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.

26. C25 - Asylum

Chapter 25 – Asylum.

A faint, unnatural wisp of wind drifted across his face, disturbing his slumber.

His vague dreams fading into the back of his mind, Sorey's breathing softened as he regained awareness, the hairs on the back of his neck rising with a mounting sensation of uneasiness. With each of his senses steadily growing alert, he maintained his breathing pattern and kept his eyes closed. As he inched his right hand slowly towards the sheathed sword at his bedside, he strained his ears to pick up even the slightest hint of an intruder.

Yet there was nothing but the sound of silence.

His hand slipped out from underneath the sheets and into the cold underground air, travelling but a short distance to wrap around the reassuringly familiar wrapped grip of his ceremonial sword. He exhaled one final time, steadying his nerves and preparing himself for the worst. Then, in a sharp and concerted motion, he wrenched his blankets off his body and drew his blade from its sheath with a sharp screech of singing metal.

He snapped his eyes wide open, scanning the rest of the chamber with a ready gaze.

An empty darkened chamber greeted him in return. One in which Mikleo, sleeping in the bed opposite to him, shifted unhappily in his sleep at the echoing sound of his drawn sword. No intruders stood atop the stone tiles between the beds nor did strangers lurk in the looming entryway to the men's quarters.

His rapid breath misted in the chilly air as he quickly glanced around, scanning the unlit stone chamber for anything out of the ordinary. His travel pack rested in the corner alongside Mikleo's against a weathered stone pillar near the entrance, untouched. The dark hallway past the entryway leading out towards the main section of the ruins was unoccupied. Dezel was nowhere to be found – something he had come to expect – leaving nobody but him and Mikleo inside the vast empty chamber.

With that conclusion, Sorey exhaled quietly and lowered his blade, only now registering the chilliness of the air that his undershirt-clad torso was now exposed to. He frowned as he sat there atop his empty bed, struggling to remember what exactly it had been that had alerted him in the first place. "...Funny," he mumbled to himself, scratching his head. "Could've sworn I'd felt something odd."

The shirtless man behind him shrugged. "Probably just your imagination," he replied.

Sorey's eyes widened.

His panicked yelp echoed through the chamber, followed soon thereafter by a noisy crash as he tumbled from his bed onto the stone floor. His heart pounding in his chest, the Shepherd barely managed to place the face and voice as he whirled around, belatedly recognizing the seraph lounging against the stone wall behind his bed.

"Z-Zaveid?!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing off the weathered walls of the chamber.

Across the room, Mikleo rolled out of his bed in alarm, instinctively conjuring his staff in his arms as he took in the scene with wide, bleary eyes. He instantly zeroed onto the intruding seraph beside the Shepherd's bed. "Sorey!" he yelled urgently, taking a step forward.

In response, faster than the eye could track, Zaveid drew and raised a small weapon made of steel and wood, leveling it precisely at Sorey's head causing the two of them froze stark still. At the sight, their minds instantly flashed back to their first and only encounter with the wind seraph upon the foothills of Rayfalke Spiritcrest.

"For some, death is a kind of salvation, you might say."

Their eyes widening in horror, the two exchanged panicked glances as the same weapon that had ended the life of that hellion that day stayed evenly trained on Sorey's head. An unsettling grin had formed on the wielder's face.

"Sorry to drop in unannounced fellas," Zaveid drawled, casually pushing himself off the wall. He gave his weapon a quick, stylish spin before restoring his aim. "I'll be taking you two hostage now," he announced, giving them a charming smile that belied his words. "Don't do anything stupid, yeah?"

Mikleo stared incredulously at him from across the chamber. "Wh-what?!" he demanded with wide eyes. "Why would you...?!"

Zaveid returned the incensed water seraph's gaze coolly while gesturing Sorey to his feet with the muzzle of his weapon. "Eh, who knows?" He shrugged his shoulders. "I'm the sorta man who does whatever pleases me on whatever whim strikes my fancy."

His expression grew serious as he gestured the two of them forward, towards the exit of the chamber. "Now step wisely," he suggested, a fanged expression on his face. "Make any noise or try to alert the others and I won't hesitate to off ya. Trust me."

In response, Sorey and Mikleo exchanged wary glances, having little choice but to obey the malicious seraph's orders. The latter's staff emitted a quiet hum of mana as it disappeared from his grip, leaving the two of them properly disarmed.

The darkened main chamber of the Tintagel Ruins was a vast expanse of cold, unaccommodating stone, carved with brilliantly elaborate depictions of unrecognizable scenes from a bygone era. A multitude of extinguished torches lined the walls in recently installed metal brackets with faint trails of lingering smoke filling the chilly underground air, leaving the massive underground space utterly devoid of illumination and warmth. An errant breeze, having whistled its way through one of the various entrances to the ruins, uttered a haunting moan as it aimlessly wandered the enormous chamber inside which it had been trapped.

Sorey and Mikleo's bare feet pattered against the freezing stone as they were quietly herded through the main chamber, weaving amongst the various piles of wooden crates leftover from the previous occupation of the ruins by the Scattered Bones. Zaveid's boots alighted constantly behind them as they shuffled along.

As they continued onward, Sorey's eyes naturally wandered towards the hallway on the opposite wall that led the women's quarters, where the rest of the group were sleeping. By his side, Mikleo walked onward, keeping his gaze perfectly straight ahead as he opened his mouth to whisper amidst the silence.

"Sorey," he prompted quietly. "You need to alert the others."

The Shepherd glanced discretely over his shoulder to find Zaveid casually trailing some distance away, his weapon still trained readily upon the two of them. He frowned, returning his gaze forward as well. "How?" he replied, keeping his voice at a bare minimum.

"I'll distract him." Mikleo's expression was set in determination as he strode forward. "Take advantage of the opportunity as fast as you can."

Sorey's expression twisted in revulsion. "I'm not about to abandon you so I can run away!" he hissed out of the side of his mouth.

"This isn't the time for that," the seraph replied evenly, evidently having anticipated the response. "That weapon of his is deadly. We'll need to get the others to even the playing field as soon as possible." Chancing detection, he glanced over at Sorey with a dry expression. "...Do you doubt my abilities?"

Sorey frowned. "...You know I didn't mean it like that," he muttered.

Seemingly with a particular path in mind, Zaveid led the two through the remainder of the central chamber, giving the hallway to the women's quarters a wide berth in the process. A casual, easy grin ever-present on his face, he gestured the two wordlessly through the opened gateway leading into the depths of the Tintagel Ruins. Mikleo stepped forward first, giving Sorey a silent, pointed look in the process that he was unable to refute, to his frustration.

The air seemed to grow colder still as the three went deeper and deeper into the ruins, following winding tunnels that Zaveid seemed to know by heart – each step leading them further and further away from the others. Sorey was hard-pressed to memorize each turn amidst the dark, obscure stone hallways, reluctantly forcing himself to prepare himself for Mikleo's plan.

"Alright then, I'd say that's enough."

Zaveid brought them to an abrupt halt in the middle of a particularly deformed hallway, his easy grin still plastered on his face. His weapon hung lazily in his grip, aimed from his hip as he leaned his shoulder against the opposite wall. Both of them turned to face him warily amidst the darkness. In doing so, Mikleo caught Sorey's eye meaningfully, making a brief, cutting gesture with his head toward something behind the Shepherd.

Their captor had chosen to raise his weapon in the air and admire it, casually spinning it around his bent index finger. He shifted his position, resting his body weight upon the stone wall with a casual, lounging attitude. "Now," he began, focusing on maintaining an even spin of his weapon, "why don't the three of us..."

"NOW!" Mikleo yelled.

Through the unique, wordless coordination of two friends who had fought together for as long as they'd been alive, both Mikleo and Sorey burst into motion simultaneously, the former lunging forward while conjuring a fierce flurry of water projectiles to drive Zaveid away while the latter whirled around, bringing his left hand back in a surge of mana.

BANG!

The cracked, structurally compromised wall that Mikleo had observed crumbled into a fine dust through the sheer force of Sorey's arte, allowing him to lunge through the new hole in the wall and escape into a neighboring chamber through a heavy cloud of debris.

Brilliant neon flashes of blue and green spawned erratically in the crumbling hallway as the two seraphim exchanged artes behind him. Weathered stone rattled underneath their boots with each detonation, the very bones of the ruins groaning in protest at the chaos. Mikleo's teeth gritted as he leapt to the side, a vicious gust of wind barreling through the blurry dust where he'd been standing. He let out a fierce yell and lashed out with his staff in retaliation, determined to fend off his opponent with every fiber of his being.

His detonating arte rattled behind Sorey as he stumbled through the darkness, his eyes shut against the all-encompassing debris. He used his forearm to protect his face him as he did so, forging forcefully into the unknown as the chaos continued behind him.

Yet suddenly, the world lit up in a brilliant flash of red and orange, freezing him in his tracks.

He blinked dumbly as spots flashed in his eyes from the violent transition into brightness, holding his hand up against the source of the fire that had abruptly erupted in the chamber he had stumbled into. Slowly, his eyes began to adjust to the light, allowing him to take in his surroundings – a sight that filled him with complete and utter dismay.

There he stood, clad in shorts and an undershirt, in the middle of the women's quarters, surrounded by the partially clad females of the group staring at him with astonished expressions.

Expressions that swiftly turned murderous once they recognized exactly who had just invaded their private room.

He swallowed nervously, turning around on the spot, increasingly feeling like a lone rabbit surrounded by predators on all sides. "H-hey, guys," he greeted nervously, holding his hands up as disarmingly as possible. "I..."

His words trailed off as Velvet silently slid off her bed, guiding her feet into the steel boots placed at her bedside. Lailah's heels clicked loudly on the stone floor as the seraph approached, a wordlessly livid expression on her face. Alisha stood with her hands had balled into furious fists, her cheeks a burning shade of pink. Rose rolled her shoulders as she stood as well, casually reaching under her pillow to procure a razor-sharp dagger whose blade gleamed in the light of the flames. Edna stepped forward as well, her umbrella resting upon her shoulder gripped like club.

Cold sweat ran down the side of Sorey's face as they closed in. "No, I-I can explain!" he yelped in mounting desperation, whirling around with no way to escape. "Guys, it's not what it looks like! It's not...!"

His pleas fell on deaf ears.

"...AAAAaaaaaaGGGGH!"

Mikleo's eyes widened in horror as Sorey's scream echoed endlessly throughout the ruins, accompanied by the distinct sound of objects slamming repeatedly into his body. He jerked his head over his shoulder through the now brightly lit hole in the wall, only to have his jaw drop at the sight that awaited him. Behind him, the sound of Zaveid's utterly unrestrained laughter drew his attention back as the wind seraph dropped his guard entirely to bend over and clutch at his sides.

"Daaaamn!" the shirtless seraph laughed gleefully, slapping his knees. "That could nothave gone better even if I'd tried – Zaveid: one, Shepherd: nil!" he crowed.

Mikleo stared.

"Y-you... what?!" he eventually demanded. "Did you do all of that as part of some kind of joke?!" he yelled hoarsely; indignation clear in his face. He received naught but a renewed bout of snorting laugher in response.

Meanwhile, Sorey had been reduced to nothing more than a limp figure lying flat on the stone floor. His crooked limbs twitched slightly as he laid there, unable to move out of fear of additional, merciless blows. Edna continued to jab her umbrella into his side, ensuring that justice was sufficiently dealt to the transgressor at her feet.

Velvet, on the other hand, had shifted her point of focus. Her steel boots clinked loudly as she stepped carelessly over Sorey's twitching body, heading towards the hole in the wall through which he had entered. Zaveid, still actively in the midst of a fit of chuckles, failed to react as she walked up to him, an utterly unimpressed expression on her face.

She proceeded to smash her fist into his exposed abdomen with a hollow thud.

"Gehk!"

The laughing wind seraph crumpled to the floor before her with a choked grunt of pain, clutching his stomach in agony. Despite himself, Mikleo winced sympathetically at the sight.

It was then, amidst the settling debris, the crackling of Lailah's smoldering fire arte, and the quiet groaning of the two men laying injured on the floor, that a new voice abruptly rang out into the stone chamber, drawing the attention of everyone present.

"Hello? Anybody there...? There was nobody in the men's side, so we wanted to check if everything was ok...ay..."

The group watched as two men and a wolf pup rounded the corner of the hallway into the entrance of the chamber, only to freeze at what awaited them.

The smell of burning ashes leftover from the detonation of artes hung in the air alongside a slight haze of residual dirt and debris. The members of the Shepherd's group all stood around in various stages of undress, with the partially dressed Shepherd himself lying face down on the stones in the center of the chamber appearing to have been chewed up and spat out. Through a gaping hole in the wall, Zaveid laid at a jacketless Velvet's feet, also appearing to be in a similar amount of pain.

Leo exchanged a glance with Hawk and Sergei.

He then cleared his throat loudly. "Er, sorry. Is now a good time?" he asked carefully, his uncertain voice echoing slightly off the walls of the silent room.

Velvet abruptly slammed her boot onto Zaveid's calf, eliciting a pained howl. "I suppose now that I'm awake, it is," she replied evenly, turning away from the insufferable wind seraph to return to the chamber.

With a general atmosphere of irritation and resentment, the females of the group proceeded to dress themselves properly before following the two Platinum Knights out of the debris-ridden chamber, shunning the crumpled figure of the Shepherd lying on the floor in the process. In their wake, Mikleo carefully stepped inside through the jagged hole in the wall, gently easing his injured friend up by the shoulders. Silence returned to the underground space as they left as well, leaving only the lone shirtless seraph lying on the floor.

After a moment, Zaveid finally let out a groan and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Y-yow. That broad really hits hard," he muttered as he pushed himself to his knees, wincing as another bout of pain seized through his abdomen. "...Guess it's a good thing I like it rough," he supposed slyly, an unapologetic grin spreading resiliently onto his face.

He then glanced over his shoulder into the darkness down the corridor behind him. "So," he asked casually into the abyss beyond. "Enjoy the show? I noticed you were trailin' us that whole time."

Leaning against the crumbling stone wall on the opposite side of the corridor, Dezel silently adjusted his top hat in response. "...You knew what was on the other side of that wall by feeling through the wind," he stated aloud. "All of that was planned from the start."

Zaveid lifted his arms in a casual shrug. "Glad someone's giving me some credit for my performance. People just don't appreciate a spot of good-natured, well-planned mischief nowadays," he complained.

Dezel's lips thinned.

His boots alighted softly on the stones as he pushed himself of the wall, confronting the other wind seraph directly. "...What are you doing here?" he growled lowly, his exposed jagged teeth glinting in the dim lighting. "Just what the hell are you after?"

The other man pushed himself to his feet, rolling his shoulders with a weary groan. His eyes opened to alight upon Dezel as he replied with an easy grin. "Who says I have to be after anything?" he asked innocently, waving a casual hand in the air. "That's just what I'm sayin' – nobody understands what fun is anymore."

Dezel's expression only darkened. "Hey, I'm serious-!"

"Listen buddy," Zaveid cut him off, turning on his heels to look at him directly amidst the silent hallway. "Women don't get the hots for men who are all uppity all the time." His grin grew sleazy as he casually rested a hand on his belt and tilted his hips. "Ya gotta loosen up every now and then if you're gonna want the ladies to like you. All this negative energy's gonna drive everyone away from you without a second thought."

He paused, furrowing his brow while lifting a hand to his chin in mock thought. "...Or maybe that's just how you like it?" he drawled.

Without waiting for a response, the seraph proceeded to hop through the hole in the wall, strolling through the debris-riddled chamber towards where the others had disappeared.

Dezel watched him leave from the shadows, his hands ground into fists and his teeth bared. "...Damn," he cursed, glancing away sharply. "Why does he get to me like that...?" he demanded under his breath.

The unerring silence was his only answer, the faint moaning of distant wind his only companion amidst the desolate ruins.

---

The main chamber of Tintagel Ruins bustled as men and women clad in the silver and maroon colors of the Platinum Knights moved around the enormous underground space, unloading crates and supplies from the horse drawn carriages in the patchwork lighting of numerous torches and lanterns. The clopping of horse hooves resounded in the distance down an adjacent stone hallway as a temporary stable was established. A low dim permeated the great space as the knights conversed quietly among each other as they worked, exhaustion clear on their faces.

Alisha glanced over her shoulder as a woman rolled a barrel past where the group were seated, headed towards the chamber where provisions were being stored. She returned her gaze forward with an impressed expression on her face. "The knights appear to be in surprisingly high spirits after Sorey's words, heedless of how long they must've travelled in the past week," she remarked, resting her hands on the surface of the crate she was sitting upon. "Such strength is truly remarkable."

Sergei nodded resolutely in response, standing straight and proudly before them all as always. "It is to be expected," he replied confidently. "The world has become very tumultuous for us all very recently. Having the aid of the Shepherd of legend in regaining control of it is nothing short of an authentic miracle."

Rose curiously tilted her head to the side, absently kicking her boots against the side of the barrel that served as her seat. "What are y'all planning?" she prompted, gesturing over her shoulder towards the bustling knights behind her. "Everybody looks like they're about ready to drop dead. Couldn't you have waited until tomorrow to unload your stuff?"

Fiddling with the gauntlet blade strapped onto his wrist, Leo answered her question by shaking his head. "Everyone's sick and tired of waiting around," he explained with a shrug. "After hearing about the state of the Lastonbell, they demanded that we have 'em seize the city at first light. Tactically speaking, it does make some sense, what with the power vacuum with the outlaws in the city after what you guys did yesterday, but..."

Alisha leaned forward incredulously. "But does fighting a battle without proper rest not lead to unacceptable risk, even if it is against simple bandits?" she demanded, glancing between the two knights. "Surely the two of you are aware of this?"

Sergei's expression was calm as he returned her gaze. "Princess, you must understand how the men feel," he answered. "They have been driven into hiding by a usurper who has thrust all they have known into chaos. They have watched as the country that they love become embroiled in conflict and madness. As have I." He pressed his gauntleted fist into his chest as he declared, "This place is our home. We swore an oath to defend it to the day we die – we will not tarry in the fulfillment of that edict. That is all."

Alisha pursed her lips softly, her eyes drifting towards the ground in the wake of his words. "...I see," she replied quietly. "I suppose that is... understandable."

The quiet conversations of the laboring knights continued in the silence that followed. One man let out a foul curse as he accidentally dropped a heavy crate on his toe, followed by the amused laughter of his squad mates. In the distance, a stabled horse let out a whinny that resounded off the carved stone walls of the enormous ancient edifice.

Amidst the lull in the conversation, Edna abruptly turned her head and pointed her umbrella forward. "...Why is he still here?" she asked dully, drawing the attention of the group to the outsider casually perched atop one of the taller crate piles.

Zaveid took mock affront to the statement, leaning back with his arms supporting his neck. "Of course I'm still here," he drawled, winking coyly. "What kind of man wouldn't want to be here, surrounded by such breathtakingly gorgeous women?" He slid his gaze casually towards Sorey with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "You know what I mean, don'tcha Sheps?"

Sorey flinched in response, the marks on his skin under his clothes suddenly flaring in phantom pain. "N-no!" he refuted waving his hands in the air. "Really, it's nothing like that!"

"Oh?" the wind seraph's expression was filled with disappointment as he leaned back in his seat. "So you think they're butt ugly, huh? Shame."

"That's notwhat I meant at all," the Shepherd sighed.

Edna's deadpan expression didn't change at all in response to the exchange. "...Weirdos," she muttered, turning her head away disdainfully. By her side, Lailah shook her head in sympathetic disappointment.

Perched atop a crate of her own, Velvet paid the red-faced Shepherd no mind and glanced seriously at the two knights. "Sorry to break it to you," she said bluntly, "but Heldalf's forces are hellions. Taking them on with nothing but a ragged group of desperate humans won't result in anything but death."

Leo gave her a reproachful look in response. "Give me some credit, Velvet. I wasn't born yesterday." He glanced at the rest of them, chiefly towards Sorey. "We intend to hold Lastonbell as a foothold in Rolance," he explained. "With the support of a handful of seraphim, we'll carry out missions deeper within the country, gathering info and striking against key targets to help slow down Heldalf's consolidation of power and increase the duration of the unrest."

Mikleo crossed his arms, furrowing his brow in thought. "A guerilla operation, huh?" he remarked plainly. "I suppose it would be the only way forward, given the circumstances."

By his side, Lailah threaded her fingers together atop her lap. "Yes... with the help of seraphim, such a plan just might be viable in the fight against the armies of the Lord of Calamity," she affirmed. "Truly, without the aid of the country of Hyland, this may be the best chance that the nation has at retaliation."

Shifting in his seat, Leo nodded in affirmation, a determined smile forming on his face. "That's the plan," he agreed. "We'll do all we can to give you folks as much time as possible to take him out, freeing Maotelus in the process."

Sergei laid a hand on the pommel of his sword, standing tall and resolute. "While I may admittedly not be as well-versed in the details of your quest, Shepherd, I am fully acquainted with our role in it." His elbow shot up into the air as he fell into an immaculate salute, firmly holding Sorey's gaze respectfully as he declared, "We, the Platinum Knights, will do every last thing we are capable of in order to further delay the usurper of the Rolance throne from gaining full control of the nation."

Velvet brought her bent leg closer to her torso as she shifted in her seat and turned her gaze to Sorey. "Looks like we have time on our hands," she prompted. "What do you intend to do?"

He returned her gaze, leaning forward in his seat while supporting his chin in thought. "...I've been thinking about that iris gem," he stated quietly. "I know Heldalf planted it for us to find. He corrupted it with Maotelus's power, but only to depict such a strange and particular memory..." He shook his head, furrowing his brow. "I think it's clear that he wants to tell us something. I find myself wanting to know what that something is. And I think it's likely that the one we found isn't the only one."

Mikleo frowned, crossing his arms. "If the byproduct of such gems is such an unnatural amplification of the subject's power like what we saw with that man yesterday, it shouldn't be too difficult to track any more down," he remarked. "...Though it may be too early to draw conclusions from a single case."

Leo hummed in response, idly reaching over to ruffle the fur of the wolf pup lying curled up beside him. "Going by what you've told us about what happened yesterday, I think we can let folks know to keep an eye out for similar abnormalities." He shrugged, giving Hawk a pat before returning his hand to his lap. "Though I wouldn't expect to hear anything back for a while. We've barely established a base in the region – the scouting missions won't start until a while."

"That's fine," Sorey replied, reaching down to his travel pack resting on the floor beside him. "I have plan."

With deft fingers, the Shepherd procured the familiar tome of the Celestial Record and thumbed his way through to a newly bookmarked page to show to the group. "...Here," he announced, pivoting the book around to display the opened page to the group. In the corner of the page appeared an artist's rendition of a distinctively built harbor city, captioned with the title of the location.

"Meliodas," he announced earnestly. "It's a port city close to the border between Hyland and Rolance on the eastern side of the continent. I thought I had read about it before!"

Mikleo examined the opened page with great interest. "Meliodas, the city named after the king of the Pax Meliodas era?" he asked, holding his hand to his chin.

Alisha tilted her head to the side. "If I recall my tutor's lessons correctly, the City of Meliodas was in truth not built during the Pax era," she recalled aloud. "The architects of the city supposedly obtained inspiration from stories of the past. The actual buildings themselves date back between seven to eight hundred years ago." She shook her head sadly. "Nowadays, the population is far smaller than it was back then, as the city has developed a notorious reputation for criminal activity."

Velvet angled herself back in her seat, narrowing her eyes as she considered the presented information. "...You're thinking the setting of the memory itself might be a hint?" she asked Sorey.

"Yes." The Shepherd bobbed his head, gesturing reasonably with his hands. "Why go through all that just to show us a vision of himself as a child? There has to be more to it than just that – especially factoring in everything you've told us about him. That's why I've concluded that the has to be a deeper connection between him and the city of Meliodas."

The therion tilted her head slightly to the side, raising an eyebrow. "In other words," she summarized bluntly, "it's a wild guess."

Mikleo came to his friend's defense. "Hypotheses are invaluable tools in the field of research," he pointed out, crossing his arms while coolly returning Velvet's gaze. "If Sorey thinks it's something worth investigating at Meliodas, there's a good chance it is."

Velvet waved her bandaged hand callously in the air. "Last I checked, hypotheses are supposed to be debated, not mindlessly accepted." Her expression hardened. "Regardless of who said it, I will not blindly follow along with plans that will lead to nothing more than wasted time and effort."

She glanced away; her eyes growing distant. "...There's far too much at stake for that."

Across the chamber, the last remaining squads were finishing unloading their supplies from the second carriage, carrying their own personal gear over to their quarters with tired looks. The main chamber had grown dimmer over the course of the group's conversation, with torches and lanterns being extinguished as the knights began to turn with the coming of what promised to be a trying day. Another stray breeze once again managed to find its way through the cracks in the ruins, generating a haunting moan as it swept through the ancient space only to perish within the endless hallowed stone walls.

Abruptly, Rose hopped to her feet, her boots landing on the stone bricks with a loud thump. "I say we go with Sorey's plan," she suggested sharply. "It sounds like Meliodas might be the best place we know of that might hold some dirt on Heldalf."

Lailah nodded her head slowly, sliding to her feet as well. "I must agree with Rose," she said. "There are not many options for us to proceed with. It might be better than choosing to wait for the situation here to stabilize."

Sorey shifted in his seat and met Velvet's piercing gaze. "We have to find more information on Heldalf somehow, Velvet. And these gems might hold the answers to how he came to be as he is now, what he's after, and how exactly he is linked to Maotelus." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees with a dead set expression. "The more clues we get, the better our chances at saving him."

"In other words," Zaveid interjected, an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. "We only got one shot – we gotta make sure it counts."

The Shepherd nodded, giving the wind seraph a thankful nod. "Right," he agreed.

Velvet's eyes were hard as she studied him in the silence that followed. Eventually, she rolled her wrist in a slight gesture. "Alright," she agreed softly, leaning back in her seat with the quiet clinking of metal. "Then I'll trust you on this one, Sorey."

Sorey smiled softly in return, giving a her a thankful nod. "I won't let you down," he promised firmly.

Following his words, with a firm tap on the ground with the tip of her umbrella, Edna stood up from her seat with a rather cross expression on her face.

"Since that's settled, I'm going back to bed," she announced dully, immediately stepping away from the group. She paused, however, long enough to glance over her shoulder at Sorey. "...If you ever pull something like what you did again, I'll flatten you like a pancake," she stated darkly, causing the Shepherd to wince. With that, the intimidating earth seraph stepped away from the group, slipping between the humans walking through the main chamber to return to her bed.

In her wake, Zaveid let out a low whistle, lithely slipping off his pile of crates to the floor. "Better keep that in mind, Sorey," he warned sagely, patting the young man heavily on the shoulder. "Believe me, that's one gorgeous woman you really don't wanna cross."

Mikleo glared at him. "Whose fault was all this in the first place, again?" he muttered dourly.

With a plan forward having been decided, the group moved to follow Edna's lead, rising from their seats to head to their respective chambers for the night. Lailah covered her unladylike yawn with her hand as she stepped away, careful to navigate between the remaining squads of knights with Rose at her side. Sergei stopped to exchange a word with Alisha, who agreed to walk with him to the temporary stables deeper within Tintagel. Sorey and Mikleo returned together with Zaveid following at a lazy pace, casually stretching his arms in the wake of an entertaining night.

Velvet chose to stay in place, watching as the remaining stragglers of the Platinum Knights finalized preparations for the morning offensive amidst the dimly lit chamber. She glanced over as Hawk quietly trotted over to her, lithely hopping onto the crate and nuzzling her affectionately. A small smile forming on her face, she responded in kind, wordlessly reaching down to run her fingers through the wolf pup's grey fur.

"Yeah so, sorry about Zaveid."

Leo had an exasperated look on his face as he walked over to the two, in the process of tiredly running his hand through his hair. "I barely noticed that he had slipped away from the group today – figures that he wasn't up to anything good. I'll try and keep a better eye on him from now on." He crossed his arms, a sly grin forming on his face as he observed her expression. "...Noticed you went easy on Sorey, though," he remarked dryly. "Relatively speaking."

She huffed in response, gently pressing her fingers behind Hawk's ears to the pup's pleasure. "It was obvious it wasn't intentional," she pointed out dryly. "He's painfully predictable like that."

"I'll take your word for it," Leo supposed wryly, turning around and leaning against the stack of crates beside her.

Together, the two of them stayed there, watching as the activity in the main chamber of Tintagel Ruins slowly died down, returning the vast underground space to a state of quiet solitude once more. Hawk let out a yawn, curling his body up and closing his eyes, savoring the idle actions of Velvet's hand as she continued to pet him.

"...Hey. I'm glad you chose what you did, Velvet."

The man's words were soft and earnest as he stared out into the chamber, idly tugging at the straps of his gauntlet blade. "I really am." he remarked, glancing over his shoulder at the therion. Before she could respond however, the bespectacled man abruptly pushed himself off the crates. "Oh, and one more thing," he added, glancing over his shoulder with a wry glint in his eyes, "You should probably go up top for some fresh air," he suggested. "The weather's nice outside."

Velvet raised an eyebrow at that. "...Alright then," she agreed after a moment, sliding in her seat towards the edge of the crate.

Hawk, disturbed by the movement, pushed himself to his paws and hopped off as well, trotting over to his master. Leo tossed a hand over his shoulder in farewell as the two of them left, leaving her be.

Following what the man had said, the therion chose to leave the main hall, traversing the deserted halls of the ruins until she arrived at the long metal ladder leading up to the surface. Her steel boots clanking on iron, she ascended upwards through the darkness before pushing the heavy stone slab upward, allowing a patch of cool night air to rush into the ruins behind her.

It didn't take long for her to hear the quiet tones of the conversation taking place atop the weathered ruins scattered about the ground above the Tintagel Ruins. The indistinct silhouettes of the vast, towering trees of the Volgran Forest encompassed her world as she walked through the tranquil night air, her boots sinking silently into the lush grass of the forest floor. Somewhere, an owl uttered a series of hoots, its calls resounding hauntingly off the towering trunks of the surrounding trees.

"...Grimoirh?" Bienfu's voice was quiet and subdued, barely audible over the indistinct shuffling of the windswept canopy far, far overhead. "How...how do you handle it?"

A quiet hum filled in the air in response. "Ah. It's one of those nights, I see," the normin observed mildly. She let out a resigned sigh, pointing out, "Three centuries have passed, and yet you still cling to the past as a mother pengyon did its young."

Bienfu's reply was reproachful. "I am not 'clinging' to anything," he stated grouchily with a huff. "We normin live for thousands of years – three centuries is a teeny tiny span for us! It's only natural that I feel like this every now and then."

"Does that sentiment help you sleep any better at night, I wonder?" Grimoirh contemplated aloud, her words of a pointed nature. "Does it help fill the hole in your chest as you wander about in the day, haunting buildings like a ghost from one of those ridiculous human urban legends?" She sighed, shaking her head. "Somehow, I truly doubt that is the case."

There was a pause as Bienfu winced at her words. "Yowch..." he mumbled weakly, "You sure don't pull any punches, huh Grimoirh?"

The older normin huffed quietly as she adjusted her glasses. "You ought to remember who you're talking to," she reminded him. "I myself have gone through this very cycle more than enough times. To answer your question, how do I handle it, the fact of the matter is that I merely do not do silly things like grow excessively attached to others. That is all."

Bienfu's head drooped as low as it could as he slumped backwards in his seat atop the ruined column. "Bien," he mumbled weakly, his top hat tilting to the side on his head. "I was... afraid you were gonna say that," he admitted.

Standing at his side, Grimoirh shrugged lightly. "Then you should have refrained from asking," she stated simply. "I simply do not believe there is much for you to glean from this exchange, other than to simply understand the consequences of attaching yourself to beings who have far shorter lifespans than us."

Velvet's voice rang into the cold night air in response. "If that's what you believe, then what are you doing here?"

Bienfu's eyes widened in surprise in recognition of her voice. He whirled around on the spot, barely managing to keep the slipping top hat on his head straight in the process as he found her walking up the crumbling steps of the ruins towards them. "Velvet!" he exclaimed brightly.

Grimoirh's voice was smooth and unaffected as she answered the therion's question. "I am here because there is a fine line between attachment and investment," she replied succinctly, turning around as Velvet came to a halt atop the ruins behind them.

She raised her paws in an exasperated shrug with a shake of her head, adding, "Though it has proven quite a hassle thus far. When that Leo fellow came to me, begging me for my assistance, he had failed to mention that the providing of such would eventually tear me away from my refined bed in the capital in favor of a collection of crumbling stones," she huffed, disdainfully observing her surroundings.

Velvet put a hand on her hip, looking down at the book-wearing normin with amusement. "Yeah. Those really were quite the lengths to go for your 'investment,'" she remarked wryly. "Looks like Laphicet really hit it off with you, huh?" Her words were warm.

An unpleasant expression had formed on Grimoirh's face in response.

"...By all means, put as many words in my mouth as you wish," she allowed with a sigh, waving a paw disdainfully in the air. "But need I remind you that should I leave, your group of desperate Platinum Knights will be shorter still of seraphim in their ranks?"

By her side, a soft grin had developed on Bienfu's expression. He glanced sidewise at Velvet with a sly grin. "It's probably best that you leave it at that, Velvet," he chuckled, waving his arms by his sides while bobbing up and down. "Good 'ol Grimoirh just isn't used to showing affection for others."

He glanced back only to flinch wildly at the coolly murderous glare that the other normin was displaying.

Velvet's soft smile remained on her face as she walked up the remaining steps to the crumbling stone platform atop which the two normin were, stepping up to the edge to look out into the vast, darkened expanse of the Volgran Forest. Her black coat flapped behind her amidst a cool night breeze, the metal on her outfit tinkling softly as she crossed her arms.

"...Seven hundred more years, huh?" she remarked quietly, her breath misting in the air before her. "I'm honestly impressed that witch lived on for so long."

Despite himself, Bienfu puffed his chest and pressed his paws against his hips, declaring, "It's all thanks to my protection as Miss Magilou's loyal servant!" he crowed. "The adventures that we had... the hardships that we endured... the stories that we recorded...!" He hopped erratically around atop the stone platform in enthusiasm. "Biieeen! It was the stuff of legends!"

Velvet stared on into the darkness past the enormous tree trunks in the distance, her smile slowly growing stale on her lips.

"I don't doubt that, Bienfu," she replied quietly. "I expected nothing less from her."

Somewhere, amidst the vast web of branches and leaves far, far overhead, the hooting owl resumed its simple melody, calling out gently into the stillness of the enormous forest. Elsewhere, the distant howls of a pack of canines echoed out, meshing together to create a truly unnerving harmony echoing off the trunks of the towering trees.

"I could have said the same when you first stumbled upon me months ago." Grimoirh's quiet words fluttered into the still night air. She adjusted her glasses with her paw as she padded up to the edge alongside the therion, pensively staring out into the darkness. "You were ever more so the same," she remarked.

The therion crossed her arms, thinking back to the time the normin was referring to. "By sheer chance, I managed to find you back in Ladylake, following some rumors about a haunted house," she recalled markedly, glancing upwards towards the distant canopy blotting out the moonlight above. "But you didn't seem surprised in the slightest when you saw me, even though a thousand years had passed for you."

"But of course," Grimoirh replied smoothly, her paws swaying gently by her sides. "The very moment that I first detected the disappearance of Maotelus's domain from the land, I knew without a doubt that you would return. I knew you would stop at positively nothing to save the one who you yourself had become attached to." Her gaze rose towards the therion standing beside her, a knowing glint in her eyes.

"I expected nothing less," she purred meaningfully.

Velvet glanced over her shoulder at the familiar normin, a frown forming on her face. "...You were also the one who guided me to Sorey in the first place," she pointed out slowly.

Grimoirh bobbed her head smoothly. "Indeed I was," she confirmed, light reflecting off the crystal clear lenses of her glasses. "Let us simply say that my... 'investment' is not strictly limited to the well-being of Maotelus."

With that, the normin turned around, idly readjusting the book strapped over her shoulder as she began to walk away. "Come along, Bienfu," she prompted as her paws fell upon the stone brick with soft, recurring squeaks. "The humans ought to have all finished their noisy clamoring by now. Perhaps now I may finally be able to reap a modicum of peaceful rest after all of that."

Blinking, Bienfu hopped to attention in response to her words, following behind her towards the steps leading down the crumbling ruins. "You got it, Grimoirh!" he exclaimed affirmatively. "Anything you need at all tonight, you just let me know. I'll bravely fight off any human who tries to take your bed! They won't even touch you; I promise!" he declared feistily.

The other normin shook her head in exasperation. "While your dedication is remarkably admirable," she stated at length, "if you are expecting me to abuse you as your last master did, I must warn that you will be sorely disappointed."

The top-hat wearing normin froze in shock in response. "B-bien...!" he stammered in horror. "I... I didn't even realize...!"

A split second of shocked silence passed before the dam burst and tears poured down the normin's cheeks. "BIEEEEN! M-M-M-Miss Magilou... I... I miss you so muuuch!" he bawled loudly, springing up into the night air with loud sobs of grief.

Grimoirh sighed again as the other normin's loud cries echoed off the surrounding tree trunks, turning around partially to glance back at Velvet's wide-eyed look. "Precisely like I said," she observed dryly, "A ghost from some silly urban legend." Her expression grew serious however, as she studied the therion one last time, pursing her lips.

Behind her, the sorrowful calls of the lost seraph began to ebb, returning the shadowed world to one of tranquility.

"...Second chances are rare in the world in which we live," she stated quietly, her voice barely a murmur. The lenses of her glasses flashed briefly as she returned her gaze forward, turning away from the therion. "Do keep that in mind, Velvet."

Behind her, Velvet glanced away in response to her words, her raven hair hiding her expression from view. "You should go and get some rest, Grim," she suggested softly, tapping her index finger on her bicep amidst the silence. "I think you've somehow forgotten who you've been talking to."

Her words made the normin chortle. "Well then... perhaps I have," she agreed smoothly.

With that, she stepped forward and resumed her descent downwards, leaving Velvet by herself atop the stone platform surrounded by the quiet sounds of the sleeping forest. The therion stood for a long while after she had left, her long hair and jacket waving in the chilly night breeze, listening to the sounds of silence atop the weathered stone brick of an ancient, crumbling structure.

---

A small flock of migrating birds soared overhead in a V-pattern, flitting across the dimming haze of the setting sun in cloudy skies painted with hues of gold and orange in their endless journey south. A fell autumn breeze carried effortlessly through the vast rolling hills of the surrounding countryside, driving waves through the sea of dry, yellowed grass and eliciting a soft, mesmerizing harmony of shifting foliage in its wake. The group's footfalls on the well-tread dirt road punctuated the subtle sounds of the wild as they traveled onward as one, following the path sneaking its way up the hill through the growing shadows of the evening hours.

Lailah's heels crackled subtly in the dry earth as she came to a halt at the crest of the hill, squinting her eyes and holding a hand up to throw shade over her face as she gazed outward. Her red seraphic dress and long flowing hair fluttered in the wind behind her as she allowed her eyes to adjust to the light of the setting sun. Through the bright orange rays, she managed to discern the outlines of wood and stone dwellings, gathered together in the center of the valley below.

"Everyone, we've arrived. The village is just down there," the fire seraph announced, turning around towards the rest of the group arriving behind her.

Rose hummed in satisfaction as she laid eyes upon the gathering of buildings in the valley. "That puts us right on schedule," she remarked, crossing her arms. "From here, Meliodas should be just one more day's travel away."

Mikleo put a hand to his chin as he examined the well-organized fields surrounding the village below, the loose fabric hanging from his outfit waving in the wind behind him. "...It looks peaceful," he observed neutrally, his eyes carefully taking in the small figures of the human residents walking through the farms. "The chaos in Rolance doesn't appear to have taken an obvious toll here, even though they're living right at the border."

As the group resumed walking as one, following the path down into the valley towards the village, Alisha bobbed her head in agreement. "This village is among a small number of Hyland border towns," she explained. "These types of places often receive increased security directly from the Royal Family as a result of rising tensions between the two nations."

"I see." Sorey replied as he walked, adjusting the straps of the travel pack on his shoulders. "Sounds like it should be a safe place for us to rest tonight."

At his side, Edna twirled her umbrella amidst the soft glow of the setting sun. "So long as nobody recognizes any of you," she pointed out apathetically. "We are back in Hyland after all, remember?"

Sorey winced in response, scratching his head sheepishly. "Right..."

Velvet crossed her arms as she walked, her steel boots crunching in the dirt underfoot. "Don't draw unnecessary attention to yourself," she advised heavily. "Remember, we're going out of our way to investigate the iris gem as is. The last thing we need now is for Hyland to catch wind of our presence here."

Alisha bobbed her head dully in agreement with the therion. "That would be most prudent," she concurred. "Should our position in Tintagel Ruins be revealed, the Platinum Knights would once again be displaced, and our efforts would subsequently be further slowed, allowing Heldalf to continue his acquisition of power unimpeded."

Mikleo smiled dryly as he let his hand fall from his chin. "...Guess it's a good thing those wanted posters of you were so ugly, huh?" he prompted Sorey wryly, who made a face in return.

The remainder of the descent was spent in a calm silence as the group continued to follow the winding trail through the yellowing grass and into the sprawling farmland of the valley. Worn wooden fences rose from the trampled foliage by the side of the road, protecting the fields of partially harvested crop beyond. Boot prints dotted the dirt path alongside recent horse hoof imprints – evidence of farmers returning with heavy carriages laden with the day's harvest. With each step in the well-worn path closer to the village, more signs of civilization became evident.

"STOP RIGHT THERE!"

The sudden authoritative demand resounded loudly through the cooling autumn air, drawing the group to an abrupt halt in the dirt path not far from the village. "Don't any of you move a muscle, you hear?!"

Mikleo fell carefully into a ready stance, his eyes narrowed as he searched for the source of the voice. "...Sorey," he prompted urgently, pointing his index finger towards two reinforced guard towers flanking the entrance to the village. Following the seraph's gaze, the Shepherd's eyes widened as he recognized the subtle glint of arrowheads angled directly towards them from atop the towers.

At his side, Dezel crossed his arms with a dry grunt. "So much for not attracting unnecessary attention," he muttered.

"Oh no." Lailah mumbled in worry. "Could they have recognized us already?"

Velvet's eyes were narrowed as she scrutinized their covered opponents with her enhanced vision, her body tense as a bowstring in the face of the threat. "...There's no way," she replied lowly. "At this distance, it would be impossible."

A deep-seated frown on her face, Alisha stepped forward, her steel greaves crunching loudly in the tense silence, and called out towards the guards in the tower. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded, her voice carrying over the breeze. "What cause have you to draw arms against your fellow countrymen?!"

A pregnant pause followed in the wake of her demand. The group stood at the ready in the tense silence, their hands close to their weapons in preparation for conflict. In the distance, above the hills of the valley, the setting sun continued to hover with bated breath.

Eventually, the initial voice responded in kind. "What business do you people have here?" came the replying challenge.

Sorey took the cue to step up alongside Alisha, choosing to raise a hand in a well-meaning greeting to the wary guards in the towers. "We're headed to Meliodas," he called, briefly shooting a glance at Mikleo who replied with an encouraging gesture. "We're scholars from Marlind, you see. We're only looking to stay for the night!"

Another pause followed before the voice responded.

"...Far be it for me to judge what others do," the guard remarked, all hostility in his voice now absent. "Fine, you all can enter."

"Thank you!" Sorey called back, a relieved smile on his face.

Mikleo and Lailah gave Sorey a grin and a thumbs-up apiece as the group resumed walking, the tense moment having passed. Rose chuckled as they approached the entrance to the village proper. "So... how many times did you rehearse that little white lie of yours?" she asked casually.

The Shepherd put his hands on his hips with a rather proud look on his face. "A little more than a hundred times," he answered smoothly. "Mikleo and Lailah coached me!"

At the back of the group, Dezel laid a hand on his top hat. "You're hopeless," he muttered.

The barking of a dog echoed into the air as the group walked through the well-worn dirt of the village entrance, passing between the two imposing guard towers in the process. A group of guards wearing the colors of the Hyland Royal Army hailed them, descending from one of the towers while carefully handling longbows and arrows in their arms.

"Apologies for the unpleasant welcome," one of them greeted as they stopped at the base of the tower, giving Alisha a respectful nod. "We've been having trouble with a group of outsiders recently. We thought you all might be part of them."

"A group of outsiders?" the princess asked, tilting her head inquisitively. "Do you perhaps mean refugees from Rolance?"

One of the other guards immediately turned his head and spat into the ground. "'Refugees.' Don't give me that codswallop. They're Rolance dogs, short and simple," He chuckled darkly.

Another guard split into a wide grin as he idly twirled a wooden arrow in his off hand. "Not our fault that their holy emperor went and got impaled by some nobody who took over the throne, is it?" he reasoned easily. "We're at war with their country – that group of dogs should've been glad we let them live at all."

"I see their mugs around here once more, I can promise ya that won't happen again," a different guard chuckled, resting a scabbarded sword on his shoulder. "We don't get all that much action here after all – nobody will miss a few rats on a ship, yeah?"

The first guard that had spoken nodded in agreement, turning back to Alisha with a dedicated, well-meaning smile. "Don't you worry about all this, miss," he reassured calmly. "Their little coup might've thrown their country into chaos, but we proud Hyland men are here, protecting normal folk like you from overflowing vermin like them." He gave the four of them a respectful nod. "I wish you well on your journey to Meliodas," he stated in farewell.

With that having been said, the guards moved on to go about their duties, leaving the group standing there in their wake.

Alisha's hands had curled up into fists by her side.

Sorey watched the men leave mutely, before turning towards the princess, worry forming in his expression. "Alisha..."

She turned towards the rest of them, shaking her head with her lips pressed into a thin line. "...It's okay," she said quietly, her troubled expression clearly contradicting her uttered words. "Let us ask the residents for directions to the inn."

They walked in silence for the remainder of the journey, surrounded by the immersive sounds of civilization in complete contrast to the solitude of travel. Ceramic dishes clacked repetitively as dinner plates were stacked atop one another inside of a house with windows opened to the cooling air. Housewives gossiped as they returned home from the market, baskets of goods in their arms. A group of children giggled as they played with toys in a patch of yellowing grass outside of the schoolhouse.

The group came to a halt outside of a reasonably sized wood and stone inn demarcated with the universal sign of a crescent moon beside the door. Having arrived at their destination, Lailah glanced up beyond the rooftops of the surrounding buildings to gauge the progress of the sun sinking beyond the hills of the valley.

"It would seem that we have some time left before sundown," she observed, breaking the silence. "We should resupply for the journey tomorrow, just in case."

Velvet rested a hand on her hip, also glancing up at the sun. "We'll meet back here at nightfall, then," she stated.

The group nodded in assent.

The plan having been decided, the seraphim and humans split up naturally into groups underneath the soft, golden light of the setting sun, seeking to do what they pleased in a fleeting moment of rest.

---

Particles of dust danced within the diffused orange sunlight filtering through the weathered glass windows, swirling calmly between the scores of colorful ceramic goods lining the wooden aisles of the store. Fading blue pastel paint accented with decorative red cloth covered the walls, accenting the small, cozy space with an artistic flair that complemented the multitudes of figurines, platters, and bowls resting patiently upon the shelves.

Lailah's expression was muted as she wrapped her fingers around an especially ornate bowl atop one of the shelves, lifting it with a quiet sigh of ceramic sliding on polished wood. She cradled it before her with both hands, staring distantly at the jagged designs etched onto the smooth, polished surface. Her indistinct reflection gazed back up at her from the surface of the bowl, warped near beyond all recognition by the rounded walls of the peculiar bowl.

"People will freak out if they see that floating in the air, Lailah."

Old, weathered wooden floorboards squeaked underneath Mikleo's boots as he stepped down the small aisle to her side, crossing his arms curiously at the sight. Lailah reacted belatedly to his presence, her distant eyes blinking slowly as if she had been roused from a fleeting dream. She eventually shook her head in response, her long hair sliding from side to side behind her back.

"You needn't be concerned. There is no one here save the owner, who is fast asleep." she replied, carefully adjusting her grasp on the bowl. "I suppose not many people visit this store of his."

Mikleo shifted his weight on his feet as he ran his eyes down the length of the aisle before them. "There's great deal of variety here, with plenty of experimentation using differing art styles," he observed markedly, turning around to observe the opposite aisle behind Lailah. "You can really tell how much he cares for his craft. It's a shame this store isn't more popular."

His gaze eventually came to rest upon the bowl in the other seraph's hands. He tilted his head slightly to the side curiously as he noted the peculiar look that had resurfaced on Lailah's expression. "...Something wrong?" he prompted.

She shook her head absently, her gaze affixed upon the consistent patterns upon the surface of the ceramic object. "This bowl seems... familiar to me, somehow," she replied softly, a strange quality to her voice.

Mikleo's gaze fell to the bowl in her hands, intrigue forming in his expression. After a moment he observed, "There's a consistent, strict structure in the etchings, alongside a defined color palette consisting of subtle, royal colors that give it an overall emphasis on order. This suggests that this bowl was at least in part inspired by an art style dating back to the Asgard Unification Period."

Her troubled expression only deepened in response to his words. "The Asgard Unification Period," she repeated slowly, a strange look in her eyes, "known by some as the time of Graceful Asgard, one thousand years ago, yes?"

"That's right." The water seraph nodded, raising a bent finger up to his chin. "These patterns closely resemble the designs of some of the ruins we've explored from that same time. That's probably why they seem so familiar to you."

Lailah nodded slowly in response. "...I see. Yes, you're probably correct," she replied quietly.

In the silence that followed, Mikleo's gaze drifted to the side, his lips drawing into a thin line. "Graceful Asgard... That was the time period during which Velvet was the Lord of Calamity, huh?" he observed tersely, his expression growing hard.

At his words, the Lailah's gaze slowly rose from the bowl to observe the emotions clear in her companion's expression. She found however, that she had nothing to say, so she chose to remain silent.

When he opened his eyes again, the tension had faded from his face. He turned his head to the side, distantly watching the specks of dust drifting aimlessly in the light of the setting sun through the hazy windows. "Lailah?" he asked quietly. "Have you ever done things... that you wish you might've handled differently?"

The fire seraph shifted on her feet restlessly in response, still cradling the bowl in her hands. "...Yes." Her quiet reply was deeply regretful as she nodded her head somberly. "Many things." she admitted, idly rotating the bowl in her hands with her slender fingers.

Her heels landed upon the squeaking floorboards of the store with the subtle groaning of worn wood as she walked slowly down the aisle, her long styled hair waving amidst the rays of golden light and dancing dust. She stepped up to the window and gazed into the hazy mist of the unwashed glass, observing the keen sadness in the eyes of her reflection staring back at her.

"The blunders of my past and my inability to speak plainly as a result of my oath..." She shook her head ruefully, her gaze falling back down towards the familiar item in her hand. "Truly. There are times in which I feel almost useless."

His boots fell on the squeaking floorboards behind her as he came to a halt in the aisle behind her in the streaming light of the setting sun. "...I've been feeling the same," he admitted an honest expression on his face. "I accompanied Sorey on his journey because I believed in him and his dream. I came because I wanted to help – to support him through what would undoubtably be tough times for him."

He glanced away with his lips drawn into at thin line. "Yet right now, it feels as if I'm helpless to stop the things happening before my very eyes," he admitted tersely. "I'm worried that he'll lose sight of that dream of his. That he'll end up forgetting the person who he was when he first left Elysia with me."

He shook his head, his eyes distant. "He's changed so much already. To think he would be so different than he was before to freely allow her to walk alongside him... After everything that she's done."

Lailah slowly turned around, a soft expression on her face as she considered the water seraph standing partially in the stream of orange light behind her. In her hands, the bowl gleamed vibrantly, the jagged etchings almost seeming to come alive in a flowing, repeating pattern amidst the warm lighting.

Abruptly, she shook her head with force. "Well," she supposed, a soft smile returning to her expression, "the two of us won't get anywhere simply standing around worrying ourselves to death. We should both do best that we can," she proposed, holding the bowl close to her chest.

Mikleo's expression lightened as he put a hand on his hip in response. "That sounds exactly like something Sorey would say," he observed wryly. "Maybe he's rubbing off on you."

Lailah tilted her head to the side, seemingly amused by the suggestion. "Perhaps he is."

"G-GH-GH-GHO... GHOST!"

The hysterical scream of an old man pierced the interior of the cozy shop causing both seraphim to jump in surprise. The two whirled around to find the old man who owned the store standing at the other end of the aisle, his eyes bulging in disbelief and horror at the bowl that had floated off its place on the shelf to hover in midair before the window.

A split second passed before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fainted in shock, a plume of dust puffing out from the floor where his body landed. Lailah and Mikleo stared at the unconscious man in the awkward silence that followed.

"Oh dear..." Lailah mumbled, her cheeks growing red.

---

Rose's boots crackled in well-trodden dirt as she walked down the wide path, her surroundings basked in the golden rays of the sun setting beyond the distant hills of the valley. Two-story houses constructed with white stucco walls accented with oak boards lined the main throughfare of the small village on both sides, calmly watching her as she passed. Her travel pack, laden with freshly purchased goods for the remainder of the group's journey, bumped subtly against her back with every step.

A dog from inside one of the houses began to bark defensively at her through the open window as she passed, only to be promptly shushed by its owner moments later. She gave the villager who had done so a friendly nod as she passed before returning her gaze forward, calmly gazing down the sparsely populated street and into the light of the setting sun beyond. Villagers travelled the path, gossiping about the latest news with each other as they went about their final evening errands.

"...for now." She tilted her head curiously to the side as she caught wind of a conversation taking place in front of a store nearby. "I don't expect the crop to stay that way, though. We should count ourselves as lucky we were even able to harvest anything at all this year."

The woman the farmer had been talking to brought her arm close to her chest in worry. "That's awful..." she mumbled, shaking her head. "To think, things could get this bad so quickly."

At those words, Rose changed direction, deviating from her path towards the front of the store.

"Hi there." She briefly waved her hand amicably in greeting, drawing the attention of the two villagers. "Sorry, I kinda overheard you guys talking," she apologized, coming to a halt before them. She gave them an inquisitive look, asking, "Is the famine getting worse?"

The farmer crossed his burly arms. "Afraid so," he confirmed grimly. "Everyone might be celebrating the coup in Rolance, but what they don't seem to remember is that the majority of the food that we eat is grown in the fields of that country." He heaved a heavy sigh, shaking his head. "With the chaos, everything is grinding to a halt. Fields won't be harvested, the blight will spread at will, and trade will evaporate completely."

"With what my brother is saying," the woman added, a sympathetic expression on her face, "we'll be in for a long winter. I have merchant friends who are all being forced to charge more for food right now. I can't imagine what will happen if the supply of food cuts off completely."

Rose nodded deeply in response, her eyebrows furrowing thought. "Sounds rough," she noted seriously. "Thanks. Good luck to you both."

"Likewise," the farmer replied respectfully. "I imagine all of us will need a healthy helping of luck in the coming days."

With that, Rose continued on her way, quietly mulling over the information that she had uncovered. Arriving at a juncture in the main pathway, the merchant picked a heading at random and continued onward, the setting sun now casting her long shadow alongside her as she walked.

"...Things are looking bad."

Rose didn't look over her shoulder at the wind seraph walking at her side, his light movements barely detectible even to her trained senses. She instead turned her gaze to the opposite direction, idly observing her surroundings as she passed by.

"You mean the famine?" she replied, her words spoken at a subtle volume she knew he'd hear. "Might be. But things will be alright in the end with Sorey and the others' help," she stated firmly. "Stuff like this is what the Shepherd's for, after all."

Dezel's lips upturned into a scowl. He abruptly stepped forward and stood in front of Rose, halting her in her tracks in the middle of the empty dirt pathway in front of closed stores in the light of the setting sun. He crossed his arms meaningfully at her inquisitive look.

"Don't always assume everything will just work out," he warned lowly. "Life isn't like that. One day, when you least expect it, everything will fall apart."

Rose's eyebrows narrowed.

"How would you know about that?" she shot back, crossing her arms as well. "You're always distancing yourself away from everything, keeping everybody around you at an arm's length and never making an effort to explain yourself." She frowned, tilting her head while raising an expectant eyebrow at the seraph. "...If you don't actively work to make things good, then how can you complain when things go bad?" she asked pointedly.

Dezel's jagged teeth showed as his scowl deepened. "Listen," he began darkly, only to glance off to the side, sealing his lips shut.

Rose waited expectantly for him to continue. "Well?" she prompted.

She received no answer in response. She exhaled at length, shaking her head. "There you go, clamming up again." She stepped around him and came to a halt, staring forward down the deserted street with her lips drawn into a thin line. "...If you don't have anything else to say, then let's just get going already."

Taking his habitual silence as an answer, she resumed her steps forward, walking on through the village. As she did so, she absently noted the subtle sounds of Dezel's boots as he too resumed walking, following her at a distant pace without a word. In their wake, the solitary dirt street returned to silence, laying calmly amidst the scattered sounds of civilization.

---

A chilly breeze washed over the shadows of the sloping plains and wafted over Alisha's face, brushing her hair to the side as she leant against the aging wooden fence. A herd of cattle roamed near the outskirts of the village in the fenced field beyond, grazing beside the small river winding its way down the floor of the valley in the dimming light of the sunset. Their idle mooing punctuated the constant sound of rustling grass as she stayed there, a deeply troubled expression on her face.

"Still thinking about what those guards said?"

Alisha blinked in surprise as Edna walked up behind her with an inquisitive expression, yellowing grass crunching lightly under her oversized boots. After a moment, she turned her eyes down to the ground, returning her gaze forward while pursing her lips. "I'm afraid so," she admitted.

Edna went ahead and sat down on a rock jutting out of the ground beside the princess, her umbrella twirling slightly in her grip in response to the movement. She turned her head to the side, also staring out towards the herd of grazing cattle and the shadowed fields beyond.

"It shouldn't surprise you," she pointed out. "This is just how humans are. Selfish and ignorant."

The princess turned her head slightly, the frown on her face deepening. "Those guards, the councilmen... even Lady Maltran," she breathed dejectedly. She turned to face her companion fully; her eyes almost fragile as she sought any amount of reconciliation from the mythical seraph. "Do you truly believe that thisis the fate that we are doomed to, Edna? To spend our final days bickering and cursing each other... blind to the concepts of compassion and consideration."

The hateful words of the village guards still resounded in the princess's ears, long after they had been so spitefully uttered. The words of her fellow countrymen.

Edna didn't immediately respond to her imploring gaze, continuing to watch the herd of cattle moving slowly across the pasture, idly rotating the amber fabric of her umbrella atop her shoulder in the silence. Another breeze gusted across the open space, bringing with it the cold of night that caused the princess to shiver slightly.

"'Seraphim coexisting with humans,' huh?"

The earth seraph shook her head ever so slightly, continuing to stare outward as her short hair was disturbed by cool autumn wind flowing across the pasture. "Honestly? I don't care for Sorey's dream," she stated simply, giving her umbrella a partial twirl. "I think it's silly. Humans will always be dumb and stupid, finding a way to ruin anything thanks to their greed."

Her lips drew into a thin line as her gaze drifted upwards, to the hills encompassing the valley and the mountains beyond. "...I'm only here for my brother's sake. That's all."

Alisha let out a quiet breath as she returned her gaze forward, shifting more of her body weight onto the fence before her. She slid her eyes closed, concentrating on the feeling of the breeze wafting against her face amidst the sounds and smells of rustling grass.

"I believed," the princess began, before shaking her head and starting again, "no, I hoped that humanity will be able to come together. That we as a species would be able to recognize the collective threats to our lives and find within ourselves the capacity for peace." She brought her gauntleted hands together atop the fence, interlinking her fingers while pursuing her lips indecisively. "To that end, I fought and still will fight," she stated.

"Yet at times like these..." She shook her head dismally, sliding her eyes to stare down at the yellowing grass below. "It seems so futile," she whispered. Her words were almost inaudible – an admission of indecision that seemed almost a betrayal of her own convictions.

"Humanity will always fail you. It is simply in their nature."

Her former master's words rang in her ears clear as day, blocking out the sounds of nature with a horrible clarity. Her teeth set together as she closed her eyes tightly, bowing her head as the emotions threatened to well up inside of her.

Silence fell between the two of them in the wake of her words. In the distance, a cow that had strayed away from the herd raised her head into the air, uttering a low, warbling moo that carried through the increasingly colder air of the valley. Edna turned her head to the side, observing the quietly distraught princess hunched over atop the fence beside her. Eventually, she spoke.

"...You worry too much."

Alisha's eyes blinked open in surprise. She raised her head and glanced at the seraph with wide eyes, who returned her gaze with a slight, meaningful tilt of her head.

Another stray breeze pushed its way across the floor of the shadowed valley, bringing along with it the crisp scents of autumn with a hint of moisture, disturbing their hair as they rested together at the outskirts of the village. Despite the cold, the princess found a subtle warmth slowly blooming in her chest as she returned her gaze forward, this time facing upwards towards the orange skies above. "...Thank you, Edna," she mumbled softly, her hair sweeping about her face in the wind.

The two of them remained there in a companionable silence, watching as the sun slowly sank in the skies above in a brilliant vista of yellow and golden streaks.

---

Water bubbled calmly in the small river winding its way around the outskirts of the village, obscured in parts by the shadows of yellowing trees growing in the fertile dirt of the riverbank. Small fish darted about lazily in the clear waters, wearing scales of grey and black that allowed them to become almost invisible amidst the shadows. Having been following the winding path alongside the river, Sorey was abruptly torn from the tranquil scene at the distinct sound of a four-legged animal loping towards him.

He turned on the spot towards the incoming animal, his boots grinding in the dirt as his hand fell readily to the pommel of his sword. He fell into a fighting stance as a vicious looking dog abruptly leapt out from between the tree trunks, its hackles raised in a silent growl.

"Whoa there!" Sorey extended his offhand placatingly as the dog began to circle him at a distance, its inhuman eyes fixated on him with an unnerving intensity. "I'm not looking for any trouble, promise," he explained, maintaining his calm tone while still gripping the pommel of his sword sheathed at his waist. He gestured to the side questioningly. "Do you want me to leave?"

The animal came to a slow halt at his words, tilting its head almost imperceptibly to the side as it continued to stare at him unerringly. Then, following a tense pause, it seemed to relax, still maintaining a fixed gaze on the human before him.

Sorey raised a curious eyebrow at the animal's behavior, tentatively releasing his sword in kind.

"Gray!"

A foreign voice called out into the air, drawing both their attention to the pathway as an older man wearing well-worn clothing emerged from beyond the trees. The stranger instantly took in the scene between Sorey and the dog and acted accordingly, sticking his index finger and thumb into his mouth and whistling sharply. "Go on, Gray," he advised the dog, gesturing off to the side.

The animal seemed to stare back at the man for a few moments before eventually following through, taking one more glance at Sorey before turning away and wandering off between the trees of the riverbank.

The Shepherd watched the dog go curiously before turning around as the farmer approached, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry about him," the stranger said, nodding towards it as it sniffed idly about the trees. "He can get combative when it comes to travelers. Seems alright with you, though."

Sorey followed his gaze and watched the dog as well, remarking, "He's really smart. Almost thought he could understand me with the way he was looking at me."

The farmer nodded. "Aye. I've always thought that as well." At Sorey's look, he elaborated, "Found him injured a few years ago. Near bit my leg off when I patched him up, but he ended up following me home. It's been that way ever since."

"He became your pet just like that?" Sorey asked, watching as the animal in question wandered about their surroundings, always seeming to keep the two of them in its peripheral vision. "That's amazing."

He shook his head in response, waving a hand in the air. "I wouldn't call him a pet. I've never taken leash nor lash to him – I wouldn't dare. Gray has been and will always be a wild animal for the rest of his life. I know he's only here because he wants to."

He tapped the side of his head. "When walking alongside a being with such sharp, wild instincts, the most important thing is that you need to know exactly what you are doing." He met Sorey's gaze meaningfully. "You have to have no doubts, no uncertainty, even if you might be wrong in the end. Otherwise, you'll be powerless to stop those instincts."

At his strange words, Sorey frowned.

In the distance, a branch snapped loudly as the wild animal named Gray snapped its jaws closed around it, tearing it roughly from the side of the tree with impressive force.

At the noise, the stranger abruptly shook his head. "Ah, well," he digressed gratefully, "thank you for letting an old man like me ramble. I wish you well on your travels, stranger." With that, the man resumed his walk down the path at a calm pace, sliding his hands into his pockets with a tranquil demeanor.

Off to the side, the wild dog raised his head and gave the Shepherd one last piercing look before turning around and trotting down the path as well. Sorey watched the dog disappear into the trees beyond, a strange expression on his face. Behind him, the babbling of the water continued unerringly in the silence.

---

"Excuse me, lady?"

Velvet blinked, coming to a halt in the scattered shadow of a guard tower near the edge of the village at the sound of a small girl's voice. She found a child in a tidy pink dress watching her from the yard of a shabby house, her head tilted curiously to the side. In response, she put a hand on her hip, raising an eyebrow at the little girl standing to the side of the main dirt path. "What is it?" she asked.

The girl raised a hand and pointed with her index finger towards the therion's bandaged hand, an intrigued expression on her face. "Could you make your arm go big?" she warbled curiously. "You look like one of those drawings at the market, but your arm is too small."

The therion's eye twitched.

Glancing discreetly at the guard tower behind her, she stepped towards the little girl with a schooled expression on her face. "Drawings at the market, huh?" she asked with interest, coming to a halt on the other side of the fenced yard. "How big does the drawing's arm go?"

The girl seemed disappointed at her reaction, her expression falling. "So you aren't like the drawing at the market?" she asked sadly. "They put those pictures up a few days ago and everybody at school was talking about them." She shook her head abruptly, remembering her manners. "Well, anyway! The drawing's arm went super big, almost as big as the schoolhouse!" she exclaimed excitedly, a shine reappearing in her eyes.

Velvet raised her eyebrows in surprise. "The schoolhouse?" she repeated. She shook her head smoothly in disbelief, dismissing with a wave of her bandaged hand, "No way. Nobody's arm can grow that big."

"Nu-uh!" the girl rebutted fiercely, bouncing up and down in earnest. "The boys at school told us that it was because the lady in the drawing was a 'monster.' Monsters can be all sorts of weird shapes and sizes!" she declared, clearly proud of her superior knowledge to the adult before her.

"Is that so?" Velvet asked dryly, amusement in her expression. She held her index finger to her chin, furrowing her brows in thought. "If they can be all sorts of shapes and sizes... doesn't that mean that monsters can also look like regular people like you and me?"

The little girl stared up at her wide-eyed for a moment in response to her words, seemingly unable to process what she'd just said.

"...Whoa!" she gaped in awe. "You're totally right! I never thought about it that way..."

The therion couldn't help but chuckle at the kid's excitement. "You should tell that to the boys at school," she suggested in amusement, letting her hand drop from her chin as she turned around to leave.

"I will! Thanks, lady!" the girl beamed, raising her hand in farewell.

As Velvet took stepped away, a distant, barely perceptible twanging noise dimly registered in her ears.

The sound unleashed an abrupt wave of adrenaline throughout her body, throwing her every sense into overdrive. The world appeared to slow as she focused her mind, her eyes registering a foreign fast-moving object flying from the rolling fields beyond the border of the village towards her direction at a high speed. She tensed her body in alarm, falling into a combat stance as the object careened through the air, aimed precisely at its target by its sender.

CRASH!

She glanced sharply over her shoulder as the armored man standing atop the guard tower suddenly crashed down onto the dirt in a plume of dust, having toppled over the railing above. A trail of blood trickled out of the now unconscious man's neck from where the small, crossbow-fired sleeper dart had embedded itself.

The horrified gasp of the child beside Velvet was of no concern to her as she faced forward once more, watching as the rest of the sleeper darts arrived at their marks. The remaining two guards overseeing the entrance collapsed without barely a sound of alarm, similarly rendered unconscious by the ranged attacks. Her eyes narrowed as she registered a group of attackers rushing from the crests of the fields towards the entrance to the village where she stood.

"Child! Get inside, now!"

She glanced to the side as the girl she had been talking to turned and scrambled towards the entryway of her house from which her mother was panickily beckoning her. The sound of boots slamming on dirt returned her attention to the invaders as they charged into the village proper, their drawn swords and daggers gleaming in the light of the setting sun.

Without a word, Velvet proceeded to meet the first man's sword with her own in front of the girl's yard, metal screeching against metal as she deflected his weapon with a subtle twist of her arm. She pivoted immediately on her foot to bring her other leg around, slamming into the bandit's unprotected side with inhuman strength sending him reeling away with a hoarse cry. Her raven hair sweeping around with her, she spun completely around and chopped her sword into the air, intercepting the fired crossbow dart with pinpoint accuracy.

PING!

An ear-piercing clang resounded into the air as the dart spiraled off to the side before embedding into the dirt with a soft thunk.

Her steel boot crackled noisily underneath her as she followed through, spinning around and launching herself into a backflip to clear the swung axes and swords of two more men. The world spun around her as she twirled around, slamming her left foot into the dirt behind her and launching herself forward in a cartwheel.

Her target let out an involuntary cry as the hidden blade of her right boot sliced him, causing him to reflexively drop his axe. Before he could react further, she lashed out and crashed her steel boot into his head, sending him sprawling into the dirt. Her other opponent lunged at her, stabbing forward with his sword at her heart, only to stumble as she deflected his blade with her own. She twisted around and swept his feet out from under him, sending him crashing onto the ground as well with a clattering of metal armor.

Before she could knock him unconscious, she was forced to leap away to avoid another crossbow dart singing through the air where she had been standing. She recovered with her boots sliding noisily in dirt, her eyes narrowed as she laid her eyes upon the rest of her opponents, her controlled breathing low and steady in the heat of battle. Across from her at the entrance to the village, the rest of the invaders exchanged glances in the face of her unyielding resistance, gripping their weapons with restless, white-knuckle fists.

Suddenly, a woman with dark hair abruptly stepped forward with a sword in hand, hailing her directly. "You aren't from around here," she stated aloud, her voice deafeningly loud in the still atmosphere.

Velvet narrowed her eyes in response, noting how the rest of the attackers appeared to be following the woman's lead. "...Your point?" she replied curtly.

The other woman's expression was hard. "Lower your blade," she advised heavily, holding the therion's gaze. "We're taking over the village. For our survival."

The dots connected instantly in Velvet's mind. "You're refugees from Rolance," she concluded aloud, echoing Alisha's words from earlier.

"So you know," the attacker observed, taking a cautious step forward while still holding her sword readily at her side. "Then you must also know that we are doing that which must be done to save our lives." She gestured her hand harshly towards the unconscious guards lying on the side of the dirt street. "These bastards spat in our faces in our time of need – they threatened to behead us for even dare asking them for help!"

She held Velvet's gaze imploringly, desperation seeping plainly into her voice as she said, "We have starving families who will be murdered in the chaos in our homeland. You must know that our only chance at life is to take this village hostage and negotiate with Hyland!" She took another step forward, shaking her head in emotion. "Please, lower your blade!" she beseeched once more.

A tense silence fell in the wake of her words. Velvet's expression was unreadable as she held the woman's imploring gaze. She absently registered movement out of the corner of her eye as the girl and her mother peeked out of the window of their house, watching with wide, horrified eyes as she faced off against the band of refugees.

"...If you take over, you'll draw the complete military attention of the nation of Hyland upon this village."

Her boot crackled loudly on the dirt as she returned to a full fighting stance, her words hard and resolute. "I won't accept such a risk to my plans." Her amber eyes were cold and unyielding. "Not now."

The refugee leader's gaze darkened in response to her words. By her side, her grip tightened on her sword. "...So be it," she muttered lowly. "We'll just have to take it by force!"

With that, she lunged forward, stabbing her sword towards Velvet's neck.

CLANG!

Sparks flew briefly in the air as their blades met in the center of the dirt street. Still holding her sword in a lock, Velvet pivoted and lashed out with her foot towards her opponent, only to find air as the leader ducked lithely underneath her leg in the blink of an eye.

Capitalizing on the opening, the woman drew her sword back and shoved it forward at the therion's exposed side while she was still off-balance. Her sword was deflected by an extending hidden blade as Velvet tilted backwards in a backflip, reaching up to push off the dirt above her in midair to maintain her velocity in a second twirl.

She recovered just in time to sidestep a follow-up slash of the leader, retaliating by lashing her leg around in an attempt to sweep the woman off her feet. Dirt crackled loudly underneath the leader's boots as she leapt upwards with a defiant cry, avoiding the therion's leg while bringing her sword down in a decisive stab towards her heart.

SQUELCH!

With a fierce roar, Velvet tore around and slammed her extended daemon arm into the woman, intercepting her in midair and tossing her bodily backwards into the street as if she were made of paper. Her sword clattered nosily in the dirt beside her head as she tumbled to a halt in the street, groaning involuntarily as the world spun around her.

Silence fell as the leader laid there beaten, breathing laboriously with her black hair spread in the dirt all around her. Velvet stood at the ready in the middle of the street amidst the lull, her pulsing daemon arm unseen by the rest of the humans present. The rest of the refugees, having regrouped and consolidated in the wake of their initial battle with the therion, looked on with grim, defeated expressions.

"INTRUDERS!"

Alarmed calls and the slamming of armored boots resounded in the air as the village guard, having finally detected the presence of the refugees, charged towards the scene, their weapons drawn at the ready to fend off the attackers. Velvet didn't spare a glance over her shoulder as they approached, instead watching as the refugee leader stumbled to her feet, glaring at her with untold hatred in her tear-ridden eyes.

"...You've sentenced us all to death."

The black-haired woman's words were uttered through gritted teeth as she stood, clutching at her dislocated right arm. "Without us, my children... our families will starve or be slain within a fortnight." She winced in agony, stumbling backwards as one of the men laid an urgent hand on her other shoulder. "This was something we had to do! We had no other choice...!"

Hatred burned in her eyes as she glared at Velvet with untold emotion. "Curse you," she snarled, spittle flying from her mouth. "Curse you, damnit!"

Velvet looked on in the face of the woman's ire, an impassive expression on her face.

Behind her, the village guards arrived in mass amidst a mad clamor of clanging metal and grinding dirt. "It's those Rolance rats!" one man hollered viciously, beckoning his comrades forward as he ran past Velvet. "Don't let them go this time – slaughter every last one of them!" Battle cries echoed sympathetically into the cold autumn air as the men charged towards the group of invaders, bloodlust clear in their gazes. Arrows whistled above the clamor as the first projectiles were shot overhead.

The leader of the refugees remained fixated hatefully on Velvet's eyes for a moment longer before she followed the remainder of her group's lead, breaking into a mad retreat away from the Hyland guards. The sounds of clattering boots and the twinging of arrows being set loose slowly grew progressively distant as the group of Rolance citizens and their pursuers ran further and further away from the village.

A deceptive tranquility returned to the dirt street where Velvet stood, her daemon arm pulsing gently by her side in the brilliant light of the setting sun. Her steel boots crunched quietly underfoot as she turned wordlessly around, facing the group who had arrived behind her moments ago.

Uncertainty was abundantly clear on Sorey's expression, while Alisha had a hand to her mouth in abject horror. Mikleo eyed her as if she were some sort of caged beast. Velvet's expression didn't change in the slightest as her eyes slid away from them, past the rooves of the nearby buildings to gauge the progress of the setting sun.

"You all should hurry up and rest. We have more travelling to do tomorrow." Her words were calm as she walked past them, her dirtied raven hair sweeping behind her in the cool evening breeze.

Sorey watched her back recede as she walked away by herself, a concern frown forming in the wake of her departure. After a moment, he glanced over his shoulders at the others, absently noting that the sounds of distant battle had since faded into nothingness beyond the outskirts of the village. He refused to think about the implications of that observation.

"...Come on guys," he urged quietly, meeting their troubled eyes. "Let's go."

High up above, the skies grew darker still as the last rays of sunlight faded from view, the rich golden hues of the heavens slowly giving way to the dark blue shades of night.

---

Author's Note: Hey folks, apologies for the delays between chapters! Hope everyone's doing alright.

Merry Christmas, all :)

- CloudFry, December25th, 2020