Chapter 16: El Paso (III)

"So, where do you think Paula has gotten to?" Alameria asked as she took a seat. "I bet three days' rations that she ended up lost in some forest."

Olivie did not immediately respond to her subordinate's comment, taking the time to savor her cup of tea. She took a small sip, savoring the elegant delicacy of that local tea recipe. Soon she pushed the cup away from her lips, depositing it on the small porcelain plate that lay next to a generous amount of small cookies and sweets with which to accompany the beverage.

"This is not a matter to be joking about, Alameria," Olivie said.

Alameria laughed lightly at her leader's serious response.

"Are you still upset that Paula's disappearance caused an embarrassment at our departure ceremony?" Alameria asked with a certain playful tone.

That caused Olivie's elegant, serene expression to be slightly altered by a subtle, barely noticeable frown. They were an elite unit, usually destined for individual missions that were normally only known to the high clergy, only appearing at public events for political and propaganda purposes. Elegance and style were the most important symbols of them, and that had been ruined when Paula decided to go on her own, causing the departure parade to be rearranged at the last minute, resulting in an unfortunate event that while enjoyed by the citizens, was the object of criticism and mockery by nobles and clergy alike.

Olivie, being the leader of the squad, was responsible for taking all the flak because of the sorry spectacle. Remembering all those nobles and their childish tantrums was almost enough to give her a headache.

"When we find her we will have to have a serious discussion about responsibility and punctuality," she stated as she grabbed one of the cookies, taking a small bite.

"I have no objection to that," Alameria replied as she laughed softly while picking up her respective cup of tea to take a sip.

The two musketeers continued their peaceful snack in peace, in stark contrast to the scenery around them. Dozens of men were lying on the ground around them, all of them so badly injured that they were unable to get up or move a muscle. They were the bandit gang that had been ravaging the undefended villages nearby, which begged for the musketeers' help once they passed by on their way in search of their lost companion. They were a group of lowlifes who, despite being human, acted in a manner insultingly similar to that of the hideous monsters in the service of the Demon Lord: robbery, destruction, kidnapping, all for their own sadistic pleasure.

The bandits boasted of their numbers and their weapons, using it as an advantage against the poor peasants and farmers, who did not have the money or the relevance to be able to ask for help from knights or guards. It was a tragedy that had been going on for more than a year, causing despair among the peasants and an overconfidence in the bandits. The criminals were so confident of their supposed superiority that they even dismissed the musketeers when they showed up at their hideout, considering them little more than prey that had saved them the trouble of searching for them.

"You...fucking bitches!" a male voice exclaimed.

That shout caught the attention of the musketeers, who turned their attention away from the tea and looked around to see the source of the noise, finding the wounded bandit leader barely managing to stand up. The previous cocky expression on his face had been replaced by one of anger and despair, breathing deeply and choppily as he watched the bodies of his men around him.

"Why, such bad manners, interrupting our Tea Time," Olivie calmly noted.

"Do you think... I will let you get away with this?!" the wounded bandit leader exclaimed as he raised his arm with difficulty, brandishing an axe. "Once I am done with you, I will make you beg for forgiveness on your knees!"

The bandit chief rushed towards the table where the musketeers were, raising his axe high and shouting at the top of his lungs what to him would seem like a brave battle cry, but to the heroines it seemed more like a pitiful whimper. Soon the bandit found himself just inches away from Olivie, who was still sitting with her back to him, her attention still focused on the cookie she held in her hand. She barely reacted when the axe came down hard towards her.

Schwing

It all happened in an instant, probably even less than that. The bandit was now on his knees on the ground, with multiple cuts on his arms and legs, unable to get up. He was barely processing what had just happened, as he had not even been able to see the attack he received. Meanwhile Olivie quietly finished eating her cookie, discreetly putting her rapier back into the metal scabbard she carried at her waist.

"You are getting rusty, Olivie," Alameria remarked with some amusement. "You used to be able to suffice with a single attack to immobilize them, but now you need a second attack to finish them off? I think it is about time for you to consider retirement."

"I am not that old yet, Alameria," Olivie claimed as she took another sip of her tea.

"Hey, you know what they say, the thirties are the new sixties," the musketeer said teasingly.

The two women continued their casual conversation as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile the bandit leader watched in despair as his own body did not respond to him. Each cut had been meticulous and effective, disabling his muscles and rendering him completely immobile. The man struggled to move, but only managed to fall sideways to the ground.

"What do you want from us?" the bandit demanded to know, showing resignation in his voice.

This again attracted the attention of the musketeers, who turned to look at him. Olivie looked annoyed while Alameria still wore a playful expression.

"First of all, that you stop interrupting our Tea Time," she said as she poured some more tea into her cup. "And second, that you face justice for your crimes."

"In other words, all of you will go to the dungeons!" Alameria exclaimed with a chuckle.

The bandit leader tried to say something, but finally gave up, resigning himself to what would soon be a life behind bars. Meanwhile, the musketeers continued with their casual conversation accompanied by tea as if nothing was happening. However, that calm was interrupted when suddenly they could feel the ground shaking.

"Huh?"

That day just kept getting weirder and weirder. Not only had her father returned with more gold than she had ever seen in her few decades of life, but he did so in the company of a most peculiar group, with one of its members then dueling one of the inn's guests, someone who in the process had revealed herself to be a hero of the Order. Not only that, the strange man who had accompanied her father had managed to defeat the hero in a duel, something unheard of. Apparently the man was wanted by the Order itself, so she could only assume that he was someone of great importance.

He was already an intimidating man, and the fact that he was someone wanted by the Church itself only added to it, which is why she was mortified when her father ordered her to accompany him.

"Everything all right, missy?" the man asked.

Colette flinched when she heard the man speak to her.

"Y-yes, all is well!" she replied immediately.

The two had moved away from the commotion after the duel. The revelation that Paula was actually a hero who had come to solve the problem of the recent disappearances had been as shocking as her defeat in the duel. Soon the vicinity of the inn was crowded with a huge group of people composed of those desperately trying to talk to the hero as well as those who longed to get close to the man who had managed to defeat the said hero, someone who, according to Saphirette, was apparently a possible newfound hero. Her father was quick to act in the face of that wave of people, organizing them into a small, improvised meeting to discuss the problem. While the meeting was being organized, her father secretly ordered her to lead the man away from the people.

"Are you sure? I can sense your nervousness miles away," the man said with a slight chuckle.

"M-miles? What is that?" she asked, confused.

The expression on the man's face changed. A certain frustration could be seen in him, as if that question was one that he found frustrating in some way.

"Never mind," he said along with a slight sigh. "And tell me, where are you taking me, missy?"

"O-oh, right, sorry my father had not told you," she replied slightly embarrassed, for the abrupt manner in which her father had forced them out of the inn was not only disconcerting to that man, but also embarrassing to her. "My father and Miss Paula will be busy with the meeting, so my father told me to accompany you and show you around while I continue with my chores."

The man raised an eyebrow once he heard that.

"I see," he said as he put his hand to his chin, taking a few seconds of silence in which he seemed to think of something. "Well, if I can spend the rest of the day with a cutie, then I have nothing to complain about."

Her heart stopped the moment she heard that.

"Wh-what!?" she shrieked.

He leaned toward her given the size difference, looking straight into her face as he smiled.

"I said I have nothing to complain about if I get to spend the rest of the day with a cutie. Didn't I make that clear?" he said bluntly, perhaps too bluntly for her.

Colette was not at all accustomed to compliments or flattery. In fact it had been years since the last time a man other than her father had said anything positive about her appearance, so she was not emotionally prepared to respond to such an event.

"I… I…"

The redhead's freckled face reddened spectacularly, her eyes looking from side to side in desperation to avoid looking the man straight in the eye, her lips unable to pronounce any words properly, with only stammering being the only thing she could utter.

"T-the barn is near!" she exclaimed as she turned and ran toward the barn, running away as if she were fleeing from death itself.

She ran as if her life depended on it, reaching the barn doors and opening them with the same abruptness as the wind in stormy weather, causing the animals inside to have an initial shock and consternation, but quickly calming down when they saw that it was her. Soon the cows were mooing enthusiastically, wagging their tails from side to side in excitement to see her. As pitiful as it sounded, the cows were among the few true friends she could count on.

Colette's chest was steadily going up and down, breathing heavily in an attempt to catch her breath after running with such intensity. That man was shameless, saying such inappropriate things to her face and without any modesty whatsoever. But nevertheless, she could not deny that receiving such genuine flattery without any hint of mockery or ill intent made her feel incredibly happy.

"They sure look happy" a voice noted, coming from just behind her.

Colette turned quickly, seeing to her astonishment that the man had caught up with her. She had run with all her might, having made considerable distance, and yet he had managed to catch up with her in the blink of an eye.

"What are those things?" he asked.

"Eh?"

Colette turned to see what he was pointing at, seeing that he was referring to the mooing cows. That question was bizarre, for she did not know how it was possible for someone not to know about cows, since they were one of the animals that the Order had worked hardest to spread both in their territories and in the allied nations.

"Y-you mean the cows?" she asked back, unsure if she had understood him correctly.

The man seemed surprised to hear the word.

"So the rumors were true, there are those that only have one head…" he mused in amazement as he walked past her, walking over to where the cows were.

Seeing the man approach the cows in such a casual manner mortified her, for these were no ordinary cows, but a particular breed that her father had acquired years before in Welsple. They were extremely productive, producing milk at impressive levels, and with a natural hardiness that made them adaptable to any type of climate, but with the disadvantage of having a volatile temperament that made them difficult to manage. Only she and her mother were capable of handling them, for she had cared for them since they were calves and thus shared a deep connection with them, while her mother with her natural intimidation was capable of subduing almost anyone, human or not.

"W-wait! Do not touch—"

The sound of a pleased mooing interrupted her. One of the cows, Dina, was being caressed affectionately by the man, which she reciprocated by bobbing her head to the rhythm of the caresses. Soon other cows approached, also eager to be pampered.

"Good girls," he whispered smilingly as he continued to pet the cows.

Colette could not believe her eyes. She had seen those cows face other animals and even humans with demonic ferocity. She still remembered the time a thief tried to sneak into the barn, only to be chased out and nearly trampled to death by those same cows that now so submissively received the stranger's affection.

"You… have you had experience with cows before?" she asked as she approached.

"It's the first time I've ever seen one in my life," he admitted. "What can I say? Animals like me."

That was no lie. She looked around and the other animals looked peaceful in the presence of a stranger in the barn. He continued to pet the now conglomerated cows, which wagged their tails happily. The man had all his attention on them, almost ignoring her, causing her to become uncomfortable.

"U-um," Colette tried to raise her voice for attention, but it sounded more like a dreary murmur.

For a moment it seemed that her voice would be overshadowed by the constant mooing that flooded the barn, but miraculously the man managed to hear her, turning so that he could see her. Having his gaze imposed on her filled her with dread, so much so that she was even tempted to run away again, but she managed to summon up all the courage in her being to stay where she was and speak.

"If y-you have never seen a cow, then I guess you have never milked one," she said, struggling not to stammer while keeping her gaze down. "W-would you like me to show you how to milk one?"

Colette immediately regretted saying that. She had realized that it was an absurd suggestion, bizarre even. What kind of icebreaker was it to propose to teach how to milk a cow? She had probably ruined the slight good impression the man had made on her.

"They can produce milk even if they only have one head!?" he exclaimed in surprise, much to her confusion. "If that's the case, sure!"

"My daughter has been missing for a week, please do something!" an older woman exclaimed in tears.

"My sister disappeared two days ago, she was engaged!" a young man shouted.

The inn's living room was in chaos. Dozens of people were talking and shouting, struggling to make their voices heard, all wanting the hero's attention. Arkaid struggled to keep them all at bay, although he had to admit that he was not the appropriate person to calm the crowd, as he was just learning about the disappearances.

Apparently a number of women had started disappearing just one day after he started his trip to Polove weeks ago. At first it was just a young woman, one who was known for her beauty and spoiled bratty ways, so many assumed that she had simply fled in the middle of the night with a traveler to seek a life of adventure and luxury in some city. However, more women began to disappear without any pattern or clue as to why.

"Please remain calm!" interjected Arkaid, trying to get people's attention. "We will accomplish nothing if we—"

"And what right do you have to tell us that?" he was interrupted by a man who stood in front of him in a threatening manner. "Why should we listen to a wretch who leaves his wife and daughter alone in the middle of a crisis like this?"

Soon the attention of the others present was focused on the two of them. The people's desperation gradually turned to aggression directed at Arkaid, which was reflected in the judgmental and merciless gazes that were now focused on him.

"Y-yeah, he is right, you abandoned your family in the middle of a catastrophe!" said a young man as he stepped forward. "How dare you tell us to calm down!?"

Arkaid had no defense against that. When he left, the town was at peace, so he had no way of finding out about the disappearances that occurred while he was traveling to Polove, but he could not excuse himself. He was the man of the house, it was his duty and responsibility to see to the welfare of his family, and he had failed them. Luckily Colette and Gertrud were safe, but that did not take away the fact that they could possibly have disappeared in his absence.

"The disappearances started right after he left, maybe it has something to do with it!" said a voice in the crowd.

"W-what?" Arkaid stammered, dumbfounded at such an accusation.

"That is true, this town has never had any problems, but Arkaid goes on a trip and suddenly women start disappearing? This is too much of a coincidence!" someone else said, but he couldn't see who.

Soon other accusations joined the initial one, with various people shouting at him and approaching him in a threatening manner. The man in front of him even grabbed him by the shoulders, shouting something in his face but he was unable to decipher what it was. The group of people was slowly descending into savagery.

"Enough!"

His wife's voice rang out as loud as thunder, causing almost all the incessant screaming to stop instantly. In an imposing manner she pushed her way through the crowd, finally making her way to where he and the man holding him by the shoulders stood.

"Release him. Now," she ordered.

The man in question looked at her with disdain, turning to face her in a threatening manner as he said, "And who do you think you are to—"

SMASH

Gertrud's knuckles soon found themselves in the middle of the man's face, who immediately fell to the ground, knocked out. The room was filled with gasps of surprise and whispers, but no one dared to raise their voice.

"Anyone else who has any allegations against my husband?" Gertrud asked as she turned around, looking at the crowd with defiance.

A spectral silence filled the room, with not a soul having the courage to face her. In those brief seconds Arkaid could feel a tingling in his stomach, the same he felt that time decades ago when he met her for the first time.

"Very good," she said as she wiped her hand on her apron. "Now that everyone has calmed down, we can continue our meeting in a civilized manner."

Gertrud cleared her throat, preparing her voice before speaking.

"Understandably, we all find ourselves frightened and anxious. Since the disappearances started I have barely been able to sleep, always keeping a watchful eye on my daughter and praying every night to the Chief God that when I woke up she would still be here. I understand that many of you have lost someone, be it a daughter, a sister, or even a significant other, but we cannot afford to succumb to despair," she declared firmly. "For at last the Chief God has answered our pleas and sent us His champion, so instead of lamenting over what we have suffered, we should focus on helping the hero in every way possible so that she can rescue our missing women!"

Having said this, she pointed to where the hero was, but to everyone's surprise, she had disappeared. Gertrud's face reflected perplexity and anger, the former for the sudden disappearance of the hero, and the latter for having ended up looking bad in front of everyone after giving such a speech.

"She took advantage of everyone being distracted and went to the dining room," a female voice explained.

They all turned to the source of that voice, finding a dark-haired woman sitting at the back of the room, carrying a bizarre metal ball in her lap. Arkaid knew her, it was Anne, Grognak's companion.

"She went to eat and took Saphirette with her by force, you can go get her there," she said calmly as she pointed toward the dining room.

"And why did you not stop her?" asked Arkaid, still failing to get used to the woman's unnerving personality.

She simply shrugged her shoulders. "It amused me."

Paula devoured plate after plate, showing no sign of being even close to being satisfied, let alone full. The food was exquisite, and the fact that it had gotten cold did not affect the taste at all. If it were up to her she would spend the rest of her life tasting the innkeeper's daughter's dishes, even cursing the fact that she had not been born a man in order to marry her and thus ensure a lifetime supply of delicious meals.

"M-Miss Paula," Saphirette tried to interrupt her in her endless devouring.

She heeded that call, turning her head and fixing her gaze on the bespectacled woman. She tried to speak, but her mouth was full, so much so that her cheeks were puffy from the food she was still chewing, so all that came out of her mouth were indecipherable mumbles and the occasional bit of food she accidentally spit out.

Saphirette jolted when a piece of baked potato landed directly on one of the lenses of her glasses, forcing her to take them off and wipe them with a handkerchief.

"I really, really think we should get back to the meeting," she said as she narrowed her eyes intensely due to her blindness caused by the lack of glasses.

"And let all this fine food get even colder?! No way!" Paula finally responded, having swallowed enough to be able to speak in a comprehensible manner.

For Paula there was no greater sin than wasting food. She knew what it was like to go to sleep with hunger, to see food being displayed but being unable to eat it, the agony of hearing her stomach growl and not being able to do anything to quiet it. These were things she had not experienced for several years, and as she had promised her father the day she was accepted into the Order of the Ice Flower, she would not allow herself or anyone else in her family to suffer through it again.

"And could you tell me what the need was to bring me here?" Saphirette asked as she finished cleaning her glasses, putting them back on.

"You look too skinny, you have to eat!" Paula replied, unaware of the insensitivity of her statement.

Saphirette was perplexed by this comment directed at her physique. She couldn't find the words to say, and before she knew it, a plate of food was pushed in front of her by Paula, who was smiling innocently thinking she was doing a good deed.

"Hero!"

Suddenly, dozens of people rushed into the dining room, so many that the entrance to the dining room became congested. They were all saying different things at the same time, causing the place to be flooded with incessant and chaotic chatter. From among them a figure forced her way forward, elbowing and shoving those who stood in front of her.

It was the innkeeper, and she did not look happy.

"Oh, hello!" greeted Paula with innocent joy, having been interrupted before she could put the utensil in her mouth and continue eating. "Sorry I left without warning, I was starving!"

The innkeeper did not respond, she simply walked towards the table with a firm and intimidating pace. Once she arrived, she slammed her hands on the wood of the table, the impact being such that Paula herself was startled by the surprise.

"The missing women," the innkeeper proceeded to say, with an expression that denoted a patience that was wearing thin. "Do what you came here for and find them, now."

"O-oh, of course!" Paula replied, smiling nervously, looking intimidated by the woman's stern face.

Much to her chagrin, Paula had to get up from the table and walk away from the food that still lay served, waiting to be devoured. She walked until she found herself in front of the assembled group of people, facing them with the determination and confidence worthy of a hero like her.

"Fear not, people!" she pronounced as she raised her arms high. "For the Order has heard of your woes, and I have been sent to save you!"

That was a little white lie. She had arrived while in the middle of her search for Grognak. Now that she had found him, she was ordered to return to Lescatie with him as soon as possible, but she could not afford to leave those poor people abandoned in the midst of a crisis. Now she was acting against orders, but she knew her superiors would understand.

The expressions on the faces of those present brightened as they listened to the musketeer's words, some even smiling hopefully.

"Now that I am here there is nothing to fear!" she declared enthusiastically. "Now I will take it upon myself to find your missing loved ones. So tell me who was responsible so I can go kick his ass!"

Soon the hopeful expressions of those present vanished upon hearing that.

"We... do not know who is responsible," said an older woman.

Paula was silent for a few seconds when she heard that answer. She was posing heroically, but slowly had to reposition herself amidst the awkward silence.

"What?"

"We have no idea who the kidnapper is, we were hoping you could find out," another person explained.

Again, awkward silence flooded the dining room. The musketeer looked sideways, as if searching for an answer, finally giving up and scratching her head in confusion.

"And how am I supposed to find that out?" she asked.

Discontent was quickly felt in the place. Soon another chaos born of indignation and disappointment at the hero's pitiful response was about to break out, but it was interrupted by a sudden and violent tremor.

Colette was laughing.

She laughed in a joyous and fervent manner, with small tears escaping her eyes due to the intensity with which she did so. She was short of breath, her chest even hurt a little, but it didn't matter. She hadn't allowed herself to have such fun since Richard, once her best and only friend, disappeared years ago.

"What was her name again?" the man asked as he ran.

"Dina! Her name is Dina!" she replied with laughter.

What she feared was going to be an awkward moment ended up turning into probably the most fun she'd had in years. The man was quick to learn the milking process, even showing genuine surprise at the taste of the milk, comparing it to that of an animal she had never heard of before, although according to him cow's milk was certainly more delicious in comparison.

Before she knew it he was helping her with the other animals, assisting her in getting the animals out of the barn to pasture, and even convinced her to take a short break from work and play with the animals, running with them in the meadow without a care in the world. All the while he would make comments and jokes to which she would initially respond with slight shy murmurs, then mild chuckles and finally it would turn into open laughter. Now she was sitting in the grass, resting from the exertion of so much running, watching with a chuckle as the man played with the cows, which unusually played in a way that made them seem huge and playful dogs.

The man was running alongside the cows, who were almost violently trying to push him in a playful manner. After several attempts, the cows were finally victorious in their goal, managing to knock the man to the ground, although Colette suspected that he had let himself be beaten on purpose. Once on the ground, far from trampling him to death as they had almost done to that poor thief months ago, the cows began to lick him in a group, with others affectionately rubbing their snouts against his face.

What he said was not a lie, the animals really loved him.

"They're pretty fast for such big ones," the man said as he escorted her back to the barn.

Playtime was over and it was time to put the animals back in the barn. There was still the rest of the day and plenty of chores to do, not to mention Colette's hair was a mess, but for some reason she wasn't worried. She wasn't afraid that her mother would scold her for her irresponsibility, nor that any of the other women in town would see her in that state and laugh at her. She was at peace, she was happy.

"I still have yet to check the horses in the stables..." she commented as she stood in front of the barn, having finished leading the last cow inside. "W-would you like to come with me to see them?"

She didn't know where she had gotten the confidence to make that invitation. Perhaps it was the adrenaline still coursing through her being that had allowed her to overcome her usual shyness and take the initiative, something she might regret once she was back to normal, but she would take advantage of it while she could.

Colette turned to look at the man to hear his response, but in doing so found something she hadn't expected at all.

"Mister?!" Colette exclaimed in panic.

The man was on his knees, in pain. Strange blue electrical waves surrounded his body, appearing and disappearing almost instantaneously. Even small deformations could be seen coming and going, with whole parts of his being disappearing and reappearing in a matter of seconds. She tried to get closer, but something inside her prevented her from doing so, as if she instinctively knew that this was something unnatural that she should not, or rather could not, touch.

He was not the only one affected by those strange electrical waves, as even the surrounding grass was beginning to burn, with the affected area slowly expanding. The very air around him was beginning to warp into strange dark fissures that seemed to enlarge and be attracted to him, and some even touched him, making him cry out in pain. That lasted only a few seconds, but for her it was almost an eternity, for being so close to him during that event filled her with an almost primal fear, as if her very soul recognized the danger.

"Who…?" he blurted out quietly, with his voice for a moment sounding mixed with a female voice.

It finally ended as abruptly as it had begun. The only evidence that it had happened was the burnt grass around him, for he had no visible wounds despite the immense pain he had been subjected to. Colette could say nothing, she was paralyzed, in a cold sweat from the noticeable tenseness in the air. The man was gasping for air, catching his breath as he touched his own body to make sure it was intact, looking equally perplexed and confused by what had happened.

Before anyone could say anything, a powerful and terrible tremor began to shake the earth beneath them. It was an earthquake, similar to the one that had occurred several weeks ago, and of such intensity that Colette was unable to keep her balance and ended up falling to the ground. The animals inside the barn let out shrieks of terror, with the building itself shaking.

"Ch-Chief God!" she cried out in what sounded like a kind of prayer.

One of the walls of the barn began to collapse and, as if in macabre response to the redhead's plea for divine help, debris began to fall right where she was lying. She could only look up, helpless, seeing how she was soon to be crushed to death. Her twenty-three years of life were about to come to a bitter and cruel end.

CRASH

Her eyes closed tightly. She could still feel the trembling under her feet, and a great weight on top of her. She thought that she had probably already been crushed by the rubble of the wall, that possibly the shock was so strong that she could not even feel pain, but a few seconds of normalcy in her being made her realize that this was not the case. With unease she opened her eyes and looked up, finding to her surprise not the heavy debris of the wall, but the man covering her.

Somehow, he had managed to move fast enough to protect her, placing himself between her and the heavy debris. His back had miraculously managed to support all the weight that would normally prove lethal to a normal person, although it was evident from the slight groans he let out that it was not a pleasant experience for him.

"Are you okay, missy?" he asked.

"Y-yes," she stammered, shocked by both the near-death experience and the man's heroic act. "Wh-what about you?"

"I've been better," he replied along with a slight chuckle. "Although I know this is going to hurt like a bitch when I wake up tomorrow."

Both remained in that position for a few brief minutes while the earthquake passed. Colette clung to the man's chest, seeking safety in the midst of the disaster. Finally, after a few terrifying and violent minutes, the earthquake ceased and the ground returned to normal. Still they did not dare to move, remaining still for a few more minutes just in case.

"It's over now," he whispered to her.

Slowly he began to rise, pushing aside the heavy debris and helping her stand up. Once on her feet, her first concern was the animals inside the barn, for she feared that they might have been crushed during the collapse. Hastily she turned and prepared to run to rescue the trapped animals, but to her surprise she could see that all were fine. Only the side she was on had collapsed, while the rest, though noticeably damaged and in need of repairs, were still standing.

Colette let out a sigh of relief. So much had happened in such a short time that she had hardly any idea what to think, but knowing that her animals were safe gave her some peace in the midst of the chaos. However, something came to her mind that took away that brief moment of relief.

"The inn!" she exclaimed, realizing that the inn, and thus her family, would have been affected by the earthquake.

Colette did not take long to start running, heading for the inn. The man, meanwhile, remained where he was, bringing his gaze to his hands, observing them carefully. He could see that they were shaking.

"Who…" he mused, confused.

It happened again. Once again, her predecessor's creation had been twisted, changed, defiled.

She was sitting on her heavenly throne, frowning, perceiving what was going on around her. She could hear the millions of voices pleading for her help, some even being forced to remain silent when life escaped from their bodies. But that was not what shocked her, for while it pained her when she was unable to help her followers, the searing, agonizing pain she experienced was what truly disturbed her.

It was horrifying. Her ethereal body, white and golden, always of divine and magnificent aura, was struggling to keep the agony she was suffering from twisting her into something undignified. She had to keep up the image before her servants, for she knew that morale in the Heavens had been low since the Tragedy, when her valiant mortal champion turned his back on her, dooming the world to its current state.

She still felt the pain of the wound of that day, when her Hero decided to betray her and humanity, allying himself with that wretch who dared to commit the greatest possible sin. That wound had long since healed, but the pain was not physical, but emotional, one that had only worsened with each lesser hero who decided to follow the traitor's footsteps and pledge allegiance to the Monsters. The energy she had lost in her Hero and the other lesser heroes had affected her. She no longer had the might of her beginnings, much less that of her predecessors, and barely comparable to the Original.

She was barely a shadow of what she once was, one who struggled to at least maintain the hope of her followers in the face of what she knew was a hopeless situation.

"Michaela," she mused softly, trying not to let her voice betray her and let out a hint of pain.

Once that name was pronounced, a whirlwind of fire appeared in front of the throne. It was a sacred fire, red and golden, emitting not heat but comfort. Out of the flames a shape began to form, a feminine and elegant figure.

"At thy mercy, my Lord," pronounced the fiery figure.

Soon the flames turned to flesh, revealing a naked body that was soon sheathed in armor as reddish as the fire that originated it. Long brown hair fell below her shoulders, and a beautiful blue shone in the eyes that were now fixed on the throne. Great golden wings adorned her back, being immense and imposing, but lowered as she knelt in respect.

The two spoke briefly, for in her current state, she could not afford to waste energy on unnecessary words. Orders were given, and when all was confirmed, Michaela began to find herself surrounded in the same whirlwind of fire from which she came.

"Thy will be done," Michaela declared as she disappeared into the flames.

Again she found herself alone, sitting on her heavenly throne, struggling to keep the pain that plagued her from demeaning her to something unworthy. Again Creation had been disturbed, and just as had happened recently, the perpetrators were the same: invaders, marauders from a realm far away from hers, unknown from the creation of the Original.

Not only was she too weakened to face them, but they also had something that made them difficult to handle, something blasphemous whose very existence defied the rules of the Original. They transported without restriction, flouting the order imposed by the Heavens, plunging the world into the consequences of their defiance of nature on a mere whim. She no longer knew where they were, for the tundras they had appropriated upon their arrival now lay abandoned, their present location a mystery. But they were still in the world, for the disturbance they caused still echoed in her.

However, they were not her only concern. As strange and dangerous as they were, the marauders were limited in their movements, as they had to move those huge constructions wherever they went. This was not the case with the other entity, a paradoxical creature that moved freely among the lands of Man. He was also difficult to locate, but his actions allowed him to be traced.

That individual was one of her greatest concerns, for not only did he share the same blasphemous ability that allowed him to defy the rules of the Original, but his very spiritual energy was disturbing to her. She recognized it, it was the same kind of energy she had seen millennia ago.

"Who…" she began to say as she waved a hand, causing a small golden mirror to manifest in front of her, reflecting the image of the dark-armored man. "Who… are you?"