With a strange flush against my entirety, the boy’s questioning gaze instilled within me an unfamiliar inkling—toward a swelling caprice. A wordless whisper and exchange, gave birth to a sensation I hadn’t ever experienced until that current moment. At the very least, not to this extent and frequency.

“He’s the same as me, isn’t he...?”

An inaudible murmur under my breath, toward no one in particular. It wasn’t the same as when I could sympathize with Astrid’s sudden outburst. This gentle, yet lingering warmth, felt as if I were basking in the understanding embrace of the sun itself. I knew at that very moment, that the boy across from me—possibly Euler and Alisa’s child—held a Heavenly Virtue as I did.

Is this what it means to meet another Bearer...? This feeling... I wonder why it feels so...

“Hey, kid!”

Weighty steps and the crunching of splintered wood were now coming from Astrid’s movement as she headed for the boy. She stood over him as he didn’t flinch or blink to her approach somehow, meeting her eyes with more confidence than even I could.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but do me a favor and answer me this: have you seen a vile, witch-like woman that—”
“Astrid! He’s just a child, why would he know anything about her?!”
“Haah? He looks old enough to be able to describe someone as repulsive as she is! I wouldn’t be surprised if he confused her for a monster too.”

Lukos was now situated near the boy and gesturing him away from Astrid, all the while attempting to ease her misdirected aggression. Her impatience was glaringly obvious, and she was seemingly trying to force an answer out of thin air. On where Essylt was, since her skill had led us here for that single purpose, yet she was nowhere to be seen. Even so, we had definitely stumbled onto a very important situation as my eyes met Alisa’s sideways figure.

“Um, about that child...”

I quickly explained the situation regarding the letters, and possibility that the young boy we found could be related to Alisa who was also currently restrained and unconscious in the very same room. Lukos then crouched down and met the boy’s eyes with his own, asking him his name and whether or not Alisa was his mother. He nodded in confirmation, while giving his name in a calm manner.

“Hilm.”

When asking Hilm about why he was locked inside of a room in an abandoned church, he simply shrugged. He then stated that the same people that put him in that room, were the same people that then locked his mother inside as well.

“For someone that was apparently kidnapped and trapped in a room, he doesn’t look terrified in the slightest. The kid’s got guts.”
“Well, everyone handles difficult situations differently, Astrid. He does seem pretty mature for his age.”

Lukos was patting Hilm as the boy’s focus was on a hovering Cruubi. Astrid and I were now checking over Alisa, and on closer inspection, there was a faint glyph over the cloth that was covering her mouth. The moment I motioned my hand toward it though, Hilm suddenly delivered a vague warning.

“The man with glasses said not to touch that.”
“A man in glasses? That doesn’t give much to work with, but does that ring any bells with you, Lu?”
“Hmm. Unfortunately, it doesn’t. Regardless, we need to figure out how dangerous whatever spell tied to that cloth is then—before we even attempt to remove it.”

I silently studied the glyph, as it held semblance to the way I affixed my own spells into my trinkets. I would normally imbue a gem with my own mana and it would rest—in stasis—until activated. But an interaction could be triggered long after an already invoked spell—upon disrupting that prior dormancy. I didn’t really understand the specifics beyond that, but it seemed like the latter had applied here. And as I realized that, I could also remember something in passing thought.

He once told me that you could create innumerable spells with just the right wording—in heartfelt chant. That there was power lingering in words themselves. Maybe I can create something that could disarm this glyph?

“Hm...? Who is he—?!”

A whispered question was accompanied by a sudden and surging pain, as if it were tied specifically to the thought itself. I shook my head, clearing my mind and attempted to refocus my attention on what was in front of me.

Anyways...! Do I have any trinkets or gems that could invoke such a spell...?

Rummaging through my bag of trinkets, each touch gave a silent response of either ‘yes’ or ‘no’ toward the spell in mind. And as my hand traced along the spherical gems of unfamiliar and gritty texture, I pulled the small and slightly opened bag out—one filled with black pearls.

These? Okay. It’s worth a try!

“Astrid, Lukos. There’s something I need help with. I need Ms. Alisa to be moved, into laying straight with her face toward the ceiling.”

The two of them looked at each other, in a confused exchange, as Astrid then gestured at Lukos with the slight nod of her head while she backed away. With a strained smile, he walked toward Alisa and I as the two seemingly decided to swap positions.

“Should we really risk moving her at all, Eru?”
“I believe it should be okay as long as we don’t directly touch the glyph.”

Glancing at Hilm, he gave a short nod in agreement.

“Besides, I have something in mind. Please!”

I met Lukos’ eyes with an implied, ‘trust me’, as I held my ground in firm belief that my plan would work. And it seemed as if he had clearly understood that as he nodded and began moving Alisa. She was now laid facing up as I dangled my hand slightly above the glyph with a single black pearl in my palm. I channeled my mana and magic into the small bead, and verbalized my chant.

“Of traced parallels, toward mending of that lone pith. Until both reflect and scatter, until neither copy nor clone exists: [Mirrored Dispel].”

Dropping the black pearl, it suddenly began to hover right above the glyph—creating a mirrored image. The two then began cracking at the same time, shattering and crumbling into faint particles—fading as each piece broke away for good. It had been a success as I then clutched at the bag of pearls. They felt strange now upon the use of one as that same black pearl had disappeared too. If a normal gem was akin to a specifically shaped cup—depending on the gem itself—the mixing of my mana and magic into the black pearl felt similar to filling a cup with no form. I could only squint my eyes in silence at attempting to figure out why.

“Oooooh! Whatever you did just worked, Ery!”
“A dispel, huh? Looks like you had the right idea and tools. Good work.”

In sudden movement, Alisa began to awake shortly after we completely removed all the restraints and doubled-checked for any other attached spells. In a daze, she seemed frightened as she looked around, yet the moment her eyes connected with Hilm, she shouted and leapt forth into a tight embrace.

“Hilm! Dear, are you okay?! I was so worried about you!”
“You’re suffocating me, mama...”

She released him, looking over his person and questioning him on if he had any bruises. He shook his head, as she then once again embraced him. She then finally noticed us, and quickly began asking for an explanation—one we couldn’t give.

“If anything, you’re our best chance at figuring out how the two of you ended up here, Ms. Alisa.”

Lukos awkwardly commented such, as Alisa attempted to remember the events that led her into being locked inside the room. Yet, she could only give a vague description as she herself didn’t have any direct explanation.

“I remember it happened shortly after Euler said he was heading to the Garden Quarters, since he was frustrated about us receiving another letter after all. I then heard something drop onto the floor—or was something thrown...? Either way, everything suddenly goes dark there... Sorry...”

We were stuck ruminating over an obscured trail, but that only lasted a short while as a sudden noise came from the front of the church.

“Shush. Is that someone there—wait, Astrid...?!”

Before Lukos could even finish his whisper, Astrid was already making her way toward the doorway as he then immediately, and as quietly as he could, blocked her from heading out.

“Move, Lu. That could be her.”
"And it could be someone else entirely too. At least give us a moment to find out before you impatiently rush out.”
“Tch.”

With her arms crossed, there was an unsteady tapping coming from her foot. Lukos sighed, placing his hand out in an implied, ‘I’ll check, just wait here’. And as he peeked around the corner while remaining inside the room, Astrid hadn’t listened as she did the same.

“Those are...?!”
“So, that’s what’s going on here? Tch.”

It had shifted into form within a mere second as Astrid now brandished a black spear laced with silver, intricate designs. Once again; I could feel her emotion—her anger—protrude and surround her very being as she then dashed outside without hesitation. Leaping to my own feet, I headed for the doorway, in awe to what I witnessed next. Her movement was brisk and nimble, of feather-like steps as the splintered wood from before hadn’t made a single noise. My eyes caught the appearance of three-hooded figures, standing near the entrance to the church—and a second later—they were taken down in a single side stroke of her spear.

I’ve never seen anyone move that quickly before... And her weapon... It just appeared the same way Albel withdraws his stave. Could she be...?

Lukos was now walking toward Astrid, with a grim look on his face as his eyes didn’t leave the three on the ground. I gestured to both Alisa and Hilm to follow, and as they did, we were all now gathered near Astrid as Cruubi returned to my head. It hadn’t said a peep this entire time, but I could tell it was trying its best to fulfill its duty—of being a lookout—as it shifted its head all around.

“Hey, were these the puppets that kidnapped you, Ali?”
“I... I can’t say for certain, but I think I do recall some strange looking men near the house after seeing off Euler now...”

Sneaking at peek at Lukos once more, his expression hadn’t changed as my curiosity gnawed at me into asking.

“Do you...know who these people are, Lukos...?”

He shook his head and he took a deep breath, turning to me in a rather somber gaze.

“We don’t know these men here personally, but we do know of them. They’re Seekers of an organization that’s referred to as Eboracum. We’ve unfortunately and unintentionally crossed paths with them from time to time.”

In response to his words, Astrid stuck out her spear, inching it toward the hood of one of the downed men as she then made a quick and slight tug at it.

“Eeek!”

I couldn't stop myself from allowing a small shriek to escape me as the man, whose face was now shown, was seemingly still alive as his bloodshot and widened eyes squirmed. Yet, he wasn’t moving his body at all—just his eyes and a faint tremble from his jaw.

“They’re empty, Ery. They may seem human, move and take commands like a human—but being human is something that they are not. They’re soulless—and forced to wander in a separate plane as their body does what it’s tasked to do. The only way to save them is by putting them out of their misery.”
“...”

Lukos closed his eyes in a grimaced downcast, yet he refrained on further saying anything on that matter. I had never heard of this Eboracum nor of its Seekers, but as I reluctantly glanced at the three men, their cloaks had been similar to the one’s Palvo had given warning toward.

“How noisy. Had I known this place wasn’t vacant, I would have chosen a more suitable hide-out instead.”

It was a voice we hadn’t heard before within the church, yet it felt a tad familiar as the door at the right and back end of the church crept open. It was a woman, with fairly long black hair—tied with a white laced bow—whose eyes gleamed red and distant. She was looking toward her own legs as a sudden red-furred creature leapt up her side and onto her shoulder—to which she immediately brushed it off in a shooing manner. The red-furred creature was seemingly eyeless, replaced with protruding black horns that were wrapped around its head instead.

“Eeeee!”

Accepting the woman’s refusal, it then ran off and hid somewhere within the church. I was then drawn back to the woman ahead of us, dressed in a beautiful black dress with white gloves.

“So, you really did survive back then, hm? You’ll never refrain from being that sole nuisance after all, Astrid.”

She now looked our way, and I suddenly remembered where I had previously seen her.

“Oh! You’re that woman from—?!”
“YOU BLOODY HARLOT!!”

A searing pressure that was then accompanied by an abrupt roar and lunge forward. Two sounds colliding—over and over again—as Astrid began to rain down an assault of precise and piercing strikes. Yet, the woman was holding her own as a fluid red adorned the once empty space before her on each greeting from Astrid’s spear—resounding in a metallic echo within the church.

“All of you, get behind me now!”

In response to Lukos’ yell, we huddled behind him as a golden aura came over his entirety—replacing his leather armor and large sword with a now robust, steel garment. I couldn’t understand what was happening at all.

“Lukos! What is this...?!”
“Astrid’s skill worked after all... That woman, Essylt, really was hiding here...”

Amid my shout and his response, my eyes hadn’t left Astrid’s figure. Her prance across the battlefield that was now the church was almost chimerical—free-flowing and of many portrayals. From the fiendish barrage of attacks, to the dodging of an illusory dancer—her glowing green-eyes could seemingly feel everything on the field as being a part of herself. As Essylt remained in place, defending, Astrid made herself at home while being everywhere else.

“I’m currently full, so good luck with tackling this defense, you crazed rakshasi—!”

After creating some distance, Astrid immediately kicked forward three separate pews—as Essylt immediately responded with breaking down the battered chairs with a fluid red assault of her own. Yet, the pieces of the broken pews now remained in the air—as did the fluid that seemingly stemmed from her ungloved hands.

“You...!”

Possibly realizing what exactly that implied, Essylt immediately shielded herself with an intricate and thinly veiled layer of translucent red. A faint oozing of aura now surrounded the airborne and scattered mess that remained between the two—as Astrid then ran forth with no weapon in hand.

“Skill: [Psi-Salvo]!”

Hundreds of slivers, of both splintered wood and fluid red, seemingly descended onto Essylt as she braced for impact. Suddenly, from above Essylt’s position came a metallic smite as the black spear connected with the shield—shattering it and leaving her open. Within that moment, Astrid had closed the gap as she sent her leg into Essylt’s stomach, and yet, her body wasn’t sent flying back.

“Grgh!!”

Essylt’s body trembled in place as Astrid’s leg remained connected.

“Die.”

A single and haunting command left Astrid’s mouth as she then pivoted her body for a second strike, but before she could, a loitering red array of slivers descended on her as she then dodged and pulled back her spear—deflecting the rest and creating distance once more. Astrid had yet to be touched even once as her opponent began to breathe deeply and inconsistently in agony.

I’ve never seen a fight like this before...

Even so, Astrid was far from finished as she then lifted her spear forward at Essylt. In seeing this, the panting woman responded as she connected the palms of her hands.

“You...really plan on holding that grudge, huh...? A sore loser if I’ve ever seen one!”

Lukos was the first to react as he then pulled out a massive shield—covering us far more than before. And the second he did, the two howled in the distance.

“...Skill: [Palms of Ravana]!”
“...Sanguine Infusion: [All-Consuming]!”

It felt as if the church itself had begun quaking as the fighting recommenced.