"You're a Shadecaller?"

Aria couldn't help but blurt out, the rising blush on her companion's face hidden in the shadow. The little ball of light she had summoned bobbled about enthusiastically, circling them in a private light show she couldn't help but giggle at. Step by step they walked towards where she hoped was Pelt: the long, winding corridors all looked the same to her so Aria had to rely on Skyla. Just like always.

"Not exactly. Not everyone has the luxury of a dragon as a partner anymore, my Throneholder. Not anymore. There's a shortage of those who can willingly contract with Traited and even then the chances are slim. Even slimmer with every demon attack."

Skyla's sombre explanation didn't dampen the light of the little Trollian guiding the way, the strange spirit only surfacing near the Undercity. The amount of new experiences she had could be counted on one hand. Aria wanted nothing more than to cuddle the little Volta Trollian, attempting to touch it but Skyla drew her hand back in case she got hurt. It was made of pure lightning.

"I didn't know that. So, these little troll things work as Oathed for you?"

Aria tried to hide the bias in her voice but whether it was the exhaustion from walking too long or just the new side of the Lightning Traited becoming more and more blunt with her thoughts she didn't know. Imagining anyone other than Ethros by her side was something she couldn't live with.

"Ever since I lost my dragon, yeah."

Aria stopped in her tracks, taking a moment to process what that meant. Her eyes scanned the Lightning Traited for any signs of the Eternal Death, any discolouration before they slowly turned to ash. She couldn't find any but the sheer thought of Skyla having an Oathed only for them to...her brain couldn't fathom why she was here and her dragon was not. They should've died together.

"Just before my grimoire manifested...Tora and I were supposed to be Oathed. Exactly the same way you and Ethros are now. But something went wrong. Torania received too much of my Lightning Trait all at once. It killed her. So Volskaya and I stick together instead."

The little Volta Trollian reacted to the sound of its name, the little spark of joy cuddling his Traited with little, sparking appendages to try and soothe his grieving friend. Aria didn't have the words to comfort her. They fell back into their familiar pace, far more irregular than before like missing a beat in an elaborate piece of music.

"How did you survive?"

Skyla remained straight faced, her head darting about for some unreadable exit Aria couldn't see. So she did the only thing she could think of. Taking a deep breath, Aria allowed the familiar protection of the Excelliars armour to dissipate and let the plain clothes show as much vulnerability as she could. Skyla smiled a soft smile, tickling her Oathed with a sparking finger imbued with Trait.

"I was stranded near the Ironthorn woods after being torn apart by the Tarragon military. Just so happened to be a hotspot for Trollians and I summoned as much lightning as I could before my hands turned to ash. Luckily, Skaya came to my rescue. We've been together ever since. Being able to summon him is a Trollian bonus." She explained, grinning at her Oathed.

The Volta Trollian let out a happy squeal, twirling like a disco ball and letting out a beam of light strong enough to illuminate the entire corridor. Aria couldn't help but laugh, comparing the whizzing ball of static to her own Light Trait while he wiggled around like an erratic torch in the night.

"Well he's very cute. For what it's worth, I'm glad he found you Skyla." Aria said, trying her best to support her without letting her growing feelings run away with her.

Skyla's fingers brushed against her jumper, a gust of hot wind knocking them into each other the moment she grabbed her hand. Aria looked back in fear, terrified a demon was after them but the Lightning Traited gripped her hand tightly and in a surge of anxiety they began to run.

Aria didn't know how long they ran down the narrow stretch of concrete, her feet burning, her chest pounding while Volskaya tried to give them the power they held. The blistering speed made her eyes water, the sound of her laugh hollow in her blocked ears until they had reached the exit. They doubled over in laughter, tears streaming as she wiped them away in a rush of excitement. Until she looked out to see where they had ended up.

"Where are we?"

Her voice echoed out into the strange expanse of dusty, copped stained ground hollowed out into a strange, intricate contraption deep within the hollowed out pit. It was an excavation site the size of the entire plot of land held together with intricate gear systems and cogs that whirred forwards and backwards in a haphazard manner. All held in place by an eerily familiar Trait.

"What is this thing?"

Skyla wandered over, her Trollian friend was snoozing on her shoulder after being worn out from performing such an intricate light display.

"I don't know. It feels familiar."

Aria couldn't help but peer down into the mammoth pit of shifting earth and strange, bubble-like shield over the shifting walls and sliding bricks that slotted together. She spotted stairs that were used as ceilings, walls that blocked off sections of amber light that led to nowhere while she attempted to circle the puzzle of a city. Axis.

"I don't think this is Pelt but...do you want to take a look?" Skyla offered, the gleam of curiosity in her eyes was infectious.

"Normally, I would but Ethros..." Aria admitted reluctantly, avoiding her gaze like a child would.

"Oh come on, Ari. You know he wouldn't fit anyways. Imagine it." Skyla insisted, giggling at the sheer thought of a giant marshmallow dragon getting stuck in the gears.

Aria's mouth tweaked upwards but she couldn't suppress her laughter, still flustered by the nickname. Her mind flashed back to a younger Shadow Traited calling her the same name, wincing at the thought of Rider calling her that with the same emotion Skyla did. No. She wouldn't let that tarnish her feelings.

"I dunno. Maybe it's a demon weapon or something." Aria bit her lip, trying to peer around the giant structure but the rain was beginning to pelt down and obscure her vision.

But Skyla was right. It was too intriguing to ignore. The rain bounced off a faint shield of amber Trait, a dusting of water veering down the edge in an attempt to block people from getting in. There was no sign of anyone else around but they had only walked a small distance and that pit was incredibly tempting no matter how difficult it would be to descend. Until a glint of gold made her stomach twist.

"Skyla. We need to get out of here."

Aria could barely make herself heard, the rain chilling her very insides but her eyes couldn't leave the gilded cage. It was ornate and pretty but held a deadly secret and a prisoner strong enough to destroy the Undercity. Nightshade. The Novawraith dragon.

"Why? Is it a demon?"

"No-"

The sheer anxiety of seeing the elaborate prison made her wretch, what little food she had eaten over the last few days emptied out of her stomach. She heaved in what little breath she could, her Trait desperate to get away from the black dragon no bigger than a coin. Aria didn't want Skyla to see her like this.

But her gentle hand was at her back, rubbing her gently even with her head pounding with a headache and memories she'd rather forget. Until a knife was pressed against her stomach.

"Skyla?"

Aria's voice was cut short.

"Don't move, Throneholder. Not until he's free. Don't you dare move."

Everything Aria had brushed aside as being coincidental slotted into place like the puzzle covered city staring her in the face. She cursed herself for not realising sooner, the facade of an endlessly positive person falling away to reveal the no nonsense Lightning Traited Aria had believed to be her true self. It was far more treacherous than she had ever imagined.

The rain stopped.

Like a curtain wrapping around the entire area, the two Water Traited commanded the veil of water seamlessly for a gut punch she had never thought possible. Their expert concealment ability revealed a group of two other people, both that had once shared the same title in Aria's ranks. But only one she didn't expect.

"Ixis?"

Aria's reality crumbled around her, leaving her empty to the numbness of seeing her Regent willingly work with her greatest enemy. Rider. There was no mistaking her scars even with her expert attempt to hide in the shade of her hat and her Shadecaller persona. Ixis was wearing some kind of dilapidated coat worn by the miners in the backwater towns of Beggar's End. Surely she hadn't gone there to assist the poor or something but there was no mistaking her amber tinged Trait. She was keeping Axis, Night's prison from collapsing.

"I see you've met my Regent."

Aria could almost hear her smirk, the Shadow Traited preferring to taunt her long before her goal was complete. Her Light Traited seethed beneath her skin, her grimoire threatening to emerge but she clamped down the urge to summon it. She desperately wanted to reach out to Skyla and plead with her to stop this and return to her senses but the confirmation of her alliance with Rider broke whatever hope she had at rekindling their relationship.

"I see you've met mine." Aria spat, the knife Skyla had summoned from her Lightning Trait digging into her chest.

She looked up at the magnificent dome Ixis had created, the flicker of hesitation proving that she could still hear her. Which meant Aria still had a chance despite the abysmal odds. Honestly, if they needed five Traited, two Traitors and for some reason, a Tinker Mole just to knock her down then they really should've brought a dragon.

"Oh, come now, Ari. Don't blame me for Ixis. You didn't make use of her abilities far more than you should have. She just wanted a chance to help but you cast her aside. You hurt her and she doesn't even remember it."

Aria resisted the urge to react, her face emotionless even as her eyes tracked the slight cracks in the dome keeping Rider's hopes alive. She pursed her lips, listening to the sound of crunching gears slowing just enough for it to be noticeable. Ixis' green eyes were glassy, unfocused, lost in the time stream of her power even with the fire burning around her. Rider had no idea what she was messing with. Using the Timekeeper against her will would only backfire.

"You poisoned her Oathed with sorrowbane. That's deadly to Scale Shrieker dragon's and you know it." She lied, half remembering the faint smell coming from her room and took a wild guess.

Rider leaned against her stupid cane, Aria wanting to kick it out of her hands but she relented under her Regent's grip. She could tell how impatient the Shadow Traited was getting, the faint clicking and cursing of a thief failing to break through her intricate lock. Even if they got free they'd need more than that.

"I have no idea what you're talking about. You killed a child, not me. Or am I supposed to believe a rookie Excelliar snapped little Gracie's neck with their Trait?"

Aria's eyes filled with tears for a person she barely knew, the hazy memory she had blocked out coming to the front of her mind. The swiftness of her Light Trait cutting through the crowd. The young girl falling to the ground with a broken neck. Her Trait refusing to heal her. She couldn't fix her mistakes. She couldn't save them. If they hadn't been so angry she wouldn't have gotten hurt. It was all Rider's fault.

"What do you want, an apology? You're the one who showed up in Scholar's Keep to threaten me. You're the one who couldn't use your Trait to save them. You're the one who put the seed of doubt for the Shadow Traited to follow. You're the one who tricked Ixis and sent Skyla after me. If anyone is to blame for that random kid from a backwater town dying it's you!"

Her Light Trait burned alongside her hatred, her grimoire burning Skyla's hands long enough for her to summon her armour and protect herself from the onslaught of Traits she knew would come. But nothing did. Rider was effortlessly calm, waiting for this very moment as the lock on the cage clicked open.

"No. It wasn't. But I'm tired of telling you that. Maybe you'll realise it one day."

Aria's grimoire soared towards the cage. Eyes wide in horror, the second key to the dreaded shrinking cage zoomed out of her reach with a mind of its own. Until the dome cracked around them. Ixis collapsed to the ground, completely burnt out but begging for Aria to help her. The ash coating her hand made Aria grimace, the sign of the repulsive Eternal Death always made her turn away. She had more important things to worry about than a dying Regent.

Axis was free from the Timekeeper's grasp but it was descending fast. If she didn't get to her grimoire soon she'd die. If Rider didn't rescue her Oathed she would die. She was quicker than Rider was long before her injuries but she had gone the opposite direction. To save Ixis.

"Skaya. Berserk."

Aria turned back to see another Regent betray her. She didn't see the large lightning golem slam into her face. The insignificant Trollian now towered above her, a strange mix of molten sand and electric strands of tangible lightning connecting the large golem like fists and furious temper rivalled anything she had seen from a dragon. Voskaya was a Berserker Trollian.

Aria watched Skyla dismantle her attempts to destroy her with calm precision, an Oathed reacting to her commands with the speed of a true partner. She had never seen anything like it and she hated it. Watching her grimoire descend into the earth broke every strand of patience she had left. That little snitch of a Tinker Mole had greedily rescued the pint sized dragon. Rider had her Oathed back. She did not.

Aria had nothing left to lose.

All of the memories she had locked away broke free from its own prison. The once kind, supportive Throneholder became cold, calculated and vengeful at the reminder of what Rider had done. What she had done. The little slips in her memory. The complete blocks in her mental state. The decisions that were constantly challenged. All of it.

The blast of light that erupted from her grimoire sent them into oblivion.