"Does this really need to be a group call?" Soul mumbled as he followed the rest of the group at the back. They had found an oddly clean washroom on the second floor of the church. It was a simple enough design, with a large basin filled with rainwater that was funneled in from the roof above through a chute. On the opposite side was a large mirror, stretched horizontally, faded with dust but otherwise intact. "And don't you have one portal thingy you can pull up, Kid?"

"The direct link requires a degree of effort. Once we've cleaned this off, this will make an effortless method of communication. I would rather not expend unnecessary efforts if we're going to be here longer than expected."

"So, this is how the gods communicate now?" Solaire inquired. "How odd to use a mirror," he mused.

"It makes perfect sense," Kid retorted as the group humored his earnest attempts to dust off the mirror. "Mirrors are a natural representation of beautiful symmetry. They perfectly reflect that which is shone at them. Then again, technically any glass would do, but this is preferable."

"Only for you, you nut," Soul yawned as he sat himself down against the wall. "The rest of u-OW," he complained as Maka yanked him up.

"Come on, slacker, we're giving our report. Or are death scythes exempt?" Soul muttered a flurry of incomprehensible swear words as his newfound girlfriend hauled him in front of the mirror with the rest of the group, all looking as though almost in a group photo. Kid swiped in his father's number; 42-42-564. Immediately, Lord Death's enormous mask popped into view, causing Priscilla and Solaire to jump slightly in surprise.

Kid immediately gave a deep bow as his father initiated.

"Oh, hi there Kid! How goes the mission?" The elder Shinigami inquired in his characteristically enthusiastic voice as he bobbed his head forward at a slight angle. "Are things okay? You're usually so punctual about updates."

"Er, well, we-" Kid cut himself as Solaire rushed beside him and gave a deep, enthusiastic bow, hands on his knees and his waist bending at a ninety degree angle.

"It is a great honor to meet you, Elder Death God!" Solaire proclaimed. "It has been a pleasure to meet a new generation of gods! Your son is truly a tribute to the divine bloodlines!" Although considerably quieter than their knightly companion, Priscilla had maneuvered her way to Kid's other side and was offering a silent curtsey, not raising her head to meet Lord Death's gaze.

"Hmm?" Shinigami bobbed his head the other direction, curiosity evident in spite of the blank skull mask. "It is nice to meet you as well…"

"Solaire, Knight of Astoria, and devoted servant of the gods!" Solaire continued, straightening himself.

"Ahem," Kid coughed slightly to indicate his irritation at being interrupted.

"Ah, my apologies, young god. I will allow you to continue," he said, backing down slightly.

"As I was about to say, we- actually, is Spirit with you?" Kid inquired.

"Hmm? Spirit? Why yes-"

With little more provocation needed, Spirit Albarn, current Death Scythe of North America and personal weapon to the Grim Reaper seemingly materialized from nowhere in a flash of distinctive red hair.

"You've got to be kidding," Maka groaned and brought a hand to her face.

"What do you need, Lord Death?" he asked, screeching to a halt next to the Reaper in front of Shinigami's personal mirror. His eyes widened as he saw the group gathered before him.

"My dearest Maka! How are you? Is the mutt behaving himself?" He glared at Soul, who returned the gaze back at him.

"Screw off, Papa. We're… we're fine, thank you very much," Maka glared back.

"Spirit, I must request we speak with just my father for the time being," Kid stated politely.

"Hey now, I'm Maka's Papa and a death scythe and I have a right to receive her mission reports too!"

Kid sighed. "Father, could you please remove him so we could speak privately?"

Shinigami needed only to raise a hand threatening the feared Reaper Chop in Spirit's direction to send the man fleeing through the guillotined hallway and out of the Death Room.

"So, Kid, now that we've eliminated any distractions, what's up? I can tell something happened."

"Where to start…" Kid sighed. "Well, I suppose we can start with the good news. We discovered the source of the barrier. It seems an old…" Kid looked inquiringly at Solaire for a moment. "God? Created it to stop a curse of madness and immortality from spreading beyond here."

Lord Death perked up at the mention of a god. "Oho?"

"The bad news is… it seems the curse takes hold onto any mortal who steps on the land. All of them," he added with emphasis.

"Oh dear… Are you all holding up? Describe this curse," Lord Death asked. A few in the group made an involuntary glance at Maka as Kid hesitated for a moment.

"Sir!" Maka spoke up. Soul looked at her like she'd grown another head. He knew what she was about to do.

"I…. I died, sir," Maka's voice quieted slightly. "I- I died. I don't know exactly how it works, but I think the curse actually works in the land itself. It pulls the soul along until it reaches a fire, and it recreates you in the ashes. But… not perfectly."

Shinigami simply gazed blankly at Maka, his expression as unreadable as ever. He was completely silent. Maka wasn't sure if he was waiting for her to continue or whether it was something more. She'd always associated a sense of almost perpetual joy and energy to the reaper. To see him gazing, perfectly still, was unnerving.

"Maka, are you sure-"

"Shut up, Soul, I need to report this," Maka said sternly, not looking back at him.

"I suppose I'd ask you to define 'imperfect', Maka," Lord Death inquired. "You seem to be fine, physically."

Maka took a deep breath. "It makes the body weak and ragged. Almost decayed. It hurt at points to move joints. Like it's a fake body. I would assume it would get progressively worse after successive deaths."

"But you fixed this?" Maka hesitated. She knew Lord Death wouldn't approve of the method to regain herself. But by how much? Eating an unapproved soul was one of the greatest crimes he had laid out, but on the other hand, these people were, well, hardly people anymore.

"Ah, I can answer that, my lord!" Solaire spoke up. "It is an old ritual here, requiring pure silver mixed with the original fire of Lord Gwynn, staving off the effects of the curse for a short time! It is fortunate that I still hold such silver on my person, neh?"

"Ah… I see," Lord Death responded, finally tilting his head once more to the opposite direction. "Well then, I suppose it's a good thing we ran Spirit off, eh?"

Maka breathed a small sigh of relief. She wasn't sure why Solaire had lied for her, but maybe it was for the best.

"Now, obviously given the severity of this curse, it would seem wise to break it, would it not?" Lord Death asked as if it was the simplest task in the world. "Any ideas where it came from?"

"Well, I assure you, my lord, if I knew such a source, I would have quested to end it once and for all long ago!" Solaire boasted.

"Uh huh. And this young lady. Are you a native as well?" Lord Death asked Priscilla, who continued to keep her head bowed.

"I am, my Lord. I am Priscilla, the Life Hunt Scythe," she spoke quietly.

"Nice to meet you, Priscilla. I don't suppose you would have any idea where such a curse would come from?"

"I do not, My Lord. I am sorry."

"Well then, that does complicate things," Shinigami held a large finger to the chin of his mask. "There are only two things that could cause such a curse, though. It's either a witch's spell, gone awry even for their standard… or there's a kishin. It almost might be simpler if it was a kishin- then at least killing it would end the madness. Hmm…" Lord Death's audible thought process meandered.

"Ah, a point, Father. Miss Priscilla here," Priscilla drew an audible breath and bowed her head even deeper than before.

"She claims her Lifehunt power gives her the ability to slay immortals. She… may prove valuable against Asura if true."

"Oho?" Lord Death perked up again. "I'm sorry miss, you said you were a scythe, did you not?"

"Yes, My Lord," she answered, still bowed.

"You know, you don't need to be so formal," Lord Death told her. "It's alright to look up. I'm always looking for the best talents available," he continued. Priscilla cautiously raised herself up to look back at him. "That's just the sort of talent we're in dire need of nowadays. I'm sure we can find a place for you here."

"I am humbled by your offer, my Lord," Priscilla answered him. "It has been very long since I have worked with any master, however."

"Well, I'm sure Maka can help you back into practice, then. She's quite well practiced with Soul. Maka, is that alright with you? Help get her back into practice?"

"Of course, Lord Death!" Maka beamed at him. "I'm sure we'll be fine in no time."

"Yes, yes. Well, Kid," Lord Death rounded back onto his son. "If that's all, you know what you have to do. All of you," he said, scanning the room from proud-standing Solaire to Black Star, who had nodded off long ago in the back, still recovering from the energy spent wielding Tsubaki's demon sword.

"Actually, Father, if I could have a moment alone?"

"Well, of course, Kid. Well, you heard the lad, off you all go," Shinigami made a shooing motion with his oversized hands. Liz hung to the back of the group shuffling out, giving Kid a questioning look, but he simply shook his head.

"It will be very short, we can talk when I'm done," he said with an earnest smile. She gave him an unhappy look, but conceded and left the room following Tsubaki, who was dragging her meister out by the collar with the help of an amused Patty.

"So what's up, Kid? Something's eating at you more than you said earlier," Lord Death spoke.

"Honorable father… who was my grandfather?"

"Hmm?"

"Who was your father?" Kid asked, exasperated. "Did you have a father?"

"Ah, I suppose this question was bound to come up eventually. Yes, I did. He was not as attentive to me, I think, as I was to you. There's really not much to say about him, to be honest. There weren't really the same problems back then, or at least, not that I know of. Mankind was simpler, I think. True witchcraft was just coming into its own as I was getting a handle on running things myself after he was gone. He taught me how to handle souls, how to deal with troublemakers, but it was all mechanical things. I don't think he really cared for humans much, to be honest. And when I was ready, well…"

Lord Death paused, an odd thing for one usually so confident in his speech. "Well, he died. It's a simple fact that the world doesn't need two full reapers."

"So, when I'm ready…" Kid started.

"Yes," His father answered bluntly.

"Dad, I-"

"It's alright, Kid. I came to peace with that reality when I knew I needed an heir. You'll make a fantastic Grim Reaper."

"Now then, the other thing I'm sure you want to talk about is this god business!" Lord Death piped up, giving a swift change of topic.

"Yes, of course," Kid spoke slowly. The reality of his father's inevitable demise still sat in his throat like a lump. "Solaire keeps bringing up a god he calls Gwynn. A god of the Sun, apparently."

"Yeah, that's a mystery to me," Lord Death said quizzically. "There have been other immortals, of course- Arachne, Excalibur, Eibon, now Asura. Perhaps they were old sorcerers who used magic to prolong their lives, and just demanded worship… hmm… Well, like I said, I have no idea, Kid. You'll have to find out this one on your own. I do look forward to finding out."

"Of course, Father. I'll keep you updated. We won't fail you. We'll break this madness before the barrier falls."

"Of course, Kid. I have faith in you."

With that, the mirror went blank as Lord Death tuned out. Kid's shoulders slumped. The magnitude of the task before him weighed down on him. Here he was supposed to be the representative of Death, in a land run amok with immortal zombies, a mockery to his purpose, and apparently absent gods. And he's supposed to figure out how to break a madness that's festered for longer than his father even existed…

He walked back out and found Liz waiting for him, her foot tapping impatiently.

"Well?"

"I just asked him about these old gods," Kid said. "He wasn't much help. Whatever happened here was before even Father," he said glumly.

"And that was it?" Liz asked, raising an eyebrow quizzically. "You could've asked that while we were all there too."

Kid sighed. "I asked him if I had a grandfather. Apparently I do."

"Well, that's good, isn't it?" She asked. "I mean, I guess that means your dad hasn't been around forever."

"Yes."

"Alright, Kid, spit it out. What's bugging you?"

"When I'm ready to fully realize my Shinigami powers, father will die."

"WHAT?" Liz blurted out. She slapped a hand over her mouth realizing she hadn't exactly been subtle in her reaction. "Lord Death… can die?" she asked quietly. "Like, naturally?"

"I suppose so. He said the world doesn't need two fully realized reapers. So, when I'm ready… he'll die."

"Hey," Liz said, stepping forward. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders as his arms hung limp. "You'll be great," she whispered in his ear. "It'll hurt when it happens, but you'll recover from it. You're strong. And you'll be a great Shinigami."

Kid slowly put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer as he rested his forehead against hers. "Thanks, Liz. I don't know what we're doing here exactly, but we'll solve it. We'll cure you and Patty and everyone else. I swear it."

Liz pressed her lips to his briefly. "There we go. That's the Kid I know. Always making things perfect," she said, smiling.

Soul's hand fumbled around inside the pocket of his jeans, feeling the ring he'd acquired from the strange merchant. He and Maka were sitting with their backs to a cement wall in a hallway isolated from the main floor. Maka was looking upwards, humming a familiar tune to herself.

"How to give this to her…" Soul pondered to himself. He was trying to envision something nonchalant, while still unique enough to befit his status as the coolest guy in Death City. "Maybe it'd be better to figure out what I shouldn't do first," he started thinking. "What's something really cliché to avoid." It was at that exact moment that it occurred to him the insinuation that giving a girl a ring, even one without a stone, held.

"I'M AN IDIOT!" His brain yelled at him. He involuntarily smashed his forehead into his knees in dismay. "The hell was I thinking? I can't give her a goddamn ring! Damn it all to hell," he berated himself further, rocking his head back and knocking his forehead back into his knees again.

Maka tilted her head back down and raised an eyebrow at him. "What's wrong, Soul? You didn't get hurt in that last fight, did you?"

"It's nothing," Soul muttered, his face not leaving his kneecaps.

"Soul…" Maka growled. "I thought we were over hiding stuff?"

"I'm fine!"

"No you're not, now just tell me!"

Soul just growled and angled his forehead further into his scapula.

"You're stressed over something, I can feel it," Maka said, giving him a poke in the shoulder. "Come on, every time we do this it always blows up in our faces."

What a stubborn woman! She really wasn't going to give this up, was she?

Soul finally lifted his head and shifted his ruby eyes to her olive ones for just a second.

"Fine. But only on one condition. You gotta not freak out right away and let me explain it. Kay?"

Maka looked at him curiously for a moment before smiling back. "Alright, I promise. No freaking out or-"

Maka went dead silent as Soul pulled the ring from his pocket and gracelessly palmed it into her left hand.

"It's for you. It's a gift, it's not anything like… that, you know. It's just something nice because you deserve it and the creepy merchant guy said you liked it so I conned him into giving it to me and –"

He stopped at Maka chuckling as she examined the deep red ring. She finally had the decency to cover her mouth with her other hand to keep herself from going completely out of control.

"Fine. I see how it is." Soul muttered darkly and picked himself up

"Oh wait, you!" Maka grabbed his hand and pulled herself up. She wheeled around in front of him, a grin on her face. "I didn't mean it like that, Soul. It's just… you didn't really think it through at all, did you?"

"Obviously not," Soul muttered

"Still. It is still kinda sweet. It's almost the color of your eyes." She held it up in her right hand, looking over it again. "I wish I knew what it said though."

"So… you like it?" He asked, swallowing not a small amount of nervousness. "And, you get that I'm just an idiot and that it doesn't mean anything like, uh, you know, that. Not yet, anyways." He added on, catching himself.

"Of course I know you're an idiot," she said with a grin. She gave him a quick peck on the lips. "But you're my idiot. The coolest idiot in Death City." She paused for a moment, pulling the glove from her left hand and slid the ring onto the middle finger. "It even fits," she said reassuringly, holding her hand up to evaluate its appearance on her hand.

"Hey Maka, are you he-EEEP!" Tsubaki's alarmed voice shrieked out behind Maka. By the time Maka had turned her head, Tsubaki was already at her side fawning over her hand, in a burst of speed impressive even for one trained in the ninja arts.

"Oh, Maka, it's beautiful, wasn't this the one you saw earlier? I can't believe it, how long has this been planned? You were going to tell me soon, weren't you? I-"

"Tsubaki, it's not like that at all!" Maka said in exasperation, trying to free her hand from her friend's iron grip. "It's just-"

"Oy, Tsubaki, what happened? You alright?" Black Star made his, as always, timely entrance, screeching to a halt in in the doorway, looking for the source of his girlfriend's yelp. His eyes went wide at seeing the ring on Maka's still elevated hand. "Dude, Soul! Not cool, man, you can't show me up like that! We've been going out way longer than you two; you're making me look bad!" In a blink, Black Star materialized at Tsubaki's side, pulling her hand free of Maka and spinning her around to face him. "Hey, Tsubaki, I don't really have a ring yet or anything, but you know we're meant to be! Would you-"

"IDIOT!" Maka screamed in frustration, interrupting Black Star's impromptu proposal with a roundhouse kick to Black Star's head, sending him ragdoll style into the nearest wall. She held up her hand with gusto to her friend's face. "As I was saying, Tsubaki," she continued through clenched teeth. "Middle. Finger." Tsubaki's eyes went wide for a second with understanding before bowing her head in apology.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Maka. This was really rude of me. We'll leave you two alone, won't we, Black Star," she said, grabbing him once more by the collar and dragging him out the hall. "But maybe we could talk later?" She asked Maka with a smile before turning the corner.

Relieved to at least have some privacy for a little while, Maka allowed herself a smile. "Of course, Tsubaki. Thanks." She turned around to find Soul sitting cross-legged with his back to the wall and his face buried into his ankles.

"Well, I suppose that could've gone worse," Soul muttered sarcastically. "Why is it that everyone we hang out with is completely insane?"

Maka sat down next to him and leaned her head into his shoulder. "Well, truthfully, it's not like we're much better," she said with a smile. Soul sighed and rose back up, letting the side of his rest against the top of hers.

"You're sure about this, Soul?" She asked him.

"Huh?" He twisted around a bit to give her a curious look.

"I mean, about us. Me," She said, keeping her face hidden. He twisted around further until he was facing her, and brought a hand under her chin, lifting her face up to his.

"More than anything, Maka. You're the one who keeps me sane. I would've lost out to the black blood ages ago if it wasn't for you."

She shook her head slightly. "I mean, that's just something we've had to do as partners, though. And we'd still be able to do that even if you were off with some other girl."

"Maka," Soul said in exasperation. "I don't want some other girl. Because nobody's like you. No other girl has the courage to bash my brains in when I deserve it, or will fight to the death over the last cup of coffee. I don't want some bimbo who just says 'Yes Soul, whatever you want, Soul.' That's all that those girls are like who keep spamming me with letters. Besides," he added on. "They've never faced down Asura and survived, or tried blindly charging an immortal werewolf, or hugged a lost soul shooting spikes out in every direction and somehow ended up befriending them. That's way hotter than someone who's just a pair of breasts," he said with a grin.

With a massive grin, Maka wrapped her arms around Soul and crashed her lips upon his. It was not the most graceful of kisses, but they each felt the passion and warmth behind the other. When they parted, Maka gave him a stern look. "Soul Eater Evans, that was one of the least romantic confessions I've heard." Soul rolled his eyes. "But it was still pretty cool, in your own stupid way," She said, leaning the side of her head into his shoulder.

Soul couldn't help but grin. "Eh, close enough," he said, leaning back into the wall and letting his partner rest at his side.

Black Star groaned as he found himself waking back up with his back to a hard wall, propping himself up. An awful headache served as reminder of the small beating he'd just received. Tsubaki was talking off on the far end of the room they were in with Liz and Kid until the latter two departed in opposite directions out the doorway.

"Looks like Maka got you pretty good back there," Tsubaki commented with a small smile as she turned back to him. Black Star scowled for a moment before his headache flared and he just closed his eyes and rested his head back to the paved wall. He felt his partner lean onto his side, but he kept his eyes shut to enjoy the darkness.

"Kid seemed to think this was good spot for us to camp for the night," she continued with her small talk. She paused for a moment, waiting on his silence. "It's got plenty of space for everyone to stretch out, and it's still got the one path in if we have to defend it." Another silence greeted her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He felt the pressure on his shoulder leave, indicating Tsubaki had sat up.

"You don't trust me?" He sighed. He knew that she knew he trusted her, but all the same, he also knew that she knew that tactic would work every time. His partner was a smart one, after all. Only the best for someone as awesome as himself.

"It's just frustrating," he told her. "We were so close before this mission. Ninety seven souls. And now it feels like everything's just getting farther out of my control every hour we spend here."

He felt her hand touch his left cheek and gently twist his head around to face her. Relenting, he opened his eyes from the soothing darkness and was rewarded with her gentle, indigo eyes.

"Black Star, we've spent years getting those ninety seven souls. I can wait just a little bit longer," she said, giving him a warm smile. "Besides, who's to say we won't find two souls here that we can use for the last two?"

"But that's it, we've taken so long, and now that we're this close, it pisses me off that now we're stuck in this pit waiting to fix a problem that wasn't supposed to be ours!" he shot back, his voice rising slightly as he shook off her hand.

"But we'll get through this," she urged to him back, her voice still soothingly calm. "We've had to deal with plenty of problems that weren't supposed to be ours before, and we'll do it again. We even have a bit of extra help this time."

"I still don't trust him completely," he grumbled back. "He's way too cheerful for a dude stuck in this place."

"Since when did you worry so much?"

"Since people started dying on my watch!" he finally exploded. "I'm supposed to surpass god! I can't do that if I can't even protect you and Maka and everyone else!"

Tsubaki's eyes narrowed uncharacteristically and he was taken aback when she slapped him across the face.

"That wasn't your fault!" She said aggressively. ""That wasn't your fault or my fault or even Soul or Maka's fault!"

"What the-" He started to respond, but was cut off.

"Does Lord Death save everyone? Does Kid save everyone? Black Star, even gods have their limits. You can't be everywhere at once. If you think that way, it'll kill you."

"But-"

His confusion escalated when her eyes softened back to their more characteristically sympathetic form and she wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry, Black Star. I know you'll live up to that one day. Maka will kill me for inflating your ego, but you really are great. But you're not omniscient. Nobody can be. Let the rest of us take responsibility for ourselves, and we'll do our best to help you become that next god. We don't need to be carried to the finish line."

Black Star couldn't help but laugh now as he returned his girlfriend's embrace and he rested his head on her shoulder. "You really are something else, Tsubaki. I can always trust you to set me back on track."

"Of course, Black Star. That's my job," she said pulling back a bit, beaming at him. "Plus, you've given me plenty of practice over the years."

"Oy!"

"Patty? Patty?" The elder Thompson sister called out, wandering the main floor of the chapel. While she appreciated that her sister knew to give her and Kid some privacy now and then, she really didn't want to have to turn the place upside down trying to find her. "Come on! It's getting late!" She called out again.

With a sigh, Liz stopped for a moment and leaned her back against the wall, closing her eyes to think. Surely this place wasn't that big, was it? There could only be so many places for her to have wandered off. And as eccentric as her sister could be, Liz knew she wasn't foolish enough to actually lave the safety of the church. She vaguely registered a faint rattling sound off to her side, but didn't really pay it attention as she tried to think over all the places she'd searched. The cell where they'd found Lautrec, the washroom, the roof…

"HEY SIS!" Patty's excitable voice rang out just next to her, sending her feet jumping and her heart hammering.

"Holy crap, don't scare me like that!" She yelled back at Patty, who had somehow materialized next to her. "And where the hell did you come from?"

"Elevator, duh," her sister answered. Liz raised an eyebrow at the assumption that said answer was so obvious.

"What elevator?" She asked. The idea that there was a working elevator in this place seemed pretty farfetched.

"Right in here!" Her sister grabbed her by the wrist and yanked her into a rectangular indent in the side of the wall, maybe large enough for three people to stand comfortably. Patty stomped her foot down on the middle, and a grinding sound could be heard as a plate in the floor descended and a gate slid across the entrance.

Then, with little other warning, Liz felt her stomach turn over as the floor plummeted down. She grabbed her sister tight, screaming at the top of her lungs as Patty whooped with laughter as the elevator made its mad descent. After a few seconds, the far wall disappeared in favor of a wide open view of the landscape below. In the dark of night, Liz could plainly see the great fire at the shrine below. Finally regaining her senses, Liz managed to tame her voice, but still clutched her sister tight, wary of the lack of a guard rail to prevent an unfortunate demise should she fall off the wrong side. Mercifully, the descent finally slowed, and with a faint screeching of gears, the elevator finally pulled to a stop. Liz stepped out for a second and planted herself on her knees and gave a small prayer of thanks for solid ground while her sister chuckled in amusement.

"Well, at least there's a quick way back to that fire, if we need to get back there," Liz muttered, picking herself up. "How'd you find this thing anyways, Patty? I swear you're a genius sometimes."

"Yeah, I'm pretty awesome," her sister bragged. "Sometimes you just gotta explore if you wanna find stuff! You won't find anything just sitting around."

Liz pondered her sister's oddly brilliant analysis for a second before shrugging it off. It was late and they needed to get back up into the church.

"And this thing does go back, right?" She asked, looking back at it apprehensively.

"Obviously! I've been on it for twenty minutes now. Fun, isn't it?"

"Uh, yeah, sure, Patty. Look, let's just get back up so we can call it a night. It's been a long day."

"Sure thing, Sis!" With that, Patty yanked Liz back into the elevator and slammed her heel into the pressure plate again, once more triggering the mad device to scream upwards in ascent.

Still a bit queasy when they reached the top, Liz stumbled out, grateful once more for solid footing. Patty, however, remained inside, giving her sad, puppy dog eyes. "C'mon, Patty, let's figure out where everyone else is so we can call it a night."

Patty, however, remained on the spot, her puppy dog stare unrelenting. "Pleeeeease? One more go?"

Liz sighed. "Fine, one more go. But you're going alone, I'm not getting on that death machine if I can avoid it. Make it quick."

"Sir Knight?" A soft, melodious voice interrupted Solaire's meditation as he sat in one of the few remaining intact pews. "I have a question, if you might answer."

"Why, my Lady Priscilla, I will of course do my best," he answered, turning his head to find the draconic woman standing to the side of the pew.

"You are aware of my heritage. Yet, in spite of its conflict with yours, you have been nothing but courteous. Why?"

"My lady, I don't believe I understand what you mean."

"You wield the lightning arts. These… other companions of yours, they seem to not understand that significance. I do."

"There are many who learned the art of lightning, Lady Priscilla," he answered evenly. "Of course, it is not just anyone who receives tutelage in Gwynn's path. It was a great honor to be taught as such."

"I admit to being curious myself," a new voice interrupted the two, both of whose heads swiveled to find Kid standing in the doorway to the prayer room. "My apologies for the intrusion, but I also wished to discuss your… abilities."

Solaire shifted uncomfortably in his seat for a moment before standing and giving another curt bow to Kid. "Of course, my young lord, what is your query?" He asked, ignoring Priscilla's previous question.

"You are a sorcerer?" Kid asked bluntly.

"The art of lightning is not sorcery, my lord. It is an ability passed down by Lord Gwynn, harnessing the faith and strength of one's soul into physical manifestation. It is how Gwynn became a great conqueror- his soul so profoundly strong that he could slay multiple dragons in an instant. Er… with my apologies, Lady Priscilla. I do not mean-"

She held a hand to cut him off. "I am not offended. I am not an immortal dragon, nor have I met one."

Kid sighed. "So, Solaire, I must ask- if lightning comes from harnessing your soul's strength, why can I not see yours? Outside this land, witches often use magic to hide their soul from those of us who would administer justice to them. So, Solaire, what exactly are you?" Kid asked, staring intently at the knight.

Solaire tilted his head to the side slightly, a faint scratching sound from the rim of his helmet scraping along the chained rings of his armor.

"My lord, I have already told you what I am. I am a Knight of the Sun. Nothing more, nothing less." Solaire stepped out of the pew and walked to Kid's side. "Now, I must apologize, but I am simply very tired. It would be most wise of us all to recuperate our strength." With that, he walked past Kid, leaving him with Priscilla in the prayer room.

"He is very curious," Priscilla spoke up. "My Lord, I know he is being avoidant, but please, I believe he holds a kind heart."

"Could you do me a favor, Priscilla?"

"Of course, my lord."

"Please stop calling me 'My lord'. Just call me Kid."

"Of course, my lo-er, Kid." She answered, catching herself.

Kid sighed. "Well, he seems to know this situation better than myself, anyways. Not much choice but to just keep an eye on him. Come, Priscilla, I believe everyone else has settled themselves into a larger prayer room for the night. Safety in numbers."

"Of course, my lord." With a sigh of irritation, Kid led her back to the rest of his friends, still curious about the nature of their newfound guide to this strange land.

A/N: My apologies for the immense delay. Developing a proper routine is still challenging for me, but I hope to be better about updates in the future, perhaps once every two weeks. As a proper apology, this is a two-chapter special for this update. I hope you all are enjoying. I tried to focus this section a bit more on characterization, as well as building up for future plot developments. But the action won't take long to return if that's what you're really craving, so stick with me, please. As always, reviews and critiques are immensely helpful for me to improve. Or, even if you don't have criticism, but you're enjoying it, let me know that too. If I know others are enjoying this, it really does help with motivation.