Sorry guys this one is kind of a short chapter. It'll take me awhile to crank out the next one, so please be patient with me. I'll try to get it up as soon as possible, but for now please enjoy this chapter!

Stay cool and stay safe everyone!

Luna felt like her body was almost made up of ice, as the cold murky water splashed upwards with every step she took even though it was nearly up to her waist in this particular area. The feeling in her hands were practically gone, making it difficult to maintain a good grip on her sword. Staying close to her teammates, they carefully tread the dark, watery terrain with more caution than their previous expeditions.

This place, the Howling Pit, lived up to its name. The vast darkness that filled the area carried the screams and howls of every being that was trapped here. A watery grave for those foolish enough to underestimate this area. It was a place that if you found yourself trapped, you would go insane from the neverending yells and cries that would echo in your ears.

The lack of lighting was the biggest issue, even with the help of the flame markers it still wasn't enough to cover a decent portion of the area, but it did eliminate a majority of the mist. Even with the large hole above them filtering the light from the outside couldn't shine bright enough in the abyss of darkness that they found themselves in. Luna couldn't help but notice that the Lost down here had much different attributes than ones she had previously faced.

There were still hordes of poisonous sludge blobs that were easily hidden by the varying amounts of water, but also large insectoid beasts that could deal shock based attacks. Water and electricity were a terrible combination and this place was teaming with them. There were also more Stone Crushers in this area; large hideous deformed Lost that were bigger than a Raging Noble Woman that they had faced in the Depths a few days ago.

Everything about this area made Luna feel uneasy. They were at a major disadvantage in this area, even the layout of the area was confusing as they went in circles countless times. But despite everything, that was the least of Luna's worries at the moment.

Seeing a stone path, "There's a path we can take, let's hurry." He commanded, as Yakumo and Luna were right behind him. After they almost kissed, they practically avoided each other and had only very brief conversations for the last few days. Anytime she would attempt to bring it up, there was always something that would come up that would prevent the conversation from happening. To her it didn't feel like they were back to square one, but something much worse.

Stepping onto the dry solid path, they slowly walked up the winding path. Water dripping from their weapons and blood veils they cautiously examined the space, "Doesn't appear to be any Lost here." Luna said to herself, as they could see another large torch just a few feet away. Looking at her teammates it was obviously clear to her that the conditions in this area were taking a toll on both of them. Louis's flames didn't do nearly as much damage to the monsters here due to the water and the water and weight of Yakumo's weapon slowed him much more than she had originally anticipated. "Maybe this would be a good place for us to take a breather." She suggested.

"Good idea," Yakumo agreed as they walked towards the large broken pieces of concrete that served as a sort of barrier, hiding them from any enemies that could be closeby. It was small and there didn't appear to be anything of value, but right now it was their best place to rest after treading the musky infested waters.

Placing her weapon on the ground, she sat against one of the walls. Water from her bloodveil slowly pooled around her as she could feel the pricks of her body adjusting to no longer being immersed. With no mistle nearby, Luna sighed at not having the chance to remove her mask. They all sat in silence for a while, each of them still feeling the exhaustion riddling their bodies. Unable to bear the silence for a second longer, "I hate this place." Her voice breaking the dead silence.

"This place isn't very ideal for anyone, but we need to continue our search." Louis said, "I'm sure that the bloodspring is around here somewhere, hiding somewhere in this mist."

"I hope so," Luna spoke. "This terrain makes it difficult for us to walk, let alone fight." She told them, "If we stay in this place any longer I fear what else we might face in this place."

"What do you mean?" Yakumo asked.

Glancing above the barrier that protected them, "I'm not sure why, but I get this strange feeling that we're being watched. I know it's bizarre, but I feel like there's something or someone that's following us." Luna confessed. It made her feel uneasy, just the very thought that there was someone monitoring them and she was unable to see them.

"You too, huh?" She looked over at Yakumo. "I didn't want to say anything earlier, but I've been feeling the same thing. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw a few lanterns scattered about." He explained to his teammates, "Someone is definitely following us."

It was clear to all of them that besides from the Lost that they were not alone, Louis had a feeling that it was another Revenant that they were after the same thing that they were. "Even more reason for us to find the spring first, we should get going soon." He commanded.

Luna shook her head, she still needed more time to recover. The weight of her soaked bloodveil and weapon were nearly too much for her to handle for long periods of time. If they did encounter this thing that was following them, she feared how much use she would be in combat. Sensing her worry, Yakumo stood up; resting his weapon on his shoulder. "I know this might be a bad idea, but I'm going to scout out the area on my own. Maybe I can see if there was something that we missed." He told them.

"Wait a minute!" Luna stopped him before he could reach the ramp, "Are you crazy? This place is difficult to navigate, if you get lost there's a strong chance that it could be a while before you even find us." She tried to reason with him. This place wasn't an area that they could explore solo, it was far too risky.

Waving his head, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. I've been in way worse places before, besides you and Louis need to rest for a bit longer. It's obvious that you guys are still worn out, I won't be gone long. Once I get back we can continue." Yakumo tried to reassure them, but he could see that they were still against his decision. Shaking his head, "You guys still don't intend on letting me go out there, do you?"

"Like Luna said, it's not a smart idea, Yakumo. It would be better if we all stayed together," Louis voiced his opinion. Looking over at the torch, "The only thing that would help you return back to us is that, but like before the Lost are drawn to the flames. Meaning that if lit it and you left there's a good chance that Luna and I couldn be swarmed by any Lost closeby." He explained.

Digging into his pocket, "I see your point, but I still think it would be a good idea to take a look around. It would save us a lot of energy," pulling a small vile from his pocket. "So let's try this." Breaking the vile on the cement ground a small green orb of light illuminated around the broken glass. "It can only be seen at a certain angle, plus it'll be easy for me to spot when I come back. That way you two can rest and I can see what's around us." Winking at Luna, she raised her eyebrow at him.

Shaking his head, Louis knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere with Yakumo nor persuade him of his decision. "Fine, but if you run into trouble or happen to come across whatever has been following us, return back here at once." He ordered him.

Chuckling, Yakumo saluted him. "Yes, sir!" He sarcastically said, "I'll be back."

Walking towards Louis, "Are you sure it's a good idea to let him go?" She asked him as they watched him disappear into the mist. "If we were in any other area it would be a good idea to end a scout, but this…. This is crazy." Before Luna could take a step down the ramp, Louis placed his arm before her, stopping her.

"Let him go Luna, once Yakumo has decided something it's nearly impossible to change his mind." He told her, returning back to the space where he was previously resting. "For now, try to regain your strength. This might be our only chance if we happen to encounter some fierce opponents."

Crossing her arms, "You know why Yakumo did this…. You just don't want to admit it." She thought to herself, sitting back down by her weapon. Everyone in base was practically aware of what happened between the two of them, but no one said a thing. No one even commented on the distance that was created between the two of them after that. "He wants us to talk. Talk to each other, talk about what happened." She appreciated his efforts, but this wasn't the time nor the place for such a discussion.

"Why are you sitting so far away?" Louis asked her, noting the large gap between them.

Tucking a lock of her hair behind her ear, "I just thought it might be a good idea to have some space between us…. That's all." She quickly answered him, pulling her knees up to her chest. Her body shivered as she could feel her water soaked clothes sticking to her skin, making her even colder. She watched as Louis picked up his sword, making his way towards her. Carefully placing his blade on the ground he sat closely to her, as she could feel her face starting to blush.

"Why do you think that's a good idea?" He asked her. He could see her body trembling, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't cold either but given that she was much shorter than Yakumo and himself. Meaning she was exposed to more water than they were.

Shrugging her shoulders, "I mean…. After what happened the other day…. It didn't really seem like you wanted to be close to me after that, it felt like you wanted me to stay away from you." She honestly told him. "Louis, I know that-" she stopped, feeling Louis wrap his arm around her shoulders pulling her closer to him. Warmth washed over her, as she slowly began to stop shivering; Luna rested her head on his shoulder, "that we never really talked about this, but…. I-"

"I'm sorry." Louis apologized. He hated that he made her feel like she had to stay away from him, made her feel like she couldn't be near him. He pushed for it just as much as she did, but he never intended on making her feel how she just expressed now. He thought he could accept it, that he could accept Luna for how she was now; but part of him still strongly held onto the past of how they once were. "I'm sorry that I pushed you away, that I haven't really been myself since."

"You don't have to apologize, I just want to know what's going on. Louis, please…. Tell me." Luna nearly begged him. "But before you, just understand that I don't see you as just my leader or a dear friend. Louis, but something much more. I know things between us have been really rocky and I hate to admit that it was after our argument that I realized that I saw you more than just my teammate. I just want you to know that."

Taking a deep breath, Louis reached into his pocket. His fingers grasping the pendant he paused, "I never got the chance to give it to her, so it won't invoke any of her memories to return…. But if I tell her…. She might remember." He wanted to respect her wishes, to prevent any painful memories from returning; Louis knew that if he did say anything, he'd had to be careful. "I do understand Luna. I really do. I should have talked to you that day, but instead I didn't." He told her. "Luna…. If you really want to know I will tell you."

Nodding her head, "As long as you're ok telling me."

"I'll be honest with you Luna," Louis started, "in the amount of time that I've gotten to know you, you've become very special to me. You're strong, beautiful, and very intelligent. You're so determined and headstrong that I sometimes catch myself being entranced by everything that you do." He told her, his hand rubbing her shoulder. "It's because you're special to me, that I wanted to protect you badly back when we were in the Trenches; that'll never change regardless of where we go, the very idea of losing you terrifies me. I'd rather die than let anything happen to you."

Luna didn't know what to say, "Louis…." She whispered his name.

"But…." Louis closed his eyes, "after what happened the other day, that despite how I feel about you, that I feel like part of me isn't ready. I don't want you to give me everything, while I struggle to give you the affection and devotion that you deserve." He told her, "I can't move on from our past, I can't see you for who you are now. I can only see you as the Luna that I once knew."

Taken aback by his words, "What do you mean?" Luna questioned. Luna watched as Louis slowly pulled a silver chain and pendant from his pocket. Holding the necklace before her, she could see in the dim light the small diamond that adorned the center of the silver heart shaped pendant. Holding her hand out, Louis carefully placed it in the palm of her hand. He watched her as she admired the necklace, how her eyes sparkled as she examined it with the utmost care. "It's beautiful." Noticing the clasps, she wondered what was hiding inside.

"When I was still a human, there was someone who I cherished deeply in my heart." Louis hesitantly spoke.

"Was it Cruz?" She quietly asked. After seeing his memories, it wouldn't surprise her. They seemed awfully close, he was even granted permission to see her after she took part in Project Queen. Luna could remember how much Cruz smiled and laughed, seemingly overjoyed by his visits.

"No." Luna lightly gasped. "No. Cruz and I were close, but we were strictly friends. The woman I loved was even best friends with Cruz." Pausing, Louis realized that he might have said too much as he watched to see if it possibly affected Luna, but given the confused look on her face he felt a wave of relief wash over him. "Anyway, in a lot of ways you remind me of her."

Feeling her heart ache, Luna had to accept that she asked Louis to share this with her and she needed to understand. She could tell that this was something very difficult for him to talk about, as the pain filled look returned to his eyes. "Can you tell me more about her…. If it's not too painful?"

Taking hold of the necklace's chain, "She was enchanting and very brilliant. But there were many who spoke rather ill of her, but despite the rumors that surrounded her, Cruz trusted her and loved her dearly, like she was her sister. I won't lie, because of the rumors that were said about her being a temperamental and argumentative person I stayed away from her. I was surprised that Cruz would even associate herself with someone like her, to me they were day and night; complete opposites."

"People really didn't like her, huh?"

Shaking his head, "No. But Cruz knew that she and I would be taking similar classes when we were in University and thought it would be a good idea for us to meet since Cruz was her only friend. I was hesitant at first, but when I talked to her I realized that I was a fool to believe what was said about her." Feeling a tear fall from his eye, Louis leaned his head back onto the cement wall. "She was warm, compassionate, just overall remarkable. After our first encounter I found myself drawn to her, always wanting to be with her and her alone." He told her. "I did everything I could to keep her in my life, to cheer her up when she was sad. She was my moon, my sun, everything."

The way he spoke about her, Luna knew that the woman from his past meant more to him than she could've imagined. "Can I ask what happened to her?"

Gazing at Luna's face, "I don't really know what happened, when I awoke Operation Queenslayer had just come to an end." He answered her, "I was all alone when I woke up, but the first thing that came to my mind was what happened to her. There was no sign of her anywhere in the area that I woke up in and I feared what could've happened. Ever since then, I have spent every possible moment trying to find her. Even with my research to find the Source, I searched every area we went too, down to the last bit of rubble hoping to find something, anything that would give me a clue of what happened to her."

"So you don't even know if she was turned into a Revenant or if she was able to remain a human?"

"I checked every human shelter, but they all claimed to have never seen her. Whenever I found a place where other Revenants had been imprisoning humans, I never found a single trace of her." He explained, "Besides, if this fate befell me then I'm sure that it happened to her too. That she unfortunately didn't survive Cruz's rampage and was turned into a Revenant like you and I."

"I see." Luna muttered to herself, "Louis, I don't want to sound insensitive, but how do you know that this woman is still out there?" She inquired. From what he told her, he had been searching for her for a long time and she didn't know how many years it had been since Operation Queenslayer came to an end. "How long have you been looking?"

"It's been almost thirteen years…."

"Thirteen?" Luna mumbled. For thirteen years he had been searching, for thirteen long gruelling years trying to survive in their world he still continued his search for the woman he once loved. "What was her name?" She asked, realizing that he never mentioned her name.

"Her name?" Louis didn't know what to say, he couldn't just say her name. He had said too much.

Hearing the sounds of footsteps rushing towards them, they grabbed their swords as they were prepared for whatever was rushing up the ramp to their hiding spot. "Hey guys!" Yakumo signaled their attention as they both sighed, lowering their guard.

"Good timing." Louis thought to himself, knowing that Yakumo's appearance bought him some time. "Did you find anything?"

Nodding his head, "Yea, there's a path closeby that leads to a bloodspring. Looks like you were right about this place Louis." He confirmed their hopes, exhilaration in his eyes. "All we need is for Luna to do her magic and we can get out of here."

"Thank goodness, I'm so fucking sick of this place." Luna wanted to cheer. She wanted to get back to base and try to process what Louis had told her. "Let's hurry, the sooner we get out of here the better. I can't wait for a nice long soak in the hotspring."

Patting her back, "You're not getting first dibs this time." Yakumo jokingly told her as they walked down the ramp, re-entering the freezing water.

Shivering, "Excuse me, but who can restore bloodspring and mistles?" she asked him, following him towards the path that would lead them to their goal. "Who saved your ass earlier from that large insect Lost?"

"You might have killed that Lost and have those powers, but that doesn't earn you hotspring rights." He told her, lightly shoving her towards Louis. "Am I right, Louis?"

Shaking his head, "I'm not settling your guy's argument." He said to Yakumo, as they were quickly out of the water. "You guys can settle it when we get back to base."

"Whatever," he jested. "Anyway, there it is." Reaching their destination they could see that the bloodspring didn't look any different than the ones that they had previously encountered before. Dried without a single bloodbead gracing its withered branches.

"There's also a mistle," Luna pointed out, walking towards the husk of the plant. Running her hand across the sharpened blade of her crimson sword, her blood dripped onto the plant; revitalizing it to its former healthier state. Taking off her mask, Luna took a deep breath. The air around them was starting to clear up, making it much easier for her to breathe. Any sort of weariness or exhaustion that riddled her body was completely gone.

Taking off his mask, Yakumo shook his head. "I never get tired of seeing you do that," he told her. "Guess we didn't need that rest spot afterall."

Halfheartedly smiling, "No. We did."

Putting their masks back on, "Go ahead Luna." Louis motioned for her to revitalize the spring. Seeing the wound of her hand had slowly started to close, she spilled the little bit of blood that gathered in her palm onto the roots of the tree. The creaking wood sound grew louder as the white branches extended outwards, new blood beads beginning to form on its branches. "Alright, give me a moment to trace the spring's flow." He told them, as he spilled some of the fluid onto the roots.

The glowing line revealed it to be coming from the direction they had just come from, "Wait…. What's going on?"

"This doesn't make sense." Luna upsettingly said.

"We have to go back to the Old City Ruins." Louis spoke up, "There might be something we missed there." They all looked in disbelief at each other, as they slowly walked towards the mistle. "Let's head back to base, from there we can-" Sensing something closeby, Louis could see a figure moving from the corner of his eye heading towards Yakumo. "Watch out!"

Raising his sword, Yakumo noticed the presence too. Blocking the attack they could all see what they believed had been following them. Her bayonet being blocked by Yakumo's weapon, her long blond hair tied into curled pigtails; bangs resting just above her red eyes. The black bloodveil had the same spear-like design on the back just like Luna's meaning it was a Stinger. Continuing his motion, Yakumo propelled the woman away from them. Her black top like corset and purple skirt not showing a single scratch or drop of blood had stained them, or her matching colored knee highs.

The woman was quick to move as she charged directly towards Louis. Rushing in, Luna parried her attack as the girl distanced herself from the trio; pointing her weapon towards them. "She's fast." Luna said as they were all on high alert, even though she appeared to be alone Luna was more concerned about what this girl could really do. Seeing the tail starting to manifest, Luna quickly summoned her own Stinger as they clashed; the sound of metal colliding echoed in the darkness.

"Searching for blood beads on your own?" Yakumo questioned their opponent, "That's awfully risky, don't you think?"

"Listen. I'm sure none of us here want to fight, so just hand over your blood beads." The woman demanded. Her eyes turned to light green eyes.

"What if we don't want to?" Louis provoked.

Summoning her Stinger again, "Then I'll take them." She threatened. Luna was quick to mimic her moves, as they clashed once more. She knew that Louis and Yakumo were at a slight disadvantage with this type of Bloodveil, but with her it was even.

"I'd like to see you try." Luna challenged her. Holding her sword in front of her, like it was a shield. "You'll have to get through me first.

Seeing his chance, Yakumo rushed in towards the girl. "You're too slow!"Just as he was about to strike, something hit the large blade of his two handed sword. All eyes on the rock that tumbled onto the ground, turning their attention towards the individual that threw it, their eyes widened. Matching blonde hair and green eyes, the boy didn't appear to be older than ten years old. The heavy down purple jacket he wore was lined with a white fur like material, along with his dark boots; purple gloves covering his hands. The large brown and white furred hair covered his head, but what worried them most were the black veins that were apparent on his face. "A kid?"

Panting, "Get away from Mia!" He yelled at them.

Running toward the boy, "Nicola!" The woman known as Mia removed her mask, catching Nicola before he could collapse. "What are you doing out here?" She asked him.

"Because you-" Nicola couldn't finish his sentence as he began to violently cough.

Louis cautiously approached the two, "He's about to frenzy. That's why you're searching for blood beads, isn't it?"

Pulling Nicola closer to her, her Stinger bloodveil manifested behind her ready to strike Louis. "If you even lay a finger on him, I'll carve out your heart." Mia menacingly warned him. Gripping the hilt of her sword, Luna could see Louis signal for her to back down. She hesitantly obeyed his orders.

Putting his weapon down, Yakumo pulled one of the blood beads from its branches. Approaching Mia, "Here. Give it to him quickly." He told her, offering the blood bead to her.

Shocked by his actions, Mia called back her Stinger and quickly turned her attention to Nicola. Offering the blood bead to him, Nicola tried to push it away. "No. Mia you haven't had anything to drink." he told her.

A smile on her face, "Don't be silly, this is for you." she reassured him.

"If you really want, I can get you some more. That way you have something to tide you over for a while." Luna offered as she began to gather some more blood beads from the tree. Even though she was aware of the situation that many other Revenants faced due to the shortage of blood beads; she never would have imagined seeing someone like Nicola trying desperately to survive just like they were. "He's just a kid…. Why was he turned into a Revenant?"

Taking the mask off of his face, Nicola quickly consumed the contents of the bloodbead, but the marks of frenzy didn't disappear from his face. He was still panting as if he was in serious pain. "His symptoms aren't fading…. But why?" This was rather peculiar to Louis. Ordinarily when someone is in a position like Nicola, their symptoms fade after consuming just one blood bead.

"It's not enough." Mia quickly responded. "That's all. I just need to find more for him." Mia justified.

"Here." Luna handed her a few more blood beads. "Make sure you drink one too. I know you're concerned about him, but you need to worry about yourself as well." She reminded her.

Taking the blood beads, "Thank you. I really appreciate it." Helping Nicola stand on his feet.

"Whoa wait a second!" Yakumo could see Mia leading Nicola down a path they had yet to explore, "Going out on your own is crazy. We can help you guys, you don't have to fight on your own." He told them.

Facing them, "Thanks for your concern, but we'll be alright." She reassured him,"Come on, let's get going." Grabbing Nicola's hand as the trio watched as they began to vanish from their sight.

All three of them looked at each other, not saying a single word they all knew what the other was thinking. With the Lost all around them and Nicola's condition, it was clear that this place might prove difficult for them to manage. "So…. I don't think…." Yakumo spoke.

"We shouldn't leave them alone." Luna said, "We should try to talk some sense into her."

Nodding his head, "I agree, let's head after them." Louis agreed.

"My soak in the hotsprings can wait, but that boy…." Luna whispered. She still couldn't get over the state of frenzy he was in. The veins on his face looked much darker and thicker; it was like he was about to lose himself at any moment. "Something's definitely not right."

"Yeah, hopefully if we can convince them to come with us we can find a way to help that kid." Yakumo said to her.

Walking down the path, Luna could still feel the same presence that she did earlier. That same icy gazy watching them. "I thought that Mia was the person that was following us, but that feeling didn't leave me once even after she revealed herself." Stopping, Luna looked out in the distance and around her but still couldn't see anything. "Whatever this is, I have a really bad feeling about it."