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"You are asking us to trust you when you have given no reason for that at all," said Celsus, and something in his eyes flared; a bright wave of disbelief and another emotion, one less nameable. His arms, which had been crossed over his chest, now fell to his sides as he straightened, his expression shifting. "You may trust us, and that is one thing, but you have given me no reason to trust you, Castor. I have seen what sort of person you are, and what kind of man you act as."

He had not forgotten the events of the Rift invasion, nor the events at Zinkenite's return. How he had treated Corvus, how he had treated all of them, threatening them - the same side, the same faction, the same people he claimed to fight for - with his crystal. Forgiveness was one thing, acceptance was entirely another.

As was the direct and immediate slice about his princess. Celsus recoiled visibly, his eyes wide as color began flooding his face, and it had felt like a physical slap; a blatant and unprovoked reminder of the fact that Chronos had vanished from this world and had left him, Celsus, fighting for all that he was worth to keep her in his head. His loyalty had always been unwavering and uncompromising; he had not been able to afford otherwise, because for a long time, that was all that he had known.

Celsus had always been loyal to Order, had always put the needs of everyone over himself to the point of it becoming a fault. He had spent the last ten years as a knight learning and growing and becoming more than what he was, losing himself and dedicating himself to the knights as a whole, because there had been nothing more important to him than that - and even now, it was what he had sworn to protect.

And to have that thrown back into his face was intolerable and agonizing. A physical lance, as though Castor had known exactly where to thrust the knife and twist it until it bled.

"No," he said, and it was an interruption to the conversation at hand, Lacerta still holding out her hand towards Castor, Tortuga still standing beside. Celsus' voice shook slightly with the effort of remaining calm, but there was a fire in his eyes oddly reminiscent of the fire from his ring he knew was there. "You, Castor, are not my prince. You do not speak for me, and you do not speak for the knights. I do not answer to you. I will not risk everything I have fought for and bled for and nearly died for just on the word of a man whom I cannot trust."

He straightened, his chest heaving, and the reminder of Chronos was still a fresh wound, still a gaping pain in his chest where his heart was.

"I will stay out of respect for Lacerta and Tortuga, neither of whom have any reason to be subjected to my beliefs or thoughts other than the fact that they were put into this position the same as we have, and they did not ask for this, as we did not ask for this," Celsus said flatly. "But I am not be your underling, nor one of your knights, nor someone who needs to be 'looked after' in the way that you have implied. You may do as you like, but I will do what is right."

The look in his eyes had not faded. The anger, so unusual in Celsus these days, was a dark pit in his stomach, a burning in his eyes.

"I have spoken to Caedus before, and am willing to speak with him if he returns, but I doubt we should base our decisions on the probability of perhaps returning when we have no knowledge of whether or not that will even happen."

It took a few moments for the words to actually permeate Celsus's mind.

"You think just because I dislike you and disagree with your politics...that I am leading myself down a path of corruption?" he asked slowly, because that couldn't possibly be what Castor was insinuating. That he, a Transcended Knight who had dedicated himself entirely and fully to the knights and to Order; who had sacrificed his blood, sweat, and tears to this life, who had nearly drowned himself in devastation because of his loyalty for over a decade now - was going to corrupt because Castor's pride was wounded?

It was, in all respects, lunacy. Complete and utter lunacy.

Celsus gave a nod, as though confirming to himself what was happening. He reached into one of his pockets, picked out a small pad of paper and a tiny pen that he'd brought along in case he needed to take notes on something, and scribbled something down on two sheets. Ripping them off, he stepped towards Tortuga and Lacerta, offering them both a weary smile.

"I must beg your forgiveness for the theatrics," he said, and handed them each the scrap. It had a number on it; Celsus's mobile number. "I know neither of you expected this, and I am quite sorry that you had to bear witness to it. If either of you would like to speak to me - I can be reached relatively easily, and I am happy to provide you with any help at any other time. Please do let me know if you find out anything else."

He gave no response to Castor. Celsus gave Tortuga and Lacerta another small smile, and a nod, and then, with a brush of his cloak along the rooftop, he walked to the edge of it.

And then he was gone.

Castor breathed deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Frankly- he has every right to scorn me, and I will not apologize for it. Only say that you both have been courteous in not meddling. Despite our dislike for one another, he is a valuable ally and resource, and I encourage you to seek him out if you can." He spoke frankly, eyes s**t as he felt a headache coming on.

"But I have said what I have said- these rings are a power unknown, and we much master them in the coming months to wield them with reliability and safety. Again, I encourage you both to seek knowledge, be it the code, Cosmos, your wonder and world- or allies you trust to not spread word of our boon. Traveling to worlds and wonders will offer a measure of protection from being both taken unawares by the negaverse or others, and, our powers and ability to resist chaos are stronger there. If the rings do carry something ill within them, our homes will help shelter us. As for how to use-" He shook his head at Tortuga.

"I can't tell you how exactly. Like most magic, it is somewhat intrinsic. For me, I am a being will and emotion. These are the things that grant me strength and the conviction to both cast and use my powers, manipulating them with finesse. The ring responded to me the same way my magic did, so I have begun to hone it so. Your rings might be different. Magic is at it's core, unique to each person. I wish I could offer more advice and guidance in this, but sadly it is like telling a person to think of a table. It is a table they both might picture, but what shape that table takes will be vastly different between the two."

"For now, I can offer myself as a means of training if you like it. I can freely travel to and from my world at will, taking others with me. Your own places will help hone and clear you mind- mine is... well, think of it like a free gym pass. You can train without fear, and I am a very experienced in not dying when attacked." He tried to joke. "I will understand however, if you have reservations or do not trust me in that way. I ask for much, but I hope you both understand I do so only because I worry for us."