Early in the morning on the day the Liberation army would take Castle Meath and advance toward Southern Thracia, Julius was in his room about to leave to meet with Seliph and the others. Just then, when he was about to open the door, he saw a man. "Oh! I'm sorry, who are you exactly? You look...strangely familiar."

"Oh, sorry. My name is Saias. You might recognize me, Julius."

"Saias...yes...it's you. You're my older brother, correct?"

"That is correct!"

"Well, I see! I'm so happy to see you again, brother!"

"I'm glad to see you are safe. The last time I saw you, you were but a little boy. You suddenly disappeared one day...then I learned what had happened…"

"It...was quite a long time ago, wasn't it?"

"It indeed was...Father was so worried about you...he stayed inside his quarters for days...no one was able to make him go out for a while…"

"Father…I feel so bad for him…"

"On top of that...Julia...she has been...dealing with a lot of pain…"

"Oh...my sister...is she...still there?"

"She has taken over Belhalla for the most part...some say she has more power than father himself...she has been using father…"

"Oh! That's, that's horrible! It must be tough for him..."

"It is...he...has been unhappy...he isn't the man he used to be years ago…"

"Ah...Saias...can you tell me about my father? I lost my memories of him when my mother warped me away...I only recently found out he is my father...but I don't remember him at all…"

"Oh, I see. I will tell you soon. Now is not the time."

"Hmm...may I know why?"

"Well...you seem conflicted...since you lost your memories, it might be a shock to remember all at once...also we are late."

"Oh, right! That's fine; we need to get going. Lord Seliph is waiting for us!"

"Yes! It was nice to see you again after a long time, Julius!"

"Same here! Hope we get to meet again soon!"

"We will!"

"Lord Seliph! Are we ready to head out?" Julius asked him.

"Y-yes, we're juuust about ready to make our way to Meath."

"That's great! Shall I head off early? Just to get a head start?"

"Y-Yes, sure, Julius. You go ahead."

"Alright then, Lord Seliph!"

"Let me go along too! I need to speak with Julius, so no better time to do it than now!" Fee stepped into the conversation. "Mahnya's already ready to go, so whenever you're ready, Julius!"

"Sounds good! It's always nice to have some company. What do you think, Lord Seliph?

"Y-yes, of course, she can come along if she wants!" Seliph said. While he was looking to be confident, Julius saw him shaking as if he was in utter pain, his hand twitching as Seliph swiftly put his hand on his arm. "Go, please, we have no time to waste!"

"Okay, Lord Seliph. But...are you sure I can't help you in any way? You look like you're in...terrible pain..."

"I-I'm fine, don't worry too much about it. Just go."

"A-Alright!" Julius stuttered before turning to Fee. "Let us be off then, Fee!"

"Yes! Let's go, Mahnya!"

Fee undid the lead on Mahnya, then when she mounted, she called. "Julius! Are you rarin' to go?"

"Ready as I'll ever be!" Julius cheered, getting up behind Fee.

Fee proceeded to command her pegasus, then soon enough, they were up in the air, flying toward Meath. A few moments of silence was present, with Fee having a few jerky motions with Mahnya. This happened for a while until Julius finally said something.

"So, Fee, you look..kinda off with your pegasus. And...you said you wanted to talk to me. So, what about?"

"...It's...complicated...s-so like, you know, A-Arthur." Fee stumbled in her own words.

"Calm down, Fee. Just say what is on your mind."

"O-okay, so, Arthur and I have been really close for a while and...we spend a lot of time together and...I think I, maybe, perhaps like him a bit. Just a bit, a tiny little bit, yeah."

"Oh! Well, that's...not surprising in the slightest!" Julius admitted. "Do you plan to talk to him about it…?"

"O-Oh, of course! Just give me some time. It's not like I'm nervous or anything...no...not at all! Hehe. I-I'm just waiting for the right moment!"

"Well, as you said yourself, you are really close, so there's a pretty high chance he might feel the same way!"

Julius suddenly got interrupted by Fee. "For real?! I-I mean, how do you know?...you've never been in love."

"..Except I have…" Julius muttered under his breath, but of course, Fee heard it.

"Oh? What was that? Tell me, Julius, Tell me!"

"Ah, I- it was nothing."

"Hmm, are you sure? Come on, Julius, don't be mean!"

"Mhm. Definitely. Now, tell me, when are you going to tell him?"

"S-Some day, very soon...very soon."

"Well, I hope you do it soon, hehe."

"I-I'll try!"

Seliph was finally ready to go; the pain had worn off. It took some time, more than it should have, but everything was alright after that. Sighing and staying silent for a good minute, he called the army and they all went outside, with Finn and Leif remaining on guard in case Dracoknights ambush Manster.

As Seliph went a few miles away from Manster Castle, Larcei ran up next to him enthusiastically. "Seliph! Seliph!"

"Oh! Hi, Larcei! What has got you so hyper just now?"

"Just that...the end of the year is soon! I meant to ask you if you had anything planned to celebrate!"

"N-Not really, I've been busy with the war and everything, so I haven't had the time to think about that."

"Oh, come on, Seliph! At least give us a break!"

"I was planning to, but I think it would be nice to do something else."

"Hmm, what if we make some type of winter festival! I think it'd be fun for people and it will be relaxing at the same time! What do you think, Seliph?"

"Hmm, sounds good! Great idea, Larcei! Now, what should we do for it?"

"I'm thinking…maybe some type of dance? Oh! A sparring tournament would be fun too, and of course, some food stands for people to enjoy different snacks, maybe some drinks too!"

"That sounds fun! We should tell everyone soon! I'm so excited!"

Just then, a ballista arrow was shot at the two. Fortunately, they dodged, and it hit the ground. Seliph looked up and saw more Wyverns flying after them. Larcei grabbed a new sword and killed off a couple of the Dracoknights.

"I got a good ol' shiny Wingslayer at the shops some time ago! Glad these will come in handy!" Larcei said.

"That will prove quite useful indeed, Larcei!"

"Not that I need it to defeat them, but it's nice to have!" Larcei said confidently.

"Well, then you can give it to me. I do struggle a bit against these Dracoknights!"

"I-I'd rather not. I bought it, so it's mine and only mine!"

"I'm just teasing, Larcei. You can keep it!" He chuckled. "Now, let's get going!"

"Yes, Seliph!"

Then they took down the last of the Dracoknights, and quickly, Larcei grabbed another sword from her sheath and took down the ballista with ease. And just like that, the forces were defeated, and soon enough, the rest of the army caught up to Seliph.

"You two seem to have good synergy together! You took all of those enemies on your own!" Shannan said as he walked to them.

"Y-You think so?" Larcei said, covering her face to avoid them seeing her embarrassment.

"B-But Larcei did most of the job!" Seliph said, trying his best to get out of this conversation.

"Ha! I'm just saying you two make a great combat duo. No need to get all flustered!" Shannan assured, chuckling.

"Y-yeah, of course!" Larcei replied, laughing. "I was just p-playing along, yeah!"

Seliph giggled a little at Larcei; as much as he was a bit flustered, it was funny to see Larcei like that. It was so cute, he thought.

"Anyway, we have taken care of all of the Thracian forces defending Meath. We must liberate the castle to ensure no enemies are present." Seliph stated.

Then Seliph went inside Castle Meath; he turned to Oifey and said, "The Thracians are on such a different level to anybody we've fought before, Oifey. It almost feels as if each blow is fueled by pure desperation…"

"That's the thing. See, Thracia always had a bad lot in life. Mountains consume much of their land. Farming its food is a near-impossible task, so they struggle to keep themselves fed. Thracia's men seek mercenary work to find the money to stay alive, while its women are stuck in whatever dreary jobs they can dig up."

"I-I…sounds like they have it rough…has King Travant done anything about it?"

"Don't get me wrong, Seliph. King Travant is still an awful man, but there's far more than his own petty gain at stake in his schemes. The Thracian army is as loyal to Travant as they come. They ardently believe it's Travant who'll guide Thracia out of its ongoing famine."

"I see... That does make sense…"

"The thing is, no amount of poverty will ever justify Thracia's aggression. Travant's brand of nobility and justice would never be accepted anywhere else in the world. All the peninsula's north can see are rowdy aggressors who threaten their peaceful lives. As harsh as it may seem, Seliph, I trust you know you can't afford to stay your hand here. The Thracian royal family is the enemy and a grave threat to the north's peace. Stripping them of power is the only choice. That task falls to us, and we can't fail now."

"WAIT!" A voice from Meath's entrance shouted. It was Leif, who must've heard the conversation. "King Travant. He's done nothing wrong...except for...murdering my parents. I mean, he was trying to unite Thracia just as well as my father! Don't put him in a bad light... Southern Thracians have it rough."

"Leif! What!? Your parents…"

"Yeah...he ambushed and murdered them on the Yied Desert...I understand that he wanted to unify Thracia and attempt to end poverty...but it wasn't necessary to murder them…"

"T-That's horrible…"

"Yeah…" Leif replied, looking upset, before changing the topic quickly. "Oh, by the way, I saw a lone female dracoknight atop a hill. It's rare to see a female dracoknight, though she looked to be sad…Finn says it's my older sister, Altena. She's still alive!"

"Really? That's great!"

"It is! Just a bit more to go!"

As the two took a few steps, Seliph almost stumbled back upon seeing the drastic change from across the Thracian Peninsula border. "Oh, gods...South Thracia...It's so…It's nothing like North Thracia."

Leif nodded glumly. "Yes, North Thracia refuses to give the well rich crops they grow to Southern Thracia…"

"But- why?"

"That's what I asked myself back at Mount Violdrake back almost one year ago...apparently my father and my grandfather called the Southern Thracians hyenas. Did he not understand that they were the ones trying to get food? That they didn't have enough mouths to feed?"

Seliph felt himself shaking. "I- Leif…"

"I-I'm sorry, Seliph...I'm just...Travant may have wanted to unite Thracia, just as my father once did. But...he killed my parents...and took away Altena from me! I thought my sister died! But...she's with Travant."

"Leif...I promise we will take her back. We'll kill Travant, and Thracia will be liberated from the Empire once and for all!"

"Seliph...I thank you for being here...please, let us never grow to hate each other…"

Everyone had calmed down from Meath's brief battle, and Seliph decided it was the perfect time to announce the plans for the winter festival. "Everyone! I know we all have been working hard in this war throughout the year, and now that it's coming to an end...We are hosting a winter festival to celebrate and rest!"

Everyone cheered, then Patty stood up and asked, "Sounds fantastic! What do you have planned?"

"We are going to have food stands and drinks! We are also planning to host a sparring tournament and to end the day. We are going to have a ball!"

Everyone cheered, and Seliph was happy everyone was up for it. Once the cheering died down, Larcei went up to him and said, "I told you it was a good idea!"

"Hehe, I suppose you're right!" Seliph smiled at her, and she smiled back at him.

Julius went outside when Tinni ran up to him, looking very excited. "Julius! Julius!" Tinni cheered, grabbing his hands enthusiastically. "The Winter Festival is in a few days and we cannot wait much longer! I want you to accompany me to the Winter Ball that Lord Seliph announced! It might not be the fanciest, but I'm sure everyone else will have fun. I want to buy myself a dress and everything!"

"Oh! Tinni! Of course, I can accompany you!"

"Yay! Now let us go into the city! There are so many shops I'd like to go to!"

"But the festival isn't for another two days. Shouldn't we wait some time?"

"But I want to go now! If we wait longer, all the dresses I want will be sold out!"

"Hehe...alright, alright!" Julius giggled, "Shall we go then?"

"Yes, of course!"

The two ran to the city of Meath (Mostly just Tinni urging Julius to hurry) until they found one shop with a bunch of different clothing. It wasn't much given the city being in the southern part of Thracia, but for Tinni, it was good enough.

Entering the shop, Tinni jumped around in excitement; Julius couldn't help but giggle at her excitement. She eagerly took his hand and walked through the shop; they found many different dresses and other outfits. But Tinni found one specific dress that caught her eye almost instantly. "Julius! Look at this one!"

While not the most fancy, the dress was absolutely stunning. It was a lovely dark violet with black ruffles around the skirt. It was small too; he was sure it could fit Tinni's slim body. "Oh! That one's perfect! I can pay for it if you'd like! I have some gold on me."

"I'll be alright! I already got some money from the arena!" Tinni replied.

"Well, alright, just wait for me. I'll need to find something for myself too!" Julius said before he skipped through the shop. As he did, he bumped into someone. "Oh! Sorry!" He stumbled back, scratched his head, and looked to see who it was. It was Arthur; he looked like he was looking for an outfit of his own too.

Immediately Arthur jumped, almost squeaking upon seeing Julius. "Oh, hello, Julius! What're you doing here?"

"I'm just shopping for outfits, aren't you?"

"Well...of course! But-" Arthur was cut off by Fee, who ran to the two.

"Hey, Arthur! Look at this!" Fee exclaimed. She showed off to him a dress she picked before she looked to Julius and Tinni. "Oh! Hi, Julius! Tinni! What a coincidence I was shopping here with Arthur!"

"Ahahaha, yeahhh," Arthur said. "What a coincidence."

"H-Hi, Fee! Hope my brother isn't causing you any problems, hee hee!" Tinni giggled.

"Nah, he's been actually pretty nice to me for once! I knew he was a sweet boy inside!" Fee teased.

Arthur punched Fee's arm lightly. "Feeee, don't take it as I like you or anything. I just think you're neat."

"Ow! That hurt. But I enjoy teasing you, let me tease you!"

Arthur said nothing, only chuckling a bit.

"Hey Fee, come with me for a second," Julius suddenly said. Fee turned to look at Julius.

"O-Okay. Sorry, Arthur, I'll be back in a sec."

Arthur simply shrugged. "Just don't take too long. I'll be around here with Tinni."

Grabbing Fee's hand, the two ran toward the end of the shop, where nobody was around to hear them.

"So, I see you and Arthur are together...alone...did you get the chance to confess?"

"Um, well. No-Not yet…I know it seems like the perfect opportunity but…"

"Fee, it's okay, you don't have to force yourself...just take it easy and say it when you feel confident enough."

"T-Thank you, Julius...I will tell him, if not today...maybe at the festival...I-I don't promise anything! But I'll try. I think the festival will make it, you know, special...and stuff."

"Sounds good! I believe in you, Fee! Just be confident in yourself and tell him your feelings."

"I-I will if I don't say anything...I may end up losing my chance..."

"You can do it! Now we should go back to Arthur and Tinni. We shouldn't keep them waiting!"

"Yes! Let's go!" Fee agreed before they ran back to the entrance of the shop where the other two were.

"We are back! Sorry to keep you waiting!" Julius shouted.

"Oh! Julius! We were waiting for you! It's fine, Arthur and I had a lot of fun!" Tinni replied.

"Well, that's great to hear!" Julius cheered.

"Hi, Arthur! I hope you didn't miss me that much!" Fee laughed.

"I had a great time with my sister! But I must admit...that I did miss you a bit…"

"A-Arthur! Awwww. You are so sweet!" Fee said before she took his hand.

"I-It's not like that, I just enjoy hanging out with you, nothing else."

"Well, me and Tinni will go to the next shop. You continue whatever your plan is. See you later, you two!"

"W-Wait, Julius!" Fee called, before getting cut off.

"You'll be fine!" Julius ensured, giving her a warm smile. Then Arthur and Fee left the shop.

Soon after the two left, Tinni turned to look at Julius. "Hmm, Julius...Arthur was acting strange when I asked him about Fee…" Tinni then admitted.

"Oh? Strange how?"

"Well, he just stumbled a lot and seemed nervous...he seemed to be...different."

"I admit, he has been a bit more aloof recently."

"Has Fee said anything about him?"

"Well, she has been acting differently when he's brought up to the conversation. Maybe they are in love, who knows." Julius chuckled a bit.

"I-Is that true?! I never thought my brother would be someone for those types of things."

"He's...admittedly very salty at times, hehe."

"Love is...sweet. I wonder when I'll get to experience it!"

"It sure is, Tinni, it sure is. You'll find love soon enough."

"You think so? Yay!"

Then, until sunset, they shopped for a little bit longer. Julius managed to pick an outfit for himself and Tinni picked out that same violet dress. In only three days, the festival will be happening, and both were utterly excited to be a part of it.

While Julius was utterly delighted to know that Fee was going to try and confess her feelings for Arthur, but a part of him was anxious that she'd get rejected. She was his friend, and he'd be hurt seeing her cry, all he could do was wait. So, he pushed the thought out of his mind, and they went back to Meath.