Ainchase froze at the macabre scene that laid ahead. Priests, priestesses and civilians were impaled by arrows. Skeletons piled up at the exit of an alley as if they were fleeing, even in death. Rats and black-haired scavengers snatched away the jewelry, clothing and flesh of the dead. He barely heard Lu's shocked gasp and muttered prayers. His left eye itched and burnt, his blood boiled as he watched the scavengers leave the scene as casually as farmers left their fields. The golden cross of Ishmael was nowhere to be seen, and the remains of the chapel was stripped down by masons. His heart beat faster, he clenched his fists so tightly his nails bit through his skin, and blood dripped from his palms. Ainchase wished to destroy Elder at that instant.
The demoness stared fearfully at the skeletons of the guards. For an instant, she thought she heard her child -Belegor- calling her one last time. Her guts churned at the thought, her heart sinking painfully in her chest. Why was the magic she feared so strong here? Dread she thought to be long gone bloomed over her every inch. She had never felt this much pain since she had fled to Elrios.
Ainchase's eye turned completely black under the embrace of an unholy goddess. His human shell shattered, and he took a slow, predatory step forward. His hair began to float, carried by a nonexistent breeze. He opened his bloodied fists so the kiss of darkness healed his wounds in an instant. The servant of the goddess did not realize he was summoning chaos. He simply accepted the visions of the past, embracing the dangerous mistress of time who whispered in his dreams.
Priests and believers protested against the guards who stood in their way. He focused on the guards, turning the crowd into ghosts. There, he saw it as clear as day: one of the guards had the Shadow of Henir crawling over his face. Ainchase saw the hand of the goddess point at the guard. Her energy flowed in his veins, and he understood what she wished him to do. He only had to purify that Shadow, and the outcome would change. His goddess was giving him a chance to make things right again.
Luciela felt a cold sweat run down her spine at the sudden, silent tempest of venom that Ainchase created around him. He stopped next to a dead priest, holding a dagger made of his power. The demoness took a step back, fearing he would plunge his weapon in her heart. She glanced at it, her eyes widening as she noticed the wrath that permeated his blade. She knew what Celestial magic looked like, and for a second, it seemed to her that the glow of the dagger was duller. Closer to black than to white. The priest threw the dagger. It whistled through alley like lightning in a storm. The projectile was only stopped by the last stone pillar of the chapel, digging a deeper hole over the bloodstained ruins. A group of nearby crows and rats scattered, rightfully fearing for their lives.
"Victory," the priest mumbled in that slightly deeper voice that seemed to be someone else's.
The energy around him dissipated, giving her some respite to recollect her thoughts. She had called him a crippled celestial, but the power he had just summoned suggested the contrary.
"Good job, priest, you took out the vermin," she said, trying to sound confident even if she was not, "Now, let's head back."
Ainchase did not move, for he was still absorbed in his vision of the past. The Shadow had mockingly evaded his attack and spread its blood all around the guards. He could not possibly target every shadow quick enough, and soon, it possessed every other guard. The hand of the goddess vanished, leaving him to witness the tragedy to come. The guards yelled at the crowd, demanding the name of the one who had injured them. The innocents took a step back, and a brave priestess stepped forward to give the proper prayers for the damned. Yet, Ainchase knew that her words were useless. The Shadow could only create and thrive in chaos.
"Hey, priest," Lu said, raising her shaky voice. It did not take a genius to notice that Ainchase's silence was unsettlingly bizarre. Perhaps the Celestial was suffering the same kind of shock as she was. If they stayed here, paralyzed by fear, the others would be forced to leave them behind. Lowe and Hagus had warned them that Hoffman's guild closed its gates five hours after mid-day. Seeing the way the sun cast long shadows, Luciela realized their time was running out. The demon countess gathered her courage and took a few timid steps forward. Doing nothing or approaching the Celestial could kill her. She would be more at peace if she died after slapping some sense into that reckless priest. And yet, the mere thought of getting too close to him was disgusting. A proud demon should fight Celestials from a distance.
Ishmael's servant watched the priestess fall, powerless. The Shadow was bound to the guards' hearts, rapidly spreading its roots all over. It was too late to purify it without killing the guards. Ishmael would never allow him to kill any humans for her sake. The innocents pleaded for mercy, and the guards simply loaded their crossbows. His ears began to ring and the vision slowly drifted away. His fear and his anguish of every life taken kept him frozen in place. The pain in his eye died out, his appearance returned to normal, but his rage was now a dagger pointing at his neck.
The goddess gave him a chance, and he failed her. Again.
Luciela's fear of being blinded by the toxic mix of spiritual and celestial energy around her overcame her pride. She took hesitant, fearful steps forward. Now and then, she was forced to stop because her sight turned completely dark. Her head felt so light she feared she would fall unconscious at any moment. She had to make that Celestial snap out of it.
Luciela was only two steps away, and she encouraged herself to remain focused now that Ciel was not there to do so. However, the sound of a bone cracking under her last step reminded her of the unspeakable. Her vision went completely dark for a long moment. Her last memories were still foggy, but she had no doubt Barkat had broken her child's bones like that. She needed Ciel.
Her servant would always think of a good memory at moments like this. On her own, only the bad ones overwhelmed her. Unconsciously, she grabbed timidly at Ain's sleeve. Surprisingly, she felt her hand enveloped in his. It was warm and reassuring, even more than Ciel's. She looked up, slowly recovering her most cherished sense. The demoness hoped to see her servant, but there was no such luck. The priest's gaze was as pained as hers. His long mutism said a lot about his uncovered fears; his frailty laid as bare as hers. However, the warmth of his touch was nostalgically reassuring. At that moment, Luciela thought -as irrational and unnatural as it was- that the discrepancy between the story in his eyes and his gestures was familiar. And that thought led to a question: who was the person that her enemy reminded her of? Perhaps the answer laid in an embellished past that had never been.
Ainchase was still suffering from the aftermath of his vision. He did not recall if the demoness had followed him or not. He questioned the realness of the moment. Was he still trapped between a dream and a glimpse of the past, or was he completely focused on the present? The answer came in the shape of a child's hand. It timidly pulled his sleeve, awakening a long lost memory. Or perhaps just a lucid dream. Ainchase thought he had to stay by that child's side, as ridiculous as it was for a Celestial to get sentimental. He softly took her hand in his, oblivious to her recognizable blue dress and white hair.
Slowly, the two turned away from that hellish place, looking down at their feet, their hands clasped together. The two natural enemies held onto strange, fleeting thoughts that comforted them. Terror was their momentary cease-fire, but they both knew there was more to it; there had to be an unknown puzzle piece that had shut down their urge to kill one another. Other citizens ignored their slow pace, uninterested in knowing where two empty-handed foreigners were going. Lu and Ain ended up climbing the stairs to the sole park of the town. It was a plateau that divided the populace from the leaders. An imposing ivory statue of Wally rose at least two stories high. On the other side, there was a dried-up, broken fountain. In its basin laid a smaller statue of a woman holding her lover in her it stood, the statue was a celebration of two fabled lovers. Now, with snow slowly drowning the two in their grave, no one would remember they had been the symbol of a past golden age. At least, not until spring came around.
The square was completely empty, save for them. Two beings nurtured to hate each other stood at the boundary of Elder's former glory.
Lu's sight returned, unveiling a sky of rusty steel where snow fell softly over her clothes. The demoness saw a statue to her right and a broken-down fountain to her left. Even if the filthy horizon of rundown houses below her was completely foreign to her eyes, the peaceful quiet and the reassuring warmth of the priest's hand were not. If only she knew who she was remembering.
A sharp, wintry gust blew away what little warmth that kept the last remnants of a spring dream in her mind. She closed her eyes, feeling that they both let go of each other's hands simultaneously. What had taken over her? She should have felt disgusted by this situation, she should have shown him her outrage every step of the way here, but every emotion had grown numb. Without looking at him, Luciela broke the surreal lethargy between them.
"This is quite strange," she paused, rubbing her hands together to fight the cold, "Instinctively, I've always been wary of you. It is how things should always be."
Ainchase nodded, looking for a sign in the sky, the snow or even the wind, anywhere where the goddess could give him one. He needed an explanation for the unnatural closeness he had shared with a demon, of all beings. Under normal circumstances, he would lash out at her. But he had burnt away all his hostility in the chapel's ruins. There was nothing to feel anymore. Not even towards his natural enemy.
"Yes. You would dream of destroying me, but you would gain nothing by trusting me enough to grab my hand. And for this long."
Luciela raised an eyebrow, glancing at the blank expression the priest still harboured. No, she corrected herself, he looked guilty, terribly so.
"I don't think I need to remind you who grabbed whose hand in the first place. You are not acting like yourself, Celestial."
Seeing that the priest refused to answer her, she scoffed, looking back at the city, "But, to be fair, neither am I. Shall we go find the others?"
Ainchase turned around to look at her, seeing in her smirk the shadow of regret. He thought she might have felt that way for acting as irrationally as she had, "Demoness, why did you hold onto my sleeve back then?"
Luciela pressed her lips, sighing dejectedly before turning around to face the priest, "At first, I was going to slap some sense into you. The energy you gathered was poisoning me, and the best I could do was grab your sleeve."
"Then, why did you let me grab your hand?"
Luciela frowned, exasperated, "We could take the easy way out, and pretend nothing ever happened. But you do not know how to let things go, do you? Fine, let's scrutinize it to your heart's content!"
She dropped her arms, mentally cursing her current appearance. It forced her to look up at the Celestial. Lu pointed accusingly at the priest, "First of all, I should be the one asking you a couple of questions. What took over you, Ishmaelian scum? What was the point of throwing weapons at nothing instead of me? What was the point of taking my hand and taking us here?"
Ishmael's servant pictured himself silencing the demoness with a slap across her face. But he was a Celestial; he did not have to lower himself to the irrationality of mortals. He huffed, crossing his arms as his eyebrows furrowed at her, "What could a spawn born from Elria's mistake understand about Celestial matters? There are things you mortals don't need to comprehend, just like there are mortal matters we don't need to comprehend." He let his words sink, watching for any reaction from her, but there was no change. "You and I are not supposed to try to understand each other. But what happened is taboo for both of us, so I need to understand why you would tolerate it for so long. You said my energy was poisoning you. Any other demon would have left, not get closer. What is wrong with you?"
Luciela's blue gaze widened, painfully aware of the truth behind his words. But the calm she had felt before was scorched away by her natural anger. She would not let such an insult go unpunished. Lu chuckled mockingly at the priest's questions, "Oh, is the Celestial worried for a demon's well-being? Is that why he asks me why I did not run away? And to think he is the one asking me what is wrong with me! Unbelievable!"
Ainchase gritted his teeth but did not let his wrath cloud his mind any longer. Instead, he countered her mockery, turning it against her, "It certainly is, demoness. You and your servant would certainly profit if I was no longer a threat to you. But turning me into your replacement servant is a very desperate move, don't you think so?"
"Oh, you're grating my ears with that, Celestial!" Luciela hissed. "I already told you that I did not use my power against you! How could I possibly know how to turn you into my servant or corrupt your power? If any demon noble could do that, our kingdom would be ruling Elrios."
"I know that much, and I can't accept it!" he muttered scornfully, turning away from her. Luciela took a step back, feeling another wave of poisonous energy building up around him. Why was he using his power so recklessly, channelling it to intimidate her? Had he been a demon or even a human mage, it would not have been as shocking, but Celestials were cold and calculating. She swallowed, the blazing anger was still there, but she understood that continuing her mockery would get her killed. However, she could not have known that Ainchase was not aware of the energy he was unleashing. At least, not until she spoke again.
Lu cleared her throat, "Why is that?"
The demoness watched her enemy look at the sky, his hood falling over his back, freeing his gray mane to the whims of the wind. She could not see his face, but the way he stood there, letting snow make his hair almost look silver, froze her fears. The menacing wave of power died out even faster than it had come. It seemed as if, for all his might, Ainchase was no different from a human.
"You just don't even know what this-" he angrily began, trembling for a second at the cold, or perhaps against the double-edged rage he was showing. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head as if he were dismissing a thought. His shoulders slumped with a sigh and his voice returned, almost as calm as it had always been, "Nevermind. Demoness, you don't have to know anything about me. I already said it."
He paused, turning once more to face her, "That said, I believe we should get going now. I don't want to know what a city this filthy and unlawful looks like after dark."
The merchant guild Richard Hoffman owned was one of the few semblances of normalcy left in Elder's downtown. The recognizable blue flags that hung over the façade were not torn to shreds like other decorations around the town. In the main room, servers and musicians entertained the few travellers who still tolerated Elder's chaotic rule. However, their tired and sometimes sick faces were enough to know that they would be passing a very short stay in town. Normally, every single merchant would ignore the others around them and talk business. This time, however, many had set their eyes on the El Search Party, wondering and whispering rumours about their arrival.
No one in the group of adventurers wanted to be the centre of attention. Especially Aisha and Rena. While the mage thought that no good came from foreign men staring at her for long, the elven ranger simply worried what people from the city would think of elves. After all, they destroyed entire forests to build their fortresses, chasing spirits and animals away from their lands. Elsword, on the other hand, worried about what he had overheard the night before, but he knew that the eyes of those around them would judge their every weakness. Until they were behind closed doors with Hoffman, the young knight did not dare to bring up his worries.
Ciel calmly sipped the water they had given them. He would have preferred a meal, but the prices for tea were ridiculously high, even with ED, the common coin of Lurensia. He did not care much for the matters of the state beyond the execution of criminals, but Lu had taught him enough for him to understand the exorbitant costs in ED were odd. If anything, they should be at an all-time low, given Elder's precarious situation.
A blonde woman dressed in the Cobo uniform approached them, adjusting her ponytail. Her smile was as perfectly artificial as her trade required it. Her beige and black uniform was highlighted by embroidered pink cloud patterns over the shoulders of her two-button jacket. The collar of her black shirt was tied with a ribbon where a polished sapphire amulet decorated her neck, the way a choker would have. Pink bows were tied to the beret over her head. She stunk of dried mint leaves and lavender, but that was already a breath of fresh air compared to how the rest of the town smelt like. Ciel was not sure how a woman working for Cobo could have gotten such a precious piece of jewelry and, on top of that, was not afraid to show it. He thought he caught a glimpse of a silver necklace underneath her collar, but her ponytail soon hid any traces of the chain. Something about her did not fit.
"Good evening, Adventurers," the woman began, "My name is Ariel and I work for Cobo services. May I see your identification? Documents issued from known towns only."
Rena raised an eyebrow at her, "Uhm, excuse me, do you work for Hoffman or his guild? We are really in a hurry to see him."
Ariel nodded, "I understand that perfectly, Miss…?"
"Rena."
"Oh, what a wonderful name. Well, Rena, we work with Mr. Hoffman's guild. Since you are newcomers, I must register you and verify your identity before you talk with him," the Cobo employee took out a portable quill and a notepad, noting down the elf's name, "I hope you understand it's just part of my job."
The elven woman slowly nodded, wondering how Ariel dealt with less cooperative individuals. Well, perhaps she did not deal with them. All things considered, there were still guards in Elder to deal with those kinds of people.
She began to search her bag for her adventurer certification issued by the El Search Party like the others. Ciel, however, had no intention of registering himself as an adventurer with Cobo. He simply took out the tags the Church of the El gave him and set them on the table. Ariel took note of each name and ranking, never ceasing her polite smile. When she finished writing a name, she nodded and let each one take back their identification. Only Ciel's tags remained on the table when Ariel's indigo eyes set on them. Her smile wavered for an instant. Ciel's simply glanced at her casually before taking another sip of water.
"Oh, this is unusual," she said, resuming her act of a Cobo employee, "what is the honourable Twenty-first Steel Cross doing with a group of Rubenian adventurers?"
Aisha blinked a couple of times at it, but she refrained from saying a thing in front of Ariel. She had thought Ciel had simply pretended to be part of the elite forces of Mage Executioners, but now those tags confirmed it. They were marked with his name and the enchantment that flowed from them left no doubt in her mind they were legitimate.
"I'm just travelling with them for a while. Considering the weight of their mission, I figured I could help them."
Ariel nodded, "My, you are just as noble as the rest. I had heard rumours you retired, but I'm glad to know for sure that you're still on duty."
Ciel hid his annoyance with a mouthful of water, wondering if what he was about to do was worth it, in the end. He could feel Lu was still alive, but the long time she and Ain were taking to come back was worrying him. Rena and Elsword glanced at him, both wondering what he was planning. The elven ranger wondered if his status took precedence over the permit Lowe gave him. Elsword, on the other hand, knew he was not required to identify himself with the church in the towns where it was present.
"Oh, after my last job, I decided to take a break," Ciel said with a chuckle, "You know, travelling a bit just to visit some family. Until I heard what happened around here. And I took my guns back. Do you mind if I register two people under my jurisdiction?"
Ariel nodded, "Not at all, sir. Which of these adventurers do you wish to put under your custody?"
"Oh, the people I want to register aren't here right now, but they shouldn't be long."
"May I ask why they aren't with you right now?"
The half-demon took his tags back, hanging them around his neck before hiding them underneath his shirt. With a grimace and a tired sigh, he explained a half-lie to the woman, "Ah, it's just my little cousin and a brother of mine. Well, not a brother by blood, just a pilgrim I've known for a really long time."
"Oh, my. How did your cousin get involved in your trip to Elder?"
Aisha turned away, wondering how Ciel would lie his way out of a trained official. Naturally, she understood his position and why he would try his best to protect Lu, but why Ain? As far as she was concerned, the priest had only briefly treated him better before taking a huge turn for the worse. Everyone felt that slight betterment before Ain had become even more hostile than what he had been before. If she had been in Ciel's shoes, she would not take such a risk to try and cover Ain's butt. Unless what Lu had said about him was completely true.
"She lives in Ruben and no thanks to a little rascal here," Ciel replied, looking at Elsword, "she developed a taste for the adventurer life, isn't that right, Elsword? All those dolls I bought for nothing."
The red-haired boy finally realized why Ciel had lied. Of course, Lu's presence would be suspicious in any big town. But what about Ain? Why was he lying about him? He furrowed his eyebrows for a second too many before forcing an apologetic smile, "Oh, yeah, Ciel. But at least the orphanage could profit from them. Lu has gotten good with her punches, though."
Aisha scoffed, joining in the farce only because she realized how much trouble they would be in if they did not cover up Lu's identity, "Dummy, you've made her cry so much it's no wonder she would follow us to prove that she can beat you in the next spar. Just be a good big bro and stop her from getting into more fights. She's still a little girl, you know?"
Steel Cross or not, the mage thought, if the Church of the El found out there was a demon as powerful as Lu travelling around Elder, they would never stand for it. The Church never left any witnesses.
Rena was not at all familiar with the world of humans, but by now she had understood that it was preferable to go along with Ciel's lies. She would ask him later for his reasoning, but, unlike the two other kids, she understood why Ciel had to also create a cover for Ain. She watched Ariel take note with a polite nod at their story, "I see, I see. So, your cousin's name is Lu. May I have a full name?"
"Luciela Jonquière," Ciel answered without hesitation, "My friend's name is Ainchase Ishmael. Once they come back, you can ask them for their identification."
"Luciela Jonquière and Ainchase Ishmael," the blonde echoed as she finally lifted her portable quill from her notebook, "Alright, then. It won't be long before you see Mr. Hoffman."
As Ariel walked away from them, she made a gesture to the maids and they too went away. It was then that Ciel could see the insignia stamped over the medallion that held the ribbon together on her beret. He knew all too well who wore the silver four-pointed cross circled by a cornucopia of gold and a ceremonial sabre. That symbol was identical to the one he wore on his armband. Soon enough, the other patrons left, possibly because of the El Search Party's arrival. The doors of the establishment closed with a dry, long creaking sound and the knock of a heavy lock from the outside.
Ciel clicked his tongue, combing back his blue hair with his hands, "The El be damned, who knew Cobo had people like me within their ranks?"
Aisha glanced nervously at the door while Elsword tapped his fingers on the table, looking for any other doors or way out. Getting locked in a merchant guild was not the way he had envisioned his welcome in Elder, but he could not fathom why people would be this wary of them when Hagus was such good friends with Hoffman.
Rena took out her bow and put it on her lap. She was probably in no shape to fire multiple arrows, but she felt safer knowing she had the means to fight if it came down to it. With her eyebrows furrowed, she glanced at Ciel, "Ciel, why did you insist on using your other rank?"
"Because I can't ensure Lu's safety otherwise. Especially not after what Ain came up with last night. Threatening her with his position in the Church...that was beyond anything he has ever told anyone. Do you know what's up with him, Rena?"
The elf looked to the side, holding onto her bow as she crossed her legs. Aisha sighed, resting her chin over her knuckles as she looked down on the wooden table they shared, remembering what the Phoru had asked her in Lua's territory. Lu had called him a Celestial that night, but was he really one? She had trouble believing that the myths of the Elrian Kingdom could be true, "I think that's the question burning in everyone's mind. I was glad to see him warm up to us while we were with Wilma. I thought it would last for longer instead of abruptly ending the second night we stayed in Hagen."
Elsword served himself a cup of water unsteadily, spilling a few drops on the table. He held the jar so tightly his knuckles were white, wondering if, behind their backs, Lu and Ain always talked in that tone. Maybe that was why Lu always refused to try to get too close to Ain. He did not want to bring it up to them, fearing that their group would grow further apart if he did. And yet, he wanted answers.
"I don't understand it either," he sighed before he took a big mouthful of water, trying to drown his worries as he gulped it down. The water was at room temperature, already taking on the aroma of rust, "I thought at the very least he trusted me a little from the start. He's made efforts. But he's far from a team player," The boy shook his head, grabbing his head in his hands, "But I still don't want to believe he really said that. Ain never looked to be the kind of person to threaten anyone."
"I'm also baffled by this, Elsword. But we all heard the same thing about his excitement to get to Elder, didn't we? With how people here would pursue her once he spoke about it, allegedly." Aisha chimed in.
Slowly but gravely, everyone nodded. That night had been by far the coldest to camp out. Nobody could have slept through the night, especially with the coming gusts of freezing air that carried snow right into their faces.
Rena combed her hair behind her ears, briefly tying her hair in a ponytail before letting it fall again, "I know it's very strange. But even if he has grown closer to, well, everyone here…"
She trailed off her sentence, taking her hands off her weapon and rubbed her forehead slowly with her left hand while she rested her right hand over the table, "I think he just isn't used to being with others like this. Getting closer to us is not something he is...I guess it's not something he'd find acceptable."
Elsword raised an eyebrow at her words, "A pilgrim not used to the company of others? How are they supposed to travel without meeting anyone in their way? Or even in their church or the village they live in?"
Rena shook her head, lowering her voice just to be safe. She was more than certain that the guild had ears set on them, for better or worse, "That's not exactly it, Elsword. You see-"
"That Phoru mentioned a Celestial…" Aisha mumbled into her cup.
Both Ciel and Rena heard her loud and clear and the mercenary was the first one to jump on the opportunity to know what Lu refused to tell him, "What Phoru? The one who approached you?"
The mage frowned at the tone Ciel was taking, but she gave him a straight answer, "Yes. And if the Phorus worked for Lua, they surely wouldn't do anything she didn't want them to. If a Celestial is what I think it is, and Ain is one of them, then Lua was probably looking to become even more powerful."
"Could you tell us more?" the half-demon asked, glancing at Rena for answers.
The elven woman took a deep breath in, shaking her head before sweeping with a glance everyone who sat around the table, "Don't you think it's a shame the only moment when you're truly interested about the people you don't get along with is to expose their secrets? First with Lu and Ciel, and now Ain."
Not a single word was said around the table for an eternity where each minute stretched like the flames in the fireplace at the other end of the room they were prisoners in. Elsword was the one to break the silence, "But Rena, I think keeping secrets is what tears us apart. I think that knowing what a Celestial is and why Lu hates it so much is a step to get Ain to get along with everyone once again."
"Elsword, you know that he was trying to make that step before we even discussed this. I know it's hard to trust people you don't know much about, people that make you doubt how much you can trust them, but you're not going to get anything by forcing them into a corner."
The young knight lowered his head, "Then, what do we do about this? Do we pretend nothing is wrong? I don't like that either! We're in this together, we shouldn't say that kind of thing to each other. No matter what."
"I agree with you," Aisha added, "I don't know if we can just keep quiet about this."
Ciel nodded gravely, "I understand, but Rena has a point. I know that Lu still isn't too keen about trusting anyone here, really. Partially because of how her nature became the focus of attention. I don't blame you, honestly. I reacted similarly when I first found out."
He stretched his arms, feeling just how sore the chair was making him, "I don't think we should let this go, but there's just so little we can do to make a difference. If we want them to change, they both need to make the first step."
He sighed, putting his hands back on the table. The mercenary then traced the rim of the empty wooden cup in front of him with his index, "Lu hasn't said much about her feud with Ain to me either, but I think this just makes it obvious," the half-demon used mana to suck out the last droplets of water in the cup, making half of them glow weakly in blue, "We inadvertently put two old enemies to work with one another. It's not a fight we can end just by telling them to make up or else they won't have dinner."
The mana-filled droplets touched the ones only kept in suspension by the spell, bouncing off with a small spark, "And we have to also face the possibility they won't change at all. I wish Lu wasn't so stubborn about it, but she's a woman who bears hatred so deep it transpires even in her dreams. As for Ain, he's not only stubborn but extremely prideful. I don't know what to do or say to change them. Nor if I or anyone here should preach to them."
The group fell silent once more, looking down at the truth behind Ciel's words. Rena cleared her throat, gathering everyone's attention with a tranquil smile.
"Whatever the case may be guys, we'll be together to face it. I'm sure we can solve this in due time. As long as we also give them time to make that first step."
Elsword briefly smiled and nodded, "I wish it was simpler, but I guess it's for the best."
At that moment, the door that Ariel had left through opened again, revealing her silhouette. She approached them and stopped five steps in front of their table. With a small bow, she invited them to follow her to speak with Hoffman.
"Can't we wait for Lu and Ain?" Elsword asked.
"I'm afraid Mr. Hoffman has matters to attend to shortly after. He has only fifteen minutes to speak with you, and no more. Please follow me."
Seeing her already turn around and walk away, the group of adventurers gathered their belongings and followed the Cobo employee in single file through the mess hall they were in, then the wooden door at the end of the tavern's counter. A narrow wooden corridor stretched out, leading to a spiral staircase in polished wood that looked to have been made in the last century by the way it creaked under each step.
As they climbed up, old paintings of Velderian legends hung over the wall to their right, some taking in the dramatic, steep shadows of the chandelier hanging straight above them. Once they stood on the second floor's hall, the building seemed to breathe again, showing them a wider corridor where they could stand two by two.
Windows let the light of a cloudy sunset filter through the hall in a rusty grey. Snow slowly whitened the view, piling up over the fake balcony where only an inch-wide sheet of snow could gather and dance in curtains with the wind, held by railways of copper so old the weather had turned them green.
The wooden floor was shining, but each step they took reminded them just how much history the building had. Wooden doors lined at the opposite side of the windows, all closed and possibly even locked. No sound came from them, not even to Rena's or Ciel's ears. At the very end, the hall separated into two aisles where instead of windows, other chandeliers and flower vases brought some life to the cracked green paint covering the walls. Ariel glanced at them, making a gesture to follow her to the right aisle where a single door laid a dozen steps from them. It was unlike the other one, where more closed doors followed one another until a small window showed the mundane life of the Elder's impoverished populace. Once in front of the door, Ariel knocked softly thrice before slowly opening the door made out of polished oak.
Hoffman's study was a stark contrast to the worn-out decorations outside of it. The floor was kept shiny and there was not a single piece of furniture that looked to be made for a local merchant. Bookshelves made out of Feitan Grey Oak, an antique grandfather clock with hands made out of gold, a replica of a Hamelian statue in marble, and sofas covered in fine Velderian velvet were only a few of the riches the spacious office held. Ciel already suspected that Hoffman had to be very powerful to have people like Ariel working for or just with him, but seeing this kind of study reminded him of his previous jobs for Head Priestesses and other high-ranking nobles. Elsword and Rena shared his awe of the decor for a couple of seconds, such that Hoffman got up to greet them with a polite smile and a handshake. Aisha was the first one to introduce herself, as if she had always interacted with people of Hoffman's calibre.
Once they all briefly shared a handshake, the head of Elder's Merchant Guild invited them to sit down, and Ariel went out, silently closing the door behind her. Ciel had not noticed weapons on her, and her skirt, while it could have concealed a few weapons, did not look very practical to suddenly jump into action. The sleeves of her coat, however, surely were that loose over her wrists to hide a blade or two. She was probably part of the Lurensian division, which specialized in close executions. And that made her only more threatening to anyone who noticed the symbol on her beret. Even though he had grown far stronger than any human thanks to Lu, he did not wish to come to fight against other Steel Crosses.
"Is something about my colleague Ariel troubling you, Mr. Ciel?"
Hoffman's words startled the mercenary out of his endless stream of possible plans to deal with a possible enemy. Whatever the case was, Ciel concluded, as long as Hoffman did not come to suspect him too much, Ariel would not strike. He would have to play nice with the man.
"I'm just surprised, honestly," he said with a shrug, "I thought Cobo was only an adventurer guild. You know, people that aren't too fond of the Church."
The dark-haired merchant gave him a small nod, "Oh, it must still be that way in Fluone. But, over here, Sir Felford has changed the policy quite a bit. That said, how is Hagus doing?"
"He's doing good, as far as we know," Elsword began, "I mean, as good as this whole situation allows him to be. Do you have anything on Banthus?"
The merchant sighed, resting his hands over his desk, "Sadly, none of my colleagues have heard much, not that we have much trade going on, with our goods being stolen by ruthless bandits." He lowered his gaze to the table, seemingly troubled by the whole situation.
Hoffman looked at them again, "Do you know if the rest of the troops in Ruben can aid us soon? Velder has only given us cold silence so far."
Rena avoided showing her suspicion beyond a brief frown. Ever since she saw him, something told her his words were as scripted as Ariel's. Knowing that Hoffman dealt with mercenaries like Ciel was already very odd.
"Oh, we are not too sure either," the elf said before Elsword could speak again, "but it would help to know even the tiniest bit of information you or your colleagues might have."
Aisha nodded, "I am with Rena. They say that every rumour holds a bit of truth, so even that can greatly help us and, by extension, you and the people of Elder."
Hoffman gave them a nod, clasping his hands together, "That's a very interesting proposal. But, as you know, it's not because I own the merchant guild here that other merchants trust my words and act accordingly. This isn't the Church, nor the Army."
Elsword furrowed his eyebrows, and Ciel did as well, but for different reasons. The boy asked what Ciel already knew the answer to.
"What does that mean, Hoffman?"
"Ah, it's quite simple," the man continued, getting up from his desk and standing in front of them, only leaning a bit with his hands on the edge of the desk, "A lot of merchants have grown very distrustful of outsiders. It's an exceptional situation, I'm afraid even I cannot convince them to trust you right away. You'll have to gain their trust first before they agree to tell you what they know."
The meeting was as short as Ariel had said it to be, and they were left with a mission to retrieve the stolen goods of a list of six different merchants who knew bits and pieces of Banthus's whereabouts. Ariel guided them to their respective rooms on the opposite aisle, the one they had not yet walked through, but Ciel stopped her.
"Excuse me, but is the entrance still locked?"
"Yes, sir. It is a bit late to keep the guild's doors open. Curfew started an hour ago for the citizens of Elder."
"But you do know we're waiting for two more people, don't you?"
The woman bowed a little, "I'm afraid I'm not authorized to give you the key, but a man of your calibre surely can sneak in and out of the side door at the other end of the main floor. At your own risk."
With an angry frown, Ciel dashed down the stairs. Aisha and Elsword wanted to follow, but Rena put her hands over their shoulders, "We should rest a bit instead. Let me help you unpack a bit, alright?"
Both kids looked at each other, knowing that Rena was surely planning on talking more to them about something. With a nod, they agreed, glancing to see Ariel just around the corner, sweeping the dust off the wooden floor with the precision of a clock.
Ara searched for dinner when the sun was long gone, leaving the streets dark until kids ran to light the candles inside the street lamps with long rods that lit up at the tip with the press of a button. As the street she was walking on brightened , she saw two unfamiliar people walking side by side, not saying a word to one another. They should have looked like two strangers, but the distance they kept was too short to be the case. As she got closer, she could see the girl had long ears and white hair, although Ara could not quite see her face underneath the grey hooded cloak she wore.
The priest next to her was dressed differently from those she had seen before, but there were none else who would dress in whites and have hair that long without being affiliated with the Church in some way or another. He held a small flask of alcohol in his hand, aiding himself with a simple wooden cane on his other hand. The alcohol was perhaps the only thing that was keeping him warm in the chill of the night and perhaps soothing his pain. She could see that crimson stains slowly grew over the coat he wore. She should help him, but her experience in Velder with some of the Church's people was far from good. The black-haired girl hid in the corner of an alley, peeking to see if the priest wore anywhere the symbol of the Steel Crosses.
Ara, child, that man is not one of them. The girl on the other hand...she stinks like a demon.
The last survivor of the Haan pressed her lips, wondering if she was already too late to save Elder. Then, something outrageous happened.
The hooded girl turned her head at the priest next to her, "I'm freezing too, you know? That priestess gave us that for the cold."
"And? You're a demoness. Fight the cold with flames, or something.", he questioned slurredly.
The girl was speaking with a childish voice, but somehow deeper. Like the voice of a young woman. How could a priest know that the girl he was speaking to was a demon and not try to do anything about it? Should he not have reported it already? The girl dashed forward and put herself in the way of the priest, "Yeah, sure. Here blue flames are hotter than red flames, but blue demonic flames are cold. I don't want to lose fingers before facing Banthus, thank you very much!"
The priest lightly threw the flask and caught it again, "And you think alcohol can fight frostbite?"
"You've been shivering a lot less than I have even if you're steadily bleeding, so yes. From the looks of it, I'm going to pass the night outside, walking in circles, freezing my horns off with you in a town I don't know." She lowered her finger to point at the trail of blood the priest was steadily leaving as he walked, "And I'd rather not do it completely sober, with company who might pass out drunk or due to blood loss."
The priest chuckled mockingly, "There. You've shown your true colours. You just want to get drunk. Pushing your luck, don't you think?"
He tossed the flask to her and she caught it with surprisingly fast reflexes. The kind Ara had had to practice for months to get.
The demoness scoffed, "Hey, compared to what I've already been through with you today," she took a long gulp, almost finishing the contents of the flask, before wiping her lips with her sleeve, "getting a bit tipsy is nothing. I have survived worse wars than this feud. And I plan to keep it that way, Celestial."
Ara stepped back, trying to process what she had heard, confused as to what kind of rank a Celestial Priest held. She had never heard about them before. Eun's chuckle resonated in her head.
Oh, in all my years I would never have pictured this! A Celestial and a Demon drinking together? This is a first!
"Eun, how's that funny?"
Oh, child, it's a war that goes so far in time it outlives me. Back in my days of freedom, you would never catch a demon and a Celestial together. My brother Batara insisted otherwise, but he was an incorrigible liar… Ara, be careful, a rat is climbing on the wall and is sniffing your shoulder.
"Eek!"
Ara leaped out of the way, noticing the rat before it bit her. Unfortunately, that was the end of her silent spying. She tripped over an old wood plank and fell headfirst into the main road, only two steps away from the two people she had been observing. The girl cleared her throat and crouched, speaking with the natural voice of a child, "Lady, are you ok?"
The Haan warrior sprung up, taking swiftly a step back with a nervous chuckle, "I am doing really good, demone- I mean, young girl!"
The Celestial Priest suppressed his laughter poorly, spitting the last gulp of alcohol back into the flask before chuckling behind his gloved fist, his head turned to the side. He was ashamed of showing his amusement and each laugh brought him pain. Still, in the priest's mind, there could not have been anything funnier than his enemy getting unmasked that suddenly.
Now that the white-haired girl was standing in front of her, Ara saw her unnatural ice-blue eyes and her pupils shaped like crosses. While they were different from Tir's, they had the same aura. She was a human-looking demon.
With a wrathful glance at the Celestial Priest to her right, the demon girl stood up, dusting her cloak off. When she spoke again, it was with the same strange voice that was between a child's and an adult's and the effects of the alcohol showed in her voice, "Well, so long for keeping appearances. You're the first person we've seen in a while and we can use your help. Do you mind helping us?"
Oh, how refined manners for a drunk demon. A noble, I suppose.
"Eun, you know her?" Ara muttered as the Celestial Priest's laugh died out.
"Eun?" the demoness questioned.
"Oh, uhm, well…" Ara glanced at the priest, noticing his eyebrows also furrowed at the mention of the name, "I...It's nothing."
The black-haired girl thought about fleeing again, her heart running faster and her cheeks grow redder not because of the cold but out of shame.
Ara, these people won't hurt you.
"How can you be so sure?", the girl thought, "One of them is with the Church!"
And the Church here is no more. Also, he's a special case. It's not a mistake to help them if you wish to, Ara. I'm always here for you in case things turn sour, remember?
The silver-haired priest stepped closer to her, probably worried by her long silence, "Young lady, are you feeling unwell?"
Lu raised an eyebrow, wondering if the alcohol or the blood loss had finally hit Ain. Never had he reached out to a stranger like that before. She figured that if alcohol made him less of a pain to talk to, she should not dwell on it too much. It was simply a temporary change of mood. It was far less hostile than whatever had led them to that park. Come to think of it, she did not know what was worse, the silence before or after it. This first day in Elder was by far one of the most bizarre in all her life.
Hesitantly, Ara shook her head, "No. I'm fine. I...well, you said you needed help. What is it?"
"We need to get to the Merchant Guild," the priest said, "We sadly got lost on our way there."
"Yeah, because you don't have any sense of direction."
The grey-haired priest gave her a cold stare, but Lu simply shrugged, "And neither do I. Or else we would have been there already."
Ara blinked a couple of times, stunned by what she had heard, "You've been here for hours without finding it?"
"Yes. The city is quite big and neither of us could find the way back there," the girl continued, "We were told it was not far from the chapel but we took a small detour and never found our way back."
"A small what got you lost?"
The priest sighed, offering a tense but polite smile, "We took a wrong turn, young girl. That's all. Would you mind taking us there?"
Ara shook her head, increasingly confused as to how these two people could have passed hours without finding what was arguably one of the most recognizable buildings of Elder. She pitied them. Despite their knowledgeable appearances, even priests and demons could be as clumsy as her. She understood that weakness so well. In the name of the Haan, she would help them.
With a determined nod, she finally gave her answer, "Very well. I, Ara Haan, will help you find your way, my esteemed and fellow clumsy travellers! Follow me!"
While the two followed, they glanced at each other with a complicated expression on their faces. They were not clumsy at all. It was insulting for the Steel Queen and a Celestial to even be called clumsy. However, revealing the real reason why they got lost was something neither of them had the heart to do.
Getting called clumsy was much less embarrassing than telling the truth to a stranger that was taking her job as a guide just with a little too much enthusiasm. Ara asked them about their names, their occupations, and there was hardly a silent moment before she knew their fake backstories in and out. Deep down, Lu and Ain were both thankful the alcohol in their veins was making everything more tolerable. Lu figured that perhaps the girl had not had the chance to talk to anyone like this in quite a long time. And perhaps that made her mind imagine whoever Eun had been. Ainchase, on the other hand, wondered if humans with shattered minds were all this talkative. Still, he appreciated the focus to stop himself from stumbling to his increasing dizziness. Each step was tougher to keep straight, but he was managing to do it far better than the demoness, who was already walking in small zigzags.
Finally, after long minutes of walking, Ara stepped to the side, showing off the building of the guild as if she owned it, "And there it is! Hoffman's Merchant Guild!"
Ain frowned, growing increasingly silent as Lu was now the one to chuckle softly more and more, struggling to keep a straight face.
"Why would humans place a Merchant Guild next to the atelier of a pyro alchemist? One thing goes wrong and boom! Everything is gone!" Ain protested.
Luciela's chuckles grew into full-blown laughter, much to Ainchase's discontent. Ara tilted her head, "Wait, so you've already passed nearby? And...aren't you human too, Ain?"
"Yes, and it just so happens that when I'm tipsy, I say strange stuff. It's nothing strange."
Lu's laughter did not stop and Ain glared at her, "Demoness, stop laughing!"
The girl took a breath and spoke in between chuckles, "Oh, I can't stop, Celestial. This is hilarious, Ara. Let me tell you why," she was still smiling as she pointed out to the boulevard they had turned around, "We passed near that atelier about five times. I told him the first two that…" she laughed again before taking another deep breath, "Oh, my stomach...So, I was insisting for the first two times we should try this way despite the smell of sulphur, but he was like: 'Demoness, are you insane? No one would put a merchant guild next to something like that!' And it made sense, sort of. But now..."
The girl continued to laugh, oblivious to the daggers Ain was throwing at her.
"Alright, demoness, you've made your point. Stop laughing now."
"Can't make me, Priest," she said, still smiling as she shook her head, "You had your fun laughing at me, this is just Sult's retribution. Accept it!"
"That god has no grasp on this world, demoness," he quietly replied.
"But he does to me. It's my god and I'm living here. Hence, Sult has a grasp here."
"One believer is not enough."
"You came up with that rule, but I'm a demon. I break rules for a living, according to you and your goddess. Or am I wrong on that too?"
Ainchase rolled his eyes, "No, but you're still wrong. You're too drunk to argue, demoness."
"Ah, you're also too drunk to argue, priest. Isn't that right?"
The demoness chuckled, looking back at Ara. The girl offered her a smile back, but she was confused about what they were rambling about. Yet, it seemed to her that, for whatever reason, they were just friendly rivals. Lu was not that different from Tir, a child demon who never hurt anyone.
I doubt that. You're seeing them under the effects of strong alcohol, Ara. There's a reason why spirits used to take alcohol as an offering for unity.
The creak of a side door opening at the end of an alley got her attention. She looked beyond and saw the figure of a man exiting it.
"Someone came out," Ara said, pointing at the man who had two long and strange-looking swords tied to his belt.
The two people she had guided turned around and Lu waved at the shadow, "Ciel! We're here!"
Lu turned back to her and asked her if she had a place to stay. Of course, she did not. It was sadly the case for much more of Elder's population than what Wally would ever admit to. Lu asked the priest if he would mind sharing their shelter with Ara. Ainchase looked at Lu and sighed, "I don't mind her. But will the others agree? They don't know her."
The demoness rolled her eyes, "If you, of all people, do not have a problem, why would anyone else have it? Ara's helped us. Why not return the favor? I doubt anyone else would refuse."
As the man stepped out into the street light, Ara's tears of happiness vanished along with her smile. Her eyes focused on the sigil embroidered over his armband. She knew that symbol all too well. The blue-haired elf looked curiously at them after Lu ran to him, taking him closer to the rest.
"Lu, are you alright?"
"Yeah, yeah, I'm here with the priest and Ara," she said, presenting the fidgeting girl with a swift hand gesture, "She's part of some fighters from far away in Shin. In any case, she helped us get back here and has nowhere else to go. You don't think people would mind if we-"
"Thank you for the offer, Lu," the girl replied, bowing to the demoness, "but I'm afraid I must refuse."
Lu blinked, "Really? Why?"
Ara combed back her hair, "Ah, well, you know, I just...actually have a friend nearby now that I remember! Don't worry about me and have a nice evening!"
Ara dashed away, fearing for Elder's safety. What kind of strange group was Lu involved with? Not only was she accompanied by a Celestial Priest, but she had ties with the Steel Crosses. She was dangerous. Ara promised she should find out about what Lu was doing here besides being an adventurer.
Startled by the way the raven-haired girl had run away, the three members of the El Search party looked briefly at one another for a couple of seconds before deciding to head back in. Ciel could smell alcohol on both of them.
"Where were you?" he asked, "out in a tavern?"
"No," Luciela replied, "Just out, trying to get back. Eventually, a priestess gave us something to keep us from freezing. That's probably what you're smelling."
"It smells quite strong. How was the, uhm, chapel visit?"
A long silence settled in, only filled by the creaking wooden floor and the occasional drop of blood. After what seemed like an eternity, Ain sighed, leaning heavily on the wooden railing. His forehead was covered in sweat as he lifted his head to glare at them, "Why don't you ask your mistress?"
Ciel was surprised to hear Ain's words be just a bit slurred, despite being quieter than the volume he usually spoke. The half-demon glanced at Lu, but she looked outraged by the question. It was better to drop the matter.
With a tired sigh, the half-demon opened the last two doors of the corridor, "Well, never mind that. What's important is that you both made it back. Here are the free rooms."
Ain took the last room, the one closest to the window, and excused himself for the night. He was about to close the door when Ciel noticed the blood on his coat.
"You need treatment, Ain. Stay right there."
The silver-haired priest turned slowly around and sat on the edge of the bed, "I know. Could you wake Miss Rena up?"
Ciel nodded and noticed that Lu was still standing next to him, "Lu, aren't you going to your room?"
The demoness shook her head, "No can do, what if Ara changes her mind? It's not like we haven't shared a room ever before, right Ciel?"
"Alright, Lu."
The two demons knocked on Rena's door and Ciel informed her of the situation before heading to his room. Lu entered first, crawled over the edge of the bed and almost immediately fell asleep. Ciel closed the door behind him and sat on the chair next to the window and looked at the sleeping woman.
The mercenary wondered what he should make of what he had overheard while he took off his coat and loosened the buttons of his shirt, leaving only a cotton sleeveless shirt where his tags were completely visible. Ciel did the best he could to find a place to sneak over the bed next to Lu before blowing the light of the oil lamp out. In perfect darkness, he slowly found sleep.
Two rooms to the right, Ain was still sitting, staring blankly at the night as he felt his fingers, legs and even face melt the cold away. Rena was taking out bandages and other unguents Sylfer allowed her to take. Rena barely spoke to him, simply asking to take off his coat and, if he could, the shirts underneath so she could take a better look at how his injuries were. She was astounded how he was still walking casually for so long without fainting along the way. The bandages were soaked in blood, but it seemed that Ain did not mind the pain.
"Ain," she softly called him, using magic to keep his blood from soaking his bedsheets too. "How much does it hurt?"
"Not much," he slurred, frowning to drown a groan of pain as the elf carefully peeled the dirty bandages off to replace them, "The cold helped to numb it down."
Rena nodded, carefully studying the stitches where some blood was flowing and, most worryingly, the ice had stuck part of the bandages to his skin. If she was not careful, she could peel Ain's skin right off. He might be very drunk and somewhat desensitized to pain, but that was no reason to take any risks.
"Is there something wrong, Miss. Rena?"
"Hm?" the elven woman looked up at him, noticing his eyes seemed to have lost a bit of their glow. Just like the blue highlights of his hair. With a short sigh, she stopped her gestures to treat his wounds and put a hand over his shoulder, "I should return the question, Ain. Is there something wrong?"
"Yes. But," The priest looked to the side, pressing his lips for a second, "Elves...are not exactly mortals, are they?"
Rena raised an eyebrow at him, "Well, we get old, but we don't die in the human sense of the word. It's more complicated than that."
"Ah, I see."
For a second, he was relieved. He opened his mouth as if to confide something to her, but just as he turned around to tell her, he froze. For a moment, she swore she saw a shadow crawl over his left eye, but it vanished in the blink of an eye. Seeing the way he was sweating, she assumed his fever was rising again. She went to search for one of the cold infusions she kept in flasks and gave one to Ain. He took it in his cold hands, nodding to thank her, but did not take a gulp from it. He stayed frozen there for a long moment before looking up to see her eyes.
"Miss Rena, how much should I trust you?"
The elf nodded, getting back to work, "I can't answer that for you, Ain. You can trust me and everyone else as much as you feel comfortable. You need to drink the infusion for your fever, though."
Ain nodded and finished the bitter mixture in two big gulps before laying down to the side, giving Rena a better angle to treat him. As she delicately disinfected Ain's sutured wounds, she was glad to notice that the cold had not burned his skin too badly. It was turning out to be easier than she had expected. A long silence passed before what Ain said startled her.
"This doesn't make any sense," he muttered, clenching his fist, "the goddess should be the one giving me strength, hearing me, answering every time I pray! Not...anyone else."
Unexpectedly, Rena felt him tremble. She glanced at his face, looking for the next sign of a delirious fever, but there was nothing of the sort. Was he trembling with emotion? He always seemed too composed to ever be overwhelmed.
"Ain, do you feel at ease to tell me what's bothering you?"
"Yes...but that's going against her. Maybe all of this group travelling is going against her."
Their gazes met again, but this time, Rena was not sure anymore what she could say. Perhaps what she had told everyone else was not true. Maybe they were all harming him, in one way or another. She had only seen Celestials when she was very young and now, she was going against Branwen's advice on how to treat them, "Ain, would you have preferred to be all alone from the very beginning?"
The Celestial frowned, looking down before shaking his head, regaining his composure alarmingly fast, "On my own, Miss Rena, I could not get anywhere. Maybe that's why the goddess has been silent. I just need to be more patient and redeem myself in her eyes."
Although she did not say another word, Rena worried of that feverish longing she saw lurking in Ainchase's eyes as she finished tending to his wounds. Although she knew that his temperature had gone down before she left him to sleep, Rena felt her drowsiness fade away in the middle of a hundred more worries.
She laid down on her bed after washing her hands thoroughly. Sleep came late, dreamless and dark, like the answer to her questions.
I don't know if I will be able to update next month, considering how the current global situation has made college a tad more stressful than usual. I will try to, but I know that it's more likely I will return in June. Hopefully with a double chapter update. Until then, I hope you have enjoyed these longer chapters. Share your thoughts and I'll see you next time.
~Kalafinn
