In the morning, the group would pack up and head off once again. Kazius had explained the need to head South in hopes of finding abandoned settlements in the mines. How he hoped to find a map there. It was not surprising that as they headed more South, the area got more and more mountainous. After all, they would be East of Thimdur, which was entirely carved into valleys formed by chains of mountains. This of course meant it would be difficult for them to be followed if someone decided to. Kazius felt like he was being paranoid, but if he wasn’t careful, he would deeply regret it.

As they walked, their surroundings did also grow stranger. The foliage was in rough terrain, yet it only grew thicker. The forest at some point fully blocked out the sun. Yet the place was not dark. Flowers, mushrooms, and all the smaller foliage seemed to glow with mana. If Kazius knew anything about alchemy, he may find it beneficial to gather some plants here… But none in his team seemed to be capable of such a thing.

“This forest has grown bigger.” Azanor would muse in interest.

“You’ve been here before?” Kazius questioned curiously. He wondered if he could get any information from the Demon for free.

“Yes, though last time I was here, this place was infested with man eating gorgon snakes… The really old ones would grow so big that they would match the size of Dragons. Leviathans is what they were called. Many actually moved into water after getting that big, but some did remain on land. There was a particular white Leviathan snake that was quite vicious… Word is, no one that has seen it has survived.” Azanor chuckled out as if he just said some funny joke, amused with himself.

“Eek!” Eve squealed, shaking at the story. “That sounds go scary! I don’t want to be eaten by a snake! Are there really any here?”

“Oh, don’t listen to him, Eve… I bet he is just messing with us. That story is clearly some horror tale. No way the heroes would have let such a dangerous thing live. He is a liar.” Alice stated as she rolled her eyes.

“How hurtful~ Fine, believe me if you want or not. I tried to warn you.” Azanor taunted.

Kazius could not tell if he was messing with them or not…

‘Why did he have to be so difficult?’

“Azanor, could you be anymore fucking cryptic? It wouldn’t kill you to put earnest effort into helping others… You were not worried when I brought up killing your king yesterday. You even told us you hate him. Why not join a just cause?” Kazius questioned in annoyance.

“I could, yes…” Azanor trailed off, having an expression that showed he was a little annoyed at the mighty and righteous talk from Kazius.

Azanor did say he doesn’t lie… But then he would be believing the words of a Demon. Sure, he was helpful at times, but that didn’t mean Azanor was on any team other than team Azanor.

“Tell you what… Answer something and I will answer you back.” Azanor stated with a wide grin, toying with his cane as he did so.

“Alright…” Kazius stated hesitantly.

“Just how much did you enjoy the pain of those knights back at Remus? Is your goal exterminating the entire church? If so, you may as well take full pleasure in it.” Azanor mused, his grin only growing wider and even a little twisted. His expression was creepy, disturbing even.

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“What the hell? What do you mean?!”

“Hm~” Azanor would hum to himself in thought, “Well… It was hilarious, really… The descendant of the human hero and a former lap dog of the church… I never thought people like that could make such wonderful expressions… Don’t tell me… You weren’t aware of them? I have been thinking of them this whole time, they were great, really. I am shocked you really had no idea what sort of expressions were on your faces… How amusing... Anyone could have mistaken you both for my kind back there.”

It was then Alice’s sword would fly up, pointed at the Demon. “What the hell is that supposed to mean!?” Alice snapped.

It was the Kazius began to think.

‘What sort of expression did we have?’

Kazius wondered. It was true he resented and hated the church… And they would be unable to live peacefully until the Church of the Oracle was gone… But while they spoke of fighting against the Demon King the other day, they had only addressed defending themselves from the church. Then again, it was understandable why the two would avoid such a topic. Despite their new hatred of the church, the situation still felt odd.

“Ooh, calm down, princess… I just don’t think you two should be so halfhearted on the matter… And recognize the kind of people you really are. I hate lies and facades. That righteous talk especially, it sickens me… This of course means, I told you the truth earlier as well… Make no mistake, I am no liar.” Azanor stated firmly, his twisted grin turning into a frown. It seems Kazius and Alice had hit a nerve.

‘Was it because Alice called him a liar? Or is he angrier about my preaching? I never thought I would see him not grin… He must be more upset than what he lets on. Why would a Demon despise lies so much? I never met another Demon, but it is clear Azanor is an odd one.’

“I… I see… I apologize.” Kazius stated, realizing he had acted like an ass. To be fair, he was a Demon. Kazius had to be weary, yet Azanor had done nothing but tell them the truth… And he had talked down to him, they both did. Azanor was a comrade he didn’t fully trust, but a comrade. He would have not gained better control of his powers were it not for him. So, while Azanor did not help physically, he helped in another way… Breakfast and dinner had been fished by him too… He was cryptic, but he told them more free information than what any normal Demon would. Not to mention… If his vision was true… Wouldn’t that mean some Demons would side with him? He felt a bit like a jerk. In his own way, Azanor was part of the party. They needed to stop treating him with hostility.

Alice would hesitantly put down the sword, sheathing it. Both her and Kazius looked conflicted… Thinking of what they had done back in Remus… The terror in the knights… Kazius accepted he was a monster, but…

“I’m sorry too.” Alice sighed out, struggling with the apology considering her lineage.

“Stop with the serious looks. It feels like a funeral.” Azanor stated with a wave of his hand.

“We need to be friends; you have to forgive them.” Eve stated firmly.

Azanor would look at Eve, shrugging. “I wasn’t angry to begin with. We are friends again and all that.”

“Good!” Eve chirped giddily.

It seems indeed, he was no longer angry… Even if Kazius had a lot on his mind now ,thanks to Azanor’s words… He wished he could go back and look at himself… Looked like one of his kind? That was… He didn’t want to become someone twisted… He was an evil of sorts… A bringer of destruction, or so the Oracle had called him… But that didn’t mean he had to be someone who brought ruin to the world… He felt like he didn’t understand himself at all. Though that was okay, at least for now.

The forest was quite the view, beautiful even. It was something all 4 of them began to admire in silence after such a conversation. He would look at his comrades… The view made him almost feel melancholic. Trusting a Demon… Running around with a princess and an Elf without her memories… He felt more at home than how he had as a Holy Knight… Indeed, his life was strange… Kazius found himself chuckling to himself as he thought of this.

‘I must have lost my damn mind.’

The group would keep walking, the sky now visible again, but instead, the sky looked like it was night…

‘There is no way, we haven’t been walking that long…’

Tiny flying creatures would dance around in the air… Fireflies? No, Kazius would look closely… They were faeries. Some were green, bronze, silver, gold… Were they metallic colors? Kazius would follow them, his party not far behind… Until they would reach the end of the forest that seemed to surround a plains area. It was then he saw it, at a distance in a clearing… A city that lit up the night…