"How long can they hold you?"
Grey rolls his head from side to side as though shaking off a drug, "...who...are you?"
"You finally embraced who you are, why do you still let them chain you?"
His eyes creek loose, "...where am I?"
"You are something special, boy. I've been waiting so long for this."
His vision slowly goes back to normal, "What...did you...do to me?"
"Oh don't fret, I just benumbed you with a simple spell, it will wear off shortly. You're an enigma, you know? The word 'Nephalem' was used by our ancestors to describe only what could've been but never was. In other words, they don't exist, they never have. It's practically impossible for a human to reproduce with an angel. But here you are, a universal impossibility standing before me. How?"
He looks around him and notices drops of blood falling from his wrists into small bowls. He tries to move but the chains on his arms rattle. "W-why am I...?"
" Ah, please excuse our hostile behavior but...people tend to fear what they can't comprehend, regardless of whether it's good or bad. Right now, you're the least trusted person in Ignatia."
He looks up at the shadow that looked down at him with neither a face nor a mouth. "...Mer-lin."
"Indeed. A pleasure to meet you at last."
In Merlin's study, Queen Maria had paid a visit to talk to him where no one else could see. She wore a cloak over her head to hide her face and paced around the room.
"Some time ago, when Ernid opened the soul gate to fight Tiyanak, there was a demon that escaped. That demon was Azazel. He hasn't shown his face since, until last night when he came to visit me in the form of a goat. He claimed to have been searching for something called the holy trinity. Do have any idea what that is?"
"No...but I'm sure I can...find...out..." Merlin goes to his bookshelves and picks out a book, he slams it on a table and turns the pages. "Ah...Found it."
Queen Maria rushes to the table,
"What does it say?"
"Let's see...uhm...three pieces of the celestial contract left to mortal hosts to guard them on earth. Split at the end of the exodus war, these pieces represent the three agreements made by the living world, the silver city and Gehenna. In the name of the holy trinity, demons cannot rise to earth, angels cannot descend and those who abandoned their humanity become slaves to their sins. Ye who searches, I pray will never find, for if the host is killed then a piece of the agreement is broken, and once again shall the era of the exodus begin."
The two remain quiet for a short time as Queen Maria stares at Merlin and shakes her head, "...He wouldn't."
"It seems your son intends to kill the hosts. But when hell rises, he needs to have all the hearts for full control of the demons."
"But...he can't do that, there's only one heart on Earth, it's impossible for him to get the throne, right?"
"Maybe but it's safer to not risk it, we need to start searching for the holy trinity hosts before he comes for Emberle. We need Marcos' help."
"No, Merlin, we've been through this, Marcos can never know who I am."
"I understand that but...I think it's about time. You can't hide forever, Lili-"
Queen Maria snaps before he was even done talking, "DON'T...call me that."
He raises his hands and steps back, "Calm yourself, all I'm saying is that someday they will see through you."
She puts her cloak back on and storms out. "That day will not be today. Just help me deal with Azazel."
With the festival over and everything back to normal, a woman in black knight armor and a leather skirt goes to Ernid's house. She is stopped at the gate by a glaive standing guard. "Forgive me, miss, but no one is allowed in this residence."
"My name is Elora Stone, daughter of Commander Solomon Stone." She hands him a letter, "My father sends his regards."
After reading the letter, he opens the gate and shouts to those at the door, "Let her through!"
She enters the deafly quiet house. Specs of dust could be seen in thin rays of light that penetrated the curtains on the other side of the living room, past the kitchen.
She makes her way up the stairs and opens the first door to the left where she found an empty room. She goes to the second door on the right and knocks before she opens.
The room was dark and dusty, with only a single bed and a large mirror for furniture. There was a lamp on the nightstand that looked like it hadn't been used in a while. Everything looked as though it hadn't been tended to in a long time.
On the side of the bed, she saw a head peeking out. She walks slowly toward it while trying to get a closer look. Enid had curled herself up into a corner again, she hugged her legs and didn't even bother to raise her head.
Elora went down on one knee in front of her, "Enid, Enid, are you okay?"
"Who are you?" she asked
"Raise your head and you'll see."
When she raises her head, her lifeless eyes slowly sparkle once again, showing signs of life. "E-Elora? Eloraaa!!"
She throws herself into her arms with a happy smile, "Where did you go? I missed you so much!"
"Haha, I missed you too. So much more." She closes her eyes and squeezes her tighter.
Once she let go, Elora asked, "Where's your brother? Where's Grey, Isn't he here with you?"
Her eyes start watering and her voice shakes, "No...he said he was- he said he was going to guard the princess *sniff* but he never came back."
"No, hey, don't cry. Big girls don't cry, okay? I'm sure he'll be back, you know he'd never leave you, right?" She wipes her tears.
"*sniff* I know...but..."
"Grey can take care of himself, you know that better than anyone."
"Yeah?"
"Then stop worrying your pretty little head about it, I'll stay with you until he returns."
"Really!?"
"Yes!"
"Liar! You left us to join the knights last time."
She hits her on the shoulder.
"Ouch! Enid, I promised to come back though...and it's not like you guys waited for me either. You didn't tell me you were coming to the capital."
"Wha- But we only came here because we didn't have a choice."
"Well I didn't either, so we're square. I'm here, aren't I? I promise I won't leave this time, will you trust me again?"
She wipes her tears and smiles again," Hehehe, okay."
Elora hugs her one more time, "I promise you won't regret it."
Some of the dust gets in her nose and she sneezes.
"Ugh, this place is a sty, how do you guys live like this?"
"tihihihi, Grey hates chores."
"Well, now you and I have a lot of work to do."
They open the windows and get to work with cloths over their mouths, Elora gets the glaives on guard to help too. Everything that wasn't needed was taken out and the dust was raised but eventually cleared off.
They washed the windows, moved the furniture, and mopped the floor.
Back at the castle, the blood council prepares for departure. Greed had left long before the sun rose.
Grey was chained in an iron cage with a piece of wood in his mouth, tied with a cloth around his head. It's loaded on a wagon by escort knights provided by Marcos.
"Are you sure this is a good idea, your highness?"
"It's fine, Johnathan. We still have Eve with us."
Franklin looked around when Godwin jumped in the carriage hoping to see Emberle bidding him fair well, but she was not there.
"Godwin, will you not say goodbye to Emberle?"
"No," He replied, avoiding his father's gaze, "It would be rude of me to wake her."
As the carriages started on their way, Emberle watched from her window side bench. Merlin appears behind her.
"I'm surprised you're not chasing after him."
"Don't be impressed, she wants to go, I feel her begging me stop them. I also hear the echoes his call for her too. Ah, young love."
She turned to look at him with gray eyes. "Hello again, Merlin. How long has it been?"
"Not long enough."
She growls and pounces with her fangs and claws out. Merlin spins his staff and holds it horizontally. [Stoppian!]
She stops in midair at his word, right in front of Merlin, "I see you're done mending the sphere...but you should have escaped before anyone got here though."
"It's been too long since I felt the warmth of the sun on my skin, I couldn't get myself to leave. Commanding me to stop isn't enough, you know? Without the half-breed's blood, your cute little princess can't hope to keep my thirst contained."
Merlin pulls out an injection needle full of blood, "I only need a minute."
"You stole his blood? How demonic, color me impressed...but what could you possibly want from me?"
"What do you know about the holy trinity?"
The devilish grin on her face cracks wider, "Ooh? somebody must've started the hunt."
"Eve, tell me what you know."
"And why would I do that? There's nothing in it for me."
"What do you want?"
Her limbs start moving as she giggles, "Well, not much really, just your head on a silver platter."
Merlin flicks the needle to her neck. As soon it hits though, the window suddenly shatters and a man comes flying through. He hits Emberle and they fall to the other side of the bed.