Instantly, Koyote froze, with her head turning towards the librarian.

Dakarai breathed out, sitting on the edge of his armchair. "Olala was always with the stories she liked. I guess I oversaturated her mind with too many choices." he scratched his head. "When there's too much, there's nothing, Koyote. I mean, how long can you go searching for that perfect little story? You eliminate all the other books until you find your favourite. So don't overstep that with your library!" he chuckled. "Too much clutter on your mind always-"

The door was abruptly shut. Dakarai gazed towards the hallways, finding no one in the library except for him.

***

The night sky turned from a calm, navy blue into a complete and utter gloom. Olala sighed, waddling over to one of the backdoors and leaving it ajar again. She turned on her heel, blew off the light from the candle she carried, and travelled back through the dimmed corridors, plunging right into bed.

The window was open, and a cool breeze ventured and embraced her body. Denying that whiff, she wrapped herself in a big, white blanket, staring through the panes, before footsteps sounded behind.

Koyote dropped her weapon on the ground and removed her jacket, throwing all her wet clothes on the other end of the room. Olala turned, before sitting up, all while Koyote took a hefty sum of bandages off her face and finally placed the hat above a coat hanger standing atop a rather cosy carpet.

"Where were you this time?" Olala asked, sitting up.

"In Omer Narrows," she replied.

"For what reason, though?" she continued, turning to the side, ever so slightly.

"Must I explain myself to you, Olala? I sometimes prefer spending time by myself." she ducked, before crawling into a separate mattress hole, putting the blanket over her dampened body.

"I feel like you're not telling me something."

"You already know everything that I wanted you to know."

Koyote closed her eyes, putting both hands behind her head, sighing. Olala stared for a minute longer, before laying down, turning to the window.

The clouds seemed to finally shift, revealing the crescent edges of the moon, however, barely visible, and quickly covered by the downpour.

"Can you sub for me in the morning?" Koyote asked.

"Why?"

"I don't feel like doing it tomorrow, that's all," she added.

"Period?" Olala asked, swiftly.

"I just don't want to do it." Koyote lifted her eyelids, meeting the wooden ceiling. A few shadows of the outside trees swayed on the wooden planks.

The silence grew, inadvertently broken by the drops crashing on the outside windowsill and further going down into the nearby canals.

"Fine," Olala replied, tugging on the pillow, pulling it closer to her face, instead of her head.

In the morning, she woke up to the sun barely shining through the rain, and a missing bed coming from Koyote's side.

Olala turned and found a note above her pillow, neatly stuffed into a small, circular crevice ripped out on the wooden floor. She recalled a story about how this little hole came to be in the first place, a few days before the Morians arrived, she tripped over Koyote's cross and the wooden pole she held (to reach dust in certain places) perfectly ripped through the rather shallow bedding. This, in turn, led to Olala finding a new job in the fortress, as, besides the already mentioned chores, for the past few weeks, she'd been insulating the floor from below.

Only a few words were present on the paper. "Check your pocket."

Olala reached her hand into her pants, finding a new note. "The other pocket." she rolled her eyes, angrily and swiftly moved her fingers into the other, finally scanning through, before sighing.

***

"Alright, Morians." Olala's voice echoed above the mountain pass, as the five stood on a safe, grey boulder, facing a similar one on the other side. The only way to cross above the water, as they found themselves on the edges of Galliath, was using a thin rope which connected two rocky peaks. "Your task is-"

"I'm not doing that!" Jyuzou pointed.

"Can you give me a chance to explain?"

"We're going to be walking over that rope, aren't we?" he asked. "I know your wretched methods."

"I'm not Koyote." she made a sour face.

"Where is Mrs Koyote?" Genni asked Ingo, who shook his head.

"Gah, what else are you supposed to do with a rope?" Genni sighed, closing her eyes, and pushing her boomerang towards her body.

"Tie Jyuzou up," Ingo spoke. Jyuzou shivered.

Olala lifted the note from behind her sleeve again, and read through it one last time, before putting her hands together. Morio stared forwards, with furrowed brows, Jyuzou was shaky, Genni seemed to accept what was to happen and Ingo looked determined, continuously clenching and letting go of his fists.

"This isn't necessarily about your strength this time. At least that's what Koyote wrote." she scratched her head. "It seems that, to her, you were doing already good enough to move onto something more demon-like."

"What do you mean by that?" Jyuzou raised one eyebrow, while the other was somehow furrowed.

"You're not going to be training yourselves, rather, your Guardian Demon." Olala squinted her eyes, and Jyuzou gasped, almost as if expecting the Morians to follow in his stride, but they weren't as shocked. Morio glanced at Gloria, neatly sitting in its sheath, before putting his hand over the handle. Ingo raised his club, placing it over his shoulder, while Genni's fingers further dug into her boomerang. "However that's supposed to work."

"What do we have to do?" Morio asked.

"Get to the other side," Olala said.

"Obviously." Ingo snickered.

"But you're not supposed to use your body, i-if that's even possible. I don't know, you guys, Koyote's cryptid." she shrugged. "Look at the note, I can't even decipher that!" she handed them the paper, and Genni fixed her glasses before silently consuming the letters.

"Cross the gap without using our bodies, but only our weapons?" she asked, taking a step forward. "It's so simple." she smiled.

"Then." Olala coughed. "Do your best, Demonears."

"It was 'Good luck, Demonears'." Jyuzou raised a finger.

Olala rolled her eyes. "Can't I be original?"

"I don't think we need luck." Morio finally spoke, pulling Gloria out of its sheath. "It's just water."

"Luck or not," Genni added. "Water can be like fire if you imagine that's the punishment."

"I'd rather not," Morio said, with a little accent.

Olala stared down, seeing as a few sharp rocks peaked their heads out from beneath the liquid's surface. "She's right." she thought. "Ekhm. Good luck, Demonears." Olala quickly fixed her attitude, right as everyone's gaze focused on Genni, who clenched her jaw. She put both shaky hands on the boomerang, and almost lay on the ground, before reaching towards the rope.

Her body completely relied on her weapon. It was easier for her to imagine that an actual demon carried her over that gap, even though she barely shifted from her position. Closing her eyes, she was airborne, right above the waters and not so far from the others.

Nothing happened.

Then again, Genni was moving, ever so slowly.

She made a strange groan, as her weapon moved along the rope.

Morio's eyes widened, as he stepped back.

"Are you sure you're not doing anything?" Jyuzou asked.

"It's definitely a little slow," Ingo admitted.

"Slow, but sure and steady. I'm not Koyote to judge your time." Olala had half a smile on her face, straightening up, and moving to the side. "Alright, off you go then. In Genni's tracks."

Jyuzou jumped up, before quickly nodding, with a drop of sweat rolling down his forehead, quickly followed by Ingo. Morio stood back for a moment.

"Where is Mrs Koyote?" the white-haired Morian asked.

"I also struggle with the same question," Olala added, folding her arms. "Somewhere, that's for sure."

"If something happens, are you going to save us?"

"To the best ability. I did already prevent you from killing Ingo, or vice versa." she turned to the Morian, who stared into the rain in the distance as if trying to spot something. He took Gloria out of its sheath and stood behind Ingo as if waiting in line.

Jyuzou breathed in and out, as his spear started sliding along and following Genni. "You weren't lying!"

"I'm not a liar!" she yelled.

"What's causing something like this to happen?" he looked up, curious.

Olala wondered but came to some conclusion. Calling back to Koyote's strange notions, it seemed that, if it weren't for the humans doing the acting part in the Guardian Demon's plight, it would be the demon itself. Much like with fear, something else came to your aid. Maybe, it was the demon which saved itself from death, and in turn, lifted you out of that kerfuffle.

Olala promised herself to ask Koyote because even though she wasn't interested, she felt a strange obligation to answer the Morians' various questions.

"Focus, you two!" Ingo raised his voice, but only for a moment. "Genni, your boomerang is wobbling back and forth like crazy!"

She made a strange noise, looking down into the water. "It's o-okay."

Morio sat by the edge, placing Gloria above the rope, seeing as its sharp edges almost cut through the thin material. He panicked for a moment, before moving it back a little.

"What's the hold-up?" Olala asked.

"I just need a second." he quickly answered.

Yet, for too many, it seemed mastering a balance between humans and demons seemed strangely impossible. An old Gallian saying went something along the lines of 'It's either the ankles or the ears.' The second Olala's gaze focused on Genni, it seemed her body started using strength on her own, and the boomerang stopped moving.

They weren't dealing with normal weapons, but demons.

Genni tried sliding forward, but her boomerang slipped to the right.

"Genni!" Jyuzou reached his hand out, only for it to be stopped by Ingo's cautious yell. His spear too, started wobbling back and forth, and a rain of sweat washed over his already pale face.

A swift line of water appeared, from one end to the other, but despite its help, Genni aimlessly crashed into the pool.

Jyuzou's gaze focused, and her head quickly appeared. He sighed, staring forward.

Ingo's eyebrows suggested that a massive weight was lifted off his shoulders, although, any other part of his body remained still. His eyes drifted towards his Guardian Demon, and even though he tried piercing through its shell, the demon inside was hidden.

"Don't focus on Genni right now," Ingo mumbled, furrowing his brows. "Keep going forward, while you still can."

"Don't focus on my friend? Y-You seem to know a whole lot."

"It's a speculation, dumbass."

"I'm fine! I'm fine!" Genni announced, her voice echoing back to Olala who had soft murder written all over her face. "I'm fine..." she repeated, spewing some water out and swimming towards the rocky shore.

Olala softened up quickly. "Find a safe way up, then, Genni!" she raised her voice, and the girl nodded, one boot finally landing on the edge, right as a strange feeling passed through her heart.

Genni was unsure, but ventured forward and into the dimmed dark boulders cascading over any of the light that earlier strolled in. Squinting her eyes, she met shapes in the brown rocks and followed traces of dripping water forming a tiny stream beneath her feet.

Then, the sound subsided, replaced by an oddly calm and inviting choir. Genni raised an eyebrow, before finding a gleam shining ever so brightly in the distance, peeking behind a small opening in one of the rocks. She climbed up the tiny formation, looking through to spot an interior of something resembling a church.

Harans believed in multiple deities at the same time, so there's pretty much a temple for each one present. However, despite a rather familiar design, Genni couldn't recall any element which would suggest a well-known story. The white pillars standing atop the checkered floor towards an altar with a waterfall separated by tinted glass towered over a cradle in the middle, almost fully covered by white-robed people standing on its sides, singing the mentioned song.

There was someone who stood out, however. Taller than the rest, with different ornaments hanging from their clothes and patterns moving towards the mask that covered his eyes, turning into tattoo-like scribbles.

Genni's curiosity was piqued, and even though she was to return to Olala, it didn't seem like there was any other way out but through this church. Stepping to the side, she met the open hall, and no one turned, except for its leader, who was already staring forward.

The song gradually faded away, as every member slowly moved towards Genni, making way for the tallest, who spotted a light beam.

"H-Hello," Genni muttered, unsurely, tugging on her dampened clothes. Her voice echoed around the cathedral but stopped near its triangular ceiling.

A few members looked at each other, passing a smile to the next before the leader made their way towards the Haran-Morian. Reaching their hand out, Genni gulped, before hesitantly shaking his.

"Hello, friend," he said, revealing a bassy tone to his voice. "What is someone like you doing here?"

"W-Well." Genni looked to the side. "I fell into the water and ended up getting lost in this small cavern. I'm s-sorry, I won't interrupt-"

"No, no, it's fine." he shook his head. "I think, if you managed to this place, it means that you were fated to end up here. Fate sometimes does lead us to the best answers."

"This, as in, it's a church?" Genni asked, observing as all the other members placed their hands on the wooden cradle in the middle.

"Churches have Gods, but there isn't one here," he spoke, softly. "Just..." he chuckled. "The simple power of humanity."