TBATE: Let The Truth Be Known {Completed}

Chapter 1: A Parting Gift

A/N: Story begins just after Grey and Caera speak to Scythe Seris about the proposition to challenge Cylrit. Grey still says no and that he will have a much better idea in store for her to draw attention to himself. Nothing before that changes in canon. 

CAERA DENOIR

From what it seems, Grey knows Scythe Seris nearly as well as I do. It's actually a bit concerning to think about how they could have met. What happened to Grey in the war? Is that why he's so stoic and gloomy? Just who is this guy?

"Are you just going to stand there and think to yourself?" Grey asks with a taunting smirk. 

"Well maybe if you wouldn't give me so much to think about then I wouldn't have to stand here. Are you going to leave all of the questions I want to ask unanswered still?" I ask. 

"For now, yes," he says with a sigh. "But I will at least give you this," he says as he pulls a small locket from his back pocket. It has a deep amethyst crystal that gives off a very subtle glow. "I'm going to give you this and open it the next time that we meet," he states as he unclasps the chain and gestures for me to turn around.

"Next time we meet? What do you mean by that?" I ask as I turn my back to him and lift my hair.

"I mean exactly that. I have to go and I can't tell you where but I will see you again at some point. And when I do, I'll unlock this," he says as he places the locket around my neck and it sits just above my other pendant that hides my horns. You won't have any luck because it's sealed with aether so don't bother trying any time soon."

"So you're just going to leave me here?" I ask. I can't believe he's already going to leave. I don't even know to where, or why, or even for how long. Then again, that's what you get with Grey. I sigh, turn my front back towards Grey and give him a soft punch to the chest. "You know you can't get away from me that easily, Grey," I say with a smirk. 

"I know all too well that my navy-haired stalker will try and follow me. So, whenever you inevitably find me, or the other way around, I'll unlock that and it will help you understand most of the questions you have about me." he says with as he slightly tilts his head and scratches the back of his neck. "And when that day comes, there won't be any more secrets. I promise," he says as a smile creeps across his face but I can see the fear hidden behind his eyes. 

"So long as you know," I shoot back. "In that case, let's get going and watch the rest of the competition with your students."

"Yeah. Let's go," he says as he hooks an arm and I loop my own through the opening. 

"Off we go, my elusive ascender!" I say with a smirk, acknowledging my first gift from Grey but my last one for a long time. 

** A/N: I won't bother copy-pasting all of the Victoriad fighting so we skip to after Cadell has been defeated. It isn't like I can write that fight better than TM anyway.**

ARTHUR LEYWIN

I pulled the sword from Cadell's chest and swept it over his head, shearing off both horns. Regis, sensing my intention, withheld Destruction, leaving them whole. 

Then he was gone, nothing but the severed horns remaining. 

Regis drifted out of the sword as it disappeared, moving back into my body near my core, his aether exhausted, no words necessary to express how either of us felt in this moment.

I bent down to retrieve the horns and stowed them in my dimension rune. A deep, crushing fatigue settled over me as my gaze swept across the broken coliseum. 

Dozens of mages swarmed over the collapsed section, working to pull survivors from the rubble. The shields, those still functional at all, were flickering in and out. The rest of the audience was in shock, their eyes either following me or boring into the place where Cadell had been.