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The sprawling mass of land between the palace and the Captain's barracks is known as the courtyard, decorated with white marble statues and walkways that are fit only for a Lord's way of life. Occupied by mostly high ranking officers on leisurely breaks and benefactors of the Swords of Salvation, there is no telling what kind of person you might bump into here.

As more of the Swords of Salvation bustled through the courtyards, a pair of eyes would set themselves upon the woman in the middle cleaning the place. The squadrons of guards seemed to flow in an almost syncopated rhythm, often missing each other by mere inches as a sweeter sounding voice paused the commotion as pertaining to a particular set of guards as a signal was given. The woman in front, clothed in silver robes with streaks of blue on the outside, walked over and stood close to Kora, light blue eyes almost seeming to look through her soul as a soft voice asked,

"....Who are you? I've seen you around for some time but I'm rather new here and we've never met..."

One of the soldiers from behind her babbled out spontaneously as he slightly laughed at the woman who asked the question,

"You really must be new here, Captain. That's Gold Summer, one of Alexander's confidants. Didn't you know?"

Those soft blue eyes quickly turned red as the woman spun around, growling slightly as she spoke in a heightened voice,

"Did I ask YOU, private?"

A gauntlet revealed itself quickly as the woman punched the out-of-line soldier, the private grunting and falling quickly to the ground before the woman spat on the ground inches away from his face and turned around, the red eyes just as quickly changed again into light blue eyes with that same soft voice,

"I think I'd prefer it if I ignored his answer and asked you again for yours, ma'am. Who are you?"

The woman's eyes turned to a green hue of happiness as the woman was asked for her name so politely, placing a gauntlet on her chest as she began to speak, "It's so nice to meet you! My name is--"

"Joslyn Swifthand."

The woman's eyes turned to a deep purple hue of anxiety as she heard the man's cold voice, turning swiftly to an approaching man clothed in gray and gold. His blonde hair flowed down to his waist and he was attended by two other men clad in such garb.

"F..Father..."

"You will go now."

Joslyn Swifthand nodded silently and anxiously before briskly walking over to her platoon, ordering them to march on quickly as they faded into the distance. The blonde haired man looked to his companions and nodded them off, leaving only himself and Kora in the middle of the courtyard. The men bustling around them seemed to stay away from the man's commanding aura. The Insignis' eyes looked at Kora with an expression void of all emotion. Seconds passed as he stared at her, taking in her current garb and tone of her body language meticulously. The three word greeting that spilled from his lips was equally cold-like, but the best greeting that anyone ever got from him, including the Fallen leader,

"Morning, Gold Summer."

Alex's emotional state never lightened or even slightly changed at Kora's words as he stared off into the distance. "The work is never done, sister. Even with our best efforts, the scum of this region crawl into cracks and nooks that are difficult to infiltrate," the Insignis spoke, exhaling a large breath in frustration before twisting himself back to face the human in front of him. His expression never once changed into a smile nor did his stance change as he explained himself, "yet the life here is adequate enough thanks to our work. Perhaps you find it enjoyable, the fruits of your efforts being shown in such a marvelous display of Tyral's glory reflected in our abilities? I'm sure that the Lord is well pleased with your continued support of the Light, as am I."

Despite the Cleric's somewhat disdainful response, Alex continued to look at her as she swept. Her very body tone suggested that she had some kind of inner fight between what was right and wrong, the Insignis mused to himself as she continued on talking. Perhaps the confusion in her heart was but a trial sent to her from lord Tyral, the woman in front of him clearing being the more optimistic between the two of them yet not seeing the world as clearly as he did.

A small, somewhat knowing grin cracked itself for a mere second as the Knight stepped forward, speaking in a tone that hinted at how simplistic the answer was supposed to be for all of Tyral's beings on Rykros, "But don't you see, sister? Only the unrighteous burn, allowing the right to survive in the Light. The gods themselves did not want to cause strife, especially Tyral, giving us all the air we breath and the light which warms our skin and casts out the darkness."

His eyes focused, almost narrowing slightly at Gold's shadow. The darkness clung to both of them like a skin, reminding him of just how close it always seemed to be, no matter how much effort was placed into eradicating it. A white gloved hand pointed to the shadow as he motioned Gold to look closely at it, "Naturally, the shadowy figures were nowhere close to content with being provided air and light which even they use to survive and the grace by which they lived, even if they were cast out into the far outreaches of Rykros. Even now they cling to us, unwilling to simply stay put. I've heard such horror stories of people's shadows coming to life as they fight dark creatures, almost as if they command them. The shadows began to fight back, absolutely devoid of all emotion and even respect for Tyral's majestic gifts, taking untold amounts of land and killing as if their appetites were insatiable. As a result, you lived in the horrible version of the swamp that you knew a few months ago."

Walking right in front of Gold's vision, he stooped ever so slightly as to reach her eye level. Eyes stared at him, unknowing eyes not understanding that what he performed was to get Gold's full attention instead of admitting that they were equals as they were not yet so in the Swords of Salvation. His eyes pierced into hers with an unyielding conviction that he was so well known for as he spoke, cold-like but even so complimenting her in a certain method,"You are fit to work under Lord Tyral. Behold, sister, the fruits of his labors through us. The discipline you have, the responsibility, the effort...all possible thanks to him. We fight as we do such that these lands may once again have prosperity and be cleansed...look around, how the supplies flow freely and the streets are once again safe to walk without fear of a dark creature attacking. Can you truly say again that you do not approve, knowing all of this?"

"So what you are trying to inform me of is that light, although it obliterates shadow, as you put it 'to where it cannot escape', is still the creator of shadow? You make no sense, sister." Alexander cracked a crooked grin of delight on his face as he heard her press onward with her failed attempts at logic. The next part was even more delightful for him to shut down as a white gloved hand waved about in the air as if this kind of reasoning was mere child's play, "Of course they have to have some kind of light down there. To suggest that one can see in the dark also implies that they have a shred of light so that their eyes might adjust appropriately to the darkness by extending their retina and doing what? Oh, right...Taking in the light as much as possible. But...this isn't what concerns me most, sister." His eyes narrowed at Gold as he stood right in front of her, a few of the guards around them freezing as they recognized the stern face of Father Alexander come to bear upon her frame, "You aided...a Dark Knight and he is now a Master of the Shadow? What if this man has wounded my allies?"

Father Alexander analyzed every bit of Gold's tone as she spoke, realizing quickly that his insight had won out the second she switched topics so suddenly. The thought of yet another prisoner and having it be a Master of the shadow to deal with as he pleased was a savory idea to him, yet it appeared, at least according to Gold, that this man was out of his reach. Wherever this woman came from, without a doubt, it had to be one of the most vile planets ever for a Dark being to ever dominate people and the people be controlled so willingly. Her final remark transformed her back into the submissive woman she usually was, another fascinating trait he had seen over the last two months as he turned towards the church and began walking casually. A hand beckoned Gold to walk alongside him, causing the guards that had been watching them to nearly drop their jaws in awe at the very thought of Father Alexander allowing her presence as his right hand woman.

"Yes, indeed, the sun has finished its glorious rise and it is time that we found some sustenance in order to keep our bodies healthy. As for this...Dark Knight..."

A spark of light flickered in the Insignis' hand and his aura flared up for a second as he walked forward, causing the guards to scatter in dread fear of where the bolt might find itself, whether in their bodies or in the wall. Yet with a crushing of his hand into a fist, the light sizzled out and the faintest of a crooked grin appeared, unseen to Gold, as all she'd hear was,

"It would be interesting to see what happens indeed. Come along then, we will find some food."