The lift deposited them into a grand hallway. It was as large as the others, but instead of plain stone, the walls and ceiling were covered in ornate etching, filled in with silver and gold.

“Eh?” Yuriko muttered as she spread her perception to take a closer look. The precious metals that formed the patterns were not actually there…

She went to a wall and pressed a palm against the design, but her fingers actually touched the metal. It was invisible to perception, or was it the other way around? Was what her Anima perceived the real thing or was that one the illusion?

Her parents were just as stunned by the ornate patterns, with Mum muttering furiously. “To think they’d use spell forms as decoration…or is it only decoration?” She traced one of the patterns with a finger, closed her eyes for a long moment, then snorted.

Da took a minute to enjoy the view but refocused on the hallway itself, or rather, where it led to. The lift doors, unlike the one that opened into the residential block or the orchard, were at the end of the hallway.

The corridor was straight, going forward a hundred paces. The designs on the walls grew more ornate the closer they got to the other side, which turned out to be another door. That one was embedded with a dozen differently coloured gems the size of her head, set in a horseshoe pattern with an opening at the bottom. The third from the bottom right, a yellowish gem in a brilliant cut, was glowing softly.

When Yuriko touched the door, the yellow gem flashed briefly and the door opened. But it didn’t open to another chamber.

Instead, it was the yawning void of a portal that greeted them.

Yuriko frowned, not entirely sure if that would actually lead to where she needed to be, or if whatever had led the first one astray was behind this. There was only one way to be sure, however. She held Fri’Avgi out and asked her to probe the portal.

The artefact greatsword’s Ignition split it into seven parts, six of which attached to the portal edges. Radiant energy snaked into the Animus structure, and for a long moment, the edges flickered, seeming to resist. Then, the Radiant energy covered every inch of it, and Fri’Avgi said, ‘It is safe.’

Her parents watched with an indulgent smile on their faces and when she turned to say it was alright to enter, Sadeen held out a hand to the portal, focused for a long moment, then nodded. “It seems so,” she agreed, before grabbing Yuriko’s and Virgil’s hands. Then, they stepped through.

The journey through this void was faster than a blink of an eye, and the next moment, they emerged into a vast chamber, with multiple tiers of alcoves and balconies. The central portion was a perfect circle, inlaid with strips of golden metal. There were half a dozen figures standing there, obscured by a light Animus fog.

A walkway extended from the balcony they came out of and stretched all the way down to the central platform. Yuriko noticed her parents exchange glances behind her. Most times, her perception could give her a detailed view of her Mum, but sometimes, it blanked out into a blob, much like those creatures did. Probably when Mum got ready to fight. Just like now.

They strolled down the walkway, crossing a hundred paces or so. Her Anima perception reached the platform and revealed what lay within it, and she froze.

There were five Athrodius, each one built differently from the other. And the sixth…was a Chaos Lord. They weren’t moving with any hostility though, and the Chaos Lord seemed bored. At least until she felt Yuriko’s perception, then she frowned and pushed her Anima away.

Mum tensed when she caught sight of the woman, and Virgil cursed softly.

“She Who Whispers In the Light,” Virgil said.

The Chaos Marchioness. Yuriko swallowed nervously but glanced back at her Mum. Sadeen had been able to match the Marchioness by herself, but Da spoke of her with annoyance and not a little bit of trepidation.

The woman had grey skin and red eyes. Long flowing hair, and extremely familiar features. Yuriko wracked her memories but came up blank. She was sure she’d seen her somewhere before…

Once they stepped foot on the platform, the Athrodius that the Whisperer stood next to, stepped forward. It, like the others, carried an ornate staff, each with a uniquely shaped head that reminded Yuriko of runescript symbols.

That Athrodius tapped the floor with its staff, its face was nothing but a blank mask with a slit where eyes should have been.

“Who comes bearing the Key of Authority?” Its…her voice was cold, but very clearly feminine.

The other Athrodius stepped forward too, each one repeating the question. The one the Whisperer stood next to was the second from the right. The rightmost one had a feminine voice, while the two on the left were masculine. The one in the centre spoke in a voice that was neither but was a perfect balance between the two. Its figure was also quite androgynous, while the others had features slightly reminiscent of their projected genders.

All five stared at Yuriko, while the Whisperer smirked.

Mum hissed at the Chaos Lord and the other glared right back. Neither of them began hostilities, however, and Yuriko felt it in her bones…to try and start something here, would have deadly consequences.

“I am Yuriko Mishala Davar,” Yuriko answered, then swallowed when they continued to stare, “Ancient in Actualisation,” she finished. That way of introducing herself had actually come from Damien’s memories of the proper Ancient etiquette.

The one who spoke first said, “You are not at the right Stage to assume command. Leave and return when you are.”

“What is the right Stage?” Yuriko shot back.

“Ascendant.”

Yuriko tilted her head in confusion, “What is Ascendant?”

“Beyond Actualisation.”

“...I guessed as much,” Yuriko retorted. “But anyway, we’re not here to assume command.”

“What is your purpose?”

“I…we need a Command Seal and a Chaos Converter. Eli’Theria needs it to reactivate, and we need her when we leave.”

“Impossible.” the same Athrodius said, but before she could continue, one of the male Athrodius interrupted.

“Your Authority is not enough, but a special dispensation can be given. For the Command Seal, a boon must be undertaken, and for the Chaos Converter, another must be asked.”

Yuriko gritted her teeth. More tests, trials, and tribulations? Then, she smoothed her expression. Those trials made her stronger, but it was still annoying. “Very well, what must I do?”

The first Athrodius protested, “There is no need for such…”

“Administrator Shylynn, there are provisions within the Code,” the male Athrodius said. He was the one in second from the left. “As an Ancient who bears the Key, we must provide what aid we can.”

“Very well,” the female Athrodius, Administrator Shylynn, said in a monotone, but Yuriko imagined that there was more than a bit of reluctance there. The Whisperer’s visage didn’t seem to change, but perhaps there was a slight flash of something else that crossed her eyes.

“You must undertake this trial alone…”

“Absolutely not!” Mum protested quickly. “My Yuri should not be alone!”

“...You cannot accompany her as your presence will make the trial useless,” the male Athrodius said, but he nodded towards Da. “He may accompany her, but the scope of the trial will expand.”

“Very well,” Sadeen answered for Da, who nodded in agreement anyway.

Yuriko pursed her lips, then nodded. “Very well, I am ready.”

“Wai—!” Da protested, but Shylynn acted quickly. The female Athrodius gestured sharply with her right hand, and the runescript symbols around them flared to life. A floor section in between the Athrodius Council and Yuriko dropped away, revealing a dark pit for a long moment, before denatured Animus and ambient Chaos spun into an oval doorway. As with every portal she’d seen, this one was opaque…well, the very first one she saw back in Synkrasia wasn’t, but she wasn’t sure why.

Mum grabbed Yuriko’s shoulder before she could enter, and when she looked back, Sadeen said, “You handle this, baby, and I’ll see about getting the Chaos Converter, alright? Virg, you keep her safe.”

“Always,” Da said with a smile, which did prompt Yuriko to roll her eyes.

Da grabbed Yuriko’s hand, and asked, “Shall we?”

“Yeah.”

“Bye, my loves. Come back to me safe.” Sadeen kissed Virgil, then Yuriko’s cheek.

Father and daughter stepped into the portal.

Unlike the previous portal, this one didn’t take an instant to move them. It took a few minutes, maybe, but definitely some time.

When they came out, it was into a tunnel. Natural walls and ceiling, with the ground uneven. The walls were damp, and there was a bit of water dribbling down from cracks in the wall. She heard Da clicking his tongue in annoyance. He was clad in his Light Infantry Armour and carried an assortment of weapons, including his Plasma Caster, a holdout Plasma Lancet, a sideblade, and a knife.

He glanced down at her and asked, “Other than your greatsword…you’re lightly armed.”

Yuriko nodded. They had spoken about her adventures but with nearly three years of separation, many things had been omitted, including the fact that she had stopped carrying any plasma weaponry. “Melee and mid-range,” she said. “Animus constructs.”

“You don’t carry a sideblade anymore?” he asked as he unclipped the scabbard from his waist.

“No, Da,” Yuriko said, “sideblades are redundant.” She shook her head. “I’ve an arming sword with a projection technique built into it…” She paused. “But I left it with the others. Besides, it’s barely better than what I can use now, Da.”

“And that is?”

Yuriko held out a hand and manifested a sunblade, held it for a moment, then allowed it to float.

“Ah, I see. Does it cost Animus to conjure?” Seeing her nod, he continued, “Won’t you run out?”

“I recover a lumen every one and a half seconds.”

Virgil’s eyes widened. “How?”

Yuriko began to explain but had to cut her explanation short. There was something moving towards them. Virgil adjusted his Plasma Caster and raised it up to his shoulder. Yuriko stood next to him and created half a dozen sunshards that she set to spin around her head.

Click. Click.

Frowning in agitation, Yuriko glanced at the natural walls and felt the air around her with her Anima. The ambient Chaos was higher than one iarvesh, and it didn’t take long for her to realise why the place was familiar. They were in a Fysalli. A Chaos Lake from how tame the ambient Chaos flows were.

And a minute later, a very familiar foe appeared a dozen paces away. A humanoid insect, with red chitinous plates. A Femorant.

And where there was one, there were more.

Bzzzt! Squish!

Virgil’s plasma bolt drilled into the first Femorant’s throat, practically beheading the creature, before the remnant plasma, encased in his violet Animus, curved to strike the next one behind it. And the next, and the next, before burning out on the fifth creature’s neck. The bolt still carved a pretty large hole into its throat, more than enough to disable it. Yuriko gasped in surprise. The Femorants had not been in a line but in a loose formation and Da just killed them with one shot!

A second plasma bolt killed the rest of them. The purple plasma left an afterimage in its wake, showing clearly the twisted trail it took.

Da was grinning proudly, and Yuriko chuckled when she realised that he had been showing off for her. “That’s not Guided Shot,” Yuriko commented.

“It is, actually. Enhanced by my Ennoia.”

Yuriko grinned at him, nodding in appreciation. But then, if they were in that nest, they’d need all the advantages they could get.

“Show me what you have next, would you?” Virgil said indulgently.

Yuriko nodded, “I will.”

There were more than enough of the creatures to fight. But she still wondered if the two of them would be enough to fight the Queen.