Somewhere in the Adaline region, a couple of days trip away from Summinat, one of three travelers woke up very early in the morning to prepare for their morning routine. They were familiar faces that would bring comfort for those who followed their exploits ever since their first successful mission in Struttemberg.

The one who woke up was Lilac Rezmirn, who formerly identified as a Lycan. She did start her journey as a pureblood Lycan, commonly known as a werewolf. Her experience since then changed her. First, she lost her werewolf identity, then she’d lose her pseudo-hellhound identity after a close call with a snake-like demon. Her current appearance was a mix between a reptilian and a lupine, with more on the lupine half. Her tail was long and reptilian, tipped with a rattle usually found in rattlesnakes, which were not native to the continent, giving her a very distinctive look that could easily be mistaken as monstrous. She found that she could make loud, rattling noise by vibrating the tip, though she tried not to since it was very loud. Parts of her hands were covered in brown scales, tipped with sharp talons that could easily rend flesh if she wanted to. They were far sharper than her Lycan claws, as she soon found out. She was not sure about her current form when she gained it three years ago. She soon learned to appreciate it after accepting that she couldn’t return to what she was. Ironically, her current chimeric form ended up boosting her self-confidence.

The one thing she would surely not miss was the involuntary transformation under the full moon. It was true that a Lycan could control their transformation, but she was given a different opportunity by the one she still loved: Ifrit. Lilac was not ready to move on, despite her friends’ attempts to persuade her to do so. She was still young and fair, and Ifrit was gone, never to return. Yet, Lilac was still stuck in her past and was still unable to move on, especially not when she blamed herself for his death. Aside from her guilt, she knew she would never find any other hellhounds that was like Ifrit. He was unique in his own ways, and had a lot of charm: rebellious, but also caring and frankly, rather out of his depth. A confused foreigner made him quirky, yet fun.

She must admit that she was a bit intimidated by his brutal and violent way of dispatching his foes. It did not turn her off, by any means. It was so in contrast to his vulnerable, yet caring, personality.

But then, that devotion to Ifrit was in question when she found more facts about the circumstances of her incident. As she started making breakfast on the portable gas-powered stove, the fire reminded her of a fact that baffled her and the others. Due to her limited knowledge of hellhounds, she never questioned why she lost her ability to transform and stuck in a form that was neither Lycan nor hellhound. It was made even worse by the revelation that Ifrit had demonic blood within him, and that demonic blood caused Lilac’s present condition. During the Struttemberg mission, she fell under a demon’s influence and her body was momentarily possessed. It was only through the efforts of the Struttemberg Demon Hunter chapter, Eshdar, Albert, and her own strong will that saved her from losing herself. While she maintained herself, the damage was done. It also caused cracks to appear in Lilac’s love to Ifrit, threatening to disillusion her. She managed to hold on to Ifrit’s positive traits, and the fact that, within her mindscape, the hellhound represented her hope. Ifrit may be gone, but he had left a legacy in her mind, though she kept wondering if it was her genuine thought or the corrupted thought caused by Ifrit.

As Lilac pondered about her experience since Ifrit’s death, she cooked the scrambled eggs, tomato, and bacon for their breakfast in the campground. Albert, who was making a coffee, approached her and said, “That smells great, Lilac. What’s in it?”

“Basil and oregano, just like last time,” said Lilac. “Oh, and a sprinkle of dried thyme for taste.”

“I’ll be sure to savor that,” said Albert while yawning. He then noticed Lilac’s bandaged shoulder and said, “It still stings?”

“It’s been a week, so I think it starts to heal.”

“Lilac, if you feel anything different….”

“It’s just a flesh wound, Al. I know the risks of engaging a demon. Where’s Esh, by the way? He’s already gone when I woke up.”

“Hunting rabbits. I insisted on buying some in the town, but he insisted to hunt.”

“I carved rabbit’s meat and still am. Let’s see if he got any. If not, it’s venison night.”

Albert chuckled. “You already got it prepared, huh? What will we do without you?”

Lilac smiled back, feeling rather complimented by her human friend.

Albert Schafner was a demon hunter who, in his words, ‘moonlighting’ as a freelance cargo hauler, though he stopped his second line of work ever since Tragoria fell into the demons’ hands. It was part of a more elaborate plan to determine where the incursion would start, which happened as Anarim warned him. He managed to tell his guild that it started in Lilac’s home village, Sidve, and completed his job. The problem was no one could be spared to help Tragoria. The Demon Hunters were fighting a different front of attempted demonic invasions in Dusdolf. As they could not afford to help Tragoria, they reluctantly let Tragoria fell to the enemy.

Lilac saw what happened to her home region and was rightfully angry by it. However, Albert convinced her not to spite the demon hunters, specifically the part where they were Dusdolfians for starters and they were more obliged to protect their own region, which was already under constant attack from the demons. Albert was the only demon hunter assigned to Tragoria, and he knew he would only get himself killed, as did Lilac and Eshdar. So, with a heavy heart, Lilac could only watch as her home region was ravaged by the demons and their hellhound supporters. In just three years, the once fair region of green meadows and pleasant farmlands was turned into a fiery wasteland.

Feeling helpless, she decided to train to properly fight and make use of her new physiology. She had not mastered it all, but she learned the basics and kept fighting her enemies to train and adapt. In just three years, she became a formidable fighter that complemented the others. She even managed to save many towns and villages being assaulted by the demons with the help of her friends. Nobody was bothered by her appearance, and she did not, either.

As the sun rose and Lilac prepared the breakfast on the picnic table, she noticed Eshdar walking out of the forest carrying a handful of rabbits and hares. He hunted a lot more than he should, but it was normal for his line of work before traveling with the group.

“They got a lot of ‘em in there,” said Eshdar as he set down his hunt. “We can skin and sell the fur and keep all the meat. Or do you prefer if we sell some of it? We do have supplies for our own in the cooler.”

“You do that,” said Lilac. “You’re the hunter. You know the better deal.”

“Says someone who hunts like a wolf,” said Eshdar while smiling. “Or is it a snake?”

“Don’t get cheeky on me, Eshdar Winsel. Come on, eat your breakfast.”

Eshdar let out a playful chuckle before he sat down and ate the breakfast. Eshdar’s mannerism did not change as he tried to lighten things up, but deep down, he also felt guilty, not because he was unable to save Ifrit, but because he survived. Ifrit saved him from being pulled out of the car by the mutated hellhound but paid the ultimate price as the result. He confided in Lilac, saying that he was sorry. Lilac understood, for she blamed herself, too.

Everyone who was there when Ifrit apparently died felt they should’ve done more. However, as the year went by, they slowly started to move on and forgive themselves. No one ever blamed them for that. Like Sammael, they had a choice to blame Rhynsa, but if it wasn’t for his change of heart, Ifrit might not even survive past the bridge. Lilac always knew that the anguish and pain the Fuzandre felt was enough for him to be corrupted by his own desire for a pointless vengeance.

But their personal grieves fueled them to find the other surviving member of the Schelkz family, who became a person of interest due to his way of dealing with the hellish incursion. Like the demon that wreaked havoc and caused chaos that delayed the incursion before it could devastate Adaline, Nergora Schelkz and his companion, Sovarn, fought the attempted invasion of Adaline, specifically those who disguised themselves among the oppositions. He clearly knew a lot of their enemies’ intel, and the opposition would like to enlist him for their efforts. Espionage and sabotage had become a problem lately, and both could undermine their efforts in protecting the remaining regions.

They needed answers, and they needed it soon, before it was too late.

Once they finished their breakfast and got into the car, they drove to the place where the person of interest, Nergora, was last reported. The forest slowly disappeared, replaced with a relatively lush grassland. However, up on the horizon, they could see where they would go: the sea.

Even after Ifrit was gone and their journey continued, Lilac had never been to the sea before. Albert had promised her that they would go to a seaside town one day, but they had been busy working with Anarim on gathering allies, which culminated in the Council in Avicelis. They managed to meet a lot of them throughout their journey, and their mixed-race group made it possible to convince not only hellhounds, but also Lycans and humans. It wasn’t an easy work, given that most of the continent did not believe that a hellish incursion was underway until it was too late. Despite their best efforts, however, Tragoria still fell. While unpreparedness was the main cause, another reason would be the distrust of the humans against anyone that did not look vaguely like one, such as Lycans and hellhounds. It was made even worse by Lilac’s semi-reptilian appearance. Some who followed them were shunned by the rest of their society. Ironically, they were the only ones who survived the attacks.

Fortunately, only the deepest, remotest area in both Tragoria and Adaline did so, and there weren’t many. Albert chose not to find allies there because in his eyes, it was useless and a waste of time, even if they did find some allies from these seclusive towns. His judgement and decision made them capable of finding allies faster and thus, coordinating a counterattack could begin immediately. It was one of several reasons why the rest of the continent were still free. Others happened to be internal problems among the demons, and the efforts of the Demon Hunters.

They, however, had a main mission, and that mission was to find the whereabouts of Nergora Schelkz, the exiled prince of Drundas and Ifrit’s half-brother. The fact that he eluded the demons and words of his works undermining the Uprising and the later Incursion made him a valuable asset to find, a reasoning Albert agreed to. They also needed to find more royal hellhounds to join them so that they could further justify their cause, and to clearly oppose the Uprising. That part was not something Albert, Eshdar, and Lilac were keen on following, but for the moment, it was also part of the reason.

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Their search was long and took months, but they finally found clues as to where he was. Their search took them to the Tragorian seaside resort town called Idrisham, one of many towns still under the control of the surface dwellers and allied Underworlders.

The seaside town of Idrisham was not a big town. Rather, it functioned as a resort town frequented by Tragorians in the summer. Idrisham, at least before the Incursion, was popular by most holidaymakers due to its inexpensive resorts and services while also boasting everything that many wanted. It had a local brass band entertaining visitor in the park, a short boardwalk with penny arcades for children, and food stalls with the local food that Lilac thought was distinctively Tragorian such as fish and chips, along with some seafoods in the restaurants. The town managed to keep operating despite the problems with the incursion due to being closer to the sea and to Dusdolf, along with the fact that the sea towns were the first to be defended and the last to be attacked.

Due to the travelling restrictions, not many visited Idrisham despite it being a holiday season. In fact, there were no tourists at all, just local townspeople going on with their normal lives. Albert parked his car in a parking lot, then secured the car and applied the handbrake before he locked the steering wheel. He was the only car that had such security measures.

“Right,” said Albert after he climbed down his car. “The pub’s always the best place to ask for anything.”

“Agreed,” said Lilac. “Though I think anyone can tell us that he has a striking appearance.”

“Considering how notorious he is, I doubt he’s going to walk around conspicuously,” said Eshdar. “He is careful and meticulous. That’s why we haven’t been able to find him.”

“Well, hiding in plain sight is a thing,” said Eshdar. “I doubt it works for him, though.”

As they walked through Idrisham, Lilac noticed a crowd of people lining up in front of a small storefront advertising ‘Comical Exhibitions’. It was clearly not a theatre hall since it was more like a painting or a photo studio. However, people seemed to like it.

Albert saw it, too, and knew what it was.

“That’s a nickelodeon,” said Albert. “Not very good in term of comfort, but no one’s gonna complain when some comedic short is shown on screen.”

“Screen?”

“Moving pictures. Very recent and very cheap to exhibit compared to elaborate theatrical sets. It’s a way to make entertainment more available for everyone. I know it’s still in black and white and there’s no sound, but life goes on. People once said cars are too ambitious. Well, now it’s not. Unless it’s a flying car. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day cars can fly and films have sound and color.”

“Or when they pop out of the frame,” added Eshdar.

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here, Eshdar. Even if it is possible, we’re already long dead by then,” said Albert with a chuckle.

“Do they have such establishment in Dusdolf?” asked Lilac.

“Not many, especially not when this is still going on. But I am sure that, when everything has normalized, there will be more than just storefront exhibitions. I can even say for certain that it will be a new form of art rivaling theatres.”

Lilac silently praised Albert’s optimism of the future, even though it was still uncertain. Whatever happened next would very well depend on how things went. It was, however, not up to them.

Feeling that drinking and listening in the pub would only distract them from what they came for, Albert decided that they all spend their day on the beach. He hoped that it would clear their minds from their recent troubles and give them an idea as to where Nergora Schelkz could be. The beach, in Albert’s opinion, was much more relaxing than a pub in the middle of the day.

But after they got out of the pub, Eshdar noticed a commotion at the beach. At first, he assumed it was just a party. However, once he started to look closely, he realized that it was a fight, and not just any fight.

Five hellhounds and a demon creature dragged a scared young hellhound to the beach while the rest dragged adult hellhounds to the beach, badly beaten up. The humans and the Lycans were horrified by this act and some even tried to intervene, only to be threatened by a shotgun. He quickly connected the dots of what they were going to do.

“Not this shit again,” said Eshdar as he ran to the beach. Lilac and Albert also saw what happened and followed him

Eshdar was close enough to hear the hellhounds, in Hordo, declaring the family as traitors for openly showing their support to the ‘dead royals’, with the rest of the hellhounds agreeing. Their declaration clearly made the onlookers confused, so they chose to say it in Tragorian, possibly to scare the onlookers.

Instead, it only intimidated them, as for them, it looked like a very prejudiced execution. One Lycan transformed into her wolf form and, without hesitation, clawed one of the hellhounds in the face.

“You don’t do something like that here, so piss off before I bite your bloody nose off,” said the feisty lady.

The hellhound she clawed did not appreciate a ‘surface dweller’ touching him. He felt so insulted that he pulled out his gun and declared that people like her should know her place. The transformed lady only scoffed and bared her claws, even going so far as to grab the gun, further enraging the already insulted hellhound.

Eshdar was just ready to throw one of his throwing knives when a hellhound with a cane approached the group and put his hand on the gun.

“(That’s no way to talk to a lady, young one),” said the hellhound. His speech was eloquent, but also had a threatening tone to it.

“(She’s a surface dweller. There’s nothing ‘lady’ on her! Besides, that’s royal stuff, so you better watch it, old hound).”

“(Oh? Where did I hear that before?)” said the old hellhound.

“(From everyone! Are you going senile, old dog?!)”

“(Pardon me, but I’m several decades older than you. I don’t follow the young ones’ fad, let alone one that claimed they finally defeated ‘tyranny’ by a purposeless uprising. Maybe you should get your facts checked before you declared it to be so).”

The hellhound clearly took the soft-spoken hellhound to be a royal supporter, judging by his rather sarcastic remark regarding the uprising. However, Eshdar knew it was to throw the hellhound off guard, for when he scoffed and said, “(Maybe you should get your tongue and your allegiance checked, old dog, before I put a bullet in your face for supporting those who made us suffer!)”, the light grey hellhound knocked the gun off his hand and pointed it at the hellhound.

“(And maybe you should keep your emotions in check and not to underestimate an old hellhound like me, lad),” he said. “(I do try to finish this with words, but I suppose you need something a bit stronger than words).”

“(Oh? You’re gonna shoot me?)” challenged the hellhound with a mocking laugh. “(Do you realize how outnumbered you are?)”

Eshdar took this moment to knock one of them in the head with a stone he picked up. He made sure to knock the hellhound hard enough not only to crack his skull, but also to draw their attention towards him. This was something the old hound was expecting. Without hesitation, he pulled out a revolver and shot the hellhound who confronted him in the kneecaps, causing him to howl in pain.

“(Well, I think I will do just that, lad),” said the hellhound.

The demon creature was the only one that was unfazed by the attack. It did not hesitate to attack the old hellhound, but the hellhound did not hesitate to shoot the demon, either. It unloaded everything in the revolver on the creature, incapacitating but not killing it. It recovered soon after and resumed its attack, but this time, it was stopped by an ice burst out of the sand. It encased the demon in ice before shattering, killing it immediately. Like all demons, when it died, its body disappeared.

The hellhounds were unable to comprehend what just happened. The demon was the only creature that could make them look intimidating, but it certainly did not intimidate the old hellhound. As an added injury, even the surface dwellers were not intimidated. The old hellhound, despite his greying fur and pale horns, looked rather intimidating with his yellow eyes to the point that the bystanders were more intimidated to him, even if he looked like a ‘friendly’ wolfhound humanoid with horns.

“(I think it’s time you leave),” said Sovarn with a growl. “(Or I’ll put a bullet between your eyes).”

The hellhound became scared and scampered away, only to fail as he forgot his damaged kneecaps. His hellhound friends did not even consider helping him as they left him behind to the mercy of the Lycans and humans, along with the constables that came and took him away.

Eshdar did not wait to help the badly beaten hellhound, who took one glance at the vulpine hellhound and noticed his tail. He thanked Eshdar, and the wolfhound hellhound, before his friends helped tend to his injuries.

Eshdar proceeded to turn to the older hellhound and said, “(You’re not half-bad).’

“(Neither are you, Hunter),” said the hellhound when he turned to Eshdar. “(Care to explain yourself?)”

“(I can say the same thing to you. From what it looks like, this isn’t the first time this town has ever seen such brand of ‘justice’ before).”

“(While it happened before, it’s not as common as the other towns. Idrisham’s always a quiet beach town, but lately, with the Incursion already on the way, even a quiet place like this still has its own shares of hellhounds standing behind their demons).”

“(No one bothered to defend the town?)”

“(Unfortunately, we are the only ones capable enough to do so).”

“(Yeah. I can see why. Anyway, my name’s Eshdar Winsel).”

“(Winsel?)” said the old hellhound, surprised.

“(What of it?)”

“(We did not expect a Winsel to come to us. We were deliberating whether we contact the Council or not, but as you can see, we’re still thinking about it).”

“(You’re still thinking about it despite of this whole mess? You know going solo’s not the way to the future, right?)” reasoned Eshdar

“(Then try and convince the young master. I may have my opinions, but his decision is what I go with. Maybe you should talk to him).”

“(Maybe I should),” said a voice. “(After all, it’s rude to send them away).”

Eshdar looked behind the old hellhound and saw a peculiar-looking wolf-like hellhound. His fur was entirely white like a snow and quite bright as it reflected the sunlight. His eyes were icy blue and cold, just like most of his fur. Another interesting thing he noticed was that this hellhound exuded icy fog around him that considerably cooled the air, though it wasn’t that hot anyway since it was in the middle of a winter season. Eshdar never thought a hellhound like him exist. The Underworld was home to heat-resistant hellhounds, not ice hellhounds.

Lilac also noticed the hellhound and his features. She quickly realized they had found their person of interest.

“Nergora Schelkz, I presume?” said Lilac to the white-furred hellhound. She gulped and said, “Ifrit’s…brother?”

“You seem to know him well,” said Nergora. “I always know Ifrit’s a capable hound, even if we’re only half-brothers. How is he, by the way?”

Everyone looked at each other nervously, unable to tell him what they knew of Ifrit’s fate. Nergora caught on and understood their sudden change of mood.

“He’s…dead, isn’t he?” He said, with a hint of sadness in his voice.

“It…was so fast, and so unexpected,” said Lilac.

“But was it a quick death, at least.”

Lilac nodded, even though she wasn’t sure if Ifrit’s death could be considered quick, not after seeing his body being torn to pieces.

“I…really want to meet him. I started my journey with Sovarn when Ifrit was still a newborn. I wish I could tell him that he always has a family, even if we are only half-related. I never hold a grudge against him, even if he was the true heir of the Schelkz family. Well, it’s all for naught now. I am the sole inheritor of the Schelkz legacy, whether I like it or not. I never even wanted to inherit a tainted name such as Schelkz.”

“Ifrit…thought the same. He was never raised as a prince. He wanted to meet you, Nergora, but…”

“I know.” Nergora’s expression slightly softened. “I’d like to talk more, but we cannot involve this town’s people after what they did to those hellhounds. They will have their revenge after such insult. Just like close-minded humans, these hellhounds do not like those who doesn’t look like them.”

“Is this town prepared against a demonic assault?” asked Albert. “If not, I am willing to put out wards that will keep this place safe until the Demon Hunters can bolster their defenses.”

“And I’ll tell them to trust the Demon Hunters as they trust us,” said the old hellhound. “We owed them greatly for sheltering us, but it’s time for us to go.”

“Both of you do what you need to do,” said Nergora. “I’ll pack our belongings. Where should we meet?”

“I’ll show you,” said Lilac. “Come on.”

They all left the beach before they attracted more attention, with the old hellhound and Albert doing what they planned to do. The crew knew they had accomplished their mission without even expecting. It was a good break after following leads that turned out to be dead ends for almost two years.

Seeing Nergora firsthand made Lilac thought something different about the ice hellhound. Aside from his ice-white appearance and power over ice, he was more well-spoken and well-mannered. He was also less brutal than Ifrit. The two brothers could not be any more different.

But Lilac would soon know that Nergora, like Ifrit, had an identical secret. She already suspected it, but she needed to hear it from the hellhound himself.