||| THE PATH OF BEASTS: ZACK |||

[Land of the Sapphire Star]

A lone oak tree - covered in mosses and vines - stood mightily on the vibrant green hill. The century-old tree watched over the tiny hamlet - the last living remnant of the Sapphire Star Kingdom.

Perched on one of the tree's branches was a black hooded boy with a white mask; a grey handle khopesh strapped to his back. In his right hand was a silver coin that he had been flipping for the past half an hour.

"Hm, how strange," muttered the boy, glancing at the evening sun. "Jason is awfully late. He's never late."

The boy caught the coin in mid-air before leaping to the ground. Then, he raised his head heavenward and noticed a flock of birds spiraling over the tree. The boy whistled as loud as he could, prompting a dove-size shadowy figure to swoop down from the sky and land on his right shoulder.

"See anything, Roc?" the boy asked the resting sparrowhawk that in turn, let out a few chirps. "Okay…? Are there things other than the pigeons?" The bird stayed silent - much to its handler's frustration. "Huh, someone sure is cranky today.”

The bird chirped in return, confirming the boy’s suspicion.

“Don’t you get cheeky with me, girl. I told you earlier: today will only be a stakeout. I know it bores you and guess what? So do I.”

The sparrowhawk instantly pecked the boy’s forearm, causing the latter to yelp. “Ow! Fine, Fine! I’m sorry for scolding you. Happy? Now, go play with those pigeons of yours.”

The bird immediately took off, leaving its owner behind to hunt its prey. The boy rubbed his stinging forearm, and began grumbling to himself, “Sheesh, this is gonna leave a mark tomorrow.”

Suddenly, his nose started to itch; at the same time, he could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing up. Seconds later, he caught a whiff of iron in the air followed by the sickly scent of rotten flesh. Without uttering a single word, he reached for his khopesh and spun around, just in time to block a Lacerator’s claw.

“Well, this is quite a surprise,” the boy calmly remarked as the Distorted snarled at him in frustration. The creature pulled back its arm, leading the boy to somersault away from it. As he lifted his head to focus on his enemy, three Lacerators popped out from behind the oak trees – each having the same hungry look over their gaunt faces.

“Ah, crap. Of course, you brought some friends along.”

The Lacerators roared in unison before charging toward their lone prey.

Seeing his approaching enemy, the boy quickly swung his blade in a horizontal motion, creating a bright navy line in the air.

CRASH!

In a blink of an eye, a pair of giant black, scorpion pincers burst out from the earth, snatching two of the Lacerators off their feet and causing their remaining brethren to go rigid.

“You can have them, Kala,” said the boy and the pincers withdrew back into the ground with their prey. The remaining three Lacerators glanced at each other - still dumbfounded by what they had just witnessed.

“Sorry about my friend. It’s been a while since he had a meal,” the little Faceless spouted as he rested his khopesh against his shoulder. “And it’s also been a while since I’ve been in a fight. So, who’s going first?”

One of the Lacerators rushed forward, swinging both of its arms madly.

The hooded boy easily dodged the monster’s frenzied attack - he chortled at the sight of the Lacerator’s frustrated expression.

SWISH!

The golden-edged khopesh sliced through both of the Lacerator’s thighs, resulting in the creature dropping to its knees. “Here you go!” the boy exclaimed before he severed the Lacerator’s head cleanly from its body.

THUD!

The headless body collapsed, and the boy shifted his attention to the last two Lacerators who stood quietly below the oak tree. “Not so chatty now, huh?” the boy muttered firmly before darting toward his foes. He then slid down near a Lacerator’s feet and briskly hooked its ankle with the blunt side of his khopesh.

"Down you go!" the boy tugged his blade and the monster fell flat on its face.

Without wasting any more time, the hooded boy hoisted himself up and decapitated his second opponent. A brief moment later, he turned his masked face toward the last Lacerator who was already dashing at him. “A valiant attempt, but…”

WHOOSH!

A small shadow suddenly swooped down from the sky and speared through the Distorted’s face – killing the monster on the spot.

“It won’t matter in the end,” the boy finished his sentence, just as his sparrowhawk landed smoothly on his right shoulder. “Attagirl, Roc. Remind me to treat you later,” the boy proudly praised his feathery companion.

The bird responded with a mirthful chirp before taking off to the sky once more.

“Now, that’s one problem solved,” the boy grunted as he turned his head right and left to look for the Opal Sun Prince. Alas, the man had still not made an appearance and the boy had no choice but to alter his initial plan.

“Welp, Roc. Guess it’s a solo mission now,” the boy huffed before he casually trotted down the hill.

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF BEASTS |||

ɹɹ********************************************

||| THE PATH OF THE EMPYREANS |||

[Meanwhile…]

[in the Opal Sun Kingdom]

"Close the gate!" Rudolph shouted after seeing three familiar figures slip between the crack. As soon as the giant door slammed shut, the veteran guard rushed toward the prince and his companions. Aside from the innards covering their clothes, Rudolph also noticed black veins popping out of their skins which caused the guard to stop dead on his track. "Your Radiance? Are you harmed?" the man uttered, but the Crown Prince stood quietly in front of the gate, barely flinching.

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Rudolph quickly drew his sword after sensing something off about the trio's behavior. "Who are you? Identify yourself," the guard demanded.

"What's the matter, Rudolph? Don't you recognize us?" Jason(?) replied, his voice slightly distorted. An eerie smirk formed across the prince's face, prompting the guard to raise his blade.

"How dare you point your weapon at the Prince of the Opal Sun!" Theo(?) cried out, startling the guard.

"And for such insolence, you will be punished by death," Aria(?) continued before pulling her saber out. "Now kneel, so I can cleave your head from your feeble body."

"I kneel to no one except to the Almighty," Rudolph defiantly remarked.

"Is that so?" Jason(?) calmly intervened, turning his attention toward the gate. "Then, will this God save you and your people from the upcoming massacre?" The prince thrusted his rapier into the steel wall, creating a giant explosion that reduced the entire barrier into rubble. As the dust subsided, Rudolph's eyes widened from shock. Beyond the wall was the biggest horde of Distorted the guard had ever seen, and they were eagerly waiting to storm the city.

"And thus, the last Jewel Kingdom is felled by me, its own beloved son," the Crown Prince chuckled.

||| THE END OF THE PATH OF THE EMPYREANS |||

**ɹɹ******************************************

[Meanwhile…]

[The Cabin’s Basement, the Desert of Ashes]

"Say, there's something I've been meaning to ask you," said Lucy to Elisabeth as soon as the former placed the crate on the table.

"And that is?"

"Those flowers you placed for...your friends. Where did you get them from? I can tell they’re not from around here.”

"Really? Out of all the things, you could ask, and that's the one you are curious about?" Elisabeth grumbled. But then she saw the stern look across Lucy’s face, leading her to reply, "Oh God, you’re serious, aren’t you?”

“Of course, I am. Well?”

Elisabeth exhaled - contemplating whether she should answer the question. Eventually, she leaned against the table before staring directly into Lucy’s azure eyes. “I got them from Ash’s mother.”

"Ash’s mother?" Lucy murmured, finding the name to be oddly familiar. Seconds later, she let out a gasp and blurted out, "Wait, Ash? Ashton Achillea?”

“Yes, that Ashton Achillea.”

“Huh, I didn’t expect you to be well acquainted with that man. In case I remember, he’s not exactly a talkative person.”

“I agree he’s a bit aloof, but other than that, he’s alright. Like his mother, he has a knack for gardening. He can grow some of the most difficult flowers in his backyard which is quite impressive.”

“Oh? Elisabeth Rosier impressed with someone? Now, that’s interesting,” said Lucy, grinning from ear to ear.

"Hey, don't get the wrong idea. It is with his mother I usually do business with, not him," Liz sighed as soon as she saw a mischievous glint in her friend's eyes.

“If that’s the case, then why are you getting so flustered about it?”

Elisabeth’s eyes narrowed, feeling slightly wary of her friend’s comment. "You…Hold on a minute. Are you egging me on? As payback to what I said to you outside?”

“Me? Egging you on? Oh, that’s just preposterous. All I did was asked some questions, that’s all,” Lucy swiftly retorted.

“No, you’re not,” said Elisabeth, shaking her head disappointingly. “Obviously, you’ve been hanging around with Marie for far too long. Oh, and don't you dare tell her about this. She will not stop bothering me for weeks if she catches wind of our conversation."

"No worries, my friend. My lips are sealed," Lucy giggled - seconds before her brother and Sam descended the stairs with crates in their hands.

"You two looked awfully suspicious for some reason," said Rupert, squinting his eyes out of suspicion.

"Really? It must have been your imagination," the youngest Nightingale replied indifferently.

"Don't mind them, Rupe. They were probably talking about things far more interesting than you," Sam said bluntly.

"They better be...wait, you were mocking me, were you?"

"Did I? You must be imagining things," the vermillion-eyed man retorted as he put the crate down on the floor. "Don't worry, though. I'm sure the tale of you defeating the Antlion will be constantly talked about by the residents of the Tower."

"Aye, for the next few weeks," said Rupert, shrugging his shoulders. "I prefer a feat that could last forever in people's minds, like those performed by Erica the Purifier and The Brilliant King Cyrus."

"What about your parents?” Elisabeth interjected. “Their contributions are not to be taken lightly either. They fought together in the Autumn Maelstrom, right? Saved thousands of lives in the process as well."

"They did," Lucy begrudgingly answered. "And Thomas hounded us because of that - thinks we're not living up to our parents' legacy."

"Well, do YOU feel you're not living up to your parents' legacy?" Elisabeth's sudden question caused the siblings to frown at the same time.

"And you, Edelweiss. Have you found what you're looking for? Your forgotten past? Your true identity?"

"Well, I have not gone into the Archive yet, so no," Sam responded.

Elisabeth could only sigh at her friend's calm answer. "I'm not trying to sound pessimistic, but I've been down in the Archive countless times - never once did I find someone with your surname."

Sam's eyes narrowed at Elisabeth's discouraging remark. He wondered whether the woman was doing it on purpose or otherwise. "What are you getting at, Liz?"

"Don't be so naive, Edelweiss. You should be aware that as much as there is a possibility that you'll find out about yourself, there is also another possibility that you won't."

"So, are you telling me to just give up my search?"

"No, that’s not what I meant. I'm telling you not to get your hopes up. The pain of seeing your expectation subverted - it's the kind of pain you do not want to experience. Consider this an advice from one friend to another."

Sam glowered to the floor, pondering Elisabeth's advice. As much as he hated to admit it, some parts of him agreed with his friend's cynical words. What if his search was all for naught? All those years spent - the amount of blood, sweat, and broken bones he had to endure - no, he refused to believe it was for nothing.

"It does cross my mind sometimes – that I would fail to find out who I really am – that my search will only lead to a dead end,” Sam replied grimly. “But it will be a greater regret to me if I abandon my search now.”

“So, you are determined to see this through?” asked Elisabeth, frowning at the vermillion-eyed man.

“Yup.”

“If that’s the case, then I’ll see if I can persuade Noah to grant you entry into the Archive.”

Sam’s eyes flickered in disbelief. “You would…do that? But, why?” he asked.

“Just think of it as my way of repaying my debt to you. Besides, unlike me, you three are not yet inducted into the Order.”

“H-How do you possibly know that?” Rupert inquired.

“How? Markus told me about you lot - about when your Apprenticeships will end. If my calculation is correct, you just returned to the Tower two days ago, and are now waiting for your Induction ceremony.”

“That’s…actually true.”

“Then, my calculation is correct,” Elisabeth remarked, looking very pleased with herself. “Also, just to let you know: after we finished with our current task, we are gonna scour this whole place from top to bottom. I expect the cabin to be spotless after we are done.”

“Aw, shucks,” the elder Nightingale murmured.