Chung:The spirits are acting very aggressively. They're usually not the vicious...
Eve:We were told that the hot spring spirit's Crystal Ball should cure the Blacksmiths of Steel. Since Sirena lives upstream, let's head that way.
Add:Are you sure it will work? If it does have healing properties, why are all the spirits acting this way?
Raven:... The alchemist said he can make the cure, so we'll get it.
Elesis:...
Raven:Let's go, Elesis.
Elesis:Huh? Oh, sorry! I was lost in thought.
Chung:There seems to be a lot on your mind since we arrived in Lanox.
Elesis:Yeah. It's just weird. I mean, something felt wrong everywhere we went, but... something's different here.
Elesis:It's just an intuition, but... yeah!
Eve:An... intuition?
Raven:... If you sense something even if there's no evidence backing your suspicion, you could have picked up on something subconsciously. Don't ignore your intuition completely, Elesis.
Chung:I got that feeling too. It looked like a lively village... But something ominous is preventing myself from relaxing completely.
Elesis:I'll keep that in mind. Now, upstream you said? Let's get this over with.
Eve:...
Add:Something worrying you, your Majesty?
Eve:I was thinking about the concept of intuition. It seemed everyone had an innate understanding of its workings except me.
Add:It is somewhat vague.
Eve:Is it one of the senses? Which part of the body do you process the sensory input for intution?
Add:That's not how it works. An intuition... is closer to a pattern. It's an inaccurate prediction based on the experience you have accumulated.
Add:Or a survival instinct... preparing for something that could potentially happen.
Eve:... Your explanation helped me understand the concept better. I still do not know what kind of sense it is...
Eve:But is this intuition the reason why you were looking... no, staring at the Fire Priestess with suspicion?
Add:... Kuhuhu, you noticed? You surprise me every time.
Eve:Did you find the Priestess acting suspiciously?
Add:It's just an intuition, as you said. No matter how much they smile and try to act dumb, I can just feel it when someone is hiding something.
Eve:... If that's the case, I worry for Elsword and others. Is there a reason you didn't say anything?
Add:She was too lousy at hiding to be up to anything serious. Maybe she's feeling guilty about something.
Add:Anyway, I'm sure something interesting will happen soon enough.
In:Kekeke... Sorry, fish lady. We'll let you go once we're done with you, so no need to struggle too hard.
In:Though, once we're done... I suppose you will no longer be on your right mind.
Jin:... In, look.
Jin:Humans of Elrios. They are running this way.
In:Oh, did they finally find us? They're slow, aren't they? Slow at finding.
In:Huhuhu! This is getting interesting... Shall we play with them for a while?
Jin:... Let's go, In. We have no time to waste here.
In:Ahhh! You're no fun. Done already? Then, I suppose we'll head to our next destination.
Sirena:Ugh...!
(SPLASH, SPLASH)
Elesis:Haa, haa, Task! I wanted to take a good look at their face, before they ran away.
Chung:They were doing something. What were they doing to the hot springs?
(SLITHER... CLANG!)
Sirena:Ughh... Ahh...!
Add:Is that the spirit guarding this place? She lost her mind.
Chung:Wait, look. This looks like a shattered glass orb. Is this the Crystal Ball? The one with purifying properties...
Eve:... We were a moment too late. We can do nothing to help that spirit, or the phantasmal demonic energy spreading through this hot springs.
Raven:It seems the situation in Lanox will only get worse. Edel won't appreciate hearing this news from us.
Elesis:Sigh... For now, we will defeat the spirit, and figure what to do back at the village. We'll need to inform Ignia and Edel about this to plan what to do next.
Chung:I'll take the Crystal Ball... even though it's all shattered... It may still be useful to us in some way.
The twin demons get away and the Crystal Ball is shattered. The hot springs is enveloped in phantasmal demonic energy. Let's return to the village to inform others.
Elesis:Elsword! You're back already? Do you know where Ignia...
Ara:Really? That's such a dramatic meeting.
Lu:Yes. I can't begin to think what would have happened if I didn't meet Ciel back then.
Lu:But your first meeting is quite dramatic as well, isn't it? I thought for sure you knew each other for years.
Rena:True... It does feel like that. How did we first meet again?
Aisha:I saved Elsword from Berthe's attack, I believe?
Elsword:Hey, get your story straight. I almost had that in the bag!
Raven:Who are these people...?
Elsword:You're back! This is Lu and Ciel.
Lu:Oh, your other friends? I am a Demon Lord, the Steel Queen, Luciela R. Sourcream. I do not care for formalities, so you may call me Lu.
Add:Oh...?
Elesis:What...?
(CLACK)
Chung:... Demon! How dare you...!
Ciel:Hey, isn't that too much for just a greeting? I would appreciate it if you move that dangerous thing away. We are not even holding our weapons.
Eve:... Add. Is this the intuition you had?
Add:Kuhuhu, I'm good, but not this good.
Add:Oi, punk. Explain.
Elesis:Yes. Get over here and explain the situation.
Chung:I don't understand. They're demons!
Raven:Elsword, do you think they can be trusted?
Elsword:Everyone, calm down. I get that everyone hates demons. They're the ones invading Elrios...
Elsword:But unlike other demons, Lu and Ciel didn't attack us.
Raven:Even if they are presenting a friendly face now, we don't know when they will show their true colors.
Elsword:I thought about that, but I don't think there's anything to worry about.
Elsword:Besides... It's not right to reject people when we don't even know about them.
Chung:But...! ... I just can't bring myself to trust them.
Elsword:Then, how about thinking it this way? Lu and Ciel know more about demons than we do.
Elsword:Something serious is going on at Lanox, but we still don't know anything about our enemy. Lu and Ciel will be helpful on that front.
Elsword:When a really strong demon appears, maybe they can tell us their weakness or something.
Add:You're too soft. If you want information, you should be thinking about using them, not hoping for good will.
Chung:Alright, let's say those two demons do help us out for now, Elsword.
Chung:How do we know it's not just a ruse to ambush us later like Raven says?
Elsword:That's no problem. If Lu and Ciel are the kinds to need an ambush, there's no way we would lose.
Eve:... I thought he was too trusting, regardless of people, but I have no idea that courtesy extended to demons as well.
Elesis:They have the guts to have a tea party at the center of the village. Either they are confident in their skills, or they're crazy.
Elesis:It seems Rena, Aisha, and Ara are all getting along with them, so I suppose, at least, they are different from other demons we've encountered so far.
Elesis:Then I guess it's fine. But I need to experience for myself, so I'll go talk to them.
Raven:I'll go with you. Whether or not they should be accepted is something that must be weighed carefully.
Eve:...
Chung:... They all left.
Chung:... Am I in the wrong, Eve? I just can't comprehend that a demon doesn't have to be an enemy.
Chung:We fought against demons all this time. We witnessed first hand what they have done...
Eve:I am not certain I understand, but I do think Elsword is consistent in his actions. I have already experienced something similar with the El Search Party.
Chung:Huh? When?
Eve:The El Search Party fought against the Nasods before fighting against demons. After the end of the battle, he saw me, and told me he would be my friend.
Eve:I could not believe this was someone who was fighting the Nasods up until then.
Chung:... I also think we should know more about our enemies. Demons have used various methods to always stay ahead of the game.
Chung:We have much to learn from our enemies. I know that... But this is so sudden...
Eve:We will keep our eyes on them together. We all understand it's necessary. Besides, an oaf like Elsword won't even think to suspect another person, so we need to look after him.
Eve:Don't worry. If Lu and Ciel approached us to deceive us, I will not forgive them.
Scar:... You've rescued the Sun Priestess and the Moon Priestess.
Ignia:I, I told you! It wasn't something I anticipated! Besides, if you told me that they were thre, I would have stopped them from heading that way!
Ignia:I would have been too suspicious not to rescue them. It was... unavoidable.
Scar:...
Scar:I will let this slide, as I still have the Earth Priestess, and I can get the other two Priestesses back whenever I wish. However...
(ZZZZT... BOOM!)
Ignia:Kya!
Scar:The El Search Party, you say? They are the ones who defeated the Red Demon commanders. They cannot get in the way of my plans. I will not allow any deception.
Scar:If our plans do not fall into place, the Earth Priestess...
Ignia:I get it, I get it! I'll make sure they don't get it your way!
Scar:Do it yourself.
Ignia:... What?!
Scar:Show some effort, when such unavoidable occasion rises again.
Scar:If you do not wish to lose the two Priestesses that returned...
Though nobody is exactly thrilled about an alliance with Lu and Ciel, everyone decides to hold their judgement after hearing out Elsword's reasoning. Then, the El Search Party hears about the demon that is threatening Lanox from Lu and Ciel...
Lu:The twins that you saw are probably from the Dark-Eyed Army. Commander Scar leads them.
Raven:Commander? That's what Berthe called himself. Is that your military order?
Elesis:Who is the one that has complete control of the demon army?
Lu:I cannot say for certain, but I assume it's Barkat. The invasion was likely planned after I was sealed.
Rena:How long were you sealed?
Lu:Hm? I'm not certain. It was a very long time. Longer than my own life.
Elsword:... And that's how much you've grown during that time? Demons are weird.
Add:In short, after you escaped, you stayed in Lanox when a demon assassin tried to kill you, and that guy over there actually did experience death.
Add:But you used some kind of magic to create some contract and left Lanox, traveling around Fluone until you learned about us and decided to follow us back?
Ciel:Something like that.
Lu:Yes. You are correct. Any more questions?
Aisha:The magic the twins used... Do you know what spell it is?
Lu:Hm, I do not.
Raven:Hey...
Lu:I do know that these spells share key characteristics. Spells against the mass do no last long. In contrast, spells cast for one is powerful and persistent.
Ciel:The curse Karis used in Sander is called seed of discord. It creates a rift between people by stoking the doubt that's inside anyone.
Lu:Even if you, Ciel, and I did not intervene, the situation in Sander and Lanox would have resolved itself.
Ciel:Of course, it would have been after something had already happened...
Rena:So the curse wasn't the main goal. Think about it. Karis's goal was awaken the Behemoth to devastate Elrios.
Rena:For that, she needed the location of the Behemoth, the Wind El, the Wind Priestess, and for the demons to gather around Behemoth.
Raven:And she used seed of discord to care of them all... It was a great strategic move.
Raven:If the luck was on her side, we could have lost... ... Is Scar also after the holy beast and the prophecy?
Chung:If he's aiming for the prophecy, he wouldn't have left the Sun Priestess and the Moon Priestess so close to the village.
Elesis:Perhaps it has something to do with the still missing Earth Priestess... I'm starting to get worried about Ignia. Should we go search for her?
Ignia:Heya! I'm here! Whacha doing? Something interesting without me?
Aisha:Wa! You startled me! Where were you?
Ignia:Oh, I went to the Temple to check out the Fire El. I just thought I'd check on Gloria and Darkmoon now that I'm back.
Rena:The two priestesses are still asleep. How is the Fire El?
Ara:Any demon presence at the Temple...?
Ignia:Well, it's still unstable, but nothing strange like what you're thinking.
Elsword:Unstable? Is that ok?
Ignia:Sure is. That's just how it is with the Fire El. Before I was chosen as the Priestess, it was even more unstable!
Rena:That's not really helping us feel better...
Ignia:If it worries you that much, what to do check it out?
Chung:Can we? Oh, but Steel hasn't finished the heatproof suits yet.
Ignia:Hehe, no worries! I can cast a protection spell on you. That's how I was able to go without a heatproof suit!
Elesis:You should have told us you could do something like that!
Ignia:I completely forgot! Sorry, sorry!
Aisha:You're so clumsy... Anyway, I'm glad everything is working out. Let's head to the Fire Temple.
Spirit's Crystal Ball
