Chapter 2

After leaving the Ferines village, the party returned to Werites Beacon by duct. They started to walk across the bridge into the town, but paused when they spotted a figure standing in the center of the road. It was a woman with blonde hair, tied in a bun on the left side of her head. She held her arms out, as her clothing blew softly in the wind. The party stared at her with wide eyes as they instantly recognized her.

"What the!?" Moses gasped.

Senel and Shirley moved closer to make sure they were seeing correctly.

"Stella!" Senel cried out.

Stella continued to hold her arms out. "Senel...my love..."

Senel moved even closer, carefully taking her hands, feeling the warmth of her skin. The other party members moved a little closer, but still kept a safe distance.

Senel embraced Stella tightly, fondling her hair. "Stella! It really is you!"

"Oh Senel..." Stella stroked Senel's hair as well. "How I've longed for you and this moment."

"Stella...why are you here?" Shirley asked. "I thought you were..."

"Nerifes decided to grant me another life," Stella told her.

Shirley gasped softly. "Nerifes can do that?"

"Nerifes can do anything. You agree, don't you, Shirley?"

"Well, yes, but..."

"By the way..." Stella cut her off. "There's someone else who has been resurrected by Nerifes."

She stepped aside, revealing a young Ferines man who was standing behind her. The party recognized him just as easily.

"Wally!" Norma cried.

"Son of a bitch..." Moses mumbled. "It's like we're lookin' at ghosts..."

Walter approached Shirley, bowing his head. "It's good to see you again, Merines. I would be honored to serve and protect you once again."

"Walter...that..." Shirley stammered, still not believing that he was really there. "That won't be necessary. I...I really don't want any royal treatment. I just want to be treated like a normal person. Please understand."

Walter nodded. "As you wish, Merines."

"He's...gonna eat us!" Norma whined.

Walter shot her a look, and then began to advance.

"Ah!" Norma leaped into Moses' arms.

"Ah!" Moses immediately dropped her, and then cowered behind her as she stood up.

"I am not a ghost!" Walter snapped. "I am not dead! Now be quiet!"

Norma and Moses fell silent.

"She actually got quiet..." Chloe whispered.

"Senel..." Stella said softly. "I've never really seen the Legacy before. Would you show me around?"

Senel scratched his head. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to show you around the city real quick. But we have to check out the Ruins of Frozen Light in the morning."

"Thank you so much." Stella gently took Senel's arm, and the pair began to walk down the road.

"He's going with her alone..." Chloe thought.

"Well, this certainly complicates things," Jay said.

"Jay, do you know something?" Will asked.

"Not really, just a wild guess," Jay told him. "Perhaps the ruins will yield some answers."

Norma stomped her foot. "There's no way we're letting anyone else rise from the dead! I say we take turns standing guard in the graveyard!"

"Is that really necessary?" Chloe asked. "Stella may be back, but it's not like she's doing any harm."

"Of course it's necessary!" Norma cried. "People coming back from the dead? That's just wrong!"

"Just give her a chance, Norma."

"You!" Walter snapped. "How dare you say such things!"

"Ah!" Norma cowered again. "But...but..."

"You Orerines haven't changed a bit, have you!?"

"Walter, please stop!" Shirley protested. "Senel and the others are my dear friends! Please stop talking about Orerines this way!"

"Merines..." Walter was instantly tamed.

"Listen...we're all on a mission," Shirley continued. "I'll...I'll show you around the town, and I'll explain everything."

Walter hesitated for a moment. "Very well, Merines. Tell me everything."

"Okay, follow me." Shirley began to walk down the road, with Walter in tow.

"And now they go and leave us all alone..." Moses grumbled. "Hey Jay, don't this make ya wanna..."

"No," Jay cut him off. "We don't have time to screw around. I'm going home to get some sleep. You should do the same if you don't want your brain to poop out on you."

"Hey!" Moses protested.

Jay ignored him as he walked in the opposite direction, leaving the city.

"So..." Chloe said, changing the subject. "We'll meet at Raynard's house in the morning?"

"Yes," Will agreed. "Goodnight, everyone. I'll see you all in the morning."

"Goodnight," Chloe said.

She and Will began to walk down the road, leaving Norma and Moses alone.

"All right, Red, you take the first watch in the graveyard," Norma said. "I'll take over in about four hours."

"Four hours!?" Moses cried.

"Well, this cute girl needs her beauty sleep, too!"

"But I need some sleep, too! I don't want my brain to poop out!"

"Just take the first watch, Red. You can get your sleep when I take over."

"Oh, fine."

--

When Moses arrived at the graveyard, he stood right into Stella's empty grave. He then looked at the tombstone at the head of it. It felt odd for him, knowing that the message on the stone no longer applied.

"Strange, isn't it?" a voice asked softly.

"Huh? Wha...?" Moses looked around, until he spotted Stella standing behind him.

"It's so strange, staring at your own grave," she added.

"Oh...yeah, I know what ya mean," Moses replied. "I mean...I ain't never been dead before, but..."

"Hmm..." Stella smiled.

"Hey, what're ya doin' here? I thought you were with Senel."

"Well, Senel needs his rest for the mission tomorrow. It's a shame...if we'd had more time, we could have..."

"Could have what?"

Stella shook her head. "Nothing...we could always do it some other time."

"So what're ya doin' here anyway? Didja come to bury yerself again?"

"Ah, no..." Stella kept a laugh in. "You are a very funny man."

"Funny? Is that bad?" Moses asked.

"No, it's good. Our peoples have been at war for so long...it's a shame that the Ferines miss so many charming qualities of the Orerines...like your humor, for instance."

"So ya really think I'm funny? And not stupid?"

"No, you're not stupid," Stella assured him. "You just have intimacy issues, and you use your humor to keep people at a distance."

Moses paused, confusion setting in. "Huh...I never thought of that before..."

"Hmm...your name is Moses, right?"

"Yeah, that's me. I'm Moses."

"Is there someone...that you fancy?"

Moses turned around and looked up at the sky. "Well...there's Grune...but I never got too far with her. And then there's Jay...but sometimes he just gives me hell..."

Stella smiled behind him, and then shoved him lightly in the back. Moses let out a shriek as he fell into the mouth of the grave.

"Ow! What the hell!?" he cried.

Stella knelt down beside the grave. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do that! Are you all right?"

"Huh? Well, I guess."

Stella hopped down into the grave. "Here, I'll make it up to you."

"Naw, ya don't need to do that..."

"Sure I do. It was so foolish of me to do that. Besides, this might help with your...intimacy issues."

"But do we haveta stay down here? It's kinda creepy down here..."

Stella placed her hands firmly on the bandit's chest, pushing him against the wall. She then took hold of his wrists, placing his hands on her rear.

Moses' eyes widened. "O-okay..."

Stella moved her hands up Moses' arms, letting her fingers crawl up his skin, before placing her hands on his cheeks. With her thumbs, she began to play with his lips, stretching them out, and persuading the bandit to open his mouth. Slowly moving closer, Stella parted her own lips, pressing her mouth firmly onto the bandit's.

Seconds later, Moses' eyes widened again. "Mmm-mmmph! Mmmph!" He began to struggle, trying to push the woman away, trying to pry off her hands that held his head so tightly, and grabbing her hair.

Stella finally released him and took a step back. Moses clutched his stomach and slumped over, coughing and gagging, spitting out some blood. He fell backwards against the wall, sinking down to his rear; his head slumped forward as he lost consciousness.

Stella looked down at him innocently. "That takes care of that. Don't worry, you'll feel better when you wake up."

--

Four hours later, Norma arrived in the graveyard to take her watch. She looked around for Moses, but there was no sign of him. At least not yet.

"Red?" Norma moved deeper into the graveyard, peeking into Stella's grave. There, she saw Moses still sitting against the wall with his head slumped over. Had she seen him from a lower angle, she would have seen the blood trickling from the bandit's mouth.

"Sleeping on the job?" she taunted. "Ha...wimp!"

She walked farther into the graveyard, to the other side, where her mentor was buried. She knelt down in front of the tombstone and sighed.

"Oh Teacher...with all of these people that are coming back from the dead, why can't you be one of them?"

Sensing a presence nearby, Norma spun around, pulling out her straw and setting herself in her battle stance. "Who goes there!? You'd better come out, or I'll blow your socks off!"

Walter entered the graveyard, walking rather slowly and casually. He walked straight to Norma without a single word or gesture, his face expressionless.

"W-W-Wally!?" Norma gasped. "Wh...what are you doing here? Have you...have you had a change of heart?"

"No..." Walter replied. "My hatred for Orerines will never change. However, the Merines wishes for our peoples to live together in peace. I personally hate the idea, but the Merines must follow her heart. And I will follow her, wherever that may lead."

"Well, isn't that nice. And you came all the way out here to see little old me? I'm flattered."

"The Merines suggested that I interact with the Orerines to get acquainted with them. And you're the only Orerines who's awake at this hour."

"Really? I'm the only Orerines that's awake? That's kinda scary. Say Wally...has anyone ever told you how handsome you are?"

Walter looked away slightly, seemingly taken aback. "Well...probably."

"And what about me?" Norma asked, batting her eyes. "Do you think I'm cute?"

"No."

"Hey! At least pretend to think about the question before you answer it!"

"Hmm, if you insist."

Walter slowly moved closer, placing his finger under her chin. Norma pulled back slightly. Walter persisted, still moving closer with his finger under her chin. Looking into his charming blue eyes, Norma felt herself drawn to the Ferines youth. She parted her lips as Walter moved in, kissing her softly on the lips. When he placed his hands gently but firmly on either side of her head, Norma's eyes shot wide open.

"Mmmph!!"