Barring the often mindless, common Fae—goblins, pixies, orcs, and the occasional fairy or troll—little is understood about the true Fae, the elusive beings that are said to command reality itself from within the depths of Tartarus or whatever else exists within that gaping hole.

Despite numerous attempts—peaceful delegations, spies, drones, even the intervention of a hero, may he rest in peace, the War God—none who ventured into Tartarus without invitation has ever returned. And the Fae of Tartarus extend no invitations.

Over a century long war, we have suffered much to recover, to escape extinction. We have gained back a chance at peaceful life. But the people, the brave and unfortunate souls, they will never come back.

It is not time for revenge, it is time for restraint, for the reality is, we're fighting blind, and humans have always feared the unknown.

– Asim Thotan, Chairman for the Intercontinental Bureau for Information Services (IBIS). (Excerpt from his call for peace prior to the official end of the Second Fae-Human War, 2922.)

***

Miles entered the grand hall and despite his far from perfect mood, he couldn’t help but pause at the grandeur of Lykaon Mansion.

Luxurious carpet covered the floor, woven in rich and intricate patterns far from the ordinary. Masterfully crafted paintings graced the walls showcasing the supernatural talent of some of the best artists the city offered. The furniture was expertly designed with timeless elegance and the decor placed with impeccable perfection to create a cohesive and harmonious ambience all throughout. And the centerpiece, a grand chandelier of faerie crystal, casting a warm, magical glow that brought all the elements together in a symphony of luxury and style.

However, Miles’s attention was elsewhere, his gaze upon the landing to the second floor, reached via any one of two diverging staircases.

He gazed at the familiar painting that looked down upon all those who entered the grand hall, at the familiar faces he hoped to never forget nor disappoint.

It was a well-dressed couple, the gentleman handsome and clean-shaven, with a stern face but joy in his eyes and the lady beautiful by nature, curls of auburn hair falling down her back as she smiled, her brown eyes twinkling with delight.

They were Etan and Agnes Lykaon, his parents.

Miles felt his hands reach for the wooden pendant about his neck, hung on an old piece of string. Carved out of rosewood, two swirls, painted white and black, with a small dot of the opposite color at the center of each.

Unfortunately, the paint had faded and started to flake, the wood had grown old, becoming weak and brittle. Anyone would assume the pendant to be some worthless relic.

But the way Miles stared at the pendant, it was as if it was more valuable than all the riches that surrounded him.

According to Zhan Shen this was a talisman of Yin-Yang, supposedly depicting the balance between darkness and light, stark opposites and yet depicting the intrinsic nature of how one relied on the other to define their existence.

While it seemed to hold deep philosophical meaning Miles treasured the talisman for a different reason. Simply put, it was the last gift he had received from his parents.

Sure, he had the Lykaon insignia ring on his finger, a striking piece of silver jewelry that combined some of the most advanced Fae and human Cybertech known to mankind, some of which were impossible to replicate or understand, and proved his right as the last heir to the Lykaon family, but… he still preferred the Yin-Yang talisman.

A personal gift, rather than one of responsibility and formality. Perhaps that was the reason.

Tucking the talisman back under his sweater he bowed towards his parents. His bent figure shivered for a moment, but he immediately stood back up, his eyes sharp and determined.

With one final glance, Miles turned around and continued onward, eventually reaching the gym.

The gymnasium was a large room, equipped with a dozen different training equipment. Mundane machinery you would expect to find in all but the worst of fitness centers.

He could obtain access to far more advanced equipment, custom-built for enhanced Fae-humans, but Zhan Shen had stated these were more than sufficient for the moment, and apparently essential to build a solid foundation.

After a moment to confirm that the gymnasium was indeed prepared as he had requested, Miles pulled off his thick sweater, which he didn’t really need but had to wear lest he be pestered by a worried Zhan Shen and walked over to the overhanging punching bag.

Opting to forego the use of gloves, he immediately unleashed a flurry of well-coordinated punches and kicks onto the poor sandbag.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

His strikes grew in ferocity as the punching bag took on the face of his wretched uncle, Harold Maximillian. The uncle that had stolen from him, stolen from his own sister, my mother. The uncle who had dared to use what he had done to save Lykaon Industries, to push him, the lawful heir, out of all executive affairs.

Oh, how much he wished this sandbag was that bastard.

THUD! THUD! THUD!

His strikes reached a new level of merciless brutality as his uncle’s face was replaced with his own.

Brown eyed like his mother, raven haired like his father, but ultimately someone worthless and insufficient.

To lead and rule in a world where Fae-humans held the reins to humanity, a world where the line between technology and magic blurred, a world where the threat of the Fae was ever present, you needed power. When Lykaon Industries had fallen on hard times, when he and the board had had no choice but to enter a trade agreement with FaeTech, the mega-corp had proposed a few requirements in return.

And one of them had been, that at the bare minimum, the CEO or potential candidates thereof, had to be Epsilon in terms of Faetality, that is 1000 or above.

Unfortunately, Miles just so happened to not fulfill the requirements.

He was a Zeta at 997, just three short of reaching the requisite number. Just 3 small points to decide everything.

It was universally accepted that Faetality was decided at birth and could not be changed.

Even so Miles had accepted the agreement, under the undeniable oath of the World Court, in order to protect what his parents had left him, hoping that he would be able to bridge the gap of just 3 points.

And he had done everything in his power, searched high and low for solutions. Naturally none had worked.

As a result, he had lost Lykaon Industries, his parents' legacy, because he was insufficient. It was his fault, and he had no one else to blame.

RIP!

A loud ripping sound rang out as the leather of the punching bag split apart, splattering the ground with sand.

Miles was forced to stop, his breath heavy with exertion.

His worn knuckles throbbed with pain, skin broken and bleeding, his leg muscles ached, but he was used to that, and it all mattered little when he felt markedly better.

Having been engrossed in letting out his frustration, it was only now that Miles learned he had gone at it for a solid hour. Quite a bit above his average time, what he was usually capable of in an all-out punching session.

It also explained why he had half a thought to collapse on the floor, but as old Zhan often tended to say, worn out was the best time to train the mind.

And so, Miles forced his body to sit upon the marble floor, legs crossed in the lotus position, back straight and hands placed over each other, palms up.

He closed his eyes and he started to breathe.

For a second, he was hyper-aware. Of the sweat trickling down his face, his knuckles that burned with the all-too familiar heat and his rapid heartbeat, but soon enough he felt none of it, for his mind focused on nothing but his breathing.

His erratic heart and heavy breath calmed down, becoming slow and relaxed.

And finally with a deep inhale and a slow exhale, Miles achieved perfection.

And the world changed.

The gym, the mansion, everything vanished from his perception, and what replaced it was an entirely different world.

A pure world, untouched and uncorrupted, entirely of sky and water.

The sky extended endlessly, pure white clouds floating against bright blue, picturesque but repetitive.

The lake of pristine water below him was still as a mirror, perfectly reflecting the image of the sky above in gorgeous perfection, almost as if one was seeing double.

Nothing else existed in this desolate world, besides the lone figure of Miles who was somehow managing to sit upon the water, engrossed in his breathing.

The world was still and peaceful, but on the occasion that Miles was distracted, ripples would spread through the water with him at the epicenter.

In the worst of these cases, the sky too became erratic and stormy, but none of it lasted for Miles reigned his mind in, the water returning to calm and the sky to peace almost immediately after.

And this cycle continued.

What he was doing right now was an impressive feat of mental control, even if he said so himself. But Zhan Shen would always scoff and say that this was the bare minimum.

The bare minimum for what Miles did not know. He would eventually find out, Zhan Shen would always answer. So, he had held back his curiosity and impatience, choosing to have at least some faith in his mentor.

Barring a few topics that they disagreed upon, the old butler had never steered him wrong.

Realizing that he was losing focus once more, and another storm was brewing in the sky, Miles shifted his attention back to his breath.

Peace returned to the world and this cycle continued, repeating over and over.

Time passed.

Storms and ripples came and went, ebbing and flowing, but the cycle continued.

That was when the change came, a drastic shift in the norm that caused Miles’s eyes to burst open as he hurriedly looked towards the open sky.

He had felt something, a strange disturbance in the skies above.

Above, yes, but not exactly of this world…

His mind distracted by the event and too far gone this time to recover, shattered the manifested world, returning his perception to the gym.

Not a moment too soon for a massive crash rang out from the grand hall, shaking the ground as if a miniature earthquake.

Miles was instantly alert, ‘What was that? Intruders? An attack?’

Almost in response the security systems kicked in and the Lykaon Insignia ring on his index finger burst to life, blinking and beeping in alarm as the almost human voice of Cadmus began to speak.

Miles hurriedly brought the ring to his ear.

*ALERT* *ALERT*

“LYKAON AIRSPACE BREACHED. TWO AETHERCRAFTS DETECTED. SIGNIFICANT PROBABILITY OF FAE PRESENCE.”

*ALERT* *ALERT*

Miles’s eyes widened in shock, ‘Fae!? This far from the border? Did they just go over the City Wall? Were the Capital Military blind?! And why here? What do they want from Lykaon Mansion?!’

Sure, Lykaon Mansion was in the outer city and not covered by the defense of the inner-city energy dome, but it was still as close to the inner city as one could be from outside the dome.

This meant that these two Aethercrafts had somehow made it that far into Capital City entirely undetected.

Troubling… but before Miles came to any concrete conclusions, he needed information.

Tapping once on the snout of the Wolven visage carved into the silver ring, he spoke, “Cadmus, analyze Capital City news and any other accessible network, keywords Fae, Outer City, Attack and Invasion. Prioritize what could be related to this airspace breach.”

Cadmus’ answer came the moment he finished, “MATCH FOUND. PLAYING CAPITAL CITY NEWS, AUDIO LOGGED 12 MINUTES AGO,” before shifting to audio obviously hijacked from some news channel.

A news anchor's voice read, “Breaking news, this just coming in. An armada of Airborne Aethercrafts have been detected near Capital City Airspace. The Military has already mobilized and made first contact with the Fae. Battle being imminent, we urge all citizens to stay safe and avoid any potential crossfire.

According to reports, the invading Fae are from an independent Orc tribe from the hinterlands, unaffiliated with the major Fae forces of Tartarus. The Capital City Military assures that it is only a matter of time before the threat is handled, especially with the presence of the esteemed knights!

We have received word that Knight Huang, and Lady Raiji have been deployed, even the ever-popular Knight Salam of the Endless Flame!

So once again, we strongly advise all citizens to stay indoors and trust in the efforts of our city military. And remember, you can witness the unfolding war and the heroic Knights live, exclusively here on CCN.”

Miles couldn’t help but feel relieved. If it was just some wandering orc tribe, that was indeed something the dogs of Capital Corp., *cough*, the knights and city military were more than equipped to handle. It was also good news that the matter was not specifically related to Lykaon Mansion.

His ring blinked as Cadmus spoke up, “PRELIMINARY DEFENSE SCANS COMPLETE.

AETHER CRAFTS IDENTIFIED: NON-MILITARY CLASS, POTENTIALLY CIVILIAN OR CARGO TRANSPORTERS.

MODEL: UNSPECIFIED, RESEMBLANCE TO ELVEN MAKE.

PASSENGERS: NO FAE ENERGY FREQUENCIES DETECTED ON BOARD.

POSSIBLE CLOAKING SYSTEM: UNKNOWN ENERGY SIGNATURE, POTENTIAL PARALLELS TO THE FAIRY OF THE NOPENENA.

WEAPONS SYSTEMS: NONE.

DANGER LEVEL: MINIMAL.”

At that Miles’s eyes shone brightly.

These two Aethercrafts had to be non-combat forces trailing after the orc tribe, as an emergency escape route or something similar. They must’ve made it into the depths of outer city perhaps with the cloaking and were hiding in plain sight.

A bit out of character for orcs but not entirely impossible.

What intrigued him most was the unidentified model. Even just the cloaking system, was highly possibly some previously unknown application of faery magic.

He didn’t doubt the data from the scan, but if it truly was in some remote way related to the elves…

Miles couldn’t help but feel a twinge of greed.

While the situation was fairly dangerous, it also seemed to be an opportunity ripe for the picking.

The orcs were in hiding but little did they know they were in his land…

Obviously, Miles had yet to become Fae-human and could not possibly take on two ships potentially filled with orcs even if they were unarmed.

But with the Lykaon Insignia ring in hand, he was far, far from powerless.

Tapping twice upon the Wolven head of the ring, he commanded without mercy, “Cadmus, activate attack and defense protocols. Objective, wear the energy shields down and force the Aethercrafts to land, preferably in one piece. Enforce the limitations, minimal force, and common artillery only.”

“AFFIRMATIVE. SHOULD I SEND A REQUEST OF ASSISTANCE TO THE MILITARY?”

Miles’s eyes narrowed in thought, ‘Capital Corp. won’t give much priority to a few stragglers before taking care of the main force. Besides we cannot afford to be seen as weak, ever. And sending out a pathetic request for help against two non-military targets would do exactly that.’

He answered, “No. Execute as instructed.”

BOOM! BOOM!

Loud explosions rang out, shaking the earth as artillery cannons and other weapons of similar caliber hidden in the garden activated and got to work.

Miles released a nervous breath. Although he had decided as he had, it was also true he was taking a risk. But he was also confident that the defense systems could handle two non-military Aethercrafts.

If all went well, he’d have two expensive Fae Ships with a potential connection to the elusive Elves in his hands.

Wait.

Now that he thought about it, if it was just two unarmed Aethercrafts, then what had crashed into the grand hall?

Since the defense system had not reported anything of note, Miles was confident it was debris or something. A minor inconvenience at best.

Still, he decided to rush back, quickly making his way to the grand hall.

He had to check the extent of the damage, assuming there was even any.

‘The Lykaon mansion is heavily reinforced. So whatever debris that broke through the roof will not have power left to do much–’

Miles’s eyes widened in disbelief.

‘Won’t have power left to do much’ my ass, everything had been destroyed.

The grand hall was in shambles, as if ravaged by some natural disaster.

The once-elegant furniture lay shattered, and the once-mystical carpet had been reduced to tattered rags ripped of its magic. A gaping hole in the roof offered a glimpse to the tumultuous sky above, while glittering shards of the faerie glass chandelier lay scattered like fallen stars.

It was a scene of absolute destruction, every element of the hall reduced to ruin.

Miles immediately turned to the painting of his parents. His heart ached at the sight of the deep gashes riddled through the canvas, desecrating their memory.

But he did not have time to grieve as a loud boom rang out, almost as if the sound barrier was broken– from inside the mansion!

He hadn’t noticed before, but now that he focused, there was a massive… something at the center of the room. A blur, a mirage of sorts, as he had no idea what else it could be.

The air seemed to crackle and pop as if burning within an invisible flame, the floor below was littered with cracks still growing at a visible pace as ripples of wind blew around, all centered around that blur.

‘What in the holy hells is that?’

Conveniently or not so conveniently, the blur cleared, separating into two figures, two monsters.

The first was a formidable sight, a towering humanoid wolf that stood upright on two legs with rippling muscles that exuded raw power and strength, barely hidden under a deep brown furred pelt. The other had a far more ethereal presence, a gaunt man with a complexion almost ghostly in its pallor. Though he seemed frail, he carried himself with an inhuman magnetism that drew the eye.

Both seemed heavily wounded, their bodies marred with deep, gaping wounds, but the pale man’s labored breathing and the grimace on his face made it clear that he had been the one on the losing end.

‘These two were that blur? That fast?! And with such injuries, how are they still alive? What the hell are they?!’