiated display of power.

"We are capable of repelling large herds of revolting citizens, although said event will never be found in any public documentation, for it never happened, and only exists in theory."

He smiled.

"Or rather, it never happened in the memory of anyone from beyond these walls. See now, Hallenia, the unfortunate truth that children here grow up with: to survive, we have to defend from people who would rather see us dead, and the only way of halting that act permanently is to kill them. The children themselves do not kill - such would be cruel. Likewise, they're told to stay inside during fights, and nearly every one of them does so. But no secrets - they know well enough that something is going on when they're sent inside, including the ones that have never experienced turbulence of that kind before. Gruesome and graphic details are spared for a later time, but they will always hear in clear language that people have attacked Langton Incorporated, and that some of them have been killed because of that. It is not morally responsible, perhaps, neither the killing nor informing these children of such a thing."

"Some of those under my watch thought of you as a saint, but I knew better from the start. The practical difficulties of society make such an ideal noble, but impossible. I see now that you aren't quite as I was told. The mysterious wielder of a burning axe, as hard as it is to reach, let alone understand, is just a façade in itself, separating quite a sensitive man from the sometimes cruel intent of others. Make no mistake, Delinius, I can see you straight through both of those, and I assure you the outcome of any kind of negotiation we can make here is only beneficial to both you and me."

"You would be very wrong in thinking so."

He took a step back.

"That being said, it does not seem to have been apparent to you that our handshake brought us elsewhere. The surroundings, even the people moving around us, are simply a visual effect of my own making."

The illusion dissolved, revealing an abandoned alley to be their actual surroundings. Once again, Hallenia was more amused and satisfied rather than surprised. Not apparent, but it was something typical of him to use his manipulation of information and light to create something out of thin air.

"And what about that alarms me, Delinius? I'd sooner worry about information leaks if you were an enemy."

"Your organisation has been and seemingly still is inimical to my dear. That of its own accord is reason enough to treat you as anything but a benign party. I think it best if you abandon this foolish plan to attract me as an ally, lest I come to know of where you hide and what exactly you do."

His face was serious, but not as serious as she'd expect.

"On such a note, it would be quite inconvenient if I were to divulge information of your existence to parties that might be concerned over such, if I am not mistaken. As I've said before, implication of spreading information about what we do at Langton Incorporated to stay alive is not a tool for leverage - I can leverage information about your existence, then remove news regarding whatever it is you could spread about my activities."

"Strong language for what's essentially an unlikely outcome."

"Make no mistake, Hallenia. This is the sole occasion of any conversation with you, or anyone of your organisation. Do not send further negotiators, and do not make any further attempts to interfere. Do to the public opinion what you will, and slander my name. I will not budge, and you will be given access to neither Nalat nor Lyka. Never mind the poorly-organised infiltration attempt you chose to deploy simultaneously with this conversation. To be short: back off, please."

He abruptly vanished in his signature burst of fire.

## VIII - Solidarity

"Out of my way, kiddo. I got places to be."

"Sorry, mate. Professionals only. Langton Inc. isn't the type of place you just walk around."

The aged man grinned.

"Oh, don't you worry about that. I'm more than qualified."

Entirely unarmed, Indenar then took out this 'professional' young lad who had blocked his passage. He still had it, and he chuckled like the old fool he was.

"Well, well, someone didn't pay attention in class."

He saw Delinius standing outside the same moment Delinius saw an all too familiar coat and hat. For a moment, the two merely eyed each other. He took off his hat, showing the greying hair that age had bestowed upon him.

"Care to rake up some old times, friend?"

Delinius calmly proceeded to the nearest gate and unlocked it, allowing him passage inside.

"Pray tell, you old hunter of prized heads, how did you find me?"

This was a typical greeting of his, fortunately.

"Your name rings throughout the place, and still rings back where we came from. Figured I might as well drag my old bones here, see if there was anyone left I could have a proper conversation with. Once I got here, saying the name was an easy pointer to this place. Can't shake that mystery and fame from yourself, huh?"

Jokes like this never missed, especially with his former target. Even though they had been enemies, they had come to something of an understanding and even mutual respect.

"Never will, I fear. I take it you found passage here by a ship? I would have expected you to sprout wings."

"Har har har. At least that didn't change."

However, his face became calmer, more serious now.

"Gotta say though, there's something sad in having nobody to have a proper conversation with, especially once your merc days are over. Care to babble?"

The two proceeded to one of the office buildings.

"Never thought I'd see you stuck to one place for long, let alone something like this. Guess you made your living out of your own problem, didn't ya."

"You find me at a time when such a permanent residence is in fact far more troublesome than all the years of hunts combined."

Indenar chuckled.

"Suppose you wouldn't know of what stirs on the mainland?"

"More of the same, mostly. How long have you been here for now? Couple decades?"

"Twenty-three years. And as people come here, and then later pass, I fear this will become isolated. These people are tolerated for working hard and accurately, and for no more than that. They are trained to defend themselves from *aggressors*, Dwin's sake."

Clearly, not everything was running very smoothly, perhaps no more smoothly than the days in which he could fight and run.

"Your good old sun man didn't provide you the tools to take care of it?"

"Even a deity cannot be everywhere at once, let alone take every Dwinian by the hand. That I am a descendant does not change the matter."

"Doesn't? Rough. The mainland's changing, though. Some man named Jericho Cane's been protesting against the whole oppression thing. Couple years after you vanished."

Delinius didn't seem impressed.

"Suppose such comes to pass eventually."

"You don't sound very pleased."

"It is not quite as if I can bundle these people and send them off - even when there is less danger involved once they are there. Their association with myself unfortunately leads to departure being a risk. I will put down my foot so long as it is feasible. Perhaps there will be a later period when it is more feasible to move these people rather than keep them rooted here."

It had been years since she'd last heard of his name, and of what he had or hadn't done.

*"Speak, woman. Are you a witch?"*

Perfectly composed, she'd answered their question with a polite no.

*"We're looking for wizards and witches, you see. They're really dangerous - that's what got us all these monsters and the whole mess. Come with us. We're going to solve this problem, one at a time."*

Nonsense - there was a wholly different reason that was not tied to the witches as a whole, although she hadn't quite heard what it was.

*"Yeah, I guess."*

She did not reveal to them her true name, or the fact that she was perfectly capable of magic too. She'd only recently travelled forward in time to escape, crying as Caldeus had told her to flee to safety with no regard for anyone else's survival - her fate, as he'd called it, was to go on to find anyone left, and to set forth her family's heritage and legacy.

*"Where are you going, anyway?"*

*"North and a little west from the desert. There's rumors of some guy over there who's really tough to kill. You might've heard about him."*

After a brief silence, he spoke a name that could almost have given her away.

*"Delinius Rupert Langton. Supposedly a descendant of a pagan deity of sorts."*

May Dwin smite you with burning sunlight, she thought, even though Dwin wasn't necessarily there to hear her thoughts on the matter.

*"So hard to kill, some say, that few dare approach. Others say people continuously chase after him. He's a man of myth, but he's very real just the same. He's been cornered before. Hell, people have managed to wound him. And anything that can bleed can die. Delinius sounds like a tough to catch guy, not much of a powerful one."*

And now, she stood at the back of a crowd that had gathered around a certain Jericho, somewhat dulled by years of seeing magic oppressed. To an outside observer that only knew her public face, she appeared reasonably happy, but there was far more grief on the inside than she ever let on.

She intervened in a brief skirmish between a handful of magicians against someone well known for having caught and executed quite a number of users of magic, a stern look on her face.

"That's enough, all of you!"

When some people objected, she held her ground and subdued someone, soon assisted by several colleagues. A simple firearm sat in its holster at her hip, reminding everyone that 'Anna Hystas' was no joke for a police officer, even though she was not all that physically strong.

A good while later, when most people had gone home, she approached Jericho.

"Say, Mr. Cane, I'd like to ask you something."

Jericho Cane, perhaps worried, simply nodded.

"You do realise how important this will be for everyone who has taken to hiding their magic capabilities, right? I for one would be able to live much more freely, and I'm pretty sure one of my colleagues would too. Helc, if my brother had been on this continent still, maybe he wouldn't have had to flee."

"Who's your brother, if I may ask, ma'am?"

"Delinius. Delinius Rupert Langton."

The name clearly rang a bell, yet Jericho was slightly puzzled.

"I took to Chronos some time before this whole disaster unfolded - I escaped, at least. There are days when I would've rather died with everyone else of our family, but I know my brother is still out there, alive. It simply takes some time before I will see him again, and it would help if magicians weren't considered equal to criminals by definition. Thank you for taking up that fight. It means more to me than you might think."

She left without any further words.

"So then they drag this scared boy into the room and try to make him do a trick, and the boy just whimpers for the entire time. We joked that whimpering was his trick, though I'm pretty sure the two who brought him in were caught later because they were bastards even by the standards then. They definitely screamed when they were lynched later on. Cruel folks, punished by cruel folks. To get on top of the heap to stop the cruelty, people become cruel themselves."

Indenar was quite at home as it was, and didn't mind the staircase in the slightest, despite his age. Being able to chat with the last person alive to know him well was an even greater bonus.

"Now, I don't know how much you caught over the years, but I later heard a couple words about Nazcans somehow having a part in it."

Delinius knew as much. And yet, what base to these words was there? Ah, yes. Stories of his father proclaiming this to be the case. That, and a few nutcrackers that weren't quite sane enough to be taken seriously by most.

"Indeed, such rumours have come to my ears over time. Yet, what proof exists thereof? Tales, a few madmen."

"If that's what you make of it."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. Delinius then stood up.

"Yet, a man told me that he witnessed the dying fight that my family pitted itself in - and not one to be ashamed off, but I will spare you those details - and that my father, in his last moments, spoke the same. I do not know what moved him to do so, but I should very much think his past occupation must have brought the information to light."

It was apparent that this was a piece of his memory that he rarely touched.

"It seems fate that I was not there with them at the time. Yet, what cruel fate denied me the ability to mourn the loss of my family?"

"Never been much of a believer in fate, or gods, really. I know the gods are there, and that about as much as I'll care. But fate? This whole 'fate' is probably random chance, and a couple divine interventions if you're willing to believe in those. You're a lucky bean in a stack of beans that all got eaten, because you fell out of the bag before they threw it into the pot. No reason to haunt yourself with it so much - only weighs you down."

Delinius sighed, clearly regretting that he brought it up.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps it was the will of my ancestral deity. I shall never know, in all likelihood. But here we are, alive. I think this would be a wise time for me to get some sleep."

Indenar nodded.

"Before you go, though, I might have something to give you, and a pointer, if you ever do get back to the mainland."

A well-worn book passed hands, a piece of paper stuck behind the cover.

"I'll let you figure out what it is yourself. All I managed to make out is that it's a language you're more likely to understand than I ever will."

Delinius descended the stairs with his new acquisition. The final piece was done now. There was no more reason for him to cling onto his remaining days for much longer. Oddly enough, he felt rather bored, instead of relieved. Why? This had been his wish: to see the man, have a good laugh or two with some stories, and to pass him something that could at least give him back something about his past. Bringing back the dead, after all, was not very easy, let alone anywhere near his expertise. It was probably worth peeking into the small stack of other books he'd gotten for converting to Dwinianism. He hadn't said a thing about it, and Delinius hadn't asked how he was still this fit.

*Some say Delinius is still alive, gone from this continent to somewhere north, across the seas. I've heard that he flew off, sure. If there is a place like that, I could never get there. As hard as I've tried before, I cannot bear to be close enough to a body of water I might fall into. I can swim, yeah. I'm just terrified of it. Boats are out of the question too, for the time being.*

*Oh well. I am alive, people seem a little less frightened by magic, and I've been called all the way east to Mavus for something important.*

She closed her journal - a habit she'd stolen from her brother very early, just before he'd gone off after becoming a Soul Flame.

Mavus was actually a lot more pleasant than people thought. It was fairly dry and rather warm at times, but it was far more bearable than the humid climate of Faeric, which would slow your day down during the warmer seasons. She'd been called here by a somewhat important Dwinian, on behalf of a distant relative, a Chronostian and the Dwinian himself, because she was mentioned in a prophecy. It lay before her on the table.

```
Fate drives a family of lights apart,
Starting on a whim, ending late,
But two will never quite lose heart.
A sibylla's time is set far by fate.
In a future cleansed of fear,
Two of the lights are once again near.

```

This was, clearly, a reference to herself - while her name was not literally mentioned, the context contained in the verses spoke without much ambiguity: this referred to her brother as well. Prophecies never lied, as far as she knew. Dwin, or perhaps Chronos - perhaps both - saw fit that she would last long enough to reunite with Delinius, each a 'keeper' of good religious values, as the Chronostian had told her.

"Well, dear Sybil, what now?" The Chronostian folded her arms in front of her.

"My brother is alive, and I will see him again, some day. Until then, however..."

She put the slip of paper with the prophecy's transcription in her journal.

"I think it's time I practiced my combat a little more."

Several days after the prophecy, Ina was busy stopping monsters through time magic, pausing to allow the flow of time recompose itself and give herself a break.

A short man with a bushy moustache sat a short distance away, watching her exercises with some interest.

"It would not be unwise to acquire something more controllable for such a thing."

Ina looked up.

"How so? Any experience?"

The man smiled widely.

"A lot of experience, actually. I travel time, not just on this particular strand, but to various other ones, too. Strings where the green threat unfortunately succeeded, or strings where a significant event in the past never happened. But above all, I keep an eye on things. On individuals, in fact. In about 28 seconds, my break will be over, sadly. Take care, dear. I'm certain you will become quite apt given your background."

In a strange explosion of ethereal cogs and gears, the man disappeared, briefly leaving the letters 'Δϝ' behind, an alphabet Ina was familiar with: it belonged to a written language she'd been given some basic training with, though Delinius was far more skilled with it. The second of the letters, however, was known to be uncommon and in fact was not in use in the later texts of the language. Its name was never spoken out, and it was simply referred to as 'ancient scripture', perhaps for fear of some lingering power tied to its actual name.

All of that didn't really matter, though. Her break was over as well, and she got back to her practice rounds.

## Digression

There was something unusual about Gamma's habits as of late. As if inherently aware of the fact that his initiative would eventually meet an amount of resistance too great even for himself, he had acquired a retired ferrying ship. Thirty-two years of Langton Incorporated had done its community assets much good - more than Delinius was aware of, as the moustached man knew. He deliberately left it so - it'd come in handy later, and all the more if Gamma didn't actually know of the sheer sum.

As he was watching Delinius, who seemed to be on guard due to a recent riot, the two pairs of eyes met. Gamma Delinius clearly recognised him. He merely nodded, the two staring at each other for a while. This was necessary. In fact, it was inevitable that he'd run into Gamma again, eventually.

"Smile, good man. Your endeavours are far from over, and you must bring them to a good ending. You can, and you shall, you will see. Cheer up, lad."

He returned to his work space at the push of a button.

## IX - Housekeeping

*Indenar has passed. His time was granted extension from the great Light's hand, yet such came to end just as much. His funerary rituals were not accompanied by anyone other than myself, as appropriate for someone so inherently tied to decades of my life.*

*The book and the note stuck within intrigue me. They tell of familiar things, yet not as I have always known them to be. It brings some relief, raises questions and casts doubts on things of the past that seemed quite clear. Once the time arrives we depart from here, may I have the chance to find that which is buried beneath layers of forgotten tales.*

- Journal of Delinius Rupert Langton, Tertius 19, year 82

"You've still never told me what actually happened between you two. Same for the axe, really."

"Enough rumour has spread of my axe to tell you, not to mention all of its local kills." Of course, he understood what was actually meant. With some reluctance, he continued. "So yes, it is indeed true that this axe has seen much bloodshed beforehand, yet very little direct killing. It has indeed broken swords and staved off an arrow to the head once or twice. Its excellent construction and sharpness aside, there is little notable about it."

He paused.

"Now, this man named Indenar... there is little to be said, with all the more weight for it. As far as anyone from interactions in that time could be, he was a friend. A friend that was looking for the price on my head, yet respected me. It was our game, and the blind fools that wanted a cut were no more than obstacles. A friend, like yourself."

After a while, Theo spoke back.

"I see. Well, you're the closest thing to a family member I have, anyway. Friend is probably the right word, though."

"But don't you see how much there could be on the line if they *do* get through?"

Delinius' expression was a mysteriously calm and reserved one.

"No, we are not relocating. Such is not necessary. Cowering in fear from public opinion does not work. Our residents may be considered outcasts or even second-rank citizens, but they have the respect of their employers, and they are no more afraid than I."

"You're not putting much faith in all the people that live here."

"Why *would* we put faith in them, when we're supposed to *protect* them?"

Something of the calm faded from Delinius' face.

"Because they are not all little children that are in need of belittling managers, perhaps."

The two clearly had more to say, but swallowed their words when he spoke.

"If it bothers you that much, you may as well pack your possessions into a suitcase and depart. I'd like to see how well you fare." Before anyone could interject, he continued more grimly. "In fact, I think it is time for the both of you to pack your possessions and depart right now. Word of mouth has brought some things to light, you see."

"Like what?"

"Oh, nothing spectacular. No more than a ploy to cast me from here."

The rather factual and nearly careless tone in which the words passed his lips was perhaps the most frightening part, not the fact that he was too aware to let himself be thrown out.

"Chop chop, off you go. I want both of you out before dinner. Spare your goodbyes."

The two were escorted and watched for the entire time, then set outside the fences without much of a final greeting.

"Heads are going to roll for this!"

"Raising one's voice is a great way to attract the swarms of dangerous groups in the vicinity. Enjoy your short journey, I'd say."

Indeed, it took less than a minute before the first groups of bloodthirsty loons arrived. Theo did not stay to watch, and neither did Delinius.

"So long to them..."

"Betrayal, of all things."

Hardly any emotion sounded in his voice.

"Shouldn't you be worried about it?"

Theo was concerned: the possibility that more people had similar plans or thoughts seemed fairly important to him, but Delinius was hardly disturbed by it. In fact, his face didn't express much at all.

"Worried about what? People losing faith, or thinking I can be overthrown? Have I become a tyrant, perhaps?"

His voice now sounded a little more doubtful.

"I'd never given it much thought. All the same, have I become an unreasonable ruler who will not be swayed by words?"

"I caught you listening to someone's suggestion about the upcoming Gulabistock celebration. I know you generally don't care much for it, and still you're willing to hold it across all buildings, opening speech and all. If you think that's the mark of a tyrant who won't hear suggestions or complaints, that's your part. I'd tell you if I saw something else, you know me."

That took the worries from Delinius face and replaced them with a mild smile. It was something, at least.

"I suppose you are right about that. My head is full of worries at times."

"You can't worry about every single thing that happens, man. Let me worry about the day to day a little more. Don't you remember that thing you said once?"

The smile widened. He remembered, too.

"I have a plan so stupid it's going to make you laugh, and say yes at the same time. You're taking a couple weeks off wherever makes you happy, along with Lyka. I've got this covered."

He scratched his head for a bit.

"Normally you're the guy who plans in advance and all. Guess it rubbed off on me at last. I just hate to see you buried in worrying about everything that wants everything you fight for to come crashing down."

Delinius didn't exactly laugh. Something did change in his eyes, though. For just a moment, Theo could see something of a happy man, perhaps even a child. It was followed by a much more familiar and sinister glint he'd learned to match to the hunts.

"That's a sound plan. I wouldn't foresee why that shouldn't be fun. Tremendously fun, in fact."

The man folded in pain, cursing as he held one his shins in pain.

"Sir, this is a restricted area. I'll have to arrest you if you do no turn back now."

"She's a witch! I saw it!"

Ina was unimpressed.

"The time for hunting witches and other users of magic is over. I'm not even a 'witch' to begin with."

Several of her colleagues backed her up.

"This library is off-limits for all of you. Go home. You don't want to do this."

Only the accuser defied her. As befitting of her profession, Ina handled the pointless resistance, buying herself just a bit of time to secure handcuffs around the wrists. She smiled, for she knew that this was only the start. What authority was still left to these infamous 'witch hunters' was already crumbling.

"If only my brother could see all this take place. He'd be delighted."

## X - Tower

Time for the operation was limited: it would not take long before someone caught on to people dropping on top of an office building. However, if their information was accurate, they would catch their targets at a time of day when neither would be particularly observant. The majority of residents not directly involved in anything at the location itself were expected to be working or still on their way back home. The ones that did have reason to be there had been observed to take some time to relax around this time. The operation would consist of two teams: one would disable the gates, the other would ensure the first had the opportunity to do so. An external force would be on standby and engage as soon as the perimeter was breached.

"You have your orders."

"I am going along with the secondary team. This is not up for debate."

That wasn't in the script.

"Never mind how much of an issue it's going to be further up to get that done, do you remotely understand what you're trying to hurl yourself into?"

"As I said, this is not up for debate. I'll handle the paperwork if anyone raises a stink over it."

She was resolute and had a certain dominance over the room, and so her demands were met: she would be on the secondary team that would protect the people tasked with disabling the gates surrounding Langton Inc.

"Off you go, then. Don't come back until next month."

Theo waved as they departed, each carrying a small backpack. Obviously something had been done to the backpacks, thanks to a pair of residents who were an expert team on the art of 'magic bags', as they called them. For a while, they simply walked on. Delinius had cast something to prevent any inconvenient recognition, granting them the rare freedom of not being recognised.

"Like a bunch of kids on a trip, aren't we?"

Delinius laughed, but then ran forward. As Lyka hurried after him, they eventually reached a major road, its four lanes neatly separated into pairs of two by a concrete barrier. With a sprint and a little climbing, Delinius got onto it when the traffic slowed down for a moment; it was hardly taller than an average Gridmask. Once standing upright, he waved at Lyka.

"Look, mum, no hands!"

As if an irresponsible adolescent, he began to walk along the concrete and steel as if he were performing a stage act. Lyka remained at the other side of the road, watching him as his sole audience. She laughed as he continued his balancing act and followed alongside the road, all the way to a point where a different road crossed over it, and he climbed onto the small 'ledge' of space not occupied by the road itself, separated from the road by a guard rail and secured by a handrail on the edge of the elevation, waiting for Lyka to navigate the traffic and join him.

"It doesn't look nearly as high from here. But the rest of the view is nice enough, huh?"

Something mischievous hatched in both their thoughts, and they merely gave each other a wink before proceeding. Both became invisible to the average observer, and still difficult to properly identify by more discerning eyes, thanks to Delinius' work, and they hopped across the roofs of vehicles. Eventually, they found a large truck that they could remain seated on for a while, or for as long as it wouldn't arrive at its destination.

Alarms sounded across all three buildings as everyone scrambled to see what was going on. Several people equipped with crossbows had immediately darted outside to see what was happening.

"Shit, someone's on top of the buildings! Everyone, move, move! We've got them pinned from here."

To everyone's surprise, however, a number of figures could be seen descending alongside the office building's walls by use of a rope and attached equipment of some kind. Delinius and Lyka weren't here. Theo did have one idea that could draw them back here, although it'd be less than ideal.

"I'm going to make some commotion happen."

"What the hell are they carrying?"

Crossbows, and they were now bombarding her people with bolts. Worse still, someone seemed to have increased the amount of wind going around the building, making the descent all the more difficult and risky.

"Reel them in, we're going down through the floors instead!"

The three people that had tried to scale the side of the building were hastily pulled up, and they rushed into the building. The first floor they descended upon was empty: apparently, what few people normally resided here had evacuated rather quickly. Something did not seem right about the place from Hallenia's perspective, though. Something was wrong with the way the walls looked, as if their dimensions didn't match up properly.

"Keep your eyes peeled. This place looks smaller than it should be."

Unfortunately, she was already too late.

"NOW!"

A door seemed to pop into existence and slam open, pouring out a surprisingly well-armed contingent of what had appeared to be normal residents during their reconnaissance. Not only did they outnumber her and her people, they were almost all equipped with a ranged weapon of some kind. They were armed, not armored - but that same combination of adjectives applied to her side just as much.

But wait... where was the flamboyant man? The man heading these people had been seen in a secondary role all this time, but was in a leading position here. Everyone held their weaponry of choice aimed at the counterparty.

"So... you're clearly not making it out of here like this."

He seemed surprised by the fact that he had overwhelmed the invading party.

"Yes, you have us cornered. This..."

A thousand curses, this was not how she had planned this to go. Even with meticulous preparation that went back years, that asshole had put them on the wrong footing again.

"This doesn't have to end in bloodshed. Take me, let the rest go."

Some under her command wanted to object, but she gestured them to be quiet.

"I'm saving all of you from this mess. Consider it my reprimand."

The man seemed poorly convinced. "Why are you so valuable, then?"

"I am the one heading this operation. As well, I am the one that coordinated many of the seemingly random attacks on you."

Theo had been made aware of at least some of the information surrounding the less than random 'attackers' that had been plaguing the place for a long time now. This made enough sense that he was inclined to believe it, more so because some of the woman's subordinates seemed to object to the whole thing.

"So that's how it is. And you guarantee you aren't harboring anything that will do harm when you're finally in custody?"

She laughed.

"If I had something like that in my reach, I would've used it by now."

"Right, you're doing this just to save your hide and that of the people with you. Alright then. You will all drop those weapons, and we'll escort you outside."

They complied. The man accompanied her personally as she was led down to a warehouse and turned prisoner in a former office section attached to it.

"Yeah, totally. Sounds like whoever tried to do a stealthy infiltration got their ass kicked."

"Ya. So there's Langton Inc. and... some even shadier people we've never heard of, trying to get into their building."

There were rumours and sparse news reports about a suspected altercation of sorts within his buildings.

"Not even two weeks..."

They were both fairly disappointed yet mildly relieved - the former still in a childish sort of way, the latter due to the fact that no further news came from it all. It'd be at least two days on foot to get back there.

Upon arrival, they found Theo to be hardly phased by the events at all.

"Everyone's still alive, right?"

"Nobody died, no. Good thing I learned what causes a stir in the papers. I think we have, uh... an interesting catch, like you might say it."

"Is that so?"

Nobody less than Hallenia had surrendered when faced with more active opposition than accounted for. They had, through unknown means, reached the top of an office building, then made arrangements to descend from its sides using specialised equipment. Unfortunately for them, most of the residents present were trained for actively defending their home.

"What an interesting catch indeed... have you spoken her in particular?"

"Nothing beyond the initial contact, really. Hasn't wanted to speak up at all, just stares at everyone with a haughty look."

## XI - Lightless

"What an interesting catch, isn't it?"

Hallenia smirked.

"This wasn't exactly our plan, no."

"Suffice to say, I am about as surprised by your presence as you were by my people. It was very, very kind of you to leave their equipment here like that and have them leave. Suppose your orders were to avoid more losses?"

His sole intent was to break her façade of a haughty tranquil state. No matter how well she hid it, Delinius could see that she had made an unfortunate mistake she had not remotely expected to happen.

"Oh please. You've already figured this out. You don't need answers from me."

"Yet I do have one particular question to ask, beyond what information I might glean from the confiscated possessions. Why now, and why, of all things, accompany these people personally? There was a notable chance that you'd be pitched in a direct confrontation, had I been present. Ah, but that was one of the strange facts, wasn't it?"

"Stop gloating, old man. Yes, you caught us red-handed. We had no idea you were on a little vacation. As to getting in here hands-on... let's just say that there is incompetence widespread across my organisation. I could have done better than this. All I would have needed was additional resources and better facilities, and we'd probably snatch both of you up. It might surprise you, Delinius, but you might just overestimate what you're dealing with at this point. We were a force to be reckoned with in the past. It has only declined as time proceeds and the leadership grows old and merely toys with pet projects. This whole operation is arguably one of the few with some utility."

She coughed, then corrected herself with audible irritation.

"Arguably *was*."

"Is that so..."

He chuckled, though more out of amusement than anything.

"I suppose I did indeed miscalculate the kind of threat that might lay within before this incident took place. There is something you seem to pass over. Your capture. Obviously, you are a valuable asset, and I have heard that your offer to enter captivity was subject to objections of some subordinates. Before this happened, it was merely those under your command attempting to reach my dear, and a defector. Now that you have turned yourself in, I have a highly valuable person of interest that is more than a pet project of a senescent leadership."

"In other words, I'm a bigger burden than I'd seem. Since you are here, though..."

"Speak and I may answer."

"I might as well ask you something to indulge my curiosity. Why were you on a vacation break with your girl? Seems hardly fitting."

Her question poked at something that went beyond the organsiation she had worked with and touched upon personal interest. It made sense why she was particularly invested in this operation: not by some doctrine or dogmatic array of beliefs, but in trying to turn back the clock to a time when her organisation had been far greater.

"Ah, yes. We have all underestimated my good friend Theo. He is the one that handled your infiltration attempt, and he is the one that arranged things - so that I might take Lyka on a brief and relaxing trip through this area. All on foot, and as a result it took us a while to return here."

"A little break. You must think yourself very safe like that."

Her mocking words did not work their intended goal.

"Oh, we're perfectly safe. We can defend ourselves if need be. It is not our personal safety that we must worry for."

Delinius' expression didn't quite match the otherwise airy tone that had been predominantly present throughout this brief conversation.

"In days past, I could flee if I faced odds I could not overcome. Together with Lyka, I still could. But the people here and the relative safety we've created here can't possibly move for such a reason. They won't have to move for such a reason for as long as I have any say in the matter."

"But how long will it last before you have to build thicker walls, stronger locks, sturdier doors? You're doomed to fail eventually, Delinius."

A grim smile formed on his face.

"Oh, I'm quite aware. This is an arm wrestling match, figuratively speaking. Either party can push and pull and force the other to return force, all the way until one is exhausted and overcome. But that does not mean I can look to postpone that moment as far as is possible. The main landmass is still full of hatred. While any hatred for my own person probably never will subside, there is still time for these people. Eventually, there will come a time when it is safe for everyone to live where they please. Although I suspect perhaps this place will not receive me hospitably for some time when that time comes."

Delinius chuckled, and it unnerved Hallenia more than she liked.

"So you really will simply beat down the increasing masses of rioting people until the time is right?"

The slight horror in her voice was apparently audible, for Delinius gave a small applause.

"You are as horrified as anyone might be at the implications this carries. I did not just make a promise to those living here, Hallenia. I made a promise to myself, to never let such suffering and death occur as my own kin have endured if an opportunity came on my path. Long ago, I took upon me such an oath to my ancestral deity. Not out of necessity, but by my own choice. It has been long enough waiting for a chance. May the gods help me retain it for as long as it can be endured."

A mere nod was all he had for a greeting.

"You would've been such an amazing subject for our projects... Such grief, such determination. Heh, none of it matters now. You will achieve your path, with or without interference from my people. Brave, I think, to appear as an immovable fortress when there is so much in your past you would have done differently. But you might be out of here sooner than you think. Everything changes eventually."

"Perhaps."

## XII - Exit

"Smile, dear."

Ina looked up to see the same silly short man sitting across the table.

"Oh, it's you. Why are you here?"

"Wait no further. It'll all arrive soon, and simply by looking will you find what you've waited for so long."

This turned her wide awake.

"What? You mean my brother's coming back? When?"

"More I cannot say. That part is up to you to discover, but you know where to go looking. Read the news, listen to the chatter. You've done it before, Ina. I'm certain that you'll do fine."

He vanished again. Nobody had noticed him, or their conversation. One of her colleagues joined her now and asked her if she was alright.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just heard something good is happening soon. It's not a new coffee machine, though."

*They've been here for as long as anyone remembers, but I've seen some changes going on as of late. Things being moved outside and covered in tarps. People with full bags and suitcases. Meanwhile, there's not a single word about it on the news.*

*My guess is that they're moving some of the people out. Maybe the last attack that happened was the final straw. I don't know, but it's kind of sad to see something like this go. Not that I liked the scary feeling their leading figure created around himself, but it's part of my childhood I guess. 'Don't pay attention to the screaming outside. It's just some thugs getting what they deserve.' That's more or less what I was told back then. I wonder where they're going.*

He was going to miss it, even if Langton Incorporated had a stubborn tendency to attract a lot of rioting that was always 'cleaned up' very cruelly and never made it to the news. People that he'd never seen, and who disappeared without a word after the riot subsided.

*We're coming back. If this letter reaches you, know that I'm alive and safe. Relatively. But we're coming back to where we came from. The place they talked about is real, but the people here have tired of it. I'm not entirely sure why - the guy at the head of it all is perfectly fine. Mysterious, maybe, but he's not some demonic that needs to be killed off, like some people think.*

*I'm not entirely sure when we'll be back, but you're probably not going anywhere if you catch this. And boy, when I'm back. Make sure you have your things ready. I want their heads.*

So it was true. She was safe, healthy even. If she wasn't, she wouldn't be writing about their plans for later. They'd both waited patiently for more than thirty years, but it was all going to pay off soon. She never wrote something like this if it was still a long way to go. The letter was awfully vague, though. He remembered some of it all, even though he'd forgotten much over the years. But never her.

"Yeah."

"I take it you'll be keeping an eye out for the time, then. Stay safe, Ariadne. If something strange occurs, find Theo. He'll know an answer."

The two of them - that was, Delinius himself and Lyka - were about to take a trip back to Gredile. A little over eighty-four years ago had been the last time he'd seen it or set foot on it, but it was now time. They'd elected to go together simply because neither could imagine *not* doing so. Much of it was also the simple convenience of having someone to back you up, for they would be doing a lot of deceiving and the like just to get anything done in the first place.

"Bye, folks. We'll be back soon, don't worry."