Continuing Their Research [Lykos]

[Hilana Chenzira]

64 Glade, Year 123

[Closed - Lykos]

They had had a busy couple of days, and that was just how Hilana liked it. It was easier to stay busy than to sit with and digest her feelings about what had happened and what she had learned over the last four days, and while she knew that that wasn’t healthy and she needed to do it, she was still coming to terms with some of it. She had taken Æros to see his family and get as much as possible worked out there before getting back in time for dinner. While the servii had gotten started, Hilana had needed to finish it off and apply her own touches: Lykos had a definite preference for food she had made over those that the slaves did, and the Vastiana figured that was also a trust issue rather than just her cooking. And then yesterday, Lykos showed them that he was also a wolf Rathari by transforming in his sleep. That had shocked everyone, but it was to the relief of the sisters and the servii that the Lord of Frost was back to his normal form by the end of the day, especially since they had plans to do some more testing on the demigod and figure out more about his Runes.

Three down, three to go. So far, he had proven himself to have Nyx, Elementalism, and Semblance. More books from the Featherlight Satchel could be produced, and aptitude tested on the next handful of Runes. This might have been a bit more challenging; because now they were going to be investigating Runes that neither sister actually had. They knew about Negation, Hilana had something of an understanding on Kinetics thanks to Raithen and Daemon, she had heard enough about Mesmer from Æros, Arvaelyn, and Finn. Athalia had a better grasp than she did thanks to her years of private school before the Void.

The servii helped her bring out the trays of food to the outside table that they had been working at a few days prior. Today’s lunch consisted of different cuts of roasted lamb, from chops to leg and shoulder, and a dressed salad with multiple vegetables; onion and tomato and cucumbers and chickpeas, different herbs, and crumbly feta cheese. Pita breads were toasted on the side. Those had their own dips, from yogurt to a thicker whipped cheese, and he could surely smell the honey in it - Hilana was trying something different with dates, honey, and walnuts folded into the whipped cheese dip. She knew Lykos was enjoying his sweets, and so she thought that might make a nice change from the usual savoury dips that accompanied the meal. There was also chunks of grilled cheese that surprisingly didn’t melt - saganaki, the sisters had called it - that were lightly dusted with a hint of spice. Baskets of fruit rounded the meal off, and more iced tea - though this one seemed to lack the hibiscus, and had chunks of lemon and fruit in the pitcher instead.

Lia, her dark hair threaded with ribbons, was already settled in her chair and looking over Hilana’s scrivening book with Lykos when her little sister and the welcome sight of lunch appeared. “We’ll continue this later,” she smiled at him, setting the book aside, and let the servus pour the drinks this time. They still had extra sugar chunks, but Hilana had made this particular pitcher sweeter to see how it suited the wolf. “Dig in, hmm? And then we will start seeing if we can figure out the next Rune that you possess.”

[Rickter]

Continuing Their Research
Glade 64th, 123rd Year, A.o.S.

Lykos was admittedly having fun with himself after the past few days, getting familiar with the antics of magic and his other forms, and enjoying the surplus amount of food that Lana often brought him in the time in between. While his hunger spells had dramatically reduced to where he'd felt his appetite under control, that did not stop Lykos from thoroughly enjoying the wonderful meals that the younger sister had fixed for them.

And to top it off he was relearning magic at a rather rapid pace, what he might've felt was incredible at best, only because his astuteness likely stemmed from a form of mastery prior to his memory loss. Even so, there were things he'd quickly picked up on, both about himself and the lessons being provided, in the time he spent getting familiar with each discipline of magic they introduced to him. While they were undoubtedly entering uncharted territory with his runes, Lykos knew that, somehow, they would figure things out and continually fill the gaps in his mind.

Like today, when Lia had brought out a tome based on Scrivening, and the marvelous book possessed scribbles and scriptures strangely familiar to the wolf. It was that general reaction that led him to realize that much of what he practiced, or basically relearned, had already been concepts he likely understood beforehand. So while those were easier to put into practice, the newer stuff he had yet to realize, were things that weren't so familiar but not entirely foreign to him either. It was a tricky dynamic for him to grasp, but he guessed it stemmed from an approach of interest, and a willingness to learn things even if he'd already known them once before.

Once Lana had the servii bring out the platters of food though, all bets were off when it came to his focus, for Lykos immediately found his gaze set on those that approached the table outside. There was so much deliciously delectable food to choose from, and it all smelled so tangibly wonderful, that Lykos' very mouth almost drooled over from salivating so much. One of the servii poured their drinks for them, to which, the wolf looked up appreciatively with a grin.

"Gratias." He rewarded still with a bit of a northern accent, though, the dialect was nearly sound there when he expressed it. Lykos was earnest if not a determined study when it came to his new life, and so far, he intended to work hard if he wanted to carry out his best wishes for the two sisters. "Everything looks and smells so delicious." He commended with a warm smile to the sisters, knowing that Lana likely toiled personally to make sure it lived up to his standards.

Admittedly, the wolf was getting far too acquainted with her excellent cooking skill. Before too long he'd likely find himself far too pampered for any other sort of meal, particularly if it wasn't made by the younger sister's hand alone. He wasted no time in getting portions of each platter that called out to him, the first obviously being the meats that were presented. Chops of roasted lamb which were on the larger side of cuts, then a rather healthy helping of the dressed salad which seemed peppered with aromatic herbs. Oh, but the dates! He could literally smell the sweet goodness that was on them, enough to where he just had to take a few and bite into one of them upon handling them.

The wolf couldn't help but moan aloud at how savory the flavors were across his tongue. And though he eagerly chewed to swallow the first of his meal, Lykos could hardly wait to cover what their next subject was going to cover today. "I'm not sure how yet, but a lot of what you were studying seemed familiar to me, Lia." He expressed with an intent look at his next date, before he shifted his gaze to the closed tome she'd set aside. "Some of those symbols are focal points. Channels and passageways for aether to travel through, though I hadn't figured out the intent for their purposes yet."

Or remembered for that matter. By now he was getting used to the fact his memory would remain gone, if not at least, requiring a bit more than mere study and practical magic to bring back. After he finally popped the second date into his mouth, he rested the third back onto his plate before gripping the fork resting next to his lamb. When he finished chewing and started poking the meat with his utensil, he then looked between Lana and Lia before humbly grinning with the simple inquiry. "So what ideas do we have for identifying the other three runes?"

He certainly was curious to see how they'd go about it, seeing as how he'd wanted to know what other amazing powers he had waiting at his disposal.

[Hilana Chenzira]

Hilana was always happy to hear that her friends enjoyed her cooking. Even Lia had to admit that her sister was rather good at it - even if a lot of what she prepared was not magically-inclined like some of the fancier houses had their chefs employ - using masquerade and such to enhance and warp the tastes and textures of the food into a delightful experience. This was honest cooking that did not rely on what Hilana termed tricks to enhance it. She wasn’t going to knock someone else’s racket - she knew better, because you never knew when you would do the same thing one day. She had plans, after all, to make teas that went beyond normal tea, and make them taste like desserts... but she would use as much natural flavouring as possible to do it. Maybe some alchemy. But definitely not Masquerade.

The Vastii helped themselves once Lykos had taken his first round of food, and Lia nodded. “It is familiar to you because you studied this at some point before. Scrivening is classified as a ‘world magic’, which means it requires no Cardinal Rune. It is the study of Pictographs, which is the foundation of all magic, really. It uses different techniques to channel and guide aether through the work. There are others, of course. Alchemy, which Hilana is studying, which is a very...occult and complicated sort of magic, and it’s a bit difficult to explain. But to bring it down to its very basics, it is about enhancing things, and you can take attributes from one object and apply them to another, or enhance the power of an ingredient... perhaps consider the salves she makes to protect your skin from the sun, what she makes as a herbalist, could be made even more effective with alchemy, for example,” she smiled at her little sister, who smiled back at her.

“Today we’re going to test for Animus, Negation, and Kinetics. We’ll see how far we get,” Hilana cut in before Lia eyed her, and the girl grinned at the Lord of the Frost and was quiet to allow her sister to continue her lecture.

“Continuing on world magics... Artificing is another. It is giving life to inanimate objects, so you could make a little doll and have it come to life and perform a purpose. A marionette, or a puppet, need not be controlled with strings, for example. You could teach them what you want them to do.” She delicately cut into one of the neatly dressed and seasoned lamb chops with a knife and fork to cut herself a piece and took a moment to chew it.

“Then there is Necromancy, which is a blending of life and death into an art,” Hilana supplied. “With three different paths, one could say. Path of the flesh, which is about as magical a method of healing and surgery as one can get without having Mendicus... which is an Emblem, which citizens of Solunarium cannot have... so as you can imagine, they are few and far between here. You see, in Varvaerynism, our deities are His Divine Radiance, Avaerys, and Her Argent Luminescence, Varvara. Worship of other gods is blasphemy here, and bearing their Emblems... gifts of devoted power bestowed upon someone by a divine being... is punishable by death for a citizen. Peregrini can, and will not be punished for it, but citizens... are another matter entirely. But back to Necromancy. Another path is that of Remembrance, in which you can use parts of the dead to enhance a tool... perhaps a very strong warrior who was known for his agility in life, you take one of his bones and work it into a weapon to imbue that weapon with that trait. And then there is the way of the Soul, which deals more with the Undead and their creation. That one is less liked here, even as a realm of Mages. The Gods abhor the Undead, and so do the Platinum Dragons that rule the Umbrium.” The girl explained, taking a bite out of a date.

“...And how in the name of the Founders do you know that much about that?” Athalia asked her sister, raising an eyebrow and pausing with her knife and fork.

“I’ve met a few. I was encouraged to learn the Path of the Flesh to assist in my abilities as a doctor and healer,” Hilana shrugged.

“Stick to the Way of the Flesh,” Lia sighed. “The dead are not to be trifled with. Next is Runeforging, which is another incredibly complicated craft. But many of the greatest artifacts are made with it. Basically, it involves the runesmith using their knowledge and tools to awaken the aether in whatever it is that they are making and they can reshape that aether however they wish. You could, for example, craft an armour that renders you invisible to the normal eye with it. Or produce the Featherlight bags like the Satchel Hilana has, which employs Runeforging and pockets of slipspace... which is utilized by the Rune of Traversion... to be able to carry far more than she actually could in her backpack. Many of the more advanced components of arcane crafts are made by Runeforgers... Spellthread, Spellwright's Ink, and so on and so forth.”

“Do any of those sound familiar?” Hilana offered. “I can get more books on them for you if you think some of it tickles something.” The sisters were nothing if not thorough, at least.

[Rickter]

Lykos admittedly found the roasted lamb satisfactory already, as it easily tore apart from how tender the meat was prepared. Meals were never a disappointment when it came to his friend, leading him to feel a bit pampered in regard to her innate cooking talent. Lia confirmed his suspicions in regards to Scrivening, therefore, reinforcing his theory that what felt familiar had to be something he practiced before. The mind may not have any memory of things he had learned, but the body in turn still possessed a memory of its own. Lykos figured for certain that he'd have to pay closer attention to these feelings, as they seemed intuitively connected to whatever he wanted to accomplish.

The lessons that Athalia had to give might've been lengthy, however, the wolf found them quite informative in a multitude of ways. As thorough as she was, he didn't want to overlook any important details, even if he might've known something about them intuitively. World magics seemed like a good practice to consider, maybe even perhaps, something to make a hobby out of once he figured out the rest of his magic.

Lykos had considered that, maybe, he could look into setting up a side job for himself. Something that would bring him a bit of extra profit, if not to pay back Lana and Lia for all the food they've prepped him, then certainly to help further his ambitions to return their kindness. Scrivening seemed like the most logical route for him to go, only because of how familiar the concept felt as it were. Alchemy sort of confounded him just from hearing the subject, even if the concept seemed simple by way of explanation.

"Animus, Negation, and Kinetics..." He ruminated softly to himself as a means of repeating what Lana told him. The wolf hadn't forgotten his introspection the other day when Hilana had left the citadel, giving the visible yet unknown runes a mindful glance. Two of them were likely one of those disciplines, but, if he were to guess then Animus wasn't likely one of them. Lykos didn't wish to cut off Lia's educational lecture though, so instead, resumed eating more of the lamb on his plate as he listened.

Artificing seemed like it was more scientism than actual magic, though, he understood the fundamental values found within the magic. Instilling aether within constructs to create forms of artificial life... Definitely wasn't something he considered practicing, and if he had to guess, it wasn't something that interested him in his previous life either. Hilana pitched in to highlight Necromancy next, which gave Lykos a bit more insight into Solunarium culture in turn. The wolf looked at the younger sibling with intent and curiosity, admittedly swallowing a hefty chunk of lamb down as he thought of the deities mentioned.

If he were a Demigod just like these two were, then clearly, he was dwelling on their territory without any real permission. It became no small wonder as to why that Sentinel brought him to Red Rock Citadel then, given that faith in other deities seemed rather scorned here. It made Lykos think even more on what sort of following he might gather one day, and what sort of devotion he expected from those who revered him down the line. Honestly, the wolf found it hard to grasp the concept, though, being a deity himself would mean that he too developed his own outlook on things.

He would have to if he embodied things like the season of Frost, which led him to ponder even further what sort of emblem he'd be able to give... if he were capable of such things later down the road. "That's a lot to consider given my disposition, thank you though Lana, I'll have to contemplate on that further in the meantime." He commended after Lia noticeably seemed impressed with her sister, the wolf himself only smiling warmly as he realized one thing. Family seemed an important concept not just to him, but to the sisters before him as well. If anything, he could see Lana certainly worthy of such a power, if he ever did decide to grant emblems to those who he deemed worthy.

But that certainly would generate a conflict of interest... therefore, he'd likely have to consider approaching these Founders himself. Maybe petition them with his case as to why she would deserve such a gift, that is, even if they would allow her to bear such a thing in turn. It was a lot to consider, but ultimately, worth paying mind in the time they had ahead of them. After all, he certainly wasn't anywhere near ready to entertain such notions as he currently was. First, he needed to regain as much of himself as he could, through the combination of researching and introspective his own self.

Runeforging was another world magic that sounded vaguely familiar, only because Lykos felt like he might've interacted with it once before in his life. He looked up from his half-eaten plate already, blue eyes in ponderous thought as he contemplated the question posed to him. Familiarity was the only thing he had to go off of here, given his current circumstances that is.

"Well," his gaze returned to the younger sister before he continued, "the only one that really stood out is Scrivening. To a degree, Necromancy and Runeforging felt similar but not in the same way. There are no inclinations when I think of them each, which leads me to believe I've only possibly interacted with them before. But never practiced." He admitted with another tear into the remainder of his roat, before he gave the sisters a hearty grin and reached for his cup of tea.

"I've actually noticed that when we approach a subject I'm familiar with, there's a bit of intuition as to how well I grasp it." While his hand hadn't reached the cup completely, Lykos reflected on the concept enough to lower his fork and raise his gaze in thought. "It's like muscle memory the more I think about it, the more I try to stretch it the easier things just become." Without even thinking he flexed his aether throughout his aura, the glowing rune over his sternum illuminating briefly as the tea cup jiggled for a moment.

A gentle nudge of magic brought the cup into his grasp then, Lykos hardly even noticing it as when he raised the container to his lips. "Like they're easier to do." He regarded before taking a sip of the hibiscus tea, his eyebrows raising significantly from how sweet the beverage tasted.

[Hilana Chenzira]

The Vastii listened as Lykos spoke about what seemed familiar and what didn't. Hilana had briefly studied necromancy, and certainly hadn't practiced it since she had come to Solunarium Proper... perhaps to her great shame considering what had happened last season with Finn. But as it was, it was far better that the masters available did the intricate work that had been required in reattaching the Peregrine bard's arm, and she knew that it was healing about as well as could be expected. It was simply a slow process, but better that it went slowly and was done properly rather than it be damaged again before he was ready.

"Well, Scrivening we can keep on working on, all of us," Lia smiled at him. "I remember it from school, as it is the study of Pictographs... which is essentially the foundation of all magic. Mastering Scrivening can only help with other pursuits, and enhance our understanding of the Runes and processes in which we utilize them. So this, at least, is something we can work on together. I'm sure the Sentinels can provide adequate supplies for us to work with, " she was thoughtful. "Or Hilana can get it from the city. She could probably appeal to father for it, and he would simply be over the moon that she was doing something magical..."

"Lia has far more formal schooling than I do," Hilana added. Her schooling had been in the sands, and her father had sent a tutor out to the grounds where she lived with her Pack until she was in her mid-teens and joined with the convoys. Her education had taken a different turn then, focusing on survival and making connections with the different tribes that they met when they traded and brought goods back and forth. She was about to say something else when she noticed that his cup moved. That hadn't been the air spirits from either of the three elementalists present, so that suggested Kinetics was at play. Perhaps that was one of his Runes after all, which would be good - Raithen was also a Kineticist, as were his brothers Arvaelyn and Phocion. She imagined that Valaera was, too - it made sense to her that all of Cithaera's children would have it.

"Good?" she smiled at him when his eyebrows went up at the taste of the tea. "In time, I think, we'll be able to petition Sentinel Phocion to bring you to the Umbrium for a short visit. We can see some of those world magics in action, and see if it prompts anything else for you. But I do think you're right - if you've done it, you have the familiarity in the connections of the concepts. It's just a matter of seeing how much you know and how much you can do." The younger Vastiana was cheerful. They'd had good successes over the last few days, and she wanted to keep up the success. Today was bound to be one of them - she was certain she had caught him with Kinetics, and what had saved her from the Voidshade had been Negation... and if her hunch was right that Lykos had been there when they had touched the Monolith... then she had a feeling they would uncover Negation with him, too, if only to prove out that hypothesis. Then it was just a matter of figuring out what exactly that missing sixth Rune was.

She had had three orbed Runes from the Void that were now back in her Satchel. Traversion, Masquerade, and Semblance. The Semblance had been Æros'... so perhaps the Masquerade and the Traversion had belonged to Lykos. If he didn't have them... then it would be a matter on if he wanted them back. If not, then Hilana could just put them away for the time being. Lia continued to eat delicately with her fork, enjoying the salad before spooning a bit of the whipped date-walnut-fig dip onto a triangle of toasted, seasoned pita and savouring it. There was an unbidden sound of approval, and she made up a second triangle, handing it to Lykos for him to try in between devouring the roasted lamb.

"Since you're already a Rathari, I'm not sure whether or not you would have Animus, but it can't hurt to rule it out," Hilana was pleased by Lia's reaction, even though there was no praised voiced for the newer recipe. "Three we know, and three to go." She sipped her tea. "I do think you have Negation, but we'll try it out and see." But first, food. Food was love, food was life. Well, maybe not, but there was something to be said for having it when you needed it. Hilana may have had a good appetite, but considering how much she was constantly moving around and doing things, well... Lia was far more refined, but she was also far more relaxed than Hilana was. It was easier to see her sitting with a craft - she did enjoy sculpting, and she had a deft touch with it - whereas Hilana was constantly on the go... but regularly seemed to prefer that. Athalia had called it Wildness, but whatever that energy was, it was seemingly boundless.

[Rickter]

Lykos nodded in agreement with the assessment to continued study of Scrivening. Even if he were familiar with some of the concepts, he certainly had reason to further practice the craft down the road. World magics were actually better suited for long term effects, and even products, that continued to operate through the will of magic itself. Whereas personal magic, to Lykos, seemed far more short-lived if not spent focused on 'in the moment' situations. Regardless, it did not hurt to approach the subject with an open mind, and since his intuition played a part also, relying on that would also help carry him further forward on his path.

"If that is the case," he ruminated while chewing on another sliver of his roast, "then I wouldn't mind requesting materials; so long as it's not an expense either you or the Sentinels can spare." In a way he could easily turn them around for a profit, that is, once he figured out how to effectively such materials for such a means. Regardless it wouldn't be for personal gain, rather, he'd use that profit to help those who'd helped him out the past few days. Aeros had certainly been stuck on his circumstance as a living ghost, so there was the idea that maybe Lykos could essentially craft a temporary body.

Something artificial to be sure, but even if it were a craft made from ice he made and sculpted, it could still be a substantial boon on Aeros' behalf. Then, of course, the fact he wanted to support Athalia and Hilana in all their other endeavors, and at least provide them with some minor protections for when he wasn't always around. "Education and experience go hand in hand, though." He ruminated to Lana when she expressed Lia's history with more formal education, leading him to softly grin at the younger sister as he tried not to dote on the lady.

When he tasted the tea he indeed found it delicious, certainly different from the earlier batches of hibiscus she'd drafted. Lana's tenacity to experiment and learn what he loved and what he didn't wasn't lost on him, and in a way, he found himself adoring that little bit about her, to say the least. He felt a little odd at thinking in this manner, but at the same time, he admittedly couldn't help but believe she'd make a fantastic wife one day. Granted her father had likely wanted her to be wedded off to someone rich and powerful, in both influence and magic, needless to say the wolf didn't see it as his place to reflect on that matter.

Not when he had his own problems to deal with, and frankly, wanted to get a handle on them instead of relying on the sisters the entire way. How else was he supposed to be the Lord of Winter, if he couldn't look after the ones who'd looked after him in the beginning? "It's delicious!" He briskly enthused as he placed the cup back down, his expression softening into consideration when she then mentioned Sentinel Phocion. A petition to visit the Umbrium? That had come quicker than he anticipated, then again, Lykos had been diligently working to understand both himself and his own power.

While he felt he still had a rather long and difficult way to go, he couldn't deny that the idea of seeing more than just the citadel excited him. Lykos was intrigued by the proposal, if not flattered by the fact Lana already concluded with his intuition. Upon being handed the triangle of bread she'd covered in dip, the wolf graciously accepted the piece before letting his nose crinkle a few times. The whiffs of aromatic fruit and walnut filled his nostrils, enough to lead him into taking a hearty bite off of the triangle. Another raise of his eyebrows came briefly, before they furrowed and he let out another tasteful moan through his nose.

There was no coming back from how spoilt Lana's cooking would make him. If ever there came a day Lykos were disappointed in someone else's cooking, then he already knew exactly who to blame for setting the standards so high. Lia didn't want to rule out Animus being a possibility of one of his runes, even if he were a Rathari that could turn into a furry beast. It wasn't entirely out of the question for Lykos either, but nothing about his transformations felt magical in regards to the nature of Runes. Just more of a personal trait he possessed honestly.

Though, he did nod along after Lia pointed out the fact he had three of them left. Two of which he already had theories about, after having spent time introspecting himself the other day. "Well, about that actually." He regarded with a brief suckle on a couple of his fingers, savoring the flavors of the dip still found on their tips before he continued. "When you left with Aeros the other day, I left Lia to study alone so that I might observe myself. It was a bit of a meditational thing I did, using Semblance to gaze upon the aura I possess, as well as the runes that I could visibly see also."

He looked to Lia first and then to Lana, grinning a little heartily when he revealed what he learned. Lykos started by revealing the mark of the silver sword wreathed in flames, pressing a finger over it as he ruminated on what he felt at the time of observation. "I've noticed there is a difference between personal aetheric energy and divine aetheric energy, and for whatever reason, this mark possesses similar aetheric signatures that my aura does. Whether that makes it divine by nature, I'm not entirely sure yet, but that was the first assessment I realized once I was able to alter the aetheric signature of my aura."

Lowering his left wrist back onto the table he then pointed to the left shoulder. "This rune here seems capable of aetheric reinforcement, as well as filtering or nullifying aether through rejection. I'd like to say that it's likely Negation, as you both have suggested that I possess it. Then the other one here," he finally pointed to the rune under his neck that branched down to his sternum, "I could sense it fluctuates with aether. It was difficult to determine how that plays a role with the Rune itself, but if manipulates aether through force alone, then perhaps that could be the Kinetics rune you speak of."

After he shared his discoveries with the pair, Lykos resumed eating more of the toast next, smothering the next triangle with more of that dip as he waited to hear what the ladies' assessments were.

[Hilana Chenzira]

The sisters listened to Lykos’ explanation of his exploit. That was an interesting idea, that he could Semble himself in the mirror... And clearly, it had paid off. Hilana couldn’t without risking at the very least a horrible migraine, but he could, and he had. “That was a very solid idea,” Hilana told him, sounding quite approving as she sipped the iced tea. “Any idea about the last one? Or no, not particularly? Because if you’re right, then you should take to Negation and Kinetics easily, and then it’s just a matter of going from there... but we’ll find it,” she was reassuring. If they had two more successes, then it just built on the momentum and helped whittle down the list of Cardinal Runes.

“Where you say it is divine aetheric energy, that means it is an Emblem,” Lia supplied. “We’ll need to get information from the Sentinels and see what can be researched. Emblems all tend to look the same, each unique to the demigods that bestow them to their followers, whereas Runes can be quite stylized,” she sipped her iced tea. There was such a case here - each of the three of them had the Rune of Elementalism, each from a different source, and each varied considerably in how it looked upon the respective mage. “I would imagine that there would be a scroll somewhere in the archives that shows the known appearance of the different Emblems... but that’s not something we’ll find in the local libraries that the average person has access to. It is considered apostasy for a Solunarian citizen to bear an Emblem outside of our Varvaeryan faith, and that is punishable by death.”

“But you are Peregrinus, you are fine,” Hilana sought to reassure Lykos. “Peregrini are a caste, but not full citizens, so they have more leeway with which to have an Emblem. Furthermore, your case is unique: it can’t really be held against you to have one considering what all has happened.” It did mean that he could never be a full citizen of the realm, but all things considered, if he earned the appropriate approvals of Avaerys Imperator and Varvara Imperatrix, then he could be an accepted guest who was welcomed back when he returned, as Daemon was.

“Now, our father has Negation,” Lia began. “Some of our Uncles have Kinetics. But neither of us have these Runes,” she glanced at her sister. Hilana didn’t have it, but in Ash, she intended to get Kinetics. She had a feeling Lia might well want Negation at some point, now that she was out of their father’s cozy nest, as it was, and was having to learn a very new way of living. Though, for the nonce, she was at least a guest of the Vigilia Argenti and that gave her some leeway. “But we know what they do. We may as well start with these and confirm our theories, Lykos, yes?” the elder sister smiled at the demigod. “Pick one, Hilana.”

“Negation, then. Let’s lay the theory to rest.” She had a bite of lamb, spearing some of her salad with her fork.

“Negation is essentially barrier magic at its most basic,” Lia explained. “This could be as simple as blocking light or a person from entering, or making someone inscrutable to Semblance, or to Mesmer, or impervious to an element, all the way to customizing specific wards and anchors... Something like being able to adjust the heat levels in an area by maintaining a cooler identity in, say, a room or a dwelling house. You may have felt something like that when we were at our father’s estate in Tertium, as Negation is his Rune of choice. There are wards all throughout the house, meant to keep it comfortable and to disallow intruders that are unwelcome or not accompanied by someone in the family.”

“By that measure, one can also be extremely specific and creative with the tasks that you set these wards. So if we’d like to try something...” Hilana produced a candle, building a little altar of sand for it to sit on, while Lia lit it. “Maybe put it out, and keep it out. Snuff the flame with negation by refusing to allow fire within the altar, and we will see if we can reignite it.” She could activate her Semblance in order to watch and study the magical process that would occur. She did believe he had Negation, it was just a matter of bringing it back to him.

[Rickter]

Lykos felt another proud moment when he received praise from Hilana, admittedly having another bout of ghostly tail wags from his rear when he did so. But he also knew the risks, and while that had been the case, he wasn't certain of the capabilities of his powers at the time either. "Well, I wasn't sure if I'd hurt my eyes when I'd made the attempt at the time. But it did pay off." He wound up giving a soft shake of his head toward the inquiry of his final rune, having not seen it with his vision at the time he used Semblance on himself. "Had I used a handheld mirror I probably could've, but, I was affixed by the aura I generated as a Demigod at the time. Learning to suppress that with Semblance took a minute, but I found it easier to do than what I initially perceived it to be."

He was rather glad he did manage to identify two other runes though, that significantly narrowed things down for them in the long run. Which in a way, helped Lana and Lia both in their quest to aid him. The fact she was still so reassuring venerated warmth in his smile, as Lykos absolutely loved the positive enthusiasm she possessed all the time. Lia queued him in on the Emblem found on his forearm, leading Lykos to look down at it inquisitively as he listened. So he was marked by another Demigod in his previous life. This led him to wonder who exactly bore such an Emblem, and what sort of influence Lykos had before to have garnered such a gift. To think if he weren't a foreigner unaccustomed to the cultural teachings of Varvaerynism, he would've already been an outcast for the very fact he bore an Emblem.

Were the tenants so deeply wrought on this that death had to be the final outcome? It gave Lykos incentive to consider what sort of faith he might wish to find, certainly within himself if he ever did rise to be the true Lord of Frost. Still, he smiled when Lana was quick to reassure him, understanding the status he bore as a Peregrinus. He was an outsider, a foreigner who already bore such a blessing, to begin with. What that entailed for him further down the road? Well, he would only find out sooner or later. Once Lia started on the subject of Negation, however, Lykos quickly perked up at her with full interest.

He consumed a bit more of the salad as he listened, noting that neither of the sisters had the Runes mentioned. Even so, they understood each of the two fundamentally, and that seemed enough to give it a trial run at best. Negation was the first to be put to the test, a sense of excitement building in his mind as he listened to Lia explain. He didn't understand why though, apart from the fact that magic in general interested him greatly. Negation, however, felt like something he was deeply connected to though. In a way, it felt like he was rediscovering a part of himself that remained missing.

"Huh..." He murmured with a bit of revelation found in his expression, having remembered the wards he had seen throughout the estate in Tertium. If that were the case then perhaps... Negation was more an integral part of his being than he initially realized. "I recall seeing such crafts in your home in Tertium. Your father had wards lined up throughout the house, a good number of them regulators for temperature if I recall." His eyes lifted up in recollective thought at the moment he entered those doors, looking past his initial wonder and anxiety the instance he'd arrived there.

"Recognizing it now, I feel odd knowing that I could sense them. It doesn't seem like one can easily just see or sense wards without any insight into how they operate." He admitted before Lana weighed in, suggesting they try something with a candle she placed on a magic-made altar. Lykos never failed to be baffled by the creative outlook that the sisters took with him, their hands-on approach met with another warm grin as he briefly chuckled. "Very well then." He agreed with his focus aimed at the candle itself, admittedly a little curious as to what the best approach would be.

Typically, if they were going to ignite it with magic over and over again, he could've just found a way to block out their aether signatures. That wasn't too hard if he considered the smell that each of the sisters possessed, and how that possibly tied into the signatures themselves. Staring at the candle itself though, he realized that such measures weren't entirely necessary. The wolf placed his fork down with a minor lick of his lips in thought, before he placed his hands near where his palms were centered at the candle. Lykos only needed to recall the purpose and intent of his Negation Rune, which was to cancel out and even reinforce something with the power of his aether.

So, while he felt the warmth of the flame, Lykos focused on what that flame fed on more than anything. Upon his left shoulder, the Rune began to shimmer reactively to his consciousness, as the wolf focused on weaving aether across his hands to generate a small space to generate his first ward. Faint traces of the Northern Lights danced between his palms as he weaved together a small rounded barrier over the candle, tasking all sense of air to be completely nullified from within the barrier. For without air, the flame could no longer live.

Thus, with the sole ward instilled into the barrier he weaved, Lykos relaxed his hands once more to witness the reaction. The flame immediately snuffed out from the wick.

[Hilana Chenzira]

The sisters listened as Lykos talked of being able to see and sense the wards that their father had throughout the house. That he understood what they were for suggested his considerable capabilities in the regards of this craft, though their father hadn’t gone out of his way to hide the temperature regulator ones. There were others that were far more tricksy, far more elaborate, that were buried between layers of hiding. Combined with Semblance, that may well have stood for why he understood them for what they were. If he was able to scour his own aura and dampen it down, then a combination of Negation and Semblance was surely at play.

But when he focused on the candle by the table, the sisters were watching. Lia was the one to notice his Rune glowing on his shoulder, as Hilana was focused with her Semblance on the candle. Many layers of beeswax and a wick, while fire steadily fed on that wick. It wasn’t a large flame, but it was a boisterous one, and it seemed relatively cheerful as fire went.

Only then, of course... for Lykos to put that aetheric muscle memory to work, and, well, snuff it out. The girl watched intently as the layered ward was built around the flame, deeply curious. This was a Rune she could have had years ago, but with her contentious relationship with her father... she had refused it. But seeing it at work through Semblance was a different matter, and the way the aetheric layers and commands began to build and formulate upon themselves was markedly fascinating. It was a shame that Hilana missed the colours happening between the Lord of the Frost’s hands, because she would have been delighted by those, too.

“Your shoulder Rune is glowing,” Lia told them as the fire was snuffed out. “Four runes confirmed, Negation is one of them,” she was pleased by this, and so was Hilana. Who, by the by, tried a few times to reignite the wick. Nothing. The fire hit the ward, and it would not take, and Hilana concentrated further, giving up with relighting the wick at the moment as she studied the ward. It was fortunate for her that Lykos hadn’t bothered to conceal the task of the ward the way her father had spoken of doing, perhaps because the Lord of Frost didn’t quite know about that part or hadn’t thought to do it... that was when she realized that he had set the task of the ward to block out air. And that made her laugh as she sat back. “What is it, soror?”[/color] Lia asked her as Hilana blinked away her Semblance to take a moment and sit back, regarding Lykos.

“Try and ignite it,” Hilana told her sister. “You are the one who is Arche to fire.” Lia raised an eyebrow, but complied with her sister. Every attempt to cast a flame on the wick failed, until the elder sister actively channelled to keep it there until she let it go.

“I see. And so did you,” she accused teasingly. “Well done, Lykos. That was what we asked of you, and that was a creative way of doing it.” The approval of the sisters was quite clear, and Lia smiled at him. Hilana, in the meantime, investigated that rune that her sister had mentioned as being the one that had a soft glow to it, before drawing it on Lykos' forearm so that he could picture it.

[Rickter]

After the work with his aether had finished Lykos had looked to Athalia first, and then to the Rune on his shoulder that she pointed out. So, indeed, that had been his Rune of Negation as he'd hoped. Gaining that confirmation all the more uplifted the wolf, and made him feel a sense of pride in discerning it prior. Not only did what he distinguished the other day help identify it, but it also helped to reinstate the very foundations of what the Rune seemed to entail.

Through it, he felt his aether was more than just a ward or protection spell, hell, it was almost more than natural when it came to breathing. There was just something intricately tied to the nature of his instinct somehow, leading Lykos to wonder just what could he potentially do with such a Rune of power. In allowing Hilana to test and see if she could relight the wick, there came no sense of ignition when her aether cross the ward. Somehow, that intrigued Lykos for whatever reason, as it felt like his Negation should've been far more reactive.

Perhaps that was the state of aetherial makeup before, or, it may have had something to do with how the wards were tasked prior. Regardless, he proved rather pleased to see that Hilana wasn't only challenged, but keen to scrutinize the type of ward instilled upon the barrier itself. "It felt easier to just discern your aetheric signatures, and then rely on those to weave into the makeup of the ward. But, truthfully..." He gave a sparing thought to the candle itself prior to finishing his observation.

"Rather than expend such time and energy on the thought, it felt quicker to just focus on the task with the candle itself. Blocking out multiple signatures would've been the more considerate and ideal task but that requires a bit of time, whereas merely cutting off a source for the candle entirely felt simpler." Lykos wondered if that too had been a rather instinctive response to the task at hand, granted, he did like the fact it seemed a clever way of accomplishing the goal at hand.

If it were simpler to handle such tasks with such a train of thought, then, one could only wonder what he could really do upon the whim. Even in the heat of the moment no less. When Lana retraced the Rune of Negation itself, he gently chuckled before looking from the hand she drew the lines in, and gave her a soft grin in turn when he looked into her eyes. "I remember this one from the mirror. Though, I believe that leaves only two left now, the one that I can't see on the back of my neck." He brought a hand to gently rub across the nape area, before he brought the same hand around to drag it gently down along the base of his neck and sternum. "And this one here."

Though he had a sneaking suspicion now that it might've been Kinetics, that is, if his hunch on the fluctuations of aether earlier was any indication. "I've a feeling that out of all of then, the Rune of Negation is the one I'm closely attached to." Granted from what he remembered hearing from Hilana in her story about the Void, he certainly began to ponder the extent of that attachment in turn. What raw power could he actually unleash with such a Rune? And, if he were really capable of reinforcing things with it, then what else could he potentially achieve with such power?