Author's Note: Merry Christmas everyone! I'll be busy on Christmas, so I can't upload on that day itself.

Here's a picture of my in-game character in FFXIV, wishing you all happy holidays c:

Wanted to take a nicer photo, but I'm still learning how to use the in-game camera ;_;

____

Linqin stared at her ex-schoolmates, a conflicted look on her face. Despite the amount of clashes they had, she knew that Xue, Cecil and Hana weren't the type to harbour any harmful intent on anyone, unless provoked.

She had experienced it herself after all.

However, with the majority of her people acting on their decision, she could only reluctantly join in.

She knew only her brother would be on her side for now.

"What do you want to do with them, brother?"

"..." Linwei was reluctant, but he had to arrive at a decision quickly. "We have to confine them."

Linqin was hesitating too, and it wasn't just because she knew the three of them personally.

She knew how strong they were.

Over a year has passed since she last saw them.

Who knows how strong they have gotten now?

There was no way people of their caliber would become any weaker.

Moreover, they had another comrade with them.

Linqin observed K'xug carefully.

She could ascertain he wasn't one to be underestimated either.

"What do you want to do?" Cecil asked, looking at Xue and K'xug.

"First, we break through." Xue growled out.

Cecil widened her eyes. "By killing them?!"

K'xug had the same question in his mind as he stared at Xue. "So you are killing them?"

Xue felt somewhat offended by their accusing expressions and questions.

"Tch. What do you take me for..."

At that moment, he recalled all his merciless deeds he had done thus far.

Kai: "You always spout about killing us."

Leonaut: "Haha. He's a murderer."

Isleif: "A sadistic murderer."

Zasiok: "...isn't that you?"

Sid: "A heartless saviour?"

Shin: "Contradicting."

Sid: "...!"

Sid: "You are still my saviour!"

Shin: "..."

Rugi: "At least, Xue isn't killing anyone anymore."

Jehan: "What's wrong with killing?"

Alric: "It's ve-very wrong!"

Jehan: "Really? Where I grew up, people kill each other everyday..."

Alric: "...?!"

Xue: "All of you shut up. I'll ki--"

The soul fragments perked their ears, waiting for Xue to say his infamous words. Alas, Xue stopped himself in time.

The soul fragments clicked their tongue in disappointment.

Xue growled in annoyance. "No, not anymore. We just have to break through together and head to where my soul fragment is."

It has been over a year since they first met.

The Xue now was completely different from the first time they met.

Cecil couldn't help but feel extremely emotional for how far Xue has come. Moreover, he hadn't changed for the worse, but for the better.

Xue.

You have done so well.

Even if you don't think you did.

Cecil swallowed her saliva down, clearing her throat.

"Alright Xue," she said softly, her voice slightly hoarse as she smiled proudly at him. "Lead the way for us."

Receiving such a response from Cecil, Xue felt embarrassed for an inexplicable reason. He glanced away, rubbing at his neck unconsciously.

"Mhmm," K'xug nodded in agreement. "Even if we want to break through, we need a distraction."

"A distraction..." Cecil trailed off.

"A distraction!" Hana whispered out in glee, her blue irises twinkling.

"Hana..." K'xug whispered out in a warning tone.

"Hana." Xue followed right after.

"Don't get too carried away, Hana." Cecil smiled in resignation.

Their hushed conversation was brought to a halt as the tribespeople closed the distance, forcing the group closer together. Linqin and Linwei gripped onto their weapons tightly, their elemental powers fluctuating.

Hana let out another panicked squeak, before she narrowed her eyes at them.

"Why do I have to be confined for fainting?!" Hana exclaimed without warning.

"..."

Linqin was speechless at Hana's stupidity.

"Do you seriously think we are confining you because you fainted?"

"Mhmmm..." Hana contemplated, nodding eagerly. "Yes!"

The entire crowd around the group faltered instantly. All of them looked at Cecil, Xue and K'xug for answers about their complete clueless friend, however, the three of them maintained a composed expression.

Linqin wanted to slap her palm onto her forehead.

She expected Hana to be less naive after almost two years. However, it seemed to her that Hana Katae has hardly changed in any manner.

Once an empty flower vase, will always be an empty flower vase.

Pretty on the outside, but if one looked inside, they realised there was nothing in there.

Linqin sighed, raising her fan and pointing it at Hana, lifting her head up in an arrogant manner. "Colluding with our mortal enemies and allowing them to infiltrate our camp, is that not a good enough reason?"

"Who are you talking about?" Hana tilted her head.

"All of you!"

"What did we do?"

"That red-eyed demon with all of you earlier! He's your friend, isn't it?!"

"..." Hana blinked once again, tilting her head to the other side. "Who?"

"..."

Linqin wanted to explode from frustration, her fan in her hands trembling violently. "You...really...never change."

Linwei could only pat her younger sister on the shoulder, trying to quell her anger. Even her mount that she was riding on glanced up uneasily at its owner.

"Calm down."

"How could someone be so...be so..."

Hana simply maintained a bright smile on her face, waving towards Linqin.

K'xug turned his head, appearing straight-faced but his shoulders were shaking slightly.

Cecil bit on her lower lips to stop herself from laughing.

On the other hand, Xue wanted to sneak a thumbs-up to Hana.

"Take them in!" Linwei commanded, motioning to the group with his hand.

The crowd started to rush to the group, brandishing their weapons.

"Kya!" Hana let out a scream, raising her arms to shield her face.

At that moment, droplets of water began to form in the air all around them. The sight of crystalline water droplets hovering in the air distracted some of the tribespeople within the crowd, and the others could only glance over curiously to their friends.

Linqin was the only one who kept her focus.

"It's Hana! They can use the elements too!" Linqin hollered, charging towards them with her mount. "Don't get distracted!"

Hana lowered her arms, a cheeky smile on her face as she peeked her head out.

"Hehe! Tricked you!"

Xue smirked, signalling to all of them with his hand. "Now! Move!"

The water droplets transformed into ice, pelting onto the tribespeople as they began to cry out in pain. Some of them used their own elements to shield themselves from the numerous hailstones, while the others without the power of the elements were left helpless.

Meanwhile, Cecil, Xue, K'xug and Hana all scattered and easily maneuvered their way out of the crowd. Be it through leaping through the air, fighting past the confused tribespeople or using their powers to help them, they all broke through.

"Ah--my head! It hurts!"

"Chieftain! Young Mistress!"

"They are getting away, brother!"

"Shield the ones without the power of the elements!" Linwei yelled. "The rest of you, after them!"

"Yes, Chieftain!"

"I'll go by myself first."

"Linqin, wait!"

Cecil joined up with Hana, whereas K'xug joined up with Xue. They gave nods to one another, they would split up for now and join back further in front. Without any hesitation, they dashed forward into the wide plains.

Alas, there was nowhere for them to take shelter or hide.

The ground below them rumbled, the tribespeople chasing after them with their own mounts. Their mounts let out a low growl and roar, sending a chill down Hana's spine.

"I think...I think I made them really angry!"

"Just keep running, Hana!"

Hana glanced back, cupping her hand around her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"

"No, why would you..." Cecil said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

The two of them glanced over to Xue and K'xug on their right, they weren't close enough to speak, hence they could only gesture.

Xue gestured for them to go straight ahead.

Cecil nodded.

"Since they already know about demons, revealing my true self to them wouldn't be bad." K'xug muttered out.

"Do as you please, but if you are doing so..." Xue looked at K'xug, extending his hand out. "You'll have to carry me."

"..."

K'xug furrowed his eyebrows in distaste.

"Don't you have half your powers back? Where are your wings?"

Xue shrugged. "Not here."

K'xug sighed, slowing down his pace. His wings sprouted out from his back, one stark white while the other an ebony black.

The sight of that sent some of the tribespeople into a frenzy. It was apparent that they recognised this distinctive appearance.

Their chase started out tame, but now, they were hurling attacks made out of different elements towards K'xug and Xue. The two of them easily dodged and deflected them, and K'xug flew into the air, reaching down to grab Xue's outstretched hand.

The two of them flew up into the sky, leaving the tribespeople flabbergasted.

K'xug recalled the countless times he had carried people around, just like that.

"To think I returned back, just to be a courier." K'xug mumbled out, grimacing.

"You know," Xue smirked, swinging his spear around with one hand as he deflected the remaining attacks with his light magic. "It suits you."

"...I should just drop you."

Meanwhile, Cecil and Hana had already procured their own means of creating more distance between their pursuers.

Linqin decided to chase after the two of them instead. After all, she knew she stood more of a chance against these two ladies.

She caught up with them, due to the advantage of having one of the fastest animals around as her personal mount.

"Sorry Linqin, we didn't come all the way here to be captured because of Veau's antics." Cecil leapt and spun around in the air, avoiding all the attacks aimed for her.

"So you do know him after all!" Linqin exclaimed.

"But we aren't friends at all!" Hana spit her tongue out at Linqin. "Hmph!"

Linqin flared up, throwing a water blade towards them.

"Eek!" Hana squeaked out, barely dodging in time.

"Hana, take it seriously!" Cecil advised, turning her body to the side to avoid the deadly water blade.

"I don't like her!" Hana pointed at Linqin, pouting.

"Well, I don't like you either!"

The two girls hissed at one another.

Cecil sighed and shook her head. She began to ponder a way to completely pull away from this fight.

After all, there was no point in hurting them and Linqin's tribe wasn't in any wrong for doing this. Veau had thrown them into a flaming hot pot, whether intentional or unintentional.

[ Your element is earth, particularly nature. ]

[ This environment is rich with the essence of nature. ]

Cecil knew this.

However, there was something else she was concerned about.

"I know that, but the bigger problem is, will my elemental energy be enough to do what I desire?"

"There is no point if I were to collapse onto the ground after pushing them all away, and leaving Hana to carry me like a burden."

[ Hah. ]

"..."

"You are scoffing more and more these days, aren't you?"

[ Cecil Lan. ]

[ You are more capable than you imagine. ]

Cecil was confused by AI500.

For once, it wasn't being sarcastic or demeaning.

It was being sincere in praising Cecil.

"There you go again."

"You speak as if you know a lot about me."

[ ... ]

[ Maybe I do~ ]

"..."

"Fine, I'll listen to your words."

Cecil halted in her steps, spinning around.

Hana was shocked at Cecil's sudden movements, hesitating as she gasped in shock.

Time slowed down as Cecil crouched down, reaching her palm out towards Linqin and the rest of tribespeople still chasing after them.

The ground below them trembled violently and suddenly, thick vines sprouted out like uncontrollable limbs of a monster.

"Agh!"

"Aaah!"

"What the heck is this!"

"Earth element!"

"Why is it so different from the earth element I know of?!"

The thick vines proceeded to wrap itself around the ankles of everyone near it, including the animals that carried the tribespeople.

Everyone began to stumble and fall, including their mounts.

"The vines...are too tough!"

It was too tough to be torn apart from brute strength. The animals barely managed to scrape and shred the vines into pieces, helping their partners after they freed themselves.

Unfortunately, the vines did not stop there. It continued to coil upwards further and entrapped them all completely.

"...!"

"Young Mistress!"

Her mount began to fall due to the abrupt stop in its momentum. Linqin flipped over in the air, slashing the vines away with her water blade. She was the only one who broke free in time, leaving her tribespeople behind who were still at a loss.

"Hurry and break yourself free from it!"

"Young Mistress, look out!"

Hana gave Linqin a bright smile, equipping the bow in her hands. Her bowstring had already been pulled back, and the arrow on her bow was glowing brightly.

What kind of arrow is that?

Linqin squinted her eyes.

Wait, I recognise that!

It's the one those white-winged angels use!

Linqin remembered the first time she encountered it, and watched in horror as the person that was struck by the arrow began to disintegrate.

She twirled her body in the air, dodging. She would have a rough landing, but it was better than being hit by such a deadly arrow despite its divine appearance.

However, at that second, Hana moved her bow to the left and released the arrow. It completely missed Linqin by a large margin, landing on the ground and nowhere near any of the tribespeople either.

Linqin widened her eyes.

It was a feint!

She landed on the ground harshly, letting out a grunt. She gasped in surprise, lifting her head up as she squinted her eyes.

Cecil and Hana had already rushed off, a considerable distance between them.

"Bye bye!" Hana waved with a victorious smile.

"We'll meet again soon, Linqin." Cecil said, her voice lukewarm.

Just like that, all four of them escaped from being captured by the Yaehai Tribe.

Their entrance into the Sen continent had landed them in a huge trouble.

***

"Ugh!"

A black mist-like smoke coiled around the man's neck, and no matter how he clawed at it, the unseen grip around his throat did not loosen the slightest bit. The man was dressed in grey long-sleeved robes that had been shredded and stained with blood.

His stark white wings that sprouted out from his back were in a similar state like his robes, splotches of crimson-red blood decorating it.

Humongous trees stretching into the sky sheltered them from the bright sun, surrounding the entire area which resembled a forest. Despite that, the area still appeared bright even with the leaves blocking out the rays of sunlight.

The leaves on the trees possessed a luminous characteristic, making the surroundings of the forest light up in a light blue hue. Along with its unique leaves, there were patches of luminous gel-like substance curling around the thick trunk.

A man in purple robes stood opposite the man being choked by the throat, the blue hue highlighting his features, particularly his cobalt-blue hair that flowed down his back.

"You deserve to be condemned to a lifetime of torment," the man squeezed his words out, his voice raspy. "Demon Lord."

"Me?"

Veau let out a relaxed chuckle, black wisps of smoke enveloping his body. His demonic red eyes glinted, and the tone of his voice became mocking.

"It isn't only meant for me, look around you."

The humongous trees were damaged, and on the ground, there laid the corpses of dead animals. Some of them were still twitching, barely alive as their small bodies heaved up and down.

It wasn't just animals.

There were people too.

People in robes with bloodied white wings.

People in robes with spiky black wings that were torn apart.

People dressed in various tribal outfits.

Just like the animals, some of them were completely lifeless, some of them were barely breathing; clutching onto the last remnants of their life.

The black mist-like smoke loosened its grip on the man's throat, and he gasped for air.

"You demons did this as well! A long time ago!" the man barked out, coughing in between. "In the mortal realm!"

"And now, you angels are doing the same, aren't you?" Veau stated lazily, wiping the blood stain on his cheek. "A lifetime of torment, it applies to hypocritical angels like you."

"We are nothing like you disgusting and cruel demons," the angel spat out. "All of you who only know how to kill and take, not knowing the precious lives you have taken from us."

Angry tears started to stream down the angel's face.

"Why are you crying?" Veau clicked his tongue. "I should be the one crying, after all, you did the same exact thing to us."

"..."

"It's only fair, no?" Veau smiled lazily.

The angel's body began to glow.

"How desperate," Veau raised his eyebrows. "Your life force is only worth this much, it seems."

"You'll die along with me, Demon Lord."

All of a sudden, a shadow flitted past within the trees, and dozens of needles shot straight towards the angel. It stabbed on the back, piercing through his heart and the angel let out a grunt, below his head hung.

Veau released the angel, letting him drop lifelessly onto the ground. The black wisps around him returned back into his body.

The angel's body continued to glow brighter, even after he had died.

"Couldn't you have killed him before that?" Veau sighed.

"Unlike you brother, I was busy."

Zeau stepped out from the shadows, retracting back his needles. His demonic red eyes still holding a cruel glint in them, and his long purple-black hair swaying in the wind.

A heavy metallic stench made Veau turn his head, seeing his brother drenched in the blood of the angels he had massacred.

"So, what did you see?" Zeau questioned.

Veau crossed his arms across his chest, shutting his eyes as he smiled lightly. "As you expected, it has started."

Zeau lifted his head up, gazing at the humongous, luminous trees around them. He wore his usual genial smile, a hint of approval in his voice.

"We are finally nearing the end."

***

Pt. 1

《 start 》

I felt nothing.

Whether I killed or not.

Nothing mattered to me.

...but it's different now.

I can finally feel something.

Killing...

It's something I don't want to do anymore.

Whether it's because I no longer want to see Hana in fear.

Whether it's because I no longer want to show Cecil my horrible and ugly sides.

Whether it's because I do not want to disappoint K'xug, an irreplaceable friend who stuck with me through everything.

Whether it's because I have grown soft.

I never want to kill needlessly anymore.

《 stop 》

***

Pt. 2

《 start 》

How hypocritical we both are.

Angels.

Demons.

It disgusts me.

Eona.

Don't you see?

Angels and demons.

We only live to destroy one another.

Our dreams--your dreams from a long past.

How laughable they are.

And yet...

《 stop 》