Chapter 430 - A Fleeting Comfort

Breaking the awkward silence, he put on a smile, "What about you three?"

He immediately regretted asking the question as he knew the most likely reason why the three vampires were in Purgatory. A veil of gloom hung over the orange-lit campfire for a bit after his question left. 

They were after Donovan, weren't they? Not exactly a dinner-side topic, he thought. 

Armen answered, brushing a tuft of his silver locks behind his ear, "It was my own personal mission to come here to hunt down Donovan, the other two simply assisted me in that goal."

"You really wanted to bring him down, didn't you? Going into Purgatory is no joke," he replied quietly. 

Vale broke any tension with a small laugh, "It's nothing, really."

"Yeah? Why's that?" He asked, looking at her. 

"Armen used to be one of the 'Dusk Stars', the oh-so-perfect protectors of the king," Vale answered with a playful tone. 

Though he had trouble processing just what impact a title like that had, he could tell it was a big deal by the sound of it. 

"A 'Dusk Star'? Must be pretty strong then," he said before taking another chunk out of the boar meat. 

Armen let out a soft breath, "It's a title that means nothing. I'm simply a loving husband now."

"Give me a break! 'Ya whooped me a new one all those years back! Ha-ha-ha!" Leonid boisterously interrupted with a howl of laughter. 

Again, the laughter of the oversized, hairy man shook the grass beneath as the sounds of forest critters evacuating the booming noise accompanied. 

His eyes widened a bit as he looked at Leonid, then at Armen, pointing at the silver-haired man who was of a slight build. 

"You...beat Leonid?" He asked. 

Armen tried to ignore his question, lowering his gaze as he awkwardly chewed on his serving of boar flesh. Though it was a futile effort as Leonid plopped himself right beside the silver-head vampire, slapping him on the back with a wide smile. 

"C'mon, it's a waste of a perfectly good story! That battle was somethin' else!" Leonid coaxed. 

"...I'm eating here, Leonid," Armen glared. 

Immediately, the smiling, ogre of a man caught his words in his throat before backing off with a slight chuckle. 

"Almost woke up the "Silver Emperor", didn't I?" Leonid teased, laughing with a mouth full of meat. 

He was left completely baffled by what the seemingly close group of longtime friends were talking about, looking at Vale for some inkling of an answer. 

Vale was still swinging her legs while taking small, delicate bites from her meal as she glanced up at him, seeing his questionative look in his eyes. 

She patted her chest lightly to help her food go down before talking in a whisper so that only the young man was privy to her words, "Armen was a big shot in Vellochia; being a 'Dusk Star' is the greatest height a blood knight of Vellochia can reach. Even then, he stood out from the rest as he carved out a name for himself: the "Silver Emperor, Armen Brandt". His most famous act that cemented his name was when he wiped out the cannibalistic Razrushitel clan, by himself." 

"Wait, the Razrushitel? Isn't that…?" He replied quietly. 

Vale nodded her head, "It's the clan Leonid comes from. He was the champion of their clan, and the only reason they still exist today. Armen spared the last few members of the Razrushitel out of respect for the fight Leonid gave him. After that...Leonid became friends with Armen; he's a man that recognizes strength above all else. He didn't hold any sort of grudge for what Armen did." 

It was surreal to hear such a tale as he brought his eyes forward again, watching as the two men on the other side of the cackling flame bicker with one another. 

"What about you?" He asked after a minute. 

"Mm?" Vale looked up at him with her shining, scarlet eyes. 

He took another bite from his meat, "Where do you fit into this group?"

A smug smirk placed itself on the girl's face, though her cuteness factor was dwindled slightly by the stray piece of meat stuck on the corner of her mouth. 

"Me? I'm the first princess of the Vellochian throne," she informed him with a smile. 

"Huh?"

--An unexpected answer. 

All he could look at was the smug, self-satisfied smile placed across the golden-haired girl's lips as he processed what he just heard. 

"Princess?"

"Mhm."

"You?"

"Mhm," she nodded again. 

With how casually it came from her lips, it was hard to gather that information into a workable, understandable reality. 

Vale finished her serving of boar meat, cleaning off her fingers with her tongue in a way that was all too provocative for the adolescent man who felt as if he was still going through his pubescent phase. 

After finishing her suggestive cleaning, she smirked before hugging her knees closer to her chest, looking up at the snowy-haired man with cheeks as red as roses. 

"Does knowing that change how you see me?" She asked with a playful smile. 

"How I see you…? I don't know what you're talking about," he brushed off her question, attempting to distract himself with a mouthful of still-hot boar meat. 

"Oh, don't play coy, young man," she leaned against him, bringing her bare shoulder against his. 

What's up with this girl?! He thought, you may be cute, but if you think there's a chance I'm betraying Iris--you're dead wrong!

Moving his arm away, he scooted away slightly to bring some distance towards the zero that existed between them. 

With a bashful huff, he asked her, "Young man? You look younger than me, you know. I mean...you're probably older, but it's still weird to me!" 

Vale smiled, laughing a bit, "I'm just teasing. Your reaction was worth it though," she held a pleased smile, covering her lips with her fingers, "if you want to know my age, I don't mind telling. Let's just go with "beyond two centuries", for now." 

"Two hundred?!" He shouted in disbelief. 

After hearing her playful chuckle, he couldn't help but accept the broad age range given to be the truth. 

"...Anyway, why is a princess coming into Purgatory, then?" He asked. 

I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. Macheo is here, and he's a prince. But, that's different--I mean, Lucrauv is a land where strength rules all. Even if Vellochia might be similar, she's a princess, he thought. 

"Well, to be honest, I was pretty bored sitting around in the palace all the time," Vale answered with a smile. 

"So...you came to Purgatory?" He asked. 

Looking at Armen, the silver-haired man's stoic, unmoving expression cemented the truth, though even he didn't seem too pleased about it. 

Vale nodded, rocking back and forth as she twirled her curly locks around her finger, "Armen and Leonid had to come to my Father to gain permission to enter Purgatory. I overheard them and insisted on coming along. Father always gives me what I want, so it was easy." 

"...It was only because he placed faith in Leonid and my own strength, for better or worse," Armen looked as if he was suffering from a headache now, "Leonid joined without asking, too. But...I'm thankful." 

After his words, their humble feast continued as the gentle, orange flames continued to pop with resounding warmth. 

Though the silence was soon broken by the golden-haired girl. 

"Speaking of which, we only have five days left to go, don't we?" Vale asked, looking at the silver-haired man. 

Five days? He thought. 

He watched as Armen retrieved a brass pocket watch from the pocket beneath his coat, flipping the cover from it as the clock ticked. 

"Five days and eighteen hours," Armen informed. 

"Not too much longer then," Vale smiled. 

"You guys will be gone in just five days?" He asked. 

Their attention was brought to him as his words left his lips solemnly. It was a piece of information that warped the expectations he had. 

I guess it's my own fault...they never said anything about sticking around, he thought. 

"How long have you been in here?" Vale looked at him. 

He answered quietly, "One week, give or take." 

"I see," Vale looked up towards the abyssal sky, "well, you'll make it. I'm sure of that much." 

"How do you figure?" He asked.

"Just a hunch," she winked. 

He couldn't answer as he found his words stuck in his throat for a reason he couldn't figure out. Only looking up at the sky absent of life or stars, he let out a drawn-out exhale. 

I hope you're right, he thought. 

It would hardly be comfortable under normal circumstances, but the softness of the grass beneath him, the warmth of the quietly crackling campfire, and the safety of others with him--for the first time in what felt like an eternity, he went to sleep peacefully that night. 

[Five days later...An Unnamed Field]

As they walked through a field of verdant grass together, the group came to a stop as enigmatic, disembodied hands appeared from the unseen skies of Purgatory, possessing a size that dwarfed even Leonid. 

For a moment, it was a sight of terror, but the sheer absurdity of it made him freeze. 

Three hands, each waiting by each side of the vampires. Even as enigmatic as it was, it was clear what the arrival of the mystical hands meant. 

I guess that's their ride to the finish line, he thought. 

"I guess this is it, isn't it? You guys did it," he looked at them. 

Alone, he stood in the darkness without the light they shared. But, he smiled--to see Purgatory be surmounted, it was a relief to his heart that he couldn't compare to many others. 

"Looks like it!" Leonid looked up with a big smile. 

"I suppose this is where we part ways, Ren," Armen looked back. 

He smiled, nodding his head, "I suppose it is."

Pausing for a moment, Armen slid his coat off of his body before tossing it to the young man, leaving himself to wear the long-sleeved tunic below. 

"...It gets cold here," Armen told him. 

"Thanks," he nodded. 

He slid it over his arms, finding it to be somewhat baggy as Armen did stand a few inches taller than himself, but after wearing nothing but his silver cloak over his body the past few days, it was a welcoming comfort. 

Buttoning it up, he adjusted the flared collar as he smiled, embracing the new resistance to the cold he was gifted as he threw his trusty, silver cloak over his shoulders. 

Armen looked at him with scarlet eyes full of resolve, "Though it's a land shrouded in darkness, the dawn is not necessary for the beauty of it to flourish. Luminescent grass, cities that reach the clouds...When you make it out of here, consider visiting Vellochia. Just tell them the "Silver Emperor" sent for you." 

For once, Armen held a warm smile that they both exchanged as the snowy-haired adolescent nodded his head. 

"You bet," he said in return with a nod. 

Vale remained mostly silent, but signaled for him to come closer as she waved her hand. 

He stood there in confusion for a second, but obliged as he stopped just in front of the young-seeming princess. 

Suddenly, her arms wrapped around his neck into an embrace. 

"Keep fighting, okay?" She told him with a smile,"that's an order from a princess."

"Got it!"

The other two shared in the same smile; the moment she left his embrace, the trio of hospitable vampires embarked on the silent, giant hands of blue-gray skin that lifted into the abyssal ceiling up above. 

"I guess it's just me again, isn't it?" He muttered. 

A single breeze passed by as the silence surrounding him felt deafening. 

Not a problem, he thought. 

It was only for two days, but the three stuck with me and gave me the tools to victory I needed in order to surmount Purgatory. 

Two days...it's amazing what such a short time can do. It was brief, but at the same time, it was everything. The comfort of camaraderie when previously alone, aimless, and afraid--it's something beyond price. 

In the darkness, all I can do is reach out for the light, and...I found it, even if just for a passing moment. 

Once again, I found my expectations of this world shattered. One bad experience, and you might expect the whole thing to be rotten--but that's far from the truth. They didn't need to treat me with kindness, or give me anything, but they did. I'll always be in their debt for that. 

Brief as my moment of respite was, what they gave me was invaluable. 

"Hope", something easy to forget down here in the bowels of hell. 

But, there's a reason they had me steel my resolve. 

I fought alongside them these last five days...so I understand something about this floor now.

During the last week, the real fight for survival begins…"The Era of Hell" will begin for me soon. 

It's during the "Era of Hell", the last week one has to survive here, that everything begins to hunt you.. It's all a complete game of life-or-death, more than ever.