“Grantor, coalesce and release the winds into my favor.”

Windshear.

Drawing his sword from its scabbard, Shear sent a piercing torrent of wind onto the group. It was fast, but Gen used his ability in time to block and displace the pressurized blade of air that threatened to slice them.

“Intriguing.” He commented, placing back his sword.

“So… what the lady said was true. Vassal United…” Leva hid a small cylindrical gun on her oversized jacket.

The other Vassals went in hiding inside the buildings, shivering from the sudden attack.

“Mercenaries?” Wiz asked.

“Judging from their outfits… Yeah.” Gris nodded. “They’re Frostfall, based from Migny.”

“Migny? They went far… This lady of theirs must have a wide connection.” Sora said.

“Hey!” Leva waved her hands. “You’re Vassal United, right?”

“And what of it?” Sora replied.

“You see, we want something from you~ Or rather, someone…”

“Then why turn the city into a battlefield?”

“Beats me. The noble wanted to, but he’s a pain in the ass to work with.” Leva snarled.

“Shut it.” Scolded Shear. “You talk too much.”

“Hmph.”

Shear took it upon himself to the liberty to talk with D-7.

“As this girl noted, we want someone from you. With that being said, however, you’d likely disagree.”

“Obviously.” Gris readied his gems.

Shear sighed. “I guess a non-violent diplomacy is not an option?”

“We could,” Fein replied. “But your lot have devastated this city already. I’m afraid we’ll have to bash our heads against each other.”

“Undoubtedly.”

Without warning, Shear engaged in combat. His rushing footwork came like the wind; natural, yet his blade was a danger in of itself.

“He’s fast!” Gen reacted, and presented himself up and in front of blocking Shear’s strike. His shield struck, and a force nearly made him fall to his knees. The others mobilized to overwhelm the long-ranged Leva. Fein, Sora, and Gris assisted Gen against the formidable swordsman.

They approached her, but she was agile enough to dodge their attacks. Peram hurled his ring like a piston, but she merely dodged the slow attack with her petite body, countering him with a whiplash kick to his face. Vivace froze the ground Leva stepped on, but she used the ice to slide and tackle Vivace’s leg, making her fumble on the dirt.

She successfully incapacitated the two single-handedly.

Wiz and Enna pointed their guns at her. Breathing heavily, Leva grabbed the cylindrical gun from her jacket and pointed the barrel at the two.

“Enna—”

“Get out of the way!” Enna pushed Wiz aside as Leva pulled the trigger. A concussive explosion of air blew most of the dust along with the two.

“Argh! There was no delay…” Enna propped herself up against a pillar to stand. Wiz did the same.

“*Cough* Her… ability? The barrel flashed, and the ground just exploded…”

Before Wiz could regain her footing, Leva pinned her to the wall with a knife.

“—kyah!”

Her height was lower than her, but Wiz was crouching when she presented a knife on her skin.

“Oi—”

“Shh! I have a question for this girl.” Leva barked, pointing her sub-machine gun to Enna’s temple, making her stop in her tracks.

“What are you…” Wiz whimpered; head painfully pressed on the wall as Leva pinned her down.

“Mido. That name right a bell?” Leva whispered. Wiz’s body froze.

“You’re looking for him?” She squirmed, but her legs could not move from Leva’s lock. She’s small, but her strength was unusual for her body.

“Uhuh. The lady asked us to capture him. So, let’s see…” She cocked her gun, making Wiz yelp. “You tell us who this ‘Mido’ person is, and let’s say, spare that woman’s head?”

“Fucking… Wiz!” Enna yelled.

“Be careful, you can’t dodge this~” Leva giggled menacingly, and slowly put pressure on the trigger.

Wiz looked at the other side. The four were visibly struggling against Leva’s companion. They surrounded him, but his defense and attacks were impenetrable. A wall of wind seemed to cut around him, and not even Fein’s speed can outmatch the strikes of his blade.

Enna’s life hanged on her lips. If she were to spit out Mido’s location, he’ll be defenseless, and both of them cannot catch up to her. Every split-second counted on her mind. That barrel will fire, any time soon.

“The—The infirmary!” Wiz cried out. “He’s in the… infirmary…” Whimpering, her voice died out with every word.

“Hmm! Cooperative!” Leva relentlessly burst-fired at her side. The gunshots and the muzzle flashes drowned both her sight and ears.

“NO!” Wiz screamed.

“Ora!” Beneath the cacophony, she heard a yell. Then a gust of wind ruffled her jacket. After that, a thud.

She opened her eyes; Leva was not there anymore. Peram gave her a hand.

“Peram…”

“Recover quickly!” Peram ordered. “We’re not done yet.”

Wiz looked and saw Leva a few meters from them.

“Fucking… Ahh!” Fuming, she threw a tantrum and began rapid-firing the vicinity.

Peram dragged the dazed Wiz and Vivace put up a wall of ice in front of Enna to delay the bursts. Hiding against the other side of the wall, they panted.

“That wall took out most of my energy…” Vivace huffed and clenched her hands together repeatedly.

“Enna… I’m—”

“Let’s secure Mido, Wiz. Let’s go.” Enna took a glance at the others who were fighting Shear.

“They can take care of themselves.”

“Follow us.” Vivace waved, running through the trashed canteen. Wooden chairs, tables, and boxes were either splintered or had holes in them. A lit stair leading to an underground basement came into view.

Before they could reach the first flight, another concussive explosion sent them flying back a few feet away.

Without a word, Leva rushed through and descended. Vivace threw an ice shiv, but it missed by a hair, landing on the wall instead.

“Shit! She’s fast!” Vivace cursed. Helping the others get up, they immediately chased Leva.

“I don’t understand. What do they want with Mido?” She asked, panting as they descended.

“We also don’t know. But I don’t think that the destruction of this city is part of this capture.” Enna answered. “It’s inconvenient for them to incite a riot within the city, unless…”

“Hm?”

“Unless they used this as an outrageous distraction, and to attract us to coming here in the first place. Pierre had this plan, but they rode along with it, using the riot to hopefully catch us off-guard.”

“That’s quite a plan they have. But Pierre is still the main problem here. We need to cut him off as soon as possible.” Said Peram.

“Indeed. But we have these two flies to take care of at the moment.”

Running through the concrete underground room, they saw some of the hiding Vassals, quivering in fear.

“The infirmary is here—” Peram was interrupted by nurses that barged out of the room. They bashed in and saw Leva contacting someone on a phone right beside the unconscious Mido. His state has worsened, and the bags in his eyes became apparent as the fluorescent lamp above the makeshift infirmary shone.

“That Mido is here, lady. Hm, are you sure? Alright~” She closed the phone and faced the four.

“Don’t touch him!” Wiz yelled.

“DUCK!” Peram yelled, and a large blade of wind barely hit their necks.

Shear sheathed his sword in a fluid motion, body facing against the four.

“Heyy~” Leva loaded another grenade and blasted them yet again. This time, their bodies were shocked by the repeated concussive blasts.

“No…” Wiz weakly slumped on the wall as she saw Shear come inside the room and take Mido.

“Those boys were easy to deal with.” Shear commented as he carried the unconscious man.

“Oh really? Did you finish them off?” Leva glared, her statement paralyzed both Wiz and Enna, whose breathing was held in dreadful anticipation.

“The lady condoned fruitless killing, Leva. It’s not our job. It’s that wimp’s work.”

“Oh, right. Pierre. Got it!” She pumped her fists like a child and trailed Shear.

Before she went outside the room, she took a quick scan of the four exhausted Vassals.

“Hmph. You weren’t much of a fight.” Waving a sinister goodbye, the two left the basement infirmary without bloodshed. However, capturing Mido incited the four’s initiative to take him back at all costs.

Who knows what will happen to him?

Wizbette’s eyes grew heavy…

“Wiz… Wiz!” Enna slapped her face. “Get up! They can’t be that far!”

Wiz opened her eyes. They were back in the canteen, with her laid on a cloth bedroll hastily placed. She can’t tell the time when she was unconscious, but judging from the state of the area, it can’t be more than half an hour.

She opened her mouth. “Mido… Where is he?”

Enna sighed. “The two mercs took him, sadly. Sora’s already pinpointing their position, but the captain and the others were beaten up heavily. We need some time to recover.”

“Is that so…” Wiz weakly said. Seeing her sorry state, Enna quickly held her shaking hand.

“Hey, princess. We’ll get Mido back. I’m sure of it.”

“I saw his face… He’s not looking good, Enna. What if they’ll—”

“Shush.” Enna embraced her tightly. “Stop overthinking it. We would not see the light of day if you were the first to break down.”

“We’ve done this together for a while now, Wiz.” Gen approached the two. “So, don’t go crying and pull yourself together, okay?”

“Guys…” Wizbette whimpered.

In D-7, Wiz is the youngest, and also their most valuable colleague. Her healing ability alone speaks for itself, and it would be risky for the group if she were the first to lose her cool. That is why Enna and Gen did their best to console her. But most of all, they don’t want their princess to be in this state.

“I found their location.” Sora marched in along with Gris and Fein. He covered one of his eyes as he walked. “They’ve seemed to have settled on a large building inside a larger plaza not far from here.”

“The Plaza of Reiss,” Fein mentioned. “Pierre must be there. It’s the perfect foothold with using his ability. Let’s move.”

“Oi. We’re leaving already?” Gen asked.

“I’m not wasting any more time, Gen. And I’m sure as hell not going to lose a colleague to that lady.”

Gen’s face froze for a while. “*sigh* I guess you’re right. Mido’s in a sorry state, and with him captured makes it all the more alarming.”

“Guys!” Vivace came running at them from the crowd outside, with Peram tailing her from behind. The Vassals were starting to fix up the aftermath of their fight, but the shock still has not left their faces.

“Peram and the others decided to help you find Mido. We’ll scatter throughout the city, and find him.”

Fein looked behind him and stared at the two.

“I admire your braveness, but you don’t need to. We’ll handle this.”

“But—”

Fein patted her head.

“Oh. Mi…do…” She whispered; her cheeks were starting to blush.

“These people need you, Vivace. You and Peram.” He looked at the latter behind Vivace. “I’d suggest taking the chance to regroup with the others. It’s the best you can do, considering this haven’s state.”

“Fein… Are you sure?”

“Of course!” Gris tapped Peram’s shoulder. “We’re D-7: Dipping our toes in this mud is second nature.”

Peram sighed and looked at each of them. “You guys. You’re all brave, aren’t you?”

Clasping his hands, he encouraged them the best way he could.

“I’ll never forget your kindness. It’s been an honor working with you all this time.”

“Bring Mido back, okay?” Vivace bowed, followed by Peram.

“All right. Bring these people to safety, you two.” Enna smiled.

Their exchange sparked a bit of hope in Wiz as she looked at their faces. Something told her that, despite their situation, everything will work out, eventually.

“Everyone, ready yourselves!” Fein encouraged.

“Understood, captain!” D-7 and the others immediately went to work. The Vassals were ordered to pack their things and were notified that they will trek the destroyed cityscape to reconnect with the other splintered groups still trapped inside Reiss. D-7 went to tend to their equipment as best as they could.

“Hey, Gris? The Beaver is all lonely at the gates back there. Aren’t you worried?” Sora asked, checking his gear. “Because I am.”

Gris flashed a similar-looking bracelet that he used during their operation in the forest.

“Don’t worry. I have this.”

Meanwhile, Vivace saw the weak Wizbette, sitting on one of the canteen’s still-intact chairs. Grabbing another, she sat beside her.

“Wiz?”

“Hm?” She nodded, staring at the candle in front of her. Holding her limp hand, she gave her words to encourage her heart.

“Mido will be okay. I know he is.”

“I’m… scared. I never felt this before, not for another person…”

“You know, he helped me once.”

“H-he did?”

“Mhmm!” Vivace nodded and slowly reached out to Wiz’s head.

“Uhm… I don’t know how to, but I think he did this to me…”

She slowly patted Wiz’s head. Her small hands cushioned into her hazel hair was strangely comfortable. The ache in her head slowly dissipated, replaced by a warm feeling on her chest, as Vivace’s hand combed her hair. She was confused at first, but with the context of Mido doing it, she was comforted by Vivace’s head pats.

“Mido… How could you…” She chuckled as she sniffled her nose.

“Eh?” Vivace stopped.

Composing herself, Wiz “Ah, I’m okay, Vivace. Thank you so much.”

“Err… of course! You’re welcome, Wiz!” She giggled.

“I promise. I’ll bring Mido back.”

“Mhmm!”

“Eh~ It was quite the retrieval, but here ya go milady!” Leva flaunted as Shear set the now-conscious Mido unto a sofa.

They used the mayoral office building that was built inside Reiss’ Plaza. Most of the people that occupied the office were long gone, courtesy of Pierre. Aurelia loomed on a balcony, staring at the moonlit sky. The smokes were still burning, yet the sky was clear, letting the city bask below the lunar light.

Woodcarver sat on a desk and approached Mido to inspect him.

“We meet again. You look like you’ve gone through a lot.”

“Wood…carver, huh?” Mido strained, his throat was dry, and his mouth was parched. Noticing this, Woodcarver handed to him a glass of water.

As he drank, she proceeded to inspect more of him, starting from the face.

“So, you’re ‘Mido,’ the one that my lady wanted.”

“Why does she want me? I don’t even know her…” As he emptied the glass of water into his mouth, Woodcarver’s shadow was overwhelmed by a woman dressed in sophisticated clothing.

She did not mind the small streaks of dark veins Mido had in his face. She gazed at him ominously with those purple, reptilian eyes.

Those eyes sent a different message to Mido, however.

The flames that burned that night…

“You… Those eyes, and the flames… I see… it is the same…” Mido blurted out, panting.

The lady disregarded his stammers, and intensely focused on his warm, amber eyes, in which the light of the moon reflected onto a few moments ago, now shone with the sickly purple glow. Her pale skin shimmered, appearing ethereal beneath the moonlight.

“Ahh~ I sense the flame… It’s burning, It’s warm, It’s…” She moaned, leaning her head creepily to his. She was like a moth, drawn to bright light. She circled it, yet cannot seem to touch it. Needless to say, this unnerved Mido, as so the other three inside the room did.

“Milady. Please restrain yourself. Now is not the time.” Woodcarver advised.

“Meh. I’m glad you don’t have horns, lady. That will give out that poor restraint of yours quite easily~” Leva mused, turning to stare at Shear polishing his blade from a chair.

Beneath the lady’s rabid actions, Mido let out to speak. “What are you talking about? I don’t even know you.”

In response, the lady composed herself more humbly. Her shadow still loomed above Mido, giving a sense of authority.

“Ahh, I’m sorry, “Mido.” Oh, where are my manners!” Pretending to look disappointed, she tried to hide her embarrassment from what she just did.

Dusting off her dress, she eerily smiled at Mido, assuming a noble bow in the process.

“I’m Miss Aurelia Vita, Umbral Knight of Faith. A pleasure to meet you, Flame of Faust.”