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.

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 odd to most people, but watching her earnestly work herself to the bone in order to achieve her ambitions had filled him with powerful emotions. He had dearly wished his son had survived his initiation, so he could have seen both of his children rise to the challenge

grown easier to bear over the years, but only a little. His acute awareness of how fleeting joy could be only made

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

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

Titus crashed his fist down on the table as his

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 carved from granite, right now the commander

his name in a breach of

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 as

as

the Dungeon?" she grinned.

Titus frowned.

doesn't mean I want to hear gossiping amongst

was a young lass? Why would we?" the old tribune innocently spread

"Hmph," Titus snorted.

"We've seen her stumbling into camp once every few days, covered in ichor and half dead on her feet. She spends so much

Titus didn't blink.

she say?"

and the rest of us should leave off,"

"There it is."

daughter we're talking about, don't tell

concerned, but that didn't mean he got

her, looking her straight in the eye, "you don't know what it takes to

is insane! She could

tone hard as steel. "I will support her choices. She understands the risks and is willing to shoulder them.