Through the night, the shadows twisted, even where the light touched. At its forefront, a young man ran across rooftops, jumping from building to building. Eventually, he made one final leap toward a bell tower before joining the shadows. With only the moon as their witness, the shadows curled up the tower like tendrils before converging at the top.
There, he emerged, and on the other side of the bell was Taylor.
"You know, I had my suspicions..." he muttered.
He raised his hand. A black sigil glowed across his skin, and a blaze of blue fire curled upward, coalescing into a blade. Steel of pristine make shimmered in the light, its hilt carved from white silver and inlaid with sapphires. Warm, radiant, and dangerous.
"This sword is the treasured blade of Reinhall," he said. "In the Alcadian tongue, it is called Nox'Khiorra, otherwise known as The Final Hour of Dusk. It was passed down from generation to generation. Perhaps you've heard of it?"
"...I have not," Caelus replied, uneased.
"Hah. Not to worry. I expected as much. Just before entering Rhodeia College, it belonged to my father. Then, it chose me, so I am now its master. This sword possesses a consciousness of its own. Of course, it is not fully sentient like us. It is merely an extension of my will. Do you know what my will is?"
"How do you expect me to know that?"
"I don't. I merely posed an impossible question to gauge your reaction. You see, this sword is quite special. It answers only to will. The stronger the will, the stronger its light. And mine burns for one purpose... to eradicate demons."
He shot Caelus a deathly glare and leveled the blade at him. His voice lost all pretense of trust, turning cold and absolute.
"So tell me, Caelus de Luvelaine... Why does it blaze so fiercely for you?"
The winds picked up upon this quiet night, where two young men stood atop a lonely bell tower. Neither moved an inch. Neither strayed their gaze. While Taylor was poised to act out his will, Caelus's throat tightened. It made sense for Professor Silva to suspect him, but a fellow student was quite unbelievable.
At last, Taylor broke the silence.
"You say that the Archdemon spared you. I can believe that. What plagues me now is what came after. What did you do for the following five years?"
"And why, pray tell, should I entertain you?"
"Because if you don't, then I shall consider you a threat to the empire and eliminate you."
Caelus let out an involuntary chuckle, but he embraced it nonetheless.
"I've been called many things over the course of my tenure here at Rhodeia, but never have I been labeled a threat. What an honor."
"Cease your foolish theatrics and answer me," Taylor growled. "Is it because of your belief that the emperor sent House Luvelaine to its death?"
"Admittedly, I once held onto that grudge, but that is no longer the case. Revenge is a child's wish. Even if I were to burn this empire to the ground, it wouldn't bring my father back."
"Then help me to understand. There are far too many contradictions with you. You stood against the crown prince to help Princess Aria — a feat that no one in their right mind would ever think to do. You were offered to stand beside Prince Asta — something that many nobles would kill for — yet you refused in the most combative way... as if to ensure there was no room for misunderstandings. Infiltration is clearly not your goal, and neither is espionage. Have you fallen into a demonic cult? Is that why my blade is reacting so strongly to you?"
Around him, the darkness stirred. Those who resided within the shadows, waiting, were ready to reveal themselves. Before they could, Caelus performed a small hand symbol, urging them to retreat.
"Let me ask you something, Taylor Reinhall. Do you consider me a threat?"
"What?"
"As of this moment, right now, do you consider me a threat?"
"...No. Not yet."
"And that's good enough for me. To be fully transparent, I have not fallen into a demonic cult. Didn't even know they existed. Just know that I have not returned with ill intent."
"And you expect me to believe that?
"Well, instead of just telling you since that clearly won't work,"—he stepped over the edge of the tower—"how about we start with this?"
Hesitantly, Taylor stepped over and followed his gaze. Sure enough, a flicker of orange light danced in the distance. A lantern, but it wasn't just one. There were dozens of them. All across Jester's Lot, the patrolling guards were rushing south towards the parade.
"Princess Aria..." Taylor said.
"Indeed," Caelus concurred. "Looks like Senior Shion gave her the signal. Now, we must ensure that we fulfil our role in this, lest we waste the efforts of the others."
He turned to face Taylor.
"I won't ask you to trust me. In fact, I would prefer it if you didn't. Nothing good will come out of it. Unfortunately, that is all I can tell you right now."
Taylor glanced over at him, his eyes oozing with suspicion. However, for the sake of the mission, he decided to let it go. At least, for now. He sheathed his sword in a nonexistent scabbard, and after a brief flash of blue, it disappeared.
"I'll tolerate you for now, Caelus," he muttered, "but the moment I see even a hint of betrayal from you, I'll strike you down where you stand."
"Hmph. As if you could."
Suddenly, a faint glimmer of light caught their eyes. Another lantern. Its handle swung gently in the hand of a cloaked figure moving through the darkness, accompanied by two more just a few steps behind.
"That at least confirms one thing," Caelus scoffed. "Something's definitely going down here. Dark night, festival distractions, and a secluded ruin like this? Hah... These bastards know exactly what they're doing."
"Do you really think they're selling demon war prisoners into slavery in there?" Taylor asked.
"It's not impossible, especially considering what Senior Shion told us. The demons they smuggled into the city were all females. It doesn't take a genius to know what these dirty buyers are expecting from this exchange."
"Filthy. But that leaves one glaring ambiguity. The smugglers were able to pass through the empire's gates because they had someone backing them. I'm sure that neither of us can refute that."
"Right."
"And that someone had to be powerful enough to tip off the guards. If that's the case... then who are these buyers?"
Caelus needed no further explanation to know what Taylor was hinting at. Obviously, this must've been an expensive venture, so the income they hope to gain should match.
In no world would a simple commoner have the necessary funds, much less even have the connections to know about this illegal dealing. That left only one answer.
"Nobles," Caelus muttered.
"I didn't wanna be the one to say it, but it's the most likely case. Only nobles would have the wealth and the twisted greed to buy up demon slaves."
The pair continued to watch the three cloaked figures move through the district. Moments later, their destination was revealed. Far ahead stood a cathedral, its spires cracked and worn — a decaying monument to forgotten worship.
"The church, huh?" Taylor scoffed. "Bold move. Committing capital crimes right under Goddess Elysia's nose. Not the best for their karma."
"If these people are trafficking demons to be sold as slaves, I doubt they care about divine judgment," Caelus said.
"Fair point. And it's convenient. Even if some drunkard wandered in here by accident, they'd steer clear of a cursed cathedral. Rumors say demons still haunt the ruins of the Goddess."
He shot Caelus a side-eye.
"Seriously?" Caelus sighed before something else caught his attention. "Hold on... Look."
Moving through a side alley was another cloaked figure, distinctly feminine in silhouette. Her form was draped in a flowing dress, unlike the others.
"It's Senior Alicia," Taylor said.
"Looks like it. Time to move."