"Where did you find this one? I thought his kind was lost." Framtida asked turning back to Raven. Tristan shifted nervously as he glanced at Simon. Raven opened her mouth to speak pausing when she realized she wasn't exactly sure. Near a river in the forest was all she could say for certain.

"Raven? Could you do me a favor? Give us a moment?" Simon asked as she glanced at him frowning.

"In a minute. My time is short." Framtida growled at him as Tristan whined. She paused to smile down at him.

"You have done well; I am proud of you. Your journey does not end here, you must continue forward. Behind the statue of the warrior is a pathway. Follow it until you reach a dark chamber. The pools have shown me you have two friends eager to meet you. They will join you on this quest. These will be the first of many friends along your journey. Do not be afraid to fight when you must." Framtida panted as Raven nodded quickly.

"I will continue to look after her. I promise auntie." Tristan told her standing confidently beside Raven. Framtida smiled nodding.

"I know you will do me proud. I am afraid, I will not see you again in this life, Raven child. Though there is a possibility I will see Tristan again if he manages to break the spell that binds him." Framtida told them. Raven glanced down at Tristan surprised as he merely shrugged.

"Why did you ask me to meet you here?" Raven asked softly as Framtida paused. She let out a small smile before reaching through the glass to pet her cheek.

"It was so I may see you one last time before my passing. I have lived far too long, and it is time I return to earth I was born from. I will not be around to see how this plays out, but I will always be with you child." Framtida muttered as she pulled her arm back into the glass.

"Now go. Your friends are in danger." Framtida grunted as she waved at the door.

"Farewell auntie. May you find peace." Tristan told her with the bow of his head. Raven bowed her head in echo before they headed for the door.

"Aren't you coming?" Raven asked.

"I will catch up." Simon told her keeping his eyes on the glass. Raven nodded leaving the temple to find the statue Framtida mentioned.

"Do you think they know each other?" Tristan asked as he followed her over the bridge. Raven shrugged unsure glancing around.

"I don't know if they know each other, but I get the vibe they know of each other." Raven told him almost pouting. She knew Simon was holding secrets from her. Not that it bothered her too much. Everyone had secrets. But his seemed to be connected to the demon and made her worry. Framtida had once told her that the demon was the key for the true evil. What if by taking Simon to the demon unlocked the true evil she wanted to avoid?

"Well, he can't be too bad if Framtida knows him. Otherwise, she would have warned us, right? In a way I am slightly relieved now that Framtida has met him." Tristan told her with a sigh as he bounced around.

"Hey, do you think they were lovers once? The way Framtida barked at Simon for asking for alone time. That and they are both ancient." Tristan huffed thoughtfully as he paused to scratch behind his ear.

Raven tripped over her feet blushing hard. Lovers?! Raven picked herself up dusting off her clothes to calm herself. Simon had been twenty when he was frozen away, out of sync with the rest of the world.

He had probably had many girls interested in him as well as a few lovers. It's not like Simon was unattractive and every once in a while, he had a sweet personality. Raven blinked at the two big eyes watched her.

"You, okay?" Tristan asked as Raven blushed nodding.

"Yeah sorry. I had some thoughts on the mind. Framtida said we have two friends waiting for us. Do you think they are both Mermaids?" Raven asked to distract herself. Why did she care who Simon had been with? She was pretty sure even if Simon was looking for company he wouldn't be interested in her.

Why would he give her such a hard time otherwise? In her experience, men who were interested in such matters tended to smile and laugh a lot. Like how Tanner chased after Rosila. Tristan huffed bringing her back to the present.

"I hope they are both girls. I would love to have more girls around. I like them better than the males I have spent time around. Except for Hank. I like Hank." Tristan told her as he moved on happily. Raven nodded as she followed him giggling.

"I like my dad too. Alright, let's go find our new friends!" Raven declared deciding not to worry about Simon's past.

* * * * * * *

Simon watched as Raven left with the giddy cat. Once he was sure they were out of the way, he waved his hand, pulling the metal from the walls to build a temporary door. Once the room was sealed, he dusted off his hands turning back to look at the fading seer. Her youth was faded as her ebony skin peeled back to reveal greying scales.

"Metal smith. I was sure you had perished after your brother took your place. I know who you are, and I am not sure I trust you with our future." The morphing woman growled.

"Do not tell me you disprove of me when you walk a grey line yourself, dragon." Simon huffed as he waved his hand at the old beast.

"Grey my line might be, but yours is almost black. Even so, I need your help. I am sure by now you have figured out that your brother is still alive. Raven has a chance to save him. To save them. But I need you to fulfill your blood oath. Servant of Keril. Raven is, so that she may fight against Ari and win." Framtida muttered. Simon hesitated as he clenched his fists.

"Ari is dead." Simon growled darkly as the dying dragon let out a bitter laugh.

"You are a fool, much like the others. De'mon wouldn't listen either. Ari lives because her dragon father allows it. If she is brought back... no. When she is brought back, she will force the world to suffer. Using the gifts of her mother to bend the world to her whims. She and others like her were the reason we rose to battle in the first place. Only a blood witch can fight a blood witch and hope to win. Raven must battle against her. I need you to prepare her for what's to come." Framtida panted as Simon stalked angrily around in a circle.

"We sacrificed everything for nothing! No one would listen to us, and we became monsters. How many more will suffer at her hand?!" Simon hissed as the old dragon chuckled.

"Tell me, are you mad at the council? Or yourself for loving her?" Framtida asked as Simon blushed guiltily turning away.

"Surely you can see Raven is nothing like the woman you once knew. I have been watching her grow up long before she was born. It hasn't been easy trying to preserve her bloodline. But now she is the last and the only hope for this world. If you want to save your brother, and repent for your sins, then help her." The dragon stuttered as it fell into a string of coughs. Simon frowned at the scaly beast realizing she was actually a male. A male dragon using mirrors.

"You are Tamir, dragon of reflections." Simon said in awe. Tamir was older than he was, and well known as a traitor among his kind. Taking a blood witch as a mate. The old dragon huffed nodding his tired head.

"Wilspar was my sister. De'mon my greatest friend. They would never understand the sacrifices I have made to save the valley." Tamir mourned softly, casting his fading gaze around the old temple.

"You betrayed them." Simon growled pausing when the dragon narrowed his eyes at him.

"As did you, my king." Tamir huffed in a condescending tone as Simon paused. "The mistakes of the past cannot be repeated. Ari must die. Only Raven can save our brothers, but there is a chance they will not understand. She is like her mother after all." Tamir muttered softly. Simon hesitated when he realized the dragon was right. He might have spared Raven, but Soren would not. He was going to have to fight his brother to save him.

"I am getting too old for this." Simon growled. Tamir laughed at the empty joke.

"Go now, they have found the statue near the back wall of this cave. I am glad that we can understand each other." Tamir panted as the image faded leaving Simon alone to wonder. Simon growled pacing in a circle as he considered it.

Ari had been just a girl when he first laid eyes on her. He had fallen in love with her and turned a blind eye to her wrong doings. She never loved him back and he had handled the rejection poorly. When her true nature was revealed, he couldn't bring himself to kill her and fled out of shame. A mistake he would never make again.

Simon grunted, waving his hand to remove the metal from the doorway. Some humans had been gifted with the ability to manipulate metal to their chosen whim. Metal of all kinds obeyed him as he simply waved his hands to tell it to return to its original place in the temple. He stalked forward through the door quietly debating with himself.

His plans to kill Raven and remove her blood line from the face of the earth was going to have to wait. Tamir was right. Raven wasn't like Ari, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be persuaded to the blood witch cause.

He paused on a bridge glancing around. Huxley was content grazing in the wild gardens, pulling fruit from the trees. It seemed as if the mermaids were thriving here. It made him wonder what had happened that caused them to leave and abandon this place.

He left the deer to graze following the laughter to the tall statue at the back. Tristan and Raven were debating something, though their giggling made it seem like something trivial.

"I thought you were trying to find our new friends?" Simon growled with a special inflection on the term friends. Raven and Tristan glanced at him blushing before Raven turned back to the statue.

"Framtida said there would be a path, but we can't seem to find one." Raven grumbled embarrassed making Simon glance at the occupied cat. Tristan was shifting nervously as he avoided looking the statue. Simon frowned turning to the statue to see what might have caused their reactions. He paused frowning with a sigh.

The statue stood almost twenty feet tall. His arm stretched out looking as if he was preparing to fire with his weapon. The muscles in his torso were well sculpted, capturing the exact moment when he would let loose the arrow. Simon had to admit the details made him appear life like as wild ivy wrapped around his bare legs. Too life like, Simon decided as he realized why Raven and Tristan were acting awkward. It didn't help that they kept avoiding their gaze, missing the passageway right between his legs.

"It's like you two have never seen a naked man before." Simon grumbled as he started forward. Raven and Tristan ventured after him, keeping their eyes on his back.

"Well, no. I haven't actually. Not like that. I mean I am a male, but I do not have anatomy like that." Tristan grumbled.

"And I try not to make it a habit of looking at naked men." Raven mumbled embarrassed. Simon bulked turning to face them, pausing when Ravens blush darkened as she turned away from him.

He hesitated before he remembered that he was the man she was referring to. He had been sealed naked in clear crystal for all to see. Simon coughed to clear some of the color from his cheeks.

"Right then, I guess I should inform you about mermaids. Nudity is commonplace for them. It's not rare to find naked mermaids or mermen in their colony. They do have some fashion, but it is simply a comfort for land walkers. Mermaids were a culture of pleasure. Wines and companionship were their specialties. In my time they had these taverns floating on the lake for travelers. Mermaids mostly dwelled beneath the waves, so the taverns were their place of business.

"Now I am just saying in general from my time period. We don't know how their culture has changed, but you should be prepared for naked fish." Simon informed them turning back around. Raven and Tristan glanced at each other nervously before moving on.

Soon the light of the cavern behind them was lost, giving way to faint glowing stones in the floor. Simon crouched down to touch a stone watching as its light faded. No one had used the tunnels in decades. Possibly centuries. Or at least if they had, they weren't recharging the light. Simon paused when Raven tapped his shoulder.

"Tristan went back for a brighter stone. Since the path only goes one way, he can lead, lighting the way." Raven told him crouching down beside him. She was quietly thinking about Diamond and how he and Ruby would have no problem. Hopefully, they were alright.

"I am sorry about earlier. You probably wanted to talk to Framtida more than I did." Simon muttered softly as Raven blinked at him confused. Her pale skin almost glowed in the dim light.

"Not really. I was secretly hoping she would have all the answers and that she would bestow them if I did as she asked. I know you don't much care for me, or at least you didn't. You aren't the only one and I just wanted to know why. Who was my mother and why am I so different than anyone else?

"That was the whole reason I accepted this quest. To find out my true nature. My blood lines. Mermaids are only the beginning. After all, if they haven't been lost then chances are the fairies and golems haven't either, right?" Raven told him nervously getting to her feet and tucking her hair behind her ear. Simon nodded, glancing back at the glowing cat. He had been leading the way and hadn't noticed how the stones reflected through his glossy service. Tristan huffed, waltzing passed them and taking lead.

"What if you never find out what you are? Then what will you do?" Simon asked softly as Raven considered it. She smiled at the nubby tail before nodding confidently.

"Then I will dedicate myself to breaking Tristan's curse. After that who knows?" Raven told him as they walked shoulder to shoulder. Tristan paused dropping the stone at his feet.

"Well, this is the end of the tunnel. Any suggestions on what to do now?" Tristan asked them as they tried to peer through the dark gloomy cave.

"How is it we can see anything at all?" Raven asked as she looked at the rock formations around them.

"The same stones in the tunnel are here too. Though so dense that all of them combined put out a faint glow. These formations are known as stalagmites. Basically, cave droppings. Stuff from the celling falls and collects into pillars." Simon told them as Raven nodded thoughtfully.

She wandered over to explore one when a sound caught her attention. She ventured off, letting her eyes adjust slowly to the darkness. She was sure she could hear voice talking, when sounds of water splashing made her smile.

"Do you think we might find Meredith?" Someone asked making Raven pause. Queen Meredith?

"Actually, I think finding her should be our main priority. Surely, she knows the outside world well. Maybe she can help us overthrow Waljan." A deeper voice replied. A man. Perhaps he was her son.

"Then we find Meredith!" The first one giggled making Raven decide it was a female. Maybe these were the friends Framtida was talking about!

"You know Meredith?" Raven called out from the dark. The two were silent as Raven turned around the natural column. She paused when the two figures jumped nervously turning to face her.

"I don't mean to frighten you. My name is Raven. Meredith was the queen of my home. She was also a mermaid." Raven told them calmly. The two paused looking at each other, before glancing at her again.

"Was?" The male asked as Raven frowned saddened.

"She is dead now." Raven told them sadly as they flinched.

"What do we do? If she is telling the truth, there is no help outside of this place." The girl whimpered as Raven placed her hands on her hips.

"Raven?" A voice called echoing off the walls. The male growled holding the female to his chest.

"She isn't alone." The male grunted as Raven nodded.

"They are my friends. Would you like to meet them?" Raven asked them. The two seemed unsure, but when the surface water began to move, the male lifted the girl into his arms.

"We will follow you if only because you seem to know a way out of this place. But do not think that means we owe you." He growled as Raven shrugged.

"Fair enough. So, what are your names?" Raven asked leading the way.

"I am Whylomie, this is my brother Asir." Whylomie told the strange girl as she nodded happily.

"It's a pleasure to meet you both." Raven returned pausing when Seril vibrated. Raven paled grasping the handle, pausing when the sword turned silent.

"I found her!" Simon called out as he stepped around a formation. He hesitated when she wasn't alone glancing over the new additions. A loud splash made the Asir jump and hiss.

"We need to leave now." He growled down at the girl before she charged off and waved for him to follow.

"Where is Tristan?" Raven asked Simon confused when he grabbed her hand to keep her close.

"I left him by the entrance. I didn't want to misplace our escape in this maze." Simon growled softly. Raven nodded glancing over her shoulders at the two behind them as they followed closely. Water was splashing out of sight as the sound of wailing could be heard. Simon paused glancing around as Asir growled.

"Do not stop! We must escape this place." Asir growled as Simon scoffed at him. He hurried forward, pulling Raven along as the sound intensified. They came within sight of the glowing cat as the cavern vibrated from the wordless cries.

"Go! Lead the way!" Simon shouted as Tristan nodded turning and dashing into the tunnel. Raven yipped as the cavern celling began to collapse. She turned back to see the sibling's stumble.

"Simon!" Raven called out, balking. They weren't going to leave them. Simon growled shoving her forward into the cave.

"I got them. Go with Tristan!" Simon growled as the spikes on the caverns roof broke free. Raven nodded nervously trying to block her ears from the noise. Asir growled weakly as the male came towards him.

"Do not touch her." Asir hissed pulling away from his open hands. Simon sighed rolling his eyes as he pulled the metal out of his body, using it as a shield.

"Don't just stand there! Run!" Simon barked as Asir charged forward on his tired legs. Whylomie clung to him terrified as Simon followed them into the tunnel. They hurried forward as part of the path caved in on itself, blocking out the noise.

"Simon?" Raven called out as he huffed panting. Most of the metal was lost on the other side of the crumbling barrier, making him frown as he slowly adjusted to its loss.

"We're alright. Keep moving until we get to the ruins. Then we will stop and chat." Simon answered watching as the light grew brighter. Simon sighed turning to frown as Raven and Tristan ignored him.

He hesitated when he glanced at the nervous pair, waiting cautiously. The girl was wearing a pink dress of some kind, though it was hard to see the details in the dim light. The man on the other hand was definitely naked. Simon shot Raven a look as she looked him over.

"What?" Simon asked as Raven shook her head slowly.

"We will talk over lunch... maybe dinner." Raven told him walking back down the tunnel. Tristan worried after her, glancing at the nervous pair before shooting Simon a look. Asir balked at the strange creature emanating a glow.

"Wait Raven!" Simon called out as he sighed. He turned to look at the pair frowning at the male as he held the girl possessively. "Can she walk? I am sure Raven can answer some of her questions while I answer some of yours." Simon growled softly.

"Not very well I am afraid. But I can try. You need a break from carrying me." Whylomie told Asir softly. Asir set her down slowly as he glared at Simon.

"Don't worry. You and I can lead the way. Let the boy's follow us." Raven told her looping an arm through hers.

"Whylomie right? Are you a mermaid? I have always been interested in meeting another mermaid. And I am sure you have questions too." Raven told her pulling her along slowly. Whylomie glanced back at her brother once before nodding her head nervously. Simon grabbed Asir's arm to keep him back as the girls wandered a head gossiping.