Ben remembered a few years before he had left for the West, he was stuck training his Adjudicator Magic with the Grand Duchess Roselia.

  “Focus on your hand, Your Highness,” She said, “feel my fingers down your arm and imagine it as your magic flowing through you.” She slowly trailed her fingers from his shoulder down to the top of his hand and he imagined it in his head.

  This was when he was only 7 years old, and he was already in rigorous training. “Do you feel it?” Recounted the Duchess.

  “Kind of?”

  “That's great,” The woman smiled, “you're doing better than most, Your Highness. You should be proud of that.”

  She took out a knife from the table next to them, “Do you mind?” She gestured towards the bde and then towards the Prince.

  “G-Go ahead.” Ben was afraid of the knife; he had witnessed his Knights getting sughtered by swords when they were ambushed by the Kingdom a couple years prior. He hated bdes since then but he must face that fear.

  An emperor must not be afraid of such small things.

  Roselia grazed the knife at the palm of the young boy’s hand, “This will hurt a bit, Your Highness. Please do tell when it becomes too much to bear.”

  The boy nodded and Roselia began to dig the knife into his palms. He winced and yelped when it first dug through but he bit his lip and held a straight face as the Duchess made a shallow cut on his palms.

  “Can you see the blood, Your Highness?” The woman smiled gently as she pced her finger on top of the wound.

  “Yes.” Ben felt uncomfortable looking at it.

  “Does it hurt?”

  “It tingles.”

  “Close your eyes,” Roselia chuckled softly and the boy listened, “now imagine the blood returning back to the wound.”

  He did as she said and though his eyes were closed, the excited noises the Grand Duchess made assured him of his progress.

  “That's amazing, Your Highness.” The Duchess tightly squeezed the completely healed palm of the Prince, “Though it may have been a small cut, for you to be able to finally completely heal it after weeks of practice—it’s amazing!”

  She then wrapped her arms around his small neck and embraced him. The young Ben’s face turned flush as the pretty older mentor he had praised him again and again. He felt really proud.

  “W-Will Father approve of this development?” The seven year old had eagerly anticipated.

  Roselia gave an unsure smile even Ben could tell she was anxious from that question. “He will always be proud of you, Benjamin, your father just struggles to show it.”

  “R-Right.” Ben wanted to believe her words but it all doesn't feel real. His Father may have not been rude or abusive but Ben never felt any love from his Father since his sister died in the ambush. He wanted to believe his Father was capable of loving him again but it all seemed like a hopeless wish.

  “Shall we now turn to your swordsmanship training?” Roselia smiled as she lifted the boy up in her arms, “I’ll teach more about the things we talked about st week.”

  Ben’s face turned red again as he dug his nose onto her colrbone. “S-sure.” He felt secure in the arms of the Grand Duchess, despite being a 7 year old kid, he still likes getting lifted from the ground and carried like a baby.

  His mother wasn't strong enough to do that and his Father would never in a million years try to.

  Roselia giggled as she started combing her fingers through the Young Boy’s red hair. “You’ll soon be overtaking my daughter in these lessons, Your Highness. I must admit, you amaze me with your skill of the bde.”,

  “T-Thank you—” Ben didn't know what to feel in regards to it. Swordsmanship for him felt like a means to an end, it only mattered to him because it was a way to protect himself and the others he cared about.

  “I hope you two would meet someday,” Roselia continued to chat as they walked towards the training area in the Pace, “She's quite bright as well for her age. Maybe you could even take her hand in the future.”

  Ben squeezed his hold on the Duchess tighter. He imagined it for a bit, an older version of him with a girl who liked the woman he was with right now. He imagined smiles and ughter. A happy complete family.

  Somehow imagining that scene made it shift to a memory he had before his sister passed. It was when they were pying cards with their parents and everyone was teasing each other to win the game. His dad was clearly cheating to let his sister win but he didn't mind it at the time.

  They were happy.

  “We’re here, Your Highness,” Roselia pced him down.

  “Roselia,” The young boy puffed up his chest to calm down his aching heart, “I wish I was your son.” Ben couldn't help but feel jealous, jealous of the daughter she had, that they were happy and fulfilled.

  Unlike him. He let his Father down. He let his Mother down. He let his own country down. Worst of all, He let his sister down.

  And there was no getting her back anymore.

  Roselia’s face turned solemn as she knelt down to face the boy in the eye, “I am fttered to hear that, our beloved Crown Prince. However, what would your mother say if she had heard that—”

  Ben thought about it for a moment and felt guilty. He didn't mean to offend his family and name like that.

  “Don't feel too guilty, Your Highness,” Roselia caressed his cheeks and cleared the welling tears in the boy’s eyes, “your feelings are nothing to be guilty about, you're just too young to understand them completely.”

  The young Ben sniffled and rushed to hug the woman. He nestled his chin on her chest and stayed there for a while. Where it was safe

  The Grand Duchess of Ramirez sighed, as she returned the boy's affection. “If you wish to rest for a moment, we can take a minute or two.”

  She felt him nodding through the movement of his head still settling nicely on her. She felt his tears stain her clothes too, but she didn't mention it. A young boy must be allowed to cry after all, but it does them no right for you to mention it when they want to hide it.

  “Tears are a source of strength, Ben.” Roselia held the boy closer to her. “We fight so that we never needlessly shed them again.”

  Ben snapped his eyes open from the vivid fshback. He awoke inside a cave with a crackling fire beside him. On top of him was a warm bnket and beneath him was a comfortable yer of fabric.

  In the fire nestled a pot, perhaps cooking something or boiling, it felt more like the tter as the scent of fragrant tea filled the snowy cavern. The cave had a rge mouth for an opening and past that was a roaring blizzard that didn't seem like it’d stop any time soon.

  “Oh, so you're awake.” A voice called from behind him, it was a tall woman, simir age to that of Lady Alejandra, only slightly younger…perhaps she was 18? Only two years older than Ben. She had soft snowlike blue hair that trickled down to her shoulders and single braids that cast down the side of her face.

  She had beautiful bronze eyes that reflected the orange fme quite entrancingly. Ben stared speechless at the girl. In her arms was a pile of wood gathered from somewhere, they were cedar-like in color and shape that it’s certain they weren't going to be using Promethean Wood.

  “What?” The girl said bnkly.

  “N-Nothing!” Ben stammered, unusual of him.

  He took a breather, he had to process what had happened. What did he st remember?

  He thought for a second before it all came back to him. He immediately jerked up and a sharp bloody spear formed in his palms, the sharp end pointed directly at the woman's throat.

  “Feisty.” She spoke bnkly again, her chin lifted by the tip of the spear. “You must've misunderstood something.”

  “Where are they?” Ben’s voice was jagged like rocks, angry enough to grind stone to dust, “tell me where you’ve put them?”

  “Or what?” Thengirl finally showed her first burst of emotion, a snicker filled with mockery, “you're gonna kill me?”

  “Heads will drop on the sand, and it won't be mine.” He pushed the spear further down her neck, sneaking out a little blood.

  Suddenly from the mouth of the cave chains suddenly wrapped around his armed hand and pulled it behind him. The bloody spear colpsed into a puddle in the snow.

  There the man was, a young man, lean, and muscur, very tall as well, he was simir in age to the girl before. He also has pale snowy blue hair but compared to her bronze his eyes were sea green, enough to feel like they were moving like waves.

  Ben fell on to the hard snow with a thud. He noticed the chains weren’t cast as a weapon but it manifested directly from the young man’s hand.

  Adjudicator Magic. He clocked immediately

  “Good evening, Your Highness.” The young man knelt down with a cheeky grin on his face.

  “Who are you?” Ben growled.

  “I suppose we never had the chance to meet despite your lengthy stay with Father.” The Boy summoned more chains and wrapped it around his neck and pulled him up to stand, “So this is my Father’s top pupil.”

  “Wh-What?” Ben croaked, the chain tight on his neck.

  The man smiled before he opened both of his hands and the chains that well…chained the Prince retreated back into his body.

  “It’ll be a pleasure to work with you, Your Imperial Majesty.” The man walked over and sat by the fire, shuffling in his bag and sticking a rabbit in a stick and stabbing it into the pit. “I am the heir of the Duke of the West, your master” He leaned forward and poured himself some tea, “I—am Vander Bay.”

  The girl then sat down next to him and dropped the firewood in the fire pit. Her bronze eyes looked like an orange sunset amongst the light of the fme, “and I am Scarlet Bay—his twin sister.”

  Ben abruptly stood from the ground, his voice backing up behind his throat. “W-wait—you’re the expedition team?!”

  “Well there's one more of us—” Scarlet shrugged. Ben figured she would say something afterwards but she just continued to stare at the fire.

  “He’s out with one of your friends right now.” Vander expined, “the girl with the pretty brown hair.”

  Ben froze for a moment, trying to piece all of his thoughts together into one cohesive narrative, “and Julian?” He had to ask.

  “He’s somewhere deeper in the cave, he said he wanted to explore the inside a bit more to look for resources.” Vander stretched his arms and groaned, “you were knocked out for quite some time. Although I did ask Thomas to enchant my chains, I didn't expect it to work so well.”

  “Thomas?”

  “We’re back!” Another guy entered from the mouth, he was simir age to them as well, maybe a bit older but he looked young as well. He had a round face and bangs that reached up to his eyebrows, a chubby face, and clear eyegsses over his shifty blue eyes. His hair was bright blonde, the brightest one Ben’s seen in his life, that was wild and curly alongside animal ears that popped up from above his head. Behind him, dragged by a rope, was a rge dead reindeer.

  Beside was a familiar girl, Autumn as she carries some stones with her and a bag of what seemed to be fresh snow.

  “There you guys are!” Vander smiled brightly and, after spping his knees, stood up and greeted them at the entrance.

  “Well, you left us didn't you?” The ample sized man, Ben assumes to be Thomas, gred at the boy before him.

  “I felt my poor lovely sister call my name so I had to rush.” Vander apologetically chuckled as he opened his arms to lift the burden of the reindeer away from the beastman.

  Ben was a bit confused though, Scarlet never said anything except a few minute words during the whole time he posed a threat to her. He turned to the snowy haired girl who, coincidentally, was also staring at him. She then gave him a toothy grin, seemingly understanding his confusion before choosing to ignore it completely and stare at the fire once more instead.

  Steps from deep inside the cavern emanated and echoed loudly through the dark stone box they were sitting in, as a knight only dressed in his under armor returned to the camp. “Only dead ends.” He groaned as he took off his gloves and threw it to the side.

  “Julian?” Ben pointed out and the young 18 year old knight’s eyes widened as a massive sigh of relief left his chest.

  “By the goddess, you're finally awake!?”

  “P-Prince?” Autumn peeked from behind the two men who were still bickering about the reindeer.

  Ben smiled and opened his arms and the young barbarian girl rushed in for a hug. Julian, feeling a bit left out, joined in. “I thought you guys were in danger.”

  “No, they saved us,” Julian expined, “pulled us to safety just as the avanche crashed where we were standing.

  “M-Missed you.” Autumn muttered her eyes looking up at him as if she was staring at a ghost.

  “Hey,” He comforted and patted the barbarian girl, “I’m good okay, I’m not gonna lose that easily.”

  Julian smiled and lightly punched Autumn’s shoulder. “Told you he’d be fine.”

  The girl cheekishly blew a raspberry at him.

  …

  “Your Grace, you have someone at the door.” An Azaroln knight called from the other side.

  “Turn them away, I’m busy.” Amelia bit the nails in her finger as she scurried the documents before her submitted by Arthur. The amount of dead bodies recovered near that cliff.

  She was nervous. She knew exactly what that cliff and cave was about as her grandfather had told her before. “It seems the Emperor was right,” Amelia let out an exasperated sigh as she squeezed her forehead tightly, “I should've kept the guard around that pce to a maximum.”

  “Don't bme yourself, Your Grace,” Hana caressed her back to calm her down, “The cave itself hasn't showed up in the forest in a while, that mage from the Hero’s party, kept it quite hidden because of the seal.”

  “Even so,” Amelia snapped the pen in her hand, “so many of my people, tortured and hurt, so many women, unmercifully assaulted and mutited.”

  Hana winced at her words.

  Suddenly music began to py from behind the door, a music so enchantingly haunting, that it almost drove Amelia to sleep, her eyes felt heavy but the Spirit in her blood jolted her awake.

  “Your…Grace???” Hana fainted right next to her and she heard the thuds of bodies falling from the other side of the door as well.

  Amelia immediately pced her hand on the sword next to her desk.

  “There is no need for that, Your Grace.” A sweet, almost gentle voice spoke behind the wooden wall between them.

  The door flew open as there were three people now before her. A small boy, with an innocent look and pin expression on his face; an old man in a suit and tie, who had a flute by his lip; and stly a woman in a mask and a hood, with merely her red hair peeking through.

  “The Underworld.” Amelia recognized immediately and her shoulders rexed. It's not like this was their first time meeting each other. The Underworld aren't your normal crooks, they're organized crime with a very uptight code. Added to that, she also sensed no bloodlust nor danger coming from them, especially that odd girl in the center, so she decided to let her guard down for now.

  “What do you want, Red Witch?” The Duchess leaned back on the chair and crossed her arms, “I’m quite busy right now and also very frustrated—I assume you know the gap in our strengths is rge enough that even a monster like you won't stand a chance against me?”

  The witch giggled and stepped forward into the room with the two people following behind her. “I’ve recently discovered a few things of my own that I feel like would benefit the both of us quite neatly.”

  Amelia raised her eyebrow and smiled for a moment, entertaining the idea in her head, “Do I strike a deal with the monster? Hah! I’m not that stupid.”

  The witch shrugged and paced around the room. “I assume you know of the sudden decrease in demonic beasts?”

  “Hah! Anyone can tell that.” Amelia snarled, her face turning sour and angry, “I’ve had to deal with document after document, report after report. My people are suffering from a ck of food and we are forced to trade away our stock for winter just to get buy right now.”

  “Is that so?”

  “People at the edge of the Duchy are already feeling the effects of this sudden decrease.” Amelia angrily gestured with her hands. “Our demonologists can't even expin this sudden shift in behaviour. I’m at a loss!”

  “I figure the seal is broken now as well.” She gnced towards the report on the Duchess’s desk.

  Amelia’s dark brown void-like eyes radiated a sudden burst of killing intent that staggered everyone in the room except the Witch. “What about it?”

  “Do you know what they were doing to the women in there, Your Grace?” The Red Witch chuckled and tossed a leather pouch to the Duchess who caught it easily with one hand.

  “Be careful, Red Witch.” Amelia stabbed another pen on the table, “I don't like the attitude.”

  “Neither do I like you.” The Red Witch shook her head and then walked over and sat at the Duchess's desk entirely, “but I feel like showing you this might benefit me in the long run.”

  The Duchess frowned at her presence at the table but decided to just punch her ter and look at what the Witch had handed her instead. She hesitantly opened the pouch expecting an explosion, instead inside was a couple dozen vials of thick bck ooze.

  “What the hell is this?” Amelia turned her eyes to the Witch who walked over to the elf next to her.

  “You know, these two here were the ones who insisted we take this up to you, and persuaded me to do so.” She raised her shoulders and a few paintings fell from a slight shift in pressure. “I wanted to handle it myself but I do suppose I can exploit your goodwill in the process, Your Grace…”

  “Get to the point.”

  “In your hands, are vials of demonic essence, sourced from pure demons.” The Red Witch's aura shifted to a more dangerous kind. “Your Grace, it seems they're impregnating the women of various races to find those who can conceive demon children.”

  Amelia bnked out.

  She stared at the Witch before her.

  What did she just say?

  A deep gut wrenching twist knotted in her stomach and she felt like she was ready to hurl.

  “What?” Amelia didn't know where this reaction came from. “That’s impossible, a normal demon can't reproduce! They're doing inhumane experiments for nothing!”

  “It's not impossible, Your Grace,” The Old Man spoke modestly and more politely compared to the Witch beside her. “I am Rowan Hesser of the Underworld, and I can tell you for sure it's not impossible.”

  “And why is that?”

  “A normal demon, like the beasts, brutes, and imps, aren't able to procreate with other races, in fact only the beasts can even reproduce naturally,” The old man properly expined, Amelia wondered if he some sort of demonologist as well with how nicely he expined it, “but—what if it was a higher being—a devil?”

  Amelia’s face contorted angrily. She sat straight up. “Get out.”

  “Ah! Don't be a spoilsport, Your Grace.” The Red Witch chuckled. “He might be right, you know, a Devil might have finally risen again, I suppose the beasts have decided to follow a master once more.”

  “They should have all been killed like their King.” Amelia screamed. “There is no such thing as Devils anymore!”

  “Then I ask you—before I ‘get out’,” Maddison shrugged and walked towards the door of the office, “how could the Hero Party’s Great Mage Megra’s seal be undone so easily?”

  Amelia quieted down upon this revetion.

  The Leader of the Underworld then cpped her hands to focus the attention on her once more, “If our information proves to be useful to you, I hope you’ll assume us free untolled and unblocked travel across the North.”

  With that, Witch walked away with a satisfied smile followed by the young boy who didn't say a word this whole time. The Old man politely bowed before leaving after them.

  It took the Duchess a few seconds to think about everything that just happened. She gnced at Hana who slept so peacefully next to her. That made her feel better even if it was only for a small moment.

  Amelia sat back at her seat and fell into deep thoughts. The demonic beasts wouldn't just suddenly stop acting wild unless they have no reason to be wild anymore. Unless they become tamed—

  “A Devil is back—A fucking Devil is back.” She cursed.

  The Duchess now worried about the future of her territory, groaned in frustration—but worst of all, She had to find Alejandra—she must cancel her niece’s training until this Devil is killed. It is far too dangerous out there right now.

  What was happening to the North?

  And where could Alejandra be???

  …

  In the path beside the woods, an intense battle was still occurring.

  “BOU!” A dwarf yelled, as he blocked a pounce from a wolf-like beast, “USE YOU WATER MAGIC TO HEAL ME NOW!”

  “Y-YES!” Bou hurriedly casted the only healing spell she knew and, coincidentally, the only spell she knew.

  “There's too many of them!” Teresa called from the top of the carriage as she was effortlessly drawing from her quill and shot arrow after arrow towards the psychotic monstrous beastmen that charged at them.

  Millo slice one of the their arms off and finished it with a clean decapitation. “It's overwhelming.” A bead sweat slipped from his cheek to his chin and to the ground.

  Inside the carriage the group of defenders were protecting was an old man and a kid huddled up together as Bou’s father were chanting prayers at them to calm them down.

  “Alejandra, take the fnk and make sure none of them slip through.” Millo guided, “protect Miss Bou at all costs as she is our lifeline right now.”

  Alejandra was getting more and more anxious. “Got it.” She's never seen her uncle so agitated before.

  Suddenly, inside her head, a collection of different voices called out to her. “Allow thee, my faithful Master, and thy beasts shall be disposed of before thou can even shut thou’s eyes. Just speak mine name as thou has once before.” It was the same chilling ice shard monster from her nightmares.

  “Shut up.” She squeezed the bde tight in her hands. “You will not be taking control of me again, even if it means I can't use your magic.”

  The voice didn't respond.

  The monsters of beastmen circled around them, there were still around a dozen left, and it already took a lot to defeat a few.

  Alejandra looked at the unnatural beastmen before them, they were much hairier, and more animalistic than a normal beastman, but Aleiandra could tell her uncle was right. These before her used to be normal beastmen, living normal lives, somehow they've turned into these—creatures.

  “What happened to you?” Alejandra felt pain for them, she pointed her blue bde towards the beast.

  The creatures then all prowled downwards all at once, as if they had all unfairly discussed it beforehand to commit such a tactic.

  “Hold!” Millo fixed his foot on the dirt and entered an offensive stance, his eyes turning red. The others tightened their defenses and Boudicca retreated behind Cavael and Alejandra. Teresa loomed at the top of the cart, only a few arrows remaining on her quill.

  There was a tension between the two groups. Tension so thick you could feel a leaf from the surrounding trees snapped from its branch and began to fall to the ground.

  And as that leaf slowly and gently made its way to the dirt—

  The creatures pounced.