First day in this world, already in trouble.

The daemon looked to his daughter as she was explaining Aurel's presence, seemingly not changing till she mentioned her mother. He looked to the boy hesitantly, before he made a deep exhale and then just left. Aurel wasnt sure what the interaction was about, but it was probably her father just being a defensive father towards his child. "I'm sorry." he said at her mutter, smiling softly at her. "But I do think it did you some good too." he chuckled, imagining that it was good with a different feeling for a change. "So do you want to know more?" he asked, as there was still a few pages of random information. He would read it if she wanted him to.

"Don't be ... He's just trying to protect what he has left of my mother," she said. It was weird, because she knew that neither her mother nor Amos was dead and yet they were so far removed from them that it might as well have been so. Her father wasn't dealing with this well. Seeing as he suggested reading more of the book she nodded. Any information she could get she would gladly take, and they sat for a while as he translated. It turned out that the last few pages had some small hints as to how one might restore the balance. And if what Aurel had said about a few amount of portals still going, then that gave her an idea.
"You said that my mother is the light, right?" she asked, just to be sure that she hadn't missed any vital information. "Well, if I bring her back here, wouldn't that make the realm more at balance?" she thought out loud. Her head felt less fuzzy with darkness and more clear than it had been for many months.

"So what I'm gathering is that there's so many outcomes that I basically can't plan for it?" She asked, biting her lower lip as she retreated back in her mind. Her father wouldn't risk her mother's life even if it meant a chance at healing this world and him being reunited with his love. She felt like she would do anything at this point to see Amos. "I'll need to talk to my mother about this ... It would be her life and well being on the line, but then comes the question of me; can I leave this realm without the balance collapsing fully?"

She shook her head. Her father might be distant, but she would never just abandon him here. No, that fate was too cruel, and despite his flaws, she didn't like the thought of leaving him to solitude. He got up, looking at the different books, but he seemingly didn't find what he was looking for.
His logic about going back made her nød. But wouldn't that also mean they weren't guaranteed of ending up in Churchill if they headed back? Taking a deep breath she calmed herself, trying to think her way out of it. "I would have a small time frame and getting it all together could take days," she muttered. Rubbing her face with her hands she got up from her seat. "Can I please hold your hand again? I just really need a clear head," she pleaded, reaching her hand out. She wouldn't do it without consent.

"Yeah, it sorta grounds me in a way," she said, sighing in relief as he grabbed her hand. It just felt good. Like something was holding her down and not letting her float away in to the atmosphere. As he suggested to help her she looked at him rather confused and perhaps a little sympathetic at him. "Why would you? It's not your burden to bear," she asked, because in her mind she couldn't believe anyone would be willing to help like this. She had gotten far on her own, she was independent and this year in the Abyssus had really made her grow up in a different way. Would anyone back home even recognize her? "I mean, I would like some help - Plus it would be nice to have someone to share thoughts and ideas with," she pondered. However she couldn't help but wonder if he was doing this out of pity. She didn't want that, she wanted his help if he did it to be genuine.
"Maybe we could start finding that book you couldn't find; Am I right?" she asked. She was perceptive as well, finding clues in what he didn't say as well as what he did say. She chuckled, looking down at their hands. "It feels like forever since I've actually felt someone else's warmth," she confessed. It was a sad feeling, because she had been so used to be close to Amos and Connor. To receive warm hugs from her mother and be smothered in love by her aunt and uncle. And how she missed Tessa and her happy disposition. It was hard thinking of her family like this, but she wasn't a crybaby anymore. She knew there was a solution to all of this, now they just had to find it.

"What do you mean? This is my home. Of course it's my burden too." he said like it made sense to him. He had lived his whole life here and lost so much. It was at least worth trying to salvage or restore the place that had made him who he was. "Well consider me a part of the team then." he chuckled. Finding the book would be a good idea but he doubted that it would be an easy task. "I'm sorry to hear that. But it doesnt have to stay that way." he said to her confession though it wasnt too long ago that he understood what that felt like. He had been lucky to have Dahlia with her sweet gentle touches here and there but he didnt really want to let his mind wander when they were supposed to focus.

A few days later, it was like turning the library upside down would have done just what he thought it would: Nothing. All the books had been turned and pulled out of place, sorted and put away. He was looking through a stack, rolling his eyes with an annoyed sigh. "Guess we can cross library off the list now." he said, looking to the hybrid with a small smile on his lips. Even though it was annoying right now, he had come to enjoy her company quite a lot. "Unless you've found it?" he asked. He had explained how the cover looked and what text she should be looking for.

Saoirse smiled at his words, nodding as she hoped it would be so eventually. But she wasn't sure she believed it fully, perhaps because the darkness had just become a part of her life. As the days had passed, she was sitting on the floor, sorting books by their relevancy before laying back against the floor, blowing her hair out of her face. "I've got nothing chief," she muttered looking up at the beautifully decorated ceiling. She hadn't ever thought of just looking at it, but now that she was laying she was taking her time to look at it. "And you're sure it has green binding? And silver letters?" she asked again for the millionth time maybe. She had lost count because she felt so lost. Rubbing her eyes with her fingers she groaned. "Alright, the library was a dead end, but we still got a whole castle," she said, trying to think it all through. Her hands moved down, resting on her stomach as her eyes investigated the ceiling above.
Being silent for a while she wondered how much work must've gotten in to this library alone. "Who would've known about the book back then?" she asked, because she was clueless.

He turned and leaned back on his hands that rested on the table surface before he stretched his chest with a slight yawn. Reading all the titles and not finding anything useful was exhausting even if they barely moved all day. "Yep. It hasnt magically changed since the last time you asked." He said in a slight tone of teasing. The notion of having to turn the whole castle as well just made him so tired. It was after all a pretty big castle. "Uhhh. The librarian. A few others of no importance and well... Me." he listed before he frowned a little thoughtfully. "I told my sister but I doubt she would take it. It isnt really of use to her at all." he pondered before he shook his head. He needed a break. He moved off the table and went to lie next to her, looking up at the ceiling. "What are you looking at?" he asked, narrowing his eyes a little as he was trying to figure it out.

"Aight, good, just checking in," she chuckled under her breath, even if it wasn't meant to be a funny situation. It just had felt so much better to have someone to be around lately. It was as if that year of darkness was slowly fading away in her mind. "So our suspects are a dead librarian, your missing sister or you," she muttered, frowning as she focused on a particular piece of the ceiling. She found it calming, and she could see the images above almost coming to life if she let her imagination run wild.
Feeling him lay down next to her, mostly because her body reacted by relaxing more, she shrugged lightly. "I guess I was hoping that some omniscient being would fly down from the paintings and show us the way," she said, although it was purely in jest. "But mostly I wonder how many people came and went from this place and never even looked up to see what the artist had made," frowning as she found it a sad thought. Each corner had a beautifully carved wyvern, each different colors and with different expressions. "Were they real? The wyverns?" she asked, mostly because she had read about them in fairytales and perhaps this was sort of like the work of fiction like a painting from medieval times.

He chuckled softly with her jest, eyeing the carvings with relaxed eyes. Was it weird that he was also sort of hoping for it too now that she mentioned it? Her wonder made him hum as he leaned his head little towards her side like he was trying to see it from her perspective. Or just be a little closer to her. "Well I did when I was a child and wandered around. But the longer you stay around, the more you get used to them. Eventually you dont look up to see the same cravings for the millionth time." he explained with a soft smile, glancing towards her. Her question made him shrug. "I've never seen one. But this realm is huge. So it could be possible. I just wouldnt imagine them living close to a place where there are people living." he explained. He turned his eyes to look at her fully. "But it would be nice to see something else than darkness and creatures that Bael has put here." he said in a slight hopeful tone. Their faces were rather close but he was too relaxed to really notice.

"I've been here nearly a year and it hasn't gotten old to me yet," she argued, but perhaps her own upbringing had been modest enough so that she could truly appreciate what place she was in right now. Even if she was practically trapped it was beautiful surroundings. He was laying close to her, but she didn't really think about it. Perhaps because her go to move was holding his hand when the darkness got too much or she needed a little break. She could feel his eyes on her and she smiled, turning to look him in the eyes. "Yeah, life would be nice ... I'm keeping my hopes up that I might see one some day," she said, her voice low as she didn't find it necessary to yell when they were this close.
She just laid like this for a while, looking in to his eyes as she felt his presence make her relax. It was funny how easy she had let down her walls around him. He actually seemed like a really good guy, and not just because he was helping her. He was smart and considerate, and he always played along with her stupid jokes. "I don't think I've said it yet, but I'm really happy that you came back," she whispered, her lips pulling up in a soft smile. Her eyes lingering on his face before she moved to sit up. Running a hand through her hair she got to her feet, holding a hand out to help him up if he wanted it. "Alright, enough ceiling watching; We need a good plan for this, and I doubt that the book isn't somewhere in this castle," she said walking over to a small map that was drawn of the entire property. "I doubt it would be in the gardens, and I think we could count out bedrooms as the book doesn't seem like something easily mistaken as light goodnight reading," she pondered.

"You might." he said, though he was fine with not having seen any. Maybe he was a bit of a scaredy-cat in that regard. His sister was braver in that sense at least. He just preferred the wyverns in the books over the real ones. He looked at her face, his smile lingering softly over his lips. Her whisper made his smile grow a little as he looked into her eyes, "Me too." he whispered back quite soft in tone. She got up and as she offered a hand he took it.
"I just dont see why anyone would take it. It's not that useful for someone who isnt trying to restore the realm." he said and he doubted that someone had taken it during the war. He looked at the map and ran his fingers over the rooms. "Let's start with each of the bedrooms. Some of them has bookshelves for whenever someone wanted to study a book. The librarian's chamber would be the best starting point." he said, pointing at one of the rooms.

"Alright," she said as he pointed to a room on the map. She took his hand, making them a shortcut as she used the map to open a door to that room. She just felt more energized lately and she was getting more comfortable using her ability. Once in the room she whistled, sighing under her breath as she looked at the room. "I would've killed for a bed like that," she muttered, walking over and touching the fine silk. It seemed as if it had been frozen in time, and she looked at the beautifully carved wood that held together the mattress. She knew they had to focus on finding the book, but she just had to sit down on it, just to try it. But once she had sat down she had to lean back, sighing softly as she closed her eyes. "I couldn't imagine ever wanting to get out of bed," she chuckled, stretching her arms and feeling the silk. It was caressing her skin, her marks on full display as she hadn't had to worry about stares when it was just her and her father. She had actually gotten rather comfortable with herself and her own body since she had changed, it was just still confusing not really knowing for sure what had happened.

He wasnt fully understanding of how her ability worked just yet but it wasnt like he really had to. It was just pretty cool that she could just open doors to someplace that wasnt just a door away. They got into the chamber and he looked around as well. He had never been inside a chamber in the castle and it definitely looked better than his own home. "I was going to have a bed like that." he said with a small smile. Though it wasnt exactly not getting a nice bed that was his biggest concern. He looked at the shelves and the desk, opening a few drawers to see what was inside. Though the librarian was long gone, he still felt like he wasnt just supposed to go through someone's things. "Where have you been sleeping all the while you've been here? On a stack of books?" he asked, mostly because he was curious.

She shrugged a bit, taking fistfuls of sheets between her fingers, sighing once more at the feeling. "I mostly just pass out wherever I am ... I feels weird taking someone's bedroom, so I usually find some divan or couch somewhere," she admitted. Maybe that was stupid, but this castle wasn't hers. She could feel the memories of the walls and items within it. "A bed holds a lot of memories; Dreams and you know ... Private affairs," she chuckled, sitting up as she looked towards him. "Where did you sleep?" she asked, "I mean, you've been here much longer than me."
Getting off the bed she was a bit reluctant, but she eventually went up to him, looking at the books on the shelf. There were a lot, most of them well read and other seemed to just be anthologies of poetry.

"That doesnt sound very healthy." he remarked with a small frown, though health didnt really seem to matter that much here. He sighed as she chuckled about the memories of a bed. He made a slight shrug. Then she asked about his sleep and he scratched the back of his neck. "When the library was sealed, I didnt have to sleep so I didnt." he said, looking through one of the drawers. "Then my sister left. And I started forcing myself to rest to pass time. Mostly by sleeping over the chairs. Which I dont recommend. Except that you can count days by how long it takes aching bones to calm from the horrible pressure when you sleep along a couple of chairs." he explained with a chuckle. He looked up at her as he was slightly bent over the open drawers. "Take anything out that looks green." he said, at least that would make the search easier.

Saoirse grimaced at the notion of sleeping over the chairs, "well I'm not looking to find out," she said, grabbing green books and scripts wherever she found them. That was when she noticed a book that looked strikingly like how Aurel had described it. "Wait ... This is it, right?" it had to be. She moved over, sitting down by the bedside table where a light was lit. Touching the green binding with the silver letters she felt her heart beat faster. Waiting until he came over she opened the book, and once again they were met by the ancient writing.
Only if she could actually read it, she would know it was a message from whoever had taken the real book signed by the initials V.T. "What does it say?" she asked, looking hopefully to Aurel.

He closed the drawers after deciding that there was nothing worth searching for in them. That was when she spoke, pulling out a book that definitely looked as the book they were searching for. He nodded and followed her, standing in front of her at first but ultimately sitting down next to her to read it. But when he read it, his face didnt seem to change as he read the initials. She asked and he looked at her with a dull look in his eyes. He could not describe the immense sense of dissatisfaction he felt now. "It's not the book." he said, pressing his lips together in a forced smile. "Someone else has it."

The disappointment was clear in her eyes, she was determined to keep looking, but then he said someone had it. "Who is this someone?" she asked confused as she turned to look at the page one more time. She could make out a few letters, but the last two were pretty easy. "V.T." she muttered. Where had she seen those initials before? Getting up, she just dumped the book on the nightstand, grabbing Aurel's hand and unlocking the door back to the library they came from. Instead of saying much she flipped through some of the books she had first encountered when she had come here. Pointing at a sketch in a book she knew he would see it too. V.T. written in beautiful letters over the youngest boy of Belial and Boadicea. "Could that be him?" she asked, not sure if she was being crazy. In the text it spoke about the family, and listed as his name was "Valerian Thaelys; He was the youngest male boy born to the last king and queen of the Abyssus, right?" she asked, just to be sure her memory was right.

He almost didnt want to say the name mostly because it felt like it was some deep born curse to him. Not that he minded the son of the rulers, but it was the last person he wanted to be in possession of the book they needed. She took his hand and he followed her, getting back to the library where she pulled out a book. He saw the title and looked away, not wanting to follow her eyes and read the page. "Yeah." he mumbled, stepping away to walk over to a window to look out. "It's him." he said.

Saoirse felt a spark of hope. This was a lead. If they could find him, then there would be no trouble, right? But then Aurel grew distant, moving away from her and she followed him to the window. "Hey, what's wrong?" she asked confused, "I mean this is the closest we've been to that book since we started looking for it." It was a fair argument, only she didn't know the full story of Valerian.
Valerian had been far removed from the throne as was possible. Three older siblings meant there was no chance of him ruling, and frankly he liked it like that. But supposedly he had vanished the night of the first attack from the daemons. The rumor among the people was that he had betrayed his homeland and family to gain power with the daemons. And no-one had truly seen him since. "Come on, Aurel, you're always so talkative; Speak to me, please," she pleaded.

Aurel closed his eyes as she approached him, knowing that he was giving off a vibe. But it was just something that in the history books would sting a lot, just to think about was enough for the young boy. He looked at her at her plea, sighing before he wet his lips and looked back out the window. He went on to tell her what he knew of the youngest son of the rulers. When he was finished, he looked at her with saddened eyes. "Frankly I believe the rumors myself. It just seems too likely."