2.6.5
on January 5, 2026
at 3:00 am
“And so we see that honesty is never rewarded, which is why I will continue to lie when it suits me-“
Aurora
A fantasy webcomic. Updates M-W-F.
“And so we see that honesty is never rewarded, which is why I will continue to lie when it suits me-“
oh my gosh itâs dainix
For mobile readers.
Alt-text: anyway he tattled on me so who’s the real asshole here
Image source: hearthkeeper
tumblr text: air jail for falst
Linked the Air Jail Song :p
Bluesky text: and welcome back!
(AO3 peeps would probably appreciate knowing that the formatting here is the same as for AO3 comments)
. Falst lunges toward Caliban, hand outstretched and rage on his face, looking ready to tear their face off.
. Dainix quickly grabs him around the chest, stopping his attack. âRRRRRRGHâ!â Falst snarls, hand trembling in the air trying to reach Caliban.
. â…Hearthkeeper,â Dainix says.
. “Finally, some respect around here,” Caliban says with a smile, looking completely unfazed. “Howâs my favorite exile doing?”
. âI⊠didnât realize Iâd drawn your attention, Hearthkeeper. Falst, please,â he adds quietly, kneeling to lay the Ferin on the ground.
. “Please. I keep an eye on all my people!” Caliban says cheerfully, smoothly standing as Falst erupts in coughs again. “And you got the shard! Excellent.” They drift down from the hill of rock to hover next to Dainix. “Even though youâve reconstituted, still probably best to absorb it just in case.:
. âUh- look, I-Iâm grateful, of course. Itâs an honorââ Dainix starts.
. “Just transform while holding it and itâll become part of your flame,” Caliban explains.
. âNo, itâs justâ if you know what I amââ Falst clamps a hand on Dainixâs wrist as he continues, âThen you might know how I can control itâ!â
. âThey let Zuurith have you,â Falst says raggedly, looking up at Dainix. âThey knew.â
. Dainix looks at Caliban. They hover there, arms crossed.
. “Okay, itâs not fair to get mad at me about that one,” Caliban finally says. “I TOLD you it was stupid to keep pretending that piddling cage could hold you. Itâs not my fault you took so long to listen.” Dainix stares at them, the paler markings on his arms and face shifting to a glowing orange.
tactical hugging! (avoiding attempted murder)
we love an attempted deicide
Dainix probably prevented Falst from burning his hand punching open an avatar head made of fire.
Uh oh can’t gaslight gatekeep my way outta this one! Also ooooo Dainix is glooowinnggg! (in anger.)
Gaslight gatekeep genderfluidboss?
Falst, stop. You’ve done enough today.
Rest for my and Dainix’s sake.
Ah, yes. Rest. Something Falst is famously good at.
He’s at least better than Kendal ‘Sleeps once a week’ [last name]
Man it’s been a while since I’ve been this early!
Pretty sure Caliban wants to make Dainix angry at this point so he’ll transform.
Interesting that they don’t want them to keep the shard for a later emergency. Sounds like absorbing it now will be as effective, if not moreso, at preventing a future burnout as keeping it around with them…
We don’t know what absorbing the shard will do; Caliban SAID it would reconstitute Dainix, but they also said Dainix could ONLY be reconstituted this way, which obviously wasn’t true. I have to imagine it will augment Dainix’ powers in some way, since Caliban is grooming him as some sort of weapon.
It probably will make sure that either he canât burn out again or if he does he will automatically absorb enough fire to reform.
Exactly. Fireseeds attract fire energy to them, so absorbing one would hopefully make Dainix less likely to burn out in the future.
Either way, we’ll find out soon enough. In that last panel? We see Dainix’s flame marks begin to glow.
At Caliban’s face, Falst flails, is held back
Caliban gives advice, but answers they lack
I love Caliban’s design and looks, and that CAPE! I am a bit interested in when and how they told Dainix that detail though. I might have to go back to read, because, gods are tricksy and the way Caliban twists words is… very godly.
Also, oh Falst, you wonderfully reactive boy! Of course Dainix knew you’d fly off the handle. Those two first panels are <3 As NTL wrote, tactical hugging to avoid murdr!
Also also I love Dainix.
Back when they were pretending to be a guard and escorting him to arenamaster. They kept needling Dainix on why he just doesn’t break out of prison and that he is afraid of what happens if he goes all out
Ah, then I hadn’t missed something! Well, Caliban COULD have been a bit… less obtuse and undercover. How very god of them. And how the drek was Dainix supposed to know with something that easy to shrug off…
Thanks!
I think Caliban was disguised as a guard so Dainix had no reason to listen to them.
fight! fight! fight!
Has anyone noticed Aurora posting new pages early? It usually posts 4am my time but I checked at 3:45 and it was there. Has this happened for anyone else?
Could it be daylight savings time? That’s the case for me. In summer, Aurora posts at 10 am my time, but in winter it’s at 9 am.
Daylight savings time đ
I might be crazy, but I’m pretty sure I have been getting the pages and earlier. Back around the zombie-dungeon-duo-trauma-bond-arc the pages would drop at 3:00am, I know because I used to tap dance on the reload button until they came, but at some point I’d get here and they’d already be there around 2:40am, and then it was 1:00am and now they come out at midnight.
Rage, undying rage
You betrayed the man I love
I will not forgive
Caliban’s epithet is Hearthkeeper? Interesting đ
So far we’ve had Fairblade, Lawbringer, Hearthkeeper…I’m definitely forgetting some…
(Also, why am I awake >_<)
Okay, I’m getting very strong Loki the ash lad or trickster god of hearth and home vibes here. Very well done red.
I wonder if Caliban had any influence on the Northern Wyrm or Dainix’ sea-sickness… It’s awfully convenient that the Squad just happened to shipwreck next to a volcanic island which held the EXACT thing Caliban clearly. wants Dainix to have.
I think the “They landed on the Island of Rahkn” part is a coincidence, it’s just that Caliban realized they could tick one box off their list of things they want Dainix to do while everyone’s there.
ok now thats a massive stretch
there was no way for caliban to know when dainix’s sea sickness get bad enought for him to destroy the boat nor a way for him to make sure it would be conveniently next to rakhn it wouldnt even do anything on the boat if tam hadnt landed on the boat and started shit
Yeah, if he wants you to absorb it, then best not to do so. Maybe only keep it in case of emergency.
Falst, I try not to make the obvious house cat comparisons. But you attacking someone you don’t like and needing to be put in semi-air jail for it is not making it easy.
Yeah Caliban has a point about absorbing the shard to make sure he’s 100% after the fiasco with Void on the boat. Absorbing a pure source of fire into him could help centre his turbulent powers, or at the very least give him a solid foundation in case something like the Void thing happens again.
Ooh, that final panel of his eyes lighting up and marking brightening, putting the pieces together that Caliban was that guard. While Falst attacked them just now, I don’t think Dainix will be so rash, however it might make him think twice about absorbing the shard; Cali wasn’t kidding when they said Falst could be trouble.
Oooh Dainix bouta get real pissed off from hearing that one…
I’m looking at this, and I seriously cannot stop hearing Red as Caliban but with the Generic Echoey effect, maybe a little distortion on the top to mimic fire. They play the same character.
Tahraim is also just Blue in my head, as well. It’s the correct voice.
LITERALLY i’m tryna give each character a distinct voice in my head to spice up my reading experience âïžđ€ but every time Caliban comes onscreen they’re instantly just “Red but Fireâą”
For me, Caliban is Indigo as Dani. Gritty and devil may care.
And my Erin voice is permanently Tom Hiddleston as Loki.
Everytime Caliban appears I wind-up imagining a different voice for them, first sounding like a sorta neutral feminine, then in a later chapter sounding androgynous, now sounding vaguely masculine, to the point I’ve just been imagining they change their voice based on their own whim. It’s gotten that I’ve been having fun thinking of a different voice everytime they start a new conversation.
Poor Falst is so mad but also still dying a little from fume inhalation.
Fingers crossed for Dainix to throw one right in their face.
Falst out here fully prepared to murder a god for his boo
Wait, did Dainix even know that guard was Caliban? I don’t think he did….
he didnt, falst only figured that out on the beggining of fire and stone
There once was a fiery god
Who’s looking to make Dainix’s bod
Into a tool.
But Falst’s no fool,
And gods don’t leave him over-awed.
You know something funny I just noticed? Caliban’s and Dainix’s hair are the same shade of orange.
It’s probably coincidence, I would imagine most Ignans are some flavor of ginger.
On the other hand, Caliban does seem to be mimicking Dainix somewhat as far as appearance here… Which probably doesn’t mean anything.
I wonder when one of them is going to figure out that Dainax’s “Demon” was planned by Caliban and not something that just “happened” to him.
Caliban planned that? How could they? Do you remember what hints were dropped?
I’m pretty sue Crucibles are a genetic thing, not something that can be influenced by a god. Maybe Tahraim, if his connection to capital-F Fire is ever confirmed, but certainly not Caliban. Otherwise, there’d be a lot more.
Falst fnaf jumpscare (â â„oâ â„â ) also why is Caliban low-key giving Omniman in panel 8 lol??? Them everyday in the dungeons, apparently: “Think, Dainix!”
I feel like Falst is about to give that rant from OG Ultimate Spider-Man about Mutants but to gods.
Also, that little “Falst, please” is sending me.
Caliban’s being an asshole here, but they kind of have a point that Dainix shouldn’t blame them for the imprisonment, since I think it’s safe to say that Caliban didn’t have anything to do with that â that was all Zuurith and the system he created. Caliban even complained that Dainix was “stagnating” back in 1.12.
I think what theyâre talking about isnât that Caliban had anything to do with his imprisonment. Falst is basically telling Dainix that Caliban knew he was imprisoned but did nothing to help him. Just left him there. Hence the, âThey LET Zuurith have you.â And Calibanâs defense is basically, âYes, I knew, and I told you to figure it out yourself (break yourself out). Not my fault you didnât.â
Dainix is learning that his god COULDâVE easily helped him at any point and actively chose not to. That is enough for Dainix to be angry.
But Dainix seems to come across as more inquisitive then accusing to me. Like Dainix just wants to know what’s going on. It looks he wants to know what’s going on before going forward with Caliban plan. Fire can be a trickster and Dainix seems cautious in trusting Caliban’s advice.
Hearthkeeper eh? Hestia but trickster type?
I think i heard that one before. (Loki, it’s… it’s the Loki video Red did a while ago)
I was thinking the same thing!!!
SOUP, I WAS RIGHT, PAY UP!!!!
đđ«łđ°
Thank you kindly my good gender neutral honorific
Dainix’s dialogue giving me strong flashbacks to that one Tumbler answer about how Ignans don’t pray to Caliban because drawing Caliban’s attention deliberately has a good chance of winning you nothing but a lifetimes’ supply of divinely tied together shoe laces.
Two words I guarantee Caliban has never heard one in front of the other: INFORMED CONSENT!!!
I love how utterly *not* surprised Dainix is by Falstâs Iâm-gonna-maul-a-god-whatâs-self-preservation antics; he just grabs him midair without missing a beat and then goes on talking to Caliban. iconic. (also oh my godddddd in the third panel Dainixâs hand is IN FALSTâS HAIR supporting his head and Falst is CLUTCHING DAINIXâS WRIST CLOSER the tactical hugs are making me illllllllll <3 <3 <3)
Falst, you’ve been run ragged. Now is not the time to see whether you can strangle a god.
Anyone else think that Dainixâs markings are lookin a little glowy in that last panel?
Falst should be allowed to punch one (1) god. As a treat
It’s gems like these that make me wish we had a like button
Falst should be allowed to punch one god per chapter ngl
Dude, you are being a bit too sassy now.