It was a fine summer afternoon.

But it was never going to be peaceful for long.

Not for Ifrit and his companions.

And certainly not for their hunters.

Ifrit and the group slowly traveled to the town of Summinat with their newly acquired car, but it soon become apparent that the rest of the continent still needed to catch up with Dusdolfian technological and transportation management. The most problematic one was the abundance of dirt roads compared to the paved ones. The area they ended up was quite humid due to it being near a scenic waterfall and the road became muddy. The mud caused the car’s wheels to become stuck, requiring Ifrit and Eshdar to help Albert push the car while Lilac, who Albert taught how to drive, helped drive the car. The hellhounds’ strengths, helped with the push of the engine, were the only one that helped make this endeavor easier.

Dirty and exhausted, the group decided to rest. Eshdar heard about a hidden spring inside the forest near a hidden waterfall from his travels around Adaline.

“It’s a run-off from the main waterfall,” said Eshdar. “Based on the map, we’re several hours away from Summinat. We just have to go through the stone bridge and stay on the road. The view is quite breathtaking and panoramic, perfect for the memories and painting, if you have the interest.”

“You know a lot of this region, aren’t you?” said Lilac.

“I travelled through this area once. The waterfall’s a landmark close to Summinat. We’re at least two or three hours from the town.”

“Well, at least we know we can rest for a bit.”

They walked into the forest depths after parking the car and the carriage near a small carriage station, securing them with chains Albert provided from within the carriage. Eshdar noticed that the way through the forest was now pathed and was easier to reach, which troubled him since it would mean that the waterfall run-off spring was turned into a tourist trap. Fortunately, it wasn’t really the case when he asked the station caretaker about it.

“A couple of travelers decided that it’s best to turn it into a traveler’s rest and created a small pathway leading to it,” said the caretaker. “If you’re worried of it being too crowded, then don’t. They’re more attracted to the bigger one further down the road. I mean, even without those Lycan ears, I can hear the roaring sound of the waterfall.”

“Well, that’s a relief. At least there’s a proper pathway now,” said Eshdar. “I haven’t been around this station since I was a teen.”

“It’s a good forest for a werefox like you,” said the caretaker with a smile. “Still, I am not aware of any werefoxes living in the forest. I know they’re mostly Tragorian natives, but you can’t deny the fact that this area was once Tragoria before the Independence.”

“At least some people know the virtue of peace and quiet,” said Eshdar, appreciating the caretaker’s story. “Thanks, man.”

“You’re welcome.”

Without delaying, the group proceeded to walk towards the spring, which took them a mere 30 minutes of short walk through the shaded forest. They finally reached the spring which was already developed into a form of natural bathing lake. However, despite of facilities such as a changing room, a picnic table, and a camping ground, the people who developed the area made quite an effort to keep most of it natural-looking. Only the changing room felt like it wasn’t supposed to be there, but it did not bother anyone in the group.

As Eshdar had told them, it was better to bring some bathing suit, which everyone by this point already had. Albert implored them to buy some before leaving the previous town in case they needed to stop at a lake to rest and due to Eshdar’s suggestions.

Once they reached the area, they noticed that they were not the first to be there. There was someone else there. The person was covered from head to toe with a brown coat and seemed to be sleeping, until he turned his head and noticed the group. His face was obscured, giving him an aura of mystery.

“Hey,” he said. “Didn’t expect anyone visiting. That caretaker said this place’s a good place to sleep or camp. Been meanin’ to get some peace and quiet from the city.”

“Did we wake you up?” asked Albert.

“Ah, no. I’m just lounging around. Not a fan of the sun,” said the man. “So, pardon the cloak.”

“We’re, uh, going to go get some bath, if you don’t mind,” said Eshdar.

“Well, I don’t mind, but I suggest not doing it there,” said the man while pointing at the waterfall. “Take the water to the campsite bathing facility. There you’ll get some privacy.”

He was referring to Lilac, who cheekily smiled as she checked the facility. It had a clean tub along with several amenities including a bucket to take water from the waterfall. It seems it was built with privacy in mind. Not only that, but it was also separated for men and women.

“The caretaker’s quite thoughtful, isn’t he?” commented Lilac.

“Well, we aren’t exactly the first visitors,” said Eshdar. He then turned to Albert and said, “You coming, Al?”

“Nah. You go first. I think I forgot something in the car. Be right back,” said Albert. Eshdar simply nodded and followed Ifrit and Lilac to the washroom.

However, he did not start walking to the car, but instead sitting on a bench near the hooded figure with Sammael. He was convinced that he heard his voice before.

“I thought you forgot something,” said the hooded man. “Can I help you?”

“I’m more interested in you, hood man, if you’re really a man under the hood,” said Albert. “Tell me, my mysterious ‘man’. Was that a blunder, or deliberate?”

“What blunder?”

“Your voice. For someone who never heard your talk, it won’t raise suspicions, but I heard your voice before. Also, that hood covering your head’s too big for a human. It obscures your face, but you won’t be able to effectively see through the cover. Unless…your eyes are positioned differently from a human’s eyes.”

There was a pause, with Sammael confused to what Albert was implying. After a moment of silence, he started chuckling, before going on a full laugh.

“Impressive,” he said, lowering his voice pitch. “Guess I underestimated you.”

“Uh, Al?” asked Sammael. “What is going on?”

“All in a good time, Sammael,” said the hooded figure.

“Huh? How did you know my name? And why…?”

“Aren’t I surprised that a ‘dog’ can talk?” continued the figure. “Well, it’s simple. I know what you are, Barghest, and I know your traveling companions. You, on the other hand, might know me.”

“You’re one of them,” concluded Sammael with a growl. “(Shit. I have to…).”

“(Let them be for now, okay, Sammael?)” said the hooded figure in Hordo. “(And besides, we need to talk).”

Sammael reluctantly stopped, though he felt like he was being commanded to do so and could not disobey. The hooded figure then said, “Good. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. You, human. What’s your name?”

“Albert Schafner.”

“Ah. Dusdolfian, I presume? I was traveling around that region for several years. The people’s progressive and smart, too. I learned a lot of your cultures from them.”

“So, I can assume you’re the same freelancer Demon Hunter who shot hellhounds from behind blind spots?”

“Freelance Demon Hunter? Is that what they call me? I just happened to use your little invention to simplify things. Turned out you’re one step further into the future than them. You don’t usually meet the person who invent your weapons, Albert. Then again, you haven’t had someone wrote your life story.”

“I don’t invent blind spot sniping,” said Albert. “You told me, back in Brenik, that I am missing some facts to reach a conclusion. I must admit that blind spot precision sniping is not something a human can do, unless they can see behind a wall. Also, your knowledge of the significance of horns in hellhound culture made me assume that you’re a hellhound, yet you claimed you’re not one. Then, that trick on the rooftop, where you vanished after jumping off the roof. You’re a ‘man’ of many tricks.”

“Yet I’m not a magician by trade.” The figure sighed. “Well, the answer’s rather simple, blondie. You’re in for a surprise.”

The figure stood up, then promptly pulled down his hood. Albert looked at him wide-eyed, while Sammael gasped upon seeing his face.

“No way,” said Sammael, recognizing his face. “It can’t be!”

“It can be, Sammael,” said the figure.

The face, and the head, wasn’t exactly Lycan or hellhound, but something else. His snout was short with the tip looking like a leaf. His ears were big and wide, almost twice the size of his head. His eyes were black with no apparent pupil, looking more animalistic than the hellhounds. There was nothing human in that face, or even canine.

Albert, however, after the initial shock, examined his face more closely. He had seen the animal that resembled the peculiar-looking beast race before. He soon reached a conclusion.

“You’re a bat?” he concluded.

“And you know what bats do, blondie?” asked the man bat.

“They hunt and fly around…relying on sound waves.” Albert looked as if he finally got it. “Ah. So, that’s how you can see from behind the tree. You listened to the echoes they created and pinpoint their positions. But I thought bat emits their own sounds.”

“Only if it’s somewhere where a pin drop can’t be heard. When we move, breath, or even say something, there is always a sound. Sound is an invisible wave that will hit tangible objects in nature. Some materials absorb the wave, but most of them were reflected in the form of echoes or reverbs. In short, this is called echolocation. Surface bats do this, and so do we Fuzandres.”

“But aren’t bats blind?”

“They’re not blind, as people thought. They just have bad vision. Fortunately, the only ailment I got is total color blindness, and you don’t need color if you know who to shoot behind a wall. And as a plus, a Fuzandre’s echolocation are visualized, meaning we can see the soundwave reflection. I guess as a tradeoff, we lost all sense of color. I pretty much see things in black and white.”

“Then how the hell do you use a rifle? As far as I know, bats have…”

“Wings, right? Maybe if you let me finish?”

He simply removed the cloak, revealing his bare torso, covered in coarse brown fur. Then, a pair of wings unfurled from his back, opening outward to show their full glory. It was leathery, and looking very fragile, but it looked very capable for a sustained flight. When he flapped his wings, there was a gust of wind. Albert also noticed that, in addition to his wings, his hands were webbed. However, it did not make it harder to pull a trigger, for the web were not too prominent like his wings.

“Fuzandres are bats, blondie,” said the man bat. “Except they are not exactly identical anatomy-wise.”

“Okay, so…you’re a winged demon,” said Albert. “Hunting demons. I think I read a story like this once, but they forget to factor in ‘trust’. I don’t care if demons are naturally treacherous or not, but you don’t shoot your people in the back.”

The Fuzandre chuckled. “You know, I’m starting to think you’re just being lucky when you found where I holed up. How do you think I handle the gunpowder, then? You’re the inventor. You know you used the cleansing ritual in the gunpowder, then you stuff it inside custom bullets.”

“There is something we called ‘gloves’, you know.”

The Fuzandre let out a heavy sigh. He was starting to get annoyed getting his point across and started to think that Albert was provoking him. Still, he said, “Okay. Let’s stop arguing on stupid stuffs. Let’s just ask the only true demon among us. What do you think, Barghest? Am I a demon?”

Albert turned to Sammael, hoping he might know something. Instead, Sammael just shook his head and said, “There is…an Underworld race called Fuzandres. Unlike hellhounds, the are not as widespread. They opted to stay out of hellhound business, so only a select people knew they’re not demons. Rhynsa…happens to be one of a few who chose to get involved.”

“And that’s exactly that. And don’t try to argue it’s his words against mine. We don’t have time for this…unless that’s exactly what you’re trying to do, Albert Schafner.”

“(Then why don’t we cut to the chase?)”

Rhynsa turned around and came face to face with a revolver right in front of him. Ifrit, still dirty and covered in mud, pointed it in front of Rhynsa. The Fuzandre was surprised but was then amused by Ifrit’s presence.

“(How long have you been there?)” asked the Fuzandre.

“(By chance),” he said short. “(I forgot something, so I turned around and saw you take off your hood. I knew you look like trouble the moment I saw you sitting with your hood over your head).”

“Ifrit, where are the others?” asked Albert.

“Just finishing up. (Let’s talk, Rhynsa. What are you doing here, out of nowhere?)”

“(I was just resting among these trees when you happen to show up. Then, your investigator friend here happens to deduce that I was the one who shot off your ear and horn).”

“(Are you issuing a challenge?)”

“(A warning that I’m coming to finish what your parents did to me, Ifrit. Hynorsi and Leahn Schelkz have a lot to answer for. Too bad they died that night, betrayed by the ungrateful hellhounds. Then again, it’s not surprising).”

“(You’re the one who betrayed them first!)” shouted Sammael in protest. “(If you didn’t botch that job…).”

“(You expect me to kill my brethren because Hynorsi is being paranoid?!)” Rhynsa said with an angry, agitated voice, apparently insulted by Sammael’s protest. “(Hellhounds outnumbered Fuzandres ten to one, Barghest! He wanted to enslave us for whatever shit he’s trying to pull!)”

“(He is trying to prevent this whole fucking mess! And what the hell are you talking about? Master Hynorsi is not planning to enslave your brethren!)”

“(Oh, spare me the argument, Barghest. You are incapable of disobeying your master or even disagree. You’re just a slave with a broken will. What do you know about enslaving others?)”

“(Sammael, what the hell is he talking about?)” asked Ifrit, who started to feel uncomfortable with Rhynsa’s claims.

“(He’s trying to twist your story, Ifrit. Don’t listen to him!)” pleaded Sammael. “(He betrayed your parents, and they both died because of it!)”

“(Hynorsi and Leahn Schelkz ruled the kingdom as equals, meaning they are both commanders of the army),” said Rhynsa. “(Both can be ruthless, but it’s their burden as monarchs. I don’t know if they were desperate or misread the whole situation, but they asked me to return to my people and told them to join the fight against the demons. Oh, but I know what you’re thinking. ‘If that is the case, then you’re the one who is wrong’. Well, not if they’re threatening to take over our land if we didn’t comply).”

“(And you know this how?)”

“(The hard way. I gave them the sealed letter and the village head declared me a traitor. They were going to fucking clip my wings, Schelkz! Good thing fortune favors the fool. The uprising came to my village and I massacred all of them. I was exonerated on the basis that I am a messenger who don’t know the message I was delivering, but the damage was done. They thought I was too involved with the hellhounds and decided to banish me. So, yes. I botched the job, Sammael, because your people stabbed me first).”

“(Are you even sure that message was given to you by them? Someone could’ve swapped it!)” reasoned Sammael. “(You have no claim to everything you said)!”

“(How about the letter he wrote, huh? Signed and handed to me by his own two hands, as witnessed by you, Barghest. Oh, that’s right. You suddenly went blind, because you don’t want to see the moment your master became a traitor to his own vassals! Isn’t it, Barghest?!)”

“(You lie, Rhynsa!)” said Sammael with a growl.

“(Am I?! So, my rage is a lie? I am angry because I am such a good actor? Isn’t it?! Say I lie again, Barghest. I fucking dare you!)”

“(Hey!)” shouted Ifrit. “(No one is going to dare each other! You two are clearly biased against one another!).”

“Sorry to interrupt this heated argument, but can you please speak in a language that won’t burn my tongue?” said Albert, who had been standing beside them when the confrontation got heated.

“This is not your business, blondie,” said Rhynsa.

“Ifrit is a friend and coworker. I know him better than you’ll ever be. From what I can tell, you think he betrayed you in some way. Do you even realize that he’s still a baby when the Uprising happened?”

“Yeah, I know that. That doesn’t mean he’s not guilty for what his parents did to me.”

“You ever heard ‘the sins of the father are not his son’s’? Whatever they did to you has nothing to do with him.”

“Spare your surface world crap, blondie.”

“Except you are in my world, Fuzandre, so you listen to me.”

“Even if I do, I issued Ifrit a challenge. A hellhound’s horn is their pride. They will be seen as cowards if they chose not to pursue it. For someone who really need allies, he better go on with it.”

“Did you even think this whole situation through?”

“Oh, I’ve been waiting for 20 years, blondie. His brother’s not available, so I’ll settle with him!”

Without warning, Rhynsa pulled out a knife and tried to slash Ifrit. Ifrit, caught by surprise, leaned back to avoid the knife that would cut through his throat. Ifrit bend back and kicked the knife out of Rhynsa’s hand, while Rhynsa did the same to Ifrit’s revolver. Ifrit still had his sword sheathed on his hip while Rhynsa opted to use another combat knife.

For Ifrit, Rhynsa’s combat style was very unusual due to his wings. He could usually anticipate an attack, but with Rhynsa, retaliating was made difficult due to his wings, which he used both to maintain space and to blindside Ifrit. The Fuzandre grabbed Ifrit’s defensive arm, then opened his wings and fly before abruptly folding them and twist his body midair, kicking Ifrit’s head where he least expected it. He soon landed on his back and quickly got up before Ifrit could retaliate.

Sammael tried to help, but when the Barghest lunged at Rhynsa, the Fuzandre anticipated this and dodge. He proceeded to kick Sammael with his knee. The Barghest was thrown towards the lake and started letting out some sort of steam while Albert came to his help. Meanwhile, Rhynsa’s fight with Ifrit continued.

“This is…a burn from enchanted silver,” said Albert upon examining Sammael’s wound. He turned to Rhynsa and quickly noticed he was wearing a silver knee pad over his pants

“Ah!” exclaimed Sammael as he frantically tried to get out of the water. “It’s hot! The water’s scalding me!”

Albert touched the water and sensed a cleansing aura, albeit very weak. It wouldn’t disintegrate a demon, but it was strong enough to start making a lesser demon like Barghest felt he was being boiled.

“Demon cleansing water,” said Albert. He grabbed Sammael and lifted him over his shoulder just as Eshdar and Lilac ran towards them. They heard the commotion as they were changing to their clean clothes, so they quickly did so and leave the rest.

“How the hell do you even know all this?” said Sammael, who was wincing from the pain.

Albert hesitated for a moment, but he knew keeping secrets would not make it better for them now that the incursion had happened. So, overcoming his hesitation, he said, “I am a demon hunter.”

“What?!” exclaimed Sammael. “But then why are you helping me, then?”

“Not all of us are extremely prejudiced against demons, especially if you know they’re lesser demons.”

“So, you knew I am a Barghest when you saw me?”

“I hunt Barghests before. No hard feelings, I hope?”

“Demons don’t generally regard others as family. Besides, we don’t actually die.”

“That settles that.”

Albert quickly called Lilac, who ran carrying her towel. She draped it over Sammael to dry him out. Just as he did so, she noticed Rhynsa and Ifrit’s battle becoming more and more intense. Ifrit showed great proficiency with his sword as he slashed Rhynsa and even did a feint attack to trip Rhynsa, but the Fuzandre anticipated this. Using his combat knife, he slipped the blade into Ifrit’s blade and yanked it with force. The sword broke into two. Ifrit, however, was not bothered. He simply guarded Rhynsa’s straight kick, then countered by quickly grabbing his leg before the Fuzandre could recover and slam him to a nearby tree.

Ifrit thought he killed the bat but was then blindsided by the bat opening his wings and grabbing Ifrit’s leg with his own grabby legs before he started flying up, intending to drop Ifrit to his death. Again, Ifrit showed proficiency in improvising. Using the broken sword, he thrusted it into one of Rhynsa’s wing, ripping it like cloth. This prevented him to fly and he dropped to the ground awkwardly, while Ifrit was going in for a finish. He was quickly surprised by Rhynsa producing a small snub-nosed gun almost hidden inside his hands. Without hesitation, Rhynsa fired, but Ifrit managed to dodge at the right moment, showing a very heightened sense of reflex.

“(Now that…I didn’t expect),” said Rhynsa with a surprised tone in his voice. “(For a Royal, you’re good. Too good).”

“(I have been fighting assholes in the street ever since I remember it),” said Ifrit. “(In the streets, there is no rules. You either fight underhanded or you don’t fight at all).”

“(Pretty atypical, for a prince).”

“(I am not a prince, Rhynsa, and I suggest we stop this stupid feud before either one of us is killed).”

Rhynsa chuckled. “(It’s a little too late for that, prince. Let me give you some advice. You don’t talk during a fight!)”

Ifrit felt Rhynsa’s knee in his stomach hitting him with such force it knocked the wind out of him. Rhynsa quickly turned around, now on top of Ifrit and was going to bash the hellhound’s head in when he turned and caught Eshdar’s arrow. This small distraction was enough for Ifrit to grab a nearby rock and bash Rhynsa’s head. It wasn’t enough to critically injure or kill, but it gave Ifrit time to slip out of Rhynsa’s grasp and ran into the forest.

“(What the hell are you doing?!)” exclaimed Eshdar.

“(This is between me and him, Esh! Get Sam and Lilac to safety. I won’t be long! Thanks for the assist!)”

Rhynsa quickly recovered and pursued Ifrit into the forest while Eshdar continued calling Ifrit’s name, warning him that it was unwise. Before long, Rhynsa and Ifrit disappeared into the forest.

“(That idiot),” said Eshdar before he returned to Albert and Lilac tending Sammael’s burn wounds. Albert instructed Lilac to pat Sammael’s body dry to remove the demon cleansing water from the waterfall basin. Before he reached the two, her enhanced werewolf hearing heard Albert confessing about being a demon hunter, which did not seem right, considering that he was helping Sammael, who was a demon.

“Isn’t helping demons against your creed, Albert?” asked Lilac. “I don’t really care what you do in the past, but won’t this make you at odds with them?”

“Like I told Sammael, not all demon hunters are extremely prejudiced against demons. But then, it will be troublesome if you end up allying with them. That’s when it’s against our creed.”

“More importantly, why keep it a secret?” asked Eshdar. “I thought you know hellhounds aren’t demons.”

“Yes, they aren’t, but Sammael is. Before that, I know Ifrit had limited knowledge of the surface world and was not ready to trust anyone on the surface other than Lilac, so I feel it’s best if I keep it a secret. I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” said Eshdar. “Except maybe the fact that you lied about you meeting grandad. Did you fight him?”

“I did not. He helped me fight off demons during a mission. He told me about the hellish incursion and commented that the demons I fought were barely the appetizer.”

“And you did not mistake him as one?”

“Honestly, I did. You guys look so different from hellhounds I knew from hunter’s encyclopedia. I know hellhounds look either like wolves or dogs, but I never met a vulpine hellhound before. He was the first.”

“We call ourselves hellhounds, but we are of different subraces, much like humans and their skin colors,” explained Eshdar. “As you know, we’re more vulpine in appearance. In Hordo, we’re called (Hunters of the Outer Realms), or just Hunters for short. The Outer Realms part is the fact that my kind was supposed to be found far from the gates of hell, in the less populated land full of Underworld beasts. We were once nomadic tribes, but as we settled, we became kingdoms.”

“I see,” said Albert. “Well, it’s good to know.

“I’ll go grab the medical kit from the car,” said Lilac as she noticed Sammael’s burn wound. “I’ll be right back.”

As Lilac ran as fast as she could back to the car, Eshdar and Albert kept talking while drying off Sammael.

“Your grandfather gave me a similar explanation,” said Albert to Eshdar. “He then warned me of the hellish incursion that would soon happen. However, given the state of the guild then, I could not tell this in a formal council, so I convinced a senior hunter I personally knew to arrange a special mission that required me to travel while also telling the formal council about it in an unofficial degree. Normally, this would make me expelled, but then again, they don’t want to lose any more members, especially the younger members, and especially not me.”

“Did you just brag about the fact that you’re important?”

“I did not intend to do that, but I guess I was,” said Albert, rubbing the back of his head. “I am the youngest senior hunter by a wide margin. Most hunters are already middle-aged when they became a senior hunter. I am barely 30. Also, I…might be the first to suggest the effective use of bolt-action rifles as a very unorthodox demon hunting weapon. Can’t say I’m that unique since I know a young pugilist wearing enchanted silver knuckles to beat the crap out of summoned demons.”

“You know, if anyone saw you beat the shit out of demons, no one’s gonna think you’re some witch hunters dabbling in occult.”

“Except that is exactly what the demon hunters are trying to avoid. I soon learned about bad press and how the victims of these demons would react against us using non-traditional methods. So, my suggestion was quickly dashed, as did the pugilist. We were not forbidden to use them, however, and I kept cleansing bullets in case I need it. Never thought someone else uses it.”

“Which that bat did,” concluded Eshdar. “So, you know him?”

“He’s an amateur, at best. The water he turned into demon cleansing water could easily kill Sammael the moment he touched it, even when diluted. Either he did not do the proper ceremony, or he wasn’t aiming to kill.”

“Yeah. He could’ve just stay hidden and ambushed us, but he waited and even talked before he started the fight,” said Eshdar.

“Like I said. He is doing this to deliberately confuse us. I don’t know if he is a friend or foe, but right now he is an enemy.”

“Guys!” said Lilac as she frantically run towards them with a kit. “We got a problem. There are hellhounds in the forest.”

“I bet they’re not friendly.”

“No, they’re dead! I did not catch the scent when we walked through the forest. Something went off while we’re here.”

“Did you smell anyone else?” said Eshdar. “Maybe a group of angry hellhounds thinking we offed their friends?”

Lilac nodded.

“Then rest’s over,” said Eshdar. “Al, carry Sam and get to the car. Lilac, you with me. Cover my back.”

Lilac readied her claws and fangs, knowing that this time, she really must fight. Without rifles, she could only rely on what made her kind the most dangerous predator once feared by the humans. Soon after, the hellhounds came out of the forest and started ambushing them. One tried to jump on Lilac, but Lilac grabbed the hellhound and quickly tore open his neck with her claws, leaving him gurgling on the floor, dying. Eshdar shot a beast that was running towards him, all while protecting Albert and Sammael as they paced towards their car.

“You’re not half bad,” said Eshdar, complimenting Lilac. Lilac simply let out a toothy grin as they continued their move towards the car.

The car was surprisingly left alone by the hellhounds that ambushed them, so they simply got in as hellhounds started shooting at them. Albert did not waste any time to turn on the engine and speed away once both Eshdar and Lilac climbed onto the car, speeding away as fast as the car could.

They hoped that Ifrit and Rhynsa would meet them halfway, but Albert knew that if their fight intensified, they had no choice but to leave him behind. Their first priority was to get to safety and hope that Ifrit knew where Summinat was.

Lilac would disagree, but she’d understand.