Call of Destiny (Private with Celestia)

Tenebris since his return from his expedition Northward had spent the majority of the days gone by secluded within his personal repository, located within the private wing of Shadow's Refuge. Only today did he summon one of the many Magistrates who were going about their daily duties to retrieve Celestia and inform her that Tenebris desired to teach her another lecture and bring her to the repository. The magistrate although no one of particular importance still carried out the task without any minor delays, no doubt begging Celestia for him to escort her back to ensure she gets to Tenebris promptly due to her mischievous nature.

The Private Repository itself was considerably different to its usual appearance. Normally littered with an abundance of scientific apparatuses and tomes which were used in Tenebris's personal alchemy works and Scholarly pursuits. Instead the room seemed as though it would be better suited in the Garrison wing of the Keep, it stands more or less empty only with a marble sculpture of Draconic imagery depicting a sitting Dragon with its wings flared open and the countless shelves what seemed to remain while several open braziers around the edges of the walls provide the light to illuminate the room itself. It was only auspicious that there remained a rug of animal skin across the floor to hide the harshness of the Citadels cold stone and then in the centre there was a modest humble looking table, crafted by no fine work of carpentry and behind it sat Tenebris.

Tenebris's dark foreboding figure would remain ridged and domineering despite the clear signs of weariness across his features, his eyes slightly sunken and bloodshot despite their eerie ethereal sapphire glare. He'd merely await for Celestia while his serpentine tail coils back and forth across the furs under him. His visage would be almost as bare as the room he currently resided in, not opting to wear his usual finery and adornments, instead only wearing a single large silver spiral coil hoop earring in his right ear.

Eager to see Tenebris again Celestia wasted no time in coming to see him. So many questions ran through her head most being the general nature of where the heck did he disappear to. The fact that he planned to train her went in one ear and out the other. Her own eagerness ended up delaying them as she kept taking off in the wrong direction and having to back track and follow the magistrate escort. Upon arrival Celestia burst through the doors with a surprising amount of force for her size, the sound of which echoed throughout the relatively empty room. "Where have you been, why have you abandoned me, and why are you back?" Celestia shouted before examining her surroundings. After doing so, in a more calm voice she added "And why do you look so old?"

Tenebris wasn't expecting such an entry filled with rigour as Celestia came bounding through the doors and although his composure was uncompromising his eyes reacted by first widening and then narrowing in an austere manner. As Celestia's enthusiasm filled the otherwise eerily cold and silent room Tenebris couldn't help but grow a wolfish smirk across his usually stern apathetic features. Celestia might be the Semi-Goddess of the Nightwing Tribe and the biological Daughter of the great Astral, but she was his Daughter, and her character and personality never cease to astonish him.

Tenebris like any other living being required rest much to his distaste, causing his eyes to flutter like one who longs for slumber, and purple bruises which clearly have formed under them. As the bombardment of questions were shot his way Tenebris merely raises to a standing position with a soft innocent sigh escaping from under his breath. "It pleases me to see you again, my little one, I pray that you've been keeping yourself safe in my absence", his statement was direct ayet soothing as they left his maw with a soft coo.

"I only left on works to extend my limited knowledge, nothing you have to really concern yourself with. You should know I'd never abandon you and that when I leave I do so with purpose in mind", it was clear he was avoiding the last question of why he looked the way he did as he chose his words carefully. Smiling warmly he returned with his own inquiry "You've been on your own little adventure though so I hear, and with the Emperor himself. You'll have to tell me before your studies begin".