Since their inception in the 4th era, the Paragons of Emet had only ever had one goal: the return of the Harbinger of Destruction, and from the moment of their creation, they had moved towards fulfilling that goal by attempting hundreds of times to recover the Midnight Pearl.
They had failed countless times, losing resources, manpower and so much more in their quest, but they had never faltered for a single moment.
Sayda didn’t consider herself as having the same devotion to the Harbinger as the other members, but as she stood before the entrance to Twilight, staring at the mirror-like surface, she felt a huge boost to her ego.
She had always been proud, but at this moment, her pride seemed to increase by leaps and bounds.
To have completed something that none other had done, what more was needed to prove just how incredible she was.
If not for her, this level of progress was all because of her.
She had captured the werewolf, she had brought him back, she had protected him and finally, now, she stood before the reward for her incredible feats.
Perhaps there was no need to consider running away after all.
With a brilliant smile anchored beautifully on her lips, Sayda shifted her attention to the dog crouched next to her.
She crouched and patted his head. "Good boy, you deserve a treat."
After saying that, she released just enough emotions to place Douglas in a euphoric state, his expression resembling that of a drunken man.
As she stroked his chin, she glanced once again at the entrance to Twilight, savoring the moment before finally rising to her feet.
"Come, our glory awaits."
After saying that, she stopped the flow of emotions into Douglas, sapping him clean of everything until he was once again an empty mess before pulling him along as she approached the door.
Placing her hand on the mirror surface, she found that her hand passed right through.
With a smile, she entered the door with Douglas, leaving behind no trace that they were once there.
Seconds passed before Archibald arrived with Hamon and Anika, the latter duo of which were trembling due to the insane cold.
"... B-b-boss, are we there yet?" Hamon asked as he rubbed his shoulders in a bid to give himself a bit of warmth.
"We are," Archibald replied, trying his hardest to maintain a sense of calm though he was rather nervous.
This was his first time entering Luna’s Dwelling and it didn’t help that there was a Daemon in there.
One mistake and everything would be over.
"As we are going in now, we have to be careful. We can’t risk getting seen."
"By who?" Anika asked.
Taking a deep breath, Archibald replied. "By Her."
Vessina’s laughter echoed throughout her throne room, causing Nadia discomfort though she didn’t dare to say anything disrespectful.
Even if she was her patron, there were stories of Devil Wheel Mystics falling out with their patron devil and she did not wish to join the list.
Finally, Vessina stopped laughing, her expression displaying her amusement as she remarked.
Why exactly would I want you to become a Devil?
"... I don’t know. I just thought it would be better for you."
Listen here child, you becoming a Devil does not do me any good. In fact, it might end up becoming a problem for me. Just look at Sayda’s relationship with Baseth. Those two are always at each other’s necks.
Now then, I believe you should be on your way. Get some rest.
"But Mistress Lilith said something about imparting me with knowledge."
Ah, that is true. What would you like to know?
Within my scope, yes. Mystical knowledge, history... whatever it is you wish to learn about, I’d be more than happy to share.
Pursing her lips, Nadia inquired. "Then I have a question."
"Where can I find the Beast of Erethetri?" Nadia asked.
Vessina grinned as she replied.
They are closer than you think.
Perplexed by the vague response, Nadia made to ask another question only for the scenery to change and for her to discover that she was back in Eventide.
Clicking her tongue in frustration, she got to her feet and prepared to move only for black and white light to appear out of nowhere, catching her off guard.
Alex stepped out of it with Nadia letting out a relieved sigh. "Alex, you startled me."
"My apologies, but we need to go now."
"Why?" Nadia asked, quickly sensing the tension he carried. "Is everything alright?"
"She’s here." Alex calmly said. "the Daemon that killed Arthur."
Nadia’s expression darkened in an instant as her heart palpitated.
Neither spoke as the wind howled, carrying the cries of undead beasts as it swept by.
Memories of that incident flashed in her mind, causing her to take a deep breath while closing her eyes as she prevented herself from allowing her emotions to get the best of her.
She had cried enough, now was the time for action.
"Are we going after her?" She asked, even as she knew that doing so was equivalent to suicide.
"Not yet," Alex replied. "We are having a meeting first to discuss our next move. Come along."
As he spoke, he reached out his left hand with Nadia taking it after which he snapped.
They sat in a circle within Confluence, each person carrying a grave expression as they gained a basic understanding of why they had gathered.
Even Ulysses, who had joined them after the incident, was clearly moved as well, as he shared the same demeanor as the others.
With the atmosphere as heavy as it was, Alex began. "We all know why we are gathered here right now. Twilight has opened its doors and the Midnight Pearl is finally within reach. We should be heading over there right now to retrieve it, however, doing so means facing off against a powerful entity, a Devil Wheel Daemon with the same goal as us."
Taking the time to ensure that everyone was following, Alex continued. "To that end, we shall not be going after the Pearl."