House of Amarin

"How's the preparations?" Reyra asked, meeting with Rangi at an old Berison border fortress.

"We retreated to all the natural choke-points, leading out to the rest of the continent. The fortifications are being built, reinforced, and then reinforced again. We are giving up a big chunk of Meriath here…"

"We can't keep assaulting their base; we lost too many already, which is what they want! Both of us know that! We need to change plans and starve them out!"

"Starve them off fresh souls and bodies…" The old turtle sighed, looking towards the distance, but the tear was not visible from here.

"We lost territory, but we gained another advantage. We can contain their stench here. We will patrol the borders and hold out. Slowly but surely, whittle down their numbers into nothing and exterminate them for good!"

"Who knows how long it will take!"

"The longer, the better! We are raising Ascendri mages in the meanwhile! Soon, Lucian and Lakhmu should be finished, and we will have a new one in our midst! Then I will raise Kawu up."

"What about your sons…?"

"They are doing it naturally. When Lia’s fate… was confirmed…” She murmured, her voice faltering slightly, but then quickly steeled herself, "It impacted them. Lauron is leaving the Academy and will soon join us here. Solren is getting ready to capitalize on his sudden burst of strength and try and break through to the 8th Tier. He held back a lot in the past, and now he uses his energy to propel himself higher than his brothers. Razael… is at the main gateway to the south, overseeing the building of our primary fortress. He will be its commander… he says it helps him focus."

"We all need to focus," Rangi whispered, patting her on the shoulder. Reyra was about to answer when both their bracelets pinged, and Somia's calm voice came through.

"Found the city. It is still intact."

…
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……

"How are we going to bring it back?" Lauron asked as Reyra's sons and Arcus were gathering at the Academy. They couldn't send everybody here as it would give an opportunity to the enemy and notify them that something was happening.

"Where are we going to bring it back is the question!" Razael argued, looking at Somia, who was silently standing in the empty office of Lucian. The Headmaster was in retreat with Lakhmu as the two were working on raising him to the 9th Tier. By estimates, they said it would only take a month to achieve it… and it was slowly ending.

"Here." Somia interrupted them, making them raise their eyebrows while Arcus just chuckled.

"Can you handle it, Albert?"

"Of course!" The dragon's voice echoed from the bracelet on the Headmaster's table. "Are you worrying about my ability? My age? You are the same as Cici!"

"I'm not. I know you can handle it."

"Hah! Of course, I can! Another addition to the floating circus is nothing these old bones can't deal with!"

"We calculated the stress it will place on him; it is within acceptable parameters," Somia explained. "But we will keep the city under quarantine after recalling it from No-Space."

"Naturally." The others agreed, not about to start arguing.

"When the Headmaster is back, with Somia and Cici, we will conduct their examination." Albert moaned, sounding like someone who was only now waking up, stretching his old body. "It will be a spectacle! Are you staying to watch?"

"That is why we came," Solren answered, crossing his hands before his chest. "I don't believe our little sister is dead, not until I see it for myself!"

…
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……

The discovery and recall of the Berisons' lost city was something that couldn't be kept under wraps. It was an event like none seen before on Meriath and also a kind of news that gave strength to those who were natives of the abandoned domain. The return of their leader and core of their Hosue was something they desperately needed to raise their morals.

For Somia, it was a work that required her complete focus and presence, starting with establishing a connection with those trapped inside. The one who replied to her calls first was Ceiline, detailing how they were faring. What was surprising for Somia was that the city didn't experience time-distortion. For them, just as in reality, only 2 months had passed since being lost. Somia already suspected that the tear between reality and No-Space was the culprit for synchronizing the time flow between the two dimensions.

"We were just making inventory…" Simbad told the other end as they listened in, "We would have enough food and water for only 14 months. We were about to make drastic plans on how to restrict consumption and conserve energy. Thankfully, that will be no longer necessary!"

"Simbad," Solren interrupted, asking the question his brothers wanting to hear his answer just as much, "What happened? Is my sister… dead?"

"Yes." He answered in a soft murmur. "She saved us."

Hearing his explanation about what happened made the brothers look at each other, feeling the same mix of pride, sadness, and anger. Nobody wants to lose their loved ones, yet they knew they would have done the same in her place. They, even without an oath, were responsible for defending the world against the Undead… and their sister did that, saving the lives of many for the price of her own.

After the short briefing and realizing Lia really perished, the group gathered at the edge of the Academy, looking at the giant, draconic form of Albert, who had a little black cat sitting atop his head.

"I synced up all the formations around the island," Cici grumbled, clearly unhappy about what they were about to do, "But even then, it could go very wrong! Don't lose focus! Not for a minute, or you die, and we drop to our death!"

"Relax, my dear!" He chuckled, opening his wings and casting a giant shadow on the others, "Let's do it!"

Somia didn't hesitate; back at the Misfits' tower, she activated the telescope, focusing it on the floating city in No-Space. The people there felt it stop in place, no longer being carried away by its unnatural waves, and soon, a humongous magical formation appeared above their sky. They were very slowly rising upwards, entering its light, and they could see as the endless clouds were replaced by the familiar, blue sky of Meriath.

On the Academy's end, Albert roared loudly, his voice traveling far and wide as dozens of distinct magic circles appeared near his open wings and around the floating island itself. It began to shake, alerting the group, but Cici's words made them stop in place.

"It's all right! Keep steady; my husband will deal with it!"

The other person who was using her strength to the fullest was Somia, stuck in the Misfits' tower. She was the main conduit, drawing the city out like a fisherman pulling on her biggest catch in her life. It was a delicate move. If the 'line' snapped, it would mean that the city would be swept away by No-Space and probably have catastrophic consequences for the Institute, her, and Albert.

"I never expected to see something like this…" Razael whispered while his brothers could only nod in agreement.

It was as if an island was emerging from underwater, breaking through the water's surface, pushing energy from No-Space before itself, letting it flood into reality. When that happened, Cici's eyes flashed, and two complex magic circles appeared in them, flying forth and growing as large as her husband's. Soon, the soul-affecting energies flooding Meriath were contained without impacting anybody on the island.

The process of the lost city reappearing took almost half an hour to finish, and when it was done, the protective ice shield and Lia's defensive bubble all burst simultaneously. Slowly but surely, the city became a twin to the Institute of the Eight Elements's island, floating next to it, joining the eight little satellites where the Elemental Towers were located.

"Whew!" Albert breathed out loudly as the magic around him slowly faded, and he transformed back into his exhausted, human form. "That wasn't easy, but see? I told you I can handle it!"

"Unlike the tower." Somia joined in, speaking through the bracelets on their hands. "This was not something it could withstand, so the Misfits will have to look for a new home. It crumbled to dust…"

"Small price," Lauron answered, already walking forward, wanting to enter the city, and nobody was there to stop him.

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The people inside were feeling happy for the first time in months. Even if they were all to remain there, under quarantine, it was a fate they welcomed with open arms, holding celebrations on the streets and a ceremonial tribute to those who had fallen, including Lia. When that happened, Reyra herself came, along with Kawu, Parthorn, and the rest of the leaders of House Amarin. They all wanted to say goodbye to their daughter, who she sacrificed her life. The ceremony itself was devoid of grandeur and consisted of lighting candles and bowing in respect to her memory… the only one who missed it was Rinzen.

"I will talk to her." Reyra shrugged after meeting with the Misfits, standing amongst them and rubbing the head of Keily, who was devastated when learning about the truth. Without Koadriana's support, the still-injured boy would have fallen into a coma.

"No need."

Turning towards the voice, it was Rinzen who opened the door, walking in with a calm and serious expression, looking over them all. Everyone opened their mouths, wanting to say something but finding no words except for Reyra.

"Want to light a candle for my daughter?" She asked, taking a step forward, but Rinzen shook her head.

"Lia's not dead."

"Rinzen…" It was a sigh escaping all of the Misfit's mouth collectively, but she only raised her hand holding the Realm Key, placing it in Reyra's palm.

"Put it on."

They were initially perplexed and became even more so when Reyra tried to put it on… but it refused her actions. No matter how hard she forced it, the ring declined to go on her fingers, acting the same when magnets were pushing against each other.

"It recognizes its owner being still alive!" Riznen said forcefully, her eyes glowing with a radiant light. "Lia's body is gone… but not her soul!"

"She is correct." Spoke up Hajna, her projection appearing next to Rinzen. "The girl must be alive in spirit. The only thing we don't know is if she is lost in No-Space… or did the Soulbound Sect capture her?"

"My daughter would not let herself be captured by them!" Reyra answered, her blue eyes trembling, filled with tears, gripping the ring with full force. If not for Kawu grabbing her shoulders, she would have sat down on the floor then and there to break into tears.

"I agree." Rinzen nodded, looking over the Misfits. "Let us join the frontlines. No… I will join the front lines! I am still part of the Six! Her best chance to return is through the tear those bastards made! We have to secure it!"

"That is a tall order…" Reyra whispered, biting her lips and wiping her eyes.

"If it can be done…" Keily spoke up, drawing attention to himself, being propped up by Koa standing behind him, "Then we, the Misfits, can achieve it!"

"Hah!" Raufon laughed, slapping his chest as the rest nodded, agreeing thoroughly with Keily's words, "He is right! If our Boss is lost, then we will hold the door open for her until she returns!"

"They are right, Mother." Razael grinned, the trio of brothers finally regaining their smiles, standing with the Misfits. "It's not so different from what we are doing right now! Just keep them at bay until that troublemaker comes home!"

"And I have a feeling," Parthorn smiled, his words brimming with confidence, "That when she does, that tear will be the unmaking of the Undead occupying our lands!"