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.

24. C23 - Treason

Chapter 23 – Treason.

A fell breeze heavy with the scent of water blew through the air above the holy sanctuary, bringing with it a biting chill. Felice exhaled softly in its wake, watching as her misting breath vanished into the cold morning air.

Steel clinked rhythmically atop carved marble as Velvet maneuvered her way around the intricate designs of the sanctuary's roof, quietly coming to a halt beside the seated merchant. The entirety of Ladylake sprawled out before their perch atop the sanctuary, providing a view that ranged from the bustling market square near the main street to the quiet neighborhoods at the water's side.

"...I was worried about you," Felice said softly, breaking the silence. "Wasn't sure if things were going to work out between you, the boss, and everyone else back then."

"But you still led me to them," Velvet replied evenly, crossing her arms as she leant back against the hard stone of the vaulted dome. "Seems to me like you knew just as well as I what had to be done."

With a long-suffering sigh, the merchant gave the therion a disgruntled look.

"Think I didn't know that? Doesn't mean I have to feel any better about it." she grumbled sourly, shaking her head in exasperation. "...You're a real piece of work, Velvet – anyone ever tell you that?"

"My brother did." Velvet's lips thinned softly as she settled down atop the ledge beside the assassin, one leg curled up close to her chest while the other dangled freely. "...Of course, I didn't hold back for him, either," she added. "The little brat needed to take his medicine, so I made sure of it, no matter how badly he complained it tasted. He let out no small amount of temper tantrums in the process."

Felice hummed as she leant forward, crossing her legs and resting her head on her hand. "Well... alright, that I get," she conceded. "Sometimes you just need to go and put a foot down and do what you have to. Talfryn would always do the dumbest of stuff, thinking that he was 'helping' me. Never thinking about what I would have wanted, just what he thought I'd want..." She let out a sigh, shaking her head in exasperation. "Brothers can be real handfuls sometimes, huh?"

"...Yeah. I know that well." Out of the corner of her eye, Felice watched as the therion subconsciously moved her hand towards the pocket of her jacket. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself when she noticed the foreign look on the other woman's face. After a pause, she returned her gaze forward, choosing to remain quiet.

A strange sort of silence fell between the assassin and the hellion as they sat there together, both watching as the light mist skimming the rooftops slowly dissipated with the rising temperatures. Throughout the city, patches of foliage lining streets and pooling in parks were slowly transitioning to the hues of autumn, littering the cobblestones with more leaves in the wake of each wayward breeze. Regardless of it all, the denizens of Ladylake continued to move about their daily routines and rituals, heedless of the uncertainty in the air.

"...Do you ever wonder about all of this?"

Felice's gaze was distant as she uttered the quiet words, staring past the plumes of mist and towards the shadowed waters beyond. She extended her gloved hand tentatively outward, watching the cold wisps of mist dance atop her fingertips.

"Malevolence. Hellions. Seraphim. I couldn't believe that these things truly existed all this time, and that the life that I had been living was only part of the truth of the world," she explained distantly. "Even now, even having seen indirect but definitive evidence that seraphim and hellions exist with my own eyes, I still have trouble comprehending it."

She turned to face the therion sitting beside her, a frown on her face. "Why are things like this?" she asked uncertainly. "Is this really all because of man's nature? Monsters that spawn from the corruption of human souls? Dragons that soar the skies as tainted seraphim?"

Velvet shifted in her seat, her eyes inevitably drifting towards the bandaged arm innocently propped atop her bent knee. "It's all a little ridiculous, huh?" she smirked humorlessly, flexing the fingers of her left hand.

The malevolence simmered just under the surface like always, ready to erupt in an embodiment of her own sin at a moment's notice.

"Back then," she recalled distantly, "all I could think of was my vengeance. Devouring other beings, cutting down all those in my way... all of that came as natural. I never gave what I was doing or why a second thought." She returned Felice's subdued yet curious expression with an even gaze. "But during the course of my journey, I ended up stumbling upon why it had all come to be this way." She shook her head, causing her long trail of raven hair to shift sympathetically from side to side.

"...This is how things have been for a long time, Felice," she told the other woman simply. "Don't let it get to your head."

The merchant bobbed her head slowly in return, mulling over the hellion's words as she kicked her dangling boots in the cold misty air. "...I guess I'll take your word for it," she replied with a shrug.

Her eyes slowly drifted up and down the complex network of streets cutting their ways through the various districts of the merchant quarter as she watched men and women of trading guilds leading their caravans towards the opening market. From this distance, their expressions upon their faces were unclear; their emotions opaque through the mist. From her perch above it all, Felice watched as they all carried on with their business, completely unaware of the truth. "But still... I have to wonder how all of this will end," the merchant pondered softly.

A flock of jays fluttered noisily in the clearing air before them, diving down from the fast-blowing winds towards the sheltered alleyways below, soaring together with true purpose and direction. The two of them watched the birds disappear out of sight into the long shadows of the buildings down below as the morning sun fully established its grip upon the waking city.

Suddenly, Felice leant back and threw both arms up into the air.

"Argh!" she yelled, her voice echoing off the alleyways below. "You have no idea how hard the Boss has been driving us lately. Research Maotelus this, find out about Heldalf that. I haven't gotten any sleep ever since we got here, damnit!" she moaned.

The other woman just waved a callous hand in the air. "If it's that bad, you could just quit," she replied. "Nothing's stopping you from leaving, right?"

She gave the hellion a reproachful look in response. "Y'know, I could ask you the same thing," she shot back. "A scary Lord of Calamity trotting alongside the Shepherd? Don't need to know much about the legends to see that's pretty counterintuitive."

Velvet let out a sigh, leaning forward with her weight on her elbows as she looked out into the distance beyond. "It wasn't what I originally planned, that's for sure." She shook her head softly. "But I suppose it's a good idea to make sure that Maotelus gets saved myself, not to entrust Sorey with everything," she reasoned with a light shrug. "It's a sensible arrangement."

"Well, if you're gonna put it that way," Felice chuckled, "then you can put me down for that answer as well." She gave Velvet a sly grin, tilting her head to the side. "Gotta make sure Talfryn doesn't do anything stupid, you know? He almost got killed a while back, and I ain't letting him hear the end of that anytime soon."

Her grin slowly transformed into a vindictive Cheshire grin. "Making him do all of my merchant paperwork for the next three months should do it. Nah, actually, make that four," she purred darkly. "He needs to really learn that next time he pulls some stupid stunt like that, he'd better die for real, because otherwise he'd wish he'd be dead when I sink my claws into him..." A dreadful look had overtaken the twin's face, contorting her features into a terrifying expression.

At her side, Velvet looked on in exasperation. "And you say I'm the piece of work," she sighed.

With that, she pushed off the ledge with her hand, standing back up atop the roof before the clearing skyline. Felice's head shot up towards her the moment she did so, eyes wide.

"W-wait!" she exclaimed loudly, panic evident in her tone. "Before you go, I just wanted to ask-!"

The therion turned away and started walking, waving an irritated hand in the air. "I'm not helping with your Mabo Curry Bun nonsense," she growled. "Find someone else."

"H-huh?!" Felice nearly slipped out of her seat in shock. "How'd you know I was going to ask you that?!" The merchant shook her head furiously, scrambling to recapture her potential asset before it slipped between her fingers.

"J-just listen a sec!" she pleaded, pushing herself onto her feet and following as the other woman navigated down the roof of the Sanctuary. "Your cooking skills are legendary – the Boss said so herself! Think of all the revenue – the sheer amount of money we could make selling Mabo Curry Buns 2.0 to the market! The world would go absolutely insane, even more so than it already is about our products! Brand recognition would be completely off the charts in all parts of the continent! And...!"

"Save it."

Velvet stopped just short of the edge of the roof, turning to face the pestering merchant while crossing her arms. "I know everything you're going to say," she sighed irritably, tapping her index finger repeatedly against her crossed arm. "I was listening in on your team's meeting this morning."

Felice gaped at her like a fish out of water for a few seconds before finally managing to form a coherent sentence. "B... but Talfryn and I were whispering!" she argued, aghast. "We didn't even want the others to know our surprise! How in the world did you hear...?"

Velvet gave her a dry look in response.

The merchant stared. "...Damn." she cursed under her breath. "It seems I've underestimated you." She shook her head, gathering courage for one final push. "But... I think you might've forgotten something..." she began.

The therion rolled her eyes as she turned away from the merchant. Facing out into the distance, she pulled something out of her jacket pocket and chucked it over her shoulder, hearing the distinctive clink of coins as the other woman caught the bag behind her.

"Looks like I don't owe you anything anymore," Velvet observed casually, a light smirk playing on her lips. "Better luck next time." With that, she tensed her legs and leapt inhumanly high into the morning skies, her hair and jacket flaring out around her body in midair like the wings of a jet-black raven.

Felice snapped out of her shock and stomped forward towards the edge, raising the fisted bag of gald in fury. "Y-you damn well better believe there'll be a next time!" she shouted reproachfully at the departing woman. "This isn't over, not by a long shot! You hear me?!"

Her only response was her own voice echoing off the nearby buildings below as the falling therion vanished among the long shadows of the early morning sun, leaving her standing alone atop the Sanctuary.

She let out a long-suffering sigh in the hellion's wake, shaking her head while muttering a few choice curses under her breath in the silence that followed. Slowly, her annoyed expression faded, replaced a contemplative one as she gazed out beyond the courtyard below to the view now present before her.

The vast, dauntless white walls of Rountabel Palace glistened in the morning sun as they rose high above it all, perched atop the highest and most defensible section of Ladylake. From her spot atop the Sanctuary to the Lady of the Lake, she felt dwarfed by the towering building – insignificant compared to the true might of those who ruled supreme above it all. Arrogant humans who had long since lost their humility in the face of the gods. As she stared at the enormous building, she crossed her arms and shifted on her feet, frowning in thought.

"...Malevolence, huh?" she mumbled.

The strong eastward wind soon picked up once more, rustling the merchant's hair as it swept across the denizens of the city of Ladylake, leaving behind hints of moisture in its wake. A precursor to a storm soon to come.

---

"Damn! Another missing shipment." The stall owner heaved a dejected sigh as he dug around in his apron pockets. "...One more of these and we're done for."

"I got word from one of my merchant friends that the Rolance army is up to something." The housewife leant in conspiratorially close to her friends as they walked down the aisle together. "They saw the soldiers across the front lines acting up. They might be moving to strike Hyland at this very moment!"

"The hell is this?!" The enraged man threw his hands up into the air in fury at the cowering peddler. "You say you're charging how much for bread now?! You doubled prices just last week you bastard!"

"And honestly, what was up with all that Shepherd talk a while back?" The older lady manning her book stall shook her head in exasperation. "You'd think he just up and vanished nowadays."

"I 'eard that fire out on the other side of the lake finally went out." The laborer grunted, wiping his forehead with a soiled cloth. "Damn shame, that. Was a decent fishing spot – now it's all smolderin' ash..."

"...Oof!"

Velvet was jolted from her distant musings as somebody charged directly into her walking amongst the marketplace crowds, causing her to instantly tense up in alarm. Her eyes snapped to attention dangerously quickly only to find a harmless young boy stumbling backwards away from the impact, flailing his arms uselessly in the air while letting out a loud shout.

She rolled her eyes, untensing her body while lazily reaching out with her left hand to grasp the kid's arm moments before he fell face-first onto plaza floor.

"You shouldn't run," she said as he gawked up at her with wide eyes.

Her expression was dry as he instantly opened his mouth to respond. "But," she continued dryly, "since you're going to ignore me completely, at least try look where you're going so you don't look like an idiot. Got it?"

His face turning beet-red, the gaping boy stammered, "I wasn't...! I..." Finally recognizing defeat, he shook his head and bobbed his head meekly in agreement to her words. "I mean – y-yes ma'am..." he answered weakly.

"Junior!" A man walking from down the aisle called sternly; a frown etched on his face as he approached the two. "I told you to be careful! People are busy as is without you running into them and knocking 'em over." The well-dressed man gave Velvet an apologetic look. "Sorry about that. He's a real handful sometimes."

"You can have him back," Velvet replied dryly. She released her left hand, causing the kid stumble forward with an alarmed yelp. "I take it you're his father?" she asked.

"Uncle, actually," the man sighed, almost absent-mindedly wrangling the boy to a halt in front of him with his hands heavy on his shoulders. "His parents are both at the front lines, may the seraphim protect them."

He frowned down at his nephew sternly. "Junior. While your attitude is understandable given your situation, that doesn't excuse such rude behavior. You must behave – if not for me, then your parents!" he pleaded.

The boy frowned darkly, looking off to the side. "...What would you know?" he muttered lowly.

The uncle gave Velvet an expression of deep suffering in the silence that followed. "Well," he said loudly, "I'm sorry for having wasted your time. Farewell, miss." He gave the woman a thankful nod he started moving again, bringing his brooding nephew along with him. "Gods know that everyone could do with a bit of luck nowadays," he sighed sadly.

The therion silently watched the two disappear within the chattering crowds of the bustling marketplace before she turned around, resuming her walk amongst the humans. Their gossip, complaints, news, and rumors – all of it washed over her in waves.

Groups of all kinds of people gathered and conversed all around the enormous plaza, adding to the cacophony of conversation and activity in one of the busiest plazas of the city. Stalls lined the cobblestones, arranged with assortments of goods hidden from the afternoon heat underneath colorful multicolored canopies. High above it all, the grand palace of the Royal Family stood, watching over the marketplace with an all-knowing presence.

She felt his eyes on her long before she saw him, staring directly at her through the crowds.

Mikleo's brilliant blue clothing shone in the daylight, visually isolating him from the people who walked around him while unaware of his presence. He stood there unmoving beside the edge of the running waterway; his gaze affixed to hers. The tension in his stance was clear – the scowl on his face deep.

Velvet let her gaze drift away as she continued to walk, a lone hellion traversing the bustling marketplace underneath the bright rays of the sun.

An enormous waterwheel carved with elaborate, flowing patterns groaned repetitively from the quietly flowing waterway running alongside the tranquil path. Planters lined the cobblestone trail, populated with well-groomed flowerbeds laying underneath the shadows of yellowing trees. Stray animals scattered away from the sounds of Velvet's boots as she came to a halt at the edge of the stones beside an empty bench, staring out at the waterwheel across the flowing waters in the comparative tranquility of the pathway.

It wasn't long before he emerged from the crowds to enter the pathway as well, his boots scuffing on the stones as he came to a halt behind her. The silence that followed was broken only by the repetitive noises of the waterway and the distant clamor of the nearby marketplace.

"You-"

"You wanted to see me dead."

His voice halted as the hellion turned around to face him; a hard expression on her face. She raised a pointed eyebrow at him, resting a hand on her hip. "The hellion that turned your childhood friend to the darkness – the monster that manipulated him, betrayed him, and corrupted him. It would've been so much neater if I had just died that night, is that right?"

"I..." Despite his earlier fury, the seraph found that he was at a sudden loss for words in the face of Velvet's cold words.

She waved a hand in the air, shaking her head. "But you're a seraph. You're above such feelings – not like disgusting hellions like me." She smirked humorlessly. "After all, what are we hellions but mindless beasts? Monsters to be purified."

Mikleo gritted his teeth.

"...I can't help but wonder what you were like," he muttered quietly in the silence that followed, "back when you were a human."

He met her eyes, his frown deepening as he studied her unaffected expression. "The carelessness with which you toyed with Sorey... the thoughtlessness with which you shaped him into what you wanted him to be." His words were deeply resentful. "Would the human you have been as disgusted as I at your actions, I wonder?"

Velvet shrugged in response. "That person died a long time ago." She glanced off to the side, her eyes unseeing. "...I'm sure that she would've been absolutely horrified to see what she would become, to say the least."

The waters of the waterway continued to flow behind them, driving the waterwheel in steady, rhythmic rotations. The clamor of the marketplace continued in the distance, muffled by the trees growing in their islands of nature.

Suddenly, Mikleo's face grew pale.

Velvet raised a questioning eyebrow at him, noting the slight tremble running through his body as he took a step back away from the patch of grass to the side. She followed his gaze and found a stray dog inching out from beyond the shadows, hackles raised as it began to growl, glaring directly at the space of air where Mikleo was standing.

Panic began to seep into the water seraph's expression as he took another blind step backwards, raising his arms defensively as the animal's growling intensified.

"H-hey, back off!" he stammered. "I didn't do anything to you!"

In response, the dog let out a vicious snarl, lowering its stance in preparation for a charge. Mikleo's eyes widened in alarm.

SQUELCH!

Velvet's claw exploded outward from her bandaged arm, causing both the seraph and the animal to jolt in surprise. The therion curled the fingers of her demonic claw and raised an expectant eyebrow at the dog staring dumbly at her.

Predictably, the resonant little mutt leapt in shock and fright, turning tail and sprinting away into the flowers, completely forgetting the water's seraph presence. Her extended arm still pulsing at her side, Velvet turned back to face him in the tense silence that followed.

"I told you from the very beginning," she said quietly. "I do what I need to do."

Faint trails of purple miasma seeped quietly outward from the pulsating surface of the serrated arm hanging by her side, dissipating into the daylight. Her expression was hard and resolute. "I accept the weight of my sins – both the ones I have and will commit." She shook her head, waving her human hand irrelevantly in the air. "Hate me all you want. But know that won't stop me from doing what needs to be done to achieve my goals. That's just who I am," she muttered. "Who I will always be."

Mikleo's eyes were hard as he stared at the monstrous appendage that had been seared into his mind – the claw that had nearly devoured him. His fingers twitched into a tight fist. He could feel it, even now – the overwhelming agony, the futility as he was engulfed with malevolence. Her malevolence.

His jaw tightened.

"...With that being said, I'm sorry."

The words were so sudden, so completely and utterly out of place that Mikleo's raging emotions shuddered to a screeching halt. He stared incredulously at the monster standing before her, trying but failing to find any signs of deceit in the foreign expression on her face.

"You're... sorry...?!" he growled incredulously, fury building up inside. "After all you've done, you have the gall to say that to my face?!"

Velvet gave him an even look in response. "Would you prefer that I didn't? That I tried to devour you instead for getting in my way like the hellion I am?"

She shook her head quietly. "I don't regret a thing I did. Knowing what I do now, I wouldn't do a single thing differently." She raised her demonic arm before her, watching as the surface of the disgusting appendage undulated with ever-present hunger. "But that doesn't mean that I'm blind to the suffering I caused."

Mikleo crossed his arms in irritation, tapping his foot repetitively on the stones. "...First you say you're a sinful monster, and then you go and say something like that."

He shook his head in annoyance, giving the hellion a reserved look. "I've been trying to figure you out for the longest time, Velvet. I have to say that at the end of it that I have no absolutely ideawho the hell you are." he grumbled, running a hand through his hair in frustration. "...I just can't see why Sorey decided to save you after all you did."

Velvet sighed in exasperation. "That makes two of us," she muttered.

The seraph opened his mouth to respond but blinked as he registered the sound of footsteps rapidly approaching from behind.

Rose skidded to a halt in the entrance to the walkway, her narrowed eyes quickly taking in the scene of Mikleo standing beside Velvet. Evidently dismissing what she had just interrupted, the merchant jerked her head towards the marketplace.

"Mikleo, Velvet, time to go," she declared quickly. "Maltran's here."

Mikleo shot a glance towards Velvet as he took an urgent step forward. "She's in the city?" he demanded. "Where?!"

"I felt her headed to Alisha's villa." In a flash of green wind mana, Dezel appeared at Rose's side with his arms crossed, his coattails flapping in the artificial gale. He glanced at Velvet, his lips thinning as he noticed the demonic arm hanging off her frame. "You gonna help?"

"Of course she is," Rose cut off impatiently, beckoning the two of them forward. "Now come on! She's gotta be here for Alisha!"

Velvet nodded. "Let's go," she agreed shortly, flicking her left arm and dispelling her arm as she broke into a run.

Together, the two of them charged out from the sheltered pathway and into the bustling marketplace, the two seraphim following in their footsteps. Wind whistled in their ears as the two weaved in and out of the crowds, ignoring the affronted cries of the locals as they pushed and shoved their way forward.

"Y'know, you put up one hell of a fight!" The therion glanced briefly to the side before she ducked to the side, avoiding a slow-moving carriage as she sprinted past a throng of traders. Rose matched her pace, leaping off a pile of barrels to clear a group of children before smoothly resuming her run. "I had no idea you were holding that much sheer badassery in you this whole time," the merchant called.

Velvet couldn't help but roll her eyes in response as she leapt inhumanly high into the air, clearing a flight of stairs with her coat flaring behind her. "You don't have any hard feelings? I was trying to kill you all," she pointed out as she ran on, skidding around a corner towards the main thoroughfare.

Briefly, the two separated, Velvet choosing to run atop the roof of a bar while Rose dashed between the people lined up outside in the alleyway below. The two met up once more at the end, digging their boots into the rough cobblestones as they weaved through the crowds of the main streets in sync.

"But you didn't!" Rose answered as they ran up the stairway towards the upper level of the city. "No use crying over milk that hasn't been spilt, right?"

The therion raised an incredulous eyebrow at her over her shoulder. "That's... one way to look at it I guess." She shook her head in disbelief, lunging to the side to side-step a startled couple as they dashed through the wealthy district of the city.

"C'mon. The royal villa's this way," the merchant beckoned, turning the corner down a side alley. Velvet followed in turn.

The grand villa owned by the Holy Royal Family of Hyland stood solemnly alongside well-decorated manors of the district in the shadow of the grand palace, surrounded by elaborately carved stone walls that guarded its sizeable courtyard from view.

It took Velvet and Rose two leaps apiece to scale and vault over the walls, simultaneously landing in the grass below.

Sorey blinked in surprise, lowering his sword a fraction of an inch at their appearance. "Rose, Velvet!"

Velvet's eyes narrowed as she took in the scene in an instant.

The entirety of the Shepherd's group stood arrayed in a semicircle before the entrance to the courtyard, weapons drawn and at the ready. Alisha stood in front of them all, her lance wavering slightly in her grasp as she faced off against the lone hellion intruder standing before them.

Her regal dress billowing in the artificial winds of her malevolent domain, Maltran raised a gauntleted hand to sweep a few strands of magenta hair to the side as she held her pupil's shaky gaze regardless of the new arrivals.

"...Well?" the hellion prompted, her smile sharp and cruel as she laid her hand on her hip. "Has the pathetic princess knight of Hyland lost her nerve before the battle even began?"

The lance in Alisha's grip continued to tremble ever so lightly, regardless of how hard the princess tried to clamp down on it. Sweat dripped down her brow as she set her jaw in mounting determination.

"Master..." she implored weakly. "Why... Why are you doing this?!"

Maltran's vindictive laugh pierced the air as she tilted her head in amusement. "Why? The question you should be asking, dear princess, is why in the world would I not?" She shook her head in disbelief, tossing her armored hand in the air as if her words were blatantly obvious.

The advisor narrowed her eyes hatefully at the shocked princess. "...I despise you," she growled poisonously. "How I wanted to slit your pretty little throat the moment I met you."

Alisha's eyes widened horribly in the wake of the hellion's words. "M... Maltran...?"

"Don't 'Maltran' me," the hellion mocked, tiling her chin upward while shifting her body weight to the side. "To think, even now you can't seem to possibly comprehend reality." She let out an astonished scoff. "You never could, even when it was obvious what life really was!"

She lashed out violently into the air; hatred clear in her expression. "Your pretty little words and fragility make me sick to my stomach!" she spat, her eyes bulging in fury. "You could not possibly comprehend just how much I will relish tearing you apart limb from limb, like petals from a stem." Her extended hand slowly curled into a fist in front of her.

"I won't let that happen!"

Sorey stepped forward aggressively, his sword held in a tight grip by his side. "Alisha-!"

"Stay out of this, Shepherd!" Maltran narrowed her eyes in annoyance as she returned her arm to her side. "Unless you want to let Hyland's precious royal princess hide from reality once more behind you," she added goadingly.

"...Sorey... please."

Alisha's voice trembled as she spoke, her gaze fixed on her former mentor's. "Please... allow me this," she whispered quietly.

"Alisha..." The overflowing worry was clear in Sorey's expression. Nevertheless, he took a step back, lowering the sword in his hand with a stiff jaw.

Her eyes squeezed shut, the Princess of Hyland took a deep breath, steadying herself in the silence that followed.

"...I did not truly believe what Sorey and the others said when they told me of your actions and words," she admitted quietly, her voice carrying across the courtyard.

"You were on the one person who stood by my side heedless of the trials besieging me. The one who had taught me everything, absolutely everything that I knew – the one who had told me to never, ever back down on my dreams of the future, no matter the adversary. You were the one person I looked up to the most." She shook her head softly, blonde locks of hair swaying with the movement as she slowly slid her eyes open, staring down at the wavering hands gripping her lance.

"Now you stand before me, rejecting all that I have feltthese past years of you being my master. Saying that every moment that I had shared with you in the past... That all of it had been a façade... That you despise me...!"

Her head snapped up fully, her teeth bared as she stomped forward, cutting her hand decisively through the air.

"That's what you SAY!" she cried loudly, her piercing voice echoing off the stones around them. "Yet I refuse to believe this farce for a single second longer!" Her metal armor rattled a she took another stomp forward, raising her index finger directly towards the malevolent figure of her mentor, defiance clear in her stance.

"'A knight's strength exists to protect the people' – you were the one who told me that!"

She shook her head furiously, blithely swiping away angry tears as she stared pleadingly at the monster that was had been her mentor. "Why would a heartless, cruel monster care about such insufferable things?!" she yelled, strength seeping back into her stance as she grasped her lance with both hands. "I implore you, master! Cease this farce this very instant!"

Silence fell in the wake of her demand. The sound of Alisha's labored, emotional breathing filled the courtyard as she stood there, staring imploringly at her master before her. Behind her, Sorey exchanged worried glances with Lailah. Mikleo and Dezel, who had arrived in the midst of Alisha's words, glanced at each other. Edna rolled her umbrella slowly, carefully studying Maltran's unreadable expression. Rose crossed her arms, her body tense and ready for action. Velvet looked on; her eyes narrowed.

A small, tired sigh rang out throughout the courtyard.

"I fail to comprehend how a person like you could possibly be so painfully thick." A strange sort of fatigue had overtaken Maltran's expression as she exhaled, raising her gauntleted hand to rub at her temples in irritation.

"Master...?" Alisha asked, her face rife with uncertainty.

The advisor gave her pupil a resentful frown. "You always did remind me of myself," she muttered. "An innocent little flower, rising above the rest to make the world a better place. Just as naïve, just as insufferably well-meaning."

She let out a scoff, shaking her head in disgust. "...I suppose my task was doomed from the start," she muttered. The malevolence oozing out of her being continued to bubble restlessly at her feet, wreathing her form in a putrid purple aura.

Alisha blinked uncomprehendingly. "Your... task?"

"To turn you into a hellion."

Velvet's words drew everyone's attention as the therion came to Alisha's side, crossing her arms. "She meant to fill you with hopelessness and despair with her words," the therion explained, meeting Maltran's eyes with an even gaze. "An approach I know well." She shifted on her feet, her eyes narrowing.

"But hellions are never just monsters, are we? There's always that part of us hidden deep within. The person we once were, begging for the horrors to stop." She tilted her head to the side, raising an expectant eyebrow. "...Am I wrong?"

Maltran crossed her arms in response, the metal of her gauntlets clinking quietly against each other. She stood there, mutely examining the therion as she stood there, side-by-side with the princess of Hyland with the Shepherd's group behind her. Somewhere, hanging from one of the awnings of the royal villa, a wind chime sang softly into the air, filling the courtyard with an entrancing, hypnotic tune.

"...I had failed to believe the reports that you'd joined him." The coat tails hanging off the back of Maltran's formal wear waved gently in the breeze behind her as she held Velvet's gaze quietly. "That the famed Lord of Calamity of the past now walked alongside the Shepherd." Her eyebrows narrowed as she took in the sight once more of the raven-haired therion standing between her and the Shepherd.

"...Tell me. Why?!" she demanded, taking a fierce step forward. "What good does it do such a woman as yourself to fight alongside such a pathetic boy?!"

Velvet softly turned her head to the side, running her eyes over the group of seraphim and humans, also awaiting her answer. She met Sorey's eyes for a moment, finding his determined yet welcoming face watching her turn.

"He's just another tool to me." She returned Maltran's incredulous gaze while waving a lofty hand in the air. "It's like I said. I'll use every tool at my disposal to achieve my goal, nothing more."

Behind her, Sorey let out a nervous chuckle.

"H-hey, Velvet?" he began with a hesitant grin. "Could you maybe stop calling me a-Yowch!" The Shepherd hissed in pain as he ducked away from Edna's umbrella as she jabbed it towards him again. "Edna?" he yelped. "What gives?!"

The earth seraph gave him a look as she returned her umbrella to her shoulder. "Just shut up," she growled. "We have more important things to deal with than keeping your microscopic ego intact."

Despite herself, Lailah, standing by Sorey's side, let out a soft giggle. "...Yes, we must be sure to count our blessings," she agreed sagely, holding an index finger up to her smile. "After all, we did agree that Velvet was not one to be put on Sorey's leash, despite his arguments to the contrary."

"Wh-what?! Lailah, you know I never said anything like that! ...Can you two please stop giggling?!"

Velvet just rolled her eyes, ignoring the blustering Shepherd's words as she held Maltran's unreadable gaze. By her side, Alisha returned her lance to the upright position. The metal tip of the weapon pole dug into the grass underneath with a soft thud as she stepped forward.

"Master, please," she began softly, earnestly, imploring the older woman with pleading eyes. "There is no reason as to why you must do this. Sorey has a dream of saving this world. Of making things better. Of building a world in which all beings can coexist." She glanced at the hellion by her side, a small, encouraging smile falling on her face.

"'A knight's strength exists to protect the people,"' she repeated proudly, strength infusing her words as she held a fist to her chest. "Truly, as a knight, you must see the appeal of working by his side – hellion or not!" She took an impassioned step forward, extending an open palm out to her master.

"Maltran, please!" she begged.

Her words echoed off the tall stone walls surrounding the courtyard in the silence that followed. The wind chime of the villa continued to sing as a gentle breeze blew in through the closed gate, rustling the royal advisor's jacket and hair as she stood there silently, staring impassively at the princess.

Suddenly, a small burst of mana erupted out of the ground before the closed gate, accompanied by the strange, weak whimper of an injured animal.

A small, grim smile slowly began to spread on Maltran's face. She raised her gauntleted hand and pushed a few stray strands of hair out of the way as she shifted casually on her feet. "The strength of your conviction is impressive as always, Lady Crowe," she remarked, tilting her head slightly towards Velvet. "I admit it – I did not foresee that I would be so compromised by my lingering feelings of the past as to be unable to accomplish my task." Maltran shook her head softly, resting her hand on her hip.

"...But ideals are just ideals. Nothing more." She returned her gaze to Alisha; a disquiet expression on her face.

"My failure will not hinder my Lord's plans, merely slow them down," she stated with dark conviction. "In the end, all of you will have no chance at stopping the coming storm, regardless of what pretty notions or dreams you hold."

Her eyes slid past her former pupil to meet the Shepherd's, her smile deepening ominously.

"A reckoning is coming, Shepherd," she declared, taking a step back. "My Lord is going to take back what is rightfully his. You will stand no chance, mark my words."

The wolf pup seraph that had arrived collapsed weakly onto the ground before them all with a hitching wheeze, unable to stay standing on his paws for a second longer. Burn marks riddled the animal's fur coat, the wounds barely scabbed over with some still oozing blood. He let out a low, weakened keel, lifting his head just high enough to meet Sorey's eyes.

Maltran turned away as the rest of the group rushed in to help the wounded seraph, raising her hands and gathering the malevolence simmering at her feet in preparation for her departure.

Alisha took an urgent step forward, panic in her eyes as she reached out towards the hellion. "Wait-!"

Velvet's hand gently yet firmly grasped Alisha's wrist, stopping her from going any further.

"Don't," she said shortly, answering the princess's desperate expression. She looked up and met Maltran's eyes, her lips drawn into a thin, knowing line. "...She's made her choice."

"Verily." Maltran agreed in kind, turning to face the two of them as the malevolence began to rise, consuming her body from the ground up.

Her eyes held a strange quality to them as she held her former pupil's gaze. In the background, the group hurriedly began the initiate healing artes on the fallen seraph, who let out pained whimpers in response.

"...Alisha." The advisor's words were surprisingly soft as she addressed the princess. "Know that in the end," she muttered, "humanity will always fail you. It is simply in their nature." She pursed her lips, her eyes growing distant.

She shook her head as the malevolence continued to engulf her form. "...If you knew what was best for you, you'd forget about the Shepherd, Hyland, Rolance, and find some small town to live a good life up until the end." She shook her head, a strange expression on her face. "For what he is planning... will be the end of your dreams of peace."

When Alisha opened her mouth to respond, the advisor smiled in exasperation. "But of course, you won't," she interrupted dryly, shaking her head again fondly.

"...You always were a stupid, insufferable princess."

With those final words, the hellion was engulfed fully in malevolence, vanishing from the courtyard in the blink of an eye and leaving no trace behind. Tears shone in Alisha's eyes as she stared helplessly at the place where Maltran had been standing, her master's parting words echoing in her mind over and over again.

She blinked out of her stupor the moment Velvet released her wrist, rushing over to where the wolf pup seraph laid surrounded by the group.

"Hawk!" The therion slid to a stop beside Mikleo, bending over and cradling the seraph's head gently in her hands. "What happened?" she asked urgently, furrowing her brow as she took in the extent of his injuries.

The wolf seraph keeled as he stared up weakly at her, recognition clear in his glazed eyes. His tail twitched slightly underneath him as he let out pained whine.

Velvet's eyes snapped to Mikleo. "His injuries," she prompted shortly, her tone of voice brooking no nonsense. "How are they?"

Taken aback by the therion's intensity, the water seraph cleared his throat, returning his attention to the wounded pup. "...It's a miracle he's still standing," he replied, his narrowed eyes reflecting the bright flare of his healing artes as he ran his hands across the animal's body. "Burns, lacerations, a broken leg. Some of the injuries are up to a week old, while others appear to be very recent."

At the information, Velvet's eyebrows furrowed.

Standing beside her, Sorey's eyes were pained at the sight of the seraph's wounds. His eyes widened abruptly as he made the connection. "That's right, Hawk is Leo's seraph!" he remembered with surprise. "Why would he be all the way here in Hyland?!"

At the sound of his master's name, Hawk abruptly forced his eyes open, letting out a pained snarl as he rolled himself to his paws, heedless of the pain racking his body.

Dezel stepped forward immediately. "Hey!" he growled, reaching down towards the pup. "The hell do you think you're-!?"

"Don't touch him." Velvet's response was terse.

The wind seraph's teeth bared angrily as he cast an incredulous look at the hellion. "What?" he seethed, gesturing urgently towards the injured animal stumbling to his feet. "Can't you see the state that animal is in?!"

The therion shot him a dangerous glare in response. "He has something to show us," she growled, rising to her feet to face the seraph fully. "Let him."

Dezel's scowl deepened as he tensed his body in response.

Rose purposefully stepped in between the two, crossing her arms with a frown on her face. "Save the bickering for later – he's already off." She turned and gestured towards where the wolf had been standing. The seraph had already transported himself to the entrance to the courtyard in a burst of wind mana, still wavering on his feet. "Let's hurry up and follow him!"

Velvet nodded sharply, turning and breaking into a run after the seraph, who responded by teleporting once more, disappearing out of view.

Fury clear in his stance, Dezel gritted his teeth and followed suit, using the wind mana at his fingertips to aid his flight. Rose exchanged glances with Alisha and Sorey before the rest of the group followed in suit, racing after the injured seraph.

---

Far below the lush neighborhoods of the wealthy residents of the city, in a secluded park down by the water's edge, a pair of invading knights leaned tiredly against the trunk of a tree – soaking wet and exhausted.

"See...?" Leo let out a tired chuckle, allowing his head fall back heavily upon the trunk of the tree as he tried to catch his breath. "Told you I was the better swimmer," he breathed triumphantly, half-heartedly wiping the droplets of water off his glasses.

"This was hardly a fair competition," his companion, Captain Sergei of the Platinum Knights, argued, sliding his eyes shut and focusing on ignoring the searing pain of his wounds. "Regardless, my skills were sufficient enough to reach the other side, correct? I believe that is all that matters in this case." he pointed out tiredly, dry smile on his face.

The other man frowned. "You nearly passed out halfway there!" he exclaimed, wincing with a hiss as pain shot up his leg in response to his agitation. He grunted, carefully readjusting his posture so as not to agitate his wound further. "If I hadn't lugged you over to the shore, you totally would've drowned."

"...Be that as it may, I do believe that would be a fair trade for when I saved your life back in the capital." Sergei replied after a pause, reaching up with his gloved hand to wipe the sweat dripping off his brow, inadvertently wiping more lake water onto his forehead.

Leo's expression sobered quickly with the reminder. "...Yeah. Fair enough," he replied with a sigh.

Together, the two men laid there in joint exhaustion, slowly calming the frantic rates of their breathing as they listened to the sounds of their surroundings. The soft lapping of the lake waters down by the water's edge continued in the silence, accompanied by the gentle chiming of a wind chime somewhere among the trees of the secluded park. Beyond the walls, the bustling activity of the Hyland capital could be heard – a constant reminder that they were in enemy territory.

"...But boy you are heavy." Leo sighed tiredly, running a hand through his soaking wet hair. "There was a point back there where I thought we seriously were both gonna drown. You gain some weight lately?"

Sergei's eyebrow twitched.

"Leo!" he growled angrily, heedless of the pain shooting up his body. "Am I to remind you that I am your commanding officer!? That sort of lowly slander will not be tolerated in this institution of honor! Understood?!"

Leo jerked back in panic in the face of Sergei's fury. "Y-y-yes sir!" he crowed meekly, shrinking away from the furious captain. "Not fat, sir! You're as skinny as an athlete, sir!"

Sergei's expression only darkened more. "The term you seek, knight," he growled dangerously, "is of medium build. Furthermore, if you insinuate that I am anything less of perfect athletic statute one more time, I will have you groveling on the dirt, begging for mercy!"

"Y-yeah yeah, I got it, Sergei!" the other man stammered in a panic. "Just calm down-!"

"I am calm!"

Grass crunched noisily under a steel boot nearby, causing both men to jerk out of their argument and stare wide-eyed at the woman glaring at them both, her arms crossed with her index finger tapping repetitively on her right bicep. "The two of you had better answer why you're lying here, beat up to all hell, in Ladylake of all places..." she began slowly, her voice deceptively quiet.

Her eyes flared murderously. "Before both of you are begging for my mercy!"

Both men turned pale as ghosts, all in-fighting forgotten at the introduction of an external threat. Standing down by the therion's side, Hawk gave them both a tired, deadpan stare, tossing his tail in agreement.

"A-ah, Velvet... I see Hawk found ya." Leo remarked nervously, sweat running down his temple. "Nice job, mutt-"

"Answer the damn question!"

The sound of rapid footfalls on cobblestone preceded the arrival of the rest of the Shepherd's group as they came to a halt, eyes wide as they took in the state of the two men lying wounded atop the grass in the park.

Alisha let out a soft gasp as she registered the blood mixed with lake water on their clothing and quickly moved in to help, Mikleo following close behind.

"Oh!" Sergei grunted in surprise as the blonde-haired woman knelt by his side, quickly moving to take inventory of the largest gashes and cuts plaguing the man's body. "You must be... Princess Alisha."

He winced in pain as the woman quickly dabbed away at a fresh cut on his arm. "Apologies, but I am currently not in a state to prostrate myself properly."

The princess glanced at his uniform, frowning in confusion as the hum of Mikleo's healing arte rang out into the sheltered space of the park. "You are... Sergei Strelka, Captain of the Rolance Platinum Knights, are you not?" she asked hesitantly.

The man nodded, instinctively attempting to puff his chest up with the recognition of his role. "...Yes," he confirmed solemnly. "Hence why the two of us could not simply walk through the front gates." He gave the princess a weak, well-meaning smile. "While our nations may not be on the best of terms... I do hope you will look kindly upon my trespass."

"But why?" Velvet demanded, kneeling down and roughly slathering gel on Leo's arm, heedless of the man's yelps of agony. "Why didn't you two stop and get treated?"

Sergei opened his mouth to answer but fell into a coughing fit instead, trying his damndest not to cough upon the princess of Hyland in the process. Once the fit had passed, the captain rubbed his raw throat and leant back against the tree, closing his eyes tiredly.

"...There is a storm coming. One will dwarf all else."

He slowly slid his eyes open, staring quietly up at the browning leaves above in disquiet. "We had to arrive as quickly as humanly possible to warn you all. That is why we did not stop – even after four days and nights of continuous riding. For the fate of thousands rested on our shoulders."

"Just what exactly is he talking about?" Edna demanded impatiently, tapping her closed umbrella on the grass repeatedly. "Tell him to just spit it out already!"

Leo sighed tiredly in response, turning his head to face the Shepherd standing beside Velvet.

"The Emperor is dead," he pronounced dully. "Long live His Majesty Georg Heldalf – new Emperor of the Rolance Empire."

---

The brilliant rays of the sun setting across the lake, muffled by the towering stained-glass windows, basked the hallway in vibrant, distorted hues of gold and violet. From the main tower stretching up into the heavens, the entirety of the city and the wilderness beyond could be seen, slowly fading into darkness as the sun forsook the land once more.

A deep silence permeated the stale, tomb-like air inside Rountabel Palace, setting Sorey and Alisha's nerves on edge. As they walked, the princess noticed the Shepherd's hand twitching towards the spot on his belt where his sword normally hung and shook her head sadly.

"...I truly do apologize for this, Sorey," she expressed sadly, gesturing to the spot on her back where her lance normally hung. "Our disarmament was the only way to please the Chancellors so that they would allow this emergency meeting, given what happened the previous encounter. I hope you understand."

Sorey shook his head softly, a reassuring smile on his face. "It's fine, Alisha," he replied, letting his restless hand fall back to his side. "What's more important is that we get them to understand what they're up against now."

The princess glanced off to the side, drawing her lips into a thin line as she stared towards the distant setting sun through the stained patterns of the windows. "...Do you really think that they will believe us?" she asked softly. "A monster known as Heldalf who only the Shepherd can best, initiating a coup in their rival country?"

"I know," Sorey answered seriously, maintaining his forward gaze in determination. "But I have to believe that I can convince them." His voice was steady and controlled. "They know of my powers as Shepherd from the battle. They might believe me because of that." He shook his head, frowning in thought. "Regardless of the outcome, I have to try," he insisted. "I have to try and make them understand, even though they did such selfish things earlier."

She too returned her gaze forward, pursing her lips as she recognized what he was referring to. "...Lord Bartlow and the other Chancellors have never appreciated my efforts to stem the tides of war," she said dejectedly. "They despised what attention I managed to gain from the public, and frequently spend political capital to thrust me into situations normally unbecoming of a princess." She glanced at Sorey, urgency in her expression. "My point in all this is to urge you to be careful, Sorey," she concluded. "Tread lightly around the Chancellors, especially since they are now far more aware of your powers than last time."

Sorey gave her a serious nod as the two of them came to a halt before a tall, elaborately decorated set of double doors. "Thanks, Alisha. I will," he promised, taking a deep breath before raising his hands to click open the latch of the doors.

Together, the Shepherd and his Squire stepped through the entryway into the grand dining hall of Rountabel Palace, leaving the warm rays of sunlight behind.

"Shepherd."

Chancellor Bartlow's voice dripped with a mix of patronization and arrogance as he spread his hands to his sides, dryly welcoming the two from his seat at the end of the oval table in the center of the enormous vaulted chamber. "You honor us with your presence once more."

At his sides sat the men Sorey recognized from his previous meeting with the Chancellors before he and the others had departed for Marlind. The Military Chancellor Mathia, leader of the Royal Army. Professor Simon, administrator of the law in Hyland. Archbishop Nathael, highest ranking holy man in the kingdom.

All of the council members returned his gaze this time with wary looks, all now fully aware of the fact that he was not just a boy in a silly costume.

He nodded his head respectfully in turn, walking over to take the same seat that he had taken last time across the table form them all. He didn't spare the luscious platters of food arrayed out before him a second glance as he observed them all, carefully studying their expressions and demeanors. The aged floorboards groaned as Alisha took her seat near him – a spot that quite purposefully did not have any food readied for the princess.

"A lot has happened since the last time we met," Sorey answered Bartlow's greeting evenly, his every sense on edge and alert as he sat in the lion's den. "Thank you for agreeing to Alisha's request for an emergency meeting so quickly."

"But of course." It was the Military Chancellor who spoke, a sly grin plastered on his face as casually sipped from a clear glass of wine. "Anything for the gracious hero who brought about a stunning route of the Rolance dogs in the Basin," he toasted smoothly. "Our most sincere gratitude for keeping our grand nation safe from those inhuman dogs. You are a truly a hero worthy of the title of Shepherd."

Sorey kept his expression neutral in the wake of Mathia's words, regardless of the indignation that he felt because of them. Not taking the bait, the Shepherd nodded wordlessly instead, accepting the praise without responding.

At this, Chancellor Bartlow let out a low, intrigued hum, slowly leaning forward in his seat as he scrutinized the Shepherd's demeanor. "...I see you've grown, gentle Shepherd," he remarked in a pleased tone. "We may yet be able to negotiate an agreement, even after the unfortunate events that transpired during our last encounter."

The Archbishop nodded slowly in agreement with his words, running his eyes quietly over the boyish Shepherd's appearance. "Even now, the common people continue to yearn for the salvation of the Shepherd, pining for some easy way to have their every desire fulfilled while neglecting their own mundane responsibilities." He shook his head in disgust, reaching down to set his silverware down with a frustrated breath.

Across from Nathael, Professor Simon let out a grunt. "What fools," he muttered resentfully. "Without the of this vitally important council, this nation would have long since fallen to ruin." He raised an eyebrow pointedly towards Sorey. "Keep this in mind, boy, as you speak with us."

Bartlow threated his fingers together atop the table as he met Sorey's eyes once more. "It is because of this that the council would like to extend our offer to you once more, Shepherd Sorey," he expressed smoothly. "I ask that you be the one who will lead our flock. This time, not just the common man, but our armies as well in an official capacity." He shrugged reasonably, gesturing with his free hand in the air. "Naturally, we will offer you far more than what we did last time, now that we are... more convinced of your prowess."

With that being said, he splayed his hands apart, holding Sorey's gaze with a welcoming smile. "It is a beneficial agreement for all, would you not agree?" he asked smoothly. "What say you, gentle Shepherd, in response to our humble offer?"

Sorey sat there silently in the aftermath of the councilmembers' words, his jaw set tight as he absorbed what had been said. Through the grand windows on the opposite end of the chamber, the rising moon could be seen slowly appearing with the disappearance of the setting sun, hovering ominously above the figures of the corrupted leaders attempting to bribe him under their control.

At his side, Alisha's anger finally boiled through. "...This was the reason you accepted my request for an emergency audience, Lord Bartlow?" she demanded in a quiet voice building with fury. "Merely to use it as a convenient excuse to try and bribe Sorey again?!"

"Alisha."

Stifling her fury, the princess shot Sorey an apologetic look in response before forcefully settling back in her chair once more, fighting to regain her composure. In the silence that followed, Sorey turned his gaze upon the rest of the council members once more, his lips drawn into a thin line.

"There has been a coup in Pendrago," the Shepherd stated quietly, his voice nevertheless carrying around the enormous chamber. "A man by the name of Georg Heldalf has killed the emperor and taken the throne."

Surprise flitted across the expressions of the council members in response to his words. They exchanged glances with each other, registering the information and the widespread implications that it meant.

Sorey pressed on. "This man, Heldalf, is in reality a being of great strength and evil. A Lord of Calamity only one with the powers of the Shepherd can purify," he stated firmly, leaning urgently forward in his chair. "When he has fully consolidated his power as Emperor of Rolance, he will most likely attempt to invade Hyland. With his powers, the Royal Army will stand no chance to his might."

He shook his head placing his gloved hand on the table as he made his plea. "I came to you all to warn you of the threat that Heldalf will pose, and to ask that you attempt to seek a temporary truce with the Rolance Army so as to stand united against the coming storm." He moved his gaze from each of the four chancellors sitting before him, imploring each one to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

"Heldalf will be successful in seizing power. It's only a matter of time before he does. It's crucial that we allow people from Rolance to evacuate to Hyland before then and prepare for this threat as one."

His jaw tightened with emotion. "This is a chance to save thousands of lives." he finished quietly. "Please, consider what I have said."

Silence fell in the wake of his words.

Beyond the grand glass panes lining the opposite end of the chamber, night had fully fallen, covering the land beyond the lake in a shroud of darkness. High above their heads, the lavish chandeliers continued to burn merrily amidst the night, flooding the enormous room in a soft, amber light. Sorey and Alisha watched as the Chancellors exchanged low whispers in the wake the Shepherd's news.

"...Allow me get this straight."

It was Mathia the Military Chancellor who had spoken. "This was a matter that you thought was such importance that it justified an emergency council meeting?" he asked incredulously, splaying his hands resting atop the dining table. "Saving the citizens of Rolance? Have our soldiers drop their weapons and link arms with men who have killed their fellow countrymen and face off against some sort of bogyman from legend?"

A ripple of chuckles erupted throughout the council in the wake of the chancellor's statement. A chorus of amused, arrogant men laughing at the ridiculousness of the so-called Shepherd's words.

Gathered quietly in his lap, Sorey's hands curled into fists.

His own lips curled into hints of a smile, Bartlow began his response graciously. "We of the Hyland council thank you greatly for bringing this matter to our attention so quickly, Shepherd," he expressed gratefully, his eyes hard and calculating. "We have little reason to doubt your words, given your own demonstrable powers and proven character as seen these past few months. It is undeniable that you are aware of a different world than ours – of things that we cannot comprehend."

"Then you must listen to him!" Alisha insisted fiercely as the Chancellor touched upon her very reasoning. "Sorey has clashed blades with the Lord of Calamity! If he says that we must, then we must follow our Shepherd, let we fall prey to a darkness that we cannot see."

"Have you not listened to a word we've said?!" Professor Simon shouted, slamming a palm on the dining table. "The world doesn't work like some sort of fantasy land from the stories. Did you two honestly think you'd be able to saunter in here, tell us to drop the war effort that has been ongoing for centuries, because you said so?!"

The archbishop nodded gravely, his eyes carefully studying Sorey's expression from across the table. "However much truth there is within your words, Shepherd," Nathael said, drawing out the word mockingly, "we will not be heeding your ridiculous request. If this so-called Lord of Calamity has made its home in Rolance, all the better for us, I'd say. Those bastards deserve to get wiped out – each and every one of them. That entire nation can burn for all I care!"

"I wouldn't give a damn if this Heldalf was some kind of bona fide god." Mathia sneered, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms vindictively. "Nothing can stand against a proper military plan of an entire nation coupled with razor-sharp steel. Our military might has long since surpassed those Rolance dogs – we'll have no problem cutting down any threat on way to true prosperity."

Her teeth gritted, Alisha averted her eyes from the councilmembers in the wake of their statements. "...You are all truly hopeless," she whispered shamefully.

Bartlow returned Sorey's hard gaze with a reasonable gesture. "Nevertheless, to have the best advantage in battle, one must strive to upkeep one's knowledge of the playing field." He paused before continuing.

"...As such, we, as the last hope for the prosperity and well-being of our beloved kingdom, can, under no circumstances, allow you to disappear from our grasp again. I do hope you understand, Shepherd. We will require whatever knowledge of you have of this Lord of Calamity." His lips drew into a thin line. "You will give it to us, willingly or not."

With that, the Chancellor raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

At the signal, all five entrances to the chamber burst open, opening the way for a flood of heavily armored soldiers to pour into the chamber and block all methods of escape for the Shepherd and his squire. Sorey's eyes were hard as he stared wordlessly back at Bartlow's satisfied expression even as the knights surrounded him. At his side, Alisha shot to her feet to face the knights, cursing as she raised her hand only to grasp air where her lance normally hung.

"I'll ask you one last time, Shepherd," the Chancellor announced, his voice resounding loudly across the chamber over the clamor of armor as the sea of knights hardened their stances against the seated young man. Bartlow's expression was cold and determined. "Become true figurehead for the people of Hyland. Trust that we will be the ones to lead the kingdom into a new era of prosperity, long after we have vanquished the Rolance trash."

He extended a lone hand in a symbolic gesture, beckoning the Shepherd to his side with a self-satisfied smile. "Come, gentle Shepherd, and let us lead man to salvation, away from the darkness," he urged. "Together."

The clanking of metal continued all around as the armored knights stood restlessly in the path of the Shepherd, gripping their weapons with white-knuckle grips as they prepared to wrestle a being of supernatural strength into submission. At Sorey's side, Alisha continued to glance from side to side, gritting her teeth as she realized just how properly they had been corralled this time compared to their first encounter. Outside the windows beyond the Chancellor's smiling face, the last vestiges of light faded, relegating the world to one of true, unbreakable darkness.

Sorey's jaw tightened.

SQUELCH!

A flurry of cries and screams resounded from the entryway to the chamber as the impassive wall of knights abruptly broke apart in panic. Their eyes wide in disbelieving terror, armored men staggered backwards and away from a lone newcomer entering the chamber, their weapons and discipline forgotten in the face of a true, real life monster.

"Wh-what the hell?! That's...!"

"A m-m-monster!"

"DEMON!"

"Get back! Get back!"

Velvet Crowe's boots clinked noisily atop the floorboards as she strolled into the dining room of the Rountabel Palace, her serrated, pulsating claw hanging clearly at her side. Her black jacket and long hair billowed out behind her, wreathing her in a truly demonic form in the midst of her unleashed resonant domain. She ignored the dozens of panicking men tripping over themselves to get out of her way as she strolled into the room, her putrid claw oozing malevolence into the air beside her.

She came to a halt and gave the seated Shepherd an expectant look, heedless of the terrified whispers coming from behind.

"...We done here?" she asked, shifting on her feet impatiently.

Sorey nodded soberly, giving the therion a small, thankful smile. "We are," he replied quietly. "Thank you, Velvet."

He stood quietly, his chair rattling on the floorboards below as he faced the wide-eyed council with a deeply saddened expression. "...Chancellors, thank you for listening to what I had to say." His eyes were hard as he bore into the gazes of each and every one of them, his jaw set with frustration. "I see now that it was hopeless to try and reason with you all to begin with," he admitted sadly. "I must decline your offer, once more."

His eyes bulging in fury and emotion, Bartlow forcefully stood from his chair. "The hell is this!?" he spat, staring in disgust at Velvet's arm.

"You're commiserating with monsters! What kind of 'gentle Shepherd' would stand with an abomination like that?!" The Chancellor wrenched his trembling index finger forward in fury, pointing squarely at Alisha standing beside them. "Capture the princess! He won't do anything with her life in danger!" he roared, spurring the dozens of knights scattered about the room into action.

Without hesitation, Velvet spun around and intercepted the nearest incoming knight with her claw, bashing him helplessly off to the side like a doll.

CRASH!

"Go ahead and try!" the therion snarled, holding her pulsating claw at a low ready as she stood between the knights and Alisha. "I'll devour anyone who gets in my way." At her side, her enormous claw squelched audibly as she curled it into a fist.

"Have you all forgotten your oaths?!" Bartlow howled, slashing his arm furiously through the air. "I am the voice of the King himself! These are traitors of the crown, here to bring ruin upon us all! The False Shepherd, the Traitor Princess, and their bitch monster!" He stomped forward, screaming at the knights at the top of his lungs.

"KILL THEM ALL!"

Spurred on by the Chancellor's words, the knights slowly reorganized themselves, falling into an encircling formation and slowly advancing upon the three intruders, heedless of their fears.

Velvet clicked her tongue in annoyance, lowering her stance in preparation for battle. "Don't say I didn't warn you..." she muttered darkly.

Sorey shot her a meaningful glance. "Velvet." he said quietly.

The therion shrugged, slowly curling and uncurling her claw at her side as the knights closed in. "If it comes down to it, I won't hold back," she reaffirmed, carefully gauging the strength of each of her enemies. "That's a promise."

"You won't need to." Alisha reassured her, stepping to their side. "Get ready."

The three of them formed up ranks in anticipation, readying themselves as the overwhelming number of knights closed in upon them.

...BOOM!

Violent explosions abruptly erupted amidst the darkness outside, lighting up the night with blinding multicolored flashes of mana. Fire bells rang out throughout the night as the denizens of Rountabel palace were thrust into chaos. While the planks flooring of the great hall rattled violently underfoot, Sorey took a step forward and he lifted a hand emblazoned with the emblem of the Shepherd, his eyes narrowed.

"Let's go, guys!" he yelled, unleashing his power.

BANG!

An enormous wave of power thrust out from his outstretched palm, sending a wave of foreign power that scattered the unsuspecting men in plain disarray. As one, the False Shepherd, the disgraced princess, and the fabled Calamity burst into action, charging into the midst of rattled knights with righteous wrath amidst thick plumes of dust and debris.

Sorey smoothly pivoted his body as he slipped inside guard of his dazed opponent, smoothly disarming him of his lance before sweeping his feet out from under him, sending him crashing down upon the wood flooring below. His eyes flaring with mana, the Shepherd spun around, lifting one hand to unleash a wave of flame in front of him to sear three additional attackers while using the other to toss the lance off to the side.

Alisha caught the lance just in time to parry the stabbing swords of two knights, the steel weapons glancing off each other with an ever-familiar ear-piercing squeal. Letting out a furious cry, the princess tore her lance around in the blink of an eye, smashing the blunt handle into his helmet. Before the latter of the two could take full advantage of her open guard, she expertly manipulated her spear into a two-handed grip, using it to deflect his incoming overhead swing.

CLANG!

Velvet's gauntlet blade grated noisily as she flicked the sword out of her opponent's hand, retaliating with a sweep of her foot, sending him crashing down onto the ground. Preserving her spinning momentum, the therion wrenched her claw through the air with a vicious snarl, carving an entire squad of knights out from the enormous group before her. Those unfortunate enough to get caught up in her slash were sent flying across the entire length of the hall, crashing noisily atop each other beside the flinching councilmen watching the battle transpire.

The loud clanking of armor alerted her to the charge of a separate squad of knights, bravely lunging forward regardless of the sort of foe they were approaching. She glanced over her shoulder at them with narrowed eyes.

"SEVERING WIND!"

The entire squad was blown off their feet and sent skidding into the opposite wall as the Shepherd intercepted them, his cloak billowing out from behind him in the wake of the artificial gusts surging from his palm. Without slowing down, he pivoted to the left, his boots scratching on the wood below as he sidestepped the stab of a spearman.

Alisha's lance smashed into the side of the offending man's helmet from behind, sending him toppling down onto the ground. Without sparing Sorey a glance, the princess smoothly pivoted her lance, expertly manipulating the weapon to parry another spearman as an additional squad attempted to once more take her into custody.

To her side, Sorey grunted as he crossed blades with a man wearing armor designating him as a captain, focusing deeply as he pivoted his own stolen sword in tune to his opponent's strikes. With a yell, he shoved the man off him and gave himself space to breathe, narrowing his eyes as he gauged his opponent. He cursed internally as a second captain ran up from the side, facing off against him as well. His free hand clenched as he welled up the mana once more, trying to establish non-lethal levels within himself.

Velvet's boots clanked loudly atop the wood plans as she came to a halt beside Sorey, her eyes narrowed as she too faced off against the two captains. They stood wordlessly shoulder-to-shoulder against their foes, the therion wielding her enormous claw while the Shepherd curled his gloved hand.

All around them, injured and unconscious knights littered the floor alongside strewn weapons and fallen armor parts. The ringing of steel continued in the background as Alisha dealt with the few remaining knights, sweat dripping down her brow as she slammed her lance against her fellow countryman with righteous fury. All the while the explosions continued to rattle the surrounding stones, sending plumes of dust to periodically shower down upon the previously pristine flooring below.

At an unspoken signal, the four combatants launched into battle.

Velvet and Sorey moved in complementary grace as they met the strikes of their respective foes amidst the desecrated hall of Rountabel Palace. Their blades clashed rhythmically amidst the echoing chamber, punctuated by the asynchronous footfalls upon the wooden underfoot alongside the clanking armor of their opponents.

The therion's claw tore through the air and forced her opponent to retreat with poorly concealed panic despite his training. Regardless, once her monstrous appendage had passed, he retaliated by lunging inside her reach in an attempt to force her to use her sword to parry. She replied by whirling around with the momentum of her claw, lashing out with her steel boot to deflect his blade off and propel him backwards.

"Damn monster!" the captain spat as he regained his footing, bringing his sword back to his side. "How dare you sully this place with your filth!"

Velvet fell back into combat stance, raised her gauntleted arm in preparation for more. "Keep talking," she replied callously; her eyes narrowed.

With a grunt, Sorey flipped the stolen sword in his hand, using the unconventional angle to easily deflect his own opponent's stab. Capitalizing on the successful parry, he drove forward with his left hand, uttering a cry as he let the mana surge through his hand towards the knight captain. He responded smartly by leaping out of the way, dodging the burst of flames that soared out from the Shepherd's palm. Regaining his footing, he charged forward once more, his boots slamming onto the wood below, only to ram his sword against the Shepherd's as he held it over his head in a two-handed grip.

"You think I'm going to just let you walk free after deceiving us?!" he yelled, his arms trembling in exertion as he pressed down upon Sorey's blade in fury. "I'll strike you down myself, False Shepherd!"

"I see." Sorey drew his lips into a thin line. "That's how you feel," he noted quietly.

Then, letting out a harsh yell, the Shepherd wrenched his sword upward, forcing the knight captain off of him with inhuman might. The man stumbled back a few paces, grunted in indignant fury as he arrived beside his fellow comrade. Together, the pair of captains raised their weapons once more against their foes.

CLANG! CLANG!

Velvet and Sorey watched as their opponents simultaneously collapsed onto the ground below them, both having been knocked unconscious by blunt strikes to the back of the head.

Standing behind Sorey's opponent and heaving heavy breaths, Alisha she glared down at the man she'd just bested with sweat dripping off her chin. "Shame on you all!" she cried, slamming her lance down upon the floor in fury. "To think you would all come so quickly to your judgements like blind sheep for the slaughter...!"

To the side, Velvet raised an eyebrow at the woman who had knocked out her own opponent. "The diversion attempt went well, I'm assuming?" she prompted while crossing her arms.

Rose grinned cheekily in turn, casually tossing her razor-sharp blades into the air.

"Of course!" the assassin affirmed, catching her daggers firmly as they fell back to the ground. "The other squads the councilmen organized have no idea that you guys are still here – the rest of the crew's leading them over to the northwest wing of the palace as we speak." Her expression grew serious as she gestured with her head towards the other side of the hall. "...But I can see this didn't so well."

Amidst the renewed silence of the desecrated hall, the four council members that were to lead the Kingdom of Hyland to prosperity cowered at the end of the hall, their bulging eyes fixed on the Shepherd's group in fear.

"T-to think that you would be cable of orchestrating all of this...!" Nathael stammered uncomprehendingly, the archbishop's eyes wide as he stared at Sorey uncomprehendingly. "You truly are a monster yourself...!"

Military Chancellor Mathia, leader of the Royal Army, held his engraved sword up with shaky hands towards the four intruders of the palace. "L-listen, we yield!" he cried weakly from across the hall. "You people have clearly bested us – just leave us in peace!" Another explosion rattled throughout the palace, causing the leader to whimper slightly before clamping down on his emotions.

Sorey's voice was quiet and solemn as he turned to face the group of men amidst the rumbling silence of the hall. "...When your army has been destroyed and Heldalf is at your door here to claim what he says is rightfully his, is that what you'll say as well?" he asked sadly. His boots thudded lightly on the floorboards as he stepped towards the huddled councilmen, a deeply disappointed look on his face as he confronted their wide eyes.

"I hoped you all could see past what you could not see and listen to me." He glanced off to the side; his jaw set. "...Velvet, do you mind?" he asked quietly.

The looks on the councilmen's faces grew ever more fearful as Velvet walked up to Sorey's side, her claw oozing tendrils of purple at her side. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at the cowering leaders of an entire nation, holding her monstrous appendage out to her side.

"Not at all," she replied evenly.

"So... that's it, huh? Sic your hound on us and be done with it?" Despite the terror clearly gripping him, Bartlow swallowed and straightened his back forcefully, angling his chin up as the monster approached him and the other chancellors.

"...Then so be it!" he roared with surprising vigor, slicing his hand decisively through the air. "I'll happily be mauled to death by the minion of the False Shepherd rather than see all the power that I've built up my entire life crumble at the hands of some superhuman brat!" His fists curled furiously as he glared at Sorey with pure hatred. "Shepherds, Lords of Calamity, monsters and spirits – all that tripe! They're just more tools to leverage in my climb to power!" He spat, spittle flying from his mouth. "So, go ahead, do your worst!"

Velvet returned the man's hateful gaze, unimpressed.

Suddenly, Bartlow and the other three chancellors cast about with panic in their eyes as a foreign, unnatural wind began to swirl amidst the enormous hall, snuffing out the candles of the chandelier high above and plunging the world into a nightmarish darkness. The ground itself began to tremble angrily with the rumbling of an otherworldly beast while the air itself became corrupted with oppressively putrid miasma, making it harder to draw breath with each passing moment. They let out involuntary whimpers as the source of the chaos stepped forward, her hair and jacket rippling amidst the fury of her fully unleashed domain. Her eyes pulsed blood red, matching the hue of the undulating claw curling up into a fist by her side.

Amidst the chaos of her fully unleashed domain, Velvet tilted her head and raised an expectant eyebrow at the group of humans.

In an impressive show of synchrony, the four chancellors collapsed together on the spot, utterly overcome by their fear and terror. As they fell atop one another in a pile before her, Velvet rolled her eyes and uncurled her claw.

"That's... about how I figured it'd go," she said dryly, letting her domain fade from the world one more.

Silence returned once more to the enormous hall as the howling winds died down, broken only by the distant explosions and the creaking of wood as the others made their way over to where she stood.

Rose let out an intrigued hum as she gauged the therion's handiwork. "...Well, you left and impression on them, that's for sure," she remarked. "With any luck, they might take Sorey's words a bit seriously. Crazy the kind of stuff you can do for him."

"Indeed," Alisha agreed, having managed to compose herself somewhat in the wake of battle. "Truly, Sorey having the means to reveal the truth of the world to humans lacking resonance will be an enormous boon to our efforts."

Velvet sighed, dispelling her pulsating claw and waving the re-bandaged arm in the air in response. "...This doesn't mean that I'm the Shepherd's 'bitch monster,' got that?" she said in exasperation.

Sorey let out a loud sigh in response, running a hand down his face. "Velvet, not you too..." he moaned.

BOOM!

Another explosion rang out into the night beyond the windows of the hall, drawing the group's attention to the situation at hand once more. As a plume of dust rained down from the ceiling into the desecrated hallway, Rose's expression grew serious.

"...Alright. I'd say we're done here," she summarized succinctly. She glanced at the others. "We can talk about what'll happen next later – right now it's time to get outta here."

Alisha returned her stolen lance to her back. "Agreed. Sorey, we've done all we can," she stated, casting a sober glance at the fainted chancellors in the process. "Let us escape through the secret tunnels while the seraphim continue to distract the guards."

Seriousness returning to his face, Sorey nodded, his jaw stiffening briefly as he cast a glance at his desecrated surroundings. "...Yeah," he agreed softly. "Let's go."

Together, the four left the desecrated hall, leaving behind dozens of unconscious soldiers alongside the chancellors in the darkened room as elemental artes continued to rattle the palace in the distance. In their wake, the rising moon was the only source of light, remorsefully beaming its soft blue light upon the scene of failure.

---

The sounds of their footsteps echoed endlessly amidst the enormous ancient underground passageway as they traversed the crumbling walkway over the deep, dark waters flowing below. Lailah's flame burned softly in her palm as she walked at the head of the group, illuminating the cold underground abyss with a soft, warm glow and lighting the way for the others walking behind her.

In the wake of the chaos that had occurred in the palace, the solitude and isolation of the desolate ruins seemed utterly abnormal.

Velvet glanced idly around at her surroundings as she walked at the back of the group, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Down below, past the weathered stones of the suspended walkway, the darkened water rushed along at a furious pace to places unknown amidst the silence of the forgotten space. At the very edge of the light cast by Lailah's flame, the therion could make out strange, elaborate carvings decorating the far stone wall, their purpose and meaning long since lost to time.

The therion was abruptly jolted out of her thoughts as something jabbed her in the side, hard. She turned to glare daggers at Edna who walked alongside her with an equally murderous expression on her face, her closed umbrella held threateningly over her shoulder.

"The hell was that for?" she growled.

To her displeasure, the earth seraph responded by jabbing her umbrella forward a few more times into her side. "Stupid idiot," Edna muttered lowly, a fierce pout on her lips as she glared up at the therion amidst the dim lighting. "Stupid."

Velvet frowned, intercepting the latest jab with her bandaged hand. "If you have something to settle with me, spit it out already," she ordered, holding the tip of the umbrella high and away from her.

"Fine." The seraph glared up at her; an irritable scowl on her face. "I want you to know that the next time you try and kill yourself, I'll save you the trouble and do it for you," she growled angrily. At her side, her free hand furled into a furious fist as she looked away, squeezing her eyes shut.

"...I'm sick and tired of selfish morons like you thinking of nobody else but yourself!" Despite Velvet's hold on it, she still shoved her umbrella forward again in abject fury.

Understanding slowly dawned upon the therion's expression in the wake of the seraph's words. She pursed her lips, looking away from the distraught seraph.

"Edna... I'm sorry I made you worry." Her voice was barely auditable above the sound of rushing water. She pursed her lips; her eyes distant. "But even still, I won't apologize for my actions," she finished quietly.

"Yeah. And what the hell else is new?" the other seraph muttered, the energy slowly petering out of her as she stopped actively trying to skewer the therion with her umbrella.

The rushing of water filled the silence that followed as the two continued to walk, trailing after the group amidst the encroaching darkness. Two lonely individuals connected through the shared memories of an ancient malak that had once terrorized the seas.

"But... I'm glad you're okay." Edna's final words were almost inaudible.

A soft smile fell on Velvet's lips as she glanced back off into the darkness; her distant look returning to her face. "Thanks, Edna," she replied softly, her voice lost amidst the roaring of the underground waterway.

The rushing water filled Alisha's world as she continued to place one boot in front of the other with her head tilted downward, utterly lost in her thoughts. She pursed her lips, frowning as she stared endlessly into the waters below.

"If you're not careful, you might trip and fall in."

The princess blinked in surprise, lifting her head to find a water seraph walking alongside her with a concerned look on his face. "Oh, Mikleo." She shook her head thankfully. "Thank you for your concern. It is just that I am a little... preoccupied."

The water seraph crossed his arms. "It's about what happened in the palace, right?" he prompted. "Sorey told me about what happened. How the Chancellors refused to act on what he'd told them about Heldalf."

Alisha nodded slowly, her jaw stiffening. "That is part of it, however..." At her sides, her hands curled into frustrated fists. The princess of Hyland stared out into the abyss beyond Lailah's flame, frowning deeply. "...I became a knight to serve the people, regardless of my lineage nor how much opposition I ran into along the way," she stated softly, her eyes distant. "But now... I wonder if it ever truly made a difference that way, or if I simply made things worse."

His eyes narrowed in understanding. "You're thinking about what Maltran told you," he summarized grimly.

She looked away. "...'in the end,'" she quoted softly, staring off towards the distant wall of the passageway, "'humanity will always fail you. It is simply in their nature.'" She turned to face the seraph walking alongside her, a tired look on her face. "Now, here I am, a disgraced princess in the eyes of the Chancellors, destined to be denounced as a traitor heedless of all the effort I'd made to help people as a knight."

She shook her head softly. "As of this moment, everything seems so... futile," she finished dejectedly, returning her gaze to her feet. "That is all."

Mikleo was unable to find a response for that.

Walking at the head of the group alongside Lailah, Sorey frowned deeply, pondering the princess' words amidst the silence. He idly lifted his left hand up to the golden light, soberly examining the glinting of the golden emblem on the back of his glove.

"...The nature of humanity, huh?" he said quietly.

Walking by his side, Lailah cast a worried look at the Shepherd as he stared at his hand, walking forward amidst the darkness in the paltry light of her flame. Her lips drew into a worried line as she looked away, hiding the pain in her eyes.

Together, the group continued to walk amidst the roaring of surging water, listening to the sounds of their footfalls continuously echoing throughout the enormous, desolate space. Cut off from all they were trying to save.

---

Birds chirped happily amongst the browning leaves of the trees lining the bustling street, basking in the brilliant rays of sunshine shining from the sun hanging high in the cloudless sky above. Traders and shoppers chatted happily amongst themselves as they walked up and down the thoroughfare, gossiping amongst themselves about the latest news. Amidst all of the chatter and bustle, nobody seemed to notice a few scraps of paper flying very unnaturally off the recently posted bulletin board by the water's edge.

In a shadowed alleyway in the market district of Ladylake, Velvet, Sorey, and Alisha stared blandly at the four pieces of papers held in Mikleo's hands.

"Is that... supposed to be me?" Sorey asked weakly, pointing at the strange triangular-looking shape apparently attempting to communicate the likeliness of a human with brown hair and a white cloak.

"I believe... so?" At his side, Alisha tilted her head, a finger to her temple as she tried in vain to make heads or tails out of the picture drawn underneath the text, "WANTED: Traitor Princess Alisha Diphda, for HIGH TREASON and CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE THRONE."

Velvet crossed her arms in irritation. "...Was this really the best they could do?" she muttered, glaring at the figure that was evidently supposed to be her, featuring a comically oversized claw the relative size of a mountain.

"Hey well, you've gotta give credit where credit's due."

The three turned their deadpan stares to Rose casually perched upon a barrel nearby who answered their reproachful looks with a helpless shrug. "C'mon, we broke outta the palace last night. They probably woke some poor sod up in the middle of the night and got him churning out these posters in bulk." She waved a hand in the air towards where her own face was drawn crudely on the fourth piece of paper.

"We Scattered Bones get these posters all the time, but they're normally a bit better since we wear masks... And those are normally listed for a lot less, too," she added dryly, pointing at the giant lettering at the bottom of the pages.

"DEAD OR ALIVE, 25,000,000 GALD," reported each page, with the exception of Sorey's which read, "DEAD OR ALIVE, 100,000,000 GALD. INFORMATION LEADING TO CAPTURE: 50,000,000 GALD."

Still holding up the torn pages to the group, Mikleo held his free hand up to his chin in thought. "...Looks like you guys really struck a nerve last night," he considered seriously. "This will make travelling around a lot more difficult with these pages plastered about the kingdom. Anyone could recognize us."

Sorey's eye twitched. "Who in the world is going to recognize us with these drawings, Mikleo?!" he exclaimed, gesturing imploringly at his own fat, angular face on the paper.

Leaning against one of the walls of the alleyway, Dezel let out a long-suffering sigh while tilting his top hat lower over his face. "...Good grief," he muttered.

"Indeed," Lailah agreed with a soft sigh, staring at the wanted poster decrying the False Shepherd in disquiet. "Now, everyone across the kingdom who might have doubted his existence will have definitive proof of Sorey's existence, and moreover, hold the impression that he not a character to be trusted."

Alisha's fist tightened as she held it against her chest, frowning deeply as she stared at her own poster. By her side, Sorey held a similarly grim expression.

"That's not all."

The group turned in at the sound of the new voice to find Leo and Sergei entering the mouth of the alleyway, serious looks on both their faces. Down by their side, Hawk walked alongside them, having regained use of all four of his paws.

"The False Shepherd has the head of a wolf, they're saying." Leo dryly waved a hand in the air as they came to a halt before the Shepherd's group amidst the shadows of the alleyway. "A giant, ten feet tall, with an army of monsters at his beck and call. A monster that took on the soldiers of Rolance at first, but then turned on Hyland when he got too bloodthirsty. And that's not to say anything of the monstrous traitor princess, the strange knife-wielding woman, or the wicked clawed beast he has at his beck and call."

Velvet sighed at length. "...This again?" she muttered.

Sergei met Sorey's eyes, shaking his head in sympathy. "I'm afraid it's true, young Shepherd," he confirmed. "The rumors of your escapades in the Palace and your role in the war have been besmirched greatly. The common folk are all eagerly telling their tales of the so-called False Shepherd, each more extravagant than the last."

"Well that's just peachy," Rose shook her head, crossing her legs atop the barrel. "Now what?" she asked aloud. "We tried our best to warn 'em in good faith, and we ended up as Hyland's Most Wanted. Anybody who remembered our faces will likely be looking for us for that enormous bounty." She shrugged helplessly, gesturing her hand in the air. "Sure seems like the whole world's against the Shepherd now."

A dejected silence fell upon the shadowed alleyway in the wake of her words. Beyond the shelter of the narrow space, life for the denizens of Ladylake continued, full of excitement and gossip over the strange new anomaly in their world. Beyond the narrow slit of sky above, the bright sun continued onward, heedless of the lives of those below.

"...Not all humans are stupid idiots, remember?"

The group turned in surprise as they found Edna entering the alleyway as well, irritably dropping the piece of paper that she'd been dangling over her shoulder onto the ground. Sorey's gaze went past the earth seraph and towards the man dressed in orange who had followed her into the alleyway.

His eyes widened. "Lucas?!" he exclaimed.

The leader of the Woodsmen Mercenaries had a wide, astonished grin on his face as he waved his greeting to the scene of the Shepherd and his group hiding in an alleyway away from public view.

"Hell, well I'll be," he chuckled dryly. "I thought I might've been losing my marbles when a floating piece of paper told me to follow it to the Shepherd." The man shrugged lightly, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "Guess I shouldn't be surprised, going by all that fuss that's happening out there."

"The hell are you doing?!" Dezel snarled at Edna, falling into a combat stance as he prepared to blow the intruder away. "Don't you know they have a price on their heads?!"

"You don't to worry about this one." Velvet reassured as she uncrossed her arms, resting her right hand on her hip as she raised an eyebrow at the lone mercenary leader. "He and his crew are a bunch of soft-hearted sissies." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. "Isn't that right?"

Lucas swallowed and took a step back, chuckling nervously. "I can see you're as terrifying as ever, Lady. Look, I told you, didn't I?" He grinned easily, splaying his hands. "'If you or he ever need our services again, don't' hesitate to search us out,'" he quoted.

A small, grateful smile was on Sorey's face as he took a step forward. "If that's the case, then I'd like to hire you guys to get out of the city, Lucas." He scratched his cheek sheepishly, gesturing with his head towards the four pieces of paper floating in midair beside him. "But... I'm afraid our pay won't be as good, though."

Lucas huffed, crossing his burly arms with a wolfish smile. "Codswallop. I'd say my life should be valued somewhere in the neighborhood of 176,000,000 gald, don't you think? If you think about it, I'm actually coming one million glad ahead in this case! Pretty smart, right?" he grinned, chuckling at his own contorted logic.

Sorey chuckled uncertainty in response. "I... guess?" he agreed hesitantly, scratching his head in confusion.

Edna sighed as she let her umbrella cover her expression from view. "Dumbass," she muttered sourly.

Mikleo chuckled as he leant against the wall beside her, raising an amused eyebrow at the earth seraph. "Strange, I would've thought you'd be the last one in the world to ask for the help of some pesky human," he commented offhandedly. "Maybe you've actually got a soft side underneath all of that...?"

He then yelped indignantly as his foot was stomped on hard by an oversized male boot.

"So, with Lucas's help, we can escape the city easier." Sorey summarized, turning back to face the rest of the group amassed inside the cramped alleyway. There was a renewed spark in his eyes. "Now the question becomes what to do after we do," he posed aloud.

"Well, we're wanted criminals, right?" Rose drawled, slipping off the barrel and putting her hands on her hips. "So... people like us have to have a secret hideout, right?" she grinned. "We should go set one up!"

"That's some leap in logic." Dezel deadpanned.

Leo and Sergei exchanged glances. "That would be best for us as well," Sergei began, drawing the group's attention. "Leo and I escaped the sacking of Pendrago with a number of other individuals. They are all in hiding at the moment, waiting for our return." He turned to Sorey, beseechingly. "Please, Shepherd Sorey, I desperately hope it would not be presumptuous to request that wherever you base your own secret hideout, that you allow what remains of the Platinum Knights to reside there as well."

He pressed his armored fist into his chest, straightening his back in front of the Shepherd himself. "...With my city in ruins and my country besieged by malevolent forces, I come to you, Shepherd, in my darkest hour," he proclaimed somberly. His graves clanged loudly as he fell to his knees in a begging stance. "Aid me, and I shall respond in kind by following you to the very ends of the continent to help you bring Heldalf's reign to an end! This I swear... on the souls of my ancestors!"

Leo's face had found his palm. "Man... stop. You're embarrassing us," he muttered. At his feet, Hawk mumbled in agreement.

Sorey smiled softly down at Sergei in the wake of his words. "Thanks, Sergei," he answered genuinely, reaching down to provide a hand to the captain. "Of course you can come with us – it'll be great to have you and the others along."

The captain's eyes were gleaming in awe as he stared at Sorey's offered hand. "...You are truly one befitting the name of Shepherd, Sorey, regardless of what those filthy chancellors call you," he grunted, taking Sorey's hand and pulling himself back to his feet. He lent forward in a quick bow once more, this time including Rose in his gaze. "I am truly honored to work underneath the command of you and your lovely wife. Thank you both so much for giving me this opportunity."

Alisha eyes were wide as marbles.

"W... wife...?" She gawked uncomprehendingly between Sorey and Rose. Belatedly, the princess noticed Lailah standing behind Sergei frantically gesturing by swiping at her neck in a cutting motion. "...Ah, yes... Sorey's... wife," she finished slowly.

As the conversation continued in the wake of her words, Alisha silently tilted her head in further confusion, putting a hand to her temple in utter befuddlement.

Sorey shook his head, hurriedly changing the subject before it got even worse. "A-anyways, we still need to decide on where we're going," he pointed out loudly while scratching the back of his head.

"How about Tintagel Ruins?" Rose suggested, leaning against the stone wall of the neighboring building. "That place where I decided to join you?"

"Tintagel Ruins..." Sergei furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Yes, I believe I am aware of those ruins, albeit only from a geographical standpoint," he stated, crossing his arms. "Nevertheless, with Heldalf encroaching upon Rolance and with Hyland's current attitude towards the Shepherd, being in a region close enough to both could prove highly beneficial to our joint future operations."

Velvet shifted on her feet, giving Rose a look. "Didn't the rest of your group stationed there leave because it was unsafe?" she asked. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Well, yeah, we decided it was too much of a liability because of how busy it was getting in the area," Rose agreed, bobbing her head. "But the war's simmered down nowadays, for now at least. And besides, we have seraphim who can help us out with patrolling if all else fails, right?" she asked, turning to Sorey.

The Shepherd glanced at his followers, nodding thankfully in return. "Right. Then that shouldn't be a problem."

He stood up straight, taking in the appearance of his followers as they stood there within the shadowed alleyway, all ready to follow him in his battle and his dream. Despite all that had happened, a small, motivated smile graced his lips as he held his fist in the air, grinning at them all.

"...It's settled, then. To Tintagel Ruins," he stated before them all. "We'll find a way to take down Heldalf, and save Maotelus, no matter what the world thinks of us. Together."

The group nodded back; determination clear in their gazes.

The smile on his face widening, the Shepherd turned back around to face Lucas who was watching the scene with an intrigued grin on his face. "Lucas," Sorey prompted, nodding his head respectfully, "we'll need your help to do so. Please, do what you can."

"Hell yeah." The mercenary leader flexed his arms with a coy grin, boisterously declaring, "When you hire the Woodsmen, you better believe we'll get the job done!" He slammed his fist onto his chest with a loud thud.

"Leave it to us, Shepherd!" he roared. "You're secret's safe with us!"

Edna's umbrella lowered to cover her face even further as the mercenary's loud bellows echoed up and down the alleyway. "...Idiot," she repeated balefully.

Leaning quietly against the wall behind the others Velvet exchanged a wry glance with Leo as the conversation continued. Down by their feet, Hawk cocked head to the side in wolfen amusement, tossing his tail from side to side.

---

That night, the city guard was suddenly confronted with a spontaneous wave of rowdy tavern brawls happening in almost every establishment across Ladylake, forcing the command to break guards in a panicked maneuver to keep the peace as anarchy seemingly threatened to overtake the entire city overnight. Amidst the yells, jeers, and thrown punches, nobody seemed to notice a small group of cloaked individuals slipping through the streets and out through the main gates, having rendered a handful of remaining guards unconscious.

As one, the six figures charged through the dim lighting of the waning moon overhead as they dashed along the length of the enormous bridge towards the shore, leaving the quietly simmering lights of the Hyland capital behind. The rustling of trees and the distant running of water greeted them as they reached the end of the bridge, stepping off the worn cobblestones of the ancient metropolis and into the tranquility and solitude of nature.

Steadily catching his breath, Sorey gathered with his fellow accomplices underneath the shadows of a tree standing just off the beaten path, looking back at the city for any sign of alarm. Yet Ladylake still sat atop the darkened waters, slumbering in peace and quiet amidst the night same as always, unaware that the False Shepherd had managed to escape past its hallowed walls.

"...Well, that's that, then."

The group turned away from the city as Leo, Sergei, and Hawk stepped away from the rest of them, determination clear in their expressions. "We need to swing by where the others are hiding," Leo explained, hefting the travelling pack hanging on his shoulders. "It's a bit outta the way, but it shouldn't take too long – we'll meet you guys there."

He shifted his gaze to the side, his wry smile widening. "...Try not to eat too much, Velvet. You'll get fat," he added slyly.

The therion glared at the irritating man in return, responding by raising her bandaged left hand ominously. "Why don't we put that theory to the test?" she growled, causing the man to pale.

"Young Shepherd." Sergei stepped forwarded, ducking his head in a respectful nod. "Despite all that has transpired today, I urge you not to lose faith in the will of humanity." His gauntlet clanked against his chest as he held himself upright in a proud salute. "I will do all that is in my power to convince you so. That I swear."

Sorey nodded seriously in response. "Thanks. Take care guys," he wished quietly, waving his hand in farewell.

Hawk yipped softly before turning around alongside the two men, the three of them headed their own separate way with the same end destination. With that, the Shepherd and his group of seraphim were left alone once more before the quiet grace of the slumbering city.

"It's all coming down to the wire, huh?"

Mikleo's remark was soft as he stared out towards Ladylake alongside the Shepherd. "The False Shepherd. Heldalf's reckoning. Saving Maotelus." The water seraph turned and gave his childhood friend a soft grin barely visible amidst the dim lighting. "We've sure come a long way."

"Yeah." Sorey's cloak rustled in the wind as he stepped forward, his eyes fixed upon the glistening beacon of the city before him. "...We sure have."

A wayward wind picked up softly in the wake of his words, rustling the nearby trees and rippling the lake waters below. Somewhere, beyond the rolling hills of the Lakehaven Heights, the crashing of waterfalls could be heard. High up above, the waning moon continued to drift aimlessly through the starry sky, standing vigil against the darkness encroaching upon it all.

Nodding to himself, Sorey turned around and faced them all amidst the darkened wilderness, turning his back to the glistening capital city.

"Let's go, guys."

Together, the False Shepherd's group of conspirators and traitors stole away from the capital city amidst the cover of night, disappearing into the shadows of the silent wilderness beyond. A small, peculiar assortment of personalities united by their drive to aid in the Shepherd's quest to free a god from his chains.

Together, they departed, destined to return.

---

Author's Note: Hey all, still here, haha. Thanks for all the support these past few months – life has been getting in the way as usual.

As always, thanks for reading, and I'll see you all for the next one. (P.S. – Crestoria 964-964-227)

- CloudFry, August 9th, 2020