Even collapsed onto the ground, utterly exhausted and drained. "It's over, fucking finally," he muttered in relief. Beside him, he heard the sound of bones snapping back into place as Mar reverted from his lycan form to his human visage.
"You okay?" Mar asked, looking down at Even, who waved him off.
"At least try to sound worried for me, but yeah, I'm fine," Even replied, a hint of a smile on his face. "Ahh, I'm so tired. I just want to lay down in a soft, fluffy bed," moaned Mincs, dropping her weapons to the ground. She shivered, holding herself for warmth. "Oof, it's really breezy with this hole in my armor," she complained, looking down at the spot where she had been stabbed. The wound, previously still there but no longer bleeding, was now completely healed, leaving not a scar. "I'm still low on blood, though," she muttered.
Turning to Even and Mar, she asked, "Are you both okay? Need me to kiss away some boo-boos?" she teased, making Even spring up and yell, "Don't treat us like kids!" He raised his fist in mock anger, causing Mincs to grin mischievously.
"You two really must have a death wish, not listening to me," came Grace's stern voice. They all turned to see her standing there, arms crossed. Even freaked out.
"Come on, we helped you, didn't we? And blue hair also helped me, so we shouldn't have a problem," he said, clearly still fearful of Grace.
"Just because you beat us once doesn't mean we'll lose again, and just because you said so, we wouldn't leave—not without our big sister," Mar said, a hint of aggression in his voice.
Mincs stepped between all of them. "Stop! I don't want to fight again!" she exclaimed, looking at Mar scoldingly before turning to Grace. "Um, miss, could you please forgive whatever these idiots did to you?" she asked, rubbing her hands nervously.
"Don't call us idiots!" Even exclaimed, but Mincs ignored him as Grace looked wide-eyed, seeing Mincs' thoughts before she spoke them aloud.
"I'll pay you with my body if you want," she said with a thumbs-up, making Even and Mar look at her, flabbergasted.
"What the fuck/hell are you saying!?" they both exclaimed in unison.
"What do you mean? That's what Orian wanted for him to forgive you two," Mincs said, confused by their reaction.
Grace shook herself out of shock. "What is wrong with you? I was just going to scare them a bit, not actually do anything. Also, there are several things wrong with you offering... that," she said, taken aback by Mincs's offer.
Mincs blinked. "Oh, okay, forget what I said then," she said with a smile. Grace sighed, "You make that sound easy."
Even, meanwhile, glared at Grace. "Were you seriously about to threaten us with death just to scare us, you sadist!?" he yelled.
Grace glared back. "Oh, shut up. Don't forget what you two—what you three were a part of," she said, shutting Even up. Mar looked away, his jaw clenched, and Mincs looked down. "You three deserve worse than just a few threats. Just be glad I'm in a forgiving mood thanks to a certain someone," Grace said before sighing again and turning back to Mincs. "But you brought up a good question. Where the hell is Orian?"
Unbeknownst to them all, Orian had fled long ago, right after Dash arrived. Riding away on his Wild-Speck, he gripped the handles tightly, feeling the portal close as the mana in the atmosphere returned to normal. *The Wandering Calamity likely closed it,* he thought, narrowing his eyes. Demons—how he hated the pitiful creatures. At least, that's what he told himself, a lie to make him feel less pathetic, less disgusted with himself. But deep down, he knew the real reason for his loathing.
It would have been perfect. It would have made sense. It would have been a logical step for the lore of the world if he had met Zee there. The woman he had mentally tortured coming to take revenge. She would have gone into a rage upon seeing him, screaming about the love he had taken from her. They would have fought, he would have let her put up a valiant fight, and then he would have won. Then he would have killed that blue-haired boy in front of her, taking someone close to her again, breaking her for good. And then... well, that would have been the end of that story. He would have been free to do whatever he wanted to her—a proud owner of an elf.
But then she appeared. Grace. That girl ruined everything. Her power was greater than his, greater even than Draven's, who took a year of his life each time he was summoned. Still, he should have been fine. He would have escaped and run into Zee. It just made sense for them to meet. But then the demons came; they came with their ability to defy logic and sense, ruining their reunion. As he drove, the birds flying off from the sounds of his Wild-Speck were cut into pieces. Innocent creatures of the forest were reduced to a red mist. Entire chunks of the surrounding woods disappeared, cut apart by blades of wind. Orian wouldn't let this end. No, he vowed to kill all those who disgusted him this day. He would rid the world of those who didn't properly play their role in his story. He would have his reunion with Zee, and he would kill that blue-haired boy.
Meanwhile, back in the front garden, Xain felt a shiver go down his spine. *What was that?* he wondered before shaking it off. He turned to The Fiend, his expression a mixture of both serious and confused. "Now, I think I need a little explanation. Why are you here, and why did you help us?"