A stroll along the Cainon road was not a trip any wise man would recommend. Aside from the strong winds that throw light-footed people to the clouds, it was also home to a mysterious fog responsible for turning the most experienced explorers into lost children.

Unnoticed and unexpected, it creeps in around travellers and surrounds them with illusions reflected from their hearts. Some see family members, others see treasure chests of gold, but as for Sef, it was the same old disappointment. A long bearded old man seated at the edge of the road, with a huge straw hat on his head, and a wooden fishing rod in his hands.

“good morning Knox” he greeted, waving his hand to snatch the elder’s attention.

The old man blinked and yawned, but refused to look at Sef. His gaze was fixed forward, as if watching an event only his eyes could perceive. “hm, looks like she’s about to go out”

“Knox, it’s me Sef!”

“oh my, those curves...”

“stop peeping you stupid kid! I’m talking to you!”

Knox flinched and finally looked sideways. His wrinkled face soured to a frown, and his sunken eyes filled with disappointment. “oh it’s you, what do you want?

Sef drew a box in the air. “remember the thing I told you to keep no matter what? I want it back now”

“ha!” the old man scoffed. “and you think I’ll hand it over just like that? Let me remind you, I’m Equin Knox. The---”

“the phantom of Cainon road, the misleader of men, the long distance peeper of naked women. Yeah, yeah I know that already. Stop talking and give me my treasure”

Knox froze for five seconds before responding. “what was it again?”

“the glass box! The one I gave the first time we met!”

“oh right. Fine, give me your payment first”

Sef reached inside his pocket and tossed a small brown sack to the old man's feet. “that’s half of it. I’ll give you the other one after I get my hands on the box”

“what’s this?”

“south wall mushrooms. Their from the highest parts of the stairs so don’t worry about the poison”

“hm...” Knox drew three blood red mushrooms and dumped them in his mouth. He looked skeptical at first, but the more he chewed, the more his face brightened.

Sef grinned proudly. “they’re good huh?”

Knox gave a reluctant nod and returned his gaze to the clouds. “I still don’t know what box your yappin’ about. So just say stop when you see it”

“my, you really forgot? That hurts”

“it’s one of the oldest items here, what do you expect?”

Sef rolled his eyes and sat. “don’t you have anything we can drink here?”

“just wait, I’m sure something drinkable will pop up soon”

“pop up?”

Knox made a hoarse throaty noise and tapped his fishing rod three times. After a few seconds, items of various shapes, sizes and importance shot out of the clouds and landed in front of Sef. Human skulls, wine bottles, jewelry, everything a living person would want was thrown to his feet like garbage, and still, the one he asked was nowhere to be found.

“patience whitehead” Knox said. “your thing is probably burried pretty deep by now. It would take I while before it comes up”

“if that’s the case...” Sef picked up two goblets and relocated beside the old man. “how about we catch up? With those eyes of yours, I’m sure you have a lot of good stories to tell by now”

Knox opened a nearby bottle and poured well fermented liquid in the goblets. “I’m not sure if good’s the right word to describe them”

“ooh, they’re that bad?”

“more like disgusting”

Sef took a sip. “tell me about it”

Knox drained his cup and refilled. “I saw what you did to the guardian, wanna know how it got those wings?”

“yes, that’s been bugging me a bit”

“about a month ago, a number of black hooded men came and disturbed it. I thought they were just some dumb kids wanting to bring something home, but after seeing what they did, I got so disgusted that I didn’t even attack the two they sent to survey this road”

The hairs on Sef’s neck stood. “what did they do?”

“first they restrained the guardian and forced its mouth open. Then they brought in crucified men, skinned them alive, marinated them with some black goo and fed them to the poor monster one by one”

“and then?”

“the monster squirmed and broke free, then killed the men like the good guardian it was”

Sef drained his cup. “that’s it? What about the wings?”

Knox froze again, only this time, it was not because of old age but of child-like fear. “the wings came afterwards... after that man appeared”

“man who?”

“Parvanos”

It took all of Sef’s will to retain a straight face. It has been ages since he heard that name, and still, the rage it summoned inside him blazed like a fire lighted seconds ago. “so he finally showed up”

“I suggest you ask the Hallowers to relocate your cell, I’m sure that bastard’s bound to show up at your doorstep one of these days”

Right as Sef opened his mouth, a white blur bounced off Knox’s forhead and landed on his lap. It was a glass cube as big as a fist, with a moon flower petal frozen inside it.

“this thing...” Knox’s eyes widened. “you fool, you’re finally going to do it?”

Sef took the cube and got to his feet. “didn’t you see my new weapon? She’s quite something”

“tch” Knox looked away. “that’s a little girl you dragged into this mess. You ought to be ashamed of yourself”

“ooh, what’s this?” Sef teased. “is the mighty fogman finally showing his soft side?”

“I’m not sof---”

Sef dumped two more mushroom sacks on Knox’s face. “here’s my other payment, take it and shut up”

The old man beamed at the extra sack. “why are you giving me two?”

“I’m buying one more thing”

“fine, take anything you want”

Sef stripped to his undergarments. “don’t mind if I do”

Knox raised an eyebrow. “what are you doing?”

“Erze’s birthday is next month. I want to give her something unique, something she can only get from me”

“your body?”

“no you filthy old man, I want a piece of your pet!”

“what?!” Knox scooted away. “no! Nessa’s scale’s are not for sale!”

Sef picked up one of the mushroom sacks and dangled it infront of the old man. “you have three counts kid. One!”

“wait!”

“two!”

“I said wait!”

“th---”

Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“fine!” Knox threw his hands in the air. “dress up and sit still, I’ll draw her to the surface”

Sef waved his hand. “no need, I’ll get one myself”

“why are you making this hard for yourself?”

“if I don’t get it with my own hands, it doesn’t count as a gift”

Despite the evident disapproval written on his face, Knox plucked a strand from his chest-length beard and tied it around Sef’s waist. There was no strangers words uttered, nor magical flashes produced, but when he finished the knot, the thin gray thread turned into a thick rubbery cord.

“there!” the old man said. “go ahead and dive before I push you myself”

“stop being bitter” Sef said. “I’m not going to molest your pet”

“she’s not used to seeing humans swimming towards her. Specially those who show a lot of skin”

Instead of wasting more brain juices for another comeback, Sef bit his tongue and dove head first into the clouds. A damp, cool touch greeted his skin, and a thick white mist pressed against his eyes, littered with silhouettes of objects Knox’s pet threw to the top.

He flailed his arms and legs to create tiny ripples that travelled several feet away from him. They did not seem significant at first, but right before the whispers of futility crept inside his head, a ship-sized shadow closed in from the left and dove below him, disappearing once again into the white canvas.

“fear not sweet child, in my arms you’ll never be defiled”

“look up sweet dove, in my arms you’ll always be loved”

Sef sang Bel’s lullaby and waited. A few verses later, Knox’s pet emerged from the depths and hovered in front of him. It had a turtle’s body, a crow’s head, and peacock’s tail that fluttered like a curtain of glitters around him.

“who are you?” It asked in a song-like voice.

“really?” Sef swam closer and touched its beak. “you don’t remember me anymore, Nessa?”

“your voice, I heard it before”

Nostalgia surged through Sef as he stared at the creature’s beady eyes. Back then, they were only mere dots blinking on a furry head. But now, they have grown large enough to reflect his entire body, reminding him of his immortality.

“speak” Nessa insisted. “tell me who you are”

Instead of a speaking his name, Sef did an introduction only he can pull off. He hummed a song the monster heard over a hundred times already, a song he sang before she became the dreaded guardian of Cainon road.

“I knew it” Nessa embraced Sef with her tail and rubbed her head against him. “I knew you will comeback, even when Knox said you will not, I knew you will come back”

“tch, he said that? My, your caretaker is a pessismist”

“he is a good man, he always feeds me with delicious treats rich in foolishness, greed and self worship”

Sef leered at the treasures and bones floating around him. “yes, that sounds just about right”

“so...” the creature circled him in a clockwise direction. “what does the ancient O---”

“Sef! My name is Sef now!”

Nessa paused for three seconds and resumed her revolution in a counter clockwise manner. “very well ancient Sef, what ordeal brings you to my presence?”

“it’s not really an ordeal” Sef said.

“then what is it?”

“I’m here to claim the gift you promised me”

“I see, so you’re moving forward at last”

Sef scratched his head. “well, I have what need now, there's no more excuse to waste time”

“since when did you waste time?”

“pardon?”

“I ask you...” Nessa swam faster. “in all of these years, when was the last time you breathed without thinking about this day?”

Despite the desire to remain hidden, Sef’s found himself exposed before the wise beast. He could mask his true feelings from anyone, even from Erze in a good day, but under Nessa’s eyes, it was as if his thoughts were written all over his body.

“I don’t understand...” he played dumb but to no avail. The creature was now right on his face, staring at him as if he was an interesting manuscript.

“these clouds maybe unseen from your lonely wall, but that does not mean they do not exist. Since the day you left me in this place, I have always watched you from afar. I watched you sit on the same spot everyday, I watched you bicker with the delicious girl, I watched you be hopeful, I watched you be disappointed, and I watched you be hopeful again”

Sef looked down to hide his pathetic grin. “my, you sound like a stalker right now”

Nessa flicked her tail. “that’s true, I stalk my prey before I eat them. It’s part of the enjoyment”

A nervous chuckle escaped Sef lips. “well then miss stalker, how about you give it to me now? The delicious girl is waiting for me”

The creature swooped under him and placed her shell beneath his feet. “feel free to take whatever impresses you”

Sef took his time to marvel at the vast shell. At a distance, it looked nothing more than a typical carapace, but on a closer look, its true beauty emerged. It had the texture of stone, and the color of a lush field, pieced together by thirteen hexagons glazed with sapphire gems.

“so where’s my promised possession?” Sef asked.

“is it really the one you want?”

“is there a problem with that?”

“be warned, it’s the least among all that you see behind me. You might get disappointed”

Sef tiptoed his away to the center and scanned the area for the most underwhelming gem the shell could offer. It did not matter if it was not as bright or as beautiful, as long as he could call it his, there was nothing to worry about.

“where is it?” he asked again, this time with less patience.

Wether by coincidence or by Nessa’s will, a sparkle snatched Sef’s eyes and guided them down at a gem embedded between his feet. It was a pebble compared to its rock-sized siblings, a dim light next to their vivid colors, and still, as Sef stared at its ghostly green glow, it became the most beautiful treasure of them all.

“it’s pretty” he said, tracing his fingers along its cool surface.

“take it and stand on my beak, I’ll send you back to the surface”

Sef did as instructed and raced to Nessa’s head. The fear of being the gingerbread man at the end of a sly wolf’s nose lingered at the back of his head, but he pushed through regardless. At the moment his feet touched the tip of the beak, the creature flicked her head and catapulted him to the top.

“I wish you the best, Sef”

Before Sef could respond, his body shot out of the clouds and landed face first beside Knox, cutting off whatever magical conncetion he had with Nessa’s thoughts.

“did you get one?” the Knox asked, removing the cord around his waist with a snap of a finger.

Sef dressed and slid the stone in his pocket. “of course”

“tch, why do you always get what you want?”

“if I already have what I want, then there’s no point to all of this”

Knox flashed a smile that finally reflected his age. “it looks like your eyes aren’t as ageless as your face”

“and what does that suppose to mean?”

“you’re way older than me, figure it out”

Despite the itch of curiosity burning in his lips, Sef faced the wall of mist behind him and waved good bye. The old man snapped again and ordered the barrier to part, allowing its supposed to be victim to pass through unscathed and at peace.

“what?”

In the blink of an eye, that peace was shattered in a million pieces. Not by a rock thrown at Sef’s face, but by a change of scenery he did not expect in the slightest. Instead of the long and winding Cainon road, he found himself standing between two crucifixes, both occupied by people he did not wish to see in such state.

“hey” he tapped Erze’s cheek and braced for an explosive response. As predicted, she did not disappoint. Wide eyes, gritted teeth, every inch of her face screamed what her cold emotionless question could not express.

“where have you been?”

Sef gulped and grinned. “I’ll answer that later, let’s go to the where and how for now”

Erze dropped her hostile facade. “we’re on Abelon road now”

“Abelon?”

At first glance, the clouds around the platform looked the same as earlier. However, the longer Sef stared, the less they appeared as clumps of water vapor and more as jellyfishes scurrying about.

“how did you get here?” he asked.

A hint of fear flashed in Erze’s eyes. “when I woke up the little girl was already carried away by two creeps. I tried to fight them off, but then he came”

“who?”

“me”

The shadow below Erze’s crucifix rose to the air and morphed into the shape of a hooded man. He was tall and some what imposing despite of his thin frame, with a face covered by darkness and bright golden eyes rested unnervingly at Sef.

“it’s been a century” he said with a deep inhuman voice. “how has life treated you, old friend?”

Sef took as step back. “I’m sorry, but my friends are either old or dead, not edgy shadows that kidnap girls”

The man let out a cold chuckle. “master was right, your humor is just as bad as your crimes"

“speaking of bad, why don’t you reveal your face if you’re really my friend? There’s nothing horrendous hiding beneath that hood is there?”

“there are clearer ways to show ones identity”

Sef continued his backward walk until his heel touched the base of Bel’s crucifix. He was aware of who the man before him was, and more so the fact that he was an open book in his golden eyes. Still, as unsightly as it looks, he had no choice but to struggle his way out of this situation. Because if not, the journey he waited for so long will meet end before it even started.

“don’t bother” the man traced a spindly finger along Erze’s face. “I see every event you draw inside your head. There’s no way you’ll outsmart me”

A mischievous grin emerged on Sef’s face. “really? Prove it”

“you will first switch places with the weapon behind you, then release her soul to silence mine”

“switch”

Using forbidden authority coursing through his veins, Sef manipulated reality to his will. He nailed his body to the crucifix, took on the chains wrapped round Bel’s wrists, and released her soul without a breath of command.

“you fox!” the hooded man locked his hands together, but it was too late. The sinister song was already in the air, and the chains that silenced his powers already snaked around his body.

“snare” Sef ordered the chains to pull both him and Erze out of the crucifixes. He heard his partner scream and his bones pop, but adrenaline numbed his senses, allowing himself to cheat out another command.

“needle”

Erze vanished, while a spear appeared beneath Sef’s feet. Swift as a bird yet stable as the ground, it carried him away from the hooded man and dove down the stairs.

“you bastard, how dare you pull this off without my permission?”

“that gloomy man can read me like a book, I can't outwit him without doing things quickly"

“atleast give me a wink! My body may be immortal, but that doesn’t mean I won’t feel my joints being pulled apart!”

Sef opened his mouth to give an apology, but the blockade of hooded men waiting at a distance forced him to save it. “hey, you’re pissed right now right?”

“prepare yourself, you’ll taste it after this”

A hundred torture scenarios made Sef gulp. “um, how about you dish some of it to our friends over there? They look like they’re asking for it”

“fine, give the command”

With hands pressed on his ears, Sef poured every ounce of attention to Erze’s soul and released the word that would pierce the wall looming before them. “running stitch"

The spear dispersed into a vicious gust of wind and glass shards. It swept everything in its path and inflicted pain through a thousand cuts, be it to the hooded man or to its master himself.

“snare!” Sef reached his hand behind and braced for the stone floor waiting at the end of his accelerated fall. Thankfully, the chain he called latched around his wrist at the last second, stopping his descent in exchange of a dislocated shoulder.

After reverting his treasures back to their less useful forms, Sef carried Bel on his back and endured the earful Erze had in store for him. His mind whispered for rest, and his body screamed in agreement, but the sense of danger forbid him to stop, fuelling his feet to move towards their safe haven inside the wall.

“is that...” Erze breathed, her shaky finger pointed at the crucifix erected beside their trapdoor.

“you’re kidding me” Sef rushed to the crucifix and untied the wrists of its prisoner. It was a young man bloodied from head to toe, with purple patches on his cheeks and an inscription sliced across his chest.

“Marcellus, a traitor of the south wall”