A/N: Luckily, I was left with enough energy after the mid-terms to focus on this fic the past two weeks. What better way to celebrate getting over 600+ views and mid-terms than posting chapter six? I'm very thankful as always for everyone that reads this, the follows, the favourites and, of course, the reviews. A special thanks to my three proofreaders. Hopefully, I will update once more next month.

Until then!

~Kalafinn


Ainchase had to focus part of his celestial influence to convince every person around him that he had never left them during the night until an hour before the first signs of dawn. It was not a difficult task, but if he did it too often, he'd limit his ability to sustain his human appearance. If the forest spirits were not cursing the forest to slow their chase, the priest might have chosen to leave the group entirely.

That decision was simply not convenient at the moment. His arm was being bandaged by Rena, while the two demons were still on guard, looking out for golems or other stones thrown their way.

The demoness's servant briefly glanced at her and told her to take something to cover a bleeding cut that a Phoru had left on her left leg. The priest quickly noticed that Ciel was speaking in his native Fluonian dialect, but the most impressive detail was hearing the demon speak with the same rough accent she had addressed him with in Noah's Lake months ago.

"It's not even bleeding anymore, Ciel. And we can't have only one person fighting these things off. Look what they did to the priest before we got here."

Rena did not seem surprised as she finished immobilizing his right arm. She took a piece of his torn sleeves to keep his forearm clamped and close to his torso. After thanking her, he could not help but notice the elven woman was not saying a thing about Ciel's and Lu's Fluonian, and in particular, Lu's accent. She perhaps did not understand it, as it was a language that mixed old native dialects with ancient Elrian or perhaps she did not care. Yet that conclusion was odd, considering the elf always kept a close watch on the children around her. Lu, so far, was no exception.

"Miss Elf…Did something happen to, uhm, the little elf? She sounds very different."

"She's not a little elf, Ain."

The priest widened his eyes not so much at the revelation of the demoness's true nature, but at the dry matter-of-factness of Rena's reply. He opened his mouth to get the elf on his side, but she only briefly shook her head, as if to decline Ishmael's unwritten and absolute laws. Rena got up and began to walk to the south, telling everyone that they had to find Aisha and Elsword before mid-day.

"Is there something going on in this place?" Ciel wondered and Rena's tense glance did not comfort him in the slightest.

"We are in a sacred place." The elven scout explained, shaping small swirls of green leaves as if she could control the wind itself.

Had he existed a few centuries before his mission began, he would have known everything Rena was explaining as the leaves fluttered around her in a never-ending spiral. Chaotic and graceful, the spirits were giving their energy to Rena and some of the leaves began to glow, slowing their dance to hover and control the flux of energy Rena gathered.

Ain could only feel a faint trace of El around the vine-covered columns that still stood around them. The control over nature Rena was displaying as she explained the secrecy of these shattered havens was all the proof he needed.

It was the Force only a few elves were capable of summoning; the Nature's Force was present all around Elrios, but only shone at its brightest in places like this. Ain paid close attention to the spiritual magic the elf was summoning. It was far inferior in power to his own, as expected, but it was very different from the incantations of priestesses or even the El Lady.

"Tuama ársa, Doirtim mo fhuil i do spiorad chomh an a tairiscint ceann do do nádúr naofa. Lig maiteach na foghlaí, mar go nglanfaidh mé an tcúis a mhúscai do mhallacht. Geallaim é ar ainm Erendil."

The lights stopped the spiral, making the wind and leaves that were swaying Rena's hair freeze mid-air. The elf mumbled an order in elven and slowly extended her right arm towards the sky as she took a step towards the same direction, spinning until she faced the north; her slow movements replicated the controlled spiral she had once made the spirits dance around her.

The leaves and light left into a spinning pillar that soon split into three smaller ones. All of them left a gust of wind behind. Then, a booming sound made birds flee from their nests and the earth shook slightly under their feet. Lu and Ciel instinctively held their weapons closer to themselves, waiting for another wave of golems to rise. As for Ain, he was intrigued by the flow of spiritual essence between the force that observed them and Rena. They had forged a bond, but it seemed too weak to be permanent.

Although he supposed that elves were naturally apt to bind themselves in that way to nature and the El itself, Ainchase could not help but feel that the entity in these ruins had done something it should not have as its contract with Rena was forged. If birds, or any kind of animal, fled from the acts of forest spirit, it was very likely the spirit had gone rogue.

"No need to worry, guys." Rena reassured them with a smile that was betrayed by the way her eyes darted around uneasily. Ainchase squinted around the area to his right, the one where Rena was looking out for the most. There was a huge source of mana circling around the northern side of the ruins. If it had not compromised his mission, Ainchase would have analyzed that area closely with the heightened perception of his spiritual form.

"You do not sound reassuring, Rena. I'm no fool, and neither is Ciel, nor that priest. Anyone with an ounce of magical aptitude can feel that menacing presence up north." The demoness said as she pointed towards the northern buildings Ain had been staring at.

Ainchase took a deep breath and looked back at Rena. "As I've told you, a change in the El around here woke me up earlier. I supposed it was The Plague, but now I am fairly certain that this place is the heart of it. Should we prepare for another attack?"

"We're not currently in danger, I just want to make sure Elsword and Aisha can get here so we can be sure they're safe and sound as well."

Rena's voice was tense, but the elf was not willing to say anything more about the spirit that haunted the citadel. The priest nodded and tried to get to the same point through a different angle.

"Miss Elf, is it because of the nature of this citadel that you fear Elsword nor Aisha might not be able to find it?"

Rena nodded. "The spirits lead us right into this forgotten maze, but we have no guarantee they'd let Aisha and Elsword find their way here."

Lu huffed. "Simple, but smart; they trap the best fighters in a hidden part of the forest to deal with the weakest first. But as an elf, Rena, you must know a way around this. All that ritual was not for show, was it?"

"I don't know where to find the key to get us out, but I forged a new entrance for those two to find. If Aisha remembers exactly the direction I took this morning, they should find it."

"I don't want to sound like the party-pooper here, but if they find us, we'd be all trapped here with no way out. Maybe not for long, but we have no food in our belongings. Isn't there a way to simply get out through brute force, Rena?" Ciel wondered as he took some of his torn sleeves to cover a cut over his right forearm. Tying the knot stung and the crimson dampness that began to spread over it made the depth of his injury clear as day.

"This is a sacred place, Ciel. It's being protected as such, gobshite."

It was unusual for Rena to sound tense, but this was the very first time anyone could distinctly hear anger in her voice; it was not the maternal, scolding anger she sometimes displayed towards Elsword and Aisha. It was the sudden heat of a blaze, the bright and sharpened edge of a sword.

The priest only regretted that the goddess had not deemed any deep knowledge of forest elves as important to modern history as the fall of dark elves nor the rise of other monster tribes all around Elrios. Beyond their appearance and the consequences of The Banishment, Ainchase did not know much more. It was useless to know where the Dark Elves lived or their empire if he could not find a way around Rena's idiocy to keep a promise with a rogue spirit.

If lowly Phorus dared to trick a celestial, Ainchase was certain that the powerful spirit around this place would never listen to the orders of an agent of Ishmael.

One thing was fighting in his human form, where he risked little; but in order to force a spirit into submission, he would have to risk a lot of his own energy and reveal his identity to the mortals around him. That was a deadly sin against his goddess. Yet, if he decided to do nothing, he would delay his mission even further. However, those options could not be seriously considered yet.

After all, the goddess's servant would not allow the elf to place her insignificant mortal values higher than the direct will of the goddess that created everything. By ignoring Ishmael's will, this world would turn to chaos and none of the mortals' beliefs would hold any value.

"Miss Elf, the other elf is right about our resources and I believe the Phorus are known to sometimes dip their claws in a poisonous mix of herbs. At least in the local legends. I understand that we must all respect the sanctity of any place, but it won't be good to-"

"I have a name, Ain. Just like you."

The priest frowned at her. "You do, Miss Rena. I am sorry my politeness has put you more on the edge. But, as a priest myself, I am worried first and foremost about the safety of the living around me before the wellbeing of the spiritual world."

Lu nodded, "This time our thoughts coincide, Mr. Priest. Rena, I can understand this place is really important for you, but Ciel and Ain are injured. Plus, I am not sure how the two brats would fare for more than a day without food or water."

The priest glanced at the demon and nodded before looking again at Rena. "That is also a fair point. I do not think it would be wise for both of them to live through hunger if they're injured as well; which is very likely, as I'm sure you know."

He looked at the damp cloth wrapped around Ciel's forearm, it had visibly not stopped bleeding for the past ten minutes and Rena immediately turned her attention towards him. Unwrapping the wound let out the faint and penetrating smell of Snakehead, a toxic mushroom that, while it was not lethal, could make anyone bedridden for days.

"How are you feeling, Ciel?" Rena asked as she began to use the Nature Force around her to extract the toxins out of the wound.

The man shrugged. "I've lived through worse. Poison is not that much of a problem for me."

"I see, but I really do not want to risk anything in this kind of place if I can help it. Ain and Lu are right, in a way. Finding resources around here will be tough."

The half-demon watched in awe as Rena's green magic began to close his wound faster than any other healer mage had been able to close his injuries in the past. After a couple of minutes, it was only a minor scratch on his arm. Rena let out a long sigh and although she forced herself to smile at her successful healing, the anxious glimmer in her eyes was not yet gone.

"I still have six health potions with me. It's not as tasty as food, but it will do until I find it."

"Find what? The key you mentioned before? Then could you be so kind to explain to us what that key is like?" Lu blurted out, her arms crossed around her chest, squinting at the elf, but Rena did not reply, merely contenting herself to briefly scowl at her.

The demon sighed, accepting that her harsh questioning would not get her any answers. "Rena, could you at least tell us why you're so anxious around this place?"

Ain closed his eyes and took a deep breath, while he could still very much feel that a spirit was watching them, he could not yet pinpoint where exactly it was. Its rogue aura seemed to pollute the whole ruins up north, knocking on an invisible boundary, trying to get closer to them.

"You wouldn't under-"

"Rena! Ciel! Ain!" Aisha's voice chimed in the distance. Rena's worry was soon replaced by a warm smile as she called back the mage, asking about Elsword.

'At least the beast kept that promise…' Ain thought. 'Goddess Ishmael, may this forest be guided again into your light. I will soon bring the El to the forest, even if I must do it alone.'

Ainchase did not expect a reply, but he felt that his short prayer had reached a destination. That made him retrieve a tranquil smile, although it was short-lived. The threat that was watching them felt more hostile, as if he was prey barely out of its grasp.

It had heard his prayers and took it as a reason to make him feel more of its power. That changed a lot of things he had to consider if he ever decided to tackle the beast on his own through brute force. There was little doubt on his mind that the beast was an ancient spirit.

No matter how much the elf tried to reassure them, the priest was gathering more and more reasons to subdue the rogue spirit or perhaps even force it to be reborn. The second option held much more risk now that he knew it was almost as powerful as a celestial in its own territory.

Ainchase scoffed at his own thoughts. He pretended to be a priest, but he was created with the instincts of a warrior. He had fought in the name of Ishmael before he was put inside that cage, after all. But the fight took too long that time, he could not reach the El in time before the catastrophe.

If the beast won...no, the beast would not win. He was not weak as mortals were, he would not die as long as Ishmael existed, as long as she had a mission for him. The rustle of the bushes to his right caught his attention and was distracting enough for him to toss what little doubt he had out of his mind.

The kids stepped out of the dense forest around them and Ain smiled at them, although he immediately noticed the fear in Aisha's eyes and the confusion in Elsword's gaze.

"What is this place?" the young knight muttered.

"I am not sure either, but the golems defending it are feisty fellows." Ain replied, pointing at his bandaged arm. He had some minor scratches over his robes that revealed traces of dried blood. Ciel, Lu and Rena had also sustained cuts and bruises, but thankfully no broken limbs, unlike Ain.

"Rena, what happened this morning?" Aisha asked, even more puzzled than Elsword.

The elf sighed. "It's a long story…"

"On the contrary, Miss Elf, it's a rather simple one." Ain immediately retorted.

"Ain! Did you get lost last night? We didn't see you around!" The young knight exclaimed, as if he had only noticed him now. That was not exactly a good sign, but Ainchase could not feel any change in the level of his energy. He could keep his human form perfectly, along with its weaknesses and his injured arm was the only proof he needed of this.

The priest chuckled. "It's nothing like that, Elsword. I was with you last night, remember?"

Aisha squinted at him, but finally even she fell to the same mental manipulation he conjured to empower his voice through divine magic.

"Oh, right. I remember. You were tired and slept before anyone else." The knight repeated. "Is your arm ok?"

Ainchase nodded. "Rena has taken care of it, so don't worry about it. We might not have any food left, sadly. Nor any water for that matter. Unless we find a way out of here, but that depends on Miss Elf's goodwill."

The mage frowned at the elf. "What's that supposed to mean, Rena?"

"Is it because of The Plague?" Elsword frowned. Ainchase could tell he was struggling to keep his balance and before he could accidentally drag Aisha to the ground with him, the mage used her magic to gently lay him down.

Rena clenched her hands into fists as both Ain and Lu glanced at her, reminding her of the consequences of her decision.

"Aisha," the elf calmly began. "what happened to Elsword?"

The mage sighed. "He unleashed an amount of magic he should not have. I'm impressed he hasn't passed out. But this place is giving me the creeps, that's for sure. Feels worse than the curse of Tutmet's tomb."

"A curse, huh?"

"Yes, dummy, these ruins are cursed with powerful magic and you were dumb enough to become deadweight to us. More than usual, that is."

Ainchase expected the knight to argue with the mage, but he simply closed his eyes. "I know that, shorty. I can't be like big sis…"

He turned around and remained silent, but Aisha did not take his reply with the smug smile she would usually adorn on her victories over her arguments with him. She muttered something in her native language and joined the rest of the group with a renewed drive in her gaze.

"Rena, I'm not asking this again. Why is this place reeking of malicious magic?"

"It's a sacred place, Aisha. It is not cursed, nor does it have any malicious intent. It's being protected."

Lu frowned and began to envelop herself in demonic magic, getting taller by the second as the aura of her power increased. Her cute blue dress covered itself in smoke that transformed into a simple yet elegant blue robe that covered even her feet. Its smokey ends gave the illusion that she could float above the ground.

A small crown of black-steel crosses appeared over her head as flames engulfed the tip of her horns. Elsword glanced at her unexpected transformation and widened his eyes as he saw a pair of horns and a tail become more and more visible on Lu.

"I've had enough of your secrecy, Rena." The demoness hissed. "If you can't break the thing that is cursing this place, I'll take that matter in my own hands. I won't let you endanger Ciel's life. Nor Elsword's life, for that matter."

Ciel groaned in pain and Lu glanced worriedly at him before returning to her childish appearance. She rushed to his side and retrieved a purple potion from her belongings, giving it to her servant. Ciel calmed after a few sips, although his face was still pale.

Aisha and Elsword stared at Lu, with their eyes widened like ED coins.

"Dear El…she's one of those." Aisha muttered.

"Lu…what are you?" the knight mouthed.

Ainchase scoffed. "My, and here I thought I would call you little elf for a little longer. You finally show your true colors, demon."

Aisha tilted her head. "How did you know beforehand, Ain?"

"I would be a failure of a priest if I could not tell apart a demon and an elf at first sight, Miss Wizard."

While Lu had remained silent looking after Ciel, she finally spoke again, facing the group she had travelled with until this day. "Yes, I am a demon. I will be the demon that gets us out of here." She glanced at Ain. "Despite what this priest will tell you, I wish you no harm. I'll be on my way to undo the trap we got ourselves into with or without your help."

She began walking to the source of the curse, but just as she was getting into the heart of the ruins, Rena clicked her tongue and rushed towards her. "Lu! Don't go that way!"

Aisha looked at Ciel. "If she's a demon, Ciel...are you possessed or something?"

The gunman finished his potion and took a deep breath. "She saved my life."

The mage squinted at Ciel and crossed her arms, sitting down in front of him. "That's ridicu–"

The half-demon cut her words short and told her that Lu had more than enough reasons to be kind and do everything she could to help them. Ainchase could not help but sigh at the blindness of the half-demon, although he knew that servants like him would never betray their masters.

"She saved your life, yet her powers put you through pain. Is there really such a thing as a kind and compassionate demon? I wonder."

The gunman furrowed his eyebrows but did not say anything. Instead, he got up and followed after Lu and Rena. Once he was gone, Elsword sat down and looked at Ain.

"You trust Lu, don't you, Ain?"

"Elsword, demons bite the hand that feeds them. Trusting them is never a good move."

Aisha nodded but instead of accepting his words like he often used to, Elsword shook his head and frowned at him. "Ain, Lu has done nothing against us! You can't judge her based on what other demons are like."

"Elsword, would you say that of a serpent? Just because you capture one, it doesn't mean it won't try to choke you in your sleep." Aisha chimed in.

"Aisha, animals are not like people! If I judged elves based on the myths I've heard as a kid, I would never trust Rena. But she is a nice person, just like Lu. Sure, both are scary when they're angry, but–!"

The priest frowned at the young knight. "Elsword, demons were the ones that tried to get to the El before the traitorous captain. That is not a myth. Lowe told you so, didn't he?"

Elsword frowned at both of them and took his sword as a cane to get up. Even if Aisha warned him to stay down, the boy did not listen to her. "I'll trust Lu until I have a reason not to."

He was about to lose his footing over a tree's root and Aisha quickly caught him. "Let me go! I'm fine."

Ainchase was confused at Elsword's stubbornness towards a common enemy for humans and Ishmael alike. He just discovered that the demoness had lied to him and the rest of the group from the beginning and yet he still chose to trust the enemy. Mortals like him were reckless, perhaps even too dumb for their own good. Yet, Elsword had inherited an affinity with the El, a gift from Ishmael.

He could not understand why the goddess entrusted a mortal with such a talent, but it would be unwise to let someone that was graced by Ishmael be harmed in any way.

"Elsword," he began. "You're right, it's unfair to consider that this demon is as heartless as the others. But all three of us are injured and frankly tired. It would not be wise to follow the others right now, would it?"

While Aisha rolled her eyes at the obvious lie, Elsword's closeness to the El often played in Ainchase's favour. The knight stopped struggling against Aisha's control and nodded, dragging himself back to the place he was laying on before. She sat over a fallen pillar of grey stone, taking her shield and staff with her.

The mage let out a long sigh. "I guess I'll have to guard the wounded until the others come back."