"Are you going to stay the night?" he asked.

"Probably." Genni quickly turned to Ingo who continuously looked all pissed-off. "But then we'll set out if there's nothing else to do."

Morio opened his mouth a little. After all, Jyuzou asked him to wait, but Shin knew what might happen.

"This ain't Gambino." he tipped his hat. "It's not every day that you see a Morian step into Haran territory."

"P-Probably the reason why everyone is staring," Morio added his two silver.

"Want me to be honest? No, not really." he shook his head. "It's what you're desperately hiding beneath that cloth."

"H-Huh?" Genni seemed confused, and Ingo's eye landed on the stall. He raised his head, looking around.

"It's obvious," he muttered. "But I'm as quiet as everyone else is."

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know. You're bringing contraband in,"

"Contraband? Those are just our-" Morio halted. "B-Bags."

The old man tapped the table's side, before glancing to his right.

Genni quickly recalled Koyote's words, uttered as one of the last things before departure.

"You three. Hide your Guardian Demons." Koyote announced. "Cloth, whatever, even stuffing them halfway into your backpack could work."

"Why?" Genni uttered, and suddenly, something hit her from behind. "Ah, Ingo?!"

"Give it to me, damn it!" he spoke through his teeth, rummaging through something in her backpack.

The seller, in turn, now looked through his eyebrows.

"What are you doing?!" she yelled.

Ingo stepped by the stall and into a part separated by cloth before doing the same thing with Morio.

"What the hell?!" Morio raised his voice. "LET GO OF ME ALREADY!"

Morio tried punching him with his elbow before Ingo's nails dug into his hand. With a swift push, his forearm landed on his neck, and he quickly pulled Gloria out of his sheath, retracting to the same stall as earlier with one sneaky step, even covering the weapon.

The girl kept eyeing the seller. Something about his earlier attitude changed. The smile was gone, and he kept looking at someone approaching in the distance.

"You're Demonears, aren't you?" the seller asked.

Genni opened her mouth, quickly shaking her head. Moving back, she looked around. Everyone in the market seemed frozen. They were all looking at the commotion with a blank, emotionless stare. One younger kid even pointed in their direction, and she gulped.

"HEY!" Morio immediately ran after him. "WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT?!"

"HELL, FRISKS, I'LL EXPLAIN-" Ingo stopped as his eyes widened. He stepped back.

A hand landed on Morio's shoulder and he felt a shiver going down his spine. It felt cold and perhaps lifeless.

Genni turned, and Morio did so as well, after battling with nervous thoughts.

"Follow me, please." A soft voice spoke from under a hat that covered a Haran's eyes. He carried something in the other hand but neatly hid it behind his back. Leaning forward, the hand dug into Morio's shoulder, and the three were swiftly led elsewhere with two of the same people following close by.

The seller peeked his head out of the stall and then quickly stood up, taking steps towards the right. He rummaged through the pile of cloth lying on the ground but ultimately found nothing.

He turned back to the hunters escorting the Morians. One turned around, and a couple of Silver coins were thrown his way. With a grin, he went back to work.

***

In the depths of Gambino, a city known for its gambling habits, as well as simply dubbed the capital of Harabara, rested a designated prison area. The name Ivehno, from the Old Manjuno word, stood for some strange synonym concerning "justice". Ivenho wasn't necessarily a jail, however.

Convicts inside were usually composed of criminals, and people who put on some scheme in the massive gambling hall that was the pyramid in the middle. Atop hotels inside, numerous bars, shops and golden halls, the bottom chambers were composed of square-like, beige rooms with unbreakable bars, as well as pathways leading to the other exits, some even closer to the edges.

Ivehno was huge, and it was easy to see why. Scamming was a common tactic among the Harans who lived there, and even the simplest tricks could earn you a day or two of profit. Some animals were also kept inside as well. One issue with how Gambino operated was that the roads were almost impossible for rideable animals to access, so they were immediately directed underground.

"Three yunduls, fifteen wolves and... a coyote?" someone asked.

"Yeah, we have a few of those." the other answered. "Cells 75 to 77, go to 100 and the rest of that will be pretty clear." he put his hand on his revealed hip. "Is this your first day here? I swear I haven't seen your face."

The other tipped his hat.

"Tsk, whatever." he shook his head with a smile. "Just make sure not to mix them up. Wolves don't like yunduls."

The other person nodded, leading the animals on a leash towards the mentioned cells. After a while of struggling with some, he forcefully and angrily pulled at the rope and hastily threw them into whatever open cell was nearest, promptly shutting it.

He brushed sweat off his forehead before looking around and concluding that no one else was present. The muffled sound of the casino was present, but everything inside the hollow Ivehno seemed strangely eerie. The man too, found himself a little uneasy. Spare the animals doing whatever and a few prisoners reaching their hands out to the guard, it was silent.

Treading down the hallways, the man turned to his left, taking the corner and walking down a flight of stairs. The surroundings barely lit up, the window let some of the night line shine in, revealing the town's quiet side, further away from the gambling hall.

Two bodies laid, completely clothless, and although they weren't killed, someone else bore their garments.

Another figure stepped in from behind.

"You sure took your sweet time, Leopold." Isak snickered.

Leopold turned to the cell in front of him, covered in complete darkness on the inside, with the bars bent and twisted, but still not giving out.

A hand appeared out of the grim, landing on one of the bars.

"Volcanic stone combined with metal." Shi Hon spoke. "Practically unbreakable, but even if I tried, I would never escape."

Isak's eye widened before he took a cautious step back.

"It's been too long that you've been searching without a prize for you at the end. But who is there to blame for your inability to search when asked? I felt it all. The way you scoured around Windsdale to be chased out by hunters. I saw you running from Beastmen in Halesdeep because, surely, they wouldn't be there. Then you end up here, facing me again." he whispered. "...and for what? To report that nothing's been done since?" he continued, white eyes shining from the darkness.

"What about the others? Lisbeth? What did she do?" Isak continued.

"You two are the ones facing me, not her. You were courageous enough to listen to my voice as you did back then, even if you accomplished nothing." the last word was almost completely hushed.

Or maybe it was that Isak didn't want to hear it. He clenched his fist and ground his teeth. "If you sensed all that, why can't you find them like you did back then?" he raised his voice. "That Paladian and Mirillian were on your radar and-"

"But they're no longer there, Isak." Shi Hon responded, completely calm. "I'm not trying to make things complicated. I first had hunches, tracing the little energy that the other Tributal Demonear left on their path. But that has disappeared since, and you've proven that. The Demonears were out of my range simply because they were too strong for me to find. I argue, however. A demon like you should be able to easily wipe them out if you put your mind to it, and I don't even want you to do that." he shook his head.

"Out of your range?" Leopold whispered.

"Likewise, with demon hierarchy. You two are standing at the top of the food chain and your actions could easily control the minds of other creatures loosely connected to our blood. Goblins, for example. They listened to Lisbeth on a whim, until she wasn't strong enough." Shi Hon explained. "As of recently, however, you've been greatly lacking what puts you on that pedestal. Can you guess, Isak?"

"Why is it only about me?"

"Because you only focus on the things that matter to you, instead of on your demon brethren." he sighed, carefully. "That's not the way to go, fella. You stepped out of Mount Aria once again to prove something and instead, the two of you can't follow the simplest of tasks." he clenched his fist around the bar, edging closer, still collected.

"Wh-" Isak ground his teeth. "What the hell is your plan anyway, huh?!"

Shi Hon moved back.

"You keep talking about needing to find those Demonears and you never give a damn reason as to why that would even be a good idea! If you're not going to kill them, then what? Do you want us to do it?" he stomped the ground, angrily.

Leopold quickly hit Isak's shoulder, and the latter swiftly turned, with the former pointing to the staircase. Fortunately, nothing happened this time, but Isak only clenched his jaw when he couldn't scream as much.

Shi Hon furrowed his brows.

"I've always had the same plan ever since I was trapped. It's not to find a means of escape or get revenge for what happened all those years ago. Be it, simply." he closed his eyes. "I want demons to be on the same page as humans. Even if takes thousands of lives to learn that lesson. I'm not looking for wars, I'm not allowing any of that leftover anger to foster." he pulled on one of his fingers, slowly spinning it around. "I just want to be like all of them."

Leopold put a hand in his pocket, and Isak's eyebrow twitched.

"You feel that way too, don't you? Hearing every sound of this town and how normal people are out there having fun while you must remain in the shadows because you were deemed that way and doomed from the beginning." he shook his head. "I don't think demons know why they're fighting. It's the way they were born and I doubt you'd understand my reasoning. I'm old, however. I've seen and experienced so much that I know humans and demons can never be equal, and that's okay."

Isak clenched his fist.

"I can't negotiate with them. I can kill and ask you to do as well, but what is that going to accomplish? If I held onto that anger longer I'd be like all of you. With one primal goal in mind." he turned to Isak. "Until a demon's needs are fully satisfied, they'll keep killing."

Isak turned to the side.

"Your very own words. Leopold is different, however." Shi Hon closed his eyes, and Isak glanced at the other standing in the room. "I'll take all means necessary to continue fighting without a sword. You might not understand why, and I doubt you ever will. Don't look too deep and you might fall. Some humans aren't born without such critical thinking and they live longer lives than most. A hunch is usually what takes someone from a bottomless pit and up to the top of the mountain."

Leopold took a step back.

"Recently, though, things have begun changing on the outside." he chuckled. "They had hunches too. With Bancho's death and everything surrounding that, Guardian Demons and Demonears have been completely banned from all bigger towns. I'd call it mass stupidity, but like I said." he paused. "You don't need a knife to start a war."

Isak breathed out.

"Much like goblins. When two parties are too distracted, the third sneaks in. Humanity has become so self-absorbed in its idea of power that they're convinced a pair of hands is all they need." he shook his head. "But when there's no one to blame, they'll always find something to fight over. If it isn't them working against demons, they're going to fight each other. Completely convinced that no other threat in this world will come to harm."

"The Holy Crown," Leopold spoke. "Is that it?"

"Nothing you two should concern yourselves with. Every seed meant to be planted sprung a tree without me shining sunlight. They wait before they'll strike, they hide when the time is ready. Just like those Demonears, I'm simply asking you to find. Think like them." he inched closer. "...and bring them back to Mount Aria."

Isak shook his head, stepping to the side. "Why them of all people in this bloody world?"

"You're saying that as if the other Demonears in this world haven't gone into hiding. I know where they reside, but I'll let that false security slide. I don't mean to harm, I mean to discover, and weaklings don't interest me. The Demonears that appeared recently are different, however. Strong is a word I wouldn't use. They're peculiar. Different from those cowards."

"This is stupid," Isak muttered and started treading the stairs, glimpsing back at Leopold from time to time, who stood still and waited as Shi Hon's eyes scanned him.

"I can't find myself to be of any anger. You're stronger than him, Leopold. I think you perfectly know why." Shi Hon muttered.

Leopold nodded, and Shi Hon signalled something. With one step, the demon whispered something into his ear, and the latter moved back.

"Isak. Come here." Shi Hon muttered.

The demon sucked in air through his teeth, with one glance at Leopold's white pupils drifting towards the other. The latter walked out, while the former hesitantly waddled towards the bars.

Shi Hon stuck his hand out of the chamber, crossing two fingers together, with blood flowing out from beneath his nail.

Isak's eye shrunk. "You're not serious, Shi Hon." he denied, gulping.

"I already hurt myself," he muttered. "Shake my hand, Isak. You're not the first to do so in the last few days."

"If a demon signs a pact with another that means-"

"Shake my hand." Shi Hon continued, his tone shifting.

Isak breathed in.