Unlike the palace in which Queen Tera resided in, Emperor Zephyr lived in a humble, yet beautiful, home, similar to the one that the average civilians lived in. Upon arrival at the house, Flare was seated at a small table for two next to a window while the emperor made tea. Everything in the house was open, making the small house appear less so, and had an aesthetically pleasing flow from room to room, with lots of open windows and doors to let light and air in.

"Before we get down to business, let us just appreciate this day and all it has to offer," the emperor said, setting the tea down on the table. Flare took her scalding hot cup and held it, letting it warm her hands and not daring to take a sip yet. "Everyone in my village is healthy and happy, the day is sunny and bright, the cherry blossoms are flourishing this year. Yes, nature is in check, and the world is balanced," he said with his eyes closed, inhaling deeply and exhaling slowly.

"I agree, Emperor."

"Call me Zephyr. It is my name, my father's before me and his father's before he, both great men, and I take ample pride in it. Now," he said with a kind smile. "What can I help you with?"

"I need to find a necromancer," she responded.

"A difficult task, but not impossible, and a subject that I happen to know much about," Zephyr winked. "But necromancy, that is a dangerous area. You'll need to prove yourself to me first. Show me that you are worthy of the information that I hold, that you are worthy of meeting a necromancer, and I will grant it to you."

"How shall I go about proving myself to you?" Flare asked, slightly perplexed.

"All I require is that you stay in the village for a few days. Not long, I promise. I simply need time to gauge what kind of person you are and whether you are deserving. I need not ask anything of your past, I believe that all that matters is where you're headed, not where you come from. The only aspect of you to see is who you are now, not where you were. The practitioners of necromancy, they are a powerful and dangerous people, not for the light of heart."

"I'm so grateful for your hospitality. I'll be happy to stay here. It really is a beautiful town," Flare said.

"I take great joy in it. It is pleasing to the eye, but not only that, the people are all wonderful and so accepting. We love having visitors, but because of our location, we never really get any, not even other aeromancers. We're not the main aeromancer kingdom, those are in mountains towards the North. Everyone here was born and raised in this little town, and it's like a large family," Zephyr said with pride.

"The aeromancers value freedom, don't they?"

"If you have the right family, freedom comes along with it," the emperor smiled and got up from his chair. "Now, I'll show you where you'll be staying. You can take a shower and rest, and everyone will be having lunch soon. Then you can wash your clothes in the river. It's impeccably fresh water, don't worry."

"Everyone will be having lunch?" Flare asked, confused.

"Once every three days, weather permitting, we all eat together. Each family brings a dish, and we gather in that large field you saw when you arrived, and everyone eats a picnic lunch," the emperor explained. "Our food is quite different up here, but I'm sure we'll have something you like, or are at least willing to try."

"I can't wait," Flare said, and she genuinely couldn't. It was on her mind all while she took a shower, changed her clothes, and took a blanket off the comfortable bed to make a tiny bed for Abby in the corner of the room. She also took the soap dish from her private bathroom, washed it thoroughly, and filled it with water, which Abby promptly lapped up.

Flare refilled it and stroked Abby as she drank. "I'll bring you something from the lunch, alright, sweetie?" she promised the cat, and heard a knock on her door right after.

"Are you ready to attend the lunch?" the emperor asked when Flare stepped out of the room.

"Yeah," Flare smiled, and followed the emperor through the clusters of houses to see the large field where most people were already gathered. The smell was wonderful, unlike anything she had smelled before. The scent was fresh, refreshing, and mouthwatering, and as she glanced at the long table, she understood why. The majority of the food was raw and natural, consisting of mostly fruits and vegetables adorned with spices and garments that Flare didn't recognize. At the end of the table, large bowls of dips and spreads sat next to a tray of steaming hot, toasted loaves of bread with cheese melted on it. A creamy pink substance was in an an enormous dessert bowl. Flare took a plate after permission from Zephyr and served herself a small helping of everything, slipping a cheesy bread loaf and a handful of berries into her pocket for Abby.

Flare sat down next to the emperor. Everyone else had began eating, and some parents were trying to herd their children back onto the blankets for the meal. Flare was starving, but didn't want to appear rude, so she took small nibbles at a time instead of shoving it all in her mouth like she wanted to. Her taste buds tingled with joy. The food was different from anything she had tasted - both in preparation and substance. The spices were unique and flavorful, the fruits were ripe and juicy, the vegetables were cold and crisp, and the dessert, oh, the dessert was probably one of the best things Flare had ever tasted. It was sweet, light, and melted in your mouth like a rich chocolate.

"Who brought the dessert?" Flare asked the emperor. She wanted to thank them, and hopefully make a friend for the few days she'd be staying here.

"The family on the white blanket, over there, with the two young children," the emperor pointed. "They're very kind, and the father is one of the best chefs we have in the village."

Flare wandered over and tentatively waved when they saw her approaching. The family moved over to make a spot for her on the blanket, and she sat down.

"You must be the new visitor!" the mother exclaimed. "I'm Tempeste, and this is my husband Avian. This is my son, Avis, and daughter, Aeria. My oldest son, Gale, is around here somewhere. What's your name?"

"I'm... Dune, it's nice to meet you all," she smiled and greeted them. "Emperor Zephyr told me that you brought the dessert to the picnic, and I just wanted to compliment you on it. Coming from a geomancer village, it really is unlike anything I've tasted before."

"Thank you," the father, Avian, responded kindly. "It's a very old and classic dish, but my grandmother always made it with a special twist. It's called Blossomberry Custard."

"Do the cherry blossom trees grow fruit?" Flare asked incredulously. If they did, she was sure they would be the most delicious fruits in the entire world.

"Yes, very small berries. Each tree only grows a few, however, and since they're so small, it takes a while to find and gather enough for the dish. They're a delicacy," Avian explained.

"Well, it was wonderful. Thank you," Flare looked around at the trees, which rustled in the wind and every once in awhile, released a few petals into the warm breeze.

"We're happy to make it. We love the picnics," the mother, Tempeste, said. "Avis! Aeria!" She exclaimed suddenly, looking at her two children who were running around in the open field. Sighing with discontempt, she focused her attention back on Flare.

"Dune, love, would you be so kind as to attempt to calm down Avis and Aeria? They must take a nap after this, and I'd like them to start winding down," Tempeste asked Flare, pressing her hand on Flare's knee gently. "Aeria, my daughter, she's always had an interest in the other types of magic, especially geomancy. If you could talk to her about it a little bit, I'm sure she'd adore it."

"I'd be happy to." Flare got up and walked over to the twins, who were, if she had to guess, around 7 or 8 years of age. They seemed like very sweet kids - the girl, Aeria, with a short, choppy bob, the boy, Avis, with a fluffy ivy league haircut, both of their hair colored nearly as black as a raven.

"Hi," she said to them. Aeria glanced up at her, then immediately looked down, a dark blush on her face. Avis grinned and ran up to her.

"You're the geomancer," he said, sitting down at her feet. Flare flopped down next to him, and Aeria slowly made her way over, keeping her eyes away from Flare's.

"You're an aeromancer, right?" Flare asked the little boy. He smiled proudly and nodded.

"I'm getting pretty good," Avis said, as he gathered a small bit of air in his hands and thrust it in Flare's face, blowing about her red hair.

"Wow," Flare laughed, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Can you show me your geomancy?" Aeria asked softly, flicking her eyes up at Flare's quickly so that Flare saw a pair of big, doe-like, dark brown eyes. The little aeromancer twiddled her hands in her lap nervously.

"I don't think I'm allowed," Flare said after a moment of hesitancy, which Aeria seemed to accept.

"What are the geomancer villages like?" Aeria asked, inching closer and smoothing out her dishevelled skirt.

"They're beautiful," Flare smiled melancholically. "There's a beautiful river, and cherry blossom petals cover the valleys where we live. The houses are made of wood and stone and precious metals, and there's an enormous, awe-striking castle towards the edge of the valley where the queen lives," she gushed, "And most of the people are so spirited, so vivacious. Full of happiness and love and effervescency." Flare said, recalling Dune.

"I'd want to live somewhere like that," Aeria sighed, putting her head in her hands. "Why would you ever leave?"

"People leave places for a lot of reasons," Flare said, slightly bitter. Aeria looked up at Flare with big eyes full of wonder and awe, then looked back down, fiddling with a piece of grass.

"Then why'd you come here?" Aeria asked after a moment, not picking up on the hint.

"Aeria, is she bothering you?" A boy walked up behind them and sat down, glaring at Flare.

"She's a geomancer," Aeria responded softly, with a sweet smile. "I'm sorry, Gale, I know you don't like them, but she's-"

"Aeria, go play with Avis or something. I don't want you talking to her," Gale said, not breaking eye contact with Flare. Aeria glanced at Flare hesitantly, but quickly ran off to find her twin brother, the girl's flowy dress bouncing as she ran.

"What the hell was that for?" Flare asked miffedly.

"Don't talk to my sister ever again," Gale hissed, standing up. "Got it?"

"Why?" Flare followed Gale persistently as he walked away, keeping his back to her.

"I heard part of your conversation. It sounds like you aren't a fan of questions about your past either," Gale replied coldly.

"I'll respect that," Flare smiled. Gale's bitterness and angst was almost funny to her. Why was he so intent on being angry towards the world?

"Would you just leave me alone?" He snapped, sulking off in the opposite direction, his pace even quicker.

"I'm not that bad," Flare said, enjoying messing with him. "Geomancers are not as evil as you've been, evidently, told."

"I wasn't told. I had to figure it out for myself, unfortunately," Gale abruptly stopped walking, leaning against a nearby tree and looking over the edge of the mountain into the misty distance. The picnic was still going on, the noises quieter and the people blurrier now that they were so far away.

This was the first time that Flare had gotten the chance to really look at Gale. Upon first glance, he seemed tense and rigid, yet anyone could plainly see that he was very attractive. The bone structure of his face was sharp and angular, especially his jawline and cheekbones, and his eyes were dark, close to black, their shape angular and narrow. Unwavering black hair, pushed up in a quiff, stood on his head, gelled to perfection. He was tall and lean, nowhere near scrawny, but not close to muscular. All of his features indicated that he was stoic, angsty. He carried the essence of lions with eyes of gold stalking the savannah, of songs that made you feel powerful enough to carry the weight of the world in your own two hands and made you want to shout your name from the rooftops, of hyenas with dark eyes and blood chilling cackles, of boys with soft hands, broken eyes, and a wild ocean for a mind.

"What do you mean?" Flare asked tentatively, her heart beating hard inside her chest.

Gale looked down and was silent for so long that Flare was about to simply leave, but just before she did, he began to speak.

"It was my parents. The aeromancers aren't as medically advanced as the geomancers. We prefer more natural ways of healing, more spiritual. But my mother was sick for a long time, and my father had no choice but to journey down the mountain in the middle of the night to get medicine for her. It was our last hope. And what did they do when my father came down the mountain that night? They caused an avalanche and crushed him. We waited and waited for him to come back, and by the time the geomancers came up the mountain with the news, the sun was barely in the sky and my mother was dead. I was just a few years old, but I remember it all. The next day, I began living with my aunt Tempeste, along with her husband Avian. Later their children, Avis and Aeria were born, but even still they've raised me as their own ever since. But I never forgot," Gale explained, pain finding it's way into his dark eyes and swallowing them whole.

"When we had the skirmish with the pyromancers that following year, tensions between us and the geomancers eased and all of the other aeromancers began hating the pyromancers instead. But I never forgot. Justice was never served, my parents were never requited."

"I'm sorry," Flare said, at a loss for words after waiting for Gale to elaborate, which he didn't.

"Sadness manifests into hate, Dune," Gale looked at her with miserable eyes. "That's what happened to me and it'll happen to you someday. And as much as I wish hatred didn't consume my days, it does. My life tastes of decisions influenced by detestation, of memories soiled by odium. It tastes like the lives of people who are sick of pretending that the world is a good place."

"I'm so sorry," Flare responded solemnly, wishing that there was a word other than sorry to express how she felt. Sorry was bitter, dry, used up. Sorry was what you said when you accidentally bumped into someone or didn't have a sweater they could borrow. Sorry wasn't what you said when you just found out that someone had been broken inside since they were a little kid, that hate had manifested itself inside them until they had become an empty shell of a person. But until someone thought of something else, a simple sorry would have to do.

"Tell that to my parents," Gale spat, walking away. This time, Flare didn't follow him.