Sebastian and Artemus were a force to be reckoned with when they were able to put aside their differences. The demons stood no chance against the combined efforts of the best anti mage and mage of their generation.

"A-mu, I'm gonna go put out some fires now."

The anti mage made a sound of agreement. He was dumping the demons into the fire like Rowan had explicitly instructed them to do.

"How about ya put out my fire after we're done here?"

"I can ask Syryn to set you on fire. I'm sure he's still nursing a grudge for what you did."

"Ya don't have to be so mean, A-mu."

-----

Riaku was at the moment being treated for severe burns. He was covered in scores of injuries after the brutal fight with all the three demons. Syryn was just impressed that Riaku was even alive at this point. But he wouldn't be for long if his sword wasn't fed.

The evil sword was on the ground, unsheathed because they were buying time. Syryn did not know how much backlash Riaku would receive if the sword remained free of its scabbard. The prince was unconscious, still in his demon form. The teen could not risk letting other avians see him in such a vulnerable state.

"Syryn, how is Riaku?"

Akida's wings made a soft swish as he landed next to them. The guard had brought Lucien along with him.

"He's not out of danger yet. The sword hangs over his life and I don't know what to do." The teen felt helpless. He required knowledge about the sword if he was to save the prince.

"Elder Toka will know what to do," Akida told him. "But it will be difficult to find him."

The civilians had all been evacuated to the nearby mining mountain. Healers were at work saving the burnt victims. It was probable that elder Toka was at the mountain if not at the border where war had begun.

"And Utsui?" The mention of his grandfather had reminded the teen of the grandson.

Akida shook his head. "I haven't seen him either. He's probably on healing duty at the mountain."

Syryn nodded. He would apologise later for running off recklessly. Utsui didn't know that Syryn was a cockroach capable of surviving most encounters with demons. Utsui would have surely feared for the teen's life when he'd disappeared into the fire.

"Give me the sword," Red said to Syryn. The redhead had been unnaturally solemn while his gaze remained locked to Riaku's unconscious form.

"Why?" Red's words and actions were never without reasons. He had a purpose in asking for the weapon and Syryn wasn't letting it happen without knowing why.

"The spirit of the sword is calling out to me," Red answered. "Give me the weapon, Syryn."

His honesty did not placate Syryn's concerns.

"Do you trust me?" Red pinned his crimson eyes on Syryn.

Against his common sense, Syryn silently picked up the weapon and held it out to Red by its handle.

"Are we sure that's a smart thing to do?" Akida asked the brothers. His arms were crossed and he stood imposingly over them.

"I trust Red," Syryn told the guard. These were precious words that he never imagined would be used for Red. Their relationship in the previous timeline had been non-existent. Syryn did not have a high opinion of the cruel redhead and he would have never placed his faith in him the way he did now. Trust like this did not come easily to Syryn. He knew that when he trusted too much, the betrayal hit the hardest. He hoped that he wasn't making a mistake that would hurt him in the future.

The redhead held the blade of Riaku's sword. He tested its cutting edge by nicking the sword on his thumb. And when he did, the weapon thrummed like it had been excited.

"You like me," Red spoke to the weapon. "Why?"

Lucien. A voice brushed the surface of consciousness like a feather over his skin.

Red cocked his head to the side. Was he hearing things?

"Red?"

His head snapped up and met Syryn's concerned gaze.

Riaku will live. My gift to you.

Red wasn't hearing things. The sword was speaking to him. Lucien. And then the sword called him by another name. A name that Red had never been called by, and it brought a shiver of dread down his spine.

"What's going on, Red?" Syryn asked again. There was an edge to his question that belied the calm on his face.

"Nothing," Red replied. "Riaku won't die. You can put this back inside the scabbard." The redhead handed it back to Syryn with an urgency that the teen took note of.

"How do you know that?"

"Trust me," Red replied.

The brothers stared at each other and there was a tension that stretched and stretched till Syryn decided to snap it. "Words are cheap, Red. What are you not telling me?"

"We'll talk about it later, Syryn. This isn't the time and place for it," Red answered. His sombre tone and downcast eyes kept the teen from lashing out at him.

(You're not going to tell Syryn)

[No]

(Why?)

[I'm scared, Luci. We should have been strangled in the womb this life.]

(Do you really mean that?)

[Is it not a better alternative?]

(I don't want to hurt anyone, Red. Stop it from happening.)

Red wanted to gut something. He was powerless. So utterly insignificant and powerless, prone to getting carried away by the currents of fate. Would his and Luci's death make a difference to fate's plans for their future?

[The spirit may be lying, Luci.]

(You're right! We can't trust its words.)

Red knew deep in his bones that the sword had not lied.

[Don't tell Syryn. You know how much he already has on his plate. We cannot add to his burdens. This will be our trial, Luci.]

(I understand. We will not bother Syryn.)

[At least not until we understand what's going on. By then it might be too late but I think this has something to do with the prophecy.]

(It's cool though... the name.)

[It is.]

(Seed of the apocalypse, Lucien Rivenspire.)

[Don't ever say it out loud!]