"So who are you, really?" Kale asked.
Quill sat tied to a wooden chair, the rope biting into his wrists. They were no longer in the dark basement beneath the church. Now they stood in the main service hall. Moonlight spilled through the stained glass, washing the rows of empty seats in soft color. Flowers rested along the windowsills, fresh and strangely well kept for a place that looked abandoned from the outside.
Quill looked nothing like he had before. His blonde hair was shorter now, messy and uneven. His light brown eyes kept flicking away from Kale, never settling for long. His shoulders were tense, like he was bracing for a hit that never came.
"Um… my name is Quill," he said quietly.
"Yeah, I know that already," Kale replied. "I mean who are you. And why shouldn't I do something about you bringing me here."
"That wasn't me," Quill blurted out, almost tripping over the words. "I swear it wasn't."
"Okay, then who was it?"
"The thing that took over my body," Quill said, his voice shaking. "I couldn't stop it."
Kale stared at him for a second. "Do you know about the note?"
Quill frowned. "What note?"
"The one the guy who attacked me left behind."
"I don't remember anything from that time," Quill said quickly. "It's just empty. Like someone ripped that part out."
Kale sighed and ran a hand through his hair. His head was spinning. There were too many moving pieces. Quill, who had lost control of his own body. Asmodeus, who clearly set this up. And someone who knew enough about Kale to bait him here.
"Alright," Kale said. "What about Professor Walnut? How do you know him?"
Quill hesitated, fingers twitching against the rope. "He was my teacher last year. Before I dropped out."
"Then why was he chained up down there with you?"
Quill swallowed hard. "He sent me a letter. Said it was urgent. That he needed to talk to me here, in private." His voice dropped. "When I got to the church… that's it. That's all I remember."
Kale nodded slowly. He stood up, the chair scraping against the stone floor.
"Okay. Here's how this is gonna go," he said. "You're sticking with me for a while."
Quill's eyes widened. "W what? Why?"
"Because that Asmodeus guy picked you for a reason," Kale said. "Either your memory comes back, or he comes back for you. And when that happens, I want to be right there."
Quill went quiet, his grip tightening around the rope as the reality of it sank in.
Quill shivered, his mouth opening like he wanted to say something, then closing again. Kale noticed.
I can't just leave him here. Can I?
"Look," Kale said, scratching the back of his head. "I know this whole thing sucks for both of us. But this matters to me. I can't let it go. So you can either stay here, or you can come with me."
Quill stared at the floor, clearly torn. His fingers curled into the rope as he thought it over.
"I… I really don't want to sleep h-here," he said quietly. "If you're okay with it, I'll come with you."
Kale nodded once. "Yeah. That is probably for the best."
Kale and Quill walked along the stone streets of Lindenport, a town perched on the westernmost shore of the westernmost continent, Westeria. The sea stretched endlessly to the east, and far beyond it lay Esia, the easternmost continent.
Between the two rested the Holy Land, home to the sacred tree Vrizen. Rumors claimed the tree possessed a will of its own. North of the Holy Land lay Nordaun, the largest continent, infamous for its brutal weather and endless snow. To the far south was Surhaun, a land of dense jungles and sprawling deserts.
These four continents had been inhabited for over a thousand years. The Holy Land, however, remained largely untouched, except for the Day of Light.
Still, people whispered of a fifth land.
A dark continent known as Gredual.
It was said that souls burdened by hatred and regret wandered there, unable to pass on, trapped between life and death. At its center stood the demonic tree Erebos, the antithesis of Vrizen.
Shouts echoed through the city. Kale and Quill paused, exchanging uneasy looks.
"Probably nothing," Kale muttered.
"Right," Quill replied, unconvinced.
They continued on until they reached Kale's house. He had inherited it from his mother, who had passed away years ago from a deadly illness known as the Wind Pipe Virus.
It was a disease that slowly destroyed the throat until breathing became impossible. She had been a kind woman who loved Kale dearly, doing everything she could to flee with him to Lindenport and escape his father.
Kale reached for the door.
"Young one!"
He spun around, his hand dropping. Standing behind him was a familiar figure.
Apostle Coal.
"I need you to come with me. Now."
"No can do," Kale said flatly. "I've got things to handle."
Coal's eyes hardened. "Do you understand who you're speaking to? I am the most powerful man on this continent."
"Sorry, man. Didn't mean to hit a nerve."
"This is not the time."
Coal's voice boomed, the sound carrying through the street and seeming to shake the air itself. Kale fell silent.
"It is no longer safe here," Coal continued. "We are being invaded by Dwellers from the Dark Continent."
"Dwellers?" Kale repeated.
He and Quill glanced at each other. Neither said it out loud, but both knew this had something to do with Asmodeus.
"After years of rumors, we finally sent expeditions to Gredual," Coal said. "I stayed in this town awaiting their return. But when the ships arrived, they did not carry humans. They carried things made of dirt, stone, and beasts, shaped to resemble people."
Quill swallowed.
"The town is in an uproar," Coal went on. "The Dwellers have already landed at the port."
Kale clenched his fists. "So where do we go?"
"I had plans for you and your green haired friend," Coal said, glancing at Quill. "But I suppose this one can come as well."
Quill stiffened.
"You are heading to the capital," Coal said. "You will be safe there. You will train as Star Knights. When you are strong enough, you will return with a unit and reclaim Lindenport in the name of Vrizen."
He turned sharply, already preparing to leave.
"There is no time to argue. Grab your green haired friend and head to Diesel Street. A carriage is waiting."
With that, Apostle Coal strode away, leaving Kale and Quill standing in the growing noise of the city.