Hey guys! Just wanted to let you know that I have an Instagram that I plan to post updates, prompts, all that stuff on. If you want to reach me faster or want to see a more in depth explanation for things, please go follow me on there. It is brand new, and the handle is in my bio!

Also, updates are going to be a bit irregular, I am doing a lot of things at once right now and updating has been a bit harder then normal.

And finally, I just want to let ya'll know. I have minor dyslexia, and editing is SUPER hard for me to do. I really tried my hardest on this one, but please keep that in mind while reading my stories.

With that said, enjoy the chapter!

Ruy felt dirty. So, so, so dirty.

The cloak itself was fine, typical fabric with no smell, slightly scratchy, maybe. But the fact that the damn cloak was on him in the first place made him want to gag. He was conditioned before, Ruy thought of the Neverseen eye as just a stupid little logo, something to easily use to mark secret drop off spots or discern each other out in a crowd. He didn't care what it stood for, he just did the job he was told, and then took off the cloak at the end of the day.

But now it felt like it was seared to his body that the green Neverseen eye wasn't sewn into the fabric but rather his skin.

After taking it off for so long, it felt awful to wear again.

"Watch him." Trix snarled at some of the other recruits as they all pushed further into the Inalian forest.

They were here, in the city of art and culture, they were dirtying it with their presence, ruining his haven.

They were on the eastern border of Inalia, right on the outskirts of a Grecian village. They scouted out the area, looking for places that could give them an advantage in taking back the city. At least, that's what they told Ruy. Taking it back. Like it was ever theirs in the first place. Ruy knew this forest well, but he pretended to be just as blindsided as the rest of the party.

They say this is the forest where the Amazonian tribe first originated hundreds of years ago in Inalia. Where Queen Hera reigned over her tribes of warrior women.

The Amazons haven't been seen in thousands of years, but Sophie bore Hera's name as her middle name. Allesandro wanted the warrior queen Hera to be carried with his daughter, to have a part of her in her blood. Knowing the myths about this forest slightly calmed Ruy down, he was hoping that an Amazon warrior would cut them all down so they would never step foot in the sacred lands again.

Ruy's wings bristled slightly under the cloak, uncomfortably stuffed underneath it. His slightly pointed ears were also starting to itch because of the scratchy fabric.

He learned how to open his wings, and his dad gave his tips on how to close them. He hasn't been able to nail it just yet, but he has been trying.

His father... Sarai...

Were they all alright? Did they get out?

Were they gonna come help him? Was Dorian gonna leave him behind just like he did years ago?

"Ignis." One of the members called out, Hathem, Ruy believed.

"What?" He snapped back.

"Can you get us into the village?" He asked.

Ruy's breathing stumbled.

"No." He hissed. He wasn't going to risk the villager's lives; they could get wrapped up in things that they don't know anything about.

"Why do you want to go there, anyway?" Trix asked Hathem, trying to understand the botched map Ruy gave them to trip them up. Hathem shrugged, "Curious, I guess."

The other members muttered in agreement. They wanted to see what this whole Vatarian hype was all about. They all stared at Ruy, who felt like a deer in spotlights.

"No." he repeated.

"And why is that?" Trix asked, a slight lilt to his voice. Ruy focused on the crunching of leaves beneath his feet as he pushed past everyone.

"They all know the Neverseen symbol. They would probably beat us to death the minute we step into the village."

"They are villagers, what could they truly do?"

"They are men, women, and children who have all lost loved ones because of you. You shouldn't cross those who have little left to lose." Ruy hissed. He realized that as they all went silent... his voice had the slightest hint of an Inalian accent.

And he said you, not us.

Trix smiled from under his hood. "Vespera believes you are under Maha's control. She believes that her soldier can still be saved."

Trix smiled, and Ruy squared his shoulders. Trix saw right through him, Ruy wasn't hiding shit.

"You know what, you're right, Hathem. Let's go see this village. See what weaponry and such they have." Trix looked Ruy straight in the eyes as he said, "Maybe even take a stroll through their cemeteries."

Bastard, stupid prick- Ruy was counting down the days till he can kick his teeth in.

Against his internal panic, he followed as all of them ditched their Neverseen regalia and marched into the village liked they owned the damn place. But Trix took off his hood, and Ruy finally what the ass looked like. Trix's hair was a platinum blond with slight curls bouncing around his lightly tanned skin. His face was dotted with freckles, his eyes were a delicate shade of purplish-blue. He was just old enough to have slightly pointed ears, but he seemed younger by the piercings in his earlobes.

Ruy kept his wings close, hid his eyes under his hair. He felt like a fool. And a traitor.

The village of Megara. It was a cute little place, amazing seafood, good if you wanted to get a nice feel of Inalia. They were pretty close to the coastline, so the shells and seafood was amazing.

"What on earth are they wearing?" One of the members, Dominque, asked.

"They have different styles of clothing than we do, a different culture," Ruy muttered. Megara was pretty far from Renisanca, the Assassins did little patrolling here. Maybe he could leave them behind a note or something? Tell them what has happened to him and what fate has befallen Egypitnat.

"Are they eating animals?" Hathem asked, gagging slightly.

"Not everyone has to conform to your style of life, you know." Ruy hissed. Trix rolled his eyes, "Split up. See what they think about their government, find weak spots, maybe some guards who might let some things slide." Trix sighed. Perfect. If Ruy could sneak away just long enough to get the attention of the guild-

"Not happening, Ignis." Trix snarled, pointing at him, "You're coming with me."

Well, there goes that plan.

They all split up, Ruy panicking as the Neverseen filth descended into the perfect little village. Megara was mostly built of timber, clay, and stripped birch wood, beautifully painted blue and red roofs, just like the other villages in Inalia. It was one of the bigger villages, and besides their seafood, they were known for their parties. The Inner Circle has visited the village for the seasonal festivals. They also visited here once or twice for the Solstice celebration. Ruy had the place pretty well memorized, but there was little he could do since he was so far away from the guildhall.

"What is this?" Trix asked, pointing to a trinket displayed in one of the marketplace's front window. The seller came to the window, blinking at Trix.

"You... have an elven accent." He asked in the enlightened language, his thick Inalian accent curling the words.

Trix nodded, "That I do, is that a problem?"

The marketkeep blinked, "No, we just don't get too many elves here. Inalia is... hard to come by."

It was absolutely a problem, Inalians were naturally suspicious of elves after the Fall of Inalia. But why was this marketkeep keeping a closer eye than normal?

"What is this?" Trix repeated, pointing to the charm again. The marketkeep wiped off his hands on his apron as he picked it up.

"It is a charm attributed to Palaemon, our ocean god." The man explained, still glaring at Trix. The Marketkeep finally looked at Ruy and paled.

He recognized him.

Ruy rushed forward and gazed through the charms the man was selling. Ruy didn't know how the Marketkeep recognized him, but he could figure out someway to get his situation across.

"What about this one?" Ruy asked, picking up the charm. Ruy knew what it was, but he allowed the marketkeep to explain.

"The charm attributed to the Prince of Arcadia, and made from wood from the island known to be the birthplace of the goddess of panic and..." The marketkeep's eyes flashed, "and hostages."

Ruy's eyes never broke eye contact from the marketkeep, "And what about this one?" Ruy asked, snatching another charm. Trix was still trying to digest the different charms and knickknacks, and luckily wasn't paying too much attention.

"That is a charm for the spirit Galatea, the white bone spirit. She is rumored to be stolen by the Prince of Anej and cried for help, but no one could hear her." The man explained, it all clicking in his head. Ruy nodded, putting the charms back as Trix sighed. Ruy glanced into his shop, his eyes snagging on the north wasll of his shop.

It was small, done with probably charcoal. An incomplete diamond, the top of it slightly distorted.Through the middle of the diamond was a a straight line cutting through it.

The shadow symbols of the Undergrounds. The man had a fence symbol in his shop.

Oh shit, he was a *fence for the Undergrounds. The Assassins did work with them sometimes, and Sophie used to brawl there when she was short on cash. That's how he recognized Ruy. And it seems he got Ruy's message as he explained, "Listen, boys, I'm just going to say it. Your kind isn't really welcome here. Us Inalians aren't too chummy with elves, "the man feigned a look of disgust, "Or half breeds." He said as he looked at Ruy.

Flat out lie. Some of the Inalians are like that, but very few.

"I recommend getting lost." He spat. Trix glared at him, scoffing and slamming the charm back onto the tabletop.

"Let's go." Trix hissed at Ruy. Ruy followed Trix back into the crowd, checking over his shoulder. The shopkeep watched Ruy go, packing up his shop a bit early. Probably to drop off his stolen goods and tell his boss his information.

Hopefully, they managed to get the message to the guild, one way or another.

Trix met back up with the other Neverseen members, who seemed just as confused and turned around as he was. Ruy felt comfortable, though, even when they all started to head back.

"They seem to be really loose in the forests, believe them to be sacred to the Amazons and remain fairly untouched. The mountains surrounding the valley are also pretty barren of people except for the various business operations that harvest wood, stone, that sort of thing." Hathem explained to Trix.

"They are pretty friendly, but they are naturally cautious of elves," Dominque explained.

"Good. Let's scout out the forests a bit more, see what we can use." Trix explained. Why do they need additional space? Why not just stay in the Castello?

Ruy watched Megara look smaller and smaller as they trekked back into the forests.

They started to set up camp, avoiding setting up a fire so as not to leak their position to any possible scouts. Trix sent away Ruy to get firewood anyway, probably to discuss plans with the other members. No one trusted him, as they should.

Dominque and Hathem were sent with him to collect firewood as well, but Ruy knew they were just supposed to keep an eye on him. They weren't allowing him a moment alone, not a chance.

"So, Ruy, what's with the wings?" Dominque asked.

"Don't talk to him, Dom," Hathem scolded her.

"Why? It's not like he can do anything to me." Dominque snapped back. Wrong. With the way she was leaning against the tree, Ruy could easily kick out her feet and break her knees before she could do anything. Roll out and get Hathem with a chokehold, slam him into one of the trees and make a break for it. But Trix and the rest of the camp was in view of the three of them, and Trix could probably get past any shield Ruy puts around himself with a pointed wind attack, only because Ruy would be running. Ruy can't fly yet, at least, not well enough to get away from them. Not to mention if he did try to run, his wings would slow him down too much.

"I'm half Dunmer, half Vatarian," Ruy answered blandly.

Dominque hummed in response, "And, you're some kind of prince?"

Ruy didn't look away from his wood collecting, "Yes."

"Yes, what?" Dom pushed.

"Yes." Ruy hissed. He wasn't giving any information, especially about his father.

"Vespera can't seriously think you-"

"Dominque. Wood." Hathem hissed, reminding her what they were doing. Dominque snorted but started to grab random sticks off the ground. Dominque started to mutter to Hathem.

"Maybe she wants him for the experiments." She whispered.

The Mirthless Infusion?

"They figured it out, they know how to do it now. They are moving onto phase two." Hathem whispered back. Ruy continued to pretend he was collecting sticks, pretending he was unaware.

"Isn't he getting in the way? What if he finds a way to tell the Assassins or Senate where we are? What we are planning?" He asked.

"Can't you see him? He's completely shut down, won't answer any questions. What could he possibly do?"

Ruy's vision turned red. Oh, those fuckers have no idea what he was capable of. They returned with their firewood, finishing setting up camp in silence.

Soon, night fell on Inalia. They were all gathered around the campfire, except Ruy, who was laying in his cot in the smaller tent. Chained to the tent poles that were hammered into the ground.

He could probably rip the poles out of the ground if he wanted too, but it would've been too loud.

"Trix, I'm telling you, that's not how you hold it." Dominque snapped at Trix. Ruy glanced over his shoulder, staring as Trix poorly held a throwing knife. It seemed to be standard Inalian issue, nothing too special about it. He must have swiped it when they went into the village.

"Shut up Dom, I know what I am doing-"

"You're doing it wrong," Ruy said, not looking at them from his cot. The silence that fell over the camp made Ruy's heart beat a bit faster. Ruy looked over his shoulder to see everyone staring at him not in anger, except for Trix, but rather in curiosity. Ruy rolled his eyes, flexing his wings out a bit.

"Your stance is sloppy, you're supposed to have your right foot in front of your left since you're right-handed. And the way you are holding the damn thing is a sure way to get it lodged in your foot." Ruy shuffled further into his cot, "Hold it like you would a hammer, then flick your wrist as you're about to loose it."

Everyone was quiet, Ruy could feel the small scouting party stare into his back. But then there was the sound of a throwing knife hitting its target, the knot in a birch tree. The group whispered and giggled slightly as Trix scowled, and Ruy finally realized something. Most of the Neverseen members are new. They were curious about who he was and what the legend about Vespera's son was truly about. They wanted to see what hewas about. There were looking up to him because they weren't there when Ruy betrayed the Neverseen and ran off.

Maybe, just maybe, he could use that to his advantage.

Maybe he can turn this not into a kidnapping, but rather an opportunity. For both him and Keefe.

And for the first time since he was dragged back into the wretched organization, Ruy smiled.

If only Sophie could still teleport, it would make her job so much easier. She still had no answers, and she needed to return to the guild. What happened to Egypitnat? Is Arsinoe dead? What about her Inner Circle, her brother?

The Ancient Vatarians were giving her space, and Sophie thanked them for that, but she started to actively avoid them. Maha never pushed either, helped Sophie redress her wounds, helped her get used to the soreness, and aching, from the hypothermia leaving her body. Sophie did hear her talking to her Endre, however, about finding other ways to contact Byzanthar.

Sophie felt guilty, she knew that there was something at the peak waiting for her, for both her and Maha. Questions with answers, the key to unlocking her powers again, what the gods were trying to prepare for. The real purpose for Sophie and Maha's existence, why they were returned from the cold claws of death.

So why was she so hesitant?

Was she scared? Sophie always had fear, part of her job, but she was never too scared to finish a job. Maybe she was just selfish, but she felt a horrible gut feeling in her stomach.

But the way they talked to her, that she needed to do this, needed to do that.

Who do they think they are?

Sophie hated being controlled, hated being used like a puppet. Maybe that was why she didn't want to go, she didn't want to give Kynareth any more control over her, and didn't want the Elders to start to sway her decisions.

Sophie's clenched her fists, storming to the foyer of the temple. She knew the Elders were there, handling some of the day to day decisions about their small colony of Vatarians. Sophie barged through the doors, the priestesses and priests jumping at the sight of her.

"I'll do it." She spits. Endre smiled, but Sophie held up her hand, "Under conditions."

Endre's eyes darkened but he nodded for her to continue.

"Maha and I know the new Vatarian world better then any of you do, when we say something won't work, it won't work. Maha is an amazing spy and a close friend, and I am getting this guardian for her and her alone. We are to be consulted on any moves you make about reopening the Vatarian cities and reinstituting the Old Republic. My Inner Circle is to be there when we select a new King or Queen for Inalia if the Old Republic does rise to power again. We are also the ones who are going to hold onto the artifacts until we decide what they are and what to do with them."