Morning light filtered softly through the mist that clung to the western valley, painting everything in a golden hue.
The scent of warm broth and freshly cut herbs wafted through the air as Kanan moved gently among the survivors, offering bowls of egg drop soup with quiet care. Each grateful nod, each tired but thankful smile seemed to lift the weight of the past days just a little.
Nearby, Chase knelt beside a group of children, quietly assisting a nurse as she wrapped fresh bandages around scraped knees and trembling arms.
One small hand reached out to touch the delicate shimmer of his silken sleeve, not out of wonder, but for comfort. Chase held still, offering the only gentleness he could. He didn't pull away, letting the child's grip linger as long as needed.
And for the first time since the land was torn apart, the air in Aurea Reach felt lighter.
The valley, once broken and bruised, now pulsed with a fragile but growing hope. The quiet clatter of bowls, soft voices, and shared laughter mingled with the rising sun. Like a lullaby, the earth itself had begun to hum again.
After a quick breakfast, the earth-wielders began their arduous task. With deliberate effort, they moved across the valley, working to dislodge and clear the shattered remnants of homes that still clung precariously to the upheaved land.
This was no easy feat, a painstaking process of wrestling decrepit debris from the earth's broken grasp.
Behind them, the carpenters efficiently gathered and sorted the salvageable beams and wooden foundations, setting them aside for the eventual construction of makeshift lodgings.
While the Captain, working closely with the Crisis Marshal, formulated a blueprint for the eventual construction of makeshift lodgings, the Royal Squadron leader conversed quietly with the Sister of the Ash as they walked toward the hemogoblin's spawn point.
Taking a quick peek at the barricaded site, the Sister instinctively covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief.
Her stomach churned at the grotesque sight of the corpse finger's thick, black tendrils protruding from the earth like skeletal roots. The Royal Squadron leader, ever vigilant, extended an arm to gently shield her, ensuring they maintained a safe distance and that no part of them inadvertently brushed against the abhorrent growth.
Once their grim assessment was complete, they returned to the Captain's command post, ready to reassemble with the rest of the team slated to begin eradicating the sickening trail the maledict had carved.
Meanwhile, Chase gave his final, precise orders to the other female physician and the nurses tending to the survivors, advising them on the specific care protocols he expected.
As Chase made his way back toward the command post tent, Kanan, who had been observing him, casually fell into step beside him.
Kanan knew this was his chance; he needed to draw himself closer to this divine royal, for such an opportunity might not present itself again.
"Are you leading the purification of the trail, Your Grace?" he asked with a hint of innocence and intrigue as he walked alongside Chase.
"Yes, as one of the divine royals, I take it upon myself to be included in such grim tasks. But we need a solid plan to purify the trail. Fast, easy, simple, and efficient," he said. He looked away, cleared his throat, and in a low voice, almost a whisper, added, "I do not have purification abilities."
Kanan's eyebrows furrowed slightly. "Does that matter? I know strengths can vary between individuals, Your Grace."
Chase looked up at Kanan, bewildered, his eyes slightly wide in shock. He couldn't grasp if Kanan was simply simple-minded or just ignorant of Azarette's customs.
Chase finally snickered and chuckled slightly.
"Haha, maybe you're right. Maybe it doesn't matter. But you see, being one of Azarette's divine royals, the Ashriel bloodline, we are, or at least most of our families are, known to have purification abilities. My late brother had it, though it's mostly a feminine trait. I on the other hand, my divinity is somewhat rare…"
Kanan made a half-smile as he assured Chase, "I'm sure you are rare, Your Grace. And a rarity like that would prove useful and effective against a great many things, purification or not. In this world, the most dangerous things are often the most common."
Chase couldn't help but grin at Kanan's comment.
Kanan certainly didn't hold back on the compliments, but the smooth, confident delivery made it hard not to be flattered.
Chase sighed, a contented smile on his face, then pushed open the tent flap to the command post. He nodded to the Captain, the Marshal, the Royal Squadron leader, and the Sister before stepping inside.
Inside the command tent, everyone encircled the captain's table, looking down at the Azarette map. A dashed line, now evident, cut across it from Aurea Reach, heading southeast.
"We've strategized, Your Grace," the Marshal advised as he traced the dashed line on the map.
"Sister Lilibeth will first cleanse the corpse-finger trail to purify the land. Then, Rori, the Royal Squadron leader, will burn the ground's surface up to three feet below to ensure no traces are left behind." The Marshal's finger lingered, a worried crease forming between his brows.
"We're still unsure how deep the corpse-finger roots go, but if they need to be cleansed and burned farther down, we're prepared for it."
"As an earth-wielder, I'll build a raised hump, a continuous earthen curb on both sides of the trail," the Marshal added. "This will prevent any fragments or spores from the corpse finger from spreading beyond our containment zone."
Carrying a box full of what looked like cloths, the Captain interjected.
"We've secured some chitosan-infused cloths from our storage to be used as face coverings. This will ensure none of the corpse finger spores get through to your system." The Captain then glanced at Sister Lilibeth, since her face was already covered in a thin, silken face veil.
He cleared his throat as he continued, "With this, I hope you can still see thoroughly, Sister. But I can assure everyone, its necessity is paramount to ensure no one gets harmed throughout this effort."
Sister Lilibeth nodded.
"I understand. My face veil might be misconstrued as a protective one, but it has no antifungal or antibacterial properties. So this face mask would surely be deemed necessary even for me."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
The silence was broken only by the low rumble of the Captain's plan being finalized, but then, Kanan's voice cut through it all.
"If I may," he interjected.
"My abilities are to manifest, control, and command lampreys. This has proven to be a useful instrument in skirting around and through a hemogoblin's trail. It could allow us to eradicate a lengthy corpse-finger trail while the Sister and the Royal Squadron leader take their turns purifying the land."
The Captain and Marshal's faces knotted in confusion, but Chase, tilting his head with quiet intrigue, considered Kanan's suggestion.
This would undoubtedly allow them to cover more ground, a significant tactical advantage. He could, with Kanan's permission, even briefly mimic the ability himself adding to more distance covered during this feat.
"That is most certainly helpful," Chase quipped.
He then pulled Kanan to the side, whispering into his ear, "Remember I told you, my abilities were rare?" he looked intently at Kanan's eyes which made him flinch at their close distance.
Chase snickered with a malicious sly grin as he continued, "Would you allow me to copy your abilities? It wouldn't hurt so much as an ant bite. Just so I'm not entirely useless during this effort?" as he softly patted Kanan's shoulder.
Kanan was taken aback by the sudden gesture, but he quickly shrugged it off then gave Chase a slight hesitant nod of approval.
So mimicry is his ability. Alright, royal, you can copy my abilities as much as you want, but I can assure you that is all you're getting from me.
His thoughts were slightly unhinged, yet his composed expression of slight embarrassment with the sudden closeness didn't falter.
He was a very good actor indeed.
Chase grinned, but his eyes sharpened as he sultry licked his lips, his gaze still locked on Kanan. Despite his flustered face, Kanan knew this advancement had made him drop his guard.
"That settles it," the Marshal announced as everyone donned their face masks and marched one after another, following him toward the maledict's corpse-finger-littered trail.
Chase and Kanan walked behind the others. Chase stopped in his tracks and Kanan halted as well turning around to face him.
"This will only take a second, but it might hit you a bit harder than you can anticipate, so... just relax, okay?" Chase advised as he looked up at Kanan, waiting for him to grant permission to copy his abilities.
Kanan swallowed hard as he looked down at Chase. A trickle of sweat formed at his temple as he watched Chase's hand slowly reach for his shoulder.
In an instant, Kanan fell unconscious to the ground.
The Crisis Marshal, Sister, and Royal Squadron leader all turned sharply at the sound of a loud thud, their gazes fixed on Kanan, who lay knocked out on the ground. A wave of confusion passed between the three of them.
Sister Lilibeth noticed it first. Chase was looking like a Green-eyed goddess. He was shimmering and sparkling under the morning sunlight, his eyes a glowing, glinting emerald green. He looked highly charged and rejuvenated.
Not a long moment passed before Kanan stirred. He held the back of his head with one hand, sat up, and propped himself up on one knee, using his other arm for support. He looked to his right, noticing Chase smiling down at him.
"Good nap?" Chase quipped.
Kanan grunted, a suspicious and confused look on his face. "W-what happened?"
Chase offered a hand to help Kanan up. Kanan took it, but for a brief moment, he pulled back swiftly, worried he might pass out again.
"Don't worry. I already copied your ability. You just have to show me how to use it." Chase winked at him.
Kanan let out a long, exasperated sigh as he wobbled to his feet, feeling as if he were drunk or severely overworked. He felt a deep tightness in his muscles and joints.
"Ant bite my ass, hmph!" Kanan grumbled as he stood upright and dusted himself off.
Chase let out a sly, sidelong smile, as if he had just gotten a sneak peek at Kanan's true personality. He tilted his head to the side as he glanced up at Kanan. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know you'd pass out."
Kanan avoided Chase's gaze, composing himself again. "Not to worry, Your Grace. Let's head out." He then marched away from Chase, following the three ahead of them.
The Marshal led the way, with Rori and Lilibeth following closely behind. The two exchanged a subtle glance, ensuring they left just enough space for Chase and Kanan to have privacy behind them.
"I wouldn't want His Grace to copy my ability if it drains a part of my life force," Rori muttered to Lilibeth, his voice a low whisper. "It's more than enough to knock someone out cold, even for a few seconds."
"Well, Royal Squadron leader," Lilibeth responded, a wry edge to her voice. "Let's just see how much stamina and power we can all exert… especially that aspirant, before His Highness decides to make use of our abilities too."
The Marshal shot a sharp, sidelong glance at them. "Shush, both of you!" he warned, his voice low and firm. "You should know by now how much we owe our very beings and abilities to the Ashriel Royals. A simple mimicry should not make you cower."
Rori cleared his throat while Sister Lilibeth composed herself and kept her head low. A tense silence stretched between them and the two men behind them.
Chase walked by Kanan's side. The silence between them stretched as if time had stopped.
"I was simply caught off guard, Your Grace, pardon my insolence," Kanan said, clearing his throat and scratching the back of his head while he looked at Chase with an awkward smile. He showed off his prominent dimple, as if to charm.
"Pft-pft! Ahahaha!" Chase couldn't help but laugh at Kanan's awkward comeback after showing a small glimpse of his real personality.
"Hmm. Sure," Chase said, still amused. "Again, apologies for not being able to properly explain how my rare ability works. I can feel your strength coursing within me... Would you care to show me how to wield this?"
Kanan knew his awkward smile wouldn't work on Chase, but he kept at it, unable to believe he'd let a glimpse of his true self slip. "We're almost at the trail, Your Grace, let me show you how it's done."
The five of them stood a few steps away from the hemogoblin's spawn point.
Sister Lilibeth and Rori looked at each other and nodded as if signaling the beginning of the purification.
The Crisis Marshal held his arms out, leveled with his shoulders, and at the same time, a margin of earthen humps walled both sides of the hemogoblin's trail as if forming a makeshift road.
Sister Lilibeth gracefully swayed her arms as a wave of water flowed outward from her hands and onto the maledict's corpse-fingered trail. As if a weir were streaming, the water gushed forth, cleansing and purifying the soil before them.
Once the water seeped into the ground, the corpse-finger digits started to wither.
Rori noticed this change. He then placed his index and middle fingers in front of his mouth as if forming a candle, and blew on them. A stream of blue fire flowed from his mouth. The fluid-like movements of the blue flame moved with his breath, leaving a trail of ash and smoke in its wake.
Kanan held his hands around Chase's waist. "Allow me to assist you in skirting around this part they're purifying, Your Grace."
He then leaped forward, putting a significant distance between them and where the Sister and Royal Squadron leader were working.
Kanan stopped in his tracks and gently let Chase down. He positioned himself infront of the corpse finger trail then stretched his hands forward.
A wild stream of long, blackish-purple lampreys burst forth. As if born hungry and famished, the lampreys sprang from one corpse finger to another. Their numerous sharp teeth chomped, gnawed, and chewed on the fungus as if their very lives depended on it.
The sight caught Chase severely off guard, as if he were regretting his decision to copy Kanan's ability.
"Wield them to clear and cleanse your path, Your Grace," Kanan simply advised. "Think of obliterating the obstacles before you. Or at least, that's how I do it."
Disgusted with the sight of slimy, multi-toothed lampreys, Chase couldn't help but quease and shiver for a moment. Well isn't that barbaric, Chase thought to himself.
He cleared his throat and looked down at his vassal dress, hoping none of the spores or the lampreys would stick to it if he wielded this ability incorrectly.
He was not squeamish by any means, but this was a truly grotesque scene to behold. A stark and wild contrast to the charming, beautiful, well-composed towering man before him.
He stretched his arms forth, focusing on the intent to clear his path.
A wild wriggle came about in his arms as lampreys started shooting out wildly from his hands. Chase almost thought he had made a mistake, but the lampreys, just as he had expected, were a perfect copy of Kanan's manifestation.
They all started springing and sprawling from one corpse finger to another.