“Oh is that so?” Levi cracked an amused smile.

Grant was ordering her to let go of the hold that she had on Savayna so that he could take her, and they could walk on out of here? Just who did he think he was? Sure, he has the power of an esper at his disposal. If Levi was any ordinary person, then she would probably take his threats more seriously. Unlucky for the Rozarrian prince, she wasn’t just some normal woman with admirable features. She was Leviathan, a former Archaidan Judge, and she was the one who had all the cards in the deck.

“]You misunderstand your position, Grant.” Levi said. She stepped forward, her hand alternating between a soft fist and tight fist, causing small to large surges of undeniably-painful agony for Savayna. To the screams heard, Levi reciprocated with a sinister smile. “]You hear those screams? It’s a wonderful sound isn’t it, Atticus?” Levi licked her lips.

“Sure..sure it is.” Atticus had a hint of doubt. Levi caught it.

“Isn't this what you wanted? Your daughter brought shame to your family name. This is what she deserves.” Levi said.

“Yes, but —”

“But nothing. You wanted her to suffer. And just look at her.” She gestured to Savayna, crying from the pain that had increased to twice of what it was. “She’ll suffer as long as the prince here opposes me.”

Levi had returned her gaze to Grant, noticing an odd occurence with his hand. It didn’t take her long to realize what that was. Without a doubt, that was Zeromus’ seal. “So, you have unlocked it, huh?” Levi said, her voice hinting that she was pleased with the outcome. “You have willed the Condemner Seal to unlock.” Levi stepped one more step. She was as close to Grant as she could be. She gave him a smile. She unballed her fist, which would cease the pain that Savayna was going through. “Very well, Grant. You get your wish. I have released Savayna here from my grasp.” Levi said.

She turned around, her back to Grant. She stopped after a few paces were taken. “Oh, but before you leave,” Levi said. She turned around so quickly that Grant would barely be able to see her arm outstretched to Grant, poising to strike him through the heart.

And then it made contact. Blood was drawn. Levi smiled briefly, then she saw who had been the receiver of that attack. Levi had a smile of a different sort. “You’re a glutton for punishment aren’t you, Glacie?” Levi scoffed.

She saw that Savayna, through desperation no doubt, had stepped int he way, and now had a hand-shaped hole through her left breastplate, just inches away from her heart. However, what she might’ve not considered was that Levi’s entire hand had been coated with the same corrosive water that had the arrow she was shot with had been dipped in. The realization of this became noticeable as Savayna fell backwards into Grant’s arms. Her entire body was a deep purplish-blue. Savayna was dying. That much poisonous corrosion was accelerating her welcoming to the Gods.

“Good job, Prince Grant,” Levi said, “your refusal to kill me has cost your beloved her life.”

And then there was laughter from Levi - a taunting, mocking laugh.

---

Today had been a wild day. From that weird conversation he had with Hamut to the greeting that they were welcomed with from that soldier who was sent by grandfather, and now to the sudden charges that Reia was arrested for. JAakuna knew that there was a lot of things that weren’t adding up. What could it be? More to the point, how did they--

“Unless..” Jaakuna bit his thumb. “We have to find Roman, but to do that, I fear we’ll have to pay someone a visit.” Jaakuna said with a heavy sigh.

“Jaakuna..”

He waved Nila away. “Nila, please go to your house, and stay there until I call. If this is going to work, we’re going to need The Ward’s military support.”

Nila narrowed her eyebrows, but then she saw his expression. She sighed. “Very well, but you have until tomorrow.”

“Got’cha.” He winked at her as she left, trying not to admire her butt. Whoops.

He shook his head, and looked to Lorenzo. “Lorenzo, how do you feel about a prison break?” Jaakuna had that smile of his clear across his face. Anyone who has spent time with Jaakuna knew what that smile meant. It was when he had nothing but bad ideas brewing in that mind of his. When Lorenzo would respond, Jaakuna would simply lead him in a deirection that was where the Archadian Dungeons were. Only fun(to Jaakuna, dread to others) awaited the two princes of Ivalice.

---

As he heard the annoyance mention Shion, Wesley couldn’t help but laugh. It was funny to him because the two of them both crossed paths with Shion. Either this was a strange twist of fate or it was the Gods trying to try their hands at irony. Whatever it was, WEsley poised himself to strike. “I reckon that I’ll do more than ‘do better’ than Shion did.” Wesley curled a confident grin.

And then he launched his body forward, completely leaping above Emiri and Nadeline, and had spun his body rapidly to the point where he had swung rapidly at the man-child in front of him -slices, thrusts, slashes, all of which he was aiming to connect with each body part.

No, it was clear now that Leviathan herself was the one mistaken.

Throughout the entire ordeal, it was clear that Grant had been silent. He had always been the quiet type; his much more rambunctious siblings always made it a point to remind him just how much of a black sheep he was compared to them. But the thing about being quiet is that you’re always listening. Every step, every word, every meaning behind it, every breath, every movement—it was always crystal clear to him. In all honesty he had never paid it much mind, as he had a tendency to miss things even when he was always listening. But right now, it was as if time itself had slowed down. He could hear it all: Atticus’ shock, Savayna’s weak breath as she would struggle to stay alive, Leviathan’s laughter ringing through the air. It was like something had clicked in his head, leaving him speechless, but as everyone in the room would soon find, no words were needed.

A switch was turned, though it was a quiet surgance of power that would come to Grant. He placed Savayna on the ground once more, much more lovingly, his hand leaving her wound and leaving behind his pathetic attempt at a Reverse spell. Still, it would be the first thing to show Grant’s change, the spell itself warping. It was familiar to Emiri turning back time, although the pain and injury didn’t necessarily go away. The hole formed in Grant’s chest, glowing violet for a moment before disappearing, and this time, it was Grant’s turn to step forward.

“What a conceited little snake, thinking my refusal was not what it seemed—a mercy for her, it was,” Grant’s voice combined with Zeromus, his golden eyes glowing as the Condemner Seal erupted from his hand. “And here I thought you were the more clever between the two of us. A pity—all you had to do was say ‘yes’. But I see you’re choosing the hard way out, now. So be it.”

The surge of power that followed would cleanly blow both Atticus and Leviathan away from him, Grant gripping his gun tightly as his expression remained passive. Zeromus’ image would flash behind him, the Esper essentially giving his approval. “Your judgement has been passed and your sentence is condemnation.” He announced.

And if Leviathan believed she hadn’t been mistaken, he would make sure to make her regret it.

---

Lorenzo couldn’t help but grin at Jaakuna as he finally collected his thoughts. It was a good thing Reia left him behind, otherwise he’d just be pissing himself in a panic. He was surprised he sent Nila away, and couldn’t help but frown in disapproval as he caught Jaakuna’s wandering eyes. Still, once the words ‘prison break’ reached his ears, Lorenzo couldn’t help but let out a howl of excitement, practically bouncing up and down in agreement.

“That’s the Jaakie we all know!” Nothing could wipe the mischievous grin off Lorenzo’s face, and he much too happily obliged as he would follow Jaakuna. As he would follow, he would bring out the familiar fingerless gloves, making sure to strap them on quickly, the gloves briefly glowing as Lorenzo strapped them on. “Tell me, Jaakie, how’re we gonna do this?” He asked, looking more for ‘how many assholes did he need to beat’ as opposed to looking for an actual plan.

---

The future king was confident! Keiran liked him more and more the more Wesley showed more of himself, although being on the receiving end of things was not what Keiran had hoped for. The crack on his face told him that the little lightshow Wesley and Nadeline had going on could potentially pose an actual threat, though he no longer felt the need to cower any longer. Making sure not to get hit by Wesley’s strikes, he held out his hand towards Emiri, the brunette looking towards him. Unfortunately for him, he slipped, entirely by accident—he had mistakenly believed that Wesley had finished, though that last strike slashed him across the chest. His eyes widened, though he would show no other sign of pain, though he did give Wesley an apologetic look. The part of his face hanging on would fall off, leaving a mass of darkness and one gleaming red eye as half his face.

“Oops,” He mumbled as he staggered back, but he would not hold himself, instead standing perfectly straight. Instead, the one that seemed to feel the pain was Emiri: it was as if Wesley himself had struck her, the blow sending her back.

Nadeline’s eyes widened, and without thinking, she immediately rushed to the fallen girl. As she would turn her over to look, she let out a gasp. The strike imbued with Wesley’s magicks had sliced across her, resulting in a rather nasty injury. Emiri let out a cry of pain, writhing underneath the princess. How was this possible?! Wesley hadn’t touched her! She couldn’t help but glare at Keiran, who instead of being giddy, looked...reluctant?

“What have you done to her?!” Nadeline yelled, immediately beginning to heal Emiri’s injury.

“Me? I’m not the one who struck her,” Keiran defended himself with a sigh, gazing over at Emiri, though he would give Wesley a dark look. “Shion did the same thing—though she actually managed to slice my head off. Wonder how that felt for poor Emiri.”

None of what he was saying made any sense to her. Did that mean that he was there when Emiri fought Shion? Even so, is that how they managed to best her? She was so confused, half her attention trying to keep Emiri alive, the other half determined to get to the bottom of whatever it was that Keiran did. Nadeline couldn’t help but shake her head, a fury building up within her. Were the two connected? Could they not attack Keiran without injuring Emiri? Keiran would give her no answers, though he looked much more serious as he would approach Nadeline and Emiri. When had he gotten that close without her noticing?! The only time that ever happened when Emiri used her power—

“My apologies,” It sounded so genuine, that Nadeline didn’t feel the piercing darkness blowing her away. She had somehow managed to put up a Protect, though it cracked as it nearly failed. She landed on the ground, though she would scramble to her feet as Keiran would hold a hand out to Emiri. To her surprise, Emiri could lift her hand, taking Keiran’s and it was then that the terrible darkness suddenly seemed to strike every sense she had. Was this what Wesley was talking about before? “Come, O Dark One, thy power Unlocked in my stead…my Scion…” His words came out as a chant, the darkness wrapping itself around the pair.

Once the darkness would reveal Keiran, no longer did he appear as a young boy. His mischeviousness stayed in his now fully red eyes, though he looked much more like a young adult. Horns protruded out of his head, his clothes more like a mixture of fur and hair. A demon in every word of the sense, though he admittedly didn’t look any more frightening, if anything, it only alerted Nadeline to his true intentions. She watched as he would pull Emiri to her feet, but she, too, had changed, much to Nadeline’s dismay. The brunette would open her eyes, revealing them to be a completed shade of red, empty of absolutely anything.

“What is it?” She heard Keiran ask Emiri, who would look up at him wordlessly. “You wish to continue on? Say no more, let us take our leave, then.”

“Wait!” Nadeline called out, running towards them.

The princess froze in place as Emiri would look back at her, a putrid darkness emanating from her. What was this?! Nadeline nearly threw up on the spot, though she would fall to her knees once more, clutching her stomach. The negative side of her seal, she figured, but how painful it was to have darkness attack your very soul like this one did.

There was no denying the satisfaction that commanded Leviathan’s face as she saw two things that caught her attention. The first, of course, being the bright light emitting from Grant’s hand, emulating the glyph of Zeromus; the second being Zeromus himself appearing behind the prince. The Condemner towered thrice as much that Grant himself was, his bulk just as much too. While the sudden increase of power sent Atticus about ten paces back, Levi stood her ground, her own mist allowing her to stay where she stood.

As Grant - or was it Zeromus? - spoke, saying that she was sentenced to condemnation, she laughed. It was a low chuckle at first, but raised into an audible laugh. He condemns me? How trite.

As Levi would examine the prince one last time, she caught sight of Atticus stepping forward. Either he was entirely terrified of Grant right now or it was some kind of desperate worry for Savayna. All she knew for certain was that his body was shaking as he took steps forward. Levi put her hand out in front of him, looking at him. She shook her head, nonverbally telling to stand down.

“Y-you killed her..” Atticus said, his voice shaky.

Levi pursed her lips. “Not yet. But don’t worry, Atticus, she’ll be dead soon enough.” Levi curled a sinister smile as she spoke.

Atticus balled his fists. He poised his arms to strike Levi, out of anger no doubt. Levi didn’t appreciate this, however. She snapped her left index finger and thumb and corrosive water surrounded atticus. It didn’t dissolve or poison him like it did with Savayna, but it flung him twenty paces back, through the wall of the temple.

“That’s better,” she said sighing in relief. “He was quite an annoyance, wouldn’t you agree, Prince Grant?” Levi mused, narrowing her eyes as she returned to her usual, unreadable grin. “Oh right, you were condemning me, weren’t you?” Levi smirked, “well go on, show me how big and powerful and mighty your Condemner Seal is.” Levi taunted Grant. Her arms were wide open, glowing a dark, sinister blue color, a glyph of two snakes coiling around each other appearing on both hands.

---

Jaakuna was relatively quiet as the two princes hailed an aircab to the entrance of Old Archades. It didn’t last long, maybe ten minutes max. When they got off, Jaakuna paid the fair, and led Lorenzo down the stairs. They were met with opposition, but once Jaakuna told them who he was, the guards stepped aside, though a look of suspicion came to their face when Lorenzo would pass him. The guards didn’t trust foreigners. Still, he was with Jaakuna, so the guards dared not do anything they would live to regret.

Jaakuna led Lorenzo down the stairs, past a few buildings, taking a few turns, and near a batch of rundown houses that were merely ten paces apart from each other. Jaakuna walked to the house that was the closest to the entrance that led to the Sochen Cave Palace. He knocked on the door five times loudly.

As the door opened, a man said, “Who is —” He stopped as he saw JAakuna’s face. “WELL LOOK AT YOU!” He shouted, tackling Jaakuna to the ground. The two of them started rolling around, punching each other. The man had Jaakuna in a headlock. “You know how long it's been, right?” He asked Jaakuna.

“Far too long, Lannit. I know. Sorry about leaving you before. Shit got in the way.” Jaakuna said, getting out of the headlock, and tickling his friend, causing Lannit to roll over, and literally laugh his ass off while rolling.

“What’s with all the —” A woman stepped out as she saw Jaakuna and some blonde. “Oh, Jaakuna. And, who might you be?” she asked, cheeks flushed light red.

“Wendy, this is Lorenzo, Nadeline’s father.” Jaakuna said, pointing to Lorenzo as Lannit returned Jaakuna’s tickling with his own.

“Nadeline as in —”

“You remember, that Dalmascan Prince’s main squeeze.” Lannit said, just now realizing what he had said. Jaakuna and Wendy shook their heads as the both knew what was coming. He could only look on as Lannit looked to Lorenzo and then…

---

What had he done? Wesley aimed to strike the fiend that was pulling these strings, and he somehow had hurt Emiri? How was that even possible? Wesley’s swordsmanship wa sonly second to his eloquent tongue, so how was it possible that all of those flawless strikes miss the beast and hit Emiri. Wesley couldn’t quite place it, but something about this beast was unsettling.

It wasn’t just the fact that he oozed pure darkness that was the same kind that Zodiark had - it was more than that. It was as if he had something…more to him. Why did Wesley get this strange sense of familiarity from him? Why did the new form he took seem so familiar? And why was it, when Emiri had changed into that rather revealing form - one that WEsley would bet that Jaakuna’d have a nosebleed over - that felt so damn familiar to him. Everything about it felt so goddamn familiar, and WEsley was wracking his mind on why he couldn’t place it.

And then WEsley returned to what was most important here. Emiri and that fiend had changed. He realized it wasn’t a good thing. The way that darkness swallowed them. The way that they both changed drastically. And for heaven’s sake! It was the way that the foul Mist had increased so much that Wesley’s vision was blurring. Had they gotten so much stronger that I can’t focus eyes on them? Damn it all!

As WEsley held the Sword of Kings in his hands tightly, he was ready for round two. But as he would get ready to do so, he noticed Nadeline was on her knees. Feeling that sense of duty to one’s future queen, WEsley dropped the Sword of Kings, it disappearing into thin air, he rushed over to his beloved. As he would kneel next to her, he would speak, “Nadeline, what happened?” Wesley asked, alternating glances between Nadeline and Emiri(and her hideous fiendish companion).

“Keiran, you have done well. Quite well, in fact.” Wesley heard a sinister voice say. He didn’t know where it was coming from or who it was. “I can see that our Lord’s powers are not wasted on you. Or maybe it’s because of the Time Scion’s insecurities that give way to your accelerated potential.” The voice spoke again, this time less echoed.

In moments, as Wesley would continue to tend to Nadeline, a cloud of darkness would surround the entire area of the Sandsea. WEsley felt this before. It was..

“I see. It makes sense now.” Wesley smiled, chuckling, then coughing. He was coughing harshly, as if something had crawled inside him. It was taking all air out of him. It was no doubt doing the same thing to Nadeline.

Wesley tried to keep his eyes open, but the repugnant feeling he got with every break was making it difficult. However, even if that was so, Wesley was able to keep his eyes open long enough to see that cloud of darkness take a form. Black as the abyss, a creature with tendrils of darkness out of every possible edge with a rancid mist surrounding it placed a both hands on the creature - who Wesley deduced was Keiran - and Emiri. It looked back at WEsley, and what he saw was appalling. The scorched face of a man, from the look of, that had all colors that were associated with the Espers swirling endlessly all around his face, centered around a black stone where the nose should be.

“We will meet again, Dynast-King Wesley.”

That was all the Creature said before Wesley lost consciousness.

Lorenzo couldn’t help but let out a huff of indignance. The hell was he trying to say?! Wesley was LUCKY to have such a beautiful princess as his bride to be! The entire country of Dalmasca should be on their knees worshipping her! Before he knew it, his crazy father thoughts ran through his head at a million miles per second, and that was when he marched right up to Lannit, pointing a finger at him and letting out a rather loud and unnecessary laugh.

“Main squeeze…’MAIN SQUEEZE’?!” He couldn’t help but shout, clearly unaware of exactly how loud his voice really was. “Oranges wish they could do more than juice and go in a parfait, their mere existence is nothing more than a cruel reminder that they will never amount to anything in the world, and why you ask?! Because when Nadeline chooses to have an orange for the day, the unpicked oranges go and rot, killing themselves from the inside in pure fury that they weren’t even good enough to get so much as a passing glance!"

Lannit looked at Lorenzo with narrowed eyes, as if trying to gauge what crawled up his butt. “What exactly are you on about?” Lannit asked, brow raised as he still tried to figure out Lorenzo’s deal.

Lorenzo seemed upset. No, he wasn’t upset, he just wasn’t thinking. So nothing out of the ordinary. “You’re the one comparing my beautiful princess of a daughter to an orange! What kind of lame-ass term is main squeeze, anyway!?” He huffed, clearly making more of a scene then needed.

“Lorenzo, I’m sure that’s not what he meant by it.” Jaakuna chimed in, hoping to get Lorenzo to at least see the correct meaning of that term.

“Yeah, listen to Jax here! I wasn’t comparing your daughter to an orange - I was simply saying that Wesley is--I mean, that is to say, main squeeze is..uhh,” Lannit was losing his train of thought for three reasons: the way Jaakuna was urging him to shut up, the way Wendy was scolding him with her scary gaze at him, and the scenario he was playing through his mind of an inevitable beating he was going to receive from the Rozarrian prince in front of him.

To pretty much everyone’s surprise (save Jaakuna, who had seen this one too many times to take it seriously) Lorenzo would drop down to his knees. He was deathly silent, his head towards the ground, though he would then let out a loud wail. “I’ve failed you Nadeline! I failed to defend your honor!” He cried rather dramatically, punching the ground. “Forgive your foolish father, I just wasn’t good enough to convince them otherwise! Now you’ll never come visit me after you get married and it’s all my fault! I’ll never see my grandkids! I’m gonna die alone!”

Jaakuna felt like an awkward man right now. Lorenzo being how he had seen him be was making him feel bad for the guy, so much so that he kneeled down on one knee, and patted the man on the back. “There, there, Lorenzo. At least you got Grant and Reia.” Jaakuna said, hoping that would help.

“Geez, what a drama queen.” Lannit said nonchalantly, looking over at Wendy who was still giving him the death stare. He shrugged, and looked to Lorenzo.

The man let out a sigh, indicating his pain, though he knew he had wasted enough time. “So…Jaakie…why are we here again?” Lorenzo asked innocently, outright ignoring the previous conversation. “I mean, besides your clear intention at breaking an old man’s heart into a million pieces.” His voice cracked at the end of his statement, tears welling up in his eyes.

---

Nadeline clung to Wesley, her eyes focused on the due. Something was happening, though what exactly, she didn’t know. All she knew was that once that cloud descended, her head begun to spin. What was going on now? She could have sworn she heard a voice, and she heard Wesley say something to her, but she was reduced to gasping for air. Was this the power of darkness as well? Without thinking, her glyph appeared, though its effect unclear, and she would strain herself to see something in the distance with Emiri and Keiran.

Her vision blurred, her hand reaching out to her friend. She had failed her again. Why? As she would collapse onto the ground, the glyph glowed brightly, a soft light surrounding their bodies. Keiran colored himself impressed; that light would at least protect them from any roaming monsters. He looked at the Creature with some curiosity, rather surprised at his compliment.

“One Scion of Time,” Keiran said, as if introducing her, though Emiri seemed to be ignoring the pair as she stared at the fallen Wesley and Nadeline.

---

Keiran took a look around the shattered remains of Emiri’s mind. A calm had taken over it, the once cracked, shimmering crystals glowing a soft, golden color. The cavern itself had gotten much darker, the only source of light coming from the crystals themselves. It was an unsettling calm, one Keiran was used to, though he wasn’t quite interested in his surroundings now. Instead, he was much more interested in the intricate cage in the middle of the room, holding its prisoner above the water. He peeked inside, spotting Emiri sitting in the middle of the floor. She had been fighting back for some time, though the more time passed, the weaker she grew. The darkness had already crept up her legs, binding her arms behind her, and as she would look away from him, he saw a tendril coiled around her neck.

Her eyes were just as empty here as they were on the outside, though she would pull against her bindings as he would let out a chuckle. “You should rest easy, Scion. Your part in all this has only just begun,” He said, his hand reaching out and lifting her face towards his. “You’re only delaying the inevitable.”
Emiri narrowed her eyes at him. “You haven’t won yet,” She told him, defiant as always. “I won’t give up. My friends will—”

“Be very cruelly informed of your condition as your own body dives a blade into their hearts. Or…something along those lines,” Keiran interrupted her, caressing her cheek almost kindly. “My master has his plans for you, Scion of Time.” He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle as Emiri would continue to glare at him, though she would wince as the darkness would wrap around her body more. “I love that fighting spirit of yours, really, I do. I’d just advise you to…prepare yourself, in case he decides to pay you a visit as well.

She didn’t want other presences in her head, she wanted them all out! Her frustration betrayed her, a tear unwillingly rolling down her cheek. She closed her eyes as Keiran would wipe it away, and was less then pleased when she saw him smile at her. She knew that fondness he had for her was little more than a fabrication, he only saw her as a tool.

“Your prince will come to save his future princess, this much I can promise,” He told her gently. “And when he does…all shall fall to Zodiark.”

As Jaakuna would shake his head at how dramatic Lorenzo was being about an innocent comment that Lannit made, he would hear the latter quip at Lorenzo. That prompted Jaakuna to sigh heavily, demanding both of their respective undivided attention. “I’m here for one reason,” Jaakuna looked at Lannit, “we’re getting the band back together, L.” Jaakuna cocked his head to the side, smirking.

Lannit burst into laughter of joy, doing the same cocking of the head and branishing the same smirk that JAakuna had; however, as teh moment would pass, Lannit’s smile faded. “But you know that they’re —”

“Yes, I’m well aware that they are imprisoned, which is why we’re going to break them out.”

Lannit stared at Jaakuna for a moment, as if he was speaking nonsense. However, as he looked at his friend, he knew that he was absolutely the opposite, and that he had every intention of breaking out their two friends, which brought a worrisome feeling to Lannit. If Jaakuna was planning a prison break and he had came to him, then that meant.. “No way, I’m not risking my neck for those two bosos that let themselves get caught.” Lannit was shaking his head, waving his hands side to side, refusing Jaakuna’s unspoken request to help him.

Jaakuna’s eyes flared up with anger. “Those two bosos are our oldest friends. We owe them that much after they stuck their neck out for both of us when we were younger. Or do you not remember how Dominic and Shinto took the rap for that steak you stole from a nobleman.”

Lannit grumbled something under his breath. “Just do it, Lannit.”

“Wendy?" Lannit looked at his beloved.

“Dom and Shin are your friends, right?”

Lannit nodded.

“Then help Jaakuna. You’ll regret it if you don’t, I know you will.” Wendy smiled as she spoke to Lannit.

As he grumbled something under his breath again, he then sighed, and said, “fine I’ll help you.”

“Wonderful!” Jaakuna said, “now, let’s go inside. We have a lot to talk about.” Jaakuna walked into Lannit and Wendy’s house, gesturing Lorenzo and Lannit to follow suit.

The only annoyance in the room was Levi herself, a note that almost made Grant snicker, though now wasn't the time for that. As much as he wanted to run up and punch the crap out of her face. the truth was that Grant had no idea how his seal worked. [i]Channel that uncertainty, take everything you feel, and throw it all away. Power does not react to emotion, it reacts to will. Her fate has been sealed, and you will not be alone ass you pass your judgement. Focus on that fact, let it consume you, and the Seal will bend and answer to your will. He could hear Zeromus in his ear, and that alone gave him more confidence.

Grant agreed with a nod, simply taking out his gun and pointing it at Levi. If she was going to give him an open target, he would much oblige. It seemed like a very odd thing to start with, but he needed to know what he was dealing with. Irrational, perhaps, but he was a man of logic, and he wasn't about to ignore a free shot when Levi so graciously invited him to it. Still, he could feel his Seal imbuing its magicks onto his gun without him even thinking about it. Was this what Zeromus mentioned? It had to be. He really did need to stop overthinking and just go for it. It was time for action.

His finger squeezed the trigger, and he was shocked to find no recoil as the bullet sang through the air. Even if she blocks this, I know exactly what I need to do.

When the sound of magick-infused gunpowder shot off, creating a melody of bullet-on-bone, Levi did not dodge or take any defensive countermeasures. Instead, she took the bullet dead-on in the temple, right between the eyes. A sound similar to a loud thud was heard as Levi's head whiplashed, and she was sent back three paces, landing on her back, eyes wide.

And she lay there unmoving. She was completely still, motionless. There wasn’t even so much of a delayed muscle spasm. She was just laying there, arms wide open, the dark water that she had control of bathing her...

Letting out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, Grant lowered his gun. He honestly didn’t think it would work, nor did he believe it for a moment, but there was no denying Levi’s lack of movement meant that the bullet definitely did something. But he wasn’t interested in the snake anymore, his eyes falling instead on Savayna. He dropped on his knees, taking her into his arms as he hugged her body tightly. To say it was bittersweet was the understatement of the century. All the power in the world…and there was nothing he could do for her.

Nothing at all? The least you could do is try, Zeromus chided him. The love of your life is dying, do something.

Grant looked down at Savayna, his free hand searching through his breastpocket. The Mist flowed around him gently, surrounding the pair. No thinking, just doing. It was easier said than done, but he was positive he wanted to save her. She had to be okay, he had made up his mind that she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with. The magicks in the air resonated with his desires, so much so that his own symbol appeared beneath him.

Finally finding the object he desired, he pulled out his mother’s wedding ring, thankful that Emiri hadn’t thrown it away. He would slip the finger onto her hand, taking it and lightly kissing it. “I can’t guarantee that we’ll always have the easiest of times. I can’t even promise that I’ll be able to protect you. But the only thing I know for sure is that if I don’t ask you to be mine, not a day will go by where I won’t regret it.” As he spoke, an unknowing transfer would happen between the two, with Grant’s lifestream pouring into Savayna’s. “With that in mind…stay with me forever, Savayna.

What’s the last thing you remember?

That bitch Levi was going on about something. And my father was quiet while she did it. Grant said some things - flattering things that made me want to punch him.. But they actually were really sweet. ALmost made me want to kiss him. Almost.

I see. Okay, what’s the next thing you remember?

Hm, let me see. I felt something off, as if there was this ominous danger I sensed. I guess I acted on instinct.

That’s what seemed to happen.

Lot of good it did me. I’m dying. Or am dead. I don’t know which is worse.

Who said you’re dying?

Savayna, not knowing who it was she was conversing with, gestured around. She was floating in an endless surroundings of white and blue mist encompassing what seemed to be miles upon miles of a frozen tundra. There was light from a blue-hued sun that brought a heated chill to the surrounding area. There were mountains in the distance, all frost capped.

I don’t know what you think this is, but I took a direct shot from that bitch Leviathan. She punched a hole straight through where my heart was. So, you tell me, oh ominous vocal one, how am I not dead?

Because you gave yourself for Grant. You sacrificed your life for his. Even if you are dead in the physical plane, for all intents and purposes, you will not be dead in any other way.

You know, you’re confusing me. Simplify it for me.

The voice sighed, as if annoyed by Savayna’s simplistic nature. Just close your eyes, and count to five.

What does this look like to you? A team-building exercise?

Just do it! The voice had said sharply.

As Savayna would give it a scoff, she did as it commanded.

One. She took in a deep breath. Two. She exhaled that deep breath. Three. She sighed as she inhaled. Four. She exhaled her second breath. Five. . .

Savayna heard someone speak to her. It took her a moment to focus on the voice. It was faint, as if far away for some reason. She closed her eyes to focus more. She heard it clearer now. And the volume of which the voice was at increased to the point that she could make it out. It was Grant. Grant was speaking to her. He was saying something about how he couldn’t guarantee a life with him would be easy.

Well, no shit dumbass. You’re a prince of Rozarria. Pretty sure you wouldn’t have an easy life without me, now factoring in my own clusterfuck of problems.

As she honed in on his voice, he was not talking about regret, but specifically about how he’ll feel regret if he —wait, did you really just say what I think you said? Slow down there, hombre! No need to —

Before she could finish what she was going to say, Savayna felt all tingly inside(no not that kind of tingly, you sick fuck). It was warm, like that warmth from before, but it felt nice. And compassionate. It was also fractured. One could even say that it was unbalanced, filled with uncertainty, but there was a foundation laid out in which was bathed with love. Savayna felt it consume her. It was like someone was telling her it was okay to cry while shedding tears themselves. She felt vulnerable and safe at the same time, and mixed in there was a weird combination of doubt and security.

And as Savayna would find her eyes being shut, it was only a moment and a half later that she opened them, seeing Grant’s golden eyes looking directly down at her aquamarine eyes. And as she heard those final words, she took a moment to think. Well, not so much think, but more like feel around her chest. It was to check for any remnants of her injury. Nothing. There was nothing.

“You dumbass.” Savayna said, forcing a half-smile with blushed cheeks. “You didn’t have to say those corny-ass words.” she said, clearly embarrassed, “but, they were..sweet.” She wanted to avoid his gaze, but the moment declined that request. Instead, she took his hand. “Yeah, I’ll stay with you, s’longs you never say anything that corny ever again. Or I’ll tell Reia and Lorenzo how sappy you really are.” Savayna teased. She even brandished a grin to reflect that.

---

About an hour was spent in the house of Lannit and WEndy going over the plan. They spent the time going over the blueprints of the Archades Dungeons that Lannit had stored away from a few years back after he was arrested for assaulting an Archadian soldier that had flirted with Wendy. Good thing he did that because they needed it for the plan.

The Archades Dungeons have always been underneath Archades. To common knowledge, it’s only accessible through an elevator in the tower of the Emperor. All other entrances either have been believed to have been sealed or are simply an illegal way of entering the dungeons. In truth, there was another entrance that existed, though it wasn’t exactly the safest of routes. Thanks to the war between the Solidors and the Darcones, which involved a heavy amount of magic and mist being used, the alternate route - a secret passage through the Sochen Cave Palace — has suffered extensive damage of a high amount of mist being present. This alternate route is accessible if one goes through the Hall of the Wroth God; however, knowing what lies awaiting them, one could only guess that it was a suicide mission.

“You can’t actually be thinking we go through there, Jaakuna!” Lannit shouted, seeming to protest the alternate route.

“That’s the only way aside from the official entrance. Of course, if you’re too scared, we can risk getting arrested again.” Jaakuna goaded Lannit.

“It’s not that..”

“Then what?”

“Well, you know what lurks in the Hall of the Wroth God, don’t you?”

“Aye, that I do. In fact,” Jaakuna grinned, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket.

“Don’t tell me —”

Jaakuna showed Lannit the paper. It was a hunt ad for the Hell Wyrm.

While Jaakuna grinned like the idiot he always was, Lannit shook his head with vigor, arms waving in front of him as if declining this route. He would look to Lorenzo. “Please talk some sense into him. Tell this dumbass that we don’t have the time for this. Tell him that this is a suicide mission!” Lannit pleaded with Lorenzo.

She thought his speech was corny? And here he was, pouring his heart out to her! It was worth it, though, because that look on her face made his entire day regardless of what happened. Still, as she would agree to his terms, he almost broke into another speech. He wanted to tell her everything he thought, everything about the way he truly felt. But honestly, he was a man of few words, and even if he wanted to ignore her and outright say it anyway, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

Grant would comply with her wishes, if somewhat begrudgingly, though he didn’t have the heart to tell her that his siblings were more than well aware what a sap he truly was—gods knew how much they teased him about it regularly. It was nice to see her better, though he had no idea how he healed her, nor did he know the possibility of being able to do it again. He never had a talent for healing magicks, but for now, he would simply accept it.

Without bothering to ask her permission, Grant would rise to his feet, carrying her in his arms very much like how a groom carries his bride. Before he would walk, however, he would look at her hand pointedly. “Do take care of that ring. It has a lot of love into it, and I don’t think my mother’s spirit would ever forgive me if something were to happen to it,” He said nonchalantly.

---

Lannit was barking up the wrong tree if he was looking for reason. Lorenzo had been listening intently—not that he had much choice, considering he wasn’t from the area and couldn’t offer suggestions—and it became steadily clear on what they needed to do. Crossing his arms, he shook his head at Lannit, closing his eyes for a moment.

“You’re right about there being no time, but we can’t risk getting arrested. Ironically, it’d be faster if we went in, guns blazing, and just kick that thing’s ass and call it a day,” Lorenzo admitted, opening his golden eyes. “A suicide mission…even if it is, I don’t have a choice. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving Reia there, not after she gave herself up just to give us a chance to fix all this shit.”

---

A cough was what finally woke the princess up. Sand had found its way into her lungs, causing her to cough repeatedly in an effort to take it out. Letting out a groan, she would realize that she was partially buried in sand, the wind having picked it up and thrown it over her. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to make her struggle slightly to sit up. A stinging pain persisted through her head, though she would ignore it unintentionally as she was in a daze. The Sandsea? Why were they here?

Upon looking around, she would see Wesley laying next to her. Her eyes widened as the events from before flooded her mind—specifically that of Keiran and Emiri. Becoming frantic, she searched the area, as if hoping to see them, but wherever they had left to, they were long gone. How could she have let this happen? No, there was that…thing that arrived, its Mist so foul that it managed to knock them both out. But why? And why take Emiri?

No, now was not the time for questions, especially when some crunching noises alerted Nadeline that they were not alone. Her hand flew to her weapon, though she realized the noises came instead from a squadron of knights. She recognized their armor—they must have been from Dalmasca.

“Greetings, we are a search party dispatched by Her Highness to search for any lost citizens due to the airship crash,” One knight saluted her. “My lady, shall I accompany you and the fallen man back to the city?”

How terrible it had been, had people gone wandering through the desert in their delirium? Nadeline herself had hit her head, so she deemed it likely. It was then she would shake Wesley, trying to wake him. “Wesley, Wesley, are you alright?” She called out to him as she would shake him.

“Wesley? Surely you don’t mean Prince Wesley of Dalmasca?” Another knight inquired.

“It is him!” Yet another confirmed, almost excited. “Her Highness will be most relieved!”

“There you go being corny again.” Savayna quipped, dusting herself off as she rose to her feet, involuntarily, mind you.

Savayna looked around. What a mess the place looked while she was, for a lack of better words, dead. The temple had a giant hole in it. Soldiers of the Brotherhood who seemed to gather back were looking at Savayna as if she were a ghost. When she would step forward, they flinched, and ran away like little girls. While she found it weird, she cocked a smirk.

“I guess nearly dying made me scary.” Savayna commented. She would be lying if she didn't say that she liked the way it made her feel seeing those Brotherhood mages and soldiers cower in fear of Savayna the Undying.

She looked at her new ring. It was shiny. And looked expensive. It was nothing like the ring that Jaakuna gave her, or the ring that Vincent had given her. It had rare stones in it that Savayna had no doubt was magicite from those magicite mines that Rozarria has. Those sneaky fucks. The craftsmanship was something else to be admired.

Though she smiled, she remembered Grant’s words about them: it was woven with his mother’s love. Even though she wanted to make a joke, she didn’t necessarily feel in the mood to do that, not when she looked at Grant’s face. “Grant, do you not know anything about women? We cherish jewelry above a lot of things. No way I’m letting this thing get damaged.” Savayna laughed, nudging Grant’s shoulder. As she would continue, she saw a body just a mere five paces away. “Wait is that —” As Savayna walked, she confirmed it in her mind. “You son of a bitch!” Savayna shouted, turning around to Grant, “]you went up and killed that bitch Leviathan without my permission!” Savayna stormed to Grant, getting real close to his face. “After all the times she demeaned me and everyone else, you selfishly maimed her.” Savayna spoke in loud, threatening tones.

---

Jaakuna would simply listen to Lorenzo speak. Though that idea of going guns and fists-blazing sounded appealing - more so than risking his life fighting the Hell Wyrm - he would also factor in about how them getting arrested didn’t really make a lot of sense. As Lorenzo would point out, leaving Reia in the hands of Hamut(not confirmed, but Jaakuna suspected his grandfather was behind it), it didn’t seem to benefit them in any way.

“But listen to what you’re saying! You want to fight what is possibly the strongest monster in Archadia’s entirety! And who is going to fight this beast? Two princes and a lowly thief?” Lannit, though he had accepted the fate, still complained.

“Oh come now, Lannit, where’s your sense of adventure? Surely a man with two fists can accomplish anything. Besides,” Jaakuna ran his finger across his philtrum, “we got the power of Belias, the Gigas on our side.”

“Right,” Lannit feigned confidence, “and that Gigas of yours is of what element?” Lannit asked briefly, “oh right, it’s fire -just like the Hell Wyrm.”

Jaakuna had to admit that he did have a point. “Regardless, we have no choice.”

“Lannit, stop bitching, and be a man.” Wendy would say harshly, her voice striking a fear into Lannit that Jaakuna had not seen since she caught him cheating on her with her sister.

Lannit propped up. “Fine. Let’s do this.” Lannit said, proceeding to stand, and head for the door.

“First thing’s first!” Jaakuna said, “Wendy!”

“Yes?” She shot Jaakuna a curious glance.

“You got anything to eat? I’m hungry like a mother-fucker.”

And it was like that where all intensity was replaced with sighs all around, though Wendy would smirk as she stood up. Jaakuna would see her go to the kitchen, presumingly to make some food for the guys.

---

Since Wesley had opened his eyes a few minutes ago, he was awoken to the sound of Nadeline calling his name, as well as the repeated shrugs by a few knights of the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca. They seemed to be pleased with seeing him, so much so that they sacrificed their rations to make sure that both he and Nadeline had been hydrated enough to make the trek back to Dalmasca.

As much as Wesley wished to refuse them, he couldn’t. He couldn’t refuse these brave men who had a noble quest of seeking out survivors of the many airships that went down in the area. They couldn’t abandon their sworn duty as knights of Dalmasca, not when their own prince was one of those survivors. So, of course Wesley accepted their escort with the honor of the royal family of Alexander.

And when they would arrive at the gates of Rabanastre, Wesley had stepped off the horse that he was riding with Nadeine on the one next to it. As he helped her down, Wesley would watch as the gates opened. He squeezed Nadeline’s hand tighter than he realized. His heart was pounding, as if threatening to beat out of his chest, and he was uncharacteristically shaking. Whether that was from the excitement of being back home or it was the anxiety he felt of being back home, remained to be seen. All one could be sure of was that Wesley was shaking regardless.

How was he still being corny? Everything he said had been true! Still, he was relieved when she would affirm that she would take good care of it. He had neglected to add that the ring was easily worth a good one fifteenth of the Roselia fortune, but he figured she’d be responsible enough. Not like she was reckless or anything…though Grant was positive he wouldn’t have anything to worry about. He didn’t care much about the soldiers, his thoughts still on Levi. It still bothered him how much she had known about the two of them. Whoever her source was, it was something dangerous, and it couldn’t be ignored.

Speaking of the snake, he was snapped out of his thoughts when Savayna suddenly started yelling at him. It took him a moment to understand what she was talking about. His gaze would fall on the woman on the ground, though he grimaced. “In my defense, I didn’t think a point-blank shot would actually work” He couldn’t help but point out. “And I was defending your honor! …hmm, that was a bit too Wesley-like, even for my taste.”

He let out a sigh.

---

Nadeline was distracted, having not realized that they had arrived until Wesley had offered his hand to help her off her horse. The trip had seemingly flown by, but no, she had been so buried in her thoughts that she hadn’t been paying attention. Keiran had managed to leave a pit in her stomach, moreso than she would rather admit, and despite finally arriving at their destination, she couldn’t quite share Wesley’s excitement or his anxiety. No…it wasn’t right. She didn’t belong here. She was a damn hypocrite, she had tried her best to assure Wesley that this was where they needed to be, but it just didn’t feel right.

Why?

Wesley’s hand squeezed hers, informing her that she was needed. Not in the sense that he was saying so, but his body language spoke volumes. For all his honor, Wesley was very much like an open book. An admirable trait, but ruling a kingdom required some closeness. For the moment, she would shelf all of her thoughts into the back of her head, focusing instead on the matter at hand. Summoning every ounce of authority, she would look at him. Even if he wouldn’t look back, she knew he knew she was staring at him.

Of course he had reason to be nervous. His father was the ruler…how could Wesley possibly feel ready to lead at the drop of a hat? Nadeline, at least, was literally groomed to become a Queen, so she had her whole life to prepare. But Wesley had been different, his father was so young, and the tragedy that befell Dalmasca had left the country hurt. But now more than ever, Wesley had to step up to the plate.

“Lead by example,” She reminded him. “No doubts, no nervousness…put on the Kingly Mask.” The term was one used exclusively throughout nobilities, regardless of country: everyone in a position of power had to put on a mask of confidence, no matter how bad things were and regardless of personal feelings.

Defending my honor? Just exactly who does he think I am? I have no honor.

Savayna gave Grant a narrowed stare, trying to decide if she should punch him right in his corny face or take the high road. On one hand, it’d be a good release. On the other, she’s trying not to return to her old ways. Usually, Savayna would simply punch Grant for being that selfish, but lately, she’s been trying to begin anew. The big rock on her right ring finger was proof of that. So, she wouldn’t punch him, but that didn’t mean she would let him get off scot free.

“Fuck that, you just wanted to kill the bitch all to yourself because of how she left you in the Archades Dungeons before you became less lame.” Savayna scolded Grant, showing her disapproval. “Just admit it, my fiance, you wanted to be the one to nape that one in the bud.” Savayna scowled, turning away from Grant in a huff.

---

“Conseal, don’t feel.” Wesley mused quietly, nodding his head.

As the gates would open, WEsley hooked Nadeline’s arm with his as they walked throgh the gate, and his return to Rabanastre. After what seemed like years, Wesley has returned home.

“Make way for your prince!” One of the knights said.

“Did he say Prince?” One of the onlookers whispered.

“Is that Prince Wesley?” Another said.

“Prince Wesley has come back to us!”

After that third person, more started to say similar things, which were followed by rising, dull cheers to chants for Wesley. This made his anxiety lower quite the deal. How he thought they would most surely turn his back on him because he chose to run away after his father’s assassination, when in fact they praised him just as much as they did when his father was still king. If Wesley wasn’t surrounded by his citizens, he might say shed a tear or two. But that wouldn’t be very kingly, now would it?

As they were escorted by the Order of the Knights of Dalmasca, Wesley had greeted those who came up to them. There were women of all ages and races, children of all ages and races, men of all ages and races. If they didn’t come up for a handshake or a hug, then WEsley would do it himself. He gave them genuine smiles. Being surrounded by his fellow Dalmascans brought a warm feeling building up in Wesley’s heart. Whatever doubts he had beforehand was slayed by the positive reaction he got from his citizens.

And as they reached the Royal Palace, Wesley gave them one final wave before the gates closed behind him, and he and Nadeline were en-route to an audience to his father’s study where he was told the Queen wanted to speak to him AND nadeline.

Strange that Cassandra would want to speak to both of them. Maybe she wanted to welcome them both back. Wesley let that specific thought fade as the doors to his father’s study opened. He saw someone with blonde hair that was turned back to their fronts. She wore an elegant violet dress with Dalmascan rubies engraved along the seams.

“May I present her royal highness, Queen Isabelle Alexander,” one Knight said.

“Wait, did he say..” Before Wesley could finish that sentence, the queen turned around, revealing her blonde-haired face. To further his surprise, she wasn’t showing cleavage. Oh thank the gods.

“My son and future daughter-in-law,” Belle smiled to both of them, “welcome home.”

---

In what most are calling the worst thing to happen to Ivalice than the bickering civil wars brewed between the three warring nations, there was a foul, putrid, unforgiving fear spreading all across Ivalice. It was felt by many who have sensitive awareness to mist and all the positives and negatives it produces. It’s been sensed from the far west near the TOmb of Raithwall where it is said that something long buried has awoken - a great beast those in Stigma call it. It was said to be one of the Four Great Seals of Ivalice. It is also said that, if it wakes up from it’s millenia slumber, ruin shall follow.

And to the farest eastern regions of Ivalice in the Ridorana Contrat, a great beast also awakens. It, like the Beast of the West, is the second of four seals. This one, unlike the first, is one that all know - and fear. It is considered Ivalice’s most fearsome Wyrm. Some call it a devil, some call it the devil, but all hunters know it as the Ultimate Mark, for his name is Yiazmat, and his wrath is felt throughout the entire seas of Ivalice from the Pharos and any landmass within a league of this great and terrifying devil.

In the south, more specifically, the southwest, Giruvegan has been shaken to its core. Pillars of mist shot up from all areas of the ancient city. It contorted to the point that giruvegan, if thought to be a dangerous voyage before, has been brought to the point where it’s now a suicide mission to go there, for it is now an unstable landmass that has twisting mist at all angles. VIsible as it is, this third seal is one of pure, unfiltered, unstable mist that has responded to the wickedness that is Zodiark.

And finally, in the north where the Imperial Capital, archades rests, there is another great undertaking happening. Though not as noticable, like in the TOmb of Raithwall and Ridorana contract, a frightening beast awakens. It is another Hunt for hunters. This one rests in the Chamber of the Wrote God, waiting any that approach. Any that do that surely will encounter the worst hell they could ever imagine, for in that chamber, the Hell Wyrm waits with virtuous patience, seeking to damn any to the depths of the underworld.

Throughout all of this catastrophe, the Dark Lord himself, the one that no one dare mention in fear of his power increasing, has secured himself a home even higher than Bhjuerba. Probably twenty miles higher, almost to the point where it exceeds the stratosphere, he sits upon a throne in a grim castle. It floats inside a field of the most vile, destructive mist in Ivalice’s history. The worst nightmares of humes and Viera’s couldn’t estimate how sickening this mist is. It contorts, twists, and roars demonic screams as a castle of pure black floats without a care in the world.

Just outside the throne room, the doors opened as loud footsteps thumped on the concrete flooring. These steps were noticeable as the echoes reverberated throughout the empty walls. They belonged to a large beast of a man, all in armor that was too bulky to tell if this man was. His steps eventually got him in front of a gothic-looking throne that had spikes at every edge possible. The throne itself was carved from black nethicite. It gave off the illusion of obsidian. It shined like marble, yet looked rough like jagged glass.

As the bulky man bowed on one knee, he spoke, “my liege,” he said, head bowed.

The being in the throne room raised their arm.

As the bulky man rose up to his feet, he looked at his liege. Terrifying to look at if one experienced fear(not like the man looking at him). He was a marvelous sight. There were ten wings colored a sickly greyish-green, which also was the same color as his skin color. Hair was black like the chair he sat on. He had six arms, and a face that had animated tentacles coming out of the mouth. An eye was above two normal eyes. They were red and black. In its lap was a huge tome that had ancient language, or so the heavily-armored man guessed.

“Yes, what is it?” The being asked, not bothering to look up.

“They’re here, my lord.”

“Took them long enough,” the being mused, “very well. Send for them to enter my throne room.” The being said.

“Of course, my lord.” He said, turning to go get them.

“Oh, and Roburmaal.”

“Yes my lord?” Roburmaal stopped, looking to his liege.

“A job well done. I can see restoring your mind to the point before those damned Archadians zombified your mind — and body — was a decision I have not regretted.” The being said, showing the slightest hint of a smile to Robur.

“I am forever in your debt, my lord.” He said, earnest.

The being would nod as he waved Robur away. Not long after the fact, Robur would return with three others. A tall, less-armored person than Robur was, a shorter fellow - male - and a female. “I present to the Lord Zodiark, Keeper of our Precepts and High Judge of Order and Chaos, Keiran, Creature, and The Time Scion.”

As ZOdiark got up from his throne, he hovered over to the three. He examined only the Time Scion, paying no mind to Creature, though there was a slight nod of approval of what he did, nor did he pay much mind to Keiran. His only focus was on her. “Hello Emiri. I am pleased to finally meet you in person.” Zodiark had said, smiling at the girl in an uncharacteristic fashion, “I trust you know who I am, don’t you?” There was Zodiark’s twisted wit.

“As I said, I didn’t think it would actually work,” Grant continued to defend himself, a little uncertain as to why Savayna was so upset. He thought she would have been pleased to hear he was defending her, though he supposed Savayna’s pride would state otherwise. He wouldn’t help but let out a small sigh as she voiced her disapproval, though he couldn’t hide the tiniest smile as one word she said rang in his ear: ‘fiancé’. He could hear it a million times coming from her, and the only thing that could make him happier was probably hearing her say ‘wife’.

His expression fell as she would turn away, and he would sigh again. “My apologies,” He said, though it was clear he said it more to appease her rather than actually meaning it.

---

Last she recalled, Wesley’s mother had been in Balfonheim. She was certainly more modestly dressed—though Nadeline didn’t fail to notice how it still hugged and accentuated her curves. Perhaps she had come to assist Wesley’s sister? Or perhaps she was waiting for Wesley’s return. The latter seemed more likely, though as she would welcome them home, Nadeline felt oddly out of place. It was strange, all she could do was fantasize about their future together, getting married, meeting all the important people she needed to, but it was as if all that was replaced with a foreign sense of uncertainty. Even so, even if she still called Stigma her home, that was not where she felt she should be either.

As graceful as ever, Nadeline would properly bow to Belle, though she didn’t hide her surprise. “Lady Belle, what a surprise to see you here,” She voiced her and Wesley’s thoughts. “And Cassandra?”

---

To say Keiran was content was the understatement of the century. He wasn’t sure why he was so damn pleased, though he had to admit his secret smugness against impressing even the Creature had definitely lifted his spirits. He would have hummed, but he didn’t dare do anything that would upset it; Keiran had played his part, and that satisfaction was all he needed. As they walked, everything in the castle certainly seemed familiar, though he couldn’t recall where he had seen it before. Of course, considering his true nature, it shouldn’t have been too much of a surprise, being nothing more than a little speck of Zodiark. Still, he didn’t recognize the blonde haired man at all, but he ignored him, truly in awe of his master.

Emiri had been deathly silent, though not a single thought about anything crossed her mind. No, that wasn’t entirely true; her inner mind was struggling to regain control of her own body, but it was nothing more than a slight annoyance that she promptly ignored. What got to her was the footsteps echoing. Click, click, click…a repetitive notion that seemed to drive her crazy. It made sense…she certainly felt like she was losing her mind.

The being before her was definitely something not of this world. Only the gods could have created something such as this, no mortal could hope to match anything like it. She stared, it was obvious, though she definitely noticed he was returning the favor, his eyes never leaving hers. Nothing else in the room could ever compare, though for some reason, she didn’t really feel intimidated. Not that she believed she was stronger or better, but his darkness was…comforting. It was like a blanket wrapped around her, keeping a silence she had longed for. It felt a lot like Keiran, but much stronger.

He spoke, directly addressing her, even giving her a smile. Odd, yes, but not entirely unwelcome. “I do,” Her response was short, direct, and honest, though she hesitated. “You…wanted to meet me?” She couldn’t quite hide her confusion at that, nor did she bother to stop herself from asking.

---

There you are.

Leaning heavily against the wall, a shining glyph would fade from underneath Shion, and she would wince. Looking down at her hand, she let out a small sigh of disappointment. Perhaps Emiri hadn’t been entirely incorrect, she was definitely getting soft, though she couldn’t simply retire just yet. Said hand was all the proof she needed: her veins were showing through her skin, colored black from Emiri’s strike, the tips of her fingers an eerily colored gray. A very thin, white line cut across her brachial, preventing the darkness from infecting the rest of her body, but she couldn’t deny that the dark poison hurt like hell. And that was saying something, considering Shion had a very high pain tolerance.

Across the room, Aloa eyed her wearily, though she was seated. The viera had seen better days, her other half was on Karolina’s bed, sound asleep. The growing darkness affected the two more then they would like to admit, especially on Vlyn’s behalf, though at least Aloa would not rest. Not yet, not while there was still one thing left to do. She watched Shion’s expression, or rather, the very small change from her usual blank look; her eyebrows pointed down ever so slightly, indicating her distress.

“Would it not be best to contact Francis and inform him of your injury?” Aloa couldn’t help but ask. “You never specified whether or not he knows of your whereabouts.”

Shion looked at her, slightly annoyed. “He is overseeing my flowers,” She grumbled. Aloa knew that translation: he was overseeing her assassins in her place. “Even so…he needn’t worry about an injury of this caliber.”

“An injury that could have easily killed you—the fact that your hand remains intact is impressive,”Aloa admitted. “But pray tell your reasoning, for once I am lost.”

The blue haired woman let out a long breath, standing straight. She needed to endure as long as she could, at the very least, until she could get to Archades. “The Scion’s magicks run through my hand. With it, I can find her,” Aloa’s eyes widened ever so slightly. “With this, he and I will be even.”

“Who? The Sky Pirate?”

“Yes and no. The Prince who proved himself worthy is the one I wanted to get even with, however…” Her voice trailed off slightly, as she grasped her hand, the darkness emanating rather menacingly. “The Sky Pirate will most likely be the first to spring into action. For now, they are scattered, but if they want to have any hopes of defeating Zodiark, they must unite once more. The Prince in Dalmasca, the Sky Pirate in Archades, and…”

“If you speak of Grant, I can find him,” Aloa rose from her seat, Zalera’s glyph shining brightly on her hand. “Then I must be off. And you as well…before your time runs out.”

Shion nodded, her hand forming into a fist. The white line glowed faintly, and she would let out a sigh of relief. There was no time to waste.

When they had finished eating, they were out. Wendy would have came, but if someone went around asking questions about Lannit and Jaakuna whereabouts, she could be there to deny knowing anything. Besides, based on how she was holding her stomach during the times Jaakuna looked at her, he had no doubt that she was pregnant. Of course, Jaakuna said nothing about how he figured it out to Wendy; though the same couldn’t be said when it came to LAnnit.

About halfway into the Sochen Cave Palace, Jaakuna said, “So, why didn’t you tell me that Wendy was pregnant?” Jaakuna asked Lannit.

“WAIT WHAT?!” Lannit gasped in shock, as if it was the first time he was hearing about this., “WHAT DID YOU SAY?!”

“Oh, you mean you didn’t,” Jaakuna glanced to Lorenzo awkwardly, “help me out. You’re the one with the kid over here.” Jaakuna was practically begging Lorenzo for an out of this awkward situation, “talk to him or something.” Jaakuna said, giving Lorenzo a pleading glance, all the while Lannit was pacing back and forth, clearly having a panic attack.

---

Savayna had opened her mouth, possibly wanting to say something more about how she felt at the moment, but she decided not to mid-action. Instead, she scowled, making sure he saw it. He had apologized, so she would try to let it go, though it was harder than it seemed. There was a begging urge inside her soul that wanted to keep going. If it had been any other day, Savayna probably would have pursued this until she left Grant a groveling mess. But of course, she hasn’t really been feeling like that Savayna in awhile, not since she started feeling things for Grant.

Savayna shrugged, turning to the now-deceased Leviathan. Looking at the face of the caramel-colored serpent, Savayna’s face was full of bewilderment. She still couldn’t believe that, Leviathan Necfedeles, was slain by a simple bullet at point-blank range. The fact that one of the most sneaky, elusive women she had ever known in her time with the Archadian Army was taken down by just one bullet.

“I just can’t believe she’s actually dead,” Savayna said, looking at Grant, the same puzzled expression on her face. “What kind of fucking bullet did you use? To my knowledge, no armory, regardless of your connections - and I know you have some serious connections in the Ivalice Black Market - there’s no way even the rarest and strongest of bullets could take down someone such as Leviathan. So, tell me what you did, Grant?” Savayna wasn’t trying to sound demanding. She was aiming for curiosity at most, but she did sound like it was an order rather than a question.

---

“Resting,” Isabelle said simply, answering Nadeline’s inquiry. “Ruling a country in her older brother’s stead is tiring. And with what’s been going on..” Isabelle’s voice fell distant, as did her gaze with her son’s deep orchid eyes.

“What is it mother?” Wesley asked, wary.

“It might not be anything serious.” Isabelle said, pursing her lips worryingly.

Though her mouth said one thing, Isabelle’s wary tone and fear-filled eyes suggested otherwise. Wesley began to worry. “Mother, tell me. Even if it might seem like nothing, please tell us.” Wesley pleaded with Isabelle.

After a minute of contemplation, Isabelle sighed, defeated by her son’s urgency. “Well, don’t take my word on it, but It seems as though there are troubling rumors swirling around Dalmasca about your brother, Sylvester.” She spoke with dread.

“What sort of rumors?” WEsley asked, fearing the answer.

Isabelle didn’t respond right away, her eyes on Nadeline briefly. She was probably looking for some courage. She saw the girl’s eyes, and smiled. Then she went back to Wesley’s orchid eyes. “There are some claiming that your brother might very well be alive.” Isabelle informed him, sounding half-hopeful, half-skeptical about said rumor.

And as she spoke, Wesley felt his knees weak. He was grasping around for a chair. He found one to his left. He took a seat, and was having difficulties to remember to breathe. “It’s impossible. I saw him die right in front of me. He bled out in my arms. I heard him take his last breath before the gods took him away from us. This is just not possible.”

---

Zodiark didn’t respond right away to Emiri. Instead, he examined her face, judging it. She was confused, there was no denying that. The girl obviously hadn’t mastered the art of putting on a mask. Or maybe she had and she simply chose to reveal all? It was very possible.He hummed thoughtfully, nodding his head somewhat. Zodiark ran one of his six arms through his tome, it shining a neutral grey with an outline of eerie green. The finger trailed down the page it was on. Zodiark’s eyes followed along. “Emelia Rianna Inabi, daughter of Lord Andre Inabi, a veteran soldier of the Rozarrian Empire. He recently was healed of all wounds from mysterious magicks. No, not quite right,” Zodiark pressed on the page with his finger, “there we go. It was, in fact, time magicks that rewound his injuries to a state where they didn’t exist.” Zodiark mused aloud, “Emelia, who prefers the name Emiri, is an interesting topic among the Scions. We all wish to obtain that power, because with it, anything is possible.”

As Zodiark would close his tome, it vanished into a cloud of charcoal-colored smoke. He would then look to Emiri, neutral-faced of course, then to Keiran. “My seed, you have done well. I will see to that you are given a permanent place among my Followers of Order. In fact,” Zodiark snapped his fingers. In that same moment, Keiran would feel a surge of overwhelming power, though of course there was a side-effect. “I apologize for the pain you’re about to experience, but giving you all that which you were created for will be an excruciating ordeal.” Zodiark let out a low chuckle.

Eyes fell back to Emiri. “Time Scion, tell me, what are you feeling right now? Tell me what it is you feel when you look at me? What do you experience when you are in the presence of my Mist?” Zodiark would hound her with questions, eyes focused on Emiri’s soft skin, on her full lips, and her piercing red eyes.

Lorenzo nodded solemnly at Jaakuna, giving him a thumbs up. The blonde knew exactly what needed to be done, his fatherly experience coming into play. Though he had to admit, he was just as surprised as Lannit was, though for a different reason; Wendy had all the tell-tale signs, even if she wasn’t constantly holding her growing belly. She avoided meat like the plague, she tried not to be on her feet too much (likely due to swelling), and her choice of food was…unique. Of course, Lorenzo only knew because he was always with Karolina when she was pregnant, otherwise he probably would have been as clueless as Lannit.

The prince approached Lannit, slinging his arms around the shocked man’s shoulder comfortingly. He stared right at him, his golden eyes piercing, and he would begin to explain as slowly as he could. “You see, Lannit, you and Wendy have reached that special stage in your relationship—the kind where hot, burning passion ascends the emotions we bear in our hearts and turns into something physical. With that in mind, I’m sure you got curious about each other’s bodies, and—” Lorenzo stopped as he noticed both Jaakuna and Lannit’s looks. They seemed entirely disapproving on his speech (they were actually annoyed with him, but he couldn’t tell) and Lorenzo would blink in confusion.

“What? You wanted to me talk to him!” Lorenzo defended himself, releasing Lannit. He let out a grumble under his breath, though he would straighten up again. “Listen up, you knocked up your girl, so she’s going to give you the seed of your love in a couple of months. Not sure why she hasn’t let you know, but it is what it is,” He was much more straightforward this time, bearing a shit-eating grin. “Congrats, Daddy!”

---

When Savayna finally realized and understood Grant’s own shock, he was relieved. Yet, he was troubled. Sure, most people would never be able to take a bullet between the eyes and live to tell the tale, but he honestly never thought Levi of all people would be one of those people. It was almost uncanny, and he half expected her to jump up and try to stab them both.

Letting out a sigh, he would lift his hand, Zeromus’ Seal glowing on it briefly. “I did have some help,” He admitted, clearly referring to his Esper. “A power I had never dreamed I could acquire…it reminded me much of Wesley’s power in Giruvegan. Zeromus was with me all the way, and while it was no normal bullet, it did have some Arcane Magicks entwined…she left herself wide open to attack.”

---

There was that name again, and the mention of his brother nearly sent Wesley into shock. Not that Nadeline could blame him, especially after everything that had happened. For a split second, the haunting memories of Nabudis nearly came back, but she forced them down. Now wasn’t the time for that, she needed to make sure Wesley was alright. She would kneel down next to him, a small frown on her face. She would look back at Belle, looking at her seriously. “And what of it? Does he wish to claim the throne? Bring harm to the family? Why else wouldn’t he show his face around here if the rumors were true?” She honestly didn’t want to come off so rudely, but she couldn’t stand seeing Wesley like this.

---

What kind of tome was that? It was…strange. And the fact that she found that strange out of all things really said something. Even her nickname…though it did answer how he already knew her name before she could introduce herself. She remained quiet, only listening as he would recite information about her father. Surprisingly, she remained rather calm, though her heart ached slightly. She didn’t realize that in her quest for revenge, she had left him behind. No, it was for the best. He was safe there.

By the time she had collected her thoughts, she realized he was talking to Keiran. Just what sort of relationship did they have with one another? The way Keiran looked at Zodiark with such admiration, she would almost mistake him for a schoolgirl hanging on a crush’s every word. Keiran bowed deeply to his master, eager to please. Perhaps, in a sad way, Keiran depended not only on Zodiark’s existence, but his approval as well. A pity.

Zodiark would speak to her once more, questioning how she felt when she looked at him. What sort of question was that? She raised a fascinated eyebrow, her gaze never leaving his, though she supposed she should answer his question. Fear. Hatred. The source of all evil… A rather sad voice would tell her in the back of her mind.

“I experience silence,” She answered, ignoring the voice. “Tranquility, it’s…comforting,” She realized it didn’t make much sense, though she figured he wasn’t looking for anything in particular. “It means I don’t have to think or feel anything.” And I don’t have to suffer…

“You know, when I told you to talk to him, it wasn’t to talk about him and Wendy —”

“Jaakuna, whatever you were going to say, please don’t.”

“What?”

As Lannit would give him a scowl, Jaakuna returned to the sight of Lorenzo as he would just look at him back. Jaakuna would mirror Lannit’s scowl as he simply looked ahead. Whatever was happenign right now, someone had to be the adult among the man-children, which was odd considering that Jaakuna wa sone of the biggest manchilds in all of Ivalice.

And with Jaakuna assuming the leadership position. Whether they liked it or not, Jaakuna started walking towards the direction they were previously going before Jaakuna regretfully brought up Wendy’s pregnant state.

The trio of blonde males were trekking through a shortcut, whcih Jaakuna had hoped would limit their encounter rate of monsters. Much to his chagrin, the complete opposite had happened as it looked like about a dozen Wendigos blocked their way to the Hall of the Wroth God. These Wendigos weren’t exactly strong, but in large groups, they could prove to be difficult, especially for three males who weren’t exactly the smartest fighters. Or rather, Lannit wasn’t. Still, Jaakuna would press forth, leading his two blonde brethren forth towards the headless beasts.

“Proceed with caution, men,” Jaakuna said, pulling out his twin short swordsthat he called Blazed Passion(formally Vengeance Daggers). “Flame Coat,” Jaakuna said. His short swords flared up, flames of red and white surrounding them in a thick layer of fire magick.

Lannit scowled as Jaakuna had self-declared himself leader; though he would agree that they had to be careful. He has dealt with the Wendigos plenty of times when he and Wendy had to venture to the Phon Coast. Since they had to go through the underground palace of Sochen, he definitely encountered his fair share of them.

Lannit extended his right arm in front of him, a magickal glyph appeared. He reached into the glyph. As he would, his arm from the elbow to the wrist was surrounded in a dark pink and purple metallic material, a Needle Gun seen as the glyph had disappeared. He cocked his head to the side, looking to Lorenzo. “She’s nice right? Picked her up a few years back from a Dalmascan. The needles are synthesised from a special magicite from those mines of yours in Stigma.” Lannit said, bragging about his Needle Rifle.

Jaakuns shook his head at Lannit. “Four for each of us. That sounds reasonable, right?” Jaakuna said with confidence.

---

“]And I would miss something fantastic like that, wouldn’t I?” Savayna scowled as she mumbled something under her breath; though, as Grant would say that Levi left herself open, she curled something of a smile. “Yup, that sounds like Levi.”

Savayna recalled a time where she and Levi fought each other. It was probably five or so years before she made Judge. They were in a tournament that Archadia was holding to crown the next general of the Imperial Army. Savayna was against Leviathan. The latter was in favor to win due to her experience over the then-inexperienced Savayna. All eyes were on Glacie, however. They knew she had potential, but against Leviathan? It was like a babe taking on a Ring Wyrm. There might be a shot of victory, but unlikely.

When the fight started, Leviathan had stopped Savayna. Confused, Savayna had asked, “what is this?”

Leviathan would reply, “I will give you one free shot.” Leviathan had her arms in front of her.

Savayna was no doubt puzzled by this. First off, this had to have been a trick. Or a trap. Leviathan was known for that. More to the point, if she went for it, what was stopping Levi from using her preferred snakelike tactics and trapping Savayna in her slippery hands?

Savayna had to make a choice for Leviathan would say, “five seconds,” she started to count down.

One, two, three, four —Savayna took to a large leap upward. With her trademark Ice Queen sword in hand, Savayna had cast haste, protect, shell, faith, and bravery in a matter of seconds, and struck the water serpent with her sword that had been reinforced with a blizzaga spell. As she came down with her weapon, an arc of magick-infused mist was inching closer and closer to Leviathan.

Savayna would look on as Leviathan never stopped smirking. And when she got hit by that wave of icy mist, it still wasn’t off of her face.

The force of the attack sent Levi through a series of walls. But that wasn't nearly as powerful as the shock collective Archadians and Rozarrians and Dalmascans and those that weren’t belonging to either of the great three empires. They couldn’t help but watch with widened eyes as the favored to win had been defeated.

That was the time where Savayna had never trusted anything regarding Leviathan. Considering this was the very same thing, it made her believe that she wasn’t dead. Or if she was dead, then she seriously miscalculated Grant’s power. By the gods, Savayna wished she was conscious so she could have a better idea of how powerful Grant had been.

“So, what do you think we should do?” Savayna asked, “I want to get out of here, but there might be a chance she’s not dead. On the other hand, I really don’t want to stay here any longer than I need to.”

---

“I will give you an answer when these rumors are proven either false or true.” Isabella said with a sigh.

As much as she wanted to admit it, Isabella could not bring herself to submit to the temptation of believing her oldest son was alive. It was hard enough losing him the first time around. If she were to believe that he was alive and it turned out these were simply rumors, her heart couldn’t take it. She had to make sure that it wasn’t a rumor before she would accept he was alive.

Isabella had looked to her son, who was less as distraught than he was a moment ago, but he still looked out of it. “Wesley, look at me.” She asked. Wesley did. “Let the spies do what they can.”

He simply nodded, seeming to shake off the remnants of his wandering thoughts.

“Now, tell me why is it that you have returned? Given what is happening, I figured you would be trying to save the world.” Isabella let out a laugh.

Wesley would sigh regretfully. “As much as I would love to, I am needed here.” Wesley said, feeling that those weren’t the right words. “What I mean is, I am going to claim my birthright.” Still not right. “I am going to assume my place as King of Dalmasca.”

For a moment, there was a neutral expression on his mother’s face, then it curved into a proud smile. “You remind of Jonathan more and more.” Isabella said.

As Wesley would smile with gusto, he said, “I couldn’t be given any higher praise, mother.”

“This will require time. I hope you understand that. Given what’s happening with these rumors about your brother, it could provide complications. Still,” Isabella clapped, “if this is what you wish to do, then I will do all that I can to help you achieve that goal. I think your sister will —” As Isabella would speak, she saw her daughter in the door. “Oh, Cassandra, I thought you were resting.”

“I was, but I had this weird dream about Wes. It was about him as a male Viera and he was boinking some whore,” Cassandra said. Her eyes barely open. She still had crust in the corners of her jade-colored eyes. As she would finally adjust them to the origin of her mother’s voice, she saw her brother and Nadeline. “WESLEY!” her voice jumped a few octaves. She ran as fast as she could, and tackled her brother in a tight embrace, forcing both of them over the chair.

Wesley grunted as he couldn’t help but smile as he returned the embrace from Cassandra. “Missed you too, Cassie.”

“I can’t believe you’re home! Does this mean you’re done travelling?” Cassandra would manage to ask amid the way she was snuggling her brother. Wesley would make an affirming noise, not able to say anything due to the fact of Cassandra’s hair over his mouth. Anything he said would come out muffled.

Isabella laughed. “Well then, while they get reacquainted, Nadeline, won’t you come with me,” Isabella rose up, “I require your assistance about something.” Isabella said, grabbing Nadeline’s arm as she would tug the blonde princess away from Wesley.

As she led Nadeline out of the room, and into the halls of the Royal Palace, Isabella waited until they were out of earshot of any knights. That required her to lead them to room that was empty. She locked the door as it would close behind her. “Nadeline, I did not want to say this in front of Wesley, but there is more to those rumors,” she said, gripping her arm with her other arm’s hand. “It’s more than a rumor. Sylvester is alive. And he’s in Rabanastre.”

---

“Yes, you have suffered a great deal in these past few months, haven’t you.” Zodiark stepped forward, placing a hand on Emiri’s cheek. “You’ve experienced terror of being an object of a prince, but found bliss in a sky pirate. You have felt love and joy from friends, but then you were abandoned a few times by Jaakuna. You’ve experienced brief lapses of memory, but came back through your own will. You are strong, that much is certain. Even after Chaos intervened, you proved yourself stubborn. No doubt you got that from your beloved, Jaakuna.” Zodiark said, counting the times of Emiri’s life as if checking off things off of a list.

As Zodiark looked at Emiri, he saw she just wanted to be among friends, she just wanted to not feel alone. “For being such a complex hume, you have simple desires, don’t you Emiri?” Zodiark removed his hand from Emiri’s cheek, “you don’t want to be alone.” Zodiark mused, bringing one his arms under his chin, then he smiled at Emiri. “Fear not, Time Scion, you will never be alone for as long as you are here.” Zodiark gave her a comforting smile. “Despite what you have been told by the Blue Rose, by those two Viera, by your travelling companions, or even by Chaos himself, I do not wish to hurt you. In fact, I need your help.” Zodiark said, seeming to be embarrassed. Or something similar to it. “You see, there is a task that I need to accomplish, but even with all my expansive powers and knowledge obtained throughout the years, I do not possess the gift that you have.” He said, looking at her with the utmost focus. “You were told that you would die from using your gift, but what if I told you that, you have been lied to. What if I told you that your gift is simply your way to ascend from your Hume origins? What if I told you that you can become a goddess?”

“Impressive,” Lorenzo admitted, though he managed to contain his geekier machine-crazed side as he would crack his knuckles. “For a fight, though, I prefer the old-fashioned fistcuffs.”

He eyed the headless monsters carefully, already planning his steps. It wouldn’t be terribly difficult, though he felt slightly more pressured then his other companions. As much as he’d rather blaze through them and onto the Hell Wyrm, they’d probably cause a problem while they were fighting the greater problem. Letting out a sigh, he poised himself at the ready, and once they had lined up unintentionally, Lorenzo would charge in. His fists glowed, indicating magicks were at work, and he skidded to a halt right before the first Wendigo he saw. He had charged for maybe one or two seconds, but the resulting punch sent the first monster barreling into the rest, catching their attention.

A wicked grin was plastered on his face as he would pick out the four he would take out. Mist gathered around him, charging him up, and he would leap forward, his fist colliding with the Wendigo’s chest as it stumbled backwards. Another had chosen to swing its axe at Lorenzo, but he was much faster than the headless creatures—rather than outright dodging, he would grab onto it, letting the Wendigo lift it into the air. Letting go, he took advantage of the drop and landed a kick into it, sending it to the ground. He ran his thumb off his nose, readying himself for the next as it approached much more cautiously. He didn’t quite see the Watera spell, and he would lunge forward as it would miss his head, though it didn’t deter him from landing his next hit.

---

The fact that Savayna recognized one of Levi’s tactics didn’t really make Grant feel any better than before. No, if anything it put him more on edge. If there was even the slightest chance she could still be alive, he needed to finish the job; there was no telling what damage she could later reap should she come back. Savayna echoed his thoughts, though he understood her reluctance to stick around. Grant would immediately draw out his gun once more, turning to Levi’s body.

“Then a couple more bullets wouldn’t harm a corpse,” He stated, cocking his gun at Levi.

---

Somehow, Nadeline couldn’t help but feel as if that ‘whore’ Cassandra mentioned could quite possibly be referring to her. No, Cassandra didn’t know of their involvement…did she? As the uncomfortable thought rested in her head, Isabella would promptly pull her out of the room. What could she need her for? Before she could further inquire, she noticed that she led her to a room and would lock the door behind them. Oh boy, this was going to be something. And something it was, as Isabella would reveal exactly why they had left the room. Sylvester is indeed alive, and even in the city. It seemed destiny had wanted the two brothers to reunite, whether by chance or not.

Nadeline looked at Isabella, a rather thoughtful look on her face. She knew what needed to be done, though she wondered how long Cassandra could occupy Wesley’s attention. Instead, Nadeline nodded in understanding, knowing what she needed to do. “Then I will take my leave. Let Wesley know I’ve gone to send a message home about…about Emiri,” She stumbled on the girl’s name unintentionally, though at the very least, it was a truth. She had intended to do so once she had gotten a chance, though it was unlikely that Wesley would take it at face value without asking too many questions.

She cleared her throat, recomposing herself. “I will search him out and get some answers. The least he could do is explain himself,” She said, looking at the door.

---

How did he know all that? Emiri’s eyes narrowed as he would list events in her life, as if it was nothing. She couldn’t help but look away at the mention of Jaakuna; still a sore topic, it seemed. Keiran couldn’t help but hold in a snicker, though he wasn’t about to incur the wrath of neither Zodiark nor Emiri. Luckily for him, the two seemed to be so focused on one another that neither gave him even an acknowledging glance. Emiri, on the other hand, was listening intently to the Esper. Her eyes remained narrowed, suspicious. No one would offer everything and not have anything to gain in return.

“Ascend from my origins? You speak as if I haven’t done so already,” She couldn’t help but point out dryly. “Since the moment I was born I was already different from the other humes. But that’s besides the point…I suppose what I’d like really like to know is what you desire,” Her voice came out very alluring, a small smile on her face. “It can’t be helped…there’s always something just above our reach—for myself, and even you.”

She was much, much too comfortable. Zodiark could probably snap her neck at every second, but the way they spoke to one another was if they were on equal footing. Was she that cocky? Or maybe that little time thing of hers was stronger than she let on. Keiran raised an eyebrow. No…it was probably his own influence. Keiran was cocky as hell, though he wouldn’t ever dream of being so casual with his master. Well, at the very least, it’d be entertaining.

With Lorenzo taking charge first, Jaakuna and Lannit had followed suit. The two had practiced their maneuvers so many times over the years. Though it’s been about four since they last fought together, they still had the same strategy as from before: Lannit would fire his Needle Rifle at the enemy, which got their attention, and Jaakuna would take advantage by striking with overkilling fury from the air as he utilized a float spell.

And so they did exactly that. Pink needles of magicite were fired from Lannit’s gun, exploding into medium, non-elemental magickal damage on four Wendigos spread across ten paces. Though it damaged them, it didn’t seem to hurt their heavily-armored bodies. From what could be seen, it only annoyed them.

As the four Wendigos charged at Lannit, who kept firing, Jaakuna came from the sky. One WEndigo was sliced in half by both swords as Jaakuna came down with a vertical strike. Next, without wasting any momentum, Jaakuna thrusted forward with one sword, sending white and red fire into one Wendigo. This didn’t kill it, but the magick from his sword did maim it as the beast was sent five paces opposite of Jaakuna as it was sent to Lorenzo’s direction.

Jaakuna took in a breath and saw the remaining two come at him. Twisting his body, Jaakuna would use his Mist to create a sort of fiery tornado of red and white. The two beasts sent out blizzara spells at the tornado. Unfortunate for them, the ice didn’t even make it past the heat generated from Jaakuna’s mist.

As the two beasts came charging at Jaakuna. In a matter of moments, he would release the fire maigck he had been gathering at the two beasts in the form of a hurling, fiery tornado. It would envelop them and raising their bulky bodies ten paces off of the ground.

“Now, Lannit!” Jaakuna gave Lannit the signal.

Lannit charged his rifle to the max, the needles growing twice as long as they normally were. A unique pink and purple mist oozed from Lannit’s body, surrounding him to the point that it drastically changed his entire body. His hair was a deep, dark orchid, his skin had been tinted with a magenta color, and his gun had so much magickal essence coming from it that it was about to burst.

Until Lannit fired.

“Needle Storm!” Lannit called out.

The mist-infused needles shot out at such a velocity — and quantity — that if you blinked, you probably missed it. The total count of how many magicite needle rounds were shot exceeded the hundreds. When the needles had made contact with the tornado, it changed its color to match Lannit’s temporary appearance. And as the last round of needles was fired, the tornado exploded, leaving nothing of the two Wendigos in the tornado.

As the smoke would clear, Lannit’s former paled-skinned, blonde-maned self returned.

---

“By all means, finish the job.” Savayna wasn’t even going to protest to that idea. If there was a chance that she was still alive, any at all, then she encouraged Grant to put a few more slugs into her. It might be a little cold of Savayna to feel like that, but sometimes being frigid never bothered her. It was sometimes necessary when faced with the possibility of a bitch coming back from the dead.

---

Isabella hesitated briefly when Nadeline explained what she was going to do. She expected her future daughter-in-law to do something like that. The Queen Mother knew that because it would be something that WEsley would do. Honor and integrity were the cornerstones of Wesley’s soul, so it wasn’t a shocker that Nadeline would have something similar.

“It’s astonishing,” she mused aloud, “you are so much like him.” isabella smiled, chuckling to herself as she saw the subtle fire in Nadeline’s eyes. “You might want to try Old Dalan. If there’s anyone who might know where my recently-revived son is hiding, it’s that old kook.” Isabella frowned slightly as she was forced to utter his name. A lot of history there, not enough time to reminisce.

---

“You insult me with your ignorance.” Zodiark stated sharply. “Don’t do it again.”

As Zodiark would purse his lips, he found himself both annoyed and intrigued by Emiri’s bold rhetoric. No one talked to him like that. And maybe she knew that, and that was why she did it anyway? How intriguing.

“I can’t decide if I should commemorate your bravery or scorn your stupidity,” Zodiark hummed a musing sound, all six arms forming various hand signs, as if contemplating it on several planes. A second hum came from Zodiark’s mouth as he would look at the Time Scion. “Very well. I will let you in on a secret, Emiri.” Zodiark remarked, “but first,” he waved his arm at Roburmaal. “Robur, if you would, escort Follower Twelve to his quarters.” Zodiark ordered.

“As you will, my liege.” Robur grasped Keiran’s arm, “this way, Twelfth.” Robur didn’t give Keiran much of a choice.

As Keiran would be whisked away, ZOdiark smiled upon the pretty face of Emiri. “My apologies, but lower beings such as my former seed should not be allowed to hear such important plans, don’t you agree?” Zodiark gave something akin to a grin.

When the doors have closed behind Robur, Zodiark hummed once more. “I desire a lot of things, Emiri. I want to ensure my place in this world. To do that, I need power.” Zodiark laughed, “I know what you must be thinking: ‘power? You have all the power you need.’ Yes, this is true. I have a lot of potent strength in me. My creators did not foresee this, so they sealed me away in that hell Giruvegan. However, when they sealed me there, I lost most of my power. I mean, that is to say, I had to forsake some of it when I tricked that lover of yours, Jaakuna.” Zodiark knew the mention would get a reaction. “So, how can I get back my power? Well, that’s a rather easy question to answer. To return me to my original glory, I need you, my dear.” Zodiark uttered, his voice unusually tender. And even more unusual, his longest arm - the lower right one - was stroking Emiri’s left one. “If you do this for me, you will become what all of these espers have been calling you, Emiri. Do this, and you will no longer be Emelia Inabi of Rozarria. You will be Emiri, the Time Scion.”

"Nicely done!" Lorenzo called out, though he couldn't quite stop himself from letting out a whistle, indicating how impressed he was. No doubt Lannit possessed the strength he needed; the guy would definitely be fine stepping into fatherhood. Although, monsters definitely didn't quite get to him as much as diapers did. But live and let learn--he was to focus on the task at hand. Two monsters left, and they had Lorenzo's name all over them--figuratively, of course!

Lorenzo would widen his position, his left hand outstretched, and his right arm slowly drawing his fist backwards as he closed his eyes. As he did, Mist would gather around him, shining a brilliant sunset color the further he drew his fist back. Once he locked himself in, his fist glowing, the Wendigos would take the opportunity to strike. He opened his eyes, golden flames dancing in them, and he would throw out a single punch. At first, it was as if time itself had stopped, and neither the monsters or Lorenzo moved. After what seemed like an eternity actually compressed into a few seconds, the orange Mist would spring forth, engulfing them and taking them out entirely.

Letting out a cheer, Lorenzo would throw his head back and laugh. "What a great warm-up! That wyrm's going to wish it'd never have been forth! Jaakie! Bennit! Onwards!" He barked the orders, his laughter bouncing off the walls as he would continue.

---

It wasn't so much that Savayna agreed with his decision, it was more the way she agreed. Still, Grant couldn't find it in himself to admit he had any compassion for the snake, especially when she had left him to rot under Vincent, so there was no love lost there. What did bother him, however, was how relatively simple it was to take her down. Savayna had been right, even if she hadn't quite admitted it, but it was better to be safe then sorry. Grant nodded, immediately pointing his gun at Levi once more. Despite shooting normal bullets, he doubted anyone could take four shots to the temple and walk off to live the tale. It was almost cruel to defile her corpse as such; there was no denying that in her stillness, Levi was, unfortunately, still very beautiful, even in death, or perhaps moreso because of the fact that there was no trace of who or what she was on her face.

Letting out a sigh, he would reload, and was almost tempted to put the entire round in her head, but he settled for his four bullets. It gave him no pleasure, but he was more at peace now.

---

A name she recognized, though Nadeline would not mention it. Old Dalan...she wondered if he would recognize her. They had never met in person, although he was the one who had sent Lorenzo and Grant to Aloa when Karolina was dying. The thoughts would be tucked neatly in the back of her head with the other worrying subjects, and she would focus on the matter at hand. After giving Isabella a gracious bow, Nadeline would take her leave without a moment's hesitation. The guards barely acknowledged her presence as she walked through the halls of the Rabanastre castle, and with good reason, considering the look on Nadeline's face was not to be trifled with.

She could not ignore those thoughts of hers any longer: Keiran, Sylvester, Emiri...the three people occupied her thoughts almost unwillingly. What did disturb her, however, was Emiri; she had seen firsthand her power, how hungrily she would wield the darkness. But it was too proficient, too advanced for someone like her to know such a thing. And then there was that blood curtling scream when Wesley had struck Keiran, as if he had struck her instead. She had hoped Aloa's seal would hold, but she feared that with Zodiark's return and Aloa's weakening, the seal would become useless. If only Nadeline herself had had the strength and knowledge...but it was too late for that.

Her thoughts shifted then to the demon, Keiran. She simply didn't like him, though she couldn't quite put her finger on the why. There was something more to him, something dark and deep, the way he manipulated Emiri with ease was almost too good. It was as if he had gotten into her head, toying with her, but how? And then, he didn't so much as flinch when Wesley's blade basically went right through him. He was definitely not human, but why did he target Emiri? He didn't seem to like fighting too much, but what was his goal?

Finally, Sylvester. That name rang in her head, and she brought it to the forefront. Not just that, but it was with a heavy heart she recalled that name also belonging to the man in Wesley's nightmare in Nabudis. Just the thought of the man haunted Wesley, and his surety in his death only served to set off more alarms. If it was someone merely using his name, she would know: Wesley had described him in plenty detail that she was confident she would know if it was really him.

But if it was, then what?

No, now wasn't the time for doubts. And as she would walk into the shop, only giving a passing nod to the bangaa that greeted her, she would stop before the old man. There was no question at all--this was him.

"Old Dalan," Her voice came out a little more forceful than she intended, though she would bow. As she would straighten, her eyes burned with a fierce passion. No longer would she stay aside--she would take matters into her own hands. "I am Nadeline Lenore Roselia. Tell me where to find Sylvester Alexander."

---

Jaakuna...why?

There was no hate. There was no anger. The name rang in her head over and over, and as much as she hated to admit it, the name brought with it a great, unbearable sadness within her. Emiri nearly turned away, distracted by an overflowing memory of sadness, but she would stand her ground. She couldn't even enjoy the fact that she got Zodiark to snap at her--proving she could get under his skin--but the truth of the matter was that Jaakuna was a wound she would rather not remember. So much that she nearly missed Zodiark's speech. She forced herself to listen, if only out of curiosity, but Jaakuna hung back at the back of her head. His smile, his laughter, the way he would embrace her, the times they spoke...why was she remembering all this now?

Because I still love him.

Even so, I...

"No doubt you'd get rid of me once the job is finished," While the comment would normally be one of a sarcastic tone, Emiri was serious, her voice low and quiet. "Even so...you'd be doing me a favor. This world is too cruel, too selfish, too tainted with the sins of man. If fate deems the end to come, so be it. I don't care anymore..." And involuntary hiccup escaped her, and before she could do anything, a single tear rolled down her cheek. Emiri forced herself to hold back the rest, pushing all her feelings down. No, she didn't need Jaakuna or anyone else. He was the one that caused her this pain in her chest! "I...will need a little time to prepare. The trek across the desert was...tiring..." The words came out as a mumble, though it was unintentional, and she held her head. She had used too much power on fighting Nadeline, and was more weary than she realized.

She would lift her head, empty red eyes staring at Zodiark. "If that is your wish, then I will do what I can."