Adam and Shiira popped into existence in an empty room identical to the one they were just in with Onvyr and the demon lord. If it wasn’t for the many soldiers standing around staring at them, they would’ve thought that they didn’t even move an inch.

The soldiers wore the colors of the Dra’ig clan proudly on their backs, and the condition of their armor and weapons made it clear to Adam that they see combat on a regular basis.

Their Armor was compromised of mismatched pieces, some rusted and others poorly repaired. It was the true outfit of a warrior on the frontlines, an outfit that Adam himself was used to wearing.

“welcome to Tyra City, friends, I’m Haru, captain of the first, second, and third Dra’ig assault companies and temporary overseer of this territory. you are here on a very special quest I hear, investigating the mist city. I received orders to allow you to roam freely within our territory and trade with any merchant as well, quite the favorable treatment. Please follow me.”

The one to speak out first was a young demon with a scarred face and long, dark hair. His armor and weapon were no different from the others, with nothing to signify that he was in a leadership role. To Adam, he just seemed like another grunt, but one who was very well-spoken for his position.

Haru and the other soldiers showed respect and courtesy that Adam wasn’t expecting to receive. Prompting him to think that news of his incident with Raou hasn’t reached them yet, and hope that it doesn’t while he was still there.

The two followed behind the soldiers as they navigated through what could only be described as a massive garrison housed within impenetrable fortress walls.

Shiira was the first to notice the oddities around them as they paced through the halls. Adam was too busy planning ahead to care for the massive amounts of weapons, armor, and magical articles stored haphazardly in random corners, nor was he bothered to spot the alarming number of injured soldiers resting just out of eyesight.

“I don’t mean to overstep my boundaries captain, but what is happening here? The bodies, the weapons, and the state of your equipment. It’s like you are in the middle of a—”

“war?”

The captain stood motionless and looked back at Shiira, forcing a smile and lowering his head in shame.

“…it started around a month ago, a relentless assault by a separatist ground calling themselves the crimson dragons. we’ve always had skirmishes with them, and the Dra’ig clan is not one to shy away from battle, but…”

Haru took a deep breath and let his eyes wander around, looking at all of his injured comrades writhing in pain and waiting in agony for a healer to make their way to them.

“this is no war, It’s just insanity. those terrorists have always been a nuisance, we’ve been fighting them for years, but they’ve changed recently. they got so much stronger, faster, and much more brutal. I wouldn’t even describe them as demons anymore, they are more like bloodthirsty beasts, only looking to kill and maim…even if they die in the process as well.”

Haru squeezed his eyes and took a deep breath, attempting to calm himself in front of his soldiers and guests.

“I’m sorry for your loss, maybe we can help in some—”

“no, we won’t…we have things to do, you can go back and help them on your own after you get me where I need to go if want.”

Adam’s cold words cut through the tenderness of Shiira’s, prompting her to stop talking out of fear.

Shiira felt great sympathy for Haru. He was a loyal soldier and talented warrior fighting against an illogical opponent. One that is extremely powerful, destructive, and willing to die as long he can take others with him; she found herself in a very similar situation not too long ago and thus understood his struggle, however, Adam did not share her sentiment.

The entire territory was nothing but a stop on his way toward his true destination, the mist city, and thus it was ultimately irrelevant, at least when compared to the chance of finding other humans.

“of course, you have more urgent matters to attend to after all. the mist city has been a thorn in the demon lord’s side for a long time now, having that mystery solved is of the utmost importance. now please, let us continue.”

Haru guided the two silently throughout their fortress from that point, passing by an endless number of injured and sometimes dying soldiers on their way until they escaped the confines of the fortress.

“this place is a lot different than the capital that’s for sure. one massive fortress in what I assume is the middle, serving as a command center no doubt, and multiple storage, healing, and housing facilities surrounding it, with the least important ones being closest to the walls and gates, right?”

Adam finally decided to speak unprompted, compelled to comment on the unique arrangement of the city by bitter-sweet memories of his own time in command of a very similar area.

“yes! that’s exactly correct. so, the rumors are true then, you are an ancient warrior from the time of the great war, revived by unknown meaning on the behest of the great spirits.”

“…something like that, but rumors sure do travel fast, don’t they? I hope it’s all good though.”

“hahaha, of course, everyone is singing praises of your strength.”

“is that so? then why are you leading us to an arena?”

Shiira was the only one caught off guard by Adam’s simple, yet shocking question. None of the other soldiers reacted with surprise or denial, not even Haru.

“…your instincts are sharp.”

Adam shrugged and pointed a finger at the ground.

“instincts have nothing to do with this. the ground is obviously bloody in places. dirt covered most of it but the dark spots are still visible, and their size isn’t too big so the fights weren’t to the death. a training area, it must’ve been.”

“…”

“tense soldiers tend to get into a lot of arguments and the best way to solve them is through combat, it helps keep everyone in fighting shape too…sometimes the similarities between humans and demons scare me. anyway, why did you bring me here?”

Haru waved his hand and all the soldiers around walked away from the uncaring Adam and the stunned Shiira, giving them enough room to move about freely.

“…I know why you’re here, why you are on a penance quest. tell me, is it true? did you really massacre so many Dra’ig warriors for no reason?”

Haru drew his sword and faced Adam, but only he showed any aggression. The other soldiers surrounding them remain completely still, their weapons holstered and their magic practically sealed. serving as mere spectators rather than fighters.

“I wouldn’t say for no reason.”

“then why? why kill so many?”

Adam appeared to be deep in thought for a second before shrugging again, his face void of any trace of sympathy.

“I was trying to leave, and they were in my way.”

Haru took a stance with his sword, one that many of the Dra’ig warriors who faced Adam in the capital used as well. His eyes were remarkably calm for one who was about to fight the killer of his family, so much so that even Adam was taken aback by it slightly.

“they died a warrior’s death, falling to a superior opponent on the battlefield. their legacy will be celebrated for a very long time to come…I know I shouldn’t hate you, but I do.”

“so, what are you going to do about it?”

“I, Haru Dra’ig, captain of the first, second, and third Dra’ig clan assault companies challenge you to a duel. miss Shiira please give us some room.”

Adam cracked a smile after hearing Haru’s pitch, one that made it clear to Shiira that he was about to accept the challenge.

She could almost see the fate of Haru unfold in her mind, one that mimicked Uzan’s. A massacre was awaiting him if he were to try and fight Adam, and unlike last time, there is no one who can save the day nearby.

“w-wait”

Shiira fought through her fear and spoke up, her voice drawing the eyes of all the soldiers watching but not those of Adam or Haru.

“we need to get to the mist city as fast as possible, we might miss a very important gathering of merchants if we were to delay, and it’s where we are likely to find the information we need to start investigating the city.”

Sweat dripped down her forehead as she waited for Adam’s reply. Her argument was good given the situation. She knew that the quest meant a lot more to him than it did to her, for it was probably his last hope at finding more of his people. And so, she concluded that it was enough to convince him not to waste time on what was essentially a pointless battle.

Shiira’s instincts appeared to have been on point as Adam took a deep breath and raised both hands up.

“she’s right. I don’t know about this merchant gathering but I don’t want to be late. also, I need to get briefed by her on other details once we hit the open road, so I’ll just get moving. you can get your revenge on the next guy who passes through here”

“coward! are you just going to walk away?”

“well, no. I still need you to show me out of the city, so please lead the way.”

Haru’s calm face distorted into one of anger and spite. He gripped his sword harder and prepared to lung at Adam, but before he could move the sound of obnoxiously loud sirens attracted his, and everyone’s attention.

“this sound…the northern gate has been breached? impossible”