The moon was the color of blood. Large, demonic spires of rock touched the sky, and a cloud of dust with a raging inferno consumed the highest peak. A figure was rocketing through the air, apparently blown from the force of the blast.

Wind howled through his ears as he hurtled through the sky like a meteor. Smoke still flew off of his singed cloths, but he was moderately in good condition. He turned around in midair, black robes shifting and flowing with the winds. A wickedly sharp black long sword cut the air as the young male shifted through the air. His black eyes scanned the sky, looking for the next attack, and his dark hair flailed in the air wildly, as if trying to attack on its own accord.

"D-damn… That was more power than I expected to come from Ilias." The man muttered. "Oh well, it just proves that this'll be more annoying than I thought it was going to be."

The man paused, feeling a disturbance in the air. The force from the blast which had originally sent him flying was too powerful for him to correct his flight, and he found himself in the middle of dense thunderclouds before he could maneuver around them.

Lightning danced dangerously around the man, who parried off several sparks with his sword. "Going so far as to even break the most important law of mine…" The voice of Ilias resounded. "You must be punished."

The man laughed. "Says the damned Goddess that can't even keep her own populace in check." Black energy wrapped around his blade. "Should've seen a few rebellions every once in a while!"

Ilias laughed. "You're just a gnat to me." Lightning danced around even more fiercely. "But I feel generous right now, since my plans are coming along nicely. How about I spare you, might make you lose everything that means anything to you? Maybe even make you a pawn?"

A rogue lance of lightning, obviously coming from Heaven itself, descended, but the man parried the strike with his sword. As the bolt of lightning hit the blade, it traveled directly through it, and pierced the young man as well, creating another blast which sent the man spiraling through the air faster than before. Red and black chains descended from the sky, piercing his flesh, the links catching on to various bones, and he yelled in pain as he was bound to the chains.

"Sh-shit…" He gasped. He looked at his robes, which were dissipating into black smoke, and the black of his blade shattered leaving an ordinary katana in his hand. "I guess… I wasn't ready to rebel… Yet…" On the brink of consciousness, the man managed to raise his middle finger to the sky, but passed out immediately afterwards, flying through the air.

Ilias appeared in his subconscious. "And with that, you shouldn't be a problem anymore. You're just a stupid fool, Balthazar. To challenge a Goddess… Where did you find such arrogance?"

The young man, Balthazar, staggered back. "You should know best, after the shit you've done." A sword appeared in his hand, appearing from fragments of wisps. He took a battle stance, blade extended and the tip pointed at the Goddess. "And I'm not going to stop, no matter what you take from me."

"Oh, we'll see Balthazar. We'll see."

With a pulse-pounding headache, the man returned to consciousness. His body ached and felt heavy, but as he raised his arm to his head, a different weight on his arm threw a torrent of pain in his body.

"Augh, what the…" He slowly opened his eyes, to see several thick bandages all over his body. "What happened?" He murmured. His stomach clenched in pain, and he yelled in response.

A woman rushed into the room he occupied. "Oh dear, you're awake already?" She rummaged around the room, finding ingredients for pain suppression.

"No, I thought I just decided to sleep wal-" He paused, as a surge of color caught his eye. He waited for the phenomenon to occur again.

The woman sighed. "You have your humor back, which is a good sign. You've been out for several days." She paused, looking at his bandages, which blood had started to wet again. "You had some pretty nasty wounds all over your body, as if something stabbed you many times, all over. Each puncture wound went to your bone. It's a miracle you survived with such blood loss."

Balthazar laughed weakly. "No surprise to me." He lay back on the ground, and examined his surroundings. He was in a sunlit room, with the sun radiating off to his side. It appeared the room was once a guest house, as no real decorations adorned any walls. "Woman, where am I?"

"I have a name you know. Call me Betty. I'm the village chief here." She paused, and walked outside She does a fine job of answering questions… Not. Balthazar could hear her call out to someone. "Luka? Could you do me a favor and help grab some more bandages for me?" A faint yell could be heard. She returned inside. "And what can I call you?"

Balthazar said nothing. "I don't have a preference."

Betty frowned. "Don't be like that. You've got to have a name, so tell me it!" She said cheerfully.

Balthazar shrugged, but winced at the pain. "Tch. I won't be around here for very long. So it doesn't really matter what you call me. But you can call me Bart, if it satisfies you. By the way, where are we?"

"Fine…" She paused, and carefully looked him over. "You honestly have no idea where you are?"

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking."

"True."

The banter was interrupted as a young boy with purple eyes and hair, wearing rather mediocre village cloths, entered the room with bandages, water, and other liquids in jars in hand. Must be that Luka she mentioned. So far, everyone in this village looks weak. Then again, I only have these two to judge off of. Maybe my standards might be a little high.

"Ah, there you are, Luka. Thanks for being such a dear and fetching these so quickly." Betty praised. "I think that'll be all, you can return to your chores and practice."

"Thanks ma'am." The boy paused, looking at Balthazar. However, he quickly left, without saying another word.

When he left, Betty addressed him. "This is Ilias Village, on Ilias. How could you not have known that?" She paused. "And for that matter, you fell from the sky. Where did you even come from?"

Balthazar avoided her eyes. "It's a long story. I don't want to talk about it."

Betty sighed, and started to change the bandages on Balthazar. "Very well. I won't inquire much further. But the way you look, you can't be a monster, and your accent makes you sound like you're from the north. Sentora, if I'm not mistaken."

Balthazar looked surprised. "You can tell by how I talk? Good ears." He complimented.

"Listen Bart, you don't get to my age without learning a few things along the way." Betty laughed. She straightened out her cloths, finished.

Balthazar was about to retort, but paused when he saw a dark red chain fade in from his wrapped right hand. It was pierced through, and appeared to link to one of his bones, almost perfectly in the middle. He gasped, and looked in shock. However, Betty leaned forward, curious.

"What's got you so worried about your hand? Is that your sword hand?" When he didn't respond, she continued. "Don't worry, you're healing rather quickly, you won't lose any dexterity at this rate."

Can't you see this chain!? He mentally screamed in his head. However, the chain slowly vanished. Another chain, this time one in his chest and on around his forearm appeared, both glowing dully, then vanished. Perplexed, he hid his surprise.

"It's nothing wo- Betty." He said distantly.

Betty looked just as confused. "Oh well. I'll be around if you need me. Just holler and someone is bound to hear you." She assured, and left.

A few hours passed. Aside from napping off and on, he stared as several dozen chains glowed off and on around his body. He counted at least thirty, multiple chains bound to a single limb, while multiple were affixed to his torso and a singularly larger chain around his one of his upper vertebrae.

However, during that time of consciousness, he quickly healed, and before long, he stood up, and removed his bandages. Only small scars remained, probably from the slower healing while he was unconscious. However, the chains appeared to have no physical hindrance to him, as if they were made from an ether-like substance.

As he had no other cloths to don, he kept his slightly bloody robes that he had awakened with. He felt weaker as he opened the door to stand around and take view of Ilias Village. It was a small village, rustic, and more geared towards the life of a farmer. Hard to believe that bitch would want to affiliate herself with these people. Maybe because the Monster Lord decided to claim Hellgondo would she take a continent so far away?

One of the villagers nearby seemed to spot the man weakly leaning against the frame of the door, and walked up to him. "Aren't you that young man who fell from the sky a few days ago?" Balthazar nodded. "It looks like you're a lot better than when we found you. Good thing no monster found you before we did, or may not have made it."

Balthazar scoffed. "Pft. As if a monster from the continent of Ilias," He scowled at her name, "Could ever take someone like me down."

The villager looked worried. "You looked disgruntled when you mentioned Her name Ilias. You shouldn't say her name with distaste, even if you didn't mean to. I know that pain can make it sound bad, though." A vein of anger started to well up in Balthazar, but the villager remained oblivious. "Anyways, you should thank Ilias that you were able to survive such a near encounter with death." He looked around, and remembered his prior chores. "Oops, I have to go back to work. Anyways, take it easy until you recover, and let Ilias let you recover speedily." He clapped his hand together, a little prayer in mind.

G-God dammit. He forced an obviously fake smile, heavily laden with a scowl, and the oblivious man returned to his duties. Frowning, he looked at the sky. If he had to guess, it was afternoon, with still a few hours of daylight. He still had no idea where his weapon was taken, and his cloths were off somewhere too.

Resting up a bit, he carried on, grabbing a nearby stick as support. He walked around the tiny village, and eventually happened upon the village chief Betty talking with another villager. He rested, waiting for the two's conversation to finish.

Noticing him from the corner of her eye, she patted the man's shoulder and sent him off. "Well well, by Ilias Bart, you've already recovered! How?" She paused. "Ilias must have helped you more than we thought." Suppressing his inner desire to throttle the woman, he remained motionless. "Don't you think it's too early to walk around though?"

"I'll be fine. I just need what you found me with." Balthazar stated. "Namely my clothes, pocket-watch, and sword."

Betty nodded. "We kept your things in the village gathering place. Some thought you might be some crazy man looking for a fight when you woke, but it's quite obvious to me that you aren't that type of person." Yeah, that's fine and all, but I want my stuff back. "Here, that's all in that small chest to the left. I have some affairs to take care of, so help yourself to your belongings."

Betty left Balthazar to his own devices. Opening the chest, he found his clothes in a pitiful state. His face fell, but rationalized the situation. The once dark red and gray shirt had holes all over, and the same went to his underclothes, pants, and even a single hole in his one of his boots. He grimaced as the cause of those holes glowed faintly. However, his pocket-watch, silver with a single crescent –shaped green gem sat embedded on the cover was still intact. Sighing, he managed to slip it into one of the pockets his robes had. His sword, expectedly, was still fine condition. A katana, it was slightly longer than most, and the guard was in the shape of two one-quarter moons. Donning his sash and slipping the blade in it, he left the building.

Clouds were forming overhead. He could smell the rain, but it seemed different than the rain he was used to. After a few pointless conversations about Ilias and his own being, he retreated to the room he had been allowed to stay in. Quickly, he fell asleep, and only awoke once that night due to a particularly loud crash of thunder. However, once he feel back to sleep a second time, he had another dream.

"You've already recovered. I'll admit, you're more resilient than I thought you'd be."

Balthazar looked around. "Ilias? God dammit, another one of these visions. I wish she was here…"

Ilias appeared in his view. "Well, she's not. That means you and I are going to be in contact. I wonder where you went wrong…" She thought aloud, tauntingly.

Balthazar's expression darkened. "If you weren't such an outright bitch, you'd know."

Ilias smiled. "Oh come now. He was betraying one of my sacred laws. Not to have intercourse with a monster…"

Balthazar started to shake with anger. "And I'll kill you for it. Maybe not now, but don't forget: you're in my mind. If I have to, I can train my mind to seal you in here with me."

Ilias laughed. "Oho? Seal a Goddess within your mind while you sleep? Are you daft?"

Balthazar grimaced. "It might not be the ideal way, but I'll do what I must."

Ilias vanished, and appeared directly in front of Balthazar. "I have appearances to maintain, gnat." Her smile twisted darkly. "I'm letting you live right now because I need you to do something for me." Balthazar swiped his sword at Ilias, but she simply reappeared out of his sword's reach. "Ahaha! This is your subconscious. You really think you can kill me here?" She paused. "Anyways, like I was saying, scum. I have plans for the future. And I need you not to mess with them."

Balthazar brandished his sword threatening. "What the hell makes you think I'll do whatever you're going to say?"

Ilias sighed. "Because, Idiot. I'm a Goddess, and you're not. You'll end up doing whatever I want you to do, even if you don't want to. But here's some incentive. The Monster Lord's Castle has a direct link with me. You know the story, don't you?"

Balthazar sighed. "I know the story, just like anyone else. There were once two Goddesses, one of Light, and the other of Dark. The Goddess of Darkness descended to Earth, and became the Monster Lord. She waged war with humans, and so the Goddess of Light sent heroes after her to kill her. It's the same damn moniker for what's been happening for centuries."

"And why do you think that it's important?" Ilias questioned.

Balthazar lowered his weapon. "Huh. All along, it was that close." It makes sense, in hindsight, and knowing the truth. If Hellgondo was where the Goddess of Darkness, or the first Monster Lord, descended to Earth, then it should still have a path back to Heaven. "So you want me to beat the Monster Lord while I'm out and about, just so you can have your fun playing with the world. What if I say no?" He took a stance.

Ilias shrugged. "I don't know. It won't happen. Ergo, I don't need to know."

"Dumb god." Balthazar scoffed, then sighed and lowered his weapon, which dissolved. "Fine, I'll play your game. Whether she knows it or not, she's just given me vital clues to how to tear down Heaven's Gates. With this information, I can finally…

"That's not nice insulting the Goddess who created you. Maybe you are too much of a defective pawn this time. But we'll see. Give it time, and this'll get interesting." Ilias thought aloud.

The vision distorted, and Balthazar found himself awake. A few weeks dragged by, and Balthazar fully recovered from his wounds and exhaustion. Eventually, he requested for a set of clothes he could wear. Soon, at the dead of night, he slipped out of the room he had borrowed, but was encountered by Betty as he tried to escape.

"And just where do you think you're going?" She scolded.

Balthazar shrugged. "I humbly apologize for my unexpected intrusion on this village, but I must make on my way."

Betty folded her arms, her mother-like figure taking over. "You sure? You healed rather quickly, but for the sake of Ilias, at least stay until the Baptism is over."

You're kidding me. I was never baptized to Ilias in the first place, but still. I'll be damned if I participate in this stupid ritual. "Tsk. I won't participate, but I'll stick around. I'll just be leaving now…" He said, trying to slip past Betty.

"Participate? This is the baptism for Luka, you know. He's finally come to age."

That boy? A HERO!? Balthazar's mouth twitched in to a faint smile as he refrained from laughing like a maniac. "Good for him." His voice was shaky as his laughter nearly overwhelmed him. "I'll just take residence outside, in the forest. You can have your shack back."

"You can stay in it for a few more days, it's not honestly a problem…"

Balthazar shrugged. "I'm stronger than I look. Besides, if some monster shows up, wouldn't it be smarter for the first line of defense to be the actual first line? It does no good to have an enemy breach your lines." He said. Basic tactics of war. His war. The war he'd bring upon Ilias.

"I… I suppose."

"Good, now, I'll be on my way." Deftly sliding past Betty, he made his way to the outskirts of the village, loitering on the boundary of the forests around it.

The next few days also dragged by. He spent his time practicing with his sword, but found a startling discovery. All of the power he had obtained and created to destroy Ilias had been sealed! However, the power which had been etched into his sword remained, and he still had his basic techniques, alongside his well-practiced motions, movements, and skills.

"I wonder, is this what she meant when she'd take everything from me?"

Finally, the day of Ilias' birthday came to hand. The morning was normal, peaceful, but the air smelled heavily of holy power. Balthazar gagged at the scent of Ilias, for fun. Smirking at the sky, he jumped off one of the tree branches he had been napping on.

Taking a midmorning stroll, he paused when he heard chaos in the village. Faintly, he could hear screams about a monster. A monster? But this is the Ilias continent… Who in their right mind would be scared of monsters here? He paused as he remembered his own upbringing. "Whatever, let them quake in fear. I'll stay to my word, though, and see what kind of monster it is first."

Deftly moving through the forest, he found his prey. A weak blue Slime girl was roaming close to the village, which appeared to be its target. Balthazar made no notion to unsheathe his katana, but after a few seconds past, the boy Luka appeared, yelling out for the Slime to appear. Eventually, it did, and the two gave dialogue. Balthazar scowled when Luka gave his speech about Ilias, but nevertheless, he walked off. The boy's fate is his own. I won't save him if he does something stupid. With that, he took off to hover around the edge of the village.

Despite his best interests, he decided to go through the forest. Sensing the presence from earlier, the Slime girl, flee, he was remarkably surprised, but then realized the weakness of a Slime. He was about to sate his curiosity, but his own thoughts were interrupted by a nearby crash. It was loud, and from his range, shook the ground slightly. The hell? Was that Ilias launching a pre-emptive attack on me? I thought she wanted me to play some game of hers… And besides, it seems her aim's gotten bad. However, since no other crash shook the area, he curiously walked to the source. Smoke and dust still was settling from the area, which obscured the true curiosity in the crater. Doesn't smell good. I feel…

Sensing the presence of something living, he quickly strode to the impact site. On the trampled grass and dirt lay a pale blue lamia with long white hair with pink flowers embedded in it. She was unmoving, and Balthazar began to fear the worse. He carefully pushed two fingers on her neck, to check for a pulse. He sighed when he felt blood move through the monster girl, and found a nearby rock to sit and wait on.

A few minutes past, and the dust settled. In a short while, the boy Luka appeared, out of breath and looking around wildly. Balthazar folded his arms when the boy's eyes skipped right over him to the lamia.

"Um… Ms. Monster, are you dead?" He asked awkwardly after standing close to her.

Balthazar cleared his throat, letting his presence realized by Luka. "No need to worry about her. She isn't wounded, at least, not on the outside, and she has a pulse."

"She's okay?" He asked doubtfully. "Wait, why are you here?"

Balthazar shrugged. "The sound of her impact drew me. I could say the same for you. Don't you have your Day of Departure thing to go to?"

"I don't have much time, that's true…" He paused, and weighed over his decision. "But if I just leave her, I can't be considered a true hero." At that note, Balthazar scoffed.

The lamia's eyes snapped open, and stared at Luka. After a few seconds, she jumped up, and noticing Balthazar sitting on a small boulder behind her, she slid to where she could see both entities.

"Where am I?" She demanded, looking around.

Balthazar smirked, recognizing the situation similar to his own. "Eh?" Luka asked, unprepared for questioning.

Balthazar leaned back on his rock. "You've landed somewhere near Ilias Village." He stated, looking at the lamia with amusement.

The lamia looked surprised. "I was blown to such a place. That damn girl… What insane power." She commented to herself.

Luka looked confused. "Girl? Who?"

Completely ignoring Luka's input, she continued her interrogation. "Who are you?" She looked at Luka, but her question was for Balthazar as well.

"I'm the Hero apprentice from Ilias Village…" Luka responded.

The lamia smirked. "You're just an apprentice? You haven't been baptized yet?" An odd yet subtle look of hunger flashed across her face. "You do smell pretty delicious…" She licked her lips. At this, Luka shivered, but urgency soon took over. Balthazar rolled his eyes.

Luka looked panicked. "Oh crap, the Baptism! I have to get back before I'm late for it!" She doesn't look injured, like Balthazar said, and he's here too, so it should be fine if I left right? I should hurry and return to Ilias Village! He thought to himself. "I'll be off then!"

"Stop." The lamia cut off Luka's retreat with her tail, and constricted Luka just enough to pin him in the air. She thought for a second. "I see. I understand your situation now. It must be Ilias' birthday, which means it's the day that Heroes are baptized. You're trying to become a Baptized Hero."

Struggling, Luka nodded. "Th-that's right… So… can you please release me so I can go?"

Balthazar scoffed. "It's such a pointless waste of time." He interjected.

The lamia looked moderately surprised. "Huh. A response I wasn't expecting from a human. Who are you?"

Balthazar shrugged his shoulders, and waved the question. "I'm not the curious topic right now. Besides, you'd be doing him a disservice just ignoring him while you have him bound." He waved her question back to the focus of Luka.

Luka looked shocked as well. They… They both just disregarded my way of life just like that… In an instant… His struggling ceased as his shoulders dropped slightly.

"Ugh… Whatever, just… Just let me go." He pleaded.

"…" The lamia's tail retained its strength. "Why didn't you either of you kill me when I was unconscious?"

"K-kill you?" Luka responded in both shock and horror.

"It would have been a golden opportunity for someone like you attempting to become a Hero… By killing a monster like me." She looked Luka over, and twisted her head to look at Balthazar's reaction.

When Luka didn't seem to have a response at hand, he raised a hand. "I don't particularly care. Monsters aren't my enemies. I actually have no fish to fry with someone I don't even know. I don't just kill random people who I'm afraid might have a different mindset than me." He grimaced harshly, reflecting on his own thoughts. The lamia looked on, curious. For a few seconds, she stared at Balthazar, but looked at Luka, waiting on his answer.

"… I didn't know if you were good or bad. There's no way I could kill you just like that." He answered. Balthazar scoffed at his answer, but said nothing.

"Ho? You don't see all monsters as enemies?" She paused. "But you are aspiring to become a Hero. For someone who doesn't treat all monsters as enemies, why would you want to become a Hero, someone whose penultimate goal is to slay the Monster Lord?" She asked, probing the Luka's thoughts. "Are you doing this for fame? Ambition? Or perhaps…?" She trailed off, leaving the ending suggestive.

"I don't want to become that kind of hero… I don't even particularly hate the Monster Lord. I just want to try to get her to stop doing evil things." Luka responded.

Balthazar frowned. "Interesting. It's not often that you hear something like that from a Hero." He commented.

Ignoring the interruption, Luka continued. "Man and Monster fighting each other is wrong. It's bad for both sides to be fighting each other like this!" He said decisively.

The lamia looked dumbfounded. "… What?"

Luka looked at the snake girl sincerely. "I don't want to kill monsters, or even the Monster Lord. I want a world where both Man and Monster can live together and coexist in peace!"

"That's such a stupid ideology." Balthazar scoffed.

At nearly the same time, the lamia also scoffed. "You're an idiot."

Both sets of words pierced through Luka like arrows. However, both the lamia and warrior looked at each other, interested.

"Why am I an idiot? What's so stupid about what I believe?" He shouted back. "I just want Man and Monster to…"

"Believing in an immature and infantile view of world piece, where everyone lives in harmony and love without problems… What else can that be but idiotic?" The lamia refuted.

Balthazar nodded. "Special hypocrisy, considering the source is a warrior of Ilias." He spat her name, which caused the lamia to raise an eyebrow. "I want to see how long you adopt that way of thinking. Screw it. I'll play along." He snickered.

"A child who doesn't understand the world he lives in… Monsters and humans living hand-in-hand? Will you ever wake up from your fantasies?" She chided. Balthazar frowned at her words.

"But I…" Luka was taken aback, with no words to defend himself.

"I understand. You still have the mind of a child." She uncoiled herself from Luka. "Fine then. Just go, little boy."

Luka took a step back, his eyes watering slightly. "Wh-what do you know? Idiot!" He shouted, while running off.

Balthazar stretched a leg out after Luka was out of view. "I don't see a problem with that 'want'. After all, it's just a want. Hell, I'd be happy… Er… If humans and monster created coexistence. Just look at reality though, it's not plausible yet."

The lamia folded her arms, and stared directed at Balthazar. "That does it, who are you?"

Balthazar smirked. "Is it really that important?"

Her eyes flashed, and she frowned. "Who are you?"

"Heh. Really that curious?" He asked.

The lamia seemed taken aback that he didn't respond to her order, and her eyes flashed with light again. "Tell me who you are!"

Balthazar raised his hands defensively. "Oi, oi, no need to use mind control. My name's Balthazar. Jeez." He murmured.

The lamia pointed her finger at him. "What? How are you…?"

Balthazar looked at her with one eye up. "Oh? Resisting your control? It's a long story." He said flatly. "You don't have to worry though. I'm not some Hero who's going out of his way to kill monsters every time he sees one." He frowned.

The lamia still looked taken aback. "But… No one should be able to…" She regained her composure. "F-fine. Very well, then who are you, Balthazar?"

Balthazar looked confused. "…" He was silent as he tried to figure out her intentions. "Oh, okay. I'm… A warrior."

She wasn't happy with the answer. "And so you just simply let an unconscious lamia live?"

Balthazar shrugged. "I dunno. I know where you're coming from though, skyrocketing in the air and crash landing and all that fun stuff. Been there, done that."

The lamia looked dumbfounded as she tried to word an insult. "No human can just fly through the air like I had!"

"This one can. What, did you think that the guy who can resist mind control has only card up his sleeve?" Balthazar asked. "Huh. Anyways, you never mentioned what your name is." He implied his question.

"Alipheese Fateburn. You can call me Alice if you desire." She stated.

Instant shock coursed through Balthazar. "Alipheese Fateburn… Well I'll be damned."

Alice's eyes widened. "A human who knows who that is?"

Balthazar smiled, but was unsure if his reaction was the wise and correct one. "Like I implied, not an ordinary human." He paused. "So what, is that just a moniker you adopted or…?" He asked.

Alice sighed. "I'd be lying if I said it was."

Balthazar gave her a small bow, to which she looked shocked. "To be in such a presence. I'm honored."

The Monster Lord avoided his eyes. "Wh-what are you doing human? For a human to bow to a monster, let alone me, the implications…"

Balthazar laughed heartily. "Oh my, is that worry? I'm already on Ilias' shitlist; I don't think I can piss her off any further than I have now!"

Alice looked completely shocked. "What the hell kind of a response is that? Should I even be taking you seriously!?"

"Have I lied yet?" He paused, remembering that he resisted her mind control. "Um… For clarification, I haven't. So is that a 'yay' to your question?"

"I honestly have no idea what to think about you… Besides being either a foolish idiot, or a brilliant genius." Alice's shocked expression slowly turned neutral. "You're such a strange human." She commented.

He nodded. "I won't disagree to that. But the strange one is Luka, in my opinion."

Alice looked in the direction the boy had run off to. "Which reminds me. I want to follow him." She stated.

"The strange gather the stranger." Balthazar noted. "Have fun." He waved.

Alice cautiously slid away from Balthazar, as if he were some foreign item she wasn't sure if she should pick up or not. "Fine." She slithered off with quite the surprising speed to the village of Ilias.

"Interesting." Balthazar commented to the air. I wonder… It's very odd if this is all coincidence. For a Sinner like me to suddenly meet the current Monster Lord in less than a month's time… Unless… This is all part of Ilias' game. He smirked. Game on, Goddess. Several chains briefly were visible as we stepped off of the rock and walked away from Alice's impact site.

Alice slipped into the village, unnoticed in her human form. Quietly she followed Luka's scent and determined his house. She was confused when she picked up a faint scent of the strange human she had met earlier coming from what appeared to be a renovated shack. When she looked closer as she waited for Luka to come her way, she was able to see several bandages by one of the windows in the shack not so far away.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Luka entered his residence. "You're slow." She stated.

Luka was in shock at her appearance in his house. "Wh-what? How?" He paused, frantically trying to reform his thoughts. "How did you find my house!?"

Prideful, Alice responded. "By scent. All it took was one time, and I followed your unsophisticated scent all the way here."

"More importantly how did you even get inside the village?" He asked dumbfounded.

"It's way too easy to trick a human. Just who do you think I am?" She demanded.

Luka actually was at a loss. "You know, I really don't even know who you are." Still, that's a pretty amazing ability to have, to follow me with her nose. He thought. "So… Why did you come here?"

"I was… Interested." She said. "There's also something I wanted to confirm…" She paused

He was at a loss for words. Eventually, he just gave up. "And? Who are you?"

Alice shrugged playfully. "I'm just a travelling monster."

Luka looked at her in disbelief. A traveling monster that happens to have just fallen from the sky!? "Why are you really here?" He asked again. Alice sighed. "I'm depressed enough since I wasn't able to be baptized… If you came here just to make more fun of me…" He looked around, and noticed that Balthazar wasn't present for the first time. Strange. I thought Bart would have let her in somehow.

"Hah! Well, that was one of the reasons I wanted to come, to hear you say that. She didn't appear to your baptism?" She chuckled, and wore a strange smile. "I owed her for giving me so many wounds. Goddess that Created the World… How stupid."

What does she mean by that? Is she somehow responsible for Ilias not appearing for my baptism? He questioned. "You! What did you do?"

"Food." She veered the conversation completely off track.

"Wait, what?"

"Get me some food. Go on, make yourself useful." She demanded.

Luka stood thunderstruck. He wasn't sure what to do at first, but finally relented to his confusion. "Fine, I'll make you something." He walked to his kitchen, but suddenly remembered his pantry was empty. Standing in shock, he could feel the lamia's piercing and waiting eyes.

He pulled some dried meat from his emergency rations for the trip he had been planning on taking.

"Dried meat?" He offered sheepishly.

"Dried meat." She repeated, disgusted at the offer and closing her eyes in disbelief. She sighed, but swiped the portion out of Luka's hand. "You disgust me." Luka looked at her in disbelief. "Oh well, since I'm tired, I'll just have it as an appetizer or something." With a scowl, she began to eat the meat. Quickly, her expression lifted. "It's actually not too bad. The spices really go well with the taste of the meat."

Luka looked happy. "Really? I spent a long time practicing so I could eat while on my journey. It would have been completely necessary when I made camp, after all." He paused, and the light in his eye dulled. "Though, I wasn't able to become a Hero."

"Alas, that's fine. I guess I'll be okay with just the appetizer. The main dish can be disregarded for now." She said. She stared at Luka as her implication froze the air.

Ah. Human meat… Me… Luka shivered at the thought. "So why else did you come here? Surely it wasn't just so you could make fun of me for not becoming a hero."

"Maybe I was a little harsh back in the forest." She reflected on her prior conversation. "You just sounded so childish, I couldn't stop myself. That is why… I wanted to say something." She paused, gathering her thoughts. "I've traveled around the world, and have seen many things. While your childishness is idiotic, and a bit out of place… It's also a good thing." She comforted.

Luka cautiously avoided her words, as if he were expecting more chiding from her. "… Huh."

"What? I'm trying to comfort you, why look at me like that?" She asked.

"Comforting? That's comforting!?" He asked, although he wasn't expecting an answer.

Again, she changed the subject. "So what will you do now? Surely you won't let something like not being baptized get in the way of your dream."

"Nope! I'm going full course. My plan's still the same; I'm still going to defeat the Monster Lord. Even if I'm not a Hero, I'll still leave." Luka said with resolve.

"That's good." She chuckled. "In fact, I'm even a little interested in you."

Luka looked at her curiously. "Interested? In me?"

She nodded. "That's right. You're definitely interesting. You can say such ridiculous things like 'I want humans and monsters to coexist' so easily."

Luka shook his head. "It's not ridiculous. I'm going to make it happen! I'll show you it can be done!" A fire lit his eyes as he pumped his arm in the air.

She laughed. "How long do you think you can hold on to that belief?" She teased. "I'll even follow you while you travel so I can see when that delusion falls."

"On my journey?" Luka cocked his head. "Like, with me?"

"I was planning on traveling around the world. Might as well go with someone as interesting as you. Though that might mean I won't get that nutcase back in the forest. He's interesting too." She said.

Luka looked towards the village entrance. "I… Think he's strange too. He seems to be someone Ilias tells us not to be." The lamia frowned. "Anyways, do what you want. I wouldn't be able to drive you off even if I declined, right?"

She nodded. "That would be impossible indeed. Not with the level of power that you have."

Luka sighed. There's no way she's wrong. But at least that means I won't be by myself. "Well then, follow me around as you wish. I'll prove to you that my resolve is strong enough to make my desires happen." He paused. "By the way, what's your name?"

"Alipheese Fateburn. But I'll allow you to call me Alice." She gauged Luka's reaction.

"Alice? That doesn't really fit you." That name is too cute for someone like her… He thought.

Alice threateningly whipped her tail around. "Do you have a desire for me to strangle you?"

Luka timidly raised his hands in a defensive motion. "I-I'm sorry!" He bowed frantically.

With a renewed sense of adventure, Luka checked his belongings. "Well then, isn't it time we set out?" He asked Alice. "Why don't you take the back door? It might be problematic if the other villagers found you. We can meet up at the outskirts of the village."

Alice shrugged. "I'm fine with that. Such a commotion would only cause a headache. I'll wait outside the village for you." She said, leaving.

Luka too, left his house after saying his goodbyes to his mother, then his village. Alice was at the outskirts of the village in a short amount of time, and was surprised at the sight she found waiting for her.

"That took longer than I thought it would."

"Balthazar." Alice greeted. "You were waiting for me?"

"Of course. I wasn't going to let such an interesting person get away from me." He looked Alice over. "Judging of the looks of it, you're planning on traveling."

Alice folded her arms. "And how did you deduce that?"

Balthazar shrugged. "Lucky guess. You just seemed like you were ready for a long road ahead."

Alice's shoulders dropped. "I was seen through by a human…"

"I keep telling you that I'm special. Do you keep forgetting?" Balthazar teased. He was distracted by Luka showing up, provisions ready and sword at his side.

"Oh… It's… Um… What was your name again?"

Balthazar groaned. "Why does everyone want to know my name so badly!?" He paused as Alice gave him an expecting glance. "Whatever. My name's Balthazar. I'm fine with Bart, if you prefer. Or not. I have no preference."

Luka put a finger to his chin. "Balthazar doesn't roll off the tongue as well. Oh well. What are you doing here?"

Balthazar rested left arm on his katana. "I figure that I'm going to accompany you on your journey. If your aim is to become a Hero, than you should eventually arrive to Hellgondo in time."

"Hellgondo!?" Alice and Luka ask in unison both shocked.

"Yeah. What's wrong?" He asked, confused at the shocked expressions on Luka and Alice.

"N-no way… That means… When we found you crashed in the ground… There's no way…" Luka slowly put two and two together. "You came all the way from Hellgondo? What kind of crazy story is that?" He asked, ridiculed.

Balthazar shrugged. "Hey, it's not me that need's to believe it. It's your own problem if you can't."

Alice grimaced. "Why are you doing this? Why do you just keep saying such strange stuff?"

"Force of habit?" Balthazar joked.

It looks like I have another strange character joining me. Luka thought. At least the trip won't be boring.

Eventually, the three started on their way. After a while, Luka mumbled to himself. "Oh Ilias, did you really abandon me?"

"You're disappointed you weren't baptized?" Balthazar asked

Luka looked back at the trailing character. "Of course I am!"

Alice looked at Luka. "Why? I don't understand why humans want to be slaves to Ilias."

Balthazar smirked. "I have my own ideas why."

Luka frowned slightly at Balthazar. "Being a Hero has its perks, you know. You get the respect of the people, cheap rates for resting at Inns, and even diplomatic immunity. Like you can walk into people's houses and take stuff."

Balthazar laughed. "The hell kind of reasoning is that?"

Alice frowned. "'Walk into people's houses and take things'? Are you an aspiring thief too?"

Luka shuddered. "No… That came out wrong. It's not like that." Even though there have been several who abused such rights. They can't be true Heroes if they do that though. Luka thought. "But the best part of all is that you get divine protection from Ilias. Like, if you come across an evil monster, she'll defend you!" Luka exclaimed.

"Pft." Balthazar's two cents.

Luka looked at him. "Hey? How come you didn't try to explain it? You're a Hero, right?"

Balthazar broke down laughing. So hard, in fact, that he swayed, and had to rest on a tree due to his laughter. Tears came to his eyes as he tried to calm down. Alice and Luka gave him questioning looks. "Oh, boy, I oughtta remember that one." He laughed even harder. "Oh, boy, but no." He said, his expression darkening. "I was never baptized." He paused, looking at the both of his companions. "It doesn't matter, my story isn't really important."

"No matter how you say that, it only makes you look even stranger." Luka stated.

Alice sighed. "Is that what you really think? Baptized people taste like Angel liver. " She gagged slightly. "Doesn't whet the appetite. That's why you smell good." She paused. "That's odd. I don't smell the same scent from you. If you were never baptized, why don't you smell as appetizing as Luka?"

Balthazar shrugged. "I'm not a monster, how am I supposed to know how I smell to one?"

"Ah. Good point." Alice blankly stated. "By the way, where are we going to? The Monster Lord's Castle?"

Luka nodded. "Yes. Well, we'll end up there eventually. It's pretty far away, so it's actually a little convenient when you think about it."

Balthazar nodded. "I see your logic. As a green amateur, directly opposing the Monster Lord would be a foolish mistake. Taking the time to grow in strength by battle is one of the best ways." He smiled. "You just might have a warrior's sense yet kid." He praised.

Unsure to take his compliment seriously, Luka pulled out a map. "Right now, we're just a little north of Ilias Village. So for now, we'll be heading towards Iliasburg." He pointed at the map roughly where it was located. "We keep our pace as we have been, we'll be there by roughly tomorrow evening."

"Seriously? Ilias Village, Iliasburg, Iliasport, Ilias Ilias Ilias. Why are all of these names so cheesy? Couldn't you think of any original names for these cities?" Alice chided.

Luka scolded Alice. "You say some pretty horrible things, you know. Why?"

Alice waved her tail. "Don't chide me. More importantly, I'm getting hungry again."

Luka looked at Alice in exasperation. "What? But you ate all of my dried meat earlier today! … Fine, we'll set up camp at sunset, so can't you just hold on 'till then?"

Balthazar chuckled in the back. "What's this? The boy can cook too? This trip just might be worth it after all."

Luka sighed. "Jeez, how annoying."

A noise distracted him from the banter. Luka looked sharply, to be gazed upon by a beautiful woman in a fancy dress and hat. However, upon closer inspection, Luka realized that the woman's lower half, where the dress expanded, was that of a slug!

"Oh? Travelers? And unbaptized at that." The Slug girl commented. "The younger one looks delicious."

Luka drew his sword nervously. "Oi, Alice! What should I do…?" He paused as he had no feedback. Turning around, Alice had vanished, and only Balthazar was in sight. He looked calm as ever, even bored.

"That man's name is Alice?" The Slug girl asked, confused.

"The hell? My name's not Alice! God damn, everyone's always worried about my damned name!" Balthazar complained.

"She ran?" Luka asked, dumbfounded.

Balthazar picked at his ear. "Actually, I think she more or less got distracted, and went wondering around."

Luka shook his head and focused on the slug girl. "What should I do?"

"Don't ask me." Balthazar cocked his head. "What point is a fight if you don't fight it. I won't fight your battles for you, unless they look interesting."

"What, I have to do it alone?" He asked astonished. "What'll happen if I lose?"

The slug girl seemed bored of the conversation. "You look delicious. I'll bind you in my mucus, and take your energy, maybe even use you as food!" She said, lifting the hem of her dress to reveal her slug-like bottom.

"Focus." Balthazar commanded. "I don't give a damn if you lose. I don't know about Alice, but if you lose or die here, I'll just continue on my merry way."

Annoyed, Luka pointed his sword at the slug girl. Balthazar watched from afar as Luka's attacks failed, stopped by the resistance and elastic nature of her flesh. He grew annoyed when he started asking Ilias for help, but did nothing but lean on a tree. The slug girl attacked him, getting her mucus over his cloths, eventually even binding him to the ground as she overwhelmed him and climbed on him. He struggled, and eventually broke free. Noting his spirit, Balthazar at least gave him points for effort.

"All right, if my regular attacks won't work… Then a regular slug's weakness is salt…" He quickly pulled out a vial of salt. "Hyiah!" He yelled, spraying salt at the slug girl. The slug girl shuddered and cautiously looked at Luka. Balthazar's hand struck his forehead. "I'll throw more!" Luka yelled. Eventually, after a few doses of sodium chloride, the slug girl screamed from moisture-sucking effects of the salt, and slowly ran away. "I won!" He cheered.

Alice returned. "What a sloppy victory."

"A sloppy victory? I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I won like that." Balthazar gasped in shame.

"Oh, you're back, Alice." Luka stated. "Where did you go? Couldn't possibly have been scared by the slug?" He wondered.

Alice looked at him distastefully. "Idiot, I wasn't 'scared'. I didn't 'run' anywhere either. I just don't want to be seen by another monster." She said.

"Very well." Luka said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Anyways, you made a major mistake in your fight." Alice chided.

Balthazar nodded. "You could say that again. Riddled with flaws."

Alice shook her head. "The fight isn't that important. It's how he won." She addressed Luka. "You threw all of our salt! How are we going to preserve anything?"

Luka avoided her cold gaze. "I couldn't help it, I was desperate. Balthazar wasn't helping any."

"Resorting to using all of our food supplies on a monster… What a Hero you are." Alice shook her head. She started. "Oh, I apologize. Pseudo-Hero."

Luka growled. "The least you could have done is helped if you wanted a different outcome."

Alice looked down on Luka. "Slow down. I'm not your ally or companion here. I'm just observing you, that's all. If you get eaten or get turned into a slave, that's your own problem."

Balthazar looked intrigued. "So that's what's going on."

Alice turned her head away from Balthazar. "Why didn't you help? I know you're strong enough to wipe the floor with that slug twenty times over! Why's our salt gone?" She demanded.

"Like I said, I have no reason to fight monsters, or humans. I'm simply on my way to Hellgondo, and thought that this kid's resolve needed testing. I won't hide like you, since I don't need to…" He explained. "I'm just a swordsman waiting for something interesting to happen around him. I sense he's a little strange."

"'Strange gather the Stranger'?" Alice quoted his words.

Balthazar laughed. "You could say as much."

Alice returned her attention to Luka. "At least you understand that much. Anyways, it's time to set up camp. What are we eating?"

Luka looked at her with disbelief.

Several hours passed. Luka prepared breaded omelets, and wild grass sandwiches. The three sat by the fire Luka had made. Luka sat next to it, Alice a little further back, and Balthazar leaned on a tree near the edge of the fire's glow.

"That wasn't too bad." Alice praised. "If your sword arm was half as good." Balthazar laughed.
"Where did you even learn your technique? It pains me to even watch it."

"Looks to me like a various assortment of styles. I see some Gold-Port Scimitar, and even a thrust meant to belong to a fencing weapon of some sort." Balthazar commented.

"Come on guys… I've been training for over five years." Luka moaned.

"And yet I'm a better swordsman with only seven years. Only four of those years were actual blade training." Balthazar reprimanded. "There's no excuse you shouldn't be able to take me on head-to-head, or at least have a fun sparring match, but as you are, I could take you out with one wave of my sword. Sheathed." He boasted.

"I would have thought it to be your first time." Alice muttered. "Just what were you wasting your time doing?"

"I learned it from various pilgrims who visited Ilias' Temple over the years. I added my own mix on the techniques I learned."

"Crap plus crap still amounts to crap." Balthazar stated.

Alice nodded. "It's true. If you've had crappy teachers teaching you crappy moves, you won't be a spectacular warrior." She tilted her head. "Fine. I'll teach you a little."

"Oh? More than what I'd do for the boy. I think he'd learn best from actual experience, but whatever you think is best, Alice." Balthazar said, shrugging.

Luka shook his head. "No, no, it's alright, you don't have to. Besides, learning swordsmanship from a monster seems strange."

"Is that discrimination?" Alice toyed. "'I want to coexist with monsters' but I don't want to train with one?"

"N-no! That's not what I had in mind." He was silent for a while. "All right, please train me, Alice." He pleaded.

Balthazar looked at Luka, offended. "The best sword-arm I know happens to be a monster's."

Alice nodded her head and smiled. "Good. It would have been boring if you ended up getting eaten early on. I'll train your sword arm."

Several hours passed, with Alice teaching Luka the basics of fighting, even going so far as to give him helping hints how to fight with a short stature of body like his. She explained to him how to use his weight to help drive his blade instead of brute force.

Jumping off a tree and letting his blade drive through an imaginary enemy, he readjusted himself. "Like that?" He asked.

Alice nodded. "That technique is called Demon Decapitation. It's well suited for a small person, like you. It doesn't work well with someone the size of Balthazar, but is still a deadly technique." She pointed out. "A small body is good for charging in and cutting the enemy's neck. It was once said that the Dark Elf Zack was able to decapitate the heads of a hundred humans with this technique."

Luka looked uncomfortable. "I was hoping you could teach me a more… Heroic technique."

"Beggars can't be choosers." She refuted.

Balthazar commented from his new perch, on a tree-limb with his legs dangling. "She's right you know. I've seen the technique once before. But I swore that I'd create my own techniques, and even my own sword."

Luka looked at the sheathed katana at Balthazar's side. "Really? Is that the sword you made?"

Balthazar nodded with pride. "I had no real materials at hand, so I fought monsters. At first, it was with help, but eventually I gained enough materials… Like Wyvern scales, Dragon scales… the oddball Behemoth fang or two, I think…"

Luka looked in awe. "Oh my Ilias. Those are such powerful monsters… And you defeated them on your own?"

"At the beginning, no. But I had help from a special someone, and she let me the materials I asked for. She helped with forging the blade too. But the materials aren't the only things that make the blade unique. But that's a story for another time." The warrior reminisced. "Anyways, I'm distracting you two. Keep going."

Thus, the two continued training. Alice taught Luka the basic skills of combat, and how to better defend himself. When the training finished, Balthazar noticed a difference in how Luka carried himself.

Jumping down from his perch, he watched his two road companions. "Aren't you going to use a sleeping bag?" Luka asked.

Alice shook her head. "I don't like being in something so restrictive like that bag. I'll just sleep around here." She stated, wrapping herself around the trunk of a tree.

"An odd decision." Balthazar stated. "Most lamias I knew had a temperature problem in the mornings. Being cold-blooded, that is."

Alice looked at Balthazar in shock. "How do you know so much about Lamias? Are you some sort of creep?" She asked.

Luka laughed. Balthazar ignored him. "I know quite a bit about your kind. I'm also a bit of a specialist with Dragonkin, Vampires, and even have done my research on Angel-kind. I've always wanted to ask someone of the Slime family a few things, but none of them really… Were able to answer my questions." He elaborated.

"You're just semi-freakish, then." Alice concluded.

"Uwah… How mean." Balthazar laughed. "Are you sure you don't want a warmth partner?" After receiving a death-gaze from Alice, he chuckled nervously. "Easy. Just joking." With expert precision, he climbed his way on a thick tree, just large enough for him to lie back on, almost a natural reclining chair. "I'll be sending my fond farewells to the world of the waking." He said, getting as comfortable as Luka could imagine in a tree and closing his eyes.

A few minute later, Alice looked at Luka. "Hey, idiot. Where did you get that ring?" She asked, staring intently on the ring.

"It's not for eating, Alice." Luka teased.

"Idiot. What the hell do you think goes on in my mind?" She chided.

Luka's voice raised in his defense. "Well, it's just that you're always complaining of hunger…"

"Idiot. I feel something… Faint… From the ring." She explained.

"Something faint? I don't know what you're talking about. This is just my mother's keepsake. It's all I have left of her. She died from illness ten years ago." Luka remembered.

Alice appeared mournful. "I'm sorry to make you remember that."

Luka was surprised. "Oh? Er… Thanks…"

"Why so surprised? Monsters and humans are the same in that aspect. When a parent dies, we both grieve."

"Yeah. Of course." Luka nodded.

"How about your father? Is he still alive?" Alice asked.

Luka averted his eyes. "No… He… Died before my mother did."

Alice nodded. "I see. Your father went off to fight the Monster Lord, and never came back. So you took up your father's wishes, and trained to be a Hero. Sound about right?"

Luka shook his head. "Nope. Incorrect. That guy died because of his own stupid mistakes."

Alice looked inquisitively. "That's unusual. For someone whose head is so full of sugar and rainbows to say that…"

"Well, what about you?" Luka asked. "Why are you here?"

Alice's eyes left Luka's. "… I'm… The only daughter of the Fateburn family." She revealed. "I wanted to see the world, I so set out a few days ago."

"Oh? Really!" Luka said in surprise.

"Pretty much." She smiled, then laughed.

Luka's face shadowed over. "You couldn't possibly… You aren't inspecting the human cities in a preparation for an invasion… Are you?"

Alice chuckled. "Don't give me such interesting ideas." She looked at Balthazar. "I know you're not sleeping. Why not participate?"

Not moving a muscle, Balthazar groaned. "I don't really like to talk about my past."

Alice frowned. "We just pretty much let ourselves out there, the least you can do is join in."

Sighing, Balthazar rolled off of his tree and landed softly on the grass. "Fine." Continuing to roll over, he eventually met the other two. "My mother is dead. My dad's still out in the world, but I don't know where." He said. Thinking he was done, he began to roll back to his tree , but Alice's tail stopped him.

"Not so far, rolling star. Elaborate."

A twisted smile briefly flashed across Balthazar's face. "Ordinarily, I'd ask the same for you…" He looked at Alice's face frown. "But I don't want to. My father… He murdered my mother when I was just a kid." Luka looked aghast, and Alice's face darkened. "It's not really bedtime story material."

Alice was genuinely in shock. "I'm… Sorry."

Balthazar shook his head. "No need to be. You didn't kill my mother."

Luka grasped his thoughts. "But why? You didn't just live with him, did you?"

But he shook his head. "No. Obviously not. I don't know why he did it exactly, but I have my suspicions. And those thoughts are what made me into what I am today." He paused as the surging colors of his invisible chains. He growled, but looked in surprised as Alice looked at him worriedly. "I think I'm done here. See? I'm not party material. I think I'll scout our perimeter." He said, getting up, and walking around.

After a few minutes after the darkness lifted from Luka and Alice, she eventually pulled out a book, whose age was apparently beyond old. "See this book? This forbidden book contains everything about the human world. Geography, environment, food… Everything!" She listed, resuming her prior conversation with Luk

Luka looked in shock at the age of the book, temporarily overriding his initial shock over the actions of his companion's father. "What? Look at the year this book was published! It's year 867! It's 500 years old!"

Alice closed her eyes. "Oh. I thought it was a little old."

"This is like a piece out of history… If we could sell it for quite a bit, we'd never have to worry about travel expenses…" Luka said excitedly.

"I'm not selling the book, you idiot."

"I'm getting rather tired. It's been a long day, after all. It's just the first step to a future where we can live in peace. Good night, Alice." Luka yawned.

"Yeah. Good night." Alice said distracted, looking out into the shadows of the night, where Balthazar was presumably strolling through.