Special thanks to:
-CrazyLich -Xenophos24 -Ken Law -Xolef
I don't own Arknights or Type moon content.
Ursus empire's city Chernobog / year 1082 / cloudy
Neon sighed upon finishing her task of stitching the wound of one of the clinic's infected, the ursusian must have ran in with some of the city's thugs when he was scavenging for food, and he arrived battered and bloodied.
She wiped her sweating forehead with her arm as she smiled at her handiwork, she grabbed the nearby bandages and started to cover the wound up after applying a bit of disinfectant.
" Thank you, lady, I'm sorry but I don't have anything to pay you guys back. "
The girl smiled and shook her head. She finished tightening the bandages, before she stood up and brought the patient some water, the man gratefully accepting it as he downed the bottle's content.
" It's no problem, I'm just glad you came back in one piece, you shouldn't have done such a reckless thing in the first place, though. "
The man sighed as he found himself slightly pathetic, getting chastised by a young girl without any reasonable counter. He scratched his head in discomfort and couldn't meet her gaze.
" I didn't plan on being beaten up, you know? I was minding my own business away from all the mess, until they started talking about the Akhmatovs, I just couldn't keep calm when they dragged the name of that family through the dirt without doing anything, even the food I'd eat would be rotten."
Neon's eyes flashed with anger for a moment, her hands balled up into fists, memories flashed in her mind as her eyes seemed to look at something in the distance.
Neon snapped quickly out of her small trance, taking a deep breath, she turned to the exit to leave, she suddenly remembered a little nugget of wisdom she learned from a certain eccentric boy.
"You should let people who like to talk, talk, it makes it easier to see how full of crap they are, if you want to honor them, then make sure to live with a smile, " smile in defiance to the world " is what they used to say."
The man looked at her strangely, he contemplated what she said, before he nodded and smiled towards her.
"You're right, I guess they wouldn't be happy if I ended up getting myself killed for something like that, they never did care about what others thought or said about them, that's some mighty good advice there, little lady, thanks."
Neon smirked, her thoughts drifting to that proud back that stood before the court of the Ursus with a smile, that figure that refused to give so much as an inch to anyone, for his belief and those who believed in him.
"Learned it from the best."
Neon moved out of the room, and slowly walked through the long hallway, reaching the children's ward. The girl stood next to a closed door, listening in on the kids as they studied.
It didn't take long for their class to end, and for the door to open, about a dozen or so kids walked out with colorful expressions.
"Look, it's Neon!"
She was detected almost instantly, Neon moved closer to the little ones, smiling at them as she greeted their teacher.
"Hey guys, how was class?"
"It was boring as hell!"
"It was actually good."
Her smile faltered slightly at the overly enthusiastic responses, but nevertheless she kept asking about their day so far as she guided them to their medical checkups.
They entered through a doorway, into a big room, a medical ward, all sorts of equipment and personnel preparing for the incoming examinations.
"Okay then, little fellas, as usual, one by one."
Neon groaned slightly as she dreaded the tedious process, even if she was fully aware of its necessity. As she racked her mind about what she could do to help pass the time for kids, she spotted a little Sarkaz idly fiddling with a silver locket.
He was a nine year old sarkaz boy, lacking both his horns and tail, even though his impressive build belied it as he looked closer to thirteen, his hair white as snow, an affliction caused by his Oripathy, his eyes were black in color, his look felt somber and sad as he gazed intently at the locket in his grasp.
Neon approached the little one, sitting down right next to him, she looked lost as to what words she should say, knowing the importance of that locket.
Sitting next to him, she tried to find a way to get a conversation started, masking her problem by slightly diverting her attention to watching over the others.
"Oh, Neon, is it my turn already?"
The young boy beside her didn't turn his gaze from the locket, his sights never leaving it as he opened and closed it, never once looking what's inside, something that didn't go unnoticed by Neon.
"Not yet, Ivan, I just saw you were sitting all alone, so I thought I'd see if you were alright?"
"I see, sorry if I worried you."
"Want to talk about it, kiddo?"
Ivan hesitated for a few moments, before his hands stopped opening the locket.
"Today is Ed's birthday."
Neon blinked a few times, her eyes shifting to the nearby calendar to see it was indeed April 20th, Edward's birthday, she must have forgotten it due to the increasing workload she has been dealing with.
"He always used to downplay the need to celebrate his birthday with everyone, saying that it's embarrassing and all. But when it came to us, he would go all out and spare no expense. I looked up to him a lot, but now it's been over a year since he's gone."
Neon couldn't help but feel sympathy for the boy, she knew well that Ivan was especially connected to Edward more than the other children.
He was the one who saved him from dying at the hands of the officers who found him the day the two met.
Ivan was one of the most to be affected by his family's trial and subsequent exile to the mines.
"I miss him a lot, I wish he was here."
Ivan clutched the locket close to his chest, a lifeline that connected him to the happiest time of his life, an object that reminded him of that kind hand that was extended to him in his darkest hour.
The boy felt an arm encircle him as he was pulled into a hug by Neon.
"You shouldn't feel so down, Ivan, you know he would've wanted you to be better than this."
He looked up to her to see her smirking at him, her eyes encouraging yet also melancholic.
"Besides, aren't you giving up on seeing him a bit too soon?"
"He was sent to the mines, Neon, everyone says those in the mines are as good as dead."
"You underestimate him greatly if you think a few conscripts alone would be enough to stop Edward Akhmatov, I bet you he already managed to free the miners and escape."
Ivan chuckled at her comment, a deep part of him believing her words. Edward won't lose, a part of him had etched such a belief in his heart over the time he spent with him.
"But, even if he does escape, do you think he'd want to come back here, Neon? Even if we're here, he can't come back to Chernobog."
Neon frowned slightly, sharing in that doubt, but then she looked at him with resolve.
"If he can't come back, then maybe we should grow strong enough to go find him ourselves, right?"
A light flickered in both their eyes in that moment, both coming to an unspoken agreement.
"You bet, Neon, I'm going to be strong enough to shock even Edward when we meet again."
Neon nodded as she noticed the beckoning of one of the staff, calling for Ivan.
"Well, you can think about that later, right now it's time for your check up, let's go."
Ivan nodded as they stood up, he looked once more to the locket, before fully opening it, his eyes softening as he gazed at the picture inside.
It was a picture of Ivan's last birthday before Edward was sent to the mines. Everyone gathered around a big table with uncle Hellagur, along with his wife and Neon, as well as Edward and his parents.
Ivan had a big smile on his face as he sat on top of Edward's shoulders, his stare was diverted from his own happy figure to Edward's happy, unfaltering smile.
The boy placed the locket in his pocket, following behind Neon with newfound intent, one that had unknowingly became a very strong drive, fueled by that kind figure with its hand that saved him from the depths of his despair.
'I'll definitely see you again, and at that time, I'll make sure to repay you for everything you've done for me and more.'
Ursus empire's northwestern tundras / snowy
The Ursus soldiers marched on the snowy tundra, following the trails of their elusive target.
Their feet carried them forward as they trudged on, until the order to make camp was established at sunset.
A raven flew over the newly established camp, its gaze looking down on the soldiers eating together near the bonfires, as well as their vehicles and sentries.
The bird settled atop a particularly large tree, it cawed as it flapped its wings a few times, before quieting down.
Inside one of the tents, the officers gathered as they held their strategy meeting.
"The trails are very clear now, it's almost certain we'd clash against them tomorrow, question is, how are we doing this, Captain?"
The captain looked at the map on hand, his face locked in a deep frown as his mind mulled over the possible approach.
"I honestly don't know why we're wasting precious time like this, we should've continued on to catch up to them, they don't have vehicles, so they're most likely tired, and our numbers are at least four times theirs, if we storm them now, we would crush them easily."
Both the captain and his lieutenant looked at the officer with the level of ridicule one would give a clown who can't even pull off a decent joke.
Feeling humiliated, the officer fummed as he walked out of the tent as calmly as he could manage.
Ignoring the short-sighted suggestion from a glory-hungry idiot, The captain's eyes drifted into the forest near the enemy force's estimated location to the east.
"They're probably going to stay in the forest, it's too big for us to start a fire and draw them in the open, but if we can corner them to the cliffside progressively, we'll have a good chance of victory."
The lieutenant nodded with a thoughtful expression, he scratched his beard, eyes narrowing.
"We'll be forced to spread our forces a little thin in order to keep a tight encirclement, we can't risk ending up with some of them applying constant pressure on us from behind."
The captain sighed with a defeated expression, his old face seemed doubtful and reluctant.
"I know, but we have no choice, the forest should have a good amount of resources this time of year, we'll run short on provisions long before them because of our numbers, long term strategies would play in their favor in most cases, so we need to be quick about handling this."
"Roger that, with our numbers as well as our superior equipment, we can start by pushing them in the woods before establishing our first checkpoints in the outskirts of the forest, after that, we should be able to start operations in the forest in earnest."
The officers went on to discuss the division of their forces, and the most likely positions for their checkpoints.
All the while, the raven remained in its position, looking inconspicuous until it flew off after the fuming officer, settling atop a tent, its eyes ever watchful as it overheard the ursus angrily lash out.
Meanwhile, in the forest, Edward's eyes opened as he pondered over the new intel he gathered from his little espionage through his familiar.
He stood up and moved through the trees and foliage, waving at the soldiers he came across as he moved through their camp and into Patriot's tent.
His steps stopped as he looked at the back of the wendigo, the man's figure felt disturbingly pitiable as he sat in silence, looking at something.
Edward looked to his right, noticing Yelena als watching Buldrokkas'tee. She seemed hesitant on something she wanted to do, her eyes looking conflicted.
The magus smiled, making full use of Yelena's absent minded state, he sneaked behind her, leaning in close and ready to spook her.
"I know you're there, Edward."
The rabbit turned abruptly, she smuggly smirked at him as her ears twitched, proud to have caught him in the act.
Edward blinked for a few seconds at that smug expression, a part of him feeling a small amount of relief at seeing the improvement in Yelena's attitude over the course of the days they've spent in the company of Patriot and his followers.
With impressive speed, He flicked the little girl's forehead, causing her to pout indignantly.
"Will you ever stop doing that?"
"No, now then, care to tell me why you look so troubled?"
Yelena's gaze moved to the wendigo, her shoulders slumped slightly.
"I think he's crying, but I'm not sure if I should comfort him or not."
Looking at the warrior from this angle, Edward could see how the girl got that impression, he could certainly sense an atmosphere of mourning and sadness from the silent ancient staring at the lamp in front of him.
"I don't know what to do, Edward."
Edward silently observed as Yelena struggled with her hesitation, understanding her dilemma all too well.
"Tell me, what do you want to do?"
She gave him a puzzled look, not sure how to answer that question, her face falling into a frown as she tried to come up with a response.
"That man is quite clearly sad and in pain, it's possible that his suffering is more than what we can see. He sits there, burdened by his pain on his lonesome, so Yelena, what is it you want to do about it?"
"I...don't want him to be sad."
"Oh?"
"I don't want to see the people around me crying anymore, I don't want to see sadness without doing anything, I want people to smile."
"Is that so?"
Yelena nervously shifted under Edward's stare, she feared that what she said was somehow wrong or too childish.
His hand landed squarely on her head as he caressed her hair, the girl looked up to see him giving her a toothy grin.
"Then let's go do something about it, together."
Yelena smiled as she nodded, her nervousness diminishing somewhat as both of them walked together towards the tent.
Yet her hesitation was not so easily gone, she felt herself stop right in front of the tent, her heart beating quicker as doubt began to cloud her mind.
Until Edward's hand gently pushed her forward as both of them formally entered.
Yelena shyly looked at her grinning brother, before her attention snapped back to Patriot, the man taking notice of their presence.
"Do you need anything?"
His voice was a little hoarse as usual, though Edward noted that he seemed to be much better than a few days ago.
Buldrokkas'tee beckoned the two in, and they sat down next to him, Yelena's eyes seemed strangely focused while Edward looked at the man with a critical eye.
"Not necessarily, Yelena said we should accompany you, as you seemed lonely."
The wendigo's eyes blankly stared at Edward's friendly smile, before he looked at the fidgeting Yelena, the latter nodding as she noticed his gaze on her.
"You looked sad, I just wanted to help."
Yelena stuttured as she tried to quickly come up with a reasonable explanation, only to hear a distorted chuckle from Buldrokkas'tee.
"Thank you little one."
The wendigo patted Yelena's head gently, the girl saw his red eyes, they felt a bit happier now, she couldn't help the pride that sprouted in her heart.
The three sat around the fire, a calm silence washing over them as they enjoyed each other's company.
"Do you want to talk about it, Patriot?"
Patriot huffed a long sigh, but chose to remain silent, his eyes looked slightly haunted, as if he was seeing something they could not.
The man felt a small, gloved hand laid itself on his minutely trembling arm, the coldness sprouting forth was enough to pull the man to reality.
Yelena pulled her hand back, her eyes blazing with fiery resolve honed in on Buldrokkas'tee.
"It's ok, we're here for you."
Those were the words her grandmother and Edward always say when she or any of her siblings were afraid.
Patriot didn't say anything, although his posture relaxed considerably as he took a few deep breaths and tried to recompose himself once more.
"I'm sorry you had to see that. "
A trace of shame could be felt in his words, he was the pillar and leader of the group, the one who carried the hopes and trust of everyone here, yet he showed such a weak figure.
"You don't need to apologize, like she said, we're here for you."
He turned to Edward, the boy's ever present smile on his face.
Yelena nodded as she also smiled, following after the footsteps of her brother.
Patriot felt touched by the honesty of their encouragement, the positiveness of their smiles all but forced a bit of happiness in his troubled heart.
"Would I interest you both in a story?"
Patriot and Yelena both glanced at Edward, the magus noting their combined curious stares to be slightly funny.
"It would certainly better our spirits than a gloomy silence."
Yelena nodded as she sat next to Buldrokkas'tee, her eyes glittering as she waited with bated breath to hear a new story.
Patriot found her cheerful and excited attitude intriguing, and so he nodded, interested in knowing what the young ursus had in store.
Smirking at the two, Edward's voice took on a serious tone.
"Now then, allow me to tell you the tale of-"
"Ah!"
Before he could start, a sharp yelp surprised the trio as Petrova, Ofnir and Zack fell into view.
"You idiots! What were you thinking?! Now they've got us because of you."
"I'm sorry! I wanted a better view."
"Screw your better view! I almost had the perfect moment to make our entrance, and you ruined it!"
Yelena, Buldrokas'tee and Edward kept looking at the fuming Petrova as she shook Ofnir back and forth, his eyes pleading for salvation as he felt his world spinning.
The rest of the kids came into view bit by bit, most of them laughing at Ofnir's expense.
Zack turned his attention to the trio watching the mini fiasco, he scratched his cheek as he thought of a way to mitigate the awkwardness.
"Hi there, you guys, sorry for eavesdropping on you, we were looking for you two when we saw you with mister Patriot, as you can see, Petrova wanted to surprise you, she only meant well, please don't be mad at her."
The three looked at each other, wondering how the situation came to this, Patriot and Edward looked on with amusement while Yelena giggled at the antics.
Petrova finally ceased her abuse of Ofnir, letting him go with an indignant huff, her attention returning to the trio while the boy recovered.
"You two had us worried, you know? Why didn't you tell us you were staying with mister Patriot?"
Edward slightly flinched at her sharp tone, chuckling weakly with his hands raised in a gesture of surrender.
"It was an unexpected detour, I'm sorry we worried you, I'll make sure not to do it again."
Petrova visibly relaxed upon Edward's reassurance, and she returned to her slightly playful mood.
"Alright, we forgive you, can we hear the story you were about to tell with you guys? "
Edward smiled as he ruffled her hair, the little kuranta angrily swiping at the ursus's arm to no avail.
"Is that even a question you need to ask? Hope you don't mind the extra company, Patriot."
The wendigo shook his head and welcomed the group, although they had to move out since the tent wasn't big enough to accommodate everyone.
Everyone circled around the bonfire, sitting together as they looked at Edward, before Yelena suddenly spoke.
"Edward, can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what is it?"
"You always told us different stories, but I want to know if you can tell us your favorite one?"
"My favorite story, huh?"
Edward's mind flashed back to that wasteland of weapons, so different yet so familiar, and the pitiable figure of the hero in red.
His hand subconsciously held the red shroud he donned, an action noted by Patriot, although the latter chose not to comment on it.
'You are distressed by that vision you saw, I assume.'
'Yeah, there's only one person I know that has a world and appearance like that, and he's liable to do a lot of stupid things.'
'It is highly likely that you will start to see and experience the life of that heroic spirit as you use the card, maybe that shall offer you the answers you seek.'
'I'm not sure if the answers are going to be good, judging from that gloomy world, I guess that idiot can still give me a headache even across worlds.'
Edward released the shroud and chuckled, his eyes focusing on the fire in front of him.
"Okay then, I'll tell you my favorite story, it's the tale of the wrought iron hero and his companion, the reaper."
Patriot noticed the children looking much more attentive than before, their eyes set dead straight at Edward, and even he felt some interest building up inside about this wrought iron hero and his friend.
"A boy once said, " I don't want to watch people die, if saving people is possible, could it be possible to save every person that's suffering? ", the boy wielded his sword for what he came to believe in."
That question had impacted Patriot more than he thought it would, something in him resonated with that, after all, he fought all these years to save people, even though he gained little but regrets.
"While another boy was entrusted with a vow he swore he wouldn't break, a promise that was made to a certain girl that granted the husk of a child the purpose he always wanted...to become a hero."
Edward started telling them about his life, as well as what he knew of Shirou's, albeit with appropriate changes to avoid any connection that could be made to him.
He spoke of the redheaded boy who survived a disaster, and of the man who saved him, smiling as if he was the one being saved. He recounted the details of how the boy trained and journeyed across the world, following his ideal of becoming a hero of justice.
He told the tale of the second boy who trained and honed every bit of his existence for the sake of living up to what that girl saw in him, his path taking him to many places and seeing many people.
Melancholy threatened to appear on Edward's face, but he held it back beneath a neutral look as he focused on the bonfire, and the precious memory it made him recall.
"Both had crossed many battlefields, running fearlessly through many a crossfire, and felling many foes of all sorts, be it mundane or monstrous abominations. However, it was on one ordinary night that the two would finally cross paths, both tired from the weight that burdened them so far."
He smiled, remembering their encounter fondly, both of them were hunting the same terrorist cell, and it was by simple coincidence that Shirou ended up approaching his modest camp for shelter.
"It didn't take long for the two of them to find companionship in one another, their bond grew bit by bit through their shared values and ambitions, although they each had their moments, the grumpy hero less so than the charismatic reaper."
Edward smirked mischievously as he continued to tip the scales of grandeur and charisma in his favor. He guessed that it was his just reward for dealing with the numerous awkward situations he had to bail the dense aspiring hero out of.
Seriously, how does one get both Rin Tohsaka and Luviagelita Edefelt to actually unite in hunting you?
Phantom pains from multiple forms of chokeholds and grazing Finn shots caused Edward's hair to stand, he had to resist the instinctual urge to check his surroundings.
'...Edward, you're trembling.'
'Damn right, I do, you didn't go through that hell Eden.'
'I've seen your memories, I can understand your fear.'
'No, you don't, I assure you that you don't, that is the kind of terror you only truly understand when you experience it.'
'I shall take your word for it.'
Edward shook his head to get rid of the nightmarish memories, before he continued.
"The battles kept coming, conflicts came into their view with every step, an endless pile of misery and death, it chipped at their resolve bit by bit, and soon enough, the two felt like they would falter sooner or later, even when fully acknowledging that their wishes were never possible in the first place."
Patriot sympathized with that situation, he forgot how long it had been since his heart wasn't weighed by regret and hesitation.
"However, not once did the two give in, they defied the fate that was presented to them, with each wound, and each defeat, their wills never broke, their hearts were still beating after all."
"How?"
The audience turned to the curious wendigo, surprised by his sudden question, yet also sharing in their intent to know.
"How did they pull through, you ask? Well it's simple really…"
Edward awkwardly scratched his head, he wasn't as vocal as Shirou was about his ideal, and he didn't exactly ever bother preaching about it much himself, so he couldn't find the right words to explain it.
"It's just that they're not wrong, it's never wrong to help others. That is the answer the two came to."
"They are not wrong?"
"Yes, the wish for others to be happy, is not wrong, no matter how hypocritical or childish it is rightfully considered by others, it will never be wrong."
His words were simple, there was nothing sophisticated or philosophical behind them, no secret meaning or hidden intent.
Buldrokkas'tee felt in equal parts flabbergasted and somewhat enlightened, as if he remembered a part of him that he almost forgot, buried underneath his bitterness.
"Is that the end of the tale, big bro?"
"No it is not, my dear, unfortunately, our tale ends in a parting between the two, for after all the adventures and battles those two companions had, the reaper fell extremely ill, and he passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family and best friend."
"Aww, that's sad, I thought the reaper was a cool guy."
"Really? I thought the wrought iron hero was more awesome."
"What do you think big sis? Who's the better of the two in your opinion?"
Edward's eyes focused on Yelena, the girl actually pondering on choosing between him and Shirou, he felt slight pressure from her hesitation.
'Come on Yelena, you're not supposed to hesitate so much.'
Yelena seemed to have decided, as she smiled and nodded to herself. She confidently turned to Edward, his heart confident in his victory thanks to shameless bias to himself.
"I like the wrought iron hero more."
Edward felt something in him break, his previously hopeful expression breaking into a solemn and sad one, not too unlike that of a kicked puppy.
'I believe your current behavior is not warranted.'
'...Eden, which of us do you like more?'
'The human Shirou Emiya was deemed more favorable than you initially, but due to your untimely death, it was decided that you shall be the candidate should you accept the offer.'
'...Thank you for your honesty, Eden.'
Edward's shoulders slumped even further at his partner's admission, completely exasperated by the whole situation.
"I thought you were the better one, Edward."
A strange voice whispered next to his ear, causing the magus to whip around to see who snuck behind him, his eyes seeing no one in particular.
His thoughts were interrupted before he could investigate.
"But I think Edward is better than both the reaper and the hero."
"You're right big sis, big bro is the best."
His eyes widened, his head slowly but surely turning back and facing Yelena once more, seeing her smiling at him.
"That's my little rabbit!"
Ignoring everything around him, Edward walked up to Yelena, covering her with his shroud, before he gave her a bearhug, lifting the little girl off the ground and spinning her with him.
He let the struggling girl down with a toothy grin, before taking his shroud back, leaving the white rabbit with a happy smile of her own, puffing her chest with pride for thinking of their big bro before any of her siblings.
After finally reaching the end of the tale, Edward was taken back by the audience he managed to gather during this little night of storytelling, his hand scratching the back of his head at the attention he was under.
"Ok, kids, you should go to sleep, it's getting late."
"But big bro, did the hunter and the reaper ever become heroes in the end?"
Edward looked at the saddened look on Zack's face, approving of the little one's acute perception.
"No, neither of the two were heralded as heroes, only mentioned in rumors in the lands they fought in as two nameless unknown men, but even so, their actions were never about being recognized, a hero has no need of fame, they fought and suffered in order to live up to the ideals they believed in, no matter how impossible they were."
"I see, I believe they're heroes."
Zack nodded with a somber expression, his shoulders slumped at the depressing fate the heros had, Edward was grateful for the sentiment, but he knew that it was unneeded.
"Hey, Edward, do you want to be like the wrought iron hero or the reaper? Is that why their story is your favorite one?"
Edward's smile faltered when he turned to Yelena, his eyes looking upwards to the night sky, feeling a strange warmth course through him like a gentle embrace.
"I can't be like them even if I tried, but even so, I'm definitely going to become a hero that can rival them."
The hero she wished for.
"Although, if asked of the hero, one can only call him for what he was at his core, expressed by words of power only he resonated with."
"Really? and what are the words?"
Edward knew that chant all too well, the aria had etched itself in his mind from the first time he witnessed Shirou using it.
A chant that told the tale of the hero of justice.
" His body was made of swords
His blood was of Iron, and his heart of glass.
He has emerged unvanquished from many battles
Not once had he tasted defeat
Nor once had he achieved victory
The bearer stands tall, forging iron atop a hill of swords
Thus, his life has never needed meaning
This body...is made of infinite swords. "
Everyone could feel a tingling sensation across their bodies, the words sending shivers down one's spine.
Patriot could feel it, those words were indeed powerful, speaking of the resolve of a soul of iron, a part of his heart felt a mysterious surge.
His eyes narrowed as he assumed it to be a chant of some kind, reminding him of the sorcerers of Leithanien.
Soon, everyone began dispersing, the fighters giving Edward peculiar glances as they left, while the sleepy kids followed Yelena as they shared their opinions on the newest story.
Soon the only ones near the fire were Patriot and Edward, the two were silent for a while, before Edward spoke up.
"I did a quick recon on the enemy, they'll be here tomorrow, total number is around two hundred, give or take."
Patriot nodded, he felt very grateful towards Edward's incredible contributions ever since they left the mines.
He was surprised to find out that the young boy was a wizard as well as an arts user, and his powers proved an incredible help with storing food and providing needed supplies like blankets, nevermind his healing treatment and strange oripathy medicine that his own health had benefited from.
The boy never failed to rise up to meet the demands, even managing to repair and restore most of their equipment, his own included, stoically shouldering their needs.
"I see, we will be ready for them. Inform Lazarus of your report, I already told him what needs to be done once he gets the info."
"Roger that, I hope you're better now, see you tomorrow, Patriot."
Edward stood up and left to look for Lazarus, only to be grabbed by Patriot when he was passing him by.
"Edward, did you really mean it?"
"You mean my wish? Yeah I absolutely meant it."
"This world is cruel. You have experienced it first hand."
Patriot stopped as he started coughing, his throat feeling very sore.
"Do you have the resolve to withstand it?"
It was a question Buldrokas'tee had to ask, he wanted to know the young one's answer, and see his conviction.
"I will never break, nor will I become so weak as to lose to a world that's only cruel."
The answer was immediate, as if it was a conclusion that he had solemnly reached long ago. Patriot was slightly taken back.
"How can you be so sure?"
Edward closed his eyes and smiled, memories of everyone he came to know, both in this world and the one before surfaced, trailing back to its origin.
"Because a world where people can smile is something that's unmistakably worth fighting for, let the world flaunt its cruelty, but I'll always fight for my better world."
A world she would be proud of.
The two continued to stare at each other, their eyes unflinchingly boring into each other, looking for the faintest glimmer of doubt.
Patriot's grasp loosened, and his hand patted the boy's head, his eyes looking somewhat happy for once.
"I see, then know that I will have your back. "
"Sure thing, old man, and I'll have yours, take care."
With those words, Edward left.
'Guess those alchemical stimulants really did work, what do you think, partner?'
'Affirmative, although the infection still is still alarming and a reason for concern and constant supervision, my analysis indicates that his body is overall more stable thanks to the alchemical products you made.'
'Don't you mean "we"? You know as well as I do that I had to spend points for you to help me with it, my talent in that field isn't that great. And that's not mentioning the research we had to perform together in Azazel to make this stuff in the first place.'
'It is still the fruits of your labor, I only helped when you needed it, do not sell your efforts short.'
'I can say the same to you buddy.'
'...There's no need to concern yourself with having a good relationship with me, Edward, I have no need for such things.'
'I call bullshit.'
'Why are you so adamant on this?'
'What kind of hero would I be if I didn't even care about the closest partner I have in this new world?'
'Is friendship something that important?'
'You bet it is, there's no doubt that I made it this far thanks to you, I owe you a lot, the least I can do is be your partner.'
Moving through the camp, Edward found Lazarus speaking with his friends. The tall armored Sarkazian seemed playful most of the time, but Edward could tell that he was among the most experienced soldiers in the group.
"Hi Lazarus."
"If it isn't our resident storyteller and aspiring hero, what can I do for you, Edward?"
"I've got a status report about the Ursus forces hunting us, Patriot told me to inform you, he said you'd know what to do."
"Interesting, let's see what we're dealing with this time."
Edward went on to tell Lazarus about his findings, detailing the enemy forces, as well as their equipment, Lazarus's eyes widened slightly at the details the boy managed to get a hold of.
"Remind me to be careful around animals when you're not around."
"Sure thing."
Lazarus laughed as he moved near the cluster of soldiers, and clapping once, the noise loud enough to snap them from their conversations.
"Listen up, boys! Looks like we'll be having another dance with about two hundred soldiers, so you better prepare yourselves well, tomorrow we're going to have our hands full."
"If anyone needs to have their weapons and armor checked, just let me know."
"Nonsense, Edward, our equipment is in top shape thanks to you, the strongest weapons we've had the honor of wielding, if not for that, then maybe we'd be a bit more worried, but we're fighters, aren't we, boys?!"
"Yeah!"
"So we'll have to prepare ourselves, tomorrow we'll be taking it to the bastards!"
"Yeah!"
'I can't understand the reason for their reactions.'
'What do you mean, Eden?'
'A difficult battle is approaching, one that might take their lives, yet even with the threat of death, they smile so sincerely.'
'Well, even with such a situation, I think we should meet that trial with bravery and take joy in the precious moments before the battle. It's also good to have these moments, so that they'll be the fuel that pushes us to surpass the trials so we can have these happy occasions again.'
'That is very interesting.'
"Well then guys, I'll leave you to it, I'm going to sleep, we got a big day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Good night, lad."
"Hey Edward, wait."
Lazarus approached the boy, his eyes serious as he smiled sincerely to the magus.
"What is it, Lazarus?"
"Thank you for helping the commander with your story, whether it was intentional or not, I know that hearing it had a positive effect on him, I could almost see a glimpse of his former self for a moment there, it means a lot to us."
"You don't need to thank me, Lazarus, I'm happy to be of help."
Edward nodded towards the group, before he left to sleep.
Once he settled in and slumber overtook him, unseen by all, a figure of a young lady in a simple white dress sat on her knees next to him.
The lady looked to be in her early twenties. There were no distinct features that indicated any of the known races of Terra. Her dark shoulder length hair was not affected by the breeze that passed by, as if she was a dream.
Her brown eyes tenderly gazed at Edward's sleeping face, her ethereal hand tried to caress his face, yet her hand passed right through, making the woman pout slightly.
She sighed, sitting down next to him, watching over him, she began to hum happily, her gentle voice making the lullaby all the more comforting, a smile forming on Edward's face.
"Do you want me to tell him?"
The woman stopped her humming as she glanced at the source of the voice, unheard by none but her, as the figure of a golden haired, red-eyed man materialized, wearing a simple white robe, golden colored tribal markings spread over his visible tanned skin.
His overall bearing felt more like a wise pilgrim. His face locked in a neutral expression as his eyes unflinchingly looked at the lady.
The young woman shook her head, her eyes returning to Edward, before she tried to speak, yet no words could be heard.
"I see that you haven't fully recovered yet, I apologize for my inability to help more."
The woman became flustered as she waved her hands around trying to convey her message as the man bowed his head down a little.
"It will take more time for you to recover to your original being, it was a blunder on my part that I didn't take one such as yourself into account, granted, I'm still quite impressed that you were there at all."
The man could interpret that the woman was thanking him, a peculiar feeling brought joy to his core as he saw her smile, although he couldn't help but wonder why she would thank him for so little.
'Her gratitude is sincere, her feelings pure, even though she's in such a sad state, yet she would still show such goodwill and trust for a complete stranger. The last time this happened, I wondered if it was because of my appearance, yet I know she's aware I'm not of her race, so why?'
"You need not thank me, child, I am only doing what I believe is right."
The young woman stood up, her feet and dress unmarred by the dirt, she approached the man, taking his hands in hers, before smiling towards him encouragingly.
The man looked at their joined hands, before he sighed as he removed his, dematerializing into motes of golden particles, with a pondering expression on his face.
"I can see why he cherishes you so much."
With those parting words, the man left, and the woman returned to her place next to Edward, the magus none the wiser about their existence.
Name: Ahkmatov Edward Victorovish. (Formerly Edward Miles)
Race: Ursus.
Age: 15 years old.
Element: Fire, Air, Earth.
Originium-Cell Assimilation: 3%.
Originium blood concentration: 0.4 u/L.
Arts: Telekinesis.
Current condition: Healthy.
Inventory:
-" Introduction to the field of Alchemy. "
-" Intricacies of Transmutation. "
-" Advanced Bounded Fields. "
-" Advanced Runes and the engraving process. "
-" The paths of Healing magecraft and Spiritual healing. "
-Rations.
-Class card( Archer class heroic spirit: "Nameless" )
-Holy Shroud.
-5000 LMD.
Points: 11000.
Thank you for reading.
Have a nice day and stay safe.