"There's no end to it." Heredis muttered in disbelief. After accepting Louis' offer, the trio of Revenants had moved out, avoiding the main roads before reaching the headquarters of Louis group. The two newest arrivals hadn't met anyone present, Heredis having wanted to head for the open balcony to investigate the condition of the rest of the city.

What he saw was endless destruction, buildings as far as he could see either collapsed or in ruin. If it wasn't destroyed, the building would have massive spikes protruding out from them, the strange material appearing to be in the form of thorns almost. Even the building they were in now had one impaled near the base, another up higher which had likely caused the destruction that created the artificial balcony.

But what had Heredis' attention the most was the endless barrier of the Red Mist, an almost grid-like presence hidden within it. All around the city he saw the Red Mist remain solid, like a cage that was keeping them in. Like cattle.

"Ugly, isn't it?" Louis would ask, walking up to Heredis and Io as they stared out.

"One way of putting it." The Revenant responded, keeping his gaze out to the destroyed city as Io remained by his side. As he looked to the mist, a sense of nostalgia kept pegging at the back of his head, a familiarity to the presence that he just couldn't shake. And the more he thought of it, the more his mind attempted to shift to the Provisional Government he heard of, but the reason was far beyond him.

"Shortly after the Queen's defeat, the Red Mist spawned into existence." Louis explained, staring out to the crimson mist with disdain. "It's origin is completely unknown, but what can be confirmed is that it is comprised entirely out of concentrated miasma. Any Revenant, even with a mask, would frenzy instantly and become a Lost after inhaling it. Many had when trying to get out."

"So these have limits." Heredis responded, looking down to his mask in hand. Inside Louis' small base was a Mistle, surprisingly fresh and producing a large amount of the canceling agent to the miasma. It was strong enough that everyone didn't require the need of a mask, the air feeling the most natural it could anywhere else.

"Everything does, even the Blood Beads can't sustain us for too long. Not as long as drinking natural human blood would anyways." Louis stated. "Silva has all the humans kept in their own section in Vein, keeping them safe from other Revenants. But at the same time, he's imposed a levy that all within his territory must follow. At first it was manageable, a tax of a few Blood Beads early on appeared to have little impact on society as a whole."

"But then the bloodsprings started to dry out."

"They grew at times, but as time went on they would appear in more dangerous locations, more territory being taken by the Lost as the miasma spread. The ones that could be reached weren't producing enough Blood Beads, and as a result everyone's become desperate."

"As we don't operate directly under Silva, we're expected to pay the levy as well. However as we in a way focus on helping Revenants and keeping humans out of the less operable hands, our tax is cut down drastically." Louis detailed, him and Heredis looking to each other as they stepped away from Io, the woman looking somberly at the mist.

"And with what you've done, we have the opportunity to help multiple groups pay the levy and have a few Blood Beads to spare." He continued, referring to the fifteen Blood beads they had gathered. "That's more of a haul then anyone could claim to have gotten. And that's from a single bloodspring, which can now grow even more thanks to you. You really don't know how you managed to do it?"

"No, all I know is my blood managed to do it." Heredis answered, giving Io a passing gaze before going on. "If you want to thank anyone you should thank her. She found me and showed me that I could revitalize a bloodspring. I worked on that hunch to figure out that I can revive a Mistle too."

"I see, I suppose I should give her my thanks." Louis hummed. "But right now, there's some things I need to go over. With your permission, I'd like to run some tests on you."

"Tests of what nature?"

"Nothing bad, I just need a few samples of your blood." Louis answered. "I saw you enhance your physical attacks, most likely from your Blood Code. But you also managed to use a bolt of ichor and even a Blood Bolt after you drained enough from the Lost. A physical enhancement and Blood Gift don't often coincide unless the enhancement was of similar nature. I wish to look into that, as well as see what I can see about what allows your blood to revitalize bloodsprings."

"…No needles."

"An immortal afraid of needles?" Louis laughed. "If so, I'll need to get a fresh cut on you. If you would hold out your left arm." Following the order, Louis would hold onto his arm before pulling out a knife, slowly dragging it across his wrist to produce the blood. Then pulling out an empty Blood Bead, he'd fill it with its contents until he had enough, allowing Heredis to pull his arm away as it began to heal.

"Anything else you need?"

"No, this should be enough for me to get the data I need." Louis stated. "It should take some time to find anything, so how about you and your friend rest until then? You two certainly deserve some after the day you had."

"Maybe, but I think I need to fix myself up first." Heredis said, placing his hand over his damaged Blood Veil. "I don't have any weapon, and I think this thing's starting to see the end of its days."

"Good point." Louis agreed. "Here, how about I bring Io to one of our spare rooms for her to get some sleep? And while I do that, you talk to Murasame and Coco on getting some new equipment and clothes?"

"Who?"

"Our smith and trader, they're inside." Louis motioned with his thumb. "Coco has a stash of goods that she normally stays by. Murasame is usually around her workshop, if she isn't she's probably in the hot spring in which case, leave her be."

"Why?"

"She enjoys bathing, she doesn't like getting dragged out unless it's important."

"Alright… noted, I guess?" Heredis said, partially confused at the information before turning to Io. "Hey Io, I have some things I need to do. How about you get some rest while I take care of it?"

"Are you sure?" The woman would ask, turning to him.

"Yeah, I should be good for the time being. You're still tired from finding me, so I want you to get some sleep. Can you do that?"

"If that is what you wish."

"The rooms are just ahead in the hall to the right, I'll show you." Louis offered, motioning for Io to follow him. The woman would hesitate, looking to Heredis as she pondered. When he nodded once, she would follow, her eyes staring at the Revenant from the side as she did.

Once she was out of sight, Heredis would sigh in exhaustion, cracking his neck as he looked down to his armored arm. "Guess we're getting you replaced. You served me well the past hour." He said, running his spare hand over the metal before walking back into the building.

Taking a second look, he had quickly noticed a lot of what he hadn't when he first entered. Despite the exterior damage, the inside was far from anything disappointing. To his left was a variety of furniture, candles and even a jukebox, the room lightened by candles. There was also a map with countless markings across it, likely Louis' based on the information across it. There was also surprisingly a bar, filled with several types of alcohol, however a large portion of the beverages appeared to be more refined Blood Bead formula, getting an interested hum from the Revenant.

He had also seen the workshop, seeing a wide selection of weapons and masks present, and a young girl working behind the desk sharpening Louis weapon. There were several others present inside he noticed, a woman taking stock beside a large collection of boxes and packaging, all kept in a car that appeared way behind the times. There was also two other men present, one in full body armor working on a motorcycle while the other sat on one of the sofas, his eyes following Heredis the entire time.

Not wanting to cause a scene, the Revenant would ignore the second man and head for the workshop, seeing the girl apparently finish up her work on Louis sword just before he did. She didn't appear old, meaning she likely was turned into a revenant at a young age. Aside from her light attire, she had on a modified mask, confusing him since the air was just fine but he wouldn't question it.

"Um… hello?" He would speak up when he reached the desk, the girl looking to him as she put Louis' sword to the side.

"Oh, you're one of our new arrivals!" She responded in an upbeat tone, her face obscured but a smile present in her voice. "My name's Rin Murasame, what's yours?" She'd ask, holding her hand out to him from the desk.

"Uh… Heredis." He answered, shaking her hand once. It was for only a second, but he was caught off guard by the girl's solid grip, likely from working with as many weapons as she had.

"Pleasure to meet you Heredis, been a rocky past few hours hasn't it?"

"That's one way of putting it."

"Yeah, the whole city's full of crazy stuff. But luckily out of all of it, we managed to pull you out." Rin stated. "The amount of Blood Beads you brought in was incredible, I was beginning to think all the bloodsprings were drying out before that haul."

"Sadly you might not have been wrong…" Heredis muttered to himself. "Sorry, I'm a little discombobulated and things have been thrown at me back and forth ever since I woke up from dying. So I'm not too much in the talking mood."

"No, no, I understand. Louis mentioned you've likely been out for around ten years." Rin responded, waving his worries away. "That does quite the number on us, so don't worry about it. But with that aside, I'm guessing you're here about getting your hands on a new weapon and Blood Veil?"

"Yeah, Louis said you would be able to equip me with something?"

"Oh trust me, I can do more than just equip you with something." The grin under the girl's mask could practically been heard, as she stepped into the safe door that led into her workshop, disappearing for a few seconds. When she got back, Heredis nearly jumped in shock as she planted several weapons across her desk, the metal clanking against each other before she started to push them out.

"The only question is what kind of weapon you want?" Rin questioned. "I got everything you'd want: one-handed swords for quick and reliable damage, bayonets if you want to try things from a distance and pick your targets. Or are you more of a spear/halberd guy and want a good reach without sacrificing damage? Or would you, dare I say, skip the pleasantries and skip right to the overwhelming pressure of a hammer or greatsword?"

"You carried all of these yourself?" Was the only question Heredis could come up with, looking between the dozen weapons sprawled and the girl in front of him. Aside from a single sword or bayonet, he figured everything there was at least her weight, the greatsword and hammer likely twice as heavy even.

"Hehe, I may only work with the weapons, but I am still a Revenant." Rin stated, patting her bicep as she gave a smile by closing her eyes. "I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"Yeah… no kidding." He said, looking between the weapons with interest. While he didn't recall having any experience with one, seeing the hammer made him initially consider it. But a quick recollection made him decide against it, wanting a heavier weapon than his old one but not looking to turn the Lost into paste.

Sliding his fingers over the bayonet, Heredis would pass on the rifles entirely, although humming in respect as when he grazed the blade it left a decent cut. Reaching the swords, he'd look between the two that were currently present; a broadsword with a decent width blade and a sword similar to the one he took from the Lost's body.

Although he felt the Queenslayer Blade was more recognizable to him, the lack of an effective punch to it made him instead reach for the broadsword. Grabbing the hilt, he'd lift it up with ease, although the Revenant took note of the greater weight behind it. Rolling his wrist, he'd take note of the balance he had before taking a quick swing to his side, feeling his footing remain strong.

"That's a good look." Rin said, watching as Heredis got back into a regular stance, placing the sword on the desk. "We have a winner?"

"Yes, it works great." Heredis answered. "How much do I owe you for it?"

"Well, you brought back a bunch of Blood Beads, so let's say those will be payment for your weapon and new Blood Veil?" Rin offered, winking as she did. "I don't normally make these deals, so keep this between us?"

"Sure…" He'd say, although chuckling as he did.

"And now the important part, what kind of Blood Veil are you looking for?" She'd question, checking out the damaged one he had on. "I can tell that's an Ogre-Type, but I don't know if you're looking for something different."

"How many are there?"

"Only four; Ogre, Hound, Stinger and Ivy. They're all different, but in the end they're your best bet at draining blood from the Lost to increase your ichor. A quick rundown, Hound-Types summon these giant dog heads from the sleeves, so best not to where them normally. Stingers summon a sort of bladed tail, good for piercing enemies at medium range or providing a quick offensive follow up. And Ivy is a more ranged specialty, it's the same kind your lady-friend was wearing even. The scarf that runs down can burrow into the ground and summon a boat load of blades that can impale your enemy from behind. It's the slowest, but oh can it do damage when you get it in your opponent."

"Interesting." Heredis hummed, rubbing his chin as he thought it over. "I'm not too versed in everything, but do you have anything that can act as a proper coat? I'm guessing we're going to go all over the place and it'd be best to have it."

"Ah, I got just the thing for you then." Rin promised, bending down to reach under her stand before standing back up, placing a folded-up coat on it. "This is the Midnight Sun Spear, it's a Stinger-Type Blood Veil, but it should go well with the terrain in general around here."

"Thank you."

"Why not leave your old Blood Veil here? It looks like it's seen the end of its days." She recommended. "It doesn't have a lot to it, but I could use it for spare parts to make a new one or maybe transfer the material into a weapon."

"You can do that?"

"You can do a lot with just a good handful of haze."

While he didn't get it himself, he left it to that he simply wasn't as versed in handling weapons and Blood Veils. So searching on his Veil, he'd find a zipper hidden near the middle and pull it up. Taking off the armor, the Revenant would hear Rin whistle in approval, getting him to look down and see large tears in his shirt. Aside from the visibility of his chest, there was also a fair share of scars across him, damage he had suffered before becoming an immortal creature.

"Wow, something certainly gutted you." Rin commented as Heredis put his Blood Veil down. "Was it something you said?"

"You'll be the first to know if I ever figure it out."

"Well then, you're all set on the equipment end." Rin spoke, watching as Heredis did one last check on the Blood Veil before folding it again.

"I appreciate the help, and for giving me the equipment without having to pay." Heredis thanked, looking to the smith as he did.

"I'm guessing you'll be talking to Coco next, right?" She asked, getting a nod from the Revenant. "She should be able to get you some new clothes, and maybe even some vaccines for your next trip. Although I'll warn you, she'll make you pay unlike me."

"I'll keep that in mind." He said before grabbing his Blood Veil. He had decided to not put the coat on for now, rather simply carry it with him until he knew where to put it. And with his business done, all that was left was for him to see what Coco had to offer.

"Well, Louis certainly knows how to pick a stranger." Before he could even get close, Coco had already spoken up, looking over to the Revenant as she leaned against the dismantled muscle car. "Let me guess, he found you near bloodstarved in the collapsed capitol grounds, where he just had to give you a Blood Bead and you vowed to help him for the kind deed?"

"That's a rather fairy tale way of imagining meetings, isn't it?" Heredis responded, tucking his Blood Veil underneath his arm when he reached the merchant.

"Yeah, but it also helps see how much a Revenant remembers." She shrugged. "Since you know what a fairy tale is, I guess you at least have the basics of being a human in your head. Got anything outside of that?"

"Not a lot, I see those Thorns of Judgment a lot, followed by a bunch of flashes of faces I don't even recognize. And blue eyes, glowing blue eyes that looked to be… to be…" Heredis' head would then spike in pain, placing his free hand over his left eye in order to try and numb out the pain. "Damn it, where did the eyes even come from!?"

"Whoa there, take it easy. If it hurts that much then your memory's too fractured to recall it." Coco informed, watching as the man panted while nursing his headache, keeping an eye on him until he showed signs of recovering. "There, see? Better not to dwell on it too much. If you remember it, it'll come to you."

"Thanks for the advice." He grunted, hitting the side of his head to get the small bit of pain out.

"Comes with working with Revenants for so long, most lose big chunks of their memories. Davis over there doesn't remember anything about his life as a human." She mentioned, motioning to the armored Revenant by the motorcycle. "He even forgets a lot of his days as a Revenant, so I know a few tricks about recollection withdrawal."

"Ever deal with it yourself?"

"Not often, I got most of my memories up here." She said, tapping the side of her head. "But you're not here to learn about me, what did Louis promise you from me?"

"He didn't promise anything, just said that it'd be smart to get some supplies from you."

"Ah Louis, he's starting to learn." Coco chuckled. "Yes, I'm the merchant for this merry bunch of Revenants, I have good connections in the Provisional Government and other groups around Vein. You need something, I can get it."

"Know where I can get a change of clothes?" Heredis asked, getting a nod from the woman.

"That much is easy, there's a few outfits I got on hand." Coco said, walking to a nearby crate and opening it. "Take your pick, you won't be charged any more for what you choose."

Looking among the clothes available, Heredis would go for a dress shirt with added cloth going down his back, putting the new shirt on while removing his destroyed shirt. Once it was on, he'd look to see the unique design, the red and black decals fitting well despite the appearance of the Revenant.

"Sorry if everything has a little too eccentric of a design, people these days want to make every outfit special as if it was their last." Coco explained, noting his apparent stare into the weirdly designed clothing.

"No, no it's fine. Red and black just seemed a little interesting, the design's pretty good actually." Heredis admitted, moving his arms to test his maneuverability in the new garb. After seeing it go well, he'd look to the merchant before asking another question. "Odd out of place request, but you wouldn't happen to have any women's clothing would you?"

"In the size of that woman you came here with? No." She answered, knowing what he was going to ask right away. "But I can see if I can get my hands on something, anything in particular?"

"Whatever she's comfortable with, I'm not great at that stuff."

"Smart move, anything else?"

"Got anything that's good for getting you out of a pinch?"

"A few antidote tonics, Ichor containers, and even a wonderful drug that kills you without the risk of destroying your heart. Your choice." The woman listed off, opening her hand to surprise him with several injectors appearing in her palm.

"How about just one of these for now." He said, taking an injector with a strange purple liquid in the casing.

"Not sure how many things are poisonous, but it's smart to go light for now." Coco stated, letting him take the injector before placing the other items back in place. "Now then for the payment."

"Right… what exactly do you take?"

"Hold your right hand out." Coco would state, confusing the Revenant.

"Okay… then wha-!" Before he could finish speaking, Coco would grab Heredis' hand before a bright golden glow ignited between them. Seeing the light caused him to pull back, the merchant releasing him willingly as he stepped back in panic. "What the hell were you-!?"

*CLICK*

"Watch it." In the midst of getting into a defensive stance, Heredis froze in place at the sound of the hammer of a pistol get pulled back, looking to his side to see the red-haired Revenant pointing the gun at him.

"Calm down Yakumo, he's just confused." Coco responded to the Revenant's action, attempting to defuse the situation before turning to Heredis. "All I did was drain a bit of the haze you possess." She explained, the glow in her hand forming into several small shards in her palm. "Haze is the currency these days between Revenants, and it's absorbed when Lost are turned to ash."

"A little warning next time, I damn near had a heart attack." He breathed out. "So is he gonna…?"

"Yakumo, put the damn gun away." Coco stated more harshly. "He's not going to do anything; I just did my usual trial by fire. Get the worst out so he knows how haze transfer operates."

"…I'm with him on that much, a warning would be helpful." Yakumo would say, holstering his pistol as he turned to walk away. "I'm keeping a close eye on you, until this talk with Louis is over I'm watching you like a hawk."

"Noted." Heredis groaned, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked to Coco. "Is he normally like that?"

"Only with Revenants he feels could be a threat." The merchant stated, putting a hand to her hip. "I'm sure once your blood is tested and your chat with Louis is settled he'll be more trusting. He's just very protective is all."

"I guess I should count myself lucky he's quicker to draw then to pull the trigger." He sighed. "Today's just packing on more and more."

"You look really out of it, maybe you should get some rest yourself." Coco recommended, pointing to the hall right behind him. "The bedrooms are all there, we don't usually sleep at the same time so feel free to pick any of the rooms still open."

"Thanks, I guess a little sleep wouldn't hurt." Heredis agreed, picking up his Blood Veil and walking back. "If I'm not awake by the time Louis' tests are done, someone wake me up."

"Oh trust me, he'll be the first to get to you." Coco chuckled, watching as Heredis entered one of the unclaimed rooms and left the door open. "All kinds of weird Revenants these days."

"You really are quick to trusting him, just as much as Louis." Yakumo stated, sitting back at the couch while looking to the blonde. "What if he's a part of one of those raider groups that try and kidnap humans?"

"Then he A. picked the worst place to try getting one, and B. inspired a faithful follower like that girl to show deep concern. And I know Stockholm Syndrome when I see it, that girl's looking at him like he's her responsibility."

"Doesn't change we know next to nothing about him. What if he just "forgot" it for a bit and will remember as time comes? Then what?"

"Then we destroy his heart and let the BOR Parasite rip itself apart. But I think we both know that won't be necessary." Coco stated, smirking over to the boy. "Besides, I don't want to have to do all your dirty work. Next time you want to convince everyone in the room you're gonna shoot, leave the magazine in the gun."

"Ah you're just upset it worked." Yakumo chuckled, sighing as he leaned back. "Guess we just… sit and wait. Not like we haven't been doing that for the past three weeks."

"I'm sure you boys will have plenty of adventuring to do, so enjoy your rest while you can."

"BOR Parasites? I don't know where you two come up with these names."

"Hold up, you got it to work? That's great!"

"No, you don't get it! He's not interested in using your work to help with medicine! He wants to make weapons!"

"Aurora, I've tried hard to keep him away from this. I don't care what offer is made, if you give him the BOR Parasite to create Revenants we'll have worse problems on our hands."

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I know it hurts, but you don't need to worry. Your big brother's here, I promise you'll be okay."

"It's okay, it's okay. I know you didn't mean for this to happen. It isn't your fault."

"Welcome back to the world of the living Heredis, Hell was waiting for you."

"Protect your hearts! If she destroys it that's the end for you!"

"Please…"

"Rest well, friend."

"Gah!" Heredis sat up as his chest spiked in pain, clutching over his heart as random visions of faces he couldn't put names to burned in his mind. Gasping for air as the pain shocked him awake, he wouldn't react as Io place her hand on his arm, the woman sitting on the side of his bed.

"It's alright, it was just visions." She spoke, watching closely as Heredis' breathing calmed down.

"Io?" The Revenant panted, looking over to the golden eyed woman as his eyes pulsed red. "What are you… doing here?"

"I felt you were in pain, so I came to watch after you while you rested." She answered. "You were moving a lot in your sleep, the visions spiking the damage to your heart."

"Damage to my heart? But I thought Revenants can't survive their heart being destroyed?" He questioned, looking at his chest.

"Correct, but some can survive significant damage, although it will take a long time while conscious to fully heal." She explained, keeping her hand on his arm to comfort him. "The visions were intense; did you recall anything?"

"Just a few faces, and… a name." He said, placing his hand over his face as his eyes slowly dimmed back to their natural blue. "How long have I been out?"

"Only a few hours. It's still light out." Io answered.

"How about you, are you feeling any better?"

"I have rested long enough, I feel fine."

"Good, good." Heredis nodded, shaking the daze out of his head before turning to sit on the side of the bed alongside the woman. "You know, I realized I hadn't asked since I've been trying to process everything going on, how are your memories doing?" At his question, Io would tilt her head in confusion, getting him to point to the side of his own head. "You know, I lost a lot of my memories. Have you lost any?"

"My memories…" Io would mutter, looking down to her hands as she folded them on her lap. "I do not recall much of my life, I believe most of my memories are gone as well. All I know is… that I had traveled far and long to find you, and that finding you was my goal."

"To find me?" He'd echo, before looking to see the rugged bandages on her left leg and arm. "You were hurt before?"

"While finding you, I was attacked by a few of the Lost. I am not a very capable fighter, I was injured and found the wrappings to cover the wounds." She detailed, looking to the wrappings around her arm.

"Well maybe you're not a fighter but you certainly have some strength to you." He said, recalling to her easily stopping the Revenant thug from striking him when he was knocked to the ground.

"Maybe… but strength isn't useful if I can't use it to protect you."

"Well, the important thing is that we're together I guess." Heredis said, smiling to the woman as he did. "Neither of us remember our pasts, random gifts we have no idea of where they come from, and a desire to protect each other. I'd say that's a good enough situation for me."

"…Me too." Io nodded in return, looking up to him with a faint smile.

"Heredis, are you up? I found something interesting about your…" Louis would begin to say, stepping into the room to see the tender moment between the two Revenants. "Um… is this a bad time?"

"No, no you're fine." Heredis sighed, standing up as he turned to the black-haired Revenant. "So, you found something?"

"Yes, I've been studying your blood and found an anomaly within it. Rather, something that makes sense, but I wasn't expecting." Louis detailed. "Could you follow me out? We'll need to talk on more of this after I go over your blood type."

"Sure." The Revenant responded, helping Io up before the three walked out. "So what about my blood is so interesting?"

"From what I've found, your blood seems to have a familiar trace to that of the medicine created by the Queen's blood during Operation QUEEN." Louis explained, keeping a slow pace with the two as he did. "It could be from exposure; you've been dead a long time and may have had a few drops soak into your ashes during that time. But that wouldn't explain how you were able to inherit it."

"Which I'm guessing is where my blood type comes into play?"

"Precisely, see we Revenants don't have the same kind of blood types as humans do, rather Blood Codes that allow us to use our gifts. As I said before, you used two separate abilities that together shouldn't be possible. And after my tests I'm led to believe that you are a Void-type. Your Blood Code is… well it's broken. The damage to your heart likely fractured your power, and in doing so you don't technically have a Blood Code anymore. But because you're a Void-type, you can take in another Revenant's power, perhaps the powers you have come from several Revenants who bled near your ashes, much like the QUEEN medicine."

"A Void-type…" Heredis muttered, looking to his hand. "How would we know if that's true?"

"Well simply…." Louis started, pulling out a knife and digging it into his wrist. "I give you some of my blood. If you really are a Void-type like my research points to, then you'll absorb my Blood Code and have my Gifts. Even just a drop of my blood should do the job."

"So I'm guessing just drink some of it?" At Louis' nod, Heredis would cup one of his hand's under the Revenant's wrist, letting a few drops of his blood drip into his palm before drinking. When the blood went down, the silver-haired Revenant barely felt different, just a small heat going down his throat to follow the blood.

"Anything?" Louis asked, prompting Heredis to hold his hand out towards the opening in the balcony. He'd attempt to produce the same Flame Gift he saw Louis preform, but not a spark would come out.

"Nothing." He responded. "I don't feel the same when I used my Blood Bolt, but I don't feel any sparks being made by me."

"That's alright, learning a Gift takes time. It'll likely be trial and error for you to figure out which of my Gifts you can currently use. And if not, then it stands to reason you have a complex Blood Code."

"Alright, I'll see what I can do."

"Good. With that settled, I'd wish to talk to you about our operation that we're doing." As the two walked up the lounge, Heredis would notice Yakumo standing behind one of the couches, leaning on its back with an apple in hand. A quick gesture between the two gave the clear reference that now Yakumo's focus was at it's highest, meaning one small slip could spell problems for him.

"When you entered the Vestige, we were exposed to scenes involving that Revenant's life." Louis would say, stopping in front of the map with dozens of markings across it. "It's becoming a far more frequent problem. With Silva taking the humans under his protection, Blood Beads are Revenants' only reliance to slake their endless thirst. But as you already know, the bloodsprings are running dry."

"Silva's levy and distribution system won't last much longer, not at the rate we're going." He continued, taking out a small Blood Bead as he spoke. "Vein needs more Blood Beads, if we can then fairness can better lead the system, rather than petty favoritism. It's why we've been exploring the Gaol of the Mists, getting close to the Red Mist as possible. But the miasma is starting to get worse, the amount is increasing the thirst more and is stalling our progress."

"But now, we may have a chance to get past that. Your blood, the power you have, managed to rejuvenate bloodsprings and Mistles to clear the miasma. If you could help us…" The Revenant would then hesitate, his grip tightening on the Blood Bead as he did. "Well, you'd be dragged into constant battles with the Lost again, some that will be leagues above what your friend turned into. But I'll be honest, there isn't a lot of hope in our plan without you. It's a lot to ask, especially since you've only just woken up, but will you join us?"

"…" Heredis remained quiet, recalling back to what he had seen in Oliver's Vestige. Someone like him, a Revenant with a good head on his shoulders, was forced to horrible acts in order to just procure a few Blood beads. And if the situation was common, it became a dark reflection on how things have fallen. But at the same time, his focus went back to Io, joining this mission could drag her into the fray. Oliver's Lost transformation was a challenge to fight, but not impossible. But if what Louis said was true, then there's likely dozens like him, and maybe more that are even stronger. He could protect Io against one, but what could he do against more?

"Io is protected, without any arguments." He eventually spoke up, holding his hand out to Louis. "If you promise me, right here and now that Io will be safe here, I'll see what I can do to help your mission."

"You have my word that nothing will harm her." Louis answered, accepting the deal and shaking the Revenant's hand in return. "Thanks, I don't like admitting the situation we're in, but we truly do need your power. You can help save possibly every Revenant in Vein, maybe the world if we can get past the Red Mist."

"One step at a time, let's first figure out how to get more Blood Beads and stop any unnecessary sacrifices."

"Agreed."

"So, it's a done deal then?" Yakumo would speak up, shifting the apple in his hand before pushing off the couch. "Well then! From now on, you're one of us." He then tossed the apple at Heredis, the Revenant catching it with his left hand before recovering to see Yakumo standing right in front of him with his hand extended out. "Yakumo Shinonome. I'll be looking forward to seeing you in action."

"…Just be sure not to point your gun in my general direction." Heredis responded, shaking his hand with an uneased expression.

"Eh, don't give me a reason to and you're good. I'll trust Louis' judgment on you, but until I see firsthand that you're on our side I'm keeping an eye on you."

"Then let's get right into it." Louis said, smiling for a second before getting straight to business. "As you know we're studying Blood Beads and their springs. We want to know how and when a bloodspring grows, how many Blood Beads in a certain amount of time can they bare, and the composition of the beads themselves."

"I assume you've been at this for a bit, is there anything to work off of?" Heredis asked.

"We've discovered that underneath the ground there are these strange capillaries running through the earth, much like how our bodies has blood veins." He explained. "And with every past discovery of a dried bloodspring made, we can conclude that bloodsprings all grow on these blood veins."

"And according to Louis, Blood Beads and these veins are made up of almost identical material. Although whatever flows through the veins appear to be drying up." Yakumo added in. "But if they have the same substances, then there must be a common source. Somewhere that is like a headwater for Blood Beads."

Looking at the map, Heredis could see that the bulk of the marks all seemed to go in a patter, with each having an X at some point to mark a bloodspring. And while they were all over the place, they certainly did have some kind of pattern to them. They grew less frequently the farther the veins went, and although it couldn't be pinned where the veins start since some all have different directions and growth patterns.

"And now that we have you, we have a whole line of bloodsprings we can get to and follow these veins." The redhead added in. "And with any luck, we'll find the source and get enough Blood Beads that no one will have to worry about bloodthirst again."

"We'll want to head out to the old city ruin first, we have two known bloodsprings we'll want to investigate." Louis detailed, pointing to two markings that were circled. "One is on the surface; this is the safest one and the first goal we have. The second is in a sinkhole near the center of the city, we'll head there afterwards. And hopefully we'll find the source while procuring enough Blood Beads to keep the system in balance long enough to fix it."

"I'm sorry to do this, but we'll want to move out as quick as possible. So if you wouldn't mind, we should head out right away. Are you rested enough?"

"Yeah, I'm good now." Heredis nodded.

"You're leaving?" Io asked, looking up to him as she did.

"Only for a while, I'll be back so don't worry." He'd say, gently patting her shoulder as he did. "We just have some searching to do."

"…I should come with you. You'll be in danger."

"Absolutely not, you're still injured and I refuse to let you go."

"You don't need to worry, we're moving in a group so he won't be alone." Louis promised, attempting to ease her worries. "You should get some more rest and recover, you seem well but it's best to take things slow."

"But…"

"Hey, it'll be fine." Rin would say, surprising the group as she walked up behind Io and placed her hands on her arms. "Louis and Yakumo are really strong, Heredis will be just fine. Heck, even out there he'll be safer than in here with only one combative Revenant. He'll be okay." The blacksmith guaranteed, looking to the group as she closed her eyes to signal her smile. "Don't worry, I'll look after her while you're gone. She's safe with me!"

"…Thank you, Murasame." Heredis would say, giving a grateful smile in return.

"Alright, with that settled let's get you relaxed!" Rin would beam with excitement, bringing Io along as she walked away from everyone. "I know exactly what you need, a long dip in the hot spring! That'll melt the worry off right away!"

"Be careful." Io would say, looking to Heredis one last time before willingly following Rin.

"Okay everyone, gear up." Louis ordered. "Let's see what we can find."

"Right!"

"…Right."