The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

by CloudFry

The world Velvet Crowe once knew has changed. Now, the only way the former Lord of Calamity can achieve her goals is to play along with the rest of the sheep. Cloaked in self-hatred as a monster borne of irredeemable sin, Velvet is determined to twist the young Shepherd into a tool to suit her needs through whatever means available.

15. C14 - Iris

Chapter 14 – Iris.

As always, he felt everything.

The tranquil lapping of the crystal-clear waters and the subtle nuances in the currents signaling the presence of fish traversing the shallow waters. The family of common martins sleeping together in their nest on one of the branches of the aged oak tree arcing over the river. The fickle, erratic disturbance in the breeze as the herd of deer slipped quietly through the forest, leaving jagged game trails behind in the dry grass. The woman silently gliding in the darkness towards him, making next to no noise as she approached.

Dezel crossed his arms, facing out towards the opposite riverbank as she mutely stepped out from underneath the shadows, her expression unreadable. The silence drew on until it became plainly unbearable.

"What?" he prompted impatiently, breaking the quiet.

She abruptly angled herself away from him, her eyes fixed on his figure. "Tell me." she ordered plainly. "Just how long have you been pulling Rose's strings?"

Dezel exhaled sharply, turning face her directly. "…What's it to you?" he eventually settled on replying.

The woman shrugged. "You could call it a vested interest." She crossed her arms herself. "The others told me about your interest in the Armatus. If you're going to become Lailah's sub lord, I'll need to know a little more about what you're after first."

"What are you, some sort of babysitter?" Dezel shot back.

She didn't care in the least about his comment, instead falling into a slow, methodical pace, circling around him.

"You're the reason why Rose denied the seraphim in the first place." she observed matter-of-factly. "You've been controlling her body periodically even though her body rejects your presence. You use your powers to give her an edge whenever she faces more than she can handle."

The woman put a hand to her chin pensively as she walked. "…And from what I could gather from what the other assassins told me, you've also most likely been behind many of Rose's more spontaneous choices; her decision to follow the Shepherd being a prime example." She came to a halt directly in front of him, raising a pointed eyebrow. "And now here you are, looking to quietly gain the power of the Shepherd for yourself."

Dezel glanced away, gritting his jagged teeth. "…You're an observant one." he growled.

He abruptly uncrossed his arms, a smirk growing on his partially obscured face. "…You're travelling with the Shepherd for your own reasons as well, aren't you?" he shot back, fighting fire with fire. "I myself happen to know that Rose doesn't trust you, and for good reason. You called him your 'tool,' and apparently was perfectly content to sit by and watch as he struggled for his very life." He let out a grunt, shifting on his feet. "Maybe instead of worrying about me, you should worry about yourself instead, Velvet." he growled her name at length.

Velvet tilted her head to the side, unimpressed. "What you just said is all the more reason why I should be concerned about the presence of someone like you joining us." she retorted. "I have enough on my plate as is."

"…Hmph."

Dezel slowly turned away from her, absently adjusting his top hat with his right hand. "I suppose I can't disagree with that logic."

He let his hand fall from his head as he stared out across the river. "I have my personal agenda, that much is clear." he confirmed, idly observing the pack of wolves on the opposite riverbank through the medium of the night breeze. "If Rose has become the Shepherd's squire and is now able to use the Armatus, I'll use that fact to my own advantage."

Studying the man with a hawkish gaze, Velvet asked, "What are you after, exactly?"

Dezel turned to face her fully. "Revenge." he declared coldly.

"Against the hellion who killed my friend, tarnished the name of the Windriders, branded them as criminals…" His jaw set in fury. "…and forced them to live out the rest of their lives in secrecy as an assassin's guild."

Silence followed his declaration.

"…I see."

Dezel turned her back to her, once more returning his attention to the pack of wolves hunting across the river. "Let the Shepherd know about this, by all means." he allowed. "It's not like he's the sort of person to doom a vessel-less seraph to the fate of becoming a dragon by taking his vessel from him." He glanced over his shoulder, deathly serious. "Nevertheless, don't tell Rose any of what you know. Not if you don't want your own activities revealed regarding who you're manipulating." he openly threatened.

Velvet put her hand on her hip with a stale gaze. "I'll do whatever I want, as long as it furthers my own goals." she replied unaffectedly.

Dezel let out a rough chuckle. "…Then the same goes for me as well." he returned evenly. "I'll do what I want, regardless of what you or anyone else thinks of me."

She sighed and waved a hand in the air dismissively. "As long as it doesn't interfere with my own plans, I really don't care what the hell you do." She gave him an appraising look, pursing her lips.

"…But know this.

"If you keep walking this path, things are going to go far differently that you expect." she stated quietly. "The sins that you allow yourself to commit… might just come back to bite you later on."

"And what, exactly," Dezel growled lowly, "is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing." Velvet glanced away; her expression unreadable. "They're just empty words.

"…Speaking from experience, that's all." she muttered.

Without another word, she turned on her heel and left through the forest, her coat flapping in the breeze. He frowned as he felt her leave through the wind, her parting words echoing in his mind.

"…Tch."

Shaking his head, he turned back to the river, once more expanding his senses towards the world. Out of all the things he could feel at any given moment, nothing stood out more than the keen sense of poignant, everlasting hatred he nurtured in his heart. Nobody else could understand this feeling.

Nobody.

It was what made him who he was, and that would never change.

The river beside him continued to flow as he stood there, alone.

---

"…I thought we'd be fine… but now, I'm not so sure." Sorey mumbled under his breath.

Mikleo's disembodied voice agreed. "I think it's best that you hide who you are, but the idea of making someone like you tell a lie is like…" he trailed off.

"It's…" Although Lailah wasn't visible, her falteringly optimistic expression was clear in the tone of her voice. "It's like trying to convince your best hen to lay hardboiled eggs."

"…Exactly." Mikleo confirmed.

Dezel's voice rang out alongside the rest of the seraphim with distinct sense of urgency. "Guess we better get ready to make a run for it."

Rose scratched her head nonchalantly, leaning back with her hand on her hip as she and Sorey took another step forward in the inspection line towards Lastonbell. They were surrounded on all sides by all sorts of travelers; merchants looking to find profit in the city of artisans, wearied family members just looking to find a bed for the night, and seedy-looking characters, anxiously glancing left and right as they were pushed closer and closer towards the line of soldiers inspecting the people entering the city.

"Guys, we have passes and everything." Rose was evidently completely unconcerned despite being beside the very person the soldiers were looking for. "Just chill." she stressed. "I got this." She shuddered abruptly, visibly fighting her urge to hug herself instinctively. "Just… No creepy head-voices for the time being. Got it?" she hissed.

"Hmph." Dezel wasn't too outwardly accommodating. "So long as you don't cause any trouble." he warned.

Sorey himself gave Rose a nod, readying himself for whatever she had in mind. "Kay. I'll leave it to you."

She gave him a look over her shoulder as they took another step forward in tandem. "You'd better." she warned. "Just keep your mouth shut, or the whole thing will come tumbling down like a house of cards."

She suddenly blinked, glancing around in surprise. "Say... We're missing one, aren't we?"

"Huh? …You're right!" Sorey too looked around in concern, tilting his chin upwards to see over the heads of the crowd. "Where's Velvet?" he asked, scanning for the familiar black jacket in the mix of travelers. "Did we lose her in the crowd?"

"Edna's not here either." Mikleo abruptly spoke up again. "I can't feel her inside-"

"Aaah!" Rose's instinctive yelp of surprise drew quite a few unwanted stares her way, which she quickly improvised and covered up by wincing and rubbing her foot as if she'd stepped on a needle.

"…Hey!" she hissed under her breath as people slowly lost interest in her. "What did I just say about the voices?!"

"You two! I said, 'next!'"

Both she and Sorey stood up straight as they registered that they'd suddenly made it to the front of the line.

"Coming!" Rose chirped cheerfully as she stepped forward, Sorey hurriedly dogging her footsteps while trying his best to appear calm and collected whilst at the same time keeping his mouth zipped shut.

Meanwhile, perched high up on the city walls, Velvet watched from above as the Shepherd and his squire trotted up to the lead guard overseeing the operation in the center of the square leading to the grand city of Lastonbell, a mix of bemusement and exasperation on her face.

A hum of mana announced the appearance of Edna who materialized standing beside her, her umbrella open to shield her delicate self from the sun battering down upon them. "Tired of playing along?" she asked.

Velvet just sighed, waving the bandaged hand perched on her bent knee with clear disdain. "I've had enough of this game for a lifetime, thanks." she grumbled under her breath.

Edna could only tilt her head in bemused curiosity at that.

Together, the two of them watched as down below, the show began before an audience consisting of citizens of Lastonbell, travelers entering the city, and soldiers seeking the heretic Shepherd.

A man with strikingly chiseled features stepped forward, habitually placing a hand on the steel sword with the subtle nuances of a person who knew how to use his weapon. "I am Sergei Strelka, Captain of the Platinum Knights, Defenders of the Glory of the Rolance Empire." He announced formally, proudly puffing his armored chest out in the process. He nodded to Sorey and Rose. "In cooperating to ensure the empire's peace, you prove your gratitude as much as your loyalty."

Up above on the city walls, Edna twirled her umbrella. "Is he always like this?" she deadpanned. "Or are his boxers just chafing him?"

By her side, Velvet let out a huff of amusement. "…like two peas in a pod."

"Please." Edna waved her hand disdainfully. "I have some taste in my vessels, thanks."

The therion smirked in response. "If you say so."

"Here you go!"

Rose announced happily as she pulled out and presented a stack of neatly pressed papers to the captain from her pack. "Our Merchant Guild pass." she elaborated. "We've come to Lastonbell on business. Specifically, the collection of a bill."

"Hmm." The captain raised an impressed eyebrow as he inspected the document. "The Sparrowfeathers, are you? Quite impressive."

Rose nodded amicably, shifting on her feet urgently. "We've got a strict deadline; no time to waste." She lifted a hand to point down the main thoroughfare cutting through the vast city behind the captain. "The place of business in question is the liquor establishment on the main road."

"Ah… yes. Boris' Canteen?" Captain Sergei agreed readily, handing the papers back to Rose with a smile. "That place certainly gets an awful lot of business."

Rose primly returned the papers to their rightful spot in her pack. "And we deeply appreciate being a part of it!" She tilted her head. "Is there anything else?"

"No. My gratitude for cooperating with our inspection." The captain stepped aside to allow the two to pass, his silver armor clanking with the movement.

"Thanks for all your hard work!" Rose said in farewell as she and Sorey trotted onwards past him and into the city.

Up on the city walls, Edna gave Velvet a look. "What was it again that you were worried about?" she prompted.

Velvet just shook her head, exasperation dominating her expression. "…Is it ever so simple?" she retorted dully.

"Next! You there!" Rose and Sorey froze as the captain addressed the latter directly. "Quite some garb you're wearing." he remarked, stepping closer towards Sorey with a curious expression. "Are you this young woman's guard?"

"Drat." Edna deadpanned before she vanished promptly in a flash of green.

"Uh-"

SMACK!

Sorey winced imperceptibly as Edna suddenly appeared from out of nowhere just to poke him mercilessly in the leg with her umbrella, stifling any words that were about to come out of his mouth.

"Oh, er…" Rose valiantly managed to pick up the slack, turning around to answer the captain's question. "A girl doesn't dare travel alone!" she replied lightly.

The captain gave her an inquisitive look. "Then why does he carry an ornamental sword?" he asked pointedly.

Mikleo appeared in a flash of green, taking an incredulous step forward. "He knew that Sorey's sword was ornamental?!" He exclaimed. "He's seeing right through us!"

Dezel's boots squeaked on the pavement below as he took a battle stance, his pendulums hanging readily at the base of his palms. "He's less of an idiot than he looks." He uttered lowly.

"Wait." Rose's whisper was urgent. "There are people watching."

She quickly turned around; a wide, nonchalant smile plastered on her face. "Well, y'know… We have our reasons!" she eventually settled on saying.

The captain's response was edged. "I'm asking your guard here." he stated plainly, turning his head towards Sorey expectantly.

Rose swore under her breath.

"Repeat after me."

Sorey blinked in surprise as Lailah took the initiative, standing behind him evidently with lines ready to be recited. He nodded his head imperceptibly, turning his body to face Sergei.

Up above, Velvet lifted a hand to rub her temples. It was an endeavor doomed from the start. Reports of the Shepherd's features and clothing would've travelled far and wide by this point. Combined with the undeniably bad luck that seemed to follow the group, there was not a chance in hell that the captain wouldn't've seen through their scheme. All in all, an irritatingly familiar scene.

Now, all that remained to be seen was how the Shepherd would…

"Please! Forgive my unquestionably suspicious appearance!" Sorey burst out monotonously and loudly. "The truth is, I am a son of a provincial lard!"

SMACK!

"Lord!" Sorey yelped, wincing as Edna's umbrella struck his leg again like a viper.

Sergei blinked. "Hm?"

Mikleo quickly walked around the participants of the play, giving Rose an urgent gesture. She blinked and nodded, trying her best to improvise.

"That's right!" she chirped. "My husband here is nobility!"

Dezel visibly recoiled from the statement.

Lailah's eyes shined in amazement. "What?!" she gasped. "You're married?!"

Mikleo facepalmed.

The play continued. "Never had I lifted anything heavier than a fork in my life!" Sorey recited with a high pitch. "Yet by chance did I fall in love with a travelling merchant! In the throes of passion, I threw my money and land away to be with her, just over a year ago!"

Apparently, Rose had forgotten the entire pretense at the first mention of needless financial waste. "You did?!" she asked incredulously.

Dezel had pushed his hat down as low as it could go without falling off, covering his entire face.

Both Lailah and Mikleo furiously consulted each other, managing to compensate for the assassin's slip. "E-Even my wife didn't know the full truth!" Sorey exclaimed. "The cruelties of the outside world taught me how feeble I truly am, but even so I knew a husband has a duty to protect his wife."

Edna fiercely seized Sorey's right wrist, forcing him to draw his sword and wave it around like a pitchfork. "So," Sorey recited Lailah's fiercely whispered lines, "I wear an ornamental sword at my side, as a hollow pretense of strength." Mikleo half-heartedly moved his other arm in tandem with Edna's manipulations before giving up and quietly resting his hand on his face instead.

"Laugh…" Sorey recited woodenly as his arms fell to his side in the absence of the guiding seraphim. "Laugh at the weak will of a sad, broken man!"

Dezel roughly pushed past Lailah and jerked the Shepherd's head down, completing the image. Sorey let out an involuntary groan of complaint as he was forced into a pathetic bow of shame. "Sorry!" he hissed.

Rose quickly took up the slack, jogging over and patting him reassuringly. "You're doing your best!" she responded with honest sentiment. "It's cool!"

Sorey met her eyes as she held his shoulder. "…Oh, my dearest!" he exclaimed dramatically. "Your sweet words are succor to my tired limbs!" Edna roughly dragged his arm into an angle, forcing his hand to limply rest over Rose's on his shoulder.

Mikleo's head dipped even deeper into his facepalm.

So came the end of the play as the seraphim had apparently decided that was sufficient, leaving the two of them frozen in that position, awaiting the judgement of the audience.

Up on the walls, Velvet continued to rub her temples in utter exasperation. She could only be grateful that she had had the presence of mind to slip away the moment she had seen where things were going. Her hand fell from her head as she instead watched the group of seraphim chattering frantically whereas the humans listened on silently with clear panic in their eyes. A mismatched group of strange characters brought together by strange twists of fate alone against the entire world. If only it weren't for her…

She sighed, roughly forcing herself to consider her options. She would have to intervene and help them escape as quickly as possible, somehow. She could perhaps cause a distraction elsewhere to draw the majority of the troops away, or simply go in and try her best to clear the travelers at the mouth of the gates for a quicker escape. Either way, it would do her no good if her tool was captured and sentenced to death.

"Sow the seeds of love, and they will bloom… no matter how arid the terrain!"

Captain Sergei had evidently been utterly overcome with emotion. "Live. And be strong!" he cried, turning away from them both and squeezing his eyes shut. "…Next!" he announced, clearing his throat. Apparently, there wasn't any need for her to intervene at all.

Velvet's eye twitched.

"…The hell?" she muttered out loud.

Sorey and Rose near stumbled over themselves while walking away, exchanging utterly incredulous looks between themselves and the seraphim walking alongside them.

After a moment of processing exactly what had just happened, the therion perched on the top of the walls shook her head and turned her mind to the task at hand, regardless. The wind whistled in her ear as she smoothly leapt through the air and onto a branch of a tall tree near the interior wall before efficiently making her way down the tree and onto ground level without being seen.

Eventually she herself made it to the front of one of the lines. By then the captain had been replaced by a lower ranking soldier of the Platinum Knights who gestured her forward gruffly.

"The name's Velvet." she introduced, giving the soldier a nod as she stepped forward. "I'm here to see Leo."

"Ah, you." The knight was quick to step aside with an amicable gesture. "He gave us a heads up that his cousin would be dropping by. You should go on over to the local garrison whenever you're free. He's always over there, doing some weird thing or another." He shrugged helplessly.

"Thanks."

She gave him a nod of gratitude before turning away and stepping forward into the grand city of Lastonbell, nothing more but an innocuous traveler with an easy in to enter the city during turbulent times.

This time, thankfully, there had been no doves involved.

---

Children squawked and screamed at each other as they galloped through the crowded streets and alleyways, dodging and weaving between the multitude of travelers, merchants, and workers all traversing the path with varying degrees of urgency in their paces. Youthful teenagers gathered in packs at street corners in front of popular taverns and bars, chattering amicably amongst themselves. Scattered flocks of city pigeons fluttered noisily above the heads of the humans, migrating aimlessly between the tall stone towers and sloped tiled rooves in search of a by-chance dropped piece of food. Above all of the clamor and bustle loomed the Great Belfry of Lastonbell in the brilliant afternoon sky; a monument to the fruits of combined human labor towering over the sprawling metropolis.

The entrancing melody generated by the machine-run Belfry resounded off the walls surrounding the group as they wandered through the shadowed alleyways of the town, carefully sidestepping the busy residents hurrying along the same paths. Sorey and Mikleo hadn't stopped gaping in awe, glancing animatedly about left and right in the wake of each turn.

"It looks like the warehouse district of the city." Mikleo wagered. "This must be where all of the merchandise being shipped to and from places like the Capital are being held. It's a serious amount of dedicated space."

"That explains the amount of guards patrolling the area." Sorey noted. "With so many goods tucked away in one central spot, it makes sense to keep it under careful lock and key."

Mikleo glanced around some more, idly side-stepping a trio of children sprinting by Sorey and Rose. "Funny how the warehouses are all built out of fine material." he commented. "Normally such buildings would only be designed to keep out the elements. But here, at first glance they almost seem livable."

"…Oh!" Sorey blinked. "You don't suppose these buildings are part of the old fort that this town used to be part of?"

"The central headquarters, you mean?" Mikleo covered his mouth with his hand in thought. "…It seems possible. I doubt such aged, confined spaces built for minimalist wartime would be very attractive to those settling into the newly designated town. Perhaps the people of the town ultimately decided to demolish the interiors and simply keep the shells of the buildings to act as warehouses since nobody else wanted them."

Sorey ran a hand through his hair. "Then all of this was once the grandest part of a massive military installation and is now regarded as simply storage space in comparison to the grand buildings overshadowing it. Incredible!"

"There's so much history here, everywhere you look." Mikleo agreed wholeheartedly. "I could spend a whole lifetime here studying the ways the lives of the people today build off of the work of the people in the past."

"All the intrinsic features of humanity are here, right before our eyes if you think about it that way." Sorey nodded, in deep thought.

Rose exchanged a glance with Lailah as they trailed behind the boys.

"…Guys seriously geek out over the weirdest things." She waved a helpless hand in the air. "Warehouses are just big glorified closets, aren't they?"

The fire seraph giggled in response. "Well, let them have their fun."

"…Hmph." Dezel pulled his hat down lower, trailing behind the group at a conspicuous distance as he listened to the world around him with the wind as a medium. A pack of stray dogs barked and yipped as they were chased off by a pair of guards from a nearby warehouse. A barn owl grumbled as it shifted in its upside-down perch, fighting to stay asleep in the darkness.

The more prominent noises coming from the warehouses began to fade as the group made their way out of the district, being replaced by chirping birds and rustling crops. Bright patches of yellow neighbored lush brushes of green, waving in the wind. Together, the group walked alongside the fields, admiring the stark contrast between the industrial warehouses and the widespread farms laid within the interior of the city wall.

"Say, Sorey?"

Rose's voice intruded upon Dezel's meditation as she jogged up and barged in between Sorey and Mikleo. "Aren't you worried about how Velvet just disappeared on us back there?"

"Not at all." he replied easily, resting a hand on his hip. "She can handle herself."

"Sure seems that way." Her left hand made its way behind her neck in a display of idle curiosity. "…Say, how'd she end up tagging along with you in the first place? Been meaning to ask this for a while."

The mildly transparent amber fabric bound to the frame on Edna's umbrella reflected the bright sunlight as she turned it in a single revolution. "Lost cousin. Inborn resonance." she explained simply. "She apparently thought she'd have a better chance at finding him if she travelled with the Shepherd."

Rose blinked. "A lost cousin?" she repeated. "How'd she end up losing him then?"

"Well…" Mikleo scratched his head. "That's about all we know. She actually didn't tell us too much about herself."

She tilted her head curiously. "And that… doesn't worry any of you?"

"Nope." Sorey shook his head with a smile. "If Velvet has things she doesn't want to talk about, that's fine with me. She's a friend of ours and has helped me and the others out more times than I can count. That's all that matters."

His voice carried over the breeze, past the flowing stalks of wheat and tail ends of radishbells towards a raised stone park overlooking the entire area to reach the keen ears of the therion watching in the distance. Leaning against the stone fence encircling the raised platform, Velvet continued to track the progress of the Shepherd's group from afar with an unreadable expression.

"Amazing, isn't it?"

Weathered leather boots squeaked on stone as someone approached her from behind, accompanied by the sharp, acidic scent of tobacco. She turned around in surprise. "What?"

A knowing smile greeted her, presented by a man clad in a thick, sky-blue jacket holding a softly smoking pipe held in his gloved left hand. His cheery smile widened as he returned her inquisitive gaze, stretching his wrinkled skin and moving his goatee and mustache consisting of uninterrupted silver facial hair.

"They call it the city of artisans." He strolled forward with the gait of a man whom was more than accustomed to walking, gesturing with his pipe towards the view presented before them. "Every time I find myself in this place, I find myself swept away by the sheer novelty of it all without fail. The bells, the bustle, the sheer vibrancy of it all! Nowhere else in this entire world could a man possibly find a more colorful settlement booming with character and charm." He paused to lift his pipe to his lips, inhaling deeply with an air of satisfaction.

Despite herself, Velvet found herself responding to the strange white-haired old man that had so suddenly struck up a conversation with her. "What makes this place so special?" she asked.

"The simple prevalence of the arts flowing in its veins." he answered, his breath coming out accompanied by wisps of smoke. "The potter in the corner store. The architect on the rooftop. The trader on the street and the worker in the warehouse. Representatives from every profession in the world could be found here if you looked hard enough. It makes for a brilliant canvas of civilization."

Velvet shifted on her feet, crossing her arms. "That would also include the army garrisoned in the city this close to the front lines, then. The farmers with withering crops and merchants with dwindling stocks of food as well." she pointed out blandly. "If you ask me, the people of this city probably ought to spend less time worrying about how pretty things look and more about keeping their families warm and fed through the winter instead."

In response, the man nodded deeply, the shine fading from his smile. "…Indeed, lass. We are in troubled times, after all. The sort of times where the finer things in life seem to lose meaning to most." His pipe smoldered quietly in the midday heat, held up by his steady hand.

"…If you look around," he abruptly noted, "you'll find strange variations in the design of the buildings surrounding this area in particular compared to the others in the city. Why, might you say, would this be the case, missy?" He left the question hanging in the air as he once more returned his attention to his pipe.

The overpowering scent of tobacco surrounded Velvet's world as she tilted her head to the side, considering the man's question. "Because this place once used to be a military fortress." she answered. "That's the reason behind the tall city walls and the presence of a belfry that once served as a communication tower."

The stranger sucked on his pipe. "Correct." he responded happily.

He put his pipe down and crossed his arms over the railing of the park, closing his eyes and enjoying the light breeze. "This city, grand as it is in character and veracity, was built in the first place with the sole purpose to serve as an institution of warfare. A shrine to blood and battle; an impregnatable display of power and prowess to the enemy, whomever politics would dictate that to be at the time. Truly, rich within the very bones of this city, lies an allegory to the true nature of man."

"Not a particularly optimistic outlook." she noted.

"There will always be shadows that accompany the light." he replied evenly. "It simply seems to be a fact of the human condition. Conflict and peace. Abundance and famine." His head turned to meet her gaze, an unreadable glint in his eyes. "Prosperity… and Calamity." He turned to face her fully, his kind smile unwavering. "Wouldn't you agree, lass?"

Her eyes had hardened.

"…Why do I get the feeling you didn't start chatting with me just by chance?" she muttered.

He shrugged unaffectedly, glancing over his shoulder at the distant belfry shining bright in the glistening sunlight. "…The clocks may tick," he muttered softly, "the bells may ring, but at the end of the day there is nothing more inevitable in this world than of the dual-faced nature of man. It is only through acknowledgement of this fact that mankind might move forward and create something better; something greater out of the ruins and chaos of the past."

He met her eyes directly, returning her suspicious look with a serious gaze. "…And that, in its entirety,is the story behind why this city is so special. Make sense?" There was something distinctly familiar in that gaze of his. Unsettlingly so.

With a creeping sensation nagging her, Velvet opened her mouth and began, "You-"

"Mayvin!" Rose's call rang out in the air.

A shiver ran down her spine.

"Velvet! There you are." Sorey greeted cheerily as the rest of the group trotted up to her and the old man called Mayvin, who turned to greet him and Rose with a beaming smile. "This someone you know, Rose?"

"Right." Rose jogged up and slapped the old man on the shoulder happily, who let out a mock groan in response. "This is Mayvin." she introduced. "He's not with the guild, but we owe him a whole lot. He's an explorer, and yes," she added, "they still make those."

"Cool!" Sorey exclaimed.

Mayvin chuckled heartily with a respectful nod. "Pleased to make your acquaintance. You are no doubt the Shepherd I've heard so much about?"

"My name is Sorey. How'd you know I was the Shepherd?"

"Hahaha! Isn't it obvious? Anyone could tell just by looking at you."

Rose sighed, putting her hand to her temple. "We're lucky the guards at the gate weren't so observant then." She glanced at Velvet. "Looks like you've met Velvet already."

"Not quite." Mayvin's boots squeaked on the stone as he stepped forward, producing a hand to offer to Velvet, a bright smile on his face. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the Shepherd's advisor as well." he professed. "You can simply call me Mayvin."

Carefully watching his eyes, Velvet grasped the hand and shook. "Velvet." she responded simply.

He answered with a nod; his broad smile unwavering. With that, he turned back towards the Shepherd and Rose. "That reminds me, Shepherd…"

No longer the focus of the conversation, Velvet turned away from them all and returned to leaning on the stone railing, a hard look in her eyes. The city of Lastonbell sprawled out before her. High up above, the beautifully sculptured belfry began to clang once more.

---

Silence reigned supreme within the deserted sanctuary. Every single slip of the boot on carpet felt like sacrilege against the all-encompassing absence of noise in the vast vaulted chamber. Rows of pews lined the elegantly carpeted path towards the altar stationed beneath a glistening mosaic of stained glass that glowed serenely with an otherworldly light.

"…"

Amidst the silence, a soft, focused muttering became distinct to the others exploring the sanctuary. Sorey turned around curiously as Rose trotted up to him with a distracted expression. "What was that?"

At his side, Velvet too came to a halt and turned around. "Something wrong?"

Her muttering increased in volume.

"Fethmus Mioma, Luzrov Rulay, Hephsin Yulind… Fethmus Mioma, Luzrov Rulay, Hephsin Yulind…!" Suddenly she whirled around, clenching both her fists and crying out into the empty sanctuary, "FETHMUS MIOMA, LUZROV RULAY, HEPHSIN YULIND!" Her voice resounded off the stone walls with a near deafening holy volume.

Velvet dryly raised a single eyebrow in response.

Beside her, Sorey took a step back. "W-Whoa, Rose! What are you doing?!"

"You tell me!" The assassin grumbled back, pouting ferociously. "When I formed the pact with Lailah, she told me I had to remember those in, like, three seconds! And now I can't get them out of my head!"

The seraph in question brought two hands together brightly, her cheeks reddening. "It was an emergency." Lailah defended herself. "I couldn't help it!"

Velvet let out a breath. "If it's been bothering you so much, write them down." she suggested. "You should be glad the learning curve to be a squire isn't steeper."

"If that's true, then why didn't you make a pact with Sorey yourself?" Rose grumbled, leaning on the arm rest of one of the pews. "You apparently have plenty of this 'resonance' stuff that the princess didn't have."

Mikleo's chuckle preceded him playfully resting an elbow on Sorey's shoulder. "Velvet? Sorey's squire?" he laughed openly at the notion, nudging his friend playfully. "She'd totally eat him alive!"

"Yep." Edna, sitting in the front row of the pews, deadpanned. "Guaranteed."

"…Hmph." Dezel settled back on the stone wall in the corner, tilting his hat forward. "Like a lion for a housecat." he noted with amusement.

Velvet just rolled her eyes. "…If you say so."

Heat flushing his cheeks, Sorey fought back against all the emasculating comments of the seraphim. "N-no! It's nothing like that!" He winced, feeling Velvet's hard gaze turn on him. "I-I mean, yeah, maybe just a little bit…" He hurried on to the main point before his words could get twisted any further. "What I mean to say is that-"

"Yeah, yeah." Rose tilted her head to the side. "Velvet is Velvet. That about right?" she interrupted dryly. By her side, Lailah burst into another fit of giggles, covering her smile with a hand of casting cards.

"Y… yeah." Sorey finished with a weak smile.

Velvet put a hand on her hip. "It's just not who I am." she answered simply. Her gaze slid dryly to the fire seraph standing beside her. "One could say it goes against my nature." she quipped ambiguously.

Lailah's eyebrow twitched.

Rose hummed thoughtfully in response. "…Yeah. That makes total sense to me."

She shot Sorey a sideways smirk. "Sorey would totally suck at keeping a strong grown-ass woman like you leashed up like his own personal hound." she goaded.

The Shepherd's embarrassed sputtering elicited grins from all those present.

"A… anyway." Sorey managed to compose himself and turn his back to the rest of them, facing the alter of the sanctuary. "I think it's safe to say that there's no guardian seraph here."

Edna crossed her legs on her seat in front of the pews. "Then what should we do?" she prompted. "Look for a seraph who can bless it?"

Rose scratched her head. "Anyone wanna clue me in? What's a guardian seraph do?"

"Guardian seraphim maintain a dominion over the surrounding area," Lailah explained succinctly, "helping to reduce malevolence and correspondingly the number of hellions created. For example, that was what we did back in Marlind to help reduce the effects of the plague, which was largely spurred on by the presence of overwhelming malevolence. By establishing Rohan as a primary benefactor of the area, alongside a dedicated caretaker of the pure vessel, we were successful in quelling the plague in the city."

"But here," Mikleo analyzed, "we'd have no idea where to start looking for a seraph who could potentially serve in that role. We'd be here for weeks."

Sorey nodded soberly. "We're better off leaving this place for now. We've got to keep our priorities straight."

Edna tilted her head. "The shrines, then?"

"Yeah."

"…You'll have a hell of a time with that, "Dezel muttered, "if you can't even tell when you're being followed."

"Who are you talking to? The stained glass?"

Sergei Strelka, Captain of the Platinum Knights, Defenders of the Glory of the Rolance Empire stood alone in the entryway to the sanctuary, his left hand resting on the pommel of his sword as his eyes leapt between Sorey, Rose, before lingering on Velvet. "…Didn't you have urgent business at the restaurant on the main street?" he asked them conversationally. "What was the name again…?"

Rose shook herself. "Y-yes, right!" she chirped. "Boris' Canteen!"

The captain's eyebrows narrowed; all pretenses of conversation gone. "There is no restaurant by that name."

Dezel cursed, readying his pendulum down by his waist. "He's alone. Let's take him down and get outta here!" He yelled, jerking his arm towards the armored man.

CLANG!

The pendulum clanged noisily as it was deflected against the wall of the sanctuary, having been driven off by a swift stroke of the longsword in the captain's hand. "What?!" Dezel gasped. "Can he see us?!"

"Nope. He's just that good." Edna sighed, leaning back in the pew. "…Have fun with your human friend, Sorey." she said dismissively.

Rose stared at her incredulously. "Huh? Seriously?!"

The Shepherd put a hand on the pommel of his sword with a shrug. "This is a human problem, after all." He raised his voice, "Outside, then?"

Sergei nodded sharply before turning around on his heel. "Outside."

As Sorey started walking, following Sergei out the door alone, Velvet glanced to the side at Rose. "Worried?" she asked.

"Well… yeah!" Rose exclaimed. "Aren't you worried that Sorey's a bit too in over his head? That guy's like, super strong!"

Mikleo put a hand on his chin seriously. "I'd imagine she's just curious to see how far her sword training has taken Sorey." he guessed. "Am I wrong?"

"…That about sums it up." Velvet waved a hand, beckoning them forward. "Come on."

Together, the group stepped out into the bright evening sunlight, out onto the paved stones littering the neat fenced-in courtyard of the Lastonbell sanctuary. It wasn't hard to spot the glistening armor of the captain and the brightly embroidered cloak of the Shepherd as they squared off before the fountain in the middle of the enclosed space.

"I shall apologize for deceiving you." Captain Sergei's commanding voice bellowed out. "Now then…" Metal sang as his longsword was ripped from its sheath, wielded by a determined warrior clad in silver. "You're going to tell me who you really are!" he roared as he slashed his sword towards Sorey.

His blade whistled through empty air as the Shepherd merely sidestepped the blow, instead retaliating with a quick jab of his ceremonial sword inside the captain's guard. With almost incredible strength, Sergei tensed his muscles and wrenched his sword back up to parry.

CLANG!

Boots ripped on grass as the two began to circle each other like a pair of dueling bucks, eyes locked firmly onto the other's gaze. Through an unseen signal, both fighters lunged forward once more.

Steel slammed harshly against steel over and over again between irregular intervals the size of fractions of a second. Sorey and Sergei both grunted regularly as they danced to the metallic tune of combat. The ceremonial shortsword of the Shepherd jabbed with quick and light stabs, punctuated by heavy-handed swings and somewhat unorthodox dodges. On the other hand, the captain's style was defined by bold, defining slashes carving unerringly through the air with a reach far outpacing his opponent's weapon. The fight continued.

"Blade Fang!" Sorey cried, leaping upwards with a slash before quickly following the maneuver up with a downward stroke, forcing the captain to the side.

"Impressive!" his opponent remarked, smoothly driving his sword to the left before retaliating with a sweeping slash at Sorey's gut. "Allow me to respond in kind!" His eyes narrowed as he took a step back, holding his offhand splayed before him in preparation.

"LION'S HOWL!"

BANG!

Sorey barely managed to avoid the spontaneous burst of azure mana that erupted from the captain's left hand. "Whoa!" he yelped, quickly grasping his sword with both hands to guard against a follow-up swing. "What was that?!" With a grunt, the Shepherd pushed the locked blade off his own and answered with a whirling slash.

Sergei side-stepped the move, readjusting his grip on his sword with a ferocious expression. "An arte! Handed down with pride in my country!" he declared, sweeping his blade from the grass to the sky with Sorey right in between.

To his surprise, his opponent responded not by dodging by any orthodox means, but rather by diving towards his offhand side with his blade swapped to his left hand.

"Eat this!" Sorey yelled, slashing as he touched down with his right hand on the grass.

CLANG!

"Agh!" The captain grunted and stumbled forward in surprise, fighting the pain that had violently erupted from his left ribcage where his opponent's blade had collided against his armor.

Not letting up, the Shepherd got to his feet and tossed his sword in the air with his offhand. Tensing his muscles, he leapt up after it. His fist closed perfectly upon the hilt of the sword in midair as he fell down from the heavens, mana aiding his descent straight towards Sergei, whom had just barely managed to regain his grip on his sword in a clumsy upward guard.

"SHATTERFANG!" Sorey cried fiercely, wrenching his sword down combined with his own momentum.

CRASH!

Velvet, Rose, and the rest of the seraphim whom had also come outside to spectate watched as Sergei's platinum armor tumbled across the courtyard, tearing up grass and expounding dirt into the air. Eventually the man came to a halt on his knees and sword, gasping for breath.

Sorey soon found his feet, himself heaving for air as he quickly felt himself for any wounds in the wake of the attack. Having found none, he turned his attention to his weakened opponent and began to approach him, his sword held limply at his side. Dezel leant by the fountain in the center of the courtyard, his arms crossed in clear disapproval as Sorey passed him.

"You held back." the seraph muttered. "You'll regret it later."

The Shepherd came to a halt, turning to face Dezel. "…I'll be fine." he returned seriously. "I appreciate you looking out for me."

Dezel sighed, kicking off the fountain. "Even your comeback is weak." he growled, before walking off.

"Are you… speaking to seraphim?" Sorey blinked and turned around to find the fallen captain slowly getting to his feet, wincing at his aching body. "So, during the inspection," he mumbled, "you really were…"

Sorey stood to attention and gave a short bow, his sword still held by his side. "I must apologize for lying to you, Captain."

"…No." The armored man managed to straighten himself enough to return a composed bow. "It is I who owe you an apology, Gentle Shepherd."

Sorey blinked. "Huh?"

Sergei's longsword squealed as he returned it back to its sheath. "Only in the clashing of blades may one gauge a man's strength." He gave a short, polite nod. "Please, call me Sergei. Might I ask your name?"

"Sorey." The Shepherd easily sheathed his own sword in kind, fully relaxing his body. "You're a strong fighter, Sergei."

"Coming from you, that gives me a great measure of pride." Sergei tapped his chest with his fist. "And yet this battle shows only that I have so much more to learn."

Sorey nodded wholeheartedly in agreement. "Of course. There's always more room for improvement for everyone."

"…So, what gives?"

Rose scratched her head as she and the rest of Sorey's group walked over to meet with the two of them in the aftermath of the duel. "I thought the Rolance Empire is on edge because of the Shepherd. Why'd you come here alone when you suspected Sorey in the first place?"

"I had heard enough rumors and merely desired to see the truth about the Shepherd with my own eyes." Sergei replied evenly, idly resting his hand on the pommel of his sword. "A man to be feared by those he deems unworthy, or so they said. A force of the heavens, my troops recalled. Or of hell, depending on which man you asked."

Sorey laughed nervously, scratching his cheek. "That's… a bit of a stretch."

"I disagree." The captain shook his head. "With bona fide seraphim by your side, the power you hold is truly that of the gods of old and should be properly respected as such." He tapped his sword pommel. "When such power is in play, all that matters is of the strength of character wielding it. Nothing more."

"Hence why you came to test Sorey by your own means." Velvet concluded, crossing her arms. "A bold move."

"I did not rise to become Captain of the proud Platinum Knights by taking half-measures." Sergei stated firmly, meeting Velvet's gaze. "I also do not believe you were around for the inspection."

"I wasn't." she responded shortly. "Velvet."

"A pleasure." Sergei shifted on his feet. "Now, with all of the details have been cleared up, I believe it would be best for me to inform you as to the state of the Rolance Empire itself." His expression darkened. "To come clean just as to why it came to be that the Shepherd himself would be forced to intervene in between a conflict between an invading Rolance force and a defending Hyland."

Rose tapped her boots on the grass. "Yeah, what gives with that? Princess Alisha on the Hyland side managed to keep her crazies in check, but then you guys went on ahead and blew everything clean out of the water!"

Sorey nudged her with wide eyes. "Rose!"

"What?" She waved her hand in the air. "You saw it all throughout town today. Not a single person we came across was in favor of war breaking out. There were even a few who didn't even know that it had! Doesn't that sound wrong to you?"

"No, I agree. Your anger is absolutely justified." Sergei nodded with a sober expression. "I hope it will be sufficient for you to believe when I say as the captain of the Platinum Knights that this offensive was an abject failure of the politics of the Rolance Empire." He sighed. "Alas, it is the duty of all knights of Rolance to follow the orders of the emperor. Regardless of any external influence that might have corrupted said emperor's regime, we must do our duty. Failure to do so would only lead to far more chaos and confusion and perhaps the complete destabilization of the Rolance Empire as a whole."

"Like pawns on a chessboard." Edna noted absently. "…He's got a rational head on his shoulders; I'll give him that much."

"External influence… huh?" Rose put a hand on her shoulder seriously. "Like who?"

Sergei opened his mouth to explain more but was interrupted by the voice of a single man entering the courtyard, drawing the attention of everyone present. "As nice as this conversation is, I don't think the church will take too kindly to us espousing heresy on their doorstep."

The captain was the first to react, blinking. "…Leo!" he exclaimed. "What are you doing away from the troops?"

The bespectacled man in matching platinum armor shrugged helplessly as he walked up to them, his armor clinking in the quiet of the courtyard. "I got word from one of the others that my cousin was in town." he said as way of explanation. "You know how much of an impatient bastard I am, Sergei. I couldn't just sit around and twiddle my thumbs waiting for her to show up."

Sorey's eyes widened. "Wait. Leo?" he breathed in recognition. "That's…!"

All eyes immediately turned to Velvet, standing there with a hand on her hip. She gave a soft shrug, waving a hand and returning Leo's gaze. "Got a better place in mind for us?" she prompted him.

The man responded by jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Right this way." He glanced over at his captain. "Mind if I take the lead, sir?"

"Be my guest." Sergei allowed easily.

Nodding, Leo beckoned everyone forward, falling into a steady pace back out into the thoroughfares of Lastonbell with Sergei close behind. The rest of the group seemed frozen in shock, sending confused glances between the newcomer and Velvet, whom was apparently completely unsurprised by the presence of her lost cousin.

Velvet gave them all a once-over, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

Mikleo closed his mouth only to open it again. "What do you mean 'what'?! Isn't that who you've been looking for this entire time?"

"How boring." Edna tapped her closed umbrella in the grass. "I was hoping you'd show some emotion, at least. Shed a tear. That kind of thing."

Lailah tilted her head to the side. "You never told us that your cousin was part of the Rolance Army, Velvet." she pointed out curiously.

"I didn't know. Not until recently at least." Velvet responded with a helpless shrug. "He gets himself into all sorts of weird messes when I'm not around. Don't ask me how."

"Oh… I see."

Rose cocked her head to the side in confusion. "So… wait. Was he the reason why you split up with Sorey during the battle? You wanted to meet up with him alone or something, away from all the fighting?"

"…Oh!" Sorey plonked a fist in his palm. "That makes perfect sense!"

"No, it doesn't!" Mikleo shot back in astonishment. "Why wouldn't she just tell us if that were the case? We could've helped her!"

Velvet put a hand on her hip, her eyes narrowing. "Are you saying there was no reason for to me to leave the side of my master? That I ought to have tugged on my leash to drag him over to where I wanted to go?" She let out a derisive scoff. "Give me a break."

Mikleo's face had gone tomato red, to the amusement of the others. "Th-that's not what I meant, Velvet!" he yelped.

"Ahahaha!" Sorey laughed, running a hand through his hair. "Well, whatever works in the end, works." he supposed lightheartedly. "Come on, guys. Let's go."

Mikleo sighed. "…Fine." he grumbled.

Rose sighed as the rest of the seraphim and humans walked off, following in the footsteps of the Captain and his subordinate.

"…Geez." She scratched her head. "Never a dull moment in this crowd, huh?"

Inside her head, Dezel grunted. "Ridiculous." he disparaged.

"AAAH!" Rose yelped, leaping in the air instinctively. "Just what did I say about the creepy voice-in-the-head thing?!" she demanded, shuddering.

"…"

High up above, the sun continued to sink through the evening sky, bringing another productive day in the city of Lastonbell to a close.

---

"Stupid mutt! Leave me alone!" Edna's pouting voice echoed off the surrounding stone walls of the garrison courtyard, accompanied by defiant yips and yowls as a small wolf pup hounded her as she walked. "I said leave me alone! This is mine!" the earth seraph reiterated, clutching the apple closer to her chest with a pout.

The wolf pup growled playfully in response, bouncing up and swiping at the delicious fruit held in her hand.

"Don't make me kick you!" Edna threatened grouchily, holding the apple high up in the sky and out of the demonstrably irritating pup's reach. This only served to encourage the wolf more who began nipping at the seraph's oversized heels in an attempt to distract her from his quarry. "Quit it!"

Across the courtyard, resting their backs on the walls of the garrison, Velvet and Leo exchanged wry looks as the latter's malak continued to harry poor Edna.

"Quite the colorful bunch of people." Leo remarked, himself tearing into a washed apple clutched in his hand. "Not at all the type I'd expect to accompany a Shepherd on his journey to save the world."

"You're telling me." Velvet muttered in exasperation, biting her own apple as she surveyed the small rectangular courtyard illuminated by the soft, fading light of the setting sun in the distance. Sorey and Lailah were taking a walk on the battlements, observing the view of the city from above. Rose was chatting with a group knights, evidently getting along with them just fine. Mikleo was trying to strike up a conversation with Dezel, and evidently not having too much luck at that. She swallowed the mouthful of apple, unaffected by lack of taste it provided. "Did your squad make it out alive?" she asked.

The man ran a hand through his hair with a rough chuckle. "Apparently they thought I'd been captured by that mad spy lady that had wiped the floor with them. Needless to say, I had to tweak the truth a little bit to make ends meet in that respect."

"And if they see me around here and recognize me?"

Leo gave her a wink, tossing his apple in the air. "They won't say a word." he promised. "I made it abundantly clear that if they did, you wouldn't just wipe the floor with them again, you'd turn them into part of the floor. And trust me, after the beating you served up, those chuckleheads will happily take that secret to the grave and beyond."

Velvet rolled her eyes. "Good enough for me." she replied dryly.

Leo played with the apple in his hands, his smile fading from his expression. "On a different note… You do know what we're up against… right?" he asked quietly.

Velvet stared at the bitten apple in her hand. "Yeah. I've seen him with my own eyes; Heldalf, the Lord of Calamity. The one holding Phi hostage." Her grip tightened.

"Careful." Leo muttered dully. "That's a perfectly good apple."

He shook his head, biting his own fruit once more. "The seraphim around Rolance are few and far between," he explained, "but I managed to piece together the same conclusions on my end as well."

Velvet took a calming breath, glancing over at him. "And what did you find out, exactly?" she prompted.

"The curse of the previous Shepherd. A hateful man infused with the fallen fifth Empyrean. Phi." he muttered. "That's why everything's been going downhill lately. Famine's been breaking out everywhere; natural disasters are running rampant. People are turning against each other and starting wars over dwindling natural resources. In the absence of the fifth Empyrean, shit gets real when the powers of the other four are allowed to run rampant."

He sighed. "And that's about the extent of my knowledge. You get anything else on your end?"

Velvet's eyes were distant, staring into the courtyard unseeingly. "We've learned of shrines dotted around the continent." she added. "Places where the Shepherd might venture to so that he may undergo trials. Four in total, the closest one to here being located in Biroclef Ridge. We think that these places might provide opportunities to improve Sorey's power."

"He'll sure as shit need it." Leo shook his head. "For someone to go up against a hellion backed by the full might of a corrupted empyrean and with a strange mystical curse linking the two of them together to boot… he'd have to be tough as nails and then some, with a boatload of power as well." He glanced at Velvet. "The Silver Flame; you've seen it firsthand. The power to purify hellions into turning back into humans, huh? Is it really strong enough to handle something like that?"

"Laphicet's power isn't the problem." Velvet stated firmly. "The real question is the one regarding the user's capacity to harness it, is all."

"And from the sound of things, you think Sorey's the guy for the job, no?"

Velvet's eyes were inevitably drawn to the figure on the top of the walls across the courtyard from them; his ceremonial cloak flapping in the breeze in a world dyed orange by the setting sun. "…I can't say for sure." she admitted softly. "We'll just have to wait and see." Soft remnants of the breeze floated down from the top of the ramparts, disturbing her hair and clothing.

Leo's gaze had softened in the silence that had followed her statement. "…Must be a nice change of pace, huh?" he commented lightly. "Playing hero, I mean."

His statement had the opposite effect that he had wanted. Velvet glanced away; her expression unreadable. "…Yeah." she muttered dully.

Cursing himself internally for his callousness, Leo opened his mouth to say something else only to be interrupted by a familiar commanding bellow.

"Shepherd's group! Leo! Here!"

"…Ah." Leo adjusted the glasses on the bridge of his nose. "He's back." He got to his feet alongside his friend, quickly chomping down on the rest of his apple. "Come on."

The rest of the seraphim accompanied Velvet, Leo, Rose and Sorey as they made their way over to the Captain of the Platinum Knights awaiting them at the tiled center of the courtyard. To Leo and Velvet's amusement, Hawk arrived as well, carried in the arms of none other than the earth seraph Edna, who pointedly ignored their looks and focused on Sergei as he cleared his throat.

"Everyone, I apologize for the delay. Thank you for waiting for me." He turned to his subordinate. "Leo. Are you prepared to depart?"

"All packed and ready to go, sir." Leo replied easily. "Just give the word."

Rose blinked. "Go? Well, where are you going?"

Taking a few steps forward to stand beside the Captain, Leo turned around and addressed everyone present. "Look, I was pretty lost for a while there after I'd gotten split up from Velvet. Sergei and the rest of the Platinum Knights here took me in and helped me out with the sort of kindness I didn't deserve when I was lost and alone." he explained. "I figured it was time for me to pay back the favor."

Sergei chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't owe us anything. Nevertheless, I will not deny that it would be a great boon to us to have a man with true resonance at our side, and with a seraph companion to boot. Especially when it comes to the task we have at hand."

Sorey's eyes widened. "You… know about resonance, Sergei?!" he exclaimed.

"I gave him the short version." Leo grinned easily, twining his hands behind his neck casually. "He believed me pretty quickly after I gave Hawk free reign to rummage through his stuff. Now that was some funny shit."

The pup in question yipped at the mention of his name, nestled comfortably in Edna's arms.

Mikleo held his chin in contemplation. "…I suppose that explains how he saw through our act at the inspection so easily. Not that it was that hard to begin with…" he shook his head. "But what does he mean by 'the task at hand?'"

Rose held her shoulder thoughtfully. "I imagine it has something to do with that 'external influence' he mentioned earlier."

"You are correct." Sergei nodded deeply. "As I said before, the Empire is currently battling with an unprecedented degree of corruption and evil amongst the members of the institutions surrounding the emperor."

"And that's primarily the church." Leo clarified. "That is, the Cardinal and her hellion-loonies."

"Hellion…? You mean… the followers of the church are hellions?!" Sorey exclaimed.

Lailah intertwined her fingers together worriedly. "That would explain quite a few things regarding the actions of the Empire lately. Very worrisome."

The snap of fingers drew the attention of everyone present as Leo pointed a finger directly at Sorey. "Not your problem." he stated firmly.

Sorey blinked. "But-!"

"Velvet's told me all about what you're up to these days." Leo continued. "And from what I can tell, what you've already got on your plate is a great deal more important than all of these petty human squabbles."

Dezel crossed his arms, his teeth showing. "You're telling us to just ignore the hellions infesting the capital?"

Leo shook his head. "No. I'm telling you all to leave the hellion infestation to me."

Silence fell in the wake of his statement. Only to be interrupted when someone cleared their throat noisily.

Leo winced. "I-I mean, us. The Platinum Knights, that is." he corrected hastily with a nervous grin, glancing over his shoulder at a disapproving Sergei. "The church might have been taken over by hellions, but we can still minimize the damage they can make politically by severing ties between the state and the church. I've been assured that we have an in with the Emperor himself."

He shook his head, meeting Sorey's eyes earnestly. "Regardless, the point is that I want you, as the Shepherd, to focus on Shepherd things." He grinned wryly. "If you don't take the fight to the Lord of Calamity as soon as possible, far, far more people are going to suffer because of it, and it all would have been for nothing. It's just that simple."

"Shepherd." Sergei stepped forward as well, his hand ready on the pommel of his sword. "We ask for your blessing, so as we could act on your behalf on such matters. As such, we as the Platinum Knights shall seek to rid our great Empire of such filth through whatever means we can, whether it be through politics or force. We shall beseech the Rolance Royal Family to gain support for our cause and will help stop the war that we only have ourselves to blame for igniting."

His armored hand curled into a determined fist, raised up into the air with an air of righteous determination. "Make no mistake, this matter is one borne of Rolance blood, and therefore must be solved by the means of those from Rolance. With this man standing beside us as a true member of the Platinum Knights, we shall have an edge in power and perception that will allow us to overtake the evil plaguing our nation!" His armor glistened in the awed silence that followed his declaration, his entire body framed in a powerful stance pointing a defiant fist upwards towards the heavens, decrying his dedication for blood and banner.

Edna sighed. "He really is always like this, isn't he?" she muttered.

"Yep." Leo nodded sagely. "He's exactly like this, absolutely, positively, one hundred percent of the time."

His cheeks reddening, Sergei cleared this throat and let his arm fall from the sky, recomposing himself once more.

"…I hope I have made my motives and plans clear, Shepherd." he said, facing Sorey respectfully. "I admit I am not entirely familiar with this 'Lord' that you must battle, yet I have learned to trust this man standing beside me with my life and believe that what he speaks is the truth. Therefore, I must ask if you will agree to this plan of action, allowing you yourself to focus on your own battles that are far beyond the understandings of a simple mortal man such as I?"

Just like that, the decision once more rested at the feet of the Shepherd. The fates and well-being of thousands of lives on the line. Sorey slowly lifted his head, meeting Sergei's eyes squarely.

His mouth broke into a small, earnest smile. "Sergei, Leo, thanks."

Sorey put both hands on his hips. "You're both right. I… have to keep my priorities straight. It was a mistake in the first place to ever get involved in the war between Hyland and Rolance. Now that I know what I know, I can no longer stray from the path laid out before me. My dream of coexistence between seraphim and humans… that will never, ever be a reality with that man in the way." Sorey's right hand tightened into a fist around the pommel of his sword. "Heldalf."

"The Shepherd's duty is to quell the Lord of Calamity. And that is exactly what I aim to accomplish." he concluded strongly, raising his eyes to meet Sergei's and Leo's. "Thank you, guys, for helping achieve what I could not. Really. Please, do what you can to help your people."

"Don't mention it!" Leo grinned easily. "We resonant humans need to stick together, huh? Besides, you can't be everywhere at once, 'O Gentle Shepherd."

At his side, Sergei was beaming. "Wonderful! Then we have a plan. The knights shall make for the capital with haste and immediately launch a renewed campaign against the corrupting reign of the Cardinal."

Rose abruptly spoke up. "Not that I don't doubt your abilities and all, but sometimes the best way to go about doing things isn't by being loud and official."

The Captain blinked. "Whatever do you mean?"

The smile Rose gave him was loud and prideful. "I wasn't lying when I said I was part of the Sparrowfeathers, ya know. If you ever need help, one way or another, just find your friendly local branch and let them know what you need. If nothing else, they're a great way to keep us in the loop of what's happening in Rolance as we go about our travels."

Sergei exchanged a glance with Leo. "…Those services would be greatly appreciated, milady. We will need all the help we can get in the battles to come, both physical and political. I thank you."

He abruptly bowed down to the ground with deep apology. "As a means of parting, I should say now that this mess between Rolance and Hyland should have never happened in the first place. I am utterly sorry for involving you and your husband into all of this. Please, forgive me."

Everyone blinked.

"Huh?" Rose stammered.

"Now then." Sergei announced, straightening his spine formally. "It would seem that our paths have been forged through the cast made of our own iron wills. By your leave, Shepherd, I shall begin preparations at once."

Sorey nodded sharply. "Good luck, Sergei. With everything."

"And to you as well, Shepherd Sorey."

Together, the group watched as the captain and Leo walked off into the courtyard, deep in discussion as to what steps they would take to prepare the troops for deployment back to Pendrago. The silence drew on for a long time after the two of them had left.

Mikleo finally broke it.

"He seriously thinks you two are married?!" he exclaimed.

Sorey and Rose scratched their heads at the same time. "What a weirdo." they both muttered.

Lailah clapped her hands together optimistically. "But! He's so pure!" she chirped.

"A pure idiot." Dezel deadpanned, to which Velvet could only nod in wordless agreement.

---

The night had been long and dark by the time the Shepherd's group had finally decided to come to a halt to rest until morning. Most of the group were lying in bedrolls and slowly falling asleep, lulled by the steady crackling of the campfire in the center of the campsite that they'd set up on the top of a small hill in the middle of the Meadow of Triumph, west of Lastonbell. The famous leaning towers of the meadow dotted the darkened landscape as far as the eye could see; great jagged pillars of stone mysteriously built for reasons beyond even the most intuitive of scholars.

A world of mystery; of secrets and stories ripe for unearthing. How he relished every waking moment of it.

He might've gotten a bit too over in over his head, however, to be honest. He and Mikleo had refused to stay in the inn that night in Lastonbell, but rather elected to forge boldly out into the fading daylight to get a head start towards the first of four shrines that the Shepherd would have to undertake. Sergei and Leo were counting on them, after all, and the quicker they dealt with the Lord of Calamity, the quicker the world could recover from the slump it was in. Yet that also meant that he had completely forgotten about the concept of dinner, admittedly.

He glanced guiltily to the side from his own bedroll to where Velvet slept, bundled up in her own sleeping bag with her chest rising and falling at a steady rate. He had her to thank for being prepared and having a bag of groceries readily available in her own pack when they inevitably began to feel hungry that night. Her cooking had been, as always, extraordinarily good.

His brow furrowed as his thoughts once more began to turn with the tide of his thoughts, back to the parting words of her cousin a few hours earlier before they had left Lastonbell for good.

"I have something to tell you." Leo had said, drawing him aside inside the garrison of the Platinum Knights. "It's about Velvet."

Sorey had been thinking about this very subject himself at the time. "She'll be coming with you to Pendrago, right? After all-"

"No." The man had cut him off, shaking his head seriously. "She wants to keep travelling with all of you."

"…Really?" Sorey had breathed. "But… why?"

Leo had shifted on his feet, clearly uncomfortable with what he was about to say, tapping on the pommel of his sword rhythmically. "She never told you what happened to her brother, did she?" he had near forced out through his lips as if it had pained him.

"Her brother…? Back home near Ladylake? No, she didn't tell us much at all, really." Sorey hadn't felt very comfortable openly discussing Velvet's actions, even if it was with her cousin.

Leo hadn't seemed surprised in the least. "She's not the most… open of types, huh?" he had smirked weakly. He had shifted uncomfortably on his feet for a few seconds before eventually getting to the point. "Listen." he'd muttered. "Her brother's dead."

Sorey's eyes had widened in shock.

He hadn't stopped talking. "All of our family's pretty much toast at this point, leaving just the two of us on our own in this world. There's nothing left for us back there, and really what we've been doing these past few years has just been to wander about aimlessly, looking for someplace to hold us down."

It had suddenly all made sense to Sorey. Velvet's tight-lipped demeanor, her skills when it came to travel and weaponry, that look she gotin her eyes when she stared out into the distance at times.

"And I'm telling you, man." Leo had continued earnestly, a pained look in his eyes. "There's a reason why we never found another place to settle down after her brother died."

At Sorey's inquisitive expression, the man had elaborated, "Velvet has never truly let go of the memory of her little brother." He had shaken his head. "Try as I might, I can't get her to move on. I know that deep down inside of her, there's a part of her that still longs to do what her brother couldn't back when he was alive. To travel the world… That was always Laphicet's dream."

Sorey's mouth had run dry at this point. He eventually found his voice again after a moment of processing it all; the history of the enigmatic stranger whom had become his friend over the course of her tagging along with him. "Of… of course." he had responded firmly. "I told her when we first met that she's welcome to travel with us, as long as it's not a problem for her." He'd smiled softly. "She's a good friend to all of us. You don't have to worry about your cousin, Leo. I promise."

Leo's eyes had dug into his in the silence following his declaration, seemingly seeking any sort of deception in his own gaze. Eventually, it became evident that he'd been satisfied by what he'd seen.

"…Velvet's been through a lot." he had murmured quietly. "Far more than I myself have ever gone through, trust me." He had glanced away at that point, staring out into the setting sun with that same strange look in his eyes.

"Listen. Whatever she does during her time with you… just… regardless of what it is… just keep what I've said in mind, alright?" he'd breathed, almost imperceptibly quietly.

Sorey had nodded without hesitation in response. "I promise. She will always be welcome with us."

Leo had chuckled strangely, looking away. "Good."

Sorey frowned as he ruminated on that conversation, thinking about all of the things Leo had revealed to him that Velvet herself had never once opened up about throughout their weeks of traveling together. Her brother… her family. The things Leo had alluded to but had never quite made clear exactly what it was that Velvet Davidson had undergone during her trying lifetime.

He shook his head, berating himself for being insensitive. Whatever her past might be shouldn't concern him one bit. All that should matter to him now, would be to continue to ensure that she was welcomed in with the rest of the group, regardless of what she might've gone through or where she might've come from.

He had said that she was welcome here, and he'd be damned as a Shepherd if he ever went back on his word.

CRACK!

Everyone jolted in shock and surprise as an inexplicable branch of bright purple lightning fell from the clear night sky to crash loudly into the nearby plains, accompanied by a blinding flare of bright white light that detonated across the land, rendering the soft yellow light of the campfire completely insignificant. Weapons were drawn and mana was pre-emptively gathered as seraphim and humans stumbled out of their bedrolls, alarmed by the sudden supernatural burst of lightning.

"The hell was that?!" An upset Rose yelped, flipping her two daggers in her hands readily.

"Ugh!" Edna groaned as well, blinking the flash of brightness from her eyes. "Is it too much to ask for a speck of sleep around here?!"

Lailah's eyes widened. "Malevolence!" she gasped. "Is this a domain?!"

"…No." Mikleo shook his head, slowly lowering his staff. "It looks to be just a gathering of leftover malevolence, brought about by an arte."

Sorey exchanged wide-eyed glances with Rose. "An arte…? It can't be…"

Velvet stepped forward; her eyes fixed at the point where the bolt of lightning had fallen. "…There's something down there." she announced.

Exchanging wary glances, the group slowly moved forward, keeping their weapons at the ready and their eyes scanning the skies for any further artes. None came. The foreboding the silence that had returned in the wake of the strike reigned supreme, unbroken by even the chirping of crickets. The whole world felt stagnant as they approached, almost frozen in anticipation.

The only thing that awaited them in the charred patch of grass at the base of the plains was a single round stone, unnaturally smooth and simmering with a faint red and purple glow.

"This is…" Sorey mumbled, reaching down to pick up the strange stone.

A flash of white.

---

A mosaic of shifting shadows and brief silhouettes of light. A vision mixed with creeping fingers of obscuring darkness blackening out the world.

From within the harsh blasts of white mixed with darkness came violent flashes of red and violet; jagged, asymmetrical lines running in tandem crashing against the walls and floors shaped by the vague hues of light and dark.

Violent explosions of flame, unobscured by the tendrils of black terrorizing the image, stood out in stark contrast to the rest of the scene; each flash of a subsequent explosion revealing vague details about the scene.

Pools of blood, standing out too starkly in the darkness began to gather and congeal in the streets of white, corrupting the pure landscape until the entire world seemed to lay tainted by specks of maroon.

Amidst it all, a single vague figure could be seen strolling through the chaos. One utterly distorted and obscured from view, yet an undeniable, terroristic presence, nonetheless.

---

Sorey blinked rapidly as his vision returned to him, carefully reorienting himself by feeling each one of his senses and finding himself back in the darkened plains alongside his friends, all of whom were similarly disoriented and recovering in the aftermath of the vision they evidently had all shared at once.

"That was… an iris gem?" Lailah seemed hesitant in her words, a strange look in her eyes as she steadied herself on her feet.

Mikleo gave her an incredulous look. "That was an iris gem?! That was nothing like what is described in the Celestial Record! It was so…!"

"Dark." Edna remarked. "So frustratingly dark. I couldn't see anything."

Dezel crossed his arms, frowning. "It looks as if someone has tampered with this memory."

"Tampered?" Sorey repeated incredulously. "But I thought iris gems were treasured because of their resistance against tampering!"

"That's… not necessarily correct." Lailah intertwined her hands before her quietly, avoiding their eyes. "While it is true that memories stored within these stones could never be altered, obscuring them is another matter altogether."

"And so that's what happened with this one, huh?" Rose considered seriously. "Wonder why?" Her gaze tilted upwards in the darkened heavens from where the lightning arte had originally come from, her lips drawing firm. "…You think this is his work?"

"Heldalf's?" Mikleo asked quietly. "Sure looks like it. But that begs the question of why?"

Meanwhile Sorey, still kneeling on the ground, had taken to staring at the dormant iris gem in his palm with a deep, serious expression. "…Mikleo." he prompted abruptly. "Did you see that back there? What made that vision so strange?"

Rose raised an incredulous eyebrow. "Gee, wonder if he did?"

Mikleo shook his head in response. "No, he's talking about something other than the blood and explosions. There was one thing in particular that caught my eye also in that vision." He crossed his arms seriously. "Sails." he stated. "On fire."

Sorey nodded. "Which indicates a period far, far in the past, back when naval empires were in the height of their power with an alternate arrangement of the continents."

"Between the Asgard Unification Period and the Era of Asgard, then." Mikleo concluded. "No other time period to date contained such supremacy of recorded naval technology." he grunted, cupping his chin with his hand. "To think someone could go so far as to massacre dozens in the streets, and to so carelessly destroy such miraculous technological achievements to boot!"

"But who?" Rose asked quietly. "Who is this iris gem trying to tell us about? Someone obviously went through a whole heck of a lot of effort to try and get the message across."

Sorey got to his feet, reaching into his pack to pull out a book with a green cover, his lips drawn in a thin line.

"A past Lord of Calamity." he muttered. "One by the name of Velvet Crowe."

Mikleo folded his arms. "The events line up with the narrative presented in that book of yours, then?"

The Shepherd nodded seriously. "One of the many atrocities she committed in that era; ones that would ultimately snowball and lead to the downfall of civilization itself... The end of the Graceful Asgard era."

Mikleo's eyes grew wide as saucers. "…Sorey! You don't mean to say that one being was the cause of the end to an entire era of mankind?!" he exclaimed.

"It was just a hunch I conjectured when I first read this." Sorey admitted. "But now with this iris gem depicting one of the infamous events explicitly defined in this book… it seems more and more likely to be true."

"…Unbelievable." Mikleo muttered. "This might very well be the true extent of the influence of a Lord of Calamity allowed to run amok upon the world."

Rose put her hands on her hips. "So, to sum things up, things probably won't go so well if we fail to bring that Heldalf guy down, huh?" she shook her head. "Geez. You weren't kidding when you said you were in for it." she muttered.

"If you want to-" Sorey began.

"Don't even think about it!" Rose cut him off good-naturedly. "I decided to become your squire because I figured it was the right thing to do, and so far, I've only seen proof that confirms that sentiment. You asked me to tag along on your little adventure, so come on! Lighten up a bit, would ya?"

Dezel huffed. "Leave it to you to tell a guy trying to save the world by going up against an apocalyptic monster to lighten up." he muttered.

"Like you're an exemplary icon of easygoing vibes yourself!"

Sorey chuckled, happy to let the tension drain away in the wake of the strange and befuddling incident. He gently pocketed the iris gem in his hand, making a mental note to re-activate it and study the vision again later tomorrow. If they came across any more, he would make sure to document each and every one.

He had to know his enemy, after all.

"…Still, there's one thing that bothers me." Mikleo frowned. "If this really was from Heldalf… exactly why did he feel the need to go through all this effort? Iris gems are crafted from seraphic artes, right? He'd need the help of a seraph to extract it, and on top of that he'd have to then carefully tamper it to make it show only what he wanted us to see."

Rose sighed, waving a hand in the chilly night air. "You know what, Mikleo?" she drawled. "We can ask him the next time we see him." she grumbled. "Until then it's way too darn late for these sorts of heavy-ass questions. I'm going back to bed. Don't wake me unless a hurricane is bearing down on us."

Sorey laughed, running a hand through his hair as he followed. "I'm with you one hundred percent, Rose." he agreed wholeheartedly with a yawn. "Time for bed!"

Edna rolled her eyes. "Bunch of children."

Lailah smiled, some life returning to her eyes. "That's why we all get along so well." she reasoned gently. "Come on, Edna. You're just as tired as everyone else."

"…Fine."

Together, the rest of the group turned away from the scene and began to head back to the welcoming campfire, and back to their deliciously warm and comfy bedrolls as well. Only one person was left standing in the burnt circle that the bolt of lightning had fallen upon long after they had left all.

Velvet Crowe herself had her arms crossed tightly against herself, her hair waving gently in the soundless night breeze. Evidently, Heldalf had taken to driving a wedge between her and the Shepherd in preparation for the inevitable moment that her true identity was revealed to Sorey.

She scoffed.

Like it would make a difference. On the contrary, the more Shepherd Sorey despised those of her kind, the more motivation he would have to pursue the end goal she had in mind for him. Still, she supposed, deception aside, it would seem like the truth always persevered, one way or another. Inexplicably, the words of the strange wanderer called Mayvin came to mind at that very moment.

"The clocks may tick, the bells may ring, but at the end of the day there is nothing more inevitable in this world than of the dual-faced nature of man."

She frowned.

It was true, she supposed; that was indeed how it all worked. She was a prime example of that fact. With that grim thought dominating her mind, she turned around and walked back towards the campfire, darkness clouding her thoughts.

End of Part 3 – Ancient Vestiges.

---

Massive thanks to Paragon of Awesomeness for betaing this chapter!