"You coming?" she asked, her tone casual.

  Shaking off his confusion, he sighed and followed her inside.

  With just a few steps forward through the dark passage, light spilled in from the other end, revealing a scene entirely different from the bustling marketplace at the front entrance. Soldiers of all shapes and sizes crowded the area-some standing guard, others patrolling, and a few even scuttling along the walls like insects.

  Noticing that everyone else wore uniforms, few with visors, Damon quickly pulled the lady behind a nearby pillar before anyone could spot them.

  He tilted his head back, his eyes widening in awe at the sight before him. Then, a smile crept onto his face as he thought, Grimm, you genius.

  Turning his attention back to the lady beside him, Damon finally broke the silence. "I'm Damon, by the way."

  She glanced at him, a playful smile tugging at her lips, before she gave him a wink. "Gwendolyn," she said, her tone carefree. "But you can call me Gwen."

  "Soooo..." Damon stretched out the word, eyeing the soldiers warily. "What exactly are we doing here?"

  "Looking.... for someone," Gwen replied. "But first, we need find a way to get past all these DUMB guards." She then shrugged, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "I mean, I could just beat everyone up."

  Damon stared at her in disbelief, slowly shaking his head. "Yeah... I don't think that's a good idea."

  Gwen opened her mouth to suggest something else, but Damon's attention snapped to two soldiers, approaching dangerously close. Without a second thought, he seized them by their collars, yanking them behind the pillar and knocking them out in one swift, effortless motion.

  Stripping them of their uniforms, he tossed one to Gwen. "Here. Put this on."

  Damon then whispered to himself, glancing at the two soldiers he had just knocked out-goblins with sharp, jutting features, their skin glinted under the dim light, "These ones don't have visors though, but I think we'll be fine, as long as we don't draw attention to ourselves, that is."

  Gwen, without a second thought, slipped the uniform on. "Or we could just do that."

  Damon smirked. "I thought you said it was gross."

  Gwen immediately remembered her earlier comment and scrambled for an excuse. "Ummm... I'm only doing this because..." she hesitated for a second, scrambling to come up with the most ridiculous excuse, then continued, "because we don't have much time. Yeah, that's it. I... need to find this person... fast, so I had to do it... so we'd move quickly." She nodded with exaggerated confidence. "And, uh, because there's no time." Shrugging with a half-hearted smirk, she added, "I mean, there's no other option..."

  Damon shook his head with a heavy sigh. Grabbing her hands, he cut her off mid-sentence and pulled her out of the shadows.

  As they moved cautiously through the area teeming with soldiers, Damon whispered, "So, what's this person like?"

  "Honest answer, he's a weirdo," Gwen replied without hesitation.

  Damon rolled his eyes, "Like you're one to talk."

  Gwen chuckled lightly, a hint of mischief in her voice, "He's..." She didn't get to finish before she accidentally bumped into one of the soldiers standing tall at about 175cm (5 ft 9). Instinctively, she lowered her head, trying to hide her face.

  To her surprise, the soldier leaned in and whispered, his voice trembling with urgency, "GWEN... good gracious."

  The moment she heard his voice, recognition flooded through her, and her shoulders relaxed. He was the person she had been searching for.

  The soldier quickly glanced around, eyes darting left and right before speaking aloud with exaggerated authority, "Yh, I'll be taking this one to that place for... something." As if anyone else was even paying attention.

  Pulling Gwen along by the wrist, he seemed oblivious to Damon's presence, though Damon followed closely without a word.

  Once they were away from prying eyes, the soldier removed his helmet, revealing a face of unearthly beauty-a visage that seemed sculpted by the very breath of the wind itself. He carried an effortless grace, his presence as light and untethered as the breeze. His skin was pale with a faint translucence, as though kissed by the sky's light. His hair, cascading like a celestial mane, was so silken and near-transparent that it shimmered, catching the air like threads of the wind itself. His sky-blue eyes, deep yet weightless, held the boundless freedom of the skies above.

  "What are you doing here?" the young man asked, holding Gwen softly yet firmly by the shoulders. His expression conveyed that he had advised her not to come.

  "You took so long, and I got bored. Gwen replied, avoiding his gaze to keep herself from feeling guilty.

  "Seriously?" the young man almost yelled. "I was gone for like 30 minutes! And let me guess, you were the one who beat up those soldiers at the entrance?"

  Gwen's eyes widened in shock. "How did you know that?"

  "The news is everywhere. They just dispatched two soldiers to check it out," he said.

  Damon's eyes widened as he remembered the soldiers he had knocked out behind the pillar that was heading towards the entrance. He gasped, "Oh no."

  Now noticing Damon, the young man turned in shock. "And who is this weirdo?" he yelled.

  "I'm Damon," Damon answered with a heartwarming smile.

  The young man looked at Gwen, clearly confused. "What's going on?" he asked, his voice loud enough to draw a few glances from the nearby soldiers.

  Thinking fast, Damon pointed at Gwen and said firmly, "Hey, Mr. Flaymore, weren't you supposed to take this soldier here.... to that place... for that thing?, I think we should get going now."

  "What?" the young man repeated, looking even more baffled. "Who's Flaymore?"

  Damon subtly gestured toward the badge on his uniform, then nodded toward the soldiers still watching. Catching on, the young man's expression shifted, and he straightened his posture. His voice took on a more confident tone as he repeated, "Oh, yes! She's the one I was supposed to take... for that thing. Which we will do now."

  Without hesitation, he pulled Gwen even closer and led her forward, leaning to side where Damon was he whispered as quietly as he could, "It's Zephyr, not Flaymore"

  Damon blinked in confusion and whispered back, "But your badge literally says Flaym....."

  "I know what it says." Zephyr yelled silently cutting Damon short of sentence.

  Their footsteps quickened as they disappeared from sight, leaving the other soldiers whispering among themselves.

  Their footsteps quickened as they disappeared from sight, leaving the other soldiers whispering amongst themselves.

  Zephyr then glanced at Gwen as they slowed their pace. "Why don't you ever listen to me?"

  "I thought you were in danger," Gwen replied, her tone hinting at a bit of worry, "So, I came and I BROUGHT backup." She flashed a smile, nodding toward Damon, as if she hadn't just met him at the front entrance.

  Zephyr, clearly confused, stopped in front of them and looked between the two. "When did you even meet this guy?" he asked, pointing at Damon.

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  "Today," Gwen answered quickly.

  Zephyr, now even more puzzled, shook his head. "Where?" he asked, his voice rising slightly.

  Gwen pointed back towards the entrance and replied without hesitation, "At the entrance."

  Zephyr ran a hand through his hair, clearly struggling to process the information. "What?!" He looked at Gwen and Damon as if they were children. "Wasn't that, like, seven minutes ago?"

  Damon and Gwen nodded in unison.

  Zephyr then turned to Damon, his eyes narrowing. "So, you just followed her? And even though you saw her beating up soldiers at the front, you still followed her to meet someone in a soldier uniform? What if this was a trap, huh? I know you're weird, dude, but doesn't that seem weird, even for you?"

  Damon's gaze wandered for a moment before he struck his palm with the bottom of his fist as realization hit him. "Oh yeah... I guess it does."

  Zephyr let out a deep sigh, rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Why me..." he muttered to himself before turning his attention to Damon. "Do you even know who we are or why we're here?"

  Damon shrugged. "Other than you're my friends and your names are Gwen and Flaymore, I don't really have a clue."

  Zephyr's eyes twitched in irritation. "It's Zephyr, and I'm not your friend. I don't even know you. For all you know, this could be a trap, and you just walked right into it."

  Before Damon could respond, Gwen's voice cut through, sharp and serious. "We're here to kill the Demon King."

  Zephyr's eyes widened at her directness, but he stayed silent, watching closely for Damon's reaction.

  Damon's expression darkened. His gaze fell to the ground for a moment, unreadable, before he slowly looked up at them, offering nothing more than silence.

  Confused by Damon's quiet discomfort, but not willing to escalate after Gwen's blunt declaration, Zephyr shifted his gaze between them before speaking up. "You do realize he could be a spy, right?"

  Gwen scoffed. "Oh, please. Like hell someone's going to watch me beat up soldiers, follow me into the heart of enemy territory, and not call for backup by now. You're always paranoid."

  She gestured towards Damon with a dismissive wave. "Look at him, Zephyr. Does he look like a spy? I bet he couldn't even kidnap someone, let alone steal a cookie from a jar labeled 'Take Me' if no one was looking."

  Damon's eyes lit up defensively. "Hey, that's not fair! I steal cookies all the time from Grimm's jar." He crossed his arms with a proud grin, only for it to drop into disappointment. "Even though Grimm knows I take them every time... he still leaves them out for me."

  Gwen shot Zephyr a smug look, as if proving her point. "Told ya."

  Just then, a guard came walking slowly towards them. "Hey, you three." Noticing him, the trio whispered among themselves and then started moving away without looking back.

  They swiftly turned a sharp corner, the guard followed close behind. But as he rounded the bend, Gwen yanked him in and knocked him out cold with a single brutal blow to the face.

  Hearing the commotion, other guards gestured toward the corner. Their weapons rose when a soldier's helmet rolled out from the shadows.

  Weapons drawn, the guards approached cautiously.

  "What should we do?" Gwen whispered.

  Damon and Zephyr tried to think of something, but before they could respond, Gwen lunged forward to attack-only to be yanked back by her collar, both Zephyr and Damon holding her back.

  "We run, moron," Zephyr snapped as the three bolted down the hallway."

  "After them!" one of the guards yelled, drawing out a gemstone and calling for backup.

  The trio approached a three-way split in the path-left, right, and straight ahead. Without hesitation, they split up, each running in a different direction.

  Zephyr took the left route and slipped through a nearby door, the sound of guards' footsteps pounding behind him. Seven rushed in, weapons pointed at him.

  Zephyr slowly raised his hands, stepping back with a calm expression.

  "You have nowhere to run," one of the guards said, closing the door behind him and speaking into his echo stone. "We've captured one of them."

  Zephyr chuckled, lowering his hands. "You really shouldn't make claims before they're true."

  The guard frowned. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

  Zephyr took a step forward, smirking. "Oh, nothing... Just that you HAVEN'T captured me yet."

  One of the guards, wearing a red gauntlet, growled and charged forward, throwing a punch. Zephyr dodged effortlessly, his eyes tracking the strike like it was moving in slow motion. He countered with a quick jab to the gut, dropping the guard instantly.

  The others raised their weapons, their stances now more defensive. But before they could react, Zephyr vanished with a whisper of wind, his uniform left floating briefly in the air before crumpling to the ground.

  He reappeared behind another guard, aiming a kick. But the guard reacted quickly and blocked it with his sword, surprising Zephyr.

  Zephyr smiled, but his attention shifted as a sword came slashing down in a wide arc. He leaned his head slightly to the side, dodging with ease. The blade cut through everything behind him, splitting a wooden beam clean in two.

  "That must be their captain," Zephyr thought, his eyes narrowing.

  Two guards charged in, weapons drawn. One swung his sword in a wide arc from the side, aiming directly for Zephyr's torso. Zephyr, reacting swiftly, extended his arm and struck the guard's wrist, redirecting the attack. The force of the blow caused the guard's grip to falter, and the sword slipped from his hand, clattering to the ground.

  The other guard leaped into the air, attempting a spinning kick aimed at Zephyr from above. Zephyr reacted just in time, leaping back slightly so the leg passed harmlessly by his face.

  In the blink of an eye, Zephyr was at their side, his palm grazing the second guard's shoulder. The force of the strike sent the guard crashing into the first, knocking them both to the ground in a heap.

  The remaining three guards attacked in unison, excluding their captain.

  The first guard lunged forward, his black gauntlet crackling with energy as he threw a punch. Zephyr sidestepped and redirected the punch in a swift motion. The unseen movement sending the guard's entire body forward, stumbling him off balance.

  The second guard swung his sword wildly, but Zephyr was already in motion. He spun, his foot connecting with the guard's head in a clean, powerful kick, sending the guard crashing into a nearby wall with a sickening thud.

  The third guard thrust his blade forward, but Zephyr flipped above him, landing both feet squarely on the guard's head. With a forceful push, he drove the guard's head into the ground, shattering his visor and revealing a snarling ogre beneath.

  The captain stood just inches away, his expression a mix of surprise and disbelief. He hadn't moved, his stance unwavering, as though waiting for the chaos to subside. His gaze remained fixed on Zephyr.

  The first guard, having just recovered from being redirected earlier, lunged again with a punch from above, aiming straight at Zephyr's head. Zephyr, unfazed, leaped back, narrowly avoiding the strike. The guard, shocked by Zephyr's effortless evasion even from behind, continued his descent. Just before the guard could touch the ground, Zephyr landed a swift punch to his face, sending him crashing toward the captain.

  The captain easily knocked his unconscious subordinate out of his line of sight, his eyes brimming with fury.

  With a roar, he charged in, swinging his blade in powerful, calculated arcs. Zephyr dodged each strike effortlessly, weaving around the attacks like it was a dance. Zephyr aimed a front punch, but the captain blocked it with the smooth side of his sword, redirecting Zephyr's arm almost forward.

  Using the momentum, the captain spun around, swinging his sword in a wide arc. Zephyr smirked and leaped back just in time, his eyes watching the blade pass by his face in slow motion, the air rushing past him.

  Zephyr then leaped back a few more steps, both his hands casually buried in his coat pockets. His long black coat reached his knees, but it was only buttoned loosely just below his waist, fluttering in the wind.

  He fixed his gaze deep into the captain's visor. Though the captain's eyes were hidden behind the reflective surface, Zephyr's unyielding stare sent a chill down his spine, as if the captain could feel the weight of his gaze through the visor.

  Zephyr smirked, and in the blink of an eye, he appeared right in front of the captain. The captain, caught off guard, jumped back in panic.

  But it wasn't until he landed and stumbled backward that he realized he was bleeding from his face. Zephyr had cracked his visor and left a deep wound on his skin.

  "The captain, now drenched in confusion, couldn't fathom what had just happened. He hadn't seen Zephyr's hand leave his pocket, let alone launch an attack. His eyes flicked to Zephyr, his mind racing. 'If it wasn't for the Visor.... I'd be dead,' he muttered, wiping the blood away from his face, still trying to process the speed and precision of the attack."

  Zephyr picked up a sword from one of the fallen guards, twirling it casually with one hand while keeping the other hand buried in his coat pocket.

  Without warning, Zephyr charged, swinging the sword heavily from the side. The captain met his strike, the clash of steel sending sparks flying.

  Before the captain could even blink, Zephyr had vanished, his sword left hovering in midair.

  Anticipating Zephyr's next move, the captain spun around, sword raised and ready. But Zephyr's voice echoed from the spot where he'd just been, a taunting presence that made the captain's pulse quicken.

  "You're all the same," Zephyr said, a hint of disappointment lacing his words.

  In the blink of an eye, Zephyr reappeared in front of the captain. With a swift motion, he drew the sword back-not for a slash-but to drive a punch forward. The punch landed with a tremendous force, sending ripples through the air, the shockwave resonating before the captain was hurled into the wall. The impact was bone-rattling, leaving the captain breathless and disoriented.

  Blood trickled down the captain's face as his body slumped to the ground.

  Zephyr scratched the back of his head, a faint sigh of disappointment escaping his lips. "I... guess I went a bit too far."

  He picked up the echo stone from the floor, speaking into it, "Yeah... We've got him secured."

  With a weary sigh, He muttered, "Are these really guards? Anyone could break in if they're this easy." He slipped the stone into his pocket and strolled out of the building as casual as ever, his hands still buried in his coat.