ESS END: A thoughtful battle and…Divine Cheating?!! Part 5 of 5.
‘Will he go? Will he stay? We’ll have to wait and see,’ that’s what I told you the last time we saw Kori tonight, and we finally got our answer.
But how did he get here? Well, for that we must briefly go back but some minutes ago, right when our dear Princess had resumed her fight with Xol after drinking a full recovery potion.
Faced with the question posed by his crimson armor and sword and fueled by a certain princess’ words and steadfast conviction, our former Star of Sanjo chose to take a leap of faith once more.
After all, if he could do it once, he could do it again.
He only needed to make the choice.
And once he did, he pushed aside the turmoil that had been weighing him down and stepped forward, put on his armor, placed his trusted sword on his hip, and left the room.
Every step he took after that became faster than the last one, for stopping was no longer an option.
At least not for him.
Thus, he left the inn behind and ventured into the battlefield that Cucuy Village had already become by then.
The closer he got to where the action was, the more the sounds of battle filled his ears. Those who could fight, led by the former Royal Knights Gur'Enel, Alphi’Nott, and Ghyllen, engaged with the many Savage Spriggans through swift, hit and run attacks to keep them from getting into the village’s church and harming the civilians hiding inside.
Their war cries were filled with many, many emotions. Fear, anger, desperation, courage, hope, and most important of all…love.
To protect the ones they loved, they were giving their all, and it showed in the fact that the Savage Spriggans hadn’t breached the Church’s barrier yet.
Still, things looked quite grim in Kori’s eyes as he got closer and closer.
The Savage Spriggans were just…too relentless in their attacks, granting no rest to those fighting them, and much less to the clerics in charge of the church’s [Blessed Barrier], which was already visibly growing weaker.
In short, things were bound to go sideways soon if nothing was done to prevent that from happening.
Thankfully, Kori never planned on ignoring what was happening in front of him.
Not at all.
He had chosen to wear his crimson armor again.
He had chosen to reclaim his will as a Star.
He had chosen to fight once more.
And he was going to make good on that choice.
So, he took a deep breath and quickened his pace even further, breaking through enemy lines as he tore down the floodgates inside his very spirit and let the mana that had grown stagnant within him flow freely once again.
The effect was immediate.
His once weak mana responded to his will and filled not just his body with an overflowing might, but his mind too.
Even if they were still riddled with scars made by Xol’s draconic hand.
“Gh…!”
Painful scars that immediately accosted him through a sudden, sharp pang inside his head followed by an overwhelming feeling of weakness.
Said scars were his very own mana sickness.
And it was telling him that if he used his power as he intended to, it would only worsen.
Before this grim reminder, Kori bit his lip within his helmet and kept moving despite the pain, despite everything. That is because…
‘…I already made my choice.’
And nothing was going to stop him.
‘No matter the pain…’
…he was going to keep running forward.
‘No matter how afraid…’
…he was going to face what lied ahead firmly.
‘That’s why…’
So he grabbed all that pain, all that fear, and all those memories attached to them, and followed the Princess’ lead as he turned them into the kindling for his very own burning will and ignited it! In the name of one single, firm conviction!
‘…I will bring an end to this! [Mind Weaver Trance]!’
Wasting no more time, his eyes lit up with a familiar pinkish hue as he began using his mind weaving magic to turn his very mind into a receptor for the thoughts of everyone in the village through a very particular spell.
‘[One Port for the Ever-Flowing Mindstream]!’
Soon enough, an incredible amount of raw information, feelings, and even memories, flowed into him, relaying their everything to Kori in a mental deluge that would take the mind of a normal person to the breaking point.
But not Kori’s.
No.
His mind, riddled with scars as it was, still held the innate fortitude that only those born with the psychic attribute had, a fortitude that he nurtured throughout the years for the sake of not just enduring such a thing, but to take advantage of it for the sake of what he believed in.
By using that very same fortitude, he made sense of the rough stream flowing into him and quickly grabbed on to the strands of information he was looking for.
One helped him have a firm grasp on his allies’ plans of attack. Meanwhile, the other told him about everyone’s status and relieved his heart from an especially important worry.
“No casualties…thank the Goddess. I’m not too late.”
His relief about it was so great that he didn’t care one bit about the other consequence to his spell, a spell that he only used for 2 seconds in the real world, even if I made it seem longer by showing you what Kori did in the mental plane.
And why do I say all of this? Because those 2 seconds was what it took for every single Savage Spriggan in the village to not just notice him but completely fixate on him, bringing a brusque stop to their merciless assault against their then opponents as they all froze and eerily turned towards him at the same time.
This left those who had been fighting them confused and wondering what was going on.
“What…what is happening…?”
“They stopped…?”
It didn’t matter if they were villagers or…
“Gur'Enel! Are you still on the roofs?! Can you see any signal coming from where Lady Euphemia and the rest are supposed to be fighting?!”
“None, Alphi’Nott! Not even the flare Miss Sistina said she was going to fire after confirming the target’s subjugation! I think they’re still fighting!”
“Then what is happening…? Any ideas, Ghyllen?!”
“Not a one. They’re not disappearing and there’s this strange wave of mana permeating the area with an attribute I can’t quite figure out, which is…surprising. I think Gur'Enel is right. Something different is going on here and I don’t know what it is.”
…the companions of our dear Princess who stayed behind to lead them.
For them, something made no sense.
But for us it makes all the sense.
After all, between him and the villagers, he was what their Master most desired, and said desire was firmly engraved in the chaotic minds of the Savage Spriggans, making it impossible for them not to fixate on him…and Kori knew that.
“Yes, look at me. All of you.”
He knew that very well.
“I’m the prey your Master has been looking for.”
And he was going to use that against them.
So he did.
“And now…[you cannot tell him anything].”
““““““CrRrrRr…””””””
With the first command, they trembled, and a feeling of isolation washed over them as their ability to communicate with their master became lost to them, buried within the deepest reaches of their chaotic, insane mind.
“You can only [expose your cores].”
“““““““CrRRRrrROoooOoorr…rrgrr…RRGghhhh—?!”””””””
With the second, they tried to resist, their groans being heard all around the village, but alas…they could do nothing but helplessly watch in shock as they used their makeshift hands to expose their cores one by one.
“And [fall in a deep, deep slumber].”
“““““““…”””””””
And with the last, they all fell to the ground as everything turned to black, leaving a lone Kori as the only one standing in a sea of exposed and asleep Savage Spriggans.
“Eh…?”
“What the…?”
“I…huh??”
Suffice to say, the villagers had the same puzzled reactions as these three former elven Royal Knights, their minds filling with more and more questions about the mysterious person in crimson and what he had just done. Meanwhile, said person in crimson raised his arms and…
“It worked…? Oh Goddess, it worked!!!”
…celebrated in a way that just…
““““““YOU DIDN’T KNOW IF IT WAS GOING TO WORK?!”””””
“…?! I…erm…well, I had confidence that it was going to work since their Master was not here but seeing it actually work still made me very happy ahaha…haha…”
…made everyone even more shocked than before. So much so that they couldn’t help themselves but retort like that, kissing goodbye to all the tension and making Kori flinch before he meekly explained himself, fufufu~.
“Wait…that voice…Kori?”
““Kori?!””
And that was enough for the one getting down from his position up in the nearby roofs to recognize Kori’s voice despite it being muffled by his helmet, leading Gur'Enel the archer to make such an unexpected remark, which his two friends parroted out of shock.
Seeing the wondering gazes of not only the ones who had helped save him, but those he had just helped as well, Kori immediately took off his imposing helmet and faced them all.
“Yeah, it’s me.”
He started with that, showing his saviors that he was indeed the one behind what had just transpired and then…
“And I’m deeply sorry for not joining you all from the beginning when I’m the reason why this happened.”
…he bowed deeply and apologetically, both towards his saviors and the villagers he had unintentionally gotten involved. While he knew that the Princess had explained everything to the villagers thanks to the same spell he used to gain a grasp of the village’s situation and didn’t resent her for it as they all deserved to know given the circumstances, he still felt that he needed to take responsibility personally.
Even if he ended up being hated for it.
“I do not expect you all to forgive me. And I do not wish for that either. Rather…I only wish to make amends. I hope you would let me. So, once again, I’m deeply, deeply sorry. For everything.”
One would think that a certain, overwhelmingly loud silence would take over the village again following Kori’s words, but that was not the case. Instead, there was the sound of steps. The steps of not just one, but many a person getting closer and closer to the still bowing Kori until…until a hand grasped his armored shoulder, and a friendly voice reached his ears.
“Hey, raise your head man. While I can’t tell you that things would’ve been fine if you hadn’t arrived when you did, the fact that you single-handedly stopped things before they went sideways still stands. That’s one great way to start making amends if you ask me.”
It was one of his saviors, Alphi’Nott, and he was not alone.
“I agree. Besides, the one at fault is that Dragon Lord hunting you, not you. Specially after you did something as crazy and dangerous as running right into a mob of Savage Spriggans while knowing full well that you were their main objective. If that’s not taking responsibility properly, I don’t know what is.”
“Agreed. And while I’d love to ask you lots of questions about what kind of special attribute you have to be able to do this…there’s someone who wants to talk to you. So, please, raise your head, Kori. You’d really want to hear them out. They’re the village head after all.”
“…!”
Gur'Enel was there too, along with Ghyllen, who couldn’t help but want to satisfy his arcane curiosity as a Caster, yet he had to hold himself back for the sake of the fourth person with them, who revealed himself to be a strong-looking axe-wielding old man as Kori quickly raised his head, not wanting to add disrespect to the list of transgressions he felt he had committed.
“I heard that you were looking to settle down in this village. Is that right, son?”
“That’s…that’s right. But I’ll understand if that’s no longer in the cards now, sir.”
So he said with a heavy yet resolute heart as he was ready to accept such a thing as part of taking responsibility for his part in the village’s current misfortunes. Especially when the old man’s stern look and tone left very little space for Kori to interpret his question in any other way.
Still, Kori couldn’t leave it at that. He felt that he needed to do more, to say more, even if he risked angering the head of the village.
“I just ask that you let me help in the reconstruction after everything is said and done with the battle in the valley. Once the work over, I shall leave. I promise,” he continued, his voice still filled with the same earnestness with which he apologized, he truly wanted nothing more than to make the people of Cucuy Village whole.
In response to all of this, the old man…
“Haa…”
“…?!”
…sighed in slight exasperation as he began scratching the back of his neck, which made Kori flinch, wondering if he had indeed angered the village head, fufufu~. Of course, he tried saying something but was stopped by the village head signaling him with his hand to stop.
“Look, son. While I’ll admit that our first impression of you was not the greatest, especially when it came to…all of this,” he gestured to the ruined houses all around them before continuing. “We can understand being hunted by something unreasonable and very powerful. We live close to Doorim territory for Goddess’ sake. But…taking your time to do something about it while others are fighting for their lives is not something people can forgive easily, much less quickly.”
“I—”
Once again Kori tried to say something, to apologize even more, and once again he was stopped by the old man, who signaled him that he wasn’t done talking.
“Which is why it’s a good thing that you did what you did when you did, son. Thanks to that we didn’t lose anyone. There’s no better start at fixing things than that, but it’s still just a start. If you really want to make amends, you’ll need to do much more than just help with the reconstruction. You’ll need to stay longer than that. Long enough that people won’t want you to leave. You get what I mean?”
“…! I…yes! I understand! I promise that I will do my best!”
Kori was surprised, not only was he being given the chance to make amends properly, but he was also wrong about what the old man meant at the start of their exchange. He wasn’t being banned from living there, it was the opposite…he finally had a new place to call home.
He was no longer a vagabond.
This realization came with an incredible relief, but also something else.
“I’ll make myself worthy of calling this village my home and…”
He now had another reason to fight for. He now had a home to protect.
“…I’ll stop the evil that followed me from ever hurting this village again.”
So he declared. And with good timing too! Because the valley shook with a powerful ‘PUM’ just as he finished saying that! That being the moment when a certain heartbreaking double whammy made contact with its target!!
“Well, that’s your cue, Kori. Leave smashing the cores of these sleepyheads to us, I’m sure everyone will find it quite cathartic. Assuming that they won’t just suddenly wake up while we’re doing that, ahaha…will they?”
“Ahaha, no no, they won’t. The slumber I put them is a deep one. Nothing besides me will be able to wake them. But…are you sure you don’t want to come with me, Alphi’Nott? Gur'Enel? Ghyllen? Your leader and the others are fighting—”
“Hey, it’s fine, Kori. We have our orders. We need to stay here. You, on the other hand, need to go and join the Princess. I don’t know about you, but fighting alongside her sounds like a great way to pay her back, right? So go.”
“Go, Kori. You don’t have to worry about us. Focus on what you need to do.”
“Alphi and Gur already said everything, so stop wasting time and go before I start questioning you about your magic.”
“Haha, alright! And village head!”
“Yeah?”
“I promise I’ll come back!”
“You better! Or I will work you to the bone!”
With the blessing of not only three of his saviors, but also the head of the village that had welcomed him despite everything, Kori put his helmet back on and left for the valley where the Princess and her companions were looking down at an injured and cornered Xol.
On his way there, he witnessed a certain purging barrier be invoked and a black cloud burn as it touched it! This gave him hope. Surely the Princess and her companions had the upper hand, right?
They did.
For a moment.
“No…Lady Euphemia!! EVERYONE!”
A moment that ended as soon as Kori arrived at the arena that the valley had become, leaving him unable to do anything but watch and scream while Xol used the very fragment of power he had stolen from him to seemingly shut down the minds of our dear Princess, Charles, and Fen’Ru-el.
Of course, he didn’t stop running towards them.
“NOOOOOOOOO!!!”
Nor he stopped screaming.
He even tried to reach out towards them with one of his hands, desperately trying to pull them away from the pinkish wave of mana that began washing over them, but alas…his hand could only grasp the air as our dear, dear Princess turned, smiled at him, and…fell.
And Kori…
“XOL! YOU BASTAAAAAARGH!!! [FALL]! [FALL]!!”
…lashed out in a rage! His eyes burned bright pink and his words, ladened with a boiling wrath that had been buried beneath the deepest reaches of his heart, carried one intent and one intent only! An intent that his burning pink mana followed as it swelled and charged at Xol like a ravenous beast!
The intent to erase him from this very planet!
BUT!
Right as the wrathful wave of mind weaving mana was about to swallow the lesser dragon lord whole, it vanished, turned to ethereal dust by a nonchalant wave of the dragon’s hand, a wave encased in the very same power meant to end him.
“…!! That’s…!! Dammit! Why…why can’t my power reach you?!” Kori screamed, aghast. Much to Xol’s delight.
“Why, he asks! Why! Hehehehahahahahaha! You know why, you brave fool who doomed his companions with his arrival! Your magic cannot hurt you and it won’t hurt me as long as I hold on to this piece of your magic! Of you!” he screamed in revel and mockery alike, all while his black mana swelled oppressively and revealed a dirtied yet still bright pink glint to it, making his point even clearer as Kori tried not to crumble before its pressure.
Furthermore, something had grabbed Kori’s attention in a way that he couldn’t let go off, so much so that it made the fire inside him a focused one.
“What do you mean about me dooming them with my arrival?”
He asked, sharply. Both in tone and in gaze.
He had to know. Even if he feared the answer. After all, that remark felt heavier than the rest, heavier than simple mockery, as if…as if it held the weight of truth.
As for Xol…
“Oh? Hehe…I’m glad that you’re asking about that. It’ll add plenty of guilt to your flavor once I tell you, so listen well.”
…he was more than happy to provide him with the answer, for it was delectable for him to see the mortal before him drive the metaphorical knife even deeper by their own hand.
“It is as I said, you brave fool. You doomed your companions with your arrival because the piece I took from you grows stronger the closer we are to each other.”
“…?!”
“Surprised, aren’t you?” he smiled, he was enjoying this oh so much. “I do not know how or why, nor do I care as that hag former master of mine is the only one who truly understands our ‘taking’ ritual. What I do know is that it doesn’t matter how much courage you gathered to stand here before me like you did back then, much less whatever wish you had of fighting beside these…rather effective fools…in the end you ruined everything by simply coming here.”
“…”
“And you can’t even deny it because now that you know, you can’t help but notice it. Just like you can’t ignore the guilt that is now welling up inside you. You started to reek of it the second you understood that I was telling the truth after all.”
Truly, seeing Kori suffer by his own hand, his own curiosity, was a treat for Xol. Yet…seeing Kori fall silent from it all made him want to overindulge, to take the metaphorical knife from his toy’s hand and press it further himself. You could call it his very own twisted form of intoxicated revelry. One he wasn’t planning to stop doing until Kori was completely broken before him once again.
So…he pressed it further, mocked Kori further, all while wearing a sick smile on his face.
“Of course, you are still welcome to try and bring me down by forcing things with your part of the power. Who knows? You might have a chance! So please, try as desperately as you can. It will only make the act of devouring you better,” he said with a salivating smile. "But remember this, you brave fool who doomed his companions with his arrival, even in the state that I am right now my will is much stronger than yours, and my mind won’t ever show you an opening big enough for your weak, mewling mind to get in. So go on. Try. I promise that it will be impossible for you to do it.”
“…”
Silence. Ever so delicious silence. At least, that is what Xol felt as Kori remained silent, trapped in a battle between his newfound heavier guilt and his recently kindled burning will. He wanted to save those who had saved his life and even helped him recover the conviction he thought he had lost. And yet…by trying to help them, he harmed them. Was he doomed to bring misfortune to those around him? No! He shouldn’t be wasting time! He should be trying to save them regardless of what happened!
…right?
Guilt. Conviction. A tug of war that left him unable to either fall or step up. Such was the state of Kori’s mind as silence reigned.
“Not…for…me…”
““…?!””
But then, someone broke that silence. Someone that surprised both Kori and Xol.
“An…opening…”
Someone lying at Xol’s feet. Someone he thought he had already dealt with. Someone who Kori thought had her mind shut down.
“…I can make…it…”
Our Princess. Euphemia. Somehow, she had regained consciousness and was glaring at Xol with the same fierce, unbroken, challenging eyes that made his blood boil throughout their battle. There was even a slight confident smile on her face, one that proved to be quite irritating for Xol.
“You…”
“Me—ghh!”
Still, despite her words, despite her smile, she was too exhausted to prevent Xol from brusquely lifting her up by the neck with his left hand as she tried to get up.
“Lady Euphemia!! You vile…!!”
Meanwhile, Kori tried to run towards her to save her while brandishing his sword and enchanting it with his mind weaving magic, his doubts pushed aside by his overwhelming desire to help the one who had helped him.
“Gkhg—!”
“—!!”
But sadly, he was stopped midway by Xol tightening his grip around Euphemia’s neck and wagging his right finger at him.
“Nuh-uh-uh. Move any closer and I will give you one more reason to feel guilty about.”
“Ghnhg…aghh…!”
“Dammit!!”
Anger and frustration filled Kori as he was forced to watch how Xol tightened his grip around our dear Princess’ neck even more, all to make him understand how serious his threat was.
And not just him.
“That goes for all of you hiding in the forest too! Don’t think that I haven’t noticed you gnats getting closer since the barrier went away!”
“““…!!”””
He made it clear to those that had been silently approaching from the forest too. They were the other half of our dear Princess’ team, the Royal Maid Sistina and the two former Elven Royal Knights, Sols and Leglas. And yet, despite their vital contribution to the battle with the purging barrier, they now found themselves forced to stay still and do nothing as their charge was in grave danger.
“Princess…”
Sistina, who held the greatest desire to go and save the girl she had taken care of for many years, even had to bite her lip to the point of making it bleed to stop herself from moving lest she made a horrible mistake.
“Good.”
All of this frustration and impotence from those who dared think they could defeat him made Xol smile a large, wicked, delighted smile, but it was not a lasting one.
“Hrnn…”
Indeed. Said smile vanished as soon as he turned back his attention to the Princess, who, despite her exhaustion, hadn’t given up on trying free herself from his grasp, constantly moving and weakly striking at his gripping hand. She was even barely muttering something between gasps, something that Xol could only think of as the nonsensical ramblings of someone barely able to breathe.
Still, he felt annoyed just looking at her. No, not just annoyed, irritated, angered, furious.
“As for you…” he leaned closer to her, his eyes burning with the ire he felt over how she humiliated him. “…you’re barely holding on to your consciousness, teetering between reality and the sea of nightmares and trauma I’m drowning you with…and yet you still dare think you can beat me, Little Princess?”
Tell me dearies, what do you think was our dear Princess’ answer to Xol’s question? Hm? Fufufu~~, exactly. It is just as you say. Even when faced with such ire, such danger, our dear, dear Princess had only one answer for one such as him. A firm, confident…
“Yes.”
“…”
It was such a confident answer in fact that it even gave Xol pause. What else could she do that she hadn’t done before? How would she do it when even those dangerous pieces of old meat crumbled under the weight of their own trauma and nightmares? Those where the first kinds of questions that raced through his mind, but then another kind surfaced, a very, very dangerous one.
‘How broken would she be if whatever she does doesn’t work? How broken would everyone else be if she falls before even trying?’
A kind of question rooted in desire and greed, his desire and greed. The one thing that he had been pinning for ever since his battle against the Princess started. He wanted to break her and in turn, break everyone around her. And just like with the metaphorical knife, he couldn’t stop himself from indulging in it.
Foolishly so.
“Then, let’s see what gives out first, Little Princess. Your mind or your neck.”
“Ack…!!”
And so, Xol began to slowly increase the strength of his grip on Euphemia’s neck while also upping the intensity of the mental onslaught he was unleashing upon her, showing her worse and worse versions of her worst nightmares and traumas—whatever they were—one after the other, hoping break her both physically and mentally.
“Lady Euphemia!!”
“““PRINCESS!”””
Of course, upon hearing her groan in pain, those who had been forced to just watch couldn’t remain silent and called out to her in desperation and fear, but also anger and even…hatred for the one hurting her, feeding into Xol’s desires and made him push things even further!
“Hehehehehehaha! Be drowned in your pathetic nightmares and traumas…! Break for me and break all of them in turn!”
Just like that.
BUT!
CLANG!
Something happened! Something that stopped his mental assault on its tracks with a hard, cold clang!
“What…??”
Strange. Very strange. This kind of rejection, of pushback…he didn’t expect it. Not even from the Princess before her, especially given her current state. Was he shocked? Yes, for a moment. But that was not enough to deter him. After all, he only needed to push much, much harder.
“Hrrn…as expected, you still have some fight left in you. That is fine. I shall crush it along with your little mind.”
So he did. He pushed harder and yet…
CLANG! CLANG!
“Gnnn…! Again?! What is this…?!”
…he was pushed back even harder. And this time by multiple of such clangs. So, he discarded what little remained of his thoughts of being above needing to do such things with an inferior mortal and peered into Euphemia’s mind completely, searching for what was blocking his attacks.
And he found it. Or more like…
“What are these…shields?! Who are these people?! Tell me!”
…he found them. A pair of beautiful, Moon Tear silver shields, steadfast and unmovable, as well as the people holding them, protecting the very core of Euphemia’s mind, her mental self. How could they be stopping him? He needed to know! He demanded to know!
“Who are…they…you ask?”
Good thing for Xol, our dear Princess was more than happy to oblige.
“They are…”
Even between rough gasps, she would answer with pride.
“…my foundation.”
They were her family after all.
“And you…would never…get past them. No matter…how much…you try…”
They were her mother, Theresa. Her eldest brother, Erevain. Her older brother, Licht. And her older sister, Mary. They all were holding the shields against wave after wave of baleful darkness and terror, and they were winning!
“Ngh…you stubborn brat!” Xol lashed out in anger and in doing so made Euphemia laugh, for she found Xol’s choice of words to be quite fitting.
“Heh…heh…what can I…say? If you wanted me…to bend the knee, you shouldn’t…have kept showing me…what fuels my every deed. Besides…hng…I’m a Kyrie, being stubborn…in the face of adversity runs…in the family. Now…hngg…my chant has been done…for a while…and I have enough…mana…so…let’s do this!”
“What do you—gnn?!”
Xol couldn’t even finish his question before he was pushed out of Euphemia’s mind as her mana began to swell and take form in a very, very strange way. Unlike before, Euphemia’s mana seemed to take on a life of its own as it began projecting an eerie presence that Xol hadn’t felt in all his bouts against her, a presence that…gave him chills.
“What…what is that…?”
It was to the point that he couldn’t help but blurt that out from the bizarreness of it all. He was right in front of it, looking at it, and yet he had no idea what it was that he was seeing.
It was hazy, yet still growing more imposing with every passing moment. Somewhat humanoid in its form, yet very, very alien. Intangible, yet still threatening. So much so that every cell in his body and every single one of his instincts was telling him—no, shouting at him that that thing shouldn’t be there, that it didn’t belong here, that it was something that no mortal should have. Whatever that thing was, it was bad, very bad.
Yet, for Euphemia it was something that had been with her from the moment of her birth. The very reason why she couldn’t use magic like everyone else and the power she had to wait until she was fifteen to be able to use. It was both a blessing and a burden. And now she brought it out for the first time in her life!
“It’s the opening that Kori needs! Go! My [Blessed Familiar]! Pierce his heart with your Goddess-given might!”
“…!!”
Shaken even further by what had appeared before his very eyes being somehow related to this very divine narrator, Xol found himself in the same place as the people he was toying with but a few moments ago, paralyzed, helpless, unable to do anything but watch.
And watch he did as the thing Euphemia called her blessed familiar heeded her orders and molded its ghostly arm into an intricate pike before thrusting it towards his heart, leaving him only but few moments to react.
It was then that everything inside Xol turned into a chorus of primeval fear and desperation. Every instinct. Every base thought. Every desire. All of it. Screaming. No. Bellowing the same thing over and over.
‘MOVE OR BE NO MORE’‘MOVE OR BE NO MORE’
‘MOVE OR BE NO MORE’‘MOVE OR BE NO MORE’
‘MOVE OR BE NO MORE’‘MOVE OR BE NO MORE’
It was overwhelming, asphyxiating, excruciating, but most importantly…it was overpowering. To the point that there was only one thing he could do at that moment and that was to try to move.
“Cough—ghk?!”
But then his heart, it hurt. It hurt as if it was being both crushed and unraveled at the same time, as if it was being oppressively unmade by a raging force that he thought had run its course. And it had stopped him in his tracks.
‘Why?! I was sure that I had suppressed their bloody technique!’
Indeed, he thought that he had managed to stop it from damaging him further through sheer force of will. He was wrong. Euphemia’s and Charles’ last attack wasn’t so meager in force so as to be that fleeting in effect, much less stopped by a will such as his.
No. In fact, it was the opposite. Euphemia’s and Charles’ martial technique had been silently eating away at his heart all this time and now the piled-up damage took not just a toll on him, but something way worse…a moment.
“No…”
And it was that very moment that doomed him, for he had lost his chance to evade the incoming ghostly pike.
“…YOU RANCID, INSIGNIFICANT MORTAAAAAAAALS!! ”
Having realized that, he raged. He raged as he saw the pike getting closer and closer to his heart, becoming filled with an emotion that he had never experienced before in his life. Fear.
Fear of a mortal’s attack.
And with its cold, cold touch it made his eyes tremble, signaling Euphemia that the time had come.
“NOW KORI!!”
After all, fear has always been the enemy of will. Insidious and infectious, once it takes hold, it can make even the brightest of wills crumble, leaving nothing to stop those seeking a way in.
“I WILL NOT BE STOPPED BY THE LIKES OF YOU NOR MY HALF-EATEN PREY! YOU HEAR M—”
“I hear you well, Xol! And I say [ENOUGH]!”
“GNN—! YOU…?! IN MY HEAD…???!!”
Just like Kori, who didn’t miss the chance everyone had given him by pushing Xol this far with their efforts and immediately seized it, unleashing everything he had on Xol as the pink flames in his eyes burned greater than ever, burning even through his crimson helmet. And when I say everything, I mean everything.
“I’ve had enough of being your prey! Of being hunted! Of running away! Of not being enough! To help them! My saviors! My friends! My charges! Myself! And to stop you!”
Kori’s magic tore open the cracked walls of Xol’s will and besieged the dragon’s mind, his words became a deafening chorus of one as they assailed him not just from outside, but also from within his very thoughts, growing in intensity as they shook his mind to its foundations, making the dragon reel back in pain.
“GnhNnhAAAAAHHH!! SHUT UP! SHUTUPSHUTUP! STOP…FILLING MY MIND WITH YOUR…FILTHY…FILTHY VOICE…! RRRAAAAAH!!”
Xol tried to resist with the piece he stole, to silence him as Kori poured his heart out along with his magic, but he couldn’t, as every word became louder and heavier than the last, crushing any and all of his attempts to push them back, for the emotions that he was responsible for creating began weighing him down. A sign of things to come.
“No! This! All of this! Ends now! One way or another you’re never coming back! [TO THE MINDSCAPE WITH YOU]!!”
“GNNAAAAAAA—!!”
Having shattered the resistance Xol was so confident of, Kori dragged the dragon lord’s raging consciousness into the mental plane, the light in his eyes disappearing after flashing bright pink for a moment. With that, Euphemia and her companions were finally freed from his suffocating grip, be it physical or mental, and enabled Sistina and the rest to approach them safely. As for the attack of Euphemia’s familiar…
“Hehe…got you…”
…it simply phased through Xol’s body like a ghost playing a simple prank before going poof, unable to hold its form any longer. Not that it was meant to do anything else, fufufu~. After all, her summoner lacked the mana to materialize it properly…this time.
But, in the end, it worked, and for that Euphemia was happy.
Still…
“It’s all in your hands now…Kori…”
…she was worried for Kori, but she felt confident enough in his victory that she let her exhaustion finally take her.
“Caught you, Princess.”
Thus, with the last of her strength used up, our dear princess fainted only to be caught by Sistina, who cradled her in her arms.
“You did great. The Queen. The Crown Prince. Everyone would be proud of you. All of us are. Now rest.”
As someone who had seen her grow into the person she was holding, Sistina was truly, truly proud of her. How could she not? She loved her charge like a mother would a daughter and this was clear in the way she looked at her as she briefly, yet caringly caressed Euphemia’s tattered face, taking care of any dirt and hair on the way.
Then, she carefully placed her on the ground and resumed her duties as a maid and a healer, immediately applying healing magic on her neck and hands, as those needed attention the most. Meanwhile, the others checked on the awakening Charles and Fen, whose bittersweet expressions said more than enough about their frustration and relief over what happened to them and the princess.
Of course, even with all of this, they all paid close attention to the vacant bodies of Kori and Xol lying close to them. They hoped for Kori’s victory and his safe return.
Normally, that would be it for those not directly involved in said battle, but as I’ve shown you many times now…I can do better, fufufu~.
So, let us go there. Let us go to the mental plane. A place that is shaped by those who set foot in it, their ideas, their hopes, their dreams, and more. Everchanging, volatile, and beautifully alive, a testament to the limitless potential of all living beings that were, are, and will be.
This time was no exception, as the mental plane was immediately shaped by the two minds that crashed down into it, turning its ground white and barren, with naught but a single, dry tree, and its sky pitch-black and starless.
And as the dust settled, two figures stood up.
One belonged to a human.
The other…did not.
Instead, it began turning into something much, much larger as it uncoiled itself from any humanoid notion.
It was a lithe, sinister serpentine black dragon with a violet sheen to his scales.
“This place…you…you have done it now…Star…”
One that spoke in a guttural growl with words made of killing intent and laced with the boiling ire of many humiliations endured.
But this didn’t make the human in the crimson armor back down, rather…it made him step forward as he unsheathed his sword and spoke with words made of his rekindled conviction.
“It’s been a long time coming, Xol. I just needed a little push.”
Then, he dared point his sword at the massive dragon before him and challenged it with nothing but his gaze.
“You…truly think you can…challenge me…? YOU?! YOU ARE NOTHING!! GRRROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!”
And that pushed the dragon beyond words, beyond intent, and meaning, and into a wild, roaring rage as they both launched themselves at each other, all while the landscape shifted around them.
From battlefields of both their pasts turned into raging oceans made of endless battle cries, to the place where their sick relationship began, a beach both burning and not, broken, desolate, yet warm and filled with joyful voices…an onslaught of visions as unrelenting as their owners.
Past victims of the dragon became puppets who tried to hold the man down with every step he took, but they themselves were immobilized by the people the man had saved through his years of service and beyond…their embrace assuaging the desperation and pain in those suffering vestiges turned marionettes.
In doing so, they became something more, something better…they became like roots of a massive tree, filled with ample flower-like hands that made sure to guide the man to its top and branches that tried to grab onto the serpentine dragon instead, but to no avail as the dragon was like a snake, slithering out of every immobilization attempt before destroying the branches and gorging on its fruits in anger, reminding the transformed vestiges of his victims of the fate they suffered as punishment for their betrayal.
Still, there was no satiety to be had from that. They were just vestiges in the end, given form by the plane where they were, and his hunger would never be sated with them.
Then the man reached the top and the dragon lunged at him like a viper would against a mouse, his fangs ready to dig deep into his prey, but the man managed to avoid them by a hair’s breadth and was able to slash the dragon’s skin with his sword, angering it even more as the pain coursed through his body.
And so, they clashed again and again and again and again. Their clashes filling the sky with images of their truest desires. On one side there was a home, peace, tranquility, and on the other there was an unending feast of power, terror at his hands, and a place amongst the top Dragon Lords, the Chosen.
But that was not all, for every time they clashed; the world below was painted with their truest of feelings as they spilled them over it like paint unto a canvas.
Fear, hate, anxiety, ambition, greed, desperation, bravery, disgust, hope, joy, compassion, love…and many, many other emotions took on many shapes and colors.
All clashing and mixing together as man and dragon used them as weapons against each other.
Orange greed, mustard hunger, and scarlet rage turned into many mouths attached to shadowy heads resembling Xol’s, mouths the dragon rained upon the man in an all-hungering, all-consuming monsoon as he too descended upon him.
Yet, the man immediately ascended towards it all and answered with the very reason he decided to wear his armor and fight in the Front all those years ago, a selfless desire for peace. Thus, such desire turned into an endless flock of sky-blue comets in the shape of doves that flew alongside him. But that was not all, as the man reminded himself of his steel grey temperance, quelling his own anger, and turned it into the many weapons of the comrades that he made in all his life, all while making them strike true by empowering them with the emerald aura of calmness.
With that, greed met selflessness, hunger met temperance, rage met calm, and imaginary iron met imaginary claw in just another one of their many, many clashes, until both were pushed to their very limits and were forced to unleash what they thought to be their strongest attacks.
“[RAVENOUS BREATH OF THE DEVOURING DRAGON]!”
“[PSYCHIC CONFLAGRATION]!!”
Thus, psychic fire and ravenous boiling gas met, just like iron and claw did first, and brought forth an explosion that threw them to opposite sides of this ever-shifting plane. Yet that didn’t stop them from getting back up, much less from continuing their fight…for they became as brushes and began painting their weapons with the emotions they had unleashed and charged towards each other again.
Xol painted his fangs and claws with whispering static grey anxiety, crippling yellow fear, and drowning deep blue grief, seeking to turn Kori into mewling shreds.
Kori, on the other hand, painted his sword with a rainbow of positive emotions like his rekindled, burning pink conviction, including a stalwart golden resolution, and an undying white hope, amongst many others. At the same time, he couldn’t help but find the whole process a little ironic since it reminded him of something Euphemia had said about grabbing emotions and using them.
And this kickstarted another change in the world as memories began to fill the sky like stars.
Memories of a heartfelt conversation under the moonlight and another through a certain door.
Memories of comrades, both past and present.
Memories of simpler times and the inflexion points that made them cease to be as such.
Memories of peace and war.
Of good and evil deeds.
And more.
They were many.
They were all Kori’s.
They were what made him…him.
And they all added weight to his now colorful sword as it clashed once again with Xol’s claws.
“This is the end, Xol! I’ll cut everything that ties me with you!”
“No! Today is the day I take your everything! Down to your very soul!!”
BOOM! So went the impact they caused! It was as overwhelming as much as it was deafening, and its resulting shockwave transformed the world once again!
This time, however, it changed in a decisive manner as the ground ceased to be equal.
On one side, it shrunk and became fragile, threatening to turn into a dreadful precipice at any given moment.
On the other side, it became larger, firmer, and more threatening.
Sadly, the same could be said to have happened to those who stood on each side, making clear who had the upper hand as a now much larger Xol loomed over the land with sick glee in his hungry, hungry eyes.
“HEHEHAHAHAHAHA! DO YOU SEE NOW?! YOU ARE NOTHING BUT MY PREY!! WEAK! FEARFUL! PATHETIC!”
So bellowed the towering dragon as he pursued the minuscule, running Kori throughout the crumbling landscape, ravaging it with not a care in the world.
“JUST LOOK AT YOU! YOUR PRECIOUS ARMOR IS NOTHING BUT BROKEN PIECES HOLDING ON TO YOU THROUGH MERE THREADS! AND YOUR SWORD? HA! THAT THING IS GONE! SHATTERED!”
The dragon continued, his mockery ringing true, for Kori’s sword and armor were indeed broken beyond repair. Worst of all…
“AND YOU…YOU ARE BROKEN TOO. You have always been since that day. That is your truth.”
…Kori’s true ‘self’, the very core of his being, was not only exposed, but it also had cracks all over it, all over him, much to Xol’s hissing delight.
The cracks screamed in fear, they whispered with millions of anxious voices describing many horrible scenarios, they lamented in sullen urges to give up, until they all said the same thing in sudden, dreadful decisiveness…they told him to stop.
To stop running.
To stop fighting.
To just…stop.
He wanted to ignore them, to keep going, but then he wondered…
‘Perhaps the key to victory lies not in ignoring these voices…these emotions…but in using them…just like I’ve used the others here…’
Thus, with such a thought, he looked inwards and came up with a plan.
‘Yes, that could work. Let’s do it. Let’s stop.’
One that would involve doing as the voices said.
“…”
So he did. He stopped.
He let go of his broken sword’s handle and dropped the remains of his armor before he turned around and faced the towering, ravenous dragon once again.
Then, with a sullen yet strangely resolute voice…
“Yes, that is my truth.”
…Kori declared as such before falling to his knees, seemingly renouncing himself to his fate.
“HEHEHAHAHAHAHAHA! YES!! FINALLY!”
“Ack—!!”
Xol didn’t waste any time and stomped on Kori as he took a size better suited for what was to come, crushing the bare human under his weight and pushing it deep into the breaking ground. Furthermore, the cracks on Kori became larger and more pronounced, to the point that they were even influencing the world itself as cracks began to appear in the sky, shattering many of the memories that had helped push him forward into many tiny pieces that fell towards the ground as rain—no, tears.
“NOW…”
And amidst this painful scene, the Dragon known as Xol opened his massive, teethy mouth, and…
“LET THE FEAST BEGIN!”
…began to consume Kori, to assimilate him, to take him into himself.
Soon the colors they were made of lost what separated them and became one and the same, and the more Xol partook in, the more elated and filled he felt.
“YES…!!! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED! THIS WHAT I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR…!!”
It was…intoxicating to say the least. Like a surging wave of fulfillment, joy, and more, so much more. It was to the point that he didn’t notice Kori’s smile, much less his tiny, human arm reaching for his draconic head and fusing with it.
“Good, because…my truth…is now your truth too.”
With that, it began. The spread of the cracks that had been all over Kori’s body.
First there was one.
Crack.
“What…?”
Then five.
Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.
“What is this…?!”
Then ten.
Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.
“WHAT IS HAPPENING…?!”
Then…they became too many to count as they spread all over him like a wildfire.
Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack. Crack.
“WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!”
“Nothing…you wanted it all, so I am giving you all…dear customer. A full-course meal…of me. And that includes a giant serving…of my mental state…hahaha! Enjoy your meal!”
“AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!”
Xol tried to move away in desperation, to rip himself from where he was and stop the assimilation, the ritual of taking, but he couldn’t. Kori took that option from him when he fused his mental hand with Xol’s mental head, becoming a part of him in a way, just like the dragon wanted. And now Xol could do nothing but scream in horror and confusion as even his eyes filled up with cracks.
Yet that was just the beginning of his torment, for then came the voices and the alien emotions they were made of.
“H-HUH…?! WHO IS THERE…?! WHA…? No…! NO! WHY…! THIS…NOT…NOT ME…! THESE…VOICES! SHUT THEM…UP! PLEASE! STOP! MAKE IT…STOP!”
They were so loud, so overwhelming, that they became the only things he could hear and feel. They screamed many things at the same time and filled him with emotions that he had never felt before, rocking him to his very core.
All in a cacophony of fear, trauma, grief, anxiety, self-doubt, and pain that no mind ignorant of them could hope to bear.
Not even his.
“NONONONONONnonononononoo…please…stop…ahhhhhHHHHHH NO! No…no…no…”
And so, with every scream and every whimper, the dragon became smaller and smaller and smaller until…the towering one became Kori and the shivering, minuscule one became Xol.
“Hngh…that was…too close…but I’m glad it worked…”
So said a relieved Kori as he lay on the ground, freed from the crushing weight of Xol. He had won quite the risky bet, and he knew that well. After all, what he just did was nothing if not incredibly dangerous.
To seemingly give in to his fears and more and give himself up to be consumed by the dragon was already dangerous enough. But to do so in hopes to use that as a chance to turn the tables on him by giving him more than he could chew was madness.
Still, it paid off. By doing what he did, he and Xol effectively became one, and thus…he shoved all his fears, his insecurities, and more onto him, and there was nothing he could do.
Nothing but be overwhelmed by it all. Thankfully, he was.
“…and not a moment too late. Ngh…still I need…to get up and finish things.”
Thus, a hurt yet focused Kori stood up from the crater that Xol had made when he stomped on him and looked down at the small, trembling snake-like creature coiled around his left hand.
“Nonono…”
It was still whimpering the same word over and over; his mind had completely broken under the weight of the emotions he and many dragons thought as weaknesses exclusive to mortals.
“…”
Then, he looked to where his right hand would be if it hadn’t been taken by Xol, both physically and in essence, and found it to still be gone. Just as Charles had said before, he needed to end things properly if he wished to at least get back the essence of what had been taken from him, but most importantly…to finally be free of the hungering shadow that had been hunting him for so many years.
So, with a deep breath and one last look at the shivering, serpentine dragon in his left hand, he closed it and…
“Be gone from this world, Xol. May the Goddess show mercy upon you. [Mind Purge].”
…freed himself through pink fire.
There was no breaking sound, no last roar of anger, no last anything, one moment the serpentine dragon was there, the next it was gone. Soon, all traces of his existence in the mental plane vanished until none were left.
None save for one. That which he had taken finally returned to its rightful place, as it floated in the shape of a mote of light and reattached itself to Kori.
Finally, he was whole.
Finally, he was free.
“Finally…I can wake up from this nightmare for good...finally…finally! Thank you…everyone…thank you!”
The catharsis that followed made him fall to his knees as he cried out in joy and relief for the entire mental plane to hear.
Then, it answered in the only way it could, by transforming around him one last time and revealing a colorful, radiant sky filled with possibilities turned breathtaking vistas only possible there.
“Ah…it’s so beautiful…”
And so, with a tearful smile and a certain warmth in his heart, Kori returned to the physical world where he had people waiting for his return.
The next morning, in the now battle-scarred Cucuy Village, a certain group of people could be seen getting ready to depart in their magical carriage.
If someone were to ask about said group of people and their reason to be there, you’d be told that they were but a merchant and his entourage simply moving on after stopping to trade, resupply, and rest for the night.
At least, that was the cover story everyone in the village agreed to maintain for their sake.
After all, they were the people who helped protect their village and they were very grateful to them.
It was to the point that many villagers kept stopping by to thank them, wish them farewell, and even lavish them with gifts, doing so even as they were on their way to rebuild the parts of the village that suffered from the battle that took place there.
Their smiling faces and warmth in the face of the ordeal they just passed were a testament not just to the strength of their hearts, but to everyone’s efforts, for no one was lost in either battle.
Of course, it’s not as if no one got hurt, even our dear, dear princess could be seen sporting quite the few bandages around her body, especially on her hands. After all, punching a dragon without proper equipment will not end well for you, as aura can only protect your hands so much.
Yet, such things were seen as a price happily paid to see the villagers hale and whole.
“Lady Euphemia! Everyone!”
Villagers such as this one, a young man in a straw hat who approached them with a joyful smile and a certain closeness unlike any of the others. His attire, perfect for manual work, had dirt here and there, which suggested that he had been working up until recently. Perhaps he just managed to get a break from his reconstruction work under the village head's strict gaze? Fufufu~~.
“Kori! There you are! I do remember you telling me at last night’s feast that you were going to work with the Village Head, but not seeing you join us at the inn for breakfast got me worried for a moment. ”
Of course, that villager was none other than Kori.
“Ah, sorry about that, Lady Euphemia. I haven’t stopped helping out since a little bit earlier than daybreak so I couldn’t join you all. But, as you can see, I am fine. Tired, but fine.”
“Hehe, you do look like someone who has been working hard.”
“Ahahaha, yeah.”
Indeed. He looked tired, but also…happy.
Very, very much so. Even his laugh was no longer one that felt nervous or burdened by something else.
It was…lighthearted, in every sense of the word.
And so, with that same warm smile fueled by said unburdened heart, Kori looked at his saviors and companions and bowed in gratitude once again. Euphemia wanted to stop him, but like her royal attendants and the rest of her companions, she understood that Kori had a reason to do it.
“I know that I have said this plenty of times already but…thank you. Thank you so very much for everything. You didn’t just save me from an angry doorim, you saved me from so many things in such a little time. Lady Euphemia. Everyone. From the bottom of my heart, I swear to live this new life you have helped me obtain to the fullest and I won’t ever let myself stray from the path again. I might fall, I might make mistakes, but I’ll keep moving. I will always keep moving.”
Kori’s genuine words made everyone smile warmly, for there was not just gratitude in them, but conviction, one not just rekindled, rather…one firm and brilliant.
One that they could clearly see in his eyes as he raised his head and then proceeded to hand a hefty packet to Euphemia, which made her raise an eyebrow in curiosity.
“This is…?”
“I know that you didn’t do what you did in hopes of a reward or anything like that, and I can’t hope to ever truly repay you for everything, but if I may…this might be of assistance in the near future.”
“What do you mean?”
So asked Euphemia, now even more curious as she opened the packet and found plenty of what it looked to be documentation and other things. Then, as her gaze returned to Kori, she found that his expression had changed into an incredibly serious one, giving her the feeling that what she held in her hands was extremely important, and she was immediately proven right as Kori made the following revelation:
“Before I left, things were brewing back in the Sanjo Lordship. Things that you as Kyrie’s Princess and everyone else in the Alliance of Nations must be aware of. So rather than just give you a token of my gratitude, I decided to give you every piece of information I gathered up until I left. And that includes the rift that formed between the Feudal Lords, their separation into two factions, and the plan of one of them to abandon the Draconic Front, separate from the Alliance and isolate Sanjo from the world by declaring the country as ‘true neutral’.”
““…?!””
“What?”
While Euphemia and Sistina were understandably surprised by Kori’s revelation, Charles was beyond that, he was greatly and gravely upset by the matter. It was to the point that not even his stalwart sense of decorum could hide it. To hear that some of the countrymen of his comrade…his friend…his…his dear departed intended to make his sacrifice—and that of many others— meaningless was simply outrageous.
“For what is worth, Sir Charles, I reacted the same way when I found out about such objective. And I wish I could fix things there, but I cannot go back. At least not for a while. But…that is not the case for any of you, so if you find yourselves in Sanjo, please take these,” Kori tapped his storage pendant and manifested a well-worn metal pin and small red wooden tube before continuing. “These are the crest of the team I used to belong to and my personal seal. Show them to anyone wearing this crest and tell them that the ‘idiot with headaches is better now’. They will help you. No questions asked.”
Kori’s tone, while still serious, also held a certain nostalgia and fondness for the people he was talking about. He truly trusted and cherished them. And the fact that he was going this far for Euphemia and the rest showed just how much he trusted them too.
To this, Euphemia could only say one thing.
“Thank you, Kori. We won’t betray your trust.”
“I know you won’t. Ever.”
Then, as if on cue…
"Everything is ready for us to go, Sir Charles!"
…Fen’Ru-el announced their impending departure from the village.
From there, things moved fast.
The elven escorts all said their goodbyes to Kori in many cheerful and friendly ways before they assumed their positions on top of the carriage. Fen’Ru-el, being the last of them, gave him a firm handshake before pulling him into a tight hug.
“Take care, kid. And no more going into doorim territory, you hear me?”
“Ahahaha, yes. I’m done doing that.”
“Good.”
With that, Fen’Ru-el left for the driver’s seat of the carriage and was replaced by our dear, dear Princess’ turn, who also gave Kori a tight hug, which took him by surprise.
“L-Lady Euphemia…?!”
“Don’t be so surprised, hehe. I’m just giving a friend a goodbye hug. Nothing more than that. And drop the honorifics already. You can call me Euphemia, alright?”
“I…yes…Euphemia.”
“Hehe, that’s better. See you later, Kori.”
“See you later, Euphemia.”
So said Kori with a smile on his face as he saw our dear, dear Princess enter the carriage. Close behind her came Sistina and Charles, who didn’t waste any time with their goodbyes.
First was Sistina, whose glowing eyes showed that she had been doing a last-minute check-up on Kori while everyone was saying their goodbyes.
“While besting Xol seems to have indeed rid you of your chronic mana sickness for good, your body still went through it for a while, so there might be some lingering side-effects that will ail you every now and then. Especially if you try and overexert yourself. Do not. Understood?”
Sistina’s words, while well-meaning, couldn’t help but make Kori nervous as she intentionally delivered them in a threatening tone, clearly trying to convey the gravity of said side-effects without actually going into detail.
“Ahaha…of course, Miss Sistina. Thank you for always being so attentive of my health in this short time. I promise that I will take your advice to heart.”
“That is all I ask. May you find peace here, Sir Kori.”
Satisfied that Kori got the message, Sistina smiled before formally bowing like a proper maid would do and entered the carriage, leaving a solemn Charles alone with Kori.
“At first, I doubted thee. I thought thee a pawn of our adversaries, sacrificed as bait for an ambush. Thankfully, I hath erred. Thou art a good man with a good heart. Thine actions here are proof of that. Never forget that. As for the ghastly revelations that thou hast presented us with, I hereby swear upon my name that I shalt personally look into it. For I shan’t have anyone besmirch the sacrifice of those who fought and fell so we could live. Thou hast my word.”
“Thank you, Sir Charles.”
“Thou art welcome, Sir Kori. Fare thee well.”
And so, after a respectful smile and bow, Charles entered the carriage and left Kori on his own. Then, as soon as the butler closed the door, the carriage began to move while Kori watched, the Princess and the elven escorts waving goodbye at Kori from their respective spots.
Of course, he waved back.
“Goodbye everyone.”
He waved back until the carriage disappeared in the horizon and no one but him could hear his last goodbye to the Princess and her companions.
The people who saved him in so, so many ways.
Thus, the tale of the Princess and the Vagabond reaches its end here.
Their tale was not one of love, nor heroism even, but of two people meeting each other by chance and how that can bring about a great change.
For when people understand one another, even if only partially, they can help each other heal.
And from such healing, betterment and worthiness can be born.
Now, while the Princess and the Vagabond went on their own paths, the bond of fate that was forged there is bound to bring them back together some day, but that…is another story.
________________________________________________________________________
“The end.”
And so, with a solemn yet satisfied smile, my darling Nerinne has put a bow on this bedtime story that spanned many nights and had not just our daughters at the edge of their metaphorical seats, but us parents too.
“Did you like it, sweeties? Erevain? Dear?”
“Hmph, as if you have to ask. I loved it, darling.”
So I declare with a confidence born from watching more anime than I can remember! I mean, it didn’t just have cool fights and tender moments, but the animation was top notch too! Movie level even!! It’s clear that Nerinne really went beyond her already awesome visuals this time and it paid off!
Heck, the whole thing was so anime that their farewells felt like those said to anime movie characters that never appear again in the main series! But that’s not happening here since this is totally not an anime nor a web-novel! Ahahaha!
“Ilya…loved it…too, Mother. Last battle…so many colors…so many booms and whams. Auntie Euphy…cool…so so cool…and her scepters…pretty…so pretty. Ilya wants to…make one—nn…Ilya will make one…! Unn!”
Daww, look at her! She’s so inspired that she shook her head at leaving her desire to make a scepter as just that and instead turned it into a goal right there and then! I guess we now know what’s going to be her next blacksmithing project with Roxxy! And if the bracelet she made a few days ago is any indicator, I can bet that the end product will be amazing! But most importantly, it’ll be an awesome learning experience for her!
Furthermore, this is one of the reasons why I love that Nerinne told them this story in an anime format, besides me being a weeb of course. Anime can inspire you to learn stuff you’d never thought to learn otherwise or move you to do more of what you already love doing, just like with Ilya here.
“Um! Um!”
Speaking of kids being inspired, here comes our lovely Celesia who is raising her hand quite enthusiastically!
“I liked it! Liked it! Liked it!! Auntie Euphemia is amazing!! Amazing! I want to make rainbows that go fwooooosh and bam bam like her!”
To quote the profound vocabulary of Gail: Mhm. Yep. Agreed.
She looked like a freaking Asura with her scepters floating behind her like a ring as she fought!!!
GIVE ME A FIGURE OF HER IN HER TRANCE RIGHT NOW!
“And! And when the meanie made the sky bad, I was so scared! Scared! But then! Then! Fwooosh! Everything went shiny! Shiny! It was awesome! Awesome! And then Kori! So red! Red! And cool! I want to make meanies sleepy too! Sleepy!”
I can totally confirm that Celesia indeed went through quite the rollercoaster of expressions while watching this finale. Seeing her go from ‘ohhh!’ to ‘ahhh!’, ‘eek!’, and more was adorable! And I can assure you, knowing Celesia, she’ll figure out how to do both things she found cool while still having trouble with math. Not for long though, as Papa will help her with that just like I did with Ilya.
“To think that so much happened to my sister while I was gone—lost in that forest. She has been through so much and yet she never gave up. Not only has my respect for her grown higher than it already was, but I am also so, so proud of her. Thank you for this, Miss Nerinne. I loved every moment of it.”
Oh Ere…she might seem quite composed right now, but she never let go of my arm the second the fighting started. And every time Euphemia was close to getting seriously hurt, her grip on it grew stronger.
Not that I mind though. It was cute and I always made sure to both hold her hand and cuddle with her as much as possible to ease her worries. After all, I love her very much and that’s the least I could do for her. We haven’t stopped cuddling by the way. So seethe you weebs.
“Hearing that everyone loved it makes me glad. I did my best, so you can praise me more if you want~~.”
“Heh, very well. You’re awesome, darling. You did so great that I don’t think I can beat you next week when it’s my turn to tell the bedtime story.”
“I know~. Can’t wait to see you try and fail though~~.”
“Oh, you’re on!”
“Fufufu~~.”
Look at her everyone. Look at my darling. So smug and happy and proud. Ah, I love you so much.
Love you too, dear~.
Hm? Erevain’s expression suddenly changed, she was smiling just a moment ago but now she’s all serious. I’d ask why, but I sense that she’s about to tell us herself, so I’ll just let her speak.
“If I may, I tried putting this off until tomorrow as I dare not to speak of work when all of us are enjoying ourselves, but the revelations about the Sanjo Lordship are…concerning. We must look into them as soon as possible, My Lo—”
*Yawn*
“…”
Crap. Did…did I just suddenly interrupt Ere with a yawn…?! The heck?! Her worries are valid and more than understandable, and yet I just cut her off like that! Tired or…not, I need to…apologize to her.
“I am sorry, Ere. I really did not mean to do that…”
Truly…I too want to talk about that but…ugh…this strange sleepiness I’ve had all week really doesn’t want me to. Especially now that…it feels stronger…somehow. Ugh…I don’t like it…and everyone can see that, what with me gritting my teeth and putting my right hand on my face trying to keep myself awake…
Yet, Ere softly removes my hand from my face and looks me in the eye with those silvery eyes of hers and…
“There is no need to apologize to me, my love. I can see that you are exhausted. We can talk about Sanjo’s situation tomorrow when we are all well rested.”
“Ere…”
Ahh…my heart…I love Ere the maiden…but Ere the understanding prince with a soothing gaze and voice is so good too…so dreamy…
“As expected of Ere, fufufu~~. You snuffed out that budding frustration in one fell stroke. Well done~.”
“I-It’s nothing, Miss Nerinne.”
Bashful Ere good too…
“I just do not want to see Auros feeling bad for something that is natural.”
“You hear that, dear? It’s like she says, there is no need to feel bad, much less frustrated over something so natural as feeling tired. All of us know how hard you’ve been working all week, so there is no need to be sorry, alright~~?”
“Darling…”
“Unn…it is fine, Father. Ilya is…sleepy too…so let’s snuggle and go sleep…”
“Yes, Papa! Let’s snuggle! Snuggle! We can play tomorrow! Tomorrow!”
“Dearies…thank you. All of you. I promise that I will stop being so drowsy tomorrow…but first…”
*Yawn*
Dammit…it’s getting worse…couldn’t even finish my sentence before getting interrupted by another yawn…
Still, gotta’ say it! I don’t care how sleepy I am!
“…I love you all so much.”
There! I managed to say it!
“And we love you too~.”
“Agreed.”
“Lots…”
“Lots!!”
Nerinne, Ere, Ilya, Celesia…I’m so blessed to have them in this new life of mine…seeing them all snuggle up to me as we lay on the bed and pull the covers just…warms my heart…and makes me look forward to another day with them.
So, just like they say, I’ll just…rest easy knowing that such day is just mere hours away and nothing will get in the way of that…
“Goodnight, my wonderful blessings….”
I say as I…as I…zzzz…
___________________________________________________
…zZzZzzZz…
“Kakaka!”
ZzzzZz….zZz...ZZzzz…
“Finally! After so many days of trying!”
ZzZZzzz…hmmn…zZz…
“I finally pulled the grand prize without her noticing! The mortal Nerinne is head over heels for!”
Hrrmmn…nnn…uh…wh…wha…? Whe…?
“Come on! Shake that grogginess off, sleepyhead!”
Who’s…? Wha…?!
“There. You’re finally awake. Good. We have lots to talk about, kakaka!”
“Well, I’ll be…”
Stop me if you have heard this one before.
Suddenly waking up in a pure, heavenly white place? Check.
No clothes or other stuff besides a white robe and some comfy sandals? Check.
And the answer to the following question of:
“Is this a dream?”
Is…
“It is not, kaka! But you already knew that Auros Argento.”
Yeah, but I just wanted to say it again since I never thought I’d get the chance to do so for a second time, hehe. Wait a second…
Golden hair.
“Like the sun if I might say so myself, kaka.”
Red eyes.
“Like the gleaming gemstones my darling followers offer me.”
A golden dress with an intricate yet simple design that somehow marries combat functionality with gaudiness and sensuality…
“Made by the best war fashionista of my lovely world after their death~.”
Golden proportions balanced with a sculpted physique.
“All training and proper care, I assure you.”
A scar in the middle of the chest that gives the vibe that I should stop talking about it right this second for my own safety, and not because it’s a blemish on her beauty but because the reason behind it is probably very sad and very, very not my business.
“Wise of you to do that, yes.”
Golden butter smooth voice which is identical to a certain vampire that has Kiss on her name.
“Now that is quite the shot for a specific way to compliment someone, but I shall accept it anyway, kaka!”
And last but certainly not least…a golden divine aura of authority.
“Kakakakaka! Indeed.”
Hngh…and the pressure to back it up…
“Who…are you?”
I ask even though I already have an idea given how Nerinne acts whenever the topic of a certain group of people comes up…
“It is as you suspect, Auros Argento. I am a Goddess. As for my name, I have many. You even know some thanks to a few souls that managed to keep some of their previous life’s memories, memories of my world and mine self. Those names are Inanna and…Ishtar.”
“…!!”
“But you, Auros Argento, you may know me by the name of Isharnnat. Goddess of Combat and Fertility. I am so, so pleased to meet you.”
So in the end I was right. I’m in front of another Goddess instead of sleeping in my bed with my family. That’s great…ahahaha…haha…AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NERINNE IS GOING TO GO ALL DARK ON ME WHEN SHE FINDS OUT ABOUT THIS! NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!
To be continued…in volume 2.
(Cue, ad for Euphemia-Asura figure with multiple editions with varying color of led lights for the scepters and cheap stands per digital store and a super duper expensive artificially rare edition with rgb lights for that authentic rainbow shine but with…MICRO USB AS THE CHARGING PORT INSTEAD OF USB-C AND A WEAK ONE AT THAT JUST BECAUSE MUAHAHAHA!)