And So The Mask Shall Be Returned.

[Silence Sei]

A great man once said 'When you wear a mask for so long, you forget who you were beneath it'. This could not be more true than in the case of one Adam Mada Deus and one Robert Uccisore. These two noble people were once founding members of something great, something huge, something that, at one time, was the pinnacle and symbol of power in Althanas. These men put on masks so they would no longer be men, but ideals. Because they became ideals, they thought they were invulnerable. They had all they could dream for, and craved more.

However, simply claiming you're an ideal and wearing a mask is not the same as actually becoming an ideal. Beneath their masks the ideals became lost, and were replaced with flesh, replaced with men. Men are expendable, men can feel pain, men can embrace death, and men can disappear from the face of history. These two particular men suffered from the latter syndrome, and have not been heard from since they lost their ideals.

Like these two men, Sei Orlouge also put on a mask. The difference between them was that, unlike Deus and Uccisore, Sei Orlouge actually -became- an ideal. He fought for the people, fought to stop war and bloodshed from happening upon an island where innocents lived. He issued a plan to abandon the island and allow it to be overtaken by men thinking that they would achieve victory by taking it. Sei fufilled his ideals in a matter of days, he won his personal war with the highest of intellects.

He bided his time, waited for the enemy to weaken, and it would be at that time when he struck out from the shadows, giving people their homes back. He would get Deus and Uccisore their baby back, he would show everybody that Facade Incorporated was still alive. Despite the fact that Sei Orlouge had his own problems to deal with, he was going to help others before he helped himself. That was how he always treated situations.

However, one man can not take on an army by himself, no matter how strong his ideals. It is for this reason that upon his return to the eyes of Althanas, Sei decided to seek out those who still lived for the goals of Facade Inc, those who still had faith in Adam Mada Deus and Robert Uccisore. Surely, if Facade Incorporated took back their island just outside of Corone, they would be restored to their former power.

It is for the reason of finding the survivors of Facade Island that Sei was in Haidia, or more specific, Vainta. He sought out a soldier most loyal to the cause of Facade Inc, to the cause of fighting for Sei Orlouge. Sei sought out a warrior who once weilded a crest, a man who went by the name of Zieg dil'tulfried. This man was rumored to be stationed at the Demon Army Headquarters. Knowing he could not just walk in due to his condition, Sei Orlouge chose to wait, to watch from a distance for the moment Zieg dil'tulfriend came out of the Demon Army HQ, and then approach him.

He was disguised as a normal child, alongside Anita, his daughter. He waited in the shadows, simply waiting for Zieg. Recruiting Zieg would be a step in the right direction, the direction that would make Facade Incorporated become a household name once again...

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

As Sei Orlouge waited silently outside with his daughter, Zieg dil' Tulfried was sparring with his son. The boy had asked a few weeks earlier for Zieg to teach him to fight so he could help his father. Kaza felt that since he was turning eight soon, he should know how to fight beside his father. Zieg had been undoubtedly hesitant about teaching his son how to wield a blade, but he did want his son to know how to protect himself. So here they were, in the Demon Army Headquarters training room, sparring with wooden weapons.

The High General had removed his bulky armor, and simply wore black slacks and a black tunic with red stitching of his rank atop his left breast. The symbol was a trio of blades, two crossed perpendicular to one another in an 'X' with the third vertical crossing the other two in the middle. He doubted that his son could physically harm him enough to need armor. His bare right arm was muscular and teeming with strength. His left sleeve hung limp at his side, a grim reminder of the penalties of death.

His shoulder length crimson hair tied back into a ponytail, his vision was clear as his son swung his wooden blade at his father. Zieg easily parried the blow with his own sword and countered quickly, tapping the boy atop the head smartly.

"Ow!" Kaza cried out, rubbing his head. Zieg smiled and danced away from the platinum haired child's next swing.

"You put too much effort into each strike, leaving yourself vulnerable to an easy counter. Unless you are a feline, you will not survive very long doing that. Keep your strikes swift and simple, at least for now. That way, you can protect yourself at the same time." He motioned for Kaza to come at him again, as he quickly stepped to the left and right, never standing still.

Kaza swung the wooden blade in a tight arc toward Zieg's torso, which Zieg was able to parry. Zieg quickly swung down at his son's left arm, but with a quick twist of the wrist, Kaza blocked the blow. The child's emerald green eyes seemed to growl in excitement as he warded off the strike.

"Very good, son. Very good. That is all for today. I have to head into town to run some errands," Zieg tossed the wooden blade to one of the training attendants and walked over to the table where his swordbelt, gloves, and headband lay. Somehow, Zieg managed to wrap the belt around his waist, despite being one handed. He also got one of the gloves on his right arm, tucking the other in his belt. He replaced the jeweled headband back on his head, tucking it up under his bangs as to be as inconspicuous as possible.

"Can I come, papa?" Kaza begged his father. Zieg smiled and nodded, while turning out the door. Together they left the demon headquarters and headed toward the merchant sector of the city. Few said anything to them, or even noticed them. Zieg hadn't often left the headquarters without his massive blue armor one, so few actually knew what he looked like beneath the helmet.

[Silence Sei]

Zieg dil' Tulfried began to make his move, leaving the sanctity of his home. However, at this time Sei Orlouge was also training with his child, showing her how to use her own sword. Holding both of his bladed rings with an expert's precision, Sei starred down his twelve year old daughter. Anita returned the cold stare towards her father as the two bowed to one another, a sign of mutual respect. It was time for the training to begin.

Anita gripped her hilt with both hands, not accustomed to weilding the weapon in actual battle just yet, and came charging at her papa. As she charged, the girl let out a loud wailing sound, which was soon accompanied by the whistle of her steel flying low to the ground. Using all of her might, Anita swung her sword upwards, attempting to slash at her father in a vertical cut. Sei simply jumped back from his daughter's strike, and watched as she went flying into the air from her momentum. She then hit the ground on her rear with a resounding thump, the sword falling tip first between her spread legs.

"You left yourself open Anita," the mute commented upon her abilities, "I could have easily had your head as your body flew into the air." Anita nodded at her papas commentary, but pointed at her with a smile. "Papa," she said with the same Orlouge grin as her father, "I wasn't aiming to kill." Sei's look changed from scorned to confused in a matter of seconds, looking to the area at which his daughter was pointing. Sei's face lit up as he noticed that his black shirt had been dampened with a liquid of some sort, one not of sweat or blood.

It was the posion from Anita's blade, and it had lined Sei's shirt all the way to his shoulders. Had Anita been trying, she could have aimed the sword a little to either her left or right and gotten some of the spilling posion in Sei's mouth, sentencing the child to death. "Very strategic, Anita," Sei spoke with pride as he gazed back at his spawn. Without saying another word, Sei dashed forward, slashing in a horizontal fashiontowards Anita's neck.

The girl, surprised her father wouldn't announce his strike, tried to scramble upwards. As she reached for her sword (which was still sticking straight up in the ground), her legs continued to flail in an attempt to rise. Unfortunately, this caused the girl to kick her weapon down to the ground, just out of the grasp of her hands. Anita's eyes widened with shock, only to be quickly shut, ready for the impending doom that was about to befall her tender neck.

Yet, the blow never came. As Anita opened her eyes, she saw her father, blades deathly close to his offsprings neck, and a smile coming over his face. "You can never expect your enemy to say a witty catchphrase before they attack, Anita. They won't wait for your attacks to take effect and they won't be as forgiving as I am to you. You should really learn to be more...." Sei continued to scold his child as she leaned down ever so slightly, using a foot to drag her sword back to within arms reach right from under her father's body.

Before Sei could finish the end of his speech, he felt his daughter's sword tip pointing at his chest. It seems that Anita had cleverly put her father at a stalemate, using his own weaknesses against him. Sei smirked a littled only for it to be returned by the twelve year old. It seemed that they would have to focus their full attentions on one another during this battle, preventing both of them from noticing it with Zieg dil' Tulfried stepped out of his headquarters.

Lucky for the two of them, Sei and Anita were starting to draw a crowd from their little skirmish. Circling around them, the area quickly filled with appauled mothers (shocked they would find children fighting each other seemingly to the death), excited spectators, and confused children. Even if Sei and Anita did stop focusing on one another at this very point, it would be for nothing as the crowd seemed to go on forever. The only thing there was to do was continue training.

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

Zieg and Kaza traveled quietly down the wide pathway that led from the front door of the building to the front gate. Kaza was being the seven-year-old he was, running around his father and jumping crazily. Zieg simply smiled and continued walking toward the city. As they passed through the intricately crafted metal front gate, Zieg noticed a crowd gathering nearby. They were pushing all around, blocking the street.

Being the defender of the peace that he was, the demon had to go investigate what was going on and dispurse the crowd. Taking his son by the hand, he made his way through the crowd and into the midst of the disturbance. Two young children, a boy and a girl were fighting one another, the girl wielding a sword and the boy held strange bladed rings. Both appeared to be sweating profusely and were deeply intent on one another.

Kaza released his grip on his father's hand, instead grabbing hold of his leg so his father could make use of his only arm. The general pulled out his weapon, the Gamygym, a osmium short sword that had been intricately crafted by the elven weaponsmith Dera'losta'nofa. The boy and the girl went at one another again, their weapon's searching for the other.

Zieg interposed his weapon between the two children and a loud ringing sound echoed through the street as both of their weapons hit Zieg's sword. "I think that is quite enough. I will not have sparring in my streets. Both of you, come with me. The rest of you, go about your business." The crowd grumbled angrily at the large man's command. "Do you really want me getting the Demon Army out here?" The crowd responded well to the threat, quickly fading into various alleyways and shops. "I thought not."

Zieg sheathed his blade, and grabbed Kaza's hand once again. He motioned to the children to follow him. He traveled back inside the gate of the headquarters and motioned for the children to sit down under it. Kaza stood at his side, making faces at the older boy and girl.

"Now, what exactly did you two think you were doing, fighting one another." He motioned to the boy. "Especially you, fighting a girl, in the middle of the streets. If you insist on sparring, take it out of the city." Zieg looked intently at them. "You look familiar... you are not demon. What are you doing in Vainta?"

[Silence Sei]

They were too focused on one another to even notice it when Zieg stepped through the crowd. As Sei dashed towards Anita for another attack, the girl readied herself, and both warriors paused as a sword came between the two of. Almost as if they had planned it, Sei and Anita's eyes both followed to sword to it's owner, who happened to be a demon by the name of Zieg dil' Tulfried. They had found who they sought out, but by the way he was addressing the crowd, he was not pleased.

"Wait a minute Mister ar--" before Anita could say anything, Zieg told the children to follow him. Sei followed without a word (pun intended) and Anita followed her father's lead. As Zieg placed them in front of the castle gates, the two looked up at the large man as he scolded the two of them, Sei keeping a smug grin upon his face. He waited until Zieg was done before he dusted himself off and grew a stern look on his face.

"I should hope I look familiar, General Tulfried!" Sei exclaimed, as if he were mad at the demon warrior, "I am, after all, the 'Hero of Radasanth'! Anita and I were simply practicing our techniques waiting for you to appear. Now that we have found you, I require you to help me in a matter of great urgency." Anita looked to Zieg and shook her head before he could ask what happened to her father "Don't ask," she simply said with a smirk.

"It's time to revive the Facade, General Tulfried," Sei said as if Anita had never said a thing, "I require your powers to help me on this journey. You were without a doubt the most loyal soldier within Facade Inc. Please, if you wish for us to be restored to our former glory, I must request that you aid me in finding Adam Deus and Robert Uccisore. Please General Tulfried, I beg of you!"

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

As Zieg listened to the young boy tell his story, he nearly burst out laughing. This tiny little punk was Sei Orlouge, the Hero of Radasanth? It was very difficult to believe. Zieg simply smiled and rubbed the boy's hair with his hand.

"If I recall correctly, Sei Orlouge was a man, not some child. You may enjoy playing your little games, but fighting in the streets should not be one of them. Streets are for travel, you may use the headquarters training facilities if you would like."

His son gripped his hand hard, forcing Zieg to look down at the boy. He had ceased making faces at the pair and was now staring intently at them, his emerald eyes open wide. Zieg knelt in front of Kaza.

"Papa, he did not make any sounds when he spoke. I heard it in my head, just like when Xeppa speaks." Zieg slowly turned his attention from Kaza back to the self-proclaiming Sei. The demon was so used to hearing Xeppa in his head that he was unable to differentiate it from regular speaking. However, Kaza was right. The boy's mouth had not moved when he spoke, but remained clamped shut.

Zieg stared into the face of Sei Orlouge, examining every detail. The features were similar but he could not be sure. However, his gaze stopped when he looked into the human's eyes. The eyes were what convinced him. There did not have the look of a child, they had the look of a warrior.

"Sei?"

[Silence Sei]

At first, Zieg was skeptical about this young boy being Sei. However, after a keen observation from his own child, Zieg looked at the boy again and then called him by name, albeit in a question-like tone. "I told you that I was the 'Hero of Radasanth', did I not? I'm glad that you're starting to see what I tell you is the truth, Lord Tulfried." Sei looked at Zieg in his serious manner, scanning their surroundings as if something was amiss.

"Papa," Anita said, "something isn't right. Someone's here." Sei smiled, thinking that sometimes his daughter was able to read his mind. The mute closed his eyes and nodded, knowing that Zieg could probably sense their presence too. He wasn't sure who was spying on this group, but they were well trained to go on undetected for this long. Sei slowly opened his eyes as he took his chakrams from his hips, looking to Anita with a solemn nod.

The girl nodded back to her father in kind, closing her eyes. "One vampire," she said, "the rest are living, I can't identify their species." Sei shifted his eyes to Zieg, despite the fact that he was still talking to Anita. "Where are they?" Sei asked, as Anita cooly replied, "The vamp is circling around us, trying to find the weakest prey. There's at least two with weapons drawn to each side of us. Archers I'm guessing. Chances are the archers are going to strike first, and then the vamps going to move in for the kill."

Sei nodded, looking to Zieg with a smile. "I assume you still have overwhelming abilities in battle? You take the two archers on the right, I'll take the two on the left, and Anita can handle the vampie. That is, unless you want Kaza there to get some training as well, Lord Tulfried?"

[Zieg dil' Tulfried]

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