Dark Crow Rising

"Clohniq, Thurnmourer, Waionr, you three will follow me in. The rest of you will wait out here and move to secure the perimeter and the rest of this damn place." I tell my children as we reach the entrance of the academy I once studied at. Once I had finished my... Abrupt, visa application.

This memory made me laugh once upon a time, falling out of the sky in a hamster ball, it was a different time. The kind I could sincerely smile in.

Lingering my gaze on the closed bar gates, I follow the twists and decorations in the dark metal. Eventually, my eyes land on the flower-like symbol at its preeminent centre. Barely looking away from the water-droplet-accented familial mark, I start to frown as sorrow comes out. My family and Hers, the new heraldry I had commissioned out of amusement but, in the end, turned out to be sincere.

"Now what, Daddy?" Clohniq asks me as I raise my hand as it glows a mixture of blues and blacks. Feeling nostalgic, I open the gate with the help of my snake, my good friend. Its collection of barbed, tendril tongues slither out of pitch-black discs and they break the lock. The gate slowly swings open.

"Look around for a bit before Her maid, Okena comes to pick us up. They knew we arrived the moment we came ashore during morning traffic..." I look towards a window just as red hair vanishes from view, "Now, they most certainly know."

Shaking my miserable head, I walk onto the grounds of my old school with my three kids. I try to find some joy in the fact that this place takes so much inspiration from my home's imperial past. Despite how the three crosses never once flew on this island chain. No katanas being used by men in red coats, no siree.

"Can we go up that hill, then?" Clohniq asks as the points to the high-rising slope of earth. The sports area is mostly around there, with the exception of track and field, which is out back.

"Ideally we should wait in the main building." my poppy-loving son points out as he raises that cheap toy of his. Thunderchild has nothing to say and his hidden eyes are focused on the sky. When the moment comes, I trust his namesake will crash out for all to hear. I have my lapses in taking things seriously, but, my blessed accident does not.

"It doesn't matter either way. Leave Her be and I'll deal with Her. The usual three cannot beat you lot so don't fuss about it." I tell him, assuming he is on about us being isolated and getting picked off. Which, given Iderim's condition, he might have a point... No, Iderim is gone because I was an idiot offering the wrong kind of olive branch.

"I am saying this because it is polite, Father." Waionr clarifies as he steps aside the mirages of the old classmates I used to have. Despite how these lot are all faker than the people outside of these grounds.

"Politeness? Sure, let me just get rid of the divine army I arrived at the head of..." I mutter sarcastically as I follow my daughter up the hill, leaving the other two behind. If Okena meets anyone first, it will be him whilst he is lounging about in reception. I very much doubt Lightning Rod will be met by anyone, but, who knows?

"You know, Daddy, I never did ask you about this. But, what are you going to do when you do get Her to finally come with you? When this is all finally over." my daughter asks me as she childishly prances and dances up the slab steps. One at a time. Her rapier rings out with lingering taps as she plays the handrail like an instrument.

"I don't know, I never really thought about it." I say, looking away from her as I contemplate something I had long since given up on. Even though I still keep making the rounds to this place.

"Then think about it now!" she goes as she lets herself fall onto me, using her head as a supporting prop. Gently nudging her off, she spins away and then under and over the rails. A confident smile dominates her expression as she gracefully lands like a ballerina on the steep grass incline.

"I guess... I guess I'd finally get around to starting a proper family with Her." I say cold-heartedly, even as my insides lash out at me for such a remark. Clohniq's smile wavers but it comes back.

"Silly Daddy, you already have a family with us!" she corrects with a withheld frown as she tilts her head. If her expression is otherwise souring to a bitter state, I cannot see it as she hides behind that obnoxious hat for a moment. I sigh as I carry on up the steps, dropping down to the top of the slope.

"Near my first Christmas here... We had the school to ourselves for club activities. We were helping the student council do their shit over the holidays and well, I was sick of it. The snow outside was lovely, though."

"Oh! I know this one!" my daughter lets out as she flips something over to then use it to slide down the hill. Watching her as she skids onto the stone, she laughs giddily before stepping off without issue. I huff bemusedly and summon her to my side with my powers.

"Yeah, we sleded." I say quietly as my hands come together.

"Dad... If this all makes you so upset... Why do you not just remake everything as it was? I wouldn't be able to be sad, none of us would because we wouldn't exist!" my daughter strangely goes as she comes closer.

I smile and snatch her up for a big hug, "But I would know... I would. And, I don't want to kill off my precious, dearest children!"

"Hehe!" she goes as I tighten the hug and peck her on the head.

"It's out of the question, though, Clohniq. I'm done playing around with reality on such a scale like that. Ranting at that spider is enough for me right now." I mutter as I smack the grass next to me, forcing a rose to sprout as thorny as it can possibly come. Picking it, its defences crumble and I smell the familiar, beloved colour.

My daughter presses herself up against me with a hangman's hug, "Please stop blaming yourself for doing what you thought was right. You have all the power anyone could ever want but you do nothing with it. Use it, please, you know we all want you to. We've all brought it up. Make the world a better place for yourself, shift it all into perfection."

My eyes start to water as I tightly grip her wrist, "I don't know, Clohniq, I don't know... I don't want to force Her through anything more unwillingly. If that means She will hate me for a literal forever, then, I will have to accept that fact."

Hiding my face mostly, I turn towards the bridge me and my friends met up on so many times before school. It was an awkward thing at first for me, the dragon and knight both eased into it far easier than I ever could. I was unsure of my sense of belonging and I didn't know what to think of it. At least a little kitty treating me as a sweet bank helped me get over my worries.

It wasn't just the morning either, the evenings as well, when I went along with my beloved, red-haired beauty... She looks beautiful at any time of day, but, I loved to see Her at dusk the most. The way the light darkened Her hair and gave Her skin a golden glow. The fact that for all the money She had, She was willing to put up with my pykie shelf raiding.

I smile a little at the yellow label discounts and the bemusement they brought me.

"Dad... You need to make a proper decision. Either leave Her behind and focus on us, your loving family. Let's take the ship and go on adventures, let us be a proper pantheon with you! None of us want to keep seeing you hurt yourself as you try to appease and entity of pure spite."

"Spite?" I go as I wipe my eyes clean with my sleeve.

"Dad, we literally know Her as the Crimson Destruction, that is all She is now. The only way this will ever end is if you act as what you are, the Lord that Rules All." she tells me with a stern stare as I keep my anger in check. With Motrtha so strong in my memory at the moment, I have a strong lock for my emotions right now.

"I will bear your words in mind." I tell her as I stand up, gently moving her off so I can do so.

"Please, Dad, don't think... Just do." she begs on behalf of my whole family before we start to look at a small green bird. With feathers that steadily turn to cream as you reach the tips, my eyes narrow. It chirps and squawks and does all the other bird things as we walk once again.

"Seems like it is time." I remark.

"The First Knight's familiar?" Clohniq rightly guesses as I place a hand on her. Gently pushing her over, she screams on the way down the hill.

"Heh." I go as she screams no words.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!?" she yells with a mixture of anger and knowing humour before she sprints up the steps. Instead of letting her knock me down, I pull her into another hug that leaves her embarrassed and moaning.

"Oh stop this, there's nothing embarrassing about a dad hugging his special little girl." I tell her as we swing from side to side, only stopping as the sound of armour leaves the building. Distinctly lacking the heavy thunks of a great battleaxe's pommel, I frown.

The Swordmaker Knight.

Long overdue for cremation, this former pretty boy with his missing chest comes out into the open. I turn to my daughter as she adjusts her hat and grips her blade. She nods at me and we enter the tennis court. The gate rattles as it slams behind us.

"I can leave him in your hands?" I ask.

"Of course, Daddy. Just promise me you will at least try to end this once and for all. It's not right for you to keep this up." she asks with a small smile and a set of eyes that refuse to leave me, even with the upcoming battle so blatantly presented.

"No promises are made, little one." is all I can find the strength to say as my hands curl into fists. Walking up to the undead swordsman, I eye the massive hole I put in his chest and I study the tatty remnants of his armour. The way it's designed, he wanted it to look as close as it could get to a tuxedo. A gentleman until death with armour to help prove it, at the very least, this final set did that.

"Kyrvern, it is nice to see you again." he says, smiling gently as well as he can.

"Iakb." I greet with a nod as my features otherwise stay void for the moment.