Haru sat quietly and stared at his sketchbook, sneakily eyeing the blond boy who's just joined Jean every once in a while, one that he remembered, one that had eyes of different colors, Ginji. He sat next to him, face rested on his hand with a smile spreading from ear to ear. Next to the newcomer, Loi stared intensely at him disgruntledly, frustrated as another rival has came just as he was having his hope up about Quetz leaving.

- Nice drawing. - The blond snickered warmly.

- Th-thanks...I guess? - Haru replied with a stuttered, eyes dashing from Ginji back to his sketchbook nervously.

The white haired boy flinched at the giggled, after the stunt he pulled yesterday. Like Lucious and the rest of the people here, Ginji acted like he's known Haru for a long time, and that's not entirely false. The blond was Haru's and his twin's caretaker, he saw him in the vision that Quetz's shown him, yet even after all these years, Ginji seemed...unchanged, untouched by the passage of time. The white haired boy turned his attention to his sketchbook again, trying to keep his mind from wandering again, less he became suspicious to Ginji.

It's been a while since Haru had anytime to sketch and scribble into his sketchbook, the hardships and dangers of the wilderness made sure of that. But now, surrounded by his loved ones and safely secured in stable home, the boy could finally relax a bit to add new discoveries into his collection. Haru looked around, bedazzled by the intricate designs around him now that he's allowed to look at them closely. There were runes everywhere, some were just there for decorative purposes, but some were carved, or painted onto specific places and in distinctive, repeating yet random patterns, overlapping circles with strange extensions or markings surrounding them. Some of them were familiar, Haru recognized them as he ran his fingers across the smooth, runes-covered surface of the table, miniature versions of the markings he saw in the forest ruins.

- Haru, - Mitsuki's hand resting on his made the white haired boy snap out of his string of thought, he looked up with his surprised violet eyes, meeting with her deep brown ones. - are you feeling well? You're looking a little pale.

- I-I'm fine. - The boy smiled, turning his gaze back to the sketchbook, then to Ginji, who's now joined Jean in admiring the trees in the courtyard. - It's just that...it's too much to take in...all of this. And these people, they keep calling me "Lord", what does that even mean?

- Some rude, ill-meaning nickname, no doubt. - Loi rumbled, hiding the lower half of his face in his folded arms as he rested his upper body on the table, eyes still staring at Ginji suspiciously.

- I don't think so. - Mitsuki retorted, warningly glared at the tanned boy, before rubbing Haru's bandaged hand. - I think it's their way to show respect to you, you're Keto-san's important guest, after all.

- Then what does that make us? - Loi hissed, hiding the rest of his face in his arms.

The girl was about to protest, but something stopped her words right at the tip of her tongue. Her brother spoke true, they were treated well compared to the other villagers, but that's just because they were close and treated Haru well, who's to say that the moment Quetz's had his full grip of the boy, they wouldn't be herded back to the rest of their kind? Her concerns must have shown on her face, as she felt Haru's hand resting on her, burnt and bandaged yet filled with that warmth and reassuring that she didn't know she needed until now. His eyes said the same, violet orbs glimmering with confidence and reluctant bravery, so different from the usual scared, nervous and shy look, so overwhelming to the point of tears when they're still in the village. Mitsuki let out a small sigh, not of concern but of relief, before smiling warmly and gently caressing her little brother's wounded hands, checking if they needed anything. It's strange, surrounded by all these strangers with strange powers that can overwhelm even the strongest of her kin, yet she found security and safety in the most unlikely of places, of people. She found hope and comfort in her frail, nervous wrecked and traumatized brother, someone whom she's always have to offer comfort to.

- Haru? - The girl asked quietly.

- Yes? - Her brother looked up from his sketchbook.

- Are you...happy here? - She asked, reluctantly, a part of her not wanting to hear what his answer is.

- I...don't know. - Haru turned his gaze downward, rubbing his snowy white head. - Happy...I don't know but...like, perhaps? Anywhere with Keto-san is fine with me.

They could hear a quiet sniffle coming from Loi, obviously hurt by the white haired boy's statement. Haru looked at the sketches in his sketchbook guiltily, regretting saying that so close to his brother. Even when Mitsuki was gently rubbing his arm to comfort him, he couldn't erase that guilty feeling from his mind and heart. He sighed, resting his face onto one arm, while slowly tracing his finger on one of the newly sketched circle, copied from one of the leather bound books resting on the nearby shelf, filled with scribbles and drawing of runes and those strange circles, not noticing Ginji and Jean were running frantically at them

- STOP! - Jean screeched in panic, arm stretched forward to stop Haru while Ginji has already slid across the table and snatched the sketchbook from the boy's hand.

- What are you doing?! - Mitsuki bolted upward, panicked and upset by the two male's actions. - Give his sketchbook ba...

Her words were halted, as her eyes widened, seeing the blond boy frantically traced his finger around the circle and lifted his opened palm. An orange glowing circle materialized around his hand, gathering flecks of the same color into its center, before a floating fire ball burst into existence between Ginji's fingers. Immediately, the blond jerked his hand forward, sending the fire ball flying across the courtyard and colliding with the wall, exploding with a loud "BANG", leaving a blackened mark on the wall with straight extensions stretching from the center like a black star. Before either of the blond males could let out a sigh of relief, the door burst open, the two dark elf guards charged inside, halberd in hands readied for a fight.

- What happened? - One of them asked, looking around to find any sign of intruders.

- My Lords, are you well? Has there been an attack? - The second one asked, his voice tensely alerted.

- No, no, false alarm. - Ginji spoke out, clumsily climbing off the table and brushed off the blue and orange specks on his blue tank top and black baggy pants. - Young Lord Haru had a-eh... - He stuttered, gesturing his thumb toward the shaking wreck of a boy. - How...how do you say it?

- Magical incident, he had a magical incident. - Jean smiled awkwardly, trying to cover up for his friend.

- Y-yes, a magical incident. - The younger blond suddenly found his words, a smile, not unlike that of Jean, spread on his face from ear to ear. - Nothing to worry, you should return to your posts.

- If you say so, my Lords. - The guards exchanged a look of suspicion, before lowering their helmed heads and walked out of the courtyard, closing the door behind them as they did.

Left alone, Ginji and Jean simultaneously exhales dramatically as if they've been holding the breaths until the guards have left. Ginji collapsed onto the floor, while Jean fell back onto the wooden bench, panting and wiping the bean-sized sweats pouring from their foreheads.

- By the Stars! That was...that was close! - The smaller blond exclaimed, pulling himself up from the stairs and walked inside, sitting next to a mortified Haru still having his widened violet eyes glued to the patch of burnt wall, mouth gaping to what's just happened, only jolting back to life when Ginji closed his mouth for him. - Close your mouth, dear. You'll catch a fly holding it opened like that.

- Wh-what was...what? What? What happ...what? - The white haired boy stuttered, looking around to see his brother and sister were as mortified and frozen as he was.

- Who left these here? - Haru jumped from his seat to grip at Ginji's shoulders as he heard Jean's voice behind him. The lanky man picked up a book that the white haired boy has been copying drawings from, his fingers flipping page to page before closing the book and glance at the scribbles on the cover. - "Basic Offensive Magic for Beginners", - He read aloud, hand picking up the other books littering the table. - I say, all of these are anything but for our Young Lord's level.

- Wh-what are you...what are you talking about? - Loi asked, confused and concerned by the thing he's just witnessed. - What's just happened? What have you done to Haru?

- What have WE done? - Ginji narrowed his eyes, gently but firmly, he removed the white haired boy's hands from his shoulders before making his way toward the tanned boy with inhuman speed, seizing his shoulders with vice-like grips. - What have YOU done to him? How could you allow him to perform this kind of spell in this state?

- What? - Loi sputtered, not knowing what this strange brat was talking about. - Spell? Magic? You're not making any sense!

Ginji snorted and let go of the shaking tanned boy, backing slowly and sat down on the chair. Rubbing his temple, the blond whimpered in frustration and nervousness, knowing full well Quetz and Lucious were already on their way. The spell that Haru's accidentally casted, though not a very powerful one, still made enough of a ripple and left enough traces of magical residues for them to realized what have transpired. But it wasn't his only concerned, these kinds of books weren't supposed to be here, someone wanted Haru to blow his hands off, had it not for Ginji's and Jean's quick interference... The high elf shuddered, shivering to shoo the vision of an enraged Quetz out of his mind.

He turned to Haru, the poor boy was still shaking like a cold Chihuahua, lips sputtering as if trying to say something to his brother and sister who were trying to comfort him. Exchanging a worried look with Jean, Ginji slightly threw his head at the white haired boy, asking for the older male for any kind of guidance, only for the man to slowly rub his temple and walk out to the courtyard, lighting a cigarette as he did. Frustrated by his friend's unhelpfulness, Ginji let out a sigh before standing up and walked toward Haru.

- So, that was a close one. - He said jokingly, almost immediately shuddering from Mitsuki's and Loi's irate glares.

- What...was? - Slowly, the white haired boy turned his eyes to the blond.

- You really shouldn't trace them, these magical runes and conjuration circles aren't really things someone your age and condition should be doing. - The blond said, sitting down next to Haru and gently rubbed his head. - I was charged to look after you, Haru, that means I'll do anything in my power to keep you safe, even from yourself, but due to current situations, I think it'd be best for me to teach a bit about our heritage.

- Our...heritage? - The white haired boy blinked confusedly.

- What are you talking about? - Loi chimed in aggressively. - What do want to teach him? Isn't this already enough?

- Boy, I'll have you know that letting the Young Lord scribing down conjuration circles without knowing what they're meant for is extremely dangerous. - Ginji hissed, slamming his hand on the table. - You're lucky the older spells that Haru's sketched down had no active effects, do you know how dangerous it can be if he's drew something down, say a frost bolt spell?

Loi wanted to protest, but somehow, he knew better to. The tanned boy sat back down onto his chair, eyeing Ginji suspiciously, untrusting of the words coming out of the blond's mouth. He kept silence, hands gripping at the silk pants he's wearing, quietly lamenting his situation, not noticing a pale, delicate was slowly reaching for him. The tanned boy jolted as he felt Haru's hand against his face, gently wiping away the tears that were unconsciously rolling down from his eyes. Those violet eyes were so beautiful, He was so beautiful, Loi thought, putting his hand onto Haru's own, feeling his brother's warm and soft skin, wishing that the last several days didn't happen.

- It's ok, I'm fine. - The tanned boy smile, murmuring out his words before burying his face back into his folded arms.

- Rai... - Haru retracted his hand, unsure of what to do to cheer his brother up.

- We should leave him alone for a bit. - Ginji chimed, whispering into the white haired boy, just loud enough for him to hear, before taking him by the hand and led him outside.

- Wh-where are we going? - Haru asked, not sure if it's a good idea to follow him.

The blond didn't replied, he walked, nay, skipped into the yard excitedly, pulling the boy with him, followed by a very anxious Mitsuki still clutching her weapon. He releases the white haired boy's hand as they reached the middle of the courtyard, playfully spinning as he skipped for a few more steps and stopped abruptly. Haru and Mitsuki exchanged a confused look to each others, turning their eyes to Ginji rubbing his hands together in circular motions. The blond slowly pull his hands apart, revealing a faintly glowing blue circle floating in thin air, strange extension stretching out, connecting it with arches of blue light while runic letters spin around it, connecting randomly to the ethereal structure that he's crafting. Steams and vapors began to draw toward the space between Ginji and the adoptive siblings, becoming thicker and thicker with each second passed, taking the form of three great armchairs, hardened and imbued with magical power, levitating just a few inches above ground, anchored from flying away by some unseen forces.

- Sit. - Ginji clapped his hand, shattering the ring of light into a cloud of glistening dusts that quickly faded from existence.

- On...these? - Mitsuki asked nervously, putting Haru behind her as she poked the construct with the blunt end of her weapon.

It's soft to the touch, like freshly fallen snow, but somehow even softer and more durable, as the end of her weapon on sink for a few centimeters, before something restricted it from digging any further. It's not solid, per se, but more like poking into a leather sack filled with water. Haru seemed to be more amused than scared, like a little kitten, he reached out his hand from behind his sister, touching the cloudy chair with the tips of his fingers, only to retract immediately, before doing it all over again. The sight of Haru seemingly "testing the water" alone was hilarious to Ginji, his cheeks puffed up as he doubled over, trying desperately to hold in the laughter of how silly and adorable the white haired boy was.

- Enough fooling around you two! - He burst into giggling, sitting onto one of the armchairs, letting himself sink in a bit before adjusting his position. - It's just vapor, it won't eat you.

- O-ok. - Haru replied, sheepishly sitting down on his chair, panic spread across his face for a moment as he felt like he's sinking into the dark abyss.

His sister was a bit more relaxing, Mitsuki slowly positioned herself onto the chair comfortably, still looking from her brother to the strange blond boy in front of them, nervously waiting for him to do anything.

- So! - Ginji suddenly spoke up, making both Mitsuki and Haru jumped a bit, the blond sat cross legged on his cloudy chair, leaning his body forward. - Tell me what you know about magic.

- M...magic? - Mitsuki tilted her head in confusion. Searching in her memory, trying to find something that mostly relates to the matter, her hand rubbing the soft, phantom material under her. - Is it like...this thing?

- Well...yes, and no. - Ginji fell back into the chair. - This little thing here is the result of magical influence.

- So...what is? - Haru asked, curious to what this magic is, what their heritage is.

- You can't be serious, - Ginji bolted upright, seemingly surprised by the boy's question. - Surely you have to know what it is, I mean you drew all of those conjuration circles from...oh... - Something dawned on him, a casual realization. The blond scratched his chin, only now did he remember where they've all decided to leave Haru in. - You're from THAT place huh? Right, I forgot.

- "That place"? - Haru narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. - You mean...the valley near our village? Near the ruins and the Forbidden Forest?

- Yeah...we kinda...thought it's the best idea to send you there, for a time. - Ginji scratched his head guiltily, his grin slowly faded as he realized how big of a mistake it was. - But now, now that I think about, we should have sent you to someone a bit more...professional.

- What do you mean? - Haru leaned forward, eager to hear the reason why he was given to the village. - Wh-what happened to...my home?

A worried look flashed through Ginji's heterochromia eyes, his eyebrows squinted into a frown as he tried to formulate a coherent explanation. Taking a deep breath, he spoke slowly, his voice choked with regret and sadness:

- Listen, Runty, everyone of us regret our decision, and...truth be told, we wouldn't have done what we did if we had any other choices. He wouldn't have allowed it if he had another choice.

Fear slowly crept into Haru's mind, the boy blinked, his mouth slightly parted as if about to say something, anything, but the only sounds that escaped his lips were that of his shaky breaths. He gripped at his silk pants, trying to calm himself, he wanted to believe what Ginji said, that his family, his Blood family, didn't abandon him. Yet something was holding him back, a childish grudge that wanted, for lack of a better word, pay back. Is that it? It asked him, deep in his mind a shadowy voice echoed forth. Is that it? All those years, without a single visit? Why? And Quetz. Why didn't he recognize Haru when they met in that forest?

- Haru? - Mitsuki's hand resting on his shoulder pulled the white haired boy out of his dark thoughts. - Is something wrong?

- A...I...I... - The boy struggled to find his words, his angered now subsided, as suddenly as it's risen, left behind a tremendous emptiness that's slowly filling up with sorrow.

- Sh...sh, sh, sh, it's ok, come here buddy. - The white haired boy felt arms wrapping around him and pulling him up into a loving embrace, delicate hands, not much different from his but roughed and hardened by years of training stroked his hair and back as Ginji slowly hummed the soothing lullaby that Quetz's sung to him. - There there, I'm here.

- Th-thank...you... - Haru gurgled, trying to hold in his tears and anguish hiccups.

- Ginji-kun, I think...I think he needs something to drink. - Mitsuki suggested, gently rubbing her brother's shaking shoulder.

- Already a head of you. - Jean's hand reached out between them, holding a mug made of porcelain, smoking with a hot brown liquid that smelled like cacao beans but much, much better. The three of them looked behind them, especially Haru, his shivering eyes glowed up from the sweet miasma, making the pale man chuckled. - It's hot chocolate. - He grinned warmly. - Drink, it'll make you feel better.

He couldn't speak, something was choking his throat, but he didn't want to clear it, fearing that the moment he does, all of his emotions would burst out into tears and wailings. Haru nodded, shaky hands reached out, taking the hot porcelain mug from the man and sat back down on his arm chair. The rest of them slowly eased their tensions, slowly returning to their seats, quietly eyeing him as he took the first gulp of that warm, sweet, milky beverage. It was good, better than anything he's ever had back in the village, it warmed him in the sense of a loving family would a member of theirs own, no matter how lost they were.

- Good? - Ginji snickered, now has returned to his seat.

- Mhm. - Haru nodded and smiled warmly, taking another gulp of the sweet hot chocolate.

- Good. - The blond nodded back, scratching his head again. - So...about the things I said, it's true. We didn't have any other options but to send you to...you know, them.

- What do you mean? - Mitsuki narrowed her eyes. - Why was sending Haru to my village was the only option? Why send him there? What happened to your home?

- We figured that Shinju would be the best caretaker for Haru until we've solved all the problems back home. - Jean chimed in, sitting crossed legged on his steam armchair that he's conjured for himself. - Quetz did tell you about the war, no?

- He said you were at war? - Haru asked curiously.

- Yes. - Ginji sighed, letting himself fall into the fluffy embrace of the armchair. - Fifteen years ago when Haru and his twin were still under our cares, the Sanctuary Forest and the nearby City of Calisna were besieged. I'd go into detail but it'd be best that I don't, not at this moment. But...sometime during the fighting, assassins were sent against Keto and well...one of them were bearing a magical disease that we couldn't cure.

Haru gulped, not knowing what to feel, his grips on the mug became tighter and tighter, so much so that his hands trembled a bit. He glared at the stirring liquid inside wondering to himself if he should tell Ginji to stop. No. He reassured himself, he had to know.

- Is...is that why you gave me to...the village? - He asked, his voice shaky, anxious for an answer.

- Kinda... - Ginji rubbed his hand awkwardly. - You have to understand, ok? We tried everything, even calling for boons from the place's Wild God didn't help. Then one of us, the wisest amongst us, Isu of the City of Eternal Knowledge, suggested that if it's the sickness itself was magical in nature, we just need to put you somewhere that's devoid of magic.

- But why my village? - Mitsuki questioned. - We didn't have magic, yes, but do you know how dangerous it was for Haru? How hard it was for him? Couldn't you have, I don't know, send him somewhere else?

- You don't know anything about your mother, do you? - Jean asked softly, amused by the girl's inquiries.

- What do you mean? - Mitsuki turned to face the pale man.

- Well you see, the patch of territory that your village was in... - The pale man snapped his fingers, seemingly trying to find the right words. - well it's complicated, but you just need to know that due to very specific things, magic is nulled, mostly neutralized in that area, it's a bit tacky for fey folks to perform petty magic in it and near impossible for human to do so.

- On paper it seemed like the best way to syphon away the effects of the disease. - Ginji nodded, crossing his arms and tilting his head a bit. - But...Quetz had a war to fight, and none of us really have the time to discreetly visit you. The best we could've done was hope that Shinju would at least tell you something about yourself, or at least take you to see Keto when he's there in his exile.

- But...exile? - Haru tilted his head. - From what? Isn't he...a high chief?

- He was inflicted with the same magical disease at you, Runty. - Jean said quietly. - He tried his best to fight both the war and his illness, despite us telling him to take it easy but...he's not always the one to listen to reasons. By the time the war was beginning to fall into our favor, his health and mind were...affected, so we exiled him, temporarily to the valley so he could heal properly.

- And healed he did.

Lucious' voice interrupting the pale man's words making all of them turned to the door, where the Lord Inquisitor was entering, daunting his jet black armor encrusted with crimson gems on the chest plate and wrist gauntlets. On one shoulder there's a normal shoulder plate fashioned in the same material and style of the rest of the armor, on the other he mounted a skull of a fearsome beast encased in gold. Around his hips flown a dark cape with crimson fringes, tucked under the waist armor plates that secured the gem encrusted needle-like sword with rain guard crafted in the same style as Quetz's sword. It was the spitting image of Lucious in Haru's visions and dreams, the black haired man has barely changed at all, with the only exception being the crisscrossing dark red tattoos under his left golden eye.

- Sorry to interrupt you, - He took quick steps toward them, hand resting on the hilt of his sword. - but Father wanted me to personally guard you while he...deals with the incursion.

- What now? - Jean tilted his head backward. - Are the human "storming" the wall for more food again?

- If it's been that then my Inquisition would have been more than enough to pacify them. - Lucious mumbled in disapproval. - He's sent for you, master, something about artillery supports.

- It's the Horde, isn't it? - The pale man sat up, eyes frowning into a concerned expression.

Lucious didn't reply, he didn't need to, as the fact that he was here alone was more than enough Jean to understand the severity of the situation. The pale man sighed and stood up, his crimson trench coat seemed to trail a red mist that thickened with each steps. The strange miasma enveloped him, swirling, shrouding him in its embrace completely, before two great leathery wings burst from the veil much to the children's horror. With a loud shriek, the man, the creature in the mist flapped his mighty wings, vaulting into the air and quickly flying out of sight, leaving behind the mortified children and their two guardians.

Lucious was the first to move, sitting down on Jean's emptied seat, his long tail impaled the back of the armchair, sweeping from side to side patiently as Haru and Mitsuki were still having their eyes glued to the sky, afraid that the winged beast would return. For the longest time, they just sat there, not knowing what to do, to say or even to expect.

- Don't worry about him, - Lucious smiled at Haru, conjuring a tall glass of dark red liquid into his hand. - Master Jean is always dramatic like that.

- He's not...dangerous, is he? - Mitsuki asked in hushed tone, slowly turning her gaze downward but still glancing at the sky fearfully.

- His kind is...less feral than me and Father. - The black haired man replied with a bit of uncertainty. - But, yes, he's not very dangerous to you.

- What do you mean...feral? - Haru asked shyly.

- Well...see for yourself. - Lucious rolled his eyes in contemplation, before snapping his fingers.

Crimson butterflies with tattered wings began to manifest around them thin air, dozens of them, the way they seemingly fluttered in and out of reality in ever shifting shades of red made Haru think of the butterfly that Quetz has created a while back. These ones however were different, they're more...materialized, stronger with more distinct features, more like living smoke that crystalized air, making the white haired boy wonder if they really were made of the same stuffs for the same purpose. The ghostly insects clung into each others one by one, until an orb of shimmering wings and smoke was all that was left, hanging by an unseen thread in midair. The tattered wings began to melt into smoke, swirling into a red cloud and expanding into the size of a small boulder, moving shapes and sounds became clearer and clearer as it did.

With each second passed, the clouds slowly parted, revealing a barrage of multi-colored projectiles, cracking lightning and raging waves of pure magical power smashing into the hordes of hundreds, if not thousands of horned humanoid with furry goat legs. Those that survived the magical onslaught charged at the lone, armored figure from which all the terrible assaults were coming from, only to be cut down with a swing of that gleaming blue sword and razor-sharp claws. Haru's heart skipped a beat, he let out a small, almost inaudible gasp as he recognized that armor, that black, gold-trimmed armor decorated with blue gems and markings, six spikes jutting out from the figure's back, thrumming with the rampant magical power making them resemble a pair of glowing wings.

He was missing his ornate crown of silver dragon wings, but the magical, glowing halo above his head, along with the waist cape billowing in the winds made him look no less majestic. Quetz fought alone, waging into the horde of savage goat-men without any mercy, not unlike how he did with the fish-men back in the village, each attack cut down dozens of his enemies. A vision, perhaps? Haru asked himself, as this Quetz was far from the gentle, loving man that he loves, he was a force of nature, manifesting his wrath into devastating blows that obliterate everything in his path. Yet the massive wall behind him continuing sending out explosive barrages to cover for their lord, cleaning off anything that get through him.

The entire area outside the wall has been evacuated, leaving only an emptied field, perfect for bombardments and for Quetz to unleash all of his power. More enemies surged forward, giant, towering humanoid with the heads of bulls, wielding massive axes and clubs made from salvaged material, pushing away smaller goat-men, overly confidence in their bulk and strength. Their arrogance proved to be their downfall, as the white haired man jerked his freed hand up, multi-colored circles and runes flashes in and around his arm. Tendrils of pure magic sprouted from the frozen ground, belching out corrosive acids and fire, vortexes of flame swirled into existence in the middle of the hordes, vague humanoid shapes made of lightning charged toward the beasts and exploded in flashes of brilliant white and blue. Glowing made of pure energy now surged from the man's outstretched hand, charging through the hordes, disintegrating everything they touched.

Before long, Quetz was surrounded by thousands of charred and mangled corpses of beast-men, columns of smokes thick with magical residues rose from the carnage, with craters littered the ground around him. Unlike the fish-men before, these beast-men seemed to know their limits, they backed away, roaring and waving their primitive weapons but not daring to come closer. It was then that Haru noticed Quetz's face, especially his eyes, amber orbs filled with tears, pain, rage and anguish still clearly presence in them.

- COME ON! - The white haired man roared, bearing his fearsome fangs and waving his mighty sword. - COME HERE AND PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO HIM YOU FILTHY ANIMALS!

- What is he...talking about? - Mitsuki blinked, hands gripping at the cloudy material of the armchair.

- The accused told me everything. - Lucious snapped his head downward from the smoke screen, snarling in anger, not at Mitsuki, but at the mere mention of the villagers and their deeds. - Even...after all they've done, all their sins...he wouldn't let me punish them, - He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing out painful tears, his entire frame trembled from rage and anguish, his tail coiled tightly, his voice shaky. - he wouldn't punish them... They...those...heretics...those fiends...

Horror dawned on Mitsuki's confused face as she realized what the man was talking about. It was months before Haru met Quetz, he was cornered by the older kids in the village in a hunting trip, had it not been for the chieftain, the boy would've suffered more than he already has.

- They...violated the Young Lord... - Lucious burst into tears, his suppressed cry quickly followed as he bolted up from his seat and roared into the sky. The black haired man dove toward Haru, armored arms wrapping around the boy's thin frame, his head buried into the teenager's shoulder, crying and sputtering out apologizes for the crimes that he couldn't protect him from. - I'm sorry...I'm sorry...I'm sorry...

- Stop it... - Another shaky voice joined in, making Mitsuki and Haru turned around, just to see Loi has got out from his seat, tears streaming down his face. - You weren't there for him. - Words came pouring out, shaking from the sputtering lips, but harsh and cut deeply into the black haired man's soul. - None of you were. You claimed to be his true family. Yet you weren't there for him. So STOP IT!

Something snapped inside Lucious' head, Haru could felt it, felt him jolted, his grips slightly tightened on the back of his shirt, though not to the point of ripping through the silk woven fabric despite his undoubtedly razor sharp claws. Unconsciously, the white haired boy slowly let his hand stroke the older male short, shaggy black hair to comfort him, not in the same fashion as he did caressing Quetz's head to show affection as a lover, but in an almost parental way. Almost childishly, Lucious let his eyes close, or at least the boy thought he felt his eyes closed, purring as he nudged his head against the teenager's shoulder, before slowly pulling away. The teen watched as the older male slowly stood up, slightly sloughed forward, letting the boy see a warm, yet sad smile, of disappointment, not at Haru, but at Lucious himself.

- You're right. - Lucious murmured a reply to Loi, his golden eyes, filled with determination and...hatred. - We have never been there for him. I...have never been there for him. And I wish to fix that.

- You...what? - The tanned boy backed off a step as the Inquisitor walked closer to him, his eyes flared with malice, his lips curled into a sadistic, suggested Loi a hopeful expression but in a sickening fashion.

- I...want to fix that. - Something held the tanned boy in place, forcing him to stand still as Lucious brought his face to mere inches from his. His clawed gauntlet stretched out in a beckoning gesture, the clicking noises of metal parts against each others sent shiver down Loi's spine. - Please, tell me their names.

***

Their numbers seemed endless, pouring out from the forests and swept across the plains, cloven hooves tearing up patches of snowy. They were drawn here because their preys have gathered at this place, every single last one of them, thousands upon thousands of feral beast-men, and they will not stop coming. The ground around the lone warrior littered with the broken corpses of thousands of beast-men, fell by the magical onslaught that he unleashed or cut down by the Maw's defense. Still they kept on coming, bolstered by the presence of the towering bull-headed monstrosities the sizes of town houses with a single, flickering eye in the middle of their faces.

Quetz panted heavily, grunting at he felt his wounds started to rip inside his armor, the sensation of his wet life blood soaking dripping down his now weakening left arm. This is not good, he thought to himself, the magic that the magi casted upon him, along with the magic he used on himself to keep his body from falling were fading fast, he could felt his legs began to shake, succumbing to his weight and injuries. But he have to keep fighting, he have to buy them enough time to leave, to keep his oath.

A flash of brilliant red and orange exploded in front of Quetz as he was cutting down a raging minotaur, its heat and impact overloaded his senses in a flash, before he felt his feet left the gore-covered ground, sent flying along with the debris marked with runic symbols. The sky and ground seemed to have melded together as the white haired man was flung like a ragdoll across the barren field, he gritted his fanged teeth, stretching his limps every time he felt like he was about to hit the ground in a desperate attempt to stop himself from being blown away further but to no avail. Something hit his wounded, armored arm with the force of a charging rhinoceros, making him hissed in pain as he was bounced and spun midair from the impact.

- Hang on I'm coming! - Jean's voice cut through the shrieking winds, at the corner of his eyes, Quetz could see glimpses of the winged shadow dashing toward him.

- ON WHAT?! OOF! - The white haired man roared back, smashing against the ground again with another bounce that sent him spinning.

For split second, Quetz almost loose consciousness, his eyes dashed from one patches of shifting shapes and colors to another as he bounced again, and again, and again, each time with less force than the last, but still enough to made him feel like every bone in his body was being pulverized. He collided with something soft and leathery with a loud thud, the force from his travel sent both him and the thing sliding back on the freshly fallen snow, their claws and talons plowed up the ground to reduce their speed. Heaving himself from the red cushion that's caught him, Quetz saw great grey bat wings unfolded, his ears ringing, the sounds of the garrison's warriors swarming around them were muffled.

- You fucken arsehole. - Jean hissed, pushing the white haired man off him. - Get off me!

- Protect the High Lord! Medic! - An Anacondrai shrieked, standing between Quetz and the horde.

- No medic. - The white haired man grunted, trying to stand up but kept tripping on his own blood and weight. - Give me a healer... I need to keep fighting...

- Out of the question, champ. - Jean stood up, his massive bat wings slowly warped back into his arms, his crimson eyes stared at the horde of beast-men as they started their slow yet loud march.

A strange, dark field seemed to be surrounding them, warping the air, shielding them from any magical attempt to hinder their advance. The pale man snorted, hand raised high, waving in midair drawing a red glowing circle of magic. The sky above them was set ablaze, as dozens of glowing double ringed circles of conjuration, each decorated with powerful runic symbols manifested in thin air, collecting specks of glowing red magic drifting around into their center. Fiery projectiles launched themselves across the field, fired from the circles, zigzagging through the air before slamming head first into the hordes.

Just as he's predicted, the balls of fire exploded into a firework display of fire and debris before they can reach the horde, leaving them unharmed. Immediately, the giant one-eyed minotaurs hurled great boulders toward them response, another volleys from the red circles destroyed them, sending debris falling down and crashed before the great wall. Something was conjuring a force field of magic, it was a big one, but the way it rippled and shimmered when hit by the barrage betrayed its nature. It was weak and clumsy, supported only by the chaotic energy residue of the land and the magic craving one-eyed giants, but was still stable enough to repel most artillery bombardments.

- We need a strike team. - Jean remarked, lighting another cigarette, ignoring Quetz's angry grunting as the healers tried to heal his wounds. - We need to take out the bastards that are keeping that force field up.

- That's suicide my lord. - A white haired dark elf in heavy, ornate armored replied, his violet eyes shone with a hint of fear.

- That or we wait for them to assail the wall. - The man dropped the cigarette on the ground, stomping on it to make a point. - A suicidal charge to drop some ritual disrupting bombs, that should give me enough time to...?!

A herd of horses ran pass them, tearing up bloodied ground with great hooves, dozens of them, then hundreds, carrying...human riders, screaming, lances pointing at the hordes of beast-men, their tips burning with baleful fire. Quetz pulled himself up, blood seeping from the gaps and cracks in his ancient armor, roaring out commands at the leading rider, screaming for him to stop. But he wouldn't listen, he kept on riding, leading his troops in a suicidal charge to give the white haired man the chance he needed. His riders were at his side, all their deeds laid bare, all their sins punished, following their riders for one last glorious charge toward redemption. Quang led the suicidal assault of a few of his villagers and the human soldiers of the garrisons, preparing to die, to atone for their sins, to free Quetz from his ancient covenant.