Windsom exited the portal followed by Aldir, and lastly Kezess. He made little effort to control the pressure of his core, causing the highbloods outside the bearer to tremble with just his presence.

Upon seeing the lord of Epheotus the Vritra dropped to their knees with their heads pressed against the ground as they waited for Kezess to acknowledge them, and hopefully not kill them first.

The Vritra may have lost Agrona, but they still had their army. The only problem was that they weren't right there. They had already signaled for the troops at the castle when Arthur lowered his barrier, so now it was just a matter of staying alive long enough for them to arrive.

Kezess' head turned casually as he took in the sight, looking almost bored to even be there.

"Where is Agrona," Kezess asked no one in particular.

Arthur cleared his throat to get his attention. Then pointed down to a small blood stain on the floor.

"That little bit of blood there is probably the only part left of him."

"You managed to kill him?" Aldir asked with an eyebrow raised.

Arthur nodded. "Well, Regis helped," he said gesturing to the aetheric wolf

"He was a lot easier to kill than we expected," Regis commented.

"Hmm," was all Kezess said in response as his eyebrows raised in surprise. He then looked over the remaining Vritra. "And how many of them did you kill?"

"Let's see," Arthur said as he thought. "I killed...three."

"Ha I win!" Regis announced. "I killed five!"

"That's because you had three at a time while I was dealing with Agrona. These guys are just pathetic compared to him," Arthur said in response.

"That's all of them. Kill them all," Kezess ordered.

Arthur couldn't believe he was just going to slaughter them all right then and there, but at the same time he didn't feel sorry for them either.

The Vritra got up quickly and backed away in panic as several armored soldiers approached them. The doors at the top of the stairs and the lower ones for the servants swung open, and dozens of Vritra blooded soldiers clad in black armor started marching in as the highbloods backed away and finally escaped through the doors the soldiers were entering. The Vritra themselves finally calmed down. With these numbers they could win.

"Ha!" One of the Vritia laughed triumphantly as he deactivated the mana barrier that once kept Arthur and his party from escaping. "It seems you will be the one dying today Kezess. Soldiers, attack!"

Click click

But the soldiers didn't move. They stood defensively between the remaining highbloods and the Asura.

Click click

"ATTACK!"

Click click click

"No." Seris said flatly as she descended the stairs wearing black battle robes, as the clicking of her heals continued with every step.

"Now that's a boss entrance!" Regis commented.

"She must have replaced all the troops here with her own," Arthur mused.

Click click

"What?!"

Click

Series arrived at the bottom of the stairs and rested her left hand on the pommel of her sword. "The Vritra keep saying what they are doing is for the good of Alacrya and its people. Yet this war against the Asura will only lead to our destruction. So I hope you understand when I say this, just letting you all die is for the greater good of Alacrya and its people."

The Vritra couldn't believe what just happened. But before the could fully process it, Kezess released some pressure from his core, and his soldiers began the bloody slaughter. Blood curdling screams rang out through nearly the entire room. Tess quickly turned Sylvie away to face her as Arthur cast a noise canceling spell around them. Though Sylvie had seen her fair share of bloodshed, this was different. These were not beasts, but people in a one sided massacre, the Vritra didn't stand a chance.

The Vritra blooded soldiers behind them stood their ground, clenching their weapons tight. Not because they wanted to defend the Vritra, but because they feared they would be next.

"That sick bastard. No trial, no prison, not even a simple execution, just...this," Regis commented in shock, as the scene was too brutal for even him. "But I guess after you've wiped out an entire civilization for your own selfish greed, what's a few more lives."

"And that's why he needs to be stopped. To be capable of something like this without batting an eye, he's too dangerous to be left in power."

Soon it was over. The blood on their armor and weapons evaporated away in a matter of seconds, making them look like they were ready for some form of military inspection. Kezess then turned his attention to the Vritra blooded.

"And now the mutts."

The Asura soldiers shot forth as the Vritra blooded prepared for battle. Shields lowered, barriers were raised, casters prepared their spells, and strikers held their weapons at the ready. Arthur body ached, however he wasn't going to just sit back and allow another senseless slaughter. He godstepped between the two forces and created a massive air pressure barrier.

The Asura ran into the barrier and immediately lost their momentum, some stumbling as they lost their footing.

"Enough! The Vritra are dead, the Vritra blooded didn't even come to their aid. There's no point in more bloodshed!" Arthur shouted.

"Get out of the way, or you will be considered an enemy as well," Kezess threatened as he released his cores pressure.

Arthur was tempted to release his killing intent, but coming off as a threat wasn't a good idea just yet. Instead he released the pressure from both of his cores. This got the attention of all the Asura, a lesser had reached their level.

"Last I checked Epheotus was Dicathen's ally. A deal was struck between Dicathen and Seris, she got me into position to kill Agrona, the war ends with a solid peace treaty. They aren't an enemy any more."

"I never agreed to any of this," Kezess stated with annoyance.

"Maybe not, but I also killed Agrona for you. Something you've failed to accomplish multiple times. I ended a threat to Epheotus, shouldn't that come with some kind of reward?"

"You want a reward?"

"Just leave Alacrya and the Vritra blooded alone. They have no desire for a war with Epheotus, they didn't even have a choice in any of this."

There was an uncomfortable silence as Kezess stood there staring Arthur down, as he did the same. Arthur's words caught the ears of the other Asura present, and even though most felt Arthur was being insolent, there were others who agreed with him.

Those agreeing with Arthur agreed that the Vritra blooded were still a threat, but that alone was no reason to massacre them. If they really just wanted peace, there was no reason to not let them have it.

To Kezess eliminating any threat was normal, and anyone who stood in the way of that was a threat as well. The problem for him was that the one standing in his way was Arthur. Despite him being a lesser, he had gained the interest of many Asura. He didn't fear him, nor those that would stand in question of his actions if he were to just kill Arthur. He believed that if he did kill him there would be Asura that would question why he felt it necessary, but he doubted it would go far beyond that. His issue was it was clear to him that he had developed aether arts beyond what Sylvia's will allowed. Meaning through him he could use him to gain greater insight into aether that he couldn't get out of the Djinn.

"Gather the bodies and return to Epheotus," Kezess ordered.

Everyone but the Asura let out a sigh of relief. The Asura lowered their weapons and began to gather the Vritra bodies. Tess and Sylvie rushed to Arthur and hugged him. Arthur could feel Kezess' eyes boring a hole in him because of Sylvie, but he didn't care, there was nothing he could do to him about it.

"You have come a long way Arthur Leywin. Even for an Asura, your rate of progress is impressive," Kezess praised calmly.

"What the fuck? That sounded like a compliment," Regis said in disbelief.

"He probably can tell I used aether and is trying to gain my cooperation with nice words," Arthur replied.

"He could get on his knees and start blowing me and I still wouldn't want to help his homicidal ass," Regis stated.

"Thank you," Arthur said with a fake smile as he bowed slightly.

Not only was his body in no condition for another fight at that level, even if Sylvie escaped with Tess and Elijah, there was no way he could win against all of the Asura present. Right now the most important thing was to live to fight another day, which meant he had to be careful not to come off too confrontational.

"When we return to Epheotus you will join us as well. There is much I wish to discuss with you that cannot be said here."

"What else is there to be said? Agrona and the Vritra are all dead, and as long as Seris keeps her word the war in Dicathen is over. Thanks to you and the teachers you provided for me I was able to reach reach new heights to do as you promised and protect my family." Arthur wrapped his arm around Tess' shoulder and pulled her closer. "All I want now is to just return home with my family to live a happy and peaceful life."

"Holy fuck. Are you going to blow him now too?"

"Going to Epheotus with him would be dangerous. There he can ensure I never leave and I'll be a prisoner until he learns everything he can about aether from me."

"So you pretty much have to kiss his ass so he'll leave you alone?"

"I just need to buy myself some time to put my plans into motion. My pride won't do me any good if he decides to use force. And if he does, all I need to do is reteat with my family to the relic tomb till after I recover."

"Though I do not yet know how this is possible, I can see that you are more Asura than human now. Your place is in Epheotus."

"It is true that I am part Asura now, meaning I'll live a very long life. My loved ones however won't. So wouldn't it make sense to spend as much time with them as I possibly can?"

Kezess stared at Arthur silently, even after he finished talking with Regis. Arthur then felt a surge of aether coming from him.

"Damn it!" Arthur shouted internally as he tapped into his aether core again.

His body ached but he endured as he channeled Aether to the needed rune. Knowing Kezess it was obvious which branch of aether he was going to use, and how he was going to use it too. With his superior knowledge Arthur unnoticeably took over the Aevum spell, and brought part of someone else in as well.

"What are you after?" Kezzes demanded after he thought he separated them from time.

"Whatever do you mean?" Arthur asked innocently.

"Do not let your measly two lives give you the illusion that you are superior to me. I have lived far longer, I know you are plotting something."

"Let's just put all of our cards on the table," Arthur said, changing his demeanor. "The only reason you want me to come with you is because of my insight into aether."

"I can make things very unpleasant for you if you don't comply," Kezess threatened.

"Did you use those same words when the Djinn refused to share their knowledge?"

"We do not speak of them in my domain."

"This isn't your domain."

"All that the sun touches is my domain. Humans, Elves, Dwarves, Djinn, are all no more than mana beasts residing where I allow."

"And if we decide we aren't, you what? Exterminate us?"

"Like humans the Djinn were lesser beings blessed with a power they didn't deserve. They should have surrendered their knowledge to us and lived."

"They were pacifists, and clearly saw how dangerous you were. I imagine if they weren't, if they were more aggressive then you wouldn't have been able to survive their retaliation. But because they knew nothing of war before you started one, and they were wiped out instead."

"And that's why the other clans believed me when I told them the Djinn were preparing for a war against us. They don't know enough about aether to understand their spells, but they know ours. And if you do not concede, Dicathen will share the same fate as the Djinn."

"And how will you justify that? We've been allies through this war, and I'm the hero who defeated Agrona for you, something you failed to do repeatedly."

"The other clans will do as they are told."

"Ha, even I know that's not going to happen. They aren't all stupid like you think. Enough clans would see right through that lie, then you're facing a civil war."

"And the rest of the world will be dragged into it. In the end there's no way for your family to survive."

Arthur breathed deeply, making it look like he was cornered.

"Alright then, a compromise. In three hundred years I'll teach you."

"What?!" Kezess questioned with obvious irritation as he released pressure from his core.

"Come on, that's plenty of time for me to live a normal life with my family. Watch my kids grow up, become a grandparent, grow old with my wife."

"But you won't grow old."

"What do you care," Arthur replied with some aggression. "You've lived for thousands of years, what's another three hundred in the grand scheme of things. It'll practically be over in the blink of an eye for you."

Kezess stood silently staring at Arthur with an unreadable expression. Without warning he then extended his hand.

"Deal. In three hundred years you will teach me all you know about aether."

Arthur took his hand. "Thank you for compromising."

Arthur then felt aether moving from Kezess' hand into his, then wrapped around his aether core.

"This will ensure you maintain your end of the agreement."

He canceled his spell and returned to the flow of time, but Arthur didn't, neither did his guest.

"Did you hear all of that?" Arthur asked as he brought the rest of his guest from the flow of time. He would leave the aether spell on his core for later when his core wasn't full and his body didn't ache.

Suddenly Windsom looked at him confused. "How did you do that? It's as if my senses were affected by Aevum but the rest of my body wasn't till now."

"That's because that's what happened. I needed you to hear, but not react. I couldn't let Kezess know he was being observed." Arthur paused as he stepped closer to him, eyeing him curiously. "So what did you think about what he had to say?"

"It's...it's a lot to take in."

"You do understand right? Kezess murdered the Djinn just because they didn't want to share their knowledge of aether, and now hes threatening Dicathen with the same fate if I don't cooperate."

"This can't continue," Windsom thought out loud. "He can't have your knowledge. How can you even agree to this when you know what he has done?"

"Jokes on him, I won't live that long."

"What? Why? Aren't you part Asura now? You should be able to live for at least a thousand years."

"Yeah, I used a spell that burns through life force, so now I'm down to roughly two hundred and fifty."

"So this was just to protect your family."

"That and buy myself time. But that doesn't mean Kezess can be just get away with what he's done. He needs to be stopped."

"Even though there are clans who are not happy with him, none are to the point where they would rise up against him. None of them want a war between the clans."

"That's where you come in." Arthur pulled a small chest from his storage rune. "I want you to go to those clan leaders with this. It contains the truth behind the war with the Djinn, through their eyes."

"I don't know if that will be enough to drive them to war."

"I'm not looking for a war, just support. The more clans that are wanting to support bringing change to Epheotus the easier it'll be to remove Kezess from power."

"He won't give it up. I...I know things he's done to keep his power. He claims to do them for the greater good, to keep Epheotus from falling into chaos, but I've begun to see it's only for him to maintain his power."

"I don't expect him to give up peacefully. I have a plan to avoid a war while also removing him from power, and if it works the rest of the Indrath clan will accept the results without conflict. But you need to work down his supporters from the other clans. Use the chest, use the knowledge you have of his actions, just don't let them go to war. Tell them that he will face justice for his crimes, that he's the only one who should pay, not the rest of the clan. If war breaks out we all lose, and I have no doubt even the clan leaders you turn to our side will go back to him thinking only through him they can have stability."

"I understand." Windsom took the chest and stored it in his dimensional ring and started to walk back to his position before he moved, before stopping short. "Tell me. What makes you think you can trust me? I could easily turn the chest over to Kezess and tell him you plan. With this he could easily capture you right here and now and keep you as a prisoner for the rest of your existence."

Arthur smiled. "Easy, Sylvia told me I could trust you."

Windsom's eyes widened and a sad smile formed on his face. With a deep breath he recomposed himself and retook his position, and Arthur canceled static void.

Upon ending the spell Kezess stared Arthur down for another second or two before turning around and walking off.

"Art?" Tess said, curious as to what just happened.

"Don't worry, everything is going as I hoped."

The Asura soldiers finished gathering the Vritra bodies and began leaving.

"Sylvie, come," Kezess said with his back to her, calling her as if she were a dog.

"No, I'm staying."

It was as if the whole world froze. The Asura still present froze in their tracks upon hearing this. Very few ever said no to Kezess, at least in public. And those that did were quick to change their mind.

Kezess released the pressure from his core, and the other Asura were quick to continue through the portals. Slowly he turned to face her.

"Come, now!" He said threateningly.

"No," Sylvie replied in defiance.

"You are my granddaughter, your place is by my side as the next ruler of Epheotus. Though you have come far, you still have much to learn before you can rule."

"All the more reason for me to stay. The great leaps I took were made with Arthur, my mana and aether arts grew so fast because of him."

As if a light went on in his head, Kezess withdrew his pressure and seemed to calm himself.

"Very well. I will leave you with them, for now. But know that your home, where you belong, is Epheotus."

"Nice work geko, he took the bait!" Regis praised.

They had planned this ever since Arthur started working with Sylvie to develop her aether arts. If Kezess ever came demanding her return, she would of course argue, but also make sure to sneak in there how her aether arts have progressed thanks to Arthur. Now knowing this, Kezess would be accepting of her staying, so that she could learn and develop her aether arts more, perhaps even to the point that he wouldn't need Arthur, or at least to the point that he could afford to torture the information out of him.

Kezess created a portal behind him and stepped back, the portal disappearing immediately after, signaling the last of the Asura's departure.

——————————————————————-

"Lord Kezess," Windsom said back in Epheotus with a bow. "What of Lady Sylvie?"

"Prepare a team to be sent to Dicathen. I want eyes on Arthur Leywin at all times."