

Crystalline Chaos

By

Gabriela Voelske

Skies of Fyir Book 1

Crystalline Chaos

Smashwords Edition

Copyright © 2015 Gabriela Voelske.

Cover image © 2018 Gabriela Voelske.  
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The moral right of Gabriela Voelske to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1998.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments or locales is entirely coincidental.

### Books in the Series

Dangerous Times – A Skies of Fyir Prequel

Crystalline Chaos – Book One

The Northern Bloodline – Book Two

### Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Impending Storm

Chapter 2: The Expedition

Chapter 3: Tensions in the West

Chapter 4: Trepidation

Chapter 5: Encounters in the Swamp

Chapter 6: Creeping Chaos

Chapter 7: Unusual Alliances

Chapter 8: Dancing Shadows

Chapter 9: The Council's Truth

Chapter 10: Tidings from the East

Chapter 11: Sleepless Nights

Chapter 12: The Advancing Tide

Chapter 13: Constructed Madness

Chapter 14: The Fated Day

Chapter 15: Leaving the West

Chapter 16: Tempered Chaos

Chapter 17: Advancing Forwards

Chapter 18: Maelor

Chapter 19: Plans for the Future

Appendix

Afterword

For a full-sized map, visit this link:

 Central Isles Map
Chapter 1: The Impending Storm

Silence hung in the grand council chamber within the Magi's Council Academy as news of an unnatural, catastrophic storm was reported to the attending members. It came as unwelcome news to the ears of the present magi; such an event in current times did not bode well. Tensions between races were already raised as usual, without throwing this new turn of events into the works. The residing Head-Mage rubbed his temple, letting out a sigh, and considering how to respond. How did one respond to this? He wondered; unfortunately for him, being the only present leader at the time meant that the others would look to him for guidance. Yet he was as clueless as them on this development; such events have never been recorded in modern times. Any other thoughts he had, for now, he wished to dismiss. If the storm had been conjured, it would have required a mage of such a calibre that they would stand little chance in a direct confrontation. Another sigh had followed before he spoke up, drawing the attention of the wary mages.

"This is indeed unsettling," he began, taking a tentative breath. "We need to learn more of this."

Murmurs spread around the expansive, silvery chamber as mages chattered among themselves before the call for silence was issued, all eyes drawn back to the Head-Mage. "I will inform the Ranger's Guild and request assistance," he declared. The Council rarely outsourced missions, instead, they preferred to rely upon its own strength. Voices in the chamber became discontent with a few members shouting out in protest, a view that reverberated around the room. "Silence!" the leader shouted, causing the volatile mob to back down to the authority in his voice. "We do not know the danger this storm possesses; I should not need to remind you that mages are inefficient at close-range combat." No objections piped up from this remark. While it was always a sore spot for mages to admit, they couldn't deny the truth in his statement.

Glancing around the room at the now solemn faces, the Head-Mage spoke up once again.

"Any further objections?" he enquired, but the room remained silent. "Very well, you are dismissed," he announced to the chamber, the still air being broken by harmonious footsteps as the mages darted out of the room.

A messenger squirmed on the spot behind the main podium, watching the discord that had occurred from the meagre bit of information he had provided. Turning to regard him, the Head-Mage beckoned to the nervous boy stood in front of him. "Speak your mind lad," the leader spoke, his voice sounding far friendlier than before. The boy relaxed at the change of tone. Messengers were not always the most appreciated, but no one could deny that they were essential.

"I-I didn't expect for that to create so much worry," he said, pausing after speaking, and watching the mage's expression with care before continuing. "Is it really that bad?"

The question rang out in the mage's head. While he wished to answer the boy's question he did not intend to deliberately spread panic.

"We shall see, who knows," he replied, not answering him directly. It did not satisfy the messenger, but he was aware that it would be all he'd be told. With no further response, he decided it best to take his leave and shuffled across the chamber, leaving the mage by himself.

Contemplating his thoughts, the man opted to fetch some parchment and ink then settled himself down at his desk, laying the paper down on the solid wooden surface. Calming himself, he drew up the ink with a feathered quill and began penning documents about what had just transpired. He had multiple recipients in mind; not only the Ranger's Guild but also the respective leaders of the racial factions. Involving the angels, as well as the Human King, was standard, but the addition of Sebastian the Demon King came over as a bizarre choice, most would prefer to distance themselves from their kind. Past the surface opinion of the race, mages often held some respect for demons. Mages desire to learn the truth, so the true history of the past is always a topic of choice.

A long time ago the ancestors of the demons and angels lived in peace together, their appearance was vastly different than the present forms. Once the humans became known to them, they mixed themselves in with the new race; one that saw the two ancestral powerful races in a light akin to gods. Eventually, the grasp of power the angels had over the lesser humans overcame their senses, and they seized the chance to glorify their own race while villainizing the race they had lived in peace with for so long. They made themselves out to be saintly beings, their golden-tinged skin and bright wings a symbol of purity; humans saw them as benevolent beings and gave them the name Angel, a title which has been maintained for the race since that time. Meanwhile, the other race was slandered as being malevolent, disgraceful and vile, the list went on and on; the term demon was used as an insult, ultimately it stuck to the race. In their own language, they still refer themselves with a different word, a lasting sign of resentment towards the name. Demons tried to fight the disgracing insults for a long time, but the humans were too drawn to the promises of the angels to listen to their pleas; a massive war started not long after, permanently causing a rift between the races.

The mixing of blood continued within the angels, creating a tall but notably humanoid shape with shimmering feathered wings; the demons, however, progressed only as far as a humanoid body with multiple features still pertaining to the originals, which became known as new blood demons. Old blood demons with a more bestial body also still exist in number, the two now live peacefully together after a long history rife with turmoil.

The full extent of just what they've been subjected to since the war of a few thousand years past was despicable, but mages had to stop short of fully supporting them in fear of backlash from the perpetrators. The Head-Mage only thought it fair to warn the King of the potential dangers. As much as others would like to admit, Sebastian was resourceful and could provide much help toward solving the problem, if it became necessary.

His arm rushed back and forth, smearing black ink over his hand as he wrote with furious determination.

As the final parchment was finished, he pushed himself up from the desk, rolling up the letters and sealing them shut with a magical seal, ready for delivery by specially trained messenger birds. He would have to oversee their departure personally, to ensure all were sent correctly without any eyebrows being raised as to the recipients. Leaving the silvery stone chamber, he departed for the mailing room down the ornate shining stone corridors of the Magi Council's headquarters.

* * *

Surrounded by the warm winds of the summer, a sizable tan coloured bird soared through the sky. Its feathers were beautifully spotted in perfect unison with each other, matched only by its keen yellow eyes that observed the land below. Sharp talons attached to pale ridged legs which hugged tightly to the bird as it flew, causing the leather scroll case tied to them to jostle in the breeze. The sparkling sea spread out to the east of the bird, the settlements dotted around it appeared minute from that height. Tell-tale trees emerging in the distance informed the bird it was nearing its destination; the immense dark spires of Shadekeep that were emerging above the canopy of the forest.

Shadekeep was aptly named; its walls were carved from a pitch black stone long ago, standing representative of those who inhabited it. The Demon King Sebastian oversaw the well-being of the unwelcome race from here, protected by its impenetrable exterior from any external force who may wish to dispose of him. It was a bustling centre of activity, demons of various shapes and sizes went about their daily lives below. The morning had not dawned for long, there was much to be done.

As the bird descended, it let out a cry to announce its approach, drawing the attention of inquisitive demons below. Within the keep two demons heard the call and made their way over to receive the unannounced bird, heading towards an undersized room with an overly large hatch. Perches adorned the wall on the outside of the building next to the closed hatch, providing the bird with a place to wait while the powerful magical seals that kept it shut were released. Since the window possibly caused a vulnerability in the defences of the keep, it remained sealed at all times.

Upon reaching the room, the smaller demon walked ahead of the other taller demon. His dark skin caused him to blend in with the similarly dark walls of the keep; the only highlights reflecting off his skin came from the ambient flame lamps in the room. They were magical in nature, with proper maintenance they never ran out and being smoke-free, they proved efficient lighting within the sealed walls. As he moved towards the shutter his long, iridescent flowing gown swept around him, only broken to reveal his wings on his back. The impressive attire was indicative of his position as Court Mage. A single pair of curved horns emerged from his head, decorated with a set of silvery magical trinkets. Pointed ears resided under the horns, a bit shorter than the bony protrusions but just as notable. The two features lay shaded underneath his long, straight hair, again black in colour; the only part of this demon that stood out was his sharp, crimson irises surrounded by the pearly white of his eyes.

He started unravelling the intricate magical runes that made up the sealing spell on the door while the other waited, a bowl of meat in hand to reward the bird. The shutters were pulled open, and the bird flew in. It intently focused on the promised meal, gliding over to another perch located beside the second demon. Full of glee, it watched as the food bowl was placed onto the perch and waited for its parcel to be removed.

Slipping the leather binds off the bird's leg, the taller, more imposing demon removed the scroll case and gave it a look over, noting the magical seal that was keeping it bound. With an intrigued look, he handed the scroll over to the demon mage waiting by the window, who readily took it from him and broke the seal, revealing the content of the letter.

A few moments passed as he read the letter. The other demon watched on with amber eyes, noticing his increasingly worried expression.

"Is something wrong Solomon?" he enquired, attracting Solomon's attention up from the parchment.

"We need to bring this to Sebastian immediately, Iomor," Solomon replied. Iomor was quick to pick up on the sombre tone to his voice. The content of the letter must be dire, Solomon was seldom fazed by anything minor. Iomor nodded and beckoned back towards where they entered; the shutter could wait, for now, no one in their right mind would try such a brazen attack in broad daylight. They ran down the corridor, causing surprised demons to move out of the way of the advancing duo, their presence announced by Iomor's remarkably crafted iron armour shuffling against itself as he moved.

After a few minutes, they arrived before an imposing and ornate set of doors with guards flanking either side of the entrance. It was merely a precaution, they more often relayed messages than protected the King from threats. Threats rarely made it past the entrance to the keep. Usually, Sebastian's friend and guardian Kaiser dealt with them or they fled with fear upon seeing him. Being an old blood demon he was vast and powerful, not an opponent anyone wanted to face head-on.

The guards glanced at the approaching pair and let them in without question, heaving the heavy doors wide. Within the chamber beautiful silks hung from the ceiling, adorning the dark hue of the room with fierce reds and brilliant purples, displaying the standard of the demons decorated with fine gold thread. Across the end of the chamber sat a visibly plain throne, its expertly decorated carvings hidden to all but a fine eye. The more garish fineries had long since been removed. Sebastian cared little for the vibrant tastes that had been left from the reign of his father.

On the throne sat the King himself, idly chatting away to another demon perched next to him. Sebastian's attire was casual, wearing a simple but elegantly crafted leather shirt and trousers, with matching leather boots. It was not the outfit one would expect of a King. Their casual conversation was interrupted as Solomon and Iomor emerged into the room. Sebastian shot them a quizzical glance as Solomon ran up to him with Iomor trailing behind. The interruption was not appreciated, but he did not suspect their reasoning.

"You need to read this," Solomon panted, offering the letter before Sebastian had time to respond. He accepted it, settling down to read the presented letter.

Minutes passed like hours as they waited on their King to respond, his expression was unwavering as he picked through the writing. Eventually, he lowered the letter and passed it over to Iomor, exhaling a deep sigh.

"This is not welcome news," Sebastian said at length, watching Solomon sigh in agreement. "I will prepare a response to the letter. In the meantime Iomor, you ensure we have soldiers prepared for the possible implications of this," he directed at the armoured demon, pausing for breath before addressing Solomon. His instructions were clear, if difficult; find out more about the threat posed by the mysterious storm and to report back with his findings. They swiftly departed, leaving Sebastian alone with the third demon. Upon their leave, he walked up to Sebastian and patted him on the shoulder, drawing a sigh from the King.

"There's little we can do but sit and wait right now, unfortunately," he stated, but Sebastian did not look up. The statement rang true, that was something he knew.

"Any guesses on how Uriel's reacting to this, Ciel?" the King queried, scratching at his shortened hair while mulling over the information.

"You mean aside from probably pinning all the blame on us, or at least our race?"

Sebastian chuckled at the remark, shaking his head side to side. He knew the angel all too well, any major occurrences were swiftly blamed on them, that had been one thing that had remained consistent since he was old enough to understand it.

He thought for a moment, turning his head up towards his companion. With a rapid movement, he stood up and embraced the other demon, revealing a more emotional side of his stern approach. He worried dearly for this demon, for he was his only child. The warm embrace was quickly returned with mutual affection. All they could do is hope the worse did not come to light in the wake of the storm.

* * *

Each recipient received the letter with mutual trepidation, creating suspicious thoughts as to the cause of the storm. The immediate thought was that it was demons, but the idea was hard to build on. They had three large settlements near the Commons. It came over illogical for them to put their own kind into danger, without any obvious benefits. Regardless of the culprit, it was thought best to heed the warning, and the call was sent out to muster what forces they could obtain. Communications between Thardosean, the Human King and Uriel, the Angel Monarch remained open, each bringing their own opinion on how to proceed. Uriel wished to push an accusation towards the demons, and the demon lead northern continent, including Sebastian by relation. Thardosean disagreed, however. If the storm was truly unrelated to them, then actively blaming then would tear the rift between the races further apart. As much as the human would like to admit, the raw strength of the demons would be a great asset if the situation turned dire.

The King sat on his throne, nervously watching Uriel's tirade as the angel paced around his chambers. Normally having the Angel Monarch within his castle would be an honour. Uriel was not known for leaving his sanctuary of Eriden very often, but in this case, he was not keen on the angel's anger. He was well aware that Uriel could easily dispatch him. The angel was much stronger than the aged King and better armed; a long blade lay sheathed in an ornate white and gold scabbard, hanging from his belt. Thardosean also knew the angel's keen mastery over the element of light. While it was most effective against demons, he had no doubts that it could easily deal him a fatal blow. He quietly scratched his fingers on the armrest. Uriel appeared to be running out of steam for now, or at least that was his hope.

"Can we at least agree to wait with the accusations until after the expedition?" Thardosean pleaded, obtaining a sharp glare from the angel's pale blue eyes. He flinched. The glare remained for a few seconds before Uriel sighed and turned away, allowing the wary King to relax.

"Fine, just don't regret it later if you find that I am indeed correct," he replied snidely, annoyed at the human's unwilling stance on the subject. Uriel had banked on his full agreement, an assault on Shadekeep would've required the element of surprise. Human settlements surrounded the demon communities, even if the humans stood little chance against the opponent, the shock of the sudden attack would turn them blind to the larger and more dangerous force bearing down on them. Or at least, that was his hope. The plan would fall flat otherwise, possibly even turn on them if the humans decided to take exception. It was not only the demon towns that were surrounded by human settlements; Aelburn was the greatest of the human cities and stood too close to Eriden for Uriel's liking.

The angry angel decided to take his leave, pushing past the anxious guards that were positioned outside the door. They were unable to hear the conversation between the two in the chamber, but the volume of Uriel's voice told them that it was not a pleasant one. Once he had visibly departed, they entered the hall, cautiously walking up to the throne. Thardosean glanced up at them, taking deep breaths to calm himself before gesturing to them he was fine, although the slight shaking of his hand indicated otherwise.

"Get someone to bring me some wine, I'm going to need it."

The soldiers scrambled off, desperately searching for the nearest servant to carry out the King's desire.

* * *

Bright flames illuminated the aged wooden round table and those who sat around it, casting shadows into the wide room. All the participants were clad in thin furs and leather with hints of green and brown cloth peeking out from gaps in the armour, with bows and blades strapped on top. Scruffy hair and beards adorned the faces of the committee, except for one that sat at the centre of the table. Her visage was clean and neat, the armour however still matched the rest. An expansive map lay on the table next to a letter. Various pencils and markers were strewn around the edges of the map, with some having been used to mark off and annotate specific areas. With a sweep of her hand, a route was marked out on the map, drawing comments from others in the room. The majority agreed to what she had proposed, but a few were sceptical. Doubts which she hoped to quell before an expedition was sent out toward the moving storm front.

"The demons of Springhollow might have some information that would be useful to the cause," she stated to the quibblers who were not keen on the idea of actively talking to the demons. The next half of her plan would upset them even more, there was more than just the one settlement on the proposed route. It would also provide them with a good location to restock on food and water. "Also, I was planning to stop in at least Linlake, if not Valmeadow or Esterbrook for information and supplies, of course," she added on, without any audible disagreement from the audience.

The lakes in the West were prime demon territory, but they were also the only major freshwater source. As such, the humans that settled there found themselves having to be humble to their less than desirable neighbours; the relationship fostered well however and firm trading routes been established between the two races. The swampland hosted many riches, but its boggy ground proved too much of a hassle for the humans to consistently navigate. Demons, however, could easily avoid its sticky nature using their wings, utilising the trees as perches. An agreement was struck up, in exchange for the resources of the swamplands the demons would receive food and other fineries such as cloth and metal. Demons in this area tended to be more welcoming to humans, as long as their intentions were fair. A fact she intended to use fully to her advantage.

"I will lead the expedition, a small group with some mages provided to us by the Council."

Such an expedition would usually take a sizable group, but a large expedition would also cause panic to civilians if it became known. "The rest of you, remain doing as you are now, dealing with any other problems that arise as normal," the woman continued, nods of approval came from the remaining members. She beckoned for them to stand, initiating a chant which the other members soon joined in on. It was a pledge that all members held highly, repeating it at the end of the meeting was a long-held tradition within the Ranger's Guild and a well-respected one. As the chant ended the members dismissed themselves, leaving the woman alone in the room. She set about penning a reply agreeing to help the council, as well as details of the route they would take.

### Chapter 2: The Expedition

Low sunlight bathed the cool stone walls of the Magi Academy. While impressive in stature it hid the truly grand interior; the dull grey stone walls paled in comparison to the iridescent, polished slabs inside. A small group clad in leathers stood before the wooden doors of the entrance, awaiting their promised mage companions at this early hour of the day. At the front stood the female Ranger, impatiently checking an iron pocket watch. The doors eventually pushed open, a familiar face stood in the doorway, flanked by less than enthusiastic looking mages.

"Ah Ferdan, It has been a long time, thank you for the letter," she smiled at the man stood before her. His height was average for a human and his short brown hair was kept neat and clean, and as always he looked impressive in his silvery formal robes, contrasted only by his pale green eyes.

"Too long," Ferdan returned the smile to the woman. They had been close once but commitments to their respective guilds separated them, and he had not had the chance to see her regularly since then. "These few will serve as our investigative force. I would come along myself, but unfortunately, I am required to remain here." A hint of sadness laced his voice, he wished to go with her again so badly, but it was not to be. "Don't mind their expressions, mages are rarely required to be awake at this hour normally," he remarked, resulting in a quiet chuckle from the group stood in front of him. "I will not hold you, just be careful Lauri," his words trailed off, and he looked away, trying to hide the blushing of his cheeks.

Lauri held back a grin. His embarrassment was sweet but now was not the time. She ordered the group to walk back down the passage that would bring them to their starting location. Pausing for a second behind the group, she swivelled around and blew him a kiss, before turning back around and running ahead to rejoin the front of the group. Ferdan stood dumbstruck for a second before walking back into the hall, closing the doors behind him, a grin spread across his face.

* * *

A few hours passed as they marched, successfully reaching the first stopping point in their journey. Sat at the base of the Skyrend Mountains they paused for a snack, ensuring everyone was fine. Once they entered the mountain passage that ran across the monumental peaks, they would have to continue walking until they got to the other side. Perilous was an understatement when it came to the passage. It was narrow and prone to debris slipping down from the cliffs above. Conveniently, it was only a short distance to cross, so it was hoped that they would get to the other side with no incident.

Once the break was finished, they packed their rations back up neatly while Lauri informed the mages about the hazard and how to deal with it if anything occurred. It was one of the times when travelling with mages was a benefit, as opposed to them being a slight nuisance.

Towering cliffs rose up either side as the group pressed on carefully, half watching where they were walking, half watching the ominous peaks above them. Time passed slowly as they walked through the winding passage. An aura of silence hung over the group, with no one being willing to break it in case their voice covered up the sound of slipping rock.

The opening on the other side was eventually starting to emerge, and Lauri blew a sigh of relief, beckoning them to continue. Her relief was short lived however as a loud rumbling noise abruptly started, attracting her attention to the sky. Boulders bounced off the cliff towards the group at high speed, the passage still too narrow to allow them to dodge. Before she could cry out, a strong blast of wind ripped past with enough force to send the rocks harmlessly into the clear opening ahead. A mage near the back of the group was bathed in a pale green light as the winds continued to rip past, only ending when it appeared safe. ' _That was a close one'_ , she thought, glad to be in the company of those who are competent with their magic. Without them, that would have ended up much differently.

On seeing that, the rest of the group needed little motivation to exit the passageway as quickly as possible, spilling out onto the grassy plain and as far away from the cliff as they could manage. A few of the Rangers observed the rocks that had nearly crushed them littered on the floor. The mage responsible looked pleased with his work but said nothing, receiving a pat on the back from one of the other mages present. Lauri glanced north. Her gaze revealed trees appearing in the distance, displaying the direction of their next location; Springhollow.

Springhollow resided near the top of the Cloud Forest, just below the foot of the mountains. It was the last settlement of any race before reaching the Isthmus; a stretch of land that connected the eastern isle to the western isle. Yet despite this, few travellers stopped here, aside from their own race. Given their recent encounter, the party was happy to make haste towards the sheltered patch of green.

The air was moist and heavy as they entered the forest. Thick dew hung delicately from the lush vegetation, gathering the attention of the curious mages. Mages rarely went outside the academy at Aelburn. This phenomenon was rare within the city, nor did it ever look as beautiful as it did now. Lauri quietly noticed their fascination and smiled to herself, remembering the first time she ventured outside the protecting walls of the capital city. It had been frightening, but it was an experience she would never forget. It drove her to want to protect it, leading her to join the Ranger's Guild many years ago.

Focusing back on the task at hand, she casually glanced around. By now she'd expect their presence in the area to be known but no one was making themselves obvious, they were probably wary of the group's intention. A single smaller, new blood demon would stand little chance against the group by themselves, preferring to remain hidden and observing as they pass. This village, however, was known to have multiple of the larger old blood demons. If they took a disliking to the new company then the situation could turn sour fast, the two groups working together were dangerously efficient at combat.

Nearby trees rustled and confirmed her thoughts, they were being watched. The onlooker was close by as well. She put a hand up for the group to stop, it would be for the best if she made contact now.

"We mean you no harm," Lauri announced into the woods, pausing to check for a response. Nothing came initially, so she continued, "we come for information regarding the events in the West." It remained quiet for a moment before more rustling was heard. The group looked around nervously, but Lauri remained unfazed. Dropping in from her left a shadowy figure emerged and walked out towards the group, giving those with surprised expressions a strange look. Based on what she was seeing, it was a young woman stood in front of her, her facial features showing the tell-tale softness that demon females possessed. Her body, however, was clad in loose cloth and leather, obscuring the more feminine body shape. Female or not, the demon still stood about half of Lauri's height again, if not more. Height was a notable trait of demons; they stood even taller than angels, a trait that was not appreciated by the feathered race.

"Can you prove your claims?" the demon enquired, with a higher pitched tone of voice than the group was expecting, judging by their reactions. Lauri reached into her pack and produced a rolled up cloth, handing it over to the waiting demon. She readily accepted it and unrolled it. It greeted her with the standard of the Ranger's Guild embroidered onto the cloth, the needlework was so perfect that a fake was out of the question. As she ran her hand gently over the cloth mana warmed her fingers, the item had been enchanted to further prove its authenticity. Happy with what she had been presented with, she rolled it back up and handed it to Lauri and waved the waiting party on. "Follow me," the demon stated simply and continued back in a northward direction, the quietly chattering party following behind.

The walk did not take long to Springhollow, although the ever increasing feeling of being watched made some of the less experienced members of the party jittery. Lauri was not bothered, the demons would be unwise to attack the group after what she had shown their escort. Such backlash from an unprovoked attack would cause the downfall of the settlement.

Expansive houses built of wood and stone appeared ahead as the trees gave way to an opening, once again revealing the sky. Demons were numerous within the area, in all shapes and sizes, going about their normal tasks or just playing with each other. As the group entered they were regarded with interest but little worry. They were well aware that the female leading them would not have allowed them close if she thought they posed a threat. One of the younger demons watching scrambled off to inform someone of their arrival. The village chief, the demon who would be able to answer their questions.

"He will be out shortly," she informed the group, obtaining an understanding nod from Lauri.

A door opened, and a sparsely dressed male demon stepped out, his hair showing signs of turning pale and dull. She knew that he was of a respectable age, potentially with a wealth of experience as well. He approached the group, and the female demon gestured towards Lauri, speaking in a tongue unintelligible to her. Lauri gave a small bow in respect to the chief. It was a gesture he appreciated, giving her a nod of recognition in return. From this distance, she could understand his curious choice in clothing. Scars decorated his body, some rather vicious looking. The overall effect worked, though, he certainly gave out an aura of strength.

"I can provide you with some information," he remarked, causing Lauri to perk up. Her push to get the group to come this way had paid off in the end.

"That would be very much appreciated, Sir." Judging by his expression it was not a title he was referred by often, but he appeared amused enough for her not to be concerned that she was angering him.

"We have been receiving a worrying number of reports about missing persons, as well as a sudden occurrence of reports detailing mysterious creatures," he said grimly. Lauri drew the same conclusion as him, the two things were not coincidental, and both only started occurring after the storm first appeared.

"But no physical proof?"

"No, unless anything has appeared in the last day," the demon conceded, fetching a small obsidian pendant from a tattered pouch hung from his rags. "Take this, show it to anyone who enquires about your presence in the West." He offered the pendant to her, demons often used such items to allow others safe passage, the carved pendant would be recognised by any who came across it. Lauri readily accepted it, such an item would make their journey a whole lot easier.

"May we rest here for a little while?" she asked. Although they had not been walking long since their last break, the distance from Springhollow to Linlake was a fair trek, only made worse by the open expanse between the end of the forest and the edge of the swampland. He agreed, and the group settled down, still slightly wary about their new added company.

* * *

Less than an hour had passed before Lauri announced they were heading off again after she had received advice on the quickest way to continue onto the Isthmus from their current location. She thanked them for their hospitality before setting off with the group, receiving waves from a few of the demons that had remained in the area. The next few hours went without incident, as the heat of the day was only just starting to come into full effect, but they were not far from their destination. They had left Aelburn early with the intention of crossing this open expanse before the sun became too overbearing, so far they were doing well on time.

A wide, shimmering body of water lit up the view on the left, and a settlement became notable to their right; Coldcliff, a small and reclusive village. She had not expected to get any information of use from them so they would skip the place, instead of heading for Linlake at the northern edge of the swampland, just below the water body that was visible.

Soon afterwards, they reached the edge of the swamp. The grass was now turning to a less appealing brown and stubbly plant as they went. At least, the ground did not appear too wet, but she knew that the swamp often hid its bogs; getting sucked too deep into one could prove fatal. She hoped that sooner rather than later their presence would become known, the demons that lived within Linlake knew this area of the swamp well and could direct them to avoid unsavoury areas.

Step by step they paved their way through the thick mess of reeds. A uniform squelching sound arising as they moved, much to the appeal of some of the travelling party. Willow trees hung their branches despondently in a pond that became evident in front of them. The emergence of the trees indicated to Lauri that Linlake must be close now, as the demon settlement was known to be built within a patch of these trees. She was uncomfortable with the fact that they had not come across any demons at all. Was the situation in the West really that bad?

However, she was wrong. They were being watched unbeknown to them. A demon sat at a distance. He was utilising magic to keep him unseen by the group as they approached Linlake, his expression one of discontent as he assessed them. The storm had brought more traffic to the region than he appreciated; the West held many secrets that could be exposed by the unwelcomed guests, secrets including him. His appearance was too notable for someone to simply not recognise him. Upward curving horns were a feature of his southern heritage, along with his long, pointed ears. Another memorable feature was the demon's overly sharp body: a pointed chin, chiselled face and angular joints gave him a rather threatening physique, which was added to by his fiery red eyes. Knowledge of his continued existence would not bode well for him if it happened to reach the ears of Sebastian. He had too much to lose now to risk himself with that. The demon continued to watch, carefully following behind.

### Chapter 3: Tensions in the West

Lauri and her followers arrived at another collection of wood and stone huts that were suspended above the boggy ground below, but the area was still silent. The place almost looked abandoned.

"Is anyone there?" she called into the silence, the words clinging to the musty air. No response came. The group started to become wary, was an ambushed plan for them or was there simply no one present? She decided the best course of action was to try the huts one by one, hoping to get a response.

After being greeted by nothing a few times, one such knock brought what sounded like a curse from behind the door. A shuffling sound could be heard before loud footsteps brought the occupant to the door. The door opened, and the demon pushed out of the room, forcing Lauri to take several steps back as he slammed the door behind him. It was obvious he did not approve of what was stood before him, nor did they approve of him. He stood well over twice their height and equally as stocky. Thick, rough hide covered his body, so much so that the Rangers were unsure if their blades would even be able to pierce through. They watched as he tensed his hands, his knuckles cracking as he did so; the humans did not need much demonstration to know that he was capable of snapping them like twigs. Multiple horns added a distinct sharpness to his already threatening facial features, his cold blue eyes locked down on them, his mouth upturned in a snarl.

Lauri knew she had to do something to diffuse the situation; those behind her were just about ready to flee for the mountains.

"I have this," she hesitantly said, presenting the obsidian pendant for him to see. The demon looked at it and relaxed his hands, but his position remained very guarded. He was hiding something, but she did not know what.

"You come about the storm," he growled, sending chills down the spines of those behind her. He did not sound pleased about it as she had expected, quite the opposite in fact. "Words do little to describe it, you'd be best to go and see it first hand," the demon added before she had time to speak. It sounded like an excuse to be rid of them, but there was some truth to his statement.

"Why is there no one else around?" Lauri slipped the question in, but she was surprised at the lack of concern on his face.

"We don't have the luxury of sitting on our asses all day, unlike you humans." She bit her lip, something was definitely off. An object caught the demon's eye, and he peeked behind them, but by the time Lauri had turned around nothing out of the ordinary was visible. What he had seen was the demon that had been following them revealing his presence for a second, before hiding himself from sight.

Lauri sighed, this was evidently not getting anywhere. She instructed the group to return back from where they had entered. Hopefully, they'd have more luck with Valmeadow or Esterbrook. Either way, they would need to top up their water rations. They walked off, not bothering to even give the demon a farewell. He did not care, however. He just wanted them to leave.

Once they had gone from sight, he groaned, opening the door and letting himself back in and the camouflaged demon entered behind him, revealing himself once again.

"You can come out now," the larger demon said to the apparently empty room before him. Before long a third demon emerged from underneath the covered bed, this time a female. She was rather short for a demon, with notably oversized wings for her body. Her eyes were unusual for her kind, possessing a lavender hue, opposed to the dark tones that demons usually had. Upward curving horns poked out above her flowing black hair, with her long ears sitting just below. Swiftly she stood up and patted herself down. The underneath of the bed had been unusually dusty.

"What did they want?" the female enquired, from her position it was not easy to make out what was being said.

"Information," the tallest demon spoke bluntly. It was enough to satisfy her, however. Those who wanted information in the West were never well received.

"Thank you for this, Crono," the demon that had remained quiet until now spoke up, addressing the larger demon. He had done well to keep the group away from seeing the girl. Crono waved off the appreciation, it was not something he did for a reward. The large demon did not wish to see her hurt as much as anyone else.

"What are you going to do now, Amnur?" he asked the other male demon, who came over indecisive. He paced for a moment, heading in the general direction of the girl.

"I need to protect my daughter," Amnur replied, "but I do not know where is safe anymore." The girl looked at her dejected father, offering him a smile to try and comfort his worry, but with fleeting success. "I'm sorry Sakura, I just feel like I'm failing you sometimes. I mean, you always have to hide because of me," he sighed. He just wanted the best for her as any father would, everything was always against him managing that, however. Upon hearing this, she walked over and hugged him, coming up short to her taller father as usual in a vain attempt to cheer him up. Amnur reminded himself he needed to stop considering her as just a girl. At twenty-two, she was nearly an adult in her full right, even if her height always indicated otherwise.

Crono smiled at the sight below him. He had always been fond of the two of them, regardless of the rocky start he had with Amnur when he first turned up twenty-five years ago. "It would probably be best to remain here," Crono reasoned, "at least here we can protect you." It sounded solid to Amnur, anyone would be ill-advised to attempt to attack Linlake. The terrain was to their advantage, those unfamiliar with the environment could quickly find themselves in a watery grave.

* * *

Luck was not onside for Lauri today, both Valmeadow and Esterbrook had been cagey with their answers. At least they had been allowed to refill their waterskins at Esterbrook. The final destination was the human town of Wintergate, though she already knew in advance the town had been abandoned after the storm emerged. It had started right on their doorstep, after all. If there was anyone still remaining, they might be more willing to shed light on the information they received back in Springhollow.

The dispirited group marched on, each sharing their own opinion as to the varied responses they've been receiving. Mountains started to appear on the horizon: the town of Wintergate was settled at their foot, guarding the only major route into the Commons. It had always been considered the first defence between the Commons and Aelburn, for them to abandon it so easily was a worrying fact indeed.

Impressive, hefty, curving walls attached firmly high in the cliff welcomed their approach, and the gate was already winched open. Lauri just assumed it was left that way when the humans left, as it was only intended to be operated from the inside. The mages with them were becoming increasingly agitated, however, which attracted her attention, causing her to throw them a quizzical look.

"I would be prepared, the aetherial mana up ahead feels incredibly perverted," one spoke up. Lauri did not understand what he had said fully, but she certainly grasped his anxiety.

"Draw your weapons," she instructed, placing her hands on the hilts of her own scimitars. They carefully pressed on, reaching the opened gate. Unease spread through the group; even the Rangers could pick up there was something wrong from their position. A clean snap was evident on the suspended gate, the area surrounding the damage almost looked as if it had been melted. Further damage was evident around the town as they passed the gate. Thick gouges ran through the stone walls of the buildings, burnt patches of ground lay scattered around, and some houses had been completely gutted by ravenous flames. Wintergate had not been abandoned. It had been decimated. The assailant was a mystery, though. Evidently, it knew how to conjure fire, but the gouges in the house brought the main worry; what creature was so powerful to manage to cut through stone so cleanly?

Splitting up, the group explored the rest of the town, keeping in constant communication with each other in case the culprit was still nearby. A foul smell pulled Lauri's attention as she wandered down an alley, noticing brown splatters covering a nearby wall as she picked her way down. Her boot caught something, so the mage following her illuminated the area with his magic and looked down. They jerked back in shock. Lying on the ground before them was a body. Heavy lacerations would have been the main cause of death, but what worried her was that the bone was scarred. Some weapon had been used with an unsettling amount of force.

"He must have run down here trying to get away," the mage reasoned, "being hit as he ran." His analysis sounded firm, but that's not what was still worrying her.

"Whatever chased him was fast." She pointed out the starting point of the wounds; they curved around the front of the body. The assailant would have needed to be faster than the victim to manage such a feat.

"That's odd, there are no flies either." Lauri hadn't really noticed that fact, but it was unusual. The bothersome insects would normally be all over the body. For them to be absent, there was something wrong with this situation, something unnatural.

"Let's re-join with the others." The mage did not disagree, being in such a small group made them vulnerable.

After investigating their regions of the town, they regrouped and reported their findings. Multiple bodies had been reported, all sporting the same injuries and a similarly noted lack of flies around the corpses. Her next order would sound like madness after this development, she was even uncomfortable about it herself. "We must investigate the Commons ourselves," she said plainly, trying to hide her own fears. The group, however, weren't so quick to hide their resentment of the idea. "Three hours searching, then we head for home," Lauri added quickly, calming the crowd. They had seen enough, but she knew that they had to at least try and find evidence of what attacked Wintergate, or whom.

Tentatively, they exited the gate in the south of the town as Lauri took note of the time they left with a pocket watch. The sky became increasingly dark as they proceeded along. Hardy grass stubs still remained alive here. It was evident the storm had not spread up to this direction yet. Expanses of black rolled out before their eyes, and the stench of death was overwhelming, but they had to push on, their minds screaming for them to leave. Bizarre lightning crackled in the clouds above. Judging by the grim expressions of their companion mages, Lauri knew this not to be ordinary lightning, however. It was mana lashing through the skies. She checked the watch regularly, trying to reassure herself that it would not be long before they could leave this forsaken place. Despite the sun being blotted out by the suffocating cloud, the area was bathed in an eerie purple light of no obvious source. The glow was dim, but it provided enough light to see their surroundings, though all it revealed was further blackness as far as the eye could see.

Nothing could live in this burnt wasteland, not even the hardiest of fauna.

Lauri suddenly stopped the group. The wary humans glanced around nervously, unsure what caused her to halt their advance. Low pitched hissing became audible, carried by the winds to their ears; the sound appeared to be coming from all angles, surrounding them. Watching their fear, the hissing turned to a chorus of rasping laughter, light footsteps emerging above the song. She ordered the group to form up: a circle protecting the mages with the Rangers creating a ring of blades, ready to attack whatever comes near.

The situation remained unchanged for an agonising period of time. Their assailants still remaining hidden in the dim light. A sudden change in sound indicated that one of their attackers had broken rank somewhere to the north of them. They tensed, the mages preparing spells to batter their opponents with.

With a blinding flash of speed, a strange quadruped creature emerged and threw itself at the waiting ranks of the Rangers. Its target, however, did not seem to be the Rangers. Instead, it knocked them down with its thin, sharp legs and dived at the startled mage behind them. It reached for him with a pair of long, scythe-like appendages that anchored onto its bright orange underbelly. Pushing back up, the flattened Rangers drove their blades into the underside of the creature, but it did not flinch, dragging them with it as it continued after the mage. He frantically tried to repel it with blasts of wind, throwing them one after the other at the towering creature. It lurched back at the force of the oncoming wind but otherwise appeared unfazed; no wounds were visible on its vibrantly coloured body. Crimson crystals attached to the creature's back flared, sending mana racing around its skin before it erupted into flames. Cackling, it charged after the terrified mage, leaving the wiser Rangers behind on the floor.

Before Lauri had time to react to the arrival of the first creature, several more emerged and similarly charged the protected mages, causing panic within the formation. The results of the mages' desperate defence came out the same; the powerful spells just bounced off the creatures, leaving them unharmed. Shrieks filled the air as the floor became decorated with blood, the creatures' horrid scythes tearing into the flesh of their unfortunate victims as they bore down on them. The now burning mage cried desperately as he rolled on the floor, trying to extinguish the engulfing flames. It was in vain, however; the one that had set him alight drove a leg straight through his heart as he flailed, stopping the rolling body still.

The Rangers became aware that their blades were proving useless on the unstoppable creatures, simply stabbing into thick skin without hitting anything vital.

"Attack the crystals!" Lauri shouted as a last ditch effort, but it was too late. Conjured darkness enveloped the group, cutting their visibility and only chance of surviving. The sphere of gloom muffled the screams of the dying, smothering everything in a chilling black smoke.

The expedition was no more.

### Chapter 4: Trepidation

A few weeks had passed since the departure of the expedition and tensions were growing rife. They should have returned within a few days of setting off at maximum. It was becoming obvious to the racial leaders that something was very wrong and they had no idea what, which worried them more than anything. Reports of missing persons and peculiar creatures had started to reach the ears of the civilians of the East, causing anxiety within the towns. The leaders tried their best to calm the worries raised but found it difficult to continue lying through their teeth. Sooner or later the truth would have to emerge, regardless of the consequences.

Sebastian stared out of a window, overlooking the sea to the east, deep in thought. He could not stand idly by while this unfolded in front of him, but his ability to act was limited.

"You should try contacting the West," Iomor spoke from behind him. The demon continued to stare out of the window, letting out a long sigh.

"There's no guarantee they'll help us, they distrust my bloodline," Sebastian replied solemnly, turning to face the demon he was addressing. Iomor was clad in full armour, as usual, a helmet lay stashed under one arm, revealing his stern expression. The flood of news had not shown an effect on the commander, his demeanour was always serious.

"You are not your father; they might be willing, considering the situation." His father had been a despicable tyrant, one who caused a lot of damage to the demon communities, often killing those who disagreed with him. He was never sure of the full details, but he knew the West was heavily assaulted by angels one year. Refusing to send help, his father had just left them to die. They managed to recover; cutting all ties, they had with the East and have since been cold to any attempts to reconnect with them.

The King just sighed, he could not leave Shadekeep at this time to investigate himself. Sending a sizable force out directly from here could panic people unduly. There was little he could do but plead to the West to help.

"It would be best to send an emissary as opposed to just a penned letter," Sebastian spoke after a period of silence, but the question remained of whom the task would fall to, his own son was a logical choice.

"You wish to send Ciel, though I would send Drake with him at least if you do." Drake was Kaiser's son who was equally as powerful as his father. It would be a good escort for his son, the two were good friends and fought together well. He had no doubt that his own son could hold his own, but he would rather not take the risk in case something did happen.

"Should I send Solomon with them as well?" he enquired. Seeing Iomor shake his head he took the answer to be no, he was still needed here. The silence between them remained for a few minutes more; taking the hint Sebastian had nothing more to say, Iomor bowed to the King and left. He still had much to oversee.

* * *

Life appeared to progress as normal within the guarding walls of Aelburn. Thardosean had kept his actions of building an army well hidden. The Ranger's Guild and the Magi Council had barely talked to each other since the expedition had failed to return; the Rangers blamed the Council for the vain loss of life that occurred, often ignoring the fact that they too had lost members lost in the tragedy. Ferdan had taken a temporary leave from the Council, their deaths rested heavily on his shoulders, and he blamed only himself for it. He could not let their deaths be wasted, though, he was determined more than ever to find out what happened and to get justice for them, for Lauri. Alone he was not much use, however, four of the Council's stronger members had not returned from the journey.

Loud knocking startled him, waking him up. It was still early morning, and he was not expecting guests, not at this hour. Groggily, he hoisted himself from the bed and covered his night clothes with his robes before walking over and opening the door, surprised by the sight in front of him. Two of Thardosean's high ranking knights stood before him. Surely the King did not intend to put him to death over the incident?

They remained quiet for a moment while one of them teased out a missive which bore the royal seal, handing it over to the shocked mage. Without a single word escaping their lips, they left, leaving Ferdan stunned in the doorway. Silently closing the door behind him, he sat back down on his bed, his fingers eagerly fiddling to undo the wax seal keeping the envelope shut. It eventually broke off, allowing him access to the contents inside. A single letter and nothing more.

He tugged it out and began to read it, a grin spreading across his face as he progressed. The King had managed to find out that Sebastian had sent his son as an emissary to the West, to extract what information he could about the events that occurred. It was almost if the King had read his mind!

Wasting no time, he properly dressed, lining his empty pouches with medicines and other such potions and grabbed his staff. While such an item was unnecessary for general magical manipulation, they were undoubtedly efficient at boosting and focusing mana for extraordinary effect, but it required training to use one correctly. He stuck a hastily scribbled note onto the door as he shut it behind him and set a course for the academy's stables, it would be much faster to catch up on horseback.

The stable hands were taken by surprise at Ferdan's unannounced appearance so early in the morning, scrambling to get a horse ready for the journey. A dusky mare stood before him, its deep brown eyes regarding him intently as he rubbed its neck. He felt it was matching, considering those who he intended to meet up with. A leather saddle was fitted onto the back of the horse; it was decorated with golden thread and looked rather ornate, obviously intended to announce his rank to whoever laid their eyes on it. Ferdan half thought about asking for them to change it for a less garish one, but he would have to leave soon to catch up to the demon while his location was still obvious.

Once he was given the go-ahead, he climbed onto the horse and nearly lost his balance. He narrowly avoided falling off the other side. Ferdan had never been much of a rider. The stable hands filled saddlebags with wrapped food parcels and water skins for his trek. He was glad, as in his eagerness he had forgotten to pack any rations for the journey.

They led him to the northern gate and waved him off, wishing him a safe journey. He waved back with a smile before grabbing the reins tightly, leading the horse into a canter across the grassy plain. Being on horseback, he would need to loop around the northern edge of the Skyrend Mountains, as opposed to using the narrow passageway directly through them. The most direct route was to stay at the foot of the mountains, passing by the lake that supplied the many nearby settlements with fresh drinking water. Early in the morning, the route should be quiet, as most did not venture out for water until later in the day.

Grassland and scattered crop fields continually spread out as he advanced on, briefly allowing the animal a drink from the lake before they broke out onto the open coastal cliffs. Ferdan hoped that he was not too far behind. He would have a hard time locating Ciel if he reached the swamps before him. The forest that was present to his left was his main hope of connecting with him. Thardosean's letter indicated that he intended to stop in Springhollow before continuing on.

Changing the horse's canter into a gallop, he pushed on, though he could feel the animal was starting to strain. It had been walking near consistently since leaving Aelburn a few hours ago. Once he caught up the horse could retain a more relaxed trot and still keep pace with a demon.

Trees grew nearer and nearer, as well as the expanse of land that was the Isthmus. The sea lashed at its steep cliffs, sending spray high into the air. It would not be an enjoyable journey crossing it today. He worried how the demon would cope with the wind strongly buffeting his wings.

Just as he was about to enter the forest, a pair of dark figures caught his eye on the Isthmus. As far as he knew Ciel was travelling alone; although it was more than just coincidence that there were demons crossing the land bridge around the same time he knew Ciel should be in the area. Ferdan changed the horse's course from the trees in favour of the two he saw in front of him. The strong wind became apparent as he lost the cover of the trees, nearly knocking the horse over as it suddenly slammed into them. Utilising his own magic to counteract the push, he nudged the frightened horse forward. Unable to feel the wind it obliged, not understanding that the wind had not completely disappeared.

He called out to them over the blasts of wind, though from the way they had stopped early he knew that his presence was already known. Coming up a few feet from them he watched them turn around. The smaller one he took to be Ciel, he looked rather similar to his father and the larger one he was unsure on. Judging by his physique Ferdan could put a good guess on who he was related to, however. With a sweeping motion of his staff, he extended his wind-nulling spell over them, something which was a relief from their expressions.

"I assume you are Ciel," Ferdan directed at the smaller of the demons, who stiffened slightly at the question.

"What is it to you?" Ciel responded, fazed by the fact the human knew his name and by relation, his appearance.

"I wish to join you, I have already been informed of your intent." Ciel was confused by his words, as the fact they were heading west was not a discussed fact. "I was the one who organised for the original expedition," Ferdan added. It acted to clear up his confusion, but the demon was still wary of him. Such a thing was understandable, he had just appeared from nowhere and demanded to come with them. It likely came over rather suspect. The other demon spoke quietly in their native tongue towards Ciel, or as quietly as he could manage given his stature.

Regardless, his words appeared to be relaxing him.

"May I ask your name?" Ferdan enquired to the other demon. He stood much taller than Ciel as well as noticeably thicker, and from the way they were stood, he assumed that the demon had been acting as a windbreak, with his weight keeping him anchored to the bridge. His legs were also a very prominent feature of his body; they more resembled the hind leg of an animal such as a deer than the straight legs of a humanoid, the hoof replaced with a splayed four-toed foot with stubby claws. The connecting bone was thick and impressive, it would require a potent blow to knock him off his feet. Bulky hands attached at the end of well-muscled arms. The fingers were long and sharp, but from Ferdan's knowledge, it was at the cost of his manual dexterity; not that the demon would be needing the use of weapons anytime soon with the raw power of such a body. Pointed horns emerged from his short hair in an upward direction. It came over as an odd way for horns to grow, but he imagined it had its use.

The stocky demon thought on whether to answer the question, the stranger had yet to give his own name. "It's Drake," he replied, his voice was deep but clear, "now tell us your name, Mage." It came over unintentionally cold. Drake's expression was warmer than his voice, something that Ferdan had noticed.

"It is Ferdan, I am one of the head magi of the Council," the mage smiled, beckoning back to the path. "Shall we continue while my mana reserves are still fresh?" The pair in front of him quickly remembered that the lack of wind being an effect of the spell he was maintaining. Ciel waved him over to join them, and they continued down the path, chattering as they went.

### Chapter 5: Encounters in the Swamp

It was a normal day as far as the residents of Linlake were concerned. The slight chill in the air was a reminder that summer was fading away and the icy grip of winter would soon follow. Linlake itself was relatively quiet, most of the demons had already left to stock up on food and other materials while the harvest was still plentiful. Once winter came, food was hard to find and the bitter conditions ripped at the demons' wings, limiting the time they can safely stay outside. Amnur had opted to stay within the village today, helping the other remaining villagers with preparing and preserving food. The main source of food was fish, although sometimes meat was brought back when someone had managed to locate prey. Meat animals tended to graze in the areas around Valmeadow and Esterbrook; neither village appreciated hunters from Linlake taking animals from within their lands. The food situation was as bad in all three villages, without one depriving the other. Due to its close proximity to lakes and rivers, Linlake, however, was blessed with a plentiful supply of fish during the warmer months. Winter often saw the lakes frozen over, reducing the availability of food.

The only problem with the fish was that their flesh tasted foul, anyone who ate one raw often quickly regretted their choice. To avoid the problem, the flesh was sliced from the fish, boiled and then left to marinate with berries and other such spices pulled from the swamp. They had a big pile of fish to get through and an even larger pile of berries and herbs to prepare them with, so it was going to be a long day of marinating fish. The demons huddled around a small campfire, chatting and throwing banter with each other as they tirelessly worked. Amnur, however, was silent, absorbed in his own thoughts and ignoring their attempts to bring him into the conversation.

A few days after the expedition had passed through he had visited Wintergate for himself, along with his daughter. The sight appalled and worried them. For such a thing to happen so silently was worrying and practically on their doorstep too with no one having any idea that it had. They looked around for a while, observing the damage to the buildings and the lacerations on the bodies. It was not a creature he had come across before that had caused the damage. Just as he decided it was about time to leave, something caught his eye; a blood trail, but it was fresher than the others around.

Scratching at it, it became obvious that it was still damp, no more than a day old he reckoned. Whoever was injured might still be within the area. Keeping his footsteps quiet, he followed the trail to a house. The door had been pushed open, leaving a bloody handprint on the woodwork. Amnur inspected it from his position on the outside wall, judging from the size and shape of the handprint it looked to be human.

He bent down to allow himself through the door, slowly peering around the corner. A pool of blood greeted him, but there was no one collapsed in it. The blood trail extended no further to indicate the person had dragged themselves away and had died elsewhere. As he got close to the blood pool it was evident whoever had been there had lost a fair amount of blood. If they had somehow sealed their wounds back up, they would be heavily weakened and would likely struggle to return to the nearest settlement. Esterbrook had made no comment about receiving someone that badly injured, however, whoever it was must have headed for Winterdale further north.

Towards the edge of the pool sat a blood-covered lump. Amnur lifted it out and wiped it against a rug on the floor, revealing a small obsidian pendant. The same obsidian pendant the Ranger woman had shown to Crono a few days previously. He cursed, for her to have returned so badly injured indicated that they had met nothing pleasant in the Commons.

Sakura, however, didn't have such a peaceful experience; while her father investigated one part of the ruined town, she had opted to look elsewhere. Using some inedible berries as a form of ink, the demon rubbed it against the scarring on the building walls. As she painted over the surface, the deep gouges ran under her fingers, revealing the concave structure. One by one she repeated the procedure, each slash on the building showed a similar profile. Whatever creature had done the damage was the same each time or at very least, the same species. Her sensitive hearing told her of a disturbance nearby, but it did not appear to be Amnur. He knew better than to approach her unaware.

Cautiously, Sakura focused on the sound, picking up the information of its position and potential heading. It was emanating from above her, on the rooftop of a building. Slipping her hands to her blades, she shifted her weight to a position ready to spring at the first sign of danger. The tense coil of demon kept her back to the wall, cutting off one route of attack while the sound drew closer. Taking deep breaths, Sakura became hesitant when the noise suddenly ended, glancing upward to the flat edge of the rooftop.

With no warning, a figure charged off the roof, landing just shy of her body. A set of scythes descended from above only to be interrupted by her blades thrusting upwards, catching the creature's attack mid-air. A power struggle ensued. The strange creature stood taller than her and was bearing down. Mustering her strength, she desperately pushed against the lethal scythe arms. With a grimace, Sakura could see it was not a battle in her favour, she needed to throw it off her somehow.

Holding position, she shifted her legs to the left and used the leverage to throw the creature to the right. The move caused the scythe arms to grind against the building, raking dents in the stone wall. It whined at the move, placing all of its four legs firmly on the ground, gazing somewhere in her direction. She noticed that it didn't seem entirely confident in her position, a fact which she put down to the lack of obvious eyes on the creature's crested head. Silently, Sakura crept around it, giving just enough distance to be out of immediate range. As she went, it slowly gathered her position, yet it always lagged behind her current location. The wall near the creature was in sight so when she finally got close enough, she ran at it and leapt off, launching herself into the air and landing on its back. The neck violently swung around in response, but she had already positioned herself, locking her legs tightly on the side of its body.

Aggravated by the demon's actions, it seethed mana up its spine and burst it into flames. Sakura cried out and drove her blades down its back, before throwing herself away from the engulfing flames. Shocked by the immense pain, it staggered into the wall and fell over, shattering to pieces as it hit the floor.

It was a strange death, but it was a relief to see the creature stopped.

With a sigh, she fetched her blades from the steaming shards and limped away, looking to find her father. When Sakura found him, she was shocked by the sight he was crouched by. Amnur glanced up towards her, worry spreading over his face as he saw her slight wobbliness. She informed him of what had occurred, and he scowled, it became obvious what Lauri too had encountered. Given the continued existence of one in the town, they evidently hadn't managed to kill them all. Hastily he ushered them to depart, carrying her out despite her protests, only putting her down when they were a decent distance away.

A sudden playful shove brought his attention back to the current situation; the fire warming his body, the fish in front of him. He looked at the culprit with an unamused expression, causing the demon to flinch and back down. It was unusual for Amnur to act in such a way. Worried glances were exchanged between the others present, though they were too afraid to directly ask what was bothering him. He sighed and stood up, casting his gaze over to a particular house.

"I need to speak with Crono," he stated and walked off, being watched the whole way.

* * *

Ferdan, Ciel and Drake had found the edge of the swamp, unaware of just what danger the boggy ground hid below its unassuming surface. It had not been long before they had managed to get themselves stuck in one of the many bogs around Linlake, with the additional weight of the demons they had been dragged down further. Against recommendation Ciel had been struggling, causing him to get sucked in further. The muck was well past his waist, and it was sticking fast to his wings. Drake had waded in to try and pull him out but soon found his feet unable to move and he was still too far away to pull Ciel out, the limited mobility of his legs preventing him from unsticking his feet.

Ferdan watched on helplessly, unsure how to help. His magic was of no use when it came to lifting people out of bogs, nor did he have anything to throw out to Ciel to try and pull him in.

"I take it you're not locals," a voice from behind chuckled, drawing their attention to a tree a short distance away. "The first rule of bogs; no struggling," it continued. Whoever was speaking could not be obviously seen from their position. Ferdan looked around desperately, trying to locate who was speaking to them. A current of wind clipped his back as a short, female demon landed beside him, brandishing a length of rope. She tossed one end out to Ciel who grabbed it tightly before turning to Ferdan, indicating for him to grab hold of the rope to help pull Ciel out. Ferdan nodded and grasped the rope, and the two of them pulled, slowly reeling Ciel towards them. The rope stung Ferdan's fingers, but the female demon was unfazed and continued pulling with her full strength.

Minutes passed as they continued to drag Ciel free until he reached the most solid path, exhausted, cold and smelling rather rife. Ferdan helped the boy out with food and some water while the female turned her attention to Drake, who was looking rather worried. She walked up to his side, taking a close look at the ground behind him. Drake, however, was stuck at a bad angle for him to see what she was doing.

"The ground behind you is solid if you sit down, your weight should tug your legs free," she said with a hint of laughter in her voice, he was hardly even stuck.

He did as he was told and soon enough had his legs free, a wave of guilt hitting him. If he had known earlier, he could have possibly helped Ciel before he got so exhausted.

"What's your name?" Ciel panted from behind, in between sips of water.

"Sakura." The name obtained questioning looks from all of them. It was an unusual name for a demon. They were not commonly named after trees or plants, more so one that wasn't even native to the Central Isles; the tree only grew on the vast northern continent. "And yours?" Sakura asked in return. They, in turn, told her their names. Her mind hung on the name Ciel, it was familiar to her, but she couldn't pinpoint where she knew it. Regardless who he was, she could not leave them stranded out in the bog, so she offered to show them a safer way towards Linlake. They wholeheartedly accepted, not wanting a repeat of that incident. Drake decided he would carry Ciel for a while to allow him to rest. The move did not elicit any protest from the exhausted demon.

As they walked Sakura pointed out things to look out for, such as reeds and other plants that indicated drier land and the more tell-tale signs of a bog, for future reference. She continued her informational tour of the swampland, pausing for a moment when something strange caught her eye. A slightly raised patch of the boggy ground, the light around it was tinted an eerie blue colour. Kneeling down at the edge of the solid ground, she drew out one of her blades from her belt and lightly poked at the lump, her followers warily watching what she was doing.

Before she had time to react to the lump violently moving back, deep blue pincers grabbed her leg, and a creature burst forth from the bog, slamming her hard against the floor. Pain seared up her back, stunning her for a moment and causing her to cringe. The shocked sound of the reactions behind her told her that her assailant was cause for concern.

Forcing her eyes to focus, she was startled by the sight in front of her. A creature with a pitted azure hide held her in the air by her leg, its face lined with crystals and illuminated by their cyan glow. From the look of the damage to one of the crystals, she must have stabbed it when investigating the lump. The belly looked to be covered in curved auburn plates, though from her position it was hard to see much. It had yet to completely surface itself, however. Behind her she heard the sound of blades being drawn and threw her gaze back, eyes wide at what she saw.

"Behind you!"

Her shout was overridden by an ear-piercing screech that made her ears feel as if they were about to bleed, causing her to clutch them in pain. Ferdan peeked up at the newcomer, grasping his staff tightly and blasting the creature with an icy bolt. It had little effect, the creature simply responded with a snort before swelling the fleshy sack attached to its head with air, preparing for another wail.

Ciel was faster, however, rushing into the tree with help from his wings and slipping his blades into the creature's face, ripping the brightly coloured sack to shreds and sending the creature scrambling, letting off no more than a high pitched squeak. He tried to balance himself on a branch but soon found himself falling, the original wail still playing havoc with his ears. Drake reached out and broke his fall, the large demon himself having to lean on the ground to stay standing. Demons often had better hearing than their human and angel counterparts; such a potent sonic attack could be devastating for them.

In the chaos caused by the arrival of the second creature, the first creature seized the opportunity to drag Sakura down into the bog. As her body was being dragged under she reached out and grasped the first thing her hand felt. A small rock, one that was hopefully well stuck in the mud. Using her free leg, she tried to kick at the pincers that were dragging her down, her foot connecting several times. The creature did not relent, her flailing only annoyed it more; a feeling that was confirmed when a wide area of sheer pain hit her. It had bitten into her flailing leg, stopping it dead and using its newfound leverage to try and pull her down further.

Intense pain ran up her leg, and she let out a cry, attracting Drake's attention towards her. By her desperate attempt to hold onto the rock it didn't take him long to work out what had happened, but he was still disorientated. He had to help her, though.

Forcing himself along the ground using his arms, Drake reached her side and thrust his arms into the murky bog, trying to locate the creature below.

Ciel had since gone back to the tree in search of the remaining creature, being greeted by a fast-moving ball of water. It stung his skin as it hit, although he didn't mind it too much, the water from the attack cleansed the residual bog muck. The second creature stood on a far branch, and for the first time, he got a good look at it. Its skin was pitch black, only broken by a bright blue underbelly and green banding on the edge of its seemingly stiff wings. An elongated yellow crest ran down the middle of its head, flanked on both sides by a band of cyan crystals in the place of eyes. It waved a tail around that possessed two groups of rounded crystals, a frontal green group and a blue rear group. The blue crystals flared as it pelted him with more stinging water bombs, preventing him from moving off the branch.

Ferdan below had been coming up with an idea, if his pure mana had not been affecting the creature then possibly if he converted it to a more physical form it would be able to connect with its body. To put this idea to the test, he formed thick icicles and sent them flying at the creature's tail. It struck home, piercing right through the crystals. The colour faded from them, causing it to wobble and fall, dropping onto the waiting ground below and shattering into tiny shards.

By now Drake had managed to locate the creature hidden below and grabbed hold of it, crushing its head with one hand and the body with the other. The besieged creature had let go of Sakura's legs in an attempt to retaliate to the overwhelming force it was experiencing. He heaved it from the bog, as the frantic creature flailing its now revealed clawed feet around, trying to nick the demon's skin. It was being held in such a way that put the feet nowhere near its target, though.

It started hissing at him, in denial of its inevitable fate. Cracks emerged across the deep blue body; the light from its crystals began to fade away as its body caved in.

Once it stopped entirely, Drake discarded it back into the bog, where its broken body sunk into the water it had been hiding within. He was surprised by the resistance of the creature's body, whatever it was made of, it certainly was not ordinary skin. There was nothing soft about the body.

Sakura had managed to heave herself free of the muddy bog and was clutching her leg. Past the thick mud, black streams of blood were becoming evident. The drops began seeping down to the ground by her foot, creating a watered down black puddle. From the coating of mud, it was unobvious how deep the wound was, but the pain told her it was more than a surface scratch, in addition to being aggravated by the dirty mud of the swamp.

The commotion brought the other two back from the shattered corpse of the shrieking creature, with the blood around her leg causing Ciel notable concern. Ferdan rushed over and examined the wound, teasing one of the punctures open to check the severity of the wound. It was not to Sakura's appreciation; the word she used was not one he knew the meaning of, yet he didn't need to know the language to pick up on what she had just said.

"I can use my magic to heal the wound, but it would need to be thoroughly cleaned first," he remarked, obtaining a weak nod from the girl. She tried to stand, but Ferdan kept her on the floor, her expression showing her disagreement with this action. "Do not let her walk with that wound." He looked back towards Drake; the demon was still shaky on his feet, but he had managed to remain standing, no longer requiring his hands to move himself along.

Drake bent down and lifted her up. She protested verbally, but her body relaxed in his grip, feeling the welcome warmth of his skin. Ciel came up behind him and gave the demon a celebratory pat on the back. No one had died or been fatally injured, he would consider that a victory for now.

Ferdan looked around for his horse but saw nothing, the animal must have fled upon seeing the creatures. He would have to leave it for now, though, Sakura's wound needed to be treated.

The rest of the distance was calm and uneventful, to the relief of the group. Sakura was wearily directing them along from her position nestled within Drake's folded arm, reassuring them that Linlake was close, based on what she was seeing. Ferdan pointed at a column of smoke that was rising out from a patch of trees ahead of them. Ciel breathed a sigh of relief at the news, his body was starting to ache from the repeated assault of the creature's water bombs.

An opening appeared at the opposite side of the trees, and they were greeted with the suspended huts that made up Linlake. The demons around the fire noticed their arrival, hesitant at first at the unknown company before noticing Sakura waving to them, her exhaustion was visible on her face. They rushed over from the fireplace to help them out, curious as to what had occurred.

* * *

Amnur had explained the whole situation to Crono, down to every last detail. It had been weighing on his shoulders for too long, but it was also because he needed help with something. Crono remained silent for a while, digesting what he had just been told. He sat down in a chair, resting his arms on his knees, staring blankly at the floor. Even sat down Amnur still had to look up to maintain eye contact with Crono; Amnur was about on the taller side of average height for a new blood demon, standing around twelve feet tall, Crono, however, stood around twice his height.

"Is there any evidence that whatever attacked Wintergate has moved out of the Commons?" Crono enquired, breaking the long-held silence. A threat like that was the last thing he wanted to hear about with winter approaching.

"Aside from the missing persons' reports and strange sightings, I have no physical proof. Sakura dealt with the one we encountered, that doesn't mean there isn't more, however," Amnur replied. Both humans and demons went missing around the end of summer even in a normal year. Those who get overzealous could find themselves slipping into bogs, as well as those who just decided to up and leave while the weather is favourable.

The commotion attracted their attention to the outside. Crono dreaded opening the door after what Amnur had revealed. Taking a deep breath, he opened it, instead of deadly monsters he saw two demons and a human that was unknown to him. The residents of Linlake were gathered around them or specifically gathered around one demon. He walked towards them to see what was happening, Amnur was following closely behind him, keeping himself camouflaged.

Crono was taken aback when he saw who they had gathered around. Before he could mutter anything to Amnur, it had become evident that he had already seen. Now fully visible he pushed past Crono and walked up to the group, unsure how to respond.

Her leg had now been cleaned of mud, and the full wound was clearly visible. Streaks of blood blended in with her dark skin as it flowed from the now liberated wound. Sakura glanced up at the newcomers and flashed them a weak smile, though it did little to relieve the look of shock on their faces. She knew the swamps well, such a wound would have not had come about in a normal situation, the fact she had it meant that something much worse had happened.

Amnur crouched down and took a look at the wound. It was fairly deep and roughly cut, it would take a while to heal naturally.

Ferdan took a look at the demon that had crouched next to him and jerked away, one hand firmly planted on his staff. Ciel and Drake were stunned at his reaction, it was the first time they've seen him react so violently to anything.

"You're Amnur," he stated angrily, the demon was well known within the Magi Council; he was a powerful mage and dangerous one, and he had long been thought dead. Ciel recognised the name, even if he did not recognise the demon that was crouched in front of him. His father had told him about Amnur multiple times, never was it pleasant the things he heard.

Amnur just glared at the mage, unwilling to be distracted from his injured daughter. Ferdan, however, was equally unwilling to drop the subject and threw a conjured icicle in his direction. Amnur counted simply by putting up a fiery barrier, turning the ice to water as it collided with it.

It went on for a few attempts, Ferdan throwing different spells at his opponent, only for it to be countered completely. Amnur remained unmoving the whole time, not saying a word.

Agitated from the pain in her leg, Sakura got increasingly frustrated watching the display. "Will you stop it!" she shouted, receiving the attention of both mages; a scornful look from Ferdan and a surprised look from Amnur.

"He will only harm you!" Ferdan yelled back. His comment, however, did not pull the attention of his adversary.

"He is my father!"

The comment produced a stunned silence from Ferdan, Drake and Ciel. Amnur idly scratched his head, waiting for the mage to respond. Or anyone to respond, for that matter.

"I guess that's that," he chuckled, not making eye contact with any of them.

One of the Linlake residents moved in awkwardly and began wiping Sakura's wound with a creamy salve, but the three remained in stunned silence. Drake looked around nervously. He had not heard much of Amnur and didn't grasp the full seriousness of the situation; he did, however, remember Ferdan's statement that he would heal Sakura's leg.

"You did promise to help with that wound, at least," Drake spoke up over the quietness. He felt it was best not to say Ferdan's name so openly, even if Sakura could just tell her father later.

Ferdan snapped out of his trance, glancing at her leg. It would be unfair to leave her wounded, as she had been injured helping them through the swamps. He would, however, have to report on their existence to the Magi Council, a choice that would condemn them to death and not in a pleasant manner. What he had picked up on though is the Linlake residents did not look startled. Amnur must have been living with them for a while, and they accepted it without issue, which surprised him more. Somehow he had the feeling that he would not be allowed to leave alive, not unless he conveniently forgot the events that had occurred here.

Once the demon had finished applying the salve to her leg, Ferdan slowly mended the wound without a word, unwilling to look at Amnur. The demon mage was watching him closely, making sure that it was only healing that was occurring, periodically gazing up towards Ciel.

"You look familiar," Amnur spoke after a while, seeing Ciel panic as he spoke to him. He was unable to respond, revealing who he was could turn Amnur against him, or possibly all of the Linlake residents. Noticing his discomfort, Amnur regarded him more closely and noted the stature of Drake. They were the spitting image of two others he knew. It was not a coincidence either, he knew that for certain. "You must be Ciel," he began calmly, "and you must be Kaiser's son, although I do not know your name."

His lighter tone calmed Ciel a bit, he had been expecting to be shouted at. Ciel stood tall for a new blood demon with short, thin horns surrounded by sleek shoulder-length hair, which held many different dark hues. The demon's body was well toned from years of training, covered by light leather armour decorated with metal plates. In all ways, he was his father, just without the burden of rule.

Drake threw Ciel a worried look, his friend appeared rather traumatised at the edge of the campfire. Amnur tried to keep himself calm, however much resentment he held for his family, Ciel had not done anything worth damning, not yet anyway.

"What happened out there anyway?" Crono spoke up from behind them, turning the subject of the conversation. It came as a welcome relief for Ciel, who could see Amnur's distaste for his blood relations across his face.

They spent the next half hour explaining the fight and answering all the questions regarding the strange creatures. Ferdan even spoke up and mentioned the strange immunity to non-physical magic, a fact that worried Amnur greatly. The tension lightened as the conversation continued, only to be replaced with anxiety as Amnur relayed his findings in the town of Wintergate. News that Lauri had potentially pulled herself out of the situation perked up Ferdan, though it had confirmed the others were indeed dead.

As they talked, the absent members of Linlake started to return, bringing a menagerie of items with them. Although it was strange, Crono offered for them to stay for something to eat, with Sakura ensuring them that it wouldn't be poisoned. It might, however, be rather different to their usual tastes. They hesitantly accepted the offer. Despite what had happened earlier, the demons were friendly to them.

Amnur had left after the conversation to help his daughter over to one of the houses to change her clothing, as her current attire was bloodied and torn from the fight.

Not long after they left, Sakura was now clad in a fresh set of body fitting leathers, and it showed off her slender form beautifully. Ciel ended up finding himself blushing, which he quickly hid. Still exhausted, she had to lean on her father for support, and she was limping slightly. The only problem with standard magical healing was that the mind was not as quick at picking up on its effects. It still believed the leg to be wounded, thus responding with pain as she bore weight onto it.

The day progressed quietly, Amnur remained silent while sat next to her. Even without words, they knew it was a warning. As the background chatter filled the air, something attracted the attention of the mages to the north-east, back towards the Isthmus. The others turned and looked but could see nothing, curious as to what had drawn their attention. A bright flash of light flew through the air, originating from the Commons and heading off into the distance, but it appeared to do nothing. Ferdan and Amnur, however, were very apprehensive. Where the bolt had travelled through the air, the aetherial mana had become warped. This was not a natural occurrence.

Low rumbling became audible in the air, garnering worried looks from those present. Rumbling turned rapidly to the sound of the ground creaking and breaking; the demons huddled in close together, weapons ready, looking out for an opponent.

The horizon twisted in a demented way as massive crystalline structures rent the ground apart and burst into the sky, their perverted aura twisting the clouds into vicious black abominations that writhed with corrupted mana. Thick waves of smothering cloud expanded out from the spires, heading in the direction of the waiting demons.

The village stood dumbstruck, unable to comprehend what they were seeing. Something was twisting the very mana of the Isles to its whim, perverting it so despicably from its pure nature.

Something very dangerous, that fact was clear.

### Chapter 6: Creeping Chaos

Nearly a week after the emergence of the crystalline spires, the state of the swamp had started to rapidly decline, and the twisted mana that spilt out had welled up into a colossal blanket of cloud that extended as far as anyone could see. Small flecks of snow had begun to fall as the temperature continued to drop. They knew it would not be long until it worsened. Their supplies would not survive such a brutal storm, as the swampland would soon yield its resources to a thick covering of snow. So far no further attacks by the unknown creatures had been reported. A temporary saving grace at best, it had given the West time to shore up its defences.

Messages were constantly being relayed between the stranded towns, with offers of sanctuary being passed to the human towns for them to bolster the defences of the swamp settlements. They would last better actively working together, the human settlements were out in the open, something that could be easily exploited. The boggy swamps offered some protection, although evidently some of the creatures could actively utilise the bog themselves, it was assumed more were unable to use the bog than could.

It became agreed that the humans would join up with the three demon villages. However, the problem arose of actually getting their populations over to the destination. Moving a lot of civilians would prove difficult. If they were attacked, they would be slaughtered, losing the whole population of the town they were trying to save. Knowing that the weather was not going to become any better began to force their hand; decreased visibility, increasingly treacherous terrain and bitter winds were not conditions they wished to put themselves through.

Eventually, they had decided for themselves to leave when the snows came in heavier. The treks towards the demon villages had been rather uneventful, save for a few snow-covered bog incidents. Why it was so uneventful was a worry, however. Was whatever that was controlling the whole thing just waiting for them to be all gathered together before choosing to decimate them all? Or perhaps, did it wish to play games with their lives, enjoying the panic and suffering that was going to occur if it went on for a long period of time?

Ferdan wished he knew. For the last few days, he had been unsuccessfully trying to contact the Magi Council. Amnur offered to help channel the small communication pendant with mana, in an attempt to provide it with enough power to reach the other side. After a few more failed attempts Ferdan had conceded to his offer. The two of them tried together for a while but still obtained nothing. It had, however, felt to be going further than it had when he tried by himself.

"That crystalline mass must be blocking it, creating some form of barrier," Amnur noted, drawing a resigned sigh from Ferdan. The one he felt he needed the help of now was the Magi Council. It sounded impossible that such an event like this had not been seen before, even if it was on a much smaller scale. "You felt it go further, though, so I would guess that it's not impenetrable."

The demon was deep in thought, it would require a massive effort to even punch a hole into the barrier, which then could just seal itself up again. Ferdan glanced over at him, picking up on what he was possibly suggesting but to what end? They still had nothing tangible to fight against. The creatures had no evident master yet, although the signs pointed to one existing. "How much do you know about chaos magic, pray tell?"

Amnur's question was almost rhetorical, the implications of his statement put Ferdan into a stunned silence. Chaos magic was a devastating element, comprised of pure disorder; it could be used to twist other elements into abominable versions of themselves and drive men to madness.

It sounded like exactly what they had been observing over the last few weeks, Ferdan realised.

"Short of the observations we've seen, do you have any other proof?" Ferdan enquired, as much as Amnur's suggestion had made sense, the ramifications of such a potent chaos mage were not something he wished to think on.

"I've been observing the sky at night. It glows a deep purple, sometimes changing to pink; the pattern changes wildly," Amnur remarked. Each element had a recognisable colour when used. Purple and pink matched none of the other elements, it was the indicating factor of chaos elemental magic.

"The Council put the only known chaos user to death a few years," Ferdan responded vaguely. The acts were not common knowledge even within the Magi Council itself; if it became known that they routinely committed such a thing there would be an outcry, the process was hardly humane. It was the same fate he would be condemning Amnur and his daughter to. Ferdan could, however, suffer the same if he chose not to tell, insubordination was not taken lightly.

"What if they didn't die?" Amnur spoke after some deliberation. It was not a thought Ferdan wanted to consider if somehow he had survived that...

He would resent everything, even possibly going as far as exact revenge on the ones who tried to take his life. The fact the creatures were resistant to magic supported the argument, what better way to make those who wronged him than to leave them to suffer a painful and terrifying death?

Creating life from the ground up was nearly impossible, however, more so for the element of disorder; the creatures he was using had to be pulled from somewhere. "The origin of these creatures would be a good target to find more information about," Ferdan said. If they could cut the supply from the source, it would greatly aid them in future efforts. Finding out such information would be difficult, more so when the largest libraries existed on the other isle.

Amnur was still deep in thought, trying to recall things he had read from his private collection. He had many old tomes, some of which Ferdan would raise an eyebrow at. Small, slow flaps of his wings indicated his frustration as he clenched his eyes shut, still reeling through the troves of information. His memory turned back to a roughly bound leather book; it was bulky, battered and written in a demon-tongue older than the one that was used in the present era. It contained details about many oddities, from the original angels to strange tales about monsters.

"I recall something about a place referred to as the Nether Plane."

Amnur's mind had managed to recall those words, but nothing else regarding it. Ferdan regarded him curiously, another plane that could support life was an interesting titbit. Judging by the strange body structures of the creatures combined with the overwhelming amount of mana that had been strewn into the world, the plane must be rife with aether, several times more concentrated than on Fyir. "The book in question is back in my house, which is unfortunately about half an hour's walk from here."

It had been too good to be true to think the item they wanted was within arm's reach, but the existence of such a tome was good news. "I will go fetch it, send someone after me if I'm not back within a few hours," Amnur quickly remarked and set off in a westerly direction before Ferdan even had time to respond.

* * *

Soon after Amnur had left a fierce blizzard began to lash the swamp, causing demons and humans to go running towards their houses and temporary accommodation. Tents had been set up to house the human evacuees, built in the shelter of the huts upon hastily constructed wooden platforms to keep the bottoms dry. A few were still unaccounted for, mainly scouts and those who still braved the wilds for resources. Not long after the rest started to file in, shivering from being caught out in the sudden onset of cold, blasting winds.

It had been a few hours, and Ferdan was starting to worry, something that surprised him in a way. Sakura had just walked in from performing a scouting round and was looking rather dissatisfied with the weather. Her armour glistened with snow, as did her wings and hair. He pulled her aside for a second to relay his concerns to her. With the onset of this weather, he knew Amnur had not been wearing anything thick when he had left. She was rather concerned, and her body had been chilled thoroughly, though. Ideally, she needed to warm up first. Sakura knew, however, the longer she left her father outside the worse it would get. If he had been injured the cold would be continuing to sap his strength.

Taking a strange furred cape from a hook on the wall, she brushed the snow off her body and tucked her wings in tight before dragging the cape over her shoulders. It tied together in many places, slowly dragging the warm cape over her wings, eventually covering them completely. Due to the stretched, thin membrane of a demon's wing they were capable of losing heat very quickly, even as far as having the skin splitting into cracks if the conditions were bitter enough. Such a cover would keep her wings warm and protected but immobile. She would have to navigate without them for now.

Sakura thanked Ferdan and rushed back out the door, startled demons watching her as she went.

Already the snow had started to lie heavily, hiding the dangerous ground below. Although she knew the path towards her house well, the greatly reduced visibility was hindering her, limiting her ability to climb from tree to tree. She carefully moved across the ground, using the tree trunks to guide her way. Their bark was starting to become slippery, though, causing her to slip more than once and grind her sharp fingers into the trunk, trying to keep herself from falling.

As she progressed, a strong feeling of being watched overcame her. Stopping still, she drew her blades, warily scanning the area around her. Nothing was visible, but even a dark bodied creature could remain hidden during conditions like this. Her hearing would have to make up the slack. Trees rustled violently in the constant assault of the blizzard, creating an environment of constant noise. She listened intently for a second, picking up on a shuffling sound coming towards her. The culprit was still not within sight, however.

Quietly, two dark sets of claws grabbed onto a tree, as the creature peering its head from around a tree trunk. Five barbs lay set at the back of its head, and its extended snout was covered in small pointed crystals which glowed pink-purple in colour. The creature almost appeared afraid of her, but in this case, she had been the prey. What suddenly made it change its mind? She had no intent to trust it, however, considering the attacks she had suffered previously. Two wings emerged from its hiding place; they were branched flat plates, it was dubious that it could even fly, without being able to support the creature's weight. They remained staring at one another for a moment before Sakura ran forward, seizing the first move, driving her blades at the creature's hands. As she dug the blades in, she saw the creature flare its crystals, but nothing followed as it slipped back, separating one of the hands clean from its body. Seeing the lack of retaliation she pushed in again, aiming straight for the revealed head this time. It watched her come but did not move; it just emitted a short laugh as she came closer and closer, bearing down on its vulnerable head. Her hands gripped tightly on the hilts as she impaled the creature, through the face and cleanly through the neck, returning her blades to her side. She watched the creature collapse onto the floor, breaking into shards with a firm follow-up kick. Satisfied that the target was deceased, the demon shifted her direction, intent to carry on down the correct path.

The tree in front of her suddenly warped and shot murky crystals into her skin, ripping her chest into holes through the thick leather. Pain seethed through her body, causing her to collapse to her knees, gripping at the shredded leather. It appeared a relatively petty attack for the creature to sacrifice itself over, it could have easily caught her more than once in a drawn-out battle.

Slowly, the burning faded to be replaced with a more consistent, stinging pain. She examined her wounds more closely; the skin had been punctured, but the damage was less than the pain had led her to believe. Blood dripped down her front slowly, gradually enough that she would be able to continue what she was doing before it weakened her substantially. She sheathed her blades and carried on, keeping a keen eye out for any other unwelcomed guests.

Not long after she arrived at the lone house and went up to the door, trying out the lock. Unsurprisingly it was open, her father had arrived this far. She let herself in, closing the door behind her. Although the house had not been warmed, it provided a welcome relief from the prevailing winds. It was oddly dark, however. If her father were around still Sakura would expect to find at least some lights flaring.

"Is anyone there?" Sakura shouted to the darkness, listening to her voice echo through the closed walls. No one responded to her call, to her distress. Walking to the end of the corridor she rested her hand against the far door, watching as a familiar magical seal appeared and unravelled itself. Sakura could not use magic herself, so Amnur had set the seal up to respond to her mana signature. All beings still possessed mana even if they are incapable of utilising it, in her case, it was because the mana levels in her blood were too low. It was something that had always puzzled Amnur, as her mother was also a mage she too should have possessed high levels of mana, instead it was much lower than even a low standard.

The door opened itself and revealed its contents; an expansive room stacked full of different books and symbols and a carved, angular table that sat in the middle of the room. Any worthy mage would have a similar table within his or her chambers; the item was most commonly used for enchantments or small scale magical experimentation, the deep runes carved into the wood or stone provided a stable base for such spells to function from.

There was no sign of her father within the room, but on closer inspection, she did notice the book Ferdan had mentioned to her to be missing. Sakura knew that her father had already left if he was not present within this room, the question remained, however, of where he had wandered to on the trek back. She strode back out of the house, although it did now come over strange that he had not locked the main door if he had already left. Something came over peculiar to her, his departure from the house had appeared very rushed as if he had been driven away.

Snowy winds still came on viciouslyvi, stinging her wounds and sapping the heat from her skin. She knew, however, that she would need to search around the outside of the house for anything that indicated Amnur's current whereabouts. Abnormal marks on nearby trees attracted her attention, so she decided to investigate with blades drawn; she knew not what sort of stunts the strange creatures could pull.

Closer inspection told her that it was burn marks she was looking at, such a thing was the result of Amnur blasting something with spells as opposed to the opposite. Her father was pronounced in his mastery of the fiery element. For her to be seeing such a thing indicated her father had been in trouble, the burn marks were still fresh and slightly warm to touch. She followed the trail, running as fast as the cold ground would allow her, furiously blinking the freezing snow from her eyes.

Something caught her foot, and she went tumbling over it, crashing headfirst into the snow. With a curse, she shook herself free and rolled back onto her front, taking a look at just what she had fallen over. Another of the strange creatures lay pinned to the floor, impaled by charred pieces of wood. It was yet again a new variety to those they had seen so far. Two ridged wings spread out from either side of its thin body, connecting from just below the head to just above the tail and the semi-buried feet, with yellow tips poking out from the edges of the wings. Angled, purple-tipped spines flanked a pale yellow band down the middle of its body, spines that she appeared to have narrowly missed during her fall. Its head was buried in the snow, but from its squirming, she knew it to be still alive. The lifeblood that was their crystal veins lay in full view, nestled behind the spines. With quick, uniform movements she split one vein and then the other, rending the creature lifeless in the snow.

"Dad?" she shouted, but her voice was rapidly lost in the bitter wind. A bloody mark on a nearby tree caught her eye. He had been injured, but how badly she did not know. She slunk over to the tree, cautious of any other unwanted guests that may be hanging around and peered around the trunk.

What she saw caused her to immediately sheathe her weapons and break her cover. Amnur laid collapsed against the tree, clutching the leather bound book tightly, with a single wound was evident in his abdomen. She was unsure how long he had been there, but there was a fair amount of blood. Feeling around the immediate area was not warm or wet, however. He had possibly used his magic to burn the wound shut, before collapsing down. Sakura gently slapped his face, trying to elicit a reaction from him. When that bore no results, she softly pushed her fingers against his neck, trying to feel a pulse.

He was alive, but his pulse was weak and his skin cold; he had been collapsed down exposed like this for a decent period of time and would need medical attention. Sakura removed the wing cover from her back and tied it around his front in an attempt to keep him warm. The distance back to Linlake could prove fatal if she didn't give him anything. However, she was well aware that she was going to struggle to carry his weight, not that she had much choice. Leaving him to die was not an option. Pressing his wings into his body, Sakura curved one arm around his back and the other under his legs and heaved him off the ground, trying her best to keep him held tightly. The last thing he needed was for that wound to reopen, judging by the blood alone she knew such an event would prove fatal for him, more so when they were still some distance from help.

Winds savaged her now exposed wings, making her body scream with pain. Gritting her teeth she bore on, she had to get back, regardless of the cost to her own body.

* * *

Ferdan was sat next to Ciel around a sealed stone fire pit inside what he had taken to be Crono's home. It was sufficiently sizable enough to house him as well was Drake while remaining with plenty of spare space for Ferdan and the others. Makeshift beds had been erected around the property, causing it to look rather disorganised; a fact which irritated Crono. The demon was overly keen on keeping the place clean, often complaining when someone actively made a mess. It came over an odd habit to Ferdan, for such a huge demon to be irked as he was over it.

The major difference in the anatomy of Crono and Drake also interested him, despite them being of similar builds they varied greatly; Crono still had the usual humanoid legs of a demon and wasn't nearly as stocky as Drake, despite being only a few feet shorter than him. Ferdan had been closely observing them since they had arrived here. It was rare for a human to be so close to such demons on an apparently friendly basis, he was utilising this opportunity the best he could, while still focusing on the pressing issues on hand.

His attention changed to Ciel when he received a slight nudge before the demon leant in towards him. "Where's Sakura and Amnur?" he asked quietly, trying not to pull the attention of the others. Despite what had happened they were in good spirits, he didn't want to break that yet.

"They went to check something, they should be back soon," Ferdan smiled. Ciel knew he wasn't telling the full truth to him. He wanted to go look for them, to ensure they were safe but he did not know the area, meaning he would just be a liability if he wandered off. Even if he was not Linlake's leader he felt responsible for their well-being. His father had not sheltered him from what leading a race entailed. He knew from a young age his responsibilities to the race if he ever came into power, whether it temporarily or a more permanent basis. Amnur had been surprisingly welcoming to him, although he knew part of it was down to the situation that had been thrust onto them. They were willing to help, and that's all that Amnur cared about. Sakura had just carried on as if their blood relations meant nothing, often opting to talk to him or Drake over any of the other demons that lived there. Her bright yet fierce personality always managed to cheer him up, making jokes about the terrible situation or the seemingly pointless banter she tossed at her father who threw it right back. They argued for the fun of it, nothing bad ever came of it.

Ciel sighed. He worried for his own father and those who had become his close family. It would come as a surprise if these events were limited to the West.

Ferdan patted the demon on the shoulder, comforting his increasingly worried state. "They'll be fine, don't worry," he assured Ciel, obtaining a small smile from him.

A loud thump against the door gathered their attention. Ciel signalled Drake, and they cautiously approached the doorway, Ciel taking the left with Drake on the right. With his dominant hand resting firmly on the hilt of a blade, he threw the door open and recoiled in shock. Sakura stood before them, still desperately carrying her father. Her front was saturated with blood, her wings fell limp and ripped, and raw fingers gripped tightly to her father's lifeless body. On seeing them, she collapsed down. Her body would respond to her no longer, and her consciousness was fading fast. Ciel rushed out and caught her while Drake stopped Amnur's limp body from hitting the floor. The onlookers merely stood there in shock, trying to take in what just happened.

With a strong hit from his wing, Ciel slammed the door shut before turning his wings inward to cradle her freezing body, trying to grab back her consciousness. "Hey, hey, what happened?"

Her eyes locked onto his but she managed no words. He could tell alone from the dullness of her usually bright eyes just how exhausted she was. Crono barked an order to the other demons that were inside the cabin to bring blankets, but it was unnecessary. They had already sprung into action, bringing every piece of cloth, leather or fur they could find.

Ciel and Drake needed little recommendation to bring the injured pair near to the fire, where Ferdan rushed over to Sakura's side. She saw him and weakly tried to indicate to her father, managing only to vaguely look in his direction. Ferdan appeared to recognise the indication though and changed his attention to Amnur.

Horrified by what he saw, Ferdan quickly set to work healing up his wounds. It was a delicate process with such a sensitive target area.

"He only just managed to survive. The area he sealed was starting to reopen," he spoke aloud to the nearby crowd, stepping back now he had done the needed work. Crono walked up to Drake carrying a small bucket of warm water and a rag. The blood on Amnur's body would have long since gone cold, and he wished to remove it. Seeing his close friend covered in blood was not an easy thing for him. Drake held him steady in the nook of his arm, and Crono set about softly wiping the blood from Amnur's skin, a deeply pained expression held tight to his facial features.

Once he had finished, he discarded the rag and bucket and fetched another set. It was purely a precaution, whatever had attacked them may have had venom or other toxins at its disposal, using the same dirtied rag and bucket could spread it to both of them. A towel and some blankets had been handed over to Drake which he used to dry and then wrap Amnur up into, before settling down beside the fire.

Meanwhile, Ferdan had seen to Sakura's wounds, the punctures on her chest had not hit anything notable, so it was a simple task to heal them back up. Her wings, however, were a different story, the membrane had become too cold and contracted, and it caused splits in the skin that ran up from the bottom. Until the skin warmed back up again there was little he could do to repair the damage, all he could do was soothe the raw cracks with salve. Her fingers were only slightly scraped and bruised, but the bitter conditions had made them frost nipped, and they would need to be warmed up quickly but gently. The armour on the top half of her body had become nearly frozen due to the blood that had seeped into it. It would be best to remove the piece to allow her to heat up.

"We'll need to remove her top," Ferdan noted. The thought embarrassed Ciel. He was not keen on removing her armour without her permission, but she had since passed out, forcing the choice onto him. Ciel teased at the leather straps that kept the armour bound together, freeing them from their fastenings. Due to their wings, demon armour had to be made in a specific way; it was fastened at the sides and down the arms with thick thread or straps. Elongated slits in the back allowed the wings to be unhindered, but it left a vulnerability where the slits ended at the bottom of the armour, so a bottom set of straps were added to cover this problem up.

Once he had loosened all the fastenings, he hooked his fingers under the ridge at the top of the wing slit and lifted the back piece free, before carefully removing the front piece.

Her body was covered with two thick cloth straps that formed a cross-shaped pattern across her chest, it too had blood over it, but it was not yet frozen. Ferdan opted to let her keep it on, as he was not keen to face her anger over it being removed, nor did he want to make Ciel any more uncomfortable than he already was.

Crono came over with the fresh bucket and wiped her chest clean of the blood, noting Ciel's deeply worried look. There was more there in the boy's expression than just worry for a friend, he actively felt for her. It was a strange one to pick considering the bad blood between the two families. He gently dried her body and handed Ciel some blankets, before turning to go and discard of both buckets and rags properly. Ciel wrapped her tightly in the blankets, laying her wings against her body before settling her in against him as he sat by the fire. He caressed her smooth and yet sharp face and let out a sigh. It was going to be a long drawn out night.

### Chapter 7: Unusual Alliances

The East fared slightly better in the wake of the spires as the fierce storms rolled out slower across the wide plains, blanketing the horizon with a growing black mass. Far villages had decided it best to flee as soon as the threat emerged, causing a refugee crisis within Aelburn and Eriden. Shadekeep's close settlements were enclosed within its sheltering forest; the situation had not yet deteriorated enough to require them to abandon their homes in favour of the solid walls of the keep.

As the snow started to spread across the now fortified cities, strange creatures had started to emerge near to the enclosed walls. The attacks, however, were not immediately aggressive. It appeared that the creatures were testing the response and defences of the cities, trying to locate a hole to exploit. Where possible, they were dispatched where they stood. There had been a period of trial and error to discover effective weapons and strategies. The fact of their specific weak points and immunity to non-physical magic had been noticed quickly and with minimal casualties. To think the attacks would remain so subdued forever was a fool's hope, but it was a hope they so desperately held onto. So far the creatures that had attacked were fairly easy to locate a weakness on; future opponents may not be so convenient during the heat of battle.

Despite all the dire consequences that could occur, for once, Thardosean felt comfortable with everything, because what he thought was impossible had happened. Uriel finally had to admit that his suspicions were wrong, to the King's surprise, but that was not the most surprising turn in the tale. Sebastian had suggested at a longshot that they ignore past histories for now and work together to deal with the most pressing problems at hand. If they didn't do something, they would have no one to preside over, or even survive it themselves. A long silence was held between them before Uriel agreed, though he sounded to have many resignations with the decision. Both Sebastian and Thardosean had been shocked to hear him agree, though Uriel had made the point firm that it was only a temporary agreement between them. Once it was all finished, everything would return to how it was once, with Uriel creating nothing but hassle for the Demon King. Sebastian had wished that the angel would see sense, far too many unnecessary deaths happen every year due to tensions between the two. Still, he had agreed, for now. It was better than nothing.

They had discussed their next course of action, as well as talks of safeguards if the worse happened and one city fell. Sebastian had pulled Uriel to one side, an action that he disliked, to talk about a certain issue now they had been dismissed and were out of earshot of Thardosean. While Sebastian did not implicate the King to be involved, he did suggest that the Magi Council were not as innocent as they were claiming to be, hiding the evidence deep within its sealed halls.

The claim did not surprise Uriel. He just simply stated that Arariel and his understudies had not managed to find any solid proof, but had looked into the matter. Talk of Arariel and Solomon working together arose, between the two of them they should have enough avenues to sift out an answer one way or the other.

* * *

Arariel was stunned by the offer he received later that day, he wondered if it were really Uriel stood in front of him. Perhaps he was playing some trick on him, to test his reaction.

"Sure I'll work with Solomon," Arariel replied, trying to keep his voice level, "...I mean if I have to and all."

Truth be told, he was very keen to do so. Solomon was infamous for his talents for one so young. He had inherited his parents' specific disciplines of magic and could use both to an impressive standard.

A demon's inherent dark magic branched into many different groups, while they all focused on the darker side of the natural energies, the element itself is pure and untainted. Light and darkness are essential for one another, and imbalance of either causes severe repercussions. Two such branches were blood magic and necromancy, the two Solomon happened to be well-versed in. Both had innately negative views surrounding them, their raw strength was often abused by their wielders to devastating effect. Solomon, however, had learnt to use them in their native form; blood magic allowed for the potent and complete healing of even mortal injuries while necromancy was the governance of death, allowing him to send on restless spirits and other such things that Arariel had heard. Considering the long history between the two races, he often wondered just how many spirits haunted Eriden, forever resenting those who wronged them.

Uriel was sceptical of his muffled response but let it slide, for now. He needed Arariel to carry out the required task, any punishment would have to wait for later.

"They will be waiting for you to phase yourself there," he remarked before turning and leaving the room, as coldly as he had come. Phasing between two spaces was a feat that required a generous amount of mana, as well as being rather obvious to any mages within the area who could pick up on the individual's incoming mana. The other problem was that the target location required a runic circle or a properly tagged object, as such the spell was useless for attacking fortified locations. In order to save Arariel the exhaustion, his understudies would be casting it on him. He did really hope they had learnt the spell correctly or it would not end well for him. By now they had already prepared the runic circle for him and had connected to the target circle; he had to admit, they certainly worked fast.

Arariel took a deep breath and walked into the middle of the circle, closing his eyes as he entered. The angel did not wish to see what happens if the spell went wrong. Chanting from the other mages rose around him in harmony. The process had begun, this he could tell as the strange feeling of magically induced nausea had begun to hit him, churning his stomach. A strong surge of warmth went over him, only to be quickly met with a prevailing chill. It had been pleasantly brief, and Arariel still appeared to be alive, or so he hoped.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by blurry dark shapes in front of him. The spell had worked but not to the best standard. Arariel tried to take a forward step but rapidly found himself falling, as it had left him rather disorientated. He would not be leaving a good first impression on his hosts. One of the shapes shifted and caught him, hauling him back to his feet, nearly tipping him over in the opposite direction.

"That didn't seem to work too well," Solomon chuckled while supporting the dizzy angel, looping one of Arariel's arms around his back.

"Are you going to be alright to drag him back to your chambers?" Iomor enquired; Solomon was taller than the angel but he was not the strongest, and his weight might prove too much to bear.

"I should be fine, it's not too far from here anyway."

Sebastian was just amused by the whole thing, watching as the angel wobbled while Solomon tried to hold him straight. He was young and fairly scrawny. It was an odd pick for Uriel to have as his own Court Mage but he must have some talent hidden behind his plain exterior. Iomor beckoned for them to return back to the keep, propping the door open with his body. They obliged and entered the welcoming dark halls, drawing dubious looks over their new companion. Sebastian waved them on. Treaty or not, they were still wary of the angel.

Solomon had begun to drag away Arariel when Iomor shut the door behind them. It closed with a loud bang, the winds forcing the door solidly shut. Conveniently for Solomon, the dizzy angel was able to walk, if he needed a lot of assistance in walking straight. Eventually, he managed to get Arariel to his chamber, pushing the door open and settling him down on the edge of his bed. Individual rooms were a rarity within Shadekeep due to the restrictions of space, Solomon was lucky to have one, even if it was tiny.

Arariel flopped backwards onto the bed and groaned, due to the after-effects not playing nice with his body. Solomon thought best to let him lie there and rest since he could keep an eye on him to ensure he wasn't getting any worse.

* * *

A few hours passed before Arariel finally woke up again, although this time he could see clearly and he felt far less debilitated and nauseous. He glanced up at Solomon, who was concentrating intently on whatever he was doing sat down at his desk. Arariel watched for a few minutes until leaning up was becoming painful on his neck, but he did not want to disturb the demon from his work. Lightly lifting himself up he remained in a sitting position for a few more minutes, allowing himself to regain his balance.

"Feeling better?" Solomon asked, not looking up from his desk.

"Ah yes, thank you," he replied kindly. Solomon paused for a second on hearing his response before continuing. He had expected to receive someone who was going to be rather foul-mouthed towards him. The genuine kindness in the angel's voice was a surprise to hear. Arariel shifted off the bed and walked over to the desk, peering over Solomon's hunched shoulders at what he was doing. It wasn't entirely obvious, but he could see some unrecognisable runes and the corner of what appeared to be a book.

Solomon sighed and leant back in his chair, nearly clipping Arariel as he did so. He looked concerned over something, and from the inkwell on his desk he had evidently been writing something down.

"I've had a feel around the aetherial pathways, seeing what I can find," he said. It was commonly known that mana existed within the aether of the world, but the mana did not stagnate where it resided. Flowing currents carried the aetherial mana around, replenishing the world as it went. "There's a strange anomaly, it's hard to tell from this distance, but it feels as if another plane of existence is directly connected to our own," Solomon continued, running his hand through his hair. Such a thing would explain all the events that happened, but it would have to have been connected by someone intentionally.

"At the spires," Arariel remarked.

Solomon took a deep breath and sighed again, contemplating how they could investigate it further. "We could visit it personally while remaining here," the demon commented, obtaining a confused look from the angel.

"How...?" Arariel questioned, though his query was quickly cut off as Solomon replied.

"I have my ways; it may be for the best not knowing exactly how it works."

He had a silent moment of amusement as the thought went over the angel's face. Solomon wondered just what had been said about him by the other angels. Standing back up, he walked over to the bed before sitting down, beckoning Arariel to join him. The angel looked doubtful but conceded to his call, settling on the bed beside him. "Tell me, do you have any experience with plane walking?"

The question took Arariel's breath away. Plane walking was an incredibly difficult thing to perform, as such only a very few mages ever manage it. It felt like an honour that Solomon would even consider taking him along on a walk. Seeing his sudden perk up Solomon knew he had hit the mark, someone who did not completely object to the idea would be an aid.

Solomon reached out and grabbed Arariel's hands firmly. To keep the spell up consistently on both of them he would need to retain contact to Arariel's skin to allow his mana to flow between the two uninterrupted. "Are you ready?"

Arariel's zealous nod told him all he needed.

The chant began. Arariel grasped his hands tightly, causing the demon some discomfort but he continued on. Soon the angel could feel strange mana racing around his body, leaving a tingling trail as it went. Next, he was hit with an intense pulling sensation, he tried fighting it but to no avail. Arariel let out a cry of pain, but Solomon was not fazed, opting to continue on without so much as looking up. His vision went blank, and he felt the ground pull away from underneath him before everything went still. He felt what he thought to be someone touch him, nothing was obvious at the second.

"If you can hear me, focus on opening your eyes," a voice rang out in his head. He did as advised and focused everything on his head, slowly opening his eyes. Solomon was in front of him.

His body now appeared more like a ghostly apparition than the dark-skinned demon he was. Arariel brought up his own hands to in front of him, they were similarly ghostly in nature. In doing so, he noticed that they were floating a fair distance above Shadekeep.

"The first time is always the worst."

Arariel hoped it was the case, he'd rather not repeat that in a hurry.

"What plane is this?" he enquired. A quick glance around revealed nothing overly out of the ordinary, aside from their appearances.

"The one between the living and the dead."

Arariel flinched. It was the plane that restless spirits became trapped into and it was a dangerous place if they overstayed their welcome.

After a while of trial and error on showing Arariel how to move within this plane, they had begun moving towards the spires. Within this plane, they should be safe from detection, but not safe from harm. Eventually, the bulbous crystal towers came into view, growing continuously in size as they approached.

Up close, the sheer size of the things became notable. The amount of mana trapped within them must be overwhelming. Numerous smaller spires surrounded the central spires, creating a protective ring. At the bottom of the middle spire, something caught their interest. Light was being emitted, catching on dark shapes nearby. It was then they became aware the area was seething with dark bodied creatures, of various shapes and sizes, each as deadly as each other.

They descended warily, keeping an eye on the creatures suddenly spotting them. A normal creature would never spot them, but one from another plane may be able to pick up on them. For now, it appeared they were oblivious to their ghostly presence at least.

The source of light soon came into view. It was coming out of a circular entranceway, neatly carved in the crystal structure. Curiosity took the better of them, and they decided to take a peek inside, although it was not what they had been expecting. Long winding staircases extended around the walls of the structure, branching off into different rooms. There were more doors at the base, which they guessed lead into the side crystals, to which they imagined to look similar inside as this one. Above they could hear someone muttering to themselves, not loud enough for them to hear what was being said, however. Arariel broke off and went to investigate the sound. The action was not to Solomon's liking; whoever they were below evidently had control over the spires and the creatures.

He rushed after Arariel, but by the fact the voice had stopped he knew he was too late, their presence had been spotted. The angel, however, had not picked up on the fact and came up level to the individual, before jerking back and dropping from the air. Although in this plane his body looked fine, Solomon knew he had been injured badly enough to knock him out.

He sped over and caught Arariel, sheltering him from any more attacks. Immediately after a pulsing bolt came flying at Solomon, causing him to quickly move back. Repeated barrages came at Solomon. For now, he was managing to dodge them as they came, but he needed to cast the spell to attach them back to their physical bodies. After another bolt, he began chanting, preparing the spell as fast as he could. Just as he finished a bolt clipped the edge of his wing, but it was not enough to cancel his casting. They vanished, leaving the mage angrily throwing bolts below him.

* * *

"Do I ask?" a voice questioned, echoing in Solomon's head. Blearily, he looked up at the demon talking to him, who bore a rather amused expression on his face.

"What do you mean, Dumon?"

"Look down," he replied, and Solomon gazed down, not sure what to expect. Below him lay Arariel. Sometime during the assault, he must have physically wrapped his arms around the angel's body, covering the rest with his wings. He paused, before casually removing his arms and sitting back up, quietly dusting himself off. Solomon glanced over to Dumon, his vision was becoming more focused now. The demon's gaze was not on Solomon though. Instead, he was looking at the angel. His eyes followed his line of sight, and he was greeted by a notable bloodstain on Arariel's clothing, right where the bolt had hit his ghostly form. Without hesitating, he scooped the angel off the bed and looked over at Dumon, who was already beckoning for him to come.

The two of them progressed down the corridor, with his wing emitting a stinging pain that reminded him of his own wound. They arrived at an expansive, well-lit hall that was lined with beds and various potted plants. It was the main healing room for injured demons of all shapes and sizes, it was even capable of properly treating a demon the size of Kaiser without losing any bed space for others. Dumon was the head of the hall, an old and experienced healer who could treat nearly everything that was laid in front of him. Solomon often helped him out with any more magic related injuries that normal medical practices found difficult to treat.

"What happened to him?" Dumon asked as he helped Solomon lay the angel out onto one of the beds.

"We were attacked during a phase walk."

To demonstrate his point, he pulled his own wounded wing into view. Dumon glanced at it before taking his attention back to the angel's wounded shoulder. Solomon's wound appeared fairly minor, although wing injuries can be a nuisance to heal, Dumon knew. He slipped the angel's robes off from around his shoulder and looked at the wound hidden below. It appeared severe from his first impression, as the angel's pale golden tinged skin made it easily visible.

Solomon was scrambling around to get the tools Dumon would need to stabilise the wound. An angel had much softer skin than a demon, so a thicker needle was not needed to allow Dumon to suture the wound closed. Neatly, he placed the equipment onto a small table next to the healer before moving to the other side of the bed, taking a proper look at the wound himself. Much of the skin still remained, if it was damaged and torn in places. The main damage appeared to be below as the spell had exploded out from underneath his skin.

"Check for any magic residue," Dumon instructed. Solomon nodded and ran his hands around the outside of the wound, using his necromantic power to check if any part of Arariel's wound was emitting any energy above the level of just damaged tissue. Anything injured or dying emits a type of energy that those skilled in necromancy can pick up, such energy can be used to fuel the art to a dangerously powerful level. The demon, however, was just checking if anything was unnaturally dying off, opposed to just being naturally damaged like the rest of the wound.

"I can't obviously feel any residue," Solomon replied. It made him confident that Arariel's wound was clear and safe. Dumon nodded and began suturing the torn muscle back together. The bolt had damaged in several places and was taking some time to correctly reattach it. Arariel would certainly be feeling this wound for months afterwards. Solomon felt ashamed, Arariel had been eager to be taken along with him, and he winded up getting him injured. He sighed as he watched Dumon clean the freshly stitched muscle again, before starting on sealing the wound up with the damaged skin.

"He'll be fine," Dumon commented in reply to his sigh, "though he'll have a notable scar."

Solomon knew a notable scar would go down brilliantly when Arariel returned to Uriel. He did not wish to think of the backlash it would create. Dumon soon finished and wiped the angel's body clean, before gently moving him underneath the blanket to rest. Turning his attention to Solomon's wing, he grabbed a thicker salve and covered the wound with it. It was no more than a widespread graze, but it still needed to be kept clean.

"Go and inform Sebastian of your findings, I'll watch over him," Dumon directed to Solomon, who was stood there in a daze.

Solomon snapped out of it and bowed to the demon, walking out of the room at a brisk pace.

* * *

Sebastian had remained in contact with Uriel the whole time using a magical relay that Solomon had set up a while ago. It transmitted the voice of its user but presented no image, so Uriel had to intentionally lace his tone with venom, though his words indicated his true interest in some of the things the Demon King was telling him. When Solomon burst into the room, Sebastian excused himself for a minute, giving the angel time to calm himself.

Solomon briefly explained everything that had occurred. Sebastian, on the one hand, was pleased they had found something, but he did not appreciate the implications of their findings. He placed Solomon's hand onto the relay, and Solomon quickly became aware of Uriel's presence on the other side.

"Tell him," the King ordered, causing Solomon to flinch. He had wished to delay informing Uriel about Arariel's condition for as long as possible. With a sigh, he conceded and reiterated everything to the relay, noticing Uriel remain silent for the whole thing, minus the odd shuffle. Uriel remained silent for a moment longer once he had finished, considering what he had just been told.

"Pass it back to Sebastian."

For once his voice sounded sincere, much to Solomon's astonishment. He had expected Uriel to lay into him over Arariel's injuries. Without question, he let the relay go and gestured for the King to retake it, who did so with a raised brow.

"I think we need to pay a personal visit to the Magi Council."

The Angel Monarch was aware that they would know something of this situation if they weren't being upfront and honest about it.

### Chapter 8: Dancing Shadows

Sakura awoke to find herself nestled against Ciel's chest, having been wrapped in several layers of blankets which bound her wings to her body. She remained still for a while, listening to his chest as he breathed in and out before staring up at his face. He appeared to be sleeping deeply, which made her wonder just how long she had been unconscious for. The events of the day were still firm within her mind, though she couldn't remember much after she had started carrying her father back. She tried to look over his shoulders to see if she could see anyone else, but Ciel's wings blocked her view. The room was quiet, except a crackling fire, not giving her any hint if her father had woken or not.

Turning her head back she paused for a moment to think, she needed to wake Ciel up somehow. Contemplating many methods, she opted to go with the gentlest one first. Prying an arm free from the blankets, she began to stroke his cheek. The plan had appeared to work, as not long after Ciel had begun to stir. He looked down at her and smiled, glad to have her wake up so swiftly.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" he whispered to her, not wanting to disturb the others yet.

"I'm fine, I think. How is my father?"

Ciel gazed over to Drake, though to what he could see Amnur was still unconscious.

"He hasn't woken up yet," he responded, causing Sakura to sigh and lean further into his chest. Ciel blushed as she did so, tightening his arms around her. Something in the hut was wrong to her, though. The shadows cast by the fire appeared to writhe as she watched them. She shook her head, trying to clear her mind. Her recent ordeal must be playing tricks on her.

"Is something wrong?" Ciel queried, after being clipped by one of her horns. Once again she looked at the wall, but this time the shadows were still.

"...No," the girl replied. Would he even believe her if she said such a thing? She had no idea, but she felt that she would just embarrass herself if she brought it up. Ciel peeked up, on the wall was a peculiar device that functioned as a clock, which showed that it was still early in the morning. His back was starting to become sore from being sat up for so long, and he would need to change position to sleep the rest of the night. He laid onto his side, resting his head on a pillow and Sakura's head onto his arm.

"It's still night," he commented, though Sakura looked slightly more sceptical to his reasoning. She accepted it, however, wrapping her now completely freed arms around him. The last thing she wanted was to be alone right now, not with her mind playing tricks on her.

* * *

Crono woke as dawn broke, not that he expected it to be obvious if he looked outside the house. The fire had started to run low now, burning through its last reserves of fuel as it crackled away. He stretched and heaved himself up to fetch more firewood as they would need to cook some food to eat once everyone had woken up. As he returned from the pile of firewood he noticed Ciel and Sakura sleeping together and smiled, it was a sweet sight to see the two of them. Judging by the way she had her arms free of the blankets, he guessed that she had already woken up once. Amnur still lay unconscious, though, his wounds were greater than that of his daughter's but he had expected him to wake up by now.

He paced over to Drake and gazed over Amnur's body and spotted the book he was holding tightly. It appeared old and worn and evidently it was important. Crono carefully reached over and pried the book free, placing it down by his bedside before stoking the fire. He sat down after returning, opening the book in an attempt to work out why it was so important to him, but he was greeted only by a language he could not decipher scribbled on old parchment. Admitting defeat, he put the book down as the one person who could read it was still incapacitated.

A thought made him glance over to Sakura. Had Amnur by chance taught her the language present within the book? It was his best hope right now. Crono strode over to her side and bent down and began to gently shake her, causing her to wake. She retracted her arms, and he lifted her up, causing Ciel to groan but not stir. Lowering her down to the bed, he sat her on the edge of the mattress before settling down next to her, showing her the book in question.

"Can you read that?" Crono inquired, watching her open up the book. She skimmed through some of the pages. While she had been taught the language, she had never been given this book to read before.

"Somewhat. Some of the handwriting on the pages is hasty and not the easiest to read, though."

Sakura intently stared at the pages before her, trying to decipher the text. The style of writing hinted at a form of a field journal, as whoever had written it had not settled down on a table to do so.

"Would you be able to find out what was so important that Amnur risked his life over it?"

It was a sizable book, to read through it in detail would take some time.

"I can try, sometimes he leaves hidden marks on pages to indicate the ones he was looking at," she replied. Finding the marks required a sharp eye, and she had located many of them before when reading the texts he kept. Crono left her to it and started gathering the supplies he'd need to make the breakfast meal and put them in a neat pile to one side. After last night, everyone was probably keen to have some extra rest. He then went up to the door and pushed it open, staring outside. It was bleak, and the snow was still drifting in, but he could see no immediate signs there had been any trouble during the night. Shutting the door behind him, he set about to do some routine chores around the house while he waited for the others to wake.

* * *

Not long after, the others sleeping within the house began to stir. Ferdan woke and soon joined Sakura on the bed, enquiring about what she was reading. Meanwhile, Drake woke, only to find that Amnur had not woken up. He walked off to rest Amnur on a spare bed, giving Ciel a nudge as he passed by. Ciel jolted awake, giving Drake an annoyed grunt as he strolled past before turning his attention to Sakura. She still appeared disturbed about something, seeing that her whole body was tense and her fiery attitude was dulled. He wanted to talk to her, to comfort her but was unsure how she would react to him; she hadn't rejected him last night, but she also wasn't so quick to accept his embrace.

Ciel just sighed. Considering her relations it was a silly person to chase after, but he could not deny his feelings for her either. He knew his father would never agree to her, nor did he expect Amnur to agree to him.

Breakfast preparations soon got underway with the peculiar aroma of the marinated fish filling the air as it cooked over the fire. The new companions had not become used to the strange taste of the meat. It was sweet and salty with hints of bitterness, an odd mixture of flavours to have together. Ferdan tried to pry Sakura away from the book for her to eat but she was disinterested, a fact he was rather shocked by. In the short time Ferdan had been with them, the one thing he noticed was that Sakura would never deny a meal.

"What's wrong?" he asked in a whisper, not trying to actively alert the others. Sakura's hands tightened around the book, she took a deep breath before turning to Ferdan.

"Nothing," she snapped back, causing him to jerk back slightly. Her attitude was not hiding her worry well if anything it was making it more obvious. While she had been reading, there had been a voice reverberating around her mind, causing the shadows to dance and the words on the pages to swim. Sakura repeatedly tried to purge it from her mind, only succeeding for short periods of time before it started up again. With her father unconscious, she felt unable to talk to anyone currently here about it. Perhaps she should approach Ferdan over it, she wondered. His knowledge of magic might be able to help her. "I'm sorry, could I talk to you in private later?" Ferdan was curious over her sudden change in behaviour, as her voice was shaky with worry.

"Sure, whenever is good for you." Trying to reassure the shaken girl wasn't a simple task, but he hoped to be of some aid. She smiled, setting the book down to one side and started prying the blankets that surrounded her off. "Ah, we had to remove your body armour," he admitted, causing Sakura to pause and blush. "Hang on, I'll get you something to cover yourself with."

With a swift movement, he dropped off the bed and moved over to Crono, who was shuffling around preparing some plates. "Excuse me, is there a spare top for Sakura?"

Crono stared at him for a second before silently walking off and returning with a cloth top, although it appeared overly thin for the weather outside.

"It'll probably be too big for her, but it will last for now," he commented, handing the top to Ferdan. He had been surprised with the human's politeness towards him, as he didn't always even get such a thing from his own race. Ferdan bowed to the demon and returned to Sakura's side, handing her the top. He looked away out of respect while she pulled off the rest of the blankets and slipped the top over her head. The wide collar allowing her to get it on without catching her horns. Ferdan offered her a hand once she was done, helping her down to the floor where they sat next to each other at the fireplace.

Ciel watched on from a distance. Resentment was building deep inside him as he watched her with Ferdan. She reacted to him in a friendly way, more than she had reacted to him during the night. Another strong nudge brought his attention back to Drake as he sat down next to him, blocking his view to stop his continued stare.

"You like her, don't you?" Drake whispered after he had leant over closer to Ciel, to keep the conversation private.

"Maybe."

He sighed, trying to avoid eye contact with the massive demon. Drake thought on the subject for a minute. He did not want to crush his friend's hope, but at the same time knew he needed to cheer him up.

"Have you tried directly talking to her?"

Judging by Ciel's reaction, he guessed the answer to be no.

"Do you think it's worth a shot?"

"What do you have to lose?" he chuckled. Ciel knew he was right, there was no point just remaining silent.

"I'll talk to her later, let's eat first."

Drake was agreeable to this suggestion, he was rather hungry after last night.

The food had been finished and was distributed between those present, along with a warmed berry juice drink. Light-hearted chatter spread around regardless of the events of the previous night, although it still loomed deep within their minds. As the meal came to a close, the discussion turned to a darker subject, and the close bonds between them could only keep their spirits high for so long.

"Ciel and Drake will go along with the others on a scouting party," Crono stated. Ciel went to protest but was held back by Drake. He wished to stay behind and straighten things out with Sakura, but he would have to wait for later.

Soon after, they said their farewells and departed, leaving Ferdan, Crono and Sakura together in the room. Sakura had returned to browsing through the book. Her visage was calmer now, but Ferdan knew that snap earlier was not caused by hunger. Ferdan wondered whether to inform Crono, he knew the girl well enough to tell if she was prone to strange episodes like this, or if it was something new.

"Can I have a word?" Ferdan asked Crono, after following him off into a smaller side room.

"What about?"

"Is Sakura prone to strange or aggressive episodes?"

He noticed the demon's surprised expression when he said it, evidently, this was news to him.

"It could be the stress of having her father injured," Crono tried to reason, but Ferdan shook his head.

"It was more than that, she was rather freaked out."

While he was watching her, he felt fear, not worry.

"I'm wondering if the weapon that injured her was laced with chaos magic," Ferdan stated, "such a thing could infect her mind."

Crono gritted his teeth at the suggestion, he wasn't brilliantly versed in magic, but he knew enough to know what the mage was indicating. Such a thing could drive her insane, and she was a dangerous individual to possibly have turned against them.

"I also have a feeling there is more to Amnur's wound."

Crono's face turned to an expression of pain as the thought of possibly losing both of them was excruciating.

"Can you help them?" he groaned. No one could have foreseen this coming, and it did not bode well for the future. Ferdan wondered himself; he had never come across anything like this before, his only experience came from books.

"I can always try. At the very least I could attempt to subdue the symptoms for now."

Ferdan knew his first priority should be Sakura as her condition could quickly cause problems for them. Crono had hoped for a more solid answer, but it was better than complete rejection.

"Do you wish to join me while I talk to her?" Ferdan asked the large demon, but he hoped that bringing Crono along would not upset her. He nodded, and the two of them returned to the central room.

They noticed that Sakura had moved from the bed, leaving the book propped open on a certain page. She was sat by Amnur's side, holding his hand. Despite this, something appeared wrong, a view they both shared as they approached. Ferdan quietly knelt down behind her, resting his hand on her shoulder. Her expression was blank, her eyes were soulless. "Are you alright Sakura?"

Feeling his touch, her arm snapped around and grabbed his wrist tightly, shooting burning pain down his arm. Ferdan tried to pull it free, but all attempts only made her grip tighter. The stare she gave him was cold, and he could see the dark shadows dance within her bright eyes. It was not her controlling her actions. Crono reacted swiftly and bound her arms tight, causing her to release her grip on Ferdan's wrist.

"She's not in control of herself, careful!" Ferdan shouted out in warning, his rapidly bruising wrist being the evidence of his claims.

Crono laid her on the floor, using his weight to keep her from moving. With his good hand, Ferdan placed it on her head and began a mild suppressive spell, hoping it would be enough to pull her mind free of the torment she was experiencing. Her body tried to move away from him, but Crono was pinning her completely. She began to growl, but Ferdan ignored it and carried on. Sakura shouted in some incoherent language before her body fell limp, her aggressive outcry replaced with desperate panting.

"This is going to be a problem," Ferdan said, letting out a long sigh, cradling his injured wrist. Crono released his grip on her, happy that the incident had passed for now. The one advantage he had was that he could subdue her easily if he could get close to her.

Sakura glimpsed at Ferdan's wrist and felt ashamed, as she was still conscious enough to have been aware of her body's actions during that.

"I'm sorry," she spoke; her voice was unstable, and her body was shaking, causing her to wince due to Crono previously putting pressure on her.

"It wasn't your fault," Ferdan speedily replied, "though I can't deny the pain in my wrist."

Crono sat down and dragged Sakura up to his side in an attempt to comfort the girl; without her father, she would not cope with such a thing well.

"I can try to subdue it while I work on permanently curing you of this."

Ferdan acknowledged his uncertainty was causing her to worry more. He too hoped that he could be more certain of the whole thing. From one of his pouches, he pulled out some coloured inks, before deciding on a light blue colour and returning the others to the pouch. "It'll be easier to see while I prepare the spell and it'll disappear once I'm done."

He dragged himself closer to her and untied a small paintbrush that was bound to the ink phial. Popping the cap off the bottle, he dipped the paintbrush in and held it poised and ready.

"The ink is rather viscous, it shouldn't drip down," Ferdan remarked to Sakura's sceptical expression, though he knew another fact of the ink was the thing that was likely disturbing her more. It smelt awful, an unfortunate side effect of the materials it was created with.

He began painting an intricate connecting pattern of runes and branches across her face and around her head, wherever he felt necessary to create the most protective seal he could. She watched on silently, her eyes following the paintbrush as it went. The ink mask was not needed in order to perform the spell, but it certainly made it easier to cast it. When Ferdan had finished, he wiped the paintbrush off on a small cloth and repacked the phial, returning it to his pouch.

"Whatever's plaguing your mind is likely to fight what I'm about to do now."

He turned to face Crono, who took the hint and gently bound her body with his arms. Sakura flinched but knew it to be the best option, and after a short while, she nodded at Ferdan for him to continue. He placed his hand upon her head and took a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever came next.

The soft chant began, causing the ink pattern to glow with a bright white light. Sakura cried out in pain as the residual chaos magic fought back against the soothing waves of Ferdan's magic. Finding her body unable to move she bit down on one of Crono's fingers, trying to make him let go. Crono, however, was unfazed as her teeth were barely even scratching his tough skin. He remained gripping her while Ferdan continued; the ink was almost completely gone now, and it was nearly over. The light faded from the pattern, and it soon became invisible, only to be revealed when it was touched by magic.

Sakura's body once again went limp. She did, however, remain biting into Crono's finger. Such a process must have been excruciating for her. Crono ran his other hand delicately through her hair, feeling her relax as he continued.

"How are you feeling?" Ferdan asked, watching her eventually release her jaw. Sakura stared at him for a while, before collapsing down. She was exhausted.

"Tired," Crono commented, picking her up off the floor. He stood up and strolled over to his bed, settling her head against the pillow and slipping the covers over her body. They left her to rest for now and turned their attention to Amnur, who was still unconscious.

"Without him awake, it'll be hard to tell exactly what's wrong," Ferdan explained to Crono. Symptoms like Sakura's would only be obvious when he was awake.

"What can you do then?"

The whole subject was past his field of expertise, he normally relied on Amnur for that.

"I can take a sample of his blood to check if there's anything untoward with his mana."

Ferdan revealed a small covered blade from another one of his pouches.

"You'll need more than that."

"I've cut demons with it before," he remarked before pausing, realising just how bad that had sounded. Crono raised an eyebrow before bursting into laughter, allowing Ferdan to relax. "I would like your permission, though, Crono, since I doubt Amnur would let me do this normally."

"Do whatever you need, he won't argue with me."

He knew Amnur would dispute it, but he would respect the fact the mage had asked permission first, though.

"Alright. It'll take some time to see any results, or at least I would hope it does."

If anything showed too quickly, then he knew something to be terribly wrong. Ferdan took the blade out of its cover and ran it across the demon's wrist, creating a thin line of blood. He collected the blood with a small tapered flask, allowing it to fill up about half way before sealing the cut closed. With an equally small bung, he sealed the flask and gave the contents a slight swirl, watching the liquid intently. The consistency was fine, though for a mage's blood the colour was dull. Mage blood usually held a lighter colour than their non-mage counterparts due to the high concentrations of mana within the blood. Ferdan settled down to begin the multiple different tests he could perform on the blood, in the hope that one would give him an answer.

* * *

Ciel, Drake and the others returned after half a day of scouting and from what they were holding, gathering. Outside from the howling wind and perpetual snow they had seen nothing strange, which was stranger than anything. After the attack on Amnur and Sakura yesterday they had expected to see something or at least evidence that something had been around. Ciel had noticed Sakura on the bed, so he quickly deposited his spoils and went to her side, something which did not go unnoticed by those around him.

"Evening Sakura, how are you feeling?" he whispered to her, nudging her shoulder. She began to stir and wearily opened her eyes, staring at Ciel's deep red eyes. For such a fierce colour, his eyes carried much emotion.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I hadn't meant to be so cold to you. It was just..." She trailed off, what had happened to her did not need to be brought up now, her mind felt clear and calm. "Ferdan sorted it, don't worry. It did exhaust me rather, though, that's all."

Ciel returned her smile as she evidently did not feel like talking about it. Her apology was welcome words to his ears. Even if it hadn't been her he had the problem with, it would explain why she was talking with Ferdan though.

"I have something to tell you, but I'm not sure how," Ciel said. She looked at him curiously. He was nervous, glancing around to see if anyone was watching. When he was happy that no one was, he took a deep breath and calmed himself. With a swift movement, he brought his face next to hers, delivering a single, sweet kiss on her cheek and departed as quickly as he came.

Sakura was stunned; she watched him flash another smile as he left, leaving her alone on the bed. She didn't feel angry or upset if anything she felt quite warm, as well as confused. Part of her wondered if she had indeed woken up or had just dreamed that episode. The girl sighed. Evidently, he was anxious to display affections for her so openly, a fact she couldn't blame him for either.

Kicking her feet out in silent frustration she clipped something and remembered what it was, the book she had been looking through previously. She had left it open on a certain page before her mind had become overwhelmed. What she had been reading had eluded her, though.

Propping herself up, Sakura grabbed the book and looked at the preserved page. A scrap of paper lay pinned within its spine; a hastily made bookmark from her father. Time slipped by as she read the pages in detail, absorbing every little bit of information presented.

"I think I've found what my father was so interested in," she announced aloud to the chatter-filled room, obtaining everyone's attention. They gathered around her, sitting before her like young children. "There's quite a bit to it, but I'll try to summarise." Sakura used her hand to mark her position on the page as she started. "Nether plane; a dark and twisted plane that connects to our own. Mana is rife within its enclosed sphere, far greater than the levels of our own plane," she spoke in a clear voice, glancing up to see if anyone had anything to say before she continued. Ferdan waved her own, signifying that no one did right now. "The creatures that exist in this plane thrive by channelling liquid aether through their bodies. They contain no normal organs and as such if the flow is disrupted or solidified the creature will die." She knew this line would pull some reply, it was a keynote to have.

"All the creatures we've seen have had crystalline, solid mana, though," Ferdan stated, obtaining a nod from Ciel and Drake as they listened to him.

"Doesn't that mean that they're essentially dying?" Crono added. It was an interesting point indeed; it proved that the creatures were not here out of their own will, simply spending time within this plane must be agony for them.

"It would seem that way. We would have to find one that had died naturally to confirm this, though," Ciel replied. In the blinding snow, it would be a difficult find, assuming one had even died within a decent distance of the village.

"Is there anything about natural chaos magic within there Sakura?" Ferdan enquired, allowing her to continue with her reading.

"There's some information about elemental affinity, and it touches on what elements they can use, but there's nothing that directly says chaos or even a word that could possibly mean the same," Sakura admitted, though it had been the answer Ferdan was looking for. For chaos magic to be present, there was definitely an outside source affecting the creatures, driving them to the same controlled insanity that Sakura had experienced. "Hmm, what else... Tough skin similar to a carapace. They appear to be blind, instead relying on sound and something about an ability to sense the mana within the bloodstream or mana in general."

The last few facts provided some useful information for all of them. A mage would be the first targeted by the creatures and as such could act as a decoy for one not so magically notable. "That could explain why that creature didn't react to me until I stabbed it," she commented, pointing to where the wound on her leg had been for some of the confused onlookers.

There were a lot of new questions raised by this, and they went on debating into the night. Soon it came time for dinner, so they dispersed and started preparing for that, still chattering to each other.

Now everyone was distracted, Sakura decided to use the opportunity to attempt to talk to Ciel privately. She spotted him quickly, but he was speaking with Drake. With a swift step, she snuck up behind them and waited until Drake was no longer looking in Ciel's direction. She then grabbed Ciel by the waist and dragged him off to a side room, leaving Drake rather confused as to where he had just gone to. Ciel had been too startled to react, and when he turned around to look at the culprit, he broke into laughter.

"You could have just asked you know," he chuckled, giving her a playful nudge.

"I've never really been someone who asks questions first," she admitted with some embarrassment as her antics have gotten her into trouble before due to it. Now they were stood facing each other, it became apparent just how much shorter she was compared to him. She stood just shy of two-thirds of his height.

"The fact you're short is cute, Sakura and you're certainly not lacking anything in personality or looks either," Ciel grinned. The line was crude, but he was unsure how to speak to her. Regardless, she blushed at the comment and turned away, absently scratching her ear. He lowered himself down and embraced her. She was slow to return the embrace but did so firmly.

"What of our fathers?" While she certainly felt something for Ciel, it was impossible to ignore the bad blood between the two families. He thought for a while. It was a large sticking point between the two of them. He was close to his father, and from what he had experienced so far, she was close to hers.

"They would be wrong to deny it," he remarked, nuzzling her neck. "Who knows, perhaps they'll see sense." Given his blood relation, he could have pretty much any woman he wanted, except for her it would seem. He just hoped his father would be willing to look past Amnur's history.

"Let's join back up with the others for dinner before they worry where we've gone to," Sakura replied, trying to shift the mood back more positive. He nodded and lifted her up off the ground, grinning at her embarrassed protests.

"What? It's not like they're not going to find out anyway."

He strolled out into the room, carrying her in his arms which attracted the attention of those in the room. Sakura turned her head away from the crowd, not wanting to observe their possibly doubtful expressions. Opting to position himself beside Drake, Ciel sat down and put Sakura down between them. Drake fussed her head, causing her hair to become messy, a fact which irritated her.

"Oi, that takes a while to neaten out you know," she growled. Horns weren't the easiest things to brush one's hair around.

"You're more than welcome to try it on me," he laughed, prodding her in the chest. Sakura gazed up with a resigned expression; it was not a wise challenge to follow-up on.

Crono watched on from a distance. It was heart-warming to see them accept her so readily, even when they knew who she was. Ferdan was busy working with the blood sample. He had exhausted most of the tests he could perform with not a whole lot of success. It showed that Amnur's mana concentration was lower than expected, but that could be down to anything, even Ferdan misjudging his original mana level. He groaned and poured some of the blood into another flask, ensuring it was not much more than a thin layer. Depositing the second sample close to the fire, he sat down and awaited the approaching meal.

The dinner was calm, apart from the odd bursts of chatter and hushed whispers. Ferdan had finished his meal hastily and retrieved the sample near the fire, holding it up to the light. As he tilted the flask, he distinctly saw something stuck to the bottom of the flask, catching the light as he turned the flask. Fetching a long metal tool from one of his many pouches, he stuck it inside the flask, scraping at the thing stuck to the bottom. A small bit broke free, and he hoisted it out, placing it onto a piece of cloth. After a while of inspection, it became obvious what he was looking at, and it repulsed him greatly.

"This is bad."

"What's wrong?" Crono asked, wary of the sudden outburst. Bad was not what he wanted to hear.

"Amnur's mana is crystallising within his blood," he replied, rolling the crystalline lump around in his fingers.

"What will it do to him?" Ciel spoke up before Sakura had the chance to, his arm resting on her shoulder to hold her back.

"Aside from the eventual death from mana deprivation, having sharp objects travel around the inside of your body never ends well," Ferdan admitted. He had never dealt with a disease before, or whatever this could be called. It was worrying that such a thing could be inflicted with a single hit from one of those creatures; he didn't even know which creature had been carrying the toxin.

Sakura collapsed where she sat. The news was dire. Amnur could perish, and Ferdan was not any the wiser on how to fix such a thing. Ciel and Drake rushed to comfort her, but she was cold to their response, pushing away any attempts they made.

"If I brought you one of those creatures alive, could you do something?"

"Well, yes, possibly," Ferdan replied. It was enough for her. She stood up and leapt over Drake's hand as he tried to stop her, running up to the door and departing. The rest just sat there, dumbfounded at the whole thing, unsure how to react.

### Chapter 9: The Council's Truth

Sebastian arrived alongside Uriel at the main entrance of the Magi Council's academy. Confused onlookers knew not how to react to seeing the two working together, opposed to ripping each other's throats out. The doors were hastily opened for them, revealing mages scrambling to get out of the way. They knew something was wrong, the serious expressions on the two leaders told them enough.

A young mage cowered in front of them, unsure whether he should complete his duty or just flee like the rest.

"Can I help you?" he squeaked, nervously shuffling from foot to foot, trying his best to avoid eye contact with either of them.

"Take us to whoever you have in charge here currently," Uriel demanded, causing the boy to flinch before him.

"Certainly," the boy replied, his voice was shaking. The fact Uriel had emphasised the word us surprised him, for those two to be working together on such a level something was seriously wrong. He beckoned for them to follow him and set off in the direction of a staircase, to which they followed, remaining silent as they went.

They had ascended two flights of stairs before Sebastian paused, taking a look above him. The stairs went on as far as he could see, hugging the wall of the massive spire.

"Are we going all the way to the top?" Sebastian enquired, causing the other two to stop in their tracks.

"Unfortunately, yes," the mage sighed. The stairs were dreaded by anyone who desired to see the Archmage, an effective deterrent in hindsight. Uriel threw a glance at Sebastian and nodded, he knew what the demon had in mind. Sebastian lifted the boy up into his arms, nearly causing him to scream. With a strong flap of his wings, he took to the air, with the angel following close behind as they ascended through the middle of the winding tower. They had landed on the open platform before the doorway and Sebastian set the mage back down on the ground, who was rather startled by the short flight.

"Well, that beats the stairs," he absently remarked, staring back down the staircase. "I'll wait out here as I assume you wish to keep the conversation private." He gave a low bow. In reality, he just didn't feel like walking back down the staircase. Hearing their escort's statement, Sebastian took a deep breath and knocked on the door; he was wary at just how the Archmage would react to seeing them stood on his doorstep.

"I'm not interested," a voice replied from inside, irking Uriel who was beside Sebastian now. He silently gestured to Sebastian, who backed away to allow him to do whatever he was about to do, before pressing his hand against the lock of the door. A ring of light appeared, followed by a reverberating snap. One way to open a door was to remove the lock completely after all.

"Ah," the mage who had escorted them up murmured, "that's not going to go down well."

Uriel pushed the door open and was greeted by a rather unamused looking man, whose robes came over rather pompous even for the angel. They were threaded with expensive iridescent threads that displayed a rainbow of colours, then there were the rich gemstones that were set within polished metal bracelets and necklaces that lay on top of the lavish robe.

"I didn't realise I walked in on Thardosean," Uriel whispered, loud enough for Sebastian to hear behind, who shrugged with a bit of a grin. The Human King was well known for his love of fineries, he often wore over the top garments and accessories.

With a wave of the Archmage's hand, the door slammed behind them, and a light green veil was projected along the walls. He did not state its purpose, but a barrier to prevent sound escaping was the most feasible reason.

"I do not appreciate pretentious miscreants barging into my room."

His voice was lavished with anger toward those stood before him, rapping his fingers on his chair. Uriel snapped, and Sebastian soon found himself having to physically restrain the angel, not that he blamed the feelings of contempt Uriel held towards the mage. Humans usually knew better than to anger one or other of the races, more so directly uttering something to the leader of either race. "I will not dignify you with my name, so do not waste my time with yours," the mage spoke before Sebastian could speak up. He had half a mind to just release Uriel to have his way with the bastard.

"What are you hiding regarding the storm?" Uriel snarled, still trying to pull away from Sebastian. The mage looked up and regarded them for a second, folding his arms on the desk he was sat at.

"Nothing," he replied plainly, his expression unwavering.

"Then what the hell do you call the mage that was residing within those bloody spires?"

That statement caught the Archmage off guard, his expression was starting to sour.

"What proof do you have, angel?" the mage replied coolly, the impersonal remark was almost enough to send him into an attempt to strangle the man. Uriel was hardly unremarkable for an angel, even one who had never seen him before quickly picked up on who he was.

"A little thing called phase walking," Sebastian spoke up from behind, drawing a sharp look from the mage. Of course, the demon had ties to Solomon, the child of the accursed mage that was Raz'iel, the mage knew. He sat at his desk, stumped for a response. It would be hard to deny such a claim now.

"Not so cocky now are you?" Uriel mocked. He was starting to calm down after seeing the mage defeated by the statement. It hung in the air as the mage considered his response, fiddling with his lumpy accessories.

"The Council have wondered for a while, if these events are more than random coincidences."

"Coincidences that you appear to have a hand in," Sebastian remarked. The mage continued looking away, to his surprise.

"We may have had a hand in this, indirectly, some time ago."

"A bit more than indirectly," Uriel replied snidely, "the whole thing reeks of unruly magic."

The mage exhaled. It was a page of history that would never have occurred if the cleansing had worked as intended.

"A few years ago, we learnt of a mage who could wield chaos magic," he began, absently scratching the arm of his chair, avoiding the glares of those in the room. "We initiated the process of cleansing, where we removed the threat that he posed."

"You set out to murder him, basically," Sebastian interjected. He knew a little of the process after Solomon had received information that a similar thing was being planned against him.

"Not very pleasantly I'd imagine either," Uriel added. He had since relaxed and been released from Sebastian's grasp.

"We assumed him dead," the mage responded, dodging the remarks that were being thrown at him.

"Why did you not check for a body?" Sebastian enquired.

"Because they obliterated the place so thoroughly there wouldn't have been a body remaining," Uriel stated before the mage could reply. He resorted to a meek nod as he could not deny the truth. Sebastian thought for a moment, their target must have only barely escaped for their attacks rarely bore warning.

"He must have drawn himself into the Nether Plane," the Archmage replied, watching Sebastian try to piece the events together. "Such creatures were documented living there by ancestors long since passed. We've since lost the tomes that detailed it, however."

"How do we deal with it then?" Uriel demanded, receiving a glance from Sebastian at the use of we.

"All things have a weakness, even the best mage still lacks at close distance," he mused, "stand and unite before his tactics weaken and divide you." Uriel turned back and looked at Sebastian, who was thinking about the words.

"Attack before he whittles us down too much, in other words," Sebastian commented, the Archmage nodding his head at the statement.

"Use your racial traits to your advantage, and you'll find yourself in a favourable position."

Humans lacked the strength and size of the demons and angels, and it was the increased size that allowed them to better attack the weak spots of the creatures.

The green barrier dropped, and he waved them out of the room. He had said all he was going to for now. They left without a word and re-joined the young mage waiting outside and returned back to the entrance, bidding farewell to him as they departed.

* * *

Solomon was sat beside Arariel's bedside, watching Dumon tend to the herbs located within the hall, harvesting those that were mature enough. He could use his magic to heal up the gaping wound left by the magical assault, but due to the inherently negative view of blood magic, he wished to ask Arariel's approval first. It had been well over a day, and the angel was still unconscious. Such a thing was not unusual considering he was attacked mid phase walk, though. Solomon was still worried, however. He felt responsible for the young angel's injuries. The feeling was unusual, the two races discontent for each other dictated he should despise the angel, but he felt the opposite if anything. He tried to tell himself it was just a one-off, Arariel was not an example of the whole race; he did wonder, though.

Drumming his fingers on the bedside table, he silently observed Arariel. Sebastian walked into the room, causing Solomon to direct his attention towards him. He just not long returned from his trip to Aelburn and it was the first time Solomon had seen him since then.

"How'd it go?" Dumon asked nonchalantly, still tending to the various herbs that were scattered around.

"Well, they admitted fault, in a sense," Sebastian responded. Solomon was astounded, he had expected them to deny it thoroughly. "You were correct in what you found out, Solomon," the King smiled, the fact that they had not been injured in vain was a relief to hear.

"That's good, now if only Arariel would wake up," Solomon sighed once more, turning his gaze back towards the sleeping angel.

"Still nothing?"

"He's been out for over a day now."

"Nothing I would have cause for concern about yet," Dumon spoke up, finishing up with his activities and heading over to join them. "The kid suffered quite the injury, the shock of it alone could keep him out for a day." The explanation was enough for Sebastian, he did not doubt for a second that the aged healer would be neglectful in his duties, regardless of the race he was tending.

Dumon stood in front of Sebastian, turning his gaze up in order to make eye contact with the taller King. For a new blood demon, Dumon was strange. He was short, wingless, with no horns and no notable physical strength to his body to make up for the lost features. Despite this, everyone wisely respected the demon as he was possibly the oldest still alive on the eastern side of the Central Isles at over two hundred years old. Sebastian himself was only in his fifties, which was still young for a demon.

"Did they recommend any course of action?" Dumon enquired. He knew that it had been discussed. Sebastian wouldn't have left without a decent set of answers.

"A direct assault, as soon as possible. I have discussed it some with Uriel, but we need to contact Thardosean as well."

"The location is vulnerable from attacks on both sides," Solomon spoke up, "it would be wise to try and get in contact with Ciel." Sebastian took a sharp breath over the suggestion. Knowing Ciel was trapped on the other side was painful for him, he could only assume the situation was as bad as they were experiencing. He somehow doubted that contacting them would be that simple, but he had to hope that Solomon could pull through.

"What if there's a barrier blocking us from them?" Sebastian remarked, watching as Solomon initiated and then twisted a spell between his fingers.

"Any barrier can be broken, or circumvented."

He clenched his hand shut and broke the spell to demonstrate. Without another word from Sebastian, Solomon stood up and bowed before the two of them and left, his wispy robes trailing behind him.

"Seems you inspired him," Dumon chuckled, watching him leave.

"Appears so, I hope he'll have success," Sebastian sighed, giving a weak flap of his wings as the demon left.

* * *

Solomon sat down at his desk and pulled out a book from a nearby pile and began reading through its pages. The book was thick and full of scribbled writing. Some of it was his, but other sections were his father's, written before Solomon stole it and took it with him. He did not wish to use some of the spells his father had conjured, but at the moment he couldn't get one certain spell off his mind. It was another level of plane walking, going deeper than he had ever before, into the realm of the dead. Surface spells such as a barrier would be unable to affect him from within that plane, while he could travel from one side to the other unhindered. Putting himself in so far would take a lot out on his body, he would need to be swift in his mission.

Grabbing a spare scrap of paper, Solomon quickly penned a note and left it in full view to anyone who entered his room, before prying free a small phial that lay hidden by a few books. It was filled with blood, which had been given to him by Dumon. Blood magic was far less exhausting when not using your own blood, after all.

He poured it into the deeply carved channels of his desk, watching as it filled out the magic circle that lay etched into its surface. Once the liquid had settled, he took a deep breath and placed his hands on the required runes, taking a moment to clear his mind. He began the chant, immediately being hit with an intense pain which made him wince. Solomon pushed on; he knew the pain that was associated with the process, even if this did come over excessive. One final push later, he collapsed onto the desk, fading into the unknown depths below.

He soon awoke and found himself on an ethereal field covered in brilliant purple flowers, with the sky around him was being a soft red, and the sound of flowing water filled the air. As he inspected closer, everything appeared ghostly. The plants disintegrated at his touch only to form again afterwards. From his surroundings, he guessed he had succeeded, or he had died, but that was less likely than the first option. The vastly different landscape would make it difficult to navigate, the only redeeming factor was that Solomon knew the soul planes mirrored the basic land shapes of the overworld. Taking to the air, he soon spotted the sea over to his left and flew towards it, noting the island chain that ran in between the two interconnected isles.

Misty forms watched as he travelled. They were the spirits of the dead that had passed on to reside within this tranquil plane, keeping an eye on him to see his intentions. None of them wanted trouble, not now they had moved on from a war-torn land. Seeing him pass without incident relaxed them, but for one to have to travel through this plane, they wondered what was occurring on the surface.

Solomon had noticed the eyes watching him, sometimes examining their owners as they passed. Here the races could live in peace, he even noticed the distinct shapes of the ancestors of both kin.

"What are you doing here, Necromancer?" a voice echoed behind him, causing him to stop abruptly and turn around. The form in front of him was that of a demon, one that had long since passed judging by the bestial appearance of it.

"The Isles have been divided by a barrier," Solomon responded, "I need to bypass it."

"What was the cause?" the ghost enquired. Solomon guessed that he was interested in the current state of the world.

"A rogue human mage, a chaos element user."

What he said appeared to surprise the demon; he likely expected the answer to be angels, given Solomon's race. He thought on it for a minute while Solomon continued to study him: his body was stocky, covered by what looked to be thick fur in places, although he had less use for the skin covering within this plane.

"Have there been sightings of strange creatures?"

"Strange being dark in colour, potent in their use of magic and possessing crystallised mana protrusions?" From the fact this ancestral demon knew about them, he knew that was not the first time they had been seen.

"That last one is new, but likely a side effect of existing within the overworld. It's a shame I'm no longer able to study them."

"You wrote a book?" Solomon interjected, obtaining a nod from the ghost in front of him.

"I did. It was bound in leathers, and it might still exist today if you looked," he responded with a smile, it was warming to see one so interested in his work. "What you're looking for is information on the Nether Plane, that's where those creatures originate from."

He digested this for a second, he would have to try and locate the book once this was all over.

"Come, let us continue to wherever you were heading," the ghost offered, beckoning over towards the West.

"Linlake somewhere, in the swamplands," he replied to his offer, unsure if the name was familiar to the elder demon.

"I believe I know where you mean. Linlake was the name of one of the many villages that settled by the northernmost lake." The young mage was confused for a moment. Back when he lived the swamplands must have been filled with more villages than there were now. Linlake was the only remaining village in that location now. The demon turned and flew off in the lead. Solomon found it surprisingly difficult to keep up.

As they went, they discussed the situation as well as the current state of affairs around the Isles. The ghost was disheartened by the continued resentment towards their kind. It appeared that the circumstances had changed little from when he lived. Solomon also received some useful information regarding the creatures and their senses, as well as the story of how he first found the strange beings.

They reached the destination swiftly. The northernmost lake was a reoccurring feature in both planes, locating it was not difficult. Now their destination lay below them, they descended down and came to rest just offshore above the lake. Solomon did not wish to startle anyone by suddenly appearing on top of them. The ghostly demon was fiddling with something before offering out a closed palm to Solomon, who was curious at the gesture.

"Take this, I think you'll appreciate it," he remarked, opening his hand and dropping the object into Solomon's waiting palms. He looked at it. It was a smooth crystalline sphere which pulsed with energy as he held onto it. "You seem to have a pure heart young one. I trust you will not abuse it."

He offered Solomon a bow before taking back to the sky.

"Thank you!" Solomon shouted after him, "I'll return once everything settles down again."

The ghost paused for a second and glanced back towards him, giving him a wide grin.

"I'll be looking forward to it, we have much to discuss!"

Solomon was alone now, prepared for the next stage of his journey. Using the sphere as a boost, he phased himself up to the plane above, the one he had used before with Arariel.

### Chapter 10: Tidings from the East

Sakura marched on through the icy winds, determined to find her quarry. She had taken a furred jacket from one of the other houses after rushing out of Crono's lodge. They would have stopped her from leaving again if she had returned. It was doing its job and keeping her warm, although it was rather heavy for her liking. By her estimate, she had been gone for over an hour now, and her body was starting to numb in the prevailing cold. She wasn't going to last too much longer. Trees surrounded her location with the odd few showing damage or scratches, the best place to possibly find one of the required creatures was where she first encountered one.

Eventually, she came across the building she knew to be her house and went inside. It was chilled, but at least she could try to warm up. Grabbing the blankets on her bed, she wrapped them her body and sat there shivering, her breath forming a notable mist in the air. Noise from above roused her attention, the object that created it fell from the ceiling onto the floor in front of her.

Soon she found herself looking at the same long bodied creature that had wounded her before. It quickly shot up and placed its face less than an inch from hers, tilting its head from side to side as it regarded her. She grasped at her blades, but it reached out and held her arms tight, enough to stop her fetching her blades but not strong enough to hurt her. Its tail coiled around her legs in a loose loop as it continued to silently regard her. For a creature that was blind and detected mana, this one was capable of seeing her well enough.

Sakura just sat there, unsure of how to respond further. It did not appear to be actively trying to injure her, but she did not appreciate the proximity to it either.

Opening its mouth wide, it licked her face with a thick tongue, leaving a trail of slobber up her face before emitting a crackly purring sound. She was in disbelief, this one was friendly and not aggressive in any way.

They sat in silence for a while before the creature broke off and drifted out of sight, leaving her speechless on the bed. She used the blankets to clean her face off, cursing at the sticky saliva as she wiped it off. Unsheathing her blades, Sakura stood up and carefully exited the room, checking all angles as she went. Everything looked normal, and the main door was shut which made her think the creature had not yet departed. Slowly, the demon examined every room in the house, but everything was empty. There were no obvious signs the creature had left or had ever even been there in the first place.

Her mind started to wander, wondering if what she had just experienced had really occurred at all. The slobber on her face felt so real, though, as well as its grip on her arms. Sakura shook her head and left the house, it was best not to dwell on what had happened for too long. She still had the other creature to find.

Heading north from the house, the demon picked her through the thick, snowy trees towards the lake. Her approach was noisy, though most of her intentionally made sound was being drowned on the howling winds as she went. The attempt wasn't baiting anything, though, nothing made itself known in the time it took her to reach the lakeside.

The water had already begun to freeze around the edges, slowly cutting Linlake off from its fresh water supply. Something caught her eye offshore, but she couldn't see what. She dare not try to walk on the ice to investigate closer, though.

* * *

Solomon opened his eyes and examined the scene around him. The blizzards present in the West were much worse than what the East had been experiencing. Such reduced visibility would make it difficult to locate Linlake and his time was limited, there was only so long he could safely maintain the spell. He saw something stood at the shoreline ahead of him, staring in his direction. Floating over to it, he could see that it was a demon, who appeared to be becoming increasingly wary of him.

"Are you from Linlake?" he enquired, coming down to rest at the edge of the shore. Sakura froze as he spoke. After the events of earlier, she wondered if she was truly going mad, being talked to by a ghost was hardly sane.

"I, uh, yes?" she stuttered. Why did the ghost want to know where she came from?

"Is Ciel and Drake there?" Solomon continued despite her hesitation, bringing up their names might calm the demon in front of him. She paused for a second, name dropping those two had its intended effect on her, but she was still dubious.

"What's it to you?"

If anyone wanted to strike a blow against Sebastian, the best time would be now to do so, while Ciel was separated from him. Solomon was taken aback by her change of tone. It could be taken positively or negatively, though it came over more protective than threatening to him.

"I've come from Shadekeep to talk with them. My name is Solomon if that helps."

Sakura knew that name, she had heard about this mage many times before. He did indeed reside within Shadekeep as he stated. As a Necromancer, he also possessed the powers to potentially utilise a spell such as she was witnessing, which added to his claims.

"Come," she stated and began to turn around when she unexpectedly felt herself being hoisted off the ground. Startled by the restrictive hold, Sakura began to squirm in an attempt to break free.

"It took me damn well long enough to find you," the demon growled, causing her to stop flailing. Her assailant was Crono, who was less than pleased that he had to come out after her.

"I was just returning actually..." She trailed off, noting his increasingly growing anger. It did come over as an excuse, although it was the truth.

"It's true, I asked her to show me to Ciel," Solomon added, diverting Crono's gaze away from her. Crono stood staring at the figure before him, unsure what to make of Solomon.

"I'm not going to ask," he replied with a hint of resignation, turning back the way he came and walking off. Solomon followed behind him, noticing Crono throw strange looks towards him.

They arrived back at the house not long after. Crono still had Sakura firmly gripped in one hand while he awkwardly held the door open for Solomon, who waved him on to say it wasn't needed. "That one's for you, I'm going to go talk some sense into this one," Crono commented to Ciel, who was sat at the stone fireplace. He strode off into a spare room and shut the door behind him, leaving Solomon alone with Ciel and Ferdan, who was tending to Amnur further away.

"What are you doing here Solomon?" Ciel queried, the talk by now had alerted Ferdan who had turned around to see what was going on. He was shocked by the ghostly figure in the room, but he knew it not to be the spirit of one who was dead.

"How did you get here is the better question," Ferdan said. The barrier should have prevented any travel across the two isles, more so journeys of a magical nature.

"That barrier doesn't extend through every plane connected to the overworld," Solomon replied, sparking Ferdan's interest. It was useful to know although he had no way of utilising such a fact. "We've been doing our own investigations and after probing the Magi Council and we've come up with a bit of plan to end this swiftly," he continued. Ferdan was uncertain while Ciel thought of the fact.

"That cleansing a few years ago," Ferdan responded, "so he definitely didn't die then." Solomon nodded to him, and he sighed. It had been as Amnur said to him.

"You need me to rally the West," Ciel spoke after some deliberation, would they even listen to him? After all, they were not fond of his bloodline, asking them so bluntly would likely come over crass.

"It could succeed without their help, but attacking from both sides would provide a huge advantage." A resigned sigh emerged from Ciel, he did not wish to condemn the lives of those in the East either.

"Would they have much ground to disagree on?" Ferdan interjected, "after all, this affects them too."

"If I could somehow assure them they wouldn't just serve as fodder. I can't guarantee no one will die, though." The three remained in silence for a moment while Ciel thought how best to possibly approach the subject. He would need all the details first.

"Tell me more Solomon," he requested. Solomon nodded and began recounting the events of everything that had happened, followed by the decisions made.

* * *

Crono placed Sakura down on a chair in the corner of the room, his expression had changed from anger to worry as he watched her behaviour. Considering how drastically she had left the house, her current demeanour was starkly different. She was constantly trying to avoid eye contact with him.

"What happened to you out there?" he asked her, noticing her flinch as he went near her. "I'm sorry about earlier, but I'm not going to hurt you," Crono spoke softly but she still reacted nervously and did not wish to look at him. She hadn't been acting like this when he found her.

"Just the ghost, or whatever you wish to refer him as," Sakura replied after a period of quiet, digging her fingers into the arms of the chair. She tried to look up at him but pulled away again. The demon stood in front of her kept appearing distorted and grotesque, regardless of her efforts to drive the image from her mind. Any attempts at rational thought were being scraped from her mind, replaced by only terrifying images and thoughts. Desperately she tried to call out to Crono for help, but only anger and denial came out. He appeared to know something was wrong but not the extent of what.

"Sakura, I know you're hiding something."

Her response came out only as a growl which worried Crono, even when she was putting herself down over failure she was never aggressive to anyone else. Taking a deep breath, he began to pace the small room, trying to think of a method to relieve her anger. He wrapped his arms around her in an embrace, trying to calm the girl down.

"You can tell me anything, I won't judge you," Crono said, his voice was calm and gentle. Sakura managed to repress the effects enough to stop her body fighting him, but any attempts at speaking were still blocked. Leaning her body into his, she hoped it would tell him enough, but her body was still tense despite her best efforts. It told him some but not enough. Perhaps she just needed some rest and some positive news on her father. The new mage seemed capable, he might be able to help him out.

"I'll have a word with that strange one, you get some rest," he stated, placing her down on a bed that lay against the far wall. She was unsure. Her body craved sleep, but she did not wish to give in to the strange urges that kept being thrown at her. Crono bid her farewell and exited the room. Sakura tried to move but only found herself falling back onto the pillow, drifting into uncontrollable sleep.

* * *

Ciel thought on what Solomon had just told him, everything was moving so quickly now. The East wanted to launch an attack within a week before they got too worn down from the constant raids.

"Is attacking this soon even advised?" Ferdan spoke up, grabbing Solomon's attention.

"It does sound a bit rushed I'll admit, but the reasoning for it is solid," Solomon replied to the human, who was evidently tentative about the idea. They hardly had any information on the opponent that could be used.

"Give me some time to think it over," Ciel interrupted, "I'll try my best to get them to agree, though." Solomon nodded, he had done all he had been asked to do by Sebastian. He would be able to return to his body now before the spell took too much of a toll on him.

"Before you go, Solomon," Ferdan spoke up, noticing him starting what he assumed to be a releasing spell, "could you examine someone for me?"

Solomon paused and broke off the spell, gazing over to the demon laid out behind the human.

"Do you know what's wrong with him?"

Ferdan made a brief noise to signal the answer was yes and grabbed a glass phial that was laid beside the makeshift bed.

"His mana is crystallising," he responded, holding up the phial, "but I'm at a loss on how to stop it."

The condition was worrying to Solomon. It was not something he had encountered either, but with any form of toxin, he could at least reduce its effects greatly and possibly remove it later when he could return with his full strength.

"I can try to stall its effects for now, but I'm going to need blood to perform the spell."

Ferdan gritted his teeth. Blood magic was not one profession he was fond of, but in the current situation, he could not argue with the ethics of the element.

"You can use mine," Ciel commented, seeing Ferdan's doubt.

"No, I'll take responsibility for the whole thing," Crono announced from behind them to their surprise, as he had not made his presence known beforehand. "It'll be better for you, Ciel. Besides, I have more blood to give anyway." Solomon gave Ciel a questioning look, but the demon offered up no explanation. Crono had a point, though, his father would only react worse if Ciel had actively helped Amnur. It would also create trouble for Solomon, not that he knew he was getting himself into anything.

"Alright, come over here. You'll need to make a cut, so your blood is flowing, though."

Ciel offered up one of his blades to Crono as he walked past. The hilt was wide enough to allow his large hands to grip onto the metal firmly.

"Normally I'd be able to do it without the need for the wound, but I'm unable to do it when not directly using my physical body."

The talk made little sense to Crono but he did not mind, he could always probe Amnur over it later when he was finally conscious again.

He dug the tip of the blade into his wrist. It took some effort to draw blood from his tough skin, and the pain caused him to cringe as he proceeded. The sensation was an unusual one for him.

"That'll be fine, I can sense enough blood flowing."

Crono stopped and passed the blade back to Ciel, who sheathed it. He lowered himself to the floor and offered the weeping wrist to Solomon, who placed his hand slightly into the skin around the wound. The cold sting almost made Crono jerk his arm back, but he kept himself steady, taking a deep breath.

"This may feel strange, but it may not necessarily hurt," he assured him, but regardless of the pain involved, Crono was not going to back out. Solomon placed his free hand above Amnur's heart, closing his eyes to keep himself concentrated.

He began the process, feeling for the toxin that had been causing the fatal condition and driving it towards a suitable location, his first thought was the heart. It could survive despite having a small, magically induced growth attached to the inside. Once it was there, he could seal it tightly within the heart with a strong enough seal to prevent it from leaking until he could remove it at a later date. Solomon had to be precise, though, if the toxin was bundled too tightly it could limit blood flow. He had to spread it around the heart in a thin layer, without making it too thin it became difficult to seal down. Crono remained strong despite the draining feeling that was exhausting him the longer it went on, as Solomon had said the process was not painful, however, which was a relief.

"It is done," Solomon commented after a while of silence, pulling his hands away from the two of them.

"Thank you, though I never got your name," Crono bowed, holding his now-healed wound. The young mage had at least sealed it back up at the end of the spell.

"It is Solomon. However, I must go now, I can already feel the weakness in my body."

Ciel bid him farewell as the ghostly shape disappeared, leaving him alone. It would be an ideal time for Drake to return from gathering, he was unsure if he wished to ask Crono alone.

"You have powerful friends, ones with equally strong hearts," the tall demon mentioned. Ciel smiled at the comment, Crono really was warming up to him after all that had happened to start.

"Crono, I need to ask you something," he sighed. It was best not to leave it any longer. Crono turned his head to regard him, gesturing for him to continue. "The East is planning to launch an attack on the spires at the end of the week," Ciel began, pausing for a second to judge his reaction, "I ask that you support me in launching a secondary surprise attack on the spires."

Crono was surprised by the request, but the tactic was logical. Distract and draw out the opponent with the main force from the East before launching a secondary force to shock and dispatch the foes. The whole thing would be a benefit for them too, as they would not survive for too much longer in the severe conditions that were battering them.

"I can speak only for Linlake," Crono admitted, "but we would be willing." Ciel perked up at what Crono had said but held his excitement when he saw the demon shake his head.

"To make it clear, we would support _you_ in this," he said with a serious tone to his voice, "not your father." Ciel thought it was a fair comment. He felt warmed by the fact they were willing to help him despite everything that had wronged the West.

"Do you mind if I ask why?"

"Although what occurred forced you to say here, you and your friends have repeatedly helped us," Crono replied, a hint of admiration in his voice, "even after you found out what you did." Ciel cracked a smile, blushing a little. He had never done anything with the intention of gaining favour, it was purely out of concern for others. "That includes you, Ferdan," he added, much to the amazement of the mage, he had been the one to cause the most problems initially after all.

"I..." Ferdan stuttered, "I just refused to see them suffer, regardless of who they were." Crono grinned and gently pat the human on the back, or entire body, due to the size difference.

"I will contact the twins of Esterbrook and Valmeadow, but for now, let us prepare a meal." Ciel agreed, he knew not of the leaders of Esterbrook and Valmeadow. He was interested in meeting with them.

* * *

The night progressed, and a while later Drake arrived back with the other demons that were sharing the lodge. They had been gone a long time and were bitterly cold, but they had collected a good haul. Ciel sat by him while he shivered by the fireplace and repeated the events of the day to him. Drake was overwhelmed by it all, as well as disappointed he hadn't been around when Solomon had arrived.

"Where's Sakura?" he enquired, between chattering teeth.

"Resting," Ciel responded. Crono had not informed him of the whole story, but he did say to leave her to sleep. Drake sighed, he worried that something had happened to her while she was out. She was an active person, it was strange for her to be resting so early. He examined Amnur, he was still unconscious with Ferdan tending to him, but the human looked far less worried than he did before.

"How is he?" Drake called over to Ferdan, causing him to look back in his direction.

"He's improving rapidly. I'd say he'll be awake by tomorrow," Ferdan replied to his question. Whatever Solomon had done evidently started working, to his relief.

"Things seem to be looking up," Ciel said. Although he didn't regret his time here, he was eager to see his father again.

"Let's just hope we make it out of this alive."

It was a morbid thing to say, but Drake did have a point, there was no guarantee in battle.

"I won't let anyone topple you," Ciel grinned, offering up a hand to Drake.

"I've always promised to protect you," he responded, taking the hand and giving it a shake, "your father would flay me if I didn't." Ciel laughed and shook his head. It was all light-hearted threats, and he wouldn't ever do such a thing to Drake regardless of what happened.

Not long after their arrival, the food was served, now that they had warmed up. The night was peaceful despite the events of earlier. Crono was taking an interest in an odd carved object, which Ciel assumed to be some way of contacting the other two leaders as the object was not new to the house. After a while of watching him get annoyed with it, Crono stood up and approached, looking rather frustrated.

"They're fine to help since I was the one to agree to it," he huffed, evidently still bothered.

"Is something wrong?" He wondered if Crono had to spend a fair bit of effort getting them to agree.

"Nothing with you, it's just they can be rather obnoxious. It's best with them to let them speak with actions and not words."

"Ah." Crono had mentioned them to be twins. It could be something related to that, he wondered.

"They're certainly powerful mages, though, with their particular talents I foresee us performing well," Crono remarked, attracting Ferdan's attention. For Crono to expect mages to be useful in this situation, then they must possess more than the standard magic.

"How so?" he spoke up from a distance.

"They can summon the elements," Crono replied. Ciel was dubious, the statement was obvious about any mage; Ferdan, however, was impressed, he knew what the demon had meant.

"Elemental spirits," Ferdan clarified, "pure embodiments of the nature of an element."

"Something physical that can injure those creatures," Ciel replied half as a statement and half as a question.

"Exactly. They're expendable too. Even if they fall on this plane they do not die," the human added. It was an interesting idea, although Ciel knew not to overly abuse it. Angering such beings would not be advisable. "A shaman might be a better term than a mage. Usually, they lack the ability to directly manipulate magic."

"Either way, they're good allies for us," Ciel stated, receiving a nod from his audience. He was excited to meet them, to see their ability first hand. Past Solomon, Ciel had little contact with those that identified themselves as mages. New individuals meant new experiences and depending on how everything turned out new allies.

The night crept on, and soon they said their goodnights and settled down to sleep; the next morning could prove to be a busy one.

* * *

Sakura woke and blearily staggered to a nearby wall, propping her arm up against it and leaning her weight in. From the silence in the next door room, she guessed they had already gone to sleep. She cursed herself for not waking up earlier, missing out on a meal was not an appreciated thing and her stomach was already feeling hungry. For some time she leant against the wall for her senses to restore, but her mind was still buzzing, and she felt disorientated.

Pushing off the wall, she let out a sigh and ran her hand through her hair, pausing midway through and pulling her hand out. Her hand had felt wet, so she put it in front of her face to examine it, wondering what it was.

Recoiling in shock, she staggered back and fell back onto the bed. Her hands were covered in blood, thickly covering every finger up to the wrist, dripping off as she sat there. Thinking it was her mind toying with her she desperately shook her head, trying to force the images from her view. It wasn't working so she closed her eyes and rubbed her fingers against her face, vainly hoping they would be dry. Cold liquid greeted her as she continued to rub them. The blood was running off her fingers onto her cheeks, driving her desperation further. In a last ditch attempt, she searched her body in search of a wound but found none.

"What..." She murmured to herself, her voice was breaking as she spoke. She squinted at the door and staggered over. With shaky hands, she gripped the door handle and slowly dragged it open.

The scene that unveiled before her broke her. Blood lay splattered across the room, settling in thick pools near the lifeless bodies around the room. Sakura grabbed her blades ready to face any intruder, only to see the metal covered in fresh blood. No creature had hurt them; she had attacked them and viciously by the amount of blood.

Panic overwhelmed her, and she shoved the blades back into their covers and stood there panting, looking around her. The scene was too much for her. She ran forward and let herself out into the cold outside, quietly shutting the door behind her. Her mind told her to run away in a certain direction, so she followed it, unwilling to even try and consider anything else.

A shape appeared from behind the house and followed after her, trailing behind on her shadow.

### Chapter 11: Sleepless Nights

Ciel felt a strong shove hit his shoulder in bursts, trying to wake him up. He groaned and looked up, falling back when he saw the angry expression of the one crouched over him.

"Where the hell is she?" Amnur growled. Why he had decided to pick on him, Ciel didn't know, but he was evidently aggravated.

"She was in that room..." He trailed off, gesturing towards the door at the far end of the house.

"I've checked every room, and she's nowhere to be seen," Amnur replied, stepping away from Ciel and letting out a long sigh.

"Wait, what?" Ciel stuttered, grabbing onto Amnur's arm and heaving himself up, a move which elicited a cold stare from the mage as he did so.

"The bed's cold, so she's been gone a while, with no evidence as to why she left."

"She was worried about you, she spent a while yesterday trying to find the creature that attacked you." Ciel obtained a confused look from Amnur. He must not remember much of what happened to him, or be aware just how long he's been out for. "You've been laid there dying for days, Amnur," he clarified. Amnur just blankly stared, unsure of how to react to what he was just told.

"She's been watching me the whole time, hasn't she?" the mage groaned. Such a state of powerlessness would cause Sakura to act rashly. Ciel beckoned to the others still sleeping in the room, unaware of what was happening.

"We all have. Ferdan worked tirelessly to work out what was ailing you."

Amnur was surprised to hear the human mage had aided him, considering his initial reaction.

"Did you find a cure then?" he enquired, obviously curious as to the sudden turnaround in his health.

"No," Ciel admitted, "Solomon sealed the toxin away for now."

That was a name Amnur knew well. It was Solomon who took over his position as Court Mage after his departure, although that was not until several years later.

"I take it who I was didn't end up being discussed, then" he chuckled, watching as Ciel shook his head.

"Back to the original topic, do you have a quick way of waking the others up?" he asked. Amnur raised an eyebrow at the question.

"I assume you mean without setting them on fire," he sarcastically replied. Ciel jerked back at the remark.

"Uh yes, that would be best..."

He was unsure quite how seriously he had meant it, Amnur's personality came over rather varied at best. Amnur stood up and strolled over to Crono's bed, with the fireplace flaring into life as he passed by it. He looked around and saw a small bucket near the side of the bed, filled with water. Kneeling down, he cupped his hands and collected some water before standing back up and throwing it in Crono's face.

"Well, that's one way," Ciel murmured from a distance, watching as Crono groggily opened his eyes.

"Who?" Crono groaned, staring up at the figure, snapping to attention when he noticed who it was.

"Morning," Amnur replied, seeing the shocked expression on Crono's face. "We have a problem," he continued, resting a knee on the bed. For all his bravado, Amnur was starting to feel rather light-headed. Ciel had said his condition was serious after all. Crono threw the cover back and heaved himself up level to Amnur. He could take a guess at where he was going with it.

"Sakura's missing again, isn't she?" Crono sighed. Amnur was not too amused to hear this was not the first time.

"You aren't as surprised as I would expect."

"She did it yesterday, but she came back after a few hours." It was not the entire truth, but he wondered if it was best to tell him, though.

"So you're saying that I should just wait," Amnur responded, tilting his head back toward Ciel who was still watching him, half expecting a reply from his onlooker.

"You need to rest, she can handle herself," Crono pleaded with him, though the comment did not go down well. Amnur's cold glare now bore into him.

"He has a point, with the first half at least," Ciel spoke up, being careful not to anger him any further. Amnur spun around again, his expression was less cold this time but still sharp. "I can go have a look for her."

"I'll go with you," Crono stated, "you'd be useless out there by yourself."

The comment was harsh, but it was true. Ciel would have difficulty navigating the place in bright daylight without thick snow and howling blizzards. Amnur was not pleased with being sidelined, but at least they were going to go look for Sakura, he would just have to hope for success. He slipped off the bed and walked back over to where Ciel was now preparing himself, allowing Crono to get himself out of bed without the risk of being singed for trying. Ciel looked at him. It appeared as if he wished to say something but was struggling with what.

"Thank you," Amnur whispered, followed by a sigh. Ciel just smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

"She'll only worry more if you push yourself," he assured Amnur. He was not a difficult person to work with if you knew what to say, perhaps there was more to him and his past that his father had told him. The mage gave in and settled next to Drake, avoiding eye contact with Crono the entire time. Crono glimpsed down at him as he walked past and the two departed, leaving Amnur by the now magically stoked fire.

* * *

Drake awoke to find Amnur dozing next to him with Ciel and Crono nowhere in sight. Everything else appeared fairly usual, however. He stretched out an arm and began nudging Amnur, who responded quickly to the intrusion. Amnur looked around but saw that they had not returned and sighed once more, turning to Drake who still had his arm resting by his side.

"How are you feeling?" he whispered, as they were still the only two awake.

"Not my best admittedly," Amnur whispered in reply. His voice was much calmer than Drake had expected, potentially because Ciel and Crono weren't around. He felt he had no need to remain hostile.

"It's good to see you awake, though," Drake said, causing Amnur to flash him a smile.

"Thanks. I never did ask your name," he admitted, everything had moved so fast that it moved out of his mind.

"It's Drake."

"A dragon hm? It fits you if you take the positive side of it anyway."

Dragons were rarely seen in the present era aside from in the North. It was still unknown if they were truly a separate species from the original ancestors of the angels and demons.

Drake was about to shuffle himself into a sitting position when he noticed something caught in Amnur's coat. From its position, it didn't appear to be something that had just randomly got stuck in the lining.

"What's that?" he commented, pointing at the small object. Amnur followed his line of sight down and found it, teasing it free from where it had been placed.

"It feels like paper. It's been folded up too," Amnur commented as he held it in his hands, carefully propping open the folds. Fully unveiling it, it appeared to be a letter, but the contents were randomly placed and hastily scribbled, with no obvious pattern to them. He tilted it to show Drake before directing it back towards him so he could attempt to decipher it. Drake watched as he intently focused on the paper, trying to make sense of the mess of the writing.

"Do you have any idea who wrote it?" Drake spoke up after a while of silence. Amnur had his free hand clenched in a fist while the other held tightly to the letter. His body was tense, and his expression was distraught. He didn't reply, instead opting to walk over to Ferdan and shake him awake.

"Was she suffering from anything?" he growled at Ferdan, who was startled by his upfront approach.

"What do you mean?" Ferdan replied blearily, trying to wrestle Amnur's arms free from his robes.

"Don't lie to me!" Amnur bellowed, causing Ferdan to try and move away but he failed. He was starting to catch on to just what the demon was demanding. Evidently, something had happened.

"She dragged you back. Both of you were injured. You had a toxin within your blood where she had chaos magic residue affecting her."

Amnur dropped Ferdan back on his bed and collapsed backwards. Such a thing would explain her crazed ramblings in the letter, what appeared to be an attempt to explain what was happening to her. Despite the aggressive approach Ferdan had received, he was truly sorry. Evidently, the seal he had enacted on her had proven inefficient, she must have just suffered the whole time silently.

"What did she write?" Drake queried from behind, bringing himself around to support Amnur where he sat.

"She wrote that she's sorry for everything she did, her mind and body were not her own," Amnur spoke, his voice was shaking. What she had written was a farewell. She had no intention of being found.

"She did nothing to us, though," Ferdan said, grabbing Amnur's attention towards him, "whatever she thinks she did never occurred."

"Sakura fled sometime in the night. Ciel and Crono have been looking for her, but I doubt they'll have success now."

The news shocked the other two. Ferdan began to wonder if the seal did not fail naturally yesterday and that there was something outside acting on it, allowing the magic to once again infect her mind.

"I'm sure everything will end fine if we can cut the source of the chaos," Drake said with overly thick enthusiasm, attempting to cheer the demon up. It worked in some regard, Amnur snapped from despair too deep thought. Magic did not persist once the user had perished, killing the one who had infected the creatures with the magic would work. "Ciel has received the pledge of the West to help with a push, to join up with a planned attack from the East."

"How long until the attack happens?" Amnur demanded, his voice was now steadier, but his body still showed his sorrow.

"A week from yesterday." It meant that Sakura would have to last alone that long in the bitter wilds. Such a thing was feasible for one such as her normally, but the weather added a level of doubt.

"We better get started on preparations then. I should make sure Ciel is efficient with channelling magic with those blades."

Drake was surprised by the comment. It wasn't uncommon knowledge that his family could use such an ability as that, but it was rare for one to know how it was done. Amnur noticed his shock and chuckled, removing an ornate but deadly blade from inside his coat.

"I taught his grandfather the skill, as well as his father," he commented, lining the blade's cool metal with bright flames. He glided the blade through a couple of thrusts and parries, showing off the flame that embodied the blade.

"That looks familiar, yes," Drake noted, "though Ciel doesn't use fire."

"I just happen to aligned to fire, nothing more."

Drake sat there looking lost, so Ferdan decided to step in and explain how elemental affinity worked and the reasons why some can only use one certain element efficiently, while others can use all but to a lesser extent. Amnur added in bits as Ferdan went, using it as an excuse to show off. It was rare these days for someone to admire his strength, as opposed to fear it. The whole thing began to make more sense for Drake, education on the fundamentals of magic was not commonly taught to those who could not manipulate aether.

A loud bang interrupted them, and they turned their attention to the door, which swung open as Crono shoved through, carrying Ciel under his arm.

"You didn't find her," Amnur stated as Crono shut the door behind him. He was less than pleased at Amnur's negativity.

"She never had any intention of being found," Drake added, Crono tossed him a dubious look. Their voices were flat, barely showing any signs of sorrow. Amnur held up the letter, and Crono went stiff. She had left a final note before running off, possibly to her death. He put Ciel down by the fireplace and walked over to them, noting their offputtingly cheery attitude.

"If we can put down the cause all of this, she will be freed from her torment," the fire mage said. Ciel was shivering, but he turned his attention to what was happening.

"Would she last until then?" Ciel enquired, it was a stretch he had to admit. Silence washed over them, Amnur's expression told him enough. It was the only hope they had, it would provide good motivation point to push on. With everything going on, it was going to be a long week. They had a lot to prepare for and a lot to hope for.

* * *

A couple of days passed before the twins of Esterbrook and Valmeadow arrived in Linlake, along with a notable consignment of armoured demons. Some humans trailed behind in groups, sporting waggons that contained tents, weapons, armour and other various odds and ends. They would set up camp within the borders of Linlake for the next few days. Being the northernmost town, it was the closest to the spires, although it was the smallest. Crono watched them arrived with Ciel at his side, less had turned up than he had expected.

"Here they are," Crono mentioned as two figures drifted up towards them. The first thing that attracted Ciel's attention was their peculiar attire; a mixture of tightly weaved ropes held a multitude of differently coloured feathers and beads that sat above tattered grey and green robes. They truly embraced the shaman title they held, Ciel was starting to imagine why Crono could find them more than slightly annoying. Standing in front of him, it also became apparent just how tall they were for supposed new blood demons. They stood a few feet taller than Ciel, the odd attire highlighted their slender bodies, including the fact one of the two was female. Another curious detail that grabbed his attention was the male's piercing white eyes, for a demon to have such a pure colour was unheard of. His sister only possessed red eyes, the difference between them was interesting.

"It's good to finally meet you, Crono has told me much," Ciel spoke up, offering out a hand towards them. The female lightly wrapped her hands around his arm, completely skipping past his hand. He was taken aback but kept himself strong, squinting at Crono who appeared unfazed. Such a thing must not be uncommon for them. Some warning would have been nice, however. The other twin watched on, interested in what his sister was doing, or seeing.

"You have an interesting aura," she mused, "for one whose bloodline abandoned us, you have a deep concern for us." Ciel smiled, amazed that she could sense that from just touching him. "In particular one individual, one who you should perhaps avoid." He recoiled, the last thing he needed was for them to tell Amnur now. Crono raised an eyebrow, not towards Ciel, however.

"You should introduce yourselves," Crono interrupted, earning a small bow from the two of them.

"Forgive us. I am Abel," the male spoke, "this is Na-ri."

"You are Ciel, son of Sebastian," Na-ri spoke up before Ciel could manage, causing him to silently stutter his words.

"Who requested our help with the matter of ending that which ails us," Abel continued, once again interrupting Ciel before he could speak. He was starting to see what Crono had warned him about. Not being able to get a word in was starting to get obnoxious.

"Your numbers are fewer than I anticipated," Crono responded before they could continue their nuisance talking routine. It was constructed as a way to playfully annoy others, separately they could be far more pleasant.

"Some waited behind to hold down the fort," Na-ri responded, looking out over the still arriving force.

"Woman, children, the elderly," Abel added. Ciel was surprised by the last one, was there enough elderly demons in the West for them to be left behind? "If our gathering becomes noted by our opponents then we become sitting ducks." It was a sharp reminder of the risks of this plan if their gathering presence began to be noticed they ran the risk of getting themselves killed. They hoped that the much larger force of the East was enough to keep him distracted.

"We will return to overseeing our people," the twins spoke in tandem, offering another bow before turning and walking away. Ciel breathed a sigh of relief as they did so, causing Crono to snicker.

"It's far easier to talk to them with several people, admittedly," Crono shrugged, seeing Ciel nod in agreement.

"Their slightly chronic habit of completely overriding you is rather loathsome, indeed" Ciel lamented. He did not doubt that their hearts were true, their mannerisms could do with some work, however.

"I'd like to say they're the only ones like it in the West, but you're going to find it with Amnur, too."

"What do you mean?"

It was feigned ignorance, but Crono just raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm not blind, you know."

Ciel froze, his eyes went wide.

"I have nothing against it, but I'm not the one you need to worry about. It might be best to keep it silent until we get her back safe, however."

The shorter demon relaxed; he had a point, anything more right now would only stress Amnur further. He was already not holding up well.

"Come," Crono broke the topic, much to his relief, "we still have much to prepare ourselves." He agreed and followed after the stocky demon; he had much to learn about the West, their politics were far varied to that of the East.

### Chapter 12: The Advancing Tide

As the days passed in the East, the attacks by the creatures had been numerous but greatly thinned. The one that was leading them was evidently not wanting to reduce his numbers too much, while still relaying a message. More variations of them had started to appear, possessing multiple different elemental affinities. It was keeping the defending forces well occupied. The creatures had since been given a name by the commoners as the body count increased, such a monster only appeared in nightmares, referring them as such was only logical. From the group name Nightmare, the three armies began to come up with names for each individual type of creature they saw. Having a joint agreement on names allowed for a quicker response.

Despite the increased aggression towards them, the allied forces continued to press on with their intended plan. Sebastian had to rely on the hope that Ciel had managed to successfully request the help of the West, they were having enough trouble holding off the constant assault to launch any enquiries. Solomon was too worn down from his last venture over to the West, it would be unfair to ask him to perform it again. The spell could easily have fatal consequences.

Arariel had since woken up, rather taken back by the sharp pain that spread through his chest and shoulder. It was healed up soon after with Solomon's remaining reserves, once he agreed to the procedure. To his amazement, the angel had been remarkably fine with the whole thing, although the pain he was experiencing likely swayed his hand.

Arariel had taken over from Solomon while he got some well-needed rest. Sebastian had found him quite useful, not at least because angels were more willing to talk with him. His knowledge of the notable figures within Eriden was an additional aid, he was probably unwittingly telling Sebastian more than he should.

"Uriel's still on track with the preparations, as per your advice," Arariel stated, pacing around in front of Sebastian. Even if the demon meant him no harm, the size difference between the two was unnerving for the angel.

"As I'd hope," Sebastian replied. The whole thing would require very precise coordination between all of them. Thardosean wouldn't quibble any instruction given, but the other two were not the best at seeing eye to eye. That was where Arariel was a hand. Uriel was far more willing to listen to what he said, even if he was just directly repeating what Sebastian said to him.

"I'm sorry he can be so stubborn like this."

His apology wasn't anticipated by Sebastian, but then again, everything about this angel was a surprise to him. It almost felt a shame to have him wasted on Uriel. Such an open-minded individual would serve well under a leader that was prepared to listen to him.

"You shouldn't have to explain for him."

"I just feel it's correct to apologise, no one else would to you." Arariel gave a resigned sigh, he hoped desperately that this event would be the start of a proper peace between the two of them. He had lost both his parents in the ongoing tensions between angels and demons. As much as others tried to make him resent the race that had claimed them, he found he couldn't. The long history between the races was well known by him as a child. He had wondered just how much suffering his family had caused demons, although their death was an extreme Arariel could not deny that they potentially deserved such a fate. Sebastian watched the angel as he lamented over something, reaching over and giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"I take it you have history," Sebastian spoke softly, his sudden interruption startled Arariel.

"Ah, well..." He trailed off, now was not the time to worry him with such things.

"If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me." He gave the angel a smile, before turning toward the door, gesturing for him to follow. "I believe Solomon wanted a word."

The news perked Arariel up as he looked up, going bounding off in front of the King. Stood outside his chambers were Iomor and Kaiser; the two of them had proven to be a strong base for Sebastian during this time, one he very much needed. Having to turn everything around so quickly was not something anyone could perform easily and certainly not alone. Kaiser laughed as the angel skipped past. Evidently, something had taken his interest.

"You're perky this morning," Kaiser teased as he entered the room. Since all of this had started he had not seen the King in a good mood once.

"Uriel's been amicable for once," Sebastian replied with a grin, though the two of them knew there was something else.

"You sure there's nothing more?" Iomor snorted, receiving a raised eyebrow from Sebastian. "Joking aside, we've received some troubling reports." His new voice carried a much more serious tone, which toned down Sebastian's peppy mood.

"Troubling how?"

"We've had no solid sightings yet, but there have been reports of a massive Nightmare roaming around." Sebastian admittedly looked sceptical about it, if it were that large he doubted it would be easy for it to go missing.

"How massive are we talking?" he queried, watching as Iomor gestured towards Kaiser.

"From what we've heard, I would come up to around its neck," Kaiser remarked. The news caused Sebastian to freeze. Kaiser was the tallest being that he had ever seen, for something to be even taller was not a pleasant idea. He thought about it for a minute. In a straight fight, he was able to take down the great demon, but it was always a close battle between the two.

"Could you still take it down?" Sebastian said. Of course, they knew nothing of the creature, except for its supposed height.

"You doubt me?" Kaiser jested, but Sebastian's expression remained firm.

"I'm being serious here Kaiser, I don't want to send you to your death."

Kaiser became notably more concerned after his retort.

"Sorry," he sighed, "it's hard to judge from what we know, but I don't see why not."

Iomor nodded and pulled a canvas sack from his back. It was bursting with long parchment scrolls, all rolled up. "Come, we have much to discuss," he spoke up, steering the flow of the conversation back on track.

* * *

Arariel bobbed down the corridor, obtaining weird looks as he went. By now the angel had learnt to ignore them, they more just thought him odd rather than harbouring any desire to actively attack them. He would have expected anyone who wished to harm him to have tried by now. The angel stopped outside a familiar door and gave it a small knock before entering; the stone doors were not pleasant to knock on, nor did they make much sound when struck. Dumon was sat at Solomon's side, fussing at him while he laid on the bed, something that didn't appear to be the best received.

"Morning Arariel," Dumon spoke as he turned to regard the angel, "feeling alright?"

He gave a nod in reply. It satisfied Dumon; not that he doubted Solomon's healing had failed.

"I have a bit of a plan," Solomon spoke up, "with your help I think we could pull it off well."

Arariel was surprised but beckoned for him to continue, which he did so.

* * *

He was unsure how to react to what he was told. It was an extreme request, far past what he could have ever expected, more so considering he had only known him for a few days.

"I know it's beyond the realm of acceptable, but I think we could really help to turn the tide of battle."

"How do I know I'll even come out alive?" Arariel snapped back at him. Solomon sighed, how had he expected him to react?

"The only way you'll die is if I die as well," Solomon reassured him, "we can make a blood pact for reassurance if you so wish." The talk of doing even more dark magic made him shudder, but he could not deny that a blood pact would be effective. If Solomon broke his half of the pact, he would die. He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself.

Dumon stood up and pulled Arariel aside for a second, wanting to clear up any misconceptions.

"Kid look, Solomon may be overly eccentric in his ideas, but he would never betray anyone," he whispered to him. He knew it was a questionable thing to suggest, but evidently, Solomon felt as if Arariel was the only person he could successfully pull it off with. Arariel sighed, he did feel bad about snapping at Solomon. The demon evidently trusted him.

"Scrap the pact, I'll put my trust in you," he replied with an underlying hint of wariness. The news cheered Solomon up considerably, however.

"Thank you, friend," Solomon grinned, offering out a hand from underneath the covers for a handshake.

"Why don't you get off your lazy backside and do it properly?" Dumon remarked, throwing a peek at Solomon. Arariel chuckled as he watched the exchange between the two. Solomon was less than pleased but did as he was told. As he stood up, Arariel could see possibly why he wished to remain underneath the covers. Solomon apparently did not opt to wear much when he slept.

"Oh right..." Dumon murmured, shaking his head and laughing at the sight. The handshake went ahead, and Solomon covered himself back up, hoping to end the awkwardness.

Shouts from outside got their attention, the tone of the voices were not content ones either. Arariel turned and opened the door wide, throwing himself out into the corridor. Nightmares poured into the castle, striking down those who bravely tried to defend the entrance. He recognised a few of the creatures that flooded in. The aptly named Banshee which let out deafening shrieks and the Acromantis, a dangerous creature that possessed scythe-like arms and a habit of setting itself on fire. From his position, he could also see that the massive doors of the entranceway were being kept open by the bulbous legs of one creature he had never seen before. Taking it down would be a high priority, the rest would become much more manageable if he could cut off the entranceway.

Arariel slipped his hand into his robes and grabbed a set of throwing knives. Such small weapons would have a hard time piercing deep enough to kill the monster, so he would have to use his magic to force them into the carapace body. He broke out into a run, being greeted by an Acromantis as he went, its scythes arcing towards his body. As he angled himself to throw the blades, a black dart streaked past him and seeped into the red, pulsing crystals that lined its back. It shrieked in pain and barrelled out of his way, straight into the castle wall, causing it to shudder and stagger backwards. Before it could react again, the crystals turned dark and exploded, the creature shattered down onto the floor soon after.

"Nice shot!" Arariel shouted behind him. A now fully clothed Solomon stood there, sending more devastating bolts towards the Nightmares that blocked the angel's way.

"You get the big ugly one, I'll keep the smaller ones off you," Solomon yelled after him. He too had noticed the one allowing the monsters free access. As he reached the nearest door it became obvious there were far more Nightmares than what was managing to enter; the soldiers placed on defence were doing an excellent job at holding the others back, considering the short notice of the attack. The multitude of legs that were holding the door open became fully visible, as well as their owner. It was almost spider-like in its shape, with one pair of legs short and two pairs of arms extra. No crystals were obviously apparent from his position, making locating a vulnerability difficult.

As the creature shifted to keep itself straight, the tell-tale glow became notable between the plates on its back. They must be concealed underneath; it was going to take some effort to take this one down.

Arariel took to the air but was soon greeted by those that earned the name Splitter; their mouth was able to split open wide enough to nearly swallow an angel whole, without the poisoning barb on their tail and its inherent magic as well. He flapped his elegant wings hard, managing to shift himself enough to dodge the one that was advancing on him fast. It collided with the wall where it gripped on tight with its talons, preparing to take off again. Before he could relax more flew at his position, cutting off his ability to dodge.

Crossbow bolts ripped out from behind the angel's shoulder, knocking one out of the air. Seeing the newly made opening, Arariel threw his blades into the crystal lined skin of a second, allowing him to narrowly dodge the rest. Glancing behind him, he saw Iomor holding tight to a metal crossbow, firing off bolts faster than Arariel could follow. Sebastian and Kaiser were behind him, ready for the battle ahead of them.

"Kaiser will immobilise that large one while I cut off the arms," Sebastian shouted into the hallway, "Arariel you try to find a way to access those crystals."

A mixture of magic and crossbow bolts cleared the path in front of them. Sebastian seized the opportunity and rushed forward, diving under the creature's head. He felt the creatures' claws nick his shoulders as he went. No pain was immediately notable, so he picked himself up, out of the range of the stubby arms, readying his blades. The blades surged with energy, sending dark tendrils racing across the obsidian metal. With a swift snap of his arms, the blades cut deep into the connecting joint of the back pair of arms, rending a long crack through the body. The resistance of the thick, earthy coloured body surprised him. It took additional strength to drive the blades in deeper.

The creature howled in pain as he continued but did not budge, evidently unwilling to give up in its task of holding the doors open. With another forward surge, the back arms broke free and shattered on the ground, prompting Sebastian to continue with his momentum, driving the blades through the underside of the body towards the frontal set of arms.

As soon as the second set of arms shattered on the floor below, Kaiser bowled forward, placing his hands between the creature's legs and heaving it up. The creature dug its legs in tight, but Kaiser continued to lift, slowly managing to drag the far set away from the door. It flailed its legs wildly as they broke free from the door, trying desperately to hit anything that still remained below it. Sebastian had long since moved out of the way, however.

He dragged the creature away from the other door, allowing those defending the entranceway to reduce the area they had to protect. Crushing its legs into the ground, he used his body to stop the creature from moving, causing it to scream in frustration as he continued to pin it.

"Now!" Kaiser shouted, but the others needed no prompting to move into action. Sebastian climbed onto its back, slipping into a gap that Kaiser had left and shoved his blades deep into the tough skin. Arariel meanwhile investigated the creatures head. Two bulging, glowing sacs attracted his attention. The crystals weren't visible, but he could sense the magic from the skin. He took his knives and spread them evenly between his hands, lining them up with the sacs. They went flying towards the head, empowered greatly by his magic.

The knives bit deep, sending the creature into a frenzy. It violently lurched back and knocked Kaiser back a step. Such a movement also knocked Sebastian to the floor, winding him. Sebastian heaved himself up and retrieved his blades from its back, before leaping forward and driving the obsidian metal in after the throwing knives. It screamed once again before shuddering and collapsing down, a prompt hit from Kaiser causing it to shatter. Arariel found his knives among the fragmented pieces and placed them back inside his robes, gazing over to the entranceway. The situation was starting to become controlled, and they were carefully funnelling the Nightmares through the doorway and cutting them down as they entered.

"I'm going to go warn Uriel," Arariel panted. Sebastian nodded towards the angel. It would be best to warn the other two of an impending attack. The angel ran off towards the throne room, where the magical relay was housed, passing multiple demons that had come to investigate the commotion at the main entrance. No Nightmares had made it this far back yet, but he couldn't help but feel wary. This attack had come completely unannounced, bypassing the outer defences of Shadekeep without as much as a peep. He entered the room and placed his hands on the relay, hoping for a response on the other end.

"I'm a little bit busy, what is it?" Uriel's voice growled, his agitation indicated that Arariel was already too late on a warning.

"An attack." Arariel's words were as much a statement as a question.

"So we're not the only ones," Uriel sighed. Arariel could tell he had moved away from the relay, off to fight the intruders. He scrambled to attempt to contact Thardosean and warn them, the humans would have a far harder time dealing with what they just had to face.

* * *

Uriel marched out of his chamber, one hand firmly planted on the hilt of his ornate blade. The extravagant corridors below were bustling with angels who were reacting to the threat that had appeared; the main force had attacked the frontal entrance of Eriden. On the top floors, he was alone; no one of rank had remained up here. Sariel and Gabriel had already descended to the lower floors. He strolled up to one of the expansive windows that lined the top floor and looked out, observing the scene below. Uriel could see a seething mass of black surrounding the front entrance, but it did not appear to be managing to push in, however, to his relief.

"Please move away from the window Sire!" a voice shouted out behind him. Its owner came running past him and inserted himself in between Uriel and the window. "There's a humongous flying beast outside, you must be careful, Sire," the young servant boy continued. Uriel regarded him for a second before turning back to the window. He had, however, taken a couple of steps back.

"Do you know the situation below?" Uriel enquired. His presence in the fight would inspire as much as it would worry.

"Not a whole lot Sire, I was sent to warn you," the boy admitted. He had no combat training, so he had minimal use in a battle outside of messages.

A prominent cracking noise gained their attention seconds before a giant spiked tail cut through the wall, shattering the window and bursting out through the adjoining wall, launching debris flying out of the building. Uriel had missed it by an inch, but the boy had not been so lucky. He could see his body falling among the debris, readily becoming covered by blood.

The angel scowled and leapt out the window, spreading his regal wings wide as he cleared the sharp, broken wall section. With precise manoeuvres, Uriel managed to grab the boy from the wreckage, turning swiftly to return to the damaged corridor. The offending creature was flying high above Eriden, he would have to be hasty in his actions. If such a creature slammed into the citadel, it could potentially collapse the entire structure.

Terrified sobs emerged from the angel in his arms, the tail spike of the creature had pierced his abdomen severely. Blood flowed freely from the gaping wound, seeping into Uriel's brilliant white armour. He laid the boy's legs on the floor and pressed his now free hand against his chest. Healing magic was not his most well-known skill, but he had an undeniably potent use of it. The damage began to close up, stopping the bleeding and closing the cavity for now, but after a hit like that Uriel knew that there were far more consequences than just the damaged flesh. It would have to do, for now, any more in-depth healing would exhaust him too much to deal with the flying creature. He propped the boy against a wall away from the damaged section and stood up, drawing his blade.

"I'll be back," he spoke as he leapt back out the window and flew up after the creature. He would need to fight it away from the others to prevent its attacks from clipping the citadel.

The creature had stopped its ascent some distance above, too high for Uriel to fly safely. Uriel threw several waves of light tinged magic towards the creature. Due to the distance, they were unlikely to damage it, but he hoped it'd be enough to attract its attention to him. It regarded the situation for a minute, before descending into a steep dive, its path curved to meet Uriel where he flew. As the creature rapidly approached, he was able to get a good look at its body, or most importantly its weak spots. It had a deep blue body with a bright red wing membrane; the wing itself ended with three claws which clenched and then relaxed periodically as it went. Lighter blue scales lined its underbelly, ending near a set of stubby legs with clawed feet. Purple crystals laced its head, causing the whole thing to be brightly lit up. It would be easy to strike a meaningful hit on this one.

Uriel readied his blade, like Sebastian he too could infuse the blade with magic. A technique which was proving effective at piercing through the Nightmare's inherent mana.

The creature came level with him. His blade darted out and slashed along the ridged head, scoring deep as it continued its descent passed him. It rapidly opened its wings in response; as they caught the air, they slammed into Uriel's back, forcing him to cry out in pain. He gritted his teeth and turned to face the now flying creature. Every beat of his wings was agony, but he had to remain strong.

It took in a deep breath before releasing a beam of what he could only guess to be chaos magic, straight towards him. He tucked his wings in and dropped down, narrowly missing the attack. Seizing the opportunity, he swooped forward and drove another blow into the creature's head, before pushing off and flying over the shoulders of the creature, where another large crystal vein lie. Giving the monster no time to react, he drove the blade deep into the crystalline spine. It roared in pain, the sound was loud enough to vibrate the air around him.

It righted itself above the citadel and tucked in its wings. A final suicide mission before Uriel could manage to finish it off, or at least that was what it intended. He managed to grab onto the creature's neck before the wind created by the speed it was falling smashed into him. Uriel's wings were already tight to his body to avoid himself being knocked off by the current. Focusing all the magic he could muster into his blade, he dug the polished metal into the thick neck, pressing with all his strength. The blade bit and cut the head clean off. The creature shattered harmlessly into the top of the citadel as it collided with it, sending bits of its body flying all over. Uriel landed back into the ruined corridor and sheathed his blade. Sariel and Gabriel were tending to the boy. They had managed to repel the frontal attack in the time it had taken him to take down the other one.

He strolled over to them, and they gave him a bow as he approached which he waved away, much to their surprise.

"Is everything alright?" Uriel enquired, gazing down at the boy who by now was looking back up at him.

"Few injuries, some serious but no reported deaths yet," Sariel replied; he was a muscular angel who wore equally as well defined armour. His wings were stocky, more designed for strong retreating bursts than long maintained flight and his hair was blonde in colour, highlighting his bright blue eyes. He served as an Army commander alongside Gabriel, although Gabriel often acted more as Uriel's first hand than anything else.

"This one will be fine also after some further treatment," Gabriel added; he was tall for an angel but often hid his body behind long robes that sat over his armour. Majestic wings emerged from his back, the pinion feathers of his wings were far more elegant than that of a normal angel. For an angel, however, he had relatively dark brown hair which contrasted his pale grey eyes, which almost appeared to glow as the light caught them.

"Fine work," Uriel remarked, taking a step forward. The pain in his back had become too much, though. As he moved he felt his body collapse under him and the world faded to black before him. Gabriel rushed forward to grab him. As he stopped his fall, he could see the bruised and scraped skin at the base of his wings. He gestured to Sariel who scooped the boy off the ground, before setting off for the healing quarters of Eriden.

* * *

Similar had occurred for Thardosean and the humans as well, though several causalities had been reported within Aelburn. They had faced an equally monstrous opponent, yet again different from the rest. The whole thing had been a show of power and an effective one at that, they certainly were starting to get the idea just what the Nether Plane contained. It had more than one intended effect, however. Such a large scale attack close to when they were planning to launch an offensive was done with the intention of destroying morale. If anything it had the opposite effect. The efficient defeat of their opponent had boosted their spirits, even if the humans did need some persuading that the losses they had occurred weren't a bad figure considering what they faced. One thing they could agree on was the fact they needed to strike as soon as possible, not deterring from their planned date.

Sebastian and Thardosean had noticed it was not Uriel they were speaking with, though. Gabriel had taken up the position in his stead. He wasn't giving out any information as to why, though. If the angel had been seriously injured, actively admitting so would not bode well by morale standards. With only a couple days left to go until they planned to strike, they set about finalising strategies. It would all be over soon, one way or the other.

### Chapter 13: Constructed Madness

Sakura's body was numb, but her mind made her push on, unsure where she was even heading anymore. The same creature she had found in the lodge was trailing by her side, nudging her on if she started to drag behind. A strange sight lay ahead of her, though she was struggling to see in the unrelenting, bitter winds. She could just about make out massive glowing structures, surrounded by a seething mass of dark shapes, which turned to regard her as she approached. The creature that had been following her signalled to the others guarding the tower, using flashes of magic to relay a message or to announce their arrival. In a swift movement, they parted, creating a passageway that led to an entrance, which she stumbled towards slowly.

Once inside, the creature shepherded her up a winding staircase that was completely blurred to her, reaching out occasionally to stop her walking off the edge. As it reached the top, it looked around, searching for which door held the magical signal it desired. The far door attracted its interest, so it directed her towards the room, nudging her back with its head to speed her up. It wrapped one of its hands around a roughly carved doorknob and pushed the door open, revealing the room ahead. This room was darker than the rest of the visible rooms within the spire with multiple pieces of furniture moulded from the crystal walls that lined the room, though she was unable to see what they were.

"You may leave us now," a male voice arose from within the room. The creature slunk out of the room and the door shut behind it. "So, one managed to survive this process then," it continued. There was a figure walking around the room. It appeared human in shape and size. With a wave of its hand, her mind cleared, and she collapsed down, gazing up at the one in front of her. They were indeed a human, a fairly young one from what she could see from her position. "The others have killed themselves before now," he mused, "you're the first demon I've had, though, perhaps that's why."

He regarded her for a while longer, studying her body. It was the first demon he had ever seen in his life. Her physique interested him, but more so her mind. She must be strong to have not have attempted to take her own life considering what he polluted her mind with, part of her must still recognise that it was an illusion.

"Who are you?" Sakura panted. Her body was too exhausted to move after being in the frigid conditions for so long.

"Call me master," the man demanded, attracting a scowl from her.

"Like hell!" she spat. The man clenched his fist, and she felt a severe pain spike in her head, causing her to double over where she lay.

"Shall we try that again?"

He released the mana spike he had activated on her, causing her to once again crumple down. Her body seethed with pain, she thought it best to play along for now. Doing so might prolong her survival.

"Yes, master..." She replied through gritted teeth. It pleased him enough, however.

He pointed at a scruffy blanket and pillow that lay in the corner of the room, beckoning her to go over to it. "That is yours."

She peeked at the items. Her body was still freezing, and she desperately needed the warmth, so she slowly dragged herself over, to the amusement of her onlooker. Wrapping herself tightly with the blanket, she rested her head on the pillow and laid there shivering, periodically looking up at the man that was still watching her.

"Why are you doing this?" Sakura flinched slightly as he raised an eyebrow, but the question appeared to be one he was wanting.

"I was wronged, the Magi Council decided to have me cleansed."

That fact didn't surprise her, considering the personality of the man that was addressing her.

"You survived, though," she remarked on the obvious, but she was trying to keep him amiable. He paused for a moment before walking up to her, pushing his hair aside to reveal his face.

"Barely," he replied. The left side of his face was covered in burn scars, which appeared to continue down his body.

"I'm sorry." Some part of her did feel truly sorry for the man stood in front of her, he must have suffered deeply with that wound.

"That is why I'm taking my vengeance out on those who left me to die." He smiled, turning to a grin as the thought ran through his mind. Sakura took a deep breath. The man was becoming notably twisted in the mind, her sympathy for him was starting to become fleeting.

"Is it right to punish those who are innocent as well, though?" she enquired, remembering her own wounds well, as well of those of her father. The man thought about the question for a second, regarding her as he remained stood over her body. He bent down and started lightly tugging on her ear, before running his hand through her hair and across her horns. She gave him a dubious stare, but he was not bothered.

"No," he admitted, "but sometimes things are necessary." Sakura was stunned by his answer, she had expected the complete opposite. "The Magi Council will never admit their fault, nor will they ever relent in their campaign."

Rogue or otherwise unaffiliated mages were the banes of the Council; those who fell into one of the two groups often found their lives cut short, silently being removed from the pool. Considering the Council only consisted of human mages, the mages of the other two races were always under threat, something neither leader was overly fond of.

"I can tell you have experience with this yourself," he remarked. She wondered how he knew such a thing, was her body language that obvious when he mentioned?

"My father has, yes." Sakura watched as his interest grew. She was unsure just how far to rouse it, the last thing she wanted was for him to hassle the West.

"What did he do?" he probed, still remaining too close to her for her liking.

"He was Court Mage to a tyrant King," the demon sighed. Her father was always uncomfortable about telling her his past, though over a few years she had managed to tease out most of the details. Amnur had performed some terrible acts in the time he served, but he was as much a victim of the King as Sebastian was, although Sebastian was unwilling to listen to the fact. He had suffered due to committing insubordination. After a while, he broke, bowing down to the one who had tortured him so.

"Ah, I see," he replied, standing back up and walking away, continuing to face away from her as he went.

"How about you? How old were you when it happened?" She relaxed as he backed away, although the distance between them made no difference in regard to the effective range of his magic. It did, however, make her more comfortable with him at a distance, as his temperament was unpredictable.

"Eight. The cowards in the Magi Council wouldn't try such a routine if they thought me capable of retaliating," the mage's distaste over the past was evident in his voice. Sakura watched as he tensed his hands before releasing his grip. For such a young child to have a drastic upheaval occur in his life, it was no surprise that it had fostered hate as he recovered. Hate that went unchecked as he grew up separated and alone. To think this man stood in front of her was once a carefree child was saddening. Such a fate could have been shared by her if the Council had been proactive with trying to dispose of Amnur.

"Do you mind if I asked for your name?" Sakura asked. A name was something personal, a way for her to tie the lost innocence of this boy into something to be remembered. A way for her to challenge the Council over the whole thing if they tried anything over her father in light of this event.

He thought for a moment, a hint of annoyance ran through his mind, but he kept his calm. These personal questions weren't appreciated, yet part of him wished to tell her more.

"Maelor," the mage spoke, attempting to bury the odd sensation that was affecting his mind, "not that it makes any difference to our arrangement."

Sakura cocked her head at the change in tone as he spoke his name. It sounded genuinely soft, before reverting to his inherent underlying aggression. The hostility had increased after that question, it would not be best to push him further.

"Tell me something demon, do you think I'm right in what I'm doing?"

The question was a shock. She somehow doubted that saying no would sway his mind. If anything she would expect him to punish her for saying such a thing.

"I can see your reasons why, though I'd prefer if you were more discriminate in your targets," she said, trying her best to keep her expression straight. It appeared to please Maelor, who bore a smile as he turned back around.

"Do you always lie so consistently?" His expression became increasingly worrying as she lay there, too stunned to respond. The mage crouched down and placed a hand against her forehead. She reached out and grasped his wrist, but her confidence left her body as he roared with laughter. "I have no need to speak with you any longer," he replied, prying her hand from his wrist and throwing it back at her.

As he clenched his hand, an excruciating burning pain spread through her body. Her vision turned to blackness as she dug her fingers into her arms. "I'll let the memories of your loved ones torment your mind," he remarked as he left her to suffer in the corner while he returned to the desk. He had much to plan still.

* * *

Amnur stood in the snow, blades drawn and well alight, eyes focusing intently on the area ahead. Abel and Na-ri stood alongside him with an elemental sat at their heel, examining the area. From inside the snowy veil, an Acromantis appeared, scythes flared, charging towards Amnur who was closest to its current position. Amnur crossed his blades to catch the scythes, knocking the creature back a step before following up with an arcing slash, cutting its neck clean from the body. More emerged from behind the shattered remains of their ally, letting out a shriek as they descended onto the demons ahead.

A wide spread of icicles greeted the first one, piercing deep into the creature's body, shattering it as they were extracted back out. Another one met with a bright form, lashing out at the blurred glowing figure. The attack had no effect. Instead, the creature received the sharp end of a blade, splitting it nearly in two. It staggered back, only to receive another wound from the weapon and the creature shattered as it fell down to the ground.

The rest that appeared met similar fates, the ground was starting to be covered in deep purple and orange shards, with a few hints of other colours mixed in between.

On the far side, Crono stood alongside Ciel and Drake. The assault on their end was fleeting at best, the majority of the Nightmares that tried to reach their side found the bog that surrounded Linlake first, trapping them within the sticky waters. Not that such a fate would kill them, but it certainly reduced the load they were experiencing. If their theory was correct, the creatures would eventually die from their crystallised mana anyway. A few demons remained around the perimeter just in case any did manage to navigate the bog, the majority of the combatants gathered around the northern or eastern entrances.

"Think our opponent's starting to get scared?" Crono chuckled as he drove a solid metal glaive through the head of a Banshee; the weapon was considerably huge, but its owner was not a small demon. The Banshee ripped its head free, breaking the front half of its face off as it jumped back, tail raised as it began to cast. Its life was cut short, however, when its tail was crushed in Drake's powerful grip, crumbling between his fingers.

"Just a little," Drake laughed, picking up a surprised Acromantis and breaking it into two. Blades dug deep into the tail of another Banshee that was trying to sneak around the two giants clearing the field, collapsing it where it stood.

"Best not to get too cocky," Ciel shouted as he readjusted his position, dodging an incoming ram of a flaming Acromantis. He leapt into the air and extended the range of his blades by solidifying the film of magic that flowed over them, driving them into the crystal pockets of its back, safely out of the range of the fires that lined its body.

A distraught shout caught Ciel's attention. A human was desperately trying to reach his position, scrambling through the thick snow. Ciel ran over to him, as he was about to ask what the problem was the man pointed towards the distance. From the shroud, pitch black shape was emerging, and it was massive. Ciel's eyes went wide. It looked notably taller than Drake and highly dangerous, no obvious crystal veins were present on its hulking body either.

"Drake we have a problem!" he bellowed, gathering the attention of the demon who was snapping the smaller Nightmares like twigs.

Drake saw the oncoming monster and cursed, charging forward to meet it before it reached the village. Before it had time to react to his sudden presence, he wrapped his arms around the creature, flattening its arms against its body and driving his fingers deep into the creature's back. The arms were not completely incapacitated, however. Their blue hue was quickly lined with flame before they scratched at Drake's chest. He winced with pain but kept his grip firm, throwing a pleading glance down to the others to deal with the creature.

Crono swatted the minor Nightmares away and closed in behind the massive creature, examining its features. Two elongated protrusions rose out from its back, almost like bony wings. Small crystals lined them in bands, which provided him with a suitable target. He drove the glaive into the base of the protrusion and ran it along; the body was solid and took a fair amount of effort to crack it, but Crono managed. The creature howled in pain, turning its head towards Crono and spitting globs of flame. He dodged out the way, watching the snow behind him turned to steam before dashing around its tail.

Crono soon became aware it was a poor decision when the creature's tail slammed into him. His side ached, but he swiftly moved away from the tail's reach, clutching his side. Now the creature was distracted, Ciel flew up to its face, violently fighting the wind as he went. He dug one blade into the top of its crystalline eye to keep himself balanced while using the other blade to slash at the rest. It reacted by slamming its head down, trying to throw Ciel off as it went. The move was, however, met by Drake's upwards pointing horns, which pierced straight through its head, narrowly missing where Ciel was hanging off. Crono picked himself up and moved around to the other side, ripping his glaive through the remaining protrusion. The creature went limp, before shattering under the pressure of Drake's arms.

Ciel grabbed his blades and moved away from the falling shards. He stared up at Drake. His chest was burnt and bleeding, and the wounds extended a fair way down.

"Are you alright Drake?" Ciel asked him, noticing the fact he was staggering.

"I'll live," he sighed, the pain was severe from his wounds, but he was managing to concentrate past it, even if his body was a little wobbly.

"I'd feel a wuss to make a comment after seeing that," Crono laughed, examining Drake while still clutching his side. Ciel noted Crono's pain and considered the situation. The monstrous creature appeared to be the last of them on that side, or at least none were actively attacking anymore.

"It's over, let's head back and get you two some help," he spoke. His authority and voice was noticeable, Crono was impressed by it.

As they returned, they noticed a gathering on the porch of Crono's house, huddled over something that was not obvious from where they stood. Amnur heard their approach and turned around, regarding them.

"What happened to you two?" he enquired, his voice was tinged with concern, despite his rather plain expression. The question received the attention of the others, who were shocked at Drake's wounds.

"You mean you weren't attacked by a massive creature?" Crono remarked with a pained expression, the confused look from Abel and Na-ri confirmed the answer to that question was no.

"We were not," Abel replied, glancing down at the thing on the floor.

"We did, however, find this one," Na-ri continued, moving aside to reveal a collapsed Acromantis. It was still alive, but barely, it whined and tried to move but failed to shuffle itself.

"One that's dying naturally, in a sense," Ferdan piped up from the back, clarifying the situation. He stood up and went over to Drake, who lifted him up to check his wounds. On closer inspection the cuts were shallow, they did not appear to completely pierce through the layers of his skin. They were, however, burnt and could possibly scar.

"It's mainly surface damage," he said, to the relief of Ciel. "Let's go inside, I'll tend to both of you there." Drake held Ferdan in his hand as he began to walk towards the entrance, with Crono and Ciel behind. They walked past the group at the entrance, throwing a glimpse down at the dying creature, before entering the house. Ciel stayed behind, crouching down next to Amnur, who shot him a look but said nothing.

"The creatures are being held here beyond their will," Abel mused, running his hand along the creatures pointed head, feeling the small protrusions that erupted from its crown.

"Its mind is being tormented by constant pain, as well as some chaos magic," Na-ri stated. Her hand was placed upon one of the crystals that lined its back.

"He's basically driving them insane and then directing them at us," Amnur replied to their comments. His mind raced back to Sakura, he certainly was going to make sure the bastard behind all of this suffered a painful end. His pain must have been obvious, as Ciel put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"We'll get her back, don't worry," Ciel said. He noticed that Abel's piercing white eyes had locked onto him, but the demon said nothing.

"So this is what one of these things look like when they're not trying to cut you," a female voice spoke up from behind them, startling those gathered around the creature. Amnur looked up at the newcomer, surprised by who he saw in front of him.

"You're that woman who came with the expedition."

Ciel looked up at her; the information the East had received was that everyone had been considered dead.

"Lauri," she corrected, "how do you know?" In response, Amnur pulled out a familiar obsidian pendant and offered it to her. She accepted, giving him a strange look.

"Your friend is inside," he offered, gesturing to the doors near them. Lauri gave him another questioning gaze, before walking over to the doors and entering the house. Ferdan was busy examining Crono, so he didn't look up to investigate who had entered; Crono, however, checked and was stunned by who he saw.

"How are you alive?"

Ferdan had now stopped and looked up, his jaw dropped when he saw her stood in the entranceway.

"Lauri!" Ferdan shouted, he stood up and ran over, sweeping her off her feet with a warm embrace. She laughed and returned the hug, burying her head deep into his shoulder. "I thought you were dead," he whispered, stroking her head softly.

"That seems to be the general opinion," Lauri chuckled, noticing the glances as they continued. Crono smiled. He felt bad to break up the reunion, but they were rather in the middle of something that he would prefer not to have left. The demon cleared his throat to get their attention. Ferdan turned around, apologising to Lauri before walking back to tend to their wounds.

"I remember you," she directed at Crono, who was rather embarrassed. He had been rather curt to her after all.

"I half hoped you wouldn't," Crono sighed, "I apologise for how aggressive I was towards you, it was undeserved." The apology pleased Lauri enough, though in hindsight it would have been nice to have some more support during that ambush, perhaps then more would have survived than just her.

"Why did you react that way?" Lauri enquired. Crono squinted at Ferdan. If he did not tell her himself than Ferdan certainly would.

"The West has its secrets that we prefer to keep hidden," he admitted. The statement even attracted a dubious look from Drake, who was sat down on the ground near him.

"Like Amnur," Ferdan replied. He was investigating Crono's wound; from opening it up and inspecting it, it appeared only to be a broken rib and some bruising. Lauri stared at Crono. Of course, she knew his name. Nearly everyone did.

"Don't be blinded by his past, he's actually quite amiable once you know him," Crono pleaded. Lauri was not so convinced by it, though.

"Well, he's not wrong. It's still hard to overlook such a massive thing, however."

Lauri stared at Ferdan in disbelief. tThe man she knew would not admit to such a thing, not with his position within the Council.

"Have you forgotten your title?" she retorted, watching as he looked at her with a pained smile.

"No, but I do not wish to condemn him or his family to death. After all, it was that process that created the problem we're facing now."

She was dubious. The exact details of what they were facing had yet to be passed around to her, but from what she heard it appeared to be the fault of the Council themselves.

The door behind them opened, and Amnur stepped in. Crono's slight warning peek towards him informed Lauri exactly who he was. She marched up to him and glared. She was a fair way shorter than he was and the effect of the display was lost.

"Can I help you?" he enquired, crouching down so that he was closer to her height. Lauri slapped him, immediately regretting it after. Amnur's face was solid and unflinching, and it had hurt her more than it hurt him. Amnur raised an eyebrow, somewhat amused at her pitiful attempt.

"Why the hell can you walk around here like some glorified saint?" she spat at him. His expression changed to one of contempt, causing her to flinch. She was far too close if he suddenly decided to attack her.

"Because I allow him to," Crono spoke up, to the surprise of both of them. Lauri shot him a dirty look, but the demon was unfazed. "He has helped neutralise many threats. Your race enjoys overlooking the fact we still have an enemy."

She couldn't deny the truth of the statement, while the Ranger's Guild did try to keep peace in the East, the West was often overlooked and ignored. If anything the West were more likely to be targeted she thought, as their distance from Shadekeep made them vulnerable.

"So you actively seek the help from one such as him, as opposed to asking Shadekeep?" Her question infuriated Crono, Ferdan pulled back in response to that fact.

"They abandoned us!" Crono bellowed. The door cracked open, and the others peered through the gap, curious as to what angered him.

"Besides, I was the one who turned up and started living here, opposed to any invite," Amnur spoke up, hoping to turn the conversation towards something else before Crono snapped completely. "He found me one day after I had ventured into the West, dehydrated and starving," he continued, twisting back towards those that were peeping from behind the door.

"We allowed him to stay, if he pledged his allegiance to the West," Na-ri remarked from the doorway, "he agreed, and that's how it went." Lauri sighed, there was not much she could say to argue the point. At least it comforted her to think they didn't immediately accept him because of his past. The situation remained tense, the others disappeared from the door to remove themselves, leaving Lauri stood awkwardly in the room while Amnur stared at her and Ferdan quietly tended to the others.

"Ferdan mentioned you had a family?" she said. Her voice wasn't much more than a whisper to Amnur, the last thing she wanted was to anger Crono further.

"Trying to change the topic?" Amnur remarked, "why the sudden interest?"

Lauri puffed and looked away, unwilling to take the bait. "I get the idea that I'm going to be stuck with you, regardless of my personal opinion," she sternly replied, folding her arms as she stood in front of him. Amnur chuckled and shook his head. The woman was too resentful for her own good. Her negative undertones were never backed up with physical motion.

"I have a daughter," he replied, turning his gaze away from her, something which Lauri picked up on.

"I haven't seen her, or anything who I would have taken to be her."

He exhaled. By now Crono had picked up on their conversation, he gestured to Amnur to see if he was alright, which Amnur waved off.

"Neither have I."

He stood up and walked away; Lauri knew she had hit a sore spot, so she dropped the subject.

"She disappeared a few days ago," Drake spoke up from the corner. Lauri regretted bringing the topic up now, the demon must be distraught.

"I'll just leave now," she stated and strolled towards the door. Given the situation, Ferdan thought it best not to try and stop her.

Once she had left, Crono turned to Amnur. He wasn't holding up well after her aggressive barrage, even if he was managing to repel her fine at the time.

"Is this what I have to look forward to my entire life?" Amnur questioned. He did not direct it at anyone, but they all regarded him.

"Some people require proof that you've changed," Ferdan replied; he was holding onto a broken rib bone from Crono, inspecting the area it had broken off from. "Tell me something; do you regret what you did?" It was a bold question, the answer to which would make a massive difference.

"There isn't a day that I don't, but most are unable to accept that my actions were done under duress," Amnur let out a deep breath, the fact was even starting to sound like an excuse to him after twenty-five years. Whenever he pulled on that claim he was always asked why he didn't fight back, the truth about it was that it was impossible. He still couldn't fathom who managed to eventually kill the King, he had enough enemies but certainly none that could have defeated him, or so he thought. His body was never found either, or at least that was the last he had heard regarding the whole thing.

"I don't doubt you," Ferdan said. Amnur was stunned by what he heard, considering all that Ferdan had said to him and about him in the past.

"You... don't?" he replied. He was sceptical but relieved.

"Let's face it, you could have easily killed Ciel by now," Ferdan remarked. Drake appeared less than amused by the man's talk. "But you haven't. If anything you've been nothing but friendly towards him." Minus a few incidents, Amnur thought to himself, but he had not threatened to kill him during any of them, admittedly. He was unsure how to respond to Ferdan's remark. It was certainly an odd reason to pull up for his innocence, or thereabouts anyway.

"Someone's praising you for once," Crono chuckled, breaking up the conversation. Amnur stared at him in response. "He'll keep us safe in the upcoming days, don't worry," he grinned. He had a lot of trust in Amnur, he knew that he would not let them down.

### Chapter 14: The Fated Day

It was a bitter day across the Central Isles. The wind blew harshly, sending chills down the spines of those who had woken up to prepare for the march north. No one had slept well that night. Tensions ran high over the worry of a last minute siege. Nothing had come to light, however, much to their relief. Sebastian was shuffling his armour while waiting on the final report from Iomor. It had been a long time since he had last worn the full set of royal armour; it displayed his rank firmly to everyone, a banner of strength to those of his own race. He was not the fondest of the armour, but it certainly had its uses. The armour was crafted from rare metals, so it should be able to repel the hits of most attackers.

The King was wary, however. Uriel had still not talked to him since the attack a few days ago. If the angel did not turn up on the battlefield the effect on morale would be terrible. Thardosean would be the first one to know if Uriel was present; the plan had been for them to approach from two different angles, to divert and divide any ambushing forces. He would be meeting up with Uriel before marching north over the top of the Skyrend mountains, while Sebastian would be leading his army north via the southern tip of the mountains. Those who were less battle-able had already been moved to Aelburn in the early hours of the morning. A large group of those who were not as capable in combat would stand a better chance at defending themselves than small groups of the same. All that remained at Shadekeep now were those who planned to march with Sebastian, to victory or death.

"The preparations are ready, Sire," Iomor spoke up, startling him. He hadn't been paying attention.

"You don't need to call me that, you know," he replied. He really hoped that nothing went wrong. The fewer people he would have to say a final farewell to the better.

"I know. It felt right, considering the situation," Iomor smiled; he knew Sebastian was no fan of formalities, always insisting that people talk to him casually.

"Any news from Uriel?"

"Arariel's been trying everything he can to get a reply, but nothing's succeeded," Iomor replied. They were going in blind then, he knew. Sebastian contemplated for a minute. If Uriel didn't show up, they would be relying on Ciel's success in getting a force from the West too much, possibly enough to cripple them.

"Well there's no point in delaying it, let us march," Sebastian announced. Iomor gave a bow and escorted him to where his army stood waiting for his command.

They regarded him with a mixture of excitement and fear. It was the first time since he had taken power that he had to order the assembly of the army, as well as his first time leading one. Iomor gestured for him to begin. Any army needed a motivational speech, not everyone was so keen on blinding marching to their deaths.

"All of you know the potential danger of our enemy," he began, his voice was firm and unwavering, "if we do not act now, then the consequences will be unthinkable." Voices whispered in the audience, but Iomor silenced them with a gesture, focusing their attention back on the King. "So today I ask you all to march with me, to defend the land we call home from the clutches of a madman!" Sebastian continued. His voice echoed around the expansive corridor, reaching everyone inside. Unbeknown to him, Kaiser was watching from the doorway; he had just returned from a final perimeter check. "I cannot guarantee you will all come home alive, but I have no intention of leaving any of you to die," the King spoke. The crowd was starting to respond positively to him, a few cheers erupted from various places. "Now, let us march!" he bellowed, the place erupted into a unified cheer as Sebastian turned to walk out of the doorway.

"Not bad," Kaiser chuckled, opening the doors wide, "we're all clear to go, by the way."

Sebastian gave him a nod and gestured for him to follow. A few demons gave him a cheer as he assumed position alongside the Kin. The solid wall of muscle that was Kaiser provided a formidable defence against attackers, something that they would be using heavily.

They marched north, keeping close to the Skyrend Mountains to protect themselves on one side if anything attacked them. A handful of Nightmares met them, but none of them was overly interested in fighting, instead opting to run around the marching demons.

"They're scouting us," Solomon remarked, watching as an Acromantis was struck down by arrows before it made its way to the back.

"That's why we're going to startle them," Iomor grinned. He had been informed of Solomon's plan, though Sebastian was still in the dark about it, or as far as Iomor knew. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, he somehow doubted that they were thinking the same surprise, but he knew Iomor would not betray him.

As they neared the top ridge of the mountains, the army started to become nervous. They had expected more resistance on the way up, all of the remaining creatures must be nestled up within the main towers. The alternate suggestion was not one they wanted to consider, they had left their cities vulnerable to an assault. If the Nightmares had managed to sneak around them, the result could be devastating.

A familiar sight greeted them at the edge of the cliff; the bright white wings of angels surrounded by the much smaller human companions. Sebastian was not encouraged by the sight, however. He could see Gabriel but not Uriel. Thardosean was stood next to Gabriel, seemingly discussing something, confirming the fine details of the plan. Sebastian let out a long sigh as he approached the two leaders, as his own army joining the ranks of those that had already been gathered. The humans felt rather dwarfed by their much taller companions, but they knew they had not been brought in as frontline fighters. Armed with bows, spears, magic and anything else ranged they would be taking up rear support.

Gabriel and Thardosean gave Sebastian a bow as he approached them. That was one thing he had to admit with Gabriel, he was politer than Uriel and far more pleasurable to deal with.

"Good to see you both gathered here," Sebastian greeted them, returning the bow, "though I had expected to see Uriel as well." Gabriel tilted his head and shrugged, not offering any explanation, which came over strange to him. Sebastian glanced over to Thardosean, who was trying to stifle a laugh, or that's what it appeared to him. "What?" he said, being startled by a sudden sharp shove on his back. He turned around, only to be greeted to Uriel who was sporting a stupid grin. The fact he had bandages peeking out from his armour didn't escape the demon's attention, however.

"You honestly thought I wouldn't be here?" Uriel teased, giving Sebastian another knock across his back. The demon was starting to feel uncomfortable due to the angel's behaviour.

"Well, I do notice those bandages on you," he retorted. Uriel raised an eyebrow before laughing, he could tell Sebastian was more worried than he let on.

"I'll be fine, even if I have to act more as a figurehead than a fighter."

Sebastian let out a relieved sigh, although he would prefer having the angel as a battling companion. He could not deny Uriel's prowess in battle, the two were evenly matched if they ever faced off against each other.

"Hate to interrupt, but we have better things to attend to," Thardosean spoke up. While watching those two being friendly with each other was a pleasant sight, spending too much time would make their intentions obvious. Sebastian gave the King a bow, pleasantries would have to wait for afterwards.

The leaders discussed the strategy briefly. It was a simple plan but would be far from easy to execute correctly. Their intended target would not just lay down and die, quite the opposite in fact, or at least it was what they expected. The true extent of his retaliation would not be known until they attacked, as such any pre-made plans would need to change swiftly to accommodate or risk high casualties. That was also banking on the assumption of the Nightmares present at the spires were of known varieties, unknown ones could wreck morale and break apart the formation, creating vulnerabilities. A forward, armoured line would head the offence; they were intended to keep the lesser species such as the Acromantis or Banshee at bay while ranged units behind take down any stragglers and dealing with anything flying or equally ranged.

Once the initial garrison had been pushed back, a force would separate to deal with the rogue chaos mage which consisted of Sebastian and Uriel, as well as their immediate strongest companions. Thardosean would continue to serve as an overseer to the combined army, directing any fresh orders that needed to be done. Both races had instructed their armies to respond to the Human King in their stead, a move which not the most popular but none the less accepted.

Once the armies had lined themselves up, the end result was impressive. Rows of metallic armoured shined in the rising sun, the white-gold armour donned by the angels contrasted the dull shades of silver and black that the humans and demons wore. All were equally efficient as each other regardless of the aesthetics. The angels looked rather uncomfortable being lined up in pairs next to a demon, as the average new blood demon stood notably taller than the average angel; the difference was such that the demons could opt to use the angel as an armrest if they so desired.

Just behind the main flank was a collection of larger old blood demons, with their extended reach they could assist the front line while providing a defence against any Nightmare that broke through or otherwise bypassed the line. Those near Kaiser were additionally uncomfortable; the fact that if he actively missed a hit the resulting misfire could be strong enough to kill them if it connected. Kaiser tried his best to reassure the angels, but the words were lost on them. There wasn't an angel on the Central Isles that didn't know of the demon's raw strength. He had felled a fair few angels in his time, as well as demons. It was mostly those related to Sebastian's father posse when he had gone missing the most disgruntled of his followers turned against Sebastian. There had been speculation that Sebastian had killed his father in order to take the throne but the truth as to what happened had never been revealed. Certain things were best to keep quiet, regardless of intentions, a Kingslayer is not someone who is often kept alive.

After final deliberations between the leaders over exact details of the intended plan, the order was issued to march. The resulting battle cry resounded through the air, pushing the army onwards. It became obvious when they came close to the outer wall surrounding the spires that the defending Nightmares had bolstered their defences hastily. Crude extensions and stone spikes surrounded the exterior, a result of earth magic being used to manipulate the ground. As such it would be simple to undo, but it would slow them down and leave them open to any ranged attack while the mages worked.

The mages surged forward and lined themselves up behind the initial flank, using their own magic to dismantle, obliterate, manipulate and otherwise dispose of the spiky wall. A few used the time to erect barriers around the waiting army. While magic was ineffective against the Nightmares directly in a pure form with a few exceptions, it could be used to protect against their projectile attacks. High pitched screams emerged from the inside of the wall, no doubt emanating from Banshees hidden within the complex. Due to the distance, the effect was much reduced, but they would have to be dealt with swiftly as they moved into the walls.

As the spike wall was broken down, two massive forms leapt from the surrounding waters towards the waiting group, smashing into the army with their long, solid legs. The forms were familiar to the demons, but the angels were tense; it was the same type that had held the door to Shadekeep wide open. That one hadn't been actively aggressive, however. The two now stood over them posed a risk based on their size alone; one well-placed leg could easily kill a human and badly injure one of the others.

"Aim for bulbous sacs on its head," Kaiser shouted, grabbing onto the back of the closest one and using his weight to pin the creature to the ground. When the second saw what the demon was doing, it reared up and brought its front legs down in an attempt to crush the demon's skull or at least stun him, hoping to release his grip on the other one. He manoeuvred back as much as possible without letting go, but the leg still hit his head firmly. The other one narrowly missed Iomor who had been moving to take down the disabled creature. Kaiser grimaced. His head was throbbing, and he could feel blood starting to run down from his forehead. It would not be enough to stop him, just enough to anger him.

Lurching his body forward, he reached out and clamped his hand around the nearest sac on the pinned creature's head before exerting a crushing force with all the strength he could muster. The creature screamed and flailed, but its legs had already had their movement severed by the back lines of the army, leaving the front line to focus on preventing anything breaching, even if it was difficult for them to ignore what was happening behind.

Iomor, who was rather unamused by his near squishing incident, had scaled up the aggressor's leg and glided onto the creature's head, poised ready for attack. It did not appear to be paying much heed to him, its focus was still intently on its struggling companion. Before it could launch a secondary attack, Iomor drove his blades deep into one of the fleshy sacs, causing the creature to violently jolt back, resulting in the two back legs colliding with the front line. Those hit fell forward, winded by the surprise blow, only to be quickly hoisted back up to reform the line if their injuries were minor. The blip in defence was enough motivation for the waiting creatures, however. As soon as the knocked down angels and demons had been pulled up, they bore down with flaming scythes, supported by the ferocious cutting winds provided by the garrisoned Banshees. Armour held strong against the cutting effect of the Acromantis's scythes, but the flames heated up the plating, severely burning the flesh below. What skin that was exposed was snapped at by the conjured wind, tearing open clean wounds.

Blood dripped onto the frosty ground, a mixture of black and scarlet liquid, along with broken shards of carapace as weapons danced into the crystalline lifeline of the Nightmares. The line surged forward, aiming to turn the tide on the offensive and push the creatures back towards the spires.

### Chapter 15: Leaving the West

Ciel scanned around. Considering they were to be marching soon no one was overly worried, or on the other side excited. Perhaps that was the difference between the army his father maintained in the East, most of the vocal soldiers were younger and eager to prove themselves. The only thing these demons were eager about was coming back home afterwards, as they had nothing to prove about themselves.

"Not what you were expecting?" a voice inquired from behind. The sudden interruption to his thoughts caused him to flinch. He turned around to find Amnur behind him, who was chuckling at his reaction. "Did I startle you?" Amnur teased, the demon was high spirits. It was unsurprising to Ciel. After all, this was the best attempt they had at retrieving his daughter.

"Possibly, I had expected those here to be a bit more eager," Ciel sighed, his shoulders slumped down as he turned his back to Amnur, gazing out over the snowy bogland. Amnur smiled and patted the dejected demon on the back, coming up level with him.

"Fighting is only a necessity, any pleasure from it has long since been lost from those who live here."

The kid was naive about what those in the West had endured, but he couldn't fault him for it.

The full population of the West was starting to become apparent to Ciel as the last preparations were made for the assault; despite there only being three named settlements in the swamplands there were a fair few demons in front of him. Along with the humans, they had a formidable force, potent enough to launch their surprise attack with brutal efficiency. Crono had assumed that Sebastian and the others would march at dawn, giving them the most amount of daylight to fight in. No one wanted to be pitted against those creatures in the dark of night, more so when they would be out in the open.

"It would be nice if we were going on a little bit more than guesswork," Amnur huffed. Ciel gazed down at him and replied with a smile, garnering a raised eyebrow.

"We'll be fine. I trust you'll be torching anything that comes near?"

"Now you're talking my language," Amnur laughed, stretching his arms behind his head. He did wonder if Ciel was truly that comfortable with him. He had once been close to Sebastian before the full details of his role as Court Mage became public knowledge. Then again, Amnur would be a hypocrite to judge Ciel for his own family relations, perhaps the boy in front of him was willing to look past everything he had been told. Either way, he hadn't forgotten how Ciel had first reacted when he found out who he was. Although fear is vastly different from anger, both were still negative reactions. He felt a need to explain himself, to explain why he had killed innocents, without sounding like he was creating excuses. The thought chain must have been taking a toll on his mood, Ciel appeared worried all of a sudden.

"I need to explain something to you," Amnur spoke up with a stern tone. Ciel straightened up. The young demon was taller than his older counterpart, but he showed every intention of listening to him. Amnur accepted his silence as permission to continue, not that he had much intention of stopping. "Your grandfather was determined to have me subservient to him," he groaned. The memories were painful to recall, he had long since tried to bury them with little success. "The first time he turned up on one of my assignments and massacred the villagers I had been trying to spare, then he butchered my parents after the second incident of insubordination. After that, he decided to cut off any support I had by making my deeds known."

Ciel wasn't sure how to react to what he was being told. He could tell from Amnur's whole posture the pain of the past events. The demon wanted to comfort him but had no idea even how to start.

"You're strong, though, why did you never stand up to him?" he blurted out. That wasn't quite the best way to comfort him, but Amnur didn't react to what he said.

"I did, he damn well nearly killed me," he admitted, tugging back the edge of his newly donned leather armour to reveal a raw scar leading down from his shoulder. Ciel mentally slapped himself. Of course, Amnur wouldn't just sit there and take his grandfather's aggression without a fight, but it was odd that such a thing was unknown to him. His father wouldn't omit such detail.

"Only Dumon knew the full details. Of course, he threatened to kill Dumon if he informed anyone else," Amnur remarked, seeing Ciel's confusion on the matter. It satisfied his curiosity but still left a lot of unanswered questions. He stood there unmoving for a moment, before putting a reassuring hand on Amnur's shoulder. The demon was pleasantly surprised by the move, from what Ciel could see.

"Don't get me wrong, though. Hurt my daughter, and you'll seriously regret it."

It became obvious to him just what Amnur was implying. He knew about his feelings for Sakura, though it surprised him that he didn't outright reject the idea. Ciel didn't know enough about their relationship, he was very close to his own father, but he knew that he wouldn't react well when he told him.

After a moment of deliberation, he reacted to Amnur with a respectful bow. He had no intention of crossing the demon. It would be a rather detrimental experience on his health; he'd rather keep his skin un-burnt as well.

"So that's where you two lovebirds got to," Crono spoke up, attracting their attention from each other. He was now fully dressed in armour. It was a change from the assorted cloth and fur clothing he had worn previously. However, it still mainly consisted of leather, with metal used sparingly as a defence for the most vital regions of his body. Ciel had noticed the lack of metal used for armour, and just generally; it was probably another difference between the two regional factions. Most of the metal for the East had been imported from the South and a long time previously, the North. Since then they had recycled what they had, only trading for more when supplies became too old and unworkable. Everything in modern times revolved around equal trade, it was a far cry from when the nations used to work together and supported one another.

"Are you ready for this?" he enquired, casting his gaze down at Ciel. The demon was rather unarmoured due to not having taken any with him when he had departed from the East. They had managed to salvage him some leather from currently unworn and more ragged armour, but they had little to spare at the time being.

"It would have been helpful to get Drake some armour, but something that was strong enough to injure him like that in the first place would just tear through anything you could have provided," Ciel groaned. The wounds his friend had endured had shaken him. Something that powerful could easily kill them without much of a second thought. Now was not the time for doubt, however. Their support was required. Backing out now could make the difference between life and death for the Isles.

"You mean something akin to what Kaiser is normally forced to wear," Amnur interrupted. He had seen him wearing such a suit before. It was certainly as protective as it was impressive, but the demon hated wearing it. The reduced dexterity of his hands often made it difficult to strap on and equally as problematic to remove later, without the problem of overheating him. Larger demons such as Kaiser, Drake and Crono normally maintained higher body temperatures. When the weather is regular, they found the combined effect too warm. Someone addled by the heat hardly makes for a good combatant in battle, even if their raw strength wasn't reduced.

Ciel merely nodded, he knew providing such a thing would be impossible for them on short notice. The height difference between Drake and Crono was too great to attempt to quickly salvage anything, without the difference in builds.

"He's not willing to sit it out, so he'll have to last with nothing," Ciel replied. Hopefully, in a confined battle situation, such a monstrous creature as before would be less likely to appear. When space is limited, and space has to be protected, one would prefer to have multiple, smaller units than one larger unit. Or at least he hoped he would be correct on that, their opponent didn't appear the most logically minded when it came to battle strategy so far. Unless he really didn't expect them to mount a proper comeback, in which case he had severely misjudged his opponents.

"Not that I'd feel too comfortable with not having him around, either way," he added in. He relied on that demon too much sometimes, not that it was something that Drake minded.

"Everything's ready now, we just need to depart," Crono remarked, taking a deep breath. "We're leaving those who remained behind rather thin on numbers, so we'll need to be hasty in our fight."

It was evident he was not too keen on the idea, but swiftly dealing with the source problem would cut out the likelihood of putting the others in danger. He gestured over to the waiting crowd, there was no point dallying any longer. Amnur took a casual look over; Abel and Na-ri were easy to spot from the others, without their taller than usual height, they looked rather underdressed for the weather. He wondered how they were comfortable giving the biting cold, even with his fire-based magic he'd rather not be out in the cold any longer than he had to. The same applied to Drake, but that was more out of the inability to provide him with anything to wear.

Ciel gave a respectful bow to both of them and walked over to join up with those that were waiting, making a point to meet up with Drake before they started marching.

"He sure is eager," Amnur chuckled, "not that he's the only one."

Crono let out a silent sigh. Amnur was beyond eager, which was obvious. Considering the severity of the weather alone, he wondered how well Sakura would hold up. If she had been out in the open this whole time, the possibility of her surviving was minimal, without everything else to consider. One thing Crono knew was that Amnur would never cope with her death, but it was painful enough to force himself to remain positive, even if it was only as an appearance.

"If you're all that eager, then we should be off," he replied, giving Amnur a nudge forward. The demon needed no prompting, however. He stumbled with the force before marching on, beckoning for Crono to follow. He shook his head and smiled, he couldn't fault Amnur's resolve at least.

* * *

Despite the bitter cold, the journey was uneventful. The wind had since relented, gently wafting past them as they went. It would be a relief if it were not still freezing on their faces. Something it did offer them was increased vision, their surroundings were now clear to the naked eye. Not one Nightmare had been spotted so far, the dark bodied creatures should stand out against the pure white snow, as much as they probably stood out right now.

"I would take the assumption the East has already started," Ciel puffed. His body was starting to become numb. It longed for the warmth of battle or anything that was a far cry from this.

"That would be a logical explanation," Amnur agreed. He was up at the top of the marching line, pulling in close to Ciel. The mages had been split around the group, mostly for defensive measures. He had made the point he was going to be in the lead and none wanted to question him on it. Ferdan and Lauri were around the middle, keeping up morale when Lauri wasn't cursing Amnur under her breath. Drake was also placed around the middle, with his height allowing him to potentially see more than others and his strength for negating a flank if one should occur. Crono was at the back with Na-ri, much for the same reasoning. Abel had volunteered to also be at the forefront of the force, his knowledge of the terrain allowing him to direct them towards their target without getting lost.

"You would rather not consider this some extravagant game," Abel chimed in. The sigh that emitted from Amnur affirmed his statement. No one knew the true extent of that chaos mage's mind or even his intentions. His stock of Nightmares would eventually run thin, but the locals of the Central Isles would likely be run thinner still by that point. It was generally assumed that there were far more varieties of them then they had seen so far, each potentially much more dangerous than the last. "I still query how he had the mana reserves to manage this," he continued, "such a feat as this would require extraordinary amounts of mana."

"It would be a suicide attempt, regardless of how this ends," Amnur answered, blasting some of the oncoming snow with conjured flames, providing those behind with a short-lived pocket of warmth. "The body cannot endure copious amounts of mana," he clarified, but Ciel's confused expression indicated that he did not understand.

"You mean he would perish regardless?" Ciel spoke up. Such a thing was overly hopeful, though, without those creatures potentially being even more dangerous when not controlled.

"Excessive mana is a slow and painful death unless he overdid it and just completely overwhelmed his body," Amnur replied. If the latter were to occur, he would have expected it to happen by now. The only risk now is if he pushed himself that far when threatened; the amount of destruction he could cause would be unthinkable. "Take it from someone who knows personally, kid," he remarked, before going quiet and allowing the subject to drop. Ciel noted how Abel didn't question anything, accepting everything at face value as if he knew what he meant. He wondered if Amnur had known someone who had succumbed to such a fate, or had witnessed it in some other fashion. Excessive mana would be notable visibly on the body, or so he would have thought. His knowledge on anything magical was rather lacking, something Solomon usually tried to correct. Tried was the accurate term, why he hadn't given up on him by now was beyond him. Not that he wasn't interested, it just made little sense to the boy.

The impressive crystalline towers were now within sight. Their conversation had made the time pass quickly, and Amnur's random spell barrage had stopped them from freezing entirely on the way over. They paused someway behind to assess the battle situation, before charging in ahead of themselves. The eastern side appeared far less snow covered, a fact which irked those who had been putting up with eternal snow drifts, but it did allow for a clearer view of the situation. A spread of black dots covered one-half of the Isthmus, whether they were Nightmares or demons they were certainly numerous. Brief glimmers of light emerged from between the mass, potentially from the sun striking the armour of combatants, but also that of magic. From here the internal ring that surrounded the towers appeared unbreached or only been freshly done so. It appears they had arrived in perfect time and unannounced to their opponent.

With a final reconciliation, they proceeded to storm the compound, swiftly and silently.

### Chapter 16: Tempered Chaos

Ground was slowly being gained, but the stream of Nightmares appeared endless to the quickly exhausting front line. Even more varieties of the twisted creatures had been emerging. Although they all shared similar weak points, the lack of knowledge as to their physiology made the front line susceptible to heightened amounts of damage. Where possible healers tended to their wounds, even while mid-fight if was required, using their magic to patch the tears shut. Those too exhausted were swapped out, but any holes that remained open in the defence for too long resulted in Nightmares sweeping through.

Kaiser had since dispatched the pinned creature, but the one Iomor had injured was unwilling to allow him close enough to pin it down. Often its legs would collide with those below. A few unfortunate souls had been nearly entirely crushed by heavily placed legs, along with the Nightmare they had been fighting. Now it had opted to start using magic, more out of defence than offence, but it was creating havoc either way. Sharp earthen spikes protruded from the ground, some dripping blood where they had come into contact with fighters when they emerged. The creature enjoyed mocking Kaiser as he tried to grab hold of it, slicing through his skin with newly emerged spikes until he backed down to avoid the stabbing barrage. Iomor had tried a second attempt at its other sac, but he was met with an aerial assault of sharpened rocks, and a slammed leg once he had landed.

Conveniently for him, torn wing membrane was not a fatal injury, but it was a painful and slow healing one. Such an attack as the leg slam he had predicted and set up to dodge. The sheer force of it hitting the ground had knocked him down, however. He was not much use for helping out Kaiser now, though, he had been rendered flightless by the attacks.

A flash of light attracted his attention as it approached the underbelly of the creature. He was gripping tightly to one of the erected stone spikes, searching for an opening he could exploit with the inability to fly. Iomor watched closely but couldn't make out what was occurring. He assumed it not to be another Nightmare by the style of its approach, however. Moments passed as the creature continued the back and forth game with Kaiser, the demon was becoming increasingly frustrated but also increasingly injured. With another, much brighter flash of light the remaining bulbous sac exploded open, sending the creature into a panic. Its defence had failed, and now pain seeped through the massive body, but losing both sacs wasn't enough to kill the massive Nightmare.

Kaiser, however, was not one to wait. He lunged forward and slammed his hands into the creature's back and dropped it onto the spiky nest it had created below. Spikes had protruded through the mottled black carapace before the body turned limp, shattering down to shards on the follow-up blow. Iomor breathed a sigh of relief, watching as the shards slipped off the stone and into the gaps below.

"You looked like you were having some trouble," a voice teased, causing him to look up towards its origin.

"It was about time you started being useful, Sariel," he growled, but the angel just shrugged the response off, still enjoying the fact that it had been him who defeated the creature.

"Not my fault that between you two, you couldn't defeat one of those," Sariel replied. His sass irked Iomor. The two of them had always been in conflict. Both held similar positions, but Iomor often thought Sariel got away with murder, sometimes in a more literal sense.

"Oh really? You did less than a third of that," Iomor spat back, easing down when he saw Kaiser sigh and just shake his head. It wasn't worth their time to be arguing now. There were more pressing concerns than an angel making himself out to be more important than he really was. "Whatever, I have more to be worrying about than you."

Iomor slowly dropped to the ground from his position. Despite the injury, he still used his wings to help lower his body down. Sariel smirked at the torn membrane, seeing the blood drip freely filled him with some morbid satisfaction. If he wasn't well aware that Uriel was watching, the angel would have soon seized the opportunity to drive a blade through Iomor's chest. A stricken demon is an easy target for an angel, as much as a plucked angel is easy prey for a demon. That fantasy would have to wait for now, there would be more than ample time after this battle to act.

A shrill cry got their attention back to the main front, and the front line was curious as to the sudden change in the attention of their opponents. To what they could see past the thick line of writhing bodies, alone Nightmare had come bounding over; its body was impaled by several arrows, making it wobble as it tried to desperately press on. Once its call had been heard, a harmonious shriek rang out, followed by creatures splintering off from the main group. It was a foolish move, however. With the reduced numbers it became easy for them to break through the thinned herd. With speed and precision, they punched a hole in the defence, littering broken shards of carapace everywhere as they went.

* * *

The surprise attack from the West had not gone as well as the westerners would have liked, but it had the desired effect, even if the impact had been reduced. Some scouts had remained hidden around the fringes of the stone wall. Their presence only became known when they had broken cover to warn those already fighting. Arrows had rained down to try and prevent their escape, but one had managed to avoid being hit fatally. Now they had become harder pressed than they would have been originally, but the heat had been taken from the larger front.

Steel met magic as they altered their position into a defensive stance, cutting them down with projectiles from the sheltered archers and mages. As soon as the East had broken through, they changed tactics again, sweeping the Nightmares off their feet and shattering them down. Around the complex, the remaining number of creatures was starting to become few, so Amnur seized the opportunity to investigate the crystalline towers alone.

He turned his body invisible. While it wouldn't stop one of the creatures from seeing him, it would stop anyone else from becoming aware of his presence. From this side they appeared to have no openings, so he carefully squeezed himself between the gap created by the northernmost edge of the spires and the stone wall. Three entranceways became evident as he reached the opposite side, as well as the varied shapes of the eastern army. Amnur scowled at the figures and opted to enter the closest entrance, feeling an abnormal ripple of energy as he passed through. A brief glance down revealed that his invisibility spell had been forcefully removed.

With a choice selection of words, he quickly turned around but found the entranceway to be obscured. Either something had just sealed him in here, or there was some spell active to mask the inside of the spire to the outside world.

A noise grabbed his attention back to the opposite side of the room he was stood in. A long snake-like creature was sat watching something, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Carefully, he grabbed his blade and crept forward. The object of the creature's interest soon became visible; a rift hung in the room, distorting the air and aether around it. As Amnur came closer, the creature regarded him casually. It beckoned him to examine it, touch it. Against his better judgment, he stretched out his hand, feeling the edge of the intertwined aether between his fingers. The aether was distorted, but it didn't feel unnatural to him. He could feel an undercurrent of something much more corrupted writhing in the tangled mass, however.

Moving his hand around revealed a minute opening, a window into the Nether Plane. Amnur gazed at it for a moment; considering the creatures that emerged from the plane. The plane itself was notably beautiful. With the excessive amounts of mana that existed there, most of the scenery had been greatly distorted with almost a twisted grace. Rich colours filled the atmosphere, and the ground was a lush green, covered in plants of greatly varied size and composition.

A low whine from the creature snapped his attention back, making him pull his hand clear of the rift. It pushed past him and proceeded to wind up a staircase that lie hidden against the wall of the spire, occasionally pausing to look back at him. The demon took the hint and followed it up, observing the light as it shone on the many faces of the crystalline structure.

At the top sat a pillar with a glass orb in a sunken basin. The surface pulsed with a sickly pink light, spreading energy into the crystal tower. Amnur noticed that the pulsing mana didn't affect him as he passed by; its path had already been predetermined, ignoring any interference that it came in contact with. The creature hovered its arms over the surface of the orb, narrowly avoiding direct contact with the object.

"You can't touch it?" Amnur enquired, unsure if the strange creature could even understand his words. It gazed at him for a moment, before placing both of its clawed hands down on the orb, shrieking in pain as mana surged into its body. A defence mechanism that had been sealed to the ball, but was it designed to specifically stop these creatures from touching it? He was unsure, but judging from the wounded look the creature gave him afterwards, it was not too keen on not interacting with it again.

Gripping his blade hilt tightly, he raised it level to the orb and blessed it with flame. It would give him a few seconds warning if the orb tried to rally a defence against him and help to melt through the glass.

As he was about to strike, the ground shook violently below him, followed by a resounding crash, knocking him off his feet. Amnur spun around to find a gaping hole in the wall behind him, and a monstrous creature stood in the wreckage. Reinforcements had arrived through the rift below, pouring out into the walled courtyard below to the surprise of those outside.

Picking himself up off the floor, he steadied his balance and debated how to proceed. The creature that had emerged was not a type he had seen before, it resembled a wyvern to what he could see. One with the ability to fly posed a notable danger, not only those currently present but also to those further afield, lacking enough defences to deal with something of that scale. If he could stop the influence of chaos magic over the creatures, the impact would affect all of them, though, not just one individual.

He poised himself, taking a deep breath before pressing the blazing blade into the glass. It hissed angrily but offered no resistance, shooting off multi-coloured sparks as the blade dug deeper, leaving a molten trail of twisted glass in its wake. Before Amnur reached the other side, the orb cracked and the colour drained from inside its shell. Too much damage had been sustained by the container for the spell binding the mana to the orb to continue, causing the container to crack as the mana dissipated.

"Next tower, second orb," the creature gasped. It sounded strained and hoarse, so much so it startled Amnur. He stared at the snake-like Nightmare for a few seconds before following its beckoning. Part of the wall was rippling, another false wall mirage created to keep passages hidden. It appeared to directly connect to the same room in another tower. They appeared identical, even down to the now gaping hole in the wall. A brief glance outside indicated that he was in a different location, however. From the height he was at he could still easily spot Kaiser, as well as the lighter colour of some angels.

The creature gestured to the orb and slithered over to watch the events unfolding outside. Without visible eyes, Amnur found it difficult to judge its emotions if it even had similar emotions. He walked up to the orb, inspecting it over, but spotted nothing different to the first orb he had encountered. Once more he dug the flaming sword into the glass, eventually causing it to fade and crack.

"The final link is that mage, residing in the central spire," the creature spoke, its voice was far softer and formed this time around. "You wonder why I am now able to speak," it cocked its head, in response to Amnur's rather questioning expression.

"I would put it down to that magic restricting your function, but being able to manage conversation at all is a surprise," he responded. Nothing in the book he had read indicated any sentient creatures, it raised interesting prospects and dangerous realities. Addling their minds to the extent where they could no longer function themselves would likely weaken their strength greatly. Someone could not correctly control a being if they did not how to know effectively. Considering the size and power some of these creatures had already shown, to think they could be holding back was worrying at the very least.

"How come you're less addled than the others?" Amnur enquired. The difference was bothering him. Those below just appeared as mindless drones compared to the creature in front of him.

"The element of chaos is not unnatural to our home, but in this excess, it damages everything, even ones that specialise in it," it mused, demonstrating some basic magic by manipulating a part of the crystalline wall into a strange, distorted shape. Amnur noted the change with interest, one of the texts he had rescued from being destroyed by the Magi Council went into detail about the balance of elements and the importance of chaos within a stable aether. Such a theory was not well received by the Council, chaos was difficult to control and dangerous, yet the disruption of order is required to stop stagnation. Stagnant energy can prove just as fatal as overly fluid energy, finding a suitable level between the two was an understudied field of aether research.

"You lack eyes, but have you seen a young female by any chance?" he said, turning the topic of conversation. Amnur's voice was tense, unsure what response he was going to get. It turned to face him, aware of the change of tone and began slowly sliding towards his position.

"The one that lacks mana. She is a hard one to see, but I know to whom you refer," the creature paused. Amnur gasped at what it had said, but the Nightmare merely shook its head. "I hear her screams daily, they are getting quieter, weaker," it spoke, the strange voice was tinged with sadness. With a swift movement, it found its head being hoisted up. Although it could not strictly see Amnur's expression, the change in mana flowing around his face told him enough about his emotions. "She is in the main spire, but that one is not so easy to enter."

"Then show me how to enter," Amnur growled, dropping the creature, a move it quickly recovered from with little ill effects.

### Chapter 17: Advancing Forwards

Once the initial waves had been cleared from the courtyard, the second phase of the plan was put into motion. The selected few began to make their way towards the spires; Sebastian had taken Solomon with him, and Uriel had selected Gabriel and later Arariel at Solomon's request. With the stragglers being swiftly dealt with, the distance was simple to travel. Not many Nightmares would be able to give them much trouble if one did try to stop them. Such minuscule forces remained of the opponent, it almost seemed too good to be true.

The fact remained that the main target was that mage; any subsequent arrivals of enemy forces would be hindered by removing their controller. Arariel was rather discomforted by the whole thing, although he wasn't voicing his opinion on it. They had an encounter with the mage previously, one that had left him injured or even dead if Solomon didn't pull him clear. The demon later told him that seeing through the enchantment, or close enough to that they had on them was an unusual thing. Normal mages can't see into that plane, but this was no normal mage they were dealing with, that fact had been made obvious several times already.

He let out a long sigh, he was still wary about Solomon's plan as well. Necromancy was nowhere near his forte, he barely knew anything about it if he was honest with himself. Not much literature existed on the subject, what did was generally owned by those who could utilise the element.

"Having doubts?" Solomon enquired in a hushed voice, barely loud enough for the angel to hear. It took Arariel by surprise, causing him to flinch, before relaxing his body.

"It's a bit late to act on them either way."

He forced a slight smile, trying to divert the demon's attention away from him. Uriel was still unaware of what Solomon had suggested, and he would never agree to such a thing. The fact that Arariel had could cost him his life, or worse.

"They are aware that we're going to be attacked the second we enter, right?" the angel whispered, but he was greeted only by a shrug. Now the entrance loomed in front of them, he felt tenser than ever before. The aether collected at the top of the tower writhed in a distorted mess. Last time they had encountered the mage, he didn't remember such a sickening mass of aether. Solomon too had picked up on the same fact, he stared at the tower for a moment before breaking his attention away.

Before the demon could speak up, the northern tower erupted outwards. Shards of crystal flew into the air as a massive creature emerged, spreading its wings wide into the still air. A deep-throated chuckle filled the area as it turned around, scouring the field for prey. The gaze turned towards the two mages; they both froze on the spot, moving would only make their position more pronounced. Uriel scowled at the creature, as it was a duplicate of the one that he had fought against previously. At ground level, he was unsure how advised it would be to engage with it, the angel had taken a bad enough hit in the air.

A well-aimed boulder cracked against the creature's head during the silence, diverting its attention to its assailant.

"Hey ugly, pick on something your own size!" Kaiser bellowed, launching another rock towards the oversized monster. After the second impact, the Nightmare decided it was time to silence its attacker. It launched itself into the air, nearly knocking down those stood below the creature.

"Speak for yourself," Uriel mumbled under his breath. Gabriel smirked at the remark and just shook his head. The angel's opinion on the massive demon was seldom positive, his strange appearance was one thing that was highly criticised. Not many angels were keen on him. His brutish appearance embodied everything the demons were known for, savagery, aggression and a rather unappealing physique.

"Let's not wait around," Sebastian spoke up, patting Solomon on the back as he passed by the mage. He cringed at the sudden touch, but soon let out a sigh of relief on seeing the King. For a second during the relative silence, he was wary that one of those creatures had managed to sneak around them, but it hadn't occurred. Solomon shook his head to clear his mind, jogging after Sebastian to catch his attention.

"Can I have a quick word with you?" the young mage enquired, tugging on the demon's arm in an attempt to get him to stop. Sebastian paused for a second to regard him, before smiling and running a gauntlet covered hand through his hair.

"I'm already well aware we're going to be attacked on entry, what I'm more wondering is what we're going to be attacked by," he responded, knowing full well what Solomon was going to warn him about, regardless if he had spoken it or not. The creature that had just burst forth from the other tower gave an indication of what lay inside. It would be a foolish move to leave the main entrance undefended or an incredibly arrogant one. With the arrival of the second wave of Nightmares, the mage had begun to realise just what he faced, or so the King believed. Never before had the three races joined in an alliance against an opponent, no such threat had ever existed previously. He had evidently wagered on the races to continue to bicker between themselves, leaving his intended target wide open, whatever that may be.

Solomon relaxed down at the words, glad that they weren't walking in blind. He had noticed Uriel taking heed of what had been said, adjusting his blade into a readied position. Noises of battle hung in the air around them, keeping their nerves on edge as they marched towards the opening.

When they reached their destination, they took a cautious glance around, checking for any enemies that had broken free from the main lines. The immediate area was empty, almost too empty for their liking. While it was possible the Nightmares had just been well occupied, surely there would be at least one to greet them before being promptly cut down. Sebastian grabbed his blades and entered the spire, taking a deep breath as his eye line worked from the floor up to what appeared to be the peak. Nothing appeared out of place, but he hadn't observed the interior before to make a proper judgement. He gestured for them to follow, which they did promptly.

"Not the widest arena," Uriel remarked in a hushed voice, trying to keep their presence quiet if by some stretch of the imagination the mage wasn't aware of their arrival. Sebastian cocked his head upwards, noting what the angel had commented on. The spire narrowed towards the peak. It was logical really, but it was going to be an inconvenience with five of them up there. More so without knowing the chaos mage's capabilities, he could easily wound them all at once if they had little room to dodge without overlapping with one another.

"We should split up and take him from both sides," the angel added, gesturing to a set of spiral staircases on either side of the room. Sebastian nodded and directed Solomon to the right-hand side, to which Uriel took as a cue to utilise the left-hand side.

They carefully continued on, maintaining a defensive stance as they climbed the too conveniently placed staircase. As the top of the first floor became visible, Solomon started to feel wary. Something wasn't right, but he was having a hard time pinpointing the issue. Compared to the time he had visited with Arariel to now, there was a very slight difference between the two. He examined the area, hoping to pick up the alteration that was bothering him. His attention was directed to the top of the staircase, the top stair misaligned with the platform ever so slightly and it bore a crack, a fresh one to the look of it. As they reached the top, he paced other to the opposite side and observed a similar phenomenon on that side, as if the platform had been shifted from the original location. Arariel walked over the demon mage, wondering what was bothering him.

"Something's just not right here," he spoke, gazing over to watch as the leaders started up the next set of staircases, once they were satisfied that there was no rogue mage on this layer.

"That crack on the stairs and something about the wall just irks me," Arariel commented, causing both of them to warily eye the crystalline structure.

"So glad you could join me here today," Maelor announced from above them, causing them to violently flinch. Judging by the reaction of Uriel, Gabriel and Sebastian above them, it was obvious exactly who had spoken those words. "I don't appreciate you bringing your own mages, however," the mage continued, his voice lavished with spite as he spoke. On cue, the floor the two mages were stood on shattered and collapsed, leaving them in mid-air. Solomon snapped out of the shock of having the floor beneath his feet disappear and grabbed Arariel by the arm, keeping them afloat with fast, powerful flaps of his wings. The angel hadn't quite managed the same yet. "You didn't think that was all, did you?" he enquired, watching as Arariel collected himself and managed to fly without the demon's aid.

"Solomon, Arariel, behind you!" Sebastian bellowed at them, watching as a massive, two-headed serpentine form began to reveal behind them, heads posed ready to strike. Solomon closed his wings tight to his body and let himself drop, digging his fingers of one arm into the skin of the other. With the blood that ran to the surface, the demon threw a sharp bolt made from the dark liquid at the second head. It distracted it long enough for Arariel to move clear of the oncoming attack. The first head, however, continued to launch forward, only narrowly missing the demon as he dropped through the air. The distance between what was the first platform and the base of the tower was minimal, he only managed to slow his fall enough to stop him painfully crashing into the shards below. The blow was still enough to wind him, however. Uriel tried to descend back down the staircase, only to be met with an invisible barrier.

"You can't help them," he mocked, earning a scowl from the angel. Uriel glanced over to Sebastian and nodded; the only way to gain access to the lower levels again would be to defeat the one that stood before them.

"They can handle themselves, they're not Court Mages for no reason," Gabriel spoke up in defiance. While he was concerned for Arariel's well-being, allowing their opponent to rile them up was unadvised. The response he received was satisfying. Seeing the mage's confidence deflate, even slightly, was a minor victory. He decided to seize the moment and gripped his blade tight, speeding forward with a deadly charge. Sebastian was not one to wait on ceremony and followed suit, aiming towards the mage's neck.

Meanwhile, Arariel had rushed to Solomon's aid, trying to get the demon back on his feet before the Nightmare lined up a second attack.

"Come on, let's go," he shouted, gripping Solomon by the arm and putting all his strength into lifting him up. The difference in height made it troublesome, but he managed to heave him up enough to get him back on his feet. They needed to get the beast away from the tower to allow them sizeable room to fight. It appeared entirely focused on them which made the task easier. As the two made for the exit, the creature patiently followed behind, enjoying their attempt to run. "Is it time for your plan?" Arariel hastily enquired, sneaking a glance behind them.

"Don't think there's going to be any better time," Solomon replied, turning to face the creature now they were clear and out in the open. The angel stopped next to him, cowering at the towering beast in front of them. Even with his proposed idea, could they really take such a thing? Somehow he even doubted that Kaiser would manage to wrestle down this one if he wasn't already busy with the other giant.

"This may hurt, really I have no idea," he admitted, breaking Arariel away from his thoughts. Potential pain wasn't something that had been discussed, but given the suggestion, it was foolish to believe it would be a painless procedure. He would be utilising his magic to essentially absorb the angel's body into his own, merging their individual strengths. It was promised that Arariel would preserve his body once the battle was over, with minimal damage, assuming they weren't injured too badly. Doubts were rising again as to the foolishness of him to agree to such a thing. Solomon had even stated that he had never undergone such a transformation previously. Yet facing down the monster in front of them, if they tried to stand separately both of them would surely perish.

"Just make sure this damned thing dies," Arariel huffed, finally residing himself to the fact it was too late to back out of their agreement. He felt Solomon place a hand on his neck. The demon's palm was warmer than expected, but the fact he wasn't sketching any runes was strange.

"I might have already have done that half," he spoke in reply to his confusion. Since the confrontation was inevitable, the mage had already taken the opportunity to prepare the necessary steps one of the nights the angel had been sleeping. Taking a deep breath, Solomon wrapped his wings around Arariel before starting a low chant. A dark mist began to envelop them, shrouding them from view. The mana encrusted display attracted the Nightmare closer, its body forming a wide loop around them, the dual heads pressing their snouts towards the edge of the shroud.

A flickering pitch black line formed across one head and a wavering bright white light formed on the other, before erupting out in a spectacular fashion. Its fascination was exchanged for excruciating pain, causing it to violently jerk back and scream. The cloaking shroud lifted, revealing a figure clad in flowing dark silk with an eloquent silver pattern work. Beneath the robes four wings protruded, the top set was sharp and fearsome with a faded crimson, tattered membrane spread across the frame. The bottom set bore the regal elegance that came with the pure white feathers of an angel, glowing in the cold sun as the being stretched them out. His face was obscured by a hood, letting off an eerie presence.

"This wasn't what I expected," Solomon spoke, "I question what dubious things my father used to do now." He flexed his altered form, examining the cruel sharpness that had become his fingers.

"Are you complaining?" Arariel's voice spoke up in his mind, giving him the reassurance that the angel had survived the spell.

"Oh no, this is much more preferable to some grotesque beast," he replied with a grin, directing his attention back to their follower. It was glaring at them, letting off a faint hiss, wary of entering close quarters after the last incident. The scales lining its body flared upwards, revealing a flickering blue flame hidden underneath. "I don't think it likes us."

He observed the cool hue of the flame as it erupted out. The demon knew that it was anything but cold, however. It would be well advised to avoid being engulfed by it. Lifting himself off the ground, he clasped his hands together and then slowly separated them, producing an elongated, twisted spear of blood. He grasped it in one hand, scouting for a vulnerable location to hit, but no crystals obviously protruded from the surface.

"There were two crystal lines on each head, but they're not obvious now," Arariel spoke up, "I haven't seen anything else, though, so far." Solomon gazed at the heads, following the pattern of blue light reflecting off the beast's obsidian hide. It was distorted around what appeared to be a raised area, but it was as dark in hue as its body. Without any other obvious spots, it was the best he was going to manage for a meaningful hit. He dived in close, dodging a ream of flame that the creature spat towards him as he approached. As he tried to aim a shot, it sprinted away, well aware what the demon was attempting. With a scowl he flapped his wings to follow the heads as they circled around him, occasionally jerking the heads up and down to throw his shot off.

After a few circuits, Solomon got fed up and threw the bolt forwards, taking a deep breath as the Nightmare let out a furious shriek as the bolt sliced through one of its heads. He had little time to rest as the tail of the creature wrapped around his chest, pulling his body into a tight crush as it swiftly surrounded him within its coiled body. The air was being squeezed from his lungs while the searing heat from its scaled body tore at his flesh. His mind screamed with pain, but his body was unable to carry out the same message.

"Solomon!" the angel cried out in his mind, his senses equally wracked with the pain the demon was experiencing. Solomon replied breathlessly, feeling the heated coils press tighter. He pressed his palms against the creature's hide, cringing as the skin singed in the agonising heat. Clearing his mind, he channelled energy to the outer edge of his body, a combination of the necrotic energy let off by his own dying flesh and the mana within his bloodstream. Darkness crept out over the pitch black scales, before impaling deep inside. Once the magic had penetrated thoroughly, it exploded out, forcing the coils surrounding Solomon to retract violently, releasing him.

He took a desperate breath, collapsing on the floor as he gasped in the cool air. His body ached intolerably from the built-up pressure and heat, the smell of burnt skin stung his nostrils. With a cursory gaze up, the demon could see the Nightmare was still alive, although it was highly disorientated and weakened. The blue flames had disappeared also. In his current state, he would not stand a chance, but his mana reserves were still in plentiful supply.

Heaving himself up to his knees, Solomon steadied his breathing and examined his wounds. The presence of blood in his mouth hinted at internal injuries, not that it would surprise him given the attack. Blood magic could repair those injuries, but it would be an exhausting task without the other areas that needing healing. Burns were a difficult thing to mend, and bones were beyond his ability so far if any were broken.

Placing one hand on his chest and the other above his stomach, he dug his fingers into his body. Arariel watched from his subconscious in shocked silence, the ability to push on despite the agony he could feel the being was experiencing amazed the angel.

"My palms are too burnt to direct mana through them, my fingers, however, are not," Solomon gasped, answering a question that had yet to be asked. He took a deep breath, allowing the energy to flow steadily from the tips of his fingers. Some of the pain began to ease, restoring part of his broken concentration, enough to finish off the creature or so he hoped. Once he was satisfied with the state of his body, the demon retracted his fingers, leaving a pattern of holes.

"You sure about this?" Arariel enquired, seeing Solomon resume his panting after healing himself. With a nod, he steadied his body, locking his gaze on the Nightmare. It swayed in the breeze, unwilling to move after sustaining such an injury. He felt around inside the robe, retrieving the angel's daggers. It took some effort for him to walk forward, but none the less he managed to press on. Even when he was close, the creature made no attempt to attack, not that Solomon was going to complain at the lack of a fight.

A swift movement of his arm sent the daggers veering towards the broken black scales, while Arariel whispered inside his mind. The demon could not make out the words, but feeling mana funnel once again back through his arms informed him of the intent. Bright chains of pure light expanded out from the ends of the dagger hilts, joining the blades together before a single chain constructed itself towards Solomon, wrapping around his right hand when it arrived. As the blades connected, the Nightmare achingly turned its heads towards them, a look of resignation on the two faces.

"Has it lost its will to fight?" Solomon murmured as Arariel continued his spell, evidently not willing to take any chances regarding the beast. Even if it no longer had the will, it didn't mean that it was safe to leave it alive. Given its grievous wounds, it would soon die either way. Perhaps it merely didn't wish to suffer until the end.

A mental nudge indicated that the angel had finished his preparations, now he simply had to activate the spell. He placed his other hand on the chain and forced the energy back down the chains, towards the blades. Once it arrived, it spread out equally along the chains and exploded a series of holes in the shell of the creature. The damage proved too much. It went stiff before finally disintegrating into tiny shards, raining down onto the battlefield below. Solomon went to retrieve the blades, cringing at every step he took, but it didn't stop the demon from grinning.

"That wasn't too bad, was it?" he boasted, the pride of having defeated such a thing guiding his footsteps. Arariel just shook his head and smiled, as much as one could due to the arrangement.

A loud grunt of pain attracted their attention from the broken mess on the floor, turning towards the direction the sound had been emitted. It revealed that Kaiser was having issues with the giant he had decided to wrestle; it had clamped down on his left shoulder and regardless of the crushing force the demon was exerting on its head with his other hand, the Nightmare had no intentions of letting go. No one was rushing to aid him, the other demons in the area were busy with their own fights and any angel that freed up just tossed a look upward, without making any attempt to help. During the fight with the serpentine creature, Solomon hadn't realised just how much he had moved towards the front line, too much more and they could have had accidentally dropped it on top of them. That would have caused a fair few casualties, more than just the demon's skin.

"That's the best I can do for now, sorry," Arariel suddenly spoke up, ripping his attention back from the battle unfolding in front of him.

"What do you mean; we're still not done here!" Solomon replied angrily. To think he would back out now irked him, he expected more from the angel.

"Y-your hands, didn't you feel anything?" he stuttered on hearing the demon, causing Solomon to gaze down towards his palms. The charred skin had been healed up, although the fresh skin was uneven and a bit raw, it was certainly an improvement to its previous state. Solomon bit his tongue, annoyed at his own baseless outburst. "Don't worry about it, it's understandable that you're a bit on edge," Arariel spoke softly, seeing his regret.

"I still shouldn't have snapped at you, though," the demon sighed, slipping a small smile at the softness of the angel's voice. "Shall we?"

"What was your plan?"

From the angle they were at they could see that the creature had enough weak spots for them to attack.

"I was thinking of severing the neck clean off. If nothing else, it should give Kaiser some respite." Having watched the angel's attack on the serpentine Nightmare, it appeared to suffer as much from taking another massive hit as having half of its body severed. He wondered if simply causing a massive disturbance of the beast's mana was enough to fatally injure one. It was an easy enough theory to test out either way. Arariel was happy with the idea, or he made no effort to suggest anything otherwise.

The demon paused for a moment, allowing his vision to discern where the body of the creature stopped and Kaiser's arm started, it was going to be difficult to hit one without clipping the other. Even with the larger demon's thickened skin, he didn't want to risk injuring him with the high-powered attack. Solomon would have to hope that it would be possible for him to move Kaiser's arm slightly out of the way, without causing the Nightmare to bite deeper into his shoulder.

He took a breath, extending out his wings and flapping them a few times. The sharp movement of air stung his skin, but there were few choices on how he could reach the creature without flying, walking would probably no less painful either way. Forcefully, he launched himself into the air and ascended, gliding swiftly towards his target.

"Hey Kaiser, drop your arm a bit," Solomon called out, levelling ready to attack. Watching him fighting something so imposing emphasised the demon's gigantic height. Solomon only stood just over a third of his height in comparison. Kaiser shot a glance out sideways, before changing the angle of his besieged arm. It created a sizeable enough gap by shoving the Nightmare's neck into an arc, to which it hissed in displeasure but made no effort to let go. He seized the opportunity, forming a tangible scythe out of necrotic energy and charging forward.

Promptly, he hooked the blade under the creature's throat. He channelled more energy into the construct until it broke through the husk, rapidly expanding as it went. The creature panicked at the sudden damage, desperately trying to move away, only to find itself unable to shift. Kaiser's grip was too strong, and on seeing Solomon's plan, he had grasped the Nightmare's head to wrench it free from the body. After a final push, it separated cleanly from the body, which went crashing to the ground below. Silence had followed for a moment before the remnants crumpled in the demon's hands. Solomon breathed a sigh of relief, noticing Kaiser's continued gaze towards him.

"You haven't done anything dubious have you?" Kaiser enquired. His voice was tinged with worry. It was hard to blame him, considering just what his father dabbled in. No one wanted Solomon to turn out like he did, least of all those closest to him.

"Ethically questionable maybe, but trust me when I say Arariel's coming to no harm," Solomon smiled, although he was unsure if the angel was going to be entirely unfazed after that burn that had been endured. "He agreed to do this voluntarily as well," he added as the other demon began to look calmer, the words were reassuring evidently.

"Does Sebastian have any idea about this?" he paused, examining the wounds he had gained from the battle. "Though if I wasn't aware of it, I assume the answer to that question is no."

"You're correct on that, but I would prefer to keep it quiet until I can found a way to approach him about it."

He was well aware that he would react badly to the news. While Sebastian had eventually come to trust Solomon, he was far from keen about his abilities, to the extent of being incredibly wary. Even the slightest incident made the King uncomfortable, so on Dumon's advice, he kept quiet about the things he practised, not that he did ever dabble in anything truly dangerous. He hoped that Sebastian was aware and just decided to ignore it now as nothing bad had ever occurred, as opposed to burying the issue in blissful ignorance.

Kaiser paused for a moment and glanced back towards the young demon. His request was fair, hearing news like that from a secondary source would only incriminate Solomon unfairly. The King had been too cautious of a mage's abilities ever since he found out just what Amnur committed in his time as Court Mage. "Alright, I'll hold you to that," he responded, running a hand across his head. "Not sure it'd be so advised to let Arariel tell Uriel about it, however."

Solomon heard Arariel sigh. He hadn't let on how exactly he was going to deal with Uriel yet, if at all. "Weren't you with them, though? What happened?"

Observing the tower indicated no obvious signs of a heated battle, but the opaqueness of the crystalline structure stopped him from being able to see inside.

"It was a trap. That mage didn't want Arariel or me inside there to face him," Solomon admitted, gesturing down to a distance pile of shards. "He had a massive serpent-like Nightmare lay against the inside of the tower and either it cloaked itself, or he managed to do so. When it revealed itself, the bottom floor was shattered leaving Sebastian and the others above while we fled the tower to get the room needed to fight it in."

The massive demon scowled. If there was such a creature hidden within the tower, then he dreaded to think just what else might be inside, or just what was occurring.

"We need to help them," Kaiser growled, Solomon agreed to his words and altered his direction to face back towards the tower. They headed off in silence. The sounds of battle were still present around them, but it was slowly becoming quieter as the remaining Nightmares were being eradicated. Solomon flew behind Kaiser's strong pace, noticing an issue. He knew his body could easily surpass the speed he was travelling, yet for whatever reason, it wouldn't respond to the request.

"Hey Arariel, is everything alright? This body is starting to feel notably restricted," he queried to the angel's subconscious. Now that the adrenaline from the first battle had waned, the raw pain from the burns had become so much more prominent. He just had to overcome it, however. Solomon had noticed that Arariel had reacted to the pain he experienced, was it simultaneously straining his body? If it were the case, why hadn't he commented on anything?

"Just continue towards the tower, I'm fine," Arariel replied, his voice wavered slightly as he spoke. "It'll be over soon, we can rest then."

"No, we'll stop here," Solomon spoke up after a moment's pause, stopping dead in the air and then flying down to land. While it was true the battle was nearly over, there was no point in forcing themselves to the brink of death. They were nowhere near full strength for a second battle. "Kaiser, continue on. I need to take my leave here," he shouted to the marching demon, which slowed for a moment before picking up the pace once more.

"What are you doing? They need our help!"

"We're more use to them alive than dead."

He kneeled down on the ground below and focused his mind. With a few hasty movements of his arms, he scratched symbols into the ground and then placed one palm firmly on top. Then with the other arm, Solomon carefully placed it against his chest, gripping the edge of his skin with the tips of his fingers. A few moments passed, Arariel was staying silent as he watched what the demon was doing. It was obvious, it was time for their bodies to be split. However he intended to do that.

Darkness surrounded them as the demon began chanting. Arariel soon found himself feeling an extraordinarily strong sensation of being pulled, almost as if he was being ripped from Solomon's body. Despite the overwhelming discomfort, it was painless, much to his surprise.

The feeling became more and more intense until everything went blank and silent, seconds passed before he felt the cool sting of the wind on his face and gasped for breath. He opened his eyes and cringed, the light was overly bright to him, painfully so. It appeared to be a side-effect to the transformation, but hopefully a short-lived one. Shifting himself from the hunched over position he had adopted on the ground, he examined his body. His white robes were singed and tattered, but the skin underneath was uninjured and in perfect condition in contrast.

With a sudden surge of panic, he turned around to see Solomon collapsed on the floor. The demon's skin bore all the burns that had been endured earlier. On ending the spell, he absorbed all the damage to stop Arariel coming out injured.

"Hey, don't die on me you," Arariel cried out, crawling over and pressing his fingers against the demon's neck to feel for a pulse. For a moment he felt nothing, so he dug in harder and eventually found it, but it was weak. He stared at his damaged friend, unsure where even to start attempting to mend the multitude of wounds.

Solomon groaned and blearily gazed towards him with a strained smile, watching as Arariel breathed a sigh of relief. He softly stroked the lengths of hair that had fallen over the demon's face away and slipping them over by his horns.

"I'm not going to die, don't worry. I have tricks up my sleeve to stop that," he replied weakly, enjoying the coolness of the ground against his skin. "I am a Necromancer, after all, remember."

"Not sure if I want to know the exact details, but with you, I trust that it's not morally wrong."

To what he knew of the art creating a body double needed a live host, otherwise, the spell dissipated. Due to the lack of amiable Necromancers in the past, it was possible that the information that the angel had read was wrong. Not all mages are so willing to give up their secrets to written literature, available to all the prying eyes that may wish to harm them.

"So, what now?"

Solomon wasn't exactly in a state to go anywhere, but he couldn't leave him out here by himself, the demon was entirely defenceless.

"Up to you, I just had to end that spell as it was draining your life force," Solomon replied, throwing a weary glance back towards the spire. "Although it might be worth moving up to just outside there, just in case any of them inside need healing afterwards."

Arariel let out a sigh, fidgeting his fingers for a moment while he considered a plan.

"This might be uncomfortable," he spoke as he slipped one arm underneath the demon's side and the other under his legs, slowly lifting his body towards his chest. Taking a deep breath he stood up, hoisting Solomon up level with him. "Your wings make this awkward, without the weight as well."

The height difference also aquatinted to a weight difference and considering the angel wasn't overly strong, it was notable. Still, he had to continue, the distance wasn't too far...

### Chapter 18: Maelor

The cool edge of the crystal surface made for a painful collision target as Maelor effortlessly repelled Gabriel and Sebastian's attacks, laughing at their pitiful attempt.

"You're going to need to do better than that," he mocked, casually manipulating a ball of pink magic between his hands. Uriel huffed and made a small gesture towards Sebastian, before turning his attention towards the mage.

"You know you had other options than seeking your revenge this way, right Maelor?" the angel spoke up. The mention of the mage's name caused him to freeze stiff, stuttering to come up with a response.

"How do you-"

"Know your name? I enjoy doing my research as to the current pawns in play," Uriel teased, cutting off Maelor's attempt at a reply. "Is that not strength, to know your opponents?" he grinned, enjoying the sudden discomfort that had overwhelmed the human. Prying the Magi Council further had paid off, once he had found someone more amicable to deal with. They had been reluctant of course, admitting blame for this incident was not something they were keen on, nor were they willing to give useful information. Sebastian nodded at the angel's efforts and silently readied himself from a distance, taking a deep breath. Carefully he placed one foot in front of the other, edging closer with blades drawn.

"What do you intend to gain from this foolish endeavour, vengeance?" Uriel pressed on, keeping him distracted for the demon creeping in behind.

Before the mage had time to spit out a reply, the Demon King lunged forward and dug one blade deep into his side with the other coming wildly towards his neck. The sudden excruciating pain shocked him, but his swiftly turning gaze caught the intention of the second blade. With a blinding flash, Sebastian found himself launched off his feet, his swords blown wide as his body smacked against the ground.

"Damn it all!" Gabriel cussed, changing his stance to single handily wielding his blade to free up his left hand. He focused an electric current into his palm, causing the air to crackle. With a hasty gasp for breath, he leapt forward, grasping at Maelor. The mage glanced around and sighed, shaking his head.

"You didn't think that would work, did you?" he remarked, catching Gabriel in mid-air with pulsing tendrils, bounding the angel's hands tightly. Slowly the energy drained out of his arm, ceasing the charged crackling that surrounded his palm.

Uriel huffed. This was proving harder than expected. Taking hold of his blade, he launched himself into the air before changing his course to a dive. Injured or not, the angel's speed was impressive and deadly. Maelor raised an eyebrow, turning his head between the approaching Uriel and Gabriel.

He threw his arm wide, tossing Gabriel towards Uriel at such a high speed that neither of them could move out the way, causing them to collide in mid-air. The mage watched them for a moment, content that neither was able to get up immediately.

Now his attention turned back to Sebastian, who was still collapsed on the floor. Blood was evident around his body; the previous magic attack had hit him hard and pierced his armour.

"Is that all, King of Demons?" Maelor teased, nudging the demon's back with his foot. Sebastian growled, glaring at the man. He pushed against the floor with one arm, feeling a sharp pain radiate out from his right side. "Your blades aren't anywhere near you, you know," the mage added with some amusement, seeing him struggle.

"I don't need anything more than my hands to snap your pathetic little neck," Sebastian snapped back, now balancing on one knee. Maelor did lurch back at that remark, the sudden aggression in the King's voice spoke of his conviction. "Besides, that wound I gave you earlier is likely fatal."

He grinned. The mage's attire was notably red with blood, even if he was ignoring the seriousness of the injury.

"The difference between you and me is I can heal myself," Maelor huffed, placing one hand on his side. "But for now, I need to deal with you. Then I can take all the time I need."

He stood in front of Sebastian and stretched out his spare arm. The air around the demon's body started to swirl with an eerie purple light; when he tried to continue moving, he found himself bound to the spot. Spiking pain shot up his body as violet tendrils of flame wrapped around his limbs, winding itself around his whole body. "I would say goodbye, but I feel no sorrow in watching you die."

The spell constricted around Sebastian. He could feel the excruciating pain rack his lungs, heart and other organs. His body just wanted to throw up and collapse, but everything was impossible; the spell was even keeping him conscious during the ordeal. Maelor's smug expression stuck in his vision as he struggled for breath, Sebastian wished for nothing more than to wipe it off his face.

His vision started to fail, yet he defiantly kept his eyes open, refusing to give up, despite the impossible situation. A sudden yelp got his attention, followed by the release from the binding spell. Sebastian collapsed back to the floor, allowing the cool air to flood into his lungs. Staring upward, the sight he was greeted with was a shock. He had been expecting to see the golden-tinged blade of one of the angels, but instead, there were two protruding plain steel blades, dug straight through his heart and his side.

"What's with all the damned commotion?" Sakura growled, awkwardly balancing on Maelor's back, hands gripping the impaled blades tightly. Her weight was having an effect on the man. He started to collapse forward while she continued to hold on. With an elongated sigh, she leapt off, kicking him forward. Maelor's anger boiled over at the incident. He redirected the energy he had been using against Sebastian backwards, erupting out massive solid spikes. They sliced deep into the female's side and face, causing her body to go limp. A shadow descended behind her, trying to move her body away from the lethal spines.

"No, no, no, no!" Amnur shouted, placing his hands on the extensive wound. The wetness of blood covered his fingers, further deepening his despair. "You bastard!" he bellowed, lifting one hand up and clenching it tightly. The platform burst into flames in response, engulfing Maelor and only just narrowly missing the others.

"Amnur?" Sebastian gasped, dragging his body away from the flames. The demon simply ignored him. His mind was too preoccupied to bother.

Maelor spat a thick ream of blood as it emerged from his mouth, unable to utter a reply. It fell into the flames below, creating a column of steam amidst the smoke. He watched the steam rise before attempting to stumble forwards, managing only one step before collapsing. His lifeless body engulfed by the raging flames. Seeing him drop to the floor, Amnur clutched his daughter's body and stood up, rushing for the outside as quickly as possible.

The Demon King sat there for a moment, just watching the fire burn. That certainly wasn't one individual he ever expected to see again. All this time he had thought him dead, which was for the better. He shook his body, trying to drag his mind back to the current situation. Searing pain and notable wetness reminded him of his own wounds. A sideward gaze towards the other side of the platform revealed the angels piled on top of one another. He heaved himself up, wobbling for a moment. He strolled towards them, stopping to grab one of his blades that lay discarded along the way.

"You look like you need a hand," Sebastian teased. Uriel stared up and grunted, stretching out an arm. The demon grabbed it and tugged, lifting him free from his tangle with Gabriel. Once Uriel was up, Sebastian crouched down and put his arms under Gabriel's shoulders, heaving the angel up. Once on his feet, the angel groaned, before wordlessly thanking him.

"Needless to say, we should be getting out of here ourselves," Uriel spoke up, gesturing towards the fire. As he extended his arm, he noticed the blood on his hand. Black blood, from Sebastian. That was going to be hard to wash out later; demon blood was notorious for staining.

Sebastian agreed, pausing for a second as he considered the lack of stairs. "Are you going to be alright to fly down?"

"Do our wings appear broken to you?" Gabriel hissed, arching his wings in a display of anger. The demon raised an eyebrow, but he did notice Uriel's silence on the matter. The Angel Monarch simply shrugged, silently pacing over to the edge of the platform. Once at the edge, he dived off, slowing his ascent as he neared the ground with a few powerful flaps. Gabriel followed suit, making a point to glare at the demon before taking off, landing gracefully on the floor below. Sebastian shook his head; he suddenly became so aggressive when he perceived something as an insult.

As the demon finished gliding down, Uriel handed him a familiar blade. He gave the angel a slight bow, slotting the weapon back in place. They proceeded towards the exit, shooting one last look up towards the peak of the spire.

* * *

Amnur frantically ran, further and further, trying to find someone who could help. The Nightmares had been greatly thinned in number, with the remaining few panicking and trying to run from the surge of angels, demons and humans. It made running much easier, but it still didn't aid him at the second.

"Amnur, over here!" Ciel's voice echoed through the sounds of battle. He spun around towards the sound, seeing the Demon Prince heading towards him with Abel in tow. Amnur sprinted over to them, taking care not to jostle Sakura's body around too much.

"What's wrong with her?" Ciel enquired, attempting to examine her body, but the demon had his daughter pressed tight to his body.

"Nothing good. The stench of blood is potent," Abel replied, watching with trepidation as Amnur gently relaxed his arms, turning the gaping wound into view. Ciel recoiled at the sight, unable to give him a reply. He darted his eyes away, searching behind the demon. In the distance, there was an angel with a demon. Their Court Mages, he would have to hope.

"You need to get her to Solomon," Ciel urged, grabbing Amnur by the arm and yanking him towards the direction of the mages. Once the initial shock of the action had worn off, the fire mage resisted no more, following the lead he was being given. They ran for what felt like forever, closing the gap between them as fast as possible.

"Oi Solomon, you alright?" Ciel shouted as they approached, seeing the demon sat on the floor with Arariel fussing over him.

"Bit of a hassle dealing with an overgrown worm, nothing more," Solomon grinned. His smile was short lived when he saw his friend's expression, however. "It's not me you're concerned about is it?"

Before he could answer, Amnur crouched down next to the mages and showed them his charge. Arariel flinched at the action. It was the first time he had seen Amnur for himself, but he certainly knew his reputation. The drastic wounds on the demon's passenger told him that there was a more pressing issue right now. He wouldn't be his first priority or even any consideration at the moment.

"Solomon's really rather exhausted, but that wound is terrible..." Arariel spoke up. His own magic reserves had been drained in order to stabilise him, neither would be overly useful right now, but they had to do something.

"I'll do it, even if I just manage to heal enough to stop her dying," Solomon interrupted, giving the angel a pat on the back. He was simply concerned after all, but leaving someone to die when he still had enough strength to help was something the demon would not do. "I can't save all of her, though; some of that damage is already beyond repair."

"That's fine, just use some of that energy on helping her rather than running off your tongue," Amnur spat, softly lowering her body to the floor to allow Solomon access. Silently behind him, Ciel waved his hands to apologise for the man's behaviour. He shrugged it off and ran a hand along the wound. She had taken a significant hit, one which somehow had managed to miss the heart. Even with that fact, it would still prove fatal unless he could stop the bleeding.

Taking a deep breath, he focused his mind, extending his mana into her body. Methodically, Solomon patched up the regions causing the major blood loss, before turning his attention to the rest.

Midway through the second half of the process, the young mage suddenly passed out. Arariel dragged his limp body away and began to examine it, shaking his head in resignation.

"He's spent too much, he's entirely exhausted," the angel remarked. It wasn't a fatal state if treated correctly; it did, however, mean that he wasn't going to be waking up anytime soon. Amnur bit his lip, visibly the wound didn't appear a whole lot different to him, and Sakura's body was still wet with blood which only made him increasingly desperate.

"Do I hear horses?" Abel abruptly spoke up, earning a glare from Amnur. Unfazed, he simply gestured east. Ciel stared at the animals for a second. They were the usual mounts of humans, yet one of the riders was different from the others.

"Dumon, here!" Ciel yelled, waving his arms in the air. The horse broke off from the group, galloping towards them. As Dumon neared his mount reared up, only staying long enough to allow him to dismount before bolting.

"Really can't understand the human's attraction to those beasts," he sighed, dusting down his attire. "Now then, what do we have here?" Dumon kneeled down next to Amnur, leaning over the examine Sakura's wounds. As he scanned her body, he raised one hand and delicately ran it across the gouge, rubbing his fingers together once he had reached the end.

Pausing for a moment, he glimpsed over towards Arariel and notably Solomon. "The boy did a fine job, the wound is more or less dry," the demon said, reaching into his coat and pulling out a cloth pouch. As he unravelled the string keeping it shut, a set of sewing needles and thread became obvious, along with a bottle of fluid. Dumon inspected the needles and pulled out the shortest one before picking up the bottle and twisting the top off, dipping the tip of the needle in. "Could you ignite it?"

Amnur obliged, freeing up one hand and placing it underneath. Snapping his fingers, a flame burst to life and ignited the liquid, burning for a short period until it exhausted. The doctor shook the object to cool it down, threading a line of thread through once he was happy with the temperature. "These stitches will only be temporary, but they'll last long enough to get her proper treatment," he spoke as he started his work, neatly tying the skin up. "I'd like to do it fully myself, but I would need time and the correct medical supplies, to which we have neither," Dumon added, indicating towards the tower. It wouldn't be long until Uriel or Sebastian made an appearance. A confrontation with either of them would be disastrous right now, the simple fact they knew he was still alive was going to have enough consequences.

"They will be kept safe, do not worry," Abel responded, extending one is his elongated wings around Amnur.

"Always good to hear my old friend is being well looked after," Dumon replied, before silently returning to his work. When he had finished, he let out a sigh, packing away his tools. "Make sure she gets plenty of rest, give that injury plenty of time to heal."

The white-eyed demon sheltered Amnur as he stood up, obscuring most of his body from view. He ensured that they were tucked in close, turning his head towards Ciel.

"If you wish to contact us, you will know how," Abel spoke, giving the Prince a simple nod. After a pat on the mage's shoulder, they began to depart from the scene.

"Stop right there Amnur," Sebastian yelled, attracting the attention from the remaining demons. Abel ignored him, ushering his company to walk faster. Behind the Demon King stood Uriel and Gabriel, who were arguing over something in the angelic tongue. A sudden sharp knock from Uriel left Gabriel reeling, apparently defeated for now. Sebastian was undeterred by the angels' scrap and ran forward, determined to catch up to them regardless of his wounds. His march was cut short, finding himself being lifted off the ground.

"Not sure I'd advise that, you're injured enough yourself," Kaiser spoke as he pulled the demon towards him, holding him tightly enough to prevent any escape efforts. Sebastian raised an eyebrow, but he was simply greeted with a similar response. "Amnur's just nearly lost who I would assume to be his daughter, leave him be. If you try anything, he's just going to kill you."

"Well then, shall we wrap up this little war? The battle is just about won," Uriel interrupted, watching the two argue. Kaiser was pleased by the angel's change in topic, but his captive simply huffed, relaxing slightly in his grip. "You can settle your personal arguments at a later date," the angel spoke with a wry smile, gesturing in the opposite direction.

"...Fine, let us gather our soldiers," Sebastian agreed after a moment of reluctance. They deserved rest, and healing for any wounds they may have and the chance to reunite with their families. "Hey, place me up on your shoulder," he requested, touching the large demon's hand. Kaiser hoisted him up, balancing the man carefully.

Uriel stared for a moment, before walking towards Arariel, checking periodically to ensure Gabriel was trailing behind him. "Would it be possible for you to create some form of beacon?"

The mage turned his attention away from Solomon, who was now being seen to by Dumon. He blankly stared, before meekly nodding. After a short period of concentration, the angel launched a bolt of light into the air, watching as it exploded out to a beautiful white aurora, lighting up the gloomy sky. The scattered fighters gazed upwards at the spectacle; the angels reacted with delight upon seeing it, leaving the demons and humans slightly confused as to its meaning, aside from it being positive. Now Sebastian had an audience, he took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

"You have all fought valiantly and made your leaders proud, regardless of your race." His voice echoed across the field, gathering a few cheers. "Now the battle has come to its conclusion we can return home to enjoy some rest, knowing that we're safe in our beds for now."

From his vantage point, he could see what he assumed to be the Western forces listening to his words, slowly beginning to trickle away now he had stopped speaking. With a sigh, he turned his attention back downward. The West would have to wait again, at least not on a negative note for now.

"I assume I'll be hearing from you in the future?" Sebastian called down to Uriel below, who on hearing the question simply smiled and walked off, with Gabriel and a silently unwilling Arariel in tow. As they walked into the distance, angels ran and flew over to join them, eventually reforming their original ranks. They paused to briefly speak with Thardosean, departing once the discussion was finished.

"That'll be our cue to leave," Sebastian spoke as the angels disappeared from sight, balancing himself while Kaiser bent down to lift Dumon and Solomon off the ground. He offered the same to Ciel, but the demon politely declined, opting instead to walk alongside Drake who had now caught up. Demons began to crowd around them, their cheer being replaced with hints of sadness at the finale of the battle. They could see with their own eyes the wounds their allies had received. While the angels had suffered injuries as well, the feathered kin certainly ignored the fact. Sympathy for others wasn't something commonly practised by angels, letting wounds been known would simply create a teasing point for others to exploit.

Slowly the battlefield cleared away, leaving only the crystalline towers hanging in the still air, surrounded by the scattered shards left by the Nightmares. Sebastian stopped briefly to discuss matters with the Human King, reigniting the march back home once he has finished. There would be many celebrations they were all home safe and patched up, with not a strange creature in sight.

### Chapter 19: Plans for the Future

The following week passed without incident; the sightings of the creatures had since disappeared from the stream of news being passed from individual to individual. Celebration was widespread and filled with drink and rich food, but such enjoyment would be short-lived. Cold weather had continued to dominate, devastating what crops were being grown around the main isles. Farmers had done their best to salvage what useful parts remained, but it was still going to be a year of limited supply.

In lieu of this information becoming known, Sebastian had opted to ramp up the order of food from the South, at the cost of other needed materials. Demons could get past having to skimp on materials, but the race was no use if starved, or so was his reasoning. It was thought that the other races had agreed on similar contracts with their trading partners. Contact had been fairly limited, so their exact plans were vague.

So far all communications with the angels had been through Sariel; Uriel had been silent since then. Sebastian himself had been stretched between work and rest. If Dumon could have his way with him, he would wind up tied to a bed to allow his wound time to heal. Ciel was trying his best to force his father to allow him to help, but the Demon King was being stubborn. As long as he could move, he would deal with political issues. Entirely sheltering his son was not the intention, but Sebastian did wish for him to keep his freedom for as long as possible to enjoy his youth, something he was unable to do. It didn't appear to create any long-term tension between them, they had been spending more time just to have a family talk in the last few months, which was helping.

Today was fairly identical to other recent days, the unusually cool morning air nipped at those who were brave enough to venture out. Inside the castle was noisier than average with the buzz of voices. The current population had not greatly increased, but the inhabitants had become far more active. They tried to keep their volume down, else they got shouted at by the chamber guards, or sometimes even Dumon. The doctor had been inundated with patients, from minor injuries to grievous wounds. A few days on there were still several individuals resting within the wards beds, including Solomon. Other doctors and nurses had been called back to the capital to aid, most of them were understudies of Dumon at some point. It had helped him out greatly, so far no one had died from their wounds. Such news had been a relief, although the old demon was still worried about his charge. Solomon had yet to wake up, his vitals showed positive, but his strength would fade if he remained unconscious for too long.

Unfortunately for Dumon, without the mage, he was short of ideas on how to wake him up, short of exposing him to discomfort. Methods such as ice, water and rubbing spots that were generally irritating to demons. He had attempted a few, usually once a day, but it had shown no results. Kaiser had been trying to cheer him up while he was around, recovering from his own wounds.

With a long sigh, Dumon ran a hand through Solomon's hair, listening to his quiet breathing.

"Still no change?" Sebastian enquired from behind, with Ciel following him. The doctor shook his head, turning his gaze toward his new company. "I thought I'd check in first, before going to see what Sariel wanted."

"Uriel's still not responding?" he frowned. It was unusual, to say the least. Sebastian had informed him of the injuries the angel had sustained during the fight. While possibly painful it didn't come over substantial enough to keep him bedridden for days.

"Nothing direct, suppose I'll see how willing Sariel is to tell me anything."

"I think you'd have more luck getting blood from a stone, with their pride issues and all."

Sebastian laughed at the remark, before gripping at his chest. He still kept forgetting about the seriousness of that wound, even slight movements could cause it pain. So far he had managed to learn to walk in a way to keep it from aggravating. Everything else, however...

"Come back here afterwards. I'll check you over and change those wraps."

Dumon raised an eyebrow as he spoke, watching as Ciel just shrugged his shoulders. Resting was still evidently not the first thing on his mind. His son just had to make sure he didn't kill himself. Sebastian merely waved it off and smiled, departing the room as quietly as he had entered.

Shortly afterwards they arrived in the room that had been temporarily repurposed as a communication chamber, being greeted briefly by the one in charge of tending to it now Solomon was incapacitated. Ciel excused himself while the King sat down on the chair, placing one hand on the magically enchanted orb.

"Hm? Oh, there you are," Sariel's voice echoed through his mind. It sounded surprisingly calm and notably, not annoyed. He had to admit to himself that Sariel had been fairly amicable the whole week, which was a stark contrast to his normal behaviour, more so towards Iomor.

"Is everything alright there? I've yet to hear anything from Uriel directly," Sebastian questioned, listening to the angel pause. The lack of a quick response made him wary. Had something suddenly gone wrong? It wouldn't bode well for all of them if it were the case.

"That depends on who you ask. As far as other angels are concerned, he's just keeping to himself, scheming and plotting. In reality, Uriel's resting up with Arariel at his side." Sariel paused for breath, curious how the demon was going to react to his words. "He is fairly old you know, he doesn't recover as fast as he once did."

"...I am aware of that, yes. Still, knowing him, I would have expected him to be putting on a display of being perfectly fine."

He heard Sariel chuckle, before regaining his composure.

"Well, you can thank or blame Arariel for that, up to you. It's a little-known fact, but Uriel took the kid under his wing, giving him a stable home after his parents were killed. Due to that, he feels it's his duty to ensure our Monarch's health and well-being."

"Is there a reason you're telling me all of this? It's peculiar for an angel to be so frank with me and you of all people."

"Mhm... It's no secret that I'm no fan of your race, but I'll admit that I was impressed for the most part during that battle. As for why, Uriel didn't specifically say I couldn't say anything. That and I wanted to ask you a question," Sariel responded. Sebastian could hear the disturbance as the angel shuffled his position on the other side.

Sebastian took a moment to process what he had been told, bracing himself as to what could interest the angel enough to barter information for information. Before he could reply, however, Sariel had accepted the silence as permission to keep speaking.

"What do you see in Iomor? He's nothing short of a bastard, a point further proven by the information my sources furnished me with."

"What information would this be?" Sebastian queried. It was the first he had heard of anything, and it was worrying.

"I did notice the lack of women in your front line during that battle, which is supposedly his doing; a male-only force which answers exclusively to his whims."

"Shae leads that half of my army. She's essentially Iomor's counterpart, but where are you going with this?"

"There is more, yes. His methods are nothing short of abusive, I'm honestly surprised that you've not seen the effects of the hate he breeds. At least I treat my soldiers with respect, females included."

Sebastian fell silent. It was a serious accusation and by the sound of it, not a baseless one either. Judging by his tone, Sariel felt strongly about the issue, which was surprising by itself. He knew the two commanders were bitter enemies. Did it stem from the angel's distaste of his counterpart's methods? The two races hadn't been on speaking terms for a long time, telling him to dispose of Iomor would have been seen as preposterous.

"Let me put it to you this way; why would he need to force control over individuals loyal to you, if it weren't for some subversive purpose? Iomor cares only to serve the crown, not the head it sits on."

"I'll have to investigate these claims, but thank you for bringing it to my attention," Sebastian replied, uncomfortably leaning back in his seat.

"Just watch your back. Uriel may consider you an upstart and a bit outspoken, but he doesn't want you dead by any means."

With that statement, the magical link went silent. Sariel had evidently spoken everything he wanted to, leaving to prevent any further discussion. He had succeeded at making Sebastian doubt Iomor's innocence, but getting evidence to prove his claims was going to be a tricky matter. If the demon got wind of what Sebastian was investigating all he would do was hide his tactics more. Such abuse would leave visible wounds, which if they had been treated Dumon would know something.

* * *

Life had been bleak in the swamps since the battle ended. The weather had not become worse, but it also showed few signs of improving. Snow still lay scattered over the ground, piling up high against the trees that dotted the landscape. It was a daily battle to keep the ice that suffocated the lakes clear. So far the effect had not been too severe; the West often got cold winters, but that was during the winter months. A winter at the end of summer was going to be felt for a while. The fish which was the staple of the demons could survive the cooler temperatures, but its breeding cycle would be heavily disturbed. In the long term, it would regulate itself, for now, it would mean rationing food to prevent causing any damage with their greed.

The air was silent as always inside the log cabin that sat perched in the swamp, the dark tint of the wooden panelling was lit with the brightness of a magical flame. Books had been piled high on a small wooden table that sat on one side of the room. The set of drawers nearby also had tomes stacked upon it, along with a varied selection of magical artefacts. Up against the left-hand wall was a bed, by far the largest item present within the reasonably sized room, it could easily sleep two demons.

A creak from a door broke the silence, followed by a solemn sign as a robed figure entered, quietly shutting the door behind them. With the flick of the wrist, they retrieved a book en route to the bed before settling down on the edge, gently leaning over the blanket-covered mattress.

"Morning sweetheart," Amnur said, reaching over to softly stroke the side of Sakura's face. It was wrapped in bandages, covering the majority of the left side of her head. He waited for a response, but as it had been for the days following the incident, she was still sleeping. His expression sank; this was the longest she had ever been unconscious following injury. Normally she bounced back quickly, way before her body had a chance to rest. Keeping Sakura on bed rest when it was needed was a challenge in itself. The kid was just too curious and active for restrictive rest. Right now, Amnur would prefer having to bicker with her and doing everything possible to amuse his daughter as opposed to her current state, silent and seemingly lifeless, aside from the warm puffs of air from her breath and the pulse of her heart.

There was only one event previously that she had been unconscious for any notable amount of time, which happened several years ago back when her mother was still around. Although it hadn't been Amnur's fault, he was still wracked with guilt over it. It was his daughter after all, and he should have been there, much like he should have taken action sooner and prevented her current wounds.

As his mind wondered, tears streaked down the dark, jagged landscape of his face, falling onto the book he was clutching with his spare hand. The thought of losing everything to something out of his control again was too much to bear. He had scrapped together the will to carry on once, but a second time would be impossible.

"She won't die. I won't let it happen, Amnur," Abel spoke up in between his faint sobbing, causing the demon to flinch. "Your door wasn't locked. I did knock, but you didn't answer."

Amnur took a deep breath to calm his nerves, turning his head towards the surprise guest. He took a moment to mull on his words, his expression changing to more of a curious scowl, but a scowl no less. "You sound like you have a way of fixing this..."

"That is correct, but if I'm being honest, I hadn't mentioned it before because the process won't be pleasant for her."

"Unpleasant? Surely it wouldn't be any more unpleasant than death!" the mage growled, easing up a little as he watched Abel pace around the room. The demon was nervous to speak his mind, idly fiddling with his various feathered accessories.

"There is something unique about her that I can utilise, although her lack of mana is a hindrance with that, unfortunately."

"Unique how exactly?"

Abel turned away from the demon's curious yet stern expression. As much as he desired to lie to the man, he knew that such a thing was impossible. Not now he had grabbed his interest. Anything concerning his daughter he would sooner resort to violence than diplomacy, something which irked Sakura rather.

"Well..."

"Would this have anything to do with why her mother was abusive towards her?" Amnur cut off his sentence, causing him to stutter.

"...That would be my theory, yes. It's not a bloodline trait you would want so easily spread. Simply put, she regretted having a child."

"So she expresses her concern by trying to kill my daughter? Just what is this trait, Abel?"

"It is dangerous if it falls into the wrong hands, in other words; the North."

Amnur rubbed his chin. There weren't many demons that didn't know of the northern continent and its political dominance or the forceful control of neighbouring islands to be more correct. Its population consisted primarily of demons, the majority of which were considered to be old blood, which meant they possessed a formidable military. Even to members outside of their race, they were known as the betrayers for the actions they took just after the angels decided to split their societies. They simultaneously revolted against the other demons and the less remembered draconian race, taking slaves and slaughtering those that resisted.

Eventually, they conquered the snowy continent of the north, banishing the other races that inhabited it. Very few ended up making it out alive, staining the pure white snow with the crimson of angel and human blood. Since then, tensions with the North have been chronic, boiling over periodically and resulting in short term battles. In recent years it had calmed down, but for no good reason. The North had their eye on invading the Central Isles, a milestone in the journey to reach the southern continent. Their plans had been halted by the rise of Nathaniel, Sebastian's tyrant father. He was no ally of the North, and his vicious tactics left even them wary of approaching.

When he died for reasons still unknown, the angels used the opportunity to spread rumours that it was Sebastian himself who had murdered the King. If someone was capable of killing that tyrant in cold blood, then they weren't worth dealing with, unless they wished for copious amounts of bloodshed. It had the desired effect; the North had been quiet for a while.

"I'm not getting out of telling you exactly why, am I?" Abel let out a long sigh, Amnur was more knowledgeable about the demon politics than most, enough to know what the connotation about the North meant. "Just let me finish before you comment on anything, alright?"

Amnur shrugged, gesturing him to begin speaking.

"How do I put this simply without freaking you out. My bloodline is different than normal, something you might have been able to guess already," the demon spoke, pointing to the piercing white eyes he possessed. "My father was a demon, living as a shaman in a remote village, but my mother was a dragon. She was considered a nuisance by the village folk. They had food stolen, houses damaged, so on, so forth."

The demon mage eyes widened at the information, but he kept to his word and remained silent. Abel cracked a slight smile, gently catching his breath with small puffs. "Given the reports, my father decided to investigate, only to find a terrified creature, not the monster they made it out to be. She had been left an orphan at a young age by an attacker from the North. Thus she was unaware of how to care for herself, relying on the local village for food."

"That explains why you're so aware of the North," Amnur spoke up, his fiery eyes gazing towards his daughter. He felt as if Abel knew more than he was letting on, but possibly didn't want to accuse anyone without evidence. "I said I'd be quiet, though, so continue."

"To cut a long story short, he reached out to her and trained her. She repaid his kindness by saving his life when he fell gravely ill, but I could be here all night if I described every detail."

"So that means you're half dragon, but can you shift into a draconic form?" he mused, going silent as his mind thought over his statement. "Can Na-ri?"

"Yes, we both can," Abel chuckled, a feeling of warmth embracing him as he viewed the demon's interest on the matter. "I wouldn't fit in here if I did, however."

Amnur rubbed his hands together. It certainly hadn't been what he was expecting, not that he had any idea what to expect. Given this was the first time he had heard the details regarding his past, the village where they originated from wasn't anywhere nearby. It probably wasn't even the Central Isles. A dragon could fly much further than a demon in a single burst, enough to transverse vast stretches of water. He did notice Abel had stopped short of saying why they had to leave aside from previously being told it was unsafe, but they had picked a secluded enough place to live, that was notable enough.

"About the only other thing I can comment on is it would be correct to call us clutch mates rather than twins, that only came about as a protective measure," Abel remarked, cautiously settling himself down on the edge of the bed. Although Amnur wasn't showing any hostility towards the revelation, he still may not be too keen on him approaching Sakura as she was unable to defend herself. He, however, was placated, not even flinching or twitching when Abel settled down.

Silence hung in the still air, filling the room with a feeling of awkwardness. Did the mage have questions, or was he just taking his time to consider what he had been told? In order to distract himself, his attention turned towards Sakura, letting out a slight breath as he gazed upon her damaged form. They had been close since she was young, after a fateful encounter in which resulted in him rescuing her from a tree, one her mother had tied her upside-down to. From an early age, she was aware of his abilities and he of hers, much to the relief of Abel. Aside from his sister, no other soul within the swamps knew the truth about him.

Being able to finally share it with someone new brought him great joy, so he took it upon himself to tend to her as she grew, teaching her his native tongue. To his surprise, Sakura had a natural talent and learnt quickly, rousing his suspicions. Such a thing was rare and the inherent trait of certain northern bloodlines. Most of the knowledge of the language had long since been forgotten, along with the tongues of old. During the divide of angels and demons, the once shared tongue was abandoned in favour of private languages unknown to the other race, and it has remained that way since.

"So, one of you is slightly older than the other?" Amnur spoke up, jolting Abel from his thoughts. He gestured to himself, smiling at his question. Silently, the other demon rubbed his hands together once more, shooting glances between Sakura and Abel before taking a deep breath, relaxing back against the headrest of the bed. "We could be forever if you told me everything right now and unfortunately that doesn't solve anything, despite my curiosity on the matter. I want you to do whatever necessary to wake her up, alright?"

The white-eyed demon tilted his head, extending his arms and exhaled. With one extended motion, he pulled forth a light elemental into existence, following up with another flex, bursting a dark elemental from the aether. A bright wisp hung in the air, bright tendrils flowing out and forming a shape against the dark mist of the second elemental. Slowly the energy formed into a feminine shape, with golden curves created from the brilliant light and two streams of light stemmed from her back. As they continued to form, the feathery shape of angel wings became visible, a stark contrast to the bizarre and uneven shape of the other elemental. Amnur's unease was obvious, given the connotations of the summoned creatures but Abel's expression remained calm as if it was expected.

Glances were exchanged between the beings of aether, a silent greeting between two polar opposites. In unison they surrounded Sakura, with their summoner taking a seat between them, giving her father a reassuring pat on the shoulder as he passed. Being unable to utilise mana directly himself, he needed to borrow the individual strengths of the elementals that he could summon.

An eerie feeling hung in the room as he undertook his work, placing his hands firmly on her chest with the elementals placing a hand on his. Mana flowed over his fingers, seeping through the female's skin. His piercing eyes viewed the flow carefully, tenderly changing the amount going in and out as needed. Too much light based mana could damage her fragile body due to the race's inherent weakness, yet at the same time, it could be used to give her a kick to wake up. With the darkness creating a barrier to prevent it from going too far, the operation was progressing well. Another use of the bloodline trait was that he could interact with her natural mana without it mounting a protective defence, following a bonding procedure that they had undertaken a long time previously.

Abel did wonder if there was something more preventing her from waking up, rather than just extensive injury. Proving it, however, could be difficult. As he guided the energy around her veins, he scoured the minuscule amount of mana present for anything peculiar. Nothing immediately appeared untoward, aside from perhaps the quantity. It was greater than he remembered, but this was the first time in a while he had been so close, so perhaps his memory was just off. The only visual representation he had seen had been the mana testing Amnur had done. A sample of blood was taken and added to a catalyst which changes to a shade of blue; the brighter the blue, the more mana present within the blood. The scale is only a relative; however, it didn't measure the actual quantity of mana.

Taking a deep breath, Abel manipulated the light energy to interact with the girl's inherent mana, in the hope of creating a reaction; a shock, to jolt her awake. It was a sensitive process, those with less mana didn't resist foreign spells affecting their bodies as much, making them more susceptible to magical damage and inflictions. Given the created bond, he needed more effort to elicit a response. It allowed it to be controlled, however, utilising the magic as a minor attack. Teasing it back and forth, he let out a breath. Success would mean a painful experience for Sakura, a short term one at least.

A sharp flinch from her body brought a smile to his face, watching cautiously he continued on, easing up slightly to stop him causing injury. After a while, a weak groan emitted from her mouth, causing Abel to reduce the amount of mana he was using further.

"...You know that hurts right?" Sakura whined, staring at Abel with a bright, lavender coloured eye. "Damn, my head and side ache."

Before he had time to respond, Amnur pushed in and embraced his daughter, receiving a smile and a cringe from her. "Hey there kid, it's good to have you back," the demon spoke as he stroked her skin, carefully avoiding touching any of her injured areas. "You scared me, you know."

"What happened? My memory is rather foggy," Sakura enquired, groggily lifting her right arm to examine the left side of her face. She was aware that she was only able to see out of one eye. Her fingers brushed over neatly laid bandages which stuck to the contours of her face, highlighting every detail. One region felt rather depressed than normal and raw to touch, so she refrained from pressing it any further. From there, her hand made its way down to the injured side, slipping underneath the pinned blanket with some effort. It was obvious from the texture she felt that there were more bandages present down there, along with further patches of rawness. Her clothing had been stripped down to allow access to the wounds with just enough left to keep her suitably covered, not that her father feared anyone would act on her in this condition, not when he wasn't leaving her side.

"I'll go make us some food hm?" Abel spoke up, shuffling himself off the bed. Promptly he departed, but not before giving Sakura a smile and a wave, the elementals trailing behind him. It was going to be a shock when Amnur informed her exactly what had happened and notably, the complications of her injuries. As such, it would be best to leave them to talk privately. As much as Abel was close to them, he wasn't family.

"Thank you, both of you. You may rest now, back in the aether," he whispered to his summons as he slipped into the kitchen, out of earshot of the bedroom.

* * *

Amnur bit his tongue as he watched her examine her body, unsure how to respond to her question. Eventually, he grabbed her arm, caressing her hand in his. Sakura tried to turn her head to face him but came up short, turning away before it caused any more pain.

"I don't need to tell you that you're injured, that part is obvious enough," he started with a hint of nervousness in his voice, keenly keeping an eye on her body language to gauge a response. "You were protecting people who probably won't appreciate your actions, not when they know who you're related to."

Sakura sighed. From his phrasing, it was obvious that he had revealed himself for one reason or another, likely to get her to safety. Unfortunately, she remembered nothing to let her know who was present at the scene but information such as that would be quickly passed to the racial leaders. News such as that wouldn't be welcomed, and it would be made worse knowing he had a child. It was potentially worse enough to warrant drastic action, right when she was too weak to defend herself. "Tell me honestly Dad, how bad are these wounds?"

"That gouge on your chest is going to leave a hefty scar, but it shouldn't cause any long-term problems." Amnur ran one finger along the top of the blanket and ended by poking her nose, garnering a raised eyebrow from her. "However, the other injury is problematic."

"By that you mean?"

Amnur took a deep breath, gripping her hand firmly. Sakura slumped in the bed, the reaction said enough to her. "Your left eye was well beyond repair. I'm sorry sweetheart, I really am." She tried to reply but failed to form any words, stuttering on the first letter. For one so active, being blinded in one eye was crippling, everything she learnt would have to be adjusted. It was going to be a long process that was for certain, not an easy one either.

"Don't think you'll be alone, though! You have me, Abel, Na-ri, Crono and the other villagers," Amnur spoke up, gently caressing her face. "Regardless what you need, we'll always be willing to provide it."

Sakura coughed and cleared her throat, recoiling from the pain created from the forceful exhalation of air. For a moment she just laid against her father's hand, slowly breathing in and out and feeling the warmth from his skin. "Hey, Dad. Um, well."

"What is it?"

"Thank you, for looking after me, for everything. I do love you, you know." A smile crept across her wounded face, followed by a weak grin. Amnur tilted his head and chuckled, nudging in close to her.

"Anytime."

###

### Appendix:

**General Information**

Demons

Angels

Humans

Magic

The Central Isles

The South

The North

A Brief History

Book Specific Articles

Link is above to prevent spoilers

List of Names

A list of names, including pronunciations.

### GENERAL INFORMATION

##  **Demons:**

Demons exist in two major groups, old blood and new blood, although in reality, demons are a large mixture of similar races who have interbred since past times. They mature around the age of 20-25, but they continue growing much past this point and are capable of living up to 400 years. Even when fully grown, the body continues to rejuvenate well into the future, with most demons more commonly seeing death by a blade than organ failure. Wing membrane grows back slowly; as such any wounded wings can often leave a demon grounded for quite some time. Female demons experience something known as Heat, which is the only time they are fertile. During this, their natural scent dials up to 11, something that causes much tension within the local males. They know better than to act on it unless it's their partner and children have been discussed previously, or would not be opposed.

Heritage can be read by an individual's horns; straight horns indicate they originated from the Central Isles, upward curving horns indicate Southern heritage while downwards curving horns indicates Northern heritage. Old bloods horns can sometimes be vaguer unless they have an obvious, strong curve.

Their native element is darkness, while individuals can possess other elements, it is usually at the cost of their proficiency of darkness. The primal elements are a result of the mixing with the human race.

New blood demons are characterised by their dark skin, membrane-bound wings, horns and long ears, while old blood demons originating from the northern continent are usually tall and stocky but lack wings. Old bloods that originate from the south are often very tall and slender, with bestial traits; such traits often make them unnerving to others, more so those not used to their company. Their main strength is their flight, while the northern line ability is their power. Of course, exceptions exist on both sides, the variety of demons is one of their most notable traits.

Their eyes take on a variety of shades, although red and yellows are the most common. They stand the tallest of the three races, the smaller members often equal the angels in height while the taller individuals dwarf them. Compared to the other races, their blood is black in colour and toxic to non-demons, to their own race it merely causes a short period of sickness. The toxin is what creates the black colour and as such, if a demon were lacking the toxin their blood would be crimson. They are also capable of seeing at night, although this capability varies from person to person.

Demons themselves are rarely loners, preferring the company of their own kind and often sharing houses even if they aren't related. Family groups often stay together or within a certain radius of each other, the older parents often guiding their children once they have prodigies of their own. The babies aren't always peaceful but once they come into the teething stage, inexperienced parents can find themselves overwhelmed with their sharp-toothed little ankle biters. The pain from horn growth is also well known for its ability to create rather cranky children, who aren't always the most willing to accept why they're experiencing that pain.

## **Central Isles Specific:**

Both male and females are taught weaponry and/or magic from an early age. Once they hit early-mid teens some opt to migrate to Shadekeep in order to receive the strict training from Iomor and other equally capable instructors. Unfortunately for younger females, they can sometimes find themselves being hassled by their peers. While such a thing is usually shunned, it is often a stage younger males go through, until they learn the hard way that females aren't interested in their smart-mouthed antics. Sometimes if it becomes too much, the women are separated and receive more personal one-to-one or small group training with other women. Those who take an interest in healing or crafts tend to be streamlined after a few years of basic training, as a demon that is unable to defend itself makes an easy target. Females themselves are often respected by their older peers, although there has been some recent controversy caused by male individuals.

## Traits:

New Blood (Mixed blood):

Averaging at ~11ft (3.35m) tall.

Notable traits:

  * Humanoid, very varied in appearances.

  * Smooth or textured/raised skin patterns.

  * Skin colour varies from black to dark shades of colours (blue, purple, red, etc.), hair is often also dark in colour.

  * Bat-like wings (or dragon-like), though not all demons possess wings.

  * Pointed or sharp fingers are common.

  * Horns are usually present, in varying shapes.

Old Blood (Pure(r) blood):

Often average taller than new blood, though it is not always the case.

Notable traits:

  * More bestial in appearance/behaviour (depending on the level of social conditioning).

  * Those with a more humanoid shape from the northern line tend to be very muscular and large, but often to lack wings. Southern bloodlines possess very powerful wings and often take pride in them, taking advantage of the South's warm climate.

  * Smooth or textured/raised skin.

  * They share quite a few of the traits with new bloods as their lines aren't as much divided as Angels.

  * Can be overly arrogant towards new bloods, but not always.

  * More commonly live away from the Central Isles, but there are some known to be living there (mostly with roots to a different continent).

## Angels:

Angels mature around the ages of 16-25 but unlike demons, angels are often fully grown at this time and usually live for up to 200 years. Their most notable trait is their magnificent feathered wings, a feature they take great pride in. The variety of wings between individuals is fairly significant, with larger, more elegant wings being a symbol of a noble bloodline. While they have no growth pains when it comes to things like horns, angels do moult several times while growing up and then every few years after that. During this time, they are normally snappy due to their dishevelled appearance and inability to fly, something which others often tease the unfortunate angel, despite the process happening to all of them.

## Central Isles Specific:

Younger angels can be rather prone to injury as they refuse to leave travelling demons alone; when possible the Ranger's Guild tries to break up the fights, though not always with the greatest success. Foolhardy individuals will attack the residents in the Umbral Forest directly, where the chance of death greatly outweighs the chance of living. The antics aren't shunned by others, but those that try a more direct approach are commonly branded as idiots and little sympathy is given to their injuries or death. Attacks on the western demon settlements are no longer as common, partially down to those that try very rarely return, and heavily burnt when they do. Springhollow usually escapes most things, as the small size of it often makes them considered an unworthy target.

Female angels generally aren't as well considered, but if they can become well respected if they prove themselves. Angels are trained from a young age in battle skills, those that prove poor at these skills, or even slightly substandard are diverted to become crafters, gatherers and at the bottom, healers. Healers are rarely respected, regardless of their blood origin, as they're considered weak.

One's blood relations play a large role in angel society, some relationships are born out of a desire for status. Although, if using an example system, a tier II bloodline angel had a child with a tier V bloodline, the child would more commonly be regarded as the lower tier (in this case V) than the higher. This is truer if the child is female than male. If a high bloodline angel ends up becoming a healer, or even a crafter/gatherer, then they are often disowned by their family. Since the majority of angels reside within Eriden, families often live close to each other, even if they have no relation to each other. Individuals of lower status rarely own their own rooms, often living in communal halls of similarly ranked individuals. Family groups tend to own a single room within the expansive white citadel, and those of higher ranking have independent chambers.

## Traits:

Notable traits:

Averaging at ~9ft (2.7m) tall.

  * Humanoid, large feathery wings, wings can vary in shape from shorter, stocky wings for powerful bursts to lighter, larger wings for prolonged flight. Wings with long pinions are often a sign of more "noble" blood and are generally rare.

  * Light/exotic hair and eyes (blues/greens/pinks/light yellow most common).

  * Their native element is light and like demons, those that possess proficiency in the primal elements often do so at the cost of their proficiency in light.

## Humans:

Humans are the shortest and most normal of the three main races, standing on average only two-thirds the height of an angel and even less on a demon. Their normal life span is shorter than their counterparts, a fact which can often make their views disregarded in heated racial debates. They are the most numerous race present on the Central Isles, possessing the greatest number of settlements. Humans fully mature at around 18-20 years of age, although they are capable of having children prior to this age. Despite the dangers that arise being caught between two racial rivals, younger pregnancies are disliked, as humans rarely end up dying in these conflicts. Mixed blood from previous angel/demon heritage is possible; more commonly in the case of angel heritage but both are feasible. Angel heritage would give traits such as lighter/golden tinged skin, bright coloured hair (blonde/light brown/light colours), pale/colourful irises and such things similar to angels. Demon heritage would be the opposite, dark coloured skin and hair, with more vivid irises.

A trait more common in human mages is altered appearances; strangely coloured irises, odd coloured hair, mana scarring and an unsettling aura. While angels/demons can also possess this, it is rarer. Humans also are all-rounders when it comes to magic, they are capable of utilising all elements but do not possess a natural affinity towards anyone element. However, a human is still capable of training to master a single element.

## Central Isles Specific:

Humans often live in individual houses that reside in rows within Aelburn, or semi-detached and detached houses outside of the capital. Some choose to live outside the boundaries of any town, for solitude or to make use of the natural resources, either freshwater lakes or natural growing crops. The status between male and females varies greatly on where one lives, for example in Aelburn it is tilted in favour of males but in the Western settlements, it is often the opposite way around.

Those that live in the west often trade with the demons living there, mainly due to the demon's wings giving them the advantage in the swamplands, allowing them to collect items that would be considered useful. As the only fresh water is near the demon settlements, the relations between demons and humans are much more amiable there than in other locations. Those in the East still often have rather influenced views towards their neighbours.

## Traits:

Notable traits:

Averages around 5'4"

  * Natural hair colours (brown, blond, grey/silver, sometimes red)

  * Natural eye colours (brown, green, grey, blue)

  * Unmixed bloodlines usually possess pale coloured skin, on the exception of those originating from the South due to its warm, sunny climate.

## Magic:

Aether and mana are interchangeable word-wise.

While everyone possesses mana, not everyone possesses enough mana for them to convert it into magic. The level of mana varies between individuals, one can possess enough to cast while still not being considered a mage. Skilled mages convert the mana present in the environment (aether) to supplement their spells for both efficiency and power. As such, if an area is devoid of mana their spells will be weakened, and if it's rich in mana their spells will be strengthened. It is possible to prevent someone from casting by using magic-restricting binds, which work by distorting/blocking the mana flow to the hands and generally scrambling their aether. Few mages can cast without their hands, so in general, it's an effective method.

Within each individual, there is a "safe" cap of how much mana a person can have residing in their body before it starts to become damaging to the owner. The threshold of this cap is often proportional to height, or at least mass (more area for the aether to reside in). As such, demons have an average cap higher than angels, and angels have a higher cap to humans. It is very possible for an individual to be born with natural mana above this cap, but they have to learn quickly how to dissipate the excess, either through magic seals to reduce how much is produced or learning to store the excess, or through constant casting (or just using a certain amount in one go).

Mana restores at a reasonable rate each day, if one has been heavily casting then they would need several days to fully recover. If a mage suddenly has no mana, it is fatal, as the body has adapted to use the mana within the bloodstream. Those low on mana will often feel lethargic.

Magic is distributed around the world via currents of aether that exist mainly in the atmosphere, as winds buffet it around, it replenishes an area with magic. Natural aether is easy to distort with large amounts of mana, causing it to become corrupt and wreaking havoc on the area's climate.

Demons can use dark-based magic and cannot use light-based, and angels vice versa. Humans can use all types of elemental magic (earth/water/ice/wind/fire/lightning/dark/light) but unless they're able to specialise in one, their efficiency is less than that of their racial counterparts.

Chaos magic is a very rare occurrence and is known at birth, thus being unable to be self-taught. Being such destructive magic, the users are often secretly killed at a young age. Chaos itself is a disordered collective of the six primal elements (earth/wind/ice/water/fire/lightning), often being able to manipulate elements to perform the opposite of their natural affinity; for example, using fire to heal as opposed to burn. Chaos's opposite, order is an ordered collective of the six primal elements. Pure order can cause stagnation, which is equally damaging to the excessive disorder that chaos magic creates. In nature, chaos and order are always in flux, creating the balance that exists in the world.

Necromancy and blood magic are distinctions of dark-based magic, while healing is present in both water and light. Many denominations exist within the elements, these are just the more commonly recognised ones.

Demons are weak to light based magic and angels are weak to dark based magic. Humans have no natural elemental weakness.

## The Central Isles:

A collection of islands that exists halfway between the North and South, leading to its name. Its climate is similar to that of the U.K., with less rainfall but colder than average winters. The many islands are governed from the main core, home to Shadekeep, Eriden and Aelburn. Many of the subsequent islands that exist either side of the core is home to the populace's farmers, miners and other such production trades. The islands stretch so far that they reach the edge of the Borderlands, the giant land masses that border the world. Any travel to and from the North and South requires passage through the Central Isles, given them a unique position. Within the core, there are three main regions:

The Commons: A barren environment, most of the plant life here is short and hardy, with what animal life that lives there being similar. Few settlers choose to live here due to the violent changes in weather combined with the difficulty of finding food. It consists of scrubland and sand dunes, with a large mountain range separating it from The Middle Lands. Only one small forest resides within its harsh expanse.

The Middle Lands: Life is much more plentiful within these lands compared to The Commons, but severe weather and seasons still batter their expanses. Multiple settlements reside on its shores. It encompasses many different environments within its borders, from wetlands near the mountain range in the west to the large forests in the east. Many crops are grown on its fertile lands, which go to market at the end of summer. A large mountain range rends the east in half.

The Blessed Lands: The most affluent area of the Central Isles, major cities reside within its multiple islands. The climate is the same as The Middle Lands, but the waters are very rich in life, providing strong trade for the surrounding settlements.

Demon Settlements: Linlake, Valmeadow, Esterbrook (West) / Springhollow, Stonevale, Valwynne, Swynfield, Mistlyn, Shadekeep (Capital)(East)

Angel Settlements: Eriford, Erimoor, Ericay, Eriden (Capital)

Human Settlements: Northedge, Coldcliff, Winterdale, Wintersgate (West) / Bluemont, Goldlight, Eastwilde, Windport, Prymoor, Coastdell, Wildecoast, Seahollow, Southkeep, Aelburn (Capital)(East)

## The South:

A vast continent, many times larger than the Central Isles. It benefits from a constant, warm climate with a wetter but still hot winter season. The surface of the continent is a mixture of forests, mountains and exquisite rivers and lakes. Racial tensions on this continent are decreased due to the amount of space, reducing any enforced conflicts. Within the races, there are two major demon factions, with neither side enjoying the other's presence. They have stark contrasts in their beliefs, most evident in their way of life. One boasts a sprawling capital of wealth and prosperity, dominated by the extravagant High Houses, inhabited by families of great power. The other is a network of natural buildings and colour, welcoming the diversity of the Southern locals in all their glory.

Compared to the demons, the angels here are quiet neighbours. They have dealings with both factions, although they have a preference for the Raven and his posse, rather than the bustling capital. The humans keep to themselves, only interacting on an individual level or for trade. There is one exception: The Free Lands. The Free Lands are the South's major port and the first sight for any travellers. A region in its own, the Free Lands is a network of towns that welcome diversity, hosting all three races in harmony. The language is money and as such, it hosts much of the trade on the continent.

## The North:

The continent that sits to the north of the Central Isles. Massive, frigid and isolated, little is known about the current conditions of the northern continent. The ruling family has always proved a threat to the other continents, with their military prowess being unquestioned. What is known about the North is its history. When the war broke out between the angels and demons, the demons of the North struck quickly, killing every human and angel that lived on the continent. Now it's inhabited solely by demons, along with a population of dragons, although numbers are unknown. The ability to communicate with and control dragons are a trait of the Northern Monarchy, giving them power far above their counterparts. While threats from the North are common, there have been no actions taken by them. Either way, the threat is considered real.

## A Brief History:

_As it appears in Crystalline Chaos._

A long time ago the ancestors of the demons and angels lived in peace together, their appearance was vastly different than the present. Once the humans became known to them, they mixed themselves in with the new race; one that saw the two much more powerful races in a light akin to gods. Eventually, the grasp of power the angels had over the lesser humans overcame their senses and they seized the chance to glorify their own race while villainizing the race they had lived in peace with for so long. They made themselves out to be saintly beings, their golden skin and bright wings a symbol of purity; humans saw them as benevolent beings and gave them the name angel, a title which has been maintained for the race since that time. Meanwhile, the other race was slandered as being malevolent, disgraceful and vile, the list went on and on; the term demon was used as an insult, eventually, it stuck to the race. In their own language, they still refer themselves with a less derogatory word, a lasting sign of resentment towards the name.

Demons tried to fight the disgracing insults for a long time but the humans were too drawn to the promises of the angels to listen to their pleas; a massive war started not long after, permanently causing a rift between the races. The mixing of blood continued within the angels, creating a tall but notably humanoid shape with shining feathered wings; the demons, however, remained only as far as a humanoid body with multiple features still pertaining to the originals, which became known as 'new blood' demons. 'Old blood' demons with a more bestial body also still existed in number, the two now live peacefully together after a long history rife with turmoil. Humans still refused to believe the innocence of demons for many years, only recently starting to open up towards them again.

# Book Specific Articles

Jump to Chapter 7 onwards

##  **The Human Guilds (CC):**

Ranger's Guild: Surveyors of nature and self-proclaimed peacekeepers. Members aim to keep innocents safe by dispersing any fights or other disputes. They also observe and tend to nature, whether that be healing the forest or culling damaging animals.

Guild of Magi (Magi's Council): Regulators of magic, they seek to keep it within safe control by eliminating any rogue mages and dealing with any disturbances within the Aether. Aether research is performed in order to progress the use of mana.

Merchant's Guild: The masters of trade, they look after their own. If they can make money through potentially questionable means, then they will contact their members to get them to partake in the scheme.

Harvester's Guild: Very similar to the Merchant's Guild, except they govern over hunters; miners; fishers; lumberjacks; etc. While price-fixing schemes are less common from them, there have been cases in the past.

Adventurer/Mercenary Guilds: Multiple have popped up as of late, each as varied as the other. Adventurer guilds mainly look for the thrill of the unknown, while Mercenary guilds will look for anything to make a profit.

Healer's Guild: Contains most of the known healers, operates out of Aelburn. Willing to help individuals of any race, although opinions differ when it comes to demons. Well respected by humans and commonly play host to angels, due to the well-renowned hospitality of the main healing citadel.

##  **Nightmares:**

Strange, unknown and previously unseen creatures. They are observed as having unusual bodies that possess crystalline protrusions. Encounters prove them to be deadly opponents, with unknown weaknesses. Their bodies are described as being something other than skin, as even the softer parts are unusual and shatter like the rest of their bodies upon death. Mages by nature, the Nightmares are capable of casting.

##  **Magic (Continued, CC):**

Staves are more of an aspect of human mages, due to the requirement of an actual physical held object. They amplify the user's abilities by harmonising their aether, creating a unified flow that the crystal then magnifies. Over-reliance on staves can cause health problems, as aether is not intended to be that uniform for long periods of time. It can also create a weakness if the user comes to rely on the staff too much, only to be disarmed in combat.

Chapter 7 Onwards:

##  **Magic (Continued, Part II):**

Runes and chants are unnecessary facets of casting, they're simply for concentration and preference. Acts such as chanting work to hyper-focus the mind, urging the body's aether supply into action with a simple word. Runes are generally more an aid used in larger scale casting, in order to create a system of persistence to relieve the effort that comes with constant spell casting, or high-effort casting. In comparison, Amnur uses his emotions as his concentration aid.

## The Plane Between:

The Plane Between is the layer between life and death. Souls trapped here aren't inherently visible until they actively force themselves to become known. They can influence things within the main plane, though some actions are limited by their inability to be completely tangible. Necromancers can separate themselves into this plane, but their physical body still remains within the ground plane (same with relocation to the final resting place.) Not all souls wind up trapped here, it is usually those with something left unfinished.

## Nether Plane:

Not much is known about the Nether Plane, it is a dimensional plane that resides near to our own. It is said to be a place made purely of aether, twisted into abstract shapes due to the sheer excess of power. Shadowy creatures exist on this plain. They are masters of magic and very dangerous.

## Nightmares (Continued):

Creatures that possess no normal organs, surviving only by channelling large quantities of liquid aether through their bodies. Disrupting this flow will cause the creature in question to die. Blind by nature, they detect other creatures by sound or by their aether.

The Final Resting Place:

The Final Resting Place houses the deceased, although not all souls are said to make it to these hallowed grounds. Necromancers can access this plane using a fairly risky ritual. The plane has an ethereal beauty to it, beautiful fiery sunsets line the skies while vibrant, ghostly forms make up the landscape. Souls often appear as a hollow image of their owners and normally the projection is tinged blue.

## Elemental Spirits:

Beings that exist on one of the many elemental realms that surround the overworld of Fyir. They once lived on the overworld, until violence drove them to flee. Now only Shamen are capable of interacting with them, those with both the ability and purity of heart. They take many forms, bound by their element. When summoned, they project their aether to the overworld, providing the summoner with a copy, rather than the original being. This affords them a state of immunity in battle, as their death is only temporary.

## List of Names

**Demons:**

Western side:

Sebastian (Se-bast-ee-an): The King of the demons, who resides within Shadekeep. (New blood)

Ciel (Ci-el / Si-el): Sebastian's son/prince. (New blood)

Rin (Rin): Sebastian's wife and Ciel's mother. Very well versed in politics. Missing. (New blood)

Nathaniel (Nuh-than-yuhl): Former King of 25 years past, a bloodthirsty tyrant. Sebastian's father. Deceased. (New blood)

Kaiser (Ky-zuh): Sebastian's first hand/close friend, notably huge and incredibly powerful. (Old blood)

Drake (Drayk): Kaiser's son, a close friend to Ciel. (Old blood)

Dumon (Du-mon): Doctor/Healer. (New blood)

Iomor (I-o-mor): Head of Guard/Army commander. (New blood)

Solomon (Sol-uh-muhn): Court mage, skilled in Necromancy + Blood magic although he isn't evil himself, despite them being known as such. (New blood)

Raz'iel (Raz-i-el): Solomon's father, possess the same magical traits though his motives and ethics are highly dubious, very self-serving. Wanders around. (New blood)

Shae (Sh-ae): The female Army commander, often resides in the wood that surrounds Shadekeep training the young female demons. Kyrith's older sister. (New blood)

Eastern side:

Crono (Kro-no): Leader of Linlake. (Old blood)

Amnur (Am-nur): Former Court Mage during the reign of Sebastian's father, generally not very well liked by the East. Possesses a strong affinity for fire magic. (New blood)

Sakura (Sa-kura): Amnur's daughter, known for being rather short for a demon. (New blood)

Abel (A-bel): Leader of Esterbrook, twin brother to Na-ri. (Unknown bloodline)

Na-ri (Na-re): Leader of Valmeadow, twin sister to Abel. (Unknown bloodline)

Angels:

Uriel (Ur-i-el): The Angel Monarch, rules from Eriden. Secretive and often known to be plotting things, though few people know what.

Gabriel (Gab-ri-el): Uriel's second in command. Often reminds silent unless his input is required or he deems it necessary.

Sariel (Sar-i-el): Uriel's Army commander. Highly loyal to Uriel, a fact which granted him his position for being so young.

Arariel (Aa-rare-i-el): A young but highly skilled Court Mage. He's considered strange by other angels due to his interests in all things demon, combined with his sweet personality.

Uriel's Servant: A youngster from one of the higher ranked families. Serves Uriel on his own volition.

Humans:

Western:

Thardosean (Thard-o-se-an / Fard-o-se-an): King, known for his love of fineries. He doesn't outright side with the angels in regards to demons, preferring to try and bring them to peace to keep his race safe.

Lauri (Lau-ri): High ranking member of the Ranger's Guild, known for her courage and strategy.

Ferdan (Fer-dan): High ranking mage in the Magi Council, often critical of their methods but revels at the vast resources they provide.

The Archmage: One of the heads of the Magi Council.

### Afterword

A big shout out to my mother, who always encourages me and helps me along despite my numerous health concerns. I live with you anyway, so you know my love, but now it's dedicated in text.

I would also like to say a massive thank you to all my friends over the years, notably those from my years on Final Fantasy XI. This is Sakurawr speaking, for those of you wondering. My strange fantasy ideas finally come to life!

Finally, a thank you to all the readers. This took me many years to get out, due to health problems and frankly, nerves. If you enjoyed the book, support me by leaving a review!

Website: https://skiesoffyir.weebly.com/

Facebook (main): <https://www.facebook.com/gabrielavoelskeauthor/>

