Hello there! Well, here's the next chapter. First of all, I'd like to thank the Youtube user "radiantroar bot" for some names used within this chapter (such as "The Sword of Prayer"); those names are translations from the PS3 sidequest involving Hisca and Chastel. I didn't pretend to narrate this sidequest just like the official version, therefore expect some alterations. Without further ado, please, enjoy!


"The sword of Prayer?" Estelle repeated as they all made their way through the Yurzorea Mountains. "I've never heard of it before."
"Yes. It is a valuable treasure for the Imperial Knights, a sword decorated with the figure of a goddess, and we must find it. Our captain said that it would be within these mountains…" Chastel started to explain.
"…and we happened to hear about the adventures of Yuri and Flynn, and we thought that they would know this continent better than us. That's why we decided to ask for their help." Hisca finished.
"I don't think I know this continent better than you…" Yuri said nonchalantly.
"We'll do our best to help you find that sword, worry not." Flynn added with a reassuring voice, ignoring Yuri's words.
"Flynn's right. We'll find that sword, no matter what!" Estelle said then.
"Thank you everyone. I'm sure you all have other business to take care of; nevertheless, you decided to help us out…" Hisca mentioned as she turned in place to face her male friends.
"Yeah. You two haven't changed at all, Flynn, Yuri. " Chastel smiled as she turned to them as well. Both men blushed and looked away.
"Uhm, I was wondering… if we have time to spare, could you tell me some stories from the time when you were all in the same brigade? I think it must've been really exciting!" Estelle asked in that moment.
"Well…" Flynn started as he looked at the others. "If we do get the chance, we could talk about our old experiences." The twins nodded, and Yuri sighed in defeat.
"C'mon, we have to keep going." Lowell mentioned and he stepped up the pace, Repede always by his side.
"Yuri, wait!" The pink-haired princess exclaimed as she hurried herself to keep up with her boyfriend. In that moment, Chastel and Hisca took advantage of the situation and placed themselves at each side of the blond Commandant.
"Hey, Flynn, you know… we... we want to ask you something…" Hisca stuttered, unsure of how to start.
"What is it?" Flynn stared at her with curious eyes; Chastel gestured toward Estelle.
"She was… a candidate for the imperial throne, wasn't she?" Chastel inquired this time, and Flynn nodded at her. "If we may ask… what kind of relationship does Yuri have with her?"
Flynn blinked and observed Chastel, slightly taken aback.

It was to be expected… wasn't it? They both saw Yuri and Estelle approaching the castle while holding hands, after all. It was a matter of time until they started to formulate questions.

"Uhm, you see… thanks to a twist of fate, Yuri met Lady Estellise some time ago, and, well, they became… really good friends, as you can see." He replied awkwardly.
"You didn't introduce them to each other?" Hisca asked, getting even more curious. Flynn shook his head.
"And… good friends, huh?" Chastel repeated as she stroked her chin. Flynn sighed mentally; he couldn't deceive them.
"To be honest, they recently started to… date each other." Flynn whispered as he started to blush, and the twins couldn't hear him clearly.
"Oh, just say that they're a couple already!" Hisca exclaimed, and the rest of the party looked at her, astonished, including Yuri and Estelle, who were walking in front of them. When the twin realized what she said out loud, she blushed and lowered her gaze. "Uh… I'm sorry, Flynn, I talked without thinking."

The Commandant scratched his head, nervous.

"No, it's fine, that's the truth after all…" He replied.
Yuri blinked, confused, and then he focused his gaze on the road in front of him. Estelle mimicked him.
"Yuri, the twins know that you and I…?" She tried to ask, but she was too nervous to finish her sentence.
"It seems that way." He answered without hesitation, and a little smirk appeared on his face.
"Then… it was true." Chastel said to herself in that moment as she continued to stroke her chin with a thoughtful expression.
"We had a hunch when we saw them holding hands." Hisca explained when she noticed Flynn's awkward expression. "Forgive us if we… asked something we shouldn't."
"Don't worry about that, girls, it's okay." Flynn said as he held up a hand to ease them, trying to put his best reassuring smile.
"You don't have to tell us more about this, Flynn; we both know that you're not very good dealing with these topics." Chastel interfered as she placed a hand on Commandant's shoulder. "What is more, we should've asked Yuri personally."
"But our curiosity got the better of us…" Hisca added with a sigh.
"I'm surprised, though. Of all the people the princess must know, what did she see in Yuri?" Chastel said as she looked at the swordsman and princess walking in front of them.
"Yes… he's so reckless, disinterested and nonchalant…" Hisca described. Flynn smiled then.
"I didn't think I would live to see this day… Yuri has a girlfriend… the one and only princess of Zaphias is his girlfriend!" Chastel added as she stared at the couple as well, her eyes gleaming with sudden joy.
"Heeey!" Yuri exclaimed all of a sudden, attracting their attention. "You don't seem very eager to find that sword thing. Are you girls planning to walk that slow all the way until the end, or what?"
"Ugh, we're coming!" Hisca replied, and then, she started to run. Chastel and Flynn followed her suit in order to join the others, each with a smile on their faces.

...

After walking for a few hours and battling monsters, the twins saw the entrance to a cave not too far away from them. They both pointed at it, hinting that the Sword of Prayer they were looking for might be in there.
"Some knights said that the sword has to be within a cave at the Yurzorea continent. They say it was hidden in a cave in order to protect it from thieves." Chastel explained as they ran towards the entrance. "And this is the first cave we've seen since we arrived here. "
"And why didn't you say that before?" Yuri sighed, but he smirked after that. "Anyway, let's go!"
Once they were inside the cave, the group stopped their moves to take a pair of lanterns out of the twins' bags. They lit their lanterns and illuminate the humid and silent place.

"Stay alert." Flynn murmured as he placed his hand on the pommel of his sword. Chastel offered her lantern to the pink-haired princess, but she refused it politely.
"I'm here to protect you as well." It was all she said with a reassuring smile, and Chastel nodded, blushing at the kindness of the princess.

They started to walk cautiously, observing their surroundings; Chastel and Hisca were lifting their lanterns for their friends, one twin in the front of the team and the other one in the back. Yuri, Repede and Flynn, on the other hand, prepared themselves for monsters. The only sound inside the cave, though, was the sound of their footsteps.
During their way, Estelle quietly drew near to Yuri, touching his arm in the process with her own. Yuri looked at her from the corner of his eye.
"Scared?" He asked her in a whisper. Her arm was stiff at his side.
"N-no… I'm fine." She replied in the same tone. Yuri smiled mentally, knowing that she wasn't telling the truth.
"If it makes you feel safer, hold on to my clothes." Lowell said, and Estelle hesitated a bit before following his advice and relaxing her body.

As the group went deeper into the cave, they started to grow impatient. No monsters. No noises. No Sword of Prayer. All of a sudden, a small light glowed at what it looked like the far end of the cave. The twins' eyes glowed with joy at this.
"There's something there!" Hisca exclaimed happily.
"Everyone, don't lower your guard, we don't know what we could find here…" Flynn added as he frowned. When they were close enough, they noticed a large red wooden box on the floor. It had the knights' symbol engraved on the surface. Chastel eagerly tried to make her way to the box, but Flynn grabbed her arm and stopped her.
"Flynn, that box must—" She frowned, but Flynn interrupted her.
"Wait, it could be dangerous; we'll go together, understood?" He said with a stern voice, and the twin couldn't help but nod slowly. All of a sudden, Repede stiffened and started to bark: Then, a deep growl echoed from the bottom of the cave, startling Yuri and the others.
"Dammit, it was too good to be true." Yuri murmured to himself as he placed his right arm in front of Estelle, trying to protect her. In that moment, a huge beast that looked like a purple bear with mighty large fangs rose in front of them, taking the wooden box between his claws and throwing it away.
"No, the box!" Chastel exclaimed. The giant monster roared.
"First things first; we have to defeat that monster!" Yuri exclaimed as he placed his now unsheathed sword 'Second Star' on his shoulder.
"Chastel, Hisca, be careful okay?!" Flynn added as he unsheathed his sword as well.
"Who do you think you're talking to, Flynn Scifo? We're imperial knights as well! We don't get scared that easily, right Chastel?" Hisca said as she winked at her sister.
"Yes! Let's go!" Chastel nodded. They left their lanterns on the floor and prepared their swords and shields. Flynn and Yuri, on the other hand, looked at each other and nodded in agreement before running toward the beast in front of them, with Repede next to them. Estelle prepared her rod and started to cast the spell for 'Angel Ring'.

Yuri and Flynn were attacking the monster with all they've got; they didn't need words to know where and when to attack. Those two were working together perfectly: the blond knight was using ranged attacks whilst Yuri was attacking with punches or fast thrusts. Meanwhile, Repede was trying to confuse the monster using his extraordinary speed, surprising the beast with unexpected slashes now and then.
"Savage Wolf Fury!"
"Demon Fang!"
"Woof!"
"...O' divine spear, run my enemy through! Holy Lance!" The princess exclaimed as a powerful bright lance fell upon the monster; Estelle was casting offensive artes such as 'Photon', 'Angel Ring' and 'Holy Lance'. The Aiheap twins, on the other hand, were attacking occasionally since they were focusing on healing artes.

After a while, Yuri and Flynn defeated the monster with a final combined blow. After the lifeless beast fell to the ground, the group caught their breath. Then, Chastel and Hisca lifted the lanterns again.
"Is everyone okay?" Estelle asked, her hands resting on her kneels. The rest of the group looked at her and nodded. "Thank Goodness…"
"We must find that box." Chastel mentioned, and everyone else resumed their quest. After walking for a while in silence, Hisca felt something under her feet and looked down; with the help of her lantern, the female knight spotted the wooden box from before, covered in dust.
"Here it is!" Hisca exclaimed happily. "This has to be the Sword of Prayer."
"Be careful, we don't know if—" Flynn started to say, but Hisca ignored him completely, therefore he sighed and remained silent.
"Well, we found the sword, now let's get outta here; this place gives me the creeps…" Yuri said as he frowned and eyed his surroundings. Estelle then took his free hand and squeezed it gently, and the swordsman shared a smile with his dear princess. The group, with the help of their faithful hound Repede, made their way to the exit.

When the group finally saw the clear light again, they stretched their bodies while Repede laid on the grass comfortably.
"I think Repede is happy for being outside again." Flynn smiled as he watched the dog.
"Yeah, I'm as happy as him." Yuri added with a smirk as he folded his arms in front of him.
"The sword of Prayer…" Hisca whispered as she unlocked the the box carefully. "I wonder why it was inside that cave…"
"Do you think that huge bear was protecting this box?" Estelle asked her with curious eyes.
"That monster turned up just when we were going to take the box, so… yes, most likely." Chastel replied. In that moment, Hisca opened the box, and just as they expected, an ancient and well-conserved sword with a golden pommel was inside it; it had the Imperial Knights' symbol engraved on the pommel.
"This is…" Chastel whispered, excited.
"Is that all?" Yuri asked nonchalantly, raising an eyebrow in disappointment.
"It's so… beautiful. I can't believe it was hidden in that cave during these last years, what a shame…" Hisca added, mesmerized by the sword she was holding.
"So… that sword used to represent the Imperial Knights… fascinating." Flynn murmured as he nodded to himself. "Undoubtedly, this is a great discovery."

In that moment, Hisca looked up at her friends and said:

"Thank you everyone." She smiled sweetly. "Without your help, we wouldn't have been able to retrieve this sword."
"Yes, we're very grateful for this." Chastel added with another sweet smile. Flynn and Yuri nodded at the same time.
"It was our pleasure. We're glad we were able to help you somehow." The blond Commandant replied.
"Yeah, it was fun. And it was nice seeing you again, too." Yuri smirked as he placed a hand on his waist.
"This was such a nice little adventure. Thank you all for letting me come with you." Estelle mentioned as she intertwined her fingers. Chastel shook her head then.
"No, princess, we're the ones who should thank you. You are really kind, thank you for your help!" Chastel said as she grabbed Estelle's hand all of a sudden. The twin's eyes widened as she realized her rude move. "I-I'm sorry princess, I didn't mea—" She said as she removed her own hand, but Estelle grabbed her hand again and smiled at her.
"No, it's fine! I'm so happy to have met you both!" The pink-haired girl tilted her head to the side as she shared a big smile with Chastel. The latter smiled as well, getting confident, and squeezed the princess' hand. They both giggled.
"Weeeeell, I wouldn't mind taking a break before returning to Zaphias, or what do you say, pal?" Yuri mentioned as he looked at Repede, who barked in agreement.
"Yuri's right; we should take a break. Furthermore, it's getting late; we better make a bonfire to spend the night nearby." Flynn added, and the rest of the party nodded.

...

The night had already fallen upon the Yurzorea continent by the time the party had set up their campsite. Now, they were all gathered around the campfire after enjoying a delicious dinner prepared by Yuri. The twins were smiling sheepishly as they were looking at the intertwined hands of Yuri and Estelle, who were sitting in front of the girls; the couple didn't seem to mind the curious stares anymore.
"Now that I think about it, I guess they make a cute couple." Hisca whispered in the ear to her sister.
"You bet! And it looks like the princess is really enjoying Yuri's contact…" Chastel replied with a grin, her bright eyes still set on the couple; Yuri and Estelle were talking to each other happily, their faces close and their eyes meeting. Flynn noticed this and sighed to himself.
"Uhm, girls? The princess here wanted to hear some of the stories of our time together in the Imperial Knights, isn't that right, lady Estellise?" Flynn interrupted, feeling slightly awkward. Estelle turned to the Commandant, and her eyes lit up.
"Oh, you're right Flynn!" Estelle exclaimed, excited. Repede, on the other hand, was taking a nap next to Yuri. Chastel giggled at the princess' sudden excitement.
"Okay, okay, what would you like to know, princess?" She asked.
"Oh! Uhm, let's see... what were Yuri and Flynn like when they were imperial knights? What did they do? What kind of tasks did they have? How was being the senior knight of the brigade? What kind of captain did you all have?" Estelle started to ask with a insatiable curiosity. Hisca smiled sheepishly, getting nervous.
"Eh, well, we'll tell you some of our favorite anecdotes…" Hisca started.
"…and we hope you find some answers to your questions in those anecdotes, princess…" Chastel finished the sentence, and the pink-haired girl nodded without a second thought. Yuri sighed; remembering some stories from his time in the Imperial Knights couldn't be that bad, and to tell the truth, he was looking forward to see Estelle all excited while listening to the stories.

He then squeezed the princess' hand, and her eyes met Yuri's, and they both smiled at each other, a radiant expression on their faces.

And then, under the moonlight and around the bonfire, the twins started to tell their stories: They talked about their first mission with Yuri and Flynn, the bar's fight, the threat they faced in the castle, Repede's father and finally about Niren Fedrok, their former captain.

They spent a great time remembering things. When they last expected, it was already midnight. Then, Flynn said that they should have some rest, and the others agreed, exhausted, yet happy. Hisca and Chastel said goodnight and made their way to their tent. Flynn waited for Estelle to go to her own tent; the princess kissed Yuri on the cheek and said goodbye as well before going to sleep. Once Flynn and Yuri were alone, the Commandant approached his friend, who was scratching Repede behind his ears.
"Have a good night, Yuri." He said then.
"Same to you, Flynn." The swordsman replied with a smirk. Then, he petted Repede on the head and went to his tent. Flynn nodded to the faithful hound and went to his own tent as well. After that, Repede made his way to the center of the campsite in order to watch over the place.

That night, Yuri dreamed about Niren Fedrok, and he smiled in his sleep.

...


Yeah, this chapter was like a tribute to the Vesperia Movie! See you in the next (and last) chapter!