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The city

  The crystal kept buzzing endlessly, sound so loud and irritating, many people bumping their heads on the stone path laid towards Nuro's entrance, others scream, and yet the buzzing suppresses their voice.

  Mujun collapsed on the ground, his wings flickering from air into solid matter, and from solid matter into air.

  Aurelis placed his hands on his ears, using his hair to block the noise.

  He glared at Vex, mouth half open.

  Vex's mouth moved, his words intangible.

  A guard came up to the wooden door, two chunks of wool in his ears. He tip toed upwards, tapping the crystal lightly.

  The crystal stopped flickering, and yet, the sound continued echoing through the entrance.

  Vex stretched his legs back, kicking his feet off the ground and leaping forward.

  He raised his hands, air pulling them back.

  He reached for the crystal, slamming his hands on it.

  The wood crunched, breaking immediately.

  The crystal broke out of the frame, falling alongside vex, smashing into the floor.

  The guard stumbled backwards, looking at the crystal, now broken into pieces under Vex's arms.

  The buzzing stopped, Vex's hands, now filled with crystal shards, reddened, blood pooling out.

  His right hand dripped blood far faster than his other one.

  He pushed himself up with his legs, looking around the area.

  The sound of blood dripping onto stone echoed around him.

  The guard looked at Vex, his face frozen.

  He pointed a finger at Vex, his hand trembling "You.."

  Aurelis shot his head towards Mujun, ice slowly forming on the tip of his finger.

  Mujun's wings buzzed, flickering around.

  Aurelis kicked Mujun's face continuously, icy wisps leaving his lips.

  Mujun's eyes wobbled, slowly opening.

  The moment his eyes fully opened, he shot up, his wings transfiguring back into air.

  Aurelis scratched his chin, eyeing Mujun down.

  His ice deformed back into air "Thank me later, Birdo."

  Mujun coughed into his hand "Its a featherian, not a 'Birdo', I must fix your statement."

  Aurelis shook his head, walking towards the gate "Whatever."

  Others around the area got up, a few quickly swarming the entrance.

  One guy jumped on a guard, turning around waving at people "Ey look! Entrance open!"

  Another pushed a stranger as he tried getting up "Move before they close it!"

  The guy kicked a guard in the chest, trampling over him.

  Scores of people rushed towards the entrance, their boots stomping inches from where Vex laid.

  Another guard unsheathed his dagger, shifting his movement onto a person pushing him.

  The guard jabbed the person in the neck, stabbing him in the chest.

  He picked up the body as it fell, picking it up and using it to block the gates.

  People shouted at the guards, pulling and pushing others.

  Aurelis grabbed Mujun by his sleeve, crouching under the bunch "Lets use this to our advantage, where is Vex?"

  Mujun narrowed his eyes, looking around the crowd's legs.

  Aurelis slapped himself in the head "You really think you can narrow down Vex by the legs?"

  Mujun slowly turned around, faintly nodding.

  He pointed towards where he was facing "Unlike you, I have a good memory. There he is, I must announce."

  Aurelis stood up, pushing people around towards the direction Mujun pointed.

  He scrambled around, and as he pushed yet another person, he reached a small circle of blood, where Vex stood, his hands held up.

  Vex's eyes locked on Aurelis, a smile opened half way, as he bit his lips the moment another blood drop squeezed out "I stopped the buzzing!"

  Aurelis exhaled, pulling his hands towards Vex.

  As his hands touched Vex, the crystal shards faintly lit, along with a small buzz.

  Aurelis grabbed both Vex's hands, freezing them in an instant.

  Vex screeched, loud enough to pierce the chaos "I'm going to get a frostbite!"

  Aurelis gritted his teeth, grabbing Vex by the sleeve "You're going to lose both hands, and your life, if anything."

  Vex gasped, stumbling back "It was buzzing loudly! I had to!"

  Aurelis nodded, eyes closed, teeth still clenched "Buzzing or not, absolutely demolishing it does this!"

  Aurelis waved a hand around them.

  The two repelled people around them, until they plopped out, going around the guards alongside many people.

  An instant reek flowed into their noses, Aurelis instinctively reached for his nose "This place.."

  He gagged "The city is filled with bars."

  They looked around, gangs of people wearing notable yellow earrings with stars on them.

  Citizens walked around, bumping into others on purpose.

  Animal corpses laid waste near some of the bars, one lizard carcass on top of a half broken black wooden sign.

  Aurelis approached the sign, squinting his eyes "Lets see.. bar this way, blacksmith that way, church that way. Wonderful."

  Vex bumped into Aurelis with his shoulder, a proud smile on his face "Lets go to a bar! Or... find something to remove crystals from my hands?"

  Aurelis glanced towards the church, a big yellow star laid in front of a big building built from bricks. On the roof, a big silver sword infused into the roof with a halo on its hilt.

  At the entrance, two big wooden doors with the head of a bird on top of them.

  Aurelis rolled his eyes, his hands falling idle "Ever been to a church?"

  Vex shook his head "Carebon does have one, but I was never allowed to check it, had a blue moon instead of the yellow star, I think."

  Aurelis stepped forward, walking towards the church "Lets hope there is someone that can deal with whatever your hands are going through."

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  Aurelis and Vex made it to the entrance, when they noticed a silhouette leaning on a wall.

  Masque glanced in their direction, a cheeky smile starting to spread on her face "Well well! If it isn't Vex, going to pray for a new head?"

  She giggled "I heard what happened at the gates."

  Vex shook his head, his hands flailing in the air "I was doing the right thing! It was buzzing!"

  Masque groaned, pressing her cheeks "How amusing! You are clearly an idiot with no self awareness!"

  Aurelis grabbed Vex into the building, his eyes glancing Masque as he pushed the doors.

  The church's doors creaked, revealing a big wide room with a singular statue in the middle.

  The statue was sculptured like a humanoid creature with wings twice his size, spreading wide.

  Sharp, three way claws instead of hands, and scales instead of skin.

  The statue was built from gold, the sun shining through the big colorful windows, making it sparkle.

  Few wooden chairs were laid across the building, and only against walls.

  Few people were in the church, some hanging around the wide space, others sitting, muttering words under their breath.

  The two walked towards the statue, standing in front of it.

  As the two gazed the statue, a voice echoed from afar "The dragon of freedom."

  Steps sunk deeper and louder, Kazari placed his hands on the two's shoulders "You all here to appreciate the value of the ancients?"

  Vex lightly nodded "Ah, a dragon! So thats what this statue is!"

  Kazari nodded, patting Vex's back "Your hands seem to be... quite the show. I've heard about what happened, and although I couldn't care less, since you came to this church..."

  He yawned "I can try and fix them."

  Vex turned around, leaning towards Kazari "I'd love you to!"

  Kazari's shadow stretched forwards, swallowing Vex's hands and engulfing them in a dark shade, lurking around the shards on Vex's hands.

  Kazari stretched his hand forward, whispering "Pull."

  The shadows vanished into Vex's hands, shooting the shards out into the roof.

  Kazari's shadow stretched back, catching the shards as they fell, swallowing them into the floor "You can thank me by praying, the yellow star reveres freedom above all."

  Vex raised an eyebrow, moving his hands as his wounds close "The yellow star?"

  Kazari scratched his neck, a faint gasp escaping his mouth "...The name of the religion."

  Vex rubbed his hands, his eyes widening "The what?"

  Kazari's eye twitched, he exhaled "You're telling me.. you came in here having no idea about anything?"

  He glared at Aurelis.

  Aurelis shrugged, raising his hands "Hey, I don't even follow any religion.. Don't look at me."

  Kazari shook his head, walking back to an empty chair "Come."

  Aurelis bumped into Vex, a faint icy wind escapes his mouth "Vex, we should go."

  Vex nudged Aurelis, his hands shudder for a moment "But I want to hear about all of this lore!"

  Without hesitation, Vex grabbed Aurelis and sat him on the floor infront of Kazari.

  Kazari cleared his throat "Well... there are four religions controlling the world, each led by a dragon.. although I personally think there are three, many believe in the green one..."

  He stretched his hands, closing his eyes "The one you are in, is the yellow star. This statue there,"

  He pointed at the big golden statue "Is of the archbishop of our religion, the dragon of freedom."

  He yawned "I'll make it short, Masque believes in the red cross, under the red knight, and there is the blue one... I think its called the blue tremor, or something like that. I don't know the archbishop of theirs."

  Vex clapped, the sound echoing in the church "That is so cool! Do dragons still exist?"

  Kazari stretched back on his chair "I believe so, yeah. believe in what you want.. but many are still alive, living amongst us."

  He gazed the roof "I would've liked you to follow the yellow star but.."

  He closed his eyes, thinking for a moment "I abandoned forcing others a long time ago."

  Aurelis got up "Well.. thank you, Kazari. We will be on our way then."

  Vex quickly got up after Aurelis, stretching his hands up "So, Aurelis. You really don't follow any religion?"

  Aurelis shakes his head, walking towards the exit "I never understood the meaning of having one in the first place."

  Aurelis took a look around the others in the church, his eyes sharpened as his eyes lingered on one of the people.

  his heart started beating louder, his hand clenched his shirt while his other plummeted.

  A faint whisper left his mouth "Ig..nis."

  a tall person, hidden under a red cowl with purple linings stands up.

  his eyes a set of light red, bright under the cowl, the dragon's statue reflecting in his eyes.

  The moment the being spotted Aurelis, he turned around, walking towards the backend of the church.

  Aurelis stretched his hand forward, his voice growing louder "Ignis..!"

  He runs forward, shouting "Ignis!"

  The person stops momentarily, his head faintly falling.

  He straightened his head, fastening his pace.

  Aurelis flinched back, his breath quickening "So... You're going to keep running away from me? Until when?!"

  He shouted louder, his voice echoing across the church "Have you not already done enough?!"

  An ice shard launched behind the silhouettes, piercing the cowl.

  Aurelis' legs gave up, he laid on the floor, blood dripping from his mouth "WAS TAKING MY EMOTIONS NOT ENOUGH?!"

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