Disclaimer: I don't own any of the main characters (except for one or two) since the rights to Tales of Zestiria belong to Bandai Namco and NOT me.

Wishes and Malevolence

Sorey found himself in some sort of peaceful landscape.

There was some craggy cliff sides, low ocean tide came rolling some minuet waves into the rocky shores, there was a gentle yet warm and pleasant breeze, there were rows upon rows of long and luscious blades of tall grass, the odd tree sprouted right out of the ground and provided shelter from the beaming sun.

The warm summer sun hung overhead like a light and there was naught but bright sapphire blue skies without a single puff of cloud drifting by while a gentle breeze rustled his dark brown locks of hair and caused his feather earrings to blow forwards.

He didn't know where he was.

What he could remember was dragging both himself and Prince Zenrey, Alisha's son, into some town ruins just outside of Ladylake to not only evade some monstrous Hellions who had ambushed them but to also tend to his wounds. He managed to dress Zen's wounds but then kept a vigil over him while hoping that his adopted brother would return, trying to ignore the worry he felt over his adopted brother being gone for so long.

That's the last thing he recalled before everything went hazy and he blacked out.

…Wait a second.

Could this have meant that he was dreaming right now?

Just how did he get to an odd place like this anyway?

The current shepherd then looked ahead and noticed something he hadn't seen before.

There was a figure stood at the peak, their back turned to face him.

It was difficult to make them out —whoever they were….

It was difficult…but Sorey had a nagging feeling niggling in his brain in an attempt to make him remember who it was even though he had another feeling telling him he hadn't even met them before. Who could it be? Well he could make out that they were wearing black but tattered robes, they had ghostly pale skin, he could also see that they had long dark hair that was so long that the length reached passed her hips.

Sorey squinted his eyes to try and make the figure out but the need to do so became lesser and lesser until the person came into near perfect view.

It was then that the figure turning around and it only took Sorey locking his gaze upon a pair of golden eyes that he finally realised whom this was and his heart skipped a beat as he was hit by this sense of nostalgia despite never physically meeting this person in the flesh.

He struggled with uttering the figure's name as his mind became a mess of chaotic confusion.

"Velvet Crowe..."

How was this possible?

This had to be a dream!

He remembered seeing a picture of her face depicted in the Celestial journal and there was a fairly large section that spoke of her 'less-than-noble' actions within the book. He hadn't expected to see her here of all places, in these peaceful plains which apparently occupied only the two of them. At least that's how it had appeared after taking a second survey of his surroundings and seeing nobody except the woman stood in front of him.

Sorey remembered when Mao had mentioned her before...

Velvet smiled and bowed her head at the young man stood before her.

"It is nice to make your acquaintance at last, sir shepherd."

Sorey was flabbergasted.

"….Y-You know who I am?" He asked, stupefied.

Velvet nodded her head at him in response.

"Of course. You are Shepherd Sorey, the most recent in a long line of Shepherds and the one who defeated my replacement. You have only just returned after a prolonged period of time which you spent ridding my dearest friend of his malevolence."

Sorey swallowed which was preceded by gulping nervously, attempting to loosen his tightened throat, and then nodded to confirm that Velvet was correct. He didn't know how she knew who he was or how she was even speaking to her right this second if she was supposed to be sealed away somewhere? But he decided not to question that right now since he knew that they were more pressing matters to discuss, he could feel it.

"H-How…?"

In spite of the vague question, Velvet answered anyway.

"Since you linked with Laphi..." She trailed off when she realised that she ought to call him his other name and amended her statement to do so "….With Maotelus, that made it possible to contact me; while I may be sealed away alongside Inominat, that doesn't mean that I am dead nor does it mean I am alive."

Sorey looked down and nodded, unsure of how to take this new information but he supposed that this made sense.

Velvet had become a strange entity nobody could understand through all these years and, like ocean tides crashing into and eroding a cliff side, tales of her legend had dwindled into vagueness so not everyone knew of how she struggled and how she became the original "Lord of calamity" to begin with. All anyone knew of her was that she attacked villages and threatened to eat anyone in her path instead of her reasonings behind those acts.

The only reason the shepherd himself knew of what truly happened was when Mao had explained it all during his time purifying the huge white dragon of light.

Velvet lowered her head a bit, sighed, and proceeded to turn around and then sat down on the luscious, grass-covered ground with her legs folded beneath her while she stared out towards the horizon so she could watch the calm ocean waves afar. It was after she got comfortable where she sat that she patted a spot on the ground next to her, signalling for Sorey to sit down alongside her.

Sorey did so and sat next to the former Lord of calamity, the two taking shelter beneath a huge apple tree.

Velvet then proceeded to violently whack the tree trunk with her demon-eating hand, causing a single apple to dislodge from its twig, snap off and then the former lord of calamity caught the Apple in her hand and offered it to the shepherd.

"Here."

Sorey gave a grateful nod and accepted the Apple before taking a single bite from it.

As he chewed on the fruit he had been given, the juice began to fill his mouth and he grinned his teeth against the rough pulpy mush until all the flavour had drained from the and then he swallowed it. Whenever he did chew, though, his jaw movements were slow and uneasy as he watched the serene sight of the ocean waves rolling and lapping against themselves. He could tell that she had probably sensed his unease and tried to calm his nerves.

He wasn't entirely sure what to make of it but he appreciated the effort that the former "Lord of calamity" was going through just to try and ease his anxieties a tad.

Then Sorey happened upon a thought.

"Wait. If you could see Mao, a seraph or malak….did that mean you had the power of resonance?"

Velvet cocked her head to one side, her face full of confusion.

"Resonance?"

"The ability to see and hear seraphim...or malakim, I understand they were called that 100 years ago."

"Actually, back then, everyone could see them."

Sorey's mind exploded when he heard that and he was left reeling.

100 years ago….everyone could see….Seraphim!? So it WAS possible to achieve his dream of Seraphs and humans living in harmony! He felt as his heart did black-flips of complete joy when he heard that it might just be possible to realise his dream!

"R-Really?! So it's possible then!"

"Yes but I'm afraid that was because Artorious, one of your predecessors, had performed a certain ritual three years prior to the beginning of my journey, known as the Advent, which resulted in us humans gaining the power to see malakhim."

Sorey's joy sank a bit when he noted the solemn and hopeless tone that suddenly interlaced with Velvet's words.

"So do we need to perform the ritual? Is it that simple?"

Velvet's face hardened and her eyes narrowed into a stern scowl, her jaw setting.

Sorey recoiled when he saw her face darken and he immediately felt shock hit him full force, like a vicious tidal wave. He could see that his questioning about bringing about the Advent had really ruffled her feathers and she had the look of someone whom could attack should she be riled up too much, even if she is out of action and had been over the centuries that had passed.

"No...I'd forbid you to do that. You see, for the ritual to occur to begin with, my poor baby brother was the one sacrificed; what Artorios wanted to do was to free the world of malevolence...but at a cost. He wanted to rob people of their free will."

The shepherd was stunned beyond belief when he heard that, all while his previous joy plummeted.

So much for that plan…

Sure, he had learned a similar tale in the Celestial journal, but it wasn't as detailed as Velvet told and he couldn't believe his ears.

"B-B-But why...?!"

"No free will leads to no bad choices, no bad choices leaves to not negative emotions, and no negative emotions leads to...?"

The shepherd hung his head as he began to realise the intention behind the actions of one of his predecessors and it made his own heart quiver with a mix of shock and dismay, Artorious might had been under the opinion that "it was all for the greater good" but he never wished to be put in a position where that mindset would ever cross his mind.

"...Malevolence..."

Velvet nodded.

"Precisely. The Advent normally occurs during a Scarlet night, an event that used to happen every three years…but the countdown has dwindled over the centuries so it's much more rare than it ever has been."

Sorey just kept nomming away at the Apple he was given, chewing and munching for a prolonged amount of time as he continued to listen to all of the new information that he was on the receiving end of. He chewed slowly each and every time he had bites of the Apple in his mouth as he made sure not to choke on each mouthful.

Velvet then spoke up.

"Hey, Sorey? Can I ask you a question?"

Sorey took another bite of his apple, chewed it, swallowed and regarded the woman with quizzical expression on his face.

"Fire away."

"Why do you think birds fly?"

The shepherd blinked as he hadn't expected that random yet out-of-nowhere inquiry.

Velvet started to speak again before he had the chance to ask her to both elaborate and repeat herself.

"Why do you think birds fly, shepherd Sorey?"

The shepherd pondered on that as he pursed his lips and gazed up at the blue skies above whilst wracking his brains for a possible answer.

He supposed that birds needed to fly to hunt, find food, get to one location to another; there were quite a couple of needs for a bird to fly and it was difficult to think of such a reason, especially when he was practically being pressured into doing so. He tried and tried to come up with something until his skull ached.

He eventually he sighed and hung his head in defeat.

"I can't think of any reasons other than to fly and get food or to fly and get from one place to another, they need it."

Velvet seemed almost disappointed but she softened her eyes as she stared at the shepherd next to her, she clicked her tongue against the roof of her mouth as she raised one hand and patted the man's shoulder in a gesture born of reassurance.

"Don't worry, the answer will come to you eventually."

Sorey blinked in confusion.

What did that mean?

Was this a test or something?

How would the answer come to him, in what context would a birds ability to fly ever come to him?

Velvet removed her hand from Sorey's shoulder and the two glanced down at nothing in particular while an awkward silence brewed between them, creating a slight chill in the atmosphere. Neither shepherd nor ex-lord of calamity knew what to say to break the quiet as they simply stewed in silence, they just took one or two more glances up at the bright blue skies above them.

That was when something happened.

The world began to shake and tremble, the nonexistent walls crumbling. Fissures began to open in the ground below whilst cracking and spreading wider and wider as the earth shook violently. It almost knocked Sorey off balance but he managed to gain stability! Rocks began to plummet from the sky like huge drops of rain, barely missing Sorey as well as Velvet, and this strange plain of existence began to fade away.

In desperation, Sorey dropped his apple and clung on to the tree trunk in order to find any semblance of stability.

"Wh-Wh-Wh-What's happening!?" He cried, shouting over the earthquake so he could be heard.

"You are beginning to wake up!" Velvet shouted back "This plain can't remain stable for much longer, if you have any other questions then I suggest you ask them now!"

Sorey blinked, incredulous for a moment. So this was a dream then so this probably didn't matter much but then how

"B-B-B-But what about you!?" He cried "I can't leave you here!"

"Don't you remember what I said before? This isn't really me! The real me is still containing Inominat!"

"But still-!"

"SOREY!" She shouted, cutting him off, an unexpectedly motherly note in her voice.

That silenced the shepherd for a moment as he stared at her helplessly. He was unsure of what to do or what to say for a couple of terse moments while the intense rumbling and shaking carried on around him, trying to evade the falling rocks and boulders smashing to the cliffside around him.

He took in a deep breath, exhaled it and decided to ask his final question.

"….Maotelus told me about impending danger. Can you tell me a little more if you can? Please?"

Velvet appeared to be taken aback by that question as she physically flinched as if struck with her golden eyes wide and full of reluctance, her bandaged hands raising themselves so they were positioned in front of herself. In spite of the shaky background she was seated on, she looked down as if in deep thought before she looked right back up and looked Sorey right in the eye.

She said in an apologetic tone, having to raise her voice a bit so she could be heard over the resounding destruction happening around them, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I think Maotelus himself could answer that question better for you, little one."

Mikleo ran through the forest just outside of Ladylake, weaving, whirling, spinning and crossing through the multiple trees that made up said forest. It had taken awhile for him to exit the waterfall caverns, it was practically nightfall by the time he had escaped but it was daylight when he found himself getting closer to Sorey after searching everywhere.

He even went back to Ladylake to see if he could track him to no avail…

He kept a tight hold on the weapon given to him by Altul, making sure not to drop it or something all the while.

The sound of the crashing waterfall continued to echo throughout the woods, the noise becoming interlinked with the other sounds of the forestland.

The chilling wind continued to gently whistle in the air, slithering through the trees, rocking the branches as they creaked softly, rushing through the trees while the nearby waterfall just continued to hammering down with that same roar and a nice peaceful stream.

The wind had a frigid cold nip to it but, thanks to Mikleo being a water seraphim, it didn't even come close to bothering him. He made sure to mind it, however, since he wasn't sure if Sorey was well enough to withstand it just yet and that made him worry —actually, he almost panicked. Sorey had spent two decades purifying Maotelus so who knew what conditions the recently-returned shepherd could withstand?

Mikleo kept trying to hone in on his sub lord abilities, hoping he could use it to track down his adopted brother, somewhat like a built-in compass.

Then he stopped when he caught sight of three Hellions prowling nearby and Mikleo's panic regarding his brother had increased tenfold. Sorey wasn't even close to ready or strong enough to fight those and, given how guarded in their search they were, he was sure that they had seen and were trying to track Sorey!

He watched from a safe distance, ducking down and crouching behind a nearby bush to conceal his presence from the wolffish beasts.

They just sniffed the ground as they tried to obtain the scent of the shepherd.

These must have been the ones to set off Mikleo's alarms…

Since he saw no blood around their maws then those Hellions couldn't have gotten Sorey, they must have found him and he must have escaped them…or else why would they still be searching for him?

Mikleo tightened his grip on his new staff, his lavender eyes narrowing and his teeth gritting as he fought the urge to clobber them with his new weapon…but he knew he shouldn't —not without Sorey and certainly not without Lilah since she had the power of the scared sword and could help purify those Hellions.

He cooled his boiling temper and resumed his search through the forest.

"Sorey, you idiot…!" He grumbled in pure infuriated exasperation "You should've waited for me…"

As he weaved and passed through the forest trees, he eventually came across a familiar bunch of burnt-out ruins; he easily recognised this place as it hadn't changed in the slightest over these passed two decades. Nobody had even made any semblance of an attempt at restoring this once-village to its former glory and that surprised the water seraphim even more.

These were the Galahad ruins.

The scent of burnt-to-a-crisp firewood permeated the air, the echoes of the people who used to live there filled the atmosphere and left a haunted air in its wake. The pressure dropped and there was a hollow and empty ambiance that swirled through the cold and icy air that was accompanied by the bitter snow of malevolence.

Mikleo's glare blunted.

If he, himself, had been weakened and were looking for a place to escape and hide then this is exactly where he would have hid…

He kept a watchful eye out for those three Hellions as he proceeded with caution and entered the blackened, foliage-ravaged yet overgrown, fire-scented, burned remains of the Galahad ruins. He looked through each home until he found one that at least was still standing…and his instincts were telling him that Sorey was in there.

Mikleo entered the room to find a scene that caused his heart to quiver:

A young man who he had recognised as Prince Zenrey was in the bed, unconscious, and not only had his shirt been apparently removed but he found his left shoulder had been wrapped up with a bunch of bandages. Amongst the bandages, however, a small crimson spot soaked through the material. Clearly his bandages needed to be changed so his wound could heal properly.

Not only that, there was more.

Sorey had apparently fallen asleep with his head resting on the edge of the bed where the hurt man lay and he was still sat upright. Both his arms were folded beneath his chin, propping it up and a small trail of spit dribbled out of his mouth and down the side of his chin, slowly creating a small pool of spit beneath him.

...Had Sorey stayed with Zenrey all night?

Judging by the dark half circles sagging beneath his shut eyes, he had to assume that this was the case.

Sorey whimpered and whined softly in his slumbering state.

He didn't move from his position with the exception of turning his head oh-so slightly, causing his hair to become slightly dishevelled as it rustled against the blankets he was using as a pillow. He snorted as he started to grumble under his breath, his words barely legible as he seemed to protest against whatever he was dreaming about.

"Ngnk! No, no, no…tell me…tell me more…" he moaned.

Mikleo shook his head with a sigh.

The water seraph grabbed a handkerchief from his pocket, he weaved his arms beneath Sorey and proceeded to gingerly wipe away the dribble sliding out of the side of his mouth; only after mopping up the stray saliva did he proceed to firmly grab hold of the shepherd's shoulder and shook it in an attempt to arouse him from his deep sleep. It was before Sorey could even try to open his eyes when Mikleo kept a tight grip on his shoulder while he somehow hoisted him up and jerked him to his two feet.

Mikleo dragged Sorey out of the room all while using that one hand which continued to clasp his shoulder in a vice-tight grasp.

Sorey gave a low snort while his eyes opened, his eyelids still like weights, and he looked up to see his adopted brother practically leading him out of the room and somewhere else; he could feel the fury radiating from his being and it made his skin crawl and his spine tremble.

"Mikleo…?"

The name slipped out from his lips before his mind had even registered that the voice had belonged to Mikleo, he just knew somehow.

Mikleo remained silent but the intense rage continued to brew within the seraph.

Sorey suddenly wanted the ground to swallow him up.

He could sense that his adopted brother was angry at him and he could partially understand it, he had put himself in mortal (or as close as the shepherd could ever be to mortal) danger and could have gotten himself killed before the next stage of his journey had even had the chance to start. The silent rage coming off of Mikleo made Sorey shudder inwardly, just imagining it made him want to run and hide and this wasn't the regular rage he felt.

As they grew up, shepherd and his sublord had their fair share of quarrels and squabbles…especially when their conflicting personalities came into play —brothers fought, this was just a fact of life, but there was something beyond this silent rage that made Sorey want to hide away.

The two brothers crept out of the burnt out house and made their way into a different house across from it —this clearly signalled an upcoming argument was at hand.

Upon entering the burnt husk that used to be someone's home, Mikleo zeroed in on the closest object that resembled a stool or chair and flung Sorey towards it/shoved him in to force him to sit down. The shepherd's head ducked in between his shoulders as he shrunk under the scorn of the usually calm and collected water seraphim…

Sorey gulped nervously in an attempt to loosen his tightened throat, unable to escape the blazing lavender pools which were Mikleo's enraged eyes.

Mikleo glowered at Sorey for several tense moments before he finally spoke, his tone scarily calm.

"I'm gonna lose my temper...right now..."

Before Sorey could react, Mikleo whacked him across the head with his staff.

The shepherd cried out in pain and agony and proceeded to cover his head with both hands as he was given one of the worst verbal lashings he'd ever received...and from Mikleo. The water seraph didn't hesitate for another second before all the pressure that had built within had burst up and out and a tirade born of rage came flowing right out of his mouth.

"What were you thinking!? Were you even thinking at all!? You could've been arrested for kidnapping royalty!"

Sorey rubbed the top of his head gingerly, only able to offer a lame whine as a response as well as a pathetic explanation.

"But Alisha joined us without any consequences!"

Mikleo's lavender pools blazed with unbridled fury, practically burning holes straight into Sorey's soul.

"Yeah, because Alisha told the right people that she was gone and prince Zen doesn't havethe council to run Ladylake nor Hyland in his absence! Did you even think about that before taking the prince out for this little trip!? Did you think about what would happen to the country if he gets hurt or, heaven for bid, killed!?"

The guilt was suddenly like a weight in Sorey's chest.

He…hadn't thought about any of that.

What if Zen got killed?

The kingdom would probably fall should Zenrey's life get taken during battle! It had already lost Alisha, it didn't need to lose the only remaining heir to the throne because what would happen to Hyland then? He didn't want to think about that but he felt also felt shame swirl and expand in the pit of his stomach, like a ball of dough in the oven.

This was all his fault and he knew it.

Sorey hung his head in shame, the guilt growing heavier by the millisecond.

"…."

Mikleo's rage simmered when he saw the deepening upset on his brother's face and he immediately knew that he couldn't keep raging at Sorey like that unless he wanted to make him feel so bad that malevolence consumed him. He, too, started to feel his own brand of guilt for making Sorey feel so low and downhearted, perhaps he shouldn't have expected Sorey to know that things changed during these passed two decades.

He did just get released from purifying the great Maotelus…

He sighed and put a hand on Sorey's shoulder.

"Hey. I'm sorry for yelling, it's just that you're still recovering from spending two decades using nothing but your powers as the shepherd and we don't have Lailah yet. I got really worried that you could've got hurt or even worse."

Sorey raised his head back up to look Mikleo in the eyes and he wore a weak smile.

The guilt he felt for Zen was still was just as impactful as a smack to the face but he tried to ignore it for the moment until he could properly apologise to Zen in a bit; he also felt that same feeling of misplacement since he was beginning to realise just how much he had missed over these passed twenty-five years if he didn't even ponder over how the rules and laws have changed.

"It's okay, Mikleo. I get it."

Mikleo sighed, deciding to change the topic.

"Okay…mind telling me what happened while I was gone?"

Sorey nodded and proceeded to explain everything; he explained how Alisha had apparently had a son several years ago, how said son was reluctant to take to the throne as well as sheltered his whole life and wanted to taste some freedom before being shackled to the responsibilities regarding the role as king, begged to come with Sorey, how the two left together and were attacked by Hellions…!

That was when Sorey remembered something.

"Oh! Right!" He exclaimed, mentally face palming for forgetting. "Zenrey! He has the power of resonance!"

It was a good thing that Mikleo wasn't drinking anything or he would have spat it straight out after hearing that.

"WH-WH-WH-WHAAAAAAAT!?"

Sorey nodded his head, just as incredulous by this revelation as his brother.

"Yeah!" He exclaimed "When we were ambushed by those three Hellions, he could see them!"

Mikleo then started to come to a different realisation of his own.

"Wait a minute...Zenrey is a prince...and he has the resonance! D-Do you know what this means!?" Mikleo stuttered in disbelief and when he got no response, he decided to just answer his own question. "Think about it: Zenrey has a strong sense of resonance but he is also kind-hearted...he just might even have the willpower to truly purify this land!"

Sorey started to catch on to what his brother was implying.

He felt his stomach dive from his chest into his lower intestines as he was taken aback, the revelation of this hitting him with the force of a ton of bricks. He almost felt inclined to leap to his feet and run all the way to Ladylake to check on the accuracy of Mikleo's words.

"So, what you're saying is that partly I was able to came back from my abandonment in time because of Alisha's son!?"

Mikleo nodded.

"That's what I'm getting at." He said. "It could be because he's Alisha's son that he has resonance and I bet we can thank that for Alisha being associated with you that she herself gained the power of resonance in the first place."

Sorey nodded again.

That made sense, since Sorey himself had managed to make it so both Alisha and Rose could both sense seraphim so maybe that sense had passed on to Zen himself and he was born with the ability to see them? Maybe? It was unusual for humans to be able to see seraphs so there were few who could but Zen being the cause of Sorey's awakening seemed quite likely.

Speaking of whom…

Sorey proceeded to get up and rise to stand to his feet.

Mikleo almost reached out to stop his brother from doing so out of concern —his brother looked so tired that he looked just about ready to pass out on the spot. Nevertheless, he withdrew his arm when he noticed that Sorey seemed to be standing alright but made it a point to keep an eye on him and make sure he didn't exert himself.

"Actually," Said Sorey "Now that you're here, maybe I can introduce you to Zen?"

Mikleo nodded in agreement.

He made a mental note to ask Sorey about that dream he had later; he remembered how Sorey was muttering in his sleep earlier and wished to inquire about it but decided against it for the time being. He also noted Sorey eyeing his new staff and made a second mental note to explain that later too, as well as what Altul had told him before.

The duo exited the house and made their way over to the hut where Zen occupied and were both surprised to see him awake.

Zenrey lay in the bed, clearly half-awake as he stared up idly at the holed yet burnt-to-cinders ceiling. His eyes were void of much emotion as though he lay in a sleepy haze which indicated that he had just opened his eyes mere moments ago. He let out a slow yet pained moan underneath his breath as he was still in discomfort after the injury he had endured the day before…and he looked rather hot and flushed due to the red tint covering his cheeks and the light sheen of sweat wetting his brow.

"Oh, you're awake?" Mikleo asked, shocked to see the prince's eyes opened. "How do you feel?"

Zen groaned once more in response whilst wincing and flinching as he glanced over to his own bandaged shoulder. He grimaced at the sight of blood seeping through the bandages wrapped around him.

"…Like someone jabbed me with a hot iron whilst my whole body is an ice cube…" He replied, his voice croaky and hoarse.

The water seraphim walked over to the bed and set himself down so he sat on the edge of the bed as he proceeded to place the back of his hand over the prince's forehead to check whether or not he had a temperature, only to withdraw it a moment or two later with a look of slight concern etching itself upon his face.

"Hmm…looks like your wound is a little infected, let's see if I can help with that."

Mikleo splayed both fingers apart and raised the palms of his hands over Zen's shoulder, both hands beginning to glow a bright azure blue glow with the prince's wound beginning to illuminate with the same glow. Zenrey flinched upon seeing a bright blue glow shining beneath the bandages wrapping his shoulder, squinting his eyes in response to the light, and his face contorted in minor discomfort.

"Purity heal!" Mikleo exclaimed, the glow brightening to the point it was a blinding light.

Within seconds, the light died down until it completely faded.

When he deemed it safe to do so, Zen peeled his own eyes open before he gingerly stared down at his bandaged shoulder and was shocked to find that there was no longer any pain. He then proceeded to lurch up into a sitting position, in spite of Sorey's cry of worry upon doing so, and removed his bandages. He was stunned beyond belief that there was no longer any wounds to speak of.

It was as if he was never hurt in the first place!

"Wooooaaaah…" Zen gasped in wonderment, staring at his shoulder for a lengthy couple of moments before he turned his head to face Mikleo and smiled with gratitude. "Thanks!"

Mikleo chuckled and nodded his head as if to say "you're welcome" and stood back up, rising to stand to his own two feet in order to allow Sorey to take his spot instead, watching as the shepherd did just that and perched himself by sitting on the edge of the bed where Mikleo occupied mere moments ago. Sorey felt as the beds mattress and duvet sunk beneath him as he twisted half his body to look to the 25-year-old prince in the eye, although he struggled to do so without feeling his heart grow heavy.

Sorey's expression was solemn and guilt-ridden.

He cleared his throat softly.

"Zen...I owe you an apology. I basically dragged you out of the castle without thinking about how that would affect Hyland but it was my carelessness that got you hurt. I should have asked you more about it instead of just dragging you into this and essentially kidnapping you..."

Zen stared at the shepherd, perplexed, he didn't say anything but stared at the shepherd with the most utmost of patience with his piercing lime green eyes staring right into Sorey's. It wasn't until a few more moments had passed that Zen decided to make his response, an earnestly sincere smile curling his lips.

"Sorey, did you forget that I was the one who requested to come with you? You've got nothing to apologise for. I'm responsible for my own choices and anything that happens from here on out is my own fault."

Sorey was suddenly struck by a bizarre feeling that he couldn't describe.

It was warm as it swirled inside his chest, right around his heart, and that same warmth spread to his arms and legs and he couldn't help but smile even though the impact of that feeling took him aback for a moment; he couldn't help but see Alisha in the boy for a moment there, how she would easily take responsibility for any wrongdoing even if the blame didn't even lie at her feet.

This was Alisha's son, alright.

The silence wafted across the room for a lengthy couple of seconds before Mikleo decided that he should be the one to shatter it.

They needed to figure out their next move.

"So. What shall we do now?" Asked the white-haired water seraph.

Sorey's eyes hardened with rock solid determination and his smile turned into a firm frown.

He knew exactly what their next move should be! He knew ever since Mikleo had reunited with the two of them. If they were to last even five seconds out in the wilderness then there was something (or someone) that they needed to go out there and find. He was so certain that he couldn't help but look down at his own hands and proceeded to clench them into tight fist as his resolution heightened and his stomach clenched.

"Easy. We find Lailah."

A/N: Hi, guys! Here's a new chapter. Sorry it took awhile, I haven't played TOZ for some time and haven't been in the mood to update. I do have the next chapters in progress, though, and I'm hoping you guys will enjoy them because I have a lot in store later.

It seems that Sorey met Velvet —I know that they met in the anime but I wished that they had more of a conversation so that's why I put her in here. I also sprinkled a few moments between Sorey, Zen and Mikleo but where will they find Lailah? And not only her but the others too!

The lost village of Godwin is the next stop!

Stay tuned to find out!

Anyways, you guys are awesome and please bare with me if I don't update sooner than normal.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

-Chloemcg