Night had fallen in the outskirts of the Arcadian capital, the rain subsided enough to not flood the warehouse they were in. Jonathan was making a soup with the ingredients they had packed in Windia which consisted of boiled sausages, slices of sheep meat, herbs found in the forest and edible mushrooms Neiliel had dried before leaving the desert city.

It was a quiet evening with only the sounds of crackling fire, the rain softly hitting the ceiling and the eventual cricket in the distance, nobody was really in the mood to talk, especially after everything that happened. Leona was sitting against the knight who was leaning on a box with his empty dish in hand while she discreetly drank the soup from the bowl directly instead of using the wooden spoon given to her.

On the other side of the fire, Laslow had just finished his meal and started to go through his notes, seemingly concerned by something. Jonathan was stirring some of the broth before scooping it to serve himself. Laura didn’t have any appetite so she decided to take a nap for the time being and was tucked in between some boxes on the far corner away from the group and Phoebe was out on patrol. Selene was sharing the meal provided by them and kept repeating one full bowl after the other.

“I’m so grateful for you to share this food with me. I- no, my father and I were on the run for two days straight and we didn’t bring any food with us. Though I wish he was here now…”

Between each spoon of soup she told her tale again, this time with less stuttering in her voice. Leona promptly left her empty bowl on the floor, she was intrigued by what she had said.

“So you and your father ran from the capital, did anything happen there or you two just left after hearing the news about me?”

“We left after we heard rumors that Miss Leona was going to be executed for treason, we… we knew something bad was going to happen so we ran away.”

“Executed huh. He must have found someone else to pin the blame on.”

She started to rub her forehead with her right thumb as some sweat started to form around her face. Knowing how cunning Alexander was, there must have been a reason why to announce a public execution, however that much didn’t make sense since a man like that wouldn’t mistakenly kill a peasant for herself. She rubbed her forehead more intensively as she tried to understand while speaking out loud.

“But… it doesn’t add up, why would he order a public execution…? Is it to rat out potential hidden allies of my family?”

“Most likely to demoralize potential riots from the demi-humans.”

Laslow explained while still focused on his tome. Though his eyes narrowed from time to time as he read on the notes.

“Think about it, if they were to witness a public execution of the noble that so fiercely tried to aid them all this time, what would it happen?”

Leona raised an eyebrow as she questioned his reasoning.

“Wouldn’t that have the opposite effect?”

“Not everyone has the same mindset as you Princess Leona. The lower populace unfortunately thinks of themselves as cattle waiting to be slaughtered. Accepting their fate as if it was meant to be.”

The way he spoke made her feel guilty, after all, it was her who started the changes on how the general public saw demi-humans. But that was mostly because her mother was one, she wished for a kingdom that could embrace every citizen equally and give all a chance to shine, just as she did years ago.

“We… we are not fighters…”

Selene’s shylily voiced her opinion while grasping her bowl with trembling hands. Her input promptly made the two turn their attention to her, but she kept staring on the floor.

“How are we supposed to act if we can’t even protect ourselves? My father was wounded trying to protect me from mercenaries. But I- I couldn’t do anything.”

“...”

Leona averted her gaze, clenching her teeth. She knew that demi-humans had it rough, but hearing directly from someone that clearly suffered through the hands of other denizens of the capital made her heart ache. Even though the girl’s voice was starting to stutter, she kept talking.

“My friends were killed and hung in the slums as… as… examples… because- because they didn’t want to come along with the mercenaries…”

She started to sob quietly, her shoulders trembling with each hiccup while she tried her best to keep it down.

“I’m… I’m so sorry for hearing that.”

Leona couldn’t look her in the face. For so long she raised to help them, the most unfortunate side of the capital, but time and time again her efforts wouldn’t show any results, instead only making her feel a false sense of achievement when she saw an occasional demi-human working on establishments in the capital. Deep down, she knew it wasn’t making a huge difference, but she tried regardless, time and time again with more determination, she wanted to show everyone that a mere place of birth didn’t make a human different than any other demon out there. Leona couldn’t allow the meaningless vengeance of one man to bring down an entire country with him, otherwise her mother’s death would have been for nothing.

“I can imagine how a life like that would be.”

Laslow suddenly spoke, though his tone seemed unchanged. He closed his tome and after letting out a long exasperated sigh he turned to Selene. Jonathan, who had remained quiet all that time, already put his bowl down as if he knew something was going to happen.

“But if you don’t even try to fight for what is yours by right, then you should have no right to live.”

“Laslow! What the hell are you-”

The wizard raised his hand to stop the thief from interfering and still kept talking to the sobbing girl.

“If you knew how to fight, your father wouldn’t have been wounded would he?”

“I- I don’t know-”

“I despise people that take everything for granted, they wait for salvation to come with their blood soaked bodies only to be met with an axe to the neck.”

His words were harsh, if anything they’d cut deeper than any sword, but Laslow could simply sigh and stare at the wooden floor with his head hanging low as he continued speaking with a melancholic tone in his voice.

“My sister was the only family I had left and she died because I couldn’t do anything.”

“Then what are you telling me to do?! I just want to live peacefully with my father!”

Selene yelled out in a burst of anger as she slammed the wooden bowl on the floor.

“Princess Leona is fighting to save her father who is still out there somewhere in the capital. The only one who can shape your fate is yourself, that much is given.”

The girl hit her closed right fist against the wooden floor in frustration as tears started to form on the edge of her eyes.

“I… I just wanted us to live a happy life together. After we left the citadel to come here, it has only been hardships without end. I helped my father everyday in the forge so we could afford to eat… is it much to ask to have our lives back as they were?”

Leona slowly closed her eyes in thought, the citadel she referred to was the dwarven city to the east of Arcadia, she knew it was occasionally sieged by death angels but for a family to come all that way to the west was also troubling.

“I’m sorry. My friend here didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

Jonathan gave the wizard a serious scowl as he continued to comfort the girl.

“We ourselves are headed there as he explained to hopefully put an end to this. Do you have any information about the royal knights or what happened to them? I don’t think they would just blindly accept a noble naming himself lord of the kingdom.”

“They- they were gone from the city, when lord Alexander announced his lordship there were only mercenaries protecting him.”

“That’s not good… if they have total control of the capital it’ll be difficult for us to do anything.”

“Unless, we hit hard and fast.”

Laslow interrupted, his arms were folded inside the cloak he wore and his eyes were shut as he explained.

“Even if he has the capital under his control, he doesn’t know who most of us are. Especially you or Laura so we could gather intel before moving out with a plan, since the main objective is to save her father it shouldn’t be too hard to find clues around the Lorraine household.”

“Wouldn’t he know of you?”

Jonathan presented a valid question as they were of the same family at some point, but nevertheless Laslow shook his head.

“He wouldn’t bother remembering who I am, after all I was merely a stepping stone for that bastard.”

Silence reigned as they stopped discussing the plans for the next day, everyone was tired after the day they went through, especially Leona. After witnessing her friend be buried under countless boulders and the priestess’ passing, she was more than just tired.

“I’ll go rest for now, good night.”

The princess slowly stood up and after patting out some of the dust off her dirtied dress she turned towards a stack of boxes somewhat near the sleeping barbarian and climbed on the lower parts of it. Keeping herself off ground level was the smarter move as it can get really cold in the Great Forest.

“Do you need anything else Leona?”

Krieg approached her, his form looming over where she had laid down.

“No this is fine Krieg, thank you.”

He nodded before sitting with his back against the stacked boxes that she was sleeping on. He turned his head up, even though he couldn’t see her, he wished her a good night.

“Good night to you too, Krieg.”

She rolled on her left side, turning her back against the campfire, however she could hardly shut her eyes as her mind started pondering through what happened on that exhausting day. Before when she was a tactician confined inside the safety of the Crossford mansion, she thought of soldiers as pieces from a game of chess, now as lives of people close to her were at hand, making decisions was that much more difficult, one slip or miscalculation could cost a life. What more was the sole reason they were there, as a rescue party, she knew it wasn’t necessary to take down Alexander, but at the same time if let to his own devices she could not fathom what horrors the capital would go through in his hands.

‘To be strong by yourself it means that you are a hero, to be stronger together with a kingdom it means that you are a ruler.’

Those were the words of her late mother as she used to teach Leona. If anything a ruler must know how to best use their subject’s skills in order to raise the kingdom to heights never obtainable before. The Princess knew everyone had something to offer, however small that was and that maybe it could make a difference on the grand scale of things.

But at that moment, she couldn’t help but feel lost, many things had gone awry with one wrong step she had taken and the concept of death stayed in the back of her mind all the time after those mistakes.

“I can’t afford to lose anyone anymore, this isn’t a chess game.”

She quietly muttered to herself as she tightened her grasp on the prismatic pendant. Her eyes slowly shut as she told herself many times that sleep was necessary. But as soon as she embraced the cold darkness of her mind, a voice echoed in her consciousness just as if it was waiting for her.

“And so we meet again, Leona Crossford.”

She was once again taken to a world void of light, an abyss of unimaginable proportions with darkness that seemed to be infinite in all directions.

Her form was oddly much more stable than the time she had been there before, extending her hands out only faintly made her fingers disappear in a weak haze of black dust, but once she brought her hand back it would return to normal.

Undulating waves of pulsing crimson energy seemed to take form in the abyss as a silhouette of a mouth, while its teeth were there, she couldn’t see anything as it was pitch black aside from the unsettling moving red lips.

“Don’t you feel miserable? Being so powerless in a world that only the strong have the right to rule?”

“Just, who- no, what are you?”

“I have told you already, I am Lastraeous the true god of this world.”

The mouth grinned in satisfaction.

“You are one of the few individuals that have my blessing to reach beyond the boundaries of this world, yet even I cannot comprehend the things that you do. Humans are truly peculiar things.”

“Blessed?”

“Why yes, your mother was the same. Why do you think she, a demon, would not be capable of using elemental magic? They are intricately connected with the world around them, but she was one of a kind, much smarter than her misbegotten brethren. But that intelligence would be wasted if she was to be a spell caster.”

Leona clenched her teeth in anger.

“So you cursed her?”

“Curse is the wrong word Princess. I just gave her another potential to further develop your world.”

It crackled in amusement with its laughter echoing in the infinite darkness.

“Humans and demons have one thing in common, they wage war for the slightest of provocations, though that makes them ever more entertaining to watch.”

Leona couldn’t help but tighten both of her hands into fists. Even if that was truly a god, making light of the whole world’s situation as if it was all just a game made her feel furious.

“Oh but apologies, you and a handful of others are the only ones worthy of my attention. Though I must say, your choices are the most intriguing of them all. Do you really expect your father to be alive after all this time?”

“He- he IS alive. I’m sure of it.”

“I wonder what hope you’re clinging upon.”

Suddenly, the abyss vanished on a blinding warm day. Leona winced as her eyes were assaulted by dim sunlight, the environment around her changed to a very familiar forest amidst the light rain. In front of her there was a large wooden building albeit ripped apart by spells and cannon balls a few days back.

“Wait this is…”

She was standing right outside the mansion, though she couldn’t understand how. Looking down, she noticed her body became lighter as she wore nothing but the black haze that took the shape of a swaying dress with the rest of her limbs had taken on a ghostly appearance as it was now possible to see through them. She looked around her for the moving mouth but didn’t see it anywhere.

Upon looking behind her, she noticed a band of three men armed with longswords while wearing similar brigandine armor and closed steel helmets, at first she reached for where the shortsword would be on her hip but there was nothing there.

‘Dammit!’

She prepared to cast a spell but the mercenaries didn’t react but instead kept walking straight towards her, after stepping to the side while watching them walk past seemingly not noticing her presence. Suddenly, a floating darkened eyeball with red iris flew by her, taking perch on a nearby tree.

“What is happening here?”

Her puzzled expression as she asked made it chuckle.

“This is your projected consciousness, let’s say this is a favor for entertaining me thus far.”

It explained through its echoing voice inside Leona’s head. It flew gingerly behind the mercenaries who were on their way inside through a ripped hole in the wall before turning around to face her.

“Come follow me.”

Hesitantly, Leona walked behind the unusual guide. The interior wooden walls were soaked in blood, marks on the carpet of gashes of blades were around everywhere, some parts of the halls the princess used to run through were splintered open most likely from a missed axe strike, though there were no corpses inside, the whole place smelled of iron.

She kept following the flying eyeball though it was as if there was something stuck in her throat the whole time as she couldn’t help herself but feel on the edge. Each step she took closer to the council room made her heart race even though she was but a ghostly form of herself.

From the depths of her soul she wished her father was safe and this was no more than just the construction of her imagination. A nightmare.

“Lord Alexander, we are here to report.”

The mercenary in the middle of the group stopped by the doorway where there used to be a double door of carved wood. Although she couldn’t see what was inside, she did notice one of the mercenaries flinch right after they stopped.

“Out with it.”

A strident voice came from inside, apparently the man was rudely interrupted in whatever he was working on as footsteps grew closer to the doorway. Eventually it stopped as the leader mercenary took one step back as he cleared his throat.

“Our patrols didn’t spot Princess Leona today either.”

“Hmmm, good work. Now if you please leave me alone, I have things to do.”

“Y-yes my lord.”

The armored man rushily bowed before heading off along the hallway with the other mercenaries in tow, Leona grasped for her pendant but it was not there so instead she held her hands on her chest as she slowly built up the courage to peek around the doorway.

Horror struck her very soul the moment she gazed upon inside the chamber and while she didn’t have the means to throw up, she automatically reached for her mouth as if something was going to come out. It was one big amalgamation of corpses of both mercenaries and mansion dwellers that almost reached the ceiling, it swayed back and forth in the middle of the carpet, random hands with broken weapons scratched the wooden surface from time to time as a young dark haired man was standing with arms behind his back seemingly observing the nightmarish creature while mumbling to himself.

“Hmmm… perhaps more corpses with intact brains are necessary.”

Alexander wore a fine woven cotton white buttoned shirt with both sleeves rolled back up to his elbows, the black trousers were a tight fit along with the studded dark leather boots.

His left dark hazel and right golden eyes were staring intently at the amalgamation of bodies, though lacking definite form, it only could shift as much mass around, seemingly being a slow creature. He passed his fingers through the dark brown hair eventually brushing it back due to the excess grease and with a long sigh he muttered.

“This is no good, again.”

He was displeased with the result and thus turned around with a snap of his fingers and the monster simply dissolved into a putrid smelling gelatinous puddle that stained the ruined red carpet.

Leona couldn’t breathe, not that she needed to in that state but she found herself instinctively holding her breath upon seeing the abomination created through foul magic. She took a few steps back but her legs locked in the moment she heard the young man speak.

“Listen lord- or rather, sir Jean, do you not have any better demi-humans for this?”

‘Father…?’

She couldn’t see past the man walking back and forth patiently, before he eventually stopped and leaned in forward to the chair in front of him. Slumped against the chair, Leona’s father had a number of knives stabbed in his stomach and thighs, though he was bound to the seat by the wrists and shins he didn’t seem to budge even after what the young man said, seemingly unconscious from the wounds.

“Ah… this is no good. He passed out again. Ladies.”

Alexander clapped his hands twice before turning around towards the doorway.

“Heal him so I can continue the interrogation.”

Leona’s eyes went wide with anger, the usual calm and collected though insecure girl was now burning with pain and the dress made of black haze started to sway on the edges like a roaring fire. She kneeled on the ground while clutching her own arms while screaming from shock, she couldn’t stand up; it was as if part of her was ripped and torn apart.

“Father… I can’t-”

“Very well this is enough.”

Lastraeus’ eye brightened with red energy and the projection faded, returning both of them into the darkness of the abyss, devoid of will, Leona was still curled up along the ground trembling. Her mind couldn’t comprehend such a level of cruelty, it was inhumane, it was even beyond what a demon would be capable of. She felt guilty for leaving her father there, while she was out of harm’s way, Jean endured hellish torture over and over again, she couldn’t fathom for how long but seeing her parent almost on death’s door was enough to drive her to the point of crying.

“Leona Crossford, I will once again introduce myself. I am Lastraeus the true god of this world, become my champion and I shall bestow great powers upon you.”

She slammed her right hand down and it seemed to hit a dark substance that couldn’t be described as solid nor liquid, she kept hitting against it while still clutching her arm with the left hand, she wish she could scream her lungs out, she wish it was just a nightmare that she would wake up on her bed inside the mansion just like another day.

But upon looking up, she saw a giant eyeball staring at her very soul. It was a tempting offer, to become powerful, but power does not come without consequence, she couldn’t stand, but even while kneeling she gazed back at the singular red iris as she asked.

“Why… why have you shown me these things…?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I want you to become my champion, embrace my power and destroy those who oppose me.”

The eye started to dissipate into the darkness, but its voice echoed in her mind before she was totally left in the abyss.

“When you become victorious, this world may finally know the true reason why it exists.”

Leona woke up with a jolt as her body bumped against the boxes she was sleeping on. She was damp with sweat dripping from her brow down to her face, she used part of her cloak to dry the liquid while breathing deeply and steadily.

‘Why am I feeling this nervous?’

She thought to herself as she sat on the wooden floor with her back against the boxes. Upon looking at her hand as she lowered the cloak, she noticed a strange symbol of an eye drawn along the palm of her hand. Her eyes blinked once, twice, three times, but it was still there. She tried to rub it off with her cloak but it didn’t seem to be an ink of sorts.

“Leona?”

She heard a familiar voice coming from the entrance of the warehouse and as she turned to look, she saw Krieg standing between the boxes in the hall holding his greatsword from the strap on his left shoulder.

“Oh, good morning Krieg.”

She greeted him by waving her left hand and hid the other without thinking, the knight however didn’t seem to notice her behaviour and instead slowly approached her before taking a seat beside the princess.

“Good morning. I was wondering if it is truly a good idea for us to go directly to the mansion.”

“This is rare for you. Discussing strategies I mean.”

“Does this displease you?”

“Absolutely not.”

She vehemently denied as she held his right hand between hers with expectancy as she continued.

“I always wanted to discuss strategies with someone else, but father used to be too busy.”

She stopped for a few seconds as words left her mouth.

‘Used to?’

Her thoughts were messy, it was as if she knew of something but couldn’t exactly put her finger on what was. Thankfully Krieg’s voice made her come back to the conversation at hand.

“I’m just concerned with your well-being.”

He gently lowered her hands while continuing to explain.

“After all, it could be a trap to lure us there. Laslow kept me company in the last night’s watch and so we discussed possible locations that lord Jean could be.”

“I see… I’d rather not imagine that anything happened to my father.”

“Neither myself, but we came upon three possible locations; the mansion itself, the Lorraine household or the palace- hmm?”

He held her hands with both palms facing him. Leona felt a chill go down her spine and instinctively recoiled her hands. Noticing how rude it was of him he bowed to her.

“Oh I’m sorry Leona. I didn’t mean to-”

“Ah, no, don’t apologize. It just startled me, that's all.”

She once again put her hands on his as she asked.

“Is there something wrong with my hands?”

He ran his thumbs across both palms gently, a few bumps started to form around palms on the opposite side of the knuckles. Only after he touched them, she felt the roughness of her own skin. He looked somewhat sad at her before he turned again to her hands.

“I’m sorry. It’s because of me that you have these calluses.”

“Ah these? I always wondered why my mother and father used to have these but not me.”

She couldn’t help but smile. Although much different to her usual smile, there was a hint of melancholy as she closed and opened her hands.

“At least now I have something to remind me of them.”

Krieg squeezed her hands gently as his crimson eyes met hers. His gaze seemed ever more determined than before.

“I promise you, we’ll save lord Jean and we’ll finally put an end to this.”

“You’re too kind Krieg.”

She chuckled.

“Hey keep it down will you?”

A haughty voice came from over one of the boxes on the top of the stack as both of them turned to the source of the sound, they noticed a leg dangling from the very top. It was Phoebe who seemed to have a rough night’s sleep.

“I’m sorry Phoebe.”

Leona spoke and the moment she did she heard someone shout behind her.

“Catch!”

Jonathan threw an object which flew right against the elf, whatever hit her was big enough to make her stumble and fall from the boxes, causing the stack of wooden crates to collapse into a big crash.

“Ah curses! Bloody seven hells and above!”

Phoebe's muffled curses came from underneath as she tried to stand up from the avalanche of containers, thankfully Krieg was kind enough to lift most of the boxes so she could at least get out from beneath.

“Gah! Thank you Krieg.”

She turned to the thief with a stinky eye. Silently saying by moving her mouth ‘I’ll end you’ as she patted the dust off her clothing. Jonathan greeted her by raising a metal mug he used to carry around with him, there was a gentle stream of vapor coming from inside it.

“Good morning to you too.”

“Nnngh… what the hell did you throw at me?”

She reached for the strange dark object lying underneath a box. The moment she pulled it out she felt a dizzying odor, as the studded leather boot was half open on her hand.

“Ah dammit John what the hell?!”

She tossed it back at him but he simply dodged out of the way. He picked another metal metallic mug and poured half of his beverage to her as a means of apology.

“Sorry, sorry, we can’t have you in a bad mood now can we?”

The elf took the mug out of his hand with a pout before sitting down near the campfire he was tending.

Leona laughed at the two, it had been forever since she had laughed so genuinely it made Krieg happy. Though that happiness would soon come to an end in the upcoming days.