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"Speaking, or in-text quote"

'Thoughts'

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Year 16 AL, On the Horizon

Fading rays of white sunlight barely peaked through a swath of graying clouds. The dimming beams of light illuminating the sprawling grassland were in the minority, as the growing collection of clouds covered more of the sky above than it did not.

Luka eyed the changing weather with a bit of worry. He had packed for such elements, of course, but he didn't look forward to the possibility of having to test his mettle in such a manner. That, and the fact that nighttime would be upon them within a couple hours, made him feel as though they should probably find a stopping place soon.

He and Alice had made pretty good progress since leaving Enrika, the two taking a shortcut that the Lamia had insisted on them taking, as she had no interest in going through Iliasburg for a third time. He brought his gaze back down to look ahead to the Monster in question, watching as Alice slithered up ahead.

She had been spearheading their charge for a while now and had been even more silent than usual for the duration of the trip. Luka didn't want to complain about the silence - he liked having quiet time as well, after all - but he didn't like how distant his traveling partner had been after leaving Enrika.

Nevertheless, the somewhat forced alone time did give him some time to really settle down his mind.

Luka's visit to Enrika had been strange but also eye-opening. He was glad to have met Micaela, even if it was only for so long. She had seemed to be very nice, though she had her own peculiarities. If nothing else, he hoped that one day he could meet her again and really get to know the woman who had known his parents. Even if their connection was a bit loose, she was the only living person he knew who he could consider family.

The purple-haired Hero frowned, a certain feeling of doubt rising in his mind about the idea. Micaela had described herself as being "good friends" with his parents, but something inside of him felt different about it. Not that he thought she was lying about them being close, but rather in what manner. Her physical resemblance to his Mother was indubitable, a fact that had left him shell-shocked when he first saw it for himself. If he had the nerve, he would've pressed her about the subject.

But if she was related to him, why wouldn't she tell him so? Why keep it a secret? If they really were related by blood, then surely she would've been quick to share that, right? There was no reason Luka could think of that would justify keeping such a thing under wraps. So it was much more likely that she really wasn't related to him, and he was simply losing himself to wishful thinking...

...Somehow, he wasn't entirely convinced of this.

Luka pursed his lips up in thought, wishing that he could make sense of the situation. However, his mind could not settle down through will alone. He needed to distract himself for a little bit. It wasn't as if pondering it for hours on end would change anything. For now, the true nature of Micaela's relationship with him would have to be put aside in favor of more important things.

The purple-haired Hero reached to his side and unzipped his traveling bag to retrieve his little Monster Journal. 'Have to think of a better name for this thing...' He thought as he flipped to the next available pages. He began to write down the next two entries, intent on using them to clear his mind for the moment.

Lona the Dark Elf: Common Elf

Strengths - Average Swordplay Skills, Kiss of Ecstasy

Weaknesses - Reckless, prone to overreaching when attacking

Intelligence - Average

Friendliness - ?

Luka's Notes: Still weird to think that I met this girl when I was so young. I hope that maybe we could meet again, without as much kissing, that is...

Luka frowned at the entry, his overall opinion of the Dark Elf still muddied. Lona was nice to him when they were young, but somewhere between their first and second meetings, she had become corrupted by Darkness. So it could be argued that she was naturally friendly, but Degeneration had caused her to become hostile.

'I wonder what would've corrupted her in the first place?' The purple-haired boy shivered, the thought of Darkness bringing him to his next entry.

Unknown Dark Elf: Common Dark Elf(?)

Strengths -

Weaknesses -

Intelligence -

Friendliness -

Luka's Notes:

Luka kept his pen on the paper but failed to write anything down for any of the categories for the other Dark Elf he had fought before reaching Enrika. Just thinking about that encounter left his mind in a mess, the "fight" itself had been an uncomfortable ordeal for him.

The only thing he had to be thankful about was that it was quick, but even that couldn't make up for the disturbed meeting. Seeing that Dark Elf's tentacles had arisen a deep sense of fear inside of him, one that made him attack swiftly and brutally. However, the aftermath had made him feel a bit troubled. The sealed version of the Dark Elf had seemed scared of him, having run off in a hurry not long after he had sealed her in a single attack.

Heck, even Alice had seemed put off by Luka's intensity.

It wasn't something he felt much pride in, though. No, it wasn't like with that Leech girl where he was defending the Four Bandits from a merciless Monster who had no interest in talking things out. That had been out of a desire to protect, to keep innocents out of danger.

With the Dark Elf, he had been quick to defeat her out of impulse, not necessity. He could've tried harder to find another way around it. He should've tried harder. Instead, he had let his irrational fears take hold and guide his actions. He couldn't let that happen again, not if he was to be a proper Hero. He needed to do better, wildly striking out at Monsters just because they scared him wouldn't be good enough.

Luka shook his head a bit, closing his journal for a moment. Perhaps he would fill out her entry later when the idea of her wet tentacles didn't cause him so much anxiety. The young Hero felt his stomach grumble some, a sudden reminder that he hadn't had a full meal in waaay too long.

'I should probably have us stop in a little bit...' Luka thought as he scanned the grassland for any suitable camping spots. There were scattered bits of foliage and trees here and there, none of them looking all that great for coverage in case the graying clouds did turn into a storm. '...Well, just because they are graying, doesn't mean that-'

CRRAACK

Luka frowned as a rather large bolt of lightning screamed across the sky, the thunder crash from its blast of power rumbling the very air around him. Up ahead, Alice stopped in her tracks and peered up to the sky. Luka eventually caught up with his traveling partner, who eyed the rain warily.

Alice turned to him, "We should probably find a place to stop. That storm's going to get bad." Luka looked to the oncoming clouds pensively as he asked, "How can you tell?"

From the corner of his eye, Luka saw Alice smirk. "I've always been able to feel such things. It's one of my extra senses." He looked to the Lamia with a raised eyebrow, "How many senses do you have?"

Alice crossed her arms, seemingly very happy to list off her own talents. "Other than that, and my immaculate food pallet, I have many unique abilities." Luka turned away from the lavender-skinned Monster, looking for any suitable resting places. He eyed a somewhat small collection of trees in the distance, a patch of coverage that consisted of only three trees. It wasn't the best option, but it was better than anything else around.

Luka started walking towards the trees as he asked, "Yeah, and what may those be?" Alice slithered up beside him, a bit of smugness coming from her now as she gave him a simple and mysterious answer. "Show, don't tell."

Luka, seemingly content with her answer, just shrugged his shoulders. "That's fair."

Alice didn't seem to be fond of his curt reply. She looked at him with a bit of a pout as they came within a couple meters of the trees, "What, not curious?" The young Hero shook his head as he started to remove his traveling bag, "I am, but I don't like to pry. If you wish to keep things like that a secret, I understand. We all have things about ourselves that we keep close to our chests and sometimes it's for the best."

After all, it wasn't as if he didn't have his own secrets to keep. It wasn't as if his status as Ilias's Prophet was common knowledge. As far as anyone else knew, he was just a Hero.

His elaboration made Alice pause. Unknowingly, Luka's words made the Lamia think about her own secret: Her title as the current Monster Lord. Arguably, the purple-haired boy should've been at least somewhat suspicious of her true nature since meeting her, but he seemed to be completely devoid of the speculation. Either that, or he happened to have a pretty good poker face...

...Which, considering what she knew about him, seemed unlikely.

The white-haired Lamia watched as Luka started pulling out the materials for both his tent and cooking, an act that caused her appetite to flare up once more. The previous two "meals" Alice had that day were very disappointing and, even though she wouldn't admit it, she was looking forward to what he had in store.

And so, The Monster Lord watched as Ilias's Prophet set up his tent. More flashes of lightning streamed across the sky, the screams of thunder filling very soon after. It wouldn't take long for the storm to be upon them now...

"Hmm?" Alice hummed, looking over her shoulder as she felt a very faint presence behind her. She looked across the fields of green, finding nothing more than scattered trees and bits of bushes and taller grass. She squinted at the landscape but found no further signs of anything lingering around. Alice clicked her tongue at the peculiarity and continued to watch as Luka worked diligently to fix up their campsite.

"So, what exactly do you plan on cooking for me to eat?" Alice asked, to which Luka let out a small laugh. He turned to her as he began standing up the tent. "Uh-uh, that's one of my own secrets!"

The Lamia snorted at his attempt at a joke, "Is that so? What if I just forced you to tell me?" Luka laughed again, this time a bit more nervously, "Aha, we-well there's no need for something like th-that. J-Just have a bit of patience. I'm sure you'll love my Miso Soup."

Alice slithered over to face him better, another, more distant crack of thunder sounding out. "You're fixing soup for dinner? That sounds awfully light to me." Luka shook his head in disagreement as he started to collect the poles for his tent. "You shouldn't speak until you've had it. I've never left someone unsatisfied before..." He flinched, quickly realizing how that sounded.

"...W-With f-food, I mean." He said as his traveling partner gave him a pointed look, but he cut her off before she could point out his slip-up. "E-Either way, if you're that worried about getting too hungry, I have stuff here you can munch on still."

Luka hopped back over to his discarded traveling bag, fishing out a small brown paper bag. "It probably isn't as sweet as the Ama-Ama Dango, and they are a couple days older than what you'd probably want, but they still tasted pretty good to me..." Alice watched as the purple-haired boy pulled out a decently-sized Chocolate Chip Cookie.

"Cookies?" Alice asked, her face befuddled at his presentation. Luka quickly replied with a bit of pride, "Absolutely! I baked them myself, with my own homemade batter and everything!" The Lamia took the sweet from his hand and looked it over. It was sufficiently brown, not too dark nor light and the chocolate chunks were numerous and nicely sized.

Alice snickered as she stared at it, "You baked these? I hope you remembered to wear your apron when you did." Luka seemed to not notice the subtle jab as he replied with earnest, "Of course I did, do you not know how difficult it is to get powdered sugar out of clothing?" Luka returned to setting up his tent, placing the bag of cookies inside his traveling bag. His traveling partner's golden-eyed gaze looked at him with equal parts confusion and disbelief.

'I swear it's like he acts this clueless on purpose...' She thought before taking a small bite of the cookie. Alice nibbled on the sweet for a moment before her eyes grew wide. She lifted the bitten cookie up to her face, her face in awe.

It was probably the most perfect cookie she had ever had in her life.

Alice gulped down the morsel quickly, the snack only taking a couple more crunchy bites before the entire cookie was gone. The Lamia glanced at Luka, who was busy with his tent's support. Her golden-eyed gaze then slowly looked back to the brown bag of cookies he had left sitting in his unzipped traveling bag.

It sat there on the very top, unguarded...

...Completely vulnerable to being snatched...

...She could practically call them calling out to her as if to say, "Please, Alice! Devour us, we want you to!"

Alice smirked, her tail very slowly and carefully snaking up to the awaiting chocolate treats as Luka fixed up his tent, none the wiser.

Archangel Valkyrie flew low beneath the storm clouds, her large white wings and long equally white hair flowing around her freely now that her Human disguise was gone. Her steel-blue eyes glanced upwards to the encroaching storm clouds, a flash of far-off lightning reflecting off her eyes. Normally, the sight of storm clouds would bring some peace to her, but today was not the day for such things.

Valkyrie had been uncharacteristically slow coming back to Heaven, having been taking her time due to her and Cupid's monumental failure to further their own "personal goals" with the Prophet. At the back of her mind, Valkyrie knew that Ariel would be displeased at her for taking longer than usual to return but - also uncharacteristically - the former Angel of War found this to be a lesser concern.

The currently more pressing issue to her was the fact that Valkyrie actually had no idea where Cupid was.

The Archangel had tried several times to reach out to the Angel of Love but had gotten no response. Valkyrie felt bad about abandoning her Sister in Iliasburg at first,but she had no choice. If Archangel Ariel called, then it was wise to answer. However, after a while of flying alone with nothing but her thoughts, certain ideas about why Cupid hadn't responded to Valkyrie came to mind...

...Like the possibility that Cupid might be far too busy to answer her, if the Angel of Love had successfully found and seduced the Prophet.

The Archangel's face darkened, an embarrassing amount of frustration and anger coming from the idea. Technically, the two lustful Angels had never had a "game plan" on how they would shatter their virginities other than Cupid's occasional fanatically lewd suggestions. However, Valkyrie had it in her mind that no matter how it happened, she and the Angel of Love would be doing it together. And so the chance that Cupid was off having Luka all to herself bothered the Archangel quite a bit.

Did Cupid not feel the same? Would she be fine with taking Luka all for herself and leaving Valkyrie behind to with nothing more than a "Better luck next time?" for her troubles?

Valkyrie frowned as she reached the mountains leading to Heaven's Gate, her belated trip nearly over now as she soared above the forestry. 'Maybe I'm just overthinking this, there's plenty of other reasons why Cupid would not be answering me.' Despite this, the Archangel couldn't help but imagine that Cupid was still in Iliasburg right now, losing herself to the throes of passion with Luka.

Valkyrie had to shake her head, the very notion of such a thing rattling her body with unwanted excitement. She had to push those thoughts away, there was no reason to feed the flames if they weren't going to be quenched.

The Archangel finally made it to Heaven's Gate, landing on the top of the ivory tower with a loud clack. She approached Heaven's Gate with a facade of stoicism, wanting to get through as soon as possible. The golden statue on top shimmered for a moment before the black-haired Angel of the Gate revealed herself to Valkyrie. The Former Cherub's lazy eyes looked over her fellow Angel with a curious look.

"Ahh, finally returning, Valkyrie? Ariel was here earlier this morning asking about you, you know." Valkyrie gave a pained look at the words of Heaven's Gate, her mind dreading the eventual talk she'd be having with the leader of the Archangels.

Valkyrie continued her pace towards Heaven's Gate while replying, "I am aware, I am going to meet her right now." The Angel of the Gate nodded while giving a small hum. Then the Angel's green eyes squinted down at her as she asked, "Where is Cupid at? You two left through here together, I know that much." The Archangel froze, the Former Cherub seemingly confirming that Cupid was still on Earth.

"Ahh, yes..." The white-haired Angel nervously began, "...Well she and I parted ways after a little while, you see. I assume she's still doing her rounds." Heaven's Gate put up a mask of concern, though internally she couldn't care less. "Oh, I hope she returns soon! I adore our little chats."

Valkyrie's steel-blue eyes darkened, 'If she's with Luka right now, she might not be returning anytime soon...'

Heaven's Gate noticed Valkyrie's downtrodden look, a small smile coming to her own face. "Oh, do not fret, Valkyrie. I'm sure that all is well, Ilias willing."

Valkyrie sighed, looking up to Heaven's Gate, and placed up her facade of stoicism once more, trying to ignore the ideas of thoughts of Cupid and the Prophet in the throes of passion. "Well, it has been nice talking with you, Angel of the Gate, but I really must be going now. Archangel Ariel has requested my presence in her chambers." The black-haired Angel's ears twitched some, and a moment later, the wide doors of Heaven creaked open.

Valkyrie flew in without a moment more of hesitation, spurring the Former Cherub to quickly shut herself once more. Valkyrie quickly flew out of the other side of Heaven's Gate. Once entering the Ninth Level of Heaven, Valkyrie found a curious sight.

All around her, Angel soldiers were anxiously buzzing around. The white-haired Archangel watched with a curious gaze as the seemingly distressed collection of Angels talked amongst each other with bewildered expressions. Valkyrie considered stopping to question one of them, but she thought better of it. She had already kept Archangel Ariel waiting long enough, it would be unwise to delay further.

And so, Valkyrie shot upwards, quickly entering the Eighth Level of Heaven.

The Level of the Archangels had an ethereal calm to it, a major juxtaposition to the Level below. Valkyrie glanced around the Eighth Level, watching as the mirror-like water stood stiller than any body of water on the Earth below. Valkyrie felt a wave of nervousness hit her, the reality of what was no doubt awaiting her in Ariel's section of the Eighth Level coming to the forefront of her mind as she skipped from rock to rock.

Archangel Ariel was a terrifying presence; any Angel in Heaven could vouch for that with ease. She carried herself with an air of superiority that was not unfounded, for she had been an integral part of Ilias's clergy since the Great Monster Wars. Few among Heaven could match her might on the battlefield.

The reason? Her absolute devotion to Ilias's cause, and an uncompromising belief in doing whatever it takes to carry out the Goddess's will.

Valkyrie found herself getting closer to Ariel's area of the Eighth Level, each step causing the pit in her stomach to grow larger. The white-haired Archangel did not often feel such severe anxiety, but considering what she and Cupid had been attempting to do on Earth, a nagging fear of having somehow been discovered plagued her mind.

What if, somehow, Ariel had found out about the duo's taboo escapades? What if she knew that Valkyrie and Cupid had been attempting to have intercourse with the Prophet? The punishment would no doubt be swift and even more frighteningly, Valkyrie had no idea how severe that punishment would be.

Would Ilias herself come down to cast them out of Heaven? Would they simply be erased? Or, even worse, would Ariel take the act of punishing the two into her own hands?

The former Angel of War shuddered as she finally made it to her destination. Standing on one of the largest rocks on the Eighth Level was Heaven's War Room. As the name suggested, on top of being the living quarters of the Leader of the Archangels, the large cube-shaped marble building was the headquarters for military strategy for all of Heaven.

Of course, it hadn't been used as such since the Great Monster Wars, but Ariel would not change the name until Monsters were eradicated for good.

Valkyrie reluctantly started climbing the smooth gray steps leading up to the entrance. Her heart raced in her chest, the organ beating so strongly that she felt as though it would burst. She eventually reached the top of the stairs, taking a break once she got to the top. There was no door to the building, only an open archway leading to the inside.

The floor was covered with the dark blue coloring and gold trim synonymous with the Goddess Ilias. The only exception to this is the wide heptagonal marble table jutting up from the ground in the middle of the room. The seven-sided table had seven corresponding chairs for each side, an anomaly, considering that there were only six Archangels in total.

Standing at the other end of the room, centered between two dark-blue wall-hung banners that bore the white cross of Ilias, was Ariel. The Archangel was faced away from Valkyrie, her gaze resting on a large map that also hung on the wall before her. The map in question had been hanging since the end of the Great Monster Wars, some information about certain areas and notable targets during the Wars still being highlighted.

Valkyrie wasn't sure why Ariel would want such outdated information still hanging up, but she dared not to ask about it.

"Have a seat." Ariel said unexpectedly, though Valkyrie obliged quickly and without question, falling into the seat that had been designated as her's since she had first been promoted. The Leader of the Archangels kept her gaze averted and her form still, not even a single feather of her large, folded wings fluttering even a small amount. Valkyrie couldn't help but squirm, as Ariel called out to her again.

"Do you know why you are here, Valkyrie?" The question seemed innocent enough, but it caused the Archangel's heart rate to spike. Again, Valkyrie had to wonder how much Ariel knew. Pushing through her fear, Valkyrie answered somewhat honestly. "No, I do not, Sister Ariel."

Valkyrie watched as Ariel began folding her arms behind her back, the shorter-than-average sleeves of her white robes putting the Archangel's golden gauntlets on full display. The former War Angel flinched as an erratic current of red electricity bounced between the two interlocking sets of gauntlets. "Ah, well you would be aware if you had been in Heaven recently, Valkyrie."

The silver-haired Leader of the Archangels turned around slowly, her red-eyed gaze eventually falling onto her fellow Archangel. "Why were you gone from Heaven, Valkyrie? Heaven's Gate informed me that you had been gone for well over a day now. Was this something you had gotten permission to do from me?" It was a rhetorical question, as Valkyrie had obviously not gotten permission to do.

The former War Angel gulped, her mind fighting to come up with some justification for her actions. Valkyrie had been wary of staying on Earth for too long, but the Angel of Love had convinced her to stay overnight as it would be "Easier to seduce him" if they did find him during the late hours of the night.

It had been quite the convincing argument at the time, but now it was beginning to fall flat in Valkyrie's mind as Ariel's bright red eyes bore down on her.

"I-I had simply lost track of time, Ariel. And by the time I realized this, it had gotten too dark. So I had to spend the night away from Heaven, unfortunately..." Ariel did not seem to enjoy this reasoning. She quickly started to march towards the seven-sided table as she asked, "You lost track of time, doing what, exactly? I had no knowledge of you needing to do something outside of Heaven in the first place."

Valkyrie heard the crackle of Ariel's gauntlets flaring once more, small sparks of red light emitting from behind her back. The sounds of the energy flare and the hardening gaze of Ariel caused Valkyrie to begin losing her nerve. Thankfully, however, a saving grace arrived to save Valkyrie.

"Sister Ariel, I do believe that you are being too harsh on our fellow Archangel here." The soft voice of another Angel said from the side. Valkyrie and Ariel both took a glance to the side as the so-far silent third participant stepped forward.

The flaxen-haired Archangel Runael opened up her normally closed emerald eyes to peer at Ariel with a questioning gaze. Ariel mirrored the look but with substantially more annoyance at her second-in-command as she replied, "I don't believe so at all, Runael. Valkyrie here knows better than to leave Heaven for so long."

Valkyrie flinched again at her name being mentioned, but Runael came to her aid once more. "Yes, she does know better. One can see that by her very length rapport here as one of Ilias's most dutiful Daughters. In fact," Runael began as she raised a finger, her various wings flapping gently. "I do believe that this infraction would be one of her first, if not her very first, would it not?"

Ariel's anger faded just a tad. "I suppose that it would be..." As quickly as it was dimmed, the fire in her eyes quickly resurged. "...However, as one of Ilias's Archangels, she must do better. She isn't a Common Angel anymore. She now represents the best of the best Heaven has to offer."

Valkyrie felt a pang of guilt hit her, Ariel's somewhat roundabout way of both complimenting and scolding causing her great shame. 'For her to say such things when I'm so overcome with sinful desires...' Valkyrie was brought from the thoughts by Runael's interjection.

"Of course she does, which is why I think she deserves the benefit of the doubt." Runael said before facing Valkyrie. "Sister Valkyrie, as you undoubtedly feel regret at your actions, I recommend that you pray to Ilias for forgiveness and double your efforts to keep Grace on her name."

Valkyrie's pearl-white hair shook around as she nodded with vigor, "Y-Yes Sister Runael, I will do so immediately!" The Archangel moved to stand, hoping that she was finally being let go.

However, Ariel stopped her with a raised hand.

"Not just yet, Sister Valkyrie. That is not all I have to say. There is still another, more pressing matter for us to cover here. It is why I called you here in the first place." Valkyrie looked between Ariel and Runael, both of the Higher Archangel's faces becoming grim.

Ariel lowered her hand and fixed a very serious look upon Valkyrie. "Earlier this morning, during my talk with Heaven's Gate when I was looking for you, I was given the very much late update that twelve of our fellow Sisters from the Ninth Order below have gone missing. One of them even being an Angel of Veteran status, having served alongside us for hundreds of years."

Valkyrie gasped at Ariel's words, the troubling information hitting her quite strongly. 'A dozen missing Angels, how is this possible!?'

Seeing Valkyrie's look of bewilderment, Ariel moved to elaborate. "Yes, well I was able to gather that these twelve had been the ones to accompany Eden for a special mission on Earth." The red eyes of Ariel twitched and another spark of red energy flying out from her gauntlets. "Unfortunately, the Great Seraph above had forgotten to mention such a pertinent detail to me until long after the fact, so at the moment we'll have a lot more difficulty tracking them."

Valkyrie lightly shook her head in shock, only half-recognizing how angrily Ariel had spat out Eden's name. "H-Have their souls returned to Heaven, by chance?" The white-haired Archangel suggested in an attempt to help her superiors.

Runael answered this time, her face somber. "Unfortunately, they have not. Throne Eggiel only reported one Angel soul returning recently, and that soul was not one of the twelve we are looking for." Valkyrie tilted her head at Runael and thought of asking who this Angel was, but Ariel quickly cut in.

"Either way, Heaven is now officially under a soft lockdown as far as I am concerned. No Angel is to leave Heaven without being accompanied with expressed supervision and officially granted permission. Am I making myself..." Ariel leaned forward, doubling the intensity of her stare, "...perfectly clear?"

Valkyrie squirmed under the appraising look of Ariel, the white-haired Archangel knowing that the part about permission was directed towards herself. "Y-Yes, Sister Ariel."

The Leader of the Archangels looked over Valkyrie for a couple seconds longer, before eventually waving her off with a hand. "Then that will be all, Valkyrie." The former War Angel gave a shaky nod towards Ariel and then Runael, "Th-Thank you, Sisters." She said, before turning and nearly flying out of Heaven's War Room.

The two remaining Archangels stood in silence after Valkyrie's departure. Ariel's red eyes stayed on the archway in the building to watch as Valkyrie left, while Runael's emerald eyes stayed on Ariel. Finally, Runael let her opinion known.

"I think you could do with a bit more compassion, Sister Ariel." The Leader of the Archangels quickly scoffed before turning to face the map behind her once more. She called to Runael without looking back, "Compassion does not win wars, Sister Runael. Valkyrie ought to know this herself, considering her previous station of training the fresh Angels."

Runael sighed, "Compassion may not win wars, but we are not officially in war yet, Ariel." The flaxen-haired Archangel moved to stand beside her superior. Ariel was quick to fire back with an edge to her voice, "But soon we will be! Once the Prophet marches on to the Monster Lord's Castle and he slays the awful beast, then a second Great Monster War is sure to follow. We need to prepare ourselves for this, Runael."

Ariel's second-in-command closed her eyes, a troubled look coming to her face. "Forgive me, I did not mean to upset you. I had just believed that you needed to be reminded that there is more to following in Ilias than bloodshed..." Runael opened up a single eye, the bright green orb scrutinizing Ariel. "...Eden tells me that you have been wavering in your prayers. The Seraph claimed that she only sees your name among the prayers once a week now. Is this true?"

Archangel Ariel said nothing.

Runael shook her head, "Sharpening the spirit is as important as the body and mind, my dear Sister. To forgo prayer is a sign of slipping faith. What troubles you so?" The Leader of the Archangels scoffed once more, "My faith has never been stronger, Runael. But in my position, there are some matters even more important than worship. I cannot allow for myself to be any less than my very best. Which is why I expect the same from my fellow Archangels."

Runael opened up her other eye to fully evaluate her fellow Archangel, her gaze falling down to the silver-haired Angels hands. It was easy to miss, but her knuckles were bruised, the normally pale skin looking dark and purple. "Training yourself to such lengths, will not ensure victory either, Ariel."

The Leader of the Archangels let out a small chuckle, a humorless one. "It may not guarantee us victory..." She said, her gauntlets flaring once more. Unlike Valkyrie, Runael did not flinch at the display. "...But beating in the skulls of those vile Monsters is much easier when you can't feel it."

Alice watched as Luka slowly churned his pot of soup. It hung aloft a small fire, the flames below licking at the black pot. The traveling duo had been mostly silent as Luka cooked, the atmosphere having been mostly peaceful, aside from the occasional flash of lightning. The soft crackling of the fire filled the air, as did the occasional chirping of crickets.

The young Hero looked up to the sky as a nearby bolt of electricity flew across the sky. He frowned at the sight, a growing unease settling in him. The clouds had been darkening more and more as time went on, the sight almost guaranteeing that rain was to come.

'Well, at least the Miso is almost done...' Luka thought, glancing down at his soup. The boy looked over to Alice, who was sitting in the grass a little ways away from the campsite. Curiously, the Lamia had a small smile on her face as she stared up into the storm-cloud-filled sky. '...I guess she prefers stormy skies.' He mused, finding himself staring at his traveling partner.

Luka smiled a bit himself when looking at the small bundle of Lilac resting between the two other flowers in her hair. Offering the plant had been a spur-of-the-moment action, one that he had honestly expected to be rejected. Luka didn't know if that meant that the Lamia was beginning to warm up some to him, or if she simply liked receiving gifts. Either way, he quite liked how the additional flower looked in her hair.

'It really does really help bring out her lovely skin, I think.' Luka thought off-handedly.

The young Hero nearly sputtered at his own thoughts, a mad blush coming to his face as he looked away immediately. 'Behave yourself, Luka! That isn't proper conduct for a Prophet!' He lambasted to himself, forcing his pale blue eyes to watch his simmering soup. Refocusing back on the meal, Luka took the ladle out from the broth and took a tentative sip. He smirked, finding the taste to be just right.

'Oh yeah, it's all coming together...' He thought with a light and throaty chuckle. Unbeknownst to Luka, Alice had begun to watch him as well. The Lamia had looked over once he started sampling his own cooking. His giddiness had attracted her attention, making her wonder if the soup was really that good or if the purple-haired boy simply enjoyed cooking that much.

She couldn't say that she'd seen anyone create meals with as much enjoyment as Luka did. It was as if he got some type of high off of it or something. It was almost unnerving how enthusiastic he got, but she had to admit that his smile was quite alluring. Something about it just made her want to get closer, for nothing else than to just be nearer. Endearing might be the better word, for it was a type of charm that works its way onto a person after a while. It was almost as if the longer you stayed around him, the more you'd want to be around him.

It certainly seemed to be the case, considering how many Monsters seemed driven to throw themselves to him like common street tramps.

The thought caused Alice to frown, a pang of rage fluctuating through her. She quickly shoved it down, the Lamia's face scrunching up at her flaring emotions. There was no reason for her to care about that. If he ended up indulging in the presence of other Monsters, that was none of her concern. They weren't that close, so it really shouldn't mean anything to her...

...But if this was so, then she shouldn't be clenching her fists so strongly.

"Hey Alice, the Miso is done!" The Monster Lord's thoughts were casted away with almost humorous speed at the declaration of food as she fixed her attention on the boy she had been thinking about. Luka stood by the firepit with a small bowl of soup in his hand and a wide grin on his face. He walked up to the white-haired Monster Lord and presented the meal to her as if it would be the greatest bowl of soup she'd ever had.

Considering the quality of the boy's cookies, Alice was inclined to think that this may be true.

Alice took the bowl with both hands, a pleasant warmth radiating from the soup. Luka handed her a spoon soon after and watched expectantly. The Lamia dipped the utensil into the broth, swishing around the yellow-brown liquid around a bit. She watched as the various vegetables circled around before looking up to Luka, who was still looking on with excitement.

"Are you going to eat, or would you rather watch me all night?" Alice's words spurred Luka to break his gaze, "Heh, sorry. I just wanted to make sure that you liked it..." The purple-haired Hero moved to start making his own meal as Alice lifted the spoon up, lightly blowing some of the steam away. She raised the spoon up to her lips, softly drinking in the broth.

As was expected, it was fantastic. Alice hummed in merriment, the warm broth heating up her body quite pleasantly. 'Finally, a decent meal.' The Lamia thought as she abandoned the spoon entirely and brought the rim of the bowl up to her mouth. Alice engulfed her entire helping in mere seconds, an act that caught the attention of the purple-haired Hero standing by the fire.

Luka watched in alarm as the seemingly mannerless Lamia brought her bowl back down with a loud sigh. He shook his head, completely in shock. 'I didn't know throats could move like that...' He said, having noticed how the act of downing the broth down her gullet had been quite visible through her gulps. '...I suppose that's one of those unique abilities she was talking about. Though I don't know if you could really count being a glutton as an ability.

The young Hero merely shrugged and began to eat his own soup as Alice actually got up to get her own seconds, instead of having him get it for her.

From far off in the distance, a small set of brown eyes watched from a large bush as the two ate. The eyes belonged to a certain sealed Elf girl named Lona, who had been following the two since they left Enrika...

Back to the main storyline now, as Luka and Alice are on their way to Iliasport. Not much else to say other than I'm really enjoying how this story is coming along so far. I hope that the feeling is mutual for those who have been reading.

Since there's no new reviews, I'll just really quickly say thanks to those who have been reading and sticking with this story. There's still a long way to go, but I think the journey will be worth it.