"Thank you for the business!" a young storeowner said as he waved Juno off, who was heading back towards the inn. The last few days had been quite calm, aside from taking jobs at the adventurer's guild, and they were gaining experience and money at a steady rate. They had been here for over a month now, and they were finding their footing. They had found a variety of reliable contacts, from the guard captain, to Juno's laundry group, to a young and capable Necromancer who seemed to know more than he was letting on. Not only that, but Juno had a spirit ally he could call on, although he seemed to sleep quite a bit to maintain his energy, in case of emergency.

  Juno wondered how spirits could sleep, but perhaps it was due to the strangeness of how he was called forth. He was a spirit that formed from a Starfall, and also in some technicality a Starfallen himself, so it was a strange order of events.

  Furthermore, the people who had been trying to come after them had dwindled recently. Whether they were just running out of minions, or if they finally decided it wasn't worth the cost, Juno had no idea, but it meant that they didn't have to worry about ambushes every day anymore.

  "Going to enjoy some sweet bread, its a luxury we can afford~" Juno hummed as he made his way back to their inn, when he noticed someone was looking right at him. It was someone behind Juno, so he didn't turn around to get a look and clue him in, but Juno was a bit startled.

  Where did he come from?!

  His Starfallen gifts had been helping him to detect and thwart surprise attacks and pinpoint people looking at them. However, this one had totally slipped by his detection until he was within ten meters of Juno. For a moment, he thought his calm days was about to be interrupted, however the individual made no offensive action towards Juno. He was just following him, but it was creepy. Furthermore, the person was making no such efforts to even hide that he was fixated on Juno. It was clearly blatent, and given the level of skill that came from that concealment, Juno wasn't so confident he could take the man in solo combat. As such, he decided to turn around and look at the man.

  "...what?"

  "I thought so! That is you, isn't it Juno!"

  The man he was facing had jet black hair and obsidian eyes. His face had a few bandaids on it, and his hair and clothes were a bit messy. Going by his outfit, he was clearly an adventurer who had seen some success, but was still a rookie. His expression was soft and warm, and Juno felt a warm familiarity to it. Naturally, how could he not? It was someone he knew.

  "Uchida-sensei?"

  "I see after all these years, you still remember me".

  "Well, your face is still covered in bandaids" Juno said with a sort of deadpan stare. "Don't tell me you still haven't gotten rid of that clumsy streak? Did the classes after mine slack off?"

  "Ah...you always could be quite harsh, Juno. Well, it was the truth though".

  "Please don't tell me you are an actual adventurer. You don't have the hand eye coordination. Or the foot eye coordination. Kuroki was able to beat you in arm wrestling. You are way too accident prone for a third grade elementary school teacher".

  "Ahahahaha...this is all true. It seems you have changed quite a bit in some places, but you are not as tall as I expected".

  "Its a long story. We should probably not stand out in the road to talk. There is a cafe nearby, but just so you know, I already bought bread for me and Reiji, so you are buying".

  "Ahhh...I see time has not dulled your negotiating edge. No matter, this time you won't be getting a ride in my car!"

  "Your car isn't in this world, and we both know I will still somehow get that out of you anyways" Juno retorted, as the two headed into a nearby cafe. They quickly got settled into a corner, as Uchida got them some tea. He moved a bit more gracefully then Juno remembered, and he now had a sword by his side.

  Once the two got settled in, Uchida was the first to talk.

  "Have you found any others yet?"

  Juno froze for a bit, thinking things through before replying honestly. "I met up with Reiji fast, and I know Kuroki and Akano are somewhere in the region. And...I met up with Riki as well, sort of".

  The teacher's face hardened when he heard that.

  "But didn't..."

  Juno nodded. "Aye. Riki came back, half from my own wish, half from his own, although has a spirit guardian rather then a human. Even Wishes have limits I suppose".

  "I see...I am not sure whether to be relieved or concerned".

  "Also, I cant go into details on how, but I know of a few others. One however, is inherently hostile to us the moment she finds out. Kanoko Amiya. Also, there are two fourthgraders, but I only know their given names, Riku and Kaede..."

  "Ah, if they are who I think they are, I know of them. Especially if they get mentioned together".

  "As well as a second grader called Ryuu".

  "Ryuu? Would you happen to know if his family name is Takahashi?"

  "Hmmm, it didn't come up. Sorry. I don't know why, but it just feels more normal to use given names around here".

  "Yeah, I noticed that as well...anyways, Juno. I guess that means you haven't encountered any third graders yet?"

  "Sorry, not a one. Why? Looking for your class?"

  "Well, I am the teacher, so yes. I am trying to find various individuals and build a network, although none of the messages I leave with the guild seem to bear any fruit".

  "Ah...yeah, we recently learned the messaging system by the guild has been hijacked, although we don't know by who. When me and Reiji went to approach it, there was already a fuss so we couldn't get close. Apparently, a few others had already gone in there and fought something. No clue who..."

  But if I had to guess, it was probably a Starfallen.

  Juno kept that last part to himself. He wasn't sure of it yet, and also he realized he was being weirdly open, even if he did recognize the guy. And even if the teacher was fine, it was possible someone else might be listening in.

  "So, who have you met so far?"

  "So far just two high schoolers, who were very misbehaved and naughty, and a man in his late twenties or early thirties who seemed rather business savy. Seriously, we are all in the same boat, so we should be working together, not trying to exploit and harm each other".

  "...you really are unlucky. In more ways than one".

  "Ahahahaha. How about you? Have you gotten pretty strong?"

  "A bit. But you must be strong too, to have made it this far already".

  I don't sense any malice within him, but I could barely sense him at all until he got close. Is he doing this intentionally, or unconsciously? Or perhaps he is just worried and cautious like the rest of us. Either way, its something to keep in mind.

  They ended up chatting about trivial stuff for a bit, before Juno decided to make his way back to Reiji casually. Still, Juno wondered just how long these peaceful days would remain. And what was going on with that teacher. Even if the days were calm, that didn't mean they were worry free. It was like the calm before the storm.

  Meanwhile, far away from this kingdom, in the small kingdom of Aiaster to the northwest, there was a port city called Glaim. It was a nice port city, but well away from any of the action at the moment that others were facing, and seemingly entirely unrelated to the woes of the world, whether it be the movements of The Empire or the chaos in the kingdom to the east of them.

  Three individuals were sipping tea. One was a rather well dressed man, another was a lovely and beautifully dressed women, and the third one was a rather well dressed boy of about fourteen years of age. They were in a wonderful and lovely cafe, watching the ships move in and out of port.

  "It appears Belial's long winded plot has finally been foiled within his little ruins, that lazy fool" the boy mentioned, letting out a sigh.

  "Why do you tolerate that lazy piece of shit, honored elder Razathel" the woman asked the boy, or rather, the ancient vampire lord, one of the original vampires.

  "I was kind of amused by such a plan. It was kind of clever, but far too slow, and he took a few too many risks then I would like admittedly" Razathel mused, as he watched the tea in his cup let out some steam. "Still, this is quite the unusual situation we have found ourselves in. What do you think, Grand Marshall?"

  The two looked over at the well dressed man, who simply shrugged.

  "I think the bigger question is what we will do now. I do not think we can remain idle in this conflict forever".

  "This is true. Something has shifted. A few of the vampires have gotten unusually restless, moreso then the usual Demon King Awakening. And the mass Starfall...I just can't help but wonder if one of us were involved. Starfallen Blood is so rich and delicious, isn't that right Grand Marshal?"

  The Grand Marshall shook his head. "I wouldn't know. I don't feed off blood, certainly not my own".

  Simon Fitzgerald, AKA the Grand Marshall of the Kingdom of Aiaster, and a Starfallen, said this as he took a sip of his own tea.

  "I will say, the Royal Family has made a request in accordance with The Pact. They wish for us to try to find and recruit as many Starfallen as we can find, to train their power so we can resist the Empire's advances".

  "The Empire plans to advance during the Demon King's rampage? I don't recall them being that stupid when I visited them...what was it, fifty years ago?"

  "One hundred and fifty" the woman corrected.

  "Ah, thank you Lilian" Razathel replied. He then looked over at the Grand Marshal. "I am surprised they came to us with this though. Our consortium doesn't typically deal with such perishable goods like people. Does the Empire truly have him so worried so?"

  If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

  "There are rumors...that they might have had something to do with the Starfall. That they are planning something big, and using the Demon King emergence as a distraction. Obviously this is unthinkable, even the Empire will suffer damage from this, but they don't seem to care. They are moving irrationally, and rumor has it, they also have had more gold on the market lately".

  "Now that I have heard. Someone uncovered a bunch of golden statues, and now are melting them down or just outright selling them" Razathel mumured. "Maybe there is a new player we should be watchful for. Well, whatever. If he is invoking The Pact, then I suppose me and Lilian will play our part. However, we will need an advance".

  "We just 'executed' three people for plotting treason, they were trying to smuggle children and sell them to the Empire. You can pick them up at the usual spot".

  Razathel smiled. "Oh, how fortunate for us that they got caught before they could slip away. I am sure they will make for a lovely few meals".

  "And what of Belial?"

  "Hmmm. It appears he plans to take a small nap or at least remain inactive for the next few hundred years, although I suspect he wont be able to keep it up. Observe for now, and we can deal with him if necessary. He isn't some lower vampire after all, and we should never assume we know all that goes on in his head".

  "Understood".

  "Grand Marshal, you may tell your king that I will look into it".

  "Thank you".

  "No problem" Razathel said, as he mused inside of his mind.

  So this kingdom is making a move as well? How juicy.

  At the same time, Akano was showing off a bit. However, it wasn't in battle or through advanced knowledge, at least not the kind you would expect.

  Right now, Akano was cooking his best dish. Indeed, Akano could cook. And he could cook very well, delicately adjusting flavors based on what he knew of people. And right now, he had determined that Tamaki would greatly enjoy his scrambled egg rolls with beef and cheese in the middle. Well, there was more to it then that, but Akano wouldn't dare let his recipes leak like that.

  It was a nice change of pace to do something normal like this as well, which gave him some satisfaction and all that.

  Of course, their room in the inn didn't have a kitchen of which to use, which was why he was currently using the kitchen of Armiaas Rell, the vice guildmaster, at the moment.

  "That table better be set by the time I finish, if either of you want some of this food. And I cooked, so whoever has done the least work will get the majority of the dishes" Akano warned, as Lucilith Rell, Armiaas' wife, let out a giggle.

  "That is right. And I am in the clear because I already got all the ingredients, so you better hop to it".

  "I am on it!" Tamaki quickly claimed, taking to the plate location instantly and beginning to set the table as the vice guildmaster just made it to the room.

  "Tsk, damnit".

  "It looks like you get the short end of the stick, dear".

  "Damnit...I have paperwork to do you know?"

  "And everyone else is working hard too, doesn't mean you get to slack off during mealtime".

  "Especially when we have guests over who are working when they are guests".

  "Uhg....fine".

  Armiaas surrendered to the assault on his conscious, although it appeared to mostly be him surrendering to his wife.

  Either way, Akano was cooking up quite the meal. Of course, this was a dinner meal for everyone, but that didn't stop him at all. In his own words, "food isn't meal specific truthfully. Its just labels people assigned to them", and that was that. He wouldn't accept any refusing or rebuttal, and he was immediately backed up by Armiaas' wife, so resistance was futile.

  As for why they were here in the house, after Ciel had vanished, and the Vice Guildmaster had to investigate things, today was the day they decided to explain things to him, but they chose to do it at his home rather then at the guild, where they might run into that one creep. As such, they had ended up staying for around dinner time after giving the vice guildmaster the most lengthy, detail filled answers they could. Of course, there was a lot they did not know, so there was that too.

  "To think it really was a mass Starfall though" Armiaas mentioned with a sigh. "You know, I think you might be wrong about something. I don't think the guild message areas were gone after just to keep you all isolated and perhaps identify you. In fact, that was very likely only a side result. Their real purpose...must have been to keep us guildmasters isolated. I think they were probably rewriting any messages sent to and from guildmasters and other guildstaff as needed, to hide the truth about the Mass Starfall and keep things under wraps as long as possible. So this may be far more wide spread then you realized".

  "Would they really use so much effort and resources just for that?"

  "Perhaps its because they are not so free in their actions. Perhaps they are bound by some sort of Seal or Oath, or are trying to work discreetly in their own way. Those things...the Shaded, they were not something I had ever seen despite my countless decades adventuring around. Nor have I heard of any of them from my children or grandchildren either. Besides, they have clear weaknesses, and they seem to set up lairs...perhaps because, they have to set up those parallel spaces in order to be able to exert any real power or force, or maybe they need permission or influence from a location's owner or manager before they can take root in a place"

  "You think so? Then...all of this, its just for them to take root?"

  "And to find something. They hijacked a natural occurance in the world and forced it to happen to an entire city's worth of people. Although, given what iv heard from other Starfallen, it seems they are either incompetant at making choices, they didn't have much of a choice, or someone else took the choice away from them".

  Akano looked confused by his words. "What do you mean?"

  "I met a Starfallen once, decades ago. And he told me of the great cities of your world, with potentially millions of people. New York City, London, France, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Beijing, New Delhi, and other various cities. But instead, they went after a rather small one...that doesn't really make sense at all".

  Akano paused for a moment, realizing the ramifications of what was said. It was true. Out of all the cities they could have picked, if they were going for such numbers, then there was really a number of better cities. A lot of them. Of all the ones even remotely in his area alone, there were various ones. Even places like Mikado City and the capital of Hawaii would have been better.

  But instead, they chose a location that didn't even have a hundred thousands. It made no sense at all, unless of course, there was some reason for it.

  "There is no guarentee they would have been able to pick out an individual, could they have been going for one specific person?"

  "I cant deny that, but to juice it enough to take an entire city when your target is one person? Seems really unlikely, besides they were in a different world. Unless they used Blood Magic or Soul Magic to find someone they were familiar with, it wouldn't have been possible. And if they did, they could have narrowed the scale to that individual if they were the caster. So no, the caster absolutely wanted to go for something large scale".

  "Which means they either messed up, or something interferred with them...and the Devils knew about the Starfall before it happened it seemed".

  Armiaas nodded. "Yes. That is what gave it away. It makes no sense for the Devils to have cast the Starfall, given all their actions so far. But it does make sense if they were the ones who interrupted or disrupted the Starfall somehow. Although, I cannot be sure it was only them. There are still clues missing, but it would make sense. Even if they could not stop it completely, limiting the Starfall by forcing the ritual to target randomly instead of a highly populated city would make sense".

  Akano finished cooking, and began to serve the good as he processed this information.

  "So, we weren't the original targets...some other place was, and we were just collateral damage".

  Tamaki grimaced. "That...really sucks".

  "But it explains everything. In which case, the Shaded are minions of whoever is behind the Starfall...and it might be that the Devils are also trying to keep us isolated by intercepting the mail as well, plus it probably helps them identify us. Ironic, since the Shaded and the Devils are apparently enemies of each other, that they both are doing the same thing".

  Akano finished serving, as everyone began to dig in.

  "So the Devils are probably intercepting messages in some areas, and the Shaded in the other?"

  "Yes. They are probably contesting each other sometimes, but it would explain a lot. In other words, we might just be facing the calm before the storm. I suppose we don't have much choice then...we will need to head for the largest and most important of the Frontier Cities. Azralia. There are a few people there who will be able to help us a lot, including the Guildmaster, who is an X-Ranked Adventurer, as well as a mage that lives there who is an SS-Ranked adventurer, an S-Ranked Adventurer who should probably be higher ranked, and one who might as well be strong enough to be considered an S-Ranked as well. And finally, an A-Ranked Adventurer who might even be S-Ranked at this point, who goes by the name Dragon Caller. If there is anyone who will be able to help us, its them. The issue is...making it to the city won't be easy. We will have to go around the forest at least, as well as some other obstacles. And I will need to send word to another city in the area that should have forces to spare, the frontier merchant city of Ruthil".

  "But how will you contact them when they are intercepting messages? Even if ours is cleared up, theirs probably isn't".

  "Well, when it comes to Ruthil, I have an idea of who could run the message for me personally...Ciel, you are there right?"

  At first Akano was confused on why Ciel's name came up, but then his head popped out from behind the corner. The guildmaster set a place for him as well as some spare food, which lured him to the table.

  "...how long has he been here?"

  "I found him before you and got some details from him. He was a lot less in the know then you though".

  Akano was a bit surprised by this, since he was sure the boy was a Starfallen. Noticably he tried to get a good look at Ciel while he was eating, but Akano was starting to think that hood was enchanted by powerful magic. His face wasn't visible at all under that hood, and this was a well lit room. There was no way that was normal.

  "So then, this will be the last time we see Ciel for awhile then" Akano mentioned, causing Ciel to pause. "Thanks for all the help you provided. We will miss you, you know".

  Ciel nodded at those words, but still seemed to pause for a moment. Tamaki took the next step.

  "You make sure to take care of yourself okay? You are strong, but we will have the guildmaster with us, so you will be on your own. You need to be careful and take after yourself. And make sure you pack some spare underwear and socks".

  Ciel listened to all this, and just nodded along, but he seemed to hesitate a bit. He quickly took some more food and stuffed his face, at least judging by the size of the food and his hood, but he was trembling a bit.

  "Hey now, you wont be gone forever. You will see them again".

  Ciel nodded as he smiled, meeting Akano's eyes.

  "...thank you" a soft, innocent, warm voice spoke, as if it was the pure essence of kindness and hugs itself.

  "You are welcome" Akano answered on instinct, before realizing right now he could finally see Ciel's face. It was not a face he recognized, but Akano didn't know every Starfallen. However, the way he said thank you had an overwhelming amount of emotion rush to him, as if the words themselves carried a level of weight.

  Ciel hah a soft looking face, but that was not the only thing that was clearly visible. There were some teeth that were rather distinct, and said more then words ever could. Vampiric teeth.

  "You have a really cute face Ciel" Akano said. Ciel blushed a bit, smiling shyly.

  "Thanks...for not mentioning that first. It was all anyone ever seemed to do for so long".

  "No problem. I take it thats why you hide your face?"

  "Yes. As for my voice...it holds power I never wanted. Even now, its like trying to hold back a tsunami".

  So, a vampire with a cursed voice...

  That was why Ciel kept his face hidden and communicated in gestures.

  "So you don't know of a cure?"

  "No, I know of one...but its impossible for any vampire to reach, even the most powerful of elder vampires".

  "Where is it?"

  "The very top of the Ivory Tower...The Oracle himself is the only one who can remove my curse".

  Armiaas grimaced. "Yeah, thats not going to be easy. The Church considers vampires a heretical plague upon people. Probably because while there are exceptions, most vampires anyone encounters are evil".

  "But...I think I am going to try and give it a shot. Besides, I don't have anything left to do here now. But be warned, he won't let you leave before you face him. You will need to have a showdown with that bully".

  "Understood. But at least for now, we can enjoy some calm days as we prepare...aside from that foreboding incident".

  One could see some strain on Ciel's face, probably a sign of how hard it was to hold back his own curse. But at the same time, he was...incredibly chatty. Then again, he learned to communicate in pure body expressions, so maybe that was a sign he was actually quite social.

  "I will say this though, if you find Riza Luminar in Azralia, let him know that I sent you his way. He should provide you decently with that".

  Akano flinched when he heard that name.

  "Wait, Riza?"

  Wasn't there a boy there, with Kuroki in the dreamrealm named that? I swear it sounds familiar, but its so hard to remember specifics of dreams, so I guess the dreamworld is the same...

  "Yeah. Despite looking like a thirteen year old boy, he is pushing 70 or 80 or something and has grandkids".

  "Wait seriously?"

  "Yep...ahg!"

  Ciel clasped his throat, and muttered a word on instinct.

  "Pain..."

  In an instant, everyone in the room began to feel pain. It wasn't a great pain, but neither was it a minor pain. At that moment, Ciel quickly spoke again.

  "Relief".

  Instantly, the pain that gripped them all was gone...as if it had never been there to begin with. Ciel just looked at them apologetically, but he didn't say another word. His expression itself was pained for a different reason.

  "It appears that is all the aid I can provide him..." Akano's patron god, Talia, said to him in his head. Talia had been silent for awhile, apparently busy with divine matters, but it appeared he spared enough attention to intervene here. He was the God of Friendship and Light after all.

  You did? Wait, was he able to hold it back that much because...

  "It was a small miracle, but I was still pushing it. Worth it though, but...its not a curse I can remove like last time. This is older, ancient. His soul, so young yet so old...who did this to him? Who hurt him so?"

  The god of friendship said nothing more then that, but perhaps that was all that needed to be said. Not all calm days were happy days after all, as this one ended on a melancholy note.