"How long can they sit in there? I know this must mean a lot to him, but every second we spend away from Leonster it is at risk of invasion," Finn mutters as he paces around the main hall of Alster Castle.

"Please compose yourself, Finn," August says. "The young lads haven't been in there that long, and this is the first time Leif has ever met any of his blood relatives. Plus, I'm certain Bloom is far from recovering from the battle with Seliph's army. They've earned some precious time to themselves."

Finn sighs. "I suppose you're right. I just want to know what the next objective is. Seliph's army being here changes everything."

After a few more months of defending Leonster, a miracle in the form of Seliph's army arrived to aid Leif's cause. Just as Lewyn had predicted, Seliph's forces managed to drive Bloom's army out of Alster and caused the attacks on Leonster to cease. Leif's army convened with Seliph's in Alster while the two young lords joined each other for a chat within the castle. Although against Finn's wishes, Leif insisted he speak to his cousin alone. The anticipation is taking its toll on Finn.

Finn takes a seat beside August as he continues his painful waiting, until he is interrupted by an unfamiliar voice. "By the Gods, it really is you Finn!?"

Finn looks up to see an imposing man approaching him. The man has brown hair with a thick brown moustache, stands about Finn's height and has a fairly deep voice. Finn noticed behind the man stood another, this one seeming younger than the other and had very long black hair. "Excuse me, do I know you?" Finn asks as he returns to his feet.

"We've both done a whole lot of growing since we last saw each other, but I guess I'd be harder to recognize. It's me, Oifey."

"E-Excuse me?" Finn uttered. He anticipated running into Oifey again once he heard Seliph's army was coming, however he hadn't a clue of what to expect, nor has he had time to really think of what to say with all the constant fighting.

"Pretty hard to believe I had to take to the battlefield isn't it? But I've become fairly capable in my own right," Oifey explains. In the several years Finn and Oifey were apart, the meager tactician has become a fearsome Paladin. "If you don't recognize me, you'll never guess who our other friend back there is?" Oifey says as he turns his head to the man with the long black hair.

"If you're here, then he must be." Finn smirks, "Is that you, Shannan?"

Shannan smiles before approaching the two knights, "It's great to see you again, Finn."

"Heh, starting to feel like a reunion now isn't it?" Oifey chuckles.

A light laugh escapes Finn as well, "It's a real pleasure to see you two again. You've both grown so much." Finn tries to see his two old comrades as the last time he saw them, but can't separate their newfound growth. Oifey was Sigurd's tactician and was deemed ill-suited for combat, while Shannan was merely just a boy when he was rescued by Sigurd and Quan. Finn grew elated at his friend's progress.

"Don't count yourself out now," Shannan adds. "You look a little older but you've got a much more intimidating aura about you now. You're far more threatening now than you were as just Quan's recruit."

Finn never took the time to examine his own progress with all his focus on Leif and Nanna's safety. While he had heard the occasional comment from his comrades, hearing it from someone who knew him during his time in Sigurd's army put things in perspective for him. After everything he had gone through since the fall of Leonster, what kind of knight has he become, and how has it changed him? At the moment, Finn had no answer. "I became what I needed to."

"Hm, I understand," Oifey grew gravely serious. "Given the situation, I couldn't begin to imagine what horrors you and Leif had to deal with for all these years. Shannan and I were both young and inexperienced, but we had each other. Thankfully we had help from Edain, as well as the people of Isaach to rely on. I pray your trials weren't too grueling."

"Everything…" Finn had trouble getting the words out. "…wasn't easy. My only concern was making sure Leif and Nanna were safe. We met some crucial allies over the years, I wasn't alone all the time." Finn's arms grew limp as he began to look towards the floor. Despite being several years since the invasion of Leonster, every moment remained fresh in his mind. Even though he did his best to remain composed, the cracks in his mental armor would often rear their head.

"Finn, take it easy," Shannan places a comforting hand on Finn's shoulder. "We've all had it rough since Belhalla. The empire has been hounding any remnants of Sigurd's army. It's honestly a miracle the three of us are living right now. Even so, all that is going to change. With all of us together, I'm certain we can make a difference!"

"Precisely! I'm looking forward to showing you what we can do, Finn!" Oifey exclaims.

Their kind words did succeed in lifting Finn's spirits, however he couldn't shake the question that still burned within him. "Speaking of which…"

"Hm?" Shannan and Oifey mutter.

"Belhalla. I wasn't there, nor was I in Yied Desert when it happened. I heard some of our old friends survived, would you happen to have any updates on any of them?" Finn asks.

Both their expressions grew grim. "Not a whole lot of good," Shannan states. "Edain is safe back in Isaach. She basically continued her daycare duties while some of the children from the army were growing up."

"However, we heard that Tailtiu was taken from Silessia," Oifey adds.

"What!? Where!?" Finn utters.

"Actually we think somewhere around here," Oifey continues. "Her and Lewyn's son joined our forces back in Isaach, and he gave us that information. Not only that, but since Tailtiu was taken and Lewyn was missing at the time, Erinys took over the crown in Silessia, but we were told she fell to illness. That's about all we know."

"So there really isn't that many of us left, are there?" Finn laments.

"Unfortunately," Shannan mutters.

"Well, I'm guessing that means you don't know about…" Finn struggles to get the words out. "…you know."

Shannan and Oifey both immediately knew who Finn was referring to. "I'm sorry," Oifey says. "Nobody knows what happened to her or where she went. It's an honest mystery."

"Is that so..." With all the changes that have been occurring since Finn left Fiana, Finn's perception of the world outside the Peninsula became much more skewed. Oifey and Shannan building an army, Lewyn being alive, he didn't know what's possible and what's not anymore. He had long since given up hope on ever seeing Silvia again, but every potential seed about what happened to her stirs further confliction within him. Finn became desperate to change the subject. "Well, where's Lewyn? This wouldn't be complete without him."

"Brilliant question," Shannan mutters in annoyance.

"In all honesty, we have no idea where he goes. The only time we see him is when Seliph is around, other than that he's not the easiest man to track down," Oifey explains.

"That's…fairly strange. By the way does he seem somewhat different to you gu-" Finn gets interrupted by the sound of doors opening.

Seliph and Leif, along with Julia, finally emerge from their meeting. The two cousins walk side by side as they rejoin their advisors in Alster Castle's main hall.

"Your Highnesses," August says while getting to his feet. "I hope the two of you had a splendid chat."

"Indeed we did, but we all must get going," Leif replies.

"Shannan, Oifey, we'll take a little more time here to prepare. Once we're ready, we're going to charge into Conote to subdue Bloom," Seliph explains.

"Meanwhile," Leif interjects. "We'll return to Leonster, and then proceed to march into Manster to finally take care of Raydrik," Leif explains to Finn and August.

"Once those are taken care of we'll reconvene in Manster and move on from there," Seliph finishes.

"Excellent plan, Seliph," Oifey shouts.

Finn had only caught a few glimpses of the young lord before he and Leif had their meeting, but he could see now that the rumors about him weren't exaggerated. The fact that he was able to lead a liberation army with their numbers all the way from Isaach to the Thracian Peninsula speaks volumes about the young man's abilities. Finn could see the spirit of Seliph's parents within, same as he could with Leif. There isn't a doubt in Finn's mind that Sigurd would be proud of who his son grew up to be.

After some brief goodbyes, Leif's army gathered outside Alster castle to begin heading back to Leonster.

"I expect to see you all in Manster in one piece," Shannan declares. "That means you too, Finn! I've learned an awful lot I'd like to show you!"

"Same goes for you two," Finn replies with a wave back to his old friends before mounting his horse.

"That Seliph," Leif mutters as his army begins marching away from Alster castle. "He's a real admirable person. He's already done so much."

"Don't sell yourself short, milord," August replies. "You've conquered plenty of hurdles yourself since you left Fiana."

"Yes, but there's still much left to do. Even if we have Leonster back everyone is still in grave danger," Leif continues.

"That may be true, but the fight is not yet over. I'm certain that with the two of you, Leonster will-" August is quickly stopped as his horse accidentally runs into Finn's. "Bah! So sorry about that, Finn."

Finn remains silent as his horse stands still.

"Uh, Finn?" Leif walks over to Finn's horse. "Is everything okay?"

Finn doesn't speak as he continues glaring in the distance. Leif looks in the direction Finn is staring and sees members of Seliph's army going through some training exercises. "Huh, what!?" Finn suddenly mutters with a sudden shake of his head.

"Have you finally returned to us?" August jokingly says.

"You looked a little lost. Do you know anyone else over there?" Leif asks. "Is it that girl?"

"Uh…no," Finn mutters. Finn glances back at the various members of Seliph's army. He wonders how many more children bred from Sigurd's army might be fighting alongside Seliph. Many of the soldiers look around Leif and Seliph's age, around the same age Finn left for Chalphy, too young to be fighting in a large-scale war. However, Finn spots a woman that appears to be the same age as Leif amongst the group of soldiers who doesn't look like any of the other members of the army. She's wearing a dancer's outfit, wore tassels and jewelry on her wrists, and had long green hair tied in a ponytail.

"Are you sure?" Leif asks again. "You know, she's pretty cute."

"Let's go," Finn says, finally getting his horse to move again. "We have a lot of preparations to get through before we head towards Manster. There's no time to waste."

Leif held a bewildered expression as he glances back at the dancer, then back at the rest of his army. Each soldier seems just as confused as he is.

"There's no way," Finn whispers to himself. "There's no way."

"Leif, please hurry," Finn mutters as he knocks a Thracian knight off their wyvern outside of Manster Castle.

Once Leif's army fought their way to Manster Castle, Thracian wyvern knights were soon spotted headed towards the castle with the intent of killing Leif. While Leif and half the army charged into Manster to go after Raydrik, the other half of the army remained to fight off the Thracians.

"Ugh!" Brighton shouts as he throws a hand axe towards a Thracian soldier. "Where is Prince Seliph's army!? These dastards just keep coming!"

"We can't keep them away from the castle forever!" Dean exclaims.

"Did they already conquer Conote?" Ronan asks as he shoots down some wyverns with his arrows. "How much longer until they get here?"

"I don't know!" Finn shouts to his comrades. "Just whatever you do, don't let them near the-" Finn gets cut off when he sees fire magic fly from inside the castle and strike down several Thracians. "What the!?"

"Hey who the-" Ronan mutters as he looks towards the castle. "Oh boy, things just got a whole lot easier!" He shouts as he sees Ced of the Magi Group exit Manster Castle.

"Everyone clear out!" Ced shouts. Finn and the other soldiers quickly disperse before Ced unleashes several bolts of thunder magic above a crowd of wyvern knights. The onslaught of magic proves too much for the Thracians to handle and each surviving Thracian soon retreats south back to their homeland.

"Ced! That was incredible!" One soldier shouts as Leif's army quickly surrounds the young sage.

"Thank you but please!" Ced's demeanor remains manic. "I'm in a hurry! Where is Finn?"

"Hm," Finn mutters after hearing his name. "That'd be me," Finn answers as he gets off of his horse.

"Ah!" Ced rushes to Finn's side, "I'm so glad to finally meet you!"

"Uh," Finn takes a few steps back and raises his hands, quickly growing uncomfortable with Ced's attitude towards him. This is the first time the two had met, but Ced's acting as if he's meeting some famous nobleman. "Likewise. I've heard a lot about you from Asbel, you trained him well. But now isn't the time for introductions. We must go inside and aid Lord Leif!"

"Please! This is important! I'm looking for Bishop Saias, is he still around?" Ced frantically asks.

"Saias?" Finn ponders for a moment. "I believe after speaking to Lord Leif he said he was heading to Bragi Tower."

"How long ago was that? Do you think he's gotten far?"

"It was around when we first reached Manster. It's safe to assume he's long gone from here now. He didn't seem like he was making any stops. I've been to Bragi Tower, it's a long journey from here I assure you," Finn explains.

"Blast!" Ced shouts as he kicks the dirt beneath him. "Had I known he was the Bishop Saias I would have spoke to him when I had the chance."

"Whatever business you have with Saias can it wait until after we deal with Manster?" Finn only became more worried about Leif with each passing second.

"Finn, you're the closest person I have to discuss this with. Can we please chat privately?" Ced became very insistent.

Despite Finn's desire to storm the castle, Ced truly seemed to be pleading for Finn to hear him out. "All of you! Go inside and help Lord Leif!" Finn orders as the rest of the army charge Manster Castle. "Okay what is this about?" Finn asks after releasing an irritated sigh.

"I wanted to speak with Saias because…" Ced seems deeply troubled with each word he speaks. "Because he and I are family, but he doesn't know it."

"Hm? I don't know a thing about Saias's lineage. Karin said you came from Sileese, I couldn't imagine Saias also came from there. But I still don't see what this has to do with me."

"I can explain that. You know the name of the crusader who wielded the Forseti tome right?"

"Of course, his name was also Ced."

"You see…" Ced gulps. "My mother decided to name me Ced despite me not carrying any holy blood. She wanted, to keep people from learning my true heritage."

Finn glares at Ced. He figures Ced isn't telling him this for no reason. The young sage held Finn's full attention. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because I know I could trust you with this information, and because you knew both my parents."

Finn's eyes widen. "Another one?" Finn mutters to himself. Finn puts the pieces together and assumes Ced is also a child born from Sigurd's army. All these youths forced to fight a war their parents and their parent's comrades were unable to finish. All these poor children forced to go on with parents who went through traumatic experiences, if they were still breathing. Finn couldn't help but feel for each and every one of them, no matter how many of them there may be.

"Both my parents fought alongside you and Prince Quan. My mother was Erinys, my father was Azelle of Velthomer."

"Erinys and Azelle's son…" Finn couldn't help but think back to his days at Sailane Castle in Sileese. Remembering everyone in Sigurd's army desperately trying to balance training with raising all the children brought a light smile to his face. "Ah, I remember you. You were born not too long after my daughter. I remember everyone saying how much you resembled your mother, seems that hasn't changed," Finn couldn't help but reminisce. "You have your father's talent with magic, but you definitely have your mother's looks."

"Heh," Ced can't resist a light chuckle at Finn's remark. "That's nice of you to say."

Finn's enjoyment of their moment immediately dissipates once he remembers what Oifey and Shannan told him. The fate of Erinys, as well as no word on Azelle, this must not be easy for the kid. "I'm sorry. Maybe it was insensitive of me to speak about your parents so casually. As well as having familial ties to the emperor, I'm sure this is a touchy subject for you."

"No no. It's actually very comforting hearing about my parents in their youth. That is one of the reasons I wanted to speak with you so badly. My mother told me about all her old allies when she was able too. Once I discovered you were the infamous knight keeping Leif alive through the years, I needed to meet you for myself. Anything you can tell me about my parents would mean the world to me to hear about it." Ced's face lights up the longer he talks about Erinys and Azelle. It warms Finn's soul to see just how much this young man admires his parents. "However, I would like to keep who my father is a secret, at least for now. Hailing from House Velthomer isn't exactly ideal when you're fighting against the empire."

"I understand."

"If we're to become comrades from this point on, I would love to hear all kinds of stories of what my parents were like fighting in Lord Sigurd's army. If you would be kind enough to share them with me."

"It would be my pleasure, Ced," Finn says before getting back on his horse. "Now then, I think we ought too-" Finn stops as he notices an army approaching them from the north. "Is that?" Finn moves to a hill to get a better view as Ced follows. "It is! Seliph's army is arriving! They must have finished off Bloom!"

"They got Bloom!? If that's the case then once all we need to do is get rid of Raydrik. After that Northern Thracia will finally be free of the Empire!" Ced announces excitedly.

"Precisely, this is perfect timing. Raydrik will have no chance against both Leif's and Seliph's forces."

"If only they arrived a little sooner. They could have really helped with all the wyve-" Ced suddenly stops.

"All the what?" Finn asks as he looks back at his new ally who was staring off into the distance.

"Look!" Ced shouts pointing towards the mountains south east of the castle. "There's one more Thracian soldier!"

"What!?" Finn yells before clutching his Brave Lance once more.

"Wait, it's a woman?" Ced says. "And how long has she been sitting up there?"

Finn stood there in silence.

"Was she there when all her allies were retreating? For how long we've been talking you'd think she would have attacked us by now if she was an enemy."

Finn still says nothing.

"Hey, Finn. Are you hearing me?"

"That's impossible."

"What is?"

Finn continues gazing at the female wyvern rider in disbelief until she eventually turns back and flies towards Thracia. He couldn't believe his eyes, but the lance she held looked identical to the Gáe Bolg.