The sea seemed frozen as Sef stared at the horizon. On a normal day, he would have praised its stillness to the point of sparking Erze's temper. But now was different. Instead of peace, it was tension and excitement that circulated his veins, making him rock back and forth with his arms wrapped around his knees.

Above him was Marcellus, as straight as a pole, surrounded by the swarm of shards he drew from the cube he created earlier. He used some of it to form floating lanterns, while others became part of the towering fence he created around the dome.

“do you need to pee?” Vanaker asked, handing a pair of long black tunics.

“what are those?” Sef asked

“dry clothes”

“hm?” Erze stood and touched the black fabric. “wow, it’s so smooth and warm”

Vanaker grinned with pride. “you like it? It’s made from a mixture of underworld seaweed and my blood”

“oh” Erze withdrew her hand and wiped it on Sef’s face. “don’t tell me you’ve made under wears too, because I’m definitely not wearing them!”

“come on, they’re not that bad”

“shut it, fool. I’m not entrusting my body to some old man’s accursed blood!”

Sef raised a finger. “one for me please”

“what?!” Erze stepped away from him. “are you out of your mind?! You’re really sticking his blood down... down there!”

A smirk escaped Sef’s emotionless facade. “sorry, but I’m more burdened downstairs than you are”

“wash your mouth you degenerate!”

Sef laughed through the insults and scanned the dome’s interior. He did not inspect it enough upon their arrival, but now that his attention was undivided, its emptiness stuck out like a sore thumb. There were no chairs, sheets, not even grass. Only a circular space of crystalized ground and a wardrobe standing at its midst.

“uh” he blinked at Vanaker. “where’s the changing room?”

Vanaker scratched his head. “my cabin isn’t built to hold guests you know. Just hide behind the wardrobe and you'll be fine"

“no, I’m good here”

As Erze shouted on his ear, Sef tossed away his wet clothes and comforted himself with Vanaker’s bloodshirt. Erze was right, not only did it bear the warmth of human touch, its texture was also as smooth as silk.

“ugh” Erze grumbled. “how could you reveal yourself like that with a straight face?”

Sef dangled the other shirt in front of her. “you should do it now too. You’ll catch a cold if you stay on those clothes”

A pause came as Erze stared at the shirt in disgust. She did not breath a word, nor make her usual frustrated noises, but the longer Sef stared at her, the more audible the gears in her head became.

“fine” she snatched the shirt and grabbed Sef’s hand, dragging him along towards the wardrobe.

“let me guess” Sef said. “you want me to do the honors?”

Erze did not bite the joke and continued walking. Once they reached the wardrobe, she glanced back at Vanaker and hid behind. “stay there and watch the old man”

Sef leaned against the wooden cabinet and beamed at Vanaker. “you don’t trust him? He already surrendered his heart remember?”

“I don’t care if its his liver, kidneys or pinky. As long as his blood is black then that’s all the reason I need to doubt him”

“isn’t it supposed to be the opposite? Yours is bla---”

“shut it!” Erze reemerged with her hair tucked inside the front of her shirt. No trace of relief nor comfort was etched on her face. In fact, it was as if she was disgusted, like a child forced to wear hot ceremonial attire.

“are you okay?” Sef asked.

“let’s just get on with it. I want to know who this man really is”

Sef sighed and sat beside Vanaker. With eyes glued to the sea, he wrapped his arms around the elder’s shoulders and released Erze’s soul, summoning a spear behind pointed behind his head.

“so this is how you repay my kindness?” Vanaker asked calmly.

“we mean no harm” Sef said. “we’re just making sure your tongue is as truthful as your appearance is”

“very well, ask away”

“who are you in this sea?”

Vanaker shrugged. “I don’t understand”

Sef rolled his eyes. “every sea has a prisoner, a hallower, a guardian of the borders and a guardian of the roads. Which one are you?”

“hm, I guess I’m the prisoner”

“you’re not sure?”

“I’m afraid so”

“who’s the hallower in charge here? Didn’t he clarify things to you?”

Vanaker chuckled. “hallowers eh? It’s been a long time since one came here to visit”

Curiosity forced Sef to look at the old man’s face. To his relief it was still the same wrinkled mask he drew inside his head. However, his eyes were now different, glued unblinkingly to him with unnerving emptiness.

Erze returned to her human form and stood in front of Vanaker with folded arms. “I knew there’s something fishy about you. Go ahead, spill it!”

“fishy?” Vanaker ripped his gaze off Sef and gave it Marcellus. “what’s fishy about hallowers not showing up to work? Isn’t that something they do all the time?”

“they’re pretty prudent in the south” Sef withdrew his arm and stood beside Erze. “You sound like that’s not the case here”

The old man beamed at his crystallized sandals. “I’m not supposed to tell this to anyone, but since you two keep prodding, I might as well say it”

“oh, story time” Sef sat and pulled Erze down with him. “just go for it. We’re all ears”

“before I start” Vanaker stared at Erze. “answer me, are you the real one?”

Erze’s eyes narrowed. “what do you mean?”

“are you really the prisoner of south wall? Are you really her?”

Shivers ran behind Sef’s neck as he waited for Erze’s response. This was a topic even he walked eggshells to peek into, and now it was being pried open by someone they barely knew.

“yes” Erze said with full conviction. “I’m Erzelis Nightcount. No one else”

A child-like smile surfaced on Vanaker’s face. His lips quivered, his eyes welled in tears, and his forhead slammed against the hard ground as he prostrated himself before them. “my lady! I’m... I’m pleased to finally meet you!”

Erze raised an eyebrow. “who are you?”

“I’m Vanaker Nightcount the thirteenth! Son of Vanaker Nightcount the twelfth! The last heir to your name!”

“thirteenth... twelfth...” Erze grabbed Sef’s shoulder. “so my family did survive after my time”

Vanaker raised his head and wiped his tears. “I’m sorry my lady, I couldn’t do it! I failed as an heir!”

Erze stared at the black blood gushing out of the man’s forhead. “you don’t have to tell me that. I already knew as soon as I saw your blood”

“I was afraid! I had to do it! I didn’t want to---”

“calm down and deliver it properly!”

Vanaker closed his eyes and swallowed his sobs. After a few deep breath, he locked his fingers together, stared at them with exhausted eyes and began his tale.

“my time as head of the family was unlike my father's. His was beautiful. A time when the Nightcount name was finally accepted again in the fold of society"

“it did?” Erze asked.

“yes" Vanaker said with a faint smile. “after what you've done, all of your descendants, all of us, did everything to win back the adoration our people once gave us. We built temples, plugged breached walls, freed those who were unjustly imprisoned all while everybody spat on us”

Erze's hands balled to fists. “I'm sorry...”

Dismissive hands waved in the air. “don't be my lady. It’s not like you're the only rotten tomato in the basket. Our entire bloodline had it coming to be honest"

“but still---”

“as I was saying!” Vanaker clapped aggressively. “it was in my father's time that our bitter labor bore their fruits. After saving the minister's son from death,Vanaker the twelfth and his household were allowed to return to their palace, as servants of the minister.

Sef whistled. “wow, talk about hills and valleys"

“indeed" Vanaker said. “if only it stayed as a hill till the end"

Erze leaned closer. “why? What happened?”

“I couldn't produce an heir"

“barren wife?” Sef asked.

“no, my wife was fine. Too fine to be exact”

Erze tilted her head. “then what?”

Vanaker exhaled. “she died before giving me a son"

“did you marry again?” Erze asked.

“I tried, but I can't do it. Even though it was just three years, my time with Cesla was all my heart needed. I couldn't want anyone else"

The image of wheat fields and golden strands of hair forced Sef to hide his face. He bowed and yawned, masking the tears nostalgia pulled out from his eyes.

“is my story boring you?” Vanaker asked.

Erze covered Sef's mouth and glared at the old man. “eyes on me boy, you need to answer my question. Did you commit my crime so you could live on? Is that the reason why you corrupted your blood?!”

Fresh tears gushed out of Vanaker's eyes. “I had to do it! I was the last one! If I died, all of my father's work, all of our history, it will all be forgotten!”

“you fool!”

Erze lunged at the man and sat on his chest. Like a predator ripping it's prey, she punched his face again and again, spilling dark blood both from her hand and Vanaker's face.

“didn't your parents tell you?!” she asked in an anguished tone. “did any of my descendants tell you how I've suffered because of that stupid drink?! You should've just allowed yourself to wither and die like an idiot! You should've just remained human!”

“I... live...”

Punch “silence!”

“my father’s... name...”

Punch “no more!”

“your... name...”

Punch “I said stop---"

“hey” Sef gripped Erze's wrist. “stop, you're looking lame right now"

With shoulders rising and falling, Erze glared at Vanaker's smashed face and screamed like a deranged animal. It was supposed to be intimidating, a sight to remind Sef there was something else underneath her small pretty face. But his mind was already focused to the sea, and the sound of a hundred hounds paddling across it.

“they're here" he said, pulling Erze away from Vanaker. “we need to watch the kid, it's going to be fun"

Erze broke away and sat at the dome's edge. Before her, darkened by the glass walls, was a sea far from its former dormant self. Every inch of it moved, every inch of it splashed as if the entire sea woke up from a bad dream.

“king of hallows...” Sef breathed as he sat beside Erze. “they're more than I expected'

“who cares?” Erze whispered. “the kid will just play them like a fiddle anyways"

“so uh, are you still mad?”

“I'm ashamed"

“don't be, my lady"

Sef looked over his shoulder and was met with Vanaker's puffy eyes. His face was now lined by streaks of crystalized blood, making his appearance even less human.

“I just broke your face boy” Erze said. “spare some dignity for yourself and hate me”

Vanaker drew close and sat behind them. “what I need to do is continue my account"

Erze shot a glare at his direction. “do you want to be disfigured further?”

“no, I want you to understand this place further"

Before Sef could relieve the tensions, a shudder swept across the ground and threw all of them on their backs. It seemed to be a natural earthquake at first, but as soon as he sat up, the true culprits emerged for all eyes to see. A horde of hounds that stretched back to the eastern wall, banging and clawing at the glass fortress Marcellus built.

“is it just me...” Sef pointed at the monsters. “or are these things more than the ones from earlier?”

The old man chuckled. “don't doubt your eyes. There are no illusions in this place"

“but how? Are they part rabbit or something?”

Vanaker passed through the walls, scooped a handful of sea water with his right hand and caught raindrops with his left. He inserted both back inside the dome and locked them together, splattering water all over the floor.

“what was that?” Sef asked.

The old man returned to their side and uttered a word no ear could comprehend. It sent shivers on Sef's back and turned the wet spots into hounds that pounced at them without hesitation.

Caught off guard, Sef's body moved on its own and wrapped his arms around Erze. Thankfully, Vanaker stood in the way and shielded them, skewering the hounds with black spikes that sprouted out of his body.

“as you've seen...” he ripped the monster's off and tossed them to the ground. “these hell hounds have a strange way of propagation. They fall from the sky and scavenge the spirit residues stored in this sea. It's the reason why they suddenly emerge in massive numbers”

Sef scratched his chin. “so that rain, that's the reason why we fell?”

Vanaker nodded.“yes, their like parasitic seeds scattered on very fertile grounds”

“and who's their sower?” Erze asked coldly. “is it you?”

Vanaker broke the stakes on his body and sat. “she started as a one of the prisoners here. Some of the past criminals I've asked say she was innocent, that she was just there to accompany her lover. However, others claim that she was just as evil as the man she loved"

“wait" Sef scratched my head. “who are we talking about here?”

“you said that every sea has a prisoner, a hallower, a guardian of the borders and a guardian of the roads correct? Well, there was a time when all four of those did exist here, but now only one of them remained, and she's living at a castle seated at the borders to the north sea"

Erze scooted closer. “what happened?”

“she ate them” Vanaker said with pained eyes. “someone brought the guardians on a silver platter, and she ate them as if they were dishes fit for royalty"

Sef swallowed. “there goes my appetite"

“agreed” Vanaker said. “but apparently, something drove the girl to think the opposite"

“so what happened next?” Erze asked.

Vanaker’s eyes travelled from Sef to his own hands. “she became something else. Something that commands hounds to kill fools who venture to this place”

“how about the hallowers?” Sef asked. “didn't they do something about her?”

The ground surrounding Vanaker rumbled. “they did nothing! Instead of putting the girl out of her misery, they pushed immortality down an old man's throat and threw him here as their substitute!”

Unease froze Sef's lungs as he watched the old man's aggressive breathes slow down with each second. He wanted to glance at Erze, to see the effects of the account. But she was already on her feet, walking away with sobs only his ears were sensitive enough to pick up.

“my la---"

Sef grabbed Vanaker's hand. “let her cool off for now. Promise, I’ll help you get to her afterwards”

The old man blinked. “I thought you're on her side?”

“I am, that's why I'm helping you"

Vanaker inhaled and smashed his forehead to ground again, spilling more blood and tears to the floor. “thank you, I don't know what else to say"

“you don't need to say anything. Just look after the kids upstairs while I sleep"

“you're really not helping the boy? I know he's a hallower, but he's still a child going against an entire horde”

An arrogant grin emerged on Sef's face, the kind he and Aurelius gave whenever they educated his ignorant grandson. “just sit back and watch, I'm sure he'll make a believer out of you in no time"

Despite wearing the sour face of a skeptic, Vanaker commanded the ground beneath him to rise, and passed through the roof of the dome, leaving Sef with the peaceful, not so quiet solitude he craved for since the begining of their journey.

He closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come, but his curious mind would not be silent. Like a three year old child, it kept whispering questions in his ear, forcing him to think about Vanaker's story. In the end, he found himself as an audience to the chaos outside, yawning non stop, but finding no rest.

“cage"

Marcellus' voice rang from above and riled up the restless monsters even more. They growled louder, scratched faster but with no success. The walls before them remained firm, while the chains under them dragged unsuspecting bodies to the depths.

“path"

A line of glass sheets appeared in the air and connected themselves into a bridge that extended past the walls. Vanaker shouted for Marcellus to stop, but the boy ignored him and walked along the road without a care in the world.

From one void to the entire horde, the hounds ripped their gazes away from the dome and sang a chorus of growls to Marcellus, unaware that walls they tried to breach have already begun to close in around them.

“snare” Marcellus sent chains to all directions and attached them to the walls. Little by little, they pulled the giant sheets into a tight square, causing hounds to explode under the water pressure trapped inside the prison.

“Aurelius...”

A nostalgic grin emerged on Sef's face as he watched Marcellus return Bel to her human form. It might just be the resemblance, or the sound of his soul, but now, the boy he once teased has become the friend he admired the most.

“Death charmer!” Vanaker called from behind.

“what?” Sef asked.

“those two... is your soul harmonized with them?”

“yes, want me to relay something?”

“tell to get back here now!”

“what's the pro---"

Before Sef could finish his question, the answer descended from the sky and sent the floating bridge right into the jaws of the monster's trapped below. It was as big as a hill and as bright as the sun. A round silver orb that engulfed everything in its path with a loud sizzle.

“take me there!” Sef screamed but Vanaker shook his head.

“I can't, it's too dangerous!”

Shaking hands grabbed the old man's neck. “I'm not taking a no for an answer"

Instead of clenched teeth or gasps for air, Vanaker made a face Sef did not see coming. His eyes turned dark and his quivering lips curled into an ecstatic grin full of razor sharp teeth. “I'm sorry, death charmer. But she still needs both of you in one piece"