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The infamous pirate ship, the Van Eltia, sailed away from the scene of the Vortigern sea battle at full speed. The vengeful woman, Velvet Crowe, was standing on the bow of the Van Eltia, unable to comprehend the event unfolded a few moments ago. She remembered the hair comb and the rose corsage Seres gave to her on the night she escaped from Titania before Velvet consumed her.

Questions were floating in her head. Then again, she could still recall that night; a barrage of malakhim artes attacked and mutilated Avernus' body and the injuries she inflicted on him were profound and severe. She saw him die. There was no way he could have survived that night. The sliver of hope turned to zero once again.

The door to the lower deck opened. The pirate malak Eizen, the daemon swordsman Rokurou, the unlikely witch Magilou, and the lizard daemon Dyle stormed out. Magilou crooked like an older woman, raced to the nearest wall and leaned against it, practically breathless.

"Why… *huff*… Why did you guys need me to help carry him?! I could barely lift up his weapon!", she groaned, "Ohh… my back… Look what you've done to my delicate body!"

Dyle let out a groan that came out like a hardened hiss and pointed to his backside.

"Hey! If you're talking about me and, if you hadn't noticed, my tail hasn't fully grown back yet! Balancing is a huge problem for me!"

Rokurou swang Dreamshadow left and right, "Now that you mentioned it, Magilou, the weight of this thing is too heavy for a scepter, or even a lance." Rokurou narrowed his eyes and carefully checked the etching on the weapon, "I can't make out any of this. What language is that?"

The kid malak moved to his side, "I can read it."

Rokurou looked at him and smiled, "Be my guest."

The child's eyes scrutinized the writings, "Hmm… It means, “Rise with dreams, die with memories”, in the ancient tongue."

Velvet moved closer and checked the staff herself. Suddenly, her face scrunched up in sadness, "Yes… It's his…"

She let out a silent wail, "You should have dropped it into the sea!"

Rokurou glanced at her unsurely, "You mean the staff? Why?"

"No, not the staff. I'm talking about that imposter! That… thing! I just can't…"

"Do you want to talk about it?", Rokurou calmly asked.

Velvet turned away, lowered her head, and hugged herself for a moment before going to the inner quarters. "No."

Magilou rolled her eyes and sighed, "And just when she was starting to get better…"

In the meantime, Eizen was standing near the ship's mast with his arms crossed, and lost in his thoughts. Rokurou, disappointed, turned to Eizen, "Why did you punch him? He didn’t seem like a threat. Especially after he helped us."

Eizen hesitated, which, in turn, made Rokurou even more suspicious. After a brief moment, he narrowed his eyes, "Don't tell me that you know him too."

Eizen exhaled, wanting to calm his nerves. "Three years ago, we encountered the wreckage of an unknown ship near the shores of Eastgand. The crew was already dead, and their bodies mangled. We also found the remains of a dead Kraken with its jaw torn from its face. We dove into the waters to search for survivors or any loot. Instead, we found him. He was still alive alongside that weapon and a chest. Aifread immediately recognized the symbols on the staff and wanted to keep it for himself. Things didn't go as planned and he escaped, causing some damage along the way."

Rokurou laughed audibly, "That explains it. So that punch was a little payback?"

Eizen glared at Rokurou, "Yes and no. I want answers. He might know something about Aifread's whereabouts."

Rokurou shook his head and leaned the staff against the wall, "I'm not sure about you and Velvet. I mean, he helped us, using whatever arte those were, against the royal navy and the daemons. I don’t even want to think about getting on his bad side."

Eizen turned to Magilou, "Are those magic wards you cast going to keep him contained?"

However, Magilou raised her arm and mimicked Avernus' javelin throwing. She then turned her attention towards Eizen and shrugged at him. "Well… I don't know."

Eizen groaned and shot a death glare at her. Magilou sensed the danger and cleared her throat, "Yeah, I think it can hold him somehow… I hope."

Eizen rubbed his face, sighed, and turned to Benwick, "We need someone to stand guard until he wakes up. Also…", he paused for a moment, "What about his malak?"

Magilou stared thoughtfully at the floor, "I don't think he had a malak… Or did he?"

Dyle facepalmed, "Oh, that’s just great. We're all going to die…"

Rokurou unsheathed his twin daggers and brandished them around, grinning haughty, "Don't worry about it. I’ll be ready for whatever he throws at us!"

Magilou jumped in the middle of the conversation, "Hey! Haven’t you guys forgotten something?"

Everyone started to stare at her with their puzzled faces.

"Aren’t you going to thank your mighty savior for her precise and crafty cannonballing?", Magilou reminded them.

Benwick frowned, "Damn it, you're crazy! I told you not to touch the cannon! Instead, you had to go and fire the damn thing!"

Magilou locked her arms behind her head and grinned, "But it was so much fun! And everything worked out in the end, right?", she said proudly.

"No. It was the imposter who killed it. Not you.", Velvet corrected her.

The kid malak slowly moved towards Velvet shamefully.

"It was my fault. I'm sorry…"

However, Velvet crouched calmly, "If that compass is important to you, then keep it safe. You wouldn’t want to lose it again."

The kid smiled.

Eizen marched up to the kid's side, "Give it to me. I need to set a course for Loegres."

But the kid held the compass tightly and refused to give it to him. Eizen swallowed his anger and sighed, "Alright, you do it for me. But if you give me one faulty reading, I'll feed you to the sharks."

Eizen's threat scared the kid, and he glanced at Velvet. She tilted her head to the side, "Better work hard then."

"Umm… What’s Laphicet?", the kid abruptly asked out of nowhere.

"It’s a name. Your name.", Velvet answered.

“My… name?”, the kid said, smiling, “Laphicet.”

Rokurou joined them and nodded in agreement, "That's a good name."

"Well, it’s not so bad, but not as good as ‘Magilou’.", the witch added imperiously.

Eizen tapped Laphicet's shoulder, "We're nearly through the channel. Set us a course to Loegres, Laphicet."

Laphicet pointed towards the horizon excitingly, "We're on the right course for Loegres!"

But he felt a strange sensation that someone was watching them.

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In the ship’s lower decks, Avernus opened his eyes as he began to gasp for the air. He quickly checked his surroundings but found out that some golden shackles had cuffed his hands and legs. There were also some weird writings and symbols engraved on the ground around him.

He sighed, "That's for being naïve, Avernus. You deserved it."

A pair of eyes glowed in the darkness. Avernus sensed his malak.

"C'mon, Tia, help me break out of these stupid shackles.", Avernus ordered angrily.

Tiamat moved closer and smirked, "Oh, my brave hero. Your sincere intent for that girl led you to… this."

Avernus shot an unpleasant glance at her, "Quit being cheeky for once and help me destroy these damned irons!"

Tia melted them with ease. Avernus threw them away, huffing in anger.

"I bet you're angry and disappointed that she didn't bounce into your arms in excitement.", Tia mocked him.

Avernus paid no attention and continued to survey the walls and the door of his cell.

Tia morphed into her orb and entered his body. "The things they said about you… she saw you as an imposter and wanted to throw you overboard. I feel like I’m more disappointed than you. I expected her to be more than that.", she whispered in his head, "Velvet is a daemon now. She is becoming a font of malevolence."

"I know… I saw her transformation that night, but it doesn't change anything. I still need to talk to Velvet.", Avernus insisted.

"Then you'll need to know about her companions and what you need to expect if a possibility of a fight emerges. First, they have a yaksha with them. Strangely, he is mostly in control of his actions, but if he decides to attack you-"

Avernus cut Tiamat short, "A yaksha is a daemon of war. If I provoke him, he’ll attack relentlessly, making him easy to exploit."

"Yes, and there’s also that earth malak. The same one that punched you in the stomach. He claims that he already fought you three years ago on this very ship. He’s a young malak, about a thousand years old, but he’s experienced. The exciting sensation I got from him is that his domain acts erratically for those around him. You can use this 'bad luck' against him."

Avernus exhaled and stopped searching, "You’re correct. We crossed paths on this vessel three years ago. I speculated that he’d already be dead by now. An earth malak living as a pirate? He’s bound to meet a premature end. What else?"

"The rest are harmless. There’s a human girl claiming to be a witch. She’s the one responsible for these so-called wards in your cell. Then we have Velvet Crowe. She’s some kind of a berserker or… a hag now. I can't distinguish her abilities just yet."

"I think Artorius called her a therion that night.", responded Avernus.

"I don't know much about her main abilities, but I can understand this: She feeds on other living creatures. Velvet can devour any living being. Daemons, humans, malakhim, anything."

"A daemon that feasts on daemons…", Avernus repeated Artorius' phrase, staring coldly into the wall. However, he quickly snapped out, "Wait… what about Seres?"

"I didn't see or feel her presence on this ship."

Avernus grunted as the worst-case scenario flashed in his mind, "I have a bad feeling about this…"

He looked at a metal grate above his cell, "Would you kindly, Tia?"

With a whisper of approval from Tia in Avernus' mind, his body engulfed in a colorless smoke, and then wisped through the net, leaving the brig. The mist travelled across the lower deck, passed the pirate guards unnoticed, and through the shadows. The night was upon them and most of the crew were already preparing to get back to their quarters. After reaching an empty room on the deck of the ship, Avernus materialized from Tiamat's mist arte.

He nearly stumbled forward as he lost his balance, gasping for air, "Damn it. I never get used to that. It's even worse than warping."

He closed his eyes and waited a few seconds to let the feeling of nausea ease itself. He then peeked through the main door to check the upper deck for more guards.

"There are few pirates onboard. That's odd.", Avernus observed.

"After you took out the royal navy fleet, one of them mentioned something about another scouting ship which seemed like the one that Velvet used before. Maybe most of them sailed away to commandeer that one."

Avernus nodded to himself, "Well, fewer pirates means I can talk to Velvet more easily."

Avernus slid into the crew quarters and checked each room quietly for Velvet. He finally found her place near the middle. Avernus snuck into the room, closing the door and putting a magic barrier on it. Avernus pressed his lips as he saw her sitting on the ground, sleeping with her head down. He calmly walked towards her, crouched, and scrutinized her from up close. His breathing intensified as cold sweat formed on his forehead. He tucked a hair strand behind her ear.

"What happened to you…?"

Avernus then gently patted her on the shoulder, "Hey… Velvet, open your eyes."

Her eyelids opened up instantly as if they were ready. Their gazes locked on one another. Avernus tried to smile.

“Hey, Velvet. Long time no see…”, he whispered gloomily.

Velvet suddenly rose on her feet. Her blade darted out of its gauntlet, and Velvet pointed in near his neck.

"Get the hell away from me!", she demanded threateningly.

"I'm not here to fight you, Velvet.", he murmured miserably. Avernus gestured to himself, "It's me, Aver-"

But her blade tore the air towards him, he dodged it effortlessly, but Velvet immediately followed up with her aggression. Her sword kept whistling through the air as Avernus parried each one with his metallic gauntlets.

Schwing!

Clang!

Schwing!

Clang!

Schwing!

Clang!

Velvet relentlessly attacked. Her yelling and sounds of metals clashing alerted everyone on the ship. Eizen, Magilou, Rokurou, Benwick, Dyle, and Laphicet were all scrambled at the door. Eizen slammed his shoulder into the door, pushing it, but it wouldn't budge.

He whirled his head at the swordsman, "Rokurou, help me break the door down. Now!", Eizen shouted and they both proceeded to ram the door.

But, again, their efforts were in vain as only a faint hum resonated from the door.

"It's protected by a magic barrier!", Magilou stated.

Laphicet then cast an arte to break the door. The arte disappeared and sparkled on the door.

"It’s no use, kiddo…", Magilou tried to dissuade Laphicet from using his powers, but he continued nonetheless.

In the meantime, Avernus, having his serious and calm face on, maintained his stance. Velvet relentlessly slashed at him to break his defenses. She pushed on her right boot and extended the foot blade as she tried to catch him off guard by performing a surprise Rising Moon technique.

However, Avernus was ready for it. As soon as Velvet's strike missed, he grabbed her leg in mid-execution, pulling her off the ground and throwing her to the other side. Before Velvet could resume her stance, Avernus dashed at her and grabbed both her arms, pushing and pinning her body to the wall.

"Velvet… Look into my eyes.", Avernus calmly said to Velvet as she turned her head left and right, trying to avoid his gaze.

"No, no, no, NO!"

"Listen to me for once! It’s really me! I'm still alive. There are no tricks, and there is no imposter!"

Malevolence radiated from her body. Avernus felt a heavyweight on his soul and piercing pain in his chest.

"You cannot help me… You're not here… You're not real.", Velvet mumbled breathly.

"I'm as real as the time we went hunting for those damn prickleboars together! I'm as real as the promise I made to you and Laphicet all those years ago!", he shouted to her ignorant face.

Velvet eyes flared up in anger, and she darted her deathly glare at his eyes. Reminding her of a happy time was a double-edged sword. "Do you think those times mattered?! My brother is dead! My friends are dead! And you claim that somehow being here would help me with that?!"

Avernus stood silent, and words failed him instantly.

"I have survived all these years, devouring daemons day after day for whatever reason just for the sole purpose of killing him.", said Velvet, "Why have you come back? Why are you even here? The world is a better place now. It’s safer. Isn't that what you wanted?", asked Velvet calmly, but bitterly.

Avernus shook his head slowly. "No, this was not the world I wanted. A world that took some innocent's life in exchange for peace is unforgivable, and I will not tolerate it."

Velvet frowned. She didn't expect another soul would care.

"Where’s Seres?", asked Avernus hastily.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"She’s dead.", Velvet informed coldly.

Avernus swallowed, "What?… How?"

"I devoured her. It was her last request."

He gritted his teeth. Velvet wouldn't lie, but her uncaring response alarmed him.

"I see…", Avernus marched to the door and turned his head slightly to the side.

"I ran into Seres before she set off to free you from that prison. I have some leads that can help us track down Artorius.", he sighed gloomily, "I'm an ally, not your enemy, Velvet."

Velvet clenched her fists and pressured them.

Avernus opened the door and greeted with some surprised, yet relaxed, faces as the entourage heard his conversation with Velvet. Avernus let out a sneer and uncaringly walked to the deck.

"Well, that was quite a show!", Magilou stated.

Laphicet took off to check on Velvet, but she shut the door in his face. The boy let out a dull hum as he stared into the door.

Eizen pursued Avernus to the deck, finding him leaning against the ship's railing in the middle as if he didn't care for their presence.

"Back for more swimming lessons, malak?", said Avernus.

Eizen raised his hand in peace, "No. I'm not here to fight you. But I want to ask you some questions."

Avernus shifted his attention to him.

"Do you know anything about Van Aifread?", asked Eizen.

"No. Did you lose your captain?"

"He disappeared a while back. I wasn't sure, but I thought you might know something about him because-"

"Because we fought three years ago?", Avernus paused for a brief moment, "Then I'm guessing you lost that weapon too."

Eizen was surprised that he knew about that unique relic Aifread had in his possession.

Avernus sensed the shock in his gaze, "That weapon was from the far continent. I carried one, but I gave it back. Its function wasn't in line with my work."

"Why did you help us in the first place?", asked Eizen.

"I had something totally different in mind.", Avernus exhaled briefly, "Guess that doesn't matter anymore. Once we reach Loegres, you should meet up with our mutual contact."

Eizen's eye's narrowed, "What contact?"

"It's a shadow guild in Loegres. The owner knows your lost captain. But it’s not my place to discuss this. You’ll have to ask them yourself."

Avernus noticed Magilou, Rokurou, along with Laphicet, slowly trailing behind Eizen. To his surprise, Rokurou smiled in a friendly manner.

"Wow, that was awesome! I don't think anyone has ever witnessed that much spectacular destruction and mayhem in one place!", the swordsman expressed excitement, "By the way, I'm Rokurou-"

The witch interrupted, "And I'm Magilou, the greatest witch that ever lived!", Magilou immediately introduced herself much to Rokurou's annoyance.

"I'm Eizen.", the pirate malak tipped his head to the kid, "This is Laphicet."

Avernus suddenly flinched, and his eyes focused on the little kid, making him uncomfortable.

"Did Velvet give you that name, little malak?", Avernus mumbled to himself.

Laphicet lowered his head, reluctant to respond to him. Avernus slightly smiled, "That's a fine name… Laphicet."

Unknown and unexplainable to the little malak, he beamed from his praise.

Magilou then twisted her arms and put them behind her head, "And here I thought we got ourselves another Velvet, but we got the male equivalent instead… Guess you're a little dose better than her, huh?"

Avernus narrowed his eyes at her, frowning. Magilou threw her arms in the air, "Okay! Alright! I take it back! Sheesh, you even have the same death-gaze as Velvet."

"I'm Avernus."

The daemon swordsman stroked his chin, "Hmm… You're not from around here, are you? I mean, your name, accent, attire, and especially your artes are all different from what we’ve seen in Midgand.", observed Rokurou.

"No, I’m not from around here. But I’m not as strange as a daemon that didn’t lose his sense of reason.”, Avernus observed.

Rokurou chuckled, “Oh, you noticed! What can I say? I simply retained some of my humanity.”

Avernus turned his eyes back to the ocean and skipped to the back, “If you have no more questions, I'd rather be left alone.”

"That went better than I expected. But his artes are no a mystery to me.", Magilou stated.

"Why is that?", Rokurou inquired.

"Let's just say I might have an idea of who he is.", Magilou anticipates, leaving the rest of them in a state of uncertainty.

At the top of the deck, Avernus gazed into the horizon.

"My, my… I sure missed this Avernus: Intimidating, fearsome, and formidable.", Tia whispered in his mind.

"I guess you were right; I should've expected that."

"I'm older and wiser than you, Avernus. You don't need to blame yourself."

Sleep escaped him. The cruel fate of Velvet gnawed at his soul.

"How could someone so innocent and pure change into such a despised creature?"

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Morning came. Everyone exited their quarters, and they noticed Benwick behind the helm, quietly gesturing at Avernus.

Eizen moved to Benwick's side, "Stop it. You don't need to be afraid of that man."

Benwick swallowed, "I don't know, first mate. Last time he was here, he nearly drowned you. Besides, you saw his stunt yesterday! He is a bloody one-man army wrecking machine!", Benwick said uncomfortably.

Eizen folded his arms and sighed as Avernus was oblivious to their conversation.

After a few moments, the ship docked at Port Zekson. Avernus was the first one to disembark and went to see the captain of the merchant ship that was appropriated to him.

The team walked into the port. Rokurou whirled his head around, surveying the area. "Aah… It’s refreshing to arrive at a port like normal people."

Magilou patted the kid's shoulder, "Good navigation, Laphicet. Looks like you earned your keep!"

Laphicet nodded cheerfully. At the same time, Velvet paced to Eizen's side, "Are you sure we won’t have problems with the authorities? Docking a pirate ship in a public pier doesn't seem like a good idea."

Eizen slightly grinned and went to join Avernus as he was explaining the situation to a merchant. The man noticed the first mate approaching, "Eizen! I see you made it from the north seas. I heard some strange rumors about Hellawes and Vortigern.", said the merchant captain.

"Hellawes is out of business and Vortigern has collapsed. You can't expect any trades ships for a while."

The man acknowledged and pointed to Avernus. "Yes, our friend here already filled me in on Vortigern. However the Abbey’s reports were hard to believe at first. Well, I'm off then. I’ve got to act quickly to take advantage of the situation."

"Any news about the captain?", Eizen asked.

"There are some rumors that the Abbey sent him to Titania. That might be your best lead."

"The Abbey's prison island? I'll look into it."

Avernus then handed Eizen a piece of paper, "With the help of the captain, we registered the Van Eltia as one of the regular merchant ships. He said that you did this in the past, but I'd rather say vigilant.", expressed Avernus.

Eizen checked the order sheet and glanced surprisingly at him, "Looks like you've already settled in with others pretty well. This is a legit registration."

Avernus grinned softly, "I think the words you're looking for are “thank you”. Hence, you're welcome."

Eizen smirked and shook his head in response. He saw Benwick waving at him from afar, Eizen nodded and turned to Velvet. "Before we head to Loegres, you should go and talk with Benwick. He has some news for you."

Velvet grimaced, "Can it wait for a bit?"

"’Fraid not. It’s about your ship. We’re gonna use her as a scouting vessel. Benwick can fill you in on the rest."

The group then returned to Benwick and Dyle as they were waiting for them near the dock. Velvet flashed a cold glance, "Eizen told us to come to see you. What’ this about a scouting ship?"

Benwick grinned proudly, "We're going to traverse the outer seas.", he cleared his throat, "Let me explain this: There are vast, open oceans called the outer seas beyond the borders of our kingdom."

Velvet's face shifted to a cold, uncaring mood, "And you want to explore them? Why?"

"To make a detailed map of the whole world!", answered Benwick.

Laphicet eyes gleamed with excitement, "A map of the whole world!"

Eizen nodded, "That’s right. We have a lot of ambitions. One of them is the creation of a complete and detailed world map. The reason for sailing to the far continent was the discovery of unknown lands."

Everyone in the group turned to Avernus. He noticed the weight of their need for an explanation.

"You people certainly have a lot of ambitions to pursue…", Avernus paused, but they were waiting for something else, "Alright… But I don't have a map with me."

Everybody moaned in disappointment as their chance to escape Eizen's crusade to create a map just sank to the bottom.

Avernus pulled something from his satchel, "But… I can help you with another matter." He held it in front of his face, "This is a high court imperial sigil. If you have this when you encounter imperial navy patrol ships from the far continent, they’ll give you a pass."

Avernus threw it at Eizen, who caught it with ease. He checked it from front to back, "How will they know this is the real thing?"

Avernus grinned, "They'll know."

"Explain.", Eizen demanded.

"It's been crafted from the blood of a most trusted advisor of the Hyland council. It hums with the energy they can grant.", explained Avernus.

"Wow! That's cool! It's like from a legate, am I right?", asked Laphicet.

Avernus shook his head dismissively, "I'm not like them at all, kid."

Laphicet dropped his head and gloomed.

Eizen nodded and gave the sigil to Benwick.

Velvet, and Magilou, both groaned. "I don't get it. Why is a map of a bunch of places nobody cares about that important?

Benwick, unfazed by their comments, cocked his head, "We need a lot of luck, and you seem to have a lot to spare."

Velvet was puzzled, "How do you plan to do that?"

"I want you and Avernus to use your gut instincts and knowledge of the outer seas to tell us where to look. In exchange, our ship will be at your service, and you'll get a fair share of the loot that we find in our exploration. You can assign orders from any place by using a specially trained messenger bird called a sylphjay.", described Eizen.

Benwick chuckled in excitement, "Think about it! We might come across some pretty good treasures, recipes, or rare ingredients to go with them!"

Velvet trailed off, “Hmm… That’s a lot of treasure you could find…”

“And we can use their services to find some rare and exotic equipment in some mysterious ruins or forgotten caches.”, Avernus told Velvet.

Rokurou nodded, "When you put it that way, it does sound interesting. And it won’t take too much of our time."

"Then it’s settled. I’ll mark the places I know and places I can assume are worth looking into on your map.", said Avernus.

Velvet peeked at Avernus from the corner of her eyes and sighed, "Okay, I'll help as long as I'm the one not responsible for how things turn out."

"That's great! I'll fill you two in on how things work!", said Benwick.

After they marked the location and sent the sylphjay, the squad began their journey to Loegres. After exiting the gate, Eizen finally asked the thing that’s been bothering him for the past hour. "Velvet, have you heard anything about Aifread when you were at Titania?"

"Yeah. I heard from the prisoners that an exorcist legate named Melchior took him away. I don't know anything beyond that.", Velvet answered and turned to Rokurou.

He shook his head, "Neither do I."

Magilou grinned, "I heard that he was taken away about a year ago. He also caused a lot of problems for the Abbey, if I remember correctly. Everything about him was kept under wraps. Nobody even knew what cell he was kept in."

Rokurou rubbed his chin, "Is Aifread an ordinary human, Eizen?"

"Yeah, he is. Aifread doesn't have any exorcist ability, and he isn't a daemon either."

"That's weird. They had captured their captain, but left the crew alone?", asked Magilou.

Eizen moaned vexingly, "In any case, we have to find him. Aifread is our captain, and his place is on the seas with us. I know he won't change his ways or bend his knee on anyone's orders. He’s too strong-willed for that."

As they went on, Magilou slid to Avernus' side, "I have to say, pretty boy, that strange magic you used on those ships, I haven't seen anything like it. I thought learning to master all four elements would be the pinnacle of sorcery!", Magilou jealously commented.

"That's impressive. But there is more to the world of sorcery when it comes to the elements.", Avernus explained while focusing his eyes on the road.

Magilou waved her hand, "What?! That's impossible! But you know what? I can use some of that information in my hunting for a certain little ‘turncoat’."

"I'm not interested.", Avernus expressed coldly.

"Oh, bugger. It seems I need to use my old spell crafting, consisting of backstabbing and slippers accomplices."

Rokurou smirked, "Spoken like a con artist."

"I am not a con artist!", Magilou protested.

"We’re not going to help, you know.", said Velvet.

"You and Avernus are both the same; ice cold stares that can freeze fire!", Magilou stated.

Once they finally caught sight of the walls of the capital, Laphicet ran in front of the group and yelled in excitement, "Wow! Those walls are so huge!"

"We've arrived at Loegres, the capital of the Midgand Empire.", said Eizen.

"Why do they have such big walls?", asked Laphicet.

"They built them to protect the city from daemon attacks.", Magilou answered, "They achieve it by using malakhim slaves. Humanity…"

"Weren't these walls here before, Laphicet?", wondered Rokurou.

"I don't know…", Laphicet dropped his head.

Magilou glanced at him, inquisitively, "It seems these tethered malakhim aren't even allowed the freedom to observe their surroundings." She whirled on her heels, playfully, "Take it in, because we’ll soon lose that luxury ourselves. The capital is the heart of the Abbey, with legions of exorcists and soldiers. This is no place for a collection of villains like us.", declared Magilou.

Velvet jumped in the conversation, "I just need to find Artorius, and that's it. I'm not looking for a place to settle down in.", she turned to Avernus, "You were here before, weren't you? How can we get in?"

Avernus then pointed at the long line of people and their carriages, "We go through them."

Velvet stood for a moment doubtingly. "An inspection.", she expressed nervously.

Avernus exhaled calmly, "Just act natural. They won't inspect everyone."

Magilou raised her brow, "Why so tense, Velvet? C'mon, let's go."

Velvet sighed as they moved towards the gate. Walking in a straight line, they inconspicuously avoided the guards’ and people's attention, marching as if the city was their natural territory.

Suddenly, a harsh voice called to Velvet.

"You, in the black coat. Show me your documentation."

The group stopped, and they turned to a hulking man in a full suit of armor. Velvet's voice began to stutter.

"If I act quickly, I can lose them in the crowd.", she thought to herself.

Everyone readied themselves for the worst case scenario. Avernus considered to show his pass forged by Tabatha.

Suddenly, Magilou hit Velvet in the back of the head, "Stupid girl! I told you time and again that a magician's apprentice must be charming!"

The guard turned to Magilou, "Are you a magician?"

Magilou smiled wickedly, "That’s right! I present to you the traveling troupe of mischievous misfits known across Midgand as… Magilou's Menagerie!"

People began to gather around them. Avernus rolled his eyes and glared at Magilou.

"Entertainment for the ceremony, I take it?", asked the guard.

Magilou waved her hands, "Indeed we are, my dear! Please, pardon my clumsy apprentice. She’s new." She looked at Velvet unimpressively, "Girl! Ease the man's concerns and show him the special dove trick you've spent all these weeks perfecting."

Velvet stared cluelessly at Magilou, "Oh! Uh, sorry, mistress. I forgot to prepare…", she mumbled.

"What?! You incompitent imbecile! A magician’s apprentice is always prepared!", yelled Magilou, gesturing to Velvet angrily.

However, the guard decided not to follow up on this, "It’s fine. Dove flying around would be a nuisance."

Avernus let out a sigh of relief. But the witch had something else in mind, "No, this will not do! If you're unable to summon a dove, you must act like one instead!"

Velvet's brows knotted to their limit. Avernus leaned closer to Magilou.

"Don't push your luck, Magilou.", he whispered.

Magilou ignored him and glared at Velvet, "ACT. LIKE. A. DOVE!"

Velvet gritted her teeth, but the guard was waiting for her performance.

Avernus charged up his smokescreen ability in case they have to escape. Out of the blue, Velvet raised her hand and held it in front of her face.

"Coo. Coo."

Velvet blushed instantly as the words flew from her mouth, followed by a simple flapping gesture.

Avernus suddenly lost his train of thought and stared at her flushed cheeks until he was pulled out of his reverie by Magilou's summoned doves.

"Remember, Magilou's Menagerie manufactures mirth! That was just a small sample for the good citizens of Loegres!", said Magilou as she danced cheerfully.

The guard huffed in anger. "Hey, no advertising at the gate! Move along!"

Magilou smiled back, and the group escaped the scene. Rokurou let out a loud laugh, "Wow, that was quick thinking, Magilou. Good job!"

Magilou giggled. "Don’t expect that kind of trick every day. Coo, coo."

Velvet growled in anger. She was ready and eager to devour the witch. Magilou instantly dashed and hid behind Rokurou.

"Oh, help me! That murderous gaze is out to get me!", she grinned maliciously, "Coo, coo."

Suddenly, Magilou sensed a presence behind her. She whirled her head around only to find Avernus smiling wickedly.

"If you love summoning a bunch of birds, I can conjure something… let’s say, more 'significant' next time."

He leaned near her ear, "Coo, coo.", he mumbled.

Magilou screamed in fear and darted to the front, "Ahh! He’s crazy!"

Laphicet held his stomach, failing to suppress his laughter, "Those doves were amazing, Magilou! I can't wait to see what kind of bird Avernus can summon!"

"Those are just crude tricks. The capital defenses are weak and pathetic.", Velvet mockingly said.

"Their defenses aren’t ‘weak’. They even increased it a few days ago.", Avernus replied.

"There are about a thousand exorcists, and two divisions of guards stationed at the capital.", Laphicet added.

Avernus closed his eyes and sighed, "There are more of them now… because of recent developments."

"Why? What happened?", asked Rokurou.

"I'll tell you guys later."

The group stumbled across a ceremony and heard people cheering, but the main gate was closed.

"Oh my… Those cheers show that the royals have the townsfolk in line.", Magilou stated.

An unfamiliar announcer then began to address the crowd, "Subjects! May I have your attention?! It is I, Percival Asgard, crown prince of the Midgand Empire…"

Rokurou turned to the rest of them, "They started the ceremony. It’ll be impossible to enter now."

Velvet paid no heed and surveyed the walls quickly and pointed to a tower on the left side, "There!"

Rokurou shook his head, "You can climb the tower, but attacking now would be suicide."

Velvet hesitated, but then she heard the prince say the name; Artorius Collbrande. People began to cheer for him, and Velvet took off towards the tower. Avernus immediately pursued her. Tia's whispers started to circulate in his mind. "Stop her! She’s going to ruin everything!"

"She’s lost it, but I won't stop her.", said Avernus.

He suddenly caught something from the prince's statement,

"…He called for Lord Innominant, one the five Empyreans, and blessed us with the strength of the malakhim."

Avernus nodded to himself, "Innominant… That's what they call that malak?"

Avernus raised his head and saw Velvet going to make an impossible jump. His eyes widened, "She won't make it!"

But Velvet jumped, transformed her arm and sank her claws into the stone wall.

"Damn it, if someone sees her…", Avernus dashed and warped topside toward Velvet. He grabbed her waist as she was trying to scale the walls.

"Let go of me!", Velvet yelled.

"Revert your arm! If someone sees us, we're finished!", said Avernus.

Velvet clenched her jaw, "No!"

Avernus sighed and glanced at the top of the tower. "I warned you, Velvet!"

Then he teleported the both of them to the top of the tower. They both appeared out of thin air and landed on their feet. Velvet quickly collected herself and glared at Avernus, then headed towards the edge to watch the kingdom’s tribune.

The sounds of trumpets rumbled. Shepherd Artorius Collbrande emerged from the shadows.

"My people, the world is filled with pain brought on by calamity, and yet, I had to ask something tremendous of you all. I asked you to endure the agony brought upon by reason and bind yourselves with shackles of your own emotion. For the only sword capable of expelling and purifying calamity, is the one made with unshaken reason and piercing will." He clenched his fist and raised it, "And that very sword is the one you see now! This is my pledge! My body and my life, I offer them all for the people! With the divine protection of the Empyrean, Innominant, I shall guide you all to a world free from calamity!"

The people cheered harder. Velvet was in an impossible agony. She was ready to pounce, but Avernus pushed her down to her knees, holding her down forcefully.

"You fool, they'll see us."

Velvet coiled her fists and slammed the floor. "But… You murdered Laphicet!"

She clenched her fist hard enough that blood started to drip from the bandages. Suddenly, she felt Avernus’ metallic, pointy gauntlet move away from her head and, instead, grabbed her hand gently. Healing magic pulsed into her wound.

However, she felt nothing.