Chapter 34: The Aftermath

"Before I go, I have a few questions."

Ryuu's face was a mixture of affection and exasperation. "And you promise that this isn't another ploy to delay your return to the Crypt?"

Frey smiled innocently. "What ever are you referring to?"

"Frey…"

"Okay, okay," he said in surrender. "I just wanted to know a few more things."

"You have three questions," said Ryuu. "Then you'll have to go."

Frey huffed, seeing no other choice but to agree. "Okay, first question – Weisser said that destroying the other half of Gavriel's soul will have the same effect as destroying yours, so what if I—?"

"No," Ryuu cut in firmly. "I do not want you to go that route. You will destroy my soul, not anybody else's. Are we clear on that?"

Frey nodded, slightly cowed by the severity of his companion's gaze. "Fine," he mumbled a little sullenly. "Right then. Weisser also said that forcing a reintegration between your soul and the other half will not work. Why is that?"

"Have you talked to Weisser about this?"

"Yes, of course."

Ryuu frowned. "Then he must have told you the reason. It's simply dangerous. If our souls have merged back at an earlier time, then it might have worked—"

"How early are we talking about?"

"As early as a few years after the splitting occurred."

"And how late should—?"

"Frey…"

He went on obstinately, "—I mean when do you say that everything is too late—?"

Ryuu cut him off with a kiss, and after that, Frey nearly lost his train of thought. Swallowing hard, he backed away a little, but the man stepped along with him and was kissing him again in the next instant. Frey forgot everything else afterwards and it was only a few minutes later that he regained enough sense to realize what exactly Ryuu was doing.

His companion had found a very effective method of distracting him.

"Ryuu," he said, intending to sound reproachful, but managing to sound sort of encouraging. He winced, flushing a deep scarlet at his response. "Y-you didn't answer my question."

"That's four already," Ryuu chided. "I said I'd only answer three."

Frey bit his lip, taking another step back. "I just wanted to know one last thing – when exactly do you say that it's too late—?"

Ryuu stepped along with him, a teasing smile on his face. Frey tried to look elsewhere, continuing his retreat until the back of his feet hit the bed. "I mean, is now too late? Is there a prescribed duration where a soul that had been split into two could be put back together…?"

Ryuu stopped, all playfulness gone from his demeanor, and Frey knew that he had unknowingly hit a nerve somewhere.

"Ryuu?" he asked suspiciously.

It was Ryuu who backed away this time. He answered hesitantly, "Honestly? Well, there is a – what did you call it? – prescribed duration…" The man avoided Frey's eyes. "The time before we died…that would have been the final time that a reintegration is possible. Beyond that…"

It took exactly a minute for that to sink in. "What?" Frey asked, eyes narrowed. "You mean all that time and you could have told me, and I could have—"

"Frey!" Ryuu said loudly, shaking his head. "Even if I told you, there wasn't enough time! And besides, it wouldn't have even been a sure success. There are certain conditions—"

"Damn all those conditions! I don't care! If there was even the slightest chance—!"

"There wasn't any chance! Don't delude yourself into believing that there is a chance! That there ever was a chance!"

"Ryuu…"

The man sighed. "I'm sorry Frey, but it is futile to hope for something more. This" – he gestured to the illusory bedroom – "is the only thing left of us. After this, when we meet again, we'll be fighting each other to the death." Ryuu smiled. "When that time comes, you have to win."

'He has really given up on this,' Frey thought as he watched Ryuu's expression. He sat back at the edge of the bed, thinking, 'Should I also do the same?'

But from the depths of his mind came a vicious refusal, and he knew that he couldn't just give up. There was still something that he could do.

"Hey, don't look so down about this…" Ryuu stood before him, placing a hand on his head and ruffling his hair. Frey remembered how the man used to do that when they were both still alive, how he absolutely basked in all the attention that Ryuu had given him, how he nearly had a heart attack when Ryuu first hugged him, that time at the armory, that fateful day before he left for the Schwarz territories…

Frey leaned into Ryuu's touch and thought of the many, many things that they had both missed on when they were still alive. Death placed a lot of things into perspective, and now that Frey looked back on his relatively short existence, he found himself regretting that he hadn't done as much as he would have wanted to.

Ryuu bent down to kiss him once again. Smiling up at the other man, Frey asked, "One last question…" At this, Ryuu instantly looked apprehensive. Frey laughed and kissed him back to ease his worries. "It's a safe question," he promised. "Virtually harmless."

Ryuu didn't look convinced. "Go ahead…"

"We're both dead, aren't we? So we're just souls right now? But why can we touch each other like this…?"

Ryuu chuckled. "That's three questions Frey. Really, has dying made you unable to count?"

Frey poked him in the chest in retaliation. "I meant this." Then he wrapped his arms around his companion's neck and kissed him fervently. "And this."

"These are just bodily manifestations of our souls," replied Ryuu after regaining his breath. "For a variety of reasons, Soul Keepers could bestow this temporary state to a soul. Weisser did this for me. I think the Crypt did the same to you so that they could talk to you and give you instructions before you are reborn."

"So I have the Crypt to thank for being able to touch you?" When Ryuu nodded, Frey grinned mischievously. "Then we'll have to make the most of it right?"

Ryuu looked confused. Then wordlessly, Frey pulled him down to the bed.

'What happens now?'

Damien asked himself the same question over and over again. Like him, everybody seemed to be holding their breaths, waiting for anyone to say or do something – anything.

After an awkward silence, an angry voice growled, "What are we waiting for? Let's finish them off!"

It was nearly impossible to know where exactly that aggressive statement came from, but it seemed to have emanated from the ranks of the Mazoku army. Damien turned to the Maou.

"Oi Heika! Your soldiers!"

The Maou looked up, still holding Wolfram in his arms. He knelt down and gently placed the boy upon the ground.

At the opposite side, the Mazoku soldiers started to advance towards the Ryuzoku army despite the attempts of Gwendal and Gunter to rein them in. Damien distinctly heard them divvying up opponents, with some of the soldiers loudly volunteering to take out Wolfram and the entire Ryuzoku. Evidently, Wolfram's role in turning the tide of the battle didn't score any points with the livid soldiers. They seemed to still consider him a traitor. At least they were all staring at Wolfram with a worrying gleam in their eyes.

"Heika!" Damien cried again.

The Maou glanced at him, seeming to size him up. "Damien, do you think that they would listen to me?"

"Of course they would. You're their king!"

The Maou gave him a bitter smile, followed by another question, "Do you think that they won't rebel against me if I defend Wolfram and the entire Ryuzoku army right now?"

Damien replied suspiciously, not at all liking where the conversation was headed. To the Maou's side, Conrad Weller looked on apprehensively. Damien answered, "Most will be seriously mad if you do. I could understand that they're all angry about what happened to the other soldiers."

"Exactly," said the Maou. "If I stand against them now, there is no guarantee that the soldiers would stop. I might even end up fighting against my own army…"

Damien frowned. He could understand the logic behind the Maou's reasoning, but…when had logic ever been a factor in Shibuya Yuuri's decisions? Wasn't he always the kind who defended people regardless of the consequences? And there wasn't any way in hell that the Maou would leave Wolfram defenseless…right?

The Maou took in his reaction and then asked, "Damien, if you were me, what will you do now?"

The question caught him off-guard. Damien said slowly, "I…I would try and stop them. And should I fail…I will do whatever it takes to protect everyone."

"Protect everyone," the Maou repeated with a wistful smile. "I genuinely thought that I could do that…but I wasn't able to do much after all. I'm a failure."

"You're giving up?" Damien asked incredulously. "How could you do that?"

Silence. Beside the Maou, Conrad's worried expression smoothened out into a satisfied, knowing smile. Damien couldn't decide whether he ought to feel relieved. Then to his consternation, the Mazoku king stood up and said, "I can't believe I'm saying this but could you look after Wolf for a while? I have to go."

"Go where?" Damien asked, confused.

"To protect everyone," the Maou answered simply. "Failure doesn't necessarily mean that I wouldn't try again."

In the amount of time that it took Damien to recover from his surprise at that response, the Maou walked past him, his jaw set in a resolute expression. Conrad followed right after.

They looked absolutely ridiculous, Damien thought as he took his place beside Wolfram's unconscious form and watched the Maou and Conrad charge between the armies of the Mazoku and the Ryuzoku. Really, what were they planning to do with just the two of them? Four – if you counted Gunter and Gwendal, who saw what the Maou had set out to do and had rushed to their king's side to support him. Five, Damien amended once again, as an orange-haired someone joined the Maou's small group.

And then, there they were – five people against a horde of furious, bloodthirsty men.

Damien took a moment to take stock of the situation. With the hundreds of soldiers on either side of the Maou, he knew that they weren't likely to survive should another skirmish take place. Damien glanced at the Mazoku king, and in that instant, he knew from the king's face that they were thinking of the same thing: They needed a miracle.

To Damien's immense surprise, a miracle did happen. Three miracles to be exact.

First, several blue-clad men broke away from the Mazoku ranks and joined the Maou's group. Damien recognized one as Marcus, the person who had taken his place when he was away with Wolfram. If he remembered correctly, Marcus was also one of Wolfram's men.

The other Mazoku soldiers roared indignantly at this treachery, but they still looked confident enough with their numbers. Even with the addition of Marcus and his men, it was glaringly obvious that the Maou's group was still severely outnumbered.

But then the second miracle happened. There was the cadence of feet marching in unison, and not a moment too soon, the remnants of the Shimaron army went up to stand next to them. Damien grinned, catching Saralegui's eyes. The king glared at him, as if to say that although he had decided to help, he still thought that they were doing something incredibly risky and stupid.

Damien looked at the people assembled in front of him, amazed at this turn of the tide. Now it was the errant soldiers of the Mazoku army who were outnumbered. But looking at the soldiers, Damien could sense that they were still not quite ready to give up.

But then came a third miracle. In the middle of the battlefield, there was a burst of blinding light, and three unexpected people materialized out of thin air. As the light dissipated, everyone looked on in shock as Shori, Murata, and Shinou appeared before them.

Shinou took one look at the converged armies, and said in a clear, ringing voice, "Put down your weapons. Stop this madness right now."

Damien was nearly rejoicing, watching as the Mazoku soldiers hesitated in the face of an order from their god. Since Shinou's motives were still unclear to him, it was consoling to see that at least Shori and Murata were there too.

Damien – and he knew that everybody else shared his sentiment – couldn't be any more grateful for their timing.

Shori and his companions arrived at Shin Makoku to find their worst fears confirmed. Looking around him, Shori saw that they had landed right in the midst of a recently-concluded battle. His first thought went to Yuuri, and his gaze immediately roamed around in search of his little brother. But when he finally found him, Shori had to do a double take.

There was something different about Yuuri. His brother looked…older. He looked like somebody who had lived through several lifetimes since he'd seen him off back in the other world. The glint in Yuuri's eyes also hinted at him having undergone a major emotional upheaval in the past hour or so.

Shori frowned. Time couldn't have flown that fast while they were in the Crypt, could it? They couldn't have been away for more than a week. Why on earth did it feel as if they had been gone for at least a decade? Why did it feel as if a lot of things had happened and that his brother had somehow sustained some irreversible damage? That Yuuri had somehow changed so much?

Shori wanted to be at his brother's side but just then, the Mazoku soldiers started murmuring loudly.

"It's Shinou-Heika!"

"You idiot! Shinou-Heika wouldn't side with the enemy."

"No, it couldn't be Shinou-Heika…"

"But that's the Daikenja…"

"They haven't interfered in any battle before…"

"They must be impostors…"

The mutterings grew in volume, and soon after, the soldiers started arguing amongst themselves. Shori glanced at Shinou. What was he planning to do now?

"Too many men have died today," the deity said gravely. "You have to stop."

The soldiers looked on with hostile expressions.

"Shinou is right," Murata added. "Lay down your arms and go back to Blood Pledge Castle."

No one spoke for a moment. And then one soldier stepped forward, speaking in behalf of the Mazoku army. "But Shinou-Heika, Geika…these men attacked us first. The Radford and Rochefort armies are gone because of them! We can't just let them get away with it!"

The others roared out their approval at this argument. Shori scowled. The Mazoku soldiers' an-eye-for-an-eye logic was barbaric at best. It was the sort of defense that people on Earth used to get away with crimes as large-scale as genocide. Shori nearly lashed out to debate with the man, but somebody spoke first.

It was Yuuri. "You propose then, that we fight this out until everyone is dead?"

"And what exactly is wrong with that Heika? You led us out to battle! You can't just tell us to go home!"

"I can and I will," replied Yuuri. "We have set out to stop this war from happening. We have failed in as far as most of our comrades are now dead. But the enemy commander is also gone. It's over."

"But the humans—!"

"Sara." Yuuri turned to the Shou Shimaron king. "Does Shimaron intend to continue fighting?"

Shori, along with everybody else, turned to Saralegui. The king smiled. "I did sign a peace treaty with Shin Makoku and I'll abide by the conditions we agreed upon before."

Yuuri nodded, turning to the Ryuzoku. Shori noted an instantaneous change in his brother's expression when he did so. He couldn't understand what that change was at first, but then Shori saw who was at the middle of the dragon riders.

Wolfram von Bielefeld.

He was on the ground, watched over by Damien Schwarz. The boy looked wounded but fortunately still alive. Had he already absorbed Ryuu's soul? Was he already planning to take his own life? Had he already attempted…?

Yuuri addressed the Ryuzoku. "Your leader is dead. What does the Ryuzoku army intend to do now?"

One of the riders stepped forward and answered, "We obey the will of the one who defeated Ryuu-sama."

"And if he isn't capable of making a decision right now?"

The rider paused and consulted his comrades silently. Finally, he said, "Then we shall not do anything until he recovers."

Yuuri turned back to the Mazoku army. "As you see, no one intends to continue fighting. As your king, I enjoin everyone to lay down their arms and return to Blood Pledge Castle."

More hostile mutterings emanated from the ranks of the Mazoku army.

Then Shinou said, "Should this come down to a fight, I shall back the Maou with all the power I have. Consider yourself warned."

Nothing happened at first, then slowly, the soldiers started to disperse. Shori glanced at his brother, trying to smile at the sheer relief that everything was over. But when he looked at Yuuri, he couldn't help but feel sad.

Shinou said that it was too late for Ryuu, but that perhaps, it might not be the case for Wolfram. But what about Yuuri? Just like the split-soul that he didn't know he had, was everything too late for him too?

It took three days for things to settle down, but even after then, Yuuri still couldn't find it in himself to feel anything other than despair.

Blood Pledge Castle was still in mourning. Yuuri could almost see the grief in the atmosphere – a dark suffocating cloud of sorrow and anguish that was almost tangible. The very air was heavy with the people's tormented moans, as everything that transpired in the battle began to sink in.

People had died. A lot of parents, brothers, friends, and lovers would never return.

One of the hardest parts was talking to the Radford and Rochefort families. Much of what took place in that encounter was a blur to Yuuri. There was a lot of crying involved, and he could only remember saying something that he thought would comfort the two families.

But at the moment, their grief was inconsolable. Yuuri watched them leave after that, heart heavy with the fact that it was mostly his fault that the Radford and Rochefort soldiers met such a gruesome end.

"You couldn't have predicted what Lord von Radford and Lord von Rochefort will do," Conrad had told him when the families of the two departed nobles have gone.

Gwendal nodded his agreement. "We tried to get there as soon as we could, Heika. The fact that we were all too late was our fault as much as yours. You shouldn't have to bear this burden all by yourself."

Yuuri smiled in gratitude for their words, and for the sake of not having to cause his two advisors to worry about him anymore, he tried to act as if his guilt was somehow assuaged.

But he knew that he wasn't fooling anyone.

Yuuri tried to place some distance between him and his advisors for the next couple of hours, knowing that he couldn't take any more of their pity and half-hearted attempts to cheer him up. He even avoided Greta as much as he could, and instead kept himself busy with the kingdom's concerns.

He remembered the look in his daughter's eyes when she came running to meet him, just after he'd returned from the battle.

"Yuuri!" Greta had cried. "You won't believe what happened to me! This man came and—"

Yuuri didn't hear anything more. Gwendal and Gunter were both speaking to him at the same time about how displeased the leaders of the Noble Houses were.

"Yuuri? Are you listening to me?"

Yuuri dutifully patted Greta's head and said, "I'll talk to you later okay? Just go to Anissina first and then we'll talk."

"But—"

And that was the last time he saw his daughter for a long while. Guiltily, Yuuri made a mental note to make it all up to Greta the minute that everything was over. Meanwhile, there were other things to take care of – what to do with the Shimaron army for instance.

The Mazoku weren't the only ones who suffered considerable losses in this war. The Shimaron army also lost much of their number, and although Yuuri had achieved a truce – albeit a rather uneasy one at that – with Saralegui, an internal conflict between the human soldiers soon emerged hours after the battle had concluded.

Saralegui sought him out the day before and told him that having been forced into merging in the first place, the soldiers of Shou Shimaron and Dai Shimaron were now starting to fight against each other. Short of placing everyone into a hypnotic state for the remainder of their stay in Shin Makoku, Saralegui admitted that he might not be able to control everyone for very long.

"So you still have control over those from Shou Shimaron, right?" Yuuri had asked, mind churning out one possible solution after another just to avert this crisis.

"Of course," replied Saralegui. "They do recognize me as their king. The problem with the Dai Shimaron soldiers is that they do not." He shrugged. "Which is perfectly understandable as I was not chosen and crowned in the first place."

Yuuri frowned. The unification of Shimaron that Ryuu had achieved by force was now crumbling at an alarming speed. "You're saying that you need to be crowned as the king of Dai Shimaron?"

Saralegui raised his eyebrows at that, scowling in displeasure, and Yuuri had to wonder when exactly did the other king stop hiding his emotions behind a mask of amiability. He concluded that it must have been Damien Schwarz's influence. Yuuri could hardly fail to notice that the two boys were rarely apart these past days.

"Give me a little credit will you?" Sara said crossly. "I meant that the issue regarding the Dai Shimaron throne should be resolved now. "

It seemed like years ago when Saralegui and Damien came to Shin Makoku for this particular reason. Yuuri had almost forgotten that the two boys were in fact competing for this same position.

"I assume you have something in mind?" Yuuri asked after a beat.

Saralegui nodded, and later that day, Yuuri found himself in front of the Dai Shimaron soldiers and refugees, as a mediator in the selection process. Despite his doubts, everything went so smoothly that Yuuri thought at some point that he was merely dreaming.

The two contenders were presented at first, and in his usual self-effacing manner, Damien made a little speech about how unsuitable and inexperienced he was to be a king. A lot of people who were all obviously rooting for Damien looked disappointed at this, but before they could start to protest, Saralegui stepped forward and – to everyone's enormous surprise – withdrew his candidacy.

Nobody looked as shocked as Damien had, obviously not expecting something like that to happen. The boy looked hesitant at first, but with Yuuri's support, Saralegui's prodding, and the people's enthusiastic response, he finally relented and allowed himself to be declared as the new king of Dai Shimaron.

"Are you sure about this?" Yuuri had asked Sara as they stood aside and watched Damien converse with the generals of the Dai Shimaron army. "You've always wanted to see Shimaron restored to the single country that it once was right?"

"I did," said Saralegui with a smile. "But not this way. At some level, I admire what Lord Ryuu did—"

"You admire the fact that he killed so many people?" Yuuri interrupted in disbelief.

"I admire the fact that he did in one week what my father failed to do in his lifetime," said Sara. "What I've been trying to do for the past years." He smiled at Yuuri's reaction. "Whatever else he might have been, you have to admit that Lord Ryuu got results."

Yuuri wasn't about to lose this argument. "At a huge expense, Sara. The results that he achieved weren't worth it in the end."

Saralegui made a noncommittal sound. Yuuri was about to push the topic and get a concurrence from the other king, but Damien finally managed to extricate himself from his throng of eager subjects in order to talk to them.

"Are you sure about this?" Damien asked Sara right off the bat, echoing Yuuri's earlier inquiry. "Haven't you always wanted to—?"

"I know, I know," said Sara, interrupting before Damien could go further. "Don't misunderstand me, Ryuzoku. Rebuilding two territories in the next year is just too much work. I don't have time for that."

Damien laughed for some reason. "Yes, I'm sure you don't."

And they all left it at that.

Yuuri's next immediate problem was the Ryuzoku. Damien had introduced him to Emil, the Ryuzoku's self-appointed interim leader, and together, they talked in length about what the future may bring between their races. Hated by both demons and humans alike, it became clear to Yuuri that the dragon riders should be placed out of the way. For some incomprehensible reason, Shinou had volunteered his Temple for this purpose.

It was there that Yuuri finally got to meet the rest of the Ryuzoku. It was also there that he was able to see the dragons again up close. Amidst all the varying colors and sizes of the beasts, Yuuri immediately recognized the scarlet one – the one that had stood between him and Wolfram in the battlefield. The dragon traipsed alongside him and gave a roar of acknowledgement.

Yuuri smiled at it in gratitude. Suddenly, he recalled his childish attempt at least two years ago to find a dragon. Wolfram had been with him on that short expedition, and with a painful twinge, he remembered how they had argued over what to name the baby dragon they had rescued from the poachers. That had been a happier, more uncomplicated time, and no matter how much he wished that he could return to that, Yuuri knew that he no longer could.

"That's new," commented Emil, looking at Yuuri with renewed curiosity. "Did you know that you're only the third person whom Drache responded to like that?"

"Oh?" said Yuuri, perking up. "It has a name?"

"Drache," Emil repeated. "One of the oldest dragons that we have. He used to belong to one of the ancient clans before he passed on to Ryuu-sama."

Yuuri caught Damien's eye. "Which ancient clan exactly?"

"The Lombards," answered Damien, and Yuuri nodded in understanding. Now that explained a lot.

As they continued walking amongst the Ryuzoku, Yuuri lost all interest in the dragons as his thoughts returned to Wolfram. After losing consciousness in the battlefield, his fiancé was transported back to the castle, where Gisela and Damien put their skills to use in order to save him.

Yuuri distinctly remembered pacing in front of the room, unable to rest, unable to stop, unable to think of anything else other than what was happening to Wolfram. Just when he was about to barge in to see if the healers were making any progress, Gisela herself had opened the door.

"Heika," she had said softly, face gaunt with fatigue and anxiety. "You could come in now."

Yuuri rushed past her, not bothering to reply. The room had once been used to accommodate visiting heads of state, but at the moment, the healers had transformed it into an extension of the infirmary. There were several beds inside, but only one was occupied. Yuuri immediately rushed beside it.

"How is he?" he asked quietly, turning to Damien, who looked as miserable as Yuuri felt.

"Stable," the boy answered, joining him. "He's just extremely exhausted. Otherwise, he'll be fine."

"But?" Yuuri prodded, sure that there was something more.

"But," Damien continued, "I think there might be some damage, just that it would be more mental and emotional rather than physical…"

Yuuri nodded his agreement, somehow understanding the bodily and psychological ramifications of surviving a battle. Just looking at Conrad could tell him as much. Even if his godfather didn't talk much about it, Yuuri knew that the man still bore the memories and scars of Rutenberg. And from his own experience, he knew that the events in a battle – what you had seen, what you had done, as well as what you had been forced to do in order to survive – would never really leave you. After the fight, everything would remain inside – like a stain in your heart…a shadow over your mind…a pervasive darkness that would always threaten to consume your entire being.

Yuuri knew that and more, having been at the forefront of the battle some hours earlier, and that knowledge only served to make the guilt that had been gnawing at his insides return with excruciating intensity. How could he have allowed this happen? To Wolfram no less…

Yuuri looked down at the bed, watching Wolfram's ashen face, his bandaged body, and his expression of agony. Yuuri still couldn't imagine how he'd failed to stop all of these from happening. He doubted whether he could ever forgive himself for his failure to protect his people…his fiancé…

Yuuri stared sorrowfully as Wolfram turned, mumbled something, then subsided once again into a nearly comatose state. He frowned in worry. "He hasn't woken up at all, has he?"

"Yes," said Gisela, also approaching the bed. "It is unusual, but let's give Kakka a little more time…"

Yuuri nodded, forcing himself to step away. "I have to go. The others are waiting for me. Thank you for your help Gisela. You too, Damien."

Both healers looked at each other uncertainly. "You're welcome, Heika. However…"

"Yes?"

"If Wolf wakes up…what should we tell him?"

Yuuri stopped, having no immediate answer to that. He took a deep breath. Would Wolfram be strong enough to deal with the consequences of his past actions? Yuuri couldn't risk shoving Wolfram into the midst of another crisis any more than he needed to.

"Just…just call for me when he wakes up, will you?" he said with an almost pleading look.

Damien seemed to understand. "Okay."

Yuuri turned and walked briskly towards the door. Once outside, he stopped, clenched his fists tightly, and punched the opposite wall in frustration. He didn't know what to do should Wolfram wake up. He had no idea what to say. He hadn't the faintest clue as to what to tell him. Yuuri only knew that from what transpired in that fateful battle, nothing will ever be the same.

Back at present, as Yuuri thought of what had become of his kingdom, of his people, and of himself, he doubted whether anything would ever go back to the way that they used to be.

Shori stood along with Murata and Shinou, gazing down at the Temple grounds where the Ryuzoku strode around restlessly. Somewhere in the dragon riders' midst, he easily spotted Yuuri, walking alongside Damien Schwarz and another man he didn't know.

Shori hadn't been able talk to Yuuri much. His little brother had been busy piecing back together a war-torn country, and looking at how everything was finally settling down in just a matter of days, Shori couldn't help but admire Yuuri's newfound sense of leadership and maturity.

Shori had tried to help, but he found to his chagrin that he only got in his brother's way. Yuuri obviously knew what to do, and his manner of implementing his goals and visions were surprisingly effective. Again, the nagging feeling that Yuuri had grown up much more than necessary, made Shori sad, and yes, a little bit angry. Yuuri was just a teenager for heavens' sake! It wasn't fair to have him tackle problems and issues that were meant for someone much older and more experienced. Shori himself had never been in a similar situation.

But Shori never heard his brother complain. Even now that Yuuri was obviously struggling with maintaining the peace between the three warring races, he was still hanging on with characteristic obstinacy. Shori admired him for that, and with a full appreciation of the amount of stress that Yuuri was into, he grudgingly kept all the information they had learned at the Crypt to himself. Shori hated having to keep a secret from Yuuri, but he knew that it was necessary.

But how long would he be able to keep this up? How long would they keep this a secret?

Shori tried, yet again, to reason with his two companions. "Yuuri should know. He has the right to know the truth."

Shinou replied with the same argument. "I told you before – you should not take Gottfried's threats lightly. No matter how harmless he might seem, the fact that he has the entire Crypt of Souls under his command means that he is someone to be reckoned with."

Murata quickly supported the Original King. "And besides, aren't you the slightest bit worried about what he might do to your parents…?"

Shori had heard these arguments before, but he was still not a hundred percent convinced that hiding the truth was the best course of action. "So that's it?" he demanded. "We'll hide the truth forever? Yuuri has a right to know who Ryuu really is. And what happens when Wolfram dies? Yuuri will never forgive us."

They had all learned what Wolfram had done after Ryuu had died, and although the rest interpreted that as a case of losing control of one's maryoku, Shori wasn't fooled. He was pretty sure that Wolfram had attempted to kill himself and complete the soul breaking process. It was merely a matter of luck that Yuuri was there to stop him, and that Damien Schwarz was nearby to undo most of the damage that Wolfram had inflicted upon himself.

Otherwise…who knew what might have happened? Wolfram might have died, and although there were certain advantages to that – Ryuu's soul disappearing completely, for instance – there were also some drawbacks. For one, Yuuri would never be able to live with himself for failing to save his fiancé. For another, Shori had a feeling that they might have lost Yuuri then and there too.

It was a disaster either way.

"Please tell me you have a plan Shinou," Shori said after a moment. The deity had said that it might not be too late for as long as Wolfram remained alive, but he hadn't expounded on what he meant by that. He only knew that they were supposed to talk to Wolfram, but because the boy was still out cold even after three days, they had no means of doing so.

Shinou didn't answer immediately. After a long pause, he said, "It's incredibly dangerous, but…I think I might have a solution."

"Mind sharing what your golden plan is?" Shori asked acidly, already tired of all the secrecy and veiled messages.

Shinou was silent for a while. Then in a few, concise words, he began to explain his plan. Halfway through, Shori's eyes slowly widened with disbelief. Beside the Original King, Murata had on a grave expression, indicating that this wasn't the first time that he'd heard the details of Shinou's plan.

"But this is absurd!" Shori said. "And is this even possible?"

Shinou nodded grimly. "I told you it's incredibly dangerous."

Going back to everything that the deity had told him, Shori couldn't help but agree.

After a political turmoil, a declaration of war, a full-scale battle, and countless deaths to reckon with, the last thing Gwendal needed was a rebellion. A rebellion no less from Shin Makoku's aristocratic sector. But he found to his frustration that he might be getting just that.

Gwendal sat stiffly. It wasn't a good thing to be at the receiving end of various insults and dissatisfied comments from the leaders of the other Noble Houses. With von Grantz's continued absence and with Waltorana still convalescing – coupled with von Rochefort's and von Radford's unfortunate deaths – the number of people inside the conference room was significantly less than usual.

But it didn't make the atmosphere any less poisonous.

"Tell me again why you did not assist Radford and Rochefort?" Von Gylenhaal was on the warpath, being the only person in the room who had close ties with the two recently-departed nobles.

Gwendal tried, once again, to explain. "Their actions were neither known nor authorized by the Maou. We followed as soon as we found out that their armies were gone."

"And what about the prisoners suddenly materializing in the battlefield?" Von Wincott looked highly displeased, which – taking into consideration his normally passive and serene nature – was tantamount to extreme anger in a normal person. "Who authorized that?"

"Lady Cheri did," answered Gunter. "But she only did so because our soldiers were at a disadvantage. The opposing army had dragons—"

"But how sure are you that they aided us in the battle and not the other army?" Von Karbelnikoff was regarding everyone with distrust. His expression was so severe that Gwendal suspected for a moment that someone had spirited away the real Lord von Karbelnikoff and had left a sour-faced impersonator in the man's stead. "Why on earth were we not consulted on anything?"

Gwendal answered acidly, "Forgive me but were you expecting a formal meeting? We were in the middle of a war for goodness' sake!"

"That doesn't give you the right to take us for granted," said von Gylenhaal. "Might I remind you, Lord von Voltaire, that you and your brothers are not the rulers of this kingdom. You do not get to exploit the Maou's weakness just so you could gain power over us!"

The accusation stung, and despite his efforts to stay calm, Gwendal lashed out, "Exploit? Power? This is hardly a matter of power—!"

Von Gylenhaal sneered at him. "You, Lord Conrad, and Lord Wolfram – every single one in your forsaken family had been dominating this country for far too long! Your own whore of a mother—"

"Don't you dare speak about my sister in that manner!" Stoffel von Spitzberg slammed his fists on the table, glaring daggers at von Gylenhaal.

"Your sister allowed the prisoners to escape! She's as much of a traitor as Lord Wol—!"

"How dare you—!"

"My lords! A little decorum please!" Gunter shouted, wringing his hands in distress. "Please! Try to calm down. We need to stay focused on the problem."

"How's this for focus?" Heedless of the advice, von Gylenhaal raised a finger, stabbing it angrily towards Gwendal's direction. "He placed the Maou's life in danger!"

"We were protecting the Maou."

"How is leading Heika to the battlefield with a pitiful number of soldiers called protecting?" von Wincott asked. "Lord von Gylenhaal is right. You could have gotten Heika killed."

"It was Heika's own decision to go," said Gwendal tersely. "And again, if Radford and Rochefort had not taken off on their own, much more take Wolfram with them, we wouldn't have been there in the first place."

"Did they?" asked von Karbelnikoff doubtfully. "Or maybe Lord Wolfram led them to a trap, using his disappearance to entice the Maou out into battle as well."

Gwendal shook his head. "It was Wolfram who defeated Ryuu. It was Wolfram who saved the Maou's life."

"I'm sorry, but I don't buy this story at all," said von Wincott. "I think that it's time we find out the truth. It's time that we commence with what we have agreed upon before this entire fiasco started – Lord Wolfram's trial." The noble paused, then added, "I also think that it's time we reconsider Shibuya Yuuri's capacity to continue his role as the Maou."

Gunter exclaimed, asking the very question that Gwendal had in mind, "You want to subject the Maou into a test? You're not only going against the people's wills, my lord, but also against Shinou-Heika's as well!"

"Shinou-Heika has forsaken us," said von Wincott bleakly. "Why hasn't he assisted us in any way against our enemies? Why has he allowed Radford and Rochefort, along with so many Mazoku soldiers, to die?"

"My lord! Your assertion is blasphemous at the least—!"

Everyone began speaking at the same time, arguing over von Wincott's proposal. Gwendal forced himself to stay silent on this one. Conrad had told him about Shinou's defection, and he knew that all throughout the battle, the deity had most probably been rooting for the other side. But he also knew that shaking the soldier's beliefs in someone they considered as their god will serve nothing but to undermine their confidence and loyalty.

The Original King's unexpected interference in the battle three days ago was truly surprising, but it was welcome nonetheless. Gwendal didn't know how they could have otherwise stopped more people from dying had Shinou not arrived when he did. And now that Shori and Murata had attested that the Original King had been on their side all along, Gwendal chose to believe that. Especially now that Shinou's credibility could be the only defense that Shibuya Yuuri had in order to maintain his position.

Gwendal said in disapproval, trying to steer the conversation away from the Original King's actions – or lack thereof, "Why do this now? The country is still recovering—"

"We have our enemies within our domain. If we round them up now, we could annihilate them completely."

Gwendal gaped at von Karbelnikoff. It felt bizarre to hear a suggestion like that from Anissina's older brother – someone he had known since childhood, and whom he knew perfectly well to be a non-violent person.

"I do not agree with this," Gwendal said firmly.

Von Karbelnikoff frowned at him. "You don't get to decide on your own, my lord. I say we put this to a vote." The man turned to his peers. "Since that would be an obvious no from Lord von Voltaire, what about the rest of you?"

"No to everything," said Gunter immediately.

"I don't know about the first one," said Stoffel, "but I'm fine with reexamining the Maou's suitability for the throne."

"Yes to everything," said von Karbelnikoff, avoiding Gwendal's gaze.

"Yes," said von Wincott after a moment's thought.

"And a yes for me too," said von Gylenhaal. He smirked at Gwendal and Gunter. "You're outnumbered, my lords."

Gwendal shared a grim look with Gunter. This was going to be a huge problem. How could they possibly stop the others – or at the very least, hinder them – from acting on their unreasonable plans? It would be good if the Maou could intervene soon, but Gwendal doubted whether the king could decide properly given his current state.

"We're done here then," continued von Gylenhaal. "Lord Wolfram's trial shall commence the minute that he wakes up. As for the Maou…well…he would have to prove his worth to us now, wouldn't he?"

Gwendal didn't like the gleam in von Gylenhaal's eyes at all. He could see no way out of this situation, however. He caught Gunter's eyes, and he knew that they were thinking of the same thing.

How the hell were they going to get out of this?

"Is that so?"

Yuuri knew that he should have a stronger reaction to what Gwendal had just told him. By all means, he should be panicking right now, but somehow, he couldn't feel anything. Perhaps it was because he'd been expecting something like this to happen, and now that it had, Yuuri just felt…exhausted. Even the threat of being deposed wasn't enough to jolt him out of his depression.

"Well?" Gwendal asked after a moment, clearly dissatisfied at his reaction. "What are you going to do?"

Yuuri looked up, his eyes traveling to the others. They were at his office, with him seated at the head of the table. Conrad, Gwendal, and Gunter were at one side while Saralegui, Damien, and Belias were on the opposite end. The first three were regarding him with worry and anticipation, while the last three were looking at him with silent interest.

Yuuri asked slowly, "The issue with Wolfram and I – everything is hinged upon the fact that you and Gunter were outnumbered in the votes, right?"

"Yes," said Gwendal. "But I don't think any of them – especially von Gylenhaal – will change their votes…"

Yuuri nodded. "I know. Even von Karbelnikoff-san and von Wincott-san might not switch their votes because of what happened…" He scratched his chin. "Then we need to get Stoffel-san on our side. If he sides with us, it will then be three against three."

"I see," said the general. "I'll get Hahaue to talk to Stoffel then. She had always been able to bully him ever since they were kids…"

Damien asked, frowning a little, "But three against three is still a deadlock. How do you propose to break that?"

"It will be four against three," corrected Yuuri. "For as long as we could get the final House to side with us. Conrad?"

Conrad smiled, realizing what Yuuri was getting at. "You want me to look for Adalbert von Grantz?"

Yuuri nodded. "Do whatever it takes to get him to come back to Blood Pledge Castle."

His godfather bobbed his head in agreement. "I shall see to it right away."

There was a short silence. Then Saralegui remarked, "But in the meantime, while the last House has not voted, doesn't that mean that whatever the others have decided will stay?"

Yuuri made a face. "They could certainly argue it that way."

"Then maybe Lord von Bielefeld should remain unconscious for a while longer."

Yuuri and Damien both stared incredulously at the Shou Shimaron king. "Sara!" chided Yuuri loudly. "Please don't say that."

"Wolfram should wake up soon," said Damien. "It's been three days. It's dangerous if he doesn't snap out of it within the next hours. He could remain like that forever!"

Saralegui regarded them both somberly. "Well yes but…wouldn't it be more dangerous if he wakes up and is subjected to a trial right away? Regardless of the fact that he killed Lord Ryuu, with all the evidence against him, a case could be made about him being a traitor…"

Yuuri's face fell, knowing that both had a valid point. With a pang of guilt, he suddenly found himself agreeing to what Sara had just said – that just for the sake of avoiding the trial that the Noble House leaders plan to subject him to, he wished that Wolfram wouldn't wake up just yet.

In a somewhat cruel twist of fate, Yuuri's wish was granted.

A week had passed, and still, Wolfram remained as lifeless as a corpse. The fact that he was still breathing was of little consolation to Yuuri, for the boy showed no signs that he was even aware of the various people who traipsed by his bedside on a regular basis for the next days. There wasn't a single indication that Wolfram would wake up anytime soon.

The only upside was Adalbert's arrival in the castle a night ago. With his presence, the Noble House leaders had to reconsider their prior decision. And although Stoffel still tipped the scales into a tie, Lady Cheri hinted that she would be able to convince her brother to change sides soon.

Now that Yuuri could breathe again, his major concern was Wolfram's condition. Since nothing had virtually changed for the past days, he was forced to entertain the awful possibility that his fiancé might never wake up again.

Damien and Gisela had rigorously tried every method that they could think of, but their collective efforts hadn't paid off. Both agreed that if they could just find out what was causing this abnormal state of unconsciousness, perhaps they would be better equipped to handle Wolfram's condition. But none had any idea as to how to accomplish that.

A week and a day after Wolfram had fallen into a comatose state, Yuuri sat by the boy's bed, wondering if he would be able to talk to him again. He remembered undergoing this exact same scenario before, when Soushou had taken Wolfram's heart. But that time had been easier because he had known exactly what to do to save Wolfram. This time however…

Yuuri had no idea where to start. He bent down to lightly brush his lips against Wolfram's, whispering as he did so, "I'm here, Wolf. Please open your eyes…"

"Heika," said a voice, causing Yuuri to jump back in surprise. "You're here early."

Looking wildly around, he saw Damien beside one of the supposedly empty beds, obviously just waking up from sleep. The boy was still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday.

"What in the world are you doing here?"

Damien shrugged, rubbing his eyes. "I sleep here."

"What?"

"Well there are a lot of empty beds," said the boy defensively. "And besides, I can keep an eye on Wolfram better if I stay nearby."

Yuuri found the idea of Damien staying in the same room as Wolfram to be a bit disturbing, even if the two weren't necessarily sharing a single bed. Then a thought struck him. When Damien and Wolfram left Shin Makoku before, did they…?

He had a difficult time verbalizing his thoughts, and in the end, he decided to be blunt. "Damien, did you and Wolfram ever…sleep together?"

At first, nothing. Then steam began to puff out of the boy's ears. "What sort of question is that?" Damien demanded, fully awake now. "Of course we didn't!"

Yuuri turned red too. Damien must have misunderstood the question, and Yuuri didn't know how to restate it in clearer terms. In the end, he just mumbled in embarrassment, "Just making sure." He looked around, struggling to change the topic. "Er…so…how has kingship suited you?"

Damien seized onto that, looking as desperate as Yuuri to put their previous conversation as far behind as possible. "Difficult at first. They all wanted to go back to Dai Shimaron now that everything is nearly over. I said that they could go ahead but they wouldn't want to go without me. But I wouldn't leave until Wolfram…" Damien trailed off, glancing at the bed. He went on somberly, "…until Wolf wakes up."

Yuuri's depression came rushing back at that. He gave Wolfram's hair a gentle ruffle and sighed. "I hope he wakes up soon."

Damien gave an answering sigh. "Me too."

Yuuri sat back on the bed, leaning against the headboard, while Damien took a spot somewhere at the edge. "Hey Damien?" Yuuri asked after a moment, "You…you don't feel bad about this at all? I mean about Ryuu's death? He is your brother after all."

"Should I be?" asked Damien, more to himself rather than Yuuri. "I think not. Right now, I feel more relieved than sad. I wouldn't take this against Wolfram. I think…" He paused, glancing down at the boy, "…I think that among everyone here, Wolf will suffer the most. He was the one who ended Ryuu's life."

"I know," agreed Yuuri. "Do you think that Wolfram really intended to kill Ryuu?"

"What?" Damien frowned at the question. "It might not have been easy, but Wolf needed to save you." He stopped, seeming to realize something. "Wait, you're not honestly thinking that Wolfram intended to kill you?"

Yuuri colored a little at that, but he answered honestly. "You've seen it too, haven't you? Wolfram pulled Ryuu aside." His fingers ghosted over Wolfram's lips. "He kissed Ryuu…"

Damien obviously didn't like where the conversation was headed. He said irately, "It doesn't matter. I mean, Wolf still killed Ryuu. Wolf obviously chose you."

"Which makes matters worse. To Wolfram, I am now the guy he'd chosen over someone he obviously liked. I'm the reason why he had to kill Ryuu."

Damien paused for a moment to absorb that. Through his eyes, Yuuri could see that his response made sense to the boy. Perhaps because it was easy enough for Damien to envision himself in Yuuri's place. If Wolfram was forced to kill somebody just because of him, wouldn't Damien feel just about the same way?

"You're afraid that Wolf might hate you for that," said Damien. It wasn't a question, and Yuuri knew that it was more of a reflection of what the boy himself would feel if he were in Yuuri's position.

"Yes," said Yuuri. "I'm not sure if he'll ever look at me in the same way as before."

"Of course he would," Damien said quickly, and Yuuri knew that it wasn't a reassurance. Rather, it was another reflection of what Damien himself would like to hear if their situations were reversed. "Wolfram loves you. You'll both get past this."

Yuuri wanted to believe him but found that – no matter how hard he tried – he couldn't. He nodded just the same, returning his gaze to Wolfram's sleeping face. As he continued to stroke his fiancé's hair, he thought over and over again:

"I'm here, Wolf. Please open your eyes…"

A/N: Thanks to the following for reviewing the previous chapter – SangLeGuira (I might be able to act on your request after I finish this story, but I don't have any ideas yet. Any suggestions?), ARandomWeirdo (Yeah! ANGST! Lol), yuuram2fangirl (We're nearly at the end...), Nevynwatcher (I'm eager about the end too!), Pikeebo (Yes, technically Ryuu's soul still exists so there might still be a way…), animekitty421 (Thank you! I think people – even villains – are not completely evil.), silver woman (Nope, no battles this time.), lilgurlanima (Interesting question, but the answers wouldn't be revealed just yet), yuUrAm-.a.-riwOLf (Happy holidays too!), and AshleyTangerine (Well…let's just see how things will turn out…) :)

Yay, second update this December! Happy holidays everyone!