As a home for the 238th, General Williams outdid himself with Ilvan-Trai. Not because the fortress was exceptional, far from it, but for how it perfectly captured the essence of the unit's namesake.

It was small, for one thing. What had looked impressive at a distance had resolved itself into a much more conservative bastion as Lily and Alarion crossed the open plains surrounding it. Situated atop a low hill, Ilvan-Trai was not intimidating in the slightest, but having successfully endured eighteen months of siege during the Second Ashadi War, its effectiveness was not to be denied.

The palisade was a mix of old and new, with time-worn timbers standing shoulder to shoulder against freshly cut logs. Signs of neglect were everywhere, but so too were the marks of renewal. Weeds and unkempt grass bracketed the freshly cleared road that led to the fortress, with freshly painted signs warning off trespassers. The ditch surrounding the wall was half-filled in places, more a suggestion than an obstacle, yet there were already crews hard at work digging it anew.

The gatehouse bore the most recent work—a sturdy set of oak doors banded with black iron, their hinges slick with fresh grease. A pair of sentries lounged against the wall nearby, their uniforms mismatched but serviceable, standing beneath a banner emblazoned with the crossed mace and greatsword insignia that Lily had chosen as the 238th's sigil.

After the relative grandeur of Ashad-Vitri, the fortress was far from appealing, but it had a certain honesty to it. Unpretentious, self-reliant, and unwilling to yield.

Nessa hated it.

"Is this seriously where we are staying for the next year?" Nessa asked, her voice vibrating with the uneven rattle of the cart beneath them.

"The next year and a half," Alarion corrected her.

"Hmm?" Lily asked, before following Alarion's gaze to the empty air beside him. "Oh. You are talking to it."

"Her," Alarion corrected for what felt like the hundredth time.

Alarion and Nessa decided early on that keeping her existence hidden would be impossible. Even ignoring the fact that hundreds of skills could detect her presence—skills possessed by both ZEKE and Bergman, among many others—it was inevitable that Alarion would let something slip with Nessa constantly in his presence.

ZEKE had remained hidden by silence, but the Steelborn had the advantage of the bracelet, a personal world where he could disappear to do… whatever it was ZEKE did inside. Nessa lacked that escape. Reality was her only world, and she would be damned if she sat mutely by, day in and day out.

At the same time, the whole truth was a bridge too far. Setting aside the judgment of his peers, and the scathing rebuke ZEKE would surely have provided, Alarion's actions were criminal. While he lacked the requisite intent to be punished for Nessa's creation, the same could not be said of his decision to harbor her.

If Nessa were discovered for what she was, she'd be destroyed. Admitting what he'd done would sign her death warrant, and the consequences he would face would be almost as severe. Alarion could not imagine the backlash if Sierra's father found out that Alarion had created a doppelganger of his late daughter, even unintentionally.

So, they split the difference. To the outside, 'Nessa' was nothing more than a training tool, a newly created Thoughtborn that he hoped would provoke an epiphany for his [Summon Familiar] skill once it reached max level. Such creations were common enough that no one would look too closely.

No one other than ZEKE.

The Steelborn had said little on the subject when first informed, but that silence was its own kind of condemnation. The next time they spoke, ZEKE had been quite curious about the timing. Though he never voiced an outright accusation, his questions were pointed in that way only someone familiar with Alarion's history could be.

But whatever ZEKE knew, or suspected, he kept to himself. Not that he had anyone else to tell.

"Her," Lily repeated with a rueful shake of her head. "I am sorry."

Lily wasn't a proud bigot, unlike many of her countrymen, but her upbringing still tainted her view of Nessa's kind.

Thoughtborn were common in Vitria and her holdings, but independent Thoughtborn were not. Most Thoughtborn in the Empire, and much of the world for that matter, were purpose-built creatures with limited sentience, far closer to Kotone than to Nessa. While it was common to anthropomorphize familiars on an individual level, as a society, most Thoughtborn were considered things rather than people.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

As the shade of a Vitrian, Nessa understood Lily's struggle, but that understanding did little to soothe the slight.

"Tell her to-"

Whatever expletives Nessa had in mind were lost amid a sudden ruckus from up ahead, a set of indistinct shouts followed by several loud thunks as the gates were unbarred. They opened wide to welcome Alarion's arrival, with two familiar faces waiting to greet him.

Kali looked much the same as Alarion remembered: big, bold, and inhumanly perfect. However, Bergman had changed.

He was still a large man, broad in the shoulders and thick through the waist, yet the difference was undeniable. Bergman had pared down substantially in the intervening months, his uniform no longer straining at the seams with each shift of his bulk. The excess of wealth had melted away, revealing stately cheekbones and a firm jaw.

But it wasn't just the physique. His stance was square, with his shoulders back and chin high; his eyes were steady and bright. He greeted them with a smile, but some of the familiar timidity was gone. At least, until he set eyes on Lily. Then the old Bergman returned in force, his skin going crimson, his eyes instantly interested in the dirt.

Alarion couldn't help but laugh.

"The dead walk!" Kali declared.

Alarion panicked for just a moment, his eyes flickering to Nessa, who in turn looked at him as though he were a moron.

Right. He'd almost died. Strange, how easy it was to forget about that.

"Mm," Alarion said as he hopped off the still-moving cart and approached his fellow soldiers.

"Good to see you alive," Kali said, clasping Alarion's forearm as they met. "Sir."

Alarion groaned and shook his head. "I work for a living, Sergeant."

That got a laugh from the big man, who retrieved his arm and slapped Bergman on the back so hard that he stumbled forward. Alarion turned to greet him, arm extended, but was surprised as Bergman dispensed with formality in favor of a back-slapping embrace.

It was an awkward thing, in part because it had been years since the last time anyone had hugged Alarion. But it was nice.

"I'm glad you're alive," Bergman said as he pulled back to arm's length. "That you're healthy. We weren't sure-"

"Enough sap," Kali declared, both his tone and posture turning formal. "As the most senior on base, I relinquish control of Ilvan-Trai, sir. When you are ready, I have supply ledgers, duty rosters, repair sch-"

"I am delegating all of that to you," Alarion said without hesitation, the sheer idea of the task filling him with an existential dread.

"You know you will have to do some of it eventually," Kali pointed out.

"With luck, our officer will arrive before it comes to that." Alarion had thought long and hard about this conversation, about his relationship with the sergeant, and how he intended to lead. "Can I speak frankly?"

"Of course, sir."

"First off, stop that," he snorted. "In front of others, fine. But when it is just us? We both know you should be in charge, that I am a figurehead. I lack the experience, and I am no leader. I will need to lean on you and learn from you. I need people I can trust."

Kali silently appraised him for a time, his body language softening with each passing moment. Then he nodded, first hesitantly, then with more conviction. "Alright, I can do that."

Alarion relaxed. "Good. There are several things the three of us need to talk about."

"The three of you?" Lily asked as she marched across the dusty courtyard, a bag slung over one shoulder. "Bad enough that you left me out of introductions—now you're already conspiring to exclude me further?"

"And you are?" Kali asked.

"Lily Hart," she answered, offering her wrist without missing a beat. Even with her towering heels, she looked positively tiny next to the Godborn giant, but the difference in physical stature did nothing to diminish her assertive presence. "I am the public liaison for the 238th. You must be Sergeant Kali."

Kali looked her up and down and gave Alarion a quick sidelong glance before tapping the back of his wrist to hers with little conviction. "A pleasure."

"And that would make you Ivor Bergman, the homegrown hero, yes?" she continued without pause, flashing Bergman a winning smile as she again offered her arm.

"I uh, y-yeah," Bergman stammered, all that fresh poise and confidence evaporating as he met her touch. "I w-wouldn't say I'm a h-hero, but-"

"Nonsense," Lily scoffed. "Orphan told me everything. Modesty does not suit such a clever young man."

"I… uh…"

"Modesty is still a provincial virtue," Kali said, stepping in to save Bergman from himself. "One the specialist has in spades."

"Among other pleasant qualities, I am sure," she smiled. "Though, back to my question at hand?"

"I am sorry, Lily, but no," Alarion told her.

"If it is military business, I am cleared to-"

"It is a personal matter," he said. "I do not want to put you in a position where you have to lie."

Lily met his eyes, as though trying to crush his resolve through the strength of her gaze alone. When that failed, she sighed. "You realize that statement alone is something I should report. But fine, if you only trust the two of them, so be it."

"Surely, it means you only trust the four of us," Nessa echoed from nearby. "Oh, wait, it does not even know about ZEKE, does it?"

Alarion schooled his expression to hide his annoyance before he responded. "Thank you for understanding. Please, get settled. I will not have need of you until the morning."

"Of course, Master Sergeant," Lily said coolly, before turning on her heel and returning to the cart.

"You certainly have a way with women," Kali remarked after she was safely out of earshot.

"Oh, he has no idea," Nessa snickered to herself.

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