AN: Short chapter today. It's more of an info-dump, anyway. Next chapter will be filled with shippy, fluffy goodness, promise! Anyway, hope you'll enjoy reading!

Chapter 21:

"…Grammy?" Baldur murmured as he took a shaky step forward. N-no, she couldn't be. Grammy was dead. They told him, his retainers, that she had died. Years ago.

The elderly woman smiled warmly as she turned her attention toward him, a sense of gentle familiarity in her gaze. "It's so good to see you again, Little One."

Baldur could only stare at her with unblinking eyes for a few silent moments before shaking his in disbelief. She really was her. She was Grammy, the female elder that was like a grandmother to him.

"H-how?" he uttered when he felt Logre place a hand on his shoulder.

"There you are, you old bat," Zesiro unexpectedly said, cutting off any reply Grammy was about to give him, prompting her to sigh and to roll her eyes in an exasperated manner. "Waiting to make a dramatic entrance?"

"My earlier appearance would only startle and confuse His Grace," Grammy said in response to Zesiro, but keeping her gaze upon Baldur with a small smile on her lips. "I did not want that."

She then made a sound akin to a 'tut' before turning to face Zesiro and those he was standing with. "Besides, dramatic entrances seem to be all the rage with you youngins' at the moment."

Zesiro shrugged dramatically, yet still somehow blasé about it all. "Meh, details."

"We had to be dramatic to gain the trust of the Extremists," Telem added as he folded his arms over his chest.

Grammy clicked her tongue. "Of course you did, dear."

"Well, at least I had a normal introduction," Kalan went on to say as he flicked his hair over his shoulder.

"By normal you mean being the first person he saw after regaining conscious from being kidnapped?" Zesiro said, pure scepticism in his voice.

Kalan made a dismissive motion with his hand. "As you said; details."

Shuffling from where she was standing next to Wiglaf, the pink-haired imperial walked toward Grammy, stopping at a respectful distance away as she lowered her head slightly and folded her hands in front of her.

"Elder Gratiana…"

Grammy turned around and smiled warmly up at the pink-haired woman. "Ah, Yesmina. You've done well."

Yesmina immediately perked up, seemingly both surprised and happy to hear those words. "R-really?"

"Of course, dear," Grammy replied kindly, reaching over to give Yesmina a pat on the arm. "I knew you had it in you."

"I…I wanted to be like Achyuta," Yesmina admitted softly as she wrung her hands together in front of her.

Startled somewhat by her admission, Baldur glanced over his shoulder to where Achyuta was, finding him also surprised by Yesmina's words. He soon looked confused, however. Instinctively, he reached out to wrap an arm around Nitish's waist, allowing the blond to press his hands against his chest and rest against him. They shared a few quick, but silent words, Achyuta still looking baffled while Nitish only smiled softly and rested his cheek against his chest.

"You should be proud of yourself," Grammy said, continuing to praise Yesmina for…whatever it was that she had done.

"What's going on?" Baldur all but demanded as he turned to give Grammy, the elder he thought was dead, his full attention. "How are you-? Who are they-? What are-?"

He truly had so many questions that he didn't even know where to start!

"I'm sorry, child," Grammy said as she turned toward him, a sombre expression on her face, one that was also tinged with guilt. "The last ten years have been difficult for you, haven't they?"

"They t-told me you were dead," Baldur muttered.

"Yes," Grammy said with a weary expression on her face. "They said that about everyone they felt weren't on the same wavelength as them."

Baldur unexpectedly felt nauseous. "What do you mean?"

Grammy gave him a sad smile before explaining. "Our Emperor, your father, did not want to leave you behind, leaving you in the hands of a restless council, but the journey through the lands was far too dangerous. The empire needed an heir. So, with a heavy heart, he left his precious son with those he felt he could trust."

…Precious son…?

"Could trust?" Logre questioned as he tightened his hand on Baldur's shoulder, seemingly trying to offer him a small form of comfort. "Did Emperor Afrodr hold suspicions toward the council?"

"Indeed," Grammy answered promptly around a seemingly long-suffering sigh. "He could sense their desperation and restlessness. He didn't trust that they held the best interest of the empire."

"You can probably guess where this is going, right?" Zesiro suddenly piped up, striding forward a couple of steps to stand next to Grammy, folding his arms tightly over his chest. "After Emperor Afrodr failed to return, some of the elders decided to spend their time searching for other ways. They focused on training Prince Baldur to be the sacrifice."

Grammy glanced over at Zesiro for a moment before sighing and nodding her head. "Yes. They knew that the one to perform the ritual would suffer the full effect of the curse. Far worse than any had ever seen."

She then turned her full focus toward Baldur, once again smiling so sadly (with a hint of guilt). "I'm sorry, Little One," she murmured. "You weren't supposed to live."

Baldur stiffened when he heard a series of gasps and curses from the Phaedron guild behind him. "Why me?"

"You are your father's son," Grammy said simply.

Baldur could feel himself begin to shake from the jumble of emotions that were running through him. He had learnt so much about the Empire he thought he knew and ruled, but didn't. He, however, gritted his teeth and swallowed thickly. He was a prince, after all. He knew how to hold back his emotions.

He must admit, however, that it wasn't easy. Especially when he felt Nitish and Achyuta move to the other side of him, Achyuta standing protective as Nitish placed his hand on his shoulder. Logre had slipped his own hand from Baldur's other shoulder to rest against his back, between his shoulder blades, gently rubbing his hand up and down to offer him silent, subtle comfort.

"…T-the Titan?" Baldur questioned as he balled his hands into fists as his sides. "What did they really want with it?"

"Since our lands have decayed so much, some members of the council were looking for way to increase power and control, to dominate and ultimately possess the other lands," Grammy explained with a distasteful expression on her face.

"Expanding their territories?" Achyuta questioned, his brow furrowing deeply.

"In a way," Grammy answered. "There were some who, of course, didn't agree with the conquering of other lands. The council was split into three factions. Those who wanted to purify the lands by any means necessary. Those who wished to increase the empire's strengths while purifying the lands. And those who wished to work with the environment we had left, to work with nature rather than to fight it."

Grammy then made a motion with her hand, motioning toward herself before indicating to the Imperials standing behind her, silent but at attention. Zesiro, Kalan, Telem, Durriken and even Yesmina were all indicated as well.

"We are of the third faction," Grammy continued with a small smile as she lowered her hand, placing it atop of her wooden walking stick. "The first two factions, well, they held similar ideals. There was no other way. I, along with a handful of others, were forced to disappear, as it were. We've been in hiding, disguising ourselves ever since."

"Hiding?" Baldur repeated. "Where?"

"While it is true that lands of the Cloudy Stronghold are barren and toxic," Grammy said with a half-smile. "The land is not un-liveable, you could say. It does take a quite a bit of fussing about, but it's not undoable."

Baldur felt himself become surprisingly breathless…Living off the lands of the Cloudy Stronghold? Was that really possible? Could…could they really learn to live in harmony with the lands? Or were they truly doomed?

"Were you aware of how dangerous the Yggdrasil Titan truly was?" Logre suddenly asked.

Grammy shook her head ruefully. "We, unfortunately, could not get our hands on the information the other two fractions possessed. Both Zesiro and Kalan had tried, but with little success. They couldn't afford to be exposed. There was…little that we could do but hope that our emperor had set into motion the series of events needed to protect Prince Baldur and everyone who resides within the Cloudy Stronghold."

So…even they were hopeless during that time…

"Um…" Varuna murmured as he took a few timid steps forward. "Do…do you know much about the labyrinths?"

Grammy turned to regard Varuna with a look of curiosity. "Hm?"

"It's just…There's something that's been bothering me," Varuna admitted after a brief moment of hesitation. "The labyrinths. They all possessed tablets that allowed us to venture through all the lands. We wouldn't have been able to without them. But who or what created the labyrinths? They seemed to have been created to seal away not just the Titan."

"That's a question that I'm afraid I cannot answer," Grammy said as she once again shook her head regretfully. "For as long as anyone can remember, in all the records; there has been no mention of what could have been here previously. The empire has always been here. We know nothing else."

"The Hall of Darkness might hold some clues to what existed here before us," Zesiro added as he folded his arms over his chest, a half-smirk on his lips. "But they won't be easy to find."

"Hall of Darkness?" Nitish murmured softly as he immediately turned to look questioningly at Achyuta.

Achyuta, however, looked pale as he tried to piece together a sentence to explain just what the Hall of Darkness was. "It's…"

"Achyuta."

Grammy suddenly calling him by name caused Achyuta to tense and immediately stand up straight, turning to give the elderly woman his full attention. "Ah, yes?"

"You were always considered by the council to be an oddity amongst the imperials," Grammy said, her expression stoic at first before soothing out into a gentle, motherly warmth. "I, however, think of that as a compliment."

"P-pardon?"

"You are an inspiration for all Imperials," Grammy went on to say, her voice sincere yet strong. "You stood up for your own beliefs and acted accordingly. You have the strength to think for yourself and to think of others as more than fellow soldiers. Out of everyone here, out of everyone within the empire – you are the reason why the Titan was defeated."

Achyuta openly gaped at Grammy for a few silent moments before spluttering with disbelief and embarrassment. "N-no, that's not true."

Grammy held up her hand, signalling for silence. "I have heard of your sacrifice within the Echoing Library," she said, causing Achyuta to wince subtly and for Nitish to automatically reach out to hold onto his arm, the two pained from the memories.

"Although it was painful for those who have come to love you at the time," Grammy continued, pausing briefly to grant Nitish a small, understanding smile. "It was ultimately what drove them forward to defeat the Cradle Guardian. Your reappearance in their lives was what they needed, the hope to push forward. That is what I believe."

Achyuta and Nitish remained silent, allowing for Grammy's words to sink in and register. Slowly, they turned to look at each other, Achyuta slightly breathless in disbelief while Nitish was teary-eyed, holding onto his arm tightly. Nitish then suddenly pushed forward and pressed himself against Achyuta's chest, nuzzling his head under his chin. Achyuta, of course, immediately wrapped his arms around the slender blond, holding him as close as possible.

"I am eternally grateful to you," Grammy pressed on, smiling warmly at their affection for one another. "And happy with how far you have come. I hope that you will continue to guide other imperials by example, yes? You and your soulmate."

"Yes," Achyuta said as he continued to hold Nitish warmly in his arms, the runemaster happily cuddling up to him, unconcerned by the mass of people watching. "We will do that."

"I wish for nothing more than for my Imperials to live happy, healthy lives," Grammy added.

"They will," Nitish said from Achyuta's arms, a radiant smile on his lips. "With Tharsis' help."

Grammy nodded her head in both acceptance and gratitude before turning her attention back to Baldur. "Little Prince?"

Baldur jumped slightly. "Y-yes?"

Grammy smiled openly and warmly as she indicated to those around her. "We will forever be by your side. Feel free to ask whatever it is that you wish of us."

Baldur couldn't verbally respond. All he could do was to simply nod his head.

"Let us all return to Tharsis," Nitish said kindly.

Grammy nodded her head. "Yes. Let us return home."

… … … … …

The flight through the four lands to reach Tharsis was a relatively short one. Achyuta had slept through most of it with Nitish curled up by his side. He wasn't the only one who had gotten much needed rest. Ciaran had taken command of Logre's airship, allowing him to get some rest while also watching over his highness. Xander, however, refused to rest. Instead he kept Ciaran company during their flight.

Bryce and Varuna took turns piloting Espiritu, having bundled Kirjonen on board in order to make room for Roxbury aboard the Duscha. With Varuna taking care of Kirjonen, Isiah focused entirely on Roxbury. Falkner, of course, piloted Duscha throughout the entirety of the flight, keeping a close eye upon his precious cargo. Wiglaf piloted her own airship, she and Yesmina headed out first to ensure that the path was safe for them to travel unimpeded.

Elder Gratiana and her loyalists had their own airship, so they followed quietly at the back, ensuring that they don't alarm anyone within Tharsis with their arrival.

To be back within the safety of Tharsis was immensely reassuring. Especially after spending time in that…terrible place known as the Hall of Darkness.

Achyuta would…have nightmares about that place for a few more nights yet.

Prince Baldur…had immediately retired to his room at the clinic. He…needed time to think on his own for a while. Achyuta was naturally worried for him. He had been through so much and learnt that it was all due to another's selfish desire of power. However, Achyuta knew he couldn't smother his prince with concern. Firstly, Prince Baldur would object to him wholly and secondly, it might cause him to close off his emotions in order to prove that he was really all right. And thirdly…Achyuta didn't know what to say to comfort His Highness.

Also, he wasn't the one meant to comfort His Highness.

Roxbury was promptly placed in a newly furnished room upstairs and had been unconscious during the entirety of the trip back to safety. Isiah spent a good hour watching over him and healing him upon their return. Thankfully, any internal damaged Roxbury had sustained from that…er, sheep attack (Nightmare Ram was what Kalan was calling it) was minimal and easy to repair. He was going to be out of commission for a while though. For real this time. Isiah and Mahalah were going to make sure of it.

In fact, Achyuta dared to say that every one of the guild was going to make sure of it.

Kirjonen was also placed in a room upstairs. He insisted that he was fine, but after a stern look from not only Isiah, but Varuna and surprisingly Nitish, he relented, agreeing to spend the night and day under their care.

Despite having been in an airship crash, Ciaran was relatively unharmed. He had a few minor bruises and scrapes, but thankfully nothing serious like the previous injury he sustained at the hands of an Imperial with a driveblade. Even so, he chose to linger at the clinic, sticking rather close to Xander. There was no doubt he was going to be on edge for the next few days, waiting for something else to happen.

In fact, all of them were going to be on edge.

Elder Gratiana and her loyal followers were led to the Grand Mark's Court where she could reside and rest for a while. She also wished to speak with the Count, to reassure him that she and her knights were to abide by the rules of Tharsis and to be of assistance to him and his residents in whatever manner he saw fit. Count was more than pleased to be able to broker a form of peace between the Empire and Tharsis. That was all he wanted in the first place.

The other significant participants of their adventure within the Cloudy Stronghold had also returned to Tharsis. His brother, Kalan, Telem and Durriken. They were all dragged back to the clinic as well. Yesmina, on the other hand, was practically crashed-tackled by Wiglaf, who promised to 'take good care' of her. The younger brothers of the guild chortled with a sense of knowingness, convincing Isiah not to try to interfere. Funnily enough, they managed to do so. Only after a stern command that if any injury should arise to tell him immediately.

He had to take Wiglaf's promise as truth as he was a very busy and appreciated having one less patient to deal with. After hearing what the other four had done for his guildmates, Isiah felt obligated to check on their well-being as well. After he checked up on everyone else of his guild first, though.

After getting the all-clear from Isiah, Telem and Durriken had slipped outside into the back garden, staying within sight, but not getting in the way. Kalan had chosen to stay inside and loiter about, unconcerned of his surroundings. Well, he was…

There, ah, appeared to be a slight stand-off between Zoran and Kalan, but the way they were regarding each other wasn't stand-offish…if that made any sense. Zoran was looking up at Kalan with fearless curiosity while Kalan had crouched down to his level, his hands on his knees. After a few moments of staring, Kalan lifted his hands from his knees to reach out toward Zoran. First, he poked the vessel's cheeks with his index fingers. He then pinched his cheeks.

"I may not be able to visibly see you," Kalan said to Zoran, his expression and voice rather indifferent. "But I can tell you're adorable."

Zoran simply blinked as he allowed Kalan to continue to pinch his cheeks, the two seemingly fascinated with each other.

Deadpanning, Achyuta wondered if he should interfere in some manner, but he was pulled from his thoughts and observations by the sound of the door to Isiah's office opening and the head medic himself barking out an order.

"If I find you wearing that ridiculous armour again, I will beat you senseless," Isiah threatened as Zesiro ambled from his office.

Wearing casual civilian clothing, Zesiro waved his hand dismissively over his shoulder as he wandered over toward the sitting area, a slight limp in his movements. "Dutifully noted," he said as he plopped himself down upon on of the couches, lounging on it casually.

"Isiah," Sir Logre said firmly as he placed a hand on Isiah's back and began to fearlessly push him toward the stairs. "I think it's time for you to get some rest."

"Yeah, yeah," Isiah murmured. He must be tired indeed as he offered no resistance as he was pushed up stairs to their living quarters.

Achyuta looked over at his brother, studying him for a moment before silently approaching. He had so many questions he wanted to ask him. There was one, however, that bothered him the most.

"Zesiro," Achyuta said as he sat on the couch opposite his brother. "Why were we separated?"

Zesiro propped his feet up onto the coffee table. "Because I'm a nosy little shit."

"That's only half of it," Kalan unexpectedly said as he released his hold on Zoran and stood up tall. He then lifted his hand to poke Zesiro on the top of his head, earning himself a loud sigh of annoyance from the other.

"Because some nutcase thought that twins were a sign that the sun and the moon had aligned, granting a gift from the heavens to the earth," Zesiro explained in a dramatic fashion before sighing loudly and slumping against the couch cushions, his head rolling back to look up at the ceiling. "Or some shit like that. Don't ask me where he got that idea from."

Achyuta found himself furrowing his brow lightly in confusion while Nitish and Varuna moved to stand behind him, lingering a foot or so away from the back of the couch.

"Sounds like the same man who trained Varuna and I," Nitish murmured, more to himself than to anyone else.

"Did he pick on all the twins?" Varuna asked quietly, seemingly talking to himself like his brother.

"Anyway," Zesiro drawled as he rolled his wrist in a dismissive motion, seemingly had heard the two brothers musing to themselves but ignoring them for now and focused his attention back to Achyuta. "You had frailer health than me, so they figured that I got all the strength and stamina. They pulled us apart when we were just kids and thought it would be best for my benefit that I didn't associate with my younger twin. I was forced into training to become an Imperial. A ruthless one. They didn't actually think you would live, Achyuta."

The way Zesiro explained that…it was all so straight-forward and blunt. It made Achyuta grimace slightly. He wasn't expecting it, to be quite honest. And yet…it felt true.

"Y-yes," he murmured as he absentmindedly rubbed at his chest with his hand. "I remember being quite ill as a child."

Surprisingly, Zesiro continued without being prompted to do so. "When you turned ten, they were surprised and decided to make you an imperial anyway. One of those guard posting ones. You know, the ones who simply stood around in the labyrinths and watched out for threats? Very little fighting. They kinda left you do your own thing, silently hoping that you would somehow discover something useful while trudging through the Echoing Library."

Achyuta found himself frowning deeply. That was true. They mostly left him alone whenever he patrolled the Echoing Library or any of the other buildings within the Cloudy stronghold. It was kind of…grating to realise they thought so little of him.

"So that's…" he murmured before shaking his head abruptly. "But that doesn't explain why they told me you were dead. You had supposedly died before I trained to become an Imperial."

"As I said before, I was a nosy little shit," Zesiro said as a rather wicked smirk appeared on his lips. "I overheard some potent gossip and soon after that, I found the key to the locked door in the Golden Deer Keep. I hid it and pretended I hadn't a clue what they were talking about. Naturally, they were pretty pissed off. Ol' Granny was the one who helped me fake my death, allowing me to continue investigating a way to stop the titan from existing."

That explained a lot, and yet…Achyuta felt that he had left something out.

"…And?" Kalan unexpectedly prompted, frowning in Zesiro's direction.

"Nothing more," Zesiro stated quickly.

"And to protect his younger brother," Kalan said as he reached over and slapped Zesiro across the back of the head. "Don't be a macho dick."

"Oi, shut up!" Zesiro practically snarled at him.

Achyuta couldn't help but allow a smile to slip across his lips. Protective while trying not to appear that way. Down-playing his heroism. That was the twin brother he remembered from so long ago.

"Wait," Varuna suddenly muttered as he focused in on Zesiro. "You were an Imperial before the age of ten?"

Zesiro looked at Varuna in an exasperated manner, giving the indication that the answer to his question should be obvious. "They like to start them young, don't you know?" he retorted.

Varuna immediately winced before looking at the floor. "Right…"

"Anyway," Zesiro continued as he allowed his head to roll back onto the couch's headrest once more. "Found nothing about the Titan, but quite a bit about the Hall of Darkness. That instead became my focus. During the chaos of the titan, they found the key, unfortunately."

Zesiro then paused for a moment, seemingly mulling over something before a smirk appeared on his lips. He then lifted his head up and looked squarely at Achyuta. It seemed that whatever he was going to tell him next, he took great delight in.

"Truthfully, they never expected Logre to side with you and your guild, nor did they believe you were any threat to their plans," Zesiro said. "But after you defeated the Titan, majority of Imperials decided to side with Tharsis and you guys, turning on the elders who demanded retribution. Outnumbered, they were forced to turn to some outlandish schemes."

…Outlandish, indeed.

"It was easy to fool them into thinking we were on their side," Zesiro continued, his grin growing more wickedly amused, if that was possible. "Who knew you were such a shit-stirrer? I'm jealous."

Achyuta idly scratched his cheek. He hadn't meant to cause a coup for the empire. He had wanted to serve his Emperor's true belief, protect his prince, aide his fellow Imperials to a life of peace and…to live a life of his own choosing, with Nitish. A rebellion was the last thing on his mind. But…he was somewhat glad that he did.

Honestly, no wonder Neolani and the other elders hated him.

"What of Neolani?" Achyuta couldn't help but ask. "She was trained to become the next superior?"

"Yup. To take Prince Baldur's place when he died from the curse," Zesiro said around a scoff of annoyance before letting his head flop back once again. "Anyway, I'm sure you get the gist of it now."

In other words, he was in no mood to answer any more questions.

That was fine. Achyuta would just have to speak with him again another time.

Leaning back into his seat, Achyuta found himself musing on the woman who was at the centre of all his and his guild's problems. While he hated Neolani for everything she had done, hated how she hurt so many people, a small part of him felt…sorry for her. For the past ten years she had been told of her greatness and trained to become the next leader of the Empire. She would have been told constantly of her 'destiny' and how weak and pathetic classes outside the Imperials were. She knew no better. She had been brain-washed. Like a puppet.

That was kinda sad, really.

"I almost feel sorry for her," Achyuta murmured as he pushed himself to his feet.

Zesiro snorted loudly and lifted his head. "Seriously?"

Still…he hated her. Hated what she was. Hated what she stood for.

"I said almost," Achyuta said as he reached out to Nitish, pulling his blond-haired runemaster close, holding him warmly in his arms. "She's gone now."

"Ugh," Zesiro suddenly whined as he let his head drop back to rest against the couch headrest. "Are they always this cutesy-wootsy?"

"Twenty-four hours a day," Bryce unexpectedly answered from across the room. "Better get used to it."

Wrapping his arms around Nitish's slender waist, Achyuta turned to regard his brother once more. "I know this may not be necessary," he said before levelling his twin with a stern look. "But if you upset Nitish in anyway, I will beat the shit out of you."

Zesiro simply stared at him in a subtly bewildered fashion while everyone within hearing range became quiet, they, too, appearing gobsmacked.

"…Noted," Zesiro said after a minute, giving him a small salute.

Nitish simply laughed softly as he nuzzled his head under Achyuta's chin.

"Um…" Varuna suddenly murmured. "Neolani…she's dead, right? I mean, she won't be coming back again, will she?"

Achyuta turned to Varuna and tried to give him a somewhat reassuring look. "I saw her turn to stone before my very eyes," he said.

"Rather anti-climactic," Zesiro muttered under his breath, which was promptly ignored by everyone.

Varuna still looked uneasy, though, as he made his way over to Bryce to press himself against his side. "I hope she's gone for good," he murmured as Bryce wrapped his arms around him as comfort.

Achyuta hoped so as well. If she returned…No, it didn't matter. Everyone knew of her now. Knew what she had done. No one would allow her to simply return and haunt them once again. She had made a lot of enemies.

They were at least safe from her.

AN: Look forward to fluff in the next chapter~