The guild headquarters was pretty quiet during the festival, as most people chose to skip out on missions to soak up the festivities. Aster lounged in his chair, glancing over at Gil while shuffling some papers in front of him. He neatly stacked them to his left before responding with a firm no. He explained that Soren wasn't really an honorary member of the country, he was just passing through, and his actions were entirely his own choice. Gil turned to Ceylon, seeking confirmation, and Ceylon nodded. "Well, that could be an issue. What if…" Aster felt a twinge of anxiety as Gil stroked his chin, brainstorming ways to make his wish come true. "I could take him to my country instead." Ceylon looked a bit uneasy at that suggestion. Aster sighed and told him to do whatever he thought was best. Gil then flashed a grin, thanked him, and was about to head out when Gil dropped a piece of advice he had been holding back. "By the way, the enemy is approaching. Make sure to keep this place safe at all costs, just a friendly tip." With that, he turned and left. Aster rested his hands on his face, deep in thought, worried about the best way to intervene.
Slurp, slurp…
Soren felt a strange, slimy sensation on his cheek. His eyes fluttered open to find Fenrir licking him. As he sat up, he quickly checked the door and let out a sigh of relief when he saw it was still closed. He figured Fenrir must have come in through the window. Glancing outside, he noticed it was already dark. He then turned his attention to the egg he had conjured, a shimmering scarlet orb pulsating with energy. "Did I really knock myself out that good?" he wondered. Vixra'al chimed in, letting him know he had slept through the day. Standing up, he carefully placed the egg inside a cluttered box while Fenrir rubbed against it, and then he headed downstairs with him.
Rosalia gathered everyone at the park to enjoy a spectacular light show that resembled fireworks from the old world. A crowd quickly formed as stalls lined up, with people flocking to buy delicious goods from various selection. Everyone was having a fantastic time! Jaun and the other girls were dressed elegantly, excitedly trying out their new purchases. Soren opted for a simple outfit that he found most comfortable, while Yuri clung to his side, savoring a sweet treat. Fenrir, with his rare canine presence, caught the attention of many, especially in a world where animals are hard to come by. The soothing lights from each stall illuminated the night beautifully, like fireflies, and their eyes couldn't get enough of all the amazing offerings.
Soren found himself face-to-face with the twins again, who were staring at him from the sidelines while munching on some treats. He let out a sigh, wishing for a little break from their antics. Just then, Yuri called out, "Instructor!" and that's when he spotted Hana, along with Vesha and Grendel, who seemed to be struggling with his outfit which is a bit too snug for his large frame. Hana looked at Yuri with excitement, giving her a gentle pat on the head as she introduced herself to the others, praising Yuri for her impressive skills. Soren bowed in gratitude for her attentive guidance, but Hana just brushed it off, moving on to introduce the others, starting with Grendel. When it was Vesha's turn, she chimed in, greeting Soren and Jaun. "You know them?" Hana asked, and Vesha made an adorable gesture, saying, "Of course, they're close friends of mine." Knowing Vesha's playful nature, Hana didn't press for more details. Then Grendel spotted Fenrir, and his expression went blank. He suddenly shouted, "Gaaaah!" which startled everyone, even drawing the crowd's attention as he knelt down to get a better look at the Fenrir. "This… is a puppy!" Soren let out a sigh of relief, having initially thought he figured it was actually an Ecrea. He introduced the puppy, Grendel then asked if it was okay to pet it. Soren nodded, lifting Fenrir like a cherished child, the puppy's tongue lolling out and head tilting adorably. Grendel was completely taken aback by the cuteness, tears welling up in his eyes. It seemed this giant had a soft spot for animals.
Hana figured she couldn't take away Grendel's joy, so she decided to join them as they made their way through the hills for the light show. "Why don't you guys come with us? Let's all watch the light show together!" she suggested. Jaun and the other girls exchanged surprised glances, thrilled to be alongside such prominent figures. Leading the way, Hana felt like a celebrity as the crowd looked on. Soren, however, felt a bit out of place, he wasn't used to all this attention. Meanwhile, Grendel continued to play with Fenrir, happily balancing the little creature on his broad shoulders and poking its nose.
As they reached the hills, Aster took the stage and called everyone to gather around, announcing the performers to kick off the light show. They pulled back the covers, revealing a mechanism that began to hum with energy. Suddenly, bursts of light shot up into the sky, like flames reaching for the heavens. The onlookers were filled with awe, their eyes reflecting the colorful lights that seemed to soothe even the weariest souls. The spectacle even caught the attention of those from neighboring places, including Ecreas. The show was nothing short of spectacular, enhanced by rhythmic sounds that added to the overall performance.
In Zereth's group, everyone gathered with their guild members and their new allies, all caught up in the spectacle. Hark, looking up, couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at everything happening around him. He never imagined that a fugitive like himself would be treated this way. As he felt Zereth's gaze on him, accompanied by a smile, Hark's partner suddenly collapsed for reasons unknown. He was about to call out to her when he realized she was already on the ground, breathing heavily. Rushing to her side, he urged her to speak, but she was unconscious. Meanwhile, Zereth quickly called for Lilia to help. As Hark held his partner, he noticed that many in the crowd were also falling unconscious without any apparent cause. Aster, noticing this unsettling trend, sprang from his seat to signal the country's guards to investigate. Amid the chaos, a masked figure took advantage of the confusion, covering Jaun's mouth and striking her neck before whisking her away into the shadows.
Soren, amidst the panic, checked on others and soon realized Jaun was missing. He called out for her, but with the crowd in disarray, he had no chance to find her. Instead, he decided to gather everyone at the plaza. They nodded in agreement and quickly departed. Hana, Grendel, and Vesha approached Aster to hear his thoughts on the situation, but he was too preoccupied, biting his nails in concern for his citizens. The festival was abruptly called off as exits were blocked and guards swarmed the area to conduct their investigation. The reconnaissance team took to the skies, surveying the situation and even checking alleyways for any signs of an attack. Countermeasures were deployed to ensure the situation remained under control.
The guests took it upon themselves to conduct a thorough search, combing the area for any potential leads. It was during this search that Hana stumbled upon Kivlar, who was dragging one of the masked culprits, his eerie appearance sending chills down her spine. Grendel also managed to capture another one, and soon enough, the culprits were rounded up for questioning. They found themselves in an interrogation chamber, flanked by Aster and the jury. Here, they were placed on a pedestal designed to disrupt Aether, preventing any hostile intentions or outside communication. With a firm voice, Aster confronted the masked culprits, demanding to know their intentions. One of Aster's assistants leaned in to whisper something in his ear. The culprits remained tight-lipped until Aster, losing his composure, dragged one of them forward to unleash his fury. He towered over the culprit, conjuring a flaming sword for torture. "What did you do, and where is my sister?" he shouted, his face twisted in rage. Hana, rising from the jury, urged him to stay calm, but he was unfazed, raising the sword as if to decapitate. In a split second, Hana conjured a water bubble barrier to protect the culprit. "What do you want?!" Aster glared, while Vesha stepped in, trying to ease the escalating tension.
While inside the infirmary, Zereth and his team brought in all the patients, where an expert examined them and determined they were all suffering from an affliction that would soon turn them into Ecreas if they didn't receive treatment. Hark held his partner's hand tightly, whispering her name, "Maes, Maes…" on the brink of tears, while his friends stood by him, offering silent support. Fira Lucia rushed to the infirmary entrance, informing Zereth that there was another suspect on the loose, and to their surprise, they had already made it outside the walls. She warned him that they were still in pursuit and mentioned that Soren was on their tail. With a nod, they set off to chase after them.
Outside, Soren and Fenrir were hot on the trail, darting through the forest. Soren skillfully navigated from tree to tree, trying to catch up to a caravan where he sensed Jaun's aura. Below him, Fenrir sprinted with incredible speed, and Soren recalled the time Fenrir had transformed into a massive wolf. An idea sparked in his mind, and he shouted, "Fenrir, pave the way!" Fenrir barked in response, taking the cue to shift into a giant grey wolf, which amazed Soren even though he had seen it before. He hopped onto Fenrir's back as it activated its cloaking ability, rendering them invisible as they weaved through the gnarled trees.
As he drew closer, the caravan appeared to be pulled along by a massive beast with flaming feet. The caravan itself was occupied by two figures on either side, while the outrider donned a dark hat and tattered clothing adorned with golden collars, giving off a cowboy vibe. As he guided the beast, the two figures chuckled, seemingly eager for Soren's arrival. They leaped from the carriage to greet him, and as they stepped into the light, Soren instantly recognized them as the ominous twins he had encountered before. Strangely, the twins seemed aware of his presence, even though they were cloaked in invisibility. One of the twins, wearing a cat hoodie, raised her arm, and Vixra'al warned him that she sensed a distortion in space. Fenrir dodged and leaped toward them, but the twins skillfully evaded the attack, splitting off in different directions. Soren urged Fenrir to drop its invisibility and confronted the twins. However, when he questioned their intentions, they merely continued to chuckle, unfazed. The cat-hooded twin unleashed another attack, while the bunny-eared twin raised her hand, and suddenly, Soren was yanked off Fenrir's back and slammed into a tree. "What was that?" he exclaimed, as Vixra'al identified that the twins were using spatial magic, manipulating the space around them with properties of attraction and repulsion. What was even more frightening was how difficult it was to detect visually. Fenrir rushed toward Soren, warning him to stay alert. He halted and turned to face the twins.
Soren took another look at the caravan that was steadily pulling away from them. He knew he had no choice but to confront them. Drawing the weapon that the guild had given him, he faced the bunny-eared twin. She effortlessly blocked his initial strike with an invisible force that seemed to send his own power right back at him. Soren could feel the impact numbing his arm with each parry, so he decided to switch things up. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out an ice orb, which he hurled at her. It exploded on impact, revealing her barrier in a brilliant white sphere that enveloped her.
The culprits were surprisingly tight-lipped; one even tried to take his own life by biting off his tongue. But Grendel, thanks to his experience, managed to avoid that chaos. With a quick flick of his thumb, he launched a projectile that struck the culprit in the neck, causing him to lose control of his body for a moment. Meanwhile, the staff rushed in to check on the others, and as they removed the masks, disfigured faces were revealed. Vesha felt a wave of nervousness wash over her at the sight. Aster also pulled off the mask of the culprit he had dragged in, exposing yet another mangled face.
"Stop this madness! Look around you… they too are victims of this!" Hana interjected. Aster trembled, releasing his grip on the culprit's collar and letting his flaming sword hover in the air. Hana stepped up to take charge of the hearing while Aster took a moment to calm his nerves. The proceedings continued as Hana chose to interrogate one of the culprits. She asked what had driven them to do this and who had ordered them, promising that their afflictions would be healed, vouching with her name. The culprit scoffed and told her to shut up.
Hana pressed on with her questions, but the culprit stubbornly refused to answer any of them. With a sigh, Hana asked her assistant to fetch a vial from their country, a glowing bluish liquid. She called for the staff to bring in the victims from earlier, who walked into the interrogation room completely healed, including Hark's partner, Maes, whom Hark had helped to stand on her feet. Hana raised the vial, claiming it had potent healing properties that dramatically reduced healing time. Aster was amused, as healing usually took weeks. Gil whistled, and Vesha jumped in cheers. Cornered, the culprit finally admitted defeat and revealed what he knew. Aster stepped forward again, calmly asking why they had taken his sister. The culprit mentioned a name, Kari, who was the mastermind interested in Jaun's abilities as an artificer. The jury gasped, realizing they hadn't known that Jaun was responsible for building advanced mechanisms in the country.
Aster apologized to everyone, keeping the fact that his sister had such a rare ability under wraps. He insisted that he wanted her out of politics, believing her gentle nature wasn't suited for it, and he was determined to keep her away from all of it. He then turned to Hana, expressing his gratitude for healing his citizens. He announced to everyone that from now on, he would not hide any secrets if it meant forging a strong alliance. To prove his commitment, he made a blood pact by slitting his palm. The leaders of the neighboring countries followed suit, taking out their knives to seal their allegiance to him. With a smile, he instructed the guards to take the culprit to the dungeon. But before they could do that, Hana opened the rubber lid of the vial and poured a dose for each person, healing their afflictions. As she looked at their grateful faces, tears in her eyes, she felt a deep sense of compassion. Before they were taken away, Hana turned to Aster, asking what to do next. He gazed ahead, trusting his finest warriors to handle the situation.
Soren found himself in quite a bind as the twins launched their synchronized attacks, showcasing their impressive spatial abilities. He glanced around, feeling cornered, and decided it was time to transform. Crossing his arms, he began to chant, "Base… form" but then he sensed something approaching. "Soren!" he froze, spotting Zereth and his guild members, along with Fira Lucia and hers, flanking the twins. Zereth recognized the massive grey wolf by Soren's side and recalled the incident with Ryker, a smile spreading across his face as he realized it had been him all along. Soren quickly warned them about the twins' strange powers and Jaun's whereabouts. With a determined look, Zereth and the others drew their weapons, urging Soren to continue his pursuit while they held the line. With no other options, Soren nodded, trusting them to handle the situation. Fira Lucia licked her lips, excitement bubbling over. "Finally, some action!" she exclaimed, as her fellow guild members surrounded the twin with bunny ears.
The sound of rustling chains filled the air as the beast pulled the carriage with remarkable strength. Inside, Jaun was ensnared by a spell, surrounded by red bindings that trapped her consciousness in a never-ending cycle, leaving her body completely immobile. The outrider skillfully navigated the terrain, trying to escape the borders. Soren caught a glimpse but couldn't keep up, the distance too great. He pondered a solution until Fenrir whimpered. Seemingly understanding, Soren nodded, and with a bark, Fenrir transformed. Soren's eyes widened as the creature's skin morphed into a dark exoskeleton, its eyes glow fierce red. They took off in a swift chase, the speed so intense that the air resistance made Soren's face feel like it was being blown back.
The outrider glanced up, surprised to see the sky bending above him just as Fenrir leaped in front of them and undoes its invisibility. The beast galloped fiercely before coming to an abrupt halt. The outrider tipped his hat and stepped down from the carriage, ready for a fight. Soren followed suit. With a respectful bow, the outrider introduced himself before launching an attack with a dark whip. Soren managed to block it and turned to counter, but suddenly a sharp pain shot through his head. Scanning the area, he spotted the outrider holding a device in his left hand that was emitting a disruption spell, causing the energies around them to spiral out of control. He struggled against it, but the monster within him was going wild. Losing his grip, he knelt down, and the left side of his face morphed into Ecrea. He fought to maintain his ground and forcefully transformed into his base form, Stone Temple, which granted him high spell resistance, allowing him to break free from the spell.
Just as he readied his sword for an attack, the sky above the outrider lit up, and a wave of brilliant golden energy crashed down, obliterating both the outrider and his beast into tiny fragments. As the energy crackled, all that remained was a deep crater, and standing there was none other than Gil, arms crossed, with strange markings on his body that seemed to fade away. Soren was taken aback, realizing he didn't have enough time to revert his transformation. Suddenly, Gil called out to him, "We meet at last, primordial vessel, Soren."