'Ellyn? Check in, are you alright?' En asked. 'I'm fine, I just met with a group of knights as well. I managed to bluff my way through, but their commander sent one soldier to accompany me so I'll be having to shake them off before our meetup point.' Ellyn answered, clutching the orange crystal briefly.

  'Kieron?' En asked. 'I'm clear. Though, I feel bad about dirtying these clothes. And to be covered and filth so quickly after being clean...' She responded. 'Don't worry, those clothes were barely being used. They would have helped nobody collecting dust in storage.' En answered.

  'And we can always get clean again. The clothes, ourselves... We'll get a chance... After this.' Felkin remarked. 'Clean again, after this...' Thought Kieron. 'So that means you're clear too, Felkin?' Asked En. 'Yes. I can use my power to see the movements of the knights, even through walls.' Said Felkin.

  Felkin scanned the area from left-to-right, before walking down an alleyway, assured of the lack of persons in his path. His eyes briefly flashed red, and he was able to observe the movements of the soldiers behind all of the buildings and rubble in front of him. The tinge of his eye was slowly resembling maroon than the brown that it was before.

  'Must be nice to be able to see through obstacles, I don't know if the next corner I turn I come face to face with...' Kieron stopped in her tracks as she heard the chatter of knights talking beyond the corner. She crouched low to the ground as she cupped her ear against the wall. Kieron narrowed her eyes and put one hand on the ivory sickle that she had concealed on the cloths that she had wrapped around her person.

  "Hmm." She faintly exclaimed, as the sound of conversation left the immediate area. 'Kieron?' Felkin asked. 'That. I nearly came into contact with a group of... them. I'm now realizing that as useful as it is to see people through walls to stay away from them, it's also useful for sneaking up to and... dispatching them.' Kieron stated, with a cruel tone of voice that unnerved even herself.

  'It could be real useful for pranking people too...' En remarked. His astral form floated high above the ground, observing his immediate surroundings and the locations of each of his allies in the area. 'En, don't you have that ability to send your... spirit, mind, self, or whatever... Out of your body? Isn't that similar enough to Felkin's?' Kieron asked.

  'As a matter of fact, I can see him up there right now...' Felkin said, able to perceive En's wispy and orange projection in the air due to his eyes. En smiled and gave a little wave towards Felkin, who waved back in response. En then floated down and sank back into his "physical" body.

  'This is different. I have to leave my body vulnerable every time I leave it, and it takes a while before I can get back.' En exhaled deeply as his eyes opened wide once more.

  'I suppose we all have advantages and disadvantages on our abilities... Though it is useful, I wouldn't exactly call using my powers enviable...' Said Felkin.

  'Oh, I'm... sorry, I forgot. You're abilities, some dark abyssal force corrupting and using you... It's... probably insensitive to say I want something that's making someone else suffer...' En said glumly, as he peeked and sneaked around corners of the alleyways.

  'It's fine. As much as I... don't like this power forced upon me... And there's people that I've hurt that I didn't mean to... It's also given me the strength to protect people, it's pretty handy in a pinch.' Felkin reassured.

  'If you say so.' En smiled warily. 'Speaking of using your power...' Kieron exclaimed. 'I know, only to use them when I need them...' Felkin answered. 'And you've told me how it affects you... It might do something to you that we still don't know about.' Kieron said, sternly.

  'I know, I know, we agreed on it. I just thought it wasn't that bad...' Felkin responded. 'That bad, you said there was like a parasite inside you that grew, and gave you headaches and when you were unconscious after the last fight...' Kieron went silent.

  'So, something did happen... When I was asleep... That's why you all were so antsy when I woke up... I did something didn't I. Was I a danger? Did I cause anyone harm? I... see why you don't want me to use it.' Felkin said, solemnly.

  'No one... No one was hurt. Uh, we kept it at bay. It got out but... Some girl, in wraps. She 'took' it. So uh...' Said Kieron. 'Figures. Is it gone?' Felkin asked. 'Yeah, but she said that even though it was gone it left some 'tracks' or 'marks'... Wait, was I supposed to say that?' En exclaimed.

  'It's fine, we'll talk later. When it's safe. For now... Let's focus on getting through. And Kieron I'll... try not to use it as much.' Said Felkin. Kieron exhaled deeply. The three of them continued to maneuver through the streets, avoiding the patrols of knights as they went along.

  Kieron inched forward, her back against a wall of a recently vacated house. She could hear the raucous clamor of the camps set up by the knights. The injured, and those displaced from their homes all gathered in packed crowds.

  Many were seeking to return to their old homes, but were refused from entering by the knights. Many were seeking food and aid and while it was offered, the amount of which was not sustainable to those who needed it.

  'It's close now, the camp. Just like Metas said. But, the nearer we are to it... The more of them we have to sneak past.' Kieron's eyes narrowed as she clutched her weapon. She could hear the roads teeming with patrolling knights and groups of them standing around nearby.

  "Wouldn't it be easier if we just passed through the checkpoint like everyone else is doing? Would save us the risk of being caught if we don't sneak at all. It'll be like hiding in plain sight! R-right?" Yuria had asked as they were planning earlier.

  "That's actually not a bad plan. There's like to still be tons of people that'll be passing through. There's likely more people still emerging from the rubble going to town." Ellyn remarked. She was packing supplies and walking around trying out the armor.

  "Hmph..." Felkin looked down and clenched his fist. The group was preparing their supplies for their upcoming trip to town. "And so, if we walk right in, what is there to suspect? But, we don't know if we've got our descriptions. Even if we wear disguises and change up our appearances, they might be wary enough to hold us for questioning." Ellyn continued.

  "The kingdom likes to make sure. They might try to kill us just in case... At least 'she' will. And we don't know where her and her cohorts are. They might be waiting right outside the town." Metas slowly walked, a few pouches and bags in tow. "I should be resting. I know." He sighed, looking at the others expecting a response.

  "Wasn't going to say anything..." Yuria's lips pursed. Silence from the others.

  "Well, back to the matter at hand..." Ellyn interjected. "Better to sneak in. If we do it well enough, we won't even be seen. If we go through the front, that'll invite attention. Eyes. Enough attention and that'll lead to suspicion." Kieron had a sharp glint in her eye as she polished the ivory sickle.

  "So it's like the steal or not to steal thing? I guess all methods have their advantages and disadvantages..." Yuria mused, shrugging.

  "And unlike stealing goods from the village, the quieter route isn't going to hurt anybody." Felkin was gazing up at his blade, focused.

  "It's not going to hurt anybody... Provided that we don't get caught." Kieron put her sickle down onto the table.

  "Provided we don't get caught." Ellyn repeated.

  "Simple enough." Kieron said, sheathing the sickle onto her bag and preparing herself for the day ahead.

  'Simple enough, but...' She thought, hearing the rigor of movement all around her. It seemed like groups of the knights were present in the streets around her.

  'Kieron. The streets are surrounded, looks like we can't get through. There's too many of them. We're going to proceed with the plan.' En communicated to her, after concluding a scouting view of the area below.

  'I see. Acknowledged.' Kieron answered back. 'Hmm... Let's see how this goes.' She wondered curiously.

  Most of the knights, as well as a collection that was not limited to squires, trainees, guards, soldiers, and hired hands were mostly congregating around one gate, an opening that was still packed with citizen and gatekeeper alike.

  Under the order of the military, they all served the same banner, and orders were being relayed to them from the military leaders left in the city.

  "I'd never imagined that there could be trouble this bad deep into the kingdom. But these past few days... I don't know if it’d be better to be here or on the front lines..." A soldier remarked.

  "Hmph, those fugitives are still hiding in the town are they not? We should be searching for them this instant! Instead of milling about here." Another among them complained.

  Their attire contrasted with the knights. Instead of metal plate and helmet, the other man favored a mishmash of well-worn mail and weathered leather armor. He was seated cross-legged in the dirt, fiddling with some stone before tossing it back onto the ground.

  "Orders are orders. Don't think that your "old ways" still apply here. Here at the knights we have protocol." An armored knight answered.

  "That"s right, you lot were tasked by way of the kingdom"s coin. You answer to us." Another knight snickered.

  "And what are you boys gonna do if we don't?" One of the "hired hands" among their number stepped forward to confront the knights, but the seated man stopped him.

  "Hmm. You lads in your fancy clanking armor think you’re better than us." The seated mercenary mused, before rising to his feet.

  "Naturally. You all fight for yourselves and would stab a brother in the back for a piece of silver. We’re a tight-knit band fighting for our people and our country. We have honor and we fight for peace and the kingdom’s glory. You’re lucky we even allow people like you among us." One of the knights boasted.

  "And now we’re here. Because the kingdom can't clean up its mess by itself it had to hire... "people like us". And clearly, many of you’ve not been in too many battles if you think war is about those lofty ideals. Why else were you stuck in city duty if the kingdom considered you competent soldiers? When you’re out there in front of the enemy, all you’ll think about is how to kill and how not to die." The mercenary then looked to the side and spat onto the ground.

  Many of the men that had gathered beyond the gate were listening now. The mercenary had garnered silent support. And when one of the knights walked forward towards him, a few stirred from their position and advanced forward as well.

  A few of the knights and soldiers from the kingdom opened closed fists to reveal their flame. The mercenary placed a hand on his sheathed blade. Until a knight shot out running from the town’s ruins, relaying a message.

  "Injured! There’s somebody trapped and injured in the rubble! Men, we need hands!" They remarked, unaware of the brewing conflict.

  "Finally... At least there’s something to do..." The mercenary remarked, as the men calmed down and followed after.

  "That you?" Kieron asked. "Mhm," En responded.

  "Felkin?" She continued. "I’m here. The closest alley to the gate. I think I could jump right over but I’ll wait until it’s clear." He answered, peeking over to see the patrol of knights running through.

  En took his hand off his crystal. "It's gonna be alright, I’ve called someone for you. Just sit tight."

  The boy then extended his hand towards the old man trapped in the rubble. A warm light radiated from En. "Better?" He asked the man.

  "My injuries... They don't hurt as much, and... Who did you call for? Kid, who... are you?" The old man asked.

  "I guess I’m just some kid who likes to play mean tricks on people for fun." En chimed.

  "Wh-What?" The old man formed a confused sentence but was interrupted by. the snap of the fingers from En.

  The old man's eyes slowly closed as he lost consciousness. "Sorry, old guy..." En hurriedly apologized before running off.

  "He's here!" The knight exclaimed, as the group of men turned a corner and found the old man.

  "Hmm. Lucky. if we hadn’t come across him, who knows if he still would’ve made it." One of the kingdom’s soldiers remarked as they approached.

  "Yeah, I... did find him." The knight responded.

  "Something the matter?" Another one asked.

  "Ah, it’s nothing." They reached the elderly man trapped underneath the rubble of a collapsed house.

  "Is he dead?" One of the hired hands asked. "Looks like he’s asleep. Old man, are you alive?" One of them knocked on the wooden wall.

  "Mhm..." The old man began to stir.

  "Either way, we need to get some equipment, medical supplies, shovels... Then we can get to work getting him out of here. Knights, let’s go." An armored knight exclaimed.

  The paid mercenaries started to follow after, but one of the knights stopped them. "I said, knights. You lot... Stay here and watch him." The knight remarked condescendingly.

  "Tsk." One of the mercenaries remarked.

  En stood still as the group of knights ran past, then proceeded forward as the coast was cleared.

  "Did you all proceed with the first plan?" Ellyn asked through their thoughts.

  "Yeah, we found someone trapped and we’ve drawn some knights away from the entrance." En answered as he swiftly traveled and slinked through the streets.

  "Isn't that much better? We’re helping someone while getting what we want at the same time?" Yuria added.

  "Well, it’s not like my other ideas of starting a fire, or making other kinds of distractions couldn’t do the job..." Ellyn wore a dismayed expression.

  "Don't worry, Ellyn. That just means we have more backup plans to use. But Yuria... Thanks for that plan; it's good, especially for Felkin." Kieron remarked.

  "You're welcome! But on another note... There’s a lot of people here, it'll be hard to get through without getting noticed. I hope you guys can get through..." Yuria looked around warily as she followed behind the knights in the midst of the people in town.

  "That could also work to our advantage. If there’s this much of a crowd, there will be too many people to keep track of." Ellyn answered.

  "In any case, we need to move. En, Felkin... Are you both ready?" Kieron asked.

  "Good to go. I’m right across from the gate." Said En.

  Kieron paused. "En, can you check above us?"

  "I’ll... check." The boy said, in silent understanding.

  Back in the alleyway with the old man, the mercenaries kicked rocks and lazed around impatiently.

  "Hmph, they talk like they’re so much better than us..." One grumbled.

  They looked at the old man. "All this work for a half-dead bag of bones." Another said.

  "It’s gonna be more back-breaking work again. Couldn’t the kingdom’s magic move all the rubble away?" A third chimed in.

  "If only it was some young girls trapped under there, then they’d become indebted to their brave saviors..." The mercenary said.

  "I’ll drink to that!" One of them mimed raising a glass.

  "You know... We could spare the effort in doing all this." "Hmm, how so?" "This old man, we found him unconscious. Who knows, he could be dead. You all... see what I am getting at, right?" The man insinuated deviously.

  "I see..." "Yes, we tried to help him but... His injuries were simply too much and... We couldn’t save him." The mercenary drew his blade.

  "Mhm?" The old man opened his eyes to see the glint of cold steel in front of his nose.

  "Wh-What is this? Help me, I'm stuck!" He cried out.

  "Shit, he’s woken up!" One of the men remarked.

  "Well, I’m sorry old man. But... You’ve lived a good life, right? You were just about to die, so don't make trouble for us with long lives left!" The man swung his sword downwards.

  Clang! "Ack, what the-" The mercenary clutched his hand in pain as his blade was knocked away by a strange snaking blade.

  He and the group of men beside him looked up to see where the attack came from.

  "Who-" The mercenary was interrupted by a backhanded strike to the face.

  "Argh!" He fell to the ground, with his mouth bloodied and rotten teeth carried by the crimson current flowing across the ground.

  "You’re!" "Haargghh!" One of them stood still, having recognized Felkin. While the other charged straight towards him.

  The mercenary raised his blade aloft with one hand and brought it down towards Felkin.

  "Hmm? It’s slow. And predictable." Felkin wondered.

  Then he heard a faint rustle near his feet. Felkin was about to look down but out of the corner of his eye, he saw the mercenary towards him reaching for something.

  "So that was what it was. I’m impressed." He thought.

  The mercenary he struck in the face earlier had crawled forward and slashed towards his leg, while the one in front of him threw a dagger and rushed forward deceptively quickly.

  Felkin halted the dagger’s advance with his left hand. Raising it and catching the blade with two of his fingers.

  And before the man below him could strike his leg, Felkin threw the dagger towards the ground and pinned the mercenary's hand into the earth.

  Felkin raised his sword with his right hand and blocked the other man’s downward strike, then coiled his sword around the mercenary’s blade and tossed it away.

  Before the one before him could react, Felkin gave the man a quick jab to the chest and then an uppercut. The mercenary was sent through the walls of a nearby house.

  The man below him reached to remove the dagger stabbed through his hand and then reach for his blade. Without looking, Felkin kicked the blade away and then struck the man unconscious with the back of his heel.

  Less than three seconds had elapsed from when the mercenary first charged towards him.

  The last mercenary, the one who seemed to be their leader was stunned for a moment but then ran off. The old man beneath the rubble was utterly gobsmacked and speechless.

  "Tch!" Felkin exclaimed, beginning to run after the last mercenary but swung around to go towards the old man.

  "Did they hurt you?" Felkin asked, kneeling down to check on the old man.

  "Uh, I’m trapped. But I... think I can move. I think there were some knights along with these men... Anyways you’ll need some help-" The old man was interrupted by Felkin lifting the roof up with his bare hands.

  "Hmph... Can... you... get out?" Felkin said, in exertion. The old man crawled out, and then Felkin lowered the remains of the house to the ground.

  "Any injuries?" He asked.

  "No. But... You’re... Who they’re looking for, are you?" The old man stood up and dusting himself off.

  "I am. Now leave before they think we’re working together." Felkin commanded.

  The old man stared back, a mixture of emotions running through his mind. He could not decide what to feel, or what to say.

  "Go!" Felkin exclaimed, already following after the mercenary.

  The old man nodded and then walked away.

  Felkin turned the corner. "?" He was curious as he heard the last mercenary blubbering and muttering something.

  "He’s an old man! What use does someone at the end of their life have for the living?!" The mercenary complained.

  "Funny. I can say the same for you." Felkin caught up to see Kieron. The blade of her sickle pressed against the mercenary’s throat.

  "Kieron," Felkin said, eyes slightly wide.

  She slightly turned her head while still keeping her eyes on her target. The mercenary managed a wide grin as he quickly reached for a concealed blade.

  Felkin extended his sword and struck the man’s arm.

  "Guards-" Kieron silenced the mercenary with a punch to the throat and an elbow to the back of the head.

  Felkin ran up towards her. They could hear a group of knights rapidly approaching from a distance away.

  "So, I assume you didn’t want him dead for some reason?" Kieron tossed the man"s body to the ground.

  "I... suppose I did." Felkin looked down towards the ground.

  They turned their heads toward the sound of footsteps.

  "They heard that. And I assume his friends are asleep in that alley over there?" Kieron asked.

  "They are. They’ll... be telling the others that we passed through here." Felkin remarked.

  "And a trail of bodies in our wake will be attributed to us anyway." Kieron looked around, analyzing the situation.

  "Let’s go," Felkin said, and the two of them took off.

  "I found him. We’re going to you." Kieron communicated with the others.

  "Phew," En exclaimed.

  "You worried us quite a bit back there..." Ellyn added.

  "Well for something bad happening to you, not really... But as for us getting caught..." Yuria remarked.

  Felkin and Kieron crouched behind a piece of stone wall on the ground. They became still until the knights and soldiers passed by.

  "He’s knocked out. Whoever attacked him must be around somewhere. Find them!" A knight proclaimed.

  "The others are here!" Another soldier exclaimed.

  "Hmm... but why were they left alive?" One of the soldiers put a hand on their chin in contemplation.

  "They were likely caught while on the run and were unable to fight them off at the same time. So, they settled for incapacitating them instead." The knight answered.

  "But fighting off three combatants at once, they must have caught them off-guard." A nearby soldier surmised.

  "They likely acted as a group. And there might be someone who’s injured among their ranks. Fan out! At least now we know they’re here." The knight and his fellows started their search.

  Kieron inched back and took one glance at Felkin, before returning her gaze to the knights ahead. She reached into her pack and brought out the orange crystal, raising it so he can see it, and tapped on its surface.

  Felkin retrieved his own crystal and he was able to restore his connection to the telepathic communication network once more. Kieron noticed this and pocketed her crystal once more.

  "I was afraid you just weren’t listening, but it seems like you turned it off entirely." She sighed, though it was a little strange as she did it without opening her mouth.

  "Honestly, I don't know if that’s better or worse... But it tells me that you knew it was wrong. Again, is that really better?" Kieron remained focused on the movements of the knights before her. Her tone was stern but with only a hint of emotion seeping through.

  "Felkin... I hope you know what that entails..." Ellyn remarked.

  "I... do. It means more trouble for us. Now that they know we’re passing through, they’ll be stricter with security and will be actively searching for us." Felkin answered, remorsefully.

  "We can handle the trouble, that’s what the other plans are for right? The problem is... you didn’t tell us! We’re supposed to be friends, right? Or even just allies. If you can't trust us enough to tell us, then..." Yuria exclaimed.

  "I... thought I could do it alone. And if I did it by myself... I wouldn’t need to tell anyone, and if no one else knew..." Felkin remarked solemnly.

  "No one else would be bothered. Come on Felkin, that’s like... Textbook doing everything by yourself..." En remarked, but the boy softened the tone of his voice as he spoke.

  "Mhm. So it seems. And I ended up bothering everyone as a result." Felkin stated.

  "That’s why we have each other, right? No one... No one’s alone anymore and... We can all help each other! So if you need anything, just ask! I know you’d do the same for us..." Yuria pleaded.

  "I... understand. Sorry and... thank you, Yuria." He answered pensively.

  "When you do something without telling someone it feels like you’re... It’s... nothing." Ellyn stopped herself, halting her frustrations.

  "Everyone. I’m... sorry. Again, I’ve just been... so..." Felkin trailed off but Kieron cut him off.

  "We can discuss this later. First, let’s focus on getting out of here." Kieron was focused and serious as she spoke.

  But then, she recalled the conversation they had earlier. The one that informed Felkin of the after-effects of his battle against the flame matriarch.

  "Tch." Kieron gritted her teeth.

  "You knew the possible consequences, the dangers... You knew we would be better off if you didn’t do it; But even still, you did it?" She probed.

  "I... did. We put him into that situation. He was going to die because we fought in the middle of town. We led those men to him. We... I, needed to do something." Felkin professed with conviction.

  Kieron turned towards him. She raised one of her hands. Her fingers wavered, as if her hand could not decide if her fist would close or not.

  Felkin raised his hands in front of him. "Please don't hit me." He remarked with a small frown.

  Kieron emphatically lowered her arm and looked forward once more, her face formed into a pout.

  "Hmm, let’s see... There’s one, two, three, four, five..." She counted each of the knights before them.

  "There’s seven of them. And it looks like they’re the only ones who know about it..." Felkin remarked.

  "So, I assume killing’s not an option?" She assumed.

  "Go back! We need to tell our superiors and send an alert to the knights. If they’re here, then we might be able to corner them before they slip into the city." One of the knights ordered.

  "I... just thought of something. Something that’ll help us escape while keeping the fact that we’re here a secret... In the meantime anyway." Said Felkin.

  “And... Are you going to do it by yourself?” En asked.

  Felkin formed a confident smile.

  “Well, if you guys want to help... Then I'll be putting everyone to good use.” He remarked.

  “Why does that sound a bit worrying…” Yuria exclaimed.

  The soldiers rushed forward with haste, their metal weapons and armor pieces clinking along as they ran down the street back to their camp outside the town.

  "Hurry, we have to make haste!" One of the knights exclaimed.

  But from the shadows, there was a sound. A crashing noise in an alley just beyond their sight that halted the advance of the paranoid and fearful men.

  "Why did you all stop?" "I stopped because they stopped." "Cease this dallying, we have to continue to the camps!" The men erupted into a clamor.

  "Did you not hear that?" "I heard it too." "Just beyond that alley." One of the hired hands pointed out.

  "That's... likely to be some alley cat or... a rat!" "After the fires this whole place has been crumbling away, it's likely to be just some piece of a wall that fell." A few of the soldiers remarked.

  "Let us be done with this farce! Onward men and to-" The knight hushed as they spotted a figure whizz about, moving just too fast to be seen clearly.

  "What... What was that?" One of the soldiers asked.

  "Show yourself! We are under command of the crown and the high council of Lodeleth! We will not allow petty tricks to hinder our advance!" The knight raised their sword and proclaimed proudly.

  Silence.

  "You said that... That there's more than one of them, right?" Another asked, brandishing a short spear.

  As the unknown noises and movements continued, the men brought out their weapons; their backs toward each other.

  "You lot afraid of a bunch of kids?" A headstrong knight remarked, bringing out a shortsword. He opened his palm and a bright flame emerged atop his hand.

  "But you heard the stories, and saw what happened here..." Another answered.

  "Bah, tall tales." One of the mercenaries remarked.

  "But what of the ones who were defeated back there?" One asked.

  "That reminds me, we need to go back for them! What if they come back for them?" "If they were planning to, they'd be dead already! No use going back for dead men." An exchange made by two of the mercenaries.

  "They were surprised, remember? And no offense, those lot might've just been outclassed..." Another knight remarked.

  "Tch." "Tsk." "Hmph." The hired hands grumbled.

  "Kids they may be... You know what they say. 'A bad tempered child with a bright flame can burn a village to the ground.' And from what we've seen..." The knight "leader" remarked.

  "So if the threats are real, the use of our flame is allowed right? This place is nigh abandoned after all. No citizens still live in this place, and so no one's getting caught in the crossfire. And if the blaze gets going, we'll be able to protect ourselves and they won't be..." The headstrong knight asked his fellows.

  Another one of the knights brought out their flame, but the "leader" of the group stopped him.

  "No, the houses here are still packed together. If a wildfire erupts, we can't guarantee that we can stop it before it reaches the other towns. And there could be survivors still trapped here. Besides... Not all of us here can withstand the flames." The knight looked down upon those of his group who weren't official soldiers of the Lodeleth army.

  "Huh? We can fight through you knights' little flames! I'm betting his little matchstick spark won't even singe my hair!" One of the mercenaries exclaimed.

  "Why you... You wanna bet on that!" The knight responded.

  "You two, enough!" The "leader" remarked.

  "What if we sent out a fire-signal, we could warn those in town and alert them to our position." A knight suggested.

  While the men wearily stared at the shadows and listened to the sounds nearby, the leader looked up at the sky.

  He shielded his eyes from the bright sun, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

  "It's too bright. Any signal we would make would be hard to see if they're not paying attention, which they are." He remarked.

  "You knights' flames probably won't be seen even during the dark of nighttime..." A mercenary muttered.

  The group then broke into a loud disorganized chatter. "What if we split up, it would make catching us easier?" "Are you mad? They'll be able to pick us off one by one! It would be better for us to stick together and fight." "And what, wait for our deaths?" "What if one of us..." "We can take them!"

  The leader remained focused, and in thought.

  But, as luck would have it, a dark shadow swept across the land. The sun disappeared as a large cloud shielded its rays.

  The leader's eyes widened in an instant, and he inhaled deeply to prepare for a yell.

  At the top of his lungs, he issued a booming command. "FIRE UP, MEN! NOW, FIRE! UP, FIRE!"

  At his order, the knights lobbed a volley of bright orange fireballs into the air.

  But before the projectiles reached a sufficient height, a sudden shower of bright blue blasts intercepted the knights' upward flames.

  "Hmm? What the-" The leader swung around to see where the blasts were coming from. Thinly veiled beyond a house's shade, the men could see faint blue light faintly illuminating a vaguely human figure. The light then disappeared, its wielder appearing to retreat back into the dark.

  "Someone's there!" "Get them!" Three of the mercenaries rushed towards the figure in the alley.

  "You fools, get back here!" The leader extended his hand and called out.

  "Ack!" "Gragh!" "Argh!" As soon as they disappeared from view, the three men cried out and not another sound was heard from them by the main group of knights.

  "Tch." The knight leader exclaimed, stepping back with sweat rolling down his face. The other men looked at him with unease. They all jolted and became agitated as the nigh-imperceptible movements continued to encircle them.

  "What... do we do now?" One of the knights asked.

  "We... Keep firing." The leader remarked sternly. He was careful not to raise his voice too loudly.

  "Those of you who can't use flame, ready your bows, and crossbows, or throw anything else you can on my signal." He added.

  "The others, fire in 3...2...1... Fire." Four knights remained, including the leader. Only three of the mercenaries remained within the group.

  The three knights launched fireballs of varying speed and size into the air. "Haargh!" "Gragh!" "Hraagh!" The knights were beginning to show exhaustion from their efforts in summoning their flames. The leader, however, did not release the flame that had formed above his palm.

  As before, a shower of icy arcs cut through the air and extinguished the signal fires. However this time, it came from behind the group.

  "Behind us, shoot!" The leader and the mercenaries swung around and attacked toward the direction where the blue projectiles were coming from which the blue projectiles were coming. Arrows, bolts, and the leader's flame flew, driving their assailant back.

  "Fire! Again!" the leader exclaimed as they launched a volley of attacks toward the hidden figure.

  The flames flew upwards once more. But as their assailant was preoccupied, it seemed like their signal flares would be able to rise high undeterred.

  But a sudden spiraling, and snaking lengthy metal object sliced through the flames and put them out.

  "Wha-" The men turned to see Felkin retracting his sword.

  "We're surrounded! Knight, make haste to the camp while we distract them!" The leader ordered.

  But as one knight began to run away and the men advanced towards their assailants, they found themselves unable to move.

  "What in the devil?!" "I'm stuck!" "What is this?!" "It's ice! Burn it away!" The knights aimed their hands towards their feet, but Felkin extend his sword forward before they could melt the ice beneath their feet.

  His sword lengthened and wrapped around the group of men, and slammed them together in a bundle. "Ack!" "Argh!" "Urgh!"

  The group was smashed together, and the knights could barely raise their hands to fire.

  They haphazardly lobbed fireballs and shot out flames towards Felkin and Kieron, who were able to easily dodge.

  The leader charged a ball of flame in his hand and looked upwards.

  Felkin noticed this and prepared to yell. "HEY! OVER HERE!" The men looked towards him in a reactionary manner.

  "Now!" He exclaimed to the others.

  En, who was lurking in the shadows, and Kieron who was standing nearby, both covered their eyes in unison.

  A red flash of light briefly blanketed the street.

  "Haargh!" The leader threw a ball of flame towards Kieron. She swiped it away with an icy wave.

  The knight leader's eyes glazed over as he went still. But his arm was raised. A last ball of flame flew to the sky.

  'Shit!' Kieron thought, sending out a shard of ice towards the flying flame.

  The icy shard chased after the leader's flame, but Kieron's attack could not reach its mark.

  Felkin, Kieron, and En looked up in unease.

  The small spark shot up into the air, and as it reached above the town's tallest towers, it exploded and spread out. It created a flash of flame that would surely be visible to the others in the camp. Surely?

  "Damn it! I couldn't reach!" Kieron exclaimed.

  "It's fine, if the others do their part it'll be alright," Felkin remarked.

  "Let's hope..." Said En.

  A few minutes earlier, in the crowded town where Yuria and Ellyn were present, the two communicated telepathically with En, who relayed the instructions to them.

  "That's all. Just follow the plan and we'll signal you if it's time." En remarked.

  "Alright then," Ellyn remarked, sighing.

  "We'll... do our best." Said Yuria.

  "So, the plan is... simple enough. How are things on your end, Yuria?" Ellyn asked.

  Yuria was sat cross-legged amongst a bustling crowd of people. Many were injured and sickly, and complaints as well as disgruntled grumbling could be heard from the people. The destitute and the displaced were packed in the streets, with the force of soldiers and knights scattered amidst them.

  "It's... A mess here. There's injured and hungry people everywhere, and it looks like the knights can barely take charge of the situation. But... At least the people are still civil. I've... seen what happens when everyone stops being it." She sighed, before continuing.

  "As for me, the knights that picked me up just dropped me off into the crowd. Though... even though they think I don't know it, they still have someone watching me. But don't worry about it! With a crowd this big I can slip past anybody!" Yuria exclaimed optimistically.

  "In my case, we 'knights' are still waiting for one of our superiors to issue commands. But the more that I'm around Lodeleth soldiers, the more likely it is that they'll notice that I'm not from their ranks. So it'll be best to slip away before they do. Shame that I'll probably have to ditch the armor though, it saves a lot of questions..." Ellyn answered.

  "Well, I'll just have to make sure my distraction can let both of us escape without being seen. But... I'll have to choose something that won't cause a stampede. Not only will that make things also more difficult for us, but with this many people, a lot of them could get hurt." Yuria rifled through her bag searching for ample material to use.

  "No... Not this... Too scary. I wouldn't want to waste this..." She muttered.

  'While she's busy doing that...' Ellyn thought, turning towards the other soldiers nearby. One knight came running in and exasperatedly announced the arrival of their superior.

  "Here... is Commander... Dreilond. Here's... all of the available hands we have as of now." The knight remarked, out of breath.

  'Shoot. This... is the real one.' Ellyn thought.

  They all stood beneath a makeshift shade made from cloth, propped up and tied by wooden poles stuck into the ground. Before them was a small wooden table filled with an assortment of papers detailing reports and documents of the kingdom and the town's current state of affairs.

  The commander wiped the sweat from his brow and sighed as he scanned the scant few available forces in front of him.

  "Hmm?" Commander Dreilond remarked when he locked eyes with Ellyn.

  "There... seems to be some new faces around here." He remarked, turning towards the nearby knight.

  "Sir!" "Commander Dreilond, sir!" Two nearby soldiers saluted the commander.

  "Commander, sir!" Ellyn did the same.

  "Are you all knights? Part of the force?" The commander asked.

  "Soldier, sir!" "Trainee, sir!" "Veteran, sir!" Each of them remarked, with Ellyn going last.

  "We're bringing in everybody, even hiring mercenaries to keep order. But it's still this unruly... Knight, how goes the request for civilian volunteers?" Commander Dreilond asked.

  "Well, I've been told that they are still going from town to town, but so far it has yielded only a few who volunteered. The higher-ups are suggesting a conscription service, though..." The knight remarked.

  "Hmph. The war's left us too short-handed. And this mess now as well..." The commander scratched at his head frustratedly.

  "Your orders, Commander?" The knight asked.

  "Alright. Listen here brave knights and... soldiers of Lodeleth. Our main priority is to maintain order. Distributing supplies and getting the injured medical attention is a must. Well, considering we don't have enough of both, ensuring that a riot doesn't break out and stopping any fights is a must. Go to the others who are doing that right now, they'll tell you what to do." The commander remarked.

  "What... about the fugitives?" Asked one of the soldiers.

  "Indeed... What about them..." Commander Dreilond remarked, looking upwards in thought before looking towards Ellyn. Sweat rolled down from her forehead, but she maintained her composure.

  "Hmph. Well, with this many people around..." The commander scanned the area. "We won't be easily able to inspect every single person. Just preventing a stampede is hard enough, unrest from the people will be unpreventable if we search each one of them." He remarked, sighing.

  "So... are you saying that we're to stop searching for them?" One of the new arrivals asked.

  "Of course not. I'm simply saying we need to focus on maintaining order, while also keeping an eye out for them. You're all aware of the descriptions we have on them, correct? If you spot one of them, alert a superior." The commander said in a huff.

  'Descriptions? What do they have on us?' Thought Ellyn.

  She looked down at the table and saw certain papers containing a few sketches and descriptions, but were largely obscured by other documents stacked atop them.

  'I need to reach for these, but I don't want to seem suspicious...' She thought.

  As the knights and soldiers conversed some more, Ellyn slowly reached for the paper at the top of the stack. She turned it over and feigned reading it, nodding along while still paying attention towards the concealed paper detailing the fugitives' descriptions.

  "There's been a lot of damage done to the town, huh?" The knight beside Ellyn remarked.

  "Hrm?" Ellyn remarked, before quickly looking towards the paper she held in her hand and reading it.

  "Oh, it really was. So... it really does look like many people were affected by it." She said, with a hint of regret in her voice.

  "Don't worry soldier, we knights did our best to contain the situation. And besides, you're helping here now, that's what counts. If you're looking for somebody to the blame, it's those who turned this town into a battlefield." The knight added.

  "Yes, yes... More than a hundred injured, cuts, bruises, burns. So far... there's been more than thirty deaths and counting. That doesn't account for the dozens still missing or trapped in the rubble." Said Commander Dreilond.

  "Deaths?" Ellyn asked, concerned.

  "Indeed... Were you not briefed on this before you were deployed here?" The Commander asked inquisitively.

  She quickly recalled Metas' advice from their discussion earlier.

  "Obviously, they're going to be suspicious if you pose as a recruit who pops up from out of nowhere. But if I was trying to pose as some soldier or recruit newly entering the ranks, I'd take advantage of the disorganization of information that a situation like this brings." Metas remarked.

  "Disorganization?" Ellyn had asked.

  "The war, the chaos of the situation, if you'd use it as an excuse they'll likely take it as face value. But you'd best not stick around until they're able to verify who you really are. If I'm just looking to throw them off my trail temporarily, I'd say something like..." Metas suggested.

  "Information was conflicting, I... couldn't tell what news was real and what was gossip. And... they didn't tell me much before I was sent here." Said Ellyn.

  "Same here, I wasn't exactly told much except that we were managing civilians and looking for fugitives." "That was the case for us as well." The others chimed in.

  "Tch, organization at command is all a mess. Now the new recruits being sent here aren't even being told much. This makes all of this such a hassle..." The nearby knight exclaimed, sighing.

  Ellyn casually picked up the poster detailing the fugitive descriptions while the other men continued their chatter. She pretended to merely glance at the piece of paper while scanning it for details as quickly as possible.

  'Name: Metas. Height: More than 6 feet tall, grey hair, pale skin, and wears a set of charred black armor. Uses a strange chain spear as a weapon, can also use the flame. Last seen in town. It looks like they have the most detailed physical descriptions for him... He should be seen the least. Good thing we ditched his old weapon and armor. But this sketch is... alright. It was clearly made by someone who's seen him, but it just doesn't capture the-'

  "Looks like the descriptions of these criminals and information about them weren't widely disseminated as well." The commander's voice broke Ellyn's train of thought.

  "Yes, it was. There's a lot of rumors circulating around them, a large number of them were somewhat hyperbolic and fantastical in nature. Though, it is better to have clear factual information about them if we're going to hunt them down." She remarked.

  Ellyn glanced at the other papers, flipping them over and studying them each.

  'Let's see... As I thought, there's not a lot on the others... Including me. "Fugitive: Girl, age: unknown. approximately 14 - 17 years old. Has long blonde hair, and wears black clothing and a large witch hat. Uses dark witchcraft magic." "Fugitive: Young man, brown hair, brown clothing, uses dark heretical magic. Has a strange magical sword." "Fugitive: Woman, dark-skinned foreigner, long black/brown hair, wears a dark cloak and hood, has a wooden arm and a wrist-mounted crossbow on said arm." "Fugitive: Young woman, brown-skinned foreigner, brown hair, brown clothing, uses heretical magic." Hmm.'

  Once Ellyn had read through all of the information on their group, she was curious and began to read the other papers.

  'It looks like this is all they're supplying to the common soldiers and knights. But with this detail, they've likely collaborated with that Helia...Or at least those black knights of hers... So they might have more information they're keeping under wraps, case in point there's no mention of Serafion here. Looks like they're keeping that a more private matter. And it also looks like there's more fugitives other than us...' Ellyn was cut off from continuing further by an inquiry from one of the soldiers nearby.

  "It's hard to believe that many of these fugitives are so young..." One of the men remarked, observing the papers she held.

  "Well, people can be... taught things at a very young age and maybe it has something to do with how and where they grew up." Ellyn answered.

  "I suppose that's true. Hmph, it'll be hard rooting them out through this whole crowd. I feel bad to those who'll become suspicious towards the people who closely match those descriptions. Especially to er... Foreigners such as yourself. Well! I don't mean any harm, many people from different nations have settled down and made themselves useful to the kingdom! I... meant... no offense..." The soldier awkwardly exclaimed.

  "Heh, none taken..." Ellyn simply smiled in response to the remark.

  'That's a valid concern, there's a lot of people who'll somewhat or remotely match the descriptions. They'll either have to inspect and scrutinize a lot of people, or choose not to. That's favorable for us, but that doesn't mean we should stay for long...' She thought.

  "Well, you know your orders. To your posts, soldiers." A knight exclaimed, and Ellyn swiftly followed a nearby recruit in response.

  "Recruit, a moment? I just need to consult something with your post." Commander Dreilond waved Ellyn over. It appeared like a simple request to others, but Ellyn quickly tensed up and was alert as she approached the commander.

  "Yes, Commander Dreilond? We were just... leaving. Is there anything wrong?" Ellyn asked, trying to gauge the commander's awareness of her identity.

  "Leaving, eh? Make sure not to cause any more trouble, lest you affect all of these people who have been troubled enough already. Not to mention all that will be placed on my head..." He remarked.

  "We'll be out of your hair. After all of this, we won't be troubling the people, the kingdom, or you, any longer." Ellyn exclaimed sternly, suspecting the commander had caught on.

  "Even if you all aren't here, there's no undoing what's been done. Somebody needs to own up to... all of this, and if you don't... Somebody will have to, somebody will. And when that happens, it will be... trouble nonetheless." Commander Dreilond's words had a heavy weight as he released them.

  "We can't control what other people will do. Nor is it our fault how they'll react irregardless of our presence." Ellyn answered back.

  The commander sighed. He then brought out a pouch full of coins and studied them intently.

  "Hmph." He tossed the pouch weakly before him to Ellyn's confused chagrin.

  Commander Dreilond bent down and started to slowly pick up the coins that dropped out of the pouch whilst looking down towards the ground.

  "Someone's watching." He remarked with such a plain and quiet tone that Ellyn almost did not realize what the man had said.

  'Is it Yuria, no. I can feel a presence, hidden amongst the crowd... I can barely notice it, but it's there!' She could feel a gaze piercing through the masses and pinpointing directly towards them.

  'I can't... tell where it's coming from. But this'll be trouble getting out of here, and even more trouble getting back if we have a trail. Where is it, where is it...' Ellyn remarked to herself as her breath became shakier.

  "Calm down. I'll be walking away soon. You're on your own. If you do anything that warrants action, well... expect our response to be in kind. I'm not one to enjoy inciting conflicts." The commander finished picking up all of the coins and walked away.

  Ellyn turned around and observed the torrent of people before her, moving like an unruly current.

  'I have to focus... All the people here, all that's happening... I have to pick out what doesn't belong... There's... too many people, but...' She focused and her mindscape interpreted the bustling crowds and packed buildings into a dense, snowy forest environment.

  A harsh wind blew, rustling the snow off the canopy leaves. Countless movements amidst the stark-white background. Rabbits, birds, and deer move through the brush, though the scenery blended together like a rapid river's flow.

  'I... feel it. It's staring right at me. All of these distractions... I have to find it, before it hunts me first.' She remarked.

  On the other hand, Yuria pulled various animal parts from her pack in indecision about what to pick.

  'Crickets? No. I fear a locust plague would scare the townsfolk too much. How about chickens? Too strange. Fish? Even stranger. Horses, dogs, cows... This won't do. Maybe birds are the right answer after all? After all, a worrying ill omen is all that they'll pose. Should I ask someone? No, I should handle this myself. I should do my part and be responsible for what I should do.' Yuria put her hands on her hips in resolve.

  "Fine weather we're having today, young one. Interesting collection of goods you have there. Are you a merchant of some sort?" A curious woman's voice remarked nearby.

  "Oh. Uh, mhm. I'm... from the town there. After what happened... I got as much as I could. I don't have anybody anymore. And... I was hoping I can go to the city and sell some of it, so I can't give it to you, sorry. But I can hand you a few things if you really need it!" Yuria exclaimed.

  'Alright, need to get my story in order...' She thought to herself.

  "That is... very tragic. I... hope you recover and I am sorry for your loss. If... you had any." The woman was watching Yuria closely. She spoke awkwardly, finding difficulty in responding genuinely to Yuria.

  The woman scratched at her long black hair, which was tied in a ponytail. It was messy and tied in a haphazard manner. She also picked and pulled at her dress, struggling to move in it as she walked away from Yuria.

  The woman covered her pale face from the rays of the sun. Her black eyes squint making her eyebags more visible. She grumbled grumpily as she left.

  'What a strange woman... She looked so uncomfortable in that dress too.' Yuria thought.

  "Yuria! Ellyn! Do it! We need an obstruction, now!" En's voice in Yuria's mind jolted her in surprise.

  'Tch.' Ellyn thought, having heard En's message as well.

  'Where... There!' It was as if she could spot the glow of a wolf's eyes shining from across the forest.

  Ellyn spotted a crouched shadow knight in the darkness across the street from her. The momentary spark of their flame briefly illuminated themselves and revealed their position to her.

  She slowly reached for her pack, pretending not to notice her assailant.

  'I hoped to avoid attention. But if I have no choice but to engage...' Ellyn's train of thought was broken by a cacophony of caws, and a murder of crows' dark flight.

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  'Now's my chance!' As the shadow knight averted their gaze for but a moment, Ellyn slipped out of sight.

  The woman who approached Yuria earlier stomped off to an alley in a huff.

  "Hmph! I seek not to humiliate myself any further if it doesn't yield any results. I will think not to keep this up day after day; who knows how long they'll be staying here!" She remarked.

  "Victoria. Firstly, this was your idea. Did you think I'd be the one do the talking?" Liam remarked.

  "Hmph..." Victoria exclaimed.

  "Secondly, they'll be leaving the town sooner or later. The knights are closing in and their resources are limited. Even if it's just to gather information or resources, they'll poke their heads out. I can feel it." Liam had an assuredness in his voice.

  "Your intuition rarely misses it's mark, yet I still believe we should have went door to door in the ruined town instead." Victoria shrugged.

  "It's too dangerous, and besides-" Liam and Victoria immediately went alert as the sun was blotted out by the shade provided by a wave of flying crows.

  "Something's... off." Liam then bolted out of the alley.

  "Hey! You know I can't run in this damn thing!" Victoria exclaimed.

  She followed after Liam, who was gazing at the skies above intently.

  "And gone as quickly as it appeared." He muttered.

  Murmurs and whispers from the townsfolk in response to the ill-omen. Worries were intensified and fear was spread, yet no panic was caused immediately.

  Liam turned towards Victoria. "There was... something off in that flock of crows. I saw it. And they disappeared too quickly." He remarked.

  "Did you... hear that?" Victoria asked.

  "Hrm?" Liam expressed.

  "Before the murder of crows flew over us. It sounded like... a sort of explosion. Of flame." There was a hint of concern and a hint of interest in Victoria's voice.

  "You think it came from the town?" Liam asked.

  "That, combined with that convenient distraction..." Victoria stopped talking and ran outside to where Yuria was earlier.

  "Huh." She found the young witch had already fled.

  "Victoria, what is it?" Liam caught up to his fellow shadow knight.

  "Heh. Interesting. It seems like they're even capable of doing that." She smiled, impressed.

  "?" Liam stared back expectantly, waiting for Victoria's further input.

  "Your intuition was right. Mobilize the others. We have a lead." Victoria ordered confidently.

  Liam had a gravely serious expression on his face as he walked away.

  Back in the ruined town, Felkin and Kieron were busily wrapping and tying up the knights; most were temporarily unconscious, though some were merely dazed.

  "Let's hope that worked." En remarked.

  The group of knights were tied to each other, and their hands were bound. It was made so that if one of them were to try to use their flame to burn away their bindings, they would risk immolating the others in their company as well.

  Felkin dusted off his hands after tying his last knot.

  Kieron was kneeling as she tied the rope that bound the men together.

  Felkin offered his hand to help her up.

  She looked at it for a moment. She accepted it, Felkin helped her up to her feet.

  "So, are we going to wipe their memories now?" Felkin asked.

  "Can you- Can you do that to this many, I mean." Said Kieron.

  "Hmm... I don't know if I could erase that many memories at once, even if they're still fresh. I've gotten a lot stronger lately, but I still don't know." En responded.

  "Maybe we don't have to. Because they saw us escaping, they'll think that we've already left. They won't be searching here anymore." Felkin asserted.

  "It's true that if they'll come to without their memories, they'll think to search the area. But they'll be tightening security around the town. We won't be able to go further into the city." Kieron remarked.

  "Nor would we able to come back for the others. Should we just go back to the house?" En asked.

  "No, Ellyn and Yuria are already past the checkpoint. We'd be needlessly calling them back empty handed." Kieron answered.

  "Then maybe we should just go all the way and find some way to get out of the kingdom?" En suggested.

  "We'd be leaving Metas behind." Said Felkin.

  "I... don't want to deplete my power too quickly." En responded.

  "The... most logical answer is clear." Kieron said, putting a hand on her sickle.

  "But... if they went missing, they'd notice too." She lowered her hand, and sighed.

  Felkin grimaced. But was then relieved by Kieron's second statement.

  "Let's leave, then. They'll think we'd be mad to come back. And it will be some time before this group gets found or breaks free." He remarked.

  "Alright, let's hurry. We'll be needing to escape before they come to, or somebody else finds us." Said En.

  The group sneaked their way through the streets, encountering no resistance along the way. They emerged out of the shadows just before the checkpoint.

  Felkin went first.

  "Here, citizen! Walk slowly and submit yourself for inspection!" One of the two guards called out to him.

  The other soldiers in their presence were either busy handling the other citizens or were lazing around.

  Felkin raised both of his hands and walked slowly towards them.

  "Your name? Are you a survivor from the town? How come you only recently went through, are you injured?" The guard asked.

  "I'm... Franklin. I'm... Not... injured that much. I was under some rubble and I just got out, I... got all that I can though." Said Felkin.

  "Do you have any weapons?" The other guard asked, searching Felkin's bag.

  'Brown hair. He's young. Too many have passed through but I have to make sure.' The guard thought.

  "No, I'm not carrying any." Felkin handed his bag to them.

  "Hmph..." One guard remarked.

  'He handed over his things too easily. It could be nothing, but still...' They thought.

  'Wait, am I being suspicious by handing my bag right away? No, they probably would have been more alert if I had been hesitant to do it. Well, I just have to go along with it now...' Felkin gulped.

  The guards dumped Felkin's bag over and spilled its contents, and then thoroughly searched the inside.

  "Nothing dangerous of note here." The guard dusted off the bag and threw it dismissively onto the ground.

  'That seemed... unnecessary...' Felkin frowned, before crouching to pick up his belongings once more.

  "Wait. Do you have something in your clothes?" One guard motioned towards him suspiciously.

  'Did he see it?' Felkin thought. He was assured of his weapon's hiding spot, yet maybe it was visible through his clothing.

  "I... don't. You can check me if you want to." Felkin stood up and extended his arms out openly.

  "You're... awfully free in allowing us to check your person." The guard remarked starting to pat down Felkin's body.

  "I... just don't want to make trouble." Felkin answered.

  The young man was tense, he grew more nervous as the knights neared his sword, which he had wrapped around his waist.

  A gust of wind blew by, which caused Felkin's slightly loose clothing to rustle. Thinking quickly, he made his sword slither to his shoulder and wrap around his left bicep instead.

  He observed the reactions of the guards.

  'Alright. They didn't notice.' Felkin maintained a calm expression contrasting from his tumultuous inner calm.

  "Alright. It really does seem that our worries were unfounded. You're free to pass, young man." The guard remarked.

  'Whew. At least that went well. I was beginning to think-' And Felkin spotted it. The other guard about to place their hand on his shoulder. The shoulder that his shortened sword was wrapped around.

  Cough! Cough! Felkin covered his mouth and moved his head as he "coughed".

  "Are you alright?" The guard asked him.

  "Yes... There was just... a lot of smoke, I think I might have breathed it in." Felkin remarked, as his sword slinked down his back.

  "Well then, make sure to see one of our healers before you finish passing through." The other guard remarked.

  Felkin breathed a silent sigh of relief as he walked on through past the two guards.

  "I'm through. En, you next?" Felkin communicated.

  "Yeah, I'm up." En answered.

  "How's everyone?" Felkin asked the others. He looked around through the crowds of people, trying to get his bearings.

  "Still waiting for my cue." Kieron was crouching in the ruins of a building near the checkpoint.

  "I don't think I'm being watched anymore. Though, I had to ditch the armor. Too bad that thing was still useful. There... really are so many people here." Ellyn remarked, walking through the streets. She keenly observed her surroundings whilst making sure her gaze did not arouse suspicion.

  "I'm alright! Just... just a little bit tired from using my magic. Felkin, you... you better praise me!" Yuria said in a huff.

  "I'm... sorry. Everyone. And... thank you, Yuria. There's a lot we couldn't have done without you." Felkin answered.

  "Heh... And you better buy me a lot of treats too!" Yuria added.

  "Yes, yes..." Felkin responded, smiling.

  "Depending on our budget." Ellyn added. "Depending on our budget!" Yuria exclaimed.

  "I'm done." Said En.

  "That was fast." Yuria remarked.

  "Well, I just made my hair look normal, answered a question or two and they let me right on through." En said plainly.

  "Well, let's hope it'll be that easy for me too." Kieron stood up from her hiding place and began walking towards the guards, who were chatting to pass the time.

  "I can't believe survivors are still rolling in from the town." The guard wiped the sweat off their brow.

  "I don't know if our camp can take any more. Maybe we just ought to stop searching for any more?" The other guard remarked.

  "That's cruel. So you'd saying you would just leave them to die?" The guard asked.

  "I'm... not saying that. Wait, there's another survivor. Stand guard." The other guard readied themselves for Kieron's approach.

  'Alright... This'll be simple enough. Give a fake name, and a reason to pass.' She thought.

  "What's your name?" "Isha. I... was lost trying to find someone I knew. I thought they had already passed through, but..." She stopped.

  "Well... I hope you can find them in the camp or in the cities and towns beyond." The guard remarked.

  Kieron tried to walk straight through.

  "Whoa there. We still have to inspect you for any dangerous or forbidden material." The other guard stopped her.

  Kieron gritted her teeth, but then forced a smile.

  "Oh, sorry. Please, feel free." She clenched her fists before handing her pack forward.

  "Hmm... All clear. Do you have anything on you that can be called a weapon?" The guard asked.

  "No, none whatsoever." Kieron remarked.

  And after a swift search of her person and her belongings, she passed through without incident.

  She walked forward and then surveyed the area before. She spotted a nearby bush and knelt down. After looking back and forth to check if there were any observers, she reached into it, retrieved her ivory sickle, and hid it in her pack.

  "So they didn't see it? You sure?" Kieron asked.

  "Nope, I was holding it in my hands but they couldn't see through my illusion," En remarked.

  "Whew, thanks for that En." Kieron breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Is that everyone? Good, let's all meet up where we discussed. Be careful not to be followed or get seen, everyone, it would be suspicious if people saw us together even now.' Felkin remarked.

  "Right behind you." Said Kieron.

  "We'll be there," Ellyn remarked.

  "I won't be seen!" Yuria exclaimed.

  "Yep." Said En.

  ______________________________________________________________________

  In the town which the group just vacated, a handful of black armored shadow knights ran forward; led by Liam and a plainsclothed Victoria.

  "Quit your squirming! We'll burn it clean off!" A knight roared.

  "Are you mad? You'll set our clothes on fire too!" A man exclaimed.

  "We'll put it out as soon as we're free!" Another knight exclaimed.

  "Not before you burn us half to death first!" An additional voice chimed in.

  Victoria and her group could hear the raucous yelling and the sound of struggle from a distance away.

  She came across the group of men all tied together, moving around in an unruly fashion and arguing about.

  The men continued to argue until one knight spotted her and her group.

  "Wait, wait! There's someone here!" He exclaimed to the others, momentarily quieting them down.

  "Lady Victoria! Quickly, there- there's been-" Victoria cut the knight off.

  "Let me guess, the fugitives appeared as described, made quick work out of all you lot, and then went on their merry way?" She asked.

  "H-How did you know?" The knight asked.

  "Hmm... Thought so. Well, time to free you all, and then you'll tell me all about what you've learned." Victoria exclaimed, bringing out a sharp glaive. Its handle was black and metallic in nature, its blade sharp and unchipped steel.

  "Wouldn't it take a long time to cut through all of these binds?" One of the mercenaries asked.

  "Well, she can just make those black knights with her help." Another responded.

  "No, I can set you free all on my own." Victoria confidently brandished her glaive.

  "Lady Victoria, might I ask... Why are you dressed like that?" The knight leader asked.

  "Hmph..." Victoria was irked but did not make visible her irritation.

  She ran her hand along the side of her glaive's head, and then a raging burst of crimson flames enveloped it.

  "Being a shadow knight means you have to master different forms of disguise in order to seek out your enemies," Victoria exclaimed, though her voice was hardly audible in comparison to her flame.

  "She's crazy! She's going to set us on fire too, it's not safe-" One of the flame-less men remarked.

  His cries were met with a flurry of crimson slashes.

  "Ah!" The group of men closed their eyes in response to the attack. After a few seconds, they opened their eyes in surprise.

  Their binds fell harmlessly to the ground, only charred slash marks on the ropes that previously restrained them.

  "We're... unharmed!" One of the men exclaimed.

  "Yes, yes... Not a hair on your heads harmed, well..." Victoria swiftly swatted away a small fire that had formed on the man's head.

  "Not anymore." She proudly held her glaive next to her.

  "Now, tell us all you know." Liam stepped forward and asked, slightly impatient.

  ______________________________________________________________________

  Elsewhere... In Jura's base of operations, Metas sat restlessly by himself. He tapped his foot against the ground, gazed intently into a mirror, and was deep in thought.

  He had his arms crossed, he kept tapping his foot faster and faster until he stopped. He snapped his fingers and caught the Ruler's Regalia which flew into his hand.

  He gripped onto the weapon tightly, the grooves of the metal implement pressing into his calloused hands.

  Metas gritted his teeth momentarily, and the runes on the regalia glowed bright orange as the weapon hummed faintly.

  He sighed and laid the weapon down on a nearby table before standing up and pacing around the room.

  'The others, it'll be a while before they're back. Too bad En couldn't manage to give me one of those crystals. With the number of people communicating at the same time, and the distance from here... Well, it's not like I can help them much even if I had one.' He thought.

  He walked in circles in his bedroom before stopping, having tired himself out slightly from the exertion.

  'All this waiting without doing anything'll kill me. Usually I'd spend idle time like this planning, even training, but...' He recalled the reminders of Yuria and Ellyn from earlier.

  "You have to stay put! You can't come along or, or... Even training isn't something you should do." The former chided Metas.

  "Yuria's right. You're in no shape to be standing, much less going outside. You shouldn't even move around too much, you'll reopen your wounds." The latter sternly warned.

  "Hmph..." Metas remarked.

  He picked up a nearby cup of water and downed it. He wiped the water that dripped down his chin with his arm, the stray droplets falling onto his bandaged chest.

  Metas looked down at himself. He was wearing a loose tunic shirt and underneath was a heavy wrap of bandages that extended from his torso all the way to his arms. Beneath his current wounds, he could still see old scars that poked their heads past his bandages.

  'We... have to get out of here. Out of...' Metas looked out the window at the fantastical landscape stretching out before him.

  'All this... mess.' He walked over to the Ruler's Regalia on the table and picked it up. He studied it.

  'This thing, if you look at it, it seems like it's just some old antique, but... Hmph. The old legends are all probably just to coax the gullible to continue to 'serve' the kingdom. This thing's... just a weapon. A tool for killing. And all I am is a killer.' Metas threw the relic back onto the table, the weapon made a slight clatter as it landed on the wooden surface.

  'Even if I didn't fall for their lies, I still was just someone who followed along to their whims... I'm no different from those blindly killing and following the kingdom's orders. But... all of that doesn't matter, even I didn't matter... Just as long as I could earn enough for 'them' not to worry about it.' Flashes of a young Sethan and Asralyn flooded his mind.

  Metas sat down on the bed.

  'Those two... they're caught up in all of this now. Because of me. They're... better off without me. I've done... enough for them, haven't I? They can provide for themselves now. They don't need me anymore, I'm only a burden to them now. If I leave, their lives will surely be better...' He gritted his teeth and clenched his fist.

  Metas turned his mind towards other matters instead.

  'I hope they'll be holding up the end of the bargain. Things as they stand now, I don't know if they'll still be willing to let us pass. But they're our best bet if we're going to travel outside and steer clear of the kingdom. And after that... Who knows. I'll worry about it after getting ourselves out of this mess. But... can we still-'

  Metas heard the sound of the front door opening.

  Metas snapped his fingers, recalling the regalia to his hand. He poked his head out of the room, silently walking out to investigate.

  "Oh, did they leave you behind? Or did you stay by yourself?" A familiar voice called out from downstairs. Metas was surprised for a moment but decided to simply walk out and reveal himself.

  "I wanted to leave, but... We decided it was too dangerous for all of us to go. The others went out to learn more about what's happening outside and... We'll have to see if it's safe enough to leave the kingdom yet." He remarked plainly.

  'This woman... Is she even human? Anyway, she's with Jura so she's not entirely trustworthy. But any option that isn't untrustworthy seems good in these times. It'll be best for me to steer clear of whatever they're involved in. If it doesn't concern us, it shouldn't.' Metas thought.

  The Lady in White stood with a mild smile and an unblinking gaze. She stared back at Metas, whose fingers twitched nervously as he grasped the wooden banister.

  "If it indeed is safe to go, you'll all be set in leaving Lodeleth it seems." The Lady answered, after seemingly an eternity of not responding.

  "There are more preparations to be done to ensure our safe passage out but, yes. The kingdom... isn't safe for them. For us. The best option is to leave quietly to avoid risking anyone's life." Metas answered.

  "Yes, the kingdom really is an unsafe place." The Lady in White spoke abruptly, not even a half-second after Metas finished speaking. Her voice was serene and tranquil but had a pull as if it was lulling any listener to deep sleep.

  She slowly circled the wooden dining table, making slow deliberate steps while her gaze was fixed on him the whole time. The Lady continued speaking.

  "It is much unsafe for you... As it is for all of the... good people of the kingdom, is it not? A danger that persists even after you all leave." She remarked.

  "Hmm. What... exactly are you trying to say?" Metas' eyebrows raised as he crossed his arms.

  "You boy... You sound exactly like Jura sometimes. You should lose that habit, it won't endear you to too many people. But as for what I'm trying to say... That weapon in your hands, and your role in all this... They seem to be intertwined. And they point to you, staying, at least for now." The Lady exclaimed.

  "Are you talking about fate? I knew someone who spoke like things were already predetermined, and we beat him." Metas remarked, slamming his fist down onto the wooden railing.

  "But he was defeated because he lost the ability to see fate. Likely, that is what he was fated to become. Destiny... is fluid, the shackles of fate can be broken. Though one's destiny is not a dissimilar concept to one's role, or responsibility." The Lady in White mused.

  "It's not my... Our, responsibility, to fix this! We've just been caught in a mess that started a long time ago. Why should we bear the burden of righting their wrongs?" Metas asked, in impunity.

  "It wasn't you who started this, as you call it... mess, however, do you not have the power to end it? But, it may be all the better for you to leave. A king's birthright such as yours is a burden too heavy for most to carry. The choice remains yours. To accept this crushing weight, or leave it to others. Those who have the strength will rise up to the challenge, of course." The Lady raised her hand to shoulder level and closed her fist.

  "Are you done?" Metas asked, walking down the stairs.

  "Hmm. You really are just like him." She remarked.

  The Lady in White proceeded to the kitchen, struck a match, and began to brew herself a pot of tea.

  Metas passed her. He rummaged through the cabinets and drawers and brought out a piece of bread to eat as a snack.

  She sat down on a chair in the receiving area while waiting for her tea to be ready.

  The front door opened once more, and Metas turned to see who entered.

  "Speak of the devil..." The Lady mused.

  "One after the other you lot..." Metas remarked, sighing.

  "It's not my fault you lot decided to stay in... What is essentially my home, thank you very much... Don't be surprised when the master of the house actually appears in his house." Jura grumbled, tossing away a dismembered tentacle resting on his shoulder towards the outside.

  "Those buggers outside should take care of that." The old codger muttered.

  'You really are just like him...' The Lady's words echoed in Metas' mind.

  'Do I sound like that to everybody else? Anyway...' He thought.

  "Well, since you're already here, I'd like to trouble the 'master of the house' further and waste a bit more of his time." Metas answered.

  'Maybe I do...' The former shadow knight gulped.

  "Ask. No errands and nothing that conflicts with my orders." Jura brushed some more dirt off of himself before entering.

  "How am I supposed to know what conflicts?" Asked Metas.

  "Speak. And I'll answer to whichever way I see fit, what would you have me do that you could not anyway? It better not be to change your bandages or bring you food as a result of your injured state." Jura exclaimed.

  "Nothing a dusty old man like you should be fretting over, a mere question." Metas retorted back.

  'Those two don't hold anything back... How scary...' The White Lady thought, overhearing.

  "A question, eh. I suppose I could answer a few, did you ask Her already? Never mind, I can barely understand the cryptic monologues she goes on." Jura headed towards the kitchen.

  "Do we have any spirits left?" He asked the Lady.

  "No, just tea." The Lady remarked.

  "Pour me some when you're done." Jura answered.

  "Ehem. I'd like to ask about what happened these past several days in the kingdom. Specifically... The times you interfered... Why you interfered..." Metas struggled to get the words out, and yet he saw it through.

  "Ah, something I'm beginning to regret doing." Jura put a hand on his head and closed his eyes.

  "Having doubts I see. About whether you'll make the right decision in the conflict ahead? If that's the case, her advice should've well sufficed." Jura remarked gesturing towards the Lady.

  "Right?" She stepped forward with her arms crossed.

  "Still... How do you know when to decide?" Metas asked.

  "It's quite clear cut to me. Orders are orders, disobey them at my own peril." Jura remarked.

  Metas' gaze was firm and solemn, it was unbroken as he silently waited for another answer.

  "As for me, choosing whether or not to interfere... Of course if you're choosing to do something the rewards better be worth it compared to the consequences." Jura said

  "Is that tea ready yet?" "In just a bit." The Lady answered Jura.

  "And if there's little to gain, and plenty to lose?" Metas asked.

  "Look, if you're wondering about whether to evade your destiny or not, there's no avoiding an encounter with the flame court. But as your role in Lodeleth's future, do as you please." Jura remarked, walking towards the kitchen.

  "Do... as I please?" Metas asked, confused.

  "Here you go." "Thank you..." The Lady poured Jura a cup of tea.

  He sipped before answering. "You've turned your back on the kingdom, and it turned its back on you. You don't owe them any form of help, although... If you feel guilt about any form of inaction... You can choose to suppress it, or do something about it. About your siblings... If you continue to get involved, it might get worse for them. But there's no telling what'll happen to them if you leave."

  He turned towards the Lady. "See? That's how you do advice. It's not supposed to be confusing..."

  "But where's the fun if they're not left to figure it out by themselves?" She answered.

  Metas looked down. He studied the Ruler's Regalia in his hand in contemplation.

  "Young man, would you like some tea to help you think?" The Lady asked.

  "Sure, I'd like a cup." said Metas. The Lady brought a cup to Metas.

  "I'll just leave the pot here. I'd invite you to use the matches, but I imagine you could heat it up yourself." She snapped her fingers to imitate Metas' ignition of flame.

  "Hmm. Leaving soon?" He asked, after taking a sip.

  "Things have been hectic as of late. No thanks to all of you lot." Jura exclaimed.

  "Have things really been in flux across the... realms because of... what we did?" Metas asked.

  "It caused a drop in the water. A ripple in the still stream. It caused... may cause a stir." The Lady remarked.

  "For what it's worth, you're not making an unwise decision getting out now." Jura said, before gulping down his cup.

  "Let's not delay much longer, Jura." The Lady sighed.

  "Agreed. If you have any more questions, leave them for later. Or don't, you could probably resolve them yourself if you thought about it more." Jura raised his arm, as he and the Lady went for the door.

  "Mhm. Old man... Thanks." Said Metas.

  "No problem kid. Just don't cause me trouble, don't break anything, don't make this place dirty. No headaches." Jura exclaimed.

  Sigh. Metas put a hand on his forehead.

  _______________________________________________________________________

  The clamor of townsfolk was prevalent in the path leading to the town square. Worried murmurs and disgruntled whispers were widespread, but were drowned out in kind by excited chatter and curious conversation.

  Stalls lined the streets, selling food, and and goods, or showcasing various curiosities. Though the corners and back alleys were frequented by more opportunistic folk, no overt criminal action was tolerated by the guards that formed a long trail of watchful eyes. Their shifty gazes scanned the citizens back and forth which unnerved a few, yet did not detract from the cheery mood.

  "Woah, they have all sorts of things... here! Is that even food? And there's all sorts of people playing music, dancing... It's nothing like I've ever seen before! Well, there was something like this... But comparing 'that' to this just seems, yuck." Yuria exclaimed to the others through their mental communication network, marveling at the sights around her.

  "It's.. a bit too noisy for my taste. But I suppose it won't hurt to look at a few stalls as we pass by?" Ellyn responded.

  They were all a distance away from each other as to remove suspicion from any direct contact with one another, but maintained conversation through mental contact.

  "I remember events like these. Back then, it was too easy to rife through someone's pockets or to hustle some tourists out of their coin. But that was only in-between jobs. Crowds like these often meant someone needed extra security or made people easier to follow." said Kieron.

  "Saying" that, her eyes scanned and surveyed the surroundings though nothing seemed amiss.

  "Strange. Several dangerous incidents just happened and they're doing some sort of merry event? Is it to try to cheer up the people?" Felkin wondered.

  "To raise the people's spirits... That might be the official reason the kingdom makes stuff like this. But really it's just to distract from the chaos and prevent a panic, though mostly not to the benefit of the people. I just wish they spent the funds elsewhere, like for rebuilding and stuff." Said En.

  "Rebuilding..."

  Felkin breathed in and closed his eyes. He could feel the dismay and disquiet from many of those that surrounded him.

  The displaced were going further into town to seek aid or to find new professions or trades. Families brought their children to distract them from their present circumstances; though for those whose parents had passed, older siblings were now the ones responsible for the younger.

  "You..." A rosy-cheeked drunkard muttered as he stumbled into Felkin.

  "Sorry." Felkin apologized, but he walked forward without facing the man.

  "Young man, you..." The drunkard remarked.

  "Yes... Good sir?" Felkin asked, turning around and maintaining his composure.

  Kieron could spot the nearby interaction from with a keen eye, and put a hand on her sickle accordingly.

  hic "It's... nothing. I just thought you were... the one that sold me those vegetables yesterday." The drunken man mumbled.

  "I see. I apologize for the... misunderstanding. Have a good day, good sir." Felkin managed.

  "It's fine..." The man stumbled away.

  Felkin and Kieron breathed a shared sigh of relief.

  "What's the matter, still rattled from earlier?" She asked him as the two of them independently continued further.

  "It's..." Nothing. Felkin almost said.

  "The people, I hate thinking how we... I... somehow contributed to their suffering. Even if it's not directly my fault, and even if I stopped it from being worse. I guess I still feel quite bad about it..." He shyly remarked.

  "Hmm. Admitting it is impressive. So, does that mean that you're not feeling anymore guilt about what happened? I suppose if you did arrive a bit faster and won a bit cleaner the destruction would have been lessened..." Kieron teased.

  "Hmph..." Felkin pouted.

  "If 'we' did better..." Kieron continued, with a serious tone.

  "I... didn't realize... Well, I should've." He answered, putting a hand beside his head.

  "I'm not heartless after all. I know this conflict has... had nothing to do me, but even I hoped for a better outcome, even though we won." She answered.

  "We did the best we could, the both of you. That's why we should keep looking forward and focus, that place should be right ahead. Also, keep your eyes peeled for a guard outpost, maybe we can learn more about what they know about us." Said Ellyn.

  "Right." Yuria responded.

  The young witch sighed.

  'I couldn't help enough, earlier. But... maybe we can still help the people now, even just a little...' She secretly thought.

  "Please! We've lost our homes, the kingdom won't aid us, please, spare some coin for a poor woman and her children!" A beggar cried.

  Yuria's head turned towards the sound of sobbing, and she quickly scampered over. She reached into her person and retrieved a handful of coin.

  "Here." Yuria looked around cautiously before handing them over.

  "Thank you, thank you..." The woman profusely expressed gratitude.

  "You, over there! " A guard's voice rang out, grabbing the attention of not only Yuria but her compatriots.

  "Eep!" She exclaimed.

  'Found out!' She gulped. Yuria stood there frozen, the others unaware of what was happening.

  "Was that any one of us?" Ellyn checked up on the others from her group.

  "It's not me. Felkin, En?" Kieron asked.

  'Why was I the first name?' Felkin thought to himself.

  "No one's spotted me." He remarked, moving towards the source of the voice from earlier.

  "Wasn't me, neither." Said En.

  "Then we should move on to avoid suspicion-" Ellyn was cut off.

  "It was me. I thought I could give some alms on the sly, and I seemed to draw attention of a guard who now approaches towards me. Fleeing or fighting would give us away immediately, so I should talk my way out of it, right?" Yuria formulated her thoughts and expressed them with a hint of nervousness in the shaking of her voice.

  "Oh." Said En.

  Kieron exhaled. It was a deep exhale, blowing air through her mouth. She reached for the crescent-shaped ivory blade she had concealed.

  "Felkin, stop. Let's watch from afar before doing anything drastic." Kieron exclaimed, guessing Felkin's intentions correctly.

  "Mhm." Felkin stopped in his tracks, having strode towards Yuria's direction.

  "Yuria... you are right, but..." Ellyn tried her hardest to show restraint in her voice.

  "Sorry... I know. I'll... try not to do anything else that'll lead us getting caught and might hurt other people." Yuria remarked with a heavy dose of regret.

  "First... Let's worry about the problem at hand first." Said Ellyn, hand on her head.

  Yuria looked down at her feet meekly.

  The guard neared, and the conversation the party had passed in mere moments in their minds.

  Felkin was silent. He knew it was an action that necessitated reprimand, but could not bring himself to criticize Yuria. He knew he shared her sentiments and could easily have made the same decision.

  Yet he didn't. He felt a slight tinge of... pride? Superiority? And yet the sensation was washed down with a dose of self-hatred for doubting his friend, while knowing he was one mistake away from being in the same position.

  "Be careful, Yuria. If something happens, we're here." He reassured her.

  "I'm on standby I guess." Said En.

  "Mhm." She answered.

  "Don't encourage these beggars! These good-for-nothings roam the streets with their palms up begging, instead of working!" The guard exclaimed.

  "Can't you see we're running an honest business here! People like you are the reason we don't sell enough goods!" A nearby merchant yelled.

  "Back then, they said that too..." Yuria recalled the days where she lived on the streets.

  She held her tongue, tried best to hide her scowl and started an apology.

  "I'm sorr-" "Please, forgive her! I was begging, and she troubled herself to..." The woman apologized in her place.

  "Actions like this jeopardize the divine order and law of the kingdom!" Another guard yelled.

  "It's because of you knights that we citizens became like this! Aren't you all supposed to protect and serve the citizens of the kingdom?" A nearby beggar yelled out.

  "Are you all traitors to the kingdom? Are you helping the rebels?!" The first guard screamed.

  "This is causing a stir, I don't like where this'll take us..." Kieron remarked.

  "Honestly, these guys are way too eager to get into a fight." En sighed.

  "Everyone's on edge, tense. With all that's happened, it only takes someone to blame it on for it all to boil over." Ellyn exclaimed.

  "E-Everyone! Let's not fight! Everything's just a misunderstanding, it's my mistake please!" Yuria cried out.

  "You don't have to apologize, girl! It is they who wronged us!" Another discontented citizen yelled out.

  "They're too eager to speak on my behalf..." Thought Yuria.

  The commotion started drawing a crowd around her. And though the ebb and flow of foot traffic was in a state of near-constant flux, the members of the party were standing attentively still. They readied themselves for an incoming battle, though they did not stand out at all to the untrained eye.

  "Everyone, let's all calm down!" Yuria raised her arms and tried in vain to control the commotion.

  As the agitated parties began closing in on each other, a loud stomp and a flash of flame silenced the mob. Some of the guards and soldiers already had one hand on their blades or had their arms outstretched to ready their flames.

  "Soldiers, stand down!" A stern voice exclaimed, drawing the attention of citizen, beggar, and guard alike.

  The guards backed off, still tense and uneasy but respecting the figure's authority.

  "Knight Ashley, we..." The inciting guard lowered his head.

  "What is your purpose here, soldier? It is to maintain peace and order, is it not? To protect the kingdom, the crown, including its citizens? And now you are starting a commotion, which leads to violence in the streets amidst a celebration meant to uplift the spirits and encourage the commerce of our kingdom. Do you mean to disturb or upend this?" Ashley asked, her reprimand was serious, but she did not raise her voice more than necessary.

  The guards appeared embarrassed and ashamed, and did not offer any retort to their apparent shameful conduct.

  "Miss Ashley, we knew you were one to understand our plight. These guards should be stripped-" An impassioned displaced citizen was interrupted by Ashley raising her hand.

  "I... have words for you and the others as well." She spoke earnestly as she walked forward to speak to them.

  "Whew, good thing there's someone with sense that can talk the crowd down..." En remarked.

  "For both the crowds' and guards' sake." Kieron exclaimed, taking her hand off her weapon.

  "Agreed." Felkin sighed, also relaxing from a combat-ready stance.

  "I knew the soldiers don't necessarily look favorably on giving to beggars, but I didn't know they would be harsh to this regard... I guess I haven't been out there as much recently." En exclaimed.

  "Resentment and discontent has been piling up a while, that's why banditry and... more unfavorable or perilous lines of work have become more popular." Said Kieron.

  "You all know... picking a fight with the guards isn't making your situation any easier." Ashley remarked with an exasperated sigh.

  "It's their fault, they started it first!" A man remarked.

  Ashley looked back cautiously to see if the irritated guards had heard the statement and raised her hand to signal "hush".

  "No matter who started it, more violence isn't going to solve anything and it's not a fight you can win." Ashley warned.

  "We... have the nu-" "You have the numbers, yes. But how many bodies will fall in a battle you don't have to fight? Laying low is still the best option since... it's forbidden to beg in the main streets, Lodeleth has been a much more dangerous place of late, it's best not to lay down your life in vain." Ashley implored.

  "Many of us... lost our homes, not just from the latest disasters, in the lands turned into battlefields in the war." A woman exclaimed.

  "Many of us are old... some are just children, we can't handle the labor work here, and even to those that can, they can't afford a week's worth of food with that week's same wages with the taxes being imposed onto us. That's why... many turn to the back alleys, stealing, gambling. But we don't have the rigor for those either." An elderly man exclaimed.

  "Begging is all we can do, we're not criminals and they treat us like we are. We don't hurt anyone, and people that give us anything they do because they want to. Are we supposed to sit here and take it?" An impassioned man remarked.

  "To tell you the truth, yes. There's been attempts... to do something, but the situation remains... as it has always remained. Still... this remains the safest option. Surely there is somewhere that can use an extra pair of hands? One that can make use of an elder's wizened mind and years of experience? A riot in the streets can only lead to bloodshed, who knows how many innocents can be caught up in it." Said Ashley.

  "Miss Knight, you've... helped us many a time in the past before. So you are not ignorant to our plight. However, we recognize that the side you're taking is where you are belonging to. Their side, the kingdom's side." A small but unwavering voice resounded from an elderly woman's small frame.

  Ashley's eyes widened, her mouth opened but no sound emerged. She closed it once more, knowing she could not offer a retort.

  "We know, there's nothing you can do, we appreciate all that you've done for us... But your involvement with us shouldn't be more than necessary. We can... handle ourselves from here on out, we don't need your pity." The elderly woman remarked.

  The group turned and walked away from Ashley who was still feeling conflicted. 'How... could they be so confident- no, careless...' She thought.

  "Don't... go looking for trouble, especially fights you can't win!" Ashley called out to them.

  "Worry not, miss knight. If we fight... When we fight, it'll be a fight that we'll surely win." A man from the group remarked.

  'I've heard tell of rebels and uprising, don't tell me even the common folk are involved in it?' The knight thought.

  Yuria stood there and listened to the entire conversation. Her attention was turned towards the plight of the people, and a slight tinge of guilt in her hand in it.

  "We should disperse before they start getting suspicious, crowd's leaving too." Kieron remarked, urging the others.

  "I was just listening if anyone mentioned any more rules we needn't not break, since there isn't any, let's continue." Ellyn responded, her eyes on Yuria.

  "Glad it's over." Said En, walking forward.

  Felkin was listening attentively as well.

  Yuria turned to leave.

  "Wait! You." Ashley called out to her.

  "Eep, not again!" Yuria whimpered, surprised.

  "Yes ma'am? I'd... like to apologize for the trouble I caused, and I'd like to thank you for resolving it." She remarked, as she turned around.

  "No, I'm the one who needs to apologize, in behalf of those soldiers." Ashley bowed in apology.

  "Oh, alright then..." Yuria shyly scratched at the back of her head.

  "Are you one of those who were displaced?" Ashley asked, bending down to talk to Yuria.

  "Ah, yes... I lost my home, but I had some coin left over and so I recognized their plight..." The young witch exclaimed.

  "Well, the mistake is understandable. However, you should be more careful around these parts. Your parents... are they..." Ashley asked cautiously.

  "They're not around..." Yuria looked down and clutched at the hem of her dress.

  "I see..." Ashley remarked, sadly.

  "But, I have friends! People I know in the city, so... I'll be fine, I guess." Yuria exclaimed.

  "Well, I suppose you should go running off to them, then. The kingdom's... not a very safe place, so stick together." Ashley advised.

  "I will, miss knight." Said Yuria. She turned to leave when Ashley spoke up once more.

  "Though, if you find yourself in a spot of trouble, just say the name of 'Knight Ashley', that'll... earn a few good graces in some circles at least. I hope." Ashley remarked, unsure.

  "I'll keep that in mind." Yuria turned to leave once more.

  "I... didn't catch your name." Ashley asked.

  'Damn lady, please let me just leave!' Yuria was eager to blend back into the crowd.

  "It's... Ellyn." She remarked.

  'Got to keep my story straight.' Thought Yuria.

  "Mhm." Ashley exclaimed.

  Yuria paused, bowed, and walked off.

  'She couldn't possibly be... The rumors and orders from command are one thing, but who knows what the reality of the situation really is... In any case, I'll keep her appearance in mind.' Ashley thought, recalling the description of the fugitives that included Yuria.

  "Yuria, let's go." Ellyn called out, keeping an eye on the young witch.

  "Mhm, coming." Yuria meekly replied.

  She adopted an unsure expression as she furtively proceeded down the street, with her head facing towards the ground.

  "Our destination is still some ways away, let's focus on our secondary goal first," Ellyn remarked.

  "From what I remember, and from what Henry tells me, the market here should have all of the stuff we need to buy back at the base." Said En.

  "Just relay it to me, En. I'll handle it. It might be better if only one of us brings the supplies back so the others can sneak in more easily." Felkin offered.

  "But it might draw too much attention if they see one person hauling too many goods; and lifting what someone of their frame should not be able to lift. Let me take half." Kieron added.

  "A quarter," Felkin responded.

  "A third," Kieron replied.

  "Third sounds good. I'll start here, and you start there?" Felkin asked.

  "Sure," Kieron answered.

  "What was that about my 'frame', do I not look like I could lift heavy things?" Felkin asked curiously, looking down at himself.

  "Maybe someone like Metas, he looks the part. You're... Ah, but don't worry about it too much, if we're talking about strength alone, you could probably juggle wooden tables without breaking a sweat." Kieron remarked.

  "Hmm." Felkin exclaimed. "Now, where do we start..." Said Kieron.

  "We're running out of wine, also we need more.." The two began canvassing the market stalls based on En's instruction.

  "So..." Yuria remarked.

  The other members of the party were standing about in the public square while the shopping was being done. En, Ellyn, and Yuria milled about and feigned taking in the sights, sounds, and occasionally perused the stalls to avoid suspicion.

  "What you did was a risk, but... We couldn't have possibly known what would have happened. So... don't beat yourself up too much about it." Ellyn remarked.

  They stood facing away from one another. In close proximity to one another, but to the crowd, they simply appeared like two strangers going about their day.

  "I'll... keep that in mind. I'll also try to be more careful." Said Yuria.

  "Alright, then... let's-" Ellyn spied a glance from far away.

  'That gaze... something's watching, but it doesn't seem like we're found out yet.' Thought Ellyn.

  "S-Something wrong?" Yuria asked.

  "Felkin, Kieron. 3 o'clock. My 3 o'clock.' Ellyn exclaimed with a serious tone.

  The two immediately stopped buying goods and went on alert. Though the shift in their body language was minuscule, they relied on their senses instead of moving to look directly towards the person of interest.

  "Felkin, can you see them? I have to turn around and I don't want do that just yet." Kieron asked, carrying a bundle of items in one arm.

  "I can. Can't recognize them, I don't think they're one of the ones Metas warned us about. By the way they're walking... And that blade at their waist, even if they're plainclothed... They're a shadow. I think." Felkin managed out of the corner of his eye.

  "Woah, you can figure that out from that far?" En exclaimed.

  "W-what should we do?" Yuria asked.

  "Nothing yet, don't panic. En, can you do something?" Ellyn asked.

  "To mess with his memory or make him look the other way, I'd have to slip the crystal in his pocket or something. But that means sneaking up on him..." En answered.

  "A shame someone would probably come looking if he just up and disappeared. Going to be pretty hard with this crowd too." Said Kieron.

  "Good thing killing's not the best option here, but... Ellyn, should we just proceed without doing anything? Dealing with them could be more trouble than it's worth." Felkin remarked.

  "Though we could use this opportunity to gather information that only the shadows know, but how..." Said En.

  "Nabbing him and tying him up is out of the question. Not enough risk for the reward, and we might jeopardize the reason we went to town in the first place." Kieron answered.

  "We could try following him, however... Letting it be may be the wisest choice." Said Ellyn.

  "Maybe... someone else could use their crystal and put-pocket it. Then we can get that shadow off of our backs, or maybe tail them, or know what they know." Yuria suggested.

  "That... could work." Said En.

  "But you're not suggesting you yourself are doing it, right?" Kieron interjected.

  "No, no... But... It's your guys' decision what to do." Yuria answered.

  "Whatever it is, I'm ready," Felkin remarked.

  Ellyn sighed and focused on her thoughts.

  'Why am I the one leading this group... If Metas were here, no wait, he'd probably defer to me, too. The safer option is to leave it alone, is it? Is it safer to influence the situation somehow? And this chance to get information that only the shadows, the higher-ups know... Damn it.' Ellyn's thoughts quickly flashed past.

  'I'm... the one who's making a decision here. I... need to make the right one. They're counting on me, so... All of them...' Thought Ellyn.

  "Your decision?" Kieron asked.

  "We're... proceeding." Ellyn remarked.

  "I take it that means you have a plan in mind?" Kieron exclaimed.

  "I do. On my signal, follow my lead..." Ellyn remarked.

  The shadow stood in the middle of the crowd, his gaze was watchful, though his mind was preoccupied on other matters. Besides the hidden blade on his waist, he carried a small pack slung over his shoulder.

  'Things... have truly taken a turn for the worse. The war rages on, and all of the internal conflicts in Lodeleth... It hasn't happened yet; but when orders for the shadows differs, will we have to choose for ourselves?' The shadow thought.

  He looked around, almost absentmindedly. The shadow checked his surroundings, naturally cautious as per his sharpened instincts honed over the years.

  'Still... those fugitives could still be lurking about, and the rebels... Dealing with them will be paramount no matter how the kingdom's power struggle goes.' He thought.

  'But first... what I've come here to do, best not tarry long. Hmm?' The shadow remarked,

  He felt a subtle crawling sensation on his shoulder. Reflexively, his hand shot out behind him to crush it flat.

  "Hmm." 'Must be nothing.' He remarked, looking upon his unsullied hand.

  A group of children suddenly ran past the distracted shadow knight. The pack he held came loose when he reached to swat a "bug" behind him earlier, and dropped to the ground.

  'Hmph, kids... I still feel everything in my pockets so they haven't picked it or anything.' He sighed and picked his belongings back up.

  'I'm getting clumsy.' He looked around suspiciously.

  'I'd better get going.' The shadow knight made his way through the bustling crowd and out of the busy market square and into the town's alleyways.

  He walked past beggars and the homeless, past gamblers and hoodlums, and to a secluded path enclosed by stone walls leading to a desolate isle.

  The shadow knight stood still for a few moments, listening and observing his surroundings. After being satisfied that there were no listeners or pursuers nearby, he raised his hand and rhythmically tapped on the stone wall with his fist in a unique pattern.

  Another shadow knight, clad in their black garb and armor, revealed themselves from the alley's umbra.

  "Do you have it?" The armored one asked.

  "It's right here." The plainclothed one opened their pack and handed the latter knight a sheet of parchment.

  The armored shadow thoroughly read the page up and down, front and back, and then crumpled the sheet into a ball. Within their grasp, the knight burned to ash the article of secretive importance.

  "Those fugitives... seem to hail from the unlikeliest of places within our kingdom's territory." The plainclothed one exclaimed.

  The armored one paused, in slight confusion, then answered.

  "One from a rundown village on the outskirts of the kingdom's territory, another hailed near the uninhabited tundra on Lodeleth's border. Strange bedfellows. And not connected to the rebel force already existing."

  "That we know of. They might be new recruits, or joined up with them already. Wouldn't be surprised." The plainclothed one remarked.

  "Still, a group with a witch who escaped from being burned at the stake, an inventor from the snow lands, a former shadow, and a relic wielder from who knows where... Threats are sprouting from lands all over, that's not accounting for the war, and... the matters in the capital regarding our superiors." The armored shadow answered.

  "Getting the information relayed spread us thin... The shadows have been busy doing work in all corners of the kingdom, and without. We're lucky we don't have conflicting orders... yet." The plainclothed one remarked.

  "Hmm. It's good to have discussion once in a while. Especially since we're not allowed to speak this freely in front of our superiors, though it'd be best to cut it short. We can't hear or see anyone listening but there still might be..." The armored one spoke cautiously.

  "You're right, I don't know what came over me." The plainclothed one answered.

  "I'll be following my orders. You follow yours." The armored knight said, and the two parted ways.

  The plainclothed shadow walked out of the alley, and emerged into the bustling streets once more.

  'Almost forgot to get rid of this.' He set fire to the cloth pack and tossed it on the road below.

  The cloth caught fire, and the flames fizzled out almost instantly with a small puff of black smoke.

  He turned his head as if responding to some faint sound. Though there was nothing of note that he observed.

  'Must be getting antsy... The kingdom's in a perilous state lately.' The shadow surmised as they continued off.

  Down on the ground, Felkin's extended blade slowly slithered forward, coiled around the orange crystal, and dragged it back to his hand, away from the busy crowd's view.

  As the group of children continued playing in the street, Yuria walked past and plucked another orange crystal out of one of their pockets in one swift motion.

  "Huh?" The child seemed to be freed from a trance. "Hurry up!" Their other friends called out, and the young one was none the wiser.

  Yuria secreted her crystal away as she whistled nonchalantly.

  "Both crystals gotten?" En asked.

  "I have the first one back," Felkin remarked.

  "Other one's with me," Yuria answered, who regained a slight amount of her previous vigor.

  "So, went without a hitch." Ellyn breathed a sigh of relief.

  "Expecting it to go sideways?" Kieron asked.

  "Maybe I did, but now that it's well and done, we did learn about some... concerning information." Ellyn remarked.

  "They know where we're from... They already know we're here... We can't... afford to make anymore mistakes can't we? We should maybe... get out of the kingdom as soon as possible, maybe there'll be less trouble for us and the kingdom both, then." Yuria exclaimed.

  "Well... We'll be able to talk about that once we reach that place Metas led to." Said Felkin.

  "As for me, I'm pooped. We were right in me not trying to take direct control or ask anything firsthand. Just making subtle mental suggestions to someone like that took a lot out of me, not to mention making the crystal invisible to their eyes... I need something sweet..." En mimed wiping sweat off his brow.

  "Before anything, the groceries. Do you still have them, Felkin?" Kieron asked.

  "Didn't need to drop them. Got them right here, still have yours?" Felkin asked.

  "Had 'em when I was tailing that shadow. Even helped to seem unsuspicious." Kieron exclaimed proudly.

  "Alright, alright, you two lovebirds, take care of the supplies, and then we can decide on what to do next." Said En.

  "Wha-" "Huh!?" Felkin and Kieron reacted in almost unison.

  Kieron looked around to see a few onlookers confused and alarmed at her sudden exclamation.

  "D-don't say things that'll make us react in a way... in a way that will make other people look at us with suspicion!" Kieron exclaimed, turning red and walking off in a huff.

  "R-right, I'll be getting the rest of what we need to buy, now..." Felkin strode away with an unnatural speed.

  "Wait, Felkin! Don't be so conspicuous! And... I'm supposed to be the one taking care of what we still need to buy!" Kieron changed course.

  As the two left to cross out the remaining items needed to restock Jura's abode, Ellyn, En, and Yuria were left to lounge about in the market square once more.

  The young witch stood, watching the festivities commencing around her. She watched families taking their children out for a stroll, as well as friends, young and old, purchasing from the stalls.

  She watched them joyfully witness the various minstrels and traveling performers present around her. Yuria marvelled at the wondrous sights and sounds of joy and music around her.

  But Yuria then noticed that things were not as jolly as they seemed on the surface. The usual beggars aside, she also spotted various passers-by with fresh injuries, burns, and bandages wrapped around their bodies. She bore witness to tearful reunions, as well as townsfolk haggling and struggling to buy the cheapest of goods in the stalls.

  "Metas said that this celebration was made to be some sort of big distraction to the people, right?" Yuria asked.

  "Well, the kingdom likes to put a positive spin on that fact by stating certain festivities are to 'uplift the people's spirits', but due to what recently happened and the ongoing war, yeah, they did. They pretty much do it regularly now." En remarked.

  Yuria's previous delight was replaced by unease.

  'Even stuff like this... has some motive behind it. But... I wonder if I'll get to live free and enjoy something like it, well... ever. After we get away from the kingdom... Will they, will we still...' She gazed longingly at the groups of friends having fun.

  Her train of thought was broken by a voice from a man running one of the nearby stalls.

  "Little miss, I've seen you going around and looking at a lot of the stalls and not buying anything." The shopkeeper remarked.

  'Is he suspecting me?' Yuria's mind went to her being suspected.

  "Are you one of those who just lost their homes? That might be why you're going around and looking at all of the products without buying anything. I'd love to give you something for free, but my family's been struggling as of late so..." He remarked.

  "Yes, I lost my home in the fires recently, but... I wouldn't dare ask for something for free, so..." Yuria shyly remarked, rubbing her arm in a self-reassuring measure.

  Though a delectable aroma wafted through the air and drew her attention, her head turned towards the pastry of desire.

  Sniff, sniff. Yuria spied the shelf of baked goods that lay just beyond reach behind the shopkeeper.

  "This caught your attention?" The shopkeeper asked, retrieving a plate with a steaming slice of pie atop.

  "Oh, I..." Yuria muttered.

  "It would be suspicious if someone stood around here for quite a while without buying anything," Ellyn said towards Yuria, having observed her from a short distance away.

  "So..." Yuria answered.

  "So go ahead, I guess. That... goes for all of you, too, everyone. Feel free to buy from the stalls... But not too free." Ellyn scratched behind her head.

  'But wouldn't this defeat the purpose of buying as little as possible so we could sneak back in easier? Well... I don't want to pick a fight with everyone now. And maybe with the recent turn of events... Maybe... I need this. So if I'm buying something to keep, or even eat... It won't have to be a lot...' Kieron concluded.

  "Hmm?" She exclaimed, noticing something out of the corner of her eye.

  "What's this?" "Pork sausages, sir." "And that?" "A block of cheese." "Mhmtffrmm..." Felkin remarked as he handed over a handful of coin.

  He tore off a piece of the sausage he carried and then ate a mouthful out of the block of cheese in his hand, all while bringing a box and a few cloth packs in tow.

  "Felkin! Don't..." Kieron stopped herself from reprimanding the young man when she observed him from afar.

  She saw a certain spark of light in Felkin's eyes. He scanned each stall, savored each sight and sound, exuding a quiet excitement.

  "Kieron, look! Those people make this really unique music, I think they might be travelling performers from a foreign country, and have you tasted some of the things they have on here, you should try them." Felkin exclaimed.

  "Felkin... It's your first time going to one of these, huh." She answered solemnly.

  "Well... For me now, it is. I... really don't know if I went to one before, or if I'll go to one again. You, Kieron. Have... you gone to plenty of these before?" Felkin asked.

  "I, well..." Kieron paused. "A few times. A lifetime ago, it feels like." Flashes of her life played in her mind, from sorrow and regret, to triumph and belonging, returning to more sorrow and regret.

  "And if you did go to one in the past, you probably enjoyed it." She added.

  "Maybe I did." Felkin shrugged. "And Kieron... I'll hold back on buying too much, and... Helia is planning something big, she's turned some merchant guilds to her side. From what Metas told us about the council, and what we heard from the shadow earlier..." He added.

  "It means there's almost certainly a power struggle we can take advantage of, good one, Felkin." Ellyn exclaimed.

  "Acting like a dumb customer, and having really good hearing pays off." Felkin said proudly.

  "You heard that just now, didn't you?" En asked. "Maybe..." Said Felkin.

  'But Kieron is right, if I buy too much, it'll be suspicious too. And I need to save the coin I have. Not for me, but... for them. What would they want? What would... She want?' Felkin thought, walking down the street and around the square, perusing what the area had in store.

  Kieron adopted a similar train of thought as she explored the square.

  'I probably shouldn't buy too much for myself, don't really need much, in this land at least. Hmm... Giving the others gifts and establishing goodwill is probably wise, I've made some good inroads with the group, I likely should do more if I'm sticking with them longer... Particularly that Metas, knight that he is... Former knight, I should say. But aside that... What... would 'he' want?' She asked herself.

  En witnessed Felkin's slight spree of delicious indulgence.

  'Felkin's got the right idea, but maybe Kieron and Ellyn will be mad if I cause too much of a ruckus or clean out all of these stalls.' En "breathed" a breath of fresh air. Not that he needed to, but wanted to.

  En saw the exuberance of human joy and activity. The bustle of commerce and the tangle of emotions, mostly positive ones, and everything combined, everything human, deeply fascinated him so.

  'I love this sight. People having fun, er... mostly. Well, even if this was made to take the people's minds off of the corrupt governance and all of the bad stuff, it doesn't mean I can't enjoy it, right?' En thought.

  He went to a stall and bought a handful of salted meats, which swiftly turned into a mouthful of salted meats, and a stomachful of them. (Does he have a stomach?) Sweets were the next to fall victim to his appetite.

  Though he was indecisive about what to try next. As he debated on what next to spend his coin on, a group of young street children approached him.

  'I hope these kids don't try to rob me... I know that could happen because I've pickpocketed alongside groups of children like this in the past.' En thought.

  "Are you... new around here?" One of them asked.

  "Well... In this town, yes. I... lived in a town in the kingdom, but that place is gone now, so I'm here." En explained.

  "Mother tells me not to spend too much coin in the fair here, so if you just lost your home, it'll probably be better not to buy too much stuff, I think." A young girl remarked.

  "It's alright, I'm... not really alone, and it's not my money I'm spending, really." En brushed it off.

  The children shrugged. "If you say so. But mother will be angry if I spend too much like that. My siblings are all spendthrifts and look where they are now." She answered.

  "Siblings... huh." En thought back to them.

  'How long has it been since I've thought of them, since... I've been with them. It's been years since I was with the flock, since... I've been home. I suppose no matter how long I'm here... I'm no human.' He thought.

  "I suppose my friends will get mad if I spend too much. What're you all up to?" En asked.

  "Well, we're playing some tag, maybe hide-and-seek later, we... asked if you wanted to join, I guess." A boy asked.

  "Sure, I'm game." En enthusiastically remarked, walking off with them.

  "Mrmmf." Yuria exclaimed, eating the last bite of her pie.

  "Hrmpmf?" She crunched on something small and brittle inside her mouth.

  She retrieved a small seed, which she carefully studied, wiped with her clothes, and stuffed inside her pack.

  'Good thing I didn't chip my tooth or something, but... If I'm gonna buy something to eat, it might be better to get some bones, or seeds, or something. But if it isn't dried or clean, it might smell or attract flies. In that case... Why don't I just get something for the others?" Thought Yuria.

  Ellyn herself also scanned back and forth the stalls, but had a different outlook compared to the others.

  'I've walked back and forth and these stalls... With how expensive the fare is with these trinkets and treats... You could buy a day's worth of meat and vegetables, or clothing, or hunting tools... How extravagant and wasteful... A day's work or a single hunt in the forest, and all of that will amount to...' Ellyn then sniffed the air.

  'I can smell the sugar in some of those things, and the fat... Eating those often will definitely be detrimental to one's health. And... and...' She took a big whiff of air.

  'It smells absolutely delicious. It is alike a predator that attracts prey with a lure, or how a hunter uses bait. I'd best be careful not to fall prey to its charms. But maybe... Just a little won't hurt." The huntress cautiously purchased a small piece of honeyed pastry.

  'Mmm! And that's how they get you. First your money, then your life. Deliciousness is a deadly weapon in the city, it seems.' Ellyn gazed at the hubbub all around her, not used to the noise of the city.

  'This noise... This sight, the old man took me to something like this, well it couldn't hold a candle to this. Just... a small event in the village, and the food there... I'd but all forgotten the taste. Maybe a bit of indulgence isn't so bad, once in a while.' She smiled contentedly.

  'This place, these sights are quite unique. It would be a shame not to see them again, or to miss them in the first place. That reminds me, it is a shame that Metas... No, he's probably seen many such events in the past, or has he? He's worked as a knight his whole life and being with the shadows...' She ruminated.

  'In any case, since he isn't here, it would be wise to bring gifts to him, but... what would he want? What would the others want? We... really don't know much about each other, it seems.' Ellyn was deep in contemplative thought.

  This consensus and slight dilemma on gift giving was shared by the others.

  'I want to buy something for the others, but... I don't know what they'll like...' Thought Yuria.

  'I've been with Felkin for a few days, and the others far shorter than that, and so there's been sparse time for conversation. Should I ask? No, perhaps I should just abandon this idea after all, who knows what paths we'll lead after we're out of the kingdom, maybe it's just as well not to be too close to them.' Thought Kieron.

  'I haven't talked to the others much, to know about them... Maybe I should have... If I ask, it might show that I'm not paying too much attention...' Thought Felkin.

  "Hey, everyone, I wanted to buy something for each of you, but I'm not sure what all of you would like, so I wanted to ask what you all want... If that's okay with you." Yuria asked.

  "Oh!" "Um..." "Well..." Kieron, Ellyn, and Felkin exclaimed in almost unison, respectively.

  "You... needn't not spend such funds on me." Kieron exclaimed.

  'So, she doesn't want... anything? That's...' Thought Felkin, saddened.

  "Maybe... it's best that you spend it for yourself, Yuria." Said Felkin.

  'So does that mean he'd rather not get any gifts...' Thought Kieron, saddened.

  "Just... buy what you want, Yuria." Ellyn remarked.

  "Oh... What if I want to buy gifts for all of you guys?" Yuria asked.

  "A box of sweets for me please!" En exclaimed joyously.

  "Alright! Just... If anyone wants anything else... I guess, I'm not... forcing anyone, just..." Yuria shrugged and awkwardly went on her way.

  "If... you can find some polishing oil for my arm... That'll do." Said Ellyn.

  "S-some extra cloth wraps for my arms, I guess...Said Kieron.

  "An extra set of clothing for me, in case I lose these again," Felkin remarked.

  They both thought of something trivial, yet something that they can use, and Yuria can buy.

  "I'll... see what I can do." Yuria remarked happily.

  "I... don't like being guilted into things, but I suppose I can let this one be, this time..." Kieron remarked.

  "That reminds me, what would you want, Yuria?" Felkin asked.

  "Huh. I... hadn't thought of that." The young witch was briefly stumped. She thought for a few moments and then responded.

  "Food, clothes, a house, what else would I want... If I had to ask, my gift would be to spend more time with you all in places like this!' Yuria happily exclaimed.

  "Isn't that a non-answer?" En asked.

  "Well, can I revoke my answer earlier and say that instead? If that's an answer I can say, then we shouldn't spend unnecessary money, right?" Kieron joked.

  "Mhmm... It is a real answer to me." Yuria remarked, feigning a pout.

  "That does kind of seem like a free gift since we're going to stick together with each other." Said Felkin.

  "For the meantime." Ellyn clarified.

  "All that I've experienced... It has been hard sometimes, we've gone through some tough times, but... our time together really has been a gift, for me at least. Well, for the meantime, I suppose." Said Yuria.

  "I think that just says that the rest of your life has been so much worse," En remarked.

  "Oh, I guess so. Well, if you want something to spend something on for me..." Yuria said.

  She ran up to a nearby stall.

  "Excuse me, mister. Um, when is there going to be a festival like this one?" Yuria asked.

  "Well... This was arranged on short notice, but there's going to be one real soon, it's for when we celebrate a thankful harvest to the Dragon." The man remarked.

  "Yes... The Dragon... It's very important to the kingdom." Yuria exclaimed, pretending to understand.

  "Supposedly, a long time ago, the Dragon fought alongside the founders of Lodeleth, and the flame of the Dragon made the earth sprout new life, and that's why certain types of plants only grow in the kingdom, but that's what they say at least. Now it's just a celebration we hold every year, though it might be delayed due to... Well, it might happen real soon." He exclaimed.

  "Is that so? Well, let's hope it'll continue, that way everyone gets to have fun and enjoy themselves, right?" Said Yuria.

  "I wish everyone had your same positive outlook, little lady, that being said would you care to buy a-" "Here." Yuria handed over some coin, then greedily snatched a small morsel of roasted fish.

  "So there. There's a celebration!" Said Yuria, munching on it greedily.

  "If you all are moving out of the kingdom, won't we miss the festival?" En wondered.

  "It doesn't have to be this festival, or even a festival at all! If we're together, it's all alright for me." Yuria said happily.

  "In my village, there's these seasonal beautiful lights in the sky... That's one thing we can all see." Ellyn suggested.

  "Mhm, sounds like a plan!" Yuria exclaimed.

  Kieron was silent.

  "That reminds me, Metas always eats some fish, right? I wonder if he likes it." Felkin commented.

  "Besides that, I've only seen him sharpening that weapon of his, but I don't know if that can be done with that relic anymore..." Ellyn remarked.

  The party spent the next minute figuring out what a good gift for Metas would be to no avail, and eventually separated to stroll the grounds independently once more.

  "We'd all had our fun, but I think it's near about time for us to continue. So everyone buy what they want for themselves, or for everybody they want." Ellyn announced.

  "Alright!" "Mhm." "Understood." Yuria, Felkin, and Kieron responded respectively.

  "Right, I've almost tried everything to eat here." Said En. He busied himself as he neared in sampling everything the bazaar had in store.

  Yuria hummed a tune as she walked back and forth, not being able to fully figure out what to buy for the others, but enjoying herself nonetheless.

  Meanwhile, Ellyn was waiting for the others and inspecting the things she had already bought.

  Lastly, Felkin and Kieron were preoccupied and were picking up speed in their stride as their thoughts were in flux in deciding whether to buy gifts... for each other.

  .From what he's said earlier, he's... hesitant to receive a gift, he might even take offense to it. Though... he's been making a habit of prioritizing others over himself, tch... I just need to give him something to.... She paused in thought.

  .Yes, to repay my debt. And after leaving this kingdom... He can be free from all of this killing... hopefully. From someone whose hands are stained with innocent blood. For me to attack him and to not only spare my life but to protect me....' She noticed an item atop a stall's table nearby.

  'Hmm?' She saw a small bracelet interconnected with beads, with a small crescent moon atop a sun in the middle. Kieron thought back to the events in the crumbling desert world.

  'I've... inherited this power, and some of the hopes of the tribe as their descendant... Only us few survivors know anything about it. It's like... it never happened. Heh, I'm starting to sound like Felkin.' She remarked.

  "Miss? Are you interested? This little trinket could be yours for cheap. Though things like these have not been selling well due to their connection to... Ah, let's just say that they're on sale." The shopkeep scratched at the back of her head and managed a laugh.

  "No, no... I'm just browsing." Kieron remarked, raising her hand in refusal.

  "Alright, then." The shopkeep shrugged.

  She looked down at her wrist, at her arms bandaged with cloth wraps.

  'There's... No place for a beautiful trifle like that on a killer's arm.' Kieron lamented.

  'From what she said earlier, she... probably doesn't want someone to buy a gift for her. She's... tough like that. But... I have to repay her somehow, for sticking by me even though she could have left earlier.' Thought Felkin.

  'Now because I've dragged her into this mess... She's caught up in the chaos of the kingdom because of my selfish desires. After leaving Lodeleth... Maybe she can be free to decide on her own instead of being with me. Trouble... seems to follow me after all.' Felkin remarked.

  "You there, good sir! Would you like to have a souvenir from the Kingdom of Lodeleth?" A nearby vendor asked.

  "Hmm?" "Would you like to keep a piece of Lodeleth's history? You can have it right here with this piece of petrified Dragonwood made into a locket." He raised a small stone and showed it to Felkin.

  "Dragonwood? Isn't... that expensive?" Felkin asked.

  "Not at all, good sir. Dragonwood in this form is no longer valued by the Kingdom for official use, only collectors fancy it now. These pieces are formed from ancient Dragonwood and are extremely durable, even fireproof! Yet are hard to make into anything useful, thus are only be able to be sold as trinkets." The vendor answered.

  'Something that can't be easily broken... After leaving the kingdom, this could be a reminder that I've been here, something that I can keep, but...' Felkin sighed.

  "Maybe... some other time. I'm... sorry for causing you trouble." He remarked, walking off.

  "No problem, young man. I'm here if you want to change your mind!" The man called out to him.

  'Maybe... I should just accept that nothing is permanent, and let things be, rather than cling to things like that... If I'll buy her a gift without her knowledge... No, that's not right. I've decided, I'm not going to-' In being lost in his thoughts, he bumped into and collided foreheads with a young woman walking in front of him.

  "Oh, sorry! I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and..." "Sorry! I didn't look where I was walking and..." The two of them exclaimed at the same time.

  "You!" Wha-" Felkin discovered Kieron in front of him, as shocked as she was.

  "You're uh... a stranger." Felkin said, unsuredly.

  "Kieron, I thought you said not to cross paths with one another!" He exclaimed.

  "Yes... Hello." Kieron remarked awkwardly.

  "I did say that, to you, and you didn't follow it!" She exclaimed.

  "And now, the both of us weren't paying attention and now we have to deal with it." Said Felkin.

  "Did you two... actually not notice each other?" Yuria remarked, bewildered.

  "You two who have been very perceptive, distracted. I'm actually impressed!" En exclaimed.

  "Well... play it off. If you two don't know each other, then just act like it." Said Ellyn.

  "Is that so?" Kieron asked. "I... suppose." Felkin responded.

  "Hello... Miss, I think we haven't been, acquainted yet." Felkin reached out his hand slowly towards Kieron.

  "Hi... Mister, may... I know your name?" Kieron asked, a bit awkwardly.

  "It's...." He looked around cautiously. "It should be... alright, right?" Felkin asked.

  "I... guess?" Kieron remarked.

  "Felkin, pleasure to meet your acquaintance." He exclaimed. Kieron reached for it and shook it.

  "Mister Felkin, nice to meet you. I'm Kieron." She answered.

  The two of them looked around nervously and then back at each other.

  "Uh... What do we say?" Felkin asked.

  "What do we do?" Kieron replied.

  "Would it be more suspicious, or less suspicious, if we just walked off separately after this?" He remarked.

  Ellyn made a suggestion. "Well, now that the two of you have met each other, it saves the trouble and the hassle of being apart, right? It's probably best to take advantage of this situation."

  "Then... let's walk now?" said Felkin.

  "And talk, I guess? It would be strange if we just stare at each other like this, for a while." Kieron added.

  The two stopped being so shocked and tense and slowly began walking side-by-side.

  "There's... a lot of stalls, huh." Said Felkin.

  "That's how you make natural small talk?" Kieron scoffed in disbelief.

  "I'd... like to see you try! I... don't really have a lot of knowledge or experience on it." He fired back.

  "Ah! Well..." Kieron was slightly taken aback and felt guilty about what she had said.

  "Yes, there are many things that they're selling from... all over, all kinds of products." Kieron tried.

  "That was supposed to be better?" Felkin remarked, with utter shock, with no hint of sarcasm in his voice.

  "Grr... I didn't have much chance to do it either recently, and that response was based on what you said anyway, so..." Kieron exclaimed back.

  "Alright, alright. You are two idiots who don't go outside or talk to people." En remarked.

  "Not fair, you've lived decades more than us." Felkin reasoned. "And you spent all that time talking to the same two people, not really a master of social conversation, this one." Kieron added without missing a beat.

  "Ack." En remarked, feigning damage.

  "That's it, guys! Instead of pretending to talk, why don't you two just... Well, talk like you always do?" Yuria suggested.

  "Oh, right, that's..." "Obvious." Felkin and Kieron spoke one after the other.

  Felkin inhaled and deeply exhaled.

  "So..." Felkin remarked. "So..?" Kieron answered.

  "How... are you holding up, with the recent events in the kingdom?" He asked.

  "Fine... as fine as I can be, though I'd be better after all of this has been resolved." She answered.

  "I'd... like to apologize, Kieron." Said Felkin.

  "Hmm? For what?" She answered.

  "For... being the reason that you're here in the kingdom now," Felkin remarked. "And in danger." He added.

  "You know... I was the one who chose to go with you to Lodeleth, so don't assume on my behalf, please." She meant it in earnest, but spoke with a slight hint of irritation.

  "I... can handle myself, here." Kieron continued, using telepathic communication.

  Kieron sighed. "Actually... I'm the one who needs to apologize."

  "For what?" Felkin remarked, confused.

  "You... troubled yourself with sparing me, then you kept me alive in that desert, then the trouble I caused..." She enumerated.

  "Trouble? Instead of saying sorry, it sounds like it would be better if you thanked me for helping you with all of those things, right?" He asked, stopping in his tracks.

  Kieron halted as well to listen to him.

  Felkin looked at her directly and continued with telepathic messaging. "But you've helped me a whole lot in surviving in that desert and helping those people, and you risked your life fighting Grisham, and with the flame elemental..."

  He remembered that the others kept what happened to his body after the battle with the Flame Matriarch a secret. Felkin's voice trailed off.

  "And- And... instead of apologizing for endangering me, you should just thank me for helping." Kieron shrugged.

  "Thanks-" "Thanks-" The two of them said at the same time. They paused and stumbled in their speech.

  They averted their gaze from one another and then looked back. The two started chuckling, but then stopped as onlookers began to stare at them.

  Kieron and Felkin stopped laughing and simply smiled.

  "Still, I'd like to make it up to you." "I want to make it up to you somewhat..." Felkin and Kieron remarked in almost unison.

  "Pfft..." Kieron covered her mouth as she stifled a laugh.

  Felkin looked back with a contented smile.

  "Why not just buy each other gifts so that you can be even?" Said Yuria.

  "Just... to repay any 'debt' you might have to me." Said Felkin.

  "So you're not obligated anything towards me anymore." Said Kieron.

  They both begrudgingly agreed, much to the satisfaction of Yuria.

  "But what gift do I buy for you..?" Felkin asked out loud.

  "Nothing special, just pick the first thing you can get, no need to trouble yourself with it too much..." Kieron muttered.

  "Hmm, what's that?" Felkin pointed at a nearby stall.

  "Oh, that's..." Kieron recognized what was on display.

  "You recognize it?" Felkin picked up and raised the solar-lunar bracelet and turned towards Kieron.

  The shopkeeper recognized Kieron, and it caught their attention.

  "Ah, miss from earlier. Have you changed your mind-" The shopkeeper saw Kieron looking downwards shyly, and paused.

  "I... might have mistaken her for another customer. Are you interested in that piece, good sir? It's on sale right now." They added.

  "Hmm. Curious." Felkin looked at Kieron with a curious expression, and then shrugged.

  He continued. "Anyway, doesn't this remind you of... that time? If it was me, I'd get it as a remembrance, but... Maybe what happened is not something that should be remembered fondly..."

  Felkin frowned.

  "No, no, it's fine..." Said Kieron, meekly putting her hands behind her back.

  "You two... have been through a lot, eh." The shopkeeper remarked, observing keenly.

  "Well... we've only just met, right?" Felkin remarked with a smile.

  "Relatively, I guess." He added.

  'That isn't... far off from the truth.' Kieron thought solemnly.

  "Thank you for your patronage, sir." The shopkeeper exclaimed.

  Felkin handed the trinket over to Kieron, who almost immediately pocketed it.

  "Not going to wear it? It'll look good on you." Felkin remarked nonchalantly and honestly, without teasing.

  "Shut up..." Kieron retorted half-heartedly. After a few seconds of mulling it over, she brought it out and wore it, neatly sliding it over her left hand and onto her wrist.

  "There, happy now?" Kieron muttered, flustered.

  "If you really don't want to do it, I won't force you... But from what I can see, I'm happy." Felkin remarked.

  "Well, now it's your turn..." Kieron put her hands on Felkin's shoulders to push him forward. She had recovered and was in a teasing mood.

  Kieron pointed at another stall across the road. "Ooh, how about that!"

  She had gestured towards something, though Felkin might have already been looking at it from a distance.

  "This is..." Felkin paused as the two of them went right up to the stall.

  "Petrified Dragonwood, right? I heard it's really sturdy and fireproof to boot." Said Kieron.

  "Looks like I don't have to do the selling myself, even the customers are helping me now." The shopkeeper exclaimed proudly.

  "Ah, good sir! Have you returned to reconsider? Has the young miss there changed your mind?" They remarked, leaning back.

  "I... suppose, but do I have to wear it...?" Felkin said as Kieron exchanged coin for a Dragonwood pendant.

  He turned red and appeared slightly shy as Kieron brought it out, put the small chain around his neck, and threaded it to a length that is not too tight nor loose.

  "If I'm wearing this..." Kieron briefly raised her wrist to show the bracelet. "You should be wearing that." She pointed towards the pendant resting on his neck.

  "Mhm." Felkin agreed with red cheeks and a small smile.

  The two then continued their stroll, with Kieron's stride being ever more lively, and Felkin's being more relaxed.

  "Everyone. It's time. I'll go on ahead and meet with our contact with Felkin, and all of you stick around nearby as planned." Ellyn remarked.

  "I'm ready..." En remarked with a sigh.

  "Alright!" Yuria exclaimed.

  "I..." Felkin turned towards Kieron.

  "We're heading there." Kieron asserted.

  The two made their way down the street towards the back alleys. Though the task ahead was their supposed focus, they could not help but take in the city around them.

  The breeze carried the zeal of human activity, mostly savory scents of food, drink, and flowers, with the stench of the streets wafting on the side. The sound of merry cheer and song was carried in the wind.

  "Hey, Kieron... Walking like this, just spending the day in peace together... Is it what regular, normal citizens do every day in the kingdom?" Felkin asked.

  "Although fairs like this are somewhat common, it's not like every citizen can afford it," Kieron remarked.

  She smirked as she looked back to see his frowning face.

  Though she answered him seriously, nonetheless. "I... suppose. Yeah, this is what normal looks like, almost... feels like."

  "Do you think my life could have been something like 'normal'? Do you... wish your life was..." Felkin hesitated.

  "We... can't return to the past, things can't go back to what they used to be anymore... Normal's... a faraway thing for us, all we can do is... pretend, I guess." She answered.

  "But... we're actually here now, right? We... We ate, bought gifts, and had fun, even if the rest of our lives is... chaotic, and dangerous, we're doing something normal and not having to pretend." Felkin reasoned.

  "For a little, just maybe for a little... I..." She paused and faltered.

  Kieron walked ahead of Felkin, with her head down.

  He reached towards her, his arm extending towards Kieron's shoulder, but he lowered it once more.

  "Kieron! I'm sorry, I didn't mean it, I... take back what I said! And-" He called out to Kieron and ran after her.

  She stopped and took a deep breath before looking directly upwards. She had her free right arm covering her eyes.

  "No, it's fine. I'm fine." Kieron clicked her tongue, sighed, and lowered her arm.

  "Do you... Need some water?" Felkin asked, using his free left arm to retrieve a waterskin.

  "No, I-" Kieron answered, but as Felkin began to put it away, Kieron reached for it once more.

  "On second thought, give me that." He handed it, and she greedily snatched the waterskin and chugged it down.

  "Ah. Phew..." Kieron stood there for a few seconds and calmed herself down.

  "All good?" Felkin asked.

  "Yeah, let's go. Let's not keep them waiting." Kieron picked up the pace once more.

  As they walked together, Felkin saw the minute shaking of Kieron's hand. His hand raised slightly in pure instinct, though he noticed it and stopped himself from doing so.

  Felkin looked straight ahead, though his gaze was in front of him, his mind began to dwell on troubling matters elsewhere. His breathing became slightly erratic, and his free hand began to twitch ever so slightly.

  Kieron noticed and grabbed his hand. Felkin's attention was brought back, his eyes widening as he looked towards her. Her fingers brushed against the burns on his hand.

  "Oh, you looked like- I just, I..." Kieron began to move her hand away, but Felkin gently clasped his fingers onto hers.

  "Don't... let go now..." Felkin's eyes met Kieron's, and he looked away in embarrassment.

  "Alright, I won't..." Kieron grasped tighter.

  The two of them walked forward, hand-in-hand, though their gazes faced away from one another.

  "How'd... you know that, well..." Felkin remarked.

  "I saw earlier that you reached for me, and... I thought you needed it. And... maybe I needed it too." Kieron remarked.

  The sensation was familiar to Felkin, it was a lingering feeling that he had felt before.

  'I feel like... this has happened before. And this memory is more recent, it's not from before. And... Kieron, she did it like it was instinct. Did she... hold my hand just like this when I was out?' He thought.

  'He was... shaking. Just like when he was unconscious earlier. He was in pain, just like the rest of us. Whatever I can do for someone who woke me up from my stupor, free me from my shackles, if it's just a little bit of comfort...' Kieron thought, as she looked down on their interlocked hands.

  She then looked towards him and curiously posed another question.

  "I... have a question." "What is it?" "How did you know that this bracelet was something I wanted?" Kieron asked.

  "I... saw you looking at it, and your reaction to it. How... your eyes lit up, or something." Felkin said, with slight hesitation.

  "You... were really looking at me that closely?!" Kieron exclaimed, with one part bafflement, one part concern, one part flattery.

  "Well, what about you, Kieron? How did you know I wanted this thing?" Felkin remarked, flustered.

  "You know... I was watching you for your reaction when you looked at the stalls..." Kieron's pace of speech slowed as she continued.

  "Wait. You..." Felkin stopped, in shock.

  "Now that we've cleared that misunderstanding, let's go?" Kieron asked.

  "Alright..." Said Felkin.