First flames

“So like, is there anything we can do to save him?” Naoya asks.

Solenne wipes her tears before answering. “If we can find a way to permanently seal Merrowind’s throne, then yeah, I think we can unfreeze him. But right now, there’s nothing we can do.”

Ori bows to him. “I knew he was a great dude, but this just raised my respects. I’ll share his story with Willow when we get back.”

“Yeah, we should turn this into a memory disk,” Naoya tells Solenne.

“Of course. We already have it in our heads,” she replies. “So what do you want to do next, Naoya?”

“Me?”

“Yes, we’re going on your ‘self-discovery journey,’ right? What do you wanna do next? Did this place answer your questions?”

“Yeah, I understand it now. How the Demon Lord got so powerful. So now I have my last question: why he wanted to be so powerful. I never really figured it out from the Demon Lord’s memories because the older ones are so faint now. I could only remember little details.”

Solenne’s face turns serious.

“What do you remember before Merrowind’s Keep, then?”

“Hmmm… let me see… I remember stealing things. I’m a lot younger during those times. I had to survive in different kingdoms as a bandit. Just moving all the time.”

“Go on. Even before that.”

“Earlier than that? Let’s see… the oldest memories, so this is probably during childhood. I remember a castle… oh wait, I think this is the same castle I saw floating above the Hunter Hero’s original hometown! Yeah, it looks the same. Then I remember… a trial, I think?”

Solenne gasps. “What do you remember about that trial?”

“Okay, ummm… I was on trial as a child. I was standing in the middle and everyone was looking at me angrily. Someone was standing beside me, they were shouting at the judge, and they were being pulled back by a lady. It was a young girl with blue… hair…”

Naoya turns to Solenne and gives her a piercing look.

“How… Who are you, really?”

She closes her eyes, and Willow’s map appears in her hands.

“I think it’s time we go to our next destination. So I can finally answer everything.”

…

Meanwhile, in the skies near Valebryn…

Tall, ornate doors open in front of Hisora, revealing a quiet, grand hall supported by stone pillars that reach the ceiling. A gilded candelabra illuminates the space, and the walls are lined with dormant steel golems holding their signature battleaxes.

In the middle of the room is a grand ivory throne, shattered and barely keeping its shape. The master of the place never really had a penchant for thrones, crowns, or any symbol of power.

She walks past the throne and toward the balcony behind it, which bathes the throne room in sunlight.

Many fond memories were made in this place—from their casual talks with one another to private celebrations with just the two of them. This was the place where she ascended to her status, and where their eternal vow was sealed. It was not perfect at first, as he did not really care for much outside of his quest for knowledge, but over time, through her persistence and constant care, she had managed to thaw his frozen heart. They opened up, learned more about each other, and eventually, he fulfilled his end of their deal—the promise he made from the very first time they met…

Hisora recalls this precious memory with a nostalgic lens: the first encounter of two destined hearts.

The Demon Lord Alcestrus, and the fifth Princess of a kingdom that no longer exists: the Silent Court of Kanzakuro.

…

Dozens of iron-clad soldiers run through the castle grounds, and leading the charge is Kanzakuro’s Crown Princess, along with her four other siblings. They head to the front gates to reinforce the royal family’s defense.

Above them, a massive castle floats in the sky, casting its shadow over the kingdom as its citizens panic and chaos ensues. A portion of the Royal Army desperately holds back the invaders, preventing them from ransacking homes and killing innocents. But they are simply outnumbered, for the rest of the remaining soldiers have been redirected to the castle’s defense.

As the group reaches the castle’s expansive courtyard, a single man stands in the middle of it. He wears simple clothes that suit lower nobility, but he has a purple flame blazing in his chest, flaring into his shoulders and trailing behind him. Despite his simple appearance, each of them already knows who he is, and what he is capable of. They get into position and protect the entrance to their home, watching his every move.

“Demon Lord Alcestrus! Leave this kingdom now, or be punished for your sins!” the Crown Princess shouts.

The man looks up at them.

“How will you punish me exactly? And besides, you should already know that you people aren’t the ones setting conditions here.”

The Demon Lord raises his arm beside him, and a sleek silver scythe appears in his hand.

“Here are my conditions: surrender your kingdom’s secrets to me, and I will have no further business with you. If you refuse, that’s also no problem. I’ll just rip them out of your kingdom’s ruins.”

The Princess raises her sword, and it starts glowing with a golden hue.

“Over our dead bodies, Demon Lord! You will not take anything from us. We will stop you here and now! In the name of His Majesty the King, and the Silent Court—”

“Please, save your voice,” Alcestrus cuts in. “I don’t care about theatrics like that.”

With a flick of his wrist, the golden glow disappears from the Princess’ sword, confusing everyone.

“I hate wasting time, so allow me to repeat your options: surrender your secrets peacefully, or die trying to protect them.”

Everyone carefully watches him, and after exchanging silent agreements with each other, the royal siblings charge at him head-on, followed closely by their loyal army. They are full of courage and determination to overcome the terrible evil standing before them.

Unfortunately, their courage and determination are not enough.

The soldiers serve little purpose other than being cannon fodder, effortlessly taken out by the Demon Lord even with their attempt at overwhelming him. The royal siblings fare a little better, actually forcing him to use his hands instead of simply decimating them with his mind.

The villain does not move from his spot at all, even after their attempts to physically and magically displace him. None of their attacks affect him, and he fights all five of the mages simultaneously with his eyes closed.

After a lengthy struggle, the royal siblings lie on the floor like the rest of their soldiers, and the Demon Lord finally opens his eyes.

“No challenge at all. They did tell me to take it ‘over their dead bodies,’” he comments, passing by the Crown Princess’ broken and bloody form lying on the ground.

As he makes his way toward the castle, he notices an intense surge of energy and turns around to find the youngest of the royal family, a young fox Faunite woman named Arisune. Battered and bruised, she floats off the ground in an aura of pure Aether and faces him with pure aggression.

The Demon Lord smiles, and he turns around to walk toward her as they fix their gaze on each other.

Arisune furiously launches a series of slashes toward him that slice space itself, which he easily dodges like a phantom. She summons glyphs beneath him and activates them, trapping the man inside the barrier and smiting him with a torrent of spears from the sky. He simply stands in the cage and tanks every hit, keeping his smile and his eyes on her. With a movement of her hands, she proceeds to shrink the barrier’s size, attempting to crush him inside.

He closes his eyes, and with a sudden blur, he dashes forward, appearing right in front of her.

Arisune is stunned, unable to comprehend how he was able to escape. The magical cage shrinks into oblivion, and the two of them look deep into each other’s eyes, as if trying to find something.

“So that’s where your anger comes from,” he says, turning to face the castle standing tall behind him.

“The fruit of your father’s debauchery, disregarded by your family—or should I say, half-family.” He turns back to her. “You did everything you could to win them over. To prove that you’re just as much of a royal as your oh-so-wonderful siblings.”

She frowns, wondering how he knew all of this.

“Even now, you’re trying to prove your worth by defeating me. But you and I already know it’s not going to work. I don’t need to read your mind to know that. They’ll just say that it was the combined effort of everyone that defeated me, trying to take credit for your actions.”

Tears fall down Arisune’s cheeks, which she doesn’t even notice, as her eyes are completely drawn to the man in front of her. He is the only one who noticed, she thought. The only one who understood.

“They’ve been trying to ignore your true potential for so long, scared that you will surpass them. That the bastard child will be better than all of them. But if there’s one thing I respect the most, it’s the ambition to prove everyone wrong, even at the cost of your life.”

The Demon Lord takes a step back and opens his arms, inviting her closer.

“You’re a kindred soul—overlooked and underappreciated, but still you strive to prove yourself to these… blind, selfish cowards. You’ve earned my respect, and as such, let me offer you a deal.

“Help me reach my goals, and I’ll help you prove them all wrong. I’ll give you the respect and admiration they never did.”

Her mind is conflicted, but her heart already knows. His words hide no malice or manipulation. In front of her is the only person in the world who knew what she truly wanted her entire life.

The Crown Princess struggles to lift her bloody head, and with the rest of her strength, tries to warn her sister.

“Ari! Don’t fall for his tricks! He’ll betray you when he’s done with you. Don’t believe him!”

Her attempts are in vain. Arisune slowly walks into his arms, feeling his warmth as they embrace each other, the flames on his chest gently caressing her face.

“Think about the kingdom! We need to lay our lives for our kingdom! Don’t leave your family behind!”

Peeking from behind the Demon Lord’s arms, she shoots a sharp glance at her sister, her narrowed eyes burning with hate.

“It seems you still don’t understand,” he says, turning his head toward the Princess.

“You never saw her as ‘family,’ and so, this was never her ‘kingdom.’”

A purple flame ignites Arisune’s fox ears and tail—the same one in Alcestrus’ chest. A massive glyph appears above the kingdom, obscuring the skies above.

“The only ones who need to lay their lives for it… are you.”

…

A tear falls down Hisora’s face, fondly thinking back on where they started, and how they grew closer over the years.

These precious memories had fueled her motivations since their separation, learning from his ways and laying out decades of schemes in order to bring him back.

The one that returned is still her beloved, but he is different, somehow.

He has changed—or rather, they have changed him.

And now, these precious memories fuel her hatred. For the people who took everything from her.

From the balcony of their home, Demon Lady Arisune casts a piercing gaze at the kingdom below, as her castle in the sky descends upon the walled city of Valebryn.