The High Council Descends

The next morning, Syndel and Kendell woke up around the time, the sun hadn't risen yet. They went to the bathroom after each other and returned to the room, Syndel was feeling especially affectionate.

"Do you think we can-" She asked, gesturing to Kendell. His eyes low, but a light smile lit up the room.

"We can't be too loud, and you left scratches all over me last night." Kendell replied, feeling the scratches.

" I'm sorry... So, can we?" She asked again, hanging over his shoulder as she placed her hands around his sides.

"Of course silly." He replied, stealing a kiss from her; the day beautifully.

Ash, Jillian, and Marco stayed in the other guest room next to Rene's while Rosa and Rene slept together in the same room. Rene woke up shortly after the sun rose and started to prepare the kitchen to cook breakfast for everyone there. After washing the dishes, Rosa joined her in the kitchen, helping her cook before she had to leave to open up the guild.

"Oh my, I didn't notice the time. I gotta go. Gil will be leaving town for the weekend, so if you're looking for him. It'd be best to get in touch with him before noon. Alright, I got to go. See you later today Rene and thank you so much for having me." Rosa hugged Rene from behind and left for the guild.

A subtle crash and tremor shook the house for a split second. Nothing that would cause an uproar, but Rene noticed. Ash and Jillian joined Rene in the kitchen. "Good morning you two, I'm making breakfast if you're hungry."

"Good morning," they both smiled in unison.

"You're looking better than you did yesterday, did something happen Rene?" Jillian asked.

"Nothing special, I just realized a couple of things. I'll tell you all about it once everyone comes to eat."

Marco walked into the kitchen as Rene was cooking, "is that a North Deiden special I smell? I must've died and went to paradise."

Rene laughed out loud, "good morning to you too Marco. You seem to be in good spirits, I wonder why's that?" She looked at Jillian.

"I am a better man than I was yesterday, so I'll look forward and let things be." Marco replied.

Jillian smiled and replied, "let's hope so."

After Rene finally finished cooking and was completely done, she set the plates and got ready to serve breakfast. Syndel and Kendell rose from their rooms, spirits were through the roof and their own energy lit up the room.

"Good morning to all of you beautiful people, let's have a wonderful day and live to our fullest capabilities." Kendell announced as he and Syndel walked into the dining room.

"Good morning," everyone sounded off one after another.

"You two seem to be in good spirits as well. That's great, now we can all start from square one. There's something alarming about these two investigations that I need to tell you all. Before I move onto a more positive subject."

Eyes shifted towards her, they waited for her to say. "So, Gavriel was in the middle of forging documents for the Sakuragi family. As most of you know, the shogun of Cloven is the Empress Reki Sakuragi. The hiccup here is, the fact that this investigation is stretching beyond just country affairs now. This puts the country of Cedrus and Cloven in very hot water... Last night, I saw a very vivid memory of Gavriel meeting the Empress and explicitly mentioning the Red Dragon and Witch were going to be coming this way. I have no idea who these names are for, but I know it is not something that is coincidental.." Rene spoke.

"Red Dragon... Maybe this ties into the Blackwood Collective also, since the Black Dragons were responsible for the assassination." Ash spoke up first.

"After touching that man yesterday, it's not the case at all. I've only heard Red Dragon a few times and that was when we were stationed in the city. Our next destination will most likely be Luminaria. I'd hate to go anywhere near that town, but it has to be done." Rene, replied. She sat down. "Let's eat before the food gets cold."

Everyone began to dig in and eat, they ate and continued the conversation for quite some time. Ash, Marco, and Jillian left for the guild. Kendell and Syndel washed the remainder of the dishes then relaxed for a while with Rene.

"So Rene, I'd like to show you something." Syndel spoke, grabbing Kendell's hand.

"You want to do it now? We haven't switched in quite some time."

"Yes, I want her to see it."

"Fine, don't get overwhelmed." Kendell spoke, caressing her cheek.

The switch happened almost instantly, Syndel stood up.

"Tis I! Syndel Ianbellis! Heir to the Ianbal throne and daughter of- wait. I don't know your mother's name." Syndel spoke, looking down at Kendell.

"It's Rinlia, the only other member of the Divine Black Eyes. And the strongest sorcereress in the last century. Only a handful of people know the name of my mother. Let's keep it this way." Kendell replied.

Syndel grabbed Kendell's hands and fell forward.

"Told you not to get overwhelmed, but I expected this." Kendell spoke, holding her as they sat on the couch.

"So that's Arcana Cortex at its core? That's kind of cool." Rene replied.

Kendell replied, "she can't handle it even as of now. But it's alright. As long as I draw breath. She won't ever have to use it again."

"I noticed you two didn't bring any weapons with you, were you unarmed this whole time?"

"After the dungeon in Dimfield, we kind of had to dump the stuff we had in order to stay lowkey. We should consider going to get some more weapons though, if we're going to Luminaria. that is."

"I'll take you two to the best smith in the country, his creations are always perfect."

"One sec, I'd like to draw up something." Kendell replied, as he ran down the hall going to the room.

As Kendell, Syndel, and Rene walked into the forge, they were greeted by the sound of ringing metal and the smell of heated metal. The smith, a tall and stout man with a long beard, looked up from his work and nodded in greeting.

"Welcome, travelers. What brings you to my humble abode?" he asked, wiping his brow with a dirty rag.

"We're in need of weapons," Kendell replied, holding out the blueprint of the sword he desired. "And we were told you're the best in the business."

The man took the blueprint and studied it carefully, his eyes narrowing as he examined every detail. "A sword for high heat, eh? That's not an easy task. It'll require the best materials and a skilled hand to craft."

Kendell nodded. "I understand. I want this sword to be able to withstand the fire of a dragon's breath."

The smith stroked his beard thoughtfully. "I have just the thing. Mithril or adamantium, highly heat resistant metals that can withstand the heat of the forge. But they're not easy to come by. It'll cost you a pretty penny."

Kendell pulled out a sack of gold coins from his backpack. "Money isn't an issue. I want the best."

The smith grinned. "I like your style, lad. Leave it to me, and I'll create a sword that'll make even the gods jealous."

After around an hour, he managed to finish the sword in record time, Syndel spoke out. "And that's why he's the best smith in the country."

"Try this out, let me know if there's anything different I can do to it." He said, passing Kendell the sword. Kendell examined the sword, his eyes glowed at it's beauty. "This will work out great, thank you."

The smith looked over at Syndel and asked, "What about for the misses? She seems to be a mage. How about I make her a bracelet that can cast magic silently?"

Syndel's ears perked up at the mention of a magical bracelet. "That sounds intriguing," she said, stepping forward to examine the dwarven smith's wares more closely.

The smith chuckled. "I have just the thing for you, my dear." He rummaged through a small chest behind the counter and produced a delicate silver bracelet, its surface adorned with small runes that glowed faintly in the dim light of the shop.

"This is a special bracelet," he explained, handing it to Syndel. "It's enchanted to allow for silent casting of magic, which means you can cast spells without speaking incantations aloud. Very useful for those who prefer to keep their magic a secret."

Syndel examined the bracelet with a keen eye, admiring the intricate runes etched into the silver. "This is truly remarkable work," she said. "How did you manage to enchant it?"

The smith grinned, clearly pleased with the compliment. "Ah, now that is a trade secret, my dear. Suffice it to say, it took me many years of study and experimentation to perfect this enchantment. But I'm glad to see it's found its way to someone who can appreciate it."

Syndel nodded, slipping the bracelet onto her wrist and admiring how it fit snugly against her skin. "Thank you," she said, turning to Kendell and Rene. "I think this will come in very handy."

The smith looked closely at Syndel and Kendell's hands and noticed the black rings they wore. "Those are some interesting rings you have there," he said, pointing to their hands. "May I take a closer look and appraise them? I might be able to do some maintenance to them as well. It'll be on the house."

Syndel looked down at her ring, feeling protective of it. "It's okay if you want to appraise it," she said hesitantly.

Kendell, on the other hand, was more curious. "Sure, go ahead and take a look. We don't really know much about these rings ourselves, so any information you can give us would be helpful," he said.

The smith nodded and took their hands, examining the rings carefully. After a few moments, he furrowed his brow and said, "I've never seen anything quite like this before. These rings are made of a unique metal, and there are some strange markings on them that I don't recognize. It looks like they might be magical in nature."

Syndel and Kendell exchanged glances, surprised by the smith's assessment. "Magical, you say?" Kendell asked, intrigued.

"Yes, indeed," the smith replied. "I'd be happy to take a closer look at them and see if there's anything I can do to enhance their magical properties."

Syndel and Kendell looked at each other, silently communicating. They both had a feeling that these rings were going to be crucial in their upcoming journey, so any enhancements would be greatly appreciated. "Sure, go ahead," Syndel said, holding out her hand for the smith to take a closer look.

"I see, I see. They're both expanding your mana pools by a small amount, this is an extraordinary find. However, I can make a minor adjustment to give you both a larger pool if you're wearing the rings. It will only take a small moment of course."

"That's cool," Kendell and Syndel slipped off the rings and gave them to him. After a short moment of tinkering, he gave them back.

"I think we'll go to have a beautiful relationship regarding having a go to smith. Rene did you not want anything?" Kendell asked.

"I'm not sure what I'm looking for. Besides the sword I have right now, I don't know what to look for." Rene replied.

"I have an idea of what to make you, it'll be ready tomorrow. I've got a shipment of mermaid scale coming by tonight. I'll commence when it arrives."

"Thank you so much for today." Rene spoke, the smith nodded in satisfaction.

Kendell asked,"I never did catch your name, what is it?"

"Eda, I'm the craftsman of Lightcrest and the bladesmith of South Deiden."

"Thank you, master smith, for your fine craftsmanship and enchantment. It's nice to make your acquaintance, and thank you for the sword. I hope to purchase more of your weapons later down the line."

"It's my pleasure, honestly." Eda replied, giving a small smile. As they left the smithy, they couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration for the skill and artistry of the smith.

"I heard from Ash that the High Council should be at the guild right now, we should make an appearance. Maybe they know something about your kingdom's situation." Rene spoke.

Syndel nodded, they headed to the guild. As Rene walked through the doors of the guild, there was some commotion going on. Kendell and Syndel followed as they were led to a meeting room where the High Council of Cedrus were expected to be. On both sides of the doors were knights from Cedrus, as they recognized both Kendell and Syndel.

"I did not expect to see you two here, please go inside." One of the knights spoke, they stopped Rene.

"What business do you have-"

"She's with us and was the one originally whos been investigating it. She has more right being in there than us." Syndel replied to the knight.

"My apologies, please enter."

As the door opened, all eyes shifted towards it. The talking ceased, even the nobles stopped to look. One of them recognized Syndel despite the disguise, "Syndel, so this is where you ended up.. I'm glad you made it out." Queen Ramiel of the Lupine Beastkin spoke.

"So this is the Syndel Ianbellis. I must say, you're starting to look more like your mother every day." Margo Love of the Great Forest added on.

"You knew my mother?" Syndel asked, curiously.

"You must be the lead detective on the case. Rene I presume? You're Terra's daughter, yes? Oh I should introduce myself. I'm Dimitri Volkov, the King of the Urisines Kingdom. I never expected to see the Ayele family here. But, back on the main subject; you were the lead detective on the case. I'd like to know more about the case."

"I am the lead detective on this case, and I have some important information to share. Gavriel was murdered, and it turns out he was involved in something much bigger than we had thought. When I found him, everyone he was with had been targeted and hit all at once. Gavriel was the last one standing, but his injuries were too severe. Before he died, he gave me something called a World Power, which made me realize that he was in the middle of a much larger scheme. Memories flooded my mind, and I discovered that the Sakuragi Royal Family of Luminaria, Cloven, and the Blackwood Collective all conspired to kill Gavriel. But that's only a part of it.

For months, Gavriel had been traveling to and from Cloven and was forging documents for the Sakuragi family. He was also working with the Blackwood Collective, although both parties did not like each other. Gavriel made an attempt to cross both the Sakuragi Family and the Blackwood Collective at once, but they got to him before he could even make it out. He transported Kendell and Syndel in the hopes that both parties would come after them, assuming they were Gavriel's allies. But, as it goes, they got to him before he could succeed.

I was already investigating the Sakuragi family, but I can't connect all the dots at this moment. This is a conspiracy so big that it could put the entire country of Cedrus at risk. Queen Ramiel, I wanted to tell you firsthand what's happening. I doubt either party is done, and I believe they will take action at the least expecting moment. Please exercise heavy caution, as the legitimacy of the Sakuragi's rule is put into question, along with a bigger conspiracy that the entire country of Cedrus had been involved. But we know this to not be the case. This situation is even bigger than the Spice Coast incident, and I'm sure everyone knows how that went. That's the situation at hand, for the most part." Rene paused, looking across the table at Queen Ramiel.

Queen Ramiel sat in silence, trying to think of something to say. But nothing could be thought of, no words could explain the conflict she was feeling. Then, King Jacques spoke up.

"So to my underssstanding, Gavriel was doing something very shady behind all of our backs. He thought he could get away with it and met the ssssame demise that brought him into all of thisss? I deem it fair. . It's not usual for corrupt diplomatsss to take thisss path. I've ssseen it before." He spoke, Queen Dora Durmand of the Kobold Kingdom nodded in agreement.

"I do agree with this, but the man will still be charged for the crime of murdering Gavriel." Queen Nala added.

"His punishment will be slow and painful just as Gavriel's last moments were.. It's only right." Queen Ramiel spoke, laying her paw flat on the table.

Margo fixed her piercing gaze on Kendell, the force of her stare almost palpable. "Kendell, is it?" she began, her tone dripping with an undercurrent of danger. "I have a burning question for you. It's not related to the investigation, but I must know. Is it true that you wield Surtr?"

As soon as the word left her lips, the building began to tremble. Margo continued, undeterred. "After the incident in Matiy, you were bestowed a gift from the gods. A gift so powerful that entire countries went into alert after what happened. You harbor a great world power, but I believe they're calling it something else nowadays. And not to mention, you don't look like any person I've seen in this world, and I've been around for a very long time. Where did you come from?"

Kendell hesitated, sensing the danger lurking beneath Margo's words. "Yes, I do wield it," he admitted cautiously. "You know more about it? And I was summoned here."

Margo rose from her seat, looming over Kendell with a threatening air. Her forest green dress with vines as straps added to her imposing aura. Her hair flowed even though the air in the room was still. Everyone in the room held their breath, waiting to see what would happen next.

"Why yes, I remember the last time it was bestowed on the world," Margo replied, her smile vanishing. "Right before the world was thrown into chaos." The room fell silent, the tension between the two palpable.

Queen Ramiel intervened, sensing the danger that was building. "I think it's best not to talk about that anymore," she said firmly, casting a warning glance at Margo.

Margo's mana dissipated, but not before she issued a warning to Kendell. "I won't speak of Surtr again, but be warned, boy," she said, her voice low and menacing. "This is not a game like in your former world. There are things even I, as old as I am, cannot fathom." With that, the tremors ceased, and the air in the room began to move again.

Kendell felt a chill run down his spine at Margo's words, knowing that she was someone to be feared. He couldn't shake the feeling that she was sizing him up, testing his limits. He couldn't afford to let his guard down around her.

"I have one more question though Rene. How did you know that Gavriel came from my kingdom?" Queen Ramiel asked.

"He wore the crest of his majesty like a medal of honor, and he wore colors similar to your dress right now, I think he knew he was going to die. But the unexpected happened." Rene replied.

Gil finally broke his silence after sitting in, monitoring the situation, "so have you all reached a conclusion?"

"Yes. I think we have. Thank you Rene, without you. We'd be in a heap of trouble. I'd like to reward you for your effort."

"I'd like for you to improve your relationship with North Deiden if it's not too much to ask. I'm sure you and the ministry of Alcof would be great associates." Rene suggested.

"I'll consider it, I should be seeing them very soon." She replied, finally shaking hands with Rene.

Kendell, Rene, and Syndel left the room as the sun began to finally set as the first moon rose. They returned to Rene's loft, Rene crashed on the couch and Syndel sat in the recliner. Kendell picked up the sword and examined it again. Appreciating it's beauty, he was really solidified in this world now. As he thought back to what Margo Love said, he looked into the mirror with the sword drawn.

"Surtr." The sword slowly began to glow as the runes along the blade began to light up. The loft began to slowly tremor. Then Kendell closed his eyes, focusing in on the shaking and caused it to cease. When he opened his eyes, the sword was indescribably hot and glowing. He focused and suppressed the heat. "So this is it's true name, this will prove to be useful in the future. Amplification and earthquakes."

Rene knocked on Kendell's door. "Hey, do you have a moment to talk?"

Kendell sheathed his sword and nodded. "Yeah, sure. What's on your mind?"

"I wanted to ask you something... It's about your memories."

Kendell's face fell. "I'm not sure that's a good idea. You might see things you're not ready for."

"I understand that, but... I really want to see them for myself. I promise I won't pry too much."

Kendell hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Okay, I guess. I don't really know how this works, though."

Rene sat across from Kendell on the floor and took his hands in hers. At first, she saw memories of the past few days and weeks, but as she focused more intently, she began to see more of Kendell's life. Her nose started to bleed, but she brushed it off.

"Is everything okay?" Kendell asked, concerned.

"Yeah, it's fine. I'm just going deeper."

As Rene delved deeper into Kendell's memories, she began to feel overwhelmed. She saw the accident that had changed his life and gasped in shock. Tears streamed down her face as she witnessed his entire life up until this moment.

Finally, she released Kendell's hands and looked at him. "I'm so sorry," she said, her voice choked with emotion.

Kendell looked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Rene hugged him tightly. "Your life... I saw it all. I can't even imagine what you've been through."

Kendell was taken aback by Rene's emotional outburst, but he tried his best to comfort her. Rain began to pour outside as she cried on his shoulder.

Syndel woke up and came into the room. "What's going on?" she asked.

Rene turned to her and hugged her too. "I'm sorry," she said.

Suddenly, Syndel was flooded with Kendell's memories. She gasped in shock and stumbled back against the wall.

"What the hell is happening?" Kendell asked, bewildered.

Rene wiped away her tears and looked at him. "I think your memories are more powerful than you realize. I'm honestly surprised you've managed to keep your composure up to this point."

Kendell didn't know what to say, so he stayed silent. Rene and Syndel cried uncontrollably as the memories of Kendell's life unfolded before them. Kendell felt uncomfortable and powerless, not knowing what to do or say to make it better. He couldn't even see the reason for their tears. Eventually, the memories ceased, and the two of them fell asleep, exhausted from the emotional strain.

He went outside into the backyard and began to practice with his sword. As he moved through the forms, he noticed the potential of the weapon and how it could be improved.

Lost in thought, Kendell racked his brain for a name for the sword. He wanted it to reflect its power and beauty. After much consideration, he finally settled on a name that he felt embodied both. The name rolled off his tongue as he tested the blade's balance and weight.

As he practiced, Kendell felt a sense of clarity and purpose wash over him. The sword represented more than just a weapon to him; it was a symbol of his past, present, and future. He continued to hone his skills, feeling confident in his ability to wield this newfound power.

Channeling Ragnarök as he held the blade, he raised it far into the air and called out. "Surtr, bring forth a Hurricane." The ground began to shake as the wind and rain began pulling sideways. Kendell's heart was full and his mind only had one clear goal from this point forward.

The quakes ceased and he resheathed the sword, looking up at the sky. "So, Margo Love of the Great Forest was it? Perhaps there's more I need to do in this world before I think about calling it quits." Kendell went back inside as the rain began to stop.