The trill of Itusmi's laugh was a melodic masterpiece to Hikaru's ears. He didn't mean the subtle polite chortle she used in polite company. Her real laugh was a stuttering burst of gasps and cackles punctuated with an occasional snort. Since first discovering it, he had become quickly become addicted to the sound.

She was in the middle of coming down from one such episode, fanning her face with a hand to keep from crying as they walked through the city hall. They were on their way to see Kyoko, eager to drop off their wrapped wedding gift he and Itsumi had spent the day searching for. He hoped they liked it.

"Meetings are always such a drag," she said. "But I think I'd like them a lot more if you were present. Goodness, dad would have killed you if he'd seen you."

"It's not like I'd done it on purpose." He grinned despite his affronted tone. "This time at least. The best part is, I'm almost positive Councilor Okazaki saw, but he didn't say anything. I thought he would flay me al—"

Hikaru turned the corner to Kyoko's room.

He immediately pushed Itsumi back, pressing her shoulder into the wall.

"Wha!" A blush like he'd never seen erupted across her face. If his heart wasn't already thumping in alarm, he would have taken the time to process where it had come from.

"Hikaru?" she said in a quiet voice.

He pressed the wrapped present into Itsumi's hands, drawing his sword. "There are bodies outside Kyoko's room." And blood.

The color drained to white in Itsumi's cheeks.

"Kyoko—"

"I don't know."

It physically hurt the idea of an injured Kyoko or... He didn't dare let any possibilities worse than a bruise enter his mind or else panic would take control and he had to be strong. He had promised her back at the palace that he would watch out for her, that he would do better, and he had endeavored to keep that promise.

Itsumi was still staring at him in panic. Another person he wanted to be strong for. No, that he would be strong for.

"I need you to raise the alarm," he said. "Stay with the first guard you find until you get to your personal guards."

Itsumi grabbed his hands. If she meant to draw strength, prevent him from leaving or encourage him, he didn't know. They squeezed and shook.

"C-can I do anything else?" she gulped. "I don't want you going in there alone."

"Raise the alarm," he reminded her gently. "Then I won't be."

On an impulse, he bent down and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek. This time his cheeks were the ones to color as he pulled back. Itsumi retracted her hands as her lips parted in what he hoped was a good surprise.

"Stay safe," he said. "I'll come see you as soon as everything is dealt with."

He moved away down the hall before she could respond, partially to flee from his own embarrassment.

He was instantly sobered by the sight of the bodies lying in the hall. Gods, he hoped Itsumi had listened to him and didn't poke her head down the hall. How had people not heard the commotion that had obviously occurred over here? A chunk of the wall was obliterated, scorch marks and the guards…

He quickly assessed each of them.

Yukie, Dorr, Maru the other two men, dead. He took enough time to close their eyes before moving on. There would be time to properly mourn their deaths. Not now.

He ran inside Kyoko's room.

It took several seconds for what he saw to catch up with his brain. It had been busy supplying him with horrible images of blood splatters across walls and torn bed frames littering the floor. But no. The bed was messy as it always was, and a nightstand of medical supplies stood next to the bedside chair.

Then he saw the body.

Horiuchi lay unmoving at the other side of the room. Hikaru ran over, feeling for his pulse. It was weak, but it was there. Hikaru let out a sigh.

Just stunned.

The man had impeccable luck. If the Accursed had known he was still alive, they would have run him through.

Hikaru would have to leave Horiuchi to the other soldiers when they arrived. He needed to find Kyoko. To find any clues as to what had happened.

Something blue and gold glittering on the floor and in the bedsheets.

Hikaru bent down, picking up the biggest piece. It was a sapphire, the edges jagged and broken, the whole thing fitting easily in his palm. Hikaru recognized it instantly.

Kyoko's necklace. He was holding a piece of it. Why would this be torn? Unless the Accursed had known about the signaling mechanism inside of it. Had this been destroyed before or after Kyoko had sent Cain a message for help?

A sound suddenly came from the outside, muffled from the many walls and distance that separated him from the source. It was Mosall's bells. The alarm had been raised. The city was on alert.

Hikaru closed his fingers over the gem, praying with all his might that the magic inside still worked as he channeled.

Please, Prince Kuon. Please, get the message.

Steel clashed against steel, reverberating with enough force to make Cain's arm's numb. He grunted against the axe as it threatened to overpower him. Cracks were starting to form along the edge of his own sword, unable to withstand the heavy might of the relic.

The man fought like a beast. Kemo rampaged through the city streets, causing more collateral damage than even Cain's fight against Sozen. They hadn't evacuated nearly a big enough area. Cain had gotten hurt more than once saving civilians unfortunate enough to be caught in the crossfire. Sections of black obsidian armor dotted his body from each wound, each one adding to his anger and frustration.

This was his people, the city he would protect! He was going to kill this man and all the other Accursed that dared to fight against him.

His blood boiled as he managed to push the man back, sending him off with a barrage of pulse shots. The man dodged each one, crouched nearly to all fours as he moved like a cat, agile and graceful despite his enormous bulk.

Somewhere in the city, the soldiers he had brought fought with the shadow wolf.

This man was different from the few other Accursed Cain had fought. Kemo was like Cain, built for battle and all his attributes stacked in that area. As it was now, they were evenly matched.

No, not evenly. He's not fighting with his shadow wolf beside him.

But Cain wasn't at full strength either. He actively fought to keep his anger in check, preventing his almost impenetrable armor from forming.

Kemo raised his axe overhead, spinning it like a bo staff. Black slices of magic cut into the air with each flick. They decapitated houses and dug perfect thin trenches into the ground. Cain put up a shield, aware he couldn't wait out the attack. It was doing too much damage to the surrounding area. It was like this man was trying to make Cain mad!

He barreled through the barrage, blocking and dodging the massive attack. He felt it slice his arm and knee, felt his healing knit back the skin almost instantly and replacing it with thick black armor. He poured his magic into his sword and roared, swinging it at Kemo.

The man managed to block, but barely. The force of Cain's attack pushed him backward, crashing through one house and knocking down the other, piles of rubble burying him. The stone slowly came to a stop without showing any sign of Kemo emerging. That should stop him for a while. Cain knew better than to hope it would kill him.

Cain's chest heaved, taking a second to gather himself. He held up his sword hilt, the blade crumbling to dust even as he held it. Damn. A normal sword just couldn't hold up against a relic. He needed a new weapon.

"Cain!"

Cain jerked in surprise, staring at a house whose wall had been destroyed. Nothing unusual or out of place. It looked normal. Too normal. Not a single mug had been knocked from the table despite the shockwaves his fight with the other Accursed had made.

Cain focused, finding what had been previously hidden: A wide-ranged cloaking spell.

He waved a hand, destroying the runes that held it together. It revealed a magical cage, a few dozen people held within. They wore guards' uniforms, the front man revealed to be Kuresaki. He waved at Cain.

"Quick, he trapped us here," said Kuresaki. "We've nearly broken through the spell but if you can attack from the outside."

"Already on it."

Cain found the weak point of the spell, the rune situated outside the prison sphere. The whole spell vanished in a second. The men all scrambled out, no signs of battle or injuring marring their uniforms. Besides some dust on their boots, they looked fresh for a fight.

"It was a trap," said Kuresaki, "My soldier, he led us right into the spell."

"Your own man?" said Cain, putting the pieces together quickly. He didn't like what he deduced. "A soldier told me you wanted my help… I think that must have been the same soldier."

Which explained why he didn't hear the general alarm going off. He'd sent the same man to raise the alarm as well as reinforce Kyoko's guard.

Kyoko.

Fear and rage flared. The armor on his body grew then shrunk with his breath, fighting to keep both under control.

It will be okay. She has good guards. They will keep her safe. They'll watch out for her.

"Cain?"

"Cain! Sir."

The men Cain had come with rounded the corner and approached the group. They were three fewer than before and not a single one without injury. The captain of the group ran with a noticeable limp but kept his head high.

"The wolf disappeared," said the captain. "We don't know what happened."

Cain's eyes followed the path his spell had made, landing on the rubble that caged Kemo.

"I think I know where it went," said Cain.

Black tendrils leaked from the cracks, rocks shifting with audible clunks. A hand pushed aside a slab of wall the size of a man, crashing into the ground several yards away. Kemo yanked himself out from the debris, blood running from a head wound and one arm bent in the wrong direction. He twisted it a second later, the snap audible from this distance as it returned to its proper place. Trotting behind him was a dark wolf, slowly growing in shape as it nuzzled its owner.

A bell suddenly chimed, carrying over the entire city.

Finally! Someone had raised the alarm.

Almost a second later, Cain felt it. The faint but obvious pull of the necklace. Kyoko was calling him again.

Frantic, he searched within himself for the spell to determine where she was located. The source was faint. Too faint for how close it was. Something was wrong.

Cain cursed, gripping his vambrace with one hand. Cracks crept up his arm, pulsing with dark power as his panic threatened to take control.

"I have to leave," he growled through his teeth, each beat of his heart expanding the cracks. "She sent another message. If this was a trap—"

"Go," said Kuresaki. The general's men unsheathed their swords, turning to face the Accursed walking slowly toward them. "We'll cover for you."

Cain took a step away, then hesitated. If he left, most of them wouldn't make it. Such was the power of that Accursed. Even with their numbers, they might all die.

"Go," Cain was told again, but this time by the captain. He met Cain's eyes, resolve present. "If they're after your wife, then you need to save her. She… her cure for the rot saved my sister. We can't let them have her."

Pride for his wife swelled in Cain. It halted the progress of the cracks, keeping his anger abated. Her strength was his. Her memory kept his strong.

"Careful with your weapons," said Cain. "They'll break from the strain if you don't reinforce them. His axe has a corrosive touch."

"We fight together," promised Kuresake. He pulled out s hilt. White light blazed into existence, forming a long blade of pure light magic, a blade that could withstand the blows of a relic. "Go Cain, and may Rosa's wings be with you."

Cain gave a salute, fist to chest. "And you."

Then he turned and ran. He heard the fighting renew behind him and the Accursed roar in anger at his retreat, but he didn't look back.

"Oi! Numbnut, didn't you hear me? I asked what's wrong with you?" Lacking all awareness and civility, Sho was stupidity incarnate as he held up the Accursed. He was also Kyoko's only sign of hope.

If only she could speak! She was practically limp in Miroku's grip, unable to even shake her head. Her strength had depleted again, making her suspect that magic was involved. Her mouth could barely form the words "help" in a slow and desperate manner.

Not that Sho realized what she was trying to say.

Setsuko stepped forward, blocking him from her view.

"Do not worry about her. She is feeling a little ill, so we are bringing her somewhere safe. There's an Accursed about, don't you know?"

"Yeah I heard," said Sho. "Except this idiot is married to him so I don't see how that's too different from usual. Is it just the two of you? Where are the rest of the guards? It's freaking impossible to see her usually."

No, I just made it impossible for you to see me. After their last encounter, she had banned any and all possible visitations from Sho.

"Don't worry about her safety," said Setsuko. "Her guard here is tough, and I'm not as weak as I seem."

"Is that so?" A pause as she heard the shuffling of Sho's feet on the ground. "I like some strength in a woman. Are you doing anything after this?"

"I had some plans," mused Setsuko.

"Cancel them. You won't regret it."

If Kyoko had the strength, she would facepalm. This moron was flirting with the Accursed! Her death was literally being held up for this. Just get it over with and kill her now.

Setsuko gave a tinkling laugh. It set Kyoko's hair on edge.

"You are too cute." Setsuko pinched his cheek playfully. "And handsome. Maybe once I'm done, I'll come find you."

Her movement put Sho back into view and it looked like, yes, he had put on that stupid face he wore when he was trying to look cool. His gaze moved to Kyoko a second later, stalling.

"Are you sure she's okay?" said Sho.

Please, Sho. For once in your life do something useful.

"Do you think I would let something happen to her?" said Setsuko, an edge to her voice.

Sho, blissfully unaware of the danger he was literally flirting with, waved her anger away. "I'm sure a woman like yourself is more than competent to take care of small inconveniences like this—" Kyoko's temper flared. She was an inconvenience then, was she? "—but if there's one thing I know about this idiot is that she lies about how she's feeling all the time."

"Is that so?" said Setsuko. "Then I'll make sure to keep a close eye on her." Setsuko held up a delicate hand, cutting off whatever Sho was about to say. "If she's as bad as you say she is, we need to leave. We'll talk later."

"Ah, yeah."

No, please, don't walk away Sho.

But her internal pleas were not heard. Setsuko and Miroku continued. Sho stood for only a few moments, staring at Kyoko before turning his back.

It was like her childhood all over again. Her mother. Sho. They had never come through for her. They had never been her family. It still stung, even after all this time to see his back as he walked away.

Ren, please.

A loud bell suddenly rang.

Miroku and Setsuko stopped, along with most people in the streets. That was Mosall's general alarm. The chaos in the streets was still for only a moment before it started up again, people pushing to get indoors or back home to their families. Their group of three that had been casually strolling down the streets were suddenly buffeted by the moving crowd.

"Excitable vermin," muttered Setsuko. "This isn't right."

"What isn't?" said Miroku. He shifted his grip on Kyoko to stop another man from tripping into him. The people were panicking. She heard the word "Accursed" on more than one citizen's lips as they hurried to get off the streets.

"Kemo is far enough away, they shouldn't be sounding the general alarm." Setsuko's eyes swept the ground, eventually falling on Kyoko. "Someone must have noticed the bodies already. We need to—."

A huge cloud of pinkish smoke enveloped them. With it came an acrid smell that made Kyoko choke and her eyes water. She heard others coughing with her, people screaming and crashing into things they could no longer see.

Kyoko recognized this spell. She herself had used it on the queen the first time they'd met. She'd learned it after watching Sho set if off multiple times to upset and escape his mother.

Something grabbed her roughly, ripping her from Miroku's grasp. It was a bumpy ride, Kyoko mostly coughing from the stinky smoke that filled nostrils as whoever it was that held her took her away from the fray.

She was set down suddenly, stumbling before her back hit a wall and she sank to the ground. She managed to crack an eye open, confirming her suspicion as to who had saved her.

Sho had his hands on his knees, panting as he removed a spell from his face to keep the stink smoke from blinding him

"You're heavy," he commented, brushing back his blond hair. He grabbed his instrument case which had been sitting against the wall and slung it over his shoulder. "Glad I set this down first."

"Wha—" Kyoko let out a cough, finally clearing her airway. "—the hell, Sho?"

She couldn't understand what she was feeling. Relief? Confusion? Definitely a bit of both. A lot of her strength had come back, confirming at least a part of her theory. Being near the Accursed weakened her considerably. Though her marks ached from the various places they had been bumped while slung over Sho's shoulder, they weren't searing with pain like before. Every breath gave her more strength and she drank it in greedily.

Sho scoffed. "How about a thank you instead? I got you away from those kidnappers."

"How did you even know they were kidnapping me?"

Sho adopted a self-satisfied smirk. Ah, so he'd only guessed. Dang her for admitting that he got something right.

"It wasn't that hard to figure out," said Sho with an air of knowing the world's secrets. "I know all your guards by heart at this point. They never let me in, no matter what disguise I wear. And that one guy was wearing that same pendant that— what was his name? Reino. That other Accursed that had it out for you. Figured it was a sign of their secret organization or something."

Kyoko let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head. It was somehow funny how wrong and yet right Sho had gotten it. And with how weak she felt, everything just seemed a little funnier than usual. Sho had saved her! There couldn't be anything funnier than that.

"Clever, Sho," she said. "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Hey, you're not the only person butting heads with nobility and other politicians. Being a minstrel is a lot trickier than you would think."

"So is being a palace physician."

She put a hand to the wall, slowly making her way to her feet. Her legs shook, but she could manage. She peered around the corner to see if the Accursed had followed them.

There were still traces of the foul-smelling smoke in the courtyard, but there Accursed weren't anywhere near the still present chaos. The smoke had brought city guards who were now trying to clear the smoke and settle the people.

And all the while, the alarm bell continued to ring, echoing in her head of the danger that was still near. Where had Setsuko gone?

"Why did you even help me?" she said. "That was dangerous. You could have been killed."

Sho remained smug. "What can I say? I'm a courageous man. I helped save you from Reino too."

"What are you even talking about?"

"Don't you remember? That Accursed when he was fighting your guard, we kept that barrier up to help shield you and your guards. And I tried to get you away from that obnoxious prince, but you wouldn't listen to me on that one and look where that got you."

Something about his words clicked. He had helped when Reino attacked, jumping in to boost her defensive spell rather than run away. And in a weird twisted way, she could see his desire to take her away from the palace as a way to help. That had been what the trial in Mosall had been about. His attempt to prove she was a moronic woman that didn't realize the man she loved was dangerous, meaning she was innocent of any crimes due to sheer stupidity.

She stared, really stared for the first time in a while at the childhood friend she had loved for so many years. He looked as he always had in her memories, if not a tad older, all baby fat gone to reveal a more masculine jawline. His stance was as sure as it always had been, a bit of showmanship that fit his minstrel profession perfectly. But there was a small tell of unease around his mouth, tight and bitter as the words he was speaking.

If she had thought Sho saving her was funny, then this took the cake. Her laugh came out loud and a touch crazed, despite the need to be quiet.

"Oi!" said Sho, his displeasure growing. "Don't laugh at me."

"I can't help it." Kyoko wiped a tear from her eye, retuning to look out for the Accursed. "This has to be one of the cruelest jokes the gods have played on me. You do care Sho. And though it's in a bizarre, absurd, twisted way, you do."

"That's what I've been saying!"

Someone appeared from the other side of the wall.

Setsuko.

Kyoko pulled her head back, grabbing Sho's arm and tugging at him to move. With how weak she was, he only followed because he allowed her to pull him along.

"That's not what you said before," said Kyoko. "You said it was my fault for not seeing that you didn't care. 'Who could ever love such a plain and boring idiot like you?' You said that to me, Sho. The day I realized everything."

They made it back around the other side of the city hall. She saw a servant's entrance; one she had used a few times back when she'd been allowed to walk around the building. She pulled on the handle, but it didn't budge. Locked.

"Look," said Sho, and he sounded off-kilter. It was so strange to see him like this. "I know I was an ass." She gave him a look of surprise. "Don't do that. I can reflect on my actions you know."

"I know. I just never thought I'd see the day that you did." Maybe I did die. Maybe this is hell, finding out Sho isn't 100% Purebred Asshole.

Kyoko reached for her pulse magic to break down the door.

Pain gripped her body. She slumped against the wall, clutching her heart more out of weakness than anything. She couldn't use magic. It took too much energy.

"So… how sick are you really?" Sho shuffled his feet in the ground. "You, uh, don't look great."

Kyoko opened her mouth, but the world chose that moment to tilt. She heard Sho cry out. Heard the clunk as he dropped his case and grabbed her before she fell. It took a moment for her to regain her bearings.

"We need to hide," she managed. "Those guys. They're Accursed. Both of them. They want to kill me."

Sho swore. "There's a storage room near here. In the gardens. We can probably hide there until your creepy husband comes back."

To her surprise, Sho took her under the arm, leaving his case on the ground as he helped her to her feet.

The city's alarm bell stopped ringing.

"Let's go," he said, and she let Sho help drag her to the shed, too tired and confused to manage anything else.

If there was one thing experience had taught Kanae, it was that there was always a way out of any situation. No matter how bleak things looked, there was always a solution.

Her surprise plan had not worked. Hirotaka had moved as if he'd known that Kanae was there. She was immobilized at her wrist and ankles, her connection to magic stalled by another spell, a continuous one if she got it right.

"How did you know I was here?" said Kanae.

The ex-head of the Arcane Syndicate tutted, motioning to an undead's skull lying among the wreckage. "I can hear and communicate through these things, scattered around the lair. And you did kill those two light users Miroku was saving for later. Did you know you talk to yourself?"

Ah, so he didn't know about Twig. That at least was good. Hirotaka must have interpreted that as her talking to herself.

"I see then," mocked Kanae. "A trap to ensnare the intruder. What a brilliant plan, you must feel quite proud of yourself."

Hirotaka's expression grew dangerous. "Undignified brat. I have you in a perfect hold. You can't get out and you dare mock me?"

Kanae gave a lazy shrug, thinking of Shin as she did so. She spotted Hiroaki at the side of the room next to the door, exactly where he needed to be. "Well, I don't have anything better to do now that you caught me. How about we talk about how pathetic it was that you thought Hiroaki would ever join you?"

Hirotaka's staff crashed down on her. Stars erupted into her vision. If felt like her head had been split open.

"Ow," said Kanae with a calm she didn't feel. Her head still spun. "That was surprisingly barbaric."

"Quiet, insect!" Hirotaka got up in her face, surprisingly easy to rile up. She just hoped she didn't take it too far. "My son, unlike you was born from generations of powerful blood and great mages. He will eventually see as I do, just how majestic our great Master is."

"Great blood?" said Kanae. "It's clearly skipped a generation, with your filthy association with the Djinn."

A flash of light shot through Kanae's shoulder. She just bit back a scream, blood soaking her tunic and spraying into the air.

Shit, I might have gone too far.

Hiroaki remained beside the door, unmoving save for tremors she could see even from the other side of the room, proud that he hadn't fainted at least. Hirotaka emanated a rage that pulsed with dark energy, further polluting the room with its stench. His clear eyes were a narrow slit of rage as he held out his staff, Kanae's blood splattered on the sleek shaft.

"You will see," he panted. "Come, Vaith! Come and show yourself to this woman. Show her just how wrong she is."

The bottom dropped out of Kanae's stomach. Ribbons of shadow sped from the darkest corners of the room, threading together to shape a tall form. They condensed into a hooded figure with sweeping robes that didn't seem to end. Its face wasn't visible, not that Kanae ever wanted to see what was beneath that hood. She already knew what this was.

"What is your wish?" said the Djinn.

"No!" Kanae struggled against her bindings. "I didn't summon you. I have no wish, evil demon!"

But the Djinn didn't disappear. He laughed, gliding closer on a fog of shadows.

"Everyone has a wish," said the Djinn. "Do you wish for power? Knowledge? Or maybe, the ability to save your friend's life before the curse takes her?"

How did he know?

Kanae struggled in earnest now, feeling the threads of the djinn creeping ever closer. She recognized the feeling. Felt her essence burn at the memory of that monster's claws over her. He had almost twisted her soul out of existence. Would she suffer that fate now?

Hirotaka continued to hold out his relic, his pleasure deepening with the power of the room's shadows. She felt the connection between all of them. The relic. The Djinn's body positioned in the tree. Her own blood singing for relief.

If only she would make a wish.

The Djinn reached out a decayed hand, long nails creeping closer. Kanae closed her eyes, stretching the reach of her senses. Waiting. Waiting until—

Yes! He was done.

"NOW!"

The room shook as magic rushed in. Light collided with the darkness, evaporating the Djinn's form in a single blast. Vines joined the light, larger and more powerful than before as they tore through the room. The assault took Hirotaka by surprise, knocking him down and away from Kanae.

The spell holding her vanished. Kanae fell to the floor in a crouch, flinching as her ankle tweaked and her shoulder ached. But now wasn't the time to feel pain.

She ran through the chaos, snatching up her spear and swinging it to her back in one motion and picking up Hiroaki in the next. Then she was out of the room, bursting through a section of the wall obliterated by the vines.

Outside the room, Twig flew by her side.

"Did it work?" panted the Dryad. His skin was a sickly green, unnatural even for him. "Light of all lights, I've never done anything like that before."

"Only if we keep running," said Kanae.

A loud howl came from inside the now erupting room. Hirotaka. Would he come after them?

"Did you kill it?" said Kanae.

"No," said Twig. "The Djinn's shield is too powerful for me to penetrate. But the tree… it won't hold up."

Before Kanae could ask what he meant, a loud and ear-splitting crack pierced her already stinging head. It sounded like enormous pieces of wood bending in half and snapping. It was so loud and so sudden that Kanae couldn't help but stop, staring at the tree.

If the root had looked dead before, it now appeared rotten from weeks of exposure. Ashen gray drained the tree of color as it began to die. Following close behind, black cracks flowed like river s stretching toward the heavens as the root split.

"I took the heart," said Twig simply. "The tree is dead. There is nothing left to keep it together. The darkness has taken everything, and now it will crumble."

Over her shoulder, Hiroaki moaned.

A root thick as Kanae's waist crumbled and fell, what was left of the blacked root slamming into the ground. The vibrations and Hiroaki's added weight made her stumble, throwing out a hand to catch herself.

"Twig," said Kanae with a calm she didn't feel. "Get us to that exit. Now."

The Dryad didn't need to be told twice.

"There's what coming out of the tree?"

Itsumi glared at the messenger, praying she had misheard. He remained bent in his bow as if scared to meet her eyes.

"There's no mistaking it, Duchess," said the man. "One of the men went to confirm it himself and… he crumbled to dust within seconds. The Miasma is slowly seeping out of the roots."

We were right.

The Accursed had been planning something underneath the fig tree. Wherever Kanae was now — probably dead along with Hiroaki in the labyrinth of caves beneath the city — she had been unable to return and warn them of this danger. They were vulnerable to whatever the Accursed had planned.

It didn't feel good to be right. Not when they hadn't prepared for the worst possibility. Hell, the miasma would probably gush from the roots if they hadn't managed to finish the inhibitor in time. They had been lucky by a day. She gripped the armrests of her chair, anger pushing through her panic.

What to do now?

She was the Duchess. Normally she would pull together the councilors to decide what to do next, but there wasn't time. She'd learned that Kuresaki and Cain were gone fighting an Accursed in the western district, Kyoko was missing, Hikaru currently searching for her as far as she knew, and now this. The Miasma that had previously resided in the caves was seeping out into the area around the tree.

What would happen when it reached the streets? It had killed her men instantly even with the inhibitor's they couldn't keep it back.

"We can't stay here."

Her words were met with shocked silence. The room was full of other councilmen, another general and three guards stationed at each door. They each continued to watch her, waiting for the rest of her commands.

"The Accursed have launched an attack at the heart of the city," said Itsumi. "And with the miasma, we can't hope to stand our ground. Our only hope is to flee."

"B-but where will we go?" said a councilman.

Councilor Okazaki answered for her. He stood by her side, a comfort and strength for her wavering heart. "The hills. You mean for the people to cross the mountains and join the king's army."

Itsumi nodded.

Murmurs spread along the room, men shaking their heads.

"We can't just run away," said a man. "We have to stand our ground. Fight back. Isn't that what all those preparations were for?"

Suddenly furious, Itsumi stood, almost knocking her chair to the floor.

"Those walls mean nothing if the enemy is already inside," she roared. Panic was making it hard to control her temper. "If the miasma is already seeping through then we know the inhibitor can't stop it completely. The scout we sent to examine the caves has not returned which means the miasma killed her, or she was killed herself by whatever is under there. There's no—"

The room suddenly shook. It was a small tremor with only enough strength to jostle the open inkpot on Itsumi's desk, but it splattered the paper in front of her with black, bleeding across her handwritten notes.

"What was that?" said one of the men. Some were on their feet, looking ready to flee.

A man suddenly burst into the room. The guards stopped him at sword point, several seconds of shouting preventing anything from being heard until the man finally shouted over the din.

"They're here," he said. "Accursed. At the front, fighting our soldiers. A-and the miasma. It's spreading faster."

Fear for Hikaru thudded hard in her chest. Was that him fighting the Accursed? Sounded like something he'd do, taking them on despite the danger. If it was him, she prayed he had found Kyoko and rescued her.

The room descended once again into disorder, men finally talking about fleeing the city while some still wanted to fight. She needed to take back control, but her fear kept her still.

A loud voice rose above the din, deep and powerful.

"We retreat!"

It was the general, shouting above the noise. "The Duchess has commanded it. Men, spread the word, start the exodus plan. I want everyone out of this city and headed toward the hills within the hour!"

Itsumi slowly sat back down, watching as the councilors and soldiers fled from the room. In moments she was alone, save her own personal guards and Councilor Okazaki. The older man shifted uneasily, the emotion unusual for the calm man.

"Duchess?" he said. "We should probably leave."

"One moment, I'm thinking."

She chased away her fear and anger, struggling to focus on what she knew. The Accursed had attacked one portion of the city, drawing away Cain. They'd probably done that to take Kyoko, then started to spread miasma. Was that all that they planned to do? Was there anything else? What else could she anticipate?

She squeezed her eyes shut, thinking of all the pieces. Everything she knew. How the Accursed had attacked the palace a month ago. How it compared to now. There was probably more to this plan, there had to be.

It suddenly hit her.

"The inhibitor!" she said. "The dark seeds. We almost completely forgot about them because of the rot. All this unrest would usually set them off, but the tree's aura had been suppressing them, even if it was weak. But if miasma is spreading then the tree is likely dead, which means the only thing stopping them from sprouting is—"

"The inhibitor." The councilor set a grim stance. "We have a plan to take it from the city with us."

She stood. "Then we'll defend it as we retreat." Even if she couldn't do anything to help, her guards could. They were some of the best fighters in Mosall.

This time when the Accursed attacked, the inhibitor would not fall, she'd make sure of that.

Thanks for reading!

More chaos occurs.

A tip for anyone that wants to write a big monstrous story; whenever you add a character, write them down on a character sheet document. This includes any details on appearances, traits, personality, ect. Because holy cow, I have waaaay too many named characters and I can't keep them straight without extensive notes. I'm sorry everyone. (I was writing them all down to make sure I don't forget about anyone in the coming chapters.)

Tabbykatroses: I want you to know that "Sho to the rescue in full idiot form" almost became the title of this chapter just because it was too good.

Thanks again for reading! Everyone, please continue to stay safe.

-Blushweaver

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Stay safe.

-Im0ut0