Vega found solace where the chaotic day had began: her bed. Her body melted into the luxury bedsheets, banishing her worries for a moment.
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* Vega, someone is coming.*
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"Thanks for killing my moment of bliss, Dawn" She thought.
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*Your welcome.* the voice told her without even the tiniest hint of irony.
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The door carefully opened and Roxy crept into the room like a graceful lynx hunting her prey. The door was closed behind her with surgical precision.
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"Hey Vega..." She said, her tone uncharacteristically sincere and maybe even apologetic.
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The other girl's eyebrows raised in surprise, but she nonetheless played along with whatever game Roxane wanted to play.
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"I just wanted to say that I'm s-sorry for my outburst earlier," She began, the apology making her feel slightly ill, "It...it wasn't right and I know you are probably thinking that Grand Vizier Nika bribed me or something...but I really am sorry." A single tear dripped out of her eye and landed on the richly carpeted floor.
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*Why the change of heart? I smell no lies here, surprisingly* Dawn said into her mind.
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Vega moved to embrace her older sibling for the first time in years. Roxy awkwardly returned the hug, giving a small yelp all of a sudden.
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"What's up with your back? It's all hard and spiky!" She exclaimed in shock.
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*Do something to throw her off the sent, quickly!* Urged the voice of something hard and spiky on her back.
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"N-nothing!" Vega lied through her teeth.
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"Are you like a closet Aquilorian or something? What kind of Narcissian can't lie convincingly?" Asked her big sister aggressively.
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Before she could react, Roxy had yanked the clothing of her body in one swift movement.
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"Where did you get these wings from?" Lady Roxane jealousy demanded.
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"Ummmmm..."
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Vega was spared the embarrassment of explaining that to Roxy when the door opened for a second time.
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Two men entered. Vega - standing in her underwear thanks to her sister - blushed profusely when she noticed that one of them was the Adeptus Technospiritual, lean and blandly handsome. The Adepti were the most learned academics in their chosen specialisation in all of Empyrea, an honour that cost them their birth names. Everyone knew that the Adeptus of Techno-Spiritualism had eyes for Lady Roxane, but he would never dare to do anything reckless because the last Adeptus to break their strict oath of celibacy was decapitated by the Chancellor of the Adept at time as a warning.
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The other man had the longest, greyest beard that Vega had ever seen. He wore flowing crimson robes - complete with collar trimmed with silvery wolf fur - emblazoned with a black double-headed eagle. It was the emblem of the ancient brotherhood that served as the Gaurdians of Celestial Balance for the Theocratic Confederacy of Cerulea known as the Order of the Dragoon. The bearded man was dressed like a wizard because they might very well have been one.
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*An odd pair they make, eh? The old man with the beard is Dragoon-Mage Dractse, Archmage of the Order of the Dragoon, by the way.*
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Well, that answered that question: He was head of the Order and therefore the most powerful mage in Empyrea.
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"This is.." Began the Adeptus Technospiritual, who sneered at Dractse due to the longstanding feud between the Academies of the Adept and the Order of the Dragoon.
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"Archmage Dractse of the Order of the Dragoon, I'd presume? Wizard robes are a bold fashion statement here in the Northeast." Vega smugly finished the scholars sentence for him.
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*Nicely done, Lady Vega.* Complimented the Wings inside her mind.
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"Indeed! You must be the Wingbearer that I was informed of by Dragoon Captain Dron?" He asked politely, he had a deep, booming baritone voice that filled the room with his words.
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*Damm.*
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"You recognise these?" Vega asked uncertainly. She was still under the impression that the Wings had over exaggerated their supposed power and fame to impress her.
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Dractse laughed, a sound that made the scholar next to him grind his teeth. The Adeptus Technospiritual was extremely well versed in everything to do with the agnostic belief system called Techno-Spiritualism, but was poorly educated in hiding his emotions.
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"Any Dragoon Sorcerer...hell, even an aspirant or initiate could tell me the name of that particular artefact. If I didn't immediately recognise the Dawnstar Wings - otherwise called the Wings of Astarious the Star or the Wings of the Worthy - then I would never have became Archmage!"
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"Oops" Vega told the wings silently
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*Oops indeed* Agreed Dawn.
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"High and mighty Dragoon-Mage Dractse perhaps you could entertain the humble notion of a magically clueless scholar of the Adept that those may just be mechanical wings?" The Adeptus asked sarcastically while rolling his eyes at Roxy to make her smile.
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"That might be possible Master Ad-"
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"It's Adeptus! Spelt A-D-E-P-T-U-S, you do learn your letters in that stuffy old Citadel on your mountain, right?"
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The Archmage pretended not to hear him, mainly because he had intentionally insulted the man by addressing him as one the less elite Master Adepts."Yes I could entertain the notion, sir. The problem being that Countess Calliope had nearly identical wings. If you listened to me than you would know that they have to be the same artefact for it is one of a kind."
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*Hear that? I'm one of a kind.* The wings smugly told Vega
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Not to be outdone, the teenager mentally retorted with, "Yes ickle Dawnstar, you're a veryyyy special snowflake indeed" in a mocking tone.
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*Very funny.*
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"Dragoon-Mage Dractse, you still haven't answered where they came from or what they are here for." Chimed in Roxane, who was interested now.
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Dratase stroked his marvellous beard as he thought deeply, all the while looking more like a philosopher than a sorcerer.
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"You must be Lady Roxane Heather Ego, yes? Well since you ask, the legends about wings speak of them being sentient and capable of deciding who is worthy to wield their power. As for your other question, I believe there has been trouble related to Celestial Deities brewing in Empyrea. Oh and speaking of brewing...anyone for tea?" He asked in that deep voice of his, brandishing a steaming bronze teapot that had appeared from nowhere.
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"No? Oh well." He muttered sadly to himself in disappointment as he poured himself a cup of the hot beverage.
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*My lady heard the tea drinking Archmage, correct? What the legends fail to mention is that I'm equally fickle and picky when it comes to who is worthy of such an honour. They must be attractive, intelligent, graceful, spiritual, creative and passionate to meet my ridiculously high standards. Isn't the Lady Vega lucky?* The wings said to her.
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"Dawn, are you flirting with me or are you just fussy?" Vega asked the surprisingly sweet divine artefact.
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*Is there any reason it can't be both at once? * It replied sincerely.
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The Adeptus Technospiritual clears his throat to rejoin the conversation meekly. "Ah, I must make Viscountess Alix aware of this so that the crown can send for my good freind, the Trainee Adeptus Mechanosurgical, to remove this....artefact."
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The wings instantly spread to their full length and gained a bright golden glow to their false feathers. Vega could feel them heating up and begins to vibrate.
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*Lady Vega, do NOT let anyone learned in mechanical surgery near us, they will only cause harm to both you and themselves.* Dawn warned her, the voice echoing in her filled with genuine worry.
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The teenage aristocrat made a mental note to never attempt to remove the wings. "I don't think they liked that idea" she said, her voice coming out as a deadpan, completely devoid of emotion despite the primal fear she felt in every cell of her body.
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Dractse merely picked up her clothing and handed it to her gently. "Cover yourself, child. Call me an old relic, but a woman must keep her modesty about her, especially one of your position." He told her kindly, a deep calm washing over her as the Archmage spoke.
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The Adeptus scoffed, "Your order does not permit women to jo-"
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"That is not quite true, Scholar of the Adept. The Order of the Dragoon allows women to serve as logicians, ambassadors, cleaners, blacksmiths, armourers, archivists, librarians, , healers, secretaries, therapists, engineers, greasers, inventors, weapon testers and many other roles. The Code of the Dragoon only forbids the fairer sex from joining the ranks of combatant branches like the Dragoon Knights, Archers and Mages."
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The Adeptus Technospiritual grumbled unhappily under his breath. Some of the Adepti had recently formed close friendships with their counterparts in the Order. The Adepti of various subfeilds of the Formal, Life, and Applied Sciences had called for the Chancellor of the Adept to be replaced for being photographed with his arm around the ecumenical Archbishop of Ecclesia`s shoulder at the same the Adepti in the Social Sciences and Humanities had sang his praises for bridging the yawning gap between the organisations.
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This Adeptus was definitely was within former group.
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"Such drastics measurses would be unwise to attempt for now. No one tried to clip Calliope Ego`s wings, after all." Dratse boomed while looking at his ever stoic bodyguard, Dragoon Captain Dron, for affirmation.
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Dron nodded slightly but remainded silent. The huge man acted as a living statue.
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Vega, with her modesty restored due to not being in her underwear anymore, met the bearded man's eyes with her own. Dratase`s dull grey eyes were expreesive windows into his outlook on life. The wings quietly began feeding her his past, causing Vega to stifle a gasp behind her hand.
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*Archmage Dractse`s entire life was a lie until he joined the Order of the Dragoon. His real name is Seraph De Michael, he is an illegitimate child of Khani Enyo Estrin - before she became the Herald of the Æbyss - and his story is one of tragedy. He has given his life to servitude as penance.* Dawn told her, his lamenting words heavy with raw emotion at the life of the man before him.
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"Seraph...your name was Seraph De Michael, accidental child of Enyo. Celestialism and serving your order were the only things stronger than the guilt you feel."
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"Yes child. Dawnstar serves you well."
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*And only you for that matter.*
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The Adeptus Technospiritual sneaks away, no doubt to tell Viscountess Alix all about the wings. Roxane follows him out to go amuse herself elsewhere.
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"As Archmage Dracamir once said, One doest not becometh the humble draconian s'rvant of the stars withal nay shall of iron, skin of steel or soul of pure charm." Quoted Dratse, the older dialect of Empyrean basic the order used to use sounding archaic and rather antiquated to the modern ears of Lady Vega.
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"Wasn't Dracamir the guy that got his arse handed to him during the Battle of the Great Spire by Lieutenant General Napoleon commanding part of Worce`s army?" Vega asked him slyly.
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"Yes. Cerulea has no shame about losing to the Narcissians, Earl Ignatis`s military beat us fair and square." He admitted.
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"I'm aware that the wings have chosen another weilder. The Celestial Pantheon has been corrupted and Dawnstar`s new purpose is to free them."
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*The Dragoon is correct, that is our task. To elaborate on that: we must free the point twins, the Cyclites, all eight half-winds and seven of the eight Directional deities.*
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"Something like that. Dawn mentioned twins, Cyclites, eight wind things and seven direction gods?" Vega thought that sounded like an awful lot of work.
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*Don't be lazy! You don't have to sort out any of the sixteen quarter-winds or the one hundred and four Deities representing Empyrea`s major settlements. I can see Lady Vega trying to work out the total number of gods: the answer is one hundred and forty-two, by the way.*
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"It would appear you have got your work cut out for you, wingbearer. I will be in Narciss for a week to offer the Lady Vega my guidance should she require it, I shall have to return back to the Dragon's Citadel after that week is up, though."
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Dractse and Dron both bowed before leaving - an elegant one from the Archmage and a stiff, robotic one from his companion.
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*He's right you know.*
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"Will you please be quiet, Dawn?" The sleepy teenager muttered crossly to the wings.
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*As you wish.* It replied.
ns 18.68.41.175da2
