End: Their Seperate Ways

That afternoon, in the skies above the South Plains, the Royal Knights and their squadrons were soaring on their Pegasi. These winged horses were the specially bred mounts of the Human race’s army, and were quite swift in the air. Even more so than the Wyverns of the Demon Realm.

Still, the knights had yet to catch up to their target…and Levene was starting to get impatient.

“We should have been right behind them by now.” She grumbled.

Ventus frowned as he looked around, then gasped and pulled back the reins on his Pegasus.

“Hold it, I see something!” He declared.

Everyone stopped to follow his gaze, and Lucius’s eyes narrowed at the surfacet below.

“By the Deities, it can’t be…” He muttered.

A town was in ruins, with its walls broken down in several places, and most of the buildings burnt to ash. With his heart beginning to burn with a certain emotion, he shouted out a command.

“Check for survivors, and don’t leave any stone unturned!”

He directed his Pegasus to descend towards the town, and the other knights hastily followed him.

They searched for a half-hour, looking through all the debris, examining the blood-covered bodies of fallen soldiers, and retrieving frightened townspeople who were hiding in whatever intanct homes were left.

“So those vile sinners attacked and kidnapped the children?” Levene inquired.

An old lady nodded hastily “Y-yes! Please, save my grandson!”

“Leave it to us, ma’am.”

After giving the lady a smile and a wave, Levene went to Lucius and sighed wearily.

“This is turning into a hassle…What do you make of it?”

However, he was more focused on a dead a soldier, kneeling and clasping his hands in a prayer.

“May you all find peace with the Five Deities…” He thought somberly.

Once he was done, he stood and looked around. Seeing the destruction those beings of Hell had brought…caused his heart to flare with rage. It reminded him so much of the tragedy in his childhood…

He shook the thought away and turned to Levene, and spoke in a cool tone.

“The enemy likely took the children as hostages. They’ve caught on to how we’re chasing them.”

Levene frowned and cupped her chin. “Makes sense. But how could they have known?”

“Most likely there’s a spy amongst us. Honestly, I suspected it when I heard how a Demon was there to meet the Hero of Light at Cocola. If it’s true…”

“Then we need to launch an investigation.” Ventus cut in.

He stepped between them with a pointed glare, and adjusted his glasses.

“If this supposed spy has been feeding information to the Demons for a while, then we’re far more vulnerable than we ever thought. We need to capture them, whoever they are, and interrogate them to ensure an even playing field of information!”

Lucius hummed as he thought about it, then shook his head.

“No, we’ll simply be more observant to everything around us. If we’re too hasty, the spy will slip through our grasp. But now’s not the time to be worrying about them, just focus on the mission.”

Levene and Ventus shared skeptical eyebrows, but shrugged and nodded.

_______________________________________

In Lucen Palace, it was now dinnertime, and everyone had come to the dining hall for a celebratory feast.

The Heroes of Arum and Mai sat on one side of the rectangular banquet table, while the Royal Knight Lieutenants were seated on the other. Between them, there were numerous plates of food. From soft bread loaves, to perfectly ripe fruits and vegetables, to well-cooked meats.

“Better enjoy your meal while it lasts!” Hearthstone said as he grabbed a chicken leg. “You won’t be seeing stuff like this for a while!”

“After we cross the border.” Lorica clarified, nibbling some bread. “Until then, we’ll still be able to dine at any inns along the way.”

Aquare laughed softly. “Although, I’ve gotten better at cooking, so you all don’t need to worry about what we eat while camping.”

Terrence chuckled. “Mother taught me how to cook, so you can let me help.”

Electra leaned over the table. “Hey, how about we all spar after this? I want to see how far our prince has come along!”

“Do they even want to fight?” Viridi said in disbelief.

“W-well, I wouldn’t mind.” Kayla said hesitantly.

Hearthstone let out a boisterous laugh. “I certainly want to! Come on my friends, let us spar and compare our powers!”

“Why not? It should be very entertaining with this many people.” Lorica said with an amused smile.

Terrence laughed awkwardly. “I guess I can’t refuse.”

Aquare smiled brightly and nodded. “I’ll support you all with my music. That reminds me, Symphonia, shall we sing our duet?”

“I would love to, Master Aquare.” Symphonia said as she appeared behind him.

The two went to stand at the head of the table, and turned their backs toward each other. They then raised their heads as they began to vocalize in harmony.

Oh Heroes of Arum

Your hearts be ever strong

With your faith and virtue

Always right and never wrong

Our righteous warriors

Who shall protect the light

Stand tall and don’t waver

The darkness won’t defeat the light

The Five Deities bless you all

With Sacred Treasures so divine

Go forth on your Pilgrimage

And climb Nirvana’s vines

Terrence’s eyes widened in awe as he watched Aquare and Symphonia, and heard their powerful, yet gentle voices. They were a perfect pair, synchronized in a harmonious duet. Their beautiful song brought feelings of relief and hope to his heart.

Then all too soon, they quieted down and the song ended. As the Nymphs bowed, their audience clapped for them.

“That was beautiful!” Mai cheered.

Aquare smiled and blushed with bashfulness. “Th-thank you!”

Symphonia laughed softly. “That wasn’t even our best. Next time, we’ll really mesmerize you!”

________________________________________

Later, everyone gathered in the training hall. Terrence and Electra were the first pair to start sparring.

Their blades rang out as they clashed again and again, their speed almost blinding. Terrence winced with every hit, trying his best to keep up by Reinforcing himself, even though it was beginning to exhaust him. Still, Electra’s agility was almost as astounding as Lorica’s, and that made her a tricky foe.

“Not bad, Prince!” The tan girl jeered as she parried a horizontal. “But you’re on your last legs already, huh?”

“I still have more where that came from!” He retorted as he brandished Bjartbrandr.

He slashed with a downwards vertical, which she easily sidestepped, and tried to follow with an upwards diagonal. However, she dove low and did a sweep with her legs, knocking him off his feet.

Before the prince could get back up, Electra planted a foot on his chest and looked down at him with a smug grin.

“Not bad for a trainee, but you’re still way behind the likes of us!” She said merrily, then stepped back.

He sighed tiredly and staggered up. “It’s a miracle I passed my Trial, with how I’m still lacking…”

“The Holy Knights are divine warriors,” Lorica cut in as she came over. “on a level far above the likes of humanity and the denizens of Hell. Even a fully trained Hero of Arum would be outclassed, if a Holy Knight were to use their full power.”

“So…for the Trials, they only need to use enough strength to test us.”

“Exactly. Still, it was impressive that you were able to pass, considering the short notice.”

Terrence shook his head. “If I hadn’t learned Reinforcement, I wouldn’t have taken the Trial like I did.”

He looked at his dominant hand with a frown, thinking of how far behind he was compared to Lorica and the others.

“I may have proved my worthiness for Bjartbrandr…but I’m still nothing compared to all of you. At the end of the day, I need Reinforcement as a crutch.”

Lorica gave him a sharp look with her arms crossed. “So we’ll help you get up to par with us. This journey will be tough, so you’ll gain even more experience as we head to Nirvana.”

“Then I’ll do my best to catch up.”

Electra cut in with a yawn. “Awww…I’m getting bored! Kayla, you fight Lady Lorica next!”

“A-alright!” Kayla said with hesitance.

Lorica chuckled as she summoned Naturia. “This should be quick.”

She then gave Terrence a more pleasant smile.

“By the way, I’ll be having tea with Mai later. Do you mind?”

He blinked in surprise, then smiled and shook his head. It was a good thing, how Mai was bonding with more people. It made him think about asking the lieutenants to watch over her while he was away…

“Not at all.” He said kindly. “I’m glad she’s making more friends these days. I just hope she won’t be lonely while we’re gone.”

_____________________________________

That evening, while Terrence was walking through the west wing, he was stopped by Patricia. The Head Maid curtsied before bringing out a couple of hand mirrors from behind her back.

“Excuse me, milord. King Randolph asked me to give you these. One is yours, and the other shall be for Lady Mai.”

Terrence took them with a confused look. “Um..okay. I don’t know what I need a mirror for though…”

“If you use magic, you’ll be able to communicate with each other across long distances, though it works better in some areas than others. Your friends can teach you how to use it.”

“I see…then I better thank Grandfather when I see him. Thank you, Aunt Patricia.”

Patricia curtsied once more, then began to walk away. At that moment, Terrence thought of something that had been on his mind for a while, and he decided to ask about it.

“Wait, there’s something I want to ask you.”

She turned to him with a curious expression. “Hm? What’s the matter, milord?”

He frowned as he hesitated. “Well, it’s about my father, and why he could have left, along with Mother. Did he ever…have a second suitor?”

Patricia blinked, then closed her eyes in thought. “A second suitor…Ah, I remember now. Yes, there may have been someone else.”

Terrence touched his chest, feeling Bjartbrandr wavering inside him. “...What did she look like?”

“She had the most pale lavender hair. Every week, I would see her and Steven sneaking out, sometimes with Merisa. This was about a few months before he went missing. To be honest, he was happier than he had ever been, during that time.”

Terrence was taken aback, and he thought about the implications of what he had been told.

“...Do you think something happened to her?” He voiced.

Patricia hummed as she nodded. “Yes, I think so. About a week before he ran away, Prince Steven was particularly depressed and volatile, about as much as when his mother died. This was after a long and grueling battle, so…maybe she was a knight he was particularly fond of, and she died at his side.”

“Did you not look into this knight’s identity?”

“I asked everyone I knew at the time, but nobody else had seen her. I tried to ask my sister, but she denied it all. That’s all I have to tell you.”

With that, Terrence’s aunt bowed and bade him goodnight. As she left, he closed his eyes and communicated with Bjartbrandr.

“I got an answer, but even more questions…I wonder if I’ll ever find out what happened to my father.”

“You’re one step closer, at least.” She said quietly. “But…did you ask about a second lover, because of me?”

“...Yes, I did. I haven’t been caught with you in the castle yet, but if anyone had seen you with my father…or even my grandmother…”

He saw Bjartbrandr look down sullenly, and felt the pain in her heart.

“...Naturia said my past owners treated me well. But I cannot remember them myself…I wonder, what were they like, and what were my relationships with them? I suppose…I’ll need to complete my mission, so I can finally remember them.”

“Yes…and I’ll do my best so you can see that day, Bjartbrandr.”

_______________________________________

Meanwhile, Mai was in Lorica’s room, drinking tea with her and Naturia. Naturally, the first thing the Cait Sith asked was…

“Why did you invite me?”

“Well, you are Mea’s sister, and a royal-to-be.” Lorica said with a pleasant smile. “I’ve said it before, but I consider you one of us already.”

Mai smiled softly and sipped her tea. “Hm…I see. Thank you, it means a lot.”

It really did, as she had felt out of place among the servants of the palace. Even back in Luminton, she didn’t have many friends, aside from Terrence and his family. And before that…well, she didn’t have a happy childhood.

So it felt nice for Lorica to reach out like this, and fill a void that had been haunting Mai for so long. Terrence was her best friend, and he and Bjartbrandr had given the Cait Sith genuine love and care…but having plain friendships was something she also wanted.

Still, there was a cold wound that continued to hurt her. It made her look down in a sullen manner, and she placed a hand over her heart.

“...I don’t know if I can ever be Mea’s sister.” She admitted. “She’s too mad at me, for running all those years ago.”

And for refusing to fight her inner darkness, but Mai knew she couldn’t let on about it.

Lorica sipped her tea in thought. “Mhm…I don’t blame her. If I were in her place, I certainly would find it hard to forgive you. Still, I’ve known Mea long enough to know she keeps her true feelings to herself.”

Mai’s ears twitched in curiosity as she looked up. “What do you mean?”

“You probably know already, but she had to go through a lot without you. She had to cope by putting on a tough act, and strengthen her resolve in the hardest times. Still, I’ve had the honor of seeing her vulnerable, one time.”

“What happened then?”

Lorica chuckled. “That, I am not at liberty to speak of. Still, I can say with confidence that deep down, Mea does miss you and wants to reconnect. She may just be too afraid of being betrayed again, so she will never admit it.”

Mai held a hand over her heart. “I see…In the end, it’s still all my fault. How can I ever get through to her?”

It was then that Naturia finally interjected, letting out an exasperated sigh and crossing her arms.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Just speak from the heart! If she truly cares for you, then she’ll come around to your honest feelings!”

Mai looked aside in a guilty manner. “Honest feelings…”

“How hard can it be? Go and convince her to be your sister again! You’ll only fail if you don’t try with all your heart!”

Lorica smiled and nodded assuringly. “She’s right, Mea will come around if you speak your true feelings. Now, why don’t you go find her? Quickly, before she leaves.”

It took more than a moment for Mai to decide, as she recalled her previous meeting with Mea. With how much of a disaster that had been, would anything really change if they talked again?

As long as Mai continued to hold her secrets, those true honest feelings, from her friends and family, she could never face her sister again. Despite the pain and sadness, she would still go down that path she had chosen for herself.

While being rejected by Mea hurt, it was nothing compared to the fear of being hated by everyone…

And so, Mai shook her head. “I…already told her everything I wanted to say. If I were to talk to her now, and say them again, I’m sure her answer would also be the same.”

Lorica sighed, but nodded. “I see…Well, I can’t fault you. Still, keep our advice in mind, will you?”

“I will…”

_______________________________________

That night, Terrence, Mai, and Bjartbrandr went over their earlier conversations.

“So…your father was with this lavender-haired lady,” Mai said with a curious expression. “and he may have broken down due to her death…”

Terrence sighed. “But we don’t know who she was. Only my mother and father would know, but I can’t exactly ask them…”

Bjartbrandr clasped her hands. “We can think about it later. For now though, are you sure you don’t want to talk to your sister again, Mai?”

The Cait Sith’s ears drooped. “It’s not like I have anything new to tell her…Her answer will just be the same thing.”

“But that’s no reason to give up.” Terrence interjected. “At least try, okay? You’ll still have time to see her tomorrow.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Mai smiled slightly and nodded. “Okay…I’ll try. I can’t make any promises though.”

Then suddenly, she pounced on Terrence and pinned him down. His eyes widened in surprise, as her own gleamed with a certain mischievousness.

“That aside, I think it’s about time we spent our last night together. Don’t you think?”

As Bjartbrandr giggled and hugged Mai from behind, Terrence chuckled nervously and nodded.

“I suppose so.” He muttered. “Just…go easy on me.”

________________________________________

The next morning, the Heroes of Arum met at the palace entrance. Everyone was dressed for the road ahead, with traveling cloaks over their normal clothes. With the exception of Mea, who wore her wolf-hide cloak.

“Looks like we’re all set.” Lorica said with a confident smile. “Did everyone double-check their supplies?”

Terrence nodded. “I’m not forgetting anything.”

Hearthstone laughed. “Then let’s get moving!”

Before they set off, Mai approached her sister with a certain hesitance.

“Um…bye.” She murmured awkwardly, looking aside. “I hope…we can speak again.”

Mea regarded her with an unreadable gaze. “...If all goes well, maybe. Until then, farewell.”

She then went on ahead, and Terrence motioned for the others to follow her while he talked to his lover.

“See, she’s coming around. When we come back, she’ll be your sister again, I know it.”

Mai smiled, though with uncertainty. “Maybe you’re right…Anyway, I shouldn’t keep you. Goodbye, Terrence. I-I love you. And I’ll miss you…”

He smiled softly. “I love you, too. And don’t worry, if I’m able to, I’ll use the mirror to talk with you at night. It’s not so lonely that way. But remember, you have people here as well.”

“Mhm, I know. Now go, before you get left behind.”

The couple shared one one last loving smile and a kiss, before Terrence went to regroup with the others.

______________________________________

At the city gate, they ended up meeting a familiar trio, who were coming in on a carriage.

“Hey, Terrence!” Cress with a grin and a wave. “Fancy seein’ you here!”

Terrence waved back, looking surprised. “Cress, it’s nice to see you! What are you three doing out here?”

“We just came back from a commission!” Satin said happily with a wink. “It was pretty easy!”

“You’re taking new commissions so soon after your previous ones? Don’t you have enough money already?”

Cress chuckled sheepishly. “We put most of it into retirement, so we’re low on the day-to-day funds. Anyway, I guess you guys are beginning your Pilgrimage?”

Lorica put a hand on her hip. “That’s right. Fancy joining us?”

“Ha, as if. That’s all royal stuff I’d rather not get mixed in with. But good luck to you lot!”

“Stay safe out there.” Elijah said to Terrence. “Don’t bite off more than you can chew.”

The Human Prince nodded with a wry smile. “I’ll try. See you, everyone.”

“Goodbye!” Satin said with a cheery wave.

As he left his first friends behind, Terrence held a hand over his heart. When he looked back at the slowly shrinking figure of Lucen, an uncertainty grew in his mind…

“I wonder if I’ll manage to return.” He voiced.

“Don’t go beating yourself up already.” Lorica said in a firm tone. “You’re a Hero of Arum, you will return.”

“And we’ll make sure of it, as your partners.” Aquare added, smiling kindly.

Hearthstone chuckled. “That’s what friends and comrades are for, after all!”

Terrence smiled at them and nodded. “You’re right, sorry for being so silly.”

Still, there were many other things on his mind. The whereabouts of his parents, who the lavender-haired girl was, and the relationships Bjartbrandr may have had with his ancestors. There were also the strange memories he had seen a few times, though it had been a while since the last one.

And most of all…his worries for Mai, who was going to be without him for quite awhile. Though they did have a means of communication, he was still concerned for the potential loneliness for her…

“She’ll be okay.” Bjartbrandr said in his mind. “There are many others who’ll take care of her.”

Terrence sighed. “I know…but I can’t help it. We’ve never been so far apart, and for so long. This will be hard, especially for her.”

“Then let’s pick up many gifts for her along the way! I’m sure when you return with them, she’ll be extremely happy!”

With that thought lightening his mood, Terrence laughed a bit and nodded in agreement. And so, with that resolution made, he looked on ahead with his comrades, ready to face the world with them.

______________________________________

That night, within the forests of Grindia, the crystal scythe of the Overseer gleamed as she swung it around herself.

The monsters around her let out their last cries as they perished, turning to dust as they returned to Hell. She dismissed her weapon in a nonchalant manner, as if nothing had happened at all.

The pink-haired girl looked aside to her companions, who were catching their breath as they had finished slaying a few monsters.

“I’m really…getting too old for this.” The old prince, Steven grumbled.

“At least…we’re not too stiff, hon.” Merisa said with a weary smile.

She gave the Overseer a more frustrated look.

“Wendy, how much longer are we going to be stuck in these woods?”

The Overseer hummed in a thoughtful manner, then dashed up to a tree and jumped onto its branches. She leaped higher to the top, then looked into the sky to examine the arrangement of the stars.

“...We just need to keep going this way.” She said while gesturing to the northwest. “We’ll reach Camelot in a few more days.”

Merisa nodded in satisfaction, then went to give her husband a kiss on the cheek.

“We’ll be there soon, love.” She murmured.

“I still don’t get why we have to go with her.” He muttered. “Our son is back in the Plains, we can’t waste time fooling around with this…little girl.”

Wendy jumped down and landed beside him, which caused him to step back in surprise. The Overseer regarded him with a small smile, and her purple eyes held a mysterious wisdom that communicated her true age.

“This is fate, Prince Steven.” She said with a tone of finality. “All of my actions are taken so it can run its course. My visions are never wrong, after all.”

“...Of course they aren’t.” He said with slight bitterness. “Let’s just go, we’re wasting time.”

Wendy nodded, then turned and began leading the couple deeper into the forest. Behind her, Steven brought out a necklace from under his collar, and looked at the purple gemstone attached to it.

“...Juvia.” He murmured with longing.

Fin

_____________________

Afterword

Hello readers! I’m FairReviewer, the author of Yggdrasilian Chronicles, which I’ve rewritten for the Honeyfeed platform!

This story is quite precious to me, as it was my best work from Fictionpress, where I had based myself for some time before moving over here. Not only that, but many of the characters and plot concepts were adapted from a Zelda fanfiction I used to write. So it has quite a bit of history, lol.

Back in the Fictionpress iteration of Yggdrasilian Chronicles, my writing still left a lot to be desired, and when I discovered Honeyfeed I decided to give myself a fresh start, with the writing skills I had improved over the years. And while I can’t say I’m the best, and probably never will, I’m still confident that the newest version of my series is up to par for myself. 

The story has gone through a lot of changes. Plot concepts I would have introduced later into the first iteration, have been set up much earlier for the new version. I cut down on some characters, and added others. I’m also focusing more on romance compared to the first version, having been influenced by some of my favorite light novels and manga. While the base plot is similar, it’s being paced in a different manner, and for the better in my opinion.

As for what’s next, I’ll have to work on the next book right away and catch up on my backlog, and possibly do a rewrite for another of my early stories. I’m quite looking forward to the next book, as I can finally focus on the wider world building and various character arcs I’ve been setting up. It’s going to be bigger, basically, lol.

And to wrap this up, I wish to thank you all! Whether you’re new to my works, or if you’re someone who has seen my stuff on Fictionpress, I’m glad you’ve taken the time to read this. Every bit of feedback means a lot, as a writer who’s still trying to grow, bit by bit.

Goodbye to you all, until next time!