Chapter 48

"And then, after getting closer to Wolfdale, we heard screaming and rushed here; you know everything that happened after that," Jakel finished recounting the events. Grace listened intently, her mind working overtime. *Why did they send them here? Was it just to get them killed?* It seemed odd to Grace. If they truly aimed to destroy Wolfdale, sending every mercenary they had would have made more sense. Jakel and Mar were strong, and the other leaders could have been tough, but they still would have been massacred by the demon.

Grace couldn't bring herself to believe Verandez's claim of receiving a death threat for even a second. It all seemed far too convenient. *There's something else in play here. Could they have sent them here just to delay us?* She pondered the thought but quickly dismissed it. *No, they shouldn't know we're coming. Besides, no one, not even the deadliest man in Aetheria, would want demons invading.*

As she continued to mull over the situation, a sudden realization dawned on her, and she smiled to herself. *So that's what you were doing, huh?*

Jakel couldn't help but feel creeped out as Grace smiled. *She almost reminds me of him,* Jakel thought to himself as images of Orian came to his head.

"I've told you everything I know, so can we leave?" asked Jakel, his tone tinged with weariness. Grace glanced down at him before turning her gaze toward Mar, who had reverted back to his human form, his bindings slightly loosened but still intact.

"Like hell I'll let you two leave. You'll stay tied here until--" the angel's words were abruptly cut off as Grace interjected, "Sure, get out of here. I don't care." The angel looked at her dumbfounded, while Jakel felt a wave of relief wash over him and Mar appeared confused.

"Why the hell are you letting them leave!?" the angel exclaimed, flabbergasted. Grace covered her ear, expecting his yelling.

"First of all, stop shouting so much. Second of all, I'm letting them leave because they're non-entities who pose zero threat to us. It doesn't matter if they die or live, as nothing would change either way," Grace explained with a shrug. 

"Yeah, I'm sure that's why you resorted to attacking me mentally instead of bringing me down physically," Jakel spat, while Mar simply glared at Grace.

Hearing Jakel's words, Grace smirked before leaning in close. Jakel could feel Grace's breath on his ear as she whispered something that caused his eyes to widen. He tried to take a step back, but his back was already against the tree.

"Now get out of here before I change my mind," Grace said, her smirk unwavering. Jakel clenched his fists in what seemed like anger before sighing and relenting. He approached Mar to untie him, but as he reached out, Grace snapped her fingers, and the bindings on Mar blinked to Grace's hand.

"What did she say?" asked Mar, his tone curious. Jakel just shook his head, saying, "It doesn't matter. Let's just get out of here." He helped Mar stand up, and Mar shot Grace another glare, though she remained unfazed.

Jakel picked up his rifle from the ground, and Mar did the same with his mace. Mar still had the desire to fight Grace, to bring her down, but Jakel gripped his shoulder and shook his head once more. Reluctantly, Mar turned around to leave, and Grace casually waved them off as they started walking away.

Jakel kept his head down as Grace's whispered words lingered in his mind, while Mar felt his pride as a warrior shattered by the encounter.

"What did you say to him?" the angel asked Grace, his thoughts speculating, *Probably something about his trauma again.* Grace rolled her eyes at the presumption. "Come on, I'm not that repetitive. I just told him the truth, that's all," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yeah? And what was this truth, huh?" the angel pressed, raising an eyebrow. Grace put her hands up in a dismissive gesture. "Don't want to get into it right now," she replied before turning her attention to Zee, who still clung to Xain, though her sobs had subsided to sniffles. 

"I have another problem to solve," Grace announced as she approached the two. *Her thoughts are now more bearable, but they're still pretty dark,* Grace thought to herself as she kneeled down beside them. "Hey, elf, are you sure you're not just using this as an excuse to cling to Xain?" she teased, causing Xain to look at her in shock. "I don't think now is the time to joke around!" He whisper yelled, sounding a bit embarrassed.

"I'm not," Zee mumbled in response, her voice barely audible.

"What was that? I didn't hear you," Grace said mockingly, cupping her hand around her ear.

"I'm not!" Zee exclaimed, letting go of Xain to turn to Grace, her eyes still somewhat teary and red from crying but now tinged with annoyance.

"That worked!?" both Xain and the angel exclaimed simultaneously, astonished by Grace's unexpected approach. Grace grinned and patted Zee on the head. "There, our airheaded elf is back to her airheaded ways," she said, much to Zee's annoyance. Zee swatted Grace's hand away and protested, "Can't you see I'm distressed? Why are you doing this?"

Grace smiled mischievously and put on a childish voice. "To make you feel better, silly! Why else?" she replied. Zee pouted in annoyance and turned away from her, much to Grace's amusement.

"Are you okay now, Zee?" asked Xain, placing his hand on her shoulder. Zee's face flushed red as she nodded. "Y-yeah, I am, despite how a certain someone's acting," she replied, shooting a glance at Grace.

*She almost looks like a kid her age, almost,* the angel thought, observing their antics.

Grace chuckled one last time before sighing and asking, "Now, are you going to explain why you reacted that way?" She already knew, having read Zee's thoughts, but she asked for the sake of the others and Zee herself. Zee heard this and looked down at the ground, clenching her fists before opening her mouth and saying...