"Last chance," Ordephus said, catching his breath after a mad dash across an open field and a short fight with an unseelie. They were resting just inside the edge of the Garden of the Damned to be hidden from any other unseelie in the area. Noctifer only rolled his eyes, tossing the ointment he was using on a bite to the legend.

"I'm aware. And notice how I'm still here," he replied sarcastically.

"Alright, alright, no need to get snippy." Ordephus hadn't sustained any injuries in the fight, but he unwrapped his neck to check the still-open wound and to change the bandages. "But remember that we'll both be seeing what each other's greatest regrets and fears are. The visions aren't exclusive to a single person."

Noctifer paused to consider that piece of information. "If you are alright with it as well."

"We are a bit notorious for keeping everything to ourselves," Ordephus grinned, "so this might be easier than actually saying it. Unless we learn more about each other than we want to."

Noctifer snorted. "I think you're more nervous than I am."

"Oh, absolutely," the legend said in much too cheerful of a tone, tucking the ointment and extra bandages back in this bag. "You're going to see me in a different light after this. But this is for Argent, not for my own comfort. Ready?"

"Ready."

"Then let's get this over with as quickly as possible. And remember, they're not there. It won't do you any good to attack it or run."

With that last piece of advice, they began walking deeper into the Garden. It didn't differ much from the rest of the unseelie overgrowth. Each plant and tree had its own bioluminescent color—although the majority of it being a turquoise blue—and Noctifer would have called it peaceful if it weren't for the strange energy that gradually enveloped them. It didn't help that Ordephus strode ahead, sending pulses of his darker magic—his lifeforce—out to locate the Tree of Opulence easier. It was a few minutes in when the fog thickened around them, and they began hearing a series of voices to their left, closest to where the legend stood.

It was a group of around ten. Two men lead in front and a woman trailed behind along with guards surrounding her. She looked uneasy—if not guilty—and kept her gaze to the ground. A crown stood on her head. The human man in front was the first to be heard clearly.

"This is a rather awkward situation for us, I must admit," the man in the front said hurriedly, fiddling with his cuff as he kept glancing between the other man and the path ahead of them. They appeared to be walking down a hallway lined with stone, and only torches lined the walls. There were no windows. "But it was all we could do at the moment."

The other man sighed before looking at the human. His eyes were bright silver, and his pupils were in the shape of slits.

A dragonkind, Noctifer thought in surprise before the dragonkind began speaking.

"For how long were you thinking of keeping him here?" His gaze turned to the woman behind him when the other man could only flounder out a string of nonsense. "Queen Utoria?"

She didn't lift her head. "I don't know."

The dragonkind stared at her a moment longer before returning his focus forward. Nothing more was said until they reached a chamber of a sorts where more guards were stationed. They all stood and saluted when the Queen entered. There was only one door, heavily bolted, on the other side of the chamber, and Noctifer could see the edges of an array from around it.

"Is he behind that door?" the dragonkind asked.

"Yes." She motioned to one of the guards. "Unlock the door and let him through."

The guard nodded and went to the door, but another gave her a hesitant bow.

"Your Majesty, you should stand back. We don't know what he'll do once freed."

"Why do you speak of him as a wild animal?" the dragonkind asked, but there was a clear sharpness to his tone. "Wasn't he once your prince?"

The guard was taken aback by this outburst, but Queen Utoria quickly stepped in.

"He won't harm anyone," she assured. "Not when I'm here. But thank you for your concern."

The guard bowed and took a step back.

Once the door was opened, the dragonkind wasted no time in entering the room beyond. It was of a decent size, even lavishly furnished as if it were a room in the palace, but there were obvious signs of a struggle. Some portions of the stones were scorched. There were places where the wood had deep grooves in them. There were cracks and fractures in the only window in the room.

It was there on the window's wide ledge did a man with brown hair sit. One leg was propped up, and the other dangled down as he leaned back against the edges. Almost lazily, the man turned his head to the intruder, but his red eyes widened in curiosity when he didn't recognize the other. The red-eyes man sat forward in interest. Two iron cuffs wrapped around his wrists, the dragonkind and Noctifer saw, with symbols and arrays carved into them. Old scars marred the skin around it as if the man had once tried to tear them off by force. The dragonkind wouldn't have put it past the other. There was still hurt and betrayal lingering in his dark eyes.

The dragonkind tentatively shut the door behind him. "Ordephus?"

"That would be me," the red-eyed man replied warily.

"I've been looking for you for a while now, little brother."

The red-eyed man raised an eyebrow. "Really now? May I ask my kin's name?"

"Agkaneel, eldest son of Faerie King Agkael and the Dragoness Larrag."

Agkaneel didn't react when Ordephus' eyes suddenly narrowed, and he hopped down from the window to take even strides towards the dragonkind.

"I don't have any fae blood," Ordephus stated, stopping just before the dragonkind.

"No, but we share the same mother." Agkaneel sighed. "Come, now. I'm taking you home where you belong."

"And where is that?" Ordephus took a step back when Agkaneel reached for him, disgust and distrust clear on his face. "Illovona?"

"Yes."

"I've fought and warred against faeriekind for years," he snarled. "Do you really expect me to live with my enemy? Give me a reason why I shouldn't do my kingdom a favor and kill you right where you stand."

It was Agkaneel's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Are you truly still loyal to the ones who have taken away your freedom?"

Ordephus opened his mouth to retort, but no words came. Gritting his teeth, he looked away. He knew there was no true reason; his own kingdom he had served loyally had stabbed him in the back the moment they deemed him too powerful. Even his own sister had imprisoned him.

"I will give you a choice, Ordephus. Stay here in your cell, treated like a wild dog, or follow me as an equal." Ordephus flinched back at Agkaneel's harsh words, but there wasn't a word he spoke that was a lie. "I've heard of what you've been doing all this time, using your own life for the sake of research and magic, but now I sense a genuine magical presence around you. Somehow, you have forced your body to use mana despite the odds."

He gave the dragonkind a wiry grin. "You're the first to notice."

With a quick burst of unrestrained mana, the shackles shattered, and pieces of metal scattered across the floor. The door blew open along with it, sending a guard standing nearby to the ground. The guards quickly retreated back before remembering who was also in the room, and they flocked to surround their Queen. Utoria, however, refused to budge. Ordephus, meanwhile, shook out his wrists, not minding the bloody scratches left behind by the shards.

"Now, where were we? Ah, yes."

A foul energy permeated the room, and Agkaneel felt the red essence wrap around his neck. Jaded, red eyes stared him down as Ordephus' hands twitched at his side. Ordephus tilted his head.

"Why should I not kill you?"

Agkaneel gave him a soft smile despite his restricted airways. "Because I'm offering you a home where you belong; where you can live and learn with others like you. You deserve to be with the rest of the dragonkind."

The hold significantly lightened. "There's . . . more of us?"

"There are nine others," Agkaneel explained, gently prodding and dispelling Ordephus' magic with his own mana. Ordephus didn't resist. "We've all been pushed aside by the Faerie Court since the King now has a full-blooded fae son." He shook his head. "There's so much I need to tell you. But please, come with me."

There was a long pause before Ordephus nodded. It was clear he still didn't trust him, but Agkaneel suspected it would be a long time until he would fully trust anyone again. Nonetheless, he gave a relieved sigh.

"Good. Take what you want from here, and I can enchant them to fit—"

"No need," Ordephus cut in, walking over to his desk where a bag was resting on its side. He grabbed it—it was already packed by the sounds of things shifting inside it—and looped it around his neck before striding past Agkaneel and out the door, straight towards Utoria. The guards were quick to stop him, and he halted a hair before their sharp blades, but it was clear he had her attention. While Ordephus still looked to be in his early twenties, Utoria had since passed her prime as grey hairs began to streak in her dark hair.

"I see twenty years has treated you kindly, Utoria."

She still had yet to look up, but Noctifer could see crystal tears dampening her lashes. He would've missed her words if the room hadn't been silent. "I'm sorry . . ."

No more words were said as Agkaneel and Ordephus were let through, and the scene quickly faded back into the fog. Noctifer blinked at that. He had forgotten he was viewing a memory—Ordephus' memory or something close to it. It had been so clear that he almost thought he was in a dream. Neither the legend nor the warrior had time to say a thing when another scene formed to their right.

It was a small kitchen with a cooking fire, a washing basin, a few cabinets, and a table with four chairs around it. Dishes were sitting next to the basin and a bucket of water. It was clear a meal had been ended not too long ago, and candles illuminated the area as the twilight gradually faded to night. Near a table stood a woman and a man, who Ordephus quickly recognized as Noctifer himself.

"You shouldn't have taken the job," the woman stated, her worry clear on her face. "You know what the Order does, and it's not something I like you doing! Not to mention, you will be dragged from one end of Amaredeia to the next! You're barely home as it is!"

"Miri, look at where we live," Noctifer hissed. It was obvious they were both trying to keep their voices down. "We're barely scraping by. At least I know you won't be starving when I'm an interrogator under the Order. This isn't the life I promised you!"

"It doesn't matter if we have a fancy home or have a feast for every meal, Noctifer!" Miri cried desperately. "You have a wife and two children who love you! Shouldn't that be enough? The only person unhappy is you!"

Noctifer gave a sharp exhale and rubbed his face with his hands. It was a few seconds before he was able to speak again. With a heavy sigh, he placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Of course you're enough. You and the children are everything to me. Which is why you deserve better." He leaned down to give her a light kiss, pressing his forehead against hers. "Trust me, my love. Everything will turn out alright in the end."

The touching moment was whisked away by the wind, and Ordephus turned to the warrior in concern. He never knew Noctifer had a family, and by the gods he hoped nothing happened to them. "Noctifer—"

He was cut off when he heard his own voice speak to his left.

"Gentlemen, to what do I owe the pleasure of seeing you today?" the illusion's Ordephus said in false politeness as they gathered in what Noctifer recognized as the tower's foyer. Except, the pillars had yet to be carved. The bowl of beads, however, still stood in the middle.

"I'm, uh, assuming you have received our message?" the bravest of the bunch squeaked out.

"I did." Their fear seemed to amuse the red-eyed man as he grabbed five beads and transported them all to the room with the map, although a different version of Amaredeia than what it was now.

So this is still years in the past, Noctifer thought. It was clear this Ordephus had aged a bit, now matching the sharper features of the real Ordephus who stood beside him, but he still had brown hair instead of white. "You wanted to speak with me about the other fae-blooded races."

"Yes, we did," the chosen spokesman continued. "We are grateful for you banishing the Fae all those years ago, we really are, but . . . there is still the problem with those who sided with the Fae."

"They have been taken care of," Ordephus said idly. "Your lands are free of the traitors, are they not?"

"We aren't talking about the ones who actively fought," another said gravely.

"Oh? Then what do you want?" He leveled them all with a glare, fed up with them dancing around the subject. "Speak up, and don't waste my time."

"We fear an uprising," one in the back blurted. "There have been multiple accounts of raids and protests, and we fear it's only a matter of time before the dragonkind and the elves decide to take up arms against us while we are still recovering."

Ordephus frowned, considering their words carefully. He knew there were a surprising number of supporters for the Fae, and it was only Agkaneel who stood by his side in the end. The rest of their brothers had joined the Fae or stood to the side.

"Tell me of your plans, then," he said after a moment, and the scene faded.

The Tree of Opulence wasn't far off, Ordephus noted, but he couldn't help but feel the need to run. He knew what would be coming next, and he wasn't sure he could face it. Noctifer didn't seem to be faring any better. But another scene had already begun developing to their right.

"This isn't a position to take lightly, soldier," a hard voice said, and the face of a scowling, battle-hardened man appeared. Noctifer stood before him, impassive as ever. "As an interrogator, your duty is to find the branded who have run, recapture them dead or alive, and have the moral duty to execute those who harbor these creatures. Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir. It would be an honor to serve the Order of Ordephus."

Ordephus flinched at the name, but the scene shifted before he could recover.

"Ordephus!" Agkaneel leaned heavily on his right, his left thigh bleeding steadily. Although there were no other people in sight, the sounds of a battle could be heard all around them. Pure desperation showed on his face as he pleaded, "Please, don't you see what you're doing? They are no better than the Fae! They are using you to take over all of Amaredeia, just as the Fae had intended!"

Ordephus chuckled lowly, only giving Agkaneel a feral grin as he twirled his sword idly. "I see. So once I start lending my powers to the weaker, everyone else begins to cry foul. I'm flattered, really, that I am such an asset to anyone who holds the end of my leash." His grin soon disappeared as he held his sword with a firm grip, fully intending to lunge whether Agkaneel was ready or not. "Stay out of my way, Agkaneel, and maybe you'll be spared."

The battle raged on even as another scene developed, where the sounds of screaming and crying joined the agonizing symphony.

Noctifer wiped the blade of his claymore of blood, unable to look at the grieving dragonkind and her son as her lover now lied dead. He directed them to be dragged away as the child continued to beg for his father to get up. There was no doubt in his mind that they would be separated and sent to different work camps.

The warrior was suddenly jolted out of his memory when something collided into him, and he barely caught the legend before he stumbled to the ground. He looked up to see what had startled Ordephus so badly, only to see another horrific scene.

They were still on the battlefield, but Agkaneel had been knocked to the ground while Ordephus stood above him. His sword was plunged deeply into the dragonkind's chest, and he gasped to breathe as blood slowly leaked out the corner of his mouth. But before Ordephus could pull back, Agkaneel grabbed the hilt of the sword, trapping Ordephus to stay where he was as he snarled.

"Curse you...I curse you, Ordephus! May you never leave this realm and live to see the suffering you have caused! May you never rest; never step foot into the afterlife! May you live to see everyone you love die around you for the rest of eternity! For a man such as yourself does not deserve closure! Not after what you've done! You've doomed us all!"

Ordephus finally pulled free, stumbling back and yanking the sword out of Agkaneel's chest. It was a few moments he took to catch his breath, suddenly feeling uneasy. As if something had changed. But he pushed the thought aside as he flicked the blood of his sword with a spell, casting one last look of disgust as he walked away.

He left his brother to die.

A glint of gold caught his attention, and Noctifer could see the Tree of Opulence through the foliage.

"Ordephus, we're almost there," he said to the other as he pulled him forward. He could feel him trembling under his touch. But he continued to power forward, even as another scene unfolded before him, forcing him to watch.

"Noctifer!" Tears streamed down Miri's face as she could only watch her husband's back grow distant as he walked down a path. "Noctifer!"

A boy ran from behind her and stopped at the gate as he gave a heartbreaking scream.

"FATHER!"

Noctifer had to stop and shut his eyes at that, taking a deep breath and waiting for the scream to stop echoing around them. Ordephus had since calmed down and laid a comforting hand on the warrior's shoulder. They were almost there, they told themselves, and they pushed onward.

When they had finally arrived at the foot of the tree, there stood a Vecjivi monk. A knowing smile graced his features as he gazed at them. Noctifer wasn't sure if this was another hallucination or not, but his question was soon answered as a mirror image of the Ordephus he knew now stepped forward, leveling his sword to the monk's neck. The same sword that had killed Agkaneel.

"Keep your silence, monk," the mirror image seethed, pressing his sword hard enough against the monk's skin for a line of blood to begin dribbling down his neck. "I've had enough of your words."

"You do not wish to hear them because you know them to be true, O Great Ordephus. You lust for power and have the pride of a dragon, yet you refuse to believe it. Born with human blood and raised amongst them, yet you think you are different from them. The truth, Ordephus, is that you are one and the same, falling for the same faults as your predecessors. Your ambition is your strength and your ruin, and you should know this all too well:" The monk knew of his fate, but he had long since accepted it. These were the words that needed to be said for the scales to shift once more. "Nothing sedates a human's need to conquer."

In one swipe, the sword cut cleanly through the monk's neck, and his body crumpled to the ground. Ordephus didn't spare him another glance as he continued to walk forward, dismissively flicking the blood off his sword with a spell once again.

The legend and the warrior were met with blessed silence after the scene had faded. Ordephus stumbled forward to sit with his back against one of the tree's large roots, and Noctifer soon followed suit feeling equally as drained. He didn't comment on Ordephus' damp eyes, as he was sure he didn't look any better.

"I'm going to strangle Tolum when we get back," Ordephus said with a choked laugh, leaning back and pushing his hair away from his face as he gave Noctifer a half-hearted grin. "So, how was the Garden of the Damned?"

"I think we can sprint the distance on our way out," he replied with a chuckle.

Ordephus barked out a laugh. "Agreed."

There was a long silence as they sat and recovered, thinking back on what they had just witnessed for both themselves and the other.

"Does Iver know?" Ordephus asked suddenly, turning to look at Noctifer when the other gave him a questioning glance. "About your family?"

"He doesn't," he said before looking away.

"Ah." Another pause. "Tell me to shut up whenever, but I think once all this is over, you should go back to them." He added gently when Noctifer didn't respond, "I'm sure they miss you."

Noctifer gave a heavy sigh. "They are better off without me. I left all of my earnings with them, so they should be fine for another year, and hopefully, by then, Miri would have found someone else."

Ordephus leaned forward, kicking Noctifer lightly with a frown. "Do you really want that? There were only segments, but from what I saw, she would wait years for you if she had to."

For a moment he feared he had gone too far when Noctifer stood. Instead, however, he gave him a small smile.

"She would." He offered his hand to pull him up. "But the sooner we get this apple, the sooner we can return to our world."

"You're right." I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately, Ordephus mused as he grasped Noctifer's hand and allowed himself to be pulled up. "You're going to have to boost me to even reach one of the stupid apples, though."

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