Chapter 1 – Foreigner.

She awoke to the chirping of birds.

Warm, fuzzy sunlight beamed down onto the forest floor, baking patches of exposed, dry grass. A soft wisp of the summer breeze meandered through the trees, conducting a gentle orchestra of rustling leaves and branches as it went. The air was crisp and fresh in the aftermath of last night's storm.

Hummingbirds and bees went about their business, carefully inspecting patches of flourishing flowers under the watchful gaze of the sun. Here and there, the faint rustling of foliage signaled the activity of small animals such as hares and pigs as they searched leisurely for food. Just above the trees, a flock of birds travelled in a synchronized dance, weaving gracefully through the cloudless blue sky.

Velvet watched the group of birds fly as she allowed her body to slowly wake up, staying motionless in the same position in which she'd slept in.

Her legs and arms cramped wildly from staying awkwardly bent all night. The ragged clothing that she wore was still utterly drenched from last night's torrential rainfall. Bunches of stray twigs and leaves were hopelessly entangled within her frayed, uncombed hair, having been caught in it as a result of the storm's howling winds. Crusted mud and stray strands of grass clung to parts of her exposed skin, leaving her feeling wholly unclean.

She didn't pay the discomfort any mind. It had been a long time since such things had bothered her.

Mud squelched gently underneath her steel boots as she stood up, gazing around the small clearing in which she'd chosen to sleep in for the night.

All around her, life continued on. Birds continued to sing, insects continued to buzz, and bugs continued to crawl. If she wanted to, she could've used such a familiar setting and deluded herself into thinking that she was back in her own time. Back when everything was different.

Suddenly, she winced, a flash of pain flitting through her eyes. She glared down at the source of the agony, holding her bandaged left arm out in front of her.

SQUELCH!

The infinitely familiar noise resounded out throughout the clearing. In an explosion of malevolence, her left claw burst outward from its sheath of bandages, extruding out twice as long as her opposite arm. Three deep, irritated gouges bristling in an angry shade of red greeted her, crisscrossing across the back of the claw.

She let out a frustrated huff that turned into an irritated growl as another jolt of pain flew up her arm. Fighting that armatized water seraph had taken its toll. The gouges were markedly deep; she'd need malak artes to speed up the recovery. She shook her head, instantly dismissing the idea. The only person she could rely on at the moment was herself, and nobody else.

A damp breeze blew through the empty clearing occupied by the lone therion, rustling her clothing and disturbing her hair. The metal chains on her outfit chimed softly in the wind.

Ever so slightly visible in the daytime light, tendrils of purple miasma began to seep out from within her, shrouding her in her own sin. Velvet sighed, sliding her eyes shut and standing still, allowing the malevolence to naturally leave her being.

Giving in to the demands of her body, she let her domain expand outwards.

The world all around her seemed to gradually darken, despite the cloudless sunny sky. The air itself felt heavier, while the sounds of birds and insects began to hollow out. Particles of concentrated malevolence began to collect, drifting ominously through the air. A dreadful hum began to resound outwards from the very earth while unnatural gusts of fierce wind festered in the air.

Velvet's hair and clothing whipped in the fierce gales as she held her eyes lightly closed. At her side, her monstrous claw seemed to flourish in the environment, its pulsating surface becoming even more volatile. Waves of malevolence erupted out from her being in waves, bursting outwards and tainting the surrounding landscape. Terrified animals fled away as fast as possible from the unnatural miasma, driven by pure instinct. All traces of the previously peaceful clearing had been eradicated in mere moments.

She felt rather than saw all of this as she stood motionless in the center of it all. She had long ago become aware of the effects of her domain on the world around her. The aura of a hellish being so full of sin that the very earth itself reviled it.

Yet, it had been a long time since such things had bothered her.

"A-a-AAAAAAAHHH!"

The high-pitched scream sliced sharply through the volatile air, snapping Velvet's eyes wide open. She whirled around, her coat flapping in the unnatural breeze, and found herself face-to-face with an intruder in her domain.

The girl, seemingly no more than 8 years old, had her bulging eyes fixed directly on Velvet's form, her mouth agape in horror. She had been frozen solid from fear alone, her two tiny pigtails whipping around in the winds.

For before her stood a monster amidst a whirling vortex of malice and evil.

Velvet reacted instantly, launching herself forwards at a full-tilt sprint through the dirt towards the hapless girl. The poor girl could only watch in horror as the red-eyed monster closed in upon her. She had only managed to take a single step backwards and let out a paltry squeak of fright before Velvet's right hand curved in, slicing through the malevolence in the air and slamming roughly against the young human's left temple.

The girl instantly went limp, her eyes rolling into the back of her head as her fragile body crumpled, toppling away from the blow. Her now limp hands dropped the partially-filled basket of herbs she had been carrying, which fell and landed on its side, spilling its contents all over the ground.

Following smoothly through with her attack, Velvet spun around on her heel and transitioned into a crouch, easily catching the falling girl's torso with her right arm before her head cracked onto the ground. Absently, she dispelled her daemon claw, using the bandaged arm to get a better hold of the girl.

She let out an exasperated sigh.

"That was damn careless." She muttered under her breath, easing the human down onto the grass with easy movements.

The girl's face had untensed, leaving her expression almost peaceful as she laid there next to her fallen basket of herbs. Standing up straight before the girl's unconscious form, Velvet crossed her arms, idly tapping her left bicep in frustration as she examined the human's appearance. The girl's outfit was relatively clean and well-taken care of. Her skin also appeared to be regularly washed, while her properly done pigtails told of the loving care of a paternal figure.

"I take it there's a village nearby, then." Velvet surmised dryly. She glanced to the side. "…At least that means I'll probably find what I'm looking for there."

With a shake of her head, she closed her eyes once more and focused on the malevolence still fountaining out of her being. With practiced effort, she blocked out all other senses and instead reached for the ever-present, simmering spring of malevolence festering deep inside of her.

And then, with a harsh exhale, Velvet forcibly yanked it shut.

Almost immediately, the inherently uncomfortable feeling of suffocating began to rise as the malevolence inside of her rebounded off the barriers she'd erected. Her own body revolted against her, fighting against the harsh repression of its nature. With gritted teeth, Velvet fisted her hands and suffered through the hardship of suppressing her own domain.

All around her, the howling of winds began to die down. The lingering particles of malevolence began to dissipate, while the ominous pressure building in the air lifted slowly. The sun once more began to shine upon the land in the absence of great evil. With the disappearance of the chaos, a blessed silence once more fell upon the forest.

Slowly, Velvet uncurled her hands, taking deep, long breaths as she opened her eyes.

With marked satisfaction, she observed the lack of any malevolence seeping out from her body. She glanced around, finding not a speck of corruption left hanging in the untainted air around her.

Having confirmed the successful suppression of her domain, Velvet turned around and trotted back across the clearing to where her travel pack laid against the tree she'd slept under. It was time to go.

Suddenly, she stopped.

Her head turned ever so slightly to the right, her lips held in a firm line as she glanced at the helpless little girl's body out of the corner of her eye.

After a pause, her steel boots clinked as they were redirected back the way she'd come.

A few minutes later, the therion left the sunbaked clearing with her travel pack slung easily around her shoulder underneath her hair. With her true nature hidden, she was merely another traveler braving the large, dangerous world.

She stepped forward through the brush and left the clearing, headed onwards towards the future.

Meanwhile, the unconscious little girl's pigtails swung gently in the wind that reached her snug perch up on a low tree branch; a location that meant her protection from both predators and bandits. Tied securely to the tree trunk alongside her was her small basket of wild herbs; neatly organized by both type and category.

High up in the sky, the warm sun continued to glow.

Tall grass shifted in the gentle breeze, giving the illusion of soft waves travelling slowly through a sea of flawless green. Idle clouds drifted through the noon sky, casting indistinct shadows down to the ground to act as ships traversing an ocean of grass. A single dirt path cut its way through the field, rising and falling with the rolling hills.

A lone traveler in black trotted steadily onwards down the path, her long raven hair swaying with the light breeze.

Velvet squinted up at the blue sky, gauging the height of the sun as she walked. Her steel boots crunched repetitively in the dirt, meshing with the constant buzzing of insects populating the tall grass on either side of her. The air she breathed was crisp and laden with the fresh scent of nature. Slung across her shoulders, her travel pack bumped companionably against her back, accompanying her every movement with the sound of shifting leather.

Travel was of second nature to the therion. To her, life was always as ever a never-ceasing experience of forward motion.

There was never an end to her path; never a place to return to. Yet she didn't mind; ultimately, the decision had been up to her.

Suddenly, her footsteps came to a halt. Her head snapped forwards, her eyes narrowing in concentration as she focused on what her daemon-enhanced hearing could ascertain at a distance. A low breeze blew down the path, bringing with it the scents of fear and desperation.

"Dad!" The high-pitched voice plea of a boy reached her ears.

"Stay calm, junior!" A man replied, a tremor in his tone undermining his command. "Keep your head and the two of us might just make it!"

"I-I'm not so sure we can!" Came the trembling response.

Accompanying the voices were the snarls of feral creatures. Clearly, there were travelers in mortal danger ahead of her.

After a moment's consideration, the therion burst forwards into movement, slamming her boots into the earth as she sprinted forwards down the path. Her breathing came out smooth and steady as she charged up the hill, her hair slinging behind her like a black cape. Her eyes narrowed as she summited the hill, coming into direct visual contact with the source of the commotion.

A man and a boy stood back-to-back in the center of the path, shakily wielding crude wooden swords against their assailants; a pack of 4 snarling wolves, circling their position with increasingly acute rotations.

The boy was the first to spot her with his desperate, terrified eyes. "H-hey!" He screamed, drawing the attention of the man by his side. "HELP! HELP US! PLEASE!" He cried.

Velvet hadn't stopped running.

She let out a harsh yell as she neared them, effectively drawing the attention of all the wolves to her person. With a rough shove of her legs, she catapulted herself high into the air, throwing the feral animals into a panic as they retreated away instinctively. Dirt and mud flew in the air as she slammed onto the ground and slid to a halt in front of the two travelers, placing herself directly between them and the group of four wolves.

Her cold glare rivaled the ferocity of the desperate animals as they began to advance upon her, evidently undeterred by the presence of an additional human. She raised her left arm up into the sun.

SQUELCH!

With a fierce sweep, Velvet slashed aggressively down with her extended daemon claw, slicing through the air between her and the animals. Her eyes were hard.

"Get out of here!" She demanded with a snarl. "Find your food elsewhere!"

The change in the disposition of the animals was instant.

Tails dropped down and growls turned into whimpers as the pack immediately whirled away and fled. Grass crunched under their paws as they fled away from the humans and into the dense field.

Velvet waited until even her enhanced hearing couldn't register the rustling of grass before turning around and facing the two humans that she'd saved whom were both gaping wordlessly at her with wide eyes.

She raised a single eyebrow in response.

The boy was the first to break out of his shock. "H-Holy cow!" He gasped in awe. "You're amazing, lady!"

"Oh!" With his son's comment, the older man also remembered himself and angled his torso down low in a deep bow. "Words cannot express my gratitude for having saved the lives of me and my son, madam. How can we ever repay you?!"

Velvet waved her massive daemon claw carelessly in the air. "Don't worry about it. It wasn't a problem for me."

With a disgusting squelch, the therion dispelled her claw, leaving her arm in the form that the two non-resonant humans saw. An innocent-looking bandaged arm; nothing more.

For without the presence of her resonance-amplifying domain, the humans of this world had no way to see her true self.

Yet another sign of how much things had changed.

"…You're a real hero. Thank you." The man shook his head in disbelief. "I didn't think there was a single kind-hearted person like you left in the world." He admitted.

At his side, the spiky-haired boy bounced up and down ecstatically, all traces of fear in his eyes having vanished. "You were like, HAH!" He imitated Velvet's leaping charge by hopping in place. "And then, you were like, 'Get out of here!'" He growled with as low a voice as he could manage, aggressively swiping his left arm through the air. "'Find your food elsewhere!'"

Velvet had a wry smirk on her lips. "Yeah, I was there, too." She pointed out dryly to the child.

"You're awesome, you know that?!" The boy exclaimed without missing a beat, trotting up to her with his hands fisted in excitement. "How did you know how to scare the wolves off like that?" He asked.

She shrugged, shifting on her feet with a hand on her hip. "Wolves desperate enough to attack a pair of travelers in broad daylight in such an environment aren't looking for a fight." She explained, tilting her chin down at the boy. "Sometimes," she offered, "you just need to act scary enough so that the scary things run away."

"Ohh…! That makes sense!" The boy breathed.

"Hm." The boy's father had his hand up to his face, contemplatively stroking his stubbled chin. "Indeed, those beasts did seem extraordinarily thin."

He shook his head in dismay, meeting Velvet's eyes. "A sign of the times, perhaps, when even the animals themselves are growing desperate enough to risk dying for their food." He turned his head and spat into the dirt in disgust.

"Humans, animals." Velvet waved her hand carelessly. "A hard line to draw, if you ask me."

"Quite." The man agreed. "Yet there is still value in such a definition." He nodded his head towards her. "Your actions in saving us speak loudly of such."

"If you say so." She shrugged.

Her eyes were drawn to the wooden swords held uncomfortably in their hands. "By the way," she added, "I'd suggest you get something that isn't wooden for travel protection. Those things are next to useless."

Both father and son exchanged sheepish looks as they shamefully examined their wooden swords. "You're… probably right. To be honest," the man admitted, "this is our first time travelling."

"Obviously." Velvet agreed harshly.

She directed her serious gaze towards the father. "Despite how close we are to the capital, it's not safe in any respect." She shook her head. "Not to mention that with war on the horizon, things are bound get to worse. It's like you said." She gestured over her shoulder towards where the wolves had disappeared. "Animals. Conflict brings out the worst in people."

"R… Right." Having been thoroughly lectured, the man's shoulders slumped. "I… suppose I was an idiot for thinking that a few days of travel wouldn't be dangerous."

At his side, his son tugged at his hand. "It's fine, dad." He assured. "Nobody could've known that we would've been attacked by wolves."

"Wrong."

The two of them turned to Velvet, whose arms were crossed.

"You can't take chances. Not with the people you love." Her words were hard, her left fist clenched in determination. "Only a fool would leave the fate of a loved one in the hands of chance."

A gust of wind blew through the field, punctuating the silence that followed the therion's declaration.

"…y… you can't call my dad a fool!" The boy objected heatedly, his earlier admiration having been forgotten. "He's not!"

Velvet raised a single eyebrow in response, unaffected by the boy's anger. "And why is that?" She asked loftily.

"Well… Well…!" The boy's retort was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

The father shook his head silently at his boy before meeting Velvet's eyes. "You… speak the truth, miss." He admitted softly, shamefully. "I… I put both my life and my son's life in danger because of my actions."

"You did." Velvet ignored the wordless glare of the boy as she held the man's eyes. "Now, what are you going to do about it?" She demanded.

He blinked in surprise.

After a moment, he squared his shoulders and straightened his back, squarely meeting the woman's gaze. He nodded sharply. "…I'll make things right. I'll do better."

"Good answer." Velvet replied, satisfied.

The buzzing of insects amidst the summer heat filled the silence that followed.

Abruptly, the man let out a chuckle, shaking his head. "Miss, I believe you've saved me, in more ways than one, today."

Velvet let out an amused huff, shifting on her feet. "If that's the case, I believe I deserve a reward."

"Y-yes, yes, of course." The man nodded deeply, accepting the demand. "Name whatever you want. You shall have it." He openly allowed.

"Tell me how to get to the nearest village from here."

Both man and boy blinked in surprise, exchanging looks.

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Did I stutter?" She drawled, prompting the two of them to snap out of their stupor.

"O-oh! Uh!" Shaking his head, the man pointed up the path. "There's a fork maybe half an hour's worth of travel down the path. Follow the left fork all the way until you arrive at the village." His eyes returned uncertainly to the woman's, as if still in disbelief that she wasn't asking more of them.

"Thanks." Velvet nodded to the two of them and promptly spun on her left heel, easily resuming her brisk pace forward down the path, away from them without another word.

With a rough shake to himself, the man remembered himself and called out a farewell to the quickly receding woman.

"Farewell, miss!" He yelled. "I'll never forget the wisdom you gave me!"

"T-thank you, lady! Thanks for saving us!" The boy added in a holler.

Velvet didn't respond to either of them, moving unceasingly onwards. In her mind, the two humans had already become vague afterthoughts. All she cared about was the information that she had extracted from them.

That was all that mattered.

Once again, the crunching of gravel under her boots became the therion's only companion as she travelled onwards into the horizon.

The sun was setting by the time she arrived at the village.

A thin river weaved its way through the plains around the small unwalled settlement, encircling it in a gentle curve. Wooden fishing piers and boardwalks jutted out at various angles, hanging daintily over the slow-moving river and casting shadows upon the cold liquid. The warm orange-hued sky reflected off the clear waters, embracing the whitewashed cobblestones of the village buildings with a gentle backlight.

Velvet strolled through the main thoroughfare of village, weaving between groups of fishermen returning home for the day and teams of traders packing up their stalls. Her eyes were constantly in motion, scanning the faces in the crowd as she walked through the well-trodden dirt.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a small dog turn its head towards her direction, snarling, to the confusion of the woman holding its leash. Almost idly, Velvet allowed her daemon claw to burst out of its bandages at her side, watching the dog's reaction.

Predictably, the resonant little mutt leapt in shock and fright, turning tail and sprinting away, heedless of the leash around its neck. Heads turned towards dog's squealing and the owner's cursing as the woman tried in vain to keep up with the adrenaline-packed sprint of the tiny dog sprinting away from her, its leash dragging on the mud behind it.

Velvet rolled her eyes and kept on walking past the gawking onlookers, unnoticed. With a flick of her wrist, she dispelled her daemon arm, her true nature unbeknownst to the people she walked alongside.

There had been a time, she recalled idly, when things had been different.

A time when she'd been considered the lord of monsters; a time when people had shrieked and scattered from her mere presence alone, turning to the exorcists as their saviors. A time when she had had a place in this world.

Yet now, she was but a stray wolf, strutting freely amongst a flock of clueless sheep. An intruder, in every respect of the word.

Deep inside of her, the malevolence festered.

"Oof!"

She stumbled with a grunt of surprise, having been wrenched out of her swirling thoughts by someone bumping smack into her. Instinctively, her body tensed, her boots pressing into a battle-ready stance.

"Sorey! You idiot! Pay more attention to where you're going!"

Velvet blinked in surprise, untensing her body and turning around.

The boyish face of the Shepherd grinned apologetically back at her, sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. The water seraph stood at his side with crossed arms, rolling his eyes at his vessel's idiocy. The princess and the fire seraph were nowhere to be seen; evidently the group had split up at some point.

She had inadvertently bumped into the Shepherd and his seraph at the intersection of the main thoroughfare and a riverside boardwalk.

It was much less crowded in this part of town; empty fishing huts and piers lined the boardwalk, closed down for the day. Velvet absently registered that she'd walked the entire length of the village, judging by the sight of the brilliant orange-hued river flowing softly behind him.

It would seem luck that had favored her, leading her straight to her target.

"Sorry!" The Shepherd apologized earnestly, holding a tome up in his hands in a way of explanation. "I get a little distracted sometimes. My bad."

The water seraph let out a chuckle behind his back. "I pity the humans sometimes for having such a dolt of a Shepherd." He remarked humorously.

"Shush." The Shepherd whispered back under his breath in response, his lips curling in a wry grin.

Velvet watched the interaction with amusement. The two of them were very, very close; that much was clear.

All around them, straggling villagers made quiet steps in the mud past them, finally headed home after a long day of work. High up above, the sun continued its descent down towards the horizon defined by distant mountains. The river seemed to glow ever so brighter, reflecting the brilliant light upon the white paint of the village buildings around them. The entire world had been transformed into one of soft, golden twilight.

Velvet put a hand on her hip, idly shifting her weight as she responded to the Shepherd's initial words.

"It's fine." She replied easily. "I'm well aware of how ensnaring a book can be." She shrugged. "So much so that the reader forgets pretty much everything else around them."

His eyes seemed to shine with excitement at the comment. "Do you read a lot, then?" He asked Velvet curiously. At his side, the water malak rolled his eyes wordlessly at his friend's bookwormish tendencies.

"No." Velvet easily admitted, waving a hand in the air. "But my little brother always drove me up the wall with his reading." Her lips were lightly curved with nostalgia. "That kid always insisted on squinting his eyes out, no matter what I told him."

The Shepherd nodded his head sagely. "I absolutely understand." He held his tome out in front of him almost reverently. "It's just so cool how you can fit so much knowledge and insight into such a small package! There's no way I would ever let myself stop reading them. They're just too interesting not to read!" He exclaimed.

Velvet rolled her eyes at the Shepherd's manic expression. "Something gives me the idea that that you also forget to feed yourself whenever you start a new book." She remarked dryly.

The water seraph chuckled. "She's sure got you pegged, Sorey." He commented.

Heat was crawling up the Shepherd's neck. "W-well," he stammered, shooting his seraph friend a glare before returning his gaze to Velvet, "…yeah, I guess I do that now and then." He grinned sheepishly.

"Now and then?" The seraph scoffed dryly in response. "I have to slap the damn thing outta your hands before you starve yourself most times."

The Shepherd rolled his eyes wordlessly in response before blinking curiously at Velvet.

"If you don't mind me asking, is your brother nearby?" He asked.

Velvet shook her head. "No." She answered, her eyes distant. "He's back home, right now."

"I take it that's not here?" The Shepherd asked softly.

"It's not." She confirmed, meeting his eyes. "It's far, far away from here."

The Shepherd's eyes had taken on an empathetic shade. "That must be hard on you."

Velvet nodded absently in response.

The babbling of the river behind them continued in the background. The shutting of doors and the vague indistinct conversation and laughter of the villagers rang out into the softly lit air.

"…Where are you headed?" She asked abruptly, letting her right hand drop from her hip and perching her other on the opposite side. The chains on her outfit clinked softly with the movement. "You're obviously not from around here, either."

He nodded. "We're headed to Marlind." He explained.

"And after that?"

He gave a shrug. "We're not really sure. I suppose we'll figure it out once we get there."

Velvet absently noticed that the water seraph's eyes had narrowed, now studying her with acute suspicion at her inquiry. She ignored him.

After a moment's consideration, the daemon offered her open right hand to the Shepherd.

"My name's Velvet Davidson." She lied. "I'm looking for my cousin."

"Can I come with you?"

Surprised looks flitted on the faces of both Shepherd and seraph at the sudden request. The water seraph's expression soon morphed into one of guarded wariness, while the Shepherd's eyes widened in curiosity.

"Your cousin?" He parroted. "Do you have any idea where he is?"

"None." Velvet shook her head. "The two of us were travelling together and ended up being separated." She elaborated honestly. "All I know is that he's not here."

"So that's why you want to travel with us, huh?" The Shepherd summarized, putting a thoughtful finger up to his chin.

"Sorey!" The water seraph urgently placed a hand on the man's shoulder, drawing his attention. "You can't seriously be considering letting her come with us?!"

In an undertone voice that Velvet could easily hear with her enhanced hearing, the Shepherd replied, "People shouldn't travel alone. It's just not safe. And it seems we're both headed in the same direction. Why not? We might be able to help her out with her cousin along the way!"

"As admirable as that is," the seraph conceded, "don't you think we have enough on our hands as it is? Besides! She's a non-resonant human that we know absolutely nothing about!" He shoved a hand towards Velvet's form to emphasize his point. "How do we know she's not just going to make off with our stuff in our sleep? You shouldn't just assume these things about people, Sorey!"

"I'm not that much of a dolt of a Shepherd!" He shot back. "And if she does try anything bad, we'll just deal with it."

The seraph facepalmed. "Your optimism terrifies me sometimes."

Shaking his head, the seraph took in Velvet with renewed attention to detail. His boots squelched in the mud as he made his way over to the unsuspecting human. "She's travelling alone, like you said." He pointed out. "From what I understand about you humans, only suspicious individuals do things like that in order to avoid the attention of others."

"She did say she was originally travelling with her cousin." The Shepherd pointed out under his breath.

Completing his circuit around Velvet's unmoving form, the seraph shook his head. "And how do you know she's not lying to you?" He took urgent steps towards his friend, his back to Velvet. "Sorey, listen to me. You can't trust her just because of what she said." He waved a hand towards the woman. "Not to mention the fact that she'll probably only slow us down."

Velvet had heard enough.

SHING!

With a high metallic musical note, the woman's gauntlet blade burst out from its sheath at precisely the same time she raised her right arm, leading to the end result of her razor-sharp sword lightly poking the back of the water seraph's neck.

"You shouldn't just assume these things about people, you know." Velvet drawled dryly, enjoying the shock and surprise that colored the protective seraph's expression as he gaped at her, frozen solid by the kiss of cold metal on his flesh.

"Mikleo!"

Velvet's attention was drawn to the Shepherd's form as he took a few steps forward, his hand on his sword.

With a flick of her wrist, her sword promptly collapsed harmlessly back into its sheath. She crossed her now unoccupied arms and raised an eyebrow at the two agitated travelers. "If I had wanted to steal from someone," she pointed out dryly, "I'm pretty sure the Shepherd and his seraph would be on the bottom of my list, don't you think?"

"You can see seraphim?!" The Shepherd's eyes were wide in surprise.

Gathering himself, the seraph twisted around and conjured up his staff in battle-ready stance. "And you knew Sorey was the Shepherd?!"

"I was born resonant." Velvet lied with a shrug. She turned to the seraph. "And I was there during the Sacred Blade Festival when he pulled the sword out from the pedestal, so I know who he is."

"That's… that's incredible!"

Despite Velvet's actions, the Shepherd seemed utterly fascinated by the notion. "Mikleo!" He cried, turning to the seraph at his side. "A human who also can see seraphim!"

"Sorey…!" The seraph growled lowly, still gripping his staff guardedly. "Is now the time?!"

"I thought I was the only one!" The Shepherd exclaimed, trotting up to Velvet to his seraph's dismay. "So, you can see hellions as well?"

Velvet nodded. "I grew up in a small town on the Hyland outskirts." She lied. "Some seraphim who lived there as well told me about my gift, and about how the world really works."

"…Some stray seraphim out there in the world, it sounds like." Despite himself, the water seraph had untensed and had been drawn in to the conversation, similarly intrigued by the idea of another resonant human.

He gave Velvet a guarded look. "Are they also travelling with you?"

She shook her head. "No." Her eyes were distant. "It's been a long time since I last saw them." She mumbled.

The streets had long since emptied out, leaving only the three of them there at the crossroads. In the distance, the last vestiges of sunlight peeked out over the distant mountains, quickly fading.

"Well! That does it!" The Shepherd declared with a grin, plonking a fist in an open palm decisively. "You have to come with us!"

The seraph at his side let out a drawn-out sigh. "Why did I just know you'd say that?" He grumbled resentfully.

The Shepherd gave him a cheeky grin. "It'll be fine, Mikleo! Besides! You're just as curious as I am about what it's like for a human living with resonance!" He accused.

The seraph just gave a roll of his eyes in response, inadvertently confirming his friend's point.

With a bright smile, the Shepherd extended a hand to Velvet, officially. "Nice to meet you, Velvet! You're welcome to join us. I'm Sorey."

"I know." Velvet responded easily, lifting her hand once more and grasping the Shepherd's extended hand. "I'll try to not slow you down." She drawled as she shook it.

Heat crawling up the back of his neck, the water seraph retorted, "T-That was before I knew you were resonant, alright?!" He pointed out defensively, crossing his arms.

With a chuckle, Sorey gestured to his friend. "This is Mikleo." He introduced. "He can be a little overcautious sometimes."

"Because somebody has to be when it comes to you." Mikleo grumbled resentfully.

Shaking her head in amusement, Velvet took a step forward and presented her hand to Mikleo as well. "Sorry about the sword, I just had to make a point." She apologized dryly.

Mikleo's eye twitched.

With a shake of his head, he uncrossed his arms and grasped the human's hand firmly. "You're lucky Lailah wasn't around to hear that joke." He muttered.

"That's right." Sorey piped up as the two let go of each other's hands. "Do you think they're done shopping by now?"

"Knowing how girls can be? Probably not." Mikleo retorted. He abruptly froze, glancing furtively over his shoulder.

Rolling her eyes, Velvet waved a hand in the air. "Relax. I'm not going to behead you for that comment." She pointed out dryly.

"Ahaha." Sorey chuckled while scratching his cheek. "Better get used to having another girl in the group, Mikleo."

"I suppose I'll have to." Mikleo shrugged helplessly.

"So," Velvet spoke up, "are you letting me stay with your group, then?"

"Yup!" Sorey grinningly confirmed. "As long as it's not a problem for you. I promise."

"…I appreciate it." She returned with a smile.

At her side, Mikleo sighed in resignation. "I suppose me saying anything at this point is just a waste of breath." He blinked, turning to Velvet. "By the way, what's your cousin's name?"

She put a hand on her hip. "Leonex Davidson. Leo for short."

"Alright, we'll keep an ear out for his name wherever we go." Sorey promised. His boots squelched in the mud as he turned his body. "We have two more in our group who should be getting back to the inn by now." He scratched his neck. "We'll have to see how the whole room situation turns out with an additional human in the works."

"How exactly does that work?" Velvet asked curiously, falling into step alongside Sorey and Mikleo as they walked down the empty thoroughfare. "Do you just make the seraphim sleep on the floor or something?"

Sorey laughed nervously. "Well, normally we try and figure out two separate rooms with two beds, but a lot of the time we can't afford it."

"Seriously?" Velvet's eyebrow rose. "Aren't you the Shepherd? Can't you just tell the innkeeper that?"

"Sorey? Using his title for his own benefit?" Mikleo let out a scoff. "Not in a million years."

"Hey!" Sorey grumbled. "Just because I'm a Shepherd doesn't mean that those innkeepers deserve to work at a loss just for my benefit!"

"What, saying you're going to save the world isn't enough of a benefit?" The water seraph raised an eyebrow.

"Well." Sorey hesitated for a second. "No!"

Mikleo rolled his eyes. "And this," he explained to Velvet, "is why we sometimes end up sleeping on the floor while the women get the beds."

"Ah." Velvet remarked. "How noble of you two." She shook her head, looking over the two of them thoughtfully. "…You know," She muttered, "you're not exactly what I expected from a Shepherd."

"Well, what did you expect?" Mikleo grinned. "Some sort of actually competent, actually heroic person?"

"Hey!" Sorey yelped indignantly.

Velvet shrugged. "…I suppose." She mumbled.

Their boots squelching through the mud filled the falling silence as they travelled through the quickly darkening town. All around them, the world was falling asleep. Crickets chirped from their various nests throughout the town. Dogs barked in the distance, calling out to one another. Crows flapped through the darkening sky.

Velvet took the opportunity to consider her current situation. A daemon, travelling alongside a human and a seraph. Not so novel, given her history in this world. She glanced at Sorey's embroidered cloak. What was novel was the fact that neither of them knew her true nature.

And she was determined to keep it that way.

Suddenly, she noticed someone watching her from out of the corner of her eye. She glanced over and found a familiar face peeking out from behind the entrance to an alleyway, watching her with horrified eyes.

The pigtailed girl she'd attacked this morning trembled in her shoes, watching the face of the monster walking plain as day in the middle of her village.

Glancing at her left and making sure that the Shepherd and seraph were looking in the opposite directions, Velvet turned her head and made direct eye contact with the girl. Her eyes narrowed threateningly as she violently squeezed her bandaged hand.

Thoroughly cowed, the girl let out a gasp of terror and turned to run away, but then slipped in the mud in her haste. Her involuntary squeak drew the attention of both Sorey and Mikleo.

Sorey was the first to react, running over to the mouth of the alleyway and helping the trembling girl up onto her feet. "Hey there." He greeted gently, steadying the girl in his hands. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly.

The girl glanced over in terror as Velvet made her way over as well. Mikleo walked by her side, unseen by the non-resonant child.

Velvet's eyes were gentle. "It's dark out. You should hurry on home." She suggested warmly.

The girl could only nod, wordlessly, her bottom lip trembling.

Exchanging a worried glance with Mikleo and Velvet, Sorey turned back to the child and gave her one last pat. "Take it easy, alright?" He urged.

"I-I will, s-sir."

With one last fearful glance in Velvet's direction, she took off as fast as she could, pelting off into the darkness of the alleyway.

"Huh." Sorey mumbled as he stood up. "That was strange."

"Maybe she was terrified by your extremely underwhelming appearance?" Mikleo suggested wryly.

"…That'd be even stranger." Sorey scratched his head in befuddlement.

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Come on, you two." She urged. "It's getting dark."

"…Right."

Forgetting about the child's odd behavior, Sorey resumed his walk through the twilight, Mikleo and Velvet at his heels.

In the distance, the sun finally set, leaving the empty crossroads by the river in complete darkness. Together, the Shepherd, his Sub Lord, and the disguised former Lord of Calamity travelled together side-by-side, through the shadows.

And so, the first day came to a close.