As the sunset was approaching its pinnacle, the prince made his way through the town, escorted by the Order of the Silver Wind. Having been here for awhile, and having assisted in the defense of the city against the Goblin attack and then putting down an undead horde, they were quite well known and liked by the people. Furthermore, the leader of this order actually often lived in this city, and was once a commoner and very down to earth so he interacted with others well. Their popularity would only continue to boom, many believed, and there was even talk about how one of their new squires was also working as an adventurer, which their leader was one as well. An S-Ranked one even.

  No one was even aware that Riza Luminar, Astazia Regaliz, and Ruka/Aruu were all members of an organization or group so hidden, they typically only referred to themselves as The Hidden.

  There was a whole lot of fanfare of course as they made their way to the guild. People cheering, flowers being thrown their way, there was all sorts of fanfare.

  I hate this so much. Why did this have to be an official visit? Come on dad! This is annoying as hell!

  While complaining internally, Astazia waved and kept up his smile. He knew he couldn't drop his facade, that he had to keep it up so that people kept thinking him as the heroic and adventurous prince. In truth, he got that reputation by just running off on his own all the time, joining the adventurer's guild (although his actual guild identity was a secret, they had somehow found out. Probably because he was royalty and all), and various things like that. So none of this was what he really liked to do.

  "Can we go eat now?"

  "Hush. We don't know who might be listening in telepathically, your highness" Ruka replied instantly to his telepathy, with a sharpness to it. In theory telepathic communication should be secure, but according to Ruka it was not as secure as some people might think. Apparently he knew of four different ways to intercept it.

  As they walked along the main street, Valiance had somehow managed to worm his way in with them while having his retainers go to help get things ready in other areas for the prince. Riza had to note that he was an annoyingly persistent bastard, and considered cutting him down on the spot. But there wasn't enough wiggleroom. Too many people were watching them, and there were other people watching and assisting the Valiance family as well. Riza needed to know who they were, or such a move could come back to bite him. Plus the other issues it would bring.

  There is also an annoying amount of people watching us from the shadows. If I had to guess, at least some belong to the spymaster, others belong to the Imperial College of Diplomacy AKA The Empire's Intelligence organization, and then there are the rest of them. A mix of spies from other nations, some from Coronai, and if I spotted correctly, I am pretty sure I have spotted at least two devils in disguise, probably serving under Chianthias.

  Riza had to wonder if there was anyone not in attendence today. He figured the northern nations probably weren't here, but one could never say. There were also various personal intelligence organizations of various nobles, both local and domestic, and a number of spy organizations. ANd they couldn't just haphazardly attack these people with no proof.

  Which means any would be assassins hiding among them can just loiter around and look for the weak leaks. I only have the best in the Order of the Silver Wind, but I can hardly say that Valiance's people are top notch. Especially when we took out a number of them lately. Still, he did at least bring his best people for the prince, but I am sure right now someone is marking all of his other knights and servants, seeing who is a weak link to exploit. But maybe I will be lucky and Valiance's backers will kill the assassin for me. They would take advantage of it for political gain which would be a pain, but it would keep the prince safe. Ruka wont reveal himself no matter what after all, and that can't be helped. If only Green could just get here, we could have him take care of things. I don't want to drag my family into this after all.

  While thinking of such things, they finally began to approach the adventurer's guild. And that was when Riza saw him. Sebas. Standing in the background, not trying to come forward at all. Just watching them, a concealment spell in place that would fool almost anyone. It was some serious weight behind it too, which made Riza think it wasn't a deception.

  The hell? Sebas? What the fuck is he doing here?

  This wasn't a development that Riza expected, and he especially didn't like it. Part of what provoked this trip in the end was the fact that he had that Elven facility up and running produced those armored monstrosities powered by children. It was possible he was keeping watch, and yet, Riza had to wonder...just what were those soldiers really for in the end?

  Its unlikely, but we can't say for certain he wasn't trying to start an insurrection. If he has backers in the Empire, that would certainly be possible. Although honestly I would have thought that would be Gathik Valliance and his father, not Sebas. Still, who can be certain?

  As he worried about that, they showed up at the adventurer's guild. Although a ton of people had been told about this trip, it was never said the prince would go to the guild, so he could hear them being rowdy inside as usual.

  However, the one who took charge was Astazia, as he kicked open the door and walked right in. Everyone was being rowdy and merry, with the exception of a few were who drowning their sorrows. Riza noted what appeared to be a Heartbreak Special at one guy's desk, and remembered his face and to treat him some time soon.

  As for the prince, he walked to the center. Everyone's eyes were on him, not sure how to act. He then took out a small sack that jingled.

  "Its time for another celebration for everyone's accomplishments! Drinks on me, till either the gold runs out or till the next sun rises!"

  This was met by loud cheers all throughout the hall. Everyone cheered ecstatically, as Astazia tossed the small pouch to the keep and then sat at one of the round tables with a bunch of other adventurers. They seemed to still be sober, but even moreso, they had a different air about them.

  "So, how about you all tell me about what has been going on here in the meantime" he asked as Ozlo watched from a distance, now in some practical formalwear as he might call it. It was noble clothes that was a bit flashy, nice cloak, overrobe, things like that. Still, it seemed like the prince had taken control of the pace, so Ozlo just watched and waited, occasionally with one eye closed.

  At the same time, Kuroki and friends were approaching the wall.

  "Did you know that they call sunsets the Royal Ambiance? Apparently they look so great, and the colors so majestic, it was named that for its prestige. Personally I think it was so the royal family could take advantage of its prestige for themselves, buuuut...you didn't hear that from me" Kuroki mentioned as they walked up the stairs that were along the outer walls. They all had quite a bit of food in their hands, which was impressive since they had been eating for awhile now.

  Riku, who noticed this, looked at Kaede and Ryuu. "I am amazed none of us have gotten full yet".

  "I don't think I have gotten full once since arriving in this world. In fact, I weighed myself recently...I have lost twelve pounds despite eating more food then I used to so I could keep up my energy" she said, a bit conflicted.

  Kuroki frowned at that. "Pretty sure that is unhealthy for someone your age".

  "Yeah I am pretty sure too! And keep in mind, this wasn't in the past month. I weighted myself two weeks ago and just the other day, so this was in about two weeks time!" Kaede declared while eating some more snacks.

  "I think our bodies were enhanced after the Starfall, so that probably means both stomach and muscles together. So that might be, what? If each one worked twice as well, wouldn't we actually be burning four times as many calories?"

  "Yeah probably. I think our bodies now digest better then the average person of this world".

  "Well, thats going to be annoying in the long run" Ryuu muttered. "Still, could be worse. I could still be a Type-1 Diabetic".

  This caused the three of them to pause, and look back at the youngest member of their group.

  "Hold on, what did you say?"

  "Hmmm? I never mentioned it? I have...or rather, had Type-1 Diabetes. It was really annoying so every new years and any other time I visited a shrine or such, I would wish for it to be cured".

  "Ah".

  "Yeah that would do it".

  "Starfall win?"

  Kuroki, Riku, and Kaede all had their reactions. Ryuu however had the strongest one of all.

  "If they heard about it, all the Type-1 Diabetics, probably all Diabetics really, in our world would probably do anything they could if it would let them become a Starfallen".

  "Even if it meant giving up technology".

  Ryuu shook his head.

  "I don't know about Type-2 at all, but let me tell you, being a Type-1 diabetic sucks a lot. And I mean, a lot. Constantly keeping track of blood sugars, always needing to get shots or have an insulin pump connected to you, dealing with the constant misunderstandings because people simplify everything and can't be assed to actually listen to the people who go through it. You know how many idiots think we can't have sweets? We can, we absolutely can. We just have to bolus and give insulin for it like any other meal. Thats the same with all food. But sweets and sugary things are still all fine and acceptable. Honestly, its a major pain".

  Kuroki nodded, as Ryuu vented quite a bit.

  "And then, there is also making sure your insulin pump has enough battery, or keeping mindful of its battery levels cause these things tend to have batteries that die surprisingly fast for medical equipment, like in about a year their battery level displayed could be vastly different from what it actually is. Furthermore, you have to plan your schedule basically around how much insulin you have left, need to watch out because its not just highs that can get you but lows too. Deal with various unpleasant side effects. And hope, hope, that despite the fact you did everything right, nothing goes wrong. Because let me tell you, things can always go wrong even if you do everything perfectly".

  "But, thanks to the Starfall, you don't have to deal with that anymore?"

  "Yeah. I have a friend out there who was also a Type-1 like me, only he had autism too, which made it so much worse. Imagine having to focus on something, but also having difficulty focusing on things?"

  Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.

  Ryuu was normally the most childish of them all, given that he was the youngest. But they were seeing another side of him right now, granted a side that was very pent up with irritation and rage over his situation in the previous world. From what it sounded like, everything he had gone through, being separated from his family, having to walk through a forest to the city butt naked, training and fighting against monsters almost every day, was worth it as his life had been improved simply because the Starfall cured him of his condition.

  This whole time, Ryuu had been the most happy and energetic of them all. Kuroki had attributed that to his age and innocence, but given what he just heard, it was clear there was far more to it.

  Let that be a lesson to myself. Its bad to make assumptions.

  Kuroki had thought he learned that lesson already, but apparently it was the type of lesson one could learn multiple times.

  Either way they finally made it up onto the walls. Perhaps due to the festive mood, but there were quite a few others there as well. Everyone had come to the top of the city walls to watch the sun set, the Royal Ambiance as it was called. The sun had already reached the point when it was at its most brilliant, a blazing red and orange arced through the sky and the myriad of colors enraptured the gazes of all who watched upon it. It appeared almost as if the sky had been cut open and bled, and yet rather then violent if felt beautiful and reflective. The mana in the air seemed to emphasize the light that came from it, in some areas thicker then others, as it created this beautiful and majestic aurora across them all. This was not the first time they had seen this phenomenon, but by far, this was the most beautiful one they had seen yet for some reason.

  "I never get tired of seeing this" Kaede let out.

  "Neither do I" Riku admitted, as he took up Kaede's hand into his own.

  "Truly, a magnificent sight indeed" Ryuu.

  "Its as if all the pain of the past is being let out, and letting in a sort of kindness in its wake" Kuroki poeted.

  "Indeed. I never tire of it myself" a fifth voice chimed in, as he stood next to them. It was a boy wearing a dark cloak, who seemed to appear as if from thin air, taking a deep breath as he watched the majestic sight in front of them. This boy who they did not know let down his hood, and turned to face them. "Sorry for interrupting. My name is Ruka, nice to meet you".

  "Who are you?" Kuroki asked, wary. He had to admit passively sensing for everyone using his Echomap was a bit pointless in these crowds, but he did not only rely on that. He had ears and eyes, and yet for all purposes this boy made nary a sound as he walked up next to them. He was dressed in fancy noble clothes, and appeared rather interested in the four of them.

  "A friend, I suppose you can say".

  "...a bit sudden to call a stranger a friend" Kuroki pointed out.

  "Maybe. But then again, you are not the first Starfallen, let alone another Otherworlder in general, that I have met" he pointed out. "And I felt like we should talk. Unfortunately, I don't have all the answers. But I have some of them".

  "And what answers are those?"

  "I can tell you that the reason Chianthias, and the Devils, want you all dead is because a new advisor to the Demon King, an advisor of unknown origin or appearance, told him about the Starfallen ahead of time. They had no exact idea of when or how many of you would arrive, just that it was supposed to be millions, and that they would be a threat to all of the other powers of this world as well as the Demon King as well. Even now, I can sense a putrid aura gripping your hearts and minds. I believe you call it...Compliance?"

  "You can sense it?"

  "Indeed. I do not know its origin, but I can tell you right now this is not the first time I have encountered it. Along the way here alone, a similar aura had strangled many messanger birds to death and caused them to fall to the ground. I noticed a few on the way here, although I kept it quiet for now to avoid the enemy realizing we knew. I am also familiar with the Shade Bird you fought in the Spirit Realm".

  "What do you know of that thing?"

  "Its Origin is unknown, but its a type of curse. A hunter. Someone placed it upon you, and I doubt you are the only one. Others have made their moves as well, and some took quite the different approach than normal. It will continue to try and hunt you down until it possesses your body, or until you destroy it. Whichever comes first, Kuroki".

  "A curse huh...so its marked me as prey?"

  "Yes. However, the damage done to it lately was severe. It will take quite a long while to recover. It should reach you before your father though, so you don't have that much time".

  Suddenly, a blade made of mana appeared at Ruka's neck.

  "How do you know my father?"

  "I was told by someone who knows the future. The Oracle".

  Kuroki seemed to ease up a bit.

  "If I am being honest, he is quite the pain. It will take everything you have, as well as your allies, to defeat him by the time you two clash. I suspect he may be being used by whoever is responsible for the Starfall, enhanced beyond normal, plus his obsession empowering his wishes to enhance himself further".

  "YOu can't have learned all of this from The Oracle, can you?" Riku asked, suspicious.

  "I did not. I learned because when the Starfall happened, a great amount of magical energy was expended in this city. I do not know if it was whoever invoked the spell, or whoever interfered with it, but at least one of the people responsible for the Starfall hitting your city is within this city. Someone used a high level ritual using a ton of stolen and gathered magical parts. And as much as it pains me to include one person on the list, based on my investigation, at least one of these names are involved. Amyris, Ellie, Valiance, Sebas, The Lord of the city himself, or perhaps I should say herself...heh".

  He let out a bit of a chuckle, before continuing.

  "I suspect you may have already met him, but...Cremalis as well. He and General Astris have been making some strange moves lately. As well as Riza Luminar, Marian Rozat, and Ozlo Luminar. They are the only ones with both the power, the authority, and the connections needed to have pulled off the ritual and not a single one of the rest of us finding out yet. Very few people are capable of that".

  "Riza and Ozlo? Amyris and Ellie? I seriously doubt any of them would be involved in this, especially Amyris. He would never risk putting children in danger".

  "Yeah, but you have only known them for like a month. Iv actually known Riza for longer, but I have to admit he is secretive. He lies almost constantly about his combat techniques for instance. And also, it might be they interfered with the ritual as well...which means they are for some reason keeping information hidden, highly important information that could help everyone figure out what is going on, and they wont tell anyone".

  Riku shook his head. "Hold on, Amyris, Ellie, and Riza were all outside the city when the Starfall incident happened".

  However, Ruka shot him down. "Ellie and Amyris at least could pull it off remotely".

  "Amyris said he was checking the forest to make sure some ancient evil wasn't causing trouble. The guildmaster asked him too".

  "Ellie said she was hunting for materials, although I haven't seen her do it since I arrived..." Kaede admitted.

  "Riza actually found me the following morning" Ryuu added.

  This drew the attention of the others.

  "Wait what do you mean Ryuu? I thought RIza found you instantly?"

  "He did pretty much, he found me at sunrise outside of the city. He had rushed over and everything from the city itself".

  Upon hearing this, Ruka frowned.

  "He went right towards you? And he was in the city during the ritual?"

  Ryuu nodded to Ruka's request. Ruka cursed a bit in response, narrowing his eyes.

  "I was really hoping it wasn't him, so he was keeping secrets".

  "However, that doesn't mean he did the ritual. There is another serious contender. Someone who came and sought us out, deliberately antagonized us and coming to the adventurer's guild. Someone who had a need for untraceable people...or rather, untraceable children".

  Ruka looked over at Kuroki, who had some thoughts of its own.

  "You think Sebas was involved with the Starfall?"

  "He was building an army of Elven Soldiers. With the amount of kids he already took, someone would have noticed. Someone did notice. And...I have heard Starfallen make excellent materials".

  Ruka nodding, acknowledging the point.

  "Aye, they do. But it's clear that Riza knew as well. Both of them are suspicious, but if Sebas joined for his own goals and ambitions, his information of others who were involved would be limited. But it could still be useful. Plus I can't help but wonder what sort of secrets he learned but didn't mention within those ruins as well".

  "Still, hasn't Riza been too helpful to be an enemy?"

  Ruka shook his head. "Make no mistakes, I don't think Riza is an enemy. At least not yet. But he is suspicious. And he absolutely knows more than he is letting on. I would imagine he has an incredibly good reason to keep us all in the dark, but given the situation...if there is any clues you think you might have to say one way or the other".

  Kuroki paused for a moment. This person was still a stranger to them, he wasn't sure if they could trust him. But at the same time, learning the truth about the Starfall was vital. And a few fragments of what Riza had done was odd. Especially when he put those pieces together.

  Ruka already seems to know so much. He knows about Sebas, and he didn't look surprised at all when I mentioned the Elven armors. He knows about everything it seems, including the ruins of the Necromancer. And when Chianthias, the Devil, attacked us because we were Starfallen...could it be...

  "...hold on a second...Riza has been involved with every incident that involved Starfallen elements. A Devil who is hunting the Starfallen for reasons and information only she has, he went and attacked her at her base. At the Elven Ruins, where Sebas was working...he was using children, and he tried to have us targeted specifically...to use as materials. Starfallen make optimal materials. And at the ruins of the necromancer, when he attacked...he was separated alarmingly easily for someone of his power. It was a rather annoying trap, but was it too easy? And there was yet again a Starfallen connection".

  Riza currently had a perfect appearance ratio for when the attacks or schemes involved them being Starfallen. Every time, he had been there since they met.

  But he was always there, even more then Zak who had mysterious knowledge of what would happen it felt like, which Kuroki attributed to his deductive abilities.

  "And now you see why I cant entirely trust him. Part of that fault is Riza himself of course, he hates collatoral damage or people getting hurt so he does everything he can to avoid such outcomes. It tends to give away his hand".

  "Riza has a connection to the Starfall, without a doubt..."

  At the same time, the person in question had taken a break away from the action. His armor concealed with magic, he just looked like the average traveler now.

  "Ruka disappeared. I knew he didn't trust me, but to think he is going around investigating things so quickly. I guess he decided to take the sledgehammer approach this time" Riza mused, his tone slightly annoyed. However, from the shadows of the alley, his son Vartra appeared.

  "Dad..."

  "Don't worry. We have to keep the secret a bit longer, in order to force Sebas to make his move. Perhaps a week or two, three at most id bet till he begins to act".

  "You had me conceal the reports of him smuggling the magical supplies, and then even took some yourself to run a counter ritual right?"

  "Yes Vartra".

  "Thing is, I checked the ritual site. You used blood magic, didn't you? Was Sebas...was he targeting me? Or Ozlo? It looked like part of it was a reworked location spell with a huge range, the runes were unfamiliar to me so I couldn't fathom them. Just what exactly did you do?"

  Riza paused for a moment there. He then turned back to Vartra and let out a smile.

  "I was keeping a promise I made long ago. Why the questions, don't you trust your dear old dad?"

  Vartra's face stiffened when he heard that, as he looked upon his dad.

  "Still clinging onto your secrets? Even from me? Even when you promised you would tell me after helping you? A promise you made to your own son?"

  Riza felt his heart ache to the sounds of those words he heard, echoing inside of his head.

  I promise to protect you. I promise to protect all of you.

  "I will tell you. This is not a matter of if, but when. I always keep my promises to my children and grandkids" Riza replied, a tremor of emotion in his voice even as he spoke with solidarity. "However, there is someone else I owe an explanation to first. And I cannot just simply do that, not yet. Not when there is still so much going on".

  Vartra narrowed his eyes.

  "Don't tell me..."

  "No" Riza denied before Vartra even spoke the words. "Its complicated, but it's not what you just thought of".

  "Okay, good. Then tell me. Why all the secrets? Why not just say it now?"

  When Vartra said that, he saw something. It was only for a moment, and when he rubbed his eyes, it was gone. But for the briefest of moments, he swore he saw Anna there. His fellow student with Amyris all those decades ago.

  "Like I said, I made a promise. And I intend to keep it. You will learn soon, and don't worry. I wont be dying any time soon either".

  "But the ritual. Did it have anything to do with..."

  "Vartra..."

  "I know I know. I just, I worry okay? You have a bad habit of going too far and out of control when it comes to family. Or do I need to remind you of the time I got kidnapped when I was seven? Or when Ozlo got kidnapped when he was five".

  "In all fairness, how was I supposed to know, for a fact, you both would rescue yourselves?"

  "You broke several laws that you had to cover up, and crushed at least one crime syndicate, because of incidents caused by independent actors. Uhg, fine. Can you at least tell me how you know this Ruka?"

  "Not now, and probably not while this city has so many enemies in it. You never know who might be listening".

  "That is a fair point" Vartra grumbled. "Still, if they are knocking on the doors, I need to know something more if only to watch out for myself".

  "Fine...be wary of anyone who comes and asks about Hero Summoning Magic. I can't get into detail yet, but I know that whoever are enemies are, had to have learned part of what they did on that. Whether its Sebas, or someone else, they absolutely had to know and investigate that magic, despite it being an incredibly well kept secret. Anyways, the prince will be visiting the Mage's Guild next, so best to stay safe, got it?"

  "Understood. Maybe we will get lucky and we can give Sebas a good scare".

  "Ah, that would be a nice change of pace"

  And so, the father and son duo went their separate ways to return to their duties.