"So you're leaving then?" Clarice asked Douglas, who was in the middle of one last drink before he headed out.

"Yeah," said Douglas, who set the empty shot glass on top of a jewel bill, paying for his drink.

"It's a shame, we would've loved to have you," she said as Douglas rose from the bar.

Douglas turned to Clarice and shook her hand. "The offer is greatly appreciated, but I really must get back on the road."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, you know where we are," Clarice said with a smile before retracting her hand.

Douglas smiled at Clarice, his throat catching any words before they could come out. So he gave a small wave of his hand and made his way to the door. "I talked to Abby a little while ago," Clarice said without even turning around. Douglas stopped just shy of the doorknob. "Whatever you're afraid of, you can't beat it by running away."

Douglas opened the door, and stepped out of the guild. The day had grown windy as it wound down into late afternoon. Somehow the wind had drawn Douglas' attention to an open water barrel adjacent to the door. Inside he saw a reflection he wished he hadn't. The wind blew. "Shut up," Douglas mumbled. "This is the right thing to do and you know it." With that, he lit his pipe, tucked his hands into his pockets, and made his way down the road.


"So, asshole left, huh?" asked Sora as she poured herself and Abby a drink.

"You shouldn't drink, Sora," Abby warned. Well, more mumbled if we're being honest.

"Screw that, I'm 26," Sora snorted.

"Only by a technicality," Abby shot back before pushing away the drink. "And I don't drink."

Sora shrugged and downed both shot glasses. Sora shivered as the alcohol made its way through her. "Woah, feel that shit all the way to your toes." Sora put down the glasses and looked Abby dead in the eyes. "Why are you getting so bummed over this guy? He was right, you knew him for, what, a day?"

Abby dropped her head to look down at the table. Perhaps...in another life...we could've been… Those words kept ringing through her head every time Abby tried to believe what Sora and Douglas had been telling her. Abby chuckled. "I'm sorry," she said. "I've uh, been a real wet blanket today, haven't I?"

Sora smiled and patted her shoulder. "Hey, you've had a long couple of days. I'm surprised you're still awake." Sora leaned back and breathed deep. "8 years, huh…?"

"Yeah," Abby replied under her breath.

"Have you been okay?" Abby looked up at Sora, who laid her hands on hers.

Abby clenched her teeth behind pursed lips. Eventually, however, the emotion overwhelmed her, causing her to pull Sora into a hug. "It's been so hard…" she sobbed. "I had no one for so long, and now...now I finally saved you and I, I, oh onee-chan." Abby descended into joyful sobs, while Sora calmly stroked her friend's back and held her tighter.


Seeing as how the Maki siblings were the size of trees themselves, Clarice felt it only fitting that they be on firewood duty. As if it wouldn't have been difficult enough for the two, because the wind had started carrying the mountain cold down into the little village Diamond Soul was stationed at, Nico and Darius had to perform the work bundled up like gigantic human burritos with axes.

"I don't get it," said Darius, who wrestled with his large coat as he tried to lift the axe farther than an inch above his head. "Ya got magic, bro, can't ya just slice these trees down with your shadow powers?"

Nico stopped his chopping and turned to Darius, deadpan. "What? What, no. Shadows can't slice, that's just stupid."

"And yet they can catch a fully grown human flying through the air," Darius mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing!" The two continued chopping in peace. Well, awkward silence so thick you could cut it with a knife, but PEACEFUL awkward silence. "So, bro," said Darius. "What exactly did you do before, well, all this shit?"

Nico shrugged. "Mostly just traveled around with Sora."

"Before that?"

"Don't remember."

Darius dropped his axe and turned around. "Wait, you have amnesia?"

Nico also stopped chopping, but didn't turn to face Darius. "You don't remember, do you?"

"Remember what?"

"You're the reason I have amnesia, numbnuts!" nico shouted, turning around and storming up to Darius' face.

Darius' face was blank from confusion. But as he thought back through recent events, the parts began to click into place. Darius' face dropped like a stone as he looked off into nowhere in particular. "When Padma was…" Darius then looked back at Nico. "I…"

"You attacked me, yes," nico replied, backing up to cool himself off. "If it wasn't for Sora, I would've died. Instead I just lost my entire life."

Darius took a cautious step towards Nico. "You...don't seem all that broken up over that fact."

Nico shrugged. "To be entirely honest, I can't bring myself to give a damn about who I was," he said with a dry chuckle. "I like it just fine where I am now."

"Brother, I, I don't know what to tell ya," Darius said, shuffling in the snow.

"Well don't even think about apologizin," Nico said, turning back to him. "It wasn't your fault, ya got nothin to apologize for."

"I kinda disagree," Darius replied with a forced out laugh.

Nico patted Darius on the shoulder. "Well, takin the choice away from ya on this one. Now cmon, we got work to do."

"Yeah…" Darius said before grabbing his axe. He spent the rest of the time out there thinking of how he would ever get his brother to forgive him.


The wind blew. "No I don't want to talk about it," Douglas said. The swordsman had wandered further up the mountain, still being tormented by the voice in his head and the wind nipping at his skin. Another gust of wind. "Because there's nothing to talk about. She saved my life, I saved her and her friend's lives. We are even, it's done." The wind blew again. "Yes it is...YES, it IS." Any passers by who would've come across this conversation would find the whole display quite concerning.

Douglas smacked his lips together, feeling their dryness. Luckily, he happened upon a river. Another, somehow sassier, gust of wind. "Yes I know there's water at the guildhall, I'm not going back." Douglas was halfway down to the stream when one last gust of wind rushed by him. The straw had broken the camel's back, and Douglas whipped around to face the wind. "What do you want from me!? You know damn well how they'll react! They'll turn on me and you know it! It's better this way...it's better. So leave me be." Douglas knelt down at the stream to grab a handful of water. And there, in the pond, was the reflection again. In place of his own face was that of a raven haired young woman dressed in black. Oblivion looked straight into her master's eyes and gave him that infuriating look. Douglas tightened his jaw and clenched his fist. "I must be out of my mind," he said before standing up and running back down the mountain.


Steam rolled out of the shower and onto the fine oak floor as Sora stepped out. The nude earth mage grabbed two towels off the rack and wrapped them around her body and hair. With a grunt, she strained her neck to the side until she heard it pop. After the day she'd had, a warm refreshing shower was exactly what she needed. Especially since she technically hadn't had a shower in 8 years. Sora groaned as she stretched her back Jeez, who knew 8 years frozen to the spot and then getting possessed by a demon would give you such a crick in the neck? She thought to herself as she walked to the mirror. Sora rubbed the sleep from her eyes with one hand and rubbed the steam off the mirror with the other. When she looked in the now clear mirror, however, Sora let out a surprised YIPE and leapt back two feet. In the mirror floated a vaguely human shaped mass of shadows. And while Sora couldn't say for sure, she could've sworn it was giving her a shit eating grin. "What the hell are you?"

"You know damn well," said the voice in her head.

Sora's eyes widened. "P-Pan?" she asked.

"The one and only, kiddo," replied the shadow. His "arm" then lifted up and did something akin to a point. "Also, very nice."

Sora looked down and immediately stretched both ends of the towel to better cover herself. "What the fuck are you still doing in my head?!"

Pan shrugged. "Honestly, not sure. I should've died when your friend ran me through with a bolt of fucking lightning, but apparently not. Though if you meant more in the present tense-" he pointed again, this time past Sora. Sora followed his finger to a mirror in the shower. "-Enjoying the view." Sora then put a hole in the mirror and the wall behind it. Sora retracted her fist, her face so red hot it was steaming. "How long are you gonna be stuck here?" She growled.

Pan continued speaking inside Sora's head. "Seeing as how I'm permanently part of your mind, I should eventually fade back into your subconscious….maybe."

Sora grumbled under her breath as she retrieved her clean clothes. "You need mirrors to see me, right?"

"Yeah, but your eyes do just fine."

"I hate you..." Seemed life wasn't quite done shitting on her just yet…


The day wound down from late afternoon to early night. The sun had rested behind the mountains, leaving only the snow to quietly fall outside the small guild hall. The firewood gathered by Nico and Darius made the inside warm and cozy. The mood of the mages, however, was anything but. The funeral home had just delivered the coffin for Amina, but it was too dark and cold outside to bury her that night. So, the occupied casket was left on a sturdy dining hall table, as it would've been too heavy for the bed Amina was previously laying on. Its presence brought down the mood of the room like a stone. Luckily, Clarice had a solution. "Who's hungry?" she called out from the kitchen behind the bar. Clarice walked out with a large plate of roasted chicken and set it on a table.

Abby, Sora, Nico and the rest gathered in the dining hall for dinner. "Oh gods, I just realized I haven't eaten in 8 years," said Nico with a chuckle before gorging himself.

Abby and Sora laughed together before grabbing their plates and lifting them above their heads, out of Nico's reach. "Jeez bro, have some dignity," said Darius with a mouth full of chicken.

Sora looked up at her plate, contemplated it for a second, then handed it to Nico. Abby chuckled. "Really? 8 years without food and you're still being picky?"

"Vegetarian, kiddo," Sora replied. "I don't eat anything with a face."

"Oh my, I'm so sorry," said Clarice. "I'll whip up a salad for you immediately."

"That's not nece-and she's gone," said Sora, who watched Clarice bolt into the kitchen. Then, a knock at the door. The mages turned to look at the door. "Who the hell would it be at this hour?"

"I'll go check," said Abby. She walked over to the guild doors and cracked them open. Abby's face went deadpan, letting go of the door allowing it to drift open. Standing in the doorway, was a man in a chicken suit. "Um, can we help you…?" asked Abby.

The chicken man said nothing, merely looking down at Abby, then up at the dining table, where he saw the plate of roasted chicken. The chicken man looked down at Abby, and after a full minute of staring, cried out. "REVENGE!" And proceeded to chase Abby around the dining hall, crying out "revenge" over and over.

A vein popped in Sora's forehead as she grit her teeth in annoyance. "Okay, enough," she said, sticking out her foot. The chicken man tripped over Sora's foot and rolled until he hit the wall. Sora stomped over and grabbed the head of the costume. "I swear if it's old man jenkins…" Sora pulled off the chicken head, revealing Douglas underneath.

"Hello," said Douglas with a mirthful grin.

"Douglas?" Abby asked as she walked up to him. "Y-you came back?"

"In a chicken suit?" Nico chimed in.

"Long story, the moral of which is: never trust pygmy marmosets," said Douglas.

"I don't get it, why are you back?" asked Sora.

Douglas stood up and dusted himself off. "I...was talked into it, you could say. I came back to, well...pay my respects." Douglas gestured to the casket in the middle of the room.

"And the chicken suit…?" Nico asked.

"Let's just say that this-" Douglas pulled a bottle of wine from the chicken suit. "-was way more complicated to find than it should've been."

Sora tilted her head to the side. "Ooookay. So, now what?"

"Now we bury her, as I believe is the custom," Douglas replied.

"Well, we can't," said Abby. "It's too cold outside, the ground is too tough to break up."

"And using my earth powers to make a grave just feels wrong," Sora chimed in.

"Hmmm," Douglas said to himself. "You got a shovel?"


Within an hour, Douglas had dug the grave in the open plat behind the guild hall. Despite biting winds and two shovels breaking on the frozen dirt, Douglas managed to finish it and look no worse for wear (at least, no more than he usually does). Using her magic, Sora created a small grave marker for Amina, and by midnight, the mage was buried.

Very little was said, but more than enough was felt. Abby stayed next to Sora, with Nico standing on her other side. Occasionally, Abby would steal glances at Douglas. He too, remained silent, but gripped that bottle of wine in his hand, unopened. She wanted to say something to him, but decided to save it for after the funeral.

After he was sure everyone had left, Douglas walked up to the grave marker and uncorked the wine. Douglas looked down at the grave marker solemnly. "I know I probably shouldn't be here…" he murmured. "I know I probably have no right, but even so I...I'm...I'm not good at this, am I?" Douglas let out a humorless chuckle. "A lot has happened, to both of us. I want to be different, and I, I think this is where I can do that. So if you can hear me, if I was wrong this entire time...hear this." Douglas slowly poured the wine over the grave marker, soaking the stone in aged purple liquid. And then, quietly, Douglas began singing. A song that was in no tongue known to this world, but one they both knew well. It was a song for soldiers, of remembering the sacrifice of warriors, though the world may forget them. And above all else, it was a promise; to carry their weight for the rest of their lives. The song ended with the last drop of wine, and Douglas smashed the bottle against a nearby stone, placing the unbroken half in the dirt below the marker. Douglas said nothing else, simply turning to go back to the guild hall. Not noticing that Abby had been watching him the entire time from her window upstairs.


Douglas was greeted with a cup of hot chocolate when he entered the dining hall. Clarice smiled at the swordsman. "You were out there for so long, I thought you deserved a cup of hot cocoa," she said. Douglas smiled politely and took the cup before sitting down at the bar.

Sora sat down next to him. "Thanks for that," she mumbled.

Douglas smiled back. "It was the least I could do," he said.
"Don't think you're out of the woods yet, though," Sora said, grabbing him by the arm like a vice. "Abby told me about what happened between you two. You got some nerve coming back like nothing's wrong."

Douglas sighed, looking down at his drink. "Yeah, I know. If you'll release my arm, I'll go apologize."

"You'd better." Sora let go of Douglas' arm, allowing him to stand up and walk to the stairs. Where Abby was already there waiting.

"Ah, Abby, I-" Douglas was about to say.

"Tell me everything," Abby said sharply, her arms crossed. "You promised me you'd tell me everything when the stuff in the castle was over. Well, if you want me to forgive you, you'll tell me everything."

Douglas froze, looking up at her deep blue eyes, which were locked on him like arrows. "Alright, that's fair," he replied. "In fact, I'll tell all of you." Douglas walked back down the stairs and sat at the end of the dining hall table. The others sat at the table as well, watching him intently. Douglas steeled himself before continuing. "My name is Douglas Murdoch; Chevalier General of the Edolan military."