Blessed Crusade (CC/DtbB RP)

[Elf]

Chrono flinched at the exclaimation, turning around with a wide-eyed gaze. However, the bemused expression fell away from his face the moment Crysta stalked back into the kitchen. The grim look on her face was highly contagious, turning the elder demon's face into a concerned mask.

"What's wrong, Ms. Valentine?"

One of those 'bad feelings' was quickly spreading through him, and he did not like it.

[Meryck]

She grimaced. "Low-classers, and lots of them. A huge swarm, in fact, and it just ate a warehouse down on Westwood Avenue." Reg and Ran paled, looked at each other, and rushed out the door. Crysta yelled after them;

"OI, GET BACK HERE, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHERE ON WESTWOOD IT IS!!"

[Elf]

Chrono let out a sigh. Those kids...

Not an instant later, his single hand clamped around the collar of Reg's trenchcoat, yanking her back in the door before her second foot could pass through. He might have wanted to yank back Ran's collar too, except he knew that the younger demon wouldn't go anywhere without his best friend. His single hand was sufficient.

"Guys." He shared between them a look of pure stone, save for the one raised eyebrow. "Shouldn't you at least look at a map before rushing off on a wild goose chase?"

[Meryck]

"Urk--!" Chrono's yanking nearly pulled the human off her feet. Luckily, she retained her balance and avoided falling on her rump. Ran, as predicted, halted almost instantly, turning around in alarm, which faded into an embarrassed and apologetic hunch of the shoulders.

She glanced up, grumpily. "Westwood is a short road, and it's not far from here. It can't be that hard to find a warehouse swarming with low-class demons on it."

[Elf]

Chrono released Reg's collar, shook his head, closed his eye, and let out a sigh. A moment like this made him wonder why he'd ever bother to second-guess his decision to keep an eye on these two.

"Be that as it may...you actually tried to run off without me?" When his eye opened, the crimson orb glimmered with a spark of snark as a slight smirk pulled at his lips. "If you think you're going to get away with leaving me behind, you've got another thing coming." He looked like he was just about to wink, but his wry smile simply widened instead.

"Now. Let's go back inside and actually get directions..."

Reggie was right: Westwood Avenue wasn't a very long street. It was, however, a bit too long to make it a comfortable walking distance, especially after it had snowed the previous day. As the trio made their way down the avenue, Chrono asked God for the umpteenth time to bless Ms. Valentine for giving him his warm, thick, khaki trenchcoat. Demon or not, the cold simply sucked.

The winter sky was dim, a thin layer of cloudcover turning the sun's light into an omnipresent, white glow. Ambient as the light was, the reflection off the snow and the resulting haze still made for a whole lot of squinting and blinking for anyone who stayed outside for too long.

But the way the winter light made Chrono blink was nothing compared to the sight of the warehouse that came into view as they rounded one last corner of Westwood Avenue.

"....No."

[Meryck]

The warehouse could barely be called that anymore. Blood, guts, limbs, and other nasty residue from the people who once worked there splattered the snow, the pavement, the walls. Speaking of which, there was a gigantic hole in the wall facing the trio, and an even bigger one in the roof. Debris scattered in every direction. It was abysmal and sickening.

And that was without the fifty or so lesser demons milling about, at varying degrees between human-like and gecko-or-insect-like. It took every fiber in Reg's being not to throw up.

But Ran's fangs were bared a second after he saw the creatures.

Zoom, slash, SKREEEEEEEEEEE! Before anyone could blink, he had closed the distance between him and the closest low-classer, cutting it down, blood dripping on his fingers, dragonoid hiss echoing in his chest. Reg shook herself out of her queasiness, pulled out her gun, and took aim.

BANG BANG BANG. Three more down. Ran vanished in the sprays of blood, a whirlwind of claws, fangs, and serpentine snarls.

[Elf]

Chrono didn't have the chance to feel sickened at the sight, only horrified. His horror was the only thing that gave him pause, the only moment of hesitation he experienced before the rage began to swell.

A flash of light, a golden glow, enveloped his form and then bled out into the winter air, stealing the trenchcoat away and replacing it with the many-tailed Viscount's cloak, banishing the sleeveless shirt and leaving the bare chest to the mercy of the cold, transforming the baggy pants into armor-like leather. His ears lengthened to four times their normal length, the tips ending in fuzzy points, and his horns sprouted from his head just behind the ears. The missing hand regenerated with a sickening, crackling sound, and both hands shifted, long nails becoming rending claws.

His first victim didn't even have time to hear the growl echoing through the elder demon's throat, had no vision of bared fangs before it died. There was a flash of movement, a slashing of claws, a spurting of blood, and suddenly, the four-legged insectoid was without a head.

The flashes of movement neither stopped nor slowed. Snarls and roars accompanied them wherever a low-level demon crossed the Sinner's path, and fountains of blood marked his passing.

And suddenly, another flash, and then there was a dark shape in the sky, a clot of shadow against the winter white. Fell wings flared, suspending the demon in midair. He raised a hand.

B-BOOM! BOOM, BOOMBOOMBOOM! Spears of raw power shot from the the Sinner's outstretched palm, flying faster than missles at the lesser demons, skewering them clean or ripping through their bodies entirely. The hideous shrieks and death throes of a dozen demons pierced the air all within an instant, accompanied by the smell of sizzling flesh, of cooked insides, of lightning-sharp, raw Aura energy.

[Meryck]

Reg glanced up briefly, revived the memo to NEVER toss Chrono out a window again, and kept shooting her targets.

Ran's rampage had brought him close to the hole in the the ex-warehouse wall. Just as he was turning for another slaughter, something grabbed him, pulled him into the building, and into one of the still-intact walls.

CRACK!

Reg jerked in alarm at the sound, but soon found the demons to be targeting her more intensely now. Spitting multiple curses, she reloaded and shot rapid-fire. She did not have time for this crap.

Meanwhile, Ran began picking himself up from the floor- the keyword being began. Before he could, though, a sharp, stiletto boot slammed down onto the back of his neck. A wicked cackle came from his attacker as he gasped and coughed blood.

"My, my", the voice scratched, finding no reason to talk out of dragonoid hisses. "Looks like all those years away've made you SOFT, little brother." Ran's fangs bared. He knew only one person this aggravatingly nasty.

"Kami...."

Kami was a mature demon. She hadn't even bothered going into her full form for this, so she stood at 5'11", slender, pale, and deadly beautiful. Her green hair coiled down to her knees like twisted ivy. Her body was covered in a short green dress and laced with starless night, casting a witchy feel over her form. Her Violet eyes shone with psychotic glee.

"Ah, so you haven't forgotten me. Good. This will make this so much more enjoyable."

"What could you possibly want? I told you, take the damn throne; I want nothing more to do with it."

"Ah, see, there's the problem." The female demon knelt down, keeping her boot firm on her brother's neck. She brought her face dangerously close, grin pulsating insanity. "See, father still thinks you should take it. He still believes you'll come back. So, yet again, you're still taking WHAT ALWAYS SHOULD HAVE BEEN MINE." Her face twisted into murderous rage as her boot stomped down further on Ran's neck, before melting away in glee as he coughed more blood- her heel had pieced his jugular."Good thing I already know you won't go through the Rites, or this'd never work!"

"What...what are you..." Kami pulled a demonic charm out of her sleeves and dangled it infront of Ran's face.

"See this? This will speed up what little time you have- one year, down to one MONTH. If you're lucky~" Ran's eyes widened in horror.

"You...wouldn't....!"

"Ohhh, but I would." As her hand and charm landed flatly on Ran's back, Kami leaned downed and whispered; "All hail the Dragon Prince..."

A horrendous shriek ripped through the air as a pillar of fire screamed up from the warehouse. Reg whirled, eyes wide, horrified. No....that couldn't be....!

As the fire died, all that was left was Ran's prone form, burned and tormented, as ten other Marks carved into his flesh, bleeding profusely, on his back, neck, arms, and ankles, one for every month he lost, including the original. No sign of Kami could be found, save the Dragon Court seal drawn in Ran's blood.

[Elf]

Chrono landed soon after launching the energy attack and went back on the offensive with his rending claws. He’d displayed supreme control of the intensity and range of the blasts so far, but he feared getting carried away, so rare were the instances that he used his power like this. He could feel the power pulsating within his veins, humming through him like lightning serotonin, sweet as a sugar rush and twice as addicting. It longed to manifest into the yellow-white light, the Aura force that lanced the flesh and boiled the bone marrow of those disgusting, nameless, low-class scum.

Too many. There were too many coming at them all at once, too many targeting the kids—Ran had vanished from view somehow, and Reg was being overrun; both made his heart leap into his throat. There were too many to justify holding back. They all needed to die. To die. To DIE, right now!

I will make a future for humans…no matter what.

“UuuurrrRRRAAAAAGH!” The demon half-hunched as fell light exploded from his form. Power swirled about him in a maelstrom for the few sparse seconds he stayed on the ground, and then—

A streak of light. A hissing, gurgling cry as a demon’s last breath choked on its blood. Another streak; a fountain of blood. A third flash, and a thwump-thwump as two halves of a corpse fell to the ground.

VWOOSH! Three insectoids who decided to bumrush the frenzied demon were swallowed in a rising column of swirling power and pulverized. TSEEW! Two more who lumbered at the source of their hive-brothers’ agony were swallowed in a shooting beam of power and dissolved into blood vapor.

The rest of the mob was getting the hint, now. Approaching the Elder demon seemed to be a bad plan. Unless, of course, all of the dozen remaining low-classers did so at once…And as if they truly possessed a hive mind, that’s exactly what they did. The surviving horde ignored Reggie completely, turning as one to rush at Chrono, roaring and slavering.

There was a wordless roar, a symphony of howls, and a column of rising power that bulged and swelled until it devoured them all.

Corpses, blood, and silence.

[Meryck]

Reg managed to get away from the swarm before Chrono went ballistic. She squeaked in alarm as she ducked under one of the streaks he shot out (way, WAY too close!), but kept running for the warehouse.

Dammit all, why do I always get stuck in the midst of a Wrath demon hissy fit?! I mean HONESTLY. And from Chrono too! I'd figured he had more control than THAT. I swear, if I didn't know better, I'd think my life was just a cruel little object for some psycho to play with...

Her inner snark monologue was cut short upon entering the warehouse and seeing Ran. Her breath caught in her chest. Oh, God, not again... She scrambled to his side- God, he looked terrible. But, those strange markings on his flesh and, heck, even the burns weren't that severe- it's nothing a good night's rest couldn't solve for a demon.

The hole in his throat, however, was a different matter. It was messy, it was huge, and it was bleeding far too much. There was nothing for it, except....

Reg glanced outside.Chrono's busy losing it, so he won't argue.... She glanced down at Ran as she grabbed the back of his neck Chain, careful not to let the blood-slick metal fall out of her grasp. And you're unconscious, so you can't argue. Sorry, Ran, but I'm not letting you bleed out any time soon.

SNAP.

The Chains recoiled into a single, metal 'collar' in her hand. Ran suddenly revived, gasping in pain as his Suppressed Astral was let loose.

Sadly, this was also the time Chrono let out his final attack, shaking the very ground as the ear-splitting howls hit the air. Reggae fell over, shouting in alarm, just as the ambient amber glow of Ran snapping into his true demon form appeared.

Dammit all, talk about crap timing.

Reg forced herself up into a upright position, fearing that Rangda would add to the ballistic fray before she could stop him.

But Ran had merely pulled himself into a sitting position. From his expression- half-mast sulfur eyes, a furrowed, concerned brown, and a grimace pulling at his lips- one could automatically tell he was completely in his right mind still; the first sign that there had to be something wrong. Reg's eyes flickered over his form- his now-well built, slender body was partially hunched, one clawed hand trembling a run through his hair as a sign of him pulling his wits about him, the other planted lightly on the ground. His tail curled around his body in a loose circle, with the tip twitching with his rattled nerves. His wild storm-colored hair seemed even more frazzled than usual, and even his horn-stubs and scales lacked their luster. Hell, even that huge, stitch-shaped scar on the left side of his chest looked worse.

But what was really horrifying was the fact that those weird, bleeding upside-down pentagrams hadn't disappeared. In fact, since the ones on the back of his neck, torso, and arms were also marked by missing or mangled scales, they looked even worse.

"Holy HELL, Ran..." What else could she say? He blinked, tiredly, and slowly looked up at her.

"...Reggae...?"

"No, it's the OTHER black-haired, green-eyed detective you know." He sighed, though the faintest twitch of a smile could be seen on his face. She got closer to him now that she knew he wouldn't lose it. "Christ, Ran, what happened?" His brow furrowed, and he shook his head, slowly.

"I-- I don't know, I...." His hand went to his neck to adjust his Chain nervously....only to find it wasn't on. His eyes snapped open in alarm, blood rushing out of his face. "My- My Chains--!"

"Chill, I have them right here." Ran looked over and saw that, indeed, the girl had the un-attached version of the Chain in her hand. He paled even further.

"What on earth--?" He reached out to take the Chain back, only to finally notice one of the Marks on his hand. He stared at it, officially whiter than a ghost. "N-no..."

"...Ran...." Her voice was soft, worried. "...What...What ARE those...?" He looked up at her, feeling the horror in him rise to phenomenal heights....

And then, his insides went numb. He managed a tired smile. God, was he going to miss her while he burned in Hell..."I'll...tell you later. First, we should...get back home." He began trying to stand, body trembling. "Where's...where's Chrono, we should get back before..." His body gave up, and he slumped down even more so, stopped from falling to the ground only by Reggae quickly reacting and supporting him.

"Hey, easy there." She leaned him up against the wall, frowning worriedly. "Man, if you're like this without the Chains...."

"...Yes...", he panted, tiredly, understandingly, "...I...think for once, it'd be....a better idea to let me stay....in this form..."

"No, really?" Her frown pursed into a thin line. "There's no way I can help you walk in this form, though....too tiny."

"You...you don't have to...."

"Hush. Yer in no condition to argue. I'll get Chrono, and we'll haul it for home. Stay here, and don't move to much, 'kay?" He managed a small smile again as she clicked the Chain around her wrist resolutely. Oh yes, he'd miss her so.

"You're going to make me...even if I say...no, right?"

"Damn right. Stay." She got up, trying to keep her own worry off her face and out of her actions. She trotted to the hole in the walls. Blinked rapidly at the gory mound of demons and the elder demon in the center, energy still cackling off him like madness.

Reg promptly scowled. "OI! If you're done throwing a Wrath demon hissy fit, you mind helping me over here?! Goddammit..." She whirled away, snarling to herself as she walked back over to Ran, plopped down, fished a roll of bandaged out of her trenchcoat, thanked God she was so paranoid about these kinds of wounds, and promptly began dressing Ran's wounds, starting with his neck and slowly winding down his torso.

"That...was rather rude...."

"Not in the mood to be nice."

"Reg...I...I don't think...."

"Shutup." She tied off the chest bandages with a yank, ripping the end off the roll of bandages, before starting with his closest arm. "Yer getting bandaged up, end discussion."

He sighed resignedly, and that was the end of the matter.

[Elf]

A pregnant silence reigned over the battlefield, broken only by the sound of heavy breathing of the Demon of Wrath who had turned the place into a slaughterhouse. He stood still atop the body of a headless dragonoid, his arms pulled back and his claws curled for rending, as if waiting for another wave of enemies to cross his path and present themselves for death.

"OI!"

Chrono jolted. Whatwasthat? That was--who--Reggie.

"If you're done throwing a Wrath demon hissy fit--"

He reeled, blinking and dazed as if struck between the eyes. ...what?

"--you mind helping me over here?!"

He blinked, and the world changed. An indiscernible, colorless haze snapped into a world full of vivid color and detail, of grotesque sights and smells, of a street strewn with half-vaporized wads of flesh, with the twisted remains of demonic forms, all of it covered in a thick coat of blood.

An icy hand reached into his chest and seized his heart. It thudded and spluttered over its next few beats; he struggled to draw his next breath.

He looked down at his hands.

--hands covered, SOAKED in blood, blood it's Viede's blood and he's right under me I'm standing on top of him his RIBS ARE OPEN--I did this, it was me, I killed Viede and I'm killing Her too--

Chrono drew in a gasping breath as if pulling his head out from under water. The memory faded from the forefront of his mind, but for a moment it had been so vivid, so gripping, that it was as real as the abysmal sight before him, every detail as fresh and raw now as it had been eighty years ago.

He was himself again; now he had to pull himself together. Justifications rolled through his head as he fought to separate the past from the present. I have my horns this time, he reminded himself. I'm not hurting her by using my power...I'm not hurting her, and by killing these demons I'm protecting the humans; I'm keeping my promise--

Reggie.

Chrono clambered down from the top of the dead demon's body and headed toward the warehouse. He forced himself not to look down more than absolutely necessary, picking his way quickly over the mess that carpeted the battlefield.

When he stepped through the hole in the warehouse wall, Chrono still bore his full demon form, his horns visible, his hand present, and his wings folded down onto his back. He looked pale, haunted and shaken, but he was still Chrono, even though blood soaked him from fingertips to forearms.

But when he got an eyeful of what lay inside the warehouse, Chrono had a whole new reason for his horrified look.

"Ran--!" He took two hurried steps forward, panic gripping him: Ran's Suppression Chains were gone, and Chrono's adrenaline came rushing back as he anticipated another fight on his hands. Another half-second changed the situation as Chrono's gaze absorbed more details; Ran was hurt. The demon, though he was in his fully unsealed form, looked ready to pass out, death pale and leaning against the wall to keep from flopping prone onto the ground. And to top it all off, Reggae sat next to him, steadily and stubbornly bandaging him from the neck downwards.

Wait. Bandaging? With full access to his Astral power? How was he not healing? "Reggie...?" Chrono didn't get a chance to finish the harried, incredulous thought before his eye locked on something else. Something that made his heart jump into his throat and strangle him. Something that made his brain whir into overdrive, malfunction, and then freeze.

Reg hadn't gotten to his other arm yet. The Mark on his hand was clearly visible: an upside-down pentagram, a bleeding brand.

Chrono took a knee on the young demon's other side, plucked up Ran's hand, and drew it toward him. He stared for a moment at the Mark, fighting down ire that steadily grew into budding wrath as it mingled with his incredulity and horror.

"...Ran." When the elder demon's gaze snapped up to the younger's, his face was a stone dam barely holding back the anger behind his crimson eye. "Why is this here? Why did you not say anything?" The stone split into an irate grimace, though hairline cracks in Chrono's composure looked ready to explode at any moment. "You don't have any time left."

He paused, drew in a short sigh, and let it out just as impatiently. "What happened here?"

[Meryck]

"Don't have any time--?!" Reg's eyes snapped to Ran's now-grimacing face. "Ran. What. The. Hell." Ran ignored her, sulfur eyes looking away from the both of them.

"It...wasn't this bad eariler...I just...." His eyes floated to the seal on the ground, he froze as what happened hit him like a megaton of bricks, then his eyes narrowed. "I got...ambushed....and...she did something that sped the Marking up...."

"Who?" Ran's eyes narrowed further, scathingly.

"Don't ask." Reg grimaced at the hiss, eyes briefly flickering to the seal of blood, before setting grimly back on him.

"Fine. But you better start explaining what's happening to you--"

"Later." Ran started deflating from is rage, tiredness once again seeping into his face. "Just...later. I have a month left", he said, briefly directing his gaze to Chrono, before settling it on some spot off from the other still-living beings, "And I'm not going to sit around here and wait for a civilian to find us while I explain." Reggae pursed her lips into a thin line; she didn't like it, but he had a point.

"...Alright. But somebody better explain to me what the hell's going on before the day's out." She gently took Ran's other arm up and began bandaging it as well. He closed his eyes, resignedly.

"...I will."

[Elf]

Chrono pursed his lips and said nothing. Ran had promised to explain, and they didn’t have time to argue. The elder demon waited until Reg had finished bandaging up her friend, but didn’t bother to ask for her opinion before kneeling in front of the other demon and hoisting him onto his back. After all, Reggie was too tiny to help carry Ran, and they needed to move quickly.

One more month. He only had one more month.

Chrono dropped his fully-powered appearance before they left the warehouse, more to get his wings out of Ran’s face than for the sake of secrecy. He tried to block out the sights of the area surrounding the warehouse—the words ‘warzone’ or ‘slaughterhouse’ didn’t even begin to describe the carnage, anymore. The demon’s long legs carried him past the grisly scene at a ground-eating pace, but not quickly enough to leave Reggae in the dust.

The moment the trio stepped back into the headquarters of the Chi Detective Agency, Chrono made a brisk beeline for the infirmary. No sooner had he gotten past the living room and rounded a corner than he ran into Crysta. A silent thank you went up to the heavens; he’d had it in mind to look for her as soon as he took care of Ran.

“Ms. Valentine,” he hailed her gravely. “The scene on Westwood needs to be cleaned up and contained.” Badly. “If you can dispatch someone, you should do so immediately.” Chrono didn’t wait for an answer or an affirmation; he swept right past Crysta with no more than that and a cordial nod.

He pursed his lips together to keep himself from saying anything, only remaining silent long enough to set Ran down on one of the beds, to allow Reg to start tending to her friend, and to fix the younger demon with a piercing glare.

“You said you’d explain. Well, here’s your chance.”

[Meryck]

Ran heaved a sigh. "Right, then....first things are first...." He shifted to look at Reg. Her solemn look betrayed only a hint of curiosity. He moved a hand to show her one of the Marks. "These...these Marks appear slowly as a demon's sixty-sixth year passes...It signifies that their ready to.....go through the Rites and mature, even though they won't be able to fly until....the end of their sixty-seventh year. However...." He closed his eyes and sighed.

"However what?"

"However....as the year goes by...the Marked demon's horn stubs cease being useful...for gathering Astral. If the demon...does not go through the Rites and gain full horns before midnight on the last day of the year...they die. Usually. In my case, though...my time's been sped up a bit too much....seeing as this is the start of February, I am going to die on the midnight of the second of March." There was a heavy silence.

"...You're...going to go through with the Rites, though...right?" Ran looked at her, and for a moment, regret and pain flashed in his eyes. He managed a smile that didn't reach said sulfur orbs, leaned over, and planted a kiss gently on her forehead, startling her.

"...I think you might want to leave the room, Reg."

"Wha--?! Heywait, I--!"

"Reggae." His flat tone startled her more, making her look up. Ran flashed another haunted smile, tone softening. "Trust me Reg, you'll get your turn to rant at me, but..." He glanced over at Chrono before looking back at her. "You...might not want to be around for this..." Reg bit her lip and looked between the two demons.

"...Fine", she said stiffly. He gave her an apologetic look and, after a few seconds, her own expression softened. "....just don't do anything stupid...."

"I won't." She sighed, heaved herself up, and slowly walked out the door, closing it behind her. Ran sighed and pulled himself into a more-upright position, tail twitching.

"Alright, Chrono....yell at me, if you must."

[Elf]

He should have considered it a slight, Ran's dismissing of Reg. Anyone else would have been offended. The fact that he'd asked her to leave was an assumption that Chrono would want a turn to explode at Ran, to rage at him, to let loose another of his--what was Reggie's term?--Wrath Demon Hissy Fits.

And in truth, he was a little offended. He had no intention of doing any kind of exploding. But he did not protest Reg's absence. There were quite a few things that Chrono wanted to say that he would rather the teenage girl not hear.

And on second thought...if he'd waited this long to tell her even this much, then he probably wouldn't want her to hear either...Clever kid.

"Smooth move." The compliment could be considered that in words only; Chrono's low tone punctured each syllable with merciless fangs and left a poisonous aftertaste in the air. "Nice little distraction you pulled off there. Some things are too grisly for little girls to hear, right?"

He paused over his next words, shaking his head as he decided to save what he really wanted to say for last. Besides, the kid deserved a thorough chewing-out before Chrono got to that point.

"I can't believe you let it go this long," he spat, his crimson eye burning with ire as he fixed it on Ran. "You should have done the Rites way before you turned 66. A demon with your kind of power--you're more than capable of getting through them. You could have done them ten years ago, Ran!"

Chrono paused, taking care not to raise his voice. He wanted to chew the boy out, not fly off the handle. And he didn't want Reggie to overhear anything, either.

"Instead, you let it go like this." Chrono's voice dripped contempt, but his face told another story, pity and blatant worry twisting his features. "Someone like you can't afford to let this go, Ran." His look turned pointed, the quieting words loaded with meaning. "I saw the Seal on the ground, Ran. The only time a member of the Royal Family of the Dragon Court would bother to do something like this is if they were kin." His voice dropped even further, worry and ire never leaving it. "You're their Prince, aren't you?"

He shook his head again, disappointment lacing every sway of his bangs.

"You're selfish." He refused to look up at the boy, keeping his eye closed and his gaze averted. Chrono raised his hand and put it to his forehead, struggling to keep his tone level. "Did you know that? Selfish. Do you really think you'll be helping her if you leave her alone?"

"You have no intention of going through the Rites, do you?"