"It's different this time. I took too long, and something slipped out from my fingertips. I can't save it." Sebastian muttered. "I know I have the guards, I know..." he breathed in. "I have all the people who'd tell me I don't need to take this responsibility, but what's a king with a crown that everyone is to share?"

He put his hand near his hair, brushing through, before pulling on the back of his silver crown. With a heavy tug, he took it off, and shaky hands placed it on the table. The noises from outside came back in, and Jyuzou gulped.

"They're right, too." The King uttered, closing his eyes. "They can do a better job than me. Anyone can." he turned to Jyuzou. "What about you? Can you see through, Morian?"

Jyuzou gulped. "It's..." he sucked in air through his teeth.

He recalled complaining to Victoria that he couldn't spot the snowdrifts hiding the flowers, while Morio had no trouble with such. Then, they were made. The same glasses he swore he'd wear until the end of his days, now already broken twice and repaired. Yet, they seemed to fog up often.

As if a speck of dust, in the form of a ghost appeared somewhere in the distance.

"Sometimes." Jyuzou shook his head.

"Sometimes is better than never. If I could see without my glasses, I'd throw them away." he shook his head. "Before so, though, I'll ask you a question."

Jyuzou turned, taking a step forward.

"Would you be able to carry it?"

"Your c-crown?" Jyuzou asked. "That's-"

"The burden." Sebastian turned. "Would you be able to decide what to do next? With all the Royals inside, the panicking guards and the unsure future in the front. To solve an issue I can't solve."

The greys from the rain outside eventually turned into a thin orange. The sky took an almost crimson tint, similar to the one permeating the clouds back in Galliath.

Jyuzou ground his teeth and clenched both fists.

There it came again. That decision he tried to avoid. This time, however, it gave him an actual purpose. A light in the darkness he willingly trapped himself in.

It was the King, of all people. The one who spawned a cautionary tale to children about the wrongs of lying. Asking for help, but still keeping an almost numb expression. As if, finally, admitting that he was just as human as Jyuzou was.

The Morian gulped.

"I would."

***

As battle erupted, guards rushed in from the castle sides to defend.

For the time being, they managed, as most would be deterred by the shields blocking off entrances in combination with pure manpower, or swords, swang in a way that would remind one of the various strategies seen on the Empty Fields during the second war.

Their numbers were great, but only more kept appearing, with a lowly rumble to their screeches but a weak hand trying to grace through the defences. The few people on the streets ran inside any adjacent buildings, hiding behind walls and whatnot, such strategies were seemingly the call.

Yet, they concerned the few guards. If this attack was still small in comparison to what happened in Magna, something elsewhere must be brewing.

They ground their teeth, holding their heads high and hiding their unsure gulps behind the mouthpiece of their helmets.

A demon kicked one of the buckets laid on the park road in the Soma Area, eventually leading into the few squares of the main town part of Eggre. A few footsteps followed his numbness, only for the demon to turn to the others. "Figure something out already, ya brainless morons!"

"I'm not stupid." one bigger demon raised his hand from above the crowd, before stepping out to the side and smiling, neatly.

"You know I'm not talking about you Bunmo!" Tabus added, stepping onto the grass. "Where's our purpose in this? Strolling the off-streets like we're too weak to fight simple, unarmed humans! Who's idea was this again?"

Bunmo raised his big hand, and the demon pointed.

"Leiru's."

"Of course." he snickered. "He'd make that stupid choice because he still insists on trying to with Lisbeth's dead plan!" he spat to the side. "Why don't we make way ourselves?"

The few demons around Bunmo started chatting.

"Forget it!" the demon yelled out. "You're all too stupid anyway!"

"I'm not-"

"NOT TALKING ABOUT YOU!"

"Tabus." Bunmo blinked a few times. "Maybe they're just building us an opportunity to strike."

"Then it's taking way too long." Tabus strolled, with ground teeth and a clenched fist. "Why is the offensive team moving towards Wakon? There's not even a spec of a human here for me to strike!"

"You're way too feisty as always!"

"Imagine that someone took your food, Bunmo!"

Bunmo gasped, covering his face.

"Put the plate in front of you and then just harshly steal it. Who's idea was it to listen to Leiru?"

One demon amongst the crowds raised its hand before one other slapped it. Tabus looked tired, frankly.

"Whatever." Tabus squinted his eyes. "All I'm saying is, this wouldn't have happened if it was him leading us through. We will never get as close to Magna under this idiotic hand!"

Suddenly, tension rose amongst the ranks. The few demons moving through the main road started pushing against each other, scouring the grasses at the side.

Bunmo breathed in. "There's someone!"

Tabus turned, opening one eye, before taking a few angry steps back, almost throwing the adjacent demons left and right. He fixed his long, falling coat and bared his teeth before furrowed brows met a figure standing on the other hand.

His heart skipped a beat, for a second. Beige in clothing and a hat on their head, with something big in both hands, standing proudly.

"The hell?" Tabus asked, half-annoyed. "Who's this guy?"

"A human?"

"A human."

"A human!"

The word bounced up and down, before reaching the heights of Bunmo, who gasped, covering his face, turning to Tabus, as if waiting for his wisdom or something.

Hearing those words, though, Tabus only grinned. Koyote stood still, one eye observing every one of his moves, as his hand reached for a small, thin spear that eventually expanded into a pike with the tap of his hand.

His smirk grew, and in turn, Koyote only sighed.

She tipped her hat, before taking a step forward, and Tabus haphazardly screamed out, with his little army eventually catching on. Bunmo's thick steps made them bounce, but in the very end, Koyote found herself focused.

In the face of potential danger, the only thing she did was close her eyes and leap.

Jump, flail, gracefully holding onto the cross, as a simple blink of the shocked Tabus, whose eyes drifted up led Koyote forward, as if time itself was cut in her hands.

She rolled off the main road, turning to a few oaks, before looking back at the demons. "Idiots," she muttered, before running again.

The others wouldn't take her reprimands as kindly, however. They furrowed their slanted eyebrows, extended their wings or raised their harsh voices and weapons, chasing after the person who, in all honesty, seemingly kept teleporting a little forward each time.

Bunmo was soon out of breath, stopping, and Tabus strolled by, sighing and rolling his eyes.

"We gotta catch the human, Tabus!" Bunmo pointed.

"Yer talking like a goblin if they had a voice."

"So what's yet stance, Zimmoron boy?"

"Their leadership is better, but that's about it," Tabus uttered, pointing his pike, as it slid back into a spear and tapped the cobbled pavement. In silence, they could hear the commotion outside. It was never as loud as the fires of Magna, but more calculated, as if the people were ready.

"No Demonears in sight," Tabus added. "Not even a challenge there."

"You think that guy there was one?"

"I reckon a real Demonear would attack a weak horde like us." he searched around his teeth with his finger. "It's quiet again, damn it."

At that very moment, something moved through the nearby bushes. Tabus' sharp ear quickly caught the sound, and Bunmo turned too, with an open mouth. Tabus glanced at him, mockingly copying his expression, before throwing the pike out of its sheath and moving into a more forested area.

"How many did you get, foo?!" Sandy asked, turning to Katha, who kept jumping towards the bigger trees and ripping the few dry leaves hanging from the crown.

"Here!" she uttered, as Sandy quickly pulled, with the greenery taking shape and transforming into a spear, which he placed atop another, forcing the two together with a bunch of thin rope Ronpi found earlier. He put the tip on the bow string, as its end weighed heavily, and turned to the same tree, shooting.

Sandy turned. "It's still a little light, and we need more impact."

Katha quickly nodded, turning to the other trees, while Sandy put the bow down, treading towards the edges of the lake, with the empty benches left and right. He reached his hand out just as Ronpi dove out, raising his palm and revealing a bunch of strangely coloured stones.

Sandy smiled, taking them from him and quickly running towards the bow. Ronpi seemed a little confused, but Sandy pulled him out of the water. "Sorry!"

He shook his hair around, trying to dry it all off, and Katha threw another chunk of leaves, formed into a spear.

"Ronpi, glue the stones with the soma algae to the sides!" he quickly instructed. "Katha, get a few more leaves just in case!"

Both nodded, running back and forth before Sandy's requests were met. He pointed at the tree, the string now almost snapping in half from the pressure, before he let go, as the spear drifted forward and found itself stuck halfway through the bark.

Sandy let out a strange sound. "We're almost there, damn it!"

"Do I have to dive in again?" Ronpi pointed, putting his shirt back on.

"Nah!" Sandy shook his head. "I need Judy's advice on the placements of these marbles." he grinned. "Did ya know, Ronpi? What you just found was part of a witchtale I heard of when younger!"

Ronpi tilted his head.

"About a few-"

"Oi." Katha slapped her brother's shoulder. "No time for chit-chatting!"

Her reminder caused Sandy's head to turn. When he stared back, they almost looked a little guilty, but in the end, if it wasn't for their words or help at this point and onwards, the Great Weapon might've never been close to being finished.

However, such only brought more to ponder. When would be the right moment to strike? Sandy breathed out, putting both hands on their shoulders.

"Thank you!" he raised his voice.

Katha breathed out.

"Without your twisted hands I would've still used all of that expensive metal from back then!" he chortled. "No, no, really." he signalled with his hand. "Getting the weight might've just been the biggest of challenges. Now, let's go back to Mokota, I'll need all the strength I can get to make the Great Weapon shoot its shot!"

"You seemed fine with just the bow!" Ronpi added as Sandy strolled by one of the streets.

"The bow versus the Great Weapon. All the power, and strength to make it zoom in and work."

Ronpi and Katha looked at each other, with small smiles forming on their faces.

Then, something sounded from the nearby bushes.

Katha turned, halving her gasp.

"D-Demons?" Sandy asked, diving down.

Ronpi signalled Katha to keep quiet, while he took a few steps forward and peeked through the bushes. There stood two figures he couldn't make out, but one's tail moved left and right. The noises of the weaker demons from further away permeated the area, and although greatly muffled, the thing Sandy feared the most started unearthing.

He clenched his jaw, taking a step back.

"Sandy, go!" Katha muttered.

"Huh?"

"We'll try and stop them somehow." she continued, waving her hands around. "Demons to demons, eh?"

"Guys..." Sandy muttered. "I can't do it without your help."

"W-We couldn't have done so either," Ronpi spoke up. "It's mutual, science guy!"

Sandy bit his lip, tightening his grip around the bow. "I better see you in the workshop in a few!"

Sandy stood and neatly ran through the nearby bushes.

A voice arose, with a head-turning. "You heard that, Bunmo?"

Bunmo made a strange noise.

Ronpi and Katha looked at each other before both nodded. They stood up and raised both hands.

Before their eyes shrunk.

"No way." Tabus pointed, with an open mouth and a sly smile. "You two? Katha and-"

"Ronpi!" Bunmo pointed.

"Damn it." Katha turned to the side before Tabus' hand landed on her shoulder.

"Leiru's kids! Traitors! No way!" he repeated. "Come on!" he pulled, harshly.

***

Koyote stopped near a few crossroads. She heard the swarm chasing after her, turning to the alleys on the left, only further away from their goal.

She pulled a mix of bandages off her face, clenching her other fist while effortlessly holding onto the cross with the other. Blood dropped from the new wounds on her cheek, and made their way towards the wood her weapon was made out of.

She turned to its dents again, furrowing one brow, as if almost hearing something permeating through the silence.

The fountain she stood in front of split the square into four different streets, with white buildings near the entrance, eventually turning into small flea markets or living blocks, darker in colour.

Yet, the greenery spread from the fountain top to the wooden poles moving down into smaller garden areas, with narrow pathways leading to potted plants on the windowsill to restaurants denied the likelihood of things being quiet.

She swore she saw it, in the corner of her eye. A flash of blood appeared and stained the panes before a lowly noise could be heard, unlike anything else she heard earlier.

A black pool of nothingness rose, and Koyote glanced, putting the cross over her shoulder. The windows were now slightly ajar, with pairs of hands almost intrusively pointing towards the same thing.

Koyote squinted her eyes before a shape started rising out from the darkness, coated in a thick hush, moving into something barely resembling a humanoid figure.

However, everything here didn't scream humane. The Wakon in the buildings, with slaughtered corpses fuelling summoning circles, the weapon she held, and the thing forming in front of her.

Soon, a loud noise echoed throughout the area, and everything temporarily stopped.

Koyote put her weapon in both hands and stared at the unmoving Serpigo.

"Just one?"