"Why? I'm a lowly human after all." I narrow my eyes at him.

"It is precisely because you are a lowly human that it will not work. Erithea can do it," he says as he turns to Thea.

"No." Now it's Cer's turn to refuse. "She's not well. There's no telling if she'll have another fit."

"And who allowed her to eat meat in the first place?" Ze comments. "You should take better care of your sister, Cerenios," he adds in an odd tone.

Damn, why do I feel like they're speaking in some sort of code?

"Erithea will do it," Ze insists. "She is better suited for this."

"I said she will not," Cer reiterates, getting to his feet.

They're both giants, and although of similar heights, Ze is slightly taller, his features more fearsome due to his inherent coldness. Although Cer tends to be aloof and sometimes reserved, there's a warmth to him that is completely absent in Ze.

"Stand down, soldier." Ze gives Cer a deadly stare.

"I'll do it. There's no reason to fight over this," I interject, getting between the two of them.

"You're going to get yourself killed." He pins me down with his gaze. I hold it, not letting his impressive height intimidate me, even though I barely make it to his chest.

"I'll do it," I repeat, turning my back to Ze and ignoring Cer.

I can feel Ze's gaze boring into my back just as an arctic air descends upon the room. Damn, the man is the definition of chilly.

"She's our best bet, Ze. Twice the demon has shown up until now, and both times it was when she was alone," Cer says.

Ze doesn't reply, but he doesn't agree with the plan either. He's just intently watching us as we start plotting.

"You can wait on the stage," Cer continues. "Ze and I will be on either side of the auditorium. The moment he shows up, we'll corner him from both directions."

"Then what?" I ask.

"We need the demon alive to check whether the souls he swallowed are still alive within it. After we ascertain that, we perform an extraction and subsequently we exterminate the demon."

"It sounds so easy when you say it." I smile.

Ze grunts from behind.

"And me? What am I supposed to do?" Thea suddenly asks, getting to her feet and dusting her pretty dress. Her long red hair's waving back and forth as she moves, swaying in a hypnotic rhythm. For someone who was struggling to breathe just a few hours ago, she certainly looks the picture of health. I wonder how she managed to get well so quickly—not that I'd begrudge her that. But I'm curious about these odd teammates of mine, and if I'm honest, a little skeptical too. Especially with our new arrival. Ze makes it very hard not to be even more suspicious considering his even odder behavior.