The Dread Knight's Rage

The elders Lioraeth contacted were less than helpful. They were all just as baffled by the fact that elves could be turned as everyone else was.

Though, suffice it to say they were a bit more rattled. In their eyes, the birth of new dark fae was a bad omen, and they immediately began urging their queen to destroy them.

But then Dakota revealed her true form, and they miraculously changed their minds, leaving it up to their queen’s discretion.

The group hit one dead end only to somewhat run into another.

After Nila spent a full thirty minutes attempting to use the second stage of will to create flame, she actually managed to succeed.

Although it came at the cost of half of her brain melting, with immortality that could be easily fixed.

Naturally, the other horsemen were rather desperate to know how they could achieve a similar feat without lobotomizing themselves.

Unfortunately, Lioraeth’s answer was also disappointing. There was no quick solution- the only method was time and effort.

Meditation and surviving near-death experiences were the foundation of tempering one’s will. Only through feeling one’s growth and seeing the direct result of said growth, would their confidence bloom.

From confidence came determination. From determination came Will.

As such, there was not much of a reason for the horsemen to stay in the fae realm any longer.

They began planning their next steps while also saying their goodbyes on the front lawn.

"I have a crazy idea."

Solomon, Everett, and Nila all looked up at Dakota with unveiled suspicion.

"...You? Usually, crazy ideas are murder-elf’s idea." Everett continued brushing Riot.

Nila nodded fervently. "This is true. I pride myself on giving only the most superb plans that defy the course of normal logic. Regular people cannot hope to comprehend my genius."

"Your ’genius’ was all over the coffee table a few minutes ago and there didn’t seem to be a whole lot there if you ask me."

Nila hit her brother in the balls for his remark. He collapsed on the ground, groaning and rolling around.

Solomon ignored his other siblings and focused on his innocent, adorable one.

"Go ahead, Kota’. We’re all curious to hear."

"...I think we should go to Eir’Vael’s burial site." She said after a deep breath.

Solomon and Nila tilted their heads in surprise.

"But father is supposed to be buried within the black depths. That is on the other side of the world!"

"I know, I remember." Dakota nodded. "But if what we need is near-death experiences then where else to get them but the most dangerous place ever? Do you think there’s a better place to help us get strong?"

Everett punched Nila between her legs, causing her to curse and drop while he managed to get to his feet.

"That’s all well and good, but... Aren’t you forgetting that our brother is kind of being hunted by a crazy powerful old swordmaster who’s camped out over there at the moment..?"

"Y-Yeah, but he will be leaving soon for his visit to the academy, right? That’s when we’ll go! And besides, if he starts to lay eyes on you then we can shed these bodies and use our real ones!"

Nila removed her favorite dagger from her belt so that she could stab her brother in the butt cheek.

While Everett let a nonsensical string of obscenities fly, Solomon mulled over the possibility of Dakota’s plan.

As long as they could get past the front line, things should go smoothly... The knights of Olethros were a defensive bastion, not a suppression squad. Especially not with them already being spread so thin.

"I actually think your idea has merit, little one." Solomon ruffled Dakota’s hair fondly, and she smiled at him proudly.

"But before we go running off to that corner of the world, we need to make sure that the timing lines up. Zadkiel is supposedly going to visit the academy in a little over a month. So, before that happens, I need to turn my focus back to integrating with the Society of Fergal."

"The rich snobby-snobbs." Dakota nodded.

"Exactly. And one or multiple of them are going to be responsible for opening the new gate above the academy in about three years. We need to put a stop to that beforehand."

Pausing, Solomon glanced at the ground. "Are you two listening?"

Everett and Nila suddenly stopped their wrestling and looked up innocently.

"Make nice with the Fergal snobs."

"Figure out which one is bad and either kill them or their entire family."

""Probably both.""

"..." Solomon was genuinely surprised that his siblings had heard all of that, given the fact that Everett was biting one of Nila’s ears and she was holding him in an inescapable headlock.

"Umm..."

Solomon turned around when he heard a soft voice come from behind him.

Jiaoying stood behind him with Bansha in her arms and Raizel at her side.

"Yari and Giselle still seem to have a lot of energy, so they want to try flying back home... Lioraeth placed a spell on them to conceal their wings, so they’ll be safe, but... The carriage is feeling a little empty now." She smiled wryly.

Raizel stared at his brother with glittery eyes. "You take the carriage and I’ll ride Mercy. You know, bonding stuff."

The horse stared at Raizel as if he’d just grown a second head, but he didn’t say anything.

It should have come as no surprise that Solomon did not put up much resistance when it came to riding with Jiaoying. Even if the air between them was a bit more awkward than ever before.

As the carriage rolled forward to take them home, Jiaoying absentmindedly scratched the three-headed hound between her ears.

"About earlier... I wanted to say thank you." She said quietly. "I was letting myself be pushed around because of my guilt, and... you helped remind me that’s not who I am."

She turned to him with eyes that were deeply emotional. "I really needed that, Bear. More than I can put into words."

Solomon flinched for less than a second. Something that did not escape his love’s notice.

"’Bear’." He repeated. "Not Solomon?"

Jiaoying’s face showed a very subtle confusion. That was, until the moment he was thinking of finally dawned on her.

"Oh, that... I don’t know why I said-"

"Were you perhaps embarrassed by me? Because I am younger than you?"

"N-No, never-"

"Then perhaps you still hold feelings for that man."

"I don’t!" Jiaoying grabbed his arm firmly. "You are the only man that I care about. I just... I had a lot going on in my mind. But you will always be my Bear, and I don’t care who knows it."

When Jiaoying touched his cheek, Solomon’s eyes finally softened.

She leaned forward and placed her head against his chest. "Forgive me. You and Yari are the greatest gifts of my life. And I want everyone to know just how much you mean to me."

A thought suddenly occurred to Jiaoying, and she bit her lip.

"I was... invited to something of an event back home. I wasn’t going to go, but... if you will both be my escorts then I think the night could be lovely."

Jiaoying unconsciously clenched his shirt. "Please, say yes..."

Solomon was silent for quite a while. Jiaoying only became more fearful the longer his silence persisted.

But then, he surprised her by lifting her head. His gaze was soft and loving, but there was also something much darker inside.

Obsession.

"I will follow you unto damnation, Xu Jiaoying. From now until forever, my heart and soul are in your possession. But I confess that my feelings for you make me dangerously unstable."

Solomon suddenly grabbed Jiaoying by her face. His grip was firm, but not harsh enough to bring her pain.

"I swear to you, the next time that you try to distance yourself from me in front of another man, I am going to take you in front of him, and lay bare the depth of our relationship and my insanity for all to see. Do you understand?"

Jiaoying couldn’t talk. Her mouth had run dry, and her brain had been painted with fog.

She had never seen Solomon behave like this before. He was scary. Intense.

He spoke with such a deadly seriousness that Jiaoying did not believe for even a second that he was joking.

And the longer his eyes bore into hers, the more she realized just how deeply she’d fallen for him.

Perhaps it was Fury’s madness creeping in. But Jiaoying wanted him to act on his inhibition more than anything. She wanted to be claimed all the way down to the roots of her being and never released.

"I... understand-"

Jiaoying barely got to answer before Solomon’s tongue was coiled around hers.

She felt lightheaded. Her eyes rolled back into her head as her young lover’s scent and taste overwhelmed all of her senses.

The entire world seemed to become shrouded in pink mist. If everything came to an end right there, Jiaoying wouldn’t have complained about a single thing-

"Treats!"

The eyes of Jiaoying and Solomon snapped open.

Slowly, they pulled apart from each other, their faces showing the same expressions of disbelief.

Slowly, they looked down at the small puppy nestled between them.

Tail wagging and eyes attentive, Bansha pawed at both of their stomachs as if to see which of them would give her what she wanted first.

"Treats!"