"Would ya stop staring at me like that? It's making me very uncomfortable" the witch smacked her lips, her tone dry and screechy. She looked at Ciel blankly, face bored and expressionless.

Ciel wrinkled his nose and still continued to stare at the old witch to get her even more uncomfortable so that she would give up in keeping things to herself and spill the beans about everything that is going on.

He already had enough of being thrown in the dark by this witch. He wants answers, now!

"No" Ciel answered back with narrowed eyes. "Not until you tell me what you meant earlier".

Elisaria face twisted into an angry sneer, her dark owl-like eyes glaring into those aquatic blue eyes of the keeper.

The two began to compete in a staring competition.

Elisaria's eye twitched and she grumbled annoying. The witch gave up and slammed her spoon back into her pot of porridge. "Ya stinking man of a scum" she murmured.

Ciel smiled a lopsided grin, his cheery eyes glittering with victory. He actually finally won against this witch with the power of a staring contest. Sereia tingled happily for the orange keeper, her dazzling little smile glowing vibrantly before she took a bite of her berry.

"What do ya want to know?" Elisaria question with a huff of annoyance, her accent think and long.

"Her" his tone became serious as he leaned forward, arm resting on the table. "And everything you said about this world changing or turning or whatever and this harem thing as well" Ciel added.

Elisaria leaned back against her chair, crossed arms against her flat chest and she began to inspect the man up and down. Her owl eyes revealed some sort of doubt with a mixture of confusion as if she wasn't expecting this sort of answer from the dragon keeper. Then unexpectedly she rose up, startling the man in a state of baffled confusion. Elisaria began to waddle her way towards one of her high shelves that have been bolted unevenly to the wall.

"What is she up to now?" Ciel mumbled annoyingly, crossing his hands as a gesture to show his exasperation. Sereia who had heard Ciel shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.

The keeper watched with an arched brow as Elisaria mumbled frantic curse words as she rummaged through different forms and shapes of jars containing different coloured liquids of some sort of potions that Ciel did not dare to know, and books were scattered to the left or right whenever the witch wanted to search through that spot on the shelf.

"Huh! found it!" Elisaria exclaimed.

Ciel's nose wrinkled to the side and his eyebrow arched up. "I better have not wasted valuable time watching her search for her missing tooth" Ciel grumbled, and Sereia snickered innocently behind her hand from the human's snarky comment.

The witch made her way back like a waddling disabled penguin with some clenched in her fist.

"When I first encountered ya dead ass in the foot of the forest, I had assumed you to be a sort of raider, or a merchant attacked by thieves and left with nothing but death at ya doorstep" Elisaria spoke before she finally reached the table that she had left minutes before. Elisaria stared dead straight into Ciel's baffled eyes and then continued on what she was saying "but seeing the crest of a dragon keeper in the pocket of your pants I had figured you must be the keeper searching for Demarcus" she said as she threw something gold on the table that slid towards Ciel's frozen state.

Ciel's hand began to tremble, and his breath caught short. Dark oval pupils diluted and quivered uncontrollably as he examined the golden piece that laid in front of him. Small, jagged, and almond shaped object that glittered from the lights of the room. It laid on the table waiting for him to pick.

The keeper had shot up from his seat, the chair flinging back to a crash of wood against wood. Ciel had immediately recognised the gold object to be one of Demarcus golden scale from under his chin. How the witch came to have one was a mystery.

A blast of hot flame soared through his veins and into his twitching hands, that sparking feeling in the tips of his fingers began to stir wildly, begging to be released. His trembling seized and anger took control, orange flames began to circle in his blue eyes, those eyes that began to reflect the fury of the keeper.

The room began to heat up and the temperature rose rapidly.

The water fairy fell down on her butt, her petit body began to shake from fear, turning a dark red from the burn of the temperature.

Unlike the fairy, the old witch was not fazed nor stirred by the fury of the orange haired keeper. She stood her ground with her wrinkly bony hands in front of her.

"You were the one who must have sold Demarcus to those scums" he hissed, clenching his fist tightly as if he was going to punch someone soon.

"Calm ya-self, lad. Don't jump straight to conclusion" The witch assured with a gesture of a hand. "I have not sold no one to no one. I'm not a witch desperate need for money".

The heat died down but the intense glare from Ciel who was completely blinded from range had forgotten the powerful magic this witch held, continued to stare at her.

The old witch only sighed and shook her head, and she began to waddle away towards her pot of bubbling unknown substance, "Demarcus had fortunately stumbled his way to my home with an injured wing and his dying female friend who was in the dire need of help." Elisaria explained as she walked.

"I'm not someone to turn away an injured creature of Alphyria and a dying human who has far more importance to this world than any of us. "Especially when Alphyria is near its next dark age" her voice turned serious and quite with a murmur when it reached the last sentence. She came upon her bubbling substance in her dark black cauldron, reaching her bony hand inside her wide long sleeve.

Ciel's mind started to turn, and he felt dizzy. A tear had prickled down his cheek. "I knew Demarcus was innocent. He will never hurt anyone..." his brought his hands to his face and began to sob "but why didn't they see it".

The witch's expression had softened for the first time as her owl-like eyes reflected a sort of familiar understanding, a sense of loss. "Humans can be cruel and blind to what is needed to be seen for the truth to be told. There is nothing you can do to change what others want to see Ciel." Elisaria spoke with a gentle and upsetting tone.

The old hag blinked away the feeling in her eyes, there is no reason to dwell in the past. She pulled out a pinch of red-looking salt from inside her sleeve and sprinkled in the cauldron. When the salt hit the substance, a burst of red smoke erupted from the bubbles.

Ciel looked over with his blurry vision. Elisaria expression was not like before, where she was always unfazed and bored with whatever that was going around. She seemed human for once.

He didn't know what to say and only dreaded in his stead.

"What happened with the girl? The white-haired girl who was with Demarcus" Ciel asked curiously as he wiped his teary eyes away.

"You mean the grand duke's eldest daughter, Diana?"

"Y-yes, her" Ciel nodded his head quickly. He knew

Elisaria stroked her chin in deep thought as if she was trying to remember what had happened weeks ago. "Diana continued on her journey to Ventus and left Demarcus with me to be healed."

His heart clenched inside his chest and chocked back a cry. From the beginning he knew Demarcus wouldn't hurt anyone especially a female human where he was far gentler with than he was with men.

But the question in his mind still remained unanswered.

"I-is Demarcus still alive?" he asked getting the attention of Elisaria by a side glance. "Is Ralph and Rebecca, ok?"

He didn't know how long he spent here or how long he was unconscious before waking up, but he prayed to the gods he wasn't too late. Ciel reached a hand and picked up the small scale belonging to Demarcus and clenched it tight. Tears dreaded down his eyes, falling straight on his fisted hand. "Please tell me they are ok" Ciel sobbed.

Sereia gazed sympathetically as Ciel as she slowly flew her way to Ciel's shoulder and plopped herself on it. Softly she began to stroke the orange hair of the keeper. The blond fairy tried to comfort the human knowing well enough it wont help him as much.

Elisaria looked away from the crying dragon keeper and into her churning pot of red liquid that mirrored her old wrinkly face. Her eyes were glued into the pot, not once glancing away as she watched with her prey like eyes into what was beginning to shape in the red water.

A dark-skinned man crouched in the corner of a dark cell with his clothes all tattered and spoiled from all the grime in the room or the beatings he must have endured. He was confined with metal shackles around his feet and hands as he sat silently with his head slumped low as if he accepted his fate and the others.

The image swirled again, swirling, and swirling as it begun to shape a woman with long braided green hair, shackled in chains while she lay in a pile of straws.

The water started again, it swirled and the imaged of the green haired girl deformed creating another image with its scattered parts but this time it was not human.

Pain crossed Elisaria's eyes seeing the dragon she healed and came to known as Demarcus who one gentle dragon she had come across in the last 100 years, laid still on hard rocky surface of an underground chamber.

His breathing was low and ragged.

The dragon's whole body was wrapped with giant metal chains that had burnt and scarred his leathery gold skin. Metal chains stained with blood locked it's cold self around Demarcus neck, his wings were torn, scratched with claw marks as it bled slowly. The confined chains wrapped around on all of his limbs prevent him from moving, burned his leathery skin.

Crimson blood bled from his wounds and his mouth laid in a pool of his own blood.

"Ya don't have much time Ciel. Their time is nearly to its end" Elisaria spoke, her tone quite and submerged with sadness.

Ciel eyes widened, and he was caught in his own breath for a second. He never felt so relieved.

They were alive. All three of them.

He wiped away his tears and stared back at Elisaria who only watched quietly from her bubbling cauldron. "Thank you for everything Elisaria I owe you"

"Ya already paid ya debt when ya fixed my roof, plucked out those nasty weeds and killed those wretched booger toads" Elisaria said. "And saved Sereia from her horrible fate" she added, nodding her to Sereia who twinkled brightly.

"Ya done more than I have done to ya, young lad."

The corner of Ciel's lips perched up to give a lopsided grin. Even if Elisaria didn't vocalise the words thank you, he already knew what she meant, and he felt a sense of pride.

"I should get going now. I don't have much time. Thank you for everything Elisaria"

Elisaria nodded her head in response and Ciel returned the same before heading towards the main exist. The witch watched the keeper begin to fast walk towards the door with an arched eyebrow. "Don't tell me ya gonna walk out the door unprepared for the long journey ahead of ya. Are ya?"

Ciel paused midway and turned his attention back to the old witch who stood in the same exact position but this time her hands were clasped together in front of her. He suddenly felt dumb and rubbed the back of his neck.

"It's a 7 day walk back to Argentum and ya haven't got any food or water with ya. Not even my special burchwood healing ointment to apply on ya wound" said Elisaria bluntly. "Ya won't have me appearing out of nowhere any time soon and give ya food when ya are in the brink of death because of starvation."

The keeper chuckled awkwardly in total embarrassment.

"Men are all so stupid. So quick to jump in, not waiting patiently to look around and see what's going on" she waved her hand around, annoyed, and irritated.

Ciel bit his tongue from saying anything and only sank his head low in embarrassment. Maybe he was way to eager to return to Argentum to even think about packing any necessity with him.

It was funny to think if Ralph was here, he would have pulled Ciel's collar and reminded him the same thing Elisaria had. Ralph was the more responsible one out of the two of them even if he was the one to be wilder and more unpredictable than Ciel was.

The keeper smiled at that memory.

Sereia floated beside Ciel's head, her little delicate glass wings fluttering slowly open and shut. She cocked her head down to get a better look at Ciel's bright aquatic eyes that mesmerised her. It was filled with so much kindness than she has ever seen in the eyes of human. Looking into them she could see the reflection of his soul, hidden deep inside of those blue jewels. It was one of compassion, so great even Alaric was able to see right through them.

It had always been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Ciel's one was the rarest of them all.

The blond water fairy smile and her sound twinkled brightly catching the keepers attention. He too smiled seeing the enthusiastic expression across Sereia's face.

"I'm curious on how ya going to save your friends and Demarcus with just ya self and ya little fairy friend?". Ciel swiftly turned his head to the side to look over at Elisaria was pinching her chin as if she was in deep thought.

"Uhhhh~" Ciel scratched his chin with his index finger, his mouth wide open in confusion.

"Tell me ya thought of a plan to free them" she asked with her exasperated expression forming on her face. She crossed her hands and waited with an arched brow. It was clearly seen on her face what was going through her mind.

How stupid can this man get.

"uh~ about that" Ciel averted his eyes away from the witch as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I thought maybe I would think of a plan once I ger to Argentum" his lips pressed down together into a tight shut.

"I haven't really thought about a plan. I was hoping to come up with something when I got there" he took a quick glance at Elisaria to see her even more annoyed, the bottom eyelid had rose up beneath her eye, taking over half the other eye and her dried chapped lips were opened wide. She was stupefied by the fact that Ciel was clearly so dumb.

The keeper looked away again and looked somewhere else.

"Ya not just naïve but dumb and hopeless. I bet all my fingers ya will end up dead before ya set out of this forest" she spat out, putting all her fingers up in front her and wriggling them around, the bones cracked and popped as if it has been stiff for hundreds of years.

Ciel jerked back in disgust. "No thanks." He refused with a gesture of his waving hands.

Elisaria smacked her lips together and looked away, back into her boiling pot of red liquid.

"But your right. I can't just walk in Argentum without a plan. I might just get captured or maybe killed again yet this time for good." Ciel was bummed out. He didn't know or how he was supposed to save Demarcus.

It was an easy for Ralph and Rebecca to escape without needing him to carry because they weren't wounded but it wasn't the same for Demarcus. He was a huge dragon, an easy spot for anyone and with what that bastard rider did to him Ciel doubts there is no energy left in the innocent dragon to fight or fly.

Elisaria was right, he was hopeless.

"Ya realised ya problem haven't ya?" Elisaria scoffed.

"Is there anything I can do to free him without getting my ass killed" Ciel question with desperate in his tone. Those tears had came running back to him, but he chocked them back. "Is there anything you can do?" it was an anxious plead for help. His eyes looked at Elisaria, begging for help from the all-powerful witch of Aureum.

Elisaria with guilt looked away. She did not want to look into those eyes.

Those similar eyes that had once begged her. Begged her to save them.

The witch clenched her hand into a fist and turned away. With a bitter cold in her tone she replied, "I'm sorry Ciel but this is something I will not help you with.".

Every bit of last hope was drained from Ciel, and he was frozen in his state of misery.

"I will not make the same mistake I had done many centuries ago. Never will I intwine with the likes of men".

Black smoke covered the sky, red flames danced viciously below the pillar as an ear-piercing shriek of cries echoed through her mind. Elisaria shut her eyes and shook away that dreadful memory bring herself back to reality. "Never again" she mumbled softly to herself as she clutched the neck of her material.

'Never again'.

Elisaria gazed down at her cauldron of red potion and stared into her reflection that mirrored it back as it had seized it's bubbling long ago. Long pointy nose, skin that had melted off of every bit of her cheeks and brow. Eyes were sharp yet droopy however not a single set of emotions was reflected back. There was no soul in those eyes anymore, it was an nothing but a vast empty shell of misery. Her lips were chapped, not a single bit of soft skin to be seen. Her chin sharp in a tight angle and whenever she smiled her teeth were yellow and crooked.

The grey dry and oily hair with it's baby hair sticking right up to create a fizzy look was not the same as before.

Her eyes turned dull as she continued to look at herself in the red water. "All for love" she murmured quietly.

"P-pardon" said Ciel.

Elisaria cocked her head back, and her sharp owl-like eyes stared emotionlessly at Ciel. "I may not help you but there is someone I know who has the power to set Demarcus free from the cruel fate that these humans had written for him"

"Who!"

"A human of ancient."

"Who! who is this person! Tell me!" Ciel demanded. He didn't want to hear Elisaria stupid riddles again, he wanted to know who it was. Who was this person that could save Demarcus.

The old witch turned her head back to the pot of her red potion that showed the images she wished to see. The red liquid began to stir, whirling quickly as it started to form an image of a person with it's spiral pattern.

The image showed of a girl. Her long silver-white hair danced gracefully with the wind, blowing gently in front her face while her icy blue eyes stared into the horizon.

"Diana"