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 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

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 how fleeting joy could be only made his current appreciation for his daughter all the more

of will Titus dragged his mind away from Morrelia and back 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 on, the commander would do his duty and defeat the enemy that rested on the flat surface before

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

down on the table as his

door, his old comrade looked around the room as if expecting

and superior, she froze when she saw the hard lines of his expression. Though he always looked carved from granite, right now the commander appeared as if

she demanded, using his name in a breach of protocol. "Is something

was prepared 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 as he

just irritated and finding it difficult to concentrate," he admitted as he waved a hand

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

Titus frowned.

I'm proud, but that doesn't mean I want to hear

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

"Hmph," Titus snorted.

of us are concerned about the 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 ichor

Titus didn't blink.

did she say?" he

it was her decision and the rest of us should leave off," the

"There it is."

your daughter we're

didn't mean he

he told her, looking her straight in the eye, "you don't know what

much is insane! She

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