The room settled into a pregnant silence after Albrecht's final words. Maps stretched like veins across the war-table, inked lines echoing centuries of conflict. Reider stood still as carved obsidian — the calm before a world-shaking storm. Mei shifted closer to him, uncertainty dancing in her eyes, while Vael's gaze never left the king or the dark elf now leaning casually against the stone pillar.
Eryndra flicked imaginary dust from her armor, silver eyes gleaming like polished steel.
"So," she muttered, voice silk-sharp, "our little demon prince and his… entourage are joining the rebellion."
Mei twitched. Vael's tail almost whipped out from under her cloak.
Reider? Stoic as a dead god.
"We're not—" Mei began.
Reider cut her off. "We are."
Vael blinked. Mei slowly rotated toward him like a doll possessed.
"…Excuse me?"
Reider glanced at her, expression flat as an unlit candle.
"You already decided. Out loud. Several times."
Mei sputtered. "I was being emotional!"
Reider blinked once.
"You always are."
Vael choked on a laugh, slapped her hand over her mouth, and pretended she was coughing.
Eryndra grinned broadly, showing her sharp canines.
King Albrecht rubbed his temples like a man who suddenly regretted starting a political alliance that included emotional disasters and socially-malfunctioning doom boys.
"Enough," he grumbled. "Sit."
He pointed to the seats around the table.
Reider sat perfectly. Mei flopped like she'd lost all bones. Vael sat like a coiled serpent ready to kill someone.
Eryndra hopped onto the edge of the table instead of a chair because of course she did.
---
The Plan Begins
Albrecht pulled a dagger free and stabbed it into the map — right through the church citadel symbol.
"This city is protected by the relic," he said. "You destroy it, Lucian loses his holy shield. His knights fall. His influence crumbles."
Reider stared.
"Where is it?"
Eryndra tapped a finger on the paper, right over the cathedral icon.
"Deep in the vault. Heavily guarded. Holy wards everywhere. Knights. Priests. Possibly a sanctified murder-goose. Hard to say."
Mei blinked. "Please tell me the goose thing is a joke."
Eryndra winked.
"You'll find out."
Mei paled. Vael looked deeply concerned. Reider remained… Reider.
"Then we begin soon," Reider said.
"No," Albrecht replied. "Tonight."
---
Preparations — or whatever passes for that
Later, in their temporary war-quarters, Mei paced like a mother hen with anxiety issues, Vael sharpened a blade that didn't need sharpening, and Reider inspected his sleeve like it personally insulted him.
Vael finally exhaled. "Alright. We infiltrate. We remove the relic. We leave no witnesses if possible."
Mei paused. "Why 'if possible'? I vote we very much keep witnesses alive."
Reider answered, calm as death.
"Dead men don't talk."
Mei stared at him. "Reider. Sweetheart. We are in a crowded religious fortress, not hunting wolves in a forest."
He blinked. "So?"
Vael rubbed her forehead. "We're doing stealth."
Reider nodded once. "Silent deaths."
Mei threw a pillow at him.
"NO death unless necessary!"
Reider caught the pillow mid-air without looking.
"Unnecessary death is inefficient."
Mei's soul left her body.
Vael smirked. "See? He listens."
"He listens like a deadly toddler!" Mei hissed.
Reider: "…I am not a toddler."
Vael: "Emotionally? You absolutely are."
Reider stared at her. "I am more stable than both of you."
Mei and Vael exchanged a look.
Betrayal. Fury. Attempted murder in their eyes.
Reider didn't blink.
Eryndra entered without knocking, because privacy is a myth around her.
"Oh good," she said cheerfully, "everyone's fighting. Perfect team-bonding energy."
Mei threw the pillow at her. Eryndra dodged with one lazy tilt.
"Cute," she said. "But try again when you've eaten enough to throw it with real strength."
Mei's jaw dropped. Vael snorted. Reider nodded approvingly.
---
Night Falls — Operation Church Break-In
The cathedral loomed like a white monolith bleeding holy arrogance. Statues of saints glared from shadowed alcoves; golden lanterns flickered like judgmental stars.
Reider, Vael, Mei, and Eryndra crouched near the outer wall.
Eryndra whispered, "Alright. Simple plan: I distract the front, Vael and Mei sneak to the lower entrance, Demon Prince here breaks seals. In. Out. Try not to become divine confetti."
Reider blinked. "Straightforward."
Mei whispered, "You didn't say how you escape."
Eryndra grinned wickedly.
"Darling, chaos personally owes me favors."
She strolled straight into the open courtyard.
Vael face-palmed. "This idiot…"
The guards stiffened as Eryndra approached.
Guard: "Halt! This is—"
Eryndra: "Yes yes holy ground blessed by blah blah light righteousness. Anyway—"
She pulled out a wine bottle from… somewhere.
"—any of you boys off-duty soon? It's been a while since I've been blessed, if you know what I mean."
The guards short-circuited.
Reider whispered, "She is distracting them."
Vael whispered back, "I know. I hate it works."
Reider: "Sexual distraction is effective."
Mei glared at him. "You say that like you've researched it."
Reider blinked. "I have."
Mei choked. Vael stared, horrified.
"YOU WHAT?!"
Reider looked confused.
"You told me to learn social tactics."
Mei smacked his arm. Vael buried her face in her hands.
---
Inside the Cathedral
Holy air pressed down like a sanctimonious grandma judging everyone's life choices. White marble. Gold trim. Sacred silence that screamed we're better than you.
Reider moved first — silent, ethereal.
Vael followed like a predator.
Mei tip-toed like guilt embodied.
They reached the sealed stairway. Holy runes glowed faintly.
Reider touched the seal.
Light sputtered. Died. Like faith after taxes.
Vael whispered, "You did that fast."
Reider: "It was weak."
Mei: "If weak holy magic scares you, imagine the strong ones."
Reider: "They are also weak."
Mei: "…he's going to pick a fight with God. Isn't he?"
Vael: "Yes."
Reider didn't deny it.
---
The Relic Chamber
Torches flickered. A glowing crystal pulsed atop an altar, wrapped in layered wards. Several armored priests knelt around it in vigil.
Reider stepped forward.
Vael grabbed his collar.
"Think. First."
Reider: "I did."
Mei: "No you didn't. Your thinking face looks the same as your 'I'm about to kill someone' face."
Reider paused. "That is unfortunate."
Vael: "Fix it."
Reider tried changing his expression. It remained… blank terror.
Mei pinched the bridge of her nose.
"We'll work on it later."
---
Boss Fight — Priest Edition
The nearest priest sensed them.
"HERETICS!"
Oh boy.
Reider moved like a blade born of silence.
Vael followed — claws and steel.
Mei used a frying pan that she absolutely shouldn't have brought but it worked.
Priest brains: scrambled.
Priest dignity: zero.
Priest souls: probably filing complaints in heaven.
In two breaths, the room stilled.
Reider touched the relic. Power surged. The church's barrier crackled across the city like a dying star.
He whispered, voice cold enough to freeze god-blood:
"Your time is ending."
The relic shattered like fragile glass under an ancient mountain.
---
Alarm Bells
Sirens screamed outside. Holy light flared.
Vael grabbed Reider's arm.
"MOVE!"
Mei grabbed his other arm.
"STOP BREAKING THINGS BEFORE WE ESCAPE!"
Reider allowed himself to be dragged. "It was necessary."
"SO IS BREATHING!" Mei yelled.
---
Exit — Featuring Chaos Elf
Outside, Eryndra was casually sitting on top of tied-up knights like a queen on a peasant throne.
"Oh hey," she waved. "Done?"
Vael: "RUN."
Eryndra: "Finally."
They sprinted into darkness. Holy knights poured from every doorway like angry pigeons.
Reider turned once.
A pulse of ancient power rippled. The first ranks of knights froze in fear instinctively.
Reider whispered, barely audible:
"Come if you want. You'll die the same."
Lucian, far away, felt it. And shivered.
---
Back at the Palace
King Albrecht waited. When they returned — bruised, breathless, victorious — he stood from his throne.
"You succeeded."
Reider nodded.
Albrecht's answering smile was sharp, hungry, almost triumphant.
"Then from this moment… war begins."
---
The Aftermath — Safe Room
Mei slumped into a cushion like a corpse.
Vael flopped onto the couch like a regal cat who almost died.
Reider sat normally, because chaos is his natural habitat.
Eryndra sprawled across a chair upside-down.
"So," she drawled, "now that you've kicked the holy hornet nest… next step?"
Reider: "Kill Lucian."
Vael: "Gather allies."
Mei: "Sleep."
Eryndra: "Steal more wine."
Reider nodded.
"All of those. Except the wine."
Eryndra gasped like he stabbed her heart.
"You monster."
Reider blinked.
"You already said that earlier."
She grinned.
"And I meant it then too."
Mei threw a pillow.
Vael closed her eyes to avoid murdering someone.
Reider watched them all like they were the strangest angels he'd ever chosen to follow.