Edenteric

The Third Sky Candellion

Udzaa gasped for breath, sweat droplets coming down from his forehead. He looked around. He sat on a white bed, in a medium-sized room that was also white. His sense of smell smelled the scent of various herbs.

He turned to look at the open window, revealing a clear sky out there. He heard the loud chirping of the birds flying in the sky.

Udzaa touched his head that felt dizzy, he tried to remember what had just happened. A massive assault, a devastated city, a crazy young man who controls thousands of Undead, then a grinning cloaked figure towards him. His head turned, and the door of the room was opened by someone.

Meiza stepped inside in a white robe, pushing a trolley filled with bubbling potions.

"Ah, are you conscious?"

Udzaa looked at the woman. Meiza stretched out her hand over Udzaa's forehead, checking her temperature.

"No fever, but you must rest for recovery" Meiza said as she lifted a bronze glass of pale liquid onto the table beside the bed.

"This is Casrone, it's useful to speed up your recovery, maybe it won't be as good as Amonte, but you have to spend this"

"What's going on?"

Meiza looked at the fourth Aldrich.

"What happened?" Meiza sat on Udzaa's bed, her hands busy writing something down on a piece of parchment.

"I don't know the details, but Lian brought you the unconscious here" he said again finishing the writing on his parchment and then sticking it at the foot of the bed.

"Even the fourth Aldrich to run out of Cloe, whoever was behind last night's attack I think he's a pretty good guy"

"How are things?"

Meiza smiled looking at him.

"You know one thing that makes me like you? you're always worried about other people than yourself, but you're also just waking up"

Udzaa looked at him confused.

"I don't mean like that, come on you'll understand.." Udzaa did not comment.

"There is no need to worry about the others, Mou Dinda and Iro, their injuries are not too severe just that they need to rest for a while" he said. Meiza looked out the window, looking at the clear sky out there.

"Sir Noey?" Meiza turned her gaze and looked at Udzaa.

"I can't be sure if Noey is okay, compared to you, Noey's injury is quite large, her Cloe has reached the lowest point" explained Meiza.

"Even so Noey was still the strongest girl in Edenteria, no one else could survive with so much poison on his body"

Udzaa was still silent, his head still felt dizzy. The smell of the potion beside him did not help at all, even making him more dizzy.

"I've applied for permission to perform the surgery, but I'm not very good with that kind of operation, but I think Frans can, just that I don't know where he is right now"

"What do you mean?" Udzaa asked, it reminded him. Frans was injured while trying to escape, the dagger pierced his back. Remembering that made Udzaa get rid of dizziness in his head.

"I don't know, Rouge and Violet came to them last night, but Errol showed up and said that he was going to take care of Frans, obviously I wouldn't let him, just one look I can be sure Frans is dying, but the frog insists on taking Frans"

Udzaa fell silent, and was a little relieved.

"It's okay, Errol knows what he's doing, there's no need to worry about that now" Meiza looked at the fourth Aldrich doubtfully. Udzaa ignored him, he pulled his blanket aside, then moved slowly.

"Hey, what do you want to do? you need to rest" Meiza said as she watched Udzaa try to stand up.

Udzaa did not listen, he grabbed the potion glass, sipped it out then stepped slowly to the door after previously thanking Meiza, then he walked out of the room leaving Meiza standing there staring at the fourth Aldrich's back with a stifle.

***

Udzaa slowly stepped out of the hospital ward. It was morning, the sky was clear up there, but he could still feel the atmosphere overnight.

Part of Edenteria was damaged, some of the houses burned to the ground leaving blackish debris here and there. Some residents have returned to the city, now they are working to clear buildings destroyed by the overnight attack. Those whose homes are safe also help those who are in trouble. Some people greeted him as they worked on repairing his house, Udzaa replied with a short nod.

The most damage is in the Atrium. The building that previously stood like a giant tree now left only a few rooms, the rest destroyed. But the Atrium was in repair when Udzaa passed it, again some people greeted him. Udzaa stopped there, intending to help, but they did not allow him, and a little girl ran up to him.

"Aldrich fourth.." a girl with dark blue hair came towards him, the girl was wearing a simple white dress that looked rather shabby.

Udzaa looked at the little girl who was now standing in front of him. Udzaa had to lower her body a little to align her with the girl.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay?" saying the girl loudly, Udzaa smiled at her voice.

"I heard you entered the hospital ward today"

"I'm okay, what about you? Tarisa?" The little girl smiled widely as Udzaa said her name.

"You remember my name.." Udzaa gave a small nod, then Tarisa told me about how he went up the cliff behind the castle last night with the others. How his friends, Risma and Donna are tasked with escorting everyone to the top of the cliff.

"Unfortunately, the city has been damaged so badly"

Udzaa patted the top of the girl's head gently then smiled.

"Don't worry, soon everything will return as usual" he said, which made Tarisa smile. Then the girl asked permission to continue her journey to the hospital ward, she wanted to visit her two friends, the girl ran again while waving her hand towards Udzaa.

Udzaa replied to him briefly, then continued on his way.

His encounter with Tarisa made himself quite relieved, at least he managed to protect this place. There were no casualties on the part of the population although there were dozens of soldiers of the main gate guard who died that night.

From what he heard from the conversation of the residents, a funeral ceremony will be held for each victim overnight. Giving those who have fallen a final salute.

Udzaa reached the main gate. Under the sunlight, the damage caused by last night's fight was clearly visible. The wall on the left looks like a hedge that a group of horses has just stepped on, the branches of a large tree weaving like snakes there, some destroyed by the explosion some others are still intact, although it is no longer the way it was.

Udzaa stepped through the main gate, a guard soldier approached him, asking the reason for Aldrich's fourth arrival to the main gate. Udzaa said he wanted to take a walk into the forest for a while. The soldier offered Udzaa to bring some bodyguards, but Udzaa subtly refused.

"No need, I just want to walk around for a while"

Udzaa walked into the forest, towards the perimeter of the kingdom. He met Jose and his troops who were standing guard around there. As with the previous soldiers, Jose offered to bring some of his men to escort, but Udzaa refused.

He walked deeper into the forest, leaving Jose and his army behind. The deeper, the trees get busier until the sunlight can barely penetrate it. A few moments later he stopped in front of a large tree house. He stepped closer, then knocked. From the inside, a person was taking off the door latch, then the door swung open, revealing the figure of a pink woman who was curled to the back of her head, her gray robe looking old and shabby, the woman looked at Udzaa who was still standing in front of her door.

"Hi Poppy, how are you?"

***

Kevin stepped into Aldrich's study with a pile of parchment in his hand, closed the door behind him with his feet, then stepped onto the nearest table and placed the pile of parchment there.

Nia sat behind the table, staring at the parchment Kevin had placed on his desk.

"This much?"

Kevin shrugged his shoulders.

"Some documents to be approved, some letters of apology for nobles who came during the festival, as well as some parchments that you have to see for yourself" explained Kevin, Nia took her first parchment reluctantly.

Kevin turned to the figure of Lian who was sitting leaning against his armchair. Some plaster covered the wound on his face. Kevin dropped a newspaper on the table in front of the third Aldrich.

"As you said, a massive escape in Battojairu"

Lian immediately snatched the newspaper in front of her, she did not bother turning the page, because what she wanted to see was the main page of the news. It was written with a golden capital letter "PRISON OF MAGIC BATTOJAIRU SUCCESSFULLY PENETRATED", followed by a photo of the fortress in the middle of the sea that was destroyed in some parts.

"So it's true." muttered Lian as she continued reading.

"The troublemaker is a first-class prisoner, so it's no surprise that he's that strong" Kevin argued.

"If only last night I could move." said Nia furiously as she squeezed the pen in her hand so tightly that the pen shattered, spilling ink on the parchment in front of her.

"Damn, ." he said again while trying to clean up the ink spill on his desk.

Kevin took an apple from the table in front of Lian who was still busy reading. Then take a place in an empty chair in the corner of the room.

"I had thought, the person who could control thousands of Undead at once must not be an indiscriminate person, just that.." Kevin bit his apple.

"I never thought that Udzaa could lose like that"

Lian lifted her head from the newspaper in her hands.

"I told you no, it wasn't the guy who beat him, the prisoner was supposed to be dead when Udzaa used his Cero" Lian explained, turning the pages of her newspaper, looking for some information she could get.

"If only the man hadn't come to his aid"

Kevin chewed his apple.

"Ah yes, about the mysterious man you told me about, is he really..mm how to call it, dismiss your Cero?" Lian stared dislikefully at Kevin, even so he nodded.

"Then the man is obviously more dangerous"

"Do you recognize him?" now it was Nia's turn to ask, she scratched her new pen onto another parchment.

"No, I've never seen that person" Lian said softly. Even he had never seen such a solid element of darkness as the man had, even Udzaa could not handle it. Then something stuck in his heart, he remembered how the man who spoke as if he had known Udzaa for a long time.

"I think he knows Udzaa." whispered Lian suddenly. Nia stopped moving her pen, Kevin even stopped chewing.

"What do you mean?"

Lian seemed to think.

"The man knew about Cero, and also knew that Udzaa created him, and when the hood of the robe opened, I saw a surprised look on Udzaa's face" Lian recalled.

Kevin listened carefully, as did Nia who stopped her work temporarily. Then Lian stood up from her chair all of a sudden, as if remembering a very important thing.

"I have to go to the library" he said as he walked away, closing the door behind him, leaving Kevin and Nia staring at him confused.

***

'Tuk'

Poppy placed a glass of purple potion on the table in front of Udzaa who was frowning in wonder. At that time Errol floated low from the top floor then landed smoothly on the table.

"You're okay gero~" the frog asked.

Udzaa shook his head weakly. But Poppy came back from the kitchen with two glasses of other potions.

"Maybe you're good enough to say it's okay, but your body still needs to be handled" he said, putting the glasses back in front of Udzaa.

"You have to spend it all, I don't accept rejection" he said, then pulled up a high chair and sat there facing Udzaa.

"I had just finished a glass of the pale potion from Meiza." lamented Udzaa limp as he raised the glass containing the purple potion and then finished it.

"Huee. bitter"

"Obviously, it's gottle leaf juice" Poppy explained as she pushed the glass containing another herb towards Udzaa.

"This one might be better"

Udzaa took a sip, the bluish liquid flowing through his mouth, into his throat. Then his eyes opened wide.

"It's.."

Poppy smiled a little.

"Felixia Gourment, it may not taste very similar, but the efficacy is still the same"

Udzaa finished the potion, staring at his empty glass in his hand. His tongue felt a feeling he had not felt for a long time.

"Kirana always had a whole bunch of these potions in her room"

"Talk about that.." Poppy hung her words.

"Did he really come? I felt it last night.."

Udzaa did not answer, but from his face Poppy sure Udzaa agreed. Both of them were silent, there was only the sound of Errol chewing some nuts. At that moment Frans stepped down from the top floor, stepping slowly at the foot of the spiral staircase. Udzaa.

"You're sober?" Poppy asked him, Frans nodding weakly. His back was wrapped in a white bandage under his clothes.

"Then you have to stay in bed, you haven't fully recovered"

Frans put on his shoes, then stood up again, intending to leave. But Udzaa stopped him.

"Back to bed.." Frans shook his head, saying he had to join the healers in the hospital, even more so only he could perform surgery for Noey. Udzaa clasped his wrist, forcing him to remain there.

"Look at yourself, you haven't even fully recovered yet"

Frans pulled his hand out of Udzaa's.

"I'm fine, don't treat me like a kid!" he said loudly then rushed to the door.

"I have to go to the hospital, they need me" Frans said before he pushed open the door and left.

"Ceh, the girl." said Udzaa annoyed, he turned to Errol and asked him to pursue Frans. The gray frog spread its wings, then darted away.

"I think he has a point, you're being too hard on him" Poppy said as she wiped an empty glass from the table. Udzaa looked at him reluctantly.

"No need to worry, that girl can recover her body faster than you"

"What about the wound?" asked Udzaa who was back in her place, looking at the pink woman's back who was lighting a firebox on the table in the corner of the room.

Poppy put a small cauldron over the furnace, then filled it with water and began stirring it with a soup spoon.

"I was surprised when Errol came last night, Frans was unconscious, I did feel there was a battle in the city, but I never thought if the impact was big enough" he said while putting some herbal ingredients into the cauldron while still stirring it.

"Overall, there were no serious injuries, just a few broken ribs, but it was an easy job for me" he said again, dripping a liquid from a small bottle in his hand, when the liquid touched the bottom of the cauldron, the water inside the cauldron bubbled reddishly.

"His back." said Udzaa, who made Poppy look at him.

"I know, the dagger was full of poison that I'd never seen, even though I found a suitable potion for it. The rest of the wounds were not very deep" Poppy stepped to the other side of the room, where there was a large cupboard containing ingredients of her own potion. He drew large setoples containing something that looked like an eyeball. Udzaa frowned in disdain to see it. Poppy mixes some of those eyeballs into its quality which instantly turns yellowish in color.

"Just.." Poppy turned around after stirring her cauldron. Staring at Udzaa whose eyes were still pointing to the jar containing eyeballs beside the cauldron.

"There's a small crack in the crystal"

"I've added a few things there, preventing the crack from getting bigger, so there's no need to worry" Poppy said quickly before Udzaa raised her voice. Poppy grabbed a spiral horn from her closet, then returned to slice it with a silver knife and mix it into the cauldron.

"Just tell her not to use her Cloe too often, at least for now, I don't know what would happen if she pushed herself too hard" he said again while filling a small glass bottle with a potion of its quality that has now turned pale yellow.

Poppy stepped towards Udzaa, she covered the glass bottle with cork, then handed it to Udzaa.

"Just drop it into his drink, once a day, this will help him"

"Is this safe? I mean with the eyeballs you put in." said Udzaa, raising her eyebrows, making Poppy laugh.

***

The hospital is quite busy today, some healers are walking around. The scent of potions soared in the air as a healer carrying a trolley containing all sorts of potions passed through the hall. Some people gathered in the hall, registered to visit relatives or just helped.

Meiza's information desk was busy reading a number of parchments, her face looked tired because she had not had time to rest since last night. As one of the senior healers, he had to control everyone who was injured, making sure they got proper medical care. He spoke to another healer beside him, discussing something while pointing at the parchment, then he handed over the parchment.

"I'm going around for a while, after that I want to go home for a rest, the third Aldrich asks me to join Aldrich's escort the second to Akiba" he told the healer beside him.

"Well miss" the healer's reply was brief. Then Meiza stepped away, passing by the people who filled the hall.

Meiza stepped into the hospital hallway, passing by another healer, passing through every room this morning filled with patients. He turned at the end of the corridor, climbed the stairs to get to the second floor. He met Kiruru, the man was sitting in front of the door of the room that read 'SECTION LUKA GAWAT' while reading a book. The man looked at him as he approached.

"How is he doing?" ask Meiza directly.

Kiruru closed the book.

"It's not too worrying, but it's quite critical, we need to do something" he explained as he glanced at the door beside him.

Meiza sighed, then massaged her forehead slowly. He looked at the door of the room in front of him.

"I told the fourth Aldrich that we need Frans to perform the operation, hopefully he can deliver it" Kiruru nodded in understanding.

"For now until the Captain comes, we can only give him a supporting potion" Kiruru said, with a small nod by Meiza.

"Then I'll check the other room, I leave Noey to you" said Meiza who then stepped elsewhere.

He turned to another corridor, stopped at a door of the room at the end of the corridor, opened the door and stepped in. The first thing he got was a white pillow that floated right into his face.

Mou, the pillow thrower was glued to his place. Meiza looked at him fiercely.

"Good throw" said Dinda briefly as she stepped back to her bed. Meiza took a pillow under her feet and threw it back at Mou right in her face until she fell out of bed.

"10 points for your throw" Iro said in an interested tone.

Meiza stepped in, looking at the three beds that each of the three girls had filled. Seeing the three of them being able to talk, even fighting like that, proved that it was futile to worry about the three. Somehow Meiza did not even understand the way Udzaa's mind was more worried about others than herself.

'Specially for these three of them.' Meiza's inner annoyance.

Mou sat on her bed at the end of the room with a smudged face. His forehead was bandaged, there was blood on it, but it didn't seem to have any effect on the girl.

Beside him Iro was also sitting, not in his bed but in a chair devoted to the visitors. He was no better than Mou, too, so many wounds were now wrapped in bandages, but that did not make him look like a hospital patient. Instead of potions, the purplish girly girl sipped a glass of Amonte instead.

The last bed was occupied by Dinda who was supposed to be the worst injured of them all, but the little girl looked the freshest of all. Dinda, who was sitting on her bed staring at a basket full of sweet foods that she could find out where, was now busy choosing which sweets she should eat first.

"I wonder if you're a patient or not." Meiza said back to the three of them.

"Don't move too much! The stitches on your neck can open!" meiza's Scolding towards Dinda. The girl seemed to be moving her neck too much, with a gaping wound a few hours ago.

"I'm fine, don't think of me as a child just because of this wound" Dinda said in an annoyed tone as she moved her head in all directions with a slash that finally left her wound slightly open, the blood seeping out stained the bandage on her neck making the girl paled perfectly.

Meiza screamed crazily as she quickly stepped into Dinda's bed.

"Gyaa!! You stupid little girl!!! bodoooh boy!!" shout Meiza.

.

.

.

A few minutes later Meiza managed to fix the stitches on Dinda's neck, covering them with another bandage. He looked at the little girl with a sharp look.

"Open your wounds again, and I'll sew them together with your hands!" meiza said firmly.

"Yes.yes it's up to you" Dinda replied reluctantly as she unwrapped a lollipop.

Meiza glared at him.

"Where did you get all this?" Meiza pointed the candy basket over Dinda's lap. The girl kept busy licking her lollipops.

"Faruq has just come to visit" Iro said as he picked up a pack of lollipops from the basket.

"May I ask for one" Dinda nodded briefly.

"What the hell is that man, this is a hospital, not a tourist spot.just give sweets to my patients" Meiza said furiously.

"And you! why did she even accept it!?"

Iro looked at Meiza, stopping her activities of unwrapping the lollipop in her hand. Mou joins Dinda's bed, trying to grab one but has her hand pressed over by the brown girl.

"Sweetness will make you gain weight, do not touch" said Dinda cynical.

"Oh yes thank you for being reminded" Mou replied in annoyance, she rolled her eyes.

"Three glasses of bitter herbs for breakfast, oh obviously that's what I need most" said Mou sebal who then got a sharp look from Meiza.

"And you'll drink another glass if you don't go back to your bed" Mou uttered a line of rejection but she kept walking back to her bed. Mumbles something that sounds like 'a little girl eating sweets and an adult woman sipping a bitter potion'.

Dinda chuckles to hear Mou grumbling. Meiza turned towards Dinda.

"You shouldn't eat it either, I'll confiscate it" Meiza said as she took the sweet basket from Dinda's lap which immediately issued her protest.

Dinda raved indistinctly, protesting about the poor service a healer had given this hospital, in this case Meiza, but Meiza ignored her. He took the lollipop from Dinda's hand, also the one Iro had just intended to put it in his mouth. Like Dinda, Iro protested, alluding to his position as the Division Captain who was supposed to get relief.

"Hey, that's discrimination!!" Dinda protested Iro's remarks while Mou continued to mutter in her bed.

"Little girl eats sweets, mature woman drinks bitter herbs"

That was when the door of the room opened, Frans stepped in weakly. The girls stared at him, except for Mou who was still grumbling while looking out the window.

"Ah Frans.. Are you okay!?" Meiza was the first to speak. He walked across the room to the blonde girl.

Frans nodded weakly. Next Iro also came to him, asking the same thing.

"I'm fine, no need to worry.." Frans turned his eyes towards Meiza.

"Sir Mei, how's Brother Noey doing?"

Meiza explained the circumstances of the First Division Captain. He said he had obtained permission to perform a major operation against Noey, but only because the major operation was not his realm could he not simply do so.

Frans nodded in understanding, then turned his gaze elsewhere, asking the circumstances of his three friends.

"They're okay, it's you that we should be worried about" Meiza said.

"Errol, that stupid frog took you somewhere when you got a pretty bad cut"

Frans explained that he tried to make all of them, especially Meiza, sure that she was okay.

"Rather than thinking about it, we better start the operation" Frans said quickly before Meiza or others asked for something more.

"But Frans, are you sure, your current condition is.."

"Sir Noey is waiting, we have to hurry" said Frans again who finally made Meiza surrender, then willing to take him to the operating room after previously saying goodbye to his three friends.

"So that's the case." said Frans when Meiza finished explaining Noey's current situation to her. They were walking down a corridor that was quite crowded with healers who were downstream and there.

The two girls stopped at the hall table to pick up some of the parchment Meiza left behind. Frans grabbed a special white healing robe from his closet before they returned to the second floor.

"I'm sorry." said Meiza after saying that she couldn't help because of the escort mission she was given. Frans nodded in understanding.

They turn at the end of the corridor, then stop in front of the entrance to the corridor 'Luka Gawat' not far from there. Meiza handed the parchment in her hand to Frans, then left to go home. Frans nodded, then pushed the door in front of him open after Meiza disappeared at the end of the corridor.

***

"Sorry." said Bella who was in Aldrich's office with Kevin and Djabo, Deputy Captain of the Eight Divisions, at the time, after saying the reason about him who could not participate in escorting the departure of the second Aldrich to Akiba.

Nia nodded in understanding, she did not bother about it.

"I see, the First Division needs you more"

"I expected this, but I didn't think the situation would be complicated enough like this" said Kevin, who sat on a knitted sofa usually occupied by the Third Aldrich. He grasped an apple, twirled it in his hand while staring at the ceiling of the room.

"Noey is the pride of the First Division, they all consider him a great leader." said Bella, she stared at the porcelain floor under her feet.

"When he fell, it made their spirits decrease, so I can't leave them at the moment"

Djabo moved uncomfortably where he stood. He understood what the First Division Vice Captain was saying. He himself might feel the same if Iro experienced something similar. Although Iro was also lying in the hospital, his condition was even better than that of the First Division Captain.

Nia stared at the report on Noey's condition that Bella had brought from the hospital. He has agreed to Meiza's request to conduct a major operation against Noey.

"I've just given my approval to conduct a major operation, Meiza thinks that's the only way to save her life"

"Operation that only Frans can do, but Meiza said that she herself does not know where Frans is at this time." Kevin said.

"I think he's in Poppy's cottage." said Djabo quickly who then got a look from the three.

"Iro once told me that Poppy was like a private healer of Udzaa and Frans." he said again.

The wall clock at the end of the room ticked slowly, echoing breaking the silence. The morning breeze blew warmer than yesterday, carrying the scent of spring through the veranda window.

"Well, it's okay, there's no need to worry Bella, there's still Djabo and Meiza, we'll be fine" Nia said later, but Kevin upheld his seat.

"But the letter of invitation says that the Kings must be accompanied by at least three bodyguards, Lian has also confirmed that at least we must obey him." said Kevin, he bit his apple.

"..yes even though I'm sure no one will be able to mess with you out there, but at least we should show respect by obeying orders from Akiba"

Nia gave Kevin an indecipherable look that he ignored right then and there.

"We can find Bella's replacement if she can't, it's easy.."

"I'm sorry, but it's been the task of escorting the Aldrich to the responsibility of the First Division, I don't want none of us to participate in this task." Bella said suddenly, cutting off Kevin's words just like that while looking at him with a slight annoyance.

Kevin raised his eyebrows.

"Then how?"

"Because that's what I'm here for, other than to offer my apology, I'm bringing someone in to take my place for this mission" Bella said, ordering someone to come in.

The door of the room swung open revealing a girl behind it who then stepped in. The girl was wearing a different outfit from the other First Division members, but the red Division badge on her shoulder indicated that she was from the First Division.

"Pure to face." said the girl, looking down. Nia nodded briefly.

"The name is Bubble." said Bella introducing the girl. Nia looked at the girl from her seat while Kevin made an expression that indicated that he knew the pale blue-blonde girl.

"Hoo, the girl from the Elite group is yes" said Kevin who was answered with a nod of the head by Bella. Djabo looked at Bubble with curiosity.

"Yes, Bubble was one of the five Morpheus Elite warriors" explained Bella, at the end of which Kevin smiled proudly as his estimation was correct.

"Pardon me for keeping this a secret, Morpheus was under Noey's direct orders, it made them move in secret, not even one of the other members knew about this group"

Djabo stared fixedly at Bubble, he could not believe there was a secret group he did not know before. But Nia was not surprised at all, instead she showed her usual smile.

"Is he reliable? I mean the task of escort is not an easy matter, you know, so far only the Captain and his representatives have been able to do this task" said Kevin, he fixed the position of the hood of his cloak slightly down. Kevin smiled in anguish as Bella looked at him in annoyance.

"Although still young, Bubble's ability is at least as high as mine" said Bella, who was still staring resentfully at Kevin.

"It's an honor for me to get compliments from you Miss Bella" Bubble said suddenly, smiling as he bowed respectfully. The girl then looked at Kevin.

"My true abilities are still very low, but even so I will try to do my best in this task, I will risk everything, even my own life to protect the Second Aldrich" said the girl again, which made Kevin chuckle.

Nia patted her forehead, seeing Kevin lure those words out from the mouth of the pale blue disembodied girl. Djabo scrunched his forehead.

"Bubble, it doesn't need to be like that, Kevin just teases you, don't think too much" Nia said later. Kevin chuckles in his chair. Bubble looked confused.

"Alright, forgive me" said Kevin then returned Bella's annoyed look with a smile.

"But at least we're sure Bubble will do his best"

Nia rolled her eyes then turned towards Bubble.

"Alright Bubble, you're coming, we're leaving this afternoon, so you still have time to prepare everything, please cooperate" said Nia who was then replied to a steady nod by Bubble.

***

Meanwhile the hospital. Frans was preparing in room 301, in the Wound Wound Section with several other healers. The room was completely dark, the light source coming only from a lamp in the middle of the room, just above a large bed.

The bed was completely white, Noey's immobile body lying there, he was wearing white clothes that were open on his stomach. From his mouth was attached several hoses that drained clear liquid in and out of his body. In both arms a dozen small needles were plugged into each point of Cloe's flow, breaking the flow forcefully. Meanwhile, there was a circular black line, made of coiled mantras, connected with another black line that led straight to the six bronze ornaments around his bed.

Some healers tried to stabilize Noey's weakened heart rate or fiddled with the bronze ornaments buzzing at the end of the room, while the First Division Captain was fighting death.

Not far from there Frans stared at the parchment Meiza had given him, reading it once more.

Some healers were examining another parchment, pouring some colored liquid into the tube or providing other equipment as Kiruru stepped into the room, saying something to one of the healers and then stepped closer to Frans.

"Finally you came" he said, causing Frans to take his eyes off the parchment in his hand.

"Ah, Brother Kiruru." said he. Kiruru asks about her condition, but Frans immediately says she is fine. Before Kiruru asked any further, Frans turned to the nearby healer.

"Warren, I want you to make a potion" he said, handing over a piece of parchment to the male healer, Warren.

"All the materials and details I've written there, remember! make the potion exactly as I wrote it!" frans said firmly, the healer named Warren nodded briefly then left with the parchment in his hand.

"Sister Kiruru, I want the latest report" said Frans, who turned to his deputy. Kiruru nodded in understanding.

"First Division Captain Noey." said Kiruru, lifting the clipboard from the table, reading the parchment. The room is minimal light that makes it must really pay attention to every word written there.

"Some external injuries, and so on, but his critical condition was caused by a poison in his body that damaged most of his motor cells, making him unable to move at all" Kiruru explained.

Frans listened, looking straight ahead, right at Noey's body lying unconscious in bed.

"Until now we can't be sure what kind of poison, this is the kind that has not been listed in the data we have" Kiruru said again.

Frans recalled Iro's earlier words about his ignorance of the poison. If Iro who always deals with poison never sees it, what about him.

"Sir Iro has confirmed the type of poison, he himself does not know it, because it is useless to equate it with the data we have, this type of poison that we have never seen before" said Frans, who was not a poison, more to himself.

"This poison attacks the cells of the body like a living thing, they gnaw it from the inside, looking for every cell they have not touched, propagating to other places" Kiruru explained reading the report in his hand.

"Until now, the poison had almost reached his heart, if they had succeeded.."

"Never while I'm here." cut Frans down immediately. He looked towards Kiruru.

"I'm going to do surgery now, it's pretty complicated, I mean, I'm gonna have a little trouble with all that clothing so." Frans said, glancing at Noey.

"Sir Noey is a girl, so I think I need some privacy here" she said. Kiruru nodded in understanding, she ordered all the male healers to leave the room right then and there.

"I'll check on Iro and the others, I'll be in their room if you need me" Kiruru said, Frans thanked him and told Warren to put the potion he asked for in front of the door.

"I understand" he said again as he then stepped away.

Frans sighed, now all that was left in the room was himself and the five female healers. He looked at Noey and took a deep breath.

"Hygene, Pompona, Ultima" Frans called the names of the healers there who immediately looked back at him.

"I want the three of you to focus on stopping the bleeding that occurred when I started the operation" he said, then switched on the other two healers on his left side.

"Demeter, Emesta, you two help me" he said again, who then got a steady nod from Demeter and Emesta.

"It's going to be a long operation, with my current strength at least we're going to finish it in five hours" Frans rolled up the sleeves of his robe, he also tied his hair behind his head. Frans stepped forward to stand at the foot of Noey's bed.

"I'm going to start with a big surgery, I'm giving you the bleeding that's happening to you" he said again towards Hygene, Pompona and Ultima.

"We're going to get all the poison out of his body until it's left" Demeter and Emesta nodded.

Frans closed his eyes then cast a complicated spell. While he cast the spell, a large enough magic circle appeared just above Noey's body, hovering about half a meter above him. The spell was quite long, an invisible hand as if inscribing ancient words into the magic circle, filling it with light.

On the other hand, Hygene who stood right at the head of the bed and Pompona and Ultima who were left to cast their own spells. Magic circles are formed in front of their hands that extend forward. Demeter and Emesta also cast a spell, making their palms glow, a luminous flame that is tongue-shaped but with a sharp tip, making it look like a large scalpel, which they then used to tear Noey's clothes off.

A sweat dripped down from Frans' forehead, flowing past his cheeks, and dripping from his chin. The magic circle he made was still half finished, but his face had revealed how tired the girl was. But he did not pay attention to his fatigue, until in the end his magic circle was perfect. He opened his eyes, his blue bead glistening sharply.

"Alright, we start" he said again who got a nod from the other five healers.

***

Day by noon. The sun rises from where it rises in the eastern horizon. Some residents were resting before going back to repair the existing building after lunch. There was also a major renovation at the main gate. Dozens of soldiers from each Division clustered together to lift large wooden beams, some cutting off large tree branches that spanned the main gate wall. Some parts of that wall have been successfully repaired by adding some lime plaster mixture.

Not far away, several large tents were set up. The tent contains several existing equipment, including a mixture of lime and water, some stones and medium-sized wood.

Another fine was seen the figure of Iqbal who was arranging the course of the massive renovation. He was wearing a helmet worn by yellow coal miners with a lamp on the front side. In his hand, he grasped a large parchment containing the blueprint of the main gate. He was shouting orders to some people when Dimas came.

"What the hell is your hat" said the Seven Division Captain, who stared at the helmet in Iqbal's head.

Iqbal looked at him.

"Oh hi, as you can see, I'm leading this renovation" he said, there's a bit of a proud tone in it but Dimas is too lazy to ignore it.

"You want some juice?" tawar Iqbal while lifting a teapot containing the juice of the forest Apricot in his hand.

"If I'm told to come just for that juice, I'd better come back" said Dimas lazily.

Iqbal.

"Oh no, of course not." he glanced into the tent behind him.

"They've been waiting for you inside" he said again, Dimas immediately stepped inside the tent, leaving Iqbal who again shouted his commands.

Faruq's bored gaze greeted him as Dimas flicked the curtain of the tent and stepped inside. He saw Kevin sitting there, on a folding chair, discussing something with Zayn.

Kevin who found Dimas had come immediately stopped his chat with Zayn.

"Finally you came too" he said.

"Forget the bases, and go straight to the core" Dimas said reluctantly. He flicked his hand towards Kevin who was looking at him in annoyance.

"You know, my head still feels dizzy"

Iqbal stepped inside the tent. He brought along his woodland Apricot juice pitcher, put it on the table there, then stood beside Dimas.

"Alright, everyone has gathered" he said as he glanced at Dimas.

"Then what's up?"

Kevin stood up from his seat. Look at his four friends. Faruq, who was no longer wearing his armor, was uninspired, while Zayn was still in his seat, twirling around a silver dagger he had previously used to cut apples.

"I called you here to talk about something" Kevin said.

Dimas pulled out a chair and sat there while Iqbal leaned against the desk.

"This time the situation is quite difficult for us, the attack last night was bad for Edenteria" Kevin continued.

Faruq.

"This afternoon Nia will go to the meeting of the Kings in Akiba, while Lian, there are things that he is taking care of himself and then Udzaa still has to recover" said Kevin again, he stepped onto the table, pouring Iqbal's forest Apricot juice into a glass.

"In addition to this renovation, we also need to send an envoy to extend an apology to the royals present at the festival yesterday, this is important for bilateral relations" Kevin sipped a little juice in his glass.

"So you mean, you want us to be the messengers?" faruq. Kevin.

"You know, we could send some troops for that"

"If that's the case, the royals will assume we don't respect them, if Aldrich can't do it, at least we should go" Zayn said, taking the apple and cutting it.

"Persis like that" said Kevin agreed. Faruq sighed.

"Come on, I haven't had enough rest" Dimas complained, he just got some time to sleep after a night of banging with a bunch of zombies.

"And I also have to finish this renovation" added Iqbal, who poured juice into his glass.

"Or maybe we can call some Void to speed up a bit." he said again who was then stopped by Dimas' sharp gaze.

"I don't want to" he said firmly. Iqbal shrugged his shoulders and drank his juice.

"I get it, I don't mean to do it today" Kevin explained.

"We can leave tomorrow, after a break or whatever" he said. At that moment there were sounds from outside the tent, Iqbal immediately rushed out of the tent to make sure.

"What can you do then" said Dimas reluctantly, as did Faruq.

"In addition I have also mobilized some people to join the guard group, I think it is enough" he said again.

Kevin nodded. Faruq and Zayn also said the same thing, they had both ordered each of his Divisions to stand guard at every perimeter of the kingdom. Iqbal went back inside the tent, reporting that they lacked some materials for construction. Kevin suggests resting the soldiers that day, while he arranges for a group to go get another material.

"Or maybe we can order it directly, but I'm afraid it will take a long time to get here" he said.

"But I didn't think the damage would be that bad"

"I told Lian that Udzaa will make us make a major renovation" Iqbal said, staring at the blueprint of the main gate he opened on the table.

"But I never thought, most of the damage was caused by his Cero"

"We won't have the main gate again if it's my Cero" Dimas said softly in a sneering tone.

"Or my Cero" sambar Faruq.

"And whoever it is will die beaten by Brother Noey" said Kevin later. Iqbal chuckled in his place while Zayn smiled obliquely seeing Dimas and Faruq paled.

***

Udzaa stepped quickly through the hospital corridor, beside which Kiruru tried to equalize her steps. The two of them had just met in the room where Iro and the others were, after hearing Kiruru's words about Frans who was doing the big operation, Udzaa immediately stepped away to the room where Noey was being treated.

".. after all Noey must immediately get treatment, or else." said Kiruru while still equating his steps with the fourth Aldrich.

Udzaa ignored him, he pushed the door to the passageway of Luka Gawat. Stopped in front of room 301. Kiruru held him back, she blocked the door with her hand.

"You can't go in, this operation needs special privacy." he explained, who got a confused look from Udzaa.

"At least that's what he said.."

Udzaa looked at the door in front of him, it had a small window above it, but the curtain was closed so he could not look inside. Beside the door he saw a male healer with a trolley carrying a large cauldron filled with potions, he immediately stood up and looked down respectfully upon seeing the arrival of the fourth Aldrich, Udzaa gave a brief nod.

"He hasn't fully recovered yet" Udzaa said for no reason.

"I know, but even the Captain had no other choice." Kiruru replied.

Udzaa fused his palms together, he stared at the porcelain floor under his feet meaninglessly.

"How's the condition?"

Kiruru looked at him briefly, then leaned back in the chair, she stared at the ceiling.

"Actually I can't say he's doing well, worse than I've seen him all along"

"The girls.." Udzaa clenched his hands.

"They always push themselves"

Kiruru chuckled, Udzaa turned to look at her.

"It's funny to hear those words coming out of you, if you ask me about who has never seen his own condition before acting, I won't be able to answer them" Kiruru said, he pulled out a book from behind the white robe he was now wearing.

"Because we'll all always do anything to help a friend without thinking how we're going to be"

Udzaa. In his heart he approved Kiruru's words. He could feel that, plunging into battle to protect a friend was nothing new to him, he had instilled it since. That somehow made him remember something. At the thought of that, the door of room 301 swung open.

Frans stepped out of the room with a pale face, streaks of sweat slipping from his forehead, strands of his blonde clinging to his cheeks and forehead. Udzaa stood up from his chair. Frans looked at him with tired eyes, his blue bead was dim, but he still said in a raucous voice.

"Everything is going well, there is nothing to worry about" he said weakly.

Udzaa wanted to say something but Frans turned his gaze toward the male healer who jumped up from his seat.

"Ah Warren" he said, he glanced at a large cauldron on a trolley not far from Warren. He looked into the cauldron, then with a small spoon he took a little potion and tasted it.

Frans was silent for a while then put the little spoon back into place. He said the potion was perfect.

"Give this herb as an infusion, no need for anything else, but before that give also a little herb for Kak Iro, Kak Mou and Dinda, they also need it"

"We need to make it a lot, I think it's worth saving, and also copy the notes I gave you and save them with the other ingredients' data"

"Pompona is taking care of some external injuries right now, she will be out in a moment, just give the potion to her, you can go to Sister Iro and the others" Warren nodded in understanding.

Kiruru got up from her seat.

"Captain are you okay?" Frans nodded weakly, then smiled at him. He turned to Udzaa.

Frans looked weakly at his brother, he saw an anxious look on his face. Then Frans also smiled weakly at him.

"What the fuck is your face, it doesn't suit you at all" he said weakly.

But a second later his consciousness disappeared, his body fell in front of Udzaa who immediately caught him. He still had time to hear Udzaa calling him, after which it all went dark.

***

In the afternoon, Iro, Mou and Dinda are allowed to leave the hospital. Iro who forced to see Frans condition had to give up when Udzaa forbade it, as well as Mou who was so adamant, but then fell silent when Udzaa firmly said that Frans needed a complete rest.

The three of them separated in front of the hospital, Dinda immediately went to the sweet shop at the end of the city, saying that Meiza would not be able to stop him at this time, while Iro and Mou walked together towards the castle. They met Nia at the castle door.

"Travel far?" ask Mou. Nia turned her head as Mou and Iro came.

"That's how" he answered briefly.

A moment later Djabo came with Meiza who was carrying a large backpack on her back. Djabo wore his battle clothes under a traveling robe, his six swords draped to the right-left of his waist. Meiza, who was carrying a backpack, was wearing her red robe, and her regal robes were still folded over her backpack.

"Sorry too late, this girl is very troublesome" said Djabo with a big smile towards Nia. Meiza immediately hit the back of the man until he fell to the front.

"I'm sorry, accidentally" he said flatly.

Mou asked about their goal, and after she knew that they were going to Akiba the Fourth Division Captain groaned.

"Arghhh why not just me"

Nia chuckled, saying that she didn't know anything, Kevin arranged it. That's when Kevin came with Bubble.

"What's this about? I heard my name called" he said.

Mou pointed at Kevin's face in annoyance, saying why it wasn't her who was assigned to Akiba.

"You're lying helplessly in the hospital, what kind of man would I be if I involved a weak girl helpless to take part in a mission?" kevin defended himself. But Mou did not accept it at all, he raved unclear about justice and women's rights that would last a long time if Nia did not stop it.

"Keep your scolding later Mou, you're free to scold Kevin as much, but now I have to go" Nia said with a smile, Kevin looked at the second Aldrich with a gaze that seemed to say 'oh, thank you very much, I'll really enjoy the chat'.

"So.." Nia looked at Djabo, Meiza and Bubble.

"You guys ready?" tanyanya, the three nodded. Nia looked up at the orange-colored sky. The sun was tilting further west as they spoke.

"It's late in the afternoon, so we'll use the fog to get to the train station in Yunbin village before dark" he said again, then stared at the three of them.

"Ah, ano.sorry Mr. Aldrich, I can't.." Nia looked at the talking Bubble while raising her hand.

"Oh, I forgot, I'm sorry" he said then gave a look towards Meiza who was listening to Iro's story about Noey who managed to run the operation.

"Meiza, please help Bubble yeah"

"Oh well, I mean of course." he said with a smile towards Bubble, he took off his backpack from his back and threw it at Djabo.

"I brought Bubble, at least bring my backpack" he said again as Djabo tried to raise his voice.

Finally Nia managed to ease the quarrel of the two, the day was getting late, so they had to leave immediately. Kevin, Iro and Mou retreated a few steps while Nia and the others faded into fog.

Nia joined first with the fog and darted into a white mist into the sky, Djabo followed after. Meiza had to focus longer because Bubble was with her.

"Holding my hand" said Meiza, Bubble clasped his hand before Meiza started pounding. Fog emanated from Meiza's body, surrounding the two of them, until they fused together, pounding as white mist and streaking across the twilight sky.

Kevin, Iro and Mou stare at the path of the white fog that Meiza left behind.

"I remember the first time I did it" said Mou suddenly, Iro turned his head towards her.

"It feels like you're more willing to walk around this world than to let your feet evaporate into barbeque smoke" he said, making Iro laugh, Kevin looked at him with his eyebrows raised.

***

Frans opened his eyes, and found himself in a room scented with herbs. His head was dizzy, his legs numb, his vision a little blurred, but a touch in his hand removed all that.

Udzaa stood right beside his bed. His Onyx beads flashed sharply, but Frans was still able to find an anxious look on his brother's face.

"Good morning" said the fourth Aldrich.

Frans could not help but smile at her, clearly, he could see the dark sky outside the window of the room, but Udzaa said good morning.

"You think I'm stupid, there's no morning with dark skies" Frans said weakly.

"Oh of course there are, people sometimes call it the morning blind." Udzaa said defensively but Frans cut it off.

"I can smell the roast meat from the hospital cafeteria, which fool roasts meat in the morning blind"

Udzaa smiled broadly.

"It's fine that I lose" he said.

Frans tried to get up, Udzaa tried to ban him but Frans insisted, now he was sitting in his bed. His body still felt weak, but his head was no longer dizzy. Asked how long he had been unconscious, Udzaa said he had been unconscious for several hours, but felt like days.

Frans asks again about Noey, and Udzaa tells him that Kiruru is taking care of him. But it gave Udzaa the memory to go back to scolding her sister. With her hands on her waist Udzaa scolded her like a mother scolding her child. I don't want Frans laughing at it.

"I'm fine Mom" he said, laughing again.

Udzaa then offered a glass of the potion Kiruru had left for Frans. The potion was the same potion that Warren had made before. Udzaa stared at the glass for a while then handed it to Frans.

"Do you know how to make Felixia Gourment?"

Frans who had gulped his potion looked at Udzaa in confusion.

"You mean this potion?" Udzaa.

"So her name is Felixia Gourment?" Frans stared at the bluish potion in his glass. He remembered all the ingredients and the way to make it clear.

"Poppy told me to drink it this morning, he said it would reduce the effect of the poison, and then I knew it" he explained, now that after drinking the blue potion his face was back to light slowly.

Udzaa rolled her eyes, forgetting that her sister had such abilities. Frans can find out all the ingredients and how to make a food or drink just by tasting it. Frans looked at Udzaa confused with raised eyebrows, Udzaa flicked her hand, telling her she was okay.

Silence ensued, Frans stared at the potion in his glass in silence, while Udzaa suddenly felt that the ceiling of the room was quite attractive. Only the sound of the wall clock and the sound of the healing footsteps in the hallway were heard at that moment until Udzaa broke the atmosphere, he grabbed something from under his cloak, a small bottle filled with a pale yellow liquid.

"Poppy told me not to use Cloe too often" he said, giving Frans the small bottle, reaching for it.

"Also, put the herb in your food or drink once a day" he said again. Frans nodded in understanding.

Then it was quiet again, but it didn't last long. This time Frans spoke.

"Sister.." Udzaa who had just bitten an apple stared at him.

"I think there's something weird on my back, can you please check?" the door is weak, the blue bead looks dim. Udzaa understood, he stepped behind Frans who took off his white robe, then slightly lowered his clothes until his back was visible.

There, just below his nape, a weakly glowing yellow Candellion. Udzaa looked at him, The celestial Candellion was not supposed to glow. He saw a clear imprinted mark over the Candellion, a cross-section there, where the dagger wound that Zach threw last night. Surrounding him Udzaa saw the black lines of seals added by Poppy fade away slowly. Udzaa placed his hand on top of the Candellion, a moment later he felt a great anger flowing from the Candellion.

"Ughhh!" Frans frowned feeling the pain of his wound.

Udzaa casts a short spell, creating a new seal on top of Poppy's seal that has disappeared completely. He finished it immediately, then Frans returned to fix his robe.

"For a while I freed you from the task of exiting the kingdom" Udzaa said later. Inevitably Frans nodded in agreement.

"I felt very angry when Brother Noey fell after receiving the attack of the man" said Frans suddenly, Udzaa who returned to his seat turned her head towards him.

"Then for a moment I felt like tearing him apart"

"Don't worry, it's normal, everyone will feel that way if they see their friend being hurt in front of their eyes" Udzaa said, soothingly, as she bit her apple again.

"But before, in the middle of the festival, my back hurt, I mean, the crystal was like burning" Frans said, recalling the strange things he felt during the festival last night.

Udzaa was silent in his place, he did not bite his apple again. His mind drifted to that night, where he removed the seal of Kiso Boukutten from the coral Tiara. Udzaa realized that Frans had been staring at him since. He tried to look like nothing happened.

"Maybe it's just your feelings" he said later, but he immediately said again before Frans asked.

"I'll leave you now, so take a break" he said.

Frans nodded again, he stared at the potion bottle in his hand meaninglessly until a hand gently patted the top of his head. He looked up, finding Udzaa smiling at him.

"Not to think about it, you're the fourth Aldrich's sister, nothing will happen, I promise" he said, inexplicably making Frans smile.

Then Udzaa put a red scarf on her lap.

"Although it has entered spring, but the air still feels cold, keep yourself warm" said Udzaa who then stepped towards the door.

"Yeah, Mr. Aldrich" Frans replied with a smile. While the door of the room swung shut, leaving a silence accompanying her, warm with her red scarf.

***

The night had come, the sun had changed places with the moon now staring at the sky with the dust of the spring stars. Everyone had stopped their own work, except for the guards who remained in his position.

Some of the lights that have just been installed around the renovation area began to turn on one by one. Some soldiers came to take turns guarding duty at the main gate, the rest spreading themselves out the gate. Several groups of soldiers rushed into the forest, walking up to the border of the Edenterian perimeter. There had been waiting for another group who had been on guard since morning.

The bonfire was already lit in the middle of a field hidden among the dense forest, several small tents were set up around it. The new group came to report, then replaced their duty of guard.

Jose, who was leading the guard in the western forest, was sitting facing the fire. Someone stepped towards him, reporting about the turn of the soldiers. Jose nodded briefly.

"Miss, you can go back to the city, we'll be on guard here" said one of the soldiers who had just arrived, but Jose refused, wanting to stay.

The Fourth Division Vice Captain was still speechless staring at the bonfire in front of him. His black hair that was not too long was tied up, sticking out sharply behind his head. Makes his head look like a pineapple. His forehead was covered in irregular bangs, some strands of hair sometimes fell down covering his eyes. Her face looks beautiful with Tan's charming skin, although she does not like feminine things that make her look more like a man. He wore a brown robe over his net-clothes, his legs wrapped in his white shorts. One of his legs was wrapped around a white bandage to the end. A sword he leaned against the big tree next to him.

The night wind was blowing slowly, shaking the branches of trees. The tongue of the fire licked wildly as it blew in the wind, moving the shadows randomly. Jose plucked the grass at his feet, threw it for no reason into the fire. Someone stepped towards him from behind, Jose squinted his eyes, quickly snatched his sword then turned back while unsheathing his iron blade.

Akuma stood there, smiling obliquely, showing off his row of pointed teeth, as if nothing had happened when Jose's sharp blade was only half an inch from his neck.

Jose rolled his eyes, he stepped back while re-sheathing his sword. He blew his hair that covered his eyes in annoyance.

"I almost killed you" he said, sitting in front of the fire.

Akuma chuckled at hearing it, he stepped closer with a clattering sound coming from the chains behind his body. The chain wrapped around his hands, extended long to his back, connected with a pair of large red serrated axes there. Tonight Akuma was wearing an uncomfortable sleeveless leather coat with a high collar on the back, he was wearing no more clothes under it, revealing the chest of his field adorned with scars in various places.

"It's still 100 years too soon to kill me" Akuma said.

Jose didn't pay attention to it. He looked back at the fire in front of him. Akuma sat next to him. Jose looked at the man from the corner of his eye.

"What are you doing here? your post isn't here"

Akuma grabbed his drinking bottle, he gulped it down. Jose smelled fire whiskey from the bottle.

"I was just visiting" he said then sipped back his drink. Akuma offered Jose the girl replied with a cynical look.

"I'm not a drinker like you"

Akuma again chuckled, he then started talking about the guarding task given to them. He thought the task was boring. I don't want Jose to agree to it in my heart.

"Djabo and Meiza, they were given the task of escorting the second Aldrich to Akiba, I saw them passing through the sky" he said.

"But I don't envy the two of them, all I want is a fight" Akuma said again in a slightly creepy deep voice. Jose glanced at him for a moment.

"Not to worry, I have a feeling you'll get it in the near future" Jose said. Akuma grinned at him, then laughed. The man embraces Jose's shoulders whose eyes are perfectly rounded. By reflex Jose broke away from the embrace, then locked Akuma's hand until the man groaned in pain.

"A-aw, alright alright, I understand no embrace, I give up!" he said while patting the ground sign of surrender. Jose took off the man's arm.

Akuma checked his arm, Jose's grip was strong for a girl. But a moment later Akuma chuckled.

"I drew my words, you might have killed me" he said, grinning, with a sharp look from Jose.

The night is getting late, the moon is moving slowly. The wind blows more and more often, teasing the tongue of the bonfire which is now licking wildly. Akuma was gone, the man said goodbye a moment ago to return to his post, having left behind a bag of cookies.

Jose sat down by himself. Some of his subordinates occasionally reported the circumstances around. From the contents of the report, Jose made sure that tonight will remain as calm as it is now.

"Yes except for the weather." said Jose, staring at the roaring sky above him.

***

Lightning rumbled in the sky, pounding loudly. The wind was getting stronger, making the weather feel colder. Yunbin Village is preparing for a storm.

Residents and some visitors rushed to take shelter from the storm that seemed to be coming. The drinking shops are crowded with travelers from various places. Yunbin Village which is a fairly large village has indeed been a terminal between cities for a long time, this village is a link between the two big cities that flank it, making it a stopover. Yunbin Village is also a major route of trade and other economic activities, any goods sent from the port city of Dexter will pass through this village to go to the capital.

"And the train line passes through this village from Dexter" Nia said as she removed her cloak hood. Now he, Djabo, Meiza and Bubble are sitting in a tavern in Yunbin village. Bad weather delayed their journey, and the train that was supposed to be carrying them was suspended until morning.

"The train line is built along the coastal area, with weather conditions like this will be quite risky if you continue the journey" he said again.

A waiter delivers drinks to their booth, Djabo orders dinner for all of them.

"I heard that the bean soup in this village is delicious" he said as the waiter went to get their order.

Meiza looked around. The shop was large enough for the size of a place hidden from the main street of the village. Many people were enjoying their drinks in their rooms. The main table, each seat has been filled by hooded figures. Then Meiza looked towards the other hooded figure who had just passed through the entrance, another hooded group with huge stature stepped behind her. Meiza stared oddly into the entire room, all the diners wearing cloaks and hoods covered, as if they did not want her to be known to others.

When the waiter came back carrying a tray full of peanut soup, the large group that had just come filled the room next to them.

"My feeling is that or everyone here is hiding their faces" Meiza said slowly as the maid left their room.

Djabo who was eating his nut soup glanced to the side, confirming Meiza's words.

"I feel so too"

Bubble who had been silent had also noticed. Nia caught Bubble's movements, the girl was at first glance calm but her eyes were moving like radar, staring back and forth, ready for any attack to come.

"No need to worry" said Nia who stirred her soup bowl.

"This store is like that, in addition to a tavern, this place is also used as a place of prohibited transactions" he said.

Meiza stared horror at the second Aldrich. Djabo and Bubble.

"What??"

Nia told her story about herself who often used this place as a meeting place with Udzaa. The store allows all the secrets that occur in it to remain a secret. The reason Nia chose this place now was to listen to every piece of information she could get.

"You don't have to worry" he said calmly, saying that to them, especially Bubble who had a small nod. Nia smiled at him.

"So, Bubble" Nia had finished her soup, she looked at Bubble who stared back at him. The pale blue-blonde girl had a unique look in her eyes, Nia did not see the slightest hesitation from him.

"I don't know you very well, but somehow I'm like I've seen you before"

Bubble winks confusedly. Then soon mastered himself.

"I'm sorry, but this is the first time I've spoken to you, sir" Bubble said. Nia nodded in understanding then shifted her question regarding the special group Bubble was in. But Bubble refuses to tell the story, as his group moves in secret.

"I'm sorry once again, but we only received orders directly from Captain Noey" Djabo stared in dislike towards the girl as well as Meiza, but Nia just smiled at him, she said, apologizing for asking.

The atmosphere in their room was quiet later, only the voices of the more crowded taverns were heard. The rain was pouring down, along with the strong wind, shaking the glass windows there.

"We are shape-shifters" Bubble said suddenly. Nia who had just raised her glass came to a halt in the air as Bubble spoke, as did Meiza and Djabo who then looked at the girl.

"The reason why I can't say it is because I don't really understand myself"

"Captain Noey not only kept this a secret from outsiders, but also from us as members" Bubble moved unnamedly in his seat. Nia listen.

"I don't know what the other members are like, but all I can say is that we all have the ability to change shape"

Djabo gulped down his drink.

"Changing shape?" asked in a confused tone, Bubble immediately touched his hand and then a second later the figure of another Djabo manifested in the Bubble chair. Djabo, the real one, strangled stifledly, looking at himself in front of him.

"I am the last of my kind, a Glamopoid race, a shape-shifter" the new Djabo, spoke in a Bubble voice. Meiza was so shocked by Bubble's ability that she was speechless.

"Our bass has the ability to read every constituent element of life to the smallest part even with a touch. Then with that information, we reshaped each of our cells to resemble the creature." Bubble explained, raising his hand. Djabo could see a small wound in his lower arm, a wound he had from a small one, Bubble could imitate it in great detail. Then Bubble touches Meiza and within seconds Djabo's figure turns into Meiza

"The voice.." now Bubble spoke in Meiza's voice, making the real Meiza frown in surprise.

"Even Cloe, and her technique" Bubble said again, raising his bluish-shimmering hand, and then a blue flame emerged from his hand.

"Oh impossible, ColdFire my creation" said Meiza when she saw the technique of his creation raked easily by Bubble. A second later Bubble turned back into himself.

"This is one of the reasons why the Captain kept it a secret" Bubble explained, he looked down with sadness, he felt like he had done an embarrassing deed.

"Because if this information gets leaked, he's worried that I'm going to be hunted down, just like my family"

No one spoke, everyone was amazed at Bubble's ability. Although actually changing your own body into something else is not difficult, with the right magic anyone can do it, even for Meiza class who is an Animorph, it is quite easy. But to the degree of mimicking the kind of Cloe and every single one of her maids, that sounds scary.

"I know what you're thinking" Bubble said in a quivering voice, clear liquid flowing from his eyes.

"I'm a monster" he covered his face with both hands.

Djabo reacted first.

"You kidding? that was so amazing!" said Djabo loudly, Meiza had to hit the man's arm to make him close his mouth.

"Hey it hurts" Meiza stared intently at him. Then switch to Bubble.

"Bubble, none of us think of you that way, I understand that you are different, and it must be very difficult for you" Meiza said gently, embracing the girl's embrace.

"Before Edenteria, everyone saw me as a monster, they wanted to kill me, I was treated like a farm animal, traded for their benefit until I finally met the Captain" Bubble spoke to the raucous.

"The captain freed me from the circle of slavery, and gave me life" he said.

Nia was uncomfortable. Indirectly that is what makes Bubble have to tell everything. He raised his hand, then touched the shoulder of the girl, who was staring at him with a strange look.

"It's not just you who's different" Nia said, smiling at Bubble who looked at her in disbelief.

"You must have felt it, right?"

"Al-Aldrich second, you.." Bubble could not finish his words, just a moment ago right after Nia touched him, he could feel every cell of the second Aldrich's body, which was different from everyone else. Nia nodded.

"Cloe's dead, I was born as the only human who couldn't properly drain Cloe, I wouldn't even be able to cast a trivial spell" Aldrich said.

"Even so, I was endowed with a strong body, if you don't believe me, Djabo can give you one of his swords that you can use to cut off my hand, but I'm sure, even scratched I don't" said again.

Meiza followed Nia's example, she removed her embrace from Bubble's shoulder.

"I'm also an Animorph, and if you don't know, I can turn into any animal I want, just that I'm stripped of all my magical abilities in the form of an animal, it makes me easy to attack" he said.

"Oh yes, I missed you in the form of a rabbit like that time" said Djabo chuckling who then returned to get a punch in his stomach.

"The point is, all of us, with all our shortcomings, were destined to meet in Edenteria" said Nia, she refilled her empty glass and then poured drinks in Bubble's glass.

"We can fill each other's shortcomings, and you don't have to feel alone, now you have a friend beside you"

Bubble smiled faintly at the words of the second Aldrich, he swept his tears, grabbed his glass and drank it. A moment later he felt better than before.

The rain is still falling hard out there, some visitors to the store have begun to decrease. Djabo stood up from his seat, intending to find an inn for them, then left.

Meiza recounts some funny events as she turns into a marmot first. Bubble laughed at hearing that. The girl looked more relaxed than before.

"So, can you imitate everyone perfectly?" meiza asked at the end of the story about her adventure to become a bald eagle in the mountains.

Bubble put down his glass, he shook his head slowly and then replied.

"No technique is perfect, I can turn into anyone to the smallest detail, but I still have a sign that shows that it's me" he explained. Nia nodded, while Meiza who wanted to ask again but Nia forbade it.

"That's a secret of his own, what happens if the secret of your change is known to others?" Meiza looked annoyed, but she asserted it in her heart. Bubble laughed.

"But you can turn into anyone you want, right? not just animals" Meiza said with an envious tone. But Bubble shook his head again.

"Not really, so far I can imitate anyone, except the fourth Aldrich and Miss Frans" she said, staring in surprise. Meiza also raised her eyebrows.

"I also don't understand why, all this time I've been able to imitate everyone perfectly, but when I try to imitate them both.." Bubble stopped, he didn't seem to know how to say it.

"The arrangement of their bodies is like different, even more so with their Cloe, completely different"

Nia fell silent. He's a little interested in this. Udzaa does have a great power that may exceed the limits of Bubble's ability to imitate him. But Frans is on a different level, in this case, on a level with the other Division Captains. But why can't Bubble imitate him. The fact that Frans was the fourth brother of Aldrich also cannot explain this, because Frans is clearly not his younger brother.

Nia's daydream ends when Djabo returns to their cubicle, saying that he has gotten lodging for them tonight. After that, Nia no longer thought about it. His argument that the brothers were special was enough to answer his questions.

***

Rain had also reached Edenteria, making Jose no longer able to survive in front of his campfire. The girl was forced into a large tent set up there. Some subordinates offered him a drink, making him remember something.

Jose threw a bag of pastries that Akuma left at the soldier.

"Dry cake, Akuma gave it to me, I think it will fit into your drink" Jose said as he stepped to the other side of the tent, lifting an oil lamp from the table.

"Get me a drink without the alcohol you have" he said.

Jose sat in a folding chair in the corner of the tent after putting an oil lamp on the table beside him. He leaned his back, sighing while staring out of the tent. The rain out there is getting heavier, but that does not mean his troops are willing to stop carrying out their duties. Some people were seen returning to the tent only to pick up water-repellent robes, then return to patrol.

A subordinate brought a large glass of Amonte, placed it on the table. Jose nodded, saying thank you. He docked to the table in front of him, drinking the orange liquid with a straw while still paying attention to the points of water that fell down on the ground out there.

The wind blew quite fiercely, making the air that night quite cold. But Jose did not move at all from where he sat enjoying Amonte, even though just taking his coat on the other side of the tent, he did not feel cold with the clothes he was wearing at this time. He was not alone in the tent, some soldiers were resting. Some of them took a place to sleep in the corner of the tent, others were enjoying their drinks while chatting not far from where Jose was sitting.

Jose squinted his eyes as he caught the movement, one of his soldiers coming over with his friend. Jose turned his head towards him, finding a male figure no older than him staring doubtfully. Behind him a girl with the same appearance, a brown robe that was wet because of the rain he had not had time to remove from his body. Water dripped from the end of his muddy robe.

"What's wrong?" Jose asked them both. He caught the movement of the girl standing in the back, he encouraged the fellow to talk.

"Sorry miss Jose, I want to report something" Jose listened.

"Actually we both found a landslide on a rocky cliff not far from here" said the man hesitantly. Moreover, when he saw Jose raise next to his eyebrows, confused.

"Then why?"

The man looked afraid to say it, it made his partner furious, hit the man's shoulder hard then stepped forward.

"Sorry Miss Jose, but we think the landslide looks unnatural, especially on the rocky cliff" she said. Jose thought for a moment, but did not answer.

"We, that is to say me and my partner, had an escort mission with a few others, we escorted one of the nobles to come to the festival, we passed through this area, the cliff was still intact" obviously the girl again, Jose is still listening.

"You know last night's attack could've been.." but Jose's words were cut off by the girl. Actually he was a bit annoyed when the girl dared to cut his words.

"I thought so too, but looking back on the pattern of overnight attacks, this area had absolutely no reason to touch, the distance of this area was further than the other side of the border" Jose was speechless. He stirred Amonte without interest.

"I heard the fourth Aldrich fighting at the main gate, and the huge explosion that made the sky momentarily bright was due to the fourth Aldrich technique." said the girl.

'Jose's inner 'Cero' while listening to the girl's explanation of the technique that the fourth Aldrich used last night, then looked at him. The rain outside the tent was slightly eased, though not completely. He pointed at the girl who was trying to explain something with a straw in her hand.

"What do you really want to say?"

"A-I want to ask, did the technique that the fourth Aldrich used have a big impact? I mean, even for areas far from the attack line" inevitably Jose fell silent. He thought for a moment.

The rocky cliff area is quite difficult to experience landslides even by heavy rain. Jose looked at the two people standing in front of him, they had confirmed that the cliff was still intact on the day of the festival, then tonight the cliff had landslide. Jose turned his gaze elsewhere, he thought. The girl assumed that Aldrich's fourth Cero might have caused the landslide, but Jose heard a tone of doubt there.

Jose knew he couldn't make Cero, so he didn't know how powerful the technique was. But he believes even the impact will not happen outside his attack path. A moment later the girl again said, but Jose cut her off. The rain out there has changed with a little drizzle.

"Take me there" said Jose.

.

.

.

Sraak.

Jose showed his feet on the rocky ground. He lowered the hood of the robe he was wearing, some water spots immediately greeted him, showering him with a small speck. Jose stared straight ahead, where a sturdy cliff was, at least before something destroyed it.

Jose stared directly at a landslide that two of his subordinates said. He tapped his feet on the ground, checking the density of the soil. But for nothing, what was under his feet now was a stone that could not be destroyed accidentally.

But the reality is that the cliff was destroyed at the edge, launching the rock that makes up the cliff slumped down the cliff, falling over a portion of the river that flows below it. Jose, carefully stepping to the edge, stuck his head out to see how high the cliff was that turned out to be quite high.

"Be careful miss Jose" the girl under Jose said softly behind him.

Jose wanted to answer the girl but his eyes caught the movement of something in the middle of the pile of shattered cliffs. Waving madly in the strong wind, a robe, or rather a piece of robe fluttered.

"Stay here, I'll check" said Jose who then jumped down the cliff avalanche.

Jose pulled the piece of the robe in the middle of the avalanche, escaping it from the large stone clasp. He stared at the piece of the robe. Dull white, shabby but looks new. Samar Jose smelled a burning smell from the robe in his hand. He looked up at the cliff, telling his screaming subordinates to call him that he was okay. Jose went back to the area. He went down further, to the bottom of the cliff. From there the sky looks very far up there, instead the rock cliff wall stands firmly on both sides, a large river flowing from his right with heavy rain that has just fallen. The cliff ruins blocked part of the river, until the water was slightly overflowing where it stands now.

Jose spread his gaze in all directions, intending to return to the top of the cliff after believing there was nothing before his eyes caught a hand sticking out of the rock on the other side of the river.

Jose came to him immediately. Someone was trapped under the rubble. With great difficulty he tried to shift the large stones that fell on that pale hand. Until finally he saw a little girl lying face down unconscious when he managed to move the cliff ruins from it.

Jose tried to resuscitate the girl, he patted her on the cheek several times, calling out to her, but nothing happened. The girl looked pale, she had some wounds on her body, her white hair looked shabby and wet from the rain, the red headband on her forehead was sticky by the blood from her temples. The girl's body felt cold but Jose still felt her heartbeat. Then without thinking any more, he picked up the girl, taking her out of the collapsed cliff.

***

Udzaa closed the sink after washing his face, staring at the reflection of himself staring back at him through the mirror. He washed his face and then came out of the bathroom.

Udzaa stepped into a small room, the walls were painted in a brown color that looks comfortable, Errol curled up on the bed in the corner of the room. Udzaa took a drink from his storage, drank it while sitting in bed.

Udzaa had stripped off his robe, he was now wearing ordinary white clothes. His room lights lit up dimly, creating a dim atmosphere in his room.

"Gero~" Errol blinked when he found Udzaa sitting on the bed with a bottle of fire whiskey in his hand.

"I don't think you're going home gero~"

Udzaa squinted her eyes at Errol.

"You intend to sleep there like that?" he said, Errol showed a big smile. Udzaa swung her hand in the air, making Errol be thrown magically from her bed.

"Now!!" growled the gray frog. He tried to say something or rather swear, but Udzaa said it first.

"You remember when I took off the reef Tiara seal in the Research Division?" he asked, staring without interest at the table across the room. On the table a frame shows a picture of him with Frans the day he was named the fourth Aldrich.

"I saw something just before the explosion, like a person's memory, you felt it too, right?" Errol nodded.

"You know, Frans felt it too" said Udzaa again, sipping fire whiskey in his hand.

"Before, when Frans touched the Tiara.."

"You think it's related?" Errol looked at him, Udzaa nodded. He took something out of his pants pocket. A silver polygon-shaped crystal lay in his hand.

"I pulled it from the Tiara, just after the explosion, the seal covered it, so Lian and Nia couldn't see it"

Errol floated closer towards Udzaa, he looked at the silver crystal in confusion. The gray frog then landed smoothly beside the bed. Udzaa thrust the crystal into Errol's hand.

"It's very similar to.."

"Yes, I also thought so, moreover I felt a strange thing when I touched it" Udzaa, once again staring at the frame on the table.

"The same feeling I had when I touched Frans' Candellion"

Errol looked at the crystal in his hand, then let out a small sigh.

"Looks like it's just your feeling gero~"

"Frans have just been injured, it's a tough day for all of us - gero, we better sleep, there's still a lot to do tomorrow morning gero~" Errol said, which was then answered with a nod by the fourth Aldrich.

"But it seems, now we have two Candellion sky gero~"

***

The rain fell again as Lian closed her tenth book. The third Aldrich let out a heavy sigh, he massaged his forehead. The glasses went down to the end of his nose. He was in the deserted royal library. Sitting in front of the fireplace holding a book called 'Black Union List' in his hands. Another stack of books just lay beside his feet.

The fire in front of him was ringing weakly, drowning in the sound of the rain speckling out there. Lian looked back at the book in her hand. He did not find any clues from all the books he read, even in the book in his hand containing more than a hundred names of black guilds that ever existed.

He tries to recall the tattoo in the hands of the mysterious men who attacked their kingdom last night. He has confirmed that it is a special rajah of Battojairu prisoners. The man matches a profile of a first-class prisoner of the magic prison Battojairu named Zach whom he reads in the newspaper. But the sign took the form of two crossed dragon heads, which in the hands of other men he saw that night he could not find anywhere. There is not a single record of the tattoo.

Udzaa knew about the sign, but the fourth Aldrich refused to say it. Lian was convinced that the sign was a symbol for a union. It is only natural that a union has a mark for each member. Jeanne Light Cracker also has a sign to prevent intruders from among them, a sign that is also recorded in the official union catalog book. The mark he was looking for was not listed there, it meant that it most likely belonged to a black union, an unregistered illegal union. But once again he was deadlocked, even on the black union list, he did not find it.

"Sign what it really is.."

"You're still here, the third Aldrich" a voice broke the silence of the library that night. Lian turned her head towards the sound and found Helene staring at him from behind the bookshelf not far from there.

"Ah Helene, are you still here? I thought everyone was gone" said Lian, correcting her glasses.

Helene, the white-robed woman was putting some books back on the shelf. He was wearing half moon glasses, his dirty blonde hair was curled up in disarray. He stepped closer after he finished returning the books to his place.

"I've been in my room since, you know, tidying up some files, the healer from the hospital sending me a new potion file, you know, he said it was a special potion made by Miss Frans who managed to cure Miss Noey and others about the poison" he said.

Lian nodded towards the potion expert woman in front of her. He was relieved to know that his friends were okay, especially about Noey.

"So, what are you looking for?" her question was staring at the pile of books Lian had legged.

"I've noticed since, you keep opening the book with a confused expression"

Lian laughed a little.

"really? does my face look that big?" Helene nodded. Lian let out her breath again. He put the book in his hand on top of another pile of books. He confirmed his sitting position and then looked at Helene.

"You know I was looking for something, I found a sign that I believed to be a sign of a union" Lian looked at Helene's face as she listened to him speak.

"But I didn't find him anywhere, not even on the black union list" he said.

"What kind of sign?" Lian described the sign she was referring to, a picture of two dragon heads crossing each other. Helene paused for a moment, imagining the sign Lian had just said.

"Two dragon heads that cross each other huh, um, what do you mean that's the mark of the Twin Dragons guild?"

"What's? what dragon union?"

"Twin Dragon" said Helene again. Lian looked confused, making Helene have to explain.

"You know I was born in Akiba and grew up there, a few years ago, ten years ago I think, there was a small union of 13 people that just appeared out of nowhere" helene said, she took a seat in a chair not far from Lian's chair.

"Even if it's just a small union, but they do extraordinary things, which even other big unions can't do. Their lunge soon caught everyone's attention, they became a mercenary union that accepted the request for war, even so they themselves determined which side moved in the name of justice"

"In the end they stopped a major kingdom from taking control of the Elven kingdom, the 13 fought alone against thousands of black magicians and more" Helene said.

Lian looked at.

"How do you know so much about them" Helene stared at the fireplace beside her.

"To be honest, they saved me when Akiba was a battlefield all those years ago, my family died, they took care of me and brought me into the special protection of the kingdom" Helene said. He remembered it clearly, like it had just happened yesterday.

Lian stared inexplicably.

"But I didn't find anything about the union at.."

"Of course, if you read the catalogue that Akiba's central kingdom published, they won't tell you anything about the union, they think it's a disgrace" Lian stared in disbelief at Helene, he asked about how the girl knew about the union if even Akiba kept it a secret.

"You remember, my uncle worked in the royal archives there, one day I stole his talk with the King about the union, if you recall, it's been a long time since it seems"

Lian finally understood. He won't be able to find it anywhere because they never want to write it. But Lian still did not get an answer as to why the union was considered a disgrace by Akiba. Helene did not know the answer, the girl said that she was too sleepy to listen to her uncle's talk at that time so she did not know anything more than that.

"But even if Akiba doesn't consider it a disgrace, you may still have trouble getting information about them" Helene said.

"They're very secretive, very secretive, no one even knows exactly how the members' faces are, they always move with the mask" explained Helene again, Lian nodded in understanding.

Lian speechless. Thought glaring. By succeeding he knows the sign does not mean he knows everything. He felt there was still something left behind, a final piece of the puzzle he could not find. Besides, no one knows about this story, but why Udzaa knew about it. Lian realized that the fourth Aldrich had extensive connections out there, even knowing the three great leaders of the Akiba fighting force. Maybe from there he found out, thought Lian.

Helene got up from her chair. He was ready to go home.

"It's night, I'm sorry" he said, having previously said that the strength of the Twin Dragons guild was unimaginable, even far beyond the combined strength of the four Aldrich.

***

In the morning Udzaa woke up to a knock on his door. He came out of his blanket lazily, Errol asleep in his bed, a small bed hanging from the wall not far from the window.

Udzaa strode towards the front door, then opened the door, looking directly at Frans who was standing in front of the door while folding his hands in front of his chest.

"What time do you think it is?" said annoyed. Udzaa ignored him, his eyes were still too heavy to open. Reluctantly he asked.

"Hurry and wash your face, come with me to the hospital" Frans said.

Udzaa groaned lazily, but Frans hit her on the head, making her open her eyes as quickly as possible.

"Aduuhhhhh, it hurts tau" Udzaa rubbed his head, where Frans hit him. Frans stared intently at her brother, forcing him to come with her.

"I just woke up, at least give me time to take a shower and breakfast." said Udzaa weak, his sleepiness began to attack again, but he opened his eyes quickly when Frans intended to hit him again.

"Alright, I wash my face." he said again, intending to go back inside, wash his face and take his robe. But his steps stopped, then turned back to look at Frans.

"Hey, why did you smell something else this morning?" udzaa asked limply, he still could not fight his drowsiness.

"That's exactly what I want to talk to you about" he said again. Frans clucked in annoyance, he put his hands on his waist.

"We have guests.."

.

.

.

.

Finally, with a little coercion, Frans managed to pull Udzaa along with him. The two of them stepped into the hospital which today is slower than yesterday. Udzaa asked Frans' intention of taking himself to the hospital early in the morning, even the healer who usually sat at the information table in the front hall had not come. Frans did not answer him, he pulled the hand of the fourth Aldrich followed him, climbing the stairs until he reached the second floor. They traced the second-floor corridor, turned away from the 'Luka Gawat' corridor and entered the common ward.

The two of them entered the room, Udzaa followed him lazily, her eyes still half closed withstanding the drowsiness, but it did not last long as the fourth Aldrich immediately opened his eyes wide as he set foot into the room.

He gasped, even Frans could feel his brother's hand twitching in his grasp. Frans glanced back for a moment then took off his grip on his brother's hand then walked first, leaving Udzaa glued to the door.

The common ward was filled with beds, there were at least a dozen beds in the room, on the ceiling of the room there was an iron rail on which the curtains hung, which was commonly used to close the beds. All the beds were empty except for one, the bed at the end of the room, which was filled by a girl in white.

What shocked Udzaa was not the girl's whereabouts, but what was swirling in the air at the moment. The air throughout the general ward was so heavy for him that his chest was tight. He felt a strong Cloe pressure, settled in the room, locked up overnight, and jerked out when Frans opened the door earlier.

Udzaa saw Frans who was now standing beside the bed of the white girl. With heavy steps Udzaa approached him. His chest felt very tight, the air around him seemed to refuse to breathe. With great difficulty he finally arrived, standing beside Frans who was staring at him.

"What the hell is it.." Frans did not need to answer because Udzaa finally understood when he looked at the sleeping girl there.

The girl explained everything. Frans' change of smell this morning, as well as the painful feeling he's feeling right now. Udzaa understood with just one look. The girl was peacefully asleep, white-blasted, pale-skinned, some of her wounds had been bandaged in a hurry but more than that. A small, polygon-shaped crystal glowed in the sunlight peering through the window curtains.

"Errol, this is the third" whispered Udzaa, but there was no Errol there.

***