Chapter 4 – Old Faces.
Water rushed furiously down the length of the river, splashing alongside the thoroughly battered riverbank and sending spray flying high in the air, clashing with the torrential rainfall showering the surrounding grasslands. The land for miles around vibrated with the fearsome force of the raging river, resembling the growl of a monstrous beast yet unsated by the destruction it had wrought. Fierce gales howled through the soaked, humid air, mixing with the ear-pounding roar of the waters. The world was one of nature's fury.
Velvet's hair fluttered all around her as she stood firmly at the end of the ruined Griflet Bridge with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed against the storm. Her steel boots were rooted firmly on the drenched stones near the edge of the crumbling bridge, her position providing her a vantage point to observe her surroundings.
Dozens of waterlogged tents had been pitched at a relatively safe distance away from the Griflet River, their thin summer canvases completely ill-suited for the gallons of rainfall pelting down incessantly upon their pitiable frames. Lanterns and torches with a modicum of shelter from the falling waters could barely be discerned at a distance, winking pathetically in the foggy air against the wind. Various trade goods had been abandoned in scattered heaps underneath thoroughly soaked tarps dotted around the camp, their owners having long since given up hope of them ever making it to their final destination.
Figures of drenched travelers could be seen running through the muck and grime from tent to tent like ants in a drowning colony. Likewise, pairs of patrolling Hyland soldiers could be seen trudging miserably through the rain, roughly using the butts of their spears as walking sticks. An air of depression and suffering hung over the entire makeshift settlement; a settlement founded solely from the destruction of a bridge and the anguish that had followed.
Velvet shook her head to herself, absently brushing a few drenched tendrils of hair out of her eyes. Not a single one of those humans belonged out here. None of them had a place in this harsh land.
"…It's just no good."
Velvet's attention was drawn by Mikleo's distant words. She turned to the side and found the water seraph, Sorey, and Lailah walking up to the bridge, deep in conversation.
Mikleo shook his head, a hand on his chin. "You'd think ever since we got rid of the hellion that had destroyed the bridge in the first place a few weeks ago, repairs would've finished by now, but…" He trailed off.
Lailah nodded deeply in agreement. "Regardless of the Oroboros' absence," she observed, "bad weather in the surrounding region seems to have hampered the repair efforts of the Griflet Bridge significantly." She glanced over her shoulder at the sodden encampment behind them. "…It doesn't look like the construction will finish anytime soon."
Sorey's frown deepened. "I guess problems like these don't just solve themselves overnight…" He muttered. He blinked, abruptly registering Velvet standing on the ruins of the bridge. "Velvet!" He called through the rain.
The woman in question put a hand on her hip and shifted on her feet as Sorey jogged over, Mikleo and Lailah following close behind.
"I take it the news isn't good." She prompted as they neared.
Coming to a halt at the foot of the bridge, Sorey shook his head grimly. "I'm afraid not."
Mikleo climbed up the bridge and keenly examined the partially constructed wooden frame extruding outwards from the ruined cobblestone. Clearly, he wasn't impressed by the repair effort that had been made. He glanced at Velvet. "It looks like we might all be stuck here for the time being." He explained seriously.
Velvet gave a slow acknowledging nod in return. She turned to Sorey. "What now?"
"Well…" Sorey scratched the back of his head. "I'm not entirely sure." he admitted. He gestured over his shoulder. "Alisha went to go talk with the local garrisoned soldiers about the situation. We should be able to figure out more after she gets back."
Mikleo stepped down the bridge with crossed arms. "If it's only three people, it's possible that I could use my artes to transport us across the river." He proposed. "That would probably be the absolute limit of my powers, though."
"Is that so…" Sorey let out a sigh. "I do want to help the people of Marlind as quickly as possible…" He promised. "…But that doesn't mean I can just ignore the suffering of the people stranded here either." His worried eyes were drawn to sprawling camp of the displaced travelers, his jaw set.
Lailah's eyes held onto Velvet's for a split second before moving to meet Sorey's.
"…It's impossible to lend a helping hand to everyone you meet along the way, Sorey." She shook her head. "All you must do is do what you can, with the strengths that you know you have."
Sorey let out a breath. "…You're right, Lailah." He laid a hand on the pommel of his sword as he thought. "But… that doesn't make the decision any harder than it already is." He muttered as an afterthought.
The howling of the winds filled the pensive silence as the group stayed there in the rain, mulling over the dilemma at hand. Behind them, the raging currents continued to flow underneath the ruins of the bridge with a dull roar.
"Pardon me, young man?"
The group blinked, turning to find an elderly old man approaching them, using a weathered walking stick to push off mud and help aid his way uphill towards the group through the rain. The man's breathing was heavy and labored, yet his steps continued determinedly on, his eyes fixed on Sorey's.
"Oh, sir!" Sorey instantly made his way down the hill towards the man, raising his hands in a placating manner. "Are you sure you should be out here in the rain like this?" He implored worriedly.
The bald man shook his head genially. "Thank you for the concern, but I just had to come and ask." He caught his breath, staring keenly at Sorey. "That outfit of yours… could you possibly be… the Shepherd?" He inquired.
Sorey blinked. "Oh! Yeah, I am." He confirmed with a nod. "I'm Sorey!" He introduced with a grin, offering the old man his open right hand.
The man seemed caught off-guard for a second, staring at the offered hand before snapping out his surprise. Pinning his walking cane under his arm, the man used his now two free hands to grasp onto Sorey's offered hand and shook it reverently. "I am honored, Lord Sorey." He promised, bowing his head with the motion. "My name is Neif, a representative of Marlind. My humblest of thanks for quelling the rampaging water spirit."
The Shepherd scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "You don't have to thank me for that, sir." He grinned reassuringly. "Honest." His grin faded slightly as his eyes were drawn to the collection of tents behind Neif. "…Besides, it doesn't look like it did much good in the end."
Neif turned and followed the Shepherd's gaze, a grim expression on his face. "Not yet, no." He agreed soberly.
"Nevertheless," he turned back and faced the cloaked man and gave a respectful nod, "had you not quelled the spirit, we Marlind folk would've had no hope whatsoever for ever returning back home. Yet now," he gestured to the river behind Sorey, "thanks to your efforts, we have a way forward. All that is left is for us normal folk to make do with the gifts you have so graciously provided us." He intoned wisely.
Sorey seemed lost for words at the man's tangible gratitude. "Have I really done that much…?" He mumbled.
Velvet's steel boots sunk softly into the mud as she walked up alongside Sorey. "Do all those in the camp agree with your sentiment, Neif?" She asked curiously.
The old man blinked in surprise, taking in the hardened woman standing beside the Shepherd.
In answer to his unspoken question, Sorey spoke up, gesturing to the woman. "Neif, this is Velvet Davidson." He introduced. "She's been travelling with us."
"Ah." Neif nodded deeply, giving Velvet a bow. "A companion to the Shepherd deserves no less respect that the Shepherd himself." He promised. "I am honored to have met you, miss."
Velvet blinked, taken aback by the man's sudden respect.
"And in answer to your question," Neif continued, straightening his back and gesturing over his shoulder at the camp, "no, not everyone shares my sentiment." His eyes were sober. "Many of the Marlinders who travelled with me don't see much farther than the unused medicine in our tents and the sickness of their families back home."
He shook his head slowly. "That is also partly why I came out here in the rain to meet you, Lord Sorey." He admitted. "I came to warn you to not reveal your identity to those in the camp."
Sorey's brow furrowed. "But… why not?" He asked.
Velvet put a thoughtful finger on her chin, recognizing the man's point. "Because if they knew who you were," she conjectured, "they'd probably beg you to help them."
"Exactly." Neif agreed softly.
"Are you saying I shouldn't?" Sorey asked in confusion.
"Can you, truly?" Neif asked genuinely. "Are your powers as Shepherd so great that you could truly be the answer to their prayers?"
Sorey opened his mouth to answer.
"Sorey."
Subtly, Sorey turned his head to find Lailah standing alongside Velvet, her head shaking in a clear message.
"Lailah!" Mikleo hissed, walking up urgently alongside Sorey. "With the help of my artes, Sorey, Alisha, and Velvet can make it across with a reasonable amount of medicine. Why shouldn't we help them out?" He implored.
To his surprise, he found Velvet giving him a sharp, reprimanding look from beside the fire seraph. "Quiet." She hissed out of the corner of her mouth.
"…I thought so." Neif had taken Sorey's silence as an answer.
The old man shook his head slowly. "Youngsters like them are hot-headed, and thus, when faced with great adversary, they are quick to seize onto the quickest and easiest solution, even at the expense of others." He let out a sigh, looking out towards the distant opposite bank of the river with a longing expression.
"…As much as I want to return home just as much as they do and help treat my sick wife and grandchildren," he admitted softly, "It is just as important that the others remember what it means to accomplish life's trials with their own two hands, rather than wait for someone else to come around and do it for them."
He met the Shepherd's eyes resolutely. "That… is what I believe is best for the future of Marlind." He affirmed.
The pattering of rain on mud and the constant thrum of the river filled the silence following Neif's declaration. Howling winds whipped around the group of travelers, rustling their clothing and chilling them to the bone.
Mikleo's brows were furrowed in thought. "What he believes is best…?" He breathed uncomprehendingly. "How couldgetting medicine back to his town not be his number one priority…?"
At the water seraph's side, Sorey shifted on his feet. "I… I don't entirely understand." He admitted softly. "But I promise you, I will do everything in my power to help where I can."
Neif nodded gratefully. "And I thank you for that, dear Shepherd. Regardless of how I wish my fellow townsfolk would remember their own power, I too wish to save my sick family as quickly as possible." He gestured over his shoulder. "Yet, regardless, I still urge you not to let those in camp know of your identity. For I fear that if they did, they would no longer believe in the strength of their own hands to solve their problems."
Understanding, Sorey nodded slowly. "…Okay." He agreed. "Then I'll do as you ask."
"Thank you." Neif nodded, gentle smile crinkling his face. "…Do not trouble yourself with the thoughts of an old man regarding his town." He urged softly. His walking stick squelched in the mud as he readjusted his grip on it. "After all, these are things that one truly learns only through the passage of time." He promised, straightening his back.
"Farewell, gentle Shepherd." He nodded. "I humbly urge you to always remember the hope you bring to us all." With one last bow, Neif turned away from the group and began to walk back to camp through the rain; back towards his fellow townsfolk.
Together, the group watched the old man recede into the distance through the howling winds.
"…Do you understand now, Sorey?" Lailah asked softly, facing the young man in the wake of Neif's departure.
Slowly, Sorey nodded. "…Yeah." He muttered. "I think I do."
At his side, Mikleo's brow furrowed deeper as he considered the old man's wise words, a finger held to his lips.
"So." Velvet stepped out in front of Sorey, her arms crossed. "What will you do then, Shepherd?" She prompted.
After a moment of contemplation, Sorey turned to the fire seraph. "Lailah." He prompted. "Would you happen know of any earth seraphim nearby who might be willing to help us?"
"What's your plan?" Mikleo asked, crossing his arms.
Sorey met Lailah's eyes determinedly. "I was thinking, if I can find an earth seraph, I might be able to persuade him or her to construct a foundation for the bridge across the river!" He proposed impassionedly. "That way, I'll be able to help speed things along, but no so much that the people become reliant!"
Her mind going over the Shepherd's process, Velvet was surprised to find little to no flaws in such a plan. "…A solution to both problems." She nodded, impressed. "Not a bad idea." She remarked.
"Indeed." Lailah agreed, turning to Sorey. "In that case, you'll be pleased to know that an earth seraph dwells not too far to the west." She informed. "Specifically, in a mountain range known as Rayfalke Spiritcrest, a few days of travel away from here."
"Great!" Sorey fisted a hand determinedly. "Then let's go tell Alisha and get ready to head out as soon as possible!" He turned to his side. "Come on, Mikleo!" He prompted.
"Right behind you." Mikleo agreed. "Let's go!"
Together, Shepherd and seraph set off on a brisk job through the fields towards the garrison on the edge of the camp. Velvet and Lailah watched as they ran off, bursting with determination to help the people around them. The rain continued to fall all around them, encasing the two of them in their own isolated world.
"…He really does want to save everyone, doesn't he?" Velvet mumbled softly under her breath.
At her side, Lailah nodded seriously. "…Yes." She agreed softly, carefully eyeing Velvet out of the corner of her eye. "Sorey genuinely wants to help every single person he meets." She affirmed.
Velvet let out a scoff. "…Then you were right to stop him from offering to help the townsfolk." She huffed, looking off to the side pensively. "That sort of foolish thinking can only lead to disaster."
Lailah was silent, her eyes carefully studying the former Lord of Calamity's demeanor.
"…I honestly cannot find a way to understand you, Velvet Crowe." She admitted, shaking her head. "For the life of me, I cannot fathom why such a being such as yourself would want to help a Shepherd such as Sorey succeed."
Velvet let out a sigh. "Forget it." She muttered, waving an uncaring hand in the air. "All I need from you is to keep teaching the Shepherd as you are." She met the fire seraph's eyes firmly, ordering, "Do what you have to do to make him grow into someone strong enough to take a 'being' such as myself down. That's all."
"What will you be doing while I do so, then?" Lailah returned, her eyes narrowing.
"I told you already, didn't I?" The woman abruptly turned on her heel and began walking off into the rain, away from the fire seraph. "I'll have to do something about those idiotic notions of his, though." She observed as she left, waving her bandaged hand over her shoulder. "Can't have him getting himself killed trying to do something impossible like saving every human in the world."
Just like that, she walked off into the storm, leaving the fire seraph alone on the top of the hill. Silently, Lailah watched as the enigmatic woman walked off into the rain, towards the direction where the Shepherd and his seraph had gone.
Behind her, the destroyed bridge hung uselessly from its perch, slowly crumbling to dust by means of wind and water.
"Velvet, now!"
"Got it!"
With a cry, Velvet leapt towards the hellion's exposed back, her gauntlet blade springing out from its sheath. Deftly, the woman landed a single foot on the crumbling mountainside gravel and twisted, drawing her sword in a smooth arc across the back of the massive ogre. The hellion's guttural roar mixing bestial anger and agony resounded throughout Spiritcrest, bouncing off the razor-sharp cliffsides that made up the dense mountain range for miles around.
Not missing a beat, Velvet followed through with her successful slash attack and used the momentum to swing her other leg upward, simultaneously activating the hidden blade in her boot. Two deep gashes were drawn on the ogre's back, both angry shades of purple blood and gore.
Snarling and frothing from the mouth, the towering hellion turned deceptively quickly, bringing its club around to bear with frightening speed. Velvet swore, having only the time to bring her arms up in a partial block before the club landed.
CRACK!
Black spots danced in Velvet's vision as she tumbled roughly away from the attack on the sharp mountain gravel, her hair and coat tumbling with her as she finally came to a stop near the edge of the cliff. With a determined shake of her head, the woman dug a firm boot underneath her and got to her feet, only to have her eyes widen as she registered the ogre was charging directly for her, its club held high in the air.
"Azure Flurry!"
Right at that moment, a blinding swarm of otherworldly blue energy blasted through the dry windless air and smashed into the ogre's flank, causing it to recoil in agony and jerk its club to the side in reflex.
Velvet barely managed to dodge the falling club by lunging to the left, rolling away from the devastating explosion of dirt and gravel behind her. Deftly, she found the ground under her hands and pushed herself up, regaining her footing and turning to face their opponent once more with narrowed eyes, gasping for breath.
"You alright?"
She glanced briefly over her shoulder at Mikleo, whom had evidently de-armatized from Sorey and was looking her over for injuries to heal.
"I'm fine." She shook her head, dismissing the seraph's concerns. "We've got bigger problems to worry about."
"…No kidding." Mikleo muttered, raising his staff and closing his eyes, concentrating to bring an arte into to existence.
Velvet took the chance to catch her breath and survey the situation.
The group had arrived at Spiritcrest after a few days of travel and had been searching for the whereabouts of the earth seraph when they'd been attacked by a powerful hellion hell-bent on destroying the intruders in its home. And now here they were, battling a fearsome opponent on a narrow cliffside with a perilous fall on one side, leading down into a foggy abyss far, far below.
"Hah!" Sorey yelled, charging towards the ogre from his position across the cliffside path from Velvet. Behind him, Lailah let out a cry, snapping her arm outwards as she finished her arte.
BANG!
The ogre stumbled, its huge feet stomping heavily in the gravel and shaking the mountainside as it recovered from the explosion that had detonated at his flank. Capitalizing upon the distraction, Sorey rushed in and slashed a grazing blow on the side of the hellion, drawing blood.
Quickly as possible, the Shepherd ducked, dodging the retaliatory club swing that came perilously close to his head. Stumbling on his feet, Sorey retreated out of range of the ogre's swings, gasping for breath. "That was too close!" He gasped, gripping his sword with a death grip as sweat dripped off his chin.
"Be careful, Sorey!" Lailah warned worriedly, stepping back and drawing another casting card, preparing a second arte. "Your body isn't ready for another successive armatization just yet! If you get hit by that club…!" She didn't have to finish her sentence.
"Right!" Sorey nodded, catching his breath. "I will!"
"Velvet!" Mikleo abruptly yelled, his clothing flapping in the artificial wind generated as a byproduct of his casting. "Now's the time!"
Nodding, the woman charged forward in an instant, feeling the mana thrumming through the ground as the water seraph's arte completed.
SPLASH!
Right on cue, furious rushing waters blasted through the air and collided with the ogre hellion's body, causing it to reel backward and stumble, struggling to regain its footing in the aftermath of the attack. Velvet charged headlong up the center of the cliffside trail, her steel boots slamming rhythmically into the gravel as she neared her prey.
Suddenly, her eyes widened.
From out of nowhere, a figure fell down from the cliffs above and slammed into the earth between her and the ogre in a burst of dirt and gravel. Tendrils of residual wind mana dissipated from his being in the wake of a seraphic arte that had cushioned his landing. With a wry chuckle, the man got up from his knee and idly rolled his shoulders with a luxurious groan.
"Man, oh man…" He drawled into the stale, cold mountainside air, looking up into the heavens with his back to the group. "…What a bunch of amateurs."
With that, the man reached behind his back for a weapon protruding from inside the back of his waistband.
A very familiar weapon.
BANG!
Velvet held her bandaged arm up to shield her face from the vortex of wind that followed the activation of the man's weapon. A howl of unnatural wind blasted outwards from the shirtless man's form, resounding off the surrounding cliffside and echoing with a warped, twisted report that grated on the group's ears. Leather bands attached to his bare wrists flowed with the swirling winds, fluttering wildly alongside strands of his long, silver-green hair.
Velvet's arm lowered slowly as the identity of the person before her began to sink in. Memories long lost began once more to shine unbidden inside her mind. Fragments of a different time and a different world; one of ships roaming vast seas, of corrupted monsters wreaking havoc, and of knights wielding enslaved spirits as weapons.
And of a certain reaper. Of the rival he had tried so hard to save.
"…It looks like Zaveid here is gonna have to show you first timers how it's DONE!"
Zaveid the Whirlwind's astonishingly familiar voice resounded out as the seraph charged furiously toward the hellion, an unnatural wind at his back. "HAH!" He roared, flinging his arm outward while unleashing all of the charged-up mana stored within his body with a single arte.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
A vortex of razor-sharp blades of wind drove out from the wind seraph's figure, slicing through the air towards the ogre and slamming into its bulky form. Violent pops and cracks echoed off the surrounding mountains as the arte impaled the helpless hellion with the full force of a hurricane. A howling gale accompanied the attack, shredding through the world with the force of thunder. The sheer power of the arte effortlessly wrenched chunks of solid rock off the cliffside and cast them outwards into the ravine, hurtling into the foggy abyss down below.
The ogre hellion was cast bodily off its feet and onto its back, barely managing to slide to a stop a few meters away from the side of the cliff. Pieces of gravel slid with its body, tumbling over the edge of the pathway past its head and falling down into the abyss, rattling nosily in the deafening silence that followed the arte.
"Heh."
The wind seraph's steps were slow and measured as he approached the fallen ogre, his weapon gripped loosely in his right hand. Almost absently, the man reached into his pocket and drew out a single silver-tipped projectile and slotted it into the breach of his weapon.
With a click, the weapon closed, aimed directly at the head of the fallen hellion on the ground.
Lailah gasped, belatedly registering the seraph's intentions. "No, don't-!"
BANG!
Velvet watched the execution occur in front of her with her eyes narrowed. Just like that, the memories had been torn to shreds. Disrupted by the cruel reality of just how much everything had changed. Once, Zaveid had been just a fighter; nothing more. The man who stood before her now… wasn't him. For the world she remembered no longer existed.
Her fists curled.
"…You killed it." Velvet's statement broke the shocked silence.
At the sound of her voice, Zaveid's body froze in shock. Slowly, ever so slowly, the seraph turned around, Seigfried held loosely in his grip.
Ever so slowly, his wide brown eyes met Velvet's.
She stared unaffectedly back at the seraph, crossing her arms and raising a single eyebrow in response.
A rare, dry breeze blew through the ravine, warped by the surrounding jagged cliff faces to produce a haunting moan that sent a shiver down the group's spines. Pieces of gravel scattered in the soft wind, rattling off the edge of the cliff and falling noisily down into the abyss, echoing in the stale air. High up in the sky, the dull white sun continued to shine, providing little to no heat in the dark and shadowed gorges formed by the mountains of Spiritcrest.
It was a place of nothing but emptiness and sorrow, wrapped in an ominous fog shielding the rest of the world from view.
Abruptly, Zaveid let his face break into a big arrogant grin and raised his shoulders in an uncaring shrug, shaking his head and addressing Velvet's statement. "Hey," he drawled, "it was a hellion. And hellions belong in hell." He pointed out drolly.
Mikleo stormed up behind Velvet, fury in his eyes. "You bastard!" He exclaimed.
Sorey's voice was laced with horror as he stepped forward as well. "…We could've safely purified it. There was no reason to kill it!" He implored.
"Safely, huh?" Zaveid let out a ridiculing laugh, tilting his head upwards in mock thought. "It looked to me like the lot of you were getting your asses kicked." He raised an eyebrow at the group. "You guys should really be glad that I stepped in when I did."
"That doesn't mean you had any right to murder that human!" Mikleo yelled, taking an aggressive step forward and gesturing at the bleeding body of the human lying where the ogre had been. His eyes widened in horror as he took in the state of the corpse, balking at the sheer amount of blood. "H-how could you do such a thing?!" he breathed.
Unaffected by the evident horror and disgust of the water seraph, Zaveid waved a hand in the air.
"For some, death is a kind of salvation, you might say. That's why." He stated simply.
A kind of salvation… huh?
Velvet studied Zaveid's eyes acutely. There was no joking edge in the seraph's expression; no wry edge to his smirk. An unnatural coldness seemed to have slithered its way into Zaveid's eyes. She knew right then and there that he had meant every single word he had said about killing hellions.
How things had changed.
"How… how could you say such a thing?" Sorey mumbled, aghast. "You can't just decide something like that! Killing… killing should never be condoned!" Sorey declared. "
His eyes were drawn briefly to Velvet at his side before he continued hesitantly.
"At... At the very least, there has to be a good reason for why one does something so horrible!" He stated with growing vigor in his words. "That's what I believe!"
Velvet blinked and glanced at the Shepherd with surprise at his words.
To their astonishment, the wind seraph abruptly burst into laughter in response to Sorey's statement. "Oh, that's rich!" He exclaimed into the sky before lowering his head, meeting Sorey's eyes with a mocking grin. "I can always count on the Shepherd and his posse to be a bunch of goody two-shoes, can't I?" He remarked, crossing his arms across his bare chest.
"…The name's Zaveid." He grinned arrogantly. "Pleased to make your acquaintance, gentle Shepherd." With that mocking statement, the wind seraph flung out his wrist.
Quick as lightning, Velvet's sword flew out of its sheath and intercepted the pendulum shooting out from Zaveid's wrist that had been aimed at Sorey. The two weapons met together in a resounding clang that disturbed the silence of the world.
"The hell is your problem?" Velvet challenged with a snarl, shifting in her boots into a combat stance before Sorey, her gauntlet blade held at a low ready. Behind her, the group tensed automatically, reaching for their weapons.
Zaveid raised a single eyebrow in response. "My problem is that the moment I show up to wrestle with a dragon, the Shepherd and his toadies drop in unannounced to ruin my fun."
"Dragon?" Sorey blinked.
Mikleo gripped his staff tightly in his grip, shooting Sorey a glance. "…The people back by Griflet Bridge were talking about a rumored dragon living in Rayfalke Spiritcrest." He muttered. "But I thought it was just a myth."
"Lailah?" Sorey and Mikleo turned to the fire seraph, whose eyes were troubled.
The fire seraph shook her head. "Regardless, dragon or not," she addressed Zaveid, "we are not here to battle one. Your concern is noted."
"Oh… but that just won't do." Slowly, the seraph fell into a battle-ready stance, his pendulum-wielding arms held low at his sides. He let out a savage grin, eying every seraph and human standing before him. "Do you really think I'm going to let you all get eaten by the dragon and compound his power?" He let out a scoff, rolling his shoulders and falling fully into a combat stance. "Now that's a risk I am not willing to take."
"Better that you all die by my hand, here and now!"
And just like that, the seraph charged.
"Scatter!" Velvet ordered, raising her sword in preparation for Zaveid's attack. Behind her, Sorey and the seraphim backed off, with the Shepherd providing defensive protection from any casting interference attempted by their opponent. Taking an aggressive stance, the woman lunged forward and met Zaveid's charge, lithely manipulating her sword to guard against the two pendulums flying her way.
"Damn, girl!" Zaveid drawled, spinning around and dodging Velvet's retaliatory swing, aided by a burst of wind mana. "You're good! What're you doing hangin' out with a bunch of losers like them?"
Velvet's response was a swift and decisive kick, driving the wind seraph even further away from her position. "Mikleo! Lailah!" She yelled.
"Okay!" "Understood!"
Together, both water and fire seraphim finalized their artes and let the mana flow through their bodies. Flame and water mixed together in a trail of sizzling steam as both artes flew through the air towards their target. Zaveid grunted as he leapt upwards into the air to avoid the artes, aided by a gust of precisely incurred wind mana.
As he arced smoothly through the air, Zaveid flicked his hand towards the casting seraphim in retaliation, sending spikes of wind hurtling their way. Both Lailah and Mikleo were hard-pressed to dodge, leaping out of the way of the impaling blades, which slammed into the earth they'd previously been standing on.
Sorey met Zaveid the moment he touched ground, slashing his ceremonial sword towards the man's chest. With swift footwork, the wind seraph dodged and raised his arm to retaliate, only to be forced to leap backwards in a backflip as a gauntlet blade sailed through the air he had just been occupying.
Velvet didn't let up, swinging around and slamming her left boot into the seraph's gut and sending him stumbling backwards, the wind knocked out of him. Sorey followed through and drove his sword from the seraph's shoulder to his abdomen, carving a light gash on his exposed skin.
Hissing in pain, Zaveid retaliated by flinging his arms out to his sides, unleashing wind mana outwards and sending both Velvet and Sorey stumbling backwards and away from him. The two of them quickly regained their footing, shifting their weights and lifting their weapons to reinitiate the fight once more.
With a grunt, the wind seraph abruptly held up an open palm, taking a step back from the fighters as they began to charge back towards him.
"Whoa! Hold up!" He yelled, stopping them in their tracks. "I'm sorry, alright?!"
Velvet let out a huff, sheathing her gauntlet blade and crossing her arms. "Didn't work out as well as you planned, I take it?" She deduced dryly, raising an eyebrow.
"Damned right it didn't." Zaveid grunted sourly, absently taking his right hand and running it over the light gash Sorey had inflicted, healing it with an arte. He turned to the seraphim walking over with guarded expressions and shook his head. "That's enough guys, okay?" He called.
"Hey," Mikleo's eyes were narrowed, "you were the one who attacked us!"
"Geez." Zaveid relaxed and gave a helpless shrug, standing up straight. "I said I was sorry, didn't I?" He pointed out. His eyes were drawn to Sorey's guarded ones. "Let's call a truce for now. Deal?" he proposed.
"Fair enough." Sorey sheathed his sword firmly, nodding his head seriously. "There's no reason for us to fight."
"Did that stop him from attacking us in the first place?" Mikleo grumbled.
"Aw, give it a rest." Zaveid grinned, strolling forward easily towards the group. On his way, he easily laid an elbow upon Lailah's shoulder, giving the fire seraph a friendly nudge. "Besides, we're all part of the same team in the end, ya know?"
The fire seraph looked away from the man. "Are we, truly?"
Zaveid leaned in closer to the woman's face with a grin. "Well, of course, I don't plan on becoming anyone's Sub Lord… but I'd say so." With a shrug, he lifted his arm from Lailah's shoulder and fell into an easy trot downhill away from the group. "Well then, I'll leave you alone, your Shepherdness."
Sorey shifted on his feet. "It's Sorey." He pointed out tersely.
Zaveid came to a halt and gave him a wry grin over his shoulder that showed just how much he cared. "Sure, sure." He shrugged. "Just don't forget, if you see a dragon, run. I hope you've got at least that much sense in that brain of yours."
Slowly, his eyes seemed to wander into the distance, his grin fading from his expression. "…I'll leave you to it, Sorey the Shepherd. I've got better things to do."
His eyes met Velvet's for a split second, an uncharacteristic seriousness in his expression.
"…I've still got promises to keep."
His gentle words rang softly into the stale air.
And just like that, Zaveid resumed walking and left the group on the side of the mountain, the sound of his boots crunching in the gravel receding into the distance.
Mikleo broke the silence. "…Just what the hell is that guy's problem?"
Sorey shook his head wordlessly, glancing over his shoulder at the corpse still lying by the side of the cliff.
Mikleo followed his gaze soberly. "…I can't understand someone like that." He muttered. "Someone who would kill because he thinks it's 'best' for someone."
"…Yeah." Sorey mumbled. "It's sickening."
At his side, Lailah's hands were held cordially in front of her. "…Let us be off." She urged. "We have our own agenda to fulfill."
"Right." Sorey nodded softly.
Unnoticed by the group, Velvet had walked off to the side of the cliff, staring off into the distance, alone. Her arms were crossed, tucked tightly against her chest in an instinctively defensive posture. A dull breeze blew through the gorge, gently clinking the chains on her outfit and filling the silence as she absently looked out into the dead, haunting landscape.
Random conversations flitted through her mind.
Lectures of ancient artefacts; the true worth of treasures waiting to be discovered out there in the vast wide-open ocean. Statements of a creed; a way of life that made existing a matter of choice and desire. Expressions of love for a crew; a family of those cast out from society whom had found solace and purpose in each other.
…A promise.
Zaveid's words had unleashed an overwhelming cascade of dismay and horror through her body.
The moment he'd uttered them, she'd known exactly what he'd meant.
Velvet's fists clenched, hard. Her eyes boiled with a mass of mixed emotions. Unfamiliar and unwelcome feelings clashed with the bittersweet memories of a time long since passed. A searing hot lance of sadness in her heart threatened to overcome the steadiness and determination she always maintained.
Sadness for the loss of the world she'd once known.
In the distance, the peak of Rayfalke Spiritcrest loomed ominously; an inevitable destination in a long and arduous journey.
The moment the group passed over the threshold into the domain, they felt it.
A keen sense of repulsion and terror collectively lanced up their spines, driven by an animalistic instinct telling them to run; run as far away as possible from the being so unnaturally powerful as to dominate the surrounding area like so. Their steps came to a shuddering halt as they stumbled, grasping at their heads at the feelings of disorientation and nausea seeping in.
"Gah…!" Sorey shook his head forcibly in an attempt to regain his senses. "What… what is this?" He mumbled, glancing around with scrunched-up eyes.
The path had taken the group through the heart of Spiritcrest, leading them up and up into the heavens. The land had sprawled before them; their world laid out bare before the towering and foreboding shadows of the jagged mountain range. Plains, forests, mountains and hills had meshed together in a fantastic tapestry of pure unadulterated natural beauty. In the distance, the white, cool sun could have been seen slowly setting into the distant horizon, sending long, harsh shadows all across the fields far, far below.
Yet now, the world below had become obscured by a whirling vortex of purple miasma. Particles of pure, concentrated malevolence whirled around the domain like snow in a whirling blizzard. Violent gales of wind blasted sporadically in every direction with no rhyme nor meaning, tearing through the air with the ferocity of an untamed beast. An otherworldly rumble emitted from the very mountain itself; proof of the extent of the domain's corruption.
At Sorey's side, Mikleo had a hand up in front of his face, shielding him from the worst of the winds. "This… this must be the domain!" He realized in shock. He whipped around to face Lailah with wide eyes. "Lailah, can malevolence really corrupt a domain like this?!"
"N-no." Lailah shook her head, distraught. "The strongest entity in the domain decides its form." She explained. "It has absolutely nothing to do with right or wrong…" Her eyes were drawn to the raven-haired woman standing behind Mikleo.
"…or malevolence." She finished as an afterthought, blinking in surprise. Velvet wasn't listening to her.
In fact, Lailah was sure that the woman wasn't aware of anything at the moment. The fire seraph's eyebrows furrowed as she took a closer look at the woman while Mikleo and Sorey began hurriedly discussing the implications of her earlier words.
Both of Velvet's fists were clenched hard at her sides; almost as if she were physically attempting to force herself to focus through the catharsis of pain in her palms. Her entire body was stock still in the wind; a statue of suppressed emotion.
Yet it was the emotion clearly present in the eyes of Velvet Crowe that confused Lailah the most.
Horror.
The manipulative, callous hellion that Lailah had come to fear now stood there in the midst of the occupied domain with trembling eyes and a shaken expression. That cold, calculated mask that she always wore had inexplicably vanished, leaving behind an almost vulnerable looking woman in its wake.
But why…?
"Guys! Look out!"
Mikleo's call of alarm drew the attention of the entire group, causing them to gaze up into the purple fog in shock.
From out of the purple clouds fell a single arrow of darkness, approaching at blistering speeds towards the peak. In the blink of an eye, the monster shot lithely overhead the group, pushing down a furious gale in its wake to blast the group with an astounding amount of force. The group scrambled to find their footing in the furious hurricane that had been caused by the mere passing of the aerial hellion.
Sorey slammed his sword into the ground and grunted, cranking his neck and tracking the speck of black as it circled around the peak. "…The legendary harbinger of destruction." He muttered, shoving himself to his feet, his sword in hand.
"…A dragon." He breathed.
By his side, Velvet's fists clenched harder, her nails digging sharply into her flesh. She stood up in the wake of the billowing winds, her eyes fixed on the form of the monster circling her high up in the sky. The monster that had she had once considered an unlikely friend. A fragment from a different time and a different world.
"…Eizen." She mumbled under her breath, the word quickly snatched away by the billowing gales of the dragon's swirling domain.
It had been too long since she had said that name.
Her eyes closed in consternation as she shook her head slightly. No, that wasn't right. Rather, it had been too long since she had left.
The reaper malak once known as Eizen no longer existed in this world. The ship that he had been first mate of had long since disappeared into the clutches of time. The lands and oceans that he had once known like the back of his hand had long since become unrecognizable.
All that remained now…
Her eyes slid open, her body tensing slowly as a fell determination overcame her with a crushing grip.
All that remained was to make sure his ideals lived on. That he died on his terms, not on anyone else's. That nothing; fate, gods, or malevolence; held any part of who and what he was, and how he would live his life. That he would enjoy a short and brilliant existence, before the choices he had made finally caught up to him and doomed him to the end that he'd chosen.
It was Velvet's obligation to make sure her friend followed his creed to the end. It was just that simple.
Just the way Eizen had wanted his life to be.
The dragon slammed onto the center of the peak across from her, uttering a terrifying roar that rattled the very stones of the mountain. Tendrils of pure malevolence weaved and winded its way around the body of the jagged beast's hide, encasing it in a prison of its own sins. Two massive horns jutted out from its angular, serrated head, complementing the pair of vast, flowing wings sprouting from its back, braced by thick, veined muscles. Glistening saliva dripped from the row of vicious, serrated teeth arrayed along the edge of its gaping maw, hungry for prey.
This was the monster that she would have to kill to set Eizen free. The final stage of a malak afflicted with the curse of daemonblight; a being so powerful and so corrupted that it knew nothing more than the rending of flesh and the gnashing of bone.
So be it.
Her left bandaged arm lifted of its own accord, its palm angled directly at the form of the hideous monster across the peak from her. Malevolence began to emanate from the arm itself as she prepared to expel all her might in one forceful push. Her eyes narrowed in determination.
It was time to set Eizen free.
"…can't be! Are you Edna?!" Lailah's cry abruptly broke through to Velvet's senses.
The name awoke something in her; a memory from long, long ago.
A reminder of the one person whom Eizen had wanted to keep safe. The one person whom Eizen had longed to have alongside him, more than any other treasure in the world.
His sister.
And just like that, Velvet snapped out of it, whipping her bandaged arm back down to her side, cursing herself.
"Oh, Edna… I can't believe it! You… a dragon…!" Lailah had apparently fallen into hysterics.
"Nope. Guess again."
BANG!
A massive slab of rock abruptly jutted out from the ground with a deafening crack, slamming into the dragon with an explosion of rock and gravel and causing it to reel backwards in a daze. The group blinked in surprise, turning to the source of the arte approaching them from the other side of the peak.
"Huh?" Lailah blinked in shock, taking in the form of the umbrella-holding girl trotting nonchalantly through the howling domain towards them. "There are two Ednas?"
The earth seraph's blue eyes were unaffected as she stopped before the group and raised an eyebrow at the fire seraph. "Your conclusion is peculiar." She remarked, giving the members of the group a cursory once-over.
Her gaze slid smoothly over Velvet without pause.
Instead, the seraph turned around and faced the form of the dragon that had circumvented the slab of rock and begun snarling at the group once more. "Brother." She uttered in the malevolent air. "You must stop."
Her response was another blood-curdling roar, shaking the mountainside and causing her umbrella to wobble precariously in her grip from the force of its bellow.
Her eyes slid downwards softly. "…So. Even my voice no longer reaches you." She mumbled lowly, looking away.
Abruptly, her eyes snapped back to the group. "He's coming." She announced furtively. "Run like the wind, now!" With that, she fell into a brisk trot past the startled group.
Mikleo blinked. "Is she the seraph we were looking for, Lailah?" He asked hesitantly.
Lailah nodded brightly. "She is!" She confirmed.
"Then let's get going." Velvet interjected forcibly, falling into a run after the earth seraph. "Now!"She stressed over her shoulder.
Lailah blinked, her eyes following Velvet's suddenly familiar demeanor for a few seconds before snapping out of it.
"R-right!" She nodded, turning to Sorey and Mikleo. "Let's!" She urged.
Together, the group broke into a frantic sprint, charging back down the hill and away from the lair of the legendary harbinger of destruction. The furious roars of the dragon echoed throughout the mountain range, hounding after the retreating humans and seraphim.
As she ran, Velvet couldn't help but feel that there was a sort of anger in those bellows.
Anger at her betrayal.
Gritting her teeth, the therion forced herself to forget about it and keep on running. She had to keep going, she reminded herself. She had to keep moving forward. Away from the past. That was just who she was.
The thudding of her boots on gravel was her only companion as she ran away.
Clear blue waters flowed gently through the shallow river, calmly reflecting the tranquil image of the bright moon hanging high in the starry night sky. Crickets chirped in the grassy clearing surrounded by forest, their songs intertwining with the chilly night breeze softly rustling the trees and bushes.
Alongside the soft murmur of the natural ambiance came the repetitive scratching of a brush on metal. The artificial sound rang out crisply into the quiet night. Velvet's eyes were distant as she worked, methodically scrubbing one of the group's cooking pots by the river with the aid of a brush and the clear flowing waters.
The day's events continued to replay themselves inside her head. The abrupt encounter with Zaveid. The confrontation by one of the assassins of the Scattered Bones. Meeting Edna. Discovering Eizen's cruel fate… Her teeth gritted together as she gave her head a rough jerk to the side, forcing herself to focus on the task at hand.
What mattered was that the group now had an earth seraph travelling with them. Edna had agreed to join the Shepherd's group shortly after discovering the true extent of Sorey's purity, quickly ordering Lailah to allow her to become her Sub Lord. And now the group was on their way back to the Griflet Bridge, determined to aid the suffering people with her help.
What mattered was that there was once more a way forward for the Shepherd; more trials were now open for him to overcome.
Velvet turned the pot over underneath the surface of the river, roughly scrubbing a particularly stubborn patch of soot on the outside. Edna was quite the character, she reflected dryly. Just the sort of person she'd come to expect from the little excerpts she'd remembered from Eizen's letters. She had to admit, it was particularly amusing to see somebody other than herself annoying Mikleo to high heaven.
Suddenly, her brush stopped. Her spine stiffened as she registered the sound of somebody walking through the forest behind her towards the clearing.
After a moment, Velvet laid the now cleaned pot on a dry towel arranged neatly beside her and reached for another one of the soiled bowls. It wasn't long before the light footsteps entered the clearing and approached her, stopping gently behind her.
Velvet continued to scrub, working to ensure that the bowl she was cleaning was entirely clean, heedless of the other person standing behind her.
After a pause, Edna moved to kneel down comfortably down alongside Velvet by the side of the river and reached for a bowl and a brush as well. The scratching of her brush mixed with Velvet's and rang out into the night.
Neither of them said a word as they worked.
The chirping of the crickets and the soft babbling of the river filled the companionable silence as both women cleaned the rest of the group's cooking equipment, each methodically ensuring that each dish and utensil was spotless before placing it on the drying towel.
With an abrupt sigh, Edna put down the last of the pot she had been working on and leant back on her hands, gazing up into the stars.
"Nice weather tonight, wouldn't you say, Lord of Calamity?" She observed conversationally.
Not missing a beat, Velvet responded easily, "It's not bad." She flung loose droplets of water off her hands with a flick of her wrist and reached for the towel. "Used to be colder, though." She remarked.
"Hm." Edna hummed. "I agree."
The seraph glanced over her shoulder at a pile of dirty clothing lying at her side with a grumpy glare. "…We still have to clean all of that, don't we?" She muttered resentfully.
Velvet shook her head wryly. "A thousand years go by and the men still expect the women to do their laundry for them." She remarked.
"That's humans for you." Edna sighed, reaching over and tossing a dirty shirt over to Velvet who caught it with a firm hand. "Always stuck in the same old rut."
"Can't argue with that." Velvet agreed, flapping the shirt in the air and sending grains of dirt and dust into the air. Together, the two of them got back to work, washing the clothing in the river underneath the night sky.
"…Brother used to talk about you all the time in his letters." Edna's voice was soft and nostalgic, her eyes fixed on the task at hand as she worked. "It got kinda annoying, really."
"Oh?" Velvet gave Edna a sideways glance as she scrubbed the dirt off the shirt. "Out of curiosity then, what did he say about me?"
Edna gave a shrug, giving the pants she was washing a firm flick before plunging them in the waters. "Typical stuff." She dismissed. "He told me all about you and your little band of weirdos and your exploits around the world." She gave Velvet a glance. "…I wrote back and told him you sounded like a real bad influence, and that he should get his butt away from you before he caught your crazy bug." She claimed.
Velvet raised an eyebrow at the seraph. "That… doesn't sound right. From what I remember," she pointed out, "what you wrote was something along the lines of me being… 'appropriate' for him, I think." She paused for a moment, thinking hard. "…And that one day, you'd love to meet me." The memories of that one night were suddenly crystal clear in her head, warm and fuzzy. A memory at stark odds with the mountain looming quietly in the distance behind her.
At her words Edna let out a sigh, shaking her head softly and staring out into the waters with a distant look. "…If he trusted you enough to tell you what I wrote to him," she muttered, "then the two of you really must've really been close."
Velvet let out a huff, a small smile growing unbidden on her face. "Your brother was a real handful, I can tell you that much."
She laid the now cleaned shirt aside and leant back as well, curling up her left leg and resting her arms upon it pensively. "For one, that reaper's curse of his got our group into more bouts of trouble than I care to count." Her smile was soft and strong. "It was never a dull moment around with the reaper in our midst, that was for sure. I swear, there were times where I wanted to punch him in the teeth purely out of spite towards all the irritating crap that he caused to happen to us."
Edna gently twirled her unopened umbrella in her hands. "…And yet," she asked quietly, "he still allowed you near him? He didn't… leave you?" Her voice was soft and gentle.
Almost fragile.
Velvet's face softened. She shifted, turning to face the seraph fully. "…Edna." She began seriously.
"I can't say exactly how close Eizen and I were as friends back then, long, long ago." She admitted openly. "I can't honestly say for sure if we ever really considered ourselves anything more than allies headed in the same direction… even at the very end of it all." She shrugged. "That was just how our group was."
She shook her head. "...But what I can say for sure is that none of us; nobody in the entire world even; ever came close to how important you were to him." She finished firmly. "I promise you that."
Edna was silent in response, her unopened umbrella held motionless in her grip. Her eyes stared out into the distance, unseeing.
She let out a soft sigh. "…I guess it's safe to say that you haven't changed over the years, Velvet Crowe." She observed dryly, turning her body to face Velvet fully and raised an eyebrow. "…I'd introduce myself, but that would be redundant."
Velvet smirked openly. "Right back at you." She shot back.
She shrugged. "And as for my personality," she addressed her earlier words, "well, I suppose that in some ways, I'm as stubborn as your brother in that respect."
"Tsk." Edna clicked her tongue in disgust. "Like I said. Appropriate."
Velvet let out a soft laugh, turning back around and resuming her work cleaning clothes. At her side, Edna followed her lead, starting on another shirt from the pile of dirty laundry. Together, they continued work; a seraph and a hellion doing the Shepherd's laundry.
"…By the way," Edna eventually broke the silence once again, "exactly what was the deal with that doll he sent me?" She implored.
Caught utterly off-guard, Velvet let a laugh as she was reminded yet again of another obscure memory.
"That's… a bit of a long story." She explained dryly.
Edna gave the therion a glare. "Do you know just how creepy that thing was?" She demanded hotly. "Staring at me when it thought I wasn't looking? Always watching me, no matter where I put it? Just what was my brother thinking when he sent that to me?!" She implored.
Velvet raised an eyebrow. "But you kept it, didn't you?" She asked pointedly.
Pouting, Edna let out an indignant huff and turned back to her work, inadvertently confirming Velvet's statement with her silence.
Shaking her head wryly, Velvet explained, "That doll, Phoenix, was there to protect you, Edna. Regardless of how weird that little normin was, he always kept his promises to the letter." She shrugged. "That's why Eizen sent him to you; because he knew he'd protect you from anything that came your way."
The therion reconsidered her own words. "Well, now that I think about it," she contemplated, "whenever he did pretty much anything… it was always with your safety in mind."
Edna's fists clenched abruptly.
"…That idiot." She growled under her breath.
"My safety, huh? Just how fragile did that moron think I was?" Her eyes closed tightly as her jaw clenched. "…Did he really think I was worth what happened to him in the end?" She seethed.
Just like that, the light atmosphere had been broken by the addressing of the elephant of the room. Behind their backs, the looming crags of Spiritcrest rose from the land, silhouetted ominously in the night sky.
In the silence, Edna let out a sigh.
"…He just had to die on his own terms, regardless of what it meant to anyone else." Her fists clenched over the grip of her umbrella.
"…To me." She whispered under her breath.
Velvet's eyes were soft as she watched the poor seraph suffer with the fate of her brother. In a way, she was reminded of herself. Of a young girl deep inside of a monster who just missed her precious brother.
"Edna." she murmured into the air. "…I'm sorry."
The words sounded pathetic the moment they left her lips. She cursed herself internally for being so useless.
In response, the earth seraph shook her head slowly.
"…You don't have to say that, dummy." She met Velvet's eyes with uncharacteristically emotional eyes. "It's obvious how much you care…" she paused haltingly. "…cared for my brother."
Edna exhaled deeply and steadied herself, waving a hand to her side. "I'm sure it was a pretty nasty surprise to discover what had happened to him for you too." She observed dryly. "Regardless of your ancient reputation, Velvet, you can be certain that I'm very well aware of the kind of person you truly are."
Velvet let out a soft smile in response. "…Eizen was that descriptive, huh?"
Edna sighed. "Like I said. Annoyingly so."
Together, the two women let a companionable silence fall between them as they stayed there, listening to the night ambiance and letting themselves remember times long since passed. Honoring and remembering the person they'd held dear to themselves.
SNAP!
Suddenly, Velvet blinked at the sound of a snapping twig, leaping to her feet and whipping around, her gauntlet blade held at a low ready by her side. "Who's there?!" She demanded into the air. At her side, Edna got up as well, following the hellion's lead and holding her umbrella at the ready in preparation for a possible attacker.
In response, a drawling voice rang out throughout the clearing.
"Hey ladies. Nice night, ain't it?"
Velvet rolled her eyes, lowering her guard as Zaveid the Whirlwind strolled out from the bush and into the moonlight, a coy grin plastered on his face.
"It was a nice night." Was Edna's dry retort as she poked the approaching shirtless seraph with her umbrella.
"Ouch! Hey!" Zaveid yelped, hopping away, his hands held out defensively in front of his body. "Now is that really how a proper lady says hi to an old friend, Edna?"
Edna let out a sigh, pumping her umbrella open and resting it lightly on her shoulder. "You certainly haven't changed." She muttered.
"Oh?" Velvet put a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow as she ran her eyes over Zaveid's starkly different appearance. "He seems pretty different to me from the last time I saw him."
Edna deadpanned. "And that was what, a thousand years ago?"
Grinning indulgently, Zaveid capitalized on Velvet's words and spun around theatrically, thrusting his hips outwards and raising his arms outward. "Ooh, yeah. She knows what's up." He smirked arrogantly, puffing his chest out. "Do tell, Velvet dear." He drawled. "You dig?"
Velvet's eye twitched.
Nonchalantly, the therion proceeded to drop-kick the perverted seraphim across the entirety of the clearing.
"GAH!" Zaveid groaned, tumbling away from the two women as Velvet landed gently on the ground in the wake of her attack.
Without words, Edna raised a single hand in the air. Following through, Velvet walked away from the twitching form of Zaveid and returned Edna's high-five with an indignant breath.
"Heh… Damn." Zaveid laughed wryly as he found the ground below him and leapt back onto his feet, wiping dirt off his shoulders. "That's something I haven't felt in a while."
Edna cocked her head to the side dryly. "Humility?"
"Nah!" Zaveid laughed her comment off, waving his hand. "I was just remembering the times when Velvet kicked my ass back in the day." He grinned, trotting back over to the two women by the side of the river. "Those were good times."
"That's your idea of a good time?" Velvet raised her eyebrow incredulously.
"Masochist." Edna accused.
Waving his hands, Zaveid elaborated, "I meant the whole Age of Chaos thing in general." He grinned nostalgically, glancing between Velvet and Edna. "You two should know what I'm talking about. Those were the days!"
Velvet shrugged, a hand on her hip. "If you say so."
Edna twirled her umbrella idly in her hands. "It's all a blur to me, really."
"Awe, don't be like that, girls!" Zaveid implored. "C'mon! Let's just the three of us share some old memories like the wizened beings we are. It'll be fun!"
A pause in the wake of his words, filled with the chuckling of the river and the chirping of crickets.
Edna turned her head to the side. "We should get back to work."
Velvet nodded. "Good idea."
Together, the two women jointly turned their backs on the wind seraph and walked back over to the side of the river, sitting back down by the side of the river in favor of gathering more soiled clothes to wash.
Zaveid's eye twitched.
"Oh, come on!" He yelped indignantly, heatedly trotting over to the two working women and standing before them. "You can't tell me that doing chores is more appealing than chatting with the great Zaveid the Whirlwind?" He grinned.
"People who refer to themselves in third person are strange." Edna's voice was utterly unaffected as she reached into the river with a bundled-up shirt to squeeze the dirt out.
"Yeesh." Zaveid winced. "That one actually stung a bit." He muttered, turning around and leaning back casually against the side of a tree, watching the two women work.
The splashing of water and the rustling of leaves in the night breeze filled the silence once more. High up in the sky, the moon continued to shine softly into the night, blanketing the world with a soft blue light.
"…Say, Velvet."
Zaveid's serious tone broke the silence. The woman in question glanced over her shoulder at the seraph who was now watching her keenly.
"You wanna let me in on why exactly a big nasty Lord of Calamity such as yourself," he gestured towards her, "is hanging out with a new Shepherd's group? Especially without them being in the know about it?" The seraph held a thoughtful hand on his chin. "It's been buggin' me ever since I saw you earlier today, and I just haven't been able to put a finger on why."
"That's because you're all brawn and no brain." Edna retorted dryly. "She's obviously here to save Maotelus by using Sorey as a purification tool." She turned to meet Velvet's eyes. "Isn't that right?"
Surprised, but not too much so, Velvet nodded slowly. "…Yeah. That pretty much sums it up."
"Thought so."
Zaveid let out a low whistle, drawing the attention of both women. "Damn." He uttered. "So, that means you gotta put up with those goody-goody brats 24/7?" He let out an empathetic groan. "That sounds awful."
Velvet shrugged in response. "It's not bad, really." she answered. "They're manageable, I suppose."
Edna turned to her with a raised eyebrow. "So. What do you think? You think Sorey has what it takes to purify one of the Five Lords?"
Zaveid abruptly burst out into raucous laughter at the very notion. "That straight-edge?! Yeah right!" He grinned, shaking his head. "Velvet, honey, I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but I'm afraid your Shepherd isn't fit to purify a gnat, let alone a god."
Velvet let out a sigh, her eyes pensive. "I'm aware."
"…Although… From the looks of things," Edna's words were quiet and thoughtful, "it looks like he does have a bit of strength in him. The annoyingly stubborn kind."
Velvet turned to the earth seraph with a raised eyebrow.
"…So, what do you think then, Edna?" She inquired softly. "Does the Shepherd Sorey have the potential to one day do what I need him to do?"
Zaveid interjected, "I don't think you need an answer for that." He let out a lazy shrug, waving a hand towards Edna. "I think the fact that she became Lailah's Sub Lord says all you need to know about what she thinks about the precious Shepherd Sorey." He pointed out.
He let out an arrogant smirk. "Whaddya think, Edna? Not so lacking in the brains department after all, huh?" He goaded.
Edna gave him a terrifying glare in response. "Don't put words in my mouth." she growled lowly.
Gulping, Zaveid instinctively raised his arms in surrender in the face of the earth seraph's terrifying ire, hastily backing away from her in acute self-preservation.
Meanwhile, Velvet hummed thoughtfully, considering the wind seraph's words. "…I guess we'll see then, won't we?" She muttered.
"I guess we will." Edna agreed, calmly turning back towards her work as if nothing had ever happened.
Sauntering back over, Zaveid spoke up, "Speaking of which, hey Velvet, where's your buddy?" he asked curiously.
The therion raised her eyebrow at the seraph in response. At her unspoken question, he elaborated, "I'm talkin' about Leo." He explained. "Where the heck is that guy? The two of you were damn close back in the day if I remember correctly."
"Leo… I don't know." Velvet responded honestly, shaking her head. "When we got back, we were separated. I haven't seen him in months." Suddenly, an idea sprang to mind as she took a closer look at Zaveid.
The wind seraph blinked. "Huh? Something on my face?"
"…Zaveid." Velvet began. "Would you mind keeping an eye out for Leo and Hawk wherever you decide to go?" She asked.
"Huh. A missing persons search, eh?"
Zaveid rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he settled down in the dirt alongside Velvet, a pensive expression on his face. "…Well," he shrugged, "I think I do remember his face well enough to do so, and I guess it's no real inconvenience for me to keep an eye out for 'em."
His grin grew cocky. "…I'll do it if you give me a kiss." He proposed.
Velvet let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
CRASH!
"GAHAH!"
Zaveid's cry of agony resounded out through the surrounding area, breaking the tranquility of the night. He laid back on his back, clutching a particularly red palm-strike on his right cheek, tears brimming in his eyes. "D-damn." He groaned, lifting his head blearily. "That's one hell of a way to ask a favor."
"Idiot." Edna trotted over and poked his prone form with her umbrella. "Just what did you expect from the Lord of Calamity? Now get going."
Zaveid grunted, swatting away her umbrella and getting to his feet. "What, you want me gone so soon?" he complained. "But I just got here!"
Rolling her eyes, Velvet shrugged. "You can stay… But you have to help with the laundry." She met Zaveid's eyes with dangerously narrowed eyes. "Or else."
Bristling, Zaveid met her challenge with a fanged grin. "Or else what?"
Velvet held her bandaged arm up with a dry look. "I'll eat you." She threatened.
"Oh." Zaveid's grin vanished. "Right. Forgot about that."
"Now get to work or get out of my sight." she growled lowly. "Move it."
"Y-Yikes. Yes ma'am…" Zaveid sighed as he shuffled obediently over to the therion's side. "…Remind me again," he mumbled resentfully, "just how exactly did this go from a casual chat between old pals to me washing the damn Shepherd's underwear in the river…?"
Edna sighed, turning away from the other two and shaking her head in exasperation. "…Why do I get the feeling that nothing's going to get done tonight?" She asked into the open air. Despite her words, there was a peculiar smile on her face as she stared up into the distance, staring at the distant figure of Spiritcrest, silhouetted by the stars.
"…Well. Looks like thing'll be getting interesting at the very least." She muttered wryly to herself.
With one last twirl of her umbrella, the earth seraph turned her back to the mountains and went back to the former Lord of Calamity's side, her mind turning to contemplate the long road ahead for the Shepherd's group.
The moon continued to glow softly high up in the night sky, accompanied by the dim celestial light emitted by the few stars keeping it company in a sea of darkness.
Massive thanks to Paragon of Awesomeness for betaing this chapter!