Bright and early, Margaret's group made for Lastonbell's eastern gate; they would travel toward Pendrago now. None was truly awake yet and thus all kept their silence after having pushed themselves out of bed; they knew without words that they could sleep in if they so desired, but no one wanted to be the first to suggest it. Thus, they all suffered on their own.

Alisha received an additional dose of anguish when the three encountered Lailah, the lady seraph walking the other way; she silently refused to acknowledge any of them as she wandered the streets and soon left their sight. Alisha's quiet sigh remained unheard by most, although the therion did not dwell on it all for long.

Lailah, in turn, made her way to the marketplace where she knew the Sparrow Feathers were; they always remained close to their carts and wagons, usually even sleeping in them. Due to the early hour however, she had some trouble finding Rose; being a seraph, Lailah could obviously not walk up to any of the merchants already setting up shop to ask. No, she had to walk along their wagons until her senses alerted her to a seraph ahead. Dezel sat on top of one such wagon, upright yet slumped forward in what Lailah assumed was slumber; she felt she should not disturb him unless necessary and passed by, only for the wind seraph to speak up: "Are you looking for something?"

Lailah started and pressed a hand to her chest. "My, you startled me," she chided lightly. "I thought you were asleep?" Her assertion was as much a question and Dezel shrugged.

"I sleep light and my winds told me when you got close. So, what do you need?"

"Ah, I was searching for Rose. Would you know where she is?"

Nothing happened for a moment, though Lailah had the feeling that Dezel scrutinised her from beneath his bangs. He then proceeded to make an odd gesture, pressing the tips of his thumb and index finger together to form a circle, followed by a gust rushing into the next wagon. Two startled eeps sounded immediately, followed by rustling inside; then a disheveled mop of red hair poked out the front with a grumble. "Hrg, wassup?"

Lailah only had time to cover her mouth, partly for appearances and partly out of genuine surprise. "Oh my, Rose. I am so sorry! Should I come back later?"

"Nah, 'is fine. Gimme five."

The head was pulled back in and a quiet conversation sounded, as well as some more rustling. After a minute, another woman wearing a Sparrow Feathers uniform slipped out of the back; her clothes were thrown on hastily, the implications of which turned Lailah's cheeks rosy. She apologised again once Rose herself slid outside, just as disheveled: "I am really sorry about interrupting."

"I told you it's fine," the other woman repeated, though her reassurance was interrupted by a yawn. "What's up?"

Lailah hesitated for a moment, her careful preparations for how to present her request rattled by the previous experience. She eyed the empty marketplace for a moment. "I was meaning to ask you about something, perhaps it is even more necessary now than ever." Rose leaned against the wagon and motioned for the firekeeper to continue, which she did: "I believe you much prefer I be blunt, so I will not beat around the bush. Would you be willing to become Sorey's squire?"

At first she received a confused look, which only cleared once Lailah explained the basics of what a squire was and did. The gloomy expression that followed did not give her much hope, though. Rose considered the matter for a few long moments, but ultimately shook her head.

"I'm sorry," she began, which made her decision clear already. "But I can't just abandon my duties here, with the Sparrow Feathers. I guess I can help out if I'm around and you're in a pinch, but I don't think I'd fit in all that well permanently, you know?"

"I understand. In fact, I expected you to refuse, but I wanted to at least try." Lailah inclined her head with the admission, though Rose waved her off.

"It's fine. Now, what was that with Alisha yesterday?" The non-sequitur threw Lailah for a loop and significantly soured her mood, but she retained her smile and indulged the other woman's curiousity. Later, once their more or less pleasant conversation ran its course and they parted ways, she returned to Sorey and her fellow seraphim. No one questioned her beyond the notion of tending to some business

Their second day of exploring Lastonbell was a lot less sobering than the first; Sorey spent much of his morning walking from district to district, blissfully free of encounters with hellions. Mikleo and Lailah wandered with him while Edna remained closed off, leaving them to their own devices. Regardless of his companions, he wandered partly in wonder and partly to see if anyone needed his help; on the second count, he found none at all. A lady seraph by the name of Sindra maintained a strong domain around the city, keeping most of the Malevolence at bay.

Time passed as Sorey enjoyed himself, the peace doing his mood some good. Morning turned to noon and once his stomach reminded him of the need to eat, he elbowed Mikleo. "How about we go and check out the Crowe's Nest now?" The others quickly agreed and they made their way there, passersby readily pointing him in the right direction when he asked.

Before entering the grand building however, Sorey stood in front of it for a minute to marvel at the flawless facade. It almost shone in the sunlight, the entire building constructed visibly different from those surrounding it; not to mention the wide glass windows revealing the inside, currently empty except for a handful of patrons.

Once he was done gawking, the three of them stepped in and immediately felt a domain settle over them. Then they were greeted by one of the barmaids as she walked by; a more plump seraph lady with soft features and a bright smile, her flowing dress a moderate leaf green. It clashed a little with the red scarf she wore around her wrist like a bracelet, but no one commented on it as she pointed them to a larger table, then asked a peculiar question: "Say, do you mind if others sit with you later?"

"Uh, no? I don't mind?"

His visible confusion drew an understanding noise from the woman, who nodded to the door outside. "Ah, you're from elsewhere. See, lots of folks come here for the chance to talk to one of us seraphim, so we try to leave a few open spots at those tables, to mix them a bit." Now he understood and so did the others; Sorey loved the idea and cheerfully eyed his surroundings while they settled down. Edna made an appearance as well, claiming the seat opposite of Sorey and leaning her umbrella against the table.

They were given menus to pick their food from, which intrigued Sorey who had not seen such a practice before; after each of them chose a meal, the same waitress took their orders and went into the back without ever losing her smile. It did not take long for the food to arrive and their idle chat was cut off entirely when they began to eat. Sorey was used to rations and whatever he could put together himself, so such good food had him excited; going by how happy the seraphim looked, they enjoyed it just as much.

After they were mostly done however, a familiar face made her appearance; Velvet trailed out of the back and made her way over to them, a smile on her lips. "Hello again," she greeted. "May I sit with you for a bit?" Sorey cast a glance around and received shrugs from all sides, so he motioned for the empty chairs.

"Sure."

Velvet settled next to Edna and began to chat at them, curiously asking about his journey and how they found Lastonbell so far. He answered in-between bites much like the others did, though she appeared unconcerned about it; only when his stomach had been filled did Sorey actively join the conversation, curious about the place: "It's amazing how everyone can see seraphim in here. How did you make that happen? Is it some kind of arte?"

"Hmmm, no." Velvet leaned back, tapping a finger against her chin thoughtfully. "We have a seraph here whose blessing helps with that. Everything else," she added cheerfully when Sorey made to ask, "is a trade secret." This was followed by an impish grin and a wink, though he accepted her refusal anyway; Edna looked like she wanted to comment, but thankfully held her silence. Seeing no disagreement or hearing any more questions, Velvet changed the subject: "So, where are you planning to go next?"

Thankfully, he could answer that easily: "We wanted to head into Rolance and help out where we can." The others nodded, though Lailah appeared like she had an idea of some kind.

Velvet mulled it over, her arms folded on the table. Then she shook her head at him. "Actually, you might be better off turning around for now." Her words drew everyone's attention and she turned to Mikleo when he asked her why: "Well, you probably know that Margaret's group went further into the Empire earlier. There is no one to keep the peace in Hyland now."

"It's true that Margaret is good," Mikleo mused, "but she doesn't have the silver flame, right? She can't quell hellions."

"Not to mention that Sorey already purified everything we found on the way through Hyland," Edna added before stuffing another spoonful of pudding in her mouth and swallowing it. "But someone competent is better than no one."

Wrapped up in the conversation, Sorey had no time to take notice of how conversational the earth seraph was. He was pondering the current subject. "Couldn't Margaret head toward Hyland?"

"While Alisha has a charge of treason against herself?"

"Okay, yeah. Sorry." Though Velvet had a point, Sorey did not like to be reminded of the conundrum surrounding Alisha; it made him feel sullen once again. Sighing, he nodded his head at the other human. "I'll think about it, okay?"

"That's all I ask. And don't," Velvet added when he began to count coins to pay, one hand landing on his. "It's on the house." When she saw his owlish look, the woman huffed. "The least we can do to support the gentle shepherd is to feed him and his properly." Sorey stared a moment longer, then he acquiesced and closed his coinpurse.

"Wait, 'we'?"

"She is the owner," Edna supplied flatly, though with a barely visible grin. A lot of things suddenly made sense, though Sorey still felt dumb.

"Oh."

Meanwhile, Margaret was mesmerised. It had taken hours upon arriving at the Meadow of Triumph for her to notice, but once she did she had been rooted to the spot. Endless grassland stretched in front of her, a few feral horses grazing in the distance. Wildflowers yet blossomed despite the approaching Winter, with Autumn's final warm days being upon them; rainclouds were drawing together up high, the sun barely peeking out beneath to cast an orange glow over everything. An emerald sea interspersed with rubies and sapphires.

"It's so beautiful," the girl mumbled to herself, drinking in the sight. She had marveled at the many different places she saw so far, but none felt outright special. This however, this did. It was not imposing like Innominat or frightening like Hexen Isle, but serene and peaceful.

Alisha appeared just as taken with the sight, standing next to Margaret. "I heard that the Meadow of Triumph is beautiful," the therion agreed quietly, "but I never thought it would be this breathtaking." They stood there a while longer, taking in the sight; a soft breeze ruffled their clothes, carrying the flowers' sweet scent and making the younger woman sigh in content.

Naturally, it was not perfect; though its quantity was lower due to the lack of human settlers, Malevolence still hung in the air despite it all. Alisha drew some of it to herself as they passed, though Symonne scrutinised the small clouds curiously. "Weird," she admitted after a time. "There should be more of it around." Her friends became attentive once they caught her meaning, at which point she elaborated: "There is a crucible nearby."

She then had to explain their purpose as breeding grounds and fighting pits for venomised hellions, which horrified both of them. "This can not stand," Alisha insisted once she moved past the shock. Margaret wanted to agree, but Alisha already stripped down and transformed instead of waiting for her. She stood as a fox within seconds, sniffing the air.

Margaret threw a glance to Symonne, who shrugged; her friend should have known better. They then followed the therion's insistent motions and climbed onto her back, an idea they discussed before but were reluctant to try. It appeared that Alisha no longer cared, seeing how she immediately tore off at speeds that would put any horse to shame; they still needed days to reach the Meadow's center, as much as an area this vast could have one. The day they did, it was raining.

When they closed on the sinister spire however, its spindly structure grasping toward the sky like a malnourished finger, they all noticed something amiss; Symonne's gasp confirmed it for Margaret, this was the crucible. No Malevolence whatsoever surrounded it, leaving behind a creepy ruin and little else.

"No shepherd has been able to fully cleanse a crucible, not in hundreds of years," Symonne muttered in disbelief. "There was always enough taint left to turn them actively dangerous. This, this is ludicrous!"

"Well," Margaret countered matter-of-factly, "I'd imagine it wasn't a shepherd who did this. Do you really sense nothing from that direction?"

Her partner shook her head, dumbfounded but also resigned. "Nothing. She really devoured everything." Which meant Velvet made a meal out of all the hellions Heldalf had kept there as well. Margaret felt relieved, though she could not help but worry; drenched by the rain and staring as she did, Symonne appeared almost sad; it reminded the blonde of her friend technically still being on the opposing side. This was an odd moment of insight to her; the second coming of Artorius, the Lord of Calamity's confidante, and an unaffiliated therion all together in the rain.

The realisation drew a chuckle from her own throat, which alerted the other two, although she did not reveal her thoughts. With the crucible already purged, they went on their way a little more slowly and with lighter hearts.

Hundreds of kilometres behind the three women, another group beheld the verdant fields and the distant rainstorm. Sorey was just as impressed with the sight as Margaret had been before him, his wonder shared by Mikleo and Edna; neither of them ever saw such before and Lailah let them have the moment.

Then however, Sorey began to wonder: "Do you think they cut down trees to keep it a meadow, or do they just not grow out here?" A momentary silence followed as the women gave him exasperated looks while Mikleo considered a response.

Edna rolled her eyes after a moment and sighed. "Nerd," she muttered, though without any real heat.

Before an argument could break out, the howling of wolves alerted the group; all four tensed and prepared to battle the approaching group of three, each beast teeming with Malevolence. Then however, an even louder howl made the wolves stop and drew their attention to something else; a werewolf, following the smaller canines and stopping before them. In front of a confused Sorey, the werewolf began to scold the wolves in a decidedly female voice; all three ducked their heads until she took hold of them. By the time she let go, all three hellions whimpered and fell in line when she commanded them to follow.

He watched the canine group approach with mixed feelings, silver flames already in hand. Then however, seeing that none of the four made any threatening motions and remembering Alisha, he extinguished the fire. Sorey recalled how upset Edna was with him and still failed to understand, but he wanted to. "Wait with the flames, guys," he finally muttered. If talking failed, he reasoned, they could still quell the hellions.

His command led to mixed reactions; Edna grinned widely, at odds with Lailah's frown. Mikleo was just surprised, but he did as told just like the other two. They all stood slightly tense and watched the werewolf approach.

When she made it close enough to call out, Sorey took note of her bared teeth. "Sorry about those three," she shouted, "they get riled up pretty easy these days!" The wolves obediently sat by her feet and made no trouble, though the werewolf's tone gave him pause; a moment of consideration made him realise she would be smiling, were she human.

"It's okay," he called back and walked closer, now certain nothing would happen. "No harm done, right? What are you doing around these parts?"

"Hm?" The werewolf's ears flicked as she heard his question and he knew he would never forget the sight of a frowning canine. "Ah, you must be travelers. The name is Amelia," she introduced herself kindly. "I'm a local huntress. Are you headed for Pendrago?"

"Yeah, that's right. Nice to meet you, Amelia. I'm Sorey." Having corrected his earlier blunder now, Sorey felt he should address the issue at hand. "So, err, how long have you been a werewolf?" His question may have been more cautious than normal, but Amelia did nothing beyond staring dumbly.

"Oh, um. You, you can see, uh, me?" He nodded and the hellion's gaze flicked to the seraphim. She slumped when no one contradicted him. "Over a year. This is the second Winter I'll spend like this." Sorey took notice how crestfallen she sounded, though Mikleo commented before he could.

"You're holding on quite well for that."

"More or less, yeah," the huntress agreed. "I got used to it." Then she looked between them curiously. "But say, would any of you be seraphim? I heard that only few people are blessed with eyes that see."

The way she worded it stumped Sorey for a moment, but he quickly recovered and motioned for his companions, deciding to be honest. "I'm the only human here."

"And the shepherd," Edna added from behind, three words that instantly changed Amelia's disposition; the werewolf's jaw fell slack for long moments before she bared her teeth again, far wider than before.

"Truly? The gentle shepherd?" She leaned a little closer as if afraid he would say no, but Sorey confirmed Edna's words despite feeling odd about the situation. Amelia immediately bowed at the waist, her knees bending for a moment as if she considered to kneel instead. "At last!" she cheered. "Praise the six, you are finally here!" Unaware of his confusion, the huntress kept talking: "I was told that you hold the power to make me human once more, and I've been waiting this last year for you! Please, oh shepherd, make me human again!"

She kept her head lowered, claws clacking anxiously as she awaited his response. Sorey was dumbfounded more than anything, but everyone else gave him encouraging nods when he glanced their way. So he produced a silver flame on his palm. "Okay, just hold still for a moment." Amelia agreed and ordered her wolves to sit, though she finally looked up and marveled at the fire's beauty. Her adoration brought clarity to Sorey, too; he had wondered time and again if it was wise to act against Velvet's advice to return to Hyland, but now he knew he chose correctly.

Taking a deep breath, he bid the flame to burn brighter and cast it forward, bathing all four hellions in it; when it faded moments later, there stood a lean woman in ill-fitting clothes, surrounded by three panting dogs that still reached to her thighs. She looked herself over with a brilliant smile, stroking her own fingers in appreciation of the lack of fur. "Thank you," Amelia murmured, then met his eyes and surged forward to hug him fiercely. "Oh, thank you! Please, if there is anything I can do for you, just tell me and I will!" Her embrace embarassed Sorey a little, but he bore with it despite Lailah's chuckling in the background; patting the other human's back awkwardly, he responded to her promise.

"There is no need. I became shepherd to help, you don't need to repay me." He paused while Amelia let go and stepped back to her hunting dogs, all three dutifully still in place, though with wagging tails. There was something curious she said. "But if you have time, could you tell me something?"

"Of course!" Amelia agreed at once, though her radiant smile lost some of its brightness when her baggy clothes began to shuffle around. "Ugh," she let out before muttering to herself. "And I finally got them to fit properly." Only then did she remember she was not alone and perked up again, but was distracted by the absence of everyone else. "Oh... um, so they really are seraphim. Are they still here?"

"You can't see them anymore?"

She shook her head after squinting at the empty air, unable to see the seraphims' disappointment. Sorey did, though; it made him unsure how to proceed, which led to a bout of silence Amelia ultimately broke. Her joy had been replaced by thoughtfulness. "I guess that's something I will miss. I could see and speak to the kind seraphim, and I was so much stronger and faster. I could hunt as much as ten normal people, you know?"

"That's a lot," he agreed at once. His curiousity about the experience was growing more and more. "But you seemed happy leaving that behind?"

She hesitated noticeably, but then began to explain to him: "It's, there were a few months where I thought I'd rather stay a hellion, but I don't think I can live forever with these violent urges. I used the time to earn as much money as I could, so my family is better off now." Sorey considered those words carefully, realising he never even tried to imagine how a hellion's power could be used to help. Then Amelia cut off his thoughts: "But enough about that, what did you want to know?"

Remembering his original inquiry now, Sorey nodded at her. "Well, you praised the 'six' earlier? Who did you mean? And who told you I was coming before I even became shepherd?"

"Wait, you weren't shepherd yet?" Her eyes grew wide when he nodded, though she did not claim fraud or lies of whoever told her. Rather, the woman became reverent and outright excited: "Then he really was a prophet!"

Seeing his continuous confusion, Amelia bowed her head apologeptically. "Ah, sorry. You see, the Summer before last, just a few days after I turned, I met this odd group. A man, a woman, and a child. The man and boy were seraphim and the woman with them a young goddess." Sorey kept a straight face, but he saw Lailah and Mikleo being incredulous; Edna had turned around, expression hidden by her umbrella. Amelia, unaware of all that, continued to gush: "Her blessing blew the violence from my mind, let me claim it back as my own! It didn't last after she left, but that was enough for me to carry on! She is the sixth Great Lord without doubt! Oh, and the man told me there would be a shepherd sooner or later, too!"

The women kept their silence, though Mikleo scratched his chin in thought. "I can see why she is so sure of that," Sorey's brother admitted into the silence. "But I don't think I believe it." He agreed, though he did not want to discourage Amelia. Rather, Sorey was curious who she might have met.

"Do you remember what she looks like? And how can you be so sure she is a goddess?"

Amelia considered the question for a moment, but then shrugged at him. "The kind seraphim told me that and I don't see why they would lie about it." Edna snorted behind her umbrella, which Amelia thankfully could not hear. "I dedicated my evening prayers to Lady Minkkubi ever since, and here I am. Here you are." She sounded so happy that Sorey did not want to burst her bubble; a sixth Great Lord was quite impossible to appear in his mind. Amelia had forgotten one answer in her excitement, though.

"And what did she look like?"

"Oh, right. Let me think." Seconds passed and turned to a full minute, an awfully awkward silence that stretched on far too long for his liking; Amelia's frown continually deepened before she let out an explosive sigh. "I can't remember," the huntress admitted sadly. "It was only a few minutes and I haven't seen her since, and it's been so long already. I definitely remember that she had black hair, but that's all."

Admittedly, Sorey had already expected something like that; he was still disappointed, but not too much. "It's fine," he immediately reassured the downcast woman. "Thank you for telling us so much." His thanks made Amelia perk up a little.

"No, thank you, gentle shepherd," she immediately returned before snapping her fingers. "Ah, right, I just remembered something else you might be interested in: there was a giant fox running that way a few days ago. It had fur the colour of sand and I think there was someone on its back too, but it was too fast to see clearly."

She pointed in the same direction he was headed, which made him suspect it was related to Alisha; the princess had not been a giant fox, but she had the tail. Regardless of that, he was thankful to be told. "I see, thanks. I'll look into it."

"It was nothing, really."

Amelia beamed and with the conversation over, they said their goodbyes. The huntress gathered her dogs and strolled away, waving until she was but a dot in the distance. Sorey waved back just as long before he continued his own journey, remaining on foot for the moment. The others settled back into him but kept discussing the fox they were told about; no one doubted that Amelia saw Alisha for even a moment. After some time, Mikleo realised one of them remained suspiciously quiet and called out: "What do you think, Sorey?"

Hearing his name and registering the question, Sorey sighed and hung his head a little. "If her will had been strong enough to withstand the Malevolence, she could have wanted to stay a hellion. I just, I don't get it." Evidently, he pondered something entirely different from the other three.

Edna ultimately answered him, a strange note of warmth to her voice despite the snide comment it delivered: "Welcome to Desolation. No one is the same and everyone does things others can't understand."

She was right, he knew. Yet actually wrapping his head around the fact remained difficult. Sorey kept mulling it over as he walked, the seraphim mostly quiet to give him space. Time lost meaning for a while and another day had soon passed, his journey interrupted only by meals and sleep. That next morning, they recreated the stone throne and carried on at a far faster pace.

Unfortunately, this day was not meant to be serene like the last. A mere hour after they set out, the ground suddenly trembled and bucked, throwing Sorey off his ride; an actual wall of darkness flowed over the shepherd and trapped him within a sudden hellscape. Grass twisted and turned upward, developing maws and eyes as Malevolence filled it to the brim. Flowers and trees and even the very earth were warped as the presence of something horrible established itself.

Sorey could hardly breathe under the force of it, knowing he was caught in a domain. He fought to his knees but failed to stand, the darkness even more oppressive than Eizen's had been that fateful day on the Spiritcrest. Slowly, ever so slowly, Sorey forced himself to his feet and moved forward; he already knew who he was dealing with, but he had to see them with his own eyes. He had to fight.

"Sorey, don't! Turn around, now!"

"Stay strong, we can do this together!"

"Be careful!"

Edna, Mikleo, and Lailah respectively. Fire and Water kept shouting encouragement, but Earth urged him to flee much like his own instincts did; yet he could not yield to the terror, his mind set on confronting an enemy he always knew he would face one day. It only got worse when a figure became visible ahead of them, the eye of the storm which howled into Sorey's face with every step.

However, every step he made became a little easier than the last. His breathing slowly normalised as Sorey got used to the domain, even though the oppressive weight on his mind and body remained. He fought on, toward the origin point. The Lord of Calamity.

The moment he passed an invisible line, all the Malevolence fell silent. It kept howling outside of the center, but no longer bothered him beyond its oily touch all over his skin. Sorey shuddered a little, his friends flinching as they materialised by his side. They all stood straight and eyed the man in front of them, a giant of black steel and purple mist; the latter seeped out of his body, which was outlined by the former. Wicked claws tipped his large hands and feet while a tail lined with tiny blades slashed through the air.

"Shepherd Sorey," the figure greeted darkly, his arms folded. A growl followed, much akin to that of the great feline he resembled with his golden mane. "We meet at last." Sorey tried to respond, but his tongue was tied; his mind was blank, unable to even form thoughts at the sheer terror this being inspired. Seeing this, the lion man leaned forward ever so slightly. "I am not impressed thus far," he commented, tapping several of his purple claws together; the sound almost echoed in the eery silence. "But it is no matter. I ask that you join me regardless, to finally set this world free."

This kicked Sorey's mind back into gear, if just for how baffling it was. "I'm sorry, what?"

Pupilless eyes narrowed at him but he refused to retreat even a single step. The Lord of Calamity inclined his head after a moment. "Very well. Listen, and listen well: this world, our Desolation, is filled with darkness as you well know. However, I have seen merit within it, and greatly so. Not only weeds it out those of weak will as it turns them, it also grants every single one of us greater power. It honestly reveals the colours of our souls and does away with the pretension of civility or honesty so many wear as masks. In Malevolence, we are free."

Sorey listened attentively, still befuddled but trying to make sense of it all. The giant spoke in a cultured, almost pleasant voice and in a manner that reminded him of Alisha; a comparison he really did not like at this moment, with his instincts still demanding he turn and flee. Pushing those urges aside, Sorey nodded slowly and licked his lips. "I think I get what you mean, but I don't agree." Then he followed up with a question of his own: "You already know my name, but I don't know yours."

Much to his surprise, the Lord of Calamity paused for a long moment. He then bowed his head a little deeper. "Apologies, I am used to my name being known," he began before pressing a paw to his chest. "I am Heldalf."

"The Lord of Calamity."

It was not a question and they all knew it. He could be no one else, not with the boundless Malevolence still writhing all around them.

"What about the seraphim?" Another voice chimed in. Edna sounded calm and collected, but he spotted how tight she held onto her umbrella. Nonetheless, her eyes were narrowed and on the man before them, who regarded her curiously. "If Desolation is covered in Malevolence, we will all become dragons."

"Indeed," Heldalf admitted without hesitation. "It is an unfortunate fact that seraphim are unable to coexist with hellions. It is also a sacrifice I am willing to make, as I see no way for mankind to persist as it is. Our people have been declining for centuries. For what it is worth," he then continued while inclining his head, "I am truly sorry. That I could not find a better way for you and yours.

"Now, shepherd Sorey. I ask you again: join me, and aid me in remaking this world."

He never raised his voice, but his words held the finality of a judge. Heldalf stood in place and waited for a response he must already know, but Sorey's head spun; he knew he would never agree to such a thing, there were so many things wrong with his argument. A tiny voice argued that he promised to keep an open mind just days ago, but he ignored it.

In the end, there was no way back. "No. I refuse."

Heldalf nodded grimly, though his expression did not change in any visible way. His domain faded away and the Malevolence surrounding them condensed into a single orb floating above his hand; the darkness left a space of malformed nature behind, which he studied with a sigh.

Meanwhile, Sorey blinked under the sudden, bright light hitting his eyes again. He produced a gout of flame the moment his vision normalised, which Heldalf sidestepped effortlessly; he weaved through fire and water and sand, charging forward as but a blur. Right at Sorey who raised his sword far too late, then past him. The shepherd saw but could not act, had to watch helplessly how that orb of Malevolence was rammed right into Lailah.

The force behind Heldalf's hand threw the firekeeper a hundred metres distant, where she landed hard. Her descent tore open the ground and left a pockmark in the otherwise pristine meadow, but the impact was hardly felt; Lailah burned, inside and out. Not by her own flames or even blessed silver, but by wretched darkness.

Black lines traced over her skin as the poison coursed through her body, her entire structure flickered and shuddered, bent and warped. Through the haze of pain and madness, Lailah tried to grasp for Maotelus' flame to burn away the dark; her mind fractured, good became bad and up turned to fish, nothing made sense anymore and she forgot even what she just wished to do. An unending, horrible sense of despair clouded everything, making her fall back from an attempt to rise. Lailah lay on her back and waited for the end, an ever smaller part of herself screaming to do something, anything to stop this.

Then she felt the darkness hit something else, far deeper. It lapped at her companions, no, her friends' bonds. In a last moment of clarity, she realised they would follow her and that it was bad, even though she forgot who they were or where they followed to. It did not matter to her, either.

In a final act of defiance, she severed those bonds. Then she gave in to the darkness.