Strange whispers floated in the endless void, trying to reach out to Avernus’s broken mind. He could make out Tia, Rokurou, Magilou, and Velvet’s voices mixed up.

“It’s all right… I know you tried….”

“He will be up shortly, hopefully before tomorrow morning….”

“…It has been two days….”

“…He got affected by malevolence. His body is constantly fighting corruption. It’s off the scale….”

“…Hold on, Shepherd… Bienfu and I will fix you just fine….”

“…Focus, Magilou! What do we do, tell us?!”

“…Sheesh, Velvet, cool down. I wasn’t the one who punched him hard in the head….”

The sounds went in an instant. Avernus drifted away.

A silver light appeared in the distance. Avernus's soul noticed Phi’s voice more clearly than others.

“… Then we got to the main road! Velvet forced the geoboard to move even faster! I tried to hold on to her cloak, but I ended up grabbing her backside… it was so embarrassing! But I managed to find another earthpulse point” His senses diverted to sadness, “… wake up… wake up, please. I’ll promise to learn how to purify the malevolence. I’ll help!” Phi pleaded innocently. The kid’s voice then disappeared into nothingness.

The timeless fantasy went on. Avernus could sense Eleanor, closer than before.

“… I think I’ve finally gotten used to Laphicet’s powers… All thanks to you. It’s been four days now; he misses you greatly. Kamoana cried the other day. She saw her mother in her dreams. Mahina told her that she didn’t want her anymore… Her mother said that she was too hideous. Velvet tried to calm her down, but it didn’t work because Kamoana wanted her mother’s embrace instead. I hoped that you could talk to her to ease her sadness… I don’t know what to do….”

He flew through the emptiness of his mind. A light flickered in the distance. Like a moth to a flame, his soul dashed towards it. This one echoed all around him.

“…You did it again. First, Laphi left me, then Arthur betrayed me, and now you’re ignoring your promises… Is it too much to ask to listen, you dumbass? Who am I kidding? You’ll do it again anyhow. I cooked meat and vegetable soup for you. Tia said that you love meat. I don’t know how I did, but Phi tasted it for me. He said it tasted delicious. He’s helping out so much….”

Velvet’s voice stopped, but the light was still there.

“… For the first time after all these years, I don’t know how to live… if you’re not here.”

The seemingly endless dream was coming to an end. Avernus slowly took control of his heavy eyelids. He opened them, barely. A single light partially lit the room. He gradually tilted his head to the side, checking the place to prove his suspicion; the large drawing desk, different books on a large shelf, his assumption was correct. He was back at his private cabin in Van Eltia.

Avernus groaned. Putting all his strength into his body, he instantly sat up. He placed his hands on his face, rubbing it to ward off the numb feeling. His bones ached to no end. His muscles were oddly numb, as if he didn’t use them for quite some time.

“Guess I failed Theodora…Heh, typical me, what’s new…” he said to himself, disappointingly.

However, among the thoughts of Theodora’s sad fate, the smell of a delicious meal sealed away his anxiety. He quickly tracked the dish responsible for that luscious scent; it was coming from a bowl full of vegetable and beef soup. Perfect for someone who was recovering from an illness.

“Velvet was at it again.” He whispered to himself. That thought put a smile on his sleepy face. He moved closer to the bedside table, hopping from the middle of the bedsheet to the top.

It was still warm. The perfectly sliced beef was floating in the soup, radiating that tasty smell.

He carefully picked up the plate. His hands were still feeble. Avernus calmly moved the spoon around in the stew, thinking. “What would you do without her, you dumb Shepherd….” Then, he remembered the hit to the back of his head. The thought of Velvet having to punch him made the sorcerer sneer a little. He shook his head. “I’m sure she enjoyed it a lot.”

A soft moaning suddenly alerted him to a presence.

Avernus instantly raised his head, noticing that someone was with him in the room. His eyes caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure sitting in the darkness beside the bed. He found out that it was none other than Velvet, sleeping on the ground with a folded leg under her arm with close inspection. She was tucking her head on her arm.

Avernus put the bowl back on the table. He merely managed to cumulate enough energy to stand up. His attention was all towards Velvet; she didn’t move nor reacted to his motions. Velvet was out cold. Avernus felt her company overrode his need for food. He immediately walked to her side, sneaky and quietly. Avernus pressed his lips as he sat down beside her, preventing himself from letting out a groan from the pain.

Velvet adopted the same pose when he saw her in the Earthen Hystoria; sad, depressed, and heartbroken. His arm went around her shoulder, instinctively, wanting to wrap it around her lone figure to make Velvet feel safe.

But his hand suddenly stopped inches away from her body. Velvet was sleeping soundly; waking her up would be a bad idea. Instead, Avernus closed his eyes, remembering the brief time they both shared as two good friends. Even though they met each other for a day, their personalities clicked. None of them knew, until much later and on different and harsh circumstances, that their pull to each other was real or at least, it was real enough for him.

He smirked, recalling Velvet’s mom's attitude. Unknown to him, the “Alpha mom” was now fully awake and was looking for her missing pup.

Avernus heard Velvet’s sigh and yawning. He decided to stay put and pretend he was still sleeping. He had the feeling that she was staring at him. The sound of her short pants’ chains moving and leather belts rubbing against her cloak signalled him that she moved, probably standing up.

Strangely, Velvet let out a loud sigh, “… Thank goodness he’s awake!” She expressed relief in a tone that was inappropriate for her current state. Avernus slightly frowned; why was she too happy to see him wake up? But her usual sound came back again.

“…He didn’t even eat his soup, and he’s sitting on the cold ground without wearing his vest! How irresponsible! Eleanor is right. I will discipline this stubborn man!” She complained and nagged quietly.

Avernus, still eyes closed, heard it all. He was grinning slightly.

She was not a daemon, not by a long shot.

He could hear Velvet bringing the bed sheet to him.

“… You’ll get sick at this rate, you dumbass.” Velvet whispered to herself, worryingly and angrily, at the same time as she was covering him carefully with the blanket.

She leaned closer to cover his other side. Abruptly, Velvet felt two arms around her waist. They pulled her down,

“Come here…” Avernus uttered silently.

Velvet fell on his lap, Avernus gently caught her. He relaxingly wrapped the blanket around both of them, “You just fell into Shepherd’s trap, madam. I hope you don’t object. I feel freezing for some reason. The bed cover won’t cut it.” He said, jokingly and charmingly.

Avernus tried to bring her closer, but she resisted firmly.

He looked at Velvet’s face; her tousled hair covered her eyes.

“… Six days.” Velvet murmured coldly as she hid her face.

“What?” Avernus silently asked, his voice disappeared quickly, narrowing his eyes.

Velvet paused for a few seconds, “It has been six days since you passed out. Everyone was close to losing their hope of ever seeing you wake up. Tia even considered breaking your squire bond with Eleanor and Phi... in case you couldn’t….” Velvet stopped again, Avernus couldn’t see, but she pressured her eyelids together before opening them and staring blankly into the floor,

“…wake up from your coma.” She continued, plainly and in an emotionless tone of voice.

Avernus swallowed, pressing his lips, he breathed in a slow and controlled manner. Velvet raised her head, frowning. Her golden eyes shone brightly in the dark, and Velvet’s villainous voice returned.

“You have no idea how angry I’m, Avernus Diphda. You don’t know what Phi and I endured. You don’t know what “the rest” went through. I asked you not to endanger your life for others, yet, you disregarded my request.” Avernus felt her breath on his face, huffing furiously,

“You Shepherds are all the same. Artorius sacrificed Laphi for the rest of the world, and now you, ignoring me for some malaks….”

“Don’t you ever say that, Velvet! It’s not like that!” Avernus complained angrily.

“I don’t care; from now on, you will act under my direct orders. No more heroics understood?! I won’t listen to your words anymore.” Velvet scolded him admonishingly.

Avernus sensed her body shiver and shook as she reprimanded him in his arms. “I didn’t know….” Avernus expressed regretfully.

Velvet quickly stood up and left his embrace in a hurry. She charged at the door, “Wear something warm. The weather is cold out there… for you humans.” She informed him, flatly, before opening the door. A chilling breeze entered his cabin.

Avernus instantly dashed after her, wearing his vest and coat in haste. His hard steps echoed through the corridor. Velvet opened the door to the deck. Suddenly, A frosty wind hit Avernus’s cheeks as he inhaled the frigid air.

“What the…? Where are we?” Avernus wondered, confused as he scanned the area around them.

He noticed his breath coming out of his mouth. For him, the climate changed in an instant. Avernus didn’t expect the chilly weather. But that wasn’t the only thing Avernus was surprised to see. The crew that was already on the deck suddenly turned their attention to him. Their stares were like watching a dead man rising from his grave. However, they stayed silent, except for Magilou. Her face was remnant of a little kid as if her entertainment had returned.

“Look who’s finally awake! I guess Velvet had the magic to wake you up.” Magilou looked at Avernus’s wand that she had in her hand, “Darn it, holding on to this staff is out of the question now. I’m going to miss it.” Magilou was ridiculed, barely managing to shake the Dreamshadow.

Looking annoyed, Avernus opened his hand, and the weapon flew back to him, forcefully from Magilou’s hand.

Magilou sneered, “I’m keeping score, Shepherd. You can’t spend a week without getting knocked out.”

Eizen was grinning maliciously, “Oi, Avernus! We need to talk, man to man.”

The sorcerer groaned in frustration. The crew was treating him like an irresponsible teenager. Hopelessly, his eyes searched for some more friendly faces. Avernus found Laphicet and Eleanor at the back; they were the only ones who were genuinely delighted to see him recover. Eleanor shook her head, “You made everyone worried again, Avernus.” She said, softly and kinder than the rest.

“He just doesn’t get it.”

Avernus heard Tia’s voice, sounding irritated. She jumped down from the top of the mast, floating gently to the deck.

Eizen crossed his arms, “We’ve reached a consensus; From now on, I’ll personally keep my eye on you. You’re forbidden to do anything that is going to endanger your life. During the fights, you will be staying in the back, supporting the group rather than attacking our foes head-on. That responsibility will go to Velvet, Rokurou, Eleanor, and me.” Eizen glanced at Velvet, “Her orders, Shepherd.” He added.

Avernus frowned, “I thought you were in favour of everyone having their free will intact.”

Eizen looked at Velvet, Laphicet, and Eleanor again, then he turned to him once more, “If it were up to me, I’d rather left you behind, but because of them, no. Not this time.”

Velvet maintained her glare at Avernus; she was mad at him. But the pirate’s cooperation relaxed her troubled mind, “Thanks, Eizen.”

Avernus rolled his eyes, “Whatever, this weather is even colder than your heart, Eizen. Would anyone tell me where we are now?”

“We’re in Northgand, near Hellawes,” Tia replied.

Avernus was confused. It appeared he lost a lot of time and essential planning. Tia continued, “After the incident with Theodora, we travelled back to Titania. Laphicet was able to pinpoint another major earthpulse point to the north of Hellawes.”

Avernus turned to Laphicet, “It seems you didn’t need my help anymore. Good job, Phi.” He praised him confidently.

The boy didn’t blush. His posture was firm and steady. “Yeah, I did it without much effort.”

Velvet and Eleanor were both glancing at Laphicet, having a smile on their face.

“He has come a long way.” Velvet expressed.

“Yeah, and I think I’ve finally got a handle on Laphicet’s powers in a way that feels right. And I didn’t faint anymore since three days ago.” Eleanor said proudly to Avernus.

“I didn’t expect less from you, Eleanor. It’s just the beginning, though. There are more lessons to learn and more skills to master.” Avernus said loftily.

“Yeah, and I’ll keep learning, too. I hope we all three can make this work.” Eleanor said boldly.

Laphicet chuckled and walk closer between Avernus and Eleanor, “Now with Avernus here again, nothing can come between us! Fingers crossed!” he said, hopefully.

Velvet, feeling ignored, looked at the scene with jealousy. Laphicet noticed it, slowly moving closer to her, “Is there something wrong?”

Velvet shook her head and looked away, “It’s nothing.” Answering in a flat voice, dismissing the little malak.

Magilou quickly caught the wind of the situation. Her eyes flashed as she came up with a new shenanigan. Magilou looked at Laphicet, grinning, “Hey, when you and Eleanor made your pact together, she gave you a true name, right kiddo?”

Laphicet swallowed. His eyes widened. Magilou maintained her evil glare, “Was it a good one?”

Words failed the little malak. Avernus raised his brow at Magilou. “What are you doing, witch?”

Velvet looking condescending and unimpressed, looked at Avernus and Eleanor. “What’s a true name?”

Magilou quickly jumped forward and started to explain before Avernus could utter a single word, “It’s a unique name in the ancient tongue given to a malak as a necessary step in forming a pact with a human. I gave Bienfu the name Fuschie Cass.” Magilou chuckled, “It means “Thing”! Hahaha!”

Velvet looked disgusted, “That’s pretty messed up.”

Magilou sneered, “It’s just my little way of showing affection!”

Velvet looked at Laphicet. Magilou slowly and silently moved away from the scene.

“So what kind of name did you get, Laphicet?” Velvet asked softly.

Laphicet voice stuttered, unable to come up with something. Velvet took it as if Eleanor gave him a ridiculous name too. Her responsible sister’s persona rose, “What’s the matter, Phi? Eleanor didn’t give you a peculiar name like Magilou gave Bienfu, did she? If you’re not happy with it, I can talk to Eleanor about it later, so go on and tell me….”

Laphicet quickly dashed to the other side, stopping Velvet from finishing her sentence, “I’m fine with it! And I can’t tell you anyway!” he whined and escaped the scene, running towards the crew quarters.

Velvet closed her eyes and tried to keep her dignity by acting unimpressed, “Well, you don’t have to get so worked up about it….”

Avernus scowled, “Worked up? Velvet, you can’t just straightly ask a malak their true name.”

She opened her eyes, staring directly into the sorcerer’s eyes, “Why not?”

“Because their names carry a heavy and special meaning to them. If they decided to speak it to anyone other than their pact keepers, it would be because they trust them with their lives, or it’s a… uh.” Avernus stopped, but Magilou pounced in front of him,

“Practically a confession of love!” The witch screamed.

Velvet blushed hard. She tried to salvage the situation by frowning at Avernus and shifting the attention from herself back to him, “Avernus, you could’ve said something sooner, you know. You’re supposed to be a Shepherd!”

Avernus widened his eyes in response, baffled, but the wicked Magilou had other plans.

The witch giggled, “Haha! That’s not even the good part, Velvet! Avernus also gave Eleanor a true name too!”

The red hue from Velvet’s cheeks went away. She exhaled like a hungry wolf. Her eyes of the hunt were on to the sorcerer, waiting for a delicate explanation or else.

Avernus groaned at the witch, “Damn it, Magilou! You… Uh, Velvet, it’s not like that at all! The purpose of the true name is different when it comes to the squires!”

Velvet put her hands on her hips, “Oh… then please, do tell.” She said menacingly.

Avernus cleared his throat, another lesson from the far-continent Shepherd, “The concept of the true name is the expression of one’s main virtue, sometimes their common name is also placed within the whole structure. The reason is, whenever I need to share my powers or call out to them, I can easily resume and form my bond when I speak to their main trait. It’s faster and easier to access their mana pool. For example, I gave Eleanor “Lawex Umuviv.” It means Caring, Eleanor.” Avernus explained in detail, calmly, like a patient teacher.

Velvet narrowed her eyes. Her obsessive mind couldn’t help with the situation. “Caring?” she sounded as a complainant.

“Yes, because deep down her heart, she cares a lot about everyone. Eleanor has a pure heart.” Avernus explained directly. Eleanor blushed, but it made the situation with the Velvet more difficult.

Velvet’s brows knotted, “Oh, I’m sorry if I’m not caring and considerate enough, Mr. Shepherd!” She said derisively and childishly.

The people around them began to disperse, trying to move away from the scene.

Avernus sighed and rubbed his forehead, “That’s not what I meant! You’re missing the point! When I was a squire, the previous Shepherd gave me a true name too. It’s a normal procedure, and it has nothing to do with… with anything else!”

Velvet’s intense mood suddenly calmed down. She stared coldly into Avernus’s face. “So?” she flatly asked, tolerantly waiting for a reply.

Avernus’s eyes began to blink faster in surprise, “What do you mean by “So”?”

Velvet’s eyes slowly narrowed. She groaned in annoyance. Magilou moved beside her, extending her arm towards the sky, “Has Velvet’s punch made you denser, Avernus? She wants to know your true name!”

“True name? I told you; it’s not like malaks. It’s a combat and performance-related thing! And now it’s useless anyhow!” Avernus said discordantly.

Velvet persistently waited. It didn’t matter, combat or showing affection. She had to know it.

Avernus shook his head and moved closer to her. He whispered something in her ears.

Velvet paused for a moment, thinking. Then looked at Magilou, “What Sodiwv Akuwuk means?” Velvet flatly asked, without care.

Avernus faced palmed his face. “It was meant for your ears only, Velvet!”

Magilou suddenly burst into laughter, “It… haha… it means dumbass Avernus!” she yelled informingly.

“No, it does not! It means hot-headed or stubborn!” he complained.

A satisfying smile formed on Velvet’s face. Her eyes changed into a dreamy and wicked form. “Dumbass it is. It fits perfectly right.” She waved her bandaged hand in the air, “You’re off the hook, for now.”

Her bossy and dominant behaviour made Avernus groan in annoyance. It was a battle that he could not win. Tia came to her side. Avernus noticed from her smiling face that she enjoyed their banter enough. He tried to divert the topic now his big sister was there.

“It’s apparent that I’ve failed in my attempt to purify Theodora….” Avernus said despairingly.

Tia waited, staring at his face, checking his eyes before answering him, “Not quiet.”

He skeptically glanced at her eyes.

“She talked in a normal tongue and retreated without escalating the fight. She also brought the weather back to its normal form.” Tia clarified.

Avernus’s pale green eyes flickered in hope. “Then… it can be done!” he said excitingly.

Tia was waiting for his answer, raising her left eyebrow.

“True names are the key! If I can dig into their real virtues, I can….”

“We’re Docking!”

Benwick’s cry broke his focus.

The team exited the ship shortly. Avernus and Tia followed them closely.

It was the first time Avernus and Tia set foot on the town. Surprisingly, the city had no exorcist patrol. The sorcerer moved to the front to walk side by side with Velvet. She seemed to be in deep thought. “There are no more exorcist patrols. It’s odd.” She told Avernus.

“Then we will ask the townsfolk,” Avernus said assertively. He noticed a family of three nearby, waiting near a ruined warehouse. He moved closer to them, “Can you tell me any news lately? Why are there no exorcists around?” The sorcerer directly asked them.

The father of the family sighed in disappointment, “Ever since the Calamity showed up, and everything’s just gone to hell, I say.”

Velvet frowned, “Calamity? What do you mean?”

“I mean the daemon who barged in and made a mess of our fair city. She’s a nasty creature of pure evil, with an arm that eats anything that gets in her way.” The man replied furiously.

Velvet silently groaned and stood silent. Avernus looked at Velvet. Briefly, he precisely guessed who they were talking about but didn’t show any thrills.

The wife of the man was surprised at their indifferent reaction, “Haven’t you heard of her? The Calamity’s been rampaging across the whole kingdom, not just here. She has found another force of destruction to accompany her.”

Now, it was time for Avernus to wonder and ask, “Another force of destruction?”

“Yes, although no one saw him, they say that he’s a dark sorcerer. He summoned a dragon and sank a large number of Imperial ships at Vortigern. He also killed the high priest and demolished several Abbey’s bases along with Palamedes temple. The people call him the Umbra, the dark shadow of the Calamity herself. Many say that he is the real reason behind her bloodlust.”

Velvet slowly glanced at Avernus’s face. He kept nodding, his face didn’t betray any emotion, but deep down in his eyes, there was a glimpse of sadness. After all, he was the real reason that many survived Velvet’s crusade.

The husband continued, “After the Calamity razed our ships and our port, the shipping guild fell apart, and our trade routes got poached by other ports. It’s bad. The town relies on trade to make ends meet.” The man continued and complained.

Her wife quickly followed his words again, “People are abandoning the city, and our street is no longer safe. Not to mention the daemonblight spreading again. Just the other day, a little kid turned into a daemon, just like that. What a world, what a world...” She was disturbed; her voice shook from fear.

“What have the exorcists been doing during all of this?” Magilou asked.

The husband scratched his head, “Well, lady Teresa was in charge of this region, but she lost against the Calamity and got demoted. Several new exorcists reassigned here, but once they arrive, they all traipse right off to the ruins up north.”

Avernus began to rub his chin, “Ruins up north….”

“This has to be Medissa’s fault. If she hadn’t gone and done something so stupid…” the wife said.

The name piqued Velvet’s interest, “Who’s Medissa?”

The husband hushed his wife, “That’s enough. This isn’t something for outsiders to know.”

The family instantly left the port. Avernus noticed Eleanor was anxiously checking the burned building, “It sounds like Hellawes isn’t what it used to be these days.” She said grievingly.

“What happened here?” Avernus inquired.

Magilou smiled maliciously, “The Calamity chick happened. Although, her hot-headed shadow wasn’t there to clean up after her.” She mocked them both.

Velvet gave Magilou a stink-eye, “Whatever, we need to find information regarding the Abbey and those ruins to the north. I’m also curious about this Medissa woman.”

Rokurou nodded, “Ruins always equals earthpulse points. Do you think Medissa has something to do with the therion too?”

Voice of Avernus and Velvet synced with another, saying the same phrase. “I think so. Worth looking into.” They both glanced at one another.

Magilou winked and placed her pointer finger on her head, smirking, “Oho, a shadow indeed! People need to look out after the Calamity duo! They’re the real terror.” the witched teased wickedly.

Eizen appeared behind, looking annoyed. “Enough, Magilou! Everyone, disperse around town and ask about the ruins and the Abbey.”

The team separated into different smaller groups. Each moved to various streets and alleys, gathering as much news and information. After collecting enough intel, they assembled near the gates.

Avernus’s face looked irritated, “They just complained and complained about fishing and bad luck. My headache got worst from their endless whining.”

“Are you not feeling well?” Velvet asked.

Magilou hit Velvet’s side, “Maybe you punched him too hard.”

“No… It’s something different. I hear faint whispers too, just like Palamedes.”

Magilou’s eyes narrowed, “Yeah, I was right. You punched him too hard.”

Eleanor came forward, her eyes lingered on misery, “It seems I was more successful. They gave me a lot of new information. Things are in a bad state; the guild is ruined, and in the aftermath of burning the port, the city fell into disarray. It won’t be a functioning port for quite some time.” She explained resentfully.

Magilou put her arms behind her head, acting indifferent. “They had it good here until we came along. Those Hellawesians were like spoiled children.”

Eleanor looked at Avernus, “I wish you were here with Velvet…” she telepathically said to him.

Avernus stared into Eleanor’s eyes but remained speechless until Laphicet spoke.

“The Calamity that they’re talking about is us, isn’t it?” he wondered in his innocent tone of voice. His mood gloomed.

“We’ve been waging war with the Abbey everywhere we go. And now we’re about to take it to a new level.” Rokurou replied.

Eizen crossed his arms, “If we pull the next therion off of the earthpulse point, it’ll likely be Kamoana’s village all over again.” Eizen glanced at Avernus, continuing, “But we got the Shepherd. The malevolence would pose no threat to the people of Hellawes.”

Eleanor breathed a sigh of relief. Magilou rolled her eyes, “Ah, boring! I wanted people to call us something worse than “calamity.”

Rokurou’s free spirit amplified, “They’re not completely innocent if they turned into daemons. But since we got Avernus, I think we can do good here a little bit more than that.”

“How so?” Laphicet asked.

“If there’s someone out there who’s being forced to act as Innominat’s mouth like Kamoana was, isn’t saving them the right thing to do?” Rokurou implied.

Velvet clenched her fists, “You don’t have to worry, I’m the one who will devour the barrier, and I’m the one who will do what needs to be done.” She declared uncompromisingly.

“And I will seal the surplus malevolence beneath the earthpulse point.” Avernus looked a Velvet, nodding, “And I’m the one who will do what needs to be done.” He repeated the last part, acknowledging his role.

Velvet frowned, “Don’t forget about what I said earlier!”

“Don’t worry. This act is pretty easy and harmless.” Avernus ensured her.

The group walked to the other side of town. A young man was standing near the large doors to the north.

Avernus called out to him casually, “Hey, you. Have you seen anything strange lately? Like daemons, for instance?”

He was caught off guard by the bluntness of Avernus’s question, “Um… there was a little girl who caught the daemonblight, exorcists had to deal with her before anything bad happened, but the problem was that the daemon girl’s mother tried to hide her.”

“That’s only human nature,” Rokurou said flatly.

The young man appeared to have been provoked by the swordsman's response, “These are dangerous times! We dare not let our emotions control us! One person’s selfishness could endanger the entire community! Thankfully, an upstanding citizen noticed something suspicious and reported the child to the Abbey… but the mother went mad and killed him in retribution.”

“And that’s only a mother’s nature.” Avernus expressed harshly.

The young man’s eyes widened, his voice stuttered, “Yeah… Right… They wanted to kill her, but a high-ranking exorcist calling himself Lord Astor stopped the guard who was about to cut her down. He said, “Don’t kill her; she’s receptive.”.”

Avernus gritted his teeth, “Lucian!”

The man continued, “…What makes it all the ghastlier is, I head the man she killed was a fellow she was thinking about marrying. The daughter had been dead set against her mother remarrying… You can taste the irony.”

Eleanor shook her head, wrapping her arms around herself, “That’s horrible!”

“She had it coming. If there’s anything worse than daemons, it’s people who can’t control themselves.” The young man said ignorantly.

The pale green eyes of the sorcerer flashed. Velvet already knew what was coming up next. She witnessed his show of morals from three years ago.

Avernus’s voice turned aggressive, “No… people that are worse than daemons are those who forgot to feel and forsake their kind in the name of reason! How you dare judge your people?!” the tone was strong enough for the young man to back down, shuddering at his intimate answer.

Eizen grabbed his arm, pulling him back, “Calm down, Avernus or I’ll punch you even harder than Velvet!”

Avernus groaned in anger, staring at Eizen until he stood down.

Velvet watched him lashing out at the helpless man. Avernus looked more attractive this way, charming when they were alone, vigilante when travelling, and ruthless when he was fighting. She was somehow satisfied. Velvet turned to the man, “What were their names? The woman and the kid that died? And where they’re keeping the woman?”

The man swallowed, “…Medissa and Diana… in Faldies Ruins to the north!” He replied and quickly left the scene.

Velvet started to summing up their information, “So, Diana was a girl-turned-daemon who an exorcist killed, and her mother Medissa hated the Abbey for it.” She looked at Avernus as if he was her only audience, “And the Abbey is using Faldies Ruins up north as a prison camp… What I’m curious about is the of the word “receptive” that Lucian used to describe Medissa.”

“… receptive equals a therion. It seems Lucian is always involved with making more therions for Innominat.” Avernus deduced.

“Meaning he brought Medissa to those ruins where there’s an earthpulse point, and then Lucian made her into a therion,” Rokurou added.

Magilou smirked, “That would certainly put all the pieces together! Plus, if this therion Lucian created already hates the Abbey, that’s all the better for us.”

“Yeah, I imagine she’d be willing to work with us. Although it sounds too easy….” Rokurou confirmed but immediately faced with the nervous stares of the team, “Did I jinx it? I just jinxed it, didn’t I?”

Magilou moaned in annoyance, “Ahh… don’t worry. You jinxed it!”

“Where are these Faldies ruins?” Velvet asked.

“According to one of the townsfolk, it’s located inside a mountain chain in between Figahl Icecaps and Gaiburk Ice field. Abbey uses it as a checkpoint to control the flow of travel between Hellawes and Meirchio.” Avernus informed.

Velvet raised her hand, and suddenly the geoboard appeared, floating a few inches above the ground. Avernus blinked at the magical stony plank.

“A geoboard? How? Where…”

Velvet instantly jumped on it, “It’s mine. You don’t need to concern yourself with it. You have Griffin, after all.”

“Yeah, but I can’t just conjure him in the middle of the town or near the human settlements!” Avernus protested, like a boy that got denied an exciting toy.

Laphicet and Eleanor both joined Velvet on the board. Magilou enlarged one of her guardian papers. To Avernus’s surprise, Tia also jumped on one of her essential guardian papers.

“You too?!” Avernus wondered bafflingly.

Tia smiled at him, “See you guys at Faldies ruins, then?”

Without waiting for answers, the girls rode their magical boards to the north. Avernus froze in his place, staring towards their direction. Eizen abruptly gave him a back blow, Avernus woke out of his reverie.

“What? You need some time away from girls, Shepherd. Haven’t you get tired of Velvet’s glares, her long messy hair or her authoritative tone of voice?” Eizen jokingly said.

“Now, when you put it that way, I miss her even more…” Avernus replied emotionally. “But… They need protection!”

Eizen frowned, “Protection? Are you kidding me? Velvet can solo carry the whole team, and she wouldn’t break a single sweat.” Eizen reassured him.

“I guess that’s true….”

Rokurou hit his other back, and both of them forced Avernus to move forward, “Yeah, let me tell you of my own past experiences with women….”

Avernus, Eizen, and Rokurou spent half an hour walking through the dense snow of the Northgand, discussing their previous personal relationships. The blizzard was low, but a strange sense of danger dug into Avernus’s mind. He restlessly checked their surroundings. “I’ve got a bad feeling….”

All of a sudden different creatures hissed and jumped out of snow. But their ambush was no match for the warriors; Avernus instantly smashed the attacking beast in mid-air using his magic-powered staff, vaporizing it immediately. Rokurou slashed the second one and sliced it in half. Eizen caught the last one by its neck. He stared at it in the eyes; it was a demonic cobra. It hissed and twirled, but Eizen crushed it nonetheless.

Their remains turned to ash.

Avernus looked back at his team, wondering, “Snakes? In the middle of snow?”

“That’s not a good sign… let us continue to the temple.” Eizen reluctantly said.

The men pushed further towards the ruins. Out of the blue, they heard a soft sneeze.

“That’s Phi, alright!” Avernus pointed out.

Eizen and Rokurou both smirked. Avernus sensed their pestering notion. “I just got used to his behaviours… don’t you all?” He innocently asked.

The reaper and swordsman laughed hard, “Of course not, you idiot! Only parents are used to their kids’ manners!” Rokurou mockingly shouted into his face and laughed.

Avernus huffed in anger and walked towards Laphicet, gaining distance from his brother-in-arms. “Are you okay, Phi?”

Laphicet rubbed his nose, “Yeah, but Achoo! Ugh… I didn’t think Northgand would be this cold!”

“Is it much different before Velvet took you from Teresa?” Avernus wondered.

“I think having my awareness controlled meant my sense were dulled as well,” Laphicet answered.

Eleanor looked at Eizen, “But the cold doesn’t seem to be bothering Eizen at all….” She glanced at the rest of the party, “…Everyone else seems comfortable here.”

Eizen sneered, “If you shiver at these temperatures, you’ll never make it on the high seas.”

Rokurou raised his head proudly, “In my youth, I practiced the blade under the blazing sun and through raging blizzards.” He suddenly grabbed his chin as if he remembered something, “Besides, when I turned into a daemon, extreme temperatures ceased to affect me.”

Velvet smiled, “The same thing happened to me. I used to hate winter, so that’s some good luck!”

Magilou dashed in front of Avernus and grabbed his coat, touching its exterior and interior, examining the cloth, “Hmm… Avernus seem to be handling it pretty well, despite not wearing enough clothes.”

Avernus grinned, banging his chest with his fist, “My masters trained under different harsh environments. I can endure the same punishment as these daemons can take anywhere and anytime, even without using magic like Tia.” He said boastfully.

“But I’m freezing, actually. I don’t know how Magilou can stand it.” Eleanor expressed herself.

“I’ve my secret weapon! My CooCoo brand hand warmers all over myself! I’ve even packed them in my shoes!” She yelled and stared at Eleanor’s eyes, grinning wickedly, “I’m willing to share… if you act like a dove.”

Eleanor swallowed, but the offer wasn’t that irrational, “Please share your CooCoo warmers with me. Coo Coo…” she imitated, innocently as her cheeks flushed.

Magilou glanced at both Velvet and Eleanor, “You’re not Velvet; that’s for sure.”

Avernus slowly approached Velvet, “Would you share your CooCoo warmer with me? Later in my cabin?” He whispered silently.

Velvet’s face didn’t change; she moved her lips near his ears, “I can share CooCoo pain if you’re interested.”

Avernus moved his head in acknowledgment, “I’ll take anything at this point.”

Velvet groaned irritably and quickly entered the cave entrance. The rest followed her.

Rokurou scanned the area around the large door, “Look, no guards. Think it’s a good thing or a bad thing?”

“…I’d say good. We can march straight it!” Velvet said confidently.

Avernus suddenly stopped. Breathing heavily, he endured a series of whispers aimed at his psyche. Tia felt the pressure.

“…Eumacia.” He said to himself.

“What? The Earth Empyrean? This place is not a temple. It’s a prison!” Tia furiously said.

“I have no clue. Stay sharp.”

Velvet turned towards him, “What’s the matter? If you’re not feeling well, you can stay behind until we get back.”

Avernus violently shook his head to ward off the dizziness, “No, I’m good.”

Velvet gave him a prolonged stare, then resumed her advance into the ruins.

Much like Palamedas, the Faldies ruins was consist of large old corridors. The air filled with senses of loneliness and sadness. They walked the desolated halls and into the center until they reached the inner chamber. Velvet snapped her finger near the door, empowering it with fire magic. It opened with an ear-piercing sound.

They saw a lone woman sitting far away on the ground. Velvet stopped and gently touched the empty air in front of her. A yellowish glyph appeared in the air. Velvet quickly transformed her left arm and broke the seal. The remnants of the wall rained down around the room.

Rokurou looked at Laphicet, “Third times a charm!” he said approvingly.

They approached the woman,

“Are you Medissa?” Velvet asked.

The woman raised her head. She appeared to wear some modified nun’s outfit and a scarf on her head, “I am… And who might you be?”

Velvet and Avernus stood beside one another, “We’re like you. We carry grudges against the Abbey… and Shepherd Artorius.” Velvet said assertively.

“We’ve come to get you out of here, Medissa,” Avernus added.

Medissa lowered her head, speaking faintly, “There is no escape... for either of you.” She declared in an ominous tone of voice.

Avernus narrowed his eyes and went for his weapon. Velvet followed her partner’s action and readied herself for the conflict as Medissa slowly stood up, “If you dare sully Shepherd Artorius’s ideas and the light the Abbey shines upon the world, I will kill you all!” She threatened, stridently.

Several hissing and whistling sounds echoed around the room. Laphicet gradually turned his head. “Snakes!” He shouted.

Phi felt Velvet’s and Avernus’s bodies quickly passed him. Rokurou and Eleanor joined the attacking team.

“Way to jinx it, Rokurou!” Magilou yelled as her hands shone with magic.

A large number of cobra daemons pounced at Velvet. She horizontally slashed her front. Her claws decimated them before they could reach her. Velvet used her right leg to decrease her speed. Her long hair rose up as Dreamshadow, twirling in the air, and amplified with magic, flew above her head, slicing and dicing another group of cobras and burning the rest.

Medissa growled in anger at both of them, “Your magic and your left hand… don’t tell me you two are the Calamity and the Shadow!”

Eleanor ran in front of them, “Why are you doing this, Medissa?! Why fight for the Abbey after they forced you to become a therion?!” She inquired hopelessly.

Medissa smirked, “They didn’t. I became a therion out of my own free will.”

Avernus caught his weapon and turned to her, “But your daughter… slain at an exorcist's hands! You must hate the Abbey for that, don’t you?”

Medissa gazed at Avernus with her snake eyes, “Oh, I feel hate toward a world where daemons spawn from the people’s malevolence!

“So you do know about malevolence.” Avernus pointed out.

“Lord Astor told me the truth. Diana turned into a daemon because of the malevolence she radiated.” She moved one step closer to him, her eyes fixated on the Shepherd, “I knew what I had to do; become a therion and devour malevolence so that such a tragedy would never repeat itself!” Medissa pointed her arm at him, and the earth shook.

The team turned and witnessed several massive stone golems appeared out of thin air and dropped down on the ground. The hostile daemons surrounded them.

“It matters not what dreadful form my body may take. I will revive Innominat and change this wretched world!”

A dark cloud of malevolence engulfed Medissa, turning her into a serpent-like creature with snakes as hair.

“A Medusa!” Avernus scowled and cried.

Velvet patted his shoulder, “I will take her on; you go and help the rest.” She ordered him.

Medissa hissed at Velvet, “I will destroy you, Calamity!”

Velvet was already rushing at her, ready to claw Medissa into submission.

Avernus teleported into the battleground. Green circles of wind magic, bolts of lightning, and flying guardian papers danced around him. The voices of his comrades were lost among the commotion. They were too many giant golems and demonic snakes running around. Focusing on one would mean he was open to other attacks. Medissa reinforced her minions by using an endless supply of wicked snakes.

Avernus charged his Abyssal Nova spell in the hope of taking a group of golems down with it. The dark orb began to enlarge more and more above his half-clenched hand.

Abruptly, the orb disappeared. Avernus's arm was locked in its place by an unknown force. Avernus tried to move it to no avail. “Tia! I need help!” He called to his malak, but he noticed that she didn’t hear it.

The ground cracked beneath his feet, and a bright yellow light glinted from the rift. He felt the unknown force was controlling his body. Avernus stood motionless. His eyes grabbed the attention of something else running at him from afar; an ethereal glowing lion was dashing towards him.

It opened its jaws, and as it roared, it entered his body. The area around him flashed. After a few seconds, the blinding light went in an instant. Avernus checked his body; his coat was now more refined. The Dreamshadow was gone. Instead, there were two large and heavy levitating gauntlets were on his arms.

A stone golem charged at him. The beast raised its arm to crush him. Tia quickly turned to warn him of the threat.

Out of nowhere, the body of the stone giant cracked. One of his new enlarged gauntlets broke out of its torso and smashed the top half of the daemon into tiny pieces. Avernus was still in his striking pose as the rest of the golem fell on the ground.

Tia narrowed her eyes at him, an orange hue replaced Avernus's green eyes, and his hair was longer, even twirling around his body.

“Eumacia!” Tia screamed.

The gauntlet flew back to him, but Avernus had other plans; the stone gloves fell on the ground, and he jumped on it. The gauntlet charged with energy from the earthpulse. It levitated, and he rode it towards the rest of the stone giants, smashing and breaking them as he flew around.

Medissa and Velvet both noticed him flying towards their fight. Velvet dodged at the last second. Unfortunately for Medissa, Avernus crashed his ride into her abdomen, uppercutting her as he flew towards the top ceiling.

Avernus’s discordant voice echoed through the chamber, “My arms are yellow beasts! This flash is the fall of dusk! Earth Revolution!”

Before Medissa could recover from her fall, she saw Avernus coming down on the crashing course. He smashed the ground with all his might, the temple’s floor broke, and the fissures spewed lava. Medissa screamed in pain, and he threw her across the room. Losing her power, she reverted into her humanoid form.

Avernus’s body transformed back. The gauntlets turned into his staff. Standing near Medissa’s helpless figure, he turned to his friends, “It’s over.”

Medissa coughed and raised her head, glaring at Avernus and Velvet, “Curse you, Shadow! Curse you, Lord of Calamity!”

Velvet looked at her pitifully, “Lord of Calamity?”

Medissa panted and moaned in pain, “That’s the name of the daemon lord who will bring about the Age of Chaos. The unrepentant embodiment of malevolence whose blind pursuit of self-gratification will rain destruction upon the world!” Medissa switched her attention to Avernus, “And the Shadow that guides the evil from the darkness, creating the never-ending conflict! The irredeemable, uncontrollable personification of human sins… An evil entity like you, born out of malevolence itself!”

Avernus placed the tip of his staff underneath Medissa’s chin, raising it, “You. Know. Nothing. Not about me and especially not about her!”

Velvet placed her hand on his arm, slowly pushing it away. “Daemon, therion, Lord of Calamity… she can call me whatever she likes. I don’t care.” Velvet turned her glare back to Medissa, “But if I’m this supposed lord of daemons, then you’re just a minion to be used as I please. Nothing more.”

Medissa struggled to stand up, “No! I refuse! What happened to my Diana was my fault! That’s why I will fight you two until my dying breath!” She readied herself for another transformation into her Medusa’s form, gathering malevolence.

“Stop!”

Avernus and Velvet saw Laphicet coming between them and Medissa, “Get back, Phi!” Avernus yelled.

Laphicet turned to his mentor, “No! Enough mothers have died! I won’t let her join them!”

Avernus pressed his lips and exhaled. His frown was gone. The kid turned to Melissa, “Eleanor and Kamoana, they both lost their mothers, too. It’s a terrible thing!” Phi expressed in a mournful tone of voice.

Medissa started to whimper, “Who’s Kamoana?”

“A little girl that Lord Astor forcefully made into a therion.” Eleanor came closer. Medissa switched her attention to her, “Her mother tried to save her, but she failed. All she could do was to offer her own life to fill her child’s empty stomach.” Eleanor informed Medissa sorrowfully. Then there was a heavy silence.

“Kamoana’s been crying ever since. She misses her mother. If you die here, I can only imagine how sad that would make your Diana.” Phi continued.

Tears began to fill Medissa’s eyes. She suddenly looked above, staring blankly into the ceiling. “No, honey! I did it for you… But you thought I stopped loving you, and… the malevolence made you into a daemon.” She sobbed, “It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry! Forgive me, Diana!”

Medissa lost her balance and fell to the ground. Rokurou checked her pulse, “She’ll be all right. She’s just unconscious.” He reassured the team.

Tia opened her hands a string of purple chains appeared wrapping around Medissa, restraining her. “She’s secured.”

Avernus turned to Velvet. She was looking at the wall aimlessly. Her thoughts focus on somewhere else, “Let’s grab her and haul her back.” Velvet said coldly.

“Got to hand it to Lucian. He is a very resourceful man, taking advantage of Medissa’s regrets like that,” Magilou stated, capturing the attention of Avernus. “Making her into a therion who would do Abbey’s bidding.” She finalized her statement with an obvious observation that serves nothing but to remind him of his mental pain.

“Yes, he is that resourceful. We’ve been trained to be resourceful. After all, it’s the reason above all to serve society.” Avernus replied emotionlessly.

He turned to Tia and nodded at her, “It’s time to seal the earthpulse before the excess malevolence enforces the people’s hearts.”

“I want to watch and learn,” Laphicet said to him.

“Alright, just stay back a little, Phi.” Avernus then turned to the rest, “Go near the doorway and wait. The process has side effects of deafening, nausea, severe headache, blinding, and even death.” He casually said to them.

Magilou was the first one to strode towards the door, followed by her baffled companions.

Tia morphed into an orb and entered his body. Avernus raised his staff, looking at Phi, “Ready?”

The little malak slightly bowed his head. Avernus forcefully slammed his weapon into the ground. Several glyphs formed on the ground, getting bigger and enlarging as he twisted the staff. The ruins slightly shook. A terrible sound of moving metals was heard across the corridors as if Avernus was locking and closing an invisible door.

Eizen and Magilou were watching the scene from afar, “I bet that’s one of the forgotten artes that Avarostians used to change the shape of the land.” Magilou guessed.

“Albeit a weak but effective one,” Eizen observed.

A tear fell from Eleanor’s eyes. Medissa and Kamoana’s suffering filled her mind with disturbing thoughts. “How can Avernus handle it?” she asked depressingly.

The rest turned to her. Eleanor felt their stares. “Anything he does is against his code, against his very being. He pushes on. For what and for whom?”

Magilou sneered, “Tsk, I don’t know, who cares? You’re his squire. You should know better than any of us.”

Eleanor swallowed. She remembered that Avernus could sense her, adding more to the guilt and burdens of the rogue Shepherd.

She wiped her tears and stood firm and steady.

Velvet waved her hand, “Don’t overthink it. He can blame it all on the “Lord of Calamity.” It will make his life more comfortable to handle.”

The quakes came to a halt. The glyphs disappeared. The team watched Avernus and Laphicet returning from their mission to rejoin their friends.

The night was silent. The silvered lunar was high up, shining a light on the deck of Van Eltia.

Velvet was alone, staring at the lonely moon.

“The Lord of Calamity.” She said to herself.

“And the Shadow of Calamity.”

Velvet quickly turned towards the sound. Avernus slowly moved out of the darkness. Her eyes widened, “Did he read my thoughts?!”

Avernus approached her, closing the distance between them. “I need to tell you something. Something that even Tia doesn’t know.” He smoothly said to her.

“About what?”

“Do you remember the time we first kissed?”

Velvet’s cheeks blushed. She took a defensive stance, folding her arms. “…So?”

“Eleanor wasn’t my first squire….” He exhaled, “You were... In some aspects, though.”

Velvet’s mind was struck with incoherent thoughts, “What?! That’s not possible. You said it yourself. You needed a pure heart, free of malevolence. Not a daemon’s heart.” She said to him abrasively.

Avernus hand went for her single braided hair on her left shoulder, touching it from top to bottom.

“The oath I made… was a squire oath, partially. It’s incomplete, and I’ve to endure your constant malevolence. That’s why I keep fainting. You'll not share my power or anything else. It's an experiment that I had to do it.”

Velvet eyes widened, her frown gone.

"It was an illegal arte, a derivation from squire oath back in my home. Lucian probably used it to make therions and controlling daemons. I used it for something else. It's a long shot, but I think it's worth it."

"You are a true idiot... you know that?..." Velvet muttered to him.

“I gave you a true name.” He calmly and charmingly said, caressing her smooth hair, “I couldn’t come up with a virtue… because you have many, so I decided to link it directly to my longing….”

His magical eyes stared into hers,

“Fwuleiok Kumkus… it means; Precious Velvet.”

The Lupus unknowingly melted into his embrace. The disturbing thoughts of Calamity were washed away, at least for that brief moment.

The wolf fell for Shepherd’s song once more. Her soul howled to the moon.

On top of the mast, the witch observed them, writing down the scene in her book. Bienfu was ogling them, sweating and panting, his pupils dilated. Magilou grabbed his hat and turned it around. He bit his lips.

“The rest is not for your eyes, you creepy old pervert.”

She watched them from above, “And thus the Lord of Calamity claimed her prize...That’s so hot. Avernus looks huge when he’s with Velvet.”

“But I wonder, is that enough? For both of them?”