Chapter 31

Larkin lay sprawled out in the steamstrider, lost in thought. *Am I in the wrong?* he pondered, gazing up at the ceiling. Larkin wasn't the type of person most would consider good. He had a history of theft, killing, and robbery. For most of his life, he had been driven by self-interest. Although he had started to change about three months ago, becoming less selfish, helping a group of people with no high connections or coin proved to be a challenge. He needed a reason, a reason beyond it's the right thing to do, and this was the essence of Larkin's character.

*They do know a demon and now an angel...* Larkin mused. The thought of these connections could be considered high-profile, but he dismissed it. *Nah, who would believe me?* he concluded. Sharing the news of his connections to a demon or an angel would likely result in his execution or being labeled a madman.

He glanced out the windows of the strider at the villagers going about their lives as best they could. A small part of him felt a tug to help them, even knowing it wouldn't benefit him. Yet, a larger part urged him to leave, to block out this memory and forget it all. *What would you do if you were here, Jaz?*

Then, Larkin noticed Xain, Grace, Zee, the angel, and a man he didn't know exit Alcor's house-slash-hospital. Xain was wearing some kind of armor that didn't suit him at all. Grace and Zee were glaring at each other, the angel sported some sort of tinted glasses Larkin had never seen before, and the unfamiliar man simply followed along. "They're definitely gonna try to stop the invasion," Larkin muttered to himself.

However, another thought crossed his mind, *Maybe stopping an invasion is a good reason to help?* After all, this invasion wasn't just a threat to Wolfdale; it would affect the entirety of Aetheria. So, perhaps, he should help them, right? Shaking himself out of these thoughts, he scolded himself, *What am I thinking? I can't help even if I go, and besides, there are much better people suited for this.* It was true; Larkin had managed to survive so far through his connections, not his own strength. This became another way to convince himself that he didn't need to help these people because he couldn't, even if he wanted to. Another sigh escaped his lips. "Might as well see 'em off," he muttered before stepping out of the strider.

Larkin started walking up to them while they were talking to each other. "People are giving me weird looks," said Xain with a grumpy face. "Well, yeah, look at what you're wearin'. You look like you ran through a chicken coop," said the angel, adjusting his tinted glasses to get a better look at Xain. "Could you seriously not give me anything else, please!" exclaimed Xain as the angel grinned, saying, "Nope, that's the best you're gonna get," as Xain just crossed his arms, pouting like a child.

Meanwhile, "Why do you constantly disagree with me?" exclaimed Zee, pointing her finger at Grace. "Why do you constantly try to control what Xain does?" Grace shot back, her hands on her hips, making Zee glare at her even harder. "I'm not trying to control him; I'm just trying to keep him safe, unlike you!" Zee replied, now causing Grace to glare at her even harder as she retorted, "Nice argument. Too bad you have nothing to back up that claim because you're an airheaded dunce!"

Xain glanced between them, attempting to think of something to stop their argument. This was partially his fault. When he agreed to lead the charge, Zee had argued against him as expected, so he had prepared an entire speech in response. However, before he could say anything, Grace had begun to argue in his favor. Zee wasn't pleased with that, and despite the majority agreeing that Xain would lead the charge, Zee and Grace continued to argue beyond that.

"Hey, guys, shouldn't we focus on the current situation instead of arguing about me?" Xain suggested, attempting to diffuse the tension between Zee and Grace. However, his attempt backfired as both women, in a rare moment of solidarity, turned to him and yelled, "Shut up!"

"Okay," Xain muttered meekly as they continued their argument. The angel chimed in, "You know, most guys would be happy when two girls fight over them, right?"

"I don't think this is the type of argument most guys imagine when they think about girls fighting over them," Xain replied with a sigh.

As Larkin approached them, the demon spoke up, "Ah, you have come out of the vehicle. That is good; a man your age should move around a lot to stay healthy." Larkin looked confused and asked Xain, "Who's this guy?"

"That's the demon," Xain answered, and Larkin, like everyone else encountering the demon's human form for the first time, was left speechless. "What?" Larkin exclaimed, prompting the angel to interject, "We've been through this already; let's just move on," as they quickly explained the demon's human form to Larkin.

"So that's it, you all are going to the Rasanto estate to stop this invasion," said Larkin, eyeing each of them, mostly Xain and Zee.

"Yeah, and like I said, you don't have to come, Larkin," replied Xain, but Larkin let out a sigh. "Don't worry about that. I ain't gonna go," he said, though he admitted, "I was hoping to maybe talk you out of it, but seein' ya now, I know that sure as hell ain't happening."

Xain rubbed the back of his head, feeling the weight of Larkin's words. He wanted to respond, but he struggled to find the right words, and Larkin noticed. "You don't have to force yourself to say anything, Xain. Just stay safe and keep Zee safe while you're at it," Larkin said, looking at Zee, who was still arguing with Grace.

"I will, Larkin. I will," Xain assured him.