WARNING: This story contains mature elements such as manipulation, Non-Con, humiliation.

Chapter 13: Three Swords

Underworld, Agna Village—12th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

Get up, take a bath, get dressed, and do her job.

For years, this is the life of the one known as Emiya Aegir has known not much beyond the simple life that she is used to now; to help take care of the children in the church, tend to the woolly sheep that frolic out amongst the long blades of green grass, grazing away and bleating contentedly…

So many things have changed, and so many things have happened.

So many things have remained, and so many things never happened.

She used to think that she wasn't the kind of person who liked to think a lot, but clearly, she does; she tends to lose herself in her thoughts far more often then she should, if only because she realizes that she's stopped moving and just staring off into the distance. Her vision would focus, she would be able to think again, she gets to work.

She really can't help herself. Again, there's a lot of things to worry about.

First, the fact that some stranger suddenly began taking control over the Human Realm and changed the system was beyond anyone's expectations, more so the fact that no one seems to know whom he is—it's made even crazier when it turns out that he's an amnesiac. That's insane!

Secondly, some girls show up out of nowhere in her village and request that she show them the way to him. They're his friends, apparently, and she could never forget any one of them.

They were a curious bunch, for sure, but there was little else that she could comment on them. After all, she wasn't entirely sure as to what their motives were, other than the fact that they just wanted to reunite with their friend.

Emiya huffed lightly as she hefted the bucket full of water towards the church. She wasn't entirely certain if she was even allowed to complain about things, since her life was peaceful; she wasn't certain what was going on, and perhaps some people would kill for that blissful ignorance.

But this isn't what she wanted! She wanted to become an Integrity Knight, wanted a shot at protecting the people and fighting with all that she has inside of her. And yet…

She sighed once she dropped the bucket onto the ground, pushing her back with both hands and forcing a crack that has her sighing in relief.

She's never held a sword. Well, that was a lie—she had, at some points in time, secretly borrowed her mother's wooden practice sword and given it a few practice swings. At this rate, she could say that she was at least worthy of being called an amateur.

And, if at least not an amateur, then a fledgling swordsman.

'Oh, who am I kidding? I bet I'd get my butt kicked by Yuuki-san, or even that Kirito figure…' She sighed to herself, wishing that she could have enrolled in any academy that taught students to fight with swords. 'I mean, both Kirito and Eugeo did it, so I can too!'

Secretly, she saw those two as idols, in a sense. They, just like her, were also villagers, yet had trained enough and were qualified to take part in a tournament. It was their victory that granted them entry into Norlangarth's Swords Mastery Academy, welcomed as fledgling swordsmen.

Then again, if what the rumours were true, then the Kirito person was much stronger than anyone else when they went there.

That was, apparently, because he was a swordsman long before he lost his memories. Interesting. So he somehow kept his memories of fighting through the years…

"Emiya," the girl perked up, and looked behind her, straight into the eyes of an elderly woman, with a kind smile and few wrinkles on her face that tell a story of a time long past. "Sorry to bother you, but do you mind picking some berries from the berries for us? The children at the church are pretty noisy about it, and they'd like some."

"Those little rascals… Yeah, I don't mind," chuckled the younger girl. Of course the kids would get tired of the occasional bread and soup. They'd want something sweet to go along with their meals as well. "Take care of them for me, Ma'. I'll be back."

This was her life, and it was a constant cycle of simplicity. Nothing more mattered, even if she would have liked a little more adventure in her life…

The forests are always beautiful. It leaves a warm feeling in her breast every time she comes here, reminded that nature is always open for anyone to come by and visit, and that it's generous with its gifts; the trees grow and produce berries, and with patience, the flowers will bloom and more fruit will come.

Sometimes, if she was lucky, she'd be able to catch sight of a fox chasing some wild game, or maybe the butterflies that flutter around the shrubbery. There was never a moment for her to think that this forest was empty; something new could always be seen, and she appreciated that about the forest.

"Now let's see here… Hmm… Ah, there they are!" Round, red and plump. These berries were often hard to find in the forests unless you looked for them really, really hard. "Grab some, bring em' back home, and there we go…"

She picked a few berries and carefully placed them in the basket to prevent crushing them—she doubted kids would like crushed berries, unless they were made into pie or cake.

She hummed a small tune as she allowed herself to follow through the motions, simply picking the berries and just doing what she can and whatnot. There is a strange satisfaction from filling the basket, and she knows that the kids are going to enjoy eating these.

When she was certain the basket was filled all the way to a third of what it is, she stood back up with hands on her hips and a satisfied smile on her face. "Alright! Now then, time to—"

Her words died down as something whiffed into her nostrils… and her instinctual reflex was to gag.

That smell..! Is that blood? It smelled nauseating, with a particular metallic smell that was characteristic of blood.

She picked up her basket with one hand while pinching her nose with the other, narrowed eyes and trying to find where that scent was coming from. She allowed herself one more whiff, and immediately clamped her nose shut with how awful it smelt, almost puking there and then.

It was strong, so it must be coming from—

'…Oh, Goddess,' a chill went down her spine as her eyes fell to the ground, to the river that flowed nearby… and the undeniable colour of red that acted as a gradient alongside the natural blue. And the body floating down it was unmoving. 'Oh Goddess..!'

What the hell was going on here?! Why is there a person's body in the water? And why was the water so densely thick with blood?

Her body moved before she could even think. She hastily placed her basket on the ground before rushing forwards, no hesitation whatsoever as she reaches for the floating body with both hands, not caring whatsoever that she was staining her palms in red as she pulled the person (it was a woman, that much she could tell) towards the riverbank, gulping to herself in worry as she gently turning her around so that she was facing upwards.

She was… wow, she was actually quite pretty. She had dark skin, and her hair that was originally a dark blue was caked in mud and blood, making it an ugly brown and red. Her eyes were closed, and she was still breathing, but…

'She doesn't look too good,' thought Emiya, slightly panicking. 'What do I do, what do I do..?! Damn it, I suppose I'd better take her back to the village!'

With all the strength that she could muster, she lifts the older woman onto her back and began the trek back to the forest, making sure not to let her fall yet being quick enough to save her life.

She'll return for the berries later.

Underworld, Agna Village—12th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

The light of Solus sets as the world became dark for the residents of the Human Realm, though it wasn't entirely quiet in Emiya's house.

To put it simply, she was pacing back and forth outside her room. In there, her mother was busy trying to treat the injured stranger that she had saved back inside the forest with traditional medicine and «Sacred Arts», though the initial commotion might not have made it worth it.

What she hadn't expected when she saved the woman was that, apparently, she was a resident of the Dark Forces, meaning that she came from beyond the walls. That alone makes her an enemy, and everyone demanded that they kill the woman—after all, she might have had the strength to kill all of them, and none of them wanted to keep such a danger in their midst.

And yet… Well, she didn't know. Something inside of her told her that the woman wasn't an enemy. She just knew it.

It took too long, far too long than any of them would have liked, but she managed to quell the villagers long enough so that they stopped making a fuss out of everything. When night had come, they had all dispersed, leaving for their own individual homes.

"Hey, Emiya," the girl paused in her pacing, then looked to the source of the voice. "Hey, you alright?"

The young woman at the door was pretty, with short red hair and cyan irises, wearing armour that befitted a mercenary. Even still, there was no doubting that she was prettier than any other village girls that anyone's ever seen.

Medina Orthinanos, Emiya's best friend since they were young. The mercenary was older than the girl by a few years, but that age difference barely made a difference; they were both very good friends, and while the mercenary would go out visiting other places, she would often bring back souvenirs for her friend.

Said woman with red hair was currently looking at the door with a raised brow, then turned her attention towards her friend, her gaze alone already a sign that she was demanding answers.

"I-I'm fine. Just… well, some stuff is going on, and my mom's trying to handle it right now," she replied, gesturing her head towards her room's door. "You heard the story already? It's, how do I put it… Pretty shocking."

"Shocking, huh? If it's about you not being an Integrity Knight already, then lay it on me," scoffed the redhead, taking a seat on a couch.

Emiya rolled her eyes—she's always been teased about her lifelong dream by her best friend—but continued nonetheless. "Well… Earlier this morning, I went to the forest to pick some berries for the kids back at the church. I found this… person floating in the river. She was injured really bad, and I mean it; cuts on her back and bruises all around her body. The river was, it was red, Medina. I managed to bring her back, but it turns out that she's from the Dark Forces."

"…Whoa, that is crazy," blinking, somewhat taken aback by this, Medina shook her head after a while. "How long's it been? Judging by the way she's inside your room, I bet she's resting up."

"Something like that. My mom's actually trying to treat her wounds," her voice paved way for genuine concern, and her eyes shifted to the door of her room. "It's been pretty long, I'll say that much."

The two childhood friends remained quiet for a moment before the door to Emiya's room slowly swivelled open, allowing them to see Emiya's mother. She didn't look too tired, though that could have not been very obvious since her face did have a lot of wrinkles on them.

She closed the door behind her and hobbled over to a couch, helped by her daughter. "Thank you, Emiya… Well, she's fine now. And I swear, those cuts on her back do not look like she was being attacked. More like someone did it to her on purpose…"

"Is that so..? Weird. Could she be some sort of slave?" Muttered the redhead. They couldn't exactly be sure if there were even slaves in their domain, since there aren't any in the Human Realm. And even then, she couldn't be entirely sure. "No, that's not what matters. How's her condition?"

"She's resting right now. Give or take, she'll need a few days of rest, and she'll be fine," the elderly woman grasped her daughter's hand, letting out a tired breath. That alone told the girls that the treatment must have been taxing on her. "I'll do my best to look after her. She's lucky that she's somehow alive; she should have bled out to death, yet it's a miracle that she somehow managed to stay alive."

"That's…" A good thing? A bad thing? Emiya could hardly find any way to call it, because the possibility of her being some spy or enemy was still on the table—at least, for the villagers. There was no way that they were going to immediately trust her. "Well… We'll need to wait and see if she's an enemy or not."

"Don't worry. If anything happens, I'll be here to protect you as always," teased the redhead as she ruffled her younger friend's head, getting a pout.

The elderly woman chuckled in amusement. For these two to remain so close throughout the years is such a blessing, and for them to simply be girls as they deserve to be made her happy.

Underworld, Agna Village—14th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

There was hardly anyone in the village that didn't know Medina. After all, she was a girl from their village who was also a mercenary, and a pretty good one too.

She often lent her sword to anyone who required her services, sometimes withholding her payment if her customers weren't able to pay; taking on wild animals and pests is hardly a difficult task, and she was more than happy to slay them if it meant keeping people safe.

She's travelled throughout the entirety of the Human Realm, though she never got to visit Rulid Village, a typical village that became popular due to its two stars; Second Head of the Human Realm, Kirito, and his best friend Eugeo, the one who pulled off the impossibility that is felling the Gigas Cedar.

She briefly pondered on how it looked like, wondering if it was any different than this village. After all, every human settlement differed in looks—this village typically makes use of stone in their buildings more occasionally than any other places. One village that she visited had buildings made of wood, while another village had their homes built from clay.

Her memories that flooded her mind couldn't compare to her happiness every time she returned home. For as fun as it was to travel, she preferred home more, able to see her best friend again and see all the villagers and changes to the village.

Her parents… well, that was hard, since she didn't have any. Or, at least, they disappeared when she was young, and Emiya's mother was kind enough to raise her in her parents' stead. So really, Emiya's mother was more of a mother to her than any other person was, and she appreciated her deed.

So that kind of made Emiya her little sister, in a way. And that was the best thing that could have ever happened to her!

"Medina!" The girl was broken out of her thoughts as she looked up, seeing Emiya in the distance waving her arms in the air with a… frantic look on her face? "Hurry up, the woman that I found woke up already!"

"Oh!" She had almost forgotten about her. "Coming!"

Quickly, the two best friends rushed towards their destination, having to push their way through several villagers that had formed a crowd outside their house, nosy and intending to take a look at their uninvited guest. Emiya's mother looked worried, her eyes never moved away from the door.

She looked about ready to rush out and find someone until the two girls arrived. "Ah, Medina, Emiya! She's, ahh… she's awake already. You two should…"

"Yeah. And don't worry. If she tries anything," her hand gently brushes the hilt of her sword, face contorted into a serious expression. "I'll stop her."

"Good to have you watching out for our backs. Let's go in," nodding at the redhead, the silverette stared forwards, pushing the door inwards.

It was dark. None of the lanterns in her room were lit, and she couldn't help but find it somewhat worrying. There were no sounds whatsoever, and she could find no comfort in the room that she had been sleeping all her life—well, she's been sleeping with Medina for the past three days since there was someone else in her room.

She took a few steps forwards, and Medina was close by, her sword at the ready in case someone were to lunge at them and attack. While most could call them paranoid for being wary when the girl inside was heavily injured just a few days ago, they weren't taking any chances.

There was just no way that they—

"Oh..? Who are…"

"Huh?"

"What?"

What the two girls hadn't expected was for the dark-skinned woman that, earlier, had been injured to the point that someone could have accused her of being a victim of abuse and bled out to the point that she most certainly shouldn't have been alive, was now sitting up on the bed and looking at them with all guards lowered, not a hint of hostility on her expressions or body language.

That did not go how they thought it would.

She was silent, shifting slightly just so that they could get a better look on her, and she in turn stared back at them with a curious look.

"Might… Might I know the identity of the one who saved me..?" She asked, her voice hoarse and tired.

Emiya and Medina met eyes, both of them wondering if they could trust her, before the former stared back at the dark-skinned woman. "It… It was me. I found you floating in the river. You looked pretty bad there."

"I see… You have my sincerest thanks for that," she bowed her body slightly, flinching a little when she did so. Despite the rather awkward initiation of such an action, there was no doubting the poise behind it. "My name… is Lipia Zancale, a member of the Dark Knights order."

"So you are from the Dark Forces…" Hummed the redhead, sheathing her blade and crossing her arms as she leaned against the wall, close enough to her best friend just in case.

Lipia caught sight of the sword attached to the redhead's hip, and barely showed any fear. "Are you here to kill me? If so, then I ask you to grant it to me quickly… I would be very grateful if you could…"

"You're… asking us to kill you?" Something makes Emiya suddenly hesitant, and she didn't know what to say anymore. Rather, she stopped herself from thinking and stared the woman in the eyes. "Lipia…san. Why were you in the river? Were you attacked or something?"

The Dark Knight seemed to hesitate at first, but she realized that she was in no situation to simply keep her lips shut. As she sees it, she's held captive, and her life was in their hands.

And… well, admittedly, these two girls didn't seem all too bad. She supposed she could trust them.

"…You are right to assume that I was attacked, though not in the way that you think," sighed the blue-haired woman, straightening her posture but making sure not to worsen the pain. "I can tell you everything you'd like to know, but it is a long one. Would you mind lending me your ears?"

The girls exchanged looks with one another, sensing fear in the other woman, before looking back at her and nodded.

And the story wasn't a pretty one.

The Dark God Vector had been reincarnated. He had returned to the world, seated upon his throne with a Dark Knight to accompany him. He demanded two souls from the Human Realm, Eugeo and Alice, and declared that they would war the Human Realm on the seventh day of November—the Eastern Gate would collapse on that day, and the Dark Forces will march into their lands as harbingers of doom.

Lipia served Vixur Ul Shasta, a man who firmly believed in peace. He despised the notion of war, and was clearly against Lord Vector's plans. She, too, supported his ideals, and planned to take his life one night.

And yet, her attempts had failed; despite all her planning, making sure that everyone were asleep, that all the guards were not in the vicinity, and that his Dark Knight companion had left—it all meant nothing, as she had been wholly unprepared for Vector's skills, somehow capable of disarming her and stunning her in his room.

His Dark Knight arrived a moment later, for a different reason altogether, and then the night turned into…

Into…

She let out a shaky breath, closing her eyes as the memory of just that night makes her freeze up. The girls look at her worriedly, and she simply smiles back. "Forgive me, just… I shall continue."

"At your own pace," Medina advised, though with an underlying hint of worry. "Please."

"Of course… Thank you," nodded the Dark Forces resident.

She resumed her story, and told the two of what had transpired; that Vector's Dark Knight had 'punished' her—what a foolish thing to say. It was, in truth, a session of torture, by which all that was done to her was simply cutting her, tormenting her, and then striking her repeatedly until her spirit was broken.

It was a small blessing that they hadn't touched her in any way that could have been, in any way, sexual. Had they done so, she would have lost all pride in herself as a woman, and she would have never been able to face Lord Vixur again…

No. Even now, she loathes herself. What should have been an easy mission has failed because of her weakness, and the thought of meeting Lord Vixur's eyes… her gut wrenched in fear.

The story continues, after some hesitation of course, and she reveals that they had stuffed her inside a bag of sorts, preventing her from seeing and hearing. She was then carried into the Human Realm and, removed from the body bag, thrown into a river, and she had been drifting ever since.

That night had been the most pitiful thing that she had ever gone through, a moment of weakness that she could not pride herself of surviving. Rather, she felt mere disappointment in herself, and wished dearly to atone for her failure.

With her life..? Perhaps that would be the only way. It was why, when she saw the girl's blade, she would have preferred to be cut down there and then, but…

But a part of her wanted to return. To go back to her liege, to tell him that she was alright, and…

She didn't know anymore.

"Lipia-san," the woman broke out of her thoughts as her face moved up, staring into the eyes of the silver-haired girl. She had nothing but grief in her eyes, and she appreciated the sentiment. "We're sorry after what happened to you, but… what do you want to do now?"

"What do I want to do now..?" She repeated the question, looking down to her lap. "I don't know."

The information that the two girls received were basically priceless. After all, their future was on the line, and Eugeo and Alice must be pretty important if the Dark God were specifically targeting them. Plus, the date for when the Eastern Gate would collapse—that could turn the tides of war in their favour. Everyone was in danger, that much they knew, and they could potentially change things…

Medina thought long and hard for a while, closing her eyes.

What do they do now? Lipia, a knight from the enemy's ranks, had just exposed their plans. With this, they could perhaps stop the war from even happening…

No, she shook her head. That was wishful thinking, and knowing the sort of enemy that they were dealing with, there was simply no way that they could just do things peacefully. They would have to fight, no matter what.

Right now, all that mattered was equipping themselves as much as they could so that they could properly face the enemy and prevent as much casualties as they could. That was the least that they could do at this rate, and ending the war as quickly as they could mattered the most.

"…Ah-hah! I got it!" At Medina's sudden outburst, the other two women looked at her, finding a wide smile on her face. "All we need to do is get this information to Centoria! Let's go find Lord Kirito and Lady Quinella, and pass this info to them!"

"…Oh, right! Yeah, that would technically be the best idea there is!" Gasping as she punched her fist into an open palm, Emiya grinned back at her friend. "You're a genius, Medina! It may be a long journey, but it'll be worth it if we can help everyone for this upcoming war!"

"Then the both of you shall go," spoke Lipia, getting their attention. She smiled a sad one towards them, clasping her hands together. "I doubt the knights would be happy to have an enemy stepping foot into their territory. I will be slaughtered first thing I walk past their gates…"

"T-That's… No, that's not how it works!" Surprised by Emiya's sudden defiance, the look of seriousness was certainly new, both to her and her friend. "You probably don't know this, but things have changed! There's no way that they'll just kill you just because you're from the Dark Forces. Well, we don't know, but… You need to come with us. I know they won't just kill you right on the spot."

"And how will I..?" She asked back, closing her eyes. "I am weak, and cannot provide you any help whatsoever. I will merely be a burden to you girls and hold you back. And you will need to protect me from the wild beasts that run amok in the wilderness, and I wouldn't wish that upon you girls…"

Lord Vixur would scorn upon her self-loathing, but she truly regretted the fact that she failed at her one chance to prevent war. Their one, single chance at securing the future that the both of them sought for—a bright future for their children, for the young people…

All of it, gone. All because she had been too weak to do anything back then, because she hadn't properly go in for the kill. She could have done anything, something to fight back and give herself a better fighting chance. She failed.

Emiya and Medina were quiet at first, but the latter broke the silence with a snort. "Seriously? I'd like to believe that you're not that weak," the other woman looked surprised by that, and the redhead allowed herself to smile. "Aren't I right, though? I mean, Emiya's mother told us that your wounds should have caused you to bleed out to death, yet here you are, still breathing. I'd like to think that you're a tough woman."

"Yeah! And you're a Dark Knight, right? That means you know how to fight with swords!" Nodded the silverette, suddenly looking excited. "In fact, if you don't mind, couldn't you teach me a thing or two? I'd love to learn how to fight!"

"She does. Wanted to be a knight since she was a little girl," groaned the red-haired woman in exasperation, her cyan eyes staring at her friend in a deadpanning manner. "I mean, she practically begged her mom to have a sword of her own. And when she didn't, she started taking her mother's sword in secret just to 'have a go at it' during the night!"

Her secret exposed, the silverette's face turned a bright crimson as she glared at her friend, her voice rising in several octaves. "T-That's..! S-Shut up! You promised not to tell anyone!"

"Well, someone was going to find out someday soon! I mean, do you know how loud you are? By the Goddesses, you shout all the time you swing your practice sword!"

"I do that because it's cool! Don't tell me you don't shout anytime you swing your sword!"

"W-Well, that's because it's a necessity, and—"

"Mmf… Hahaha..!"

Their argument is broken by soft laughter, Lipia looked much livelier than she did earlier, colour returning to her face in the process. Although, it was technically at their expense, and the two girls looked down to their feet in shame, faces and ears red.

The Dark Knight looked at them with a small smile on her face, still giggling softly despite it all. And just like, the tension has been thrown out of the window. "Thank you, girls. That was a lovely banter, and I feel better already."

"Glad that you liked it…"

"Yeah…"

Seriously, these two… She liked them already.

"Well, I would be honoured to join in your travels," she says, getting their attention once more. She looked more serious this time, and there was no denying the fact that she was pretty much going all in for this one. "I can no longer pride myself as a knight of my people for fighting for their enemy, but… this is for the greater good. I shall lend you my assistance to the best I could, even in my condition, and I would be happy to teach you anything I know."

"Whoa, really? That's awesome!" Cheered the silverette.

"Still, you won't have to push yourself too much. The three of us will be protecting each other, no matter what," added the redhead.

Her friend nodded in agreement before realizing something. "Oh, right! We forgot to introduce ourselves! I'm Emiya Aegir, but you can just call me Edith."

"Medina Orthinanos. Just Medina is fine," followed up the redhead.

The Dark Knight smiled back at the two girls. They were humans, a part of the Human Realm that Lord Vector and the other races wishes to kill, and yet… well, these two were so wonderful, so friendly, that she was beginning to understand Lord Vixur's desire for peace a little better now.

If the children back home could get to know the nice people here too… what a beautiful future that would be.

"Thank you. Lipia Zancale, a Dark Knight. You may call me Lipia."

Underworld, Dark Territory—14th September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

Walking the dark streets of the city, Vixur felt restless, unable to rid himself of this uneasy feeling that he had inside of himself.

For years, he had desired nothing but peace between his land and that of the humans'. He knew that it wasn't impossible; if they looked past the difference, be it in their origins or physical features, then they were all the same things—they were all people with emotions and dreams.

Perhaps they could come together, someday.

But until then… well, here they are, bloodthirsty and demanding flesh of the enemy.

Vixur did not want that. He did not wish to kill anyone from the Human Realm. He knew that they were just like him, that they were possibly good people as well of whom simply wanted to live out their lives as peacefully as they could.

He, too, wanted that for his own people because, at the end of the day, he wouldn't want his son or daughter to grow up in a world that burns, constantly feeling threatened and having to always look out for himself in case he's in danger.

"Hey, Vixur," he was brought out of his thoughts as he looked to his side, finding Sigurosig gazing into his eyes. He was extremely tall, which isn't so unusual given his race as a giant, requiring the man to move his head up to look into his eyes. "You… seem out of it. What be the cause for your dismay?"

"…Forgive me. I suppose I have been out of it for some time already," sighed the man, trying very hard not to let anything slip out. He couldn't risk worrying any of his comrades, or else morale would be low. Plus, the war would begin two months from now, which was a short time. "I'm just… thinking. About Lord Vector's murderer."

"Ah, yes. They failed," he said simply, unaware of how the man's fist tightened into a ball. "And have been disposed of… You need not worry about that."

"…Right. Of course," there was no way that… no, there just isn't. He refused to believe it. He knew that she was still alive, somewhere out there. "I'm just… afraid that someone else would be foolish enough to try attacking him anytime in the future."

A boldfaced lie that he so dearly hoped could be reality, but he wouldn't wish that upon anyone. After all, judging by how Lord Vector put it, the perpetrator must have been heavily punished, and he didn't dare to think about just what sort of punishment they had been subjected to…

"Worry not, Vixur. Lord Vector is powerful, I can feel it," and the giant walked away, grinning to himself. "He is skilled, and no one will be able to kill him."

That was what Vixur feared.

He gazed up into the dark sky, closing his eyes and praying for his beloved's safety. Wherever she was now, he dearly hoped that she wasn't in any form of danger…

Underworld, Agna Village—21st September, Year 380 in the Time of the Realm of Humanity

An entire week has come and gone, and Lipia took in a deep breath, relishing in the fresh air that enters her. It's cold, refreshing and gentle all at the same time…

She would love to share this fresh air with her people. But first, she had a mission. Once she was done, then she would be able to accomplish what had always been her and Lord Vixur's dream.

"Can… Can we… g-go again..?"

"Hmm? Ah, of course."

Lipia helped her student up onto her feet, and watched with amusement as Emiya patted away the dirt and grass from her tunic. She kicked the ground to get rid as much stone as there were on her boots, and she picked up her sword from the ground once more.

Her training hadn't gone smoothly at first, but the village girl seemed to have an innate affinity for the sword. She wasn't necessarily an expert, but she was certainly getting there, and even Medina had pointed out several times just how good the girl was.

Emiya took their words of advice and compliments to heart, and simply sought to improve herself. So the days passed, and when she had completed every menial task that was on her checklist—she figures that they're menial now, when something such as their future was on the line right now—before joining Lipia for their usual training.

The village folk hadn't been exactly pleased to know that the Dark Knight was up and about already, but with convincing from both Emiya, her mother and Medina, they promised not to disturb the woman if only she promised she wouldn't do anything shady.

So they trained, they ate, they lived together. Medina and Lipia watched as a new swordsman was being trained, and that swordsman—no, swordswoman's name was Emiya Aegir.

"Alright-y then," letting out a soft breath that she hadn't thought she'd been holding in her, she adopted her usual stance and stared at her trainer with fire in her eyes, nothing but determination fuelling her at this point.

Her battle ready stance was often something that Medina and Lipia found themselves intrigued by; she looked as if she were standing straight forwards, only that she had her left leg tugged behind the right one. Her right hand, holding her sword, was folded up towards her chest with the blade itself reversed, and the other hand was open palmed, pointing towards the bottom part of the hilt.

Despite the strange posture, it actually put her at an angle that allowed her to evade hits much more easily, and she was able to move her sword more quickly from different angles to either land a blow or deflect attacks.

It's her strange sword stance that has allowed her to get the upper hand on her several times already, making it hard for her to land a hit unless she really tried hard.

Lipia smiled. She drew forth her sword, a simple broadsword that she borrowed from someone, and pointed it straight before the younger girl.

Their eyes made contact for just a small moment, their bodies feeling tense and relaxed all at the same time—

"Here I come!" Before Emiya made the first move, charging forwards with her sword and making a fast spin by planting her feet in the earth, allowing her to make a horizontal cut across the air and making contact with Lipia's blade. The younger swordsman was much faster, capable of moving again to initiate another attack, this time the slash coming from above her.

The Dark Knight didn't feel much weight behind the attack, so she was still able to easily deflect the attacks. But where Emiya lacked in strength, she made up for it with her ability to chain attacks faster than anyone else can.

'I'll just have to attempt to stumble her again…' The woman thought to herself, but she had to move quickly—it was fascinating to her because, no matter how quickly Emiya moved, she didn't get exhausted very quickly. She must have very high stamina.

Were she in a better condition, Lipia would have been able to strike her blade and disarm her immediately. Sadly, she was still wounded, and had to switch up her tactics.

Lipia simply braced herself and blocked each sword attack before moving in for the kill, swiping her sword across the other girl's chest, leaving just a small gash that was enough to throw her off her guard for a moment, allowing her just the opening she needed.

And Emiya deftly avoids the attack another time, her sword flashing bright and swinging down like a guillotine, Lipia watching as it was about to cut into her shoulder—

*Chsh…*

"…Huh?"

"I… think that's enough."

Confusion of which she couldn't make sense of floods her entire system, blinking in shock at what was going on. She stared at her shoulder, then to the younger girl's sword, then at her face.

She didn't expect her to be smiling.

"What… Why did you stop?" She asked, sheathing her blade.

"Ehh… Well, I'd feel pretty bad if I wounded you back there. You still haven't exactly recovered fully from the ones you have now, so it'd be bad if I struck you down," the girl's nonchalant answer did not put a damper on her smile still. "But thanks for training me, Lipia! That was a lot of fun."

"I… Yes, it was," chuckled the Dark Knight.

Such kindness… She couldn't understand why Lord Vector wants to kill these people. Clearly, he was just blind, some sort of puppeteer of whom she didn't share his ideals.

The younger girl patted her skirt to get some dust off, sighing. The training had gone far better than she could have thought it would, and she knew that she was getting somewhere. That's good! Next time, she'd want to learn a little bit more about «Sacred Arts». That would be really useful.

She had just started thinking about asking Lipia if she could tutor her on that particular subject until she heard their names being called from the distance. Soon enough, red hair peaked out from the vibrant greens.

"Medina?" The youngest girl tilted her head, looking confused. "What's up with you?"

"Emiya, Lipia, I've got good news," she told them, approaching the two while she was busy trying to shake off the leaves from her hair and tunic. "Just earlier, I managed to win a gamble with a guy I know, and he lent me his wagon and horse. We should probably be able to make it to Centoria in, give or take, five days. If the weather's nice and not too many beasts stand in our path, anyways."

"Gamble? That makes me worried… What would you have to do if you lost?" This was hardly new to her, but she got worried all the same.

When asked about that, the redhead simply shot her a nervous look. And, knowing Medina, that was her way of saying that she seriously didn't want to talk about it.

Lipia uncapped her water canteen and drank from it before closing it. "When shall we leave? I believe all of us are ready to leave now, in fact."

"I thought about that, but wouldn't it be better if we left in the dark? We'd lessen the risk of anyone else using the road seeing you. Or, if you'd prefer, you can hide in the back?" Her second suggestion was taken with agreement from the Dark Knight, and she nodded back. "Right. Then we'll leave after lunch. Come on, let's eat already."

They had misjudged the time and the duration of their lunch, and by the time they were done, it was already evening, with Solus beginning to dip past the cliffs. And Lipia watched the phenomenon with every bit of enthusiasm as a young child does, having her breath stolen by the beautiful view.

Granted, she was a resident of the Dark Forces who had never seen the light of Solus before, so she had an excuse. Plus, the girls found it really cute.

Still, they allowed themselves to stay for as long as they wanted to, if only because it helped soothe Lipia's nerves—and she desperately needed this, if only to distract her from all the pain she's gone through.

Emiya deposited the plates and bowls into a large basket, not even bothering to wash them because she just didn't feel like it. She was actually about to go on an adventure, it was crazy!

Sure, that didn't mean she could just ignore these basic tasks, but she was just too excited to care anymore. Plus, she'll make it up to her mother when she gets back by doing her all the favours in the world. That'll definitely do it.

"So, you girls ready?" Asked Lipia, smiling. "I hope you've packed everything already."

"I have! I've already gotten everything that I need. Or, at least I think I need," simple naïveté on her part makes Emiya adorable, and the other two women laugh at her.

"I've put everything we'll need in the wagon, so there's nothing we need to worry about," shrugged Medina, scratching her cheek. "I feel like I'm forgetting something… but I think it's not important, so whatever."

The silence remained for a little longer between the three women as time continues to tick down. And they wonder about a lot of things. And it seemed that at least one of them understood how dire their situation was now.

"Are… Are the both of you truly ready?" Lipia's brows were furrowed and her lips formed a slight frown. It was a sight that was somewhat rare, and the other two girls perked up. "Understand this; we are aiding the Human Realm in the upcoming war. While it may not seem plausible, there is the chance that we may be forced to join the army then. Our days of peace will then be forfeit until we can win this battle."

Right… If they had to fight in this war, then they certainly shouldn't expect much. There was too much at stake here, and they were going to have to give it their all, their lives included.

At best, they make it out with their heads on their shoulders and the future to look forward to. At worst… well, at least the lands will be soaked with their blood, and they return back to Terraria to nourish the soil for the future generations to come.

It was a depressing thought to most, but the two girls had already decided.

"I'm cool with it. Plus, it's what I've wanted my whole life! I'm going."

"And where Emiya's going, I am too."

Lipia finally eased herself, smiling, feeling more relaxed now. How brave these young women are… she never knew she'd meet such comrades as the both of them.

Two simple village girls who helped her to acquaint herself with a peaceful life, something of which she desired for her people back home. She misses home, and these two helped her feel at home.

She supposed… if there were anyone in the world that she wanted to at least fight side by side with, and die with (though she prayed that life wold be kind enough to spare the both of them), it would be these two.

Just before they were about to leave, Emiya's mother showed up. She barely looked any surprised at the fact that they were just leaving, almost as if she had expected this.

"You three are about to go?" She asked.

"Yes, we are. And before we go, I wish to give you my thanks, for treating my wounds and allowing me to stay here with you," Lipia bowed slightly, gently placing her fist to the left of her breast. "I swear to you that, so long as I draw breath, I shall protect your daughters."

"Oh, please, think not about it," chuckled the elderly woman. She then turned her attention towards her surrogate daughter. "Medina. I do hope that you'll take care of these two. Emiya is young, and Lipia's still injured, after all. But take care of yourself too, alright?"

"You got it, ma'am. All my life, I've been fighting, and I won't let my sword skills go to waste," responded the woman with fervour.

The old woman smiled warmly at the two before her attention finally moved to her blood daughter. "Emiya… I wish to give you something first. And you must promise me something."

"What is it?" Asked the girl, blinking. Her mother sounded strangely serious about this, and she wondered what she could be talking about.

Her answer did not come immediately, however, as her mother retreated to her room for something. She returned shortly after, in her hands a sheathed sword.

Emiya gasped, recognizing this sword. She's seen this in her mother's room a couple of times, but she never pressed her mother about it, since she seemed to evasive about it.

"Dark Slash Sword…" The mother muttered the name as if it were a spell, and Emiya swore she heard her voice break a little before it became normal once more. "This was a sword your father crafted for me. The very last gift he gave me before he passed away… and now, I wish to give it to you. Take it with you, and use it to claim our future… Edith."

The younger silverete gasped at the name as her eyes widened at the name before she finally understood, the weight of the situation properly dawning on her as she looked in her mother's eyes.

Medina and Lipia shared glances, confused. Who was Edith? And that sword of hers…

"Understood," they looked back to Emiya—no… Edith, now, conviction oozing out of her and her smile wide and brave. "I'll make you and dad proud. Wait for me, alright, mom? I'll come home someday, and I'll give you back your sword."

The old woman smiled her kind smile once more, her temples wrinkling and her face becoming like crinkled paper. She stared at her daughter's companions, nodding her head slightly. "I wish the three of you a safe journey, and I shall pray to the Goddesses so that you may someday return alive. I'll be waiting here, always."

And with that, together, the three women—Edith, wielder of the sword born out of the darkest shadows, Medina, bearer of the sword of her own, and Lipia, an exiled knight who wished to bring about a bright future for the world—set out on an arduous journey, unknowing of what the future entailed.

But that's a story for another day…

Author's Notes:

Well, that's that. Both this chapter and the previous one are linked, so… yes.

And obviously, these three aren't not going to play a small role in this story, promise. I'm gonna' see if I can make use of these three properly. And yes, I just blatantly changed Emiya's name to Edith because I wanted to be on the same page with everyone else in the room, but don't worry. I'll make up something to compromise.

I'll try, at the very least (OuO').

Now, let's do a small reviewers… what's it called? Reviewing the… reviews?

Whatever. I'll just answer some non-existent questions and have a little fun with things.

First off, to EugeoBestWaifu who suggested that I read the side-story 'If You Were Here', I did! I stumbled upon it while checking out Sword Art Online in Google News one time—I know, that's crazy. But seriously, the story is so cuuute! And now, it's getting a sequel; 'If You Wish It'! I'm hyped for it, that's for sure! Give me Shokugeki no Souma levels of cooking, and I'm sold!

Secondly, to SaintInfernalNeos and DaManWOFear who had suggested that I give the Light Novels a read, well, I did! And hell, I certainly wasn't prepared for two things; that it was going to be so bloody dramatic and heart-wrenching that it was really hard and beautiful to read, and that Kirito was going to be so damn badass! Definitely anticipating the anime—really hoping it will do the entire… 700+ pages the justice it freaking deserves!

Thirdly, ahem. I've still gotta' work the knots with the story, but that's just for you guys to wait for and decide if it's going to be great or not. Things will change, obviously, and I'm definitely looking everywhere for ideas—other people's stories, the side-stories, the light novels themselves, fanart (ooh yeah). No holding back for this one!

Fourthly, I shall repeat yet again; this story is meant to be entirely about Kirito and Quinella, although the few chapters prior and even the ones after this one will heavily indicate that Kirito has a harem. That's… let's face it, Sword Art Online should have 'harem' in its tag. Does it? The anime doesn't, but it is! And I'm just playing with that idea, but don't worry, Kirito does not have a harem… yet.

I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not, but yeah.

Nonetheless, that's it for now. The story's still continuing, and I'm excited to keep writing. See where this story'll go, and just how far I can push my crazy ideas.

Until next time! Hejdå.