Chapter 20: New Weapons and Power-Ups
Meanwhile, Sento and Banjo team up with each other to take out the bandits that are after the siblings and they did so with their teamwork.
"Alright, that should be some of them in this area." Sento said. "Let's go, Banjo!"
"Wait, Sento." Banjo told him.
"Hmm? What is it?" Sento asked.
"It's about what you said back in Jehanna Hall." Banjo answered.
"Uh...Which one was it?" Sento was confused.
"You know, the one you said about a familiar aura..." Banjo answered.
"What about it?" Sento asked.
"It just makes me...curious as to who you're talking about." Banjo said.
"I'm not really sure." Sento shook his head. "For some reason, I sense an aura very similar to you when Evolt possessed you..."
"Then, you don't think he's-" Banjo said.
"No, that's impossible." Sento shook his head. "I defeated him personally. There's no way he's coming back after that!"
"It's not like I'm doubting you, Sento, but...With Kazumin and Gen-san returning from the dead, I think...it's possible that HE might be alive..." Banjo said.
"Hmm..." Sento muttered.
"We have to prepare ourselves, Sento!" Banjo told him. "What if that Lyon guy is who we think he is?"
"But if that's the case, then why would he go after the Sacred Stones?" Sento asked.
"I don't know..." Banjo said.
"We have to think about it later." Sento told him. "Right now, we should assist Ephraim and Eirika."
And with that, Sento and Banjo continued their way towards where Ephraim and Eirika. Meanwhile, they managed to take out the last line of defense, leading up to Orson, sitting in the throne.
"We've finally found you, Orson!" Ephraim said.
"Prince Ephraim...You never did know when to quit. Renais is already lost. It's too late..." Orson replied.
"Orson...You will move from that place. That is my father's seat. It is his throne...You've no right to sit there." Ephraim told him.
"Hmph. I'll see you try!" Orson said.
"Orson...Why would you betray us?" Eirika asked.
"Princess Eirika...If anyone could understand my feelings, it might be you." Orson answered. "For the one I love...I betrayed everything. My country, my lord and master...Everything..."
"Eirika, stay back." Ephraim told her. "This is between me and Orson."
"Okay, be careful, brother." Eirika told him.
"I will." Ephraim nodded.
And with that, Ephraim and Orson began fighting while Eirika is observing their battle. The two clashed their lances with each other and they then take a step backwards.
"I won't let you come between us." Orson said. "Monica and I will live here happily together. Forever..."
"Then I'll force you out of here!" Ephraim replied. "You don't belong here, traitor!"
Then, they clashed once again with their lances. Ephraim goes for a thrust, but Orson dodges it with ease. While the fight is going on, the Riders managed to arrive in the throne room.
"Eirika, are you okay?" Sento asked.
"Yes, I'm fine." Eirika answered. "Where's the rest?"
Then, Noel, Keiichiro and Kairi has finally arrived on the throne room.
"We have arrived." Noel said.
"I got all the treasures in your castle, princess." Kairi informed her.
Then, they got the attention of the battle between Ephraim and Orson.
"Uh, shouldn't we help him?" Banjo asked.
"No." Eirika shook her head. "This is a battle between my brother and Orson. I want none of us to interfere in his fight."
"Are you sure he can handle that guy?" Kazumi asked.
"Yes. I believe he can." Eirika nodded.
"I mean, we're talking about a guy who single-handedly conquered Grado Keep." Kairi added. "I'm pretty sure he got this."
"You're right..." Gentoku chuckled.
And after a long battle of clashing each other's weapons, one man has finally fallen and it was Orson...
"It's over, Orson..." Ephraim said.
"Monica..." Orson's last words before he succumbs to his wounds and died.
Then, Eirika and the rest of the group all gathered around Ephraim.
"Prince Ephraim, Princess Eirika. The castle has been secured. And..." Seth informed them.
"What is it?" Ephraim asked.
"This way. This is the room Orson was holed up in." Seth pointed out.
"Well, let's go then!" Sento declared.
When they reached what seems to be a hidden chamber on the king's bedchamber, they encountered a woman along the way.
"Darling..." The woman called out.
"Who the hell is that?" Banjo asked.
"You, you're Orson's..." Ephraim said.
"You mean that's his wife?" Gentoku asked.
"Yes." Ephraim nodded.
"Darling...Darling...Darling...Darling..." The woman continued to call out to him.
"What?!" Ephraim was surprised.
"Did she just...disintegrated?" Kazumi asked.
"This same magic was used to control Emperor Vigarde. She's already dead, and her corpse was used to..." Ephraim said.
"You mean, the Dark Stone was responsible?" Keiichiro asked.
"Who? Who could..." Eirika asked.
"You needn't look any longer, Eirika. Let's go outside." Ephraim told her.
"Darling...Darling...Darling..." The woman continued.
"You can't say this thing is truly alive anymore." Seth said.
"What should we do about her?" Sento asked.
"I'll do it." Ephraim said. "The two of them spent every day in here, did they? Orson was mad. But I think he was happy..."
After taking care of Orson's wife, the group goes back to the throne room.
"We've finally made it back. Yet..." Ephraim said.
"Mmm...We can repair the castle, and what was stolen, we can do without." Eirika added. "But the wounds and suffering inflicted upon the people of Renais..."
"It's too late to undo their pain. Once I become king, I must set our country right." Ephraim said. "I doubt the people will give me a warm reception, though. I did abandon them. All I can do is try to win back their trust, no matter how long it takes.."
Then, Seth approached them suddenly to inform them of something.
"Princess Eirika, Prince should look outside." Seth asked.
"Outside?" Ephraim asked.
"What's happening?" Sento asked.
"I think it's better if you look yourself..." Seth answered.
And with that, Ephraim, Eirika and the rest of the group went outside to see what was going on. There, they were greeted by a lot of people, mostly from Renais, cheering their new king.
"Prince Ephraim! Princess Eirika!" The people shouted.
"The king has returned! Our king!" The people continued.
"Glory to Renais! Long live King Ephraim!" The people from the other side shouted.
"They're not cheering for you. They cheer because Orson's misrule is at an end." Seth told them. "They cheer the possibility of a better tomorrow, not the deeds we did today. But how will the hearts of the people move tomorrow and the next day? That is for you to decide."
"I will not let their hopes and dreams be shattered again." Ephraim said. "I will be king. Like my father before me, I will dedicate myself to their happiness."
"And I will do all I can to help, Ephraim." Eirika told him.
Then, we see Gentoku staring at the people cheering at them...It's as if seeing this people remind him of something...
"What's wrong, Gen-san?" Sento asked.
"These people...They remind me of the people back home..." Gentoku answered.
"What makes you think so?." Sento asked.
"No matter how dire the situation is, there's always someone who will support you until the end..." Gentoku continued. "I think that's why many people in our world believed in me, despite the...things I did in the past years."
"I guess you're right..." Sento nodded. "With the support of the people, we might be able to achieve anything. And that's what we did in our world: achieving the impossible."
Once again, Sento, Eirika and Ephraim are back at the throne room of Castle Renais while the rest of the group stayed in the view of the castle. Then, we see Seth approaching them once again...
"Prince Ephraim, Princess Eirika. Before Renais fell, King Fado entrusted me with this message: Raise the twins' bracelets in the hall of kings. The seal will be broken. The resting place of the Sacred Stone will be revealed..." Seth informed.
"I understand." Ephraim nodded.
"So we're supposed to raise our bracelets over our heads, right?" Eirika asked.
"Let's try it, Eirika." Ephraim told them.
"I'm ready, Ephraim." Eirika told him.
And then, we see Ephraim and Eirika raised their arms in the air. Suddenly, the bracelets glow simultaneously for a while, until it finally stops. Once stopped, they noticed the king's throne moving to the right, revealing a hidden stair underneath.
"There's a hidden stairs?" Sento asked.
"I never knew anything about this." Ephraim said.
"Let's go check it out!" Eirika told them.
And with that, Eirika and Ephraim went to the stairs to check what's inside of it. There, they find the Stone of Renais in the altar while two treasure chests can be found.
"This is the Stone of Renais..." Ephraim muttered.
"Yes. This is one of the five stones that defeated the Demon King." Eirika nodded.
"If Lyon had acquired our bracelets, the stone would have been destroyed by now." Ephraim said. "Together, we protected the only power that can help us stop Lyon's insanity."
"Yes. It's the only hope left to us. Hope for you and me, and the last true hope for peace..." Eirika said.
"You're right..." Sento nodded.
"Let's get back, you two." Ephraim told them.
"Huh? Brother, look! Our bracelets, they're..." Eirika told him.
"What is this? Are they reacting to the light of the stone?" Ephraim asked.
Then, they suddenly changed class, with both of them being promoted from Lord to Great Lord. Not only that, it also produced a golden Full Bottle and it landed on Eirika's hands...
"What is that?" Ephraim asked.
"It's a...golden Full Bottle!" Eirika answered.
"Did the bracelets made that thing?" Ephraim asked.
"Maybe. Sento might find this useful, so I'll give it to him once we're done here." Eirika said. "Still, I can't believe the bracelets contain so much power..." Eirika said.
"I wonder if Father anticipated all of this long ago." Ephraim wondered. "When I was growing up, I never thought about becoming king. I only wanted to be a good soldier, a good warrior. The best on the battlefield. Father never understood what I wanted, but...I never understood him, either."
"Brother..." Eirika nodded.
"It was the same when Grado invaded Renais. I should have stayed home to defend the kingdom...Instead, I raced off to fight for personal glory." Ephraim continued.
"I don't think you know how well Father understood your feelings." Eirika told him. "When I last saw him, he was concerned for nothing but our safety..."
"Eirika is correct. King Fado asked after your exploits every day. He always told me what a fine king you would one day make." Seth said.
"Father..." Ephraim muttered.
"Now Prince Ephraim, Princess Eirika. Please follow me." Seth said. "The Sacred Twins of Renais should be near the stone's reliquary."
Then, Seth grabs a lance from one of the treasure chests.
"Ah, here we go. This lance can only be one of the Sacred Twins of Renais." Seth explained. "Please, Prince Ephraim, take this sacred relic and feel it's weight."
"So this is one of our Sacred Twin relics, is it? I've never seen them." Ephraim said. "Look, there's a name inscribed...Siegmund, the Flame Lance."
After that, Seth went towards the other chests and took a sword out of it.
"And this blade is the sister to the lance, the other Sacred Twin of legend." Seth told her. "Princess Eirika, if you would?"
"Of course." Eirika nodded as she took the sword. "There's a name carved here as well. Sieglinde, the Thunder Blade...
Then, she decides to replace her Rapier for the newly-acquired Sieglinde.
"These are the ancient weapons of our ancestors-the weapons of heroes. They were enshrined generations ago, to be used only by the king...and only in times of dire need. Such an awful power they possess, and yet we need them to restore peace. I've seen enough of the horrors of war, but I can't turn my back on it. If we merely turn our eyes away, we surrender our world to atrocity. And so, I must fight. I'll do whatever I must do to bring back the peace we once knew." Eirika said.
"Alright, let's head back..." Ephraim told them.
Ephraim, Eirika and Seth came back to the throne room from the secret room.
"What is happening? Have you found the Sacred Stone?" L'Arachel asked.
"Yes. Here it is..." Eirika nodded as she showed the Sacred Stone to them.
"So, that's the Sacred Stone..." Sento muttered.
"Wow! It truly is spectacular! This goes some way to brighten the dark shadows that looms over us." L'Arachel was amazed.
"Our countries' Sacred Stones have been shattered by Grado's men. The Stone of Renais is our last remaining weapon." Innes said.
"No, it's not. You have forgotten the stone of my beloved Rausten." L'Arachel told Innes. "Remember, there were five Sacred Stones for our five nations. The Stones of Grado, Frelia, and Jehanna are gone, but hope is not. We have the Stone of Renais, after all, and that of Rausten is safe. Our road is clear, my friends. I must guide you to Rausten."
"You're right, but first..." Eirika said before approaching Sento. "Sento, there's something I'd like to give you..."
"What is it?" Sento asked.
Eirika then takes out the golden Full Bottle and showed it to him. Sento couldn't believe what he saw...
"T-This is...the Genius Bottle!" Sento recognized the golden Full Bottle.
"Our bracelets not only caused us to change class, but it also creates that golden Full Bottle. We believe it's yours." Eirika explained.
"This is terrific!" Sento was so happy to see the Genius Bottle again.
"L'Arachel, we're counting on you to lead the way." Eirika said to her.
"Of course. And you will all be welcome to stay in the palace." L'Arachel nodded. "And Eirika, you shall be my guest in my own private quarters! Let us be on our way."
And with that, Ephraim, Eirika, Seth, L'Arachel, Innes and the rest of the group head out to continue their journey, this time towards Rausten.
A/N: And that's Chapter 20. Yeah, nothing big is happening, other than Sento theorizing that Lyon is being possessed by a certain someone he knows...
Oh, and the Genius Full Bottle marks it's return! Sugeiiii! Monosugeiii!
Anyways, that's it for now and I'll be seeing you in Chapter 21.