Welcome to Gaia! ::

"Some people like it there.." He said with a shrug of his shoulders, feeling one of them getting closer. They must have learned that he was like a small human heater.

He had to think about it now..when was the last time he had accompanied someone anywhere? Aside from assignments about escorts this was the first unofficial one. Why did that bother him? The company. The fact that he wasn't sure how to start a conversation without looking dumb. His pride was something indifferent. If he felt right around the people he would play stupid, or simply negligent. Oh well..he couldn't make everyone happy.

As they came around a turn of the mountain he stopped and looked at the city. Their buildings were tall, not so many but their features can be said to be odd. The gray and white marble structure could be seen in this distance, the peeked roofs and the numbers of Skyways that traveled one person from one side to the other side. The five sections of Sanctum were always marked by one tall building than the rest in the area but the tallest would be Central Sanctum that stuck out from the middle of the city and seemed to run towards the clouds. But there was a reason for that.

Dark stopped and witnessed the darkened state of West Sanctum. The day was bright and there weren't many signs of a rainstorm of any kind and yet for a brief moment that area was clouded with an ominous power. It was too far for him to feel it strongly though but he knew something was wrong.

"..It seems that Sanctum is under attack.." Dark said without much emotion.

At times he cared so little for Sanctum, and in other times he wondered how he would feel if it just disappeared or was destroyed. He couldn't answer that. He had to wait and see.

Dark remained where he was, his eyes stuck on the mass of power that clouded above Sanctum's East. Like Shikyo he would have said 'Not my problem' before long ago. But like Hakumei he had that celestial good guy kind of characteristic that always wanted to help. But did he really want to help Sanctum.

He reminisniced..

He had always stayed in the mountains after his travels, and he cared little for the people in Sanctum nowadays. They called him a hero but that had not been the case. Like his father before him he was destined to keep the Hell Gate from breaking loose. He had failed before and that was why he helped him. Maybe it was his savior-ish actions that made people think he was a good guy. Was he?

Through the loss of lives Dark pressed further into Sanctum, fending both demons and Hell Demons with assistance of others. He had grown weary for the people to live and suffered several injuries. Spent and nearly dead he continued to fight until he - with aid- drove the remainder of threats into the East and sealed them in. No doubt the powers that were kept in there ruptured another Hell Gate but with little power. The one at the base of this mountain was the true threat; not some measly replacement forged from low ranks.

Sanctum also had the SSDD now - both human, hybrid, demon and angel. Surely they can handle what was going on so long as a repeat didn't happen. Like with Ian. Ian had suffered his loss like every other person before but some couldn't take that pain. Through rage and depression he was offered a power - the same power that Dark had gone through ages ago when he was few years younger. But Ian had it worse and with that he had gotten stronger. Dark didn't destroy Ian that day; he didn't have the power but the man himself didn't have anything left. With little time to master it Dark told himself that the man was harmless. To this day he has proven himself right.

There was no real threat..right?

"No," Dark finally replied after deep thought and turned back to the two girls he was escorting. "Sanctum has their SSDD forces to assist them. What happens in their city is now up to them; if you always came to their aid they grow dependent and never progress. They should handle this. Not outsiders. We'll wait until that power is gone, and if you are still willing I will escort you down to that city then leave. I have to handle things here."

The power had slowly faded way from the East. The dark storm slowly diminishing against the normal rays of the sun. Whatever had transpired there seemed to have settled. He was about to speak after Shikyo, but he never got the chance.

Hakumei had something to say, and that left him staring with an open jaw and complete awe. Not only had her voice changed but the aura around her shifted to a completely different one, and her usual pale skin had grown had almost gone through its own transformation even if it was only color tone.

Though not frightened or alarmed a chill quivered down his spine.

Without hesitation or even a wait for a reply Hakumei rushed down and he instinctively reached out to grab her but he had completely missed. He remained wide-eyed, but Shikyo, just like her companion, did the same.

"...Damn it." He murmured as he watched them roll down. Running down the mountain was dangerous in itself but rolling down in the fashion that they were was suicidal. Especially in that speed. Rather than wait and see if they died he leaned forward and Kick Stepped off the edge, his aura destroying the foundation of rocks that he had been stepping off as he instantly rushed down the mountain. He passed them both when they were rolling and before they had landed he skid to a stop and spun quickly in time to see Shikyo plunged her dagger into Hakumei. Now he wasn't sure if she should be surprised, or if he should see Shikyo as a threat.

"....." She was a threat.

With a roar of fire he coated his entire right arm in dark flames that cracked gently from his shoulder to his hand in an upwards wind, "..That wasn't necessary. She may have had a bipolar moment but you didn't have to kill her.."

There was a point. He didn't know anything of neither of them other than one had no shame in being naked and the other was just a little shy. But he didn't know what Hakumei was. Her eyes had changed red but that happened to a lot of people. He couldn't decipher her blood from just that.

"I wouldn't know why you travel. There could be many reasons." He had answered, watching as she pulled out her dagger. But one question came to mind then: Why didn't Hakumei explode like those imps? That was troubling but as much as he wanted to know he wasn't going to ask. Hakumei just woke up, her actions seemed forgotten.

Snow was beginning to fall in flakes, the tempature having grown colder throughout the one or two minutes that everything had transpired. But with his flames burning they never reached the ground in a good twenty foot distance from them.

He killed the flames on his arm before Hakumei looked at him, traces of his Aura lifting into the air before they, too, died away. Though he was curious he wasn't really sure if he wanted to, or cared to, know about these girls.

"It's fine. I'm sure you traveled pretty far, and when we found you sleeping we thought that it wouldn't hurt to get some rest. There's nothing to apologize for."

He wasn't used to lying. Other than most that was one thing he did not like to do. But for Hakumei's sake it felt like it was the right thing to do.

He glanced up from where they were, having realized that they had taken quite a leap down. At least this saved time. The evening was already beginning to fall on them and the cold was beginning bone aching. He didn't have to worry about being cold. His Draconian blood didn't allow him. Even if he was half human his body tempature was higher than most, and with an eternal dark flame burning inside his soul it was hard to be cold. Least for the meantime.

Once again he let the heat of his flames spread as turned around toward the city, waiting for the girls to get closer to keep warm. He didn't even know if they were cold. "I'll have you two in a room the moment we get in the city. Like that you could get some proper rest. I know that during your travels you don't sleep in beds but it wouldn't hurt every once in a while. Come on." He ordered, walking forward towards east Sanctum ahead of them.