"Atlas. Atlas Castillo at your service, milady," he said with a swift flourish of his hand.
Atlas turned out to be a tall lanky man wearing a plush purple tailcoat, pinstripe pants, a blush colored cravat, kid gloves and a tall purple top hat with peacock feathers and a silk ribbon tied around the broad rim. Underneath the tailcoat was a cream colored shirt buttoned to the top. There was a jeweled apple shaped brooch in both his hat and cravat with the hat brooch holding both the ribbon and feathers in place. He carried a walking cane with a roaring lion's head made of gold.
When he smiled sharp gold teeth, like a shark's, would poke out from his thin, pink lips. The upper part of his face; form his forehead till his nose was composed of black mist. From this mist glowed two small orbs of light. The right one a clear blue while the left one a bright purple. On top of his right lip was the end of a long scar in a vertical slit. The rest of the scar was all inside the mist. He also wore a monocle on his left eye. He had short choppy white hair on the front whereas at the back the rest of his hair was long and neatly cut.
He appeared menacing but was extremely gentle with the way he handled Claudina.
Claudina smiled wearily. '...Castillo…there is no one with that name in the demon nobility. Maybe a King grade demon? There are demons here. Or a native, perhaps? Then my luck would be the worst. Chronos knows what he wants…'
"Milady?"
"Yes? Oh! My apologies, I am still out of it." 'Doesn't matter who he is, I can't let it slip, I am a Saintess.' "My name is Claudina von Crowley, heir to the Crowley dukedom in Chronostis."
Atlas gazed in suspicion. "The Crowley dukedom of Chronostis? I believe there was only one heir, Ivan Von Crowley."
"...It is a bit complicated. A personal matter if you will."
"Pardon my manners then. I didn't mean to probe."
"It's alright, sir. I must be off now. I need to find my companion also."
"Ah, does that mean the rabbit on the pumpkin patch is yours?"
"...If I answered yes, what would you do?"
"I shall go fetch him. I can't let a princess walk through mud now can I?"
"Then if you will, please."
With that Atlas turned to his heels, walked straight through the patch, whistled and waited.
'What's he up to?'
Almost immediately Baron's head popped up from the tall pumpkins, pumpkin guts running out of his mouth. His eyes darted towards the beginning of the patch and he lowly growled. Then his eyes landed on Claudina who beckoned him to return.
He gave four giant leaps and landed in front of her. He nuzzled her face, smearing sticky pumpkin seeds on her check. "duChesS, arE yOu alRigHT? tHe pUmpKins Won't teLl mE wHicH wAs pLayIng ThE jOKe oN yOU sO I sTartEd tO eAt thEm tO seT aN exAmpLE."
'That seemed like a joke to you?!' "All's well, dearie. Since I got down, you don't need to eat them anymore."
Baron licked off the seeds from her face. "puMpkINs?"
"That's correct. Pumpkins."
"Princess Claudina."
Claudina turned around. Atlas was grinning at her. Baron growled. "...Grr…"
'...I have a bad feeling about this.' "Yes?"
"If you don't mind me asking but you are human?"
She slowly nodded.
He let out a huge sigh of relief. "Oh thank the Gods! Finally! Someone I can ask for help!" Flinching back, she waited only to be surprised again.
He quickly reassured her. "Please don't be alarmed. I mean no harm, truly. You see I am a human just as you are. I am aware this face of mine looks similar to the…how should I say it…the unsavory residents of the Void Maze but in reality this is a curse."
"A curse?" she repeated, uncertainly.
"Yes, a curse. I was cursed from birth. My parents, bless their good souls, didn't abandon me as the others told them to and instead raised me to be a perfect gentleman you see today."
"..."
He clapped his hands bashfully. "And as for being so relieved to find out you are a human is because I have been searching for someone who could help me."
"Help? What sort of help?"
"I was hoping you would let me accompany you. I was supposed to meet a friend here and my other friend who was supposed to be my guide went off ahead without me. So if you would be so kind…"
She rubbed her elbow, looking away. "...I am not sure about that…"
"Oh but don't you want to meet up with your saint friends too?"
Claudina froze. Baron's low rumbles were now guttural growls.
"You forgot to mention your other identity. A Saintess of Chronos. Must have slipped your mind." He gave a closed eyed smile. "It happens sometimes when meeting someone new."
"..."
Atlas appeared to notice what effect his words had on them for he began to apologize. "My gosh! Have I said something I shouldn't have? Stupid Atlas, now why did you have to say that?!" He looked around in guilt, biting his lip and wrenching his hands in despair.
Thinking it might help, he took off his top hat. Turning it upside he said, "Princess Claudina, please look here." Claudina coldly glanced at him.
With a wobbly smile he put his entire hand inside the blackness of the hat. Though his shoulder was almost inside the hat, the hat itself didn't stretch nor did it tear open.
"Now where was it?" he whispered. He was rummaging around the hat now. "Here? No. here then. No, that's Camelia's house…then it must be around there…" Suddenly his face brightened and he pulled out his arm swiftly.
Colorful confetti sprang out of the hat and in the air as Atlas held up the creature by its ears. "Tada!"
Claudina looked at his hand in puzzlement and annoyance.
The white rabbit yawned as it hung by its ear not minding the least. He thrust the rabbit to her. "I hope this clears up the air."
"...Sir, just how old do you think I am?"
"Do you not like rabbits?" he asked innocently though his eyes strayed over to Baron who looked at the rabbit like it was an extinct and fascinating animal.
She narrowed her eyes and took the rabbit in her arms. "Touché."
Baron leaned over to take the rabbit. He cradled it in his upper two arms and stared deeply into its red eyes. The rabbit sneezed.
Atlas gently smiled. Claudina wondered how such ferocious looking teeth could appear to be so kind and warm. "It had never been my intention to offend you. To be honest I had noticed you from afar and was waiting for you to pass before I could enter. But then I saw you getting caught. It would go against my parents' teaching to leave a lady in trouble behind."
Claudina didn't appear to be fully convinced.
"Then how about this? You can ask me any questions you want and I shall answer them truthfully. You have my word of honor."
Taking the gamble she started, "...Alright then, how did you know I was a Saintess and how did you know about the others?"
"This curse of mine has granted me many gifts and a drawback. One of the gifts include the 'All seeing eye.' Yes, one of your friends has it but unfortunately she hasn't reached its full potential as I have. Once I have reached my full potential I can look into someone's memories simply by conversing."
Claudina was horrified.
"Please, it isn't like that at all! I only peaked a little when you said you were the heir to Crowley. I have left everything else alone. Besides, I can't look into someone's memories a second time until I have their permission!"
Staring in mild disgust she asked, "Why do you want to accompany me?"
"Well, one, I might find my friends on the way. Two, I can't let a lady go by herself. Whilst I am sure you are plenty capable but it is to put my mind at ease. It would go against my parents' teachings and my morals if otherwise."
"And the third?"
"I am a bit of a biologist. So I am curious about the symbiotic relationship you have with that rabbit of yours. Course I mean the first one. Not the gift."
"Okay, fair enough," she said, nodding. Here, her eyes turned sharp. "...Do you have any connection with the Vessels of Ri'sh?"
"Was it obvious?" he asked, bashful.
"I don't see any other reason for a human to walk around a Void Maze."
Atlas smiled sheepishly while scratching his cheek. "Ahahaha. Well, you hid one of your identities and so did I. Doesn't that makes us even?"
"No. That makes us enemies. The five Gods oppose the Vessels of Ri'sh. Shouldn't you try to kill me?"
"I know I should but I don't want to fight you."
"You don't?" She frowned. "Why?"
Despite his menacing looks he again appeared to be kind. "The reasoning is a bit violent. Milady shouldn't hear it."
"I was in the frontlines for two and a half years. I can handle a 'bit of violence.'"
"Milady if I wanted you dead I would have let you fall. Though you could say you would have used magic, rather than using levitation magic you screamed for your rabbit to come. I can conclude you aren't able to use it as freely as the rest of your spells."
"If your rabbit did come I would deal with him first while holding you in the air. If he attacked I would use you as a shield and if you tried to attack I could easily direct the attack to the rabbit. If the rabbit dies first I will send you up in the air and let you fall."
However if none of that happens and you are still alive after that fall, I would cut open your heart. Then I would have lured your rabbit with your heart to your corpse. Seeing how attached he is, he will obviously try to piece together your broken body. And then while his guard is down I would kill him.``
"Now, if everything I have said doesn't come through because I am sure you own two-no three- Forbidden grimoire, you could have put up a fight. But then all I have to do is suspend you in air and forcefully extract them from your Ancient Power which I am sure will cause you unimaginable pain. With the books in my possession I would follow the plans I stated above. Or I could simply kill your rabbit with those books."
"...Hmm…" 'Perfect plan with backups…Today, he chose not to fight me, what about tomorrow?' Claudian shivered in dread.
"Oh my! Are you cold, Princess Claudina? Here take this." He shed his tail coat. He stepped forward and quickly wrapped it around her bare shoulders. "It won't do you any good to be dressed so lightly in this weather, milady. It's understandable you wish to appear beautiful but your health comes first. And besides you already look lovely as you are." He fastened the buttons before she could protest.
'Smells different from Father or Sylvester's coat…' Baron sniffed the coat too. "sMelLs weIrD. ToO mUcH MUsK. nO rOseS anD sPicE."
"Apologizes, young rabbit, but a man's cologne is different from a woman's perfume."
Banishing thoughts of musk and roses she asked, "You have reached the full potential of your Ancient power, that means you can also look for the vital signs of a person right?''
"That...depends…I have never tried it before. I could if you would allow me to peek at them."
"...Alright but only look into a single memory. There will be a girl there, around 7 or 8 years old with apple red eyes and fiery red hair. There is a sprig of forget-me-nots in her hair. I will also be with that girl in an open field."
"Vivid enough. Think about that memory only and ignore everything else." He closed his eyes and reopened them a second later. He looked at her for a good while.
"What is it?" she said, worried.
"I have never seen a more adorable child than you~" he gushed. "You looked just like a pretty little doll."
"Wha-? Never mind that! What of the other girl? Is she alive or not?!"
He nodded his head. "Oh, she's alive alright. Don't worry."
Claudina slumped back.
"Milady!/DuCHEss!"
Relief washed over her. She was alive.
Wherever she was, she was alive!
There was still hope! There was still time!
She can still find her!
And she just needed to search a bit more.
"H-her location, do you know where she is?"
"Milady, you are chilled to the bone! Let's talk later! A fire, no, no, no, we should first get out of here. The more hostile residents of the pumpkin patch will be waking up soon."
"Answer me!" she shouted. Both Baron and Atlas were startled.
"Do you know where she is?" There were tears glistening at the corners.
She was so close to finding her!