Dawn arrived, clearing the cloudy skies.
First to wake was Alanus, who realized his hand was still tightly intertwined with Lluvia's. Unwilling to let go, he ultimately pulled back with a reluctant sigh.
"This will have to wait."
Crackle!
Thunder burst through the open air.
At the sound, Lluvia's eyes opened. Her long black hair was slightly ruffled, and the hem of her shirt had ridden up. She was a restless sleeper.
Alanus smiled gently. "Get ready. We need to start walking soon."
Lluvia nodded dazedly and got up.
After five to ten minutes, the pair packed their belongings and left the cave. The tundra stretched for kilometers, and without the compass Alanus used for navigation, getting lost was a certainty.
Their thick boots crushed the grass beneath them, not giving enough time for the insects below to squirm away.
Walking side-by-side, both were acutely aware of the memory from the night before. However, neither spoke of it. It felt immature. Most thirty-year-olds had experienced far more intimate activities.
Yet here they were, flustered by simple hand-holding.
Alanus ran a hand through his blonde hair. "If we quicken our pace, we can get there in a couple of hours." It was his indirect way of telling Lluvia to walk faster.
Luckily, Lluvia was more than competent. She matched his pace, and the howling wind stirred only what was left behind them.
As they walked, the sky above them shifted. It shook violently, as if straining to break. Immediately, Alanus and Lluvia dropped their bags and drew their weapons.
As expected, the sky cracked. Beneath the blue, a black and purple haze oozed out. Two—no, four—hands emerged from the rupture, and the creatures leaped to the ground.
Itons. Multiple Itons.
Lluvia sidestepped and swung her sword, cutting down the first two while they were still in the air. Her skills had been honed over decades.
She summoned a light-blue magic from her palm and channeled it into her sword. As the sky sealed itself, the final Iton dropped down.
Three Itons now stood before them; quick work for two experienced Generals. Alanus seemed to warp out of existence for a heartbeat, reappearing to sever the first Iton's head and limbs.
Lluvia dispatched the second with similar efficiency.
The final Iton roared at sight of its fallen kin and charged at the generals. "I'll take it," Alanus said.
Lluvia complied and sheathed her sword. But before Alanus could move, a dart shot from behind them, impaling the Iton in the forehead.
The Iton staggered, fell, and eventually died.
Lluvia froze. Darts?
She didn't dare look back. Alanus also stood frozen, and both generals slowly raised their hands.
"Who are you?" Alanus ordered. One wrong move and the mysterious person could shoot them as well.
"Hiya!" An arm wrapped around Alanus's shoulder, the other around Lluvia's.
It was a recognizable voice. An eccentric one. It could only belong to General Jasmine Lour. They turned to stare at her. Fiery orange hair, freckles, pierced ears. She wore the standard general's attire.
Jasmine grinned and slapped Alanus's back. "This is your 'vacation'? Quite the adventure, Diogenes!"
Her focus shifted to Lluvia. "And you brought Gallitusio? Ooh, am I interrupting something?"
Alanus usually tolerated Jasmine's eccentricity, but she was now actively hindering their plans. "Now's not the time. Why are you here?"
Jasmine pushed away from Alanus and shrugged. "Got bored. Wanted to find you guys." She put on a puppy-dog face. "Was that so wrong?"
Unmoved, Alanus narrowed his eyes. "Yes. Leave."
Lluvia decided to let Alanus handle this. Besides, Jasmine had been acting strange ever since she argued against bringing Mirielis to Emory.
She was hiding something.
Jasmine chuckled and lowered her voice. "Let me join you. I'll help. You're looking for the boy, right? The one touched by Contrivance?"
Alanus exhaled. "We didn't plan for you. It's not possible. Just go back, Jasmine."
Lluvia opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. She saw Jasmine glance at her with clear apathy.
"I don't mean to give you an ultimatum," Jasmine said, her tone shifting unnaturally. "But you're forcing my hand. Either I accompany you, or Aulus Caesar learns of your disobedience."
Alanus and Lluvia stiffened. "How do you know that?"
Jasmine shrugged again. "He visited Commander Alvaron's division that day. I happened to be included in the conversation."
She leaned closer. "I learned such exciting things. Things that made me shiver to my bones. Things that would blow the mind of any soldier. Contrivance is one hell of an enemy, eh?"
Time was slipping away. "Jasmine. . ." Alanus rubbed his head. "Fine. You can come. But we leave now!"
He took off at a sprint, forcing Lluvia to match his pace. Once he was sure Jasmine trailed a few steps behind, Alanus whispered to Lluvia, "Change of plans. We're not going to Emory."
"Huh?" Bewilderment covered Lluvia's face. "Then to where?"
Before he could answer, a foreign presence dominated the air. Instantly, the trio tensed, sweat beading on their skin.
Oh, for goodness sake, Alanus cursed inwardly.
The mud ground, as if it were a boiling pot of water, shot up a figure. He wore a brown suit and had coarse, coily hair. His skin tanned more than usual, and corpulent were his lips.
His hands were in his pockets, and he had a rotten expression on his otherwise attractive face. "I found them, Specter."
A sick, twisted smile spread across his face.
There was no need for idle chat between the quartet. This was a Hierarch, and he came for the heads of Julius Bersebus's descendants.
His eyes scanned the three. "A Lining, another Lining, and a Crest." He traced a claw-mark emblem on his chest.
"Dread the Beast."
The Beast? Alanus reeled in his thoughts. This guy isn't afraid of us at all.
The figure gave an exaggerated bow. "Joel." He narrowed his eyes at Alanus. "You. . . stay still for me."
He dashed.
Clash!
With nanosecond speed, Joel launched himself at Alanus. Lluvia intercepted, her sword clashing against his bare hand.
While forced back by the pressure, Lluvia pointed her weapon at Joel. "We're Generals of the Houtis Military! Attacking us will bring everlasting trouble to you and your Mandate!"
As the last word left her mouth, Joel's voice, thin and cruel, echoed back. "I don't care."
The air shook wildly.
". . ."
Gradually, trails of blood flowed from Lluvia's head. The sound of something progressively tearing off and falling emulated in the tundra.
Alanus gasped.
Lluvia's left ear fell off, and with it came pouring blood.
She didn't seem to process it until it was gone. Her hand flew to the side of her head, came away covered in blood, and she collapsed.
Alanus and Jasmine's pupils constricted. All the light left Alanus's eyes as he hurled himself at Joel.
Far superior in agility, Joel dropped low and reappeared behind Alanus. He grabbed the general's shoulder and threw him far back across the tundra.
Blood continued to pool under the dumbfounded Lluvia's head.
Jasmine roared a cry of valor and charged at Joel, but her attacks were pointless. He easily apprehended her, twisted her arms, kicked her onto her back, and planted a foot on her head. Then he spat a glob of phlegm into her hair.
"Pathetic."
He expected a furious counter-attack from Alanus, but it never came. Alanus lay on the ground, spasming. Joel looked at his palms and smiled. "Didn't realize I used poison."
He peered at the pitiful generals. "And I'm only Hierarch IV."
Jasmine struggled to move. "You'll. . . pay. . ."
Joel glowered at her sorrowful attempt of revenge. "I won't even kill any of you. Your Authority is worthless."
He sank into the ground.
. . . .
Far away, Joel shot up from the dirt and waited.
"You didn't have to use phlegm." A voice spoke from behind him. Jasmine Lour emerged from the shadows.
Joel replied coldly, "It was all to make it more real."
Jasmine scowled, wiping the phlegm from her hair. After a moment, she sat beside Joel and leaned against his shoulder. "You were so strong back there."
Joel pushed her away. "Don't touch me. We are not friends. Remember your purpose: bring me Alvaron Saint's head."
He added with a tone riddled in annoyance, "And why is that taking so long? You're starting to make me consider going there myself and taking it."
Jasmine sighed, "Be a little patient, it's not as easy as you think. Alvaron's been wary of me ever since I sided against finding Contrivance."
She thrust her shoulders up. "You'd think the military would know that going for some hidden Entity is unsafe. Sucks that that psychologist got her mind corrupted. Actually, I don't really care for her at all."
Joel clicked his tongue. "You have one week. If you fail, I will storm headquarters and kill him myself."
"Really?" Jasmine gaped her mouth. "He won't be the only fighter you'll face. Unthar is there too, my special little general buddy."
"I couldn't care less. Only those at rank Filigree are strong enough to beat me."
Jasmine pondered. "Besides the Vizier Squads, the only active Filigrees in the military are Constance Wales and Omestilla. But everyone knows Constance is stronger."
"I wouldn't have an issue fighting Constance either. However, she's on the other side of the country." Joel frowned. "It gets concerning when Gliasia has a more competent military than Houtis."
"You'd better be careful if you run into Constance. Who's to say she won't beat you? Heh. The hunter becoming the hunted. Ironic."
Joel's expression twisted into something bestial. Fur sprouted across his body, and his mouth filled with razor-sharp fangs.
He gripped Jasmine's neck. She crumpled in fear in front of him. "I. . . I'm sorry! It was a joke!"
Joel gripped harder.
"If I ever show fear in front of anyone but the Beast, I'll gnaw off my head and let vultures eat it."
He let go of Jasmine's neck and said, "I'll be leaving now. Don't go near the Crest and Lining, someone else will come for them."
"Who?"
"I don't know his name or Mandate, but I sense a servant's aura around him. An Entity's servant."
"An Entity?" Jasmine asked, rubbing her reddened neck.
"Contrivance. The Second Servant of Contrivance is with him."