It was gone. It was all gone, the home in which Rhylana had spent countless hours in the library. Like any good Knight family member, she had enjoyed the library the most, and yet, as the original Keep fell, so did its treasures held so closely to the hearts of its inhabitants. Rhylana had entrusted her son to Damon and Alairia and taken to a trip that would last a ten-day, allowing her to venture to the great trading ports of this new land to find for her father a suitable gift, a small consolation in light of the events, but she wanted to offer something. After all, she did love the stubborn old man, even if it was a strange dynamic.

The young goddess walked now, disguised from her true form as a brunette woman with emerald eyes as she searched the stalls. She had pulled her power deep within herself, allowing her aura to calm and disguise her true nature. Coin in hand her purse, and disguised as a typical maiden, she walked the streets to pursue unique and sacred items or texts. Yes, she had a library that was still growing, and she would collect mainly historical tomes from this land, she also wished to find unique music, a violin, and other such goodies to take home. Perhaps, just perhaps, she would find something for the patriarch of her family, though it would take days of search thing vast city.

Rhylana had heard from far and wide that this city was the trading post for all the world, and then the foremost place to visit upon to find unique objects, she hoped that this rang true. The warm wind blew, the salt sticking to her skin and crushing her lips as she walked with calm streets. So different was this from Minoc, so peaceful and clean that it was most strange to think this was all real. It seemed so civilised, no haggling or fussing, no drunkards thrown into the streets, Minoc had been rife with these sins and so much more that it left her rattled. An old looking tome caught Rhylana's attention, drawing her to the stall to look it over; the shop keep prattling on as she flipped the pages.

It was not the prize she was hoping for.

Onward the young woman walked, eventually finding another…she was hoping for a book about her homeland, as far a stretch as that was. She knew, oh how she knew that she would be looking for some time.

It wasn’t too long before the belly of the goddess took to a low grumble, “Oh fine…” she grumped, going to a restaurant, soured on having to shell out her silver on anything but treasures, she ordered a cheap meal of fish, bread, and watered down wine. The fish was from yesterday, and the bread stale, but with Daeluin had gone all of the Knight wealth.

In accordance with his wishes to see the great many cities of this land of Canelux, Icarus found himself in the heart of Cittapashe, the peaceful port city.  From all he had gathered, strife was nonexistant here.  Such a blessing was hard to find in any world, even if he had spent quite little alive in this one.  His resurrection had been painful, the memories of his demise and subsequent entrance through the final Void portal he created were still fresh.  

Not much of his time in Dae Luin could be remembered aside from the bonds and rivalries he had created, the Order of Eris that had risen from the ashes of wars plaguing the lands, and the fate he could not escape.  He was a man destined to fail any time he had to save the skin of anyone other than himself, no matter how great he struggled or fought.  Such was the pitiable existence he continued, unable to die, or at the very least, stay dead.

Within this city, he hoped to perhaps find more information pertaining to the existence of others that had crossed the threshold of reality.  It was a transient existence that he no longer found himself being the sole inheritor of.  His life was one that involved the changes which came with the transfer of his soul and mortal flesh into different realities, having left Nataki to assist Dae Luin.  His mission there had failed and now Icarus had been deposited into a new world he knew little of.  Indeed, he'd only completed a few contracts to ensure he had enough coin to satisfy the events that could happen in his day to day life.  One always needed silver for liquor, after all.

His wolf companion had returned south when they passed through the Laeto, a good thing, considering it likely would have found difficulty adjusting to city life, at least at this point.  People were often wary when it came to wild predators, especially when they could rival the size of a man when they stood upon their haunches.  The wolf, which had no name as of yet, was only a recent companion.  Icarus had rescued it while crossing the Sarchu Valley and found it dying of dehydration and poisoned atmosphere.  It still had quite a way to go before it could truly become domesticated.

After some time, Icarus found himself craving food and ducked into one of the many restaurants.  Glancing once at the board often found in such establishments, he found numerous contracts for possible labor ranging from mundane manual labor to the daunting task of escorting a caravan south to Adeluna.  He made a mental note of some the piqued his interest and sat down at a booth near the rear of the establishment.

Icarus took note of a woman whom he believed he may have seen on at least one occasion previously.  Where that particular event was, he had no clue.  Perhaps she was from his previous life, some abstract acquaintance or some passing stranger he had heard of or seen from afar.  He chose not to pursue it too in depth, but upon the entrance of a barmaid's attending of his table, he asked that a finer wine than what she had apparently been consuming to be delivered to her.  In the meantime, he reviewed several of the entries in his journal attempting to collect his thoughts and figure a plan of attack for his current issue regarding information.

The food was cheap, the wine was cheaper, and with each bite Rhylana hated this place more. Daeluin, she had money, status, daddy had money and anywhere that heard her surname rendered respect and fear. Here, they were so new that there was no such ability, there was no money or prestige. Rhylana, for the first time in her life, realised that there were benefits that she had reaped from her name and had never appreciated. She sipped the cheapened wine, sloshing the taste of questionable fish from her mouth. As the barmaid came by, she rose an eyebrow and looked to the woman and blinked as the new wine was put down. “Thank you,” she said looking to where the drink had been ordered from…he looked familiar.

Finishing off her plate, Rhylana looked to Icarus and cocked her head, “Sire, you gift me wine, and your face is familiar- may I ask why?” There was a good deal of familiarity, but from where…Daeluin, but that was broad enough that she could not truly place it. He could not be a follower, devotee, or priest of either church.

The restaurant was busy enough that Rhylana felt safe enough to drop her glamour, as everyone was wrapped up in their own world they would not notice her. Even if they did, if did not matter, who would pick a fight with the lady of destruction? She looked to the other, trusting that nothing would come of it, sipping the quality wine and near purring at the sweet taste as it danced along her pallet. Ebony hair slipped over her shoulder as she looked at him, suspicious. “I am thankful for the graciousness regardless,” her words were sweet as the glamour peeled away, pale skin, bright blue and green eyes, and endlessly long raven hair- she was stunning, and out of place in this restaurant.

The woman was hungry, stomach growling as she poked the fish reluctantly, she needed to have all her silver to find the proper relics…but at the same time, decent food was hard to come by.

Several of the figures he had sketched in his journal were a combination of facial sketches, and he glanced between each of the pages.  Under them, he wrote minor descriptions of fragmented memories associated with each.  In the later entries, he included newer acquaintances with names and fuller descriptions.  The thing that had set them apart was the fact the more recent memories were from this world while the bit descriptions were from a world far beyond this one.  He hadn't sketched the woman's face, only felt the faintness of her having a presence beyond this realm as well that had set him off.

Comparing his notes, he realized he could perhaps have been mistaken.  Her lack of presence in his notes indicated that at the least, they had no actual interaction in the fragments of thought he had lost.  All he had to act on was a gut feeling.  Often enough, his instincts were nigh animalistic in a nature and his senses were uncanny in their determination of things imperceivable to others.  Perhaps he simply had extraordinary luck.

Upon hearing the woman's approval, Icarus raised his own glass of ale as the barmaid presented his, a single drop of condensation hitting the paper.  Perturbed momentarily, he brushed the drop from the page and looked back toward the woman as she spoke to him.  In his mind, he hadn't really thought through the interaction more fully.  He simply wanted to do something kind for someone whom he felt there was a connection to.  Had he known he had once visited her father during his tenure as the deity of darkness within the old world, the connection likely would have been more significant and he would have tread a bit more on the side of caution.

"I had the feeling of a foreigner to these lands, such as myself.  I figured if I were right, it was a simple gesture of acknowledging the difficulty that comes with a great change.  If not, then I simply gave an attractive woman a free drink as a gentleman should," he answered with a smile.

Her appearance shifted, bringing to mind the brief, fractured memory of his interaction with Dimitre.  Icarus recalled the discussion both held when it came to the peculiarity of his dark attributed magic that had not flowed from Dimitre as a source.  The Void he had tapped into presented new challenges and even the dark lord himself had wanted to inquire further.  Unfortunately, events had not allowed them to study further on the peculiarity of the Void nor the implications it held to the flow of mana that was not derived from the world or those the Tree had selected as its arbiters.

She still retained her beauty, but it was an otherworldly sort of attraction.  For some, it was like staring at a regality not found among the commoners.  For him, it was like staring at an apex predator, a taker of lives that came from beyond the veil of life and death.  It was… exquisite.  "So?  Was I correct in believing you to be a stranger here, much like myself?" he queried, closing the journal and folding his hands over it.

Rhylana knew that the man seemed familiar, but only in a ‘one of these things is not like the other’ way. No, he was from Daeluin, she’d lay her last copper on it if she had to place bets. The man’s energy was familiar, as if it had been around her, and the tone…she couldn’t place it. The accent was much like her homeland, and for that she crossed one leg over the other as she set the glass of wine down. “I thank you for that, you remind me of times long past, a familiarity to an extent, though not completely. Where do you hail from?” She’d wondered this since first seeing him, as surely he was new here, and surely the man was not going to expose all. After all she’d hardly reveal her place of birth.

She finished her meal, pushing the plate tot he side as the wench took it and the two silver that Rhylana had lain on the table. Truth be told the day old fish was hardly worth that, but it was the price to pay. Rhylana was certain that later in time, her stomach would make her pay a far cry more than two silvers for such a suspect meal. She watched his mannerisms as he sealed his journal and she her purse strings, no more inclined to surrender her coin than he was his secrets. She thought for a time. “I am a stranger to these lands, like yourself, and as such it leaves me curious as to how many have found their way here. I find this port odd, and the merchants odder, for haggling seems to be a dead art, and there are no drunkards in the street. The stench of whiskey kept to the confines of the establishments which are eerily clean.”

She knew the look the man was giving her, she had received it far too many times, but there was a flattery in being looked at as a panther ready to pounce. Beautiful, deadly, and entirely innocent looking when it came down to brass tacks. “I have come to this port to find treasures and tomes of this land, to learn of this land. What has brought you this far to the north, adventurer.” She was always suspect, especially when she could smell the jungle on this man, he had bene in her lands, been to the area her home no resided. Was it truly a coincidence that he found himself now before her, treating her to spiced wine?

The woman spoke of the past, indicating she felt he was some remnant of it.  He couldn't help feeling a little odd at the thought of it, but given the destruction of their previous home only weeks ago, it was not too great of a stretch.  She likely had exaggerated slightly pertaining to how long ago she actually meant as a means of determining whether his words were genuine and he truly knew just how far she had traveled.  Her question pertaining to where he originated was what made him chuckle.  Even by the same standard as having previously lived in Dae Luin, he was certainly not from there.

"Hm… To be fair, I'm not even from your home in the lands of Dae Luin, if my belief you are from there is correct.  I actually travel many lands, Dae Luin was one such place though I came from a land known as Nataki.  The world that was beautiful and monstrous all at once depending on where you were.  It's a land, I'm sad to say, none other has ventured here from," he answered simply.

Based on her motion to close her coinpurse as he closed his journal, he believed she may have taken his movement to indicate he were hiding something and she wished to take a cautious approach with him.  After all, a man said things to her that may or may not have made sense.  The last thing he would wish if he were in her shoes were a swindler to prey upon loosely grasped coincidences.  

Her mention of the tranquility of the port town they found themselves in brought a bit of a smile to his face.  In truth, this was a model city the likes of which made him think happily of his home of Gartouk, the second largest city of the Carnathian Empire.  Despite the size and the fact it housed hundreds of thousands of people, it somehow never held the air of corruption many other cities had.  Perhaps it could be that the empire had taken such pride in the city that it held strict regulations and enforced them well with lenient but firm punishments for those that broke the laws.  A few hours in the stocks or pillories and even a drunk straightened up fairly quickly.

"Honestly, I can't much complain.  The peace here is a valuable thing.  I recall this city named Moon Crest which had, at times, been incorrigible in its conditions.  I can't lie, however, my memories aren't the most reliable at this time, so I've taken to illustrating the faces of those I remember from my previous travels here," he explained, tapping the journal.

"It has a bit of value to it.  Most of what I recall is bits and pieces.  So, I draw the faces I recall, then add the context in which I remember them.  There was one particular face which reminds me of you," he said as he opened his book, flipping through the pages.  Icarus held his hand up toward her, waving her to come join him if she wished.  He stopped at the entry that held Dimitre's visage.  His recollection made him think of her for reasons he could not fathom aside from the regal but dark countenance, pale white skin, and different colored eyes.  

Her mention of her reasons for venturing here resonated with him.  Indeed, he had come to this quaint city with similar intents.  As a rule, Icarus always sought as much information as was readily available to him, wishing to see most things with his eyes before he decided a course of action.  It was a portion of his psyche that came from being renowned at one time as the Golden Strategist.  Even if others may remember him as the Black Swordsman, his true strength lay in his mind.  Most, fortunately enough, wouldn't recall such a time and even less were alive to do so either.

"Actually, I'm at a somewhat similar point.  I've been accepting work as a mercenary for a few weeks now.  Nothing too serious, just the occasional protection job or assisting with clearing land of wild animals.  I honestly am just using it to fund my travels so I can understand this land better.  Does this man mean anything to you?  I apologize, but I have the strangest sense of deja vu when I see your face and this was the first that came to mind," he explained.

The pub was bustling with quiet chatter as Rhylana mindfully moved closer to the gentleman, seeing his sketch book and the remarkable drawing of him there. She blinked, smirking as he continued to speak as to wha the had been doing, and why he was here. It was interesting, and though hardly polite conversation, she took it to heart. It was best to keep him at arms length as it were, always best to be safe. Outside of that, should he discover who and what she was…she looked down at the sketch again. “I am hardly a mercenary, more a member of a faith and simply looking to please my patrons.”It was close enough to the truth, her own church needed money as well as relics for the library, not to mention her father’s need it as well.

Her fingers danced along the edge of the portrait and she bit her lip “I know him, I know him well, you have drawn my father. Lord Dimitre Knight.” The rest of the titles, and there were many more, she would leave alone. Perhaps this man did not know all of her family secrets as Dae Luin had. “I am told the family resemblance is there, so per haps that is what you see when you look upon me?” Her tone was sweet, all the while the wicked machinations of her mind working to devise methods of ensuring her family remained safe within these lands.

They did not need more pain.

Rhylana straightened her back and looked tot he odd face, sh knew of him, somewhat, he felt and smelled familiar, but that could have been because he had gone to the Keep. “What has brought you to these lands, if not being a mercenary and sellsword?” she asked sweetly, it wasn’t her best mood, but this man knew her father and that set her more on edge than before, suddenly grateful for her powers and prowess as a Goddess. She thought for a time, watching him, her coin purse secured safely at her belt.

Icarus was a bit more appreciative when the woman came over to sit with him.  It made the conversation much easier to keep out of the ears of others.  Sure, the populace abided by their golden rule of peace, but they still had opinions and if it were possible it would shift poorly, he'd rather keep the information to himself.  He could feel her words held an iota of truth, but something seemed off about them, as though she were attempting to circle around something else.

At her identification, Icarus noticed how she bit her lip, perhaps feeling uncomfortable at how he seemed to know so much about her and her family, despite the fact he knew exceedingly little.  In fact, with the exception of his only interaction with her father, he knew next to nothing about any of them.  Something was in her eyes.  It was akin to her words being a veil to cover the thoughts that worked in her mind.  It was perhaps better if he explained how he knew her father.

"Begging your pardon, madam.  I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable.  Indeed, I recalled the pale skin and eyes and felt it was close enough of a resemblance to strike up conversation.  I mean no ill intent and your father was actually quite polite to me when I went to consult him in some library of the sort within his massive home, if I recall properly.  If you see him, he likely wouldn't remember me because it was the only time, but I suppose you could mention 'Icarus'.  It's unlikely to ring any bells for him.

"Actually, if I can recall, he was a sort of master with a particular magic.  I believe 'darkness'.  I had gone to inquire as to how my magic functioned because it seemed my dark magic came from a source outside of the world.  I don't remember all that well.  There are many memories from that place that are fragmented, damaged beyond full repair," he explained in exhaustive detail as a means to calm her as he felt she was on edge.

Her question inquiring how he had come to this world was a bit hard to explain.  If he went into great detail, even he would become lost.  Likely, it would be best to stick closest to the most pertinent facts.  He shifted uncomfortably in his seat.  The memory brought a wave of discomfort as his greatest failure.

"I went to face the beast of darkness, an avatar of the lord of the end from my realm.  It travels from realm to realm, wiping life from existence and turning it to ash until there is nothing left before it moves on.  I…" he paused as the memory came back to him in full force and she vanished, his surroundings replaced by the reality of the situation.  Knowing it wasn't real, he struggled but was able to keep his calm as he wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead..  

"I was once known as the Black Swordsman, an entity feared for his wholesale slaughter of the corrupt and demons.  With the sword of Eden, a weapon of light, I used the shadows as my true blade, bending it to my will.  Despite vast power, I was killed by the beast, intense gravity affecting my body as I was pulled into the Void I no longer controlled and when I awoke, I was in a crater in Bohar, the earth around me scorched," he explained, finally leaving the memory behind.

It took everything out of him to bring those few precious moments in which Icarus lost everything once more back to the present.  The trauma was something that would haunt him forever, much like the deaths of all he had loved during the Devil Wars of his own realm.  

Brother? Dead.  Wife and oath brothers? All dead.  The only one that survived was his son.  Up until he faced the avatar on Dae Luin, it was his greatest failure, broken only by the fact humanity turned the tide and won the war against those labeled as Devil Gods.

"Sorry, it's difficult.  I remembered these things and usually have an eidetic memory, which causes me to almost literally live in them.  That's what makes the fact my memory concerning most past events on that world is damaged all the more worrisome.  I've prattled on long enough.  Suffice to say that now, I'm only trying to find my way in the world and do what I can to keep such an event from occuring again, here," he explained, shutting the journal once more.

He finished his drink very quickly.  It was often enough the only way he could relax anymore.  Icarus knew the drink had destroyed many other warriors.  It wasn't so much that he found a need in consuming it, but it was still good in the sense that his normally high-strung mindset was able to come to terms with what had happened to him.

This man knew her family, knew her father and recalled the library. It was obvious that he was trying not to scare her off, but there was something unsettling about this man, unsettling about the information he held and his sporadic memories, and he did not seem to recall the full of her families past, that was a blessing in and of itself. Rhylana brushed a stray curl from her eyes and thought for a time as the barkeep brought her a second glass of wine. “My father is a great sorcerer, yes, a wonder with shadows and many other crafts. It would have made sense for you to go to him in such a time of need.” Sorcerer, it was not a lie, per se, but it was not the whole of it either, just enough to keep their family safe.

Rhylana waved her hand over her last silver crescent, it multiplied to four and she did so again discretely to assist in paying for the meal. “The time before is a blur of memories and war, it is not a tragic loss to lose them. I assure you.” Her tone was gentle as she sipped her wine and ate the day old bread. Rhylana was the daughter of a god, a prince, and she was sitting here consuming less than the best wine and day old rolls that one could chip a tooth upon. All in the name of finding a treasure for her beloved father, jackass though he may be.

“I have done my best to forgive the old world, to forget those memories and work with the new world to enhance it.” It was the truth, the young goddess wanted to improve this world, despite her innately destructive powers, despite her father’s opinion or fears. “I’ve come to these lands, this town, to find objects that might improve my library or my family.” She said softly, looking down, not wanting to reveal too much. “There seems to be a number of reasons to become an anointed blades within these lands, for those who have come over have not been met well. Perhaps taking up your blade for coin?” She smiled, knowing he was an artist, as well as sells word but that art hardly paid.

The weather seemed to turn, a shower having begun since they had started taking their wine and conversation. She sighed, “I suppose that one cannot outrun the rain forever, even in such an oddly peaceful place as this.” She offered a calculated smile, hiding her fangs, a slight crackle of lightning showing behind her blue and green eyes. She supposed antiquing would be out of the question this day.

The woman's explanation of her father seemed mostly fulfilling, as Icarus had never known the full extent of the man's power and that was perhaps for the best.  Aside from the occasional scholarly pursuit, much of his own life did not permit him to venture too deeply into the wells of knowledge in the world and it was for that reason which led him to consult her father previously.  His own account of the scenario was hazy at best.

For what it was worth, Icarus didn't recall if he had even learned anything aside from the fact he was an anamoly that Dimitre had wished to study in greater detail at a future date.  They had never met again despite Icarus agreeing to eventually return after both of them studied further on their own into his seeming ties to the Void and all the power of darkness it granted rather than the mana that came from the world.  He trusted her words when she said his forgetfulness in the case was no great loss.

"Yeah, I can understand that.  It just feels like I'm missing something extraordinarily important that comprises my very soul when I cannot recall such turbulent times but every part of me can recall it moment by moment.  It's like my mind is locked and I have no key at times," he explained, silently residing himself to his drink.

He caught the sleight of hand, wondering if it was perhaps her intentionally playing with more coin than she had first showed or if she were creating it entirely on a whim.  Icarus dismissed it as something of no great importance.  At least he would be mindful if some sort of transaction between the two were to take place in the event she were creating illusions to add more currency than there truly was.

"To be honest, I've resigned myself to protecting those that require it, whether coin is a part of the deal or not.  It has been somewhat profittable but I'm willing to settle on meals if I find it a worthy enough cause.  I'm rather selective in my assignments so as not to aid those that would willingly harm others for greed or any pettiness such as that," he answered, giving a reasonable enough explanation pertaining to his reason behind his current trade.

Indeed, Icarus was not the sort to pledge his blade for any cause under the sun.  The taking of lives was far easier than preserving them and it was a road leading to a dark path he dare not tread.  After all, for a man that wished to preserve life, to what end would wanton slaughter serve to fulfill his true goal?  Would he not simply be aiding the acts that Obelisk would later attempt to commit?  Sure, there were times when life would be lost and it was uncontrollable, but he could at least do something to limit it.

He smiled at her words and the metaphor she used.  Indeed, there were aspects of chaos that were required lest the lack of entropy prevented growth and progression.  Icarus thought for a moment.  He wished to discover more concerning this world and the woman wished to find something worthy of being added to her collection.  

"Perhaps, if you won't object to it, we can continue our conversation as I accompany you in your search for whatever it is you seek?" he offered, believing they could easily kill two birds with one stone as the expression went.