The demon lieutenant's face was a map of bruises, blood streaked along his jaw and dripping from the corner of his cracked lips. He spat onto the stone floor, the dark liquid hissing as it touched the ash-laden tiles. His body trembled uncontrollably, his gaze locked on the glowing crystal that hovered in Reider's palm, the light reflecting in the depths of his fear. Every muscle in his body seemed to quiver under the weight of what he knew, but he forced the words out through a rasping breath.
"…You're too late…" His voice was almost lost to the smoke and heat of the ruined city around them. "…They already have everything they need."
Reider's eyes, silver and unreadable, narrowed with predatory precision. The faint glow of the crystal in his hand seemed to pulse in tandem with his heartbeat. He stepped closer, his aura quiet yet commanding, a stillness that made the air around them feel taut.
"What does that mean?" Reider's voice was calm but carried a dangerous edge, each word measured. "Speak clearly."
The lieutenant coughed, his chest heaving, struggling to form coherent speech. "…They're using her… the elf girl. Eleanor. As bait." His words came out in a strangled gasp, but there was no mistaking their meaning.
Eryndra's head snapped toward the lieutenant, her eyes widening as faint flames danced along the strands of her hair. The air around her seemed to shimmer with the heat of her growing fury. "Bait? For who?" she demanded, stepping closer, towering over the demon even though he had no chance of standing his ground.
The lieutenant's lips curled into a weak, humorless chuckle, one that quickly dissolved into a cough of blood. "They know someone's coming," he wheezed. "Not for her… for the artifact. For something else."
Reider's gaze did not waver. He let a moment of silence pass, letting the weight of the revelation settle. Then, ever so subtly, his eyes flickered. A spark of realization passed through the calm mask he always wore. They know about Mei, he thought, the implications crawling across his mind like shadowed snakes.
"They're preparing for a god," he said softly, each word deliberate, each syllable carrying the chill of inevitability.
Eryndra's eyes narrowed, her voice dropping to a dangerous low as she leaned closer to the trembling demon. "Who told them? How much do they know?" she pressed, her tone leaving no room for evasion.
The lieutenant's shoulders shuddered as if under invisible weight. "They don't need to know much… just enough to prepare. Lilith has something planned. Kraggor is moving their forces. You'll all walk into the perfect trap."
Reider's jaw tightened. He said nothing for a heartbeat, his hands loosening slightly around the crystal as he considered the lieutenant's words. Then, without hesitation, he turned his piercing gaze back to the demon. "You know too much to let live."
A grin cracked the lieutenant's bruised face, his teeth flashing as blood dribbled from his mouth. "Then do it," he spat defiantly, even in his terror. "It'll change nothing."
Reider didn't hesitate. With the quiet authority of a predator, he stepped forward and pressed his palm firmly against the demon's chest. Mana surged from him, flowing into the crystal that had been his focus, thrumming with energy and drawing out the dark essence within the lieutenant.
The demon's body convulsed violently, eyes wide with terror as his soul and power were pulled inexorably toward the crystal. "N-NO—!" he screamed, the sound cutting through the ruined streets like a blade.
Smoke and ash swirled as his form disintegrated, his essence consumed and contained. The crystal blazed with an intense light before dimming, its glow a silent testament to the power it now held. The only sound was the echo of its fading energy—a distant, almost mournful crack.
Eryndra stepped back, arms crossed, observing Reider with a rare note of calm approval. "Not bad," she said simply, her voice carrying the weight of respect despite the residual heat of tension still lingering around them.
Reider slid the now-dim crystal into his coat pocket, exhaling slowly as if releasing a breath he had been holding for days. "Let's go," he said, voice low but firm. "We need to talk to Vael and Mei."
They moved through the ruins of the city, the aftermath of fire and demon blood trailing in their wake. No words passed between them; the silence was heavy, but it carried the unspoken urgency of the moment. Every step was measured, the broken streets echoing under their boots as they navigated the skeletal remains of buildings.
When they entered the inn, the air was quiet, deceptively calm. Vael sat on the edge of the bed, methodically polishing a blade, her movements precise and deliberate. The faint metallic scent of oil and iron filled the room. Mei sat by the window, braiding her hair, her posture serene but alert. There was a tension in the room that spoke of unspoken worries, a calm that was anything but naive.
Vael's eyes flicked to Reider as he stepped inside. "Do you feel that?" she asked, her voice measured, almost a whisper. "Something changed."
Mei's gaze followed hers to the broken streets beyond the window, her expression soft but unreadable. "They're coming back," she said, her voice carrying a weight that belied its softness.
The door creaked open further, and Reider stepped in fully, Eryndra close behind him, both of them carrying the smell of smoke and ash, their bodies marked by the remnants of their recent confrontation. The sound of the door, long and drawn out, seemed to punctuate the tension in the room.
Vael rose immediately, eyes narrowing on Reider. "What happened?" she demanded, her hand brushing against the hilt of her blade, instinctively ready.
Reider's gaze drifted first to Mei, a silent acknowledgment of her presence grounding him in the familiar, the domestic amid chaos. "They were planning to use Eleanor as bait," he said, the words flat but carrying the weight of dread.
Vael's brow furrowed, her instincts flaring as she processed the information. "Bait? For us?" she asked, disbelief and concern lacing her tone.
"For someone stronger than us," Reider replied, his voice even, a calm anchor amid the storm of the revelation.
Mei's hands froze, suspended mid-motion as she finished braiding her hair, the momentary stillness betraying her shock. Reider didn't spare her a glance; he was focused, analytical, calculating the next moves in a chess game whose pieces were lives, power, and the fate of more than just their small group.
"They know something is coming," he continued, his voice low but precise. "They're making preparations for it. I don't think even Lilith realizes what's truly at stake."
Eryndra removed ash from her gauntlets with a flick of her wrist and tossed her cloak onto a nearby chair. "They've consolidated power. Something big is coming. We have to move soon," she said, the edge of command in her voice impossible to ignore.
Vael nodded, her movements measured, thoughtful. "Then let's not waste time. What's our next move?" she asked.
Reider turned fully toward them, his posture rigid, every motion emanating authority. His eyes were sharp, calculating, and cold. "We hit them before they expect it. We take Eleanor. We draw Lilith and Kraggor out."
Vael's expression hardened. "And the trap?" she asked cautiously.
"We flip it on them," Reider said, leaving no room for argument, his confidence absolute.
Mei finally spoke, her voice quiet but cutting through the tension. "Reider… what are you not telling us?" Her gaze was fixed on him, calm yet probing, a daughter of both intelligence and caution.
For a moment, Reider's face remained unreadable, the mask of stoic calculation unbroken. Then he softened, ever so slightly, just enough for Mei to sense it. "…I'll tell you everything," he said, his voice a low promise. "But not here."
He looked at her, his gaze briefly holding hers with more softness than he often allowed. "You'll need to be ready."
Mei met his eyes, her expression unreadable, the quiet tension of understanding and resolve passing between them. "…I will be," she said.
Reider turned, his cloak swaying with the motion, and walked toward the door, leaving a silence that was both heavy and expectant in his wake. The sound of the door closing resonated through the room, a final, firm note of authority and departure.
Eryndra, ever the unflappable one, plopped casually onto a nearby chair and stretched, her body language signaling the release of tension she had barely contained. "Whew," she muttered. "That got intense."
Vael's eyes narrowed, arms crossed, scanning the room with a mix of irritation and disbelief. "…You're oddly smug today," she remarked.
Eryndra tilted her head, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how Reider called me his woman today."
Vael's face twitched, her eyes wide in disbelief. "...He said what?"
Mei spun sharply from the window, nearly tripping over the hem of her dress in surprise. "Wait, his woman?! When?!"
Eryndra kicked her feet up like she was lounging in a hot spring, utterly at ease. "Just before he cut off that elf creep's arms. 'Don't lay a hand on my woman.' It was intense," she said, voice laced with smug satisfaction.
Vael froze, her hands tightening into fists at her sides, emotion burning in her eyes. "He… he's never called me that. He just says 'Vael, stop breaking walls'…"
Mei clutched a pillow to her chest dramatically. "Same! I get 'Mei, why are you cooking with lightning again?' That's it!"
Eryndra leaned her head back, smirking with unmistakable pride. "Guess I just bring out the possessive side in him."
Vael clenched her fists, eyes glinting with competitive fire. "Oh, we're doing this now?"
Mei wiped an imaginary tear from her eye, a dramatic flair that only heightened the ridiculousness of the situation. "I was his first. I changed his diapers… probably…"
Eryndra arched a brow. "You changed his what now?"
Vael squinted sharply at Mei. "Are you trying to win or disqualify yourself?"
The three of them glared at each other, the room crackling with tension that was now equal parts irritation and amusement. Red lightning flickered through the room, shadows dancing across walls as dramatic energy built to absurd levels.
Outside, birds flew overhead, blissfully ignorant of the chaos inside the inn. Silence fell briefly before erupting again as the three women settled onto the same bed, still simmering with playful jealousy.
Eryndra muttered, "Still called me his woman though…"
Vael huffed, arms crossed like a sulking child. "I'll just save him extra hard next time. That'll change things."
Mei poked at her braid absentmindedly. "Maybe I should get kidnapped or something…"
Eryndra grinned. "I mean… I did almost get violated for it. You two up for that?"
Vael and Mei in unison: "No."
Silence fell again, thick with ridiculous tension, until Mei finally spoke. "…But if he ever says it to me, I'm making sure you both hear it."
Vael nodded slowly. "If he says it to me, I'm engraving it into the castle walls."
Eryndra leaned back and yawned. "Well, until then… I win."
The next moment, both Vael and Mei grabbed pillows simultaneously. FWOMP! The battle of feathers and pride erupted, each smack resonating with laughter, anger, and pure absurdity. PAP! PAP!
Eryndra laughed, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Alright, alright! Jealous much?!"
Vael shot her a triumphant glare. "You deserve this and you know it!"
Mei nodded in agreement. "For once we agree!"
Feathers filled the air, the room a chaotic whirl of laughter, red lightning, and flying pillows. Outside the inn, Reider paused mid-step, his cloak swaying, eyes fixed on the distant horizon. He felt it—an inexplicable, almost premonitory pressure. Why do I suddenly feel like I'm under attack? he thought, his silver eyes scanning the distance with that quiet, unshakable intensity.
Inside, the room remained a fluffy war zone. Vael, panting, muttered, "Temporary truce?"
Eryndra smirked, brushing feathers from her shoulders. "Until he calls one of you 'his woman'? Never."
Mei finally sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips. "…Let's just all pretend he's ours and move on."
The three of them paused, considered the absurdity of their claim, then nodded in unison, smug grins spreading across their faces.
"All together," Eryndra said, her tone triumphant. "Agreed."