I woke up with a start. I was away from Thaleous' stronghold, so I looked around in alarm.

"Where the hell am I?" I shouted raggedly, pushing myself to my feet.

I finally realized that I was standing on a transparent platform above the stronghold, which was glowing orange and red.

Fire. The stronghold was on fire.

I felt my heart stop: "Luna-."

"-Is safe. Your entire team is safe."

The voice was familiar, so I watched the strange woman as she flew toward me. The first indication of a person I saw was the shimmering gold aura of a winged entity. When I got a good look at her, I forgot how to breathe for a few moments.

"So...you're Serafine?"

She nodded and smiled warmly, "Indeed I am."

Serafine was quite an interesting individual: First off, her wavy orangish-gold hair fell beyond the middle of her back in an elaborate braid with gold pins and other ornaments in it The strangest thing I noticed about her was that her eyes were closed. She looked as if she were peacefully sleeping. Except, she was functioning as if she were perfectly conscious. 

Her dress was a pristine white with gold plating around her midriff. (So she can wear her garb at a formal event and in a war all at the same time.) She also had gold plating that protected her neck and formed pauldrons that protected her shoulders. She wore white gloves that reached her elbows, and they too had gold detailing and slight armor reinforcement on them. (At the elbow.) 

On her head was a piece of jewelry that looked kind of like a tiara, and it had two ornamental wings made of gold that vertically stretched upward. Each wing almost touched the other, and they were arranged at the center of her forehead. On her back was a pair of actual wings which helped her hover before me. Her feet were bare, and her dress pretty much hid her feet from view. Her staff made mine look pathetic: I wasn't sure what wood it was made of, but I could tell it definitely wasn't eldritch wood. A pearl-white crystal ball was nestled into the golden ornamentation that was set onto the top of the staff.

Serafine tilted her head to one side in curiosity: "What? Have you never seen an angel before?" Her voice had a sweet lilt to it that made every word flow like warm, melty butter. (I love putting butter on biscuits...)

"Um, can't say I've ever seen one before." Pausing for a moment, I continued speaking: "You're a lord, aren't you?"

She nodded, "I am the lord of the first ethereal plane: the plane of light."

I nodded, then looked down at myself. I realized with a sinking feeling that I was human again, and that I was naked.

Very naked.

I blushed, "Uh...you don't by any chance have something I can use to make myself...a little more decent, do you?"

Serafine smiled and tossed me a blanket: "I must say, I was most intrigued by your fight with Thaleous. First, you spared those guards rather than killing them. Then, you tried to spare Thaleous himself: the man that threatens everything you hold dear to you. I must ask: why did you do that?"

"I've learned throughout my years of being a Templar that every person has a reason for committing terrible acts. They at least deserve the chance to explain their actions. If they don't take that chance and continue to carry on with their terrible acts, then they have condemned themselves to death."

Serafine smiled fondly: "So you are the judge, jury, and executioner, hmm?"

"You coined the term, Lady Serafine. You were the founder of the Knights Templar, which goes by another name here in Mareth: The Imperial Inquisitors. You taught the first men who lived in Terra to be exactly that: judge, jury, and executioner."

"How do you know that?" Serafine asked curiously.

I instinctively reached for my handbook, but then I remembered that it was with my gear, which was with Dorrian the pack mule.

"I have this book my master wrote for me. It contains countless legends on the eight lords and the various gods of the planes, and it also houses an extensive list of the mythic creatures that inhabit the eight planes."

Serafine nodded slowly, contemplating the information I just gave her: "Interesting. I must know: who is your master?"

"Virrius the Undying." I answered. "Or Virrius. He much rather prefers to be called Virrius."

"I thought as much. I have watched his progress in writing that book for some time now," She replied.

I nodded, then frowned, "Um, what now? Thaleous is lupan-fodder, and no one's the wiser."

"Oh, people will find out soon enough," Serafine began with a smile, "Soren and his team have finished what they have started, and the circle of revenge has been fulfilled. Thaleous is dead and his center of power is now destroyed. People will find out, and they will rejoice."

Horace appeared beside Serafine, and he knelt deeply before me: "My lord," He began in greeting.

I nodded my head toward him. "So I'm lord of the seventh plane, right?"

Serafine nodded, "Indeed you are. Your plane also goes by another name: The Hunting Grounds. Your race is a hearty bunch, and they crave war."

A dry smile appeared on my face, "That makes too much sense. Thanks for the help back in Thaleous' Quarters' Horace."

He looked at me: "Oh, no problem, my lord."

"Yeah, you kind of forgot to catch me when I blacked out though," I replied jokingly. Unfortunately, the poor guy looked as if he were about to have a mini-heart attack.

"A thousand pardons, my lord! I'm sorry-you fell so quickly-."

"Whoa, whoa dude. Calm down-It's cool. I understand that I hit the ground like a deadweight too quickly for you to react in time. I'm not mad at you."

He looked at me in surprise: "I-I thought you were mad at me..."

"No, no, I wasn't meaning to sound angry at you."

"Helix," Serafine began, "You need to know that lupans as a race are generally very serious beings. Horace is one of a long line of lupans that have served as advisors to their lord. Because of this, Horace's family expected nothing but the best from him."

"Oh," I replied, sounding stupid, "Sorry Horace."

"No, I'm sorry," Horace retorted.

I sighed, grinning, "Let's just agree that it's no one's fault," I held a hand out, "Put it in there."

Horace looked at me as if I had lost my wits.

"Do you...shake hands?" I asked nervously, looking at Serafine, "Is it...standard protocol for lords to shake hands with their advisors?"

Horace nodded to himself, then shook my hand.

I breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought I was doing something wrong."

"No, you weren't," Serafine replied, "And I'm glad you're worried about standard protocol with other ethereal beings. First impressions are extremely important when you decide travel to your plane and meet your people. If your people can't take you seriously..."

I smiled, "I understand that I need to be calm, collected, and serious when I'm in certain areas such as my own plane. Trust me, you can count on me to behave when I travel to the Hunting Grounds. I've served King Fredrick for almost six years now. While he is an easy-going fellow, he demands that his friends and comrades know and understand respect. I'm a joking bloke around my team, but they know that I too demand respect. You have nothing to worry about Serafine. I won't act like an idiot in front of my own people."

Serafine seemed surprised by my change in behavior: "Yes, of course. My apologies."

I shrugged, "Don't sweat it Serafine."

Awkward silence ensured.

Finally, I spoke: "So...what now?"

Serafine chuckled: "You will meet the other lords and visit your plane of existence. Your people are most anxious to meet you, but first: you must rest. This battle with Thaleous has been taxing on you and your team. Don't worry, you can meet your fellow lords and your people soon, but not now. The eight planes can wait for you."

I nodded suddenly tired, "I do have a question for you: Are you immortal?"

Serafine frowned thoughtfully, "I thought you'd ask me that. The answer is yes and no. My life force is bound to my plane. If my plane is destroyed, I will die, and vice versa: if I die, my plane will fall apart."

"So that means..." I began.

"Yes, we are immortal. It's almost impossible to destroy a lord's plane, but we do have our weaknesses though. Before you ask, your team serves you, so their life forces are bound to your plane as well. Your love will not leave you, nor will any of the other people that are in your team."

I looked at her in surprise, "How did you guess what I was going to say?"

She smiled, "Your team means the world to you-That much is clear. While your lover is not your wife yet, you have a child to care for. It's obvious that you'd die for your team before you'd let anything happen to them."

I chuckled, "Guilty as charged."

Serafine laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkled. "I bid you farewell Helix. I have told you most of what you need to know at the moment. The other lords will visit you sometime soon, but don't feel like the planes are beckoning for you to come to them. You will get used to all of this on your own time."

I nodded, feeling my eyes droop from drowsiness, "Thank you Serafine. Is what Thaleous said true? Did he really send a necromancer to my village?"

"I'm afraid so," She replied, "But you've gotten your revenge. Thaleous is now residing in Oblivion forevermore."

"Yeah, I suppose it's for the better."

"Goodbye Helix. Horace will answer any questions you may have. Just call on him, and he will be by your side. Now, return to your team."

"Okay..." I replied slowly.

"Brace for impact." my bestial side warned me. Unfortunately, I was a little slow to catch what he was implying.

Suddenly, I fell, plummeting toward the snowy ground below me while screaming my already-tired lungs out.

Damn, I really wish I had wings.

After what felt like an eternity, I landed in cold snow. Thankfully, the snow blanketed my landing.

"I'm...done for today..." I grumbled.

"Helix! Where are you?" Luna called loudly.

"Over here!" I shouted back.

I realized that I was naked...again.

"Damn it! Wait a moment please! I'm not decent!"

Too late: Luna ran over to me and crushed my ribcage. She was crying with joy and laughing at the same time as she hung onto me as if she thought I'd vanish into thin air if she let go of me.

"Ow, ow, ow...be careful please..." I mumbled.

"Oh, sorry," She replied, stepping back and noticing my...nakedness. She blushed and looked away.

I groaned, "Damn...I'm exposed to the elephants!"

Luna looked at me in bewilderment, "What?"

"I said 'I'm exposed to the elements'. What did you think I said?"

"N-Nothing," She replied.

A few moments later, the rest of my team showed up. Ben tossed me a cloak so I could somewhat cover myself up.

"Thanks," I breathed.

Ben nodded, "No problem Helix."

Soren and his team showed up a few moments later. Soren's face was grim, but he had a triumphant gleam in his eyes: "Good to see that you're still alive, Helix."

"Same can be said for you, Soren," I replied.

We looked at each other and nodded.

Dorrian and Analise were kind enough to help me up, and I looked at my friends: "I know I have a lot to explain, so let me say this to start the ball rolling: I am the lord of the seventh ethereal plane of existence-the plane of the wolf. My advisor Horace will show up from time to time to help me understand the new world that I'll be exposed to very soon. To be honest, we'll be diving into more ethereal matters, so his help will be needed in the not-so-distant future."

Everyone nodded, and I grinned.

"And yeah, I'm a lupan. I suppose I'm not as human as I had originally thought."

Ana rose an eyebrow: "So? I'm possessed by a demon. Your argument is invalid."

Dorrian grinned, "That fact is that you're still you. There's no doubt about that."

Stanford laughed evilly, "Are you usually this small and sad-looking when you're exposed to the elements? Cause damn."

"Fuck you! It's cold out here!" I shouted back.

He laughed nefariously, "That's what they all say."

Luna frowned, "Cut him some slack, Pinesworth."

"Oh yeah?" He began sarcastically, "What are you going to d-."

Luna kicked him in the nuts. Hard: "You want to push me any further, bitch? Helix just killed a god damn demonlord, so show your second in command some respect."

"N-No ma'am..." Stanford squeaked, "I'm...Sorry."

Everyone laughed their asses off.

I looked at Luna and smiled, "Let's go home."

She nodded, "I think it's been...a week since we got here? It's felt like we've been here for so much longer."

Luna looked at a man that stood beside her and smiled, "Dad, this is Helix. Helix, this is my father, Dominick."

Dominick Tsuki looked a lot like his daughter: he had white hair, yellow eyes, and the common attributes of a kaitrit. He scratched his hair, and one of his ears twitched idly.

He smiled warmly and shook my hand: "Greetings Helix. Congratulations on taking down Thaleous. You've done what most people -me included- could only dream of."

I grinned, "Hey, anything's possible if you're stubborn enough. Your daughter taught me that much."

She blushed, "Hush up. Let's get moving before we all freeze to death out here."

We began to move forward: Luna walked beside her father, who appeared to be in bad shape. He began to shiver violently, and his breathing grew uneven.

Without thinking, I took off the cloak Ben gave me and handed it to Dominick.

"Here," I began easily, "Put this on so you don't become a kaitrit-sicle."

He looked at me in bewilderment, "You're...um, naked. Very naked. Are you s-sure you want to give me that?"

I grinned, "Yes, I'm sure. You do want to get back to your wife, right?"

He took the cloak without hesitation.

I felt strange: my scarred body was on full display for everyone to see.

Finally, Dorrian threw me my armor, "I've been lugging that shit around for the past few hours, so I'm done being the fucking pack mule," He shot Luna an irritated glare, "So please, get in your armor. You owe me big time for this."

"I know, I know, "I mumbled, putting my beloved armor on, "No need to remind me, Dorrian. I'll make it up to you when we get back to Helios."

"I'm going to hold you to your word, Hel," My short friend grumbled, but an amused grin was on his face as I struggled to put on my breastplate.

Wearing armor without any clothes on underneath felt really weird, but at least I was able to cover myself up.

We began to head back to Soren's fort. Thaleous' stronghold and the bitter memories from years past burned fiercely behind us as we walked away from it. The one thing I found instantly was my flute and, after I made sure the handbook Virrius gave me didn't receive any damage, I began to play a slow, quiet song as we walked toward protection.

And a warm dinner.

- - -

-H- Hey, I made it-and I didn't die either.

-L- I still don't appreciate you using yourself to get at Thaleous...

-H- I'm still alive, and that's all that matters at the moment.

-L- *Sigh* I hate it when you're right...