Kayrus, an ancient race that has lived for centuries. They are those who carry the knowledge of mana and its existence. They are those who understand it well, and with it, they have no known equal besides those who shift the natural boundaries of life and death.

The only distinction between them and a normal human being are their pointed ears and golden hair, descendants of those from the heavens above. In the race, there are those who are given a special ceremony to be the link between them and their ancestors. They are the oracles, those who are imbued with a special kind of mana coursing through their veins. They are born bearing that path and grow to become the leaders of their respective territories.

"So you know a bit about us, don't you?" said Carima as she stirred the pan containing meat and other ingredients over a hearth.

"Not enough, apparently. I only pieced together what I know from the places I've been through. There wasn't anything specific about them, only fragments. I never thought I'd be meeting one in person though. I was told that they kept to themselves and were hostile against trespassers."

"Well, those are true. But we are not hostile without reason. We see and feel a person's intentions naturally. Whether they pose any threat to us or not is visible through our sights. That's just usually obvious at times. If they do not pose a threat, then we ask them to leave without harm, but if they do, then we try to... persuade them and show that our place is not for those who are impure."

"I see. Then what about this other thing I heard about Kayrusians not being allowed to leave the place they lived in?"

"So you've heard of that as well. Nothing but more rumors. We're not bound to the wilderness. We can choose whether we want to leave or not. I assume that those rumors came to be just because we would not be seen away from them. But truth be told, some would rather not leave their homes. You see, humans aren't the most friendly sort."

"I can't deny that, but, what were you doing in Licel, the town? Seeing as there's something terrible happening to your home, I don't think it's all about wandering and helping anyone you see, isn't it?"

"You catch on quite well." She paused and moved on to cutting vegetables as the pot simmered with the scent of stewed meat. "I was thinking that there could be someone that can help us remedy the problem, even if just significantly. I couldn't go far, but I had to give it a try. But unfortunately, I was rather disappointed with what I saw. The town is filled with disdain and imbalance that I was just about to leave. Then I caught a glimpse of you two and thought that you might be the ones to help us."

"Thanks, I guess. But let's talk about what's been bothering me for a while now. How did a demon exactly come to life in the Grove."

She poured all the vegetables she sliced onto the pot and sat down, looking me sternly in the eye with her hands clasped together. "Let's start from where I think it all began. I was there, you see. It wasn't that large of a community, but I assume many others saw it. A mysterious person who introduced himself as a Kayrus brought an artifact to the Grove one day asking that it'd be kept here and purified by the orders of the other protectors and keepers. Lord Calicel was skeptical about it but agreed, even going as far as to welcome the stranger into the Grove. What was strange was that, no matter how hard I tried to look into the person's intentions to discern the truth, I couldn't see anything. There was absolutely no trace of intention from him, which was thought to be impossible since everyone had a certain intention. Certainly, our Lord knew about it, but no one knew what was on his mind at the time."

"How long ago was this?"

"It must be a week or so on your calendar. It happened even before we could realize it. The happenstance was also a large coincidence. At a week's time, we were to have the ritual of the Oracle, a rite where we place the responsibilities of the sacred to the chosen. It was someone I knew quite well... I don't know if she's safe or not, but I know that Lord Calicel protected her from the outburst."

"Why do you think the ceremony has anything to do with it?"

"The ritual is an event where all the natural energies in the Grove gather so that they can live in harmony inside the Oracle. The Oracle, in turn, will be like the Grove itself, an embodiment of it. The artifact that the mysterious Kayrus left us was stored in Lord Calicel's chambers in the very middle of the Grove under a sacred tree, but that's where it all started. The ceremony finished, then at that very moment, the Oracle grew weak, and the sacred tree pulsated and imploded from the inside. Before anyone realized, the events we have already told you happened. Lord Calicel evacuated those who could and sealed the Demon before it could do any harm to us. And it's as you have heard."

"And now that all that's happened, this Lord Calicel failed in sealing the demon, and now the demon is eating up every bit of energy it can get."

"As far as we know, yes."

"And Carce? Where does he fit into all of this?"

"He is one of the captains safeguarding the Grove. He was prepared for anything wrong that could happen to the ritual. They thought he was skeptical since there was nothing that could possibly happen, but they were the ones who were unprepared. Carce immediately ordered his people to act and get as many people out, but they were made to leave themselves before they could get devoured by the miasma."

"So what happens next is that you, Carce, and all the remaining Kayrusians that managed to escape are planning to do something about the Demon, or return the Grove back to its former state."

"Yes, that's the plan."

"How is that supposed to happen? We've never dealt with anything like this before, but I think the Kayrusians have something up their sleeves to handle this. You all seem so confident that it'll all be right in the end since you're not making a big deal about it... or is it all just because of some pride and negligence of blame?"

"You can interpret it to be as horrible as that, but we do have a means to an end. Carce himself will be the one doing the explanations since he knows more about it than I do."

With strange timing, Parkus entered the room and started yawning. "Is the food ready yet?" he asked with a slurred tone. He sat on one of the chairs and started looking up at the ceiling.

"Calmed down yet?" I asked.

"Yeah... I have. It's just taking a while for everything to set in. It's happening for the third time, I just can hardly take it in without thinking that I'm being toyed with. I feel like the main character of some fantasy book."

"That's quite eerie," said Carima. "You might not even know it, but you might be. There are forces out there that are rather mysterious that it's beyond normal understanding," she laughed, standing to take care of the food.

Parkus slumped on the table in defeat once more.

"I'll just get some fresh air, Carima." I stood up and headed for the door where I was greeted by a faint wind. I needed a bit of time to think this through as well. Though I'm not like Parkus who was riled up and panicking about it passionately, I was concerned at how it'll turn out. Would everything I've learned so far be enough for something like this? Testing that question against a wall each time leads to more and more chances of me not getting an answer, but part of me wants to test my luck just a bit further.

Night had taken over. The stars above the clear sky painted itself on a canvas. The village of Arum was quiet after the initial buzz we made over our arrival. The ones who were Kayrusians were cautious of us save for the local residents of Arum, but after Carima had explained, things seemed to calm down.

The houses had lights coming from the blinds of the windows, and soldiers carrying torches made their rounds by the houses and the walls. There was no sound to disturb the silence and so I wandered the village to see the extent of it.

There were various facilities like a small forge, small shops, and then one peculiar house in the very end of the village. Decorated with banners and a small garden by its front, It had ample space separating it from the rest of the other houses and carried with it a peculiar air that was suffocating and immense. I felt my heart throb and echo at the sight of the house as a transparent force began appearing from it.

I saw a figure of what seemed to be a child that glowed brightly. He played in front of the porch of the house with a smile on his face, flailing his legs playfully staring at the sky until he looked at me. Then the smile disappeared and my heart sank.

I took a step back and tried to turn around until I lost control of my entire body and started feeling weak. My voice vanished as well, but air still passed through normally. I looked around me and found nothing but darkness as if I had been separated from the rest of the world. My eyes were forcefully taken back to the sight of the house where the child was. My sight was beginning to blur and my eyes were losing their ability to see. A ringing pitch resounded in my ears and hounded me into submission.

I was brought to my knees. my hands and arms were the only forms of support I had left that prevented me from being crushed to the ground. I thought I was strong, but there was a force that I couldn't see which was making light work of me. Against it, I was completely powerless.

"You there, how can you see me? As far as I knew, I didn't give anyone permission to set eyes on me. But you, explain, now..."

His words reverberated throughout my entire body like an earthquake. My ears felt like a high pitch of noise was being burst into it mercilessly, enough to make me lose my mind, but for some reason, I retained consciousness by a hair's breadth. The ordeal was made to make me feel the pain but nothing more beyond it.

"This is what I don't like about inferior creations. Answer me, now. Or I let go of the only thing separating pain and endurance from you. You'll die the instant I return things to normal again. You won't even feel the pain of death. You will simply die swiftly without anyone finding out how. Last chance. I'm pretty impatient, and you're wasting my eternity."

I mustered the strength to speak but surprisingly the words came out, unbarred.

"Argh! I don't know! Who are you, no, what are you?!" I shouted, struggling to regain any sort of energy to move my body.

"Didn't even answer my question... I knew you were stupid. One question at a time, I'm getting annoyed. And don't even struggle, it's a waste. You can wriggle like a worm forever if you want, but you're not getting away without me saying so."

His eyes were as bright as the moon's that shone up above. Though a child was in front of me, there was something much more behind the disguise. For the first time in a long while, I feared death. I feared what was in front of me for I couldn't understand it.

"Ahahaha! Look at your pathetic face! You look so terrified," he laughed hysterically. "The face you pawns always make when death's staring you in the eye never ceases to entertain me. I guess that's one of the only good reasons to keep you. It's the first time since eternity since someone last saw me, so I thought about playing a little joke on you. Pretty cool, isn't it?"

"..."

"Sigh, what's that pathetic look for? You're no fun. You wouldn't understand what I find amusing, lowly cretin. It's more than you can fathom. But you're pretty stubborn, aren't you? I wanted you to keep yelling and writhing on the ground but you just took it like a pile of dirt. I hate people like you. Wannabe heroes are irritating, it makes me want to erase them all at once," he vented, stomping the ground lightly, cracking it enough to affect the houses around it.

"Wait, what are you doing? You're going to harm other people!"

"You don't think I know that? Sigh, people that don't think before they say anything are also irritating. I separated this place from reality so it won't be affected by anything I do. If it was connected to the real world, then this little village would have been destroyed along with the entire filth you humans call a country." Another sigh escaped him as he snapped his finger, returning the energy to my body instantly.

Groggily, I stood up and got to take a better look at the kid. He wore clothing that looked like it was meant for someone wealthy: pants and a shirt with suspenders attached. For his small frame, it fit him rather well. His hair was neatly combed back and didn't match the attitude he had.

"Oh, and don't try running away or asking for help," he continued. "I don't like petty beings, so just stay there or you'll implode into a thousand pieces." He trotted back to the front porch of the house, laying his back on it, swinging one leg on the side. "I am curious about you, however. You don't seem like anyone special. You're normal as everyone else, yet you're special."

"Special how?"

"You can see me."

"And that's special because?"

"You're not supposed to."

"Wait, so are you a vengeful ghost or something?"

"Pfft, hahaha! You're amusing, you know that? You're so oblivious and stupid that it's hurting my stomach, hahaha, make it stop, make it stop! I'll keep laughing for all eternity at this rate!" he calmed down after a few seconds, wiping away a tear from his eye and settling back down on the porch. "Yeah, sure I'm a ghost. I'm haunting this house," he smiled mischievously.

"Then what else do you want from me? How can you even do the things you did to me?" I asked, coming up to him, stretching my aching body. He glanced at me as if I had said something distasteful, so I braced my body for another ordeal of what I already experienced earlier, covering my front with my arms and getting ready for what's to come. But it never did. He simply turned away with a childish pout.

"... No, nothing, you're boring. I don't want to play with you anymore..." he turned and seemed to be in deep thought. "Oh, I know! Give me your hand. I'll see what father has planned out for you."

"Father... who are you talking about?"

"Nevermind that, just give me your hand already! Jeez, always making me repeat myself, it's pathetic. You have two ears for crying out loud," he muttered impatiently.

I stretched out my hand to calm the impatience behind his words. I didn't know what to expect, but at this point, what else is there? Being cautious wouldn't help me anymore, so I didn't overthink and just followed through.

After touching my hands for what seemed to be a split second after closing his eyes, he opened them and furrowed his brows. He closed his eyes again and did the same process, opening his eyes to a smile from cheek to cheek, as if something amusing had come to mind.

"Heh, you're interesting... I didn't know you were worth that much, but I guess you got the short end of the stick, didn't you? But looking at you, I don't think you're up for it. I think you'll die soon enough."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing that'll make sense to you. It'll get annoying if I tell you anything, then you'll make me repeat myself, and that's boring. What irritates me the most are the persistent ones. Now get lost, you're ruining the peace of this... ghost's abode. Don't make me haunt you, it's not the best of experiences, I'll tell you that much. A ghost has a lot more scary powers than you think, hehe."

He placed a hand on my chest and that alone made my entire body ebb backward. I was pushed far away from the house when the force behind his hands felt like a mere shove. Before I knew it, I was sitting on the ground looking at the house from a distance. And oddly enough, it had no sign of the playful child anywhere on its front porch.

I stood, but my mind and body didn't want to move towards it again, even when I sort of forced the thought out of curiosity. I ran back to Carima's full of questions, entering the peaceful house with Parkus and Carima sharing a meal quietly. They looked at me dumbfoundedly and asked.

"What's wrong, Johann? You look like you've just seen a ghost," said Parkus.

"I think I might just have."

"What are you on about? Here, why don't you sit down with us and have a bite? It might just be your stomach."

I took a seat but still felt uneasy.

"No, I'm sure that it's not it. Hey, Carima, are there ghosts in this village somewhere?"

"Ghosts? Not that I know of. What's wrong? There's something quite off about you. I might just be feeling a bit tired, but you seem surrounded by something quite unusual."

"Unusual? How can you say so, Carima?"

"The eye of us Kayrusians have a certain quality to see a special person's aura and any form of energy surrounding them, remember? I thought for a second that you were lightly veiled in something even I am not certain of, but it's disappeared. But why the sudden question, Johann? Did you really find a ghost in this village?"

"There's only one explanation. Could you come with me? I'll show you where it is. I don't think I can feel at east until this is clarified."

With that, the three of us went out. I led the two to the house where I met the ghost child and explained everything that took place there. I was met with a skeptical look from Parkus, but a curious one from Carima.

"Are you sure that this is the place?" she confirmed.

"I am. But I can't see the... ghost anymore..."

"Are you a kid, Johann? You shouldn't be terrified of ghosts anymore. What is this house anyway, Carima? It looks pretty normal for anything to be living in there as Johann says. But I guess it stands out more than the other houses."

"This is a shrine we erected for the Gods. It serves as a connection, albeit just a one-sided connection for people to give them their faith. There isn't a specific God since it would be quite a taboo to worship one God alone. I do not know whether you carry such beliefs, but the gods prefer being worshipped as one in the same, just to that no one God gains more power than the other, and so that they are always at equilibrium."

"So you're saying that Johann saw a God? Hmm, you know, with all the stuff we've been through, and maybe just him alone, I wouldn't be surprised if that's what pops up next."

"It's not impossible, but the chances are very little to nonexistent. No normal person can be allowed to see a God, let alone converse with them. There haven't been any known records of them being in contact with anyone, as far as the I have known at least. But it's inconceivable."

"Then it must have been a ghost then? If it isn't anything, then it must have been a real kid," continued Parkus.

"... Maybe so. But I said that the chances are close to nonexistent. There's still that fine line of whether it may have been true or a simple mistake. It is said that anyone who manages to get in contact with a God will meet a terrible fate for they will be like a toy for them to play with. It's not anything a normal person would want. If you get dragged into their world, there's no living a normal and simple life. You will be destined for misfortune until the day you die."

"Isn't that a morbid thought."

"It's only a passage I remember in our archives, Parkus. Nothing more than what's been recorded. After all, no one has ever known anyone capable of dealing with the gods other than the oracles and other links, but that's another matter entirely."

"Well, Johann and I are misfortunate enough already to be dealing with the damned Kaiser and all the stuff he manages to put everyone else through. I don't see anything different, so whether it's true or not won't seem to make a difference, Isn't that right, Johann?"

"I guess you're right, in a sense."

"Well, there's no use in overthinking this situation. I'll consult Carce about it, but I think it would be best if we focus on the current situation before anything else."

"Right. Let's get some rest then, Johann."

"I will wake the two of you up early tomorrow to discuss the plan. We move right after, so please prepare yourselves."

Parkus and I retired for the night, leaving whatever worries left in my mind for tomorrow. But I knew that it was something that would affect me sooner or later. Something always has, and it's never a pleasant thing. I've dealt with them before, those kinds of scenarios. But I can never seem to get used to them. The scope of things that happen to me and those around me, I feel as if they aren't by coincidence alone.

"So you're telling me that one of your guests saw a God near the shrine?" confirmed Carce with a clear skeptical look on his face. It might not even be of amusement, but it seemed like he entertained the thought just for a change of pace. The workload he carried and the responsibility of overseeing the operation's success was putting a clear strain on him.

"I can only assume. The proof is what I saw with my own eyes for a split second. It was the essence of something that isn't supposed to be here, nor is it familiar to me. And if there were spirits around the village, we would know. Our eyes could have seen them, but there was no trace of them."

"And to think that this happened at the shrine. It makes too much sense to ignore, but I just can't give too much attention to it right now. As things are, we're facing a grave crisis. A demon's about to drain the grove dry and use its power to plunge the rest of the world to destruction. That is the true nature of a demon, at least a lesser one."

"We don't necessarily have to worry about it. I simply brought it up since it might pique your interest. He might be someone that can change everything, like what has been alluded by Lord Calicel."

"Lord Calicel rambles about many things. He's often played with the idea of a world-ending phenomenon and many other mysterious happenstances, but none of them have come true. I do not doubt his sanity, only the gravity of his words."

"He is still part of a larger picture. We are of a Race higher than the mortals. If anything, we have a closer connection to the Gods than they do. But for some reason, the Gods seem to favor the unfortunate."

"Unfortunate they are indeed. But we are in the same situation, only we won't be needed any sort of divine intervention. Get some rest. We're departing tomorrow. I hope you're right about your two volunteers. I don't want to lose any more of our people and waste some time on the same day. I don't care if any one of them had been touched by a God or not, but I want every person on board to be of use to our efforts. I don't expect much since they are mere mortals, but we have no other options."

"Alright, I understand. Oh, and don't stay up too long thinking about this. It'll only affect you more. Don't worry, everything will return to normal soon enough. We just have to follow through what you've laid out. Have faith in yourself, and in her."

Carima left Carce's study and abode, walking through the village at night thinking and musing by herself.

"Just mere mortals, are they?" she shrugged. "Truth be told I might be more skeptical than Carce about the entire thing, but there's something about him that I can't shrug off easily. Well, if anything, I only need to keep living and avoid death to find that out. If he dies normally or by battle without making any sort of miracle, then there's nothing about him after all. Our lifespans can last that much and beyond, so I will see if anything were to happen... Sigh, listen to me talking to myself. I must be going insane."