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"Now."

Cold wind blew through a field of red dandelions.

"Must it be me?"

"You are called to serve the emperor by giving up your life."

Lucien was woken up by the sound of his name being called. Opening his eyes, he saw Magnus worriedly hovering above him.

"Bad dream?"

"Yes."

Lucien had felt Red\'s sorrow and pain. No ordinary dream could ever feel that raw.

"What did you dream about?"

"Red."

Magnus became even more concerned about Lucien.

"I miss Red... I feel empty sometimes. Strange that I feel this way even though I know that the me I see in the mirror is half of him. How.. can I miss myself?"

Lucien stared into the fire mage\'s eyes. "Am I crazy, Magnus?"

The fire mage shook his head at the forlorn teen.

"Lulu, maybe you\'re more Luci than Red. That\'s why you miss him."

But Red had merged with Lucien. It didn\'t make sense to him at all. And who was Red? Luci had suspected he was another version of himself but from where? The future? At least his dream, which Lucien believed to be a memory, indicated that Red had known the emperor. It couldn\'t have been anyone else but Traxdart.

___

In the next few weeks that followed, Artemus was led on a wild goose chase. Sebastian was called back to the kingdom but he refused the orders because where Artemus went, so did Sebastian. On the other hand, Lucien, Akida, and Magnus travelled to Nua where the cursed sword was waiting for the redhead. Their plan was to stay at Nua for a few days while Lucien had his time with the weapon. They would then regroup with Artemus and aid in the search for Alka.

As for Rowan, he was no longer under the control of Sigil. The blond had long since stopped paying his respects to the royalty, and to the priests at the temple of Eos. But every month or so, he took time out to visit Syryn and Altaire. The senior alchemist felt he had overstayed his welcome at Sigil, and was making plans to leave the kingdom with his patient.

At this time, concerns floated around Sanguine HQ because they\'d sniffed out a plot against Sigil\'s monarchy. A mage hunter had received reliable information that the lives of the royal family were in danger. Knowing this, security was increased at the palace. The best guards were gathered en masse. The King had hoped that Sebastian and Artemus would come to his aid but Alka was still missing and the anti mage had refused to return till his brother was found safe and sound.

An undercurrent of tension existed under the normalcy of everyday life. The ordinary folks had no idea that their world was changing ever so slowly as the days inched forward.

_____

"Lucien, is that you?" Riaku said with surprise when he saw the redhead who had travelled a long way to meet him. Though he was no longer the small brat that departed Nua so many years ago, he couldn\'t be mistaken for another; not with his wild red hair, scarlet eyes, and the bewitching looks that only Syryn could match.

The avian prince always had a dignified and calm bearing. Now decked in his kingly robes and the royal Phoenix crown that distinguished him as the ruler of Nua, Riaku had transcended into a figure who wore his power and confidence with the ease that had been missing when they first met.

"Your majesty," Lucien paid his respects to the avian ruler. "My congratulations and I have arrived late. Can I interest you in a marriage alliance with Sigil? I am willing to contribute myself as a tribute."

He was still the same cheeky redhead, Riaku realised. "I accept the tribute," he answered. "But not for myself. I have a niece your age and she will be delighted to marry you."

Lucien\'s smile broadened. If Red was here- but he wasn\'t. "Riaku, do you already have a wife?"

Akida snorted behind him. So that was a no.

"I\'m looking for one," the avian evasively answered. That had been his answer since the day the crown had become his. No one but Lucien and Syryn could understand Riaku\'s dilemma. He was a half-demon, a secret that would never see the light of day if he could help it. It was unfair to his partner if they married him without knowing of his status as a half-demon. The alternative was to look for someone who would accept the rotten half of his nature but that meant letting out his secret. The King of Nua wasn\'t in such desperate need of companionship that he would resort to leaking his secret. Riaku was content with living and dying not knowing what it was like to be loved and cherished.

Lucien held silent eye contact with the avian who willed him to understand that there was no chance for a companion to Riaku in this lifetime.

"Then I\'ll help you look," he softly replied. "Maybe you won\'t have to look very far to find your- soulmate."

"Have you found yours?" Riaku asked, curious because they were similarly wretched in most ways: abominations, cursed, destined to never fully be accepted by humanity.

"Maybe," Lucien answered. Magnus wasn\'t his yet. "I\'m not old enough for him." The second part came out a bit bitter.

"I see. And what of Syryn? Is he well?" The avian king asked. The older brother had had the same problem. It seemed to him that the desire for partners with large age gaps ran in the family.

"Syryn is indisposed. I\'m sure he\'ll visit when he\'s feeling better. And what about you? Are you still saddled with the... weird weapon?"

Riaku\'s gaze flickered to the wall where it was mounted. He had used the sword to reap the lives of a circle of avian nobles who carried on the tradition of creating half-demons out of unlucky royal children. Riaku had been their intended sacrifice but he\'d met Syryn and Lucien, had a seed planted in his mind by the brothers; and that seed had germinated into a bloody rebellion that ended with the deaths of some avians along with the sinister tradition that warped the royal family. Riaku vowed that he would be the last of the sacrificial lineage. No other avian child would have to carry the cursed sword even if it meant the end of the sky forge tribe.