Ala and her soldiers took a long time to get back to Eligor. They had no Gryphons, much less hippogryphs. And none of them were at the Duke Level. She had lost 67 cloud riders that night, but she had expected to completely lose. She had never believed that little boy would be so strong.

She was hoping to buy time for him to flee and maybe say one last goodbye. Her men also knew they were likely to die that night. But now that they were alive, they weren’t tired from the trip back home, on the contrary, they wouldn’t shut up!

It was always,

‘Melakios this, that Gryphon that!’

‘Did you see that busty bird girl?’

‘How about that Wandering Spirit?’

‘Yeah! He held his own against a Ruler!’

‘No no no, the best fighter was Melakios! He killed all those Demons in a flash! One sweep of his sword and heads went flying!’

‘Captain? Why did you join in?’

Everyone was blown away by the awesome battle in the valley. No one was really quiet until they got back into Eligor’s territory.

They marched into the mansion grounds with their heads held high and their armor and weapons polished and cleaned. They had made a temporary pit stop outside to get everything ready. Had to look cool for the civilians, to keep up loyalty. Especially when they find out it was supposed to be a suicide mission!

The first to welcome Ala was the Batibat. She came flying over on her log and jumped right onto Ala, knocking them both into the ground. Unfortunately, Ala was in a nice Ala sized hole.

After all the pleasantries were complete, Ala went to report to Eligor.

.

.

.

“…and then we left to return home.”

It wasn’t that long of a report, but from the first hand experiences, Eligor was enthralled. It was at that time weeping could be heard from outside the war room.

Ala went to open the door to find Ashikalla laying on the ground sobbing.

“W­why d­didn’t *sniff* he come baaack?!”

The Batibat came to calm the little Empusa girl down, as some of the other Demons looked upset. Melakios was indeed strong, stronger than any of the Four Corners. He was even able to contend against Eligor! Why would he wish to come back?

Ala knelt beside the 12 year old Demon and put a little object on the ground next to her. Ala then got up and returned to the report.

Ash looked at the little crystal creature in front of her. It was a bird, a beautiful cerulean bird. It glistened and shined as she grew enraptured with the thing. Whenever she looked at it, she felt calm and could sense the wind flowing in the room. There was a small folded piece of paper under the figure so Ash left the room quietly to go read and admire the statue some more.

‘Dear Ash, I may have been gone for only a little bit, but I already miss you and everyone else at the mansion. This gift is for you, who only wishes to see the world. I wanted to bring you with me, but I guess you would be safer there for now. One of these days, I will return and bring you with me. I will be so strong, no one will mess with me. This figure is of the scepter sparrow, a strange creature that transforms into a statue to protect itself. Whenever it feels safe, it will begin to move again. The bird in question is used for decorating the scepters of strong Demons. This creation has a function similar to the actual bird, although opposite. When danger is imminent, the figure will move. I wish you luck and happiness until I return.

From, Melakios.’

Ash began to tear up as she read the letter, truly happy from the good words he wrote. She asked a passing butler to help order a necklace for the tiny figurine. With this, she can always be safe thanks to Melakios.

Back in the war room, the only people here were the Four Corners and Eligor. None of his Generals were here, since they were off trying to find information to help the human boy.

1 Duke wielding a powerful Soul Weapon, 4 Counts, and many soldiers ranging from peak Mortal Stage to Baron Level. A little over 5,000 Demons, not counting the weak servants, were there to make sure nobody tried to offend Eligor. That’s because no one here could stop his anger. All 5,000 Demons would have trouble fighting him together.

But now, Ala was handing out trinkets that Melakios made. One for each of the Four Corners, one for each of the Generals, and a pair of gauntlets for Eligor. Ash had already received her gift, but now that the others had received theirs, everyone was acting like it was their birthday.

Eligor immediately sent 6 squadrons out to hand over the General’s items. 2 Air Marshals, 1 Admiral, (Davy Jones) and 3 Generals (one of which is Cernunnos). Each of these high ranking officers commanded 10 Legions each. Eligor was never one to mince his words, and he wasn’t one to withhold gifts. Maybe these presents would tempt the Generals to all do a better job.

After the squadrons left, a shadowy figure approached the mansion.

In her room, Ash was laying on her bed and admiring her gift. But all of a sudden, the bird’s wings began to ever so slightly move. Frozen, she had no idea what to do as the movements became sporadic and faster. The bird seemed desperate to fly away but was attached to the necklace around Ash’s neck.

Soon there were loud noises echoing around outside. Crashing, explosions, and screams filled Ash’s ears as she scrambled to one of the secret pathways she and Melakios had found long ago. She galloped down the halls and pulled a torch that opened a dark tunnel. She wanted to walk in, but she was frozen in place as a fearsome sensation swallowed her whole.

Then, her world went dark.