https://youtu.be/70NbeO-tONA

Beneath the evening sky, at the bottom of the temple's staircase stood a contemplative Ashbel, watching as Viera and Sly, who seemed a little more energised than before, made their way down the stairs, standing side by side. He remained in place, presenting himself boldly to show that, exhausted and covered in cuts and burns though he may be, he was alive. And he would protect this dusk no matter what threatened it.

As Viera and Sly looked down at him, they could see all his injuries, but also his emboldened resolve. They went a little faster, both wanting to meet him as quickly as they could. There were smiles all around, even on Viera's usually-dour face, and as they made it to the bottom, she stood right in front of him while Sly went next to him, slinging his arm around his shoulder.

"Ashbel, you're alive!"

"Ashbel, my man! How's it going?"

Ashbel chuckled at that, looking at the other two as he ignored the pain. The happiness of seeing them safe and sound was a much stronger feeling. "Much better, now that you guys are here."

"Glad to hear it!" Sly grinned, letting go of him and leaning away. "Man, I didn't see most of that fight, but you two really tore the place up, huh?"

"Haha...guess so." Ashbel scratched his neck scales, smiling a little before looking down at Viera and remembering that this place had once been a temple prior to the clash. "...sorry about that. I know this place is sacred, but..."

"It's okay, really." Viera shook her head quickly, before returning to a persona closer to her usual self and clearing her throat. "You only did that because Luc attacked first. There's nothing for you to feel guilty about."

Ashbel nodded, sighing softly as he began to really absorb the situation, placing his hand on his hip. He was the Torchbearer now, and his journey had just begun. At the end of said journey was Luc, of all people. And he felt so weird about this.

He was usually ruthless when faced with evil. And, given the guy was trying to destroy the world, that was a category that Luc seemed to fall into right now. So that was why he was so conflicted right now. On one hand, it was evil. On the other, it was Luc. He closed his eyes, scowling slightly as he envisioned the image of his blade skewering the man's heart. And then he opened them, feeling the image had struck like a blade to his own heart.

Sly was the first to notice this, and he looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "Hey, man, you good?"

"I'm fine." Ashbel replied, placing a hand on his own heart and giving a soft smile. "Just...taking in what's happening, I guess. It isn't easy, having to kill a friend."

"...right. You know Luc, don't you?" Viera sighed, recalling their interaction in the Feather Towers. "How do you feel right now? ...betrayed? Angry?"

"Surprisingly, no. I can't say I hate him at all, in fact." Ashbel smiled a little more, shaking his head while Viera looked on, visibly confused. "If anything, I'm even more interested in him than ever before."

Viera stared at him wordlessly, as if confused by the concept, while Sly gave an amused shrug. "Eh, I've had flings with much weirder foundations."

"I've said before that you can find out a lot about someone by watching them fight. This is no different." Ashbel continued. "I've seen his conviction in action, Vi, and I'm hooked. I want to find out what drives it. Where he's coming from. And maybe one day...I can change his mind."

"Change his mind?" Viera crossed her arms. "Ashbel, he's the Beginning. Even if he gave up the Light, he'd have to give it to someone else."

"Maybe that someone else will be someone I'd feel better about killing." Ashbel sighed. "You heard him back in the temple, right? He's got good intentions, he's just...lost. Even you have your reasons for thinking the way you do, right?"

"Yeah, but..." Viera closed her eyes, thinking of all the Deliverers had said so far. Could they just be crazy, or was there a reason behind all this that made sense? In all her battles, she'd only ever asked Raina, and it wasn't like that answer was very enlightening. "...just don't let this get in the way. Don't forget: at the end of the day, you are the Torchbearer."

"Understood." Ashbel nodded slowly, placing a hand on his head. "I hope you'll continue to support me here. There's plenty of villains to be stopped, after all."

"Of course. Even if I left you behind, I'm sure our paths would cross again, anyway." Sly shrugged. "After all, Sully's joined the White Tigers."

Both Ashbel and Viera narrowed their eyes at that, looking over at Sly incredulously before the former spoke up. "Man, is there anything about this guy that doesn't suck?"

"Nah." Sly said calmly. "He's the worst."

"...so, I guess we're all on the same page." Viera nodded slowly, her hands wringing together. "Then...let's stay together for now."

"Right, then it's settled!" Ashbel exclaimed, grinning happily. "Then...let's go. I think I speak for all of us when I say we need to rest before our next move."

"I'll drink to that." Sly smiled back, and Viera nodded slowly to his words. So together, they walked, wanting to find the nearest inn to stay in for the night. They hadn't managed to stop the Beginning from being christened, but they were all still here. What the future held for each of them was yet to be decided, but this was their shared torch to bear.

.........

https://youtu.be/iOrYsTvgtaI

In a spacious, empty white room filled with nought but several runic carvings, a flash of light filled the area as each individual rune glowed brightly. Within it, Calypso showed up, with Van by her side. She slowly rose to her knees, examining the scenario and confirming that they had, indeed, arrived at their hideout, away from Viera and Sly. So there was no time to lose, she thought, doing her best to pick the unconscious Van up and sling him over her shoulder as she left the room.

The door took her to a corridor filled with several other doors, each one with an intricate painting placed on top of it. Naturally, she knew which each one meant - one depicted Luc standing before a table with guests on all sides of it and a hearty feast sprawled onto it. That one led directly to the cafe that they ran on the side. Not too far from it was a crossed pair of swords overlaid over an open hearth. That was the kitchen. But the one she was looking for depicted a stylised sun with a smile on its face that Calypso personally thought looked rather smug and unpleasant - not that she'd ever openly disrespect the hard work that the artists had clearly put into this.

She walked through the door, where she saw several beds laid out with injured Deliverers on them, while white-robed clerics stood above them with the radiant glow of healing magic emanating from their palms. As she entered, several people looked up, gasping as they laid eyes on her and the man she was carrying.

"Calypso!" a woman exclaimed. "What happened?"

"We...were attacked. By the Torchbearer and his allies." she explained, simply not having it in her to lie at the moment. "They killed all the grunts we brought with us, and..."

"And what of the two of you? Are you hurt?" the woman questioned. "We know what they did to Raina..."

At that, Calypso heard a familiar-sounding voice making a frustrated, whiny and slightly muffled groan. She looked around, seeing Raina laying face-down on one of the beds while a gathering of priests tended to her arm. Taking a deep breath, Calypso looked back at the woman she'd been talking to.

"I'm fine. I'll just need some rest." she said. Save for a couple of cuts, Sly hadn't damaged her too badly, after all - in fact, he'd seemingly gone out of his way to be non-lethal. She smiled slightly as she considered that, only to quickly shift gears as she remembered the weight of Van on her shoulder. "B-But Van's out cold! He's not dead, and his injuries aren't that bad, but you should look at him!"

"I see! Well, bring him here!" the woman exclaimed, and Calypso obeyed, approaching her and handing Van over. She was confident that he'd make it, but there was no such thing as too safe. So while Van's energy was restored, she waited patiently.

.........

Within the vacant white room with runes carved all over it, a bright green light filled the air as an enormous bud sprouted from the ground, its petals unfurling to reveal Luc. Immediately, he stepped out, walking away from the room without looking back as he made a beeline to the healers' room. Seeing all the images above each entrance made him scoff, rolling his eyes as he entered the room he wished to go to.

As he walked in, he remained silent and stone-faced, listening to the idle chatter going on - Van and Calypso tag-team taunting Raina over some random incident, Raina exploding over it, and Calypso descending into a cascade of apologies. So, the usual. Luc sighed, rubbing his temple as he stepped further inside. "Good evening, everyone."

And at once, everyone looked up, and all chatter died down immediately. Luc immediately felt the eyes on him - no doubt because of the blood from his wounds staining his usually-immaculate robes. He took a deep breath, spreading his arms out as he addressed his subjects. "Fret not, my Deliverers." he declared. "You are merely looking at a man who has met his equal."

"Ah...hello, master." Van was the first to speak, looking up from his bed with a small, impish smile as he examined the gashes and burns over Luc's skin and clothes. "Cooking accident?"

Luc narrowed his eyes in return, choosing to ignore Van's teasing. He knew exactly what had happened. As did Calypso, judging by her gasping reaction as she saw him. "Master, are you okay?" she asked. "You fought that salamander, didn't you?"

"Indeed. Only a flesh wound, though." Luc said casually, stepping closer to the healers. "If nothing else, I'll be spending less time here than Raina, no doubt."

"Oh, sure, laugh it up, why don't you?" Raina snapped. "How did you get away from that madman of a Torchbearer in better shape than I did? Ugh, this isn't fair..."

"Well, it pays to have connections." Luc smiled slightly, internally glad to have a nemesis that he was on something of the same wavelength as. It would make the battles to come...interesting, at least. "I apologise for your injuries, Raina."

"Tch, you don't need to apologise. I'll get it from Viera instead, whether she likes it or not." Raina spoke venomously. "I'll get her, that's for sure..."

"But at least we got what we came for, right?" Calypso exclaimed. "This is our victory, isn't it?"

"We lost a great deal of our forces. But a pyrrhic victory is still a victory, I suppose." Luc sighed, crossing his arms. "More importantly, we have only just left the starting line. And I can tell that this battle will be different from those that preceded it."

"How so?" Van asked curiously, prompting Luc to give a warm smile.

"Past Torchbearers have naively - or maliciously - pushed back against the new dawn, no matter what." he explained. "But this one is different. He truly does believe in making the world better than it is. He doesn't need to be our enemy. He is merely misguided. Lost. I don't know how easy this will be, but I believe I can help him see the way of the Light. In due time, he will willingly lay down his life so our sun can rise."

"That's our ever-positive master for you." Van sighed, an amused smile on his face. "Very well, then. Let this be the grandest story of all time!"

"Of course. You have my bow." Calypso bowed her head loyally.

"Yes, yes." Raina rolled her eyes, sharing in neither Van's amusement nor Calypso's loyalty, and cringing at her 'master's' excessive idealism. "Might as well see this to the end, right?"

Luc nodded, closing his eyes happily. "That's good to hear." he said. "You are all I could ever ask for."

"By the way, master," Van spoke up after a moment of silence. "I've observed a few other adventurers in this city who may get in our way."

"Oh?" Luc raised an eyebrow. "Do tell."

.........

https://youtu.be/u1RSQIVHTLg

It was three hours before midnight, and Sully sat down by the wrecked staircase in front of the Temple of Benedicts, ignoring the rubble and blood surrounding him as he munched lazily on a small bucket of salted crackers. He'd been waiting here for, what, five minutes? Where were the other two? He'd made sure he'd gotten the right meeting place, so he'd have to chew them out when they finally arrived. With bloodied bandages all over his body, he waited and waited, eventually looking up when he heard a familiar set of footsteps coming his way, while the faint scent of seawater filled the air. He looked up to see a woman walking towards him.

This woman, who was fairly short in stature, wore a set of dark blue robes, whose delicate flowing reminded him of a rippling lake, with a pair of ornate war fans hanging off her waist. On her wrists and on she wore metallic wristguards, and on her head, a circlet. All silver, with cerulean gems embedded in them. Her face, hands and lower legs were bare, exposing her blue skin, and she wore a pair of sandals on her feet. Her positively bored face was framed with an ultramarine bob, and her grey eyes seemed accustomed to being half-lidded.

Sully sighed as he eyed her closely, hiding his annoyance behind a shit-eating grin. To think she was allowed to wear her own colours when he was forced into this hideous all-white getup. According to the King, he was the privileged one here. Well, fuck that. "Hey, Little Blue Bishop."

'Little Blue Bishop' rolled her eyes in response, knowing better than to stoop to Sully's level. She bowed her head, keeping a safe distance from him. "Sullivan."

"Well, aren't you feeling chatty." he said sarcastically, holding up his bucket. "Want a cracker?"

The Bishop eyed the container cautiously before letting out an audible sigh, deciding to humour him despite knowing exactly what he was going to do. "...sure."

"Shame." Sully grinned even more widely as he retracted the bucket, pulling out two crackers and shovelling them into his own mouth as if to drive the point home.

The Bishop rolled her eyes at that, shaking her head. "Who did you steal those from, anyway?"

"Stealing? Why, I'd do no such thing." Sully said playfully. "The man was already dead, you see."

"Did you kill him?"

"Of course not! It was the zombies." he leaned back, taking the last cracker and tossing the bucket aside to who-knows-where. "I tragically arrived too late. Once I reached the stall, he'd been mauled to death. I had to swipe that bucket before his blood got all over it."

"Poor you." the Bishop deadpanned.

"But enough about me. Let's talk about you!" Sully looked up at her, raising an eyebrow in a way that made him look positively insufferable. "You have fun killing your own kind?"

She stared at him silently, a vacant look in her eyes, and he took this as a sign of distress. As two fellow people who rarely emoted beyond their default expressions, he'd learned to pick up on stuff like that - all the better to mock her with. "C'mon, don't spare a single detail or I might cry. Did you see the looks of betrayal on their faces as they saw one of their own leading an army of White Tigers?"

"...what about you?" the Bishop murmured, deciding the best thing to do was to not engage with this line of questioning. "I suppose killing your fellow humans was downright orgasmic for you."

"Humans? You wound me, Bishop!" Sully declared, as though reading the line for a low-budget play. "You would dare accuse me, a White Tiger, of killing the very humans I vow to protect? There could have been vampires, succubi, earth nymphs and more! So many kinds of demon can pass as human, so you've gotta be more careful about this."

"Let's hear you say that to the King."

"Oh, you know he'd trust me over you."

The Bishop sighed, bowing her head ever so slightly. "You, sir, are insufferable."

"Heh, thanks."

Sully grinned. Only he would take that as a compliment. He opened his mouth to speak again, only to stop as the pair heard a rapidly-approaching set of footsteps coming their way. They turned around to see Kenzie running towards them, stopping right in front of the Bishop as she looked at her teammates. Her expression was neutral, perhaps a little less bright-eyed than usual, but all that turned to a dreading grimace as she saw Sully's grin widening once again.

"Well, look who's finally showing her face after who-knows-how-long. The illustrious Knight." he said. "We ought to start calling you 'night' as in nighttime, if you're gonna keep being this late."

"You, be silent! Some of us have things we're doing with our days." Kenzie scowled, her hands on her hips.

"Oh? And what could that be? Sinking your shining silver blade into the flesh of demons, and painting the streets of the azure city red?" Sully taunted, leaning in as if to mock her.

"...y-yes, that is precisely what I've been up to!" Kenzie replied, clearing her throat. If she'd spilled that she had taken time off to try and reflect, she had no doubt that that news would trickle down to the King in no time flat, thanks to a certain Lance. "No doubt, I've been more productive than you. I hear you've just been licking your wounds after going off-task and failing - yet again - to kill that rival of yours!"

Hearing that, Sully's face was immediately wiped of its grin, and he gritted his teeth, glaring at her. "You think you're so damn great, don't you, you stupid fucking bitch?" he grumbled. "Talking a lot of shit for someone I could kill with a well-placed cuss word."

"Kill each other all you want." the Bishop buried her face into her palm. "But do it after we return, please."

"Yes, of course. Thank you, Bishop." Kenzie nodded quickly, looking away from Sully.

"No, thank you for finally acknowledging my presence." the Bishop said, her voice gracious but clearly sarcastic. "I was wondering when you'd realise I was here."

"I saw you! I was simply distracted by the Lance and his complaints!" Kenzie protested, shaking her head and giving her a smile. "I would never forget you, Bishop. You're a credit to your kind."

The Bishop narrowed her eyes at that remark, which seemed to rub her the wrong way. She sighed, knowing she was far past the point of questioning that kind of attitude. Bowing her head, her voice took on an unmistakably exhausted tone as she uttered a "Likewise, MacKenzie."

"With that said," Kenzie frowned. "It's just 'Kenzie'. It isn't short for anything!"

"Of course." the Bishop sighed, nodding slowly as she watched Sully rise to his feet. "Well, we've all met up. Why don't we head back and report to the Rook?"

That seemed like a good idea to all three of them, so they walked away, ready to make their report.