The next morning, long before anyone else was awake, Ace and Raiden decided to go check on Scarlet to make sure she was comfortable or hadn’t faced trouble because, even though they trusted her, they wanted to make sure she trusted them.

As Raiden and Ace approached her room on the floor above their own, they heard the sound of wind, almost as if the window was left open, as they went closer the sound grew louder. Ace gave a little knock.

‘Scarlet. Are you in there? It’s us, Raiden and Ace. From yesterday.’ Raiden said softly not wanting to awake her in case she was still asleep.

No answer.

‘She’s probably sleeping.’ Ace said.

‘What do we do then?’ Said Raiden. ‘We gotta make sure she hasn’t left or something.’

‘Yeah, you’re right. Knock a little louder but if no one responds, I think it’s best to leave it. We don’t wanna disturb anyone.’

‘Right.’

Raiden gives a louder knock.

Still no answer.

Raiden started to get worried but Ace reassured him that she’s just sleeping. Anyways it was 6:00 in the morning. But Raiden doesn’t budge.

‘Should I ring the bell?’ Raiden asks. ‘That’s surely gonna wake her up.’ He says worried.

‘Okay.’

Raiden rings the bell. Still nothing

‘Ok, this is weird.’ Ace says.

‘See. I think we should check.’ Says Raiden.

Raiden knocks again, this time very loud. Then Ace and Raiden glance at each other, confused. Raiden gives a face almost as if implying something. Ace gives a nod of approval and Raiden slowly unsheathed his katana and sliced the door in ten pieces. The wind rushed through the door. And blew the pieces away. Raiden and Ace slowly walk into the room, suspense building, expecting to see Scarlet on the bed. The bed was empty, the windows were open. She had escaped.

Raiden rushed to the window and looked outside. Nothing. Raiden gazes outside, speechless. 'We trusted her. She ran.”

'I know man. I thought there was something off about her.” Ace says reassuringly.

'I’m going.” Raiden says determined. He turns around, looks at Ace and then back outside the window. 'I’m going after her.’

‘Why?’ Says Ace ‘It doesn’t matter.’

‘She lied. It matters.’

‘Okay. But I’m coming with you.’

They rush outside the room, to the main entrance of the inn and after figuring out which way she went, since her rooms window was facing the other way, they ran around the in. From there only deep forest, as far as the eye could see. Ace asks Raiden again if he was sure about going and that they could just carry on and get back to Kamïe but Raiden was determined. 

‘She could have gone anywhere. This is a huge forest. There’s no way we can find her.’ Ace says, hinting to go back to the inn.

‘No.’ Raiden replies ‘I think we should split up. You go one way, I’ll go another.’

‘Okay, if one of us finds her I think we should bring her here and wait for the other person.’

‘Sure. Should we go?’

‘Yeah. Okay.’

 They split up. Raiden goes east, Ace goes west.

As they walk through the forest, the sound of leaves rustling below their feet. The wind rushing through the trees. Raiden feeling confident that one of them would find her, not exactly sure why he wanted to find her, but thought that he would find her and just ask why she didn’t trust them after they did so much to help her. As for Ace, he just went along with it.

‘Scarlet!’ Cries Raiden upon sight of her. ‘When did you escape?’

‘You!’ She replies in awe that a random person she met a day ago came al this way to find her. ‘You’re Raiden right? From yesterday. Why’d you come here?’ She asks.

‘Why did you escape?’

‘I left about thirty minutes ago, how did you find me?’ She asks still confused.

Raiden thinks for a bit. Why did he come all the way here? It was kind of just impulse but he couldn’t justify a reason. He just wanted to find her for no apparent reason.

After much consideration he replies ‘Doesn’t matter. Why. Did. You. Leave?’

‘Do you really want to know?’

‘You think I would come this far just to say “Not really, anyways bye.”?’ 

‘Okay…’ She begins. ‘I am not really who you think I am.’

‘Well, I’m not thinking much anyways am I? I saw you for like two hours before you were off to sleep and then here.’

‘Okay then.’ She says taking a deep breath. ‘I’m a thief, more accurately,  just a criminal. That whole bandit thing was an act to attract attention. Long story short, I attracted the wrong attention. Now leave me be and I’ll  be on my way and out of your hair.’

‘No.’ Raiden responds simply.

‘Why??’

‘Dunno’

‘Then let me go.’

‘No.’

‘Look. If you’re not gonna give me a reason, I might as well just leave and save your time as well as my own.’

‘I don’t have a reason.’ He shrugs.

‘Unbelievable.’ She says facepalming.

‘Okay, okay. We wanted you to help us.’ Raiden knew this was a complete lie but he said it anyways because he couldn’t put the real reason into words.

‘Help with what?’

‘Our home is being destroyed.’ He begins ‘We need help saving it. Just come with me and I’ll explain everything.’ He reaches his hand out. ‘Please.’

She starts walking ahead of Raiden ‘Okay.’

They both walk back towards the inn.

‘Why couldn’t you say that from the start?’ Scarlet asks.

‘Dunno.’

‘Is there anything you do know?’ She asks again.

‘Dunno.’

‘You really are a unique piece.’ She says laughing.

‘Also… who were you trying to get to notice you?’ Raiden says, intrigued.

‘I’m also a mercenary. I was trying to get the attention of a hit I had who was supposed to be there. I was going to lure him in and kill him but I guess he had other plans.’ Scarlet explains.

As they approach the end of the forest they see Ace panting, his eyes widening open.

‘Ace!’ Screams Raiden ‘I found her.’

‘Not the time.’ Says Ace. ‘We have to run. Now.’ He takes Raiden and scarlets hands and pulls them, rushing back to the inn as fast as they could, all the gods, now woken up, see them emerging from the forest.

‘What is it?’ Raiden asks.

‘Demons.’