FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Hey there. Here's another backstory chapter of my LoM series, this time focusing on Seif and the aftermath of Panja abadoning his kingdom. It's somewhat of a sequel to the previous story, two years after the events of Metamorphosis. This was written back in 2008, and truth to be told, I haven't proofread it yet, so forgive the number of spelling and grammar errors that are bound to be found, eh?

Anyway, I'll shut up now. Enjoy and let me know what you think! B3

--------------------------------------------------------

Lament of the Moon: Burning Embers - A Kingdom for a Curse

Going through the woods, Seif made his escape from the horde of demons that had invaded his kingdom. He hated to flee and leave his people behind, but he had no choice. If he stayed there he would die. He had to live. Holding his mighty broad sword in one hand and carrying Ardal, his life-long friend, over the other shoulder, he pressed on the darkened woods, hoping that he would eventually find a safe place.

"Master Seif... You don't have to carry me. I can... walk by myself," Ardal, the brown-furred bear, spoke in a weak rumble.

"Don't be a fool, Ardal. You're injured, you can't even stand up," Seif replied, carrying the large bear over his sturdy shoulders with little effort. Ardal injury wasn't fatal, but he suffered a serious cut on his side and a broken left knee, so he was bleeding badly and couldn't use his left leg.

"Then leave me behind. I'll only... hold you back, Master Seif..."

"I said don't be a fool! I'll never leave you behind," Seif crossly growled back at Ardal, the later merely nodding meekly.

"What... what are those things? Where did they come from?" Ardal muttered between his pants, referring to the army of demons and otherworldly monsters that just invaded their capital town and castle this morning.

"I don't know, Ardal. I don't know..." Seif grievingly said, his heart full of remorse for leaving and failing his people. "What I do know that we have survive this. We'll get help and come back to reclaim our kingdom. Now stay quiet and save your breath. We'll get through this together."

"Yes, Master Seif..." Ardal smiled weakly.

Not long after, they came into a clearing in the middle of the woods. It was getting really dark and the sun has already set. Ardal's condition was getting worse and even Seif was showing signs of fatigue, so he decided to take a little break and catch their breaths. He lowered his sword and placed Ardal against the trunk of a tree. "We'll rest here for a bit," Seif said, letting out a much needed breath of relief.

"I'm so sorry, your highness..." Ardal sadly mumbled, feeling bad for troubling his king. He was coughing out some blood, bleeding badly from his waist.

"It's all right, just rest. And you don't have to call me 'your highness'. I'm not your king. Not anymore..." Seif replied jadedly.

Ardal simply smiled, "You'll always be my king, Master Seif."

Seif smiled back, and then scanned the area around him, "I think we lost them," the lion said, but he thought wrong, as suddenly, a group of demons came out into the clearing from behind the bushes. "Damn it! An ambush!" Seif picked up his broad sword and sprung back to his feet, preparing for the inevitable fight. There was five of them, all looking like a hideous four-legged creatures with reddish burned skins and a single horn sprouting from their foreheads, except for the largest of them which had two horns and apparently was their leader.

"It's the King! We found him! Get him! Kill him" the leader growled and ordered his minions to attack.

"Master Seif! You have to run! Don't worry about me, just please, go!" Ardal pleaded for Seif to escape, but the lion stood his ground, sword in hands.

"No. They'll just keep coming after us and more will come. And I swore I'll never leave you behind," Seif said in determination, arming himself with his sword.

"But... your highness..."

"Sit still and keep your hand on that wound. I'll finish this soon." With that said, Seif rushed head on towards the beasts before him. Two of the monsters charged at him at the same time, sharp front claws extended, eager to shred into the lion flesh, but before they got the chance to reach him, Seif swung his mighty huge sword forward, cleaving both of their heads clean off, dropping into a twitching, decapitated heap of bodies. The rest of the remaining demons were extremely stunned at how easily their brothers fell by that brave lion, realizing how he was able to survive thus far. He was certainly no ordinary swordsman. Some of them started whimpering and backing away in fear, but their leader growled at them furiously.

"What he hell is the matter with you!? He's just one man! If you don't move, I'll crush all of you into a bloody splat!" The demon leader snarled, bounding the ground with his front feet, striking even more fear on his fellow minions, which was enough to make them attack Seif, who was more than ready for them. One them charged head straight for him like a raging bull, then leapt as high as his heavy body could carry him, dropping his point horn at Seif. The lion waited for the right moment to come and dodged out of the monster drop attack, making it crash its head into the ground and get its head stuck deep into the earth. Taking this chance, Seif slashed his sword horizontally at the demon and sliced him in half, leaving a fountain of purple blood gushing from the sliced half that was stuck into the ground.

Seif didn't have time to celebrate though, as another one of them charged at him from behind and aimed his sharp horn at his back. Jumping up high in the air, Seif avoided the sudden back attack, and then dropped down on top of the demon's back, immediately stabbing his sword through it all the way to the other side till the tip of the blade dug into the ground, a loud shriek of agony coming out from the damned creature before collapsing.

"DAMN YOU!!" the leader growled frustratingly, deeply infuriated by how effortlessly Seif was killing off his goons on after the other. The remaining one left knew it didn't stand a chance and thought about escaping, but the leader got a strong hold of its horn and hoisted him up high, hurling him at the lion direction in attempt to kill him. Seif was overtaken a bit, but didn't budge and stood firmly in his place, lifting his broad sword over his head and just as the demon was about to land on him, he swung as strongly as he could, cutting the monster in two as both parts of its body fell down on both side of him, a rain of blood raining down on upon him, his eyes full of vigor as they looked straight at, the only one left, the demon leader. "If you think you're gonna defeat me as easily as those weaklings, think again!" The large demon monster roared and stood up on his hinder feet, doubling his height and appearing much bigger, pounding his chest with his fists. He immediately charged over towards Seif, surprising him by his speed despite his huge size. The lion barely have time to react as the demon slashed him with claws, as Seif blocked the attack with his sword, but it was much stronger than he expected and threw him off guard. The demon used his other fist and punched Seif head on, blowing him away and slamming him against one of the trees hard, Seif groaning in pain.

"Master Seif!" Ardal yelled out as he watched helplessly from afar, but he couldn't even move, let alone help his king.

"I'm... I'm all right, Ardal," Seif stood back up on his feet, crutching on his sword. He really felt that hit. That monster was very strong and fast, so there was not a single reason to hold back for even a bit. "Here I come..." Seif breathed, gathering up his strength, and dashed onward for a swift attack. The demon waited for him to come near with a smug leer on his ugly face, and when Seif was a few feet away, he spun himself around and swayed his tail at the incoming lion. Seif held sword in front of him to block his tail swing, his sword wide enough to guard himself from it, but it wasn't fast enough to counter the fellow up attack the demon threw at him, as he lunged at him with his claws again, slashing him on his right arm and pushing him away a few feet back. "Dammit!" Seif cursed through his teeth as he cringed from the sharp pain while the monster snickered, licking the blood that was dripping from his claws.

The demon leader growled and attacked Seif again, throwing slashes after slashes, as Seif struggled to block and dodge each one. He wouldn't be able to last like this for too long. He just wanted an opening, a single small opening for him to counter and turn the table for his favor. However, lady luck wasn't smiling at the lion this day. As he was busy keeping himself from getting slaughtered by the demon's claws, he stepped back against a log and stumbled backward, falling on his back, leaving him wide open for the kill. "Time to die, king!" The demon didn't waste this chance as lunged down on the fallen Seif with his sharp claws, aiming for his neck.

A second before the claws reached him; Seif moved himself to the side and shirked away from certain death, one of the claws just scraping his cheek as they dug into the ground. Taking this chance, Seif lifted his sword and thrust upward, impaling the demon on his right shoulder. The monster growled in both agony and anger, backing off of the lion and giving him a chance to roll away from danger and regain his poise. Seif didn't stop at that and quickly jump at the demon, pointing his sword at the creature's head. But much to Seif's surprise, the demon opened his jaws and clamped his fangs firmly on the blade, pulling it up along with Seif and lifting him off the ground. The demon then started flailing his head around wildly while Seif was gripping tightly on his sword, trying to knock the lion off, smashing him against the hard ground and the nearby trees repeatedly, until Seif couldn't take much more of the fierce beating and finally let go, dropping down with a loud painful thud and grunt.

The demon leader let out a gurgling snicker and spat out Seif's sword, marching over to where Seif had fallen and clutching him from his head, hanging the beaten up lion up in the air. "Not so strong without your sword now, are you?" the monster sneered and threw a powerful punch into Seif's guts, making him groan out heavily. He then brought him into his chest and wrapped his huge arms around him, locking him into a tight bear-hug and start squeezing forcefully. "Hurrrmmm, I'm gonna crush every single bone in you!" the demon snarled and tightened his muscled arms around Seif mercilessly, as the lion grunted out in sheer pain, feeling his bones starting to crack. Seif did his best to resist and break free, but the demon's grip was just too strong. Another tight few moments of this choking torture and he'd squeeze the life out of him.

"Haha! How do you like that, king!? How much longer can you- Arrrgh!" the demon leader was laughing victoriously, but then suddenly screamed out loud, a shearing pain jolting through his back, enough to force him to let go of Seif as the lion stumbled to the ground. "Arrrgh! What!?" The demon growled and looked over his back, only to see Ardal stabbing him on the back with his own sword.

"Let... go... of his... highness...!" the brave bear panted, pulling his sword out and then delivering another deep thrust into the monster's back. He wasn't doing very well himself, but he mustered whatever strength he had in him to try and save his king. He couldn't just watch him easily die like this.

The demon growled again. "Grraagh! You damned little wretch!" he furiously snarled and violently rammed his tail at Ardal, sending him flying to the back and crashing into a tree, Ardal groaning in deep pain and collapsing to the ground, gasping for dear life.

"Ma... Master... Seif..." Ardal breathed with difficulty before losing his conscious.

"Ardal!" Seif cried out and tried to get up, but his body failed him, still in pain from getting his bone almost crushed.

"Time to finish you off for good!" The demon leader snorted and clutched Seif's from his neck, lifting him up off his feet again. He bared his claws and was ready to shred at the lion any moment. Seif struggled to break free, choking desperately, grabbing the demon's fist that was holding his neck tight and trying to yank it apart, but to no avail. He was losing strength fast, but the rage in him was building just as fast, distressed by seeing his friend badly hurt. Seif's hands suddenly started to emit a reddish glow and were generating an immense surge of heat, and the demon felt them burning his fist as Seif dug his fiery claws deeply into his skin. "Graagh! My hand!" the demon hissed, hurting badly and instantly letting go of Seif. "You burned my hand! You! What the hell are you!?" The demon snarled in shock, holding his scorched hand.

Standing up, Seif faced the damned creature with eyes full of wrath; his hands releasing a dazzling burst of flames, unleashing his latent fire power. It was empowering him with renewed and increased strength. The demon grinded his fangs angrily, imprudently attacking Seif with his sharp claws again, but Seif was one step ahead of him and sprinted straight at him, charging a powerful burning fist and punching his way through the monster's stomach, a fiery blast coming out from the other side of his back, causing the demon to scream out vociferously.

"Buwaaaarrggh!" the demon leader cried out, spurting out blood from his mouth, his eyes bulged out and his face showing signs of extreme agony. "How... how can this little... Urrrgh!" the creature groaned in anguish, knowing that he had been defeated and won't survive this blow. Seif pulled his arm out and took a step back, watching the demon cough and twitch in pain. He wasn't going down this easily, though, as the demon made a desperate last attempt to kill Seif, charging at him with his two pointy horns, but Seif saw it coming, as he braced himself and grabbed both horns with each hand, fending him off as his feet dragged him through the dirt some feet to the back before stopping and pushing back against the demon's attack.

The rage was building up rapidly inside Seif's chest; grinding his fangs and gathering up every ounce of muscular strength in his brawny body; he heaved the giant beast up from his horns and lifted him over his head astoundingly, much to the demon bewilderment. And with a thunderous roar, the lion's muscles bulged and flexed greatly, using all of his strength, he tore the demon apart and split him in half, killing him instantly, the beast's guts and innards drizzling down on him like a bloody shower.

As the brutal brawl came to an end, Seif dropped down on his knees, panting heavily, drenched in demon blood, the battle took a lot of him. "Ardal!" he suddenly gasped and mustered enough strength to rush over to his friend, but his heart sank when he reached him. "Ar... dal?" Seif muttered weakly, seeing Ardal's motionless body lying before him. The distraught lion kneeled down, his shaky hands reaching over to the bear, feeling it cold and lifeless. He couldn't last for too long, loosing so much blood and suffering that fatal blow rendered him dead. "No... Ardal... it can't be..." Seif's voice quivered, carrying his dear friend body in his arms and holding him close, tears of grief rolling down his cheek and dripping down on Ardal's peaceful face. He lost everything - his kingdom, his heritage, his people and now his only and one true friend. Never before in his life had Seif felt so much despair and alone. He didn't have the will to move on. He saw no point in living now. To him, fate couldn't be any crueler and wished for it all to end now...

Seif...

Seif...

Seif... Seif...

"Seif? Hey, Seif, you're all right?" Seif heard his name being called and snapped him out from his haunting memories, then felt a hand on his shoulder, as he turned over to look and saw that it was Hazard's, who was sitting next to him around a fire they had set up in the middle of a prairie late at night. "You're okay?" the golden wolf asked him again in concern.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm fine," Seif calmly replied.

"You sure? You looked like you had some nasty thoughts in your mind."

"It's... nothing. Don't worry about it," Sief assured him and Hazard just nodded back with a soft smile, stirring the pot of broth they had boiling over the fire.

It had been almost a year now since that tragic event Seif had endured. Since then, he had been in a journey to find who was responsible for the invasion of his kingdom of Asadia and taking revenge on them. During his search, his path crossed with Hazard's, the famous, or rather the infamous, Millennium Slasher. The wolf decided to join the lion in his quest, figuring that they were sharing the same purpose. Joining them as well was the white lion Panja, Seif's very own cousin and true heir to the Lowefang royal throne, who abandoned his royal heritage and boring wealthy lifestyle at the castle to tag along Hazard and becoming his traveling companion; albeit compellingly at first, to see the world with his own eyes. Panja came to regret that decision when he found out about what happened to his kingdom, when it fell down by a sudden invasion of a demonic army, and ever since then he felt deep remorse towards Seif and was willing to do anything to make up for his selfish mistakes.

"How long has it been now? Five months?" Hazard said, wondering about how long it had been since they joined together. "Sure went by fast. But I guess it doesn't matter, really. Time span stopped having any meaning to me a long time ago," he continued, wanting to start a little conversation with the lion as they sat alone in front of the burning fire. Seif stayed quiet, but he acknowledged what the wolf said. He couldn't tell for sure, but Seif knew he was the same as Hazard. Ever since that day, when Ardal died, something happened to him, something he couldn't explain. There was a blank moment that day that he just couldn't recall in his memory, but something abnormal happened during it, he could sense it. He was cursed by the same curse that Hazard had. The Abaddon curse - a curse that made him an immortal, as Hazard was a living proof of it. The wolf had been alive for around two hundred years now. Seif failed to start imagining what kind of a life Hazard had been through and how it felt to never age all this time.

"How does it feel?" Seif finally spoke.

"Hm?" Hazard's ears perked at the lion's sudden question.

"Being immortal. How does it feel?"

"Oh, you mean that? It's kind of hard to explain... maybe because it's not that much different than living a normal mortal life. Except that you don't age fast. Heh, I guess that's not normal after all, huh?" Hazard chuckled. "It's not easy, though. Not able settle down in one place, always having to be in the move. Watching everyone else age and die around you, preventing you to get attached to anyone. It's rough, real rough."

"I see..." Seif muttered, getting the idea.

"I sometimes resent it. It's like a sick joke of fate. But I came to realize that maybe there's some kind of greater purpose for me to be the way I am, to have this curse. Demons aren't allowed to roam in this world. If I'm the only mean to stop them, then I will. I believe that's your purpose too, Seif," Hazard said as Seif listened intently. Seif wasn't sure about if that was truly his purpose or if he would want it to be, though. But at least, meeting Hazard helped him understand about it and slowly regaining the will and passion he had lost. He saw a good friend in Hazard and traveling with him all these months, he got to know him better and see that all those rumors and stories about the ruthless Millennium Slasher were nothing more than that, false rumors and stories.

"I understand, Barzard," Seif said in content.

Hazard smiled and continued to stir the broth he was cooking, "Damn, the fire's dying out. Where the hell is Panja? He should be back with more wood by now." Hazard wondered. Panja had been away to fetch some wood and water for more than an hour now.

"Speak of the devil," Seif rumbled as the while lion finally came back, carrying some dried wood and branches in one arm and a bowl of water he got from a nearby river in the other.

"Hey! I found them!" Panja enthusiastically exclaimed.

"What took you so long?" Hazard asked.

"Don't blame me! It's hard to find some good fire wood when it's this dark! There's barely any moonlight," Panja complained as he was walking over to them, but then he tripped over a small rock and fell onward, scattering what he was carrying all over the place, as the bowl of water spilled over the fire and put it out instantly.

"Oh crap! Look what you did, you big lug!" Hazard frustratingly barked.

"I'm sorry! But I didn't see the rock!" Panja tried to apologize.

"Damn, and the wood are all wet now. It'll take a while for it to dry." Hazard sighed, making Panja feel bad.

"Stand back," Seif then told them and reached out his right hand over the wet fire wood. His palm started glowing red, and then the wood started to sizzle and evaporate the water, quickly torching into a good flame.

"Whoa, pretty impressive! That fire power of yours sure can come in handy," Hazard exclaimed in amazement.

"I agree! Seif has always been dependable! Ever since we where children, he always knew what to do!" Panja admirably said, but he only received the silent treatment from Seif. Apparently, he still hadn't forgiven Panja for deserting his royal duties and running away from the castle two years ago, leaving everything to fall on Seif's shoulders. Panja's ears drooped sadly. Seif had been treating him harshly like this ever since they reunited, not that he could blame him. He just couldn't feel any guiltier. "I'll go get some more water," Panja muttered meekly and went back to where he came from.

Feeling the touchy tension, Hazard couldn't help but feel bad for Panja. He wished if they could fix things up between the both of them, but he wasn't in any place to interfere. Not now, at least.

"Here you go." Hazard handed Seif a cup of the stew. "Better eat up. Tomorrow will be busy. Will reach Tallim town and hopefully get more information about that necromancer."

"Yes," Seif replied as he took the cup of stew. He didn't want anything else more from this world than to get his hands on the one who had caused him all those miseries - the Ethereal Warlock, a notorious necromancer that had been spreading evil chaos all over the land of Asadia, and the main culprit of the attack on Seif's castle. Nothing much was known about him except for his callous desire to bring an end to nature life. They heard rumors about some priest that lived in Tallim who would have an idea of the warlock whereabouts. The closer they got in finding him, the stronger the desire for revenge grew in Seif.

***

Early dawn the next day, the group of three continued their journey. Seif was wearing a suit of light steel armor on the top, toppled by protective shoulder plates, gauntlets over his hands and a couple of iron leggings, a cloak covering most of his burly and muscular armored frame while he hanged his mighty and broad two handed-sword by his back. Panja didn't have much armor on him, just a leather chest plate covering his wide chest a dark brown sleeveless shirt that showed off his beefy strong arms, only wearing battle gloves on his hands, while he had a strapped long loin cloth wrapped around his waist and over his black leather pants, not carrying any weapons with him since he only uses his fists to do battle, but he was carrying a bag over his shoulder that was storing some traveling necessities in it, like food and money. As for Hazard, who was the shortest of the three, he wore his usual black vest and shirt combo over his strapping golden-furred upper body, a pair of fingerless gloves and dark green trousers that went down to over his shins, his trusty long sword strapped on the back of his belt horizontally like how he always liked it to be.

They almost finished passing through the prairie, when they came across a valley with a huge crevice that stood between them and the other side where Tallim Town resided. The only way to cross the gap was a long wooden bridge that connected both sides. That wasn't much a problem if it didn't look like it would shatter at any moment.

"Oh, this is just great..." Hazard grumbled.

"What do we do now, Haz?" Panja asked.

"What else can we do? This is the only way to cross to the other side. Unless you can fly us there," Hazard answered sarcastically.

"No choice then. We have to cross it. Better if one at a time," Seif then suggested.

"Okay, but who's going first?" Panja asked again, as Hazard and Seif looked at each other once, and then switched looking at Panja. "M-Me!? Why me!?" Panja nervously muttered.

"You're the one who asked. Plus, you're big, we have to test the bridge and see if it can hold on long enough for us three to cross it," Hazard said with a smirk.

"B-But, hold on! That's not fair! Seif is also as big as me! Why can't...!" Panja tried to protest, but suddenly stopped. If he wanted Seif to forgive him, he better show him how much he had changed to the better and prove to him that wasn't the same spoiled prince. "Fine... I'll do it." The white lion sighed, giving in.

"Atta' boy! You'll be fine. Just remember: Don't. Look. Down." Hazard gave him an encouraging pat on the back and pushed him over to the direction of the bridge.

"Easy for you to say..." Panja whimpered as he stood by the start of the bridge, not able to resist taking a peek bellow, seeing what seemed like a certain deep pit of death. He swallowed his throat and shook his head, locking his sight straight ahead. "All right, you can do this, Panja. Here... we... go..." With a deep breath, he held his hands on the suspensions ropes that held the bridge together and took his first step. His big foot stepped into the wooden bridge and it made a nerve-wracking creak, making the fur on Panja's back stand up. Nothing happened though and it held him up pretty well, as the white lion breathed out in relief and gave him enough boost to continue on his way without much trouble, one step at a time. Before long, Panja found himself making his last few steps and finally over to the other side. "Whew... Hey! I made it! I made it! The bridge is fine!" Panja happily hollered from the other side, waving his big arms.

"Well, that sure went unexpectedly too well. Why am I feeling a bit disappointed?" Hazard smirked and Seif let out a tiny chuckling huff. "I guess it's my turn now. See you at the other side, Seif." Hazard nudged the lion on the side and went on ahead, not having much difficulty as the wolf nimbly made his across the bridge, meeting up with Panja soon after.

"Wow, that was fast! If it was that easy for you, why didn't you go first?" Panja suspiciously pestered the wolf.

"Heh, just wanted to see you fidgeting across. It was priceless, by the way." Hazard grinned, making Panja glower scornfully.

The only one left was Seif and he didn't hesitate much, bravely walking over the bridge with bold, slow steps. He almost made halfway, before his cloak started to flap and the bridge began to rattle, as a sudden strong gust of wind blew through the valley and almost threw Seif off balance, but Seif held into the bridge ropes in hanged for dear life, keeping himself steady long enough not to get tossed off to the abyss. Fortunately, the strong wind stopped as quickly as it came, the bridge settling peacefully, a deep exhale escaping him; joined in by Hazard and Panja as they anxiously awaited him at the other end. When he felt it was safe enough, Seif continued to cross the bridge. But then, just when he almost reached the goal, one of the few couple of wooden steps suddenly broke under Seif's feet and he quickly fell down through them. Seif's heart skipped a beat and thought he was a goner, but he then felt a strong hand clutching his own. As he looked up with a blink, he saw that it was Hazard's, grabbing his hand in the last minute and saving him from a long trip down to doom. "Ba-Barzard...?"

"Hang in there, Seif! Come on, Panja... pull!" Hazard grunted, serving as a rescue rope as he held Seif with one and having Panja help pull him back up with the other. They succeeded in pulling Seif up to safety, finally making it to the other side in one piece. "Boy... that was close."

"Yeah..." Seif panted and catching his breath from that startle. If it wasn't for the wolf, he would've certainly fallen off and most likely died. "Thank you, Barzard. I owe you one," the blond lion gratefully expressed.

"Nah, don't worry about it! You would've done the same, right?" Hazard noted, and Seif's grateful expression changed into a troubled one. He honestly wasn't sure if would have done the same for Hazard, or anyone else for that matter. He wasn't sure if he had that kind of compassion any more.

"Thank God, I was really scared! I'm so glad you're safe, Seif!" Panja exclaimed in joy, giving Seif a tight hug. "Are you all right? Did you get hurt?" he then asked worriedly when he noticed Seif's troubled face.

"I'm fine, let's just keep moving," Seif rumbled gruffly and pulled himself away from Panja, walking away ahead of them.

"But... Seif..." Panja murmured sadly, deeply hurt by Seif rigid treatment. He was beginning to think that he'd never forgive him. He then felt a comforting pat on his shoulder and he looked over to see Hazard smiling at him.

"Just be more patient. He'll come around," Hazard said, lifting Panja's spirit a bit, as the white lion nodded back and they followed Seif, continuing their way towards Tallim Town.

***

A few hours after they crossed the bridge, the trio arrived at their destination- the trade city of Tallim Town. They entered the town and saw how big and bustling with activities and people it was. Since it was one of the main trade spots in Asadia, many and all kinds of people from all around the country and outside of it come and go through it to do all sorts of business, ranging from simple poultry and agricultural trading to treasure and bounty hunting, to even slave dealing and prostitution. The group wasn't here for any of that, though.

"Wow...and I thought Asadia was big!" Panja's jaws gaped as he intently admired the town's sights.

"Trust me, I've seen bigger," Hazard commented, seemingly used to big cities like Tallim. Seif was impressed as well. Like Panja, he hadn't seen much of the world outside his own kingdom. Even when he was crowned, he hadn't the chance to go out to neighboring cities and countries. But he kept his enthusiasm at low key, unlike his cousin.

"What now?" Seif asked, inquiring of their next move.

Hazard pondered for a second, "Well, like I always say: When lost, ask around. I say we best split up, we'll cover more ground that way."

"But, what if one of us got lost?" Panja worriedly said.

"Oh geez, stop acting like a royal brat, you won't get lost," Hazard sighed. "Look, we'll meet up at that inn over there." The wolf pointed at a building near the center of the city, next to a water spring where the town folks get their water from. "Hard to miss. You're okay with that, Seif?"

"Yes." Seif nodded and immediately went off on his way to look for information.

"Right..." Hazard muttered with a shrug. "I'll be heading this way. You go that way, Panja. Oh, and I'm warning you- No fooling around," he then strictly said to the white lion, pressing Panja's snout with a finger threateningly.

"What? Puh-lease, Haz! What do you take me for?" Panja scoffed appallingly.

"You don't want me to answer that," the wolf smirked. "Just try not to get yourself in trouble. Remember, you find anything, wait for us at the inn. Later," Hazard instructed him one more time before heading off himself.

"Fine, fine. It's not like I can't take care of myself. I wish if you'd stop treating me like a child, for once." Panja pouted mostly to himself, frustrated that no one took him seriously, especially Hazard.

Panja turned around and started strolling around the town, not having a clear idea how he should start looking for info. He wandered around aimlessly, asking random town folks if they know anything about an evil warlock or necromancer, but with fruitless outcomes. He was getting nowhere and quite discouraged, giving up too fast. Much to his delight, he happened to pass by a pub. He recalled something Hazard had told him before, 'A pub is the best place for information, booze and woman.' He might find something about the Ethereal Warlock and get some drinks to boot, hitting two birds with in stone. He entered the tavern without a second thought, finding it a bit crowded with all kind of people. Making his way to the bar counter, the white lion found a nice empty seat and made himself at home.

"One big mug of your best ale, my good man," Panja called out to the bartender, sitting his bad of belongings on an empty seat right him.

"'Ere ya go, mate." The bartender, a brown, black-spotted hyena passed over a big glass with a big curious leer on his face. "Yer a new face 'round 'ere, ain't cha? Lemme guess, lemme guess... From royal kingdom o' Asadia, am I right?" the bartender stated and Panja blinked in a surprise.

"That's right! How did you guess?"

"Haw, I knew it! Only Asadians look this fancy and dandy. Ye must be workin' for the royal castle."

"Well... I guess you can say that," Panja murmured, knowing that revealing his true identity was a bad idea, learning it the hard way from a past experience.

"Sweeell. So, what brings a refined type like you 'ere?" the bartender curiously asked.

"Uh... actually, I'm in some kind of a mission. Yeah! The castle sent me out to look for someone," Panja burbled the first thought that came though his mind. "You don't happen to know anything about someone called 'The Ethereal Warlock', do you? Big bad guy? Evil sorcerer? Controls the undead?"

The hyena's eyes blinked. "What? No, 'avent 'eard of 'im."

"You sure?" Panja sighed in disappointment. "I was hoping to find any kind of info around here."

"Aww, why the long face? Chin up, someone oughtta know somethin' 'round town. People from all over the world come over 'ere to do businesses, so someone bound to know somethin'. In fact, I'll tell ya something' that might help ya; there's this old fortune teller settled right southern corner of town. He might know somethin' of yer guy yer lookin' for."

Panja's ears perked, "Really?"

"Yup, but hey, look, this drink on me! Consider it a welcomin' gesture to the royal castle." The bartender kindly offered.

"Oh, thanks! That's very generous of you, I'll gladly accept!" Panja beamed brightly and chugged up the big foamy mug of ale in one go. "Ahhhhh... now that's the stuff! This is some excellent ale!" the white lion breathed out agreeably, wiping the foam from his muzzle.

"Ye falter me, sir. Ere, have another mug." The bartender snickered and filled up Panja's glass.

"Umm, maybe I shouldn't. I'm supposed to be looking around and..." Panja hesitated a bit.

"C'mon! Another drink won't kill ya! It ain't often I be this generous!"

"Well, since you put it that way, why not?" Panja grinned with a shrug and gulped the second mug up as well, his cheeks flushing from the alcohol effect as it started to kick in. "Whew, boy... I think I'm done," Panja and reached out for his bag, rummaging through it with a hand and then pulling out a hefty sack of golden coins, taking one of shining coin and tossing it to the hyena as it landed neatly on his paws. "Thanks for the drinks and hint. This is a little something for your trouble."

"Oh! Yer most kind, sir!" the bartender gratefully bowed.

Panja saluted him goodbye and was heading out of the pub, when he large frame bumped into someone all of the sudden, making the later drop to the back and fall on his bottom with a yelp. Panja's eyes blinked as he looked down to see a young red panda dropped on the floor before him, wearing a simple green thin vest on his top and bland brown shorts, rubbing his rear. "Ouff! Oh gosh, I'm terribly sorry, mister! I didn't see you and I was in a hurry, and..." the red panda quickly apologized as he picked up the green beret he dropped, looking up to see the big white lion before, as his big brown eyes widened. "Oh wow... you're so... big!" gasped the red panda, trying to hide the little blush he had on his cheek with his little hat cutely.

"Hey, you're okay, boy? Sorry, I didn't see you either," Panja said and helped the young man up on his feet. "You came out of nowhere. If I didn't know better, I'd say you rammed into me on purpose." The white lion grinned.

The red panda chuckled bashfully, "Oh, you're quite sharp, aren't you? To tell you the truth, yes, I did want to run into you, big guy." He smirked and patted Panja's hard abs in a subtly flirty way.

Panja couldn't resist grinning back, "Can I help you with something?"

"Actually, I might help you. I couldn't help but overhear that little conversation you had with the bartender. I know where that fortune teller lives. I should know, because it's where I live too! He happens to be my uncle, so I can take you to him if you like," the red panda stated and Panja's face shined brightly.

"Are you serious?! That's great! Please do!" Panja eagerly exclaimed. He was beginning to think his luck was starting to change for the better at last.

"No problem! This way, sir! Oh, my name is Akis, by the way," the red panda introduced himself mildly, putting his beret on top of his red head.

"Great to meet you, Akis! Mine is Panja, so you can call me just that."

"Oh, what an exquisite name for such a fine looking guy! Okay, Panja, follow me." Akis grabbed Panja by the hand and took him outside the pub, leading him through the town.

"W-wait a minute. There are some friends of mine who are looking as well, we should go find them and tell them about it first," Panja mentioned as he was dragged by Akis down a street.

"Oh, I don't think that's a good idea. My uncle is a very grouchy old man; he doesn't like it when a bunch of strange people visit him at once. But don't worry, I'll tell him that you're a friend of mine, so he won't mind much and might help you find what you seek," Akis explained, winking back at the white lion. "That's okay with you, right Panja?"

"Err, I guess so." Panja didn't see anything wrong in what Akis said and went along with him until they finally arrived at small usual-looking house at one of the town's ends.

"Here we are! Come right in, Panja," Akis said and entered the house, Panja closely following him in slow timid steps, looking around the inside of the place and finding it quite simple and nothing out of the ordinary, just a single floor house with one living room that had a table on the middle of it and some kitchen furniture on one end, with a couple of other rooms. "Hello? Anybody home? Uncle?" Akis called out around the house, but didn't get any response. "Hmm, looks like he's out. Well, would like to stay for a bit and wait for him? He'll be back any minute now, I'm sure. I can make you a little meal, you look hungry!"

"Uhh, I don't know. Maybe I should go back to my friends. I don't want to trouble you," Panja coyly replied. Akis sure seemed awfully nice for someone who he had just met.

"Oh, don't fret about it! I'd love to. I know, people always tell me I'm pushy, but I just like helping others out, especially handsome looking ones." Akis smirked slyly, stepping closer to Panja until he was just an inch away, placing his little paws on Panja's broad chest and softly feeling the hard muscles, making the white lion's cheek blush red. It was obvious the red panda was coming-on on him, maybe a bit too fast, but he kind of liked it. Akis was incredibly cute and charming looking, in a pretty-boy way, and Panja always enjoyed getting the attention, especially when it was this fast and easy without using his princely status.

"Akis, are you... trying... with me?" Panja muttered incoherently.

The red panda chuckles, "Glad you finally noticed. You caught my attention ever since I laid my eyes on you, big guy. While we wait for my uncle, how about we spend the time... in the bedroom." Akis purred in a soft sensual voice, his paws exploring more of the lion's wide chest, eager to feel those bulging muscles under that leather shirt, while his bushy stripy tail slithered between the lion's thighs and brushed against his groin.

Panja found himself purring back by the nice treatment, but second thoughts still nagged in his mind, recalling what Hazard had warned him not too long ago about not fooling around. "I'm... I'm not sure this is a good idea, Akis. I mean, I find you cute. So cute. But your uncle may come back at minute now, what if..." Panja murmured nervously, but he was then shushed by Akis' lips, who stood on the tip of his toes to reach the lion's muzzle and gave him a soft kiss, making Panja blush harder.

"You don't look like the worry-type, Panja. Relax, nothing wrong will happen. Besides, I want to see if you're just as big here..." Akis smirked after he broke the soft kiss, a paw of his reaching down Panja's body and settling on his crotch, groping the hefty bulge he was having. A light groan escaped Panja's throat, purring huskily, as he grinned back at the devilish red panda; he sure was hard to resist. Maybe he was thinking it; there was nothing better for him to do at the moment and he saw no harm in having a little pleasure. God knew how long the last time he was able to, and when would he have another chance like this. Honestly, what the worse that could happen, thought the now-aroused white lion.

"Alright, Akis. You win. Lead the way," Panja gave in to the temptation, much to Akis' joy, as he giddily guided the white lion to the bedroom, which was considerably small, and only had a single bed made of hay under some white sheets, but it would do the job. They both stepped inside, Akis closing the door behind them and then shutting the windows drapes, making the well-lit room dim a bit, so no one could bother them. Panja was getting quite enticed; it sure had been a good while since he had any kind of sexual experience, especially with another male. His deep affection for Hazard made it even worse for him, since he knew he couldn't have the golden wolf, so he kept those emotions suppressed for a very long time. But now Hazard wasn't in his mind. It was this pretty and delectable young red panda, he already get rid of whatever little clothes he had on him and stood completely naked, except for a silver necklace he had around his neck that was only now noticeable. His slim, well-figured body and white-and-orange-colored fur shined attractively, a visible sheath located appealingly between his legs, Panja's blue eyes gleaming admirably as Akis returned the keen stares with a cute giggle.

"Well, how about we start this by getting rid of these bothersome clothes, hmm?" Akis grinned as he stepped towards Panja till he stood before the large lion, grabbing the bottom of his shirt and pulling it up and off of him, revealing his massively muscular upper body. "Oh my! You're more powerfully built that I pictured! You're like a Greek god! So strong and burly..." Akis cooed dreamingly, his paws zealously feeling up the white lion brawny abs and chest, kneading them lovingly on his sexy Pecs as they flex attractively to his touches. "Hunky buff guys like you are the reason why I strictly like men." He whispered sensually, nearing his small muzzle over Panja's broad chest and planting it with passionate nuzzles and kisses, his dainty playful paws moving over to Panja's waist, caressing it while holding on to the hem of his pants and steadily trying to pull them down.

Panja purred pleasantly, taking pleasure in Akis' sweet worship and adoration; that little red panda sure knew how to push a man's buttons. He soon found himself loosing his pants as Akis managed to undo them and letting them slowly fall down to his ankles, leaving the big white lion totally nude, except for his gauntlet gloves, that he personally took off and put them aside, then pet the young panda's head caringly. Akis leered widely up at Panja, feeling the lion's member poking his belly, before he took a glance down to see and his eyes bulged out from the sheer size of it.

"Holy mother of...!" Akis let out a soft gasp of surprise, staring down at the lion's black-colored cock, already out of its sheath and growing in size. "It's so big and thick! Oh, so beautifully big and thick..." the red panda joyfully mused, reaching down for the hunk of meat and stroking it gently, feeling it throb and erect harder between his fingers, much to Panja's pleasure as he purred enjoyably. "Oh my, it's getting so big! I haven't seen anyone as big as you, big guy, and I've seen a lot! God, I think I'm in love!" Akis gleefully exclaimed, stroking Panja's erection with heart content to the point he barely able to wrap his fingers around it, resorting using both of his paws to grope it fully.

"Uhmm... quite flattered, but how long are you going to keep admiring it only?" Panja grinned smugly and winked down at the blushing Akis.

"Oh, eager to play now, aren't we?" The red panda giggled and took a step back, pulling Panja with him by the hand then guiding him over to the bed, making the big feline to sit on the edge of the bed while Akis made himself comfy kneeling down between Panja's legs, face to face with the leonine thick cock that was temptingly dripping with some pre from the fat tip. Akis licked his lips, grasping the base of the lion's member and pulling himself closer, dragging his wet tongue along the underside of the black shaft, wetting it with saliva and tasting the lion's essence, sending sharp shivers through Panja's nerves and making his throb harder, oozing more of his pre as it trickle down Akis' muzzle and snout, enticing him to lick and slurp even more. Panja's fuzzy cheeks flushed hotly as he softly groaned and panted, looking down at the cute young panda as he was doing a splendid job pleasuring him orally, lapping his warm tongue all over the lion's veiny shaft, stopping occasionally to go lower to nuzzle the hefty furry balls, giving them some tender suckles and nips, forcing some sharp groans out of the burly lion, before going back to concentrate on the thick cock, licking away every trail of precum greedily, as well as caressing his thickly thighs and kneading his way over to those sexy muscular buttocks, getting nice handfuls of lion buns.

"Oh... ouh... uhm... oh, Akis... you're good..." Panja groaned, his tongue rolled out in lust.

"Mmmm... I haven't even started yet, big guy," Akis murmured with a devilish grin, giving the sensitive slit gland one more lick before opening up his maw and taking -n the lion's thick meat. The red panda was overwhelmed by the thickness of the cock, adjusting his seat and twisting his head in a curved angle, trying to down as much of Panja's meat in his throat, suckling and slurping on the hunky member heartily and noisily. Panja's head swam with pleasure; Akis wasn't kidding about being with a lot of males, because he was doing a wonderful job, sucking on his throbbing hard shaft so expertly, amazingly swallowing more than half of his length down his gullet without getting himself choked, slightly gagging occasionally from the thickness expanding his throat and ingesting whatever shots of precum the lion leaks.

"Ouhh... Ouh, God... Akis... oh, Akis... so good..." Panja horny groans turned sharper and louder, his arousal building up in a rapid pace, the immense pleasure hazing his senses, letting out a soft gasp as Akis pawed his heavy ballsack, fondling and squeezing it, feeling how so full it is and just eager to empty its mil{y contents. Just when the intensity almost reached its peak, Akis pulled his muzzle out, leaving' a slick trail of drool and bringing the wondrous blowjob to a sudden halt, much to Panja's chagrin. "Wh... Why stopped...?" Panja panted irritably, losing his sensual tempo.

"Mmmm... I don't want it to end this way," Akis hummed, licking his own chin sultrily, as he stood up and climbed onto the white lion's lap, his knees sitting down between Panja's hips, pressing himself against the lion beefy chest and lovingly nuzzling his muzzle. "I want you to burst your l/ad inside of me„" the red panda purred, holding up one of Panja's hands and bringing it up to his lips, suckling on the middle finger with a seductive moan, coating it with his slippery saliva, then moving it down all the way to his rear, guiding the lion's big palm to his butt cheeks, his wet cock aimed directly at his tailhole, pushing it up and inserting it in, a soft whimper coming out of Akis' lips as Panja(started fingering him a bit, preparing him for what to come. "Uhhnn! Even your finger is big, Panja...everything so big about you, you hunky, handsome stud." Akis moaned, massaging the lion's strapping shoulders while bracing himself on them, giving his rough muzzle some tender kisses and pecks, the young panda's own erection stroking against the large feline's belly fur.

Panja smirked at this and soon pulled his finger out after stretching his ass enough, gripping Akis' hips firmly and pushing him down, his stiff warm erection pressing up between the red panda's taut buns, a sending an excitable shudder through Akis' whole body, his stripy bushy tail raising high and wagging around, just eager to be penetrated by him. "Do it, big guy," Akis uttered under his hiss and Panja gladly complied, pushing the young panda's hips down and impaling his ass with this thick throbbing cock. "Aahhhn! H-Holy crap! Oh! Uhn! Oh G-God! S-so b-big...!" Akis cried out sharply, his tight tailhole being expanded by inch after inch of hot lion meat, his claws digging into Panja's muscular shoulders and just gasping for mercy.

"Unf... ouh, damn, you're so tight, boy..." Panja grunted, his cock just exploding from the utter tightness of the young panda's ass, and continued to push more of his size into Akis until he could push no more.

"Ouh... ouh, Panja... P-Panja.... H-Hold on! P-Please! Oh, God... so... big! Ouhn..." Akis whimpered, his whole body quivering from the extreme pressure he was experiencing inside his inner walls, begging for a moment to adjust to Panja's thickness. Panja purred agreeably, petting Akis' shaky back as he lied against the lion's chest and calming him down, keeping his cock shoved still inside for a minute to let him regulate. When Akis settled down and the searing pain faded away, he leaned his paws on Panja's shoulders again for better support and steadily, slowly, began moving his hips up and down, pulling out the lion's hard cock till only the head was inside, then pushing it back in with a moan. He kept this easy and satisfying rhythm for a good while, shoving in an extra inch with each thrust, and bringing gratifying pleasure to the both of them, filling the room with sensual moans and groans.

Panja was having the most blissful time, sitting on the edge of the bed and letting Akis push himself up and down his lap, increasing the pace by thrusting his hips upward against Akis' pushes, doubling the force of the shoves, forcing the red panda to gasp out. Without even holding him down with his hands, Panja humped into him harder and faster, his cock impaling Akis from bellow, with only the strength of his powerful thrusts bouncing Him up and down on his rod, Akis gripping tightly into Panja's shoulders to keep himself from being thrown off and barely able to keep up, his sharp moans and gasps being dulled by the larger male own grunts and groans.

Panja sex drive was reaching its peak, his lusty instinct kicking in, wanting to take him more, as he suddenly picked him up from his waist, pulled him out of his cock and lied him on all four on top of the bed, all in one quick swift move, Akis barely able to realize what was going on, the emptiness he felt inside of him lasted only for a second before Panja moved himself behind him and shoved his cock all the way in again, Akis throwing his head to the back and letting out a hearty moan, as the white furred beast continued his barrage of deep thrusts and humps.

"Ouh! Ouhn! Uhn, Panja... oh, yes... Yes! Oh, don't stop! Don't ever stop! Take me, bug guy! Uhn! Ahn! Oh, God, take me fully!" Akis moaned and whimpered in utte2 lust, being rammed in the rear by the burly lion fiercely and nonstop, completely immersed in the sensation, just as immersed as Panja was, grabbing the young panda's hips firmly and pounding into his ass hart, his loud grunts turning into sensual growls.

"Unf... Ungh... Unff, oh, Akis... such a good ass... unf! Yeah, you like that, hrm? Unf! Oh, shit, you're good!" Panja growled lustfully, mounting Akis and taking him fully, crashing into his prostate with each deep thrust and making the panda wail and shudder intensely, his whole slim body just shaking back and forth on top of the bed in the wake of the hulky lion horny wrath, the necklace hanging around his neck jiggling from the forceful rams, with the hot slams of their heavily sweaty bodies colliding together, their achy balls slapping against each other, mixed in with their lusty blissful moans and groans, creating some kind of sexual music that was surrounding their sensations to the max and musky male pheromones filling the air, their orgasms nearing their epic release. Akis simply couldn't hold it in any longer, his whole body shook in a violent spasm and he cried out a sharp moan, his dangling member peaking its stiffness and spurting out fast, thick ropes of creamy cum all over the bed sheets under him, his senses dizzying from rushing release and his limbs mellowing, immediately collapsing on the bed, his upturned rump still being pounded by the horny lion, Akis helplessly letting out soft gasps and whimpers.

Just when he thought he couldn't get any tighter, Panja was stunned by Akis' ass clinching around his madly throbbing cock and sending over the edge of his pleasure, throwing his head backward and roaring from the top of his lungs, instantly following with a massive flood of lion seeds filling up the panda's taut rump. Akis's eyes shot open from the rushing feeling of the hot cum shooting inside of him, clutching on the bed sheets and gasping out sharply, forcing even more of his own cum to squirt out from the sheer sensation, finally sighing out when the large lion was emptying himself into him, purring heavenly with his pointy ears flat over his head.

"Ooooohhhh... what a stud..." Akis moaned softly, shaking his sore hips, some of lion's sperm dripping down his inner thighs. Panja breathed out in pleasant relief, spending himself completely into the cute panda's ass, finally pulling out with a slurp.

"Oh, damn... you're really something else, boy..." Panja panted heavily, wiping the sweat off his brow with his forearm.

"Hmmm... Thank you. I can say the same to you, big guy. You were amazing. Best sex I've ever had, no question," Akis chuckled and sat up on his knees, stretching his sore limbs out and shaking off the sexual sensation.

Panja smirked smugly, "You sure know how to use that smooth muzzle of yours."

"I try to learn from the best." Akis giggled, sitting up and giving Panja's lips a smooch, Panja returning it with a purr. "Lucky for us, my uncle hasn't come back yet, or else we would be in a very awkward situation right now." The red panda leered and reminded Panja of the main reason that had brought him here. He enjoyed himself so much he'd totally forgotten about it, making him feel ashamed of himself. Hazard and Seif must be looking for him right now and trying hard to look for clues for their destination, and here he was having sex with a complete stranger he just met moments ago. He cursed at his weak willed self.

"Aw, what's wrong, big guy?" Akis asked when he noticed Panja's distressed face, petting him on his cheek gently.

"Uhm, no, it's nothing. Is your uncle going to be back any time soon? I can't stay here for too long."

"I'm sure he'll be back any minute now! Why don't you go wash up before he comes back and I'll tidy up the place here?" Akis suggested and Panja quickly accepted the offer. He didn't want to be reeking of sweat and cum when he'd get to meet the fortune teller. He picked up his thrown clothes and then scratched the young panda's cute cheek gently before heading to the bathroom.

***

Meanwhile, the golden wolf wasn't having much luck in finding anything useful either, going through different spots in town and asking around for any info, but to no avail. "Man, what a drag...looks like another dead-end," Hazard sigh wearily. His tummy then grumbled, making things worse for the wolf. "Damn am I hungry..." he murmured as his ears drooped; they hadn't had a decent meal in a long a time. He then felt a hand patting him from the back on his shoulder, as he turned over to look and saw it was Seif, who happened to run into him. "Hey, found anything?"

"No." Seif shook his head. "Nobody seemed to have heard of him."

"That what was I afraid of," Hazard let out another dreary sigh. His stomach growled again, louder than before and demanding to be fed. "I know, I know! Stupid belly." Hazard grumbled, patting his stomach, and Seif smiled at silly-looking wolf, before his own stomach rumbled as well. "Heh, looks like it's contagious," Hazard said jokingly with a smirk, making Seif blush a bit in embarrassment. "What do you say we take a break and find us a bite to eat?"

Seif didn't object to that and nodded, deciding to go find a good place to eat. They passed through one of the town's streets, when Hazard stopped all of the sudden and his ears perked up high, his snout picking up a certain scent. "Wait!" the wolf called out and started Seif, sniffing the air around him, as Seif was giving him odd looks. "This way," he said and darted to certain direction, Seif following him till he stopped in front what appeared to be a restaurant with an oriental decoration and style in its guise, with a sigh that had foreign Asian writing on it hanged on the front. "Could it be?" Hazard took a few sniffs to confirm his doubts. "I can't believe it is! What luck!" he ecstatically exclaimed, adding more to Seif's puzzlement.

"What's wrong, Barzard?"

"It's an oriental food place! Oh man, I LOVE oriental food! I haven't had any in years!" the excited wolf revealed, but Seif hadn't the slightest idea what was he babbling about, blinking strangely. "Let's go in!" Hazard rushed in, leaving Seif no choice but to follow him into the restaurant. The place was neatly fashioned, with long rectangle tables orderly aligned in the dining hall with equally long benches to sit on. The kitchen was visible behind the front counter, with the active sound of and smart smell of sizzling cooking in the background.

"Welcome to Hao Nao! I am owner, Hao Nao! Please, come in!" the owner of the restaurant, a heavy-weighted pink-skinned pig in a cook apron and sporting a pig-tailed hair cut, greeted them graciously.

"Hi! Don't mind if we do!" Hazard replied and let the owner guide them inside. The place had quite some numbers of costumers occupying the tables, but they managed to find a vacant table at one corner and sat down.

"You are new costumers, haven't seen you before today! You must be travelers. You make good choice coming to Hao Nao! We serve best oriental and meals in whole world!" the owner stated with a proud beam.

"That's what I like to hear. I was surprised to see one around these parts," Hazard said.

The owner nodded, "Oh yes, yes! Tallim is big busy town. Many people come in and out, has big business!"

"I'd say. Well, Hao Nao, how about you show us your best dishes, now?" Hazard smirked.

"Ho ho! I see what you did there! Very funny, Mr. Wolf!" the owner snorted, and Seif made an annoyed face at Hazard's lame pun. "Why not try our special beef curry noodle dish, with fried salmon fish plate on side?" the owner then suggested off his menu and Hazard's could barely contain himself from drooling at the mention of it.

"Yes please!"

"Excellent choice, Mr. Wolf!" the owner said and jogged the order down on his notepad, before he turned to Seif. "And for kind Mr. Lion?"

"I'll... have what he's having," Seif murmured after a little awkward pause.

"Good! That is very good! OK, ten minutes and food will be ready!" the owner stated with much gratitude before excusing himself and calling out the orders to the kitchen staff in some foreign language neither of them understood.

"Why did we come here?" Seif asked the overly excited wolf, still feeling odd about this restaurant.

"Just wait till you taste some of this food, Seif. You'll thank me for it," Hazard replied with confident. Seif was too hungry to argue with that and took the wolf's word for it, waiting patiently for their order to arrive.

"I wonder what Panja is up to? You think he's fine by himself?" Seif then asked.

"Naw, it's okay. He can take care of himself now. I'm glad you're worried about him, though. Shows you still care for him," Hazard answered with a grin, but Seif returned it with a glower, not finding it funny. "Whoa, easy there! Don't take it that bad. But, how long before you're gonna forgive him? I know there was no excuse for what he did, but you can't hold a grudge on him forever and..."

"I appreciate what you're doing, Barzard. No offense, but this is none of your business," Seif cut him off as courteously as he could without being rude to Hazard, who sighed, but he understood and didn't dwell into it any further.

Three minutes passed of awkward silence passed, and Seif began to feel bad for what he said and creating a tensioned atmosphere. "I... don't know," the lion began to speak and got Hazard attention. "I do not as much as hate him as I am disappointed in him. What Panja did was completely selfish and irresponsible and caused us a lot of grieve and disgrace, both to me and his father, the king."

"I can imagine. I kind of feel partly responsible for what happened," Hazard regretfully said.

"Don't be. You are not to blame. Knowing him, I'm sure he has forced himself to tag along with you. He always was like that, always having his way with things he sets his eyes on."

"Heh, you said it. I wasn't sure about having him travel with me at first. Panja's a bit immature, self-centered and likes to complain a lot. However, he's loyal, determined and has a big heart. He became a very capable companion to me during the last couple of years; I grew quite used to him. I understand how you must feel awfully let down by him, but he's the only family you've got right now. You can't deny that, right?" Hazard said and tried to reach out for Seif's sympathy, which he kind of succeeded, as Seif smiled softly.

"I guess," the lion simply breathed and that was a good enough start towards their reconciliation.

Their order then arrived at last, being carried over to them by a cute female siami cat waitress and gently placed their dishes on the table before them before heading back with a smiling bow. "Enjoy your meal!"

"Thanks, sweetheart!" Hazrad elatedly replied with a friendly hand wave and prepared himself for the much awaited feast, but he then noticed Seif staring strangely at his bowl of noodle, like if something was missing. "What's wrong, Seif? Dig in."

"...what is this?" the lion muttered, never before seeing a noodle bowl.

"It's Chinese noodles. Try it, it's good! Aren't you hungry?"

"Oh, yes. But... where's the spoon? Or am I supposed to eat it off the bowl?" Seif awkwardly wondered and made Hazard laugh out.

"Oh, no! You don't eat noodle with a spoon or fork around here. You use these," Hazard told him while grabbing a pair of chopsticks in his fingers expertly, taking a good portion of the tasty hot noodle with them and slurping them up. "Mmmm...see? Just like that, give it a try."

Seif blinked oddly at that, never before had he saw someone eating with chopsticks either. He was too hungry to think about it, though, so he just picked up the chopsticks laid before him, awkwardly trying to imitate Hazard and holding them with his large fingers, but he has was having a hard time and they kept falling off, causing him nothing but frustration.

"Here, I'll show," Hazard chuckled and helped Seif in how he should hold chopsticks properly, grabbing the lion's big paw and placing a chopstick under his index finger. "Hold one like this, like... you're holding a writing feather." He then placed the other one over his thumb. "Now just keep this held still and just move the top one, like this. Got it?"

"I think..." Seif nodded and tried using the chopsticks as Hazard just showed him, having a bit of a difficulty at first, but managed to pick up a good few strands of the noodle and put it in his mouth, chewing on it for a bit. His eyes then opened up brightly, finding the taste quite delicious, and started slurping away on the noodles like there was no tomorrow.

"Heh, told you'll love it," Hazard smirked, enjoying his bowl as well.

"Mmm, I haven't tasted anything like it before. I still don't know why we should use these sticks, though."

"Hey, using chopsticks is half the fun in eating oriental food. It's part of the culture! Don't worry, I'll show other interesting stuff you don't know about in the world."

"Really? I'll hold you to that then," Seif smiled. There was a lot of this world he still didn't discover. The world was much bigger than the kingdom of Asadia. He was just realizing how much ignorant he was about it. Was this part of the reason why Panja wanted to leave the castle and travel the world with Hazard? He was beginning to see that there was a lot for him to learn yet, and maybe being with the golden wolf was the best way to discover them.

***

During that time, Panja had finished getting himself a wash and got out of the bathroom, having his clothes on except for his shirt. "Akis?" Walking out topless, Panja called out, looking around for Akis, but he didn't find him in the bedroom or the little living room. The place was suspiciously empty and Panja was getting anxious. His ears then perked when the front door opened, hoping that it would be Akis retuning from a little errand. But to his surprise, it wasn't.

"What the...? Who are you!?" A short, old, stumpy-looking rooster farmer with a crutch cane questioned startlingly when he entered the house and first thing he saw was the stunned white lion.

"Uhh, well, my name is Panja. Akis brought me here to see you..." Panja muttered timidly, putting his top clothes back on

"What the heck!? Who are you?! Are you a thief!?" the rooster alarmingly shouted, making Panja quite nervous.

"Wha? N-No! I'm not a thief! I'm just here to see the fortune teller! Ar-Aren't you Akis' uncle?" Panja mumbled in a coy tone, taking a step closer, but the rooster panicked, lifting his cane at Panja's face protectively.

"Stay back! Don't come any closer! I may be old, but I'm not senile! You can't fool me! I don't have anything worth stealing here, so get the hell out!" the old rooster cawed, taking a swing of his cane at the extremely confused Panja's face, who ducked away from it.

"Hey! Wait! You got it all wrong! I'm not here to rob you! I'm here to...!" Panja tried to explain himself, but the mad bird didn't give him a chance, attacking him with his wooden stick.

"I don't care what you're here for! I don't know no damned fortune teller or an Akis, and I certainly don't know you! Now get the hell out of my house before I call the guards, darned thief! Thief! Guards! Thief!" the rooster yelled at the top of his tongue, forcing Panja to get his hide out of there in an instant, making sure he picked up his bag from the table he left it on earlier and just ran through the door. "Damn little young runts! Stop invading people properties!" he crossly said after chasing Panja out and slammed the door closed.

"What the hell was that?" Panja panted, extremely puzzled. Where did Akis go? Did he lie to him? Why did he bring him here and made him have sex with him? What was the point of it all? He didn't know the answer to any of these questions and it was driving him nuts. What stunned him more was a scream he suddenly heard coming from inside the house, though.

"WHAT THE DAMN HELL!? WHAT HAPPENED TO MY BED! WHAT IS ALL THIS STUFF!? WHO DID THIS!?"

"Uh-oh..." Panja gulped and didn't wait to find out the answers to his questions, fleeing away from there as far as possible with his tail between his legs. He stopped a few building away after feeling that he was safe enough from that house, breathing heavily and just damned confused. "Dammit! What the hell just happened!? What did I get myself into!" Panja snarled, kicking the ground with his feet angrily. He had no idea why Akis fooled him like this or if he was just toying with him. He was just so angry and confused of what to do next, eventually figuring that he should just go to the inn and wait for his companions there. They should know what to do and he could just forget about this little freaky incident.

Sure enough, when he arrived there, he found Hazard and Seif waiting for him in front of the inn's building. He was both glad and distressed to see them; glad to see a familiar face in this big town and distressed to have not found anything useful for them. He just bit the bullet and approached them with a weak smile.

"Hey, err, guys, sorry, I couldn't find any good lead," Panja said regretfully when he finally met up with them.

"Eh, don't beat yourself up. We didn't have any luck either. Although, I was hoping we'd find something here. What a dud, huh? I guess we'll just have to move on to the next town and search some more," Hazard replied and tried to lift their spirits up.

"Yeah, you're right," Panja muttered.

Hazard then stared at Panja closely, raising an eyebrow. "Did you take a wash or something? Your fur is kinda wet and sparkling clean... you smell nice, too," he noted, taking a sniff.

"Huh? Wha-? Oh, n-no, it's nothing like that! I just... washed my face in the waterbed to freshen up, that's all. And I always smell nice!" Panja chuckled nervously. Hazard didn't but that easily, but he shrugged it off.

"Oh, hey, you're hungry, Panja? We brought you some good noodles. Here, courtesy of Hao Nao." Hazard smirked, handing Panja a wooden bowl of Chinese noodles he brought from the restaurant.

"Oh, thanks, Haz! I'm famished!" Panja's face lighted up brightly.

"Heh, eat up fast. We gotta move out soon."

"Huh? Aren't we going to stay in the inn for the night?"

"We don't have time for that. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll find him," Seif strictly stated.

"But..." Panja tried to complain, turning to Hazard.

"You heard the boss." Hazard shrugged.

Panja sighed. "Can't we at least rest for a bit?" the white lion turned over to his cousin with pleading eyes, as Seif had a hard time turning him down, shaking his head.

"Fine. Only for an hour," Seif noted and Panja beamed happily.

"Good! Thanks, Seif! You're a saint! Let's get in then!" Panja said and beat them into the inn, while Hazard gave Seif a smile and Seif returned it with a slight shrug, following Panja inside. They took a rest in the small sitting hall in the inn, finding an empty round table and gathered around it. Panja enjoyed his bowl of noodle while the other two sat around and discussed their next destination over a map they carried with them.

"The closest town from here is to the east. It'll take us at least three days to reach it, in my prediction," Hazard pointed out.

"What about this one in the north? It's a little further, but seems like a bigger town," Seif suggested but Hazard disagreed with him with a head shake.

"If this town is any indication, then size isn't a factor. Trust me; the smallest of towns can bear the biggest of secrets."

"Haz is right!" Panja concurred, taking a big slurp of the noodles. "Once, we stumbled upon a rundown village, and there was this cute raccoon girl that had a crush on Haz, but then it turned out she was a spider queen and liked to eat her male mates! It was horrible! I always knew she was bad news the moment I saw her!" Panja

"Hoo boy..." Hazard sighed and covered his face with his palm. "Thanks, Panja. That was really relevant."

"Glad to help!" the white lion leered.

"Anyhow, we should head to this one, then. We should stock up in some food and water before we leave," Hazard said to his companions, but a strange fellow interrupted them suddenly.

"That's not the way to go, if you want to find the Ethereal Warlock," a red feathered parrot in a white and blue sailor suit spoke in the middle of their discussion, immediately getting their attention.

"What did you say?" Hazard eyed the red bird with a suspicious look.

"Word in the streets that you three are looking for him. I may know a thing or two about this necromancer you're searching for," the parrot said with a slight grin on the edge of his hooked beak.

"Tell us then!" Panja exclaimed.

"Hey now, not so fast, mateys. It's not gonna be free, of course, and with the right price, I may even throw in a little bonus info," the parrot grin widened.

"Of course. How much?"

"Twenty gold coins. In Advance."

"You're kidding me, right?" Hazard scoffed. "How would we know that you're not just going to lead us to meaningless a goose chase?"

"Not my concern if you believe me or not. All I'm gonna say is that what I know is true and that's my final deal. Take it or leave it, your choice," the parrot said candidly.

The three looked at each other for a moment. "What should we do?" Hazard asked.

"Give it to him," Seif uttered.

"W-wait, are you sure? This guy looks shady to me," Panja doubtingly murmured.

"We don't have a better choice. This may be our only chance to find a good lead. Just give him the money."

"You heard the boss. Where's the money, Panja?" Hazard asked him and Panja nodded, opening up the bag he was carrying, and rummaged through it for a bit.

"Uh-oh..." Panja's face paled, looking through the bag again frantically.

"Uh-oh what?" Hazard narrowed his eyes at Panja.

Panja paled more, sweating anxiously. "I... I can't find the money!"

"What?" Seif grunted.

"Our gold sack! It was here a while ago, I'm certain! But... it's gone now! I don't know what happened!" Panja mumbled nervously, searching through the bag repeatedly.

"The hell!? Don't tell me you got robbed! Did you leave it somewhere before?!" Hazard snatched the bag from Panja's paws and looked through it himself to make sure.

"No, I...! Wait... I did... but then..." Panja was recalling his steps, before his jaw dropped with a loud gasp, startling Hazard and Seif. "THAT WHORE!"

"What the hell are you talking about!? Wait... Don't tell me you...? You IDIOT!" Hazard furiously snarled, sprinting up on his feet and pounding his hands on the table, making it shake hard and topple some glasses it had on top of it, while Panja whimpered. Seif didn't have a clue of what was going on, but he knew it was bad and glowered crossly.

"Hey, are you gonna give the money or not?" the parrot then boorishly interrupted them, but got a heated glare from the wolf.

"Shut your beak up, seed breath! Give us a damn minute!" Hazard scowled at him, making the red bird flinch and drop some of his feathers, before he grabbed Panja by the arm and dragged him out of the inn to avoid causing a scene. "What did you do, Panja?! And don't even toy with the idea of lying or you know I'll beat you up bad!" he scolded the large white lion harshly, who kept whimpering like a small kitten. Seif joined them, his arms crossed over his chest and just waiting for a good explanation. Panja knew he had no choice but tell them what really happened, so he saw no sue in stalling it any further and spelled it out from the moment Akis bumped into him in the tavern till he went to the bathroom to wash, skipping the graphical raunchy details in between.

"And when I came out, he was gone. Maybe he looked through the bag and took the sack of gold when I was in the bathroom," Panja finished telling his story regretfully, fiddling with his own tail in his paws.

"You think?!" Hazard snapped at him and made him flinch with a whimper, his ears flattened down and his tail twisted around his palms, as Hazard continued to scold him sternly. "Dammit, Panja, I knew you were a bit on the gullible side, but this is utter stupidity! Honestly, what were you thinking?!"

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to! I'll go back to that pub, maybe he'll still be there!"

"Oh, brilliant idea, I'm sure he'll be waiting for you there to find him and celebrate your nostalgic reunion instead of already being miles away out of town with our freaking gold!" the wolf scoffed and made Panja feel even worse about himself. What was more intimidating to him was how silent Seif was. He didn't let out a single peep, merely staring at Panja with cold, sharp eyes that showed nothing but disappointment and anger, piercing directly through his heart; he screwed it up badly this time.

"Hey, do you have the money or not? I don't have all day, you know? I got a ship to catch in the next port!" the parrot called out to them from the inn door, getting impatient.

"Scram, you greedy bastard! Can't you see we're busy with something here?!" Hazard barked irritably back at red bird.

"If you don't have the money, I'm leaving!" the parrot sailor replied.

"Wait," Seif finally spoke. "We can't let him leave without telling us what he knows."

"How? Mr. Horncat here lost all of the gold we had. The only money I have on me is some measly silvers, the rest I spent at noodle place. If I knew this would happen, I wouldn't have gone all out over there," Hazard breathed out lamentably.

"I'm sorry..." Panja whimpered sadly.

"Sorry won't bring us our money back, Panja. We'll just have to forget about this guy and go on our own," Hazard said and Panja dangled his head in shame.

"Have it your way," the parrot sneered and prepared himself to leave when Seif stopped him again.

"I said wait," Seif rumbled and walked over to the feathered sailor, pulling something out from under his cloak. "This will certainly do, correct? It is worth much more than you could ever hope for." He showed him the royal crest of the Lowefang family that every member of the royal family had, made of pure solid gold.

The parrot's eyes glistened at the sight from the golden gleam of the round piece of pure gold. "Are you serious?"

"Hey, hold on, Seif! Don't be a fool! You can't just give that crest up so easily!" Hazard protested.

"Haz is right, Seif! The crest is the only thing left from..." Panja said by was silenced by Seif.

"Don't say a single word," Seif coldly uttered without even looking back. "I'm not going to repeat myself. You want it or not?" Seif stated, holding up the crest in his hand to the bird's face, who gladly accepted and snatched it away.

"Ooohh, this is the real thing!" the parrot greedily weighted the golden crest in his feathery talons. "You are a very generous man, and for that, I will tell you, so listen well."

"I'm listening."

"Ever heard of kirins?" the sailor started.

"Kirins?" Hazard ears perked inquisitively.

"Yes. They are magical beings that live peacefully in their secret village, hidden in the snowy forest up north of here, away from society. You can see it in that map you have."

"What do kirins have anything to do with the warlock?" Seif questioned.

"I'm not finished yet. You see, like I said, they are creatures with exceptional magic powers. But recently, they have vanished."

"What do you mean 'vanished'?" Hazard asked.

"They just did. Vanished in a single night. They say an army of the undead invaded their village, searching for something called the 'Heart'. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?" the parrot grinned, getting their attention.

"You mean... the Ethereal Warlock killed them?" Panja muttered.

"That's the only speculation. If you go there, it might bring you closer to your goal. It won't be easy, though. The kirins village is known for its elusiveness. But I'll give you a hint- the trees show their true colors under the moonlight. Whatever that means, it's up to you."

"What do you think, Barzard?" Seif turned to Hazard and asked for his opinion.

"Hrmm, I guess it's better than nothing. We should look into it," Hazard pondered. "But hey, how do you know all of this?" Hazard looked over to where the sailor parrot was standing, but he disappeared. "Huh? What the? When did he...? He was just standing there a second ago!" they all looked around them but couldn't find a trace of him, like he simply evaporated in thin air.

"I told you that man was shady! We shouldn't listen to him!" Panja said, getting paranoid.

"Shut it, Panja. You don't have any say in this after what you've done," Hazard glared at the whimpering white lion and made him close his muzzle. "Anyway, I've seen enough of this eerie crap in my lifetime to know that when you encounter any paranormal situation, you face it head on and never look back."

"Are you saying we should investigate this village of kirins?" Seif enquired as a grin spread across the golden wolf's muzzle.

"Of course," Hazard breathed. He had a hunch they were getting closer to their goal, and his hunches rarely failed him.

***

Barely before the sun had set, the trio left Tallim Town and headed north, as the map showed a forest nestled just before the icy mountain range. Due to its proximity to the freezing mountains, the forest snowed daily, covering its trees and grass with a white sheet of snow, thus its namesake the Snowy Forest.

"Haz, I have a bad feeling about this..." Panja whimpered as they stood outside the forest.

"Oh? How come didn't you have this same bad feeling when you were seduced by a slutty little raccoon?" Hazard sneered back and Panja pouted.

"Come on Haz, I said I was sorry. How long are you going to grilling me on it? And he was a red panda, not a raccoon."

"Panda, shamnda, they all look the same. Why are you correcting me anyway?" Hazard sternly replied and gave Panja a whap on his head.

"Ouch! I'm sorry!" the white lion whined.

"Let keep moving," Seif uttered and walked onward into the forest. The other two looked at each other, and then the wolf shrugged and followed suit. Panja hesitated for a bit, the murky, dark atmosphere of the forest intimidating him, but he didn't want to be left behind, taking a big gulp in his throat and scurrying after Seif and Hazard. They pressed through the thick bushes and trees, their feet crunching over the thick layer of snow covering the ground and leaving their large footprints behind. Fortunately, it wasn't snowing that day, but it was still very chilly, and it was getting colder as night was falling.

"Brrr...! Damn, it's cold! My feet are frozen solid," Hazard murmured and shook the snow off his padded foot, fog forming out of his muzzle from the chilling air as he breathed.

"Really? I don't feel that cold," Panja said casually, walking behind Hazard, who was following Seif at the lead.

"That's easy for you to say. With your icy powers, you must be immune to the cold."

"That's not totally true! I can be cold too, just not as easily. I just have a fiery heart and a burning passion that always keep me warm!" Panja exclaimed, pounding his fist on his broad chest. "If you want, I can snuggle you up close and keep you warm, Haz!" Panja snickered and pulled Hazard into a firm hug from behind, rubbing his cheek on the back of the wolf's head and purring.

"Ack! Leggo!" Hazard woofed and griped, struggling to break free from the white lion's brawny arms.

"Stop fooling around. We have to find the village soon, before it gets too dark to see," Seif sternly grunted at them and Panja immediately complied, releasing Haz from his grip and making him drop on the cushy snow, bottom first.

"Ow! Watch it, you big lug!" Hazard growled, getting up and dusting the snow off of himself, while Panja chuckled. Seif shook his head with a gruff huff, dismayed at how laid-back Panja was despite his thoughtless behaviors, shooting him with one of his sharp glare that could kill, and Panja felt them piercing his chest, making him sway his eyes away from Seif's warily, as the blond lion carried on onward without saying a word. The tension between them was getting so thin; Hazard could cut it with his sword. He hoped things would get better between the two Lowefangs and they were in the right road to recovery, but that last stunt of Panja crumbled that chance to the ground, maybe even lower than before.

"Let's go," Hazard said as he patted Panja's shoulders with a smile. Panja looked back at him and returned the smile with a nod, grateful that he at least had the wolf on his side. They quickly followed Seif and caught up with him, but the forest proved to be much deeper and bigger than it seemed. The darkness of the night soon overshadowed the forest, not even the moonlight can shed enough visibility when it was shrouded by many layers of black clouds. Going on any further would be futile, so the trio decided to call it a night and camp in the middle of the woods. They found a nice spot and plowed the snow away to make room for a bonfire. Hazard bought some bread and pieces of meat with him from Tallim market with remaining slivers he had and decided to make a simple stew while Seif was spending the time training with his broad sword, swinging it around an open space not too far away from their camp.

"We need some clean water. Go see if you can find any river or something, Panja," Hazard told the white lion, who immediately huffed.

"Why do I always have to go and fetch stuff? It's dark and cold and scary, I don't want to go there alone!" Panja whined.

"Don't argue with me. Do I need to remind you of your little fiasco in Tallim? You're not getting off of it this easy," Hazard scolded him and Panja's ears dangled.

"But...!"

"Don't make you tell you twice. Oh, and if you find any berries or mushrooms along the way, get some too. Just make sure they're not poisonous; you remember the last time you screwed that up."

"Yes... you already taught me how to tell."

"Good boy. Don't be late." Hazard gave Panja a good pat on the back, pushing him onward, as Panja sighed and went off alone to look for some water. As for Hazard, he was attending to the fire to make sure it was burning, but then a small yet strong gust of wind hit him and almost put out the fire. He looked over to the side and saw that it was Seif's doing, throwing his bulky blade of steel in powerful swings, creating fast gusts in their wake. "Hey, that's impressive," Hazard said as he observed the lion's training, impressed by the strength of his swings, but he thought something was still off. "Hrmmm, but you know, you'll get yourself killed with only that routine."

Seif stopped his swings and looked back at the golden wolf. "What do you mean?"

Hazard approached him, unsheathing his sword from his back, and stood a few feet away from Seif, holding his sword up. "Your swings are strong, but unfocused. Your sword is huge and heavy, yet you have little problem in wielding it and swing it around. However, it leaves you wide open, and that's a fatal flaw. Let me show you," Hazard said and took a battle stance, asking Seif to attack him. "Attack me, don't hold back."

Surprised at the wolf's request at first, Seif understood and raised his giant sword over his head, not planning to go easy on Hazard. He then lurched forward and swung his sword down at Hazard, crashing the ground he was standing on. Seif was stunned; Hazard jus vanished out of his sight and reappeared right next to him, his sharp blade pointed at his neck. The wolf moves so fast, in a mere blink of an eye. No wonder they call him legendary.

"See? That was a powerful slash, but I was able to avoid it and had plenty of time to counter your attack, without leaving you a chance to recover. If I was your enemy, the battle would over by now," Hazard stated with a confident grin, pulling his sword back. Seif cursed under his breath, realizing how flawed his sword skills were. He always depended mostly on his physical brawny strength, bearing any opposing attacks and wounds until he immerge victorious. Though, if he faced an adversary as strong and skilled as Hazard, he wouldn't stand a chance, and the Ethereal Warlock would surely not be kind enough to give him any. "Hey, don't be too hard on yourself, Seif. You are a skilled swordsman, one of the best I've seen. I mean, I haven't met anyone who could haul something as massive as your sword and swing around so easily, and believe me, I've seen many. It shows you have great skills, and the potential to be even better, if not the best." Hazard encouraging words brought a little smile on the lion's face, cheering him up a bit. He never met anyone who would be this brutally honest with him, yet supportive. That made him admire him even more.

"Thank you, Barzard. I'll do my best and not let my weakness get the best of me," Seif muttered in determination.

"That's the spirit! We'll help each other get better. Like, you should use every part of your body and put them to good use. You have two hands, two legs and most importantly, your head. That's your best weapon, every second and every action count, so keep a clear mind at all time, study your situation and BAM! Victory is yours!" Hazard instructed his feline friend, bumping his fist on the lion's wide chest in the end. "You should hold your sword either to your side or over your back, gives more flexibility and range, so you can attack and block when you need to. Oh, and don't forget your fire powers, you should use them more often. They could sure give you a great advantage."

Seif's eyes then flashed as if an idea struck him. "Can we try again?" Seif asked of Hazard and the wolf nodded, taking a step back and taking his position.

"Ready when you are," Hazard called out and readied himself, while Seif held his sword over on sturdy shoulder and behind his back, gripping it firmly with one hand, then swing it fast and hard at Hazard in an angle instead of straight downward. The nimble wolf ducked down before the slash reached him, evading it in time and immediately rushing in for a strike back, but what Hazard didn't see coming was Seif using his other fist and punching the ground, as wall of flames burst before him, taking the wolf off guard and blowing him away to the back.

Steam rose from around the lion from the melted snow, standing up and feeling good about himself; that technique worked batter than he planned. "You're okay, Barazard?" He went over to fallen Hazard and gave him a helping hand.

"Oww...nice move! I should stop giving tips, or I'll get my ass whipped," Hazard winced with a sheepish smirk. "Is it me or am I do I smell something burning?" He then wondered, sniffing an odd smoky smell.

"...Barzard? Your tail?" Seif awkwardly pointed to wolf to look behind him, as Hazard did and his eye s opened wide when he noticed that the tip of his bushy thick yellow tail was on fire.

"Gah! Put it out! Put it out!" Hazard yelped, frantically trying to save his tail from burning, dipping it on the snow and snuffing the torch out. "Whew... my poor tail..." the wolf whimpered like a pup, patting the black burnt end of his tail. Seif couldn't hold back a soft chuckle; the lupine looked quite funny back there.

"Sorry," Seif smiled apologetically.

"Eh, no worries. I've had much worse happen to me and my tail. It'll grow back. But I'm still gonna get you back for this. Up for another round?" Hazard smirked, lifting up his sword for another sparring match. Seif gladly accepted and raised his weapon as well. It had been a long time since he had a sparring partner he could rely on, and he couldn't find anyone better than the Millennium Slasher himself.

Meanwhile, Panja traveled through the bushes and searching for water source, but it was hard finding any in this dark place. He passed under a tree, and cold snow dropped down from its branches and fell on Panja head.

"Dammit! How am I supposed to find anything around here?! They always treat me like an errand boy! I deserve better!" Panja grumbled and shook the now off his mane, getting quite frustrated and punching the tree with his fist, making even more snow to fall on top him and almost burying him in it. "Grah! Stupid forest!" Panja growled and kicked the snow off of him. His snout then suddenly picked up a peculiar smell, and he started to sniff more. His ears perked; it smelled like water, and he quickly followed the scent. The air got warmer and the fog got heavier as he got near to the source, until he finally pushed through some bushes and came upon an amazing sight. "Whoa! I gotta tell Haz and Seif!" Panja gasped, rushing back to the camping spot.

"Well I'll be damned..." Hazard rumbled, standing before a big, steamy hot spring, settling in the middle of the forest after Panja brought them to it.

"A hot spring? Here!?" Panja said in a surprise. "I've always heard about them, but this is the first time I see one with my own eyes!"

"Good find, Panja! This almost makes up for all the stupid crap you did," Hazard praised the white lion, who puffed his chest proudly.

"How can there be a hot spring here?" Seif wondered in puzzlement, also surprised in seeing one before him for the first time, let alone in a snowy forest.

"I guess it's because we're near the mountains. Maybe some of it volcanic heat flows down here and warms up this spring," Hazard presumed. "Which couldn't have come in a much better time!" the wolf joyfully exclaimed and began taking off his clothes, much to the two lions' astonishments.

"Ba... Barzard? What are you doing?" Seif blinked as Hazard was pulling down his trousers, getting completely naked without giving the matter much care.

"What does it look like I'm doing? I'm taking a dip. You should too, it'll do your body good!" the golden wolf smirked nonchalantly, stretching his strapping nude body for a bit. "Brrr! Damn, that cold!" he shuddered, rubbing his hands on his scarred chest, before he jumped into the hot water with a splash. "Whhoooooo... this feeeeels goooooood..." Hazard's head emerged into the spring surface and breathed out pleasantly, relaxing his submerged body and enjoying the steamy waters. "Come on, guys, what're you waiting for? Jump in." the wolf invited to join him casually, Panja's face blushing red from excitement while Seif was too self-conscious to undress himself in front of them.

"Is it too hot?" Panja asked captiously yet temptingly.

"Nah! It's warm and good," the wolf replied, splashing the water with his paw.

"Okay!" Panja hurriedly took off his clothes and dumped his large naked body into the steamy pond, flooding Hazard away. "Ooooohhh...! It does feel good! Much better than a hot bath! Kind of arousing too!" Panja purred pleasurably.

"You big lug! You almost drowned me! "Just stay away from me! No funny stuff from you!" Hazard barked, but he was then pulled into one of Panja's tight hugs.

"Awww, don't be a meannie, Hazzy! We can play for a bit!" the large white lion purred and groomed the wolf's cheek with his tongue.

"Eugh! Keep away from me, you pervy fiend! I can feel your groin against my hips!" Hazard griped, elbowing Panja's guts to escape the cheeky lion. "If you want to bathe here, you have to obey the three-foot rule."

"You're no fun!" Panja pouted. "Dive in, Seif!" Panja said to his wary cousin, but he tentatively declined.

"I'll wait at the fire."

"Come on, Seif. Take a load off and relax, you never know when we'll get another opportunity like this. You're not shy, are you?" Hazard teased Seif with a grin.

"No..." Seif lied, as he obviously was shy. The wolf was right, though. He got to take it easy sometimes and rest whenever the chance bestowed it, and the hot spring certainly looked soothing, he might even enjoy it. He was finally convinced and decided to join them, taking off his light armor and clothes, doing his best to overcome his bashfulness, lowering his muscular herculean body into the steamy hot water till his waist, the comforting sensation rushing into him. It felt good, real good, as he went down deeper and sat down until most of his body was submerged, all the way to his broad chest, feeling all the stress melting away from his limbs and muscles.

"Nice, eh?" Hazard smirked, seeing Seif's fuzzy cheeks flush in gratification.

"Yeah..." the blond lion breathed softly, settling in the soothing mood.

"Heads up!" Panja then shouted and playfully pushed Hazard's head down, sinking him into the water.

"Gah! Goddamit, Panja!" Hazard gasped out when resurfaced and growled at the chuckling white lion.

"Stop acting like a fool, Panja," Seif rumbled at Panja in a stern tone, getting fed up by his white-furred cousin's rude behavior.

"S-Seif? I..."

"For once, act your own age and grow up a bit. We are in a serious journey, and you make it into your own joy ride. You bring nothing but hardships to both of Hazard and I, then don't hold yourself accountable for your reckless actions. I'm getting tired of it," Seif harshly told Panja off, without holding back even a bit, staring straight at him with strict glares.

"I... I'm sorry..." Panja whimpered sadly.

"I'm also getting tired of your pointless apologies. Either be quiet or leave," Seif retorted, breaking Panja's heart.

"Alright..." The white lion's ears drooped low and head hung low, as he waded his way out of hot spring, not wanting to be in a place where he wasn't wanted. He picked up his clothes and left in a gloomy state. Hazard felt awfully sorry for him.

"You didn't have to go that far, Seif," Hazard said.

Seif paused for second before he spoke, "He had it coming sooner or later. He has to learn the consequences of his foolish behaviors or else he'll never stop."

"Even so, you were too harsh on him. He's doing his best to improve and gain your trust again." Hazard tried to reason with Seif, who didn't reply and just rested his back on the edge of the spring silently. Hazard sighed, "I'll go check up on him and try to get him back, okay?" Seif didn't agree or refuse to that, and that was a good enough answer for the wolf as he got out of the spring and put his trouser on before going off to look for Panja. He went straight back to where they were camping and sure enough found the wet Panja sulking in front of the fire, hugging his knees and didn't even bother putting his clothes back on. Hazard smiled gently and walked over to him, sitting right next to him.

"Hey mopey," he joked, nudging him on his side with his elbow, but Panja didn't respond and sulked even more. "Not you too? What with you two and the silent treatment? You two are much more alike than you pose to, and I don't mean in looks."

"That's not funny," Panja finally spoke in a broody tone.

"Heh, okay, seriously now, quit moping around and let's go back to the hot spring. I'll void the three-foot rule, if you want," Hazard said, trying to cheer him up.

"What's the point? Seif still won't want me around. I bet he hates me now," Panja muttered sadly.

"Don't be stupid. He doesn't hate you; he said so to me himself. He just... needs more time. He'll come around."

"You always say that, but it never happens. How can it? I'm nothing but a big screw-up! Every time I think I'm making progress, I do something stupid and screw everything up. I don't even know why you let me travel with you. Seif is right; I'm just holding you guys back. You two are better off without me..." Panja's voice choked, holding back his tears, but he was then surprised by a hard wham on his head, caused by Hazard's fist. "Ow! What'd you that for!?" Panja cried, rubbing his sore noggin.

"That's for being a sappy crybaby. This isn't the Panja I know. Trust me, if you were holding me back, I would've ditched you a long time ago. But I didn't. You know why?" Hazard told to his white-furred friend, to which he shook head as an answer. "It's because I believe in you, Panja. You've became my trusty companion," Hazard answered to a stunned Panja.

"R-Really? But... Seif would be a better companion than an incompetent screw-up like me..."

"Stop saying stupid things like that unless you want another hit on the head!" Hazard snarled and raised his fist, Panja flinching and covering his head protectively. "Look, I've been traveling alone for a very long time, and maybe things were easier, but also less fulfilling. Sure, you're a handful sometimes, but I know you do your best, and you've changed for the better, little by little. I can see that, and so should you. My life would've been less exciting without you, Horncat." Hazard smiled and Panja could hardly keep himself from getting tear-jerky.

"You... You really mean that, Haz?"

"Of course. Seif has been through a lot, so give him more time to lighten up. What he's in need of right now is a friend, and that means you and me, Panja. Understood?"

Panja's smile spread and wiped away his tears with his forearm, "Yeah!"

"Good then. Let's go back to the hot spring then, eh?" Hazard said, giving him a pat on his arm, and got up to walk back to the hot spring, but he then felt Panja's big hand holding one of his own and stopping him.

"Haz, wait..." Panja softly murmured, as he wrapped his arms around Hazard's bare torso, embracing him closely from behind. "Thank you, Haz. I don't know what I would do without you. You're the best thing that ever happened to me," Panja whispered gently, pressing himself further against the golden wolf's back and hugging him tightly, resting his cheek on the wet blond lupine mane. "I know I shouldn't be saying this and that you probably don't need to hear it, but... I... I love you, Haz. I don't want to ever leave your side." Panja sincerely confessed his feelings to Hazard, not expecting anything back. He just wanted to let him know, and the wolf did, as he smiled, mostly to himself as Panja couldn't see his face from where he was standing, and then gently patted the lion's arms that were embracing him with a single paw.

"Let's go, we shouldn't make Seif wait alone," Hazard said and Panja gladly nodded.

"The three-foot rule is off, right?" Panja leered.

"Nope. It's back up again." Hazard smirked and gave Panja a good elbow on his belly.

"Ouff! Not fair! You promised!" Panja whined as Hazard chuckled and started walking away, Panja following him without ado in a more optimistic mood.

***

The next morning and at the first ray of dawn, the group was getting ready to continue their search for the kirins village after getting a much needed rest.

"ALRIGHT! We'll find this kirin village today! I just know it!" Panja exclaimed in high enthusiasm.

"You sure look energetic," Hazard said with a grin.

"Yup! I feel great! That hot spring bath really revitalized me! I feel like I can take on the world! Just you wait, you Warlock bastard! I'm going to pound you to the ground!"

"Yeah, I agree. My joints are lighter and feel much stronger. We should get back to this spring when we're done," Hazard amiably suggested.

"Good idea! It'll be a wonderful reward after kicking that necromancer's ass!" Panja excitedly concurred.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves here. We still need to find this hidden village first, so we better start moving," Seif firmly said after he finished packing his belongings.

"Yes, boss!" Panja replied with a salute, learning not to cross Seif if he wanted to get on his good side. Seif didn't give him much thought and ventured into the forest, but Panja didn't let that discourage him, looking over at Hazard who gave him a wink and they followed their leader.

They spent hours upon hours wading through the thick snowy forest, but they just couldn't find a single trace of any village. Nothing to see but trees and bushes, as far as the eyes can see. They were certain they weren't going in circles because they were leaving recognizable marks after their trail, cutting a tree branch or leaving rock shapes on the ground, so they started to wonder if this village actually existed.

"Haz... what's the big idea? Where is this damn village?" Panja complained, getting discouraged again.

"Weren't you ready to take on the world a while ago?" Hazard replied.

"I am! But it's almost noon and we still haven't found anything. Maybe that sailor was lying!"

"No. I have a feeling there's something odd in this forest. Like it's trying to put us off track in finding the village. I just can't put my finger on it..." Hazard pondered. "Hey, what was that hint that sailor said?"

"I think it was, 'The trees show its true colors under the moonlight'," Seif answered him.

"Hrmmm... last night, the moon was covered by the clouds, so there was barely any moonlight. What if we wait till night falls and see if we'll have better luck this time? Maybe something will happen if we have some moonlight," Hazard stated after a little bit of thinking.

"That's obviously it! Your instinct never let us down, Haz!" Panja commendably said.

"That's the result of many years of adventuring," the golden wolf smugly stated, as Seif sighed with a headshake.

"Back to the issue, what are supposed to do until the night falls?" Seif then asked.

"Err... we sit and wait?" Hazard responded with a shrug, but he had a point. It would be useless to continue the search aimlessly like this, anyway, Seif thought. With nothing better to do, they found a nice spot to sit down and even make a little meal to pass the time and quiet their hunger.

"Hey, Haz? How did you get this good with the sword?" Panja started a conversation while they were waiting for nightfall.

"Eh? Where did that come from, all of the sudden?"

"I always wanted to ask. Since that first day we dueled, I was impressed! And you keep amazing me; your skills are second to none! Umm, next to Seif, of course!" Panja nervously chuckled.

"Heh, well, thanks. I always wanted to be a great swordsman, ever since I was a little pup. My old man was a blacksmith in the town where I grew up in and I used to watch him create all kinds of swords and sharp weapons. It fascinated me, and my old man used to make me harmless small wooden swords as a toy," Hazard told them, reminiscing his childhood.

"Aw, that's so cute! I bet your father was a sweet guy!" Panja merrily said.

"Oh boy, no, that couldn't be any farther from the truth. He was a mean, ruthless bastard. Just the thought of him still intimidates me to this day. He was really scary, but we still loved him. I learned a lot from that coldhearted jerk," Hazard stated with a proud grin.

"That sure sounds like odd relationship, much interesting than the one between father and me, at least. All he did was roar orders at me from his throne and pressures me to be a king like him. So boring. I didn't want any of that, that's why I... err, n-never mind," Panja stopped in the middle of his line, not wanting to ignite the thought of when he ditched the castle so not to upset Seif, failing of course.

"So, what about you, Seif? How's your father like?" Hazard asked Seif, diverting the subject away from Panja's, as Seif kept silent for a little bit.

"I don't know," Seif finally replied in a quite voice.

Hazard tilted his head oddly at that answer, but Panja then leaned over to him and softly spoke, "His father passed away not too long after he was born, so he never knew him."

"I see," Hazard's ears perked.

"Let us not talk about this matter," Seif requested and they respected that. It obviously was a sensitive subject for him. Thankfully, the little talk served them well, as the sun started to set and night was only an hour away.

"I'm gonna be away for a bit. Nature calls," Hazard said and excused him, but Panja clung to his foot, not wanting to be left alone with Seif.

"I'll go with you!"

"Don't be stupid! I'll just be over there. Be right back." The wolf shook him off of his leg and went behind some thick bushes to take a leak. Panja felt anxious and didn't know what to do as he waited alone with Seif. The awkward silence was killing him; he just had to start talking about something.

"Uhh... s-so, Seif... um, how do you like traveling and see the world? Seeing new places and getting to know all kind of people! Isn't it great? Beats anything we knew back in the castle, huh?" Panja jabbered on and on, but Seif barely paid any attention to him, peculiarly looking around his surrounding. "Uhmm, listen Seif... about what happened at Tallim, I..."

"Quiet," Seif shushed him.

"B-But..." Panja sulked, his ears flattening.

"I said quiet. Someone else is watching us," Seif murmured softly, sensing suspicious movement around nearby. Panja shut him maw and his ears twitched, trying to pick up any odd sound, but he didn't hear anything. Suddenly, a bush rattled right behind Seif.

"Seif! Behind you!" Panja shouted, pointing at a shadowy figure that ran off at high speed. Seif instantly sprinted after it and chased it into the forest, but it was too fast and he couldn't get a clear look at it. It was darting between the trees and trying to lose its tail, but Seif was gradually gaining on it. It took a sudden turn to the left, putting off Seif as he almost stumbled.

"Damn!" Seif cursed, running after it again, but he gap between them was increasing and he almost lost it, only to have Hazard pouncing into it from out of nowhere and pinning it to the ground.

"Gottcha, you son of a... bitch?" Hazard blinked when he saw who he was on top of.

"No! Don't kill me, please! I meant no harm!" a female horse-looking being, with black scale instead of fur, short gray hair and a single horn sprouting from her forehead, cried frightfully and fidgeted around.

"Hold still and calm down, we're not going to hurt you," Hazard said, holding her down on the ground from her wrists. Seif caught up with the wolf, stunned by the identity of this intruder. "Can't I leave you two alone for a minute without having a commotion happen? Who is she?"

"I don't know. She was watching us and then ran off when we sensed her presence," Seif replied.

"Please, don't hurt me!" the female captive squirmed, her scaly long reptile-like tail twitching.

"Don't panic. I said we're not gonna hurt you, we just want some answers, like who the hell are you and why were you spying on us?" Hazard questioned her and she slowly settled down.

"M-my name is Mirna. I am a kirin, I live in the hidden village," she answered to a stunned Hazard and Seif.

"Heeey!" Panja called out, who came running to their side, panting his lungs off. "Whew, boy! You caught him! ...or her?"

"You're... a kirin?" Hazard muttered in astonishment.

"Y-yes. C-Can you get off me, please? Yo-You're... heavy..." the kirin stuttered timidly, a green shade of blush showing on her scaly cheeks, as Hazard was sitting on top of her.

"Oh, yeah, sorry," Hazard apologized with a sheepish smile and got off of the kirin.

"Thank you," she breathed and sat up, as Hazard helped her stand up on her hooves. "I'm s-sorry if I alarmed you. I-I was just curious because we rarely have any visitors and wanted to see what you are like..."

"No harm done. We're actually glad to run into you... Mirna, wasn't it?" Hazard said.

"Y-yes, that's right. But, what do you mean by that?"

"We are looking for the kirin village, hidden in this forest. Can you take us there?" Seif calmly asked of her, and Mirna's face switched to a distraught expression.

"What's the matter?" Panja asked when he saw her distressed face.

"Wh-why would you want to go there?" Mirna questioned them coyly.

"I think it would be better if we told her the whole story first," Hazard noted and the other two agreed, as they explained to the kirin the reason that brought them to this forest.

"Yes! Yes, that's true! That monster came here and destroyed our village! They killed everyone! I somehow survived and am the only one remaining..." Mirna sobbed after hearing their story.

"I figured as much. I never expected to see a living kirin," Hazard said.

"But why would the Ethereal Warlock attack their village and kill them?" Panja inquired.

"He was after the chief's baby egg," Mirna replied.

"The chief's egg?" Seif muttered in puzzlement.

"This is getting weirder and weirder each time." Hazard scratched the back of his head from the oddness of it all.

"Maybe it would be better if I took you to my village and see for yourself," Mirna then suggested.

You already trust us enough? How do you know we don't belong to the Warlock's army?" Hazard asked suspiciously.

"I just have a feeling you three aren't bad. There's good white aura about you. Besides, you're not undead, are you?" Mirna answered with a small smile.

"Good point!" Panja exclaimed.

"Fair enough. Lead the way, Mirna," Hazard said after he was convinced and trusted Mirna.

"Alright, but can I know your names first, please?" Mirna politely asked.

"Oh sure. I'm Hazard. This big quiet one is Seif and the other white one is Panja. They look kinda scary, but they're pretty friendly," Hazard bantered.

"Hey! That's not nice!" Panja glowered.

Mirna giggled, "Nice to meet you all. Well, we can go from here."

She led them through a route in the forest until they reached place with thick line of tree gathered around. . "This way," Mirna said and then went through the wall of trees, like it was made of a mirage. The trio's eyes widened from the surprise.

"No wonder we couldn't find it!" Panja said in shock.

"Looks like some kind of a magical illusion, to keep intruders from finding the village," Hazard stated as he examined the illusionary wall of trees, putting his hand through it. "And look, the moonlight bounces off from it, like a mirror." He then pointed out as he noticed the moonlight reflecting off of the magical barrier.

"That's amazing! I wonder if we would've missed it even if we figured it out. Good thing we ran onto that kirin!"

"Aren't you coming in?" said Mirna as her head popped out of the barrier and startled them a little.

"Whoa! Uh, yeah, of course," Hazard breathed and through the magical veil of trees easily. Seif followed him without much hesitation, while Panja took a few seconds to gather the guts to go in after swallowing his throat. He was afraid where he would end up in the other side, but when he opened his eyes and saw that he and the others were safe and sound, he let out a good breath of relief. What they witnessed before them were nothing short of devastating. The kirin village, or rather what left of it, was burnt to the ground. Wrecked houses barely standing, ranches and farms ruined, nothing but desolation waste. And the worst sight of them all was the dozens of graves of the deceased villagers, scattered all over and beyond the graveyard, each had a wooden cross stabled over them.

"That's awful..." Panja uttered sorrowfully by the terrible sight.

"Yes... they came and attacked so suddenly, not sparing anyone, even the children. I barely survived myself when I fell down the well and hid there until the nightmare ended. I'm such a coward..." Mirna sobbed despairingly.

"You did what you could to survive. Nothing shameful or cowardly about it," Hazard comfortingly said to her.

"I guess. I could hear their screams and cries when I was down there. I still remember it to this day... and when I came out, they were all... Oh, God, it was so horrible," she continued as she recalled that terrible day, not able to hold back her tears.

"Did you really burry them all in those graves?" Panja asked and she nodded in a yes.

"It was the least I could do for my family and friends. I wish if died with them instead."

"I don't believe that's true. You survived for a reason. Maybe to live on and keep the legacy of the kirin clan alive. You helped us come here; we might not have been able to if wasn't for you. That means something, right? Maybe with your help, we can put an end to that damn warlock's tyranny. That'll bring justice and peace to your people, don't you agree?" Hazard positively said and his words brought a bright light to Mirna's gloomy face.

"You're... you're right!" She smiled joyfully.

"Pardon me, but you said something about the chief's egg. What did you mean by that?" Seif then questioned her intriguingly.

"Oh, that's right. Come with me this way," the female kirin replied and guided them through the ruined village until they were facing a temple-like house that seemed to have been bigger than the rest of the houses. "This was our chief's house. He and his wife lived here and they recently had a beautiful baby egg. We kirins can only have a single baby egg in our lifetime, so they were extremely happy when they finally had theirs. But when that evil warlock came, he unreasonably demanded to give him their egg. Our chief feverishly refused, of course, and the result... is what you see here," Mirna told them the dreaded tale, showing them the remains of the house, wrecked beyond recognition.

"That bastard!" Panja angrily growled, fisting his own palm.

"What happened to the baby egg?" Hazard asked.

"The warlock took it with him after he used his army of undead monsters to attack us. They killed the chief and his wife without mercy and snatched the egg away with his cold-blooded hands. Such a heartless fiend..."

"What's so significant about that egg that he had to massacre a whole village for it?" Hazard wondered, not seeing the point of such a ruthless act.

"I'm not sure. He didn't explain his reasons. He just wanted it and took it by force," replied Mirna.

"Can you tell us what he looked like?" Seif inquired and Mirna shook her head.

"I'm sorry, I can't. He was wearing a mask that was covering his face. Although, I can say that he was almost as tall as you and mister Panja, mister Seif, only a tad thinner, from what I can tell from his heavy clothing," she answered as best as she could recall.

"Hrmm, that doesn't tell us much. But at least it gives us an idea," Hazard noted.

"Pardon me for asking, but why are you looking for the warlock? Why did you come here? Are you bounty hunters?"

"Oh no! It's nothing like that! We want to bring justice!" Panja elatedly replied.

"Let's just say that your village isn't the only place that suffered from this monster. We came here looking for any info that may help us find him. He has to be stopped at all cost," Hazard correctly answered her.

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry I don't have much more to tell. Your journey was in vain..." Mirna hanged down her head forlornly.

"No. Don't be sorry. You were most helpful," Seif kindly said, placing a gently big hand on her shoulder comfortingly. Mirna looked up at him with a slight blush, smiling weakly.

"Well, let me help you with anything! I can give you food and supplies!" she happily offered.

"Oh, that would be great! We can only survive on just bread and water for so long!" Panja replied excitedly, eager for a solid good meal.

Mirna giggled, "I'd be happy to! My house is right this way." She turned around to lead them to her house, when she unexpectedly found herself getting stabbed in her stomach by a sharp long thin sword, much to the shock of everyone.

"Mi... Mirna!" Hazard shouted out as the kirin fell down on her back, the sword sticking out of her belly, wounding her deeply and bleeding severely. They had no idea where the sword had come from, as they rushed over to her. "Mirna! Hang in there!" Hazard said and was about to pull the sword out of her, when it started moving on its own and pulled itself out of the kirin's body in front of their shocked eyes.

"What the hell?!" Panja's face gaped in disbelief as the sword floated in the air for a bit before it darted away to a certain direction. They followed it with their eyes and were stunned to see it land on the hand of a mysterious, masked person.

"I can't have that happen now, can I?" The masked villain spoke behind his mask, which looked like a demon face with short horns on the top, covering his face pretty well and only showing his flowing black mane. He was well dressed, having a dark blue magician robe with sharp red and black markings and lines texturing it. His hands and feet were the only visible part of his body, covered in caramel brown fur.

"You... You're..." Seif muttered in disbelief. There was no doubt about it- that was the Ethereal Warlock, making his appearance at last.

"I thought I had got ridden of every last one of those worthless creatures. Looks like I missed one. But that's fixed now, thanks to you three," the evil warlock said as he was holding the blood-coated sword, referring to the stabbed Mirna, who were breathing heavily and losing too much blood.

"Why you... damned bastard! Why did you have to kill her!?" Panja snarled, his fist shaking furiously.

"Oh? You've grown well, Panja. You too, Seif. Though I was hoping you two would've been dead by now. I guess what they say is true- if you want something done, do it yourself," the warlock said to the stunned Lowefangs.

"What... wait! How do you...?" Panja stuttered, surprised that he would know their names.

"How do I know you? No use telling you now, since you will all die anyway," the evil warlock replied, obviously grinning behind his mask. "Wait... Where is..." he then uttered in confusion, only seeing Seif and Panja before him, since he was certain they were three. He then was surprisingly overtaken by a presence dropping down on him fast from the sky, quickly bouncing to the back in the last second before Hazard dropped down on the ground with a powerful slash of his sword, barely missing him.

"Hmph! Good one, sir. A second later and you would've certainly..." The warlock's mask suddenly shattered in two and fell off of his face, much to his surprise. Their eyes all opened wide when they finally got to see his face, which showed it belonged to a middle-aged lion with a black beard that had some gray fur on it. What was even more shocking was the striking resemblance he had to Panja and Seif. "Damn...and I wasn't planning to reveal myself until the very end. You spoiled it... Millennium Slasher, was it?" the unmasked warlock smirked.

"Who the hell are you, anyway?" Hazard asked demandingly, lowering his sword, yet keeping his alert.

The warlock sighed, "Oh well, I guess there's no use hiding it now, is it?" He stood up straight from his crouching, looking directly at them with a serious expression. "My name is Grall. Grall Lowefang, sole brother of King Rour Lowefang," he shockingly revealed to the extremely astounded trio.

"This... This can't be..." Seif muttered in disbelief.

"Yes, Seif. I am your father," Grall stated with a sure smile.

"Th-That's impossible! You can't be my uncle Grall! He died in a battle a long time ago! You can't be Seif's father!" Panja heatedly refused to believe it.

"What kind of a sick joke is this?" Hazard crossly glared at the Ethreal Warlock.

"Oh, I assure you, this is no joke. What they told you about me is all lies. Rour was protecting you from the truth, son. What? Aren't you going to give your dear father a hug?" Grall leered, stretching out his arms to Seif, who was severely shocked, leaving him speechless.

"My... father...?" Seif's words choked in his throat, not believing what he was seeing or hearing.

"Don't listen to him, Seif! He's lying!" Panja yelled at Seif, snapping him back to his senses.

"I've had enough of your nonsense. Lowefang or not, you're going down," Hazard said and rushed at Grall with his sword. He slashed at him, but Grall used his own thin sword to block the attack.

"This has nothing go to do with you, Slasher. Why do you risk your life?" Grall questioned the golden wolf as their swords were clashing together.

"I don't have to answer to the likes of you," Hazard replied, gaining the upper hand was pushing Grall off. The warlock grinded his fangs; Hazard proved too much stronger than he expected, as he gathered some sort of dark energy in his other free hand and threw it in the shape of a purple ball at Hazard, forcing him to back off to avoid getting hit by it.

"In that case, you shall die!" Grall growled and tossed two more of his dark energy balls. Hazard nimbly avoided them as they hit the ground instead and blew up, puffing out the snow all over the air and obscuring the view, but Hazard jumped up high out of it and dropped down at Grall with a downward slash. Grall blocked it again with his sword and pushed the wolf away, dashing into him for a thrusting stab, but Hazard swayed his body to the side to evade it and then landed a directed his into Grall's side with a rough knee kick. The warlock grunted and barely had time to react as Hazard swung his sword at him to cut his face, only to have Grall lean backward and miss by an inch, giving him enough time to throw another energy ball at the open Hazard, who managed to guard himself from it with his sword but got pushed back a few feet away, leaving a dragged trail of snow.

"Damn!" Hazard cursed, his energy balls are intensely strong and he never before felt so much dark energy. It left his hands slightly numb just from blocking it with his sword. Grall saw this opportunity to finish him off and railed him with barrage of slashes and thrusts, but Hazard skillfully deflected them all despite his handicap.

"How long are you going to last, Slasher?" Grall scoffed and kept attacking the golden wolf. Hazard just needed an opening to regain, but Grall didn't leave him any. If this kept up, he'd be a very bad situation.

"Barzard!"

Hazard then heard Seif's voice roaring and without even looking back, he jumped up high after blocking one more sword slash from Grall, taking the warlock off guard. Grall's eyes widened when he saw Seif coming towards him fast and swinging his broad sword at him, which he engulfed with his own fire power. Grall had no choice but to guard himself with a barrier of dark energy when he was hit by Seif's flaming slash, which was so powerful; it knocked him away some feet to the back, crashing into the snowy ground with a painful groan.

"Eugh...! Damn you!" Grall snarled as he got up on his feet. "You're good, Slasher. Oh, you're too good. It seems I can't win with you three together. I have to do something about that, especially to you, Slasher. But maybe next time..." Grall leered as he was covering himself in his dark purple energy, pointing his finger at the mountain beyond the forest. "If you want to find me, I'll be waiting in that mountain. Don't be late."

"Wait! I won't let you escape!" Seif growled and tried to catch him, but it was too late, as Grall disappeared into the ground like it had swallowed him. "Dammit!" Seif angrily dug his fist into the ground where the warlock was standing.

"He's gone, the filthy coward," Hazard said to Seif, gritting his fangs in frustration.

"Hey guys! Mirna is... she doesn't look good!" Panja called out, holding up the wounded kirin in his arms.

"Shit!" Hazard cursed and rushed back to their side. "Hang in there, Mirna." Hazard crouched to her and checked her wound. "Damn, it's too deep..."

"What do you mean!? We can't let her die!" Panja retorted.

"It's alright... I know I don't have much time..." Mirna breathed weakly, losing her strength.

"Don't speak, Mirna. I... I'm sorry. We were with you, yet... we couldn't..." Hazard murmured in despair.

"It's not... your fault... don't feel guilty... I'm glad I got to meet you all... and I hope I helped you... enough..." Mirna's voice was getting weaker, reaching up her shaky left hand as Hazard held it gently between his hands.

"Yes, you did. Thank you, Mirna," Hazard softly smiled, while Panja was barely able to hold back his tears, a teardrop falling on her cheek.

"That's... good... don't be too sad over me... I'll get to be with... everyone now... just promise me... promise me that you'll... defeat him..." Mirna smiled weakly before her breathing finally stopped and Hazard could feel the life slipping away from her hand he was holding, gripping it firmly.

"I promise you, Mirna," Hazard spoke softly, putting her hand down on her chest as he caressed her face, looking so peaceful now.

Seif didn't have the courage to face her at all, his back turned to them, his heart full of anger, confusion and anguish. "I'm sorry..." was the only thing that could come out of his mouth.

***

They didn't take long to burry Mirna and held a quick funeral for her sake and respect, choosing to make her grave right next to where the chief and his wife were buried.

"At least she got her wish, right Haz?" Panja said to his wolf companion after they have finished the ceremony.

"Yeah. But she and everyone else won't rest in peace until we kill that bastard," Hazard replied.

"Do you... Do you think what he said is true? That he's really Grall? I don't want to believe that..." Panja muttered.

"Then don't," Hazard replied. "It won't make any difference. He has to be stopped." The wolf then walked over to Seif, facing him. "If you want to back off, I'll understand. Just know that we still need you in your best shape."

"No. I'm coming. This doesn't change anything," Seif responded. "And, I need to know the truth. Whatever the case, I'll bring him down myself."

Hazard smiled and gave Seif's arm a pat. "Good. Let's go end this." Seif nodded affirmatively to that and started to walk away with Hazard by his side.

Panja looked over at Mirna's grave one more time and closed his eyes, trying to remember her in his mind. "Thank you, Mirna. We'll avenge you, I promise," he spoke to her softly before turning his back to the graves and going off to join his two friends.

As the warlock pointed out before he disappeared, he was waiting at the snowy mountain beyond the snowy forest, probably locating his hiding place. They decided to spend one more night at the forest before heading out to climb the high mountain first thing in the morning. The hiking started out easy enough. It was like walking up an upward road that was going around the mountain. Snow covered most of the mountain, and it got thicker and colder as they traveled up further. The further they traversed up the mountain, the rougher the weather got. The air got chillier and the wind blew stronger, making the hiking a much harder chore.

"H-Hey, guys! Don't you think it's time we took a break?" Panja called out, getting cold and tired after they climbed a good portion of the mountain.

"We can't take a break. We have to keep moving," Seif said, his cloak flapping intensely from the strong wind.

"But for how long?! My limbs are freezing and I think a storm is coming! At least we should rest until it dies down a bit!" Panja complained.

"I agree with Panja. We'll only put ourselves in danger if we continued in this weather," Hazard concurred.

"No! We can't stop! If that whiney brat wants to take a break, let him! We don't need him slowing us down!" Seif retorted crossly, obviously in a cranky mood.

"Hey! That was uncalled for! Why do you have to be a cruel jerk!? I'm just trying to look out for our own safety!" Panja snapped back at him.

"If that's the case, then you would've kept our money safe instead of being a slut! Either shut up and suck it up, or stay behind! No one asked you to come in the first place!" Seif shouted at Panja harshly, fuming the white lion and making him lose his temper, as he walked over to Seif until they were face to face, shooting hateful glares at each other.

"What did you SAY!?" Panja snarled, clutching Seif by the cuff of his cloak.

"Hey, cut it out, you two! This isn't the time!" Hazard scolded them both, but they paid him no heed, emotions and tension raised too high.

"I'm getting sick of your spiteful attitude! I've been trying my best to make it up to you, but you don't give a damn about it! Yeah, I made a mistake, but you know what? I DON'T regret it! You just like to act like a pompous ass because you failed to fill in my place!" Panja heatedly growled at Seif's face, seeing nothing but red before his eyes, and the next he knew, he threw a punch right on Panja's jaw, dropping over to his back.

"You have NO right to speak to me like that!"

Panja sat back up, rubbing his sore jaw and glaring back at Seif. "Oh, you just made a huge mistake!" He growled and charged at Seif, tackling him to the ground hard and they immediately started wrestling, rolling all over the snow, trading punches and fists, right and left. They simply went out of control and beating each other up badly. Panja then managed to get Seif off of him by flipping him backward with his leg, both getting up on their feet quickly, panting and heaving, covered with bruises and blood stains. They then charged at each other like raging bulls and their hands locked, each trying to overpower the other with their brawny strength, but there was no clear winner, only wasting their power for naught. Their locked hands then started imitating hot steam, as their icy and fiery powers were colliding, grunting and growling at each other, turning into a heated staring match. When they felt that neither was backing down, they unhanded each other at the same time, and then each charged up their fists with their elemental power, launching it against each other. But before their fists clashed, Hazard appeared between suddenly, and with his sword in one hand and its sheath on the other, struck them both at the same time, hitting Seif on his stomach with his grip of his sword, while Panja received a painful thump on his chest with the tip of his sword sheath, instantly stopping them on their track with a rough grunt.

"I said, CUT IT OUT!" Hazard growled and pushed them both away with his brute strength, causing them to stagger backward in astonishment.

"B-But H-Haz... he..." Panja blinked, snapping out of his blinding rage.

"I've have enough of you two bickering like bratty kids! Look at yourselves! Are you trying to kill each other!? Hell, you two are family! You're practically brothers, dammit, and you're fighting each other like arch enemies!" Hazard snarled at the both of them, putting them into perspective, as both of the lions lowered their heads in shame. The wolf then breathed out, seeing that he managed to calm them down. "Look, we all in a lot of strain and confusion after all that had happened. But the last thing we need to do is to fight against each other. You two have to learn how to settle your differences and end this pointless quarrel. You need to stick together, like how you used to before. That's how brothers should be, right?" Hazard then said with a calm smile, sheathing his sword. Panja lifted his head up; staring at the wolf's smiling face, and he grinned a bit, wiping away the blood from his snout.

"Damn, I hate it when you're always right," Panja snickered, and then turned to look at Seif, who was staring back at him with a serious expression. He stepped closer to his cousin until he was near enough, and then surprised him by getting down to his hands and knees.

Seif's eyes widened in shock, "Pa... Panja...?"

"I know I don't deserve your forgiveness. I know I made a lot of foolish mistakes. You always were better than me in every way, and I always was jealous of you because of it. I caused you nothing but grief and trouble, but you always tolerated me and stuck with me. But what I know for sure is that you are not a failure, Seif. I'm sorry for what I said; I was out of line. Please, forgive me, your highness..." Panja knelt humbly before the stunned Seif, his voice choking near the end, tear dropping down from his cheeks.

Seif was deeply touched. He never expected that from Panja; to see him reach this point of humility and honesty. He realized he may have been too hard on him and didn't give him a chance to see how much he had change and really want to redeem himself. All the spite and grudge that filled Seif's chest suddenly evaporated, crouching down to his knees and placing his hands on his white-furred cousin's shoulders gently.

"No, Panja. I should ask for your forgiveness. I was blinded by my bitterness; I couldn't see what a fine man you have become. I'm sorry I've been too hard on you. I was never a true king to Asadia. Not without you, your majesty," Seif softly spoke, smiling gently at Panja, who looked back at him with surprised eyes.

"Seif... I... I..." Panja's voice quivered, tearing up in gratitude, as Seif pulled him into a tender hug.

"I know," Seif simply muttered, while Panja gratefully pressed himself into the blond lion's chest and hugged him back. Hazard watched the two Lowefangs hug with a content smile, relieved to see them finally patching things up and becoming close brothers again. However, a malicious presence disturbed the tender moment, as Hazard instinctively sensed it and quickly jumped in front of Seif and Panja, striking away a couple of speeding swords that were flying down at them with his own swords and managed to protect them.

"Careful. He's here," Hazard warned his two feline companions, scanning his surroundings and trying to locate the enemy, but it was difficult with this snow storm brewing. Panja and Seif got up on their feet and readied themselves as well, giving their backs against each other. The twin swords that Hazard struck down started moving on their own and floated up in the air, flying back to where they came from, right into the hands of the Ethereal Warlock, standing atop high ledge on the mountain.

"Oh, how nice and touching. Almost brought a tear to my eyes, mostly because I'm disappointed you didn't end up killing each other. That was entertaining. I blame you, Millennium Slasher," Grall mockingly said.

"Get down here and face us, coward!" Panja growled.

"Oh, getting feisty, aren't we? Don't worry, I'll face you. But not here." Grall leered evilly.

"You're not planning to escape again, are you?" Hazard said directly at Grall.

"I wouldn't say escape, but more like delaying the inevitable. This isn't the place for our grand finale. Don't fret, though, I brought you some friends to keep you busy. RAISE, MY DEAR MINIONS! "Grall called out from the top of his long, his hands emitting dark energy, as they felt a rumbling quake around them. A horde of skeletal undead monsters began to spring out of the snowy grounds all over the place, quickly surrounding the trio. They were the dead bodies of several soldiers and warriors the warlock has gathered all over the years, trapped in this horrifying undead state to solely serve him in battle.

"What the hell... are those?" Panja muttered appallingly as the skeletal creatures slowly approached them from all sides and were sharply armed.

"I have no idea, but they sure don't look friendly," Hazard replied, gripping his sword firmly.

"Friendly or not, we have to take them down," Seif said and his two friends agreed to that, fighting off the horde of bone-and-rotten-flesh covered monsters.

Grall laughed, "Let's see how you deal with my army of the undead! I wish if I could stay and watch, but I need to be at my lair. I'll be waiting for you there, so don't die on me yet." The evil warlock then left as suddenly as he came, leaving his skeletal army to deal with his adversaries.

"Wait!" Seif tried to rush after him, but a group of skeleton warriors stood in his path. "Out of my WAY!" He growled and swung his broad sword at them, shattering them in pieces. Much to his astonish, though, their broken bones and limbs miraculously gathered together and attached into each other, springing back to live. "What in the world...?" Seif uttered in disbelief as the undead warriors he just destroyed with his sword had been resurrected, limping towards him with ghastly groans.

Hazard was having the same problem, slashing and dicing his way through many of those skeletons monsters, but they keep getting back up after pulling their boney limbs together. "You gotta be kidding me?" Hazard griped as another wave of those undead marched at him, swinging their swords, blade and spears randomly at him in a desperate attempt to kill him.

"What the hell, Haz!? No matter how many times you kill them, they keep coming back!" Panja grumbled, having a troubled time himself as he was outnumbered, punching and kicking their chest and body parts off, but to no use, as they just kept regenerating shortly after. "There's no end to them!"

"Just hang in there, Panja!" Hazard replied, cutting off the head of a skeleton after evading a slash from him. "There got to be... a way... to kill them... for good!" the wolf agilely dodged their weapons and countered with his sword one after the other. They were slow and brainless, fortunately, but they still were a threat with their huge, never ending numbers, not to mention their annoying regeneration ability. It was no wonder that Grall always succeeded in his carnage; his black necromantic magic was seemingly unstoppable.

With his mighty blade, Seif was taking out a huge number of those undead skeletons, but he felt like he was wasting his strength, as the result was the same. "Dammit! What are we supposed to do!?" he gritted his teeth in frustration. A burst of his fire power burned from his hand out of his anger, and that instantly gave him an idea. He brought his sword close and passed his glowing fiery palm over the broad blade, enveloping it with burning flame and creating a blazing sword. Waiting for the right moment and for a good number of the skeletons to gather in front of him, Seif raised up his flaming sword over his head, jumped up in the air as high as his strong legs could and with a mighty cleave, smashed his enemies with his burning blade into the ground, leaving behind a waste of screeching screams and torching limbs and bones, instantly turning into harmless ashes from blistering heat of Seif's fire power.

"Whoa... nice!" Hazard whistled impressively after he witnessed Seif's remarkable attack. He had no time to cheer on, though, as he was still fending off his own share of deadly undead. His situation was getting too hairy, steadily being surrounded by a big number of them.

"Jump, Haz!" Panja then called out to the golden wolf and Hazard quickly complied, jumping out of the flock of groaning skeletal undead and into the air. When he saw that Hazard was out of harm's way, he gathered his icy powers in his right fist, flexing his muscular arm, and then punched it into the ground with a fierce roar, launching a powerful trail of icy spikes that speeded onward into the horde of undead monsters, trapping them all inside a frosty prison and rendering them completely out of commission.

"Way to go, Panja! Perfect timing!" Hazard praised his white lion friend, landing safely on top one of the ice pillars Panja made and giving him the thumb-up.

"Thanks! Seif's not the only one with cool moves!" Panja gloated, huffing his chest proudly.

"It's too early to celebrate," Seif stated, pointing out at the large number of skeleton monsters still remaining. He didn't waste time and charged at group with his flaming blade, torching them up to ashes one by one. Amidst the chaos, Seif was too occupied by destroying the pack of undead before him; he didn't notice a single one coming in from behind him, raising its deadly sword up to stab him on his back.

"Watch out, Seif!" Hazard dashed in the right moment and tackled the devious skeleton away a second before it was about to stab Seif, dropping it off a cliff.

"Thanks, Barzard..." Seif breathed gratefully.

"Don't mention. Just be careful, you're getting way worked up," Hazard smirked, but without any warning, an arrow was shot from the sky and struck Hazard right on his chest. It came from a skeletal archer, sitting atop a high ledge.

"Ba... BARZARD!" Seif cried out in horror as he saw the wolf stagger and fall off the cliff. Seif didn't think twice and just reached out his hand to grab him before he fell off the high mountain, but he was too late, only causing himself to get pulled down as he clutching into Hazard's arm, both ending up falling off.

"NO!" Panja gasped and tried to rush over to save his friends, but a skeletal hand sprung out of the snowy ground and got a firm hold of his feet, forcing him to stumble to the ground. A large group of those pesky skeletons then gathered around him and piled themselves on top of him, making it extremely difficult for Panja to budge. "Get... the hell... off... ME!" Panja roared furiously and struggled to break free, but he there were just too many of them and he was gradually losing his strength. "Ha-Haz...! S... Seif..." he choked wearily under the heavy pile of rotten skeleton, before everything went black.

***

At the bottom of the pit, Seif was coming to after an unknown period of passing out after falling off the cliff. He found himself covered in a thick layer of snow and easily shrugged it off of himself, rubbing his brows as he was feeling a bit of headache. Looking around him, he wondered where he was and saw it was at a lower sector of the mountain. He looked above him, able to see where he had fallen off from, and it was quite a drop. The snow seemed to have broken the fall, luckily.

"Barzard!" Seif's eyes shot open, remembering what brought him here. He frantically looked around him but didn't find any trace, but the wolf couldn't have fallen off that far. He then remembered how he was covered under the snow and immediately began digging around nearby with his bare hands. He dug and dug, and after a fifth try, he glimpsed a yellow tail peeking out from the snow. He hurriedly plowed the snow away and found it was indeed Hazard, buried under the cold snow unconscious, the arrow still stuck inside his chest and bleeding. Seif pulled the wolf out and immediately pulled the arrow out, before tearing a piece of his cloak and wrapped it around Hazard's torso after taking his shirt and vest off, using it as a bandage to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, the wound wasn't deep, but he was still unconscious, as Seif gave him some light slaps on the cheek to try to wake him up while calling for his name. After a few tries, Hazard's eyes started to squint and he groaned a little, as Seif breathed out in relief. "Thank goodness..."

"Ow... I feel like.... I was hit by a giant boulder..." Hazard mumbled after opening his eyes.

"Close enough. We fell down from over there. It's a miracle we survived scratch-free. Well, almost," Seif replied as he pointed up above.

"Daaamn... how the hell did that happen? Last thing I remember was us fighting those freakishly damned skeletons, and then... OW!" Hazard cringed in pain when he tried to get up, holding his wounded chest.

"Take it easy. You got hit by an arrow, but you're lucky it didn't go too deep."

"Ow... yeah, it's coming back to me now, painfully. Good thing you're not the only one with a sturdy chest, eh?" Hazard joked with a sly smirk, making Seif shake his head with a chuckle, amazed that he was still to able to humor around despite the bad situation they were in.

"Can you stand up? You're not hurt else where, are you?" Seif asked him in concern and Hazard stood up on his feet, stretching his legs and arms a bit, even giving his tail a little wag.

"Nope. All fine and dandy. Thanks for the first-aid, sorry you had to ruin your cool cloak for my sake," Hazard grinned as he put on his shirt and vest.

"Don't worry about it. It was getting worn out, anyway," Seif smiled, checking his grungy cloak out.

"Well, we have to find a way to hurry back up. I'm worried about Panja," Hazard said and Seif agreed, but as the wolf took his first step, his vision got blurry and he staggered onward, suddenly falling on the ground face first.

"Barzard!? What's wrong?!" Seif rushed down to him and helped up sit up on his knees.

"I... I'm okay. Just felt a little woozy, that's all. Must've hit my head or something..." Hazard said, pulling himself together, but he was getting abnormally weary, his vision getting blurrier.

"Don't act tough, you don't look so good," Seif said, noticing Hazard turning pale.

"I'm... fine... just... need... to..." Hazard's voice choked and then he suddenly collapsed, having a hard time breathing and turning on his back, clutching his chest in pain.

"Barzard! What's wrong?! Barzard!" Seif anxiously rumbled, at loss of what was going on. He noticed Hazard clutching his chest painfully while panting heavily. "The arrow... it must've been poisoned! We must get you some medicine," Seif realized the reason for Hazard sudden illness, but much to his chagrin, he remembered that the medicine items they carry were inside the bag Panja carried. "Dammit!" Seif cursed is bad luck.

"You go on... without me, Seif... I'll be... fine. I won't let a petty poison... kill me...You have to... help Panja... or else... ugh..." Hazard panted, feeling weaker and weaker. That instant, the image of Ardal's last moments flashed before Seif's eyes. It was the same thing happening again. But Seif wouldn't let it happen again. Not this time. The lion got a hold of Hazard, lifted him up and made him hang on by his back. "Wh...What are you... doing?"

"Shut up. You're coming with me. Just hang on tight," Seif strictly said and started walking towards the direction up the mountain, dragging his broad sword along in one hand while using the other to help hold Hazard up on his back.

"I'll only slow you... down... Just leave me... I..." Hazard tried to object, but he only got Seif more agitated.

"I told you to shut up! I won't leave you to die alone! We'll get through this together. Just stay quiet and save your strength until we find the medicine for you," Seif barked back at him, continuing on his way while carrying Hazard on his back.

"Heh... stubborn fool..." Hazard smiled; resting his head on Seif's back and trying to relax despite the internal pain he was enduring.

As they were pressing on, slowly making their way up the mountain, Hazard's condition was steadily getting worse, his breathing getting heavier and his temperature raising. Seif was getting worried about him, but that only made him more determined to reach the top as fast as possible. He just wished if there was something he could do to help, to ease his pains. But he couldn't think of anything and he hated that part of him. The uncompassionate part, a part he lost a long time ago. He forgot how to feel for others, to able to help them when they need to. He felt so helpless.

"Talk to me, Seif..." Seif heard Hazard softly speak. "I want you to talk to me... to get my mind off the pain..." Hazard asked of him, the poison surging through his body slowly numbing his senses.

Seif didn't know what to say. He never was the talkative type, like his cousin Panja. But he was willing to try anything to help ease Hazard's suffering. "I don't know what to talk about," Seif regrettably replied.

"Can I... ask you... a personal question... then?"

"Of course."

"Do you really... think that... your father... died?" Hazard asked Seif from out of the blue, taking Seif off guard. That issue had always been a sensitive one for Seif and had always tried to avoid it. However, giving what had happened so far, he guessed that there was no use escaping it any more.

"I honestly don't know," Seif answered. "Ever since I was little, I always wondered about the truth of his death. I've never seen him or my mother. My mother passed away when she gave birth to me and they say that my father followed her two years after that. But something inside of me didn't believe that. I had a feeling that they were hiding something from me. And now that we met the warlock... I rather to believe what they told me, instead."

"Don't think... much about it... we know nothing... about that... bastard... just believe what you know..."

"That's true. My father is dead. Ardal and I used visit his and mother's graves, almost daily when we were little."

"Ardal...?"

"Yes. He is... was my dearest friend," Seif said with a smile full of nostalgia, reminiscing the past days of when he was a very young cub, right to the day when he met Ardal for the first time.

It was twenty six years ago, right about when Seif was seven-year old, looking like a fine lion cub even then, with his young squire outfit that his maid was dressing him in.

"You look so handsome, Master Seif! I bet you're excited for your first day at knighthood school!" his maid, a female blue canary named Ella, gleefully said as she was combing his short blond head fur.

"I guess. I'm kind of nervous," young Seif replied timidly, wincing a little as she mended his fuzzy cheeks and chin with the brush.

"Oh, you'll be fine, I'm sure. The king has been very pleased with you," Ella smiled and petted his head.

"Really? You really think so?" Seif's big cat-like eyes opened wide keenly. Even at that young age, Seif worked very hard to prove himself to everyone else that he was a capable Lowefang, even if he wasn't the true heir to the throne, unlike his cousin Panja. So to hear that he was getting the recognition he deserved, from the King no less, was something that made him very happy and thrilled.

"Of course! You've been doing excellent at your studies and behavior inside the castle, you're making him proud, as well as I! And now you're in your way to become a royal knight! My young master Seif is growing so fast!" the joyful maid said and hugged the young cub snuggly, making him blush bashfully. "I just wish if the young prince was as diligent and well-mannered as you," she mournfully sighed, and just as she mentioned that, they heard a loud yell coming from the hall.

"Master Panja! Stop! How many times have I told you! No running in the palace halls!"

"Speak of the devil..." Ella murmured and she went out Seif's chamber to see what all that commotion was about, not that she didn't have a clear guess, as Seif followed her curiously. They saw a young Panja scurrying across the hall, with his maid, a golden retriever, chasing after him.

"Stop, Master Panja! You're supposed to get ready for the knighthood school!" the running maid shouted as she went after the mischievous white lion cub.

"I said I don't want to! Why should I be a knight!? I'm the prince! I don't need to be a knight when I'm the future king!" Panja whined while he was escaping his annoying maid. She almost got a hold of him and lurched forward to grab him, but he ducked in the right moment and she missed him, stumbling over while he ran over to the other direction. "Hah! You're too slow!" Panja snickered, looking back at the tripped maid, not seeing what was standing in front of him as he bumped on Ella and fell over to the back on his bottom. "Ow! Hey! Watch it!" Panja griped.

"Now, now, Master Panja. You have to behave and be a good prince. All good princes get to be great knights before they become great king, like your father," Ella gently said to him as he helped him stand up, dusting him off and mending his clothes and fur.

"But that's not fun! All they do is lecture you with boring speeches and make you train hard with a sword!" Panja complained.

"Quit acting like a brat, Panja. We have to go to school if we want to become rulers of Asadia," Seif scolded his white-furred cousin, who was actually a few months older than him.

"Maybe I don't want to become a ruler," Panja pouted, rolling his tongue out, as Seif gave him a stern stare.

"You're going and that's final." Seif grabbed him by the arm and dragged him along with him.

"Okay! Okay! Stop pulling me!" Panja grumbled.

"Good luck, young masters!" Ella waved to them as the other maid that was chasing Panja joined her.

"Good grief, that young prince is such a pain. Want to trade?" The gold retriever hopefully requested.

"Never! Master Seif is my precious prince!" the canary refused instantly.

"Oh, that's not fair! Why do I have to get the bad one and you get the good one!?"

"You just have to deal it with it!" they both bantered and giggled with each other.

On their way to the study hall, Seif and Panja ran into King Rour as he was strolling through the same corridor with his royal entourage. "Well, well, up so early I see. Where are my dear sons heading to this fine morning?" King Rour greeted them pleasantly, petting their heads with both of his hands. He looked quite fit and vigorous, resembling how Panja presently looked a bit.

"We're going to the knighthood school, your highness," Seif formally replied.

"Oh, how interesting. I'm certain you're going to do more than well, Seif. I have high expectation from you. You as well, Panja. You should learn a thing or two from your cousin," the king genially stated.

"Whatever you say," Panja rolled his eyes, irritated by how his father always compares him with Seif and pressures him to be as good as him.

"Anyhow, I'm glad I got to run into you two. I want to introduce you to someone. Come here, Ardal," the king called out and looked down by his side. A timid little bear boy got pushed forward by an adult-looking replica of him, who apparently was his own father. The young brown-furred bear slowly stepped forward and stood next to the king with wary eyes, as the two lion cubs stared back at him strangely. "This is Ardal Caster. He is the son of Julian Caster, one of my best generals. He is going to be your squire from now on," King Rour revealed, introducing both of the bear cub and his father.

"It is an honor to serve you, young princes," Julian respectably said, bowing his head. "Pay your respect to your masters, boy," the papa bear soft rumbled to his cub.

"Uh... H-Hello. I am Ardal. I-It's an honor to meet you, Master Panja, Master Seif!" Ardal nervously introduced himself to his new young masters. Seif and Panja just stood silently, not sure how to react to this new found company.

"Listen well you two, Ardal is going accompany you in a daily basis, even partaking the same classes you attend. He will be a great assistant to you, so treat him well. Understood?" King Rour clearly instructed them.

"Yes, your highness," Seif replied for the both of them

"And Seif, I told you numerous times, don't call me 'your highness'. You are my son as much as Panja, so call me father," King Rour kindly said, petting Seif between his ears.

"Ye-yes..." Seif coyly replied. He knew the king meant well and was being sincere, but he just couldn't bring himself to call him father, even if he did consider him one.

"Good. Carry on then. Keep an eye on Panja, Seif. Don't let him slack off." The king bid them farewell and took his leave with his staff following him obediently, leaving the three cubs on their own.

"Boy, what a drag. It wouldn't kill you if you mess up once in a while, Seif. You make me look bad," Panja grinned sheepishly, nudging Seif with his elbow.

"And it wouldn't kill you if you studied more, so I don't have to baby sit you. Come on, we're going to be late for our first class," Seif replied strictly, grabbing Panja's paw and starting walking to the study hall. As they were walking, they noticed that Ardal was following them closely. They stopped and turned around to face him, as he flinched a bit.

"Why are you following us?" Seif asked the little bear directly.

"W-Well, I'm t-told that I should accompany you at all time and serve you in anyway," Ardal timidly answered.

"We already have maids for that. We don't need a teddy bear to be our errand boy," Panja retorted, as Ardal sulked, biting his lower lips demurely.

"B-But Master Panja, the king said..."

"Listen, Ardal, we are children here. You don't have to be our servant just because the grown-ups said so," Seif cut him off.

"Yeah. Do whatever you want, just don't follow us around like a shadow. Know your place, teddy. Let's go, Seif," Panja harshly told Ardal off and went off with his cousin by his side, leaving Ardal behind to mope alone.

"What's you expect, Ardal? Of course they're not your friends. They'll never be..." Ardal sniveled quietly to himself, making his way to the study hall with heavy sad shoulders.

A couple of hours later, one of the knighthood school classes had just finished and the students were coming out of the study hall.

"Boy... that was more boring than normal classes. I was barely able to keep my eyes open," Panja yawned as he came out of the history lecture class with Seif.

"How do you expect to learn anything if you keep nodding off in classes?" Seif oddly asked his lazy cousin. "History knowledge will help you become a better king."

"I told you, it doesn't matter to me! When I grow up and be king, the first thing I'm going to do is rule out schools!"

Seif shook his head with a chuckle, "You're unbelievable."

"Yup! And unbelievable charmer!" Panja laughed, before he then noticed someone familiar standing by one side of the hall. "Hey look, it's that teddy bear," Panja whispered and gestured for Seif to look over. Ardal was waiting outside of the study hall all that time, alone. He didn't have the nerve to join them. His face brightened when he saw his young masters exit the study hall and eagerly waited for them to ask him to come over. They carried on their way and ignored him, much to his disappointment, watching them walk away with his ears dangled sadly.

The next class was weaponry training. Teaching children how to use a sword in an early age was one the fundamentals of raising strong knights. The students gathered at a yard outside the castle and were given wooden swords and armor so not to harm themselves while training.

"Good day, students. My name is Gally Krom. I'll be your weapon instructor," a tall, strapping green-scaled lizard introduced himself to his class, holding a real sword dug into the ground. "For your first day, we are going to learn how to hold a sword and swing it. A good offense is the best defense, so remember that well," Mr. Krom explained to them, lifting his sword and taking a swing with it, getting some awed noises from the students.

"Hey teacher, how come we only have fake wooden swords but you have a real one?" Panja nagged inquiringly.

"That is because you are still too young to wield a real sword, young prince," Mr. Krom laughed.

"That's lame," Panja pouted.

"All right, every one takes a sparring partner and practice swinging your sword at each other. Try to block your partner attack and hit them back with a counter attack, like this!" the teacher instructed them by hitting a dummy figure with his sword. The students complied and switched to pairs, Seif and Panja pairing together of course and started practicing with each other. Panja went a little too aggressive, battering Seif with constant hard hits while Seif haplessly guarded himself with the wooden sword.

"Come on, Seif! First one to lay a hit wins! I'm the legendary Millennium Slasher and you are an evil demon!"

"Stop that, Panja! This isn't a game!" Seif growled irritably.

"It ought to be!" Panja replied and continued his assault, until Seif had enough and did an impressive deflecting maneuver, pushing Panja back, and then smacked him on the top of his skull with the wooden blade. "Ow! Hey, that smarts!" Panja griped, rubbing his sore head.

"I guess I win then." Seif smirked.

"Not until I say so! Round two!" Panja barked and the two sparred again. Their second round was interrupted when they heard a fuss nearby and they looked over, seeing a group of noble kids bullying a single boy with their swords. "Oh boy, it's teddy again," Panja sighed. Seif didn't like what was going on and went over to them directly.

"That's enough," Seif firmly told them and demanded them to stop. The group of kids immediately did and stepped back, showing a cowering Ardal covering his head frightfully.

"But Master Seif, this little brat was lying. He said he's your and the prince's squire, when it's obvious he doesn't belong here," one of the noble kids, little red fox, said. Seif kept quiet for a minute, staring down at the sniveling bear as Ardal looked back at him warily.

"He's not lying. He is my squire and his name is Ardal. So stop bothering him," Seif responded, much to Ardal gleeful surprise.

"What?! Him?! His father isn't even a noble! How can he be your squire?" another kind exclaimed in a surprise.

"You got a problem with that?" Panja said as he joined in as well. "Because I have a problem with coward bullies ganging up on a little kid, and I hate that more than hard work.

"N-No, but..." the vulpine stuttered.

"What is going on here?" the teacher then showed up when he noticed the disturbance in his class, and the group of noble kids quickly broke it off and went away. "Is there any problem, young prince?"

"Not any more, teacher."

"Good. Let's go back to class then," Mr. Krom said and headed back to his spot.

"Are you all right?" Seif checked up on Ardal, helping him stand up.

"Ye-Yes... Thank you, Master Seif. You saved me," Ardal sniveled, wiping away his tears and runny snout.

"Just stay out of trouble," Seif replied, turning around to walk away with Panja, but they noticed Ardal following them again.

"You sure are a pushy one, teddy. Why do you keep following us?" Panja asked him in annoyance.

Ardal meekly lowered his head, but found the courage to reply, "I... I have to. My father worked hard to bring me to the castle. I can't let him down. The king said I have to accompany you all the time, and that's what I'll keep doing. Even if... you don't want me to." Seif found Ardal's persistence and his reason not to disappoint his father quite admirable. He thought about it for a bit, and then walked closer to the little bear.

"How old are you, Ardal?" Seif asked him and Ardal looked back at him with a blink.

"I... I'm six," he softly answered. He then saw Seif reach his right hand to him. "M-Master Seif?"

"We accept you as our squire, Ardal." Sief said, smiling and waiting for Ardal to return the shake. The little bear's eye glistened in joy, reaching out with his two small paws and holding Seif's hand elatedly.

"Thank you, Master Seif! I promise! I'll be the best squire ever!" Ardal eagerly expressed his gratitude.

"You don't mind, right Panja?" Seif turned to the white lion cub, who shrugged.

"Why not? It could fun!" Panja exclaimed, patting Ardal's shoulder. "Hey, I wanted to ask- what is this on your head?" he then pointed at a white crescent-shaped mark on the bear cub's forehead.

"It's... a birth mark, I think," Ardal answered coyly.

"Oh! Neat! You're one cute looking teddy!" Panja said and made Ardal flush red.

"I-it's n-not teddy. It's Ardal..." Ardal replied bashfully.

"That name is too fruity. I'll call you Ardy! From now on, you're one of us, Ardy!" Panja declared.

"You... you really mean that, Master Panja?" Ardal's eyes got misty again, happy to be accepted by Panja as well.

"Yup, and as your first duty as my squire, you'll be my sparring partner. But you always lose and I always win! Got it?" Panja ordered the bear and he nodded keenly.

"Yes, Master Panja!" they scurried off to train as Seif watched them with a head shake, not expecting Panja to be into the idea that much and also feeling sorry for Ardal who would be suffering in end. But he was pleased by the outcome and saw how happy Ardal seemed, and that was good enough for him. He liked making others happy.

"Come on, Seif! Don't slack off or I'll tell father!" Panja called out for his cousin with a beam, whacking poor Ardal on his head with the wooden sword as the bear whimpered. Seif chuckled and joined them, spending the rest of the classes in their first day at knighthood school together.

At the end of the day, when noon came and the classes ended, the Lowefang cubs were heading over to the royal dining hall for dinner, accompanied by their now-official squire, Ardal. He was carrying their wooden swords for them that were given to them by the school, willingly of course.

"You don't have to carry them all by yourself, Ardal. Let me hold mine," Seif said to the bear when he saw him having difficulty carrying all three swords at the same time while following them.

"N-no! I'm fine! There's no problem! I-I can do it!" Ardal declined insistently.

"Leave him alone, Seif. That's his job and it makes him happy," Panja grinned and Ardal nodded agreeably. Seif had no choice but to give up and let him carry them for them. Along the way, Ardal's father passed by them by chance, smiling proudly to see his son working hard.

"F-Father!" Ardal called out and ran over to his father excitedly. "I did it, father! I'm a squire now! I spent the whole day at the knighthood school with Master Panja and Master Seif!"

"Well done, son. I was certain you can do it. I'm proud of you," the big bear proudly said, ruffling the top of the little bear whose face was as bright as the morning sun. "Thank you, young princes. I hope my son hasn't been a bother."

"Naw, he's alright! I want him to come with us for dinner, ok?" Panja said and abruptly offered.

"That's very generous of you, young prince! He'll be honored to, of course, won't you, Ardal?" Julian replied gladly, nudging the back of his boy's head.

"Y-yes!" Ardal nodded.

"Well, let's go then, Ardy!" Panja grabbed Ardal's paw and was heading onward when he noticed Seif staying behind. "Aren't you coming?"

"I want to go somewhere else, first. You go on ahead," Seif replied calmly.

"Alright, don't be late! You know how strict father is about us all being at the table together!" Panja said and went off, dragging Ardal with him. Seif watched them disappear and then let out a soft, dire sigh.

"Is something the matter, Master Seif?" Julian asked him in concern.

"No," Seif simply answered him and walked away without saying another word. But he actually lied. Something did bother him. Seeing how close Ardal was with his father and how proud they looked triggered an unwanted desire in Seif. The desire for a parent, a real one. He lost both of his mother and father before he was old enough to even remember how they looked like. He always wondered about them, how they looked like, what were they like. Nobody in the castle apparently mentioned them, like they never existed, and that bothered Seif even more. He had many in the castle that cared for him, like Panja, Ella and even the king, and he cared for them as well. Yet, he still yearned for something else. That hunger for parental attention and approval, just like how Ardal just had with his father. He envied him a bit.

"Hello, mother, father," Seif said when he arrived at the castle's royal cemetery where his parents graves resided. He visited regularly from time to time. It brought him some inner comfort. He stood before the two graves silently for a minute, pausing to take a deep inhale. "Today was my first day at the knighthood school. I did well. I'm on my way to become a great knight. I don't know if I'll become anything more than that, but I hope I'm making you proud, mother, father. I'm really trying hard to prove myself to everyone. Uncle Rour is very pleased with me, too. I wish if you were here to see me right now," Seif spoke to them, believing that they could hear him in afterworld. A single tear rolled down his cheek and he was a bit surprised by it, he didn't feel himself crying and didn't know why, since he wasn't sad. He wiped away his teary eyed and had a smiled on his face. "I'll keep doing my best. I'll be the best knight in all of Asadia. I'll help Panja in ruling the kingdom. He'll need me, I'm sure. Just watch me, mother, father," Seif said in determination as he vowed on his parents graves.

A slight sound of a pebble rolled on the ground behind him and distracted him, as Seif quickly shifted around and noticed someone hiding behind a short monument. "Ardal?" Seif raised an eyebrow when he realized it was the bear cub, who came out of his hiding nervously. "How long have you been spying on me?"

"I-I'm sorry, Master Seif! I didn't mean to spy on you! I w-was just worried about you, since you didn't come to dinner. The king asked about you, too," Ardal replied timidly. Seif just smiled and didn't get upset, turning back to stare at his parents graves. Ardal exhaled when he saw that he wasn't mad and hesitantly approached him until he was by his side. They stood quietly like that for a good while, Ardal being patient and waiting for Seif's next action.

"You can go home, Ardal. You don't have to stay with me," Seif told him, but Ardal shook his head.

"I'm okay. I'm going stay with you, Master Seif."

"But your father and mother will worry about you. You should return home."

"This is my new home, Master Seif. With you and Master Panja. I decided to become your squire, and I'll serve for the rest of my life. I swear I'll aid you in your goals and will never leave your side!" Ardal devotionally bowed to his young master, vowing his loyalty to Seif, who were deeply surprised. He never expected anyone to be this tenaciously devoting to him, but he appreciated his efforts and accepted his allegiance.

"Thanks, Ardal," Seif gratefully said to his new found friend, placing his hands on his shoulders and raising him up to face him. Ardal smiled brightly and nodded appreciatively, before returning to the castle together.

"We were pretty much inseparably since then. Ardal devoted his life for me and Panja. I don't think I'd be the man I am now without him," Seif finished recalling that story to Hazard as he was still carrying up the mountain on his back.

"That's very touching... he sounds like a great friend..." Hazard breathed softly.

"He was, till the very end," Seif murmured, the image of Ardal dying between his arms flashing in his mind again.

"It's odd to hear that... you knew about me... even back then. Heh... and here we are now... together. Kind of... funny..." Hazard slightly chuckled between his heavy breaths.

"Yeah. You were quite the legend. Still are. I feel very fortunate to have met you, Barzard," Seif said amiably.

Hazard smiled faintly, wrapping his arms around Seif's neck and holding himself closer to the lion's warm back. "Me too..." the wolf softly uttered, barely audible, and too weak to resist falling into a deep slumber.

"Barzard? Did you say something?" Seif looked over his shoulder and saw that he had fallen asleep, letting him be and continuing on his way to climb the mountain through the harsh cold. Time passed fast as Seif was opening up to his lupine friend as it was already nightfall and the weather got unbearably chiller. It started to take its toll on Seif, but he endured it like a true warrior, pressing on relentlessly. Another big storm was brewing, picking its pace too fast, the strong cold winds blowing against Seif's marching and hindering him severely. It was too much for him to handle, as much as he may try. He needed a place to take cover and rest, or else they'd both freeze to death.

His prayers were answered when he glimpsed a small hallowed hole not too far up in the mountain. He rushed there as fast as he could despite the callous storm and entered the fissure. Fortunately, it was spacious and less cold than outside, with enough room to spend the night in it. Seif placed Hazard on his back and sensed his condition was getting worse, his body heating up from a severe fever, sweating and panting heavily despite the cold weather. "This is bad..." Seif thought to himself, not sure of how to treat his sickened friend. The first thing he figured was to make him as comfortable as possible, taking off Hazard's soaked clothes to cool his heat down, gathering his clothes together and making a cushion out of to use it as pillow under the wolf's head. The next thing he needed to do was feeding him something to bring him back his strength. Luckily, Seif carried a little pouch on his belt that had some bread and berries for such an ordeal. He cut the loaf of bread into little crumbs and mashed them together with the barrier, making an easy to chew paste.

"Come on, Barzard. Open you mouth and chew. Slow and easy..." Placing his hand under Hazard's head, he lifted him up a bit and helped him put the fruity paste in the wolf's muzzle. Hazard opened his eyes weakly with an aching groan, but he chewed on the food without much difficulty, much to Seif's relief. He fed him every last chunk and rested him back on the ground, hoping that would make him a bit better.

"Th... thirsty... water..." Hazard then moaned, craving for some water, and put Seif in a dilemma. He had no water on him and it was impossible to find any source of it in this desolated place. An idea then crossed his mind and he immediately went outside the cave, coming back with handful of white clean snow. He then used some of his fire power, his hand glowing faintly, and instantly melted the snow, making it into drinkable water as it trickled down Hazard's lips, quenching the wolf's thirst and drank till his heart content. "Mm... thanks... Seif... sorry... I'll... be fine... soon..." Hazard looked back at Seif with a frail grin, struggling to lift his hand to hold Seif's own. Seif held it back with both palms, squeezing it.

"I know. Just rest. I won't leave you," Seif murmured softly, as Hazard nodded and closed his eyes, the feverish crimson shades on his fuzzy cheeks dimming as Seif patiently watched over him. After a few hours, and just as Seif thought he was improving, Hazard's condition went critical again, shivering intensely with rough coughs. Seif felt him up, feeling like he was frosting up and in dire need of urgent warmth. |With no wood around to burn and make a fire with, the only way Seif thought of was with body heat, so without any hesitation, he removed himself from all his armor and garbs, carried the equally bared golden wolf between his brawny arms and brought him closely to himself, snuggling him to his broad chest, warming me him with warmth of his strong body solely, with only his cloak warped around them. Hazard's body shivered and his breaths were getting weaker and far between. He wasn't showing any sign of improvement and Seif feared for the worse. He didn't know what else he could but hug the stripped wolf tightly into his chest and try to warm him as much as he could, resting his bearded chin on the top of his head.

"Don't die, Barzard. Please, stay strong. I won't let you die on me. I won't let it happen. I won't lose another dear friend... not again..." Seif whispered softly, not able to hold himself from shedding some tears, his teardrops falling off his cheeks and on Hazard's face. He wasn't ready to let go of Hazard, not after becoming this close to him, to finally find someone who considered him a true friend with no conditions, someone that treated him like an equal without any formalities, someone who believed in and trusted him for who he really was, despite his status and background. Not even Ardal was that kind of friend, as loyal as he was, and that made Seif more attached to Hazard than ever. He just wouldn't let him go, not now, holding him intimately against his warm chest. "Don't die, Barzard... I... I need you..." the lion cooed softly, keeping Hazard wrapped between his arms and keeping him warm all night long.

***

When dawn arrived, the bright sun rays shined into the small cave and hit Seif's face, causing him to squint his eyes as he opened them slowly, waking up from a long nap. He apparently nodded off due to exhaustion while trying to keep Hazard warm during the night. He immediately checked on Hazard and saw that his shivering had completely stopped and seemed calm and serene. In fact, he looked too calm and serene.

"Barzard? Hey, Barzard?" Seif called out the wolf's name, but he didn't get any response, lying dormant between the lion's arms. Seif's heart sank and didn't want to believe it, as he shook him roughly and calling him out louder. "Barzard! Wake up! BARZARD!"

"Ungh... man, stop shaking and yelling... you're giving me a headache..." Hazard groaned, appearing to be still alive and kicking after all. Seif let out a deep sigh, greatly relieved.

"Damn you. You scared me. I thought you..."

"I died? Heh, it'll take more than a pesky poison to kill the Millennium Slasher. Much more," Hazard replied with a smirk, seemingly better and healthier.

Seif's smiled spread and he hugged the wolf closer, "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks, Seif. I wouldn't have made it without you. You're a true friend," Hazard replied, reaching up to pets Seif's cheek. The lion smiled back and nodded silently, content that history didn't repeat itself and he didn't lose his closest friend. Hazard then happened to notice how intimately nude and snuggled they were with each other, paling a bit. "Hey, you didn't do anything funny to me while I was out, did you?" Hazard raised a suspicious eyebrow at Seif, who instantly blushed.

"D-Don't be ridiculous. I was just trying to keep you warm," the flustered lion replied, before he grinned. "I'm not Panja, after all."

That made Hazard blush in return, "Stop making stupid assumptions. Although... he would get madly jealous and upset if he knew about this, so how about we just keep it between us, eh?"

"Agreed." Seif chuckled.

"Speaking of Panja, we have to go look for him. We wasted enough time already," Hazard then stated and Seif concurred. They put their clothes and equipments back on and got out of the cave, finding that the weather was calm and sunny for a change. Hazard stretched his arms apart and took a deep inhale, before he coughed out a bit.

"Are you sure you all right? Don't try and fake it, Barzard," Seif asked the wolf worriedly, patting his back.

"Yeah... don't worry about it. Just a little nauseous from the little bit of remaining poison effect. I'll be fine," Hazard replied, comforting Seif. Seems his body was able to resist most of the poison effect. He really was amazing, Seif thought.

"Alright. But don't push yourself too hard until you fully recover, understood?" Seif firmly advised his lupine friend.

"You got it, boss," Hazard grinned and they carried on their journey to climb the mountain for the final confrontation with the Ethereal Warlock.

The non-stormy weather made the hike to the upper levels of the mountain much easier than before, as the two found themselves crossing more than half of it in a record time. What worried them was the absence of any trace of the white lion. They had a feeling he was still alive, though, and carried on upward. Before too long, the reached to a high point in the mountain, which had a wide flat surface and more importantly where an ominous looking castle-like building resided. Without a doubt, this was Grall's lair that he said he'd be waiting in.

"Ready?" Hazard said, certifying his companion's resolve.

"Let's go," Seif merely replied, eyes full of tenacity.

With that said, they entered the castle from its front gates. The first thing that lied before their eyes where the entrance hall; dark, moldy and desperate need of light. With weapons in hand, Hazard and Seif ventured further inside, cautious of any booby traps or ambush. Surprisingly, they encountered none, and for a creepy castle, it didn't have many rooms, doors or corridors. They were walking the same single hallway, with one large double-door at the end of it. When the opened the door, they stumbled upon a huge open room, that looked more like a study hall, with lots of different kind of experimental equipment and book shelves lying around, even had some skeletal bodies and body parts hanged on walls.

"What kind of a sick place is this?" Hazard commented in repulsion.

"It's my home, of course," Grall's voice echoed throughout the room and startled both of them. They immediately looked up to where the voice came from and sure enough saw the warlock standing in upper floor some meters higher than the ground floor they stood on. "So nice of you to come here, son. I can't say the same to you, Slasher. You are not welcomed. I was hoping you wouldn't make it this far," Grall said with a devious smirk.

"Sorry to have come uninvited, but I have a score to settle with you, so why don't you come down here and fight like a man?" Hazard replied, arming himself with his sword.

"Oh, such feeble words. You're not worth my time, Slasher. I only care for my son," Grall stated, pointing an index finger at Seif.

"Stop calling me your son. You are not my father," Seif sternly retorted.

"Sief, how could you deny me? That hurts, really does. I'm your flesh and blood, more so than your precious uncle and cousin that you endear so much."

"Panja? Where is he?! What did you do to him!?"

"Relax. He's fine. I couldn't have hurt my dear nephew. He's right here, with us," Grall said with a grin, standing next to operation table that was covered with a white sheet. He removed the sheet and revealed Panja lying on top of the table, shackled down by strong iron chains from his wrists, stomach and legs, topless and a little beaten up. "Well, not much, anyway," Grall chuckled deviously.

"Panja!" Hazard shouted out.

"H-Haz? Seif? Thank god... I'm glad you're okay... sorry, I couldn't fight them all off..." Panja spoke wearily as he tried to look down from where he was chained.

"Don't worry, Panja, we'll get you out!" Hazard said and attempted to charge to rescue his feline friend, but he was stopped by one of Grall's energy balls, striking the floor in front of him.

"Not one more step, Slasher. Or I can't promise you what harm shall befall my nephew," Grall warned.

"Shut up, you damn son of a bitch! No way in hell you're my uncle Grall!" Panja growled, struggling to break free from his chains, flexing his arms and chest muscles massively, but they were too strong to easily break with his brawny strength only.

"Easy there, Panja. Don't fret yourself; you won't be able to break these chains no matter how hard you try. Just sit tight and watch quietly, hm?" Grall smirked, petting Panja's mane as he gritted his fangs furiously. "Now, where were we? Oh yes, we have some guests. Well, son, what brought you here?"

Seif carries his broad sword in one hand and pointed it up at Grall, glaring at him with wrathful eyes, "I'm here to put an end to you, necromancer. You're going to pay for what you did to my people, the kirin village and for hurting my friends."

"YOUR people?! Don't make me laugh!" Grall laughed out loud. "They were never your people, Seif! You were never meant to be king! It was always meant for your foolish cousin! You were only distended to serve under him for the rest of your life! Just like how I was supposed to serve my damn brother! But I didn't stand for that injustice and took matter into my own hands!"

"Wha...? Stop lying! What proof do you have that you are my father!?" Seif retorted demandingly.

"Still don't believe me? You want proof? I'll give it to you." Grall reached inside his robe and brought out a medallion he was hanging around his neck. "This is your proof!" He lifted up high so they could all see the crest he was holding, the Lowefang Royal Crest.

"This... This can't be!" Seif muttered in disbelief, eyes widened in shock, along with Panja's and Hazard's. Only the Lowefang royal family males are bestowed such a treasured crest, each engraved with its bearer's name. With King Rour dead, Panja throwing away his and Seif selling it off to a sailor, the only one remaining would be Grall's, and he was supposed to be resting in his grave. But there it was, in the hand of the evil necromancer. There wasn't any doubt left; the Ethereal Warlock was indeed Grall Lowefang, brother of King Rour and father of Seif. Speechless, Seif lowered his sword, in total shock what he just discovered. His worst fear became a reality.

"Seif, pull yourself together. Don't listen to him; he's just trying to play with your head!" Hazard tried to reason with his leonine companion, but he was barely able to listen to a single word the wolf was saying.

"Haz is right, Seif! He's lying!" Panja yelled out to Seif.

"Oh, you would love to believe so, wouldn't you? Sorry to disappoint you, but it's the truth. Like it or not, it won't change it. The crest proves it and I know that you had a feeling all along, right son?" Grall leered, staring down at the overwhelmed Seif.

"How can this be...? Why? You're supposed to be dead... I visited your grave many times, and mother's. Why? Tell me!" Seif growled.

"My, you sure are a demanding boy. Fine, I'll tell you, just because I'm feeling good today. Those graves are fake. Empty. My brother Rour was the one lying to you all along, not me. He knew the truth. He knew I was alive, and he hid it from you," Grall revealed more disturbing truth, stunning Seif even further.

"The king... knew? But why? Why would he do that?"

"He was protecting you from the truth, Seif."

"What truth!? Stop stalling and get over it already!" Hazard crossly snarled.

"Silence!" Grall roared and blasted Hazard with his dark energy, knocking him over to the back and slamming him into a wall.

"Barzard!"

"Pay no attention to him, son. Don't you want to hear the rest of the truth?" Grall grinned and turned his attention back to Seif. "What your dear uncle wanted to protect you from was I, son. I didn't want you. I despise you to this day. You ruined my life, Seif," Grall hatefully said with vile glares.

"Me...?" Seif uttered in confusion.

"Yes. The day you were born was the day I was damned. You caused the death of my beloved Huda, my lovely wife. She was everything to me, my whole reason to live. Even though I loathed fate for choosing Rour over me for kingship of the throne, I was satisfied with my role as his minister, as long as she was by my side. But then you came into this world and took her from me... my dear, dear Huda...YOU KILLED HER!" Grall spoke in obscure despair tone, suddenly growling at Seif in the end.

"Mo...Mother...? Died because of me?" Seif muttered, dropping on his knees.

"YES! YOU! I can still remember that wretched day... the voice of your damned crying seconds after you were born..." Grall rumbled as he recalled that night, the sounds of a baby cub mewling of his celebrated arrival to the world still ringing inside his head. He was anxiously waiting outside his wife's room, getting rather impatient and worried. She was a frail and weak lady and he always feared of losing her. The moment finally arrived, his ears perking up high when he heard the loud cries of his new born son. His heart was filled with a mix thrill and anxiousness, as he couldn't wait any longer and barged into the room without permission.

"M-Master Grall! What are you doing?! You can't come here yet!" one of the maids gasped by his sudden entrance, standing in his way.

"I'm tired of waiting! I want to see how my wife and baby are doing! Out of my way!" Grall demanded crossly.

"It's alright. Let him through. We're done," the palace's doctor, an old otter, said, walking over to Grall. "Congratulation, Master Grall. You are the father of a healthy boy."

"A boy? I have a boy! That's wonderful! Just what Huda wished for! Her Seif!" Grall elated exclaimed in joy. "What Huda? How is she?"

"Well... about that... Lady Huda went through some rough complications during the delivery, and..." the doctor hemmed and hawed, finding difficulty spitting it out.

"What?! What!? What happened to my wife!?" Grall fretfully rumbled, clutching the doctor by his coat and making him pale.

"I-I'm sorry, Master Grall. She... She didn't make it," the doctor regretfully said.

"She... died?" Grall felt his chest tightening, like the whole world went dark around him. He didn't want to believe it, pushing the doctor out of his way and dropping him on the ground as he headed toward his wife's bed. "No... this can't be happening... No, Huda..." he whimpered at the sight of his wife lying lifelessly on her bed, covered completely with the bed sheets to her face.

"Master Grall, here's your cub." Ella carried the crying cub in her arms, trying to show him to his father.

"Get him out of my sight," Grall coldly replied, refusing to even look at his baby.

"M-Master Grall? Don't you want to hold your boy?" Ella stammered and got a terrifying glare from the distraught lion.

"Take him out of here and leave us alone, NOW!" he growled madly, causing the cry louder.

"Y-Yes, right away, master," Ella immediately obeyed and tried to hush the little cub, as everyone left the room and left Grall alone with his deceased wife.

"Oh, Huda..." Grall sobbed in anguish, spending the rest of the night sitting by her bed and mourning her loss. After her burial ceremony, Grall was a changed man. He spent the following days locked in his chamber, refusing to see anyone, not even his newly born cub. The death of his beloved wife affected him greatly, seeing no meaning in his own life without her. On the seventh day after Huda's death, King Rour heard of his younger brother's ordeal and came to pay him a visit. He came to his room, alone, and entered, finding Grall in a wretched state, drowning in his depressing misery on his study desk.

"Grall, it's me, your brother. How are you feeling?" Rour gently spoke to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to see anyone. I don't want anything," Grall jadedly replied.

"Don't be like this, Grall. This isn't like you. Come on, you have to get out of your room. Don't you want to see your Seif, your boy?"

"Don't mention his name! He killed Huda! My dear Huda!" Grall snapped, pushing Rour's hand.

"Stop it, Grall! The boy is guilty of nothing! Pull yourself together, for heaven's sake! He's just a baby cub in need of his father now! "Rour retorted, appalled at his young brother irrationalness.

"The hell with him! I don't want him! I never wanted him! I just need Huda! Let him die for all I care! I don't have a son! Just leave me the hell alone!" Grall continued to snarl furiously, disowning Seif completely.

"Grall..." Rour couldn't believe his ears. Grall was extremely depressed and hopeless. There was no use reasoning with him at this point, so Rour decided to let him be and left him to his miseries, appointing a guard to care take him for a while in case he got better.

That same night, as Grall was moping himself to sleep, he heard a haunting voice speak to him.

"Awww, poor thing. Losing a loved one is always hard, isn't it?" the voice said and startled Grall, flinching to the back abruptly and falling off his chair.

"Wh-Who's there?!" He gasped, looking around him frantically and not seeing anyone.

"Don't panic, my friend. I'm not an enemy," the voice spoke again and Grall began to think he was going insane. "I'm here to help you. You want your wife back, no?"

"Y-yes! Yes, I do! More than anything!"

"Wonderful! I think I have something for you that can help you achieve that. But... I want a little something in return, hmm?"

"Wh-What is it? A-Are you the devil? Do you want my soul?"

"Oh ho ho, no! Nothing like that! You can consider me... a fairy. I help those in desperate need of help when it's beyond the call of nature. Are you willing to cross that line? The line to abysmal darkness?"

"Will I... be able to get my Huda back?"

"Oh, you're going to get much more than that, I promise you."

"Then... I accept! Tell me what I need to do, please!"

"Hmhmhmhmhmh... excellent. All I want from you is one thing- Destruction."

"Des-Destruction?"

"You'll understand soon enough. So, do we have a deal?"

Grall paused for a few moments, but he was in a mind state that didn't leave him much of time to think right. "Yes." He agreed without any wavering, and from out of nowhere, a book that looked like a magic tome dropped on his desk.

"Study this well and you'll find the way to revive your dear wife and achieve powers you can't even fathom. No need to thank me. Just remember, when the right time comes, I'll expect my payment. Farewell, lover boy." With a devilish snicker, the voice vanished and never came back. Grall was still not sure if he was hallucinating from the lack of sleep and food, but he approached the book and held it in his hands, which surely felt real.

"Necromancy - The art of dead..." Grall read what was written on the cover. He swallowed his throat and opened it, going through its pages with keen intrigue. "Yes... yes! This is it! This is what I need..." Grall's eyes glowed and a devious leer spread on the edge of his muzzle.

Grall spent weeks reading and studying that book, locked inside his mansion. During that period, there was a decrease in his servant staff and the words reached the king. He went with some of his royal guard to investigate that mystery and searched around the mansion. They eventually discovered a hidden study room down in the basement and what they saw there horrified them immensely.

"My god... Grall, what have you done?!" the king appallingly gasped. Grall was conducting his experiments on necromancy using his subjects as guinea pigs, as they found their disfigured rotten dead bodies displayed all over the room, the stench of their death reeking everywhere.

"No! You're not supposed to be here! Get out!" Grall insanely barked at them, looking dreadfully mad.

"What the hell have happened to you!? What are you doing!? Where did you get all this black magic from!? Guards! Seize him!" Rour ordered his guards as they captured Grall and held him down.

"You won't understand! I'm close! Close to my goal! I'll get my Huda back! Just leave me alone!" Grall hysterically cried and struggled to break free. The king realized that his young brother had gone completely insane and was beyond help, so he ordered to lock him in the dungeon until further notice. They burned Grall's mansion down and the awful secret it hid. Locked away in a sealed cell in the dungeons, Grall was still yearning to study more of necromancy. He became obsessed with it, engraving his studies on the cell's walls and experimenting with the insects that shared it with him. He didn't give up on his impossible dream, and his forbidden pact came to fruition in one fateful day.

"Seems like things didn't go as smoothly as you hoped, eh?" That same evil voice spoke to him again one night.

"You again! You lied to me! I didn't get my wife back! I just became a crazy murderer!"

"Oh, I didn't lie. It's not my fault your nosey brother got in your way. I was watching you. You were close. Oh so close."

"Yes! Yes, I am close! I just need more time! More bodies! I need to get out of here!"

"And that's why I am here. I'm here to help you. But first, remember our deal?"

"Destruction?"

"Exactly. The time for destruction is near, and I want you to help me in return. Fair deal, yes?"

"Of course! Anything! Just get me out of here! Away from here, far away, where I can be with my Huda, alone!"

"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhm... Excellent choice, my romantic necromancer." the voice snickered maliciously.

A while later, when the guard came to bring food to the prisoner Grall, he was stunned to find the cell empty. The door was locked and there was no other possible exit. He simple vanished and were never heard of again. The news reached the distraught King and for the sake of his people, and especially his nephew Seif, he declared a royal ruling to never speak of this incident ever again. It was to be completely forgotten like it had never happened. Grall was to be considered dead and buried next to his wife. Anyone who would remotely bring up this matter again was to be severely punished. Everyone who was involved obliged. And that was it. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Now do you see, son? They all fooled you. You were living a lie. You dear uncle, the king, played you for a fool and orchestrated this charade himself to keep the truth from you and everyone else. But I had the last laugh, and his kingdom is no more!" Grall finished telling that unbelievable story to them.

"So it was really you? You sent those demons to attack the castle? You killed all those innocent lives? You killed... Ardal?" Seif's hands turned into shaking fists, unable to contain his anger.

"What kind of a crazy lunatic are you!? Blaming Seif for the death of his mother is absurd! You're just a pathetic sad man who can't accept reality! Have you ever thought how your wife must be feeling right now? Seeing what horrible things you've done in her name?" Hazard said, getting up on his feet after that last blow he received from Grall.

"Shut up! What do you know!? You have no right! No right at all!" Grall snarled angrily.

"And what right do you have!? Ruining and killing all those lives for your own selfish needs! Why did you have to kill all the kirins and Mirna!?" Panja barked while still trying hard to break his chains.

"Oh, that's right. Those miserable kirins had it coming for them. Such pitiful creatures. They should've not resisted me and just given me the Heart of Abaddon," Grall leered.

Hazard's eyes widened, "Heart of Abaddon?"

"Yes, Slasher. You are familiar with that name, hmm? After all, you share the same power. And I see that my son and nephew are cursed as well. This is like a joyful reunion, don't you think?" Grall laughed lightly.

"What is he talking about, Barzard?" Seif asked Hazard in confusion, but the wolf didn't know what to say. It wasn't the time to explain.

"See? You can't trust anybody in this world, Seif. They'll all betray you at the first chance! But don't worry, I forgive you. I'll let you join me. Come, my son," Grall smiled and reached out his hand to Seif, who was at complete loss of what to think or believe.

"Seif, listen to me. I know all of this is too much to take and you are deeply confused and lost, but I want you to trust me. We'll get through this together, and I need you to focus," Seif heard Hazard say to him, grabbing his shaking hand and calming him. Seif turned over to his lupine friend and saw the confident smile on his face, and that was enough to self-assure him of his convictions and the real reason he went through all those hardships to reach this point. It was not to give in to this diabolic man, certainly.

"I trust you," Seif softly said and returned the smile.

"Fool!" Grall roared and pounded his fist angrily on the fence. "I knew I can't depend on you! You ingrate child! I should've killed you when I had the chance! Damn you, Slasher!"

"That what you get for messing with Haz! You're no match for him!" Panja gloatingly remarked.

"Oh, I can't, can I?" We'll just see about that..." Grall grinned deviously and walked over to a chest that was sitting on a nearby table. He opened it and brought out an egg (which was the size of an ostrich egg), before returning to his previous spot near Panja.

"That's... the kirin egg!" Panja gasped.

"It is indeed," Grall replied, holding the hard-shelled egg in one hand. "This egg contains the Heart of Abaddon, the demon of eternity. With it, I shall obtain the power I need! The power to fully revive my dear Huda!"

"Reviving the dead is pointless. You should leave them rest in peace instead of using them to satisfy your own need for comfort," Hazard stated.

"You're the one to talk! You can't even die properly!" Grall sneered.

"Turning people into mindless undead is not reviving them. You're just using them as your personal slaves. That's unforgivable. Mother must be sorely disappointed in you," Seif directly remarked, striking a sensitive nerve of Grall.

"SHUT UP! You don't even know her! I'll show what I am capable of! Behold!" Grall growled and raised the egg high as it started glowing in ominous purple sheen. Grall was absorbing the egg's energy into himself, his dark powers seemingly increasing and they were feeling it.

"What... is he doing?" Hazard grinded his teeth, sensing the immense dark energy coming from the kirin egg Grall was holding.

"Yes... YES! This is it! This is the power I've been looking for! At last!" Grall laughed maniacally, basking in the dark powers the egg was emitting. "How about we do a little experiment to show you how powerful I am, hmm?" Grall leered evilly and turned to the shackled Panja.

"Stay away from me, you freak!" Panja snarled and shook around, but he couldn't move away from the strong chains. Grall stood next to him and passed one hand over Panja's chest, tracing the location of his heart. He stopped at the middle and then pressed his hand into his chest, as it went through him without puncturing his flesh, like his hand was transparent and ghost-like. "Wh-What the hell!? St-Stop!" Panja gasped with his eyes wide open as Grall was rummaging through his innards with his hands, feeling queasy and aghast.

"Hmmm... ah, there it is. My, you have one healthy heart, Panja. I wonder how much you'll last if I did this..." Grall devilishly grinned, clutching Panja's heart in his hand and slightly squeezing it, slowing its beats and pumps. Panja gasped sharply, feeling a painful tightness spreading through his chest, his breaths turning into gasping pants.

"PANJA!" Hazard cried out in horror by the terrifying sight.

"Hah! Now you see the kind of power I have! I am able to control life and death as I please! The perfect necromancer!" Grall continued to laugh, squeezing the life out of Panja.

"Let go of him, Grall!" Seif shouted in rage.

"How about it, Seif? Last chance. Just admit defeat and come join me. We'll create a world of life. A world with no death! We'll live like a family again!" Grall said and tried to persuade his son to his side again.

"You're insane," Seif uttered.

"What?!"

"A world without death is a world of utter chaos. I know you must've felt anguished when mother died, just like how felt when I lost Ardal. But she died giving birth to me and he died protecting me, by their own will and choice because they wanted me to live on. You just cowardly gave up and willingly choose this evil path to compensate your lack of courage and hide your weakness. I won't let their sacrifices go in vain. And for me to be able to do that, I have to defeat you, Grall!" Seif said with great conviction, standing up high and picked up his sword, pointing it at the necromancer, whose eyes were burning with blinding rage of what came out of his son's mouth.

"You... YOU INSOLENT FOOL! You shall have no mercy from me any longer! And the first to suffer for your impudence is your beloved spoiled prince of a cousin!" Grall snarled and gripped Panja's heart tightly, aiming to rip t off of his chest, as Panja screamed out in pain. But before he could, Grall belatedly noticed the absence of the Millennium Slasher amidst his fury, only to feel a powerful kick on his the side of his face coming from the air and knocking him to the side and right over the fence, dropping from the floor he was on all the way down to ground floor with a loud thud, grunting painfully and dropping the kirin egg from his hand as it rolled away from his grasp.

Hazard landed next to Panja and with some swift slashes, he got rid of the chains and broke Panja free. "Haaaz!" Panja pulled the wolf into his brawny arms, happily hugging him to his chest. "Oh, Haz! You saved me! I knew you'd come for me! You're my hero!" Panja sniveled in joy, rubbing his teary cheek on Hazard's snuggly.

"Ack! Let go of me, you big dope! Now is not the time for your sappy antics!" Hazard griped and pushed himself off of Panja crushing bear-hug.

"D-Damn you... Slasher! You'll pay dearly for this!" Grall glowered as he was getting up, rubbing his sore face. He turned around and was faced by the tip of Seif's blade pointed at him.

"No where for you to run. Just give up," Seif said, making Grall grit his fangs angrily.

"It is not even close to being over yet!" Grall then leered and was surrounded by an immense dark energy. Before Seif could react, he was pushed away by the dark force, pushing him away some feet to the back. Grall then roared, "COME MY SERVANTS!" The ground around them began to shake violently and cracks began to appear over the floor, as undead monsters began to come out from them.

"Crap, not them again!" Hazard grumbled, seeing the dead bodies that were hanged around the room were springing back to life and lumbering towards their way.

"Haz! The egg!" Panja then shouted and pointed at the kirin egg dangerously rolling towards a wide crack on the ground.

"Oh shit!" Hazard quickly jumped down and dashed as fast as he could to catch the egg before it falls off into the hole, dodging the undead zombies that were in the way. He almost reached it and was within his grasp, but he clumsily tripped and fell down on his face, missing the egg as it rolled away and fell down the crack. "Oops..." the wolf cringed, losing the egg for good.

"Barzard! Forget about the egg! We have more troubling matters here!" Seif yelled out, fighting off the pesky undead that were surrounding him.

"Well, at least he doesn't have it either," Hazard said as he was dealing with another group of skeletons.

"Ignorant fools! I don't need that egg anymore! I already have enough power to complete my goal! I'll leave my servants to keep you company, dear guests! Farewell!" Grall laughed and disappeared behind a secret door on a wall.

"Wait!" Seif growled and tried to go after Grall, but the horde of the undead blocked his way.

"Dammit! Why do villains do that!? Them and their secret doors! It's always the secret doors! Why can't they just finish the fight to the end!?" Hazard griped in annoyance, dodging the enemies' attacks. "Panja! I need your help here! Freeze them for me!"

"I can't! I'm too worn out! And I'm still a bit shaken by that horrible experience! I feel like I've been molested by my uncle!" Panja retorted in distraught while brawling against some of the undead army in the upper floor.

"Geez, I didn't need that image in my mind right now..." the wolf shuddered disturbingly.

"Will you two focus!? We have to catch Grall before he escapes!" Seif sternly scowled, cutting down a group of zombies with his mighty sword, but as predicted, they keep regenerating by Grall's necromancy. "No choice then." Seif's right hand burst into flame and was ready to perform his powerful flaming sword attack.

"Seif! Don't!" Hazard yelled out for him to stop, as Seif canceled his attack at the last second.

"Why did you stop me?!"

"You can't pull off that kind of attack here or you'll burn the whole place down!" Hazard explained, pointing out the fragility of the mansion and how it was already falling apart.

"But what else can we do?! Burning them down is the only way to destroy them!" Seif said despairingly, getting impatient.

"There's got to be a way. Some other way... damn!" Hazard cursed, slashing away at the undead that were attacking him from different angles while thinking of a way to kill them for good. They then heard Panja yelp as he got pushed off the fence and plummet down to the ground, but not before he got a hold of one zombie and used it to break his fall. Panja slammed hard into the ground on top of the undead creature, smashing its skull to smithereens under his massive muscled lion weight. The zombie's bodies instantly turned into dusts the moment it lost its head, much to Panja astonishment and disgust.

"Eww! What the hell happened!?" Panja got off of it quickly and dusted his paws and chest off of the zombie's rotten remains.

"The head..." Hazard's eyes flashed, getting close in figuring out a way. A skeleton charged at him with a spear thrust, and Hazard ducked and then stabbed it on its chest, not doing any damage of course, but that wasn't what Hazard aiming for. He wanted to get close enough to examine its decomposed head, and with his keen sharp sight, noticed a red glyph on the forehead, drawing by blood. "That's it!" Hazard smirked triumphantly, pulling his sword out and using his own claws to pierce through skeleton's forehead, smashing it to pieces, as it instantly weathered away into harmless dust.

"Wow! How'd you do that!?" Panja exclaimed in amazement.

"There's a glyph on their foreheads, it must be where their souls is sealed. Destroy it and they're finished for good!" Hazard explained to his companions, demonstrating it again by stabbing a skeletal zombie on his forehead with his sword, rendering it to dust.

"Oh, a weak spot! Now we're talking! You're so sharp Haz! Alright! Let me at 'em!" Panja excitedly said, bumping his fists together, before a bunch of groaning zombies fell down on him from the fence above him and piled up on top of the white lion. "Eugh! Gross! Not this again! GET... OFF... ME!!" he mustered every ounce of his muscular strength and roared loudly, pushing them all off of him as they got tossed away in the air like dolls. "OKAY! Time for some payback!" Panja growled started pummeling the undead one after the other, using his iron fists to smash through their skulls and returning them to their original rightful state as dirt.

"Good going, Panja! Just keep at it!" Hazard cheered him on, getting rid of another patch by his side. With his great agility, he shifted between the enemies around him, splitting their heads in half, stabbing them through their skulls, impaling their brains with his sharp claws, not leaving them a chance to know what hit them in true Slasher style that made him a legend.

Not to be left out of the action, Seif was taking down his share of the undead, skillfully using his broad slap of steel to crush and demolish their heads off. "Now they can finally rest in peace," Seif stated, believing that he and his friends were actually freeing their tortured souls rather than killing them, giving him the strength to keep on going. The number of the undead army was gradually dwindling, with not many left.

"Seif, leave the rest to us. You go after Grall," Hazard said, urging him to go.

"Yeah! We can handle the rest! Hurry and kick his ass!" Panja exclaimed, smashing two skeletons' heads against each other with his hands like he was cracking a pair of eggs.

Seif understood, after knowing their weak point and having a fighting chance against those undead, he was positive they would be fine and quickly rushed over to where Grall disappeared. He stood before the wall that had the secret door and didn't waste any time figuring out the method to open it, bashing it open by one swing of his sword. Before him lied a long dark, candle-lit staircase that went down somewhere. He hurried over and went down the stairs, hoping that Grall hadn't gone too far. To his surprise, he didn't. At the end of the stairway, Seif found himself in some kind of an altar with an open coffin in the middle. Grall was there, standing before the coffin, mumbling some otherworldly chant.

"Grall!" Seif called out to him with a thunderous roar.

"So, you're here..." Grall turned around to face his son, a callous smile on his face. "How nice of you to drop by, Seif."

"I won't let you get away this time. It ends here," Seif said to him, carrying his sword for battle.

"Wrong. It starts here!" Grall snarled, gathering a condensed amount of his dark energy in one hand. "You should be grateful to me, son. I'm about to let you meet your mother. This is your first time, isn't it?" Grall smirked and Seif's face switched to a stunned expression.

"My mother...?" Seif muttered, seeing the dead body at the coffin next to Grall. "No... you didn't! You didn't dig up mother's body from her grave!?" his gaped in shock as he saw his own mother's decayed body lying before him inside that coffin. To have disturbed her eternal resting place like that, Grall had gone beyond the unforgivable. "How... How dare you...? YOU CRAZY BASTARD!" Seif growled wrathfully and charged at Grall with his sword, preparing to strike him down.

"Step back and witness the revival of my dear Huda!" Grall shouted and casted his dark energy into the coffin, as a bright blinding shine occurred and stopped Seif's attack, covering his eyes. When the shining dimmed, Seif opened his squinting eyes, fearing what he was going to see next. "Yes, Huda. Time to wake up," Grall cooed to his dead wife. The body then twitched a bit, beginning to move. Seif didn't want to believe his eyes. She was really coming back to life, but only in her decomposed and decaying form, sitting up on the coffin. The sight made him almost throw up, to see his precious mother that he always fantasized about as a beautiful elegant lady reduced to this hideous form of rotten flesh and bones.

"Mo... mother?" Seif stammered, dropping his sword, as he watched his mother rise on her boney feet, a ghastly moan emitting from her.

"Oh, Huda... it's really you. I'm so happy... I missed you so, so very much," Grall sobbed happily, embracing the festering body of his dead delicately. She did nothing but twitch and moan, obviously nothing more than an undead zombie.

"What... what have you done? This is a revival...? You turned her into a monster..." Seif muttered appallingly, his whole body shaking and drowning in cold sweat.

"No, son. This is the true form of immortality! Now she can never die again, and we'll live together forever," Grall replied insanely, showing him his mother by his side. "I brought you a little surprise, Huda. Do you remember our son, Seif? Yes, the one who killed you? He's here. He always wanted to meet you. Go, go to him... and make him pay," Grall leered evilly as he whispered to his undead wife. She moaned and as if obeying his command, began walking slowly towards Seif, dragging herself step by step. Seif was too much in shock and couldn't react with anything, like he was paralyzed. He stood in his place as he watched his mother inching her way to him, until she reached him and placed her moldy hands on him, wrapping her clawed fingers around his neck and began choking him.

"M-Mo... mother... d-don't.... p-please..." Seif grunted as he was strangled by his undead mother, unable to bring himself to fight her. He didn't have the heart. He helplessly surrendered to her deathly clutches squeezing around his throat tightly, as Grall watched from afar with a devious smile. Seif started to feel lightheaded and was slowly losing conscious, but before he did, Hazard came in suddenly and tackled his undead mother away, saving Seif in the last moment. He dropped down on his knees and coughed out, gasping for air, regulating his breathing.

"Looks like I butted in the nick of time," Hazard said with a smirk, Panja closely behind him.

"What!? YOU! Damn you, Slasher!" Grall snarled angrily.

"Yeah, yeah. I know, I get that a lot. Let's just get this over with." Hazard pulled his sword out and was ready to finish the undead mother, but Seif grabbed the wolf's arm and stopped him.

"N-No... Don't, Barzard. Please, don't kill her," Seif begged him, emotionally wrecked by seeing his mother lie that.

"What are you talking about!? We have to!" Panja retorted.

"But... she's my mother. She's alive. I got to see her at last. I... I can't let her die again..." Seif mumbled in distress, his mind clouded and confused. However, he received a strong punch on the face from Hazard that knocked him over and completely surprised. "Ba-Barzard?"

"Stop acting crazy and snap out of it, Seif! Open your eyes! This isn't your mother anymore! She died! She's nothing more than a puppet in the hand of that sick bastard now! Can't you see her suffering!? Imprisoned in that unholy body!? You have to help her, Seif. Save her soul and set it free. Let her rest in peace, by destroying her!" Hazard barked heatedly at Seif after punching him, snapping him out of his shaken state. Seif didn't even feel the pain from Hazard's fist hitting his face, despite his cheek turning into swollen red. He listened to every word spouted from the wolf and acknowledged them, getting up on his feel.

"I'll do it," Seif uttered in a serious deep tone, as Hazard willingly stepped out of his way. His mother moaned and began walking towards him again, her arms spread forward for his neck. Placing a hand on her head, he grabbed it and stopped her, staring at her with a face full of sorrow. "I'm sorry, Mother. Forgive me," Seif murmured, as his hand glowed brightly.

"NO! STOP! DON'T DO IT!" Grall yelled out at the top of his lungs, pleading his son to stop. His cries fell in deaf ears, as Seif's hand emanated a fiery torch and burned her from the top of her skull, right over where her glyph was. She screeched out and fidgeted about fiercely under Seif's palm, Hazard watching the tragic scene calmly while Panja shied his sight away, cringing. It was soon over, nothing left of her but burnt ashes falling off to the ground as dust. "NOOO!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!? MY HUDA! HOW DARE YOU!? YOU KILLED HER AGAIN!" Grall bawled out in extreme madness.

"How dare I? How dare I? No, Grall. How dare you? Toying with innocent lives with no remorse. Spoiling the scared resting my mother's grave. Endangering the lives of those I care about. Making me go through all this hell. You don't deserve any mercy. I'll make you pay dearly for all your sins. Grall... PREPARE YOURSELF TO TASTE DEATH!" Seif said in pure rage, picking up his sword and charging at Grall head on. He swung his blade down at the warlock, but Grall guarded himself with two swords that he was hiding under his robe, one in each hand.

"You're no match for me, son! You can even fathom the might of my power! BEGONE!" Grall cackled, clashing weapons with Seif. He then gathered his dark energy and then unleashed it as a powerful force against Seif, pushing him away and dropping him on his back with a painful thud.

"Seif! Why you!" Panja scowled and rashly attacked Grall with his bare fists.

"Panja! Wait!" Hazard called out and tried to warn his white furred friend, but he was too late as Grall did the same trick to Panja and blew him away with a single twist of his hand, slamming him against a wall hard crushed him through it.

"Hah! Feeble beings! I have the power of the underworld in my hand! How can you even fancy yourself with the thought of defeating me!?" Grall laughed hard, engulfing himself with his dark energy.

"Trust me; I've defeated worse goons who were much stronger than you," Hazard daringly mocked him.

"Then show me! Live up to your name, Millennium Slasher!" Grall snarled and slashed a couple of energy waves from his twin swords at Hazard's way, as the wolf side-stepped the first one that came swooshing at him and then deflected the second one with his own blade, shooting it back up at the ceiling and crashing it, making some bricks fall down Grall, but he shrugged them off of him with his dark force. That gave Hazard an opening moment to dash in for a direct fast attack, slashing his sword at his foe's head, but Grall anticipated it and blocked it with one of his twin swords. Hazard gritted his teeth at his failed attempt, while Grall grinned back at him and use his other free sword to stab Hazard's left shoulder, getting an agonizing grunt from the wolf. "What's wrong Slasher? You're not in your top shape," Grall snickered, digging his blade deeper into Hazard's shoulder. He was right; Hazard wasn't at his best, as the poison effect still hadn't disappeared completely and was hindering his performance. Hazard cringed badly in agony as Grall lifted him up with his sword stuck in his shoulder, aiming his other sword for a direct stab on his chest, but before he thrust, Seif rushed in and grabbed the tip of the sharp blade with his bare hand before it reached Hazard's chest.

"I'm your opponent..." Seif breathed and delivered a booming flaming fist right on the middle of Grall's face, sending him flying off to the back and slamming into the coffin. Hazard dropped down, grunting in pain, as he pulled the sword out of his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Seif checked on his lupine friend.

"Ow... yeah, I just hope that won't leave a nasty scar. Like I need another one," Hazard winced with a slight smirk, covering his bleeding wound. Seif reached out to give him a helping hand, but then Hazard got knocked to the back by Grall's dark energy wave.

"Barzard!" Seif yelled out as he saw his lupine friend get slammed against a wall and fall down hard. He turned over to Grall and glared at him furiously, having enough of his brutality.

"You want to beat me? Come then!" Grall wiped the blood off his snout and invited Seif to attack him. The two lions then engaged in a fierce battle of swords, their steel blades colliding and sending out bright sparks from the sheer intensity of the swings and slashes. Seif was the better swordsman and was physically more fit, but he was still not match for the warlock mystical powers, giving him the upper hand. That didn't put Seif down and he continued to fight with all his strength he got and skills he learned, not holding back for a bit. It didn't even occur to him he was actually battling his father, his own flesh and blood. All he saw before him was an evil maniac that had to be stopped at all costs. With a bellowing roar, Seif's swords turned into a flaming sword and he swing it with every bit of brawny strength he had in his fibers, breaking through Grall's blade and cut through his right arm, slicing it off. Grall screamed in shock, blood gushing out of his wound and falling over to his back in agony.

"Graah! D-Damn you! You dare cut me! Your own... father!" Grall groaned.

"The only father I knew was King Rour. You are not my father," Seif said between his heavy pants.

Grall gritted his fangs angrily, "You're a fool if you thought I'll let it end like this! DIE!" With his other intact hand, he launched one of his dark energy balls and struck Seif on his chest like a hammer, knocking him to the back with a loud grunt. Grall managed to get up on his feet despite the loss of a single arm and snatched his sword that was still held by his dismembered right arm. Seif was struggling to get up; feeling like a tons heavy boulder was weighing him down, as he watched Grall slowly approaching with his sword in his hand.

"You and your friends have ruined my plans far enough... but I'll recover. I'll find the kirin egg and find a way to revive Huda again! But not after I kill you all!" Grall muttered, getting closer and closer to Seif with the intent to stab him to death. "Give my regards to your fake father in the afterlife, Seif!" Grall laughed out loud and was just a foot away from striking Seif down. He then suddenly couldn't take another step, getting stuck on his place. "What!? What's going on!?" Grall gasped as he looked down and saw that his legs were covered in solid ice, freezing him on his place.

"Got you, you son of a bitch..." Panja leered, laying face down on the ground while his hand is stretched out, creating an icy trap from that reached all the way over to where the unsuspecting Grall was standing, entrapping him in his icy prison.

"DAMN YOU!" Grall snarled and tried to break his legs free from the freezing ice, but to no avail.

"NOW SEIF!" Hazard yelled out, the chance to finishing the evil warlock is wide open. Seif didn't need to hear him twice, roaring and immediately charging at him with his broad sword, impaling his torso from the tip and stabbing him through all the way to the hilt, the gruesome sound of Grall's flesh getting pierced through so clear, it echoed through out the alter.

"Ungh...! I... lost...?" Grall groaned in defeat, blood spewing out of his mouth. Seif stood still, keeping his sword impaled into his evil father, their eyes meeting, as an eerie silence surrounded the place for a few moments, declaring the end of the battle at last. "Heh... so... you've finally did it... well done, son..." Grall chuckled wearily, at his last breaths.

"I am not your son. Never was, never will," Seif uttered without any sympathy.

Grall smiled, "I guess... that's true... at least now... I'll be able... to be... with my... Huda..."

"You're wrong. You'll never be with mother. Because you'll burn in hell to pay for your sins," Seif replied calmly, as Grall's eyes widened in shocking revelation, just now realizing the folly his doings.

"N-No... what... have... I..." Grall choked as his snuffed his last breath. And that was the end of the Ethereal Warlock. Seif pulled his sword out, watching his dead body collapse lifelessly to the ground. He finally did it. He got his revenge. Seif didn't feel happy, though. He felt rather sad. Not for himself, but for his father. He pitied him. His biggest mistake was not letting go of his lost love. Seif almost treaded that same path, if it weren't for his friends standing by his side and supporting him till the end.

"It's over." Seif heard Hazard voice say, feeling a friendly paw resting on his shoulder.

"Indeed..." Seif breathed.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes. For the first time in my life, I feel at peace." Seif turned around to smile at his wolf friend.

Hazard smiled back and nodded, "Let get out of here." Seif didn't argue with that and walked away, leaving behind his sinister origins and only praying for the peace of both of his parents souls. "Hey, Panja, what're you doing? We're leaving without you if you don't hurry up," Hazard called out to Panja, who looked like he was looking around for something.

"OK! Hold up! I'm coming!" Panja yelped and hurriedly followed his friends out of this wretched place for good.

***

When they finally made it to the bottom of the mountain and in front of the snowy forest, the trio stopped for a bit, looking back at the mountain where their ordeal ended.

"Man, I'm glad that's over..." Hazard breathed out.

"Just another day in the life of the Millennium Slasher, eh Haz?" Panja snickered.

"You can say that again," Hazard laughed. "In a serious note, what are you going to do now, Seif? You've accomplished what you were thriving for at last," he then turned to Seif and asked.

"I'm not sure... but I think I'll know what to do if I stick around with you, Barzard. I believe that my real purpose lies with you," Seif answered him assuredly. "If you don't mind having me tag along for a little bit more, that is."

"Of course we don't! We'd love to have you with us, Seif! right Haz?!" Panja excitedly exclaimed.

"The more the merrier, eh? Having with us will aid us greatly, Seif," Hazard smiled and reached out a right hand to his lion companion.

"Thank you," Seif said gratefully, taking the wolf's paw in his, as Panja joined in the hand shake happily.

"Great then! We make an awesome team, don't we!?" Panja beamed. His face expression suddenly changed as if he remembered something. "Oh, Seif, I want to give you something." Panja looked around his pockets and brought a golden round piece.

"This is... the royal Lowefang crest! Where'd you get that?" Hazard said in a surprise.

"I... I got it from Grall. He doesn't deserve it, so I took it. I know it's not the real thing and doesn't really make up for what I did, but I still feel bad about letting you lose your own crest. Please, take it, Seif!" Panja explained and pled his cousin to accept it. Seif was surprised by Panja sudden gesture. He even tried to scratch Grall's name off the crest with his claws. He really was trying hard to make up for his mistake, and that pleased Seif very much.

"Thank you, Panja. I really appreciate it. But, I don't need it," Seif replied.

"But..."

"I don't need some royal metal to remind me that I'm a Lowefang. I know that I'll always be one. What I need is you, Panja. You and Barzard," Seif smiled, resting his palms on his cousin's broad shoulders. Panja almost shed a tear of joy, beaming happily and giving Seif a tight hug, which Seif retuned with a good pat on the back.

"Jeez, you two are turning into a couple of sappy kittens. But it's good to see that all is well between you two. Hey, how about we head over to that hot spring? It'll sure do us good after that rough battle," Hazard then suggested.

"Oh! Good idea! I call dibs on Haz's side!" Panja said eagerly.

"Three-foot rule, Panja! Three-foot rule!"

"Awww, you're no fun!" Panja pouted as Hazard sighed in grieve.

As for Seif, he was content to have finally found his peace. He may not have yet to find his true purpose, but he was certain that if he stood by Hazard's side, he'd find it eventually. He took one last look at the golden crest he held in his hand, and then threw it, far away until he couldn't see it anymore.

The End

***

Epilogue:

"Hey Haz, it was too bad we lost that kirin egg, huh? It would've nice if could've saved it, for Mirna's sake," Panja said as he was walking through the forest with Hazard and Seif.

"Yeah... but I think it was for the better. At least now it's safe and far away from the falling in the wrong hands," Hazard replied with a shrug.

"I guess..." Panja murmured, hoping that the wolf was right.

Little did they know, though, that wasn't the last time they would see that kirin egg....

***