Chapter 6 – Similarities.
"…She's scary." Sorey whispered under his breath, while at the same time making sure to stay keenly focused at the task at hand as if his life depended on it. "Like, really scary."
"'Really scary?'" Kneeling at his side, Mikleo felt a shiver run up his spine as he sensed the woman's eyes drilling into the back of his head. "That's putting it lightly! She's terrifying!" He hissed back, his heart pounding uncontrollably in his chest as he hurriedly shoved a pot into his pack.
"Do you think maybe she might just be… overreacting, like, just a bit?" Sorey supposed weakly, gingerly easing a pack of valuable gels into a side pouch of his own travel pack.
Mikleo shot him a look before quickly returning to his current task. "This is all your fault." He muttered resentfully, carefully arranging cutlery together in a neat pack.
"How is all this my fault?!" Sorey hissed back incredulously, in the process of neatly folding all his clothes.
"If you hadn't shoved all your stuff into our pack willy-nilly, this whole thing wouldn't've happened." The water seraph grumbled, bundling up a few rags together in his hands.
"You can't blame me for that!" The Shepherd hissed indignantly. "Besides, don't pretend you did any better than me! You're in this mess too for a reason!"
"Both of you."
The two of them froze at the chilling voice that had come from behind their backs. Looming over their shoulders, Velvet Davidson's eyes narrowed.
"Move." She snarled lowly.
"Y-yes ma'am!" "Right away!"
The two of them chorused hurriedly before returning to their work with crazed fervor, scrambling around like whipped dogs in an effort to re-pack their travel bags in a manner that would appease their vindictive overseer. As they scampered around shoving various travel items back into their packs – neatly and carefully, lest they incur the wrath of their taskmistress – Velvet tracked their movements with narrowed eyes, her boots planted firmly on the ground and her arms crossed harshly across her chest. A safe distance away from the fiasco, Edna watched on with an amused smirk, while Lailah and Alisha exchanged worried glances.
It had all started so innocuously.
It was a hot, hot day; the group was once more alone on the road, travelling towards Marlind in the heat by following a winding path through a light forest. Cicadas blared loudly in tandem throughout the trees, their squealing pitch grating on the group's ears. The spotty, inadequate shadows of the tree cover above their heads did next to nothing to shield them from the waves of heat emanating from the afternoon sun hanging directly above their heads. All the group could do was to keep on putting one foot in front of the other.
That was what the group had been doing, that is, moments before an apple had fallen out of Sorey's pack.
The Shepherd had paused at the sound of the fruit falling on the dirt behind him, turned around and stooped down to pick it up and blow the dirt off the skin, and then shoved it once more into his pack before resuming his pace.
Then Velvet had descended upon him.
"If you take one more step," she had growled over his shoulder, "I will personally see to it that you'll be walking bow-legged for the next five hours. Minimum." Pointedly, the woman had noisily tapped her steel-toed boot on the dirt.
Needless to say, Sorey froze on the spot. "H-huh?" He had stammered, turning around and facing the suddenly terrifying scowl of the woman with wide, confused eyes. "W-what do you mean, Velvet?"
The woman had simply pointed over his shoulder at his pack. "Your pack." She had pointed out. "Dump it on the ground. Now." She had demanded.
"What? Why?"
Mikleo had trotted over at this time, eyebrows raised in confusion. "Is there a reason why you're telling him to do that?" He'd asked, coming to the defense of his friend.
He'd instantly regretted that decision as Velvet lasered in on him as well with narrowed eyes. "You too."
The seraph blinked. "Huh?"
"Do it. Before I bash your knuckleheads together." She'd growled lowly, a dangerous edge creeping into her voice. "Do not make me repeat myself."
Gulping, both boys had exchanged glances and hesitantly complied, turning out their packs and gingerly dumping their contents onto the earth.
Once they had done so, Velvet had let out a vicious growl, eliciting a flinch from both of them. "…The hell is this?" She'd asked in a deceptively calm voice, her eyes rising from the pile of stuff on the ground to glare at the two culprits while her hands slowly curled up into fists. "Explain yourselves."
Meanwhile, the rest of the group had caught up with the rest of them, confused expressions of their face as they took in the three of them stopped in the middle of the path.
Sorey had blinked innocently, glancing helplessly at the rest of the group hoping for some semblance of salvation from any of them. When none came, he was forced to look Velvet in the eye and point out lamely, "It's… It's just our stuff?"
"Then tell me why…" Velvet had growled, her anger visibly peaking as the dam broke, "…the gels were in the bottom of your packs?" The woman had advanced aggressively towards them, a motion that had both boys scrambling a few steps backwards as if an unstoppable, rampaging monster was coming at them. "Tell me, why there was packed fruit bouncing around unorganized and unwrapped?" She had demanded. "Do you have any idea how unsanitary and wasteful that is?"
She had shaken her head in disbelief, jerking her hand at Mikleo's pile. "And why was that pot at the top of your equipment? What possible rationale could you have for having that be the most accessible article of your equipment?" She had taken another harsh step forward, jerking her right arm at Sorey's pile. "And why were all of your clothes unfolded? Do you not give a damn about space management? The hell kind of a Shepherd can save the people if he can't even save his own clothing from getting wrinkled?!"
Velvet's tirade hadn't stopped. Each harsh verbal blow had been accompanied by an aggressive step forward, causing the two terrified, wide-eyed boys to stumble backwards in self-preservation as the woman laid into them with all the fury of an enraged wild beast that would be sated only by the taste of their freshly spilled blood.
"Even my cousin is neater than you two slobs." She'd snarled. "Now, get on your knees this instant and reorganize your things properly with the care and respect that is expected of two grown adults before I kick you both into next week!" Her eyes had narrowed dangerously, snapping between the two animals of prey cowering before her.
"A-ah, s-sure!" Sorey had stammered. "We w-will!"
Mikleo had glanced at Sorey in surprise, before realizing that complying with the beast's demands would be the least painful way to appease it. "Y-yeah!" He'd abruptly agreed, hastily bobbing his head in compliance. "Not a p-problem."
As the two boys had scrambled around Velvet's rage-emanating form to return to their packs and began carefully repacking their stuff in a more sensible manner, Lailah, watching the entire spectacle unfold, had placed both hands on her cheeks in morbid amusement. "…Oh dear." She'd commented. "I suppose the task of teaching those two the value of proper organization had to fall to someone at some point."
Alisha had put a hand on her mouth, clearly torn between feeling amusement and horror. "I… I suppose learning to be orderly is part of the experience of growing into the role of a responsible adult… but…"
WHACK!
She had winced as Velvet smartly whacked the back of Mikleo's head for trying to put his more fragile tools at the bottom of his pack. "…Does she have to be so heavy-handed about it?" She'd asked helplessly.
At her side, Edna had had an extraordinarily satisfied smirk on her face as she twirled her umbrella for a single revolution. "They won't forget this lesson anytime soon, that's for sure." She'd pointed out smugly.
"…But even so." Alisha had shaken her head sadly, holding her fist up to her chest. "Oh, Sorey, Mikleo." She'd wished softly. "…Be strong, both of you."
Edna had shot the princess a wry look. "If you feel she's being too hard on them," she had pointed out, "you could always go over there and rescue them."
"A-ah. Well…" Alisha had winced visibly in response. "While I would… normally do that, Velvet does… raise a good point in this particular instance." She then had managed to shake herself and put on a stoic front. "…But make no mistake." She had promised, holding a determined fist to her chest. "If I feel that Velvet is taking things too far, I will intervene. I promise you that."
"Oh?" Edna had tilted her head wryly, a sardonic smile spreading on her face. "Even if doing so meant being on the receiving end of her anger?" She'd drawled.
"Wrong!"
Right on cue, Velvet had yelled out and had unleashed a vicious kick to Sorey's ankle for not folding his clothes properly, causing the poor young man to topple over to the side in agony. His cry of pure misery had resounded throughout the forest for miles around.
Alisha had winced. "Of… of course I would." She'd mumbled, utterly unconvincingly.
And that brought the group to the present, where the two young men continued to frantically shove things into their packs under the hawk-like gaze of the hardened woman overseeing their efforts.
With one last hurried check to ensure he hadn't forgotten anything, Sorey got up and lifted his opened travel pack, displaying it to Velvet with a shaky grin. "That… That look alright, Velvet?" He tried meekly.
He let out an involuntary yelp as the woman proceeded to snatch the pack from him, looking over the contents with experienced eyes. With a grunt, Velvet abruptly shoved the pack back into Sorey's arms, causing him to stumble back a few steps in surprise. He blinked, glancing up at her, nervously awaiting judgement. In response, she waved a hand.
"…Keep it that way." She ordered shortly.
Nodding fervently, Sorey hurriedly tied the pack up and shouldered it, backing off from the woman as quickly as possible. "I-I will! Thanks, Velvet!" And just like that, he trotted off, eager to get as much distance away from the positively terrifying woman as possible.
Velvet turned her gaze over to Mikleo's sweating form. "You too." She all but growled.
Belatedly registering that he was also off the hook, Mikleo's spine stiffened as he nodded hastily. "N-not a problem. T-thanks." Just like that, he took off as quickly as Sorey had done, shouldering his pack once more.
Letting out an exasperated sigh, Velvet began walking once more. She paused, turning to the side and finding all three of the other women of the group staring back at her.
"…What?" She raised an eyebrow.
"O-oh!" Alisha shook herself. "I apologize for staring!" She fell into a hurried trot past Velvet, aiming to catch up with the men as soon as possible.
Edna trotted up alongside Velvet as the group jointly resumed their pace down the road. "…Nice one." She commented offhandedly, a smug grin on her face. "Those two morons needed that lecture."
Rubbing her temple in exasperation, the therion let out a grunt. "Nothing gets on my nerves more than idiotic tendencies like theirs. Honestly, how they even managed to make it this far is beyond me."
"That makes two of us." Edna agreed dryly, gently opening her umbrella and using the canvas as a shield from the sun high up above as she walked.
The buzzing of cicadas continued in the infernal heat as the assorted personalities that made up the Shepherd's group trotted through the sparse shadows of the light forest. Sweat-drenched clothing stuck to their backs underneath their heavy travel packs and irritated their skin. Every mechanical step taken was another taken under the burning hot sun and through the dense humid air.
Suddenly, a rare breeze came out of nowhere and blew through the trees, disturbing the leaves above in a chorus of soft rustling.
Velvet felt a welcome shiver run up her spine as the cool breeze wafted over her sweat-drenched skin and chilling her overheating body. With perfunctory movements, she pushed a few wet strands of hair out of her face with her bandaged hand and continued walking with her eyes naturally shifting from side to side, taking in her surroundings with systematic efficiency.
Ahead of her some ways up the path, Sorey and Mikleo had evidently recovered from her psychological assault on their way of life and had shifted to a different topic of conversation as they walked. Alisha had caught up to them and had fallen in step with them, chatting animatedly with a smile on her face. Mikleo seemed to be arguing with her in good faith, gesturing to help convey whatever his point was. Between the two of them, Sorey had that familiar wry grin on his face as he supported one side or the other.
"They really are a happy bunch, aren't they?"
Velvet blinked and glanced over at the earth seraph trotting alongside her. "Looks like it." She agreed, returning her gaze to the Shepherd and his friends. "And that's good. The more people he has supporting him, the more likely he'll be to succeed in the end."
Edna raised an eyebrow, her eyes firmly on Velvet's form. "…You sure you know what you're doing here, Velvet?" She asked pointedly, tilting her head towards Sorey. "What you're doing with him? A big bad hellion like you trailing after his innocent little footsteps and scaring him into folding his clothes properly?"
"Oh, I'm sure." Velvet confirmed offhandedly, absently glancing off to the side and watching the trees as they slipped by. "Like I said, the more people he has supporting him, the better." She waved an uncaring hand in the air. "That's all there is to it."
"You know they won't see it that way." Edna pointed out. "If they ever found out, they'd kick you out in an instant."
The therion gave her a look. "What makes you think I care?"
Edna shrugged in response, twirling her umbrella. "Right." She remarked dryly. "The daemon that gets what she wants, was it?"
Velvet let out an amused huff. "Now you're getting it." She shook her head. "Regardless, I don't plan on them finding out anytime soon."
Edna hummed thoughtfully, idly waving a hand through the hot air and swatting a buzzing fly away from her face. "Well," she concluded dryly, "I don't see those two idiots wizening up to it anytime soon."
"That makes two of us." Velvet agreed dryly.
She abruptly turned her head to the side, watching as Lailah increased her stride to catch up with the two of them, walking alongside Edna with a serious expression on her face. Her eyes met Velvet's after glancing down at her friend.
"Velvet, did you…?"
"Before you ask," Edna interrupted, "yes, I'm well aware of who she really is."
Lailah blinked, glancing between Velvet and Edna in surprise. "…Truly?" She asked in apparent disbelief.
Velvet waved a hand in the air dryly. "…Yeah." She agreed conversationally. "And now, I'm going to have to eat her since she knows my true identity."
"Hm." Edna rotated her umbrella in a slow, partial revolution as she walked, her eyes fixed on a vague point in the distance. "Then you should know I don't taste good." She pointed out.
"Is that so?" Velvet's brows furrowed in thought. "…Then maybe I should tenderize and cook you first?" She proposed. "Seraph meat might go well in a stew, but I'll admit I've never tried it."
"You know what they say." Edna pointed out apathetically. "There's a first for everything."
"Fair enough." The therion nodded seriously without ever breaking stride. "Then Edna Stew for dinner it is.
"Oh, stop it you two." Lailah admonished in exasperation before blinking, catching herself in surprise.
Edna gave the Prime Lord a smug look in response. "There. See how easy that was?"
"…What do you mean?" Lailah tilted her head in confusion.
Closing her umbrella and exposing her head to the sun, Edna waved her umbrella towards the therion strutting alongside her. "You don't have to be so worried about Velvet all the time, Lailah." She assured genuinely. "I've seen the way you act around her. She's not going to eat us in our sleep."
Velvet gave an amused huff at the very thought, putting a hand on her hip. "Not yet, anyways." She remarked dryly, putting a thoughtful finger on her chin. "But now that you've mentioned it, Edna Stew sounds quite appealing." She remarked with a slight grin.
Lailah blinked, glancing at the hellion in question before looking back at Edna, slowly piecing together the implications of her words. "Then does that mean… Edna, you know Velvet?" She asked incredulously.
The doll on Edna's umbrella flew around in a wide circle as she twirled the object around once more. "My brother did." Her voice had taken on a soft tone.
Lailah turned to Velvet. "Is this true?"
"…Yeah. I knew Eizen." The therion affirmed, a distant look in her eyes. "He's… changed a lot since the last time I saw him, though."
Edna grunted. "That's an understatement." She let out shortly, looking away.
The brief flash of worry in Velvet's expression as she sent Edna a quick glance was not lost on Lailah. The fire seraph pursed her lips, her eyebrows furrowed as she silently put the pieces together.
"…I see." She breathed, looking away in deep thought.
Their steps in the dirt filled the silence that followed. All around the three of them, the cicadas continued to blare unceasingly into the humid summer air. The ever-present sun maintained its perch high up above their heads, beaming down through the branches and baking the ground below. Up ahead, a burst of laughter erupted from the young Shepherd and his friends, their bodies bending over in humor.
Velvet found a dry half-smile on her face as she watched Sorey and Mikleo devolve into a poking fight once more. At their side, Alisha spectated their match, a gloved hand covering her smile as she giggled at their antics. Their yelps and laughing shouts filled the air and accompanied the bright warbling of cicadas.
"When the fate of the world rests upon your shoulders..." Velvet found herself murmuring, "…the support of friends means everything. I know, because Eizen was one such friend to me."
Edna nodded quietly. "It's safe to say he felt the same way."
Velvet glanced at her and hesitantly opened her mouth. "Edna, if you don't mind me asking-"
"How did it happen?" Edna finished her question for her, looking away.
"…Yeah."
The earth seraph slowly reopened her umbrella and once more laid its stem on her shoulder, hiding her face from the sun. She let out a short sigh. "The idiot never told me. He never said a word about it, but I knew something was wrong." She twirled her umbrella absently. "There was just something about the way he wrote every letter that screamed, 'I know my days are numbered, so here's everything I want to say.'"
She rolled her eyes in disgust. "I'm sure he knew that I was onto him, but he refused to say anything about it. To him, all he wanted to do was to exchange a few more letters before he…" She exhaled harshly, closing her eyes for a moment before collecting herself.
"…When did it happen?" Velvet asked quietly. She glanced briefly at Lailah's sober expression. "It wasn't that long ago, was it?"
"No." Edna confirmed shortly. "It wasn't."
Lailah decided to speak up. "The last I saw of you Edna, long ago," she observed seriously, "Spiritcrest was still your home, as it had been for centuries. You mentioned your brother in passing, but never anything of this variety…" She trailed off.
The earth seraph let out a blasé shrug, strolling out in front of the two of them, her back to them. "Back then, I was still getting the letters." Her eyes began staring off into the distance, unseeing.
"…But then, at some point, they just stopped coming."
The footsteps of the group continued in the silence. Behind Edna's back, Velvet and Lailah shared a genuinely worried look together.
"So… then the dragon…?" Lailah prompted softly.
"I guess one day Eizen just had enough." Velvet conjectured slowly. "…And he decided to visit his little sister once more."
Lailah gave her an incredulous, horrified look.
"You're not too far off." Edna's words were bland as she twirled the umbrella, shielding her face from them. "The only reason I can think why he chose to fly back to Spiritcrest is that since I was always in his thoughts, when he turned, his warped brain thought only to come back to the mountains… to come back to me."
"What he always wanted to do." Velvet mumbled soberly.
Edna glanced over her shoulder at her, turning the umbrella to reveal her stoic face. "I guess."
"Then, Edna, the dragon-!" Lailah gasped, holding a hand over her mouth. "You mentioned something about your words… reaching him?!"
"Yeah." Edna confirmed, slowing her pace and falling once more instep with them. "When he first arrived, I thought for sure he was going to sample some Sister Stew right then and there." She sent a humorless smirk towards Velvet. "…But then he stopped, his open maw inches away from my face."
"…Then even as a dragon," Velvet observed quietly, "Eizen knew not to harm his beloved sister."
The therion tilted her head up and glanced unseeingly into the sky beyond the branches and leaves, letting out an empty laugh. "Yeah, that sounds just like him." She remarked. "In all the time I knew Eizen, nothing anyone said or did ever seemed to be able to stop that knucklehead once he had made up his mind about something."
"Yep." Edna's voice was resigned.
"…After that," the earth seraph continued, "the dragon my brother had become decided to make his nest up in the mountains. He still had enough of himself left inside him to remember not to harm me, but that was all there was. Nothing ever stopped him from taking over the mountains and killing anything that came near it."
"So goes the tale of the dreaded Rayfalke Spiritcrest." Velvet summarized somberly.
Lailah shook her head softly in disbelief. "Then no wonder the humans at Griflet warned us against going there." She cradled her hands together in front of her. "…Edna, I'm so sorry." She sympathized softly.
"Why?" Edna gave her a look. "It's not your fault."
"Even still." Lailah reaffirmed, leaning in and giving Edna a gentle, firm hug. "I can't imagine what you're going through."
Edna had tilted to the side along with the fire seraph's hug, her expression stiff and apathetic. "Wow. Touching and feeling is such an ordeal."
Lailah frowned, releasing the blasé seraph with a sigh. "You know what I mean." She accused disapprovingly.
"Still," Velvet spoke up, "I wouldn't feel too bad." She gestured to their front. "Sorey's promised to save Eizen, after all." She reminded.
Edna just gave a light huff in response. "And do you believe him?"
"That I can't say." The therion admitted, waving a hand in the air. "But if there is one thing in common between Eizen and Sorey…" She let out a huff and shook her head. "It would probably be their inborn tendency to attempt to warp what is physically possible through the sheer thickness of their skulls."
Lailah abruptly burst into stifled giggles at the statement, shielding her mouth from view.
Meanwhile, a dry grin had grown on Edna's face. "…Sounds about right." She twirled her umbrella around once more.
Lailah caught ahold of herself and smiled at the two of them. "Well, we'll just have to see the extent of Sorey's power, then, won't we?"
"Hm." Velvet let out an amused huff, idly readjusting the straps of her gauntlet blade on her right wrist. "…That we will." She intoned ominously.
Lailah gave her a gauging look. "…If that's the case," she summarized seriously, "then I can only hope that Sorey will eventually meet your standards as Shepherd, Lord of Calamity."
"You should." Velvet returned evenly, looking ahead into the distance.
Edna gave the two of them dry looks and sighed. "Forget about Sorey's thick-headedness. Nothing in the world beats the stubbornness of Ms. Evil Eyes over here."
Velvet let out a soft chuckle in response. "Well, I won't deny it."
"…Especially when it comes to organizing packs, I assume." Lailah remarked with an amused finger held to her mouth.
At the reminder, the therion held a hand up to her temple in exasperation.
"Oh yeah. That reminds me." She narrowed her eyes directly at the fire seraph, a threatening scowl on her face. "If you keep on condoning Sorey's pathetic excuse for how he folds his clothes, I'll eat both of you alive on the spot." She growled.
Lailah could only blink uncomprehendingly in response, completely lost as to how to respond to the left-field threat.
Edna turned a deadpan stare on Velvet. "You're not helping your case, you know."
The therion waved her bandaged hand uncaringly. "I just thought I'd let her know what my 'standards' are. I have to be a good Lord of Calamity, after all."
Edna's dry deadpan didn't change.
Abruptly, Lailah shook her head in exasperation, a confused smile on her face. "I honestly still don't understand you, Velvet Crowe." She openly admitted.
Her eyes met Velvet's firmly.
"And yet… It seems like I'm starting to." She observed.
"Good." Edna commented offhandedly. "Now you can stop tensing up like a frightened mouse every time she comes near you."
Lailah blinked in surprise. "Oh. I've been doing that?"
"I'm a hellion, remember?" Velvet pointed out in the fire seraph's defense. "One that's capable of expelling enough malevolence to lay waste to an entire town. It's only natural that seraphim dislike being near me." She raised an eyebrow at Edna. "I'm amazed that you're this comfortable around me in the first place, to be honest."
In response, the earth seraph just gave her a dry look. "Dragon. Remember?"
"…Right." Velvet closed her eyes. "How could I forget."
By their side, Lailah walked quietly along with a thoughtful expression.
All around them, the trees slowly rescinded as the group made their way out of the forest and into the open plains. Sparse shadows of branches and leaves became replaced with a blanket of boiling sunlight beaming down upon the grass-filled world as far as the eye could see.
"Hey, you guys!"
Sorey's cry drew their attention to where the Shepherd was standing, at the top of a hill up ahead, excitedly waving at them. "Marlind's in sight! We just need to keep on going a little longer!" With that being said, he turned back to Mikleo and Alisha and the three of them broke into a hurried trot down the hill.
Velvet exhaled in exasperation. "I have no idea how anyone in the world can maintain that level of energy."
Lailah bobbed her head with a soft smile. "Indeed, that's just how Sorey is."
"Come on." Edna waved a hand in the air. "They're gonna leave us behind at this rate."
Rolling her eyes, Velvet nodded. "Alright. Then let's go."
Together, the two seraphim and single hellion fell into a hurried trot down the path and through the heat. Behind them, the warbling of the cicadas slowly faded away as the three of them moved forward away from the forest; onward, towards the uncertain future.
The night reeked of sickness.
Shielded from the heavens by the mighty branches of a massive tree sprawled the vast, subdued town of Marlind; the City of the Great Tree. A wondrous town of knowledge nestled amongst holy trees whose branches were as a beacon unto the fruit of knowledge and the flower of aesthetics. A place no true scholar nor artist did not once frolic in.
At least, that was what it had been.
With the majority of the town's residents having been rendered bedridden, silence reigned supreme in the empty streets. Quiet, silent houses stood vigil alongside the path; their windows shuttered and closed tightly in a vain attempt to hide from the darkness haunting the community. Street lanterns dotted sporadically alongside the major town thoroughfares flickered meekly in the heavy darkness blanketing the night. Somewhere in the distance, a single wolf howled eerily into the darkened sky.
It felt like nothing short of a ghost town.
The crunching of steel on gravel gently dissuaded the silence of the night as a solitary figure quietly made her way through the emptied major pathway of the village. With her flowing black jacket and her loosely tied hair gliding behind her, her form resembled a specter in the night; one completely at ease in the overwhelming atmosphere of malevolence suffocating the surrounding world.
Velvet's lips pursed as she walked, her eyes actively scanning her surroundings in perfunctory readiness as she traversed the quiet plague town. The chains on her outfit clinked in a repetitive pattern as she maintained her steady yet aimless trot down the road, idly considering the events that had transpired earlier in the day.
The Shepherd's group had arrived at Marlind and had been positively horrified to discover the true extent of the townsfolk's' suffering. A thick, putrid cloud of malevolence blanketed the entire town, systematically inducing widespread illnesses across the people. Men, women, and children alike were seen stumbling through the hazy day-lit pathways, choking on persistent hacking coughs as they meekly made their way from one destination to another. The few fortunate souls whom had not yet been engulfed by the hellionized pathogen had ran about with dull, hopeless eyes, trying in vain to give some modicum of comfort to the sick.
The sight that had been presented at the local sanctuary had been even worse. The dead had already begun piling up, as had been evidenced by the morbid sight of arrayed human forms underneath far too many ghostly white sheets in the courtyard. Inside the place of supposed worship, those on death's door had taken up residence, able only to suffer with wheezing breaths and uncontrollable coughing fits.
All of this chaos that had been induced by a single corrupted being.
Velvet came to a slow stop in the middle of a section of path whose street lamps had flickered out in the night breeze and looked up into the night sky with hardened eyes. Her daemon-enhanced vision let her make out the ever-present form of the young dragon constantly circling around the Great Tree of Marlind like a vulture patiently biding its time before some pour soul died. The monster flourished from the malevolence induced by the suffering of the humans below.
Her eyes narrowed as she tracked the insufferable beast's movements. It continued to glide through the night sky stained purple by malevolence, silhouetting itself as it passed over the warped, ominous shape of the bronze moon. The haunting presence that none of the humans could see; a great obstacle for the Shepherd's group to overcome.
The Shepherd's group. She had no right to interfere.
With a shake of her head, the former Lord of Calamity wrenched her gaze away from the monster above and resumed her night time walk through the dark, unlit pathway. There was still plenty of time until sunrise; plenty of time for her to get her thoughts in order before the group woke up back in the inn.
Suddenly, she froze.
"A-AAH! S-stay back, pooch! B-bad dog!"
The panicked, scratchy voice was accompanied by the vicious snarling of a rabid animal, coming from a place not far from Velvet's position. Without hesitating, the woman broke into a run through the unlit streets and towards the sounds. The moment she rounded the corner, her eyes took in the scene in an instant.
An old man stood with his back pressed up against a street lamp, his trembling, wrinkled hands held out in front of him in a pathetic attempt to ward off his attacker; a snarling, rabid dog slowly closing in on its prey. Another local animal that had fallen prey to malevolence.
Snarling, the hellion pounced upon its prey, its brilliant, harsh red eyes out for blood. The old man cried out in wordless terror, his eyes wide in horror.
"DEVOUR!"
And then out from the darkness came a nightmarish sight. A massive, inhuman claw tore its way harshly through the air, accented with glistening red serrations and engulfed with pulsating, dripping malevolence. The wolf hellion stood no chance as the swiping claw intercepted it mid-flight, slamming into its head and left flank and completely redirecting its velocity.
CRASH!
The monster tumbled over itself in the gravel, yipping in agony as the sharp rocks stuck to its freshly carved wounds on its fur; residual claw marks inflicted by the appendage that had eaten parts of its skin away in an instant. Driven by adrenaline and instinct, the rabid monster struggled to its limbs, gasping for breath.
Only to be push once more into the dirt as the relentless claw slammed onto its head and pinned it down. Velvet's eyes were harsh and cold as she gave the prey squirming helplessly in her grasp a quick once-over.
Almost out of instinct, she began to devour the hellion.
Her claw came alive at her will. Its skin began to writhe and pulsate, a grotesquely familiar gulping sound filling the air as the appendage leeched the life out of the hellion. Malevolence, skin, and blood; all of it was food to the therion. The wolf gave a pathetic whine of protest as the merciless therion consumed it; its life leaving it by the second. It knew it was not long for this world.
And then a hand fell on her shoulder.
"N-no, don't. Please, miss."
Velvet blinked. Her surprise was so great that she abruptly let go of the hellion, cutting off her daemon claw from its sustenance. She ignored the yearning in her body to resume eating and instead turned fully to face the old man whom had walked up to her and put his hand on his shoulder. To a regular non-resonant human, she could only imagine what her actions had looked like; bashing a rabid dog to the side with only a bandaged arm as well as using that same arm to then crush its head. In retrospect, her actions hadn't been very subtle. Yet they had been necessary to save his life.
The old man's shaken yet stout expression stared resolutely back at her as he shook his head meaningfully, gesturing at the injured hellion behind her. "Please." He repeated, the tremor in his voice becoming less and less defined. "Let the pooch go."
Finding her words, Velvet glanced over her shoulder at the wounded hellion lying there on the ground on the brink of death. "…He attacked you, didn't he?" She asked incredulously.
"Nevertheless." The old man bravely stepped forward and slowly knelt down next to the wounded hellion, heedless of its growls and snarling. "I… I don't know what just happened here." The elderly man admitted softly. "I don't know how you just did what you did… but what I do know is that you just saved my life." He turned his wrinkled face up at the woman and smiled genuinely. "And for that, I'm deeply grateful."
He turned his face back down to the injured hellion. "But the danger is done. There is no need to hurt this little guy anymore." Slowly, carefully, the man reached into his pocket and began slathering some gels over the wounds of the monster, careful to not apply too much pressure in his administration of the medicine. "Please, don't kill him."
Velvet watched this happen incredulously, her daemon claw now hanging limply at her side. "…You sure?" She asked quietly. "That dog might just decide to attack someone else later on. It might even go so far as to kill a child."
The old man nodded intently. "Then I will take steps to ensure that doesn't happen." With gentle movements, the man reached down and ever so gently stroked fur unmarred by blood, receiving a vicious snarl in response. "I shall personally take care of it and nurse it back to health." He turned his head around and met Velvet's eyes firmly. "There is simply no need to throw its life away. That is all."
Velvet was silent as the old man returned to his work, watching with crossed arms and narrowed eyes.
All around them, outside of the range of the street lamp illuminating their portion of the path, the darkness seemed to watch with bated breath. High up above, the drake continued to soar past the warped image of the full moon.
Making a decision, Velvet dispelled her daemon claw and turned on her heel, away from the two.
"…Don't go outside at night alone anymore." She murmured. "It's not safe."
"I won't." The old man agreed softly, nodding his head. "Thank you again, miss. In these trying times, it seems that all we can do is rely on each other." He patted the injured dog once more with a soft expression. "That is all."
Velvet was silent.
Slowly, she walked off, leaving the man alone with the injured hellion that had tried to take his life. A kind old man and an injured monster, alone in a patch of light in a sea of wicked darkness.
Was he wise, or merely a fool?
She didn't have the answer to that.
High up above, the drake continued to circle unceasingly over the town.
The therion let out a sigh as she laid her head back on the hard wood wall of her room, idly appreciating the novelty of sitting on a clean, soft cot. Her eyes stared up at the ceiling of the brightly lit room; one of the three rooms that had been provided to the Shepherd's group by the local Hyland garrison in Marlind.
The small yet cozy rectangular room was minimally furnished with empty wood furniture; clearly meant to house only the passing dignitary and not to act as a permanent home. Even in here, the malevolence that was permeating the outside world seeped in through the cracks, polluting the air with a light purple tint.
Outside, the chirping of crickets could be heard through the thin wooden walls; their repetitive songs inducing a melancholic state of mind in the therion. It was sometime past midnight, she reckoned. She hadn't really felt the need to sleep, despite the ardors of the day. There was just too much to consider. She shifted on her bed, bringing her knee closer to her torso as she rested her right arm on it, idly considering her other, bandaged arm as she did so.
Ever since she had arrived back in this world, she hadn't ever had the time to just stop and really think.
Learning about the state of the continent called Glenwood. Discovering all of the changes that had occurred in the past thousand years. Immersing herself in the legends and myths surrounding the seraphim, hellions, and the Shepherd. She had been so preoccupied about furthering her goals that she'd lost sight of the fact that this world was in fact the same one that she had once called home.
The place that she'd once lived a peaceful life in. The world where she'd chat with her little brother about the ships that he dreamed of one day travelling on; the world where she'd go prickleboar hunting to afford groceries; the world where she laughed with her family at the dinner table.
The world that she'd lost long ago.
The therion let out a sigh, letting her bandaged arm fall limply to her side. How things had changed. And yet at the same time, how things had stayed the same.
How she was still the person she'd been forced to become back then.
Her mind turned to the people of Marlind. The rows of bodies ready to be put into wagons and burned outside of town. The groups of sick children huddled together in the streets. The overwhelming sense of helplessness suffocating the people.
People whom she'd save by achieving her goals. People whom the new, bright-faced Shepherd would so eagerly save if given the slightest chance to do so. People whom would be spared from the vicious plague of malevolence once the power of the fifth Empyrean, her precious little Phi, was restored. Something that would only come to pass once the Shepherd saved him from the current Lord of Calamity.
People whom she'd just as quickly doom to their fates if it meant achieving her goals. Her fists clenched abruptly. It was the truth and she knew it.
That was just the daemon she was. And will ever be.
The ever-present ball of malevolence suffocated inside her being began to writhe and pulsate, overwhelming her body in a desperate desire to expel the material evidence of her emotions. Evidence of her self-hatred.
She needed to leave. Now.
Two knocks suddenly thudded on the door to her room. "Velvet?" Came the muffled yet distinct voice of the Shepherd. "Can I come in?"
Blinking in surprise, Velvet sat up straight.
After a pause, she answered, "…Yeah."
With a noisy creak, the door to the room swung open. The Shepherd, sans his ceremonial cloak, stepped into the room with light footsteps. He blinked in surprise, registering Velvet sitting up on the bed, her long hair curled up beside her jacketless figure. "Oh! S-sorry!" He abruptly apologized, wincing. "I just saw the candlelight through door and thought you were still up." He abruptly turned to leave. "I-I'll just get going now."
Velvet raised an eyebrow in response. "You're already here." She pointed out dryly, crossing her arms and leaning back against the wall. "Mind explaining why the hell you're up this late? You were pretty much ready to pass out when we got here."
Sorey turned around and gave the woman a sheepish grin. "I… couldn't sleep."
Wordlessly, Velvet beckoned the Shepherd in. Obeying, the young man closed the door behind him and stepped into the room, electing to lean against the empty table across the room from the bed Velvet sat upon.
"So then," Velvet prompted, "what's all this about?"
Hesitantly, Sorey scratched the back of his neck before meeting Velvet's eyes. "I've… been wanting to talk to you for a while now. I wanted to ask you something."
"What is it?"
Sorey shook his head firmly. "…I wanted to ask you..." He shifted on his feet, leaning in with a serious expression.
"…How do you do it?" He asked softly.
Velvet blinked.
Sorey continued, "How did you live, knowing that you were the only resonant human around? How did you live, knowing about the existence of the seraphim and the hellions? Knowing the very truth of the world that everyone else is so ignorant of? How did you get used to being…" He trailed off.
"…Different?" Velvet finished with a quiet voice.
After some hesitation, Sorey gave a solemn nod.
"…Yeah."
The chirping of the crickets filled the silence in the wake of his question. Velvet's eyes were distant as she looked away, considering the Shepherd's words. At her side, her bandaged arm rested, innocent and motionless.
"Do you remember what I said to you, back at the Griflet Bridge?" She asked softly.
Sorey looked away, absently examining the texture of the table he was leaning against. "That I should be… relieved at the people's reactions?" He recounted, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. "I… never understood what you meant." He admitted.
"Think about it." Velvet ordered seriously, turning her gaze onto the young man. "When you commanded the very earth in front of all of those people, what did you feel?"
Sorey frowned, looking down at his feet. "Like… I was a monster." He admitted. "Like I was something other than human; something that had no right to stand alongside them."
"And why is that a bad thing?" Velvet pressed.
He blinked. "Why…? But of course, it's a bad thing!" Sorey exclaimed, his eyes wide and incredulous. "Nobody wants to be seen as different." He shook his head. "And besides, it's not like I should be any different from them to begin with. I'm human, just as much as they are."
"Are you saying that you want to lose your resonance?" Velvet asked, her eyes hard.
Sorey froze.
"Lailah, Mikleo, Edna. Your little family in Elysia." Velvet listed off. "Are you saying that the acceptance of the masses as one of their own is worth becoming as dull and ignorant as the rest of the humans?" She leaned forward on the bed, resting her elbows on her knees. "Are you telling me that you'd prefer to give up your resonance and simply become another human, clueless about the beings whom you claim to so dearly wish to coexist with?" She asked pointedly, raising an eyebrow. "Or were those words hollow from the start?"
Silence followed in the wake of her harsh words.
"…I see." Sorey mumbled softly, comprehension slowly dawning on his expression. "So that's what you meant back then."
She nodded. "And there's your answer to how I live with being different from everyone else." She shifted, crossing her arms across her chest.
"I'm just who I am. It's as simple as that."
Sorey's eyebrows were furrowed as he digested her words. Hesitantly, he pointed out, "But then… what about me?" He held out his gloved left hand emblazoned with the emblem of the Shepherds. "I know I'm young, and I haven't gone through nearly the sort of trials that I'm sure you have…" He shook his head. "It's just… how am I supposed to know who I am? What kind of person I need to become so that I can be sure of myself… like you are of yourself?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Velvet let out a scoff. "You're the Shepherd." She drawled. "The big, magical solution to the world's problems. The one destined to stave off the forces of evil, and to cleanse the world of all the havoc brought upon us by the Lord of Calamity."
Sorey frowned. "But that's a title. Not a person." He pointed out.
He shook his head. "…I have yet to decide what kind of person Sorey the Shepherd will be. There is so much that I have yet to learn; so much that I have yet to… even begin to comprehend." He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "Even with the whole Griflet Bridge ordeal and the advice you and Lailah have been giving me… I'm nowhere near finding my answer anytime soon."
Velvet's eyes had softened.
"Then just keep doing as Lailah suggests." She urged quietly. "Continue your journey. Learn more about the world, and in turn, yourself. Find out what you think is right, and act accordingly. Only you can determine the sort of person you will become, Sorey. No one can simply tell you; not even if the answer they give you is the correct one."
"…I see." Sorey nodded slowly.
He abruptly met Velvet's eyes. "Then what about you?"
Velvet shook her head. "…I've already found my answer." She stated, her eyes distant. "I've already discovered the sort of person I am. That's all there is to it. There is nothing else for me to learn."
"I… don't believe that." Sorey's objection was surprisingly firm.
He put a fist on his chest. "Gramps once told me that nobody ever stops learning; even him. Everybody makes mistakes, and everybody learns from them." He shook his head. "If I can change and find the person I want to become, then you can also do the same." He shrugged. "At least, that's what makes the most sense to me." Sorey gave a cheeky grin. "But, if you're happy with the person you've become, then I suppose there's no real reason to change who you are."
"…Right." Velvet mumbled, looking away.
Suddenly, the Shepherd let out an involuntary, massive yawn, standing up and stretching his muscles like a cat.
Velvet's eyebrows narrowed. "The chit-chat can wait. We've travelled a long way, and we still have a lot of work to do in order to purify this town. Go and get your ass in bed." She ordered, a demanding edge to her voice.
Sorey flinched, giving Velvet a sheepish grin. "Ahaha, yeah, that might be a good idea." He rolled his shoulders in exhaustion. "It's been a while since we've been able to rest in beds. I should probably take advantage of them while I can."
Velvet glared as the boy's eye began twitching sleepily. "Then get going." She demanded. "Now."
"Y-yes ma'am!"
All of his instincts sensing the impending danger before him, Sorey stood up straight and quickly hustled to the door obediently. Just before leaving, however, he looked over his shoulder and gave his companion a genuine smile.
"…Thanks for the talk, Velvet." He grinned honestly. "I really needed it."
The former Lord of Calamity gave the Shepherd a soft smile back. "…Don't worry about it."
Her smile turned into a frown. "Now go to bed." She growled.
"Y-yep! Already gone!"
And with that, Sorey closed the door with a gentle click. The sounds of his footsteps receding down the hallway echoed through the empty room as he left. Velvet let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding in, un-tensing her muscles and leaning back against the wooden wall.
After a moment's contemplation, she shook her head and banished the thoughts of the recent conversation from her mind. Instead, she turned to the candles burning slowly on her bedside table and blew them out, returning the room to darkness. Quietly, the therion slipped under the covers and closed her eyes, levelling her breathing and allowing herself to rest after a long day's travel.
She felt no need to expel malevolence anymore.
That night, she would dream of the past; of warm memories involving a group of daemons, humans and malakhim. Outside, in the darkness, the crickets continued to sing.
Massive thanks to Paragon of Awesomeness for betaing this chapter!