There was a rumor brewing. Serci had heard the whispers as he tended about duties around Eylisya. It started small, birthed from gossip, slowly spreading to consume the clergy into a calm panic. Serci especially was offset by the story. A cold sweat ran down his spine as his heart rate hurried. Anger, a rare emotion for Serci, boiled deep. He dropped his duties and made a bee line towards the champion quarters, closing the door with a slam as he dropped to the floor to mediate. There was a rumor brewing that Dalanesca has come to visit.

The candles flickered, the small flames licking at the air as Serci focused his emotions. He took deep breathes, releasing as he concentrated on the sounds in his room. His sense of hearing slowly expanded to outside of his room, to the halls inside the palace, to the various wings and gardens outside. He… Could hear her… His eyebrows furrowed. He was still cross with Dalanesca for her involvement with the warped spire. Adeluna, his home city was consumed with gluttony and many lost their lives. But, what had hurt him most, was he considered Dalanesca as a friend. He had learned his lesson, that not everyone is an ally to him. He thought, despite her reputation he could befriend her, even hope to learn from her. But with how he felt now, he just wanted to avoid her. He clicked his tounge as he could hear foot steps apporaching his room. A loud series of knocks banged against his door. He propped his self off the floor, making his way to the door and opening it with a sigh.

"Shit."

As much as Dalanesca’s reputation seemed to claim about her, she really did care what people thought about her. Well, some people. Not all people. She cared what Jarmyr thought of her. She cared about what her fellow deities thought of her, to a point, at least. Of those deities though, it was Angela Rose that mattered the most, and when she had heard that Angela’s champion, Serci, was rather upset and distraught over what she and Xunatar had done to Adeluna, it bothered her. Dalanesca was not a fan of being bothered, and she knew that she was going to have to do something about that. It wouldn’t do for her best friend’s champion to hate her, it would only serve to make things more difficult for her.

She had sent word to Angela’s realm a few times, hoping that it would reach Serci and that perhaps the two could get together and have an amicable chat. They hadn’t met more than once or twice, and those two meetings had been cut short by other happenings and hadn’t exactly caused any sort of great friendship to come to fruition, but she hadn’t gotten the impression that he hated her. Now, he was most certainly avoiding her and that most certainly indicated that he was not a big fan of hers.

It became her mission to change that.

Normally, she didn’t visit Angela’s realm unless she needed to meet with Angela, but this occasion was different. Back in Luxuria Mortiferum, she had changed into a rather simple outfit (by her standards, at least). She was dressed in leather leggings, leather boots, a black tunic, and a black leather corset over the tunic. Her hair still fell in voluminous waves around her shoulders, but her face was covered in less makeup than was typical for her. She still carried her same striking beauty, but there was a natural softness to her face that was not normally present. She wanted to appear non-threatening to Serci, were she able to get him to talk to her. She wanted to approach him in a friendly manner and have a civil discussion with him, and explain to him why he needed to understand that what she and Xunatar had done was merely in their nature.

Her attitude changed slightly when she arrived to Elysia and it became very apparent that Serci was avoiding her.

This sent her storming off to where she knew his chambers were, where she knocked rather forcefully on the door. After a moment of no answer, she knocked on the door again, this time the knock transforming into something more akin to a pounding. When the door opened, she saw the expression on his face as he cursed at her appearance, and she frowned, hands on her hips.

“Well then, Serci, nice to see you too.” He opened his mouth to say something else to her and she held a finger up, looking up at him. “No. It’s not time for you to talk. I’ve been making a civil attempt to have a conversation with you for weeks, and you’re too goddamn stubborn to even make five fucking minutes for me,” she said, her voice hardly above a hiss. There was no indication that she wanted to harm him, but more so that she was clearly upset about the fact that he had been avoiding her.

“Come on, we’re going to my realm where I don’t feel like a damn rainbow threw up all over the floor,” she added, and though Serci began to protest she reached out and grabbed his arm. He may have been much taller than her and appeared much stronger than she, but even that would be no match for the deity.

Within a few moments, she had led Serci, rather unwillingly, to the Soul Stream, and they were in Luxuria Mortiferum. She immediately steered him towards Paraiso Venenum, the beautiful yet deadly garden in the center of Mortuus Cordis, her palace known in common tongue as the Dead Heart. Moments later a few of her handmaidens, mouths sewn shut, appeared with trays bearing different types of liquors and wines and snack style foods - fruits, cheeses and the like.

She forced Serci down into one of the chairs, poured a glass of wine, and stuck it in his hand. She poured herself a glass as well and sat down opposite him, taking a moment where she said nothing at all and merely stared into his eyes. “I understand that you’re upset with me about what has taken place in Adeluna, what Xunatar and I did,” she said, slowly and calmly. “So. Lay it on me. Tell me exactly how you feel about what myself and the god of Chaos have done,” she said, leaning towards him with her hand on her knee. “Hell, if it’ll make you feel better, here,” she said, unhooking a small sheathed dagger from her waist band and tossing it towards him. “You can stab me right in the fucking heart, if it’ll make you feel better. I won’t die, it’ll just sting… but maybe it’ll help you,” she said, shrugging a bit.

She laughed a bit and then the smile faded from her face. A rather dark look had fallen in to her eyes. “You tell me how you feel, and then I can explain,” she said.

She felt it was important to let Serci have his moment to express his displeasure and anger, before she moved on to explain to him why she had to do the things that she did. There was an explanation, he just didn’t know it. He didn’t know how hard it was for someone who the universe had essentially forced to be evil to do the things she had to do. Serci didn’t know the Dalanesca before she became the Reaper - and maybe it was time for her to give him a history lesson.

Against his will, Serci was taken from his room. He of course didn't want to go with Dalanesca, but he didn't struggle as she led him through the soulstream. After all, this was going to happen, no matter how hard he tried to avoid her. Angela and Dalanesca were very close, and as Angela's champion, he and Dalanesca needed to be friendly, or at the very least, be able to speak to each other. He allowed Dalanesca to lead him through stream as felt the change in the air as they had crossed into Dead Heart. They made their way to the gardens, much to Serci's surprise. He kept silent as he was placed into a chair and was brought food and drink by…. an intreasting choice of servants. 

When Dalanesca gave the opportunity to explain how he felt, he was taken aback. He his jaw fell slack as she she waited patiently for him to speak. Closing his eyes as he brushed his long golden hair aside, he took the dagger and slid it across the table back to the siren. "I have no need for your dagger. I am cross, yes. But I do not kill." He said, locking eyes with her. "You want to know how I feel? I feel stupid." He said. His usual smiling face was replaced with a a scowl. His bright eyes were locked into Dalanesca's with a serious tone as he spoke with out falter. "I have always admired you, Dalanesca. I respect you in most aspects. In fact, I once wished to train with you. Because If I had the chance to learn from the goddess of Death and Desire, I could learn more about my role as Divine Artificer." He said sternly. "I considered you as a friend." He said slowly and clearly. "I know we haven't had the chance to get to know eachother, but I would've gladly called you my friend. And I feel stupid that I considered it was possible for us to be friends."

He took a sip of Dalanesca's wine, genuinely curious of how it would taste. He had no idea, Dalanesca had a garden so perhaps her wine was as divine as Angela's. One sip was all it took to definitely say it was not. His face contorted as he tried to deal with the overwhelming amount of alcohol in the wine. Once he swallowed, he once again met her patient eyes as continued his rhetoric. "I know why you did what you did, Dalanesca. You felt people didn't respect your domain in death. But honestly, to me. It felt like you wanted attention. And you could've came to me. I would've gave you all my attention." He said, stoicly. He showed no anger nor hatred in his speech as he merely just conversed how he felt. "It makes me sad that so many people had to die for such a stupid reason. That is how I feel,. Sirin." He said with earnest.

He stood up from his chair, as walked around the curvature of the round table, his hand trailing around the edge as he stopped inches of from Dalanesca. "Do not think for one second I avoided you out of fear." He whispered harshly. "As I said before, I respect your domain in death, but I chose to avoid this pointless conversation and focus on more important matters." This kind of attitude was unheard of from Serci. The severity of how he spoke even surprised him. He regained his posture, dusting off his white robes as he walked back to his seat and fell into his seat, no longer with the grace of a noble. "Tell your side of the story, and I will be off. Angela will be upset at my absence." He bluffed, crossing his arms as he waited. 

Dalanesca remained rather silent the entire time Serci spoke to her, allowing him to get his words across. She sipped on her wine, not showing much of a reaction to what he was saying. It was clear she was listening to him, but there were no indicators as to how she felt about what he said. Eventually, when he had finished speaking and sat back down, folding his arms across his chest, she finally spoke, gently setting her wine glass down. “It is so possible for us to be friends, Serci,” she said, frowning slightly. “I’d like nothing more than for that to be the case… but I can understand why you wouldn’t think that would be a possibility for us.” She fell silent again, sighing slightly, before speaking up once more. “Do you ever wonder how Angela and I remain so close to one another, such good friends, with the things that I do? Angela epitomizes good…. And I epitomize evil. She is the icon of pure love, where I embody lust and desire. We’re literally the exact opposite of one another, yet we love each other as sisters.” She took pause for a moment, shifting the gears of the conversation slightly.

“Neither Xunatar nor I did what we did wholly out of the desire for attention,” she said. “Being a deity, the power that the Voice gives us… it changes you. You lose a bit of who you are, and you lose a bit of control over what you do,” she said. “It’s so hard to explain, Serci, but I really want you to understand where I am coming from. I just ask that you listen to what I have to say, entirely, before making any judgments,” she said. When he said nothing, she took it as an agreement and continued speaking.

“Angela has been a god for far longer than I have,” she said. “I knew her when I was still just a mortal,” she went on, her brow furrowing slightly as it was clear she was trying to decide how best to explain. “If you ask her, she’ll have her own way of saying how the Voice has control over us, every god does really, but in the end, if you analyze it, it’s all the same. The Voice chooses what domains we control,” she said. “I haven’t always been this… sex crazed evil lunatic,” she said, laughing at herself as she realized just how ludicrous that phrase sounded. “Though can you blame me when I’m surrounded by beautiful specimens such as yourself?” She gave him a playful wink, though her smile faded when she saw the stoic look still on Serci’s face.

“You know, back when I was mortal, when I met Angela… I was a pretty good person,” she said, leaning back in her chair. Her eyes had taken on a new sort of emotion as she remembered her past. “I was fighting for the greater good, et cetera et cetera. Then, the Voice did its thing, and in the middle of the night had this intensely amazing experience where I ascended,” she said. She took a break for a moment slugging down some wine before pouring herself some more.

“I haven’t always been Death, you know,” she said. “I used to be known at the Justiciar… I held control over Order and Balance. I was in control of maintaining that fine line between good and evil, just enough of each so the world would keep turning,” she said. She glanced at Serci to see that he was still following the conversation. “I did a damn fine job of it, too. And I met this wonderful man - his name was Marth,” she said, smiling in a way that it was likely Serci had never seen her smile before. “We adored one another. I loved him so much… we were married, and then Angela informed me that Marth and I were going to be having a baby - a little girl, we were going to name her Katja,” she said.

“Something happened, though,” she said, the smile slowly fading from her lips. “Marth went out on an expedition one day and he just… never came back,” she said. “I was a wreck - I wouldn’t leave my palace, wouldn’t speak with anyone - Angela was on constant watch to help me when the time came for Katja to be born…” she trailed off, a single tear now making its way down her cheek. “Angela had problems of her own, though, and when the baby came… she didn’t get to me in time, and I lost the child,” she said, her voice quiet and broken. “I held that lifeless little baby in my arms, screaming anytime someone would touch me… or even come near me,” she said, a tear running down the other cheek.

“Well, after that, the Voice thought it hadn’t fucked me over enough by taking my daughter from me, so it tossed me down into Inferos where I became the Reaper, doom and gloom and everything that comes with it. At least it’s been kind enough to get rid of Darkness and give me Desire… but still - this wasn’t a choice that I made on my own,” she said. She could have gone into a lot more detail about things, especially with Marth and the loss of her child, but she was already showing him enough weakness.

She hastily wiped at her face with the back of her hand and took a drink of wine before clearing her throat. “Sob story, right? Anyway, I just wanted to tell you why I do some of the things I do in a way that you might understand,” she said, though she was unsure if anything she was telling Serci would have an effect on his feelings towards her. “If Angela has chosen you to be her champion, you’re a good person, through and through, but you also need to understand the configurations of the Conclave,” she said.

“Look. I don’t know what else I can tell you - but maybe you at least have some insight into why I’m like this,” she said. “You can go, if you want. Just go back through the soul stream,” she said, looking away from him and expecting him to get up and leave, but it was clear in the tone of her voice that she was hoping he wouldn’t leave - she was hoping that he would stay and the two could spend a bit more time talking. She wasn’t going to force him there any longer - she respected him - and Angela for that matter - far too much to be so aggressive.

Serci lowered his head, his gaze away from Dalanesca. He had a honest expression on his face, as he listened. They sat in silence for awhile after the goddess of Death had finished. He lifted his head, and spoke softly. "I am sorry. I know very little about your time before your title of Sirin. But I had no inkling about your tragedy." He said, sympathetically. He got up from his seat, taking the wine bottle and delicately filling up her glass, although only half empty. "You have my deepest apologies, Dalanesca." He said. Placing the bottle back down, he took his seat once again. "To lose something so precious. I know the feeling, but no where close to what you must have felt. And for that, you also have my empathy." 

"Forgive me for my outburst, Dalanesca. I am usually not one to lash out like that." He said, "One thing I pride my self is my self control. But in more recent days I feel… not my self." He said absent mindly. "It might because of the incident with the tower and the mazes. Or the stress as champion has finally taken it's toll on me." He said, with a pause. "But I apologize." He said with sincereity. He took a sip of the wine, pushing past the overwhelming amount of alcohol and met eye contact once again. "While I don't understand completely, I do know that it was act from the goddess of death. I can refute it as much I want, but there's nothing I could've done to prevent it." He let his thoughts echo for a moment before continueing. "After all, if Angela was able to forgive you, I am too." He lifted his glass in an effort to toast. "Besides. I feel that… " Serci was about to eblobrate on his opinion of the importance that he and Dalanesca get along before pausing and giving her a side ways look. "Do not take this the wrong way." He said. He set his blue eyes on her once again before continuing.

"I feel that it is important that we maintain a… professional relationship. Given how close you and Angela are connected, I think that we should at least be on speaking terms." He said, with out faltering. He smiled his patnet smile, and spoke with a warm and gentle manner. "Very well. Apology accepted, Sirin." He said. A melodic chortle escaped his throat and he continued. "I do have to say, though. It is… odd, that you would be so eager to seek my council." He said, curiously. "After all, you said you've been trying to contact me for weeks. I doubt it was to ONLY apologize." He said, giving a Dalanesca a suspicious look. "What is it you want from me? And what is it, that you would come to me, rather than Angela?" He asked with curiosity and excited anctipation to what Dalanesca could want.

“I wasn’t looking for your sympathy, Serci. I just wanted you to understand, maybe a little more than you would have if I hadn’t revealed something so personal,” she said. She gave him a grateful smile as he filled her glass back up. She reached for the glass after Serci had been seated again and took another sip, watching her company as he spoke. “Empathy, yes. Perhaps that’s what I was looking for. Now you understand a bit more. You have no reason to apologize, I mean, I fucked with your hometown. That’s enough to send anyone into a fit of rage,” she said. “Frankly, I’d deserve it if you had tried to attack me, or tried to turn Angela against me. It wouldn’t have worked, of course, but I would have deserved it.”

Dalanesca couldn’t help but let out a small laugh as Serci made a face while drinking the wine. It was clear he wasn’t generally a drinker, and she made a note to send him something a bit milder as a thank you gift later on. “It might just have something to do with how much time you’ve spent around Angela lately. She’s a lot to handle,” she said, chuckling as she thought back to the time when she was still a mortal, and how exhausting it was being friends with someone such as Angela. She had a hard time picturing her as a mortal, but she could imagine that had Angela been mortal, she wouldn’t have been much different.

She met his toast, taking another sip of her wine and setting the cup back down gently. His next phrase, asking her to not take what he was about to say in the wrong way, caused her to lift an eyebrow. She listened, but was glad to hear what he had to say. “I’ve no qualms with maintaining a professional relationship between us, though I do think over time you’ll come to think of me as a friend,” she said, grinning at him. “I’m a troublemaker, but I’m pretty likeable,” she said with a bit of a wink. “And as for any unwanted advances from me? I may be the Goddess of Desire along with Death, but - and don’t take this the wrong way - you’re not really my type, love,” she added, with another wink as it was clear that she was merely making a joke to try to create a more pleasant atmosphere for the two of them. “I’d eat you alive.” She smirked, laughing, before Serci began to speak again.

Ah, he had asked the million silver question - why had she wanted to speak with him so badly? She picked her wine glass up and reclined on her seat a bit, taking a long drink before answering him. “So, the Voice has given us lucky gods the ability to designate someone as our champion - someone to uphold what our divine spheres stand for, and someone to be granted just that little extra bit of power, in our name, of course,” she began. “And you - you have been chosen by Angela Rose, by the Mother, by Life and Love.” She paused, and took another drink, crossing one of her legs over the other. “And as of now, Angela is still the only god who has a champion, and in my humble opinion, it’s upsetting the balance a bit,” she said.

She turned onto her side slightly and looked at Serci. “I guess… I’m asking for your help,” she said, propping her head up on one hand. “I want a champion - actually, I think I need one. And since you’ve been selected by the oldest of all the gods, I think you might be the one to help me find my champion, so to speak,” she said. She looked at him for a moment, hoping for a positive reaction. Spinning to face him once more she sat back up, taking another drink of her wine and draining the glass before setting it down on the table near her. “I come to you over Angela because I trust your judgment, Serci - and it’s not that I don’t trust Angela’s. Angela is enveloped in her own realm - she would have no way of judging what would be best for my realm. You, on the other hand, you’re tied to my polar opposite. In reality, you should hate the person who becomes my champion, but also respect them.”

She sighed, rubbing her forehead for a moment. “Does any of this make sense at all? I don’t even know where to begin…”

Serci's eyes widened in surprise as Dalanesca revealed her true intentions. He nodded along with her, his thought traveling back to the day he was named champion. Kneeling in front of Angela, his sword extended to her in the autumnal fields. The memory was still fresh in his mind, bringing a smile to his face. His face twisted slightly with concern at her comment about upsetting the balance. He made a mental note about it, letting Dalanesca continue. When she asked for his help, his face remained still. Surprised at the offer, Serci remained stoic. Years of his training and intense mediation made it easy to mask his emotions under pressure. Dalanesca continued, explaining why she had come to him over Angela. After all, Serci knew more about what it means to be a champion than Anglea. The role of Divine Artificer was something Serci took seriosuly. The sirin was smart to come to Serci for his advice. He let her finish, the sirin laying down her empty glass on the table. 

In truth, Serci had mixed feelings about Dalanesca's proposal. He was still cross with her actions with the warped tower. Despite his acceptance earlier, Serci was still upset. The warped tower was in the past, but who knew what fate had in store for the future. Whether Dalanesca knew what she was asking or not, Serci took it as helping the next warped tower. But this time, a champion by the reaper's side. If he accepted, he would be finding a rival. An enemy. Of course, the thought he might be over reacting entered his head, and he considered it, he ran all options through his head. But, it was the comment about the upset of balance that tipped the scales in Serci's judgement. Dalanesca had a point. While Angela and Serci were for the most part docile, the balance of the conclave must be disrupt. He had no notion to know for sure, the fact that Dalanesca suspects it was enough. Though, the longer he thought about it, it made sense. 

With Serci's accession to champion of Life and Love came with a new peculiar weapon. The Infinite Sands he carried when Angela ruled as Life and Earth had evolved into Natia ede Nova. The sword of Life and Death. While versatile, a certain function worried him. The sword while boasting extreme healing possibilities, it was the ability to resurrect him autonomously that made Serci feel uncomfortable. The sword allowed him to be, for all intents and purposes, to become immortal. It was too soon to tell if Natia ede Nova had consequences for revival, but as it stood with all facts known present, the balance was upset. Despite Serci's caution in finding a champion for the reaper, his role as Divine Artificer ran deep. Serci did not have the luxury to be selfish. 

After silently thinking to his self for a moment, he broke his stationary postion. Shooting his hand out for his glass of wine, and swallowing until the glass was empty. He stood from his chair, rather abruptly, taking the wine bottle, being sure to pour Dalanesca's glass before his. When he was finished, the pretty boy, polite noble personality disappeared, as he laid his hand on the table, leaning forward and speaking rather sternly. "In all respect and honesty, Dalanesca. Even if this isn't your intention, you are asking me to find someone whom, most likely, I will clash swords with one day. I might be over reacting, I might not. But it is a possibility." He laid back in his chair, gulping down more of the wine. "I want to politely decline, but… I agree with you. I know nothing about the inner workings of the conclave, but I can see how… my role as the sole champion could be chaotic. After all, even you suggested I take the configurations of the conclave into consideration. " After taking a moment to calm his self, he smiled briefly, running his hand through his flowing hair, tucking a side behind his ear.

"While I don't necessarily revel in this. This does make perfect sense, Dalanesca. I understand completely on what your champion stands for. He should be my… antithesis." He paused, to meet her eyes. "You were smart to come to me. However, I suggest you seek Angela's council as well. I promise, when you visit, I'll welcome you with open arms." He said, earnestly. He sat back in his chair, resuming his strait posture and train of thought. "He… or she… should be no stranger to death. They should be consumed in it, in all aspects. Victims of death, and swift dealers of it. Ideally, they should live on their pleasures and desires. I picture one that acts on selfish impulses." He paused to bring a femeine hand to his chin to mentally massage his lower jaw. "The first thing that comes to mind is a mercenary of sorts. Perhaps a solider." He suggested to her. It was hard to read her reaction, but he continued. "I'm afraid… there are differences in my Champion hood and what you proposing."

"I seeked out Angela. Angela, as much as I hate to say it, started out as a means to an end for me. It is now my life, and I have no regrets, but I feel I should mention it. Angela never asked for a champion. I asked to be her champion. Something to keep in mind." He said. At this point, Serci's glass of wine was empty, and Serci was feeling more comfortable with Dalanesca discussing a champion. The alcohol eased his worries and allowed him to think clearly for the time being. Pouring another glass for his self, he continued. "I don't know how other gods handle their champion weapons, but perhaps you might have something in mind? Or maybe it was like myself and the sword. The Infinite Sands was gifted to me by Angela, but my Champion sword transformed from the sands in my time of need. If you know what it is, finding someone who could benefit from that would help me a narrow down selections. Either way. I have connections. Some even unknown to Angela if you wish to keep this discrete for the time being. Once we are done here, I will see on potential suitors for this kind of…. line of work." 

Sitting back in his chair, his hand on the wine glass. "What do you think. Tell me what you have in mind?"

It came as a relief for Dalanesca to hear Serci admit to her that he understood why she was asking for his assistance in this endeavor. She listened as he went on his explanation about whether or not it would be in his best interest to help her, admitting to herself that she may have been a bit nervous as to whether or not he would grant her his assistance. “I’m glad that you see what I am saying, Serci,” she said, quietly. “Angela is the eldest of us all, and she is the only one with a champion.”

She listened further as he continued speaking, not necessarily arguing with any of his points. “You’re not wrong,” she said, as he mentioned a mercenary being a good choice. “I need someone who won’t bat an eye if I ask them to murder someone in cold blood, or if I ask them to seduce information out of someone,” she said, running a hand through her wavy hair before reaching for her wine glass again. She glanced at Serci for a moment, half expecting a negative reaction out of him, brushing off whatever it may have been. “What you stand for and do for Angela, it’s so much different than what I am in need of,”she said. Were she not so heavily involved with Jarmyr already, she would have probably made warming her bed a requirement of her champion as well, but that need existed no longer.

“I don’t think my champion will get anything quite like what you’ve got,” she said, smirking slightly as she took another drink of her wine. “They will more gain some… certain abilities that will prove useful in their line of duty,” she added, her eyes darkening ever so slightly. She had an idea of what kind of powers those would be, but she wasn’t about to share that information with Serci.

“I’ve got an idea,” she said, shifting slightly in her seat and turning towards him. She leaned towards him in a rather provocative manner, but she meant nothing by it - that was just her nature. “If I held a… tournament, of sorts… “ she began, trailing off slightly. “How would you feel about helping me judge the competitors?” she asked. She was being woefully vague on purpose, as she was not yet ready to reveal the true idea she had to Serci - not until she was sure he could be trusted. She was getting to that point, but what she knew as of now was that having Serci at her side when it came to selecting her champion would be an awfully interesting experience, as she would be looking for the performances that would give him the opposite reaction one would expect.

She took another drink of her wine, revealing a bit more information. “This would be unlike any tournament held before,” she continued. “It would not only be a trial of strength and fortitude in battle, but also one of wits, cunning… and ability to remain calm in the face of anything,” she added. It was then that she fixed her icy blue eyes on him, waiting for his response. “What do you think? Want to know a bit more? Or am I delving into territory you’d rather steer clear of?”

Serci pondered Dalanesca's words. A slender hand came to his chin, femeine fingers stroking his jaw line. "Another test? Did we not just finish the mazes? Along with the warped tower, I'm sure the mortal's grow tired. He hummed, accidently revealing his sword's secret power. He quickly added on to his statement, hoping Dalanesca didn't catch on. "However, it is only once that you get to choose a champion. If you wish for a tournament, a tournament it is." He said with a smile. His eyes grew in size with surprise at the mention of being a judge, taking a sip of the intoxicating wine. He leaned back in his chair, his proper posture melting into the mold of the chair. He found it odd that she would ask for him to be a judge, and replied in kind. "A judge? I'm sure there are plenty others more suited to judging than I." He said, curiosty in his eyes. "With that being said, It would be an honor to judge with you, Dalanesca." A sly smile spread across his face. 

"Infernos. We could have the victor duel against me. An… Induction of sorts." He studied Dalanesca to see her reaction, continuing. "Besides. I am excited to the new champion in action. I appreciate the front seat, Siren." His posture straightened, taking the grace of a noble once again. A hand raised to his temple, rubbing it slowly in deep thought. "Come to think about it…" He said, slowly. "This is an momentous event. The goddess of Death and Desire choosing a champion." The tone of his voice was serious as he spoke slow and carefully. "Perhaps… Fate is pulling strings… First Angela, now you. Only the voice knows who's next." His gaze was set forward onto the rim of the table. His focus was else where, trying to piece together what the future had in had store. "What do you think, Dalanesca? You are the one receiving the champion, after all."

When she replied, Serci topped off wine glasses, the bottle now empty. "To you and your champions prosperity, then." He said, raising his glass. Serci swallow half of his glass, placing it down rather clumsily. "I take it you're strapped for time. I don't know for sure. It's just a guess." He said, with a flourish of his wrist. "I will leave the rest to you then. You will send for me when you are ready?"