If there was one thing Sef hated more than himself, that would be fogwood incense. He was irritated by its smell, skeptical of its healing capabilities, and afraid of the memories it awakened in his head. The deep orange sunset, the gentle touch of wind, the strands of brown hair that swayed with each breeze, all came back to him like one of Knox's ghost coins. Convincing enough to make him hopeful, only to disappear in the sound of a woman's voice.

“wake up stupid, you're still alive"

Sef curled up and scowled at the woman seated at the edge of his bed. Unlike Erze, her body was fully mature. A curved masterpiece hidden under a silver night gown, matched with an angular face, inviting lips and a pair of seductive blue eyes that reduced weak men into salivating boys.

“hey” the woman snapped her fingers. “snap out of it already"

Sef looked at the window to his left. “how long?”

“about two and a half months, not counting the three days when you temporarily died”

“and the others?”

The woman hopped out of the bed and took the vase of incense on top of the bed's head board. She took one final whiff and threw it outside, drawing wing flaps and cat hisses in the process.

“Maurise...” Sef asked again. “how are the others?”

“tch" Maurise leered outside. “after all I did, the first thing you ask is their well being? Can't you give me a little appreciation first?”

Sef rolled his eyes. “last time I checked, the three of us didn't bother with those kinds of chumminess"

In a burst of movement, Maurise rushed at Sef and gripped his neck. For a second, he thought she was one of Parvanos' illusions. Until he noticed the tears welling up in her eyes.

“last time I checked...” she began, her voice shaking with rage and hurt. “last time I checked, I had two idiots for friends. Now I only have one, and he isn't even thrilled to see me"

“that's not...”

Though a part of Sef still wanted to respond, the other knew it was too late. So instead of starting a war of words, he peeled Maurise's hand from his neck and hugged her tight, squeezing out the tears she barely held back.

Time grew strange afterwards. To Sef, it was as if a minute barely passed. But after Maurise calmed down, and they both stared at the window, the morning sun already turned into a cloudy afternoon.

“so... uh...” Sef pulled back and raised an eyebrow. “where were we?”

Maurise wiped her eyes. “your friends, they're fine... I guess"

“I guess?”

“well, Aury's grandson is still missing so I still don't know. But the charcoaled girl is very much alive and angry at you"

Sef inhaled. “how about Erze?”

Maurise exhaled. “she's fine physically. But ever since I gave her a room, no one's been able to get her out"

“right, that something she'd really do"

“so what are you going to do now?”

Sef's joints ached as he stood. “fix my mess”

“wrong" Maurise punched him in the gut and pulled him back to bed “we're going to talk about our next move first"

“I just woke up, my brain isn't ready yet"

“and I just lost sight of Parvanos. You know what that means right?”

Fragments of burried memories resurfaced on Sef's mind. Time has already blurred them, but the fear and desperation they once brought were still as clear as yesterday.

“so he did it again?” He asked.

Maurise scanned the room, and after ensuring there was no other person with them, she snapped a cigarette to existence and puffed the smoke out on Sef's face. He was aware of her weak lungs and was about to remind her of them, but before his mouth opened, the smoke molded itself into letters.

“I can't talk loud on this one”

“what are y--- mm?!”

A spongy object materialized in Sef’s mouth. When he checked what it was, it turned out to be another cigarette stick glued to his tongue. “idiop! I donk thmoke!”

Maurise grinned and puffed another sentence. “don't worry, you'll be fine as long as our conversation doesn't exceed an hour"

Sef rolled his eyes and smoked back. “fine, start puffing then"

“I lost him three days after we found you. After that, two of my brats got lost in the woods for some reason"

“oh, so there's a mole here?”

“I'm pretty sure there's none among my brats. So I'm suspecting the western folks on this one"

“western folks?”

Maurise nodded with narrowed eyes. “yes, they're the first ones to come here”

Sef released a huge amount of smoke. “what's going on? And where are we exactly anyway?”

“we’re at the middleworld's northen kingdom, where the quartermoon summit will be held"

“quarter what?!”

As Maurise inhaled for an answer, the door bursted open. Both of them screamed in surprise, but only Sef got to his feet. Why wouldn't he? The aproned maid maybe a bit taller now, but she was still the girl he sacrificed to escape the cult's grasp.

“guess this is where I leave"

Maurise snapped, and their cigarettes vanished. Sef reached his hand to grab her, but it was only smoke that met his fingers. Now the room was silent, and now his heart pounded fast, quickened by the guilt he carried for Bel's eyes.

“s-so...” he grinned at the girl's floral slippers. “I'm... I'm back"

“okay"

Pain stung on Sef's heart. “kid, I...”

Bel made an awkward bow. “I'll be going now, I still have chores in the kitchen"

“wait!”

Though wobbling on every step, Sef stood in front of Bel and looked at her angry red eyes. His apology was ready, written on his brain like a well-thought letter, but his lips grew heavy, and his chest tightened to the point of suffocation.

“are you okay?” Bel asked.

“how about you? Are your eyes alright now?”

“they're okay, but I still see the scary man when I sleep"

“Bel...” Sef reached for the girl's shoulder, but withdrew his hand last second. “I'm sorry, I should---"

“no it's okay” Bel stepped back and averted her eyes. “I understand now, I'm just a thing, you can use me however you like"

In an instant, everything that hindered Sef vanished. He found the strength to kneel and the courage needed to speak the words trapped inside his head. “forgive me, I broke my promise to your father. I didn't protect you"

“I understand what you did, it's okay”

“no you don't”

“I said I do!”

“you don't understand" Sef said bitterly. “I don't love death, but I seek it. I don’t agree with murder, but I smile when I see it. I hate evil, but I enjoy it. I want to be honest, but I always end up treating people like chess pieces"

“so what?”

Sef glared up. “did you listen to anything I said?!”

Bel glared back. “I did. So what?!”

“don't be stubborn kid, you can't just trust someone like me"

“I already know that. Even back when we first climbed the stairs, I already noticed what kind of person you are"

“then why---"

Bel hugged Sef's head and pressed his face against her apron. “when you saw how ugly I really was, and told me to come with you, when you told me that we can be fixed, I knew you weren't lying. That's why even if I'm angry right now, even if I can't smile at you yet, please don't stop. Keep moving forward and drag us along with you”

Despite the immense relief coursing inside him, all Sef did was embrace the girl back. On a normal day, he would have already joked his way out of this awkward situation. But now it was as if he reverted back into a boy, receiving a gift he still could not fully grasp.

“um, by the way...” Bel broke away and rummaged her pockets. “teacher hasn't come out of her room yet"

“so I heard" Sef said. “did you try talking to her too?”

“I try to give her food everyday, but she doesn't respond at all"

“is she crying?”

“I'm not sure" Bel drew a something from her a apron and dangled it infront of Sef. It was the emerald gem he took from Nessa's shell, now connected to a thin silver chain.

Sef narrowed his eyes. “where did you get this?”

“I found it on my wrist when I woke up. I think it's really for teacher"

“and why is that?”

Bel pointed at the cursive Nightcount engraved on the chain's segments. “I think it's from the old man we met back in the east wall"

Sef stood. “okay, bring me to her room, I’ll get her out"

“no"

“pardon?”

Bel pressed two fingers on her temples and made a poor impression of Erze’s sinister grin. “there are bad people with us right now, you should only come out when they're gone"

“the western men?” Sef asked. “that's who you're talking about right?”

“yes. I heard one of them yesterday, he called you a pig"

“a pig? But I'm not even fat"

Smoke entered the windows and transformed into a wet-haired Maurise. She no longer wore her sleeping clothes, but was instead dressed in the usual hallower suit.

“the exact word was guinea pig" she said, throwing freshly ironed prison clothes and handcuffs on Sef's face. “do you know what that means?”

Sef frowned at the handcuffs given to him. “it means I'm worthless to them?”

“quite the opposite" Maurise sat on the bed. “the westerners are very interested in you. So much so, that they want to study you from the inside out"

Bel shivered. “that sounds scary"

“don't worry" Sef beamed at her. “if I show them that I can use treasures, they won't be able to deny me as an ally"

“wrong" Maurise shook her head. “it won't be that simple this time"

“why not?” Sef asked.

Maurise summoned another cigarette and puffed her answer. “the glass council got wind of the happenings down south, so they want to deliberate your fate in the coming summit"

Sef sighed. “another time in prison huh?”

“I don't think it would be that light this time. So you better dress up now and get on fixing the red lady"

Sef smirked at the suit. “and you think dressing like a prisoner will help me do that?”

“after you revived, I dug a little bit of your memories to see how you two met"

“you did what?! Hey, that's invasion of privacy!”

“I had to do it, idiot. I think your girl had a regression"

It took a minute before Sef's brain digested what his ears picked up. He was aware of Erze's guilt, and how heavy it weighed on her. But he did not expect this result, not to this extent.

“are you sure?” he whispered.

Maurise nodded. “one time, I tried tricking her out of the room. I said that you're awake and you want to see her, but she only asked for the roommate mister hallower promised"

“I see" Sef nodded. “so you want me to reenact our first meeting”

Maurise offered a hand. “correct"

“what's with the hand?”

“take it, I'll bring you to her room"

“but madam!” Bel started loud, but bowed quickly afterwards. “y-you said you won't force your way inside the room"

“this idiot hadn't woken up yet back then. Now that he's here, me going inside uninvited will just be me helping him... go inside uninvited"

“wow...” Sef wore the cuffs and took Maurise's hand. “you really made that sound less invasive"

Maurise snapped, and the entire room turned into smoke. Or atleast that was what it seemed like before Sef realized his body was no more. He became lighter than a feather, and moved more freely than any bird, so free infact, that he felt like his body would scatter any second.

“what's happening?!” he asked, but Maurise merely laughed.

“calm down, were almost there"

True to her word, the weird sensation stopped not long after. Sef's body returned, but as for the room, it no longer resembled the one he found himself waking up into. Darkness, silence, sorrow, all pressed against his senses immediately, but the thing that caught his attention sat at the left corner of his eyes.

“I knew it" Maurise handed lantern to him before turning back into smoke. Sef did not thank her, nor glance at her direction. His eyes were fixed on the pair of gold orbs glowing from the corner of the room, wondering if he could still tame them, wondering if the person who owned them still hid inside the predator's body.

“my, it's so dark" he said, with the exact amount of humor and fear he had during their first meeting.

“are you my roommate?”

Erze's cold voice bounced off the unseen walls. It was not cold because it lacked emotion, but rather, it carried a strange air of surrender and acceptance that made Sef's teeth clench.

“yes I am" he answered as composed as he could. “Aurelius said you're a pretty girl, is that true?”

“of course! I wouldn't be here if not for this face!”

“can I see it?”

With a chilling giggle, Erze walked out of the shadows and stood under the lantern's light. Aside from her bloodstained night gown, every inch of her looked like the girl from fifty years ago. Her hair was unkept, eyes empty, smile unnervingly sweet, and worst of all, her face was covered with cuts inflicted by the broken glass now stabbed in her chest.

“so how is it?” she titled her head. “am I pretty?”

Sef leered away. “hm, I'm not so sure"

“what?!”

“just kidding, you're very pretty”

Erze narrowed her eyes. “then why aren't you smiling? Smile!”

A surge of fear coursed in Sef's veins. He remembered what he was about to say next, and even more so the reaction it would pull out of his troubled partner.

“if...” he balled his hands to fists. “if you want me to smile, then promise me you won't cut yourself again"

A long pause tortured him as he waited for a response. It did not surprise him, he already endured it in the past. But still, watching Erze reel in the pain to maintain composure made his anger boil even more.

“what are you talking about?” she asked.

He stared at her with unkind, yet honest eyes. “you heard me. I want you to stop cutting yourself"

“and who are you to demand that out of me? Are you my father? My brother? My buttler? Are you someone of importance?”

“I'm nothing"

“ha! Then shut it, I won't hear anything from a nobody"

“yes you will"

Erze's happy demeanor turned cold as she stepped back. “don't push your luck any further, room mate. I may be pretty, but I'm also very much deserving of this prison cell"

“I know"

“what?”

Sef raised the lantern at the level of his head. He wanted his face to be seen, not to taunt her, but to prove that his words came from a sincere place. “I said I know you"

“prove it"

“you're impulsive, and you know too well what you like and dislike. You love to act hight and mighty, but the truth is you're just scared to disappoint. You don't like recieving things, because you're more afraid of losing them.You love to be in control, because you're afraid to show people you're incompetent. You're possessive even to things you don't own. You can't sleep without taking a bath, you love sour food, you snore when you sleep, you drool when you day dream, and if you want more evidence, then I can still give you more”

Though the room remained silent, the wonder in the Erze's eyes screamed her response loud. No longer the girl Sef met, but the girl he knew, she stepped close to the light, wrapped her arms around him and burried her face on his chest.

“so you're finally awake" she whispered with a shaky voice.

Sef patted her head. “that's my line"

“I'm sorry, I was sad. Because of me, my descendants... the kid... you... all my fault”

“yes that's right, it's all your fault"

Teary eyes peered up at Sef. “you're not supposed to say that!”

Sef chuckled. “but it's true. if you haven't done those horrible things, your descendants wouldn't be targeted by Parvanos. Everything bad that happened to them can be traced back to you"

“you cruel bastard!”

“cruel? I'm just telling the truth"

“I don't care! It hurts!”

“then go ahead and mope. Spill it out so we can suffer together”

Erze shuddered with sobs, and her nails bit down on Sef's back. She cursed, questioned, and complained like a child who lost her precious doll. A child who, despite knowing her words were wrong, trusted the ears that recieved them to understand.

“are you done?” Sef asked.

“not yet" Erze said.

“hurry up, I don't want to do this forever"

“that's not what you're supposed to say!”

Sef pushed Erze and reached inside his pocket. The girl inhaled to release a verbal assault, but his hand was already on her mouth, holding it captive as his other hand wrapped the gift around her neck.

“what's this?” she asked, blinking at the emerald gem.

“what else? It's my gift for your birthday"

“my birthday was last month. You're late"

“so you don't want it? Shame, guess I'll just sell it then"

“wait!” Erze covered her face with both hands. “I-I'll take it!”

Sef faked a frown. “are you sure? You didn't look that happy just now"

“I am. I just don't think I deserve this"

“do you know where I got that?”

“some crack along the wall?”

“no! I got that from Nessa’s back! Nessa's dangerous back!”

“ho?” Erze raised an eyebrow. “so what do you want me to do? Kiss your feet because you risked your life?”

Sef rolled his eyes. “I want you to understand the gift, so shut it for a second and let me explain"

With Erze's reluctant nod, Sef placed a finger at the gem and recalled the night he rested on Erze's lap. “aside from beauty, there's one more thing that makes a Ravenshell's gem one of the most coveted jewels"

“which is?”

Sef grinned nervously as he withdrew his finger. Thankfully, the gem did not disappoint. It sang the melody of his soul and released a swarm of green shards that closed Erze's wounds.

“wait, is this...”

“a Ravenshell's gem can store a portion of someone's soul”

Erze blinked at the gem. “so you're giving me a piece of your soul?”

Sef turned the lantern off and drew closer. “you're the only one who can have it at this point. So stop doubting yourself and take it. I won't give it to anyone else”

Another pause swept across the room. Only this time, it was comfort that came with it, not tension. Sef beamed at Erze and she answered with a tranquil smile. Both lost care for anything else, all that mattered was the two of them, sharing the same silence after a long and turbulent journey.

“Sef!”

Like a hammer slammed against glass, Maurise's voice pierced through the darkness, followed by the appearance of a woman who teetered between confusion and excitement.

“what's the matter?” Sef asked, forcing a composed face as Erze hid behind him.

Maurise inhaled. “wait, let me just... collect myself"

“why?” Erze pressed. “what happened?”

“we found them" Maurise said.

“them?”

“them?”

Maurise nodded, her eyes shining ominously before the emerald. “we found Aury's grandbrat. And there's two of him"