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Sorey POV
After the party, the little lights gradually went out, and the isolated villages were silent again. The villagers went home to rest, Velvet and I were no exception. In the past, I will definitely explore the ruins with Mikleo secretly, this is the time when at least people find us secretly going out, but maybe Gramps had turned a blind eye to us. However, now I have lost this impulse to explore, because the people who are always exploring with me are no longer there, maybe I am tired too. I flip through the pages of the Celestial Record that I and Mikleo have visited, recalling the funny and pleasant memories. At the party, I noticed that there were more Seraphim in the village that I didn't know. I wondered if some of them would like to explore the ruins like me.
I continued to flip through the Celestial Record, and Velvet, who was sleeping at a normal distance from me, suddenly took a quick breath and sat up, seemingly awake.
“Sorry. Did I wake you?”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzNuiJ5klT
“No, I have told you that I am a light sleeper.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiWh9tZpIEZ
“So….Having nightmare?”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzjoRzvXJUO
“No, surprisingly, a longing dream.”
The sudden rapid knock on the door interrupted our conversation. I went to open the door to see who was visiting and found Natalie and another new Seraph I didn't know.
“Sorey, sorry to bother you, but I really want to ask you for help!” Natalie said in a hurry.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tiau04wrG
“Calm down, what’s going on?” I tried to calm her down first.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwPZOB8Xg6a
“We can’t find our children, a new seraph in the village.” The male seraph next to him said.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdoqxuGOTT
“Any clues to find?” Velvet joined the conversation.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5BmCZNxnd
“You are going to help too? Velvet?” I am surprised that Velvet is willing to help.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8B9FcijLp2
“Yes, I have woken up anyway." Velvet simply explained.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNlwmKKQKVc
“Thank you. His name is Rune. He may be in the surrounding ruins. Sorey, you are the most familiar one with the ruins around here in this village, please help.” Natalie explained her request.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8jQCMoILlM
“He loves to explore ruin too?” I am glad that the new villager love explores ruin like me.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmGBVaVfu7Z
“Yeah, just like somebody in the past…” Natalie teased, seems a bit relax than before.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3MK18uRFx
“Haha, alright, we will find him, don’t worry,” I assure her to find Rune and went find him.
For the ruin nearby Elysia, that one must be the Mt. Mabinnogio Ruins, it was a deep ruin that I doubted I had fully explored it, I remembered there were hellions in there, then that would be dangerous for Rune to be there, we should find him out as soon as possible.
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“I remember that there was gear to a hidden chambeer….Alright, opened!” We see a kid sitting there sadly. Velvet sighed lightly.
“Are you Rune? It is fine, we come to find you.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEkHfnDsV4n
“....Are you human?” The little one surprised as that is his first time to see a human.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQieT8zsYK
“Yes, you may not have heard of me, but I lived in Elysia a long time ago. Can you stand?” I lent my hand to pull him up.
“You know your parents are really worried about you to explore a ruin alone at such time. What are you going to do if you meet hellions? Can you fight back? It is really dangerous to go into such a place without leaving a message. You have no idea how is the one waiting at home worry when they find a family member is missing.” Velvet is angry. She usually didn't care about things that not really related to her. This time she intervened and became angry unusually. After listening to her, I felt that I really should reflect on the behavior I had done before.
“But…..I really love to explore the ruins.” The little seraph said weakly.
“You may explore with your friend. I am like you, I love to explore ruin with my friend. Through it is dangerous too, at least you will have someone aside to take care of each other.” I suggested.
“Alright, I will go with my friend next time. Thank you, may I have the names?”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeQcZ830Zze
“Sorey.” “Velvet.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWouAcpa2Jo
“Thank you, Sorey, Velvet.”
The seraph couple shows their gratitude to us and we went back to my house to rest.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7TqlWpAScZ
“I thought you would continue to explore the ruin.” Velvet taunted.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1ku7qvW3L
“Well, finding Rune is our prior mission and I am surprised that you get angry by this.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6w0F9EfCbv
“......I just thought of my little brother. He used to go to the cliff to watch the sea horizon alone. He was weak and weak at any time. As the one who takes care of him, I was always worried. I just feel the same when I saw the seraphim couple.”
“Okay...Your attention must have been conveyed to Rune and your brother’s heart.” Just that I realized we had a different childhood, I was really fortunate to be raised in Elysia.
“I hope so.” She coldly responded.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1c2tEeaVAh
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Velvet pov
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We left Elysia after several days rest, then we decided to head to Ladylake. Sorey said that the first stop of his journey.
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He asked about my hometown on the way to Ladylake.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZ9nTRN5Xf
I hesitate to answer, there is no need to tell him about a place disappeared. I don’t know if there is any meaning to tell him.
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“It is okay if you don’t want to tell, I am just curious.” He tried to say in a way not to irritate me.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqwx3oMpHUj
“..........No, it is just…...it was not present anymore.” The map is no longer the one I recognized and I am well aware that all the things I knew gone already.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN2M9aCyMly
“Still, I want to know, can you tell me about it?” Sorey smiled, said without hidden reason, I feel sorry to not tell him if he is like that, and he has introduced his hometown for me already.
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“.....Fine. I was born in a village called Aball, it is a small village found in Eastgand. It is surrounded by perpetual autumn trees. The villagers lived in there were just like the one we worked in. There was an old lady who taught me things and helped to take care of me when I was a kid. There was a shop which sold all the Daily necessities to the villagers, I used to go there every day to sell my hunted Prickle Boars. They were kind-heart people. I lived there with my sister, Celica, my little brother, Laphicet, and my sister’s husband, Arthur. He joined our family when I was 6. At first, I felt like he took away my sister from us, but we get along fast. Arthur was a gentle person, he was a brother and father figure to Laphicet and me. And also...3 years later, Seres, a marak of Arthur joined us, although I knew her only after I became a daemon…..We all lived together for 7 years, it was a precious time for me.”
And those ‘kind-heart people’ I mentioned betrayed us and sold my family to the Daemon bandits. I never thought at that time, everyone becomes selfish when their life is on the libra. I reveal my sad memories as few as possible so that I won’t show sadness and make Sorey worry. I think he doesn’t need to know either. What’s the difference if he knows? It has changed nothing.
“........I would like to see it with you, it sounds attractive.”
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“Unfortunately, both the villagers and the village has gone now, the world map change so much that I can’t recognize it now.” I hid the fact that I killed all the villagers and all the things happened at that night. He appeared to accept my past identity but I doubt it. He was a Shepherd so he stands for morality, and I will just avoid talking about the bad things I did to avoid any conflict. At least I don’t want to have a quarrel in our middle way to the next destination, not in a forest.
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“Who can say it’s disappearance firmly without a look in person. we will just have to find.” Sorey said optimistically even I knew such low possibility of finding it.
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“It already 1500 years passed....well, I hope so.” I made a fake smile.
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No surprise, we met a daemon on the way. We have no ability to defeat them now, even Sorey got his ceremonial sword. I looked into the empty blade container of my Gauntlet, I have no weapon now but an aluminum arm since my sword is broken in the final battle with Artorius and there are no weapon shops in the Tewks village.
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I want to leave out of the daemon’s sight as soon as possible, but he still sees us and approach us.
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Sorey went tackle him immediately and I hide and see if I find things for a weapon, but I don’t expect it since we are near the edge of the forest.
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“I will go tackle him, hide.” He said.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡECX88Bh8kn
The werewolf rushed up, and Sorey struck his attack with a sword and counterattacked.
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“How about that?” Without hesitation, Sorey made a triple scythe to the werewolf. However, the attacked but unharmed werewolf screamed angrily, it screamed more aggressively and frantically waving its claws. Facing the berserk werewolf, Sorey calmly and carefully see each attack tracks to dodge and slam back.
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“Takes this!” Look at the buffer after the werewolf's crazy attack, Sorey jumped to the air and attack in full power. The injured werewolf took a few steps back and then regained his vitality and attacked Sorey.
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Sorey still does not give up, the large movement of the werewolf reveals a big flaw, Sorey makes a slanted cut from the right to the upper side and then slash in the opposite direction, the series of attacks formed an X-shaped cutting track: "Tiger Blade". The fierce attacks made the enemy unable to respond immediately. Sorey took the victory trend and pursued with the continuous stab "Sword Rain" to hit the werewolf into the air. Then he made the left and right sides transverse cut "Freezing strike". He struck with claw shade momentum in an upper hook direction “Wolfwind Fang” to repulse the werewolf temporary as his final act.
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However, the werewolf still climbed up and seemed to have only consumed some stamina and physical strength. It did not give up the idea of attacking, and continued its irrational attack, force Sorey, whose strength is gradually exhausted, to recoil.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoRmlLd83sL
The violent combo of Sorey just now is really powerful, but when there is no support and relay of teammates after the combo, there will be a lot of gaps in the middle. Obviously, he is not used to fighting alone. I can’t be a teammate to fight with him without a weapon, now he can only barely reduce the damage caused by defense and dodge.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlJvlYExhTT
Sure enough, as Arthur had said, if not being an exorcist, there is no chance of winning the daemon with the human body. Even if he was a Shepherd, he did not have the power from the formed pact with seraphim. He was just an ordinary human being now. Even with the experiences of battles, it can only sustain for a while, can't kill them. Well, knowing him innocent, he will not want to kill daemons. In short, the action we should take is to escape as soon as possible.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiJFF8w9qK
Should I escape? This will survive.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNcOx6VyoB
Live, what then? I did not find anything wanted to do.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6vvZYNz5t
If there is no such person in front of me, I guess I can’t worry about these problems.
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I hate the powerless self, which reminds me of my previous struggle to protect my younger brother before I became a therion. The result of the battle with the werewolf was that I was completely defeated. I even had to be taken care of by my brother to get away with it. When it went after my younger brother, I can only block it with myself. If Arthur didn't come, maybe both of us would be dead. I can't do anything.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIBac3Axnsl
However, now my brother would not come to save me. He is dead and killed by me.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcIXcuFjl9P
There will be no heroes to save people like me. This time I have to fight against it myself. I can’t let myself do nothing. I want to help Sorey who is struggling with the werewolf in front of me. What should I do?
I want to do something.
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A while later, I come up with an idea.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg4cuShn3m
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Sorey pov15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV161U7j1L
We met a hellion and he attacked us, I faced him while Velvet hid as I notice later in the fight. I wonder will she just have gone. I won’t be mad at her as she has no weapon, but I still feel a little lonely if I gonna travel alone then. It is becoming tired and hard to hold his attack. The last time I fought a hellion without the purification power is with Mikleo, but now I am fighting him alone. The thought distracted me a little bit and then the hellion just hit his punch to me, I flew over a hundred meters of grass and end with my back hitting against the stone. How unfortunate, I received a critical attack when I am distracted. I try to stand and run away to dodge the hellion, but it does not work when my back hurt. I thought I would receive another heavy attack from him but it is not.
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(Lethal pain in silent and without sword attack in middle)15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrgRW4ZMU9
Velvet jumped up high in backlighting position and make an air tumbling spin kick, even if the hellion noticed her sudden attack, it can’t respond as it cannot directly view its opponent. The Hellion is beaten to the sky and he didn't have a chance to breathe, Velvet keeps making kicks and finally jumped and pulled her left arm back. She made a critical attack to the back of the neck of the hellion.
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“Arthur's maxim 4. Never let your guard down( even when victorious).” I see the hellion fell down and Velvet walked out behind it.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuS8ytHD34
“I am sorry I can’t do much, but we better go now.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO94nEDDsmM
“Can you stand?”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GSRk5KqIl
“.....uh...I……..” I tried to answer but my voice still not back from the pain in my back.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiajDzlxDat
She approached me and pulling my arm on her neck, so as to carry me half to walk the way, she did this so smoothly like she used to do it and I just notice that we get closer.
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“.......Thank you.” I don’t know what happened but I am grateful to Velvet, for not leaving me. As soon as I got my voice back, I started my gratitude.
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“The one to say this should be me, thank you for fighting the Daemon.” She doesn’t turn her face to me but keeps going.
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“Anyway, it is a good thing we both survive.” There isn’t much to talk, I suppose we may walk silently for a while, seems both of us are too tired to speak until I get some stamina back.
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It is weird to me if we are going to have silent travel all the time, I wonder if Velvet is like this too when she is on her journey. At least I knew her journey was colorful from Maotelus.
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“ Velvet, may I ask you how do you defeat the hellion?” I tried to start a new conversation with a question I honestly want to know. How can she defeat the hellion without a weapon?15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡocFT5tTHBE
“I didn’t defeat, but I hit the Hellion into a coma. There is a possibility that the Hellion was a human, so I try the method of shocking the cervical vertebra to cause a temporary coma.” Velvet explain in flatty tone.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz3iAMl6qkB
“Just a little knowledge learned from the old doctor.”She explained it like a plan but it was a gamble, she used her metal arm as a weapon like the time she has her claw.
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“Wow, I never thought about that, you are smart,” I stated my admiration.
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“Praising me won’t do you any good.” She teased.
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“But it is true, and I am glad that you didn’t leave me at that time,” I stated truly, I never feel such fear for being alone.
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“.....just a return for saving my life. Besides, I have no plan to live alone…..Oh, I see the city.” She said as if she has an embarrassment, she then quickly moved on another topic. I wonder if she is shy, sometimes I think she is cute to have such a moment.
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We see the view of a city from outside after getting out of the forest. There is a highway connecting the city to the others, with trains or cars running on it. The structure of the city still likes before, an orbicular city of layers of streets. Rings of residential zones appeared to be extended from the original outermost ring to build the city on the larger scale as I have seen 500 years ago. There were more people lived in Ladylake, that means the peace finally came so that people may live and have the population boost, it is good to see that. However, there were towers of high-rise buildings that much higher than those I have seen in Tewks village, the one in the middle of the city is the highest. It is enormous that can be seen clearly even from far away and it blocks the castle which originally in the highest position and in the center of Ladylake. I wonder what is in it.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ThhfpLOWp
“That is the Ladylake, the city built on the lake like floating on it, I actually became Shepherd there.” I described the city while memorizing my journey.
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“........May you tell me how you became a shepherd.” She seems to be a little interested in the things related to a Shepherd.
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“...My friend invited me to join the Sacred Blade Festival in Ladylake. There is a rebellion in the half of the Sacred Blade Festival. It is not like there is other able to be the Shepherd, but I do it also for my dream, I answered the Seraphim waited in the center of the sanctuary and she formed a pact with me. I was able to down out the Sacred Blade, obtained the power to stop the rebellion and started a shepherd life then.” I briefly stated the things happened at that time.
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“ The Sacred Blade Festival…….. so the blade is not there anymore, but in your hand?” I thought she was interested in the festival but she seems to be more interested in the weapon.
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“No, The blade is brought along with the seraph named Lailah, so I lost it now.” I guess Lailah bring the sword and travel with another Shepherd.
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“Fine, so you really just a normal human then. So we gonna find an inn and a doctor for you first, but it only happens after we pass the gate.” Velvet seems not interested in at all and she states a real issue.
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“It may just be fine with this passport.”15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTTH9kfKJf
“I hope so.” I see Velvet getting nervous to some extent, maybe I should ask her later.
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We line up at the end of the line to pass the gate.
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This is like a filler chapter between locations, I tried to develop their relationship step by step, probably in a slow pace…….since Velvet is not like a person to be friend with someone so easily, especially an ex-Shepherd.15Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR60uY5C98n
I tried my best to describe the fight, hope that is fine in a basic standard......
