Strolling along the field to their destination, it was apparent that Lass's curiosity had peaked for what fate had in store for them both.

  "It's been such a long time since I was able to freely use things like this...", Ikarisa tinkered with Lass' phone.

  "So uh... the goddess, huh? I don't mean to start complaining or anything but, what exactly is our goal in Reingard?"

  "Well, not just Reingard. We're after the sentinels that Makaro and Kikaro have placed from region to region. Once they are all down we might have a chance of locating them. Even if we don't, the more we stop this onslaught of terror and put an end to the scourges of the world, the more inclined they'll be to show up by themselves."

  "Wait a minute you're going to fight things with godlike powers right away? You're kidding, right? I thought you just need an escort to Reingard, what I have in my entire gig arsenal will probably not be nearly enough for this task."

  "No need to worry so much. While Makaro and Kikaro made Sentinels, they made them in this world, and although my power gradually faded away, the curse remains, and that should be enough.

  For once, a small hint of surprise was seen in Lass's eyes as he was struggling to understand why the creator of the entire world as it was, would place a curse on it.

  "Wait...curse? On the entirety of the world? But I thought you made this land that you loved so much full of freedom for 'man and the children of man'."

  "Well, it's not that much of a curse as it is a shield to protect this world. No matter what creature walks into or is created in here, it gets affected by the curse. It takes effect no matter how strong or invincible one might seem, so they will always, no matter what, have a weakness. That 'curse' affects even me."

  "But,", Lass objected, "Even so, you have to face something that is, supposedly, near invincible. Will we be able to locate that weakness before we're both halfway dead?"

  She reassured him, "Not to worry. Most Sentinels are overblown in folklore and fairy tales anyway. The history taught beyond the confines of The Church is honestly..uh. What did she call it again in her slang? Oh, yeah! 'A load of bull'!"

  "What? That's- I mean of course I don't trust The Church at all, these guys are suspicious as hell, but what do you mean the history beyond their confines?"

  "I have seen many things in that place. Not that long ago, they decided to reinvent history to what it was before I had a chance to intervene. As to how they actually got it through, it's a mystery even to me..."

  "Obviously, you'd have ties with them given your title and status, tho it all makes almost zero sense."

  "I have been pursued for decades, away from them and everything. Everything changed so much ever since then that it honestly and truly feels like the entire world is waiting for me to rediscover it!"

  "I will encore this excitement so as to not ruin your mood, but you should really be careful in between it all. Seriously. I obviously feel honored for how the events rapidly turned out, but had you or I taken a different approach, the story would end back at my house with how out of it you were."

  Ikarisa giggled, "True that. Although, last night was more terror than excitement. There are many things to do on my bucket list! Exploring, rediscovering, saving the world, and of course, finding love as a sendoff to a perfect story!"

  "This girl's head is three layers of clouds above here. Excitement or not, I've gotta land her for her own good.", he thought, "But goddess-", he immediately got interrupted by Ikarisa.

  "And could you please stop calling me goddess all the time? My name is Ikarisa, not Goddess. But if you don't want to call me Ikarisa either, then just say Risa!", she said playfully, "I just don't really like being treated like a goddess...well, not like I have been treated like that at all lately. Though that's seriously better for me! I simply dislike it when others think of me so highly. I'm an Obsulyte user like many others, sure I've had power fit for the books once upon a time, but do I really give off a godly aura and vibe to you?"

  Another deep breath was drawn, before Lass had asked the next question, "Fair point, I guess. Ok then, Risa. Where should we begin first? I suppose the first of the sentinels are at Reingard where you were blindly headed at?"

  "I-I uh...yes. Kako, the sentinel of despair. Actually...no, it is Kako, right? My mind is a bit hazy, but if my feeling is correct, he should be directed at the center of the Insinian capital, Reingard. That should be the first one. But really, it doesn't matter, eventually, we'll face all of them."

  "What do you mean with 'we'?", Lass caught on to a single word.

  "You're not coming with me all the way?"

  "Jumping the gun too fast, shorty. I am first escorting you to Reingard, then checking to see if you're capable of going from there and sending you off on your merry way."

  Risa happily shrugged with a playful smile, as if she was certain that he would follow, "He-he, sure you will! I understand that I'm overloading you with information at the moment, but I promise, for a world almost, if not perfect, every single one of my words has a lot of weight on it."

  Lass softly exhaled, "You look like you'll be a handful at times. Oh, and exactly how many Sentinels are there that we need to work on?", he inquired.

  "If I'm not wrong there should be five. Kako is the Sentinel of Despair, Magi the Sentinel of Hate, Drima the Sentinel of Treason, Decanee the Sentinel of War, and Izuko the Sentinel of Death."

  "Could you not give them any more evil titles to hold on to? Screw it, write down "I'm the big bad bastard" in their foreheads.", Lass folded his arms.

  "So you really don't know much of history, huh? I don't know why such a basic tale is almost erased from your mind, but that's The Church's doing. They didn't always use to be like that you know. Once, these Sentinels were our guards, the ones who protected those who blessed them with the powers they had, but they seem to have completely changed after I managed to get the ball rolling for life to change in this world. After them, I later found the existence of some so-called Pillars of this world. Some even stronger beings, who portray the amalgamations of all our wrongs from the looks of it. Not that of man, but those who abused the initial power given to them. For everything happening recently, honestly, I am to blame. My so-called 'Brothers' that The Church calls just...hmm.", sadness engulfed her face.

  "But why is it in any way your fault? It seems like way too far of a stretch to blame someone for the sole reason of them...well, existing, don’t you think?”

  "Because they created so much destruction and chaos everywhere because of me. They wanted to either lure me out or kill me, I'm sure, that's why they did this. And people cried and suffered all because of me being late and hesitating to show myself from all that I was running. I was scared, and like an idiot, I hid away from the sun itself...for that, others paid dearly for it. And it's another major mistake that I will have to engrave in my memory. That's the second one. And a third one...", she exhaled as she looked at Lass.

  Lass cracked as if he saw himself in the mirror, momentarily pausing as he looked at Ikarisa standing and forgetting all her innocence as she gazed at the horizon. Not wanting himself to have more regrets of letting something like that go, it was then that out of fear and kindness, he made the decision ion to discover the truth along with her and put his demons on hold.

  "Hey, don't go hard on yourself. Besides, you were all on your own before, in a brand new world and scenario. It sure as hell sounds tough. Say, I am not the kinda guy to meet new faces and all but...since I've already committed once, I might as well complete the entire puzzle."

  Risa looked back at him with a hint of confusion in her face, "Hmm?"

  "I'll go with you. I don't believe in fate, but if you showed up and wanted me to be by you that bad, I may as well try. I surely ain't the strongest out there, yet or maybe never, but I'll still help you throughout this whole ordeal. Isn't there a saying as well? 'The more the merrier'. Or if you prefer it solo even after this, I can head back home once I get you to Reingard."

  Not long after Lass had spoken those words, the little goddess had once again put a wide, shining smile on her face as she proceeded to say, "Alrighty then, let's get going! According to your phone's map, Reingard should be about 10 kilometers away!", she showed him the maps application on his phone

  "If only I knew that paying a couple grand to give her a mapping app would make me escape this sorry ass for a plan. All this utopia and saving the world talk. Ugh, what the hell am I even doing to get away from all the shit in my life.", Lass muttered.

  As Lass was looking at the horizon trying to hide his despair for the long walk towards probable disaster, the petite goddess let out a small giggle as she pulled his hand along with her, dashing through the open fields.

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  "Come on, don't start whining now! We have a world to save!"

  To her it was but an innocent stroll after a small talk. But to him, it was almost inspiring how well that same goddess was able to endure through all of her memories. And yet through her naive and innocent personality, she had still managed to be happy. To have the power to lift a smile in the densest of darkness, was an ability he could not help to admire. And as they were dashing through the peaceful field, it was natural for the goddess to notice her partner's state.

  "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you so down? Don't tell me you got tired already, or is it that you -"

  Before she could say another word she was stopped by the harshness of Lass's words, "Nothing. If you think a little run is going to drag me down, then you’re dreaming. It’s just...it is rather weird. Coming out of the house and all after being essentially locked in for years.", he proceeded to shrug it off, in an attempt to mimic Ikarisa's hidden strength, "Ah, never mind. I'll adapt."

  Finishing his words it was then that Lass shook off her hand from his own, taking the lead as they made their way through the peaceful fields in a slower, calmer pace. When they had finished traveling 9 kilometers after a few hours, they sat down under a small tree and they were both taken by the almost magical scene. A meadow filled with glossing flowers coming out to take a sip of the morning dew. A gentle breeze stroked the grassy fields as they slowly lifted the flimsy flower petals into the air. And nothing but the bright blue of the azure sky was all that was reflected on them by the early morning sun. This could have been no mere accident for them to witness, as Lass took a second glance at the girl that he thought nothing of until she slowly started creeping onto him as a friend.

  He was unsure why, be it longing for a connection and affection or simply despair and anxiety to escape it all, but something inside that girl spoke to him not as a goddess, but as a friend. He just could not put his finger on the reason why it just seemed to fall into place. Her arrival. His belief in her claim and words. His decision to follow. He would once strike it off as a series of coincidences…but not this time. Something was off to him and he knew it. However, he chose not to object to it, as what did not make sense was indeed giving him the much-needed bliss of ignorance from the pain he had endured by now and kept on facing every day.

  ”It’s been a while since I could relax like this. Normally I’d be on my toes, looking around for anything that might be heading my way.”, she breathed with relief, "Though so much changed, knowing that at least things like these still exist, such beautiful scenes, puts my mind at easy. That these can invade all the rough and dirt of destroyed lands."

  ”I see this every day, and believe me, it does get boring rather quickly.”

  ”Is that why…everything happens?”

  ”Hmm?”, he took a weird look at her.

  ”I mean, all this. Does everyone eventually get bored of peace? And then…it comes down to this? Last I heard between my focus on living and running, some pretty bad things happened.”

  ”Eh, maybe yes, maybe no. I don’t know and I don’t care. It’s the same for everyone if I were to guess, so long it doesn’t happen to you, why care?”

  ”So people are still odd like that?”

  ”'Unpredictable' would be the right word. Ad maybe they are. Hence why machines like Regina will always be way more favored by me…kind of. Ignoring the fact that she is now rogue.”

  ”You’re pretty stuck up on that. Did you perhaps find bad people too…like me?”

  Lass sighed, “Not particularly. I’ve met bad people, yes, but for most of my life, my memories only take me back to that house. Dad and I never had that much back and forth with anyone. Except for some woman, he would see often outside and even then, she stopped coming after a while. She was kinda tall, black hair and drank so, so much, that there was about a 0 percent chance she would leave sobber whenever she met with dad. She gave me some awfully weird looks as well, but it was more melancholic than angry, while drunk.”

  ”So indeed, you were alone. Why, when you see that it irks you again, do you want to be alone?”, she looked at Lass with a hint of worry.

  ”It’s a whatever, honestly. The more you’re by yourself, the more you can cherish things like this.”, he pointed out in the open fields.

  Not before he had finished losing himself in the beauty of the flowery field, their moment ended abruptly as screams were heard from the main road leading to the great capital. Naturally, their response was to immediately go and check on what had happened. They reached the road to discover an Enmity assaulting a poorly equiped girl and a child as she was screaming for help.

  "Enmities?! No way! There’s a military safety circle so far away from here! Reingard rarely has as many small conditional raids from other monsters and Enmities!”, he looked at Ikarisa, “Hey, where are you going?!"

  Before he could say another word, Ikarisa had already placed herself between the rampaging Enmity and the scared girl with the child in an attempt to fend it off and protect them. And as the Enmity lifted its claws her eyes closed as a faint glow appeared around the front of her body, preparing for the impact.

  "Growh!", it cried in pain.

  The Enmity growled as Lass slid nimbly through its legs, slashing its calves. "Over he- gyah!", the Enmity’s claws slammed into his stomach with an incredible amount of force, sending him flying into the air.

  As the Enmity resumed to its original target, Ikarisa once again closed her eyes and tightened her entire body. Not a word or scream echoed before it. But once again Lass had gotten up, the life refusing to be drained from his eyes. Clenching on the blade that dripped with blood and then without the least bit of hesitation, he fixated on the monster as he took a striking stance.

  "I’ll slaughter you."

  In the blink of an eye and a red flash, Lass soared through the air, piercing a huge hole directly in the Enmity’s chest without getting a single drop of blood on himself.

  "W-Woah..." Ikarisa gasped in awe, "That was awesome!"

  Approaching the girl Lass and Risa saw her back dripping red, but it wasn't hers. The child she had tried to protect had been mortally wounded in the assault before they could get there. Ikarisa once again wasted no time immediately tapping on the young girl's chest and healing her once life-threatening wounds.

  "Oh my god!", the girl cried, hugging the child, "Thank you! Thank you both so much!"

  "Uh, Risa? I think we should get going. We don't know if she's gonna like you for the title or-", Lass was interrupted by the girl's praise as he regained his senses.

  "The only person who could do something like this at the critical state she's at.", he took a better look at Ikarisa.

  Ikarisa tried to hide her face quickly, as she realized that the girl tried to identify her, but failing to do it quickly enough, the girl quickly made a conclusion.

  "Oh my...", she chuckled softly as she calmed down from the stressful situation, "Thank you, goddess."

  Lass's eyes widened as he worried who the girl might be related to, "And how do you know?”

  "I saw her image before. She’s somewhat wanted by a few scumbags from the Chaos Sect, and her story is slowly picked up by the lesser known media. But why would I ever hate the ones that saved us both?"

  Gazing at Lass's hand, the girl couldn't help but notice the completely shattered blade. She then jolted as she reminded herself of her goods and promptly tried to gift her saviours.

  "Your blade, it's completely broken. Did you travel the fields so unarmed in times like these? Blades don't do much to Enmities with their thick skin, unlike Shadowers. And the way you fought too, your slashing game needs a lot of work, unlike your strike and percision game. You pretty much used the blade like a lance or spear back there! Quite suicidal if I do say so myself."

  Lass got weirded out, "Quick on judding much? But this thing? Yeah, I figured myself it wouldn't last. I still had backup, however.”, he tapped on his gun holster. “Especially against something so big, it was inevitable. Just why would such a massive Enmity be so so far away from the Control Zone? I was never prepared to face something so big, it was only natural that my gear wouldn't last. Though, now that I think about it, It would've probably served me better if I did bring a better sword with me, but I needed the finished ones for my clients instead and chickened out on using those. This is just a base, but all others are already pre-ordered."

  "I would love it if you accept this. It's not something that impressive, but I believe that a sturdy powerful sword like this should serve you way better. Had I had more of my stocks I'd give ou something better, but a heavier blade like this should be way better for these tasks. And of course, it comes Obsulyte conductive. It wasn't bought or forged by anyone. I'm basically going on all sorts of sights and try to find the best of the best loot I possibly can. Call it a hobby if you will, and with a keen eye like mine for the value of things, you could easily say I'm a seasoned trader!"

  "A trader who raids places for valuables...", Lass took a good look at the girl as he looked back at the blade.

  The sword was all but amazing in its structure. Sturdy, balanced and bigger than average, it had an ancient but glorious feeling engaved all over it. Trying to deny the offer at first, Lass soon accepted the sword as Ikarisa gave him a look telling him to accept the gift that was laid before him. The sword, though somewhat rusted, gave off a powerful aura. One so strong yet so unbelievably familiar.

  "Shape's looking good, and weight-wise, we're talking around 15 to 20ish kilograms? That's quite amazing for how huge this thing is, a couple more centimeters and it's honestly well withing the claymore category. I think it's just perfect for my weight category."

  "Wow, you know your stuff with weapons. Though judging off of what you said earlier, I think you're manufactoring them?", the girl asked.

  "Huh. Yeah, I am. You catch on quite fast actually. But in any case, thank you."

  "No, thank you, guys. Seriously, were it not for you, my little sister and I would've been in deep trouble. I'd have fended that thing off myself, but it took hold of the kid first, and I simply didn't know what to do. Once you came running, he just suddenly dropped her back down and I tried to guard its attacks. I was scared to leave her alone for a second to go on the offensive."

  "It's fine, really!", Ikarisa smiled at the scared child.

  "Big sis! Isn't she cute?", the little girl touched Ikarisa's hair.

  "Yeah, yeah, now relax, Misha. Your curiosity only keeps getting you into more trouble, I swear. You even jumped at the trunk of the car before I went to the sight today! Had you waited like I told you, we'd have played at home without any of this.", she worringly said.

  "I'm sorry...but I promise not to do it again!", Misha hugged the merchant.

  She picked Misha back up in her arms, "It's fine, I suppose I'm to blame for crashing the car...a little.", she turned to face Lass and Ikarisa, "Oh, the name's Anya by the way. Well, it's actually Ana, but you know, nicknames n' stuff. I hope you'll pay me a visit to Reingard soon. My shop has a...high brand so to speak anyway, so you'll definitely find it, or run into it eventually. Now, excuse me for the rush, but I have to run. We will properly introduce each other another day!", Anya ran towards Reingard.

  Finally calming down, the two of them collected themselves from the stressful situation.

  "Are you ok after all that? We could sit for a while and take a rest if you're feeling down."

  "What? Heh, that hit I took wouldn't be enough to make a monster shiver, let alone me.", Lass replied with an air of triumph, "Anyhow, I think I can see the walls of the capital from here, so better get back to it, shall we?"

  Giving an ambitious nod and a small smirk, Ikarisa's faith in her companion strengthened and the faith for herself was revitalized with both having the tenacity and bravery to face this sudden event, as they once again began to head towards the capital of Insinia. Lass took another glance at that dead Enmity again to investigate the situation further. It had been clad with a full set of armour and was equipped with a club. And even though Lass was a way bigger threat than Risa, it had only focused on her.

  "Come on! Don't get left behind!"

  "Yes, I'm coming right over, Risa!"

  "We should be more careful starting now. This could be...much more serious than I joked about it being. And even then…something just keeps being so off about that girl.", he thought to himself. “Maybe Regina was right doubting her more than me…so be it now.”

  And so, the two made haste, for the grand gates of Reingard…