It was dark inside. Avernus gasped for air, but his dry throat burned. Trapped in a stony cage, he pushed against the obstacle in front of him to no avail. It wouldn’t budge. With what little power he had left, he shoved his whole body harder against it. After one final thrust, the stone barrier fell along with him. The sound of impact resonated through his surroundings, filling the air with dust. A long, metallic object dropped beside him. His sight went hazy. Avernus could barely make out the area around him. His eyes darted around quickly to scrutinize the dark area he found himself in. He only noticed some blue veins on the walls as they had illuminated the darkness to some extent.

Was that all a dream? A sick premonition of what is yet to come? The pain came back. It was all too real. He remembered his voyage, the Kraken, the pirates, the girl, the boy… and the betrayal.

The emotional pain disregarded his physical agony.

"Must… go…"

Most of his muscles were atrophied. He tried to stand on his feet, but his legs were too weak. His hands were already snaking around blindly for something in the dark that he could use as a crutch. Finally, he found the long metal rod that fell beside him. He used it as a cane to stand up. The rod felt familiar. It granted him a bit of lost power.

He gripped the middle of the rod and whispered, "Illumination…"

Ancient writing lit up the tip of the staff, and the spell shed some light around the dark room. Avernus turned towards the stony casket from which he awoke from. He noticed it was an upright stone coffin and several white daisy flowers placed at the bottom. This room was a tomb.

He moved the staff closer, and a series of writing appeared.

Here lies a warrior who was crude and blunt, but selfless. Another soul lost to human cruelty.

His lips couldn't follow the command.

"This must have been Edna's work. Human arrogance quote, white daisy flowers. Just don't want her to be the one who is going to decorate my real tomb.", he barely smiled, "So, they did survive."

He guessed that after that night, Edna, Phoenix, Grimoirh, and Morgirm had found his body and buried him along with Dreamshadow.

But how long has it been since that wretched night? He tried to walk a little faster, but he lost his balance again and fell to the ground. Angry and furious, Avernus picked himself up, held on to his staff and leaned against the walls. The temple was empty, but the hallway torches were burning. After a long endeavor through the temple, he finally reached the surface. The door was already lit up and immediately burned his eyes.

He scanned the area for whoever was responsible for reopening his tomb. He noticed a small figure in the distance; a concise elderly man wearing white and blue attire.

The old man turned to him for a moment and smirked.

"Hey, old man! Wait!", Avernus called out to him.

However, a thunderbolt hit the ground in front of him, and he disappeared in a flash. He paced as fast as his body could function towards the impact, but before he could reach it, he lost control of his body and fell into a stream of shallow water running alongside the path.

He saw his reflection in the water. He had grown a long beard and his hair was a lot longer now. The truth sparkled in his mind. It must have been a long time since his apparent death.

He resumed his walk and finally reached the spot. The older man was nowhere to be found. Instead, he discovered his chest containing his belongings. There was something else on the topside. He picked it up and examined it from up close. It was a pair of feather earrings. Those were ancient symbols of the malakhim, showing that they were a part of the 'Sky Tribe’.

Avernus broke the seal on his chest, picked up the remaining crystals it contained and burned what remained along with the chest itself. Avernus noticed the sign to Aball and, without hesitation, went towards the village.

Slowly, he arrived at the gate. The doors were already unlocked. He shoved against them. The gate opened, emanating a screeching sound as it rotated on its rusted hinges. The village was abandoned and desolated. It was a ghost town. No signs of any birds chirping or daemons howling. Not even a single deceased body could be found.

Avernus reluctantly limped towards the Crowe's residence. He gestured his hand as if he wanted to knock but turned the door handle instead and entered. He didn't know what he expected to see. After just living here for a few days, he got used to the smell of Velvet's cooking, seeing both brother and sister arguing with each other over petty matters, small conversations with the both of them. It was a life far from sadness and anxiety. A happy and simple life. Avernus moved to Velvet's room and saw the withered rose in the vase. He tried to pick it up, but it turned to dust at the slightest touch.

"And you ruined your clothes again in the process. You're so irresponsible."

He immediately turned back but saw no one.

"Can we see the great harbors of Hyland?!"

Avernus ran back into the hall. There was no Laphi, no Velvet. Only the deathly silence gleaned the place. Their innocent voices haunted him.

Avernus glared at the table and remembered the time he made a promise to show them his homeland.

It didn't matter anymore. People back at the far continent would've already assumed that their Shepherd was dead. Avernus remembered Laphi's innocent face when he shook his hand, "So it's a promise, then?" He glanced guiltily at his hand again, sobbing and trembling. It was happening all over again. He held himself responsible. More lives he failed to save. More memories to tear his psyche.

He envisioned Velvet's surprised golden eyes as they blinked at him when he shook her hand.

"There we go! This is the promise of Velvet Crowe!"

He lowered his head and uncontrollably shed a tear. He pulled back his fist and punched the table, smashing it in half. Blood dripped from his fingers. There was no happiness waiting for him. Not here and not back home. His destiny caught up with him once more.

But he recalled that man's face. The one who not only betrayed the villagers, but his own family too. It didn't matter who or what he was. Avernus looked at his bloodied fist. Only one purpose was on his mind now.

Artorius Collbrande must die.

He shaved his beard and went back to the centre of the village. His senses heightened to the limit. Aball wasn't very far from the earthpulse point. Avernus slammed his staff to the ground. He gestured his hand around in a complex movement to cast a summoning spell. Elemental glyphs started to form around him. He still had his connection and power to the earthpulse. Avernus felt the energy coming up towards the surface. The summoning ritual was complete, but nothing showed itself.

Avernus looked around, "Tia! I know you’re out there, skulking in the shadows! Show yourself and I will reenact our pact as your vessel!"

There were still no signs of the malak.

Avernus let out a loud laugh, "You know me, Tia! You can feel it! I don't care! I'm a dead man walking! I’ll just kill myself here and now! You’ll lose your most compatible vessel, forever lost in the darkness! You’ll be alone again for a thousand years! Who knows when someone like me is going to come around again?!"

Still no answers.

"You think I'm afraid of dying?! You’re dead wrong, malak!"

He put the blade of his staff near his throat. With a downward cut, blood spewed from his wound. He dropped on his knees, laughing, "Say farewell to your freedom…!"

Suddenly, a large black mist took over his surroundings and the silhouette of five serpent heads appeared inside. After a series of unintelligible whispers, the figures merged and turned into a woman, slowly walking out of the smoke. Avernus held his wounds, smirking. The figure dashed towards him and pressured his wounds.

"Are you out of your mind, Avernus?!"

She appeared like an elegant and sophisticated woman in her mid-thirties. The malak had long silver hair as it was defying the laws of gravity by floating in the air. Two large golden horns were coming out of her headband and curved backward. Her attire consisted of only golden shoulder guards with large spikes coming out of them with a mesh cloth acting as a long cloak. Her golden chest piece barely covered her breasts and connected by small gold chains to the sides. The lower torso followed the same fashion but with additional mesh clothes hanging from the sides of her golden shorts and nothing else covering the legs except for a pair of anklets. Her eyes were bright yellow.

Her hand glowed and the wound started to rapidly heal.

"What happened to you? Just look at yourself, Avernus. You’re nothing. Not even a shadow of your former self."

Avernus maintained his smirking despite suffering through excruciating pain from the deep cut. "Look who's talking? Afraid of being helpful for once?"

She groaned, "We were once like a family, you and I. But you… You betrayed me. Despite everything I did, you broke your pact and ran away like a coward."

Avernus winced and exhaled, "We had a good run, Tia. I wanted to live the rest of my short life as a free man. I told you, I regretted that life. Since then, nothing has changed."

Tia shook her head, "What've you gotten yourself into this time?"

Avernus' voice turned to whisper, "It doesn't matter. Just form the pact."

Tia held his hand. A blinding light enveloped them. Avernus yelled from the pain. Soon after, Tia sank into his body.

Avernus shouted the name he gave her a long time ago, "Usuwvam Risfuw!"

His remaining wounds healed instantly. His body reverted from a frail-looking man back to his original glory. Avernus exhaled as he rose up on his feet. He picked up one of the crystals and crushed it between his hands. Several small orbs fell to the ground. In a subtle flash, they transformed into pieces of armor.

Avernus crouched and gently touched them, "Here we go again… Death, misery, and calamity… I am a messenger of suffering. I am no longer a Shepherd."

"You are a Shepherd. It was your call, but you ignored it. You are the sword of destiny. A double-edged sword. One side is death and the other side…", Tia whispered to him.

"Is me…", Avernus completed her sentence himself.

He wore the armor set.

"I can feel your distress and anger. Tell me everything.", Tiamat fruitly asked him.

He wasn’t sure where to start. "My ship sank, pirates captured me, I escaped and found my way to this village. A passionate family took me in. Then their brother-in-law betrayed them. He sacrificed their little brother to awaken a monster. Then his sister was turned into a daemon. The whole village was wiped out and I ended up dead. But somehow, I'm still breathing."

"I see. I thought you were dead too. Everyone back home thought you were dead. Although, I was in the earthpulse most of the time. Do you know how much time has passed?"

"No."

"It has been nearly three years. Since then, something triggered greater resonance in humans. Now ordinary people can see malakhim. Most of them are even forcefully summoned."

Avernus stopped to think. Everything makes sense now. The sacrifice, Artorius' plan, and sudden appearances of malakhim all linked to that entity. Whatever it was, it had to do with that night.

"How are things back home?", he asked.

"Not too bad. Your people made more allies to keep the daemons at bay. But the news of your death was hard on your family."

"Just my family?"

Tia paused for a moment.

"…Yes."

Avernus sighed, "Figures… I think the rest of the people might even be relieved."

"Maybe. But your demise was kept secret from the public."

Avernus finally wore the last piece. He turned towards the Crowe's house and stared at it for one last time. Tia felt a sudden surge of malevolence in his chest.

"Control your feelings, Avernus. Your body's going to react to my bond soon. You need more energy to deal with it.", she advised.

"I don't care. Let's just get out of here."

Avernus and Tia exited through the gate and went into the Morgana Woods. His thoughts were occupied with strategies and ways on how to kill his enemy.

"What's our destination?", Tia inquired.

"Loegres, the capital of Midgand. But first we'll need to get to a port town called Taliesin. We'll take a ship to Port Zekson or whatever it's called."

"Who's our target?"

"He's supposedly the leader of a group called exorcists. They’re the only force capable of dealing with daemons. Like Squires and Shepherds, they can form pacts with malakhim and use their arte to fight the daemons. But he proved to be a con and murderous scum who needs to be put down."

"I see. But we need more than that."

"That's what we're going to do. We’ll gather intel at the capital."

Avernus strode through the Morgana Woods and entered the Perniya cliffside path.

After a few hours of traversing, the Shepherd and malak reached Taliesin. It was a large city built alongside a cliff. The settlement consisted of a complex pulley system and lots of windmills. He checked the roads and noticed a few exorcists on patrol.

"I guess since the daemon threat is already declined, the patrols are much lighter now… It doesn't matter, though. Getting to Port Zekson is our first priority.", Avernus declared.

As we wandered through the streets, he noticed that people seemed happy and content with their lives. He saw a preacher, advocating about the exorcists and something about an Abbey.

"I've lost a lot of time. He probably dug in pretty tight by now."

"So, from what we heard, the exorcists banded together and formed an organization called ‘the Abbey’. Now they pretty much have control of everything in Midgand now.", Tia observed.

"A new world order…", said Avernus.

He embarked on a passing merchant ship destined for Port Zekson. On the deck, he stared at the horizon and declared to himself, "I will scour them off the land… And he will answer for his atrocities…"

Avernus lowered his head.

"What are the odds of taking out a powerful spirit in our current state?"

"It depends. I can sense its power and domain. They govern control to some extent, but we have yet to know what their purpose is.", Tia answered.

"Then we need allies, weapons, and intel. When I was in the custody of pirates, I saw that their captain was holding one of the dragon-killing pistols from the far continent. Although that one was ancient, I need that one.", Avernus shook his head, "Under no circumstances are you allowed to show yourself until I give you permission. Understood?"

Avernus felt a whisper in his mind.

"Then I’ll take that as a ‘yes’…"

He focused his eyes on the line where waves conspired and returned. He could then hear Velvet laughing.

"…It’s funny to see you so apologetic. Kind of not so… you."

He whirled back, but Velvet wasn't there. His memory of her kept ghosting him. Like a shadow, it was part of him now.

He remembered the promise he made not to walk the path of vengeance. Although, he wasn't known for keeping his promises.

After a long voyage, the ship finally docked at Port Zekson. Avernus disembarked and surveyed the area. The port was bustling with workers conversing with each other about significant trading posts. One in a military fortress called Vortigern, and a fishing town called Hellawes. Both appeared to be under the Abbey's jurisdiction.

"Hmm… Remember those names, especially Vortigern. I want to pay that place a visit in the future."

Avernus turned to gate guards and gestured at them, "Hey, you two, which way to Loegres?"

The guards glanced at each other. One of them pointed to the gate behind them, "You just go through the Danann Highway. You can’t miss it.”

Avernus, without showing any acknowledgement, skipped through the door. He strode across the highway, ignoring the Wolf and Axe beak daemons roaming around the area.

After an hour or so, he finally reached the gates of Loegres. There was a small queue at the front of the gate.

"Looks like they’re inspecting people." He focused on the guards, "They’re checking documents. Maybe they’re permit passes of some sort.", Avernus observed.

"Those walls aren’t suitable for scaling. The number of guards is too high. We need to steal some permit passes.", Tia advised.

Avernus nodded and checked the different groups of people that were waiting to be inspected. He noticed a family of four arguing about their broken cart. He smirked and walked towards them.

"Excuse me, do you need some help?", Avernus asked.

"Oh, yes. We could really use a hand, young man. We need someone to fix our carriage.", the father of the family replied, looking relieved.

Avernus crouched and checked the broken wheel, "Hmm… give me a hammer and a couple of nails.". One of the sons brought him his requested materials from one of the bags. After a few slams and adjustments, the wheel was seemingly fixed. The father of the family raced to him and shook his hand, bowing down at the same time. Avernus said his goodbyes and marched toward the gate confidently, now, with a permit pass in his hand,

"I can vouch for your pickpocketing skills, but I can’t say the same for your carpenter skills.", said Tia.

Avernus smirked.

"I wouldn’t worry about it. They should be able to get into the city before it breaks down again."

After showing his newly ‘acquired’ permit pass to the guards, he entered the capital.

"Loegres, the heart of the empire… Hmph, I wanted to see this place under better circumstances, but now it just doesn't feel right anymore."

"We should move further into the city. Maybe we can start gathering intel on the Abbey and-"

Before Tia could finish her sentence, Avernus interrupted her, "And find unlikely allies. Already on it."

There was a fountain in front of him that people were gathering around it, A charming little girl with green hair and tanned skin came up to Avernus.

"Hi, mister! You’re very handsome. Are you a prince?"

Avernus glanced at the girl and smiled back, "Maybe, little one. Who knows?" He then kneeled down and pampered her hair, "You're a pretty little princess yourself."

She giggled.

"I’m selling rose corsages. Do you want to buy one for your princess? I bet she's beautiful!"

"Oh… Yeah, of course. She is very beautiful. Okay, I'll buy one for her."

After buying a rose corsage, a young woman ran up to them and screamed, "There you are, Kamoana! Thank goodness you’re okay!" The woman hugged the little girl and started crying.

"…What happened?", the little girl soon sobbed.

"Your mother, she…", the woman stopped when she saw Avernus looking at them, "I beg your pardon." She quickly picked up the little girl and ran towards an alleyway.

Avernus rushed towards the alley and parkoured to the top of the buildings and then landed in front of them. The woman winced and screamed in terror, nearly falling to the ground.

"Listen, I can help. What happened to this child's mother?"

She hugged the little girl tighter and refused to answer.

"He’s a nice guy. He bought one of my rose corsages…", said the little girl.

"No, you cannot trust a stranger, Kamoana."

Avernus nodded. "You are wise to think that. I'm not from around here, but I will help common folk wherever and whenever I can."

The older girl continued sobbing and said, "Some exorcists came and arrested her mother, Mahina. They said they were bringing her in for questioning. But I fear for her safety after what they did with Baskerville."

"Calm down. Tell me where they're taking her and I'll do whatever I can."

"They took her away in a transport carriage, moving to the southern garrison. Please… hurry…", the woman pleaded with him.

Avernus bowed and skipped to the main street.

"We don't have time for charity work, Avernus!", said Tia.

"Whatever that woman did gave the Abbey enough reason to warrant an arrest. This is the first step towards making allies." Avernus looked up, "We need to reach higher ground." He jumped up and scaled one of the buildings as quickly as he could and scanned the area for a prison carriage.

"There! A hundred meters to the south. Two guards on horseback and one driver."

"Stealth would be best option.", advised Tiamat. Avernus flew across the rooftops and positioned himself on the top of the passing wagon.

"Smokescreen!"

He jumped and threw smoke bombs around the area. The horses panicked, reducing their visibility to nothing. Sounds of steel armor slamming against each other and screams of pain filled the area. The prisoner tried to grasp the situation. Suddenly, her cage was open and an arm extended from the smoke, pulling her from the cage and throwing her onto the street. Avernus shouted for her to run away and she began striding through the alleyways.

"Now, we follow her."

Avernus jumped across the rooftops until he arrived at a tavern. He jumped down and entered the establishment. The woman was nowhere to be found, but he caught the attention of some of the customers. Avernus moved to the bar and sat on a high chair. An older woman approached him.

"What it'll be, young man? Mabo curry is our specialty. It takes a week to stew properly…"

"Just give me a bottle of the strongest drink you have."

She turned to the bartender and slowly nodded at him. He poured some of the requested brew in a glass pint.

"So, any news you want to share?", Avernus asked, putting a handful of gald coins on the counter. The older woman smiled casually.

"Hmm… Let me see. Besides a new visitor helping a family fix their carriage and stealing their travel permit at the same time, wandering streets and helping common folk or… coming back from the grave?"

Avernus sipped his drink and slowly clapped.

"Well done… Well done. You’ve done your homework, it seems."

"The shadows watch those who flinch from the light. You made Artorius very mad when you… failed to comply. Melchior was even more upset. But your death might be fortuitous. With you on their side, their plans might’ve come to fruition by now."

Avernus stared at the old woman's eyes.

"The thing is, knowing exactly who I am three years later is scary. You must have pretty strong connections in the Abbey. I didn't think my case would be important enough for someone to take notice. Well, I can assume that we can help each other."

"How can I be of assistance, young man?"

"I want to know where their headquarters is, important Abbey military and logistic targets, and the names of all their crucial personnel.", demanded Avernus.

The older woman shook her head.

"That information won’t come cheap, my dear boy. But since you helped a woman in need, I’ll tell you the location of their royal villa in Loegres. However, for the rest, I have a list of jobs that need to be done before any potential cooperation can be made between us."

Avernus nodded back, "Fair enough."

She pulled out a map and placed it on the counter. She then marked the target location on it. After that, she extended her hand towards him, "Welcome to the Bloodwing Butterflies. I'm Tabatha Baskerville."

"Avernus Diphda."

After exiting the tavern, he took another close look at the map.

"If we're lucky, we can take them by surprise.", said Avernus.

"She had pretty good intel on you, Avernus.", whispered Tiamat.

He sighed.

"I know. It seems that they already think I'm dead. Let's keep it that way."

He strode through the streets until he reached a large gate. He moved at high speed to reach the royal villa at the north of Loegres. After reaching their destination, Avernus snuck in closer to investigate the defenses.

"They got everything pretty tight. Lots of guards roaming the walls, but it is pretty doable to infiltrate."

Avernus climbed the nearest rock and jumped as far as he could.

"Long Dash!"

He managed to teleport in midair towards the wall in front of him. Avernus caught the ledge and breathed heavily, "Phew, haven't done that in a long time. Being dead has made me rusty."

Avernus scaled the wall and moved into the clearing above it. He silently incapaciteted a guard patrolling the perimeter and made his way towards the inner courtyard. He saw an exorcist explaining the situation to his commander.

"Lord Melchior and Lord Artorius left the villa yesterday for the meeting in the palace regarding the ceremony next week. Praetorian legates have been sent on their way for their special missions."

Avernus groaned, "It seems all high ranking personnel have already left the villa."

Avernus' eyes spotted someone familiar. He watched carefully and frowned.

"That's Seres! Maybe we're not too late after all."

Avernus positioned himself at the top of the archway. The fire malak walked underneath. He suddenly jumped on her, grabbing Seres and teleporting them both to one of the secured rooms topsides. He pushed her to the wall.

"Nullifying Strains!" Elemental bindings strapped Seres to the wall, covering her arms, legs, and her mouth, rendering her incapable of using artes or calling for help.

He then pointed at the door. "Nullifying Barrier!" An invisible shield covered the door. He slowly turned to Seres and walked toward her, "This is my lucky day…"

He moved his face closer to hers, "Do you remember me, malak?" Avernus extended his hand towards Seres' face and violently removed her mask, revealing a pair of red eyes. They were locked in a staring battle with Avernus.

"Of course you do. After all, you're a malak. Your memory is not as weak as a human’s.", he moved away.

"I don’t want to waste my time on you, so I’ll make this quick. This matter can end in two ways. First option; you tell me everything you know about the Abbey, Artorius, and his so-called legates, and I will end this swiftly." Avernus raised his hand and charged a dark purple orb in his hand, "Second option; I’ll fill you with enough malevolence to turn you into a dragon, unleash you upon this city, and watch you as you destroy everything around you… So, what’ll it be, Seres?"

He dispersed the magic holdings on her mouth and waited impatiently for an answer.

Seres raised her head, "You… How is it that you’re still alive?"

Avernus scowled, "I'm the one who's asking the questions here! As a Shepherd, I could never bring myself to hurt a malak, but you’re an exception…"

"We knew… Everybody knew… There is still hope."

Avernus frowned further and raised his voice, "Hope?! There is no hope! Not for you, not for Artorius, not for the Abbey, and not for any sick-minded bastards who had a hand in that killing!"

"No… Not for me… but for her.", replied Seres.

Avernus eyes widened as a name flashed in his head, "For whom?"

He moved closer again to Seres, eyes widening in both shock… and hope.

"Velvet? Is she still alive?"

"Yes, she is alive…" Before she could finish, Avernus slammed his staff into the wall, having the topside blades surrounding Seres' neck.

He clenched his teeth, "Where is she?"

"They are holding her in a prison island called Titania, in the Midgand Sea."

"Why should I trust any word that comes out of your mouth, malak?"

"Because a flame burns in my heart too, just like your her. A flame I can't extinguish no matter how hard I try. That's why I can't tolerate it… This frozen world… These frozen people."

"Then why didn't you stop it when you had the chance?!"

"My… memories… They came back.", Seres answered.

Avernus asked again, "What memories?! What the hell are you talking about?!"

"My memories as Celica."

Avernus' face froze, "Celica? Celica Crowe?! Velvet and Laphicet's older sister?!

"Even if I am Celica, I don't have the right to be called their sister. I followed Artorius' orders without question, and that led to sacrificing my own flesh and blood."

Avernus pulled out the staff from the wall and placed his hand on his face, shaking his head.

"What made it possible for you to regain your memories?"

"Do you know about rebirth?"

"Of course. I'm an educated specialist."

"It happened right after the night Artorius sacrificed Laphicet, which has been dubbed the Advent. It was then that I understood what exactly it was that I had done."

"They called that thing's awakening the ‘Advent’?", Avernus asked.

"Yes. That creature is the reason why it’s possible for exorcists to tether and control malakhim, turning them into obedient tools. It must be destroyed."

Avernus pointed his finger towards Seres and disabled the strains and gave her mask back, then disabled the barrier on the door.

"First, take me to Titania. I will not leave Velvet to rot in that prison."

Seres put on her mask and nodded, "Agreed. But there is one thing I must do before we go." Seres suddenly disappeared in the flash of flame.

"Damn it! She ran away!"

Avernus moved quickly out of the room and quickly found Seres at the courtyard walking towards a young boy. After looking closely, he noticed that the kid was a malak.

"What the hell is she doing?"

He moved closer to hear what they were saying to each other.

"I hear that you've finally gotten your assignment. Have they given you a name yet?", Seres asked the little boy.

"Malak Number Two.", the kid responded coldly.

"That isn't your name…"

"Who is that malak? Why is she talking to him?!", Tia whispered.

"How the hell should I know? I still can't wrap my head around that Seres is Velvet's reborn sister. Like this quest could get any weirder…"

"You seem excited, Avernus. Is it from finding out that that girl is still alive?"

"Maybe. It’s refreshing to hear some good news for a change. At least now there’s a chance…"

"Looks like they're done talking.", Tia observed, and Avernus focused his attention on them again.

"…I'm about to free someone who can kill the strongest Empyrean and the head exorcist. I suppose you could call it revenge… against myself, and my past…"

Avernus looked up and saw more guards approaching,

"Dammit, I need to move quickly."

He checked his surroundings and dropped down on the courtyard, moving alongside the shadow in the bushes. Seres' talk with the kid malak appeared to be over, and she paced towards the exit. Avernus jumped back up and followed the wall to the gate and silently dived down, rejoining Seres as she moved farther from the villa.

"We need a ship. I made some contacts in the capital. We can ask them how to get one."

"No. We can use one of the Abbey's ships. I will have to smuggle you somehow.", Seres stated.

Avernus sighed. "Whatever works in our favor. Just make it quick."

After they exited the city gates and moved back to Port Zekson, Seres turned back and discovered that a large group of regular soldiers were pursuing them.

"We're being followed!", Seres informed Avernus hastily.

"No surprise. When a malak suddenly takes off without reporting, they'll obviously get suspicious." Avernus clenched his fists and pulled something from his pocket and threw it at Seres. She grabbed it and saw it was a rose corsage.

"Give that to Velvet and bring her back to Loegres."

"But what about you?"

Avernus smirked, "I’m gonna raise some hell…"

He ran towards the group and revealed his weapon from his gauntlet.

"Lightning Spear! Ground Quake!"

Avernus casted artes into the pursuing group. They weren't prepared to counter magic spells. Avernus warped around the battlefield, smacking the disoriented soldiers and malaks on their heads and helmets, making them unconscious.

“Not killing them?” Tia asked.

"No… but let's give these lowlanders a taste of Hyland's magic!"

"On your mark!", Tia readied herself, pouring more mana into his core.

Avernus slammed his staff forcefully on the ground as a resonating chime sound echoed through the sky, "Visage of the Abyss!"

A colossal portal was made in the sky above the main gate. An apparition of a five-headed dragon started to crawl out, roaring. Soldiers and exorcists began to run away in fear. People watching the scene from the town began to panic. Tabatha came outside and glanced at the dragon up in the sky.

Some of the Bloodwings also came out of the tavern and joined Tabatha in shock.

"What the hell is that?!"

Tabatha smiled.

"Hope."

The ear-piercing roar filled the night sky of Loegres.