Halloween special, despite that it's still over a week away. Ooh la la~

"Trick or treat! Trick or treat!" The cheerful voices rose in the autumn sky as packs of little children dressed in outlandish outfits paraded through the streets. The moon was at its fullest, illuminating the red leaves and candy wrappers on the ground.

"So tell me, what is the point of this occasion again?" Asin asked in a bored tone.

"From what I recall, it's said that every mid-autumn, the barrier that keeps our world, Aernas, and the world of the dead, Haros, weakens, allowing the dead souls to roam our world just for one night. To ensure that we won't be harmed by them, we dress ourselves up to make ourselves unrecognizable to the dead spirits by disguising ourselves." Lire explained.

"Elves celebrate this as well?"

"Of course not, the way we do is quite different from that of humans. But this 'Halloween' does seem interesting." Ryan chuckled, fingering a chocolate bar.

"Pah! I have been in Haros numerous times, and pathetic demons and spirits attempt escape every day, whether it is mid-autumn or not." Lupus snorted as brushed off a speck of dust off his sleeve.

"They're legends, stories that have been created by humans to pass the time. A waste."

"Like you demons in Elyos had anything better to do, demon boy?" Sieghart taunted.

"Do not mock me with that filthy mouth of yours, Highlander, lest you would have me rip it out."

"Yeah?"

"Shut it, Gramps." The Red Knight stormed in and whacked his head. "If you want to fight, do it outside; you destroyed half of Bermesiah last time!"

"Hey, everyone!" Lime came in, dragging her giant hammer, "Why don't we go trick-or-treating?"

"We can't." Elesis stood up and crossed her arms, her sword jangling against her belt. "Knight Master ordered us to act as security patrols, to make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Aww...please, Lady Ernasis– I mean, Elesis?" she pouted. Even after spending some time with the Chase, the Holy Knight couldn't quite forget that the Red Knight looked almost exactly like one of her revered deities. After all, both of them were leaders, too.

"A lot of people might try to do something funny at a night like this; we have to keep an eye out. But Knight Master promised to give us treats tomorrow." Elesis looked around; everyone seemed set. "Is everyone ready? Everyone knows their positions? All right, move out!"

The Knight Master had stationed every Chaser into groups of two or three in every section. Elesis and Lime were at the towns near the Den of the Gorgos; it has been long since abandoned, but Knight Master was not one to take any chances.

Zero and Mari were near Forgotten City ("I would like to study the remnants of the lost civilization, although the mechanisms may be cruder compared to those of Kounat...") Ley and Ryan were stationed at the Gorge of Oath, as they could fly should they be stupid enough to fall over the cliffs ("Just stay out of my way, elf.")

Sieghart was assigned for Marsh of Oblivion ("Heh, it's about time I went on a mission without the little freaks.") ("WHAT?!") ("Now, except for you, Red...") Amy and Jin were at the Orc Temple (Jin's thoughts: "YES!") Lire, Lass, and Rufus were assigned Elven Forest, as they were the few that could waver through the trees unhindered by their weapons. Arme, Ronan, and Dio were near Gaikoz's Castle ("Why am I assigned such a worthless piece of crap to patrol?") ("If you wish to change, then you may do Trial Forest.") ("...") That left two of the newest recruits, Rin and Asin, to patrol the towns near Forsaken Barrows. The other towns were guarded by soldiers, hand-picked by the Master.

Rin hadn't been assigned many missions, so she smiled sweetly and bowed, "Thank you! I won't let you down!"

The Knight Master smiled; the girl was sweet, yet naïve. Too naïve. She only hoped she made the right choice by assigning Asin (who was strong, but creepy even for her) to watch over her.

"Your Grand Chase necklaces will beep five times when the mission is complete. Be on your guard!"

"Yes, Knight Master!"

"Wow, pretty lady! What are you dressed up as?" A little boy dressed up in a white shirt and black pants decorated with flames with a piece of cloth wrapped around his head asked her.

"Me? I'm...a goddess!" she beamed, but there was a flicker of sadness in her turquoise eyes as she said it. "And what are you?"

"I am Jin! Of the Silver Knights!" He punched the air then drooped a tiny bit, "I don't have his red hair though..."

"Is that so?" Asin stepped forward, grinning his trademark creepy smile. "Why are you dressed up as him?"

"Well, because he's strong, awesome, and can kick really high–"

"Is that so? But I should tell you that I am much stronger–" Rin hurriedly shoved the lavender-haired boy aside.

"Don't listen to that man, he is...very tired today. Here you go!" By pure luck, she had a handful of candy inside her pocket, which she stuffed into the child's hand.

"Wow, thanks, pretty goddess! Happy Halloween!" The boy waved, and then trotted away, his bag bulging with sweets.

"Happy Halloween, 'Jin.'" She smiled as she waved back.

"So...enjoying yourself, goddess?" The Phoenix spun around, to face the Disciple leaning casually against a tombstone.

She frowned, but she didn't want to argue with him; after all, this was a mission. "We weren't sent here to bully little kids."

"Calm down, I was only joking around. You think I'd honestly frighten a little kid?"

"Yes."

"Straightforward, aren't you?" He smirked, undaunted.

"I'm going ahead. You can keep your guard here." Huffing, she stalked off.

"Now, don't be like that." he easily walked beside her. "I'm nice when I want to be~"

A chilly wind whipped through the town, making the Phoenix shudder.

"Hm? Is the goddess cold? I thought you wouldn't feel stuff like that, being a goddess and all…"

"I'm the reincarnation of a goddess, not an actual one." She snapped. "I'm still human."

"Funny, I thought goddesses didn't die. Possessed, insane or weakened maybe, like those in Xenia, but die?"

Rin gritted her teeth. "No, they don't die."

"Oh? Then why–"

"Sorry, that was wrong. They're not supposed to die." She had never known the truth of her divine heritage until she was fifteen, though it did explain why everyone treated her so kindly and why even the winds seemed to obey her as a child. For now, the darkness inside her was a dormant presence, but it still waited for the moment it would break free of the seal and wreak havoc once more. She tried not to think too much about what would happen if the seal was broken; after all, even the combined power of Ernasis, Lisnar, and Armenian couldn't defeat the Malevolent Horde. "But this one did."

"I see." He replied back indifferently as he spotted something out of the corner of his eye. "Hmm? What's this?" He came upon a puddle of an unrecognizable yet black fluid that was splattered on the ground, like blood. His eyes traced the trail of the liquid…right into the heart of Forsaken Barrows. "Ew…" Rin grimaced.

"I have a feeling that's not grape juice."

"I don't know, and I don't want to know." The girl said in disgust. "But it radiates a strong demonic aura. Shall we go after it?"

"No, I think we should just lounge around here, waiting for something to happen."

"What?" She turned, eyes startled. "Why?"

Asin face-palmed; this stupid girl didn't even understand the concept of sarcasm. "Let's just go–"

"Aah! Someone help me! Please!" A woman's voice pierced the air. The pair froze in their tracks.

"You go help the lady; I'll go after this…thing." Asin pointed to the slimy path.

"No, you go to her, I can handle this." Before he could retort, the white-haired girl was already speeding past the rotting woods and graves.

The Disciple gave an exasperated sigh. "Why am I always stuck with the boring tasks?" Nonetheless, he set off.

Problem #01 I have with writing: Way. Too. Freaking. Long. Even what starts as a freaking one-shot now extends to three chapters. #$%. But I will finish this before Halloween, hopefully.