Nivara groaned, the constant pounding of her head made her want to hide from the day and never come out. Every part of her ached but the banging continued only to find herself somewhere she didn't expect. She was cuddled up in bed with a sleeping dragon, covers bundled over her head with her cloak neatly draped on the chair beside her.

"M'lady!"

Fear coursed through her system as every possibility at being discovered rushed through her head. Only once the fear subsided did she realise she wasn't where she expected. Nivara distinctly remembered being on the floor, using up all of her stored Trait to heal her dragon. But there Kaldra was, resting soundly as if nothing had happened. She could barely see the tiny stitches of scars littering her dark green scales but she knew they were there. Nivara shivered, she could feel the frost in her bones slowly awakening after being abandoned for so long.

"Lady Nivara!"

A muffled voice startled her as she gingerly sat up, yawning as the banging headache continued. It took her brain a few moments to realise that it was not a headache but someone urgently knocking at her door.

"Just a minute!" She called out, cursing her own bad luck at sleeping in when there was so much to do.

Tugging at her cloak she hastily pulled it over her nightshirt and allowed her sluggish Trait to reach for her mask before concealing her face. Pulling on the rest of her outfit along with her shoulder armour took some doing but after a quick swig of Silvertongue potion she was finally ready to face the day and open the door.

A small boy, garbed in the blisteringly white colours of the Excelliars stood rigidly but red faced beside the door. He seemed no more than ten but Nivara knew that the boy had seen more than anyone his age could ever imagine.

"Scout! What's wrong?" Nivara said, asking her messenger the last thing he wanted to hear.

He was completely out of breath, his legs shaking as he clung to the rocky walls for strength and stability. Taking a long deep breath, he handed her a scroll emblazoned with a bright yellow seal.

"Ah. I see." Nivara said solemnly, gently breaking the seal with her mist.

She scanned through the details of the report and kept note of the thunderbird insignia in the top right hand corner of the document emblazoned with a crudely drawn cup and chess piece at the bottom. Rolling it back up, she placed it into her Everchange cloak as a brief spell of Trait extinguished the scroll from view. Scout looked on, eyes full of wonder at such a Trait.

"What did it say, Master?"

Nivara frowned, tugging at her hair before pulling up her hood. Scout gulped, shuffling his feet as he avoided her stern eyes. It was normally impolite for a lowly messenger to ask such a thing of the person they were delivering to, let alone the second in command of all their forces.

"It says you'll have to pay for the replacement Excelliar armour you lost." Nivara said with a mournful sigh.

Scout's face dropped, his eyes now full of worry as he bit his lip to try and stop himself from crying. Nivara's heart sank, unable to keep up the facade for much longer she burst out laughing, Scout's animated expression changing once again.

"You big...meanie! Meanie Master!" The kid yelled out, stamping his foot angrily but was smiling from ear to ear.

"You shouldn't have been so nosy, Scout. As if I'd ever let someone let you take the blame for being knocked out and tied up." Nivara said, folding her arms knowingly.

Scout harrumphed, repeating his Master's gesture right back at her stubbornly. He wasn't old enough to have his own armour yet but he was responsible for storing and cleaning a lot of spares. He was very useful at finding out things from other staff or good hiding places if you just so happened to anger the chef. He was also an expert at lockpicking which wasn't surprising considering his old profession but Nivara had helped him escape from that life when he she took him in. The Swarm couldn't get to him anymore.

"Right then. Any more news for me or shall we go down to breakfast?"

Scout thought for a moment, scratching his head to see if there was anything else. Nivara silently prayed, recalling back to the scroll she had just read. The Elder Trials had been confirmed since Kamikaze had challenged her position as Regent and Order Head. She could only choose one position to claim but it was obvious what she was after, especially when it came to including Ethros as the overseer. Either way, Nivara would have to deal with it one way or another. One week was all she had left.

"Throneholder Ethros allowed all the Excelliar guards to return to their posts with no further interruptions. They aren't happy though. He didn't apologise or give a speech or anything. He just…"

Nivara suddenly registered what her apprentice was saying.

"Left them to their own devices. Good Laia, no!" Nivara said, pulling at Scouts arm to direct him towards the main hall.

Scout saluted awkwardly with his other hand, wobbling on one leg before clinging tightly to her cloak. Nivara prayed to the goddess, hoping her Trait stabilised before anymore damage could be done. She closed her eyes and thought of Kaldra as the mist surrounded her and Scout in a Transference strong enough to send the two swarming towards the main hall.

They flew down winding stairs, winding around towering pillars to avoid the various cracked sections, bare walls and barely constructed walkways caused by the fights and storms it had endured. The murky clouds continued to conceal the Divide's secrets from view. The weather was only a mere drizzle now but soon spiked once more as Nivara's frustration and worry increased as they ventured towards the source of the strife.

The increasing noise hidden by the two impenetrable arkalite doors hummed with life, as if annoyed by the ruckus within its halls. The mist skidded to a halt at the sudden break in speed as if assessing the situation by hesitantly hovering over the smooth blemished surface. Lessening its mass, the two Transferenced mist streams slipped elegantly underneath the crack in the door and was met with the deafening sound of rapturous anger.

Tables had been upended in the far corner of the room like a war barricade, protecting those who stayed out of the fight but got caught in the crossfire. Wood burned uproariously in the centre of the hall, all types of Traited arguing and firing blasts of Fire, Water, Lightning and Earth all around the room no matter the consequences. A pack of Firestep wolves would have had more order than this rowdy lot of once pristine, orderly warriors.

Ethros' intervention must have caused more than a few outraged sentries and since they were the backbone of the forces, the higher ups that were once formed had now disintegrated alongside the disregard for what the Excelliars had once stood for. It was a mess.

The trail of mist slowly made its way towards the barricade in the corner, a lone pair of Sand Wraiths defended a small cluster of multi clad civilians from the barrage of attacks. The male Sand Wraith had a small pouch of grainy golden earth by his side, sending a small pile streaming on the floor as he drew symbols in the dirt which summoned large objects or creatures out of sand.

The other, more lithe looking dark scaled Sand Wraith formed blood red daggers out of the small cuts they had received from the nearby Glass Traited. They clung to the small beads that had scattered on the floor every time chandelier swayed tentatively. The female Excelliar slung volley after volley of speeding projectiles from her Trait weapon, a small silver slingshot as another Traited cast light to reflect it back in a singeing attack every time she missed.

The mist gathered towards a small cluster of seemingly cowering Traited, a pair of Tinker Moles set to work healing a badly injured Havalog with their inventions. The Havalog, a large brutish badger with boar like tusks kept his deadly claws sheathed while a series of metallic bearing balls attempted to set his broken leg.

"Damn those dung brains! Can't they see we're not the problem here?"

The mist Transference slowly reformed into two dazed and frazzled people, Scout still clinging to Nivara as he scuttled over to the nearest Tinker Mole who gave out a yelp of surprise.

"Sorry!" Scout squeaked, still struggling to get a hold of the situation. "It's been a while since I was a part of my Master's Transference, I'm a bit dizzy."

The Tinker Mole giggled politely before a sharp bark from the older one sent her scuttling over, her claws quietly clicking against the flooring.

"Nudge! Help me with him, will you?" Her mentor called again, struggling to heal the stubborn Havalog.

Scout fidgeted, unsure of what to do in such a throng of creatures he'd never seen before. The golden scaled Sand Wraith gave him a quick wave and a grin as his sand shifted to block the incoming attacks like it was nothing. The other Traited recruits had ran from the Sand Wraiths barricade attempting to fight on their own or blend in with the current recruits.

"Traitors." The Havalog grunted, slamming his foot on the ground as roots burst from the alcoves and sent the stragglers flying.

"I don't think those Excelliars care, cavolo." Nivara said at last, addressing the Havalog in his native tongue, her hands behind her back in respect and surrender.

The Havalog narrowed his eyes, the streaks of white war paint across his nose and back making him seem more threatening despite his injuries. Nivara watched as the cluster of creatures struggled to hide their surprise as the Havalog burst into laughter.

"Ha! It's been a long time since I heard such awful Nocturian let alone from the likes of you, friend."

Nivara could help but smile, blinking twice to hide her own shock. She knew her pronunciation wasn't the best but it had gotten her out of many a tricky situation. She was glad the Havalog didn't take it personally.

"My apologies for the translation. I was only informed of your arrival a few moments ago. How can I help?" Nivara said, attempting to keep her tone calm and light despite the anger rising inside her.

"Help? Help! Are you kidding? A Mist Maiden help us? Not ruddy likely!" The bigger Tinker Mole spat, slamming down her tools with a clatter.

Just as Nivara was about to respond, another scatter shot of exploding Trait hit the Sand Wraith square in the shoulder, sending her sailing into the barricade of sand and earth.

"Sahara!"

The large gap was quickly filled with little effort from the other Sand Wraith but it was now stained with blood and holes as the Light and Glass Traited continued to back them into a corner. The outspoken Tinker Mole dragged her over at once, commanding the metal bearings with a wave of her hand. At once they moved off the Havalog and towards the pair of injured Sand Wraiths.

"Nudge! More resets, quickly!"

The smaller Tinker Mole jolted in response away from the exhausted Scout to join her mentor, her own cluster of red jeweled bearings floating aimlessly beside her.

"Yes, Crafter Ratchet!" She said, scuttling quickly only to trip on the hem of Nivara's cloak.

The small red beads shattered onto the dust streaked ground, snaking towards the enemy to be used as fodder. The Glass Traited grinned, wiping the back of her hand on her gold tinged armour before lowering her slingshot.

"Get down! Ratchet screamed, diving at once for the smaller Tinker Mole.

A barrage of glass exploded from within the confines of the barricade, shredding through the arkalite as Nivara covered herself as much as she could with her Trait. Glass sprayed everywhere, sending clouds of sand dust flying, obscuring their vision. Nivara coughed, struggling to grip the smooth ground as she searched around for something familiar.

She clung to the edge of her cloak, the creeping frost begging to be let loose on her own Excelliars as it dawned on her own lack of understanding. She thought she could just sweep in and handle everything as normal and it would be OK again. It would never be that way. Not without Aria. Not unless she stepped up.

Nivara could feel the rising heat as the lingering Light Traited sent another beam of light towards them. The Sand Wraith had protected them. He had moved the barricade to lessen the glass explosion but now there was no escaping the blinding Trait in front of them.

"Give up, scum. No one wants you here. This is Traited territory. You Abnormals should leave while you still can." The Light Traited sneered, branishing his Trait towards the obscuring dust.

Nivara's head still spun but she could make out the olden saying as if it were in Nocturian. She could barely see the faint shape of her apprentice but Scout was there and he was alive. He was pale as the walls around them, a large gash on his head where the glass had most likely hit him and embedded into his skull.

The Havalog was protecting him, the dull stump of a leg was all that was left from the explosion but he gripped the wall tight, his claws being the only thing keeping them upright. The two Tinker Moles were huddled together, attempting to reach the pair of Sand Wraiths. Sahara, the black scaled female was breathing heavily in an attempt to block the pain as the male attempted to cling to whatever Trait he had left, tears streaming down his face.

Abnormal or not, no one deserves this kind of massacre.

Nivara remembered the war like it was yesterday.  In her quiet rage, she repeated exactly what her Master had said to their enemies all those years ago.

"Like hell I will." Nivara spat back, pulling off her cloak in one swift motion.

The sandstorm parted as the Mist Maiden rose to greet her assailants, clearing the air with a sweep of her hand. The Glass Traited continued to send barrages of bullets but Nivara was done playing around. She plucked them out of thin air, her mist submerging her fingers with deadly precision. Light attempted to shatter them but the Mist Maiden held firm despite the streaks of blood coating her arm.

"Enough."

Nivara clapped her bloody hands together, the thunder rolling in response as the mist doubled in strength. The coils of indigo began to widen and grow, forming horde after horde of purple tinged Talonslash dragons. Nivara wasn't a Creatist Trait, but she had learned a few tricks from her travels. Make anything look convincing enough and people are sure to believe it.

The Glass Traited woman gaped upwards in fear as her slingshot disintegrated into shards of Trait. The male Light Traited however was still full of adrenaline and send blast after blast of wildly misplaced beams of light only to finally see his own shortcomings. The mist had not lessened one bit.

The two stood in shock, knees shaking as they crashed to the ground all sense of reason and rage now subsiding against the sheer strength of the storm and the mist that was ever intertwined with it.

They both had gathered a small crowd of fellow Excelliars, too afraid and unsure to do anything else but to point the blame at those present who were out of place. The arguing had stopped, a quiet hush had surrounded them much like the mist that had towered above them and crept up on them from behind.

The two main instigators knelt, slack jawed at the sight of their Regent, her fury providing more incentive than words ever could. Nivara clenched her fists, releasing her Trait slowly into the atmosphere before using it to retrieve her cloak. She shook the shards gently off her Everchange cloak but did not put it on. An angry Mist Maiden never did.

"M-my Lady! I swear I didn't-"

Nivara shut them up with a glare, her mist coiling around her arm.

"I take it, you're all looking for someone to blame?" She said, addressing the crowd as one.

They mumbled nervously in response, shuffling their feet and daring not to look at her. The mist leered as a few began to yelp in response as if being bitten by a dog. Nivara couldn't help but smirk.

"Well, here I am."

She dropped into a mocking bow, her arms outstretched as if daring to insult whoever wanted to take their anger out on her. From the corner of her eye she could see the two Tinker Moles steadily making their way towards Scout and the injured Sand Wraiths.

"I have provided what you have all asked for. A scapegoat. Yet you have decided to ignore it in favour of attacking the very representatives I have spent years trying to convince to join our ranks. But I'm sure Ethros saw it fit not to remind such experienced Excelliars as yourselves, hmm?"

"But he-" The Light Traited protested only to wince at the sight of a scorned Regent.

"He? He is your Throneholder and you should address him as such!" Nivara snapped, her patience waning at the thought of such disregard for Ethros.

"My apologies, Regent Nivara. What my colleague Rook means to say is that none of us were informed of the exchange students by our Throneholder. In previous aforementioned attempts we were warned ahead of time. That's all." The female Glass Traited said, her brown eyes attempting to bore into Nivara's own.

She shuddered, being reminded of Jester's Tarragon only a few days ago. Nivara stared at the two, no more than a few years older than Scout but with the same white armour that damnable spy had worn to trick her. She hissed, the ice in her veins continuing to creep its way towards her mist.  

"That's all? You attacked myself and a group of recruits because of an unknown schedule change?" Nivara challenged, folding her arms.

"Well, it's not exactly…" The Glass Traited faltered, her voice now quiet.

"Who are you, recruit? I understand Rook's position but I don't think I've seen you here in Opalis before." Nivara inquired, wanting to know more about this Glass Traited.

The young girls hands shook as she stood up to announce herself, saluting her Regent in person for the first time.

"No, ma'am. I'm from the Pelt Outpost under the apprenticeship of Master Shatter, my given name is Madcap."

Nivara couldn't help but smile. Madcap? Really? The irony that this girl would be named something so fitting, so impulsive that it had to be fate.

"Pelt, huh? Quite remote for someone your age."

Madcap fidgeted, nodding rapidly in response in a vain attempt to avoid her Regents piercing gaze.

"Yes, ma'am. I requested to be posted there."

"Oh. How so?" Nivara said, genuinely surprised that such a request could be made without her knowledge.

"I asked...I asked Lady Aria if I could apprentice with Lady Shatter of the Divide and she agreed. I'm interested in how it was created and…" she trailed off, unsure of how to proceed.

"I see. You wanted to test your Glass Trait against it." Nivara said, hiding the urge to scoff.

Madcap jolted upwards in shock, her whole body on edge as her red face betrayed how flustered she truly was. Nivara knew how common it was for cocky recruits with a powerful Trait to assign to the furthest outpost possible and test their mettle against such a formidable creation. Too many good Traited had been lost to such an insufferable ego.

"No, my Regent. Not at all! My Agar and I were just curious and wanted to train under someone with the same Trait. That's all." Madcap reassured her as convincingly as she could.

Normally that might have worked on her if she was in a good mood but Nivara could see right through her ruse. She had gone to Pelt, the closest point to the edge of the Divide and willingly put herself at risk all for a bit of glory. The young apprentice reminded her of Ethros, always careful to choose the right words and pick her battles wisely but right now this would not be a battle she would allow her to win.

"You are a Glass Traited, rare but not entirely untrainable. I understand why you chose Master Shatter. Does it run in your family at all?" Nivara said, trying to sound convincing as the restless crowd awaited their fate along with her own.

"No ma'am. My brother...he's a Bewitcher Trait. Master Shatter says I'm either a Sniper or an Impact class though." Madcap muddled through, rambling her own praises as much as she could.

Nivara's eyes narrowed.

"I can see that."

The young Glass Traited looked as if she had swallowed her tongue. All that bravado for nothing. Nivara let the silence hung in the air for a few moments, deciding to clip her cloak onto her armour and pulled her braid over the soft material. Noting Madcap's words, a cold spine tingling presence loomed down her back as she pulled her hood upwards.

Jester was a Bewitcher Trait. Someone who more than likely had enough power to cover both the Sniper and the Impact classes combined yet he was a Tarragon. A Tarragon who shared the same piercing gaze as the girl in front of her. Coincidence? Only one way to find out.

"Answer me this, you two. You both have partners who you care for, correct?"

The two shared a hesitant look before replying.

"Yes, ma'am."

"What are they, if you don't mind me asking?" Nivara said, attempting to make conversation.

"I am partnered to a Silverwing dragon, my Regent." Madcap said, changing her tone to suit a more demure apprentice than before.

"As am I." Rook added quickly, completely forgetting himself.

Nivara nodded, seemingly satisfied with the answer as she turned to face the Havalog who was currently helping Ratchet to organise her resets. The small ball bearings allowed the Tinker Moles to use their healing inventions swiftly and efficiently but Scout needed to be held firm.

"And you?" Nivara gestured to the Havalog, berating herself for not asking for their names.

The Havalog gave a grunt, smoke pouring out his nostrils as he gave a mixture of a snort and a cough.

"Celtic. Celtic Pummel. Me Agar is a Trollian."

Nivara smiled warmly.

"A smoke troll. Amazing, Celtic. Thank you."

She turned to face the snivelling Excelliars on the ground, their Traits only as powerful as their rank.

"As for you two. You both saw fit to threaten those in exactly the same situation as you. We are all Agars alike but you failed to remember that and focused only on past experiences. Regardless of your lack of orders from your Throneholder, anyone with a bit of common bloody sense would have realised that I was informed and would return shortly, would I not?"

"Of course, but-" Madcap interjected but was soon cut down once more.

"Even though I have an Agar and right now she is upstairs trying to get better on her own while you lot whine about getting a few unexpected days off!"

The crowd swelled in indignation at being suddenly outed, Nivara's mist Trait flaring in response.

"Well, what have you done lately, huh? You haven't lifted a finger to rally us together." Rook called out in retaliation.

"No. I haven't." She admitted, ignoring Rook's self satisfied smirk.

"I've been dealing with an angry dragon leader who only knows one thing. War. Be thankful most of you haven't experienced that yet. He expects it to happen every five minutes and I don't blame him with how pitiful you're all acting. I wouldn't be surprised if Thundreign showed up right now and handed you your asses!"

Rook clamped his mouth shut, his ears burning with embarrassment. Nivara could see the slowly rising anger from the crowd but nothing could compare to the young girl in front of her. The half replaced windows of the Opalace began to shudder under the force of her weight. Madcap fought to keep her hands steady, balling them into fists just as the windows shattered.

"How dare you. How dare you accuse us of being mindless, pitiful soldiers? We know what war is like and if you had stopped interrogating Rook and I with baseless questions then maybe you would have realised that!"

The glass from the windows veered towards Nivara in an instant, alight with a yellow haze of Light Trait strong enough to send even their beloved Throneholder to his knees. Nivara backflipped as majority of the shards dug into the arkalite stone like it was clay. She splayed her hand out wide, directing her mist towards the trapped and screaming crowd to create a wall for the shards to bounce off but it was no use.

They cut through her Trait instantly as Nivara used the coils of mist to her advantage, grabbing them by its end and whipping the Trait away as quickly as she could. Winding the mist around her arms she tugged, sending a barrage of ropes wrapping around the two troublemakers. Nivara grit her teeth and pulled them towards her, letting her Trait go slack as Madcap and Rook were now encased in a cocoon of impenetrable mist.

"I never said I didn't, Madcap. I knew you had ties to Thundreign. I knew ever since Scout gave me that scroll this morning." Nivara said, gasping from the effort.

Rook paled, the look on his face saying more than the unruly teen had all day. His gaze drifted to the mop of messy brown hair being supported by a grisly old badger. Scout was awake, his breathing was laboured but he had the biggest grin on his face.

"I told you my Master was mean, big brother. You didn't believe me." He said, his hand clamped round Celtic's left tusk.

"You little snitch, Scout!" Rook yelled from within his Trait cocoon, occasionally flaring yellow flashes of light.

Nivara flicked her wrist, a small stream of mist covered his mouth and sent him into a deep sleep. Madcap stayed quiet and unmoving, her glare now nothing more than a solemn attempt at what was. Nivara sighed and gestured to the two nearest Excelliars.

"Inform their Masters of these two and their blatant disregard for the Excelliar code. Have them stripped of their rank and banned from ever being associated with our clan ever again." Nivara commanded, sighing with exhaustion as the two were already being dragged out of the premises.

The two ex apprentices struggled against their binds as they could do no more than curse and scream at their comrades who no longer rallied beside them but against them as their armour changed to suit their allegiances. Nivara winced at the sight at the blindingly golden armour, halting the sentries with a single hand. She would give the crowd what they needed to make up their own mind about how she intended to lead.

"Oh. Give my regards to your brother, will you Madcap? Wouldn't want his reckless little sister to end up the same way as our unexpected visitor, hmm?" Nivara said threateningly, grinning for the first time that day.

The Glass Traited scowled as the crowd parted for them sending jeers and insults their way, daring not to use Trait after how they had mistreated them. After the noise subsided Nivara's stony facade returned as the remaining recruits willingly stood in formation once again facing their Regent and those they had shunned before lowering their heads apologetically.

Nivara huffed, rolling her eyes at the display of humiliation and false respect but she could do nothing else but dismiss them as their self appointed Regent.

"If the rest of you are finished pointing whatever blame you have left, you have two options. Grow the hell up or get the hell out."