‘The beast rests at day, to hunt at night for its prey.’

‘Its teeth are sharpened by a stone; they will be in you if you are alone.’

‘So don’t you worry child asleep, mommy will be a shepherd to your sheep’ A women was singing a lullaby to her child, tucking him in.

It had been almost a year since Dyestral disappeared, and I finally came to make my promise. I began to clap, slowly coming out of the darkness. She noticed me, blood came from her fingernails, and needles of red raced past my head.

A blue fire erupted from my body and apprehended her. I put the woman to the ground and slowly walked towards her.

“You’re weakened Sashal, and I don’t want to hurt you,” I said. “I just want to talk,”

She calmed down, I removed my flames, and Sashal hushed her baby to sleep again. The two of us left the room and went into the kitchen. She got us some refreshments, and we looked outside.

I was tapping my fingers, looking at the night sky, specifically the moon, which was a waning crescent. I turned to her and began to talk, but I could still see her being cautious, realizing that Sashal had created a web of invisible strings made of blood.

“Why are you here, Azure?” Sashal asked.

“I came here to say hello to my nephew,” I smiled.

“Shut it, we know that isn’t the case,”

“I am telling the truth Sashal, specifically, it was the last thing Dyestral promised to a demon before he disappeared,”

“W-wha? H-how do you know this?”

“I met Dyestral in a mountain range, as I wanted to follow him, my partner did follow me as well, and for the year, no one has seen Dyestral, so I’ve been travelling around, finding things that might even help him,”

Sashal pondered for a moment, before realizing. “You don't mean!”

“Jododam has allowed me to use a basement here since he is also curious,”

“...How have I not know of this?”

“You were in Antrite before Liebe was born, moving back to Antral to raise him normally, during the time which you were away I’ve been using the basement for my base of operations,”

“...Show me this room,”

Sashal and I got up, and she followed me outside the house, and behind it, there was a large hatch in the ground, opening it, and using the ladder to get down. Sashal decided to drop down, opening her wings right before she touched the ground.

I then opened a bunker door, and took a deep breath, opening it. Sashal and I walked into the room, and as I closed the door, her mouth opened. There were five vats, all of which were filled in a green liquid and five different people.

Three boys and two girls, restored to their prime before decay came into effect. There were different skin tones, hair colour, eye colour, but they all shared the same thing, markings, like Dyestrals.

“B-but how?”

“Dyestral told me he talked to Drundon,” I began to walk in front of her. “And in ten thousand years, these markings were a sign of something, but no one knew what, but what he told me, is what cracked the code,”

“Code, what code? Azure, what is Dyestral, actually?”

I stood there for a moment, turning around. “Dyestral and I are Descendents of Dysan, and that demon is still alive, wanting to end the world, my father quickly escaped into Antrite, finding his mother, and made Dyestral become a demon,”

“Dyestral, will face Dysan, because of those markings?”

“Indeed, and I plan to join him, I am also a descendant as well,” I touched one of the vats.

“In a year, you found five of your ancestors who lost to Dysan, what makes you think you can do the same?” Sashal came to my side.

“They defeated Dysan, or just postponed his return, but the actual seal is fragile,” I walked to another vat, taking off my mask as well. “I just want to help him,”

Sashal turned around and began to walk away. “I’ll try to help, the best I can,”

“In what? What could you do that Jododam isn’t doing?” I also turned around, standing there.

“Experiment, Jododam covers everything you need to find the markings, but I, in fact, can begin to understand everything, after all, I still do remember Dyestrals markings, and I want a part in this to,”

“Suit yourself,” I began walking as well.

“You and your partner can share the guest bedroom tonight, I have felt a power welling in Liebe’s room that isn’t yours or mine, but the puppeteer, tell her to stop the antics, you can take a rest for a few days, before going on your way,”

“...Thanks,”

The two of us walked out, and so did Marie form Liebe’s room, the maids around the house got out exact measurements, including a new mask form me, and were sent away. We were welcomed with a full course dinner and went to bed.

Marie and I shared the same bed; it was at night when I woke up and pondered. I stared at the ceiling and wondered what was going to happen. Marie woke up as well and placed her hand on my chest.

“What's wrong?”

“Dysan, why did he try and kill me?”

She sighed. “Azure, we’ve had this conversation too many times, he wanted to face Dyne,”

“But why didn’t he try to corrupt me or take me over, it just doesn’t make sense,”

“Just go back to bed, perhaps Drundon will tell you the answers,”

“Nice joke,” I rolled over and went back to sleep, to wake up on a table, with a massive man with a large beard in front of me.

“I think I will tell you the answers,”

I jumped out of my chair. “Y-you’re?”

“Drundon,” The god introduced himself. “I told Dyestral what he had to do, and I also know about the markings, on him and perhaps you,”

“What do you mean by my markings? I have none,”

“I know, and I also know that you are collecting your ancestors' corpses, so perhaps your father would care to tell you,”

“My dad!” I got out of the chair again.

“No, his corpse, you see, before fleeing to Antrite, he in fact locked himself in a cave within the peak of a mountain and tried to figure out what the markings on himself were, and in fact, he was able to replicate them,”

My eyes widened. “So if I found my fathers experiments, then I could-”

“Yes, you could gain some markings of your own,”

I smiled and looked at my hands, looking back up. “But why are you telling me this?”

“Look, I can’t predict the future, despite my omnipotence, but I have a feeling that I may want to help Dyestral’s brother in finding out what he plays in this game,”

“Do you know where I could find my fathers work?”

“All I know is this, it was high up in the Lang mountain range and where he was in a cave, now farewell.”

I woke up, getting dressed and going down to the hall. I saw Sashal and Marie. My partner was trying one some new clothes, it was a crimson red, with chainmail and stud all around it. I looked to the left and saw that there was one for me as well.

Sashal noticed me. “Oh don’t mention it, I can see that your clothes are in tatters, so I ordered some new clothes made with sturdier material,”

“Bloody nobles,” I scoffed.

“Be careful, I remember that my husband told me that your household was known for its creation of alcohol, and besides, what I have to pay to create these would’ve also been chump change for you, why don’t you try it out?”

I took the mannequin it was on and went back upstairs, changing into the new clothes. It was much lighter than I thought it was, and I could smell the new leather scent, I neatly folded my other clothes and went downstairs, to see that Sashal had also prepared me an array of masks.

There were about five in all, all of which were different, but they all resembled a large angry demon. My old one was half broken and white; it also covered what more than necessary was. Two of them caught my eye, a mask that covered my eyes and forehead, made of metal and woven with patterns, or what seemed to be my old mask, but redone.

I looked at a similar mask, and I chuckled a little, picking the other one. I took off my other mask and put the new one on, realizing it was a much better fit than my older one.

“Damn, I thought you would’ve picked the identical one to yours,”

I shook my head. “Let's just say the mask resembles my personality, and now it’s changed, to something less showy, helping other people, and I think this is the best for that.” I turned to Sashal.

An hour later, Marie and I were off again on our quest. It was true that I wasn’t the protagonist of this story, and I was fine with that, I was fine with helping. But I didn’t want to be overcast by Dyestral. I will plan to help him, my mission, my calling wasn’t for myself, but was instead to help anyone, who could stand a chance against Dysan.