Rean: This disclaimer is brought to you by the letter "J", because it stands for Judgment. It also happens to stand for "jerk", because it seems he's not able to actually finish a story thanks to his serious lack of motivation. Oh, but it doesn't stand for the characters and settings that are already claimed by Falcom, with the sole exception of characters that are his property... and maybe some settings belonging to some company named Atlus, whatever it is. You can support any of their series by buying a copy or ten of their games, and be sure to submit your Guild Cards to... hey, wait! This isn't a disclaimer, it's an adver—!

Elise: The following chapter contains spoilers for Trails in the Sky, Trails of Cold Steel I and II, and the yet-to-be-localized Zero no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki. I kindly suggest that you please avoid this prologue unless you already know of the aforementioned games, or wish to find out certain answers for yourself. You have been warned... wait, what's this about Guild Cards?

It was a land where no man has ever set foot before. An emerald forest, pristine in nature, and seemingly peaceful... too peaceful, almost as if it was untouched by sin. Following that idea, it had provided theories on why its residents had such twisted appearances. Above this forest was a sky filled with not solely clouds, which surrounded the land around them, but numerous floating islands which histories were yet to be studied. Incidentally, it was believed to have been the first area created from centuries past, unseen by man until today. That aside, there were many varying reasons to its 'beauty'. For one, the stratum itself had reeked of orderly death in all locations. Even the mightiest of warriors would be consumed by the most destructive—and at worst, controlled—powers of those that lurked between the seemingly-plain trees and verdant bushes. This place openly encouraged chaos, under the guise of peace, to destroy any and all trespassers who dared to set foot.

Irony. It was so tasteless at times.

That was the idea Rean Schwarzer had whenever he had to maneuver through the brutal monsters that resided here. Now, it wasn't so bad; finding so many rare materials in this wonderland to forge the greatest equipment around made traversing the chaotic forest much more easier and bearable. But when his group first started exploring the place, only to be swarmed by monsters that had taken notes from both fairy tales and demonic legends, they realized trying to reach to the next level would take much more longer compared to their explorations of the previous strata.

Even with that rectified, the lack of a full group took a toll on him before. But it was not something for him to ponder too much about. Unusual circumstances prevented a full-team exploration, and most of them were out of his reach at the time. Right now, only four remained by his side, but none of them were those from Thors, those who he built solid friendships with. It would have been nice if they were included, but he reluctantly agreed to take those who were more aware of the situation at hand.

Unusual circumstances indeed.

He had just finished reaching the final twin doors, the gates to the guardian residing the final area. It was covered with plants and flowers of many species and colors, and sealed the doors shut. They wouldn't be shut for long; there was someone capable with the power to retract the plants, and she was traveling with him. Just behind him were three people who pledged their assistance to his journey so far. He was more than thankful to them for helping him get this far, despite it being an odd group to be with.

He still didn't want Elise Schwarzer to be involved in his bizarre journey since it began. With how things were, his adoptive sister staying at home would have been beneficial to his state of mind. But that didn't put her mind at ease; she'd constantly worry for his safety and hope he would return home, but it was especially when she learned of the 'truth' that she became more aggressive in her decision. Thanks to that, she forced herself in for his sake, hoping to keep an eye for his being if others could not. It really kind of surprised him when the purple-haired girl was so insistent and maybe too frustrated that he wondered if he could have felt at ease without telling her. But what's done is done. Forgoing the rest of her education like him, she chose to remain by his side. Not that he had a choice, anyway, since she followed him to his biggest decision before these events started.

Aside from her, there was Creizle Hardt, the mercenary. With a green sleeve-less shirt, navy jeans, and a red neckerchief, the young adult accompanied Rean throughout the ever-progressing story. Being knowledgeable of some of the world's secrets, he was a great help for keeping Rean on track despite having an on-and-off duty until now. Then there was Ysil, the girl with the appearance around Elise's age, dressed in a green blouse, yet covered with shining blue roses in the waistline. Even with certain... mishaps that occurred throughout the journey, she chose to help him for a general desire that she held inside her. It was untold, as far as Rean knew, but she had promised to tell them when this was over. The only one not visible within the group was the 'child', Orsten Seinel, for good reasons. Only Rean was able to tell where the child was whenever he was nearby.

Under the glowing spring sunlight, and surrounded by the heavenly forest they explored in, they stopped their exploration and took the time to catch their breath, though Creizle knew one other reason why Rean stopped before the twin doors.

"So the final guardian is located behind the doors here," the brown-haired mercenary stated as a fact. He sounded impressed after sensing the power of the supposed guardian.

"Seems like it," the Eight Leaves One Blade user responded. The malicious presence of an enemy was made known to all of them easily, though there appeared to be an exception this once. "We've been through a lot of floors and fought the guardians, but whatever that's behind the doors is much different. Its aura is large enough for me to notice it since we got to this place."

'I am able to sense it just as well,' the child-like voice of Orsten rang in their ears. 'It is certainly more powerful compared to the other enemies located here. Ysil, can we confirm this?'

The girl in question nodded once, with a hand running through her shoulder-length, emerald-colored hair. "Yes. Beyond here lies a powerful opponent. Also in the same area is the altar where I can use to modify the effects the Yggdrasil Labyrinth has caused."

"So this really is the end," Elise muttered, giving up a long breath. "I was almost sure that we had to go through yet another set of floors after this. Those islands up above us made it seem like that was the case."

"That is understandable, Elise," Ysil giggled, providing the relief. "We can traverse to them, but they are not necessary for the time being."

Creizle hummed, brown eyes giving the appearance of anticipation. "Why don't we go over our mission one more time? Rean, wanna take it away?"

The swordsman nodded as he took center stage. Their final mission before things would finally start to normalize for the countries. At least, that's what they hoped for. He coughed once before giving a determined look.

"Listen up, everyone. Our objective is to access the Yggdrasil Labyrinth's control settings located in the room. However, in order to do so, we must eliminate the final guardian that lies in the very same room. This guardian is highly likely to be very powerful, much stronger than anything else we've encountered in this labyrinth so far. We must believe in ourselves, and I don't mean just each other, but as a team of explorers. Once we engage it, we need to create a coordinated attack-pattern before we can follow it and strike it down with minimal drawbacks. With me so far?"

"Right!" Everyone cheered.

"After its defeat, we'll be accessing the controls to stop and reverse the overgrowth caused by it. This will eliminate the large barrier in the continent, and normalize the surrounding nature. Then we leave it up to the leaders involved to deal with the rest in politics."

Creizle sighed at the headache-inducer that's soon-to-be. "It's going to be tough, trying to get them to not pin the blame on each other over something they had no part of."

Elise looked really unsure about it. "I hope that later on... none of this leads to a war between anyone. I know Crossbell is guilty for attacking first since October, but that was only because Ouroboros was involved..."

'The fact that you do not speak of a chance of our defeat here shows your ability to look past our current predicament,' Orsten spoke in mild surprise. His words only served to confuse the rapier-user, however, so it was up to their leader of the group.

"I think Orsten meant that you're more afraid of what comes after the battle instead of the battle itself," he explained it himself. His sister then gave a sound of acknowledgment.

"Well, I don't have a lot of doubts on fighting the final guardian here," she admitted bashfully, staring down. "You... Class VII took on a force of destruction just about two months ago. If there's anyone who can do such a thing as a leader, it's you, Rean."

Rean grimaced when he remembered how that particular battle worked out. "Oh... yeah." He didn't want to think too hard about it. There would be a time for mourning later, when things finally calmed down.

"To be fair," Creizle hummed lightheartedly, smiling, "Rean's gone through some pretty weird stuff for a long time. And, well, I did too, but he has some first-hand experience in dealing with gods of destruction and stuff."

"It's not the only thing I can do, though," was the swordsman's deadpan response.

'We are already skilled enough to defeat powerful monsters in the first place,' Orsten said with an unseen smile. 'As for the political downpour, however...'

"It should be fine," Ysil said in a tone of certainty. "If we are given the blessings of both the leaders and their ambassadors, there should be no repercussions."

"But we don't have Osborne's approval," Elise pointed out, still worried, "even if we left it at that on purpose. Won't he be against us after this?"

"It'll be fine, Elise." Rean, for once, was glad to talk about Osborne despite the sensitive (or insensitive) topic. "This is all on him for trying to promote me as a 'hero' to the public, so he has to accept my actions on restoring the lands as one." His smile became a little mischievous. "Plus, since the Erebonian public considers me a 'hero', I can have their ears and tell them the story of what really happened in Crossbell last year. He can't say no to that, because the publicity stunt he tried on me would be meaningless and questionable if he did."

The mercenary laughed boisterously. "I still can't get over the irony of that! An international hero, huh? Talk about a promotion!"

The verdant-haired girl took the chance to softly clench Elise's left hand, who yelped a little at the sudden contact. Ysil just smiled at her friend, hoping to have her stay resolved.

"It will be fine, Elise," she said, blushing lightly. "We believe in you, and I will support you along the way. Make certain that you will assist me as well, okay? Just as we always have, as partners."

The rapier-user blinked, before mirroring the red cheeks. "Ah, yeah... thanks, Ysil..."

Oh, how she dearly wanted her brother to be the one to say these things... why did Ysil go and do that instead of him? But it only took Elise a few more seconds until she realized her hand was still connected with her friend's. It was unfortunate that Ysil didn't seem to get the gesture that Elise wanted to let go, further spiking her redness. And naturally, in true 'Rean' fashion...

"Um, Elise? Ysil? Is there something wrong? Your faces are red."

As far as the two other annoyed males were concerned...

'Nice weather we are having.'

"Sunshine with scattered, dense clouds, I'll say."

Rean turned to the grinning mercenary and narrowed his eyes. "Huh?"

"Nothiiing~..." Creizle cracked with a grin.

'Perhaps you will understand when you are older someday, Rean.'

The childish tone in Orsten probably worsened the kind of response he just gave, the swordsman mused. Well, it didn't matter. They had other problems to attend to.

Rean turned back to the plant-covered doors. The malicious presence beyond them remained, until they would engage as a team and defeat it. It would be a difficult battle, but to them, their defeat was not a certainty. What came next after that would be up to the leaders of the world. He still had to be present to influence their decisions, but he knew that those who believed in him would have faith in his truth. After that... it was hard to imagine his reunion with his friends and family, but he hoped it would happen so. For now, he had the role of field leader to play as.

It came back to him, how he was reminded of the role once more. It was just as nostalgic as when they tried to tackle the 'fragment' of a great power, back in the Old Schoolhouse, when everyone had finally put away their differences and resolved the final trial to save the school festival. It was those determined looks on his friends that made him feel determined himself. It was their resolve as his classmates that he was resolved as a leader. Class VII would later imprint a memory on Erebonia as the heroes of the war, but their accomplishment to clear all trials of the ancient labyrinth was their first conclusion together.

Now... now it was happening again. But there were differences. There was no Class VII this time. The entire group was composed of himself, his adoptive sister, a carefree mercenary, a resident of of the twisted labyrinth, and a spirit child. It was less than half of the amount of heads in Class VII. It wasn't even a remnant of it. But they were all willing to trust him on the get-go. Orsten and Creizle, they knew him for so long that they had to. Elise was solely out of obligation for her brother. And while there were some hiccups with trusting Ysil, none of them became antagonistic to each other. They accepted each other right away, and with no doubts about their goal.

He idly wondered how it would have felt like if Class VII came with him...

'Well, Rean, perhaps if we were placed in better circumstances, this would have been a richer experience for all of us.'

'Yeah... but there's not much else to do about it, I guess.'

And if he were to see them again after this, even for just a moment, this had to work. He would take nothing less. He'd do anything in his power to protect those who believed in him, and those who he believed in.

And this final enemy in this labyrinth... it would fall under their combined strength.

He turned back to his group, waiting for his decision.

"Alright. There's nothing else left for us to do. The final battle here... we will overcome it with our beliefs and our resolution. And we will live to help the nations be guided to the right direction, not just for us, but for the sake of the world as well. Is everyone ready?"

"I'm ready!"

"I am with you."

"Count me in, Rean!"

'As always!'

Elise, Ysil, Creizle, and Orsten all shouted their support for him, and he took it with great joy.

"Then, let's do it."

~{Prologue: Told and Untold}~

"So, Rean," Estelle began with her trademark smile and the unprecedented amount of curiosity, "when are we gonna meet Class VII someday?"

The question about Class VII had startled him, more so when it was coming from an outsider. "Huh? Are you interested in seeing them?"

Her smile remained. "Why wouldn't I be? Out of everyone in your list of friends that we met, the ones in your class are the only ones we haven't seen since then!"

"Class VII has been regarded as 'the hero's allies' when news broke out before the barrier appeared," Joshua noted, indifferent to his partner's wishes. "Not only that, but you and Olivier talk about them often, to the point that they seem memorable to you."

"Sooo, give us the dirt, Rean!" The brunette demanded cheerfully. "When can we see them? How's the class like? You have a girlfriend in there?"

"..."

So many questions at once, even the last one was enough to leave Rean bewildered and speechless. Luckily, Estelle's ever-present mediator of energy was around to keep her excitement down.

"Calm down, Estelle," Joshua lightly reprimanded her. "It's not like we'll get to see them before the barrier's gone."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Estelle said, overtaking her energy for a brief moment. "But you know, Rean, we've been curious about them for a looong time. Any chance we can see them once this is over?"

Rean tried his hardest to not drag down the girl's optimism (even if doing so was widely-known to be impossible). He still had a checklist of personal affairs to sort through before he could even regain what was left of his 'normal life'. Getting any of Class VII to meet up with his overseas friends would be an even more difficult task. He wasn't going to give up without trying, but it was unlikely to be handled with ease.

"To be honest," Rean started, rubbing the back of his head, "we still have to work on keeping things stable in Erebonia, while making sure the chancellor can't make any moves early on. After that, I have to see if Thors is still friendly with me. I did kind of ditch them before classes came back up, even though I would have left to go somewhere else no matter what." He scratched his head. "It's... gonna be unpleasant since I left on purpose. My attendance record is basically in flames at this point as well."

"I can imagine," Joshua lamented a little. "I know what it's like to disappear to carry on your own problems without involving even your friends."

"Yeah, Joshua," his lover emphasized on his name as she regarded him with a deadpan stare. "You know it so well, I bet you and Rean can definitely relate."

"I-I said I was sorry," was his not-so-carefully built response as he looked away. Rean just looked at between the two and could only wonder what that particular history was like. Maybe later, when he wasn't talking about his friends for now.

"Anyway, meeting them isn't out of the question," Rean continued to ponder. "The problem would be setting it up. Like I said, I left the academy without notifying them, so that's sure to cause some setbacks while I try to get on their good terms. Luckily, I already got the message out that I've been trying to resolve the Yggdrasil Project incident, so that should put me in their good graces, if at least on a moderate amount."

The twin-blade user gave a grimace. "I'm not sure if a continent-sized incident that separates the nations is something you should be thankful for..."

For Rean's part, he just shrugged. "It stopped a potential war from breaking out, and gave me a good reason to stick outside Erebonia. So maybe I am. Of course, I was hoping for better alternatives at the time, if they were possible."

Joshua sighed. "And there was nothing better than having a sky-high labyrinth that consists of a large and dense tree to stop the war..." They had wondered, for a brief moment, how Aidios was taking the whole 'people using a possibly-destructive project to stop a war' thing well.

"Who can blame him?" She hummed thoughtfully. "I mean, we've all been doing our hardest to keep up with the peace. The Yggdrasil Project might be a problem if we don't deal with it, but so far, we're pretty much backed by people from almost every nation involved that's willing to help."

Barely missing a beat, she looked back to the Erebonian outcast, beaming. "I'm sure your friends will understand once you get through to them. When you fought them, they said they only wanted answers, right? They didn't think you were wrong, or that you were an enemy. They can tell you've been super busy trying to help everyone out of this mess. No way are they just gonna up and turn the other way without forgiving you! So just have faith in them! Especially since right now, they already have an idea as to what you're up to. That gives them reason to cheer you on!"

"She's right," Joshua concurred with his own smile. "Have a little more faith in your friends. Believe in them. They'll reciprocate well enough for you."

Had this been from a time back then, when all hope seemed lost to Rean, saying such a thing wasn't something that could easily lighten him up. But he didn't come this far, only to believe a brighter future was a terribly-low chance. Even beyond all doubts, he would do everything in his power to provide everyone a future that was worth living in. That was still possible, no matter how terribly-small of a chance it was.

Yet, here he was, worried about the state of his friends and family, wondering if they would ever forgive him for leaving them, for keeping silent about the situation, even when it was hurting him on the inside. How could they not forgive him? He had believed in them to lead their futures for everyone, and they believed in him to lead them to victory, to reunion, to life being shared among themselves. Together, they had laughed, mourned, faced danger, saved lives... they had lived, all thanks to him. Because, as they pointed out at least once, what would Class VII have been without him?

And to think it would be Estelle and Joshua to cheer him up with just a small pep talk...

Rean just felt more at ease to confide in two amazing bracers...

"Hm? Rean, what's up? You've been smiling at the table..."

"Thanks, you two... for everything..."

He didn't see their faces directly, but he was sure they were smiling right back at him.

"So... you aren't against me?"

Lloyd just looked back to the moonlit sky, not finding it hard to respond to Rean's question.

"If I were against you, that would make me short-sighted to the real problem, won't it?" The policeman raised his shoulders for a moment. "Most of the world knows about you as Rean Schwarzer, the national hero who saved Erebonia, when we know you're also the son of Osborne. Those two are just facts that happen to align, but that doesn't have to be completely negative."

"What do you mean?"

"What else? You're Osborne's son, but you proved yourself to be a hero more than that. You didn't expect us to help you when we gave you our time. You taught us certain things about your journey step-by-step. You didn't hold it against us when Crossbell attacked your country. Even when you told me all about your past, you expected nothing but hatred." Lloyd paused as he considered his own words. "Well, 'hatred' might be a bit strong, but the context is there."

The stern and comforting look was prevalent on the SSS leader's face, Rean noticed.

"Thing is, you're more than a hero Osborne wanted you to be. He decided on war, but you chose peace, while ignoring what happened several months ago. You're pretty much the opposite of him in terms of actions and ideals. We don't like the big boss himself, but we don't have to hate you because you're related to him."

"Lloyd's right," KeA piped up from beside him, surprising the two. "You're not mean like him. You've been super nice to us since we met. And..." She smiled and spun around, "you gave us cake!"

The leader of the SSS blinked as he tried to recall the moment with the cake. "Oh yeah," he chuckled, "that actually did happen, didn't it?"

Rean made a bashful smile. "I kind of ran out of options to try to prove that we were nice, then Elise suggested that we bring over some cake." The fact that Elise came up with the idea proved how she was excellent in providing kindness, even if the idea seemed so simple.

"It was the best cake I've had since the Azure Tree disappeared! It was tasty!" The child added, her face as bright as the currently-hidden sun itself.

"That, it was," Lloyd said, petting the energetic, verdant-haired girl as he laughed. "I thought it was someone's birthday when we saw you guys at our doorstep with it. Made our heads spin when we tried to figure out who's it for."

Rean snickered at the memory. "And you thought it was mine, too. Not that I blame you for coming to that conclusion."

"Hey, hey," KeA continued happily, "you think we'll get another cake by the time we're done?"

"Once the Yggdrasil Project's over, right?" Rean regarded her question with a hand on his chin. "We might not have time even if that's finished. We still have to smooth out the relationships between the nations before we can take a rest. I have to calm down Erebonia somehow from asking for a full-out war, too..."

Lloyd gave a confused look. "I thought you said Creizle took care of Erebonia's war-wishes."

Rean shrugged lamely and made an unsure smile. "He kind of did? He did the explanations for what was going on in Crossbell, and what I'm trying to achieve. Thanks to that, he helped rally some people against Osborne's decision to go to war, but not all of them. I'd say that people are still split after I left Erebonia, so I can probably give a one-to-one ratio of them either supporting or condemning me for it."

"That can't be right," Lloyd argued, frowning. "There should be at least more people supporting you now that they know why you left."

The swordsman stared back in interest, yet not buying his reasoning. "What makes you say that?"

"Didn't you go through all those field studies back at your school year?" The memories of those times struck Rean well enough that it got him stunned in surprise, allowing the SSS leader to continue on. "In every town or city you visited, you left a lasting impression on the residents because you helped them out a lot in your times there. Not only that, you lent them a hand every time they asked for you when you were busy during the war. That already makes you their hero by default, right?"

"That's... true..."

Lloyd smiled warmly. "Plus, how can they, the very people you saved, be against you when they realize you left to resolve a big incident? I bet that they remembered what you did for them in the past, and now they believe in you like last time. There's no way they can't trust you when they now know you have the best plans for them." He glanced at the tyke beside him. "Right, KeA?"

"Right!" She cheerfully and heatedly exclaimed. "You were a hero before, and you still are, Rean! Nothing's changed at all!"

"So cheer up. You can't give up on finding a silver lining just yet, Rean."

Rean was still dumbstruck by their adamant belief that he was still an important and revered figure. He honestly hadn't seen it happening when he left Erebonia to take care of other matters—matters that were highly considered more important than occupying Crossbell. Sadly, he initially believed, very few could see his leave in a favorable light; it was more akin to desertion, all things considered, and it made sense for the most part.

But now... he was finally able to consider the thoughts and feelings of the lives he touched upon. The people who likened him to a hero. They hadn't given up on him, not when he left. Sure, he didn't doubt that leaving them temporarily had stung them and left them with bad dreams, but he was getting the feeling that the word Creizle helped spread around reignited their beliefs that there was no desertion that took place. That Rean was doing everything in his power to retain the peace of Erebonia. And, by extension, aid all those who had no reason to be involved.

Honestly, to have more people believe in him like this... he could admit how touching this was.

"Thanks, you guys."

Lloyd nodded positively once the swordsman was able to get his bearings back. And KeA...

"Then, please promise us that we all get to enjoy cake when we're done!"

"Haha... okay, okay. I promise."

A monstrous, humanoid form, having the basic limbs of arms, legs, torso, and head, yet having the dark tones of both black and green. Ivy tentacles, appeared to be bathed in blood, were spurting out of its palms, wavering and sliding however they pleased. A kind of strange, blue drool was sliding all over its darkly-green chest, coming from the balded head of the monster. It carried no eyes for sight, no ears for hearing, none of the things that made it look at least a little more human save for the sickly and twisted cat-like open smile that appeared to be fixed. Yet, having no eyes and ears and nose were of no consequence to the beast, not when it was able to sense.

It was wreathed by likely its own 'clothing', a vest of black leaves with red-tinted tips, while white butterfly wings of an indescribable shape rested on its back. And while the monster had no eyes on its head, there were most certainly eyes, many eyes, on the four wings. Standing at a height of an estimated twenty-five arge, the large monster looked curiously at the group that dared entered the sacred territory, all of its wing-located eyes staring at the four that entered.

Then, without warning, it gave out a murderous and horrifying roar that could have been heard all over the labyrinth.

"Wh... what is that...?" Elise wasn't able to see her skin pale, but others would have pointed it out if they didn't know the reason why.

The verdant-haired resident of the labyrinth frowned, annoyance visible on her face.

"That is the guardian of this stratum, and the labyrinth in general," Ysil muttered in disdain. "The Ambivalent."

Creizle seemed a little shocked and a little confused. "This freak of nature's the final guardian? Seriously?"

'I-I did not even sense its presence being this overwhelming until we entered,' Orsten rang in their heads with a shaky voice.

Ysil made a scoffing sound. "This is what happens when the Yggdrasil Project is forced to awaken early. It sacrifices moderation for effectiveness, the latter of which was being focused on. And now the guardian's very being is more twisted than it should originally be."

"Damn," Rean grunted, knowing the odds starting to go against him so soon. "If we had known this..."

"Well, this isn't the time for regrets," the mercenary sighed, running a hand through his brown hair.

Orsten thought likewise. 'Creizle is correct, our objective here should not change.'

"Th-then we're really going to fight it?" Elise asked, feeling her voice starting to crack.

The leader of Class VII hunched his shoulders. "No point in running away right now. Everyone's counting on us to finish off this labyrinth, so we need to fight hard."

Estelle... Joshua... Lloyd... KeA...

His classmates, his friends, his family...

They were all depending on him to resolve this incident and make it back alive. Naturally, such a promise was proving to be more difficult than they imagined, but they would definitely defy all expectations and emerge victorious from this. He had to, when there were still so many tasks he had to go through to preserve a future he believed in.

And so...

"Alright everyone," he stated, eyes hardening on the guardian, "let's—"

It was the sudden quake interrupting his courageous declaration that told everyone something was horribly amiss. As it was, completely shattering anything they could have expected from this battle, two large figures sprouted up from beneath the floor they all stood on. Pumpkin-headed monsters, with sickly-colored hands covering the sides of their vegetable heads, and vines trailing beneath them. Giving off a hellish expression, these two monsters stood by the sides of the final guardian, with every single intention of stopping all trespassers.

"H-Hexgourds?" Elise recognized their harassing species clearly. "And two of them...!"

"We really did lose control of this labyrinth," Ysil muttered, already seeing defeat more clearer than ever. "Now our victory is much father than we had anticipated..."

"But if we leave it like this," Creizle growled, fists clenching harder, "we'll never be able to shut down those barriers!"

Gone were any chances of this being smooth sailing. The horrors of danger inflated well beyond the usual level, higher than what this labyrinth had to offer. Even in a team of five, it would drastically fall short to three powerful enemies willing to rip their heads away. Truly, this had to be the labyrinth's last stance against them, Rean rationalized...

"We'll be overwhelmed..."

But only if they fought normally like this. Only if the labyrinth expected them to fight like proud warriors. But pride had little meaning in a battlefield that could decide the lives of many, especially when one man would continue with his relentless attempts to take advantage of their plans. Rean would do what it takes to even the odds, and if this labyrinth was willing to pull out all the stops against them...

'Rean, no!' The child-like voice that belong to Orsten rang between his ears, easily reading his thoughts. 'If you summon Valimar here, the labyrinth will take great offense and send all of its monsters to attack us!'

'Then what other choice do we have!?' He refuted frustratingly. 'We have to move on! Everyone's counting on us to finish this off today, so we must!'

'But...!'

Had this been a time when peace wasn't threatened, a session where Class VII was by his side, ready to rely and be relied on, they wouldn't have such a hard time with this last fight before it would even begin. But that had not been the case. He had to leave them behind so he could work behind the scenes and tackle the Yggdrasil Labyrinth with less setbacks, and all that's left was to look forward to achieve the brighter future for their sake.

If all those monsters were going to come after him, then let them. If he had to bring forth the Ashen Knight, all the while setting off the alarms of this labyrinth, just to straighten the future, then...

"Heed my—"

"Hey, sorry we're late!"

His concentration was abruptly broken by the cheerful and familiar shout of another traveler in this labyrinth. He wasn't the only one surprised when the voice came through; turning around let him see the shocked faces of his group. But they were not the focus. The focus was clearly on a certain twin-tailed brunette smiling casually at the face of their misfortune. And not just her, he was also noticing the talented policeman giving an all-prepared grin for anything.

And their friends...

"Yeah," Estelle continued ever-so-casually, "we kinda took a little longer to get here because we took a wrong turn, wound up in an ambush, had to run off from those pumpkin guys, wound up in another ambush, and here we are!"

Creizle didn't seem to mind their sudden intrusion... and their abridged version of their tales. "See? Told you those pumpkin-heads were annoying!"

Joshua still seemed affronted since they entered. "I thought you had the map in check, Estelle..." He sighed.

Lloyd just gave a weary chuckle. "I think the map should be the least of our worries for now..."

Rean shook his head to clear his head and disregard their building insanity. "What are you all doing here?" He asked in surprise to get to the point. He asked this because he figured they would stay behind to prepare for the barriers coming down. Unless...

"Easy question, Rean!" The positive Bracer responded. "Truth is, we had a lot of free time! Ever since you started helping out with our tasks since New Year's, we've started to see a shortage of requests for both the Bracer Guild and the SSS! We had nothing else to do since this morning, really," she finished bashfully.

The leader of the SSS nodded. "We knew you'd be back in the labyrinth to finish things off here, and since you helped us out more than once, we had to return the favor somehow. We couldn't kick back and relax if we knew we could help you gain control of the Yggdrasil Labyrinth."

"Guys..." The black-haired swordsman was still shocked. He was under the assumption that they'd be too busy to help him out. Did they really have that much free time?

Joshua shrugged and smiled thinly. "We're friends right now. Plus, I do have to make sure you've learned a life lesson since we've been together, Rean," he said, eyes showing warmth.

The silver-haired woman beside Lloyd nodded. "We may as well finish your first contact with us in good terms by working together, right?" Elie asked happily.

The tall redhead in Estelle's group chuckled. "Someone's gotta make sure you don't do a half-assed job as the self-entitled ambassador," Agate added.

The other redhead in Lloyd's group smirked. "I won't lie: seeing the flower beauty is one of my goals, but really, I'd do anything to make her smile," Randy said, dashingly.

"Nuh-uh!" Anelace retorted among them. "I called dibs on making Ysil my lieutenant!" She gazed on Rean's group, only to set her sights firmly on the leader instead. "Oh, and I gotta make sure my secondary rival's in top shape!" She happily added.

The sigh came from one of the youngest members of the SSS. "Seriously, you two, get your priorities straight right now," Tio flatly answered with golden eyes glaring.

Another young girl, a former Ouroboros member, stood by Estelle. "I just owe you from that time, okay?" Renne didn't look directly at him, oddly. "It's nothing special..."

Lastly, one famous performer from Arc en Ciel giggled happily. "We were all worried anyways, so we had to tag along to ease our minds," Rixia admitted. "I hope you don't mind."

They all came... they traversed through the perilous labyrinth... just for his group?

...Well, worrying about their decision to rush through the dangerous labyrinth would make him rather hypocritical; danger was practically what everyone in this room was used to. That, and he was sure he gave them a lot to work with on exploring this place, but all that for his sake? Even when there would be the chance that he would have to fight them, should he return to Erebonia and answer to that man who claimed to be his father?

He was immediately caught off-guard by the surge of power resting inside him. At the same time, his ARCUS began to whirr proudly in response to something, and he was soon enveloped in a blue glow. Everyone else was understandably surprised, but Rean knew this very feeling that marked the truth of his feelings. Those of his friends, now no longer being confined to Class VII as the sole subject, but to those who he met in his long-lasting life.

'This power is what we have cultivated from the past two months, Rean,' the child-like voice rang in his head, and to the others, judging by their same expression. 'This is the power that forsakes the damning fate laid out in front of you and carves the path ahead, one that leads to not only your future, but as well as those who you have connected within your living days. Have you forgotten? I most certainly have not.'

It took a bit of time for a grin to form on the swordsman's face, but when it did, it easily beat any other expression he previously had since they entered the labyrinth.

"Hah. I know pretty well, Orsten. You don't have to remind me."

'Good answer.'

The owner of the voice finally settled inside his being. The pathways of power that flowed through him, so unnatural, so unlike his, but were never rejected, even for a second. And seeing his new friends here... as long as they believed in him, and as long as he believed in them...

"Thank you, everyone..."

Estelle gave a sun-radiating smirk. "You already thanked us lots, Rean. Just get to the plan at hand!"

Rean nodded, to Estelle's group, to Lloyd's group, and to his group. Each of them nodded their heads in return, and finally, he turned back to the final enemies that stood in their way. One last battle to reach the Yggdrasil Project's control system and reverse the damages it caused.

It's time...

"My group will hold against the larger enemy, the Ambivalent, for as long as we can. In that time, the Hexgourds will be taken care of by other groups since they're considerably weaker as long as they hold no advantage. Estelle, your group will take care of the Hexgourd on the left. Lloyd, you'll take the right. If one or the other is done, get to my group to reform and hold against the Ambivalent until we're ready to take it down. Got all that?"

"Naturally!"

"Of course!"

"Good. Remember our strategies!"

The tachi got unsheathed, the new, mystical blade having one more worthy opponent to match against in this chapter of war. End Fates radiated the blue aura, compounding with the power Rean was giving off, with justly destruction once more, and Rean got into his traditional Eight Leaves One Blade stance. Not long after, everyone drew out their weapons and were all prepared to take the next step to the future, with nothing hindering their abilities.

"Let's go, everyone!"

"Right!"

They all raced onward to meet their foes. No fear. No regrets. And best of all, no mistakes. Not as long as he lived to see this through.

At the end of the labyrinth, swords resounded.

Beyond the Myth, boys! Admittedly, this could be in the crossover section, but this has very little to do with the Etrian Odyssey series that I don't think it's a whole lot to consider it a crossover. That being said, this and one other project are finally, finally stories that I have true interest in writing about. Please wait patiently as I stop losing motivation for every single damn thing, and thank you for reading!