-•-
Ivanovich, Strandethorn
"Haye? Are you alright?" Hae-woon groaned against the cold ground.
It was a mistake leaving at night.
She spotted his silhouette inching close, "Prince Jiahao..?" Maybe it's the dream that made her call his old name. Hae-woon pressed her cheek to his hand as Soren held her close, ".... Ren….save Ren"
Soren seemed to ask her who Ren is but with a blurred eyesight, she only said two words before losing consciousness.
—
A gusty breeze amplified by the chilly environment blew over the surrounding blood monsters that froze most of them.
"Soren! I think I got them all" Kale landed in front of the man who held Hae-woon on his lap.
"Here, take her back to the suite" Soren said, giving the unconscious woman for Kale to hold before sprinting off to the direction where the blood sucker flew off.
"Miss Woon, you'll never see how much he loves you" Kale chuckled to himself before he flew back to their lodging, shattering the frozen fiends in his wake.
—
Filled with foreign thoughts that clouded even his very vision of the enemies, Soren still followed the cry of a baby under the claws of those monsters Hae Woon mentioned.
A baby. He must've heard her wrong. She- she's too..Argh he can't think straight. With a fulminant leap from a roof, he knocked one down and swiftly buried his sword to its chest.
How dare they hurt her.
Soren took the sword out and flicked it clean; He can't even use his wide scale techniques against them. The dark haired man turned to survey the area, his long hair tied to a ponytail dancing to the west as winds blew a forlorn melody.
Selene's bow materialized in his hand as he summoned it fit for the situation. He heaved a breath as he stretched the empty bowstring and aimed it away from the target. Ojojun, a technique taught to him when he was just a young prince by a royal of Majaeka in which when the user is at high disadvantage due to climate and other surroundings, must aim to where the wind originates in order to-
Soren let's go of the string and in an instant, a dazzling silver arrow resembling the mesmerising light of the moon flew swift as the currents and bent lightly according to the winds acting against it—strucking the middle one's head, violently pinning it against the wall. The bow dissipated as Soren jumped to catch the baby it left in the air. He held the young one tightly and with his other hand he took his blade and swung it against another blood sucker who dived to avenge its companion.
"Who sent you!?" Soren angrily demanded as the creature clutched it's bleeding stomach, it's human-like features stared at him, seemingly asking for his compassion but it twitched and twisted before shrieking in a broken high pitch. The Oceanborne swordsman evaded before red crescents of blood sliced him in half and jumped away to another area not before delivering a killing blow to that monster he interrogated.
He noticed how it wailed in pain, clutching its poorly morphed face in agony before descending into dusts and ash.
'This is getting dangerous with Ren here' He stared at the young babe who surprisingly slept after he got saved.
Following the direction of the attack, he turned to see a individual that resembled that of the demons he once faced with the exception of a tail and horns but unlike other blood creatures that appeared before him, it was more human than a grotesque being.
"Godsdamnit" Soren cursed under his breath and dodged as the unknown perpetrator dived for him, "I'll ask your kind one more time, who sent you!"
"Blood….hungry" He was met with an ambiguous reply. Strandethorn does hide many secrets away from the Arch Lady and he will get to the bottom of this starting with Queen Miroslava.
"I'll let you off this time since I have a kid to protect, fly away and I'll consider making your death painless" Soren suggests, hand still around his sword but he can never tell if that human was conscious or in a state of control.
Before the being could swipe the air for another blood based attack, he was surrounded by a flock of crows, Soren turned to a new variable that entered the fray with a shoched expression.
"Ligare"
'A binding spell?' Soren understood what she ordered as those crows envelope the assailant and vanished in a whirlwind-like motion. The cloaked figure jumped off the building and walked towards him.
"You'll be wise enough to keep thy tongue silent, Prince Jiahao Seiju" Her voice accented and ancient as it is soul-chilling. Although the woman's height is lacking, the ominous aura compensates for it.
"I will be wise if you are kind enough to shed light in this situation" Those indigo orbs bore to his blue ones as they search for indicators of betrayal but found none, "Very well, I will send for you" The woman responded and like a hologram, her figure flickered before disappearing.
Strandethorn was silent again, leaving Soren and Ren under an enticing blanket of the moon and stars. The man looked to and fro before letting his guard down with a tired sigh, "For a baby, you're surprisingly calm in these situations Ren" He told the baby who mirrored the eyes of the woman he loved.
"Come on, let's get you back to your mother"
—
Ebony Hotel, Ivanovich, Strandethorn
"How is she" Soren asked Kale who was sitting on the couch looking at the time, "Phew, I was about to go there and look for you" Kale stood up to welcome him with a weary smile, "She's fine, went to sleep calmly after I told her you're on the run" he streched a wing out and held Soren with it, the man smiled solemnly that broke Kale's train of thought, "What's wrong Ren?" the white haired man asked, circling him until he turned to look at the little bundle he was holding, "Oh….how do you feel buddy?" his wing flapped around Soren's shoulder, acting as a hand that patted him as if in consolation, "I don't know…. Hae-woon is free to do anything—she deserved it" he looked at the baby around his arms, "Wherever his eomeoni is happy, I will be happy for her"
"Aww-" Their conversation was interrupted when Hae-woon emerged from the room looking worried and tired, "Yeobo!" she hurriedly took Ren from Soren's arms and craddled him gently, smothering him with light kisses that the babe enjoyed, "Mianhae yeobo…mianhae" She whispered as she bumped their foreheads together.
"My prince, thank you" Hae-woon turned to Soren with a tearful smile before giving him a court bow, "I'm sorry for tiring you even more". His eyes softened towards the songstress as he placed a hand on her shoulder, "I'd never leave you behind Haye…please never apologise on these things".
Kale looked at them lovingly as he slipped out from the room.
Hae-woon smiled, "This is my son, Ren Yunseo" she introduced the little boy who resumed sleeping, "He is lovely..just like you" Soren turned to look at her at which she blushed lightly and focused on her son's sleeping face.
"I dare ask," The cyan haired woman paused, "Is Ren's father here in Strandethorn?" Hae-woon blinked at his question.
Of course he would ask about that.
"Ah..no, he's traveling" She smiled lightly, "We are meant to follow him today but things happened" The songstress let out a little lie that she rehearsed long ago and Soren seemed to believe her.
"I see, then, take all the rest you need…you must've been tired" He ushered her back to the room amidst her resistance before the woman finally obliged and closed the door.
Soren then turned to find companion gone.
-•-
Fleur de Bleu, Icycilis
Even when the night has come to embrace the tired souls of the world, Icycilis still burst with energy and life as aeronautical vehicles roam the pathways above.
"I'm glad to see you back" A woman of midnight blue hair hands the blonde a cup of drink, "How are your travels?" The man tipped the glass on his lip, flesh feeling the cold glass as liquor flowed in.
"It was tiring but all is worth; Hisako is gradually developing her social skills and prowess in magic which is one result I'm proud of" Seraphim turned his gaze back to the city illuminated by neon and industrial lights.
It is 30 mins towards the Hour of the Wolf (midnight).
"What's the other result?" Yvina sat with a knee over another on the couch behind him. She saw how he adjusted the old gold colored blindfold that, according to his enemies, a liability but Hrezvelgt can see finer than a telescope.
"I'll relay it once I finish discussing with Madame Veltour" He simply said, walking back before he sat on the opposite couch, "It's been a long time since I get to enjoy tranquility such as this Yv" She couldn't tell if he is resting his eyes or anything but he sounded peaceful.
Yvina thought of it for a while. They did came a long way, from their painstakingly harsh training to their internal and external battles and mission to…..preserve the world from chaos. The ranger cannot even remember how history devised another conflict after the Familia War.
Surely there is a God who managed history and decided to mess it up?
"Sadly, humanity is responsible for it's demise and the Gods are our spectators…or rather the ones behind the strings—" The blonde uttered as if reading her mind. Yvina looked at him and he's still in a lax position, she rolled her eyes and decided not to complain about his clairvoyance.
"Do you think Gods and Humans can coexist together?" She suddenly turned to his odd question before-
"Ay what's with the serious atmosphere~"
Yvina heard the twin doors opening in one force which is the energetic Naetalya—the Whiplasher—who strode in with her husband, together carrying a tray of food as her tail swung from side to side.
"Do you really think we wouldn't pass up an opportunity to gather with Hrezvelgt finally here?" Zyrion Tal Mino, the Genteel Swordsman, followed with a smile on his face. He placed the food on the table before headlocking his friend Kiovan, ruffling his hair and the two turned it into a play fight with the latter's wife trying to separate them.
"Don't mind them…they're just children in adult's body—I brought some cards and chips for us to play" ever The Gambler, Maxianne, stays true to her title that leaves even the most solid criminal running from her bullets, "Of course I didn't forget to rally Fan Dancer back from Jadetown just for this moment" The redhead pulled behind Shigemi who taps her head away and gently placed her contribution of Jadetown delicacies on the table.
"Surprise!" All of the present shijos shouted with cheer before breaking into laughter as their voices made a destructive interference.
"Yvina told us in advance that you were going home so we had all the time to prepare" Kiovan who was relocated away from Zyrion said, hiding the mirth behind his handsome features before his wife jabbed him.
"Do tell them you were the happiest one to know!"
"Lyubimiy! (my love) Don't embarrass me in front of the guys!"
Seeing his colleague laughing together and talking as if there is not an ongoing conflict raging on, brought a smile to Seraphim's face as the cloth covering his eyes became wet with tears.
"I knew this would've happened!" Shigemi chuckled before rising from her seat and took out a box from her kimono, "Here's our present for you Lein" She softly took his gloved hand and placed the box on it before giving him a small push, "Come on, please change and return before these idiots make a mess of everything" The strawberry blonde smiled, referring to Zyrion and Kiovan who's back to their squabbles.
Seraphim Lein Hrezvelgt took one more look on the happy side of his old classmates before he slipped out of the room.
—
"I heard your apprentice is with Gemi's daughter" Naetalya took her seat next to her best friend Shigemi, holding a plate of assorted food they brought. The group finally settled down to eat after the next 10 minutes as they focused more on catching up. The table was loaded with pastries, drinks, and famed cuisines, each brought by the individual local in that country. It was a simple gathering, with not much of a decorative effort and the people present were just the fifth generation of weapon users.
"Yes, that is correct" Seraphim nods, taking a bite of salmon sushi dipped in cheese. The woman then gave Shigemi a toothed smile as her ears twitched that earned the male's curiosity.
"What's going on?" He inquired as the two females laughed.
"It's a harmless bet, amigo…."Zyrion replied across them while he and Kiovan sliced a piece of cake, "Naetalya and Shigemi here are betting who Princess Guiying is gonna end up with–whether it's with Yvina's apprentice: Calyx or her old acquaintance Kale who just appeared" Seraphim formed an "ohh" response and cleared his throat, "I see…so where is this Kale now?"
Kale. The name raised some of his suspicions and the fact that he does not carry a last name is already something he should investigate.
"He's with my apprentice in Strandethorn to keep the artifact" Zyrion shrugged, "Too bad Adrianna is not here as well" the dark haired swordmaster added that earned a funny look from all his colleagues.
"I'm surprised you're still learning for her" Seraphim commented that turned Zyrion into a tomato. The blindfolded man kept his notions about the mysterious variable seeing that his friends are surprisingly calm about it and decided not to raise certain doubts.
"She's…getting there" The dark haired man nervously scratched the back of his neck that made the women laugh and Kiovan shook his head, taking a couple of cream puffs and giving it to his wife before occupying a seat beside her.
"Come on, just tell us you need our help!" Shigemi roared, taking a bite of her pelmeni. Zyrion nodded helplessly, he does feel tired after all those turndowns Adrianna gave him over the years.
"Ashk mher om a bate" Yvina suggested, mouth full of mochi with Naetalya nodding fast, her tail swishing from side to side.
"Geez, like I didn't think of that before?" He shoots the ranger a scrunched face as the woman furrowed her brows, "Addy's like that because she thinks you're a womanizer through and through, you need to make her feel that you're serious with her, Zyr"
"Alright fine....but enough about me, let's ask our mysterious bookworm more about his travels" Zyrion snapped his fingers and thought of a great idea to deviate the conversation, "Say, did you meet any ladies of your liking?" He smirked that made Maxianne throw her hat at him, "See, this is why Ms. Frostflake rejects you"
"To answer your question, I have not and may never find the girl I am looking for" Seraphim answered simply, "I haven't found my birth mother so let us not keep the line long" The women looked at him with either shock or curiosity in their faces, "I believe the woman I am destined for will come at the right time" He added with a content smile to satisfy their sun-burning gaze.
"Ohhh"
"Well, you heard the man ladies!" Kiovan stood from his seat, "But when shall the festivities commence?" His wife giggled at the introduction.
"We have Miss Peach here with the Prince but he's still blind!"
"Hey! Watch your tongue" Shigemi attempted to stand up but was brought down by Naetalya.
"Aside from Frosty Princess and Sillyrion here, we also have Gunpowder and Huntress" Yvina was about to round him to a corner when his wife intervened again and directed her husband to sleep as he apparently snuck a few drinks of the Ataraxia (Firebloom liquor) he also bought.
"Lyubimiy" She lightly tapped his cheek as her tail wrapped around his arm, "Yea he's out cold" The foxian comments as her husband snuggled close, earning a guffaw from Zyrion, "That idiot" He took out his device and recorded the scene whilst stifling his laugh.
"Come on! 1 hour passed the Hour of the Wolf, we got to play these new cards I bought!" Maxianne gathered their attention and hurriedly took something out of her bag while the others cleaned the table for a game of poker as they prayed for their money not to be whisked away easily.
It is as if they returned to their carefree selves back when they were training and made a self-righteous dream to … 'become heroes and save the world'
—
Trivia:
Kayunta was closed off after Hara Maamyon was imprisoned in ice. Surrounded by a large expanse of water and fog, anyone who is not on board a Kayuntanian vessel may get lost and devoured by unknown creatures.