With hours of rest passing by, the four Morians, Koyote and Olala were essentially forced down the mountain at about sixteen. The spree lasted exactly sixty-five minutes, so the time it'd take them to tread back to Omer Narrows was enough for that plague to go amiss.

Koyote and Olala were first in line, knowing the terrain like the back of their hands, they hopped down effortlessly, and when Morio tried following their moves, he was stopped by Jyuzou's scared scream. Oddly enough, this time, the four were split into two groups, with Morio and Jyuzou taking the silent lead and with Ingo and Genni in the back, with the former continuously boasting about his victory and the latter commending him for his efforts.

Morio pranced around the walked-out path, keeping hush, concerned with his loss. It still wasn't too much for him to bear, but stress grew in his heart. He shook his head, trying to deny negative notions, up until he saw a white tree standing atop the barren hilltops and valleys. He looked to the side, seeing blade marks etched into the bark.

When Jyuzou passed by, he didn't spot the timber, and that's when Morio glanced at him, finally advancing.

The sun started setting with the passing hours, and when the first promptly headed back to the fortress, Ingo and Genni wandered into Omer Narrows, with the former's request.

"I'm tired, Ingo," Genni complained, fixing her glasses.

"Shut," Ingo muttered, walking at speeds she couldn't possibly match. "One hundred Pies... what could you possibly do with a hundred Pies?" he asked, with a grin.

Genni looked to the side, spotting the various gates leading to the path towards the fortress, with a gulp and frowning eyes. The view soon disappeared, as Ingo took a turn once again, and into a different street.

The paths were lit in dim, orange light, created by the various lampposts on either side of the road or people walking around with colourful and decorated lanterns. Many whispered to each other, enjoyed exclusive meals, read books that lay on wooden tables or strolled around, talking or laughing.

"Ninety-five minutes less sleep for today," she mumbled, silently.

A few shops were still open, but none caught the attention of Ingo. He stuffed his hands back into his pockets, blinking a few times, glancing at Genni who, essentially, snoozed while standing.

"If I can't find anything cool I'll just buy us food, okay?" he asked.

Genni opened one eye, looking up. "It's your money."

"Come on. Carrying that other idiot out of trouble took effort, didn't it?" Ingo covered his embarrassed face. "Sucks that she can't see it."

Genni stared into the distance for a few seconds. "I'm glad she can't, if we're being honest. I mean that d-definitely in a different way than you do."

Ingo looked back, forcing a small beam. "It's all good, Genni." he mouthed, turning with a sigh.

"Are menn looking for an exclusive offer?" A voice suddenly asked, and Ingo turned. "Mann might have something that would suit menn interests."

Ingo immediately assumed a defensive stance, turning on his heel. He leaned down, analyzing the few Old Manjuno words strung among the ones he knew. "What would you know about that, lady?"

The aforementioned giggled, covering their mouth and putting her pink, flowery robe together. "Menn carry a club, menn must be a kunto fighter."

Ingo stared at her, then down at the item on the counter. It was a big vial, with a red liquid bubbling inside. "What's that?"

"A potion to enhance your strength. Menn not from here, guda?" she asked. "Varn use these chaki in everyday diets. Missing vital elements, helping mentality... and they all come from crashed natural resources found in the yup of Galliath. Some even come from Harabara."

Ingo moved his hands further into his pockets, and the woman smiled, raising an eyebrow.

"Are menn interested?"

"Can we head elsewhere, Ingo?" Genni spoke.

"How much is it?" asked the Morian.

"A hundred Pies," she replied, raising a finger.

"Damn it," Ingo muttered, searching through his pocket once again, clenching the pebbles, and grinding his teeth.

"Mann lowered the price just for menn, mann dear." she nodded.

"Tsk."

***

Morio lay in bed, with the lamp on the side still well-lit. He closed his eyes and put his hands together, vowing to dream through and rest. Even though he felt the physical exhaustion, something continuously kept him up. A feeling in his head, the thought of another restless night and battling against spiralling and unpleasant thoughts.

He turned around, facing the moon peeking through the curtains and into the room.

Meanwhile, Jyuzou scoured around in the library downstairs, searching through book after book, climbing atop higher shelves and reaching his hand to find nothing of interest. Half of the time, the books were stories he already read, definitely and surely brought to Omer Narrows from Mainland Errarion. The other examples were fully written in Old Manjuno with a few words in the modern tongue or translated by Koyote, but those weren't the answers he sought.

Having found nothing, he sighed, grabbed the small lantern and stepped out of the library. He looked around the dimmed darkness with a gulp, searching for something in the distance. Taking a few steps forward, he wandered into a new corridor, with curtains and doors moving into different rooms or open sections of the fortress.

With one gulp and another turn, he heard footsteps, following behind.

"Morio?" he asked, turning around.

"No, not Morio," Koyote spoke, and Jyuzou gasped. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

"Um." Jyuzou stepped back, his tongue rolling into different swirls. "I was just... trying to find the library."

"You already know where it is," Koyote spoke, pointing to the book in his hand. "Is that a lie I'm sensing?"

"N-No." Jyuzou glanced away. "I'm not a liar," he spoke. "I'm just trying to solve a problem. I-In that paper we received, you wrote that everything would be answered on Roses Alley."

"Yes, that's true, but you can't find all of your knowledge in books. Much like Demonears, sometimes you learn from experience, or you can ask someone else. What boggles you, Jyuzou?" she asked, tilting her head, and Jyuzou sighed, his expression softening.

"It's a-about something I saw in Omer Narrows," he replied, and Koyote looked up.

She glanced left and right. "Come on, follow me," she instructed, treading through the corridor, down a different path and towards sounds where the roof changed into the same three layers above. The wall turned into wooden railings, and before Jyuzou could add anything else to his observations, the ground turned into a bridge wrapping around a big pond with a cherry-red roof.

In the water, grew a few light green trees. Bushes extended from smooth, grey rocks and the surface reflected the lamps. Stepping towards the middle, Koyote sat down, supporting her head with her hands.

Jyuzou followed, putting his knees together.

"What did you see?" she asked, with the distant waterfall muffling against the few frogs jumping in and out of the water.

"Men in black robes, with skull masks." Jyuzou quickly answered. "It's a strange way to put it, isn't it? This might be just my foolishness, but they seemed odd."

Koyote straightened up, breathing out. "It's not a strange notion, Jyuzou."

Jyuzou looked at Koyote with concern.

"They're of the Wakon cult," she uttered. "Not necessarily like any other resident of Omer Narrows."

"W-Wakon cult?" Jyuzou asked.

"Always there, in the corner of your eye," she announced, and Jyuzou started turning left and right, rapidly. "Although I'd like to think this fortress is safe, I haven't ever written anything about them for a simple reason." she ducked down. "They're not really human."

"Demons?" Jyuzou was panicked.

"Not yet, but close, I'd assume," she explained, fixing her tucked pantlegs. "Their beliefs pretty much extend to those devilish bastards. Think of, human sacrifice in the name of some begotten demon. They believe if they act like them they'll become such as well, and I can't shake off the feeling that some already succeeded."

Jyuzou moved back a little. "Why would you want to be a demon?" he asked, shaken.

"Power, above all else. Everyone knows how powerful a real demon is. Killing people with a snap of your finger, having everything given to you on a silver plate. They analyse the weakest to move onto the stronger to absorb their strength." Koyote turned to the Morian. "If you're strong enough, they shouldn't be of any worry to you."

"W-Well, shouldn't someone act upon them?"

"I'm always trying." Koyote chuckled. "Trying," she repeated. "Just yesterday, right before you arrived, I stood for hours near a building where I saw one of those Wakon wandering into. They never left, and I couldn't dare to step in. No windows, no doors. Just an unanswered question."

Jyuzou gulped.

"That's why you're becoming strong, isn't it? To eliminate those fears and crack down on those planning to rule the world with things they don't deserve." she stared forward, and her words pierced through Jyuzou's mind multiple times. "Strong Demonears."

He moved back a little, unsure.

"There are so many layers to this complicated world. Sometimes I wish I could just slice through and get rid of everyone's problems. There's also the Swannes tribe."

"S-Swannes?" Jyuzou snapped out, turning his head.

"That might be a story for another day, though, and to be honest, I don't know that much. I'm assuming you're tired, and you'll already want to tell Morio and your other friends about what you learned, isn't that right?" she asked, with half a smirk.

Jyuzou looked away, a bit embarrassed.

"You'll need the energy for tomorrow." she placed a finger over her mouth, and Jyuzou stood up, nodding.

"Thank you, Mrs. Koyote." he nodded, bowing.

***

With the lamp unlit, Jyuzou turned to the side, nestled into sleep with the comfort of his knowledge. Morio's eyes were wide open, despite how much he wanted to close them. The moon shone on his face, full of concern and, at the same time, wonder.

Would he be able to feel the spark the moon brings? After all, it saw everything.

Could that moon be considered hope, then? Much like an object on the loose, with everyone trying to find it to achieve enlightenment. If the moon was just a little closer to home, would people try to steal it for their good?

Who knew?

Morio closed his eyes, unwillingly, and the stars danced around the white crescent shine.

***

In the morning, he felt his hands resting in a different position. Resting was a huge word here, rather foolish, if one considered its implications.

Morio opened one eye, looking down, seeing his feet spread apart and attached to a strange chain.

"This isn't how I fell asleep," he muttered, opening the other eye. He looked up, seeing his arms wrapped around in different chains. "Hm." he blinked a few times.

"WHAT IS THIS?!" Ingo yelled, thrashing around. Jyuzou gulped, turning to Morio who glimpsed at him.

"What's going on?" Morio asked, fully conscious.

"It was already a hassle to drag you out of bed, Ingo." Koyote's voice sounded, as the woman stepped from below. "Don't rip the chains out before you're meant to do so."

"Where are w-we?" Genni asked, fearful.

"In a place where you'll face your second challenge, dear Morians." she stepped away, and the blur in Morio's eyes finally revealed the surroundings. Thin-glassed, cracking walls, and a rope leading towards the surface.

To make a long story short, they were trapped underwater.

"Ninety-five minutes late." Koyote looked at the silver object. "Counting down, that gives you five minutes."

"Five minutes?" Morio asked.

"Five minutes to escape this room before it floods." Koyote raised five fingers. "Five minutes..." she repeated, walking around. "There," she uttered, before punching the glass wall with her elbow.

A crack was revealed and water eventually started pouring into the room. "Good luck, Demonears," she muttered, putting her hand on the rope.