Chapter 2: The Journey to Seiran.

Rei grappled with the weight of last night's events, the gravity of his newfound freedom mingling with the guilt of having taken another person's life. The mysteries surrounding the Curse of Ruin and Kris's enigmatic ambitions added to the tumultuous storm in his mind.

A sudden knocking jolted him back to the present, and a voice pierced through his contemplation, "Rei, are you awake? If so, get dressed. We're getting you some new clothes. And, before you ask, Kris won't be joining us; she's nursing a hangover."

Approaching the door, Rei voiced his financial concern, "I don't have any money."

"Relax, I swiped Kris's card," reassured Kisane.

"Give me a second, I'll be down shortly," replied Rei.

"We need to hurry before Kris sobers up," Kisane urged from the other side, her footsteps fading away.

Reflecting on the previous night, Rei cringed at the memory of indulging in a proper meal for the first time, shedding the familiar shackles of table scraps. His embarrassment deepened as he recalled his unrefined dining manners and the appalled expressions of those around him.

After donning new clothes and washing his hair, Rei noticed his unruly bangs obscuring one eye, prompting a self-aware sigh, "I need a haircut."

In the lobby, he easily spotted Kisane with her distinctive white hair. Greeting her, he said, "Yo."

Putting away her book, Kisane responded, "Good, you're finally here. Now we can go."

Intrigued by the book, Rei asked, "Hey, what are you reading?"

Dismissing it nonchalantly, Kisane avoided eye contact, "Oh, it's nothing. Moving on, before we leave Utopia, we need to freshen you up a bit. Seiran is kind of upper-class, being the second most advanced nation." She said before making her way to the door.

"I'm still in disbelief. Are we truly heading all the way to Seiran?" Rei questioned, catching up to her.

As Rei took a closer look at Kisane without the white cloak, he observed a woman slightly shorter than himself, adorned with striking features. Her snow-white hair cascaded down to her waist, and she wore a long-sleeve button-up featuring a harmonious blend of blacks and whites. The most captivating detail was a silver armored sleeve, starting from her shoulder and ending with a loop around her middle finger, embroidered with a snakeskin-like pattern. Her knee-length skirt and pants, predominantly black and white with subtle silver accents, continued the serpent-like motif down her left leg. Completing the ensemble were black boots with eye-catching red soles. The overall look was a harmonious fusion of colors and textures that added to Kisane's mysterious allure.

The contrast between them became even more apparent as they strolled through the streets of Utopia. Walking alongside a drop-dead gorgeous woman was a novel experience for Rei, and although he wasn't opposed to it, the disdainful glares from passersby were somewhat demoralizing. Yet, he chalked it up to the expected reaction from people of his background.

Kisane guided him to a suit store, prompting Rei to question, "Kisane, what are we doing here?"

"Yeah, what's wrong?" he added.

"I thought we were getting combat clothes," Rei clarified.

"We are," Kisane affirmed.

"Still doesn't explain the suit store."

"Okay, if not here, where do you want to go?" Kisane raised an eyebrow.

Rei responded bluntly, "A blacksmith would be preferable."

"For a sword, right?" Kisane assumed.

"For some armor too…" Rei interjected, which momentarily confused Kisane until a realization dawned on her.

"Right, you wouldn't know this," Kisane began to explain.

"What are you getting at?" Rei prodded.

"What I mean is, the type of clothing we're looking for has mana-infused properties. It's how most nobles and powerful individuals can forgo traditional armor nowadays."

"How long has this been a thing?" Rei's interest was piqued.

"Well, it's been known to upper-class circles for about a decade now."

"I'm guessing Kris is the reason you have this information," Rei deduced.

"Yes and no. Edenia doesn't mess around with magic. Kris is aware of the prototype, and we have a skilled seamstress back at the base. Lost Eden possesses the most advanced version of mana-infused clothing," Kisane elaborated before steering Rei into the suit store.

The shopkeeper set aside her magazine upon hearing someone enter her shop, her disdain evident upon glimpsing Rei. "Hello, how may I help you today, ma'am?"

"I'm here with him. We're looking for clothes," Kisane gestured toward Rei.

"Right… The men's section is over there," the shopkeeper replied, returning to her magazine without much enthusiasm.

As Kisane focused on discerning the right attire, Rei interrupted, "Uh, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to find which of these suits has the properties we're seeking. I would teach you, but your mana is too unstable. We wouldn't want you blowing up your eyes, now would we? I need to focus," Kisane stated matter-of-factly, leaving Rei horrified by the mental image of his eyes imploding.

After a silent five minutes, Kisane's crimson eyes glowed as she selected three suits with the highest mana signatures.

Turning to Rei, who was inspecting shoes, Kisane approached him unnoticed. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Rei shrieked, startled, resembling a frightened cat. Kisane chuckled, prompting Rei's eyes to snap in her direction. "What's so funny?"

"Nothing… Now, moving on, I've found you three suits that should work. Oh, and you can grab those boots you were eyeing," Kisane said, handing Rei the clothes.

Rei pondered each suit. The first, obnoxiously gold, was an instant no. The tan suit with a blue undershirt and yellow tie received consideration but was ultimately declined.

The last option, an obsidian black suit, inexplicably drew Rei's attention. Despite its plain appearance, he chose it before retreating to a dressing room.

The shopkeeper, observing Rei's selection, was struck with horror. Unable to contain herself longer, she began to voice her doubts about Rei's cleanliness and status as a potential buyer. However, her words were cut off by a crimson glare from Kisane, leaving her paralyzed with silent gasps.

"Is there a problem?" Kisane's tone remained innocent, but her underlying bloodlust was palpable.

"N-no, ma'am…" The shopkeeper couldn't meet her gaze.

When Rei emerged from the dressing room, he bore the appearance of a noble, shocking the shopkeeper, who screamed internally, "How could a country bumpkin like him clean up so well!?"

"How do I look?" Rei inquired, directing his question mainly to Kisane.

"Good. You look good now," Kisane stated bluntly before addressing the shopkeeper. "Hey, how much is this?"

"Y-Yes, the suit is 1.5 million runes, and the boots are 500,000 runes," the shopkeeper replied, causing Rei's face to pale at the price while Kisane remained unfazed, likely due to the knowledge that Kris's card would cover it.

"We'll take it," Kisane stated bluntly, already swiping the card bearing House Edenia's emblem as Rei panicked further.

Afterward, the duo visited a blacksmith where Rei obtained a new sword to replace the one he had "discarded." The silver one-handed broadsword featured a black crossguard and was sheathed on his back in a Nightpanther Leather scabbard, earning the name Nightbane.

Currently seated at a café, Kisane and Rei awaited Kris's arrival. Rei savored a chicken melt, being mindful not to stain his new clothes, while Kisane barely touched her latte, her senses on high alert for some reason.

Observing Kisane's demeanor, Rei inquired, "Hey, are you okay? You haven't touched your latte at all."

Startled out of her thoughts, Kisane replied, "Oh, I'm fine. My mind is just preoccupied at the moment." She took a sip of the now room-temperature drink. "We're being followed, and by the looks of it, they're quite formidable. Their coordination is uncanny."

Kisane's keen eyes caught a shadow moving oddly, prompting her to act swiftly. "Rei, we need to go," she announced, rising from her seat and leaving some runes on the table.

Confused, Rei questioned, "Kisane, what's going on?"

Without a word, Kisane seized Rei's arm and dragged him out of the café. As they left, she glanced back and spotted several shadows tailing them.

Still bewildered, Rei persisted, "Kisane, what's happening?"

"We're being followed, and I suspect there's already a bounty on your head for killing—"

"I don't need a reminder," Rei interjected, his anxiety mounting as they ran side by side.

"Regardless," Kisane continued, "Duck!"

He obeyed just in time, narrowly avoiding a steel spear aimed at his head. Recoiling in horror, Rei realized the peril he narrowly escaped. "Holy shit, I almost died," he exclaimed.

"No time for that," Kisane retorted, ushering him into an alley. However, they encountered a dead end, much to Rei's dismay. "Oh great, a dead end. What now?" he panicked.

Ignoring his protests, Kisane drew her blade and slashed three times, leaving a red-hot triangle in the fence for them to pass through.

They navigated through a maze of alleys until they reached a manhole cover labeled "maintenance."

"Rei, it's our only option," Kisane urged.

"But my clothes!" Rei protested.

As they debated, approaching voices grew louder. "How hard is it to find a slave and a bitch with white hair!" the voices taunted.

Exchanging a knowing look, Rei sighed, and Kisane kicked the manhole cover open.

Without hesitation, they both jumped into the sewer below, she remained relatively unscathed, her boots only bearing the marks of their descent. Rei, however, was not as fortunate, finding himself covered in sewage and not having a pleasant experience.

As they vanished down the tunnel, their pursuers arrived, greeted only by the sight of the shattered manhole cover.

"Where do you think they could've gone?" one of the hooded figures pondered, scanning their surroundings.

"You think they hopped the fence?" another speculated.

"No, obviously they broke into one of the surrounding buildings," a third asserted confidently.

"No, you idiots! They went into the sewer," barked another hooded figure, distinguished by riding an ebony-colored Drake.

"Captain Ghost!" the others snapped to attention as Ghost dismounted his beast.

Ghost surveyed the scene before them, the rest of their forces trailing behind.

Ghost placed his hand at the edge of the manhole cover, his voice carrying authority as he issued orders, "Release the hounds and pursue them below. Banes and I will track them from above." With a swift motion, he mounted his beast, which promptly vanished from sight.

"You heard the captain," a higher-ranked group member commanded. They swiftly released five hounds into the sewer, ready to chase down their targets.

____________________________________________________________________________

Kris stirred from her slumber as an unfamiliar presence infiltrated her room, slipping through the cracks in her door. Her awakening was accompanied by a melodious yawn, her senses alert.

"Don't you know it's rude to barge into a lady's room?" Kris's voice carried a hint of annoyance.

"I was hoping to catch you off guard," replied the unfamiliar voice.

"If you knew who I was, you'd understand how impossible that is," Kris retorted, her tone firm.

"Correct. So, I'll keep this simple, princess... Let me execute the slave you've taken, and I'll let you and the girl go unharmed. Otherwise, I'll kill them both," the voice declared with chilling resolve.

Kris remained composed. "I'll give you credit for your directness, but sorry to disappoint you. The kid is under my protection," she asserted, locking eyes with the presence.

"Foolish girl, you'll be the cause of their deaths," the voice warned before fading away.

Stretching lazily, Kris used her magic to change out of her silk negligee, her mind already planning her next move. However, her search for her card interrupted her train of thought. "I guess I better catch up with them... Wait, where's my card?"

____________________________________________________________________________

Meanwhile, in the subterranean depths, rats scurried as a door creaked open, revealing Kisane and Rei emerging from the darkness.

"It's so dark. Where are we now?" Rei inquired, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

"We're in Shrade's Catacombs," Kisane replied, inadvertently stepping on a bone.

"You mean the place where they disposed of the bodies during Khalus's Plague," Rei remarked, following her lead while navigating the darkness with caution.

Growing frustrated with the lack of visibility, Kisane unsheathed her blade and ignited it with anti-magic, creating a makeshift light source.

"Well, that's convenient," Rei commented, earning an eye roll from Kisane. 

Rei and Kisane pressed on through the labyrinth of bones, spiders, and rats, encountering these obstacles with relative ease. However, as they entered a vast open chamber, a sense of unease settled over Rei, prompting an involuntary gulp. Kisane, meanwhile, was growing weary of the entire ordeal.

Sensing something amiss, Kisane glanced upward, her instincts on high alert. What she saw only deepened her disquiet.

"Why did you stop? Can we hurry up, please? This place is giving me the creeps," Rei urged, receiving no response from Kisane. "Kisane? Hello, Kisane?"

"Rei, we're not alone," Kisane whispered, her gaze fixed on something above.

Rei's gaze followed hers, and his blood ran cold as he spotted six neon green eyes staring back at him. The creature before them was a Titanpede, a monstrous arthropod with a body adorned in bioluminescent green, segmented armor resembling obsidian. Its mandibles dripped with acidic green venom, emitting metallic clicks as they moved. But the creature's multitude of legs, too numerous to count in a fleeting glance, sent shivers down Rei's spine.

"A Titanpede... Why did it have to be a fucking Titanpede? And they're not even native to Shrade; they're from Titania!" Rei exclaimed, his voice tinged with dread.

The Titanpede stirred in response to the commotion, prompting Kisane to shout, "Oh, look, you've gone and woke it up!" She readied her sword, her stance defensive.

Rei swiftly drew Nightbane as the Titanpede descended upon them, forcing them to dodge backward to evade its looming presence.

Turning its attention toward Rei due to his peculiar mana signature, the Titanpede lunged at him with alarming speed, catching him off guard.

Rei barely managed to evade the creature's onslaught, his heart racing as the Titanpede drilled into the wall, causing the chamber to rumble ominously.

Looking to Kisane for guidance, Rei asked urgently, "Do you have a plan?"

"Stay alive while I think," Kisane deadpanned before the Titanpede's tail pincer lashed out at her. She sidestepped the attack and attempted to retaliate, only to find her blade barely scratching the metallic appendage.

"I can't penetrate its carapace," Kisane cursed, retreating to Rei's side. "We're at a significant disadvantage here."

"We need to get it out of the walls," Rei suggested, narrowly avoiding another pincer strike.

A plan formed in Rei's mind, and he turned to Kisane, urging her to use her Anti-magic to force the creature out of its hiding place.

Surprised by Rei's initiative, Kisane followed his lead, imbuing her blade with anti-magic and driving it into the stone floor. A shockwave of electric red sparks filled the chamber, dislodging the Titanpede from the ceiling just as Rei theorized.

Seizing the opportunity, they attacked the creature's vulnerable segments together, chipping away at its obsidian-like armor.

Enraged, the Titanpede retaliated, lunging at Rei with its venomous mandibles. Rei managed to block the attack, but some of the venom corroded Nightbane and his clothing, leaving him with minor burns and weakening him.

As the Titanpede prepared to unleash its venomous spit, Kisane swiftly intervened, pulling Rei out of harm's way and delivering a powerful slash to the creature's face.

Although Kisane inadvertently came into contact with the venom, it did not affect her, leaving only minor burns on her skin its most potent weapon proving futile against Kisane.

The large arthropod hissed in pain and a sadistic smirk began to spread across Kisane's face as her scarlet eyes glowed with serpentine silts, but she shook her head snapping out of it, "Now's not the time…"

With Rei still under the venom's influence, Kisane supported him as she spotted their means of escape. Despite feeling nauseous, Rei trusted Kisane's guidance.

As the Titanpede prepared for another attack, Kisane deftly maneuvered, allowing Rei to witness her swift and precise movements. With a touch of her blood, Kisane infused her blade with crimson energy, driving it into the weakened carapace and steering the creature toward the ceiling.

Together, they drilled into the earth, their makeshift ride serving as their ticket out of the perilous chamber.

____________________________________________________________________________

In one of the dense forests of Shrade, the ground trembled ominously before fissures split open, releasing an injured Titanpede with two figures atop it. Debris scattered as the creature emerged, knocking down trees and displacing greenery in its wake.

Kisane swiftly detached herself and Rei from the dying creature, watching as it crashed to the ground, the neon green glow in its eyes fading into oblivion.

Relieved to return to the surface, Rei doubled over, gasping for air. Turning toward Kisane, he managed to muster, "-You... are... batshit... insane..."

"Stop complaining. It worked, didn't it?" Kisane responded bluntly, cleaning her blade before sheathing it. "But I must admit, that plan of yours back there was quite good."

"Thanks," Rei replied, still catching his breath.

Noticing the state of Rei's arm, Kisane expressed remorse, "Sorry about your arm."

Rei scratched his neck casually, dismissing the injury. "Oh, this? It's not the worst I've been through." Glancing around, he realized they were far from the capital or any sign of civilization. "So, what's the plan now?"

"We wait for Kris, then head south to Depp Port, where we'll catch a ship to Seiran," Kisane explained.

"How long will that take?" Rei inquired.

"Anywhere from two weeks to a month, depending on how sidetracked Kris gets," Kisane replied.

As Rei regained his composure, he inspected the condition of his beloved sword. "Damn, my sword..."

"It was pretty cheap anyway," Kisane remarked nonchalantly.

"But I liked this one..." Rei's disappointment was evident.

Observing Rei's emotional attachment to the sword, Kisane couldn't help but chuckle. "Such childlike innocence, even after enduring so much... I envy that," she mused to herself.

However, Kisane's reverie was abruptly interrupted as she sensed an intense surge of bloodlust. Reacting instinctively, she spotted a curved sickle-like blade hurtling toward Rei, poised to cleave him diagonally. Without hesitation, Kisane rushed to Rei's side, swiftly drawing her blade and parrying the deadly strike, leaving Rei bewildered on the ground.

"Kisane?" Rei looked up at her, confusion etched on his face.

"Show yourself!" Kisane's voice rang out, her eyes fixed on the scythe retreating into Rei's shadow.

Rei's shadow began to warp, giving birth to a hooded figure rising ominously from its depths. "Figures I wouldn't be able to kill the slave with you around, Kisane," the figure spoke, its purple eyes concealed behind an avian-like mask.

Clutching her blade tightly, Kisane demanded answers. "First, who are you? Second, how do you know who I am? Third, why are you after Rei?" she questioned, her stance defensive.

"Please, you think the news wouldn't spread since you became his apostle," the figure retorted, summoning his scythe and pointing it menacingly at Rei. "I am Slade, here for the runaway's head."

Unwilling to let harm befall Rei, Kisane positioned herself protectively in front of him. "You're not harming him," she declared firmly.

Slade's gaze shifted to Kisane, his tone laced with warning. "Careful, girl. Your saviors aren't here right now to protect you. This time, you might get hurt."

Undeterred by his threats, Kisane stood her ground, causing Slade to sigh and assume a combat stance.

"Something's off about her. I can't get a read on her mana at all. Interesting... doesn't matter how gifted she is. I'm a veteran, and she's just a sheltered princess—well, not anymore," Slade mused silently, sizing up Kisane.

With steady breaths and a calm demeanor, Kisane prepared for the impending clash. "I just need to buy enough time for Kris to get here while protecting Rei. Although he decided to make his presence known, this man is no fool. He has reinforcements to fall back on," she thought to herself, strategizing her next move.

The wind howled around them, adding to the tension that hung thick in the air. Rei watched intently, anticipation building within him.

Then, as suddenly as it began, the wind ceased, signaling the start of their confrontation.