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Garroth was never happy in Ok'hasis. He never would have been. His whole life he stood there, staring at that damn statue.

A man, standing tall, clad in armor that made him seem so much bigger than he was. Sword, shethed into the stone beneath him, helmet in one hand, other rested on the hilt of the sword.

Esmund Ro'Meave.

Eveyone, Irene-damn everyone told him day in and day out that Garroth was his spitting image. His passion, his looks, his strength. When rumors of Divine Reincarnations murmured through Ru'aun, Garroth was put at the center of it. He was related to one by blood, he looked like him perfectly, so why wouldn't he be?

Garroth wanted nothing to do with that man. A self proclaimed hero, no matter the horrid things he did, the pain he left behind him to carve a path for the Divine in a world they weren't welcome. Were HE wasn't welcome.

Every day his father would drag him around the castle, day in day out, history lessons, fighting lessons, etiquette lessons, never a break.

That statue made him sick. Esmund, stood proud and tall in the court yard, one replica sitting in Ok'hasis's center. No where he went he was haunted by him. It was mocking him. HE was mocking him.

It took weeks of convincing, but eventually Jeffory had agreeded to help him do it, help him fake his death. The guard gained nothing from it. If anything he was putting his own life in more danger than he would ever know.

The first thing he did when he escaped was cut his hair. He couldn't stand it anymore. The bullshit Ok'hasian tradition of 'perfect' hair. His father's had been to the floor, his mother's close. The cute had been uneven, he had nicked himself a little, but the freedom he felt, the weight he felt lift from his chest when he gazed in the river, he nearly cried.

He ran. He knew the guard academy was always open to 'run aways'. Just give them a name and they'd let you in.

Garroth Ro'Meave didn't exist anymore.

Lucian Ciro was the newest trainee in the Ru'aunian Guard Academy.

The years passed like nothing. Finally he felt more than he had in so long. When he graduated, Lucian joined a band of travlers, acting as a guard for them for a while until they had been approached by an old woman one day. She had silver hair, and wore a purple headcovering.

She spoke with a wisdom Lucian only wished to ever know. She asked him for his services. To help her travel across Ru'aun as she was carrying a very important relic of sorts on her person and needed a personal guard.

It would have been dumb to say no, so of course Lucian joined her. The woman, Hyria quickly made her intentions known. She told him she knew who he was. The Lucian Ciro was never a Ru'aunian man, that Garroth Ro'Meave never died that day. Lucian had asked her what she intended to do with that information. She told him nothing, she had no reason to share it with anyone, but he deserved to know that someone understood, that someone knew his story.

After days on fhe road, Hyria told him she was a witch, a witch heavy beyond his years. That she had lived amongst the divine themselves. Lucian didn't believe her at first. She told him she had asked for him specifically to protect her through Ru'aun, that she knew he was meant to be someone important to Ru'aun history. That like her, his soul was closely tied to the Divine, yet not in the way he thought it was.

The Sacred Woods had scared him at first. Now a days Lucian could find his way through them blindfolded. Hyria had shown him the relic. That of Esmund the Divine King. She told him it was about that time. That the new reincarnation of Esmund come about.

A wave of relief had washed over Lucian in that moment. He wasn't that man, he wasn't what everyone egged him to be.

It was a clearing, Lucian would come to know this clearing well.

There were already some people there, gathered in some kind of semi circle.

A mountian of a man, long hair, body and face covered by a long cloak, wolf ears poking through the opening of it. A werewolf no doubt, Lucian had hear folk stories of them, but had never met on in the flesh, or, well, fur.

The man had two women with him, at least the first time Lucian had met them it was two, at some point it became three, he couldn't recall when it changed.

One was shorter, she had black hair and was dressed well. How he recalled many wives of lords dressed, but almost, more humble? There was something about her that was warm, and simple in the best ways.

Then there was the mifwa, with lavander hair and olive green eyes. She scared Lucian a little. She held herself quite strong, claws at the ready almost the whole time.

The third woman was a werewolf as well. She didn't seem too out of place, save for her starkingly contrasting clothing, all in blacks and reds.

He would learn this was Aaron Lucaine, decendent of Drae'lic (Shad), the Divine Destroyer, and the woman accompanying him were his wives.

There was a woman around Lucian's age. Her hair was like fire, billowing behind her even when it seemed there was no wind around them. Red eyes that stab right through him, but she smiled at him so nicely. Lucinda, Hyria's daughter, and a reincarnation of Menphina the Divine Protector.

An erie man who's hair and skin were white as snow, unnaturally so. Eyes a piercing green with large, purple and black horns sprouting from his head. His fingers were tipped with claws, his hands having a balck gradient to them, while his face was noteably covered by ever changing blobs of purple hued black staining. Travis Valkrum, decendent of Enki the Divine Keeper, and son to a demon. Apparently the man wanted little to do with the other's and the divine, but he had a ancestor to please.

And finally, a man who seemed, while not the tallest amongst all of them, something was off about how tall he was. Like he wasn't properly proportioned, his arms seemed to be too long, or maybe his torso. Half his body was covered in this large scaring that was completely black. Like a void. His eye on that side was burned shut, but it seemed like something below the eyelid was glowing. He was leaned against a tree, seemingly asleep somehow. Modzilla. A very, strange name for a man Lucian would think, but Hyria would simple joke that Modzilla was from very far away, a realm not of their own.

He would come to learn this ritual of sorts needed all the divine relics present, thus why those who possesed one had to be there.

Because of this, there became small treaties of peace between the people of Travis' group, Falcon Claw, the Witches of Ru'aun and what Modzilla refered to as 'Realm Hoppers'. Later, this treaty would extend to Phoenix Drop.

That night would change Lucian's life forever, in the best of ways. While Hyria infirmed him a divine could come from a relic at any age, for some reason Esmund's emerged as a baby, shocking almost all of those around the circle. Lucian was, astonished to say the least. Hyria told them she had assumptions as why the relic would chose to start from scratch, and to that Modzilla had simply scoffed out a laugh, Travis stating that Enki would find great amusment in this.

Lucian though, was stuck in amazment at the small child Hyria held. He had know of children born from magic, that it was something only very skilled witches were capable of, and those who wanted a magic born child had to pay a heafty amount for one. It was nearly a taboo, so of course this little one amazed him.

Hyria held him out, almost in offering, asking who wanted to take up the job of raising this one. Everyone was silent, looking down at the child nervously.

Aaron said they already had a child, but didn't want to be overwhelmed with a relic baby while trying to already raise a toddler.

Modzilla said he was busy with his research and own son, which Lucian would later learn was just a carbon clone of Modzilla.

Lucinda just laughed at her mother when Hyria, albeit jokingly, held the baby out to her.

Travis said it wouldn't be a great idea the raise another divine right in front of Enki himself. Unbeknownst to Lucian at the time, Enki in a way was still alive. Set in some kind of permenant stasis sleep on he Enki Warrior Tribe island, somewhere deep in the island and away from the usual common folk.

When Hyria sighed and was about to accept the idea of having to raise another little divine, Lucian spoke up, fumbling through his words but saying he could do it, or well, help. Hyria smiled at him, gebtly holding out the baby and handing it to him.

Lucian took him, unexperienced as he was, and looked down at the little one. He had a mop of these dull yet deep red curls, they already looked unruly.

He looked at Hyria, nervous but almost giddy in a way. He asked what the kid would be named and Hyria said he could name him whatever he wanted. Lucian asked if he wouldn't just be named Esmund, and Hyria laughed, asking if anyone in this circle was just named after their divine ancestor, and everyone seemed to take a humor to that.

Lucian thought for a moment, before nodding and looking down at the baby.

"Zenix. It was the name of a late friend of mine from the guard academy."

"Zenix, a nice name." Hyria said, taking a extra head covering from the bag Lucian wore, and wrapping the bab in it before handing him back to Lucian.

After that night, Lucian stuck with Hyria and Lucinda while they returned to the two's home just outside of Pikoro Village. He stayed there for a few years, slowly raising Zenix as he grew and acting as a guard for the two witches. In return, Hyria started teaching him magics. It started when Zenix, the rambunctious two year old he was, running around the cabin when he learned how to walk, had fallen over a table and got a good gnash on his leg from it. It started with simple healing magics, Hyria showing him how to on Zenix when the toddler got small injuries.

When Zenix was 7, Lucian decided it was time for them to leave. Lord Luke of Pikoro, on one of his many visits into the Sacred Forest, had informed them of a new town being established just across the coast of Bright Port that was looking for more prople, especially guards. Of course Hyria got defensive, asking her husband if he was trying to steal her guard from her, and Lord Luke joked that he would never, but he couldn't imagine Lucian was simply happy staying cooped in this cabin with a young child.

While he was upset to leave, Lucian promised both Zenix and Hyria that they would be back, they would visit when possible and Hyria would be more than welcome to visit them. Hyria told he'd have to come back at some point, since there was still one more relic to wake, and he would need to bring Zenix.

After their goodbyes, Lucian and Zenix set out for this little town. If he thought raising a 7 year old was tough, travling with one was worse. Lucian had done his fair share of travling, but Zenix made it more interesting, and stressful to say the least. Lucian had lost count of how many wild critters the child had picked up and begged his father to take with them.

Phoenix Drop was, small to say the least. Lord Malik welcomed them with open arms, and was even estatic when Lucian inquired about guard positions.

Years went by easy and calm for the most part. Lord Malik had announced his wife Matilda was pregnant and it was a whole celebration amongst the village.

The joy in the village was cut short only days later, as the village was attacked by a band of Shadow Knights. Lord Malik was slaughtered in the town center, Lady Matilda running away with the help of a few villagers by Lucian's orders.

While trying to calm and distribute the panicking villagers, a band of Shadow Knights had kidnapped Zenix, holding as some kind of ransome while demanding they be given Lady Matilda. When Lucian refused, the shadows killed Zenix, without a second thought. Lucian isn't proud of that night, but anyone who was there and saw what happened don't blame him.

All he had seen was red, and made a near massacre of the small army of Shadow Knights himself.

Lucian sat there, holding his son's body and he wept. He apologized, he prayed, he BEGGED, he did everything he could to plead with the powers abobe to bring his boy back. He was only 10, he was dreaming of joing the junior guard courses Dale had started. He told everyone in the village how he wanted to be jist like his dad.

The first time Lucian had ever been to the Nether was not a fun one. He had gone through a broken man, slaughtering and Shadow Knight that had stood in his path. He had heard some of them brag of how proud their lord was that they managed to snag a divine as a new sacrifices.

He searched that whole palace, leaving not a room unturned for his son. When he eventually found Zenix and a few other unlucky souls of those from Phoenix Drop who he couldn't have saved, he let them all out. He held Zenix the whole time, the young boy not letting his father go for a second.

Getting used to being Shadow Knights was, tough for Zenix and the others. Phoenix Drop became one of the only towns openly letting refugee Shadow Knights seek peace from the Nether.

When the time came to demolish Malik's house, it was a somber day. Lucian had Brendon and Dale assisting him, as Zenix was still recovering from his Nether-caused wounds. Breaking into the basement was not difficult, he had found a key burried by the roots of a young tree. What he found down there though astonished him.

Mailk's desk held a few journls and books, but next to it rested a perch of sorts, similar to the ones the falconry in Ok'hasis had, but atop the perch was not a falcon or owl, or any bird kept by anyone, but instead it was an elegant phoenix. Firey feathers emiting their own light, weakly chirping at Lucian as he approached it. He held his hand out nervously, and the bird rubbed against it. It was warm, but it didn't burn like Lucian thought it might. It was weak, no doubt from being stuck in a basement for weeks if not months at this point.

While it made little to no noise, it seemed to be talking to Lucian directly, a voice he couldn't describe speaking in his mind. It told him of it's agreement with Malik, asking where he was, which Lucian somberly informed the creature that he had been executed by a band of Shadow Knights. The bird said it made sense now why it was becoming weak. When one who made a pact with a phoenic, traversing to another realm breaks the pact, thus Malik's death and quick sacrifices into the Nether broke the tie the two had. The phoenix than began to basically beg Lucian to make one with it. Statong that without on the phoenix would not be able to stay in this realm, that it needed the anchor of a mortal to stay. Lucian asked what he would have to do in return for the phoenix, and the creatue told him that he simply needed to be a good man, to care for it and those around him and give it this tie to the realm.

The few years after the raid on Pjoenix Drop, Lucian stepped up from head guard to lord, quickly overachieving in his position and promise to the people of Phoenix Drop. Going to those anual lord councils was something else. Having to face his father for the first time in nearly 20 years almost made him sick. One the bright side, the man never seemed to recongnize him.

Meeting Laurence for the first time felt like a magical moment for him. His second year as lord, he met the man at the year's annual council. Being the Lord of Meteli's son, Laurence was invited to attend. When Lucian asked why he hadn't met him the year prior, Laurence said he simply hadn't wanted to come, but he was glad he did this year if he got to meet Lucian. Their relationship got pretty intense from there. While they only got to meet during lord meetings, they quickly took a liking to each other, sneaking away at times to be together. Not that it was forbidden or anything, but Laurence always said he'd be embarassed if his sister caught him messing around with the lord of another village. Plus it would start some rumors if others learned a lord's son was getting into it with another lord.

The summons from Hyria came just a few years later, Garroth was 31, Zenix was 15, and they were headed into the Sacred Forest with the special announcment that Irene's relic was finally ready. This was special to everyone. Irene was THE deal.

Everyone gave the same pleasantries, many of them fawning and cooing over the now teen Zenix as many had only seen him as a baby. Lily in particular, Aaron's first wife, took quite an adoration to him, giving him a long hug. Lucian cringed, knowing she had taken it quite rough when her own son had died.

The procedure happened just like Zenix's, yet, there was something strange about Irene's relic. The last time Lucian had seen it, it was albeit smaller than he had expected, but now it was fractured into three pieces. Hyria stated that that morning it had seemingly split on it's own, and she had no clue why.

When the relic formed into what they all assumed would be someone, it instead took three different forms, which shocked them all, more than a baby Zenix had.

All three of them were adults, yet one seemed older than the other two.

A woman with brown hair that looked almost greying with how dull it was, a shorter woman with jet black hair, and a man slightly taller than the second but shorter than the first with black hair as well but sporting a pair of wolf ears atop his head. All three wore these flowy white clothing, which Hyria would say was similar to what Irene would usually wear.

For a moment they all seemed unconscious, until they slowly woke up, dazed and confused by their sorroundings. Hyria walked up to the shorter woman, gently placing a headcovering around her hair and gingerly tieing it, muttering how Irene always seems to surprise her.

The shorter woman touched the cloth around her hair, seeming to accept it pretty easily. Hyria grimiced at the taller woman, saying sorry to her, that she didn't think there would be three of them and thus she didn't have another covering. The taller woman didn't seem to mind, but did nervously mess with her hair a little.

Hyria turned to the werewolf one, smiling at him, stating how he surprised her the most though.

The three nervously introduced themselves, already seeming to have names unlike Zenix. Hyria would later tell Lucian that it made sense since Zenix was a newborn, vs these three who were already fully grown adults.

The taller one was Claire, the werewolf was Ein and the shortest one was Aphmau, which Lucinda pointed out was a very strange name, which got her a jab in the side from her mother.

While Hyria thought of simply releasing them wherever they may please, the three instead decided on another divine to go with, at least for a small amount of time. Hyria told everyone the three would most likely not remember this, as none of the other divine did.

Claire opted with going with Travis, stating she didn't inted to stay with him long, she just felt in her heart that going to Gal'Ruk would help her get somewhere else she was meant to be.

Ein asked Aaron if he could tag along until they come across a dock, also saying he felt he needed to be somewhere else as well. Aaron and his wives reluctantly agreeded. Maybe Ein going with the only other werewolves was a good idea.

Aphmau though, seemed lost, looking at the other divine nervously. Her eyes lingered on Modzilla for a moment, but the man shook his head, glaring at her. So instead, Lucian cleared his throat and smiled at her. He offered for her to stay in Phoenix Drop for the time being, until she figured out what she wanted, or more so, needed to do.

Aphmau agreeded, and they all dispersed. Zenix took to talking her ear off almost immediately, saying it was nice to have another divine around, and saying how coold hid dad was and how much she would love Phoenix Drop.

In his bones, Lucian felt the phoenix flutter about. The voice in his head taking a happy tone to it, twlling him it was good to have Irene back. Under his breath, he whispered that Aphmau is not Irene, only part of what the goddess used to be in her mortal days. The phoenix didn't seem to care, just happy to have it's first mortal somewhat back.