RE: DETERMINED In Another World Chapter 10: Birth of Greed, a re:zero fanfic

RE: DETERMINED

Act 4, Chapter 1 - Birth of Greed (強欲の誕生)

LAST TIME, ON RE: DETERMINED

Later, back in Otto's carriage, Ryu smiled at the sleeping forms of the Arlam kids and Teymin, sitting in the cart with Emilia next to him. Ryu blinked when he felt something grab him and looked over to see Petra attached to his arm. "Uh… Petra? What're you-"

"She had you all to herself earlier!" Petra exclaimed as Ryu felt dread settle into his soul, with sins he didn't even have crawling on his back. Petra then looked over at Emilia, almost as if challenging her. "You don't mind, do you?"

"Um… it's not like that, Petra-chan!" Emilia tried to calm down the girl, who seemed unimpressed. "Ryu and I were… just talking about some important things!"

Petra stuck out her tongue at Emilia, as expected of someone her age. "I'm not gonna lose to you! Do you hear me?!" Emilia seemed briefly alarmed before a more serious expression settled on her face.

"Even if you are a child, I can't take such a rude attitude from you!" Emilia said, as she then grabbed Ryu's other arm, stunning the young man for a moment before he tried to diffuse the situation.

"Hey, Petra! I recommend you rest, so we can get to the next stage of your training with soul magic! I want to see if you can summon your own Familiar, but that kind of training requires you to be well-rested." He began to stoke Petra's hair gently, soothing her as he infused Peace Magic into his touch. "You want to get stronger, right?"

"Yeah! I want to be really strong like you!" Petra cheered, as she then went to go to sleep, with Ryu sighing in relief once she had finally rested. He then looked at Emilia, who still hadn't let go of his other arm.

"Uh, Emilia-"

"You don't control me, Ryu! I'll let go of you when I feel like it! I don't want you running off again!" She retorted, as Ryu just gave in for now since he didn't see too much of an issue with this situation. He then sighed as he leaned back slightly, looking out the carriage.

"Man… I just can't wait to see Rem again. I wonder how she'd react to me being the one to beat a Witch Cult Archbishop singlehandedly!" Ryu laughed slightly, as he then felt Emilia tug at his jacket. "What is it, Emi?"

"Ryu-kun…" She looked at him with confusion, as Ryu's dread only grew. "Who is… Rem?" It took mere moments for Ryu's mind to register the words, and he instantly reacted, horror grasping his soul.

What did she mean, who's Rem? Didn't she know-

Instantly, two headaches struck him, coming and fading just as fast as they came; but Ryu only felt more dread as he tapped into the purified Hate within Crusch to see destruction for a moment, along with a strange man walking over to Crusch's unconscious form… along with Rem on the floor, comatose next to her.

Ryu, in the next few moments, was overtaken by grief… and rage.

"Thank you for the feast!" Rai Batenkaitos, the Sin Archbishop of Gluttony, said as he dropped Rem; having eaten her memories and name. It wasn't filling, but it was most certainly something. He was quite looking forward to meeting that 'Hero' that this now nameless girl mentioned too. Oh well, time to move on. He shifted his gaze to the unconscious Crusch Karsten, walking over as he licked his lips. "More, more, more! I just can't get enough!"

"Get away from them!" Both Rai, and the man accompanying him, Regulus Corneas; Sin Archbishop of Greed, heard as a large wave of red energy came their way. Rai was forced to jump away from Crusch, as the wave narrowly missed Regulus, both stunning and enraging him.

"Who did that? Who dared to not only dare perform a wide-range attack like that to attack someone else but also didn't have the backbone to go through with it?!" Regulus ranted, as he looked around with a furious expression on his face. "That goes against my rights to have a proper fight!"

"I don't give a shit about your rights, Witch Cultists." Ryu hissed, as he walked over to them slowly, his Sword of Determination in hand and a dark red and black aura surrounding him.

"You!" Regulus tried to attack the man with his Authority but was stunned as it was stopped by an invisible forcefield. Ryu finally looked up at the Witch Cultists responsible for his beloved Rem being hurt, his eyes glowing a dark crimson color as he pumped every ounce of Hate that he had control over into his stats, or more specifically; his LV, which jumped straight to 10.

Name: Ryutensei

Soul: Determination/Justice Hybrid (Peace) + HATE

LOVE: 10

HP: 71

Max HP (Current): 71

ATK: 44 (+100)

DEF: 44 (+100)

EXP Value: 1,201

GOLD: 0

Lugunican Currency: 0

Kills: 10 (1 Human, 8 Wolgarm, 1 White Whale [Kill Assist])

Equipment: Aicenfall (Sage's Sword), Alestian Amulet

Traits: Justice, Determination, Bravery, Integrity, (limited) Kindness

Abilities: Black Warp, Peaceful Aura, Alestian Aura, Black Lightning, Pain Resistance. Others locked due to lack of Determination Potency.

Regulus took a step back momentarily, stunned by the aura of malice surrounding this boy, before taking offense to everything about his existence again. "Oi, who said you could come here and start interrupting me! Not only that, you dared to have the audacity to-" Ryu raised a hand and snapped his fingers, not only sending what he saw as an annoying self-absorbed man away but taking half of his power as his own. He forcibly stole half of the man's Corruption, his Authority, and made it his own. He then refocused on Rai.

"Are you the one who ate Rem's memories?" He asked in a deadly calm tone of voice, with Rai having enough sense to be terrified for a while.

"Y-yeah! What of it?" Rai retorted, trying to seem like he wasn't scared of the man in front of him, who was glaring at him with eyes filled with hatred and malicious intent.

"I'm about to make you my bitch, then." Ryu disappeared and reappeared in front of Rai, punching the teenaged Archbishop of Gluttony with a fist coated in Retribution Fire. The young boy rolled on the floor in pain, as Ryu then kicked them. "Come on, I know your sins are now burning away at your face, but you should try putting up some sort of fight!" He kicked at their face, forcing them to face them, as he then picked them up by the scuff of their clothes, glaring at them with nothing but pure hate. "Now, I'm going to have fun making you suffer. No one hurts the ones I love." Ryu then threw the Archbishop into the air, snapping his fingers as Black Warp created a flurry of knives, spears, bones, and other weapons that ground Rai's body into a fine bloody mist. Ryu then snapped his fingers again, as he looked down at Rai, who seemed to still be in shock over dying. "Oh? Did that scare you?" Ryu leaned in, as Rai looked at him in genuine fear. "We've only just begun, freak."

Over the next few days (or at least, to Ryu and Rai, it was days) Ryu tortured the Archbishop of Gluttony. He killed them, torture them, shoved them into their worst fears repeatedly, each time driving Rai more and more insane, to the point the teenage-looking Archbishop barely reacted to anything anymore. Ryu kicked at them, waiting for a reaction. "Come on, don't tell me you've just broken after a week." He scoffed, as the man whimpered in fear. "Man, I've seen some pathetic shit in my past, but you're just something else. Best put you out of your misery." Ryu reached over and grabbed the Archbishop's neck and snapped it with ease, hearing the ding of him gaining another point of LV in the back of his mind. He sighed, using Black Warp to set his LV to lock there, as he didn't want to start losing his mind from excess LV.

Ryu then walked over to Rem's comatose form as time finally resumed for the rest of the world, holding the maid's body close to him as tears formed in his eyes. "Rem… I'll fix this, don't you worry." He whispered, as he held a hand over her comatose body and tried to use Black Warp to-

*Black Warp is unable to restore the existence of Character: 'Rem'.

Ryu's eyes widened before he gritted his teeth. "No! I'm not giving up!"

*Black Warp is unable to restore the existence of Character: 'Rem'.

"Don't give me that crap! Fix her! Fix everything!" Ryu shouted, growing desperate as tears began to fall from his eyes.

*Black Warp is unable to restore the existence of Character: 'Rem'.

"No… please…" Ryu begged the System, the origin of his power. He couldn't lose Rem too. "Please, don't do this!"

*Black Warp is unable to restore the existence of Character: 'Rem'.

"..." Ryu felt multiple emotions at this moment. Hate. Wrath. Guilt. Regret. Sadness. Determination. But one emotion eventually overcame the rest, as he grit his teeth in anger, his eyes glowing brightly. "Rem, I promise… I'm going to find a way to bring you back to me."

He was filled with pure Greed, and his Determination compounded with it to take his newly acquired (read: stolen) Authority of Greed into him.

*New ability acquired: Authority of Greed - "Immutable Love".

Later, Ryu sat in a room, where he silently watched over the sleeping form of Rem. He clenched his fists in anger, feeling nothing but hateful towards himself for being too weak to save the woman who saved him. "Rem… I'm so sorry, Rem…" He silently wept as he held the comatose girl's hand. "I said I'd be a Hero, that I would save everyone… but I wasn't even able to save you. I failed you."

He then felt a change in the air as Puck formed right next to him, looking over in the Great Spirit's direction. "Oh, hey Puck. How are you?" He asked listlessly.

"Wow, you seem pretty unmotivated! I'm surprised to see the one who beat not one, but two Sin Archbishops in the same day act like this." Puck seemed genuinely surprised, as he landed on Ryu's free hand. "But seriously… are you alright?"

"I'll… I'll be fine, Puck." He said, avoiding Puck's gaze entirely.

"Ryu… I don't want to burden you when you have so much responsibility and guilt on your shoulders, but…" Ryu looked at Puck, who smiled sadly. "Take care of Lia for me, okay, oi?" Puck then dispersed, leaving Ryu alone with Rem as he looked at his Interface.

400 times. He had attempted to use Black Warp to bring back Rem 400 times, each time being a failure. He had almost lost all hope in bringing her back… but he knew if he just got stronger. "Determination breaks all laws. It can do anything if you have enough of it." Ryu muttered to himself, trying to keep his spirits up. "Just stay Determined, and everything will turn out fine. I'll save Rem someday, I know it." Ryu sighed, eventually leaving Rem's side, but not before whispering his love to the sleeping girl; hoping she would wake up someday so he could either show or tell her how her Hero was faring.

As he left the room, he encountered Crusch, remembering that he had saved her from having her memories eaten. "So, this is where you were… how is she?" Crusch asked, now wearing casual clothing.

"No changes at all, despite my best efforts. Guess I just have to wait and pray things work out." Ryu sadly smiled, as the Warrior Princess walked over to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly.

"She'll pull through this, Ryu. And so will you, I'm sure of it. Nothing can keep you down for long." Crusch encouraged, as he smiled sadly.

"Right… though you probably didn't come all this way to just tell me that." Ryu realistically thought. "What's going on?"

"Everyone's gathered in the lounge to discuss things. It's about the alliance." Crusch elaborated, as Ryu's gaze hardened.

"The situation has grown quite dire, as you've seen, Ryu-kyun." Felix eventually addressed him, as Ryu had mostly tuned out the conversation since it wasn't directed towards him yet. "With the increase of activity of the Witch Cult, and Crusch-sama being endangered because of it, how can we be sure this Alliance is safe to manage?"

"Felix! We have-" Ryu raised a hand as Crusch was about to admonish the knight, with a calm expression on his face.

"You should know that I was the one who felled the Archbishop who put my Rem into the 'Sleeping Beauty' state, as well as the one who almost stole Crusch's memories," Ryu said, stunning Felix. "I have taken out Sloth and Gluttony, as well as assisted in the felling of the White Whale, all in one day. I even helped in the healing of Crusch, restoring her arm to full functioning condition. I can guarantee that in the condition the Witch Cult comes for the Crusch Camp, I will be on the battlefield to assist you all."

He had successfully stunned everyone in the room into silence, as his red eye gleamed with Determination. Soon, Felix sighed as he saw the resolution in the Prince's eyes. "I suppose when you say it like that, there's nyo way I can turn down the alliance." He then glared at Ryu. "But you better keep your promise, Ryu-kyun!"

"Of course, Felix. I wouldn't dare break a promise." Ryu smiled, as he genuinely refused to break a promise, as after he learned about what happened to his mother; promises became something sacred to him. Emilia then turned to him.

"We should soon rejoin Ram and everyone else at the Sanctuary, and we need to talk things out with Roswaal, too. We should get going." Emilia said, as Ryu slowly nodded. That seemed reasonable enough, he supposed. He then winced as a memory hit him with another headache, the face of Roswaal jumping into his mind, but he seemed younger. Without heterochromia, as he just had blue eyes.

How strange.

"Ryu-kun and Emilia-san, I would gladly host you two again at my home if you ever need me. I have been indebted to you especially, Ryu-kun." Crusch bowed her head, as did Ryu with a smile on his face.

"We do appreciate your kindness, but we should really be getting the villagers home," Emilia said, as Ryu picked up where she left off, as if they were in sync.

"We'll probably come back after we take them all home and talk to Roswaal, get his opinion on things," Ryu stated, as he then reached a hand out to Crusch, which she shook almost immediately. "As for the debt, please forget about that. You and I are on even grounds, after the help you offered with Sloth, as well as giving me Patrasche here." Upon hearing her name, the Ground Dragon rubbed her face against his, causing Ryu to hiss as he stumbled back. "Okay, your scales hurt more than I expected!" Ryu laughed moments later, as did Crusch and Emilia.

"Ryu-kyun, I've settled Rem-chan in! Make sure to keep an eye on her!" Felix said as he popped his head out of the carriage. Ryu nodded in his direction a moment later. "And make sure to let your Gate rest a bit, you nearly burnt it out with how much power you put into it from your soul!"

Yeah, he found out that Determination mixing with his Gates was not a good idea and he should avoid that at all costs. "Yeah, I'll make sure to do that. Don't worry about a thing, Felix." He responded, as Crusch smiled and began to give them some parting words.

"Emilia-san, I wish you good health." Crusch stuck out her hand for the silver-haired girl to shake. "I look forward to seeing you again very soon." Emilia stared at the hand for a moment or two before hesitantly shaking it.

"You too, Crusch-san. Please be well." Emilia responded. "Next time, I'll be someone who won't need saving. I'll become someone who can save others." At her words, Ryu smiled, as he genuinely believed Emilia could do that.

Crusch then shifted her gaze back to him, as Ryu looked at her as well. "Ryu-kun, I wish you all the best in your future. May your journeys be safe, yet as exciting as your journey in the Underground."

Ryu smiled at her as he stuck out his hand again for a final handshake. "Take care of yourself, Crusch. And make sure to keep training with your magic! I want to see the limits of your new Infinity Slash." And with that, they departed, with Ryu climbing into the carriage as he awaited the future ahead of him, hoping and wishing he would be able to reunite with Rem.

As Ryu sat down after closing the curtains so light wouldn't be hitting Rem's face the entire journey, he sighed and summoned a SAVE point and crushed it to reluctantly update his save. He shook off those emotions, as he only let Determination remain, knowing Rem wouldn't want to see him like this. He had to stay strong, if only for Rem. He then blinked as Emilia sat next to him, looking at her in confusion for a moment but shrugging it off quickly. "Ryu… I know you're worried about Rem. She's important to you, isn't she?" She asked, as Ryu slowly nodded.

"She matters so much to me… it hurts to see her like this," Ryu confirmed. "It's a really selfish wish, but I want to find a way to cure the Sleeping Beauty disease… if only just to save her."

"Ryu, it's fine if you are selfish. Remember what you said to me?" Emilia smiled at him kindly. "As long as your intentions are pure, as long as your heart is in the right place, it's fine if you're selfish. You may just want to find a cure so you can help Rem, but if you do find a cure, I just know you'd give it to the rest of the world so the lost can be awakened."

Ryu stared at her silently, before smiling back at her. "Thank you, Emilia." At that moment, Otto opened up the carriage's window and looked in, smiling.

"Did you just say my name?" Otto asked, as Ryu sighed and smiled up at the merchant.

"No, no one said anything related to you, Otto." Ryu then inwardly grinned as he saw a chance to tease the man. "Wait, have you been there this whole time?" He teased.

"Of course I've been here!" Otto replied in half-horror, half-indignance. "You're the one who hired me to work for you, sir!"

"I know, I know! I was just teasing you!" Ryu grinned, as Otto seemed a bit put out. "I'll inform you more about the position and stuff you'll get as my assistant later, but right now, please pay attention to the road. And don't call me sir, just call me Ryu." Ryu then raised a hand, which had a faint blue glow around it. "Now, it's time for you to get to work."

"A-ah, sir, I mean Ryu, please wait-" He was cut off as Ryu telekinetically closed the window. He then looked at Emilia in silence, before they shared a little giggle, finding it somewhat amusing how quickly Otto was dismissed.

"I'm sure you'll find a way to get her back," Emilia said, as Ryu silently smiled sadly at the girl. "I also think you and I are the same in the sense that we act for our own selfish reasons. Like I said, I realize I'm participating in the Royal Selection for selfish reasons."

"I recognize that… but I don't understand what exactly you mean by that," Ryu said in confusion.

"I'm sorry, but… I can't explain it very well." Emilia apologized. "I don't want to hide anything from you, but I'm just unsure of how to put it into words."

"We can figure everything out later then, after we meet up with Roswaal." Ryu calmly put a hand on her shoulder, smiling all the while. "Who knows, he might be able to help me with my current issues!"

"Ryu, we'll be reaching our destination soon, sir!" Otto's voice said from outside the carriage, as Ryu lazily looked over in that direction.

"Hey, didn't I tell you to cut off the 'sir'?!" He demanded the man, who apologized profusely from the outside, causing Ryu to grin. He could see messing around with his new assistant and friend would never get boring.

Once they had arrived back at Arlam, it only took Ryu half a minute to realize something was wrong. He performed a quick pulse to search for the villagers, and only found half of them to be appearing on his soulsight's radar. He was somewhat worried, but he just shook it off and assumed that Ram just hit a delay with returning the villagers to the Sanctuary. "Emi," Ryu turned to the silver-haired girl, as Teymin jumped out of the carriage. "Do you know where this 'Sanctuary' even is?"

Emilia seemed surprised by his question. "Huh? I thought you knew where it was!" Ryu was briefly startled by this, as he realized both he and Emilia were lost when it came to the mysterious Sanctuary's location.

"What even is the Sanctuary?" Ryu asked, deciding to change the subject so he could learn more about the place so he could hopefully find it.

"I'm not exactly sure," Emilia admitted to Ryu's slight disappointment. "Roswaal only said it was like a secret base… and…"

"And?" Ryu raised an eyebrow, as Emilia eventually shook her head.

"Never mind. Forget I said that. I probably should have just asked Roswaal…" Emilia said as she looked down, with Ryu sighing slightly.

"We should head to the mansion, then. Try to search for some clues." He looked over in the villagers' direction, as he wanted to reunite the people with their families. "I've got a new mission: Reunite the villagers. Otto, you're coming with us!"

"R-right!" Otto stammered, obviously terrified of the idea of being sent to Roswaal Manor, but he quickly got over it as he realized it was likely to be the place he would be working at as Ryu's assistant and manager of funds.

"Try to be braver, Otto. There's a difference between fearlessness and bravery. One will get you killed, the other will have a much higher chance of you living. Either physically or in spirit," Ryu advised, as he took carried Rem out of the carriage in a bridal carry. He then looked up at the mansion, smiling slightly. "Just take the carriage and Ground Dragons around the back, and then come meet up with us on the inside. We'll be waiting."

"Of course, Ryu…" Otto sighed as he drove the carriage away, with Ryu taking steps to the mansion's entrance. He then looked at the sleeping girl in his arms, his eyes softening.

"We're back, Rem." He said to the sleeping Oni, still silently wishing that his Determination was as strong as it used to be, where his Dreams could become Reality. If he had that strength, he surely would change Reality to one where his Rem was alive and well. But he had to accept this accursed one for now. He then looked up at the doors to Roswaal Manor, an eyebrow raised. "I don't remember the doors being locked when we left… what's up with that?"

"Beatrice stayed behind, so I don't think we have to worry about anything," Emilia said, as Ryu hummed. That was true. Beatrice was a natural fighter when it came to magic. Heck, she was a freakin' monster too, since she was able to learn every type of Soul Magic he had to offer. Of course, her Determination was purely Spell-based and didn't give her SAVE/LOAD capabilities, but he was still genuinely impressed… and a little scared. "Maybe she'll come for us if we knock."

Ryu laughed slightly at Emilia's words. "Maybe she'll come flying through it, looking for Puck." He joked as Emilia giggled a little in amusement. He then formed a Hate Arm from his back and had it knock on the door, as he waited for the door to open.

"Yes, one moment please," An unfamiliar voice called out, as Ryu briefly panicked, actually thinking someone had broken into the mansion… before the doors were opened by a blonde woman in a maid's uniform, who had curtsied a little before them. "Welcome home, Emilia-sama. Ryu-sama. I have awaited your return."

"Frederica? You've returned?" Emilia asked in surprise, as Ryu took note of that name in the back of his mind. The woman grinned widely, showing sharp teeth that sent shivers down Ryu's spine as he was pretty sure those kind of teeth could shred him to the bone and then some.

"Yes, it is I, Frederic-"

"HOLY FUCKING SHIT THOSE TEETH ARE TERRIFYING!" Ryu heard Shi's voice come out of his Hate Arm, which he had forgotten to retract. His eyes bugged out as he didn't know Shi could communicate through his Hate appendages.

Later, Ryu's ear was being tugged on by Emilia, which genuinely hurt. Why? Because Shi had faded, and since Shi was apart of him, Emilia had decided to punish him for his crude language.

"Allow me to introduce myself," The blonde maid bowed to them, as Emilia eventually let go of Ryu's sore and aching ear. "I am Frederica Baumann. I was employed here in the past."

"Oh… now I think of it, I think I've heard of a past maid who used to work here. You quit for some personal reasons, right?" Ryu asked as he tilted his head to the side slightly.

"Yes, you would be correct. I just needed to take a leave of my own." Frederica confirmed with a smile (thankfully one without her teeth, he didn't need Shi figuring out other ways to mention her, as he put it 'sharp-ass teeth'). "I just returned at Ram's request and found the mansion empty. Fortunately, I found a letter in the master's office that gave me an idea as to what had happened."

"A letter?"

"Why did Ram ask you to come back?" Ryu asked immediately after Emilia, as he had a feeling it could just be so someone would watch over and clean the Mansion, but he wanted to clear all bases.

"When I returned, the kitchen and the trees in the garden were in a desolate state. It was quite awful," Frederica said, clearing Ryu of any suspicions that something else was going on, for now at least.

"It's strange though. Ram always worked hard for us while you were away." Emilia said, allowing Ryu to take note of this information… which temporarily sent Ryu spiraling down a cycle of questions. If Ram was now the one who was diligent and good at everything, then what happened in this new timeline in events? Did he save Ram from the Mabeasts? How did the Night of the Mabeasts even go down? Who was it who gave him his Determination back, to the rest of the world? He shook his head, as he decided to not think about Cause and Effect, since it was a headache. Even for him, someone who was technically a Time Traveler, who was immune to both Fate and the changes of timelines; didn't have the time nor the energy to try and figure out cause and effect. Besides…

Nothing could replace the effect Rem's love had on him. He was sure his bond with her was still there, and that she was the cause of his Determination's return. Nothing would change that.

"I don't know exactly what's going on, but I have a suspicion it has to do with Rem. With her gone from the timeline of events, erased from the world, Ram could only handle things for so long…" Ryu theorized, as Frederica looked in his direction.

"Ryu-sama, would you mind explaining who this girl is? She has a striking resemblance to Ram." Frederica asked, as Ryu dejectedly looked in Rem's direction.

"She's Ram's younger sister, Rem. No one will remember her but me though, because of the effects that came with the Archbishop of Gluttony eating her existence." He smiled sadly up at Frederica. "All you need to know is this. She was Ram's sister, and that she used to work here alongside you and Ram."

"I see…" Frederica put a hand to her chin as she thought. "I wonder how the master and Ram will react once they return."

"I can't get a read on that guy, so I have no idea what he would do in any situation," Ryu muttered, truly perplexed by the nature of Roswaal's existence. He never trusted the man, since he saw how ancient his soul was. It just made him even more uncomfortable when he compared it to the memory of young Roswaal he saw.

"Hey, Frederica, have you heard anything from Roswaal?" Emilia asked the substitute maid, who shook her head.

"I have no way of knowing all that goes in the Master's mind," Frederica said, as she shifted her gaze to look directly at Ryu. "I believe there are only two people in this world he trusts enough for that."

"Two?" Ryu raised an eyebrow in curiosity, as he needed to learn more and more if he wanted to figure out what to do moving forward.

"Ram, and the Great Spirit of this Mansion's Forbidden Library," Frederica elaborated, as Ryu jumped to his feet and immediately disappeared, off to find Beatrice to learn more. "...He's certainly quick on his feet."

Emilia smiled slightly, amused by the sight of Ryu running off. "He is, isn't he?"

Ryu searched the mansion, his eyes closed as he tried to extend his senses to find Beatrice. He was extremely lucky when it came to finding her Library, despite her efforts to block him with her Door Crossing in the past. But ever since then, she seemed much more tolerable and less evasive of him. "Now, let's see here. Which door should I pick…" Ryu randomly reached for a door, opened his eyes, and opened the door to see the vast library before him, with Beatrice sitting on her stool, reading a book per usual. She looked up when she heard the sound of her doors opening, a bored expression on her face.

"I had a feeling you had returned when that potent Mana of yours entered the building, I suppose." Beatrice sighed, as she eventually stood up and put her book away. "What is it that you want, Ryu?"

"Wow, straight to the point, huh Bet?" Ryu hummed, as he closed the door behind him with a faint smile. "How well do you know what Roswaal is thinking?" He asked. At his words, Beatrice seemed somewhat vexed for a moment. "I heard on the grapevine that you know how Roswaal thinks, and right now I think I'll need someone like that."

"Who said-" Beatrice stopped herself. "Ah, it was the half-beast girl who just came back, wasn't it?" Ryu nodded, as she sighed. "There is a bit of accuracy to what you have heard, I suppose." She then pointed at him accusingly. "But my connection with Roswaal has nothing to do with the current circumstances."

"But you stayed here at the mansion by yourself, with not a single countermeasure in place. Hardly sounds like something you'd normally do." Ryu commented.

"I am capable of protecting myself and you know it, I suppose!" Beatrice snapped. "And what do you know of me? We've barely known each other for a month!"

"Huh… and for Roswaal?" Ryu raised an eyebrow, with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't believe he had nothing on his mind at all, I suppose." She answered in her usual manner, with Ryu humming with thought.

"I see. Well, that reminds me. Take a look at this." He drew out Petelgeuse's Gospel, with a grim expression on his face. Beatrice seemed startled to see it for a moment.

"That's… a Gospel…" She then looked up at him with barely repressed rage in her eyes. "Why do you, of all people, have one of those?"

"Spoils of war. It belonged to Geuse." He replied evenly, waiting for a reaction from Beatrice… as she stiffened up and stared up at him with shock in her eyes.

"How… do you know that name? How do you know that name, I suppose?!" Beatrice asked in a frenzied panic, confusion in her eyes as she shot an ice spell at him, which he dodged effortlessly without thinking. He then looked into Beatrice's eyes, with the blonde-haired spirit's eyes widening as she saw Ryu's eyes turn gold. Not just any gold, gold with ice blue specks, which she only remembered in one person. "F-Flugel?"

"Yes, and no. I have a lot of explaining to do, don't I, BB?" He grinned weakly, using his nickname for her, 'BB' or 'Blue Butterfly'.

"So you're… his reincarnation, then?" Beatrice asked hesitantly, as Ryu shook his head.

"More like he was my reincarnation, and my real body was pulled here just about a month ago," Ryu replied. "BB, I know I'm asking a lot of you since I just dropped a bombshell on you, but can you please give me some sort of hint?"

Beatrice stared at him momentarily, before finally responding to his original question. "All the answers you seek lie in the Sanctuary, I suppose." She said as Ryu stood up. "Roswaal's intentions, the meaning of the Gospel, and many more. All of them are there. If you want them, go there." Ryu nodded and was about to leave, but Beatrice called out to him one final time. "F-Flugel!"

"It's Ryu, BB. Flugel was simply the name my mother gave me once my fragment was reborn in this world." Ryu said as he turned to face her. "What is it?"

She seemed as she was about to ask something, reaching out to him, but had stopped herself moments later. She looked down before staring at him with a resolute expression on her face. "Stay safe, Ryu." She said, as Ryu eventually nodded once his confusion faded away, walking off. As he left, Beatrice's eyes finally teared up. "Why? Why did I do that? Why did I freeze up? I should have asked… I should have asked if he was 'them'..." Beatrice wept silently as she hugged her own Book close to her, cursing her own weakness.

"So, you really are allowed to enter Beatrice-sama's forbidden library?" Frederica hummed as she poured him a cup of tea, with Ryu looking up at her with a raised left eyebrow.

"What, you thought I couldn't?" He asked as Frederica smiled.

"Yes, but Emilia-sama informed me of how reliable and tenacious you are, Ryu-sama; and she quite thorough of explaining why, so half of me had high hopes you would be," Frederica admitted, as Emilia immediately grew flustered and turned on Frederica.

"Hey, Frederica! You can't just say things like that!" Emilia said rapidly, as she then turned to Ryu in a panic. "It's not what you think, Ryu-kun! I did tell her about you, but she's exaggerating!"

"No, I heard what you said, too!" Otto piped up, adding his two G to the conversation. "It honestly made me think there was more to your relationship with Ryu-sama."

"Oh?" Ryu tilted his head at a 90-degree angle, genuinely puzzled.

"Forget about it!" Emilia begged, before turning to Frederica with a slight glare. "Can we get back on topic?"

"Yes, yes. Of course." Frederica obliged, smiling out of amusement while also trying to avoid angering Emilia further. "Let's talk things over, shall we? We don't want you stopping at a dead end."

"Dead end?" Ryu asked, confusion visible in his heterochromatic eyes.

"Even if you were able to see Beatrice, whether or not she would answer your questions was an entirely different matter." Emilia elaborated. "Both you and Beatrice can be very stubborn, you know." Ryu sighed at that, an amused and tired smile coming to his face.

"I suppose you'd be right about that, especially after all I taught her," He relented, as he looked up at the girls. "And what else?"

"I want to talk with Roswaal. There's a lot of stuff I want to ask him too." Emilia said. "So I asked Frederica to tell me where the Sanctuary is."

"That so?" He shifted his gaze to the green-eyed maid, as he rested his head against the palm of his hand, leaning against the couch he sat on. "Well, Frederica, where is the Sanctuary?"

"I'm no match for Emilia-sama's persistence, even though I have been told to not disclose more information than necessary…" Frederica sighed slightly. "If I may, I would like to request a little time to prepare things. Shall we say… two days?"

"Hm, I suppose that'd be fine. Otto, you'll be driving us there, right?" Ryu lazily looked over at his new assistant, who seemed somewhat offended.

"Do you even have to ask, Ryu? I'm your employee now! Of course, I'll be driving you there!" Otto replied as Ryu grinned slightly, with Otto realizing Ryu was teasing him again moments later. "Stop that, sir! It's not very nice to mess with me like that!"

"Come on, I should be trying to build up a friendly relationship with my assistant, right? Teasing people is just one way I like to mess with people and befriend 'em!" Ryu cheerfully replied, before refocusing back to the original topic. "Right, just tell us what you can about the Sanctuary."

"Very well," Frederica agreed as she bowed in respect. "What I'm about to tell you is the undisclosed location of the Sanctuary of Clemaldy, and how to enter it. As well as one name you mustn't forget once you arrive there."

"Beware of the one named Garfiel. At the Sanctuary, he will be the one with whom you should exercise the most care."

Frederica's warning echoed in Ryu's mind for a while as he silently kept an eye on Rem, a part of him hoping that the blue-haired Oni girl would wake up. Eventually, he sighed and stood up. "No point in just wallowing around in my own despair," Ryu decided, as he knew Rem would hate to see him like this. He then reached out and gently touched Rem's cheek, a melancholic but loving expression on his face. "I promise, Rem. I'll find a way to cure you, and bring you back into my arms." He swore, before leaving the room.

He paused as he noticed Petra standing in front of him in a maid's uniform, as he remembered that she had recently taken up the job to help around. "Oh, hey Petra," He greeted calmly. "Looks like you're ready for work."

"Yep! I'm all ready for my first day!" Petra cheered. "Have you said your goodbyes to Miss Rem?"

"Yeah, I have. Don't know when I'll be coming back, so I just wanted to see her one final time." Ryu scratched the back of his head, a small grin on his face. "Could you take care of her for me, Petra?" He asked the new maid, as she nodded with a wide grin of her own.

"Of course! I'll watch over her and protect her!" Petra swore, as Ryu laughed and ruffled up Petra's hair a bit.

"Thanks, Petra. You're a good friend." He said, as he then walked off.

"Take care of the mansion for us," Emilia told Frederica as Ryu loaded Teymin up into the carriage. The Wolgarm never liked leaving his side, so he just accepted that and took her everywhere he went. "And Rem, Petra, and Beatrice too."

"You can rely on me, Emilia-sama." Frederica curtsied slightly, as did Petra. "Take care during your travels." She then handed out a strange blue crystal on a necklace. "And take this. It will allow you to get past the barrier in the forest and into the Sanctuary. From there, the Ground Dragons should lead you to the location I described."

"So, that stone is a requirement to get past the barrier, huh?" Ryu muttered as Emilia took the necklace. Ryu then felt a tug on his jacket as Petra offered him a white handkerchief, with his eyes lighting up with recognition. That was an old tradition he read about in his mandatory studies, some kind of prayer for travelers. He stuck out his arm as the girl wrapped it around it, before scurrying off to hide behind Frederica. "Man, you're just gonna drive me insane with this sudden change of attitude, Petra." She was acting far too timid for a Bravery soul, and it was kind of depressing.

"The Lost Forest of Clemaldy grows more dangerous as night approaches, so you should all hurry on now." She said, as Ryu nodded and opened up the carriage. He waited for Emilia to enter before closing the door and sitting down himself, as it was only proper.

"So you're saying Puck isn't showing up?" Ryu raised an eyebrow at what he just heard. "That's definitely strange."

"Yeah… I've called out to him several times already, and I can still feel the link from our contract, but…" Ryu looked to the side as Emilia said this, thinking to what Puck said to him earlier. It couldn't be just a coincidence. "But even still, I'm sure we'll be fine! I still have contracts with Lesser Spirits too, as well as my soul magic!" Emilia summoned her blue Rapier of Integrity into her left hand to demonstrate, as Ryu smiled faintly.

"Right, you've got a point there. We'll be able to protect each other and cover the other's weaknesses." Ryu nodded. "How has your Patience training coming along? Sorry if I haven't been useful on that end."

"It's fine! I've managed to be able to summon one or two threads, but that's about it for now! But I know I can do it, I just need to stay patient I suppose!" She giggled, as Ryu laughed at the indirect joke.

"Hey!" Otto's voice chimed in as he opened up the window panel. "We've made it to the forest!" At his words, both Ryu and Emilia opened the curtains to look outside in curiosity. He stared at the sprawling woods as he felt another headache coming on, but looked away as the feeling faded once he had looked away from the forest. He then noticed Emilia nervously moving her hand around, it was a minuscule movement but Ryu was able to know how she felt almost instinctually due to how long he had known her by now; as well as his Integrity magic allowing him to sense emotions to an extent.

"You're nervous, aren't you, Emi?" He asked as Emilia looked at him in surprise.

"Huh? How could you tell?" She questioned him, as he shrugged.

"Get to know someone well enough and you get to understand them. Train them personally, and you basically know what they're thinking most of the time. I know most of your nervous ticks by now." He replied.

"Ah… well, I'm sorry if I worried you. It's just that when I think that we're about to arrive at the Sanctuary, a village where only demihumans live…" She trailed off, as Ryu looked down.

"Ah, that's my bad. I should have thought of that before saying anything." He sighed. "You're probably wondering about the possibilities of more half-elves existing in the Sanctuary, huh?"

"I've never seen any half-elves other than myself," Emilia agreed. "But maybe… just maybe in the Sanctuary, I…" Emilia was cut off as the crystal necklace Frederica gave her began to shine brightly, startling Ryu and giving him a bad feeling.

"Okay, I feel like something's up with that thing!" He immediately took things into his own hands as he grabbed the object and was about to throw it out the window, but stopped as he heard a thud. He turned his head to see Emilia hit the floor, unconscious, which sent panic flooding into Ryu's soul! "Emi!" He went to help her, but the crystal in his hands shone even brighter as it blinded him, forcing him to lose consciousness.

When Ryu awoke, he found himself standing in the middle of nowhere, in the forests of Clemaldy. He looked around, thoroughly confused, as he tried to figure out where he was. He then heard the ruffling of leaves behind him and turned around to see the figure of a short female wearing a white cloak with pink hair, blue eyes, and pointed ears. "Who are you?" He asked cautiously, but the girl said nothing as she turned around and ran off. Ryu immediately gave chase. He had lost track of the girl, which only made Ryu more confused, as he stopped in front of an old looking building. "Where the hell am I?" He muttered as he walked into the building despite common sense telling him not to. "Is this…?" Ryu's eyes widened as a headache assaulted him, this time so much worse than before. It quickly faded, however, as a female voice echoed around him.

"I see. Is this the root of your desires?" He heard as he turned around, with the world around him warping. Ryu now stood in a large, vast plain as he looked around in confusion. "Oh? You're probably still confused, aren't you?" He heard as he looked to the side to see a familiar figure sitting at a tea table. Echidna. His eyes widened, as Echidna appeared hurt. "Oh, how it hurts to see you be so alarmed to see me! Aren't you happy to be able to see me? I know I'm happy to see you, Flugel." She then smiled. "Or is it Ryu now?"

"Sorry, Echidna, but I really don't care about formalities right now. Or reunions. I'm more focused on trying to just get by." Ryu grinned, though it was a bit more forced than usual. He walked up the hill and sat across from the Witch of Greed. "So, Yamihime, what even is this place?"

"You already remember your old nicknames for me, hm? I suppose this only proved your theory about memories being able to be passed down souls true." Echidna smiled slightly. "As for where you are, I have merely invited you to a tea party. I'm sure you remember how we always had them in the past."

"Now that you mention it… yeah, I do." Ryu agreed as he looked up at the blue skies. He then looked down at the teacups in front of them, an eyebrow raised. "Is this normal tea, or Dona Tea?" He asked as Echidna giggled.

"You know me too well, Ryu-kun. It is in fact, my Dona Tea." She confirmed his suspicions, as Ryu sighed tiredly.

"And I can't act like I haven't drunk some before. Whatever. Bottoms up, then." Ryu said as he downed the cup of tea casually despite knowing what it was. Spend years of your life talking and teaching Echidna about your original world, and you eventually get used to her antics, as well as grow numb to the shock factor of her tea's true ingredients. "Now…. what do you want from me, Dona?" He asked as he put down the teacup.

"Nothing, really. I will admit, I am genuinely happy that I was given a chance to see you again, old friend. But you have come here of your own accord. Your subconscious wanted to come here." Echidna said as she leaned forward. "So the real question is, what do you want? What do you want to know?"

"What do you mean by that?" Ryu asked as Echidna hummed.

"Let us get rid of everything. We don't need this world to converse, now do we?" Echidna said as the world around them began to evaporate and fade away. "All we need are our words, old friend. Let me affirm all the desires, the curiosities, the greed that now lies in your soul… that you seek to satisfy with answers." The world then broke, as an infinite realm that reminded Ryu of the void now surrounded them. "I know you are still slowly regaining your memories, so what would you like to know? Would you like to learn about the Witch of Gluttony, Daphne, who created beasts that defied the will of God to save the world from starvation?" Ryu tilted his head to see a vaguely familiar figure formed by the smoke around them. "About the Witch of Lust, Carmilla, who granted emotions to non-human beings in an attempt to fill the world with love? About the Witch of Wrath, Minerva, who healed people as she stuck them as she lamented the state of a war-torn world? About the Witch of Sloth, Sekhmet, who drove a dragon past the Great Waterfall just for a chance to rest? About the Witch of Pride, Typhon, who, out of youthful innocence and cruelty, judged criminals one after the other? About the Witch of Greed, Echidna, the embodiment of the thirst for knowledge, who has done things she regrets even in the realm of death, all to pursue everything the world has to offer?" Echidna then smiled at him darkly, as Ryu felt like something was off. This wasn't the Echidna he remembered from his fragmented memories. "Or would you like to know about the Witch of Envy, who killed all the other Witches and used them as sustenance while she made the whole world her enemy?"

Echidna's smile then turned somewhat sardonic, as her eyes gave off a sinister glow. "Or would you like to learn about yourself, about Flugel Aicenfall, the Sage who created the Authorities in an effort to rid himself of sin? The Creator of the Modern Witches of Sin?" Huh. When she said it like that, Ryu did sound like a selfish asshole. "The Friend of the Witches, who was the only non-Witch who accompanied them on their meetings and Tea Parties?" The world then returned to normal, as Ryu collapsed into his seat, with headaches panging at his head and his chest clenching up in pain. "Oh? That was far quicker than I thought. Probably unnecessary, but I did want to be sure your resistance was strong enough for the future. Now we can talk at leisure."

"Dona, couldn't you have just told me in advance? If I was anyone else, I probably would be angrily shouting at you right now." Ryu gritted his teeth in pain and annoyance, as Echidna giggled.

"Perhaps, but it's amusing to see you be annoyed with me. It reminds me of our past." Echidna said, as Ryu eventually calmed down, a nostalgic expression on his face.

"Yeah… our past." Echidna was technically the first Witch Ryu met when he was Flugel since she was born one. But she had only gained her title of Greed after she had found and absorbed the Authority of Greed. He, as Flugel, tracked her down and met her on her original home; her floating island. He was originally aiming to take the Authority back so he could seal the Corruption away, but when he saw Echidna's determination to help others, he allowed her to keep it as long as she didn't commit evil. Evil intent would only strengthen the Corruption, after all. Ryu sighed again, as the pain faded. "Just tell me what the purpose of this even was."

"You have killed both the Archbishop of Sloth and an Archbishop of Gluttony, have you not? You even fragmented the Authority of Greed. Now, all three of those Authorities have chosen you as their dwelling, meaning you have new powers your body has forgotten how to use." Echidna explained. "All I did was use my tea to fortify your body and soul, so you can better adapt."

"Hm. I suppose I should be thanking you then." Ryu sighed. It did make sense, ever since his battle with Asriel, his soul's Corruption had disappeared; leaving him without it for what was technically months. Now that he was suddenly reintroducing it into his body, his soul would act adversely unless something helped him adapt, which in this case was Dona's Tea.

"Ah, those words of kindness mean so much to me!" Echidna seemed embarrassed, as she looked away and rested her hand against her head with a faint blush on her cheeks. "It's been so long since we've met, and now you've returned you treat me with just as much, if not more kindness! Truly, our friendship is immutable!" She then turned to face him again with a more genuine smile. "I do wonder what tales you have to tell me, Ryu-kun. Those books you gave me back in the day were certainly interesting, and I know you've had some sort of adventures back 'home' as you'd put it."

"And I will tell you each and every one of them… in the future." Ryu sighed as he got up, to Echidna's surprise. "I've got some stuff to do, Dona, so I can't stay indefinitely, as much as I would love to catch up." He then turned around and was about to take his leave, as Echidna panicked.

"Wait, you can't leave! Not yet! We've only just begun to talk! Come on, I'm the Witch of Greed, I have knowledge people would just dream of acquiring!" Echidna begged, as Ryu stopped and sighed. "Can't you stay a bit longer? We can work together to-"

"Not happening, Dona. There are people I care about who could be in danger. I can't stay." He said to the Witch, who seemed partially dejected and partially stunned. Ryu could sense her disappointment was genuine, as he then turned to face Echidna. "Just give me some time, and I'll visit you soon enough. We can have another Tea Party then, and I'll tell you everything you want to know."

"You ask me… a dead woman, your friend at that… to wait for an unspecified date…" Echidna hid her face in her arms as she faceplanted the table. "You ask me to agree to that if it was just a simple thing…"

"Dona, I swear on my Integrity that I will visit soon." He said, as she then looked up with some hope in her eyes. Ryu had no idea why he was risking his own Integrity, but then again this was one of his oldest friends he was speaking to. "Just stay patient like I know you are, and we'll be chatting away before you know it."

"You better keep that promise, Ryu-kun." Echidna eventually said, as she got up and walked over to him, invading his personal space somewhat. "But you must promise me something in addition to that. You will not tell anyone of what transpired here today."

"Well, might as well double down. I swear on my Integrity that I'll never mention the fact I met you to anyone." He swore though he did feel somewhat uncomfortable from the closeness of Echidna. The Witch of Greed smiled.

"Well then, since you're so adamant on that, I'll send you away with a souvenir." Echidna hummed, as she trailed a hand across his chest. "I will grant you the right to face the Trials of the Sanctuary. You may not understand now, but once you learn where it is, you will realize its worth. I do wonder… what feelings you'll hold towards me when that happens?" She then brought her hand back, as she licked it, as Ryu smiled weakly.

"You've really changed, Dona." He commented as a red gleam appeared in the young woman's eyes.

"Ah, I've only accepted the truth of who I am as a Witch, Ryu-kun. Nothing more, nothing less." She then pressed against his nose, and pushed him into a portal, smiling all the while. "Boop. See you later, Ryu-kun.~"

Warm.

The first thing Ryu felt as he woke up was the warmth of the stone floor beneath him, as he slowly got up. He knew to anyone else it probably would be cold, but then again, it took absolute zero temperatures for him to actually react to the cold. Side-effects of his Ice-element Colorless Magic. He stood up as his eyes shone in the darkness. "I should get going by now…" He muttered, as he made his way out of the Sanctuary. His eyes narrowed, as he remembered what happened in the Tea Party, but also knew he shouldn't mention it if he wanted to keep his Integrity trait. It was his favorite trait, after all, being his mother's. He wasn't going to just throw that away.

He made his way outside and noticed Otto on the floor, stunned and unconscious. "Otto! What happened to you?" He called out as he was about to rush over to them.

"Look at you, just waltzing out of there! You've got some nerve, outsider!" A voice said from behind him, as Ryu instinctually formed a shield behind him and jumped back as a strange teenaged boy punched through said shield. "Well then, looks like we've got a little magician on our hands? What, too scared to fight one-on-one?" The blonde man said as Ryu blinked, staring at him.

"You look a lot like Frederica…" He commented as the man froze up.

"Why the hell did I hear that name come out of your filthy mouth?!" He snapped, as Ryu sighed.

"She gave us directions on how to get here. I'm assuming you're Garfiel." He said as the man nodded with a sharp-toothed grin. He jumped over, as he took a singular sniff at him, making Ryu mildly uncomfortable.

"You've got a powerful scent, but you don't smell entirely human. How curious. I think I'll accompany you and keep an eye on you!" Garfiel declared as Ryu sighed. How annoying.

Now with Garfiel accompanying them, Otto was thoroughly annoyed. "I just got beaten up for nothing… what am I supposed to do with all this excess anger?"

"Use it against me later when we're training, assistant! I'm not gonna let my personal assistant and friend be weak and defenseless! We're gonna work on your strength!" Ryu barked at Otto, leaning against a wall.

"Besides, I already apologized, didn't I?" Garfiel waved him off, as Otto looked at the demihuman with an unimpressed look on his face.

"You call 'hey, sorry, numbskull, I kinda jumped the gun' an apology?!" Otto demanded as Garfiel ignored him outright.

"Anyways, if you would have shown me all this sooner, that would have done it. Could have avoided the entire conflict." Garfiel said as he leaned back. "Gotta act on a ganglion before ya think about it?"

'What is he even on about?' Ryu thought in confusion, as he silently shifted his gaze to Emilia, hoping that whatever happened to Rem somehow didn't get transferred to her. It seemed unlikely and nigh-impossible, but he was paranoid.

"So, I'm guessing by that hair, that's the famous Emilia-sama?" Garfiel said as Ryu nodded slowly. "The silver-haired half-devil that Roswaal's helpin' out." Ryu's eyes flared up with magic as he glared at Garfiel, who grinned. "Oh? You challenging me?"

"Dude, I helped kill the White Whale and have single-handedly killed two Archbishops in the same day. Do you really think I won't beat the shit out of you if you piss me off?" Ryu snapped, his higher LV making him slightly more volatile. Garfiel grinned even wider, seemingly about to reply, but Ryu noticed Emilia slowly awaken and shifted his attention to what was currently more important. "Emi! I'm glad to see you're awake! How are you feeling?" He smiled at her, as she shook her head in confusion.

"Ryu… I'm fine, I think…" She muttered as she seemed half-dazed before her eyes landed on Garfiel and she jumped in front of Ryu in a protective manner, summoning her Rapier. "Who are you?!" She demanded as Ryu felt his heart warm slightly from the scene. Guess Emilia was really serious about the protecting him thing. But he needed to diffuse the situation before things got bad.

Ryu placed a hand on Emilia's shoulder, grabbing her attention as he smiled. "It's fine, Emi. He's not a threat. He's annoying as hell, but he's apparently someone who knows Ram."

"Yeah, I don't want to have to deal with Ram givin' me hell over some random Prince and Princess gettin' hurt, so you two are fine." Garfiel grinned, still laidback and giving Ryu the vibe he didn't believe any of them were threats. Ryu looked into the young man's soul, as he found the bright orange of Bravery in him. Maybe if he figured out if he could trust him, he could train them in the future. He liked their spirit well-enough.

"This is Garfiel," Ryu elaborated at Emilia's confusion, as she dispersed her rapier.

"Garfiel… the one that Frederica told us about?" She asked as Ryu nodded.

"Yeah, and he's helping us find our way to the Sanctuary right now. But just to check one last time, you're not lying about Ram and the remaining villagers being there, right?" Ryu asked Garfiel, as the demihuman boy scoffed.

"If you don't want to believe me, that's fine. Ain't no turning back now, though. We're already way past the barrier." Garfiel grinned in a semi-mischievous manner, as Ryu sighed, his soul's Integrity magic finding no falsehoods in his statement.

"Then… we're in the Sanctuary right now?" Emilia asked as Garfiel laughed.

"C'mon, gimme a break. Didn't you fall asleep because you got close to the barrier?" He said as Ryu shifted his gaze to the man again.

"The barrier?" Emilia muttered before her eyes lit up. "Come to think of it, when the stone glowed..."

"It was at that exact moment." Ryu then looked up at Garfiel after staring at the blue crystal in his hands for a moment. "Why'd it just affect Emilia though?"

"When it's gotta do with you, I have no idea. Your smell is human, but you've got a little extra something in there that makes me think you ain't purely that. You're probably just a type of half-human that people, and the barrier, wouldn't call a true demihuman." Garfiel shrugged. "Don't know for sure, I ain't the type of guy to worry about that crap."

"So… this Sanctuary… is a home for demihumans with mixed blood?" Ryu asked Garfiel again, who nodded.

"You guessed it!" He then shot up to his feet quickly, a wide sharp-toothed grin on his face. "We welcome you Emilia-sama, and your two friends here, too!" Ryu looked out the window after Emilia went to open it, looking upon the Sanctuary's broken down village. "Roswaal likes to go around callin' it the Sanctuary, but it ain't the type of place to deserve such a nice name. Nothin' here but a hodgepodge of nitwits. It's just a dead-end testing ground." Ryu looked around, uncomfortable as he saw the disarray and poor-look of the village. This wasn't right…

"Um, where should…" Otto was trying to look for a place to stop and park the carriage but stopped as the familiar figure of Ram stepped out.

"You're back, huh? Took long enough," Ram abrasively greeted them, her arms crossed over her chest as Ryu jumped out of the panel window, freaking Otto out as he witnessed something that should be physically, magically, and scientifically impossible.

"Oh, hey Ram! What's up!" Ryu greeted as he waved, a large smile on his face.

"I'm disappointed it took you this long to get here, Otuuyr," Ram said in an unimpressed tone that took a bit of the joy out of Ryu.

"Come on, couldn't you try to act like you're happy to see me for once?" Ryu begged his friend, who only turned around and smirked, unbeknownst to him. She then turned around again, shifting to her professional mode.

"Emilia-sama, I welcome you." She respectfully greeted, a stark difference to her greeting to Ryu, which drained further joy from Ryu's soul. "Roswaal-sama is waiting inside. Allow me to show you two the way." She then looked at Garfiel. "Garf, take the Ground Dragon and carriage somewhere suitable."

"Is that any way to treat me?" Garfiel demanded before a smile came to his face just a moment later, giving Ryu mood whiplash as he witnessed this. "That's just how I like it, though! Alright, cabbie, follow me!"

"Are you speaking to me? That's the worst nickname you've given me yet! Also, why do I have to be alone with you?!" Otto complained, as Ryu sighed and turned to Otto with a smile.

"It'll be fine, Otto. If he gets too rough with you, I'll find a way to revive you." He half-joked, though he was quite serious about the reive part since he never wanted to lose a friend after what happened to Rem.

Otto tried to take what he said as a positive as he rolled off with Patrasche and the carriage. He then sighed through his nose, as he then looked over at Ram. The pink-haired Oni seemed startled by the sudden attention. "What is it?" Ram asked, as Ryu slowly smiled.

"Nothing. I was just wondering how you were doing is all. We haven't seen each other since the split between the villagers, y'know?" He laughed nervously, as Ram seemingly accepted that as she smiled genuinely.

"Well, as you can see, I am as lovely and healthy as ever. Suggesting otherwise would be blasphemous and would truly make you the Crimson Dummy." Ram said as Ryu snickered.

"Of course, forgive me for suggesting such a blasphemous idea, Lady Ram." He said, rolling with everything for the time being, as he was amused.

"You are forgiven, Otuuyr. I am a kind and benevolent woman after all." Ram said before she calmed down from her teasing/joking high. "You'll be happy to know that the villagers of Arlam are safe as well. You can finally rest, Dummy."

At that, Ryu released a breath he didn't even know he was holding, a relieved smile on his face. "Thank goodness…" It was one piece of good news after all, after all the doom and gloom of the days previous.

"Hey, Ram, this isn't really a place to stand around and talk." Emilia piped up, catching Ram's attention. "Would you show us inside?"

"Certainly," Ram said, as she bowed to Emilia. "Follow me." She then led the way inside, as Ryu, Emilia, and Teymin followed close behind.

"Ah, Emilia-sama and Ryu-sama, it feels like it's been so very long since I've last seen you. Especially you, Ryu-sama," Roswaal said, as Ryu stared at the bandaged form of the Lord of Roswaal Manor and the Mathers Domain. Teymin had fallen asleep already, curled up in the corner.

"What the hell happened to you?" Ryu asked, a genuinely concerned expression on his face. He didn't trust the Lord very much, but this was slightly concerning.

"What could have hurt you so badly?" Emilia said just about the same time as him, while Roswaal laid back down on his bed.

"Well, now, where would I begiiiiin?"

"Actually, scratch that, I don't care anymore." Ryu cut in, now just annoyed by the man's extended vowels. He remembered why he didn't talk with Roswaal much now.

"Roswaal, what is this place?" Emilia asked. "Since we got here… no, since we made contact with the barrier, I've had this anxious feeling in my chest, and I can't relax. I've heard this place be called the Sanctuary, but it doesn't seem to be like one to me at all. In fact, it seems more like…"

"The Witch's Graveyard?" Roswaal finished for her, a smirk on his face that caused Ryu's eyes to widen slightly. "It seems far more fitting to call it that, wouldn't you say?"

"W-what do you mean?" Emilia asked, as Roswaal's smirk never left his face.

"Exactly what I said. Nothing more, nothing less." Roswaal seemed like if he could, he would shrug right now. "This is where the Witch of Greed, Echidna, met her end long ago, and in my mind, it is worth calling a 'Sanctuary'."

"Okay, but why? Why oversee a place with such a backstory?" He asked curiously, trying to confirm his suspicions.

"It's quite simple," Roswaal began. "This land has been overseen by the heads of the Mathers family for generations." Well, that almost confirmed Ryu's suspicions. From Roswaal's explanation, to his ancient soul, to the memory he saw of a young Roswaal. Everything matched up in his mind. But he knew he couldn't call him out on that, that would just be a dumb move.

"Then the Mathers family and the Witch of Greed have-" Emilia tried to say, but Roswaal immediately interrupted her.

"Echidna," He cut in, straining the name of the Witch of Greed as Emilia looked on in confusion. "Please, when you speak of her, do use her name!" Roswaal smiled. "The name 'Witch of Greed' makes her sound so… evil. That's not very nice, is it?"

"Then… the Mathers family and Echidna have been acquainted for a long time," That was an understatement if his theory was true. "And that's why they've always overseen this place?"

"Yes, but 'oversee' is a bit of an exaggeration," Roswaal said. "Echidna's barrier prevents entry by outsiders that fail to follow the forest's proper procedure. In addition, the barrier has certain effects on those whose blood meets certain conditions. Did you not experience this yourself, Emilia-sama?" Roswaal looked directly at the silver-haired girl, who looked down slightly.

"Okay, I know I said I didn't care anymore, but I really gotta know how you got into that state." Ryu sighed, crossing his arms over his chest. At that Roswaal sighed.

"Do you not find it strange at all, Emilia-sama?" Ram said, grabbing both Emilia and Ryu's attention. "That all the who fled to the Sanctuary, as well as Roswaal-sama and myself, stayed here and didn't return to the mansion?"

"So you stayed because you're hurt?" Ryu raised an eyebrow, as Roswaal smiled slightly.

"We are all being held under house arrest here in the Sanctuary," he said, as Ryu's eyes widened in confusion. That was new. "Myself, Ram, and the people of Arlam. Plus you two, from the moment you entered here." From behind them, the door opened up as Ryu turned to look at Garfiel.

"The hell? You guys are still flappin' your gums in here?" He rudely asked, a bored look on his face.

"If this is true… if we're on house arrest, then Roswaal's injuries…" Emilia began, as Garfiel grinned.

"Nah, he just got hurt because he was rejected by the Trial." Garfiel denied, partially amused. "You've seen what happens to those who come into contact with the barrier. Mixed-bloods who go through that and still come here are never allowed to leave." Now that sounded eerily familiar to Ryu…

"This is the barrier," The tall form of the King of Monsters said to Ryu in his deep-toned voice. "This is what keeps us all trapped underground. If… if by chance you have any unfinished business, please do what you must."

Ryu shook off that mini-flashback, internally hoping this barrier didn't require the souls of seven human children to break. "Wait… that would include Emilia too, right?"

"Maybe you too, albino." Garfiel shrugged. "You're an anomaly when it comes to your humanity. Whether you can leave or not is a mystery. But I can say one thing…" He gave Ryu a wide, threatening grin. "I sure as hell won't let you leave without a fight, even if you can go!"

Emilia seemed somewhat startled by the thought of being unable to ever leave, but Ryu… meh, he had already dealt with one Barrier in the past. What was another? "The barrier doesn't mean squat to most people," Garfiel continued. "Doesn't that seem a bit unfair, Emilia-sama? Anyways, the only way to break the barrier is to go through the Graveyard's trial, but if anyone who isn't a mixed-blood tries it…" He left that threat hanging as Ryu's eyes narrowed. "All the villagers are gathered up in one place. So long as no one acts up, we won't hurt 'em. We even give 'em three meals and a nap every day!" He then grew serious, as Ryu was barely able to keep himself from showing his anger. "This is our demand. Break the barrier surrounding this Sanctuary. The only one allowed to do so is you." He pointed at Emilia before he paused and turned to Ryu with a grin. "As for you, I'm feelin' a bit generous. You get one shot at the trial if it accepts you, but if you fail, you ain't gettin' a second chance."

"And what brought that on?" Ryu raised an eyebrow, as Garfiel laughed.

"You're half-human, yet you're not a demihuman. I want to understand you a bit more. But remember, if you fail, that's on you. Who knows what might happen to the villagers?" Garfiel said, as Ryu grit his teeth at the threat towards the people he had grown to care about. He really didn't like Garfiel right now.

Ryu managed to find his way to where the villagers were being kept and opened the doors, as he looked in to find the other half of Arlam's population. They all looked up and got to their feet as fast as they could as they smiled. "Ryu-sama! You've returned!"

"Thank goodness you're safe!" Ryu smiled back at the kind words of the people, the ones he saw as good friends and almost like an extended family.

"I'm glad to see you're all doing okay!" He greeted them.

"Are the others alright?" A villager asked as he nodded in their direction, ridding them of their worries.

"Is the Lord recovering from his injuries alright? I heard he got hurt trying to help us!"

"We're truly relieved!"

"Alright everyone, listen up!" Ryu called out, as the villagers all stopped talking to give him their full attention. "I'll you know, we got rid of the bad guy who attacked the village. In fact, I killed him with my own hands." The villagers seemed happy to hear that, as they all cheered for him, making him feel somewhat embarrassed by the praise. "But I've also got some more depressing news. Your families are waiting for you back at the village." At that, the villagers calmed down and seemed a bit more dejected. "By your faces, it seems you've been informed of the difficulty of leaving this place. But do not fret! We have someone who will enter the trial to set you free!"

"You mean…?"

"Are you going to do it, Ryu-sama?"

"While I could, I'd only get one shot apparently, and if I failed I'd be putting you guys at risk," Ryu said as he shook his head. "But I know someone who can do it, I believe she can. Plus, she doesn't have a limit or a clause hanging over her head." He stepped aside as Emilia made her way in, as Ryu motioned in her direction. "I'm sure you know who she is. She is my running-mate in the Royal Selection, Emilia. She will be undergoing the trial for you all."

"I-I'm sorry you had to wait so long," Emilia stammered out of nervousness, as the villagers whispered amongst themselves. "In the place of your domain lord, Roswaal L. Mathers, I will undergo the trial! I would appreciate the support!" She bowed towards the villagers, as they stared at her in silence. Ryu could see the nervous shaking in Emilia's hands again, but didn't comment on it since right now she was in the middle of something. He couldn't ruin it right now.

"Let me ask you just one thing," The voice of the old village chief said as she walked out of the crowd, with people stepping aside as she made her way through. "Why do this? You bowed your head to us the last time you saw us, too, but we were the ones who turned you away. If it's because you want us to back you in the Royal Selection, that's just fine as long as you come out and say so." The chief then opened her eyes as she looked directly at Emilia. "But if you have some other reason, we would like to know… that you are not a witch who is beyond our comprehension."

Emilia silently looked at Ryu nervously, as the Prince only smiled at her and nodded. A faint blush appeared on her face, before she turned to the villagers with a more determined expression on her face. "I don't have the confidence to give you a respectable answer right now. I don't have any strong, convincing words that would satisfy all of you. But… though it wasn't long, I have spent a few days with your families, the ones who aren't here right now. And it made me realize…" Emilia looked down, grabbing the green crystal that Puck usually resided in. "That families should be together. I want to return you to your families. I didn't promise them that I'd do so, but I promised myself. That is my only reason. I wasn't really thinking of earning your support or anything. But if possible, I'd like to… um… be friends with you all! That's all I want!" Emilia smiled, as Ryu smiled from behind her, quite proud of how far his friend and running-mate had come.

"Emilia-sama…" The village chief began, as Emilia looked at them, somewhat startled. "I realize this will sound like we only care about what benefits us, but… I pray you accept our friendship." The villagers bowed to her en masse, as Emilia was surprised for a moment before bowing back.

"I- I should ask the same! I know I'm not worthy, but please accept my friendship!" Emilia begged as Ryu sighed.

'Emi really says a lot of olden day stuff no one uses anymore, doesn't she,' He thought amusedly, as he made his way out of the building, where Ram stopped him by speaking up.

"Emilia-sama… seems to have changed quite a bit," Ram commented, as she shifted her gaze from the building to the Prince. "Is it because of something you said to her?"

"Don't just automatically assume that, Ram. This was all of her own resolve. I'm not gonna claim any of Emilia's achievements as my own." Ryu shook his head with a smile.

"I suppose you're right… for once," Ram said, taking a final jab at him, with Ryu smiling wider. He had learned to get used to Ram's insults and jabs, knowing they weren't actually coming from anywhere malicious.

It was now night, and Ryu was waiting for Emilia to finish talking to the Lesser Spirits so she could go along with the Trial. Eventually, the lights faded as she lowered her hands, causing Ryu to speak up. "You got enough encouragement from the Spirits?" He asked as she nodded.

"Yes, but I would like a little encouragement from you too, Ryu-kun." She said as Ryu hummed.

"Alright then." He closed his eyes, as a faint red aura surrounded him, and then moments later a blue one surrounded Emilia. "May the Delta Rune guide you, and may Determination give you strength." He performed a small prayer for her, as he then opened his eyes with an amused expression on his face. "I haven't prayed to the Angel's Heaven or anything in general in a long time, so consider this a special occasion."

Emilia giggled as the auras around them faded. "I thank you for the support anyway, Ryu-kun." She then made her way to Echidna's Tomb, as it began to glow brightly, accepting her presence.

"That means she's been accepted as a qualified challenger in the trial," Garfiel commented, pointing out what Ryu already knew, but Ryu wisely didn't mention that.

"I'm going now!" Emilia announced as she made her way in, with Ryu looking at Garfiel.

"I know this situation and all sucks, but I wonder… why haven't you done anything to complete the Trial yourself?" He asked curiously, as Garfiel grit his sharp teeth together in frustration.

"If I could, I would, damnit," Garfiel said, as Ryu took that as a note that he couldn't complete or enter the Trial for some reason. The lights in the Tomb then went dark, as Ryu felt a bit worried.

"Is that supposed to happen?" He asked Garfiel, hoping Emilia was fine in there.

"The light's not supposed to go out as long as the trial's going on…" Garfiel muttered in disbelief, as Ryu's eyes widened. He then rushed towards the Tomb, determined to find Emilia. "Hey, wait a second, albino-hair!"

The red and white-haired teen then noticed the Tomb glow, as did Ram and Garfiel, who stared in shock. "You all stay back! If I need you, I'll call for you!" He yelled, as he then rushed through the glowing halls of Echidna's Tomb, finding an opened door. He walked through and found Emilia, unconscious on the floor as he reached out to her, but then…

"First, you must face your own past."

Ryu blacked out before he could even reach her.

Ryu slowly awoke in his room, his head aching and his eyes stinging as he looked around the lavish and wide-open space of his room. Armor stands, weapons of all kinds, and bookshelves lined with hundreds of history books and Magic books surrounded him. He slowly got up, still confused and dazed, before a lightning bolt struck just outside his room and made him jump about a meter into the air. Once the fear had left, he heard the boisterous and loud laughter of his father, Shinra Shock.

The King of the Lost Isles laughed at his son's misfortune, a wide grin on his face as he looked at Ryu with his green eyes. "Good morning, son of mine! We have a whole new day ahead of us, so you better get ready for chaos!" Shinra said as Ryu stared at the man. "Oi, come on, don't ignore me! Get up!" Shinra snapped his fingers, as Ryu jumped into the air again and landed on his face. He then shot to his feet and snapped at his father, now quite vexed.

"Oi, oi! Why the hell are you spamming lightning attacks in the house, dad?! Do you want mom to kill us?" He demanded as the man stopped.

"Oh. That's a good point." Shinra admitted after a few moments of silence. "We should probably hide."

"It's breakfast time, mom will find us, dad. We'd just be prolonging the inevitable." Ryu replied as he waved his dad out of his room. "Besides, you're her husband. You handle mom, I need to get ready for the day."

"But-" Ryu then silently closed the door on the man and sighed, turning to his mirror as he stared back at his 12-year old reflection and smiled. "Just a few weeks left, until mom takes me to Alestia…" He muttered to himself as he got himself dressed in his royal robes, which consisted of colors related to his trait. Reds, yellows, and purples to compliment the factors of the Soul of Peace. He then made his way out of his room, where he immediately bumped into his mother, Emily Henderson.

The Queen of the Lost Isles and Empress of the Alestian Empire smiled at him, her violet eyes glowing faintly. "Good morning, son. I just heard some thunder and lightning today, and I'm wondering if you might know who caused it?"

"Dad did it," Ryu said instantly, as Emily's smile turned a bit more forced for a moment.

"Ah, thank you for telling me, son. I know I can always trust you." Emily said as she ruffled up the boy's head with a smile. "I know, what kind of cake do you want for your birthday?"

"Red velvet," Ryu answered after a moment, as Emily giggled softly.

"Changing things up, are we son? Well, I'll make sure your birthday cake is the best red velvet cake the Kingdom has to offer." Emily promised him, as she kissed his forehead and took his hand, leading him to the banquet hall.

He sat next to his older brother Blaze, who greeted him with a light punch on the arm. The young Prince winced, but then smiled and punched them back, causing enough damage to annoy his elder brother. "Looks like you're still salty over last night." He joked.

Blaze frowned briefly as he bit into his scrambled eggs. "Shut up, I'm not salty."

"Are you sure…?" Ryu's grin never faded.

"SHUT UP RYUUTO, YOU WIN ONCE AND YOU ACT LIKE YOU'VE WON IT ALL!" Blaze shouted as Ryu looked at him knowingly, leaning into his chair.

"I do though, don't I? Hard to beat me when you have a simple Bravery trait now that I have my Determination unlocked." Those words caused Blaze to simmer down and pout.

"You didn't have to be so cold about it…" The flame-haired teen muttered.

Ryu heard chuckling come from the other side of the table and looked up to see his father laughing at both of his sons with amusement in his forest-green eyes. "You two will always amuse me with this rivalry of yours. Though I am hoping Blaze wins again one day."

"Are you kidding me Shinra?" Emily looked at her husband; equally amused as she raised an eyebrow. "I'm on my little dragon's side, he'll always win with that Determination of his, and I'll always win the bets as long as that continues."

"You two are betting on our spars?" Both Blaze and Ryu said simultaneously, blinking in confusion.

Both Shinra and Emily looked away, whistling innocently as they blatantly ignored the question altogether. Ryu sighed, as he looked at Blaze. "We should schedule our spars in secret from now on." He said to the older teen, who nodded in agreement.

"Agreed, little brother. Mother and father don't need to be betting on our spars, that's just going to change rivalry to something far more toxic." Blaze said as Emily sighed.

"It's not my fault! Your father kept pestering me about it, and I eventually caved in! Don't blame me!" Their mother admitted, as Ryu and Blaze simultaneously glared at Shinra.

"Hey, hey! What's with the sudden hostility! Come on, let's just eat breakfast like a normal family!" Shinra laughed nervously, as Ryu rolled his eyes and took a bite of his own plate's food, and froze. He then looked up at Blaze with an unreadable expression, as did Emily and Shinra.

"Brother, did you cook today?" He asked Blaze, who nodded without a care in the world as he continued to eat.

"Mhm! I bet everything tastes great!" Blaze confidently grinned at them, before noticing their emotionless faces. "Uh… guys? What's wrong-" Ryu instantly pounced onto Blaze as he began to tug on the older teen's leg, bringing pain to him as Ryu had more strength than any normal 12-year-old should. "OW OW OW OW OW! LET GO OF MEEEE!" Blaze hissed, as he grabbed Ryu's arm, burning him with his own magic. Ryu flinched from the heat of Blaze's Fire Magic, giving Blaze a chance to turn the tables on him as he pinned down Ryu. "Now I've gotcha!"

"No, I've got you!" Ryu grinned as he breathed out some cold misty air at Blaze, which caused him to stagger briefly. He then ignited fire in his palms as Ryu flooded his body with ice magic, with the brothers charging at each-

"That's enough," Emily cut in, snapping her fingers as both were sent back to their seats and their magic disabled by Emily's Aura. Blaze crossed his arms and grunted.

"Using your Aura, that's unfair, mother." He said as he returned to eating his food. Emily sighed, as she waved a hand over the food prepared, changing them to their non-spicy variants for herself, Shinra, and Ryu. The non-spice addicts then began to actually eat breakfast, as Ryu eventually looked up at Emily.

"Mom, when will I unlock my Aura?" He asked her, as the Queen wiped at her mouth before replying.

"When you and I visit Alestia when you're 13, you will undergo a ritual to unlock your Alestian Aura. As a half-breed, you need to manually unlock it by receiving the Treasure of the Alestians, the Alestian Amulet." She said, as she then stood up and flicked back her hair. "I have work to do, so I'll be in my room for most of the day."

"You mean our room, Lils," Shinra said, as Emily looked at her husband with an unamused expression.

"You know what I meant, Shinra. No need to elaborate." She said, as Shinra laughed and shrugged. Emily then sighed and walked over to both Blaze and Ryu, unlocking their magic again. "Remember, no fighting aside of spars. As for you, Ryu, I think you have somewhere to be."

His eyes widened at that, recognizing his mother's words to be true. He had a meeting with his Aunt Rin to attend to, more training! He shot up to his feet instantly. "Thanks for reminding me, Queen Mom!" He said, to his mother's amusement. He kissed his mother and father on their cheeks and gave Blaze a tight hug before running off to reunite with his aunt, the retired knight, and a Princess of the family bloodline (though she didn't care for that last bit).

Ryu dodged a flurry of whitish-blue strings as his Aunt Rin trained him. She was a few dozen meters away from him and was casually moving her hands around, where strings were emitted. Despite her uninterested look, Rin was giving her nephew a hard time dodging. That was where her experience as a fighter shone brightest, as she was not only stronger than Ryu despite him having Determination infused into his soul, but she was also much more experienced and knew what she was doing. She made a heavy pull to the right, as a string grabbed Ryu's leg and tugged him in her direction, where she proceeded to punch him right into the floor; cracking it heavily beneath her feet and causing an explosion. "...We really need to work on your reaction times." She said in a neutral tone of voice, as Ryu slowly got to his feet, determination shining in his eyes.

"Don't count me out yet, Aunt Rin! I can do this!" He said, as the elder knight/Mage sighed and motioned for him to come at her. She knew Ryu was a prodigy when it came to battle, as he always got stronger when he was damaged or put down, though the strength boost was only temporary. She shot her strings at the boy again, as he spun around and summoned a blue Cutlass of Integrity into his hand, slicing at the strings as he narrowly evaded her strings. Ryu winced or hissed when a string got past his defenses and grazed him, but otherwise, he kept pushing. Rin was forced to side-step once he got too close to her, wrapping one of her strings around Ryu's waist and flinging him into the air. She then casually brought down the strings, slamming Ryu back into the floor, leaving a large crater. "Ow! Don't you know how to hold back? I'm only 12!" Ryu hissed as he got up, with Rin crossing her arms over her chest, her cyan and white clothes blowing in the wind, along with her white hair.

"Do you really think your enemies will hold back against you, Chīsairyu (Little Dragon)?" Rin said as she raised a delicate eyebrow. "You gotta learn to be strong young, kiddo! You're the son of Shinra Shock and Emily Henderson, the strongest couple in the Kingdom! Heck, your brother managed to tame the flames of the old mad God, Mirakn!"

"I know…"

"Plus, you're the Soul of Peace! The heir of the Founder! The Chosen One prophesied by the First Queen, Ami Frost!" Rin continued, unnoticing of Ryu's fragile mental state.

"I KNOW, ALRIGHT?" Ryu snapped, as Rin looked up at him in surprise, with Ryu getting up with a furious expression on his face. "I know about all the expectations everyone has for me! I'm trying my best, okay? I want to be just as amazing as Granny Ami said I would be, but I'm still a kid! Don't just force these ideas onto me!"

"Ryu…" Rin's eyes widened as she realized her mistake, on how much stress she might have put upon her beloved nephew. When Ryu summoned his true weapon, a red and yellow colored staff with a golden spearpoint-like diamond at the end of it. The Staff of Peace, she moved out of the way of his attack with ease, wrapped her hands in Patience strings, and grabbed the Staff. She then turned the blunt end to Ryu and smacked it into his stomach, as Ryu fell to his knees, coughing from the impact. "Why didn't you just tell me? Tell us?"

"...I didn't want you to think I was weak or anything…" Ryu admitted after a moment, looking to the side. Rin sighed, as she dropped Ryu's staff, which dispersed on impact with the floor. She then stuck out her hand for Ryu to take, as he hesitantly did so.

"Y'know what Ryu? We're on break for the rest of the day. Come with me." Rin said as she led the boy away with her, into the main part of the kingdom. "...Tell me, what's your favorite ice cream flavor?"

"My favorite? Uh, Neapolitan, I suppose?" He replied as Rin hummed. "Why'd you ask?"

"No reason, I suppose." Rin smiled teasingly, as she led him along. The people of the kingdom greeted the older Princess and Ryu, as they both waved around. "Don't you see Ryu, none of the people have any expectations for you. They're just happy to see you."

"I… I suppose… but what does this have to do with anything?" Ryu asked her. "When I grow up, they'll obviously start measuring me up to Granny…"

"I wouldn't think so… everyone here admires you, Ryu… but they don't want to pressure you to become someone you aren't," Rin said, as Ryu looked up at her in shock. "Not me, not your brother, not your parents… and definitely not the people of the Lost Isles. We all just want to see you become the best you that you can be. You have infinite potential, and all we want is for you to reach it. The Prophecy that Granny Ami made didn't say you were supposed to be the best King or Soldier or any of that." Rin stopped walking and looked at Ryu, kneeling in front of him with a loving smile on her face. "You can become whatever you want to be. As long as you give it your all, and you're happy… then we're happy." Ryu was unable to stop crying as Rin hugged him, as he felt like a large weight was just pulled off of his shoulders. The former knight hushed him softly as she patiently waited for him to let out all his emotions, hugging him tighter before gently kissing his forehead. "I know you can do anything, Ryu. You'll do amazing at whatever you choose to do with your life." Once they released the hug, Ryu was wiping his tears away on his sleeve, sniffling as he laughed slightly.

"T-thank you, Auntie…" He said as Rin stared at him in surprise as she didn't hear him call her that since he was five years old. She then smiled back, as she felt her heart warmed.

"Of course, Chīsairyu. Anytime," She whispered to him, as she then walked off with him. They walked in silence, as Ryu genuinely smiled for the first time in… well, years. He felt like he didn't have to work to please anyone else but himself. Rin noticed as she smiled as well, as Ryu's joy was contagious. "...Hey, Ryu… tell me, is there a girl you like?" Rin randomly asked as Ryu's eyes widened. A headache assaulted him before he looked to the side, where he saw a vaguely familiar figure. The girl had blue hair and blue eyes, wearing a traditional maid's uniform. He blankly stared at her, wondering who she was.

"My hero is the best in the world!" The voice said to him. "When no one else in the world believes in you, when you don't even believe yourself… I will believe! I will believe that the Ryu that saved me… is a True Hero."

Visions flooded Ryu's mind, no, memories. Tears almost formed in his eyes, before he shook them off and smiled at Rin, who seemed somewhat concerned. "I'm fine, Auntie. As to answer your question… yeah, there is a girl I like. But I don't think you'll ever meet her."

"Oh, well that's certainly a disappointment! Well, as long as she treats you right, I don't care if I meet her or not!" Rin laughed, causing Ryu to follow her in laughter moments later.

When they eventually calmed down, Ryu smiled up at Rin, a more resolute look in his eyes. "Auntie, I want to try again. I want to try fighting you again." He said as Rin stared at him in confusion before nodding.

Ryu eventually made his way back to the fields, where Rin took her normal position and summoned up her strings. Ryu took a deep breath, steeling his nerves as he shot right at her without a plan… originally, at least. Rin then struck out with her strings, which hit him rapidly like whips, stinging as he only felt more and more pain… until the pain suddenly didn't register. Instead of feeling the stinging of her magic strings, he felt like he was being tickled. But that didn't stop the force from knocking him off. "You're going to get nowhere like that, Chīsairyu!" She called out, as Ryu only grinned in response. He charged at her again, as she raised an eyebrow at the stupid strategy. She struck out again, but this time she noticed how Ryu was easily outspeeding her strings, dodging them as his body gave off a faint pale violet glow. Her eyes widened. That shouldn't be possible-

The next moment, she felt pain as an ice-cold fist impacted into her stomach with surprising force. Ryu eventually opened his eyes, which were pale violet for a moment, but faded quickly. His eyes were filled with shock, regret, and guilt as he thought he had just hurt his aunt… and when she reached over, he winced, flinching back in fear… only to feel a hand gently stroking his hair in a loving manner. He looked up at Rin, who's eyes were filled with pride and love. "Look at you, finding your own unorthodox way to bypass my attacks. Well, I was holding back that time, but still... This is something that should be celebrated, an achievement for my sweet little nephew."

"Huh?" He looked up at her, as she snapped her fingers, revealing she had two strings behind her that were holding neapolitan ice cream cones. "Is that…?"

"Congratulations, Ryu. Your patience paid off." Rin softly said, as a string handed him one of the cones. She smiled at him, as Ryu felt a pang of pain enter his heart from the loving expression. "Just use that patience, your determination… everything, to lead a good life. I know whatever you do in the future, you'll do it well. And whoever that girl is that you like… well, she's a lucky cookie!" Ryu's eyes filled up with tears at her words, as he instinctively knew that he would be unable to show his Aunt his 'greatness' in the future. "Huh? What's with that expression?"

"I'm so sorry! I'm sorry that I can't be great King and lead the Lost Isles like everyone wants me to!" Ryu cried as Rin's cyan eyes softened. "I'll never be able to see you or any of the others in the future! I'm sorry for being a failure! For being a weakling! I'll never be able to make it up to you all!" He only wept more as Rin drew him into a hug, a calm expression on her face.

"Ryu, you don't need to apologize to me. Just be the best you that you can be. That's all I want from you. Live your life to the fullest, and I'll be happy." Rin whispered into the crying boy's ears. "I'll always love you, oi."

"Are you sure you want to stop here?" Rin asked Ryu after he had eventually calmed down, with the boy nodding.

"Yeah, I'll just be heading home now, Auntie." Ryu smiled weakly. "You've taught me more than enough already." He said, with Rin nodding and watching as Ryu walked off with a smile on her face. She had a feeling that that boy… would be just fine in the future.

Ryu made his way back home, waving to the people of Rustcottmo as he went and helping people with their problems wherever he could. Once he reached the castle gates, the soldiers in the front bowed. "Welcome back, Ryu-sama!" They greeted him, as they opened the gates.

"Thanks, Jackie, Sage." He thanked the guards to their surprise as he walked into the castle, encountering his father, who stared right at him with an expectant look in his green eyes. "Uh… dad?"

"Son, come walk with me." Shinra requested as he walked off, with Ryu following him to the castle gardens. Magic flowers and plants of all kinds bloomed around them, filling the room with a pleasant scent. As Ryu was about to say something, the man spoke up. "I heard how you felt about the prophecy business." He said, to Ryu's surprise.

"How did you-"

"You called me 'Almighty Pops' when you were younger. You had no idea how close you were to the truth. I'm not just the strongest Mage in the Kingdom and the Greatest King in the history of the Lost Isles for show, ya know. My magic's unique, as it lets me do a lot of things. One of which being seeing the future, and being all-hearing when I wish to be." Shinra explained, as he sat down on a bench and patting the empty seat next to him. Ryu sat next to his father, as the man brought him closer. "As for the Prophecy business… forget about it."

"Huh?" Ryu looked at Shinra in surprise, as the King had a genuinely regretful expression on his face.

"It was my stupidity that brought you so much pain," He explained. "If I just paid more attention, I could have avoided this. But I didn't, and now I know too late of the pressure I have unknowingly put on you. I should have never told you about that stupid Prophecy. I'm a terrible-"

"That's not true," Ryu cut in, as Shinra looked at him in surprise. "I know that your foresight is limited, that you can only see things on rare occasions. And I also know that your all-hearing ability is straining on you, to hear everything going on the Lost Isles. Even if you did manage to learn about how I felt through your powers, I probably would have felt worse since I would have forced my dad to hurt himself to save me." He looked at his father with kindness in his eyes. "I don't need an apology, dad. You're doing the best you can. You're overworked, I know that. You're always trying to be the best king, as well as be the best dad you can be. But you don't have to overwork yourself for my sake, and I'm sure Blaze feels the same way. Besides… I don't blame you for any of this. You wouldn't have known about this on that day when you told me." He then looked down at his hands, which were somewhat damaged from his training with Rin. "I still love you, because I know you never wanted to hurt me on purpose." He said, as Shinra's eyes filled with tears. Father and son shared a hug moments later, as Shinra cried over his son's forgiveness and love.

Later, after Shinra had calmed down, he wiped his tears away with a handkerchief. "Man… I never would have thought… I would have such an understanding and loving son." He sighed, as he looked at his son's hands and took them into his own, flowing healing Magic into them as they were flawlessly healed by the Supreme Healer and strongest Kindness Mage. "Ryu… I have a piece of advice for you… in the future," Shinra said, as Ryu looked directly into his father's green eyes. "Never doubt yourself kiddo." He said as Ryu's eyes widened. "That's not how a Shock thinks. We are eternal, determined, and always pushing further. Pushing beyond the limits of humanity, where our souls and the impact of our lives had on the universe lasting for millennia. You are my son, my greatest treasure. I am proud of you. Go forward, never stop pushing yourself and Stay Determined."

"...I will, dad," Ryu said, as Shinra nodded. The young man stood and hugged his father one final time, before walking off to talk to his mother.

Ryu walked around, on a search for his mother as his eyes looked around. "Where is she… I haven't seen her anywhere, and she's not in her room like she said she'd be either…" He muttered, growing worried. But then…

"Were you looking for me?" A voice said from behind him, as he turned to see his mother smiling at him softly. "Sorry to sneak up on you, but I couldn't resist the chance to surprise my son!"

"That's so like you…" Ryu sighed, as his mother smiled, before a genuinely surprised look settled on her face.

"Wait a second, I don't remember your soul being this strong… or you having Aura…" She muttered as Ryu smiled weakly.

"I had a few nice talks, y'know? I feel a lot better now." He replied as Emily blinked before a more amused smile appeared on her face. As if she knew of his situation. "Uh, mom? What's-"

"How's life in Lugunica, son?" Emily asked as Ryu's eyes widened. His mother winked at him, her visible eye glowing faintly. "You're probably wondering how I know about that. Call it a mother's intuition." Ryu noticed her eye flash a dull blue.

"You're lying." He said as she sighed.

"Yeah…. I am. Safe to say, I'm pretty sure you're at least semi-aware that this place isn't real." Emily said, as she snapped her fingers, teleporting both him and Ryu to the top of the castle, as she looked over the kingdom from above. Ryu looked out with her, as she took her son's hand into her own. "Ryu… I'm partially real. I am a soul fragment of your real mother, placed here in the Sanctuary at my request… that when you went to come here and go through the Trial… that you would have someone to answer your most burning, immediate questions. So… go ahead, ask me anything."

"...Why? Why did you lie to me?" He asked as Emily went silent, her hair blowing behind her in the wind.

"I didn't mean to hurt you so much with what I did. Your father and I… we only wanted the best for you. I did genuinely want to take you with me to Alestia, but a few weeks before your birthday, your father received a vision of the future. One where you were in another world, smiling and laughing and living your best life." Emily looked up at the sky, smiling slightly. "It hurt me so much to know that the only way to reach that future, was to hurt you immediately. I had to break a promise, to ensure you reached a future that you would genuinely love. Where you were surrounded by people who did love you. So your father and I set up an operation. I was meant to be caught. I knew Blaze was to kill me, so I purposefully weakened myself so I could die." She then looked at Ryu, whose eyes were filled with tears. "Tell me, Ryu, are you happy in Lugunica?"

"More or less.. I've lost someone important to me though…" Ryu admitted.

"Rem, right?" Ryu looked up at his mother in surprise, as she smiled sadly. "The Trial pulls from the memories of those who have gone through them, including you, to create scenarios. I know about Rem and everything you've gone through, just as the Trial knows the truth about everything I originally planned. I can say this for a fact, though. You will get Rem back, I just know it. There is nothing you can't do."

"Mom…" Ryu whispered as she turned to face him, pure, unfiltered love in her eyes.

"I love you, Ryuuto. My lazy, sleepy dragon has finally awoken." She said, as she wiped away his tears with her thumb, smiling. "I am so proud of you and how far you've come. Never sell yourself short, little Prince. You are easily the strongest person this world will ever encounter. Reach for the stars, and then go further. Okay?"

Ryu shakily smiled back at her and nodded. "O-okay! I will!" He said as Emily stood up, seemingly fading slowly.

"Well, my soul fragment is fading now. I'll still be here until the trial ends, but I won't be the me that talked to you right now. I'll be like your dad and brother, creations of the Sanctuary's Trial." She said as Ryu felt sorrow. "But I have one last piece of advice for you. Go talk to your brother. You have a lot of unresolved conflict with him, right? Why don't you go figure that out next, okay?" Emily finally faded away, as Ryu slowly nodded. He had a new task now, it seemed.

Ryu sat in the garden, waiting for Blaze to come over as he had sent a guard to invite him over here to talk. It had been a while since his talk with his mother, it was exactly two weeks before his birthday. He was quite nervous about this talk, as he hadn't spoken to his brother 'properly' in a… long time, to say the least. "Hey! You called for me?" Blaze called out, as Ryu looked up to see the young flame-haired teen. Blaze sat next to him, as he took a deep breath and exhaled, seemingly satisfied with life. "What did you want to talk about, hothead?"

"Hothead? You're the one with fire powers!" Ryu shot back, as Blaze laughed loudly.

"You've got a good point there, brat!" Blaze said before he calmed down. "But seriously, what did you want to talk about lil' bro?"

"...why?"

Blaze stared at Ryu confusedly. "I'm gonna need you to elaborate, lil' bro," Blaze asked, confusion visible in his eyes.

"Why don't you hate me?!" Ryu snapped, as Blaze's eyes widened. "I stole your powers! I stole your right to inherit the kingdom by being born! I forced you to go challenging a Dark God, where you nearly died, all so you could just get some extra power! But even now, you show no hate! It just makes no sense!" He looked up at his elder brother, tears in his eyes. "Why don't you hate me?"

"...I had no idea… is this how you felt? Did you think I was jealous of you or something?" Blaze asked, his tone cracking with emotion.

"Why else would you go challenge Mirakn?!" Ryu asked, tears finally rolling down his cheeks. "Just admit it, you hate-" Ryu was silenced as Blaze pulled him into a tight hug.

"I could never hate you, Ryu!" Blaze said as Ryu's eyes widened, detecting no lies in his brother's statement. "I never was jealous of you either! I was proud of how strong you were becoming! I never cared about ruling the kingdom, or some stupid lightning powers! I just wanted to protect you! That's why I challenged Mirakn for his powers! That's why I was so adamant about doing all of this! I just wanted to protect you, because I loved you! I thought you hated me!"

Ryu's grip on his brother tightened as he laughed weakly, not wanting to let go of him for fear that he would disappear. "Guess we're both just idiots, huh, brother?"

"I'm just happy that you've finally opened up to me, lil' bro…" Blaze said as he stroked the back of Ryu's head, bringing a soothing feeling to him as he leaned into his elder brother's warmth. Eventually, they stood up as they gave each other one last hug. "As you know, I'll be going off with mom and dad on a business trip, so I won't be back for a while. But I would appreciate it if you came with me to say goodbye."

Ryu nodded at Blaze's words, taking his brother's hand and walking side-by-side with his beloved elder brother. They eventually reached their final destination, with Blaze letting go of Ryu's hand as he stopped in front of the cart. "I know we haven't talked in ages, and we're probably not going to know each other well besides our spars… but I would love it if we could talk more in the future. Be actual brothers." Blaze said as Ryu nodded.

Emily then walked over to Ryu, as he looked his mother in the eye. "Ryu… tell me, when's your birthday?"

Ryu rolled his eyes at that, an amused look on his face. "Mother, you should know your own son's birthday." Ryu quipped as Emily smiled softly.

"Humor me." She said in a soft tone, as Ryu sighed.

"Two weeks." Ryu replied, as the High Queen hummed and nodded.

"Right, well… looks like we'll be going on a new trip in two weeks. Get ready." She put her pinky finger out, as Ryu confusedly stared at it before a wide grin appeared on his face, cheering loudly, only to shut up as Blaze casually slapped the back of his head with a heat-magic enhanced palm. "Remember to keep up your studies and don't bother your Aunt Rin!" Emily called out, but before they could leave, Blaze turned to Ryu with a smile on his face.

"Hey, brother… take care of yourself while we're gone, okay?" Blaze requested as Ryu nodded. "I love you, Ryu." Ryu's eyes widened at the truth behind those words, as his eyes filled up with tears for the umpteenth time that day. A truth hit him, one that hurt even more than the idea of his brother hating him.

His brother did love him, all this time. It wasn't because of hate that he did the things he did, it was out of insanity. The Mad God's Flames were to blame. Mirakn was to blame. His brother… was innocent.

A tearful smile came to his face as he waved to the retreating forms of his family. "I will!" Ryu called out, ignoring the pain in his heart as he knew for real that his family did all love him. That he was genuinely cared for. "Thank you for everything!"

He just wished… that he could have been a better brother to Blaze in reality… maybe if he just… talked with him… maybe all of the bad things that happened to his family could have been avoided…

"Ryu, I just want to talk with you, please! I didn't mean to say what I said back then!" Blaze pleaded as Ryu turned to Blaze with a cold expression on his face.

"Why should I talk to a murderer?" He asked as Blaze flinched back. "That's what I thought." He reached for the door, about to leave as Blaze said something.

"Ryu… please take care of yourself." Blaze requested as Ryu scoffed and left. Blaze didn't know, but that was the last time he would see his brother for a long time… where the absence of his little brother, coupled with the power of the Black Flames of Mirakn, drove him insane.

Guilt pricked at Ryu's heart, as he wished he could make things up with Blaze. But now in his heart… he knew the only thing he could do now was live. Live in his family's memory, and remember their love. Now… now he just needed to find his way back. "Ryu, c'mon, we should get started on your studies," Rin said as she walked over to him, with Ryu nodding in his Aunt's direction as he made his way to Magic School. As he entered the classroom of the last trait he needed to master at the time, he noticed how empty it was… aside from one lone woman standing near a window.

Echidna turned to him with a faint smile, as Ryu recognized her instantly. He also remembered that she was a Patience soul, so this was extremely fitting. "You arrived just on time. Welcome, Ryu-kun." The Witch of Greed greeted him, wearing her typical dress, but it wasn't as long. Probably due to 'school' restrictions, as all the Classes required the students to be able to freely move and that meant to extremely long dresses and the like. Safety measures. She stood up straight as she walked up to him. "So, you've had some time to confront the past and your deep-seated regrets. How did it treat you?"

RE: DETERMINED

Act 4, Chapter 1 - Birth of Greed (強欲の誕生) - END