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.

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

within him as his thoughts dwelt on what had been lost. It had grown easier to bear over the years, but only a little. His acute awareness of

to the numerous papers 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

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

his fist down on the table as his

looked around the room as if expecting to

him to yell like that, something must be seriously wrong! As she glanced back to the face of her old friend and superior, she froze when she saw the hard lines of his expression. Though he always looked carved from granite, right

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

to face his wrath if the moment demanded it. After a long moment where he took hold of his temper, Titus breathed out his tension once more, his expression softening imperceptibly

he admitted as he waved a hand towards the piles of

hard in the Dungeon?" she grinned. "I know how proud

Titus frowned.

doesn't mean I

little Morrelia who we trained when she was a young lass? Why would we?" the old

"Hmph," Titus snorted.

against the boundary," Aurillia grew serious as she laid out her concerns. "We've seen her stumbling into

Titus didn't blink.

did she say?"

it was her decision and the rest of us

"There it is."

daughter we're talking about, don't tell me that

didn't mean he got to overrule Morrelia's choices. Or the

never went through the advanced officer’s training Aurillia," he told her, looking her straight in the eye, "you don't know what

is insane! She could

her decision," Titus stated, his tone hard as steel. "I will support her choices. She understands the risks and is willing to shoulder them. I will hear no more