The monster launched directly for Judas’ head. Before the powerful wolf could tear open Judas’ skull, Ferrau stepped between them.
Once Maud made contact with him, Ferrau used the wolf’s own momentum against him. Ferrau threw Maud into the air and he landed in a heap of snow.
Ferrau’s eyes scanned the snow field, quickly assessing the battlefield and noticing that he and Judas were now trapped between their enemies. Maud had regained his balance and stood a few yards to Ferrau’s right. Hiei remained just beyond the thicket of dead trees to Ferrau’s left.
“Judas, run!” Ferrau yelled at his new partner.
“I can’t just leave you with that thing,” Judas yelled back in a trembling voice, though stern in his assertion.
“Yes you can. I can handle this on my own,” Ferrau did his best attempt at reassurance. “Trust me.” He kept his eyes fixed on the two enemies, wary of any attempt to harm Judas either might make.
Though steeled, Ferrau could feel how powerless he was. During the war, he could keep up with the most vicious enemies. Yet now, he had lost access to his gluttonous desire. He attempted to will the snow to merge into his own being, but he could not feel anything. Ferrau would have to rely only on his fighting abilities. Considering that his natural abilities were inaccessible, Ferrau feared what would occur if his corporeal form was to break. Would he be able to retreat into his core?
“I would advise you to stay where you are,” Hiei warned.
Judas remained frozen and studied Hiei. They had three black tear marks that traveled from their left eye all the way down past their chin. Judas was sure that this was a member of the Black Blood Syndicate. Most people would have been happy to meet one of the Bloods’ captains, but Judas had already had enough of them. Hiei was the second one to find him and accuse him of being some rogue or terroristic God.
Hiei quietly whispered a mystic utterance and a purple flame kindled in their raised, right palm.
“Maud, halt,” Hiei commanded loudly to the unleashed beast. This aura and the name Judas caught their attention. “You, with the white hair. Judas is it? Why were you in that graveyard? What happened there?"
As they spoke, Judas noticed the sophist’s hat blink. The eye was mostly attentively trained on Judas and Ferrau, though it also searched the surrounding areas. Judas supposed that the eye was sentient and was actively searching for something as it scanned the empty fields.
They’re expecting something, Judas thought.
“Don't tell her anything Judas! Just...get behind me,” Ferrau said as he got closer to Judas, defensively putting himself before his partner.
“You're not fooling me. Look at you, with your rib cage exposed to the world. You're really scaring me,” Hiei said with a roll of their eyes.
Ferrau took on an evil expression, directing unbridled malice to Hiei, who smirked in return.
“Am I correct to assume that you both are Kaeli? And that you've just finished terrorizing the citizens of Patroclus?”
Judas and Ferrau exchanged confused glances.
“What?,” Judas asked.
“I am a God,” Ferrau answered. “So you should speak carefully.”
“I did not ask you,” Hiei said, dismissing Ferrau’s threat. “Even though its faint, I can sense that you’re Kaeli. This one,” Hiei gestured, with the mystic flame, to Judas, “what are you? There's something strange about you.”
Hiei could see a dark aura around Judas. His aura’s intensity matched that of a Kaeli or a sophist. Hiei intuited that Judas was someone connected to the ethereal plane, but the energy surrounding him was unstable and confusing. The only other comparable feeling Hiei could imagine was the strange void rifts they’d randomly encountered. Hiei had only seen or felt a void rift maybe once or twice. The rifts were stifling vortexes, pulling at anything near them, dragging everything into its possession. For a being to have such a cryptic spirit was an unfathomable development, and strikingly uncomfortable to acknowledge.
The purple flames in Hiei's hands lept into a frenzy, yet the heat did not bother them.
Judas understood the warning and looked over to Ferrau. Would Ferrau really be able to take both of their enemies on? Judas was familiar with the Black Blood Syndicate. He had heard numerous stories about them and their strength. These were mortals who were renowned for fighting and defeating Gods. The Bloods were revered as champions of the small folk. The Bloods protected those who could not defend themselves. Hiei was not a random mortal. This person was a hunter and Ferrau was their prey.
Judas considered Ferrau's safety, not his warnings, when he answered.
"My name is Judas Kiara. I come from Auqia, and I'm a void-walker."
Auqia?, Hiei wondered. The small sea-port town that was destroyed years ago? The town suddenly vanished overnight. Where there was once a beautiful sea-port town, there was now dust and a flooded crater. Most people simply shook their hands when anyone spoke up the disaster, a kind gesture to lament the many lives lost, with no trace of their existence remaining.
Hiei shelved their sudden thoughts about Auqia and its only known survivor.
“A void-walker? What does that mean?”
Where do I start, Judas thought.
“He'll talk after you tell your pet wolf to stand down and you let us rest,” Ferrau interjected. “You're not fooling me. We aren't the ones you're looking for.”
Hiei considered Ferrau’s terms. Sirius V had assigned the Bloods to assist a void-walker should they come across one. Sirius gave no explanation, but now was the chance to finally get some answers straight from the horse’s mouth.
“My friend is exhausted and cold. He can't answer all of your questions while he’s tired like this.”
Ferrau had all but admitted his own bluff. Hiei called it, but now Ferrau had admitted it. How badly did Hiei need answers? The need for information from Judas would determine whether a fight broke out or not.
Hiei considered them both for a moment. They were a strange pair. Hiei could see and feel two different and enigmatic auras from both Ferrau and Judas. Of the numerous enemies they’d encountered since joining the Bloods, Hiei had never seen any beings like Judas. When the leader of the Bloods, Sirius V, gathered the captains and instructed them to stay aware of a void-walker, the robust man never described the entity. When questioned, Sirius only said “you'll know it when you see it.” Though, that’s how he worked. Sirius hardly ever explained anything in much detail.
The captains had discussed amongst themselves what it might look like. Some imagined it to be a demon, one of the powerful entities that sometimes escaped void rifts and wrecked havoc before running back where it came from. Yet, that hardly made sense to Hiei. If the Bloods were meant to help this void-walker, why would it be a being purposely terrorizing mortals and retreating into the void? “Perhaps this one is special,” Julius, another captain of the Black Blood Syndicate, had suggested to Hiei.
Considering Hiei had never met anyone with such a recondite aura, nor met anyone who readily described themselves as a void-walker, they were incentivized to give Judas Kiara a chance. What would Hiei learn? What secrets about the void would be uncovered if Hiei spoke to Judas? The information Hiei gathered from these two could be deeply beneficial for the Black Blood Syndicate. Considering the recent reports about the Yellow Sun and the Red Star’s movements, the Bloods needed to be vigilant. Something was coming, and it would likely involve hundreds of thousands of mortal lives.
“Maud, find the skeleton some clothes and meet me back at camp,” Hiei said.
The large wolf considered them all. He seemed indecisive, imagining the taste of their entrails and the feeling of bone crushing against his numerous fangs. Hiei noticed Maud’s lapse in judgment and pulled at a leash that suddenly appeared in the air between the master and his pet. Judas and Ferrau stood just inches away from the taught, purple string. The leash around Maud’s neck tightened and the masochistic wolf whined, in need of deeper punishment.
“Go, now,” Hiei sternly commanded.
Maud growled at Ferrau and Judas, but scampered past them and into the trees.
Hiei instructed Ferrau and Judas to follow behind, and they were led into the forest of dead trees leading to the town Lucian. Ferrau and Judas were wary, but also tired. Ferrau wanted to fight but felt he had to consider Judas’ safety first. If he could not fight his way out, then he would bide his time and think of a different strategy. Ferrau resigned to focusing on regaining his gluttonous desire. If he could release his hunger, he knew he would be able to handle anything Hiei or Maud threw at him.
While walking through the quiet, dark woods covered in snow, Ferrau reflected on the past. He recalled how it felt when he devoured any and everything laid before him. The times when he was worshiped so devoutly that he thought he might reach his hunger’s limit.
Those days were far from Ferrau now. Yet, he hoped such memories would reignite the hunger and strength he once knew. Perhaps his body had simply forgotten its own strength after being imprisoned for so long.
Judas looked between Ferrau, who was clearly lost in his own thoughts, and Hiei, who seemed uncomfortably calm. Hiei maintained a relaxed and composed demeanor about themself. There were two possibly dangerous strangers behind them, yet Hiei hardly seemed to be on guard. Did Hiei think so little of them that any idea of caution was neglected? Was Hiei so fast that anything Judas and Ferrau attempted would be countered, even from this range?
Judas and Ferrau felt a wave of nausea wash over them that lasted only for a moment. Suddenly, the three walked into a small area lush with moss and grass plotted amidst the naked trees robed in white. The verdant heap of large trees stacked against one another astonishingly contrasted the smaller, unprotected woods. Hiei had wrapped their camp in a barrier that obscured the senses of anyone beyond its boundaries. To any passerby, the lush camp would appear the same as the field of snowy trees.
“You’ll both be safe here.” Hiei assured their guests. “No one can sense anything within this barrier.” Hiei whispered another mystic utterance and the mossy trees bent and swayed until they revealed an opening. Beyond the gathered logs, in the gaping fold, there was a small fire lit.
Judas stumbled through the grass, tripping over the branches and leaves, as he hurried into the hole’s inviting warmth.
“I attract void-beasts,” Judas began. “They don't really attack me, but they kind of do. It's confusing.” His dark skin flushed red as he stuttered through his poor explanation of his existence.
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“Speak plainly. I'll do my best to understand,” Hiei said, tending to the purple flames.
The three of them had quickly settled into a relaxed mood. Ferrau sat near the mouth of the tree-hut, while Judas sat further inside and closer to the phauptum fire. Hiei was positioned to Judas’ left and a few feet from Ferrau. The hut was small, but spacious enough that each person had room to shed their worries. Ferrau and Hiei focused on listening while Judas described his peculiar condition.
“The beasts can sense me. They hunt me. I've seen what they can do, how they destroy everything,” Judas shuttered at the memory slipping forward. Twilight, the sound of rushing water, the screaming. “When they find me, they - I take them in. Somehow, I'm able to eat the void-beasts. They know it too. That's why they haunt me.”
“What happens once you eat them?”
“Nothing at first. After I absorb them, I hardly notice them. Weeks go by, then months. I went over a year once. But after I've taken in so many, I start to feel them inside me. It gets overwhelming. When I can’t take it anymore I just,” Judas exhaled, “I explode.”
He looked at Ferrau with pitiful, white eyes.
“That's enough,” Ferrau said. “You go to sleep now. I'll answer anything else Hiei needs to know.”
Judas immediately conceded. He worried their host might retort, but the hut remained quiet as he settled back against the warm logs and was swiftly taken by his own exhaustion.
“This flame,” Ferrau began, “it arouses lethargy doesn’t it?”
“Yes,” Hiei answered truthfully. “You’re right on the nose. It does not necessarily make one sleepy, but it does make them relaxed, almost lazy. This phauptum is designed to evoke a state of calmness that encourages feelings of safety.”
“That’s very crafty. What kind of Kaeli are you?”
Hiei looked up at Ferrau for the first time since they entered the tree-hut, curiosity again sparked within their purple eyes.
“I guess we’ll be having a very long-winded discussion then.”
----------------------------------------
Hiei directed Ferrau to explain where he had come from. Perhaps it was the fire, or it was his manners, but Ferrau felt obliged to be forthright with his host. He explained that he was once trapped in the void, but avoided discussing he and Judas’ compact. Agreements crafted with phauptum were meant to stay private and their details were kept between the involved parties. Compacts could hardly be broken, but this particular one had an obvious weakness. Ferrau and Judas’ lives were linked to one another. If anyone discovered the details of Ferrau and Judas’ compact, their enemies would only need to kill one, and both would be defeated. Ferrau would be banished to the void again, and Judas would be defenseless.
“Considering that the Gods use the void as their trashbox,” Hiei said, “what did you do to end up there?”
The flame was quiet, not needing wood or anything else but Hiei’s strength and concentration to maintain itself. The tree branches reaching skyward swayed and lightly rustled in the barrier’s peaceful winds.
“I was too good at taking orders.”
Ferrau paused again. The words stuck his mouth like knives.
“I had become obsessed with battle. During the war, I tried to devour everything. I was insatiable.”
“You scared them, didn’t you? So they locked you away. That’s what the Gods do. Anything that scares them, they kill, and if that’s not possible, they throw it into their convenient trashbox.”
“Now can you tell me who you are? What is your nature? Your epithets?”
“Are you asking me what type of God I am?”
Hiei was only making Ferrau more uncomfortable as they spoke. Ferrau wanted to believe this being was Kaeli, considering their knowledge and obvious strength. Yet, Hiei took a flippant attitude towards Ferrau’s questions concerning their Godly nature. He answered Hiei with a skeptical yes.
Hiei chuckled. “I’m not a God. Though, concerning my nature, I identify with both masculine and feminine attributes. Its my understanding the Gods are usually very loose with their gender, correct?”
“You’re right. We change corporeal forms very often. Throughout the different ages, mortals create differing epithets for us based on the form they’re most familiar with.”
Ferrau hid his shock at Hiei’s denial of being a God. Instead, he attempted to curve the conversation and find out more about this stranger. If he remained patient, he trusted that Hiei would return his favor.
“Earlier, I referred to you as ‘her.’ I hope I didn’t offend you,” Ferrau said with sincerity.
“It is fine. I don’t care what anyone calls me, so long as you do not mean to insult me,” Hiei answered. Ferrau had paused his questions, but Hiei could sense that there was more the God wanted to know. Hiei took the bait. “I’m mortal, but something different than what you’re familiar with. The world has changed a lot since the War for Heaven.”
Ferrau tensed after those words were let loose into the air. The room felt warmer and the air thicker as this discussion developed. Hostility had been sparked. Ferrau wondered if Hiei felt the same.
“Yes, I know about that. I belong to an organization called the Black Blood Syndicate. We’re a group of highly trained sophists who specialize in hunting Gods.”
“You hunt Gods? How? What does that even mean?” Ferrau consciously fell deeper into Hiei's trap, continuing to take the bait. This mortal wanted to make a mockery of him. Even so, Ferrau was now plagued by his own ignorance and his curiosity drove him squarely into Hiei's grim humors.
“It means that it's my job to bring the unhinged fools of Heaven to justice,” Hiei asserted. “But I’m getting ahead of myself. You don’t even know what a sophist is.”
Hiei now dangled Ferrau’s own ignorance in the God's face, like a cat and a silly toy. Hiei forced Ferrau to claw at the air in confusion as he tried and failed to grasp an understanding. Ferrau attempted to steel his nerves and maintain a sense of integrity as he listened to the mortal explain this new world to him. The more Hiei spoke, the less Ferrau would have to admit about himself and his past.
“There are a small percentage of mortals born into this world with certain afflictions. They vary, but these afflictions are understood to be conduits directly linking us to the Ethereal Realm. According to the sophist Zaia, all beings capable of producing a phauptum reaction must have a connection to the ethereal plane. Some afflictions are much more apparent than others. It's possible a mortal goes through their entire life without ever being immediately aware of their connection to the ethereal. Similarly, one can go through life without anyone else realizing their potential. Despite the numerous differences among us with connections to the ethereal planes, there is one other trait that we all share.”
Hiei looked Ferrau directly in the eyes.
“Yours are faint, but I see it. Perhaps that’s connected to the void and your weakened state.”
Ferrau took offense at Hiei's candid observations. The comment wasn't necessarily humorous, but a matter of fact. Hiei was peering into Ferrau, dissecting his aura.
“It’s the eyes,” Ferrau asserted. “Gods, and now sophists too, have eyes that can see into the ethereal plane.”
Sight was an important attribute to Kaeli. Their eyes, the ability to see the world’s auras and peer into the multiple ethereal planes, was a talent worth boasting about even in Heaven. The sight was a natural talent, yes, but it was something to be trained and honed. Ferrau was again lost in this new world that Hiei was not only telling him about, but demonstrating it as well.
“And this ability,” Hiei continued, “to see beyond the corporeal plane, into a space beyond anyone’s comprehension, elicits a glow in the eyes. Its a rare occasion for a mortal to be born with an affliction. Because of this, we’re eagerly sought out by others like us. The eyes are the most identifiable trait used to discover a young sophist. The glow often occurs as early as birth. In truth, there’s very little harm an untrained sophist can do. An affliction simply gives you the connection to the ethereal, but not much else. Except in one very rare case.”
A shadow seemed to pass across Hiei’s face as a memory crossed their mind. Whatever the thought was, Hiei never shared it with Ferrau and instead continued as if the memory had not interrupted them.
“We have to find those with afflictions to protect them from themselves. These natural peculiarities can be indirectly and sometimes directly harmful to the person. Though, you’ll forgive my nebulous description of afflictions and their effects. As a member of the Bloods, its against my interests to candidly discuss the coveted knowledge sophists have spent thousands of years gathering.”
“Thousands?” Ferrau jerked forward in disbelief, hardly able to contain his surprise.
“I understand that mortals have changed in a number of ways since the time before the war. Though, a piece of advice.”
Hiei's voice suddenly shifted into a lower octave and their humor vanished.
“Never discuss the War for Heaven with any other mortal that you meet. While sophists are special, its even rarer that any mortal is aware that a war between Gods occurred, let alone an annihilation of mortals. I am aware of Heaven’s transgressions because of very special circumstances.”
“I’m guessing those circumstances have something to do with the Bloods then?”
“I’ve answered your questions. You should rest now. Maud will have you some clothes when you awake.”
Before he could protest, Ferrau was weighed down by his body's exhaustion, and quickly fell over into a deep sleep. As he drifted away, he cursed Hiei and their strange fire.
When Ferrau awoke, he saw Judas eating. It was Twilight.
Yellow rays of light rained down onto the mossy ground that Judas sat on. He ate near the opening of the small tree-hut that Hiei, Ferrau, and Judas all shared as they rested through the day. The three of them quietly slumbered for more than sixteen hours, the length that Talos allows for the Sun Celestials. As Twilight passed over, the seven Moon Celestials would soon rule the sky for sixteen hours in turn.
Ferrau rose slowly, groggy from such deep sleep. Suddenly, his vision was obscured from the clothes thrown in his face.
“Dress and eat, then we will continue to Patroclus,” Hiei said.
“Huh?,” Ferrau asked in confusion. “What’s that, and why are we going there?” He dressed and sat next to Judas as he filled his plate with pancakes and bacon.
“Because its the best place for your friend at the moment,” Hiei had finished eating and was rubbing Maud’s belly. The oversized wolf was in ecstatic delight. “You two can make some easy coin there and use that to find shelter. I won’t be staying in this area anymore. You’ll have to fend for yourselves.”
Ferrau felt that sounded a bit rude, but continued eating. If the food was good, he would not know. He focused on regaining his stamina, but was disgruntled at his lack of hunger and senses.
Hiei undid the barrier and all the trees, moss, and grass fluttered away in purple specs of light.
As they followed Hiei, Judas stayed near Ferrau. The young void-walker pondered the conversation he and Hiei had earlier, before Ferrau had awoken. Hiei asked very short, but pointed questions. What was Auqia like? Any remaining family? Where will you go now?
Judas answered truthfully, though he was cautious not to speak too much about Auqia. What occurred there, what he caused, was something he kept very close to his own heart. It was a secret he was determined to die with.
Judas expected for Hiei to press him further, especially because Ferrau was asleep. Judas was guarded, but quickly surprised at Hiei’s kindness. They made a very late breakfast and properly introduced Maud, the aspect of lycanthropy, and offspring of the Moon of Madness. Don’t wanna hear that family’s story, Judas thought to himself. It was a calm breakfast with a generous exchange between Hiei and Judas.
Ferrau still distrusted Hiei and disliked that they spoke with Judas while he was asleep. Ferrau had not yet inquired about their conversation, nor had he confirmed that one had taken place. Yet, Ferrau had gathered that Hiei was an opportunist and a sly snake. He was sure that Hiei would jump at the chance to grill Judas the first chance they got.
The seven moons took their place in the sky, and out of habit, Ferrau whistled one of Fomalhaut’s hymns. If anyone asked who had the best gospels, Ferrau would readily assert Fomalhaut’s superiority. Something about her made the mortals come up with the most wonderful tunes.
Fomalhaut was christened ‘The Cleaved Moon’ by the divines themselves. She easily stood out from the rest of the night’s Celestials. While the other moons appeared as one whole being, Fomalhaut was split right down the middle. Her two halves were far enough from one another that the split was recognizable even from the depths of the oceans.
As Ferrau whistled the ancient hymn, the others quietly enjoyed the soft feeling of serenity it brought them. Then Maud began sniffing the air.
“Yes, I sense it too,” Hiei said.
The two were suddenly tense, and the eyeball on Hiei’s hat swiftly roamed around in its confines. They had caught the scent of their prey.
Maud, Hiei, and the eyeball all looked up, one by one, into the cloudy sky. It seemed like any other cloudy night. The bisque saturated clouds slowly soared across the sky, moving eastward. The winds seemed to push them further toward their destination.
The four of them currently stood in the midst of an empty field. Few people would think to travel this late at night. Dangerous beings lurked in the night, and the moon Celestials were known for their mischievous natures.
Green fields rolled across the land as far as the eye could see. Dirt roads had been paved from the many trade routes tread from Patroclus and onwards throughout the Jhota continent. Patroclus was a trade capital and particularly busy. The outskirts were mostly fields and farms owned by various citizens of the large state. The air was cool and still; the crops, trees, and grass rested peacefully.
Then Ferrau thought about the wind. What winds are pushing the clouds? He could hardly feel a breeze. They had traveled past Lucian and were far from the windy snowfield to the left of the small town. The air was still here, on the outskirts of Patroclus. What winds could possibly be swift enough to so visibly push the clouds east?
Hiei once again whispered a mystic utterance. Purple hued objects with a rough and etched texture were summoned and floated to the sophist’s sides. The objects were the size of large melons and had spikes stretching from their surfaces, pointing in every which way. There was an area on their surfaces where no spikes appeared, and instead there was a thick line etching their skin.
This time, Hiei performed a proxonomic utterance. Hiei imagined a catalog of elements in their most basic forms. From this nearly unfathomable multitude of elements, they gathered the necessary ingredients and imagined them taking the proper shape of a leash. Hiei focused their sights on the clouds now racing across the sky.
With two fingers pointed towards the nearly intangible enemy, Hiei completed the utterance. Purple tendrils latched around the cloud, halting its movement through the night sky. Hiei then made a fist and turned it up toward themself as they fought against air.
Judas was amazed at the phauptum Hiei was capable of. Hiei tugged at something intangible, and from Judas' perspective they were winning. The purple coils grew thicker around the cloud and Hiei demanded that it came from the sky and onto the earth. The cloud grew thinner in its constraints. The ground around Hiei fractured under the weight of their rising strength. The cloud stretched and twisted in its bindings, but the thick coils had completely ensnared it. The cloud disappeared, something snapped through the air, and a body crashed onto the earth ten feet from Hiei.
In their silent judgment, Hiei watched the God groan in agony. Hiei's strength striked Judas and Ferrau with awe. How had a mortal snatched a God from the sky? How had a mortal brought a God, an immortal being centuries old, to his knees?
Maud did not wait for instruction, or perhaps Hiei’s feat was permission alone. The wolf howled, and in an immense leap, he closed the distance between himself and his prey. With one blow of its intensively constructed arms, Maud had gnashed away his prey’s throat. Blood burst forward and onto everything around the two. In the next second, Maud chomped down and tore the other God’s head away from its shoulders and tossed some bits somewhere far from its body. More blood. The warm, crimson liquid spewed every which way. The aspect of lycanthropy howled and allowed his prey’s frontal bones, cranium, mandible, maxilla, and every other bit he had stolen, to flow from the sides of his mouth.
The nameless God bled until it could not maintain its form any longer. His body depleted into a blue, crystal-like substance as it crumbled from Maud’s attack. Ferrau was familiar with this process. A God can only suffer so much damage and heal itself so much before their corporeal form breaks. Once their physical form has reached its limit, it disintegrates into a blue essence referred to as nyxia; this ancient essence structured the physical forms that protected and hid the Kaeli’s cores. Since the dawn of creation, as far as any God knew, nyxia persisted as the most fundamental component of creation.
Once his shell had broken like a fleeting dream, only a core remained.
Hiei strutted over, standing next to their pet wolf, and picked up the core. After they whispered a mystic utterance, purple chains manifested around the glowing, orange object.
Almost as soon as it began, the battle had ended.
Hiei turned to their two guests while petting Maud’s head. “Let’s continue to Patroclus.”
Judas and Ferrau were appalled. Not only by Hiei’s obvious strength, but Maud's callous and cruel methods. The partners thought back to the snowfield and how they were once trapped between the two beings before them. Judas and Ferrau could never have known that they were at the mercy of such merciless killers. Judas replayed Maud’s original pounce over and over again in his mind. Judas was stuck imagining what would have become of himself if Ferrau had not protected him then. Ferrau imagined himself in the dead God’s place. Killed, brutalized by an endless array of fangs.
“No, we know how to get there now. We’ll see ourselves to Patroclus,” Ferrau said. “It’s not far from here.”
“Right,” Judas quickly followed up.
“Thank you for the help Hiei, and you too Maud,” Ferrau said with finality as he and Judas walked away into the night.
Hiei let them be, and the two parties parted ways.