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appearance. Alderic winked at a couple of young ones who giggled.
    Alderic caught her eyes roving over him and waggled his eyebrows in a comical way. Rin laughed and shook her head. The Elder’s son desired her for his wife, but their friendship made that impossible. Rin would never see any of the men she’d grown up with as more than childhood companions. As she developed into a woman, she’d seen their interest in her but thwarted it. For a reason unfathomable to her, she distanced herself from relationships. Perhaps it was because of her destiny. The Elder stated she would be the one to bring Ludovicus’ end. The thought tied knots of tension in her stomach again. Did she truly have the strength to bring about the end of such a great evil?
    The Elder came and stood under the rock chandelier while Callen and Michel faded into the background. He raised his hand to quiet the murmurings of the people, and a hush fell.
    “It is true. Ludovicus has awakened.” The Elder’s voice boomed, a striking contrast to the look of frailty he had on him. “We have prepared for this day. We will not allow Ludovicus to touch the Descendant. We will withhold his gain on what is precious to us. Do not be afraid.”
    Rin swallowed a sudden lump in her throat as the Elder turned. The black orbs locked onto her, the force of the gaze strong enough to render her immobile. For a long while, the silence lingered in the anteroom as the people waited to hear what was next. Rin wanted to know, too. Why did the Elder stare at her so? Was there some hidden secret he needed to relate to her? A command?
    As if he heard her, he nodded and lifted his hand in a gesture for her to come to him.
    “Our next move is to find the Descendant before Ludovicus can. This will require an individual agile in mind and body to undertake this task.”
    Alderic cleared his throat meaningfully and puffed out his chest. Rin barely stopped herself from rolling her eyes.
    “Will Alderic— san be enough to stop Ludovicus?” a voice called out. Others murmured alongside the query.
    “It is not my son who will go to fetch the Descendant, but Uchida— chan .”
    Alderic whirled to the Elder. “ Otousan !”
    “Be still, Alderic.”
    “ Otousan ! I am more than capable of retrieving the Descendant. I have trained for this moment for as long as I can remember.”
    “Yet this mission is not for you. Uchida-san is best suited. It is not through my preference, but the will of the Creator.” The old man then turned to Rin. “Will you accept this task, Uchida-san ?”
    The words hung in the air like a mist and settled over her with a chill. A part of her screamed that she could not do this. Retrieval of the Descendant would put her life at risk. Ludovicus’ power would only grow the longer time passed. She was but a child.
    “Let us just say I am more confident in your child-like weakness than my son’s adult strength.”
    Rin released a pent-up sigh. If Senpai believed in her, then she had to believe in herself.
    Rin knelt to the ground before her leader, head bowed. “As the Creator wills, so I will do.”
    A harsh gush of air erupted from Alderic. Rin’s lips twisted at the irony of their situation. She, the reluctant chosen to fetch the Descendant, and Alderic, the rejected eager one. She stood once more as the Elder said, “Uchida-san will choose of you those to accompany her. That is all.”
    The crowd disbursed with a flick of his hand and the juusha walked out of the anteroom with a few who remained behind. Of those left, Rin knew they anticipated the opportunity of traveling with her.
    How do you choose your companions on a pathway to hell?

    Lord Ludovicus, I will come to you soon, the spy vowed as he shifted along with the juusha of Rhychard. The rumors had circulated for the past two days, but he had maintained a cautious joy in case they proved to be untrue. But the Elder’s confirmation of his lord’s awakening warmed his flesh like a hot cup of