...A plague upon this world...

“Hm?” Luna hummed and turned around, scanning the trees behind her.

Stella stopped a few paces in front of her, “Is something the matter?”

Luna shook her head without facing forward again. “Just thought I heard something is all.”

Stella walked up onto Luna's left side. “Could it be Idel and Nao finally catching up? We've been going relatively slow so that they could after all.”

“I doubt it- oh, maybe it was.” She started to reply but cut herself off as a man in a tan, wool coat - which fell down almost to his knees - stepped into view. At his side was the blonde fairy, hovering to match his height and avoid roots growing onto the path.

“How delightful.” Idel clapped. “I didn't think you'd actually wait for us in any regard.”

Stella dropped one eyebrow and canted her head slightly. “I didn't fancy coming out here later looking for you when you inevitably got lost.”

“How rude! I'm not that hopeless when it comes to navigating through the woods.”

“Oh? Then please tell me, in what cardinal direction are we currently heading?”

“Simple. We're-” He looked up into the sky and paused as he noticed that he couldn't see through the foliage above them. He turned to his wife, “Could you be a dear and fly above the trees for a moment? When you come back down, I'll need to know which direction the sun is in.”

“That's cheating.” Stella sighed.

“Preposterous. There is no such thing as cheating in a survival scenario.”

“You should've known which direction you were going before you started walking.”

“It didn't seem necessary. You appeared to know the route instinctively so we followed.”

Nao suddenly waved both of her arms through the air. “May I remind everyone that a storm is currently on its way?”

“I suppose mocking Idel can wait.” Stella shrugged her shoulders and carried on along the path with her arms crossed. Luna matched her speed and tagged along at her side, while Idel and Nao followed from a couple of paces behind them.

...Father is dead because of you...

Luna felt a chill go down her spine and her eye pulsed. She brushed the strands of hair in front if it away and placed one finger just below it, quickly looking around her again as subtly as possible. The three around her made no changes to their expressions so she assumed none of them had said anything. She turned her attention to the woods, listening for any kind of movement but heard nothing.

“So, Idel,” Stella began to say, “Shaffra said her and Styx were in the underworld all this time which is why they didn't contact us. What have you been up to?”

“Mostly maintaining the barrier around Síocháin. It was tricky, constructing not only a cloaking spell but a displacement wall and ceiling that contained a country-sized forest. It was only in the last twenty years or so that we discovered an alternative way of supplying it with mana so that I could comfortably step outside.” He replied. Luna continued trying to hone in on the source of the whispers as they conversed.

“Wasn't the original plan for Cain to set the foundation for the new world, while you and Styx ushered it in?” Stella pressed on.

Idel winced at the sharp tone in her voice. “Some complications came up and the plan fell apart. I wouldn't have moved Síocháin otherwise.”

“What kind of-” Stella stopped herself as Luna fully cupped one hand over her eye. “You alright?” She inquired and reached for her shoulder.

Luna exhaled sharply, trying desperately to ignore the flashing pain as the Ríastrad pulsed randomly and rapidly. She halted in place while everyone gathered around her. She shut her eyes tight then-

“Big brother?”

She opened them again to find the scenery around her had changed entirely. The grey, gravel path below her feet had turned brown and unkempt with patches of dark green grass growing out of it. The moderate-sized trees were now towering above her, at least twice as thick around if not more. No longer could she smell the stale stench of gasoline in the air, but the soothing scent of pine needles and spruce wood. The ambient noise consisting of tires squealing, horns honking, people cursing and doors slamming was replaced by crackling fires, laughter, lighthearted gossip, birds chirping or singing in song and the clang of metal on metal.

Someone tugged on her wrist and she heard the words again, “Big brother?”

She gazed down at the little girl who had been calling out to her. “Who-?” Luna started to say and brought her other hand to her throat. That wasn't my voice. She thought to herself. It sounded much too deep, coarse, and... masculine. She held her right hand out in front of her, noting that it was much bigger and much more muscular than the arm she had only a minute ago. It was also coated in runes similar to what would appear in her iris though the raw shapes were undoubtedly different. Her left arm was concealed by a black cloak and clad in armour as black as midnight.

“Big brother, you're acting funny.” The little girl spoke once more. Luna inspected the child closely in an attempt to pull as much information out of the situation as she could. She had relatively long, brown hair that fell just below her shoulder blades and glossy blue eyes. She wore a sleeveless, brown tunic and pants to match though Luna couldn't tell what material they were made out of. It was something leathery but also somewhat fuzzy, kind of like someone put a thin layer of cotton on top of animal hide. What really drew Luna's attention though was the pair of brown rabbit ears standing tall yet relaxed on top of her head. They drooped down as her expression softened and she leaned in closer. “Did you push yourself too hard again?”

Luna tossed common sense aside and tried her best to normalize her demeanour, though still held her eye as a precautionary. “I'm... your big brother?” She asked, flinching as she heard the alien voice that she commanded.

The little girl's ears stiffened and stood erect, her mouth opened wide and she took a quick step back before pouting, “You can be so mean sometimes.” She then crossed her arms and looked away. Like Luna's right arm, the little bunny girl had runes starting from the back of her hand and travelling all the way up to her left shoulder.

“It's not like you to make jokes of that nature to Cosain.” A soothing voice observed. Even though it was the first time she'd ever heard it, Luna couldn't help but feel like it was familiar to her. So familiar that she was abashed upon hearing it and would have whipped around in shock had the speaker not pressed her own face quickly into Luna's. As suddenly as the woman had appeared before her, she jumped back an arm's length and stood on the flat of one foot and the heel of the other. She held one hand in the other behind her back, bowing forward ever so slightly. Her snow-white hair blew in the wind and she brushed it back behind her ear, giving a clear view of her ruby red eyes as they glistened seductively. “If something is bothering you, we can take a dip in the hot spring. Nothing better than a warm soak after rigorous training after all, right, Cain?”

Luna's jaw dropped and she quickly snapped it close before realizing that she was wearing a black face mask. Silently thanking nothing in particular for her face being covered she attempted to keep a calm mind but couldn't maintain a handle on her thoughts. She looked over herself once more, reaffirming that she was indeed in a man's body, but her father's? Another realization quickly hit her, only adding to her confusion, and she thought to herself, Mom?

Lilly's lips parted a hair and runes started to circle in her irises. “Mom?” She echoed quietly. Luna blinked hard as everyone else present exchanged glances. Lilly's eyes narrowed and her hand dropped to her side. That soothing voice of hers suddenly sounded out inside Luna's head, Did you forget that our minds are connected?

No- I mean, yes- Er... I don't know.

Lilly suppressed a chuckle by pinching her upper lip. She reached forward and grasped the hand clasped over Luna's eye. Her mouth opened, then, “Can you hear me?” Someone asked and when she blinked, it was Stella instead who was now touching her.

Luna stared at her like a dear caught in headlights and mumbled, “What just happened?”

“That's what we'd like to know. Is something happening with the Ríastrad?”

“I-I don't know. I can't it describe as anything more than a dream but it felt... real. They felt real.”

“They?”

“I, too, would like to know who they are.” Idel declared and stepped forward.

“Pa-... I mean, Cain! I brought you something!” Another voice chirped in Luna's ear and she found herself leaning against a tree, arms crossed, covered head to toe in black armour again. In front of her was a young teen-girl with red hair, dressed in similar attire as her. The girl was presenting Luna with a small orchid that had red and orange petals. When Luna took it from the girl, sparks fell from the stem. The lass grinned from ear to ear, mouth open as wide as could be and she clenched both of her fists in excitement.

“Oh, is that a tine that you've found?” Lilly asked and grabbed the redhead's shoulders from behind. “Those are rare indeed. Normally we'd have to go scout out the base of a volcano to find one of them.” Lilly turned her attention to Luna. “How long are you going to stand there dumbfounded for? Thank her already.”

Luna stiffened up in surprise and lowered her head slightly. “Thank you very much.”

“Lasair!” Cosain shouted from a distance and the red-head waved. She quickly said her farewells, promising to be back home shortly after nightfall, and ran off to join the bunny girl.

Lilly grabbed Luna's unarmoured hand and squeezed it tightly, then lead her to the edge of a steaming hot spring. Once they were just beside it, she released her grip and snapped her fingers. Even faster than when Luna had done it before, reality shifted. She didn't even have time to start blinking before Lilly's clothes vanished, replaced by a towel, and reappeared neatly folded under a nearby tree. Simultaneously, Luna found herself in the same situation, gazing upon a weathered body that wasn't her own.

Cain was well-toned, muscular and riddled with scars, much darker than Stella's. Unlike Cosain, he had a set of runes travelling up both arms, not just the one. Luna peered into her reflection, noting that an eye patch was covering her left eye as Cain's hair was buzzed down. Only one thought floated on her mind as she studied the image before her; Abaddon?

Her thoughts were interrupted as Lilly yanked her into the water. “Stop spacing out. What is wrong with you today?” She asked though didn't wait for an answer. “They'll get worried if you keep acting strange.”

“They?”

“Cain! Lilly!” Another familiar voice cried out. Luna recoiled as a woman with blonde hair jumped into the water, splashing both of them.

“Your childish innocence never ceases to amaze me.” coughed her obsidian haired companion.

“How'd training go today Stella? Aileen?” Lilly questioned cheerfully.

Stella and Aileen? Luna thought to herself and inspected the two ladies, one already shoulders deep in the water while the other stepped in without drawing attention to herself. Aileen looked more or less the same but Stella had her hair buzzed on one side and combed over onto the other instead of the shoulder-length style Luna was used to.

“Stella managed to hit every target dead centre today, even when she threw all her knives all at once!” Aileen beamed with stars in her eyes and whipped her fists out of the water, splashing everyone again.

“It wasn't that impressive.” Stella stated shyly while holding one arm up to keep water from being splashed into her face. “Lilly could have done that with her eyes closed. What about Cosain and Lasair? Have they improved much?”

Everyone turned to Luna. “What?” she stammered.

“What do you mean 'what'?” Aileen asked and leaned forward. “You've been overseeing their training have you not? You're the only other half-demon here besides Cosain, so you don't really have a choice in the matter. Lilly could give her some pointers in a pinch but advice from you would be much more beneficial. You're also the only fire mage in Síocháin so you are the only one who can teach Lasair.”

“Ah,” Luna turned her gaze to the water briefly then back up again, “Yes, of course. I was just distracted. Should I really be in here at the same time as all of you?”

They all blinked a number of times and exchanged glances. It was Lilly who spoke first, “Why wouldn't you be?”

“Well, I'm male and...” I never thought I'd be saying anything like that.

“You and I have been bathing together for as long as I can remember.” Lilly huffed.

“I didn't think you were even aware we were women. We usually have to try pretty hard to get you to even acknowledge our presence.” Aileen laughed.

Lilly raised a finger in front of her face, “Demons don't really get aroused easily and their emotions are pretty well kept under lock and key.”

Aileen slammed a fist down into her other palm. “So that's why both of you are so hard to embarrass!”

“Even still-” Luna was cutoff by Lilly pressing her finger into Luna's lips.

She smiled warmly and stated, “We're all family.”

“Fam-?” Luna started to say but an agonizing pulse forced her to reel back instead. Lilly swiftly put one hand on Luna's chest and gently guided her down into a kneeling position.

“I don't quite have it set up yet.” Idel grunted while digging through his bag. Luna found herself now sitting on her knees in front of her backdoor. Aileen, dressed in her scrubs, held onto one shoulder while Stella held the other. Nao held her outstretched hands towards Luna and her wings appeared to sparkle as she was lost in deep thought.

“Sooner would be better than later.” Stella urged Idel on and returned her focus back to Luna. “Look at me, sweetheart. What's going on?”

Luna choked on her words, her mouth and throat both unbearably dry all of a sudden. On her second attempt, her voice cracked but she managed to stammer, “I think I just met mom...”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“You're involuntarily looking into your father's memories?” Aileen inquired.

Idel beckoned as he continued pulling an assortment of objects out of his satchel. “I don't think it's that simple. Are the events predetermined or do you dictate what you say?”

Luna swallowed once before answering. “I control what I say.”

“What are you implying?” Stella asked the mage.

“No time to explain.” He declared as he pulled a grey briefcase out of his bag and quickly undid the latches. “We've not a moment to lose.”

As the lid swung open, Luna was yet again in the middle of an unfamiliar scene. Her vision was blurry and everything she heard sounded like it was coming from underwater. Someone pulled at her shoulder, then pushed against both of them, putting her on her back. Who she thought was Lasair popped into her field of view, shouting desperately but no sounds came. The child's head shook back and forth as she screamed and something wet fell on Luna's cheek. She's... crying?

Luna's eyelids became heavy and forced themselves shut. When they opened again, Lasair was standing a short distance away with her back turned. It was hard to make out the specifics of what she was doing, but Luna guessed she was still yelling about something... yelling at someone. That's when Luna saw a flower in the girl's hand, a flower with orange and red petals that released sparks from the stem. It was coated by a flame that extended out a little more than the length of her arm and when it died down, the flower had morphed into a black rapier.

Lasair charged forward, towards a wall of light that shattered like glass when she struck it. Three more appeared behind the original position and the child swung her offhand wildly, creating a blazing vortex. For every wall she destroyed, another took its place but they were getting smaller and thinner. After what must've been twenty shields, the barriers ceased. Lasair panted but pressed forward. Her flames now directed at a terrified looking fairy, standing in front of a collapsed human man. The fairy kept her arms outstretched at either side of her despite the terror in her eyes and refused to move out of the way. Lasair stepped just in front of her, pulled the rapier back and-

“Make sure it fits properly,” Idel instructed as something moved Luna's head back and forth. Something was blocking her view, though she had neither the strength nor the desire to determine what. “It'll need to be calibrated once we get it on so don't relax prematurely.”

“Shut up and help!” Stella barked.

“How are you holding up Nao?” Aileen asked.

Through what sounded like gritted teeth, she replied, “It's taxing, but I can keep it up a little bit longer.”

Luna pressed her teeth together unwillingly. What am I... She thought to herself but with the next pulse, she was unable to even dictate her own thoughts. “I'd have to be a fool...” something forced her to mutter.

The shaking lessened and she heard Stella snap, “What are you doing Idel? Get back to work here!”

“What did she say?” He replied.

“We can discuss it later! Hurry up!”

Luna clenched one fist. “...ignorant of pain, or a weakling searching for one last excuse,...”

“Does anyone else smell something starting to burn?” Aileen questioned nervously.

“Idel!” Stella cried out again.

“...to fall for a fraudulent heaven within this Hell.” The moment the words left her mouth, her back arched upwards and with a blood-curdling scream, Luna cried out in pain.

* * *

“We need to be vigilant.” The man accompanying Ryan and Liz ordered, already marching across the field of smooth stones.

The two of them were both on their hands and knees, rubbing their necks gingerly. “Man, what a bumpy ride that was.”

“It was nothing.” Liz declared while hiding the tear that was welling up from the throbbing in her throat.

“Don't tell me you two still haven't learned your lesson about listening to me.” The man halted and growled without turning around.

The teenagers shot up onto their feet and gulped in sync. “We're right behind you!” They shouted and chased after him.

As they ran, Ryan commented, “The sky looks like it just keeps getting even redder. The air here feels like it's heavy and vibrating.”

“Precisely why we need to move quickly. Wrath noticed us the moment we stepped into this plane and has probably gone berserk as a result. Here, he or she can use her powers without consequences, possibly even without a limit. Our priorities are as follows: number one is to survive. If it feels like things are becoming too much, we'll leave. Number two, gluttony. If we can get him that would be ideal but I won't sacrifice two wielders just to get one.”

“Wrath, huh? I wonder who it picked.”

“Don't worry about that.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. We have to kill Wrath no matter what or else the world will be reduced to ash. Are they really so powerful though that it'll require all six of the other sins to beat them?”

“I understand your doubt but believe me, father knows how terrifying the Ríastrad is first hand. If he says we need all six of you, we need all six of you. He won't even let my brothers and I try to take care of it.”

“Despite all that, you're going to use two of us to try and hold them off long enough for you to grab this 'top' candidate for the Ocras?”

“Just so. Ah, but that reminds me,” As they ran, he snapped his fingers and a strange radial pattern appeared on both the back of Ryan's and Liz's left hand. “How many spheres do you see on that seal?”

Ryan held it out in front of him. “Ten.” He exclaimed.

“That means you have ten chances.”

“Chances of what?”

“Living.”

“Living?”

“We're here.” The man stopped abruptly, the other two almost slamming into his back. His body was encompassed by a golden light and when it died down, he was clad in a brass coloured armour. Pristine, golden chains circled his body in several areas, including his chest, his upper arms and his thighs. On each wrist and ankle was a shackle of the same colour but their chains seemed to come off of his body and disappear into smaller lights just behind his limbs.

Ryan rubbed the bridge of his nose with a sigh. “What's here?” He asked and peered around the man only to jump back when he saw a cluster of giant, red wolves with yellow eyes. “There's so many of them. Where's gluttony then?”

“In their stomachs.”

“You're joking right?”

He didn't reply to the question. Rather, he tilted his slightly towards where they had come in from. “Get ready. Wrath will be here at any moment now.”

* * *

“RAAH!” Luna roared as she thrashed her body around violently in the creek, splashing water everywhere and soaking herself to the bone. She buried her face in her hands, screaming as she rolled on her back, crashing down into the ground. As though possessed by something else she began to cry out, “Where are they?” time and time again before throwing herself onto her knees. The water around her began to boil and her left eye and left arm were coated in blistering flames that burned blood red on the outside, but black as coal at the centre.

She removed her right hand from her face and slammed the ground with so much force that all the water around her was pushed away. “Where?” She continued to yell and sporadically scanned the area around her like a desperate wild animal. As she did, the flames coated more and more of her body. After only a couple seconds, her gaze fell downstream. Her claws and teeth sharpened as she smiled and said, “There.”

The red blaze about her grew in intensity then cleared away almost all at once, again leaving only her left arm and left eye covered. The remainder of her body was covered instead by a black armour, almost identical to what her father would wear, save that it was fit to her. A hood with panels of plating covered her ears and an obsidian mask protected her face from the top of the cheekbones down. Once everything had formed, she kicked off the ground into a sprint.

Within seconds, she saw two unknown figures standing in front of the tree line. Both reacted and took defensive positions but neither appeared to have any weapons. Luna closed her left eye and focused in on one of them with her right. She blinked, heard someone shout a warning, and swiped with her right hand as her eye opened again. The man of the two jumped away, narrowly avoiding her claws. “What the hell? How did she get behind me from all the way-”

Before he could finish his thought, Luna was right in front of him, her nose almost touching his chest and she struck him in the chest with a force palm. His body rocketed backward, creating a splash first of water, then dust and dirt as his body dug into the earth like a plane in a crash landing. When he finally came to a stop, he vomited up blood and grabbed his chest. Underneath the skin, his bones felt like they had shattered but rapidly moved around on their own, repairing themselves. He gazed down at the seal on his hand and saw that one of the spheres had disappeared. “I see how it is.” He grunted uncomfortably. “That attack should have killed me, but this seal revived me. Course, now that means I only have nine more revives.”

Ryan stood up and sprinted back to where he had been before. As he did so, Luna turned her attention to the woman who was already starting to sweat. Though it was only for a moment, their staring contest felt like an eternity. Luna dashed forward as nothing more than a blur and her opponent raised her hands in an attempt to block whatever strike was coming. She was dumbfounded when an armour-clad shin caught her in the jaw, not even able to render the fact that Luna had vanished from sight. The impact forced Liz's neck to rotate one-eighty degrees with a sickening snap but even so, the assault didn't lighten up. Luna jabbed her in the stomach, lifting her off the ground, grabbed her arm and flung her upwards, flipping through the air. Luna then jumped and with a flip of her own, kicked Liz back down into the Earth in a tuft of dust.

The cloud cleared slightly and Liz hesitantly got onto her feet, gasping for breath. “Down to seven already?” She whimpered. “I don't think we'll last even another fifteen seconds. Every time she hits us, we use up a seal.”

“Where's that sense of pride you're always harping on about?” Ryan cried out to Liz as he tried to strike Luna from behind. She ducked underneath his punch then grabbed his arm and threw him into the rocks without breaking her own grip. She lifted him up in front of her and kneed his torso, causing him to cough up blood onto her hood. Liz charged in from the rear in an attempt to catch her off guard but Luna hit her in the chest with a bicycle kick, then slammed Ryan into the ground once more. When his body bounced back up, she hit him with a roundhouse back into the water.

Four more spheres disappeared from Ryan's hand while one vanished from Liz's. “Our next attempt could get one of us killed.” Liz spat to herself and wiped blood off her chin. “Much as I hate to say it, I think it's time we bail.”

Luna bolted towards Liz again as she tried to steady herself. A wave of light erupted between them and Luna ceased her assault to back away. “Change of plans,” barked the man in gold, now holding an azure great-sword. “I'll hold her off. You two guard the rookie until his body pieces itself back together again. The exact moment it does, we take off.”

“What about the wolves?” Ryan asked as he and Liz regrouped behind the man.

“I already killed them. You need only protect him from anything else that might show up.”

Luna's eye widened the moment he said “killed” and her flames grew. She clenched her fists, spread her arms out slightly and roared. The teens both stopped to cover their ears in response. “It sounds like a dragon!” Ryan cried.

“I think even a dragon would sound more cuddly than this!” Liz shot back.

The water closest to Luna started to steam and boil, the rocks within a large radius of her glowed red-hot and those at her feet melted down almost instantaneously. The sky darkened and the leaves started falling off the trees all around them.

“Go!” The man shouted again and with his wings out, flew straight at Luna, ignoring the wild heat around her. He slashed at her neck but she caught his wrist with her left hand and jabbed him in the torso with her right. She released her grip and hit him in the diaphragm again her left, lifting him higher in the air then kicked him in the same spot. Unable to counter, the man could do nothing as Luna vanished and he felt her heel hit him in the spine, sending him spiralling into the dirt. She landed at his side and wound up for another strike. He attempted to parry but merely slowed her attack down a small amount. His armour cracked from the colossal blow and he threw his body back to try and prevent further damage. Luna chased after him, not even giving him time to breathe. She planted one hand on the ground, kicked him in the chin then allowed her momentum to spin her back around to sweep his legs out from underneath him. Before he hit the floor, she got back on her feet, put both her hands together, and smashed him downward with such force that the entire field shook. She grabbed him by the throat and threw him into the sky again, though this time she stayed put.

As he was spinning through the air, he heard Ryan and Liz call from below him, “We're good to go!”

Took long enough. He thought to himself bitterly and levelled out as swiftly as possible using his wings. He gasped though as he saw a wall of red and black fire coming straight for him. The two on the ground shouted, supporting a skeleton of a human as best as they could. The man was engulfed by the blazing sea and though it felt like his bones themselves were melting, he took the hilt of his sword in both hands. With one mighty swing, the fire around him separated and dispersed. Before Luna had time to launch another attack at him, he descended down to his allies and drove his blade into the turf. They were encompassed once more by a blinding flash of light.

Luna charged towards them and a yellow barrier appeared in her path as an attempt to slow her down. She dipped her shoulder and broke through it as though it was nothing but a thin layer of glass. Her claws caught ablaze and she swiped at the four of them. The light dissipated and she slashed nothing more than the air where they once stood. “Where?” She growled over and over, each time slamming her hand down into the ground, sending red and black flares all around her.

Luna! A voice snapped in her head and she turned around to see Fenrir approaching her. The intruders are gone. You need not dance to his fiddle any longer. She turned her body to face him, and took a step forward, the temperature around her rising. Seeing that she wasn't capable of listening, Fenrir howled, Release her this instant! Awaken, Luna, before he robs you of your freedom!

“Luna?” Someone called out to her and everything went black. In the darkness, she could hear someone singing. She tried to lift one hand but winced as her entire body ached in protest. She felt the same person who called out to her grab the hand she tried to raise, “I think she's waking up!”

When she finally managed to open her eyes, Aileen was sitting over top of her. Behind her was Stella who had only just finished singing and still had her hands clasped together. Idel was sitting at the dining room table, in front of an assortment of tools Luna didn't recognize. Nao dropped to her knees, panting and sweating profusely though still managed a weak smile. “Thank goodness. I was at my limit.”

Aileen assisted Luna into a sitting position, sending jolt after jolt of pain through her but her mind felt too numb to care. A downpour plastered the window, and aside from the raindrops hitting the roof and the howling wind, everything was quiet. Every soul in the room was watching Luna anxiously. After so long, she simply said, “It hurts.”

“That's no surprise,” Idel stated glumly. “It was only for a moment, but you did accidentally do a full body enhancement.”

“I did... what?”

“A full-body enhancement. Not exactly appropriately titled but that's what we call it when the Ríastrad goes berserk. It has arguably, the direst consequences as well.” As he said that, he pointed at her left hand. She held it up in front of her and saw that her pinkie and ring finger had both turned black. The sleeve of her sweater had also been burned away up to her elbow. “I trust it's been explained to you that your power will eat away at your person?”

Luna nodded and tried to make a fist. The two blackened fingers didn't respond to her command, nor could she feel them at all.

“We managed to get the seal on before it took your arm, but we weren't fast enough to stop all the damage. Sorry.” Stella apologized.

“Seal?” Luna echoed and then realized that part of her vision was still blocked off. She reached up and felt an eye patch over top of her cursed eye.

“It's the same one your father wore to contain his.” Idel explained. “It kept his power in check, even if he lost his temper. Most of the time. You'd have likely reduced yourself to ash had I not brought that with me.”

Aileen and Stella stood on either side of Luna. “We can talk more later,” Aileen exclaimed as they each took a shoulder and lifted her onto her feet. “Both her and Nao need to rest up.”

Nao flopped down onto the nearest sofa ungracefully and waved towards them, eyes closed. “I just need to... to catch my breath.”

“We'll take Luna up to her room.” Stella stated and the three of them made their way to the stairs. They took them one at a time, as carefully as possible to avoid agitating Luna's aches more than necessary.

“This reminds me of when I tried to help you down the stairs, after the beast bane incident.” Luna mumbled, her eyelids getting heavy again already.

“We're going the wrong way for that.” Stella replied meekly.

“Still...” Luna didn't finish her thought.

They finally reached the top and entered Luna's room. They stood by the side of her bed and gently lowered her into it. “Just focus on resting for now. We'll talk about what happened today when you're feeling more up to it, alright?”

Luna nodded slowly. She fell fast asleep the moment her head touched her pillow.

* * *

“Talk about a close call.” Ryan gasped. He didn't even bother searching for cover from the rain. He just let it soak his clothing and skin so that he could cool down.

“She was an absolute monster.” Liz agreed.

The man stared submissively at his sword and rubbed a spider web crack that had appeared along it's edge. “She damaged my blade when I tried to parry her...” He thought aloud, though still too quiet for the others to hear.

“It's a good thing we had those extra chances.” Ryan exclaimed and watched the spheres disappear from the back of his hand.

“All of them are almost completely used up between the three of us.” The man scowled bitterly.

“You were using them too?”

“I loaned you some of mine.” He spat. “Out of two-hundred-fifty, I only have twelve left.”

“I think I misheard you.” Liz raised her hand with a nervous chuckle. “I swear you just said you only have twelve out of two-hundred-fifty left.”

“That's exactly what I said. That cursed flame can kill a humanoid target with nothing more than a spark and I was engulfed in it.”

“What the fuck?” Ryan exhaled sharply. “How the hell are we supposed to fight against that?”

“She can't use that much power outside of that realm, not without crippling herself. It's unlikely she'll resort to fighting as aggressively in the future. That being said, it's imperative that we get to the other candidates before she does.”

“Well,” Ryan scratched the back of his head. “After witnessing that I have to say, my doubts about her ability to level the planet are nonexistent. Who's the sorry chap that got caught by her anyway?” He asked and approached the rookie who was sat on his knees in between all of them. Ryan stopped and his eyes went wide, “Andy?”

The skeleton of a man didn't respond. He stayed kneeling, staring at the dirt and drooling. His eyes were devoid of emotion and made no attempts to move or wipe the water out of his eyes. “You know him?” Liz asked.

“He was in my- our class, from before you showed up. I thought he was in the hospital after-” Ryan cut himself off.

The man gave him a sideways glance. “After what?”

“After he suddenly fell ill.” Ryan lied. “We heard he had caught a really bad flu on top of other things and needed continuous treatment.”

The man stared at him, not bothering to hide his suspicions. After several stressful seconds, the man closed his eyes and turned his back. “That's that then. Liz, take 'Andy' to the nearest facility. It'll take some time for him to rehabilitate and recover from the effects of the curse.”

“Even though it was incomplete?”

“It being incomplete is the only reason he may be able to recover. Had the curse been properly fulfilled, there would have been no pulling him out of that prison. You,” he pointed at Ryan without turning around, “I have questions for you but not the time currently. Go take your nap but you'd best be prepared to answer everything when I give the command. If you think about running away...” He tightened his grip on his hilt.

Ryan gulped and nodded, a bead of sweat dripping down his cheek.

“Good. Get to it.” He barked and vanished with a flap of his wings.

Liz lifted Andy onto her shoulders in a fireman's carry. “Well, I'm off.” She announced and marched towards the main road, leaving Ryan alone in the rain, lost in thought.

He covered his face with one hand. Andy fell into that state after he tripped Luna and she looked at him. That 'monster' we fought in there, every time she used a funny trick, something changed in her eyes. She can't be though because that thing had a tail- An image of Luna flashed before his eyes and he focused on her belt. That can't be a tail wrapped around her waist, can it? It would explain why she wears something so bizarre all the time... No, I need proof. He shook his head and clenched his fist. First thing's first, I have to make sure neither he nor Liz finds out for the time being. What kind of trouble have I gotten myself mixed up in now?

* * *

“What the hell do you think you're doing?” Abaddon barked with Lilith standing just behind him.

I merely undid your mistake before it escalated into a catastrophe. You could have driven them off with your own power. There was no need to force Luna to go berserk. The damage to her psyche could have been irreparable! Fenrir snapped back.

“That's not your decision to make.”

My loyalty lies with her, not you. I work towards her betterment, not yours. I won't tolerate using her as a tool.

“Until she fully awakens to the Ríastrad, you do take your orders from me! You're my familiar until she can fulfill her side of the contract.” Fenrir only growled in response. Abaddon sneered, “You'll get your punishment later.”, then began to walk away, followed by Lilith.

You... Fenrir howled after him. Does her life mean nothing to you? Are you just simply trying to have her finish what you couldn't?

Abaddon said nothing. He just waved his hand and several black chains shackled Fenrir in place and clasped his jaw shut. “Shut up.” He snarled and disappeared into the forest.