Solisia and Laudis entered their hotel apartment. Udania was sitting in the chair, awaiting them. Her face was quite sour; she wasn’t hiding her emotions.

  “Can you leave us, Solisia?” asked Udania, looking at her.

  The girl nodded quickly and went to the other room.

  “Why didn’t you wake me up, Laudis? I wanted to go with you…” the disappointed woman muttered, glancing at him.

  ‘What the hell am I supposed to say? It’s not like I wanted to do it. Dammit, everything is on my shoulders, once again.’

  “I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up,” the youth replied.

  “Why’s that?”

  “Eh…” he stuttered, avoiding eye contact.

  “Huh?” the blue-haired murmured.

  “You looked too peaceful to wake you up. I couldn’t bring myself to end your rest after… after you had healed me…”

  “Oh. So that’s why. You know, it’s not like I was asked to heal you. I did it because I wanted to, so don’t think much about it,” she stated, laughing subtly.

  “No. It’s not like that. You shouldn’t put someone else in front of yourself. I’m aware that you healed everyone else before yourself. Why have you done it?” he replied with a serious look.

  “Ah… You know, I think it’s better to help others. I’m not a good fighter; the least I can do is heal the wounded. I'm pathetic, aren’t I?” the blue-haired joked ironically.

  “You’re not pathetic. You’re quite strong, to be true, very strong. You’re stronger than me mentally. I wish to be like you,” the boy said, smiling at her.

  “Thanks,” the Water sorceress answered with a smile.

  “Also, what happened to your eye? It looks… normal.”

  “Really? Nobody told me that. I guess it lost connection to my mana…”

  They glanced at each other, drowning in awkward silence. A knocking sound came outside the room.

  “Come in.”

  “We’ll be leaving soon, pack your things, kid,” declared Dantenium.

  “Alright.”

  Laudis started packing his stuff. There were a few of them, just enough to fill a medium-sized bag, to be exact. He took a longer glance at the page and the empty pictureframe. They were the same as before, full of questions, no answers.

  “Do you know a man called Gareth Gwynn?” asked Laudis, looking at both of them.

  “...”

  “I see…”

  “Gwynn, you say?” responded Solisia, walking into the room.

  “Yeah?”

  “I had a friend called Thomas Gwynn. He came from Luxaris, so both of you might be related. I highly doubt it, but you know.”

  “Thanks.”

  “By the way, when are we leaving?”

  “Tomorrow. We’ll be leaving tomorrow. We’re going after Lust now,” said Gladius, responding from a different room.

  “Lust, you say… Where’s she?” said Dante, remembering the vampire.

  “Kingdom of Piscaria. We’ll go by boat there. It’s the fastest route to Malasoria. Surprisingly enough, she’s hiding in a town, rather than the capital. Do you know that place, Solisia?” the captain continued.

  “Yeah… no. I don’t remember it. I lived on a border with Terminara, so I’m unaware of the northern and western parts of the country,” responded Solisia, scratching her head.

  “I see… We're going on foot to the port city, Seebadeen. It’s roughly sixty kilometres. Did you pack everything?”

  “Are we going now?” wondered Udania, surprised by the statement.

  “Yes. Nights are colder, as you may know.”

  “Yeah…”

  “Everyone ready?” the knight said.

  “...”

  “Great! We’re off!”

  The Crusaders left the hotel, returning the key to their apartment. The moon hung in the ocean of stars, lighting the sandy road to Seebadeen. The five figures travelled in the dark, carrying their belongings. The trail was monotonic, yet steady. Ideal for a longer walk. They were walking in silence, not to tire themselves. The wind slowly blew against them, moving the ends of their hair. Dunes entangled them from all sights. After a while, the border lanterns were nowhere to be found. They left Zachira for good…

  High-pitched shouts echoed through the town. People, including women and children, were set on fire. They run outside, trying to save themselves. Heavy rain poured down from the sky, almost creating a waterfall. Yet, the flames wouldn’t extinguish. Countless civilians had been killed. Crows, flying in the sky, screamed at the top of their lungs. The birds pecked the dead bodies, scattered on the ground. Despite the weather, the village was on fire. Burning corpses, trees, and houses were releasing a dense black smoke. The stench was awful to say the least. At least one hundred fallen soldiers dropped dead in the span of ten minutes. Inside one home, there was the sole cause of the attack. Inside the building, blood had been spattered on the floor. Two men were standing in front of a bloody figure. He had a black tunic with red accents and grey trousers. His hair was deep purple and rather on the shorter side. His clothes were ripped and cut in countless directions, almost like he went through a battle, but without any scars. Behind the armoured warriors, there were a few fallen combatants. All of them were completely intact, yet dead to the bone.

  “Who the hell are you?!” one of them blurted out, enraged.

  “I’m Nathan, Nathan Stokes, and you?” he replied, grinning mockingly.

  “Thomas, remember it. Because I’m going to kill you!”

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  “No, you freaking idiot!” yelled Brian.

  The first one tried grabbing his ally, but he was too slow. The man rushed at him, taking a swing with his axe. His head flew five metres, hitting the wall. The crimson ooze started pouring down his open flesh.

  “You imbecile!” he shouted, pinning him.

  Thud! His body slammed against the wooden planks.

  “What?!”

  “He can’t die!”

  “Huh?!!”

  In an instant, Thomas was completely deprived of his mana. The man knelt in pain, coughing up blood. His eyes filled with the same substance, giving him a bad feeling. And of course, he was right. The head moved on its own, reattaching itself to the body. His spine, arteries, blood vessels, and finally the skin reconnected the separated parts. Nathan popped the fingers of his right hand with his thumb, starting from his index finger and ending at his pinky. Then he did the same action with his left hand. The sound echoed in the burning house, ticking their life. The man took out his dagger and gave them an emotionless glance.

  “Do you want to die quickly, or to suffer?”

  Stokes left the building, slamming the door. The entrance collapsed into pieces.

  “They really tried to kill me. How big of them,” he muttered, cleaning wood shavings off his clothes.

  The man facepalmed himself.

  “I should have introduced myself with my nickname. They only know me as ‘the Bearer of the Curse’... Dammit…”

  Stokes left the burning town, entering a deep forest. He lay on a somewhat dry moss, closing his eyes.

  “I never wanted to kill them…” he whispered, falling asleep.

  “How long will it take to go to the city?” asked Laudis, carrying Solisia’s stuff.

  “Depending on our pace, with the current one, we’ll be there in four hours,” replied Gladius.

  “Four hours?!” interrupted Solisia, shocked by the statement.

  “Yes, four hours. I won’t bless you, as I did before.”

  “Why’s that?” the girl wondered.

  “Your bodies wouldn’t take it well. Me, Gladius, and Laudis would probably be fine with it, but you couldn't have borne the pain,” said Dantenium, fixing Udania’s luggage on his back.

  “Really?” the girl mocked.

  “Really,” the crimson-haired responded, making a face and mocking her foolish attitude.

  The Crusaders walked and walked. The sand got everywhere, in their shoes, clothes, and even their eyes. After a horrendous journey, exhausted, they entered the port city of Seebadeen at sunset. There wasn’t any main gate like in the capital, so they entered the suburbs. The morning breeze woke them up a little, letting them navigate through the streets. The main roads were made out of stones, and the spaces between them were filled with a grey paste. The houses were high, mostly built with sandstone. Unlike Zachiraian homes, they had glass windows with wooden frames. From time to time, they stumbled across older buildings, similar to Piscarian ones. They were made out of wood and cut stone, somewhat resembling Luxarian buildings.

  “Sixty kilometres and architecture changed that much, huh?” whispered Laudis, baffled by the view.

  “What did you say?” asked Dante.

  “Nothing…”

  “Okay…”

  “Actually, you can see Piscarian architecture there. Seebadeen used to be a part of the Piscarian Kingdom, before it was conquered,” stated Gladius, catching some of his words.

  “Oh, I see…”

  Vendors were setting up their stands to sell a variety of items. Some were selling seashells, fabrics, and dried fish. The last thing caused the women to turn away because of its strong smell. Udania and Solisia were more interested in amber. Their colours varied; some were in classic orange, but there were a few in bright blue and bright red shades, too. Their price increased with interesting shapes and surprising colouring. The Crusaders were trying to get into a hotel, but they were booked with tourists. After all, it was the season. Laudis mainly focused on one thing. The city was full of demihumans. He saw hooded figures. The youth caught a glimpse of one of them. She was an elf. Her skin was smooth, oddly pale, and she got pointy ears, just like the vampires’ ones.

  ‘They must be hiding their ears for a reason. The same thing happened to me with my odd eye. People don’t care about your intentions, but about your appeal. We’re the biggest hypocrites of all creatures,’ he thought, looking at her stall.

  The blond-haired was selling herbs, medicine, and potions. Laudis bought the turquoise ginger. He gave her five golds and left, raising his right hand.

  “Why did you buy it?” asked Solisia, looking at the plant.

  “It has a distinct taste that’s especially distinguishable in tea,” the boy replied, packing it in his bag.

  “Oh…”

  Crimson Eye looked to the left. Dwarfs were smithing metal goods, ranging from tools to weapons and armour. The tallest of them was about one metre and twenty centimetres tall. The men had long beards, and a few of them were reaching their upper ribs. The youth glanced at the Crusaders, but only Dantenium returned the glance.

  “Don’t let their appearance fool you. Dwarfs live around triple the age of a human, aging three times slower. The ones you saw were probably in their one hundred-forties. Most of them are cheapskates, so be aware of that. Besides that, they’re pretty harmless. Especially, when you’ve got a good bear for them,” the crimson-haired said, pointing at the creatures.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea to point at them so casually,” noticed Laudis, watching a few demihumans glancing at both of them.

  “Nonsense,” the man replied, waving his hand.

  “Hey! You’ve got a problem, tomatoman?!” one of them shouted, coming to them.

  “Great…” the youth muttered.

  “Can you say it once again? There’s a strong wind up there. I couldn’t hear you. Does it wind that much down there?” the Warrior of Hades mocked, looking at him.

  “Stop it. We’ve got no time for fights,” stated Gladius, separating the men.

  “Hey! Who said you can touch me, you filthy monkey?” the black-bearded argued, pushing the captain off his way.

  Smack! Infernatus slapped the dwarf, knocking him down. The man took out his Sword of Pride, pointing it at the creature. Udania and Solisia turned back, hearing the loud sound. Laudis stood disoriented by the situation, and the paladin observed it silently.

  “One more word! One more fucking word and I’ll cut your midget head off!”

  The bald swallowed his spit, reaching for his knife. Before his hand touched its handle, blood started dripping from his neck. The steel met his skin, giving him that odd warmth.

  “That’s enough,” stated Gladius, laying a hand over his shoulder.

  Dante withdrew his sword, wiping it with his sleeves. A small crowd gathered around them, gaining attention. The Crusaders quickly went to the northern part of the city.

  “What does the monkey mean?” asked Laudis, whispering to Udania.

  “It’s a derogatory slur used against humans, popularised by the vampires. Most creatures agreed not to use it, but as you saw, some still say it. It’s the same as a midget for dwarfs,” the woman replied, covering her mouth.

  “I see… But why did Gladius allow Dante to defend him? Weren’t we supposed to blend into the mob?” the boy muttered.

  “Yes, we need to blend in, but we have to defend our name. Creatures have to recognise humans and the Crusaders of Vampires as those who won’t stand indifferent to aggression,” the knight responded, catching his questions.

  “Your hearing got better or what? Hell…”

  “Sort of. I started meditating more; I guess it pays off.”

  Laudis left behind the Crusaders. He noticed a weird poster, attached to a tavern:

  ‘Do you want security for your shop?

  Do you wish to get stronger?

  Do you seek justice?

  If you answered any of these questions with a yes,

  join the Cartes de Trèfle!

  More information at the tavern’

  “That’s something interesting…” the youth muttered, entering the building.

  Tshh! A hooded figure ripped the paper off the wall. The boy turned back, noticing the sound. The man slowly came to him. He was head taller than him. He slightly bent his head, whispering.

  “Don’t go there, it’s a sect,” the deep voice stated, putting a hand on his shoulder.

  Suddenly, Crimson Eye sensed a strong mana coming from him.

  ‘Before that, he was just like an ordinary man, but now he looked like an overpowered sorcerer that could kill me instantly,’ he thought, nodding.

  “Thanks.”

  The figure raised his right hand and walked away. Laudis caught up to the rest, walking further North.