The twins ran behind the man clutching at his coat as Eila stared at Narciso with gritting teeth while they cackled. They placed a hand on their cheek, their fingers splayed out so their rose-colored fingernails avoided contact with their thin, flawless skin.

The man glared at the laughing demon, "This is not the time for such jokes, Narciso. These are my companions, fellow mortals who have aided me twice now, so I would suggest showing them courtesy."

Upon hearing him, the twins glanced at Narciso, who giggled while covering their mouth. Their eyes focused on the man, full of mockery with a hint of respect. Eila frowned and stomped towards them, pointing a finger at them as her mother would when lecturing her children, "That's a mean joke, you flower-person, uh, demon...whatever!"

Her cheeks turned a bright red, her heart racing from the initial scare as she turned away and plopped down on the grass with arms crossed.

Narciso shrugged and shook their head, "My, my. And I thought humans thrived on humor. Oh well, if it calms your nerves, perhaps a proper introduction is in order. I am a Lily Dryad, born without a name till the flower sprites called me 'Narciso'. Good taste in names, if I say so myself. As for my ill-advised joke, our kind does not find meat at all alluring. The sun, however..."

They lifted their gaze upon the clear sky, "We owe our lives to the beautiful, ever-present bronze star. My kind adores, no, worships it every day as we absorb its tender warmth."

Tomas mumbled, keeping close to Eila, "This guy is crazy, sis."

With a stern glare the man murmured, "If left to their devices, they would engage in a discourse about the sun and the concept of beauty all day. This always occurs whenever I visit." He crossed his arms and raised his voice, "Focusing on the matter at hand, I have recovered a shard of Xybelios's gem from Khiboreas's domain, as you predicted. If you have additional information, I would like to hear it now, please."

Narciso sighed, hiding their spindly arms inside the sleeves of their robe. "You're no fun, but I wouldn't have it any other way, to be honest."

The twins exchanged amused giggles and grins as Tomas whispered, "How does Mr. Green put up with this guy?" He nudged his head towards Narciso, squinting his eyes.

Narciso glared at the twins and cleared their throat with a cough, "Tch, you picked very bold mortals, friend. Now settle down and listen well. The cloaked ones passed through this forest recently, for my lilies sensed them marching south. I overheard they may plan to attack our dear queen of the seas, Suilah. Given the pattern we've been following, there's a high chance you'll find a piece of the orb in her territory-"

Eila raised her hand and waved in in the air, "Wait, you can hear things through lilies? All lilies?"

Narciso paused and gave an exasperated sigh, placing their hands on their waist, "Yes, I can sense my surroundings beyond this clearing. But only from lilies spawned from my roots. They are my lovelies, all scattered across this forest and beyond, courtesy of my hard work and resource management, of course."

The man in green sat beside the twins, moving his palm in a circle to urge Narciso to finish. He whispered to the children, "I suggest keeping quiet, lest my partner digresses from their report."

Narciso scoffed, "I was not digressing, merely informing our new companion! As I was about to say, the cloaked ones are approaching Suilah's domain. I believe that is close to the Isle of Trusa, yes? Should be a familiar path to you, my esteemed friend."

The man lowered his head, supporting his chin on the knuckles of one hand. His eyes shifted from side to side as he pondered the information relayed. After taking a deep breath, he said, "So the last pieces were closer to home than expected... Tell me, is there a chance a shard remains hidden within the ruins of Xybelios's temple?"

The twins listened with curious eyes, which made Narciso avert their stare while speaking, "A little flower told me that may be the case! Heard it from the Netherworld Oracle himself. Oh, the sounds of utter frustration coming from their rotten mouth made my day! Realizing the shard's location coupled with their failure to take Khiboreas's life has taken a toll on the crazy buffoon."

Tomas turned toward the man, raising an eyebrow, "Who's the Netherworld Oracle?"

Eila placed a finger on her chin, a shadow cast over her eyes as she recalled the cold of that night. As she opened her mouth to voice her theory, the man side-glanced toward her and answered, "I believe Eila has made the connection already. The Netherworld Oracle leads the cloaked demons, his back marked by a crimson circle with horns and tendrils spawning from its center. Much like the one upon my coat, it denotes his status within the realm of demons and loyalty to a guardian."

Narciso directed their stare at the sky, an aloof smile drawn on their slender face. "The mark of the most beautiful of all guardians to grace my eyes, the fierce obsidian dragon sorceress, Queen Nocturna. A shame one of the greatest leaders in our realm was partnered with the most insufferable, filthy oracle I have ever seen. Why, our home was kept in harmonious chaos under her wise rule. It has not been the same since the Oracle cursed Her Wickedness to slumber about a century ago." A crestfallen expression appeared on the demon's face, accompanied by a mournful sigh.

Tomas and Eila lowered their heads, placing their gaze upon Narciso's spawn. The girl's stare focused on one blossom as Tomas whispered to her, "This is a lot to take in, sis..."

Eila leaned closer to her brother, "I know. First, we see these cloaked weirdos, find out they have a leader, and now that leader had a boss. And he cursed her to sleep. Sounds like the kinds of stories our language teacher assigned us for homework."

Tomas shuddered at the mention of their elementary language teacher, "Don't remind me... one of those had a picture book with creepy drawings of monsters." He looked at Narciso and asked, "Um, about the Netherworld Oracle, did you hear why he is getting rid of other guardians?"

Narciso grinned and said to the man, "Inquisitive minds you've got here, my friend. That is a question I'd love to hear the answer to, but I fear you must hear it from him directly. He'll likely respond with claws to your face and a touch of corrosive magic though."

A cold sweat ran down Tomas's back as his mouth contorted into a tight-lipped smile, "O-oh. That's a very welcoming answer." He gave a weak chuckle as he scooted closer to Eila.

The man remained silent, his eyes half-closing in deep thought. "In summary, our best plan is to head south of the continent and verify the location of Suilah's temple in the sea. Nocturna remains asleep in the Netherworld as her rogue oracle plants chaos in our realm. How annoying. Any other questions, children?"

Eila slowly turned toward the man, her eyes wide as she shouted, "Yes, a lot. We know who our enemy is now and where you're going, but what about us?"

Narciso chimed in, playing with a strand of their fine hair around their index finger, "Oh? I thought you two were accompanying our mutual friend in his travels. Did you not meet in the woods far west of here? Cherub Woods?"

Eila swayed her head, "Yeah, we did... but it wasn't until Mr. Green saved us from freezing up in Mount Reilu that we knew what he was up to. Honestly, I'm in this because I wanna know what's going on with those cloaked demons. Tommy too."

Tomas gave a sheepish sigh, "Yeah... but I also wanted to go on an adventure. I know Mr. Green and you are probably trying to save the world, yet I thought I could, um, learn from traveling. Plus, we're not gonna get a chance like this once school starts a month and a half from now."

Narciso shook their head, restraining a chuckle, "I haven't met children in a long time, but it's fine to be curious at your age. Just as I learn about the beauty of this realm every day, you come to know about a potentially serious issue. Of course, the oracles have done a good job at keeping it hidden from most of this world."

The man nodded, "I hoped you two would prefer going home with your parents after today. It is their final decision to allow you to continue with me on this journey, after all. Regarding your role in our quest, it is to watch for any sight of the cloaked ones, keep your parents and loyal dragon safe from their grasp. Understood?"

The twins glanced at each other, their eyes filled with determination and assented with a firm, simultaneous nod. Though a tad overwhelmed from the information relayed, they found strength in their green-clad friend's orders.

Narciso sighed and mumbled, "How adorable. Odd, but adorable nonetheless." Raising their voice, "So then, how will our little party proceed? Prance through the forest and return to the sprites, or accompany me for my basking session?"

The man groaned in disgust, "I will not submit the children to such a sight, Narciso. Besides, their parents may have returned to the inn already, if not close."

"Aww, such a shame. I wanted to know them better, but oh well. Perhaps we can share our communication method with them, in case of emergencies of course. Not like I get lonely in the company of pesky imps and goblins. Not at all."

The man scratched his neck, "That may be wise. Children, look for lilies amongst this field with shimmering silver dust emanating from their stamens. Contact with their pollen allows two-way communication with our ally."

Tomas and Eila went in separate directions across the field of lilies surrounding Narciso, squinting their eyes as they inspected the fine pollen. Tomas began sneezing when he got too close to the flowers, prompting Eila to continue the search on her own. Her brother sat on a boulder by the river, washing his face in its waters.

The man and Narciso made idle conversation in the meantime, where Eila observed Narciso's tendency to move their arms while speaking. Once she plucked a lily covered in fine, gray dust, she pranced over to the man and called Tomas over.

Narciso inspected the flower, "Perfect. Courtesy of imbuing telepath magic onto my spawn. Took years to master the technique, since I'm not very magically gifted, much as I wish otherwise."

The man beckoned the twins, saying, "The gift of magic in this realm is rather limited, for good reason. I believe guardians would have a troublesome time keeping the balance if all beings in Eosia could use magic as they do. Ah, but demons are a different tale, is it not, Narciso? Even lesser monsters possess a small aptitude for it."

The lily demon nodded; a smug grin plastered on their face. "Do I sense some jealousy?" they asked in a hushed voice.

After some teasing on Narciso's behalf, the twins giggled as the man restrained a smile. Observing the sun's position in the sky, the man declared, "It is time we made our way to the inn, much as your banter amuses me, Narciso. I expect the children's parents await them."

The twins turned toward the murky forest looming ahead, their faces becoming pale at the thought of passing through it and potentially confronting their parents. Given they had disobeyed their rule, Tomas already imagined their mother's lecture.

Eila scooted closer to Narciso, tucking the lily above her ear, "Just one last question. Why do you like pretty things so much? I mean, it makes sense for a flower monster."

Narciso grinned, a tinge of color splashed on their face, "It makes sense for my kind, yes, but I adore all that is beautiful, child, regardless of my species. Much as I covet it, a demonic being as myself can only imitate, no, deceive myself and others to achieve a similar level of beauty that surrounds me. I fear I may never compare to it. And as much as I despise the Netherworld Oracle, I am... grateful that his portal allowed me to enter this realm. The land knows I am not welcome here, for it poisons my roots beyond the forest. Yet, I desire nothing more than to admire it, study it, if you will."

They glanced at Tomas, who was tapping his foot against the grass. Clasping their hands together, they chuckled and said, "Ah, I am taking up your time, aren't I? Do scurry back to your parents, you may contact me by placing the lily close enough for its silver powder to affect you. Speak into it, and I shall hear you."

With a smile, the twins waved at Narciso and followed the man into the dark forest, looking back to see Narciso lean their stem down to caress some lilies surrounding them. They had a serene smile and half-closed eyes with a touch of loneliness, a sight that remained with the twins as they backtracked through the path.