The Processing

Baten Prison;
The morning after;

Ramiel was woken up from his sleep by the same guard.

Unknown; “Hello again, stranger, the guild master is waiting for you, ready when you are,” she spoke in a tired and tone, yawning as she was opening the cell door.

Ramiel gently got up from his small bed, adjusting his clothes, before he could even turn his look towards the man in the cell in front of him, the man spoke.

Unknown; “Welcome, I hope you find our town as delightful as it is, enjoy your stay....”

Unknown; “Master Ardun! Good morning! Anything we could do for you this morning?” The guard shouted at attention, her sleepy demeanor changed in an instant into a more vibrant, cheerfully one.

Ardun; “Any news from the capitol, Crina?”

Crina; “Nothing today either... master, I’m sorry...”

Ardun; “Don’t be sorry, the position I find myself in is not caused by your actions, they can’t delay this much longer, they will come soon, although.... my patience is running thin as of late…” He stated, while getting up, starting to stretch.

Ramiel gave him a quick look, whoever this noble was, he was strong, the sheer amount of mana that was pulsating from him was on par with Ramiel's by his estimates, perhaps even higher, clearly staying in prison was his choice.

Crina; “Master, if you want I can come later and...” The guard shyly spoke while averting her gaze from Ardun.

Ardun; “Sure, Crina, talk to you later, right now it seems you have some work cut out for you, careful with this one, he may not be what he appears to be,” Ardun stated, while gazing straight into Ramiel's eyes.

Ramiel; “WHAT!? He can see through my disguise? He can? He can’t? What!? Who is this fucker? I need to be careful around him....”

Noticing the look on Ramiel's face, Ardun understood that his senses were right about him.

He smirks at Ramiel as he was guided away from the cells by Crina.

Ramiel walked away slightly frustrated as he thought his disguise was perfect, not to mention he gave himself away, with the look on his face as Ardun mentioned that about him.

Crina; “Here we are, this is the processing room, I won’t be entering, only you and the guild master will be present, good luck,” Crina said, as she uncuffed Ramiel.

Crina opens the door for Ramiel, she soon closes it after Ramiel entered.

It was an empty room, all that was inside were two chairs and a table, upon the table a crystal ball, on one of the chairs stood the guild master, waiting for him.

Upon seeing him she gets up to greet him.

Marina; “Hello, my name is Marina, guild master of Baten, and you are?”

Ramiel; “Ramiel, a pleasure to meet you,” he responded, as they both shake hands.

Marina; “I trust I don't have to explain to you what this is?” She asked, gazing towards the crystal ball.

Ramiel; “A truth sphere, it glows red when I lie,” he responded, as he sat down on the chair.

Marina; “That’s good, we’re sorry for doing this, but that’s the town’s policy, we can’t be having killers or whatnot running around our town.”

Marina; “Let’s start, first question, is your name Ramiel?”

Ramiel; “Yes.”

The crystal glows red.

Marina; “Ohhhh, lying to me already….”

Ramiel; “Unfortunately, I cannot tell you my real name.”

Marina; “I care not for your name, that was just a rudimentary question. Have you ever killed anyone?”

Ramiel; “Yes.”

Marina; “Two questions in and you’re already failing…. this does not look good for you my guy, why did you do it?”

Ramiel; “To save someone I care for.”

She looks at the crystal, it does not glow red.

Ramiel was also slightly confused as well, the revelation had an unexpected impact on him, that echoed in the subtle furrow of his brow and the contemplative gleam in his eyes. It was as if, in that moment of honesty, Ramiel himself became aware of his feelings for Meliana. The truth sphere, though an external judge, seemed to unveil an internal truth he had perhaps overlooked until now.

Marina; “Hmmmm….. May I know the name of this person you saved?”

Ramiel; “No, you may not.”

Marina; “Though one aren’t ya? How about this then, how many people have you killed?”

Ramiel; “Around ten, less than twenty, I really don’t count them anymore....”

Marina; “Did you kill them in order to protect this person you care for?”

Ramiel; “Yes.”

Marina; “Do you intend to do any harm to any of the people living here?”

Ramiel; “No, I do not.”

She closely watches the crystal ball, it does not glow red.

Marina; “Hmmm…. I’m not quite sure yet about you… Let’s see…” She says as she gets up from the chair.

Marina's controlled release of mana reverberated through the building, a tangible **** shaking the very foundations. Her magical prowess was evident, a testament to her past as an A+ mage. The air itself seemed to hum with the resonance of her power. Despite the overwhelming energy she wielded, Marina displayed a careful finesse, directing her mana away from Ramiel to avoid any unintended harm.

In the midst of the quivering surroundings, Marina turned to Ramiel, her eyes reflecting both determination and a touch of concern. The question she posed was straightforward but carried a weight that matched the intensity of the magical display.

Marina; “Will I be able to stop you, if you want to kill anyone here?”

Ramiel looked at her.

Ramiel; “If I truly wanted to hurt someone from this town, no, no you will not be able to stop me.”

She stops her mana and watches the crystal.

The crystal did not turn red.

Marina; “Who? Who are you?”

Ramiel; “That I cannot answer either.”

Marina; “As intrigued as I am about you, I’m afraid I cannot let you enter this town.”

Ramiel; “Will it help if I tell you that I want to take the guild’s test here? And also create my own guild here too?”

She watched the crystal, it does not glow red.

Marina; “Why do you want to create a guild?”

Ramiel; “To settle an old score, and to help a friend.”

The crystal does not glow red.

Marina; “What assurances do I have that you will not become a rogue guild? Tainting my and this town’s image?”

Ramiel; “You can help me pick my second guild member, it will be someone of your choosing.”

Marina; “Is that so? Second? Do you already have someone else in mind as the first one?”

Ramiel; “Yes, I do.”

Marina; “And you won’t tell me who it is?”

Ramiel; “No, I will not.”

Marina; “One last question before I can make my decision, you said I couldn't stop you, yet I sense no mana from you, I need to know what you are hiding from me, so I’ll ask this and you’ll have to answer this one... Are you human?”

Ramiel; “Yes.”

The crystal ball starts glowing slightly red and shaking.

Marina is startled.

The ball starts shaking even more going back from red to gray.

Ramiel jumps at Marina, covering her with his body.

The ball explodes, destroying the entire room.

Bits of the crystal ball were piercing Ramiel's back, he started bleeding out.

Marina in a daze lifts her hand up from Ramiel's back, she noticed Ramiel's red blood that was dripping from her hand.

She did not know what to make of this, he clearly had red blood, human blood, yet the truth sphere was starting to glow even more red before blowing up. Never has she witness a crystal sphere exploded before.

Unknown; “What happened!??” One of the two guards shouted, as they rushed in within the room, after the explosion.

Marina; “I need a healer in here, NOW!”

Of course Ramiel could had turn back into his demon form, healing such wounds would’ve been nothing to him, but he didn’t want to reveal himself, yet.

He drifts asleep.

---

Rainheart's Dream, 11 years old;
Core Memory #01;
2 Days before Rain took the Guild's test;
1 Year before his father's sickness hit;

Unknown; “There you are,” the man spoke in a gentle and quiet tone.

Rain; “Dad…” Rain responded, silently walking towards him.

Unknown; “Walk with me…” His dad said, softly grabbing Rain’s hand.

As they were walking in the rainy night, Rain glimpsed as his father every now and then, his father’s gentle smile as he did so, warmed his heart. While walking on the narrow pathway of the flower field graves, Rain looks at the tombstones, reading the names of the deceased.

Emilia Heydrich; Beloved mother, inspiring teacher, and eternal student of life.

Mia Alexandra Mitchell; “I hope my songs still resonate with gentle passion.”

Sabine Heydrich; Child of light, so dearly loved. May her laughter still echo like the sweetest melody in the hearts of those who held her dear.

Markus Siegrid Heydrich; Love with heart of gold. Lead with iron will.

Klaus Heydrich; “If you can read this, you're standing too close.”

Rain; “Humph…”

Unknown; “Always the funny one, your uncle was…” Rain’s father stated, noticing his warm giggle while reading Klaus’s tombstone.

Rain tightly grabs his father’s hand while looking down at the ground.

Rain; “What if I’m not?”

Unknown; “Not what?”

Rain; “The man you think me to be, to become…”

He stops.

He lets go of Rain’s hand while removing his dark leather glove, revealing a golden ring on one of his fingers.

Rain looks upwards to him.

Unknown; “I’ve told my father I didn’t want this either…”

Rain is surprised by this revelation.

Unknown; “I wanted to be a farmer.”

Rain; “You never told me that…”

Unknown; “Your grandfather told me, a great man doesn’t seek adventure. He’s called to it, and he answers. If your answer is no, you’ll still be the only thing I’ve ever needed you to be; my son,” his father spoke to him in a tender tone, while gently caressing his cheek.

Rain looks into his father’s eyes, he understands that his father means this from his heart.

Unknown; “I found my own way into and out of it, maybe you’ll find yours, *His father gazes at the tombstones* In their memory, I urge you to at least give it a try.”