https://youtu.be/hFaci5Gu9bY

The next morning, much to his surprise, Ashbel woke up on a soft bed. Specifically, his bed - the one in his room back in the Towers. As his eyes slowly opened, he sat up, clutching his heart. And thankfully, it was still beating, in its slow, steady fashion. And by holding onto his heart like this, he could feel the gentle flames inside him. Compared to last night, they seemed to have simmered down somewhat, but he could still feel them within him. There was no doubting it - the events of last night had truly happened.

"You're up."

Hearing the disgruntled voice of Viera, Ashbel turned his head to scan the room. He saw his red rug, his wooden floor, his desk, which held his sheathed sword, his bow, and a silently sleeping Sly. And standing next to said desk with her arms crossed was Viera, dressed in her robes and looking down at him with a strangely stoic look on her face. Once he saw her, he offered a wave.

"Hey, Vi..." he said, smiling awkwardly. "I see you've met Sly, huh?"

"You could say that." she said calmly. "He told me what happened last night."

His smile faded slightly, and he took a deep breath. "Including-"

"Especially that part." Viera cut in, now glaring slightly at him. "How did that even happen? And...why?"

Seeing how mad she was, Ashbel sighed, getting out of bed and standing up, gently bowing his head. "I'm really sorry about that, Vi. I didn't mean to take the Torch." he closed his eyes. "I came there because I thought the White Tigers were gonna reach it, honestly! And then the Rook stabbed me, and everything went dark, but then the Torch spoke to me..."

"...what did it say?" Viera questioned, her gaze softening as she listened to Ashbel explain himself. Now, she was more curious than anything. Ashbel, noticing her edge dulling bit by bit, cleared his throat and looked back at her.

"Well...it offered me its power. It seemed like it wanted me to accept, too." he mused, looking back on the event as he once again clutched his heart. "It said...I had potential."

"Frankly, I'm not completely sure about that. From what I've seen, you've got more avarice than altruism." Viera commented, crossing her arms and side-eyeing the salamander. "However, Sly here seems pretty sold on the idea, and the Torch did deem you worthy...so what I'm trying to say is, there may be more to you than meets the eye."

"Even I'm not sure if I'm the hero the world deserves..." Ashbel sighed.

"Even you're not sure." Viera raised an eyebrow. "Which is why we have to simply wait and see."

"...right."

"And with that said...thank you." Viera murmured, averting eye contact. "From what I'm hearing, assuming it's correct, you were trying to do your job. Even if it didn't pan out like...anyone was expecting, you tried."

"It's no problem, really. I'd never intentionally let a client down." Ashbel nodded, before Viera suddenly pointed her finger at him, a stern look on her face.

"Don't forget what this means, though. You're the Torchbearer instead of me, and I'm not just gonna let that go!" she added. "So you'd better do a good job, or else I have to be ashamed on your behalf!"

"Haha, okay." Ashbel chuckled, stretching his arms and smiling at her. "I promise I'll do a good job...of killing the shit out of that Beginning guy."

"Good." Viera nodded, managing a small smile in return. "Then...keep up the good work. If what Sly tells me is true, you killed a whole platoon of White Tigers. That's as good a place as any to start."

Ashbel snickered at that, but Viera cleared her throat, stepping closer to him. "Now, though, we need to get moving. Since the Torchbearer's been christened, the Beginning will follow soon." she explained. "Which means we need to get our asses over to the east."

"Oh, the east is nice. Not a lot of tigers there." Ashbel sighed, moving closer towards his desk as he gazed at his sword. "They've got some pretty good blacksmiths in Seiryu, too. Oh, and the food-"

"Please try to focus." Viera narrowed her eyes. "The Empty Light always appears counterclockwise to the Torch. Since it was in the south this time, the Light will be in the east."

"The Empty Light...that's the thingy that the Beginning uses, right?" Ashbel asked, just to clarify. As Viera nodded, he smiled. "So, it's like the Torch, but evil."

"Precisely." Viera nodded slowly. "If we know who our enemy is, it'll be easier to defeat them. And maybe, if we're lucky, we can take them out early!"

"Has that ever happened?"

"Well...no. But there's no harm in trying." Viera admitted, smiling slightly.

"Okay...it seems like we're destined east." Ashbel nodded. "Any preparations you think we'll have to make? Going from Suzaku to Seiryu, I think we'll need a day's worth of food, water...maybe some changes of clothes..."

"You may want to invest in a carriage. It'll be way better for time and storage - and shelter, in case you run into any interruptions and can't make it on time."

https://youtu.be/6O9Fi7IQArs

Once Sly spoke, Ashbel and Viera both looked at him, confused. Had he always been awake? He still appeared to be in his sleeping position, not looking up at either of them, but he'd clearly been up for a little while. Ashbel spoke up first, finding it slightly amusing. "Oh, you're...awake. Didn't know that."

"No, I'm Sly." the rogue snickered quietly, slowly sitting up. "Good morning, Torch-bros."

"Can you not?" Viera scowled. "Ugh, now I feel eavesdropped on."

Sly chuckled, getting up from the seat, and looked over at Ashbel with a smile. "Good to see you're all better, Ashbel." he said.

"Yeah. Thanks for bringing me back, you two."

"Don't think about it." Sly waved it off, moving away from the desk and allowing Ashbel to retrieve his weapons. "So, you guys are heading off to do Torchbearer stuff, right?"

"That's the plan, yes." Viera confirmed, putting a smile on Sly's face.

"Cool! Can I come?"

"Wait, what? Why would you want to come?" the priestess raised an eyebrow, cutting in before Ashbel could give his thoughts. "Do you even know what you're getting into?"

"Of course I do. It sounds fun."

That seemed to annoy Viera more than anything, but she managed to compose herself, breathing deeply before giving Sly a humourless look. "In case you haven't processed this - we're going to save the world. This isn't a task for anyone but the truly dedicated. If you're going to back out the moment it stops being fun for you, we'd rather not go through the trouble of dragging you along in the first place." she said. "Ashbel here seems ready to bear the burdens that await him. But by accompanying him, I pick up a burden, too. And so do you, should you choose to follow this path. Knowing this, do you still want to tag along 'just for fun'?"

Sly allowed her to finish, not sure how he felt about how serious she was. He closed his eyes, seeming to think about it for a few seconds before nodding his head. "Sure."

"You...are something else." Viera sighed in frustration, burying her face into her palm. "But...I'm not the Torchbearer here. Ashbel, what are your thoughts?"

"I think we should let him come." Ashbel said without a moment of hesitation, much to Viera's surprise. "He wants to come, so why not? Plus, I've fought him before - and I've fought with him. He'll be a good ally, right?"

"But can we really trust him?" Viera questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course you can." Sly interjected. "I like Ashbel. He's cool. And we have a common enemy. That's two reasons not to stab his back."

Viera considered this for a little while before conceding, sighing. "Then you can come along." she said. "But you're paying for your own expenses. Neither of us are covering you."

"Yeah, what goes in my purse stays in my purse." Ashbel added, shaking his head. "I don't do loans, Sylvester."

Sly cringed at the mention of that name. "Okay, but I'm gonna have to set a ground rule of my own." he said, raising his finger. "You do not call me 'Sylvester'. It's Sly to you, capiche?"

"Welcome to my world." Viera narrowed her eyes. Ashbel, for his part, simply nodded, smiling slightly.

"Very well, then. Sly, we're glad to have you on board as long as you're not a mooch." Ashbel chuckled. "Let's hope your skillset serves us well."

"Of course, my ashen friend." Sly mockingly got on one knee and bowed his head. "I am but a tool to use in your hands - so that together, we can stab all the bastards in the world."

"That's the spirit." Ashbel grinned, looking over at Viera. "So, that's settled, then. We're all going to the east."

"Sounds like it." Viera nodded, beginning to head to the door. "I'll be in my room getting my stuff. I'll meet you both outside."

The two men waved at her as she headed out, ready to get her stuff. At once, Ashbel decided to do the same, deciding to get ready to head out while Sly stayed at the desk, giving the salamander his privacy.

.........

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

Chatter filled the streets today, and as a result Suzaku appeared to be much livelier than usual. Closer scrutiny revealed a single topic commonly discussed - the heartbeat of the world experienced just last night. Unbeknownst to anyone involved, Ashbel was the talk of the town, and word was spreading that whoever they were, the Torchbearer laid among them.

At the outskirts of the city, there laid a carriage house, its roof as red as the rest of the city. But stepping away from it was a carriage, a sturdy, magically-reinforced wooden structure with four large wheels, drawn by a muscular black steed. Inside its arched roof was a pair of cushioned benches pushed against the walls, while their food and water for the day was in a separate section behind them.

Viera had made sure to sit next to Ashbel, and Sly sat on the other bench, facing them, leaving his back to the road. With a deep whinny, the horse pulling the carriage set forth for its stop at Seiryu in the east, its eyes glowing a bright blue, and in due time, they were off - thankfully for Ashbel, who was growing tired of all the gossip.

Settling into his seat, the demon unleashed a sigh of relief, closing his eyes while Viera looked at him in curiosity. "By the way..." she began, nudging him to get his attention. "When do you plan to tell people you're the Torchbearer?"

"Uh, why? Is it time-sensitive?" Ashbel questioned, opening his eyes and raising an eyebrow. Viera shook her head.

"I was more curious than anything." she admitted. "Most Torchbearers spread the word within a month or so. It then usually takes about a week to prove that they're not one of the hundreds of pretenders. Davante revealed himself on the day of his christening. So I was wondering if you'd be like him, or if you'd rather wait a little."

"Well, I'm waiting. For as long as I can get away with." Ashbel frowned slightly. "I'm getting stage fright from all the chatter, and they don't even know it's me yet."

"Hmm..." Viera murmured, nodding uncertainly. "If you say so..."

"Having doubts, Viera?" Sly spoke up, watching the two from the other bench, fiddling with a knife with one hand. Viera glanced at him in frustration, which he didn't seem to mind too badly.

"Either you're part of the conversation or you're not." she scolded. "You can't keep butting in like this."

"Oh, pshaw. I'm part of this team, too. The Torchbearer himself said so." Sly shrugged, a slightly smug inflection to his voice. "And if you can talk about this, why can't I? I'm already 'in the know'."

Viera glared at him briefly, tightly gripping her staff, and Ashbel, sensing the heightening tension in the carriage, cleared his throat to make his voice heard before looking at the two with a smile. "O-kay, enough talk about Torchbearers, alright?" he said, shaking his head slowly. "Since we're all sticking around, why don't we get to know each other? Melt down that solid ice wall between us?"

"Sounds good to me." Sly grinned cheerfully.

"I have nothing to share." Viera frowned not-so-cheerfully. Ashbel, watching the two for their reactions, sighed and sat back. This wasn't going to be easy - especially since this wasn't a problem he could solve by cutting its head off. He specialised in those. Although, technically, if he beheaded Sly and Viera now, they wouldn't be at odds anymore. But that would be wrong.

"Welp, guess she doesn't want in." Sly commented. "C'mon, Ashbel, let's do some ice-melting. Without Viera, apparently."

"It's a start, I guess." Ashbel replied. "But Vi, you're welcome to join in at any time you want, okay?"

"Yeah. Feel free to stew in those doubts in the meantime." Sly added, earning another glare from Viera. He ignored this, turning his attention towards Ashbel. "So, Ashbel - what's your story?"

"Me? I'm a sellsword. Been doing that for the past few years." Ashbel replied calmly. "To be frank, I don't really remember what I was doing before I picked up the blade. But that's not really important, if you ask me. I just wander this beautiful world, taking jobs for payment."

"So, let's see if I've got this right..." Sly smiled a little. "You just kinda showed up someday with nothing but the skills to pay the bills - literally, apparently - and have been wandering and fighting ever since?"

"That's the gist of it."

"Then congratulations, you were born badass yesterday."

"Hey, do I look like a manchild to you?" Ashbel questioned, and the two exchanged a chuckle before the demon shook his head. "Nah. I just don't remember what I was like before I became an adventurer - and frankly, it doesn't concern me too badly."

"You aren't even curious?" Sly raised an eyebrow. "Man, I wish I could forget some of my past. But you're just, like, completely drawing a blank?"

"Pretty much." Ashbel shrugged, having noticed from a glance that Viera was eyeing him with concern. For a brief while, that was, since she seemed quick to avert her eyes once he looked in her direction. "But what about you, Sly?"

"Me? Oh, you know, the typical slumdog's deal." Sly replied casually.

"Dead parents?"

"And poverty."

"And from there...you became a ninja."

"I met some very good teachers." Sly said simply. Viera narrowed her eyes, feeling like he was leaving something out, but given she wasn't planning on revealing her own past, she didn't think she was one to talk. Still, she could only hope he wasn't going to lead Ashbel astray.

"Well, as long as you're in a better place now." Ashbel grinned, seemingly already ready to trust him. Sly nodded in response.

"Yeah. And by travelling alongside you guys, I'm sure I'll be able to survive." he said. "I promise to pull my weight, after all, so you won't even need to carry me along."

"Haha, yeah, I won't have to worry about you!" Ashbel grinned happily. "So, that's the party, huh? A merc, a priest and a ninja walk into a bar..."

"We do seem pretty ragtag, huh?" Sly mused. "Perhaps in another life, we all met in a tavern. And the rest was history..."

The two of them exchanged a chuckle, and much of the day was like this, with the two exchanging jokes and anecdotes while Viera looked on curiously, never once contributing, but simply listening. They seemed to trust one another so easily. It made no sense in her eyes. But she figured observing was the most she could do right now. So she rarely opened her mouth to speak, hoping to keep things that way the whole journey.