A/N: Thanks to Aevari and Mirai Akina for proofreading my work. I wouldn't have been able to pick out all those mistakes without your help! I've actually had to write and rewrite this chapter a lot because I was never satisfied with the final outcome. thankfully i managed to finish this in a manner that i find more than satisfactory (because i'm not a perfectionist but I strive to at least give something above average). I know i've been slow to update and this chapter was actually the reason why. I just really wanted to introduce these new characters in just the right way that works/conflicts with the interests of the characters you already know. Not much action here (I mean I literally wrote like four chapters of nothing but action) needed to slow it down a bit so I hope you don't mind. SO here it is! Enjoy!

"... And that's how I came about meeting the El Search Party," Chung concluded, looking around at his five audience members. Gerard, the Archmage who had been driving the dunerunner for the entire day, was the only one who wasn't completely absorbed in the young man's storytelling. Nerin and Zudrich latched onto the king's every word while the two children-Anduran and Edwin-looked on in wide-eyed amazement.

"To think you had gone through such hardships after the fall of Hamel… And yet you still came back for us," Zudrich muttered, humbled by his king's exploits.

Chung waved it off with a smile, "I wouldn't abandon my home. I just knew I had to grow stronger somehow and sitting around moping about what happened to Hamel wasn't going to get me anywhere."

"But to slay a Nasod King…" Zudrich continued.

"That wasn't me. Eve was the one who destroyed the king's core."

"Well, if my mother was there, she would've killed all of them by herself," Edwin proclaimed, "Right, mama?"

The Caluso woman smiled, pinching the young boy on his cheek, "Silly boy, I'd been pregnant with you around that time, I believe. Why would I want to go fighting Nasods when I had you in my tummy?"

"Oh! Right!" Edwin agreed.

"What happened after that?" Anduran asked, eager to hear the next part of the story, "Did you confess your love for the queen?"

Chung blinked, "Huh?"

"You spoke fondly of her," Zudrich agreed, "Especially when that Velder Knight recklessly opened the pod she was contained in."

"Did I?" the young king laughed, not quite remembering how he described Eve.

"I can attest," Gerard added, looking over his shoulder at the others, "I distinctly remember you going into great detail about how 'soft and delicate' her skin looked and the way her 'golden eyes shimmered in the dim light'."

Anduran chimed in, "You also talked about her hair a lot, how it swished side-to-side and stuff. You even admitted that you wanted to play with it."

"I… don't remember mentioning that…"

"And how, even though she couldn't express herself as easily as the others, you felt like you could understand her in a level the others couldn't," Nerin added.

"Oh, really? I might have over-exaggerated that part since I actually never really started to understand her until-"

"But you still spoke fondly of her," Zudrich affirmed, "I've only seen this Eve person a few times, but I strictly remember her being the one who brought you back from the brink of death… and the last of the El Search Party to leave your quarters that day when you first awoke. It's a shame she left Hamel with the others shortly after."

"Oh my," Anduran put a hand over her mouth, "So you two are together!"

"I never said we weren't seeing each other," Chung mumbled, laughing bashfully to himself as the conversation veered away from the story and more towards his relationship. What amused him was the fact that the last time he told this story, he distinctly remembered Pet concluding he hated Eve. Was his tale this time around really that much different?

"When will you two meet again?" Anduran pressed further, "Will we get to meet her?"

Chung's mind focused on her first question, calculating the probability of meeting Eve again in the near future. He hadn't heard from her in so long, and it was mostly his fault. Contacting Eve somehow had always remained as a passing thought in his mind, but his priorities as the new king were his priority. With no obvious way to contact others across the sea, especially after cutting off all communications with Velder, even sending something as simple as a letter to her felt impossible.

"I don't actually have a plan to see her any time soon. We are only in Sander for business purposes, so actually getting to meet Eve isn't going to happen, " Chung sighed, wistfully.

The eager gleam in Anduran's eyes faded, somewhat. The look of a young teen caught in the emotional waves of a love story was heavy across her face.

"He's doing this because he cares about his people," Zudrich reassured her, "It's… uh, not easy building a nation from scratch. Everyone, especially his majesty, is working hard to help each other out. His Majesty will meet his queen, again, when we're at a more stable position."

"My queen, huh?" Chung rubbed his chin in thought. His thoughts flashed back to a scene over half a year ago. There he was, standing at the base of his tower, face to face with the Queen of Nasods.

"It was my mother's," Chung said, handing her a white ribbon resembling that of the rare Hamelian Blossom, "And my grandmother's before that."

Eve took the gift, tilting her head in confusion.

"Do you wish for me to be a mother?"

Even after nearly a full year since that moment, he found himself caught off guard from such an unexpected question. The long forgotten feeling of butterflies in his stomach surfaced as he rolled the idea around in his head.

Anduran never took her eyes off of him the entire time, and it was almost as if she was witnessing his entire train of thought as it chugged by. She leaned in closer towards the king, curiosity and anticipation building as she very clearly wanted to know more.

"I'm starting to think being a hopeless romantic is a trait all priestesses are required to have," Zudrich chuckled, "You're starting to remind me of ours back in Senace, Miss Anduran."

Chung perked at the mention of it nodded in agreement. "You know, Zuzu's right. You and Sasha are pretty similar in that regard," he chuckled.

Anduran looked about, surprised and befuddled as she quickly grew self-conscious of her own body language.

"You don't know the half of it," Gerard sighed with a shake of his head, "Although I admire my niece's dedication to reading, I can't say I'm too proud of the ever-growing collection of romance novels in her personal bookshelf."

"I only have a few, uncle!"

"One is too much, in my opinion. I'd much prefer it if that brain of yours absorbed useful texts rather than that impractical drivel."

Chung let the uncle and niece argue as he leaned back on his seat. His mind was still on Eve despite the tangent in the discussion. It had been so long since he had seen her. They didn't even get to properly say goodbye to each other when he forced Velder troops out of Senace. He remembered the final bits of colors that filled his mind from their mental connection as the ships drifted further and further from his shores. Hot blues and prickly yellows… the Nasod algorithm for rejection translated into a language his mind could understand. Eve may have respected his decision to kick everyone out of his kingdom, but that didn't mean she wasn't hurt by it.

"I wonder how she's doing… Knowing her, she probably has her entire kingdom up and running by now. She's a lot better at ruling than I am, that's for sure," Chung sighed, thinking out loud.

"I assume that's why you're traveling to Sander, then?" Gerard asked, "Based on what I can garner, Senace isn't exactly self-sustainable at the moment, and you're looking to establish some form of economical agreement with Sander. Am I correct?"

"Are my intentions really that easy to read?" Chung chuckled.

"It's a logical conclusion," Gerard stated rather flatly, "Though what I find puzzling is… why Sander? Wouldn't Velder be a far easier, more direct means of financial assistance? Sander may be the wealthiest nation, but they aren't exactly the most generous."

"I'm strictly against anything having to do with Velder," Chung replied in an equally flat tone.

"Oh? And care to indulge me as to why that is?" Gerard raised a brow curiously.

"It's… a long story. One that I'd rather not talk about," Chung sighed. He didn't want to think on it. Just the mention of that kingdom brought a heavy weight in his stomach.

"Surely it couldn't be as bad as Sander's history," the archmage challenged, only to have the young king wave it off dismissively. The old man shook his head, "Suit yourself. Maybe some other time then."

The dunerunner's engine was shut off, the sudden stop in motion startling the passengers. By then, the sun had long set, and it hadn't occurred to those sitting in the back that they had entered a village moments earlier.

Chung yawned, stretching his legs as he peeked his head out to have a look around. They had arrived in another settlement, slightly larger than Garpai village from the looks of it, and it was surprisingly busy despite it being after dark.

Many of those wandering the streets were male, and a large majority of them had gathered around what Chung assumed to be the local pub. Laughter and alcohol wafted through the windows into the chilly night air. Inspecting the two-story building further revealed that the pub was named "The Watering Hole" and had vacancies available. Apparently the place functioned as a traveler's inn as well.

Though a few of the buildings exceeded two stories in height, Chung couldn't help but notice a large amount of ancient stone columns that dotted the city. Far to the west of the village, what he had thought was a large dune in the dim moonlight was actually a massive boulder with what looked like magical runes carved over its surface. Of the rune carvings on the rock, a symbol, long in strokes and curved in a fashion that seemed to depict wind, pulsed with greenish-blue energy. Scaffolding and a number of heavy machinery were centered around the boulder as well.

"Where are we?" the young king asked, stepping out of the wagon to stretch his legs.

"Wind Stone village," Gerard hopped off his seat and offered to help his wife disembark from the back of the wagon. "It's a mining town. It may have cost us an entire day's worth of travel but I figured the further from Garpai, the better."

"And we'll be able to travel to Sander from here?" Chung asked, taking a look around.

"Not my family and I, but for you two, yes. This is where we'll part ways. Though I highly doubt you'd find a transport to take you there at this time of night."

"Then we have to find a place to sleep," Zudrich muttered.

"Please. Allow me to pay for it," Gerard insisted, "After all, my family and I owe you a great debt."

The two Hamelians looked at each other, "If it saves us the money, I don't see why not," Chung shrugged, "You say this is a mining town? What's with the old looking ruins that surround this place? It seems like some kind of ancient city."

"This place used to be a temple that housed the El Stone of Wind-"

It was at this point that Edwin gave a soft, high-pitched groan. "Mother, I want to sleep in my bed," the young boy whined, eyeing the strangers that walked past. He hid behind his mother as patrons came and went. "I want to go home."

"We can't, yet, little one," Nerin cooed, "We'll have a nice warm bed soon enough."

"But I want my bed."

"In time, Edwin," Gerard whispered, ruffling the child's sand-choked hair, "Just be patient." The entire time the archmage spoke, the young boy kept his head buried into his mother's side.

"A temple?" Zudrich chimed in, "We have something similar to that in Hamel, too. It was a large, elaborate hall dedicated to housing the El Stone of Water… though, what are they doing with the temple here? Was it destroyed?"

"They're taking it apart," Gerard said.

"What?!" Chung and Zudrich both exclaimed simultaneously, deep concern riddled across their faces.

"But what about the stone?" Chung asked.

"It's under Caluso control," Nerin replied, "My people took possession of it around the time the ceasefire between Sander and Caluso began."

"The El Stone of Water is massive. I'd imagine the Wind Stone to be equally so. How could they move something that big out of a temple?"

The Caluso woman smiled, "You'd be surprised at what a priestess is capable of doing." She turned to her niece and ran a motherly hand through the young teen's hair, "Your mother was very brave that day for doing what she felt was right."

"Mhmm…" Anduran agreed in a rather neutral and passive tone. She tilted her head as her aunt patted her and Chung noted a look of discomfort in the girl's eyes.

"So now Sander is picking at the leftovers like vultures. Even with the stone gone, the temple is still rich with El shards," Nerin continued.

"And that's why there's a bunch of heavy mining equipment here..." Chung concluded.

Gerard and Nerin nodded.

"Sander is a nation built on material wealth. It's only natural they'd take advantage of this area while there's still value in it," Gerard stated matter-of-factly.

"And… they have no problem with your family being around?"

"As stated before, Sander is a nation built on material wealth," Gerard slipped a hand into his pocket, fishing out a rather hefty coin purse. "If you have enough money, they wouldn't bat an eye even if you were a demon."

"So they deal with demons, too?" Zudrich whispered, a low growl escaping his lips.

A frown crept its way onto the archemage's face, "Hyperbole, Zudrich."

"Hyper-what?"

"He means he's joking, Zuzu," Chung whispered, getting a slow understanding nod from his guardian and an unamused roll of the eyes from Gerard.

"In any case, the night is upon us. Gentlemen, I understand you must be tired but as I'll be handling the lodgings for us, would you both be so kind as to secure our belongings? I believe I saw a sign for a stable around back that you can store the trailer in," Gerard said.

"What about the dunerunner?" Zudrich asked.

"Our personal possessions are all I care for, really. Not like anyone here has a key to operate the machine, anyways," Gerard held up a tiny silver key, tossing it up in the air and catching it before pocketting it in his coat. He turned to his family, "Come, everyone, let's get indoors before it gets too cold."

"Uncle Gerard? Is it okay if I help his majesty and Zudrich?" Anduran asked out of the blue.

"I'm sure they can handle it themselves," the archmage stated.

"But I want to help."

Gerard stopped halfway into the door, stepping aside to let his son and wife in. Looking over his niece, he noted the enthusiastic and excited grin on the young priestess's face and relented.

"If you insist." Anduran did a little fist pump and hurried to help undo the latch that held the trailer to the machine. Gerard then turned his attention to the two Hamelians.

"Make sure she doesn't hurt herself."

Chung nodded and the two Hamelians set to work on moving the wagon. The king stood aside, letting Anduran finish her part before Zudrich, with his immense strength, lifted and unhooked the trailer from the machine. With the job done, Anduran hurried towards an alleyway beside the tavern. It was a long, narrow passage, just wide enough for the trailer to fit through with a few obstacles piled along the walls the men had to navigate around. The stable mentioned was at the far end of the alleyway right at the junction of a T-intersection. With little effort, the two men directed the wagon carefully around to the back of the rather large stable that Gerard had mentioned.

"By the way, priestess," Zudrich piped up while they pushed the carriage down the stretch of enclosed street, "How are you holding up? Are you… okay?"

Anduran tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

"Earlier today, back in Garpai Village, there was… a lot of fighting. I'm sure you must have been scared, maybe even horrified at what you saw."

"Oh…" Anduran muttered, a short but deep pause hung in the air, "I actually didn't see much. Other than the time the harpy flew into uncle's estate and the way Aunt Nerin fought off that woman with the spear, I did well to shield my eyes as well as Edwin from what was going on around us. It was scary, yes… but Aunt Nerin guided us to safety as the attack ensued."

"But you lost your estate as well," Chung added.

"Actually, we didn't," Anduran replied quickly, a knowing grin appearing on her face, "Uncle is a powerful archmage. He spent a great deal of time preparing a spell that saved his house."

"He did?" Chung asked. Both of the Hamelians looked at each other, "How?"

Anduran shrugged, "I don't know. You have to ask him yourself. He did it before, though. Before we moved to Garpai Village, we lived in Sander. Then things happened, and we moved out."

"What kind of things…?" Zudrich cocked an eyebrow, curiosity apparent in both of the men.

The question visibly made Anduran apprehensive, "I'm… not sure… I… I think..." she trailed off, a pained look surfaced across her face as she brought a clenched hand to her chest. She seemed to be recalling a memory long buried within the recesses of her mind.

"Don't worry about it," Chung waved dismissively, "If you can't remember, we won't press you for it."

"O...okay."

Slowly they wheeled the wagon in, its overhead just barely clearing the entranceway before being shrouded in darkness around them. The stable was largely empty save for a singular camel standing at the far corner of the room. They carefully pushed until the wagon sat flush with the far end of the stable wall. Zudrich quickly hopped inside to carry out their wrapped weapons. Anduran came around, lighting a lantern hanging at one of the support beams before turning to watch the two undo the bindings to take down the canopy.

"Um, your majesty?" the priestess began as she brought the lantern over towards the two Hamelians.

"Chung's fine, priestess," the king waved dismissively.

He threw her a friendly grin that seemed to lift whatever burden she had as a sigh escaped her lips. "Anduran's fine, too," she replied with a shy turn of her head, "Um, about what you said earlier-your story, I mean..."

"Uh huh," Chung muttered idly as he undid the last of the bindings. Zudrich pulled the canopy off and began taking down the support rods.

"I want to hear more of your adventures. With your queen."

Chung paused, a nervous chuckle escaping his throat, "What do you mean by that?"

"Have you two… you know?" she traced a line onto the dirt.

"Have we… what?" the king asked, turning to her fully now. The priestess put a hand over her mouth as she suppressed a giggle.

Chung glanced over at Zudrich standing on the other side of the wagon. The man was violently shaking his head. He pressed a finger between his lips, quietly telling Chung not to press her for what she was obviously trying to ask.

"Have you two…" Anduran stammered, "held hands?" She blurted the last two words out before turning away, hands on her cheeks as if she had just been caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

The question took an unexpected turn. At the least, he was expecting her to ask if they'd kissed. At worst, he was expecting her to ask a more serious question.

Looking back at Zudrich, the guardian held an expression of surprise and after processing it a bit further, the fury guardian rolled his eyes and went back to work, letting Chung handle it from there.

Chung turned back to Anduran who squirmed about where she stood as if unable to contain her embarrassment. The innocence of the question was genuine, but to Chung, remembering the few times he and Eve had that much physical contact was… painful to say the least. Thinking back to his past interactions with the Nasod, the only times they've held hands were of times of extreme emotional highs and lows.

He remembered the heartbreak of watching Aisha dance with Elsword, the revelation of how cruel he had been to Eve, her struggling to keep control of her own mind when Add ripped her will from her…

"Yeah, we have a few times," Chung muttered rather sullenly.

The sullen atmosphere, however, was quickly eradicated as Anduran squealed an "Oh my!" and erupted in a fit of giggles as if someone had poked her in the ribcage.

The pure innocence of the girl's bashfulness won over Chung's initial mood and her childish giggles forced a smile on the king's face. It was refreshing, to say the least, seeing Anduran genuinely excited over something he had nearly forgotten about.

"We hugged a few times, too," the young king added rather boastfully in an attempt to garner another wild reaction.

He got one as Anduran put both hands on her face.

"Really?!" she nearly dropped the lantern in surprise, "The king and the queen of two different nations…" she trailed off as she appeared to be running the scenario in her head. The priestess was rendered absolutely speechless and looked as if a stiff breeze would have knocked her off her feet. It looked like she was writing an entire romance novel in her head from the simple thought, getting a soft chuckle from the two men who continued to idly work on securing the cargo.

Anduran continued to twist and squirm as if being constantly tickled by an unseen force from the simple revelation. Chung withheld the urge to tell Anduran that he even went as far as kissing the Nasod-gods help them should the priestess ever learn of such detail.

"Uh… Chung?" Zudrich whispered. Chung turned his gaze from the priestess's giggle fit to the fury guardian's furrowed brow as he straightened his posture, eyes glued to something far behind Anduran.

Chung stopped laughing and followed Zudrich's eyes to the entrance of the stable. Past the incandescent glow of the lantern that Anduran held just over her head was a tall dark shadow of a figure peeking in from the outside. It was nearly impossible to draw any significant detail from the figure except for the tall stature and the glint of a pair of eyes fixated on the young priestess.

The figure noticed the two men staring at it and with a turn of its head, its form seemed to meld into the shadows.

"I'll check it out," Zudrich whispered, garnering a nod from the king. Zudrich finished tying his knot and slung his cannon over his shoulder before making his way to the stable entrance. The sudden tone shift was palpable even for the young girl who had all but stopped giggling at this point.

"Is… everything okay?" the priestess asked, noticing the serious look on either of the Hamelians' faces.

"Yep. Don't worry, Anduran. He's just going to check something out," Chung said, putting a smile back on his face and motioning for Anduran closer, "Can you help me for a bit? Do you know how to tie a knot?"

"Y...yeah," Anduran watched Zudrich make his way out. As Zudrich passed her, he gave the young priestess a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Anduran walked backwards towards Chung as the guardian stepped outside. He scanned the area around him before stepping into the night.

"He'll be fine," the king reassured the priestess as he tugged on the last bit of rope, "Here, tie this end up while I take care of this one. We'll catch up with your uncle afterwards."

"Okay…" Anduran mumbled, half her attention on the knot and half on where Zudrich had vanished to.

The next few moments continued on in silence between the two of them. As Chung finished tying down the rest of the wagon, he noted the amount of slack still resting in Anduran's hands.

Minutes ticked by, still no sign of Zudrich. Growing somewhat impatient with the priestess's ability to tie a simple knot, he leaned over and inspected her work only to find that she had stopped working on it completely. Her attention was locked on the stable entrance, anticipating the guardian's return and idly twirling the end of the rope in her hands.

"Need help?" Chung laughed. He gently took the loose ends from her and completed the knot. He gave each line a test pull before patting the wagon with a hard slap. "Alright, that's done. Shall we get going?"

"Is Zudrich coming back?" Anduran asked, not moving where she stood.

"He's probably in the tavern right now."

Anduran shook her head, "He's still nearby."

Chung's brow furrowed and he leaned closer as her words came at a whisper.

"And with-" Anduran's eyes widened, and she suddenly strode towards the stable entrance.

"Anduran? Anduran!" Chung picked up his cannon and followed after the priestess. The nature of her stride surprised the king. The fact that Zudrich hadn't returned either brought on a new sense of worry.

She stopped at the doorway. Still carrying the lantern she raised it as Chung followed up right behind her. The intersection they stood at posed three possible paths Zudrich could have taken, each as equally as dark as the last. Anduran, though, seemed to know exactly where the guardian had run off to. She turned left with Chung hot on her heels. They both followed the narrow street, hugging the high tavern walls until Anduran came to an abrupt stop, nearly causing Chung to run into her.

Raising the lantern once more revealed Zudrich, kneeling before what looked like a makeshift shelter constructed entirely out of sheets of rusted tin.

"Zuzu?" the king called, stepping forward. The guardian looked up at Chung and rose to his feet.

"Hey. Sorry if I kept you waiting," the guardian muttered, a deep frown across his face as he looked back at the shelter.

"What's going on-" Chung was cut off when the same dark figure from earlier stepped into the lantern light. It was tall. Just as tall as the guardian. So imposing was this cloaked figure that Chung naturally moved to the defensive, standing between Anduran and the stranger.

"It's okay, Chung," Zudrich reassured his king, "He didn't mean to scare us. He was just… curious."

"He…?" Chung's eyes darted from Zudrich then to the cloaked figure. Slowly, almost eerily in the amber light, the figure raised its arms to his hood and pulling away the veil.

The first thing that stood out to Chung was the individual's eyes. Dark-almost black-in the little light they had, Chung could just barely pick out the deep blue behind a noticeable glint in the man's eyes. Next was the man's narrow, delicate looking jawline. His cheeks were sunken in, and it appeared as if he hadn't had a proper meal in weeks. His hair was short and disheveled, its night-blue color visible in the dim light. And lastly, perhaps most significant to Chung's observation, were a pair of pointed ears… not quite as distinct as Rena's but more so than any average human. A half-elf?

Up until today, Chung had only known of one other half-elf: Useli, the Velderian medic. But even then, her ears weren't quite like these ones. There was something else about this man.

"Yeah," Zudrich sighed, scratching the back of his head, "Apparently this guy is in a spot of trouble… look."

The guardian motioned at the makeshift shelter he had been kneeling in front of. Stepping around, Chung noticed a smaller pair of legs peeking out from the poor excuse for a house.

A body, wrapped in its own sand-worn cloak, lay near motionless on a worn, dusty cushion. The cloak they had worn had the hood pulled over the top half of their head in an attempt to keep them warm. Chung knelt down and carefully lifted the hood, revealing the soft features of a child no older than ten. Judging from the silvery locks that billowed outward, the child had to be a girl. Had Chung not leaned closer and caught the faint rasp of her breath, he could have assumed she was long dead. Either way, she seemed unable to move. Nor did it seem like she was aware of the presence of others.

"His sister," Zudrich reported, "The elf says she's really sick, too. I offered to take her to the doctor but-"

At the corner of his eye he noticed Anduran fidget uncomfortably.

"Everything alright, priestess?" Chung asked, seeing her take a step back.

"Um… well," Anduran stammered, "That's not-"

"A doctor won't help," the figure standing over them interrupted, "She can't be cured by normal means."

Chung stood, turning completely to the elf, "What do you mean?"

The elf hesitated, looking at Anduran then at the child in the shelter. His mouth hung open, and it became apparent how thin and malnourished the man looked. Yet despite his state of starvation, he was clearly against speaking to these strangers.

"We can help her," Zudrich insisted, "Trust us, we're not going to let a child die in the streets like this."

The elf gritted his teeth, his eyes scanned the two faces before him, then towards the child, then Anduran. He opened his mouth to speak again but no words came out. All the while, the priestess seemed to shrink further and further away from the group, back towards the stables.

"I… I can't lose her," the elf said, his hands trembling as he seemed on the verge of falling to his knees, "Please. I can't lose her."

"Then tell us what we need to do," Chung insisted.

The man bit his lip, searching for something in either of the two men's eyes. He was afraid, Chung discerned that much, but he couldn't pinpoint what. Chung was offering some assistance. There was no reason for him to be so hesitant.

"Her life force is fading," the elf finally said. In a swift, almost graceful motion, the poor vagabond knelt down, pressing his head to the dirt floor in a deep bow. "She… she needs El."

"El?" Chung mumbled, taken completely off guard by the sudden show of submission, "I don't understand. What would you gain from El? If anything, a doctor would be the best option. I'll even pay-"

"No," the elf interrupted once more, his voice shaking as he spoke to the ground, "Her ailment can only be cured by... the magical energies of your realm."

"El from our realm?"

"Not just any normal El, either. She needs it from someone who can channel the power of the Goddess in its purest form."

"In its purest form…? What do you mean by that? I don't…"

"El from any other source would only be a temporary solution. If she is to be saved, she needs the essence from a specific well of power." The elf turned his head to the side, staring off at something nearby. Chung followed the elf's gaze towards Anduran who had been shuffling herself away from the scene, trying to make herself as discreet as possible.

"Priestess, correct?" the elf said, the weak rasp of his voice carrying a stronger sense of urgency as he adjusted his body to bow before her, "I couldn't help but overhear. Forgive me for eavesdropping, but you are the only one I can turn to in this time of need. You are the only one who can save her… You are the only one that can save us."

She had stopped backing away, and a look of pity had befallen the young priestess. But she seemed to mentally slap herself in her face as she shook herself out of her stupor.

"Anduran?" Chung whispered, taking a step towards the young girl, "Is everything okay?"

"I-I," Anduran stammered, eyes darting from the elf to the Hamelians, "I can help but…"

"But?" the king questioned, taking another step towards her.

"I don't know if I should… Uncle always said not to-"

"Please, I beg you!" the elf said, lowering his head once more, "We won't survive the night! She needs your El."

"I… but… they're-" Andruan shook her head, again, a mix of guilt and indecision splayed across her face.

"If you can help, Miss Anduran, you'd be saving the poor child's life," Zudrich urged.

"You're the only one that can," the vagabond insisted.

"I… I want to. I really do but-" the girl took another step back, the rapid rise and fall of the girl's chest only displayed a small fraction of the conflict raging within her. She searched Zudrich and Chung's eyes as if they were blind to some greater, unseen problem.

"Chung, Zudrich," Anduran swallowed hard, steeling herself with new resolve, "they're not elves."

"Huh?" the Hamelians looked at her, then at each other in confusion.

"They're demons."

It took a moment to process but as her words finally clicked in Chung's head, he leapt away from the groveling elf as if he had just seen a snake. The cannon on his shoulder was immediately drawn as he put himself between the priestess and the supposed demon. Zudrich backed away until his back was pressed against the alley wall.

"Are you certain these people are as you say?" Chung whispered as the man before them remained unmoved with his head still pressed against the ground.

Anduran nodded, "I felt his presence when we were in the stable. I couldn't tell right away, but when Zudrich left to investigate, I began to recognize the dark presence. That's how I knew where he was when we went outside to look for him. There is a great evil emanating from these two… especially that girl," She then turned to the demon, "I'm… sorry, sir. I'd help but I…"

"Hold your apologies, Anduran. If he's a demon you don't owe them anything." Chung steadied his stance. His cannon was loaded with fresh rounds, and he pointed the weapon at the man. He waited, as if expecting the demon to pounce on them.

However, the man did not move, and simply kept his head down in a deep bow before the priestess.

"Please… Priestess Anduran," the demon begged, his voice muffled as he spoke to the ground, "If she doesn't receive your El, then she is doomed to fade away forever. Please don't let that happen to her."

"I…" Anduran croaked.

"You're absolutely sure they're demons?" Chung asked one final time, his eyes darting from the man to the pair of girl's legs hanging out of the makeshift shelter.

"Yes," the priestess responded after a long moment of hesitation, "Without a doubt."

"That's all I need to know, then. Anduran, you might want to look away," the king growled. His finger squeezed at the trigger, half-anticipating the demon to make his move now. The demon did not.

All the more easier for him to kill, then.

A figure moved in his path, cannon raised to block the shot should his king fire.

"Zudrich. Out of the way. I don't want you caught in the blast."

"My king," his guardian sighed, shaking his head, "we can't."

"What do you mean we can't?" Chung scoffed, "They're demons. Elrios wouldn't miss these two if I removed them from existence. And don't turn your back on them, Zudrich. You're likely to get stabbed by these monsters if you're not careful."

"Stabbed in the back by this?" Zudrich stepped aside, revealing the demon, still bowing but now also covering the back of his head, as if bracing themselves for death. "This is wrong. Demon or not, this man is unarmed and in no way fit to fight back."

"Zudrich," a small tremble escaped the young king's lips as he spoke through his teeth, "If I've learned anything about demons, it's that they are a species that is unforgivably cruel to anyone that stands in their path. The only reason they aren't fighting back is clearly because they don't have the strength to. If we so much as give them a chance, they will turn on us. Please. Step. Aside."

"What you're doing strictly conflicts with the Paladin's Code. I won't allow our kingdom's leader to resort to such dishonorable acts."

"What are you suggesting I do, then? Let them have Anduran?"

"No. But rather, I suggest we leave them be."

"And let them fade to nothing?" the king snorted in a half-laugh, "How is that any better than letting me end their suffering here and now?"

Zudrich said nothing but simply stood his ground.

The two Hamelians stared each other down, neither backing down from the other. Chung couldn't understand his guardian's logic as his method would have been much more beneficial to both parties if he simply stepped aside, but Zudrich was steadfast in his own defensive stance. If there was anything Chung didn't like about a Hamelian, it was their gods damned stubbornness.

Chung lowered his weapon, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips. "I wouldn't want to cause trouble for the townspeople, anyways," the king grunted, "C'mon, Anduran, Zudrich, we're leaving."

"In a moment," Zudrich said, offering a hand to help the demon up.

"Make it quick," Chung said, already making his way out of the alleyway. He could hear the guardian shuffle the demon to his feet behind him, a soft "thank you" could be heard escaping the male demon's lips.

"Don't worry about it. What's your name anyways?"

"Ciel."

"And your sister's?"

"Lu."

"Alright, Ciel. I have to get going but," What followed was a brief whisper that the king couldn't quite hear as he stepped further and further away from the others.

He didn't like what his guardian was doing. Chung stopped, turning to the three just in time to see Zudrich extend a hand to the girl sleeping in the shelter. "...hang in there. Alright?"

"Zuzu! Let's go."

"Yes, my king!" the guardian said, rising to his feet and hurrying to Chung's side.

"Don't waste your time with them," Chung snorted, "As the demon said: they won't survive the night. I don't trust them being in such close proximity to us, either. We're keeping a close eye on Anduran tonight."

"I'll be fine, Chung," Anduran insisted.

"Not with those two skulking around the alleyway behind the tavern. I'll be informing Gerard of this turn of events."

He then turned to Zudrich, an accusatory finger pressing on the guardian's chest, "We're setting up a watch. I got first shift. I expect you up for the second half as well. Until we're sure those two demons are long gone, we're not letting Anduran out of our sight, got it?"

Zudrich and Anduran exchanged glances with each other. It appeared his guardian was a little less than pleased about a second night of little to no sleep.

"As you say, my king."