Took a long while due to my newly developed addiction to the Repentance DLC for the Binding of Isaac among the usual problems that are academia.

But anyway the chapter is here.


Silence…unbearable silence of the environment was Luther's only companion on his journey to Iliasport, that, and the constant suspicious glaring from his fellow company. The man hated how peaceful it was, how he could hear the chirping of the birds perched atop branches or the soft serenades of the bugs hiding in tall grasses, how dissatisfied he was with clearly hearing his own heartbeat and breath. All this peace, every stressful second of it, something which he thought could help him piece together a proper plan to handle his situation only jumbled his mind.

Can't concentrate, they're staring so much at me they might as well drill through my head with their eyeballing, it's easy to tell they want to know something from me. Whether I can properly come up with an answer remains to be unseen yet. Chambers quietly groaned, not letting them hear him, and then turned his own glare back at them as if challenging them. Luka immediately hid away from his friend's daring gaze, yet Alice remained steadfast, even boldened by it.

"That strange woman…you two seemed to know each other already, is that true?" Alice asked much to Luther's chagrin. It was painfully obvious to him that they inquired about his relations with her. No other reason would Micaela have called him further into town back then if they didn't know each other, no other reasons than the ones that couldn't be explained easily.

In a way yes, I only know her. The Stand user continued to say silent on the matter, thinking of a proper response that wouldn't jeopardize him or his supposed acquaintance. Still hard to believe that encounter went the way it did, never expect a being that's thousands of years old to squeak like a little school girl. Guess even after a while we all still have our weaknesses.

"Yes, we do know each other…" Luther clicked with his tongue, unsure if his answer had dug him into what he couldn't possibly get out. "Before you ask, what I discussed with her was entirely a private matter if it wasn't obvious enough."

"A private matter, huh?" She hummed along. Her teasing tone was painfully recognizable for both of the males. "How private was it exactly? Don't tell me you left us there to wait while you were familiarizing yourself with that woman. I did hear some… suspicious noises…and don't think I didn't notice how flustered you were or how much friendlier she was to you. Both of seemed very relaxed afterward..."

You're too predictable, Alice, but I'm not playing along. Luther simply sighed and kept up his stoic expression, not letting out a single hint that the Monster Lord was affecting him, her occasional teasing or vicious remarks were nothing but simple tugs on his stone heart.

"Did you actually…?" Luka started.

"I…ha, what?" The fake hero's soft juvenile shy voice immediately made Luther's body and mind go to a screeching halt, attempting to answer him but only repeatedly choking on his words. He was left in disbelief that one of his only friends in this world would believe the lies spouted by his tormentor, that he would ever screw with the boy's aunt in some dark corner immediately once he showed up to town. "Why would you believe someone like her?"

The pint-sized hero blushed, his form shrunk in embarrassment from being so easily fooled, and for having no trust in his companion that had even saved his life many times. He didn't have the courage to answer Luther's exclamation.

Alice descended into mad laughter. She had hit two birds with one stone and managed to achieve the impossible, to tease Luther, her emotionless brick wall of a travel companion. "Oh, that was brilliant." She wiped away her tears trying to hold back from laughing more. "Finally got to you, I must say the effort it takes to do so is completely worth it." The purple lamia smirk intensified as another idea popped into her head. "Admittedly, I could have done it without your help, thank you, Luka."

It didn't fail to make Luka feel even guiltier. "I'm sorry." He murmured, the laughter continuing in the background.

"No, no, it's completely fine…it's all a certain snake's fault" Luther started with flushed cheeks, managing to gather some composure. Alice was still left chuckling, unaffected by his small insult. "Right, I suppose I do owe you some part of an explanation."

"It would be preferable to know why you wasted my time." Alice concurred as the previous tension vanished. Their over-inquisitiveness was changed to a simple curiosity that he had a choice to sate, and the time given was enough and gave enough breathing room. Luther's thoughts crossed on how they possibly viewed him, the false information he had given out to them.

"To put it simply there is a reason why I have survived for so long." He let his voice become deeper, bringing back the previous somberness. It was regretful that he had to manipulate them like this but it was for their own good, know something you shouldn't could often or not prove detrimental, to help them he needed as much of their trust as he could possibly acquire.

"What do you mean by that?" Luka was the first one to ask with clear concern remembering how distressed Luther looked.

"Oh?" Alice blinked and immediately understood it, her face scrunching up in confusion and suspicion. "Ah…you shambled your way here after getting stranded and they took you in, nursing you back to care, did I get that right?" She got a steady response.

"But why did they let you in this time, when they didn't want us right there now?" Luka inquired and his companion could admit it was a decent problem in his deceit to point out, but all that just meant was he had to lie more.

"I…came there looking even worse for wear than I am now. Guess they had some amount of pity in their cold hearts." Luther breathed out a sigh, the more he spoke the easier it became to lie. It all just poured out of him like an open faucet, what more could he say to sate their appetite for knowledge? "Though not much…" He forced out a chuckle and ended it in a coughing fit." I'm still in their debt."

Luka was lost deep in thought at his explanation, pity crossing his cheeks while Alice mockingly laughed some more, amused by it. "That's why you didn't want to come to Enrika, can't imagine being so down on your luck. I assume you negotiated some deal to keep her off your back, better be able to pay up~"

I'm already doing that, so as long as I'm here Micaela doesn't have to worry about her nephew's safety. Luther rolled his eyes and shook his head, glancing around his surroundings and finding nothing of note other than the ordinary but nonetheless majestic and enchanting fields of forest and letting his mind wander once more, reminiscing the days he used to trek with his friends.

"Strange…" Alice and Luther heard Luka mumble under his breath before he started again. "I know this strange isolationism is their way of life but why do they do it in the first place, there doesn't seem to be anything to gain, in fact, the merchants that they do want coming to them won't really show up all that much because of their hidden location and the risk involved with traveling in Monster occupied roads might be too much…"

Both of his companions stopped for just a moment and glanced at him in bewilderment. The Monster Lord was the first to break out of her stupor and started slow-clapping, much to the boy's dismay. "That might have just been the first cohesive well-put-together thought I've heard from you. Well done, truly, you've proven that there is something floating around in that skull of yours, you just need some time. It is okay Luka, some people are just slow, to begin with."

"One of these days, I will stomp on your tail…" The fake hero whispered to himself, quiet enough to not be heard by his tormentor, he was absolutely fuming. His eyes flashed green for a moment before he quickly composed himself. "Come on Alice, can you spare me the pain for just one day? I only just thought something was off."

"I'm not going to lie, Alice, that was probably the worst thing you've said to him thus far, and believe me, the list of offenses is quite long." Luther pointed out, yet she remained unmoved by their verbal assault on her actions.

She scoffed. "What does it matter if he does or doesn't get some good tongue lashing once a while? I've done enough for him, trained him, healed him, given him Angel Halo, the least he could do is entertain me, besides, consider its mental training of sorts, there will be many Monsters out there that will take advantage of your temper."

"Still, a valid point made for someone with no prior knowledge." Alice genuinely commended and Luka lightened up a bit more. "It is an Elf village, no doubts about it with how thick their scent is, though that by itself won't really explain much. I'm still stuck on whether or not Enrika is one of those safe havens for Monsters I read about, but that sounded ridiculous." The Purple Lamia trailed off.

"A safe haven?" Luke mused on Alice's words. "That explains everything! If Monsters are hiding there then it's all easily explainable, they don't want to be caught so close to a city like Iliasburg, it's all probably all elves there, right Luther?"

Luther gritted his teeth. Except that's not true, Angels are hiding there as well…he closed his eyes letting his sixth sense guide him for a minute, tapping into it. It had improved if only a little, he could tell the difference between Light and Dark energy. Their difference was already like night and day, how could I not sense it? Did Granberia's inferno really damage me that deeply? That doesn't matter, I know what I felt and Micaela wasn't the only Angel hidden there.

Not the only Angel hidden… The Stand user's eyes swung wide upon in realization. Lucifina and Micaela weren't the only ones to defect! The normally stoic man resisted the sudden urge to jump around like a hyperactive child. Yes! Lucifina isn't the only possible Angel parent for Luka's unique bloodline, when did she rebel, like five hundred years ago? Oh, Luther, you daft idiot there is no reason why they would immediately assume he is Lucifina's kid, it doesn't matter if he uses Angel powers, it would be preferable if he didn't but still! Luther heard the loud coos of his stand but chose to ignore them. All he has to do if, when they meet each other is not say her name. I would have to convince her to not do so, but there is no amount of deceit that could possibly aid me in such an endeavor, no…this would be a matter of trust entirely. I have to take him aside an-

"Chu!" Chambers was snapped back to reality by the sharp cries of his stand to pay attention to his surroundings, he felt someone tug at his coat and shake his body. He snapped his head to the perpetrator, it was Luka.

"Hey, everything okay? I asked you a question and you just stayed quiet for a long time." The man stared at his younger companion's innocent blue eyes that wanted so much for the world. Guilt crept into his soul as he paced through the "plan" he would undertake, yet he endlessly reminded himself that it was necessary for both of their survival. Luther Chambers may have felt a little guilty for manipulating a big dreamer like Luka, yet in the end, it wouldn't begin to compare to the guilt he would feel if he would have let him die because of his own stupid mistakes.

"Sorry, I spaced out a little." He told him, Tusk granting him the will and courage to speak up. "The answer is yes, most of them were Elves, the other part was different Monsters that either took temporary refuge or made Enrika their permanent home, as far as it is to my knowledge." The older man winced a little, he had little doubt that his deduction was actually true, whatever was the case it satisfied the pint-sized hero who gave a beaming smile to his friend.

"Always with your head in the clouds, aren't you?" Alice curiously remarked, keeping her true emotions hidden underneath a neutral look. "I do wonder, what is so interesting about them, what exactly do they hold hidden within them?"

"Don't know, I've yet to find out…" Luther smiled back, shrugging, and directed his gaze to the blue sky above him, the endless heavens and clouds folding into each other. He couldn't but wonder if it did actually hold any secrets for him to discover, praying inwardly that there wouldn't be any more curveballs thrown his way or at least ones he couldn't possibly hope to handle.

Maybe there is that small glimmer of hope to just survive in this hell, whatever it takes I'll make sure I and Luka come out of it alive for his, mine, and Micaela's sake. Lying and some manipulation won't hurt him, might turn out better in the long run. It'll be far too risky to let those Angels know that Luka is their jailor's son, better they think he is some random rogue Angel's offspring. Tusk cooed at the back of his mind again, pointing out how similar to wings the clouds within the endless blue looked like. Funny, how they react knowing Luka is "family". Will they try to be more active in helping, and demand to meet him more? Only time will tell…I can only hope it isn't too soon

My senses have improved, only a little, to notice something which should have been obvious from the very start. Maybe this is better that way, I'd rather get used slowly than get sensory overload, which would complicate things more than they already are. Perhaps Granberia's "inferno" was more of a blessing than a curse. Ilias' presence now has a particular texture to it. It's clean and pure, a bit too clean. Smells like pure bleach when compared to the environment, and it's as if there is some maliciousness hidden underneath. He shuddered as goosebumps went down his back. Always there, always watching…mostly…

Luther tuned out Luka's and Alice's conversation and turned his sixth sense to his surroundings. No darkness here other than Alice yet, good. Let this peace last a bit longer, let me gather my thoughts straight finally.


Luther sighed as turned a hard stare towards the road leading toward Iliasport, his desire for actual peace was thrown aside by this world's cruel quirk of wanting to inconvenience him. The man's senses practically screamed at him, they were getting closer to another foreign presence, hungry darkness that they most likely couldn't reason with. He found it easy to immediately reach for his holstered weapons, it wasn't anywhere near instinctual, yet it brought some small comfort nonetheless.

"Hate to ruin your little talk, but please take this one good piece of advice from an adventurer – trust your instincts and always keep your eyes and ears open, you don't know who could be hiding," Luther interjected into his friend's conversation, Luka appeared dazed at his suggestion and all Alice had to do was sniff the air to understand what he meant. "Right now, my instincts are telling me there is a Monster that will show up, or it could be my long-term paranoia. I'd wager it's worth taking the gamble here, nothing to lose but your patience."

"Strange, you're right, there is a Monster further up ahead." The Monster Lord suspiciously noted. "I trust you'll handle yourselves appropriately." With that, she vanished, leaving a more focused Luka and Luther to deal with their new interference.

Luka's hand gripped tightly on Angel Halo's, ready to draw it out at a moment's notice. "Does it really get that easy to tell after traveling for so long? Is there some secret technique behind it?"

"You sort of get a hand on these things, it could be as simple as the sound breaking branches or some disturbed wildlife. Or... something vague like a weird smell in wind or just a simple feeling that you're not entirely alone." They both continued their trek, pretending as if nothing was wrong. "It comes with time." The older man drawled as he spotted a large figure approach them.

It was extremely easy to tell she was Monster, her less than humanoid appearance was telling, her lower body was seemingly made of a black giant leech with red dotted skin that glistened in the sunlight, a large opening with tentacles was front and center of her leech body, her insides were moving erratically, threatening to take either of them and leech away any liquids they could spare. She saw them, her tail waged in excitement at the prospect of her hunger being filled by either of them or perhaps both if she was feeling particularly gluttonous.

Luther grimaced. Some Monsters really do get the short end of the stick when it comes to looks, kind of hard to keep your eyes on her…that scent. She is a very gluttonous and hungry being and has her eyes on us, there is no negotiating with her.

Her upper half looked to be a pale woman with thick flowing brown hair and white tentacles coming from her forehead and nape, no clothes covered up her generous figure that was open for all to see, she smirked, not noticing that her "prey" wasn't surprised with her appearance.

"Two travelers? A little troublesome…" The leech girl sniffed the air, her smirk becoming wider. "Though both unbaptized, you look delicious." She giggled, her second mouth opening up wider as its inner appendages reached for them. "Hmm…can't decide which one is better, I'll just drain both of you dry."

"Wait, do we really have to fight, can't you just let us through?" Luka objected as she began to slowly get closer. His own gaze drawn toward her lower mouth, which strangely felt mesmerizing to him, but quickly shook any traitorous thoughts out of him,

"Oh we can certainly do this without a fight, just get inside my mouth." The Monster let her slowly hand glide toward her leech mouth.

"For you sake, I'd suggest you do what he says and leaves us be, else you'll suffer… consequences. And you surely don't want to get yourself hurt, do you?" Luther drawled out, figuring intimidation would do better, shooting his cold apathetic glare at her. It appeared to give her pause for the briefest of moments, some amount of doubt and fear reaching her, however, it was quickly overpowered by her hunger.

"Ha, all the minuscule damage you two barely armed adventurers could make would be worth taking this meal. I can't simply pass up such a strong scent." Much to their dismay, she continued forward. Luka cautiously drew out Angel Halo, his stance becoming predatory ready to unleash Demon Decapitation, like their small attempt for negation it failed to deter her from approaching. "I'll drain you dry~"

Maybe she does have a point. A purple-haired midget with a statue for a sword and some unarmed schmuck is not exactly the most intimidating bunch, especially to someone who is a Monster, but I doubt my steel balls could deter at his point, the hunger imitating from her is too strong. He frowned and crossed his arms, unshaken by the approaching Monster. Besides, I don't like the idea of letting this gluttonous leech run around drain whatever Human she comes across, better seal her and minimize damage she could do.

"Well… Luka, we tried and failed, seal her up, pretty sure neither of us wants someone like her draining humans of their blood and most likely other liquids." Luther concluded stepping back and letting Luka face their enemy alone as they agreed upon, his words gave Luka more resolve as he realized that the Leech Girl in front of them wasn't exactly innocent with she was behaving

"Oh? And you were acting so scary a moment ago, but now you're sending a child to do the fighting for you, how pathetic…" The Monster remarked, mockingly laughing. She stopped once she noticed, confused by his unflinching expression, there was not a hint of offense or damaged pride hidden there.

"Believe me he can take you on by himself, probably for the best too, I don't need to waste my time and energy dealing with someone like you." Luther nonchalantly stated and yawned, nudging his younger friend and getting his attention for a slight bit to send a sly wink to the boy who slowly nodded as he caught on to his intentions.

"Why you- " Her temper ultimately proved weaker, she looked like she was right about the charge the perpetrator of anger. Luka was ready to strike quickly and efficiently, already knowing she was targeting his older companion over his verbal transgressions against her, all the meanwhile Luther stood still, a teasing smirk crossing his lips.

She charged…

"Show her hell, Luka." It was all the Monster heard from him before a purple blur entered her vision and she felt an ethereal cut on her body. A sudden feeling of numbness spread through her neck sapping her energy. She froze, her eyes quickly darting around as she spotted Luka, the small boy she so readily mocked, moved faster in the blink of an eye than any human she had encountered, his sword positioned for another strike. The Leech Girl finally saw how terrifying his weapon looked with inching closer, it didn't even look like a weapon, and she swore that it blinked a couple of times and the eyes stared with conscious malevolent intent at her, like it was alive and thirsted for her very soul.

In an impressive display of speed for her body size she immediately flung away from the fake hero's attack, it ended up still catching her, "cutting" a part of her tail, she kept her alarmed stare dead at him not taking her attention off of him for any single second. "W-what th-the hell is that thing?" The Monster fearful asked, checking her neck as she kept up her guard, preparing to avoid or grab him at any opportunity. She breathed a sigh of relief when there was no bleeding. She wasn't dead yet, just the sensation of her energy being drained away. Relief was replaced with dread, all of the energy she collected over the months was vanishing, leaving only a strange emptiness that even her hunger couldn't contend with.

All of it was gone in just one mistake…

"A special blade that can seal anyone." The boy simply responded, taking a step forward and lunging, her body shook at the news, jumping away from his attack. "With it, I won't let you drain anyone!"

She might be large and have no legs, but she definitely isn't slow because of it, guess this is how Monsters are…some may not even have the weakness that they should or her leech body is strong. Luka noted the air time she gained each time she leaped away from him, he smiled to himself knowing he was using the techniques and fighting style taught to him in a proper manner, finally fully on the offensive. Finally, his opponent had to react to his attacks.

With the knowledge of how Angel Halo worked she hated to admit it, but she was wrong, so very wrong, they weren't some ordinary Humans that she could have easily overpowered, no. The smallest one in the group moved in speeds she never thought Humans could move, used techniques again she saw no Humans use and the bite of his blade was cold draining, like death itself hung over shoulders awaiting her soon to be demise to take the last of what was left of her soul.

She swallowed the lump in her throat shaking that sensation off and wagered her options. Luka repeatedly slashed, aiming for a large part of her body.

"G-gah" She jumped back as the prison sword nicked a part of her body again, trying to gain as much distance as possible. Staying and fighting could result in her being sealed or capturing the boy, his blood, semen and sweats helping her get back whatever energy he stole from her, the issue was…

That other man…The Leech Girl growled and reluctantly glanced at him, he continued to stay perfectly still and watch, as if he had seen this scenario play out a hundred times already which unnerved her more. Whatever she may have won over the boy there was a chance he could step in, and if she was wrong and underestimated this young boy then she feared what the older one held in store for her, so she took the other option.

"Al-Alright i- I learned my lesson, I'll leave you alone just go, get out h-here!" She stuttered out and started moving back steadily. Pride be damned, it didn't matter if she didn't die from that strange sword, all she wanted was to keep her energy. The lifeblood of those she had leached off of, all would go to waste just because she decided to attack a kid with some unholy sword.

Luka looked back to his friend who vehemently shook his head, he steeled himself for the judgment he was about to impose on her. He couldn't let her threaten any more innocent travelers "No, I won't let you escape! You attacked us when we didn't want any trouble and you'll do this to other people." The purple-haired boy sprinted right at her with as much as he could muster up.

"No!" She shrieked seeing his full speed as she fled. "Please! Don't you have an ounce of mercy, I need to feed to survive!"

"I have no mercy when it comes to sealing Monsters who drain Humans to death!" Luka heroically responded, he relentlessly pursued the fleeing Leech Monster running through tall grasses, jumping over large rocks or tree stumps, fallen trunks, and pushing his hybrid yet sealed body to its current limits catching up to her. The fake hero lunged again and his aim proved true hitting dead center on her back, the blade which normally would have severed her spine and punctured her heart simply phase through her body, she froze in place as the last of her energy leaving her mostly empty body. There was nothing left to maintain her form and she turned a flash of white light. A single leech dropped to the ground, which looked at Luka and quickly crawled away. The boy could breathe steadily now.

"Good work, that girl didn't even get a hit on you." Luther casually came up beside him, Luka didn't notice that he got so close still focusing on recovering. The older man lightly put his hand on the boy's shoulder so as to not shock him.

"Y-yeah…" He barely managed to make out as held his chest, breathing starting to stabilize if only a little more.

"Do you need to sit down or something? Maybe have some water or rations in that bag of yours?" Luka weakly shook his head at Luther, this wasn't exhaustion that was bothering him, but something else didn't sit right with him.

"Sh-she was terrified of me, right? Like that little Harpy girl…" Silence befell them both, Luther uncomfortably froze to what the boy was insinuating, thinking of a proper way to console the boy without saying anything that could make him feel any worse, and an idea came up, he cou-

"Of course she was terrified, you were strong and she wasn't. A situation quite unfamiliar and unexpected to the likes of her." Alice appeared without warning, holding the boy's bag in front of his nose, there was not a hint of sympathy in her voice or face, just cold hard logic. "Innocent or guilty, strong or weak whatever the case a person feels fear when they're in true danger, it is very simple, even the most cold-hearted can be brought to tears with the right amount of threats and pain given their way, but that doesn't change who they are…"

"Come now, are you really that pathetic to let some tears trick you. She isn't even dead, nothing to feel guilty about except for running her meal plans...but you know all about that, don't you?" She finished, letting Luka grab his bag. Luther lightly stunned wasn't apprehensible, dare say completely reasonable, one thing was for certain, there was no sugar-coating or coddling with Alice and perhaps it's for the best. Let the boy experience harsh truth now rather than later, there would be many that would take advantage of his inexperience, a larger blow than mere words could hope to match.

"Alice isn't lying, everyone has emotions, it's just how much can you justifiably empathize with, context matters." Chambers decided to add. "You can't just decide to help a criminal commit or let them go just because you made them cry a little. That's beyond empathy, just plain stupidity and you're not stupid…" He raised a finger before Alice could interject with a snarky remark, asking, begging for her silence

"Ah…I think I understand." Luka slowly said, still gazing at the spot where the Leech Girl was and putting the bag back onto his shoulder and the sword into its scabbard.

"You better understand, I'm not repeating myself." Alice coolly stated as they moved onto the main road, she took a deep breath, carefully recalling and analyzing each action that he took. "That battle was acceptable, she hadn't managed to grab or hit you once, you forced her to only stay on the defensive. That is the very purpose of the Cursed Sword techniques, but…"

Here it comes. Luka flinched from the simple mention of the word "but", both of the men had the same question in their minds. What is going to be? Something snarky and subtle or flat-out an insult?

"There is an improvement, yet that battle could have been won a lot quicker and we would reach the damn port sooner. You're still sloppy, lacking precision in strikes and slashes. Your speed was off too, and a Leech Girl almost escaped you. a Leech Girl - someone who doesn't have wings or even legs to take advantage of." She reprimanded, though her tone was light and nothing too serious. "Endurance as well, we'll have to work on all of that once we settle down and by the looks of it won't take long, though let's cover as much distance as we can."

Luka smiled, being relieved and pleasantly surprised that she offered valid criticism that wasn't just some snarky remarks. In hindsight, his inability to outspeed a creature that had no legs was both surprising and admittedly shameful, and couldn't fault the purple lamia for that particular remark against him. He pondered on her points in this blissful silence, his previous small guilt fading away.

"Are you… alright?" Alice unexpectedly inquired and both males stopped, it seemed she never failed to catch them off guard, as if she would freeze over hell itself, not that either of them doubted she had the power to do so, just to leave them in disbelief for the simple sake of entertaining herself. Luka's response was a combination of choking and the sound of a dying whale while Luther refused to say anything, opting to wait for the punchline.

The Monster Lord growled in frustration, pinching the pint-sized hero's cheeks with her immense strength making him yelp loudly and breaking him out of his bewilderment. "I mean physically, Do you still have any pain in your body? It seemed like you were exhausted there in that fight, quite uncharacteristic of you may I add, I don't want you keeling over and dying during training, idiot…that would be inconvenient for both of us."

"Um, well, after the Harpy Queen, that Elf Swordswoman and that Leech Monster, guess I'm feeling a little fatigued." Luka quickly recovered from his stupor answering honestly, before quietly musing on her wording. "That would be more than just inconvenient for me."

"Hmm…perhaps for you, necromancy is rather easy on the recently deceased and slow." Alice chuckled upon hearing the grumbling coming from Luka, her advanced hearing managed to pick up something on how he couldn't be a hero if he was a walking corpse.

They looked to the sky which began to shift into bright golden orange, the sun was begging to set and invite darkness of the night into the world, giving respite and shelter to the land and its inhabitants, perhaps they would attain peace too even if it is for a night, destiny knew they needed all the strength they could get.


The fire crackled and small, barely alive sparks of flame flew throughout the forest, not much distance was covered since the sun started to set their legs, stomach and minds could no longer bear the constant monotonous marching to Iliasport. They set up camp not far off the main road, it was quiet no was there but them. Luther somberly gazed at the night sky finally given the chance to admire its unpolluted beauty and endlessly count its celestial bodies, it was an endless sea of stars, like droplets of light shining through an ocean of void. Alice took her time to finish the last of her large portion of her meal, savoring the taste like a true gluttonous gourmet and further depleting their food supplies.

"And that's how Heinrich defeated the Monster Lord and brought world peace." Meanwhile, to fill someone of the emptiness and stave off his and Alice's boredom Luka told them stories eventually reaching the tall tales of the hero Heinrich, his origins to his achieves, of course, he couldn't completely recount his legendary heroism, there were just too many to tell in a single night, and it wasn't like he memorized them all as much as enjoyed them. The purpled-haired boy then tightly hugged the scabbard in childish joy, to think he held the weapon of such a mighty hero. "And everyone lived happily ever after."

How strange, almost like a parallel to Luka's own story, granted, several details are still missing and I know who is responsible for that, but still. There is the mention of mysterious benefactors, elemental powers, fighting the Monster Lord, and then what Ilias censored - rebelling against Heaven. History may not repeat itself but it often rhymes. Luther mused on the unusual similarities in the two purple-haired heroes, the fact they were family as well only made it more bizarre as if there was some strange destiny following his bloodline. Heh, I could think of a few families in fiction like that…actually if something like Monster Girl Quest exists as a universe, then do other fictional characters exist as well or is this a crazy coincidence?

I may never find out…His thoughts ended on a bitter note, being reminded of the current precarious situation he was in. Either he ended up dead, survived but was forced to stay here, or somehow on a miracle, he managed to find his way back home. What then…? It's not like a single man can uncover and master the secrets of multiverse travel, well there is a general clue when it comes to these discussions. A lot of energy is needed... Energy, which the entirety of earth couldn't hope to produce even taking years and years of technological progression into account.

"What do you mean "everyone lived happily ever after", you idiot, don't you know what's going with the world?" She spat back. After spending most of his evening telling this story, this was her response, somehow that didn't surprise Luka. It was only the disappointment that hurt the boy. "I'm a Monster. Did you really think I'd enjoy a story about a Human killing a Monster Lord?"

Do you want me to tell you a story about a Monster killing a Human king because there are a lot of stories like that?" She added, despite the teasing tone her annoyed expression stayed the same. Luka stumbled on his words in embarrassment at the realization. "If you want to build a world of coexistence you have to have some delicacy regarding topics such as this."

"Why are you so against that story?" Luther inquired, he had remained silent over the entire story, refusing to comment or scrutinize anything in it. They were used to his long periods of silence, but certainly not when he decided to interject.

"And tell me why I shouldn't be?" While her frustration stayed the same, her curiosity was peaked, to know that she is a Monster Lord and to still ask her that was beyond idiotic, yet depending on what reason he had to offer her this evening might hold more interest than simple training with her midget trainee.

"The Monster Lord being killed was the VIII, wasn't it? She was known for being a power-obsessed tyrant that was cruel even to her people, not exactly someone you feel sad about dying." Luther coldly explained with a sigh. He perfectly knew that Black Alice was still alive, saved by none other than Ilias herself through unknown means. He was glad he didn't sense her presence. She wasn't the one directly watching them, not yet anyway, but to still know that someone like her was still alive, lurking in the shadows and plotting to what potentially ended in the demise of a universe gave him frustration, rage…

A long silence was cast over the camp, with neither of them willing to add anything, Alice fixed an intense gaze of strong curiosity and suspicion to Luther. He felt his soul being pierced by it, reminding of the first mystifying time he met her as if she could see completely through him and know all of his secrets without him uttering another word. Every second that passed made him feel more uncomfortable, like the likelihood of his knowledge being ripped right out of him increased the more they stared at each other. Luther knew he made another mistake, however, he was in no position to scowl at the Monster Lord's watch. Not like she is unable to force me to speak…one hypnosis and my lips are open wide to speak any sweet secret to her. I'd likely be struck down by Ilias if her plan was revealed, if not now then in secret or worse… Why did I have to say anything here?

Please don't do, please don't it, it's for your own good and mine The Stand user pleaded with his eyes and body language not inquire any further, he screamed in his thoughts hopping then by some miracle

"The VIII." Luka repeated to himself, a strange shiver of dread went down his back upon even mentioning it, as if some primal terror was attached to being associated with the title. "You know the exact Monster Lord that was mentioned in the story? I mean…most of us in my village do know that there is more than one Monster Lord, but never the exact amount or which in line. Is he right about that, Alice?"

"Correct, it was the VIII that was killed by Heinrich, a noteworthy task, that one was no pushover. Though that's a given from being whose only goals in life were destruction, power, and chaos." Her voice was extremely dry and filled with distaste. "With such hyper-focus, you'd be bound to get good at it, at the cost of everything else. Without respect, you have to rule by fear, without a reason to trust, there will be many left looking to stab you in the back at your weakest. That is the end result of following a path like hers. Her actions, perhaps one could say sealed her fate, to be brought down by a hero."

Luther learning from his mistakes clamped his mouth shut, refusing to add anything unless prompted, even then just the bare minimum, he thanked his saving grace, a purple guardian angel descending down to distract a snake to inquisitive for her own good.

"Brought down by her mistakes, that's a very cutting remark." Luka pointed out, he never quite imagined the Monster Lord to be considered too cruel, power-hungry, and chaotic by Monster standards, even if she wasn't, he didn't have a single doubt that a Heinrich would have still defeated her. It was his ultimate duty as a hero after all. The fake hero couldn't lie to himself, despite how guilty it made him feel, but hearing her criticize someone else was undeniably a breath of fresh air.

"To rule by force is a savage act, it is beyond idiotic to not expect savagery back." Alice curtly responded.

"Yeah, you're right…" Luka nodded while glancing around the camp, he noticed how Luther had gone back to star-gazing without saying anything, ignoring their little conversation like many times before.

Admittedly, they were a bit uneasy with how quiet their companion could be, never saying what he was thinking about, with the exception of that one time Luka could confidently say he wasn't a man that wore his heart on his sleeves as disheartening as it was to him, but it definitely didn't mean that he didn't have one.

There is something hidden there, even Alice sees it and she is not particularly someone who cares, much…Yet it was neither here nor there, in the end, he couldn't force Luther to show his inner self even if the boy wanted to. He would disregard the advice he got and taking Luther away from his own path, that man wasn't very emotional and he did the best thing he could, he accepted that fact, to give time to open up. It wasn't a concern, right now he had questions, and like "whack a mole" every single answer just made more of them pop up.

"I wonder how the current Monster Lord is?" It was the question that lingered within him since even before the start of his journey, for him and his fellow humans she was a figure clouded in mystery, someone who kept her identity hidden. It was the little piece of information he most sought after. To have it answered so early in his journey would be a miracle, and perhaps the powerful Monster in front of him knew who she was, yet if he were to judge her by her actions then he didn't like his guess. "If they declared a full-scale war with Humans…I guess they're a villain after all?"

"I wonder if the Slaughter of Remina was by her instructions as well…she must have been a horrible person if she caused it, don't you think so Alice?" He idly wondered another chill went down his spine once he witnessed the sour expression on Alice's face, it was one that usually was accompanied by a non-teasing insult, yet for the boy, it seemed so personal and melancholic, as if something he said, his own simple question had managed to hurt her deeply. Luka glanced at his older friend, who couldn't quite hide his wince.

Do- do they both know something I don't? After all this time it only made sense to him, despite being human Luther to him gave off the same feeling as his monstrous companion, it was just that Alice was more honest that she knew more than he did.

"Maybe the Monster Lord just lost her way, whether Humans should be destroyed or not," Alice answered, bewildering her young trainee, the Monster wasn't hiding her disappointment, it was pointless anyway, Luka was too daft to catch on to it. She continued to suspiciously stare at Luther who appeared to have gathered his courage to return his own gaze. The message he gave to her was clear as day.

I know it's not your fault…She froze swearing that her heart skipped a beat, there wasn't much she could say in response, nor was she sure that's what he meant to say, but it felt right to hear it from someone. It was one fear that she had once she discovered Luther knew of her true identity, hatred not for something she did to him but for something hadn't. Most of the human population seemed to believe that she was the cause of so much killing then why would he be any different?

"The Slaughter of Remina likely wasn't done by the Monster Lord." Luther simply stated, shocking his young friend, the amount of confidence behind the statement also deeply catching Alice's interest. "That's just one of the versions going around the world."

"What? Then who could have done it?! The city was deep in Monsters territory, not a lot of other people could have been responsible." Luka's eyes shot wide open as he interjected, however close he was to Luther he couldn't quite trust his assessment, nor could he quite believe the city, which was a bastion of coexistence between Monster and Man, living proof that it was possible, torn apart by itself. If that was the ultimate fate of coexistence…his efforts were all pointless…

"The people of Gold Port have their suspicions, it may have happened a long time ago, but it is said that after the day that the Slaughter happened, a lot of bodies started washing on the shore…" Luther paused. The air around the adventures turning cold at the implications of what he said both of his company refused to ask him to elaborate further, waiting each second becoming a torturous tension. They couldn't imagine the horror the people there must have felt once piles of bloody dead started to show up on their beaches. "Interesting detail about it, it wasn't just the Human bodies on masse, but Monsters as well."

"You mean that…" Alice started, of course, Monsters had their version of the tale. The Monsters in Remina couldn't have just mysteriously vanished with the entire city left in ruins. What Luther told them made sense; the large population of Monsters definitely wouldn't have just disappeared after the slaughter, but it led to one or another horrifying conclusion.

"I-if that were true, both Humans and Monsters were killed during the Slaughter." Luka had the strength to finish it faster than his Monstrous companion. "And Humans generally have a hard time fighting Monsters, especially if they were mostly civilians…" Luther and Alice waited for Luka to finish his train of thought. "That amount Monster bodies washing up would be impossible if the citizens started killing each other, only someone else could have been responsible"

"Exactly, whether that's true or not, a fact remains that the Slaughter of Remina isn't as clear cut as it seems, there are many versions of the story, Monsters have one version while Humans have another." Chambers concluded, though there was something more he wanted to add, there were whispers and soft coos echoing at the back of his mind, his stand, the only beacon of hope he had against this world of darkness telling him to continue forward banishing away traitorous thoughts of doubt and fear. If Tusk aided him this far and promised to do so eternally, he could trust it. "And honestly I see no reason why the Monster Lord would ever want the Massacre to happen. Humans generally wouldn't pose a threat to the Monsters living on the Hellgondo continent and the city not only grants Monsters safe housing, trade, and improvement to Human and Monster relations."

"Someone like the VIII doing this, I wouldn't be surprised, but this Monster Lord who despite declaring war hasn't ordered for active attacks against Human towns and cities. Someone like her I know would know to never dismantle a peace that benefited her kind." Luther finished confidently each word he uttered was stronger than the last one as if someone unearthly power washed over his spirit to grant him such strength.

Chu…With Tusk's presence, he wasn't afraid, he kept his mouth open and said what he needed to say and he had no regrets upon seeing Alice's hidden smile or the honest contemplating that Luka was doing no longer fixated on his previous

"I've been meaning to ask this, do either of you know who the current Monster Lord is?" Luka asked, perhaps this only the question he could ask right now to them, so much was left to ponder alone before he could properly form anymore that weren't just incoherent ramblings. The boy immediately realized his rashness upon silence he got in response from them. " Ah! Sorry if that's such a sudden and overbearing question, I shouldn't assume such things, unless…"

Luther stopped himself from speaking, thinking over what he could say, there was no doubt that Luka was getting closer to the truth or at very least getting suspicious of their knowledge, that much he knew, ultimately his answer depended on Alice's demeanor, and it wasn't likely that the Monster Lord would ever reveal herself freely after being indirectly insulted. And so he fixed an innocent smile as best he could and shrugged. "No, I don't, many of what I picked up on was simply me being on the road, talking and listening to the right people, a little bit rumor sharing here and there. Trust me, Luka, not even Monsters have a good idea of who she is. You might have some luck asking a Queen or even one of the Heavenly Knights if they were privy."

Alice was satisfied visibly relaxing ever so slightly, Luka was not. the boy turned to the purple lamia in search of answers. "Do you…?"

"Who knows?" Much like Chamber she feigned ignorance practically copying his nonchalant mannerisms. "Maybe, maybe…she is closer than you might think?" She looked to the night sky, expecting to at least put the thought in his head, driving the suspicion further. It was too early for him to figure it out now and too inconvenient, better later than now.

"Huh?! What does that suppose to mean?" Luka exclaimed nobody clarified what Alice's meant.

"Idiot." The snake Monster whispered to herself before standing up shaking her head. "Oh…so many questions…must have gotten back your energy for you to be this excited, good, you'll need every bit of it, time for training." She drawled out, offering the small boy the same "innocent" smile she always gave him before tormenting him with a teasing remark or insult. What's fair is fair, he got to insult her and she'll get to work him to the bone, a completely agreeable deal for her.

Oh no, no…Luka swallowed the lump that suddenly formed in his throat, he felt his soul abandon him in fear of the poor potential fate that will befall him, that damned god-forsaken smile promised him nothing but pain during this session. A time where every mistake he'll make will painfully be chiseled out and taking advantage and every potential technique or lesson to be drilled into his head until it becomes second nature.


Luther dashed through the forest, darting in between trees and chasing the soft wind with inhuman speed, each push of his leg launched him further and faster into his mindless destination, Tusk effortlessly sitting on his shoulder despite its user's acceleration. The man's body, reaching from his calves to his cheeks, was bathed in celestial light, energy paced through his muscles to be unleashed with every movement. Chambers kept the charge low, not wanting to repeat the unfortunate incident that happened in Iliasburg. He was panting, his entire body flushed with heat and covered in sweat, his reaction speed getting accustomed to his new capabilities.

I Hope Luka is having as much fun as I am…He winced, remembering the groans and moans of agony, the proclamation of exhaustion back at camp. It was part of the reason he ventured further into the wilds. Both were disturbed at his ally's sadistic tendencies and feeling guilty that he allowed such a ruthless training regimen to occur. Maybe he deserves it for the things he said? But then again, he didn't actually say anything to her, just the "Monster Lord". Although at this point I wouldn't be surprised if he thought the Monster Lord was evil after the reveal, Alice isn't doing herself any favors.

"Chu! Chu!" In spite of his exhaustion his stand cheered him on to continue, telling him he could go just a little bit further anytime he considered resting, it was right. In truth, he wasn't as exhausted as he thought, probably only a trick his mind was playing to slow him down, but he wasn't falling for it as he continued to bounce from trunk to trunk.

Steel balls ricochet across the lands, bouncing from one point to the other, he was getting much better at predicting their movement at a moment's notice, it felt like an instinct was starting to develop, though admittedly it was harder said than done to coordinate his body while calculating the trajectory of his projectiles. He dashed past an opening in the thick branches, speeding towards his next prediction, his weapons bounced alongside him like they were in a deadly dance dazzling and threatening any observers that it might come across, it was as if the man had his own orbital system

They bounced off of several stray faunas, his hands darted forward to catch them. The spinning balls hastily landed on his palms, practically slamming into them, its rotation struggling against the counter-rotation in its user's arms. Luther gripped the steel balls once they stopped spinning and put them back into their makeshift holsters, satisfied with the progress he made this evening.

This is getting a bit too dangerous for my liking. Maybe I can handle small rocks, but actual steel balls? That will blow a hole straight through my body. The older man shook his head and his stand agreed with his assessment that what he was doing was reckless with a concerned coo. I've thrown these around many times already, target practice can wait, but enhancing my speed when I'm against this world's inhabitants cannot.

"Chumimi~in." Tusk agreed and continued to cheer him on to move onward with his training in spite of how strained his legs felt, their burning sensation not bothering him in the slightest. The charge was low in his limbs. There was no threat to his body besides slamming headfirst into a tree and in all honesty, he enjoyed this, to go beyond what is considered human in his own world.

With his stand's cheer, he leaped toward a random location, keeping in mind the position of his camp. His form became a large blur of starlight that the sky above him, anyone from afar would mistake for some sort of comet on earth blazing through and past many of the wildlife, like an extraterrestrial speed demon he ran and dashed along with the environment, his feet dodging any obstacles that might trip him. The entire land became his oyster, he could go anywhere he wanted to with this speed. He could outpace any stray bandit or monster lurking in the darkness waiting for their prey, nobody would be able to catch up with the human rocket that was Luther, his left leg slammed into the grass-covered ground to propel him into the air…

"Ch-CHU!"

A creek of the bones, a snap of muscle, from a sudden sting of pain he fell forward into the dirt, his powers failing to cushion the fall in any way. The man immediately forced his arms to roll over, after a sharp intake of breath, his eyes shot wide open after he realized what happened, his brain still fully processing the pain emanating from his leg. Shit, Shit, SHIT! Fuck, hurts so much! WHY NOW!?

Luther immediately bit into the tough fabric of his coat to muffle and stop his screams and messaged his leg in some vain attempt at dulling the pain, tears of pain and frustrations rolled down his cheeks as a cold sweat finally caught to him, like Icarus, he fell into the depths that was the failure of his own making. Through his blurry vision he made out the faint form of Tusk that loomed over him, snuggling into his chest, he felt hundreds of feeble apologies being said to him of its failure of warning him.

Not your fault! Just help me get rid of this pain! Damn it, anyone! Tusk jumped in surprise and agony, its link with its user making it feel a fair share of the pain, of its user's disappointment, anger, and despair, his begging. The stand flashed brighter than ever before, sending an endless stream of suggestions.

The message was made clear to Chambers, out of every single bit of information the man picked out one piece that had to work, he knew what to do, his stand and spin powers offered him no way to escape the torment he inadvertently inflicted upon himself. And so he had to rely on the last part of powers – Hamon.

E-e easier said than do-done h-here… He weakly answered his stand, continuing to bite into his clothing, with much hesitation he let go choking out a few sounds, but forcing himself to remain inaudible to his surroundings, in his panicked and pained state he began and struggled to repeat the breathing exercise he had just managed to barely drill into his head.

Come on, come on, come on, the sooner you do it, the better! Breath properly, you moron! It nearly seemed futile, any time he caught some rhythm the pain his leg brought back to reality and snapped him out of concentration. He wanted to stop, to pause for a moment and let it fade away by itself, but he knew it was too good to be true. Tusk's encouragement washed away doubt within and helped fuel his determination.

One…He closed his eyes, stopping any breathing, suffocating himself, just as instinct was about to kick in, he took in air and let out again.

Two… He tried with all of his might to power through the pain, pretend it wasn't there as evident as it was, there was nothing around him, he was just void alone with his soul and stand.

Three… No one was coming for him any time soon. Luther had to save himself, there was no left to rely on. It didn't matter if he could do it, he had to do it if he wanted the pain away.

Four…With his last attempts of concentration, the man willed his soul into power, to connect the spirit with its body. Small sparks moved through him, soon a faint silver aura, his own life force covered and empowered him, particularly intensifying on his stressed legs

Keep it together. Luther opened his eyes, weakly smiling at the welcoming presence of his own soulfully entangling with his physical form, the pain in his legs, the fatigue in his body started to fade, he just needed to keep channeling his life force and time, everything would mend together eventually. I hope no random Monster comes around and uses me as their chew-toy, as enjoyable as it would be compared to this situation…

"Chu!" Luther found some strength to lean forward from his prone position into a sitting one, his legs still stretched out onto the grass, Tusk congratulated him as it landed on his shoulder putting no weight onto its user.

"Yeah, thanks, don't think I could have strung together a coherent thought without you," Luther admitted, kneading and massaging the cramped and pulled muscles in his calves and thighs for minutes on end. It was a surreal experience to feel your body heal itself back together rapidly, there was no added pain, opposite, the feeling of discomfort and agony dulled severely as if someone instantly applied powerful painkillers on him, though he didn't feel drowsy at all. He felt awake, hyper-aware of everything around, from the littlest of insects hiding in the blades of grass to the wind touching every strand of his hair, and soul.

The man sluggishly crawled to a nearby bush, leaning against it for support, he lightly grabbed Tusk and cradled it in his arm, muttering promises of rest to his very own guardian spirit, his own thoughts given a brake now began to wonder on deeper into this matter or have some random ideas not applicable. One problem remained, however. Why the hell did this happen? I kept the charge low, the force going back into the leg shouldn't have nearly been enough to cause this.

Oh! Oh, no…this is all my fault…I really am a fucking muppet. Realization of his recklessness hit him like a baseball bat to the face, in all honesty, he would have preferred that to actually happen over what he had experienced, at least then he had someone else to blame. Muscles get stressed, tear and wear when a person does normal exercises, like running… so charging with strange nearly supernatural force and sprinting around like a mad man will do that to you. No matter how low the charge, supernatural powers are supernatural powers.

How could have forgotten something so simple as this, you're supposed to know biology, award-winning candidate right here…Luther groaned and his stand cooed to calm him down, he brought him up close to his face snuggling into the small celestial being. The man observed the subtle fluctuations of his Hamon, the discomfort in his limbs had faded and he could properly move them once more. He noted the feeling of serenity that came along with his mind hastily racing, his ponderings, speculations, and conclusion came faster to him as neurons fired off faster than before. The beat in his heart and the pumping of his blood in his veins became vigorous, strong.

Hamon, you truly are an amazing thing, a shame it attracts unwanted attention. He stood up with ease, still clutching his practically peacefully sleeping stand close, and observed his environment guided by his sight, hearing, and sixth sense. No presence of darkness near except for the large overwhelming amount coming from his Monster Lord "ally" everything else was just a large blur of life force swirling and mixing into one another to him, it seemed ordinary energy was also widely different from dark and light.

"Alright buddy, I think it's time for you to go back in, sleep well." With a soft tug and yawn, he pulled the half-asleep stand back into his soul. Chambers then cautiously stretched his arms and legs, Hamon continuing to ripple through his body, carefully examining their state.

Nothing bad here. He put one arm on his nape pulling on it slightly surprised by its flexibility and lack of pain he was feeling. Huh, not even any leftover strain…Nothing bad here. He put one arm on his nape pulling on it slightly surprised by its flexibility and lack of pain he was feeling. Huh, not even any leftover strain…Luther grabbed his left leg, the one which muscles and bones failed him when he was enjoying himself, he twisted the appendage and it obeyed his physical command moving and bending in an irregular fashion. He heard a crunch and a pop, his eyes widened as he instinctively twisted the leg back into its place, life force rushing into and repairing any damage he may have caused. ...I may not be a gymnast but I'm pretty sure even they can't bend legs that way.

Holy shit, I just dislocated and relocated my leg without even noticing…any harm on the limb I've could have caused there, gone… The man worriedly placed down his leg and bounced it to check its condition. I really don't know what I would do without this ability. Pretty sure I'd still be in Iliasburg, being dead weight. This regeneration might not be that fast, but it is still completely insane. Humans weren't allowed to have this, were they?

Wait, regeneration? The stand user took off his coat and pulled down his sleeve, flexing his right arm's bicep, seeing his muscles work and move as if trying to remind himself of their inner workings. A person's muscle mass and quality increase when they tear and heal back, it's an organism's natural response to its surrounding struggle, increasing its own muscle mass and quality so it would have a higher chance of survival. Strain, tearing, and regeneration.

"Hehehe, ah…" A small chuckle coming from him resounded throughout the forest, his chuckle started increasing intensity and volume as he clapped his hands together. It soon turned into mad laughter, he had not a care in the world if somebody heard him, the conclusion was too great not to take gleeful pleasure from it, and he laughed and laughed until there was no air in his lungs left.

Silver around him faded, tearing him away from the comfort it brought and back into reality as he was forced to catch his breath, but he was left with a pleasant thought, a saving grace that might aid him in his journey through this Monster-filled world. Perfect, absolutely perfect, it was right in front of me…how did I not notice it before? With Hamon, I could cheat the system or rather speed it up, accelerate my regeneration to the point where I gain the immediate improvements of training while getting rid of fatigue. Oh…I know what I'm doing tonight...

But then… Luther frowned, picking up his coat and throwing it on his shoulder, he began to pace back to the camp, retracing the large number of steps he took to get here. There have to be some drawbacks, I can't just continuously accelerate my body's muscular development. Every single adaptation in biology either has side effects or requires certain organic compounds and materials to maintain and produce… therefore in spite of the less work I would need to put in to make proper results, my body would likely need the same amount of protein and calories to do so. Unless…

With a deep breath, he took his time to summon back his Hamon, it rippled in his body giving him back the power he so missed, a small part of him knew that it was greedy and gluttonous could understand the apparent hunger Monsters struggled with when faced with his radiating energy, its effect was nearly addicting. The energy my Hamon provides me could substitute it, maybe…ugh, mixing science and the supernatural is going to give me a headache.


Luther sighed, running his fingers through his hair and letting go of his spiritual connection. Through the few gaps in between the fauna, he spotted the flickering light of a campfire, it was growing dimmer without anyone to take care of it and thankfully he didn't hear any sounds of torment coming from his young hope-filled companion, just the faint voice Alice commanding and correcting him, it filled him with relief and both made him wonder how much time did he actually spend alone.

Chambers sneakily poked his head into the camp through several bushes, watching Luka train. The boy looked worse for wear, there was no true resolve behind his stance, just pure automatic heartless automatic, his eyes lacking the light that they once held in them, his hands which held Angel Halo quivered. Everything about the boy's ragged appearance was begging to

"Again, stabilize your body, step forward with your foot, and quickly thrust into the enemy as I showed you many times before." She instructed once more the boy. "We will repeat this until you pull this off perfectly now go!"

Luka yawned, shook his head, and without hesitation did as Alice's taught him, with a stable stance he turned one step into blindingly fast lunge dashes, the distance the fake hero crossed was much greater than if he would have used Demon Decapitation and its speed heavily outmatched that of the previous technique. Chambers could swear he saw a flash of lighting around the boy before he charged.

Alice nodded and glanced toward Luther's hiding spot, gesturing to come out, she then turned back to her young trainee. "That was good enough…all you'll need now is some practical experience to perfect the technique. With the way you often fought, charging to get the first strike, I thought it would be fitting and for the best to teach you ."

"Than- thank you…" Luka slurred out, some enthusiasm shining through his exhaustion. His body relaxed, legs starting to wobble a little. "Is… amazing… technique." He tried to remark, sluggishly observing the distance he crossed in such little time.

The Monster Lord smirked and wagered it was time for some trivia, he was lucid enough to comprehend it, right? "Called the Blood Fissure Thunder Thrust technique, it is said that Bloody Fernandez mastered this technique and covered the battlefield with her bloody thrusts, killing enemies one after another and creating a lake of blood in her wake, you can still find the spot where it happened, though I don't particularly remember where. " She nonchalantly shrugged.

"Hmm…uh…sounds good" Much to her disappointment Luka didn't react to her short story, perhaps his brain not even being able to process the information given. Instead, he chose to mindlessly nod and begin slowly shambling to his sleeping bag, Angel Halo slipping out of his hands.

Goodness gracious, the kid is practically a walking corpse, she had no need for necromancy to turn him into one, just enough training I guess, looks barely alive. The older man was speechless at his friend's exhaustion. If any lowly villager were to witness the pint-sized hero he was sure they'd mistake for some sort of undead and begin running in sheer terror.

"Oh, hi…Luther." Luka lazily swung his head to his older companion, his barely open lifeless eyes meeting the perturbed man's own, he then slowly blinked. "Nice to see you're done, hope you had as much fun as…I did." Luther failed to reply, keeping his stone-cold face still rather baffled as to see the energetic Luka reduced to a zombie. And as if the entire conversation was based inside the boy's head that neither Alice nor Luther could hear, Luka went to his sleeping bag, standing above it.

"Going sleep." Without warning his legs collapsed, no longer holding up the walking remains of the hero and letting him fall face forward onto soft fabric, muttering sweet nothingness to himself but blissful rest. While a sleeping bag couldn't compare to the amount of comfort of an actual bed, after grueling hours of what could be considered as torment at the hands of his monstrous teacher, any place to rest his head was considered paradise to him, and so he accepted it graciously, quickly falling asleep.

Welp, there goes nightly training, for better or worse, though with the amount of slave-driving Alice likely did on him, I'd say he got the same amount benefit if only exhaustion he'll feel later could make up for it…Luther sighed, even he, when using his steel balls wasn't this rough on the boy, who only got a few bruises to show after they were done.

"Well…good evening to you too Luka." In an overdue reaction Luther managed to drawl out, what remained of his shock vanishing, he supposed he shouldn't have been surprised at this. The sound of fatigue and pain resounding through the forest made the outcome predictable, perhaps it was only baffling to him to see it become reality. Grabbing Angel Halo and placing it close to the crude half-tent, he glanced at Alice, who had a satisfying soft smile on her face in response to his gaze.

"Are you rethinking about letting me train you?" She asked, already knowing his answer, although unlike Luka her words rarely if ever made him squirm or shiver, yet every time it did it was a great achievement like a small droplet of water slowly cracking through rock was satisfying.

"No, just wondering why you were trying to kill him, where's all that previous concern gone?" There was no humor in his voice as he coldly stared down the Monster Lord, she amusedly turned her head. "Alice, answer me, what did you do to him when I was away?"

"What I warned him about was completely true," Alice responded curtly and playfully shrugged though much of her whimsical demeanor turned completely serious. "My training was as rough as I've told him before, yet I had no doubts that he would live through it after the first few minutes, that one is rather persevering when it comes to such matters, as soon as I mentioned teaching him a new technique by some miracle he recovered all of his stamina."

"Why?" After all, he has been through and seen this was the very last thing he wanted to know, from his previous observations he had some possibilities floating around his brain. It was without uncertainty for the man that Luka did cut her deeply with his exclamations and questions, the pain and melancholy as little of it as was there was clearly evident in her.

"Don't mistake my actions being entirely made of spite. If he wants to march straight on ahead to my castle he'll need the endurance, not just skill to do so, besides, he did well enough today and he'll be fine." She slithered all the way to the sleeping boy, picking him up and properly shoving his body into his sleeping bag, that same look of melancholy Luther once saw before returning for a moment before disappearing once she returned his solemn gaze.

"Ah, you know…" He began before pausing, not sure what he was going to say. Did he have to clarify in Luka's stead? There was no actual duty forcing him to do so, to console Alice, the Monster Lord and "torturer" of his friend. Yet for the betterment of his own and Luka's situation, it felt like a personal responsibility to do so, to ensure he would be spared of her sadistic streak if it was possible. "He didn't mean anything if he said to you specifically, only to the one he envisioned in your position."

"I understand, that much is obvious if he can't catch such easy hints." Alice dwelled on a possibility of Luka finding out, be it take half their or less his reaction would be satisfying to witness, to see his black and white foundation crumble at the knowledge that the one he must ultimately defeat has been traveling and training with him this entire time. Tet undeniably just hearing the mere assumption that she would commit an atrocity, make an entire city vanish in a day struck a painful note in her heart. "Part of me can't help but wonder if he already knows and just said it to insult me."

"Well, whatever the case, you have proved his assumption about you being a sadist completely if that wasn't obvious enough." He lightly quipped though regretted his decision upon the silence he received back, she stared blankly at him, her predatory eyes glowing a piercing gold in the new darkness surrounding them as the campfire became a smoldering pile of charcoal and ash.

Then he heard soft feminine laughter which dispersed the tension in the air and he could breathe easy knowing he hadn't crossed a line, at least for now. "He's not exactly wrong about that, is he?" It was easy for Luther so she transfixed her gaze to the night sky, she stayed still, just staring at it, watching stars glimmer in and out of view, some shooting stars fall along with nightly blue. "I do wonder, however…"

Chambers wasn't sure how long they lasted out in the cold breeze like this, in pure utter silence, just taking in their surroundings, for the first time he could say a silence where no trouble came to mind. He didn't mind it one bit, in fact, he wished for more peace to spend either with her, Luka, the Angels, or even by himself, anything to purge the headache worth of trouble out of his thoughts. For someone who has dedicated most of their purpose in their journey to teasing us, she is surprisingly, I'd say pleasant to be around, or at the very least tolerable when she is quiet, but I can't spend forever like this. The man glanced at his hands, particularly the veins. Hamon, I'll decide what to do with you later.

"Well then if you don't mind I'm hitting the sack." He yawned already going over his borrowed sleeping bag. "Unless I take it, you'd love to deal with two walking corpses in the mourning."

"By all means go, nobody is stopping you," Alice said, the man's yawning proved infectious and despite the Monster's much larger reserves, she felt the desire to sleep just as much as the man did. She didn't know what was the cause of it, neither did she care, she desired something therefore she'll take it, even if it is something as simple as sleep. "Good night Luther. " The lamia wearily glanced at Luka before finding a tree to coil around. "You too, idiot."

Luther fitted himself into a thick sleeping bag clutching Angel Halo, he wasn't using Hamon to communicate with them, he couldn't do it, but this was the next best thing, in their situation any company no matter how distant was preferable. He peered into the night sky above, the endless amount of stars sparking, almost seemingly folding into each other as they moved, it made him feel small like always, yet it was a feeling he was rather used to, he could say it was somewhat welcoming. Despite everything that happened and will he could always return to the thought that in the grand scheme everyone was equally minuscule and pointless like mere specks of dust they floated in the grand cosmos.

Maybe that's no longer the case. The man hated to admit it, but the existence of Gods in this world, ones that shaped a universe with their birth, that maybe they, Ilias and Alice I, were the only significant figures with their immense power and immortality. Perhaps it was true where he was just a speck of dust, but those Goddesses held purpose, they held the power to potentially mold the cosmos he saw before him, compared to them he was nothing. Yet…the multiverse exists, doesn't it? I wouldn't be here if that wasn't the case. On that scale we are all nothing…even the Gods themselves, heh.

His eyelids had begun to grow heavy as he held the cursed blade even closer to his body, uncomfortably squeezing its tough and weird shape to his soft flesh, it was the least he could do. Consciousness was left wavering on its last strands, Chambers could only string together a number of thoughts before hitting dead ends, his last thoughts were a desire, a want, and hope to finally have peaceful rest in this stress-filled planet. Good night…


The taste and scent of iron filled his mouth and nose there was so much of it was nauseating to his alarmed mind. A small chunk of purple flesh remained gritted in his teeth, blood spurting out of it the more he applied pressure to it, filling his mouth to the brim, he wanted to spit it out immediately, but why? What was the cause of this?

Sweat poured down his body, staining most of his clothes as his limbs struggled with all of their might for any semblance of freedom from their captors. Why couldn't he move? Eyes quickly adjusted and he saw the mass of tentacles wrapped around his torso, arms, and legs preventing him from moving, he soon witnessed his assailant.

Ah right…It was a Monster, a Roper more specifically, someone who specialized in capturing and digesting their prey, a shame he was her target. This was the second Monster he had ever met, and through his own carelessness no less, it could have been his last, and an end it would have been – to become a simple meal to a being that knew no mercy.

Memories of emotions, the very shade of his soul were laid bare in front of him. He felt the determination to survive, to live, further fueled by cold and unyielding hatred and spite that consumed his soul. How many lives has she taken before him? What lives were mindlessly digested to further sate her appetite? How many humans died to her, struggling in vain just like he did? These were all the questions that went through his brain in an instant, this desire to kill, snuff out the life of cruel things like her for his own survival made sense. Luther deserved to live, she didn't, simple as that. He was too far into the blizzard that was his spirit, too drunk off it to soberly reconsider.

He defied her like all have, and yet managed to break for one second. The reward he got was a sudden pain in his cheek but most importantly. Freedom, as little and uncontrollable as it was, the sudden hit he received made half of it swing like a ragdoll while the other half supported it. Energy, previously unknown, filled his arm and nails, it sliced through and the thread was cut…


Luther awoke in a cold sweat and panic, all of his senses adjusting to the real world around him. He growled in frustration, inwardly muttering off all the curses that he knew, whatever was disturbance he could never get any proper rest, if it wasn't the outside then there was an issue with him. That dream, no…memory, I was reliving it that, that moment.

That moment when I first took a life. The man looked at his hands, he had just realized he was shaking, terribly so, the only thing holding him back from jumping and running around the camp were his legs that were thankfully mostly under control. Adrenaline flooded into his system, Chambers couldn't stop shaking no matter how many times he screamed at himself to stop, no conscious effort worked. Spin pulsed through his muscles, arms periodically lighting up in starlight, nails in both hands were spinning refusing to stop and threatening. Ch-choking! Why does it feel like I'm choking?

Hyperventilation – was the answer, the man was pushing out more air than he was taking in at a rapid pace. Like a specter, his actions haunted him deep to his bones. Calm down. Calm down, dammit! It was your fault, she forced you to do this! He was quite sure who he was talking to, but it was someone within who was surely listening. F-fuck, get a grip!

It was a simple fact of the matter when he considered, if he could consider it, it was either her or him, his life or her hunger. A match that was solved in one fell swoop yet failed to make it any sweater. You didn't just kill her, you mutilated her body, her heart was literally hanging out of her rib cage by the few veins and arteries. She still probably is there, her rotting corpse waiting to scare the shit out of any villagers or wanderers passing by. Good job….Though he regained some semblance of control over his breathing, his mind was a different matter, it betrayed him, constantly replaying the very same scene where her blood spurted out like a fountain, guts spilled senselessly on the green grass, perhaps forever staining it with the memory of her death.

"Stop shaking!" He seethed out, keeping his tone low and quiet and summoning all of his determination. Tusk stirred from its slumber, suddenly feeling the same distress as its user, it hung over its shoulder giving out as much control over the spin as it could to him. Soft familiar coos reached his ears, ease him, and brought forth conscious thought.

"Chu." Tusk said to him, snuggling into his neck, it lets those calming and hoping filling sounds like it always did, even in the harshest of times, its user's nails stopped spinning, going back into place yet energy still circled through his system.

Chambers spent the next several minutes calming down with the help of his trusted spiritual companion, taking strong-handed control of his shaking limbs and ragged breathing. It was possibly the worst nightmare he had experienced, not even his most nightmarish hellscape that he had managed to think off could match, and to be reduced by it to such a pathetic state was shameful. Leading to the only topic he was left pondering, why? Why now? After everything I've been through something like this had to now, not later, not sooner, but now.

Ultimately, it was easy for him to tell why his dream was terrifying when compared to the rest, just hard to actually think through it, sinking chains wrapped around his heart and soul, no matter how much his being stayed froze and he tried to distract himself, it effortlessly pulled him down, forcing him to face his actions, that judgmental beast whose name was Guilt.

Luther was but an ordinary man that came from a civilized time and society where killing wasn't anywhere near part of his life, practically anathema to his previous purposes. He might have gotten his hands bloody a couple of times in his wilder day, in spite of how vile his victim was to snuff out a life with a simple swipe of the wrist was unthinkable. Calm down, it was just an accident, just an accident.

But in this cruel world how long until another one happens or two? How long until I willingly have to take one, do I have the authority to do so? The man grimaced, his heart despairing over the things he had to do to survive, that his lies weren't enough. He glanced to the weight on his chest, the cursed blade that acted as a prison for hundreds of Angels yet held the power to eat away the energy of anything it attacked. Maybe I won't come to that any time soon, thanks to you. He let his hands glide over the smooth leather fabric of its ordinary in comparison scabbard, the sword's eyes were closed; they were unaware of the happenings in the world around. Where they discussed amongst themselves or sleeping, he didn't know neither did think it was his business to know.

Under the beast's watchful eye, I can't do anything but face it all forward. While it took time for him to realize it, it did come to him. He couldn't lock him away, distract himself with danger, simple ponderings, and hope for the best, no it wouldn't work, he'd just be letting it consume him without resistance.

He leaned Angel Halo to the side of his tent and looked to his still shaking hands, albeit they were manageable. I can't evade you, years of experience can attest to that, no matter how much I bury you, you'll always come back to bite me in the ass in my weakest moments, why did it take so long for me to realize it? Steel yourself my heart, let my thought be pure and true – this will be an uphill battle to manage.

With that, any resemblance of a chance that he will rest scattered away into the wind, in the end, it was just going to be him, his thoughts and Tusk dealing with guilt, pacing through rationally, better to feel the pain now than let it accumulate and strike him from the shadows. Besides his shocked and anxious body wouldn't let him otherwise, too much energy to throw around.

" Chumimi~in" Tusk floated in front and touched his chest, reaching deep into his spirit, translating a message to him with clear intent.

"Hamon? That might help calm me down" Luther quietly replied with a hoarse voice then paused, remembering the strange feeling of serene that he had not felt in a long time, the strange state of mind where he was both at peace and excited. "I did plan to test my speculation on it, however problematic they have been, one night shouldn't hurt me too much in the long run. We will reach Iliasport and I'll get something to refill any reserves I might have lost.

These emotions, time to make use of them. Exercise should do them some good. Bringing that pent-up frustration and guilt into something more useful worked before back in high school. He got up from his resting spot, making sure he didn't make any sound to wake his companion, especially one that had particularly good hearing.

It was going to be a long, hopefully enjoyable, night for Luther.


Alice awoke in the mid of night, absentmindedly staring at the shinning of the crescent of the moon which silver light pierced through the darkness, she saw clearly in the dark environment unlike any humans could, heard sounds and ambiance with much precision over distance most could only dream of – her superior senses as Monster was something she had pride in. Though there came some costs, what could be considered an overabundance of energy and power was a trivial part of her and at times there were days where it showed most prominent, days where she couldn't fall asleep even to save her own life and most importantly avoid boredom.

Great…now what? The Monster Lord uncoiled herself from a resting spot, a simple dirty tree, pitiful when compared to the bed in her own quarters although the change in scenery was most welcome to her, anything to see something other than her castle. She dealt with these moments in a myriad of different ways when no one was there to entertain her, at times she secluded herself in study, however monotonous it was it passed the time quickly. Played small games or practiced her magic, and if she was really desperate, chess with Tamamo, that damned nine-tailed hag. Yet there is practically nothing to do here, could I perhaps?

Teleport back to the castle…no, I came here for a journey and I will fulfill it, going back even for a moment would be a weakness, and rather I not deal with Granberia's insubordination right now or whatever Tamamo could have in store for me. Alice sighed before glancing around camp. Perhaps there is some activity preoccupying my time here.

It was something she most dreaded to happen, to have another one of her nights during the travels, she was sure the excitement during the day was enough to ward it off for a long while, but it seemed too good to be true. Alice slithered up to the sleeping Luka, frowning slightly once she noticed how raspy and haggard his breathing was. Waking him would be pointless if he was unresponsive before he will be worse now, will he be able to even wake up in the morning?

Luka sleep-mumbled to no one in particular, he was deep inside his dreamscape and there seemed to be no hope of waking him up.

I really did rough him up, didn't I? The Monster Lord leaned over her hand glowing soft misty green light as sigils ordering restoration formed conjuring a small ball of energy. She sent the sphere to his chest, a minuscule pillar of green flames erupted out of the spot above his clothing slowly being sucked in his body. Luka visibly relaxed as stirred lightly in his sleep and she chuckled. There we go, at least someone will be having a pleasant rest now. Though Alice would rather be dead than admit to the pint-sized hero's face she undeniably found him cute when he wasn't being insufferable especially now when he was so calm yet fragile…so fragile...

That energy, here it is again, how strange. You come and go, so faint, not letting me get a read on it. Of course, she felt it, that strange source of power emanating from him that didn't appear to belong to him yet at the same time did, something certainly most of all humans didn't have. It was a small presence, barely noticeable like a spark of light from a candle one could barely notice, even she had trouble finding it.

Now for the other one… Luther's lack of presence was easily noticeable by Alice, the man slept rather nearby her fake hero of a companion so the empty sleeping bag with nothing but Angel Halo, one conclusion was made – he was awake and prowling at night, another enigmatic and secretive move. Awake and about, go-

Her eyes shot open as addictively sweet fragrance suddenly reached her nose, a scent most overpowering on her superior senses it drowned out everything else around as if making a direct path leading to its source. That scent was familiar, she hadn't forgotten it. How could she after it made her lose control? Subtle deep warmth spread through her demanding her to pursue it, the scent's taste surpassing that of Luka's, her Monster instincts rose up yet instead of telling her to devour her would-be prey it told her to hold it close, wait and listen.

Oh, he is using that again, steel yourself, you've faced it before. Alice bit her lip, a bit of drool went down her chin, the smell was nearly thick enough to be eaten like cotton candy. She took a deep breath and gathered composure as best as she could, cheeks still a bright red. Several rational thoughts to ponder thankfully came to her aid to distract herself, on matters concerning his reasons for being awake and for using such power in a place where her kind could be lurking behind every single nook and cranny waiting to ambush and take him for themselves. We can let that happen can we~

With a predatory smile, she left camp and stalked across the forest, with how powerful his presence emanated across the lands it was an easy matter. The closer she got the more she felt and sensed, its exact texture and nature were becoming clearer with every inch she ventured closer, and what she found intrigued her father. Behind that surface-level, albeit wonderful warmth there was a strange sensation of melancholy and cold, parts that empowered her rational mind as she paused for a little bit. Wait, no, that doesn't make any sense…melancholy can't be a smell, it's an emotion! And how did that come to mind first? How curious…

Hunger for proximity turned into intense curiosity, though she turned away from the deep pit that was that strange cold and embraced the warmth, she might have wanted to know more but it felt wrong to delve that deep. Finally, from a clearing she spotted a figure, Luther, cloaked in a silver aura that she had seen before yet never quite observed closely, it was peaceful and serene rather unfitting for a man so rigid and stone-faced.

Alice peered in closer, her superior senses doing their work.

"488…449…450." The man breathed out calmly, arms rapidly lifting his body and letting it back down, it became clear to her what he was doing.

Pushups…he is doing pushups. Alice blinked, not expecting something so hilariously simply she nearly wanted to laugh at her own disappointment. What could have she expected more other than simple training and exercise? To scheme in the middle of the night would be way too cliché and predictable for someone enigmatic like him. At least he found something to do, can't say I blame him for it.

Admittedly some part of her was still disappointed, expecting some excitement to stave off her boredom however already starting to encroach she took what she could get. It was nonetheless impressive and surprising to see the man not even break a sweat not that she couldn't easily do the same, moreover outperform him, yet for a Human, particularly someone as lanky as him they would at this point have some shortness of breath. The amount of delicious energy radiating, lack of physical exhaustion, his silver aura, something was amiss.

Well, maybe it isn't just ordinary exercise, whatever that power is called is certainly intriguing. The Monster Lord continued to observe him and he continued without pause, with a neutral and calm look on his face no less. She silently noted its surface-level features, using even her energy sense to get a better read. No control in its flow, as if it had a mind of its own separate from the owner. And the sheer amount…no Human has this much energy in them, so much that can practically eat it like he is pulling all of it from nothing, some infinite spring of power.

Unbeknownst to her, the man began to slow down in his pace and not of exhaustion, she didn't see his brow furrow and face scrunch up in suspicion and weariness, there was something quite right in his surroundings as if a large force moved when he wasn't looking. Dark energy, an extremely large signature almost right on top of me…okay. His Sendō breathing slowed down and his muscles froze up in suspense. How did I or Tusk not feel something like that massive?

"Chu." Tusk of course was by his side the entire course of his little experiment, it told him to calm himself and to not worry about it.

How could I not worry? There is Monster here, nearby and I had Hamon active this entire time! Luther panicked, shouted back much to the chagrin of his stand. I'm lucky she didn't decide to jump on me right now…oh I had a feeling this would happen… With no sudden movements he "casually" got up at a snail's pace, being wary as to not alert his unexpected guest to his awareness of them.

Hmm…no point in staying hidden, this is as much as I can gather from just watching him, nothing else to hear anyway, besides. Seeing his aura diming Alice emerged from the shadows and her improvised hiding spot putting on her usual predatory look, her eyes glowing in the darkness much like a cat's. Luther appeared even more stunned than she expected, maybe even pleasantly surprised, it was as if he was expecting someone different, hostile she would dare even say.

"A-Alice…? What are you doing here, why are you up so late?" Chambers was quick to recover and inquire. As it turned out his Stand was right, though to what extend he wasn't sure, while he may not be in direct danger, Alice still posed other threats to his safety and sanity, it was enough to keep his mouth shut for practically the entire day and stand her attempts at embarrassing him but also do it a night while keeping his secrets hidden? He was half tempted to shoot himself in all honesty, but he knew Tusk wouldn't let him.

"I could ask the same of you" Alice headed closer, almost circling him, her expression gleaming with intense curiosity and suspicion, something Luther was unfortunately used to. "Although I already have my suspicions."

Tusk hid behind his nape and whispered its sweet sounds to him, encouraging him to keep confidence and hope in the face of his dangerous companion. Luther sighed, his alert stance relaxing. "Couldn't sleep as well?"

"Mhm…see, didn't take long for you to figure that out" She nodded, feeling glad she wasn't the only one suffering through this occurrence, though that did beg the question for her if this was his first guess then it might have meant he had done this before. "Sleep is often hard to come by when you're someone of my status…"

"Will that be all? Or since our resident hero here is asleep I assume I'm your entertainment for tonight." Luther quickly spoke out, it was a detail of Alice's personality that was plain to see for all, her constant aversion of boredom and frankly cruel methods of achieving it, he hoped he was boring enough for her to make her leave.

An awkward silence passed by, she refused to answer him, her unflinching smile boring deep into his soul and bringing him discomfort, but he stayed strong as it seemed she was looking for any sign of weakness, constantly.

"You're certainly an interesting Human, someone who can perform tricks I have seen no Monster or man do." She started, her smile widening upon seeing him subtly stiffen, there was one thing she wanted to confirm first, an assumption that she made during their talk at camp. A large part of her curiosity surrounded the fact he knew so much of the Monster Lord line. No simple human, adventure or not could confidently point out which of the Monster Lords' line was Luka's story referring to and know her particular traits. "Someone who knows a lot they shouldn't…"

"Ahh…about that…" He inwardly cursed, another inaccurate misstep he took, and this time he doubted his fabricated background could help him here.

"Humans don't know a lot about Monster Lords, even my own kind doesn't have all the knowledge readily available," Alice explained away, her words most likely leading to a certain conclusion her company didn't like in the slightest. "From what I've gathered, your kinds' stories about them either consist of falsehoods, misinformation, or lack of a direct mention of name or title…yet."

She is enjoying this, my discomfort…I was completely right about me being interrogated, let's just hope that's it just that. The older man grimaced, everything about him, from his cold expression to his body language told her one message "get on with it." Tusk wearily floated by him, shivering in anticipation.

"From Luka's story of Heinrich you knew what Monster Lord was being slain, the VIII, and that leads to my question here." Alice took a deep breath and inwardly reaffirmed her desires. She wanted to know if it was true. Not just leave it as speculation in her thoughts to constantly mentally torture her with curiosity. "You knew beforehand, who I was, ever since I uttered my name to you, did I guess right?"

Damn it! She is too clever for her own good, just let me have this one, please, I mean no harm. While the turmoil of his failure built up he kept his stone-faced expression, it becoming more forced, lifeless as the color drained away from his face. Don't think I can lie to her, if it's not going to be words that betray me it will definitely be body and face. She has got me cornered, what to do, what to do.

Tell her the truth that you did know. His only saving grace, Tusk, reassured him and suggested with its coos. Seeing no other option he was pressed to agree, perhaps being honest with her could lend him her trust if only just a little bit, more ideas came through his link and he had a Eureka moment as he let his sixth sense scout around. No Ilias here, she is still busy whispering sweet nothings into Luka's ear. Maybe I'll have to deal with that later…but now I can afford to do this. It doesn't matter if she doesn't trust me, all I need is Luka to do so and for her not to forcibly interrogate me.

"Yes, I did know, maybe I wouldn't have known if you kept your identity hidden well, huh? Traveling Gourmet. Maybe if you didn't say your full name, wore exotic clothing, and directly commanded a Heavenly Knight I would have my doubts. "He followed through what his stand, his very soul told him would be best, and turned the entire conversation away from his knowledge.

Alice only slightly snickered in response proving she was fully capable of laughing at herself. "I admit, I haven't done my part of concealing, our little friend's perception certainly is more flawed if he hasn't noticed yet, but when most of the population doesn't know the identity of the Monster Lord that shouldn't be a problem."

Shit, didn't work. Luther's hand quivered slightly, the tension in the atmosphere was brewing despite his attempts at making humor, whatever the case his stand remained by his now and forever as he steeled himself.

"What does it matter?" Luther with much hesitation pushed back and took a step forward into her space, he loomed over her, his chin slightly above her head. Maybe it was a mistake, approaching the ruler of all Monsters like this, but to back down now would be worse for him. She wasn't intimidated, rather amused if perhaps even pleased at the lack of distance between them. "I did know, but does that change anything? I'm still just a knowledgeable stranger to you and despite my knowledge, I've kept my mouth shut as promised."

"Please. I mean no harm to you, we both have secrets to keep, but I can assure none of mine are kept out of ill will toward you." Saying his peace, Luther distanced himself, turning his back toward he, not wanting to see her reaction. A desire flared up within him, to say one last piece trying to alleviate some of the tension. "Not that I can even begin to scratch you."

"Is that what you truly mean?" Fateburn asked, to which Luther nodded. She wanted to pry in further, squeeze every last bit of information out of him, and then judge him, but there was something keeping her from doing so, perhaps it was common respect for another individual, she couldn't exactly put a finger on it. "Then I'll take your word and tolerate…this secrecy…you've proven yourself to not hold any amount of hatred against me and not its if this secrecy seems malicious, I'd say it comes more from fear."

Hit the nail right on the head, and I'd doubt you want to hear some random guy blab about how you're a fictional character in his world. Chambers grimaced and sneakily brushed the ears of Tusk, it was deserving of praise after all, for sticking it with him. You're one of the best things that have ever happened to me; I'll say this again many times but know I truly mean it.

"But understand this, you're not safe, I'll figure it all out eventually." Alice declared her great game and her intention, the man before her was a puzzle and she was the player.

"Good luck, I'm not giving you any more hints."


Desiring a change to more familiar scenery they both moved back to camp and comfortably rested across each other, a blue orb of fire floated above their previous campfire spot which widely illuminated the area summoned by Alice at the behest of Luther's request. Previous tension around them was burned away, peacefully sitting and conversing.

"Mind telling me the rather liberal use of that technique of yours even after finding out the side-effects." Alice inquired, another topic she had been meaning to ask him about, his powers which have been in interest since the very start of being a victim of them. "Seriously, first there is the time in the cave, then the village and now middle of a forest where my kind are lurking about and could easily smell you from whole fields away, are you always this reckless?"

Well, can't say she isn't wrong. Luther had no answer other than to inwardly agree, in hindsight what she said was completely correct, a common and somewhat amusing, almost all of his uses of Hamon were reckless and could have ended just less or more terribly as his first use. The thought of being swarmed by a large group of harpies made him shudder, yet he couldn't shy away from wanting to experiment with it. To understand you must first learn and to learn one must first sometimes have to make mistakes.

"Or is there some other reason?" The purple lamia smirked, he could just about see her fangs poking out of her closed mouth reflecting the light shined on it. "Is this your way of perusing my attention? Quite a roundabout way may I add, you're not failing, far from it, after you interjected into our fake hero's pointless 'pondering' I can't help but find some fondness in my heart for that. "

"Although none of that is really necessary, all you have to is ask~"

Chambers stiffened, realizing immediately what she implied, to his credit he managed to keep on a straight face and kept his cheeks from flushing red. He slowly shook his head, his dazed reactions amusing Alice even further and the man ultimately decided that feeding her curiosity might just get her off of his tail. "You already know my answer Alice, not exactly interested in you. "

"Then would you mind me asking what you were doing?" the Monster Lord hummed, there was no disappointment in her eyes or tone, she wasn't expecting him to agree or pursue her, his subtle reactions and conversation were enough to fuel her for tonight.

"Abusing one of the technique's qualities - regeneration." He succinctly responded, not seeing much reason in hiding that part, it wasn't like she was going to stop from doing so, there would be no fun for her involved in doing besides causing him slight annoyance.

"Ah, a clever little use of healing, though even training such as this will be of little help to you when facing my stronger subordinate, beneath that entire mystique, you're still Human," Alice stated flatly, admittedly impressed by his application of the strange ability. It made her want to know all the more, however, the man before couldn't miss some doubt in her voice. "Are you human?"

"Don't have a single drop of Monster blood in my veins last time I checked, you're right, without my powers I'm just an ordinary guy," Luther said, lightly biting into his tongue, he knew perfectly well that he wasn't normal by any means in a world such as this, he was an inter-universal traveler likely possessing different qualities and capabilities.

Yet, that would require further observation, how different am I from the Humans in this world.

"Yet in spite of how pointless it may seem to you, wouldn't it be best if I was at my peak if I was fighting a Monster?" The stand user countered, being just a little bit faster, a little bit stronger would make a long way in the grand scheme of things. If he could rapidly train his body to handle his powers then it was all worth it, though he kept that little piece to himself.

"I'm afraid all that you'd be doing is making yourself a bigger target with an improved physique," Alice stated, understanding that her kind wasn't just looking for another meal when it came to hunting Humans. "But yes, albeit is a minuscule effect, it would help you."

"That, and it helps me calm down, after everything that we have been through." After much considering Luther decided to give one last piece of knowledge to her, he watched her mentally gather and note everything and wondered whether or not telling her was a mistake.

"It's much more than some healing technique…" He heard her idly mutter to herself, before she turned to him, to stare likely thinking of the non-direct ways to get more information out of him or just plain methods of teasing and embarrassing him, he could never quite tell really. "Then, I can't say I blame you for using it."

Silence washed over them once more, as they turned their gazes to the stars above. Luther was glad she hadn't decided to interject anymore with her attempts at lightly humiliating or interrogating and appreciated her capability to stay quiet and take in the moment, not a capability he imagined her possessing, at least not when it wasn't related to food or her other considered pleasantries.

"Thank you." She said, there was no teasing remark to follow, just pure genuine gratitude for something Luther wasn't quite sure for.

"Huh?" Once more he found himself surprised at Alice's gesture in gratitude. Luther, in all honesty, expected words such as 'please', 'thank you, 'sorry' or any other forms of humility to be lacking if not entirely missing in the ruler's vocabulary, but time and time again the world proved him wrong in his assumption and worries, he wasn't quite sure what to expect next or exactly why she thanked him, there was nothing he had done to warrant gratitude from the likes her.

"For defending me back there." She quickly and precisely clarified and it all clicked to him, her reasons and capability for gratitude, it was his mistake to constantly attribute certain traits onto her without any further thought to it, leaving it at that. The words of his father echoed at the back of his mind, reminding him of the lessons taught to once him, it made Chambers pause with bitter disappointment in himself. Alice was a person just as he was, she had her own path to take, wore her own masks, and a true self he wagered he wasn't close to seeing, in truth, he yet to see every side of her.

"There is no reason to thank me, what Luka said was completely unintentional and somewhat moronic. Feeling a bit unfair, I just wanted to correct him." Luther explained away, holding in a sigh of disappointment.

"It would be childish and weak of me to be pained by simple ignorance that most of the world possesses while reaping its benefits, one can't eat their cake and have too much as I want to." Alice paused for a long time, letting silence set into the camp, the man before had almost thought she finished before hearing her speak again. "I know…I'm not exactly a pleasant company for someone like you, especially after one little incident" Her mind touched on the day they spent in Sutherland Inn, the day she nearly raped him, she mentally noted the amount times he flinched, jumped, and subtly shrunk in her presence even after they clarified everything, it was easy to see for someone as perspective as her. "We have our little pointless scuffles here and there and we're not on the best of terms, yet still you did interject. You could have stayed silent like you always did, I wouldn't have blamed you."

"You're not an evil person, Alice. Sure, you're one gluttonous, arrogant, and frankly mean-spirited individual." Luther rashly and truthfully listed out his opinion on her and as he predicted she grew more annoyed with every word uttered, however, she held her tongue, it was the least she could do. "But not evil, we all have our vices and yours aren't enough to suspect you of genocide."

"The time frame of the slaughter, thirty years ago if I remember correctly, doesn't fit your age." He added and as he watched his monstrous companion shoot up in suspicion he immediately regretted it. It was likely he started another interrogation session and so he put all of his hope that he could slip by cleanly, ideas already starting to take shape.

"Hoo...how much do you know? I might look young but I could be thousands of years old, we Monsters retain youth throughout most of our lifespans. Yet that was an assertive statement, there was no doubt in your voice." The purple lamia carefully eyed the man before her with some caution not bothering in the least bit to hide the fact that she was deathly suspicious of him, she unfolded her tail and ever so slowly slithered up closer. "First about the Monster Lords, then my age, which I haven't mentioned once in our journey, I can excuse those little bits of information, but that…what or how are you exactly? And why do you know my age?"

"Curiosity." Luther answered confidently, not moving an inch, fully knowing that he was to show any sign of worry she wouldn't believe him, this time his mind didn't fail him and managed to conjure a proper reasonable "explanation".

"Mind clarifying?" She stopped, looming directly over his sitting form, waiting for a satisfactory answer, and if she didn't get…any and all hesitation in using hypnosis on him would

"You have this sense of intense curiosity about the world around underneath that uh…snarky and cold exterior." The stand user lifted his finger before she could interrupt him, telling her to let him explain before going off on him. "As much you try to hide I can see it…"

"I fail to see what it has to do with my age." Alice curtly responded. He wasn't lying per se, it was one of the very reasons she went on her own journey among other issues to consider during her time traveling, yet she didn't understand his reasoning quite yet. In the end, she could only admit that he was more perceptive than she gave him credit for, that or either she was bad at hiding it…

"From my experience, this curiosity of the world only comes from a young age, that point in time when you look around in wonder when one still hasn't been disillusioned by reality." Luther continued, unbothered by Alice's close presence and questioning. He talked and talked, the more spoke the easier it became, the best part? Most of what he said was absolutely true, he spoke from the heart, and if it weren't for outsider knowledge he would have assumed much of the same of Alice. It was for the best, after all, why lie when you can tell the convenient truth? "It wouldn't be the case if you were thousands of years old unless you spent all that time locked up in your castle."

Alice uncomfortably flinched from the last remark being reminded that indeed she did spend most of her life secluded in her residence, his sly smile, which was most likely forced out, didn't help the matter.

"Did I get that right or not?"

"By some stroke of luck or ingenuity, you're correct, despite my power and skill I'm only 21 years old," Alice answered, though taking the opportunity to boast about her well-earned capabilities that took years of vigorous studying and training, she wasn't going to let that effort be ignored or tarnished by the world. "I've revealed my age, it's only fair you do the same." She suggested backing off from the man giving him more breathing room.

"28." Luther simply stated, he was neither ashamed nor proud of his age, the only apprehension he had about it is that he wasted some of those prime years on pointless endeavors.

"Hmm…older than me, guess you really are becoming an old grumpy geezer, you should start getting worried. I suggest smiling a bit more, might help you look just slightly younger." The Monster Lord was quick to jab at him and her company took the opportunity to relieve the tension.

"I'll have you know young miss this isn't any way to treat your elders, hasn't anyone taught you better?" Luther replied putting on his best dry elderly voice while waving around his finger in a fake scolding manner.

"One certainly did try, however, they made a rather poor example of why I should." Alice ominously said before smirking. "Apologies, I really should consider your age…please tell me, how will you live with that creaking back of yours? "

Blissful silence passed by after Alice's question, the only sounds emanating from them were their attempts at stifling their chuckles. It was the straw that broke the camel's back, where one succumbed, the other did as well. Soon enough laughter filled the camp and echoed throughout the forest, banishing away the last shreds of tension between them, Luka was sleeping like a log so they had no worries in controlling their volume.

"In all seriousness, 'when one still hasn't been disillusioned by reality?' is the world really that bad that you've lost all hope, geezer? Is that really all it takes just a few years?" Alice inquired with some amount of uncertainty when it died down, eventually only leaving them alone with their thoughts and conclusions on their conversation. "Will I be ultimately disappointed with this world?"

Luther froze up completely and took his time to consider her questions fully, delving deep into his own memories and feelings. Sure, he suffered at times, but also had his own little moments of happiness and hope, parts of his life he wished he could go back to. And maybe the desire to feel the same joy was one of the motivations that kept him going despite it all. People suffered at different rates, based on their personality, environment, social standing, it was all dependent on multiple factors. Where there was horrifying evil in one place there was another sign of good within humanity in another, he knew that perfectly well, though desired for it to show some good in his life.

"Not exactly, depends on where you look in the world, if you come in looking for evil you'll find evil, if come in looking for good you'll find good, yet at most you'll find that everything intertwines with one another into some blurry grey mess and sometimes within that mess the bad outweighs the good." The older man answered carefully but honestly. "Whatever the case, keep going forward, you'll find what you're looking for, if not, then make it yourself."

I'm still trying, I think… He inwardly finished, whether it be in his own world or this none gave him enough hope to truly put in the effort, all of his desires were left either feeling or the simple instinct to just keep living, without any further meaning.

"You seem to have lived a fairly adventurous life if you can state something like so confidently. It was right what you said, this is my first journey across the entire world. I want to see it for what it truly is before…" Alice stopped and shook her head. "Never mind, any more advice or snippets of wisdom can this ancient one offer me?"

Maybe I do…His heart spoke to him as the desire for sleep became more prevalent and cemented in his mind, apparently, his little conversation with Alice had tired him out more than his physical training, which some part of him didn't find surprising, verbally sparring or avoiding interrogation from her was a tiring endeavor, yet there was one last thing he needed to share, to say his piece before going to bed.

"In my life, I found quite a nasty repeating pattern." Chambers hesitated for a couple of moments, his expression going from coldly neutral to deeply melancholic." Life has a habit of taking things dear to you." He spoke just as his heart ordered him to, for what reason he didn't really care at this point as memories of better times taken away from him flashed before his very eyes, a reminder and an aching wound.

Alice stayed silent at this, closing her eyes and refusing to answer or ask him to clarify, her curiosity snuffed out by nostalgic longing, there was no denying this for her, he was completely right, a shame she had to have practical experience with the fact at a young age from her own mother's death no less. All she wanted was for him to finish up quickly

"You can accept it, easier said than done, or push anyone close to you away, so it wouldn't hurt." It was simple for the man to see that wasn't an option for the Monster Lord, nonetheless, he continued. "Or...someone like you now can hold tight, make sure you lose no one dear, don't take that for granted, not many are capable of what you can do."

"Thank you for the… enlightening wisdom, but it seems our time here is running short unless you want to take it into the night?" Alice asked yawning and suddenly stood up, yet Luther had managed to catch her gaze. It was filled with understanding and resolve and at that point, he knew which option she'd likely take, definitely much braver than his own choice and not a surprise in the least.

"Yes, about time too, don't think I can spend another hour awake now, no use in skulking around the forest all night." Luther decided to agree and leave a quick end to their talk, they moved back to their sleeping spot, the man going back inside his borrowed sleeping bag and the purple lamia wrapping around the tree her tail had found a temporary home before.

Time passed and despite their eased and tired souls they still couldn't quite fall asleep, awkwardly staring into their surroundings and thinking on what the other had said, pondering their own feelings on the matter, one thing struck out to the monstrous companion.

"Which one did you choose?" Out of the blue, Alice idly pushed the question out, the woman knew her choice perfectly well. She wasn't so much of a coward as to run away in such a pathetic and unempathetic way, if there was going to be a pain then she would face it head-on. It was an unavoidable part of life after all, yet all lead to wondering what her enigmatic acquaintances choice was.

She got no answer from him, just dead silence.

Luther blankly gazed at the night sky, zoning out all of his surroundings and senses, there was only him, the faint trace of Tusk and his own history plaguing his thoughts, he admitted to himself that what he suggested to Alice might have been brave but also foolish and obsessive, at least for his own kind. It wasn't to say his choice was best, far from it, yet so many held on to hope whether it be false or true, clinging onto it without reprieve, however, someone like Alice had the powers to live up to that hope.

This world has powers that can defy death itself.

Yet...

No matter how much we try to push away the ending, black roses will fall all the same.


Through her window into the world below Ilias gazed down at the fake hero sleeping in his terribly ragged state, small bruises were littered across his body, their cause? None other than one of her most hated enemies, who was so "generous" as to offer training to her dearest hero, if you can call a sadistic beating training that is. With a grimace she watched Luka get punished for every little mistake he made, "love taps" she called them. Alice couldn't hide it, Ilias saw it all clearly, behind that smile was a cruel beast that took pleasure from the punishment she dealt to him, reducing him to a lifeless husk by the end of it all.

The infuriating Monster Lord's time will come, as planned her days were numbered, the Goddess just had to wait until her existence was snuffed out by the one she was traveling with, maybe it might take some months, a year, or more to get to that, it didn't matter, she was patient. After living to what amount as eternity for mere mortals that amount of time was nothing, she had waited for more for plans to come to fruition and she started to set the cogs in motion.

She glanced to his companions sneering at Alice and raising an eyebrow at Luther who was currently writing in his sleep, possibly a nightmare, as expected she sensed fear but also...hatred, murderous intent, a large amount of it emanating from the man's sleeping form. Shaking her head and paying no mind to the man's suffering Ilias reached into Luka's mind and soul finding a clean opening, rather easy to do so when a person's unconscious. While her "dearest" sister reigned supreme in the physical world with her skill to mutate and evolve whatever she pleased with her disgusting energy, the Goddess of Light on the other hand was very capable in the matters of the soul.

No one's spirit was safe from her probing, she had the ability to discern the very nature of a being and look inside of it. Out of her window, she cautiously stepped into the boy's mindscape. She expected pure chaos that could be easily shaped to her liking, as it was with most mortals that were young or inexperienced with the art of magic, their past, personality, and soul not fully cemented yet, moldable, still incubating. Ilias preferred in such a way despite its chaotic nature, fully formed mindscapes were rather unreceptive, rigged against her influence and presence.

Instead, she curiously found herself surrounded by an empty pitch-black void, one that unfortunately reminded her of her birth, the isolation that was present there. Nothing was there except for a green wispy orb of light, the energy radiating from it was had to describe, a felt like part of her was in there and also...her sister's meddling swirling around. The Goddess approached it and reached out, never before seeing such phenomena, but it rejected her touch, searing her fingers, and a cold numbness spread through her body.

It rejected her...it rejected her...IT REJECTED HER.

In a fit of rage, she screamed and tried slapping it away, deeming it unworthy of existence within her hero, unstable light energy emerging from her hands like sparks of lighting which crashed into the orb in blinding light. Once her powers faded away she expected to see it gone, reduced to nothing before her very eyes, she was surprised to see it remain. It hadn't moved a single inch or appeared damaged in any way.

A small form emerged from it...a hand? More specifically it looked to be a gauntlet that outstretched from the center of its origin. The gauntlet shook its fist at her in defiance, she read the energy radiating from it...it promised to surpass her and then…

Ilias suddenly felt a large pain in her cheek in the shape of a hand, the new gauntlet slamming into her face at breakneck speed. The heavenly woman was filled in disbelief that this formless spirit had dared strike and even harm her, but before she could do anything it vanished wanting nothing to do with her

The Goddess of Light was left alone with a burning cheek, it was a disgrace to her very existence that it was this painful but it nonetheless still hurt both of her head and...heart. She was alone, like always, no one was there to comfort or console her, the burden of a Goddess such as her - the inability to find anyone equal and bearable enough to interact with.

Nevermind that...the wound faded away with a simple command issued to her body, she had other matters to attend to then focus on what barely existent presence thought of her or her past and desires, there was a time and place for everything even if it did take a couple of years more to address them.

She was patient, she was patient…

With a deep and long-drawn-out sigh, she pushed on the dark void letting her energy come. Ilias efficiently shaped it to her will, an entirely simple matter for the likes of her, it was a skill akin to breathing for her. A cloudy corridor adorned with gold ornament and filled with marble pillars was formed, befitting of her standards and its purpose, its form was still misty as expected from a manifestation of mind space. Ilias closed her eyes and searched deep within the boy's mind for a sign of consciousness, no matter how weak of presence it was she could start suggestively implanting some ideas through "dreams".

The blond woman found something to cling onto and pulled, a small purple-haired that manifested out of thin air was dragged out into the room by her hand and placed down. She found what was she was looking for.

"Luka...oh brave Luka." Putting on the usual benevolent Goddess tone she sweetly spoke, yet all she got in response were not an exclamation surprise, loyalty, and devotion like she previously heard from her followers, no...she heard loud snoring instead.

Ilias opened her eyes and right in front of her stood Luka, sleeping while standing up even in his mindscape unfazed by his frankly violent summon. The heavenly woman broke out of her stupor but was still dazed. It didn't make any sense for her, in spite of his outside state parts of his mind and soul should still be up and working, how much did Alice exhaust him? Was it permanent? Was there some deeper meaning behind exhaustion?

They were worthless questions and concerns that held no true meaning, it was a simple manner for her to fix, she just had to wake him up, didn't change her plans at all.

Ilias went over closer to the sleeping boy and ever so lightly slapped him, he jittered awake for a mere moment, eyes unfocused and then closed. The fake hero yawned and weakly pushed her hand from his face with his finger. The Goddess rolled her eyes at his pathetic resistance and wagered a stronger wake-up call was needed, she went into to strike once more.

"Five...more...minutes mom, p-please" Her hand went into a screeching halt, hanging slightly above the boy's face.

...

It began to quiver, slowly closing moving away from the poor boy, they both stood still no moving a single inch for what felt like hours.

Lucifina, his mother, one of her very first creations, was like a daughter or proper sister to her, someone who had managed to stay off her feelings of loneliness, she was one of the few she entrusted her plan to, yet when it was all beginning to fall into place Ilias was found betrayed, abandoned by her. To defy and hide from her the Seraphim decided to cast off her angelic form and have a child with Marcellus. She hunted for her child and finally decided to send a plague to make her return back to her original self and back to the fold...yet

Her last act of defiance was to willingly die to the disease she sent...ultimately Ilias ended up killing her daughter. The Goddess stared down at the boy before her, still completely unaware of her inner turmoil, the boy whose mother she killed. She remembered the melancholy and emptiness she felt watching the boy go about his life after that day. Her death even after her utter betrayal still hurt as if a small part of her died that day.

The Goddess's arms went around the sleeping boy's body, pulling him into an embrace as her fingers brushed along his soft purple hair. She barely noticed it, the tears streaming down her cheeks, her form still shaking...

"I hope you find it in yourself, please forgive me, dear Lucifina."


AN: Luther's final thoughts in this chapter are a reference to a song by the Aviators called "Black Roses", which you can find on Youtube, just a little detail.


Reviews:

lytsadboi: Hope you had fun rereading the story, I guess.

-LastTrialofHumanity: Only the second part describes me well, by no means anyone around me is even capable of considering me cute just full-on dead inside at times.

-doomqwer: I can say Luther's kill count will not be one by the end of the story, certain people are so big of threats to humanity that they can't be allowed to live even if he is currently having his struggles dealing with it. Luther will definitely be tested with the appearance of Alma, which should happen in two Chapters. One would be "Fibonacci" and the other where the Alma encounter happens called "Frostbite and Iron". Most definitely his trials are not ending, yet thankfully for him, he'll be able to find his respite in the company of some specific characters along with the usual Luka and Alice.

-Gentlemen Rance-T.M: Thank you for pointing out it sometimes gets tiring skimming through the same lines trying to find what's wrong with it, though I'd prefer if you just PM'd me, it's convenient that way and I don't exactly want to bloat out my reviews no matter how small of number that might be.

-Zefar: As I stayed in PM to you I intended for Luther to pay homage to both Gyro and Johnny.

Thank you for the support and I'll see you next Chapter.