This was the second time that Ezekiel had been in the Crimson Quarter. For what exactly? Nothing other than to see the way of life down here. People suffered...greatly. It was as if the royals and nobles had been purposely ignoring them. Not to mention it smelled like horse shit and puke. Zeke frowned as he took baby steps through the Quarter. How was it possible that the rest of Hosenka city was so beautiful, so Alluring... and yet this part was the complete opposite. Ezekiel knew the government of Fiore had been corrupt, but he never imagined that the people would be too. Was there not anyone who thought this was wrong? Was nobody trying to help these people? Daeva Eye had control over this region- despite the fact that it should belong to Fairy Tail, yet they didn't seem to be addressing this problem. How sad. As the wood-elf walked alone through the most dangerous part of the city, he gazed upon the innocent lives begging for change and whatever else they could use to survive. Of course, the young elven mage gave what he could, but even he didn't have much of his own money.

Mlezi was no longer with him. For reasons he'd rather not think about, the only being he trusted was gone. Vanished. Ezekiel balled his fists and dropped his head. Why was the world so cruel? He wanted to save it, and yet the gods insisted on taking his best friend from him. Did they want to drive him mad? Nothing good came from anger and frustration. Was it a test of faith? If so, it was unbelievably irrational- even for a god. After a few seconds, Ezekiel looked forward again. Everything would be okay. He was sure of it. Now was his chance to learn everything he couldn't while Mlezi was here. Now was his chance to experience the world alone, without the guidance of someone else. Humans were naturally destructive beings. They hurt each other, they hurt others, and they hurt themselves. They were so obsessed with power, that they limited who would be able to get any. For example. Usually, the people in power in this country were white-skinned, pure-bred Fiorians with blonde hair and blue eyes. You rarely ever see the representation of browner-toned folks or of Elves. Because of that, people have looked at Ezekiel with unwelcoming eyes. There are so many things wrong with society. It seems like nobody is doing anything to address these problems either. Nonetheless, that is why Ezekiel was here. Aizo would guide him to the path of light, but perhaps love...was not necessary for that.

Maybe Love was not the answer after all? Could one deliver true justice without loving the world? Or the people? At least as they were currently? Everyone seemed to be so corrupt, how could Ezekiel love them? Perhaps if they changed and saw the light then love would be possible. At this very moment though, everything that the Ainkens taught him about love seemed to be fluff words. But why? Surely they didn't teach him that love was the only answer because it was? The Wood-elf closed his eyes as he strolled through the streets. Aizo... is it because of Mlezi that I feel different? How can I love the people of this world when all they do is hurt and kill each other? How can I spread love when people reject me for my race and ethnicity? The truth is... Mlezi, the earth, and you are the only things that I love wholeheartedly. While I find most people quite interesting, I do not feel the love in my heart for them. I do not feel the love in my heart for anyone that would allow others to suffer. Humans are violent... how can I love the very disease that is hurting the earth? She is in pain too...

Ezekiel sighed before opening his eyes. What do I do?

Zeke was incapable of hearing the voice of Aizo because he was not asleep. Still, it wouldn't hurt to ask. Perhaps his god would answer his questions when he dreamt tonight- if he could even dream. Without his Dardian he was afraid that his life would never be as peaceful as it was. Perhaps though, there was excitement in that. Ezekiel walked through the Crimson Quarter looking for the woman he had met before. This was the same woman that asked Zeke and Mlezi to go infiltrate some building of criminals and return with information. She only asked the duo because Mlezi seemed to be strong, so without him, he wasn't sure if the woman would need him again. It didn't matter though, because even without Mlezi he was strong. Without his guardian to protect him, he was just more susceptible to get injured but even then he was more than capable of healing himself. The Wood elf made his way towards the restaurant. Apparently the woman could usually be found there. Ezekiel was eager to test himself but really he needed the money. With a yawn, he turned a corner and walked down a street. At the end of the street, the worn-down building awaited him.

The last time he came to his restaurant the food was amazing. It was ironic because of how poorly kept the building seemed to be. Right now he wasn't worried about food though. Finally, he entered the restaurant, pushing it open gently as a bell ring. There had only been about twelve people inside, one of those being the same woman he saw last time. When she turned to look at who opened the door she seemed pleasantly surprised. She called out to him, and Ezekiel waved. The Elf sat at her table and asked if she had any other quests that he could ask for some quick cash. The last time she had paid him a handsome price and so he was expecting the same thing this time. The woman nodded but first asked where the Dardian Guardian was. Ezekiel simply replied that he was somewhere else. It was the truth after all. About now he was probably somewhere unknown to either of them. The woman wasn't convinced so easily. She looked like she wanted to ask more but refused to for whatever reason. Suddenly she pulled out a piece of paper and handed it towards Ezekiel.

The woman explained that there was a group of men that had been going around stealing important jewels and trinkets from some of the biggest names in the city. She needed the wood-elf to find the place on the paper. The building was poorly drawn but it appeared to look like some sort of castle underground. This would have been a great quest for Mlezi, Ezekiel thought. Once he found the building, he was supposed to report back to her immediately. He didn't need to fight, he didn't need to stalk anyone or retrieve an item, he just needed to find the building. Fair enough, he thought. Without another question, he adjusted the bow strap on his back and was on his way. The first thing he had to do was find the man on top of the paper. Apparently he was the one who was delivering prized possessions to a middle man who then delivered it to the building. How would he go about that? Simple. He'd just ask people around the town if they had seen such a man. So he did. The Fairy tail mage walked around the entire Crimson Quarter asking people if they had seen the green-haired man until finally, a kid with glasses said that he had. Apparently the man had ventured into a bar and didn't come out until the morning.

The kid said some interesting things, but Ezekiel decided to believe him. So, he made his way towards this bar. He was looking for a sign that said "The Rusty Cup". It didn't take him long to find the rusty cup. The only issue was that he looked younger than he actually was so he hoped nobody found him suspicious. The elf entered the bar and found himself at a table all the way in the corner of the building. He gazed around, hoping to find the man on the paper. Green hair, black cloak, and very very short. He had to keep his eyes peeled. It was a good thing he didn't drink because he was far from tempted by anything in the bar. Maybe one day he would finally try getting drunk. His people were very against drinking anything but wine, and it wasn't to get drunk- it was to ease the pain of a headache or a body ache.

There! Ezekiel thought as a random man entered the bar. He had green hair and took his hood down as he entered. The man was shorter than he initially imagined. There was something off too. He seemed to be looking around suspiciously as if he didn't want anybody to see what he was going to do next. Ezekiel kept his eyes peeled as the man went behind the bar counter and took a key off of one of the shelves. Then he put his hood back on and walked out of the building. Quickly Ezekiel stood and walked out of the building too. What the hell was this man up to? The wood elf followed him around the building until he came across a door in the back of it. He peeked from the side of the building just so his cover wasn't blown as the man unlocked the door. Once he was beginning to close behind him, Ezekiel quickly darted over at inhumane speeds and caught it with his hand. He tried his hardest to remain quiet.

The door was caught. It seemed that the man had quickly walked into wherever this door led to. Needless to say that the wood-elf was very curious as to where the door led so quickly he entered. What he saw next was stairs, that went downwards. This must have been it, the wood elf thought. Without another moment of hesitation, Ezekiel walked down the stairs. When he finally reached the bottom he saw that there was an entire underworld that he knew nothing about. A tunnel would have to be followed so that he could move into whatever this place truly was. After a few moments of walking, he came across another door. This one was a sliding rock door and when he opened it he beheld a whole floor of men pacing back and forth with weapons. The men saw him and di nothing. Probably because they assumed that if he made it down here then he was meant to be here. Of course, that was the furthest thing from the truth. The Elven male had to at least pretend as he belonged. So With confidence he strolled through the hall, absorbing everything he saw. Some of the men were in corners drinking beer and laughing, while others were playing a number of games. All in all this place seemed like a pretty good place to be. Ezekiel for a moment was confused but that didn't last long when in the distance he saw a man's neck get sliced.

Welp. That was all the Savannan boy needed to see tonight. There was no need for him to feed into his curiosity. The woman simply told him to find the place he was looking for and he did just that. With a sigh, he swiftly turned around and left the same way he entered. Nobody would bat an eye. One thing Ezekiel didn't like to see was people die so this place was definitely not for him. Quickly he exited the premises and when he went back outside he backed up. He had to remember the name of this place to report back to the woman who promised him a juicy reward. Money. It was the only reason the elf chose to partake in this quests just like he chose to partake in other quests. As far as he was concerned his job was here was done. Now all he had to do was return to that restaurant he liked. Perhaps when he returned he would get a nice juicy vegetarian burger with a side of seasoned fries. Hopefully, they had that chipotle mayonnaise he liked so much. It didn't take him long to return to the mysterious woman, whom he still didn't know very well. When he did return he told her exactly where the underground place was and of course she paid him the same amount she paid him last time. The two would sit and chat over a meal before he returned back to the safe part of Hosenka for the night. Boy how he missed Mlezi.