Shinsou Vaan Osiris chuckled to himself, guiding his own steed Slepnir gently to the other side of the road until he rode alongside his new student. He hadn’t really done it to get out of the way of Chamomile’s stubborn trotting, but rather to set the redhead at ease. His own experiences with her mount had been less than successful in the past, too.

“She’s a beauty, but a little too independent,” The Telgradian flashed the nervous looking Rhyolite a knowing smile, “The first time I tried to ride her, she bolted and threw me halfway across the god-damned town. In front of everyone on duty in Whitevale. Can you imagine that? Took me months to live that one down.”

Unlike the first time he had ridden the path to Whitevale, the Telgradian found no surprises from his new travelling companion. The last time he had come on horseback was the first day of their Brotherhood, when he and Storm Veritas staged a massive coup and removed the evil ruling council from the township. This time, the journey had been accentuated with nervous conversation. This time, there was peace, and Shinsou; seen by those who didn’t understand him as a dangerous and cold man, was starting to warm to his new student already. He had been watching her intently, making notes on her temperament, the symptoms and the causes, and mentally journalising exercises for helping her to control those surges of anger for later.

It was starting to hit late afternoon. The sun, as it always was these days was still tucked behind the ashen clouds that blighted the pot marked landscape near Whitevale, and only a dull glow from behind a thin blanket gave any clues as to the time. The pair rode down a familiar muddy hill towards the junction where Shinsou knew they would turn onto a long road. A couple of more miles would see them to the Brotherhood headquarters. He shot a sideways glance at the redhead as she started to get the gist of Chamomile, having gone from wrestling the reins to holding them, and looked at her properly for the first time. Felicity was strikingly understated. She wore clothes more fit for purpose than for fashion, yet had the complexion of a girl that would normally be turning heads in theatres. Everything she carried had a purpose, and as the wind held her clothes taut against her athletic frame, the girl didn’t once wince or shiver.

The area they were in, was a fairly rugged track next to farmland. Even with the enormous steed beneath him, the tall Telgradian felt every step beneath jolting him as the hooves churned up mud and clay.

"A lot of things have changed, here, since the siege of Radasanth. Something that I didn't think about was what kind of legacy we'd be leaving for the world, " Shinsou said, turning once more to Felicity, “It’s also why I chose to train you. I think I see more in you than you see in yourself, and that’s one part of it, but perhaps you can also teach me something too. My question to you is, what’s holding you back? You may not know the answer, at least right now, but we’ll get to it eventually.”

The Telgradian’s thoughts fluttered as the two rode on.

He had once been a wholly selfish thing; perhaps not the true hedonist that Veritas used to be, seeking only the tangible, but certainly out to look after his own interests. So many others had changed him for the better; Philomel van der Aart, Joshua Cronen and, ironically Storm himself. They had shown compassion and care for him, and were also strong, smart, and powerful. Perhaps now Shinsou felt that his peace would come from paying that compassion forwards; training a new generation that would outlast anything he had built.

Or, perhaps he wanted his students to carry on his legacy, if there even was one, after Shinsou was gone.

After all, some people were destined to be outlived.