[center][img]http://pre10.deviantart.net/c8d3/th/pre/f/2014/168/0/2/fantasy_castle_by_jbrown67-d7mu200.jpg[/img][/center]

[b][h2][color=green]Kawachian Southern Ethica, Point Break, Crashing Wave Citadel[/color][/h2][/b]

Vicereine Deana Swiftwave sat silently by her study, looking over the letter that had told her of her husband's demise, most of her family, and that of the Emperor. She still could not believe it, could not understand how such a thing could of possibly happened. All her children had perished, all but Ryan... perhaps it was divine providence that he had offended his father and the Emperor, which kept him alive. He was not with the small fleet of ships when the storm had come screaming in from the West, and sweeping them all to a watery grave. They still had not found any bodies, or really any wreckage for that matter. It was though they had all just disappeared beneath the briny blue depths of the ocean, never to ride its waves again. Her eyes welled up with tears, as she began to cry again, letting them run down her face as she cursed the Emperor for inviting her family to go with him on his stupid expedition... 

Deana must have cried for sometime, when she next looked up, the sun was already setting. Her eyes were red, and her heart was heavy. The official summons had come forth, from the Phoenix Emperor's regent, to bring forth all those who would oversee coronation the next Emperor or Empress. She knew that deep down, even with all that she felt, she'd have to go, to make the journey, in her son's place. No more Swiftwave's would be lost, not for a long while. The family must endure, no matter the cost, and furthermore, now that her son was Viceroy, the fifth born child of the Swiftwave family, he would need a suitable wife, to not only help bear more children for future generations, but also to solidify the ties of her family with another. Kammeth be damned, the Swiftwave's have ruled Kawachia for centuries, and their dynasty would not be snuffed out so easily.

Vicereine Deana Swiftwave slowly rose from her solitude, pushing her chair in before making her way over to her nightstand. A candle burned low, lit for her husband, who she knew was never going to come back. She licked her fingers, and then snuffed the candle out, letting the wisps of smoke rise up an away. The dead are best left that way, less they come back as vengeful spirits to curse those that raised them from their final resting place. She shook her head, laying those thoughts to rest, and left her room. The servants had already packed her luggage, and the ship at the city docks was waiting on her and her brother, Lee Swiftwave. Together, they would travel to the Imperial Heartlands, and together, they would help cast their lot in with whoever seemed to be the best person to become the next ruler of Ethica. 

But more importantly, Deana needed to begin the search for someone to marry into the family, for a person to become Ryan's wife, and Vicereine. She could perhaps look among her own subjects she thought, but it would not hurt to look beyond her own borders, as her husband had done so many years ago. Time would only tell what would happen in the world, what would become of her, of Kawachia, of House Swiftwave, and what would become of her son, the unlikely heir to a throne he never intended, nor was prepared to take. Ryan was young, brash, and full of life, but he would make a good ruler, no matter what things seemed like right now. A touch upon her shoulder brought her back to the real world, the hand belonging to her brother. 

"Are you ready Vicereine? The voyage will take a few days, and the carriage ride to the capital a few more. Have you said your goodbyes?" Lee Swiftwave asked, smiling at his sister, before he turned to walk onto the ship that rode the waters of the harbor. Deana looked back up at the castle, looking up to where she had spent most of her life. "Yes, I am ready... let us cast off and make for the capital. We have a sacred duty to undertake, and other matters to take care of." She sighed, taking one last look at Kawachia, at Point Break, before she too climbed aboard the ship, and readied herself to head for the Imperial Palace.


[h3][b][color=green] Point Break, Temple of Watatsumi, Southern Tower, Ryan Swiftwave [/color][/b][/h3]

Ryan sat on the cool marble floor of the Temple. His body still ached, the pain and fever finally subsiding even after a week had passed. Whether or not it really worked, or it was a coincidence, he smiled at the polished mirror that stood upon an altar. The priest had not lied, when he said that all magic comes with a price. Still, that price had been worth it, no matter what anyone would say. He lay down, allowing his body to relax, and for his muscles to lose the tenseness within them. Watatsumi, Dragon God of the Seas, had always been a paramount of the Swiftwaves, second only to perhaps Kammeth. But deep down, Ryan felt otherwise, and yet, perhaps there was reason to believe so. He shook his head, there was time to reflect upon what he had done later, when the world was back to normal. For now, he needed to pray, and commune with Watatsumi, to let the ichor leave his body, and allow him to return to his normal duties.

Or rather, his new found position as Viceroy. Either way, Ryan closed his eyes, and let himself slip into a trance, letting all the world around him fade away. There was always more time for the rest of the world, but now, more than ever, Ryan just needed silence, and the quiet introspection that only meditation could bring him. The young Viceroy spent the rest of the day in the temple, alone with his thoughts and Watatsumi. Only time would be able to tell what was going to happen next with the Empire, and who would rule it.