"No, I am fine, thanks," Tyr replied to the man. "I am just looking around."
He passed through the lobby and walked out from the estate into the town outside.
---------------
"You're right, I was obstinate for a while when it came to this issue, but you need to realize that despite all those instances of me acting that way, deep inside I kept fighting with myself over what was a better result. I guess I might just seem irrational to you, but we're completely different people and I think you approach things far more logically whereas I'm judging things with my heart and emotions. Maybe I wasn't the person who should have come down here, but if it were one of my brethren, they would have approached it differently. They would have seen what I saw and deemed the world irredeemable as I had at the start; however, they would have not changed their minds as much as I did, they would merely leave and tell Father to destroy the surface without a second thought. Lucien, Maybe you should be glad that I'm irrational, because if I wasn't I wouldn't have argued on the surface's behalf and I wouldn't be here right now; i'd be back in Urbel watching the surface light up.

Exiting the estate Tyr was treated to quite the interesting view of the the area. The house was built atop a rolling hill that overlooked a group of small villages that sat just at the hill's base. All about the grounds there appeared to be lightly wooded areas with babbling brooks and streams. It was a peaceful place to say the least. Something felt off to Tyr though, the whole situation was shady. He had no real understanding of how he happened upon the place and no evidence of whether his journey in the mountains was real or not, the situation all together was troubling.
---------------

"I am thankful for your company then." Lucien nodded lightly. "You needn't worry yourself over your position though, the fact that you're so open to change makes you quite possibly the best candidate for the whole affair. So please, try not to take what I said so personally." he was unsure if he had struck some type of nerve, Sera didn't appear angry but she was defending her reasoning adamantly. "I wonder, before you go on about your plans to help others I'd like to know something about your home Sera. I would hope you don't mind me asking, but what is it like? Is there anyone back home you fondly miss?"

Instead of heading off toward one of the villages, Tyr decided to find a spot on the grounds under a tree and rest. It was much nicer to recover outside than in a closed room. Lying beneath a rather old and large tree, his mind wandered back to his journey, as if there was no way he could stop himself from returning to that strange experience. There was a chance that it was a hallucination and he walked here and just fell over when he thought he jumped. However, how would he explain his wounds? The only wound he possessed going into the the dream was his lost arm, other than that he was perfectly healthy, which meant that world could not have been a dream, he had to have really been there at some point.
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"Urbel is a wonderful place, it would truly be heaven to people on the surface. It's just a great garden with spectacular, and nearly flawless, marble buildings." Sera replied, happy to recount her memories of home. "I would have to say I'd like to see my parents again soon, you know, my birth father, not Father, to not confuse you, as well as my siblings. I've got two brother and three sisters, all older than me. Naturally they all tried to prevent me from going, but they eventually realized they couldn't stop me outside of force. It's interesting to think about it, I wonder if all my friends and family are going on with their lives or if they're fretting over me every day, hoping I wasn't killed. I hope Father is telling them that I'm alright, even in a situation like this."

While Tyr rested his body beneath the tree the grounds about him seemed relatively calm, there seemed to very little wild life in the area despite the lush surroundings and deep into the towns bellow there appeared to be no signs of life. This place surely gave a whole new meaning to the term a sleeping village.

_____

"Do you ever get tired of it? A world where everything is constructed to be beautiful, it sounds wondrous but in my mind it removes the true reasons why I admire places like the one we're resting at now." Lucien did not mean to seem ungrateful for Sera's description of her home, nor did he mean to speak poorly of it. But to him the whole thing seemed off. "This must seem terribly shallow to you, but I find tranquillity in the understanding that nature did not intend for this spot to be what it is. It was not fated that this water would come into being, it was by chance. Chance is... an exquisite thing." Lucien's eyes which had long been starting into the depths of the oasis had now returned to Sera's face which still seemed to be caught with an expression of pining for he far off home. "I wonder then, I know now of your attachments to your home but during your short time here, were you able to form any true attachments? Not petty acquaintances, true ties that if given time could possibly become eternal?" Lucien's eyes opened wide in momentary shock, what in god's name was he saying? All of it, everything he was saying wasn't natural yet he felt as if he had spoken these same words once before. Shaking his head he waited patiently for Sera's response while still questioning his choice of words.

However, it was too nice and far too quiet, something was wrong with this reality. Tyr pulled himself up immediately. This was not reality, this was another dream. The wounds he had were not from a jump like that, there was no way he would have abdominal wounds. And how could the girl find him in one small section of the whole desert. It was honestly too good to be true. The world was as empty as it was when he was on the mountain, no people in sight at all, only the natural surroundings. It had to be fake.
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"To be honest, and I wouldn't say this in front of anyone in Urbel, yes I was getting a bit tired of it, but coming down here I do realize that I was taking it for granted. I honestly think it's much more beautiful now that I've seen the surface, it's a completely different experience that can't really be explained and has to been seen." Sera replied. She paused for a moment thinking of a way to answer his second question.
"No, I haven't been here long enough to meet people like that, and everyone else could just die and it wouldn't affect me that much. It's hard to make attachments with people when you know you won't see them again after you leave and you know you're not going to be around long. Though that second part, do you want to go to Urbel? That's what you were trying to say, right?

"Opening your mind to new and foreign information, making split second decisions even in the face of death, and now seeing through lies and illusion. You certainly have come a ways." Tyr suddenly found himself lying on the canvas bottom of a tent as the familiar voice of the young Magi spoke to him. "It did take a good few hours but you've proven not only myself, but I'm certain yourself as well that you have changed in all the ways you wished to." standing up from his seat the boy knelt down to procure a better look of Tyr's face. "Only two question remain. Did you truly learn the lessons you asked to be to exhibited, and are you happy with all of this?"

_____

"Though that second part, do you want to go to Urbel? That's what you were trying to say, right?"
'Does it seem that way?" Lucien thought to himself for a moment before answering.

"No, your home is no place for me nor would I ever be allowed to be taken there. I apologize if it seemed that I was implying such a fallacy. I suppose what I wanted to know was what kind of person you are." Letting his head fall back Lucien began to remember an event that had taken place just over a hundred years ago. "Long ago I had the pleasure of meeting a man, he was a romantic if I had ever met one. He told me stories about how he had ventured across the continent meeting new people and sharing thousands of different experiences with every person he met. He told me something that has profoundly stuck to my memory, to this day it is one of the only things I can clearly reminisce about." pausing for a brief moment Lucien sharply closed his eyes and began to speak in a low tone " 'In my life time I have traveled the land numerous times and on my numerous journeys I met many men, women, and children whom all shared their lives with me. For seventy-two years I wandered this Earth, but seventy-two years is but a minor ripple in the ocean that is time. Look up into the sky' " Lucien, following his own instructions and began to stare deep into the light of the stars above. " 'those stars, those lovely, lovely stars... Thousands of years ago our ancestors looked into the same sky we look into now, and saw the same stars we're seeing. But now those stars are gone, thousands of years away those stars have burned out and we're simply seeing the light they've left behind... Lucien, I do not want the memories of my travels to burn away in a flash, I want them to last I want to preserve them. Even if I met a man for but a moment I want to always remember the expression upon his face, and perhaps the single good morning he might of spoken to me.' " a tear had begun to run down Lucien's cheek by this time. " 'When I continue to grow older and older I do not want to let those who gave me such wonderful stories and experiences be forgotten. To have them all vanish from my mind would be unbearable, not after all I had been through...' " Inhaling heavily Lucien continued to stare into the sky as if Sera was no longer even there. " 'Is it because I can't remember, that I yearn to remember.' " he uttered under his breath softly.

Tyr sat up before pulling himself to his feet and answering the question.
"I'm not sure what that last part had to do with anything, but besides that I believe I've taken away what I wanted from this experience. As for being happy... " Tyr paused a moment and rubbed his chin, thinking about what he took away from the journey and the reason he embarked on it in the beginning.
"I think it'll take some time to discover if I'm really happy with who I've become. I know I've made a positive change in my life, one hundred percent, but I'll have to see how it affects me from here. Now that I've thrown away everything that's been weighing me down, I do think I'll be happier and more successful in life than I was beforehand, if that answers you question."

Finishing, Tyr turned about and exited the tent. Now all he had to do was wait it out until the moment where God would try to control him again and force him out for good. For now, it was dark and he had no place to sleep for the night. Finding a small open spot, he stretched out and closed his eyes. Perhaps he should have stayed in the dream a bit longer so he could stay in the bed at Cersei's estate instead.
----------------
Sera stared out into the same sky as Lucien and tried to see the same stars he watched.
"It is a human's to judge a man by his character whereas it is a civilization's duty to judge him by his merit." She replied, standing up and dusting her white robes off. Grabbing the tomes from the ground and gripping them to her chest again, she turned away from Lucien as she walked away.
"It's getting late, and I probably should return to the king to meet with his guest. I thought I'd give you something to mull over while I think of what you just told me. We all can learn something from one another, that's what I wanted out of this journey, but I never found anything worthwhile from anyone while I was here. I never had the chance to have a heart to heart while being shuttled around. If I'm taking anything with me from what we talked about tonight, I'm not taking it back to Urbel, because I think I'll stay a bit longer."

She wandered off back the way they came, reaching the camp in a few minutes. Passing by the grove of tents, she noticed a familiar body sprawled on open ground, but did not approach it to see who it was. Instead, passing it by, she approached the King's tent to see if his guest had arrived.

The sun was beginning to rise by this time, it was now approaching the time the Isarian King promised Sera would have her meeting... The night sky above was calmly beginning to vanish and its place the wondrous dawn came anew. A dreamy amaranthine lavender had now taken the sky, speckled just barely with the stars of the night before it was indeed a sight to behold.

"Sister, no longer do you fret. Let calmness giveth foundation to unfeigned imperturbation" A gentle, yet thunderous voice echoed carefully through Sera's head. Its source seemed no where near but it spoke with such clarity that it could have been whispering directly into her ears. It was certainly a chilling experiences, but even more chilling was the power that quickly overwhelmed Sera moments afterwards. Though the sun had begun to rise, the intensity of the aura emanating from some far off place left Sera feeling frigid and alone.

"Where the sun waxes is where we shall begin our discourse, voyage towards the celestial intermediary I await..." a vision flashed before Sera's eyes of a figure standing atop a deserted hill directly ahead of the rising sun.

Having put an end to any near future escapes by Falst, Aranida left the cottage to speak to her troops. The remains of the Dragon Guard affected her deeply as she looked at the collective remains of her troop. Her eyes remained cold, and her face expressionless, but if one were to stand directly beside her they would see that her eyes in fact had a sheen as if preparing to water and shed a tear. She took a deep breath and stood before the troops with her hands behind her back.

"My Dragon Guard," she said clearly, her commanding voice cut through most of the noise in the area "Some of you and your forefathers have served my family in the Dragon Guard for generations. I have failed you, and your families." she paused "I have failed my house and my own parents. That being said, the Dragon Guard will be dissolved, and I will not be returning home while the threat of the Jenough remains imminent. You have served under me loyally, and on behalf of my house I thank you for your services."

Sera stepped back, overwhelmed by the forces about her body, and stared up into the sky, not with fear, but with awe. She stood her ground, holding the tombs tight and called out to the figure who appeared in the dawn's light.

"Are you who I have been called to speak with?" She cried, bowing her head in respect. "You are obviously one of great power from the days before the surface was watered down. There were always rumors about the surface, and I heard many unbelievable tales, but I had never expected one to come true as you have materialized before me. If everything is as it should be, let's begin so we can change this world."

It was at this point that Sera came upon the sudden realization that she was no longer in the Isarian war camp, though she was not far. She had been moved from her previous position by some unknown power that beckoned her out towards the image she had seen just moments ago.

"Let not your mind fool you, this world will not be changed." The same voice that once spoke to Sera appeared directly before her, though it now held an odd physical appearance. Before her stood a figure dressed completely in a spectacular set of golden armour covered in engravings, decorative silver trim, and red gems. Though the most glamorous part of the armour set was the helmet that resembled the face of a lion in great detail with a golden mane and decorative red mane protruding from the back of the helmet.


"You mustn't seek to cause altercations with humans by attempting to alter their base mannerism and conventions. It is us that must now depart from our customs and beliefs in an endeavor to further communicate with our kin which have been cast out. Even now I can still see it in your people, even yourself. You hold thyself in positions higher than humanity, an ill-gotten belief. We are no better then them, no matter how much we aspire to masquerade this evident certainty it still exists. Perhaps you do not truly comprehend the powers at play?" Pausing for a brief moment the figure's tone change, he had switched from preaching to inquiring.
"Tell me, what do think of free will?"

"People are fit to choose how they see to live as long as it does not go against what Father wants for them." Sera replied. "If they want to destroy each other, Father cannot allow for it because they are not respecting the fact that he created them to live, not die or kill. I believe that these people are free to do as they wish as long as it doesn't disrespect what they've been given by Father, even if he did not watch over them to make sure they were doing so. The reason these people's ancestors were exiled here was because they took their idea of free will too far and insulted Father with their brash impudence. He is kind and just, but when people disrespect the gift he gave them, he feels angry like we do, and acts upon it to right the wrongs he witnesses."

As dawn broke over Jenogh, the Iron Hand was already finishing up preparations to leave. Norman, visiting with Ildan's neighbors, was able to secure care for him in their home. Avia sobbed as he left, but most of her tears were used up the night before.
Norman had Avia mount Ildan's mare and watched Aranida mount her steed with the remaining members of the Dragon Guard.

"Once we arrive at the tribe's village we'll meet with an old friend of mine who has agreed to take us through the fastest route to the east. We're heading to Isarian territory. Once we're there you cancel decide where you want to live for the rest of your days."

With that he started toward the yellow eye tribe.
The group arrived only ten minutes after they left, record time, and were greeted with the sight of the yellow eyes waiting for them. They had packed up their tents and belongings and.were.already prepped for the journey.
Ira stood next to a foreign looking man who happened to be the friend Norman spoke of. Ira came forward to console Avia, who was still unable to express anything other than grief.
Norman rode up to the man and gave him a sly grin.

"Ahmed, it has been some time, what's the plan?"

"It is good to see you again too brother. As for your request, I am willing to undertake it. It is about a three day journey through the northwest passage. We should make good time, it is the dry season in the savannah and grasslands, and we will be following a river for the most part. Once we reach the Hattusa flats we shall make directly for Filistine and from there my plan ends."

The lean but withered dark skinned man replied to Norman. His maroon shirt and bleached pants spoke of his desert origins but it was the yellow eyes and a similarly yellow turban that was startling. By his waist hung a broad curved sword. He turned to the guests, his charge that he was to find a path for.

"Forgive me friends, they call me 71 hour Ahmed, for it is said that I ply the route between Jenogh and Filistine in less than three days. Come now, let me at least get your names."

He smiled broadly as introduced himself, a practised lie but a lie nonetheless.

It was Bahaa who took notice of the danger behind the introduction and tugged lightly as he could for the scary Miss Lady Aranida's attention.

"We should not go with him maam, his name is not safe."

Aranida never one to quickly trust a stranger, smiled as the man introduced himself. She looked down at Bahaa as he tugged on her sleeves and warned her, seeming to vocalize the worries that she herself was having with this stranger. "Unfortunately, we have no other means through the desert" she whispered to the child "Never drop your guard young one"

"Children" she said dismissively to Ahmed as a means to explain why she needed to whisper to the child "Forgive me, my name is Aranida Gwendolyn of the Lancaster house, former commander of the Dragon Guard."