The Damelsing village

“Damselette.. who is that..?” Noah mumbled to himself as he stepped out of the palace of Barbara. His brows scrunched together in frustrated curiosity. The king of Gehenna may have apprise the mission agreed upon by the three monarchs but it was as far as Emerson's gracious help extended.

While Emerson had promised of full support and endless aid when asked upon, the provided intel was scarce. The only intel that Emerson had given him was one name- Damselette's Temple. The king of Gehenna had provided him with a map that pointed him in a certain direction. “If I may, the map leads to the temple of the Moon goddess… I know of no place as the Damselette's Temple.” the facts were said in a low voice by the man behind him, yet Noah felt his skin itch with distrust.

The king had sent along a companion to aid Noah in his journey, the lieutenant of the queen of Valhalla, the devil’s realm. This man was a devil himself, a creation of gods that was known for deception. Noah was a trusting tiger but he knew better than anyone what devils were like. Images from the past flashed in the back of his mind and his brows scrunched in frustration. Queen Lilith was bound by the laws of the monarchy, she couldn't possibly deceive Emerson and send a shady guy. And yet, it was Noah's own personal baggage that worried him.

A yawn left the devil’s mouth. His eyes droop, heavy lidded eyes, the devil resisted the urge to fall asleep as he stood. “Are you certain, Sir Levi?” Noah confirmed. Levi nodded his head upon hearing the shorter male's question. Levi Arknight, he was the queen’s most trusted knight as well as a veteran who had been blessed with knowledge of the human realm. Levi was the epitome of empty darkness, with charcoal eyes that matched the shade of his silk long locks and his complexion was grey like a corpse’s, Levi was blessed with features that one would call distraught in an alluring way.

Despite the suspicion Noah carried, he could see how much Bell fancied the taller male. He decided to trust Bell’s intuition. Pixies were a type of fae that did not understand human emotions or boundaries, they only lived for the fun. However, they were incredibly intuitive. The people with a good heart would always be treated with kindness by the pixies but the moment their intuition sense any malicious intent, the pixies would not hesitate to prank the person. Pranks that might lead to the death of an ordinary person.

Noah did not say much, he dusted his white sleeveless changshan with the back of his hand and turned to follow the direction of the map. “We do not have much of a choice. The human ruler provided just this much intel and we have to work with what we got, yeah?” Noah acknowledged the situation with resignation. In all entirety, as bright as he was around other mystics, a form of dread had started clouding him since the moment he read the so called prophecy.

Who was this Damselette? And what was she? Where was she? Why did she need to be saved? Above all, who was this hero that this prophecy spoke of? A loveable hero that abandons everyone? Ha! How ironic. Noah couldn't help but feel resentful towards this hero he hadn't even met. His hands formed a tight fist, as if to suppress the bubbling anger in his heart. A man who's given everything by the world and yet, he would still choose this unknown Damselette over the lives of others? How ungrateful.

A hand pulled Noah by the shoulder. His fierce golden pupils met with the hollow gaze of the devil. “You need to calm down.” Levi simply stated. There was barely any emotions behind his words but at least, he wasn't yawning anymore. Noah was fuming under his skin but somehow Levi made him feel puzzled. How did this devil know of his emotions when he hadn't said a world? An exhausted sigh left Levi's lips, he unhooked the cloak on his shoulders, placed it over Noah’s frame and pulled the hood over the ears  Noah’s head.

“Too many people…” Levi spoke with caution and a warning, his hollow eyes glanced around to scan the possible eyes that were glued to them. “The world may not know of a hero but it does know of an executioner that kills his own kind. Try not to catch the attention of the people around you.” Levi suggested and patted Noah on his back. He had meant only well but it did not change the fact that his words stung to hear. Levi was not the sharpest tool in the box, he didn't realize that the frown on Noah's face was not due to the humidity of the clock but the stinging words he had just said. Until Bell fluttered her little translucent wings in the air and started visibly raging and kicking Levi’s cheek with her micro sized feet, only then did Levi understood the weight of his words.

“Ah..” Levi suddenly felt conflicted, as a devil emotions were supposed to be something that Levi should be overly familiar with. However, unlike any normal devil, Levi was the only devil that was born with the absence of emotions in his non-existent heart. And that came with the lack of ability to comprehend and process it. Unsure, Levi shuffled around in his pocket to find something that might brighten up the young tiger's mood. Levi extended his hand towards the tiger and opened his fist. There was one candy on his open palm.

“I'm unfamiliar with how delicate someone's emotions can be and how easily one can get hurt by words. I request that you don't take my words to your heart, my intention was merely to avoid any conflict. We need the people to trust us if we wish to gather more intel.” Levi pitched his explanation apologetically, the guilt in his hollow dark eyes melted the tension in Noah's golden ones. It still stung to know his identity could be a topic of conflict but it was reassuring to know someone was on his side. Noah still had his doubts about working with a devil but he digressed, he was willing to put it aside for now. Noah took the candy from the taller male’s hand. A bright blush of delight spread across Levi's grey skin.

Noah, Levi and of course, Bell headed out in the direction of the temple: The Damelsing village. The travel was as peaceful as it could've been. Noah, by nature was someone who preferred solitude. The only person Noah smiled or laughed with him was his one true friend, someone he blindly trusted. The pixie Bell. Levi understood Noah's cautiousness and his boundaries, though slightly envious of Noah's friendship with the little fae, Levi understood that he was in no position to intrude. Furthermore, his given mission was to provide the hero with as much aid as he could, hence he did. From setting up meals to gathering information from the passing travelers, Levi did everything he could to make things easier for Noah.

Quietly so, Noah appreciated it. Before they knew it, 3 days had passed by while traveling on foot and they had finally reached the village. The Damelsing village, the village that was home to the Damselette's temple. Noah had imagined all sorts of religious people to be living here, all sorts of white architecture since it was home to a temple. However, Noah had not expected the village to be the day it was.

“It's been sucked dry by the nobility.” Levi muttered soundlessly, stepping forward. His gloved hand caressed the welcome board on the entrance of the village. An old wooden plank with faded painted alphabets. “W l co e” Levi could figure out the missing alphabets. As they stepped inside, Bell started pulling Noah and Levi by the hair in the direction of the exit. She was not pleased. “Chimed chimed!” She screamed in their ears. Levi gently held her flailing body in his gloved hands until she eventually stopped resisting. “I understand your anxiety, Ms. Bell. But we have to push forward.” Levi tried his best to sooth the anxious pixie.

Noah's ears perked up under the hood of the cloak Levi had given him at the beginning of their journey. His tail, alerted at the chill in the air, it wrapped itself around Noah's thighs. “Yeah, we can't leave this place after coming so far. But… just look at it..” Noah agreed, nodding his head before getting lost in scanning his surroundings. Suffice to say, the village was in shambles. There was no sign of human life around them, the houses were decaying, the trees were dying and worst of all, the damage to the village did not seem natural. “You're right, it's man made.” Levi came forth, reading Noah's mind. Bell was sitting on Levi's shoulder, clinging to the charcoal strand of Levi’s bangs. Levi didn't mind.

“Just what happened here ..” Noah's brows once again scrunched together in a frown, he pulled his hood down upon noticing the absence of human life. His mind scattered in all directions. As the guardian of forest, he also had learned to be obligated to protect the weak. The mere thought of danger befalling any living being boiled his blood with a protector’s instincts.

Levi didn't quite understand the meaning behind the strong reaction from the young tiger but he did find the place to worrisome.

“Time happened and what once was, now lost to the abyss of time. Or..” Levi trailed off, fiddling his fingers around Bell to poke her cheek. “The time was stolen from those who belonged here and now we stand on the grave of time.”