It might be surprising to hear I didn't get out much, before or after I was promoted to strategist. I spent most of the day scavenging my room for any jewel-studded ornament I could find, but all I had in the way of apparel were some old fake glasses I had acquired when I was much younger, in hopes of imitating Maple without impairing my vision. Needless to say she was amused but the novelty war off fast. I can't imagine wearing those to any sort of formal event, so by the time someone enters the room, I'm ready to go digging in the courtyards for nice-looking rocks so I don't look like a complete fool.

"Aves." Sweep says. She's done up her feathers a little, clipped some crystals around her ears to disguise the dip in hers, but the showstopper is a necklace with suspicious dark crystal around her neck. "Are you okay?"

"Am I ever?" I ask, still staring at her neck. "Wait, is that your Synergism crystal? You made a necklace out of that?"
"If she did, it would be as a positive form of venting, and it would be a badass political statement." Marie says from down the hall. "Let's say she also realized that you were hopeless, got together with Plumeria and a certain salty fish, and got you a little something."

Plumeria has a long cloth in her mouth that resembles Skye's scarf. It drapes down to either side when she uses her telekinesis to get it around my head, and frames my wings perfectly. There's a sleek black stitch to one side that resembles a lightning bolt. "I have some interesting methods of stress relief," Plumeria admits. "Had this for a while, though. Is it..."

"Perfect." I say, tail waving. "You're the best."

"Let's go pretend we know what we're doing for a few hours, shall we?" Sweep suggests, dragging Marie and I together with her wings.

"We're all essential personnel, and Plumeria and I have been trained in diplomacy by the Auspicia herself. It's you who's been coasting for years." Marie snipes back.

"You never know. Maybe they'll start throwing propositions around. Wonder if they'd like a new lead Defender over at the Evelscan HQ?"

"You'd never accept." Icarus argues.

"Never in a million years." Sweep smirks. "I appreciate the sentiment, though."

Most of the halls are empty at this hour, so the walk is faster than normal. Even then, it's far down one of the wings, then up some stairs, down some other stairs, and located so deep in the labyrinth of the castle that I have no clue how I would have found it had the others not come along at the perfect time. The room is crimson and ornately decorated, with an arched ceiling decorated over several times. Between painted wooden arches are patches of sky, revealing a fierce storm overhead.

Down below, the air is rich with scents unlike anything I've ever smelled in the mess hall. A few Lapines and Teeyus, smaller bipedal species, assist fire-based Canira with serving, although the long tables are sparsely occupied. Much of the room is devoted to open space for standing, where Canii levitate drinks and talk next to shrines for Vivian and Nat.

I recognize few of the faces, but almost everyone there is twice our age or past that. Athena and Heilin talk with some Ceilvyran officials, including two Fauna and a griffin with a flared ruff of feathers that makes him resemble a dragon. Speaking of dragons, three stand in the corner. Only one of them even resembles the normal stock of Dreamland, and their eyes dance with dangerous energy.

"Are those travellers?" I ask.

Marie nods. "Guess they came in after the Veil went down. I should go-"

Plumeria practically bowls her over. "Not without me, you don't. First contact in centuries with dragons?"

"I think Epanza may have beaten you to the chase." I say. The white Canira, her orbs and knife her only decoration, is already speaking with our visitors. One of them, who has a single, slanted horn atop their head, bends down to reveal a mouth full of teeth too large and sharp to be those of any real being.

"This should be an adventure." Marie says, while Plumeria tilts her head away from the teeth. "Come on, Plumeria. No one kills anyone at formal meetings. Otherwise most of us would have murdered each other already."

Plumeria, still startled, is dragged away by Marie.

Sweep watches after them, tapping a paw against the ground. Her necklace jangles against its own shards as its loose chain shakes around her neck. "I should go make sure my girlfriend doesn't start a war with dragons from another dimension before we've officially set up new protocol for relations." Sweep suggests.

"I'll come..." I say, my voice trailing off as two familiar faces appear in the crowd. They're alone (of course) and bewildered (of course). "... later?"

"Sure," Sweep says. "Later, Aves."

Iris and Torch aren't too hard to locate. Their fur is spiked with moisture, they're not wearing any kind of accessory, both look at mine like I grew another pair of wings over the course of the day, and neither of them are speaking with anyone. They might as well be glued at the hip.

"Are you two alright?" I ask.

"No less than twenty individuals have interrogated us about the last battle with Nethera." Iris grumbles.

"I'm sorry."

"Why? You haven't said a word about it." Iris shakes herself off.

"Right." I say. "Apologies. Not to be rude, but you're wet. Did something happen?"
"Yes," Torch says. He and Iris share a sly smile. "We've come to a decision, too. We're going to travel the worlds. We were thinking we could save lives- help other Virtues- maybe help ourselves, too. I just managed to overcome my fear in the last moments of that battle with Nethera. If I can take control of myself in the future, learn to hone my powers... I could make up for that. I'm tired of being afraid."

"It's not like we can stay." Iris glares at the crowd. "Either we become heirs of Vivian and Lotus's legacy, which we're not interested in living out, or we fidget around forever in a world that doesn't need us anymore. Where do weapons go after the war's over, exactly? What are they supposed to do with us in peacetime?"

"I understand." I sigh. I pull to the side and extend a wing over both of them, arcing it to pull them in next to me. "Make sure to drop by, alright?"

Torch chirrups. "'Course. Just for you, Avery."

I have been part of something remarkable.

Iris jerks her head left, and I see Heilin at the shrines, alone. My wing lifts, and the old Auspicia's head turns. Her crown is a cold, metallic shade of its usual self in the red light, which curls up in the jewels but does nothing for the main article. It wraps itself around her horns, like the roots of an old tree. A similar emblem, left behind, lies atop Natrina's shrine. There are many depictions of her there, their artistry more obvious as I tiptoe towards the Auspicia, but few actually capture Natrina in the flesh. In even the most solemn pictures, Natrina bares the teasing suggestion of a smile, and the baggage around her eyes has been brushed over with lighter shades of green.

"Avery." Heilin says.

Even a year later, my breath catches. I lower myself towards the ground. "Heilin."

"I was hoping to see you here. I have something to entrust in you." Heilin says, and my heart is beating out of its chest.

I blurt, "I had a few more things to say, but I kept er, tripping over myself. I know this is all very silly- now that I think about it, it might have been a regular dream that my tired brain blew way out of proportion-"

"You had a peculiar dream?" Heilin asks. "Did you see Asha?"

"The Second Auspicia... the small gray Canis. Of course! I didn't recognize her in the dream, but it had to be her." I say.

Heilin nods. "Asha is one of the more eccentric past lives of mine. I sometimes travel in her pawsteps when I am furthest from myself. Avery, I'm afraid I can't explain everything now, but there is a reason these events have been set into motion. There are things on the horizon, now that Natrina is gone and the Obsidians no longer hang over this world like a dark cloud. I can't put too much on your shoulders, but it is likely you are the Virtue of Leadership. Dreamland will need your support in these trying times, but I may need you most of all."

I'm trembling with joy. I lower my head again, "Anything." and the Auspicia brings out a small box, which she proceeds to open with telekinesis. I look inside and recoil. The light of the thing burns my eyes, but the implications are far worse. "It's a knife."

The knife has a blue-jeweled hilt and a handle with a two-limbed dragon wrapped around the edges, baring dozens of small wings set upon silver ringlets. The design ends with its jaw, which opens to the blade itself. The blade is inlaid with dark veins, branching out from the center, but it has an almost organic feel to it, like a living thing polished over. "Guard it with your life." The Auspicia says.

"But that's an Ophaboros tooth," I echo. The box closes and lands at my paws, and the Auspicia weaves her way back into the crowd to speak with the Ceilvyran leaders again. I think I see the dragons watching me. I pick up the box with one hand, closing my eyes, and tuck it into the scarf. It's large enough to be obnoxious, but I can sneak out of the room with it and tuck it back in my personal belongings in a moment.

I cast my vision back across the room, looking at my friends and the dragons, to dozens of strategists, the shrines, the Auspicia- all of it. I want to breathe in this moment, for the sake of a younger Avery and an older one. I want to convince them that this second, as it stands, is real, even if I can hardly believe it. The smell of fine ciders and decoration is far enough from my old life to seem like a dream, but more incredible is how I've ended up here, and where I stand to be. Not bad for my first life- already, I'm weaving myself into this maze of past selves, into the web that glitters below the surface tonight, old stories being retold, old fates in the process of playing out. We stand on the brink of a new era, the kind that needs an Ophaboros tooth knife, but seeing Sweep smile to me, or Torch and Iris, side by side, I can't find it in me to fear it.

For tonight, we have each other, and that's enough to convince me that this world can weather anything.