That day they set off to the nearest town of Lolem-Sei'O. It too was also empty by the time they reached the location. It was odd... It was odd. It was as if everyone had just randomly decided to up and disappear from the towns. There was no scuffle, nor did there seem to be any sign that people had just lived there.

In fact, most of the houses were completely empty. It's safe to say everyone had decided to pack up their most important belongings and flee their small towns and villages. They ran into this same trend in the next village just 8 miles over.

By nightfall, they decided to rest in one of the empty villages. They took the opportunity to feed the horses and quenched their thirst at the well within the small village of Omen-Sei'O.

"What gives... there's no one anywhere around here. The past 3 villages, completely empty." Rel groaned. He stretched and laid on his back.

Zephise nodded. "It is a very odd outcome."

Ineiru also nodded. "Mmh. Rel, How are you feeling?"

"Eh? I told you I'm quite alright. It'll take a lot more than a single bite to take me down."

"--Hey... that mage. Didn't he seem a bit too powerful?" Aren interrupted.

"Eh? He was especially skilled, aye." Oreilia answered. "But nothing we couldn't handle."

Ineiru shook her head. "N-no...he was really powerful. If he did not have those inscriptions, h-he could probably have taken us all out.."

"If that's the case... then how strong must this Chrom be?" Aren asked.

Rel yawned and decided to actually go to sleep this time. "I don't care. Me and Oreilia could take him."

Oreilia smirked. "I could probably take 'em out all by myself."

"Anyways, the next stop is Irin-Sei'O." Aren said, pointing at the map.

This caught Rel's interest and he turned around immediately.

"Oi. This is your hometown isn't it, Rel?"

Rel nodded. How long had it been since he was last there? It dug up painful memories to even think of traveling to that city. He sighed and went back to sleep.

 Aren and Zephise shared a glance with each other. Aren folded up the map and placed it back within his backpack. The rest of the night was fairly silent. Everyone was tired and ready to forfeit to the sweet embrace of sleep.

The next morning, Ineiru had awoken everyone and they ate their usual disgusting prison food made by Ineiru. They sped off towards Irin-Sei'O, the city of smog.

Their horses ran tirelessly and they sped along the way to Irin. The entire ride, Rel was largely silent. The other two noticed this and continuously tried to get him in the conversation.

"Hey, Rel, whats Irin like?" Aren asked. It was one of the few places they didn't go to. Irin-Sei'O was slightly larger than Essen-Sei'O. It also had a high rate of crime and poverty. During Baerim's occupation, they stationed most of the guards in Irin.

It was heavily advised that they not visit that city so most of their expeditions skirted around Irin-Sei'O.

"You won't like that city." He responded casually. "I couldn't stand the stench either."

"I see.." Zephise began to write it down in his notebook.

Oreilia and Ineiru were behind the trio talking about something furiously. It seems they had a disagreement over whether or not she should participate in combat against the magicians.

"I'm more than capable of combatting mages, Ine."

"I-I don't think otherwise...i-its just safer to keep your distance. You were moments away from dying just now!"

"Ineiru, just because you've been in real combat, does not mean you can baby me from participating."

"I-its not that-"

Zephise, noting the bout put a hand to his chin. "Well, with our current enemies, I'd say it is much safer to stick to long ranged attacks. One slip and we may end up having more problems at hand." He slyly pointed to the unattentive Rel. 

"I don't need your input, Grey boy."

Zephise was much more nonchalant and completely ignored the blatant derogative term. "Tch. Why do you have to be so hardheaded." Zephise waived his hand in dismissal.

"Now hold on." Aren chided in. "This isn't just about who's more powerful or if you are powerful enough to hold your on."

This was the first time he had spoken in a while. "This is a mission with circumstances. We can't just hack'n'slash our way through it. As a unit, there needs to be a set plan of attack otherwise, yo end up with unforeseen injuries."

"Tch. This has been nothing so far. Your strong boy slips up once, and now you think the same is going to happen to me?"

Rel and Oreilia...they were both as stubborn as each other. Rel had acted much the same in his refusal to withdraw from the mission and seek treatment.

Aren sighed after realizing it is a futile attempt. If worst comes for worst, he would have to utilize his relic.  But even that didn't guarantee safety in all situations. 

Aren sighed. 

"Well, it's not like you guys are our jurisdiction anyways. You follow your king, and we follow Ora."

"Oh..-" Oreilia was about to say something as if she had suddenly remembered, but Ineiru had actually cut her off and beat her to the punch. 

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"W-who's this Ora everyone's been talking about?"

Oreilia also felt the need to chide in. "He's the talk of much unpleasantries in town... All I know about him is that he's definitely powerful, perhaps even powerful enough to rival Lord Galtz."

"You mean...you guys don't know about Ora? I mean, even after the current events?" Zephise asked. He seemed perplexed that such a large incident could happen and not reach the ears of Luxe-Sei'O.

Ineiru nodded. "Mmh... His is a name that only recently come up in my studies... though his power... i-is he a variant?"

Rel noticed the conversation but took no interest in participating. His mind was elsewhere at the moment. 

 "Oi oi...enough of the questions. Ora is our leader and the current man in charge of Essen-Sei'O...by de-facto."

Aren answered. 

Zephise added. "And, he is indeed stronger than Galtz."

Oreilia looked like she had been personally smitten by such a statement. "Hold your tongue, Plague Child." Unlike her usual tease, her tone was one of vehemence. It seems Galtz was a touchy subject for her. Such a thing was understandable given she was under Galtz' tutelage. 

However, Zephise was one who was entirely unaware of social queues. He couldn't feel the tension in her voice. Nor could he distinguish the sadness in her tone. Zephise was a man comprised mostly of calculations. Thus, he understood very little of emotions.

"Galtz managed to take down the entire army of Baerim. That in itself is a feat that even the great Kars would be impressed by."

Zephise had a shocked look on his face, which caused Oreilia to feel contempt. He too now realizes the great power of his master. 

"Y-..." He stopped for a second to regain his composure. "You mean to tell me... Everyone believes it's Galtz?"

"What do you mean? Galtz had injured himself on the battlefield but managed to cause the rest to flee."

"Um... the one who defeated the Baerim army was not Galtz, but Ora."

This time the look of perplexion was not on Zephise, but Oreilia. She looked like she had heard something incomprehensible. Ineiru also briefly looked surprised but managed to bring her expression to a heel.

"Hoi. I don't trust I need to say this, but you shouldn't mess around with Galtz' name. He's been spending his past three months training the likes of you plague children."

The way she said that cut a little deep. It was beginning to sound wounding. She gave off the impression of every other discriminatory man that hated them. Aren responded spitefully. "Galtz is also our teacher. He couldn't hold a candle to Ora."

"In fact, while he was out of commission on the battlefield, Ora slew more people than he ever could within just 1 minute."

"In comparison to Ora, Galtz is a spec of dust on the side of the road."

Oreilia stood up and instantly drew her sword so that it rested right underneath Aren's chin. The amount of vehemence she held in that moment was enough to threaten everyone in the room- friend or foe alike.

Several people reacted at once the moment she did. Rel's hand rested on her shoulder with a tight grip, ready to dispose of her the moment she took action against one of his comrades. Ineiru also attempted to stop everything from blowing over.

Her staff stood in the way of Aren and Oreilia's sword. This was a typical stand-off. The tension in the air was high for the better part of a minute before she sheathed her sword and walked away scowling. 

Ineiru immediately withdrew, bowing to the trio and apologizing before scurrying off after her. She clutched her staff tightly on her way there. 

They hadn't seen the two for the rest of the night. They had retreated to a different house and decided to sleep there. 

The next morning they departed silently to the city of Irin-Sei'O. The tension was still high in the air, and they held each other low spirits. The trek to Irin-Sei'O took only 5 hours. 

When they finally got to Irin, they were met outside the gates by what appeared to be commoners. The city of Irin was surrounded entirely by thick cement walls aside from the 4 entryways. It gave off the appearance of a powerplant. Smoke constantly rose from the top opening. 

Rel was overcome with emotion upon seeing this cursed city again. Tension welled up within him and his heart threatened to collapse on itself. The constriction tightened his breath and he had to close his eyes and regain composure. 

"Don't come any further! Who are you all?"

Zephise put his hand up to signal the rest of them to stop and advanced ahead of the group. The men held up their spears in response. "Don't. Come. Any. Further."

"I see I see... " Zephise put up his hands to show he meant no harm. "We're not enemies. We're here on behalf of Ora, to rid Sei'O of the Baerim defectors."

The men seemed unamused and glared at him the moment he spoke. They knew the group were not enemies. Baerim did not have plague children, so it was quite obvious that the lot were from Sei'O. But nonetheless... the hostilities persisted. 

"We have no need for more plague children in Irin-Sei'O. The name Ora is not an official authority."

"Y..-" surely this was a lie. The entire country should be buzzing, talking of Ora. "What do you mean...Ora was the one who stopped this country from turning to dust."

The men glanced at each other and back at Zephise. "He's also the one responsible for all these escaped Baerim mages causing trouble."

So they did know! They knew of Ora's power and might. They knew that he had saved their lives. If the Bearim advancement had taken over Essen-Sei'O, the rest of the country would have perished as well. So why was it they held his name in such disdain?

"Ora... is one of you isn't he? Disgusting plague children? There's no room for someone like that within Irin-Sei'O. We already have enough problems with your lot."

"Y-..you guys can't be serious. How could you be so ungrateful to a power that saved this country."

The guards looked disgusted that a plague child would even speak to them like that. "Listen, kid. We have zero need for your kind here." He spat at Zephise. 

Oreilia casually rode up to the duo. Despite their warnings to stop their advances, Oreilia continued on until she was face to face with the guard. She dismounted and walked towards this weary guard.

They could tell from her trimmed armor, she was most definitely someone of high class and ranking. Nonetheless, they let their fears get the best of them. Their spear struck outwards and clanged against her breastplate, doing no damage at all. Not even a small gash was made.

She looked down at the spear that was supposed to pierce her and grabbed onto it, pushing it aside before casually closing in the distance between herself and the guard. 

There was a moment of fear shared between the two guards as they glimpsed her stern and cold gaze. Her hand swiftly rose and the sharpest noise was heard. It was as if steel had collided with steel... but alas, that was not the case.

She swiftly backhanded the guard. So powerful was the force, that the man was left in a daze for a second. He could see at least 3 of her at that moment.

"We're here under the orders of King Veilix. You will. Open. Your. Gates."

The two were immediately bound by authority. It was either her tone, or the power she had displayed just now, but both of them knew that to fight her meant to lose.

They allowed the rest of them in and glared at the plague trio as they passed.

Irin-Sei'O. The same as it always looked. Disgusting markets lining its rustic metal appearance. The streets were bronze with rust that made it look brown. 

Factories dotted themselves throughout the city. They were coal smelting factories and mining caves. Below the city of Irin, there were several tunnels. These tunnels lead to caves and mines that both existed below the city, and externally outside of the city.

Anyone who was not a market owner, or one of the factory owners, lived miserably. They lived life as if they were continuously going to work for the remainder of their years. The ones who refused to continue working anymore, primarily due to old age, were left to beg in the streets.

And in a city so poor, who would spare their change so willingly? They went days without eating, collecting and saving up as much as they could a day before they finally amassed enough for food. This place was similar to the slums of Essen-Sei'O, except everywhere was a slum.

They were met with nervous glares and unwelcome looks. But as of yet, it appeared no one was harmed. Whenever they tried to approach someone to ask questions, the people turned the other way and promptly left. 

Everything seemed to be of moot point until a voice called out behind them.

"Rel!!!!" 

Rel's eyes widened. He almost couldn't bear to turn around. The voice was so familiar, so many different memories began to flood his mind. He slowly turned around with his heart racing. 

It was a voice he didn't mind hearing, even in a city as disgusting as this.

Who he saw behind him...