Part 1 –

Their leather boots squeaked with every step they took through the grandeur halls of the castle. They stalked the halls like spectres, and their presence caused everyone they passed to scramble out of their way.

A pleased grin remained on Black’s face as they treaded the reflective room as if it belonged to them. They arrived marginally earlier than Enthile’s airship, and when they successfully docked on the harbour and disembarked – they were immediately ridiculed by the foreign traders.

Mockery among other derogatory slang were thrown at them, mostly because atop of their ship were the many Demi-humans who served as their loyal underlings.

Of course, Black and White didn’t let this go and acted appropriately.

And by appropriately – they offered them a few barrels of explosive powder at a generous discount. As a bonus, they even threw in a free grenade in each barrel.

Although, the traders didn’t know this.

Black hummed to herself as they approached the massive vertic-port, which remained stagnant in the centre of the vast room.

“I made the fuses extra-long in those ones. It’s a shame that we’ll already be back in Cryo by the time it explodes. But oh well~”

White, whose crimson eyes gleamed beneath the overhead orbs in the pale room, raised a curious brow.

“You managed to create a lengthy fuse in those tiny grenades? Colour me surprised, Black.”

She was rather impressed.

It was normal to have a fuse in a grenade the size of one’s fist to reach as long as two minutes, but to have one span in the realm of days was unheard of.

It was only possible because of the Octanid’s threads, which Black had harvested before she left the Shallows. The outer coating of the thread was fire and heat-resistant, but the insides were surprisingly delicate. It would mean that the fire and heat would remain within the thread until it reached the very end.

“Just who do you think I am?” Black’s elevated pride made White softly smile as they treaded towards the centre of the glowing vertic-port. “Really though, it’s only because the spider thread burns so slowly. Anyway – what floor was it again?”

White sighed.

“[Floor Ten]”

In an instant, their surroundings transitioned to an empty void. A lone, generously-wide hallway was their only exit in this dim place.

“[Teleportation] magic’s a hassle as always. Especially with this inferior version.” White brushed off a lingering heat from the tips of her fingers. “It’s nowhere near as fine-tuned as it should be.”

White’s knowledge and critique came from personal experience. Back in the Colour Plane, teleportation never had any adverse side-effects – at least with her. She was considered as one of the more powerful magic-users out of the Colours, although it didn’t mean that she couldn’t use firearms or her fists to fight.

“It’s not true teleportation then. With this heat, it’s more like the spaces are just moving so fast that it looks like you’re teleporting.”

Black added and ventured into the hallway first.

“And people wonder why it’s so dangerous. No one can even use it properly. Although, I don’t see the use of it either.”

“Your reason being?” White’s interest was piqued as she followed Black through the hallway.

“Cause we have Colours like Blue, who can anticipate that kind of movement. Oh, and good luck teleporting before a bullet drills into you. Have fun wasting your energy trying to dodge that~”

“And you think catching it with your body’s any better?”

“Much better. My garbs aren’t for show, you know. Besides – I’m not even a fucking magic-user like you to teleport in the first place.”

“Yet you’re calling it useless without using it even once?”

“It’s useless because I can’t use it.”

White pinched the space in between her eyes and heavily sighed as they entered the main hallway of the yellow floor. Arguing with Black wasn’t something she could handle so easily. By nature, Black was irritating.

But she couldn’t help but to adore that side of her.

Because in the event they do get their powers back –

She’d have no qualms in beating her senseless.

At least that’s how she currently felt. Her festering hunger made it somewhat difficult for her to keep her thoughts in place. Black’s nonsense gave her something to latch on to and distract her from the insatiable yearns for flesh and blood.

After all, White was partly a vampire.

That aside – in the nearby distance, they spotted a tight gathering which consisted of a strange-looking Exrite, the Frostbitten, the priestesses and the Heroes – alongside two other unfamiliar faces.

They surrounded who they believed to be Exrite, who laid on the couch with ‘his’ head on Uru’s lap.

The dark-skinned woman and the Inkshard look-alike instinctively caused Black to hover a hand over her black handgun as White’s eyes slightly narrowed. The air surrounding them was ominous at best, and entirely unpredictable.

As weapons, they could sense the strength of others, and those two weren’t something they wanted to go against in their unpowered state. However –

Black couldn’t imagine that they could withstand the power of Night’s Melody.

Likewise, White failed to believe that they could prevent her blade – Moon’s Rhythm – from tearing them into two. The pale single-edged sword was firmly strapped to her waist and was easily longer than a metre.

She had no need for a scabbard, for it would only get in her way.

Their approach went unnoticed for the longest time.

Everyone in the room was too preoccupied with the strange-looking Exrite to bother with their squeaking boots. The dark-skinned woman caught a sharp glimpse of them, but soon brushed them aside when Exrite tried to seat herself up.

“Just stay still Exrite!” Inkshard yelled in a fit of annoyance. “We need to check what’s wrong with that eye! Did something happen to you!?”

The shrunken Exrite was shoved back onto the couch by the little priestess, with her head landing on Uru’s voluptuous lap. Uru’s hand gently cupped her cheeks and held her taught, to ensure that she wouldn’t move as everyone’s attention was drawn to her strange eye.

Exrite, baffled with confusion, looked up into Uru’s golden pupils before dragging them across the many awed faces that surrounded her.

“W-what do you mean? What happened to my eye?” She slowly brought a hand to feel for her face.

The Maiden had only woken up a mere minute ago after Uru had abruptly pierced ‘his’ crystallised heart with her claws. It would explain why her baggy shirt had a strange tear and was soaked in blood.

“Your iris – it looks like a gear.” Frosty pointed out as she remained crouched beside her head. “Did- did the previous Maiden of Time do this to you?”

Frosty sounded somewhat wary. After the debacle with the Gods and their failure to inform them of Exrite’s inevitable change to become the Maiden of Time, she couldn’t help but to feel concerned.

However, she was reassured by Exrite’s gentle smile.

“I wouldn’t say that she did this to me… but if it weren’t for this eye, then I would’ve been insane by now. What does it look like, Frosty? Is my iris shaped like a gear or something else?”

“Y-yeah… It’s shaped like one, alright… but hey, are you feeling ok? It’s not hurting you or anything?”

Her genuine concern caused Exrite to warmly mellow and shake her head.

“I see… then –“ Frosty trailed off with a small sigh of relief before she suddenly clenched a fist and painfully drilled it into Exrite’s scalp.

“H-Hey!? Frosty!? Stop! Ow- ow – ouch! Stop –!”

“This is for asking to die in front of us like an idiot! At least tell us your reason beforehand! You always do things without telling us! So – let me drill this into that thick skull of yours!”

Uru, who condemned Frosty’s disrespect to the Maiden, forced herself to idly stay put and watch her precious jewel wince in pain. It pained her, but she knew that Exrite would scold her if she intervened.

Exrite wanted to be treated on equal footing – as friends and companions with a common goal. An annoyed grimace formed on her face.

“H-hey sis, isn’t that enough?”

“What!? You want me to drill some sense into you too Khaos!?”

“Ah… ahaha… right, nevermind. Good luck Exrite.”

During Exrite’s cries and futile struggles against the teamwork of Uru’s iron grip and Frosty’s relentless knuckle that drove into her head, the others – including the Heroes – stood there with bewildered faces.

Particularly Amy who cherished the sight of the female Exrite. She was giddy about it, and it caused Haiyoto to shiver beside her and feel sorry for the gender-swapped Exrite. Lizen simply stared and ignored the two with an occasional smile.

Talia idly stood beside Uru with intertwined hands. She felt conflicted with Uru’s lack of hesitation when she lunged the bladed claw into Exrite’s chest. But at the same time, she understood that it was Exrite’s wish, and that there was probably no one else who would have the same resolve as her to carry out such a thing.

It was probably why Exrite asked her in the first place.

The sight of the female Exrite brought her to eventually smile.

It was a warm sight.

The last time she saw Exrite in that body, she remembered her forced smiles and painful past that she failed to thoroughly recount. Her smiles now felt genuine – or that was at least the impression she gathered.

The warmth, chatters and laughter pleasantly filled the room.

But that was short lived.

“This is a nice gathering you have here.”

The commanding voice immediately caused Frosty to abruptly freeze as Exrite’s blood ran like ice. Her eyes broadened as she slowly brought them towards the front.

Beyond the shoulders of the young Heroes, entered Pathfist’s Commanders. Their sharp eyes scoured every inch of the room before falling onto Uru and Phase.

Black smiled.

“You all won’t mind us interrupting for a bit? We have some pretty important updates to share~ so please don’t make it hard for us, or for yourselves. Cause if you do, then you might lose a knee or two.”

Everyone’s attention was drawn to them. Their militaristic attires from a different world surprised the Otherworldly Heroes, and even more so when they noticed Black’s holstered handgun.

Inkshard’s hands grasped onto Exrite’s loose cloth in frustration as she muttered something underneath her breath. The Maiden brought herself upright, ignoring Uru’s arm that slithered around her stomach.

She was tugged back, almost leaning on her. Uru’s warmth was calming, but it did little in the presence of the commanders. To the Demon however, it was soothing and allowed her to easily restrain herself.

Because she realised that those two were not any ordinary beings, no matter how closely they resembled humans. Uru and Phase gauged their mana reserves with careful eyes as the little Spirit drew nearer to Exrite.

Uru was about to say something but was immediately met with the broadened eyes of Exrite, Frosty, Khaos and Inkshard. Their eyes begged her to refrain from speaking.

It caused Uru to dig a finger into Exrite’s stomach.

As she winced to the sensation, Black and White’s eyes landed on her. As if understanding that this girl was indeed Exrite, an impressed grin formed on Black’s face while White seemed rather surprised.

“Care to give us a gist of what’s happening here, priestess Talia? I’m sure our eyes aren’t deceiving us.” White raised her chin with a soft hum.

“Please wait one moment. Black, White, I need to ask you something before I can tell you anything at all. Do you know who this is?” Talia asked with an arm gesturing towards Exrite, who passively stared back at them.

She didn’t know if they were aware that Exrite was the Maiden of Time, and she was not going to leak it to them if they didn’t know. All she knew was that they were after Exrite – the Exrenity.

“You’re too wary, Talia. But I’ll play along. We have some rather strange faces here as well, so I’ll want to hear about it afterwards.” Black hummed and placed a hand on her hip. “– Exrite. That’s Exrite, without a doubt. I’m still impressed that you actually became the Maiden of Time. I just didn’t expect you to look like… that.”

“A Maiden, by definition, is an unmarried woman.” White added with a small sigh. “But you’re right. The last thing on my mind was for him to become a girl. Oh well, I suppose it was to be expected…”

She trailed off and further inspected Exrite’s body. If it weren’t for Uru’s possessive grip around Exrite’s stomach, she would’ve scrutinised every inch of her body.

Particularly her scrumptious-looking nape.

* * *

Talia revealed as much as she could to the Commanders. The Heroes were asked to move to the balcony, while the rest remained within the spacious lounge with an atmosphere so tense that one could visibly see it.

No one sat as a result. The prying eyes of the eager-to-listen Heroes unknowingly latched onto them. They saved their questions for another time as they felt like they’d be dropped and killed the moment they opened their mouths.

“Two bodies, you say. Now that’s an interesting twist.” Black hummed as she stood beside Exrite, a finger curling her delicate strands of hair. “Hmhm~ what’s wrong? Getting cold feet? Relax, relax – you’re our friend, not an enemy. Well, maybe for now~”

Goosebumps riddled Exrite’s body as her eyes narrowed. Currently, while Talia was explaining the happenings of the Kingdoms and the Vassal State, Di-Lock; Black and White found some joy in further inspecting Exrite’s body.

Whether it was Exrite’s suppressed reactions of annoyance, her soothing warmth and ticking pulse, or their genuine interest in her body – Black and White enjoyed inspecting her.

Once again, Exrite despised her weakness. A voice can only go so far with little strength. She knew that one wrong move had every potential to spell her end.

White’s eyes slightly narrowed as a perplexed look came across her face while she played with Exrite’s precious nape.

“… how horrible… Uru –“ Inkshard whispered and abruptly paused. She wanted to ask Uru if she knew a way to take Exrite away from them, but quickly realised that it would make their predicament worse.

“Yes? I’m listening, little priestess.”

“No… it’s nothing.”

Phase had a dejected look on her face as she turned to Khaos and Frosty. They were angered and anxious, but looked like they were prepared for the worse. Through a curtain of hair, Frosty drilled her eyes onto the Commanders and watched their every move.

“This is… strange. Your skin’s so soft, but it’s also tougher than our armour back in the Colour Plane.” White spoke with surprising awe when she failed to puncture through Exrite’s skin with a nail.

The pinching sensation caused the girl to shudder and instinctively pull herself away.

“Is it because that’s the body of a Maiden, or is it something else entirely?”

“… I want to say I’m the wrong person to ask, but…” Exrite slowly replied as she rubbed the side of her neck. “Sorry, I don’t know myself either. All I know is that this body’s completely different from humans.”

Black raised a brow. For a moment, she stared at the slightly shorter girl with gentle eyes.

“Kinda like us. We look just like humans, but we’re far too different in every other way. I’d know, since I was a human at one stage.”

A hail of shock and surprise was shown by nearly everyone who heard, although Frosty and Inkshard doubted her claim was anything but true.

“… you were a human?” Exrite couldn’t hide the curiosity in her soft voice.

“Was. But that was a long time ago. Mhm. A long, long time ago.”

Black’s gaze left her and met with Talia’s.

She smiled.

“Sorry, Talia. I was just engrossed with Exrite’s body… I’ve heard that only a select few could ever dream of meeting with a Maiden, let alone touch one. Here, take her back –” She pushed Exrite back to the other side, where Uru caught her by the shoulders.

“– I want to listen to Talia, so keep her there for the time being. That ticking’s rather dangerous.”

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“It is.” White rubbed the finger that had sunken into Exrite’s irresistible nape.

A dangerous chill ran down Exrite’s spine as Talia tilted her head and sighed.

She informed the Commanders about the war in detail. Particularly the northern skirmishes in the Great Plains of Colight. Apparently, the opposing forces were already crippled on arrival.

Retaliation was limited, and almost non-existent. The way Talia described it was as if they were fighting against fresh Undead. It was unnerving since there were some reporting’s of Undead in Di-Lock, although in limited quantities.

Their biggest concern however, was what the envoy said.

“You’re very lucky they’re not planning to invade you just yet!”

Black brought a hand to her chin.

“From what we’ve seen overhead, there wasn’t a major force anywhere along the southern Great Plains – apart from the Di-Lock soldiers near the small mountain range. Their farmlands are dying, and they don’t even resist us anymore. Makes it easier for us, I guess.”

Inkshard grit her teeth. Black’s tone was far too casual for the horrors of Di-Lock’s famine.

“– Ah! My, about that – Uru, Phase, thank you again for stopping those soldiers.” Talia lowered her head sincerely.

“I was only protecting the Maiden’s birthland. Please raise your head, Talia.”

“You don’t have to thank us mo- ah- priestess Talia! As the Spirit of Balance, it’s my duty to protect the Kingdoms that worships my Gods.”

For some reason, the two sounded off with their reasoning.

Black looked over at White with a side-long glance. And by chance, so did White.

“Uru, what’s your relationship with Exrite?” Black felt the need to ask.

Depending on Uru’s answer, she wondered if they could have her on board with their mission to defeat the Maiden of Realms. With the sheer power to raze more than half of the golden valley and turn a hundred or so men into mush – she wanted that power on her side.

It wasn’t because she was afraid to fight her. Rather – she wanted every chance she could get to levy the odds against the Maiden of Realms.

Uru’s hands tightened against Exrite’s shoulders.

“A faithful companion. I offer my wisdom, my strength – my body and soul to Exrite, the Maiden of Time. Let me warn you now since I never had the chance to earlier – if you make an enemy out of Exrite, then you make an enemy out of me and my entire race.”

Uru spoke without filter not a second after Black had asked her question. Despite the threatening words at the end, the Colour didn’t mind and found herself pleased with Uru’s answer.

“Unfortunately, I’m not stupid enough to betray a Maiden. But your devotion is pretty admirable towards someone who only just became the Exrenity and a Maiden. I’m sure you’ve heard about our deal with Exrite?”

“I’ve vaguely heard of it. You wanted Exrite to become stronger in the course of a month, correct?”

“Bingo. But that’s not all~”

“Hmm? The cobalt for the weapon you promised her?”

“There’s still one more thing~”

Uru’s eyes slightly narrowed. When Exrite tried to answer in her stead, Black gagged her with a leather hand. She’d been gaged so many times that she just gave up and sighed though her nose.

It was both tiring and annoying to be subdued in such a way.

After what felt like an hour to Exrite, who had to endure Black’s cold glove against her face – Uru spoke with a glimmer in her dark eyes.

“You wanted Exrite to defeat the Maiden of Realms.”

Black’s smile widened.

“Mhm~ And regarding that – we have some news I’m sure you’d love to hear. We’ll continue this on the War Floor upstairs, as soon as White’s done with… Phase, was it?”

Her tone jarringly took a nosedive when she uttered the Spirits name. She wondered if it was because Phase looked so similar to Inkshard that she couldn’t help but to despise her at first glance.

Although White seemed to think otherwise.

With Black’s attention falling back onto Exrite, she noticed that the girl’s eyes appeared firmer than the last time they met. Of course, she could smell Exrite’s fear from a mile away, but even so, her eyes were drilled into hers.

A cunning smile crept across Black’s face.

* * *

Part 2 –

Only six of them surrounded the giant round-table. Phase and the priestesses were politely asked by White to allow them to talk in private. After all, their news did not concern them, nor the eavesdropping Heroes downstairs.

Talia was not aware of Black and White’s goal to defeat the Maiden of Realms, so it understandably came as a surprise.

It suddenly made sense as to why Exrite was ‘acquainted’ with them, since her goal to free the Maidens of Six Point went hand-in-hand with theirs.

However, the reason as to why the Gods set them on this perilous task was a mystery, even to Uru and Phase.

Black took a wooden airship piece from a pile of figurines and pushed it with a long broom. It slid onto the small region of Cryo across the map.

“Our first destination is Cryo. We have an appointment in the Golden City of Saicry with the Demi-human princess and another Colour there.” Black informed them and passed the broom to White.

“We’ll only be there for a day or two, so take a good look around. They’re our allies in this war, and I’m certain they’ll welcome you with open arms. No one’s human here, after all.”

She winked at Exrite and grinned. Exrite wryly smiled and sighed to herself.

“And we’re leaving in nine days, right?” Exrite wanted to confirm this was still the case.

But with how soon they arrived and how eager they were to lay out their plans, she had a hunch that they’d be leaving before the initial deadline.

As White gracefully slid green crystal-like figure onto the Shallows, she answered.

“As soon as possible.” Her voice was somewhat hoarse as she glared back at Black. “I would’ve loved to let the nine days pan out, but Black wanted this no matter what.”

“Wait – why’re we leaving so soon?” Frosty couldn’t help but to raise her concerns.

Black placed yet another figure beside the emerald on the Shallows. She took her time, allowing the silence to linger and suffocate them.

Exrite’s eyes sharpened.

“… then what happens if I’m not as strong as you wanted me to be?”

The silence was broken, and Black pushed her answer for Frosty aside.

“It shouldn’t matter in that body. You’re not a human who needs to compensate for every little thing anymore. So long as you can pull your own weight in the Shallows, then you’re good enough. For now, at least~”

A sigh of relief fled through Exrite’s lips as Frosty and Khaos slightly relaxed. It seemed like they all thought of the same thing, and were thankful that Exrite was up to par.

However, Exrite felt somewhat irritated that his efforts in his other body didn’t bear fruit. But it was a given – since no one can drastically improve in only a month, no less in the body of a human.

“You Frostbitten are fine as well, and Uru’s perfect. But you’re not a Dark Elf, are you?”

Black was painfully sharp. So much so, that it caused Uru to devilishly grin.

“Ho. How could you tell?”

“Just some trivia from the Maiden of Realms. She made it clear that no Dark Elf would ever leave the Depths on their own –“

At the utter of the Maiden, everyone’s senses heightened by a tenfold.

“ – nor are they known to submit to anything. If anything – you’re most likely a Demon.”

Uru placed a hand onto Exrite’s cheek. She didn’t give a definitive answer, which left Black believing that this was the case.

“You said something interesting. Did you hear that from the Maiden of Realms herself?”

As Black straightened herself, she answered with a powerful voice.

“I heard it from the Maiden of Realms herself. In fact, we know exactly where she is, although she’s not in her Domain at the moment.”

Her words were tantalisingly sweet. It was too good to be true, and they realised that Black could be lying for all they knew.

“Those are bold words to claim. Do you have any proof, Black? As a Demon, I cannot let this –” Uru was sceptical, but Exrite quickly raised a hand to stop her from asking anything more.

Because Exrite knew that they needed the Maiden of Realms gone more than she did. Accessing their indomitable powers back in their home world was impossible so long as the Maiden of Realms reigned within her Domain.

“They wouldn’t lie about meeting with the one they want to get rid of. But what do you mean that she’s not in her Domain? I thought it was impossible for a Maiden to leave the Domains.”

“Beats me. You can ask her yourself when we get there. But honestly – that’s only a part of why I wanted to bring you there.”

“There’s something more important than meeting with the Maiden of Realms?” Khaos couldn’t help but to mutter beneath his breath as Exrite’s eyes fell onto the strange figure beside the green crystal.

Black heard Khaos and spoke.

“In Exrite’s case, I’d say so. There’s a Biomech that wants to meet you in the Biomechanical Gardens. She says that she was created by the Maiden of Time, so maybe she can help you in some way.”

“… I see... then maybe I can find some more answers there.” Exrite settled and wondered if the [Gears] had something to do with the creation of the aforementioned Biomech.

Uru wasn’t as optimistic as Exrite or Khaos, who easily believed their words. She would have to see the Maiden of Realms herself to believe them. It was the same for Frosty, except she wholeheartedly rejected their claims, partly out of spite.

It was childish, but they understood why she hated them so much.

White loudly tapped the table with a finger to regain everyone’s attention.

“After our stop in Cryo, we’ll set off on foot into the Shallows. The fog’s too thick to navigate there, and we don’t want to lose our ship. From there, we’ll arrive at the Biomechanical Gardens to meet with the Maiden of Realms and the Biomech.”

“We don’t what’ll happen there, so expect anything. Now – anything else before we leave?”

“Hold on-! Now!?” Frosty suddenly exclaimed.

“We can’t afford to waste any more time – “

“But… that’s too soon.” Khaos slowly spoke with a reluctant face. “A day. Please just give us one day to prepare.”

He lowered his head and gaze slightly, as if begging them. Frosty, while lowering her head, kept a steady gaze.

Eventually, all eyes fell onto Exrite. Uru didn’t mind leaving. In fact, she wanted to leave. Exrite felt the same, however –

She couldn’t bring herself to leave the Capital without saying goodbye to all the people and friends she met. Even a single day, or half a day was more than enough for her.

In the month she spent in the Capital, she found a newfound warmth. It wasn’t a place she could call home, but it was certainly a place she could call a sanctuary.

It was nothing like Enthile, or the Enthoric and Katho region.

It was…

Where I began as the Exrenity and the Maiden of Time. The place where ‘Exrite’ was born.

“Please let us stay here until tomorrow night.” Exrite sincerely asked and wholeheartedly bowed.

But before she could move even an inch lower –

“Don’t you dare bow!”

Uru’s vined hand rushed around Exrite’s chest and held her taught. The Demon powerfully tugged until Exrite's back firmly pressed against her body. She stared down at the shocked girl with furious eyes.

“How many more times do I have to tell you to not lower your head to anyone!? You’re lucky I’m tolerant with you, Exrite!”

“Huh? Just because I’m the Maiden of Time, doesn’t mean that I can’t show my sincerity – “

“You can show your sincerity however you want – Just don’t. Lower. Your. Head. I’m begging you Exrite.”

Uru’s tendrils lightly squeezed her as she squirmed around in discomfort. Exrite was thankful that Uru avoided her modest bosom, but she could still feel the odd sensation whenever her loose shirt was dragged around.

It was a suggestive sight for the others, but it was as natural as breathing for the Succubus.

“… I’ll try not to.” Exrite spoke softly with some disappointment. When she tried to avert her eyes, Uru held her face with a free hand and forced her gaze to return to her.

Because of their height difference, and the way Uru held her – it looked like Exrite was about to be devoured by the overbearing Succubus.

Exrite, who barely reached the bottom of Uru's neck, stared up at the Demon with an annoyed face.

“What? If it’s only my face you want to touch, then let go of me.”

“… I just wanted to make sure that you understood.”

Uru was seemingly charmed for a split second. She let Exrite’s face go but insisted on keeping her wrapped for the time being.

Realising that she wouldn’t let go any time soon, Exrite sighed and folded her arms.

Black wanted to revaluate their relationship, but she felt like it could wait for another time.

“I suppose I’m the only one who wants to leave.” She hummed and placed a hand on her hip.

“You are. I’d rather we stay for a day and properly evaluate what’s happening in the Capital. We might not be returning anytime soon.” White added and sighed. “Plus, it gives us time for that thing we prepared on the ship.”

“Oh~ That. You know what Exrite – we’ll leave tomorrow night, just for you. But~–“ Black drew a small, black object from behind her dark cape and tossed it at Exrite. “I want you to come with me on board the airship. Alone.”

Exrite caught it with ease and was immediately filled with surprise.

“The weapon…?”

The object was a handgun. And unlike the previous one she saw nearly a month ago, this had a refined sheen to it. It was uniformly crafted, and surprisingly light for something that can deliver such a devastating projectile.

Exrite was wary of Black. She would be alone there, but as things were, she safely concluded that Black wouldn’t try to kill her.

After all, she was their only real way of dealing with the Maiden of Realms.

She stared up at Uru and wondered if she’d let her go alone.

“Normally, I’d accompany you there just in case. But I don’t think Black’s enough of a fool to harm you. Just tell me what happened afterwards, moment by moment.”

Black was oddly dumbstruck for a moment. The Demon’s words were frightening for the wrong reasons. She sounded like a possessive lover, but she thought it could’ve been because of her pride and duty as a Demon to take care of the Maidens.

Even so, it caused her to wryly smile.

With Frosty’s whisper of “Please reconsider.”, and Khaos’ utter of “If anything happens, we’ll be up there in no time.” –

Exrite mentally prepared herself to join with Black alone in the airship.

But first –

“Stop Uru. You’re tightening it even more.”

She needed to be let go.

* * *

Part 3 –

Exrite followed Black up onto their massive airship in a new set of clothes and light armour.

Black’s airship shared the docking space with Enthile’s trading airship. The air screamed around them. The sounds of chatter and murmurs became drowned in the ear-splitting roar of the powerful winds and the airships’ magical engines.

Particularly from Black’s airship, where a thunderous stream of sound revibrated through the air and into their bones.

But Exrite easily ignored it. After all, Enthile’s traders were just barely within reach. She needed to muster every ounce of concentration into ignoring their existence, less she wanted to ‘accidentally’ attack someone. They passed the traders on the pale-bricked path, some staring at her and murmuring as they moved forward.

Exrite held a steady frown until they reached the docking space of Black’s airship.

“That’s a new face. I don’t think I’ve seen you mad before.”

Black twisted her face and laughed.

“It’s a long story. I just hate Enthile from the bottom of my heart.”

“Why, what happened with you and Enthile? Were you witch-hunted?”

“If only it was just a witch-hunt.” Exrite sighed before she stared at the floating behemoth beside.

The airship’s deck was levelled with the castle’s harbour, so they didn’t need a boardwalk or roped ladders to board. The surface was mostly flat, and it housed many makeshift tents and working Demi-humans.

It seemed like their residence was the deck of the airship. There was at least a hundred of them working there. Whether they maintained the vast array of weaponry that lined the borders of the ship or scrubbed the metal and wooden floor panels.

As Exrite followed her on board, she asked her a few curious questions about the benevolent airship.

“I thought it was just you and White on board.” Exrite lightly waved back at a pair of Demi-humans who kindly greeted her.

“It was, until we figured we could use the Demi-human slaves as crewmates to help maintain the airship. They’re a helpful bunch, and you’ll be surprised with what some of them can do.”

Black spoke with praise as they passed by a small gathering of Demi-humans. It seemed like they were inspecting a stationary weapon, which closely resembled a giant crossbow.

It was the only weapon she vaguely recognised from the many others.

“Is there a reason for a blade to be in front of the airship?”

“For something of this size, it’d be stupid to not ram into enemy airships. Plus, it’s a safer to board them closer than to use the crossbows to zip-line across. But safety isn’t really our concern here~”

Black hummed and led her towards the only structure above the deck. It was a rectangular-shaped structure encased entirely in black and grey metal. A simple door stood as its only redeeming feature.

When they approached, the door suddenly sunk into a small slit in the doorframe with a high-pitched hiss.

“Stay close in here. It can be a bit of a labyrinth, and I don’t want to spend all day trying to find you.”

Exrite complied wholeheartedly. The iron mouth engulfed them as they descended through the metal staircase. Soon, the floor turned into iron mesh, which revealed the countless floors beneath.

Its was rather well lit in the narrow hallway, although there were strange corridors that branched out to the side. They glowed a dark red, as opposed to the bright white in the hallway they followed.

When Exrite asked about them, Black replied with:

“Those areas are for prisoners. It’s a shame that we don’t have all the tools in the world, but I guess opening the engine room vents into their cells works as well.”

“… you’re torturing them?”

“No, not torture. It’s more of an interrogation~” Black hummed and abruptly stopped at the final red corridor. “But either way, it always ends up in death. It’s just up to them to decide on how they want to die.”

Black took a step into the corridor and gestured at Exrite with her head.

Exrite was hesitant, but she ended up following Black through the dim corridor. Rows of doors lined each side, with a number written above in white.

The silence was deafening, and the macabre atmosphere caused Exrite’s senses to heighten. Only did their footsteps resound in this echo chamber. And just when Exrite was getting used to it – a sharp thud echoed somewhere ahead.

A white light flooded the corridor from one of the rooms before a one-eared bunny girl entered the hallway in a fit of laughter.

“I did it! I finally did it! I’m free! Aha-ahahaha!”

She was hysteric. The girl placed her bloodied hands against the walls and began to breathe heavily.

“It’s done… it’s really done.”

She suddenly shed a few tears before wiping them with her shoulders.

Black stopped in front of a door and stared at the Demi-human girl with stern eyes.

“… is that normal?” Exrite could only ask.

“Very normal. She was a slave, captured from her village in Cryo by adventurers. She was sold countless of times before settling with a large family, who beat the fuck out of her. But if you were acquainted with Enthile, then you know that that’s the norm with the Demi-humans.”

Indeed. In Enthile, the Demi-humans weren’t spared from suffering. They were mercilessly killed if they wandered the streets alone, or during the night. In her twisted homeland, being a slave was considered the best outcome for a Demi-human.

“We weaponize their hatred and turn it back against their enemies. The family that caused her to suffer are all in there. At least what’s left of them.”

“I see…”

“Hmm. You know, I expected you to be shocked or something, but you’re taking this quite well.”

Exrite was used to it, but she didn’t want to say anything right now.

Black’s fists suddenly curled as her eyes slightly narrowed. The sight of the happily sobbing girl drowned her in deep thought. A searing hatred quickly rose from within the depths of her blackened heart.

“… humans are hypocrites, aren’t they? They’re race that has words like ‘humanity’ and ‘humane’, but they’re content with grinding an entire race into the mud.”

Black sighed and faced the metal door.

“But it makes it easier for us to create unlikely allies. Like I said, we weaponize their hatred and grief and turn it against their enemies.”

She twisted the thick valve and pried the door open. It’s wretched screeching was definitely a feature. Exrite remembered how some would blindfold her and use loud noises whenever they entered her prison as a means of inflicting terror.

The mere thought of it made her skin crawl.

The intense light was accompanied with a foul odour, which caused Exrite to hold her breath as she followed Black into the cramped room. And when they were both finally inside – the door suddenly shut behind them.

Within the depths of the airship, no one could hear the thunderous slam and the metallic churns of the valve.

Save for the lonely Demi-human, who repeatedly muttered “I did it.” through her clattering teeth.

In the bright compartment behind her, were the shredded remains of those who had visciously mangled her. Organs, flesh and blood painted the room in the richest red.

It was liberating. For once, she felt like she was in control. The rage. The hatred. The frustration – all of it was directed towards the humans of Endo.

She clawed at the walls with brittle nails and broke into hysterical laughter once again.

But during this – the air suddenly shook when two consecutive, dry explosions came from the room Exrite and Black entered.

* * *

“… a soul just disappeared up there.” Frosty muffledly spoke as tore off a large chunk of bread with her mouth. “And now the bread tastes like trash.”

Her face cringed to the foul taste.

“But you just said you liked it.” Khaos chuckled and wondered what was wrong with her taste buds.

She ignored him and kept her eyes fixed into the golden ceiling.

Uru picked up on what she said and brushed past her.

“Hm? Did someone die?”

“Probably”.

She nibbled on her tongue. It wasn’t Exrite’s soul that disappeared, and she was utterly relieved by that. However, she couldn’t avert her eyes away from the fact that someone just died up there.

Normally, she wouldn’t be concerned, but with so many other people in the area she believed to be the Commander’s airship – she wondered how no one seemed to notice.

She followed Exrite’s soul since the beginning and managed to trace her into the very same place where the other soul disappeared.

It was one of two things. Either Black killed whoever it was and made Exrite watch. Or, it was Exrite who killed them. She remembered the brief exchange of ‘that’ by Black and White before Exrite was handed the Otherworldly weapon.

Frosty had a hunch of what the answer was but denied it with every ounce of her being. For the longest time, Exrite hadn’t touched – never mind killed – another person.

It didn’t matter when they were trying to escape the latches of Enthile. But now, when even the slightest thing could unexpectedly set off the Eye of Despair, Frosty feared that Exrite would relapse into the beginning stages of insanity.

But as things stood, she would have to bite her tongue and wait for them to return.

While she hated killing – mostly because of her ability to devour souls and even ‘taste’ them – she had no qualms in killing those who were nothing but walking trash.

And she was at least thankful that the deceased soul tasted as such.

As she brought a hand to cup her mouth, a sharp pain caused her to wince as a savoury taste of iron flooded her mouth.