Natsu looked at the husk of the man before him for a long while, the silence of the cave broken only by the captain's ragged, hollow breathing. "You know what?" Natsu finally said, his voice echoing softly against the stone. "I'll leave him to you, Veyron. Do what you see fit with him. I actually need to do something much more worthwhile."
Veyron bowed low, a dark, predatory grace in her movements. "Of course, my lord. And I assume this worthwhile task has something to do with my stubborn brother?" Natsu offered a small smile and a nod. Lunara stepped forward, her presence radiating a former divine majesty. "My lord, may I come with you?"
Natsu gave his assent, and in a heartbeat, they both disappeared into the shifting shadows, leaving Veyron alone in the gloom. She smiled and approached the captain, and after a short while, an agonizing and bloodcurdling cry filled the air, marking the end of the man's human hubris.
Natsu and Lunara emerged from the shadow of a massive tree somewhere deep within the forest. They continued walking forward, the former deity turned shadow goddess moving beside him with eerie elegance and a majestic poise that seemed to quiet the woods and the local wildlife around them. Natsu hummed his usual off-key tune, the sound a strange, grounding melody in the ancient wilderness.
After a time, Lunara spoke, her voice soft and laced with a genuine concern. "My lord, how is my sister doing? I heard the afterlife is quite hectic these days." Natsu paused his humming, the ease in his expression shifting into something more somber.
"Nyx is… doing well," he answered, the weight of his words filled with a sense of genuine defeat. "She's been busy lately, that I know. Although, I wish I could do something to help her with her duties, you know? I wish for her to be home more."
Lunara felt the heavy tone in his voice, a vulnerability that even a king of shadows could not entirely mask. "I see," she murmured. "Maybe I'll pay her a visit after we're done with our errand. Would that be okay, my lord?" Natsu laughed softly, the sound a brief spark of light in the dim forest. "You don't need to ask me for permission, Lunara. You can visit her anytime you want, I'm sure she'd like that as well."
Lunara smiled warmly at the assurance. "Thank you, my lord." The two continued their trek, their forms drifting through the dark and treacherous woods of No Man's Land like phantoms reclaimed by the earth.
At the same time, miles away from the forest's edge, Cassia's group moved through a different kind of wilderness. The sun had already dipped below the horizon, casting long, bruised shadows over the terrain. They were still a great distance from their goal, and with the darkness thickening, the decision was made to halt and set up camp.
The group started a campfire, the orange flames flickering against the encroaching night as they prepared their tents. A tense quiet hung over them, the atmosphere heavy with an eerie, pervasive wrongness. The soldiers and silver-ranks found little comfort in the warmth as they settled in, knowing the final leg of their journey would begin after a short, uneasy rest.
"Has it always been this silent around these parts?" a male soldier asked, his voice cutting through the stillness. Another soldier added, "It's actually my first time venturing this far from the capital, so I'm not really sure. Maybe lady Ghast can share an insight?" Cassia remained silent, her gaze fixed on the dancing flames as if the soldiers had never spoken.
The silver-rank mage spoke up softly, her voice wavering. "I-uh... I've actually been to No Man's Land... several times." The five soldiers and the two other silvers turned toward her with curiosity and a growing sense of anticipation.
She cleared her throat, feeling the weight of the party's attention. "This is my sixth time going to No Man's Land. I've also camped around this area several times when some quests required us to stay out for days. But this is actually the first time that the air felt heavy around these parts," she said, her tone laced with a thin edge of worry and fear.
The silver-rank ranger snorted, his tone filled with an awkward bravado. "Oi oi miss mage, knock off yer dreadful tone, else you might have er young uns here pissin their pants." The cleric laughed lightly, trying to diffuse the tension. "Now now sir ranger, I'm sure lady mage means no ill intent. It is actually quite a good insight."
The ranger looked skeptical. "And how so, sir priest?" The cleric adjusted his posture, explaining with a logic that was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. "You see sir ranger, if lady mage here has camped out several times around this area and only felt the disturbance tonight, that means there is indeed an influence here that doesn't belong."
The party sat in a shared silence, finding his reasoning sound. The cleric continued, "As a cleric and a member of the church of Ares, we are sensitive to unholy influences. I can say for certain that a presence is indeed exerting its influence in No Man's Land; in fact, the influence is so strong that people who don't have the same sensitivity like me can even sense it."
Something was wrong—very wrong.
Cassia felt a spark of interest at the cleric's words, but she remained motionless, her stare never leaving the fire. His explanation only served to confirm her own growing suspicion. One of the soldiers leaned forward, his face etched with worry. "Sir cleric, you said that there's an unnatural presence in the area right now. Could it be the demons?"
The cleric didn't answer immediately. He rubbed his chin with his finger, his eyes narrowing as if weighing the feeling against his faith. "I'm... actually not sure," he finally replied. The group shifted uncomfortably, the uncertainty in his voice far more terrifying than a direct answer. The same soldier and even the ranger pressed him for more, their fear demanding a label for the sensation.
The cleric composed himself, his tone becoming grave as he explained. "This eerie influence we're feeling right now could not be demonic, I'm certain of it. Demons emanate a certain pressure that feels intense and even violent. But this... this pressure... it doesn't feel like anything, not even hostile intent. It's just... wrong."
A deep chill ran down the spines of the soldiers, the mage, and the ranger alike. Even Cassia couldn't stop herself from turning her head toward the cleric, her sharp gaze lingering on him as if his words were a personal offense. She held his stare for a heartbeat before turning back to the flickering campfire.
"Enough stories," she said, her voice cutting through the rising panic like a blade. "We should take some rest. I'll take first watch... you two." She pointed a gloved finger at one of the soldiers and the silver-rank mage. "You'll join me. The rest should take some sleep; we rotate in two hours."
The group straightened up and nodded, the authority in her voice providing the only shred of security they had in the dark. Meanwhile, Natsu and Lunara continued their walk, their footsteps silent on the forest floor until they arrived at the very edge of the woods dubbed No Man's Land. From their vantage point, they felt the presence of Cassia's group in the far distance, a tiny spark of life against the vast, empty plains.
Lunara spoke, her tone colored with a trace of amusement. "Looks like our visitors are still quite a ways away, my lord. What's your plan?" Natsu watched the horizon, a small smile playing on his lips. "We'll just observe them for now. I'll send a couple of shadow hounds to monitor their movements. I'll have the border guards just observe when this group eventually reaches the forest; I'm sensing something interesting's about to go down."
Lunara bowed in silent acknowledgment, but before she could depart, Natsu spoke again. "I actually have a favor to ask you, Lunara. Can you let Athena or Thysera know that their brother Ares is up to no good? I don't want to spill blood needlessly; Nyx is already busy as is."
Lunara smiled radiantly at the request, her eyes glowing with a former divine light. "Of course, my lord, I'll let my sisters know posthaste. Also, I assume you don't want me telling Veyron I'm reaching out to Thysera?" Natsu laughed softly, the sound a brief warmth in the cooling night air. "You read me like a book. Yes, please. I know that she's quite touchy when it comes to Thysera; the last thing I want, besides a kingdom invading my home, is unnecessary drama between two goddesses of war who also happen to be sisters."
Lunara laughed fondly at his exasperated tone, the sound like the chiming of silver bells. She bowed once more, her form beginning to dissolve like mist in a sudden breeze until she was gone. Natsu was left standing alone at the edge of the forest, his gaze fixed on the distant darkness for a long time.
The silence of No Man's Land seemed to bow to him, the trees themselves leaning away from the void he carried. He sighed deeply, the sound heavy with a reluctant resolve. "Alright, let's go wake Dorten and that Elf up." He turned back toward the deeper shadows of the forest and disappeared into the absolute darkness.