The Laughing Swordsman

Serosh coughed and wheezed. He was so powerless that Apollo and Layla were essentially dragging him forward.

Apollo looked at Serosh.

"Are you ok?"

Serosh closed his eyes.

"As long as I concentrate on fighting the poison, I will live."

He sighed.

"However, that will take a while. Thank you for helping me."

Layla's furry ears perked up.

"Of course! Friend deserves help."

Apollo had lowered his head in thought.

"Hmm... how did they find out about our tour so fast?"

Suddenly, Serosh's eyes flew open.

"...It was the young lady."

Layla blinked a few times.

"Eh? Who is young lady?"

Serosh frowned.

"That woman that begged for my forgiveness. After being spared, she informed the commanders the first chance she got."

Apollo gasped in astonishment.

"Wow! You already figured it out!"

Serosh chuckled.

"I suppose so. Anyways, take a left here."

The three traversed from the farmland to the houses.

After walking for a few moments, weakly raised one hand.

"Wait a moment, bring me over to the side."

Apollo and Layla looked at Serosh with curiosity, but did as he said.

Serosh abruptly vomited a large amount of black blood and a few rotten black tendrils. He wiped off the blood that remained on his mouth and stood up on his own.

"Thank you for carrying me. I have gotten rid of the most troublesome part of the poison, so I can carry myself for now."

He sighed.

"Though this poison really is devious. Only after seeping into every part of my body did it react. My only choice is to slowly purge it from the rest of my body."

Apollo tilted his head to the side.

"What does that mean?"

Serosh smiled bitterly with a hand on his forehead.

"I will be taking care of this poison for at least a month or so. The sooner I start, the less the poison will damage me."

Layla pouted.

"A month? That's so longggg!"

Serosh shook his head.

"It can't be helped. This city is going to get fairly chaotic without anyone managing it. I will go back to my residence to recover."

Serosh sighed.

"I highly recommend you leave this instant. I must go to my residence now. My apologies for being unable to send you out."

Layla's furry ears drooped.

"Friend is leaving?..."

Serosh smiled sadly.

"We've hardly been acquainted for hours. Don't be so sad."

Layla raised her tiny fists in the air and swung them around.

"But friendddd!"

Serosh put a weak hand on Layla's head.

"I promise on my honor as a demon I will come to meet you again. How does that sound?"

Apollo raised his hand.

"Me too!"

Serosh chuckled.

"Yes, you as well."

Layla pressed her lips together. Her tail swayed slowly.

"Ok..."

Serosh smiled before turning around. He walked with a tall back, but occasionally stumbled.

Apollo turned to Layla.

"Em... We didn't find anything about the person called we both know you."

Layla giggled.

"Then we have to keep searching!"

Apollo scratched the side of his head.

"But... we have no leads!"

Layla's tail shot up. There was a bright smile on her face.

"Then we just have to find one!"

Layla wrapped her arm around Apollo's waist.

For a second, Apollo was confused. However, he suddenly came to a realization.

"Wait, no, no, no, No, No, NO, NO"

A blissful yet ignorant smile was on Layla's face.

"Yay!~"

She tore open the space and jumped inside the blue world.

"Waaaaaaah!~"

"AHHHHHHHHHHH"

With that, the two continued on their aimless journey. Who knew when they would find Kylan Noia...

Or even remember his actual name, for that matter.

...

Maya walked through the city of Evermore, stumbling with every lethargic step. Her light blue eyes glazed over, unable to truly see what was in front of her.

The houses around her were lit ablaze and broken to pieces.

The scent of charred wood filled the air. However, the smell of charred flesh far overpowered it.

Maya had killed countless people. The evidence was laid on the floor around her, in the form of dead bodies.

Blood caked over her body, her own blood.

Her long brown hair stuck onto her body tightly. It was drenched in blood and had hardened considerably.

Occasionally, a scar would burst open, spewing out what little blood was still in Maya's body.

Yet her face remained expressionless. It was dull, as though she was already dead.

The hand Maya was using to tightly hold the gemstone had become dark red. Darker than the blood moon itself.

A thundering crash resounded in front of Maya. But her expression did not change, as though she could not even tell what happened.

The snow and dust cleared to reveal a burly young man.

He was roughly two and a half meters tall. He had very short black hair, like he was in the army. If his hair was any shorter, then he would be bald.

He wore intricately sewn clothes made from ox fur. There was a solemn frown on his face, matching his piercing hazelnut eyes.

"So many innocent lives have fallen because of you... What do you have to say for yourself?"

Maya's head tilted to the side like a withering branch.

"...Nothing."

She raised her dark red hand, the one holding the gemstone. Her forefinger extended towards the man.

As for the man, he narrowed his eyes in contempt.

"I am Edmund. Do you know who my teacher is? His name is Kabito, a crowned! Stand down if you know what's good for you."

The corner of Maya's lips turned up ever so slightly.

"...I've never known what was good for me."

A fireball coalesced at her fingertip.

"And frankly, I don't care."

Edmund smiled with anger.

"Then there's no reason to keep you alive."

A fireball shot out towards Edmund, but he sidestepped it with ease. His feet pressed against the ground, cracking the path.

In the next instant, his fist landed squarely on Maya's stomach.