AN: Alright, I learned new things just last Wednesday; number 1: Do NOT tell your mother, under any circumstances whatsoever, that 2 hot Red Bull chicks offered you and your friends said energy drink in school and number 2: Do NOT watch Markiplier play Five Nights at Freddy's 3 while you're hopped up on Red Bull. Makes you more jumpy. Anyways, I hope you people enjoyed the previous chapter and thanks to those who left their reviews and favorites. And now let us move on to the 9th Chapter of this story.

CHAPTER IX:

HOMECOMING AND DEPARTURE

"We've arrived." Milla stated.

"Smell the fresh air, kids. I don't think you city kids have ever felt this." Alvin told them as they stood by the entrance of the village. They took in their surroundings for a bit; there were nice green pastures with cows, chickens and rappigs grazing the grass. Kids running around playing as the old folks watched over them with smiles in their faces. And the houses looked like igloos except they were intricately made with wood. There were also small bridges connecting areas of the village.

"So this is Nia Khera." Jude stated in amazement.

"Huh, I thought it would be…fancier." Alvin weighed in.

"I like it. It's quaint and quiet." Chris said with a small smile. Milla walked up to one of the old villagers meditating by the grass.

"Excuse me, where's Ivar?" She asked him. The old man stood up as he answered.

"Hmm…he went off to find Lord Maxwell and- L-Lord Maxwell!"

"Yes, I have returned." Milla said as the old villager bowed before her in reverence. However, this caught the attention of the other villagers who walked up and bowed before her as well.

"I-I can't believe you deign speak to me." The old man said. "I am unworthy."

"I guess she's the real deal." Alvin stated as he looked on.

"Told you." Chris smugly said as she crossed her arms.

"She's something, alright." Jude fondly said as he observed Milla.

"Not everyone gets to road trip with a major deity. I had my doubts." The older man said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Please relax. No need for formalities." Milla said. When she realized that he wasn't going to stand up she continued on.

"You say Ivar isn't here?"

"Yes, but he should've returned by now. We're worried about him." He informed her.

"I see. He always did have a short temper. Please, return to your work." She requested of them before she started walking with Jude, Alvin and Chris following after her. As they passed by, the villagers of Nia Khera kneeled before Milla.

"I need to perform the ritual to resummon the Four at my shrine. But it would seem my handmaid is away. Would you mind lending a hand?" She asked of them.

"What? You mean we can help you?" Jude asked in surprise.

"I'm not exactly a religious scholar." Alvin remarked.

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Chris asked in curiosity as they were approaching the small bridge.

"It's nothing difficult." She answered. "The village has four altars, each with a temporal stone."

"So…you want us to bring those to the shrine you mentioned?" Jude asked for clarification. Seems simple enough.

"Precisely."

"Why not just ask the villagers for help?" The mercenary asked her.

"You saw what just happened." Milla said before continuing on. "Except for my handmaid, I don't really fraternize with the villagers. They can barely look at me. Let alone hold a conversation."

"Well, you are a god…" Chris muttered out.

"Ah, the trials of godhood. Well, I guess a little physical labor won't kill us. Right, kids?"

"We can handle it." Jude answered. When they got to the other side of the village, Milla promptly stopped and turned to the two younger kids.

"Don't worry, you two. I'll explain your predicament to the villagers after the ceremony. Please be patient just a little longer." Milla requested of them. Chris simply nodded in response.

"Ah, sure." Jude answered before continuing. "Okay, let's go hunting for those temporal stones. You said they were in the village?"

"Yes. Gather the stones and bring them to the shrine. It lies beyond the village."

"Alright. Let's go." Chris said before turning to Alvin. "So, there should be four, right? Want to see who gets two of them back to where Milla is, first?"

"Is that a challenge, Miss I-don't-even-know-what-your-real-last-name-is? Because if so, then it's on." Alvin answered with an amused smirk on his face.

"Hey, look, the King of Rashugal is taking a dump by that house." Chris pointed out and when Alvin totally fell for it, she took off running for the Red Temporal stone they passed by earlier and snatched it off the pedestal, much to the bewilderment of the villagers.

"Sorry. Lord Maxwell needs this!" She yelled back as she made a beeline for the river just as Alvin caught up to her.

"Nice try, kid. That was pretty dirty of you." He said as he grabbed her arm and they jumped into the rocks of the river leading to the Blue Temporal Stone. Alvin fell on his side and Chris tried to run to the pedestal while keeping hold of the Fire stone at the same time, but Alvin grabbed her leg, making her fall to the water and enabling him to grab the Water stone.

Oh, come on! I've been drenched enough for one day!" Chris complained as she stood up and climbed the bridge and ran off with Alvin hot on her heels. When they got to the pedestal by the east gate, however, the stone was no longer there.

"What?" She asked out loud as Alvin zoomed past her upon realizing that the stone wasn't there. Chris chased him to the next pedestal by the entrance and much to their shock, it wasn't there as well.

"What the hell?" Alvin asked.

When they both looked up, Jude and Milla were standing there with amused looks on their faces.

"Hey, I got one of them and Alvin's got the other. We couldn't find the last two, though." She reported to them.

"So, cough it up. Where are the other two?"

Jude didn't say anything but rather pulled out a green and a brown stone from behind him.

"Jude! You ruined the game." Chris whined to him. "You could've just told us that you had them."

"Yeah, I could have. But it was also fun watching you run around like a kid for a minute there since you act way too serious for your age." He admitted with a smile.

"Look who's talking. So, should we move on?" She asked Milla.

"Yes. Assuming that you're finished with your banter." She answered with a small smirk.

"Yeah, we are." The younger girl answered as she spun the temporal stone on her index finger.

"So, all the artes that channel the Four Great Spirits don't work anymore?" Alvin asked them.

"Yeah, not since the silencing twenty years ago." Jude answered him. "The power of the Four disappeared overnight, causing a worldwide panic."

"According to the folks back then, Fennmont saw its first sun in centuries too." Chris added to the conversation.

"Uh-huh…and when did Milla take human form again?" The older man asked them.

"Twenty years ago." Was the older woman's answer. Chris and Jude's eyes promptly widened when they made the connection.

"Well, call me Sally and screw me with a cockatrice…" The younger woman mumbled.

"Wait, are the two related?" Jude questioned her.

"Yes, that was me. I reserved the Four for my personal use."

"Seriously?"

"You do realize you were just responsible for the heart attacks of nearly every person in the world 20 years ago, right?" Chris told her with an incredulous look on her face.

"I have no reason to deceive you. Of course, even I can't summon them now, so you'll have to take my word for it."

With no reason for argument, the other three simply let the issue go. As they passed by the same old man from earlier, he kneeled before her yet again.

"Welcome home, Lord Maxwell." He greeted Milla as she stood before him. Her three companions, meanwhile, hung back and observed. While Chris and Alvin were indifferent, Jude was in awe of how Milla commanded the respect, love and adoration of the villagers.

"I'm glad to see you're all well." Milla told him with a smile.

"All thanks to you, Lord Maxwell."

"Wow, so people really do worship Milla!" Alvin exclaimed in amazement.

"It's pretty rare to find Maxwell worshippers these days. But apparently, they used to be quite common." Jude informed them as Milla approached.

"Faith in the spirits seems to have fallen dramatically all over the world, although I couldn't tell that from here." She said.

"That's true. There are only two places in Auj Oule I know that worships Spirits nowadays; the first one is Xian Du, where they worship Efreet and Undine; for strength and to guide the souls of the deceased, respectively. The other one is Hamil, where they worship Gnome for good harvest. Hamil holds a festival for Gnome every year during Arbor at Ragnome." Chris said as she crossed her arms.

"And you know this how?" Alvin asked her as he put a hand on his forehead. Chris raised an eyebrow at him as she answered.

"Aside the fact that I go to school, I actually lived here. In this country."

"Anyway, the more spirit artes progress, the more spirits are seen as simply another facet of nature." Jude told them.

"So, they used to be a bigger deal back then?" Alvin asked.

"Yeah. Legends say that it was Maxwell who created Rieze Maxia to begin with." He answered before continuing on. "And the first human to follow him, Kresnik, came to be known as the Genesis Sage."

"Correct. And the people of this village are Kresnik's descendants." Milla weighed in.

"Yeah, but they're just legends aren't they? There's no actual proof or evidence to support that." Chris said with a shrug.

"But you never know; they might hold a grain of truth to them." The older woman told her.

"Heh heh…yeah, you get crazy origin stories like that in all these rustic towns." Alvin said with an arrogant chuckle as he put his hands on his hips.

"Alvin, show some respect." Jude scolded him. Unfortunately, the old man was offended by Alvin's remark.

"How dare you! Twenty years ago, I personally witnessed the advent of Lord Maxwell and the Four Great Spirits!" The elderly villager said defensively.

"Uh, we're sorry, sir. He just doesn't know what he says sometimes." Chris told him as she slapped Alvin in the head but the villager continued his tirade.

"I saw her grow into the woman you see before you without even taking a bite of food or a wink of sleep."

If Chris was apologetic just a second ago, she sure as hell wants to make a smart ass comment now. Suddenly, she felt Alvin's arm around her and she saw that that his other arm was around Jude. He also had this creepy, doggish grin on his face.

"This miracle is proof that our legends were true!" The old man said.

"Wanna tell this geezer about the time Milla collapsed from hunger?" Alvin asked them with a mischievous tone in his voice.

"Just leave him alone." Jude answered as he looked up at Alvin.

"Hell yeah I do." Chris answered before continuing on. "Actually, Milla-"

Jude nearly tackled her to the ground just to cover her mouth. It wasn't until Chris made the gesture that she'll stop did Jude release her.

"Come to think of it; the Six Ruling Houses of Rashugal are all a part of that legend too. Their founders were supposed to be the six disciples of Maxwell and Kresnik, right?"

"Now that is the truly absurd origin story. Those fools have no clue about the true secrets of this world." The old man arrogantly said. However, when Milla turned to him with crossed arms and an unimpressed look on her face, the elderly villager regretted his statement.

"I should never have said that. Please forgive me." He begged of her as he bowed down.

"What just happened?" Jude asked, surprised by the elderly man's sudden change of attitude.

"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Milla answered as she turned back to them. "We should move on."

And that's what they did…

According to one of the villagers, the Nia Khera spirit way has been infested with monsters, which were easy pickings for them.

"Recovery Ring!"

A green light enveloped Jude and his companions, enabling them to freely charge against the monsters.

"Reminds me why I hate bugs!" Chris said as she swatted the Butterfly with her sword.

"Wind Blade!"

The arte from Milla landed on the Toadstool goblin. She thought that would've done the trick and killed it but unfortunately, it just turned around and slammed its tail down. She was sure it was going to hit her until…

"Milla!"

Jude stepped in between Milla and the goblin and took the blow himself, launching him to the air. He recovered immediately though. However, the goblin was close to finishing the arte that it was summoning.

"Arc Fire!"

An arc of bullets rained down upon the goblin, finally taking it down just in time for Chris to defeat the Treant that kept her occupied.

"Burning Havoc!"

The treant fell dead, some parts of it burned.

"And that's a wrap." Alvin said as he crossed his arms. Milla made a gesture for them to follow her and they did.

"This is nice…fresh air, quiet, right amount of monsters, no bandits. I kinda like this place." Chris said as they walked.

"What's wrong with your hometown, Chris?" Jude asked her in curiosity.

"Nothing is wrong with it. But I live up north so the monsters are a bit difficult to deal with since they're aggressive. And with my dad being overprotective, I can't just venture out and hunt for them." She answered sheepishly.

"Hmm…it seems that like Jude; Chris craves chaos as well." Milla pointed out as they walked.

"I do not crave chaos…" Jude sighed in defeat.

"I am the exact opposite of Jude…I live for the chaos that Rieze Maxia can offer." She said with a grin.

"You're not suicidal, are you?" Alvin asked her.

"Nope." Chris answered with a smile before she started walking on ahead of them. They followed after her and Milla took the lead once again. After a few minutes of walking and killing those "damn chickens", as Chris likes to call them, they finally arrived at Milla's Shrine. There was a long staircase leading to the grounds and there stood a house similar to the ones they saw in Nia Khera.

"Whoa." Chris muttered out as she observed her surroundings. The shrine was pretty isolated. Not only was it hard to gain access to the place since the Spiritway was filled with monsters, but there were also tall trees that really hid the shrine.

"In here." Milla told them.

"Is this your house?" Jude asked her as he looked around.

"My house? I've never really thought about it like that, but I suppose so." She answered as she crossed her arms and pinched her chin in a contemplative fashion.

"Boy, you're really in the sticks." Alvin said as he looked around the area.

"An apt yet somewhat offensive observation, Alvin." Chris said as she pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Yeah, yeah. So, what do you do for fun out here?" He asked her.

"My mission is not to entertain myself." Milla sternly answered before she continued. "I do spend time reading books written by humans, if you must know."

"And this is where Men and Women Beneath the Sheets come in..." Chris sighed out.

"Let's perform the ceremony." Milla told them. They entered and they placed the temporal stones in their respective places while Milla sat in the middle of the glyph painted in the middle of the room.

"So, is this okay?" Jude asked her.

"Perfect. Thank you." Was her answer. Jude and Chris took that as her cue to stand back. While Jude and Alvin observed what Milla was doing, Chris drew the glyphs on the stones. Much to their amazement, Milla summoned another glyph, similar to the one she summoned in Laforte and colored lights shined down upon the temporal stone. However, instead of summoning the Four Great Spirits, the stones just shattered and Milla grunted as if she was hurt.

"Milla!" Jude yelled out in worry. Before any of them could run to her aid, however, someone beat them to it.

"Lady Milla!" The person called out before bulldozing through them and making Chris fall on her ass. Jude helped her up as they took a good look at the person. He had white hair and a garb that wasn't like the ones the villagers of Nia Khera usually wore. He kneeled before Milla once he was in front of her.

"Oh, is that you, Ivar?" Milla asked as she cradled her head as if she was having a massive headache.

"Lady Milla, I was worried sick." The man, Ivar, said. Chris was about to hit him on the back of his head with the hilt of her sword but Alvin grabbed her by the waist to restrain her.

"This looks like the ritual of the Four's Advent…" Ivar said upon realizing what was going on. "Why would you perform such a ritual? Wait, what's going on here?"

He stood up and looked around.

"Wait, what's going on here? Efreet, where are you? Undine, come out!" He yelled in a panic before continuing. "Lady Milla, what has happened?"

Milla stared at him sternly before explaining everything that happened; from her departure to the events of Laforte and to their return to Nia Khera.

"I cannot believe it." Ivar said in disbelief while Jude, Chris and Alvin sat on the side.

"So, why do you think you can't summon the spirits? Are they dead or something?" Alvin asked in a bored manner as he rested his cheek on his knuckle.

"Idiot! A Great Spirit cannot die!" The man yelled at him. Not even an hour of knowing the guy and Alvin and Chris are already annoyed with him.

"Was I supposed to know that?" Alvin asked the two young ones.

"I don't know but I have half a mind to plant my boot in his face." She mumbled out.

"Just like a lesser spirit, a Great Spirit becomes a fossil when it passes away. Yet its power transfer to the next Great Spirit." Ivar boasted.

"So…if we're running on a technicality, the Spirit is still dead." Chris told him to get under Ivar's skin. She loved the way how his eye twitched.

"At least, that's what they say. Nobody's ever seen it happen." Jude informed them.

"Ah, so I've heard." Alvin said, still sporting his bored expression.

"That's blasphemy! Spirits are undying beings that dwell in the Spirit World! It's beyond your understanding." Ivar told them.

"Oh, sure. Like you're any better." Chris mocked him with closed eyes. Suddenly, Jude thought of something. He put his index finger to his temple and started thinking.

"Hmm…" He contemplated before continuing on. "Well, maybe that device captured the Four Great Spirits instead of killing them."

"Impossible. Mere humans could never capture the Great Four!" Ivar said in a defensive manner.

"Yeah, well, you haven't seen what we saw." The younger woman said.

"But the Four Great Spirits aren't answering their Lord's summons." Jude reminded them. "If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

"If you leave the egg in a box, and somehow that egg should get crushed, the cause must lie within the egg itself." Alvin recounted.

"Howe's Egg…" Chris muttered.

"Yep. Good Ol' Howe's Egg principle. You really are an honors student." The older man praised him. Unbeknownst to them, Ivar was getting mad.

"A spyrix advanced enough to capture even the Four." Milla said in realization. "When that happened, I then lost my power as Maxwell."

A flash of the memory ran through Milla's mind as she recalled that day.

"Milla." Jude called for her. Milla snapped out of her musings and stood up and turned her back on them. Ivar ran with his arms held out.

"Now you will all leave. This is holy ground and you will desecrate it no more! I'm the only one ordained to serve Lady Milla." He arrogantly declared. Finally, Chris' patience ran out and she kicked her foot up, hitting him directly in the crotch. Ivar crumbled to the ground in pain.

"If you can't even withstand that, how the hell do you expect to serve the Lord of the Spirits herself?" She mockingly asked him.

"Ivar, please leave as well. You can go home." Milla said with a tone of dismissal. Chris stifled the giggles upon hearing Milla's words. He turned to Milla questioningly.

"Let's see…how should I put this? You're annoying." Milla told him without missing a beat. Alvin snickered in amusement while Chris completely lost it. They stood up and left the shrine with Ivar trailing behind them. Once they were outside, however, Ivar continued his tirade.

"Lady Milla wouldn't be in this predicament if it weren't for you blasphemous fools!" Ivar declared as he waved his arms wildly. The three paid him no heed though.

"For the love of Maxwell, I knew I should never have left her side!"

"Milla wasn't kidding about his short fuse." Alvin said. Jude, however, started walking as he was lost in his thoughts. Ivar grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Hey, are you even listening to me?"

"Uh, yeah, I mean…huh?"

"Heed my words; henceforth only I shall serve the Lady Milla! Interfere at your peril." Ivar warned him.

"Hate to burst your bubble, handmaid, but I think that's for Lady Milla to decide." Chris said as she walked up to Jude. Alvin simply rolled his eyes before looking over to the grove of trees. To his surprise, he saw two figures standing at the distance. Ivar stalked off while Chris followed and Jude stayed where he was. Alvin approached them immediately.

"You gonna stick around?" He asked them.

"Yeah." Jude answered.

"Okay, I'll be back at the village." Alvin said before walking away.

"I have to figure out what I can do." Jude told himself once Alvin was out of earshot. All of a sudden, Milla came out.

"Oh, what's wrong? I thought you were going to rest." He said as Milla walked up to him.

"I would say the same to you. You didn't go back to the village?" She asked him.

"No."

"Well then, let's go set you and Chris up with the villagers." Milla declared. The offer sounded nice but Jude solemnly looked down on the ground.

"What's wrong? Worried you won't fit in?" She asked with a tiny hint of worry in her voice.

"No, that's not it." He answered as he shook his head. "So, what are you going to do now? Will you return to Fennmont to destroy the Lance of Kresnik?"

"Yes. When you consider that the Lance drained mana from the Four, along with the other people there…we can assume that the mana serves as some kind of fuel. The Lance must gather mana before it can be used as a weapon. I doubt it will be ready immediately. I suspect their mana gathering activities will continue." She deducted.

"Are you planning to go alone?" Jude sheepishly asked her as he looked down on the ground.

"Stop beating around the bush. If you want to tell me something, just say it." Milla scolded him.

"I want to know; how come you're so brave?" He shyly asked her. Milla smiled and crossed her arms at his inquiry.

"You've taken an interest in me, haven't you?" She asked him. Jude was taken aback and his face heated up as he blushed. Well, he would be lying if he said he's not interested in her. Milla is a beautiful young woman after all.

"Bravery. That's not really it." Milla answered him. "I have a task to perform. And I do whatever it takes to complete that task. It's that simple."

"But you're only human now. Isn't this mission to big for just one person? I mean, you could die!" Jude tried to reason with her. He wouldn't admit it now, but he was worried for her.

"That changes nothing. The task must be completed." She confidently answered.

"You really are brave." Was all Jude could say in admiration upon realizing that he had no room for argument.

"Any other questions?" She asked him. When he didn't answer, she continued. "Then let's go back."

As Milla walked away, Jude called for her.

"Hey!"

"Yes?"

"Can I come too? With you?" Jude asked her. It took Milla awhile before she responded.

"Your whole life was turned upside down because you got involved with me. Not just your life, but Chris' as well. You don't regret it?"

"Well, sure. A little bit. But it's too late to cry about it now. It's not like I can turn back time." Jude answered. "Now that I'm neck-deep in this. I want to help you. If I can."

Milla was shocked by Jude's determination yet she couldn't help but smile at it.

"You really are a do-gooder, aren't you?"

"Y-You think so?" Jude nervously asked her.

"I didn't stay behind at the shrine to rest; I was hoping to sneak off without dragging you or Chris into things again." Milla admitted to him.

"Really? I would rather Chris wouldn't get dragged into this, though." Jude said.

"Yes. Consideration for others was something I learned on our little journey together. It's not as easy as I thought. However, the decision to come with us is Chris' decision entirely. Anyway, let's head back to the village."

After a few minutes, Milla and Jude arrived back in Nia Khera. Alvin was sitting by the gate to the Spiritway with Chris.

"Took you long enough. We weren't expecting to see Milla with you." He said as he and Chris stood up.

"So, you've made up your mind." Alvin said as he approached them.

"Yeah. I'm going with Milla." The younger man answered.

"What?" Chris asked him.

"Whoa there, you're quite the flip-flopper, aren't you? I thought you regretted getting involved?" Alvin asked for clarification.

"True, but I've made my decision to help her and I'm sticking to it." Jude confidently stated.

"Well, look who's growing a spine." Chris said as she approached them.

"Chris, would you like to come with us? It's hard to imagine you'd want to be left here alone." Milla said. Chris contemplated for a moment before finding her answer.

"Sure, why not?" She said with a grin. "It'll be like an adventure."

Alvin turned away from them as he ran a hand through his hair and Milla approached him.

"Is that right?"

"Alvin, thanks for your help. Oh, I almost forgot. We still need to pay you." She said with a small smile.

"Ah yes. My fee." He said. "We ran into some hayseed earlier. He said he'd pay it."

"One of the villagers?"

"Yep. He was all 'Thank you for looking after Lord Maxwell' and 'You saved our spirit'." Alvin answered with a shrug.

"Hm…that sounds like the elder. He shouldn't have offered." Milla said in contemplation. "Alvin, I'll pay you myself."

"You need to learn to read your people, Milla. That old man was tickled pink to pay your debt. You'd crush him if you refused." He said as he crossed his arms.

"You think so?" Milla asked him.

"I know so. Anyway, he told me to wait here for him. But that was ages ago though. Not sure what's holding him up."

"He's still in the village, right?" Jude asked.

"Most likely. We should find him." Milla declared.

"Don't forget to take care of anything you want while I'm still around." Alvin told them. "Once I get my reward, I'm outta here."

"Yeah. Give me back my rings." Chris told him.

"Ah, yes. Here you go." Alvin said as he handed the gold and silver rings over to her. Chris immediately took her glove off and wore it.

"I'll be by the river if you guys need me." She said before walking away while Jude, Milla and Alvin looked for the village elder. Chris had other motives for staying here instead of going with them. Ever since they stepped out of the shrine, she's been getting this feeling that someone's been watching them. So far, she hasn't seen anyone or anything suspicious but better safe than sorry.

"Come on…who are you? What are you? Where are you?" She muttered to herself as she looked around. After a couple of minutes, she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Milla staring down at her. She tilted her head in a gesture saying that it was time for them to go. She stood up, followed them and together they left Nia Khera.

Unbeknownst to the Chris, Jude and Milla, someone has been watching them all along in a hill not too far from the village but far enough for this group not to be spotted by the locals.

"So, that woman is supposed to be Maxwell? And you claim she has lost her powers, Presa?" A man, who was obviously their leader, stated as he observed the group.

"Yes." The woman answered.

"If she's already hidden the key somewhere, we could have a problem." Another man who was clad in black, said.

"The fault is mine. I underestimated them. I apologize." Presa said.

"If I'd only known that woman was Maxwell, I would have forced her to reveal the key's whereabouts." Another man, the same one from Hamil, said with crossed arms.

"You two." The man in black said as he turned to Presa and the giant man. "You were both instructed to capture the Princess and return her when you find her and you didn't. Why is that?"

"Forgive me. I was occupied in driving the Rashugal soldiers away from Hamil." The giant man said.

"The girl managed to overpower me. I had to flee. Again, I apologize." Presa said, trying to hide the obvious lie.

"That is not an excuse." The man scolded them.

"That's enough. It is of no matter. Anyway, it is in our best interest to let her wander freely for now." The leader said as he looked on at the younger girl with Maxwell and the boy.

"Yes. Let her attract the attention of Rashugal while we quietly put all the pieces in place."

"Any word from Agria?" Their leader asked.

"She says they appear to have decided to construct a new key to replace the one they lost." Was the man's answer. "Also, she apologizes for any harm she caused the Princess. She didn't realize that she would side with them and put up a resistance."

"We cannot ignore that." He said as he slightly turned his head. The man in black nodded, knowing what it means.

"Jiao, you no longer need to watch over the girl. Join the search for the key." He ordered the giant man.

"But sir-"He tried to protest.

"If the Rashugal soldiers have withdrawn, you need not monitor her personally."

"It only makes sense for priorities to change; the data is safe after all." Presa said with crossed arms.

"As you say…" Jiao said in agreement.

"Presa, rendezvous with Agria and infiltrate Fennmont." The man in black ordered her.

"Oh, so it's truly safe to leave Maxwell alone?" She asked him.

"Yes. We still have another pawn in the board. I'll have him search for the key as well."

With their tasks decided, nothing more was said and they walked away from Nia Khera.

AN: Alright and Chapter IX is done. Sorry for the long wait but I have been busy for a couple of days and now I'm about to be late for my Asian History class so I'll have to cut this short. Please leave a review and your favorites. Thank you! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. Until next time!