Light from the sun eventually came. They stood in silence, staring at the crumbled soil, the demolished trees, and the unfortunate animals that got caught in between the crossfire. Salem noticed a hummingbird trying to wake its fellow hummingbird by the fallen tree which used to be their home. He lightly poked him with his long and narrow beak. The hummingbird, noticing Salem's approach, became even more agitated. He attempted to wake his friend with faster pokes, even trying to lift him by squeezing under his body and attempting to fly off.
It was futile yet the hummingbird didn't leave his friend. He stood by his side, prepared to meet his end. This strongly reminded Salem of someone. Clinging on to hope was one of humanity's weaknesses that devils, demons, and ghosts use to their advantage. But hope is where humanity gains their strength. When you have hope and when you have faith, the unexpected can occur. Miracles born from hope become the reason why the devils deter.
Murmuring something under his breath, Salem opened his umbrella. Rain began to drop. Basil cussed, pissed that he was not only tired but he'd also get soaking wet.
"Hurry master, let us find shelter!" Gaku fussed, not liking the thought of his master standing in the rain.
Basil shivered. "Why did it have to rain? I got the worst luck, geez!"
Kou glanced up at the rain clouds that weren't there before. In his dream, there was also rain but it wasn't as serene as this one. This was a moderate shower, a weather someone could sleep through. He closed his eyes, savoring the cold drumming of water on his face.
Karma sat on the ground, worn out. There was no doubt that he'd hear Jinx later whining about dying. He could already feel a headache coming, so he would relish the solitude of Jinx's temporary death.
Boota was unbothered by Gaku's persistent pulling on his shirt. There was a question lingering in his head that troubled him more.
'Was it really over?'
They won against Mammon's game but the devil remained alive. They weren't off the hook; they only got the taste of his power. The forest was destroyed. It was foolish of him to think that this place could stay as some sort of sanctuary for the likes of him, but deep down he knew that there would be an end to his hiding—a cessation to his phase of idling.
"Kou, what do you plan on doing now?"
Devils did not like losing, especially to creatures considerably inferior to them. There was no doubt that he would come after them and finish what he started.
"Kou will stay by Salem's side. Kou will do what Kou can to live again but not as a knight."
Basil and Boota glanced at each other, flabbergasted that he didn't reply with:
'Kou will find his king, put him into a sack, and ride off to the sunset!'
"Are you sure you're alright?" Basil queried.
Serving his country as a knight of El'Azar was everything to him. There was no other means for him to live and no other ways for him to die. After all these centuries of guarding the Ruins of El'Azar, they didn't expect burning him into crisp was the only way for Kou to give up his oath. If they only knew this was the case, they would have gathered all of the viels with a fire element and burned him.
He smiled. "More than alright."
Salem cleared his throat, snatching their attention. "First thing's first: gather all my cows that are still alive," Salem said, pointing at Basil who also pointed at himself to clarify if the human was indeed speaking to him. The convict then turned his finger at Boota. "And you, I heard you're a doctor. We can start taking advantage of the sick and milk them off their money. Your pet dolphin can be our mascot to spread the word."
"Are you ordering me around?! Who even told you that I'd come with you people?!" Basil growled, hurling a fallen tree trunk to Salem who dodged it with ease.
"Excuse me sir, I am an eel!" Gaku corrected.
"Don't joke with me…I want 80 percent of the income," Boota negotiated.
"Master!!!" Gaku protested. Negotiating with this man was like making a deal with one of the devils. He wouldn't be surprised if Salem was a demon lord in the making.
"What will Kou do?" Kou queried, excited to be a part of Salem's plans.
Salem glanced up in thought. "I'll sell you to a power hungry king to the east and tell him you are valuable to Mammon. He'll give us a large sum of their riches just so they can make a pact with one of the demon lords. Once Mammon catches your whereabouts and the kingdom is destroyed, we'll bust you out and set off for the next kingdom."
"Aye, Kou will sleep in prison again!" the naive viel cheered, punching the air for the profound adventure.
Basil and Boota hauled Kou far away from Salem, glaring at the convict and fearing for their general's well-being. That plan was so well-thought that it was impossible that he only constructed it for a few seconds. He must have been plotting this from the start ever since he recruited the viel.
"Bastard! I'll kill you from where you stand!" Basil threatened.
"This was your plan all along, wasn't it? It wasn't about saving humanity or Canaan," Basil queried. Maybe he was the reason why Kou was getting targeted by the devils. He must have done something to rile them up like bulls.
"Who said anything about saving this godforsaken country? I'll exchange every human for one cow if I could."
The dispute continued with Kou squished in between Basil and Boota. Suddenly, all of this felt nostalgic. It was almost like they never became enemies and the rebellion never happened. The viels were one gigantic family who shared the same pain yet ended up in different fates because of different ambitions. Kou didn't know what happened or the real reason why the rebellion even occurred. What the monarchy did was egregious. Kou never held a grudge because Kairon's existence became a propitiation gift for losing his humanity. But his friends must have held on to their ill will against the kingdom. Queen Eris kept creating earthquakes after earthquakes for Canaan's best interest only for a tsunami to form and swallow them up.
Karma groaned, falling back on the wet soil. Things would be a lot harder from now on. Maybe he should go back to his mother?
…
Nah, she would have no qualms reselling his soul to Master Salem again.
Despite Basil and Boota's constant denial of wanting to join their endeavors, they continued to follow them to the direction of Hiraeth. Salem remained a wanted man notably after his schemes that led to pushing King Lycus into imbroglio and causing public unrest. Going this way was similar to surrendering themselves but Salem was confident that Hiraeth wouldn't make a move at the moment.
"Isn't it strange that no one from the capital came to check on what was happening in the forest?" Karma queried.
They should have seen the big monster sticking out like a sore thumb erupting lightning and vomiting destruction everywhere. The forest fire was a signal itself that should have slapped them left and right. Sure, his master and Asmodeus wrecked the coliseum, but his master wouldn't have left Hiraeth in peril. He'd get the job done, make sure everyone was safe, and escape the authorities as he usually does.
"They should have sent two cardinals and at least one hundred men," Salem replied, eyes unblinking and deep in thought.
What happened back there was a Code Dragon. Either the cardinals slacked off because they knew Salem was still in the area or something was keeping them from taking action.
Salem stretched before breathing out. "I'm thinking too much. I need a glass of milk."
…
…
…
Cragi was sipping his cup of coffee as he proudly gazed at his garlic and onion field. After he finishes this cup, he'll get to harvesting right away. He woke up a little earlier than usual but that was because of the ruckus in the forest not far from them. He took a peek at his children, finding them sleeping soundly without a care in the world. They take after their mother who'd sleep through everything and one day, she never woke up again. Primrose was devastated. Conrad didn't shed a tear but it wasn't because he wasn't grieving, it was because he was angry with himself. He knew that his mother was sick but he was so fixated on being a tamer that he didn't know what he was going to lose soon. His mother, Miracle, knew how to put up a face of someone who wasn't sick. She maintained a healthy glow, always smiling and filled up with energy. Her limbs gradually thinned, clothes hanging on to her body like she was a hanger because of how loose they became on her. In spite of her illness, she fulfilled her role and purpose to love and care for her children and husband until a well-deserved nap took her away forever.
Conrad didn't know what mother he had until he lost her. He was doing so well in the academy but her death made him realize what was truly important to him: his family and his best friend Theo.
Cragi, sighed in relief, hearing them breathe softly as they slept. He gently shut their doors, encouraged to work hard for the two of them. He was supposed to wake up his son to help him with the harvesting, but Cragi wanted him to take the day off even if he'd get scolded for doing all the work.
He slipped on the straps of his bamboo basket, heading out to the fields. He glanced at the garlic leaves, used his shovel to dig around the cloves that had the bottom leaves browned and the upper leaves still green. There was this feeling of satisfaction after feeling the roots of the garlic loosen and give in. As soon as he made progress with his first harvest of the day, he threw the garlic inside the basket and proceeded for his next one. He jerked his hand back when the leaves of the garlic browned and withered. His entire field died from the sudden breeze of a foul odor that could be described as a rotten egg.
A full-throated roar stung Cragi's legs paralyzed. His knees shook from the descent of a rooster with a serpent's tail and a pair of dragon wings flapping behind it. Its back was lined with a spiny vertebra. Its split tongue flicked out like that of a snake's. Cragi closed his eyes, knowing fully well that this was a basilisk. A gaze of this one could turn anything into stone.
The basilisk blew a breath of fire, setting his withered field into a blaze. His son's barrier had been broken somehow, letting this creature inside. The basilisk growled, leaping over his scrunched form and going straight to his house. Cragi opened his eyes, his heart dropped from the danger that his children were in.
"Prim, Conrad, wake up! Wake up! Run!!! Run!!!"
The basilisk turned its head towards Cragi, changing its mind about killing him later. It snarled, its feet scraping the ground like a bull ready to charge forward. The moment it screamed manically, it was zapped by a white light from behind it. Conrad emerged from the door, his hands clasped together as he prayed with closed eyes. A magic circle followed his form as it revolved underneath his feet. Illuminated outlines of a green arrow, a yellow sword, a red halberd, and a blue staff materialized within the circle.
Conrad finished his prayer, an illuminated outline of eyes flashed in front of his closed lids. He grabbed the bow and arrow from his collection and aimed at the enraged basilisk that didn't deter even when it was hit right in the chest. The bow and arrow disappeared from his grasp and went back to becoming one of his options again. The young farmer dodged the hurl of fire. Grabbing the sword, he flipped sideways and attacked the monster with slashes so accurate that blood immediately yet excessively squirted like a fountain. Conrad flipped back, evading the splash of venomous blood. The basilisk fell after emitting one last outcry that resembled a rooster's crowing in the morning. It kept its glance at the farmer as if it was cursing him till its last breath.
Cragi was dumbstruck. He was aware of his son's accomplishments in the academy but he didn't know how good he really was on the battlefield. He teared up from pride but was also saddened by the fact that his son's talents were wasted on planting garlic and onion.
"Pops, are you ok—pops, run!"
Cragi looked up, finding a flock of basilisks descending from the skies. Fire hailed from above. Time slowed as Cragi smiled at his son before blazing curtains fell over him.
"Pops…Pops!!!"
Lightning boomed. A pink light made Conrad dispel the magic eyes to see what was happening with his own two eyes. He went in like a flash. He didn't see him coming at all. Before he knew it, his father was sitting on the ground beside him, as shocked as he was.
Conrad snapped out from his daze and hugged his father. "Pops, pops are you okay?!"
Cragi embraced his son back, rattled from having been in the claws of death a while ago before a pink lightning saved him. Cragi's attention was caught by the sight of a small child standing before the flock of antagonized basilisks.
"Kid, get out of there!" Conrad screamed. Once the basilisks' eyes glowed, Conrad had to cover his and his father's eyes to prevent themselves from getting turned into stone.
Meanwhile, the child they worried for glanced at the basilisks with an unamused expression.
"Oh please…" he scoffed.
As the basilisks' eyes attempted its best to turn the child into stone, the child's eyes flashed right back at them, turning them into stone.
In the midst of their astonishment, Cragi coughed, blood coating the palm which clamped his mouth. He fell back, shivering and shaking uncontrollably.
Conrad held on to his father for dear life. A basilisk's poison was said to be extremely lethal. It would claim a victim's life in mere minutes. He looked in the direction where Hiraeth was, believing that Theo could help. Conrad started to breathe heavily. His cold and trembling hand was grabbed tightly by Cragi.
"It'll be okay…son. Breathe. Breathe…" Cragi comforted despite his own throat swelling.
Conrad fell back, tightening his hold on his father when a viel with physical characteristics of an angel landed in front of them.
"If you don't trust me now, your father will die before you get help from someone else."