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.

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

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 how fleeting joy could be only made

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

his new Legion after the members had been recalled from their postings during the wave was a monumental task. Thousands of soldiers and thousands more auxiliaries needed to be accounted for, equipped, fed, 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

fist down on the table as

the door, his old comrade looked around the room as if expecting to see a lurking

and superior, she froze when she saw the hard lines of his expression. Though he always looked

she demanded, using his name in a

of his Legion, she was prepared to face his wrath if the moment demanded it. After a long moment where he

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

out working hard in the Dungeon?" she grinned. "I

Titus frowned.

I'm proud, but that doesn't mean I

we trained when she was a young lass? Why would we?" the

"Hmph," Titus snorted.

the boundary," Aurillia grew serious as she laid out her concerns. "We've seen her stumbling into camp once every few days, covered in ichor and half dead on her feet. She spends so much time in the field they are rotating three squads to accompany her. She's

Titus didn't blink.

did she

rest of us should leave off," the tribune

"There it is."

your daughter we're talking about,

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

"you don't know what it takes to

much is insane! She could

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