Eyes low, he ponders upon a corpse, staring at their burnt green skin and charred teeth, as they take him back to a memory that sticks him like needles in his heart. To a time where he fell to fear in one's desperate tears, one's screams of terror, and to a group's laugh of selfish evil. The boy stares at the dead in rising anger, Nahshon, who is called by Ayame who flicks his forehead.

"What the hell is wrong with you, dude?" Ayame questions with her ears pointing to the roof.

"Nothing," Nahshon shakes his head with averting his eyes to the roof.

"Well, come on then. We're leaving. Look, the soldiers, they've arrived," She points to the soldiers covering the kidnapped in blankets and carrying them out.

Coming to the realization, they follow them out, the sun gone orange as the evening has already arrived, hitting the boy's face with washing the coldness of the sanctuary off his skin, followed by the return of the ambience of the outside world to his ears, his eyes meeting with one of the victims, a little boy who's stare falls dead and cold, the dirt on his skin highlighted from the sun, with a soldier picking him up into the vehicle, grouped beside the others.

"What will happen to them?" Nahshon asks.

"Best place for them...is the churches," Ayame tells him, sighing to the fate that they've suffered as the trees around them rustle, giving the boy a chilling rise on his skin.

"I see..." Nahshon goes quiet, slapped across the head by Ayame who squeezes his cheek.

"You know, you worry too much. Just be glad that they got the hell out of that place, will ya?"

"Hm," Nahshon smiles, slowly nodding to her statement.

And so they also leave the sanctuary, some of the soldiers staying behind in searching the areas in and out of the sacred place. And within Dragonford the party reaches, Ayame and Hazel leading at the front with chatting about, Arwyn and Garkari in the middle, and Nahshon at the back, his silence broken by the princess who pats him on the back, Nahshon quickly looking around at the crowd of people minding their business, the confused boy now understanding that this version of Astrid who's dressed like an emo chick has not been seen by the majority. And walking beside him, Nahshon tilts his head, taking a deep breath as he puts up a finger.

"By the way, why did you choose me to be your help?"

"Hmm? Why are you asking?" She smiles.

"I don't know. I was just wondering why you'd do it, knowing you could easily hire someone way more skilled and experienced"

"Hm, fair point," She giggles. "It was the day your partner came in cuffs before my father. I watched from the upper level, my younger sister and I. So I had known about you for a while"

"Ah, I see. So you thought it be fun to hire me"

"Yes. Except...I don't know...Something was odd when he then called you up," She puts her hand against her chin.

"Hmm?"

"My father, he gave you a sword and some money, that was generous and all. But it was the way he smiled at you after you gave your name. It was almost like...he wanted to see you like it was all in right timing. Who knows. He's a laid back man, he will rock his head back as he laughs loudly, and he doesn't care about how a king should conduct himself. But I've rarely seen him do what he did to you, the way he smiled.

"Huh," Nahshon nods, remembering the vivid image of King Horik as he turned to him right before the doors were closed.

"Because the last time he did so...oh shi...oh dear," Astrid abruptly stops, turning Nahshon's attention to a squad of politely dressed people searching every nook and cranny of a supermarket, worrying the owner who can only stand in being uncomfortable, their eyes creepily simultaneous as they turn to the one they've been eagerly looking for, observing her every detail in then looking into her eyes with their mouths wide open.

"Your Majesty!!!" They all shout, Arwyn and the others turning to Astrid who is instantly boxed in by the politely dressed ones.

"Yes, yes. I am alright," Astrid awkwardly tells them, as she leads both groups into a less crowded area, away from the eyes of the crowd that turns their attention.

"What is this?? Who did this to you?!" One of them asks, pointing to Nahshon who fidgets to their scary presence. "Was it this fool right here?!

"I did! Be respectful to my friend and don't be rude," Astrid plants her hands against her side with her face puffed, calling a dark aurora over the polite dressed group with one's mouth whimpering to her stance of being offended.

"Forgive me!!" He drops to his knees, his glasses dropped to the floor in grabbing a butter knife from out of his suit pocket. "I shall die for this!"

"No need!" Astrid commands him, relax in the remembrance of the other group being in their presence, Arwyn cringing at the man who thinks a butter knife will do him any harm. "Get up, Gunther. You're embarrassing yourself"

"Y-Yes, your Majesty," The man gets up, turning to Nahshon in bowing his head. "I apologize for my rude remark. Forgive me, adventurer"

"Ahem. Well, my friends, it seems my time with you all has come to an end," She tells the party, everybody waving their goodbyes to her, Astrid then clinging onto the arm of Nahshon who's face blushes up through his dark skin, as he's kissed on the cheek by the princess, shocking both groups who become their witnesses. "Bye-bye. Thank you for keeping me such nice company"

"S-Sure," Nahshon forces from his frozen tongue, turning around to the people who have come for her, their eyes looking like their souls have become darkened by her supposed undoing, hearing Astrid laugh in the background at their sight.

And like bees to their queen, At last they leave, their formation around the princess like a diamond as they guide her home to her palace. Nahshon's group also split by the setting of the sun, with him and Arwyn stopping by a store for some snacks.

"Well..." Arwyn scratches his head, then onto looking at Nahshon who seems to have grown sulky. "...Don't worry, lad. I know exactly what's on your mind. You saved those people, remember that. Soon, we'll get to the bottom of this. It's only a matter of time. So for now, freshen up and down let it beat you up. Understood"

"Understood...I'll do that," Nahshon nods, shaking hands with the captain as now they go their separate ways.

The sun still at the horizon, not planning on leaving for a while, Nahshon strolls to the place he, Bjørn, and Ezek would meet, seeing as both of them along with Nora has already reach, three of them noticing him as he walks up with his smile looking pale, Ezek whistling as he chuckles at the sight of him.

"Rough day, princess?" Ezek asks him, Nahshon chuckling at his remark. "Hm. Let's book some rooms for now. And we can all talk about our crappy adventures while we get something to eat too"

"Oo! Me first. Nora and I went on a quest to go fend off what we thought was a nasty ogre, only to find out it was an old man stealing from the village this whole time. Then-"

"I said when we get something to eat, dumbass," Ezek shuts him up, as they all make their way through the city.

***

Newspapers flying through the sky, printed on billboards within guilds and shops alike, and news anchors doing their part of the work. A couple of days have passed, the news breaking out of Arwyn's group rescuing the kidnapped within the sanctuary, and the Jacqawin aiding soldiers in the hunt for whatever lurks in the dark beside their homes, many of Verencia's people now aware of the bigger picture, making sure to follow whatever regulations that were set by their provinces' Commanders and Highsword alike, with Adventurers grown wiser by the tips that were given to them by officials; their weapons sharper, armours grander, and potions stacked, most of them now making sure to stick in groups rather than being one. And so one also decides to pay a visit to the Sanctuary, peaked by a piece of particular news that reached his ears a while ago, entering the same doors as Arwyn and the others did, as he's greeted by bows by the many soldiers that now occupy the area, reaching a second set of doors where this time, the statues that guard its treasure now stand dormant.

"Your Highness," One greets the visitor, saluting to the one who bears the crown upon his head, King Horik who has come to witness a particular spectacle.

"Good afternoon. I hope you haven't blocked off the lovely piece I've been hearing about so much," The king chuckles.

"S-Sire! Of course not," The man shakes his head, going to his side with pointing his arm to the doors. "Please. Allow me to guide you, your Highness"

Through the doors, the king is guided through the more lit corridor as he is greeted by more soldiers. There he reaches, to the art sought out by the ones before him, looking up at himself in his lips curving a smile of humbleness, going closer in resting his palm against the prophecy made long ago.

"It was the group of adventurers under the captain from Strongcastle who discovered it. The old man of the party told of a boy among them who seemed to be having visions and then he led them to this," The man explains, King Horik putting his hand towards his chin as he smiles once more.

"So I've heard," He tells the man, turning around in leaving the premise as he has seen enough.

***

The clock striking 2 pm, and scratching his head at the realization of the time is Ezek who's eyebrow lifts in a wonder, going by another's door in knocking for them to open it, to Nahshon, who drops his back into his pillow as he ignores his partner's calls, then hearing as keys rattle within the knob that slowly turns, lifting his head to Ezek who's blue eyes almost seem to glow in looking through the dim room at, with an old lady behind him accompanied by Bjørn and Nora.

"It's time you got up, don't ya think?" Ezek suggests to him, Nahshon looking mildly confused and irritated. "It's late out. The owner thought you had died in here, dude"

"Oh," Nahshon sighs, slowly getting up.

"Well, just wanted to know that you were alright. I'll leave you kids to do what you do best now," The old lady says, the three of them saying bye as she leaves.

"Get dressed. There's someone who would like to catch up with ya," Ezek tells him, Nahshon scratching his head at who it could be.

"Keep fighting, Bro!" Bjørn gives him two thumbs up, Nora following along with trying to cheer Nahshon from his ugly waking.

Dressed and self properly groomed, Nahshon finishes up with brushing his hair as the last step, leaving his room in being guided by the rest of the group to the one that has requested for him. To a cafe they take him, Ezek nodding in confirmation that they've reached their destination, all of them going inside with Ezek pointing Nahshon to the table of a familiar face, one he had never once forget; her skin still luminous and white as snow, her hair silk and silver, eyes majestic in wine red, dressed up like a doll like the last time he had seen her, but still not seeing her lips with them under a mask as before.

"Good Afternoon, Nahshon. We meet again," Isabella greets him, the boy's heart skipping a beat to her voice.

Greeting each other, getting their orders of tea and coffee, Bjørn and Nora introducing themselves, Nora secretly upset at Bjørn who has also been heartstruck by Isabella who charms him with a smile as they and Ezek go sit at a separate table from the two, Nahshon taking a sip of his tea every few seconds with looking through the window at the city.

"How have you been these days, my patient?" Isabella asks Nahshon.

"...I've been well," He takes his time to answer.

"I've heard of your aid in the battle of the sanctuary. It is pleasing to hear of your accomplishments. Was it thrilling?"

"I guess it was," Nahshon tells her, his eyes down into his reflection within his tea, Isabella observing his lack of dialogue.

"Are you perhaps...now afraid of what is to come next?" She asks him, his eyes turned shallow as they finally lift from his tea with his lips pressed against each other.

***

As within Strongcastle, Arwyn is greeted by his Commander, Victor, Arnaldo, and other captains alike. Their eyes like lasers, their focus simply unbreakable in these dire times, all of them sitting around the table of their conference.

"What's our next move, commander?" A captain asks Vernon.

"What's next? Now as we've revealed what hides within the shadows, we can fight back even stronger than before. We will heighten security and search within the sanctuary," Vernon tells them, wondering why it was not the first of all places on his mind to look through.

"Those pesky savages really think they could outrun justice for long! Hmph! No longer shall they do so! Not on my watch!" Arnaldo puffs. "The Sanctuary of all places too. And for what reason have they become so...uniformed"

"The Jacqawin told of a theory: It's possible we may have a traitor among us," Victor reminds them, everybody faces shocked by his comment"

"Who would dare to do such a thing? To turn in their own country, their own people for what?? Wait till I get my hands on that sorry bastard!" A female captain clenches her fist, stomping the table.

>>

"Who would do such a thing? Hundreds missing, some found broken, families torn apart, so many lives ruined," Isabella states, lifting a butter knife from off the table in playing with it. "And these savages, the goblins, as stated by the Jacqawin: they've become so uniform, using beasts to their liking, using our own weapons and technology as well, as if they were really tamed by someone around us, our own people''

"I guess it's true...there might be a traitor after all?" Nahshon figures, his eyes going back down into his tea.

>>

"But for what reason? What goal must they have to do these things? To tame so many of them and get them this uniformed. How could they have pulled this off? For anyone to be this successful, they must be a highly experienced warrior; a veteran adventurer...or even a high ranking army official," Vernon tells them.

>>

"I wonder, perhaps this is organ trafficking?" Isabella questions, Nahshon almost spilling his tea, his hands jerked by the flashing memories of Christopher and his sister. "They are tremendous assets within the black market, especially for those...not of normal being"

"Goblins alone would kidnap women and leave the men dead, but both seem to be of profit to them. This is definitely a large scale cas of organ trafficking," Ezek states.

"Are you saying someone in a high place ordered all of this?" Nahshon question.

"Never heard of Goblin having a use for money before, so it's likely," Ezek joins their table. "A big prize must be at the end for all of this to be over with. I think they're preparing for something big"

>>

"And whatever it may be. We will have to intercept before it's too late," Vernon warns his captains, a cold chill running down their backs.

"Y-Yes, sir," A fourth captain says, chuckling as he holds his head, everybody looking around him at what he finds so funny. "So...do any of you remember that evil doctor that appeared around the 1800s?"

"...Well shit," Arwyn says, as he knows of exactly what he's talking about, him and every captain and their commander awaking a stronger urge to get to the bottom of this chaos before it grows more dangerous.

>>

"Now I know. That this really is just the beginning," Nahshon states, as a spur of rage begins rising from within him, veins popping in his head as now he understands that the trauma of his first kill had never left him, but had grown into something stronger, into hatred that boils his heart.