Tales of Xalthia

Chapter 2: The Investigation

For once in a long while, Tsuki had been able to get a peaceful nights' rest. Being back in Eresseas makes his worries seem to go away. Nothing beats being able to sleep in your own bed. As he slept through the night though, he did end up having dreams of a scenic small village situated on a grassy field, surrounded by exotic flowers and located along a cliffside that overlooked the ocean. In his dream, he saw a younger version of himself along with two other people he appeared to be very close to. He also saw who appeared to be his parents as they were all gathered around a table, eating together. His dreams seemed to shift from one peaceful moment to the next until they took a drastic turn. The serene dreams turned hot and red as the beautiful landscape of his dreams became bloodied and covered in flames. Laughter and cheerful talks turned into screams of terror and horror as the buildings and land burned. Images of villagers being cut down and abducted by an organized group of people. The last thing he saw in his dream were the images of his parents' bodies before he found himself being buried under falling debris.

Tsuki soon woke up from his sleep, slightly sweating a bit and out of breath. The light from the sun's rays shined through the open window from the night before as the sounds of birds chirping could be heard. He took a moment to calm himself down before sitting up in his bed. He placed his hand over his face as he thought about his dream. "Those dreams again" he said. He soon looked over to the window as birds sat on the windowsill. They were dreams of a past he would rather forget. He didn't have them for a while up until his travels around Cayhill. Seeing the countryside of things as well as witnessing all that he did were definitely the cause of them coming back.

He soon got out of his bed and walked over to shut the window before heading out the door to wash up. Once he did that and changed into a fresh change of clothes, strapped his sword onto his waist and made this way through the castle and and out the front gates. He wanted to try and meet up with his companions before they left to return to where they belong. It was still early in the morning as the sun was still in the process of rising so not many were out and about. He made his way through the town and eventually reached the Iron Maiden inn. Unfortunately, the innkeeper had informed him that they had already left, and he had just missed them. This bummed him out and debated on whether he should try and catch them at the town exit but he wasn't sure how much of a head start they had on him. With a heavy sigh, he turned right back around and headed back to the castle.

After returning to the castle, he made his way to the meeting hall for the Royal Eight. As per usual, he greeted the soldiers and officials as he passed by them. After a few minutes of walking, he reached the meeting hall. As he approached the door, he saw Stahler and Mike walk out of it, equipped and ready for what appears to be a mission.

Tsuki waved to them as he approached them. "Hey guys. Got new orders?" he asked.

Mike looked over at Tsuki as he walked up to them, shaking his head a bit. "Nothing all that exciting. I heard reports of bandit activity along the lake's coastline just outside the city and Stahler looked bored so I'm making him tag along with me" he said, patting him on the back with a grin on his face.

Stahler sighed. Bandit activity were indeed a problem but nothing that he felt deserved their attention. "I just don't understand why we have to handle this. The knights should be able to rout out the bandits just fine. Having us there is just overkill" he said. There were more important things that could be worth more for their time.

Mike laughed a bit at his statement. It seemed to him that he didn't quite understand what he was trying to imply. "Oh, come on! Sure, the regular knights can handle this easy enough but if they were to able to see that the Royal Eight were leading the charge, that would surely deter anyone else from committing such acts!" he said. He then looked over to Tsuki and pointed at him with a not-so serious expression on his face as if he was trying to lighten the mood. "I know you agree with me! Say something!" he shouted.

Tsuki shrugged a bit. He could understand his logic. If a powerful force were to lead the charge to solve a particular problem, then that would definitely tell others who might try to repeat the problem to not do it otherwise they would potentially be met with the same force. "I mean, I suppose what you're saying is true but I kinda agree with Stahler on this. The knights should have no issue taking care of some bandits. Deploying the Royal Eight for something like this seems like a waste of time and resources" he said.

Mike leaned over with his arms dangling in defeat with a groan. "And here I thought that you would have my back on this" he said. With a sigh, he stood back up and face Stahler. "Nevertheless, I already agreed to take charge on this so I can't back out of it now. You have to go to your debriefing don't you?" he asked

Stahler then pointed to the door they just came out of. "Not dressed like that, I hope. The smiths prepared you some new armor. It's temporary until they're able to reforge your old armor but it'll get the job done. It's sitting on the table in there" he said. The armor of the Royal Eight was forged a little differently than regular knights' armor so it takes a little longer than usual to prepare especially since they request was put in at such short notice. However, seeing as how Tsuki wasn't going anywhere anytime soon, it wasn't much of an issue. He then proceeded to walk past him but not without tapping him on the shoulder as he did. "I wish you the best of luck" he said.

Mike and Stahler then proceeded down the hall until they disappeared around the corner as they headed off to the castle exit. Tsuki soon entered the meeting hall and walked over to the table where his temporary armor was waiting for him. He slipped it on and adjusted it so he would be more appropriately presentable for the royal family. Once he made sure he was ready to go, he left the meeting hall and continued towards the audience chamber. Upon his arrival, the doors were opened for him by the two guards that were standing by. He stepped through the doorway and made his way up the audience chamber until he reached the foot of the steps leading up to the thrones where Taichi, Emma and Cheria were sitting in.

Tsuki took a deep breath before getting down onto one knee and lowering his head. He had to push his feelings of not being able to meet with his companions aside as he needed to dedicate his full attention on his report. "Tsuki Himura reporting for the debriefing. This may take a while as a lot had happened, so I'd like to apologize in advance" he said. He fully expected this to take a lot longer than a normal debriefing session would. There were a lot of things he needed to discuss and bring to their attention.

Taichi held his hand up after he spoke. It seems he wanted to say something before Tsuki started his debriefing. "Hold off on that for a moment. Let's welcome our special guests first" he said. He then called out to a guard standing next to a door off to the right-hand side of the audience chamber. "Guard, send them in" he instructed him.

The guard looked over to the king and saluted him. "Yes sir!" he acknowledged. The guard then walked into the room he was standing next to. He was gone for a few moments and the audience chamber fell silent. When the guard came back, he opened the door once more as three people walked in from the room.

Tsuki turned around when he heard a door open following a series of footsteps that echoed through the audience chamber. He was surprised at what he saw. The three people that had entered the audience chamber were his companions that he was traveling with. "What? Guys, what are you doing here? I thought you all left already" he asked them. He didn't expect them to be in the castle.

Among the small group, there was a young girl with a staff who was around Tsuki's age, a man who appeared to be in his late thirties that had a heavy-looking and large greatsword on his back and a young man who looked slightly older than Tsuki and had steel gauntlets over his fists and plating over his feet.

The group walked up to Tsuki and bowed to the royal family. Then, the older male of the group started to speak. "Thank you for having us, Your Majesty" the man said to Taichi as he bowed in respect.

Tsuki couldn't figure out what was going on at first. Then, it dawned on him. He did let out the fact that they were staying at the Iron Maiden to Zero and the royal family so it should of been expected that they would act on that knowledge. "Let me guess, you had them summoned here, didn't you?" he asked.

Emma shook her head a bit, raising her finger up. "You're half right. With them still around town, it wouldn't feel right to not hear about what happened from all those that were involved, military or civilian. We had Zero bring them here before they got the chance to leave. Not only that, it appears that they had intentions on saying goodbye to you before leaving anyway so it worked out for us." she told him. She looked at the group he had traveled with and examined each of them closely. "So, now that we have everybody gathered, tell us everything that had happened over the past two months that you've been gone" she said.

The young girl scratched her cheek with her finger in thought. She's never given a report to royalty, let alone meeting royalty in person. This was a lot to take in for her at first since she was a countryside girl and so she was feeling a number of mixed feelings of being humble, anxious and nervous. "I'm not sure where to begin. Since this was Tsuki's mission, I think he should explain most of it and we should just chip in bits and pieces whenever we become relevant to the story" the girl said.

The young male nodded and agreed with what the girl said. "She's right. We all joined up at different times so we can just add in our parts when he gets to them. That way, we're all contributing to the report" he said. He then looked over to Tsuki and waited for him to start.

Tsuki looked at his companions and nodded. He then took a deep breath. He had a lot of explaining to do and it was going to take quite some time but since he had his companions with him, it shouldn't be too bad. "Alright then. I guess I will start at the beginning then when I first received my orders. Do you recall them?" he asked, looking up to the royal family.

Taichi nodded, leaning back in his chair and folding his arms. "Yes. We received reports of some high-ranking officials from Basilwell went missing. Some suspected foul play. Normally, this would be a task for the police force but then cargo of unknown origin was also discovered in one of the warehouses. After doing his own investigation into the matter, the commander discovered that the cargo and the disappearances were linked to each other and gave credible cause for alarm" he said. He remembers reading about the missive he received that day. The sense of urgency was clearly written his his letter.

Emma took out a copy of the missive they had received back then. "The commander requested us to send someone down to investigate this immediately as he felt there was an 'impending danger' on the horizon. However, at the time we received this, the other members of the Royal Eight were bound by their own respective duties so we sent you out in their place" she said. Thinking back on the missive they received, she recalled having a bad feeling about something but chalked it up to anxiety of sending Tsuki out on his own. When it came to things like this, it was protocol to send out at least two people to investigate. The timing wasn't ideal and they were forced to break protocol.

Tsuki nodded at them, having a series of flashbacks to when he first received the orders. He remembered feeling pretty anxious about them himself. He didn't want to screw this up especially since if something were to happen, he would have no back-up. He was confident in his skills at the time but he also knew that, deep down, there was something off about his orders. He just didn't know what it was so he had pushed those thoughts to the back of his head. "After receiving my orders, I went off into town to prepare and then promptly left. The trek from Eresseas to Basilwell would take about four days and I wanted to leave as soon as possible. Then, after two days of travel with minor skirmishes with the local monsters, I arrived at the village of Crescentia near the center of the Great Plains which served as a halfway point. This is where it all started..." he said.

Time then jumps back to over a month ago. A time where things were easy and should of stayed that way. With the countryside town of Crescentia serving as his first stop, Tsuki would soon realize that an ordinary investigation wouldn't be so simple. Crescentia was a small little village that thrived off of farming. It was a quiet place that was surrounded by an abundance of nature. Kids would play in the fields just outside of the village but within close enough distance for the town watch to keep an eye on them in case something were to happen. Buildings were simple wooden structures with vines and moss used as natural decor around them. It was a village that had a population of about four hundred so it was fairly big for a countryside village especially around these parts. There were other villages and settlements scattered around the Great Plains but Crescentia was the largest. The people knew just about everyone and they were all pretty tight fit. The village mostly had farmers and the town watch was comprised of volunteers who were willing to protect their town despite not having a whole lot of combat experience. Whenever someone couldn't do their job due to things like feeling sick or being injured, there would always be someone else to step up and fill in. The village as a whole operated as unified body, essentially.

With the produce and meats being widely popular throughout Cayhill, including in some portions of the Southern Lands, the place gets a steady flow of visitors. From those who want to try the villages' produce and meats while they're fresh to those who are looking for a quiet place to escape to. Because of all the contributions the village makes, they have special ties to Eresseas. They've even hosted festivals for them for special occasions at the castle. When Tsuki arrived at the village gates, he was greeted by two of the town watch who stood guard. This caused a bit of exciting commotion among the local kids and a few others as they all seemed to gather and welcome him to the village. He's been to the village a few times over the last few weeks so people would always try to make him feel at home. Among the group of people that had gathered around him, there was a middle-aged lady in unique, almost tribal-like clothing. She had grey colored eyes with long, silver hair that was braided and rested down against her left shoulder going down to her chest.

The lady walked up to Tsuki and bowed to him. "Well, if it isn't Tsuki. Back again, I see. I'm beginning to think that this is becoming somewhat of a routine for you. It's only been two weeks since you last visited. If you've come to check up on our food stores for the upcoming festival, you'll be happy to know that things are proceeding as planned. We should have the first batch ready to go by the end of the week" she said. The village farmers had been hard at work and been building up stores of produce and meat for a festival they were going to be hosting in Eresseas in a few weeks. This Festival of Blossoms happens every year when cherry blossoms go into full bloom at the heart of Eresseas. It's the largest festival in Cayhill and attracts many visitors, even some from overseas. The festival is hosted by Crescentia as they're in charge of providing the necessary amount of produce and meat so that they can be preserved for when the time of the festival arrives.

Tsuki did his normal thing and returned the greetings he received back to the villagers before looking towards the woman who approached him. "Please, you don't need to bow your head. This isn't an official setting so there's no need for it. Although I'm glad that things are going smoothly with the preparations, I didn't come here for that. I was headed somewhere else but decided to stop here to rest for a while since I've been on the road for two days" he said. He was pretty used to long travels. It was definitely an arduous endeavor at first and he hated it but over time, he got used to it. He didn't really have much choice in the matter.

The lady stood upright and looked at him, holding her finger up with a stern look on her face. "Now, you know that won't do. As Mayor of Crescentia, I can't be seen as being disrespectful to the knights especially those closely tied to the royal family. Must we always have this discussion every time you come here? Honestly..." she said with a sigh. Her name was Reia Katosuki. She was fifty-six years old and she, as she said, served as the mayor of Crescentia. She had been serving as mayor for about eight years now after inheriting the position from her mother who, unfortunately, passed away due to a local disease. The transition was tough, but the spirit of the village was even tougher. Despite her looks though, she was a caring leader. She was the type of person who would rather be out helping the farmers or the other villagers than lounge around in her house all day. Being able to interact with the villagers on a daily basis helps build strong trust and bonds. "If you're stopping by to rest, come to my place and I'll make you some tea. I just made some muffins as well so help yourself. I'll even walk you there myself. Come" she said, waving her hand at him. She soon turned around and started to head into the village as the crowd around them started to disperse.

Tsuki couldn't refuse her offer for tea and muffins. He remembers that her homemade muffins were to die for and while he didn't know what kind of tea leaves she used, the tea she makes was also very good. It was definitely the best tea he's ever had so the tea and muffins alone made the stop in Crescentia worth it. He followed her into the village, stopping to greet everyone as he made his way through the streets. The smell of the air in the village was almost intoxicating. Combined with the overall fresh air and produce being grown out on the fields, it reminded him of the garden back at the castle. After a few minutes of walking along a dirt road, they arrived at a two-story house on a small hill that overlooked the village. It was the definition of a mayor's house that you'd read about in books because of its unique outside appeal and location. They soon entered into the house and were greeted by warmth of a well-kept fireplace. The first floor had a nice little living space with a couch and two chairs, sitting on top of a fur rug with a table between them and a small kitchen off to the left side. The kitchen was just the perfect size for a house of this size. There was a door that led to the master bedroom and another leading to the washroom. The second floor had two separate guest bedrooms, each having two beds in them, dressers and basic furnishings one would normally find in a guest room.

Reia went over to her kitchen and prepared some tea and put some of her freshly baked muffins on a plate while Tsuki made himself at home in her living space. Once she made the tea, she poured some into two cups and walked them over to set them on the small table between the chairs and couch along with the muffins. She sat down in one of the chairs as Tsuki took his sword off his waist before sitting down on the couch. He then reached for a muffin and took a bite out of it. It was still warm and he could taste how fresh it was. After eating it, he grabbed one of the cups of tea and took a sip of it. If he wasn't on duty, he could easily find himself overindulging in this.

Tsuki soon set the cup down on the table and reached for another muffin before sitting back in the couch and taking a bite out of it. "Oh. By the way, I was curious about something. Last time I was here, you mentioned that you were trying to teach one of the locals girls healing Artes. How is that coming along?" he asked.

Reia leaned back in her seat for a moment to make herself comfortable. "It's coming along pretty well. She still has much to learn but she's definitely got some potential to be a wonderful Healer in the future. It's getting to the point where I'm running out of things to teach her so I've been trying to come up with new material" she said. She was a master Healer in her own way but she could only teach someone so much. Not having any other Healers to refer to, she didn't have very many places to look for reference material.

Tsuki could understand that a little bit. Eresseas had a few Healers of its own but most of them were all tied to the military. There weren't many freelancer Healers out there, at least around these parts. "Well, at least she has you to teach her things to get her started. That's what matters, right?" he asked.

Artes, in the general sense of things both Physical and Magical, are key elements for basically everyone that has an aptitude for them. Some might excel in Physical Artes but lack in Magical Artes where others might be the opposite. There are a rare few who excel at both Physical and Magical Artes. These people are typically found among royal families and other prominent settings and are considered true masters in the field of Artes. Then, you have those who do not possess an aptitude for them and thus cannot wield Physical or Magical Artes at all. The farmers of Crescentia are perfect examples of this. The only way for them to be able to wield Artes, they would need the assistance of something called Blastia. These were harmless tools that people use to help give them a fighting edge. They had been growing in popularity over the last two years but despite their benefit they have, these are only temporary measures people can take. They're fairly limited in what they can do and should not be used longer than necessary. Blastia are commonly used for those who have aptitude for Artes but aren't at a level where they can properly use them yet. They were essentially training supplement tools. Once would-be adventurers developed their skills enough to make them more comfortable with whatever Arte proficiency they specialized in, they would stop using Blastia. Those who had no aptitude for Artes would struggle to use Blastia more than those who did have an aptitude for them, but they could still use them in a worst-case scenario.

In terms of Arte proficiency, Tsuki is more of a Physical Artes wielder though he does dabble a bit in the Magical side of things but that's just for things like basic first aid, which is taught to everyone who joins up as a knight, and basic attack and defensive Artes. Aside the times he's had to utilize first aid, he doesn't really practice with Magical Artes. Reia was the opposite as she was an expert in Magical Artes but severely lacked in Physical Artes. Physical Artes are pretty straight forward and are divided into two categories: offensive and defensive. Depending on the weapon of choosing for the user, offensive and defensive Artes will greatly vary in terms of execution. Everyone who wields Physical Artes gain a mix of different offensive and defensive Artes as they develop their skills. Magical Artes, however, are a little different. They're divided into three categories: offensive, defensive and healing. Just about every Magical Artes wield, much like the Physical Artes wielders, will gain a variety of different offensive and defensive spells to use. The stronger the spell, the more Mana would be consumed. What makes things different are healing Artes. Healing Artes have some of the most complex and diverse spell weaving. They're also the most difficult to learn and master. Those that can use healing Artes are few and far between. Healers are much sought after by the military of each nation for obvious reasons. There's still your fair share of healers around this side of the world but there's just not enough to keep up with the demand. In a lot of cases, most healers see that as potential profit and become doctors to use their healing Artes to treat the wounded charge high amounts of money to the point where it's considered borderline price-gouging. In Cayhill, these types of actions are heavily looked down upon and are handed down harsh judgment and consequences if one were caught trying something like this. Because of this, some people have developed a stigma against those who use healing Artes out of fear of potential bankruptcy and blackmail. Thankfully, however, such stigmas don't exist in Cayhill.

Reia nodded at him. "I suppose you're right about that" she said. He made a good point though. All she could do was manage on her own for the time being. "Anyway, if you're not here to check up on Festival preparations, what's brought you here today?" she asked.

Tsuki finished the muffin he had and took another sip of the tea that Reia had provided to him. "I'm on my way to Basilwell. Recently, some of their top-ranking officials have gone missing and a strange shipment had been discovered. The commander of Basilwell did his own investigation into it and saw that the two were connected. Seeing as how they are dealing with a potential threat, he requested assistance from Eresseas" he said.

Reia scratched the back of her head a bit. Something seemed a little odd about these orders. "I know I've been out of the loop of royal affairs for a while but I thought it was against protocol to send you out without backup, regardless of what they're being sent out to do" she said.

Before Reia became the mayor of Crescentia, she was actually an official Healer that worked under the royal family. She held that position for a number of years before family issues forced her to retire. Because of her mother's passing, she was forced to retire from her position as and take her place as the new mayor of Crescentia. She remembered that whenever knights are sent out on missions, they're always sent out in, at the very least, groups of two. However, he arrived in the village by himself. It wasn't like Taichi and Emma to break protocol like that.

Tsuki set his cup down on the table and leaned back in his seat. "Unfortunately, the timing of the commander's request came at a bad time. He specifically requested someone from the Royal Eight to come due to the urgency of this discovery. Most of the Royal Eight had been sent out on their own to handle other missions. I was the only one they had on standby. In cases like this, I would have been paired up with Georg but, he was suddenly given a mission to investigate some ruins to the north. They couldn't wait for them to return so they had to make an exception this time around" he said. He was a little nervous since it was the first time he had been sent out on a solo mission but he was confident in himself that he could handle things. It was just a simple investigation so it couldn't have been as bad as they were making it out to be.

Reia mumbled to herself for a moment before taking a sip of her tea. If it was just a simple investigation, then there shouldn't be too much for them to worry about. However, there was safety in numbers and you never know what unexpected things could happen. "What's this strange shipment?" she asked.

Tsuki shrugged in shoulders a bit. In the report that Basilwell's commander had sent out, he didn't exactly specify what the shipment was other than the fact that he deemed it suspicious enough to warrant Royal Eight attention. "Unfortunately he didn't say. However, based on his letter to His Majesty, he made it sound like it was important which is why they couldn't just sit on it" he said.

Reia had worked for the royal family for a long time. She knows just how they can be more than anyone. "Well, I guess I can't blame them. It's best to nip problems in the bud before they become an issue later on. Especially with the Festival fast approaching" she said.

Tsuki reached out and grabbed another muffin to take a bite out of it. "I've already been on the road for 2 days. Since this place was nearby, I decided to take a bit of a break. It'll take another 2 days before I get to Basilwell from here" he said.

Reia tilted her head a bit. "Wait, 2 days? You aren't thinking of going into the Cavern of Solace, are you?" she asked.

The Cavern of Solace was a cafe system that pushed through the mountains that separated Basilwell from the rest of the continent. There were two ways to get to Basilwell; either through the various checkpoints that merchants and ordinary travelers use. This was the safest route but took an additional day or two depending on weather conditions and monster patterns. The other option had more dangers to it as it not only took you into a monster-infested cave but also because that cave held another dangerous element to it.

Tsuki nodded at her. He understood the risks of going into the Cavern of Solace but he didn't care. It was the shorter route and would save him some time. Plus, it would give him the opportunity to gain more battle experience. "I'm aware of the dangers. I'll be fine" he said.

Reia could see the determined look in his eyes, letting out a soft sigh as she shook her head. "Ah, to be young and reckless. It's a wonder how the Princess can put up with you" she said.

Tsuki finished off the muffin before taking another sip of his tea. "I know that it's been only two weeks but how are things going with the harvest?" he asked.

Reia gazed out through the nearby window of her living room. "It's going wonderfully. The spirits must have blessed us because the turn-out this year has been nothing short of a miracle. At this rate, we'll have more than enough produce and other goods for the Festival and then some. Like I said, the first batch should be ready to ship out not too long from now" she said. She then shifted her gaze down towards her cup of tea, letting out another sigh. "We've had our own set of problems too, however" she said.

Tsuki folded his arms in front of him and leaned back in his chair. She had a serious look on her face. "What's going on?" he asked.

Reia scratched her head, standing up and walked over towards her kitchen area. "Lately, a band of thugs have been making their presence known. They claim that they're the Dark Wings but they're nothing but a bunch of phonies. They've attempted to seize some of our farmland a few times but those that are able to fight around here drove them off" she said. It was starting to become a problem. for her.

Tsuki hadn't heard of this before. Everything seemed to be so peaceful around here. There were no signs of any thug activity around these parts and especially anything that could relate to the Dark Wings. "That sounds odd. Why would they target the farmland? It's not like they would benefit from it" he said.

The Dark Wings were an organized band of thugs with a pretty large diversity. The group comprised of assassins, thieves and even mercenaries. They made a name for themselves when they tried to steal from a mansion in Briswater for the sake of so-called "preservation". However, unlike normal thugs, the Dark Wings were organized and methodical. They were experts in what they set out to do and execute their objectives to the letter. They've given the royal knights the slip a number of times as well. They weren't the type that would make sloppy entrances like with the group of thugs that she is describing.

Reia shrugged her shoulders. "That's what I thought too. If it were them, I would have requested aid from Eresseas but seeing as how they seem to be pretenders, I thought we could handle it ourselves. However, they're getting more and more persistent and aggressive. It's only a matter of time before they try something drastic" she said. At this rate, it was only a matter of time. The question was, when would it happen and what steps she could take to prevent it. "We've got it under control though. I won't allow you to handle our problems for us. You've got enough going on as it is and by the sounds of it, so does Eresseas. We'll be fine" she said.

Tsuki soon stood up from the seat and walked over towards the kitchen area and stopped by a nearby hallway. "If you say so, then I won't worry about it. I appreciate the hospitality but I think I'm going to go get some rest at the inn before heading out again" he said.

Reia shook her head at him. "Oh, nonsense. Feel free to use one of my spare rooms. I've got plenty of space to share. No need to book a room at the inn" she said, pointing down the hallway.

Tsuki was a bit hesitant at first but nodded at her. If she was going to offer him a bed, then he didn't see why he should refuse. "Thanks, I appreciate-" he said.

Suddenly, the sound of frantic footsteps on her outdoor wooden patio could be heard before the front door flew open. On the other side of the door was a young girl who looked to be around Tsuki's age. She had light brown ruffled hair that went down slightly past her shoulders and brown eyes. She carried what looked to be a staff on her back as well.

The girl was short of breath and was sweating quite a bit. She looked like she just ran a mile. "R-Reia, we have a problem!" she shouted, trying to catch her breath.

Reia jumped a bit in surprise by the sudden loud sound of her door being slammed open. She was about to turn around and give her a stern talking to until she noticed her current state of being. She also took note of some chaos happening outside as well behind her. "Lyn? What's going on?" she asked.

The girl pointed out somewhere towards the village. "They're back! The people calling themselves the Dark Wings! They demand we hand over our farmlands and are threatening the village!" she said.

Reia sighed heavily, rubbing her forehead. She had expected this would happen. "They never learn, do they?" she asked. She then walked over to the front door, picking up a staff that she had leaning against the wall before looking back at Tsuki. "As you heard, there's a little problem that needs taken care of. I'll be back" she said. She then started to walk out the front door.

As she started to step out, Tsuki followed behind her. "Wait. I'll come with you" he said. He was feeling a little tired already but he couldn't just sit back and rest while the village was being threatened, even if it was by a ragtag group of thugs.

Reia stopped and turned back towards him as he approached her. "No, you don't have to. Besides, I told you that I don't want to involve you" she said.

Tsuki shook his head and patted his chest. "I'm a knight, remember? If people knew that I just stood by and did nothing, I would never be able to live it down. I'm coming and that's that" he aid.

Reia sighed, shaking her head. She knew that she wasn't going to be able to stop him otherwise. "Alright, fine. Let's go put a stop to this show before they cause some real damage" she said.

The girl ran out of the house and up next to Reia. "Is there anything I can do to help?" she asked.

Reia nodded her head. They might be pretenders but that doesn't mean that they can't cause harm to the people. "Head to the clinic and get things ready for potential patients. It's best to be ready to treat injuries if a fight breaks out" she said.

The girl nodded. "Okay! Leave it to me!" she said. She then turned around and ran down one of the nearby roads, disappearing around the hillside.

Tsuki watched the two of them interact briefly before she ran off. He took note of the staff she had. It had a striking resemblance to Reia's. "Was that the girl you're teaching Healing Artes to?" he asked.

Reia nodded, looking over towards the hillside she disappeared around. "Sure is. She's a good girl with an earnest heart. She's like a daughter to me in a way and I couldn't be more proud of her" she said. She then looked back at Tsuki. "I'll introduce you two later. For now, let's get going" she said.

With that, Tsuki and Reia ran off towards where all the commotion was. From the sounds of people shouting and the gathering crowds, it appeared that everything was going down at the village gates. It only took them a few minutes to reach there and by that time, the thugs in question had already caused some injuries to the town guardsmen. The two standing by the village gates had received some minor slash injuries and one of them had also been stabbed in the stomach. The surrounding villagers manager to pull the wounded guard away from the thugs to tend to the man's wound as they tried to stop the bleeding.

The timing of their arrival also didn't help things. Most of the men in the village were off on the other side of the village, tending to the farmlands. Due to the recent string of monster attacks and appearances of the thugs, they've had to increase security around the farmlands which pulled most of the able-bodied fighters away from the main part of town. All that was left were a handful of people who weren't all that experienced when it comes to fighting, specifically against other people. Fighting off monsters and people were two different scenarios.

When Reia and Tsuki arrived and pushed through the crowds, they saw that there were 5 thugs standing by the entrance. The other wounded guardsmen had been knocked down onto the ground as one of the thugs kept him on the ground by pressing his foot down on his back. This person had a bit of muscle to him and had a commanding presence. It was clear that this was the leader of the group.

The thug leader took notice of Reia as she approached them, letting out a chuckle and evil grin. "Well, if it isn't the mayor herself. About time you showed up. I was just about to rough things up a little bit. I'm sure you know what we want by now, right?" he asked.

Reia shook her head. "I told you this many times before and my answer still remains the same. You have no right to our farmlands and if you think we're just going to hand them out to a bunch of brutish thugs like you, then you are sorely mistaken" she said in slightly angered tone.

The thug chuckled more as he applied more force of his foot against the guardsman's back, making him groan out in pain. "Unfortunately for you, things have changed" he said.

The thug snapped his finger and moments later, a small group of thugs came out of nowhere. Now, their numbers totaled out to be roughly 15 and they were all armed and ready to strike without prejudice. This caused a bit of unrest among the gathered villagers.

Reia could see that things were escalating pretty quickly. This was a brazen tactic for them and were all very serious in their threats. "You think a show of force is going to change my mind? I'm afraid you have no idea who it is you're dealing with" she said. Despite the escalation, she kept a calm, cool composure.

The thug chuckled more, taking his foot off the guardsmen and then kicking him away with a bit of force. "If you won't relinquish your farmlands willingly, we'll just have to take it by force. In fact, I think we will make this village our new home. The men have no purpose but I'm sure we can find a use for the women and children" he said. He had a rather sinister look on his face. He was tired of playing these games with Reia and has decided to take action. "Before that, you need to die" he said.

Moments later, four thugs surrounded her with daggers and knives drawn and ready to spill blood. This caused the gathered villagers to slowly spread out. Despite the circumstances, they weren't fleeing in terror. In fact, they were about as calm as Reia was. Reia responded to the thugs by taking her staff off her back and held it at her side. Moments after that, her eyes started to give off a faint light as they started to glow white. One of the thugs that surrounded her soon charged at her, quickly lunging their dagger forward in a stabbing motion. However, before the thug could get within striking distance, an incantation circle appeared below Reia's feet where chains of light suddenly shot out from it and wrapped around him in a tight hold. The other three thugs soon charged at her at the same time, coming at her from different angles.

Reia turned to face one of the approaching thugs, speaking out a quick incantation in an unknown language. She shot out a blast of light at the thug who dodged it but realized that it was a feint a little too late as he was impaled by a sword of light, killing him. Meanwhile, another thug came at her from behind and instead of stabbing her, he swung his dagger at her in a slashing motion. Reia took hold of her staff, spinning her body around to dodge the slash and then striking the man on the back of the head with good, hard hit that ended up knocking him out cold. As for the last thug, seeing as how she single-handedly brought down three thugs as if it were nothing, he ended up stopping in his tracks. Reia took his opportunity to strike first this time as she shot out another series of chains at him which quickly wrapped around him in a tight hold.

As she was focused on the four thugs, the leader took the opportunity to focus on the rest of the village with the remaining 11 other thugs. "Go! Seize this town! Kill any that resist and capture the women and children!" he shouted.

The thugs turned their focus on the villagers and the town and all ran out to follow the orders that were given. Naturally, this caused some of the nearby woman and children to run away in terror as they were approached by thugs. Unfortunately, their little raid quickly came to a stop. Sounds of men shouting out in pain and metal clashing caused them to shift their focus. In a matter of seconds, five thugs had been cut down by Tsuki who had decided to intervene. Seeing as how Reia had her hands full, he could put his focus on the remaining thugs. By this point, there were 6 thugs left, excluding the leader as they all surrounded him.

The thug took notice of Tsuki, giving him a look of irritation. "What do we have here? A boy playing knight?" he asked.

Tsuki let out a faint sigh as he shook his head. As they thought, these guys were nothing but pretenders. "Dark Wings, huh? Unless their recruitment standards have severely dropped over the years, you're all pathetic. You're nothing close to the Dark Wings" he said. He could sympathize with the Dark Wings a little bit. These people were using their name for clout without the means to back it up.

The thug leader clicked his tongue in disgust. It seemed like he didn't care that they were called out for being fakes. "Figured us out, huh? Well, congratulations. It won't do you good in the end" he said.

Tsuki could see the arrogance in the man's eyes. Everything about his character just screams over-the-top arrogant. "Not hard to figure out. The Dark Wings are organized and are experts in their field. They don't make mistakes like this and they surely don't flaunt their authority and power" he said.

The thug leader was getting more aggravated by his comments. "Yeah? And who do you think you are, thinking that you can stop us?" he asked.

Then, one of the other thugs that had surrounded him took notice of his armor and immediately recognized it which made him take a few steps back, dropping his knife on the ground. "W-wait! T-that armor! H-he's one of the Royal Eight!" he shouted.

The armor that the Royal Eight wore was slightly different than the armor that other knights wear. They're designed differently and have a special insignia engraved into the chest plate of the armor. This helps the Royal Eight stand out among other knights and on the battlefield so that they were easier to pick out in a crowd. Most people immediately recognize him right away solely because of the armor he wears.

The thug leader took another look at the armor he wore and looked unimpressed. "The Royal Eight? This runt? Ha! Don't make me laugh. There's no way someone like him is a knight, let alone one of the Royal Eight. It's ironic as he calls us pretenders as he tries to pass off as a knight" he said.

Tsuki let out a heavy sigh as he shook his head. He wasn't sure how to respond to that statement. "Unlike you, I'm the genuine article. If you think otherwise, then why don't you come at me and see for yourself?" he asked, provoking the thugs.

The thug leader had a smug grin on his face. He may had gotten lucky with taking down the five thugs but this time, he was surrounded. "You heard him, boys! Kill him" he said.

Soon, all but the one thug that pointed out his armor all charged at him at the same time. With them closing in on all sides of him, they were all under the impression that he had nowhere to go. However, their battle skills were sloppy, at best. Two of them quickly ran up in front of them as one of them lunged their dagger forward while the other swung his knife at him. Tsuki easily dodged both attacks by sliding to the side to avoid the stab and then swinging his sword to deflect the swing with enough force to knock the knife out of the man's hands. Once he did that, he quickly grabbed onto the his arm and forced him down onto the ground hard by taking the hilt of his sword and slamming it against his stomach. Meanwhile, as the other thug recovered from his missed stab, he tried again but Tsuki quickly swung his sword and slashed him across his chest as blood shot out from the strike, knocking him down and killing him.

Two more soon approached him. One of them stopped not too far from him as his eyes started to glow red. He was channeling his Mana to prepare for a Magical Arte. Moments later, a small incantation circle formed in front of him as he held out his hand, firing off a fireball from the incantation circle. Behind it was the second thug approach while using the fireball as cover. It was a good strategy but one that he could see coming. Tsuki's eyes started to glow a light blue as his blade did the same. Moments later, he rushed towards the fireball and swung his sword at it, slicing it in half and then slamming his shoulder against the charging thug before he could react. He followed up with the shoulder charge by swinging one more time at the thug but instead of slicing him, he released a blast of energy in the face of a lion at him which pushed him back with force towards the previous thug and crashing into him before they both hit the ground.

As for the last thug, unlike the rest, he managed to get behind Tsuki without him noticing and was about to stab him in the back. However, chains of light shot towards him and wrapped around the man's arm that held onto the knife before wrapping around the rest of his body in a tight hold. Tsuki looked over where the chains came from and saw Reia approach him. Seeing as how she quickly disposed her batch of thugs, she was going to help Tsuki out but it seemed he had it under control, for the most part. All that was left to do was deal with the thug leader as the sixth thug that had surrounded Tsuki had already surrendered.

Tsuki gave Reia a thumbs up. "Thanks for the assist" he said.

Reia nodded at him and put her focus on the thug leader who looked like he was about to run away. Who could blame him? This whole band of thugs were taken out effortlessly by just two people. "Now, what shall we do with you? she asked. She was able to act but then noticed something behind him.

The thug leader was both angry and unnerved by how they managed to take down his whole group. "I can't believe this...! We had them outnumbered! How could we lose to two people!?" he shouted.

Soon after, a deep male's voice spoke out from behind the thug leader. "It's not just them you lost against..." he said.

The thug leader tilted his head a bit. "Huh...?" he said. He slowly turned around and saw a tall, muscular man standing behind him hold what appears to be an oar from a boat.

The man held the boat oar back as he got ready to swing it. "You picked a fight with the wrong village" he said. He then swung the oar at the man and hit him across the head, knocking him down and unconscious.

With the thugs all either killed or incapacitated, the nearby villagers let out a roar of celebration. It wasn't long after that when more men who appeared to be the more capable of the towns watch eventually arrived behind the man holding the oar. They were all geared up and ready for a fight but it had already been settled by the time they got there basically. Instead, they went around and restrained the thug leader and the others that had been chained up or had surrendered and removing anything from them that could be used as any sort of weapon.

Once they all had been restrained, the villagers and the men approached Tsuki and expressed their gratitude for his help. There was excitement in the air for a good while as they all crowded around them. Eventually, the crowds started to disperse and the thugs that were restrained and tied up were hauled off somewhere else in the village to be dealt with later. Reia went off to tend to the injuries of the two guardsmen while Tsuki decided to send out a letter to Eresseas, explaining what has happened. He briefly wrote down what happened and requested a prisoner transport so that the thugs could be hauled off and properly dealt with by Eresseas. As he did so, a bird landed on his shoulder. Once he was done with the letter, he attarched it to the bird's leg and sent it off flying back towards the northwest where Eresseas was.

When he finished that, he returned to Reia who had finished giving them some treatment. "How are they doing?" he asked.

Reia ran her arm across her forehead as she looked back at Tsuki. "They'll be fine once we get them back to the clinic. The others managed to stop the bleeding from the stab wound so he should make a full recovery. What about you? What were you doing?" she asked.

Tsuki pointed back in the direction of Eresseas. "I requested a prisoner transport. They need to be held accountable by their actions. They won't be bothering you or this village again. However, as per protocol, I'm required to be here for the exchange so I'm stuck here now for a two days" he said. He was unfortunate that he had to put a slight delay on his mission but this was part of his duties as a knight.

Reia didn't think he'd go so far out of his way just for a bunch of thugs. "Won't that cause some problems though? I thought this mission of yours was urgent" he said.

Tsuki shrugged his shoulders, shaking his head. "Ah, I'm sure they'll understand. Besides, it's not like that shipment is going anywhere so why the rush?" he asked.

Reia really didn't think that it was necessary for him to do this but he had already sent out the letter so there was no point in arguing against it. "Alright then. I just hope you don't regret it later" she said. She then held the guardsman that had been stabbed slowly back up to his feet. "Let's get these two to the clinic where they can rest up" she said.

With Tsuki's help, they brought the two injured guardsmen to the clinic on the other side of the village. There, they were given additional treatment by the girl Tsuki met before along with the town doctor. The village was able to breathe easier now that the threat of the thugs had finally been dealt with. Now, the only thing they had to be concerned about were the standard monsters that occasionally approach which were easier to deal with than other people. Like before, the villagers continued to express their gratitude to Tsuki for helping out even though it wasn't asked for.

About an hour had passed after they had brought the two guards to the clinic. Tsuki was outside of the clinic and had just finished talking to a few of the villagers to get a better idea of what's been happening with the thugs over the recent days when he heard the door to the clinic open up. He turned and saw the young girl he met before stumble out, looking exhausted. She was a little pale and was sweating quite a bit. She didn't look good at all.

Tsuki approached the girl out of concern as she sat down on a nearby bench to settle down. "Hey, are you alright? You don't look too good" he said.

The girl was out of breath and looked like she was about to pass out at any moment. She had a water bottle in her hand as she opened it up to take a drink before consuming an Orange Gel. She needed to take a moment to gather herself. "I-I'm fine. I just used...too much Mana..." she said.

Everyone has a limit to how much Mana they can use. If they hit that limit, they wouldn't be able to tap into it which would lead them to become feeling very drained and sluggish. In cases like this, people would consume things like Gels to help replenish some of their spent Mana. It was crucial for any magic user to properly maintain their Mana levels. It could lead them to their untimely deaths on the battlefield if not properly monitored.

Reia soon stepped out from the clinic and approached them, overhearing what she said. "I thought I told you to watch your Mana. You always seem to do more than what you can handle and it's not good for your body or health. What good is a Healer if they can't manage their own resources? Remember that, Lyn" she said in a slight stern tone of voice.

The leaned her head back against the bench, feeling the gentle cool breeze blow across her face as she had her eyes closed. "Y-yes, ma'am..." she said. She took a few deep breaths, holding her hand up to her chest as she tried to calm herself down.

Reia stared at her for a brief moment with a concerned look before glancing over towards Tsuki. "This is Lynette Suzaki. As you have already guessed, she's our little Healer-in-training around here. She has potential but, as you can see, she needs a lot of improving" she said.

The girl named Lynette soon opened her eyes again after taking another minute or so to calm down and looked at Tsuki. "Nice to meet you. I appreciate your concern for me" she said.

Tsuki shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's a knight's duty to make sure the citizen's well-being are kept in check" he said.

Reia gave him a slight glare. "Even though said welfare check wasn't asked for" she said. Of course, she appreciated his assistance. If it weren't for him, other people may have gotten hurt or even worse like being abducted. "But, so long as the village is safe and the townspeople are unharmed, that's all that matters at the end of the day" she said.

Lynette didn't see what happened at the town gates but it was kind of hard not to hear people talk about it. Based off what people were saying, Tsuki seemed to be a pretty capable fighter. "Are all the knights as strong as you are?" she asked.

Tsuki shook his head. Compared to the average knight, he was a few steps above them but compared with the other members of the Royal Eight, he was far behind in terms of skill. "Hmm...I'd say I'm above average. There are those that are far more capable than I am" he said.

Reia shrugged her shoulders. She's seen his combat skills a few times and while they're pretty unrefined and could use improvement, much like how Lynette was with Healing Artes, she could see great potential in him. "Lyn, if you're feeling well enough, do you mind showing Tsuki around a bit? Even though he's been here a few times, he hasn't seen everything the village has to offer" she said.

Lynette nodded at her. She didn't mind giving him a tour of the village. It would also give her the chance to talk with him a little more. "Sure, I don't mind at all. It's the least I can do" she said.

Reia started to head off down the pathway towards the main part of town but stopped to look back at Tsuki. "Since you'll be here for a few days, I'll make arrangements for you at the inn. Whenever you get tired of walking around, come by my place later. I'll have dinner made for the three of us later" she said. She waved them off and continued along the pathway back towards town.

Lynette slowly stood up and moved around a bit to make sure they she was back to her full strength. Her muscles ached a bit but she has more or less calmed down now so she was more than ready to give him a tour. "Ready to go then?" she asked.

Tsuki nodded at him. He was a bit concerned for her health but she looked like she was feeling better. "Sure, just don't push yourself, okay?" he asked.

With that, the two of them left the clinic and proceeded to walk around the village. The village had a lot more to offer than just wide-open farmlands. There were a variety of small shops that kept stock of all the essential goods the townspeople and travelers would need. The shops had basic weaponry and armor but nothing too fancy and they kept an abundance of Gels and produce. The produce that comes from Crescentia is some of the most ripe. A lot of cities and other smaller towns around Cayhill get most of their produce from Crescentia. As they walked around the town, Lynette took the time to talk about some of the history behind the village.

At first, Crescentia started off as a small village. Nothing too special about it. Not many people lived around the area due to how remote it was but it was a nice place for the older folk to retire to for peace and quiet. That all changed when they discovered how fertile their land was and built it's first farmland. At first, they started out small but over time, the farmlands vastly expanded. The produce that they shipped out to other towns eventually became something of a local delicacy and this caused the nearby cities such as Eresseas and Briswater to invest into Crescentia. As a result, the once small village quickly expanded into a full-fledged town and saw a large growth in population in the process. It was later decreed by the previous rulers of Eresseas that Cresecntia has became a vital landmark in Cayhill and formed a close business relationship that is still honored and upheld to this day.

As they continued to walk through the town, the farmlands were one of the places that Lynette took him to. Tsuki has already seen the farmlands a number of times throughout the last few weeks of Festival preparations but they never cease to amaze him. He wasn't a farmer by any means but he could see the amount of work and effort they put into their crops. Around the fields were what appeared to be small generators of sorts. These were devices that give off a harmless, odorless scent for Humans. These are used to drive off monsters from raiding their crop fields and ruining their potential harvest. A similar device is used in Camping Sets that travelers use on the road whenever they have to make camp but on a smaller scale. They could see various people tend to the fields while others were storing their harvest in nearby shacks and storage houses.

Their tour continued on until they eventually reached a building that had a unique design to it compared to the rest. The place they were at was an onsen and it was popular among the farmers for obvious reasons. The hot, steamy waters were the perfect cure for the farmers after a long, hard day's work on the field. It was a place where they could relax their muscles and let their troubles melt away. Tsuki has heard that Crescentia had an onsen and wanted to take a dip but never really found the right time for it whenever he was around the area. This time, however, he had plenty of time to take advantage of this since he would be stuck in the village until the prisoner transport from Eresseas arrives.

They continued along a nearby pathway and soon approached what appeared to be a small park where a few of the village children were playing in. They had been walking around the a good two hours at this point and decided to take a break. They sat down at a nearby bench to rest their feet. It was a peaceful village that was very nostalgic for Tsuki. He once grew up in a similar setting but that was a long time ago. It felt like ages has passed for him since that time. He's experienced many life-changing events that have drastically altered his life.

Tsuki leaned back against the bench and watched some of the kids play. "This village brings back memories of my hometown. The grassy fields, the flowers, the community...it's a nice feeling" he said. Although his memories of his hometown were some of his fondest, they were also his worst.

Lynette tilted her head at him. "Where were you from?" she asked.

Tsuki hesitated for a second. His past wasn't exactly a happy topic for discussion and one he would rather avoid. "...It's a village to the south. It had a scenic view of the ocean and large fields of flowers. The whole village was basically a tight-knit family like this one. It was very peaceful. That is, until one day when tragedy struck and changed everything" he said. He tried to be as vague as possible in his description. However, it wasn't really easy since the tragedy that occurred that night all those years ago became a deep scar for the people of Cayhill that is still remembered and grieved by many to this day. Just saying that it was a village to the south with scenic views was enough of a description for people to realize what he was referring to.

Lynette felt as if she's heard something about that before. It had a very familiar ring to it. "A village to the south? Scenic views? Hmm..." she mumbled to herself as she tried to connect the dots.

Not wanting her to dwell on it, Tsuki tried to get her thinking about something else. "What about you? Were you born here?" he asked.

Lynette pushed her thoughts aside as she nodded. "Born and raised. Although, my childhood hasn't exactly been easy..." she said with a sorrowful expression.

Tsuki was curious to know what she meant but didn't know if he should pry or not. In the end, curiosity got the best of him. "What do you mean?" he asked.

Lynette closed her eyes for a moment before looking up into the sky. "I grew up here with my mom and dad. We couldn't ask for a better place to live. There was a time though where I almost died. You ever heard of the Winchester Virus?" she asked.

Tsuki thought about it for a moment. It was a local virus that affects people during certain times of the year. It's a virus that's claimed a number of lives because it requires a certain type of medicine to treat. "A little bit. A small number of people lose their lives to it every year. No one really knows what causes it or when it occurs" he said.

Lynette nodded at his assessment. "I was almost one of those people. Back when I was still young, I contracted the Virus. My parents were scared that I might die from it. However, thanks to a Healer, I was able to pull through it. Thankfully, it didn't leave any negative effects on my body. Unfortunately, I ended up losing my parents not too long after that happened and I wound up in the care of the Reia's mother who took me in. Reia and her family have shown me a kindness I'll never forget. I will be forever in their debt for what they've done for me. Learning to become a Healer is my way of repaying them for what they've done" she said. She had a rough childhood but she doesn't feel bad about what's happened. In fact, she's gotten stronger because it all happened. She does miss her parents but she knows that they would watch over her.

Tsuki listened to her story in silence. While they weren't exactly the same experiences, she was in a similar position as he was back then. It made him relate to her a lot more. "Well, you know what they say. Experience makes you stronger. The harder the experience, the more your resolve strengthens" he said. Of course, such a thing isn't true for everyone. There are people who crumble under the weight.

The two of them continued to talk for a bit longer about themselves before continuing their tour of the village. After about another or so had passed, they had already seen basically everything that the village had to offer, for the most part. There were a few areas that Lynette didn't show him but that was because it would take her out of the village gates. They've already been walking around for a while so she thought it was best to save the rest for later. They would have plenty of time to finish the rest of the tour later. With that concluded, they made their way back over to Reia's place. She welcomed them back from their tour with a table full of food hot and ready to be eaten. They indulged themselves in the food as they were all feeling very hungry at this point.

The three of them talked amongst themselves. Reia and Tsuki told Lynette a few stories about the knights and their experiences serving Eresseas. All of this was very fascinating for her to hear about because they were new stories. She was particularly interested in the stories that Reia had told her. She had always been wanting to learn more about Reia but every time she tried to bring up the subject, she would change the discussion. However, with Tsuki around, she wasn't able to divert the topic of discussion as easily. The three of them continued their talks into the night as the sun had long since passed and stars filled the sky.

By the time their talks started to finally wind down, it was getting pretty late. Tsuki was feeling very exhausted at this point as he hasn't gotten a chance to rest since he arrived. Lynette was also looking like she was going to pass out any time now. They decided to call it a night at that point. Tsuki and Lynette said goodnight to Reia and left her house. Lynette walked Tsuki across the town towards the inn since her house was nearby. After about 15 minutes of walking, they arrived at the entrance to the inn.

Lynette stepped forward down the pathway that went past the inn. "Well, my house is just around the corner. I can go the rest of the way on my own" she said.

Tsuki didn't mind walking her back to her house. Even though the village was rather peaceful, you never know what might pop out in the dead of night. "You sure? I don't mind walking you the rest of the way" he said.

Lynette shook her head, smiling at him and held her hands behind her back. "Thanks but it really is just around the corner. I'll be fine. You just make sure you get some rest" she said.

Tsuki let out a light sigh, shaking his head and pointing his finger at her. "I could say the same to you!" he said.

Lynette giggled a bit. "Fair enough" she said. She then turned around and faced down the direction of the pathway before glancing back at him. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" she asked.

Tsuki nodded at her. "Of course" he said.

With that, Lynette soon walked off down the pathway and soon disappeared around some of the buildings. When she was out of sight, Tsuki entered the inn and approached the front desk. He gave the receptionist his name as Reia had made arrangements for him and was brought to his room near the back of the building. He entered his room and closed the door behind him. Compared to his room at the castle, it was a lot more rustic but that wasn't a bad thing. He removed his sword from his waist and armor, setting it aside. He stretched his body a bit and collected himself before he went off wash up for the night. After about 20 minutes, he returned to his room with a towel wrapped around his neck and his hair still a bit damp. He walked over to the window to look out at the night sky for a few minutes before approaching his bed and falling onto it. He had been using Camping Sets for the last 2 days so it felt nice to sleep in a bed again.

As he stared up at the ceiling, he thought back to what's happened throughout the day and the sights he's seen. As he did that, flashes of another village popped in his head. Among these flashes, there were a few adults that briefly popped up that had a striking resemblance to Tsuki. These people appeared to be his parents. He also had some old memories of his childhood play through his head of a time where he played with two young girls at the same age as he was. One of them appeared to be a normal person but the other one had pointy ears. Whoever these two girls were, it appeared that he was pretty close to them. These happy, warm memories of his soon turned into a fiery inferno with a bloody scene accompanying the burning flames. Bodies littered the streets as people were being killed by a group of invaders of some kind.

Despite the bad memories, the images of the two young girls remained in his head. He put his arm over his eyes as he slowly breathed and thought about them. "Elize...Nagi...where could you be...?" he asked himself.

As these thoughts rolled through his head, he could feel his consciousness slowly fading away. He started to fall asleep as he stared up at the wood ceiling of the inn. It had been a long time since he's been in an environment like this so the nostalgia of it all put him at ease. It didn't take long at all for him to fall asleep soon after laying down on the bed. Memories of his past continued to play through his head. Being in a village that had similarities to his hometown made it impossible to not think about his past and that included some memories and events that he would rather not remember. The laughter of people and the warmth that old life provided him. The screams of terror and horrific scenes that he had to bear witness to that changed his life. These were the memories that helped shape him to who he was today.

To be continued...