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*****

A date was finally set.

In five days' time, the Sunspot would arrive at Clockwork where her and her escort would take the dignitaries of the summit with her into the Void. There the summit for non-human rights would continue. Valk had finally been informed, giving him little choice in the matter.

Preparations were already being made.

Aria was transporting herself between Corona where the Sunspot rested and Clockwork, overseeing all the aspects of security that had been thrust upon her. The logistics of transporting all the dignitaries to Corona proved to impossible so the starship would come to Clockwork and that added even more pain to her job. Whether or not she could handle the pressure was difficult to tell as her face remained forever steely and unmoving.

Harm remained out of her way for the most part.

The city itself was once again bustling with activity this time at the arrival of the Sunspot. As the flagship of Incendius' ruler, the ship was mostly seen on other Stations and not within the Station itself. Those who were privileged enough to see it usually lived in Corona and the housing prices there were monstrous at best.

Of course, the Justitae Ignibus were not to be brushed aside by another cause for celebration. They had once again set up camp at the base of the clock tower, their voices joining the shouts of merchants and the gleeful cries of children to make a rather odd symphony of anger and joy.

"It's like listening to a choir made completely out of the bipolar," Harm muttered, leaning against the railings. From the very top of the clock tower, he peered off into the distance at the constant dark smudge not far into the south. The lands beyond Chillfarn were well within the Sun Spire's limits but some dark magic from the Darkened kept the land wreathed in shadows.

"Such is the nature of Incendius." Novallier approached, setting his staff down against the railings while he peered mournfully towards the distance. "More than any other Station, this one epitomises the duality of existence with the sun. While one part of the world basks in the warmth of the blessed golden rays, the other languishes in the chilling darkness."

"Free and but caged."

"Indeed so." The Apex Clericus turned his eyes to Harm, his jaw set but not angry. "Do not think I have been blind to your activities with my daughter."

"I swear to you, I never stuck my sword in her. She's whipped me a couple of times but -"

"Please do not make me regret coming here," interrupted Novallier. "Lady Valkyrie informed me about your attempts to train my daughter in the arts of the Paladin while feeding me her thoughts about whom the crown must go to." He leaned against the railings, frustration marking his brow. "You must believe me when I say I only want what is best for my children. I can see Tynvandar would make a better Apex Clericus Solis than Yulanda but generations of tradition and dogma insist that I pass the crown to her. Dynasties have been ruined and Incendius has been thrown into turmoil because of this custom. Yet despite lessons that should have been learned, I am still bound by chains."

"So break the chains. I do it all the time."

"You have the luxury of being semi-immortal and having enough influence and power to cripple entire Stations over. Your paw reaches through the Void and into other Stations while mine is bound here, on the 1st Station. My chains are far reaching and not so easily broken."

Harm detected a request rising and decided to pre-empt it. "What would you have me do, Your Holiness?"

"Free her." Novallier's eyes were filled with sadness and his fists were shaking greatly. "Even if it means I will never see her again, I want her to be free of the same chains that bind me. She was born with wings while I was destined to always sit on a throne. It is not right for a creature such as herself to be restrained in the same way as I."

"You don't care how I do it?"

Novallier wrapped his fingers around Harm's shoulders, squeezing tightly. The gesture came as a surprise but the surprise was not one that Harm showed outwardly. "Just make sure she gets to spread her wings."

They spent a moment with their gazes locked. A father's concern and wounded pride shone through the Apex Clercius Solis' expression. Harm could not help but wonder if Aria had played a part in the request.

Novallier was the one to break the stare. "Tell me truthfully, Chronos. What are your plans for Incendius?"

"I have no plans," he answered. "I merely react to other's plans. I have laid multiple strands of thread across the world. How they come together is as much up to fate as it is by my own machinations. Ties are formed and a tapestry is in the making. All that is left is who will pull the string that will bring it all together."

"And you are not going to be the catalyst to this?"

"In the worst case, I will have to be." He nodded towards the massing crowd. "Whether we like it or not, a great change has come to Incendius. Non-humans demand equality but the Church does not want division. The future bodes ill should equality be granted and history repeats itself where the people find no purpose amongst themselves and opt to find reason to exist in the division between one another."

Novallier followed Harm's gaze then lifted his own to the distant lands beyond Chillfarn. "You believe we have forgotten our purpose; to defend the world from the Darkened. We have grown complacent in our lives and no longer fear the Shadows of the South. Now, we turn to one another in some sick sense of entertainment."

"Not entertainment. Purpose." Harm offered Novallier a gentle smile. "And it isn't that you've grown bored. People evolve, change, grow. What might have been a trying experience generations ago has become a chore for the children of tomorrow. Naturally, this opens doors for more time to spend elsewhere. As one purpose becomes less and less time consuming, the heart wanders and searches for something else to fill that void."

He gazed deep into the camp, wondering at Roran's own motivation and if his vehemence into joining the Justitae Ignibus was born more out of a need to have purpose lest he forget Lusia's memory or a true need to see equality. Unable to find an answer with what information he had, his mind switched to Valk's intentions instead.

The rich merchant who suddenly took up a Valour and became an outspoken activist was highly suspect.

Harm turned away from the scene below, pressing his back against the railings and gazing towards the stars.

"I would beg to differ."

He was not at all surprised Novallier did not agree with him. "How so?"

"When the heart finds a strong enough anchor, it will not wander." Novallier lifted his hand towards the Sun Spire, reaching for the fading warmth just like Yulanda had not so long ago. "The Brave Farmer devoted himself entirely to his cause and the Sun Goddess. Similarly, the Sun Goddess devoted herself to Incendius and stands atop the Sun Spire to this day. I believe that we mortals are capable of such devotion."

Dropping his hands, Novallier gripped his staff of office and said, "Whether it is love for our mission, love for another, love for our land or even love for something material, if it is strong and unwavering, we will not wander."

It was not hard to see where Yulanda received her dogmatic personality. The way Novallier spoke with such conviction mirrored her stubbornness. Still, both of them were capable of conceding and changing so quickly when they recognised they were wrong. In a leader, that was an attribute Harm admired.

"You make it sound so easy to hold on."

"That's because we have the choice to seize that which we care about so intensely," Novallier answered, giving him a soft smile. "I believe that choice is what makes the chance to bind ourselves to another so appealing. It is our choice."

"My strings would beg to differ," Harm chuckled, mildly making clawing gestures in the air.

"Woe to those poor mortals who have had the strings of Harm Chronos bound around their hearts."

"My strings, Aria's strings, Lumire's strings and if I'm not mistaken, Inquisitor Warton."

Novallier gave him a curious look. "You suspect the Inquisitor has been playing the game of shadows?"

"Playing? No. Observing, yes." Harm flashed Novallier a cheeky grin. "I'm pretty sure the Inquisitor has been in the know-how of much of the trickery Aria and I have been playing. I have this eerie feeling he will make his hand known soon enough."

"As will you?"

"Like I said, only in the worst case."

Novallier let out a very heavy sigh and retrieved his staff. "I will not pretend I understand your game, Chronos. I am placing my trust in you to see my daughter freed from the shackles that was placed on her upon her birth. Do not disappoint me."

The Wulfun let the Apex Clericus Solis leave without a reply, his mind spinning with all the possibilities he had lain. The river of Time had many currents and as always, he had only a single chance to bring about a peaceful resolution to this 'Burning Rebellion'. His mind grew heavy with the thoughts but he set them all aside.

For his plan to work, it was now the 'hands off' period. He could no longer interfere. Showing his hand too much would inform his foes of his machinations and the last thing he wanted was for Agares to grow wise to his plot.

"Agares," he growled fiercely. "One day, I swear, I will tear you limb from limb and freeze your mind, body and soul at that moment of agony as you slip into the limbo between death and demonic reincarnation."

Thunk!

Pain exploded from his chest and when he glanced down, he was a surprised to find the shaft of an arrow protruding from his vest just next to his heart.

"Huh... So am I supposed to fall in love with the first person I see?"

Thunk!

Another arrow struck him, just slightly above the first. This time, there was a rope attached.

"Okay, who keeps shooting those?" He peered over the ledge, tracing the rope's length to a nearby building where an orange and black figure waved at him. The general shape seemed vaguely familiar but he didn't have a moment to rifle through his memory as the figure suddenly jumped off the building's roof, swinging down on the rope.

"Holy -"

Harm seized the arrow in his chest with both paws, just barely keeping it from yanking out his internal organs. The massive weight of whoever designed to use him as a swinging anchor almost hurled him off the edge. He carefully pressed his feet against the railings, pulling back with all his weight to keep whoever it was from falling to their death.

Though he seriously considered doing just that as he realised he trapped himself in a warped game of tug of war.

"Who the hell shoots an arrow at a guy, waves and uses the guy like a bloody grappling hook!?" he cried as arrow jerked dangerously close to his lungs. "Scratch that, I probably would have done exactly the same thing... Ack!

The weight suddenly left and through dizziness brought on from lack of blood and blinding white rage, he spied a bag of fluffy orange fur decorated with black stripes grinding at him from the railings.

"What -?"

All other words were cut off as the figure leapt at him. Instincts screamed for him to leap out of the way but those were quickly curbed when half his body shut off from oxygen deprivation. He found himself stumbling back.

There was a heavy whump on top of him and the arrows dug even deeper into his chest.

"Evenin' sailor," came Roran's drunken, ale-smelling words.

"I could easily make this the last night you ever see," Harm sneered, pushing the Tigris off him with one powerful shove. The pain in his chest was unbearable but he mustered the strength to seize the arrows and tear them from his chest. To his dismay, he heard the sickening snap of one of the arrows breaking inside of him. Biting back several curses, he bit down on the intact shaft and plunged his fingers into the entrance wound.

He wasn't sure if he actually closed his eyes or not but the pain was so intense, his vision was filled with red and little else. Despite it all, he managed to take the arrow head in his fingers and pull it out of his chest. His ragged breaths told him his lungs had miraculously been spared but no doubt he was suffering from immense internal bleeding.

Time just seemed to skip to the moment when his body had halfway healed the injury and Roran had been reduced to a giggling mess. Harm's vision returned. By his guess, his bout of unconsciousness had just been for a moment, ten seconds at most. He shook the dizziness from his mind and slowly, propped himself up to his knees.

Roran was on his back, a strange mixture of hysterical giggling and sad tears marring his handsome features.

"I'm going to forgive you for shooting me twice and then using me as a counterweight if you tell me how many drinks you've had."

Roran draped one arm over his eyes while the other lifted his paw. "Just three." He held up four fingers.

"Uh-huh." Harm was halfway tempted to just accelerate Roran's metabolism to get rid of the alcohol but that always ended with urine everywhere. "Does Collia know you're here?"

"Here name is Colleen," came the bitter response.

"Uh-oh..."

Roran managed to sit up even though he was swaying precariously from side to side. "Did you know..." He paused for a moment and giggled at some joke before his features dropped back into a serious scowl. "Did you know that Valk actually hired her to distract me? He didn't want me to join him! After what they did to Lusia, he didn't want me to help him fight for equal rights! And you know what's worse?"

Harm picked up one of the arrows. The edges of the arrowhead were serrated for maximum damage but there were also a strange smell hanging about the metal. "Are these poison tipped?"

"She actually purposefully got pregnant so that she could guilt me into marrying her!" Roran shouted, throwing his paws into the air. The frustration on his face turned the white fur around his cheeks bright red. The alcohol no doubt played a part. "Then she comes up to me and confesses her 'love'! Bah!"

"Seriously. What kind of poison did you use? I'm a little concerned that I haven't felt the effects yet." As he finished the sentence, a slight tingling entered his body.

"And you know what Valk said when I confronted him?"

"Shoot Harm Chronos with a poison tipped arrow and laugh quietly while he frets over what kind of toxin you injected into his body?" The tingling began to creep outwards from his chest and to the rest of his body. "Goddess I hope this isn't the incontinence poison... Chronomancers aren't made to poop."

"He said 'it was for your own good'!" Roran cried. "I don't need anyone telling me what is and isn't good for me!"

Harm suddenly felt his fingers go stiff. "Oh I know what poison this is."

The floor slammed hard against the back of his skull as his body went stiff as a board.

Ignis Tenaci otherwise known as 'Fire's Grip'. A rare Incendian paralysis poison designed to completely and utterly paralyse the victim after a few moments and then fill every nerve and fibre with the sensation of being burned.

He remembered thinking, 'Here comes the pain' when the burning started. However, that was immediately set aside when he found Roran's face hovering above his own.

"I do whatever I want..." the Tigris whispered, his alcohol-ridden breath wafting into Harm's nostrils. His lips drew closer, the soft, blue eyes oddly clear despite the slurring in his voice. The touch of his body even through Harm's Time Locked clothing and the leather armour he wore cooled the burning in Harm's veins.

The waft of his breath flooded into Harm's muzzle, their lips but an inch from one another. Roran's paw closed around Harm's, squeezing down tightly and sending a relieving cool rush rippling down the Wulfun's arm. The string, striped body pressed down on his chest, the rise and fall of his chest matching Roran's.

"And do you know what I want right now...?" Roran whispered.

"A cold shower."

Roran blinked several times. "Whu...?"

Bolts of golden electricity danced around Harm's body and struck the Tigris. With a startled yelp, Roran leapt off Harm, his fur standing on end and a faint sizzling crackling through the air. His head slammed hard against the railings and he slid down onto the ground, blinking rapidly. What drunkenness remained in Roran's eyes faded slowly as the grip of Time Magic took hold.

Harm dusted himself off and stood, golden bolts still snapping angrily between his fingers. "It's called 'Time Shock'. Invented by a Chronomancer to emulate the effects of electricity. Accelerating the activity of certain charged particles in the air creates lightning. Directing it is fairly easy. It can be used offensively to electrocute someone or defensively to reverse time for the target, healing them of all but the gravest of wounds." Just for show, he focused the crackling bolts in both his paws into twin, golden blades of electricity. "I think inebriation is far from a grave wound, wouldn't you say?"

Roran placed a paw to the side of his head, shaking it a few times. "Did... Did I truly...?"

"If I didn't know I could hold this over your head until you die and then well after, I would erase it from my memory," Harm answered with a smug smile on his muzzle. He dismissed the blades of electrical energy, letting the crackling bolts dance in various directions before dissipating.

He sat down beside the Tigris, keeping a respectable distance between them. "Also, if I didn't know you were thinking of Lusia, then I would be rubbing this so hard into your wounds that you might as well have thrown yourself off that ledge."

"Lusia...?"

"I saw the digital photograph of you, Valk and her back at your home. I look sort of like her. Same white fur. About the same height from all appearances unless you got shorter. Her hair is longer but I'm willing to wager it's the fact that I told you my eyes were originally green that tipped the scales." He chuckled mildly. "Was that why you were trying to murder me and then poison me? You thought that if you injured me enough and then paralysed me in the state of near-death, you'd get to see my eyes?"

Smirking, Harm tapped his muzzle slyly. "Unfortunately, I didn't survive the Purge of Time without a vast reserve of time. It'll take much more than a few arrows to my chest and a poison to get to see my eyes. An exploding starship will do. Or an experimental reactor going critical. Or unprotected re-entry into the atmosphere of a Station. That was a fun summer."

It struck him as odd that Roran had yet to interrupt him. By now, he should have heard some dry remark or a bitter response to his arrogance but the Tigris was unnaturally silent.

His eyes wandered back towards Roran whose cheek fur was once again bright red. Curious, he summoned more golden lightning and tapped the Tigris lightly on the shoulder. Roran let out a sharp yelp and slid a foot away.

"What was that for?"

"Curious," Harm admitted. "I'm pretty sure I injected you with enough reversing Time to revert you back to a sober state. Or at least a _semi-_sober state. Yet your cheeks are still very much red. Did I miss something? You had more than four drinks, didn't you?"

"Seven, I think. I lost count after five and I think I had another two."

"Ah, that explains it." Harm twitched his fingers, calling upon more lightning. "Hold still. This will only hurt for a few moments."

Roran pushed him away frantically. "No, Chronos! That isn't it!"

Harm pulled back, eyebrows raised. "You didn't swallow any of your own poison, did you?"

"No... It's..." The Tigris let out a very loud wince and turned very slowly towards Harm. Every movement of his neck was like the creaky turn of a cog in an unoiled machine. "You have very beautiful eyes."

The unoiled machine in Harm's mind began to turn very slowly.

"I... see..."

*****

Musical laughter was not the response he was expecting.

"Aria, please try to be professional," he urged.

The Angel leaned back in her chair, the smile on her face both patronising and motherly at the same time. "Oh Harm, I believe we have gone far beyond the point of professionalism. From what it seems, you were in denial for a good majority of that conversation." She slid a delicate finger down her chin. "Though I must give credit to Roran's tenacity. You did hurl lightning at him and he still thought your eyes were beautiful."

"I swear, if you so much make any mention of me shooting my 'juice' into him..."

"I am not so vulgar," she responded, holding up her hands in surrender. Her expression remained amused as she said, "Still... You just left him?"

"I excused myself," Harm answered, crossing his arms. "I had not perceived this development. As you can probably tell, I was anticipating some form of attraction from Roran on the terms of Lusia somewhat resembling me and I had hoped to leverage that as a means of pushing him back towards Colleen." He made a few gestures through the air. "I had hoped to use my status as a Chronomancer to drive home the point that Lusia is dead, he can't have her back but in some way, she will eternally be in his heart or some other sentimental gibberish."

"Should I be disturbed that you are dismissing matters of the heart so readily?"

"I'm a Chronomancer, Aria," he answered, giving her a pointed look. "My heart might as well have stopped beating millennia ago." He sprang from the seat in Aria's office and paced the room from wall to wall, one paw on his chin while the other was in his pocket. "This complicates matters. How can I trick him into returning to Colleen's arms?"

A heavy sigh from Aria sparked up his hopes for an answer. The exasperated look on her face shot down those hopes. "Why must you trick him? Merely state your lack of interest in his attraction and I am sure he will find someone else to admire."

Harm waved away the suggestion. "Roran is not so easily deterred. Just like his devotion to the Justitae Ignibus, he will hunt me down until I am made his. Seriously, he shot me twice and drugged me with the Incendian equivalent of a roofie!"

Again with that musical laughter. Harm was starting to grow annoyed.

"Aria, you know I don't often ask for your help."

"Of course not," she responded, still amused but with a bitter tone in her voice. "You trick me into helping you. Just like those explosives you planted in the warehouse."

Harm paused a moment and turned sharply towards Aria. "Oh that reminds me..."

Her eyes narrowed in exasperation. "Please no."

"You'll be relieved that I didn't plan explosives in Clockwork."

"Where did you plant them?" Her voice soured greatly.

"You're unusually sharp this evening."

"Where, Harm?"

"Corona. You'll be getting a report soon enough. It should be on your desk the moment you get back there." He slipped back into his chair, resting his muzzle on the armrest. "What am I to do about Roran?"

Seating herself back in her high-backed chair, Aria took but a moment to ponder the question before making her opinion known. "If you are so set on avoiding confrontation with Roran and pulling his heartstrings away from you, then might I suggest conversing with someone else who is close to him?"

Harm's ears perked. "Lusia? I know Necromancy is practised widely in some of the Stations but I'm pretty sure considering the level of technology on this Station -"

"I meant Valk."

"Ah." He had planned to converse with Valk and this situation with Roran seemed like an opportune conversation starter. "I still think I should resurrect Lusia... Maybe get her to tell Roran to turn his attention elsewhere."

"Necromancy is used for the discerning of truths from the accounts of the deceased not idle recreational resurrection."

"It's also used for war," Harm pointed out, one finger raised. "The Church's cyborg armies are considered 'necromantic' in nature."

"I doubt you would want to resurrect Roran's lost love so that she could live a half-life as a cybernetic soldier."

"Who knows? It might get him off my back. If he won't go back to Colleen, maybe giving his former girlfriend back no matter how dramatically altered might do the trick. Cyborgs have a lot of compartments, after all."

Aria rubbed her temples and gave Harm a penetrating stare. "Truth to the Goddess, Harm, what is this truly about? Why are you so concerned with leading Roran back to Colleen? You have had attractions from others before, male, female and... miscellaneous... Why are you so pressed to push Roran away?"

Harm shuddered at the memory, pushing aside the sickly feeling of sentient goo slipping and sliding along the strands of his fur. "How this rebellion unfolds is entirely dependent on three factors," he answered, lifting three fingers. "Who Roran chooses to love, where Yulanda's purpose rests and how far Valk will go to achieve his goals."

Aria's expression darkened greatly. "I find it difficult to believe that the direction of this misunderstanding rests on the choices of these three people."

He paused for a moment, choosing his next words carefully. Gaze locked with Aria's, he said, "Think about it carefully, Aria. You have your sources. You know what I have been up to. You know my motto. I have no plans. I merely react."

She gleaned the truth fairly quickly and leaned back into her chair, her face stiff and expressionless. "What paths lay before you?"

"Even I cannot tell at this point. There are too many. I can guess but then that would be planning." He offered her a sly smile. "You'll just have to trust me on this one."

"I have always trusted you, Harm. This would not be the first time you have manipulated others and let their decisions discern which path the future will take." She seemed to pull open one of the drawers on her desk. Whatever was in the compartment was far from Harm's line of sight. "However, as much as I trust you, that does not prevent me from enacting my own plans."

Rising from his seat, Harm gave the Templar a respectful bow while keeping his sly smirk firmly planted on his muzzle. "I wouldn't have it any other way, Lady Valkyrie."

She lifted her gaze, her face still grim. "This battle has yet begun. See you on the field, Lord Chronos."

Taking those words as parting, he turned to leave.

"Incidentally," Aria called out through the sounds of shuffling papers. "Have you heard from Aureas lately?"

Harm stopped in mid-step, his mind starting to reel. Memories of a particularly roguish pirate who tormented both the fringes and inner territories of the Church danced around in his mind. Most of them were of different faces who wore the name 'Aureas the Golden Pirate'. No matter who wore the mantle, however, all had been enemies of the Church and a constant thorn in Harm and Aria's side until the latest incarnation... or rather the last two incarnations.

"You mean the rascally pirate who snuck into your bedroom in Haven, past thousands of guards, Custodia Deos and Inquisitors and did nothing but leave you a rose?" His smirk grew wider as he glanced over his shoulder at Aria. Though her expression was still and unreadable, he had a vague inkling about the nostalgia in her eyes and perhaps a little... longing. "The same Aureas who commands the pirate starship, Calamitous Judgement, which once belonged to you but which he stole after he was illegally reincarnated."

"Is there any legal way to reincarnate someone?" Aria responded.

"I don't know. Do Angels fall in love?"

Aria did not respond save with a very slight twist in her lips where the corners turned ever so slightly upwards. Harm waited for a response but when none came, he received his answer.

"To answer your question, no. I haven't heard for Aureas lately. Should I be concerned?"

"He was last spotted within this sector of the Void," she responded. "If you plan on using the Sunspot as bait for the demons, you may want to ensure that your plan accommodates for a potential interruption by an opportunistic pirate."

The look in her eyes suggested there was a very high potential for an interruption.

"I'll keep that in mind."

*****

Valk had maintained the camp outside of the city's limits just for his Estuans Oculus. The large wooden walls that had sprung up overnight did not provide any encouragement. The hustle and bustle heard from inside, the clash of steel against steel and hammer on molten sword added to the rising apprehension in Harm's chest. Guards had been posted and guard towers were being constructed. It surprised him that the guards posted were actually human. More to his surprise were the large number of them wearing the red and gold of the Custodia Solis. The insignia of Incendius had been forcibly scratched off and replaced with the flaming eye of the Estuans Oculus.

"This does not bode well."

"Halt!"

The guards at the door levelled spears at him. Both of the humans were former Solis. They no doubt recognised Harm.

"You shall not pass, Church dog!"

Harm pulled his paws from his pocket, letting Timekeeper drop out and hang by his hip. "How quaint. You adopted their speech. Does Olivier know you're moonlighting as spies for the Church?"

"We are not moonlighting!" snapped a guard. "That fiasco at the summit proved to us once and for all that Valk is truly one to be followed! Novallier ran with his tail between his legs while Valk stayed and fought! The Church herded my family out into the stinking farmlands when they should have anticipated a demonic attack! None of that should have ever happened!"

"And yet it did and now here you are bringing a grudge against the Church for events that were far out of their control." Harm gripped Timekeeper, slowly unfolding it. "Now will you let me through or must I bypass you in some rather creative ways? You know who I am, right?"

The guards began to shake. "Harm Chronos... the Last Chronomancer..."

"And you know, as a Chronomancer, I can easily slide into the past and plant a little, undetectable bomb in your heart during your mandatory full body exam before you joined the Custodia. A bomb that answers only to my voice and a certain word... or a phrase. The moment I say a word like... cucumber..." Both guards flinched. "... it will explode. But the yield of the bomb is small. All it'll do is cause a hole in your heart and you will slowly bleed out in front of me as your body is deprived of precious oxygen. But it wouldn't be something as mundane as 'cucumber'. It'll be something you don't hear very often on this Station."

He tapped his chin mildly with Timekeeper. "Oh and speaking of cucumbers... did you know that tomatoes are actually fruits?"

Again, both guards flinched, both of them sliding back away from Harm.

"It's a funny word, tomatoes, isn't it?" He inclined his head to the side, one ear folding back while a sinister smile crossed his features. "You know what other vegetable has a funny name? Artichoke."

The guards fell into the stigma of a Chronomancer's ability, believing every aspect of time was easily manipulated. It worked to Harm's advantage and while he did not plant a bomb in their hearts, they were dangerously close to a heart attack themselves.

"I like artichokes," he continued mildly. "But you know what I like better? Asparagus. Asparagus wrapped in prosciutto."

"Henry!" Valk waved from one of the near-completed watchtowers. "Open the gates! He is a friend!"

The wooden gates slowly sprang open for him while the two guards where clutching their hearts, breathing heavily and fearing for their lives. Harm strode past them confidently, smirk on his features. He paused just past them, his smirk growing into a broad grin.

"Boom."

Both guards flinched like never before, cowering in fear.

Valk met him within the confines of the makeshift fortress. What had once been a temporary refugee camp had been turned into a military encampment. Amongst the ragtag group of non-humans were other members of the Custodia Solis, many of them rather high ranking. Their presence equipped the Estuans Oculus with military training and access to resources. Already, many of the former Solis were training members of the Oculus in the arts of war.

"What do you think?" the Draconis asked, spreading his arms wide.

"I think Novallier might start getting skittish if he learns that your personal guard has grown into the hundreds and are undergoing military training," Harm responded. Magic was flying around willingly and he watched several Solis use the Illuminus Weizar to extract metal from the earth, infuse it with Fire Magic and forge it into armour and weaponry. "You look like you're preparing for war."

"This is war," Valk answered firmly. "I want peace for Incendius. I want equality for all non-humans. I will not let demons interfere with that."

"Just demons?"

Raising his hands into the air, Valk said, "I know how this must seem to the Church but you must trust me. I do not intend to be a threat. The members of the Custodia Solis who have joined our ranks surely casts us in a negative light but it is my full intention that when equality is granted, we merge our two forces to bolster the ranks of this Stations' primary military."

"How charitable," Harm replied with an edge of sarcasm. "What are you plans for your guard? Have them on each of the ships escorting the Sunspot?"

"Ideally, yes." Valk gestured he be followed and strode deeper into the camp. "I know this act of defecting has crippled Novallier's stock of troops and considering how Leandros and Phalgymr have both excused themselves from the summit, we are ridiculously low on troops to defend us from the demons."

"We have hundreds of Inquisition ships just waiting to push the trigger."

"No one trusts to Inquisition."

"You got me there," Harm murmured darkly. "Still, I would keep a tight leash on your troops. Even the slightest hint of some altercation with the Church and Warton will rain down fire upon Incendius whether or not Novallier is on it."

Valk paused and turned to Harm, quickly appraising him without his 'Henry' disguise. "And what will you do about it, milord?"

Harm's lips twitched upwards slightly. "I'll do whatever it takes to return Incendius to a peaceful state. Just how the Brave Farmer and Apollia would want it."

"Your loyalty to the Church is admirable."

"I am not loyal to the Church," he answered tersely. "I am loyal to Tower Thirteen. The Mother Goddess created the world. Apollia, her daughter, saved this Station. I am loyal to them and their doctrines. The Church adheres to most of those but not all. If they take a step out of line, I will not hesitate to act out against them."

Valk's hand gripped Harm's shoulder tightly. "I am glad to hear that. I count you as an ally and a friend. Know that what I do is for the good of Incendius and all non-humans. Just as the Mother Goddess would want it."

Making no reply, Harm just kept his gaze levelled at Valk. The Draconis dropped it a moment later and turned towards one of the largest tents in encampment. Several Solis barred his path.

"Sorry, but you must relinquish all your weapons and possessions," Valk said. "After the summit, I am not taking any chances."

"Fair enough."

Harm surrendered Timekeeper and all the other loose items he had in his pocket before stepping through the tent flaps. Valk had a simple, wooden desk set up beside a cot. Several books lay stacked in piles around the tent and on his desk was what appeared to be a map of Clockwork.

"Not planning an invasion, are we?" he asked, regarding the map.

"Not quite," he answered. "I am uncomfortable proceeding with this summit without knowing where this 'Dawn's Champion' is. I have this feeling that he is within the city." He ran his claws across the map. Harm realised that it was not a map of the city streets but rather the city's sewer lines. "If I remember correctly, they kidnapped Yulanda and Tynvandar and proceeded through these sewers to this warehouse. A warehouse destroyed a couple of day ago in a mysterious explosion."

Harm lifted his paw and waved it mildly. "That was me."

Valk seemed mildly surprised but made no further comment. "The next attack from the Champion was at the summit. Lord 'Eragas' apparently has residence here." He picked up a quill and drew a circle over a section of sewerage. "The locations are close. I would think that the Champion has a base of operations somewhere within these areas." He poked the quill at sections of sewerage that broadened into open areas. Most likely checkpoints or intersections.

"You're planning to send some of your troops to capture the Champion?" Harm asked. "Novallier might mistake that as an act of aggression. Warton might think it's you trying to assassinate Novallier."

A fierce stare was his reply. "Would you rather we proceed with the summit with the threat of this Champion looming over our heads?"

"You have about four days to find him and avoid the Inquisition. Think you can do that?"

"If I have you and Roran leading the charge, yes."

Harm lifted his eyebrows but kept his face otherwise immovable, his gentle smile present and hiding his true thoughts. "Roran and I? Why?"

Valk straightened, folding his arms across his chest with a sly smirk on his muzzle. "Have you already forgotten that the first time you met Roran was at Tynvandar and Yulanda's kidnapping?"

That little fact Harm had entirely forgotten. Although, Roran had been betrayed and that Bovios had almost killed him. That Bovios was also in cahoots with several well-trained non-humans; most of them with skills in Fire Magic.

"This isn't your first skirmish against the Champion, is it?"

Valk sat down on his cot, reaching beneath his pillow at several leafs of parchment. He gave them one glance before offering them to Harm. The pages were old but the handwriting was still clear. Elegant strokes and gentle curves spoke of someone who was high borne and well educated... or at least had incredible calligraphy skills.

"Letters from the Champion," he observed mildly. "He seems to be trying to convince you to turn your protest into a military coup." After leafing through a few more letters, Harm found one of particular interest. "Huh... Assassinate Novallier, huh?"

"The Champion is an extremist and one who only plans to use violence as a means of getting what he wants. Somehow, I doubt he wants equality for non-humans. He seems to be an anarchist especially after the last letter he sent." Valk indicated Harm read further.

It came as no surprise that the last missive blatantly asked Valk for assistance in kidnapping Novallier's children in the hopes of unhinging Novallier's position. It certainly worked. Given Yulanda's penchant for rebellion, the kidnapping could easily be pinned on Novallier's incompetence as a father. As far as politics goes, that incompetence could easily translate to his ability to lead the Station.

It was clever.

Valk, however, was worthy of respect as well.

"So you agreed," Harm said. "In the hopes of finding where the Champion resided."

"I sent Roran and some others to 'aid' the Champion. Little did I know that the Champion's men had no intention of keeping them alive." Valk lowered his gaze. "If I had known, I would not have sent someone as important as Roran to such a dangerous mission." He smiled, lifting his gaze at Harm. "We were all very lucky you chose to step in at that moment. Thank you."

"Fate has a rather nasty habit of being a bit of a comedian," Harm replied dryly. "I'm guessing that his attempt at your life at the summit was a bit of revenge for that little skirmish."

"And to destabilise Novallier's grip further. It worked."

"That it did." Harm turned his gaze towards the tent flaps, regarding the Solis waiting there. "There were non-humans working beside the Bovios that I encountered at that warehouse with access to Fire Magic. I would be wary about these Solis that have joined your cause. This Champion may seem bent on chaos but something tells me he is far more cunning than we assumed."

"Of that I have no doubt," Valk answered, rising from his cot. "That's why I want you and Roran to find him the day of the summit."

Harm froze, ears swivelling back to Valk. "Why so late? And you realise I am really not someone you can boss around, right? You have to ask nicely."

Returning a smug smile, Valk said, "Yes but I have this inkling you came here for a reason. Whatever you want, you'll get it once you promise me you'll do as I wish."

"You'll never get anywhere with Novallier using tactics like that," he responded, placing the messages on Valk's desk. "Novallier has more resources than you and one could argue I have more resources than Novallier. Who is to say I cannot gather the information I require through some other means and you just seem to be the easiest?"

"Pride," came the reply. "You and Novallier are proud of your status and take care of your public image. He maintains a devout, unyielding faith to the Sun Goddess while you throw so much masks and disguises in front of people that they can never tell who you truly are. However, you pride yourselves in these images and anything that shatters that will wound you greatly." Valk sat on his desk, one leg draped over the other and his wings spread slightly in pride. "You don't like the idea of using your 'resources' because that would reveal who you truly are."

A clever deduction.

Harm had to admit he was a very 'hands on' person who preferred to manipulate, plant bombs and assassinate with little or no help from others. Lumire trusted him to be the 'left hand of the Goddess'; to do what no other person of the faith could due to being bound by doctrine and regulation. He prided himself in ensuring all blame fell on him in the end. Should he use any of his 'resources' directly, people would start drawing links to the mysterious 'white Wulfun' and the Propheticus Primoris' brother.

"You're running very close to the deadline there, Valk," he said. "Why not attack now?"

"Because I'm not having you strike at the Champion himself." Valk jabbed his finger at the map. "I need you to destroy his base of operations. From what I have gathered of him, he will have plans. Backup plans and backup plans for backup plans. I want you and Roran to destroy them. That and if any of the Solis here are with the Champion, I want them here on the ground and not on the ships."

The level of respect Harm had to Valk grew exponentially. The Draconis was effectively using the same tactic he had implemented only doing so with the actual troops instead of just the targets. By splitting the Solis, they were weaker and would be easier to manage.

"This could work," Harm admitted, his smile growing.

"It has to," Valk answered, pressing his claws onto the table. "You and Roran and whoever else is loyal to the Oculus have to destroy the Champion's base of operations here. It will strike a blow to his people, shatter their morale and put more confidence in our side."

"'Our'?"

"Yes, our." They locked gazes. In that instant, Harm knew how far Valk would go for his cause. "Novallier'a, yours, mine, the Church's and the Justitae Ignibus. All of us. Our enemy is the Dawn's Champion."

"Unified in hatred against a common enemy."

Valk wandered over to the pile of books beside his desk, placing a hand on them. "I would prefer to have unified our people some other way. But after reading through so much history, equality has only ever been granted when the downtrodden have proven themselves in battle. When they extend a helping hand to authority as authority falters, only then are they seen as equals."

"Or when they crush authority," Harm added grimly. He ran a finger across the map, tracing the lines of the kidnappers path through the sewers. "I'll do it. But before that, I need to know something about Roran."

Valk had picked up a book and was about to turn a page when he paused. "Oh? And what is that?"

The guards outside were a suitable distance away to keep the conversation hidden from them. He flicked his ears towards them just to make sure.

"What is his relationship with Lusia?"

The book fell to the ground, falling on the soft grass with faint whump. "Lusia... Who told you of her?"

"Roran did." Harm quickly recounted what he had learned of Lusia and Roran's relationship. As much detail was put as he dared, explaining Roran's motivation for joining the Justitae Ignibus due to Lusia's sad state followed by his constant, undying love for her to the point where his marriage with Colleen was all but an illusion.

"I also know that you paid Colleen to distract him," Harm added. "While I applaud your cunning, you can't expect that to work. Not when he is in love with Lusia."

"He is not in love with her." Valk reached down for the book, a deep frown on his features. "I am."

"I somewhat suspected a love triangle," he said, dismissively. "If it were me -"

"No, Henry..." Valk's eyes locked with Harm's, trying to tell him something his muzzle could not. "I am in love with Lusia. Me and only me."

Once again, Harm's perception of the problem was thrown aside. "If not, then why is Roran -" The world seemed to shatter in a rain of cracked glass and mocking laughter. The puzzle pieces that had been blown aside suddenly came back together to form a different picture.

Roran's words filled his mind.

"I do not love her, Harm. I cannot and I never will."

In their entire conversation, Harm had never once asked if Roran loved Lusia. Somehow, he thought Roran was speaking with more truth than he had intended. His openness with Valk spoke volumes now and his reason for joining the Estuans Oculus as well as his reaction to Colleen's confession now made so much sense.

And his respect for Valk fell exponentially. A strange sense of anger and a yearning for justice filled him. It took him a moment to realise that he was feeling protective of Roran and learning of Valk's trickery disgusted him. Coming from a background that once encouraged independence, exploration and individuality, he was horrified Valk would attempt to force an idealism onto Roran.

... and force an idealism onto the rest of Incendius...

"You knew, didn't you?" he accused. "You knew Roran's preferences and yet you forced Colleen upon him. It was to distract him but not from joining the Oculus. It was to distract him from you!"

Valk slammed his book onto his desk. "Roran wants what he cannot have. My heart belongs to a woman who died what seems lifetimes ago and I am raising my voice to bring justice to how the world treated her! I cannot be distracted from that!"

"Even when your best friend spills his heart to you, you not only reject him but you reject his very being!" Harm shouted. "You even push him to 'correct' himself!"

He could feel his rage mounting and he knew what would happen if and when he grew angry. Aria had made fun of him every time. She mentioned that whenever he grew truly angry, he lost his smile, his eyes grew steely and he grew incredibly still. Some of his most creative and punishing acts came from when he was truly angry. Trapping Valk in an infinite loop of unending pain was not something he wanted to do.

Yet.

"The Church does not allow such relationships," Valk sneered.

"That's your misconception," Harm answered sharply. "The Church allows for all practises of love. Whether it be between the same genders, opposite or miscellaneous."

"'Miscellaneous'?" Valk asked, raising his eyebrows.

"It comes up more often than you think." Harm waved the comment away. "My point is, the Church of the Tower does not discriminate when it comes to the matters of the heart."

"No. It only discriminates between species," came the heated reply. "And if you do not share my views, then I highly doubt that you can be trusted with such a momentous task as ridding us of the Dawn's Champion."

Harm gave Valk one last baleful stare before turning his back to the Draconis. "On that, at least, we can agree."

He stormed out of the tent, snatching Timekeeper from the guards and quietly moving through the camp, entertaining the thought of obliterating the landscape with Time Magic. The grass around him was already starting to blacken and wither when a name entered his mind.

"Roran."

*****

It took the better part of the day before Harm finally found Roran again. The Tigris was once again drowning his sorrows in alcohol at a tavern far from the clock tower and similarly as far from Valk's camp. Head on the bar, one arm over his head and one paw gripping a half-empty tankard, the Tigris looked a sorry sight.

Harm approached cautiously but then thought better of it. He went to the far side of the bar, away from Roran's gaze and ordered some cold water and a special brew called 'Chilled Fire'. The cost was ridiculous for the brew as it was a special concoction generated by the Lupus that was reputed to knock down any human and non-human that didn't have a sliver of Wulfun blood in them.

Once he had both, he wandered over to Roran and stood beside the Tigris with both brews in his paws. After a minute of not being noticed... he poured the glass of icy cold water down Roran's shirt.

"Yeow!"

The Tigris leapt off the bar stool, spinning towards Harm with claws extended and fangs bared. Harm just replied with one eyebrow raised.

"Can I get you a drink?" Harm offered, lifting the tankard of bubbling, bluish liquid.

"Harm..." Roran whispered, shuffling back onto the seat. "I... I should apologise. The way I acted was..."

"Atrocious?" he offered, taking the seat beside Roran. "Reprehensible? Hormone-driven? An abomination against the teachings of the Goddess?"

"The Church doesn't care who and what you stick your cock in." Roran sank his head back onto the bar. "I think it's because the Church has so much hold on all the Stations that encouraging everyone to make heterosexually will cause a population explosion that it just can't handle."

"It's actually because none of the gods specified that love and indeed mating must be between a man and a woman. In fact, none of them said you must mate with your own species." Harm shrugged and pushed the tankard towards Roran. "Some have taken this a little far and insisted they can marry things like trees, rocks, their own left hands, their sisters, their dead sisters and even their dead, aborted sisters."

The Tigris reeled back, giving him a horrified stare. "That can't be true."

"Okay, you got me. The last one is a lie."

"The Church is very strange."

"Not the Church. Just the people running it." Harm ran a claw over the bar table, absently drawing the image of the Church's insignia on the polished wood. He counted to ten and got to seven when Roran suddenly sat up.

"Wait... You know, don't you?"

"Valk told me."

Roran groaned loudly and placed his head again on the table. "You must think me an utter fool."

Harm peered into the image he had drawn. It was frightening how accurately he could draw the Church's insignia without a ruler or any other drawing tools. "The foolishness rests with me thinking that matters of the heart are so easy to understand. At first, I thought your attraction was because I resembled Lusia. Then Valk shed some light onto that situation. That will teach me to make assumptions."

A soft smile touched Roran's muzzle, his blue eyes regarding Harm with some degree of hope. "So... I don't suppose...?"

"I told you before. I am married to my work." Keeping his eyes on the insignia, he said, "My heart is locked firmly away and cannot be accessed as my job demands I judge and act without favouritism towards one side or the other. I work for the good of Tower Thirteen. No one else."

"I don't suppose you can Time Lock me so I can at least wait for you...?"

He had to laugh at that. There were so many times he had been asked that same question. Male, female and miscellaneous had proposed an eternity together but his answer had always been the same.

"Firstly, it takes at least twelve fully fledged Chronomancers to permanently Time Lock someone or something. Trying it myself would kill me. Secondly, being Time Locked isn't as good as you might think." He leaned back, grinning coyly. "Let's face it, you never get to eat, you'll never change physically and if you get Locked with your clothes, you go out of fashion very quickly."

"At least when it comes to sex you can go all night, right?" Roran responded with a sad, little smile.

"There is that," he allowed. "But lastly..." Harm placed a paw over Roran's. "One lifetime is all any mortal needs for themselves. Anymore and it's spent on others. I've devoted my life to Tower Thirteen, to help others. My lifetime of love has gone and passed."

"Too bad." Roran peered at the drink in front of him, gripping the handle tightly. "What happened?"

"She gave her life for this world. I hope to emulate her."

"Lucky her."

Harm returned a sad smile and turned his chair towards Roran. "But that doesn't mean I can't have fun every now and then."

The Tigris' eyes lit up. "Oh? What do you have in mind?"

"Tomorrow evening, meet me at eastern gate to the city. Let me show you something. "

It was Roran's turn to throw his head back with a laugh. "Every time you say that, I am filled with this foreboding sense of dread. And yet, every time I still agree." He picked up his tankard and gave Harm a light salute. "Very well then, tomorrow at the eastern gates."

"Cheers."

Roran took the silent toast and drank half of the tankard. When he set it back down, he shook his head and grinned. "Wow... That has quite the kick!"

His eyes suddenly rolled back into the back of his head and he went limp. His bulky body tilted off the stool and he went down with a crash, completely unconscious. The stool was shattered and the Tigris was left covered in splinters.

Harm smirked and dropped a few gold cogs on the bar, rising. "And that's for shooting me with poisoned arrows."