#how long until tyria sees them as a threat? a possible resurgence of a second dragon cycle?

[scourgeblooms]

11 and 12 for the Commander Asks?

@mystery-salad

ough these are good questions. ty for asking! (this got kinda long and there's also just some general spoilers regarding aurene throughout so I'm putting this under a cut)

11. What is your commander's relationship with Aurene? Do they hold any resentment towards Aurene for leaving?

Azilab is not a crier. He doesn't cry when he's injured. He's not a happy crier. He's not an angry crier. He doesn't express his devastation/loss/sadness through tears. But Aurene brings him to tears all the time. The first time Azilab cried over Aurene was when she named herself and he was the first to know. He was sobbing when Aurene showed up during the fight with Balthazar. Hysterical when Aurene's vision came to pass during the encounter with Kralkatorrik. He was completely inconsolable for like three days after Aurene left.

He's so incredibly honored to be her Champion and works hard to make sure Aurene never regrets choosing him. There's an insecurity there on his end that I don't think he's completely aware of, but it's definitely one of his most potent motivators: do not disappoint this dragon or else she's going to abandon me. Nevertheless, their goals have always aligned perfectly and I like to believe that the two trust each other completely. Their push-and-pull when sharing their abilities during combat are as natural as breathing to them; they're a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. Their bond has gone beyond death. He'd do anything for her. His devotion to her is borderline religious. He's completely besotted. "You could be an ancient dragon, Aurene, and I would still come with fish."

As far as Aurene leaving, he struggles. He struggles with not knowing where she is, what she's doing, how she's feeling. He misses her omnipresent warmth at the edges of his consciousness even when they were continents apart. He misses hearing her wind chime voice. The fact that he might not ever see her again destroys him and he tries his best not to think about it. He feels a little bit abandoned and directionless; being sylvari, he's always sort of been tied to a dragon (Mordremoth, then Aurene) and he has no idea what to really do without one. But he can understand why she went away and wishes her nothing but peace, safety, and rest. Somewhere in the back of his mind he wishes that he could've gone with her, but her parting words ring true to him: "Our path is our own" and it's his turn now to figure out what that new path is.

12. Is your commander still on good terms with the Pact and/or their initial Order?

I'm ngl I get jumpscared every time an npc greets me as "Agent/Lightbringer Azilab" and I'm gonna say that Azi does too. Joining an Order seemed like it was entire LIFETIMES ago, but Azilab still operates with a lot of the Order of Whispers' core tenants in mind even if he's not aware of it and doesn't really consider himself a member anymore. He's good at gathering intel and certainly appreciates a stealth mission every now and then.

His relationship with/memories of the Pact are bittersweet at best. He was young, inexperienced, and made a lot of mistakes that cost lives. Some of those early relationships and losses were his most painful (Tybalt, and technically Trahearne later down the line). Though taking down Zhaitan will always be Azilab's first spark of "Oh, I'm meant to do this."