[b]Renovation[/b]

In his quarters, Zarxe sat in an almost awkward silence. Alpha was in the room, but neither spoke to the other. Zarxe was lost in thought, something about his argument with Xagram earlier made him start to remember something. As he tried to piece together his limited memory, the Nobody began to doze off.

[b]Primus ~ Kingdom of Ashwall, Crimson Keep[/b]

The Crimson Keep was the home of Ashwall's royalty. Both Lyon and his sister Rena called the keep home, being the son and daughter of Ashwall's king, Duran. And for a few years now, it was also the home of a certain young knight who was also the closest friend of both Lyon and Rena. The good King Duran had recently taken ill, and whispers of succession murmured throughout the hold. Everyone knew that Lyon would sit upon the throne should the worst happen, but the Crown Prince was still fairly young and had not the same level of experience with ruling and politics that his father had. Even so, that wouldn't stop Lyon from serving his people as best as he possibly could.

"So the... expedition went well, I take it?" Lyon asked of his friend, who had just returned from an expedition he had left for some two fortnights ago. The knight nodded in silence. Unlike other kingdoms in the Imperium, Ashwall Knights held the appointed duty of scouring the land for ancient Lost Cities and to procure their most powerful relics for the sake of protecting them. Lost Cities were ruins that dotted the lands of the Imperium, not properly lived in since times of antiquity. The only things that did still inhabit the Lost Cities were Chimeras and Ogres, fearsome and territorial beasts that slaughtered anyone foolish enough to intrude. The other kingdoms considered the Lost Cities to be forbidden grounds and outlawed their exploration. Ashwall was the only kingdom in the entire Imperium that actively tasked its knights with recovering the powerful artifacts Lost Cities often held within their depths.

"Who cares about some Relic?" asked Rena in a snappy tone, "Father has taken ill, and the physicians have yet to cure him! Lost Cities and expeditions can wait a while." she didn't intentionally mean any disrespect. She understood perfectly well the importance of the expeditions. But she couldn't help it, she was a girl currently scared of losing her father, and no one would blame her for being in a sour or gloomy mood.

"Actually, I've been thinking about that..." Lyon pondered, hoping to change the subject to alleviate the depressing aura, "...how many more Lost Cities could there be? Ashwall Knights have been braving their depths for many years. Surely we will have recovered every relic sooner or later but... what next?" this got a curious glance from the knight. Had this thought occurred to him as well? Lyon continued, "There are more Lost Cities than those within Ashwall. But the other kingdoms fear them, so I fear their Relics remain buried and in danger. Could we not send our knights to those Cities as well?"

"But they're beyond our borders." replied the knight, "And outlawed in many of the other kingdoms. If we went on expeditions outside our borders, the Council of Kings might view it as an act of aggression or even war."

"But something [i]must[/i] be done about them!" was Lyon's response as he became fired up over the issue, "And bandits and brigands have been getting better and better equipped. What will happen if they manage to loot the Lost Cities and claim the Relics for themselves? They could use their power to plunge the entire Imperium into chaos!"

"I..." the knight began, but a messenger interrupted the debate.

"Your Highness!" the messenger addressed Lyon and Rena, "It's his majesty, he... he is asking for the two of you." both the Prince and Princess nodded and silently left with the messenger, and the knight was left to his own thoughts.

And then another memory made its presence known. Some time had passed, perhaps a year or two. King Duran didn't survive that fateful night, and so Lyon was now King. And one of his first acts as King was to order the Knights of Ashall to expand their expeditions to beyond the borders. A year after this, King Lyon found himself on opposite sides of his former Knight and friend.

"Look around you, Lyon!" the knight yelled, "You've started a war! You broke the peace that your own ancestor had fought and sacrificed so much to create!"

"What I do." replied Lyon, his voice low and his tone colder than it had once been in the past, "I do for the good of everyone in the Imperium. If the other kingdoms will not protect themselves from the dangers of the Relics, then so be it. Ashwall will do it for them." his words sounded an awful lot like those of a conqueror. And without warning, both King and Knight found themselves charging at one another and becoming locked in battle. Not like the sparring they had once partook in as boys. No, only one of them would live through the day when this battle was over.

[b]Renovation[/b]

Zarxe suddenly awoke. Another few pieces of his memory had returned. So he really had been a knight. But if that last memory was any indication, his knighthood eventually led him down a painful path. But that was all he could recall. He would have to wait for longer to remember more.