Chrysalis

The shadow falls like clouds, like rain;

Creeping dread begins to stain;

Shudder the heart, freeze the brain;

Ring out the laughter, again and again;

Call of you lover, daughter, son;

Sinks into your ears, your will undone;

Forward you step, your soul is wrung;

Cannot resist, Gon has come;

Who can defy that fateful call?

Who can escape the shadows pall?

Forward you go, heedless to stall;

Into the depths to meet the fall;

Lament the brave and pity the meek;

None can flee the song of the freak;

• Rinnidan children's rhyme.

that the untimely death of his son had robbed him of both his children. Now that he'd been reunited with Morrelia and she had integrated into the Legionem Abyssi a part of him that had long been dead was once again full of life. Not that anyone could tell looking at his face, of course, to the world at large he appeared as stone faced and duty bound as ever. Ever since Morrelia had been selected for accelerated development his pride had almost been ready to burst out of his chest. It would seem

been lost. It had grown easier to bear over the years, but

scattered across his desk. Administrative work was the backbone of the Legion, and though he would rather charge into a horde of demons without armour on, the commander would do his duty and defeat the enemy that rested on the flat surface before him. Once more focused on his task, Titus took hold of his pen, dipped

billeted and kept happy. Promotions, training, Skill development, Class upgrades, managing morale, all of it demanded the careful attention of the commander in charge and Titus knew just how important each of these were to the successful running of a military force. This was the

fist down on the table as

burst through the door, his old comrade looked around the room

when she saw the hard lines of his expression. Though he always looked

wrong, Titus?" she demanded, using his name in a breach of protocol. "Is something bothering

long moment where he took hold of his temper,

matter. I'm just irritated and finding it difficult to concentrate," he admitted as he waved a hand towards the piles

Dungeon?" she grinned. "I

Titus frowned.

proud, but that doesn't mean I want to

young lass? Why would we?" the old

"Hmph," Titus snorted.

pace she is setting. Overwork is a real issue and she is clearly pushing up against the boundary," Aurillia grew serious as she laid out her concerns. "We've seen her stumbling into camp once every few days, covered in

Titus didn't blink.

did she

her decision and the rest of us should

"There it is."

we're talking about, don't

was concerned, but that didn't mean he got to overrule Morrelia's choices.

officer’s training Aurillia," he told her, looking her straight in the eye, "you don't know what it takes to succeed at that level. If she worked any less, she wouldn't

much is insane! She

stated, his tone hard as steel. "I will support her choices. She understands the risks and