Oh, how bright the future was for the Luminous entity! Truly, it was one worth preparing for, especially if there were people who deemed themselves enemies of the Princexx of Desierto. For the Commander of Paradise Dawn was the Monarch of the mountains and all of these aliases were not chosen by them. No, these aliases were given by various groups of people. By birthright, they were in the line to rule the sands, by sheer willpower they were the leader of something much greater than a guild and by the grace of the people they ruled the mountains. No lord, lady, king or queen could deny Khalfani which was already theirs. The gods had proven themselves wise for fawning over the Queen of light. To think that they were only eighteen and had accomplished what most men and women could only dream of accomplishing only meant that they were well on their way to being sung by bards, described as a legend in their own right.

This was not something Khalfani originally reveled in, however, certain circumstanced had enlightened them to the truth of their own nature. The world had literally chosen them to be one of its chosen. It was an honor even greater than being blessed by the Zharian gods. This new them was a being beyond what mere mortals could comprehend. They had now recognized it and embracing it had only freed them. Still, they had remembered their roots. Every so often their mind overflowed with the waters of chaos; remnants of their past. It was something Khal could not escape, yet, it was something they were grateful to have haunt them. For some reason the world had insisted on keeping these memories with The Ascended, probably for the same reason they were elated to have them.



In the deepest parts of Worth Woodsea, blanketed by palm trees- almost appearing to be something of its own origin, a freshwater lake rested untroubled by human and beast alike. Luckily the godsblood wasn't exactly either of them. They were the sole occupant of this glorious lake, basking in its essence nakedly. They ran their fingers through their brown locs as their golden irises looked to the sun unfazed by its blinding light. They released a sigh of relief as the water refreshed their body. It was spring indeed. Although it wasn't hot, it was warm enough. The water stopped just above their waist,  the water fall beside them trickling down and merging with the lake. What a beautiful day.

The water was cooling to the touch, but warm enough to send a comforting sizzle down their back. A roar filled the skies. It wasn't a voice belonging to a mortal, or at least it didn't seem so. No, this roar belonged to a beast and one of great magnitude by the sound of things. Of course Khalfani was on guard considering they were a professional defender. Their eyes caught a glimpse of the beast overhead, carrying a red headed individual on its back and seemingly making its way to where the commander was. With a warm, yet devilish smirk, their gleaming golden eyes followed the dragon and their rider as they lowered themselves deeper into the water, only revealing their head. A naked bronze body was submerged in the crystal blue emanated waters. Khal waited to meet the incoming man, a man who they had already known the name of. A man who they had already known damn near everything about, a blessing of The World itself.

What The Ascended didn't know, however, was what he knew. If Knux had known anything about his guild then this meeting would only go one way. Still, Khalfani was interested to see how events would play out. Still holding their smile, they slowly moved their arms through the water, creating small waves and scaring whatever fish were beneath the surface to scatter in fear and excitement. "Hello, stranger." Khalfani said when the man approached. The sun beamed upon them as if they commanded its light.

Ah, so Knux was still unaware of the destruction of his guild hall. Truthfully, if Khalfani had been the person they were now they probably wouldn't have called for the destruction of Sleeping Calamity. With their sights now set on being the ruler of the North, a quarrel with Sleeping Calamity would be a small yet tedious hurdle to jump over. Nonetheless, Khalfani was confident in their abilities, especially knowing what this man before them was capable of. They would simply have to move accordingly. Knux probably knew who Khalfani was but until it was clear the two of them were simply strangers. It was a good thing too, because Knuckles, the wielder of Icebergan legend, was a beautiful man. His pink eyes glowed gracefully on their own. The two were opposites in the formula of who they were. He was a devil and the Ascended was a god. That alone made this meeting all the more exciting.

The Wyvern rider explained why he was back in the North form Baska. A business venture apparently. It could be assumed that said business had to do with their guild, but Khalfani wasn't worried. Even if he was pretending to be oblivious, the dragon slayer was confident enough that they'd be able to react accordingly. Perhaps it was a risk to slowly move towards Knux as he sat down and dipped his feet into the lake, but Khalfani would take it anyway. "I see..." they began smiling with both their lips and their eyes. Their tone was gentle and warm, yet confident and stern. Cues would make it clear how they carried themselves.  "Worry not. You haven't interrupted anything, I assure you. Do be sure to give Fang my thanks, will you? It's always a pleasure to meet a man as handsome as yourself." Khalfani stopped about two feet away, their eyes momentarily glancing over his physique as they ran their fingers through their hair.

"Care to join me, stranger? Surely you have some time to spare before handling business and the water is quite warm today."

The more the noble prince looked at Knuckles, the more they found themselves learning. It wasn't just their all seeing eyes granting them information other people wouldn't have known, but it was the way Knuckles moved that made it evident of the type of person he was. Noble himself, yet twisted by the darkness of a demon. In that regard, he was also something special. Despite the fact that he wasn't blessed by the world, the blessings he had received were clearly great in their own right. It was tempting to tease the man by slowly revealing how much the commander knew about him, alas, sometimes you had to keep things to yourself. If there was one thing Khalfani had learned throughout their travels, it was just that. Khalfani bit their lip as Knuckles accepted the compliment and returned one. By the moment the Desiertan Dragon Slayer was growing more excited, though it didn't become obvious anywhere on their body.

"Thank you." Khalfani chuckled.

The red haired man introduced himself after scoping the area one last time. An anxious one, and for good reason too. From the outside looking in it could have been a setup. A mysteriously alluring being in the waters of a hidden lake, asking you to join them; it was a recipe for someone to be eaten across many folklore. Luckily for this man, Khalfani didn't want to eat him- at least not like the monsters in old stories. "Prince Khalfani Atenhotep." the bronze-skinned commander said. Khal did not remove their eyes from their new acquaintance. Instead, they watched Knuckles as he removed every bit of clothing, his eyes scanning his toned body. Beautiful, to say the least, tempting, to be honest. "It's a pleasure to meet you." They said to the pink eyed Clout Chaser with a slight boy, noticing the butterfly tattoo upon his pale skin. It practically glowed.

Knuckles elegantly dropped his entire body into the water, coming out of it a few moments later. Khalfani moved closer towards him slowly, taking into account his anxiety displayed earlier. When there was only about 2 feet between them, the commander would cup their hands to pick up water, and lightly drop it onto Knux's body, allowing their gentle hands to trickle down their body just as the water did. "I imagine the champion of Mjolnir must be drained from warding off people who sought to claim the weapon for themselves, hm?"

How Odd. In all their years, even before their transformation, they had never been rejected. never. Knuckles was the first to do so. Any normal person would have probably been discouraged, Alas Khalfani only found themselves more fond of such a creature. Everything about Knuckles was cold, even down to the way he spoke despite how well mannered he was. With a nod, Khalfani slowly backed away as Knuckles did the same putting them at about four feet away from each other. "Forgive me. I was under the impression that we shared desires." The said warmly. The commander of Paradise Dawn only slightly lowered themselves into the water, allowing their entire chest to be engulfed by the clear lake. Their eyes shifted downwards to Knuckles' own member once more before raising back to his eyes. Perhaps it would be nice to get to know this man a little better. "Mjolnir is the weapon once wielded by the Icebergan god of thunder, of course it's well known. There are tales of men who fought to the death to find it, I'm sure there are men who are still searching for it. If it's a bloody battle you yearn for, give it time and it shall come to you." Khalfani said with grace, almost as if they knew it to be true somehow. "Is that what you want? Fame?" They slightly tilted their head to the side. This was the most entertainment they had since they returned from Enca.

"I see..." Khalfani nodded, turning so that know their back was facing Knuckles. They stood in the waters revealing half off their buttocks before flipping their hair back and slowly moving towards where the sun shone the most. "You're quite interesting, Knuckles." They teased with a chuckle before facing Knuckles once more with a warming smile. The Dragon Slayer gestured with their hands for Knuckles to come to where they had moved, else they would have to basically shout the entire conversation. Khalfani was enjoying the red head's presence. The sun radiated off of the Brown Desiertans skin, nearly reflecting the light like their skin was a mirror of sorts.

"I wish you good luck on your journey. Hopefully you don't die before you reach your destination."

They were genuine about that, despite the fact that they anticipated a bloody battle between them in the days to come. Such a shame, that glory Knuckles sought would be easier to obtain in Paradise Dawn. "Did I make it that obvious?" they joked in response to being regarded as a high noble, knowing they purposely introduced themselves as a prince. "I'm the Prince of Desierto, but I've always found the kingdom to be a bit...boring. I'm the rebel child, I suppose. I came to the North and now I lead a cute little guild here." The name of the guild didn't matter, not when Khalfani didn't know if Knuckles was as oblivious as he seemed. "Actually I think you'd fit in quite well if its legend you seek. You should join! I could look at you all day, Lord Knuckles ~"

The Lion chuckled as Knuckles turned. Their sun-lit orbs trailed behind him, taking a glance at what was beneath the water once more. Khalfani remained were they were for a moment, listening to their new acquaintance speak. Finally, he revealed that he was apart of Sleeping Calamity. Nothing knew there, but of course Khalfani had to play the part. It was safe to say that Khal had known nothing about sleeping Calamity beforehand, so this information had turned out to be quite surprising. It was strange though, the reasoning for the guild being a dark guild didn't quite add up in Khalfani's opinion. I mean there were a bunch of guilds who didn't kneel to the king, hell, even the people of Sieghart refused to do it. It made The Ascended all the more curious as to what Sleeping Calamity had intended on doing in the future- or even what they had already done. Sometimes the actions of a few had a hand in how a guild was perceived by the masses.

"Actually, I think that saying's a load of shit. The grass is greener wherever I want it to be greener~" they said as they slowly turned to face Knuckles. "You know, I've heard of Sleeping Calamity. Naturally, I haven't heard any good things about the people there- with the exception of one woman considering it is a dark guild." The Lion began to drift towards Knuckles- almost in a glorious strut. "With all due respect, I don't think your guilds refusal to bend the knee is what makes it dark guild, Knuckles. The guild I'm in is Neutral after all, we bow to no-one, and we have no problems with operating the way we do. The King leaves us alone and we leave him alone." They said softly in a matter-of-factly tone. The water droplets glistened and glimmered on their body, light seemingly bouncing off like rubber balls.

"My guild is full of warriors. We operate as a nation and protect the North, believe it's an entity of its own, and completely seperate from the crown, buuuuut~ , I wouldn't want to take you away from your chosen family." Really, the fact that this man was apart of a guild who had probably been planning their demise was saddening to think about.

"I wish things could be different." they sighed as they glared into Knuckle's eyes, a hint of disappointment displaying for a split moment. Then the Ascended would turn away and slowly swim towards the ground where Knuckles had placed his belongings. Khalfani's belongings were also there, just closer to a bush. "Anyway, I'm going to head to the guild now and since you were heading that way, you should walk me. The forest is a dangerous place for a Princess, you know.~" They teased, turning their had back just before pulling themselves out of the water. "Like my Knight in Shining Armor." Khal teased with a chuckle.

"Watch the sunset?" Khalfani gathered their belongings as they readied themselves to leave. Their devilish smile turned into a chuckle of disbelief smile, mostly surprised by their new acquaintances proposition to ride with them on their Wyvern. Knuckles was surprisingly...kind. It wasn't something Khalfani had initially expected from someone like him. Despite not being one to judge a book by its cover very often, they assumed that since they were apart of Sleeping Calamity that their attitude would reflect that. It was pleasant, and something about his mannerisms were alluring. The Commander of Paradise Dawn was a flirt. Naturally, they made sure to move a bit more than usual, revealing their refined thin figure in case the gaze of the man behind them.

Knuckles said something intriguing. The red haired man mentioned foreseeing a fight in his future with people of divine essence. Knuckles couldn't see from behind, but the Ascended's eyes slightly raised. "Is that so? Well, I'm not a fortune teller or anything but I also see something like that in your future. There's something special about you. Dark, but special." Khalfani said softly. All the Godsblood could think of was the fight that would come. Knuckles and Khalfani had no choice but to meet on the opposite side of the battlefield. It was sad to think about, but The princex accepted the future as it was. "I'd love to meet your guild members. Maybe you can meet mine after." They added. It was better this way. It made this moment bittersweet. The Dragon Slayer turned to Knuckles after they had finished dressing.

Honestly, looking at him after only a moment of breaking eye contact sent a tingly sensation down their spine. It was almost like Khalfani was stuck in a trance for a moment. They were stuck in their pale beauty and at this moment in time, the darkness that consumed Knuckles began to look more like light.  A warm smile suddenly appeared on Khal's face, drowning the once devilish smirk. Khalfani just wanted to kiss him, not just because he wanted to fuck him, but also because he felt like he was supposed to. Perhaps Knuckles was completely oblivious to the lust, but Khalfani hadn't been trying to hide it. Then the Dragon raised an eyebrow. "Wait...you were serious about the Ride in the sunset?" They wiped the water dripping down their forehead. Turning away for a moment they let out a single chuckle.

Their golden beady eyes lifted to watch the Member of Calamity. "You know, you're oddly romantic for someone who isn't interested." They said bluntly. "Alright then, let's go." Khalfani extended their soft tinted hand for Knuckles to take and guide him, testing the waters once more on the mans idea of physical touch.

Khalfani could only let out a soft and gentle laugh as Knuckles spoke. It was true, he couldn't turn off his charm. Of course Khalfani was no fool, they could tell that the red headed adventurer wasn't looking at them the same way they were looking at him. Still, it was a beautiful thing to find a friend so similar. Every waking moment reminded the Ascended that time would corrupt this relationship. In the end, it was the guild master of Paradise Dawn that had set the story in motion. The two walked side by side, different in height but almost the same as far as body proportions go. Khal was comfortable in almost any situation regardless of who was in front of them. They were confident, and naturally alluring, yet oddly enough they hadn't made many friends. Acquaintances sure, but the list of people who were of actual importance to the prince was shorter than one would think.

When Knux revealed how safe he felt in the presence of the almighty dessert lord, their face flushed with a vibrant red color- but only for a brief moment. Khalfani cleared their throat, smiling as they turned away to face the giant wyvern for a moment, embracing its glorious roar. Such a magnificent beast, they thought. Wyverns weren't fighters but they made great friends for the few people that were able to gain their trust. "I don't think it's odd at all. I think its...fate." Perhaps Knux and Khalfani were fated to have a relationship. Friends? Lovers? Mortal Enemies? Who knew? It wasn't that far fetched of an idea though. "I do. I happen to know a lot of things." Khalfani hummed quickly as if it was no big deal. Knuckles hadn't revealed that information, but Khalfani didn't feel the need to hide the fact that they were a seer of sorts. They figured they owed Knuckles that much, at least.

"I've never had the privilege to ride one of these beautiful beasts." They moved closer towards the steed, raising their hand to gently rub its head.