I will never understand him and I refuse to dwell on it any longer. It was foolish of me to have placed myself in such a vulnerable position of collapse. It was foolish of me to even try.

In the end, no matter how much I improve myself, he will always leave me.

"Can we finally proceed to the Tourmaline Mountain?" Kox asked.

Crowley comically pointed at the once missing child and immediately rushed to crush him against his side.

"Where the heck have you been you disabled kid?!"

"I had no purpose to be in such a dangerous spot and Tomos had told me to wait here until you arrive."

Crowley released Kox from his grasp and glared at him. "You're going to reason out that damned book again. I swear I'm going to-"

Before Crowley could even place a finger on the turning pages, lightning shot out from the skies and electrocuted him, leaving the hanuman on the overly cooked side.

"I knew you were going to do that and I knew that it would have been too late before I could warn you. Tomos knows all. Praise Tomos," Kox deadpanned before floating ahead of us.

Ziru picked up a twig lying on the ground and knelt beside the unconscious Crowley before poking him with it.

"Is he still alive?" Caleb asked.

"I think so," Ziru responded.

"Merde (shit)," Caleb sighed. "And here I thought I can save myself from dragging a banana overfed beast."

The werewolf gently took my hand and walked forward before bending down and lifting Crowley's ankle.

"Let's hurry before they catch up to us," Caleb said.

We had begun a long walk and I had noticed the frequent glances that Caleb was giving me during our journey. He wanted to say something but was opting to hold it back and stay quiet. Once Crowley regained consciousness, our pace became much faster but the air was filled with much more racket. Fireflies lit our way and Kox's overly glowing book was providing much use for us.

"Lucian..." the werewolf hesitantly trailed before paling once his eyes lifted above my head.

"You may speak furry animal," I permitted him and started to feel droplets of water coming from above me.

"I know that you're upset about what happened but...you aren't alone. We're still here for you," he tried to comfort.

"I do not feel emotions such as upset. Would please care to demonstrate?" I asked him.

What gave him an idea that I was manifesting signs of sulking? Those kinds of feelings were irrelevant and a waste of a good carrot.

The droplets became frequent and became even much bigger. But it would seem that I was the only person experiencing it. I looked up and found a small puff of dark cloud above my head that was relinquishing the cool droplets of water.

When did you get there?

I cleared my throat and removed my hand from his grasp.

"Let us proceed," I deadpanned.

"He's definitelty sulking..." I heard Crowley, Ziru, and Kox murmurin unison.

Only fools can assume such a thing from me.

Despite insisting that everything was in order even in my saturated state, Caleb was determined to change what he was seeing.

I did not get why he was trying so hard.

A series of loud thunders sounded causing Ziru and Crowley to squeak and hide behind the unaffected Kox.

"Lucian, look!" Caleb exclaimed after having to retrieve a coconut from somewhere. He slammed the coconut against his head causing the others to flinch from the action but the werewolf maintained a twitchy smile.

"Never tried coconut juice? Go loco with coco!"

"Die you idiot," Crowley scoffed.

"I am not in the sipping state," I blandly replied.

Caleb rushed away and this time brought back a gelbvieh (cow) that was having twitchy movements.

"I'm planning to sell cooked meat that can stay edible even after fifty blue moons!" he advertised.

The cow released a "moo" before fluttering its little wings and instead of soaring away, its legs gave out once its head twitched rather harshly to the side. The werewolf panicked and tried to stand the gelbvieh back on its four legs but failed miserably.

"I'll call it beef jerky!" he announced sheepishly.

Ziru sounded his applause and raised his hand to submit a question. "Does it cause you to jerk with it once you eat it?"

"Desperation can really take you in different lengths of futility," Kox snorted.

"Please return that gelbvieh from where it belongs. The world must be cleansed of meat eaters," I deadpanned.

Caleb's shoulders slumped and I turned around and started to walk without them, and with the rain cloud following me obediently.

"Wait up Lucian!" Caleb whined.

After a long and tiresome walk and with the raincloud dissipating above me, we rested on the green grass and felt the soarness on our feet. We watched the dark skies stain with a reddish-yellow color and with the rays of sunlight reaching through and spreading luminensce. The stars began to disappear as orange turned to bright blue and clouds shifted to white.

"You're really soaked," Caleb sighed.

"Here!" Crowley shouted and threw a small white towel at Caleb who then flinched and groaned once he took a whiff of the towel.

"What's wrong with you? I havent's use that yet," Crowley gruffed.

"It smells like a hanuman," Caleb responded causing Crowley to snatch the towel from his grasp.

"If you don't want it then just say so!"

"There's a stream nearby where we can clean ourselves," Kox informed us. "We won't stray away from our main direction."

"I'm getting thirsty as well," Ziru spoke.

With a couple more trees in the way, we had reached the stream that Kox mentioned before. Caleb peeled my wet clothes and washed the cloth that Crowley let him borrowed before starting to clean off the dirt that I had on my face. My clothes were hanged to a tree branch for drying and everyone else had their feet submerged into the running stream.

It was silent between the two of us as Caleb gingerly cleaned me. He still had so much to say based on the worried expression on his face and I waited for him to speak.

"You..." he murmured. "I know how hard it is to be separated from someone you love so much. You feel helpless and alone no matter how surrounded you are. You want to be with them but there are just circumstances that won't let you have what you want. You become denial because you can't accept the fact that they're gone. In the end, you push away the people who want to be with you because deep inside you're saving a spot for the person you're waiting for to return."

"Enough," I told him. "I don't want to be discussed with the same things that would place me in a feeble situation. I am fine."

A pained expression occurred on Caleb's face and I turned around only to have him grab my wrist to prevent me from going anywhere.

"Just let me stay by your side. That's all I ask."

Why do you try? Why do you care? Why do you want to be with me when in the end, you'll leave me too?

"Do what you wish," I told him.

Because every person I had met had done the same and in the end, I can do nothing about it.

We resumed our journey once my clothes had dried and we could visibly see a village that was evidently destroyed by a catastrophe from afar.

Caleb flashed me a sad smile and knelt on one knee with his back facing me. He stretched his arms backwards and waited for something.

Did he want me to kick him?

I cocked my head to the side and raised my foot. I gave his back a hard kick causing him to stumble forward and look at me childishly with teary eyes.

"Ow! Do you really hate me that much?"

Caleb stood up and tried to touch the area where my sandal left a mark. "I was offering you a piggyback ride!" he cried.

"I am not a pig so I do not think I am qualified for the ride," I deadpanned.

The others snickered as Caleb tried his hardest to convince me about this piggyback ride. With a few more whines on his part, I lowered my torso, wrapped my arms around his neck, and had my legs squeezed against his side.

I was no longer a royal ancient needed to rule a prestigious race needed for the survival of life.

I was no longer a scum created to rebel against the inconsiderate and unjust laws of the governing bodies.

I was now an oink-a pig to be exact.

Oink Oink Oink.

Bricks and parts of furniture were scattered everywhere. The trees and plants decayed and a vague rotten smell lingered around the area.

"How far ahead is the Tourmaline Mountain?" Crowley asked.

"It would take us another day if we don't take the Bête Noire field," Kox said.

"I've heard of that field. It's also referred to as the Nightmare field isn't?" Crowley asked.

"Correct. One must have a strong mental state to be able to pass through the field alive."

"I can just jump through it," Ziru snickered.

"I'm afraid that won't be possible. You cannot cheat your way through the field."

"Pah! Who cares, it won't hurt unless you try," Crowley supported.

"Indeed, those are the words of the person who'll be wailing in agony later," Kox retorted.

"Don't be so hard on him; he hasn't tried it yet. It would be more amusing to torment him once he finally puts effort to care," I added gaining Kox's approval but mispronounced my race.

"Those are the words of a wise aishah."

"Oh please don't tell me this is the start of a tag team," Crowley groaned.

"You did this to yourself you smelly monkey," Caleb sighed.

The Bête Noire had ink black grasses which would put a century old tree to shame with their gargantuan height. They smell like regular grass but they didn't look like your regular pasture for a nice afternoon nap.

Crowley was starting to look anxious. "So...wh-who'll go in first?" he stuttered.

"I vote for the person who won't get hurt unless he tries," I deadpanned.

"Yes, I second this. I hope once you tried it, it would hurt twice as much as you expected," Kox murmured.

"No-Now wait just a minute! I was just joking. Can't you kids take a dumb-"

"Just get in roujin (old man)!" Ziru groaned and kicked him inside.

Ziru might look very small and dainty, but his legs were no laughing matter especially with all the jumping he does on a daily basis. Crowley must be in a whole different level of physical pain right about now.

The grasses released dusty particles that created a misty screen once Crowley was kicked inside. Ziru went right after kicking Crowley and Kox soon followed.

"Stay close please," Caleb requested looking very stern and at the same time, very tensed.

"You left me with no choice," I replied monotonously.

With how he was squeezing me against him and with my face squished against his cheek, people might think that we were two heads in one body.

Caleb charged inside while dragging me with him and the narrowed leaves faded as we proceeded inside. The others were nowhere to be seen and they did not even respond to Caleb's calls.

"It looks like we're on our own from now on," Caleb murmured. "Where could they be?"

The werewolf made an abrupt stop and he relinquished me from his tight and protective grasp. I raised my eyes and found him staring up ahead but saw nothing but an endless field of tall grasses. His body trembled in great severity and fear consumed his entire being.

What could be causing such fright?

"Caleb, what is wrong?" I asked.

"Claude? No, stop!" he shouted with extreme rage flashing in his eyes. His arms transformed into claws and he leaped and began to slash the grass ahead.

Caleb released shivering breaths and fell down on his knees in great despair while grasping the grass that he had shredded with his claws.

"Mama...mama get up. You have to get up!" he cried. His sobs rose in great intensity and turned to be uncontrollable.

With his body still racking with sobs, he whirled around and presented me eyes of grief.

"We-we have to go Conall. We have to get out of here!" he yelled at me before grabbing my arm and dragging me forward.

I listened while he wept and realized bit by bit how...inconsiderate I was. He kept on savagely attacking the grasses as if they were the monsters of his past. He turned around after a loud and agonized gasp and carried me in his arms.

"You're going to be okay Conall. You're going to be fine. Big brother won't leave you. I won't..." he assured.

Caleb's face was filled with sorrow and his tear-strained expression told me how much of a stranger he was to me. I didn't know the pain he was living through yet I promised him that I would protect him with all my power.

The werewolf tripped on his feet and I landed on my buttocks. His eyes raised and his lips trembled while looking at someone from his past.

"Papa?" he blurted and reached out. "You can't make me leave. I can't do that. Where would I go?" he whined. He lowered his torso down on the ground and his claws clenched tightly.

"I have nowhere else to go..." he whimpered.

A foreign sting in my chest occurred and it urged me to touch him and do everything I can to relieve him from what was haunting him. I gently placed my hand on the back of his head and stayed like this until his sobbing subsided. I had already unclasped my belt and attempted to grow other plants that would put away this grassy labyrinth of trickery, but they keep on growing back. The plants that I tried to raise withered in an instant and my power proved to be ineffective.

"Lucian?" Caleb whispered.

"Have you finally regained sanity?" I questioned. My hand slowly dropped once Caleb sat up but he caught my wrist and sniffed my palm.

"I had a nightmare of the night I lost my family," he told me with more tears falling from his eyes.

My gaze softened and I let my hand slip under his jaw which put the werewolf at ease. "Your family must have been great people," I praised.

Caleb shut his eyes and more tears escaped. "Yeah...they really were," he whimpered. His head fell on top of my shoulder and his arms wrapped loosely around me. "I really miss them."

"Will you help me search of a place?" I asked him before looking at the bright skies.

"Where do you want to go?" he weakly asked back.

The idea was sudden.

I didn't even think twice about it.

It was my first time feeling such...fluttering inside my stomach. I had never wanted to achieve something this badly.

I wanted to find it.

I wanted to find people like Caleb.

I wanted to be able to help people who had shed tears for having no place to go.

"I want to search for a place where I can build a home for people who had lost theirs," I murmured.

Anyone can stay and anyone can call it as "theirs".

Caleb pulled back and wiped his swelling eyes with his wrist before beaming me a bright and cheerful smile.

"I'll take you anywhere."

A small smile emerged on my lips before I stood up and offered Caleb my hand who seemed so surprised by my action.

"Then please take care of me."

I will find it.

I will find the place of my dreams.

You'll be there too won't you onii-chan?

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A/N: GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH UPDATE.

How do you like the new characters I've added? Or is the original irreplaceable?