The pair heard footsteps from afar.
It wasn't from the stilled beast in front of them, the Iton, or whatever it was, had been restrained by Lluvia. Alanus drew his weapon and called out, "The military has taken occupation of this area, reveal yourself or we'll attack!"
They waited, but not for long.
"Heh heh heh. You hear that sister?"
"I sure did, my sweet brother!"
Two snickering voices rang through the streets.
"Little Cordosia children, roaming free! Is this an open-buffet?" the male taunted.
"I guess it is!" the female replied. "Oh no, they look angry!"
Annoyance took over Alanus's depiction. "If you are Chronicle users, I suggest that you go for someone else." He scanned the area, looking at Lluvia for a split second.
The Captain's wrist shook, but she faced the voice's direction valiantly. Sighing, he said, "The era of Mandates is over."
Sou! Sou! Sou!
Hurled at General Diogenes were three darts aimed for his head. Alanus's yellow eyes narrowed as he stretched his arm out and ordered, "Aglana, stop these bullets."
Through the murky sky, a jagged reply came forth. "Yes, Your Magistrate." The dark red darts ceased in mid-air and plopped to the ground.
From the distance, the snickering voices returned.
"Mother of Sweetness, we've been blessed," the male's voice cracked.
Emerging from the shadows with rapid pace, a dark silhouette clashed against Alanus head-on.
The General's quick movements allowed him to successfully place his black longsword in between himself and the enemy, whose choice of attack were two dark daggers.
"Vice," hissed Alanus.
The attacker spun and jumped back, allowing the Captain and General to see him properly. His accomplice arose from a black flame that burned meters back.
Standing next to each other, these devil-like fellows were as horrifying as one would imagine. Dressed in an all-black suit, the male rubbed a small cut at his abdomen. His skin was fully red, and his eyes were slitted.
His partner was lanky and thin and matched her counterpart's clothing. She held on to her daggers and sneered, revealing a forked tongue.
The male glanced at the Iton—or whatever it was—on the ground. "Sucks that this was already killed,"
"Don't fret, Enlin. There's a Mound and an Arch in front of us. Mother has been feeding us well." The woman consoled her brother.
Enlin sighed, "I guess you're right, Eschive."
Lluvia spoke this time. "Chronicle wielders have been barred from entering Houtis. We have full authority to kill you both."
Eschive cackled, "Funny thing is, we need the Authority from you!" She pointed a finger at Lluvia and Alanus. Her nail was fully black and her skin stuck on to her bones.
The air circulating Alanus weighed, forcing Enlin and Eschive to bend down. "Lluvia, there's no need to idly chat with these two."
Enlin huffed and strained his neck. "Your powers exceeded my expectations, Arch. Don't underestimate us, though. Lady Opheil has ability beyond your imagination!"
As the weighty air disburdened, the true battle commenced.
Alanus threw himself at Enlin, the obsidian sword he wielded precisely cutting air.
Lluvia watched her superior fight with awe. Elegant movements alongside a mix of sheer power she could never fathom.
Enlin buckled his knees and leaped. As he floated in the sky, multiple morphing sounds erupted behind his back.
Erected from his spine were two bat-like wings, cold and dark.
Enlin's demeanor shifted, he transformed into a horrifying being!
His toes grew and pierced through his shoes. Every cloth and fiber on his body tore with ease as a new form took place. Increasing in height by more than three meters, Enlin towered over everything in the vicinity.
Despite growing larger, he seemed to have gone skinnier. His bones became more pronounced, and his face looked sickly. A darker tone of red assumed his previous shade, and engraved on the skin of his chest was an emblem of a lamb skull.
Albeit that wasn't all. In the empty sockets of the skull, two flaming slits ignited. Its horns also twisted in an unruly manner.
Truly terrifying!
Eschive watched her brother evolve with admiration. "I can't wait for my turn. I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait!!"
Alanus called to Lluvia, "I'll fight this one, you take the girl." Lluvia nodded and faced the awe-struck, kneeling Eschive.
'She's already vulnerable, this is my chance!'
Dash!
Lluvia held her sword to the side of her body and sprinted at Eschive. Extending her weapon's scope with the light-blue magic from earlier, the tip almost reached its target.
"Lluvia!" From the distance, she heard Alanus's voice yell.
Regrettably, Lluvia didn't stop and continued to pursue Eschive's unguarded neck.
"..."
'Huh? Why is everything… slowing down?'
Blown away by a massive force and launched against the wall of a house kilometers away. Her back extended. Blood spewed all over her clothes.
Everything hurt; Lluvia wasn't ever hit this hard. Trickles of red seeped from her nose and ears. She fought fiercely to stay conscious.
Eschive was still alive, and needed to be dealt with!
But it seemed like all of Lluvia's battles would end in losses today.
The cause: Enlin.
As he beat his new wings, blood-curdling screams enveloped the area, shattering glass of every window. It had also created insurmountable pressure, shooting Lluvia at the wall.
Alanus was pushed back a couple of meters, but he didn't cover his ears nor wince. Instead, he sent forth air currents laced with lightning bolts. The flurries were mighty enough to leave crippling indents anywhere they landed.
Enlin spun, just barely dodging the brute of the attack. However, one of the air currents hit his wing, causing him to lose balance mid-air.
Then he stretched his dainty fingers and sneered, "Eschive, kill the ugly one." He gestured to Lluvia, who was miraculously stepping back up and into the fight!
Alanus warped in front of Enlin and round-house kicked him to a neighboring wall. "Hold your tongue or I'll cut it."
Blasted off was Enlin who tumbled on the floor. His wings wrapped around his body like a baby in a blanket.
Alanus dashed and swiped at the demon-like figure's stomach, but was too slow as his cut hit nothing but the air.
"I'm behind you, Arch," Enlin warped and snickered.
"No, you're not." Behind the demon, Alanus materialized from thin air.
The two continued to brutally fight.
Away from the men, Eschive and Lluvia were engaged in rough combat. The demoness bent her body in ways the panting Lluvia couldn't imagine. "That one's pretty, hm?"
She was talking about Alanus, whose luscious golden hair flowed while he dodged and retaliated against Enlin. After receiving no response, Eschive's cheeks reddened as a lustful gaze took over.
"After I kill you, maybe I'll let him bed me. Every little girl's dream is to be married to a strong and capable man, right~?"
"Don't mix up a child's dream with your warped fantasies."
Sou! Sou! Sou!
Multiple flames, dark and abominable, bombarded Lluvia. She remained quiet and side-stepped the blazing fires.
In spite of her quiet manner, Lluvia's mind raged with fury. She wanted to rip Eschive's limbs apart for sexualizing Alanus the way she did. She wanted to tear off her stupid, perverted smirk.
Why couldn't that demoness see that inside that calm facade, Alanus was a man who just wanted to keep everyone safe? He wouldn't play with people's hearts, he wouldn't ever hurt a woman.
He didn't even look for love, and kept in mind that in any second, he could be killed on the job.
The worst thing you could do was make your spouse a widow, the toll on them would be merciless!
Eschive stopped in her tracks and opened her mouth.
Scream!
It was the mix of a child's scream, a woman's cry of agony, and the blood-curdling raves Enlin emitted earlier. Sonic blasts ruptured the area and thrust Lluvia.
Her brain clouded as she staggered back.
'Ugh, it hurts.'
The blood pooling from her ears increased severalfold.
Now, there were two Eschives. No, four appeared. Wait, six. Seven. It was brought back to two. Now, one.
Eschive ran at her with full speed!
Lluvia's vision stagnated and blurred.
'Help me, please!'
She called out to anyone to aid her. Of course, this was only through her mind. Her lips felt locked together, as if closed by a latch.
Stab!
Shrilling pain gushed to her body, right at Lluvia's left shoulder. Tendons ripping. Muscles tearing. Bones fracturing.
"Ahhh!" Immediately, her arm drooped down and became immovable.
Stab!
This time, it was her left thigh. Muscle fibers ripping one by one sent excruciating pain all over her body! Lluvia faltered and fell.
The blurry silhouette of Eschive loomed above her.
'Am I going to die like this? Right now?'
There were so many things she needed to do. Become Commander, raise a loving family, find the island her father told her about: Preole Grye!
'Please, someone, help me!'
Amidst the chaos, the pair heard Alanus's mighty voice.
"I call upon your help. I honor you. I revere you. Guide me, O' Almighty. Feed me a tinge of your power! Allow me to extinguish your enemies, the ones who burden your children! Allow me to rain down a storm that will cease their killings! Allow me to rain down hell that will end them and their Chronicle! Allow me to rain down the Emperor's Hysteria!"
Bolts of lightning, dark everlasting flames, and un-melting ice all hailed down from the sky. Thundering roars echoed in the distance. Powerful winds shook buildings.
The floor rumbled and quaked, the air compressed, and Enlin's blood-curdling screams drowned out.
"Holy Demon," Enlin was burned, electrocuted, and frozen by the elements raining down.
Alanus swung his sword and ordered, "Aglana, create a shield for Lluvia."
The sky humbly submitted, "Yes, Your Magistrate," and covered Lluvia from the attack.
Eschive, on the other hand, was severely punished from the rain. She screamed for the pain to stop, inching toward her almost-dead brother.
Through the powerful storm, Eschive's rocky voice rang out, "You'll pay for this," her breathing staggered, "that Cordosia died for a good cause, you and I both know it!"
Alanus watched her with pity. "Cordosia?"
Eschive shrieked and stumbled to run at Alanus, but melted to nothing before she reached his leg.
Alanus raised his voice and said, "Stop."
The Emperor's Hysteria ended. He walked toward the dead male demon. "The Chronicles have truly tainted our way of life." Then and went to the fallen Lluvia.
He placed a hand on her forehead, kneeled forward, and tapped it with his own. "Heal her."
A voice not belonging to Lluvia but similar to the sky and ground docilely replied, "Yes, Your Magistrate."
Lluvia's wounds glowed a faint hue of green. Within a couple of seconds, she returned back to normal. Slowly getting up, she stretched her arm, her legs, and then shook a hand in front of her eyes.
"I'm.. back..?" There was a pause.
"Oh thank the Heavens!"
Unknowingly, the elated Captain wrapped her arms around Alanus. Because it was so unexpected, the latter had no time to react, and both of them fell down—one atop the other.
"..."
Alanus froze.
"Ahh!"
Lluvia stumbled back, flushed, and stammered on her words, "You know… I… impulse… because… well…" her voice went lower and lower the more she talked, "T–Thank…you…"
Alanus's expression was in a daze. He face-palmed and shook his head. "You're welcome," then asked, "how was she?"
After regaining her composure, Lluvia's tone changed. "I… don't know. I think in a full fight, she would have won. I've never seen abilities like the ones she had…"
She added again, "Thanks for ending it quickly, and for helping me."
After witnessing The Emperor's Hysteria, a move used only by a select few in Houtis, she was ever glad that Alanus and Constance Wales were on their side.
"It's nothing," Alanus replied. "Although, maybe that wasn't the best move to choose…" He looked around.
Where Enlin and Eschive's dead bodies were supposed to be lay piles of mush. The battlefield was tattered; many depressions and slits blemished the area.
"Don't beat yourself up for it, all that matters is we won, and you're safe." She placed a hand over her heart. "We can always catch more Chronicle users."
Alanus combed his golden-hair to the side. "You're right."
"..."
The two looked away from each other, one fully red, the other faint trails of pink along his ears. Finally, the atmosphere changed. Whether that would be to their liking, who knew?
"Commander Saint is here."
Lluvia followed Alanus's stare and saw dozens of carriages and military personnel arriving on the street. They scattered around the Precinct. A couple took notes, others evidence, and some set tapes around the scene.
A sigh-worthy chaos. "Please, let this interrogation be light."
In the largest chariot, a burly man walked out. He was bald; one of his eyes was gouged out and left a terrifying scar. Thin stubble ran across his face and down to his upper-neck. He was dressed in a dark green military jacket that fell to his knees. On his chest were awards and badges.
He eyed the battlefield, then focused on Alanus, the latter silently looking back. Alvaron Saint muttered with no emotion, "This was orchestrated by an Entity."
"Entity?" Lluvia echoed, sticking close to Alanus, and away from Alvaron.
Alanus took initiative and answered for her, remembering that Captains didn't know as much as Generals and Commanders. He felt that after this mission, Lluvia deserved to be aware about some of the secrets plagueing the country.
"There's a history we learn in school, of the nations and how they formed, but within that veil of existence lies a deeper truth. There are many, many Entities that rule above. Some, we can handle. Others, we cannot. The four main groups ones are known as the Grand Titles: The Usurped, Lapsed, Blest, and Almighty."
Alvaron interrupted, "It was done by none of those."
"I know."
'I was getting to it! Were you even listening?' Alanus repressed his vexation. Alvaron was a great Commander, but not a very pleasant person.
"It was done by the fourth and strongest variant to the beasts that torment the Western Cradle. More powerful than the Iton, Lane, and Firio combined. The hidden rulers of the Latent World."
The trio waited in silence, Lluvia eager to find out. She was impressed by how Alanus knew so much about this world's history, and was enthusiastic to learn more.
"This… is a Tyrant's doing."