Atomu raised his head, turning to his meal, which almost gleamed, sitting still on the plate.

"Ooh!" Chyuuichi picked up a fork.

"No." Rowan slammed the fork out of his hand. "Eat with these." they handed him two, one-pronged silver cutlery, one sharper than the other. "They used to be made out of the same western wood, but I guess you'll live."

"You made this?" Atomu pointed.

"A-Ambrosia did." they scratched their head.

"Ah. That's great, then." Atomu nodded. "I wasn't sure if they had made it out like the others."

"They were in a good state, surprisingly. T-Treated all their wounds by themselves when we were busy. Clever bastard Chicho." they smiled. "The goblins didn't even bother to step into the basement where we keep all our food. They didn't seem interested in our delights." Atomu and Chyuuichi put the food in their mouths. "I wonder why-"

The two suddenly spat it out. "Aah!" Chyuuichi was startled, and Atomu was a bit embarrassed.

"IS THIS HOW YOU THANK ME?!" Rowan yelled.

"I'm not hungry!" Atomu uttered.

"It's awful! How do y'all eat this?" Chyuuichi pushed the meal back into Rowan's hands, and they furiously glared at the two.

Atomu glanced at Chyuuichi, and so did the Mirillian. Rowan let out a loud sigh.

"Anyways. If you don't want this delicacy, at least accept my words of gratitude." Rowan breathed in. "Thank you."

"Wow." Chyuuichi squinted his eyes, and then Atomu's elbow landed somewhere around his stomach.

"It's a lot coming from a Tributal!" Atomu whispered.

Rowan raised an eyebrow. "Do you think I'm all high and mighty? Please." they moved their hand back. "If you were to see those other guys, you'd be running back to my generosity and forgiveness," they smirked. "Now, Demonears, what are you going to do? What's your next move after all of this is over?"

"I-I'm not sure." Atomu scratched his head.

"You have some firsthand experience in combat," Rowan informed. "Even if some flaws could be worked on." they coughed. "You know the dangers and how to tame them by now."

"Not really, Rowan!" Chyuuichi uttered. "What in the Erra happened to Atomu's weapon earlier? That weird shining eye!"

"Oh." Rowan fixed their glasses. "It wasn't a danger to Atomu, Chyuuichi. It was simply that his fear caused the demon slumbering inside his weapon to wake."

"Fear?" Atomu raised his eyebrows. "I mean, I was scared all the way through. Weird timing."

"Guess then, you did stare into death's eyes at that very moment." Rowan breathed out. "It struck your weakest point and manifested. Demons feed off fear, so when they feel its presence, they try to find it, and are there to protect the person who is their wielder."

"So it targets you?" Chyuuichi asked. "Like... it pushes away the others to have ya for themself!"

"Yeah, the best way to put it. When you get your Guardian Demon, you sign a pact with the creature hidden in its blade. It will do anything it can to escape, and when it first happens, you won't be able to control the demon's will. I learnt that fear attacks come effortlessly later in one's career. They're pretty much the last resort to saving your life."

"It wasn't a pleasant feeling," Atomu mumbled.

"What was it, Atomu?" Chyuuichi looked at his face.

"Yeah, like I'm going to tell you."

"I'd assume being crushed beneath all that rubble was anything but pleasant." Rowan crossed their arms. "Although, fear didn't manifest in you like it did in others. It's usually something related to what you're scared of the most in life. I don't think eyes are anything alike, and as I can assume from the words those demons said, it was something that was part of your Guardian Demon."

Atomu gulped.

"Nonetheless, it singlehandedly saved Magna. It's not a standard weapon for sure, but hell, only demons would know the answer." Rowan stopped, staring at the Paladian. "All Demonears are just a little different."

Atomu glanced at the weapon, now sat on the side of the bench. It didn't itch or budge like earlier and only reflected his unsure expression.

"Mentioning that, we found fewer corpses than one would expect," Rowan informed. "Among them, was one Demonear." Rowan bit their lip, looking down. "They identified his body, as well as his tool. Jeffy, of the travelling Luffia family."

"Jebby?!" Chyuuichi raised his voice. "Jebby's dead?!"

"Ah." Atomu breathed out and shook his head.

"Damn it," Chyuuichi muttered, gasping. "Jebby?" he asked, again.

"I'd say, that to satisfy One's endless needs, love requires sacrifices. But, I'd name fifty better people that could easily take his place. I know his parents, and I don't want to know how they'd react." Rowan clenched their fist. "No others were found, however. I'm happy they weren't corpses, but the Demonears that stayed are right here. Me, Kashmir, you, and you, and my Chicho. I think there was one more girl, but from what I saw, she spent most of her time helping others out in Kyrkogarde, instead of fighting."

Chyuuichi looked away, covering his face. He slid his hand down his eyes, and then onto his lips, breathing out and shaking a bit. Atomu wasn't sure how to feel.

"T-The other Demonears." Atomu shook his head. "They're not dead. Well, at least Morio isn't, and Jyuzou too."

Chyuuichi slowly looked at him, recalling his words from earlier.

"I was just about to ask about your Morian friends. I saw them leaving the bar before everything happened." Rowan said.

"I saw Morio amongst the flames!" Chyuuichi added. "He fought against that big lug of a demon, but then... he ran away, and I'm not sure where."

"Bore Forest." Atomu continued. "Morio wanted to leave Shimori, as I said earlier, and it's safe to assume that Jyuzou followed right after."

"Bore Forest?" Rowan closed their eyes, thinking. "THE BORE FOREST?!" All of a sudden, they stood up, yelling out. "Oh One... oh, no, damn it!"

"What?!" Atomu asked. "I-Isn't Lignoria on the other side?"

"Fools wouldn't know," they spoke through their teeth. "A child will never outsmart the waters to reach your Paladian land!" Rowan grabbed Atomu by his coat, inching closer. "The only way he'll make it through the river is to the Eastern Land! And... oh, One! Damn it!" Rowan ground their teeth, and a few heads were turned before others promptly returned to their drinking party.

"What's on the other side?" Chyuuichi curiously asked, and Rowan let go, sitting back and putting their hand next to their mouth, mumbling.

"They never told you. You never heard anything?" Rowan gave them a glimpse. "Damn it." they closed their eyes. "It's a dead land, Klakunhoi."

Rowan looked left and right, before moving closer, and so did the other two.

"I've never been there myself, but many Tributals who stepped in vowed to never make that mistake again," they whispered. "It's a fake-out at first, green lush and damp mountains and a forest which sets an illusion of prosperous land. Next, nature changes. Grey and silver rocks, steep lands, and something that fills you with dread. There is no food there, nowhere. No animals, nothing on the few remaining plants that are edible. It's the land of demons to some, red flowers which follow you around eventually revealing a devilish creature from beneath. Not only demons, centuras, chimeras, traces of goblins, fairies, sirens..." Rowan squinted their eyes. "Many more. No one who sets out there comes back the same, even if they do, many can't even tell the tale. Some are silenced and imprisoned so no one learns the truth of something that people are so afraid of."

Atomu gulped, trembling. Chyuuichi was silent, with a dreadful expression.

"Before the Second War, this place used to be called Asno." Rowan put their hands together, moving back. "The Golden Lands, with pink and yellow flowers, fertile lands, two big cities and opportunities for growth and prosperity in the future. However, that dream was led to rot by Shi Hon himself." they opened their eyes, breathing out.

"Seriously?" Atomu asked. "I've never heard."

"Could something as awful as this really be part of the Mainland?" Chyuuichi tilted his head.

"Used to be, but now it stands under a question mark. I don't know what the demon could've done back then for such a rapid change, but no one touches that place, and for good reason too. We could argue for hours if humans should make a move to reclaim what was once taken from them, but who are we to decide what comes next? We're not of Saphrith Royalty, and one Tributal means nothing." Rowan fixed their glasses, eyeing the two, as they sat still, not even budging.

Chyuuichi tapped his fingers on the table and Atomu played with his hair.

"Do you get what I'm trying to tell you, idiots?!" Rowan put their hands on both of their coats, pulling them closer. "Tomorrow morning, the first thing you do is check the Bore Forest and pray to whatever deity you believe in that the Morians are still there. If not, you'll need to find a way to the eastern land yourself." Rowan announced.

"What?" Atomu's eyes shrank.

"I don't care how you get there, you will do so, unless you don't care for your friends. I'd go there to save the only people that were strong enough to become Demonears, amongst a world where such become nothing but hiding cowards, afraid to step to the real challenge. If there is any other reason to step into the danger and rescue them, I'd pick that, you know? Make of it as you will."

"Don't even say that, Rowan!" Chyuuichi pointed. "Morin and Jyuso are the best Morians I knew!"

"W-Will you help us?" Atomu muttered.

"Even if I wanted to, I'd have no say in what Eryk would want me to do. As part of his guard, I'm to follow orders, and there's only so much to do in Magna. My hands are tied, and it's mostly your business to cover for these mistakes."

Atomu looked stressed. "I-It's not my fault. Morio wanted to leave. There's nothing I'd say that would stop him."

"A thing about you, Paladian, is that you're so heavily reluctant to admit your wrongdoings. You seem like a good guy at first but your flaws only reveal themselves with each passing minute. This is exactly what I'm talking about. Make up for it!"