The Reign of Dante Salvatoria.

Book VI: Peace.

Dante shakes hands with Gyren, both in their Ceremonial dress, and crowns on their head. Joram stands nearby, in a white robe, and a white hood, staff in hand. The Queens are in their ceremonial dresses, and their children are close by.

“May the treaty of Empires remain to the ends of time. May the forces of war bring us closer together and may our races become numerous; together.” declares the high scribe of Dante. “May the god bring us close, and may we become a great family.” Gyren’s high priest shouts. “Che il Dio ci portano vicino, e può diventare noi una grande famiglia” Dante’s Priestess Shouts above the roar of the Crowds as Salvatotians and Bancoshians stand together in peace as brothers and sisters. Dante and Gyren turn to the crowd. “May this peace last an eternity” Dante shouts “And may our family last to the end of time!” Gyren shouts after. “Now. We feast!” Dante shouts “Head to the mountain to the south. We will be there. Dante and Gyren walk off to the Caisteal. “It feels good to call you a brother, my friend” Dante says to Gyren. “As with you brother.” He says back. “I hear you hired a few of my chefs for this dinner?” Gyren asks slightly amused “are yours not skilled enough?” “ah all'inferno con te!” Dante says playfully “I wanted some familiar foods for your people… Pixie Dick…” Dante says suppressing laughter. Gyren stops for a second just to stiff arm Dante, shattering his arm, “Don't call me pixie dick. Only Joram can do that… little bastard…” “Who’s a little bastard?” Joram says from behind. Gyren freezes. “Uh… no one…” He stammers. “That’s what I thought” Joram says smugly. He brushes past them and walks ahead. “I sense fear” Dante says “Do you fear Joram, Gyren?” “Why would I be afraid of that little imp?” he replies Joram looks back with a murderous look “It’s respect…” Gyren says “Sure” Dante says, resetting his arm and allowing it to heal. As soon as they enter the Caisteal they see a representative from each planet greeting the guest. “Buona Notte Signore Dante, Messer Gyren” One of them says with a bow. “Hello Lord Gyren, Lord Dante” the other says with a bow. Joram joins Dante “Hello father.” Dante looks down at Joram, with a shocked look “Father?” Joram looks at him, face still blank “Sorry, slipped out… don’t know why I said it.” He grabs the hand of a guest “Greetings, welcome.” “ Joram, go off and have a good time, Gyren and I have further business to discuss.” Dante smiles at Joram as he walks off “Oh, really quick, I have a request for you Joram.” Dante says. Joram looks back at him. “I would like you to get a ceremonial hair cutting, its used for boys proving they are men… and you have proven yourself enough.” Joram feels his long braid, and his large messy hair. “Dante, may i keep the braid?” “Of course, many men keep their braids. I will have my monk, Yezahr cut your hair. Shortly after, Yezahr walks Joram aside (He is a young Anti Saiyan, and has a very soft face), and into a separate room. He takes out large hair trimming scissors and begins to cut away at Jorams rough hair. A while later, Joram walks out, looking like a new man, short soft hair, now gold due to the dye, and his hair has a slight waviness to it. He walks into the guest line and shakes Gyren’s hand, and then Dantes. Dante stops the new Joram and looks him in the eyes “Joram, by the goddess, you look like an Anti Saiyan youth.” Joram gives a weak smile, and walks off into the crowd. Dante pulls Gyren aside after all the guests have been greeted “Now, Gyren. Down to business.” Dante says “We have a deep problem involving where Joram came from. Some woman named Ara has claimed to be Joram’s creator and is coming to take him. Either by us giving him up… or by force” “How does this affect me?” Gyren asks “We need your assistance to drive Ara’s army back. She is too great in numbers to be defeated by us alone” Dante says. “You have the might of my army at your back my friend” Gyren says “Is there anything else?” Gyren asks “We have the matter of rebuilding the structural damage caused by our armies on our respective planets” “Ah yes. I was hoping you would forget” Gyren says with a laugh “there’s a gaping hole in the wall of the Caisteal. It’s kind of hard to forget” Dante says with a slightly angry look. Gyren laughs heartily until Dante ends up joining him. Joram walks back from the crowd and stands behind Dante’s shoulder “I got bored father Dante” Joram says. “How can you be bored? The party isn’t even half over” Dante says. “I hate the music, these people are a bore” Dante passes Joram a few small coins “What are these?” Joram asks curiously “They’re Draegas. They’re currency. Use them to pay the minstrel to play something you like” Dante says. Joram walks away to the minstrel in the corner. Joram gives the minstrel the Draegas. The minstrel brings out two people, one with a Yaybahar and one with a spacedrum. The large room goes very dark, and the stage is lit up. The performers began to play, and it was a very haunting tune, but a very elegant one. Joram walks over to Dante as the tune plays, and sits down. “Very good my friend, very good choice.” “So, how did you learn of these instruments?” Dante asks “I told him to play a song that would switch it up.” “Ah I see, so you knew not of the Yaybahar?” “No, but i think i like it.” “it’s quite a regal instrument is it not?” Joram nods “Yes, it is… very elegant, very haunting. What’s the other instrument?” “That would be a Space Drum. It’s an instrument I tried my hand at. I failed, but not as miserably as you might think” Joram lets out a small chuckle “I’d like to see that.” “Oh?” Dante says amused “I would as well my friend.” Gyren interjects. “Alright. Ill try it again” Dante says as he stands. He walks over to the drummer and sits. He plays a few practice strokes, takes a deep breath then begins playing a complex beat without touching the drum. The man on the Yaybahar begins playing a few notes and together they create a new song on the spot. The song is energetic and beautiful, it has haunting and sad undertones, and a slow tempo, it is a very elegant song. After what felt like ages the song stopped, the whole audience applauds loudly and Dante went back up to his seat at the high table and leans back, slightly out of breath, and smiles. “That was decent” Joram says.” Decent?” Dante asks “Yes, decent” Joram says “I see.” Dante says “I thought it was quite good my friend” Gyren says. “Gyren!” Joram says viciously “wow. Damn Joram” Dante says. Joram seems distracted and continues looking around. “What seems to be ailing you my small friend?” Gyren asks. Joram looks at him murderously. Gyren steps back and sits again. “What is wrong my son?” Dante asks quizzically. “I realized a while ago that I am aging faster than a normal being.” “I doubt that Joram” Dante says. “I am beginning to fall apart.” Joram says solemnly “It’s this planet, and this universe due to the time fluctuations of the gap.” Dante nods his head “We are working on an ‘antidote’ for your problem… it may take a while… the best chance would for you to go back to your universe. Although that may be extremely dangerous. Ara may find you, but in either case, you’re in serious trouble. The best chance you have, is the one that you won't like… although I may be able to accompany you for a short time.” Joram nods, and sighs. “Akame.” He thinks “She was-” He stops as if overcome by emotion. “I understand my son. I too have felt loss” Dante says calmly “Dante… You haven’t felt what I have felt…” Joram says with an edge of bitterness “Have you ever been the only one of your kind? Have you ever watched all you love die? No. You’ve just stood by and watched your self sustaining world without contributing” “Joram…” Dante says before being cut off “I don’t want to hear it Dante. I need to be alone.” “Joram I know you hate people-” Dante is cut off again. “I don’t hate people, I just feel better when they aren’t around” Joram says while walking away “Joram come back!” Joram flies away from Dante without looking back. “Just let him be Dante” Gyren says calmly. Dante sits and cradles his head in his hands “What am I to do Gyren?” Dante asks “I raised a child and yet he never spoke to me in this matter. Not even through his middle years” “Joram is not a child. He is a man. He is having an existential crisis. Let him figure it out on his own” Gyren says “Now, tell me, what was this planet you will send Joram to?” “This planet in the Via Lattea system. Although it in an alternate universe, we have accessed it multiple times, for exploration purposes. It’s inhabitants call it Earth. It has nigh perfect living conditions and has an air pressure that Joram’s lungs can handle.” Dante says looking up slightly. “Earth…” Gyren says slowly “I hear the people there are savages that will attack or exploit aliens” “Joram is humanoid enough that he won’t be attacked. As long as he keeps his cover” Dante replies. “I see” Gyren says “Let’s hope he can keep the cover.” “He will… I am sure of it”

    Joram walks out onto the veranda and leans on the railing. “Dante can’t save me… I’m doomed to die… we all are. Except for him. He will just continuously come back.” Joram leans over the tall rail, that he barely tops. “It’s a long fall, might work.” The high cliffs of the Caisteal are a deep orange, as the suns are beginning to rise. He sits up on the rail “I’m going back, back home.” Joram lets his mind wander, he thinks of Akame, Xion, Zuko, Clatara, and Treazohr. He lets his mind wander more, the outlook is burning, Ara has found him. Joram snaps back to reality, it’s night. The moon is extremely bright tonight, Joram feels his, now short; hair. It’s soft in his rough hands. “Why me?” he says. A bright light shines behind him, Joram turns around, and he finds himself in a white plain, with a great oak in the center. A small pond surrounds it. The water is clear and clean. A gentle voice calls out “Joram.” Joram turns around, to see a golden fox trotting around. It turns to him, and walks over to the tree, the eyes are surprisingly human. The voice calls again “Joram, my child.” A very large sea turtle crawls out of the pond, the eyes are blue, fully blue, an ocean blue. The voice calls again “Touch the tree.” Joram walks over, and touches the bark of the tree, a loud note rings over the plain, and a woman fades into existence. She is in a white robe, tight, but fairly loose around the arms and legs. She glows so intensely that her face is blocked from view, Joram then reaches out, and the other animals move closer to the body. Joram lays a hand on her head, and a light glows very bright. Joram is blinded for about a minute, he eventually regains sight, and sees the woman, she is wearing the robe, and a hood now covers her face, it it’s a pure white, with a white fur trim around the outside of the hood, and on all ends of the robe, her face is gentle and soft, but very powerful eyes dart up and down Joram body, studying him. Her face has turtle shell like material under her eyes, and a shell covering her back. A golden fox tail protrudes from her hip, where her spine would extende, would it be longer. “Joram, you say you don’t know who i am?” she asks “You were the voice, you were the one telling me what to do, and the voice in my head.” she nods slightly “Yes, that was I.” “But why?” She shakes her head “You could not comprehend the future i have for you, or what i need you for.” Joram clenches a fist “But why, you have Dante, and all the others.”

“You cannot comprehend.” she says “But if you are troubled… i am here always.” Joram finds himself back in the real world, and it is sunrise. He hops down, and walks around the Caisteal, there are many more servants, many of them are Bancoshian. Dante walks up to Joram “Ready to head home?” he asks. “Yes.” Joram says, he is about to say something, but doesn't. Joram and Dante walk into a deep cave, and come to a very large machine, it has a large hole in the center, Joram is instructed to step into the hole. Dante flips some switches and a large button is presses. A dark matter comes over Joram, and he is sent back to his original universe.