17 Trumpets Of War

There are a lot who believe in the power of fate and full-heartedly trust this mysterious power. If it did exist, Solis put that second on his list of "Things to Destroy" right after the Great Ones.

"Who knew I'd see you again here? You know, I found it odd when I was the only person at our school who knew who you were. For some reason, everybody else forgot or couldn't remember you. I had to stop asking around because the teachers were sending my parents complaints hehe."

"...Great, now I have to go."

Solis didn't know what went through his mind when he forgot to account for Quintessa's knowledge of his identity. Because of his mistake, he now had to deal with the fact that she knew who he was.

"Ooo, ooo, are you going to visit grandpa? My family and I are here for that reason! I can take you there if you want."

As much as Solis didn't want to talk to her, he forgot that she was basically a ticket to Byakko's house. Though they already had Lyra to help them out, he didn't think it would hurt to take precautions just in case Lyra couldn't help them

"I-I'll take you up on that offer."

"Great! I'll take you to meet my parents."

She turned around and Solis followed. While they walked, Solis tried to think of a way to let his friends know where he was.

"Momma! Poppa!"

Two humble-looking people turned around. The man had short, brown hair and was tall with an extremely muscular build. He also had unbelievably yellow eyes, so much so that he could pass as an Arcana. The woman had striking beauty and held herself in a regal manner. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun with a red, flowy ribbon. Her eyes were of a dazzling vermillion and just staring into them engulfed you in its intense flames. When Solis looked at the woman he had a sudden rush of deja vu. He couldn't put his finger on it yet, but he knew that woman from somewhere. Then...it hit him.

"Wow, from Byakko's whole litter, you had to be this girl's mother, huh, Aya?"

Quintessa looked at Solis in confusion while the woman's face lit up in surprise.

"Quintessa, who is this man you've brought with you?"

"He's a friend of mine, Momma. Why? Is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there is, he's making my skin crawl."

"Don't be like that Aya, that's no way to speak to your godfather is it?" Solis interjected.

Aya's husband stood there, lost as he looked at Solis tease his wife.

"Hey! I don't think you should be talking to my wife like that."

"Yes, I apologize, but I know your wife."

He turned around and confronted Aya.

"What does he mean, Aya? How does he know you?"

"I don't know, Jonathan, I've never seen this man I--"

She stopped as she saw Solis take out his contact. Her husband continued to talk but she knew who the boy was now.

"J-Jonathan, I'm sorry to interrupt you but could you take Quintessa and leave us alone for a few minutes?"

"What? What are you--?"

Aya looked up at him with pleading eyes.

"Fine, I'll give you five minutes."

Jonathan walked over to Quintessa, said some things to her, and walked away. Once they were out of sight, Aya stepped closer to Solis and bowed her head.

"It has been too long Uncle Solis."

"It has. I'm glad to see you so grown up, goddaughter."

A smile appeared on her face and she hugged Solis. He stroked her head a little bit while they embraced. After they separated, Aya had tears in her eyes.

"W-When father said y-you had disappeared I was saddened. I-I didn't think I would ever spend time with you again."

"I would've thought so. I'm sorry to have left so suddenly, my Little Kitten."

"Hehe, p-please, Uncle Solis, I'm not that little anymore."

"Well, when you're as old as me you'll always be little."

As demonstrated by their conversation, Solis had familial ties with Aya. She was one of the births he had overseen during his first few years as the new Aurelios. Tenacity and Kalamati were there too effectively making them her godparents as well. Since her birth, he had visited her here and there and played with her, all while balancing his duty as Aurelios. He had been there for most of her life and experienced what she was like as a cub. He had watched over her siblings as well, but she was his favorite.

"It's unbelievable to think that such a well-mannered tigress like you could have a polar opposite of a daughter. If I had known she was your child I think I would've tolerated her more."

"Sorry, Uncle Solis, it's my fault for spoiling her. Honestly, I raised her based on how you raised me."

"What? I spoiled you growing up?"

Solis was in disbelief. He understood that she was his favorite of the litter but in no way did he think he ever spoiled her.

"Yes, Uncle, you were always there for my birthdays, gave me the grandest of gifts, always at my side when my brothers picked on me, and gave me the best advice as I grew up."

"Really? I didn't notice."

She let out a laugh as her godfather contemplated his past decisions. Honestly, to other people looking at the two, it was a strange sight. To see a young woman chatting with a teenage boy was sure to raise a couple of eyebrows, but this didn't matter to Aya. She knew full well who Solis was beneath his human disguise as she was one of many who were at his side to experience his reign as Aurelios near its peak.

"Say, Uncle, if there's ever time, do you think you could take me above the clouds again? Just like when I was a cub?"

"Strange request, Aya, but can't you fly yourself?"

"Yes, but it was always different when it was on your back. I could never explain it, but it was so serene, watching as your massive wings caused the clouds to part for us to fly through."

Solis cocked his head back in surprise as she brought up a fond memory.

"Sure, when I have time."

He rubbed her head like he did when she was a cub, which greatly embarrassed her.

"Not in public, Uncle. I'm a grown woman now you know?"

"Says the one who wants me to give them a ride."

"That can't be helped either, Uncle, it's because I love you so much."

"I love you too, Little Kitten."

They smiled at each other, while Solis stroked her hair.

"Hey! What are you doing with my wife?!"

The five minutes were up and Jonathan came back, with Quintessa, during an awkward moment.

"O-oh! Jonathan! Dear, this isn't what it looks like. I can explain!"

"How so!?"

"He doesn't look like it, b-but this man is my uncle, so to speak."

""What?""

Both father and daughter were surprised.

"But Quintessa said he was her friend, so how can he be old enough to be your uncle?"

"Oh...uh...well, that's hard to explain, b-but he can prove it!"

Solis pulled Aya aside before he could "prove it."

"Aya, is your husband familiar with our world?"

"Yes, Uncle, I revealed it to him many years ago."

"Have you told him about me then?"

"Somewhat, but not in great detail."

"That's good enough."

They turned to face Jonathan again and Solis was going to prove his identity.

"Has your wife ever mentioned of an uncle with the 'prettiest eyes?'"

"Odd question, but she's never said anything of the sort. She did mention an uncle who had eyes comparable to pure gold. I never understood what that meant--Oh my...you're him aren't you?"

As Jonathan talked, Solis took out his contacts and blinked a few times for Jonathan.

"What's happening? Why are you so speechless Poppa?"

Quintessa was now the only one out of the loop in the conversation.

"It's tough for me to wrap my head around it, but it's a pleasure to meet you, Solis. I appreciate all the good things you've done for my wife."

Jonathan vigorously shook Solis's hand. The way he was acting made it seem like Aya didn't just "somewhat" talk about Solis.

"Aya, you said you didn't mention me a lot."

He looked at her with a stern gaze.

"Haha, u-umm...I-I uh...that was a little bit of a lie. I tend to reminisce a lot, Uncle."

"HEY! Can someone explain to me what's going on?"

Quintessa had reached her breaking point.

"Sorry, Quin, but I'll explain the whole story to you later," Aya apologized.

"Hmph! Here I thought I knew a lot more about Solis than you two!"

"Uncle, we were going to visit father and I would love it if you came along! Unless you can't."

"No, in fact, Little Kitten, I had come to Japan for that same reason. You'd just need to give me some time to get my family."

"W-wait, your family is still alive? I thought--"

"Aya, it's not what you think. What you've been told is true and there aren't many of us left."

"I-I'm sorry, Uncle, you know I didn't--"

"I know you didn't, and I'm not mad. First off, let me know your address then I can meet up with you later."

"Uncle-in-law, do you have a phone? I can send you our address."

Jonathan pulled out his phone enthusiastically.

"Ahaha. Jonathan, my Uncle was never good with technology so just let me handle this."

Aya took out a pen and paper from her bag and wrote down their address. Solis looked over it for a bit and nodded.

"Let me get my family and I'll meet with you later."

"Can't wait, Uncle."

Solis touched foreheads with her before he parted ways. He turned a corner and started running, and would continue doing so until his nose picked up a scent. This didn't take long and he followed it all the way to the one and only, Kiyomizu-dera. He found his friends and family out on the balcony of the Kiyomizu-dera and they appeared to be enjoying themselves.

"Tenacity, Kalamati! You won't believe who I managed to run into."

His companions turned their heads toward him. Unfortunately, that meant Lyra too. Her eyes lit up and she took her usual spot beside him.

"Glad you're here with us, Solis, so who was it?" Tenacity was the first to ask.

"Do you remember the cub of Byakko that I often visited?"

"No way! You met little Aya?!"

Kalamati had a smile on her face at the news.

"Glad you remember. Anyway, she gave me the address of where they're staying and I intend on all of us going. She and her daughter will help us get to Byakko."

"Sounds like a good idea. Let's go meet little Aya shall we?" Tenacity suggested.

With the group consensus settled, they followed Solis as he led them away from the Kiyomizu-dera.

"H-hey, Solis, why are we going to meet this girl? I-I thought I was supposed to help you find my ancestor."

"You still are, I just happened to meet some others who can do the same."

Lyra's face sank as she suddenly didn't feel so special anymore. Nevertheless, she held on tightly to his arm as they wove through the streets. The address led them back to the beach where a decent-sized house was. Since they walked, it took them a couple of hours to reach the house so it was now around 5:30. Solis was the one who walked up the door and knocked. Not long after, he heard footsteps fast approaching the door. It swung open wildly and there stood Aya.

"Uncle! You're here!"

She hugged Solis and he did the same.

"Please, come in, all of you."

The other eight of them poured into Aya's house and made themselves at home. Jonathan and Quintessa were wide-eyed at the number of people suddenly in their house.

"So, which one is Uncle Ten and Aunty Kala?"

"I'm so happy you remember us!" Shouted Kalamati.

Of course, the woman with ash-blonde hair stepped forward and revealed herself. Tenacity followed with his massive six-two figure. Both of them took out their contacts and showed their eyes to Aya.

"I'm so glad to see you guys! I feel just like a little cub again!"

They laughed as Aya hugged both of them.

"Wow! Look at you, Aya, you've become a wonderful beauty haven't you?"

Tenacity complimented Aya but got an elbow from Lunis as a result. The atmosphere was weird for Quintessa to experience as a bunch of strangers came into their house and immediately acted friendly with her mother. To add on, she had never seen her mother act like such a kid, even more so than her.

"Momma, I think it's time you gave Poppa and me a proper explanation."

Aya broke away from her godfathers and mothers to face her daughter. The rest of them took their cue and sat down on the sofas in their living room.

"Jonathan, dear, you should take a seat. This will be a lot to take in."

Her husband complied and took out a chair from beneath their dinner table. Quintessa took that opportunity as well to seat herself.

"Honey, I know I've told you that I'm a god and that I was raised by gods. I've told you numerous stories from my childhood and you've listened to each one of them with open ears. Now, I'd like to formally introduce you to my extended family."

She walked over to Tenacity and introduced him.

"This my other godfather, who I like to call 'Uncle Ten.'"

Next, she put her hand on Kalamati's shoulder.

"One of my few godmothers, and one of my closest friends. She is 'Aunty Kala.'"

Finally, she slowly walked over to Solis and held his hand.

"You already know him, but he is my favorite out of the three. The one and only 'Uncle Solis.'"

Jonathan bowed his head to each of them as they were introduced, while Quintessa watched intently.

"The people who sit around them are who I'm assuming are his family. There are these young ladies I've never met though."

She stared at Lyra and Elise, who she was of course referring to. At that time, Fera and Ad decided to reveal themselves.

"Ah, so you're Uncle Solis's siblings. It's been a while Fera and Ad."

"Likewise," replied Fera.

"Hey! No 'Uncle' for me?"

"Haha. Sorry, Ad but I've never seen you that way. You're more like my younger brother."

"I'm older than you though!"

"Still."

Aya got sidetracked a bit as she lost herself in conversation with her godparents and the other Dragons. She also decided to acquaint herself with Lyra and Elise. Elise told her about her bloodline, which gave Aya a bit of insight into who she was since she knew of her grandmother's reputation. When she started talking to Lyra she felt a connection with her.

"Hmm. That's unexpected, we share blood don't we?"

She looked down at the 14-year-old girl.

"Indeed she does, Little Kitten. I've brought her along to help her reconnect with her heritage," Solis told her.

"Well, then I'll have to talk with her more in-depth later. Besides that," she turned back around to her husband, "these people, sorry, these beings are the gods that helped raise me. You won't understand their importance, Jonathan, but these people are the dragons who watch over Earth."

"Dragons?!?!"

"If there's one thing I want you to take away from this conversation then remember the name Arcana."

"I knew it!" Quintessa joined in on the conversation.

"They're THE Arcanas, Momma? The ones from the tales you told me?"

Now that the cat was fully out of the bag, there wasn't much left to say. The rest of the time was spent with Aya going into detail about who each of them was. By the end of it, the sun had set and Jonathan came out a well-informed man.

"Jeez, would you look at the time? I'll get started with dinner, Aya, so help your family out with where they'll be sleeping, please."

She got to work on just that and another hour had gone by. The smell of whatever Jonathan was cooking wafted throughout the house and caught everyone's attention. They promptly gathered around the table when the food was done and ate their fill. Once they were done and the dishes were put away Solis took Aya outside for something he wanted to discuss with her.

"So, what did you need, Uncle?"

"Remember when you asked me if I could take you flying?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"I was thinking we could do it now."

"Now? Why?"

"Because I'm afraid I won't ever get another chance after this, Aya. There are things I need to set out to do and I don't want to regret not having spent more time with you."

Aya's eyes filled with tears at Solis's sentiment.

"Then please, Uncle, before I get this chance taken away from me. Take me above the clouds like long ago."

Solis gave her a wide smile.

"Keep up, Little Kitten, I won't wait for you."

He jumped from the house and started running on the beach. Aya wasn't far behind as she had a smile on her face and laughed. When Solis reached the point where the sea met the beach, he jumped as hard as he could off the beach. In a golden flash, he reappeared in his dragon form with his wings spread, at that point, it was dim enough that he was confident he could get away with transforming. Aya followed suit and jumped off and reverted into her tiger form. Her fur was as white as the clouds above them with beautiful blue stripes. A wispy cloud wrapped around her body, like a scarf, and she retained her red eyes. She landed softly onto Solis's back and took in the view as he ascended.

She laid herself down onto Solis's cold scales but could feel the source of his energy beneath them, which radiated some heat. Her tail whipped around wildly as her body was overtaken by excitement. Before Solis could ascend any further, she got up and walked along his back and up to his head. Once there, she laid back down and took in the scenery.

"Be careful, Little Kitten, I'd hate to see you fall."

"Stop it, Uncle, you know I can fly."

Solis's body shook as he laughed.

"How long will we stay up here, Little Kitten?"

"I don't know. Just...long enough for me to be satisfied, I guess."

Solis looked ahead and just flew. Japan got increasingly further away as he obeyed Aya's wish. Of course, he knew not to go too far from the island in fear of being ambushed with her around. Her presence on top of his head was something he didn't know he missed because it made him feel like an older brother again, even though he was. He would often take his siblings flying when they were too young to, but now, they were too heavy and big for him to carry. Plus, they could fly on their own anyways. Solis turned around and decided to go up a tiny bit higher. Once he reached a satisfactory height, he flew in random directions. There was a moment where he got caught up in flying that he forgot Aya was on his head. When he refocused, he felt how steady and calm her breathing was.

He concluded that she had fallen asleep and that he had flown long enough for her to be satisfied. Solis flew around for a few more minutes just for safe measure before making his way back to the beach. He would have to change soon so he had to wake Aya up from her nap. He let out a low growl and shook Aya awake.

"Aya we're nearing the beach."

She was still a bit groggy so the most she could do was let out a growl.

"Just be ready because I'm changing back now."

His gold flash fully woke Aya up and she too changed back. Deep holes were made in the sand where the two of them landed and Aya had a little stumble when she did. While they made their way back to Aya's rental house, some of Solis's leftover liquid slithered across the sand and was absorbed back into his body.

"Uncle...thank you for agreeing with this selfish cub's request."

Solis turned to Aya and flashed her a smile.

"Of course, Aya. Whenever I get the chance again, let's take a trip around the world?"

"I'd love to, Uncle."

They made the rest of the way to the house in silence. When they entered, the living and dining rooms were cleaned up and some futons were out to sleep in.

"Great! Now that you two are back, we should get some sleep."

Jonathan greeted his wife with a peck on her cheek. He asked her why they had gone outside and she happily told him. After their short conversation finished, Aya gathered all the girls and took them upstairs, while the men were left downstairs. As the ladies got into their sleepwear, the men took it upon themselves to space out evenly.

"S-so...umm...w-when my wife said you guys were dragons I had a hard time believing her, even now I'm still skeptical. I know it's very plausible that you guys could be b-but I'd like to see proof."

"Proof? Sure, I'd be happy to show you."

Tenacity looked down at Jonathan after he finished setting up.

"Alright, now pay attention to my hand."

He put his left hand forward and turned his palm up. Unlike the full transformation, his fingers didn't merge. The only thing that happened was Tenacity's own liquid came forth from his skin and formed into scales. Jonathan ran his fingers over Tenacity's black scales and admired their elegance. After a few seconds, the scales reverted into a liquid and sank into Tenacity's skin.

"What? Was doing that too much for you, Tenacity?"

Tenacity looked over to see Solis with a smug look on his face.

"Shut it, Solis, you have trouble doing it too."

"What is he talking about?"

Jonathan looked to Solis for an answer, but Tenacity answered instead.

"He's talking about the extreme focus that's required when we transform a small part of our body. It's strenuous because we have to fight our natural need to become a dragon to stay in our human form. We have other partial transformations but those are easier to pull off since they're not so specific."

Jonathan didn't exactly know what Tenacity meant at that last part but he knew it required focus to do what he just did.

"I appreciate the demonstration, Tenacity. Now, I think it's time we sleep."

"Yes! Finally!"

Ad wasn't embarrassed to show off his enthusiasm for sleep, so he dove into his futon and immediately shut his eyes. On the other hand, Jonathan hit the lights and then sank into his own. Solis and Tenacity were given the sofas to sleep on. Tenacity was quick to knock out but Solis looked at the necklace of his parent's scales before he closed his eyes. That night, before he would get the chance to have a proper conversation with Byakko, he got the chance to dream about his past.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey...son. Wake up, it's time we go and get you ready. The beginning ceremony for your Aetatem will start in a few hours."

Solis's father had come to wake him up, but his eyelids felt too heavy to open. The training sessions he had attended for the past few days had him beat.

"Don't make me force you awake, Solis! This is a big moment in your life!

"Rrngh...I'm sleepy still father."

"Solis!"

"Solis!"

"SOLIS!"

He opened his eyes but saw Tenacity instead of his father.

"Solis! Wake up, Aya doesn't want you missing breakfast."

He slapped Tenacity's hand away and sat up, and rubbed his eyes a bit before walking over to the dining table, where the others sat. All the food Jonathan had cooked sat on the table and they wouldn't start until Solis sat down with them. With one final yawn, he gave thanks and dug in. The clean-up was left to Solis, mainly because he made everyone wait and he was the last to be there.

"Uncle, after you're done with the dishes, we're going to take some time and get ready before we head out."

"Noted."

Aya took her leave and went back upstairs. After that, Solis didn't take long to finish up his task. He dried off his hands and went to his duffel bag to sift through which of his clothes he would be wearing. Once he found them, he took to the bathroom to change. When he walked out of the bathroom, Tenacity and the other men were there. They talked a bit about how Jonathan showed them a nice place nearby that had delicious snacks. Their conversation didn't last long and Solis told them they should get ready. About ten minutes later, all the women and men had gathered in the center of the living room.

"Good, from here on out us three, the ones with Byakko's blood, will lead you guys so make sure not to fall behind."

Aya went out the door with Lyra and Quintessa right behind her. From there they took many trips around Kyoto while they waited for Aya, Quintessa, and Lyra's instinct to kick in. Late in the afternoon, around four, Quintessa's body shivered as they walked by To-ji temple.

"Momma, it's around here."

"I know, Quin, I felt it too. Come, everyone, we'll start searching around here."

They proceeded closer to To-ji temple and surveyed the grounds.

"Well, it's all on you guys. Just tell us where Byakko has put his gate and we'll follow you through," said Solis.

While the ladies walked around searching for the gate, the rest took some time to look at the temple. Tenacity was approached by some lovely Japanese ladies but they were shooed away by Lunis. Ad and Fera played a little game on who could decipher the writings on the temple first, while Elise and Kalamati admired the trees. Solis was left with Muun as they stood in place, waiting for one of the girls to send a sign. A little while later, Lyra came walking back to Solis.

"Is there something the matter?" He asked.

"I found it, Solis."

"Take us there then."

Solis also let the other know of Lyra's discovery and from there, Lyra led them to where she felt the gate was. Lyra stepped over a circular stone wall and walked into a grove of trees. Since the leaves were pretty thick, Solis was confident they wouldn't be seen if they walked into the gate.

"It's right here. This spot was calling to me, I could hear its voice."

"She's right, the presence here is unbelievably strong," Aya added.

Lyra was the first to step forward and when she did, her body disappeared.

"Looks like we found it. Time to see grandpa!"

Quintessa jumped into the spot Lyra entered and waited for everyone else to fall through. For those who were too young, like Muun, Ad, Lyra, and Elise, to have ever been in Byakko's kingdom what stood before them was a sight like no other.

There, a grand castle sat atop puffy white clouds. The red walls contrasted well with the pure-white clouds it sat on. Millions of beautiful golden lanterns lined the walls and added a faint glow to the clouds as well. A massive gate stood as the entrance to the castle with two tigers right beside it. The castle had a total of three towers that you could see over the walls. The one in the center was a massive rectangular structure that was painted, or maybe even made of, jade green. The tower to the right was a tall cylinder of glimmering gold with red dragons painted on its tall walls. Lastly, the left tower was a mix of the center and right. The bottom half was rectangular but from there up it was rounded. But on top of that tower was a statue of a powerful tiger, which was meant to represent Byakko.

They walked along the tiled pathway that led to the massive gate, and the tigers halted them and asked for their identities.

"Let us through. These people are with me, Aya of the 27th to Byakko."

"Of course. A pleasure to have you home, Aya-sama. You too Quintessa-sama."

The two tigers moved their tails away and pushed the gate open.

"Solis, what did Aya mean when she said '27th to Byakko?'" Questioned Lyra.

"It signifies which child she is. There are 36 of them in total and she is the 27th child."

Lyra was surprised at how many siblings Aya had and continued to walk alongside Solis as they walked through the gate. Some of the Delines, which happens to be the name of Byakko's race of divine tiger, bowed their heads as Aya walked past. Suddenly, Aya turned into her tiger form and so did Quintessa, but her's wasn't a complete tiger of course.

"You, tell me where my father is," Aya called out to a random Deline.

One of the random Deline's turned around and answered her.

"He's in his chamber, Hime-sama, and he won't be leaving any time soon."

Aya thanked the Deline and walked to the left-most tower. There, they walked up a flight of steps all the way to the top of the tower, where Byakko's personal chamber was. Since he wasn't expecting any visitors, he was caught in his true form.

Near the window sat a tiger of staggering size. To accommodate for his size, the room's ceiling was 50 feet high. If he stood on all fours, Byakko was easily 30 feet tall and a length of 80 feet. His white coat of fur was something to marvel at as red and orange stripes decorated his body. His long tail was white for the most part but ended in an orange tip. He also had little tufts of clouds sticking to his elbows and around his ears.

"Father, we're here to visit again."

Byakko jumped a bit at the sound of his daughter's voice. He turned around slowly to meet her gaze.

"Don't scare me like that, Aya. You know how I can get."

"Enough with the jokes and come greet your family properly."

Aya walked up to her father and rubbed her head against his body. Byakko took his paw and stroked her back. Quintessa and Jonathan joined them as they all hugged Byakko. He turned back into a human after they separated and greeted the others.

"Solis! It's good that you're here. Now we can continue our conversation--"

"Before that, I'm here to ask a favor."

Byakko caught onto the serious tone Solis took on, so he acted accordingly.

"What is it, Aurelios?"

"I ask that you allow my companions to stay here in your kingdom. Some circumstances prevent us from hiding on Earth."

"I can, but I need something from you in return."

"I haven't forgotten. Byakko of the West, I will lend my services to you whenever you need it."

Suddenly the air around them felt heavy.

"With that out of the way, let me welcome you guys, and my family, with a little feast! I'm sure you guys haven't eaten yet so it'd be my pleasure."

Everyone had smiles on their faces at his proposition.

"I'll take that as a yes. Oh, and Solis? If you would, I'd like you and the esteemed Suns to show up in 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘭 wear."

Solis, Tenacity, and Kalamati looked at one another.

"I'll make sure we do, Byakko."

"I appreciate it. I'll have one of my Bellators lead you three to your personal chambers."

Ad protested, "Hey! How come they get their own rooms?!"

"Ad," Fera hit his side, "It's not our place to ask."

"Yes, I'm sorry, Adamant, but I have things to discuss with the Suns. But rest assured, your rooms will be satisfactory."

Just then a tiger, Byakko's Bellator, appeared at the doorway.

"Ah, good, you're here. Please, take these three to our best guest room because they'll need it."

"As you wish, Byakko-dono."

The Bellator called to the three Suns and they followed her out the room. After that, Byakko set up his family a room and for the others as well. Before they left completely, they conversed with Byakko over miscellaneous things and had a few laughs.

"Alright, you guys should head to your rooms so you can get ready for tonight's feast."

Aya and Quintessa said goodbye to Byakko before they, and everyone else, left the room. Lyra walked out with them as well, but was halted when Byakko called to her.

"You, girl, stop for a minute."

"!"

She turned around and faced Byakko.

"I didn't have time to think about it, but your one of mine aren't you?"

"I-I've b-been told that I-I am, yes."

"To think you're Misashi's great-great-granddaughter. I will have to talk with you again sometime."

Like Aya, Byakko took an interest in Lyra. Since Byakko had nothing else to say, Lyra took that as her chance to leave. Once she was out of sight, Byakko turned to his window and looked out onto his kingdom once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Here we are. I hope the room is to your liking, so please, make yourselves at home."

The Bellator left the Suns at the entrance and to their own devices.

"What the? Why did he give us such a massive room?" Wondered Tenacity.

"I don't get it either. It's big enough for us to fit into comfortably as dragons," added Kalamati.

"I think that's the point, you two, Byakko didn't exactly expect us to arrive in our human forms. Since we're here, we might as well stretch out our actual limbs."

As what they referring to, the room truly was massive. It was a squared-off room with a ceiling that was easily ten stories tall. The floor was made of tiles that were colored in a vibrant green. Also, the walls were painted in sparkly gold while also having numerous murals of dragons, which clearly meant that the room was tailored for them. Besides that, the only things in the room were three "beds." They looked like the things humans gave to their dogs to sleep on but only super-sized. One bed was colored red and gold, one was black and green, while the last one was blue and white.

The three of them stepped into the room and let the doors shut behind them. Simultaneously, the three of them transformed in gold, black, and blue flashes of light.

Tenacity was a Dragon clad in a jet-black hide and white underbelly and the same gold accents as Solis. Like Solis, his dragon form showed off the gold color of his eyes. He was quite muscular, even for a dragon, and he was a few feet taller than his cousin. On his head were two pairs of horns, one larger pair and one smaller pair that sat beside the larger ones, that gave him a devilish look. His wings were a lot bigger than Solis's and not so ripped up. But his most discerning features were the scars all over his body and the bladed end of his tail.

Kalamati was the smallest of the three, being 10 feet shorter than Solis, but was undoubtedly the prettiest with her cerulean-colored hide and gold accents like her companions. She was clearly the unusual one as her eyes were mismatched pair of red and gold. Her scales were glossier and made her shine a lot more than her male companions. Unlike them, she lacked horns but had weird protrusions that curved backward, which surrounded her eyes. On the tip of her snout, she had a horn-like structure jutting out. The rest of herself was proportionate with her size and one could even call her petite, for a dragon that is. But the most unique thing about Kalamati had to be the lack of scars she had on her, which can be attributed to her specialty in a fight.

Kalamati shook her body, happy to wear her true skin, Tenacity flexed his strong limbs and let his tail extend to its full length, and Solis twisted his neck as he cracked a few of his bones.

"You know, it's been so long since I've seen you as a dragon, Kalamati, that I keep forgetting how much smaller you are compared to us."

"It's because you guys are males, Solis!"

Tenacity and Solis's laughing shook the whole room and even caused the walls to crack a little.

"We'll have to apologize to Byakko for the damage," Solis remarked.

"Not 'we,' just you," replied Tenacity.

"Me? You were the idiot who decided to laugh as loud as me!"

"No, you were clearly louder!"

They bashed heads and stared each other down. Kalamati stepped in and whacked both of their heads with her tail.

"Not here, guys, or else the walls won't be the only thing broken. Look, for now, let's just rest and we'll leave once Byakko calls on us."

They broke away and took to their beds. Kalamati fluffed her pillows while Tenacity and Solis plopped themselves onto theirs. It didn't take them long to lose consciousness and soon, Kalamati followed. A few hours later, a different Bellator was sent by Byakko to go and wake the sleeping Suns. The sound of knocking echoed throughout the room as the Bellator hit the door a few times. Kalamati was the only one who woke up to the noise, while Solis and Tenacity were too deep in sleep.

"Is it time?"

The Bellator leaped away from the door as soon as he saw Kalamati's head peek out the door.

"Wah?! An intruder!"

His voice bounced off the walls and alerted his fellow Bellators. Soon, ten of them gathered near the door and bared their fangs at Kalamati.

"Who are you and what did you do with our guests!? Our Lord won't take kindly to those who come in uninvited!" Spoke the Bellator who first saw her.

One of his companions walked up beside him with a confused gaze. He was one of ten that came to his call of intruders but now that seemed to be a false alarm. So, in order to save what little dignity his companion would have, he told him who the Dragon was.

"Hey, that IS our guest. Have you never seen an Asterian Dragon before?"

"What? There's a race with such a name?"

"Have you been living under a rock? Anyway, just stand down, or else you'll continue to make yourself look stupid."

They all relaxed and this Bellator looked up at Kalamati to apologize.

"On behalf of my ignorant comrade, we apologize for the misunderstanding. He is young and too energetic for his own good, so I hope that you find it in your heart to forgive him."

"No harm no foul," replied Kalamati.

The commotion caused by the ignorant Bellator woke Solis and Tenacity up.

"Hey, is it time yet?" Solis asked.

The door swung open and there stood all three Suns. The Bellator who had just apologized instantly bowed his head, along with eight of his other comrades, except one.

"Hey! Bow down!"

This was, of course, directed at his naive comrade who didn't realize what he was looking at. So, he was forced by his comrade to bow.

"It's an honor to meet the revered Suns, in the flesh. If I may ask, why are there only two of the Suns? I remember in the stories that they always came in threes."

"This blue temptress before you IS our third, but I do not fault you for not knowing. She made it her mission not to be known as a Sun during our time," responded Solis.

"I did not know, Aurelios-dono, I assumed she was just another Dragon."

"You're not at fault, now please, raise your heads," Kalamati told them.

"Since this matter has been resolved, why don't you lead us to the dining hall? I'm getting hungry and I want to get over whatever ceremony Byakko wants to be done," Tenacity urged.

"Our apologies, Tenacity-dono, we'll do just that."

All of the Bellators started walking and the Suns followed. The ground shook as each of their large figures walked across the tiled floors. When they arrived, they were surprised at how big the dining hall was. Rows upon rows of tables were where numerous Deline's sat and ate. Byakko sat himself and his close family members at the very end of the hall, those who attended at least.

"Ah! Our honored guests are here!"

All of the Delines in the hall turned toward the door; some had their jaws fall to the floor, some seized up, and some had grins that went from ear to ear.

"Come! Stand beside me and let me introduce you three!"

They separated from the Bellators and walked through the rows of tables to stand beside Byakko.

"My subjects! Some of you may already know who these beings are, but nonetheless! They are in need of introduction."

The Delines stood up from their tables and awaited their Lord to speak.

"These beings are the three that make up the most powerful force this world will ever know! They are the Suns of the fallen Sol Regnum and they will be at the forefront of our rebellion!"

"What!?" Solis shouted. He and the Suns were shocked at the declaration.

"With their might and our new creation, we shall lay waste to the oppressive Great Ones! Victory is the only glory we seek!"

The dining hall erupted in cheer as the Delines sounded off with thunderous roars. Solis hated to cut into their celebration but he had things he needed to ask. He let out a roar of his own and the dining hall became quiet once more. His roar lingered for a moment as it bounced off the walls.

"Byakko, what is this talk about rebellion?"

"You can't blame me, Solis, when I heard rumors that the Great Ones were going to reward the Drakes with all the territories that the Lower Half owned, I was furious! I wouldn't allow this to happen. After all, I was given this kingdom by a good friend of mine and I didn't want to shame his honor."

Byakko looked at Solis with serious eyes because the 'good friend' he was referring to was him. Solis had gone through many trials to acquire this airspace so that Byakko could start his foundations for a kingdom.

"I understand the situation a bit better but from my knowledge, you're not equipped for a war against the Upper Half, the Pillars, or the Great Ones."

"I wasn't before, but I am now. I've had my smartest minds come together to create a never-before-seen creation. Once this feast is over, I'll explain everything in detail."

Solis felt the determination pulsing through Byakko's body and it lit a spark in his soul. Now, he had another comrade he could lean on for his revenge. Something he hadn't felt in a long time started flowing through his body, it was the lust for a battle. He turned to face the Delines, and planted his powerful foot onto the floor, and proclaimed to them.

"DELINES! Rejoice! You have the might of the Golden Sun at your side and I promise you will taste nothing but victory!"

"Ah, it's been a long time since I've seen Solis like this," Tenacity commented.

"It has been a while," added Kalamati.

Tenacity stepped forward and made a statement as well.

"Yes! Heed his words! You have the might of the Black Sun at your side and I promise to ravage all of those in opposition!"

Finally, Kalamati took her stance as well.

"There's nothing that can stop you now! You have the might of the Blue Sun at your side and I promise to make your enemies know true fear!"

The three of them let out roars that signaled the start of a great battle. They stared back once again at the Delines and waited for their response. To them, the eyes of the Suns were a guiding light and they felt they would never be led astray. In response, they let out even mightier roars than before.

"It's settled then! Let us party! Party in celebration of the inevitable end to the Great Ones!"