Author's Note: Hello hello! Welcome to another chapter! As for this chapter's voice actor reveal, I have Johan's and Cain's/Abel's! Cain and Abel will share a voice actor. Cain has a lower, more serious tone while Abel is louder and jolly.

Johan Axebreeze(Kaiji Tang): Sanemi Shinazugawa from Demon Slayer. Osamu Dazai from Bungo Stray Dogs. Ichiban Kasuga from Yakuza Like a Dragon. Satoru Gojo from Jujutsu Kaisen.

Cain and Abel(Bryce Papenbrook): Eren Jaeger from Attack on Titan. Nagito Komaeda and Makoto Naegi from Danganronpa. Inosuke Hashibara from Demon Slayer. Shirou Emiya from Fate Series. Meliodas and Zeldris from Seven Deadly Sins.

Chapter 22
Under the Shadows

"So as I have previously stated, dear, I'm willing to accommodate your business with my own. I'm not lying when I told you we have the means of making it to the top." Ray tossed the man in front of him a Yul, the coin rolling on the wooden table in front of them. The man in question was wearing black dressing pants, black shoes, and a long-sleeved white shirt with a black tie. He had a black hat decorated with a white ribbon on top of his crimson short hair, shaved on the sides. He was fairly tall and had a decent amount of musculature, easily bigger than Ray. His green eyes were stared back at Ray's one purple eye."So, what do you say, Hazama?"

"I must admit, it does sound tempting." Hazama rubbed his glove-covered hands, his head gazing to the right, admiring his club. It was fairly spacious, filled with tables and couches in which the customers, mostly male, could spend time with the hostess. The sound of laughter was often heard from the bar, which would host many arguments of heartwarming stories that the bartender had either the luxury or misery to witness. The musicians played an upbeat tune for those brave enough to dance on the dance floor or for the people enjoying themselves with a few drinks. The girls were the pride of the establishment. Each wearing exotic and expensive dresses that would reveal too much to further bait people to acquire their services.

Ray chuckled, removing his own, extravagant hat and letting his dark blue hair loose."Well, in the meantime, it does appear as though my lovely bodyguard is having a good time with that adorable daughter of yours."

In effect, Mia, who had been employed by Ray, was playing around with a small child, running around with her. The girl had shoulder-length red hair, similar to her father along with his green eyes. In short, she was the spitting image of Hazama."Imma catch ya, Debbie!"

"No! You can't!" Debbie giggled as Mia tackled her into one of the couches, tickling her."S-s-stop!"

"Thanks for that." Hazama smiled tenderly upon seeing his daughter's happy face."I don't like bringing her in here, but I didn't have anyone to take care of her while I was at work today. That girl though...so she's the muscle and good with kids. You certainly got lucky hiring someone like her."

"I am pretty lucky. But then again, someone as great as me has things such as luck and destiny by default, dear." Ray's smile widened at the compliment."Anyway, back to business."

"Right." Hazama examined the coin in his hand."It looks like the real thing. Genuine in fact. How did you...?"

"I have my ways." Ray cryptically replied, leaning forward and hiding his lips by clasping his hands in front of him."I have managed to get the plates necessary to counterfeit yul in its entirety. Suffice to say, we can replicate yul by mimicking the materials needed to fabricate it. Of course, we are missing the secret ingredient to completely mimic the formulate to create yul, which makes this counterfeit 90% perfect."

"90%?"

"Unless they start nitpicking every little yul, no one is going to notice." Ray explained, sound much too calm."This is why it's important to mix the counterfeit with real money. That way, it won't be so obvious when they try to track back the cash flow."

"Is that what you do with your casino?" Hazama inquired, curious to know of Ray's business.

"No. You see, dear, I'm from the Ace Kingdom. I'm already under a magnifying glass due to my...shall we say, shady status. And due to the amount of money I borrowed, they are making sure the amount I pay back is good. They often send Magic Knights to make sure my place is living up to the normal standards. Also, if they find out about this, it will reflect poorly on my kingdom. Bla, bla bla. Silly details. Which is why I'm extending my hand to you. I will provide you with the fake money you need. I have a fresh bash of bills ready, in fact. The first one will be free. After that, I expect to receive 25% of your actual earnings. Not a bad deal, right? Just make sure you don't make it too obvious."

"Would they be able to trace this back to me?" Hazama narrowed his eyes."This sounds too good to be true if I'm being honest. Why are you suddenly taking interest in my club?"

"If you think I'm trying to use you to cover up the counterfeit money thing you're wrong." Ray gave him a cheeky smile."It's just business for me, dear. If I can find a way to make money, I'll take it. For me, money is the only thing that matters in this world. And honestly, we both work for the entertainment industry, don't we? I think cooperating would be of must beneficial for our pocketbooks."

"And fake money is your solution? I find it hard to believe that someone from another kingdom, one that no one knows about because of how obscure they are, can get in contact with someone important enough to get the plates necessary to fabricate yul."

"I saw the opportunity and took it." Ray waved his hand."Details, details. Listen. Be smart with the money and you'll notice that your profits will skyrocket. Here's what you can also do. Invest in other businesses. The secret of making this work as smoothly as possible is to exchange fake cash with real cash. By investing in other businesses, you will not only get rid of the counterfeit money but also get back the money in real cash. That way, the cash flow will continue from place to place and will make it so that you won't be pinned down."

Hazama pondered about this for a good minute. He did need money for his cult's goals, after all. Every one of the Children of Sceva was required to provide for their organization to further their plans, and his business was in the spotlight, providing the most income. To add on, he needed to provide for his daughter as well. She was a growing girl and wanted her to provide for her as best as he could

"Alright. I'll agree with your terms. Seriously, I never expected a kid like you to be able to negotiate like this. To be honest, I was a little skeptical coming here."

"Something that I get quite a lot, I assure you, dear." Ray shrugged nonchalantly."I learned the basics of economics when I was a child. After that, experience builds up on its own. Besides, where I'm from, it's an eat or be eaten world."

"The Ace Kingdom, huh..." Hazama trailed off, folding his arms under his chest."Still, I don't get it. You migrated from your home kingdom to here and yet you don't hesitate to do something like this? This could affect the economy in various ways. Why do that to the place that welcomed you?"

"That's rich, coming from someone who is a citizen of the Clover Kingdom." Ray wagged his finger at him."It's all just business. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides, wouldn't you want to do anything for the thing you so much desire? Tell me you wouldn't burn the world for that kid of yours. I do not need human connections such as friends or family. To me, what's most important is my property and to be entertained. That is all."

Hazama hummed to himself, intrigued by the young man's immeasurable greed.'These types...are better to keep under watch. But for now, I'll play along. If I play my cards right, I should be able to triple my profits. Worse comes to past, I'll find a way to make sure this kid doesn't double-cross me.'

"So...deal?" Ray stood up, extending a hand. Hazama gave him a business-like smile, responding in kind with a handshake.

"Deal. I look forward to our cooperation together."

"Fabulous, dear!" Ray beamed, picking up his hat and placing it on his head."Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm late for my massage. I'll send you the first batch of goods soon enough. Pinky promise. Mia, say goodbye to your new friend. We must get going at once!"

"Right away, Mr. Lazarus!" Mia saluted the young man, kneeling to Debbie's level and engulfing her in a hug."I loved playing with you, Debbie. Be a good girl and maybe I'll come by to play with you when I'm not busy. Okay?"

"Yay!" Debbie giggled in delight, rushing towards her father."Daddy! Daddy! Ms. Armstrong said she'll come to play with me!"

"Did she, now?" Hazama picked up his daughter in his arms, spinning her around."Guess you just got a new friend, little goober. Now, say goodbye to our guests."

"Bye-bye!"

"Awww~!" Ray cooed, clasping his hands."What a cute little thing! I could just eat her."

"Shall we get going, sir?"

"On our way." With that. Mia escorted Ray out of the club into the outside."Good thing this club isn't too far from my casino. Flying is quite a pain sometimes, I tell you, dear."

"So...How did things go?" Mia tilted her head in curiosity."Did he agree?"

"Oh, yes he did." Ray smirked, almost maliciously.'Excellent. Now not only are we keeping tabs on Hazama, but we have him on a leash as well. We can keep operating in the shadows without arousing suspicion. I bet he thinks he can come up with a strategy in case I betray him, but I'm already ten steps ahead.'

"It must have gone really good if you're smirking like that." Mia pointed out, much to Ray's chagrin.

"Yes, yes. I won't bore you with the details. On another note, that's it for today. You are free to go."

"Huh? Really?" Mia was baffled at her boss was letting her go this early."The sun is still out. You sure you don't want to keep me around for a bit longer?"

"Didn't you say you had something important to do with that brother of yours?" Ray countered, hands on his hips."From what you said, it seems like a very important day today. Go on. Don't keep him waiting."

Mia's face contorted to a smile, fighting back the urge to fight the small mall."Smashing! Thank you, Mr. Lazarus! See you tomorrow!" With that, Mia engulfed her feet with magic, jumping and kicking the air as she disappeared from view.

"Seriously...I will never understand that sentiment." Ray sighed in exasperation."Oh, well. My massage awaits me."


"Mr. Salazar! We need your help!" One of the hostesses came running towards Hazama and Debbie.

"What's up?" Hazama hugged his daughter on instinct."Did something happen?"

"It's Joseph! He's chocking one of the girls!"

Hazama's eyes widened in shock, grabbing Debbie and placing her in the woman's arms."Take care of her while I go fix things. Debbie, be a good girl and listen to her, okay?"

"Be careful Daddy..." Debbie muttered, sad to see her father rush into danger.

Hazama ran around the establishment, eventually going inside the changing rooms. Normally, girls would be sitting down in front of mirrors, putting makeup on among other things to look presentable. But now, they were all gathered together, watching in horror to whatever was going on in the backroom. The red-haired made his way past them and noticed a horrible sight. A small boy, presumably around 15, was sitting down on a young woman's lap. She had pale skin, black hair, and brown eyes that were so wide they looked like they were going to burst out of their socket due to her neck being squeezed.

The culprit had wavy brown hair that reached his neck along with a pair of yellow eyes. He was wearing a small hat tilted to the left, a white shirt and suspenders with a black coat and scarf around their neck, beige shorts with thin red stripes, brown shoes with high white socks that reach his calves, and a red sling bag. The boy was choking the woman, blood covering his hands.

Hazama gasped, noticing that Joseph had wrapped a barbed wire around his hands, which were not only hurting him but also making the woman's neck bleed profusely.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Hazama stormed towards Joseph, attempting to grab him by the shoulder but the young man was agile, jumping back and swinging his arm, splattering his and the woman's blood on Hazama's face.

"Haha! I painted your face!" Joseph giggled like a child would, which contrasted the bloody mess in the room.

"You little shit!" Hazama screamed, wiping the blood off his face with his jacket. Tossing it aside, he turned to give him a piece of his mind, but he wasn't there anymore.

"Is that any way talk to your dear older brother? hmmm?" Joseph suddenly landed on his shoulders, resting his arms on Hazama's head."I came by all the way out here just to say hello, after all."

"Older by rank. Don't make this any weirder, kid." Hazama tried to swat him off him, but Joseph bent his body backward, landing on his arms."Everyone! Out of the room! Go back to work and don't come here until I'm done!"

"Why are you kicking them out?" Joseph pouted, watching the women run away from the room and closing the door behind them."Oh, well."

"Why the hell are you here, Joseph?" Hazama impatiently asked, hands on his hips."And why are you killing one of my girls?!"

"What are you talking about? I paid to have some fun with her." Joseph cocked his head to the side."They offer any kind of services, don't they?"

"Not when it comes to violence and especially with barbed wire! What's wrong with you?!"

"Relax. These don't cut that deep." Joseph shrugged without a care in the world."She passed out from the lack of oxygen. But the pain...is so damn good! Her face expressed agony and suffering...the sensation when you're under excruciating pain and are trying to fight for your life! Truly wonderful! Nothing compared to my hands!"

Hazama visibly cringed at how happy the young man was and how he seemingly didn't mind that his hand was covered in cuts."Don't bring your damn kinks here. Not everyone can regenerate like us. She could be dead right now."

"She will too." Joseph unwrapped the barbed wire off his hands as black dust appeared out of his wounds, circling around his hands."That's why I'm here, actually. Our big old sister Mary sent me here to get one of the girls...her, in particular. Apparently, she's very interested in her for whatever reason."

"W-wha- I mean, what?!" Hazama glared at him as if he had said the stupidest thing in the world."First off, you choked her with barbed wire. She's spasming out over there. Secondly, why the hell would I accept that? She's one of my employees. Sure, she's shy and clumsy, but some guys love that stuff. Not to mention...if she were to undergo the ritual...I would lose my number one hostesses and it would affect the profits considerably. You're insane. I'm not doing that."

"I don't think you have much of a choice. These are Mary's orders and if you want to defy our older sister, then that's up to you. But...I do think this is an excellent idea! I want a little sibling! You guys are all lame, after all."

"Daddy! Are you okay?!" Debbie stormed into the room, causing Hazama to immediately run up to her and cover her eyes "Daddy?"

"Don't look, sweety." Hazama protectively hugged his child.'God damn it. How the hell did she get here? I thought I told Stucy to watch her!'

"If it isn't little Debbie!" Joseph skipped over to them."How are you?"

"Uncle Joseph!" Debbie cheered, grabbing Joseph's hand, only to retract it with a shriek."Ouch! Something pricked me, Daddy!"

Hazama's eyes shot wide open when he saw some blood pouring from a little wound on her finger.

"Oh, sorry Debbie! Here, I got something for you." He pulled a doll that resembled her from his coat, offering to the small child."I made this for you! Because you're a good girl!"

Debbie, excited at the doll in front of her, tried to reach out to it and grab it.

Meanwhile, Hazama saw the glint of malice in Joseph's eyes as he showed him his right hand, the number 6 branded into his palm glowing red. The red-haired pulled his child away, storming towards the door and setting her down."Go back with Stucy. Now."

"But Daddy-"

"Now!" Hazama hated raising his voice and chastising Debbie, but given the circumstances, he had no choice. Closing the door behind him, he stomped towards Joseph, towering over him and glaring at him with all the venom he could muster."You stay the fuck away from my kid, you understand? I don't care if you're higher ranked than me. You will NOT lay your slimy hands on her!"

"That sounds like a challenge." Joseph's brand formed a second six as black lines appeared all over his body."You're welcome to challenge me to a Blood Deathmatch and try to take my spot. If you do, you can kill me and save that woman's life. Mary will understand. But if you lose...let's just say I'm not so gentle in a fight. I'd hate to leave your kid and knows? Maybe I'll adopt her and make her one of us."

Clenched his fists, Hazama considered his choices and the consequences of each.

"I wonder how she'll react to her father not being a human anymore." Joseph began pacing in circles around the man."Will she hate you? Despise you? Or maybe follow in your footsteps? You call me a monster, but you're just as much of a monster like me. We're Alternates."

"Okay. I get it. I accept. But it doesn't change the fact that you might have killed her."

"Don't worry, her death won't be in vain. This is where her uniqueness comes to play." Joseph pointed at the young woman, who began showing signs of life again.

"Isabella?" Hazama rushed to her side, baffled that she was alive.

"No, you idiot..." 'Isabella' groaned, running a hand around her neck. The blood became frozen, stopping her to continue to bleed."What the...? What happened? Huh?! Where the hell am I? Did this human fall asleep? What's happening?!"

"Isabella, calm down!" Hazama pleaded, earning a hiss in return.

"Don't address me so casually, you retched human! I'm not Isabella, you dolt, I'm Levi! Now where the fuck is my sister?!"

"Your sister...?" Hazama repeated in bewilderment."But your sister is-"

"She doesn't mean that sister, Hazama." Joseph cut him off."How dense are you? This is what Mary was talking about. From what I understand, this girl's body contains two separate souls. I was tasked to kill her and awaken the other one within her. You see, when she died...the other one takes over."

"Huh? Did ya say, Mary? She's around too?" Levi looked at the blood in Joseph's hands then glanced at her body."You...are you the one who nearly suffocated this body to death?!"

"Now, now. That's not important right now. Come with me. Our Mother is patiently waiting for your arrival."

"I don't really get what's going on...but if Mary is there, maybe I can get some answers for my sister."

"You must be really confused right now. I understand." Joseph's markings disappeared as well as the second number 6 in his palm. He took Levi from the hand and pulled her along."We're going through the back door. It'd be scandalous if they see me walking out with her, Hazy. And remember...prepare the sacrifice by tonight. We're most likely sealing the deal by then. Ciao!"

With that, Hazama was left alone in the backroom. Disoriented after the adrenaline left his body, he collapsed on the couch, a hand rubbing his forehead."Son of a bitch...He just has to come over and fuck everything up, doesn't he? And what's all this stuff with Isabella having another soul? What are Mary and Mother planning? Tsk. Even as the third strongest of the Children of Sceva, I barely get any info."

"Boss!" Someone slammed the door open, causing Hazama to recoil. It was another hostess with cascading chocolate hair and big brown eyes and fair skin, wearing a long red dress with high heels."What happened?! Where is Isabella?!"

"Calm down." Hazama stood up, grabbing the woman by the shoulders."She's fine. I sent one of the girls to take her to the nearest infirmary."

"You better have kicked that little scoundrel's ass!" She angrily said, grinding her teeth."How can anyone hurt her?! She's such a sweet cinnamon bun!"

"That person was a kid..." Hazama tried to reason, although he wanted to tear Joseph apart, all things considered."Listen, everything will be fine. She's a tough girl like you, so she'll pull through."

"Can you take me to go see her? Please, Boss, she's my best friend. I need to be by her side. She pretty much has no family other than that sister of hers and god knows where she is."

Hazama crossed his arms, his shoulders tensing up. Biting his lower lip, the Third Child of Sceva was forced to go with what he had agreed with."Okay. We'll go tonight after we close. Until then...you can have the rest of the day off. Enjoy yourself, Christa."

"Please, this is my life." Christa huffed."I'll go back to work. It's a busy day today and the girls will need my help in any way I can. Just keep your promise to me, okay?"

"Right." Hazama nodded with a smile. As soon as she left him alone in the room, his smile faded, replaced by a scowl."Damn it all...How did it get to this?"


Raiden stood in front of the butcher shop, watching his own reflection in the glass door."All I have to do is collect the money owed to her...and I should be able to get the answers I need. Besides, this is a golden opportunity..." Swallowing the lump in his throat, Raiden grabbed the door handle, slowly turning it and hearing the loud creak the door was making. The shop was empty as it was before, with only the clerk sitting by the register, legs on the counter, and a newspaper covering her face. Judging by the way her chest was moving, Raiden deduced she was napping."Uh...hello?"

"I'm awake...I'm awake." The drowsy voice was muffled behind the newspaper. Rose threw it on the ground, stretching with a loud sigh."Shit. Hopefully, no one came to steal anything. Oh, hey. You came. Sooner than expected."

"Yeah, well. Don't really get much going on right now." Raiden shrugged, approaching the counter slowly.

"What's up with the bandages?" She pointed at the bandages wrapped up in Raiden's arms."Got in a fight?"

"Yeah." Raiden answered bashfully."Anyway, I want to help you with your collections."

"So eager, so eager." Rose clapped, rushing to the backroom. Once she came back, she handed Raiden a notepad with a pencil along with a bag of goodies."Just go to the address written in there, tell them that Rose sent you, and bring the money. Easy."

"What about...whatever is in this bag?"

"Oh that. Well, just give them to each of the people you encounter at your destinations. They are safely wrapped up, so don't be afraid if you accidentally toss the bag. So go nuts tiger."

"Okay..." Raiden replied skeptically, grabbing the items."So, are you going to be here the whole night? This might take a while."

"I pretty much live here, kid." Rose waved him off."I'll be here. Don't worry. You go do your thing."

"Sure. But as promised, you'll tell me what I want to know. Right?"

"Yes, yes." Rose answered, her patience running low."I don't know why you want to know so badly about the Fifth-leaf Grimoire, but I'll get my contact to tell you all about it. Scout's honor."

Raiden narrowed his eyes, not fully believing in her words. She radiated insincerity and malice, but he couldn't pinpoint why. He supposed he'd find out. Without anything else to say, he headed for the door, but a hand stopped him in his tracks. His head turned to the left, baffled to find Rose standing behind him.'When did she get here? She was behind the counter...'

"Use this mask." She handed him a white mask with two eyeholes."And don't wear your robe or bandana. Can't have a Magic Knight be caught doing collections for a butcher, eh? It'll look bad for the both of us."

"Right..." Raiden took the mask, speedwalking out of the butcher shop. He was so not ready for what was to come.


Somewhere in the Forsaken Realm, Abel was flying on his broom, deep in thought as he scanned the area below him."Ah, there it is!"

Hidden in the forest, just on the side of a dirt road, was the place where he was born and raised in. Garden of Eden. However, Abel noticed something odd. There was a stagecoach stationed in front of the gates. It was painted in white and had two red crosses on the side. This alarmed Abel, fearing for the worse and forcing him to fly back down. His landing was a bit rough, nearly spraying his ankle due to how his speed."Ouch!"

"You startled me." Abelrubbed his ankle, turning his head to the door of the stagecoach. A young lady, presumably in her early 20s or late teen years got off the small ladder connecting to the ground. She was wearing a white blouse, a long cream-colored trench coat, and a skirt that goes down to her ankles as well as black lace-up boots. On top of her choppy ashy blonde-colored hair cut short in the back that reached to her shoulders, was a white cap with a red cross on it.

"What happened?! Are any of the kids hurt?!" Abel frantically asked, but nearly lost his footing upon putting too much pressure on his ankle.

"Not at all. I came here for a check-up on the children of this orphanage. My name is Caroline Valenstein. I'm the head nurse, aspiring to be a full-fledged doctor soon. Are you perhaps affiliated with this place?"

"You could say that. This is pretty much my home. My name is Abel of the Black Bulls. A pleasure to meet you, Doctor Valenstein."

"No need for such...formalities." Caroline rubbed her chin, a small smile on her face."Though it does sound alluring. But for now, I am a mere nurse. I should probably get inside. I promised to be punctual, after all."

"Let me help you carry your things." Abel offered, eyeing a few bags she wanted to take with her containing medicine and other medical supplies."It's the least I can do for giving my siblings a check-up."

"Truly?" She hummed, not expecting the kindness. Wordlessly, she reached for her satchel, pulling out her Grimoire. What was most eye-catching about it was the symbol on it. Instead of the regular clover, was the Ace Kingdom symbol. The spade flipped upside down.

"You're from the Ace Kingdom?" Abel asked, astonished.

"That's right." She grabbed her personal bag, closing the door behind her and following Abel past the gates."I came here with some acquaintances of mine. A businessman and a priest. I came here looking for work since things are quite difficult back at home."

"Right. I heard about that from my Captain and some of my squadmates. They made contact with the people you just mentioned. Some kind of economic crisis that nearly devastated your kingdom."

"I'm surprised. So young and yet so well informed. Then again, I'm not that older than you. Even though my height is 5'3, I am 20 years old. But I'm getting off-topic." She side-glanced to see the beautiful trees and flowers growing around the entrance of the orphanage and was marbled to see a water fountain in the middle of it."It's true that at first, we needed tons of healers to treat the wounded due to the riots, but once things began to stabilize, the workplace became more competitive. My superiors would rather hire 10 inexperienced nurses over me since they come off as cheaper for their pockets. That happened to a lot of different industries, in fact. The government wanted to pay lower than minimum wage due to the still-fragile economy, and for that, they fired all the veterans and welcomed fresh and naive faces."

"Is that so? But what if something happened that the inexperienced people don't know how to handle? Wouldn't they be in trouble?"

"They don't care about trivial things like that, I'm afraid." Caroline scowled, visibly upset."They focus more on the rich and leave the poor to die. They do the minimum and if they don't know what to do, either they have to improvise or they're done for and call in the next nurse. Eventually, one of them will know. However, those that do know aren't as lucky as you might think. Once they get enough experience and pass it down to their juniors, they are laid off, discretely. The whole process continued indefinitely."

"That's horrible..." Abel didn't know what else to say."So that's why you came to the Clover Kingdom. How are you liking it so far?"

Once they reached the door, Abel set one of the bags down and knocked on the door a couple of times.

"It's peaceful. Quiet. Though the politics are pretty much similar, at least the commoners here get a decent chance. Look at me. I came here without a coin and I'm already doing okay for myself thanks to my previous medical knowledge. It's amazing how many people think that being a healer is all about having a few fancy healing spells. But sometimes things aren't that easy, especially on the battlefield."

Abel was going to ask what she meant by that but the main door opened, revealing Sister Rika holding a child in one of her arms."Abel? And you're Ms. Valenstein, correct?"

"I got here a few minutes ago, but this fine young man here was courteous enough to help me carry my bags." Caroline explained, causing Abel to blush at the praise."You did a great job at educating him. Not many people nowadays are like that."

"We do our best for our children here." Sister Rika nodded, walking over to Abel and checking him up from head to toe."Look at you. All grown up and a Magic Knight. I'm so proud of you, Abel."

"Ah...Sister, you say this every time I swing by." Abel rubbed the back of his neck, sheepishly."So, where are the kids?"

"They should be wrapping up their math class with Sister Lucia." Rika explained, pointing at a chair in the middle of the main hall."We'll have the children line up for Ms. Valenstein to do her thing. It'd be great if you could ease their minds a bit. This will be their first time."

"Sure, no problem."

"By the way, what were you doing around here?" Rika asked in curiosity."Are you out here on a mission or came to visit?"

"Ah...I came to get some advice, actually..." Abel lowered his head, hoping to conceal the blush on his face.

"Whatever could it be?" Rika smiled, knowing where this was going due to how shy he was being."Could it be...you're here to ask for advice for...getting a girlfriend? I guess you are at that age already, huh?"

"Well...It's a little more complicated than that." Before he could elaborate further, the loud cheering of children could be heard getting closer. As he turned on his heel, Abel was tackled to the ground by the boys of the group, leaving the girls pleading to release their older sibling.

"Guys! Come on, you're going to suffocate him!" Rika sighed, turning her attention to Caroline."I'm sorry. They're usually so well behaved."

"It's understandable." She shook her head."They look up to him, don't they?"

"Him and his brother, Cain. Those two are actually blood-related and are the oldest of our children. Well, were. Cain left a long time ago and hasn't set foot in here ever since. Sorry, I didn't mean to prolong this. I'll get the children in a straight line. Please, make yourself comfortable. Sister Lucia will bring some cookies and tea for you and everyone to enjoy."

"Much appreciated. I do enjoy some delicious tea with cookies." Caroline nodded, rubbing her belly at the thought. She went to get set up while Rika practically pulled the children off of Abel.

"Don't worry guys..." Abel dusted his clothes off, stomping marks all over his face."I'm okay! Anyway, please listen to what Sister Rika says, okay? That nice lady over there will be checking that you guys are in good health. Treat her nice, okay? Then I'll play with you all you want."

"OKAY!" Everyone cheered in glee, lining up where Rika instructed them to. Caroline had settled down in the wooden hair, grabbing a stethoscope and a wooden stick.

"So..." Rika grabbed Abel's hand, guiding him to two more empty chairs."Talk to me. Who is the lucky girl?"

"Well...she's uh...let's just say she's not a local. And she's not exactly...normal, I guess. Her name is Mariella. She was homeschooled and very closed off." Abel measured his words carefully to avoid revealing any information that would reveal anything of the Diamond Kingdon fiasco."She feels like she's done many wrong things. Things that she doesn't feel she can atone for. But she really wants to. And well...she's just very conflicted, I guess. But she means good and I know she can do some good."

"Okay. I'm not going to ask about the details, but she's on the right track. The path towards redemption always starts with the will to reach it. God forgives those who repent for their sins. But he also cherishes those who want to do good to make up for their pasts mistakes. Go on."

"I guess she just caught my eye. I'm not sure. It sort of just happened. She is beautiful. Hair as dark as my magic, you could easily get lost staring at her eyes. She's elegant, mature, and dependable. Maybe I'm out of my league here. But despite us being opposites, I feel really attracted to her. And I want to at least help her to a better path. And to be happy with herself."

"They do say opposites attract." Rika said with a thoughtful expression."One does not choose who they fall in love with. They just feel it. It happens naturally. Although perhaps it's a simple crush. It could be possible. It all depends on whether you work on it or not. I'm not an expert when it comes to dating...but I am a decent wingman. I'll give you what they call "Mom Advice"."

"Oh..."

"What?"

"No, nothing." Abel shook his head."So, what can I do to get her to open up a little more? To get comfortable?"

"Around you?" Rika wiggled her eyebrows, enjoying Abel's face turned crimson."I'm just playing. Well, Abel, you are a nice kid. You have a lovely personality and contagious optimism. Just be yourself. Going based on your description of that girl, all you need is to rub some of your aura around her. People like her are drawn towards positive feelings. I'm sure if you get to know each other better, eventually, things will turn out okay."

"I sure hope so...Just be myself...is it that easy?"

"Sometimes is best to be yourself than to pretend someone you're not."

They both turned to Caroline, who was checking a child's temperature."I apologize for eavesdropping. But I wanted to give some input for the boy."

"Again, you're not that older than me..." Abel sweatdropped, his remark going completely ignored.

"I'm sure you'll do fine." Caroline had a small smile on her face."Chivalry is nearly extinct nowadays. Any girl would appreciate that."

Rika observed as Caroline handled each other the children with care. Although she seemed a little rigid at first, she quickly grew used to the children."For someone so young, you're quite a capable nurse. You must have trained a lot."

"And studying." Caroline huffed, her arms beginning to get tired."The Ace Kingdom is...more technologically advanced than here, from what I've noticed so far. Magic, food supply, as well as medicine. So I had access to state-of-the-art medical information. As I was telling Abel earlier, it takes more than magic to heal someone. For starters, if you run out of mana and need to treat a wound, you'll need to know more than the basics. It could be the difference between life and death."

"Oh, dear. I can see why it would make such a difference."

Abel nodded in agreement."I never even thought about it that way. Usually, everyone settles everything with Magic. It's more convenient, I guess."

"There are often scenarios where Magic isn't necessary at all. I've seen people here crying for nurses to use magic to fix their dislocated elbows. Or broken noses. Little things like that that anyone can fix. Perform CPR. The list goes on and on. But my kingdom is slowly getting back on its feet and they're hiring all the new nurses. To say there's barely any work would be an understatement. That's why I am here."

"She told me they're hiring all the new people only and leaving the experienced ones in the street," Abel explained.

"But you're barely a woman, dear." Rika covered her mouth."Why did they feel the need to throw you out?"

"Probably because of my former teacher. She was the one who taught me everything I know. She wasn't well-liked, you see. Jealousy, mostly. And she was so good at her job people would come to her clinic. After the whole crisis, all the clinics were brought down, and instead, a single hospital was created. Of course, there are health facilities here and there, but if you want the best medical treatment there is, you'd have to take a trip to the Capital."

"The Capital?" Sister Lucia, who had just entered the room carrying a tray full of oatmeal cookies, joined the conversation."Sorry for the intrusion. I take it you're Ms. Valenstein. ANd Abel...what a pleasant surprise!"

"We're talking about Ms. Valenstein's medical career. She's from the Ace Kingdom and came here looking for work." Rika filled her in, Lucia's eyes widening.

"The Ace Kingdom? I've only heard of it in stories. I don't believe I know anyone who has gone there."

"We're strictly closed off to anyone at the moment. ANd before, we were a kingdom that didn't allow many or any visitors. So it's no surprise. Thank you kindly." She answered as Lucia handed her two cookies.

"Alright, kids! Snack time! Let's let the nurse rest for a bit!"

ON cue, the children rushed over to the tray full of cookies on the table and began devouring them.

"So wait, if you needed serious medical attention, you'd have to go to either that hospital or those facilities you mentioned?" Abel tried to get the conversation back on track."I assume the hospital had more resources available to it, right?"

"Correct. The medical facilities had the cheapest stuff. Of course, they are okay and apt for the ill and injured, but only the rich get the best. But that's mainly because the government doesn't fund them accordingly. It all goes to the hospital in the capital. But if you ever have to go to the hospital, you might as well sign your own death sentence."

"Why is that?" Lucia asked, pulling a chair and setting it beside Rika.

"Because you need something called insurance. To have insurance, you must pay for it. Insurance basically allows you to get access to decent medical attention without having to sell one of your legs or put yourself in massive debt. However, owning insurance is also hard because of how expensive it is. Not to mention going to the Capital is...almost impossible unless you have money or are part of the military."

"Wait, so the Capital is closed off to people like us, who live in the Forsaken Realm?" Rika couldn't believe her ears.

Caroline nodded, a grim expression on her face."The Capital, the City of Babylon, is much like your Capital, but much stricter. It's not prohibited for a peasant to live there with all the rich people, but the lifestyle requires a great deal of money. There is an area in the Capital called the Ghetto, where people who are less wealthy or poor live. Of course, with less money, they get fewer benefits. And if they can't afford insurance, they get stuck with the lowest service they can get. I stand against things like that, so I have opened my own clinic for those people to go to. Of course, I never got much compensation for it, but it was worthwhile. That is, until the big economic crisis five years ago..."

Abel could see her troubled expression, and decided to put a hand on her shoulder."Hey, it's okay. I think you've said enough, Ms. Valenstein. I may know not what happened there, but judging by your expression..."

"He's right, honey. We didn't mean to open up any old wounds." Sister Rika offered her sympathy."Let me go warm up some tea for you. The children seem to be enjoying the cookies Sister Lucia baked for them."

"They are freshly out of the oven." Lucia puffed her chest, seemingly proud."What do you think?"

"They're...great. Thank you. And thank you for your kind words." Caroline resumed munching on her cookies, making Abel smile.

"This might take a while then. And it'll dark by the time you get back to your post. Nowadays, everything is more dangerous thanks to the Eye of the Midnight Sun and the Order of the First. If you want, I can be your escort. Just in case things go bad. Which I hope they don't."

"Truly?" She turned for him with an incredulous expression, receiving a nod with a goofy grin."What a nice young man you are. I don't possess any offensive or defensive spells, so I'm pretty much vulnerable to harm. So I'll take you up on your offer."

"Huh? You don't possess any offensive spells? Hey, my squadmate Raiden is in the same shoes as you kind of. He doesn't have any other spell that isn't offensive."

"Raiden is his name, huh..." She trailed off, folding her arms."I suppose everyone is born with their own unique characteristics."

"Yeah, we-"

Before Abel could finish his sentence, he was tackled to the ground once again by a group of boys."What are you guys doing?"

"You said you'd play with us once we were checked up! Keep your promise brother Abel!"

Abel internally groan, but he knew he couldn't say no to them."Okay, okay. Just go easy on me..."

And they did the exact opposite, causing him to lament his decision while also enjoying the fact he was once again at home, with the people he considered his family.'If only Cain was here...'


Judging from how things are looking so far, I'd say the mission with the Ace Kingdom prince will be in two chapters from now. It'll probably be a chapter and a half long, it depends on how I decide to go about it. But for now, while I had the opportunity, I wanted to work on some of the characters a little more, as well as the introduction of Caroline Valenstein from the Ace Kingdom crew. Next chapter we'll see more of Raiden's collection mission as well as what's going on with Karina and Mia. After that, we'll enter the Underwater Temple Arc and see where destiny takes Raiden and his friends.