It was the middle of the afternoon, and the sun was starting to set upon the horizon of the sea.

With the current threat of the siege dying down, and surprisingly ending with the actions of only two people, the city was able to breathe a breath a relief for a short while, recovering their resources and energies after having held out for nearly a month or so.

The city functioned as one, each citizen contributing to the rapid recovery of the city, knowing full well what will happen to them if ever they lose a battle, and the walls are breached.

Though a selfish thought, not all reasons were pointed to themselves as they also sought the well-being of many others, having taken refugees from other cities that were razed to the ground or taken over by the revolution, giving them resources and sustenance that they, the people of the city, could have used themselves.

Yet, this brought an even greater reward to the people of Harrick and the good-will they had presented to those that needed their aid, resulting in the people to become a part of the city as well, helping in the defense by acting as soldiers and contributors.

But, that fateful afternoon was the moment they saw a brutal massacre take place, watching in horror as how their enemies were brutalized like nothing by an unknown force possessing enough power to bring the strongest army in the revolutionary army to its knees and to have it begging for mercy, which the people of Harrick never thought they'd see in their lifetime.

The thousands of soldiers were brought low like flies to a candle's fire, left strewn-out on the ground to decompose and decay, emitting a foul odor that made the people's gut churn in disgust.

Many questions still stood about the mysterious being that attacked the army, and people feared it so that even in this brief moment of peace without the presence of any sort of enemy, they feared the coming of those forces that ravaged the battlefield like godly beings.

In the midst of that brutal massacre, many were petrified by fear, unable to spectate the battle which was between their savior, and the two godly forces that wiped out thousands in the blink of an eye, never knowing who had defeated them, or if they had even been defeated in the first place.

No one knew what to believe anymore, yet fear spear like wildfire once rumors started spreading from two certain carriage drivers, stating that those forces that they feared were indeed demons, disciples specifically, the feared subordinates of the Dark Lords, one of the most feared beings in the entire continent.

Many have known and read about their powers, and yet with the knowledge they possessed, their powers were unknown and unmatched.

Though they panicked after realizing that demons were near the city, their leader drew them to reason, calming them and miraculously returning the people's attention to what was in front of them, being the revolutionaries.

No one was safe any longer. There was no Hero to defend them, for the last one disappeared years ago after going to the demon realm to fight the Demon King, never to be seen, or heard from ever again.

Yet, they never stopped praying for one, asking the gods to save them from this misery of having to live through fear without the safeguard of the only one that can stand against the demons, the Hero.

"I can't believe no one believed me when I said I defeated those two demons. Didn't they see how I fought them? I was constantly on the verge of dying as I saved them, yet all my efforts are ignored, just because they couldn't see or move for some reason. How worse can this day get," Laruse brooded over the fact that no one believed him when he spoke of the battle.

"That's pretty selfish of you, trying to boast about beating demons," Cecil said, watching Laruse as he was again laughed at after someone asked if he saw the two demons on his way here, where as he replied by saying that he defeated them himself.

"Hey, can you blame me? The least I can get is some praise. Though I wouldn't mind getting a reward, I chose just getting praised for my efforts. I can't just say that I did it for the good of everyone. I'm just as selfish as everyone else, maybe a bit less, who knows."

"I can't believe how openly you can say these things. I thought you were the modest and humble type. Well, at least you’re not arrogant, or not that much at least."

Laruse and Cecil had already met up with the two carriage drivers, whom partially believed that Laruse actually defeated the demons, seeing as how strong he was, the possibility weighed on their minds.

"Let's head back first thing tomorrow morning. The sun's starting to go down, and It'll be more dangerous to travel at night because of the monsters near the forest," one of the carriage drivers suggested, drinking moderately outside the tavern.

"Don't worry about it. I promised to be back early. So let me handle the monsters on the way back. I'll make sure nothing harms you both," Laruse insisted.

"... Fine, I'll put my faith in you, alright? We'll leave an hour from now, so just let us rest a bit, then meet us back here. For now, take a stroll around the city. Though it's been under attack for a long time, business is just as usual," said the man, taking another drink from his metal mug.

Laruse looked around him, seeing the hustle and bustle of the citizens moving about, filling every street and every district, making it look like a festival was taking place everywhere.

"Let's get something to eat, Laruse. Look, they're selling something over there, and it smells tasty! Hurry up!" she pupped his arm, drawing him towards one of the concession stands selling food that was being made in front of them.

"Hey, ease up, will you? We'll run out of money before we even realize it. Here, just one at a time," he handed her a delicious smelling meat sandwiched between two pieces of bread, which she took greedily, chomping down on it with delight.

The two of them sat on a surprisingly empty bench by the city square, enjoying the food they had bought.

The night had come, and the moon shone brightly with the gentle whisper of the wind.

With the word peace finally having gotten around the city, people flocked to the city square, admiring the beautiful skylight view, most of which were young couples, or married ones.

"It looks like this has been their first time in a while to get out without worries. You can see the relief on their faces. They must have been really terrified of being under attack for months, right Laruse?" Cecil said, admiring the couples enjoying their youths and lives.

"Good for them. With what I've been hearing around here, I'm content just to see a few smiling faces."

She went silent, looking at them while having the face of doubt, fidgeting in place as she decided in her mind.

She was currently being swayed by her emotions and the atmosphere around the city square, a tender moment that should be shared by you and that close person, amplified by the presence of couples in the vicinity.

She glanced at her side, looking at the man who stared tiredly into the sky, admiring what he saw without noticing her gaze.

"... Uhm, Laruse?"

"Yeah?" he glanced at her lazily.

"I've been meaning to ask you about something."

"About what?"

"I-I, ah, I wanted to ask if you, you know..."

"You alright? You're stuttering like crazy for no reason. Don't tell me you want more food. We're gonna run out of money if this keeps up."

"No, it's not that, it's about... what you... think about..." her eyes averted his more frequently than she would like, yet despite being with him for years, she had yet to feel something such as this.

"There’s really something wrong with you, but I don't know what. I'm not much of a mind reader but I'll try if you want me to."

"You know how we've been traveling the continent for three years now?"

"Of course I do. It's been a long while now that you remind me. Man, the stuff we went through back then. I barely got out of anything alive, yet here I am, still kicking and breathing. But, what about it, Cecil? Something on your mind?"

She breathed in, finally resolving to ask him her question.

"I want to know what you think of me, Laruse. Please be honest," she looked him in the eye, startling him as he backed away a bit.

"What I think of you? Where'd this come from so suddenly?"

"Just please answer it. I want to know."

"Fine, just ease up a bit. I guess, you're kind of like a great friend to me. That's how it's always been, right?"

"Oh, is that so..." her face turned downcast upon hearing what he said.

"I'm pretty grateful for that you know? I'm glad I met you that time. There are a lot of things that could've happened, but still, here we are, sitting together like nothing's happening out there. So, thanks, Cecil. Without you, I might have not made it during some tough times," he faced her, smiling a bit as he said his line, lifting her spirits drastically.

"Really?"

"Well, yeah. I don't think I can go wrong with these kinds of things. But enough of this, let's walk around a bit. I want to see the city more," Laruse said, standing up, offering his hand to Cecil, which she took, looking a bit satisfied.

They walked through the crowded streets, often bumping into people coming from the opposite direction.

This proved to be a problem to them as they bumped into a tall, lean, built, cloaked man who stood his ground, instead knocking Cecil back.

With an instinctive reaction, the mysterious cloaked man reached out to Cecil, taking hold of her wrist, while Laruse held her shoulders, preventing her from falling.

"Are you alright. I'm sorry, I wasn't looking where I was going," the cloaked man said, pulling her forward so that she could regain her balance.

"I'm alright. Thank you for helping me..." she looked at him, not seeing anything beneath the cloak as his face was rather well hidden.

"Charles. My name is Charles. I see you are in good spirits, Laruse. It has indeed been a long while. I never thought I'd chance upon you here in Harrick. What are the chances," the man removed his hood, revealing a charismatic, fair complexioned face with dangerous gold eyes and short hair.

Laruse stood still, petrified and unmoving, as if he had seen a ghost in front of him, one that smiled and greeted him normally.

"And you must be Cecil. I am Laruse's old friend. We used to be in the same group together. It is nice to make your acquaintance," he gave off a mature charm as he introduced himself once more; like the spitting image of Laruse, yet different in some parts and aspects.

"What's wrong, Laruse? I thought you'd be glad to see me? I don't think it's been that long since we parted ways. You looked very different with the way you are dressed that I almost did not recognize you. You have changed a bit from what I see."

"C-Charles? Is that really you?" he said, still unable to believe the one in front of him.

"Nearly seventy percent of the army, wiped out in an instant. Unbelievable. Just who or what attacked us, and how could someone possess such strength to fight against trained soldiers like nothing?" there she sat inside her tent, bandaged without armor, and recovering as she read the reports of the captains that were still alive after the encounter.

"There's nothing we can do anymore with such casualties. We will have to retreat," she heaved a sigh, talking to herself in despair.

She was in clear disbelief after having been defeated during their own siege, reduced to not even a formal army that can continue their objective.

Before having rested in her own quarters, she had consulted and taken the advice of her commanders and captains, all agreeing upon the retreat, which was highly warranted by even the men, who shuddered in fear as they rested in their camps, horrified after seeing the massacre up close, narrowly escaping with their lives.

"It seems that Hendrick's choice of bringing back Spencer from the front lines and back to Palas was ideal. If he were here when that happened, then I might not know how to tell the people of the revolution's grim outcome," she laid down on her bed, slowly closing her heavy eyelids, not having the strength to continue stressing about what had happened, sinking in her state of weakness, wearing only the clothes she had inside her armor.

"Still, his state is getting worse and worse day by day. It's like he's starting to become a different person. *sigh* Look at me, talking to no one. Have I become insane?"

"Please, be safe, Spencer, until I get back," she said, finally resting her mind as she sunk into a deep slumber.