The motionless shadow of a man had cast itself against the wall at the far end of the alley. The moon, three-quarters full and high in the cloudless night, revealed its owner.

A silver object poked out from the cloaked man's chest. The knife slowly drifted down his ribcage, severing everything in its way.

"Oops, I was supposed to bring this man in. Guess I got a little too excited."

He withdrew it in one swift motion, causing the sword to seemingly vanish. Then the man's intestines started to spill onto the floor, creating a pile of entrails, fat, and blood.

"How-how could you?!" Touji yelled.

The knight Obron dropped the man's severed corpse onto the stained wooden planks.

Touji dropped beside him, tugging on him as he gasped for breath. "Oi . . . Old man, don't die on me."

The old man's eyes opened, choking on his own blood, he hoarsely muttered. "Ring five . . . Kobra . . . Hurry-"

Touji felt something cold drain from his heart as the man let out a gurgled groan, his eyes rolling up into his head. He watched as Obron began touching the old man's guts with his sword as if to see how fresh they were.

Touji screamed and scrambled away. He sprinted out of the room, slamming the door behind him. A voice came from behind, "Don't go too far. I'll get to you in a minute."

-I don't want to die-I don't want to die!

Touji ran and ran, dashing down streets and alleys. He ran blindly, falling and getting back up. He was becoming frantic. He stopped, out of breath, with the pain in his chest becoming increasingly unbearable.

-Step back for a second. Think about this Touji. You can't outrun him, plus you've run out of stamina. Think of another way. Come on!

He started biting his fingers as he racked his brain for a solution.

"Good boy. Were you waiting for me? You don't know how much that warms my heart."

Touji's mind began to fuze up, a drop of blood had fallen in front of him, landing with a light splash on the ground.

Looking above him, he saw the shimmering blade, dirtied with blood and guts, sparkle on a rooftop.

-Come on Touji. Stall him.

"Why'd you kill him?!" He shouted up to the stern figure dressed in white.

Oberon raised his hand to his face and covered his mouth as if to hide a light laugh. "Oh, my dear, naive fool. Your old friend, if only I could say they were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. But their demise serves a greater purpose – to show you the futility of your Black Tail's beliefs, the fragility of your worlds."

"I don't get a damn word you're saying. I don't even think you understand it yourself. Regardless, you are guaranteed to end up paying for this in the worst death possible."

"Ah, the unwavering faith of the righteous. It's almost adorable. Karma, was it? The righteous expect good because they do good and in turn, they expect evil from those they deem 'worthy'. But us 'pagans', we are not surprised when evil arrives at our doorstep and yet you don't see us begging for our lives, food or any other pleasures. If you are to ask me, we are the ones who are blessed. Those who have hope will lose it, and those with none have only to gain. I have no qualms about your threats since they hinge on the fact that some invisible force will somehow exact justice on personages such as myself. All you've done is admit your weakness and unwillingness to fight the one in front of you."

"Sheesh, you talk way too much. Are you a comedian? I think you'd be really good at it?"

"This is why your kind is despised. All you people do is look down on the so-called 'bad' to distract yourselves from ever seeing one's self. Well, enough is enough. I will put those beliefs of yours into perspective by putting you down. At least someone will get a little enjoyment out of your existence."

"Tell your mommy I said 'hi'." Touji gritted his teeth and turned to make his last attempt to escape.

The sky to his right suddenly lit up. Sparks and debris rained down around him as a large explosion sent him off his feet. His body hit the ground and slid across the dusty cobblestones, his head and ears rattling from the impact.

A few seconds later, another explosion went off. House after house burst into flames. Screams and shouts were heard as the inhabitants scurried from their dwellings, desperate to find safety.

Touji, stunned by the blast, could barely move. The ground shook with the footsteps of people rushing past.

As his hearing slowly returned, he peered back up to where the figure had stood only to catch a glimpse of the guard leaping from the roof and land beside him, removing his cape as he fell.

"I can't believe it! It's the Ignis Devil and on a silver platter! This really is my lucky day!"

He then leaped full-on into the flames, disappearing without another word.

Touji pulled himself to his feet. The heat was intense as he stared at the inferno. A familiar aroma entered through his nostrils. The unmistakable scent of burning flesh.

His mind went blank. He could barely see. The memories were far too graphic for him to handle, causing a break in his conscious mind as it took drastic measures to prevent them from resurfacing. When he was finally allowed to regain control, Touji found himself running in utter fear. He had left the fire far out of sight and was heading for the outer walls of the city at the speed of a wild animal.

While crossing the seventeenth street with acceleration at full, the houses and shops suddenly become dirty and rundown as if he had entered onto what remained of a warzone.

-The slums. Looks like I made it to ring five.

His legs began to slow as he neared the walls, the dirt and stone becoming more frequent. Finally, he came to an abrupt stop, placing his hands on his knees and panting heavily.

From behind him, he heard a rustle. He quickly spun around; his eyes wide with fright.

"Doma ik camora."

The words were uttered as a knife had quietly slipped below his throat. Touji could not catch a glimpse of his attacker as he was swiftly pressed against the wall, but he could tell that the voice was that of a woman.

Touji stood motionless, shaking with exhaustion. Searching frantically through his head he was reminded of what the man had said to him before dying.

"Kobra."

The knife slipped away from his throat and was placed back into its sheath.

"I apologize for my rudeness just now. But as you know we need to be completely certain. I hope you understand."

Touji let out a heavy sigh as the pressure was finally released from his back.

The figure was tall and slender with dark-coloured hair hidden within her hooded cloak, a trend he was beginning to catch on. Her face could not be seen in the dim light but by the sound of her voice and the feel of her hand on his shoulder, he guessed she was still very young.

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"Follow me." She ordered in a soft yet firm tone.

Touji sauntered closely behind, his eyes fixed on her back as she led him through the slums.

-Oi, oi. What am I doing following random strangers? I understand absolutely nothing. Aaaaah, but I literally have no other choice but to trust the first person who doesn't try to kill me.

Even though questions flooded his mind, he held off for fear of being heard by the numerous guards which they frequently had to steer clear of.

"Why are you slowing down? We need to hurry!" She whispered harshly.

-Are you seriously asking me that?

He begrudgingly sped up.

His respective attitude towards the opposite gender was quickly fading as this woman didn't at all have any consideration for his state. The pain in his ribs was still causing him immense pain and the adrenaline was wearing off. Not to mention he had just come running for a good fifteen minutes straight before her assault. He was not in the best of conditions to be asked to speed up. He was becoming impatient as he had zero idea of where they were heading. Blindly following the lead of a rather barbaric-natured woman who had definitely been instructed from a young age in the art of killing (a wonderful combination) wasn't exactly his forte.

As they crept between the broken houses and down the bumpy roads, they finally arrived at an extremely uncanny half tent half wooden structure which could quite possibly have once been a house.

"We've arrived."

She then lifted her hood, revealing an attractive young woman with long flowing black hair and a thin face. She examined him closely, checking his arms and chest, curiously wincing at his clothing as if it were made by aliens.

"Okay, you can stop staring. You're making me feel gross."

*Spuh* the woman spat suddenly, holding back a smile.

"I don't care what world you're in, but my sense of fashion should not incur this much attention."

"Ok, young man." she answered, still containing a smirk.

Touji sighed.

-Well, at least I feel slightly more comfortable being around her.

The woman then motioned him to follow her. As they entered the tent, she quickly stripped some wooden flooring off of the ground, opening up to a stairwell leading down.

"Please enter."

Following her lead he entered, taking care not to fall as the light was almost non-existent. As he got no more than a few stairs down the woman followed shortly after him, placing the boards over the exit.

-Hey! Now I can't see Jack! How am I supposed to get to the bottom without any light, and alone with a woman sneaking behind me?!

His next few thoughts, triggered by 'alone' and with 'woman' became a revoltingly large distraction from his currently dire situation.

He immediately shook his head.

-It's probably a trap if I'm to be honest.

Then without a second thought, he yelled "Lights!" at the top of his lungs.

A hand was quickly placed around his mouth.

"Quiet, I'm getting to it. Nuin!"

In response, a reddish light appeared in the darkness.

"Huh. Why is that red? I thought it was supposed to be yellowish-washy."

She stopped, estranged from the fact that he would ask such a question.

"I guess because it's mine."

"And that changes what exactly?"

"I don't know who's you saw but every spell has a more or less different effect depending on who's casting it."

"How different?"

"Mostly small differences, but in some rare cases it can alter the spells use entirely."

-Seriously? Talk about making it complicated.

"So what you're telling me is that technically that spell you just cast could theoretically be a mind-controlling spell?"

". . ."

"Glad to know."

Touji followed the woman as she walked ahead, peering at the wet and rusty steps below as they descended.

"I'm not sure if this question has an obvious answer, but may I ask where you are taking me?"

The woman in the armour stopped in her tracks and turned her head around to the point where her chin was resting on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, but how did you get your hands on the password?"

"Well, I was only told about it an hour ago."

"By whom?" The young woman stopped in surprise.

"No idea. He said, 'Ring Five' and 'Kobra' and that's about all I know."

"What did he look like?"

Touji described him to the best of his ability though his details were limited.

"What happened to him?! Where is he?!" The young woman began to look more like a girl as she anxiously waited for his response.

"He d-died."

"Huh!?" The girl's eyes widened.

"He was killed by a guard. I would be dead too if it wasn't for him and a few fireworks."

The girl's eyes softened as she turned away.

"Excuse me," she said softly, turning away. "I apologize for losing my composure."

"No, it's fine. Did you know him?"

There was a brief moment of silence before the woman answered. "We were close."

She started to walk again, trying desperately to hide the look of grief floating in her eyes.

"We're here."

They stopped at a passageway leading off to the right, branching out of the main tunnel. As they entered, the walls lit up with Aposs crystals, shining their light blue ambiance, and illuminating the room. They proceeded further into the room where Touji found himself standing in front of a large stone slab resting against the wall.

"Khixma." The girl in black muttered under her breath.

A single hand-sized crystal embedded in the middle of the stone lit up, shooting strings of blue light through the groves in the door, creating a symbol similar to that of a star.

The slab split in half, revealing a separate room filled with what appeared to be surgical knives and scissors stacked beside a long yet thin table which Touji presumed to be an operating table.

The woman indicated for him to sit down on the table and Touji quickly obliged himself. She then bowed and quietly left the room explaining that she would be back with a medic. Touji sat fingering his chest while the pain from his injuries gradually subsided.

A few moments later, the woman reappeared, followed by a petite, short-haired girl, pink in colour that fell forward over both eyes. She appeared to be rather shy at first glance at Touji but soon entered the room while staying close behind the older woman.

"My apologies, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Fairial Demel, and this is our medic, Maphori. Despite her age, she is the most experienced healer here. She will patch you up."

The pink-haired girl nodded and stepped forward, bowing slightly.

"Maphori, I believe there are some lacerations over his back and upper chest area. More than that I do not know."

The pink-haired girl nodded, giving a tiny smile.

As soon as her eyes met with Touji's, the smile dissipated as she glared at him between the strands of hair.

"What's wrong?" Touji asked, "Did I do something wrong?"

She refused to answer but slowly approached him. She motioned him to show her his arm. She touched it and muttered something under her breath.

-It must have been a bad day.

"So where are you from?" Fairial asked Touji as she leaned her back against the wall, her arms crossed.

Touji pondered how he would answer such a question.

"I came from a village down south, I think? Not entirely sure where compared to here."

"What's its name?"

"I don't remember. I stayed in a cabin outside of it and rarely ever went there."

Fairial put her hand to her chin and raised her eyebrows.

"Do you know what the chief's name is?"

"No, to be honest. But he had a bald head and a mustache. Also, he wore green and gold whitish clothes I think."

"Ah, chief Sylvar Hearthstone. He was once a chancellor for the gov's years ago, before the separation camps became a thing. My father once knew him although they weren't super close."

"I'd be a lot more worried if they were." He whispered under his breath.

Maphori, who all this time been flipping through some sort of medical book shot her head up and gave him an evil eye.

-Bro. What the hell is her problem?

"I've found the problem. It appears you've suffered some rather extensive damage, especially to your internal organs."

"Thanks for the update. Can you fix it now instead of telling me how bad it should hurt?"

The pink-haired girl, looking down again, nodded and raised her hand as if she were planning to poke him in the stomach.

"Maphori, be nice," Fairial interjected.

The girl looked at her as if she had been told something extremely offensive.

"I am interested though." Fairial continued, "What made you decide to come to the city of Shizma from such a calm village, at least from what I've heard. Or have things changed?"

"It's complicated."

"Well, since my father entrusted the password to you, I won't pry too much about what you did outside of this city. But I need to ask, why were you out at night?"

Maphori placed her hands over his chest and started chanting a spell, the light emanating from her hands glowed bright blue as they began to warm.

-Maybe I should tell her. Perhaps she would know som-

Suddenly, the pink-haired girl jumped back, a look of shock on her face.

"What? What's wrong?" He asked again.

"What have you come here to do?" she asked, her voice so quiet and nimble he could barely hear it.

"What are you-"

His voice crackled as an unfamiliar sensation of heat spread across his body.

"Maphori. What did you do?!" Fairial shouted.

Touji placed his hands around his neck as blood gushed from his throat.

Maphori stood terrified in front of him, her small hands clenched around a surgical knife.

Fairial grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Heal him! Now!"

"I refuse!"

A loud clap was heard as the swordsman in black armour struck the medic on the cheek, knocking her to the ground.

She rushed to Touji, placing her hands around the incision on his neck to stop the bleeding. Touji's eyes rolled back as the pain was too great for him to keep them open.

"Stay with me," Fairial whispered.

Maphori, her hand still holding the knife, lay on the ground, watching as her victim struggled for breath. Quietly, his breathing ceased, and his heart stopped.

Fairial dropped him and stood, walking slowly towards her.

"Explain yourself."

Maphori, unable to hold back any longer, threw her head into the ground and started crying.

"Because he was-"

There was a deafening silence as the air thickened and darkened.

"I-I'm sorry I struck you. I don't know what got into me."

"It's fine."

There was another moment of silence. Then Fairial spoke.

"I guess I'll go back on patrol then. Can't remember why I came back." She leant out her hand to Maphori, a warm smile passing over her face.

The pink-haired girl stood up and brushed her clothes.

"Sorry, Maphori."

She nodded.

Fairial then proceeded to leave the room. Maphori stood there deep in thought. She looked at the floor feeling conflicted. She had a feeling that something had been there a minute ago, but it was nothing more than a feeling.