“Sister Artemis! I want you to know how thankful I am for this dinner.” Eleanor clapped. “How long has it been since we dined together in harmony?”

“Too long. Trust me. Things have gotten so hectic around here, there’s just no time to bring us together like the good ol’ days. I just get so caught up in all this… Stuff. Believe me, this feast is long overdue.”

“And, of course, this is preceding a suicide mission into uncharted waters, past the borders of Remnant, where you believe Aku to be. Seems a little counter-intuitive, all in the name of team training, and information gathering. But isn’t venturing into the Grimm’s den the equivalent of self-immolation?” She gestured to a wall marred with maps and notes, each of the traces pinpointing one unobserved whirlpool too far off the coast. It was clear from the obsessive scribblings who their target was.

Artemis smiled. “I’ve already thought about this. The Captain’s Eidolon’s are out, searching for us. That means Aku is completely unguarded. It’s only a matter of time before he joins the hunt, so now’s the time to strike. If I’m right about my hunches and he’s waiting there alone, we’ll see if they can take six Silver-Eyed Warriors at once.”

“Six?” Mania seemed taken aback. “So even Sister Diana will join us? Isn’t that a little irresponsible? A Delphic of Aku’s reputation isn’t for the faint of heart. I can at least admire his campaign of massacres, just for how gory they are, but it’s careless to expose a child to it.”

“I’m not a child.” Diana insisted. Artemis quelled her worries.

“I’ve given her special instructions for this mission in private. Isn’t that right?”

“Yes. The full extent of my power is to be used. I won’t hold back! I know it sounds crazy, but I’m almost excited. Or anxious. I can’t tell which!”

“We all felt the same for our first big forte into Grimm slaughtering. You’ve had your fair share of invasions, but this is completely different. Be on your toes.”

“But that comes later tonight!” Eleanor cheered. “First, it’s time to set the table. Sister Mania! Would you be so kind as to place the silverware?”

“Oh, it would be my pleasure!” She gave an overenthusiastic reply in a high-pitched voice. Upon confusion over why she slammed down the cutlery with such force and precision, she simply responded, “Practice.”

Nobody even realized Styx had joined the conversation until she started speaking. “Something smells good in here. What’s on the menu? Finally decided to cook up some blackened vultures, eh?”

“Ah! I would never!” Artemis retrieved the roasted pig from an archaic oven, powered by wooden logs. “Be a dear and carve this thing, will you? And Sister Mania? Do you have to put down the silverware with such zest? You’re going to break the table.”

“I don’t understand.” She admitted, slamming down another fork and rattling the platters of sides. “This is how I do everything.”

“Can we eat already?” Eos huffed, outshining Mania by shaking the entire table just by sitting. “I’m starving.”

“You’re always starving.”

“Don’t fuss!” Styx accurately hacked the main course into chunks, her precise twirl of knives not only carving the meal, but rocketing every piece onto the nearby plates. She couldn’t help bowing at the applause.

“Wait!” Artemis had to stop Eos from cleaning the plate in seconds. “Have you forgotten so soon? First, a prayer. Hold out your hands…. I revere our goddess, Lady Clotho, for the blessings bestowed upon our shelter. Thank you, for the bounty set before us by thou. It is through our allegiance that Remnant may rest, everlasting. Inculto.” Each of them repeated the last word. “Dig in.”

Hardly was it a quiet affair. The halls were abound with hurrahs, and conversation, though plentiful, sat completely secondary to constant joking and toasts.

Mania was caught in the middle of one of her stories. “It’d already been a few hours since the hunt began. Therefore, I was stuck wearing Grimm pelts due to the cold, even over my face. So, I was too constricted to use weapons. I couldn’t even talk.”

“Thank god.” Styx rolled her eyes, encouraged by giggling.

“Point is, a group of townspeople found me, and thought I was an Ursa. So what do I do? I raise my arms and start jumping, but of course that just makes them more scared. I looked like a pincushion by the time I hit the floor. Felt like one, too. Probably one of the most humiliating experiences of the last century.”

“What did you say when they finally pulled off the costume and saw you were a person?”

“’Shoot me again.’”

More howling. As Diana laughed, her visor bounced up, and an arc of white energy zapped a set of knives across the room, into the disembodied head of a Boarbatusk mounted on the wall. Silence followed, then more laughter.

“Haha! Hey! You gotta save some of that for Aku, I’m telling you!” Mania nudged her shoulder, while she could only reply by blushing. “Ugh. I forgot why none of you sat next to Sister Eos. This is like the wet and wild zone, right now.”

“First time?” Eleanor said in true tedium, another splash of soup bouncing off the left side of her suit.

“Mhm! Sorry.” Eos wiped her mouth and slammed down a mug.

“Say… Is that ale?” Mania reached for the pitcher.

“Of course. Some sort of bounty award from Abigor. Guy couldn’t stomach a shot of it. That’s a lightweight for you.”

“I’m telling him you said that.” Eleanor remarked.

“Why? None of you could hold your drinks.”

“Here we go again.”

“Can too!” Mania instantly poured herself an overflowing stein, and within seconds, the binge for supremacy commenced.

“Ack! That’s disgusting!” Styx started gagging, and immediately backed away from the table. “Why does this stuff always have to smell so repulsive?”

“Trust me, it tastes about as good.” While Mania and Eos competed to see who would pass out first, Eleanor reached for a hatchet on the table, and whispered to Diana,

“Psst! Wanna see something cool?”

“Oh? S-Sure.”

“Watch this. I’ve been practicing my aim.” She chucked the hatchet across the atrium towards a target board. Hardly experienced in this area, she couldn’t have been more off the mark. But since it scooped a hunk off meat off Artemis’ fork, she was able to partially save face. “Uh… See? I-I meant to do that.”

“Have you gone insane? You could’ve taken out my eye.” Their leader admonished.

“That’ll be the day… ”

Far past midnight, the only thing to suggest anyone had ever been in the dinette at all were the still smoking candles and plates stacked upon each other, topped with fresh crumbs and bones. Demeter, drenched with sea water, slammed open the doors with the Heirloom drawn. Quickly, she gathered the Coven’s plans, now scared for them at the realization of their quest. “W-What? Foolishness. You should have told me you were going to fight him.”

Soon, she left to her new mediator, the scrawled sketches of Artemis in hand. “Did you tell them?” Abigor wheezed, completely exhausted from the trek back from Summit’s Blight, the sprint from the Keraseer Kingdom more taxing than usual. He knew one such as himself, a human, could not pass through to warn them himself. Requesting Demeter was a stroke of genius.

“They weren’t there. They’ve left, to find Aku. See?”

“…We’ve got to follow them. What Herald’s planning is important enough, but I can’t watch them risk so much. If anything were to happen to Eleanor, and I wasn’t there…”

“I need no convincing. Hope you’re still alright to sail another expedition.”

“Ah. Yeah, just, give me a moment to catch my breath. Tonight’s going to be a long night.” Abigor said.

They both turned to see Troy arrive, the door to his carriage automatically ajar. “No need. Hop aboard, folks.”

Across the seas, past the reefs, a single ancient lighthouse matched up with the Coven’s estimations. On the lookout for the Falsus Heredis, they were happy to finally dock. Anything to escape the inhospitable weather. But the humid, roasting maze inside the landmark wasn’t too much of an improvement. And it seemed to prey on groups, always threatening to isolate someone with the confusing layout.

“I was excited for a change of scenery. Now, I’m not so sure.” Mania quipped.

“Just be proud we made it.” Eleanor pat her shoulder. “We’re so far off the beaten path, it’s scary. And exciting, I’ll admit. We’re more than explorers, now. We’re discovers.”

“Come to think of it… Who else could’ve done it? Without our combined skills, it’s impossible. Pretty sweet, I must say, but it reminded me of something. Where we are now, is it the territory of Odynavus?”

Artemis answered. “Can’t say for sure. Not that it matters. The madman is only a threat if we parked our boat in his path- and there’s a whole ocean out there. Why is that, Sister Diana? Pop quiz!”

“Oh, I know!” Styx accepted an invitation for someone else. “He circles Remnant daily, pulling the sun around our world, his footsteps perfectly harmonized with every second that passes. If he stops, so does time. So, he’ll never let anything halt his stride. If our boat’s in his way, he’ll smash through it without missing a beat and march to the horizon. Neither human, faunus, nor Grimm, he’s almost beyond myth. See? I studied!”

“…Thank you, Sister Diana.” She scolded. “Hold on. Where is she, anyway? Did no one keep track of her!?”

“I thought you were doing that.”

“Ugh! Split up and find her at once!”

Diana wasn’t concerned, based on the pep talks and promises of dormancy regarding their enemies. It wasn’t often that she could wander unshackled by rules, and in so unique a cavern too, as disgusting it may be. The walls oozed of seawater, bolstered by a rancid odor worse than Grimm.

None of them realized that something else was searching, too. Diana, completely disoriented, cowered at the sound of clops. She knew what it meant. A grossly horrendous humanoid saddled upon a Grimm horse must’ve been nearby. “Oh no… I should’ve taken Sister Styx up on that stealth offer… Shhh!” Hoping to avoid it, she sat amongst the cover of stalagmites, covering her mouth, hyperventilating.

The Eidolon must’ve savored her anxiety. It crumbled her hiding spot and squealed in delight. Unlike any she’d ever been told of, this rider oozed of seaweed, and fought with a sharp paddle. Running from those on horseback seemed idiotic, but now she couldn’t hide, either.

“W-Wait! Stop! Don’t come near me!” Diana cried out. In a hysteric frenzy, against everything she’d been told, she rose her mask and relied on the unreal power inside.

The Skeletal Dragoon impulsively blocked, collected the laser into a ball within its palm, and reflected it. Diana screamed. One flash of light, and she was fossilized, encased in solid material, unable to move. This was a rare opportunity for an Eidolon to satisfy the cravings of itself, and its confederates, without conflict. It raised the paddle, licking its lips.

A mirror-like shield warped into reality, cutting off the Eidolon from its prey. Tilting its head in fear, at the sight of an Oathkeeper clad in bloody rags, it slowly lashed the horse away. Not long after, the stone keeping Diana in place faded away. She spoke once her heart stopped thumping.

“Thank you, truly. You’ve saved my life. I must repay you, somehow. Who… Who are you?”

“My faunus name is Kalthus. And you must be Diana, the Coven Light. With an Aura like that, it’s unmistakable. You are a powerful warrior indeed, and an unyielding force for good.”

“Thank you. But… I’d still like to know who you are. What are you doing here?”

“I am looking for, as you see, the other side of this Rhinestone.” The gem floated into view. “The Beryl Whetstone belonged to Trajan, and its connection with the Beryl Rhinestone was a sign of unity. Once they were separated, the War of the Second Bewitchment was all but confirmed. This is no ordinary stone, by any manner of means. It is, in fact, an ancient relic left by Clotho. It is not only unmistakable in appearance, it is undeniably pivotal to my quest. If you, or any of your sisters come into contact with the Beryl Whetstone, I hope you the foresight to alert me at once.”

“You have the Rhinestone? Turn around. You don’t have silver eyes, do you?”

“Ahahaha!” Her request revealed to her a sight of orange eyes. “You have an extraordinary gift, Diana. It is not something to take lightly. I’m nowhere near that fortunate, I’m afraid.”

Diana breathed a sigh of relief. “Sorry. I was just worried you could have been Xiasma… A-Actually, I’m not supposed to tell anyone outside the Coven, unless they’re a Descendant. Like Herald.”

“Hm, hm! I can certainly attest to that. Clotho would be proud to see her children adhere to her will in such a manner. If you may, will you give her my best regards?”

“You knew Lady Clotho?”

The distance between the two grew as the discussion progressed. “As it would seem. I know of her, at the very least. It has been a long journey since. And much more to go, I’m certain. Those are fables best left for another time. The Rhinestone she left has not yet attained full power, but it has regained much of its potential. The same is happening to everything that held devotion to Clotho. Even us.”

“So you do know her!”

“I did. How could we not? Even after she left, we never stopped remembering. In regards to the gods, her presence is consistent. Some came and went. Yet, even after all this years, very soon, Clotho will feel like an old friend, who’s just been missing for a season.”

“Is that what you’re up to? Bringing her back? I know she, Lord Keres, and Lady Hestia have been missing for a while. Sister Artemis won’t let me know why, yet. It’s not fair! I deserve to know. What was Lady Clotho like?” Diana asked, eager. First-hand accounts of the gods were rare, if indeed real at all.

“…Hmph. Can you keep a secret?” She nodded in excitement, leaning in to hear what she assumed would be confidential information, best relayed in whispers. “…So can I.”

“Sister Diana!” The rest of them called out, stumbling upon the scene. They saw only her. “You’re alright. Did anything happen?”

“There was an Eidolon here, but I… I avoided it. It wasn’t easy. Pretty impressive, huh? I-I stopped one all by myself.” Her lie was met with minimal suspicion. Though it didn’t completely add up, Artemis prevented any scrutiny, with a signal for them to stand still.

Her spine chilled, though it wasn’t the dim, web-ridden corridors or abysmal smell to thank. “I can sense it. Be careful. Down this hall, there is something… Unnatural. Worse than Grimm.”

Forming a circle, they slowly treaded down the darkest chasm of caves which were occasionally marked by prehistoric architecture, and rows of torches which ignited at any approach. The end of the tunnel brought a forum.

In the center of a stone coliseum lined with cages that held only hay, a seventh knight mistaken to be a statue kneeled. The armor held a sinister resemblance to that of a Keraseer. Could this be Aku? Cautiously, they all advanced, and Diana slowly lifted Tormentyst. Meeting air, it made an easily recognized whirling sound. The figure stood up, his back to the Coven.

“Tormentyst?” The stranger identified. “Have I really been indulged? On this night, six descendants have presented themselves to me. Let this moment be forever etched in history. Oh, this is beautiful. I may now indulge in another Corrupt Pact, at long last, and with little time to spare no less. Have you come to negotiate with me, or kill me?”

“That depends.” Artemis boomed. “Are you the Captain of the Falsus Heredis? Harbinger of the Black Horsemen, the Eidolons? Descendant slayer who wields the Thornscourge blade, worshipped by none, feared by all?”

“…That depends.” He turned in full, his echoing voice, and fiendishly primal but uniform mail bringing the less willful heroes to shiver. His sword was still embedded in the floor. “It seems I’m not feared by you. Is this truly the drudges of Clotho’s Coven?”

“You do as you’re told!” Eos stomped forward, her axe almost intimidation enough.

“…I am Aku, the Trajaneer.”

Artemis explained. “You are guilty of hubris, sedition, and deicide. For your crimes, we will grant a swift execution. There is no appeal.”

“My only crime is appeasing my benevolent master. You are guilty of the same. But to have six Descendants here, and no Eidolons to cut them down? It’s almost as though the Coven were made for a Corrupt Pact, here and now.”

“W-What’s he talking about?” Diana’s voice shook. These were sinful secrets withheld not by Clotho, so Artemis was obliged to answer.

“The Corrupt Pact is the only path to immortality besides the Forgotten Tears. It is the height of blasphemy to even attempt such a thing. All it requires is knowledge, blood, four of us, and one of him. Logic would dictate he’s already carried out the forbidden spell once before.”

“He doesn’t mean to try it now, with us, does he?”

“He won’t. He can’t.” Mania cracked her knuckles.

“Let’s give him hell.” Styx sulked to the outer ring of the arena, ready to be forgotten.

“He calls himself the Trajaneer.” Eleanor noted, still in a combat stance. “Who are you, really?”

Aku replied. “A very determined Delphic. Now, prepare yourselves. Remnant has not forgotten my last Corrupt Pact. But the clock never stopped ticking. Once again, dark forces have brought our kind together. The time has come for good and evil to clash once again, and none can say who will remain when it is done.”

Quickly, it was gathered that the usual teamwork and tactics wouldn’t work here, as Aku countered everything, even when flanked from every angle. His reputation held up. Mania’s most ferocious scythe attacks were staved off like an agitating breeze. Eleanor’s eloquent footwork, mixed with Eos’s crushing strength, did nothing but humor him.

It wasn’t until Styx dropped in from above did he take damage for the first time, to her elation. “Aha! You’re just a Delphic, vying for power like the rest. You will never reawaken Trajan!”

“You do not know everything, coven witch. Your queen gave you an invaluable tool, but it’s wasted on you. I’ll be sure to harvest your eyes, if not as a trophy, than as a weapon more fit for battle than you’ll ever be.” He said. Soon, all but Artemis and Diana were drained. They had a plan of their own, and it relied on a passive approach. With patience, they’d find Aku just as worn out as their allies.

“Hya!” Artemis let loose a volley of insurmountable arrows, of which Thornscourge was incapable of blocking in its entirety. “Now!”

Not only did Diana lift her visor, she slipped off the entire helmet. All anyone could see was white. A light triumphing in scores over the sun spread forth in every direction, shattering the walls and blinding even those who looked away. Aku slowed to a stop, attempting to cover his eyes. Her scowl petrified him, turning both him, his weapon, and his armor to stone.

“Quickly! Raise Tormentyst, and strike him!”

Diana fought to even lift it, but with the encouragement of her friends, she managed to slam it down, with her target directly in the power arc. If only she were faster. Despite everything, the stone encasing him was broken in just a few seconds, and Aku stopped her pathetic swing by enclosing his fingers around the blade itself, giving Diana a boot to the stomach. They all waited curiously, even Diana, who braced herself.

“Intriguing.” Aku uttered, watching how his hand steamed just from gripping Tormentyst. “The sword’s viability adjusts with its wielder. I must be so unworthy, mere contact is a painful sin… Hahaha! Nobody’s going to attack? Did you expect me to use the sword? I’d be incinerated in an instant. No thanks.” He chucked it outside the ring.

“We won’t need magic for that.” A newcomer announced.

“Abigor!? What are you doing?” Eleanor berated, while Demeter went to work on her artificial nemesis, the Trajaneer a sworn enemy of the Keraseers despite a lack of a personal history between the two pupils. “You’ve taken it too far. If I wanted you here, I’d have asked. It’s too dangerous! Leave, now.”

“I promised you if it ever came to this, I’d be here to help. You can’t stop me.”

“Know your place! This is beyond you. It is not your fight! To bring not only yourself, but Troy to the dangerous frontline as well? You disappoint me!”

“It’s my choice, Eleanor. Remember that.” He moved in to great effect, stalemating where others expected complete failure. Eleanor had no choice but to set aside her reservations, and swoop in to parry a slice that would’ve gravely injured him. Together, Abigor and Eleanor corrected each other’s faults, knocking Aku off balance.

She might’ve been wrong, in fact. Suddenly susceptible to attacks, he was decimated by everyone, from every angle. All said and done, the first mistake he made, he lost too much Aura, and the feral assault brought him to his knees.

Aku kneeled. “Argh! I… I suppose it can’t be helped. Master…” He stood up, and raised the deadly Thornscourge. The deafening chant began. “Odynavus! Caliph of Dusk and Dawn! Keeper of Time and War! Lend me your power!”

In this heightened state, the slits of Aku’s helmet were set ablaze with flame, and his once immutable sword could be swung like a whip, the metal disobeying common sense. “A weak link in the armor!” He was attuned with some sort of improved, ethereal sight; the lapses of his assailants’ defenses were highlighted. None could enter his radius unharmed. Even his form was improved, the pattern of his steps carefully synced with attacks.

Demeter was the only one to rebound from this terrible onslaught, believing the cooldown of Aku’s torrent to be an opening. If only she could break his Aura, victory was assured.

He disarmed her immediately, took the Keraseer Heirloom whilst twisting behind her, and then shoved it through her chest from behind, ignoring Aura. After all, he only needed four alive. Aku tossed her, Heirloom included, away like trash. “This is not the first time I’ve spilled Keraseer blood.”

“Lady Demeter! No!” Artemis dashed over to her body, frantic for any sort of response.

Aku snapped his fingers to summon from a mythical gyre his own personal steed. “Hahahaha. I did not wish to kill you like this. I seek only a Corrupt Pact, yet you six are incorruptible together. Remember. What I’ve done- the death toll in my name? It is only at the bidding of my master. I still have time before my previous pact expires. Our fight for that cause is not yet meant to take place. I will return.”

“You coward! I’ll kill you! I’ll torture you for an eternity!” Artemis charged after him. Even if she could stop Aku’s leisure exit into the portal, Eos eliminated the possibility.

“He cannot be beat. Not here, not yet… Troy, stop!”

In an uncharacteristic move, perhaps out of a chance for glory, Troy stepped in to grapple away Thornscourge.

“Brave of you.” Aku chirped, swatting him away without trouble. “Never has a human attempted such petulance, and this is proof why. Thank you, my new enemies, for revealing to me your youth: the target of my next conquest.” With his decree, he vanished.

“Is she…?” Diana joined the rest alongside Demeter’s body

“Dead.” Artemis almost wept. “Another prodigy, lost to that monster… This time, we could’ve stopped it! We’ve failed!”

“That is not helping.” Eos used the axe to pull herself up.

“You… You let him get away.” Artemis seethed. “And I saw what you did. You had a chance to stab Aku, and you held back. You showed mercy to a Delphic. This is your fault!”

“Sister Eos didn’t do this. Aku did.” Styx said, helping Troy off the ground.

“No, she’s half correct.” Eos stopped Eleanor from also retorting. “I did hesitate on what could’ve been a critical hit. But you’re all too hotheaded. Your passion blinds you. Think for a moment, outside the fight at hand. If there was even a chance Aku had secret knowledge concerning the return of Trajan, it’s worth sparing him for questioning. After all, who else besides the so-called Trajaneer would know something we don’t?”

“She’s right.” Abigor said. “By the gods, she’s right. I know this doctrine too well.”

“Look what that amazing doctrine’s left us!” Mania played the opposition, pointing at the deceased Descendant. “You spared a Delphic! Did you expect us not to label you Xiasma after that, ‘Sister’ Eos!?” She clenched her scythe, furious.

“I think the most compelling action for a traitor now would be to turn on their friends so quick. Wouldn’t you? Now, back down.”

“Enough, you two!” Artemis embraced Demeter’s prone body. “Oh, gods. I’m so, so sorry… What am I going to tell Sir Orthus? What about her daughters?”

Eleanor consoled her, Abigor’s support preventing her own tears. The two hugged. “We’ll tell them together. And we’ll bring the body and armor back, for a proper funeral. Just like the last time something like this happened. C’mon, guys. Don’t lose hope so quick. B-Back me up, Sister Artemis.”

Desperate for a sign of leadership, Eleanor was alarmed to see her oldest mentor simply carry Demeter away, uncaring whether or not the Coven followed.

Entry No. 7 complete.

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