Alfarr sat atop a raised sb of stone as he greeted the trio.

  “Ahh, it's you again.”

  His eye rested upon the purple-haired woman at the entrance of the cave. With a gre, the horned Ferefolk arose from his makeshift seat and injected himself with a thin syringe.

  "I hope you are prepared to die once again, young girl."

  Alfarr levitated into the air and began unching enormous icicles at what was left of the party.

  "MARIE! We're coming to save you. Just hold on a little longer!"

  Lucia called out to the girl while narrowly evading the icicles. She then flung herself through the air by casting Shining Lunge, a swift move that resulted in a clean strike to Alfarr’s chest.

  While Lucia captivated his attention, Ceres positioned Divine Domain for optimal effect. As the purple-haired Fairy traded blows with Alfarr to contain him in the domain, Yves joined her while activating his Reaper Bze skill. The goal was simple, to blitz Alfarr and overpower him quickly. Avoiding a battle of attrition where they were of the utmost importance given their ck of healer and tank.

  Using Reaper Bze put Yves's life on a timer, signifying their resolve in this strategy. Alfarr had begun struggling to keep up with the attacks from each pyer. Multiple stabs came from Lucia's rapier. When he dodged one stab, Yves cut him with his scythe, and then spears of light dispatched by Ceres further pinned him.

  As the battle progressed, it only became more and more one-sided; three retively powerful fairies were beating back the single Ferefolk with retive ease. For each attack Alfarr nded, his enemies nded three more on him. Alfarr’s health bar had been reduced to red, and it seemed as though he was on the verge of faltering when suddenly, his body began convulsing.

  “What’s going on?”

  Lucia shouted to nobody in particur as their attacks deflected off of the Wyrmkin's skin. While his body convulsed, it also started to transform. His skin became scaly, and his eyes narrowed. Alfarr's form had become even more reptilian than it had before, and with this transformation, his health bar had also restored itself.

  This also presented a problem for the trio, as Yves had fallen low on health from his Reaper Bze skill and Last Providence was still on cooldown. Even more pressing than this, however, was the boost in strength that Alfarr had received. Each katana ssh and icicle dealt almost twice as much damage as before.

  Due to his ability to fly, Alfarr could quickly escape Divine Domain using his newfound speed. In reaction to this, Ceres joined her two allies in the air, dropping her supporting role.

  To avoid being cornered by the group of Fairies, Alfarr summoned a storm of icicles that rained down from the cave's ceiling. These icicles were different from those before, each infused with a different status ailment. Some were poisoned, while others caused paralysis or confusion. As they collided against the cave's walls, the icicles split into multiple parts and ricocheted, causing a flurry of deadly needles in every direction.

  In this flurry of icicles, one struck Yves, piercing his chest and reducing him to a collection of glittering crystals. Considering the monster in front of them and their ck of strength, neither Lucia nor Ceres knew how to proceed forward. Their progress had been essentially reset given Alfarr's surge in health, and they were down to only two party members.

  The downpour of icicles left no opening for either of them to attack. It seemed as though the battle had come to an unfortunate end. However, just when Lucia was about to resign herself to the icy storm, a scythe punctured Alfarr's chest.

  For some inexplicable reason, Yves still drew breath. This wound inflicted on Alfarr also created a brief gap within the storm of icicles, and without hesitation, Lucia and Ceres unched their counter-attack.

  They surrounded the draconic entity and slowly overwhelmed the creature with their close ranged assault. For every attack reflected by his hardened scales, another made its mark. This barrage of attacks left a sizable dent in Alfarr's health. Finally, Lucia let out a barrage of Runebolts, leading to an inversion of the ending to their st battle.

  “Goodbye Alfarr”

  With those words, Lucia punctured his chest with her rapier.

  ???

  The party took a moment of respite after their exhausting battle with Alfarr. They had freed Marie from her bindings, and Lucia had also received an expnation for Yves' astonishing revival. The Reaper css apparently had access to a skill known as "Edge Of Death." As it suggests, the skill allows Fairies of the Reaper css to momentarily evade death and respawn with a small amount of health. However, the skill has an extremely long cooldown, and it does not save the Fairy from losing experience points.

  Nevertheless, the skill single-handedly saved the party, and Lucia was grateful for that, even if she had a smidgen of jealousy over Yves' combat abilities. However, what followed were not moments of gleeful joy after rescuing Marie; instead, there was an awkward silence as Marie formally addressed the party.

  "Greetings, candidates. Lucia, you may have once known me as the girl Marie, but that girl no longer exists."

  “Marie… what are you saying?”

  Lucia jolted from the sudden verbosity coming from the child. It sounded as though she had been possessed by an entirely different person. Marie had adopted a stern expression, one that greatly contrasted her previous wonder-eyed nature.

  "A being id dormant inside the girl you once knew as Marie. That being was I, the Oracle. Upon my awakening, Marie perished so that her body could act as a vessel for me."

  Lucia was unsure how to respond to this shocking information. A whirlwind of different emotions arose within her. Should she be mad at this "Oracle" for stealing Marie? Could this Oracle even control her awakening?

  What am I going to say to Marie’s mother?

  Despite pausing, the Oracle continued without a response.

  “I understand this might be a tall tale, but lend an ear to my story.”

  It was this time Yves who forcibly took control of the conversation.

  “No, you will tell us what is going on.”

  His sharp scythe matched his sharp words as he leered suspiciously.

  “Rest assured, it is my job to do so… Although, I do not remember the full story…”

  “What do you mean you don't remember?”

  The two women beside him could hear Yves' voice crack with rage.

  "Let her have a moment to breathe, Yves, she seems just as overwhelmed as us."

  The purple-haired woman tried calming his rage as they let the Oracle continue expining.

  “Long ago, there was a conflict between an evil entity known as Aluber and the goddesses of this world. Not even I know the origins of Aluber. All I can say is that he stood against the five goddesses: Jeanne, the Goddess of Fme; Silvia, the Goddess of Nature; Angelica, the Goddess of Water; Mizuki, the Goddess of Darkness; and Hinata, the Goddess of Light. One day, he simply appeared with 5 beasts and began wreaking havoc on this world. These beasts are now known as the White Beasts, and knowledge of their existence is passed down in this world as fairy tales.

  The goddesses were able to defeat the beasts and temporarily seal Aluber away, but at great cost: Only the Goddesses of Darkness and Light survived, and they only did so in a weakened state. You Fairies are the "Candidates," the remnants of the goddesses' powers. I do not know the specifics, but two of you are the "True Incarnations" who will become vessels for the Light and Dark Goddesses, simirly to how Marie served as a vessel for me.

  Now, the seal on Aluber is weakening, his power is growing, and he will send servants with much greater power than Alfarr. The White Beasts are especially of no ughing matter. We must find the True Incarnations and prepare for battle against Aluber. Our only chance is to rely on the power of the goddesses.

  I understand this may be difficult to swallow, but I request your aid in locating the True Incarnations.”

  The possessed Marie closed her mouth and allowed the trio to respond. Ceres quietly contempted the information with wide eyes while Yves had a furrowed brow. Lucia simply stood motionless, her thoughts racing.

  How do I respond… Two of us will have to become vessels like Marie?

  A maelstrom of emotions washed over the purple-haired girl. She did not know what to feel or even say. Part of her mourned the apparent loss of Marie, a girl who had done no wrong in this world. Another part felt fearful of her own safety.

  What if I’m a vessel? Will I die and have my consciousness repced?

  Yves broke the deafening silence that had come from the Orcale’s tale.

  "I refuse. If this Aluber attempts to revive these beasts and plunge the world into chaos, then so be it. I will fight against him if he brings the conflict to me, but I will not aid in fulfilling this prophecy of yours, especially when there is a possibility of becoming a vessel."

  Although it was a somewhat selfish answer, Lucia was relieved that another Fairy had reservations about the Orcale's request. On top of Lucia and Yves' responses, Ceres also seemed conflicted over the appeal for assistance.

  “I need a little more time to think, but is it alright if I ask a question?”

  “Go ahead, Lucia.”

  "How exactly do these vessels work? Is there a chance that one of us is a vessel even if we take no part in helping you?"

  "Unfortunately, I cannot recall. I have told you the entire contents of my memory. I may need more time before I can remember the full history of this world. In fact, I'm not even sure why Alfarr kept me alive or how he knew I was residing in Marie."

  After hearing this, Lucia looked downwards and contempted for a moment. The rest of the party sat patiently awaiting her answer.

  “I need more time to think, I’m sorry.”

  Finally, she was able to give a definitive answer to the Oracle. Despite this, the Oracle seemed neither angry nor worried.

  “I understand, I may have pushed this matter too aggressively. But I believe you will all come around in the end.”

  Just as the Oracle turned around and began leaving, Lucia interrupted her.

  “Wait a moment, what about Marie’s mother? And how are you going to protect yourself out there?”

  "Well, seeing as you refuse to provide me with any assistance, I don't see what other options I have. And Marie's mother is of no significance to me, greater things are at stake here."

  At this point, anger began to overtake Lucia's other feelings.

  “Fine, we will at least shelter you until we return to Valeria, but you must expin to Marie’s mother what has occurred here.”

  The entire situation left Lucia and company with a bad taste in their mouths. An ancient being had taken hold of a small girl's body, essentially ending her life in the process. Even worse was that the Oracle dispyed little remorse. It was as if the people around her were simply dirt that could be trampled over on the way to her destination. However, the conversation had reached an end, so they prepared for their venture.

  On the journey out of the dungeon, Ceres uncharacteristically posed a question to the group.

  "Does anyone know what Alfarr injected into himself before our fight?"

  Her question was answered by the ccking of boots on stone. It seemed nobody had any hypotheses. That was until the Oracle spoke up once again.

  “It was the blood of Fafnir, Serpent of the Mist, one of the White Beasts of old legend. I’m not sure as to how he obtained it, but I overheard that information while he was rambling to himself. According to him, it gave him the power to fly like that serpent once did.”

  Does that mean that the White Beasts have already returned?

  While Lucia brooded over the potential return of the White Beasts, they had finally reached the exit of the Mistheim. What awaited them outside was the fauna of Pristine Greenwood bathed in the light of the moon. Some of the flowers glowed a bright azure, lighting their path to Rena Vilge. Most importantly, however, the fog had subsided.

  ???

  Marie's mother had been incredibly emotional after being informed of Marie's fate. Having mixed feelings about the situation, Lucia decided not to involve herself too much with Marie's mother or the Oracle. Instead, she left Rena shortly after communicating the situation to the dejected mother. She hadn't even stopped to say farewell to the vilgers on the way out.

  The trip back to Valeria was also of little fanfare. Ceres and the Oracle silently watched the two flirt in front of them for almost the entire journey. Humorously, Lucia was still in the oversized garb lent to her while the two sputtered insults back at one another. Even Ceres' face turned red as she internally fawned over how cute she was.

  When the trio finally arrived in Valeria, Lucia opened her status window. She told Magnus and Theresia to meet them at the Blue Swallow Inn, where they had once rested before. By the time they had all arrived and sat down, it was essentially morning. Rays of sunlight illuminated the dark circles under Lucia's eyes as she summarized their situation.

  To everyone's dismay, Theresia was the first to unconditionally accept the Oracle.

  "I will assist you, my Maiden!"

  The bard's eyes glowed as she offered aid to the young girl. Magnus had a more mixed reaction, akin to the rest of the group, although he still offered his assistance.

  “If what you say about these White Beasts is true, then a lot of innocent people could lose their lives. We need to power up and give this Aluber guy a pummeling. Oracle, you can count me in.”

  With her brother offering assistance, Ceres followed suit and swayed from her original declination. Yves, however, remained steadfast in refusing the Oracle's mission.

  "It looks like this is where we part ways. I have a guild to run anyway. Lucia, if I could have a moment of your time."

  A bit taken aback, Lucia said her goodbyes and returned to her inn room with the young man. While she had not offered assistance to the Oracle, she also had not completely made up her mind either. Therefore, she also found it wise to part with her friends for the time being before she could settle her thoughts.

  Lucia kicked her legs back and forth while sitting on the edge of the bed waiting. Eventually, Yves made a request of her.

  "Lucia, I would like you to join my guild."

  Yves' guild, Angel Dirge. Lucia had examined it on her status screen while returning to Valeria. She hadn't really given it much thought, but in the back of her head, she acknowledged the possibility of Yves inviting her. However, the purple-haired girl had yet to come up with an answer.

  "I'm not sure, Yves. I need more time to think about it. My mind is such a mess right now."

  Given the danger they faced, Lucia felt disoriented from her surroundings. She needed to be alone to regenerate her battery. It was one of the few downsides of being a pseudo-shut-in for so long.

  Yves responded in a way she did not expect. He was not angry, nor was he calm. Instead he pushed Lucia down onto the bed and held her arms down. His hair dangled from his face, which usually obscured his left eye. Two amber spheres gazed deep into the violet irises of their target.

  While she might try to deny it, Lucia knew the chemistry between them was more than that of friends. In fact, the purple-haired girl even acknowledged her attraction to him at some points, but it did nothing to quell her muddled feelings. Lucia had once been a straight male, so it was only natural that she had some reservations about the current situation, especially the speed at which it was happening.

  "Stop… Let me go!"

  After she said so, Yves loosened his grip and stepped away from her. And almost immediately after that, a wave of guilt came over Lucia. Had she been stringing him along? What about Alice? Weren't they supposed to be soulmates? Then a wave of fear came over her: What if I'm alone in this world from here on out? Forget Alice. She's not coming to save me here. In the midst of her spiraling, Yves spoke up.

  “I see I was under the wrong impression. Goodbye Lucia.”

  It's happening. I'm going to be alone again. All of my acquaintances will leave to help the Oracle, and I'll be here all alone. Alice is gone. Nothing matters anymore.

  As he was exiting, Yves heard the rustling of fabric. He first noticed the oversized t-shirt and shorts he had once lent to the woman strewn upon the ground. Then, he noticed an enchantingly beautiful girl standing in only her underwear.