When Claude emerged from the office, he froze beyond the threshold and gaped at the massive cavern. Larger than life carriages, drawn by the same creatures he saw atop the portico, were scattered along the smooth rock floor. The ceiling had been carved into a dome shaped and studded with lanterns that lit up the whole affair like tiny suns.

People milled around the carriages, filling the air with chatter. Some were dressed in uniforms. Jackets of warm greens, oranges and yellows, with dark grey bottoms. They ranged from as young as Tallis to as old as him.

One of the carriage pulling beasts sidled up to him and snuffled at Claude's bag. Its snout was damp and cool. In some ways it resembled a dog with sleek, lean muscles and long ears that stood up like antlers. This creature towered over him as it sat with its head cocked, one ear up and one ear down and its short silver coat gleaming in the light.

"Uh, hi." Claude cautiously raised a hand and the beast shuffled its paws, claws clicking against the ground. Dark eyes studied him curiously. He sensed no threatening energy, yet his heart still fell to the pit of his gut.

Celesta, who'd progressed far ahead, looked back with a frown. "Don't fall behind." She came back and dragged Claude deeper into the cavern, soliciting stares from curious onlookers. They stopped at a smaller carriage surrounded by women armed with curved swords and spears. The guards eyed Claude warily, dark eyes stark against the band of gold paint across their faces. Their bodies were swathed in black pants and tops that looked as though they were wrapped on their form like bandages.

One of them broke ranks and inclined her head at Celesta. They spoke hurriedly in a tongue he couldn't understand. The guard glanced at him briefly before nodding then opened the carriage door for them to get in. The inside was plush cushioned benches that smelled of honeysuckle.

Celesta stepped in first and patted the bench beside her. "Leave your trunk. My attendants will get it. We have much to discuss." Claude settled in beside her. Outside the guards scrambled around and a moment later, they were moving.

"Forgive my poor manners." She extended a hand. "Celesta."

He shook her hand. "Claude. You know Octavia and Quintus?"

A wry smile crossed her lips. "Something of the sort. They're quite famous around these parts, so you'll have a harder time finding someone who doesn't know them. But more importantly, how do you know them?"

"I was stationed on Hedalda before my resignation. I was there when she saved the island from a strange recurring scourge." He winced as he remembered what Eli did to poor Arietta. "I asked if she or Quintus could help me locate my mother. They told me my best bet was to come here. I understood the risks, but I had no other leads."

Celesta nodded. "I see. You've travelled far. How did you land in Viperstone?"

"I accompanied Amadeus and Undine there to deliver medical aid. It was a scary situation. I'm sure it's all outlined in their message."

She glanced at the canister and nodded. "We've been out of contact with Viperstone for a while. Their last message was troubling to say the least."

"And by "we" you mean the Archives?" he asked. "Are these the Archives?"

"Wouldn't you like to know." She crossed one leg over the next and for the first time, he noticed her feet were bare and adorned with gold chains and rings. "Just wait."

Claude cast his gaze out the window, but all he saw was a grim, dark brown tunnel. All he heard were the loping strides of the beasts pulling the carriage along. He didn't think this woman was leading him to his demise, at least he hoped not, because he had no other choice but to follow her. He was a stranger in unfamiliar territory. A threat even, now that at least two people knew he was a former priest.

They sat in silence as the minutes stretched longer and longer. He fiddled with his bag, checked to ensure the letters and music boxes were intact after it took such a hard fall back in the office. It seemed nothing had gotten knocked loose. Cushioning his most precious items with his travel blanket had been the right call.

"Do you happen to know who wrote the Stargazer Requiem?" Claude asked Celesta.

She shook her head. "It's a beautiful song, quite popular, but the composer remains unnamed in our records. Is the person who wrote it your mother?"

"I believe so. I have her signature too."

Celesta placed a hand over his before he could pull the music box from his bag. "Show it to me when we reach our destination, in case you need a quiet place to mourn."

Her words made Claude's stomach turn cold, but he nodded. Outside the carriage, the walls slowly began to lighten. He focused on that instead of the growing apprehension that made him nauseous,

A sudden burst of light forced his eyes into a squint. He flinched away from the window, shielding his eyes with an arm until they adjusted. When he finally looked back out the window, his jaw fell.

The beasts pulled the carriage over a bridge that spanned the length of a glimmering spring three times the size of Hedalda. Another bridge cut widthwise over the water with arches carved out of its base for boats to pass through. The entire affair was encircled by mountains, some with peaks so high they disappeared into the clouds, others covered in dense forest. Buildings surrounded its shores, carved from the red-brown bedrock of the mountains themselves. He spotted ferries and sailboats in the water delivering passengers to the docks that dotted the spring's shore.

Even in the stories Gwenore would read to him, he'd never imagine something like this could exist. A kingdom surrounded by mountains? Tiny Claude would've lost his mind. Heck, adult Claude was losing his mind. He pressed his face against the window, Marvelling at the flat-roofed buildings interspersed with trees and greystone roads. Some of them were massive, bigger than the Ivory Cathedral in Divine City even.

Celesta breathed a laugh beside him. "That never gets old. Welcome to the Summersong Mountains." So these were the mountains Quintus spoke of. The cretin neglected to tell him there was an entire kingdom here.

"Has it always been here?" Claud asked. He'd certainly never heard of this place, not in his studies with Gwenore or at the Divine City.

"Millenia ago, a group of necromancers carved through the bedrock of Jua and came to this spring on the other side. They built this city from the ground up and established it as a safe haven for necromancers. It's this region's best kept secret." A fond smile crossed her lips as she glanced out the window.

The bridge inclined upward and up ahead a thick pillar appeared at the springs centre where the two bridges met. Upon closer inspection, Claude made out the finer features carved into the stone and realised they were not pillars, but statues.

"Here," Celesta worked a crank near her door and the roof peeled back, revealing the sky beyond. "You can stand, just mind your balance."

Claude obliged, sticking his head out the roof like a giddy child. He spied three other statues, each standing on a different corner of the intersection. Two men, two women. Each of their faces were carved into a stoic expression. They held one hand over their heart while the other was outstretched with fingers entangled with chains bearing windchimes, long and thin as the branches of a willow.

Their gentle songs were barely audible over the breeze cutting across the spring. He took the mountain air deep into his lungs, and for the first time in a long time, the knots in his stomach loosened. For the first time he felt like no matter the outcome, he'd be alright.

"We're almost there." Celesta said as he settled back into the carriage.

He ran a hand through his wind-whipped hair to tame it. "Where are we headed?"

"To deliver your message, and possibly find your mother." And just like that, the knots were back. He nodded and stayed silent for the rest of their ride, his eyes trained on the city beyond.

"Right. Would you happen to know if Octavia is around? I have letters for her from the children in Hedalda."

Celesta shook her head. "Octavia is travelling across the plains of Lurem as we speak. But I've been reliably informed that she'll return here after she is done with her work in that region. You can leave the letters with me." She held out a hand.

"I think I'll just hold onto them then. The letters meant a lot to the kids. I promised them they'd get to Octavia safely."

"Alright." She turned away to gaze out the window, but not before Claude caught the fond smile crossing her lips.

When the carriage finally rolled to a stop, the guards opened their doors. Claude stepped out onto the same red-brown stone that made up the bedrock of the mountains. A behemoth of a structure towered over him, stretching higher than any other building he'd seen so far, and entirely carved out of the side of the eastmost mountain.

Pillars three times as thick as he could span his arms held up a portico with statues of various creatures on top. The only one Claude recognised was the sleek, dog-like animal that drew the carriage. Through the main door came throngs of people, some dressed in the same uniforms he'd seen in the cavern and others dressed similar to Celesta.

He silently wondered if this was some kind of castle. It seemed more like a fortress with how thick the walls were. He looked back the way they came and saw branching walkways leading away from the fortress and down to docks where boats waited, while a road curved away around the spring.

"I'll see that signature now," Celesta said.

Claude fished a letter from his bag and showed her the little star and moon on the back. She examined it closely, hand under her chin, then nodded. She spoke rapidly to her guards in what Claude suspected to be her native tongue. He hoped that was a good sign and that she wasn't trying to spare his feelings.

"Claude, you'll go with Ishwa," Celesta said. "I'll see you again soon, sooner than you think." One of her guards broke ranks to set his trunk at his feet, while the others escorted her into the fortress. The throngs of people parted for them like water flowing around a stone.

"Come with me," Ishwa said, her accent even thicker and more song-like than Celesta's. She led the way into the fortress, her hands never straying far from the blades on her hip. Like Celesta's other guards, she was dark-skinned with fine dreads shorn off at the chin and weighted with rings and chains. A cloud of gold dust lay against the skin around her eyes like a mask.

They weaved through the people milling around the vestibule. Chatter hummed in the air along with a cocktail of perfumes that made Claude dizzy. Scores of halls and half a dozen staircases branched away from the room, stretching five or more levels. Ishwa started down one such corridor and the sounds of commotion dulled in their wake.

"Here." Ishwa stopped at a small wooden door and opened it. "Wait. Someone will be with you momentarily."

Claude stepped into the little room and left his trunk and shoes at the door. It was about the size of his room at the Cathedral. The red-brown tile was cool under his bare feet. It felt nice to be able to wiggle his toes after weeks trapped in shoes. The room's only furnishings were a couch, a low table and a painting of a sea creature he didn't recognise.

A quiet place to mourn, Celesta had said. Was this it? The place where he'd find his closure, a little room in a massive fortress in a beautiful city. He fished the music box from his bag and examined it for the umpteenth time. He knew its features as well as the back of his own hand. And yet, he could still spend small eternities getting lost in the beauty of its craftsmanship.

So he did that while he waited, tracing his fingers over the tiny moons accented by flowers and vines. The key had a little loop with a star at its centre on one end. He never removed it out of fear of losing it and never hearing the song again. Even if things didn't work out, at least he'd have that. The Stargazer's Requiem.

The door clicked open and snapped Claude out of his reverie. He lay on the couch now, his feet dangled over the armrest, though he had no idea how and when he'd gotten in that position. His head swam as he sat up a little too quickly, and he blinked the black spots from his vision.

"This had better be good."

Claude looked up at the woman who'd entered the room, and caught a glimpse of Ishwa easing the door shut with a smile and a nod. His heart hammered in his chest. Was this her? She was dressed in the same uniform he'd seen so many others in, her coat a light, heather grey that matched the streaks at her temples. The rest of her hair was dark, like Claude's but her eyes remained a mystery, hidden behind a black headband. She had chains dangling from her ears, connected to beads that sat snuggly inside.

"Well?" she asked, and Claude realised he'd just been sitting there staring.

His head was full of questions, all fighting to make it to his lips. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He swallowed, thinking his throat was too dry and wiped the sweat from his shaking hands onto his pants.

"Calm down, you'll give yourself a heart attack."

Claude breathed a laugh. "I'm sorry, I..." He couldn't find any words beyond that. What was he supposed to say? Hey I'm your long lost son. I spent ten years looking for you, and I'm here to... to what? She probably wouldn't even believe him.

She took a step back, almost bumping into the door. "Who... who are you?" Her hand reached for the knob.

"No wait," he said, holding his hand out as though she could see him. The music box flashed gold in his peripheral. "I have something to... Just listen, please. Just for a moment."

She frowned but nodded for him to proceed.

Claude cranked the little key in the music box, its rhythmic clicks filling the room. The stargazer's requiem pealed from the box. The way the notes fell into a smooth melody reminded him of a lullaby. He'd never grown tired of hearing it, never would.

The woman's hands flew to her mouth, her chest heaved with heavy breaths, and when the final note of the song rang out, she slid down the door. "You..." Her voice shook. "Who are you?! Is this some kind of sick joke?!"

It took two strides for him to close the distance between them. He knelt beside her, took her hand in his and pressed the music box into her palm. "My name is Claude. I'm far too old to be fussing during baths, but I still don't like when people touch my head. I'm not sure if my smiles are still beautiful, as I haven't had much reason to smile, until now."

"I..." She exhaled a shaky breath and ducked her head. "You're my boy...?" Tears rolled from under her bandana, flooding her cheeks. "You're my Claude." She flung her arms around him and squeezed as though she thought he might disappear.

And he hugged her back. His heart swelled with so much joy he feared it would burst. After ten years of searching, ten years of fretting, he'd finally found her. Not a corpse, but so alive and filled with warmth.

Claude choked back a sob. "And you're my mother."