At the beginning of writing this fic, I only had a mild idea of what was to come or how Keter's relationship with the sovergins and their clans would have really impacted him or others. But now I have a far better idea, so if you see a sudden change in how his previous relationships with the sovereigns were portrayed, then that's why.
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Nephis and Effie stood ready in the prepared area. Nephis's [Dream Blade] and [Starlight Legion Armor] were summoned and ready. Effie stood at the opposite end of the area with her [Zenith Shard] and [Starlight Legion Shield] brandished and at the ready. It didn't take long before Effie pounced, her spear an unstoppable force and her shield an unmovable object.
Nephis acted swiftly in response; her movements, which once moved like the tides, were now closer to a dance. The dance seemed gentle and forgiving, yet held deathly undertones. It was fluid yet constantly changing. Her actions now held no predetermined output, making it almost impossible to predict.
Effie's style, which once was brutish outbursts, was now a controlled, yet loud war. It was not subtle, it never could have been; instead, it was now a raging tide.
A few yards away was another battle, nowhere near as flamboyant yet far more insidious. The Stone Saint and Cassie, with the assistance of [Crimson Enchantress], dueled with frightening visuousness.
Keter watched from a distance, noting each and every mistake they made for later. Soon enough, Keter's eyes were drawn to Nephis, making him acknowledge another problem that had to be dealt with. He then looked over to the man on his right. "Caster, go find Seishan for me. We all need to have a discussion."
"Understood, Sir." Caster quickly stood up and went to find Seishan. I only took a few minutes till Caster returned with Seishan.
Seishan bowed swiftly before she spoke. "You called?" Caster looked at her with a glare for a moment, then dropped it soon after.
"Caster, use your [Bone Flute]." Caster immediately responded to the order as Keter spoke. Soon enough, a cone of silence enveloped the trio. Seishan and Caster both stood up straighter as they understood the seriousness of this meeting.
"Caster, I know for a fact that Anvil gave you an order to kill Nephis. I want you to completely disregard it." Caster was about to speak before Keter continued. "Seishan, even though your mother didn't directly give you the mission, I know you have thought of it. I want you to disregard all thoughts pertaining to it as well."
"Your Highness." Caster becomes less restrained in his speech as everyone here knows each other's positions. "Even if you order it, I am not allowed to disregard a mission from the sovereign so easily." As Caster protested the order. Seishan just nodded at Keter's order.
Keter looked directly into Caster's eyes and asked. "What was the exact order Anvil gave you?"
Caster began to put the sovereign's orders in his own words. "Mission one, I am to protect your life at all costs. Mission two, I am to kill Changing Star. Mission three, I am to disregard mission two if it gets in the way of mission one."
"Well, there you go, there is your reason. All of us will die without Nephis' help." Keter said in a matter of fact tone.
Seishan was the next to speak. "Is Changing Star truly that necessary? You killed a fallen titan, a fallen terror, and hundreds of other nightmare creatures in a matter of weeks. Could you not deal with the fallen terror atop the spire?"
"The fallen terror is not the problem, it's the army in front of the spire. Along with that, she is the main motivation to get the entire outer settlement to join in. She is my friend as well." Keter then looked at Caster to continue his explanation. "You also don't need to worry about Anvil being mad at you, I will give you something to deliver to Anvil before we start the siege. I will also make you both much stronger before then. And with the chance to grab at a few of the survivors of the Anvil will be pleased enough to not try anything."
Caster nodded in understanding, even if he didn't partially agree with the plan, there wasn't much he could do about it.
"How about mother?" Seishan asked.
"Ki didn't even order you to kill her, you are just going off an educated guess. You guess isn't wrong, but she values your life far more than the death of Nephis. And since she would also get all the handmaidens that survive, she won't do anything about it." Keter easily answered.
Seishan then glanced over to the arena. "Are you going to train us like you trained them?"
Caster's eyes followed her gaze. "I don't know how you've done it, but they are astronomically more skilled than they were a mere seven days ago."
"Yes, I am." Keter then looked away, somewhat disinterested. "I'm also going to begin training Kai, Gunlang, and Harus, since I've finally made their profiles." Keter soon adds on. "I've also made a general training program for everyone else in the Dark City."
Caster then asked. "How long are you going to be training us all for?"
"Till you are all strong enough to kill your current selves several times over." Keter then stood up and walked towards the arena as the fighting stopped.
-43 Days later-
Keter propped up the sword on his chest and held its handle with his chin. His right hand grabbed a thin chisel and began to engrave runes into the burning hot metal. Keter then heard a knock on the door before it was opened.
"This is the seventy-second time I've seen you forge that exact sword. And I've seen you send it to the Artisans to make into a memory every single time." Cassie said with amusement as she walked into the room.
"Did your visions not tell you what they are for?" Keter inquired.
"No, but I know they are important to our survival. Some type of connection, if I had to guess?" Cassie said.
"They will increase the effect of [Fractured Oath], which will make it easier for the army to fight together," Keter said.
"Then, is it not counterproductive to make it in the form of a sword?" Cassie asked.
Keter shook his head. "No, the effect will be active whether it is summoned or not."
Cassie looked surprised. "I didn't know that was possible."
"It's not easy. I have to make the enchantment round about to get the effect I want," Keter said. Keter looked at the runes of the memory as he transformed one to Cassie.
[Oath Maker]
Memory Rank Awakened
Memory Tier: I
Memory Type Weapon
Memory Enchantments: [Oath Keeper] [Undying Oath]
[Oath Keeper]
Enchantment Description: [Increases the effects of any oaths or promises made.]
[Undying Oath]
Enchantment Description: [If an oath is made, it will never stop.]
"I've also been teaching some of the Artisans how to make them. So we should have about seven to eight hundred of them before the siege." Keter said.
Cassie's eyebrows hitched at the number. "Do you really believe that that many of us will survive till the siege?"
Keter then began to explain the numbers. "There are one thousand two hundred and seven sleepers living within the Dark City. Then, in about a week me, you, Nephis, Caster, Gunlang, Kai, Effie, and Seishan are all going far south to find [Dawn Shard], [Dusk Shard], and [Quiet Dancer]. This will put a lot more stress on the sleepers to survive without the strongest members of Dark City. I estimate a few hundred will die in that time, but we shouldn't have less than six hundred left by the time of the siege."
"Keter... do you only talk about these people like they are numbers, or do you think of them like that as well?" Cassie questioned, hoping her friend did not think such.
Keter then looked over at her with a raised eyebrow. "Why wouldn't I?"
Cassie nodded silently. "How are your injuries?"
"I can use my aspect without my soul collapsing finally." Keter snorted as he answered.
Cassie's once bright mood finally reached its endpoint. "Keter, do you remember it, the prophecy of the Spire?"
"What of it?" Keter responds.
"It hasn't changed, you will die upon the top of that tower. The strings of fate guiding that ending have only gotten stronger." Cassie's voice trembled slightly.
Keter stayed quiet as he thought. "Cassie, I-" Keter seemed repulsed at the very idea of what he was about to suggest. "If I do die upon the spire, can you tell Morgan I loved her?"
Cassie was surprised at the request, but she smiled lightly and stood up to leave. "I promise the message will be delivered."
Soon enough, Keter was left alone with his thoughts. He set down the molten sword in his hand and let his face rest in his hands. "I'm scared. I don't want to die."
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Sorry for the so few chps. I was originally only taking a break because I was hanging out with my friends so much, but then finals came. Then, immediately after school ended, I went on a cruise, so yeah. anyway I was originally planning to make a new chapter before I uploaded the two chps but I just decided to make this one longer and change the ending.
Also I understand that I am bad at writing, and I do want to improve because I want to be able to read my fanfic and enjoy it. But my own writing quality is really bad compared to what a normally read, so I cant. I have been improving even of slowly. But I would really welcome any tips or any advice or critasim anyone has.