God Ash: Remnants of the fallen.

The dim sun hung over the world with a subdued presence...

A faint moistness hung in the air, as well as an aroma that spoke of the coming rain.

"And so, my dear friends and family..." Steve adjusted his mask.

Although his words seemed warm, the distortion of his voice made more than a few of those gathered look quite uncomfortable.

"The lots have been casted, and by the long arms of our wonderful leader and commander-in-chief, we proclaim war on the Blood Moon Sect!"

Cain sighed then turned his gaze forward. The crowd was filled with multiple faces he was familiar with, as well as a few others he was not quite sure of.

'A traitor, huh... I wonder who it could be.'

He heaved a deep sigh and spoke,

"Valestorm is expanding at a fast pace. Very soon, we will have enough resources to take back most of the City. That means we are a formidable force."

He paused for a moment then continued,

"We suspect the enemy will try to play it smart, but that will not be in our favor. Our goal is to meet them in a head-on clash. Although it sounds rather conceited, we will now be making preparations..."

He fixed his eyes on a certain person in the crowd,

"Lukas."

Lukas raised a brow.

Cain wore a smile on his face that didn't reach his ears,

"Your task, will be to lead the vanguard alongside Floki and Luke. Since we do not expect to battle against any beasts or Devils of any kind, that means it all comes down to individual strengths. If they decide to meet us head on, your jobs will be to tear a line right through their heart."

Luke seemed surprised, "Are you sure?"

Cain nodded then turned to Lukas,

"So? You think you can handle it?"

Lukas snorted, "Of course I can handle it. What do you take me for?"

Cain chuckled. Then his expression became serious,

"Good. Because we will be going over the details of the assault— Step. By. Step."

***

The meeting went on for a long time; more than a few hours.

By the time the doors opened up and several weary heads were busy rushing out like their lives depended on it, a heavy downpour had created a veil of darkness over everything once again.

Cain let out a sigh.

'It took a long time, but we managed to hash everything out successfully. Now, all that's left...'

He wasn't the only one left in the hall. Besides him, all the members of the original group were gathered as well.

Despite the cold, dark atmosphere, the hall didn't seem lonely at all.

Cain chuckled.

Suddenly, someone spoke up,

"You seem happy."

Cain raised a brow and turned to his left.

At some point, the shadows beside him had opened up.

On an empty chair to his left, Evangeline's beautiful form was seated as though it had been there all this time.

"The witch finally shows herself... What an entrance." Steve's lips twisted into a sardonic smile as he spoke.

Evangeline chuckled but didn't answer him.

Instead, her gaze scanned the hall. Then her gem-like eyes finally settled back on Cain.

Seeing the playful look in her eyes, Cain could tell she was up to no good again.

He sighed.

Then a thought appeared in his mind,

"Eva. I'd like to speak with you alone later."

Evangeline raised a brow,

"Is that so... Whatever would the honorable leader of the Golden Asura want to discuss with me?"

Cain paused for a moment then shook his head.

"No. I think it's better if I say it now..."

He slowly rose to his feet.

"I want us all to undertake a certain mission. It is something that can only be done by us and no one else."

Ignis raised a brow. Her legs rested on the table she asked out loud,

"And what could that be?"

Cain turned to Steve.

Steve grinned.

"It might seem too sudden, but I would like for you all to aid me in my goal to expand beyond City Z. I'm sure a lot of you know this already, but there are no other settlements within the other towns and cities scattered across the continent of Aderra that have managed to survive until now just like us."

His brows creased together,

"My ultimate goal, is to drive devilish influence away from this world. And to do that, I'll need as much help as I can get."

He turned back to Evangeline,

"The only way to get across the thousands of miles of devil and beast infested lands, is either through teleportation, or using your {Shadow World} skill. Without laying down an anchor, I don't expect spatial magic to be particularly effective as of now. In other words, you, are a rather important to me right now."

"Damn. How bold." Vincent muttered.

Beside him, Blaze nodded thoughtfully.

Then he frowned and turned to glance at Vincent,

"Who are you to talk?"

Vincent chuckled, "Ignore that. By the way, what do you think?"

Blaze turned his gaze forward again. After a brief moment of silence, he shrugged,

"I am a bit excited. Although there is still a lot of work to be done here, setting our sights out early isn't a bad call either. My only concern is..."

He was silent for a moment.

Then he shook his head,

"No. Nevermind."

"Is that so..." Vincent said raised a brow, but decided not to push it any further.

He chuckled,

"Well, I am excited as well."

Evangeline stared at Cain blankly for a few seconds.

Then a subtle smile crept onto her face,

"Saying things like that. Are you sure a few people won't misunderstand?"

Cain raised a brow.

Then his face paled.

His head snapped over to the side.

Seeing the look on his face, Susan snorted,

"I'm not a cat to be fighting about pointless things. Besides..."

Her eyes locked onto Evangeline's. There was a silent challenge in her gaze.

"I understand very clearly."

Evangeline smirked,

"Is that so..."

Then she turned to Cain,

"Alright then. I'll give you all the support you need."