"Jala," Lillian called.
"Hmm?" Confused, Jala glanced across the crackling fire into the dark, wide-open, yellow field of grass.
"Aren't you going to eat?" Lillian asked, pointing to the cooling stew in his hands.
Jala became silent at once. A moment later, he set his wooden bowl by the campfire. "I'm not hungry." He said.
Lucius sighed deeply and placed him by his bowl by his and Lillian's feet. "
Cive, the short red karnal demon, quickly took Jala's bowl and poured it back into the cooking pot that hung over the fire. "
"
Cive bowed in reverence. ""
"
"
"You don't seem to like him that much." Lillian suddenly said.
"Because he only cares about two things. His money. And his life. My brother would've deposed him if he were in my place."
"But we still need him. right?" Jala pointed.
"Yes. Especially since he deals with those orc creatures. To think that such a monster would exist."
Lillian chuckled at the remark. Prompting a raised brow. "What is it?" Lucius asked.
"It's ironic, really. Humans would say the same thing about demons. I wonder… What does that make humans, to us demons?"
"Animals," Jala said. "Just mindless animals."
"So not sheep?" Lillians joked.
'If they were simple livestock, the war would've been over that moment it started." Jala tossed a stick into the fire and watched as it slowly burned away.
Lillian chuckled at the remark. Lucius, taking notice of the reaction, raised a brow. "It seems that you've been feeling a little better since we departed from Kasak."
"Yeah. I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders." Lillian said. She slowly gulped the last of her stew and set the bowl aside. "I don't think I've felt like this for a while. But is it weird if I say that I feel like I'm forgetting something?"
"It's probably nothing important." Lucius gazed at the vastly distant city of Oar, just barely seeing the massive pillar ahead of them.
"Is... Something on your mind, Lucius?"
"It's nothing, I was just thinking about how we probably would have been in Oar's by now. But I think we're still making good time. In the next few days, we should be able to reach the capital, then it's only about a week after that when we'll finally be able to reach the castle.
"Then you can deal with your brother, and that traitorous sister of mine. And play with-." Lillian stopped feeling something strange.
"Lillian?" Lucius looked at Lillian, confused. "Are you alright?"
"I… I don't know…"
"Traitorous sister?" Jala repeated with raised brows.
"Forget about it. I'm not feeling myself right now." Lillian chuckled lightly. "Maybe it's that stew getting to me. I-it's getting late,e so I'll retire for the night."
Jala grunted. "It is getting late, I suppose I'll do the same and retire also. The sooner we prepare for the morning to continue, the faster we can get to Oar's."
"I couldn't agree more," Lillian said. She stood along with Jala, each diverging into their own tents, leaving Lucius alone in the presence of the continued fire.
Staying quiet, Lucius glued his gaze on Lillian, growing more curious by the second before turning back to the pit's pillar. "
********
Kalika looked at the castle in front of her, then at the towering pillar that housed the carved stone castle.
"[Good you finally made it.]" Zorbian said.
"Shut up. So who do I go to now?"
"[The guards down below. You may have to do some convincing, but as long as they take you in, it should stop them from wrecking any unnecessary chaos. And we wouldn't Cassell to be in control, now do we?]"
Kalika grunted and continued onto the path of the castle's plaza. Marks of blood still riddle the erect stone pillars that decorated the central lane of the shopping district. Shops and stalls that looked to be in tatters and deep ruin, as if a war had broken out within the plaza itself. Soon after, a patrol of guards marched from a side street into the plaza. They turned, and in seconds ceased at the sight of Kalika.
"
The guards obeyed, all the while, Kalika continued her march forward towards the patrol of guards.
"
Seeing no response, he drew his sword.
"" Kalika suddenly said.
The guards gasped and looked around in deep confusion. Even the Captain raised a brow, befuddled by the sudden comment.
" Captain, she must be demented. We should kill her anyway.>" A guard stated.
Taking the advice to heart, the Captain lunged, but just as quickly, a Sudden numbness took effect, and his head fell to the ground.
The guards stood in shock, unable to comprehend the sudden fall of their commander.
"
Annoyed, Kalika glared, watching as they all attacked at once.
"
Kalika whipped the blood from her dagger, and with a laser focus, she sliced the neck of the first, stabbed the chest of the next, and pierced the head of the third. The fourth guard, seeing this, stumbled to his butt, shocked by her speed.
Undeterred, a fifth and sixth guard lunged, leaving the fourth guard to watch on as his comrades were slaughtered like dogs, mutilated with sheer ease, as they screamed in agony.
With the last of the attacking guards dead, Kalika pointed her blade at the final guard's face, terrifying him.
"
To the demon's shock, Kalika suddenly dropped her dagger in front of him and held her hands out, waiting to be cuffed.
"
"
"
"
"[Excellent work, Kalika. I'll call out when the time comes. So until then, keep yourself entertained for now.]"
Kalika grumbled, hearing Zorbian's word. "This better not take long!"
********
Charla Watched over Donovan. She watched as he winced and sweated, fighting against the illusion he was trapped in. Her hands slowly drifted up the bed, touching and feeling his hands. A blush quickly filled her face, a silent awe and joy washing over her as she admired his unconscious face. She attempted to reach further up his arms.
""
Charla darted her eyes to the window, seeing Kalu peeking with her hood on. A sly chuckle escaped the succubus's lips as she continued.
"
"
Donovan suddenly gasped awake, startling Charla. She jumped back and glanced back at the window, finding it vacant.
Recovering from the illusion set on him, Donovan felt his head. "Argh! That was weird!" He glanced around. "Shit! I knew it!"
Donovan stood in a hurry, quickly noticing Charla. "Charla? Crap, I don't have time for this!" Donovan searched the room, and finding his pipe, he grabbed and dashed to the window.
"D-donov-!"
Charla was tackled to the wall.
"Shhhhhhh!!" Donovan covered Charla's mouth, then leered at his door. Listening closely for any changes to the conversation outside his room. A cold sweat ran down his face as he nervously turned back to Charla and whispered. "J-just keep quiet- !!?" To Donovan's surprise, Charla shook, and her face became even redder than before. Realizing his position, he jumped away. 'Cr-crap! Sorry." He said, hushed.
Charla fell to her knees, lost in the moment.
"Ch-charla, Just stay here." Donovan turned to the window, but as he opened the window, he stopped. Seeing the dark of night e came to a new realization.
"Crap! Even if I do go out there, I wouldn't know where to go!!" Donovan glanced back at Charla. "Maybe I can use Charla to help me. Even if she doesn't know what I say, she should be able to follow whatever order I want, right?"
Donovan, mustering up some courage, turned back to Charla and slowly approached. "I don't like this, but if I'm gonna find Kalika, I'm gonna need Charla's help…"
"Ch-charla…"
Surprised, Charla looked up, seeing Donovan offering a hand.
"Please. Help me look for Kalika."
Charla pouted for a moment, hearing Kalika's name. She averted her gaze, with some envy building in. But as she glanced back at his face, an invisible string carried her decision. The envy she once felt melted away, turning into a sense of duty. She reached out to his hands, grabbing them. "
Knowing that she was unable to resist, she squirmed a smile as Donovan pulled her back up.
Donovan quickly grew tense and pulled himself away. "A-anyways, if you're with me, just follow. A-and I'll figure out the rest along the way." He darted to the window and jumped into the alley. Glancing back, he watched as Charla followed behind.
A relief washed over him as she joined him. "Alright. Now we-"
Donovan shook, seeing a large group of hooded succubi, each standing tall with the false crest of a slave visible for all to see. As he glanced back, he saw there were even more waiting for them.
"Where did they come from!?" Slowly, Donovan's eyes drifted to a growing pool of blood, along with the armored arm of a guard.
"
Concerned, Donovan glanced at Charla and saw her just as confused and shocked as he was. He then turned back to the group, growing even more curious. "That voice, I could've sworn I heard it before."
"
At once, the Succubi opened their eyes, creating a cage of pink.
"Shit!" Donovan shut his eyes. After a moment of hearing nothing, he peeked his eyes and found that the succubi that once surrounded them vanished. "Wh-where'd they go!?" Donovan whipped his head around, searching the alley. All the while, Charla stood, looking confused.
With the alley as empty as could be, Donovan glanced back at Charla. "They mentioned Charla… She's not planning something against me, is she… Is she?"
Charla, with pure eyes, looked at Donovan, unsure.
"No, it's unlikely. Whoever they were, they were probably trying to scare us because of the lockdown. Donovan grabbed his shaking arm, trying to control himself. "W-well, it's not going to work!"
"C'mon Charla! L-lets go!"
"Y-yes!" Charla blurted.
Donovan led the way, running headfirst deeper into the alley with Charla seemingly by his side. "We'll need a good vantage point. Perhaps we should climb those towers. That should help."
"
"
"
"
"
********
Within an empty stone room, a pure black sphere, buzzing with radiant darkness, hovers in the air. Watched by several guards, the buzzing slowly became louder and louder until…
Silence.
Puzzled, the two guards look from the orb to each other. With a growing curiosity, one of the guards approached the transparent barrier and squinted at the black sphere.
Slowly, a black sludge seeped from the orb, puddling below the sphere.
It grew. Larger and larger, filling the room with complete darkness.
"
The exit was shut closed by the dark sludge.
"
"" The guards dug into the dark slide in vain.
Slowly, a deep laughter echoed in the room, and a pure, snow-white smile formed on the wall, terrifying the guards.
From the ground, Humanoid figures with eyes of white roses formed within the chamber, with all eyes directed on the newly fated warriors.
"[The time has come. For me to live again!]"
********
From the castle to the streets, lines of black stretched across the city,
"
Watching the event unfold atop the roof next to Cyrus, Lyra chuckled. "