Retreat and Recuperate (1/2)

Grisham stumbled as he clutched the stump of his left arm, fatigue and his other injuries that had not yet healed were catching up with him as his breaths shortened and his pace slowed. He felt weaker and weaker as he walked through the burnt ruins of the village he burned down. Grisham then sat down beside the ruins of a stone building.

"I… don't know what to do, please… Please tell me. I… Need you!" He said to his unresponsive left shoulder. "No… No! You… can't leave me! Not you! I need… I need someone!" He started to slowly punch and strike his left shoulder with his right hand. "I… need to see it! I… Have to see!" He began to punch harder and faster, desperately trying to elicit a response. "This is fate… Yes, this is a plan, a part of fate. I… am fate's chosen. I… will be the victor, I will rise again… Yes, yes… I just… Need to wait, soon all will fall in to place." He remarked, looking down and breathing slower and slower, waiting.

Kieron swiftly ran through the rubble and narrowly avoiding the crumbling and falling rubble. "Ah! Is that… Is that you Grisham?" Kieron was shocked as she recognized the one before her, but only barely; as half of him including his face had been burnt and misshapen and his crimson hand of fate was now severed from him. 'He's… In even worse shape than I've seen him before… And his arm! Felkin… He's the only one that could have done it! But… His injuries…' "Hey, Grisham, can you hear me?" Kieron asked. Grisham seemed to ignore her and kept incoherently mumbling to himself.

"Maybe you can't hear this, but… I've decided to go to my own path. The times we had were… Like a dream, like a childhood fantasy where everything went our way. But I've realized whatever your power brings is not what reality is… Its not for me to say if you were right or wrong, or if it was really your fault what happened, but… Our actions have consequence and… I'll face mine." Kieron reaffirmed her convictions, before continuing on. As she left, Grisham raised his head and mumbled: "Kieron? Is that you… No. Where… Where is everybody? I need… I need somebody to tell me what to do, somebody please…" Blood from his severed arm slowly began to trickle down the floor.

"I… Need to take, I'm… a taker… I'm going to take everything… Everything? I… Don't need everything… I just need… You guys…" 'We're right here with you!' A voice said to him nearby. 'Yeah! Don't worry… We've been right along with you all this time!' Another voice tried to cheer him up. 'We'll always stay with you, we'll live in our own kingdom together!' Grisham looked around him and saw faint outlines, like specters of memories past. Kieron, Rennon and Isha were beside him… And many more of those who followed him.

"Everyone! I… Need you guys! I… tried to bring you back, to bring everyone back. With… my gift. I'm the most important… chosen by fate, I… nobody will stop me… everyone must…" 'You… don't need to worry about that anymore, you just need to rest now.' "This… Maybe this is my fate… Maybe this is what I deserve… What everything is leading up to, maybe my fate is to…" He fell silent, looking down towards the ground.

Another set of footsteps that were heavier, walked up to Grisham. He wore a dark hooded cloak and had dark blue gauntlets and leggings that could be barely seen underneath his cloak. He had a pin that looked like a white flower, or a rose affixed to the front of his cloak. "Hmph. So, this is what the path you chose resulted in… You're utterly pitiful." Grisham did not respond. The one before him looked down upon Grisham with great indignance, his blue eyes glared sharply like freezing icicles. "I suppose you were only a mere pawn, a fool entrapped by a greater power, taken advantage of. But if we were to blame all but ourselves… Nobody shall ever have accountability for our actions." Grisham did not respond to his words.

"Now that I have renewed purpose and found knowledge… I can see where all of our paths began and led to. If you had not possessed your power as a child, we wouldn't have made it a day in our escapades. We would have likely just gone back to begging or roaming the streets after facing disappointment or after one of us got hurt, but… It's because of your power we continued. We treated fighting and killing like playing, we gathered up others like us and banded together like some little game… It's like giving gunpowder and a lit match to an infant. But this is the real world… And everything worked out until it didn't." After hearing no response once more, Rennon glowered towards him before raising his left hand and stretching his fingers briefly.

Slender, almost-imperceptible steel threads sparkled in the reflection of the flames of the village. The threads shot out with lightning-speed and penetrated through Grisham's neck and back out of his nape. Blood spurted out of his mouth as his head shot back. Rennon's teeth were gritted in great rancor, but as he pulled back his threads and began to walk away, he heard something from Grisham. "Papa… Ma- ma…" Rennon turned around quickly, but he was unsure if it was simply his imagination.

As he emerged back into the roads of the town, Jura was waiting for him on a rooftop with his arms crossed. "Those injuries he had would have killed him." He said to Rennon. "Jura. So, you've been waiting for me." The old man jumped down and walked by him as Rennon continued. "You've been too lenient, what if he had survived and remained a threat? And you've been too fast and loose, with the actions you've let take place… And your obeisance to orders." "So, they've sent their most trusted pawn because of it?" Jura responded, invoking Rennon's ire for a millisecond but he quickly recovered with a smile.

"They simply want results, and I was called in as a response. And I myself do believe that this… Boy, Felkin… He's much too dangerous to keep alive, his existence is unpredictable, and only provides opportunities for him to be taken advantage of by the other powers." Rennon weighed his opinion to Jura. "Hmm…" "From what you've reported, you went out of your way to protect the boy in the decaying realm of sand, and you've removed his friends from harm in a few occasions. You must have taken a liking to them. But if you're so intent on helping others, why not lift a finger for what happened tonight in this town?" Rennon asked. "I'm just doing my job, same as you. My actions are for the sake of the cause. And for this town… This little fire isn't going to affect this kingdom much, I can't go help with every single minor incident like this, and after living such a long-time kid, I've seen worse than this… Many times. Although… If they failed tonight, I suppose we'd have to step in." Jura said, before looking towards the horizon, the dark smoke and the fires that rose high above the buildings, and then he once again hopped upwards to a rooftop.

"I'm going back to the base house. Are you coming?" He asked Rennon. "I've no interest in your little playground family, and there's plenty more that's been tasked to me, so I'll be leaving this town soon enough." Rennon remarked, before swiftly jumping away elsewhere. 'Hmm… For them to send another in just a short period of time. They must really think this matter is pressing… I can't blame them.' Jura sighed.

Felkin, Ellyn, Yuria, Kieron and Serafion were attempting to escape from the pursuing shadow knights, as well as Alroc and Seruvia. "There's no time, let's go!" Serafion remarked, as she supported Ellyn who no longer had her prosthetic arm and was fatigued. 'She seems familiar, like I've seen her from somewhere…' Ellyn said to herself, although she pushed away her thoughts and focused on escaping. Felkin carrying Yuria on his shoulder led the group and Kieron ran alongside him as they ran from the place, they fought Grisham in.

"You chose to follow me to the capital, I… respect your decision for doing so." Felkin said to Kieron. "Uh… yeah! Anyway, what are we running from? Are some of his bandits still chasing us?" She asked. "We've invoked the ire of Lodeleth's most skilled and most infamous death squad, dozens of them will be swarming and wiping us all out." Serafion answered on Felkin's behalf. "Uh, seriously?" Kieron asked. "Well… It's a very long story." He responded. "I honestly thought after turning over a new leaf I'd be long away from being pursued by the knights and the law, but… Oh, well." Kieron exclaimed.

Shadow knights closely followed and were running parallel to the group, with two groups giving chase and had Felkin and the others in between them. The knights were in separate streets and there was a layer of buildings separating them from each other, but they were running fast enough to gain on the group, and then could converge in front of them at the end of the road. As the shadows emerged from the left side, Felkin quickly slashed his sword towards them. The lengthened blade dragged across the ground and slashed through the houses, throwing debris and dirt upwards. The shadow knights leapt out of the way and avoided the attack and were momentarily deterred.

"What if there's people in those houses?" Ellyn quickly asked in which Felkin replied with: "It's fine! All the people here have been moved elsewhere!" Another group of shadows ran in from the right side, and Felkin quickly stomped with his right foot and the shotel on his waist glowed bright blue. A blast of ice emerged and spiked up from the ground and came between the group and the group of knights. Nox's blue specter emerged momentarily to freeze the ground and was surprised to see Kieron nearby. "Kieron, I believe? Were you present earlier?" He asked. "Hey! You're… How-" Kieron couldn't form a proper sentence. "Later!" Felkin exclaimed.

The knights from the left side quickly leapt and passed through the debris and were quickly approaching; they readied their short swords and held out their non-dominant hands as a ball of fire appeared above their palms. Felkin raised his lengthened sword upwards and slammed it down towards the knights, but they saw through the attack and stepped out of the way. The flames in their hands coalesced as they prepared to launch fireballs at the group and at that distance, they could be able to lunge and catch up within seconds. Before the shadows could continue their assault, a flurry of daggers flew towards them.

Kieron's attack was merely deflected and dodged by the knights, but they were distracted and held back long enough that they could not retaliate and dodge as Felkin whipped his sword upwards. His sword struck against the solid black armor of the shadows and sent them flying backwards. He turned around, and retracted his sword and caught up to the rest of the group. "Thanks." Felkin said to Kieron. "No problem." She replied. But the ice blockage created at their right side began to shatter and melt away as the shadow knights there used their flames to get through. Felkin looked to the right only to see a barrage of throwing daggers and fireballs were thrown towards them. Surprised, he quickly raised his sword and lengthened it to deflect the projectiles only to see that there were three of the shadow knights quickly advancing on their position with weapons drawn. "Incoming!" He exclaimed to Kieron as he swatted away the balls of fire and the flying daggers.

Kieron drew a short scimitar from her person and rushed in to meet one of the shadow knights. As the knight raised their sword and thrusted it towards her, she focused her entire attention onto the blade and heightened her senses and reflexes to the maximum, and time seemingly began to slow down. 'I need to focus all my attention on the blade. I… won't close my eyes to it anymore!' Kieron quickly fell to the ground and ducked, avoiding the knight's attack. The knight then slashed downwards to strike her, but she jolted towards the knight's back and struck at their back with her curved sword. The blade bounced off after striking the knight's tough armor, and Kieron ducked once more as the knight turned around to slash at her. 'The armor's too thick!' She remarked to herself.

Before the knight could attack her once more, Kieron struck upwards using the hilt of her weapon at the knight's throat, which incapacitated them. The two that remained rushed quickly towards Felkin and the others. He was still busy with protecting the group from the continuing fire from the knights at a distance. "Look out!" Ellyn yelled and pointed as one of the approaching knights threw a dagger towards Felkin. He quickly brought his sword in near his face to block the swift attack, but the hit was not completely deflected, slicing his cheek ever so slightly and drawing blood. He quickly slashed and the knight in front of him was sent hurtling away, but another volley of projectiles flew towards them, and one more shadow knight quickly rushed towards them.

Felkin quickly raised his lengthened sword and formed an arc with it to block all the projectiles and as the last shadow knight lunged towards him, Kieron quickly grabbed a spear from one of the fallen knights and threw it. The shadow knight turned to block the spear and sent it flying away, but Kieron quickly maintained pressure and clashed with the knight using her curved sword. The knight was quickly overpowering her, but she pulled out a dagger with her other hand and struck the knight's hand, disarming them. Before the knight could use their flame or pick up their weapon, she slashed them across the chest and pushed them backwards. Kieron turned to Felkin, who kicked and sent a blast of golden energy towards the group of shadows in the distance before they could attack once more. Kieron and Felkin both nodded to each other before pressing on.

"What's the plan, where do we go?" Kieron asked them. "Well… Any ideas?" Felkin asked the others. The specters of Solis and Nox floated nearby Felkin. "Hmm… I would think that this your territory, and I'd leave this decision up to you." Solis answered. "I see two options: to escape or to directly contend." Said Nox. "Escaping from here, preferably." Serafion replied. "Can't we go to your place?" Ellyn asked her. "No… I'm afraid I'm out of juice, and its quite a long distance away from here." She replied. "So is our only option to fight them all?" Felkin asked. "But even when we can shake off the shadow knights, the town's surrounded by a kingdom's worth of forces." Kieron replied. "I have an idea." Said Ellyn. "Let's hide here." She said as she stopped running with the others, walked into an upturned and destroyed house, and then crawled beneath the roof which had fallen.

"Come on." She whispered, as one by one they entered and crouched, with Felkin still carrying Yuria over his shoulder. As the footsteps of the other pursuing shadows grew nearer, Ellyn whispered to Felkin. "Throw that rock to over there." Although somewhat confused, Felkin picked up a piece of a nearby rubble and swiftly threw it towards a distant direction creating a loud crash. The sounds of footsteps went towards the sound as the group quietly hid. They listened for a while, and when they heard no activity, Ellyn spoke up. "Your face… You got wounded protecting us earlier." "Ah, this wound… It's nothing, I can recover quickly from it." Felkin said touching the cut on his cheek. "How about you, you gave up your arm… I don't think you can grow one back." He said in concern to Ellyn.

"I'm fine, it's not like I gave up an actual arm of mine. I can always build another one later." She said, though there was a twinge of sadness over the destroyed invention that Felkin sensed. "It's… Quite lucky that you came to their aid, I think we would have been annihilated if you were not present. And that weapon of yours sure is nifty, I presume it is a relic?" Serafion was intrigued and fascinated of Felkin's presence. "Uh… Yes, I think it is. Thanks." He replied, confused. After a few seconds of silence, Kieron whispered towards Ellyn. "Do we have a plan here? Or…" "Shh… Yes, there's… A place nearby. A place that I can guarantee would probably still be standing even through something like this." She remarked, thinking of Jura and the others' retreat.

"Is it fine to go out now?" Kieron asked. "Take her for me." Felkin said as he slowly lowered Yuria from his shoulder and gently handed her off to Kieron. "Oh, okay…" Kieron responded. Ellyn paid close attention and noticed the level of trust Felkin put into Kieron. Felkin stood up and slowly made his way to the edge of their hiding place to take a peek at the surroundings. As he poked his head out, he looked from left to right and surveyed the area. Suddenly, a group of the shadow knights who were still patrolling the area went around the corner and came face to face with Felkin. "Tsk!" He quickly raised his sword and was ready to fight when they suddenly went limp, and their heads hung down towards the floor. "What? Are there enemies?!" Ellyn asked. "Wait." Felkin replied.

The orange haired boy emerged from the shadows and approached Felkin with his palm facing up expressing non-hostility. "Don't attack. I'm your ally." He said to Felkin. "Ally?" Felkin asked as the group of knights turned around and started to walk away. "We need to go; I can't hold them for much longer. I… assume you're with the others." N said as Ellyn emerged from the hiding place as well. "Hey, kid! You've… Grown! And… you're here." She said to the boy. "You know this person?" Felkin asked, still cautious. "Yeah. In fact, I'm planning on taking us to where he's from." She replied. "Alright, there's still a lot of them out there so we need to hurry." The boy remarked. "My name's… N." "Mine's Felkin." Felkin said as he walked forward, but the boy was wary and stepped back, appearing to be some sort of reflex.

"What's wrong?" Ellyn asked. "Felkin… So, it really is you. This presence I feel… Its overpowering…" N remarked to himself. "No matter. Let's get moving." He exclaimed. With that, Felkin returned to the hiding spot he crawled in and picked Yuria back up and slung her over his shoulder. "Mhm… Urgh…" Yuria mumbled, like she was having some sort of bad dream. As he retrieved Yuria, Serafion asked: "Is it safe out?" "I'm not too sure… But it looks we're going to be led to a safe place." Felkin answered. And as Kieron and Serafion followed him out, N was looking at the group expectantly and started walking. "We're… Following a… Child?" Kieron asked. "It is strange, indubitably… But I've chosen to no longer question what is happening. What I've seen in my studies… It's convinced me that there's realms of possibility beyond our reach. All I'm doing know is trying to intake the overflowing of information before me." Serafion exclaimed.

They stepped through the ruins of the town and were moving in the cover of building to building to avoid detection. The flames that were set alight earlier in the night were beginning to die down now, and the group was worrying that the other knights were closing in on the town. "Are you sure you can walk alright? You look to be injured?" Kieron asked. "Well-" "Oh, I'm fine… Just a few scrapes and bruises." Serafion cut off Ellyn as she answered. "Oh, I apologize. I thought-" "No, I understand… And if I was the one being asked, I'm pretty much unscathed." Ellyn replied. "If everyone's fine, that's good to hear." Kieron added.

Felkin was silent as he followed behind the boy, his mind focused on something else. "It's through this alley." Said the boy. Felkin sensed an unusual clarity and intellect from N, as well as a feeling that the boy was not quite human. "This street? No offense, but this place seems to be desolate and empty even before the fire tonight." Serafion remarked, slightly wary. "I remember. This is the spot." Said Ellyn, clutching her arm with her free hand. "Hmm…" Kieron exclaimed, appearing to be looking over her shoulder and listening for something.

"What's the matter, are you hearing something?" Felkin asked. He looked upwards towards the rooftops of the mostly abandoned street and the others stopped walking as Felkin did so. The boy stopped and looked upwards as well, and then said: "Is there someone-" A faint glimmer, a reflection of light from a fast moving metal object flying towards them at an almost imperceptible speed. Felkin saw it, and moved as quickly as he could to stop and intervene the projectile's movements. He quickly stepped in and swatted the thin dagger away. From the rooftops, a voice spoke down onto them. "Hmph, little rats… You squeak so noisily in the night. Unfortunately for you, the raven has descended to feast upon its prey." Alroc taunted them from above and prepared to throw another volley of his daggers. "Hurry to where your hideout is, I'll stay behind to drive him back." Felkin whispered to the others. Serafion, Ellyn and the boy then proceeded to run down the street. "Your hideout huh… You'll never get the chance!" Alroc yelled as he threw a volley of daggers towards the three, and then Felkin quickly twirled the extended blade and deflected them, allowing the group to continue.

"Be careful! He coats his daggers in acidic chemicals!" Serafion warned Felkin. 'Acid?' He remarked to himself as he looked upon his blade, covered in some sizzling liquid. He quickly swung his blade to remove the liquid, and it splattered onto a stone wall which dissolved and crumbled. He looked at his blade which was unscathed. He turned to Kieron who had her curved sword in one hand, and a dagger of her own in another trying to ascertain Alroc's position as he hid behind the rooftops and leapt from one roof to another. "Take her and go with them!" He said to her. "But… I want to stay and fight." She remarked, still trying to track the beaked mask shadow with her eyes. "I… Need to put her out of danger. I trust you fully to do that." Felkin said, referring to Yuria. "Alright." Kieron said, and then put her weapons away and receiving Yuria as Felkin handed her over.

"Wide open." Alroc remarked, as he dove downwards from the roof and thrusted down with his rapier. Without turning around, Felkin extended his sword and curved it behind him, blocking Alroc's attack. With a determined glare, Felkin quickly turned around and swung a compacted coiled sword towards Alroc as Kieron ran to follow the others. Alroc parried the blow with his rapier, causing the attack's force to be minimized onto him. He quickly backstepped to avoid another swing and hopped up to the rooftops to evade an extended slash from Felkin.

"Where is it?" Serafion asked as she ran and looked upon the old and vacant houses along the street. "Here." The boy said pointing to an empty space between houses. "Here?" Serafion asked in confusion. The boy held his hands out and then Jura's house appeared before them. He quickly opened the door and Serafion and Ellyn quickly entered, the latter looking out worried for the ones who were left outside. Felkin extended his sword upwards and struck a piece of the roof near Alroc was standing. The shadow knight jumped to another rooftop and then whistled loudly. He then clicked as if he was trying to communicate to distant allies.

Felkin quickly threw a stone from the ground and sent his extended blade upwards to attack both at once. 'He… Must be calling allies.' Felkin surmised to himself. Alroc caught the stone with one hand, and then quickly sidestepped to avoid the blade. Felkin's blade narrowly missed a direct hit, cutting through a part of his cloak and was deterred by Alroc's armor. Felkin quickly raised his other weapon, the ivory shotel and sent out an arc of golden energy which Alroc dodged. 'He's using a relic. Did he steal one from the castle's keep? And that other weapon, it controls some kind of energy but not fire. Is that a relic as well?' Alroc said to himself as he jumped to another rooftop to avoid an attack.

'If all he can do is projectiles, then I'll go up close!' He lunged downwards but Felkin swung his shotel, creating an ice wave as Alroc landed on the ground. He quickly threw a vial of acid that melted away the rapidly encroaching frost. 'Ice as well? It would be difficult tackling him up close.' Alroc thought as he considered a different approach. 'This power… I can feel it welling up and being stored within me, that's why I can use it even without this weapon. But… I can feel it affecting my body like the power of the abyss before. I'm… Merely borrowing something else's power once more.' Felkin thought to himself.

As the boy was still at the door, Kieron quickly ran carrying Yuria and then spoke to the boy. "He's… Still out there! Can't you… Can't you do what you did to that group of knights earlier?" She asked. "I need to be close to them to do it, and if its faraway, I need to put this crystal in their pocket for me to control them at a longer distance." He said as he held up the orange crystal in his hands. "Perfect. Hold her for a second for me." Kieron quickly nabbed the crystal and gently lowered Yuria at the base of the house's interior. "Wait- Hey!" The boy yelled as he and Ellyn pulled Yuria inside as they looked at Kieron who was rushing as fast as possible away. "Stay inside." The boy said to the other two who nodded as he closed the door behind him.

Kieron rushed forward to see Alroc narrowly avoiding Felkin's attacks and keeping up with a flurry daggers and thrusts. 'The others… They've responded to my call, they should be arriving soon and we'd be able to dispatch of this lot.' He looked down towards Kieron who was running at full speed before throwing the crystal straight towards him. 'That girl from earlier, what's this crys-' Alroc caught it in his hands as a reflex but suddenly stopped. Felkin looked up and was surprised. "N!" He exclaimed as he looked back towards the boy. "Hurry! I can't hold him for long!" Felkin and Kieron heard the clamor of what seemed to be the movements of many of the shadow knights rapidly approaching from the roads, and the rooftops. They then rushed to the house where the boy was outside and was straining himself trying to control Alroc from afar.

"Hurry… His mental fortitude's… strong!" "What about your crystal? I won't be able to accept myself if you didn't get it back." Said Kieron. "I… Might have an idea." Felkin remarked. Alroc stood still and was frozen in place, held firmly by N's control. 'Stop. Don't move. Don't. Stay still. Still. Freeze. Stop walking. Stop.' A multitude of voices, piling and overlapping with each other and seemed to take control of his conscious and prevented him from moving. 'Urk. I… can't move! What's… stopping me from moving! That crystal I caught… It has the same scent as that boy… Why, why did I move to attack him first. No… matter. I just need to break free…' He said to himself as he struggled. 'Raise. Raise hand. Open palm. Open. Let. Let go.' He opened his palm and let go of the crystal which fell from the rooftop towards the ground.

The shadow knights soon jumped from another rooftop and landed behind Alroc, while another group was below him in another street. "Alroc! You called us, does that mean you have found the enemy?" Alfred asked from down below, while he carried Seruvia on his shoulder. "That's right, we found many of them injured as we went here so you must have followed their trail." She asked Alroc. "The enemy…" Alroc said, who was confused for a moment. "What's wrong?" Alfred asked. "The enemy, they're down this road! Quickly, go after them!" He yelled, Alfred and the others followed.

The door of Jura's house was slightly ajar and Felkin pulled his extended blade from the outside through the small opening, with the tip of the blade coiled backwards clutching the orange crystal. After Alroc dropped it, it landed and was grasped by the end of Felkin's blade on the ground and he quickly retracted his blade back as it was covered in shadow at ground level. As the end of his blade entered the door, Felkin closed it and the boy raised his hands rendering the house as a mere empty space to the outside. Indeed, it was only an empty space as the shadows ran down the street in search for them.

Alroc was still standing in place, though free from the crystal's grasp and was in deep thought. "So, the enemy just slipped past… It's not common of you to stop pursuing. Losing your touch, maybe?" Seruvia asked. "I was simply awaiting backup to ensure my victory against the enemy. Simply mindlessly charging oneself against foes is simply an optimal strategy to get killed. Sometimes observing from a distance is the best course to take." Alroc answered. Two of the shadow knights returned and emerged from the shadows before kneeling at Alfred's feet before speaking and reporting to him about their findings.

"They say that a cursory search through the street and its houses have turned up nothing, though the others are still rigorously patrolling the area." Alfred said to Alroc. "Let's keep searching. They just went past my line of sight so they couldn't have gone far. Search the street for more clues, for hidden basements or cellars, or paths to secret passageways elsewhere." Alroc ordered towards the shadows. He then jumped down, his feathered cloak slowing down his descent as he slowly floated downwards. "You seem sure about this particular street holding their location." Said Alfred. "I overheard them saying that their hideout is just around the corner, and they disappeared thereafter." "Don't you think they might have said that to throw you off their trail?" Seruvia questioned Alroc's assertion.

"Hmm… I was following and listening to them for a while before they realized I was in pursuit. You may be overestimating them in stating that they would talk amongst themselves about an incorrect location." Remarked Alroc. "Overestimating? We have been actively underestimating them all this time and they've eluded our grasp and repelled all forces we have directed towards them. To think that they could pull such a tactic must be expected." Seruvia exclaimed, slightly frustrated. "In any case, sitting around here is not going to do us any favors." Alfred remarked. "Agreed. Let's spread out and keep searching, I can feel them as if they are just around the corner." Said Alroc, before he blended into the shadows and Alfred proceeded down the street.

"Phew…" Kieron breathed a sigh of relief as she leaned and slid down a wall of the hidden house. "I'm beat…" She exclaimed. Ellyn and Serafion were standing near the door and were cautiously looking and preparing for any outside attacker to enter and were not paying attention to the interior of the building where they were. As Felkin handed the orange crystal back to N, the boy sighed and then turned to the others. "It's safe here now. They won't be able to find us, let alone see or go to where we are right now." He reassured. The two breathed sighs of relief and Ellyn stumbled before sitting on a wooden chair nearby.

Serafion looked up and around the area, curious about the abode that they were taking respite in. "What… Is this place? It looks quite well-stocked and well kept, for the surrounding area that is." She exclaimed. "It's a larder, armory, gathering place… It also serves as a library. It's… a little less used right now than it was before." The boy answered. Felkin looked around in silent intrigue, and walked forward to look around, at the tables and chairs, at the ornamentation, and a glance up the stairs into the rooms. As Kieron sat on the floor and leaned on the wall beside the door, she opened her eyes as she rested and became curious because of the light shining through the windows of the abode. "Wait… It was still nighttime earlier, right? Or even if it was early morning, sunsets don't usually cast that much light…" She remarked and called attention to the bright rays shining through the windows.

Felkin was curious and walked to the window to observe the outside. 'Wasn't there a wall behind this place? Why is it so bright outside, is there a large light…' "What… Whoa!" He suddenly stepped back and was shocked at the vista before him. Kieron ran to the window and stood beside Felkin and marveled at the view. "We're… at another place again. At least… It's not a hot desert…" Kieron remarked. The floating spirits of Nox and Solis emerged and were in awe of the sight as well. "Another realm…" Said Nox. "This place… It feels close to us even though we haven't been here before" Remarked Solis. "This place seems different." Ellyn exclaimed slightly surprised.

Serafion slowly walked up to the window. "Oh. Oh… " She looked outside the window, at the magnificent and wide white fields of leaves that encompassed the entire landscape, forming hills and large walls that stretched up to the sky. She looked at the two floating spirits nearby Felkin, and at the boy sitting before Yuria unconscious on the floor. "Oh… I… can't. I think I'm going to have a headache. Is there somewhere to rest upstairs?" Serafion asked. "Uh, yes. Do… you need something to drink, water maybe? You can help yourself." N answered. "I think I'd prefer wine. Or something stronger." She remarked as she climbed up the stairs.

Ellyn looked towards Yuria and N, and asked: "How… Is she?" "She's… Incredibly weak… She seems to have expelled most of her life force, and her energy…" the boy answered. "I… The reason I wanted to go here because I hoped that someone or something here… Can help her." Said Ellyn. "I'll… See what I can do." Said the boy, after looking around the first-floor room. 'Looks like the others aren't here… I wonder where they are right now…' He thought. "But first she needs rest. I'll need someone to help her upstairs and to carry her to bed." Said N. "Oh, I'll… Carry her." Felkin said, walking away from the window and lifting Yuria up and walking upstairs with the boy following him. "Feel free to rest and recuperate, if you guys have any injuries, there's supplies here. Just… tell me how I can help." Said N.

Kieron looked outside once more, before looking up at Felkin carrying Yuria and making her way towards the second floor. "Are… you okay? You seemed to be struggling to walk a little back there." She asked Kieron. "I'm alright, maybe I twisted an ankle or… Have a few bruises but the others fared much worse than me. Metas… and that girl Iris… They've taken a lot of hits for me and… We don't even know where they are right now and Yuria…" Ellyn sighed. "It's fine. I'll just be resting here. Thank you for your help earlier… I don't know why I was slightly hostile." She added. "You're… welcome." Kieron replied, trying not to draw too much attention to herself as she had an inkling of why Ellyn might have been suspicious of her earlier.

As Felkin lowered Yuria down onto the bed, the boy nearby held his hands over her and a warm light radiated over Yuria. "Hmm… I'm surprised her hat hadn't been dropped or lost in all that scuffle." Kieron commented. "!" Felkin had not noticed, but Yuria had tightly clutched and held close her hat with the remaining modicum of her strength left. "Me… tas… Fel... kin..." she muttered weakly. "It's… working!" Kieron exclaimed. "Barely. It'll still take a while." N answered. "You two should rest as well. If you have any injuries or if you need to eat or sleep, now's the time." He added.

As the two of them exited the room, Kieron pointed out Felkin's injury. "Your face is cut." "I've… Had far worse injuries." Felkin answered. "Can't you heal your injuries?" Kieron asked. "I can, but… I… don't want to." Felkin answered, looking down towards the ground. As they walked into one of the upstairs rooms, Kieron asked another question. "I hope you don't mind me asking… But… Why?" "I… Don't think its fair." He was disparaged. "Fair?" "Everyone… is getting injured, and I'm… Not. I… have something that others don't, I'm… different. I feel… 'fortunate'." He said, sitting down in the room's bed. Kieron sat beside him and continued listening.

"Until a few days ago… I was living… Surviving at some ruins, beneath an enclosure of dead trees. I had nothing except my name, and my sword. I followed a man out, and ever since… We've encountered monster after monster, disaster, tribulation… I've seen and learned so much… And I've been unsure, but the only thing I could do was move forward. The people I've seen, I'm different from them. They get injured and suffer, but I'm still fine. They go tired, but I can still keep on going. I feel… strange. Like… I'm not- Ack!" Kieron put a wine dipped rag onto Felkin's face. "Not human?" She asked. "Yes… That is… wine, yes?" Felkin was slightly sullen.

"I got it while you were busy talking. Well… you look human to me. And you need to eat and drink water, right?" She asked. "Yes." "And you sleep at night, right?" "Well, less than the other people I've seen, but yes." "That… still counts." "And what's beneath… It's red, so you have blood like human." "I suppose- Hmk!" Kieron studied the wound up close as she dabbed the cloth to Felkin's cheek. "This wound's deeper than I thought." She remarked to herself. She searched through the drawers and boxes for more medical supplies. She brought out a kit that had suturing materials. She sat down beside Felkin again.

"You look like you're used to handling those." Felkin remarked. "I… Had family who taught it to us. She… Was always good at patching us up." She answered. Felkin sucked in air and gritted his teeth as the needle punctured through his skin. "I still… Can't get over the pain…" He remarked. "Mhm… Pain, another point for human." Kieron exclaimed. "Right. Argh!" He got cut off. "Right now… You're unsure. You're confused. You're sad, you care for others… Right?" "I… have to agree to that." Remarked Felkin. "Well, some people are just stronger than others. They can endure more, fight more, and do more… But that doesn't make them less than human. If they're strong, that just means that they can use their efforts to protect others. But… That's just what I think. My own personal feelings…" She remarked.

Felkin appeared like he was struck by an epiphany and perked up. But it caused him to pull at the threads being stitched onto him, causing him to exclaim in pain. "I've… Also seen others who seem to think differently. So, I'll… Decide on my own." He said with conviction, his sword rested against a wall nearby twisted and coiled. She snipped the thread after the hook-like needle had been taken out and the procedure had been completed. "Done." Kieron remarked. She was quite close to his face. "You've… changed your hair." He remarked. "Oh… You noticed?" She exclaimed stepping back.

Her light brown hair had been tied behind her head in a ponytail, but two grouped strands ran down both sides of her face. "I noticed when we met earlier. I suppose it might have been a strategic decision to keep your hair from distracting you in combat." Felkin answered. "Maybe. But I… just remembered a friend who had a similar way of tying her hair." Kieron remarked, slightly shy. "Your friend that was good at suturing?" Felkin asked. "Yeah…" Kieron's voice trailed off as she looked past Felkin and seemed to be in recollection of memories. They were silent for a while, with Felkin in wordless observation, but after a period of silence he spoke up. "Thank you, for stitching me up." "You're welcome." She responded.

Two faint wisps of gold and indigo flowed upwards from the ivory sickle. Kieron noticed and said: "I… was wondering why you two weren't appearing." The full spirits of Solis and Nox fully appeared above Felkin. "Well, we didn't want to interrupt…" Solis cheekily answered, but Nox tried to elbow her but as their states as spirits, his arm passed through her body. "How… Are you guys here? Didn't the desert get swallowed up by darkness? And how can he use your powers?" She asked. "We're…" "Not entirely sure." The twins completed each other's sentence.

"Felkin?" Kieron asked. "I… don't know, myself." He answered. "By the fact that he was able to utilize our powers himself, he might be able to absorb and utilize energy he comes into contact with." Nox surmised. "Do you mean… He might have been to absorb us somehow and transfer us into this weapon?" Solis asked. "When could that have happened?" Kieron wondered. "Maybe… When was I consuming the desert's earth?" Felkin exclaimed. "The desert itself was our source of life and was linked to our existence. Maybe the life force was stored in Felkin somehow." Nox added. "And combined with Dagran's… Gift for us, maybe something happened because of it. Memories, feelings, emotions, they are a form of energy as well!" Solis stated.

Their conversation was interrupted by Kieron stifling laughter. "I'm…" She exhaled deeply. "Sorry. But… I just remembered you eating dirt." Felkin held back a chuckle. "It's… alright. It's really quite strange that I did something like that. It was almost like…" "An instinct?" Nox asked. "Yes." Felkin exclaimed, standing up in affirmation. "When we emerged… We acquired a whole bounty of information, we hadn't even experienced or seen for ourselves. Maybe, you experienced something of the same." Solis remarked. "I'd hate to interrupt your serious discussion now, so…" Kieron said, turning around to leave the room.

"You've… Actually, been very helpful, we probably couldn't have realized quickly the link of me… eating the sand to whatever might have happened here." Felkin said towards Kieron, trying to ease her disparagement. "But if you want to leave… That's fine." He added. "Thanks." Kieron turned back towards him and said in earnest. "And, oh!" Felkin remembered something and got to his feet. He summoned a small piece of ice in his hand, and then wrapped it around a nearby rag he picked up, before giving it to Kieron. "I… actually heard that Ellyn might have hurt her foot. So… If she needs it." "Alright." Kieron remarked. As she exited the room, she passed the other rooms on the second floor. "Aw… My dress is torn up even more now… There are some things I miss about being in the-" Serafion was saying to herself as Kieron passed, both looked towards each other and locked eyes, before Kieron walked forward without saying another word.

Serafion was seated on the bed as well, but was surrounded by many of the room's books and tomes. As she passed the next room, she saw the boy, still had her hands over Yuria. "Ellyn…" she muttered. Kieron noticed and continued downstairs. "Hey, for you." She said to Ellyn still seated and holding her leg in her remaining hand. "Thanks." Ellyn answered, taking the ice rag, and applying it onto her foot. "Tch." She exclaimed. "How are they?" Ellyn asked. "They're… Alright, I guess. They'll recover." Kieron answered. Both looked towards the fantastical landscape outside in silence. "Hey, you know why you might have recognized me?" Kieron asked. "Hmm?" Ellyn remarked. "It's because… I am… I was… a… ban-" "I… I knew it!" Ellyn exclaimed and grasped firm the ice in her hand and was unusually expressive.

"Wait, you said bandit, right? Not… a-bandoned, or… a banker?" Ellyn said, cautious about assuming. "Yeah…" Said Kieron. "So, you've helped us with the encounter earlier. And you don't seem to be against us right now. And 'he' knows and trusts you, even though I'm not closely familiar with him, myself. In normal circumstances… I would consider that you might be our enemy… But these days, allies are in short supply. So, for the time being… I trust you… Bandit lord." "Ah!" Kieron exclaimed surprised. "So… you've heard of me…" She said, feeling ashamed.

"I suspected it when I saw how you fought, and compared it to what I've heard about you… A swift attacker using a curved blade and throwing knives. And the most apparent clue is your appearance… I had my suspicions before you even spoke." "My appearance? But in my short time as a bandit, I…" "Yes, you were a masked warrior. And there were many rumors about you. A disfigured madman, a witch who possessed mystical abilities, but I knew better than the rumors from the start. That day, I can still remember it clearly… In our snowy village, bandits attacked and many of the boys and young men were captured. Among them, was a foreigner girl who frequently spent her time with the village boys. When they were caught and dragged away… Many of them came back later, but some didn't. Then I… was forced to defend the village with an invention the old man made after the bandits did away with the village's hunters. That was when I last saw the girl. She wore the garb of a mercenary, or a brigand. And at a distance I mistook her for a bandit. I prayed that my shot would miss… But I never knew as I never saw you again." Ellyn told and recollected a day she defended the village long ago.

"I… The missing arm, You… You're Ellyn right? The old eccentric's daughter, the one who always kept to herself! How… How could I forget! That was so long ago! So… So long ago. And that day… And… what happened since…" Kieron lit up as she recognized Ellyn but became quieter and silent as she recalled the day she fled from the village. It was another home, another place she ran from. She was quite used to living from place to place, but she was driven away one way or another. And that was the day she took someone's life for the first time, and the second… The other being an innocent. Kieron sighed deeply, there was plenty of sighing lately, through the remembrance of regrets, a regretful sigh was the only way to express the emotion.

Ellyn continued her story. "After that though, the number of bandits grew less and less. And because of that, merchants and traders passed through more often, they attributed the safety of the area to a group of young mercenaries clearing camps and their leaders out because of the bounties placed on them. Well at first, I thought nothing of it except I was glad that the area had less danger. But after a while, I heard something peculiar from a passing trader. He described a dark-skinned and light brown-haired girl who accompanied him once among others in a protection gig, and that she was a surprisingly ferocious combatant. I… hoped it was you." Ellyn lowered her head.

"For a few years it was peaceful… There were barely any attacks. But then we heard news of a large mercenary group turning traitor, the one who rose through the ranks earlier. Their leader had freed some bandits and amassed them with their own force and gathered the small outlier groups and then the rate of pillages and attacks rapidly increased. I… hoped, you weren't a part of it. But later, I heard that there was a fleet-footed mysterious masked bandit that had recently joined the ranks of the group. Somehow… I felt that it could be you." "How… Why did you think it was me, I… easily could have run away or went somewhere else. And… Why did you care? We… Barely knew each other." Kieron answered. "Well, it was just a gut feeling. And… I'm not sure why I cared, maybe it was just because we're from the same village. But my intuition was correct, and we met once again. Maybe… Some higher power or fate guided me to that assertion." Ellyn wondered.

"Fate?" Kieron was suddenly agitated. "My old man believed that everything was connected like a large machine or creature, that everything was leading up to something and had purpose. Like things are just parts of a larger whole." Said Ellyn. "I… think our fate should be in our own hands, and not of… some other grand being's." Kieron answered assertively. They were quiet for a while, Ellyn remembered Grisham's ramblings and opted not to continue while Kieron took some time to calm down.

"Well... Have a seat. If you're not injured, there's not much we can do except talk and rest." Ellyn remarked. Kieron walked behind the wooden counter and crouched down. "Are you thirsty? I think that boy might have mentioned that this place might have food and drink... But all I've found are brews and wines..." She remarked. "The old man liked to pop open a bottle or two when he'd make a particularly extraordinary discovery, but... I didn't like the smell, and he himself said it clouds the mind... But he still partook in it nonetheless. If you can find some water, I'd prefer that." Answered Ellyn. "Hmm..." Exclaimed Kieron. She brought out a wooden jug and grabbed two cups. "Ah, water... You never fully appreciate a cold glass until you've been stuck in a scorching desert with no land in sight." She said.

"You've mentioned that earlier... There aren't any deserts nearby, did you travel to a foreign land?" Ellyn asked. "It's complicated. Ah... It looks like there's a place where a table should be here... But..." "Just do it on the counter. Pour a glass for me too." Ellyn responded. Kieron poured two cups of water, walked over and handed one to Ellyn and sat on a nearby chair. Kieron drank a big gulp of water and sighed in relief while Ellyn sipped slowly from the cup. She sat cross-legged and looked out the window as some large blindingly white creatures flew far overhead. "A few days ago... I was living normally, but it just became stranger and stranger since... This... Feels like a dream, like a fantastical tale told to children in storybooks. And with every passing encounter, things feel less and less real." She exclaimed.

"But you have to make sure to remember it's reality. I... could say that I've seen stranger than most... But even if I looked in awe at the sights I saw, I remembered that it was still reality I was seeing. I saw people suffer, be in pain, get tired... People... People die. The exceptional people you look up to, those that seem like they were plucked straight out of legend... They're human too... I... forgot to see clearly once..." Kieron exclaimed in melancholy. Ellyn looked down at her missing left arm, though she didn't have it as far as she could remember... When she acquired her prosthetic, it was as if she had never forgotten to use her arm. "What's real..." Ellyn said to herself as she touched the stump of her arm and lamented the loss of the prosthetic which was part of her in more ways than one.