Shan was trying to maintain her composure and was losing. Badly.

She sat on a rock the edge of a floating island, her Sound of Wandering in her hand. Her blue eyes were glued to the horn, searching and waiting for Hari's signal. But it never came.

It had been five days. Hari had now been missing for two weeks.

Their search for their missing princess had taken an unexpected halt after Hari's last signal. They set up their latest camp and waited. The minutes turned to hours. Then hours turned to days. And everyone started to lose hope.

Kwang-Sarang had gotten frustrated after the second day. She had been adamant that she needed to join the Asmodian search party if theirs was halted. Before she left, she had pulled a dagger from her belt and passed it to a surprised Yoshua.

"Signal the king, the moment you have anything promising," she ordered, her grim eyes latched onto Yoshua's anxious ones.

After Kwang-Sarang left, Shan honestly felt a little better. But it didn't do much to soothe the gaping hole in her chest.

Shan clutched the horn and stared forlornly out at the vast expanse of floating islands. Even now, she was so afraid to move to a new location. What if it took them in the completely wrong direction? She was so hesitant, and it was an unfamiliar feeling for the strongest battle angel.

"Shan," a hesitant voice said behind her.

She turned around and forced herself to smile when Hiskaya sat down beside her. Her heart twisted when she saw how tired Hiskaya was looking. It was clear that sleep was eluding her, too. Every time Shan looked in Hiskaya's eyes, she saw nothing but grief and exhaustion. Mirrors of her own.

"How are you doing, His?" Shan asked gently.

Hesitating a moment, Hiskaya pulled her knees to her chest. "Haki's darkness is getting hard to bear," she admitted. "Normally, seeing Haki helps to remind me why I'm doing this. But…" Tears began to leak down her cheeks. "I don't know when I'll see her again," she choked out. She leaned and rested her weary head on Shan's shoulders. "Hari hasn't signaled," she stated bleakly.

Shan swallowed thickly. "She's still alive," she insisted. "She has to be."

"I know," Hiskaya said softly. "But something must have happened." She sat up. "Yoshua wants to contact the Demon King for updates," she said. "Will you join us?"

Though Shan wasn't particularly thrilled about this, she grudgingly nodded and go her feet.

They returned to their camp and were surprised to find Hanulim and Yoshua in the middle of an argument.

"You will certainly not be mutilating yourself like Lofree did!" Hanulim shouted as she tried to take the dagger away from Yoshua's hands. "It is barbaric!"

Yoshua clutched the dagger in sheath close to her chest and backed away. Her green eyes were dull from her exhaustion, but they were narrowed angrily.

"I have to reach out to His Majesty," Yoshua protested. "I'm the only one who can!"

Hanulim grit her teeth and clutched her hands angrily. "Surely there must be some other way to contact him that doesn't involve you stabbing yourself," she snapped. "Whatever magic that is, it prevented me from healing Lofree when she did it. What if I can't heal you?"

Shan and Hiskaya looked at Yoshua sadly as the same thought ran through their minds as well.

Rather than get mad, Yoshua smiled. She set the dagger on the ground before she approached the stiff Hanulim. "Hanulim, it's okay," she said comfortingly. "Only an Asmodian can signal the king from anywhere. Even a lower-level one such as myself." She stepped up and gave Hanulim a tight hug. "And I have my own healing angel to patch me up when I'm done. Even if your magic can't fix me up, you've been working hard on medicines with me." She hesitated. "You can heal with more than just your magic."

It took a moment, but Hanulim hugged her back just as tightly. She leaned her head on top of Yoshua's and sighed.

"I still don't like it," she complained.

Yoshua pulled back and smiled. "I know, and I'm sorry."

She returned to grab the dagger and unsheathed it awkwardly. Her hands were shaking which the three angels immediately noticed. But all three admired her courage as the normally timid Yoshua stabbed the dagger into her demon seal. A pained cry escaped her and she bit her lip almost through. Hanulim's blue eyes were icy and her shoulders were shaking.

"Heres capta est," Yoshua stammered.

Within moments, the Demon King returned to them through a bolt of lightning.

He looked around the area, his white eyes narrowed and searching, undoubtedly for Hari. After a moment he sighed tiredly and ran a hand through his hair. He then saw Yoshua trembling before him and smiled kindly.

"I'm sorry you had to make this choice," he said as he covered her small hand with his massive one and helped her to pull the blade out of her arm. It began to squirt blood which he immediately covered with a clean handkerchief he pulled from his pocket. He pressed it against her arm and turned to Hanulim. "Tend to Yoshua," he ordered. "I will discuss with Shan."

Immediately, Hanulim rushed over to Yoshua and pressed a hand to the bleeding wound. She gave the king a wary look as she led Yoshua to their tent. After glaring at the Demon King for a moment, Hiskaya stalked off to join them.

"Clearly I'm not her favorite person right now," he mused dryly. He turned to look at the stoic Shan. "Let's walk."

Shan dipped her head in silent agreement.

They walked far away from the campsite where they wouldn't be disturbed. Satan looked at the floating islands surrounding them and frowned as he took in their whereabouts. He stepped to the edge and looked down.

"I sent the Blood Clan out to scour the Middle World after Kwang-Sarang's return," he began. "Our efforts to search the Underworld had been lackluster." He straightened and looked in the vast distance, eyeing the countless islands which could potentially be concealing his daughter. "I also sent a team to the human world, just in case this tracking system of yours was tricked." He looked at Shan, white eyes cold. "Should the search of all three prove fruitless, I will then turn my attention to Heaven."

"I'll join you then," Shan said simply. She took in a calming breath. "It has been five days since Hari last signaled me," she said softly. "Has anyone reached out to you? For ransom or to gloat? I have heard nothing."

Satan scowled and turned his attention back to the Middle World. "I have not received word about Hari," he said in disappointment. "And for her to not signal me with her own seal tells me that there is another piece in play that I am unaware of." He turned to look at Shan. "I have received some unsettling reports from my soldiers." His shoulders tensed. "Have you been encountering many monsters during your travels?"

After a moment of contemplation, Shan shook her head. Her stomach clenched.

"They're gathering monsters," she observed. "They're going to attack somewhere with the monsters they control." She turned to look at Satan. "Why would they want Hari for that?"

For several moments, Satan didn't respond. His face looked so tired and sad that Shan actually felt pity for him. He had lost his wife sometime in the past. His older daughter was kidnapped while he sent his younger daughter away for her protection.

It was a lot for someone, even the King of the Underworld, to take.

"That is information that I cannot share at this time," he said at last. "But, I can tell you that if we don't find Hari before they attack…it means she is most likely dead."

Shan's eyes widened.

"Any information you have could help me find her," she urged. "Why do you say this?"

Satan looked at her with pity in his eyes. "There is some information that you are not privy to about my daughter," he said simply. He gave her a scrutinizing look. "Regardless of how much you love her or she loves you."

Words escaped Shan momentarily as she stared into the Demon King's eyes. She felt no fear at being so close to the strongest demon in all worlds. One who was already on edge after losing his precious daughter. So instead, she dipped her head in acknowledgement.

"I do love your daughter," she said simply. "And I will not give up until I've found her."

"And if you're too late?"

Shan clenched her teeth and inhaled sharply. "Then my life…I will die avenging her," she said darkly. "For my life holds no meaning without her."

Satan smiled in sad understanding. "Being together with my heir will not be easy," he warned. "One day, she will be the Demon Queen. That is a very cold and dark path that most Asmodians would struggle to walk alongside." He turned towards her and crossed his arms. "Would you, an Elyos, be able to?"

"I do not intend on losing Hari ever again," Shan said sincerely. "Once I find her, after I kill those responsible, I will do what I must to stay together with her." She smiled emotionlessly. "Nothing else matters."

Before he could open his mouth to respond, Shan froze. Against her chest! Her hands ducked into her shirt and she pulled out the Sound of Wandering.

"Hari," she gasped in relief.

Immediately, she put the horn to her lips and blew. Their connection was reestablished, and the soft whistle sounded.

"Please tell the others," Shan requested Satan. "Hiskaya can find me."

And then she was off.

To her relief, Hari continued to signal her. And she was able to connect with her several times. Each soft whistle brought energy to her tired body and gave her speed. Before she knew it, she had been running for hours. But then, she came across a different problem.

She ran out of floating islands.

Shan looked around. There was no other path she could have taken to get such a strong reaction out of the horn. It was almost as strong as it had been when Hanok originally showed it to her. And at that time, he and Bora were only separated from each other by a few miles.

Hope blossomed in her chest. Could it be that she was almost at Hari's location?!

But then she looked down and she frowned grimly. If she was right, and this was where Hari was being held, then things just got a lot more complicated.

"The Northwestern part of the Underworld," Shan said bleakly.

The horn was still vibrating, and though it pained Shan, she knew that it was impractical to go any further given her last experience in those woods. She made note of her location before she began making the long trek back to where she had started. It didn't take long for fatigue to set in. Two weeks of little rest and constant worry, coupled with random, desperate dashes to parts unknown, took a toll on the body. Even one as strong as hers. After ten minutes, she felt like her legs were made of lead and she had to stop to catch her breath.

"I can't stop now," Shan panted as she leaned heavily against a tree. "Not when I'm so close to her." She pressed a hand to her neck where the horn had gone silent. "She signaled me for a long time," she mused. "I hope there isn't trouble." She grit her teeth and pounded the tree, sending a very confused flock of birds flying to the sky. "I will find her."

After her quick rest, she returned her journey back to Hiskaya and the others. She was beginning to wonder if she would make it when she saw familiar white wings in the distance. She stopped gratefully on the nearest floating island and waited. A few minutes later, she was joined by a worried Hiskaya who flew straight towards her and engulfed her in a tight hug.

"Shan, you've been gone for hours!" she chided. "We were taking care of Yoshua and suddenly the Demon King pokes his head in the tent and sheepishly tells us you took off."

"I'm sorry to worry you," Shan said tiredly. "But I am not sorry for leaving so suddenly." She gave her first sincere smile in weeks. "I think I know where she is."

Hiskaya was so ecstatic that she pulled Shan into a bone-crushing hug and cried against her shoulder.

They were soon joined by Hanulim who was carrying a pale and bandaged Yoshua. Behind them, to Shan's amusement, was Satan, carrying their packs.

"I think I found Hari," Shan said. "The horn led me to the last island before the Northwestern part of the Underworld."

Satan's eyes narrowed and he placed their belongings on the ground.

"If that is true, then I no longer fear this outrage is solely on the Elyos," he said grimly.

"Why is that?" Shan asked.

He sighed warily. "You know that Elyos cannot thrive in those woods. Their power is sapped, leaving them defenseless. Only an Asmodian would be able to tolerate the darkness of that territory, even if only briefly." He pinched his brow. "If Hari is there, and she was already weakened by a curse, then I fear that she's in an even weaker state now."

Shan's heart stopped. She hadn't considered that.

She pushed Hiskaya off and turned on her heel, fully intent on rushing the woods to find her girlfriend. It was Yoshua who darted forward and weakly grabbed Shan's arm to stop her.

"You're exhausted," Yoshua pleaded. "If you enter the woods now, you'll be helpless. At least rest and regain your strength while we think of a plan."

Shan turned her cold eyes to Yoshua who flinched, but didn't let go. It took all of Shan's willpower to not throw off the small Asmodian's hold. Behind Yoshua, Satan was watching with a raised eyebrow. Hiskaya was getting nervous about the situation as she recognized the signs of Shan about to lose her temper.

It was Hanulim who intervened.

Her eyes were cold as she approached Shan. "You better not be thinking of hurting Yoshua," she threatened. She pressed her hand against Shan's forehead. "A cooler head is needed for an effective rescue operation."

Instantly, Shan felt Hanulim's magic flow through her and spread through her body. But instead of healing, it made her entire body feel weighted down. Her knees buckled and she was dimly aware of both Hiskaya and Yoshua catching her.

"Rest, Shan," Hanulim ordered.

Groaning in protest, Shan was unable to do anything to stop it. Exhaustion crashed down upon her and her blue eyes closed.

When she woke up, she heard a bunch of voices that she was unfamiliar with. She moaned tiredly and struggled to open her eyes. It took several tries before she finally managed. Her blue eyes blinked as she found herself staring at the inside of an unfamiliar tent. After a few moments, her body began to respond to her and she was able to sit up. It was then she realized she was lying on a cot and that Hiskaya was sleeping on one next to her.

"Hiskaya," she rasped in concern. She threw off the blanket and swung her legs over the side of the bed. "His, are you okay?"

"Don't wake her, she's exhausted," a firm voice ordered.

Shan looked away from her friend and saw that Kwang-Sarang was sitting on a stool in the corner. There was an obvious air of weariness around the Blood Demon. But there was a sincere smile on her face. It was small, but it was there.

"Your friend found Hari," Kwang-Sarang said.

"Hari," Shan gasped. Her head whirled around. "Is she here?" At that moment, Shan didn't care if someone else had rescued Hari, so long as she was safe.

"We haven't struck yet," Kwang-Sarang said. "Your healer friend's spell knocked you out for over twelve hours. In that time, His Majesty sent word to the Blood Clan to assemble." She took out a cigarette and lit it with her fingers. "We brought you here and made you comfortable while Hiskaya went out with a covert team to try and find Hari's location."

"Where is Hari?" Shan asked desperately.

Kwang-Sarang inhaled deeply from her cigarette. "There's a mountain range a couple miles from here. Hiskaya was able to sense that Hari is being held somewhere inside."

Shan got to her feet, though her legs felt like they were made of limp noodles. "When do we strike?" she demanded. "The Demon King said Hari's heart could be getting worse thanks to the magic here."

"That's true," Kwang-Sarang said grimly. "His Majesty is organizing my people." She huffed in annoyance. "Hiskaya also sensed that there are a great number of monsters in the place where Hari is being held captive. But she was unable to identify how many, which means we must be cautious, or risk putting Hari into even more danger."

Logically, Shan, the general, knew this was the best approach. But she was struggling to remain logical when she knew that Hari was only a couple miles away. Her hand went to her neck.

"Hanulim sent word to Heaven and they sent one of your people," Kwang-Sarang continued. "Tan, I believe her name is?"

Shan smiled at the mention of her lieutenant. "She will be a great help in saving Hari," she said. She frowned. "But I do worry about how the forest's magic will affect us."

Kwang-Sarang got up and opened the door to the tent. "Come, and I'll explain it to you."

Dipping her head, Shan followed.

It was quite an impressive scene outside. There were a dozen tents set up and dozens of Asmodians waiting anxiously around camp. They all wore some form of armor and carried a weapon of their choosing. Their heads bowed respectfully to Kwang-Sarang as she escorted Shan.

"Shan, you're awake!"

Shan stopped and turned her head and smiled. "Yoshua, I'm glad to see you," she said sincerely. Her smile turned sad. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely. "For my reaction earlier."

Yoshua stepped out of the tent she was in and approached her. "We're all at our wit's end," she said sympathetically. "I've been helping Hanulim set up the healer tent. She can't go past here or her powers will be impacted, but she still wanted to help those she can."

"That sounds great," Shan said. "I'll come by later once I've spoken with the Demon King." Her eyes drifted to the heavy bandages on Yoshua's arm. "How are you feeling?" she asked in concern.

A blush covered Yoshua's cheeks and she placed a hand on her wounded arm. "I-I'm alright," she stammered. "Hanulim was able to heal me enough where the bleeding stopped and I recovered from blood loss faster. She's a little upset that she couldn't do more, but she was able to treat me using my medicine."

"When this is over, perhaps we could all take another trip together," Shan offered. "I think we all deserve the rest."

This was clearly well-received as Yoshua beamed.

With a nod, Shan continued following Kwang-Sarang to the large tent in the center of the camp. The demons on guard bowed their heads respectfully. One turned to announce their presence and opened the tent a moment later after receiving an affirmative.

Shan stepped inside the tent and momentarily paused.

The Demon King was standing behind a table with a map laid out on it. He was dressed in full armor, black as the darkest night. A helmet rested on a shelf beside him, along with a broadsword sheathed in a crimson leather sheath. On the hilt of the sword was, oddly enough, was a gold bangle tied to a silver chain.

This was a ruler who would lead his people into battle. Shan admired that more than the rulers of Heaven who sent their people to their deaths while they themselves observed from the sidelines.

"Demon King," Shan greeted once she entered. "You work fast."

Kwang-Sarang glared at her. "Show some respect," she said coldly. "You cannot show the same shameful familiarity with His Majesty as you do with Princess Hari."

Satan chuckled. "It's alright, Kwang-Sarang," he assured her. He looked at Shan. There was a brightness to his white eyes that hadn't been there the last time he saw her. "I'm assuming that after your nap, you are rested enough to join the assault?"

Shan nodded. "I am," she said with a cold smile.

"Good," Satan said in approval. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small bag which he tossed to Shan. "For you and your lieutenant," he said. "It will protect you two from the drain of the woods, temporarily at least."

"Thank you," Shan said as she opened the bag. She pulled out a black ring. She could feel the dark aura emanating from it. "Will it harm my lieutenant?" she asked.

"Concerned for her, and not for yourself?" Satan asked with a grin.

"I will join the assault regardless of the risk to my safety," Shan said. "But I am responsible for making sure that my people return safely to the best of my abilities."

"Understood," Satan acknowledged. "You have my word that those rings will not cause harm to yourself or your lieutenant. But I do advise that you two keep a close eye on the magic in the bands. My people will wear them too, but theirs will last longer as the drain will not be as severe." He walked around the table and grinned down at Shan. "I do not want Hari to be angry at me for saving her, just to have you fall."

Shan chuckled. "Fair. When do we strike?"

Now the grin on Satan's face turned feral. "Dawn. Prepare yourself, General Shan, and we will make those bastards who dared harm my daughter pay."