JUST LOVE

Chapter Twenty Six

"He... he killed the Cardinal!" a woman in the crowd shrieked.

Gatta snapped his fingers and the two Cathedral Knights behind him drew their swords. "If you folks know what's good for you, I suggest you leave and get back to your houses. Being out here is not the safest thing to do in the world right now," he spat with venom in his voice.

It only took a few seconds for the townspeople to get out of the town square and hide in the safety of their homes. Only six individuals remained in the place.

Gatta narrowed his eyes at the young man that used to be his best friend. "Are you going to try and stop me Ryudo?"

"What are you up to?" Ryudo asked.

"I told you before, it's to purge Darkness from this world and to help the unfortunate," Gatta answered. "People are still plagued with misfortune Ryudo. Right now, there's people out there that are starving and suffering because they have no money or real possessions since they still haven't recovered from their losses from Valmar's attack and the more fortunate people won't help them either. We need to save these people. We need Granas back. Join me Ryudo. Together and with Granas, we can create a perfect and happy world."

"Sorry, but... your definition of 'perfect and happy world' doesn't quite match mine. Flowery meadows, fluffy bunnies, rainbows, and lollipops for everyone isn't my idea of a 'perfect and happy world'," Ryudo replied with a smirk.

"Fine," Gatta hissed. "Be one of the Dark Ones and get purified when a new Granas is born."

The Geohound arched an eyebrow. "Dark Ones? Excuse me, if anyone here is 'Dark', it's you. YOU just killed the Cardinal and imprisoned the people of St. Heim in some underground freak experiment lab!"

"Sacrifices must be made," Gatta reasoned.

"Then you and Granas are just as bad as Valmar was. What happened to you?" Ryudo reached for his pocket and took out a necklace. He showed it to Gatta. "Remember this? This was a token of your promise; your promise to become a better and honourable swordsman. I don't see you fulfilling that promise anytime soon."

"Hmph..." Gatta scoffed and sheathed his sword. He turned around and whistled. A White Dragon appeared in the middle of the sky and landed right in front of him. "I've got things to do. I'll see you and your friends soon." He then mounted the dragon and took off.

"HEY! Get back here!" Ryudo exclaimed.

"Umm... Ryudo..." Skye interrupted and flew off from Ryudo's shoulder. "We've got bigger problems."

The two Cathedral Knights' eyes glowed in red and started to slowly advance forward.

Ryudo took out the Granasaber Sword. "Damn it!"

"There's Cathedral Knights stationed around the town so we should split up and take them all out," Melfice suggested.

"Do not forget to take blood samples," Tio reminded everyone.

"Thought you'd never say that," Millenia squealed.

"I will go fight the Cathedral Knights at the main gates so I could retrieve the ship," Roan said.

"I will assist you," Tio offered to the Young King.

"I'll be at the hospital," Lance told everyone and left.

Ryudo assumed his fighting stance as the Knights were only a few feet away from them. "I'll stay here and take care of these two."

"I guess that leaves the school to the two of us," Melfice informed Millenia.

"Yay," Millenia grumbled.

Ryudo charged at one of the Knights with his sword held high by both hands. "GO! NOW!" The Geohound brought his sword down but the Knight blocked it with its own blade. "Remember... just stop them, don't kill them..."

"Right," the others nodded and ran off.

Ryudo backed away a bit to formulate a strategy of some sort. "Damn it! If I was fighting to kill, these guys won't last for damn ten minutes! How am I suppose to stop these guys without having to seriously hurt them?"

The first Cathedral Knight brought its right arm forward for a quick poke but the Geohound side stepped it quickly. The second Knight made a diagonal slash, aimed at its opponent's chest.

With a grunt, Ryudo blocked the attack with the Granasaber and kicked off the over sized Holy soldier. He then rolled backwards just in time to avoid the next assault from the first Knight. Ryudo quickly got up and hissed, "I need to get rid of those weapons..." The Geohound put an arm forward to charge up for a magic spell. "Spiral winds... tear them up!"

Several yellow, energy rings appeared above the Cathedral Knights. The energy rings dove at the targets and knocked away their heavy swords.

The Knights winced and clutched their hands as if they felt like they were pricked by thorns.

"You liked that? There's plenty more from where that came from," Ryudo taunted and ran down the block.

The two Knights growled in irritation and went after the Geohound.

"That's right follow Ryudo," Skye chuckled as he hovered around in the air like a vulture that waited for the perfect chance to eat a rotten carcass. The eagle swooped down and grabbed one of the Knight's sword by the handle with his powerful talons when the enemies were nowhere in sight. He then dragged it away to hide it somewhere should the Knights come back for their weapons when they had realized that they went after Ryudo unarmed. "This should give Ryudo an edge over them."

Ryudo stopped running and turned around. "Here they come," he told himself as the Cathedral Knights caught up to him. The Geohound darted forward and prepared to strike down one of the Knights.

The Knights took a defensive position but then noticed something; they did not have any weapons to defend with. The Knights looked at each other, shrugged, and then Ryudo.

"They didn't even notice their swords were gone..." Ryudo struck the first Knight's arm. The tip of the Granasaber Sword cut into the Knight's armour and blue blood started to ooze out from it. "There's our blood sample. Now I just need to keep them still to get it." The Geohound retreated and began to summon a magic spell. He raised his right arm in the air and shouted, "Feel the wrath of the sky!!"

Purple balls of lightning formed behind Ryudo. The balls of lightning flew towards the Knights and circled around their targets to form a huge, electric purple dome. The Knights were trapped inside the dome while shocked by lightning. After awhile, the dome vanished and left the Knights paralyzed.

Ryudo took out a vial from his pocket and strode towards the Knights. Carefully, he placed the vial under the wound he made and started to collect the blood. "I wonder what Tio wants with this stuff? Whatever it is, it better work."

The Knights struggled to flee but their bodies just did not respond. Frustrated, they let out an inhuman call.

Ryudo stepped back and put the blood sample away. "Whoa... what are they doing?"

A White Dragon appeared out of the sky and grabbed the Knights with its massive, clawed feet. The dragon let out a wail and flew towards the horizon.

The Geohound watched the winged lizard escape with the Knights. "I wonder if they'll ever be back to normal soon."

***

"AAAHHH!! HEELLLPPP!!!"

Innocent civilians burst out of the Liligue Inn and General Store and ran away like rabbits as the Cathedral Knights arrived to claim their lives. Most of the people got away except for one unfortunate, elderly man. The Granas Knight's big, heavy sword cleaved his body in half before he could escape.

"There!" Tio pointed at their targets as they arrived on the scene.

Roan's eyes fell upon the old man or what used to be him and his face contorted into a look of disgust. "How could the Church of Granas gain the people's faith if they massacre them?"

"The Cardinal is dead. Gatta ordered them to do this. The Granas Cathedral is not responsible for this anymore," Tio supplied.

"You are right," the Young King agreed and unsheathed the Gladius. "Now let us get that blood sample you need."

"There is four of them," the Automata stated.

"Does that make it an unfair fight?" Roan grinned.

"Not at all," Tio replied with a smile and took out the Angel Circle. "Lotus Flower... bloom!" she said as she threw a big, pink, flower like projectile at a Cathedral Knight. The attack knocked the Knight's sword away from its hand and the Lotus Flower returned to Tio like a boomerang. Quickly, Tio rushed forward and jabbed the Holy soldier's stomach twice with her right blade ring. To finish her combo off, she spun around to gain some momentum and struck the Knight's chest with the left Angel Circle. With her opponent stunned for a bit, Tio used this chance to run to the other side of the street. Out numbered, the odds were against her and Roan so hit and run was the best strategy for the moment.

Roan side stepped to his left as a Cathedral Knight thrust its weapon forward with its right arm. The Young King countered with a horizontal slash that cut the Knight's right shoulder before it could recover from its attack. The Knight then dropped its big sword and clutched the wound with its left arm.

"Roan behind you!" Tio warned.

Roan turned around just in time to see another Knight raise its blade above its head with both hands to cut him down. Roan brought his right arm up and blocked the blow with the Gladius. "He is too strong..." he grunted as the tip of the Cathedral Knight's sword came closer and closer to his face with each passing second. Finally, the Young King let go of the Gladius and rolled away. Roan then stood up, ran towards the gate, and lowered his gaze down to the ground to see his Gladius break in half when the weight of the Cathedral Knight's sword crushed it against the ground. "Oh no, my knife!! That was a family heirloom!"

Tio was about to regroup with Roan but a Cathedral Knight barred her path. Before she could attack with her blade rings, another Knight appeared to her side and slapped her weapons away. The Knight let out a smug, inhuman grunt and stomped on the Angel Circle with its mighty foot, shattering them. A third Knight sneaked up behind Tio and punched her on the back. The Automata cried out in pain and slumped forward on her knees.

"TIO!!" Roan put both of his arms in the air and charged up for a Gravity spell. In a matter of seconds, blue rays of light gathered into an energy ball in mid air at the opposite side of the street. A yellow pentagram with the zodiac symbols then formed on the ground. The blue energy ball glowed and dragged the Cathedral Knights towards the center of the yellow pentagram like a magnet that attracted paper clips. The Cathedral Knights found themselves unable to move as the blue energy ball caged them in green, energy rings.

"That spell will not hold them for very long." Roan raised both of his arms in the air again and a giant snowball materialized on his palms. "Expect an early winter, with lot's of snow!" he taunted and threw the snowball at the enemies just when the magic of Gravity wore off.

The Cathedral Knights were rendered trapped in the snowball. They tried to wiggle their way out of it but to no avail.

Tio got up from the ground as Roan went up to the Cathedral Knights to examine them. The Automata strode towards him and stood next to him. "Thank you for the save Roan."

"You are welcome," Roan nodded in response and found the Cathedral Knight that got its shoulder cut. "Do you have that vial?"

"Yes." Tio produced the desired object and handed it to the blonde.

"Thank you." Roan stepped up to the Knight and collected the blue blood that oozed out from the Granas soldier's shoulder. "We finally have our blood sample," he announced and put the vial in his pocket.

The duo then backed away as they heard an angry screech from the sky. They looked up and saw two White Dragons. One of the winged lizards opened its mouth and shot a blast of light blue flame at the Cathedral Knights. The flame melted the snowball and freed the Knights. Roan and Tio took defensive stances for another round of battle but the White Dragons snatched the Knights with their clawed feet and flew them away to safety.

"They are retreating?" Roan frowned.

"Threat eliminated," Tio said. "We should go back to the Granasaber Ship and fetch the others now that we have the blood sample."

"Right," Roan agreed and the two headed back to the ship.

***

Lance ran towards the hospital as fast as he could. Before long, he reached the place but three Cathedral Knights guarded the entrance. With rage and hate plastered on his face, he crossed his arms over his chest and waited for his foes to come to him. "I don't care what Ryudo says. These monsters killed my Clan and they're responsible for Rhea's condition. Now, they've come here to take away Rhea from me too. I won't let that happen. I won't let Death steal anything away that's mine. I'll make it quick for them," he thought angrily.

Lance bent down to his waist and let his black leather trench coat materialize into a pair of black demon wings on his back. The Ninja raised both hands above his head and shot several fireballs into the air. The fireballs flew high in the sky and then stopped. The fireballs took the shape of shurikens and started to spin real quick. "You're one step closer to Hell!" Lance brought his hands down to command the fire shurikens to rain on the Cathedral Knights. "Dark Apocalypse!"

The Knights went into defensive stances and allowed the assault to bombard them as there was no way to avoid it. The Granas soldiers' resilience soon withered as they could take no more from the attack and collapsed on the ground.

"It didn't finish them off... These guys had gotten stronger." The Ninja let his black wings shape shift back into his trench coat and ran towards the entrance. "I have to get Rhea and Konril out of there."

When Lance burst through the doors, he noticed that there was not a single person in sight. "Everyone probably ran away when they saw the Cathedral Knights and left the patients all alone. Hmph, some hospital this is..." The Flame Shinobi ran across a hall and took a set of stairs to get to Rhea's room. After the last step, he made a right turn and went in the first room.

Lance was greeted by Konril as soon as he came in. The Carro climbed on his right shoulder and nuzzled his cheek. "Hey Konril. Thanks for staying and watching over Rhea." The Ninja then immediately dashed to Rhea's side and took off every single wire and gadget that were attached to her arm. Gently, he lifted Rhea off the bed and carried her still form in his arms. "Let's get the hell out of here."

Konril made a cute little noise of approval.

The Ninja kicked the door open and went back to the entrance. As soon as he stepped out of the hospital, the three Cathedral Knights that he knocked out earlier were back, conscious, and ready to fight again. "Bloody Hell no..." he cursed to himself.

The Knights drew out their swords and started to advance on the Ninja.

Lance knelt down and set Rhea back on the ground. "Konril, look after Rhea while I clear out the... obstacles in our path."

The Carro nodded and jumped off Lance's shoulder.

"Good." The Ninja turned around and unsheathed the Falchion. He held his katana's handle tightly as rage and hatred coursed through his veins. He raised the Falchion straight above him into the air with both hands. The Falchion's blade glowed with a blue aura and the Ninja then slashed downwards. "Get ready! Dark Slash!" As he swept it downwards, the katana's blade shot several dark blue, crescent projectiles at his opponents.

The attack knocked the Cathedral Knights off the ground and fell on their backs. Before they had a chance to recover, Lance casted a Tremor spell. "The Earth cries out to smash all!" The blow from the magic spell sent the Knights flying into different directions. The Ninja walked towards the Knight that landed near a trash can with murder in his ruby red eyes. He towered over his opponent and prepared to plunge his katana deep in the Knight's heart. "I'll take your heart away, as your kind have taken mine," he growled.

Before he could finish the enemy off, an image of Elena smiling, that warm, kind, gentle, and innocent smile, flashed through his head. He stopped and put his katana away. "Elena wouldn't want this... she wouldn't be proud of this... The Cathedral Knights are as much of a victim as I was." Lance watched the Cathedral Knight get up and run towards its allies. A White Dragon then came and landed next to the Knights. The Knights abruptly climbed on the dragon's back and held on tightly as the dragon took off. "They're not the enemy."

Lance then heard a familiar voice moan out softly. His ruby red eyes widened a bit at that. "Rhea?" He turned around and saw Rhea stir in her sleep. He raced to her side and knelt down next to her on one knee.

Rhea's eyes opened slowly and groaned groggily. The only thing she could see were blurs of colours and distorted shapes. She then shook her head and rubbed her eyes a bit. Her vision became clearer and saw Lance and Konril gazing at her curiously. "Lance? Oh Lance!!" she exclaimed. She sat up and threw herself at him though she almost knocked him off balance in the process.

"Rhea..." The Ninja stood up and sighed heavily.

Rhea got up as well. She wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face on his chest as if she did not want to let him go. The last thing she remembered was getting attacked by the Cathedral Knights and dying in Lance's arms. She feared that everything was a dream and as soon as she let go, Lance would disappear and never come back. "Oh Lance, the Cathedral Knights attacked Minalin... they killed everyone... I thought I lost you and never see you again... I'm glad you're here," she sobbed with tears in her obsidian black eyes.

Lance's arms hung limp on his sides. One of the moments he had been waiting for finally happened. Rhea was back but he felt... empty. He loved her more than anything and had waited a long time for this. Everyday and night he always hoped that she would wake up from her coma. His hopes had now become part of reality but why? Was he not suppose to be excited and happy? No, he just felt empty, he felt nothing. There was nothing but a deep, black void in his chest instead of a certain cardiac muscle beating rapidly.

Rhea managed to control her tears and finally noticed that buildings stood around them. "This is not Minalin... then everything is real. Lance, where are we? How did we end up here?" She looked at herself and saw that she wore a hospital gown. "Why am I wearing these clothes? Lance?" She looked up to him and began to feel uncomfortable. She always did when he got all quiet and even more so when he wore his mask. It felt like she was alone and he was not real or did not exist. She pulled down his mask so he would look a little bit less menacing or cold. "Lance? What's wrong?"

". . . . . ."

"Answer me, I hate it when you're like this." She gazed into his ruby red eyes and saw nothing. They were empty, void of any feelings or emotions. His eyes looked like they were that of a corpse. They were dead.

"I'm sorry..." Lance uttered in his deep, cold, monotone voice which was equally dead and relinquished himself from Rhea's touch.

"Lance? What... what do... you mean?" she stuttered, confused.

The Ninja shook his head slowly and then put his mask back on. "I'm sorry... I can't do this anymore." He turned around to leave but Rhea grabbed his arm.

"You... you're leaving me? No..." Right at that moment, her world crashed. It felt like everything shattered like glass and every sharp, pointy piece shot through her aching heart. "Why? Please... please don't go..."

Lance snatched his arm away and gave her a serious. "The Lance you knew is dead. Forget about me." The Ninja sighed and started to leave.

"NOOO!!!" Rhea screamed and sank on the ground. "Lance, come back!!" She put her hands on her broken heart as torrents of tears flowed out of her obsidian black eyes while choked sobs escaped her lips.

Konril ran up to Rhea and sat next to her. It frowned and wondered why Lance left.

"Forgive me Rhea... I'm a dead man now... you deserve better," Lance thought while he kept on walking.

Rhea hugged herself as her body trembled and shook with each sob. "Lance... don't leave me. Please, come back..."

***

Melfice and Millenia walked down a road, headed towards the Liligue's elementary school. Melfice watched Millenia stride ahead of him and arched an eyebrow. The red head had been awfully quiet which was very un-Millenia like. The silence between them felt awkward and uncomfortable. He wondered what was up with her but hesitated as he knew that he would get somewhat emotional which meant certain death. His mind, his soul, and his heart had to be clear and focused for the upcoming battle for him to do his best. He could not let his emotions get in his way.

But still... he wanted to comfort her if there was a problem as she would do the same in return. He had to admit that he liked their conversations. He felt all warm inside as if his heart melted. He did not feel so lonely and it made living easier because Millenia shared his pain and understood him. It pained him to see Millenia get upset because...

"I love her," Melfice thought. He denied it to himself for a while but, yes, he did love her. He wondered how she would react if he told her but he would not. He was afraid... afraid to love because he feared himself. What if he was a freak experiment like the Cathedral Knights and was somehow manipulated by the enemy? He would end up killing Millenia and the others, people he cared about. He could not bear to live with that. Besides, Millenia deserved better. She was a Goddess and a Demon Man would be unfit for her.

Millenia finally decided to say something as they reached the school. "We're here but Cathedral Knights have surrounded the place. There's probably eight of them."

Melfice snapped out of his thoughts. "How are we going to get inside?"

The red head smiled wickedly. "I say we go up to them and attack head on. It'll be more fun and chaotic."

"No... we need to try a different approach."

Millenia put her hands on her hips and looked impatient. "Like what?! Well, hurry up and think of something because I'm getting antsy!"

"Hmm..." Melfice looked up and pointed at the school. "There's a balcony up there. Can you fly us there? We should enter the school and make sure everyone in it is okay and then we can attack."

"Hmph... I still say it would be fun to attack them now... but as you wish." Millenia bent down to her waist and sprouted a pair of black demon wings on her back, giving Melfice a good view of her rear. The red head then went behind the blue haired man and wrapped her arms around his chest. With a mighty flap, she took to the air and flew high enough so the Cathedral Knights below would not spot her. Millenia sailed across the air effortlessly and soon reached the balcony. She set Melfice on the floor gently, landed next to him, and retracted her wings. "Let's do this." She then opened the door and entered the school with Melfice not far behind.

The two took a set of stairs and Millenia opened another door when they reached a lower level. Millenia entered the room first and saw everyone huddled in a corner; children, teachers, custodians, and the principal. The room used to be the place where masses were held back in the days when the school was a church and the principal was the priest that ran it.

"Miss Millenia!!" the children squealed happily.

"Everyone okay?" Millenia asked.

Melfice then entered the room.

The priest or principal rather, noticed that Melfice looked awfully familiar. The silver armour, the red cape, and the blue hair; he was sure that he had seen or read those descriptions and details somewhere. "Of course!" The principal pointed a shaking finger at Melfice. "Millenia!! Behind you, it's the Demon Man!!" he exclaimed.

Melfice cringed at that and turned his gaze somewhere else. The statement was an ice cold dagger right through his heart.

"Cool it, he's with me," Millenia scoffed. "We're here to help."

"What... what?" the principal balked. "The stories about the Demon Man were probably nothing but rumours," he told himself mentally.

"Since everyone's fine and all, leave this place when we give out the signal," Millenia instructed.

"What signal?" the teachers asked.

Millenia grinned devilishly. "Oh, that's when we say 'go and run'. Simple enough?"

Everyone nodded.

"Good." Millenia took out the Black Angel Bow and turned to Melfice. "Ready to rock? As you know, we're out numbered so it's a losing battle. You up for this?"

Melfice unsheathed the Cardinal Blade. "Of course," he answered and gave her a charming smile. "And don't worry about a thing, you got Garlan's best swordsman with you."

"Hmph..." Millenia was a bit irritated. Her chaotic behaviour always bothered Ryudo and she enjoyed it but Melfice, he was always so confident and that bugged her. "Prepare yourself." Millenia hurled a Burn! spell at the door and it exploded to bits.

In a matter of seconds, eight Cathedral Knights entered the room and blocked the only way out.

"I think you just made things worse..." one of the custodians stammered.

Millenia ignored the comment. She kissed her finger tips and waved her right hand at the enemies. "PISS OFF!! Taint of Wind!!" A red, spherical barrier encased Millenia for a while. The shield then dissipated and a red, powerful gust of wind blew the Knights out of the room. "Run! Go!!" she yelled at the civilians.

They remained still.

She gave them an impatient glare. "THAT would be signal."

The people stood up and made a mad dash out of the school in a few moments.

Melfice and Millenia then exited the school to face the Cathedral Knights. The Knights had recovered from Millenia's Taint of Wind and drew out their swords. Millenia put an arm forward and casted a Burn! spell at a Granas Knight. "Is it just me or is it a little warm?!" she taunted.

Melfice charged at a Knight and thrusted his sword forward but the attack was deflected by his opponent's blade. He then jumped five feet from the ground and held his sword above his head. "Taste my cold blade!! Hell Cry Slash!" Melfice brought his sword down on his descent but the enemy blocked it yet again. The blue haired man gritted his teeth and forced all of his strength into his sword to break the enemy's defence.

The Cathedral Knight's sword's blade started to crack from the pressure and soon shattered. With the enemy's weapon destroyed, Melfice prepared for another attack but a Knight came up to him from the side. The Knight grabbed him by the throat and punched him on the side of his face. Melfice flew towards a wall and spat out some blood as his back slammed against it, hard. He got up but staggered a bit.

Millenia backed away from her opponents and casted a Healer on Melfice when she saw him take the hit. "Come on, go nuts out there!!" she encouraged.

Melfice found himself bathed in a blue light and the pain on his back and face vanished all of a sudden. He then raised one arm in the air and summoned a Quake spell at the four Knights that started to advance on him. "I'll pound you to a pulp!" The attack knocked the targets off the ground but soon stood up again.

"Grr... If I fought to kill, I would've been done a long time ago," the blue haired man snarled to himself. Melfice held the Cardinal Blade in the air with both hands. "HAA!!!" He then brought the sword down to the ground. "Demon Horde Slash!!!" A huge, crest of blue swords formed on the ground and the crest released destructive energy. He then followed the attack up with a BOOM! spell. "I'll show you the dangers of your inexperience!!" A pillar of yellow light formed into an energy ball right in front of the Cathedral Knights. The energy ball made a ticking noise, convulsed a bit, exploded, and sent the Cathedral Knights flying to the other end of the battleground. "Finally... they're knocked out," Melfice told himself smugly as his enemies did not get up again.

"Hey Melfice!! I need some help here!!" Millenia yelled.

Melfice turned around just in time to see Millenia get cornered by the four remaining Granas soldiers. One of the Knights kicked her on the stomach and another one elbowed her on the back. "Millenia, I'm coming!"

That just did it. At that last blow, Millenia's last thread of sanity snapped. She decided she had enough and would not hold back anymore. The red head's face contorted into a look of pure malice and grinned a murderous grin. She bent down to her waist and sprouted her black demon wings. "DON'T MESS WITH ME!!!" she screamed in anguish as she levitated from the ground.

"This is my way of thanking you." She stretched out both of her arms and brought them backwards. A purple, energy ball formed on each of her palms. She then swung both of her arms forward and threw the energy balls at the enemy. There was a big explosion as the attack met its targets. Inside the cloud of smoke that the explosion just created, the Knights staggered a bit in pain.

"Chew on this, baby!" Millenia taunted and used Starving Tongue. As soon as the smoke and dust cleared, the Cathedral Knights found themselves in a different place or perhaps dimension. It looked liked they were in space where it seemed like they floated and stood on nothing and their surroundings appeared endless. However, there was one difference, a big difference; their world was yellow and it was veiny as if they were inside something. The Knights then looked up and saw a huge, round creature with a big mouth and tentacles. The creature opened its mouth and sucked the life force, in the form of blue light energy, out of its targets and chewed. The creature then drooled a bit and the world returned back to normal. The drop of saliva from the creature transformed into blue energy dust that bathed Millenia to replenish her strength.

Millenia landed on the ground and retracted her wings. "Off you go to the Crematorium!" she said as she charged up for a Burnflame to finish them off but Melfice stopped her.

"Millenia, no!! You can't kill them!!" Melfice scolded.

"Back off, I'm doing us a favour!!" Millenia hissed.

Melfice grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her to look up to him. "Get a hold of yourself!! They're just mindless puppets, they don't know what they're doing!! These Cathedral Knights they... they could be my fellow villagers..."

Millenia's rage subsided and looked away. "I got out of control," she whispered to herself as she looked at the Cathedral Knights. They looked really beaten up and just lay there on the ground while their fingers twitched from the torture they just went through. Millenia released herself from Melfice's hold as she heard a roar from the sky. Four White Dragons circled around in the air and then dove at the fallen Cathedral Knights. They picked up their defeated allies with their clawed feet and headed towards the horizon. "Hey wait!! We still need your blood!!" she called out. "This is boring," she snorted as the dragons were out of sight.

"Thanks Millenia," Melfice smiled.

"Don't worry about it," Millenia replied roughly.

"Miss Millenia!! You did it!!" a group of children cheered as they rushed out of their hiding places. They ran up to the two and stood in front of them with wide eyed admiration. "You saved us!! You kicked their butts!!!"

"Of course, no one messes with my students and gets away with it," Millenia assured.

The principal and the other adults joined the children. "You really are something Millenia," the principal commented.

"Oooh, I can smell another Teacher of the Year Award coming up!!" Millenia giggled with delight mentally.

The principal turned to Melfice. "And thank you young man for helping Millenia. I was wrong about you. I apologize for calling you a Demon Man. Those stories I heard were probably nothing but false tales."

Melfice made a curt nod. "It was nothing."

"You're cool!! I like the moves you just pulled off!! When I grow up, I want to be just like you," a little boy told Melfice.

"Thanks... I know you will," Melfice chuckled. A wide load of weight was lifted from the Garlan swordsman's shoulders. The guilt and the pain that plagued his heart shrunk and all it took was to save a school. Words could not express how wonderful he felt on the inside. He had redeemed himself to these people. In their eyes, he was not the Demon Man, bringer of Ruination, but a hero.