Moving through the dark, sandy corridors, cave entrances and pillar-like gates, the stone structures unveiled themselves from beneath a thick shadow, barely letting the obstructed sunshine in. At times, it only erected a fog, as beige and monotone in colour as everything else.

Paths split towards the bigger shafts holding up the ceiling, with a few gaps the three jumped over, leading towards stairs and destroyed towers, halved columns, and the cave's wall stretching towards various entrances.

Genni stopped, looking around, while Ranpa turned towards the distant noise. Whatever Morio and Isak were fighting for resembled explosions, followed by stone either being destroyed or the entirety of the temple, shifting.

It was high time to begin questioning what this place was about, especially for the uninformed. Genni heard a story when she was younger, but Ranpa and Kania found themselves clueless.

The Morian breathed out, turning back to the two.

"We'll have to go through those caves up there." she pointed. "The shining mist is following through there."

"W-We'll wait for Morio up there, right?" Ranpa added, a little nervous.

"Is that the best solution?" Kania turned, with a strange grin. "I'll say, leave the temple and he'll eventually catch up."

Genni squinted, pressuring a wound near her knuckles. Staring into Kania's expression, which met Ranpa's unsureness seemed to lead to one question.

"Weren't you on Hakate's side just a while back?" she muttered, hesitating.

Kania glanced at her. Ranpa put his hands together as if expecting an answer.

"You saved Morio, but I saw what I saw. Why should I consider your words? "

Kania clenched his fists, as the distant sounds became muffled.

Ranpa gulped, taking a step back.

"That's them?" he asked, pointing. "Kania." he shook his shoulder. "The Morians he tasked you to..."

Ranpa stopped and Kania continuously stared at the stones.

"Who's side are you on?" Genni furrowed her brows, putting her hand on the boomerang. Kania's eyes shrunk.

"Yours," Kania uttered, gulping.

"What did he task you with?!" Genni raised her voice.

Ranpa shook his head, grinding his teeth, and then, as proudly as he breathed in, Kania found himself on the ground. His hand pushed on the stones, as he bowed, almost desperately.

Genni trembled, before assuming a tougher demeanour.

"I swear on my fucking life. I'm not going to kill any of you Morians," he uttered, albeit quietly.

Genni froze mid-motion, unsure about his and her next moves. Ranpa put his hand on his face, brushing off sweat from his forehead.

The distant noises poured in again, and the sand followed down through the various sharp rocks at the sides, before meeting the ground laid next to the paths.

"I have hurt people. I have done terrible things and I ought to keep doing them if the world tells me so. But I never killed." he shook his head. "No one."

Genni stepped away, shaking her head.

"You can hate me all you want. It doesn't change the fact that the three of us..." he looked down. "The four of us, deserve to live and see the next day."

Genni slowly put the weapon down and sighed. "What I thought turned out to be true."

Ranpa shook his head. "He... he defended Morio from the demon's attack. Going up against what Hakate told him."

"You're defending him too? I saw how wounded you were."

"It was Hakate's word," Kania uttered. "Not mine."

Genni haphazardly trod forward, with clenched fists at the side. "Whatever it is... know that if you try and hurt me, I'll punch twice as hard."

"I won't." Kania bowed.

Genni closed her eyes, breathing out.

Kania blinked a couple of times, before turning to the unsure Paladian.

"Exactly what I was trying to tell you before we stumbled into them," Ranpa muttered.

"Huh?"

"You and H-Hakate."

Kania snickered, jumping across a gap in the ground and landing on both feet. "What I did back then was my proof of strength, and I don't like when people try to pry in to find complicated explanations."

Ranpa stepped closer.

"In my story, I found a Royal and tasked him to find the holy crown. Then, when another opportunity came up, I took it. Even if that doesn't make sense. I think a real man ought to be a little stupid." he tapped his head. "It makes them stronger."

Maybe what Kania said was right. Backing down on your words, and actions, switching sides when it benefited you... it did speak of the thing Ranpa began to envision Kania as.

"Come on." Genni raised her voice, as it emptily echoed towards the two. Kania turned, and Ranpa eventually leapt over, almost falling into the sand.

"When this is over, we'll find the Holy Crown, eh?"

Ranpa rolled his eyes. "Just let me sleep for an hour or forty."

Kania laughed out. "On it, boy!"

The two ran forward, with new noise coming in from the back. It began to sound like wailing or cries for help. The sand moving in from above started gathering around the revealed ruins.

Small pools of blood, following a silhouette also appeared. They made way for a metallic scraping, permeating through the halls.

***

Morio and Isak sprinted into battle. When the demon's fist almost connected, the other immediately flashed to the side and found himself standing atop the few columns. Morio tumbled, rolling into the stone structure, as it crushed atop Isak's head.

Despite the pain, the demon leapt forth, trying to grab his shoulder, but another zap led Morio to jump off one of the statues and grab onto a rather thin, sandy rope connecting two pillars.

Throwing his weapon forward, his hands found themselves wrapped around the line and eventually launched him in the direction of the sword, creating a thunder below that sent him flying towards the formations.

Enraged with the speed, Isak punched the altar below, with the wind sending him flying towards the Morian.

His clench tightened around a rock above, as his weight caused it to crush down. Nevertheless, he leapt through the new sandfall and towards a stable side. His arm ripped into the stone itself, with blood gushing in the direction of Morio, who only deflected some of it with a tight grin.

Another thunder came flying in, but just as the Morian was sure it'd hit right through, Isak rolled to the side, falling off, jumping up from a bigger boulder and forcefully grabbing his leg. Morio struck with Victis. The weapon went through Isak's clean palm. Nevertheless, such gave the demon enough time to swing a crude, brutal punch in his face.

The Morian fell, with a loud cough and two claps fighting each other. He soared through the sandy air, crashing into various structures.

Isak landed on both feet, as one shook, almost mitigating the break of his fall. He breathed out and turned forward, angered, arms bloodied and seemingly growing with each ounce of pain.

Yet, from the smokes and the dust, a shout came out.

"I'll keep getting back up," Morio announced before his figure flashed through the air with electricity.

The Morian bounced off a building, vertically, before raising Gloria and casting a thunder large enough to move through the sands below Isak.

The demon jumped, fist going through a pillar at the side, and with the next move, he threw it towards where Morio last stood. When nothing came out of his struggle, the Morian appeared again, with his wide grin and one closed eye flashing.

In the span of a second, he felt the zaps moving through, which, despite the pain, only managed to enrage him further. He tumbled into the electric field, and when it struck, so did the sand around the arena. It created an outline of everything around the demon, which Morio saw through clearly.

He focused, before striking again.

Isak parried his move, grabbing him by the legs and throwing him towards the side. Morio bounced off, putting two swords together. Blood came out of the wounds on his forehead and face, but they never seemed to try and battle the unwavering smile.

Beaming in the face of danger.

Furious, Isak picked up a pillar etched amongst the ruins. Swinging angrily, he cleared the paths smashing them against all the other, empty, abandoned stone structures.

When the sand settled, the two stood on opposite sides, almost trying to predict their opponent's next move.

Morio's grin met his bloodied smirk, and the two clashed against each other.

Once again, one more time.

***

Running through the darkened caves, the wailing seemed to grow stronger and closer. Staring into the abyss below at the sides of the long, stone bridge they reached suggested one answer.

"The hell is that?" Ranpa stopped.

The three found themselves facing a triangular gate, with colourful, worn-out patterns pointing towards a door in the middle. There were empty baskets at the sides, and two statues of men, with one pointing its spear upwards, while the other held his sword towards the ground.

The crying sounded again and Genni hesitated, before smashing the entrance with both hands.

The first thing that immediately caught their attention was a massive statue of a witch. Then, their attention shifted to the split stairs behind it, and an empty throne, with some sunrays shining in.

There it was, a hole in the roof of the cave leading towards the misty skies.

Genni pointed. "We'll have to climb the statue."

"How on Errarion are you planning to do that?" Ranpa asked.

"We'll use that shield as leverage to climb up to her shoulder. Then, I'll create enough water to throw Ranpa to its head, and he'll pull the rest of us up."

"You're very confident about my strengths," Ranpa uttered.

"Or, lack thereof." Kania chuckled. "Man, though. Demonears seem brainy enough."

"I had my fair share of situations like these, as a form of training," Genni uttered.

Kania shrugged. "Guess everything comes in handy. Awright!"

The Haran chucked the shield, and Genni jumped forward, climbing up to the shoulder. Kania followed right by, and when Ranpa climbed onto the shield, the Haran threw him towards the girl, who barely managed to catch him with a shot of the boomerang. The Paladian screamed, quite obviously, as the water led him up the head, and Genni bent, looking to help Kania up.

Instead, however, she met a fine nothing.

Her eyes widened, before a loud noise, indicative of something ripping into the marble they stood atop, sounded.

Ranpa almost fell off, and Genni scanned, as quick as her eyes would've allowed her.

Then, she saw it.

Hakate stood atop the throne, with both bloody hands inside Kania's mouth, cracking his lips and almost ripping through his cheeks from the inside.

She reached her hand out, shocked.

"Surprised?" Hakate screamed out, with more of the velvet dripping out of his mouth, matching the other parts of his destroyed body. It'd be a miracle that he was somehow still alive.

A miracle, if it didn't hinder everything the three tried achieving. Hakate pulled more, with a desperate smile.

"All this progress, change, and you didn't even bother to wake me up, Kania. No worries, however. I already saw everything, back then with your louder-than-world conversations." Hakate shook his head. "Did you forget, my dear friend? It always comes down to the same thing!"

"Hakate!" Genni furiously yelled out, before leaping off towards the bottom of the staircase.

"One wrong move, you filthy demon, and your big protector here get ripped to shreds," Hakate informed, with shrunken pupils. "Who's going to help you out of this trouble now? Maybe, it'd be wiser to wait out and see what the wailing outside is all about! I'd be glad to die alongside those I vowed to kill back then."

He blinked.

"The Shaiti Temple always waits for its sacrifice. I was right in making my choice back then! Demons like you would fawn over any possibility of hurting others. Nothing ever changes about filth. When you touch it, your hand only becomes twice as dirty as they were!" he kept pulling, as blood moved out of the the corner of Kania's lips.

Hakate slowly shook his head, staring right at Genni.

"What will it be, then? Another futile attempt in running away from the righteous end, or will you accept an entirely different conclusion?" he asked, his head tilting to the side. "EH, DEMON?!" he yelled out. "ANSWER ME BEFORE I REACH IT MYSELF!"

His hand moved into Kania's throat, his nails sliding in to scratch the ceiling of his mouth. His leg rested on the grip of his chainhook and his eyes were focused on Genni.

What was it going to be this time? Give up, let all of them die, or fight, despite his warning? She never trusted Kania in the first place.

She didn't want anyone to sacrifice themselves or step into pain for the sake of her survival. Not anymore.

Hakate was confident that he'd be the one taking the throne.

When Kania's eyes drifted upwards, Ranpa didn't stand on the witch's head any second longer.

Genni's hand landed on the boomerang, and when she vowed to launch it forward, a scream from the side distracted her. Ranpa threw himself at the chainhook below, grabbing it with both hands.

Haphazardly, it snapped out of Hakate's grip, and flew forwards, now in his hands. The angered hunter immediately stood, kicking Kania to the side and shouting with a desperate outcome to every move. Genni launched her boomerang forth, and the water path it created bounced off the sides, almost striking the Haran.

Ranpa extended the hook, but Hakate caught it, with the spike moving through his palm. With a painful yell, he ripped it out, directing its attack against Ranpa, throwing the Paladian into the water stream. Genni moved up, and with the boomerang returning to her hands, she threw it again, only for the chain hook to strike at the statue.

The new stream pulled on Ranpa's clothes, moving him towards her grasp, and soon, another path opened, spinning circles, much like Hakate ran around, and even leapt, with his legs in the front trying to move through.

Then, it crashed, not from his or their actions, but because of Kania's strength. With a tight move, he ripped the shield out of the side and protected himself from Hakate's punch, leaving the hunter open for a second. A water strike hit his hat off, and he now found himself tumbling.

The witch crashed, causing the ground to rumble. It landed in a way that created an upslope, providing a path to run out towards the light. The three took their chance, but Hakate caught onto the scheme.

The hook found itself stuck in Kania's leg, pulling him down, while the two moved upwards.

"You're dying here with me!" Kania tried kicking him off, repeatedly, with seemingly no answer to his struggles.