Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1

Yuuki followed the guild association master up the raw, dirt path to his new home. The path was hugged by a dense wood. He shivered as he fell under the sparse glare of the ominous, bare trees. A frosty breath spread through the forest, penetrating through his dark, thick cloak, and seeping the cold draught into his bones. He brought the wool closer, trying to stay warm in the beginning whispers of winter. Karin didn’t seem to mind the dreary weather. The green-haired associate was a step or two ahead of him, striding confidently in the hard muck. White earmuffs shielded her ears from Jack Frost, while a scarf hugged her neck. Karin draped a thick coat over her small frame; thick furs peeking out from the sleeves. She turned to Yuuki, her light green eyes glazed evergreen in the scant sunlight.

          Her breath turned to white smoke as she spoke, “C’mon Yuuki! Your new home is just around the corner!”

He mumbled a response. Yuuki stuck out his mittened hands, a choice garment for a compulsive thumbs-upper. After succumbing and giving her the thumbs up, he followed her hastily on the frozen path. A reserved feeling of excited anticipation started to flutter in his heart. For as long as he could remember—and that wasn’t saying much—Yuuki had spent his time in Landosol rooming in with the many friends he’d made. He’d crash on any spare bed, couch, beanbag, or whatever they had. In exchange, he’d help them out in any quest or task laid upon the host guild, as well as do any other housework required of him. After some weeks of ironing out kinks, the system grew to be smooth. In fact, it got to the point where he’d alternate guilds, changing every week or so. His friends were an essential part of his early days in Landosol, and he was overjoyed bunking in with them, but regardless, the time had finally come for him to take the leap and start living by himself. His friends were stuck glum that they wouldn’t see him around as often anymore, but he tried to comfort them with how, now that he had a house, he’d be able to repay the favor and host them whenever they wanted. He also took small solace in that fact. Besides, the townspeople were starting to talk about how a strange boy was sleeping around at every girl guild in Landosol. He sneezed. Karin turned.

          "Are you okay? You look cold." She said peering over her shoulder.

          "I'm fine," He replied, trying not to shiver.

          "Don't worry, you’ll be warm in a jiffy. The house is nice and cozy and we're almost there."

They continued walking, the mud giving way to a thick layer of snow. The austere forest seemed to cling to them tighter as Yuuki tried to ignore the chill in the air and the weight of the heavy rucksack slung over his shoulder. The steel pin of the sack frostbit his fingers through his thick mittens. He busied his mind with the quiet anticipation of what lay for him just around the bend of the slick path. A whole house, one he could finally call his own. He sneezed again. But for now, he had to harden through the sluggish cold.

After walking till his soaked legs ached sore and the sun began to lapse into nothingness under the horizon, they finally came upon the house.

          “Ta-daaaa!” Karin cheered dramatically, shaking her hands jazzily.

The rustic guild house lay silent in the dense snow, windows boarded up and unwelcoming. Yuuki imagined the stark icicles that hung from its sloping roof as the sharp teeth of a cold maw, ready to swallow up the two trespassers. A flicker through the slit from one of the boarded windows caught his gaze. His eyes darted to the slight but didn’t see anything apart from the darkness that sept from the cracks. Yuuki chose to study the house a little more. Karin had informed him the house was fairly old, a fact he could plainly see. A stone foundation acted as a support for the long, pine timbers that made up the exterior of the house. Panels lined up alongside the stone and wood, the paint chipping off with the cold. A slackened chimney erupted from the snow-covered roof of the house, the red bricks a stark oxymoron with all the white. He and Karin approached the house and Yuuki pushed the ancient door. It opened with a shuddering creak. Yuuki stepped inside, the smell of years of dust and decay filling his nose. The interior was dark, and his footsteps echoed through the silent house.

          "This place is… pretty cozy, actually.”

Karin followed him into the spacious living room, closing the door behind her. It was filled with furniture hidden under the covers of white sheets. Moth holes dotted the old things. Yuuki reached over to one and flicked off the cover, revealing a very old, yet surprisingly clean-looking, sofa. His eyes drew to the floor. The dark wooden floorboards were covered in thick layers of dust while cobwebs populated each corner. The walls were decorated with faded pictures, a few old books racked in cases, and paintings of faraway landscapes.

          "I get this all to myself?" Yuuki asked, looking around.

          "Yes, the guild association chose this one for you. Though, admittedly, it's a little big for just one person.”

Karin smirked at him before starting coyly.

          “Although, given your… distinguished reputation, I’m sure you’ll find roommates soon enough.”

Yuuki walked over to the kitchen, choosing to ignore the jibe. There was a large cabinet on one side. It was filled with pots, pans, plates, and cups. The rest of the cabinets held various cookware and utensils.

          "The kitchen is surprisingly cleaner than anything else," Yuuki said, admiring the well-kept stovetop, oven, and fridge.

He took off his cloak and laid it on top of the counter.

          "When was the last time somebody lived here?" Yuuki asked as he began to unpack.

          "About 9 years ago. The previous guild that lived here, the Gourmet Guild, sadly died of food poisoning after consuming some tainted monster meat, leaving behind a horrible mess and a giant bill for the Guild Association," explained Karin, “And the house has been vacant ever since."

          "Food poisoning..."

          "It was such a terrible tragedy, but, moving on…"

Karin moved to the kitchen table. She opened up a large folder, flipping through the files until she reached the one she sought.

          "Here we go," she pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the table before Yuuki, together with a small pen.

          "Please sign here, here, and here."

          "What's this?" Yuuki asked, picking up the pen.

          "It's your contract with us. After you've signed the following papers, I'll take care of the rest," Karin said, once again tapping the areas he needed to sign.

Yuuki nodded and began to task of real estate paperwork, scribbling his signature in enough paperwork to make any environmentalist cry. When he was done, Karin handed him a set of keys.

          "Thank you," said Yuuki, taking the keys from her hand.

Karin bowed her head.

          “No problem. Now, I’ll leave you alone while you unpack.”

          “You sure you don’t want me to come with you back to the Association?”

Karin shook his offer aside with a polite shake of her head.

          “No, no. Don’t worry. I’ll be perfectly fine. And besides,” She took a quick glance around, “you’ll be needing all the time you can scrounge to get this place back up and running.”

Yuuki laughed mirthlessly at the joke. He said his goodbyes to Karin as she left, closing his door behind her. His door. Yuuki thought about that as he turned the lock on the bronze knob. He turned, and placed his hands at his hips, surveying the room.

          “Well, time to get started!” he said to no one in particular.

He opted to wander around the house and explore first, aiming for the second floor. The place was definitely dusty and dingy, but it had potential. With a little bit of elbow grease, he’d have his own little man cave. He had finished clearing the upstairs and began to walk down the rickety stairs. With his thoughts still on the work he’d have to do, Yuuki didn’t notice how he was about to miss the first step. Yuuki’s feet slipped, falling upon empty air as he naturally stumbled. An unbalanced Yuuki teetered at the very top of the long flight of stairs, wide eyes staring at the bruising fall he would succumb to. He instinctively shut his eyes and brought his hands to his face, trying to brace himself as much as he could from the multiple resounding impacts. However, instead of the painful bounces, all he felt was a sharp tug at the end of his shirt. His body jerked back securely on the second floor. He opened his eyes, realizing the danger was averted. His hand grasped the railing as he looked back. Nothing except the peeling wallpaper of the second floor returned his accusatory gaze. He was still breathing heavily. After a minute or so of staring at the wall, he calmed himself down and slowly descended the stairs, hand entwined around the railing the entire time.

Yuuki clacked the flint against his iron once more. The tinder caught a loose spark and began to ember. The licking flames enveloped the dry twigs and soon consumed them. Yuuki hurriedly added more to the greedy flames and, soon after, he had a roaring hearth. Yuuki stepped away from the fireplace and sat down before it, the red heat warming his chilled skin. So far, he had unboarded the windows, swept the dust from the first floor, removed the sheets from the furniture, washed the bathroom, fixed the leaky sink, and washed all the plates and silverware that were tucked away in the cabinets. As he glanced out the blackened window, he realized he was a bit sporadic in his chores. He just chalked that up to his excitement. There were still loads to do, such as preening the wallpaper, putting away his clothes, taking a hot shower, cleaning the bedroom sheets, and making dinner, but he decided to treat himself to a little break before resuming his tasks. He sighed as he leaned back on the now-clean floor, back pressed against the soft edge of a sofa. Being the handyman in all his friends’ houses seemed to really pay off. He sat like that for a while before sighing and pulling himself to his feet.

Yuuki looked outside the windows. The sky was bright orange, flame with the snow. He had actually worked all through the night. He yawned, stretching slightly. That probably explained his fatigue. He took a precursory glance at his hands. His palms were rubbed raw from all the cleaning.

          Probably time for a break, he thought to himself, turning his hands over.

But before retiring, he decided to do some exploring outside first. Putting his cloak back on, he went out the front door. The lazy sun’s orange glow cast long shadows across the white ground. The frost went through his hair as he stepped off the porch. His boots crunched as he walked toward the back of the house. There was a field behind the building hinged by the evergreen trees that hung back like giant eldritch monsters. Birdsong spirited from the trees, so that downplayed the ominous silence of the wood somewhat. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted something. He moved to the peaking indentations in the field. He had come across three gravestones standing in a row under the shadow of a sorrowful tree. They were all made of polished stone; their surfaces were covered in snow. Yuuki respectfully wiped the snow away from the heads of the gravestones, before kneeling and examining the slabs.

Their engravings read, in order, Karyl, Pecorine, Kokkoro. There was writing underneath each name, but Yuuki couldn’t make out the tiny markings in the scant light of the morning.  

          Was this the last guild Karin talked about?

He thought it was kind of creepy they had buried them out here. But, filing away the thought, Yuuki stood up and brushed the snow from his clothes, deciding to go back inside.

Once inside, he finally collapsed onto one of the uncovered sofas. Hunger laced his stomach, but the force of fatigue was stronger. He closed his eyes, the lids proving too heavy to lift. Thinking he’d eat in a little while, Yuuki dozed off.

A sound startled him. Yuuki awoke from his resting place on the couch, feeling rested and refreshed. Almost immediately, he realized something was off. The house looked a lot cleaner than when he’d last left it. He studied the room in long, sweeping glances. The walls were preened and the cobwebs were flitted out of their pockets. Although there was still the occasional dust bunny settling into the sofas and floor, it was definitely a drastic change from when he had left it. He swung his legs over the couch and stood up, rationally moving towards the door to test its lock. The solid clink reassured him. He had locked the door before he napped, so what was with the sudden cleanliness of the room? Yuuki walked over to the dining room, from where he thought the sound that had woken him up originated. He tensely peeked his head into the opening, scouring the room. Upon seeing no one, he stepped inside. He studied the dining table, seeing that it had already been cleaned and polished. He traced a finger along the wooden surface. No dust. He then noticed the other oddity.

          Had Karin come back when he was asleep?

The table was bare except for a small plate filled with sandwiches on one side. Suspicious, he picked up a sandwich. The sight of food immediately reminded Yuuki of his hunger, but a small part of him told him that sandwiches don’t magically appear out of nowhere. He looked to his left and right. But eventually, probably against all logic, he sat down to eat. He said a silent thanks to his secret sandwich admirer. One part of him begged him to take this more seriously, but a larger part of him was like, “Who cares, bruh? Free food.”

Yuuki devoured the sandwich, enjoying every bite. After his unexpected meal, Yuuki spent the rest of the day tackling the rest of his list.

He walked upstairs, tore off the old sheets, put out his own, unpacked any remaining items in his rucksack, stocked the closet with his clothes, and began moving things around. After an inordinate amount of time judging if his room looked better with the side table on the left or right of his bed, Yuuki quickly realized this was not a one man job. He’d need some help if he wanted to get everything settled before the next winter storm hit. Just as he was thinking about what to do, he heard a knock at the door. He, carefully, walked down the stairs, and to the door. Another knock reverberated through the room.

          “Coming!” he called.

He came unto the door, opening it.

          "Hey, Yuuki!" Nozomi, Chika, and Tsumugi all greeted him at the same time.

          Yuuki broke into an easy smile, rubbing his eyes, "Hey! What are y'all doing here?"

          "Karin told us you got a place," said Tsumugi.

          "We've come to help clean and get you settled," Chika said with a smile.

          Nozomi tilted her head, "You don't mind right?"

Yuuki realized that Karin had probably told every guild in existence about his homeowner status. He smiled at the three girls while making a mental note of Karin’s gossip tendencies. Yuuki invited them inside, one hand going up to salvage the crazy, messy state his hair was in. As Carmina let themselves in, they saw the state of disrepair the house was in. Although it looked much cleaner than when Yuuki first came upon it yesterday, there were still loads to clean. Nozomi sighed as she beat the side of one of the couches, sending waves of dust erupting deep from within the seams.

          "This place needs some serious cleaning."

Tsumugi and Chika nodded in agreement, glancing at the soot-stained fireplace. Yuuki scratched the back of his head abashedly.

          “Okay, I had some trouble getting the fire started, but you gotta believe me, the place looked a lot worse yesterday.”

          "This is the place they gave you?" Nozomi asked curiously as they began to poke around.

          "Even Mr. Knight doesn’t deserve this shi—OW!" whispered Tsumugi, interrupted mid-sentence by Chika’s sharp elbow in her ribs.

Yuuki leaned against the door, suddenly aware he spilled some sandwich sauce onto his shirt. He tried to hide the stain in vain.

          “Well, I’m not like most other adventurers. I was dealing with amnesia for a long time until you guys helped me through that.”

          Nozomi rounded on him and passionately admonished him, “Don’t sell yourself short, Yuuki. You’re one of the most famous adventurers in Landosol! You’ve basically helped every guild in this city with their quests. And I’m sure each one can attest to how without you, they wouldn’t have been able to do anything!”

Yuuki flushed with the rare compliment, murmuring thanks. Nozomi looked away upon seeing him redden, but the sight made her happy for some reason.

          Chika cleared her throat, “Well, despite everything, your new home does look like it has potential.

          “Thank you!” Yuuki gave the Song Summoner a pained smile.  

          “It’s supposed to be very sunny today,” Tsumugi put forth, “Some low front or something. Why don’t we put out the furniture out on the porch and then beat the dust out of it?”

Yuuki nodded and then the three of them moved everything outside, leaving the living room free for the rest of the cleaning. As Chika began to sing to herself, a wind filled the empty room and the remaining wisps of dust started to float through the air around them. She felt like bragging a little, so she scrunched up some of the dust and made little bunnies. The dust bunnies pranced about in the air around Yuuki’s head, causing him to laugh. Then, a ghostly sea-green creature materialized from the air, summoned by the sweet sound of her singing. She put her hands together and whispered something under her breath. A large, brittle gust hit the house, entering through the open doors and windows and blowing away all the dust outside. The walls, floor, ceiling, and all corners of the room were instantly clear of any signs of grime, with not even the slightest hint of dust or dirt remaining behind.

          “That was amazing!” Nozomi exclaimed, impressed.

Yuuki stared open-mouthed at Chika.

          “Wait, wait, wait!” he gestured with his hands, “If you were able to clean entire rooms with just a couple of A minors, then why was I the one always stuck on cleaning duty whenever I bunked in with you guys?”

          Chika giggled before turning to Tsumugi, “Tsumugi said she liked watching you clean.”

          “What?”

          “Moving on!” Tsumugi announced, “I'm going outside to clean the furniture."

She wordlessly moved past the three of them and aimed to leave the room. However, before she could make it very far, Tsumugi tripped on apparently nothing, tumbling straight into Yuuki’s arms. The force of her crash sent them both to the floor. He let out a pained grunt as she fell on top of him. Tsumugi’s pink hair brushed against his chin, smelling strongly of strawberry shampoo.

          “Oh my gosh! Are you guys okay?” Nozomi asked as the two began to get up.

Tsumugi nodded, standing very close to Yuuki, as she held his forearm for support. Yuuki winced as he gingerly touched the spot on his head that clacked against the floor.

          “Yuuki broke my fall,” Tsumugi explained.

Nozomi smiled snidely, “That’s great! But I think you can stop clinging to him now…”

Tsumugi abruptly stepped away from Yuuki and fixed her hair behind her ears. Not saying another word, the seamstress walked outside. Yuuki glanced at the spot where Tsumugi had her swooning fit. There was nothing she could have tripped on. No loose floorboard, no protruding nail, no nothing. He studied the room suspiciously before accepting the duster Chika handed him.

As the four friends toiled, the sun began to sink back restfully into the horizon. The solar body bled, sending rays of lazy, red light scattering over the horizon. The last of the birdsong and woodland noise quieted as the stern night’s coming was nigh. And, in continuum with the sun’s setting, the chill of winter reigned supreme. Without the sun’s warm rays, the cold draught of winter lay claim to the inhabitants of Landosol once more, sending many to clutch their coats closer to their shivering frames. Yuuki wiped off the sweat on his brow with the back of a stained hand, his body warm from work. He turned to his faithful friends. His guildhouse sparkled like a gem under the spell of a simple cleaning. No dust, dirt, nor dross daubed his new home. Tsumugi surveyed the new setting appreciatively, admiring the tidy furniture arrangement and polished floor.

          “We didn’t do half bad of a job,” Nozomi sighed, wrestling off the cloth covering her head, as she walked down from the second floor.

Chika nodded in agreement, wiping the dining table once last time. Yuuki turned to thank them.

          “Thanks so much, guys. I really appreciate you coming all the way over and helping me get settled.”

          Tsumgui chided him, “Well, it’s no problem, Mr. Knight. We were in the area anyway… but!”

The tailor broke off as she pointed at him with an extended finger.

          “You owe us big time. One of these days, you’re treating us to something, alright?”

Yuuki smiled, rubbing the back of his head. Nozomi and Chika laughed.

          “But seriously, I’d be nowhere without you all. Now and especially then. Thank you. Thank you for everything,” he said, in emphatic appreciation.  

The passion behind his voice stirred them all. Tsumugi turned away as Chika struggled to stop the reddening in her ears.

          “Man, I’m surprised you haven’t fallen for a pyramid scheme yet, given how earnest you are,” Tsumugi muttered, voicing the emotions of the three idols. 

          “What was that?” Yuuki poised.

          “Nothing, nothing,” Nozomi quickly answered.

The lead idol glanced out the window.

          “It seems like we should be on our way soon—if we want to return home before it gets really dark.”

          Yuuki offered, “Hey, why don’t you guys stay the night here?”

Chika made a little face.

          “Sorry Yuuki, but we have a concert tomorrow and have already made travel preparations. I fear we’d be late if we were to stay over here, and there’d be no way to let the travel agency know of the new location,” she said with a pout.

Nozomi nodded, disappointed. Tsumugi turned to the knight.

          “But, we’ll take you up on your offer later, Yuuki. How about we stay over the next weekend?”

          Yuuki broke into an easy, toothy grin, “I’d be welcome to have you guys any time!”

That infamous smile sent the three idols cheering, already excited for the coming weekend. Yuuki turned and opened the door.

          “Here, I’ll walk you guys home.”

Yuuki slid the bolt back into its locked position. He turned around, before rounding back again. He unlocked and locked the bolt for a couple of times, purely for the fact that he liked the noise and mechanism of the door bolt. The familiar trip to the Carmina guild house filled him with nostalgia, but now, he was back home. He turned, having his fill with the bolt. The silent, almost ominous, greeting of the house unnerved him. He wasn’t used to such hushed repose, having been an active member of all the events that could transpire under the roof of almost every guild house in Landosol. Yuuki walked quietly, the tranquility of the house ruffled by the rough sound of his wet boots against the smooth hardwood floor. He decided to retire early today. What else was there to do? He made it halfway across the living room when the hairs on the back of his neck crept up starkly, sending electrifying signals racing down his chilled spine. His sixth sense sparked a surge of adrenaline as Yuuki felt the presence of someone behind him. His mind raced.

          What? How did someone get inside?

But the time for thought had elapsed. With the adrenaline acting as fuel in his blazing veins, Yuuki rounded on the trespasser, hand already clasped at the bronze handle of the broadsword at his side. He drew the blade with a sharp hiss as he turned, eyes straining to size up his opponent in the seconds before he would dig his blade into his enemy. He stopped short when he saw his supposed trespasser was covered in a white sheet. Yuuki stopped in his tracks, sword poised in the air—the steel shimmering in the twinkling magical lights of the guildhouse. His eyes narrowed. The trespasser was small, and the sheet that the person covered themselves with—for reasons still unknown—wasn’t just any sheet, it was the moth-eaten one that used to cover the furniture. Yuuki spied two bright, purply-red eyes peering at him through two of the holes. Yuuki sighed, sheathing his sword, and in one swift motion, uncovered the sheet.

          “Boo!” the strange girl cried out softly.

Image Credits: LoveToHateYou

Yuuki raised an eyebrow in response. The intruder was indeed short, but the uncovering of the sheet revealed the trespasser to be quite shapely. A five-pointed flower was entwined in the girl’s silver hair. Her ears came to a soft point, indicating she was an elf of some sort. As Yuuki pondered what to do, things weren’t going so well on the other side. This wasn’t the effect the pale girl was hoping for. An uncomfortable silence fell upon the two as Yuuki just stared at the quivering intruder.

          “Boo?” the white-haired girl tried once more.

          Yuuki shook his head, “Sorry, but whatever you’re pulling isn’t going to work. Why are you in my house?”

The girl didn’t have a chance to respond as a second later another voice interrupted, near the stairs.

          “Is he gone? Did you get him, Koro?”

Yuuki looked in the direction of the noise. At the very summit of the stairs, two other figures were huddled peeking slightly around the corner. One of the girls (Yuuki had realized they were both girls) stuck out her head for a closer look, and upon seeing that Yuuki was very much still there, she quickly withdrew her orange head.

          “No, doesn’t look like it.”

The other girl, a beastgirl he surmised, stuck out her head incredulously.

          “What? Why won’t you go away, you punk!” the distraught catgirl wailed.

Yuuki turned back to the figure before him, before putting a tired hand up to his face.

          “You guys have got to be some of the worst burglars I have ever seen in my life!”

          “Burglars!” the catgirl exploded, coming running down the stairs, “And who are you calling burglars?!”

Now that she was in the light, Yuuki could see that the catgirl was a mage of some sorts. Otherwise, how could she be floating like that? Yuuki gestured to the three of them.

          “Umm, you guys? I mean, this is my house and you all are kind of trespassing right now…”

          “Trespassing?” the catgirl was astonished, “You call us trespassers after we fed you and painstakingly helped you clean while you slept like a do—”

          “What I think Karyl is saying,” the third girl interrupted, coming down the stairs, “Is that we aren’t trespassers. We’ve been staying here for the last ten years or so. In fact, in that case, wouldn’t you be the trespasser?”

Yuuki frowned, scrunching up his brow.

          “What are you talking about?” he was confused, “Karin said this place has been vacant since…”

He droned off, suddenly realizing who exactly his surprise guests were. He took a close look at the two other girls. They two floated quietly in the air, their feet not quite touching the floor. Then, studying a bit more, he noticed that they were all unusually pale. And, if his eyes weren’t playing tricks on him, it was like they were almost translucent. A bell clanged in Yuuki’s brain as he turned to the orange-haired girl once more.

          “You guys… are you guys the Gourmet Guild?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2

Yuuki sat reclined on one of the sofas—the palms of his hands pressed together before him. The ghost guildmembers all sat opposite from him. They broke the unsettling ice between them with polite introductions.

          “So, um, my name is Pecorine, nice to meet you,” the orange-haired girl said.

          “And mine is Karyl,” the catgirl introduced.

          “And my name is Kokkoro, pleased to make your acquaintance,” the elf said politely.

He recognized those names. They were the same as the ones engraved onto those graves. Filing away that thought in discomfort, he moved to introduce himself.

          “Well, my name is Yuuki. Nice to, uh, meet you all.”

          “Nice to meet you too,” they all mumbled in response.

The quiet fire crackled softly before Yuuki moved on to his next question. After their impromptu introduction, the orange-haired—no, Pecorine had suggested that they’d all take a seat and talk things through. So, that’s what they were doing. At least, trying to.

          “…so, you guys have been living here all this time?”

          Karyl nodded emphatically, “Yes, we’ve been staying here ever since someone thought it’d be nice to have an exotic dinner that one day.”

Pecorine whistled innocently. Yuuki scrunched up his brow.

          “Okay then, but why was the house such a mess? Did you guys have arguments about who was on cleaning duty or something? Don’t tell me you’ve been living like this all this time?”

He attempted a bit of humor, trying to dispel the ice between them. However, his jibe didn’t seem to land well. Kokkoro was a bit red-faced as she explained.

          “No, well, the thing is as ghosts, we had lost the ability to manipulate and touch objects. It was only after an incredible amount of practice and time that we managed to concentrate enough to be able to finally somewhat touch things. And even then, something as little as opening the fridge door completely wipes us out. So, we were unable to maintain the house in the state we were in.”

Yuuki felt ashamed. His remark had seemed rather crass—now considering the situation the three were in. He frowned, feeling incredible sorrow for the guild members. They lived in a decaying home, unable to stop it from falling into a slow slew of disrepair. As the environment around them crumbled, they were helpless to do anything.

          “I-I’m so sorry to hear that. I didn’t know that. I’m sorry.”

          Pecorine waived his concerns away, “Don’t worry though. You and your friends have kind of done all the work anyway, haha. Really wiped away ten years of dust in a day or so.”

She motioned to the clean state of the house.

          “I don’t think the place has ever looked this swell.”

          Karyl added, “It was a group effort, don’t forget that! We helped clean when he was dozing off.”

Realization dawned on Yuuki. Ohhh. That was them! But, the sudden understanding came paired with apt confusion. Yuuki turned to Kokkoro.

          “Yes, about that, how was that possible? I thought you said that even if you managed to touch something small, you’d feel completely drained soon after? How were you suddenly able to clean now?”

Kokkoro glanced at her guildmembers.

          “Yes, that was entirely surprising to us as well. Do you recall your close tumble down the stairs?”

Yuuki nodded.

          “Well, Karyl was the one that saved you. But by all rights, her fingers should have passed right through your shirt. She instinctively grabbed you without concentrating at all. But somehow, she was able to latch onto your shirt. We still don’t know how.”

Yuuki turned to Karyl.

          “Well, first of all, thank you for saving me,” Yuuki said, before turning back to Kokkoro, “But I think I might know why. I had a similar effect on another friend. I have this special ability that heightens the senses of those around me. So, maybe, your sense of touch was boosted enough to be able to touch things again.”

He indicated to the sofas that they sat on.

          “Otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to relax before the fire. You’d just phase through the sofa, no?”

The ghost guild, reminded of this apparent fact, quickly turned to study the sofa they sat on. A look of bewilderment passed through the three members. Yuuki raised an eyebrow. Did they manage to overlook that? Pecorine reached and hesitatingly squeezed the foam. It yielded easily under her powerful grip. Stars shone in her eyes as she turned to Yuuki.

          “Yuuki! I can touch the sofa!” she turned to Karyl, “And I don’t feel tired at all!”

Kokkoro meanwhile was too busy extending her open palms to the hearth of the fire. She rubbed them experimentally, before softly crying out.

          “It’s warm! The fire’s warm!”

Yuuki broke into a relieved grin at the sight. Pecorine and Kokkoro acted like children, marveling at the roughness of the wooden floor, the coarse fabric of the carpet, and the cold of the windowpane. The sight of Pecorine physically recoiling when she placed a cheek on the cold glass sent Kokkoro and him laughing. He couldn’t imagine being able to touch things again after ten years, so he was really glad they were able to do so again. As the last bouts of laughter subsided, a fact prompted him to think. He put a hand to his chin and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees. But why did it work? He wasn’t activating his ability at the moment, at least he didn’t think so. So why were the effects of the power ebbing to the ghosts? That was certainly strange. He made a mental note to bring up the phenomenon to Ameth. She would probably have the answers. He was suddenly interrupted from his contemplation as a shrill pain exploded from his left cheek. He immediately raised a hand to the cheek and glanced up accusingly at the offender. Karyl floated a good foot above him, the points of her fingers still outstretched. The catgirl smirked innocently.

          “Sorry, I was just testing. Although, I’m kind of surprised we can still float now that we had our sense of touch back.”

          “You could have just pinched yourself, y’know,” Yuuki mumbled, rubbing the sore spot.

Kokkoro floated beside the phantom catgirl. She frowned in contemplation.

          “True, it is strange how we still retained our ghostly characteristics even though we are able to physically touch things again.”

Pecorine pulled her face out from Yuuki’s cloak. It appeared she had wanted to investigate the heavy cloth. The guild leader scrunched up her face in thought.

          “Speaking of strange, how were you able to take all this so calmly, Yuuki? Most people would have run at the sight of us ghosts.”

          “No matter how cute they were,” Karyl added.

          “Well,” Yuuki said plainly, “I’m already friends with a ghost, so I didn’t really see the point in getting scared.”

That surprised them.

          “You’re friends with a ghost?” Karyl laughed, “Why? No one living wanted to be your friend?”

Kokkoro gave the catgirl’s head a motherly light tap, admonishing her rudeness.

          “Ow, Koroster! I can feel now, remember?” she mumbled, “You were much cuter back when you were younger.”

          Pecorine shook her head coyly, “Well, I wouldn’t exactly say no one wanted to be Yuuki’s friend. Did you see those gals that helped him clean?”

          Karyl scoffed, “Yeah, but what was more eye-catching was how dense he was to the way they were all heads-over-heels for h—”

Kokkoro covered Karyl’s mouth with her hand, singlehandedly saving the fanfiction from reaching its conclusion right there. A naughty idea telepathically passed between Kokkoro and Pecorine as the two locked eyes with each other.

          “What were you going to say?” Yuuki asked Karyl.

          Pecorine answered quickly, “No, never mind that. Hey, Yuuki, why don’t you live here with us?”

The offer was sent very out of pocket, but it so happens that so was his answer.

          Yuuki nodded, “Well, sure. That was kind of my whole plan anyway.”

          Kokkoro blinked, “Really? You don’t have any qualms or questions? No ‘No! This is my house or anything?”

          Yuuki scratched the back of his head, “Well, it’s not really my house. Like you guys said, this was your home before I stumbled onto it. I don’t have any right to kick you guys out or anything. So, yeah, if you guys would have me, I’d be happy to call this place home too.”

There was no answer to his heartfelt response. Even Karyl stopped squirming underneath Kokkoro’s vice-like grip.

          “Wow, you are a really nice person,” Kokkoro said softly.

          “Not really,” Yuuki smiled, squirming under the second compliment he got in one day, “Any decent person would do the same. Besides, otherwise, wouldn’t you guys be reverted back to your phantom-like state?”

Pecorine shook her head, astounded at the empathy Yuuki felt for people he had just met. It kind of made her feel a bit guilty for the things she had planned. Kind of. Pushing aside those thoughts, for now, Pecorine set Yuuki’s cloak to the side and “walked” over to him. Karyl and Kokkoro joined her, floating down from their elevated place. The three girls of the Gourmet Guild beamed, sticking out a hand in greeting. Even Karyl’s smile was tinged with a bit of earnestness.

          “Welcome to the Gourmet Guild, Yuuki!” they all sang.

          Yuuki smiled, “Thanks for having me!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3

          “That’ll be 30 rupees,” the vegetable vendor said gruffly, pulling the furs of his overcoat tighter to his wrapped body.

Yuuki handed the sum to the man and thanked him. He then took the parcel and held it underneath in the in-between space of his arm. His arms grew weary with the other merchandise as he teetered frostily, a cold draught icing its way through the unpopulated market. Landosol had caught the gaze of a rather nasty cold front—the unwanted attention sending many people reeling to the desired warmth of their homes. Walking past those quiet homes, Yuuki felt a tad bit envious. He still had a long trek before he arrived at his own home. His teeth chattered as a bone-chilling spirit sent his spine twitching. While everyone lulled before the blazing warmth of their fiery hearths, Yuuki was out in the cold, running errands and gathering supplies. And he wasn’t the one to blame. He originally had enough food and supplies to last till the cold front passed, but with the induction of three more people, his food stores soon ran out. Pecorine the causer for that. In addition, he needed to run out and buy loads of… toiletries since apparently, the passive effect of his ability really surged the physical bodies of his new housemates. Curious of the further implications, the day following their introduction was spent doing all sorts of little experiments. They had found that as long as he was around, the trio was indistinguishable from regular people in their needs, appearance, etc. Well, apart from the fact that they still retained the ability to float and disappear through walls at will. Yuuki mulled that thought over as he trekked.  

          Yeah, they’re basically a mix between Miyako and Hatsune.

They then tested the range of the effect. The moment Yuuki traveled a considerable distance away from them, they began to slowly lose their physical manifestation and their sensory skills. And, judging from the pallor in their faces when he returned, the feeling wasn’t all too pleasant to them. So then, the logical thing would be to bring the three of them along, to buy the things they needed and everything. However, ten years of floating around and sensory deprivation really messed up their motor coordination skills. So currently, the three acted like big toddlers, stumbling about and making a mess of their food. Yuuki was actually the one to spoon-feed the three because they kept making a mess of themselves otherwise. He had made a mental note then to cut down on spice next time, since when he spoon-fed Karyl, she had turned bright red. She probably had a sensitive palate. So yes, they equally resembled toddlers. Yuuki thought that state kind of suited them, considering how much they bickered with one another. He chuckled at his own little joke. Also, Yuuki felt a twinge of déjà vu while taking care of the three. It was like the positions were reversed. When he first was reincarnated in this world, he faintly remembered Illya treating him with the same level of care. So, he took special charge to treat them all kindly, even despite their bickering antics.

Yuuki breathed, his breath billowing out in front of him in a white plume. His mettle was certainly being tested. He sighed, half-dreaming of the comfort of his warm home, when something fell against his back. The sudden impact jarred him, sending him slipping on a slick patch of cobble. His feet groped blindly at the icy, polished ground, unable to stop his stumble with the awkward, foreign weight. His arms waved wildly behind him, sending his parcels falling to the wet ground. He felt his arm brush against someone’s head. Actually, smack would be the better choice for what happened. A cry of pain rang out. Amazingly, Yuuki’s brain didn’t bother with trying to protect his person from the very near impact but rather was busy realizing that the stranger’s voice was strangely familiar. But reality soon grounded him, as his buttocks painfully cracked against cobble. The awkward weight on his back had somehow made its way on top of him, where it pressed obtrusively. He drew in a forced breath while his eyes focused in on bright, pained honey-like amber eyes.

          “Misogiiiii!” Kyoka cried, carefully rushing over.

          Mimi’s soft, worried voice soon followed her cry, “Are you okay, Misogi? Why’d you take off like that? Oh, I’m so sorry, mister—”

          “Hey! It’s Yuuki!” Kyoka had drawn near and recognized the stranger Misogi had a tumble with.

Yuuki didn’t really pay attention to them. He was too busy staring daggers at a meek Misogi. Meanwhile, Misogi’s friends had put two and two together.

          “Oh! So that’s why you suddenly ran off! You wanted to say hi to Yuuki!”

Yuuki knew she didn’t want to just say hi to him. His eyes studied the fast-melting powder caking the top of Misogi’s fiery hand. Her ponytail was limp with the fast-soaking snow. She sneezed.

          “H-hi, Yuuki!” she charmed him, “F-funny running into you here!”

          “Quite literally,” he commented flatly. He grunted as Misogi quickly disentangled herself from him. He sat upright, rubbing his sore buttocks. Misogi sat at his side, knees folded, a bit shame-faced. Kyoka and Mimi stood around him awkwardly.

          “Sorry,” she murmured.

Yuuki shrugged, deciding to let her off easy. Mimi and Kyoka both knelt, beginning to pick up the stuff Yuuki had dropped. Kyoka scolded the jester sternly.

          “C’mon Misogi! You need to knock off all the excessive pranks. We’re not little girls anymore, y’know?”

          Misogi defiantly defied Kyoka’s motherly chiding, “I can’t just stop doing pranks! It’s one of my few character traits!”

Mimi sighed, almost as if she knew what Misogi’s reply would be beforehand. Yuuki pulled himself to his feet and offered Misogi a hand, one that she gratefully accepted. Yuuki quietly studied her as she pulled herself up.

          Kyoka was right, Yuuki realized.

Little Lyrical wasn’t so little anymore. Although they were still a couple of years younger than him, time had paid out its due to the three girls. The three stood taller, braver, and even more lyrical compared to when he first met them all those years ago. Kyoka’s staff fitted her well and no longer seemed awkward—as it had before in the hands of a little girl. Mimi’s voice was clearer, now devoid of the clouding of her extreme shyness. And Misogi’s ponytail dipped past her shoulder, while that naughty grin fulled to a tomboyish smirk. Yuuki felt a strange mix of brotherly pride and melancholy seeing his friends slowly mature and grow into the best selves they could be. However, that sentiment was soon ruined as Kyoka took a firm hold of Misogi’s cheek, the mage’s eyebrow twitching angrily.

          “Excuse me? Where’s the respect for your elders? Hmmm?”

          “Ow, ow, ow! C’mon, Kyoka!” Misogi whined, “You always talk about acting like grown-ups in front of Yuuki but look what you’re doing right now! You’re being very childish too!”

That prompted and pacified Kyoka. She quickly let go of Misogi’s cheek, her hand falling limply at her side. Yuuki tilted his head. But, before he say anything, Mimi tapped Yuuki on the shoulder.

          “Here’s your things,” she said softly.

          “Thanks Mimi,” Yuuki said warmly, instinctively going to pat her head.

But he stopped himself just shy of touching her rabbit earmuffs, realizing that it probably wasn’t seemly to do so anymore. Now that they weren’t kids anymore, after all. But Mimi tip-toed, propelling her soft head into the palm of his hand. Her mittened hands grabbed his gloved hand. He laughed, patting her.  

          “Guess you guys are still kids at heart, after all.”

Misogi sneezed again. Yuuki turned, giving her a stern look. She avoided his gaze, rubbing her red nose with the length of her finger. He studied her for a while before sighing, taking off his cloak.

          “Wait, what are you doing, Yuuki? You’ll get sick if you take off your coat!” Misogi sputtered.

          “Yeah, and you’ll get sick with all that moisture in your hair,” he replied sardonically.

He stepped over to her and placed the cloak around her like a shawl. The cloak fit her very poorly, so the expanse of cloth was able to cover every part of her slender frame. He rubbed some warmth into her head, before fastening the pin.

          “Why don’t you guys come over to the guild house and warm up with some hot cocoa while you get dry? I wouldn’t want you getting sick or Mrs. Hodaka getting upset.”

Misogi’s tiny face peeked out from the depths of the cloak. Her voice was tiny and her ponytail coming loose and developing into a hairy inferno.

          “Mom wouldn’t get mad at you,” Misogi mumbled, “she’d get mad at me.”

          Yuuki nodded, “Yeah, I know. So that’s why I’m doing this. Someone has to keep you out of trouble, right? So, you coming or not?”

Kyoka opened her mouth to protest further, but before she could get a word out, Mimi answered brazenly.

          “Yes, we’d love some hot cocoa.”

          “Great,” Yuuki gave them a thumbs up.

He turned so the girls wouldn’t see how blue his face was getting. Yuuki resisted the urge to shiver as Yuuki and the others made their quiet way down the sparse street.

Yuuki trudged up the stairs, lifting a clammily cold hand to the knob. He inserted the brass key, turned it, and slid the oak door open. Upon entering, Yuuki immediately went to rekindle the fire, leaving the others to study the unfamiliar layout of the new guild house. Kyoka nodded, a tad impressed. She ran a finger across the windowsill and studied it. No dust flaked her ivory extension.

          “Wow, it’s really neat,” she commented, “I wasn’t expecting your home to be this clean.”

          Yuuki grimaced, “Wow, thanks for that.”

Mimi chuckled. Yuuki put back the flint in his trouser pocket and quickly positioned a sofa near the blossoming fire. He tapped the sofa’s head, indicating Misogi to come and sit down. The prankster initially protested.

          “I’m fine Yuuki! I just got a bit of snow into my hair, nothing else!”

Yuuki’s curt gaze was all it took for Misogi to oblige. She wordlessly moved over and sank into the warm cushion of the sofa. She took off her fingerless gloves and spread her white palms wide.

          “Maybe it’d be better to get some actual gloves?” Yuuki said drily.

Misogi said nothing, shutting her eyes and shivering as the warmth seeped into her body in waves, sending pleasant trickles down her spine. Yuuki turned to his other guests.

          “You guys can grab a seat too. Just let me make the cocoa,” Yuuki moved to the kitchen.

Mimi moved to help him.

          “I can help you out, Yuuki!” she offered.

          Yuuki reassured her, “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. It’s just some hot cocoa, nothing too major. Y’all like ‘em with marshmallows?”

Seeing three heads bob up and down, he smiled.

          “Alright! I’ll be in the kitchen, so holler if you need me!”

Yuuki walked to the kitchen, leaving the three of them alone. He put his hands together, rubbing some warmth into them.

          “Okay, let’s do this!” he breathed.

Yuuki moved to the fridge and opened it. The low, yellow light inside flickered on. He knelt and surveyed through the contents before grabbing the milk jug. With his other hand, he closed the fridge door, revealing Pecorine’s ghostly pale face at his side. Startled, he jumped reflexively, nearly sending the contents of the jug pouring all across the floor. His mind briefly thought about a pun. Yuuki placed a hand on his heart theatrically, before pulling himself to his feet.

          “You almost scared to me death!” he accused, before adding quickly, “No offense.”

Pecorine held out a hand to Yuuki. He tried taking it, but his fingers only managed to pass through Pecorine’s hand. Yuuki shivered. The feeling made him queasy. It wasn’t like swiping air, but more like running your hand and forcing it through some gelatin. Pecorine stared at her hand in disdain. Yuuki then took a closer look at the ghostly woman. She seemed much fainter than she had before. Pecorine turned to him, her grey lips parting as she spoke, her voice incredibly faint.

          “I’m sorry for startling you, but it appears we haven’t regained our normal physical state with you yet. It looks like it will take some time to return to normal in between long periods of time.”

Yuuki had to strain his ears to pick up on the slight words. He tried his best to cheer up the normally bubbly Pecorine.

          “It’s alright. At least I can see you now. You’ll be back to normal soon, Miss Pecorine.”

That seemed to lighten her spir… That seemed to cheer her up somewhat. A coy smile spread across Pecorine’s ghostly face.

          “You don’t need to call me ‘Miss Pecorine’. I’m only a couple of years older than you, after all. Hearing you say that makes me feel old, haha,” Pecorine teased, “I’m just glad I was the one to correct you. Karyl would’ve yowled at you for ages before settling down.”

Yuuki grinned. The slight pull moved his mind to a matter.

          “Where are those two, by the way?”

          “They’re resting,” Pecorine explained, “It looks like they got tuckered out from the relapse.”

          Yuuki nodded, “Ah okay. I hope they feel better soon.”

It was then Yuuki heard quickened footsteps and Kyoka’s voice from behind him. Yuuki hurriedly motioned for Pecorine to hide before he quickly moved, pretending to look through the cabinets.

          “Hey, Yuuki? Are you alright?” the spellcaster asked.

          He quickly turned, feigning a smile, “Yeah, I’m good. Why?”

Kyoka peered at him, suspicious.

          “Well, we heard an awful lot of racket coming from the other side, so we were just wondering if you were okay. Then, on my way here, I heard you talking to someone, so I was kinda worried you slipped and hit your head or something.” 

Yuuki laid his hands back on the counter.

          “Oh, pshaw! That wasn’t anything. It must’ve been your imagination or something,” he grinned tensely, “Still a kid, huh?”

Kyoka was quiet for a while.

          “Are you sure you don’t need any he—”

Yuuki propelled himself from the counter and ushered her out of the kitchen.

          “Yup, yup, yup! I’m perfectly sure. What kind of a host would I be if I needed my guests to help me out? Just wait a little longer, and I’ll have some piping hot cocoa for you all.”

Despite her protestations, Yuuki had managed to escort the testy sorcerer out of the kitchen. He then turned back, looking around for Pecorine. She phased through the ceiling and lowered herself in front of him. She looked at him quizzically.

          “Why the fuss? And who was that?” Pecorine asked.

          Yuuki explained, “Well, first of all, not a lot of people are as familiar with or open to the idea of ghosts as I am. And, Kyoka’s still got bits of immaturity in her. I wouldn’t want her to get frightened of you guys. I thought that’d be kinda rude to both her and you.”

          Pecorine nodded, “Then, is she the only one here right now?”

          Yuuki shook his head, “No, her two other friends are also here. One of them got themselves soaking wet, and I didn’t want them to catch a cold. So, I invited them to dry up and get some cocoa on their way out.”

Understanding dawned on the spectral princess.

          “Ah, okay,” Pecorine smiled, “Well, how about I give you a hand with that? I’ve got to tell you, I’m a monster in the kitchen.”

Pecorine winced at the unfortunate, flowery language. Yuuki laughed a bit.

          “Yeah, no kidding.” He then commented, drawing his eyes to Pecorine’s slowly brightening visage, “Hey, I think you’re back to your usual self!”

He reached out and grabbed Pecorine’s hand, sending some life into it. Pecorine took her other and leeched off some more warmth. She sighed dreamily. Yuuki then saw the rosy color reappear back in Pecorine’s complexion.

          “You’re right! Man, you have no idea what it feels like to be able to feel again!”

          Yuuki smiled, “Alright then! Let’s make this hot chocolate!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 4

Yuuki stepped out of the kitchen, brandishing three steaming mugs of liquid chocolate. He brought the hot cocoa nearer to the anticipating, restlessly awaiting figures. He handed a mug to each one, before moving to take a seat on one of the open sofas before the fire. Misogi cradled the warm mug in her warmed hands. Then, she took a fateful sip.

          “Careful, it’s hot,” Yuuki warned.

The prankster took a tentative sip and sighed dreamily.

          “Ahhh, that sure hits the spot!”

Kyoka blew off some of the white steam, before succumbing to chocolatey, dark desire. She too squirmed in delight. Meanwhile, Mimi’s eyes were wide as saucers.

          “Mhhm!” the bunny-eared girl sounded off appreciatively.

Yuuki smiled, glad at such receptive responses. Although he had his doubts, Pecorine sure knew her way around the kitchen. Yuuki eased into the cushions, the warm leather of the sofa doing wonders for his chilled bones. He hadn’t gotten the time to relax and unpack since he had gone out to gather the girl’s…toiletries. Yuuki frowned. Toiletries. Wait. Where was all the stuff he brought?

The sudden, panicked realization made him grip the arms of his sofa, before standing up to look around. Kyoka, Mimi, and Misogi all jumped at his sudden movement.

          “W-What? What’s wrong?” Kyoka sputtered.

Yuuki walked around, picking up random household items that logically could not hide the things he was looking for, but that didn’t matter to him right now. He had to find them before those three could. One, because it would open an entire can of worms he wasn’t prepared to handle, and two, those things are actually really expensive!

          “Uhh, do you guys know where my… stuff is?” Yuuki said, catching himself.

It would raise both a lot of questions and eyebrows if Yuuki had explicitly told them what he had lost. Mimi scrunched her little forehead.

          “Oh, you mean the stuff you bought?”

Kyoka looked at her quizzically. All she picked up was the odd cucumber and potato. Kyoka understood the importance of a spud, her mom always told her to eat her veggies and stuff, but it was nothing so important to cause Yuuki to worry like this. She glanced back at Yuuki suspiciously, who had gone as white as a ghost.

          “Umm, yes. Do you know where that stuff is?”

Mimi withdrew the package Yuuki had placed at her side. He let out a breath when he noticed the wrapping was unopened.

          “You put it beside this sofa when you went to go start up the fire? Don’t you remember?”

          Yuuki chuckled nervously, “No. No, I didn’t. Thank you.”

He quickly took the parcel and placed it under his arm. Yuuki silently thanked the Universe for letting innocent Mimi be the one to find it. He could not even begin to imagine what could have happened if Misogi or Kyoka had found him out. With the crisis averted, he excused himself and quietly went upstairs to secret the things in his room. When Yuuki came back down, he found three empty mugs placed on the living room table. Mimi and Misogi were chatting quietly, while Kyoka was nowhere to be found. He stepped into the kitchen, half-expecting her to be there. But, the kitchen lay empty too. He hesitated, before half-whispering.

          “Hey, Pecorine?”

But the orange-haired chef didn’t appear. Thinking she probably had gone to retire for the day, Yuuki stopped by the cupboard on his way out, grabbing some crackers. Placing them onto a plate, he went back to the living room.

          “Hey, guys,” he set down the plate, “Do you guys need anything else? Feeling hungry?”

He was answered by two shaking heads.

          “Alright then,” he turned to Misogi, “And how are you doing, Misogi? All toasty, now?”

Before waiting for Misogi’s answer, he neared, placing a hand over her forehead. Almost immediately, she began to burn up.

          “Whoa!” Yuuki quickly withdrew his hand, “You’re really hot! Did you manage to catch a cold after all? Uh, do you need some medicine? Some soup? I can speak from experience, chicken noodle soup does wonders for colds. Actually, there was this one ti—”

          Mimi stopped his manic stammering, “Ah, don’t worry, Yuuki. Misogi’s just too close to the fire.”

Yuuki turned back to the fiery girl. She tried to hide her face from him for some reason. But, catching her sneaky glances through his coat, he could definitely see that Misogi’s face was a lot more ruddy than normal. The simple explanation eased him.

          “Oh, then why didn’t you say so before?” Yuuki chuckled.

Misogi murmured something, while Mimi chuckled quietly. He turned to her.

          “By the way, do you know where Kyoka is?” he glanced out the window, “Not to say I don’t appreciate your company, but it’s getting late. I wouldn’t want your parents getting worried.”

          “Oh, she had to use the restroom, but you’re right. I didn’t notice how dark it’d gotten.”

          Misogi glanced out the window, “We’ll get going as soon as Kyoka gets back.”

          Yuuki nodded, “Right. I’ll walk you guys home.”

A mischievous grin split his face. He splayed his fingers into claws, undulating them threateningly.

          “After all, you wouldn’t want the scary monsters of the deep, dark forest gobbling you up, right?”

          Misogi huffed, turning up her nose, “I-I wouldn’t know what you’re talking about! You were the one to say we were all grown up now, right Mimi?”

          “No, he’s right. I wouldn’t appreciate being eaten alive today,” Mimi said solemnly.

Yuuki laughed at her reply and he reached over to tussle Misogi’s covered head. He raised an eyebrow.

          “Yeah, by the way,” he pointed out, “Just how long are you planning on holding onto my coat?”

          “Wha? Can’t keep it a bit longer?”

          Yuuki shook his head, “No, I just gave it to you to warm you up some.”

Misogi’s eyes went wide. Still, Yuuki persisted, his hand still held out. The innocent orbs intensified and seemed to draw Yuuki in. He felt his resolve slipping. His outstretched hand quivered. The bright saucers spread wider. He tried to avoid the black hole, but his heart tremored. Yuuki sighed in defeat. He always had a bad soft spot for the trio.

          “Fine. I guess you can have it for a little longer,” he grumbled.

          “Yay!” Misogi cheered, burrowing deeper into the oversized cloak, “It’s like a fuzzy blanket!”

Mimi looked at Misogi humorly, “Wow, someone sure likes to get pampered, eh?”

Misogi ignored the jibe, delighted with the new gift. Yuuki’s head turned to the stairs.

          “What’s taking her so long?” he said aloud, “I’m going to go see if she’s alright.”

Yuuki crossed the living room space and arrived at the bottom of the murkwood stairs. He had managed to take a step onto the first stair, when a shrill scream screeched from the top of the staircase. Yuuki’s head whipped to the other two, before turning back to the stairs. He spurred to action. Yuuki grabbed onto the railing and began hauling it up the stairs. However, the heroic charge didn’t make it very far, as Kyoka’s frame soon silhouetted the top of the stairs, still yelping.

          “Are you alright? Why are you screaming?” Yuuki interrogated, momentarily freezing.

Kyoka didn’t answer and instead quickly descended the flight. Too quickly.

          Yuuki put his hands out, “Wait, wait! Stop! Stop! You’re going to fa—”

His warning came too late. Kyoka’s slipper slipped on wood, shifting her precarious balance. Her frantic momentum did the rest of the job. She careened into Yuuki’s chest, who in turn, began to fall. His grip on the railing failed him. The last thing Yuuki could see before the world went black was the quick retreat of fiery ahoge behind the upstairs wall.

          “I’m calling it, you killed him.”

          “I did NOT! It wasn’t my fault! How was I supposed to know he was going to be there?”

          “Well, you were very recklessly coming down the stairs.”

          “And, your defense was that you saw a… ghost?”

          “I DID! Why don’t you guys believe me?”

          “The last time you said you saw a ghost, it turned out to be a h—”

          “I’m telling you! It was a real ghost!”

Yuuki groaned at the constant arguing. The sound of life prompted the three’s hushed silence. Yuuki opened his eyes, seeing Kyoka’s, Misogi’s, and Mimi’s worried faces all peering down at him. He struggled to a sitting position.

          “Wow,” he said to Kyoka while rubbing his head, “You’re heavy.”

          Kyoka was exasperated, “First, I’m sorry. Second, what? Third, you are haunted.”

Yuuki raised an eyebrow, painfully.

          “What do you mean ‘haunted’? I mean sure, the house is old, but I wouldn’t call it haunted.”

          Kyoka insisted, “I’m telling you!”

Yuuki frowned, the stupor from his fall fading. Kyoka must’ve saw Pecorine, or one of the others.  

          “Okay, okay. I believe you. But regardless, it’s getting late. We need to head out.”

Kyoka protested his crass dismissal, but Yuuki couldn’t think of any other way to get her mind off the whole ghost business. Yuuki pulled himself to his feet. Besides, it was really getting late.

          “Ready to go?” he asked authoritatively.

Yuuki quietly shut the door behind him. Clicking the lock into place, he went over and sighed himself into the cushions of the comfy couch. A voice caused him to jump.

          “Back already? Wow, they must not live that far, huh?”

Yuuki craned his head up, where Pecorine’s buxom figure peered back down at him. Coughing, he averted his eyes. Pecorine floated down to his side.

          “Y-Yeah, they don’t live too far.”

He turned back to Pecorine, a question in his eyes.

          “By the way, did Kyoka see you? Or was it Karyl or Kokkoro?”

Pecorine put a finger to her dainty chin.

          “Hmmm,” she hummed, “Oh! The sassy, pigtailed girl?”

Yuuki nodded, thinking those adjectives accurate.

          “Oh, well, I was busy checking out the new hairdryer you bought in the bathroom. She probably heard the noise coming from the bathroom,” she pursed her lips, “I would’ve phased away, but I didn’t hear her come up over the sound of the hairdryer. By the way, great purchase. It’s a thing of beauty.”

          Yuuki nodded, “Alright, that makes sense, but how come you were by the stairs? I saw your little hair tuft peeking out?”

Pecorine smiled. She clasped her hands dreamily.

          “Oh, it just occurred to me that the little girl would be running towards Prince Charming for help! So I just wanted to see how you’d react?”

Yuuki looked around mockingly before pointing to himself.

          “Me? Prince Charming? Heck, being a ghost for so long must’ve affected your sense of sight as well. Did you see how Kyoka treats me all the time? She’s this close to reporting me as a ‘suspicious stranger’ every other week.”

Pecorine swatted his arm.

          “C’mon Yuuki. You can’t be serious. Can’t you se—”

She broke off suddenly. A smile worthy of a certain Christmas-hating creature spread throughout Pecorine’s ruddy face. Yuuki watched the transformation a little nervously.

          “What?” he finally said.

          “Oh, nothing!” Pecorine said sing-songily before moving away in a combination of skipping/floating, “I’ve just had a grand idea. I can’t wait till more of your friends come over to visit.”

Pecorine giggled dangerously as Yuuki watched her float up the stairs. He groaned, resting his head on the back of the sofa. Maybe he should’ve gotten a condo.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5

Yuuki fanned his fingers out before the licking flames, letting his sore appendages bask in the gentle, seeping warmth. He sighed dreamily, the innocent sound prompting Maho, Makoto, and Kaori to giggle. Kaori leaned over and gave his arm a “light” punch.

          “That quest really took a lot out of you, huh Yuuki?” the bronze-skinned beastfolk jibed.

Yuuki rubbed his affected arm and glared at his attacker. He placed his hands behind his back, resting as he propped himself.

          He retorted, “Well, carrying you all when that troll ambushed us would take a lot out of anyone!”

Maho stirred the stewing soup with her trusty ladle, foxy ears prickling and twitching in amusement.

          “Come on now, my Prince. Kaori dear was only joshing. Although…” the guild leader snickered, “Although it was quite a unique joy when we had seen such a bewildered expression on my Prince’s face.”

Makoto lay at the base of a tree, her leather-plated back pressed against the soft bark. The wolfish warrior raised an eyebrow, grinning.

          “Didn’t know the Princess could snark like that, but admittedly, seeing Yuuki scared like a little kitten did bring back a lot of memories.”

Kaori piped up, thumping her thighs in excitement.

          “I was just thinking the exact same thing! You guys talking about when we were out in the Eustrace Swamp and Yuuki thought that the piece of wetgrass stuck to his foot was a crocomaladogator?”

Maho had the decency to hide her modest smile while Makoto let out a barkish laugh, reminded of the recent memory. Yuuki set his mouth in a flat line, having been long accustomed to being the butt of the joke. Maho took up the ladle and gingerly sipped a bit of the stew, nodding appreciatively as she did. Placing a cover to the churning pot, Maho turned to Yuuki, her viridian eyes gleaming like emeralds in the low moonlight.

          “You know, my prince, I really do miss those leisure-filled days when you lived with us.”

Kaori quieted, nodding with her usual cheery smile. The only difference being it beamed genuinely.

          “You’re completely right, Maho. I miss how Yuuki and I would always get up early and spar together in the backyard.”

          Yuuki chuckled, “Not really sparring, but more like me running for my life while you tried to pummel me to death.”

          Makoto grinned, “You should come over sometime, Yuuki. For old-time’s sake. Besides, it’d be great for Kasumi. I heard that her new cases have been giving her a lot of trouble, now that she’s without her Watson.”

          Yuuki shrugged, “I don’t know, Makoto. It’s a tempting offer, but I don’t think I’d be able to deal with another night of your snoring.”

Yuuki ducked as a pinecone whizzed over his head. The projectile had caught an ember and glowed angrily behind him. He laughed teasingly, seeing that Makoto couldn’t find any more of the prickly projectiles scattered around her. But, his joy soon turned to horror as the wolfgirl stood up, storming him. Yuuki leaped to his feet, nearly tripping over in the process.

          “Help! Protect me, Kaori!” he jubilantly cried.

          “Come back here you little…” Makoto riled.

Maho suddenly clapped authoritatively. Makoto halted her retribution. The elegant guildmaster stood up, causing her skirts to ruffle down into intricate waves. Her laced crinolines hemmed the edges of her colorfully tanned skirt. Yuuki always wondered how the skilled mage could show such grace and prowess on the battlefield in such frivolous clothes. Add that to the long list of things he admired about her. Maho’s green eyes twinkled, while her honeysuckle voice chided the two of them.

Image Credits: LoveToHateYou

          “Now, now. You all are acting like wee toddlers. Come up now, dinner’s ready.”

Kaori gladfully arose, patiently waiting for Maho’s famous Maho-Maho mushroom soup. Meanwhile, Makoto balefully eyed Yuuki as the two went to retrieve their bowls.

Maho looked on approvingly at her bunch as they all dug in. A quaint, peaceful moment had passed as they all enjoyed the soup.

          “Now, then. Ain’t this just peachy.”

Yuuki took another tentative sip, savoring the creamy taste of the shrooms. He looked up endearingly at Maho.

          “That’s another thing I sorely miss about living with you guys, your great cooking.”

Maho waved her hand, flushing pridefully a little.

          “Aw gosh. But, if you missed it that much, there is a way you can keep on enjoying my cooki—”

          Makoto interrupted, “Oi Yuuki, you got some cream on your cheek.”

The girl wiped the cream off with her finger before placing it in her mouth.

          “Hmmm,” she nodded, “Yuuki’s right. You really outdone yourself this time.”

          “Hmph, is that so?” Maho replied, a little stern.

Kaori, meanwhile, watched the scene unfold quietly. She plumbed another spoonful in her mouth. Yuuki rubbed his cheek, a little abashed. Surprisingly, Makoto didn’t seem to notice the brewing mixture of emotions of her group. She, although she would never let it show, was also incredibly drained from their last mission. That, coupled with the warm midsummer evening and Maho’s placating soup, put her in a heavy drowse. Even her extreme closeness to Yuuki, with their elbows practically touching, was lost upon her. She sipped the last bits of the cream soup tentatively, feeling her eyelids begin to shudder. It was then she felt a soft weight pin down on her shoulder. She turned, temporarily withdrawn from her stupor, where Makoto noticed Yuuki’s head resting on her. Instinctively, she went to move away but soon stopped when she noticed his even breathing.

          “Are you kidding, did he fall asleep?” she protested.

Makoto, reaching with her other hand, poked his cheek.

          “Hey, Yuuki. Yuuki. Come on, you can’t fall asleep here!”

There was no response from the sleeping boy. She studied his closed eyes and downturned lips, so peaceful under the scattered moonlight. Makoto gulped, brushing a dark strand of hair from his forehead. His hair felt impossibly soft in her hands. It was surprisingly pleasant to touch.

          “Jeez, he’s still acting like a little baby,” she murmured softly, stroking his head slightly.

Despite her feigned complaints, Makoto secretly shuffled closer, resting her own head on his. Makoto’s ears twitched as her tail began to slowly sway side to side. Her hand crept closer to his. Kaori, meanwhile, took another sip of her meal. She raised her eyebrows as she turned to Maho.

          “Hey, Maho, did you place some lavender in this soup? Because I feel…Maho?”

Maho’s eyes were glazed, perhaps studying something else. She soon snapped back to reality at the second mention of her name. Perhaps the light from the moon was playing tricks on her, but Kaori could’ve sworn Maho was brandishing an invidious frown. Yet, in the instant she turned, Maho’s expression swiftly changed to that airy, carefree smile.

          Yup, it must’ve been my mind, Kaori decided.

          Maho smiled sweetly, “Yes, I had added some crushed lavender. I know all our bones must’ve been a wee weary, so I added a slight aphrodisiac to numb the soreness and help us rest.”

She turned to Makoto and Yuuki, both of whom were now fast asleep. She spotted Makoto’s hand entwined in Yuuki’s. Her voice lowered somewhat.

          “I just hadn’t realized that some of us have a low tolerance for lavender…”

Kaori noticed the two for the first time. She gushed, raising her hands to her face.

          “Aww,” she fawned, “Just look at the two! Don’t they look cute together?”

          “Quite,” Maho said flatly, before a dark thought passed over her.  

A cheeky, almost sinister smile spread through the lovable Maho’s face. Kaori was slightly taken aback by the transformation. Maho turned to Kaori, with a gleaming smile. Just then, for the first time, Kaori noticed the unsettling atmosphere of the dark, quiet wood that they had set up camp in.

          “They look so well together, joined at the hip like that, why don’t we…” she trailed off as she drew her magical staff, “…play a little trick on them?”

Makoto awoke with the feeling of something incredibly soft pressing against her nose. She blinked, shifting her head, and roused the sleep from her eyes. The first thing that Makoto noticed was the crisp, cool morning air filling her lungs. The sun had just risen, casting a soft, golden light over the surrounding pines. Amongst the silent giants were birds, singing melodious tunes, welcoming the birth of a new day. Her amber eyes scanned the remnants of last night’s campfire, the warm blaze now reduced to a few glowing embers. The empty site left her nonplussed. The nearby trees rustled gently in the dance of a breeze, with parting leaves creating a gentle, soothing sound as they rubbed against the stiff bark on their trip. Makoto smiled. The sounds of nature were the only things keeping her company in the twilight. Makoto frowned. The sound of nature?

          Wait, her sleep-befuddled brain churned slowly, This is about the time when Kaori does her obnoxious morning sit-ups…

The sudden realization drained her cold in the warm morning. Where were Maho and Kaori? She knew that Yuuki was ri—

She then noticed her own state. Her head was resting against Yuuki’s chest, with her other arm draped over his body. Immediately donning a healthy blush, she leaped up from the compromising position and shook her… friend awake.

          “Yuuki, Yuuki!” she urged, “Get up! Something’s wrong!”

Yuuki grumbled, shifting at her sudden lurches. He took his right hand and rubbed his eyes.

          “Wh-What? What’s wrong?” he stumbled.

Makoto didn’t answer. She was preoccupied with staring at the note pasted on his forehead. She quickly snatched the note and read it.

            Dear Yuuki and Makoto,

            First off, don’t worry, Kaori and I are perfectly fine. You two were still snoozing when we woke up this morning. We then just couldn’t resist how well you two looked together last night and             decided to let you guys have some more alone time!

            Also, Makoto, I figured you wouldn’t like such a proposition, so I might’ve added a little something that is sure to keep you two inseparable!

            We’ll be at the guild house! See you soon!

            Love,

            Maho + Kaori

          “…See you soon,” Makoto mumbled, “What does she mean by…”

The color drained from Makoto’s face when she unconsciously lifted her other hand. An unfamiliar weight held the hand down. She turned, whereupon she saw Yuuki’s hand transfixed unto hers. Makoto froze. Meanwhile, Yuuki felt the tug and noticed the instance at about the same time. He looked up at her, trying to explain.

          “Wait, I’m no—”

Yuuki’s next words were cut off as Makoto instinctively shook her arm, trying to dislodge his hold on her. Unfortunately, his grip remained taut and her jerking only managed to nearly dislocate the poor boy’s shoulder. Makoto soon stopped, having regained her senses. Yuuki, on the other hand, was wide awake now.

          She stuttered, “I-I’m sorry about that. Can you… can you please let go?”

Yuuki raised his free hand in exasperation.

          “That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you! I just can’t for some reason!”

Makoto furrowed her brows as she raised her… their hands to eye level. It was a bit strange. It wasn’t as if Yuuki’s fingers were intertwined with hers, but rather as if they were forever fixed in a high-five pose. Makoto tried a tug. Nothing. Yuuki picked up the note that had fallen during Makoto’s outburst. Giving it a quick scan, he looked up at her.

          “You don’t think… you don’t think Maho had glued our hands together, do you?”

          Makoto frowned, closing her eyes as the realization hit her, “Argh! Is that what she meant?”

          “I mean, we are pretty inseparable now,” he pointed out.

Makoto sighed. Normally Maho had trouble casting a simple healing spell. Where’d she find the motivation and concentration to carry out such a surgical spell? While she lamented, Yuuki was busy studying their fixed state in great curiosity. Makoto gulped as a sudden thought flitted into her head.

          Are my hands too sweaty? What if he notices? Ah, man!

She suddenly pulled her hand away from his scouring eyes, startling him.

          She huffed, turning away from him, “W-Well! We might as well get going! If we hurry back to the guildhouse, we can make Maho reverse this spell.”

Yuuki nodded, flashing a thumbs-up.

          “Sounds like a plan,” he agreed, “Also, at least they had the decency to clean up the campsite.”

Makoto shook her head tiredly.

Yuuki stepped over a mushroom, wincing as the fungus released its green spores. Makoto tugged him along.

          “Oi come on now, Yuuki! Our guildhouse shouldn’t be much farther!”

The wolfgirl quickly whipped her head back. In the short time she was facing him, Yuuki could’ve sworn that Makoto’s face was flushed. Not that he blamed her, as Yuuki felt some color rise to his ears. Her hand sure was warm. Yuuki raised his free hand to his eyes, looking upward at the blazing sun.

          Granted, almost everything’s warm today, he noted.

While Yuuki was lost in thought, Makoto put up her left hand to her mouth.

          Ohmygoshthisissoembarrassingkillmenowwwww!

It was an understatement to say that Makoto wasn’t taking their newfound closeness very well.

          Although, a part of her…

Makoto shook her head, repelling those thoughts. She’d been over this a thousand times. Yui was the one destined for Yuuki. Makoto had agreed she’d do her best to help pair the two of them together. She couldn’t just leave her friend in the dust. Makoto was prepared to do anything to accomplish her goal… The wolfgirl frowned, a sad fang peeking out. She clenched her free hand into a tight fist.

          Even if it meant… even if it meant sacrificing my own feelings, Makoto begrudgingly thought.  

The reaffirmation of her resolve resulted in a quiet, uncomfortable atmosphere. Yuuki trudged along, just a breath behind her. After staunching the life from the last campfire embers, Yuuki and Makoto aimed for the Caon guildhouse. Makoto, seemingly distressed with their current state, opted for the most direct path there, which called for a lengthy shortcut through the thick wood. Yuuki supported the notion. He felt the nape of his neck cool as the sun’s warm shade was shadowed by the foliage of the wood.

          Although, he scratched his rapidly cooling neck, it might’ve been better to stick to the main road.

          “Makoto…” he started.

The wolfgirl didn’t seem to hear him. Yuuki frowned. Ever since they found out about their case, she had been acting strangely. Gone was their usual banter or Makoto’s wacky antics. It was almost as if she was embroiled in some internal struggle. But, despite his surprisingly prophetic concern, he kept his peace. After all, he, again, couldn’t exactly blame her for her hushedness. As that thought finished its run, a sudden silent alarm rang off in his brain. Yuuki froze, his blood draining cold, causing Makoto to jerk back. She rounded on him, an expression of annoyance evident.

          “Yuuki, I told ya, you can’t just stop out of now—”

In that climactic moment, the once tranquil woods witnessed the shattering of their veiled, serene façade. The very trees lurched and shuddered as a monstrous mass bent the twisted oaks like mere straw. As it tumbled forth, the shadowy foliage of the forest obstructed the murky details of the unknown blob, revealing nothing more than an inky, decrepit shadow. The foe rounded upon the two, and upon setting its sights upon them, launched itself at them. Makoto, still processing the striking event, was saved as Yuuki pushed them out of the path of the careening monster. The two fell to the shrubbed floor, feeling the pricks of newly fallen seeds. A terrible, tremendous crash echoed through the silent forest as the monster narrowly missed its target. Yuuki quickly pulled himself to his feet, helping Makoto up in the process. The monster had leveled the ancient trees, and in the process, allowed some sun to penetrate through the tenebrous forest. Yuuki’s eyes widened.

          “I didn’t know they could get this big,” Makoto growled.

An amalgamation of putrid, oozing sludge rose from its felled state. The slime twisted its writhing, gelatinous tendrils that writhed and squirmed sickeningly. Under the sun-dappled light, the slime screeched, its form ever-shifting, lacking constance, as a viscous flow of vile ichor oozed throughout its gaudy purple body. The monster shied away from the light, seeking refuge in the shade of the dark forest. Its maw, if one could even call it that, was a gaping chasm holed in the front of the purple, amorphous mass. It cried, the wet, sick roar reverberating through every leaf in the wood.  Yuuki slowly unsheathed his sword while Makoto unslung the broad blade that was slung across her back. The slime slid forward, leaving behind a wet trail of slime that hissed angrily. Yuuki looked past the threat to the felled trees. The areas of impact on the trees decayed into black mush.

          “Great,” Yuuki seethed, “The slime’s venomous.”

Makoto awkwardly handled her heavy sword with her offhand, frowning at the uneasy stance. She side-eyed Yuuki, head clear as day with the presentation of simple danger.

          “Should we run?”

          Yuuki clicked his tongue, “That would be smart, but given how fast that thing can move, I can only imagine we’d get trampled in the process.”

The monster continued to shuffle forward slowly, masking its incredulous speed.

          “But, considering our current state, I’m not too sure if we’ll be able to beat this thing.”

Makoto turned back to the monster, a fiery light erupting in her eyes. A sardonic, wolfish grin spread across her face as her ears tucked back defensively.

          “So, you’re basically saying we’re screwed?”

Yuuki nodded.

Makoto’s eyes widened with fervor. The monster turned its eyeless head to the wolfgirl, perhaps choosing its target. Yuuki stiffened.

          “Prepare yourself!” he cried.

As the last syllable passed through his lips, the monster raised its goopy arm, shooting out sludges of slime at Makoto. The projectiles traveled at unbelievable speeds, the force transforming the amorphous liquid to sharpened spikes. Makoto gritted her teeth. Her blade was too heavy to deflect such things. Added to the fact that her one-handed grip was unwieldy, there wasn’t much she would be able to do. Just as she prepared to dodge, Yuuki leaped in front of her, taking his sword and quickly parrying the projectiles to their side. His sword glinted as the purple streaks scraped against the edge of his blade. They thudded in a nearby tree, whereupon the solid dissolved back into its liquid form, dissolving the surrounding bark of the tree in the process.

          “Look where you were about to dodge to,” Yuuki stated.

Makoto turned, seeing a pool of vile sludge pop and hiss. Her mouth slightly hinged in disbelief. Did the monster anticipate her moves and shoot out another set of projectiles at the spot where’d she land? She turned to the monster, its opaque form indistinguishable.

          “This monster seems to be much more cunning than the rest. We need to be smart about this,” Yuuki said sternly.

Makoto nodded, shrugging her shoulder. She wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating this opponent again.

          She whispered to Yuuki, “If this thing’s just an oversized slime, then getting a simple clean cut through its body should defeat it. All slimes dissolve once you cut through their core.”

          Yuuki nodded, “Good idea. We just need to close the distance and keep wary about its venomous sludge.”

Makoto felt some strange warmth emanate from his bound hand. The feeling filled her with determination. A confident, calculating smile took shape on her face. She turned her amber eyes to him, the dotting of the sunlight making those orbs shimmer like gold.

          “Let’s defeat this oversized piece of garbage,” she barked cheerfully.

Yuuki smiled. There was some of that old Makoto he’d remembered. He flicked his sword, rousing it from bits of the ooze. Raising the sharp steel back to his side, Yuuki’s grip on his blade tightened. He dug into a formidable stance while Makoto slung the berserker sword over her furred outcoat. A wary, patient peace hung for a second as the two parties studied each other. The slime suddenly oozed forward, its malevolent aura thickening the air and doing away with the peace. Makoto stepped forward, sword held high. With a howl that echoed through the solitary forest, she charged, her blade cutting through the stagnant air with a resounding swish. Meanwhile, Yuuki kept pace, his own sword ready to guard Makoto’s blind spots.

The slime monster lunged a tentacle forth, its gelatinous form undulating with an eerie fluidity. Makoto’s sword cut through the monster’s goopy arm. Surprisingly, Makoto felt the blade face heavy resistance as it cleaved through. The impact sent a mushed shockwave through her arm, but the wolfgirl stood firm, channeling her beastly strength through the monster’s squirming tendril. The monster shrieked as her blade came out the other end, spluttering with venomous slime. The monster retaliated, forming two projections of itself and sending them to Makoto’s exposed side. In her current state, she struggled against the falling momentum of her broadsword, and was helpless. As the sludged tips neared her exposed skin, all she could do was bemoan her fashion choices. At the last second, Yuuki’s blade intercepted the mere inches between skin and sludge, slicing the tendrils away. The tentacles fell to the ground, writhing as they dissipated into formless slops.

          “I got your back, er, I mean side,” he quipped.

The positioning was more than awkward. Since the monster attacked her left side, he was forced to squirrel his head against her bare stomach in order to block the oncoming onslaught. She jolted a little as the prickles of his obsidian black hair tickled the outlines of her exposed stomach. A cross blush filled her face. She was definitely rethinking her wardrobe after this. Yuuki, using his advantageous position, laid the edge of his blade horizontally and slashed the berth of the slime. The sword passed cleanly through the slime, a testament to its wickedly sharp edge. Makoto instinctively kicked back, narrowly avoiding the sudden splurge of purple slime from the wound Yuuki inflicted. The slime roared in pain, the sheer volume of the shout sending deep tremors resonating throughout the forest.

          “Did you get splashed?” Makoto worried.

          Yuuki scoffed, “A little, but its fine. My armor took the brunt of the damage.”

As the monster moaned, Yuuki quickly spoke.

          “My cut was too shallow. Its slime is too cohesive, so my sword won’t be able to cut through.”

Makoto understood.

          “But mine’s a lot heavier. You’re saying mine has a chance of getting through?”

          Yuuki nodded, “I’ll power you up when we get another encounter in. Try to go for the same spot where I nicked him. In one fell swoop, we’ll have slashed its source.”

Makoto rolled her shoulders.

          “Understood,” she grinned wolfishly, before shouting, “Watch out!”

The slime retaliated, forming many more of its venomous tendrils. The tentacles struck at both swordsmen in a flurry of acidic fury. Makoto and Yuuki awkwardly dodged the first bout, their slow movements allowing some of the acid to graze Makoto’s furs. Her outcoat stung as the slime hissed and ate through the artificial lining. Yuuki raised his sword and slashed at the slithering onslaught, combatting the hydra of tentacles that swooped back and forth at him and his dear friend. Sweat beaded on his forehead as his sword’s movements quickened; his slashes elevating to a symphony of steel. Yuuki felt his muscles ignite as his arm threatened to fall in-between strokes. Makoto tugged their bound hands, an indication that wasn’t lost on him. After one last swipe, the two ran, finally, in perfect unison. Together they ran circles around the monster, twisting and turning. Makoto took turns swiping heavily at the monster before Yuuki swapped in, deflecting its poison pricks with pin-point precision. Each strike and stride was met with indescribable fury from the slime, but the two warriors were closing in on their prey.

Determined not to falter, they continued their synchronization. Makoto’s and Yuuki’s swords intertwined in a dance of deadly precision and unity. Together, their blades whirled and slashed, cutting through the glade’s air like wrathful lightning. They exploited every opening, each strike aimed to weaken the monstrous, oozing creature. Until finally, the moment of truth had arisen. With a unified cry, Yuuki, in one fell swoop, sliced away all of the tentacles of the purple behemoth slime. The boy, planting his feet on the earthen floor, twisted, vaulting Makoto into the fray. Yuuki then activated his power. He felt a flutter of flame spark in his heart. The flutter, with each beat, grew stronger and stronger until it engulfed his body in a raging inferno. His bones, muscles, the very sinews of his heart burned white-hot with power. He concentrated, and, in a matter of mere seconds, opened the floodgates. Amplified by their contact, his power coursed through up his arm, to his hand, and through his beastfriend. Makoto gasped, closing her eyes, feeling pure lava pump through her hand. The white-hot plasma spread through her veins, feeling as if every part of her body was on fire. Her vision narrowed as her muscles expanded tenfold, with each pump of her heart shaking her very core.

The monster faltered, perhaps afraid. Makoto seized fate and raised her broadsword high above her head, no longer feeling the obtrusive weight. With every ounce of endowed strength in her body, the wolfgirl struck. Her blade horizontally matched the exact pinpoint of Yuuki’s prior strike, flowing through the slime like a hot knife through butter. She pressed the attack, forcing her blade through the thick slimed hide of the monster. With an empowering grunt, she tore her blade free from the other side, cleaving the monster asunder. A horrifying screech filled the forest as the creature recoiled, its form writhing in agony. The putrid sludge that composed its being deformed, splattering across the murky ground. The malevolence of the slime faded, as the slime lost its venomous essence. In one final convulse, the slime crumbled into a foul, viscous puddle. The ominous forest grew silent once more, the dark energy dissipating like a forgotten nightmare.

Makoto’s chest heaved, breathing deep breaths of air. Yuuki, at her side, did the same. Battered, but triumphant, both Makoto and Yuuki lowered their blades, their eyes meeting in a shared sense of victory. Suddenly, Yuuki threw his free arm around Makoto, celebrating.

          “We did it!” he cheered, “Man, Makoto, you were so cool!”

          Makoto returned his hug, “Oh come on now! I would’ve have been able to do it without your crazy power! And your ironclad defense! I would’ve been dead twenty times over if it hadn’t been for you.”

Yuuki chuckled, wiping the slime off his face with his forearm.

          “It’s a good thing slimes stop being poisonous when they’re killed huh?”

And it was indeed lucky, they both were sprayed with the spewing sludge from the slime. Makoto tilted her head.

          “Did I get some slime on me?” she asked.

Yuuki laughed, reaching over to smear away some of the now-harmless slime from her cheek.

          “Yup, there’s definitely some here, here, aaaaand, right here,” he prodded.

Makoto, feeling her face heat up, was now a little grateful for the opaque nature of the slime. She mentally chided herself.

          Just a touch from him makes your heart race, huh? I’m hopeless…

          Yuuki smiled, before saying earnestly, “Y’know, I forgot how fun it was to hang out with you, Makoto.”

Makoto felt her heart swell at his carefree statement. She swallowed, feeling a familiar dry sensation in her throat. It just wasn’t fair…

Image Credits: LoveToHateYou

          But, who decides if it’s fair or not, she pondered.

Yuuki, meanwhile, was watching Makoto go through several stages of contemplative thinking from an outside point of view. It was a little awkward. That is, until he saw a really cool bug fly past them. Forgetting himself, he watched in awe as the cool bug flew in lazy circles. In the meantime, Makoto finally resolved herself.

          Taking a deep breath, she thought, Gomen Yui.

          “Hey Yuuki,” she started.

Yuuki turned, the call of his name refocusing his attention. Makoto stood in the dappled shade of the forest, her purple tail swishing happily side-to-side. Her ears were twitching, as a carefree, toothy smile spread across her fair face. She held her free hand behind her shyly, slowly shifting her weight from one foot to the other. Her eyes twinkled like warm honey.

          “I cherish the time we spend together too,” she said sweetly.

Yuuki gulped, scratching the back of his head, abashed. Makoto felt strangely satisfied seeing him in that state. She hid a smile as she changed the subject.

          “But, what are we going to do about this mess?” she said, gesturing to their besmirched clothes.

          Yuuki nodded, slightly relieved, “Yeah, we aren’t looking our best.”

An idea had popped into his head.

          “Here’s a thought,” he suggested, “Why don’t we stop by my place on the way over? This way we can freshen up and change before meeting up with Maho and Kaori at your guildhouse?”

          Makoto sighed dreamily, “Yeah, a warm shower sounds great right now.”

          WAIT, she suddenly thought loudly, Me? And him? Alone? At his house?

          “Sounds great! Let’s go!” Yuuki said, sheathing his sword.

Makoto quivered, feigning an approving thumbs up. It was too late to backtrack now. She let out a breath, calming herself down.

          Just take it easy, Makoto. We’re just going to freshen up. Nothing more, nothing less. Don’t get all worked up now. Yup, nothing inappropriate is going to happen at all.

Makoto and Yuuki stood before the bathroom door, at an inconceivable impasse.

          What is this situation? Makoto thought, gulping.

But, let’s first provide some context. After making the detour to Yuuki’s guildhouse, Makoto’s stomach grumbled rather loudly. This, much to her chagrin, thoroughly amused Yuuki. Being the gracious host he is, Yuuki and Makoto paired together and cooked a simple breakfast for themselves. All the while, Makoto was plagued with thoughts about how closely they resembled newlyweds. But, amongst the fantasizing, she had noticed that Yuuki seemed a tad… unfocused while cooking. It was almost as if he was preoccupied with something else. But, putting that slight aside, they had dined in Yuuki’s refurbished dining room. Having been her first time visiting (actually the first time for any Caon member to visit, something she remarked on proudly) she was impressed by how quickly Yuuki had gotten settled in. It was almost as if he had three extra pairs of hands helping him move in. But, once mucking up Yuuki’s dining room chairs in the slime (he had reassured her it was no issue and that he’d clean them later) it was time for them to freshen up. They had both unconsciously made their way to the bathroom door when they were reminded of their… rather unique situation.

          How could we have forgotten? she lamented.

She pressed her mouth into a fine line, studying their bound hands. In this state, it’d be wholly impossible for them to rid themselves of the slime. Meanwhile, Yuuki had broken the uncomfortable silence.

          “H-Hey, Makoto,” he started, “I, uh, have an idea if you’re still wanting to clean up.”

Makoto felt the slime stiffen her hair, causing it to become disgustingly disheveled and plasticky. She turned to him, suddenly feeling the ickiness of the slime.

          “At this point, anything’s fine with me. What are you thinking?”

Yuuki coughed into his fist.

          “Well, having noted of our, uh, situation. Why don’t we… take turns bathing?”

Makoto shifted her head to the side, puzzled. Her confused expression prompted him to continue. Yuuki cleared his throat.

          “Well, we could have it so one person washes with the shower curtain drawn while the other is on the other side, blindfolded? And then we could just switch it up afterwards?”

Makoto mind, rather guiltily, immediately went to the gutters. Her eyes widened, as her mouth quivered at the thought of only a plastic, semi-opaque sheet separating… her from Yuuki. Just the thought alone caused steam to billow out from her ears. Yuuki raised his right hand defensively.

          “It’s just an idea, nothing more!” he said, “And if you were okay with waiting till after Maho gets us separated, then I’m fine with that too!”

Makoto nearly immediately retorted back right then, but, to her surprise, stopped herself just short. Right before she was about to rightfully shut his suggestion down, a voice had tantalizingly whispered in her ear.

          Hey, c’mon. Don’t be such a party pooper, the unknown, devilish voice spoke, You’re just innocently bathing. Nothing more. And besides, he’ll have the blindfold on, right?”

Makoto quickly turned, seeing nothing. Wow. Spending so much time in such proximity to Yuuki had her imagining things. She could’ve sworn there was a faint, almost invisible beastfolk floating right next to her. Makoto went to scratch the back of her neck, the hairs standing up for some reason.

          She bit her lip, But, the voice did have a point.

Makoto felt her heart pound, the feeling strangely not all that unpleasant.

          Yeah, we’re just freshening up. And besides, Yuuki will have the blindfold on. Nothing inappropriate will happen at all.

Taking a deep breath, and putting rational thoughts aside, Makoto attempted to put on a carefree, nonplussed air. She waved her hand dismissively, catching his attention. He seemed to be rather fixated on the spot beyond her shoulder.

          “Yeah sure, that sounds good,” she said offhandedly.

          Yuuki blinked, called back to attention, “That… sounds good?”

Makoto nodded, furrowing her brow. He blinked again.

          “Wow. Okay then, I guess we’re doing this.”

He turned the doorknob, entering the bathroom. As she followed suit, Makoto felt her heart throb as her pulse increased steadily. A rush of adrenaline brought her to reality.

          Oh shootshootshoot, her mind screamed while her heart pumped in delight.

The door to the bathroom closed behind the two. A few seconds later, a certain catgirl materialized, phasing into existence. She floated in mischievous delight, her green eyes sparkling naughtily. She clasped her hands together as her tail rose.

          “Ooooh, Pecorine is right. This is fun,” Karyl purred.

Makoto fake punched Yuuki for the thousandth time. Yuuki, feeling the rush of air, sighed.

          “Makoto, I swear to you, I can’t see anything,” he argued once more.

Makoto had obtained a towel and tightly tied it around his eyes in a knot worthy of an Eagle Scout. Actually, she was planning on pulling it tighter, but Yuuki had soon told her any more and his eyeballs were gonna pop right out of his skull. Nevertheless, Makoto felt an entire kaleidoscope of butterflies rummage through her stomach.

          “You better not be able to,” she remarked, “Otherwise, I swear, I’m gonna kill you dead.”

          Yuuki nodded, “Yes, yes. Alright, could you hurry up now, please?”

Makoto gulped. He was right. She couldn’t put it off any longer. She moved to the bathtub, moving slowly. Yuuki remained respectively outside the tub, back pressed against its porcelain walls. Standing before the tub, she peered one last time at Yuuki before stepping one bare foot into the porcelain bath.

          Pulling up the other foot, she instructed Yuuki, “Alright now! Keep sitting! And don’t even think about touching your blindfold!”

Yuuki obediently continued to sit on the floor, respectfully facing the opposite side of the bathroom, even with the blindfold on. Makoto, feeling doubts begin to resurface, quickly decided to take action before her heart gave out on her. She quickly drew the shower curtain and positioned it so that her arm remained inside the tub while Yuuki’s side remained out as much as possible. She took one last look at their transfixed hands before she unbuttoned her shirt.

Yuuki tapped his foot rhythmically as the water rapped against the bottom of the tub. A wavering, uncomfortable smile was fixed upon his face. His other hand was repeatedly scratching the back of his neck.

          What is this situation, he internally screamed.

He was fully expecting Makoto to completely shut down his suggestion. In fact, he still didn’t know what possessed him to put out such a statement like that in the first place. In fact, when he had proposed something as scandalous as that, he was fully expecting her to clown on him or something. But, much to his horror, the wolfgirl was seemingly okay with this? Like, she didn’t even look that embarrassed? When they had walked in, she was quick to blindfold him and take charge, while he followed along dumbly. Was he reading too much in the current situation? No way you could be that easygoing about something like this, no matter how close you were. Yuuki unconsciously jumped as the shower curtain moved, having been touched by Makoto’s body. He began to sweat.

          Oh God, am I the one that’s being weird right now? he worried.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t used to living with girls. Oh no. Bragging or not, he was fully used to that part. But this was a whole nother level of intimacy. Yuuki took a deep breath, calming himself down. There was no need to get so worked up about it. If Makoto wasn’t making such a big deal out of it, then who was he to get so caught up in it? He reached and scratched his cheek. The best thing he could do was wait his turn. This whole ordeal would be over pretty soon. Makoto, meanwhile, was hoping that the shower would last forever.

          Ahhh, it’s sooo cooold, she dozed as she soaked up the refreshing delight of the water.

In enjoying the pleasant suds and cool water, she had almost forgotten there was a very anxious young man just inches away from her. Perhaps she had just gotten acclimated to Yuuki. Or perhaps she no longer minded. Unfortunately, Makoto wouldn’t have the time to figure it out. As the wolfgirl washed away the last bits of slime from her hair, the hairs on the back of her neck rose suddenly. A deep chill set itself in her body, but not from the cold water, causing her to drop the soap brick. Her eyes immediately shot open, a mistake she would sorely regret. As soap seeped into her exposed eyes, Makoto experienced the most primal fear of all mankind. A shower-demon, pale and distorted from the soapy veil covering her eyes, reached out in front of her, right under the showerhead. Despite the lack of detail, Makoto could easily make out the bright green eyes, full of life. She screamed, horrified, instinctively backpedaling. This proved to be another mistake, as her foot caught the broad side of the fallen soap bar, sending both objects sliding around the tub. Yuuki stood up, roused out of his thoughts from the sudden chaos.

          “What! What’s wrong!?” he asked, reaching a hand to rip off his blindfold.

          Makoto shrieked, “NOOO! DON’T TAKE OFF THE BLINDFOLD!”

Perhaps Makoto should’ve been more conscious of the fact that her body was now orientated horizontally due to slipping on the soap. Her arm reached out to grab something and unfortunately found the cheap, plastic shower curtain. As she fell, the shower curtain ripped from its hooped seams. In a panic, she tried letting go of the curtain, only for it to stick to her still-wet body. It clung to her tightly, not letting go. Makoto, at this point, staggered, trying to wipe the soap from her eyes; the motion caused the portion of the curtain that was stuck to her to pull at the few bits of curtain still up, causing the entire thing to dislodge from the hooped pinchpoints. The rubber duck shower curtain, like the pervert it is, sought its chance and completely wrapped around poor Makoto. Makoto, in her blunder, yelled as she tripped for the last time—the shower curtain creating a sort of Makoto burrito. Yuuki, at this point, had it. Blast whatever punishment Makoto had in store for him, he had to see what was happening and help her out.

          Please forgive me, he prayed, as he swiped off the blindfold in one fell swoop.

What Yuuki had in store for him was a careening, wet Makoto. The poor beastgirl careened into him, causing him to fall to the floor under the unexpected weight. Yuuki shut his eyes, feeling the quick ache of the back of his head cracking against the bathroom tile. He slowly opened his eyes, dazed. He blinked.

Makoto’s wide eyes, merely millimeters apart, greeted him. Her molten sunshine eyes shimmered like liquid gold, possessing a mesmerizing hue of ethereal saffron and honeyed amber. Her slight nose was even closer, with her small, upturned mouth held slightly open, shocked. Her hair, wet as it was, streamed down the sides of her beautiful face in straight waves, tickling him. Her purple hair smelled of chocolate chips, creamy and fulfilling. His eyes guiltily made their way to a bare shoulder, muscular and well-toned. It took every ounce of will in the boy’s body not to venture further. She breathed heavily, causing Yuuki to feel things incredibly, incredibly inappropriate weighing down on his chest. This was also the moment Yuuki realized the only thing separating the two was the thinnest of plastics. Makoto blinked.

Karyl, meanwhile, watched the entire scene unfold. She put a haughty hand to her mouth, stifling her giggle before phasing back through the wall.

Chapter Text

Yuuki sat on his favorite sofa, back hunched badgerlike, studying the various pieces of paper strewn across their living room table. He adjusted his spectacles with one hand, while the other lightly tugged at his ear. Momentarily, he was roused out of his focus by the action. He studied his left hand, recalling the turbulent events that had taken place scarcely a week ago. Yuuki felt a flutter of color rise to his cheeks before he mentally admonished himself. 

Shortly after the indecent incident, Yuuki and Makoto traveled to the Caon Guildhouse, where Maho had then wordlessly removed the spell. The events that followed were normal, relatively speaking. Yuuki let out a slow exhale, lightly tapping the table with his free hand restlessly. Despite all that, he felt that everything that had happened during that span of time was sure to… persist between Makoto and himself. Deep in thought, he almost didn’t notice his papers suddenly fluttering as his guildmate, seated to his left, let out a major sigh. Karyl slouched, her eyelids drooping, threatening to close all the way. She whined, floating up from her spot on the sofa and thrumming the top of his head.

          “Awww c’mon Yuuki,” the catgirl demanded, “Leave those boring old papers and entertain me!”

Yuuki’s glasses slightly drooped along the bridge of his nose as he looked at her tiredly. Pecorine, studying a newspaper quietly on a nearby couch, remarked.

          “Y’know Yuuki, you really look like an old grandma with those glasses on.”

Kokkoro, who was dusting Karyl’s old spellbooks, turned around. It appeared that her ghost abilities were mighty useful in cleaning out tall spaces for the small elf.

          “Really? I think it reflects my lord rather smartly,” Kokkoro complimented.

          Smiling thankfully at Kokkoro, Yuuki turned back to Karyl, “Well, sorry to say, but you’re in no place to talk since that stunt you pulled with Makoto. You almost got all of us exposed!”

Karyl chuckled a little, before quickly putting up a hand to hide her cheekiness. She floated innocently above Yuuki. He continued, collecting his scattered papers.

          “But regardless, bills are bills. I need to pay attention to things like these or we’re all out of a place to live.”

          Karyl mouthed, “Booooorriiiiinnng!”

Yuuki rubbed his temples. This wasn’t something he needed right now. Wanting to occupy the pestering catgirl, his mind fumbled for a distractor. However, he was unprepared when the thought that came to him turned out to be one that genuinely interested him as well. He turned to Pecorine.

          “Hey,” he prompted her attention, “We all know you guys can retain some of your ghostly abilities while being more ‘present’ near me.”

He turned to Karyl, who was listening with keen, curious intent.

          He added, “Which, by the way, we don’t know the exact particulars yet. But I had a thought...”

Yuuki trailed off, causing Kokkoro to set down her feathery duster. Bandanna bound, the quiet elf moved over and put a hand on his shoulder. She looked down at him inquisitively.

          “Yes?” she prompted.

          “Sorry, I don’t want to seem like I’m making fun of you guys or anything,” he confessed sheepishly.

Pecorine put his doubts to rest, putting down the newspaper. Yuuki offhandedly noticed the edges of the paper where she was holding were crumpled.

          “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. If anything, we’re all really curious. Tell us, what’s on your mind?” she said soothingly.

Yuuki scratched the back of his head.

          “Well, since you guys are ‘ghosts’… Can you guys possess people?”

A hushed silence followed his question. The quiet atmosphere added taxingly to his anxiety. He had his reservations about voicing such a childish notion. It seemed incredibly unseemly for him to suggest something that absurd, given what they all had gone through. Those awful times of n—

          “You know, I never thought about that before. That’s a great idea, Yuuki!” Karyl voiced, her green eyes shining with exciting novelty.

Pecorine put a gloved finger to her chin. The voracious former guildmaster pursed her lips thoughtfully.  

          “Truth be told, I haven’t thought about that much,” her light blue eyes twinkled excitedly, “What an interesting idea!”

Kokkoro took off her dusting cap, the motion releasing her silver hair to frame her pleasantly round face. The elf set the cap down beside Yuuki and leaned against the back of the sofa.

          “Hmmm… But how exactly would we test something like that?” she poised.

The question prompted deep, reflective thought from the three, older individuals. Yuuki felt something irk him. As if he needed to leave. Immediately. Just as luck would have it, the three ghost members reached the same conclusion at around the same time. All three girls set their sights on Yuuki, practically drooling at the opportunity. Karyl’s tail twitched as the catgirl smiled wryly. The look, along with Pecorine’s swishing ahoge and Kokkoro’s shifting ears, immediately rang all the alarms in the poor boy’s mind. Yuuki raised his hands defensively, chuckling in nervous laughter.

          “Y-Y’know, on second thought, that was a really dumb idea. We don’t have to go through that right now!” he reasoned, getting up from his seat, “Besides! We’re short this month, so I’ve been meaning to head on over to the Guild Association and pick out a quest! I’ll be late if I—”

Kokkoro placed her hand back on the boy’s shoulder. Although, this time, the little elf’s grip was hard as iron. Her lovely, balmy voice contrasted with her vicelike hold on him.

          “Oh, come now, my lord. It’ll only take a moment.”

As the members of the Ghost Guild closed in on him, Yuuki’s mind wondered if he’d been better off booking that condo with Masaki and Daigo.

Pecorine blinked. While she held off any expectations, she certainly wasn’t expecting… this . Yuuki blinked back at her.

          “What?” he said, “I don’t feel any different.”

          Kokkoro raised her eyebrows, “No? Well, you certainly look incredibly different.”

Karyl had pounced on him before the others could. Seamlessly making herself intangible, the cat ghost phased through him, taking hold of him in her paws. Yuuki, at first, felt incredibly disoriented as the catgirl took hold, but, after a while, the nausea had passed. Now, he felt completely at ease, if, a little… haughty? He felt something twitch on his head. Mildly alarmed, he raised his hands to feel the sense of the vibration. His eyes widened as his hands identified the soft, furry object.

          “I think they suit you quite well,” Karyl purred, soon materializing above him.

Yuuki touched the soft, furry ears, resembling Karyl's, that adorned the top of his head. His hands instinctively moved toward where his human ears would typically be, and he felt a sense of relief upon discovering they were still intact. However, the relief was short-lived as he sensed a twitch in his rear end.

          “Oh?” Pecorine started, marveling at his new ears, “What cute little things!”

While studying Yuuki with an amused gaze, Karyl nodded, her attention momentarily captivated by his clumsy interaction with his newfound, posterior appendage.

          It’s like you got some of part—excuse me, parts of me, while I’m still able to hang out.

Yuuki heard Karyl’s voice echo in his mind. He turned to Pecorine and Kokkoro. 

          “Were you guys able to hear her?”

          Pecorine shook her head, before adding, “No, is Karyl floating around somewhere?”

Karyl floated right in front of the buxom girl, swiping her hand right across her face. The catgirl turned back to Yuuki. 

          Looks like they can’t see or hear me in this state. 

Yuuki translated Karyl’s message to them. Kokkoro put an elegant finger to her chin thoughtfully.

          “Hmmm, that’s quite interesting. Perhaps, Yuuki can tap into some of your abilities as well?”

Karyl floated back beside the puzzled boy, studying his face. Yuuki’s irises had turned green. She thought they suited him quite nicely.

          That’s a neat idea , Karyl frowned, fixing the boy’s tousled hair, Quit it, they’re not hurting you. Now, are you able to use any magic, Yuuki?

Yuuki stopped playing with his new ears. He turned over his palms, viewing his calloused hands. Closing his eyes, he flexed them experimentally, straining. Yuuki peeked. Nothing.

          He turned back to Karyl, “No dice.”

          Karyl pursed, Hmm. It’s most likely because you aren’t adept in magic at all yet. Maybe after spending some time with me, we can get you casting?

Yuuki nodded, a glimmer of childlike wonder in his eyes. Like a student learning from a wise master. Karyl flushed, feeling a little proud at his gaze. Pecorine couldn’t hold it any longer, pained from the one-sided conversation. 

          “Alright! My turn,” the fiery orange-haired girl claimed.

Without any hesitation, Pecorine lunged into Yuuki. The motion was met with that prior wave of nausea, this time felt by both Yuuki and Karyl. The latter felt as though she was yanked out of the boy by an invisible rope. The catgirl greened and, no longer in control of her ghostly abilities, quickly materialized and fell to the floor. She looked accusingly where she believed Pecorine to be. 

          “Hey! You could give us a little warning next time!”

Pecorine, unknowing to Karyl, smiled apologetically, attempting to help the catgirl up. However, as she tried to do so, her hands passed right through Karyl’s arm. Puzzled, she looked over her arms.

          Huh, it looks like I’m not able to manifest fully while possessing Yuuki , she noticed.

Kokkoro stepped in and pulled Karyl up to her feet. The quiet, keen elf noted.

          “It looks like only one of us can possess him at a time.”

          Pecorine nodded, Yeah, I noticed that as well.

She turned to Yuuki for the first time, who had been silent thus far. 

          So, how are you doi—

She broke off, fighting back the urge to laugh. Atop Yuuki’s head was the single greatest cowlick she ever had the honor of witnessing. The black strand stood up like a twisted horn, right front and center. She almost gave in to poking the odd tuft of hair when she noticed the band around his head. Surrounding the ahoge was a crystal crown, large and luminous, that encircled the boy’s dark brow. The headpiece burned a brilliant blue, complimenting his own eyes rather well.

          Pecorine thought reverently, I can see why he has so many gi—

          “Wow,” he interrupted, “I feel a lot more… livelier for some reason.”

          Karyl shook her head in distaste, “Please no, I can handle only two Pecorines in my life.”

          Yuuki turned to her, “But, this is really cool! I wonder if you guys would have the same effect possessing others!”

Yuuki’s eyes, intermingled with Pecorine’s lighter hue, bloomed brightly. Pecorine chuckled at his enthusiasm. Karyl turned her head away from him but managed to leak out some words of praise. 

          “Well, it’s really thanks to you we were able to even think up something like this. Good idea, Yuuki.”

Karyl seemed to regain her spirits. She walked towards the novel Yuuki and pawed at his oversized hair sprout.

          “Yeah, this was pretty fun,” she said out loud, “Maybe I can round up some of my old spellbooks. Wait, weren’t you just cleaning them, Koroster?”

          Kokkoro nodded, but voiced, “While I hate to be the harbinger of timeliness, didn’t you have to meet with Karin, Yuuki?”

Yuuki’s eyes widened as he remembered.

          “Oh, you’re totally right! We need some extra funds if we want to keep this place up and running.”

Yuuki turned to Pecorine, which to Karyl and Kokkoro appeared as if he looked at the side wall. 

          “You, uh, mind letting me go?”

          Pecorine nodded, Oh, certainly. Sorry bout that.

Yuuki felt a chilling tingle sliver through his body as Pecorine took her leave. He made towards the door, speaking as he did.

          “Alright, well, I’ll be back in a few, guys! There’s some food in the fridge, so if you’re hungry, you might want to eat before I get out of range for too long!”

Kokkoro phased next to him, startling him a little.

          “Do you mind if I go along with you on this mission?" she asked.

          Yuuki blinked, “Uh, sure! I can’t guarantee we’ll be doing anything exciting, but you’re more than welcome to.”

          Karyl pouted, “Ah, that’s not fair! Why does she get to go exploring the outside world? I want to come too!”

          Yuuki swiftly donned his coat, “You guys can’t all leave the premises together, remember? Even with me, I’m only able to take one of you guys. But I promise I’ll make sure to take you next time. And, when we get back, we can investigate the specifics a little more.”

This seemed to placate the hissy cat ghost somewhat. Pecorine waved from the kitchen, already with a large drumstick in her hand. Yuuki raised his eyebrows. He hadn’t seen her enter, much less open the fridge.

          “See you guys soon!” Pecorine cheerfully said.

Yuuki and Kokkoro waved goodbye as the two left their guildhouse, swinging the door shut behind them.

As the gnarled doors swung open, a particular young adventurer stepped into the bustling Guild Association Commons. Yuuki’s eyes shone with anticipation. It had been quite some time since he’d last visited the busy place. Kokkoro, floating by his side, remarked.

          “Wow! The Guild Association has changed since the last time I’ve been here.”

The air within the building was alive with a palpable, enticing energy. Filled with the clamor of voices exchanging tales of daring feats and completed quests, Yuuki appreciated the homely atmosphere of the place. The walls of the Guild Association Commons were adorned with maps of Landosol, territories, and unexplored areas. Ancient artifacts, such as a liverwort skeleton and a drakon’s skull were on proud display. Yuuki took in the sights appreciatively, as he made his way towards the main desk.

          “I’m going to poke around a little,” Kokkoro mentioned, drunk on the clamor.

Yuuki watched the older girl, high with childlike glee, float away from him. Lightly smiling at the scene, he turned back. The desk, long and ancient, oversaw a sprawling tack board. The board behind the mahogany slab of wood was chock full of quest papers. Yuuki spied many with one, two, and three stamps. Studying a little closer, he was able to find a quest that was five stamps.

          Not really up for one of those yet, he internally commented.

Yuuki reached the desk. He tapped the little bell, sending it clinking musically.

          “I’ll be with you in just a minute!” a voice called from beneath.

Yuuki politely waited and, true to her word, the guild associate propped up a minute later.

          “Now, how can I—” Karin broke off as she recognized the young man, “Yuuki!”

The guild associate gleamed with happy recognition.

          “It’s so nice to see you,” she smiled, “How are you doing?”

          Yuuki returned her radiant grin, “I’ve been doing just fine, Karin. It looks like you’ve been doing just swell too.”

Karin put down her signature reams of scrolls she always kept in her arms. The parchment made a satisfying sound as it rolled slightly on the wood.

          She sighed, “As you know, it’s always busy here at the Guild Association. Especially since we’ve informally taken on a lot more bureaucratic work as of late.”

          “Oh, come on! I thought your life would be one of glamour!” he kidded.

Karin’s tired, overworked look was all it took to send her message across. Yuuki raised his eyebrows.

          “Oh,” he paused, “Is it that bad?”

          Karin smiled wistfully, “Oh you don’t know the half of it. But, we can always catch a cup of coffee and talk later. What can I do for you, Mr. Yuuki?”

          “Well,” Yuuki began somewhat sheepishly, “Frankly, I could do with some extra funds. So, do you have any quests that you could spare for someone like me?”

Karin had an impish look in her eye. As she pulled out a drawer, looking through some papers, she prosed innocently.

          “Oh, is the bachelor lifestyle really that hard? Now that you don’t got your sugar momm—”

Yuuki broke her off.

          “I’ll have you know, this is some real unprofessional behavior for a guild associate. Do I need to speak with your manager?”

Karin replied with a look of mock horror. Chuckling a little, she pulled out a quest request. Her smile started to slowly slip from her face. In a complete change of character, she started brusquely.

          “Well, given your high rank, those lower quests won’t have quite the payout you’re looking for. But, I do have… something that might pique your interest.”

          Yuuki leaned on the desk, “Yeah? And what’s that?”

Karin hesitated before turning the quest paper. Yuuki leaned forward and squinted, having difficulty reading the tiny text.

          “This request was a bit more… strange than the rest,” Karin explained as he read, “So, there’s a fair bit more detail than usual.”

Yuuki finished scanning the document. It was then he noticed the four-and-a-half-stamp rating of the quest. Karin started with unease.

          “That’s what I’ve been talking about. There's a town a ways from here that has been experiencing unusual occurrences recently.”

She took a breath before she continued.

          “Some of the residents, well, specifically the nobles in the town have been… passing away.”

          Yuuki blinked, “I’m sorry to hear that, but how—”

She put up a hand to stop him.

          “Let me finish. The strange part is that the townsfolk, specifically the nobles, all look as if they’d… died in their sleep?”

          Yuuki blinked once more, “Again, very unfortunate news, but—"

          “An esteemed doctor up there had examined the bodies and declared that the victims had all died from heart failure. But that doesn’t make sense,” the guild associate scrunched her nose, “Each of the victims was healthy as a horse before heading off to the bed for the night.”

Karin scratched her head.

          “This goes without saying the odds of only the nobles in the town dying off in such timely proximity to each other.”

He set his mouth in a firm line as he tapped his heels against the clackety floor of the Commons. There did seem to be something rather… peculiar about the whole affair.

          Yuuki looked up at her, “Are the Royal Police doing anything about it?”

          “Those cowards haven’t been doing anything since the Princess took control,” she said distastefully, “It’s their fault the Guild Association had informally taken over law enforcement.”

          Yuuki flipped the sheet over, it appeared he touched a sensitive topic, “Have you sent anyone to investigate this so far?”

          “W-Well, we had sent one,” Karin trailed off, “We haven’t heard anything back since.”

A quiet came over the two. The green-haired girl placed a hand on Yuuki’s arm.

          “Listen Yuuki, I think it’s best if you were to stay away from this quest. The Guild Association has formally made a complaint to the Palace. With the outcry of the village, they’re sure to do som—”

          “It’d be too late,” Yuuki interrupted, “By the time those slow knights get involved, even more people will likely have died.”

          Karin protested, “But we don’t have all the details yet! I’m telling you, you shouldn’t take the quest.”

Yuuki met her inflamed gaze evenly.

          “And more people die as a result? Sorry, I can’t allow that.”

          Karin sighed, taking the quest request from him, and smiled melancholically, “I should’ve known you’d say something as cringy as that.”

          “Hey, it’s hard making up lines on the spot,” Yuuki replied cheekily.

Yuuki felt Kokkoro shadow his shoulder. It appeared that the quiet elf was done investigating the new wonders of the hall. Karin, as he expected, didn’t acknowledge the invisible, ghostly girl.

          “Did you find some work?” the ghost whispered.

Yuuki, imperceptible to everyone except the elf, nodded.

As Karin scrawled on the paper, the guild associate prudently started.

          “By the way, you won’t be doing this quest alone.”

          Yuuki raised an eyebrow, “What? Who else is going to?

Yuuki heard footsteps softly thud behind him. 

          “Yo, Yuuki? Didn’t expect to see you here,” a deadpan, familiar voice sounded from behind him.

The throne room of the Royal Palace resembled more of a decrepit mausoleum than a flourishing, welcoming hall. Towering, dark marble pillars spiraled up towards the vaulting ceiling, casting long, foreboding shadows across the cold, polished floor. The lights, flickering an eerie purple, illuminated the hall in a ghastly light.

At the far end of the room, a massive, ornate throne stood as the haunting centerpiece. Meticulously carved, the throne was designed sinisterly, with intricate, haunting motifs. High behind the imposing throne, an enigma demanded attention. A massive, crystalline structure, made up of many fragmented shards, hovered ethereally, emanating an otherworldly glow. Hundreds of shards made up the mass, rotating slowly and dazzling like a rain of diamonds. The sheer size of the structure dominated the chamber, a malignant halo beyond the crushing authority of the throne.

The gems pulsed with ancient energy—with surfaces etched in intricate patterns that writhed and shifted, as if alive. However, some precious crystals bloomed brighter than others. Some, in fact, lay desolate, dimmed and fallen to the cold floor. A pale figure stood before the crystalline mass, studying it with keen distaste. The figure moved its attention to the fallen gems, kicking them in disgust. A voice, pestering and nettling, irked the pale figure’s attention.

          “Your Majesty,” the anxious attendant began, “As I was saying, Landosol’s economics have been stable thus far. Despite a dip in tax revenue last quarter, with the new taxes on the Merchant’s Guild, we have successfully turned over.”

Kaiser said nothing. The attendant gulped, ignoring the thorns in her throat before continuing.

          “In addition, your, eh, influence on the citizens stays strong. We haven’t yet e—”

Kaiser sharply interrupted the attendant, her words cold and murdersome.

          “What news have you from our shard exploits?”

The attendant flinched at the venom in Kaiser’s words yet managed to stammer out a reply.

          “W-Well, the other Shadows experienced limited success, but it appears that Silas stumbled upon a town that contains a huge amount of… artifacts.”

Kaiser mulled over the news. If she was pleased with the news, her unmoving figure betrayed nothing. The pale beastfolk picked up one of the lifeless shards, turning it over in her ghostly hand. She studied her dim reflection wordlessly. Her usurpation of the throne had been met with little resistance. Even with the amplification of her powers from the shards, she was fully expecting to lock horns with the real princess. However, shortly before Kaiser made her move, Princess Eustiana had met her untimely demise at the hands of some spoiled meat. Kaiser’s mouth twitched at the memory. Serves her right for trying to “mix” with the knaves. The Usurper’s gloating soon took a downturn, as her mind moved to other… things she had lost. Kaiser took a brief moment to reflect on the loss of her distant, oblivious sister. The arching halls seemed awfully desolate without that airhead…

Kaiser closed her eyes, barring the thought from advancing further. As her ruler mulled silently, the nervous pagess shifted her forlorn glasses, before the oversized lenses drooped once more. Her grip on her scrawling notes tightened, bringing the leaflet closer to her chest. The attendant steeled herself as she mustered up the courage to speak.

          “Y-Your Majesty,” she stuttered.

Kaiser was broken out of her momentary trance. She turned to face the attendant for the first time. Pale-skinned, as if untouched by the warmth of sunlight, her complexion reflected a haunting pallor. Her unnerving, alabaster complexion was accentuated by her dark, penetrating eyes, which glimmered with cunning and ruthlessness. Commanding and voluptuous, her presence seemed to fill any room, both literally and figuratively. The beastfolk wore ethereal, flowing robes, draping over her frame but remaining unchallenged by her imposing stature. Kaiser turned her iron gaze onto her attendant, her ears ditzing with annoyance. The poor pagess faltered under the crushing weight of Kaiser’s heavy stare.

          “I-I just w-wanted to bring your attention to a small matter. So small, in fact, that actually isn’t even worth mentioning. Actually, now that I think about it, perhaps it’s better if I were to just for—”

          “Stop your prattling and continue,” Kaiser's words reverberated coldly in a commanding whisper.

The poor pagess pushed her heavy spectacles up once more.

          “W-Well, it was just that the Guild Association is planning to send someone to investigate the… incidents of the town Silas is stationed in.”

Kaiser’s mouth upturned in a rare, haunting leer. A fang, sharp and crude, was exposed for the briefest of moments. However, the moment the clouds dispersed from her countenance, Kaiser swiftly reverted to her impassive visage. The Usurper rounded on her attendant, dismissing her disdainfully. The attendant bowed, before quickly, and gratefully, retreating out of the throne room. As the great steel doors to the vast, empty hall groaned shut, Kaiser studied the giant mass of crystals, the ones responsible for her power, once more. Despite her restraints, that curious, macabre smile resumed its place on Kaiser’s twisted face.

          Now, this should be interesting. Let’s see how that poor adventurer holds up against my Shadow. 

Chapter Text

Yuuki kicked a small pebble that was resting in the middle of the dusty path. The fragment of stone thudded off to the side. While nodding appreciatively at an unmarred pathway, he caught up to his unexpected questmate. Chloe walked carelessly while enjoying a cherry lollipop. She momentarily removed the candy from her mouth, placing a head behind her head. 

Image Credits: LoveToHateYou

          “What, you got OCD or something?” the elf sardonically commented.

Yuuki ignored the slight. It sure had been a surprise to learn that St. Theresa Academy’s fan-favorite delinquent student was undertaking this quest with him. However, given his luck running into familiar acquaintances, Yuuki had concluded the world was smaller than he originally thought and moved on to signing the quest document. Chloe regarded him uncannily. Seemingly reading his mind, the elf schoolgirl spoke. 

          “You know, at this point, I’m almost expecting you to turn up whenever I take up a job.”

          Yuuki chuckled, “Yeah, it caught me off guard too. Speaking of, where are Yuni and Chieru? I would’ve thought the Yuniettes wou—”

          “First, I never agreed to that cringe name,” she said sourly, “Second, maybe it wouldn’t have caught Yuni’s fancy if you hadn’t encouraged the kid like you did.”

          Yuuki raised an eyebrow, “‘Caught Yuni’s fancy?’ Wow, it sure shows how long you’ve been hanging out with Miss Yuni. I can literally feel the tremors in the Earth as your brain gets bigger!”

          Chloe without a bat of an eye, counters, “Yeah? Well, you must’ve been mucking about with Chieru too long since you’ve picked up some of her—you know what? It’s not worth it.”

She broke off, putting two hands up in defeat. 

          “It’s too early in the mission for me to get this tied down yet.”

Yuuki grinned. Despite her harsh words, the pep in Chloe’s step betrayed her. It had been too long since he’d been at Theresa’s. The summer, he quickly noticed as the oppressive sun circumvented the cooling clouds, felt like it was drawling on. He shuddered though, still reeling at not-so-bygone memories of traumatic homework. The thought of school prompted a question. He turned to Chloe. 

          “By the way, Chloe, I thought you had remedial classes. How’d you find the time to pick up a quest?”

          Chloe let out a maddening smile, “The teacher had canceled class. Apparently, some crazed lunatic had set fire to the classroom, almost killing herself in the process actually.” 

Yuuki blinked.

          “For real?” 

          “For real.”

        You make some awfully interesting friends, Yuuki, he heard a ghostly voice speak. 

He jumped, half forgetting he had a third companion on this quest. A glimmer of a chuckling figure faded into the air. Yuuki turned, seeing that his sudden repulse had startled Chloe, who looked inquiringly at him. Trying to play it off, he asked another question.

          “S-Sooo, did the student get in trouble?”

Chloe shifted her loose tie. It sure was a scorcher today.

          “Well, she’s a transfer student, kind of like yourself. The school she comes from apparently is a big sponsor for St. Theresa’s too.” 

Yuuki nodded, trying to follow along. In the corner of his eye, he could faintly make out Kokkoro in the field yonder. The elf was obscuring herself in ethereal invisibility while keenly studying a family of bunnies. 

          “But this wasn’t the first time she’s endangered herself like this. Maybe the school’s teachers will actually do something about it this time,” she paused, “Although that girl did come through for me from time to time. She’s basically the reason I’m able to tal… make some money today. Be a bit sad to see her gone.”

If Yuuki had been more observant, perhaps he would’ve noticed the slight tremor of wistfulness in Chloe’s usual cool speech. However, his mind was unfortunately preoccupied with keeping an eye on Kokkoro’s childlike curiosity. The ghostly elf pranced here and about, silently observing the fauna of the long grass prairie as the two adventurers trekked on. Chloe let out a breath. Yuuki turned back to his questmate. 

          “This town sure is far,” he lightly commented.

          Chloe nodded, “No wonder the Crown hadn’t sent anyone out yet. This place is in the middle of nowhere.” 

          “Is this the farthest you’ve been from town?” he asked.

Chloe took a minute to answer. She turned away from him and gazed out into the sprawling ocean of grass.

          “You know I want to say yes, but I have been a little farther,” she said dolefully, “I had visited my distant elf relatives up in the north before.” 

          “Oh, perhaps she’s visited my family.”

Kokkoro had magically appeared between the two. Alarmed, Yuuki quickly shushed the ghost. Kokkoro, eyes widening with realization, quickly dissipated. And not a moment too soon, Chloe turned back to him quizzically. 

          “Uh, I mean,” his mind raced, “All my friends are my family, y’know? And I happen to know someone who used to live there.” 

          “Bruh, like, sometimes you are the weirdest dude,” Chloe smiled.

Yuuki smiled back demurely. Chloe, shaking her head slightly, continued on in her trek. Yuuki walked a couple of spaces behind her. After a few moments, Kokkoro reappeared, looking rueful. 

          “Sorry about that,” the elf whispered. 

          Yuuki shook his head dismissively, “It’s really no problem. Although this mission is going to be weird with us awkwardly talking behind Chloe’s back.”

Kokkoro pondered that for a second before turning to him with a bright smile, eyes alight. 

          “I got an idea!”

Before Yuuki had the chance to even entertain the excitable, older elf’s questionable thought, Kokkoro jumped at him, her outstretched fingers reaching out. A moment after, her fingers, followed by the rest of their body, dissipated into his chest. He shivered as a cold jump slickered through his spine. His murmur of discomfort caught Chloe’s attention. The elf girl turned back quizzically. Yuuki shuffled forward—

        He’s fallen behind a bit, Chloe thought, Did something keep him up? 

—with his cloak’s cowl covering his head. He noticed her questioning look and explained. 

          “Oh, I was fumbling with my cloak a little bit. Got sidetracked, haha. It’s getting a bit cold, no?”

Chloe looked up to the sky. The heavens above embraced the transitioning hues of approaching dusk. The air is still and serene, with clouds rapidly darkening. Wisps of pale pink and lilac begin to blend with the fading blue, casting a gentle glow across the horizon. Her question failed at her lips as she studied the painting above. 

        How… mesmerizing, Yuuki heard Kokkoro’s voice speak inside his head. 

The phantom outline of Kokkoro, now invisible to everyone except him, stood next to him, eyes filled with reverence. 

          “Looks like we should find a place to rest,” Chloe said, her eyes dazzling in the failing light. 

          Yuuki replied, scratching at his new, sharply outlined ears, “I checked before we left town, there should be a small inn just up ahead.”

As the three adventurers continued their walk, the sky began to dance. The edges of the high, downy clouds were touched by the golden radiance of the setting sun. Like celestial brushstrokes, the sky flamed with texture and color. As loose blades of grass that propped from the dirt road brushed gently at their ankles with the setting wind, the two caught protuberant glimpses of emerging stars. Pinpricks of cosmic light began to puncture through the dying sky. Yuuki took a glimpse at Chloe. Her purple eyes were alight with the celestial beacons, each one capturing her serene, innocent wonder. She withdrew the lollipop, now just a white stick. 

          “Sure is beautiful out here, huh?” she breathed. 

Yuuki and Kokkoro turned to the horizon, where the sun, a lapsing orb of orange, began to crash against the earth. The last rays of daylight stretched long across the prairie, casting two hauntingly long shadows among the three individuals. The cries of nature softened as the thrumming orchestra of crickets began. In this tranquil moment, Yuuki, Chloe, and Kokkoro continued their walk, under the canopy of the stars, to the inn that lay ahead. 

Yuuki opened the rustic door, and in great gentlemanlike splendor, gestured for Chloe (and Kokkoro) to enter. While Kokkoro seemed charmed by his courteous cordiality, Chloe merely raised her eyebrows disdainfully as she entered the inn. Yuuki entered the bright inn after Kokkoro’s phantom entrance. Now completely invisible, the ever-curious elf floated around the inn, taking in the queer timber shafts and round tables of the foyer. Yuuki scrupulously observed the inn, noticing that the floor was scrubbed dubiously clean. 

The tables and chairs were all neatly packed together and the windows were boarded with the coming night. A hearty fire blazed in the side, plumes of smoke being engulfed by the bricked chimney. Yuuki noticed the surroundings of the fireplace were free from soot and stain. A bundle of fire-pokers posed next to the flare, aligned with stringent, almost meticulous, care. A puzzling wrinkle squashed his brow as he made his way up to the front desk. Kokkoro, thinking naught of the tiny things he picked up, spread her fingers splayed before the fire, soaking up the spectral warmth. Chloe stood at the counter, ringing the solitary bell with a little unease. Usually, at such a time, any inn would be rowdy with travelers and drunken fools. Perhaps business wasn’t favoring this establishment at the moment. 

          “Hello?” she called out, “Is there anyone here? We need to book some rooms!”

After a moment, a head picked out from the entrance point beyond the counterspace. A homely, middle-aged woman had a bewildered look in her eyes as she withdrew from the space. Arms, strong and round, pressed against the burgeoning hips of the innkeeper. As she came forth, Yuuki noticed the look of bewilderment began to cautiously shift to one of suspicion. 

          “How can I help you folks?” the woman inquired, not kindly. 

          Chloe repeated, “Yeah, hello lady, we’d like to check out some rooms. In this inn. For the night, please.” 

The innkeeper eyed the scrappy girl before settling her eyes on Yuuki. Her suspicion seemed to deepen. 

          “Mind if I ask where you’re headed?” the woman said, whilst withdrawing a notepad.

Now, perhaps Chloe should’ve shown her adventurer's badge to the innkeeper and explained that the two, well three of them,  were on a quest. It would’ve been easy enough and should’ve more than accounted for any inquiries the woman would’ve had. Yet, in the back of her mind, Chloe had developed a distrust for people of authority. Maybe it was a shine of her delinquent side peeking through?  Or possibly her recent, nerve-wracking quarrel with a person of authority at Theresa’s? Or perchance, just conceivably true, a deep, latent unease had settled in her ever since the recent sovereign transition of Landosol. Whatever the case, Chloe did not feel like giving this assuming lady any leverage. 

          Chloe smiled sweetly, batting her eyes, “Oh please, lady! Please give us a room! My boyfriend and I are on the run from our disagreeing parents!”

Yuuki blinked in surprise, taking a step back. Kokkoro, hearing such incredulous news, quickly withdrew from her place at the fire to the site of the theatrical drama that was unfolding.

          “We just need a room for the night!” she crooned, “Then we’ll be out of your hair! You’ll never see us again! We’re going to build a new life on the frontier! I promise!”

Her damsel in distress dance did wonders on the innkeeper. The lady flushed crimson, hurrying to the key tack board behind and unhooking one. The innkeeper, flustered and perchance reminded of the past, handed Chloe the room key, her suspicion entirely displaced. Yuuki watched the exchange with a mix of surprise and abject horror. Yet, a part of him couldn't help but feel impressed by Chloe's performance.

          “Here you go, young miss,” the innkeeper said, her voice a bit shaky. “Room number three, just up the stairs to your right. Enjoy your stay.”

Chloe graciously accepted the key and thanked the innkeeper, maintaining her innocent facade. As the innkeeper returned to her duties, Chloe walked to the stairs. Yuuki followed obediently and he could feel Kokkoro on his heels. The moment she was out of the innkeeper’s sight, Chloe turned to Yuuki with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

          Yuuki stammered, “B-Boyfriend? What was that all about? Why didn’t you just show her your card?”

          “You never know who’s in cahoots with who out here,” Chloe whispered with a smirk, amused by his reaction, “Better safe than sorry. Anyway, c’mon ‘boyfriend’, our room awaits!”

Yuuki shook his head, although he did feel grateful that she had thought that far ahead. Together, they made their way up the creaky wooden stairs, Kokkoro floating silently behind them. They soon arrived before the room, exactly where the innkeeper had instructed. Chloe inserted the key and unlocked the door. She swiftly stepped inside, with the other two following right after her. 

Their room was cozy and inviting, sending out a comforting atmosphere that immediately put them at ease. The walls were adorned with textured wallpaper, a soft shade of cream that added a touch of elegance. The room was lit by the customary magical light. A large circular window was built into the side of the small room, showcasing the purple cosmos of the outside. 

In the center of the room stood a comfortable bed with plush pillows and a neatly folded duvet. The sheets were pristine, offering a promise of a restful night's sleep. A small side table was positioned beside the bed, hosting a charming reading lamp. No books were to be seen, however. Against one wall, there was a sturdy wooden sofa chair, with cushions softening the stark feel of the wood. A vase of flowers adorned the small table next to the sofa, infusing the air with a delicate floral fragrance.

Despite the serenity of the room, almost immediately, Yuuki identified a crucifying problem. 

          “Hey, there’s only one bed in this room!” he pointed out distressfully. 

          Chloe observed the fact thoughtfully, “Maybe I sold the bit too well. The old lady must’ve given us a couple’s room or something.”

          “You think?” he rounded on her, hearing ghostly giggles in the process. 

          “Hmmm,” the elf hummed calmly, “Now this is a tricky situation.”

Yuuki was about to go down and clarify things with the innkeeper when Chloe had taken hold of his arm. She had a dangerous glint in her eye. 

          “Hey, Yuuki…” she drawled.

          Yuuki gulped, “Y-Yeah?”

Chloe traced the outlines of his clavicle with her other hand. She spoke softly, almost tantalizingly. 

          “You’re a real gentleman, aren’t you?”

All he could manage was a nod. With a suddenness that would make even the most experienced actors envious, the delinquent elf dropped her honeysuckle mask and slipped into her usual monotonous demeanor. She stepped away from him, clambering onto the bed. Chloe let her walking-weary body fall onto the soft comfort of the bed. 

          “Great, then you won’t mind sleeping on that couch over there,” her muffled voice called out to him. 

Yuuki just stood there, taken aback. He fought to flush the color out of his cheeks. After accomplishing this rather difficult task, he opened his mouth to protest but stopped himself just short. He heard Chloe’s breaths begin to even and deepen. He let out a tired breath. The elf was out cold. While pondering the type of girl who would exhibit such behavior, Kokkoro materialized at his side, a naughty look irritatingly present on the elder elf’s face. Yuuki felt a rush of warmth envelop his body as the elf relinquished her grasp on him. His ears shrank back to their human form.

          “As I said, you sure have friends of an interesting character, Yuuki.” 

Kokkoro said, watching Yuuki keenly as he made his way over to the bed. However, much to her disappointment, the boy simply plucked the extra pillow and prepared to hunker down on the sofa. She floated to him. 

          “Today was one burst of an adventure,” Kokkoro commented cheerfully. 

          Yuuki looked at her tiredly, “Really? All we’ve done so far is walk.”

Kokkoro took the pillow Yuuki was trying to awkwardly position and put it at a comfortable angle for his head. She then reached down and unclasped his cloak’s cinch. Yuuki appreciatively allowed the motherly elf to throw his cloak over him as a blanket. He pressed his cheek into the soft cloth, marveling once more at his tailor friend Tsumugi’s impossibly soft handicraft. Kokkoro then reached out with her pale hand and slowly stroked the young boy’s dark hair. Yuuki closed his eyes. 

          “Even something like that was wonderful, my lord,” Kokkoro said sincerely, “It’s been so long since I’ve experienced the softness of a bunny’s fur, or the tickle of grass underneath my feet, or even the feeling of the sun’s warmth on my skin.”

Kokkoro’s gaze clouded, her face pointed towards seemingly nothing. With that faraway look in her eyes, she continued.

          “I thank Ameth every day that you had entered through those doors the day you did. Because of you, all of us have had a second chance in life.”

Kokkoro’s strokes faltered. The elf raised her other hand and gave Yuuki’s shoulder a squeeze. 

          “I just hope you know that…”

Kokkoro trailed off, noticing that her lord had drifted off himself. Yuuki’s eyes were closed and Kokkoro could see the lines of tension fade away from his face like imperfections in the windy desert sand. Kokkoro raised her hand and framed his cheek, almost feeling the countenance of innocence slipping onto his face. The elf smiled, one which one would brandish to a younger sibling. With her other hand laced into his, Kokkoro looked out through the room’s sole circular window, observing the queer stars outside framed by the glass’s contusions. 

The innkeeper scrubbed the top of the front counter with a frown. Lately, it was unlikely her inn would host any guests, much less overnight stayers. Her motions quickened. It wasn’t always like this. Ever since that horrid—

The door to her inn opened, sending her reeling as cold fear took hold of her. In her revulsion, the innkeeper didn’t realize she had sent the countertop bell spiraling away with her other hand. She frightfully winced as the bell clanged loudly against the floor. The door quietly closed, and the red-hooded figure calmly walked towards her. His footfalls were silent, like a cat’s. The woman tore her eyes away from him and resumed her quiet cleaning. The stranger stopped shy from her and glanced at the fallen bell. Leaning down, the hooded figure picked up the bell wordlessly, silencing the brass arm. The stranger then walked to her and gently, almost meticulously, set the bell down with extreme care. The innkeeper struggled to mutter out a thank you. Not replying to her extension of gratitude, the red-hooded figure questioned. 

          “Did anyone come through?” 

The innkeeper opened her mouth, fully intending to inform the demon that had recently taken to haunting her of the couple that rested upstairs. However, as the words were being forged in her throat, a strange part of her, perhaps her instinctual intuition restrained her. Without any perceptible change in her demeanor, the innkeeper shakily replied. 

          “N-No. All quiet as usual.”

Her grip on the washcloth tightened. The hooded figure continued to stand there. At the edges of her vision, the innkeeper could see the dark cowl of the figure trained on her. A pinprick of doubt chewed at the edges of her resolve, but before any holes could puncture through, the mysterious stranger turned on his heel, leaving the clammy-faced innkeeper. While the innkeeper let out a silent sigh of relief, the figure noticed a speck of mud besmirch the otherwise pristine floor of the inn. If the innkeeper had been ever so slightly observant, she would’ve noticed the slight falter in the stranger’s stride or the low hiss of breath escape from his mouth. But, unfortunately, those damning clues went undetected. With her mind preoccupied, relishing the fact that the stranger wouldn’t call on her for another full day, she watched with rose-tinted glasses as the stranger departed her inn. 

Shortly after checking out of the inn, Yuuki and company moved to clear the last leg of their journey. Making good progress towards their objective, Yuuki figured they’d reach the small town well before nightfall. He felt sweat bead on the back of his neck, dampening his hair in the process. It was a hard walk, to say the least, with his hood up and all. But, for Kokkoro’s sake, he had to endure. Yuuki let out a sigh. Chloe looked at him, who was feeling considerably rather rested and revived.  

          She smirked, animated, “Sad we aren’t visiting anywhere fancy?”

Yuuki, irritated, raised met Chloe’s sparkling eyes evenly. Although a part of him still unpleasantly remembered last night’s awkward events, she wasn’t all wrong. His notions of the faraway town were… conservative, to say the least. For how successful could any town be, so far away from the beating heart that was Landosol? But, as they would soon know, the town held surprises for all three adventurers. 

Chloe took in the outskirts of their destination in silent awe. The town's elaborateness was immediately evident. The first feature they noticed was the town’s gates; tall and towering, two huge basolith doors spreadeagled wide—as if welcoming the party. Despite that, Chloe felt a twinge of unease slickering through her as she passed through the behemoth doors. 

After entering through the town’s gates, the befuddled adventurers were met with a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors and elaborate architecture. The rustic buildings, adorned with intricate carvings and colorful banners, exuded a sense of ancient history. As they wandered through, Yuuki and friends stumbled into the town plaza. A central marketplace edged the space; with local artisans displaying their crafts, from delicate pottery to vibrant tapestries. Chloe nodded appreciatively at their handiwork, but, as Yuuki keenly noticed, the artisans watched the passing adventurers warily. Yuuki turned, taking in the sudden scents of freshly baked bread and exotic spices wafting from nearby food stalls with a bit more nuance.

        It’ s great we didn’t bring Pecorine to this mission , Kokkoro’s voice innocently remarked in his head. 

He nodded absently. There was something… queer about this place. Passing a few more stalls, Chloe glanced at him, perhaps feeling the same sentiment. She soon halted before a solitary fountain, prompting Yuuki and Kokkoro’s spectral phantom to stop as well. 

          “There’s something wrong with the place,” Chloe quietly commented, purple eyes shining knowingly, “One, it’s too quiet for a town this large. Second, you feel like we’re not welcome here?”

Yuuki nodded in agreement, grateful that Chloe had sensed the same unsettling aura. 

          "Exactly," he replied softly, glancing around the seemingly picturesque town square. "It's like there's an unspoken tension in the air.”

          Kokkoro's voice chimed in again, concern evident, Maybe they've had bad experiences with adventurers before, and that's why they're wary of us.

          Chloe’s hand tugged on the hem of her school uniform, her gaze fixed on the fountain, “Let’s find the house of the noble that put up this quest. The people here give me weird vibes.”

Yuuki nodded. Chloe withdrew the quest registrar and noted the address of the quest’s sponsor. Hesitantly pointing out a direction, she and Yuuki strolled through narrow alleys and past houses. Yuuki noticed a few townspeople whispering to each other, their eyes darting in the adventurers' direction. He tried to catch snippets of their conversations but couldn't make out much. He set his mouth in a firm line. Despite the apparent beauty of the surroundings, the feeling of unease never left him. 

As they searched for their quest benefactor, they stumbled upon an elderly woman who was tending to a small herb garden outside her small home. The old crone smiled at them warmly, breaking the otherwise tense atmosphere. Yuuki, feeling a flicker of friendliness exude from the lady, waved back.  

          "Good afternoon, ma'am," Yuuki began with a smile. "Your garden is very beautiful."

          The woman returned the smile, her eyes crinkling with kindness, "Thank you, young man. I do my best to tend to these herbs. They’re right magical, you know."

          Yuuki's raised his eyebrows respectfully, "Really? That's impressive."

          The woman's expression turned thoughtful. "Oh, the herbs are a blessing of our land. We've always been known for them, ever since the old, noble families had put a stake in this town. But things have changed recently. They’ve lost their mark.”

The old lady withdrew a seemingly succulent plant, but the herb grew black the moment it was breached from the soil. Yuuki turned to Chloe in astonishment. He had been meaning to be polite but was stunned by the corroboration of the old lady’s claim. 

          Clicking her tongue in distaste, she continued, “See what I mean? And it’s a darn shame too. Maybe these could’ve done something for those old folks.”

Chloe turned to Yuuki, sending him a silent message.

          “Old folks?” Chloe gently asked. 

          The old gardener nodded, looking between the two of them, “The nobles of this here town.”

          Chloe prodded a bit further, “Do you know how they died, ma’am?”

          “No, can’t say that I do, honey,” the old lady confessed, “It caused quite the stir, y’know. Them nobles are deserving of the title. The families have been right altruistic with us.” 

Yuuki nodded sagely. 

          Kokkoro whispered, Ask her for directions, Yuuki .

          “Pardon us, ma’am, but could you direct us to Lord Cedric’s residence?”

But, the old lady’s eyes now widened, harboring a hint of distrustfulness. 

          “Cedric, why he’s the last noble head left in our old town. What business do you want with him?”

Chloe then understood why the town seemed so cold. With the loss of their wealthy benefactors, times seemed to have fallen rough for the townsfolk. And, down to their last noble, the people of the town were to naturally distrust any unfamiliar face that meandered through—adventurer or not. She sought to placate the old woman. 

          “Don’t worry at all, ma’am,” Chloe said with uncharacteristic sweetness, “We’re actually here to safeguard the old man. We’re from the Guild Association down at Landosol.”

Chloe soon thereafter flashed her adventurer’s badge, brandishing the swooping shield and sword proudly. The old lady stared dimly at it, unimpressed. 

          “Here I was thinking you were two schoolchildren playing hooky,” the old lady said sardonically.

Chloe’s eyebrow twitched. It was one thing if she deliberately played into that appearance and a whole nother thing to be assumed into it. But before she could get out a word, Yuuki stepped up, his bright blue eyes twinkling with openness and transparency. 

          “Now, now,” he stepped forward, “Could you please show us the way to Lord Cedric’s, ma’am?”

The old lady hesitated, before reluctantly raising a spindly finger to the cobbled path that forked right. Yuuki’s innocent exuberance seemed to win her over. 

          “Follow that road and a few leagues ahead, at the old willow tree, make a left. You’ll find yourself downtown, where the posh people live. You’ll know when you reach Cedric.”

Yuuki bowed, thankful despite the old lady’s lingering unease. Taking Chloe by the hand, the young boy uttered another word of thanks before disappearing down the path she outlined. 

Chloe stared at her hand, enclosed by Yuuki’s. 

          “The audacity of people these days,” she muttered demurely. 

          Yuuki turned to her, “What was that?” 

Chloe shook her head. It was a quiet second before she prompted him.

          “So, do you know what a willow tree looks like?”

Meanwhile, the old lady watched the two depart with a hint of worry. Muttering a prayer for the couple, the old lady bent and muttered disapprovingly at her dying plants. In her staunch concentration, the old herbalist didn’t notice another stranger come up the path a few minutes later, his footfalls soundless amidst the clattery stones. Nor did she notice the hooded figure’s dark atmosphere, one that threateningly closed in onto the unsuspecting resident.

Chloe, Yuuki, and Kokkoro traversed quietly among the mum cobbles. They passed a few more cottages on their way. Normally, one would expect children out about in the street, playing their imaginary games abandon of any rhyme or reason, their joyous cries acting like soothing, cheerful sounds to everyone alike. But, the austere, devoid scene that played out before them was one of apprehension. Grey cottages dotted the path on either side, lifeless husks of house bathing in the juxtaposed sunlight. 

        It’s… unnatural, Chloe thought.

After walking for what felt like miles, they finally arrived at the old willow tree, the landmark mentioned by the old lady. Turning left as instructed, they found themselves transitioning into the downtown area; the cottages transforming into larger, stockier buildings, the streets narrowed, and the atmosphere of sorrow and suspicion seemed to exacerbate. 

        What a poor sight, Kokkoro mournfully commented. 

Yuuki felt the feelings of sadness that emanated from his possessor’s frail, spectral body. Those feelings added to his own. And with them, a newfound resolve. He would get to the bottom of this mystery and find out what, or who, was causing the untimely deaths of all the nobles. Chloe, unbeknownst to him, snuck glances at Yuuki, with a ghost of a smile tracing her lips. For some reason, it always felt reassuring having Yuuki riled up like that. 

Soon after, they were before Lord Cedric’s manor. Yuuki whistled. The old lady was right. Lord Cedric's manor stood a majestic and imposing structure, displaying architectural grandeur. The exterior walls were made of carved, weathered stone, adorned with intricate varnishes that signified noble crests. Ivy clung to the walls, lending an air of timeless charm to the manor, as if nature itself had embraced the building over the years. Devoid of any front gate or yard, the manor seemingly integrated itself with the surrounding buildings. Glancing at Chloe, Yuuki, followed by Kokkoro’s wisping frame, made the short way up to the manor’s lined, dark doors. 

Chloe raised her hands and brashly knocked. The sound echoed through the quiet surroundings. Moments later, the door creaked open, revealing a middle-aged butler with a stern, furtive expression.

          "What business do you have here?" the butler asked, not kindly, eyeing them with that familiar suspicion.

          "We've come on behalf of the Guild Association to offer assistance and protection to Lord Cedric," Chloe explained monotonously, showing the adventurer's badge once again.

          “Reginald? Who is it?” a faraway voice called from inside the home. 

Heavy, tired footsteps soon approached the door. The butler, Reginald, Yuuki presumed, looked behind before turning his face down. Another figure, one increasingly more robust, appeared. Lord Cedric was an elderly man, his age etched on his face through deep lines and wrinkles. Despite his weariness, there was an air of dignity and authority about him, befitting his noble lineage. He stood tall, though slightly hunched with age, and his piercing blue eyes still held a glimmer of strength and resilience.

Kokkoro, the best judge of character amongst the three, regarded the noble with extra care. She thought the noble before her once was known for his charm and charisma, as hinted through the smile crinkles near his eyes. At least, she assumed so, given the seeming respect and belovedness the old lady endearingly foretold. However, Kokkro could tell recent events had taken a toll on him, a hint of gloom—and something strangely familiar—now lingered behind his eyes.

          “Well, how may I serve you?” the Lord said, eyeing the two individuals. 

His voice, though tinged with a touch of melancholy, held a calm and composed tone. He spoke with measured words, carefully choosing each one. Although for Kokkoro, his tone had inadvertently revealed something. The man was hiding something. 

          Yuuki explained, brandishing his certificate, “Yes, it’s an honor to meet you, Lord Cedric. We are the adventurers sent by the Guild Association? I’m told you required our services?”

          “Ah,” the old lord breathed, as his eyes clouded slightly, “Oh please, come on in.”

The butler bowed and stepped out of the way as the lord of the manor invited his guests inside. Although Yuuki and company would’ve liked to appreciate the grandeur furnishings of the manor, the noble quickly ushered them along with hospitable, yet firm, words. Yuuki soon found himself before Lord Cedric’s study, the chamber was furnished with deep bookshelves, each one containing protruding volumes upon volumes of tomes and scrolls. One such tome caught his attention. He reached out a hand.

          “Oh, you have an interest in monster possession, my young friend?” Lord Cedric’s asked warmly.

Yuuki withdrew his hand. What a keen eye this lord had!

          “N-No, a friend of mine…”

The lord smiled before turning back, leading them farther ahead to a wooden desk, accompanied by leathery chairs. The lord graciously motioned them to sit, while seating himself on the opposite side. Yuuki felt a sense of warmth jut through him as Kokkoro relinquished her grip on him. Perhaps she wanted to explore the bound sections of knowledge Cedric contained. Nevertheless, he was glad for the pretense. He finally lowered his hood, exposing his now-rounded ears. 

          “Now,” Yuuki met the lord’s peering gaze evenly, betraying nothing, “What can we do for you?”

Lord Cedric turned his head slightly, studying seemingly nothing. 

          “Yes, what can you do for me…” the old man said thoughtfully. 

It was a queer minute before he turned his attention back to the two. A sad smile drew itself on his face.

          “I’m sure you have by now familiarized yourselves with the untimely deaths of the other nobles in this town, haven’t you?”

Chloe and Yuuki nodded. 

          “Marvelous,” Lord Cedric clasped his hands together grimly, “But there’s an additional wrinkle that I’m afraid I’ve omitted from the quest.”

Kokkoro peered from behind a bookshelf, her slender ears twitching slightly. Looks like her hunch was right on the nose.

          “In addition to the deaths of my friends,” the old man started, “I’m afraid they’ve also been robbed.”

          Yuuki raised an eyebrow, “So you’re saying, the nobles haven’t been dying, but are instead being killed?”

Lord Cedric nodded, a despondent smile and wistful eyes locking onto the young boy. 

          “Well, what are they stealing? Gold, I figure?” Chloe presumed.

          Lord Cedric shook his head, “Nay, something far more precious than any gold.”

He then opened the drawer of his desk and withdrew a strange crystal of some sort. The crystal, no, fragment would be a better name for it. Rather than a flawless, symmetrical structure, it appears to be more like a shard, as if it was once part of something larger. The white shard glistened with a twinge of ominousness in Lord Cedric’s lined hand. Chloe turned back to their host. 

          “So, they’ve been stealing a crystal?”

Lord Cedric shook his head regally. He opened his mouth, hesitated for a second, before continuing.

          “I apologize for my hesitance. This is a secret that I have guarded for many years—something I have sworn with my befallen comrades to never speak of.”

Yuuki nodded, motioning for the old man to continue. Cedric looked at them tiredly, before continuing thoughtfully.

          “Have you ever looked up during the dark depths of the night, my young friends?”

Chloe glanced at Yuuki, “Is that, like, a metaphorical quest—”

          “No,” Cedric cut her evenly.

          “Well,” Yuuki took in a breath, “There’s not much to see, apart from the stars and the moon.”

Cedric nodded. It appeared Yuuki’s answer somewhat pleased him.

          “And have you taken any special notice of those heavenly bodies?”

Chloe and Yuuki were wordless. They didn’t know where Lord Cedric was going with this. It was Kokkoro who spoke, suddenly whispering right before Yuuki’s ears. 

        The moon. It’s shattered asunder, she spoke. 

          Cedric’s expression bloomed with delight, “Yes, that’s it! I knew you would get it eventually.”

Chloe turned to Yuuki, the latter whom had become quite pale for some reason.

          She whispered, “Nice going there, Yuuki. Although you could’ve said it a bit more loud and proud. I didn’t even hear you.” 

Cedric didn’t hear the exchange. He was busy excitedly continuing. 

          “Yes! The moon. It hangs above in demolished pieces up in the night sky, correct? Seemingly struck with a mighty starscourge, no? Well, my young friends, what if I were to tell you, before you I hold a piece of the moon itself.”

The three blinked. Lord Cedric glanced at Chloe and Yuuki before sighing into his chair. He tiredly rang for his butler. 

          “Reginald,” Lord Cedric said when the butler arrived, “Will you fetch me some water, please?”

Upon the servant’s exit, he continued. 

          “Let me explain. It is now clear to even the youngest child that the moon lies aloft the night sky in ruinous pieces. The exact cause is still unknown even to our greatest minds, but, the fact remains the same. The astonishing thing is that it appears some of those lunar pieces have fallen to the earth. I hold such a piece before you.”

Lord Cedric’s eyes clouded as he studied the fragment. He tightened his fist around the piece.

          “Those nobles that have tragically been murdered were a part of my old adventurer’s party. Outcasts and misfits, we had moved here to this barren land to start anew. It was then we found these damned fragments.”

The crevices and cracks on Cedric’s eyes seemed to deepen, truly reflecting the man’s age. 

          “They called out to us one night, while we rested under the cover of the stars. Ravenously drawn to its power, we tore open and disemboweled the earth in mad pursuit. In our confused haste, we uncovered these lunar fragments—with something darker along with it.”

Yuuki tensed in his chair. Reginald had returned with a glass of water. Cedric downed the pitcher in crazed fashion.

          “As if the Devil himself whispered, a gust of wind strickened us to our knees. We hadn’t known what was happening at the time, but it is now clear that each person beholden before the stones was bestowed with a blessingful curse. Some lost their sight, yet gained incredible strength. Some lost their ability to speak, but gained the gift of understanding all languages. Some lost their memories, yet acquired profound wisdom. And some lost their sense of touch, only to gain the power to shift the very earth.”

Lord Cedric sighed, before continuing his recollection. 

          “As we stood, humbled and transformed before the ancient stones, it became evident that these curses were, in truth, hidden blessings. For within each loss, a greater gift was granted, and we found ourselves endowed with extraordinary abilities beyond mortal comprehension. Misfits no more, we all were now bound to the lunar shard. This burden was not handled uniformly. Some of us went recluse, horrified at what we’d lost. Some of us spat in distaste and renounced, hoarding both blessing and curse alike. Some of us… some of us stayed behind and sought comfort in each other’s arms. And made a home.”

          Lord Cedric turned to Chloe, “Alongside my friends, I tried creating a beautiful utopia of peace for the people here. All my life I’ve devoted myself to helping my fellow villagers thrive without strife.”

Chloe, Yuuki, and Kokkoro stared, enamored by the tale.

          “But, it seems someone else has figured out the blessings of the moon’s rupture. I cannot speak for those who have left us so long ago, but fear I am the last Lunar Touched in this town.”

A silence followed Lord Cedric’s ending monologue. For a few tantalizing moments, nothing stirred in that quiet bookstudy. Finally, a young man broke the hush. 

          “I see,” Yuuki replied, his voice steady. “It must have been quite the burden to bear and protect this secret for so long.”

          Chloe chimed in, “But why steal something that is guaranteed to curse you? Also, it’s not exactly a hidden crime, killing off countless nobles like this. There has to be something else going on.”

          Lord Cedric's eyes seemed to glaze over with melancholy as he responded, “I wish I had the answers, my young friends. Truth is, I have far passed such times to do anything myself. In short, I need your help, brave adventurers. Find the culprit behind these thefts and murders, and put an end to their dark schemes before more harm befalls this town.”

Upon Cedric’s plea for help, a hushed silence was the initial answer. Cedric felt his heart flutter with disappointment, thinking that perhaps his revelation was too much for the younglings. He set his mouth in a sad line while scratching his gray beard. It was understandable, after all. To th—

          Yuuki suddenly nodded solemnly, “Rest assured, you have our word, Lord Cedric, we will do everything in our power to protect this town and its people.”

Chloe put a hand on Yuuki’s shoulder, signifying her support. Yuuki could feel a phantom weight on his other. Lord Cedric’s face broke out in a pleasant, haggard smile. It appeared Yuuki’s answer took the old man by surprise. 

          “Thank you, my young friend,” old Cedric said, leaning back in his worn chair, “Thank you, sincerely.”

Chapter Text

Yuuki tried to avert his eyes, seemingly scouring for some hidden messages in Lord Cedric’s tight wardrobe.

          “Uh, you’d think a rich guy like him would have something bigger,” Chloe snarked, twisting her body.

Yuuki felt each movement, making the young adventurer gulp. Shortly after their impromptu meeting with the last noble had concluded, Yuuki and Chloe and drawn up a plan. Initially, they had planned to patrol throughout his manor, watching for any unfortunate thief that tried their hand. However, Cedric soon poked some holes in that plan. 

He had explained that the previous nobles had stationed their own watchmen and that the murderous thief had somehow managed to dispatch all of the posted sentries. This caused some serious alarm for the three adventurers, and, upon seeing the sentiment, Cedric had hurriedly included another key detail.

          “But the thief hadn’t killed the sentries. All of the guardsmen were safe and accounted for. According to the town doctor, it was as if the sentries had fainted. Their blood pressure was a little low, but apart from that, they were all healthy as horses in the end.”

Now, Yuuki was confident that Chloe and himself were a wee bit better situated than a couple of paid sentries, but the peculiarness of the attack had left the two of them cautious with moving forward with their plan. Therefore, with Kokkoro’s silent input, they had concluded to try and catch the murderer/thief unawares. Lord Cedric would place his fragmented piece in an obvious location in his chambers, volunteering himself and his crystal as bait. At first, Chloe had protested, but the stubborn old man refused to change his mind. 

So, it was decided that Chloe and Yuuki would hide somewhere in the old noble’s chambers, while Cedric slept. There, they would wait patiently for the thief to make his move. At least, that was the plan. And it sounded great, on paper at least. But, as with all things Yuuki was involved with, there was an additional wrinkle to the shoddy plan.

Lord Cedric, despite being an affluent man, was one of simple tastes. His chambers lay mostly unfurnished, aside from his bed, night desk, and wardrobe. The night desk was far too small, and the pair would be encumbered hiding underneath the noble’s bed, so Chloe and Yuuki had decided to stow away and secret themselves in Cedric’s wardrobe. Although deceptively large from the outside, it was soon clear that stashing two young people in the wardrobe was a tight task. Chloe’s elbow hit his side, causing him to reel over. 

          “Hey, watch it!” he whispered, wheezing. 

Yuuki tried to stifle his discomfort. But the wardrobe seemed to close in around them, the darkness and scent of old wood filling the small space. He could feel Chloe's presence pressed up against him, her warmth and breathing adding to the confined atmosphere. 

          “Sorry, didn't mean to elbow you,” Chloe whispered back, her voice a mixture of annoyance and apology. “This place is like a sardine can.”

Yuuki couldn't help but let out a soft chuckle, despite the circumstances. He squinted his brow. Perhaps it was the murkiness of the wardrobe, but Yuuki could’ve sworn a pinkish shade settled over Chloe’s normally nonplussed face. But, before he could comment on the fact, suddenly, like a scene out of a horror play, Kokkoro’s head phased through the wooden doors of the wardrobe. Giving Yuuki a fright, the boy jumped, much to Chloe’s chagrin. His elbow slid over something impossibly soft, causing Chloe to yelp. Yuuki murmured a profuse apology while eyeing Kokkoro’s cheeky expression. It seemed like the older elf was enjoying herself. 

Time seemed to crawl as they waited in the hushed darkness. Cedric had long since surrendered to sleep, hence the silence was only broken by the muffled sounds of the old man’s snore. Yuuki's mind raced, thoughts bouncing between the potential danger they were in and the absurdity of their situation. He found himself wondering if this plan was truly the best course of action.

          Chloe's voice broke through his thoughts, a hushed, hot whisper laden with anticipation. “Do you think this thief is really going to show up?”

Yuuki shrugged as best he could in the confined space. They lapsed into silence again, the tension in the air palpable. Outside, the shattered moon cast faint, dancing shadows. Every creak and rustle seemed to magnify, making their surroundings feel increasingly eerie.

Just as Chloe's patience began to wear thin, a faint, scarcely discernible sound managed to seize her attention. The elven adventurer extended a slender finger and gently prodded her companion's chest, prompting Yuuki to respond with a subtle nod. In that fleeting moment, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation, as if time itself had slowed to a crawl.

The sound that had caught Chloe and Kokkoro’s attention was the softest of footfalls, a mere wisp of a presence threading its way through the tapestry of ambient noises. Yuuki, his heart racing, held his breath in eager suspense, so sorely zeroed in on the sound to the point where the faintest rustle seemed to reverberate through his being. The exchange of glances between Yuuki and Chloe in the enveloping darkness spoke volumes—shared readiness to confront whatever might unfurl before the wardrobe door.

As they stood poised for the revelation that awaited, Yuuki felt Kokkoro meld with him; the possession sending a curious shiver down his spine, paradoxically bringing comfort amidst the tension. With a silent, final exchange between Yuuki and Chloe, the two erupted from the wardrobe. 

The air reverberated with the concussive whine of the wardrobe doors screaming at their hinges. The sudden cacophony rippled through the chamber, rousing Lord Cedric from his slumber in a jolt of startled awareness. The nobleman's eyes stuttered open, grappling with the abrupt intrusion, his senses shifting between confusion and the dawning realization of danger. Cedric gasped, reaching for his heart. 

Yuuki, blindly searching for the source of the footsteps, found a hooded figure standing a pace before the once-slumbering Lord Cedric. Amidst the ethereal glow of moonlight filtering through the parted curtains, a malevolent figure stood in the heart of Lord Cedric's chamber. Cloaked in an ensemble that seamlessly merged shadows and blood, the assassin exuded an aura of sinister wrath. Black attire, tailored with precision to conceal every movement, shrouded his lithe form like a second skin. The ebony fabric clung to his frame, a dance of cloth and flesh that embraced the artistry of lethality. A crimson cloak cascaded from his shoulders like a shower of spilled blood, its hue a striking contrast against the inkish clothing. Yet, it was the eyes that beheld onlookers. Pools of yellow, they gleamed like twin stars aglow with an inner fire. But, in those same calculating eyes held an emotion Yuuki would take full advantage of: surprise. 

Letting out a bellow that took even him by surprise, Yuuki closed the distance rapidly in order to tackle the intruder. Muscling his arms around the assassin, Yuuki and assassin alike slammed against the stoned walls of Cedric’s chamber. Yuuki heard the lithe man let out a gasp as the power of the impact drew the very breath from his lungs. However, he had very little time to celebrate his victory. 

Swift and scrupulous, the resilient intruder brutally bashed his own head into Yuuki’s. Yuuki saw a blinding flare of white stricken his vision as an unexpected burst of agony exploded from his temple. The once iron grip Yuuki held wavered like butter from the unforeseen assault, leaving the assassin to exploit and wriggle free. As Yuuki writhed, the intruder calmly stood and turned to meet his next foe. 

Chloe, brandishing the hilt of her dagger, aimed to clack the side of the assassin’s head. Unarmed, the intruder’s predatory eyes warily followed her stroke. With incalculable precision, the assassin ducked underneath her blow, grabbing her elbow in the process. Chloe’s eyes widened as she felt the intruder’s nails grip into her exposed skin. With a vengeful, savage twist, Chloe’s arm was now held captive. The agonizing pressure caused her to relinquish her knife with a strangled cry. However, despite being half-unarmed and compromised, Chloe pivoted to strike the assassin with her other dagger, now exposing white steel, posed to meet the obsidian sides of her captor. 

The assassin, like smoke in the wind, easily dodged Chloe’s awkward stroke. With her one arm tightly bound by his grip, Chloe’s attacks were weak. The assassin pulled the elf in close, disarming her entirely, and in a voice that sent icy tendrils snaking down Chloe’s spine, he spoke, each syllable dripping with venom.

          “I expected better, elf.”

As the assassin gloated in the face of a pretty girl, Yuuki came up behind the intruder and hit the back of his cloaked head with the pommel of his sword. The assassin immediately reeled from the impact, letting out a string of curses. Yet, even in intense pain, instincts came over and the intruder rolled far away from Yuuki’s second, falling stroke. The assassin reached up and gingerly touched the struck spot, gloved hands coming away with sticky blood. The assassin now stood near Cedric’s bed, with the manor’s grand window at his back. 

          “You barbarian,” he seethed.

Yuuki stood by Chloe’s side, sword poised and wickedly ready. Chloe had retrieved her own daggers and brandished them menacingly. The elf’s purple eyes blazed with indignation. The assassin reached to the sides of his person, perhaps retrieving a weapon. Concealing whatever terror he had in store behind the velvet red cloak, the intruder took a predatory step forward. 

Yuuki and Chloe dug in, shifting in anticipation for the next battle. Yet, at the culmination of the assassin’s stance, a falter disrupted his advance. The assassin withdrew his hand, empty in the moonlight.

          “It is not worth it. It is clear you are no threat to her. You couldn’t even save one old man,” the red-cloaked man jeered, pointed at Cedric.

Yuuki, despite his better instincts, snuck a look at Cedric. The old man lay slumped in his bed, eyes glazed. Chloe’s eyes widened with horror. Yuuki was in disbelief. How? How did he…? 

Yuuki’s fists clenched. With a rage that was voraciously sent out from his stunned heart, Yuuki flew forward at the grinning evil. Yet, it was too little, too late. Expecting such a reaction, the assassin smashed the oversized window at his back with ease, shattering the expensive glass in thousands of crystal pieces. With one final, gloating look at Yuuki’s desperate advance, the assassin jumped into the night. 

Yuuki watched in abhorrence as the assassin fell three stories, hand curiously pocketing something in his red cloak during the descent. Meanwhile, a mortified Chloe desperately rang for the butler. After a few moments, Reginald came bursting through the room. The old servant laid horrified, desperate eyes on his unconscious lord. 

          “Master Cedric!” Reginald cried, moving forward.

          Yuuki cut through the old man’s grief with unsympathetic severity, “Get a doctor in here, Reginald. Before he dies, hurry!”

Chloe turned to Yuuki, stunned by his demeanor. Yuuki was already halfway through the broken window, carelessly scraping himself in the process. Chloe rushed to the window, gripping his hand before Yuuki jumped. 

          “Where are you going?” she seethed, “Shouldn’t we check how Cedric is?”

          Yuuki held her gaze evenly, “And let the person responsible for all this get away?”

          “What are you talking about?” Chloe argued, “We still have the c—”

          “No, we don’t,” Yuuki cut, “I saw him pocket something while he fell. He must’ve managed to stash it somehow.”

Chloe turned to Cedric’s bedside table in disbelief. It was true. The drawer was slightly creaked ajar, almost imperceptibly so. Her eyes then traveled to Cedric. The old man’s skin clung to his face in desperate wrinkles, gray and haggard. His eyes were dim, while his arms hung by his sides. His body revulsed as Reginald began performing desperate chest compressions. She turned back to Yuuki.

          “This person’s dangerous Yuuki,” Chloe brought herself to speak, “I-I think we should regroup with reinforcements. We’re out of our depth here.”

          Yuuki shook his head, “This guy’s managed to lay low after murdering all the nobles here while also managing to sneak past a battalion of guards. If we lose him now, he’ll be gone forever. But, I managed to wound him. If we go after him now, there’s a chance we can catch up to him.”

Chloe bit the bottom of her lip in unease. A kerfuffle of noise came from the door as the local doctor came running to Cedric’s aid. Reginald began clamoring and the back-and-forth between the doctor and butler only added to Chloe’s internal ire. Closing her eyes, the elf let out a deep sigh. She opened her eyes, meeting Yuuki’s stormy ones. 

          “Fine, let’s bring the guy to justice.”

The smooth-stone streets of the town slumbered soundlessly in the dark of the moon. The incessant sounds of crickets and fireflies were the only sounds breaching the still silence. It had been long since the last wayward townsfolk retreated to the hearth of their homes. Now, the town lay in what was supposed to be a quiet peace. Yet, this fraudulent tranquility was interposed with the footfalls of two rampant individuals. Yuuki stormed through the various streets, followed by Chloe. Another, spectral companion was also present, one that made her disapproval clear. 

          Yuuki, Chloe is right, you don’t have the manpower. I’ve been out of action for too long to be any use in a fight. And, judging from your recent encounter, you’re desperately needing more help , Kokkoro prodded him inside his head. 

Yuuki subtly glanced at the spirit that hovered beside him. Even though she was far more indistinguishable than normal due to the possession, Yuuki could see the lines of worry etch themselves onto the face of the little elf. A small part of him was pricked with doubt, but the seed was soon squashed as the memory of Cedric’s face passed through his mind. As if the thought had passed over to her, Kokkoro began again.

          I know you’re upset with what happened to Lord Cedric, but trust me, with better resources and ti—

          Yuuki responded, We can’t. I’ve already explained why we can’t turn back now. 

Kokkoro moved to rebut, but before she could, Chloe intervened with a question of her own. 

          “How do we know if we’re even moving in the right direction, Yuuki?” she called. 

          Yuuki slowly stopped, murmuring quickly, “I had struck him at the back of his head, so I’ve been following the little droplets of blood.”

He pointed out to one, almost homogenous with the rutty bricks of the road. Chloe studied the minuscule droplet, taking a pause to catch her breath. Meanwhile, Yuuki’s breathing was even, despite their mad sprint. He narrowed his eyes, studying the path ahead. 

          “The path stops here…” he said softly, before a silent alarm rang in his brain. 

Yuuki turned to Chloe, suddenly vaulting himself onto her and pushing her down onto the floor. The unexpected swiftness and untimeliness of his action prompted her eyes to grow wide. Before a blush could settle on her face or a panicked question form on her lips, a sharp whittle cut the air above them, in the space they inhabited just mere moments before. Kokkoro involuntarily jumped as the blade passed through her phantom figure harmlessly. The ghost elf clutched her sides, where the long daggers passed through. 

          “Heh, perhaps you’ll entertain me after all.”

Yuuki quickly moved away from Chloe, a dark look on his face. The assassin sinuously stepped from the shadows, his red cloak seemingly coming apart from the darkness in red tendrils. Unbeknownst to them, their impromptu halt had unwittingly led them before an unassuming alley; where in that innocent, quiet corridor their foe lay in wait. The assassin grinned now, teeth gleaming threateningly white in the dark street. He wasted no time, launching into a relentless assault. 

          Amidst the palpable tension, Kokkoro's urgent warning pierced the air, a desperate plea for caution, Watch out, Yuuki! 

Yuuki stared down his attacker, thoughts racing. He felt time grind as his mind raced for a response. Dodging the attack potentially jeopardized Chloe's safety. The red-cloaked freak might set his sights on the elf, who was still struggling to her feet. Beads of sweat formed at the nape of Yuuki's neck. His sword remained frustratingly out of reach, secured in its scabbard, which was awkwardly pinned behind his back. Yuuki blinked, an idea flashing through the boy’s mind. The idea acted as a candle in the wind, delicate and desperate. Yet, the light of that candle acted as a beacon for the desperate boy. In a move that shocked his two companions, Yuuki lurched towards and moved towards the oncoming onslaught. Though surprise might have flitted across the assassin's amber eyes, his stoic countenance betrayed no emotion.

Yuuki felt his heart beat feverishly as it neared the assassin. The crimson-cloaked rogue, unfazed, pressed on, blades gleaming with deadly intent. Right at the moment when alabaster dagger was to meet Yuuki’s soft flesh, he felt a surge of adrenaline wash over him. Yuuki convulsed away from the blades and lunged forward to clasp at the assassin’s wrists. The blades reeled past him as Yuuki’s desperate fingers fought for purchase. His fingers wrapped around the wrists of the killer and clamped down like vices. 

Then, before the assassin could try to fight off his hold, Yuuki, exerting every ounce of his might, hurled the assailant aside as if discarding a sack. The assassin hurtled a short distance, clumsily colliding with a shuttered storefront. The wooden door of the store rattled from the impact, yet the assassin seemed unperturbed. Yuuki grimaced. While he hoped for a stumble, realistically, he just wanted to create some space between Chloe, himself, and their foe. 

Amidst the chaos, Yuuki felt something wet run down his chest. Glancing down, he winced at the sight. Despite his best efforts, it appeared the assassin had managed to mark him. Through an infinitesimal rip in his tunic, a thin sliver of red flesh bled slightly. Yuuki then spoke through the quiet air urgently, yet reassuringly.

          “Come on, Chloe.”

The elf, momentarily taken aback by the sight of blood, refocused on the immediate danger. Like a passing summer squall, her shock transformed into stoic resolve. Drawing her own knives, she positioned herself beside Yuuki, unwavering gaze fixed upon their adversary.

          “Are you okay?” she asked. 

          Yuuki answered curtly, “I’ll be fine.”

Kokkoro, appeared before his side, a look of worry expressing itself on the older elf’s face as the true danger of the situation settled in. The assassin moved forward, swaggerly twirling his knives in arrogant confidence. 

          “I must admit, you are one crazed adventurer, my young friend.”

Yuuki withdrew his own sword, not entertaining the flowery speak of the assassin. The cloaked individual grinned at his resolve. 

          “A man of few words, eh? Well, I won’t ask you to indulge me,” the assassin’s cheery demeanor changed to a threatening glaze, “But, before repaying your folly in following me by parting you with your life, let me at least inform you of the person who killed you.”

The assassin walked forth in the dark street, surrounded by hushed buildings. The clouds high above congealed together in a blanket of darkness, disallowing any moonlight to grace the land. With the luminosity of the shattered moon snubbed, the only sources of light against the night were the ominous streetlights. The purple flame of the lamps began to shudder, the dancing of purple creating wicked, cascading shadows upon the pale face of the oncoming assassin. The assassin drew both of his blades to his sides. The knives, spanning a foot in length, were intricately designed. Inky Damascus patterns writhed up the blades like tendrils of hellfire. The handles of the blades tapered down to a leathery maw. The anachronistic white hair of the assassin glimmered in the dark, with his amber eyes glowing like a predatory cat’s. Yuuki felt something akin to fear settle in his heart. 

          The assassin, now scarcely a couple spaces before them, “My name is Silas. I am the Seventh Shadow, the Heartscourge.”

Yuuki's grip tightened on his sword, and Chloe's eyes remained fixed on their formidable opponent. Kokkoro's worried presence lingered, almost tangible in the air. Yuuki glanced at Chloe. The elf met his eyes evenly. A silent look passed between the two. 

Silas brandished his blades, his menacing aura seeming to grow, the darkness coiling around him like a serpent. With a thunderous pounce, Silas surged forward, his alabaster and ebony etched blades becoming streaks of lightning in the gloom. With symphonious harmony, Yuuki and Chloe moved to meet the assassin. Silas met Chloe first. He slashed with cruel certainty, blades arcing down towards the elf like the sickles of death. 

At the brink, Chloe’s own blades raised to meet his. Despite the brute difference in mass, Chloe moved to slide the blows, deflecting them to the side. Her parries quickened in succession, creating a whirlwind of steel. Yet, her tempest was limited. The ferocity of Silas’s blows countered any hopes of retaliation. The elf gritted her teeth, all she could do was defend. And even that was touch-and-go. 

Then, in her search for an opening, Chloe was too slow in her rehash, exposing her right side. Silas’s blades came erupting in, wasting no time. Yet, luckily, Yuuki’s steel cut the onslaught short. His broadsword easily sent the stray blade flying far away, opening up a weakness of the assassin’s own. Seeing the chink in his unassailable armour, Chloe moved, her lither blades easily aiming towards Silas’s side. However, Silas was no ordinary adversary. In a movement that encumbered physics, he parried the attack effortlessly with his other blade, the movement so fluid and undiscernible that Chloe was left stunned momentarily. 

With Chloe still recovering from her blunted, falling stroke, Silas gave the elf a brutal kick in the abdomen, before following up by smashing her head with the butt of her pommel. The combination of blows sent her flying back, doubled over in pain. Yuuki, although heart-wrenched with care for his friend, tried to push on the attack. Keeping Silas busy was the best way to protect Chloe. 

Yuuki gave Silas a quick horizontal slash, but, with a languid movement, Silas ducked underneath the blow. Recovering, his red cloak billowed like flames as he moved. Yuuki saw the arc of his foe’s blades, tantalizingly fast. Taking a deep breath, Yuuki's instincts kicked in, his body responding with trained reflexes as he parried and dodged. Yuuki, pressing forward rashly, responded with a quick stab. Silas quickly dodged the blow, cautiously erring a few steps out from Yuuki’s reach. The former began to encircle Yuuki, like a predator stalking its prey.

The furling streetlights cast a pale glow over the deserted streets, illuminating the dueling figures amidst the shadows. Yuuki's footwork was precise, his steps measured as he too circled his opponent, his eyes fixed on Silas' every movement. 

          He’s not bothering with parrying your sword, Kokkoro whispered in his mind, It’s as if he’s unable to equal your strength. 

          Yuuki frowned, as a trickle of sweat fell from his brow, Yes, but fighting a knivesman with a broadsword isn’t exactly beneficial for me either. 

The wind whispered through the alley, carrying with it a sense of impending clash. Yuuki breathed in, hands closing in tighter around the heavy broadsword. Silas meanwhile smiled cruelly at Yuuki, seemingly enjoying the battle. Suddenly, without warning, Silas lunged forward, his red cloak billowing behind him like a tempest. His blades whistled through the air as they cut through the dark night. Yuuki raised his own in heightened surprise. Silas’s blades clashed against the length of Yuuki’s blades, the force of the impact sending ripples down Yuuki’s arms. 

Yuuki shifted his foot, twisting it to parry Silas’s knives to the side. As Yuuki expected, Silas allowed the motion, not wanting to fight against his larger, heavier blade. Yuuki dug in, taking a chance. He moved in for seemingly another slash, something that his cocksure opponent obviously expected. Anticipating his strike, Silas moved off to the left, unknowingly to his folly. Yuuki, midstrike, dropped his sword from his right to his left hand. Then, in a swift strike impossible for a sword of that size, Yuuki slashed at a stunned Silas, the latter who desperately tried to block the oncoming steel with his knives. However, Yuuki’s greater steel triumphed in the struggle. His sword snagged against Silas’s thigh, spilling crimson blood onto the streets. Silas screamed, dropping his knives. 

The assassin grabbed at his bleeding thigh, grimacing. Yuuki stood before the pained assassin, studying the red that stained his blade. Yuuki breathed heavily, both haggard and shocked. 

          Yuuki, it’s not over yet, a soft voice spoke in his brain. 

Yuuki let out a deep breath. Yuuki walked closer, kicking the assassin’s blades out of reach. Was it finally over? A flash of worry then flitted through Yuuki’s numbed brain. Chloe. The boy quickly turned to his friend, seeing her slowly walk towards him. Her arms clutched at her sides, as a gruesome smile plastered itself on her white face. 

          “Did you boys have your fun without me?” she jibed. 

Before Yuuki could answer back, her tired, relieved face morphed into an expression of abject horror. That same instinctual alarm blared in the back of Yuuki’s head. He felt his spine chill as he quickly turned, forcing his arm to lift up his sword. Before him, slowly bleeding out on the floor, sat Silas. Yet, there was something incredibly different. 

Silas’s cries subsided to a threatening silence, as he no longer grasped at his cut leg. But, that wasn’t the thing that shook Yuuki to his core. Silas’s eyes glowed like two burning stars, each eye socket inhabited by a glowing orb of fury. The sulfurous orbs flared in blank unity, directly aimed at Yuuki, as if staring through his very soul. Yuuki then felt the most peculiar thing. Yuuki felt as if his very soul shuddered, as if his heart faltered.  He fell to his knees, the outer rims of his vision suddenly contorting with black shadows, as if anemia had taken over him.

          “YUUKI!” someone cried. 

Yuuki felt his heartbeat begin to slowly cease, as the frigid touch of death began to kiss his extremities. In the encroaching oblivion, Yuuki gasped, choking. It was as if an invisible hand had clutched the very twisting sinews of his heart, staunching and stifling. Yuuki’s sword clattered to the floor as his fingers grew numb, unable to be moved. He could hear the falling cadence of his heart, his vision now almost completely overrun with shadow. 

          Th-thump, Th-thump, Th-thump…Th-thump, Th-thump…Th-thump…Thu-thump……Thu-Thump. 

In a sheen of ink, Yuuki could scarcely make out Silas’s grinning visage through the pinhole of vision he had left. 

          “You can die knowing you forced my hand, young adventurer.”

He could fight no longer. Yuuki closed his eyes. 

Chloe watched in horror as her friend crumbled at just a glance. Stunned, all she could do was witness the seeming murder of Yuuki, her friend, her cr—

          “FIGHT HIM! GET HIM AWAY FROM YUUKI! DON’T STOP FIGHTING!” a voice jarred her. 

Chloe turned to the sound of the voice, seeing only smoke. But, the break was all she needed. Chloe rushed towards the injured assassin, the sound of her mad approach momentarily drawing his attention to her. As her footsteps thunderously echoed, she felt Silas train his accursed eyes on her. The assassin’s eyes blazed in jeering fire, mouth still upturned in delight from Yuuki’s woe. But, as those orbs rounded on her, unlike what happened with Yuuki’s, for some peculiar reason, she felt her heart accelerate .

With each step she took, she felt her heart pound, each hammerstroke of the organ sending pluming volumes of blood throughout her veins. As she murderously approached, she felt her body clock onto overdrive. The unforeseen outcome seemed to surprise Silas. The assassin scrambled to his feet, pawing for his knives. He turned to face Chloe. Silas’s eyes burned blazingly, with a scowl tarnishing his jibed features. Chloe took on his countenance in cool fury. Continuing her onslaught forth, she spun her blades in threatening decadence, all thoughts sorely focused on delivering as much punishment to the foe in front of her as possible. 

          ………Th………Th-Thump………Th-Thump, Th-Thump……Th-Thump, Th-Thump…Th-Thump, Th-Thump.

Yuuki felt small hands push down on his chest, the thuds soft yet sure. His chest first rejected the steady rhythm, but, after a couple more determined pulses, he felt his heart begin to comply with the symphony. His heart pumped with the motions, following the compression pattern like a small child holding the pinky finger of an adult. Until soon, his heart shuddered, slowly starting to pump autonomously. Yuuki felt the blood circle through his body as he lay there, starstruck, feeling as if a wave of warmth washed over him. Though muffled, he could now make out a distraught voice, as if right next to him. 

          “...Come on, come on, come on!” the voice desperately pleaded tearfully, “Please, please, please.”

It seemed the owner of that voice had not yet realized Yuuki’s fragile, yet steady, beat. Yuuki opened his cracked mouth. 

          “...K-Kokkoro?” he sounded weakly. 

Kokkoro jumped at the unexpected sound, but soon broke into a joyous blubber. The elf wrapped her arms around his head, cradling him close to her. 

          “I thought I had lost you, Yuuki,” she cried, tightening her grip.

Yuuki felt the weakness ebb from his body, as cautious strength revitalized his body. Kokkoro had materialized before him, now fully apparent and current. The elf still had lines of worry etched on her face. Yuuki grunted as he struggled to sit up, soon thereafter noticing Chloe desperately battling Silas. 

          Silas. 

Yuuki blanched as he refamiliarized himself with the situation. Yuuki hurriedly struggled to his feet, nearly capsizing himself in the process. Kokkoro immediately shouldered the brunt of his fall, the lithe body of the elf pushing back against Yuuki’s weary and battered one. 

          “I need to help Chloe. Even wounded, he’s for sure a threat,” Yuuki panted, breathing heavily. 

          Kokkoro admonished him, “Look at the state you’re in! You won’t be any help to her!”

Yuuki, blistered, rounding on her. Yet, the elf’s expression didn’t budge. Kokkoro looked back at him defiantly, her eyes aglow with prudence. Yuuki then noticed the blood that besmirched her delicate hands. The observation was soon followed by a dull pain in his chest. He raised one hand to his injury and realized the wound had deepened to a broad gash in his tumultuous fight against the assassin. 

          “You see, you’re in no state to fight alone,” Kokkoro repeated, still shouldering the wounded boy. 

Yuuki turned, looking desperate. But, Kokkoro, despite the criticalness of the situation, held a coy smile. 

          “That’s why we’re going to fight together.”

Chapter Text

Chloe barely even registered each stroke of her knife. With the overwhelming energy her body was somehow producing, the kniveswoman favored brutal, sweeping slashes rather than calculated strikes. The wrathfulness of her sheer fury was so debilitating, that Silas struggled to counter with any blows of his own. Coupled with the damned injury on his leg, all he could do was defend and dodge the elf’s frenzy. The assassin cursed, ducking underneath another one of her vehement swipes. 

          I can’t even put enough space in between us to turn off my ability, the assassin seethed silently, But, no matter, with any luck, any more exertion and the elf’s heart will burn out. 

And it appeared that Silas’s cruel plot was about to forthcome. Chloe, still lunging madly at Silas, didn’t even register how her heart began to tremble, now pumping continuously, or feel the shuddering of her arteries as the walls of her blood vessels swelled. The sole attention of the elf was on the devilish dastard that so infuriatingly managed to sheen away from her every blow. 

But, attention or not, her body’s overdriven strength began to wane. Chloe took a step forward, taking heaving breaths, as she slashed once more at Silas. This time, she managed to knick the assassin, slicing shallowly across the assassin’s blanched cheek. Silas, perturbed by the blow, moved away, much to Chloe’s luck. For shortly after nicking her opponent, Chloe fell to the cobbles, completely winded from the exertion. 

She gripped her sides and gasped as her entire body shuddered. Silas, meanwhile, wiped away the blood with the back of his glove. The Heartscourge scowled. These audacious adventurers had impudently marked him once more. Silas drew a long breath, feeling, too, close to his limit. He had never used his ability for such an extended period of time. Usually, his encounters were silent—painless for both victim and murderer. Eyes still ablaze, Silas shut his eyelids, and when he opened, his irises normalized, turning coal-like and unforgiving. He turned to Chloe, still battling with the effects of her overexertion. In her state, she was practically harmless. Silas spun his long daggers impertinently. 

          Just a little longer and perhaps she would’ve reduced me to the same state, Silas thought, briefly touching his temple. 

The Seventh Shadow stalked Chloe, the latter of whom upturned her head in defiance. The elf heaved, clutching at her heaving chest. Chloe’s hands gripped the edges of one of her knives weakly. Once Silas was in range, she lunged. The Heartscourge easily swatted her hand away, sending her knife clattering out onto the street. He raised his obsidian-gray dagger, this time holding no taunts for the adventurer. His eyes held a glimmer of…dismay?

          “Goodbye, elf.”

Chloe panted, meeting the assassin’s eyes evenly. She clenched her fists, shuddering now not from overexertion but from her own sorrow. She began to turn one last time to her dear friend. 

          I’m, I’m sorry Yuuki, the elf thought, I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to save you. I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to tell you… To tell you that I—

She broke off, mid-thought. Chloe blinked, eyes desperately shifting through the dark street. Yuuki’s body was gone. But, before her mind could register that fact, her lithe ears picked up the sharp cut through the night air as Silas slashed down toward her. Mind racing back to her own inevitable demise, the elf shut her eyes, anticipating the blow…

          “Impossible,” Silas whispered. 

…Chloe opened her eyes, whereupon her mouth dropped down in abject shock. Yuuki stood between her and death, his sword holding back Silas’s twisted dagger. Mouth still agape, Chloe’s purple eyes scanned her friend in disbelief. His royal blue cape was besmirched with dirt and debris, the soot casting disproportionate stains. His shoulder guards were crumpled, the light armour most likely crumbling in his scrape with Silas. The rest of his garments were in similar shape. 

Chloe’s eyes zeroed onto the deep gash that slickered across Yuuki’s chest. The wound, now broadened, bled heavily, causing Yuuki’s crimson blood to mix with the blue fabric of his shirt. As new lines of worry began to carve into Chloe’s ashen countenance, she moved up towards Yuuki’s face. The sight further baffled her. Yuuki’s hair, once obsidian dark, had lightened to a deep gray. And that was not all, even in her collapsing state, Chloe was taken aback by the extension of Yuuki’s ears, the arches stretching back past the human plane and resembling more like an elf’s. Then, adding to her confusion, Yuuki turned to her, his eyes gleaming a rosy red where sky blue had once inhabited.

          “Get out of the way!” he bellowed, very impolitely. 

She quickly obliged. Although her body still convulsed, Chloe reclaimed her knives, struggling to her feet. Once she was out of the way, Yuuki let Silas’s blade go through, jumping quickly out of the way. He then speedily dashed over to Silas’s side, the extreme speed in his movements causing the assassin to jerk. Chloe watched the maneuver as her body stabilized. Judging from the wound to his chest, Yuuki probably didn’t have the strength to contest Silas’s blow indefinitely. But, his agility in his dodge and subsequent encirclement of Silas was confounding. Before she could think any further, Yuuki leaped back into the fray, slicing through the air so quickly that Chloe could see his sword blur. 

Silas, terrified at the lightning blow, quickly laid his knife vertically, hoping the steel would brunt the attack. And, unfortunately for Yuuki, the Heartscourge’s knife did a lot more than that. Despite the devastation a sword that broad and that quick would incur on the measly knife, Silas’s knives completely halted Yuuki’s blow. Yuuki, surprised, almost dropped his sword from the sheer jar sent rippling down the lengths of his sword. The Seventh Shadow took the chance. 

Quickly overcoming the distance between the two, Silas outmaneuvered the sword and rammed the pommel of his knife right into Yuuki’s weeping gash. What happened next was almost comical. The impact sent Yuuki flying, as if his body was weightless, right into a streetlight. The crash shuddered the streetlamp, causing its purple flame to flicker. As Silas looked down on his pommel, perhaps as taken aback as Yuuki, Chloe rushed over to Yuuki’s side. As she dashed over, her eyes picked up on another figure, no, more like a silhouette illuminated by the flickering of the magical streetlamp. Before she could make it to Yuuki, the streetlight went out, thereby masking whatever it was she saw. Chloe raced to his side, placing a worried hand on his shoulder. 

          “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice suddenly thick, “I-I thought you had… had died.”

Yuuki coughed, before turning to her. His unseemly reddish eyes blinked before turning to her in bemusement. 

          “To be honest, so did I,” he said plainly. 

Yuuki moved to his feet, his quick recovery prompting Chloe to do the same. Standing by him once more, Chloe felt a trickle of confidence wash over her. Even though the current state of affairs was heavily disadvantageous for them, a part of her felt like they were just on the cusp of victory. Although no words were exchanged between the two, Yuuki and Chloe raised their weapons, their anachronistic synchronicity a terrifying sight for Silas, who was beginning to wish he had chosen to disappear into the night. The Heartscourge shifted the weight onto his good leg, the movement causing the other to throb wickedly. He studied his foes in unease, his own arrogance slipping. 

          This has gone for far too long, the Seventh Shadow thought grimly. 

Although the elf was still considerably winded from their recent fight, the same couldn’t be said for the boy. Even though he was sure that he had squeezed the last bits of life from the boy’s heart, that damned upstart managed to recover miraculously. His speed was a serious problem, even if there was no weight behind the attacks. In his current state, he would definitely pick up scrapes in the battle against the two, ultimately leading to his loss in the battle of attrition.

He cursed. Faced with such unfavorable odds, the Heartscourge did the next best thing. Turning quickly on his heel, Silas raced into the alleyway from which he had spawned, leaving behind the two bewildered adventurers. 

          “After him!” Yuuki motioned, obviously, running. 

Before Chloe could profess her incapacitated state, she felt warmth encircle throughout her body. 

          Yuuki must’ve activated his ability, she realized, starting to pick up after Yuuki with reinvigorated vigor.

But, there was something off about it. It was as if his talent was kinda toned down or muffled by something. Like, as if something else was also using his power.  

          Probably got to do with how battered he is, she reasoned, following Yuuki through the twisted gulley. 

Yuuki's footsteps echoed through the narrow alley as he pursued the retreating silhouette of Silas. The uneven cobblestone ground seemed to blur beneath his feet as he pushed himself harder, his body still throbbing from the previous clash. Every step was a labor, each painful heartbeat a reminder that victory was still within reach.

          That’s it, Yuuki! Kokkoro whispered in his head, Keep going, we’ve almost got him! 

Chloe followed closely behind, her heart racing as she tried to keep up with Yuuki's brisk pace. The dim light from the cloudy sky made it hard to navigate the terrain. But, despite the hindrance, she  gripped her knives tightly in her hands, ready for any sudden confrontation.

As they turned a sharp corner, the alley widened slightly, revealing an old rusted ladder attached to the side of a brick building. Silas was halfway up, his figure barely visible against the night. Yuuki's pace didn't falter; he launched himself toward the ladder, his fingers grasping at the rungs with fierce determination.

She followed suit, her fingers finding purchase on the cold metal. Her body protested, but she pushed through the pain, driven by adrenaline and the desire to end this mad night. The metal ladder creaked under their combined weight as they ascended, the rhythmic clanging of their steps punctuating the tense silence.

Silas reached the rooftop first, his snow-white hair outlined against the backdrop of the dark townscape. Without missing a beat, he broke into a sprint across the rooftop, his cloak billowing behind him like a specter in the night. Yuuki and Chloe emerged onto the rooftop just in time to see him disappear through a door leading into the building's interior.

They both quickened their pace, darting across the rooftop toward the door. Chloe's breath came in ragged gasps as she forced her exhausted body to move faster. Yuuki, though, seemed to have tapped into a wellspring of determination, his agility incredulous even in his worn state.

They burst through the door, revealing a claustrophobic descent of stairs. Silas had just pivoted around the corner. With his mouth set in a grim line, Yuuki and Chloe pursued, clambering down the musty stairs. They followed the retreating figure onto a dimly lit catwalk above a huge room. Chloe rapidly studied their newfound surroundings, attempting to get some insight into what they stumbled upon. 

The building seemed to be a refinery of some sort, the magnitude of it astounding.  Towering structures loomed around them, even reaching high above the catwalk and through the roof of the building. The refinery was bathed in low-level floodlights, just barely illuminating the sights below. Massive vats and tanks, like giants of steel, rose like sentinels from the ground, their sheer size defying belief. Rows upon rows of them stretched out in all directions. Some lay empty, while others held bubbling, acrid-smelling pools of liquid. Chloe crinkled her nose as the acidiulous odor caused her eyes to tear. 

Yuuki, meanwhile, paid no attention to the silent iron giants that churned below. His only concern was the figure that stood at the end of the catwalk, one that sighed in defeat. Silas cursed as he fumbled with the padlocked door on the other side once more. Usually, unlocking such a brute would be peanuts for the adept assassin, yet, as he snuck a glance behind him in disdain, he had no time to carefully caress the pins and tumblers of the pig-iron lock. 

The Shadow turned around, his face a blank canvas. It appeared he had no options left, no cards to play. He regarded the two carefully. Judging from the fierce looks on their faces, no sweet words would dissuade the two from their chase. A flicker of fear, an emotion the young assassin had not felt since his childhood days, blossomed in the Heartscourge’s decrepit heart. Silas lifted a hand to the shuddering organ, as if in disbelief. Then, despite himself, a small smile creased the Heartscourge’s lips. It had been far too long since someone had given him this much trouble. 

Silas’s smile turned to one of a crazed loon, relishing as his amygdala fed his body with noxious adrenaline. Yuuki studied the assassin’s demeanor with cold calculation. Yuuki unsheathed his sword warily. Kokkoro spoke in the back of his head, while her phantom body, visible to only him, floated translucently at his side. 

          Be careful Yuuki. The most perilous person is someone out of options and cornered. 

          He called out, “Let’s take it easy, Silas. Just turn yourself in. Nobody has to get any more hurt than they already have tonight.”

Chloe turned to the assassin, sweat dripping down her face. Although she knew chances were slim that Silas would surrender, a part of her hoped the night would end bloodless. Silence perpetuated between the four. The only thing that punctuated the hues of silence was the rhythmic hum and occasional clink of machinery that reverberated through the air, creating a cacophonous symphony of industry. Then, the clangor of iron was interrupted as Silas, ever silent and seething, flew towards the two, his gloved hands gripping both of his obsidian damascus daggers. 

          “You block and I attack,” Yuuki uttered, quickly entering the fray. 

Chloe nodded, following Yuuki. Their stampede caused the chain-linked floor of the catwalk to tremor; the wires that suspended the platform creaking ominously. Chloe set her mouth in a grim line, as she felt Yuuki’s power, mute as it was, wash over her, thereby putting out the fiery pain that inflamed from the spot where Silas had struck her. 

          We’re in worse shape than he is, she thought, The only way to stem his onslaught is to work together. 

She took one final glance at Yuuki, now only a scarce meter from Silas. The weariness on the boy’s uncharacteristic eyes worried her. But her concerns would have to be tabled. Silas lunged forward, the pounce prompting Chloe’s attention. The Seventh Shadow aimed his cruel blades directly at Yuuki’s throat. Yuuki’s reddish eyes widened, before he swiveled his head out of a way, a breadth away from death. 

          If it weren’t for Kokkoro’s help, I wouldn't have been able to dodge in time, he realized.

Yet he had little time to appreciate his spectral friend. Upon missing, Silas stabbed at Yuuki’s exposed side with his free dagger. Yuuki realized the blow was impossible to dodge. Silas’s eyes lit up madly at the almost guaranteed hit. But, before hard blade could penetrate soft flesh, Chloe’s own dagger flashed out, hitting the spine of Silas’s blade and stopping Silas’s stab prematurely. The clash of steel reverberated through the refinery, the eerie sound echoing in the hollow vats. 

Yuuki, not wasting the opportunity, darted to Silas’s edge, his broadsword glinting in the low light. With Silas recovering from the fallthrough from his failed swipe, Yuuki lopped his sword horizontally, the blade aimed directly at the thin thigh of the assassin. Silas convulsed at the last second, his thigh bending impossibly. Yet, despite the Seventh Shadow’s best efforts, Yuuki managed another shallow cut across the assassin’s thigh. Blood sprayed from the wound, further ensanguining Yuuki’s blade. 

Silas, mind firing with white pain, dodged as Chloe moved in for another strike. Her knife whittled through the air, right where Silas’s head was mere moments before. Wanting to create some space between them, Silas rolled back, both injured thighs burning as he did so. But, Yuuki was out of mercy. The boy, red eyes burning crimson-like in the low-lit room, flashed forward, his assault aggressive. Silas's eyes locked with those of the towering boy with malevolence. Yuuki’s blade cleaved through the air, right at Silas’s shoulder, the stroke seeming to be the final strike of their tumultuous battle. Yet, Silas’s wild eyes did not dim. 

As defeat in the form of Yuuki’s blade arced towards him, Silas moved with inhuman speed. First, he threw one dagger at Chloe, the action so quick and unforeseen, that Chloe had no choice but to laboriously dodge the deadly projectile. As the elf dropped to the floor, she had inadvertently gifted the Heartscourge with precious seconds. With a window of opportunity presented to him, Silas catapulted at Yuuki. 

Silas first angled his second dagger diagonal to Yuuki’s oncoming blade. Normally, such a maneuver would wrench his very arm from his socket. But, as the Seventh Shadow suspected, the force behind the boy’s blow was weak. He easily dispelled his attack, the momentum sending sword and swordsman both reeling past the assassin. Silas drew close to the boy, and, in one, precise thrust,  pocketed the entire length of the slender blade into Yuuki’s chest. Silas felt the breath leave the boy’s body as he trembled. Yuuki’s arms fell limp to his sides, whereupon the Heartscourge leaned in close and whispered ruthlessly. 

          “Idiot. Brevity may be the soul of wit, but haste is the essence of fools.”

Yuuki coughed, spitting up splurts of blood. Silas grinned fiendishly at the sight. He turned to the girl, who stood open-mouthed with shock. Just as he calculated. The Heartscourge muttered an incantation, and at once, his eyes grew alight with magical flame, his irises surrendering to his ability’s amber hue. 

          The girl cares too much for the boy, he thought, In this state, I’ll easily finish her off with my ability. 

And, just as he suspected, Chloe soon fell to her knees, either from grief or from his ability, he didn’t know. Silas smirked churlishly. He had finally won. But, at the seeming culmination of his victory, Yuuki sputtered, the words coming out surly and sloggish. 

          “...W-Wasn’t a-aiming f-for yo-you,” the boy drawled. 

Silas turned to the boy, who stared back with those damned eyes in defiance. Just then, Silas heard one of the wires suspending the catwalk snap. He turned to see a row of the load-bearing wires frayed, sliced from Yuuki’s blade. With the loss of support from one side, the unstable floor lurched, causing the other wires to strain heavily. Silas’s eyes returned to normal, his concentration shot. The sudden stagger caused the two to slam onto the chain-linked floor. The impact was all the old maintenance wires could bear. One by one, they snapped, each crack loud and echoey in the refinery chamber. 

Silas’s glee turned to abject horror as the entire catwalk upturned, one side of the platform completely slipping down, creating an impossibly steep ramp, from which Silas started to slide. The Seventh Shadow bellowed in rage, alabaster fingers trying to find purchase among the links of the floor. Yet the downward force was too great. Silas was ripped from his purchase again and again as he continued his fall. He turned, abandoning his plan and hoping to land on his feet. The sight filled him with terror. 

The fallen catwalk opened to one of the refinery’s vats. Unfortunately, this particular one held a pungent green liquid, one that bubbled and popped vitriolically. Silas’s desperation turned dire. He turned back and raked his nails into the metal floor, trying, seeking, beseeching for purchase. Yet, the cold iron floor gave him nothing. With now only human terror lighting his accursed eyes, the Heartscourge went over the upturned edge of the catwalk, straight towards the acid pool that lay in wait. 

Out of nowhere, Silas felt something strong clasp his hand, the grasp with such vigor he felt his arm nearly tear from its socket. Silas looked up and saw Yuuki, his blue eyes vivid and lifelike, with his face slick with perspiration. His other hand gripped the slick railing of the fallen catwalk. The boy seethed with exertion, panting. 

          “C-Come on! Pull yourself up!” 

Taken aback by his action, Silas couldn’t move. His hesitance looked to be their combined downfall. Yuuki’s clammy hands began to slide against the slick metal, causing the two to inch closer and closer to their green doom. Yuuki heard Chloe’s startled cry, her footsteps fast approaching. 

          He burbled, yelling, “D-Don’t come any closer! Any more w-weight and we’re all g-going over!”

Yuuki turned to Silas. 

          “Come on! Or we’re both going to die!”

But, distrust glimmered in the Shadow’s eyes. And it was this hesitance that ended up causing his downfall. The beams that hung overhead, attached to the wires which brunted the mass of the wire-suspended catwalk, shuddered with the uneven weight distribution. The slight tremor acted like a magntiudous earthquake for the shoddily placed metal. The beams buckled and a jagged, large piece fell from the ceiling, directly into the acid bath below. The pool of liquid in the vat splashed with the sudden entrance, sending steaming, hissing droplets of acid everywhere. Yuuki, seeing the oncoming acid rain, ducked, shutting his eyes to avoid the keen veracity of the acid. Yet, Silas, with his back turned to the sudden event, didn’t react in time. A glob of hissing liquid splashed onto the side of his face, causing the Heartscourge to scream. Instinctively, the assassin drew both hands to his burning and popping face, and in the mad process, relinquished Yuuki’s lifeline grasp on him. 

          “NOOO!” Yuuki reached out in despair, lunging over the edge. 

But it was too late, Silas fell, out of reach of Yuuki’s outreaching hand. Yuuki’s sudden flounder resonated ominously with the delicate catwalk, causing the metal to groan as more wires snapped. Time crept as Yuuki watched in horror; eyes distraughtly locked onto a falling Silas. He then felt himself go over the edge. 

But, before his body went completely over, he felt a sharp tug in his leg. Chloe was at his side, and, unbeknownst to the panicked elf, so was Kokkoro. The older elf materialized behind Chloe, and, in strength that contrasted against her lithe stature, pulled at Chloe’s shoulders. Their combined effort was enough. Yuuki was wrenched back to the unstable catwalk, the boy pale and shocked. Yuuki slumped on the falling floor, bewildered. 

Kokkoro immediately dissipated, as Chloe rushed to his side. The elf ducked her head under his arm and threw it around her shoulders, lifting up him. She took command, leading Yuuki up the slope of the tilted catwalk and to the stairs from whence they had came. 

          “We need to get out of here. The entire platform is going to collapse!” 

          “I d-didn’t see him fall into the vat, Chloe,” Yuuki blustered, grasping his side, “He’s st-still alive, I’m sure of it.”

          “Just shut up. We need to get out of here,” she snapped, getting increasingly worried with the amount of blood trickling from Yuuki’s stab wound. 

          She’s right, Yuuki, Kokkoro whispered in his brain, worry easily audible in her fragile tone, We need to get you help, fast. 

The three stumbled through the open door, entering the small corner where the stairs to the roof lay. The last thing Yuuki remembered before blacking out on the stairs was the thunderous crash behind him as the entire catwalk platform fell, the echo terrifyingly similar to a sad cry in the night. 

After his collapse on the stairs, Chloe dragged Yuuki up the stairs, her own body threatening to give in at any second. She pushed against the door, her arms loped under Yuuki’s. Her heart had almost given out when several dark silhouettes stood waiting on the other side.  But, thankfully, she would face no more action that night.

A constable came to her, her eyes widening at the sorry sight of the two. Barking out orders, she, with some protest from Chloe, took Yuuki and laid him out on a stretcher that two deputies brought. Chloe shut her eyes as she slumped against the doorway, her reserves completely gutted. She murmured nonsensically at the thousand questions the medics asked her. When it was apparent that they wouldn’t get any answers from the elf, the medics lapsed into silence, performing their work quietly. A billow of exhaustion swept over her, the sheer force of it almost knocking her unconscious. As Chloe slipped into the alluring plane of darkness, a voice spoke to her in her head, approving and reassuring. 

          You did good, Chloe, the girl’s voice whispered, a hint of elfish North whittling each vowel. 

But, Chloe’s mind couldn’t process the voice anymore. Her last thought as she surrendered to the darkness was the curious fact that she hadn’t completed her alchemy homework. 

Shortly after, the medics rushed the gravely injured adventurers to the nearest surgeon, which happened to be currently located at Lord Cedric’s residence. There, Yuuki and Chloe received apt treatment, in addition to the medic’s preliminary care,  and were held under careful watch in one of the many guest rooms in Lord Cedric’s possession. 

When Chloe had awoken, in an obscenely lavish bed, her first thought was to rattle Yuuki for how loud he was being. Yuuki was situated on the cot beside hers, busy chatting with one of the blushing maids of the manor. 

          The boy had turned to Chloe, his blue eyes alight with childish glee, “Oh, hey! You’re finally awake!”

Chloe blinked. Her mouth felt incredibly dry. Seeing her parched expression, the maid was reminded of her duties and hurried over, bringing forth a glass of water. Chloe eyed the rosy-cheeked maid warily. She turned to Yuuki, her blistering demeanor lost on the innocent-looking boy. 

          “Are we back at Cedric’s place? How long has it been?” Chloe said, finishing her glass. 

Before Yuuki could answer, a hearty laugh echoed from the room’s entrance, capturing the attention of both of them. Yuuki’s jaw slacked open while Chloe stared in disbelief. 

          “What? It looks like you two have just seen a ghost!” Lord Cedric joked mirthfully, a twinkle in his bespeckled eyes. The old man seemed well. 

          Too well, Chloe thought, astonished. 

Lord Cedric walked tall, as if a debilitating weight was removed from his shoulders. His eyes shone with life and vitality, his carefully groomed beard and simple, yet elegant, clothing incredibly disconcerting, since the last time the two had laid eyes on him, the old man lay grey from Silas. Yuuki voiced the obvious question. 

          “HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?” he exclaimed. 

          Cedric chuckled, “I’m glad to see you’re back to your usual selves, my young friends. You had given us quite a scare there, these last couple of days.” 

          “Last couple of days?” Chloe repeated.

          Cedric nodded sagely, “Yes, your battle had left you both in incredibly dire straits. Our town’s finest doctors attended you daybreak to nightfall, ensuring that our heroes would return to their homes in victory.”

Cedric turned to Yuuki and regarded him with a twinkle in his eye. 

          “Especially you, my young friend. You were a special case for our fine healers. But,” he added, seeing the look on their faces, “I see I owe you a bit of an explanation.”

Cedric walked over, carrying himself with grace, and sat down in one of the bedside chairs, near Yuuki. He looked up towards the maid and gave her a small smile. The message wasn’t lost on the maid, as she quickly departed the room, waving to Yuuki as she did so.  As the door to the room closed, Cedric turned to the two, lacing his sun-tanned fingers. 

          “First, as for my being here. To be perfectly honest, I am incredulous that I am alive as well. The doctors had told me I was knocking on death’s door, but before the blasted fellow could work up from his seat by the Hellfire and answer, I had retreated, leaving an empty shadow in my wake.”

The combined look of confusion from both of them caused the old fellow to flush, scratching the back of his white head. 

          “Oh, perhaps my ramblings were incoherent. In layman's terms, I was on the brink of death, with my heartbeats falling to only 20 beats per minute, before slowly rising due to Reginald’s and the good doctor’s efforts. It seems like you two had interrupted whatever black magic that murderer was working on me in the nick of time. For that, you have my deepest gratitude,” Cedric said, bowing his head. 

          Chloe spoke, “I’m glad you’re safe, Lord Cedric. But what about Silas? Is he gone?”

          Cedric seemed puzzled, “Silas?”

          Yuuki explained, “That’s the name of the murderer. He did a lot of showboating during our fight.”

          Cedric cleared his throat, “Well, to answer your question, my dear, you are correct. Since your tumultuous tussle with that tyrant, our lovely little town has been quiet since then. My presence here is tantamount to that.”

The old man reached over, placing a reassuring hand on Yuuki’s shoulder. 

          “But worry not of such things. I’m sure that you all are itching to get discharged.”

          Cedric’s face broke out into an expression of coy happiness, “I’ve already called in the doctor when Yuuki awoke. But, after a small inspection, you must allow the residents of the town to shower you with our gratitude. Let us party for three nights! A full festive feast, for the two brave souls who protected us from that cutthroat!”

The prospect of such a rowdy event made Chloe painfully aware of the throbbing lump on her head. She grimaced as Yuuki laughed nervously. 

          “Well, if you don’t mind, Lord Cedric, I’d think I ra—”

          Cedric nodded and leaned in whispering, “Don’t worry, my young friend. I’ll keep quiet about your little flirtations with Lyra. You have my blessings. ”

Much to his horrification, Cedric finished his statement with a fatherly hand on his shoulder, as if giving permission for some unspeakable thing. He turned to Chloe, and, catching her scorching gaze, realized Cedric hadn’t been the quietest in his proclamation. Perhaps it would be better to avoid traveling alone with Chloe at the moment. Yuuki put on a smile and turned to Cedric, completely missing the naughtiness hidden away in the blue tones of the old man’s eyes. 

          “Maybe that doesn’t sound so bad after all,” he grinned. 

In the dimly lit, dust-laden corridors of Cedric’s ancient library, the ethereal figure of Kokkoro drifted silently among the towering shelves, her translucent fingers gently tracing the spines of weathered tomes. Her lithe figure danced between the labyrinth of knowledge, among the mahogany shelves that loomed like silent sentinels. 

Today marked the second day since Yuuki and Chloe had awoken. Cedric was true to his word and hosted a great feast in celebration of their triumph. The previous cold atmosphere of the town blew away like a bad memory, and in its place, the townspeople’s mouths loosened, forming radiant smiles and words of praise for the two brave adventurers. 

Kokkoro blinked, studying a particular book on bhootology momentarily before slipping the tome back in its place. 

The speed of things sent her mind spinning. In particular, Yuuki’s rapid recovery was of particular interest. A stab wound that grievous and despairing would take months, or even years, to heal. Yet, in the span of a couple of hours, both the hole and scar healed away without a trace. As Cedric sat with Yuuki and Chloe, Kokkoro hovered nearby, listening to his explanation, which was nothing more but praise for the local surgeon. Even Chloe’s wounds, numerous and threatening, went away seamlessly, not even a bruise marking the elf’s pretty face. 

Kokkoro gripped her hand around another book. In total, their trip had spanned a total of four days. In four days, they had uncovered a deep plot, secrets, and tons of unanswered questions. Who were the Shadows? What are they planning on doing with these so-called lunar fragments? Kokkoro’s phantom finger flickered. She turned studying her translucent digit. It looked like she was getting too far away from Yuuki. 

          I wonder how Karyl and Pecorine are doing, she thought, not for the first time. 

The door to Cedric’s library opened, followed by the light shuffle of feet on the hard floorboard. Kokkoro turned, seeing a figure transgress through the rows of bookshelves. Upon closer inspection, she realized it was Lord Cedric himself. She stood very still, making no noise as she hoped the Lord would pass by her. Yet, curiously enough, the old gentleman stopped before the very aisle she was in and walked towards her. 

Kokkoro felt her heart flutter, yet she staunchly shut down the coming emotions of surprise. There was no way he could see her, now that she made herself invisible. Yet, the old man kept walking, his hands neatly clasped behind his stiff back, until he stopped right next to her, leaning forward and picking up the book on bhootology she had placed back a scarce moment before. Heart thumping so loud, she was half-sure Cedric could hear it, Kokkoro tried to escape, prompting to phase through the shelves and back to Yuuki. Yet, before she could, Cedric’s voice broke out, the sound, as she would remember long after the fact, thoroughly shocking her to her core. 

          “I’m afraid our collection doesn’t contain the knowledge, you seek, my little one.”

Cedric’s voice shuddered with such emotion and gravitas, that it rooted Kokkoro in her place. The old man turned to her, as if he saw her, right before him. Kokkoro hesitated, before speaking, still in her phantom state.

          “You can see me?” she whispered. 

Her confusion was compounded as Cedric nodded. Kokkoro slowly materialized, dropping onto the floor. Even though she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold the form for long, she willed her body to permeate, the shock coming through on her forming face as clear as day. 

          “How can y—”

          He interrupted, “You know, when I explained the power of the moon to Yuuki and Chloe, I never actually explained my own ability, did I?”

Kokkoro blinked, but the old man continued, his eyes still locked on Kokkoro’s frame, as if in disbelief. 

          “Like all those present that accursed day, I languished alongside my moon-touched friends. Yet, back then, and up until very recently, I always felt I was lucky compared to the others,” Cedric laughed thornfully, a rough, brackish sound, “How wrong I was.”

He drew closer. Although normally, Kokkoro would seek escape, something about his demeanor captivated her, drawing her in like an old wive’s tale before a roaring hearth. 

          “Let me tell you, little one. Let me tell you what I have been blessed with. My stone bequeathed me with the ability to cure any ailment, short of Death,” he spoke hoarsely, “And the cost? Why, simply, when my inevitable battle with Death eventually leads to the death of one of my patients, any memory of that person, any shred of communal feeling, is wiped from my mind. As if they didn’t exist in the first place.”

Kokkoro, engrossed in the tale, could say nothing. 

          “Like I said, I didn’t think much of it until that damned Heartscourge came,” Cedric bemoaned, “Then, one by one, my remaining friends died. People who I’m sure I used to be close to, something my servants and staff assure me of, but I can’t remember . By all rights, I should be in the dark throes of grief, throwing myself around at the deaths of my friends, but how can I, when I can’t even remember what they looked like? Or their names? Their personalities? Their interests? Hell, I can’t even remember the last time I talked to any of them. How am I expected to grieve so shallowly?” 

At the crescendo of Cedric’s outburst, the old man fell silent, before shuddering. It took Kokkoro a while before she realized Lord Cedric was weeping. Cedric the Clinician turned his eyes to her, those eyes wet with brimming tears. As they fell onto his ashen cheeks, Kokkoro felt her memory churn as a glint of a memory resurfaced. 

          “But. But. Despite that, I am able to remember you, my little one,” Cedric, “Kokkoro Natsume, daughter of Thalorin and Sylva Natsume.”

Kokkoro’s eyes widened at the mention of her parents. A memory, not of images, but of warmth, soft sounds, and love enveloped her as she studied the old man before her. 

          “You were just a wee babe back then, my little one,” Cedric said, “How old was I before your parents departed for the North? Perhaps no more than 40. You have grown into quite the elegant lady these past 25 years.”

Kokkoro stood there, her translucent form wavering with a mix of emotions – disbelief, astonishment, and a newfound connection to a past she thought was forever lost. Her parents, as they would tell her, left for the North when she was still months old. But, the feeling of familiarity enveloped her, a feeling that she couldn’t shrug off. 

Cedric nodded, his tears drying as his eyes filled with a hint of joy. He placed a gentle hand on Kokkoro's translucent shoulder, and the touch sent a shiver down her incorporeal form.

          “Come. Let’s talk, my little one.”

A figure, alabaster and snow in the darkness of the throne room, indolently tapped her extended fingernails against the black crystal of the throne. Her voice was devoid of any emotion, yet each word felt oppressive and colossal. 

          “Explain to me once more.”

The pagess crumbled under the weight of that iron statement. Shuddering, she responded demurely. 

          “Silas… has been defeated, your Majesty. Our forces had recovered him a day prior, and he had suffered terrible burns and wounds. Half of his face is completely disfigured due to a chemical accident. And…he was unable to take the last crystal from the town. It appears the crystal he had on his person is a fake.”

The False Princess, eyes ablaze with fire, said nothing. The only thing that betrayed her unbridled animosity was the deep ingrooves she had carved into the armrest of the throne with her animalistic claws. 

          That useless fool. The only worth in that uncivilized town was Cedric the Clinician’s crystal. With him now on edge, nothing short of war will pry it from that old man’s hands.

The upper corner of Kaiser’s mouth twitched. 

          His power would’ve been immense in my hands… 

          The pagess stumbled, “In addition, in his official statement, Lord Cedric praised the two adventurers that were present, and actually slighted the Crown and Royal Guard for how long they took in responding.”

          “Who were they?” she responded evenly. 

          It was a minute before the pagess responded, “Yuuki and another named Chloe Hanako.”

Despite her masked countenance, a malignant glimmer lit up the False Princess’s eyes. With a flick of the hand, the pagess was sent gratefully scrambling, leaving Kaiser alone in the quiet throne hall. After the doors ground shut, Kaiser allowed herself a small smile. 

          “Well done, Yuuki and Chloe,” she snarled, “But you won’t be so lucky next time.”