A Journey Unwanted

The room was plain; there was simply no better way to describe it. It lacked color of any kind, pure white with no speck of color to be seen. It also lacked any kind of furniture, adding to its dull appearance.

All this made what stood in the center draw attention. Encasing the Divine Blade Nihil was a complex apparatus of interlocking metal and glass. It was a marvel of engineering, designed to contain the artifact. A series of magnetic fields held the blade aloft, counteracting its apparent weightlessness. A series of transparent tubes fed a constant stream of cryogenic fluid around the blade, as if attempting to temper its volatile nature.

In the plain room, the only other color was a contrast to the bland white surrounding everything. His dark outfit ironically made him stand out in the white space.

Aegraxes stared at the encased blade aloofly, ("A cornerstone of my plans. So easily snuffed.") He chuckled at that. It was not as if the Divine Blade was inherently difficult to obtain; however, it could also easily be taken away. ("I wonder how you came to know of my plans. This is rather inconvenient, but I suppose I should appreciate how chivalrous you are. Focusing on the lives of mere test subjects over putting a stop to me.")

"I suppose you've not changed," he mused to himself.

"You know....I heard talking to oneself was a sign of mental madness," a voice snarked from behind.

"Odd, I made this separate space in mind for privacy." Despite that, Aegraxes did not sound or seem surprised, "But impossibilities are expected from Ancestors."

"But of course," the words left the lips of no doubt the most mysterious of Ancestors. Shrouded in mystery, even what he represents is unknown, Aithne leisurely strutted through the blank space. Stopping beside Aegraxes as he examined the contained Nihil with a gleam in his eyes. "This must be quite the important factor in your plans. Curious that you left it in mortal hands for so long, for what purpose I cannot gauge."

Aegraxes merely shrugged, "For curiosity's sake, no more. This nation is quite advanced, as you've no doubt witnessed. I wanted to see what they could discern on their own from a Divine Artifact." He clarified, "Though that only served to come back and bite me."

"Having to do with the Blood Starved one no doubt," Aithne surmised. Aegraxes nodded his head. "You play a dangerous game, even with all of us within this odd festival, with him victory is not at all assured. You know this to be true."

"I am aware. Even so, should we not emerge victorious within this festival, then I have a more crude backup plan," Aegraxes informed.

"I see. You're quite desperate to get these calamities underway, huh?" Aithne bluntly noted.

"Of course, with him aware of my plans now, I'll have to alter things as I go. A single calamity now shall not suffice," Aegraxes seemingly reasoned.

"You mean to kickstart more than one?"

"It is possible," Aegraxes revealed, "The calamities, they aren't merely natural disasters. They're individuals with goals, those goals will come to fruition upon the destruction of the realm. Evidently, the God of time merely saw visions of great threats, threats that lie dormant until they see fit to start with their chaos. The very first calamity he foresaw was of my own creation, my very own spawn."

"Then what of the second?" Aithne questioned, intrigued.

"The red dragon Y Ddraig Goch and the white dragon Neidr Gwyn," Aegraxes informed.

"Oh? Named dragons? Now that's a first," Aithne mused.

"They are not of this realm, though their physiology is similar to dragons of this realm, those two cannot be more different," Aegraxes explained, a distant gaze in his eyes. "Their old home destroyed, yet they are interlocked in an eternal battle not even the destruction of their realm stopped. Both currently slumber in another realm on the verge of destruction."

"You mean to awake them when you start the first calamity, then," Aithne surmised.

"Indeed," Aegraxes nodded. "Two calamities all but guarantee the destruction of this realm."

"How sure you are, is it not hubris?" Aithne murmured in thought.

"Mayhap, but my plans will come into fruition," Aegraxes stated.

"Even should it cost the lives of your few remaining brethren? You're already reduced to a mere three. Your plans are not guaranteed, with so many variables after all," Aithne bluntly spoke, a small smirk playing on his lips. "And I heard of the grand prize of the festival, a 'wish' from Octavia herself. With how invested you are in this festival, I doubt a mere 'crude' backup plan will suffice."

Aegraxes frowned at his bluntness but kept his composure, "Not a needed factor. But one I would prefer to have," he clarified. "But what do you care if my plans succeed or not? Would your time not be better spent exploring this era like the rest of your brethren?"

"Hah," Aithne shook his head, as if dismissing the prospect entirely, "I like to think that I am more cautious than the rest. They're called 'spawns,' right? The forsaken one's lingers about, they're almost as powerful as him. Less you forget it was the Forsaken one who sealed us Ancestors away."

"Is it caution or fear?" Aegraxes mused.

Aithne did not seem to mind his words, "Fear is a healthy emotion I intend to listen to. The Forsaken one battled even Rhiannon to a standstill, though the latter was far more injured. I rather keep my goals linear," he stated without shame, "Though I suppose my goal is not as simple as I would have liked it to be."

"What? Vengeance against Xylohr?"

"Yes, though with the Gods residing in the plain of Elysium, my vengeance remains out of reach," Aithne stated with a frown.

"It should be a simple matter to break out of your physical shell in order to ascend to your true form and to their dimension, no?"

"Aye, it would be. However, reclaiming my physical body would be tedious. It's far more advantageous to be on this plain rather than the plain of Elysium," Aithne informed. He shrugged as he continued, "Though it matters not, Xylohr has a favorite here, yes?"

"You mean his Inheritor no doubt," Aegraxes realized, snapping his fingers, a large image of the aforementioned Inheritor was projected mid-air, "Aerinon Lacroix, the child of the abyss. You're picking some rather strong prey."

Aithne merely smirked, "How powerful he is does not concern me, Xylohr obviously favors him. And I am petty enough to kill that which he holds dear. Tell me more of this boy."

"Well, far be it for me to judge," Aegraxes snapped his fingers, and a new image appeared, a young lady, dignified in appearance. She had a serene and beautiful face like that of a doll, long, neat black hair that made her beautiful emerald green eyes stand out even more. She wore a heavy suit of finely crafted silver armor adorned in blue with a gem embedded into the chest. "His younger twin sister by mere minutes, Ingrid Rosamund."

Aithne quirked a brow at that, "They don't look much identical," he noted.

"The girl underwent a specific ritual, the Oath of Purification. Dedicated to the God of strength, one's ability to use magic is stripped away. In return, great physical abilities are granted and greater mana efficiency. For spawns, they lose the blessing of their Gods and in turn become 'normal' once more. In appearance and all, that is young Ingrid's case," Aegraxes explained. Aithne hummed in interest.

"To give up magic, I know not whether to laugh at that kind of idiocy or to salute that kind of dedication," the Ancestor snorted, "Hmm, I think I'll merely focus on the boy then."

"Wise," Aegraxes merely said. With another snap of his fingers, the displayed image vanished, "Either way, both shall be in the upcoming festival. The girl is a lieutenant to the strongest knight of this era. So do what you will with that information."

"Is that so...." There was a glint in the Ancestor's eyes despite his earlier words. "Though I'm curious about something. Despite variables such as Mikoto Yukio and the Blood Starved one, you seem awfully confident in your chances with this festival."

"Before you Ancestors became a variable, I had other strong factors here in Vel'ryr," Aegraxes started, gesturing to himself, "This vessel I currently reside in was one of them. A descendant of the Great Dragons. Each is chosen and favored by a different Greater Dragon, much like the spawns. Only these descendants are not 'divine' in nature. The blood of the dragons is embedded into their very being. Currently, Vel'ryr possesses eight of them, all moderately powerful, but there are two who stand atop the rest. The crown Prince Selwyn Von Auerswald, chosen by the Dragon of the End."

"Oh? That old lizard?" Aithne quirked up a brow, "It was rather reclusive in the great war despite its obvious immense power. Its strength could stack up to Octavia and Rhiannon, a descendant of it must be the same, no?"

"He is quite the monster, but not this nation's trump card," Aegraxes stated, prompting a look of interest from Aithne.

"A descendant of the Great Dragon of the end is not this nation's trump card?" The Ancestor questioned, "Pray tell who or what is."

"The chosen of the Elemental Dragon," Aegraxes revealed. Aithne furrowed his brows at that.

"A descendant of the Elemental Dragon over one of the Dragon of the end?" Aithne questioned, "Seems an odd choice," he could not help but note.

"Best not to underestimate him," Aegraxes warned, "Though it is merely a minute difference, he is more powerful than Selwyn."

"If that holds true, he's more a threat than an asset," Aithne reasoned.

Aegraxes heaved the smallest of sighs, "Indeed, I can't imagine he'd be all that thrilled should he discover my plans. Of the three largest nations, each holds a bane to my plans. To the North, a Blood Starved knight striving for virtue, Dante his new name. To the West, an enigma and the epitome of magic, brought by the Goddess of war and magic herself. The Gods would-personal executioner that will put all in their place Mikoto Yukio. And here, a General of vast armies and one stained with so much black ink, Grimm."