On the day of the mission, You wake up and make your way to the cardinals' room. On your way, Seraphine speaks to You.
Seraphine: Well, the time has come… It seems as if we're going to have to do everything in our power to take out the Malice forces that have been consolidating in Faerghus. I have a bad feeling about all of this. Why would they be moving on that one spot all of a sudden? Well, this isn't a new thing as far as I can tell… The way that Magnolia and Luciana were talking makes it seem to me that this has been happening for a while, but we're only just now starting to do something about it. I guess there's no time quite like the present, huh?
You nod your agreement.
Seraphine: I'm sure that you'll be able to take care of it though. I have nothing but full confidence in you. Let's see what they have in store for us.
You arrive at the cardinals' room as Serpahine stops speaking to You. The Blue Lions are already gathered inside alongside Reese and Luciana.
Luciana: It's good to see you here, Professor. We were just getting ready to explain our strategy for the coming fight.
Magnolia: Look at this portion of the map. This is where the forces have been going recently, though they've been congregating in a region about a mile in every direction from this point in the past few years. If you want my opinion, that's a clear sign that they're looking for something that's around here.
Reese: I'm inclined to agree… I suppose that we aren't going to be able to figure out what it is they're after until we arrive though.
Illona: I've been trying to see if I can learn anything else more than just that they're looking for something, but I haven't found anything of note.
Nora: I haven't either. As much as I hate to say it, we're not going to be able to know what's going on until after we've already arrived at the scene.
Kyle: In that case, I see no reason for us to continue standing around here. That spot isn't too far from the monastery, so we should just get on with it.
Karim: You sure are excited to get up and at 'em, Kyle… Though I suppose I can't really blame you. I'm hoping to do much the same thing.
Aestlyn: I'm sure that we're going to figure out what it is they want after we get there, but for now, all we can really do is get out of here to take care of business.
Cassia: You're right. With that said, let's go on and see what the mission has in store for us. Preparations for the coming battle have already been completed.
Falon: That's good to hear. If there are no further objections, then we should go on and take care of things. There's no reason to stand around here longer than we already have.
The Blue Lions leave the cardinals' room, and You trail after them, wondering what it is that your foes could possibly be after.
A few hours later, You arrive at the scene of the enemy's curiosity. It's a rather large plain within Faerghus not far from the monastery. You can see that there is snow capping the trees in the horizon, and the weather has dropped to be far below what You are used to.
Luciana: This is the spot that they've been investigating for quite some time, though I'm afraid that we aren't sure of what could have them so curious about this space.
Aestlyn: That's probably part of the point. I'm positive that we'll figure it out soon enough anyways. That's how these sorts of things tend to go.
Magnolia: If you want my opinion, there's either an object of significance here or a general for Malice hiding in this region.
Kyle: But nobody has said that they've found anything suspicious in the area as of late. Illona said as much herself when we first planned to set out.
Reese: Still, that doesn't mean that there's nothing. There are some things that can very easily slip between the cracks at a first glance that wind up being important later.
Karim: We're just going to have to check… Hang on a moment. Look over there. I can see some figures moving around in the distance.
Nora: I see what you're talking about… If you ask me, that has to be Malice. Who else would be doing that sort of thing around here?
Cassia: I suppose that you're right… We're going to have to fight our way through them before we can start our investigation of the area in full, though I guess that this is nothing too surprising.
Illona: If it's a fight they want, then that's exactly what they're going to get. We have to figure out what has them so intrigued by this particular area so that we can unravel their full plans.
Falon: I agree. We know too little about their overall aim right now, so we're going to have to play our cards right.
Magnolia: I'm glad that we're all in agreement here. If there are no further objections, then get ready for the fight to come. There's not a reason to wait, and we have work to finish as soon as possible!
The battle begins properly. Your objective is to rout the enemy so that your forces can investigate the area to see what has the Malice forces so curious about it. You can see many enemies in dark armor swarming the area, and they continue to appear quite often. You believe that the best course of action would be to play the defensive card until the tides of the battle have been shifted sufficiently.
The Blue Lions fight with incredible passion, and You find yourself incredibly proud of all that they have accomplished. In the five years since You last saw them, they have all grown to be far stronger fighters, and while You knew such during the battle against the thieves, it is different to see it in practice once again. With them at your side, You are able to shift the fight into your advantage.
The enemy is defeated soon afterwards. You stand with the Blue Lions at the center of the field.
Magnolia: Well… I suppose that takes care of that.
Reese: I didn't see anyone of particular significance while we were here.
Kyle: It was always so easy to tell apart the generals of Malice from the regular fighters…
Aestlyn: And yet, there was nobody here that seemed to be too notable.
Cassia: That's fine. It means that they were easier to get rid of, and we can start our investigation now.
Karim: Hm… I wonder if there's really something that they want around here…
Illona: It appears to be the only possibility, but I don't have the slightest clue as to what it could be.
Falon: Something about this field seems weird… I don't know about you guys, but I don't recognize this place at all.
Nora: Come to think of it, I don't either. I've lived in Faerghus for as long as I can remember, but this isn't anywhere I would recognize.
Luciana: You're right. Even if we saw it on the map, it's nothing like what I expected it to be. Perhaps something happened to change the landscape significantly within the past few years.
Illona: Hang on a moment… Do you guys remember a few years ago when we had to investigate a few different locations? There were some places that were hidden in tunnels underneath the ground.
Magnolia: That's right! Perhaps there's an entrance to something around here… I don't know how easily we're going to be able to find it, but we can at least conduct a search.
Reese: As much as I hate to say it, I don't think we're going to be able to press on and finish our investigation today. We fought a long battle, and we have no idea what we're going to be finding in this area.
Kyle: Perhaps it would be advisable for us to leave behind a few Faerghus troops to investigate the area and set up a perimeter so that the Malice forces can't return here.
Luciana: I agree. I'll set up a small battalion to search and report back to us as soon as they've found something that we can use to track the Malice generals roaming in this region.
Nora: If that's the case, then I suppose that there's nothing more we can do here. We got what we wanted, and we're going to be able to reap the rewards as soon as possible when the report comes back.
Cassia: I was hoping for us to get a bit more done on this outing, but if there really is a Malice general here, then we're tragically unprepared for the coming encounter. There's nothing we'll be able to do to change such a fact.
Karim: Seeing so many troops without a leader makes it seem as if that's the case… We're just going to have to wait it out and restore our energy until we're ready to charge through.
Falon: We might not have enough information quite yet, but we should hopefully have cornered the general and left them with no way to escape. Faerghus troops will be able to take care of that while we're back at the monastery recovering from this fight.
Aestlyn: I guess that's been settled then… It's time for us to head back to the monastery while we wait to see what's going to happen next here. Here's to hoping this winds up going somewhere.
Magnolia: Even if it seems pointless now, this is a stepping stone for us to reach other areas in Faerghus. We have to make a new advantageous route since we're no longer operating out of Fhirdiad, and this seems as good a place to start as any. Malice forces likely cleared it out so that they could use it as an entrance for their tunnels, and having this as a stronghold so early into our new charge is going to make waves in our enemy's morale. Let's use this for the time being and get ready for the moment when we'll be able to properly press forward and defeat the Malice enemies that have been plaguing us for so many years.
You watch as the rest of the group begins the journey back home. You hear Seraphine's voice in the back of your head as You follow them.
Seraphine: I'm glad that everything is sort of going back to normal… Well, I don't think there was ever a normal given that back then, we were still leading up to a war, but… Oh, you know what I'm talking about. We still fight like a well-oiled machine. Honestly, it's like you never stopped.
You say that You wonder if time stopped for You during the five years.
Seraphine: Honestly… That wouldn't be too drastic a conclusion. Divine Pulse must have stopped the flow of time, but instead of allowing you to change things, you internalized its power. I suppose it was because of the circumstances.
You nod and agree that is a logical conclusion.
Seraphine: Still, I suppose we have no way of saying for sure. There's a lot on our plate already, and I don't know if we should push to learn more about things we have no way of understanding just yet. Maybe we can save that for further down the road. For the time being, let's head back to the monastery with the others.
You nod once again before following the Blue Lions back to the monastery.
When You arrive back at the monastery, You stand with the Blue Lions in the cardinals' room.
Magnolia: That should be the end of that… Well, at least for the time being we're finished with that area.
Luciana: Faerghus troops are already stationed in the area to tell us when something changes. We'll be sure to keep it in mind.
Kyle: I hope that we'll be able to check out that area next time we set out. I'm already curious about what could be waiting for us there.
Cassia: If we don't go there, I honestly don't know what we're going to do. There aren't any easy territories for us to access that are also occupied by Malice.
Reese: We'll focus on expanding our reach outward first. Besides, I have full confidence that something will come up for us to take care of sooner or later.
Nora: Given that the past few years have been damn near nonstop action on the part of our enemies, that's certainly something we can count on.
Aestlyn: Until then, let's just take a step back and try to relax after all that. Even if we accomplished something big here today, we've still got a lot of work ahead of us.
Illona: You can say that again. Undoing a war that's been raging for the past five years isn't exactly something I'd call easy.
Falon: But we're going to figure out a way to make this all stop. That's the whole reason that we're here together.
Karim: If there's nothing else for us to take care of, let's finish wrapping things up from the fight and organize our unused supplies. After all, there's still a lot to come.
Magnolia: I agree completely. Be sure to stay safe, all of you. I don't want anything bad to happen to you while we're trying to change things for the better. I'm counting on you to stay alive and healthy. For the sake of us all… Live. Consider that an order.
At Magnolia's words, the group disbands. You hear Seraphine speaking in the back of your mind as You leave the cardinals' room.
Seraphine: Magnolia is acting different from before… Wouldn't you agree? Something about her seems darker somehow. I know that she's been on the throne, so that's only natural, but… I don't know. Magnolia was always so open and sincere before. Now, she's almost become detached, and… I can't help but wonder if there's a reason for it.
You nod and say that You noticed the same thing.
Seraphine: I guess all we can really do is keep an eye on her and make sure that this doesn't happen again… That's a good place to start, at the very least.
As You walk past the room, You look to the audience chamber, eyeing the empty space where Aisa and Roy used to stand during the academy days.
Seraphine: ...This is one of the first official missions where you aren't reporting back to Aisa and Roy.
You nod.
Seraphine: I wonder how he's doing… If Aisa is really gone, what did he make of himself?
You shake your head, not sure of how to answer her question.
Seraphine: None of this feels real, honestly… I mean, we got so used to seeing her face here, but now it's gone… And she's not the only person we haven't seen since coming back. We're never going to get to see her again though, and… It hurts.
You say that You feel the same way, wishing You had simply gotten the closure You desire now.
Seraphine: I understand that completely… But I guess now isn't the time to be thinking about the past. Magnolia and the Blue Lions need us for the present and the future.
You nod your understanding and move back to your room for the night. You approach an old mirror that sat on your desk throughout the years and rub the dust away from its surface, looking at your unfamiliar reflection with a frown. You set it down after spending quite a while examining the face You know to be yours despite it seeming so distant and unreal. You walk to your bed and go to sleep as quickly as possible, visions of the past dancing behind your eyes as the gravity of the war fully catches up to You…
Chapter fourteen over!
-Digital