https://youtu.be/4i9BWAN1HwM

Having taken care of Raina, Ashbel and Viera left that forest, better-informed than before and ready to reconvene with Sly. The two of them ran as quickly as they could, making sure to look out for his fair features and long black hair. And eventually, he was spotted, hiding in an alleyway with a knife in his hand. Once he saw them, he offered them a wave before ignoring them, listening closely.

"What's he up to?" Ashbel mused, looking around to see if he could glean any context clues. But it was just Sly, his knife, and a glimpse of a corpse on the other side of the alley. Before the duo could say anything, however, they saw a large, green-eyed zombie running past. Sly sprang into action, tossing a knife into its head and gaining its attention as it turned to face him. The ninja jumped up, hanging onto the roof, and pulled himself up as it charged into the alley, now charging towards Ashbel and Viera, who seemed more accessible.

Ashbel blinked a couple of times, drawing his sword and immediately standing in front of Viera, defending her from its claws. Viera took his chance to fire a lightning spear directly into its chest, staggering it rather prominently. Watching them from above, Sly took the chance to jump down, spinning around with his daggers in hand and cutting into the monster repeatedly. He landed gracefully, holding his blades up and lunging at it quickly. Meanwhile, Ashbel and Viera came at it with his sword and her lightning-imbued fists, respectively. With their three-pronged attack, the monster was obliterated in no time, leaving the three of them alone.

"And that's a wrap, I think." Sly said, putting his daggers away and clapping his hands together. "Thanks for not giving away my position, you two."

"It's my pleasure." Ashbel smiled, sheathing his sword. "We're all done, too, more or less."

"And we've got some intel, too." Viera said. "We interrogated a Deliverer."

"Oh, that reminds me. A couple hours ago, I met that Van guy you were whining about." Sly added. "He was with a nymph named Calypso."

"Ah. Them." Viera sighed, crossing her arms. "Did they try anything funny?"

"No, they were actually pretty nice." Sly shrugged. "That said, they did seem like they were in a hurry to get away from me."

"Well, they've got to be up to something, then." Viera's brow furrowed. "We'll probably find them at the temple, I bet."

"And we'll have to fight them?" Sly asked, earning a nod from the priestess. Then, with a sulky pout, he threw his arms in the air and declared, "But they seemed so nice!"

"Quit whining. Being nice doesn't make them less evil." Viera pointed out, narrowing her eyes. Sly shrugged at that.

"Fair. After all, you're the one stopping them."

"And what's that supposed to mean?"

"That you're an ornery old bitch."

Viera glared at him, and watching his lack of any reaction beyond mild amusement seemed to anger her more. She crossed her arms once again, looking away from him. "Better an 'old bitch' than a foolish child."

"Well, touché." Sly raised an eyebrow, looking down at her with a chuckle. "So, what's this about a temple, anyway?"

"We got a lead on where the Deliverance is gonna go." Ashbel replied. "Ever heard of the Temple of Benedicts?"

"Hmm...think I may have stolen from there once. I guess it was probably a while ago." Sly nodded slowly. "It's at the eastern corner of Seiryu, right?"

"Yep. It's the foremost site of Seiryu worship." Viera noted, mentally pondering why all the capital cities were named after their respective gods - surely she wasn't the only one who'd ever tripped up on that before. "To think the Empty Light would choose to show up there of all places. Not that I expected our enemies to be sporting, but still..."

"The Beginning must have a sense of humour," Ashbel hummed. "A massive ego, or a really profound sense of divine spite."

"Well, if the temple's our destination, finding it shouldn't be too hard." Sly said. "You know the directions from here, Viera?"

Viera shook her head at that. "I was born in the west and lived pretty much my whole life in the south. I haven't memorised Seiryu's layout."

"Ah, how disappointing." Sly sighed. "Here I thought our resident religion nerd would have hit the books a little more."

"But, Sly, didn't you say you've been there before?" Ashbel pointed out. "Why can't you lead us there?"

"Because it was years ago, and I'm too busy making fun of Viera."

"Piss off."

"Making fun of her is a respectable cause." Ashbel chuckled, before shaking his head as the priestess gave him a funny look. "But what's more important is reaching that Temple and finding out who we're up against."

"He's right." Viera nodded slowly. "Let's ask around. Someone's bound to know."

"Well, sure." Sly shrugged calmly, slowly stepping out of the alley with the other two in tow. As things stood, people to ask seemed few and far between right now - all having either died or fled, by the looks of things. But they would simply have to keep looking. If not for any locals, then for fellow adventurers who looked like they might have a clue.

.........

https://youtu.be/5SkHFpqhSsc

"So, who do you think is most likely to be the Beginning?"

A long while of searching had left them with no luck, with the few adventurers they found hanging around didn't seem overly religious - that, or they were acolytes of other deities who didn't care too much for Seiryu. Though Ashbel did spot the Knight, who seemed quick to escape from his presence. Oh well, the White Tigers worshipped Byakko, anyway. Not one to let such things bring him down, Sly decided to strike up a conversation, the topic of which immediately grabbed the other two's attention.

"We've all met Deliverers, after all." Sly continued. "Who knows, maybe one of them is bound to be our salamander friend's nemesis."

"It could be someone we've never met, though." Ashbel mused.

"Yeah, but I wanna focus on the ones we have." Sly pointed out. "Ashbel, didn't you meet the one who caused this mess in the first place? Think it might be them?"

"Eh, I dunno..." Ashbel frowned slightly. "Don't think so, though. She seemed kinda craven, you know? Plus, she's the one who pointed us towards the temple."

"That is a good point." Sly nodded slowly. "I'm not so sure about Van, but that Calypso girl..."

He trailed off, staring into space and only recovering when Viera, noticing this, pressed her staff to his neck to administer a tiny electric shock. "Focus."

"I'm focused!" Sly protested, clearing his throat and shaking his head rapidly. "As I was saying, that Calypso doesn't seem like the 'world-ending' type. Like, maybe she is a Deliverer, but I doubt she'd be the one to pull the lever herself. My vote's on Van, personally."

"You know, the way you guys talk about Van, I'd think hell itself spat him out to do its dark bidding." Ashbel hummed, scratching his neck. "Is he really that bad?"

"Well, for starters, this whole crisis was his idea." Viera pointed out, narrowing her eyes in annoyance at this fact. "He's their ideas guy, and you just can't tell what he's got planned unless someone tells you."

"Well, he seems pretty chill." Sly mused. "He seems more like a 'friendly right-hand' type."

"The world doesn't run on tropes, Sly." Viera sighed, shaking her head. "That said, you're right. I know he answers to someone, even if I don't know who that someone is."

"Then that 'someone' is probably our enemy." Ashbel commented. "Wonder what they'll be like..."

"Regardless of gender, I bet they've got long hair." Sly chuckled, running a hand through his own hair. "It's probably white or blonde, too."

"Think they've got white robes, too? Like some kind of angel?" Ashbel suggested.

"Haha, yeah!" Sly grinned. "And they've probably got this grand catchphrase. Imagine a guy saying 'Now I deliver unto thee a brave new dawn' as he scorches you alive."

"Hmm...doesn't sound arrogant enough." Ashbel shrugged. "Maybe something more like 'I invite you, lowly mortals, to meet your new sun'."

Viera listened as the two of them continued to workshop stupid catchphrases for the Beginning, privately considering that Ashbel's 'sociopathic god' interpretation allowed for more fun villain lines. Still, though, she had reason to worry - this whole thing reminded her that she really had no idea who the Beginning themselves were, or indeed, what to expect from the Temple. She'd read Davante's records on the last Beginning, but she wasn't quite sure how transferable the knowledge was. If it was anything like the last one, though...

"No, Sly, they're not gonna mention the sunset at all!" Ashbel scolded. "Their whole thing is dawn! That means the sun is gonna rise on our asses!"

"Well, it sounds much less cool, don't you think?" Sly pointed out. "They went and led a cult calling themselves the 'Dawn Deliverance'. They're totally out for the cool points."

"That may be so, but I'm sure accuracy matters, too. They got the dawn motif, they might as well go all out on it!" Ashbel frowned, eyes looking around the place as they turned a corner. "So, I say they'll go for something like...hey, Luc over there!"

"...I don't get it."

Ashbel looked on ahead, his attention no longer on the conversation. Viera and Sly looked where he was looking instead and found a white-haired man that the former recognised but the latter didn't. He moved around calmly, faced with his back to the group and observing the chaos around him with an unreadably stoic look on his face. It was only when Ashbel grabbed his attention with a cheerful, "Hey, Luc!" that he looked up, surprised to see his friend but regarding him with a smile and a wave as they approached him.

https://youtu.be/3wQ-mWK85yY

"We meet again, Ashbel." Luc replied, before his gaze turned to a scrutinising Sly. "...and in bigger company than last time. Are you assembling an adventuring party?"

"That wasn't the intention, no." Ashbel shook his head, gesturing towards the ninja. "Sly, meet Luc. Luc, this is Sly."

"...ah, now I get it." Sly chuckled, extending a hand to Luc, who shook it politely. "Seems like you've befriended quite the Luc-er, eh, Ashbel?"

"Hey, I already used that pun."

"It's...a pleasure to meet you, too." Luc responded, looking over the trio as he pulled back from the handshake. "It seems wherever there's trouble, you're close by. I wonder if you're stirring things up just for a little fun..."

"Who, me? Never." Ashbel crossed his arms. "It just kinda happens! I guess I'm just the world's luckiest demon."

"Lucky, he says." Luc shrugged, shaking his head. "This is hardly a fortunate situation, I'd argue, but...whatever lets you commence with the stabbing, I suppose."

"You seem awfully calm." Viera spoke up, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, losing my head isn't going to un-kill the fallen, now, is it?" Luc pointed out. "Their losses are a tragedy, but I can deal with tragedy. Especially when such brave heroes are here to help deal with it."

"Yep, that's us. Just a ragtag pack of heroes." Sly grinned, giving a thumbs-up. "Right now, though, we're looking for a place. Perhaps you've heard of the Temple of Benedicts?"

"...yes, I have." Luc raised an eyebrow, staring strangely at the three. "It's a very well-known place of worship."

"Well, we're headed there right now." Sly continued. "But we're not locals, so we only know its whereabouts in a very broad sense. Care to point us in the right direction?"

Luc hummed a little, crossing his arms behind his back as he examined the trio once again - Ashbel most closely. The three exchanged glances, Ashbel shrugging, and between the four of them, there was silence for a brief moment before Luc spoke up again, gesturing behind him. "Of course. It's right about..."

.........

And so, directions were given, and ways were parted, with Luc watching the three as they walked off, bidding him farewell. As he came out of earshot, Viera looked up at Ashbel with a slight frown. "Luc's weird."

"Yeah, well, who isn't?" Ashbel hummed. "Gotta be a little weird to survive in this world, I say. I mean, just look at Sly."

"The fuck do you mean 'just look at Sly'?" Sly quirked an eyebrow curiously. "I'm just like everyone else, honest."

"You don't get it, Ashbel. Something's off about Luc." Viera shook her head. "I don't trust him."

"Could you elaborate on that?" Ashbel placed a hand on his hip, looking down at her sceptically. "Because I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary."

"He was too calm." Viera said plainly. "And he examined us too closely."

"He's an adventurer. In that field, you've gotta know who you're dealing with." Ashbel pointed out. "It's a very important skill."

"He should already know you quite well, right?" Sly cut in. "But he seemed more interested in you than either of us. Doesn't that strike you as a little odd?"

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"Plus, he's got white hair, and he wears white, too." Sly added playfully, causing Ashbel to raise an eyebrow as he harkened back to their previous discussion. "I'm not saying he's a cult leader, but I'm not not saying that, either."

"Oh, don't be ridiculous." Ashbel chuckled, giving the ninja a little nudge. "His main magical element is wood, anyway. What kind of arrogant god uses plant magic?"

"Intriguing." Sly hummed, crossing his arms. "Either way, though, Viera did say anyone could be a Deliverer. Even I could be a Deliverer."

Viera nodded, crossing her arms. "Deliverer or not, I think you should be more careful around him." she said. "You never know who's going to stick a knife in your back."

"I'd rather not think such things about Luc. We've had a good few adventures." Ashbel sighed, privately considering those words before flashing the two of them a bright smile. "So, why don't we talk about something else? Like, say...drinks! I know a place up north that does the finest Charcoal Brew!"

"You know, your ability to change your mood on a dime like that is at least as suspicious." Viera raised an eyebrow. Nonetheless, a little bit of levity before the battle that inevitably awaited couldn't possibly hurt. So, while not much of a drinker herself, she chose not to rain on this parade and listened closely.

.........

https://youtu.be/4GOiJkxRXjw

"Stabbed, you say? That's certainly not ideal."

In Van's hand laid a crystal - a small, spherical one that just fit in the palm of his hand. As he and Calypso walked through the streets of Seiryu, they gazed into the crystal ball, and inside it was a projection, showing the face of a positively miserable Raina.

"Are you gonna be alright?" Calypso asked, a look of concern on her face.

"Oh, yes, I'm going to be peachy keen with this GIANT HOLE IN MY ARM!" Raina snapped, her voice cracking. "Ugh...it hurts..."

"Do you...think you'll survive?"

"Yes, you airhead! We have white mages, and I'm going to use them, damn it!"

"Well, with an attitude like that, how are you ever going to join us on this raid?" Van tutted. "You'll have to sit this one out, I'm afraid."

Raina growled incoherently, only to stop when Van continued speaking. "By the way, may I ask who attacked you?"

"Some demon. I never caught his name." Raina admitted, looking down and clenching her teeth. "But he was with Viera."

"Oh? So she is here..." Van chuckled quietly. "Viera, this Sly man, and now the unknown demon. I wonder what kind of trouble we're up against."

"Was the demon strong?" Calypso asked curiously, staring into the ball with wide eyes.

"...I guess." she muttered. "He was...a swordsman. And he used flames."

"Your help is, as always, appreciated." Van smiled. "Go to the mages and rest. We'll take it from here."

"We'll make sure to tell you how it went!" Calypso continued, only to be met with a stressed roar from the other side.

"Don't mock me!" Raina yelled, her volume taking the nymph aback.

"I-I'm sorry..." she murmured, but Raina, instead of responding, cut off the connection, leaving the two of them alone.

"I hope she'll be okay..." Calypso frowned, watching Van stash the orb away. The elf, taking note of this, gave her a reassuring smile. "That looked like a really bad wound."

"Of course she'll be fine! She's got far too much spite in her to just perish like that!" he exclaimed. "Her story is not over! We'll just have to reap its benefits, and be proud of what she's achieved, yes?"

"I guess you have a point." Calypso nodded, looking around. "Shame she'll miss the Beginning, though."

"Yes, it very much sucks to be her." Van shrugged, before flashing the nymph another smile. "But at least it wasn't you."

"...if that was meant to be a come-on, it's not gonna work on me." Calypso raised an eyebrow, eyeing the steadily-confused elf with a slightly mischievous grin.

"I-what?"

"I heard what you said to that nereid back there, you...nymphomaniac." Calypso replied, her smile turning to a mix of smugness and awkwardness as she crossed her arms. "I won't let you seduce all of our kind!"

"Haha, dear Calypso, that was a one-off!" Van chuckled lightly. "And who could blame me? That clear blue skin, that graceful elegance, that air of melancholy...that, my friend, is a woman with a story."

He cleared his throat, humming quietly as he looked ahead. "On the topic of stories, though, it looks like ours is about to continue!" he exclaimed cheerfully. Calypso looked where he was, and found that right before them was a great staircase, pristine and made of azure wood. It gently sloped upwards and was barricaded by a pair of great walls on either side of it, moss covering parts of the structure, and at the top, they could just about make out a tall building. They looked at each other, exchanging a nod as the elf crossed his arms while the nymph put her hands on her hips.

"So, that's the temple..." Calypso murmured.

"You've been here before, haven't you?" Van asked. "When you were scouting it out?"

"Yeah, but just look! It's...beautiful." Calypso gushed, pointing up to the top of the staircase. "I could look at it a thousand times and it'd still be excellent!"

"I'm sure it'll be much more magnificent from the top." Van sighed. "On the topic of...the top, that's looking to be quite a climb. I don't suppose you'd be willing to carry me, would you?"

Calypso made a playful pout at that as she began walking up the stairs, Van following closely by. "But Van..."

"I can't help not being as athletic as you." Van shrugged. "Your musculature and my lack thereof, they speak for themselves. Surely you can do a fellow Deliverer a favour? I'll make sure to pay you back!"

"Hmm..." Calypso murmured, beginning to think of possible favours to cash in for the future. "Fine. Come here."

As she let him get on her back, Calypso carried him as she walked up the stairs, the two of them making light conversation as the trek continued. Thankfully, Van was pretty light, so he wasn't a massive burden, and she liked his company, too. After much walking, they made their way up, and at the top, they could see the temple in all its glory.

Yes, this was the Temple of Benedicts, so bold and blue as it stood before them. Its design was that of a towering wooden pagoda - four storeys high, with black roofs jutting out at the top of each one, narrowing as they ascended in level. The wood making up the vaguely heart-shaped walls were the same shade of azure as the stairs that they had just surmounted. But there was a stretch of floor separating them from their target, and standing on it was what appeared to be a platoon of guards, each dressed in their signature suit of scale mail and wielding a variety of weapons, many of them eyeing one another nervously as the two arrived.

"Halt!" the guard at the front - a short, strongly-built man - announced, crossing his arms and standing in front of Calypso. "The Temple of Benedicts is closed to visitors!"

"Huh?" Calypso gasped, only for Van to tap her on the shoulder as he got off her back.

https://youtu.be/gpuj6vzILq4

"Remember the plan, Callie." he said, and she obliged, nodding; the talky stuff was certainly more of his forte, after all. "Good sir! You must be aware that this is a most famous place of worship! A wonderful tourist attraction, and in some cases a pilgrimage site!"

"I know. I work here." the guard deadpanned, staring suspiciously at Van, who allowed for that brief interlude before continuing.

"You would deny people all of these? What catastrophic event could have befallen such a famous temple to lock it down entirely?" he asked, his words accompanied with the dramatic, flaring gestures of a bard telling a story. "Or could it be, perhaps, that there's something inside that you don't want anyone to see? That would certainly explain the guards."

While Van spoke, Calypso eyed the guards in question, looking out for any familiar faces and smiling as she spotted a few of them. The short man looked up at Van, his hands on his hips and his eyes narrowed in displeasure. "Even if you've been living under a rock, you probably heard the 'world's heartbeat' the other day." he explained. "We've been ordered to let nobody inside, and we're gonna do our part to preserve this world, dammit!"

"Oh! You mean to say the Empty Light is in here? I've heard a lot about it." Van asked, receiving a nod from the guard. "Then I can see why you wouldn't trust an outsider. But what about an insider?"

"Our guards are carefully vetted, thank you very much!" the man protested. At that, Van looked back at Calypso, who gave him a quick nod.

"I'm just saying, you ought to be very cautious about this kind of thing." he said. "You never know when someone might just...sneak inside."

"Thanks for your concern, sir." the guard rolled his eyes. "Would you like to take the stairs down, or...wait, there's no other way down. Heh."

"I could slide down that bannister."

"If you're not all that attached to your legs, then sure."

Van chuckled, adjusting his beret and putting his hand on his forehead like a visor. "There just isn't any winning with you, is there?" he smiled.

"If a guard ever loses, he's a pretty shit guard."

"Yes, of course. Are you?" Van asked, before shaking his head, raising his hands. "Of course not! That's why you're still employed, right? So why don't we put those skills to the test? Calypso?"

"Right." Calypso nodded, clearing her throat and cupping her hand to her mouth, using both that and her wind magic to project her voice as she spoke one word; "Færgripe!"

At the mention of that strange word, the guards who had been looking around were instantly alerted, and even the ones who hadn't were openly confused. The one who had been talking to Van now looked at him, raising an eyebrow and wondering just what was going on. The elf, sensing his confusion, just shrugged, remaining silent until the air was filled with the sounds of blades piercing flesh, a gruesome serenade that went on for some time. The guard looked back, horrified, and saw a notable majority of his own task force attacking the rest - be they skewering their allies with spears, slashing them with swords, and even the odd spell being cast.

Van shook his head, looking at the guard as he slowly stepped past. At least they remembered the code word. "Your protection, state-of-the-art as it is, was compromised a long time ago." he sighed. "This is what I warned you about - you could have prevented this."

The man clenched his teeth and took a deep breath, rage beginning to consume his being as he drew his sword and lunged at Van, screaming at the top of his lungs. "YOU BAST-" he screamed at the top of his lungs while Van reached for his rapier. Before either of them could clash, however, Calypso leapt between them and kicked the man in the side, knocking him into one of the walls. She watched as the life left him, becoming utterly still and silent.

"He's out cold." Calypso nodded, looking at Van as she righted her stance. "Should we...proceed?"

"Yes, we shall!" Van nodded, taking a deep breath before looking ahead at all the blood and gore before him with a regretful sigh, while the traitorous guards stared at the two. "You've all performed well, my friends. But the mission is not yet complete. Go into the temple, and defend it from anyone else who enters."

"Uh, yes. I'll be going, too." Calypso nodded quickly, looking at the guards, who all saluted at the two of them. "Just follow me. Van has other things he needs to take care of here, but he'll be joining us shortly."

She stepped away from Van, waving at him as he remained in place, waving back happily as he took the head guard's original position. He watched his allies leave before looking down on all the death he had wrought. And naturally, he sighed, not liking the look or feel of this scenario one bit. The path to dawn was bound to be filled with bloodshed, he knew, but the destination was far more pleasant than the journey to get there.

But he didn't have time to complain. He had to get to work.