When Viole left the room, after Ha Jinsung had already left, he found that the compound had been transformed – he blinked and watched as a figure, decked head to toe in white, passed by him. Only then did he notice that the person had a mop in hand.

He exited out of the hallway and into the courtyard. He spotted them again – dozens of white-clothed figures up on the walls underneath a tumulus sky. Storm clouds had come and they cloaked the sky in blacks and grays and off-whites. It must have rained earlier, right after lunch, for puddles had formed along the walkways of the courtyard, and on top of each step as Viole worked his way up.

Once he made it to the top he saw groups of the white clothed figures milling about mopping the floors, getting into the cracks where Hwa Ryun's Mjollnar had struck, and cleaning the area of even the tiniest specs of blood. In the far corner, where one of the guard towers stood the door had been flung open and through it Viole could see four figures carrying a new oaken table.

They spotted him.

All motion just ceased – both for those on the walls and within the tower. Then they snapped to attention, dropping the table so it thudded in place, as they gave a salute – knifehand to brow. "Your highness!" They said at once, together, in unison – their voices creating an echo that reverberated all around him.

Viole blinked.

He gazed over the white-clothed figures, all identical to the last, white-masks over their faces – a cloth triangle that revealed only the eyes and could not help but ask, "Who are you people?"

That caught them off guard, but one stepped forward. The person had vivid green eyes that starkly stood out in the grim haze. "We are the servants of the gods of FUG," she said, she?, yes, the voice was rather high pitch, but still Viole could only guess.

"Gods?" He asked, but felt that he already knew where this was going.

"The Slayers who will bring down Zahard and his Ten from their lofty arrogance. We have the honor of serving his Grace, himself."

A cold certainty washed over Viole then as he glanced at the woman. As he saw a rainbow in the sky behind her, shrouding her head like a colorful halo. But he had to ask, "What do you mean?"

"His Grace, Luslec Mirchea Grace, has arrived."

…

Viole hurried down the stairs, into the courtyard and to the doors to the throne room. The entire move only took moments, and it had been a blur as his mind spun. Why? Was the resounding thought, though he didn't know who it was directed at. An impulse, and no more, brought Viole to this moment, in front of this door. He wanted to see. He wanted to see who this god of FUG was.

The iron wrought doors to the throne room creaked open not with a clap of noise, but with a whisper. When Viole entered he saw Ha Jinsung kneeling, but then jerking his head over. The look of panic that quickly followed his surprise almost made Viole want to turn around then and there.

"What are you doing?" The man hissed.

"It is fine, Ha Jinsung. I wanted to meet him."

The voice came from the throne, a man lounged on it. He was decked in dark black robes with scarlet spots. A close-cut beard hugged his chin and the man sported a top knot. But still, the thing to truly strike Viole was his poise – so comfortable in his own skin, so self-assured, so oozing of power that Viole could practically taste it.

Viole mimicked Ha Jinsung and knelt.

"There's no need for that. Stand. Both of you."

Viole did so and spared a glance at Ha Jinsung. If the look on his face was any indication, then Grace must not have forgone formalities often.

Viole could feel the gaze, like a physical weight on his shoulders as Grace hummed, "So, our latest Slayer candidate. Why are you here?"

"Your servants outside told me you were here."

"Ah, the Devoted, of course."

"Who are they, sir?"

"The Devoted are servants who act as laborers within FUG, doing the menial jobs that Rankers could not be bothered to do. They are very loyal to the cause, having been raised that way since birth."

He started to feel it then, a creeping certainty, "Since birth? Where did they come from?"

"The Middle Area mostly. There are means for families to give up their children for the sake of a better life."

He didn't know if that could really be called a better life. Something still felt off about it, that creeping certainty from before told him that there was more to the Devoted than what was being said, but Viole did not say anything. He just frowned – glancing over to the side where a window overlooked the courtyard.

"But that still does not fully answer the question. Why are you here?"

The man just sat there, impassive, waiting. Something cold twisted in the pit of his stomach as the full weight of these last two weeks fell on him. All at once, Viole's gaze hardened then he said, "You know what? It was a mistake to come." Tasting, balancing the words. "If you don't mind I'll dismiss myself."

With that, Viole turned around to head towards the door. Or was about to. The moment he turned around Viole felt it – a creeping sensation that crawled up his spine and struck at his heart. A feeling that swept down his arms, over his torso, and down his legs.

He froze me.

"I never said you could leave."

Grace got up from the throne and approached him. Long strides that made the hem of the robe whip around him with every step. He stopped right in front of the boy. Suddenly, like with a snap, Viole's head was free though the rest of his body remained frozen. He could twist his head and see Ha Jinsung standing tense by the wall, hands flexing.

"Do you know why I think you came, Viole?"

His head was free but he still didn't dignify that with a response.

"I think you wanted to see me, to know me, to know the one who put you through all of this." With that, in a span of a second, Viole was free, his body jerked down as the invisible hand let it go. "Well, congratulations, you'll get that chance. We are going to have some long talks, you and I."

Viole felt the shout bubble up to his lips, felt the shinsoo circulate and spin throughout him – faster and faster. He felt his body tense, ready to spring into action, but he did not move.

Instead, he nodded.

Treacherously, he nodded.

…

Hours later he sat across Hwa Ryun, with eleven plastic cards between them – all with different colors and designs. Their lesson today was outdoors, at Viole's insistence, and they sat in the courtyard, on the grass, underneath one of the trees that cast the entire area in shadow. The Devoted hurried about them. He glared at the cards.

"You're scowling again."

A beat of silence followed that as he eyed the redheaded Guide. He noticed that she wore rather frilly and elaborate clothes – mostly dark, mostly black. Then Viole glanced away to where one of the servants rushed past with arms full of laundry. His gaze hardened as he said, "I don't like this."

"Noted, but you still need to learn. And this is the start of it," she said, waving her hand over the cards, "Being able to tell me what card belongs to which Family."

Viole looked at the cards, truly studied them – it was the first time he had seen these Crests laid like this after all. The blue feather of the Koon family, with its black tail was easily recognizable, and the picture of the white longsword with the dots on the side must belong to the Arie family, but then he glanced over at a new image, a familiar image, and he paused, his eyes steadily growing larger as realization dawned.

"Hwa Ryun-ssi."

For some reason she sighed at that, "What is it?"

"That one," he said, pointing to an insignia of three red eyes – layered on top of each other in a triangle with three dots underneath it, "That's the Crest of Zahard, right?"

Again, for some reason, her smirk grew wider at that, "That's right." She raised an eyebrow, "So?"

He felt his world clamp up on itself. His excitement dwindled then died. "Nothing."

"You're a bad liar," she said, tilting her head, making her locks cascade down, "What are you getting at?"

The words didn't want to come out. He felt them lodge in his throat – as if stuck. Viole nearly gulped, but still kept his gaze locked on hers. He had told the story of the Cave before to Koon and Ship Lesso and Hatsu, but that was before and things had changed.

And even if he did tell someone he didn't want to tell it to her.

"It's nothing, really, I just thought it was interesting that there were three of them."

"Well, there are Three Lords so it makes sense."

Viole stared at her.

Hwa Ryun looked back – smirksmile growing.

"Okay, you're going to have to go over this with me."

"Molic One P. GR, Joochun of the Ari family, and Flux, Master of Illusions, they take turns every 1,000 years in ruling the Tower in Zahard's place. The Three Lords have authority in the Tower and have vetoing power for the Ruler's Conference."

"The Ruler's Conference?"

"It's an event that happens during the shift of the Three Lords – all the Rulers gather together from all the Floors and all the Ten Heads are required to come, though Zahard hasn't made it since the first one."

"How come?"

"Since he's asleep, like most of the Slayers."

"What – " Viole began to say but Hwa Ryun cut off the conversation by leaning over and scoping up the cards – creating a deck in her hands.

"Wait!" Viole said as she pocketed them and began to walk off.

"We'll continue this lesson later. I think it's about time you met up with Grace." She said without turning around.

He grabbed her shoulder, "But I still have questions though. If there are Three Lords as well how come there aren't Slayers for them? There are ones for Zahard and the Ten Warriors."

She glanced over her shoulder. He couldn't really read her, but he thought she looked more exasperated than usual. She sighed, "Use that brain of yours, Viole. Why do you think there wouldn't be a need to kill them directly?"

"I … I'm not sure," Viole confessed, "they'll die on their own?"

"Yes, they will die when Zahard dies. That's the price they paid in order to get a third of his power."

"Wait. So not only is Zahard asleep but he's given away all his power to the Three Lords?"

"But even then, he still has enough strength to be ranked third in the Tower and to share his power with the Princesses."

She let that sink in, the enormity of just how strong Zahard was, of just what FUG hoped to achieve, settled down on him. That ever-present smirk of hers disappeared, as a cut of a frown etched onto her face. Hwa Ryun narrowed her eyes, to the point where they nearly became half-lidded, and when she next spoke, she spoke in a whisper:

"That's who you have to kill, Viole."