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.

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

the grief that rose within him as his thoughts dwelt on what had been lost. It had grown easier to bear over the

without armour on, the commander would do his duty and defeat the enemy that rested on the flat surface before him.

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

his fist down on the table as his thoughts strayed once

Aurillia burst through the door, his old comrade looked around the room as if expecting to see a

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 now the commander appeared as

using his name in

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 did

and finding it difficult to concentrate," he admitted as he waved a hand towards the piles of forms and applications in

working hard in the Dungeon?" she grinned.

Titus frowned.

mean I want to hear gossiping amongst the

when she was a young lass?

"Hmph," Titus snorted.

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 doing three times the work of a normal

Titus didn't blink.

did she say?" he

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

"There it is."

Titus! This is your daughter we're talking about, don't tell me

was concerned, but that didn't mean he got to

went through the advanced officer’s training Aurillia," he told her, looking her straight in the eye, "you don't know what

insane! She

support her choices. She understands the risks and is willing