Chapter 19 – Disquiet.
The crescent moon hung amidst a sea of stars and beamed a soft, gentle light down upon the foothills overlooking the darkened farmland. In the distance, past the sea of crop carpeting the rolling hills of the Pearloats Pasture, the lights of the walled capital glowed with a quiet vibrance; at odds with the lonely solitude of the foothills.
Men and women disembarking from their horse-drawn carriages chattered with lively tones in front of the well-lit manor standing in the distance, detached from the calm and tranquility of the shadowed gardens below. Chirping accompanied the noise of the distant chatter, sung by crickets scattered about the vast expanse of well-groomed hedges and flowerbeds of the estate gardens, cordoned off by meandering stone pathways that cut through the dark.
"…ACHOO!"
A loud and raucous sneeze echoed loudly throughout the grounds, rudely interrupting the calm of the darkened estate gardens and echoing off the surrounding foothills. The man who had sneezed sniffed disdainfully, roughly wiping his nose with the back of his leather gauntlet.
"Damnit." he grumbled, his breath misting into the cold air. "Perimeter duty, tonight! Of all nights!" He let out a moan of anguish, running his gauntlet through his hair. "While the rest of the guys are inside, living it up with the guests and probably sampling those hor-whatevers, we're out here freezing our butts off in the cold!"
His companion, a taller, similarly armored man walking alongside him, didn't react to his loud complaints. "They're called Hors d'oeuvres." he pointed out offhandedly.
"Whatever." the guard who had sneezed replied shortly, readjusting the flickering lantern in his hand. "I'm too cold to even think proper."
"Better get used to it." His companion swept the dim beam of his own lantern around before the two of them as they rounded a corner, passing a life-sized marble statue in the process. "We're out here until the party ends, whenever that might be. Cap's orders."
"…Meaning we'll be here until the sun rises." the shorter of the two clicked his tongue sourly, turning his gaze towards the distant figures of undoubtedly well-dressed people hurriedly walking through the cold air into the wide-open entrance of the four-story manor at the end of the gardens. It was more like a castle than anything – a monument to the wealth and prestige of the owner. The guard sighed irritably once more, shaking his head as he resigned himself to his patrol duties.
"What the…" Suddenly, the taller of the two came to a halt, his eyes narrowing as he raised his lantern above his head. "Halt!" he yelled, his voice echoing off the surrounding foothills. "Who goes there?!"
"Ack…! I Uh… H-hey there!"
To their joint surprise, a young man in a strange-looking white cloak stumbled out of the shadows and into the light of their lanterns, holding the palms of his hands out disarmingly. "H-hey, guys." He smiled meekly in the face of their joint scrutiny. "Sorry if I startled you."
The short guard crossed his arms gruffly. "The hell you doin' out here, kid? This here's private property, and I highly doubt you're on the guest list."
The young man waved his hands hurriedly in denial. "I… was trying to get to the capital! I must've gone the wrong way or… something." He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly, shifting restlessly on his feet. "The gate was open… so I thought I'd just ask for directions… You know?" he finished weakly.
The short guard sighed, waving a hand in the air. "…Good grief." he muttered. "You're a special sort of stupid, aren't ya? You must've missed the dozens of signs pointing to Pendrago on the way up."
The cloaked youth nodded hurriedly in agreement. "Y-yeah. I must've! Silly me." He took a tentative step backwards. "So yeah… If you guys could just give me directions to the capital, I'll just-"
"Not so fast." The young man froze as the taller of the two guards stepped forward with a dead serious look on his face. "Where's your travel pack?" the guard asked deliberately while steadily holding the intruder's uncertain gaze.
The young man's eyes blinked rapidly. "Er… My pack…? Well uh… that is…" he trailed off helplessly.
The guard clicked his tongue, his hand falling to the pommel of his sword while he continued to hold the nervous young man's eyes. "…Who're you after?" he asked conversationally, taking a step forward. "One of the guests…?" He tilted his head to the side, running his gaze up and down his strange appearance. "No… I bet you're after Senior himself."
The intruder tried vainly to defend himself. "I have no idea what you're…!"
"I'm sure you're from one of the families he's run into the ground recently." The tall guard shook his head gently. "I'll let you know now son, I get it." his eyes narrowed. "But this is how the world is, and there's no way around it." His hand curled around the pommel of his sword, metal squealing on metal as he began to pull. "So, come quietly. Or else-!"
CRASH!
The man had barely managed to pull his sword a third of the way out of its sheath before a dark brown figure flashed out of nowhere and landed directly upon him, slamming him down onto the brick floor and knocking him clean out.
"Wh-what-?!"
The other guard only had time to utter a few words of surprise before he too was knocked out with a swift chop of the attacker's gloved hand which sent him tumbling to the side with his eyes rolling into the back of his skull.
The masked assassin dressed in brown and black carefully followed through with the attack, catching the guard's unconscious body and laying him gently on the bricks underfoot with minimal sound. That having been done, he stood back up and turned towards Sorey, reaching up to briefly uncover his masked face.
Ayn Talfryn gave Sorey a smile as he stepped forward towards the Shepherd amidst the cover of night. "Glad to have you here, Sorey." he greeted earnestly. "It's nice knowing you'll have our backs tonight."
Sorey straightened his back, placing his hand on the pommel of his sword. "What should I do, Talfryn?" he asked readily.
"You're with me." The assassin gestured with his thumb towards the manor higher up in the foothills. "The others should already be commencing their part of the operation. We have to make absolute sure that nobody is alerted throughout the night – not the guards nor the partygoers themselves." He gestured towards the Shepherd meaningfully. "So, as a last resort, use your powers to keep us hidden. Otherwise, just focus on staying out of sight."
The Shepherd nodded succinctly. "Got it."
Talfryn returned his nod. His expression grew less serious as he glanced down to the ground where the unconscious guards lay. "…You know, the Boss is right." he noted conversationally, turning his head back up to give Sorey a wry grin. "You really are helpless when it comes to lying." he smirked slyly.
Sorey scratched his head sheepishly; his face growing red. "Ah, well… yeah." he admitted helplessly.
Talfryn chuckled. "Don't worry about it." he reassured, bending down to tie the wrists of the guards together. "If all goes well tonight, you won't have to do a thing."
Once he'd finished, he straightened up and faced Sorey once more before flicking something towards him. "Oh, and here. You'll need this, just in case."
Sorey blinked and caught the thrown object instinctively. His expression hardened as he took in the appearance of the cold metal object he held in his hands. Its ominous curves and jagged edges made for a terrifying image, even while held innocuously in his hands.
Steeling himself, the Shepherd turned the mask of the Scattered Bones around and slid it over his head, plunging his world into the darkness of anonymity.
Earlier that day…
The ceremonial sword sang as it sliced through the air in broad slashes, its decorated yet sharpened edge being flashing against an imaginary foe. Specks of sweat flew in the air as Sorey kicked into a spin, whirling around with his boots crunching on dirt until his blade had completed a full slash around himself.
He flexed his gloved left hand splayed out before him, his breathing harsh and ragged as sweat trickled down his skin. The heat of the sun hanging high above in the cloudless sky beat down upon his neck, framing him in his stance as he caught his breath.
His eyes narrowed abruptly the moment before he lunged forward once more. His body worked on its own, flowing through the motions as he aggressively launched himself through an imaginary horde of hellions. He parried, dodged, side-stepped, slashed, and stabbed – anything necessary to continue the rhythm of battle. His boots continued to scuff noisily in the dirt below while his cloak whipped around as it trailed his every move. With one final lunge, the Shepherd redirected his entire body, focusing all of his momentum forward.
With a wordless cry, the Shepherd lunged.
The tip of his ceremonial sword quivered ever so slightly in the aftermath of his stab; his blade having been thrust violently through the empty air to the full extent of his reach. An acute silence fell in the wake of his training session, allowing the sound of the rest of the world to seep back into his senses. A gentle breeze blew across the surrounding Pearloats Pasture, sweeping across the endless fields of golden crop underneath the blazing summer sun. Warbling insects could be heard all around him, evidence of the thriving ecosystem under his feet.
After a momentary pause, he finally allowed himself to relax with a huge breath, refilling his lungs with desperately needed air as he worked to tame his rapid heartbeat. He let out a short sigh, wiping his forehead with the back of his glove.
"Sorey."
The Shepherd blinked. He brought his feet back together out of a fighting stance as he turned around towards the source of the voice. "Hey Mikleo." he greeted, still out of breath. "What's up?"
The water seraph crossed his arms as Sorey sheathed his sword, carefully studying him with sharp eyes. Another stray breeze blew across the Pasture, sending the trails of cloth on his back waving in the wind.
After a pause, Mikleo stated dully, "You've been out here for hours." His eyes pointedly dug into his friend's gaze. "If you stay out here any longer, you're likely going to come down with heat stroke."
Sorey blinked. "…Has it really been that long?" He stood up straight and glancing up at the sun high in the sky, absently rolling his sore shoulders. "No wonder I feel so tired." He gave the seraph a sheepish grin as he scratched the back of his head. "Thanks, Mikleo."
The seraph's expression didn't change. He stood there, quietly examining his friend's demeanor as he caught his breath before him.
"…You don't have to shoulder this burden alone, you know." Mikleo reminded him quietly. "We're all here, right behind you."
Sorey's breathing steadied in the silence that followed his words. Slowly, he nodded, quietly drumming his fingers upon the pommel of his sheathed sword.
"I know." he promised softly.
His boots scratched noisily upon the dirt as he turned around, looking absently out into the vast expanse of the Pasture beyond. A spontaneous breeze blew wildly across the plains as he did so, tossing his hair left and right while sending his cloak flying behind him.
"…But even still." He stood up straight with his eyes facing towards the distant horizon as the wind died down. "When it comes down to it, it's up to me what I choose. It's my duty as a Shepherd to face the things I have to, and to do what I judge best."
Mikleo took a step forward, his eyebrows narrowed. "But that doesn't mean you have to shoulder that burden alone!" he implored angrily.
Sorey idly lifted his left hand up into the windy air, staring at the storied sigil of the Shepherds as it blocked out the light of the sun. "I need to find my answer." he intoned quietly. "Who am I? What sort of person do I want to be? What sort of person do I need to be?"
Sorey shook his head, letting his arm fall as he turned back around to face his childhood friend with a soft smile. "…I appreciate it Mikleo, I really do." he promised. "But this is a part of my journey that I need to traverse myself. It's what I need to figure out, as Shepherd. That's all."
Mikleo blinked rapidly. He let out a breath, stepping back and shaking his head.
"…That monster's words had that much of an effect on you, huh?" he muttered, his fists curled down by his side. "Even after what Amenoch showed us, you still think about what she said."
Sorey's eyes were unreadable. His silence was all the answer that Mikleo needed.
"Then what she said was good advice."
Both of them turned as the rest of the group walked up the hill towards them, leaving the nearby small village situated amidst the wilds of the Pearloats Pasture. Dezel crossed his arms as he arrived first, his face angled directly towards Sorey. "Hellion or not," he continued, "the world won't be saved by a soft Shepherd." he sneered. "Toughen up, and then we'll talk."
Arriving by his side, Rose frowned. "Hey, ease off, Dezel." she berated. She turned to face Sorey with a softer expression. "Sorey knows that. That's why he's still going strong," she reasoned, "even after all that's happened."
"Sure." Edna calmly readjusted her grip on her umbrella as she stood amidst the heat of the sun. "He's doing all he can. And he hasn't broken yet."
Lailah nodded deeply with her hands twined before her dress. "You'll get there eventually, Sorey. Trust in yourself." The fire seraph gave Sorey an encouraging smile. "I know you can do it."
Sorey's lips were upturned into a soft smile in the face of their support. He let his hand fall from the pommel of his sword. "Thanks, everyone." he returned.
Mikleo sighed, letting his fist rest on his hip as he met the Shepherd's eyes. "We might not be here to help you with your answer," he finished quietly, "but you can still count on us to follow you, wherever you might go."
The Shepherd nodded. "And I won't forget that. Ever." he promised them all.
Rose nodded back, a fist on her hip. "Good." She abruptly blinked, turning around to face away from the group. "…Hm?" The rest of the group followed her gaze to find a lone man walking up the hill towards them amidst the boiling sun.
Eguille of the Scattered Bones gave Sorey a nod of greeting as he arrived, before meeting Rose's gaze and crossing his bared forearms. "Everything is set for tonight." he stated without prelude. "Squads 2 and 4 reported in and are headed off now to begin their roles. The party is going on as scheduled, and the target is going to be there for sure."
Rose nodded concisely, a serious, businesslike expression on her face. "Got it. Then I'll have to go get ready myself."
"Rose." Sorey stepped forward. "Are you…?"
She turned around and faced them all. "Remember that firm that I was talking to Felice and Talfryn about a while back?" At their nods, she continued, "Well, we received a request, asking us to take out the head."
Mikleo pressed his hand against his chin in thought. "The Romano Firm… was it?" he muttered. "I remember hearing the humans talking about something like that in town. Something about a major success story."
"Exploiting people is a profitable business. That's how it is in the world." Dezel bared his teeth as he crossed his arms. "But some people take it too far."
Rose nodded seriously. "And that's where we come in." She gave Sorey an apologetic look. "It looks like I'm going to have to step out for tonight, Sorey. Got an important role to fill in this one."
Eguille gave the young assassin head a long look, holding her gaze for a moment. "…Rose." he eventually began. "Are you-"
"We've been through this, Eguille." Rose cut him off, putting both hands firmly on her hips and determinedly staring him down. "This is the only way we can make absolute sure that we're in the right. We do it this way or we don't do it at all. Period." She raised a defiant eyebrow, challenging him to say otherwise.
Eguille held Rose's stubborn gaze for a moment longer before relenting. "…Alright. Your way." He gave her a meaningful look. "Just keep in mind what would happen if something were to happen to you tonight." he warned heavily.
"Yeah. I know." She nodded her head before trotting up to the man, playfully rapping his arm with the back of her hand. "Don't worry! It'll all work out." she reassured.
Sorey stepped forward. "Is tonight going to be dangerous?" he asked.
Eguille nodded gravely, tapping his fingers on his arm. "She'll be in a position of great risk." he said. "If things go awry, she'll have little means of escape, not to mention the acute possibility of losing her cover."
The decision simply came naturally to Sorey.
"Then I'll be coming, too." he announced, meeting Rose's gaze. "Just in case."
Behind him, Edna and Mikleo exchanged looks of surprise. Lailah threaded her hands together while pursing her lips. Dezel let out a grunt of approval, crossing his arms. Eguille himself studied Sorey in a new light, carefully considering the young man's determined expression and stance.
Rose stepped forward, herself too quietly taking in Sorey's demeanor. "…You sure, Sorey?" was all she asked.
He nodded determinedly. "I'm sure." He put a hand on his hip with a small smile. "You're my Squire, after all."
Rose's face broke out into a soft grin. "That's right, I am, aren't I?" She shook her head. "…Well, alright then, Sorey. Then I'll promise we Scattered Bones will keep you away from any heavy lifting tonight." She glanced at Eguille at her side before waving a hand easily in the air. "Just be ready to bail us out if we bite off too much than we can chew, alright?"
By her side, Eguille nodded, uncrossing his arms. "With the powers of the Shepherd on our side, I'll feel much better about taking such risks." He gave the Shepherd a respectful nod. "I had you pegged for a determined character the moment we met, Sorey – even more so when you talked Rose into tagging with you. Thanks for this."
Sorey stood straight. "I'll do my best."
Rose crossed her arms, once more all businesslike. "Glad that's settled. So, we'll have to make some adjustments to the plan with Sorey in the mix. I'm thinking we stick him with Talfryn…"
As the three humans began to discuss the logistics of the assassination they were planning, Mikleo crossed his arms in disquiet.
"The Shepherd's answer… huh?" he muttered, furrowing his brow. He didn't like it one bit.
High up above, the blazing sun continued to shine.
Quiet murmurs filled the soft atmosphere as groups of finely dressed guests walked in the same direction deeper into the manor, their dress shoes sinking deeply into the lush wool carpeting the hallway. Dressed in a fine flowing gown of a soft green hue, Rose glanced out the stained-glass windows lining the hallway as she passed them, the patches of tinted light from mounted torches outside flashing over her face. Eventually, she turned the corner to be faced with an overwhelming assault of lights, music, and laughter of the Romano manor's main hall.
A grand, sparkling chandler dozens of feet wide hung heavily from thick wooden crossbeams embedded in the vaulted ceiling far, far overhead. A generous fraction of the surrounding walls was made entirely of stained glass which curved in a luxurious semicircle to expose the occupants of the brightened interior to the darkened gardens beyond. A group of musicians worked in synch with string instruments to provide a constant melody from the adjacent stage, their symphony mixing with the noisy clamor of the dozens upon dozens of well-dressed guests occupying the floor itself.
"Take a good look, miss."
Rose managed to tear her eyes away from the spectacle and to the man that had come to stand beside her. The well-dressed man had folded his arms behind his back, his hands cordially pressed together as he overlooked it all from their vantage point at the top of the stairs. "In this day and age, working hard by itself isn't enough anymore." Behind his back, his fingers absently twisted and turned the plain golden ring worn on his left ring finger as he spoke. "Business nowadays is a chessboard ruled by wits and cunning where a single squandered opportunity could be your downfall."
The well-dressed man in the tuxedo turned to face Rose with grave sincerity, a glint in his eye as he looked down upon her with a peculiar smile. "This… is what winning the game looks like."
"Mr. Romano." Rose greeted with a bright smile, turning to face him. "I'd say 'winning' for you is a bit of an understatement." she remarked lightly, resting a hand on her hip. "You're practically dominating the market these days!"
The man let out a chuckle, shaking his head modestly and offering a hand to the woman who smartly accepted it. "Please, call me Will." he requested smoothly. "I'm so happy you could make it to tonight's gathering, Rose of the Sparrowfeathers."
"Well, what else was I gonna do?" Rose replied easily as she shook the firm owner's hand. "Turn down a personal invite from the head of the Romano Firm himself?" she shook her head in disbelief. "I wouldn't be able to call myself a proper businesswoman if I refused!"
He chuckled in amusement, letting his hand fall back his side with a shine in his eyes. "Indeed. In truth, I am most intrigued by you and your 'Sparrowfeathers.'" Romano confessed. "You, out of all the people in his hall, have shown the most aptitude for smart decisions in recent months. That is, the most potential."
He frowned. "…That as of yet has been squandered." Behind him, his fingers had stopped twisting the lone ring.
Rose herself shifted on her heels, crossing her bare arms over her dress. "Oh yeah?" she asked lightly, raising an eyebrow. "And how's that?"
Romano was still as a statue. "You have a tendency to place others above yourself," he observed matter-of-factly, "choosing to occasionally suspend profits in favor of aiding others. Your profits with your latest food product, for example, were not nearly as high as they could have been had you chosen more established distributors. There are plenty more such examples in the history of your organization, where profit was put aside for a more… altruistic purpose."
"You say that like that's a bad thing." she observed neutrally, her expression betraying no emotion.
Romano eyed her keenly.
After a pause, he slowly angled his head up to the darkened ceiling with contemplative eyes. "In truth, I was once of the same mindset as yourself." he reflected. "I wanted to help those with more needs than I. To help my fellow merchant, and to let them rise up alongside me."
Behind his back, his fingers resumed twisting the ring on his finger. "But that was how my beloved late wife perished." he said quietly. "As a direct result of my own emotional folly."
Rose frowned. Before she could respond however, a different voice interrupted.
"She would've preferred to stay dead, if she saw what you've become."
It was off-putting how quickly Romano's expression darkened. Without moving a muscle, the man in the tuxedo warned dangerously, "Junior…"
Standing behind his father, Romano Junior gritted his teeth and looked away; his fists curled. "Don't think I can just stand here as you throw a party," he seethed under his breath, "celebrating all those things you did to those poor people…!"
"That's enough."
Romano Senior turned to face his son with a grave expression. "You will understand one day, Junior." His expression darkened. "Until then," he growled lowly, "you will obey my orders."
The well-dressed youth sucked in a frustrated breath in the face of his father's fury. Visibly forcing himself not to respond, he turned on his heel and stomped away, pushing himself through the crowd and away from his father without another word.
Will Romano sighed, turning back to Rose with a dramatically softer expression. "…I deeply apologize." he told her. "I've done all I can for my son, providing him with his every need, but ever since his mother died…" He shook his head soberly. "I'm afraid some wounds can't heal overnight. You'll have to forgive his distraught words."
Rose's expression didn't change.
"Not a problem." she replied easily. "Kids can be real silly sometimes."
Her voice carried, above the laughter and the music and the general clamor of the party to reach the ceiling of the hall, whereupon two masked figures watched quietly from the shadows cast by the rafters beyond the blinding chandler.
One of them shifted in his crouched position, facing the other.
"…So this was what Rose meant by doing it 'her way?'" Sorey asked quietly, his voice slightly muffled by the mask on his face. "Talking to her target face-to-face?"
Talfryn nodded, his eyes keenly observing his boss as she continued to chat with the head of the Romano Firm down below. "Boss has never been one to shy away from danger." he explained. "No matter what, she always knows what needs to be done – where the line needs to be drawn." He shook his head in bemusement. "Even if drives Eguille up the wall."
He pointed, directing Sorey's attention towards the form of the teenager angrily pushing his way through the crowds towards the exit. "That's the kid who'll take over operations once we take out Romano Senior." he told him. "A bundle of impulsivity and recklessness, but one with a heart of gold, nonetheless. With him at the head of the family firm, things are bound to get better for their clients."
The Shepherd frowned. "I see."
The Scattered Bones assassin sighed, continuing to observe the people down below with keen eyes.
"…You know, I used to be just like that kid, once. Young and helpless." he reflected quietly. "When we take out his father, that kid's gonna to have to grow up real fast, real soon. Just as I did for my sister."
"Your sister…" Sorey mumbled. "You mean Felice?"
Talfryn nodded, still maintaining a vigilant overwatch over the guests below. "…The world in which the two of us grew up could not have been more different than this." He gestured towards the lavish party below. "I was the first of the two of us to fall in with the Scattered Bones. And I did it to all protect her."
The two of them sat quietly in the silence that followed, both watching the party from afar. Down below, the musicians finished their latest waltz with a flourish, leaving a brief pause in the background before smoothly transitioning into a softer tune.
There was a soft chuckle in Talfryn's voice. "You know," he remarked offhandedly, "my sister gets to be how you are now sometimes, too." Even through the mask, Sorey could see the brief well-meaning smile in his eyes. "Just a little lost."
The Shepherd blinked.
Eventually, he found his voice. "… If you don't mind me asking," he asked quietly, "how did your sister end up joining the Scattered Bones, then?"
To his surprise, his companion let out a huff of annoyance "She said one day," Talfryn quoted grouchily, "'I'll be damned if I'm gonna to sit around while your risk your life protecting me!'" The assassin sighed, waving a hand in the air. "So," he summarized, "after I went through all that effort to make sure she lived a normal life, she just went right up and tossed it all out the window." He shook his head in exasperation. "I'm still annoyed by it to this day."
Sorey found himself chuckling at Talfryn's irritation. "A friend of mine did something along those lines, actually." he remarked sympathetically. "When I became Shepherd, I tried to push him away from it all. But I think that just made him more determined to stick with me."
Talfryn sent an amused glance his way. "Stinks, doesn't it?"
Sorey grinned softly.
Together, the two of them continued to watch over the party like a pair of crows, noting down guard routines and guest patterns. All the while the orchestra continued to play song after song, the lively tunes raising and falling like waves on an ocean. Eventually, down below the very visible, tall figure of Romano Senior traversed the sea of guests to exit the hall through a side door. On the other side of the hall, Rose briefly raised her arm to scratch the back of her head two times, pause, and then scratch three more times.
Beside Sorey, Talfryn abruptly stood up, prompting him to do so as well. "That's the signal." he explained succinctly. "The operation proceeds." He glanced at Sorey meaningfully. "Last chance to back out." he warned. "If you don't want to…"
Sorey shook his head. "I'm coming."
Talfryn held his gaze for a moment longer before being evidently satisfied. "So be it. Follow me."
Together, the two of them traversed the depths and darkness of the Romano Manor, stealing through empty passageways as a pair of masked intruders amidst a night of revelry. The further Sorey followed Talfryn, the more distant the sounds of the orchestra sounded and the less guards they had to avoid. They moved in complete silence, their footfalls quiet and padded as they landed upon the lush carpet of the upper floors of the manor.
Will Romano's study was located at the very top floor, isolated from the rest of the building to allow for the greatest view – a throne room at the top of a castle. Here, the sounds of the party were all but a distant murmur in the air. Sorey and Talfryn quietly padded up to the closed door on either side, the latter pushing his ear up to the finely polished wood to listen in.
Will Romano's furious bellow echoed through the deserted hallway as a flurry of activity came from inside.
"YOU! You dare betray my hospitality?! I'll have you hanged for this!"
With a brief nod exchanged between the two of them, Sorey and Talfryn both moved in tandem, pushing their way into the study. There, in the light of the moon and of the distant party below streaming in from the study of the window, knelt the head of the Romano Firm.
Rose had taken off her mask and hood as she stood there before Romano Senior, a razor-sharp dagger kissing his exposed neck. She was flanked by a pair of assassins on either side, their masks glinting eerily in the moonlight streaming in from the study window.
"Will Romano. Your death was requested by a little girl." she declared solemnly. "From one of the families that you ruined and buried for profit."
Sorey stood quietly at the back of the study, looking on with a set jaw. At his side, Talfryn carefully gauged the Shepherd's reaction as the operation continued as planned.
Romano Senior tilted his head downward, his teeth gritting noisily together in response to Rose's words. "…And you had such potential." he languished. "All wasted!"
Rose's expression did not change as she drew her arm back.
Romano squeezed his eyes shut. "To think… I would be brought down by sentiment!" he spat venomously. "Just as how she…!" Behind his back, his fingers twisted the lone golden ring at an agitated pace.
From behind him, a soft, ever so imperceptible ribbon of purple began to rise into the hazy air. Sorey's eyes widened in horror as he recognized the telltale signs of malevolence. Rose herself jerked to a halt with a gasp.
Will Romano snapped his head up in unadulterated, monstrous fury.
"I WILL NOT ALLOW IT!" he screamed.
The world erupted in chaos as the head of the Romano Firm exploded in a blast of purple miasma, violently sending Rose and the rest of the nearby assassins crashing into the walls of the study. Sorey himself was sent flying backwards into the closed door behind him, his breath being sucked out of his lungs as he crashed down onto the floor. His mask clattered noisily onto the wooden floorboards below as he wearily pushed himself back up, the world spinning around him in the process.
His mind struggled to focus as he got back to his feet, his eyes taking in his surroundings in a split second. His seraphic friends stood vigilant around him, their weapons out and their guards up as the tall, hulking beast that had once been Will Romano charged mindlessly forward, saliva pouring from its fanged mouth.
"Hellion!" Lailah cried in alarm, flames dancing upon her fingers.
"Sorey!" Mikleo yelled. "We need to purify him, now!"
"There's no time!" Dezel snapped, jerking his hand forward.
Sorey watched in slow motion as the giant werewolf bore down upon the first assassin it could find. Lailah and Dezel's attacks did nothing to slow it down as it lunged, its massive claws descending upon the helplessly disoriented assassin lying on the ground before it. Indecision struck Sorey for a split second, staying his hand for the briefest of moments.
And then, spontaneously, her words rang clear as day in his ears.
"My sister once said something, a long time ago."
Above them, the leaves of the lone tree rustled as it swayed from side to side amidst the gentle breeze. Heavier droplets of accumulated rainfall dropped from the leaves down onto the grass at irregular intervals around the two of them, punctuating the silence.
"…As a Shepherd, your job is to face these matters head on, and to shift through the matters of the world however you think is best."
She crossed her arms, carefully watching the emotions flitting through his expression as she did so. "But despite all of it, never forget that you are still alive. Because you're not just a Shepherd, in the end."
She waved a hand errantly in the air.
"You're just another living being, doing what you need to do."
Sorey absorbed in her words like a drowning man clutching onto driftwood, deeply considering every syllable with mixed emotions. The pattering of the rain and the rustling of the trees continued in the silence.
Resolution steeling his nerves, Sorey opened his eyes and channeled the full powers of the Shepherd before letting the arrow fly.
A piercing cry of agony resounded out through the room as the blade of water flew true to its target, sending the hellion flying backwards with an arrow through its chest. Its massive body collided into the window of the study, sending cracks spiderwebbing from the point of impact in an instant. The hellionized body of Will Romano then slumped to the floor of his study, motionless.
A deafening silence fell.
Quietly, wreathed in the power of the armatus, Sorey stepped forward towards the assassin that Romano had been about to kill. His eyes glowed softly with power in the muted darkness of the study as he extended a hand. "You should be there for sister." he said quietly.
Talfryn quietly accepted the offered hand, shakily getting to his feet with a grateful nod to his savior. "…I should." he agreed, visibly calming himself in the aftermath of his brush with death. "Thank you, Sorey."
Sorey turned his gaze towards the motionless corpse in the corner of the study, his jaw set as he looked over the results of his full power. All around them, the rest of the Scattered Bones assassins including Rose herself were collecting themselves in the wake of the supernatural violence that had taken place.
"…May these weary bones find peaceful rest." Talfryn, standing beside him, muttered under his breath.
The two of them continued to stand there in the wake of it all, while the crickets outside in the garden of the estate continued to chirp amidst the uninterrupted clamor of the distant party.
"CHAAARGE!"
The Hyland soldier threw his sword up and out into the air, bellowing out the order with all his might. The rest of his squad took up arms with sympathetic howls, slamming their stirrups into the sides of their horses and angling their lances towards the enemy squad across the hazy plateau.
Caught off-guard, the squad clad in crimson yanked their reins while their own leader bellowed out his own commands, urging his fellow countrymen into a hastily formed defensive wedge.
Within a manner of seconds, the squad of Hyland lancers had slammed directly into the ranks of the opposing squad in an eruption of crashing metal, battle cries, and pained screams. The rumbling of horse hooves crashing onto dirt thrummed throughout the surrounding lands as the battle continued, bodies falling off runaway horses as the remains of the two skirmishing squads regrouped and charged again and again, their numbers whittling down with each exchange.
Amidst the chaos, the Hyland squad leader bellowed his joy to the world as he slammed his lance into the shields of his opponents, splintering wood with reckless abandon. "PUSH! Eradicate these insects!" he roared through the chaos, pivoting with his horse to the side to avoid an enemy lance.
"You bastard!" the opposing squad leader wrenched his lance back as they circled each other, their horses snorting amidst the chaos. "We were in a cease-fire!"
"We were!" the Hyland leader spat, snapping his stirrups and egging his horse forward.
His lance crashed directly into the opposing squad leader's shield, sending the man flying clean off his horse.
Heaving for breath with a victorious grin on his face, he pulled his horse to a halt, angling his lance down to the winded leader lying winded on the dirt below. "Listen closely." he huffed. "This is how wars are won. With initiative." he declared boldly with an iron grip on the lead of his horse. "First your squad, then, the rest of your pathetic nation!" His eyes narrowed. "Now die, dog!"
Suddenly, something in the world changed.
The man's breath hitched as he turned his attention away from his fallen enemy, looking about in confusion as he tried to pin down what exactly was this feeling that had seemed to have taken hold of his heart. All around him, Hyland and Rolance lancers alike had stilled in their combat, all looking about in similar fashion in confusion.
"What the… hell is this?" the Hyland leader muttered.
"…S-sir!"
The call of one of his men drew his attention as he turned to the side towards the edge of the plateau. His eyes narrowed as he saw exactly what it was that had spooked him. A lone woman in black and red with flowing raven hair strolled through the battlefield as if she owned it, her steel boots crunching noisily upon the disturbed dirt underfoot.
Seeing how some of his men were sending confused glances his way, the Hyland commander forced himself to turn his horse towards the potential threat, even as the beast itself tried its best to refuse his commands for whatever reason.
"Who the hell are you?" he demanded loudly, his grip on his lance tightening.
Something about her felt completely off, but he simply could not tell what. It made his skin crawl. She came to a halt a good distance away from the ragged collection of lancers, her eyes fixed upon his. His blood ran cold when he realized just then what exactly it was that was wrong with her.
Her eyes were glowing red.
"Leave."
Her low, unnatural growl sent shivers up their spines as it echoed throughout the haunting silence that had fallen. She said no more than that, crossing her arms and glaring at them all expectantly.
The Hyland leader's grip on his horse's reins went slack for a split second before squeezing harshly. "You…" He found his voice, reaffirming himself with a reassuring squeeze of his lance's handle.
"…I don't know what sort of devil you are." He steadied himself, gesturing to his fellow squad members to form up. "But if you want me to run away in my moment of triumph…"
He met the woman's blood-red eyes with pure defiance. "…Then I'll beat you to a pulp myself! GET HER!"
With a revived roar, the remaining Hyland lancers urged their skittish horses onwards towards the threat, bearing down upon the lone woman with angled lances.
Their roars of battle faltered as their world suddenly darkened in tendrils of purple miasma, their eyes widening as that feeling in their chest suddenly multiplied. They watched then as their quarry abruptly lunged towards them as they approached her with – a gigantic, inhuman, blood-red claw extruding from her left arm.
Their screams of terror echoed throughout the basin as she laid waste to them.
She tore men clean out of their saddles as they passed, dodging their uncertain lances with precise acrobatics. Her monstrous claw enveloped the heads of man and horse alike, sending them flying into the distance without a second thought. Her expression was one of pure fury as she tore into them with a horrific, inhuman savagery whilst uttering piercing screams of demonic fury.
It took mere moments for the soldiers of Hyland and Rolance alike to turn tail and flee with pure terror on their faces at the inexplicable, violent appearance of atrue, genuine monster in their lives. They frantically escaped either by horse or foot, using whatever means possible in sheer desperation in an attempt to escape the hellish landscape of whirling purple miasma – the aura of that thing.
In a single instant, what they had thought their lives to be had been shattered upon direct, horrifying contact with the realm of the supernatural. The tales of monsters found only in children's storybooks brought to life in the hellish landscape of the Basin, engulfed in a sea of purple miasma.
They wanted nothing more but to run away from it all.
The Hyland squad leader let out a hoarse yell of terror as he was wrenched off the saddle of his horse, his legs kicking uselessly underneath as the monster held him in its grip. He squealed and yelled with bulging eyes, writhing amidst the wholly unnatural feeling of the pulsating claw's grip.
He stilled as he met the she-devil's pulsating red eyes, his jaw going slack in terror. His mouth ran dry while the beating of his heart raced. He knew he was at her mercy. Any confidence that he had held earlier had completely and utterly evaporated in a heartbeat – any bravado useless in the face of his own doom.
Velvet Crowe held the human's terrified gaze with narrowed eyes.
All around her, silence fell in the wake of the retreat of the two squads, leaving her alone with the inciting squad leader. Her unleashed domain pulsed and writhed all around her, tearing apart the surrounding air while generating an unnatural wind that whipped her hair and jacket around.
Her eyes bore into the terrified eyes of the human in her grasp, where she could perceive her own reflection; the image of a monster that had mercilessly intruded upon the lives of simple humans.
Her lips drew into a thin line.
After a moment longer, she relaxed her claw, letting the leader crash weakly onto the ground. Letting her claw fall lazily back down to her side, she raised a dull, expectant eyebrow as the man stared dumbly back up at her from the ground.
He managed to snap out of it, scrambing to his feet with meaningless whimpers of terror before awkwardly sprinting away in a random direction. Leaving her alone in her domain surrounded by abandoned weapons and rotting corpses. The roaring of the winds of her domain filled the silence that followed.
Yet, she blinked as she vaguely sensed another living being intrude upon her domain, turning her body to face them with a raised eyebrow.
Felice Talfryn walked through the domain of the Lord of Calamity with purpose; her hair actively being disturbed by the extreme forces in the air. She came to a halt before Velvet, eying the clearly visible claw hanging from the frame of the hellion before finally meeting the other woman's eyes. "…My brother almost died during an operation a few nights ago." she announced, her voice struggling to be heard over the roaring winds. "Sorey was the one who saved him."
The hellion didn't react to her words.
The assassin put a hand on her hip and met the monster's glowing red eyes acutely; her lips pursing. "…I don't think you really understand the kind of person you're really making out of him." she stated blandly. "How this is all going to end in the end – both for you, and for him."
Felice shifted quickly on her feet, taking an urgent step forward. "People aren't tools. They're living beings." she insisted. "You have to see that!"
Velvet sighed, looking away. "Anything else?" she asked in an inflectionless tone.
Felice's fists curled as she stepped back. "…Yeah." she muttered. "They're headed to the next trial, this time in Westronbolt Gorge."
Velvet nodded.
Without another word, the Lord of Calamity turned around and walked away from the assassin, her chaotic domain dissipating as she once more suppressed it within her being. Felice watched her leave; her jaw set in frustration. The silence of the Basin continued in the wake of the hellion's departure.
A thick, rolling layer of amassed clouds obscured and suffocated the land below, stretching out until the golden horizon for as far as the eye could see. The distant setting sun hung quietly above the lone tower standing amidst the desolate heavens, illuminating its ancient stone walls in a vibrant orange hue. A violent and volatile gust of wind battered against the walls of the tower, chipping off chunks of weathered stone and sending them hurling into the abyss below.
The Shepherd and his followers braced themselves against the towering wall as the wind slowly died down, careful to keep their feet firmly planted upon solid footholds as they did so. The never-ending exterior walkway extruding out from the side of the ancient tower was barely wide enough for three people to walk shoulder-to-shoulder, leaving them mere feet away from peril with every step.
Mikleo slowly lowered his arm in the wake of the gust, carefully gauging the group's position relative to the sea of clouds down below. "These winds are getting stronger the further we climb." he observed. "This is getting dangerous."
As the group resumed their precarious upward climb together, Edna tapped her closed umbrella on the stone in tandem to her steps behind Mikleo. "If a flying hellion attacks us now," she noted, "we're pretty much toast."
Dezel grunted in response, at complete ease amidst the howling winds at the back of the group. "I dare them to try. I'd feel them before they ever saw us."
"And if it was a dragon?" Edna turned her head and raised a challenging eyebrow at him. "What then, O' mighty wind seraph?"
Dezel bared his teeth at the insolent little seraph. "I'd feed you to it first to distract it." he growled.
"Is that all?" Edna tilted her head to the side, unimpressed. "Such an uninspiring plan. I give it a 3 out of 10. A 4 at most."
Dezel's eye twitched. "I didn't ask for your approval!" he snapped.
"Boring. A 2 out of 10 response."
He let out a wordless growl of frustration in response, crossing his arms.
Mikleo put an amused hand to his chin as Dezel stewed in silence. "Winds aside, I'm starting to think that Edna's tongue might actually be the greatest danger here." he remarked wryly.
Another gust abruptly picked up with a telltale wail, causing the entire group to once more press up against the stone walls away from the edge. Cracked portions of the walkway snapped noisily with the stress of the gales, sending chips of stone hurling away with the wind.
As the breeze once more died down, Lailah lowered her arm and craned her neck up towards the end of the stone monolith above. "…It would appear that we are almost at the top." she observed in the deafening absence of the roaring gales. "Take care, everyone." she advised.
Sorey, taking the lead up the path at the head of the group, nodded; his eyes fixed forward. "Yeah." he agreed, his hand resting on the pommel of his sword. "We're almost there."
Rose let out a breath of relief, scratching the back of her head. "Feels like we've been climbing these ruins for a full year now. I'm practically starving at this point." She abruptly blinked and faced forward. "…Say, Sorey." she piped up. "Weren't you the one doing the cooking tonight? What's on the menu?"
Sorey blinked, caught off-guard. "Erm…" Clearly, he had not given the matter any thought.
Lailah's eyes had spontaneously taken on a bright shine as she clapped her eyes together. "Sorey!" she exclaimed suddenly. "You must make us some strawberry tarts for dessert!"
The Shepherd gave her a clueless look. "I… do?" he asked dumbly.
"Yep." Edna agreed, tapping her umbrella on the walkway. "It's part of the trial. Everyone knows that."
Rose made a show of tilting her head to the side in thought. "Yeah… Now that you mention it, there was something in the ruins earlier that said something like that."
Sorey chuckled nervously. "I'm pretty sure I didn't see anything like…"
"Oooh!" Sorey winced as Lailah clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Not only that, I've just remembered that phrase that has been passed down in ancient texts! 'Thou Shepherd shalt prepare a hearty helping of chocolate pudding for his trial.'" she quoted wisely.
Edna looked on. "I'm pretty certain it was vanilla pudding."
Lailah hummed, holding a finger up to her lips in confusion. "No… I was pretty sure that it was chocolate. I'm really quite certain, actually."
"Wrong. Vanilla."
The fire seraph pouted heavily, giving Edna a silently imploring look behind Sorey's back. She unfortunately failed to elicit a response, however, as Edna just stared smugly back at her.
"Hey!" Rose chipped in, drawing the attention of both seraphim. "Why not do both?" she suggested with a beaming smile. "No reason to take chances when it comes to something as important as the Shepherd's trail, right?" She blinked. "And actually, while we're at it, why not also do some strawberry pudding too? You know, to show your strength of courage or… something."
Lailah's expression lit up brightly. "A very astute suggestion, Rose!" she agreed proudly.
Edna let a self-satisfied smirk form on her face. "It'll do."
Rose nodded in a self-reaffirming manner. "…Then that does it!" she concluded, pointing to Sorey. "Tonight, you're making dessert too – strawberry tarts alongside vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate pudding! You know, for the trial and stuff."
Sorey had wide eyes the size of dinnerplates. "E… er… I don't think I remember any ancient texts saying…" he trailed off helplessly.
Mikleo deadpanned. "Just cut your losses, Sorey." He gave the Shepherd a meaningful look. "Before they decide to give you even more stuff to do."
The Shepherd laughed nervously as he observed the three women heatedly discussing the matter behind his back. "Right…" he agreed weakly. "I'll do that."
Together, the group continued to climb upwards, all carefully staying away from the edge and staying vigilant in the case of further gusts. The moaning winds continued to harry them with every step, tugging at their hair and clothing with keen persistency. In the distance, the setting sun continued to fall from its perch in the sky, meshing with the sea of clouds amassed far below.
"…By the way, Sorey?"
The Shepherd blinked and turned to the side and found Rose carefully increasing her steps to walk directly behind him. "What's up?" he asked, while keeping his eyes vigilantly scanning his surroundings.
Rose crossed her arms, a more serious expression on her face as she walked close behind him. "That new head of the Romano Firm has been making moves recently." she said. "Not everybody likes it, but the kid's shutting down a lot of the shadier legal strategies that the company had been using to exploit people through the years." She paused. "And I'm told that he personally met with the remaining members of the broken families to give them a formal apology and offers of compensation."
Sorey continued his steady pace walking forward. "…That's good to hear." he replied quietly. "It sounds like things are working out."
Rose bobbed her head as well. "Yep." she agreed. "Just thought I'd tell you in case you're still hiding that guilt of yours away from the rest of us."
He blinked. "Rose-" he began.
"Save it." Her expression was stern. "I should know more than anyone how bad that night was for you. Everyone can tell that it was hard on you." She glanced off to the side. "You should listen to Mikleo, alright? Don't cut us off from what you're thinking, no matter what." she urged. "That's really not alright."
Sorey glanced over his shoulder at her with a soft expression. "…Thanks, Rose."
She beamed back. "Anytime." she promised. She then gently nudged him from behind. "…And don't forget the strawberry pudding tonight!"
He smiled weakly. "Yes ma'am…"
The strength of the infrequent gusts battering the tower grew stronger and stronger as they neared the top of the tower, climbing higher and higher into the very heavens. In the light of the setting sun, the Shepherd's group finally arrived at the end of the Shepherd's trial, climbing a set of crumbling stone steps to arrive at a massive stone altar encompassing the entirety of the top of the stone tower.
A lone man clad in a golden-white uniform stood at the center of the circular platform, patiently awaiting their arrival. His left eye was covered by a set of bandages, while his other looked upon them all with a brilliant neon green hue as they approached. His white and blue cape flowed behind him in the wind, following the steady currents of the breeze in a mesmerizing fashion.
"Shepherd." the man standing greeted as the group arrived in the light of the setting sun. "You've done well to climb so far."
"Hyanoa." Sorey greeted, his jaw setting as he took in the man's form. He met the man's eye with his own gaze, his expression sober. Here he stood – the man from the memory, himself but no longer.
"You were called Oscar once… weren't you?" he asked quietly.
The green-eyed empyrean crossed his arms, studying Sorey with a piercing gaze. "…I see Amenoch has passed the memory to you." His eye briefly scanned the rest of the group before once more coming to rest upon Sorey. "You see the form of the person who was once the brother of Teresa Linares." he observed neutrally.
"Well, yeah!" Rose put a hand on her hip reproachfully. "It's hard to forget the awful things that we saw happen to you two..." she trailed off. "Well, who you two used to be."
"Yeah." Sorey nodded slowly, resting his hand on the pommel of his sword. "That memory was… horrible." He looked away.
Hyanoa had not taken his eye off of Sorey, studying him with a hawkish gaze.
"…The soul once named Oscar Dragonia has long since passed, alongside that of Teresa Linares." He shook his head gently. "And now, the world in which those souls no longer exist – our world – is in a perilous state."
He let his crossed arms fall while maintaining eye contact with the Shepherd. "Addressing any threats to its stability is the role of the Shepherd. This is the very edict upon which this world has persevered." His neon-green eye seemed to burrow into Sorey's. He raised a gloved hand, closing his eye and focusing.
Wind roared in the air as mana flowed, seeping into Sorey's body in a bright beacon of light. The Shepherd took a deep breath as the now familiar sensation of the elemental power thrummed through his veins, filling his body with vast quantities of mana at an almost overwhelming rate.
As the winds died down, Hyanoa lowered his hand slowly, reopening his eye. "…I ask now, Shepherd. How will you save this world?" he asked strongly. "How will you address the beings that now pose a threat to humans and seraphim alike?"
It was clear to everyone present exactly what threats the empyrean was referring to.
Sorey's lips thinned. He looked away from the visage of the brother that had once been murdered, gritting his teeth. Hyanoa nodded slowly, seemingly having expected such a response. "It is for you to discover your answer to this question." he stated. "And none other."
"My… answer." Sorey breathed.
The man in the suit of white slowly turned around, facing away from them all with his cape fluttering in his wake like the wings of an angel. The setting sun peeked out from behind the clouds behind him, framing his figure amidst the altar in a canvas of gold.
When he spoke next, his voice had changed.
"…I revile what that monster did to my beloved sister." the empyrean muttered. "How she killed the both of us, then sacrificed our very souls."
Oscar Dragonia briefly glanced over his shoulder at the Shepherd's group, his lone eye ablaze with cool rage. "…Mark my words. The monster that killed me knows no bounds for her actions, nor holds any regard for the sheer extent of her hypocrisy. She will threaten the safety of the world, if not today, then tomorrow."
He turned away; his curled fists visible in the light of the setting sun. "You must do something about her." the man muttered; his voice barely audible.
"You must."
With that, the empyrean of wind strolled forward and became engulfed in a blinding pillar of neon green light, rising up even higher into the quickly darkening skies. The crackling pillar of mana soon faded, leaving the group alone in the silent altar amidst the volatile winds.
Sorey grit his teeth, turning away from where Hyanoa had disappeared. "…I know." he muttered under his breath.
Lailah looked on with worry. "Sorey…" she breathed softly.
Rose exchanged looks with Mikleo. Edna turned her umbrella in her hands, playing with the stuffed doll hanging off the handle. Dezel crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. Before any of them could speak however, they were interrupted by an amused chuckle ringing out throughout the altar.
"The ire of the Empyreans themselves?"
The group whirled around in alarm as a woman dropped down from the pillars surrounding the altar to land before them with her steel boots crashing down upon stone. She stood up slowly, casually readjusting her magenta ponytail to the side with a gauntleted hand while her azure dress resettled around her.
"She really is something else." Her lips curled into an amused smile as she returned their gazes.
Sorey stepped forward in astonishment. "Maltran?!" he exclaimed in shock. "What are you…?!" His breath hitched as he felt the sensation radiating out from the woman's form.
Alisha's mentor hummed idly as she studied him, resting her gauntleted hand on her hip. "You can sense it now. Impressive." She waved her free hand in the air. "Figures that the elemental powers of the Shepherd himself are nothing to sneeze at."
Sorey's expression had darkened. "…You're a hellion." he stated darkly.
Lailah gasped.
Mikleo stepped forward in shock. "You mean to tell me that Alisha's mentor… has been a hellion this entire time?!"
The military advisor crossed her arms before her corset with an amused expression. "Indeed. As your boy Shepherd has so smartly observed." She shook her head, turning her gaze towards the young man in question. "Yet that stupid, insufferable princess was not the reason that I came." Her smile deepened as she watched Sorey clench his teeth in response to her flippant words.
She casually readjusted her ponytail behind her head. "I can hardly incite war between Rolance and Hyland if they're all scared stiff of a clawed monster indiscriminately attacking those in the battlefield, now can I?"
Mikleo's eyes were wide. "A clawed monster…?" he breathed. "You don't mean…!"
Edna tapped her umbrella on the stone once. "Velvet."
Rose crossed her arms seriously, her brow furrowed in thought. "So Velvet's been going around, scaring soldiers into not fighting?" She blinked, uncrossing her arms. "…Hold on. A 'clawed' monster?" She turned her head to Lailah in confusion. "I thought normal humans couldn't see hellions?"
The fire seraph looked down as she pursed her lips. "…Her domain influences the humans inside of it, artificially increasing their resonance." she explained quietly. "She told me of this herself."
Dezel let out an incredulous breath. "What?!" he demanded.
Sorey set his jaw and turned back to Maltran with narrowed eyes. "…Then, because of what she's been doing," he concluded lowly, "you're here to pit me against her."
"Of course." Maltran agreed openly as she shifted on her boots, once more resting a gauntleted hand on her hip.
"My Master shares a common goal with you, Shepherd." she declared. "Velvet Crowe has chosen to act on her own, going up against my Master rather than appreciating the beauty behind His plan."
She sighed at length, shaking her head in disappointment. "And such a shame at that." she remarked sadly. "Had the two of them shared a similar vision, the likes of you would have never stood a chance before their combined might."
Mikleo briefly glanced at Lailah in confusion. "Velvet and Heldalf are butting heads?" he muttered. "Just what does that have to do with her…?"
He held his tongue as he noticed Edna giving him a sharp look.
Maltran's gaze returned to Sorey's. "…Nevertheless." she continued. "She is hellion with incredible strength matching that of the Lord of Calamity. You, Shepherd, have proven yourself far too much of a bleeding heart to simply ignore her running free." The advisor gestured her head behind her to the altar where Hyanoa had addressed them. "Especially with everything that you know now."
Metal clinked as she raised a gauntleted hand in the air, splaying out her palm towards Sorey in a reasonable gesture. "The way we see it, it would better for both and us if she were to be… addressed. Properly." She tilted her head slightly to the side, raising an expectant eyebrow. "Do you not agree?"
Mikleo took an enraged step forward. "And why the world would we listen a monster who is actively manipulating our friend?!" he demanded hotly.
Maltran's eyes narrowed. "Because your Shepherd is far, far too insufferably good-natured to turn a blind eye on Velvet Crowe's existence." she sneered. She crossed her arms again, holding Sorey's gaze. "And when faced with two threats on the battlefield, one should always focus on first eliminating the lesser of the two."
Malevolence began to visibly seep out of the advisor's being, cloaking her features and blotting out the setting sun behind her. "Shepherd. Know that my Master is far, far more powerful than Velvet Crowe could ever hope to be." she declared ominously. "For He is the one who commands the very fabric of this world."
As the malevolence engulfed her completely, she made a mocking bow to the Shepherd, her smile glinting through the darkness. "Slay the monster, Shepherd Sorey." she ordered mockingly. "For the good of the world…
"Kill Velvet Crowe."
Her voice faded alongside her body as the cloud of malevolence slowly faded, leaving behind only tendrils of miasma being swept away by the roaring wind. The group stood there in the wake of the advisor's disappearance, exchanging looks amongst themselves. At the head of them all, Sorey gritted his teeth and turned on his heel, walking past them all and towards the exit to the altar. The howling wind played with the embroidered cloak on his back as he walked off into the darkening abyss, the others following quietly in his steps.
A symphony of melancholic chirps resounded out through the night, sung by the crickets dispersed amidst the vast sea of wheat stalks blanketing the rolling hills of the Pearloats Pasture. A chilly breeze blew through the silence, disturbing the decaying crops in waves and eliciting a soft murmur of rustling stalks that filled the silence of the dying farmland.
Dirt and dead crops crunched noisily under Sorey's boots as he stepped through the field; his expression hidden from the world amidst the dim light cast by the stars above. He came to a halt at the top of the rolling hill alone, staring out towards the distant lights of Pendrago in the cold of the moonless night. All around him, the waist-high sea of dead crop waved in the wake of another breeze as he stood motionlessly in the darkness.
He didn't have to wait long until he the sound of someone approaching from behind drew his attention.
He waited until the noises had stopped with his right hand resting gently upon the pommel of his sword before he turned around. She met his gaze from across the field with her right hand on her hip and an unreadable expression on her face. Her monstrous claw was fully extended, hanging lazily off her frame while pulsing ever so imperceptibly in the darkness.
There was no steel mask on her face, no disguising cloak on her shoulders. There was no point anymore.
Sorey set his jaw as he turned around to face her fully, his boots crunching noisily in the silence of the field as he did so. Another stray breeze blew through the darkness, tugging at the cloak resting upon his back as it disturbed the crops between them. The chirping of the crickets continued uninterrupted as it died down, filling the quiet of the night in its wake.
A moment of silence passed.
And then the two opposing entities sprang into motion like clockwork, charging at each other underneath the curtain of stars.
CLANG!
The first strike was always the most jarring for Sorey. He gritted his teeth and spun around, twisting his body to avoid his opponent's short stab and to retaliate with his own sweeping blade. He followed through with the missed swing as she herself ducked to the left, before she retaliated by wrenching her body around and lashing out with her foot.
Metal clashed off of metal as his quickly raised sword met the hidden blade shooting out of her steel boot, deflecting her leg and allowing him to retaliate with a swift flick of his wrist. Her gauntlet blade, however, shot out in the blink of an eye, slamming into his ceremonial sword at an awkward angle and sending it bouncing upward into the air.
He quickly lunged to the side instead of attempting to parry, rolling through the dead crops with a loud crackle of dried plants as her monstrous claw flashed violently through the air above with a trail of vile malevolence following in its wake. He recovered from his roll and brought his empty left hand back with a silent cry.
His opponent leapt inhumanly high into the air to avoid the explosion of mana that erupted from his palm, twisting her body as she fell through the darkness to wrench her claw around herself and down towards him. Sorey promptly brought up his sword and focused intensely, drawing mana through his veins to form a barely perceptible shield of mana not a moment before her hellish claw came crashing down to crush him.
BANG!
Both fighters were deflected backwards by the force of the impact, Sorey's boots digging a trench in the ground as he was flung back while his opponent was repelled backwards through the air. Both of them arrested their momentum at the same time, regaining their footing and meeting their opponent's gaze.
Underneath a blanket of darkness and amidst a sea of dead crops in a dying world, the Shepherd and the Lord of Calamity charged each other once more. They danced around each other in time to a violent, unpredictable rhythm, exchanging blows that resounded loudly into the surrounding fields.
The world lit up spontaneously when his opponent formed a ball of fire in the palm of her enormous, monstrous appendage, drawing it back behind her shoulder and inadvertently throwing her entire body in terrifying light. Her fierce, animalistic expression was briefly illuminated in the pulsating light of the flames before she thrust her arm forward, sending the arte hurtling towards him.
Sorey immediately flipped the pommel of his sword around in his hand before thrusting it deep into the dirt before him, gritting his teeth as he covered his entire body in a full shield arte. The fireball of the hellion crashed directly against the barrier and detonated with a violent bang, briefly washing his whole world in blinding light.
Right as the flames died down, he dispelled the shield arte and jerked back to his feet as quickly as he could while readjusting the grip on his sword back to normal. His eyes abruptly widened however, as he suddenly found the palm of a blood-red claw sweeping through the darkness towards him.
CRASH!
Sorey let out an involuntary grunt as he rolled to a stop, coughing blearily as his battered lungs struggled to refill in the wake of the bone-crushing blow. The world spinning around him, the Shepherd slammed his left fist onto the ground and pushed himself onto a knee, bringing his sword back up to bear.
He froze, however, as cold steel kissed the exposed skin of his collar bone.
He glanced up without moving his head and found Velvet standing there with her blade to his neck, her serrated claw hanging by her side as she looked down upon him with pulsing red eyes. Tendrils of malevolence seeped off her figure in waves, polluting the air around her and making his hairs stand on end. The world around them darkened even still, the stars up above being blotted out by the rapidly forming domain of the former Lord of Calamity.
He stayed there motionlessly, squarely holding her gaze as her blade continued to press up gently against the soft skin of his neck. She stared back at him; her expression entirely devoid of any perceptible emotion.
Click.
With a series of soft clicks, the mechanisms of her gauntlet blade activated, collapsing and retracting her blade harmlessly back into its housing atop her wrist. Her red-hued eyes glowed in the darkness as took a single step back, resting her hand back on her hip in the wake of battle.
Sorey slowly stood up before her, his dirty and soiled cloak resettling behind him with the movement.
"Velvet-" he began.
Without waiting to listen to what he had to say, she turned on her heel without a word and began to walk away, her dark cloak and long raven hair rippling in the wind as she did so. Her domain continued to whirl all around them, throwing the nearby wheat stalks into a whipped frenzy amidst the roaring gales. Behind her, Sorey's jaw set. He would not allow her to leave without answers.
"Teresa Linares."
His soft voice was barely audible over the chaos. "Oscar Dragonia."
He watched as the hellion came to a slow halt in response to his words without any other visible reaction to the names he'd uttered. He pressed on, the fury and frustration of the past few weeks building rapidly inside of himself. "The Elemental Empyreans showed us the truth, Velvet." he said lowly. "We saw what happened to them, long ago."
There was no visible reaction. Spurred onward, Sorey took a step forward in utter frustration.
"I want to know!" he yelled angrily. "Who in the world are you, Velvet?!"
His frustrated demand rang out through the night, fighting the roaring winds of the hellion's domain. "The things you've done in your past – the suffering you've caused!" He slashed a hand through the air. "You're a Lord of Calamity!One that brought about an entire age of chaos! You're the Shepherd's sworn enemy!"
He clenched his teeth angrily, looking away in emotion. "But at the same time…" he muttered lowly, "…you helped me."
The moaning of the surrounding winds filled the silence in the wake of his words, emphasizing the gulf between the two inhabitants of the domain. The hellion still did not move nor react to his words.
Sorey slowly stepped back amidst the stalks of crop; his shoulders hunching slightly. He took a deep breath, gathering himself. "…You can call me a tool all you'd like, Velvet." he muttered quietly. "But I can hardly buy the act after all we've been through. After all the time we've shared together."
He shook his head in dull resignation. "I just… don't know what to make of you." he admitted helplessly.
A silence fell in the wake of his words. He stood there, staring imploringly at the figure of the strange woman who had thrown his world and everything he had believed into disarray. Behind him, the cloak of the Shepherd flapped nosily in the winds, tearing from one si`de to the other amidst the hellion's chaotic domain.
"'A future where humans and seraphim might one day live in harmony together.'" Her voice, infinitely familiar yet at the same time utterly foreign, rang out above the noise of her domain.
She turned partially to the side; her red-hued eyes distant and unseeing. "That was your dream, wasn't it?" she asked quietly.
He blinked. Hesitantly, he nodded in response.
She turned away from him; her cloak flapping gently in the winds. "Don't overcomplicate things." she muttered lowly.
"I am a monster that cannot be purified. Nothing more." Sorey watched as the hellion slowly lifted her claw, staring quietly at the appendage without any discernable emotion.
"Your job is to kill me, Shepherd." she stated, slowly clenching the claw before her. "…Before I commit even more sins."
She gently flicked her arm to dispel her claw into an arm covered in bandages, her figure devoid of any emotion as she returned the arm to her side. "And if you fail, I'll devour you." she finished matter-of-factly.
With that, she stepped away, her steel boots crunching quietly underfoot. The remains of her domain slowly faded away in the wake of her departure, leaving Sorey standing there alone amidst the silence.
His fists curled.
All around him, the chirping of the crickets resumed as the world returned to normal, filling the empty air once more with senseless noise.
Author's Note: Ah, finally. I'm back! Let's get through some more chapters, shall we? :)
- CloudFry, February 23nd, 2020