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Edward should've smashed that box of cigars while he had the chance.

It had been three days since Alrick left and the new instructor had been helping Anna and Kristoff plan their wedding. To be more accurate, he settled arguments and looked over hundreds of shades of colors and themes that the Princess couldn't decide on. After the first day, Edward wanted to drown himself. He couldn't blame Anna or Kristoff, he liked the two far too much to do so and this was preparation for one of the happiest days of their life.

He could on the other hand blame that old bag of dust for tricking him into volunteering to help them. He should've known when the Captain said that it would take him away from his instructor duties once again making him have his class of guards go over the same drills over and over.

Currently, he was folding invitations and brochures while applying scents to them. At first the task seemed easy he could easily finish ten in like a minute or two but he forgot one thing about Princess Anna. She was very popular with everyone in Arendelle. So when she asked him to make invitations and brochures for all the guests, she meant make them for all of Arendelle. He only smiled and nodded and as soon as she left the room, he slammed his head on the desk he was currently working at.

He asked Elsa if she had some registry for every citizen in Arendelle and if he'd be allowed to view it. When she asked why he would need to see it, he held up an invitation and she instantly got the message. He knew the village was small so he wasn't expecting a very big number. How wrong he was when the blonde returned with a massive list that had quite a few names on each page. His jaw dropped as he read through them all and barely noticed Elsa lightly tapping his shoulder while she held in a laugh. She kissed him on the cheek which he didn't even respond to, still in shock of the list, and left him to complete his task.

It took him an entire day, he made multiple trips to the market for more supplies to make more invitations but when he finished he couldn't help but sigh in relief. Until Anna walked in and said that she changed her mind on the scent that he needed to do them all over. He stared at the redhead for a long moment when she told him that and he took a minute to process it. When his brain finally clicked and he understood what she was asking him to do, he only smiled and nodded before watching her leave.

All the while vowing to destroy every cigar in Arendelle so that Stonewell wouldn't be able to get his tobacco and would go through withdrawals. It took him another day to get them all done and then help set up the courtyard to have the wedding. Anna wanted to fit as many people into the ceremony as possible. He worked with Kristoff mostly at this time as the mountain man lacked the precision that other tasks required.

Edward was soon able to complete preparations and have all the invitations mailed out and the venue ready for the ceremony. Surprisingly the Prince and Princess from Corona stayed to attend the wedding while the King and Queen returned to their kingdom. He briefly got to meet them and was quite interested in their rather unique story. Magic hair that used to be able to heal but now is an indestructible material? He knew he shouldn't judge, his left arm wasn't any more weirder than her hair.

With all the help they somehow managed to complete planning a wedding two days before it actually was scheduled to happen. The people were in a joyous mood as the wedding came closer, Edward still didn't know what the decorations around Arendelle were for but for now he was happy to have finally finished. As much as he liked Anna and Kristoff, he vanished the second their backs were turned and snuck into Elsa's study.

Unfortunately, she wasn't there, however for what he had planned it didn't matter. Stretching on the couch in front of the fireplace, Edward kicked his feet up and closed his eyes. He would take a little nap, Stonewell had lent him out to Anna until the wedding so he didn't have to be anywhere. He was about to doze off when Olaf waddled in with his ever happy grin on his face.

"Elsa! It's almost time for Christmas and…" The snowman just realized that the blonde wasn't in the study and instead there was a shook up Edward on the ground. The young man had jumped out off the couch when he heard the high pitched squeal of the little guy. He didn't want to be angry at the snowman, it wasn't his fault that the young man's brain was on fire and he wanted to just take a few moments to decompress. It was all that bag of dust and tobacco's fault that his mind was like this.

"Hi Ed, what are you doing on the ground?" The urge for a sarcastic and very caustic reply was strong but he swallowed it before speaking.

"Nothing important Olaf, you said that you're looking for Elsa right?"

"Yes, it's almost time for Christmas and we still haven't decorated the tree yet."

The young man had a confused expression on his face as he sat up and looked at the snowman. He had never heard of the word 'Christmas' before, but judging from the excited smile of his friend's face, it seemed very important.

"Decorated what tree?"

"The Christmas tree you silly goose! Even though Christmas was a few days ago, we celebrate it tomorrow. Today though we decorate the tree then ring the yule bell to signify the beginning of the holidays."

Olaf's tone got happier and happier as he expected Edward's expression to mirror his but for some reason it remained the same. Actually it grew even more confused as he listened to the snowman speak. Soon Olaf's happy grin began to leave his face before a pensive one took over. He knew that he was still very young and had a lot more to learn about life compared to the man in front of him but with the way Edward kept staring at him, it seemed he had no idea what Christmas meant.

But that's impossible, everyone knows what Christmas is. It's the best time of year, even better than summer!

"Come on Ed, stop playing around, you know what Christmas is. It's that time of year where you spend it with your family and have family traditions while singing with each other."

Olaf wanted to see Edward's face light up in realization and remember what Christmas was in case he forgot but when his face darkened for a moment, the snowman's face fell.

"I never had that time of year."

Edward couldn't stop himself from whispering that. He understood what Olaf was saying and said that more to himself but clearly the snowman heard it as his face fell even deeper. The young man quickly put on a small smile to reassure the snowman.

"Hey it's ok, you didn't know. There are different traditions from many different places. Maybe in Blackdust we didn't have that but it wasn't all bad, we had plenty of parties whenever we got back from our travels. They were so fun with everyone singing and dancing with each other."

As he hoped, the snowman's face lit up again. However, in the back of his mind, he couldn't help but frown when he thought about the lie he just told. While it was true that some soldiers would rejoice in another completed mission, Rahim would instantly return to Talib to carry out whatever orders his father had for him. Even during his childhood, they didn't have a family time. It was just him and his brother dragging themselves through their studies and their training. Even with Shahbaz's attempts to make the most of it, life was still hard, harder than no child deserved.

Edward shook his head, those were Rahim's memories, not his. He said it himself, he was Wrath and Rahim was dead. Going through the dead's memories like they were his own, defiled them.

"Well that's good, for a second there, I thought you were always alone during Christmas time and were really sad about it. Even if you missed the time of year, you still had fun with your friends and family so it's all ok! Now I need to find Elsa, with Anna and Kristoff running around with their marriage the tree hasn't been getting decorated."

Edward thought about what Elsa could be doing at this moment and thought that she probably was doing some official business and shouldn't be disturbed. Anna and Kristoff still had their marriage to think about while Kai and Gerda were seeing to the castle. He could see that he was likely the only one with stuff he didn't have to do. He reasoned it couldn't take too much effort, besides he was a little curious about what this 'Christmas' was. Reaching out and grabbing the snowman's hand before he could leave the room, Edward tugged on it to make the little guy turn around.

"Elsa's probably really busy right now, so why don't I just help you with decorating the tree?"

Olaf's face brightened as he clapped his stick hands. "Really?! That would be great! This is going to be so much fun!" The snowman grabbed Edward's hand and pulled him out the study around before taking him down the long hallways that led to the parlor they generally all sat in. When he got inside, Sven was already sitting next to a box that was in front of coniferous tree.

Olaf excitedly waddled to the box before opening it and revealing items of all kinds that were colorful and hanging off a string. The snowman picked up one of the ornaments and placed it at the bottom of the tree while Sven got the middle section. Edward stood by for a moment and wondered why the two of them needed Elsa, Anna, and Kristoff to help decorate this one lone tree, it was a little bit taller than him yet wasn't that large at the rate the two of them were going, they would finish in no time even without his help.

The snowman soon noticed that Edward was just staring at them before waddling over with an ornament in his hand and held it out. "Here you go Ed, you can hang this one!" Crouching down to take the ornament from Olaf, he put it on a higher branch before looking at the two of them with an expectant expression.

"So can either of you tell me what's the point of hanging these ornaments on this tree and why you needed other people's help to do it?" He expected Olaf to answer but was surprised to see Sven dig through the box before holding out a small wooden doll. Taking it in his hands, he examined it before realizing that it bore a striking resemblance to Anna.

"It's not about needing help, you see all those ornaments mean something to the people we care about. That doll in your hand was from Kristoff, he made it on one of his ice trips and gave it to Anna for next Christmas. If you look through these, you'll find that each one of them has an important and meaningful memory." The snowman dug through the box and picked up an old looking doll that was black and white with a glove wrapped around its neck like a cloak.

"This is Sir Jorgenbjorgen, the only thing that listened to Elsa when she was alone in her room." Edward gently took the doll in his hand and gazed at it as he noticed all of its stuffing beginning to fall out. He could tell that it was definitely well loved and upon further inspection, he recognized the glove-cloak as one of the blonde's gloves. He didn't know why but holding this decaying stuffed doll in his hand felt really heavy, like all of Elsa's memories and feelings were inside it.

Rationally, he knew that it was just a stuffed doll that looked ready to fall apart and couldn't be worth much but he could tell by the amateurish stitches and frost here and there that Elsa loved this little guy. Rahim had nothing like that, material objects were just objects that could be replaced. Sure he had his sword but that thing was a tool, one made for killing and was hardly needed now given Wrath's claws were likely sharper than the blade. The pessimist that was too stubborn to die inside of him, questioned how much worth could this little thing actually have.

However, having listened to Elsa and got to know what goes on behind her beautiful gems that were her eyes, he knew that even the smallest things held immense value.

Hopefully like the necklace I made for her.

She said she would never take it off, that wasn't very practical in his opinion. He wouldn't mind her taking it off, he never seen her wear jewelry before, perhaps there was a reason for it? Still though the look in her eyes when she first saw it made his heart swell. He knew that she genuinely cared for it, perhaps as much as this doll in his hand. Gingerly, he hung it on the tree before going to another ornament and pointing it out. "What's this one from?"

Olaf smiled as he began to explain all the ornaments inside the box and on the tree. Each one had its own story and memories that were like a treasure. There were some from Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Gerda, Kai, even Stonewell had one. Time quickly began to go by as the three of them decorate the tree. Edward remembered hearing a bell ringing earlier but didn't care to comment on it, he was too engrossed in learning about every ornament.

When they finally put up the last ornament and shared the last memory that came with it, Edward looked outside to see that it was dark out. "Well it's getting late so we should probably call it a day. Olaf, I really enjoyed hearing about all those stories about everyone. I'm really glad I helped decorate the tree." Edward got up and was about to head out the room when the little snowman grabbed his leg before he could leave.

"We aren't done yet, now we need to put the presents under the tree!"

The young man turned around with yet another confused expression as he looked down at the snowman.

"What presents?"

At that moment, the door to the room opened. Turning around, Edward was somewhat surprised to see Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, Kai, and Gerda shuffling into the parlor. Elsa was wearing an amazing navy blue off the shoulder dress with a fur collar that had ice crystals scattered across the dress. He could tell that there was a cape on her heels which matched her Snow Queen fashion. Anna was wearing a light blue thin jacket that was tucked into a skirt that gave her plenty of movement. Kristoff was still in his usual ice harvesting outfit while Kai and Gerda remained in their usual outfits as well.

"He probably meant this present."

The five of them walked toward the tree and gathered around it. Sven sat on the outside of the group with Kristoff next to him, who had Anna sitting in his lap. Olaf waddled to sit next to them and Elsa who pulled up her skirt to regally sit down next to Edward who was next to Kai and Gerda. When everyone was settled Anna picked up a small wrapped box and handed it to Edward.

"So Ed, we've all been talking and we kind of noticed you looked confused at the decorations around Arendelle. We were trying to find the right way to ask you without saying it aloud but Elsa here already confirmed you don't know what Christmas was."

The young man turned to the blonde woman with a confused expression trying to remember when she'd ask him a question. When she blushed and looked away before tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, he got a pretty good idea when. He meant it when he said he would tell her anything at this point, he supposed in the afterglow of their moment she got him to let it slip out.

"While technically Christmas already passed, we thought it'd be nice to have one Christmas with you since you're with us now. Traditionally we'd all exchange gifts and we knew you'd feel guilty if we all gave you something and you didn't get us anything even if you didn't know. Which is why, we all came together to get you one gift."

Edward took the small box in his hands like it was a treasure and carefully opened it. Inside was a silver full hunter pocket watch. He carefully picked it up and examined every detail of it, on the cover was a welded snowflake that was similar to the medal that Sven wore to show that Kristoff was Arendelle's Ice Master and Deliverer. Around the edges of the watch was light coat of frost that made it shine with different colors when it caught light just right. The chain attached to it was small yet quite sturdy with a clasp on the end of it. All in all it was a beautiful watch.

"You all didn't have to do this…"

"Sure we did, you're part of the family now. Even Stonewell agreed that we should do this, he suggested a pocket watch, said now you wouldn't have an excuse to be late all the time."

While he appreciated Anna's words, a petty flash of anger went through him when he heard the old man's words. That bag of dust couldn't do one nice gesture without getting a stab at him. Edward still had a plan to destroy all of the Captain's cigars but that would come later.

"I don't know what to say, this is really touching."

It was then that Elsa decided to speak.

"You don't have to say anything, but there is something you have to do. I'm sure Olaf has told you about what all those ornaments mean to all of us, we put them up to show that we have a bond with one another, that we're a family. Which is why, we thought it would be nice if you put something on the tree."

Edward thought about what she said and what each ornament represented and how much they all meant to the people around him. He wanted to put something up there that was precious as well as meaningful to him but to be honest...he didn't have anything. He didn't keep many material objects, the ones he cared about he gave away, there was nothing precious to him, save the pocket watch he just got. He supposed he could've asked Elsa to make him something out of her ice to put on the tree but he felt that was cheating.

"Can I get back to you all on that? There really isn't anything I want to put on the tree just yet." They all nodded and spent the rest of the night with each other, bonding like they were a family.

Talib was going over some reports in his cabin on a ship that was on the seas for a few days. He was heading to Weselton to look into something that was bothering him. Thankfully, he was alone on the voyage, he somehow managed to convince Father to not go to the Southern Isles and launch the invasion of Arendelle prematurely. In the alchemist's honest opinion, it was foolish to send an invasion force to Arendelle, their military may be small but they were a trade nexus to many kingdoms and all of them were basically allies. There was also the matter of the kingdom's geography to take into account, Arendelle had a capitol surrounded by mountains with the only way to transport a large force was through sea.

That singular fact gave an ice Elemental a massive advantage.

If Elsa could freeze her entire kingdom in an evening, there was so much she could do to a fleet of ships. Even if the information he received about her being hesitant to cause injury with her abilities, she could still seal off Arendelle by creating a large enough ice wall or just freeze the ocean itself. While he knew that her abilities weren't all powerful and certainly had their limits as other Elementals had, he had never heard of any with as much raw power as her.

He was glad Alrick sent Pride in the other direction when the Sin showed interest in killing her. While he had great confidence in Pride's abilities, he didn't want to hear that his most powerful asset was defeated by a little girl because of his son's arrogance. Yes, Talib still considered Pride to be his son. Shahbaz actually volunteered for the procedure and if the alchemist was being honest with himself, his oldest son likely the perfect incarnation of Pride there ever was.

That was his strength and his weakness.

True to his name, Pride could not stand having his namesake compromised or questioned. When he fought Father, he fought as a human since his opponent was also human. He was far superior to the other Sins because of his innate affinity to his sin, that fueled his abilities on a level that was unheard of. Wrath was the closest to that potential when he slaughtered the Mystic Guard but still couldn't face Pride.

Had Pride fought like a Sin and used all of his abilities and skill at his disposal, Father wouldn't have stood a chance, regardless of the failsafe that was built into him. Even with the failsafe, Shahbaz was almost able to completely bypass it. It was designed to control the Sins when they were straying too far from their roles. When it came to Pride, that failsafe could only be used to open a brief window of opportunity against the Sin.

Talib could think of the myriad of ways Shahbaz could kill Elsa, but there was also the risk that he would end up like Wrath. The reports showed that the furious Sin grew curious about Rahim and didn't finish him off when it had the opportunity. Instead Rahim was able to get a mortal blow on Wrath which forced Talib to place the demon's soul in his younger son's body. The alchemist feared that Pride would grow arrogant and give Elsa a chance to end him, which wouldn't be hard for her to do if she knew his weakness.

Despite all of the Sins great power, they all shared the same weakness. Their core made up of many condensed souls that harbored their respective Sin gave them life. It took time to create one, and required a very large number of bodies to power one. While the core was durable and was able to power a Sin's ability as well as repair any wound they sustained, it was still a finite energy source. Once all the core's power was used up, a Sin would be reduced to nothing more than a hybrid. While their bones and muscles had been enhanced with organs being less vital, they were still playing by a human body's rules.

Sever their spine with no power in their core and they won't be able to move until the core had time to regain its power.

Most of the Sins stocked up on their souls by killing and absorbing the particular feeling of their respective sin from their victims. They could also rest and the core would replenish its power from their own soul's sin but that was a longer process. Wrath was a special case, since the Sin didn't have any higher thinking, it wouldn't incorporate its victims wrath into its core to use to heal its wounds. Instead, it used them as a compass to locate other signs of wrath and kill them using its favorite trick. That was why it would only take one good strike to kill the Sin, because it would rather go on the offensive rather than have reserves for emergencies.

Wrath's ability was base and not meant to be powerful but was effective when used correctly. The Sin could enhance its body depending on how much power it puts into its body from its core. With a small amount of power, the sin could have strength and speed that were slightly out of a human's capacity. With a sizable amount, the demon could move fast enough that no human could react to it. Wrath, not knowing any better, always used it all at once in quick succession killing and using the victim's wrath to propel itself to its next target.

That changed when it gained Rahim's body and memories. Wrath was able to more effectively control his abilities and used its body's skill to create a fighting style that required the least amount of power. In fact, Talib's youngest son was an amazing catalyst for the furious Sin. With Rahim's mind, Wrath was now able to compete with Pride, which made it infuriating that he couldn't be found.

The more he thought about the Sin, the more theories he concocted. He kept thinking that like Shahbaz, Rahim managed to retain his soul and is just using Wrath as nothing but power. If that was the case, then he wouldn't have followed Father's orders to kill off the Mystic Guard. His younger son was too focused on revenge, if he could, he likely would've rather kill the alchemist who made his mother's killer. However, he was obedient as Wrath usually was so Talib doubted his younger son was in there anymore.

Shaking his head, he thought back to his firstborn son, he had sent Pride to Blackdust to retrieve his research notes. The modification of his soul would last however, sooner or later, Shahbaz would be aware of it. While Talib had only needed to modify Greed after he threatened the alchemist, he was confident that his son wouldn't be able to override the change on his own. That being said, Talib also knew better than to underestimate his firstborn, that child was a monster long before becoming a Sin. If he ever swallowed his Pride and fought to his full ability, there would be very few who would be able to stand in his way.

Truthfully, the alchemist couldn't care less if Pride went on a rampage, the experience would be informative as well as humbling to Father who was being foolish as of late. With the way things were progressing, there would be a massive loss of life if Father went around with no plan. That would effectively make educating the human race a moot point if they killed all of them by putting the world into a global war.

Which was why he informed Father that Alrick was on his way to one of their holdouts. Asger had a history with the new King and would love to settle the matter of who was stronger. When he heard the news, he was off to confront the founder of the Mystic Guard. That left Talib to go to the Southern Isles and coordinate with Greed to wage the invasion.

Speaking of Greed, the alchemist thought back to their last conversation that made him shake his head.

Greed appeared in a mass of black dust on a dock that had men loading up the supplies for the voyage. These men were all aware of what he was and paid him no mind as he walked past them. The Sin had received a summons from the alchemist to come here to speak about some matters. The bald man spotted the alchemist directing some men to move his research materials very carefully onto the ship. He silently walked up to him and was about to get his attention when Talib spoke with his back still turned.

"The first thing you should be aware of is that Father will not be joining us in the invasion of Arendelle. We've received information that Alrick the Mystic is on the hunt for one of holdouts near Corona, he has left to confront the King. Before he left, he asked me to travel to the Southern Isles to oversee the invasion in his stead."

Greed nodded, fully aware that even with his back turned, the alchemist was aware of his actions.

"There's also another matter that requires a discussion. I'm aware you visited Blackdust as well as Arendelle multiple times. Both places you are either considered dead or a threat to the monarchy. You've lived in the shadows for years with no one being able to get your name even when you led a bandit faction, but now you're risking exposing yourself. I know you're smarter than this, which leads me to believe that there is an emotional aspect to your actions."

The Sin kept very still as he stared intently at the alchemist's back. The analytical man had no idea that Wrath was in Arendelle and that needed to stay that way. The news on him overseeing the invasion was unfavorable yet wasn't debilitating. Talib could only be aware of a Sin's location if he had recent interactions with them. He couldn't ascertain Gluttony and Lust's location due to them being gone for so long but he could still send them messages. Only drawback was they couldn't respond to him, so he had no clue where they were or what they were doing.

Which left Greed, who he saw the most, to keep an eye on all the other Sins. Envy was no problem since the two of them were together, Sloth remained at Talib's side, Pride always had reports detailing the direction he went, and Gluttony and Sloth were obedient enough to send word of their location when asked. Wrath was the only one that was gone, as if he died or something, which would've been a large inconvenience to the plan.

Not that Greed really cared, he desired Wrath's life and with no one having any idea where he was, it sounded feasible he could take it. That still required Talib having no idea that the Sin was in Arendelle, the bald man could lie and say he was doing recon on the city but they had already completed that when they first arrived there. Not to mention that sooner or later someone would relay seeing Rahim's armor and katana killing me in the Southern Isles. When that happened then the alchemist would follow the trail to get Wrath back on track.

The Sin briefly entertained the thought of killing Talib right now with his back turned, but quickly dismissed it. There was a reason no one made a move against the alchemist, the air around him when he was upset was heavy and inspired fear in all the Sins. Coupled with the fact he created them and had the ability to somehow manipulate souls, who's to say the alchemist could destroy their cores with a flick of the wrist rather than modify them to follow his instructions?

The best move was to remain loyal and keep Talib's attention away from Arendelle.

"So I ask you, why are you making emotional decisions right now?"

A moment passed as the question hung in the air. Greed did not answer right away, he fought to maintain his composure. Not hearing an answer, the alchemist finally turned and when their eyes made contact, the Sin forced himself to speak.

"I wanted revenge for Envy."

Talib narrowed his eyes for a moment before cocking his head to the side examining the man in front of him.

"Revenge for Envy? It was my understanding that you were the one who dealt with him since he refused to remain anonymous as you are doing right now."

"You're correct, however I did that only to secure Father's plans as well as your desire. Envy was ordered to retreat but decided to return to Arendelle to recapture Elsa as well as kill any who got in his way. Ahimoth and Lilian were both there was well as many staff members, had he rushed the castle once again, he'd have to kill every last person to remain that way. Such would only expose us to the world. in addition he managed to get himself captured and I had to ensure he said nothing of our plans. Usually Envy would've griped and moaned about retreating but would've done so if I ordered it. However due to his defeat, he was enraged and wanted to have his revenge. If it wasn't for Ahimoth, Envy would still be here. Originally, I planned to kill the Prince but realizing that I would be recognized I forgoed that plan. Instead I decided to take his closest friend's armor and weapon to weaken the Southern Isles monarchy as well as make Hans into a hero who miraculously survived. When the reports reach Blackdust that someone dressed like Rahim, killed several Princes of another kingdom, they will lose much credibility and will be accused of sending Mystic Guard soldiers to attack the Southern Isles."

Throughout the entirety of the explanation, Greed kept his eyes fixed on Talib to convey his honesty. The story was logical and it would benefit their plans in the long run. Nonetheless, the Sin watched the alchemist's eyes narrow a fraction and discreetly held his breath. As it was stated before, the man before him was no fool in any stretch of the word. There must be something that bothered the alchemist but he turned around and went back to directing the men in storing his research materials.

Deciding that he should remain out of Arendelle to avoid arousing suspicion, Greed prepared to disappear only to be stopped by Talib's voice.

"I want you to keep an eye on Asger, we cannot allow him to die in a confrontation with Alrick. That being said, you cannot allow yourself to be seen by Alrick as he is sure to know your face since he recruited Ian into the Mystic Guard. If Asger is being difficult and acts like a foolish human, I want you to deal with him and bring him back. While we do need him alive, I don't need him to be in one piece. As for Alrick, if during their battle Asger seems to be completely overwhelmed by the new King then don't engage him, only secure the Crusher and escape. There should be some of our men in that vicinity to cover your retreat, but be warned that Alrick has men of his own to help him."

"Is there a reason to keep Alrick alive?"

Talib pulled out a small notepad and flipped through a few pages before landing on one particular one that was divided into three categories.

"If Alrick proves to be more capable out of the two of them, then he will make a much better candidate for the final stages of the plan."

With that, he wrote Alrick's name under Asger who was below Rakat's that was crossed out. In another column Maurice Raith was also crossed out with Lilian being under that. In the last column, there were seven places listed on there, Blackdust, Ashfeld, and a place called Morrowwood was crossed out. Only leaving Arendelle, Corona, Weselton, and the Northern Isles uncrossed.

There was something Greed wasn't telling Talib. Normally, he wouldn't care, the modification of the Sin's soul was so complete that even though he was aware of it, there was no way he could fight it. Regardless of any situation, he would see to the fruition of Father's plan. Him killing Envy however was a surprise but with time, the alchemist found out how he managed to do so.

Greed logically convinced himself that Envy would jeopardize the plan so to keep it safe, he killed the liability and brought the core back. It was a smart idea, using logic to bypass the modification on his soul. It proved that a human could overcome their Sins and learn. That was why Talib let the Sin go without forcing him to tell the entire truth, he couldn't force them to learn all the answers now could he?

Putting that thought aside, he had an invasion to plan as well as learn about who he would be dealing with. Hans was an easy person to manipulate, Weselton on the other hand would prove to be another matter. They were stuck in the ways of the idea that all magic was bestowed by evil sources and should be destroyed. While that mentality did hold a grain of truth, it truly showed how little they knew. Which was why he needed to educate them. Unfortunately, this required finesse and time, which meant that he'd have to spend some time in the kingdom to ensure they didn't do anything stupid.

It really wouldn't do if they saw one of his Sins running around with their abilities and attacked them thinking they were the enemy. He didn't want a repeat of what happened in Ashfeld. While it gave an accurate picture of what Pride was capable of, the primary goal of all of this was to better humans as a whole.

There would be no point if they killed every single human on the planet because the humans couldn't see that each Sin was the next step in evolution.

"How easier it would've been if Father just left everything to me…"

Hey guys new chapter, hope ya'll enjoy, I wanted to make some fluff chapters like the next one with Anna's wedding while keeping the story going and revealing some character thoughts. Really want to hear what ya'll think of Talib, he's got some surprises later on in the chapters that you aren't going to believe. Anyway please drop a review and a favorite or PM me if ya'll need to talk.