As if she didn't hear anything, Marice led the way back to her mother and Yukina outside, glancing at her friend every now and then. Katherine looked more ecstatic than she was at the moment, which made her inwardly chuckle.

One, because she couldn't shut up about the trip for weeks. And two, her giddy excitement somewhat mirrored her experience when she made her touchdown in England a decade ago. The circumstances might be different, but the curiosity-fueled urge to discover the unknown was there all the same.

As for her case, it was more of the latter. She had heard lots of changes in the city throughout the last decade, so spotting all of them from memory could prove to be a fun little distraction later.

Once they met up with the other pair and got the embarrassing introductions out of the way, the group crammed themselves in a pick-up truck and made their way back home in Binondo. It shouldn't have taken them long to get there, but they had to stretch their patience a little bit as the holiday rush hour was upon them.

Quite a shame that the government's two-decade road and transport modernization plan barely improved the traffic within the metro. Commuters, at the very least, had the maglev skytrain network that spanned across neighboring provinces.

"There are lots of fancy-looking hotels in this area, huh?" Katherine said, eyes glued outside. "Say, have you been in a casino before?"

"Nope."

"Me too. Wanna check one out later?"

"No." Marice blinked. "Wait, why a casino?"

"Don't they serve free food for the patrons there?"

"How should I know?"

"Aww, but the food there might be—ah! Another horse carriage! Uh, shoot. What was it called again?"

"Kalesa."

"I really like that you can see them out on the streets here. How come they aren't a thing back in London?"

"You don't have carriages in London?" Mariella asked.

"Not as a public transport."

"Well, they're more of a novelty here. It's the tourists who often ride them along scenic routes in the metro."

"Speaking of scenic routes, where are you taking us, Mom?" Marice asked, checking her smartphone.

Mariella took a left turn. "Oh, you'll see."

As she looked up from her phone's screen, a nearby building caught her attention. "Hmm, this place seems familiar."

"I can smell the sea!" Katherine said, opening her window. "Yep, it definitely is!"

"The sea?"

As they took the last turn, they were greeted by the setting sun and the glistening sea at their left. Marice scooted next to her friend, a warm nostalgia welling up in her chest as she stared at the deep orange sky.

"The sunset here is just amazing, huh?" Katherine muttered as the chilly breeze parted her fringe.

"Yeah."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It just hit me that I'm finally home."

"It's been a long time, so I'm sure you—" She gasped. "Look, Marice! Is that a funfair just ahead?"

"Wanna take a looksie, Kath?" Mariella asked, glancing at the rearview mirror.

"I'd love to!"

"Wait a minute," Marice said, furrowing her eyebrows. "Weren't you in a hurry to get back home?"

"Sheesh, don't be such a spoilsport!" She gestured at the traffic in front of her. "I mean, look at this! If we're gonna get stuck here, might as well take this little detour all the way, right?"

"That's not the point." Marice looked at the long line of parked vehicles along the boulevard. "So many people. Can we even find a parking spot nearby?"

"Hmm, it will get dark soon," Yukina said. "How about you three go ahead?"

"Are you sure?" Mariella asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Of course. You've already waited for so long after all."

The two of them instantly swapped seats, earning a startled cry from Katherine. "Thank you so much!" Mariella looked at her daughter, grinning ear to ear. "Come, my child! There's much to see out in the yonder!"

Taken aback, Marice shrugged and sighed. "And there's that stupid accent."

And so, they left the truck and made their way to the bayside funfair. A lot of people were congregated at the entrance, but they were able to get through them and find a relatively empty space by the water.

From there, they watched the sun sink further in the horizon, enjoying the picturesque scenery and calming breeze.

"So," Marice began, "what's this all about, Mom?"

"Hmm?"

"Why did you drag us here?"

"Wait, you don't remember?"

"Remember what?"

Her smile went upside down. "Y-You don't really remember? It was your idea in the first place!"

"No, I really don't..."

"The last time we were here, you were even kicking and screaming about how you didn't get to ride the Ferris wheel!"

Her eyes widened as she felt her cheeks flaring pink. "What?! I never did that!"

"Yeah, you did! You were even whining that I didn't buy you ice cream before going home!"

"Really?" Katherine said, leaning forward. "I always thought you were very mature when we first met back then."

"No, Kath! Don't listen to her nonsense!"

Mariella laughed, slapping her shoulder. "I see how it is. Don't wanna ruin the image for your friend here, huh?"

Marice grumbled as she looked away. "Some mother you are."

"Oh, fine. Since you're being such a party pooper, I guess I'll just buy ice cream for two instead! Kath, the council of flavors demands your affiliation!"

"Chocolate, please!" Katherine replied, raising a hand.

She gave her a thumbs up. "Alrighty, keep my daughter occupied in the meantime. Her mood will only get worse if you ignore her for more than a minute."

As Mariella left, Katherine moved closer to her. "Are you mad at her?"

Marice smiled, shaking her head. "I walked into that one honestly."

"You and your mother really get along, huh?"

"You call that getting along?"

"My father used to tease me a lot too, especially when it came to my swordsmanship." With her gaze fixed on the glistening waters, Katherine laughed. "I even cried a few times since he was pretty elaborate with his pranks."

Marice sighed. "That's just bullying, you know?"

"But he always made up for them. He used to take me around town every weekend, munching on different snacks we come across. And during the holidays, we would go to the nearest funfair and play all day long!"

"That sounds fun."

Katherine gasped before forcing out a laugh. "Here I go again yapping your ears off!" She then faced Marice with a frown. "Um... sorry about that."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"B-Because you looked upset just now..."

"No, I'm not. You're just imagining things."

"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to—"

"I'm over it, okay? So stop apologizing!"

The moment those words escaped her mouth, regret came crashing down on her like a towering wave as Katherine faced the sea once more without a word.

"Kath, sorry. I'm being unreasonable again."

It usually would've ended there, but Katherine didn't even flinch or bat an eyelid.

"Huh? You're not mad, are you? Hey, can you at least look at me when I'm talking to you?"

Still no response. As desperation set in, she stepped in front of her friend and yanked her arms. Katherine, on the other hand, only looked at her for a second before averting her eyes yet again.

"Kath, I'm sorry." She bowed her head, gripping hard on her mechanical arms. "H-Hey, just tell me what I need to do right now to make it up to you. Hell, if you hate me now, say it straight to my face at the very least...!"

And just as she was about to lose all hope, a stifled chuckle broke her out of her despair.

"What are you...?"

She looked up, meeting Katherine's gaze. "So you really do hate getting the silent treatment."

"You bi—! I mean, you had me worried!"

Katherine guffawed. "Sorry! I just couldn't help myself!"

Another laughter erupted behind Katherine. "Isn't she adorable when she gets all flustered like that?" Mariella said, her free hand cupping her cheek. "Ah, you haven't changed one bit!"

Marice turned crimson once again, extending her hand to her mother. "Tch. Just give me my ice cream!"

"What ice cream?"

"My cookies and cream, now!"

"Sheesh, you're sounding like your grandma now." Mariella handed them their respective ice cream cones, and then she suddenly let out a horrified gasp. "I forgot to buy some water! Hold on, I'll be—"

Just as she turned around, a cap-wearing girl bumped into her, knocking her off her feet. Marice quickly assisted her mother, supporting her back. "Are you okay?"

"Yeesh, that hurt! Felt like a bull just blindsided me!"

As she turned her attention to the fleeing girl, a young woman ran past them, carrying an ornate spear on her back. She hurled a small knife, hitting the girl below the back of her knee. As the girl fell down, the contents of the basket she was carrying spilled onto the ground.

A handful of people attempted to help the injured girl but immediately stopped upon noticing the gold and white armband of her assailant. And before anyone else got in the way, someone announced that she was a deputy hunter contracted by the national police.

"That small girl," Katherine said, eyes glowing a dull blue. "You can feel it too, right?"

Marice wasn't paying attention earlier, but she could definitely feel demonic energy emanating from the girl on the ground. Lots of it.

She then focused astral energy into her eyes to confirm the girl's true identity, only to notice the prismatic aura surrounding the woman instead.

"That hunter. Her body's channeling astral ether."

Mariella's irises turned into diamond-shaped slits. "Oh, you're right!" she said. "I can also sense another presence in her. Could it be the source of her ether?"

"Probably." Marice stood up, charging up a lightning bolt on the tip of her index finger. "Whatever she is, she doesn't know that the girl she's hunting isn't a demon."

"A-Are you sure?" Katherine uttered as the hunter stood before her prey and readied her spear.

"Yep, our eyes don't lie." She glanced at Mariella, waving her ice cream cone. "Mom, do your thing."

Mariella kissed her ube and cheese ice cream before she hung it upside down in the air beside her. And with a snap of her finger, the ice cream instantly swapped places with the injured girl.

However, the hunter immediately noticed the trick as she turned around and began muttering a prayer, causing her godly aura to flare up. And then, she hurled her aura-charged spear at them with a whirlwind-like burst.

Marice tensed, reacting just a bit too late from the attack. Fortunately for her, the aim was a bit off, allowing her and Katherine to dodge out of the spear's path by a hair's breadth. But just before she could even get her bearings back, the hunter suddenly materialized where the spear was, generating a powerful gust outwards.

With the pair swept off their feet, the hunter pulled out a dagger from her leg sheath and made the leap onto the terrified girl. But a split-second later, another ice cream cone took her place.

"And I was looking forward to that too," Marice said, sitting up. "You okay?"

"I-I don't know what's happening anymore," the girl beside her replied.

Meanwhile, the hunter let out a grumble as she flicked the ice cream off her dagger and pointed it at Mariella. "Stop that!" she yelled. "Why do you keep doing that?!"

"Oh, so you noticed."

"Of course, I noticed! I'm a—" She grumbled once more, standing up. "Ugh, what now?! Don't you have a class to attend soon? Oh, don't give me that! Why are you such a—! I wasn't even trying to kill them! Even if I did, they were getting in our way! We're totally allowed to do that, right?"

"I-Is she talking to herself?" Katherine asked.

Marice stared at the hunter for a moment before shaking her head. "Can't believe it took me this long to realize."

"Ohh! Did you find any weaknesses?"

Before she could respond, the hunter let out a deep growl and twirled the dagger in her hand.

"Grr... shut up! How about you take a backseat while I actually get the job done?!"

The hunter suddenly spun, but Marice was quicker. A crackling burst of electricity erupted from the former's hand, flinging the dagger in the opposite direction. The bolt spell didn't do any damage, but the hunter's furious expression suggested that it did something more than physical harm.

"Alright, I've had enough! I'll deal with you first!" But just as she was about to take her first step, Mariella grabbed her by the ankles. "What are you—?!"

"Ice!"

And in a flash, the two went perfectly still.

"Umm," Katherine said, "why did she freeze time on herself too?"

Marice sighed, turning to the crowd watching at the distance.

This is going to be a long night, huh?