After the rain stopped, Leon and his ad hoc team didn’t linger in Yu Nok Tor. They avoided the black puddles of water left behind, the aura leaking from the dark water filling Leon with dread. On the brighter side, the darkness in the environment had lessened a bit. Leon and Tiraeses still couldn’t fly, but they were still able to move more quickly with the omnipresent pressure somewhat alleviated.

Given Mari’s previous experience dealing with cities like this, Leon knew that it was only a matter of time before the Devil’s cult returned and set up another focus, but for the moment, he was happy enough with the lessened magical pressure he felt.

To his mild surprise, Mari also walked alongside them, though in her Ulta suit. He’d expected her to fly, seeing as the suit was certainly capable of that, but after asking about it, Mari explained that flying was power-intensive and that she could move farther without charging the suit if she remained on the ground—the storm crystal and thunder wood hadn’t yet been installed as that would’ve required a few days of engineering to make work, though both Leon and Mari were eager to see what they could do if they found the time.

The group moved southeast from Yu Nok Tor, following an old road as best as they could. Unfortunately, they encountered another dusty wasteland less than a day from Yu Nok Tor that took two days to get through, during which they were only able to navigate thanks to Tiraeses’ familiarity with the local geography and Leon’s navigational skills. Mari had simply gone around the wastes to arrive at Yu Nok Tor, though she’d indicated that doing so again would be a lengthy detour adding at least a week to their travel time.

They passed by several other cities as they made their way further into the core of Arkhnavi’s civilized lands, including one half-buried in the dusty wasteland. For the most part, they avoided these dead and desolate places, even though Leon could sense more Devilish foci within them. This meant that the brief respite from the Devilish aura permeating the plane they enjoyed around Yu Nok Tor had come to an end, though the pressure wasn’t so great as to override Leon’s determination not to stop again unless they absolutely had to.

So, around the cities they went. They weren’t attacked even once during this time, despite signs that they were seen from at least a couple of the cities, as well as a few large monsters living out in the increasingly desolate region they trudged through. This prickled at Leon’s paranoia, but he supposed not being attacked was a blessing more than a curse.

Still, he knew that the Primal Devil had seen them after they destroyed the focus in Yu Nok Tor, and he couldn’t help but wonder why there wasn’t more of an effort being made to stop their advance.

After more than a week of travel, they eventually reached a large chain of hills of comparable height and density to those that they had to cross to reach Yu Nok Tor, and there, Tiraeses stopped to look back, a look of deep melancholy on his face.

Leon intended to give the man the time he clearly needed, but Mari was less patient.

“What’cha waitin’ for, Fake Name?” she asked, her Ulta suit looking almost comical as it cocked its head and stared at Tiraeses with its arms crossed—two human gestures that put the thirty-foot-tall suit’s dexterity on display, as well as Mari’s ability to control its finer movements with the mind-to-enchantment link her father had designed.

Tiraeses sighed in obvious annoyance. While he’d been quieter and quieter the longer they traveled and the more they saw of Arkhnavi, Mari had been rather exuberant the whole time, pestering Leon with questions about Aeterna and Tiraeses about his monastery. Leon had been happy to answer her questions—mostly about the kinds of magical engineering that could be found there, with her line of questioning eventually coalescing around MALLs, arks, and golems—Tiraeses had been considerably more tight-lipped.

“I only wish to see this land from another angle,” Tiraeses growled.

“Mari’Kha,” Leon said in a reprimanding tone. He didn’t need to say anything more than that, with Mari shrugging with her Ulta suit and going quiet.

Leon allowed Tiraeses as much time as he needed, and thankfully, the ninth-tier mage only needed a few minutes to compose himself and turn back around.

“You alright?” Leon asked.

“By the Mother Above, I still have my health,” Tiraeses replied.

“That’s not what was asked,” Mari complained.

Tiraeses glared at the bubbly woman’s suit and didn’t respond.

“You’ve been quiet these past few days,” Leon added as they fell back into a good walking cadence. The hills were bleak and devoid of all plant life—as was just about everything else Leon had seen on the plane—but they were also steep and jagged, meaning that the only good way through them on foot was through several wide valleys. Those valleys were largely controlled by local cities and forts, but Tiraeses had led them to one of the few that wasn’t.

A scowl passed over Tiraeses’ face before it morphed into one of deep melancholic longing.

“Do you remember what this place was once called?” he asked.

Leon cocked an eyebrow, but he didn’t need to think hard to recall Tiraeses telling him of his planned route to Tell Kirin.

He glanced back at the relatively flat plains that began at Yu Nok Tor and ended at the foot of these hills. “The Plains of Paradise,” he said, before turning to look forward, to the barren hills of rock, dirt, and little else. “The Many-Flowered Hills.”

“And this is the Rainbow Valley,” Tiraeses bitterly stated. “At the end of this valley, we shall find the twin cliffs known as Wise Farangeun’s Gates.” He paused long enough to take a deep breath before stating with an almost choking sadness, “These are… These places were once beautiful, the favored lands of Bright Lucaelior and the Mothers Above and Below.” He paused again, and when he broke that silence, it was only to mutter a quick prayer that even Leon had to strain his ears to hear. “Mulitan, Lord of Memory, take from me my recollections; they bring me naught but pain.”

Tiraeses halted mid-stride and fell to his knees, cradling his head in his hands.

“Please…” he croaked. “Give me a moment.”

Leon looked upon the old monk with pity and gently squeezed his shoulder. “We can spare the time.” He glanced at Mari, but even she seemed unwilling to mock Tiraeses for his minor breakdown.

So, Leon sat down on a nearby boulder while Tiraeses did his best to pull himself together.

The three remained silent for many long minutes—long enough that Leon turned his attention from Tiraeses to monitoring their surroundings for anything, just in case. They may not have been attacked during their trek, but he wouldn’t put it past a patient hunter to stalk them until an opportunity to strike presented itself—an opportunity such as one of their number being overcome with grief, and the other two focusing entirely on him.

Fortunately, his paranoia remained, at least for the moment, unjustified.

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Breaking the silence, Tiraeses said, “… Among the many flowers that, by the Mother Below, once graced these hills, and gave the Rainbow Valley its name, was a certain lily…”

Leon listened attentively, though he heard a quiet gasp from Mari, who now seemed even more attentive to Tiraeses than he was.

“Its petals were typically white,” Tiraeses explained. “and the pistils within were like glowing silver.” The monk closed his eyes, and the ghost of a smile graced his lips. “On clear nights, when Anha’Bal, Maiden of the Moon, shone brightly, these lilies glowed like stars, lighting up the Many-Flowered Hills until they appeared like the tapestry of the night sky, woven by Mandious, Lord of All in Heaven. The people here said that on those nights, Mandious, Lord of All in Heaven, had come to meet his wife, the Mother Below, and that they could be found amidst the flowers and the fields of these blessed lands.

“On one such night, many millennia ago, the two coupled here, and upon the site of their union sprouted a golden lily, which grew as large as a tree. From the petals of this lily sprang Man’Jia, Maiden of the Heart, who brought love to the people of the universe.”

Leon listened, but the Thunderbird felt the need to interject.

[‘Many millennia ago’, huh? Would’ve had to have been more than that, as love was certainly around when I was yet physical. I know I partook of love quite a bit…]

Leon rolled his eyes and kept listening to Tiraeses.

“Since the birth of Man’Jia, Maiden of the Heart, the white lilies here have been the symbol of marriage among the people of Arkhnavi. And the golden lilies that graced these hills only rarely were seen as the ultimate expression of love between partners.”

Tiraeses attempted to continue, but he choked up and needed a moment to clear his throat and recollect himself.

“I came to these hills seven hundred years ago,” he continued after a moment. “Man’Jia, Maiden of the Heart, had blessed me with the love of a woman infinitely better than a man like me could have ever deserved. By the grace of Valiant Ashatar and the guidance of Man’Jia, Maiden of the Heart, I had the courage to accept it. She was the best thing to ever happen to me, my heart and joy, my light, my sun and moon. To me, though it is blasphemous to admit, she was in every way more beautiful even than Man’Jia, Maiden of the Heart, herself. Sharing this love, we came here to the Many-Flowered Hills to find suitable lilies to exchange.”

Tiraeses paused, though from the smile on his lips, Leon guessed it was because of good memories this time.

“We spent many long days here, and longer nights, may Mulitan, Lord of Memory, carve these memories into my very being that I may never forget them. In that time, I searched high and low for the right lily to give my love. One night, Anha’Bal, Maiden of the Moon, rose high in the sky, and seemed to shine her light just for me. Just for us. I walked through the fields of flowers feeling like Man’Jia, Maiden of the Heart, walked with me, guiding me, until I finally found a golden lily. I have never been prouder or happier for anything in my life than the moment I presented to my love that flower, and when she accepted it.”

Tiraeses turned his eyes from the barren hills to Leon and somberly smiled. “She kissed me, then cried afterward. She had only found a white lily for me and was disappointed that it seemed so ‘normal’ in comparison, that it could not match what I had given her. I did not care. She could have given me nothing but her smile and I would have felt like the most blessed man on the plane.” He chuckled. “For her love, I suppose I had to have been, and I have always been grateful to the gods for the time I had with her.”

“What was her name?” Leon softly asked.

“Nia’Lui,” Tiraeses said with the most loving expression on his face that Leon had ever seen. “She was taken by the Red-Eyed One More than half a millennium ago. She never enjoyed pursuing magic, so her life was always going to be short. And she chose to spend her limited time with me.” His expression turned a shade darker. “I… lost myself when the Red-Eyed One took her. I became someone that Just Helior would condemn. I can only hope that my penitence this past half-millennium can allow us to be reunited when the Red-Eyed One finally comes for me.”

“That was beautiful,” Mari quietly stated. “I didn’t think ya had that side to ya, Fake Name.”

Tiraeses scoffed and turned away from the almost absurdly heavily armored woman. “There was a moment when I thought she had come for me in Yu Nok Tor, for what else could that red eye have been but the Red-Eyed One? I almost wish it had been. Then I could have been with Lui, and I never would have had to see what became of this holy place, of this place of beauty and love.”

Leon frowned. That eye had been a Primal Devil, not a psychopomp; of that he was certain.

“What we saw was worse than the Red-Eyed Bitch,” Mari spat.

“May Just Helior overlook this when weighing my deeds, but I agree with you, Mari’Kha,” Tiraeses stated, and Mari’s head—or the head of her suit, anyway—snapped around to stare at the old monk in astonishment. Heedless, Tiraeses added, “I wish for nothing more than to destroy the devil that destroyed this place, may Just Helior overlook my bloodthirst, Strong Ashagon, Lord of Battle, lend me strength, Valiant Ashatar give me the courage to do what is needed, and Mandious, Lord of All in Heaven, give me victory in this endeavor.”

“Trust in your magic, not in the gods,” Mari bitterly stated. “If the gods were going to help, they would’ve done so by now.”

“They have sent us Leon, King of Thunder, and others. They have given us a chance.”

Mari gasped again as her head swiveled this time in Leon’s direction. “You’re a King?! Is he being a little lying liar? Is he being a duplicitous deceiver? A falsifying fibster? Prevaricating perjurer?”

“Amazing,” Leon stated with a wry grin. “Have you a thesaurus in that suit of yours?”

Mari put the hands of her suit on its hips and stared challengingly at Leon. The effect was enhanced by the faint features and glowing blue eye of the suit’s head, though Leon stared back undaunted.

“Course I do,” Mari stated confidently. “Best part of my kit. Gotta get people to think I’m a cultured bitch, with good words ‘n shit.”

“You may need the aid of all the gods working as one to convince anyone of that,” Tiraeses growled.

“Fuuuuuck off, Fake Name!” Mari retorted.

“My name isn’t fake,” Tiraeses shot back. “It is the name I go by. That makes it as real as any other I might answer to.”

“It’s stupid,” Mari stated provocatively. “And dumb. And childish. Are you, like, really younger than me? Cuz that’s something that the boys of my home would’ve thought like reaaally cool.”

“Think of it what you will. I am Tiraeses. The name is not fake.”

“What was it before?” Mari pressed.

“None of your concern,” Tiraeses replied simply, but sternly.

It was Mari’s turn to scoff and turn away, which she did quite theatrically.

“All right, all right,” Leon interceded. “Enough, you two. Tiraeses, are you ready to keep going?”

Any trace of levity in Tiraeses’ body language vanished as he cast his gaze about the hills, and then the plains behind them once more.

“Yes,” he answered. “I’m eager to get through this place as quickly as we can. I cannot stand to look upon this place any longer. May Just Helior judge me harshly for any lies, but I find myself wishing I had stayed at my sanctuary. I would never have had to see what became of the Plains of Paradise or the Many-Flowered Hills if I had never left.”

“It’s better to know,” Leon stated as they got moving again.

“Do you think that way cuz you’re a King?” Mari pointedly asked. “Didn’t think I’d let that one go, didja?”

“No, I just hadn’t found a good way to bring it up,” Leon replied with a shrug. “But now that you know, there’s quite a lot we can discuss.”

“Like what?” Mari’s voice lowered in pitch as she leaned forward, almost like she was trying to whisper conspiratorially with Leon, though with her thirty-foot-tall armor, it looked almost comical. “You’re not lookin’ for a new Queen, are ya? I mean, you’re cute, Lele, but… you know what? I could be convinced. Ya look like ya know how to use them fingers.”

“Ha!” Leon burst out. “I’ve never heard any complaints from my wives. Who I’m very happy with, I’ll have you know.”

“Reeeaallly?” Mari responded, sounding almost like a complaining child, though every word carried a playful undercurrent that told Leon she wasn’t the least bit serious. “Ya sure we can’t work something out? I could really use a crown, ya know. I think maybe silver would go best with my hair? Gold would be best, yeah, but it’s too… like… normal? If crowns can be called ‘normal’.”

“Do not try to violate the sanctity of those in godly matrimony,” Tiraeses sternly warned Mari.

“Ya still here, Fake Name? Good to know, I almost stepped on ya.”

Tiraeses grumbled more and didn’t respond.

“So, Lele. If you’re a King, why don’t ‘cha tell us about your Kingdom?” After a half-second pause, she suddenly vehemently asked, “Is that, like, where your ark skyship things are built?!”

“Some, yes,” Leon confirmed. “The Empires on Aeterna also build some of their own, though if I do say so myself, those built in my Kingdom are the best, bar none…”

As they walked, Leon was happy to talk more about his Kingdom, and the Tribes and Clans that had elevated him to that position. He also decided that telling the two about his Thunderbird blood was fine, though he was certain that Tiraeses at least might’ve suspected something already, given the color and obvious power of his lightning.

He didn’t mention the power of the Great Black Dragon, but he at least felt better freely talking about the Thunderbird Clan, Aeterna, and the Thunder Kingdom, as well as his friends and family.

If nothing else, it made for better entertainment than quietly navigating the desolate, nearly colorless remains of the Rainbow Valley.