I'm sorry for the delay in posting this. I've had a terrible time of it this past year. In addition to being diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, in 2017 alone I've lost three family members. All of these events have knocked me for a loop. I'm doing a bit better now, but I'm still sorry for the delay in publishing this.

Part Six

The group returned to the inn that night full and in better spirits than they all expected to. They had met the President of the Toran Republic and they met the hero of the Gate Rune War. It was surreal how much they accomplished in just one day.

For Daunte, however…the whole situation had felt a lot more awkward than he'd wanted it too. He did feel a kinship with Tir McDohl but instead of forging a bond with the other man he'd instead offended him and made him feel uncomfortable. That night he went to bed in lesser spirits than his companions.

Except…

In the dead of night Daunte woke to feel a peculiar sensation in his right hand. He looked the True Rune and saw that it was reacting. For a moment he felt nervous, but the moment quickly passed. It almost seemed like the Rune was trying to tell him something…

Seconds later he was dressed and hurrying down the stairs. The halls were naturally deserted but he took care not to create a lot of noise or disturb anyone as he reached the ground floor. He hesitated for a moment, but then mustered his courage and stepped outside the inn.

"Lord Daunte."

Daunte's eyes widened as he recognized Tir McDohl standing three meters away. He was alone, and his expression was coldly intense. Daunte swallowed thickly and approached the other man. "A-Ah, Master Tir. What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

"To see you, of course," Tir said bluntly. "I wanted to apologize for my behavior at dinner. You were my guest and I was impudent with you."

"No, you don't have anything to apologize for," Daunte said, shaking his head. "I was the one who was rude."

"How long have you had your True Rune?" Tir asked him.

Daunte shrugged. "Less than a year."

"While I wanted you to be aware of what it means to be a True Rune user, I should have been more tactful when we spoke."

"I understand that this Rune technically grants me immortality," Daunte said, pressing his left hand over the back of his right. "I can still die, and the Rune can leave me at any time, but I know that while I hold the Rune of Restoration I won't age and I will almost be invulnerable."

"This is all true," Tir said. "You will not physically change. The world around you is going to change, but you will not. That child with you—Arin, was his name?"

"Yes, he's my brother."

"He will continue to grow and you won't. You will watch him grow to be the same age as you, and then older than you. You will watch him grow to be an elderly man, and then you will watch him die. And you will remain the same."

Daunte did not like putting things in this context. Arin was the only family he had left, and the only reason that he even had the Rune of Restoration to begin with was because he was trying to save Arin's life. He didn't know how long the Rune would remain with him, although he hoped that the Rune would eventually move on. But he also knew there was a distinct possibility that it would never move on and he might be stuck with it forever. Stuck in the body of a seventeen-year-old while the people he cared about grow old and die, and the world changes and leaves him behind.

This is what Tir is going through now, isn't it? Cleo, Pahn, and Gremio are clearly aging but Tir is not. They will eventually be gone, and Tir will be alone. But it's even worse for Tir because he doesn't know if his friends will die of natural causes or if their souls will be eaten by his True Rune.

"I…hope that the Rune of Restoration will find a worthier host than I before that happens," Daunte admitted softly. "I didn't ask for this Rune. Arin was dying and I sought the Rune to put it on Arin to save his life. But the Rune chose me, and I've been slowly but surely learning its powers. You've put a lot into perspective for me, Master Tir. Thank you."

"I don't want you to dwell on something like this now," Tir said. "You have an army to lead and a country to liberate. Put this out of your mind for now and focus on the tasks at hand. Use the Rune of Restoration for the greater good…and be thankful that you don't have the Soul Eater. Be thankful that you were chosen by the parent rune of the Resurrection Rune, and that you wield the positive power of life. But you still must be prepared that the Rune may ask much of you. More of you than you think you can give."

Daunte looked down at Tir's right hand in silence for a long moment. He then looked up. "This is a selfish request, but would you be interested in joining my Army?"

"Thank you for the offer, but I must decline," Tir said. "I led an army during the Gate Rune War, and I temporarily fought during the Dunan Unification War. I would like to be done with wars and live as peacefully as possible. Having the Soul Eater in close proximity to a battlefield again would also not be a good idea."

Daunte saw his point and nodded. "I understand. I have one more question for you though."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't you become President of Toran? Why do you refuse to hold power in the country you liberated?"

Tir shrugged. "It wasn't my goal."

Daunte blinked. "Eh?"

"I joined the Liberation Army during the Gate Rune War for self-preservation. I was hunted by the Scarlet Moon Empire because of the Rune on my hand, which was bestowed upon me by my best friend Ted. Odessa Silverberg offered me protection and recruited me."

Daunte stiffened. Silverberg?

"But then Odessa died and her brother Mathiu refused to lead the Army," Tir said nonchalantly. "So I became the leader. However, I couldn't deny that the people were suffering under the rule of Emperor Barbarossa, and I did want to free them from tyranny. But I never had any desire to rule the country. But my Army was very insistent on my ruling, so I left with Gremio. Lepant took over as President, and as you can tell he's done a stellar job running things. Unfortunately, every time I return to Gregminster he tries to pressure me to take over as President. I've refused but he feels that I'm better for the job than he is."

"…I see," Daunte said, not knowing how to respond.

"Truthfully it's better that I not take power," Tir said. He reached down with his left hand to cover his right hand. "Ted may have passed the Soul Eater to me, but the Rune has chosen me as its host and it will not leave me. With this Rune I can kill people and swallow their souls, but the Rune is sentient. Anyone who has long-term exposure to this Rune is at risk of losing their soul to this Rune. If I were to take power and become President of the Toran Republic, I put everyone in Gregminster at risk. My friends are already at risk, but they…" he sucked in a sharp breath and clenched his teeth, and his face twisted up painfully.

"You warned your friends at dinner," Daunte recalled. "But they—"

"They won't listen to me," Tir interrupted. "They are at risk, Gremio most especially. If they remain by my side, they will die. This isn't an if or a maybe—they will die. The Soul Eater will claim their soul. But they don't care. Gremio, Cleon, Pahn—none of them care about the risk! They're just so afraid of my being alone that they'll risk an early grave just to keep me company! Never mind that as I am a True Rune possessor I'm going to long outlive all of them anyways!" Tir was breathing heavily, and he gripped his hand tight over the Rune.

Daunte looked at his hand, not knowing what to say. He swallowed thickly, and tried to formulate words to somehow comfort Tir. But nothing came to mind, and he felt terrible about it.

Tir spoke again, ending the prolonged and uncomfortable silence. "Your fate as the host of the Rune of Restoration will not be as harsh as mine. But the life you're going to live will not be pleasant. I hope you're prepared for it."

"…I don't know if I am," Daunte said softly. "But I'm going to use my Rune for the greater good. To help the people of my country."

"Will you assume power once you're successful?"

Daunte was taken aback by the question. All he could was shrug. "I don't know. I don't even know what kind of government I want Nagarea to have after the war."

"I see."

Daunte's breath hitched, and he bowed. "Thank you for everything you've told me, Master Tir."

"You're welcome," Tir said. "It was nice meeting you, Lord Daunte. I'm certain we'll see each other again someday."

Daunte glanced up. Someday? What does that mean?

Daunte got his answer the following morning. Apple woke the group up and told them that Tir had left before sunrise with Gremio. The citizens of Gregminster were disappointed that they didn't get to have a proper goodbye with their hero, and Daunte himself was disappointed that he wasn't able to spend more time with Tir and learn from him. But the wielder of the Soul Eater Rune did not seem to want to remain in one place for very long…and Daunte suspected it had to do with the True Rune affixed to his hand.

They said it was a cursed Rune, right? And Master Tir said that anyone close to him was doomed to have their souls eaten by that Rune. But Gremio, Cleo, and Pahn didn't seem to care. I almost feel like I lucked out with the True Rune I got. I feel terrible for Master Tir…and I have a feeling that this won't be the last time I see him.

…Well, since we both have True Runes we're bound to meet up again eventually.

Daunte never gave it much thought—the implications of being chosen by a True Rune. He'd wanted the Rune of Restoration for Arin, and even after reluctantly accepting the Rune he hadn't thought about what his life truly meant now that he was the bearer of a True Rune. But by meeting Tir McDohl he now had a rough idea of what it all meant.

So…I'm not going to age. Until this Rune leaves me I'm going to physically remain seventeen forever.

The thought had bother him last night. Now he felt the sting for exactly five seconds before forcing himself to shrug it off. Well, it will be awkward watching Arin grow older than me…if the Rune of Restoration remains with me for that long.

Still feeling immense disappointment from Tir having left in the night, Daunte and his group followed Apple downstairs to eat breakfast in the inn's dining room. As they reached the ground floor, Daunte quickly recognized the young man standing at the counter, fussing dramatically at Marie. And as he recognized the person, the familiar sound of an accordion filled the air.

"My Lord! Lord Daunte!" Luciano raced over to them. Daunte saw his prized Rose Brooch pinned to his shirt. Luciano grabbed Daunte's hands. "My Lord, I've looked everywhere for you!"

"But everyone knows we would be staying at this inn," Caesar said with confusion.

Luciano didn't seem to hear Caesar and instead kept his eyes on Daunte. "Lord Daunte, you have my eternal thanks. I know I would not have won the Male Beauty Contest without your deciding vote, and for that I am in your debt."

Was it really that obvious I was only going to vote for him? Daunte wondered. But Luciano squeezed his hands tighter as he continued. "I owe you everything. I must return this favor to you! Name any price, and I shall fulfill it!"

Daunte was briefly at a loss for what to do. He knew he could tell Luciano to go away, or ask for money, or attempt to recruit the Narcissist. Luciano wore a sword so he would hopefully serve a useful purpose in his Liberation Army. Unless the sword was decorative.

Well he insists on repaying me, so I might as well get some use out of him.

"If you're up for travel," Daunte said. "I'm leading an Army in Nagarea. That's on the Southern Continent. If you feel you must repay me, then I invite you to join my Army."

"…Really?" Gunther said with dull shock.

But Luciano's face lit up, and he nodded enthusiastically. "Since you worked ever so hard for my victory, Lord Daunte, I can do no better than to work hard for yours!" he took a couple steps backwards and posed dramatically with his Rose Brooch. "I swear to all the heavens that Luciano will lend his sword to your cause!"

"We're happy to have you," Daunte said, though he was genuinely shocked that Luciano would easily join a foreign Army of a stranger just because said stranger got him a brooch. But hopefully he can help us. "Our ship is on the outskirts of Lukiae Ende Towayo. Feel free to meet us there."

"Oh, I shall! Thank you so much!" Luciano did a full bow before Daunte and ran out of the inn. With his departure, the accordion faded away.

"Congratulations on a new recruit," Caesar said, forcing a smile. "Although here's hoping that he doesn't take up residence in our main building. If I have to hear the music that follows him every day, I might throw myself from the roof!"

"You're sounding more melodramatic than him," Apple teased him. She then glanced at Daunte. "What will you do today?"

"I would still like to meet with President Lepant," Daunte said. "And learn the foundations of a Republic. Hopefully we'll receive a reply from Dunan while we're here."

"Good idea my Lord," Caesar said. "As you've already seen, President Lepant is very opinionated about everything so you're bound to learn a lot from him."

Hopefully he doesn't shout so much, Daunte thought.

Two days later, Daunte received a reply from the Dunan Republic. Penned by Shu, he thanked them for their inquiry and they were given a formal invitation to Muse, Dunan's capital, to meet President Teresa Wisemail herself. Although the letter itself sounded a bit sarcastic, Apple reassured them that it was part of Shu's nature and that it was a sincere invitation.

While Daunte was thrilled to be granted an audience with the President of Dunan herself, he was slightly disappointed that he was venturing to another country run under a Republic. In the two days he was at Gregminster he did not observe any political meetings or exercises related to Toran itself, but Lepant was very helpful in teaching him the foundations of the government. Daunte learned that the Toran Republic ran as a "full-presidential system", where the president has a central political role. It meant that while Lepant had many political advisors and aides, he also had primary political power in Toran, though they held presidential elections every four years. It did not appear that the role of President in Toran had a term-limit, as Lepant had won every consecutive election (and had sometimes run completely unopposed) since he first became president over twenty years prior.

It seemed intimidating for one person to hold so much power, but Lepant seemed to wield it with ease. And he informed Daunte that Toran's style of a republic was not how all republics were run, although he also advised Daunte to research and experience for himself how other republics were run.

But the people of Toran seem happy with how Lepant runs things…or at least the people of Gregminster seem happy.

They had not been permitted to leave Gregminster for their stay, but they had made the most of their visit. Daunte found several recipes in the shops and he knew Yasaka would be thrilled to have Toran recipes. He also found cabbage seeds to give to May, but no old books or plays. They still enjoyed their stay in the capital, even with limited mobility.

With the news about them traveling north to Dunan they were greeted by Milia, who offered the Dragon Knights to escort them to the Toran-Doran border.

"You'll get there in no time," Milia promised. "Although I must insist that my daughter not travel with you to Dunan."

"I'm not a child!" Sharon protested loudly. "I pledged myself to Lord Daunte's cause, and—"

"You disappeared to the Southern Continent without telling anyone," Milia reminded her for the umpteenth time in a harsh voice. "You're coming home with me, and that's all there is to it!"

Daunte knew better than to argue with a mother, even though he was the leader of the Liberation Army. He didn't want to lose Sharon or any of the dragons who were attached to her, but it appeared that they didn't have any choice.

Caesar also extended an invitation for Apple to join them to Dunan (and Daunte thought of recruiting her), but Apple politely declined. She explained that she'd been to Dunan just recently and a return trip was unnecessary. She also seemed to read Daunte's mind and declined joining the Army.

"I have many other responsibilities that I need to attend to," Apple explained. "Caesar is more than capable of helping you. Besides, my previous work is…not up to caliber."

Caesar had insisted otherwise, but Apple still refused. Daunte was disappointed that he lost out on recruiting a veteran strategist but he respected her wishes and did not push her.

Gregminster did give them a warm send-off before they left, although Daunte was surprised when Lepant requested to see him in person one last time before he left. Daunte was escorted to Lepant's office, where he saw Sheena sleeping on the couch along the far left wall, and Eileen was arranging flowers on the coffee table in front of Lepant's desk. Daunte expected Lepant to say goodbye to him in person, but Lepant surprised him with an unexpected question. "I've heard that you spoke to Master Tir in private before he left Gregminster. Is this correct?"

"Yes, sir, that's correct," Daunte said.

"Did Master Tir express any interest in taking over for me?"

Daunte was startled by the question, but quickly answered. "He said no."

"Did he say why?"

Daunte shrugged. "He said he didn't want to become President."

Lepant sighed heavily, and rubbed a hand over his face. After a long moment he looked up and forced a smile. "Thank you, Lord Daunte. I won't delay your departure any longer."

Daunte said his thanks and his farewells and departed. He was puzzled as to why Lepant had pressed him like that, but then he remembered what Tir had said to him previously, and how Lepant kept trying to step down so Tir could assume power.

President Lepant may feel unworthy of the job, but for all intents and purposes he's done a great job. Still, he's a man in his sixties and he's been running Toran ever since the Scarlet Moon Empire was abolished. Maybe—he's looking to step down? Maybe he's also having difficulty finding a suitable replacement for himself and he believes only Master Tir can do it?

…But it's best that Master Tir not take power, especially since he doesn't want it.

"What did President Lepant need of you, my Lord?" Caesar asked when Daunte returned.

Daunte quickly and discreetly told him their conversation, and Caesar shook his head. "Nothing will convince the President that he's done a good job. He will always feel that Tir McDohl is superior to him in everything, and that all of his accomplishments pale in comparison to Tir's." Caesar smiled lazily. "But since Tir McDohl didn't ever want to become President, I think we're better off without him as our head of state."

Daunte was surprised by his blunt dismissal of a national hero, but he did see Caesar's point. It certainly gave Daunte a lot to think about.

Milia allowed Futch to lead the escort to the border (while she stayed behind with Sharon), and they quickly took off. Riding on a dragon still took a lot to get used to, and Daunte was somewhat relieved that it wasn't something he would have to get used to. But Arin loved riding the dragons, and seeing his little brother's joy did make Daunte feel better.

Once he was more comfortable with the height, Daunte looked straight down to see the landscape of Toran below them. The countryside looked rich, and he was very impressed by how much ground they were covering, but he was also disappointed. Toran was the land that Caesar, Mihr, and Sharon came from. He would've liked the opportunity to explore the country and visit other towns.

But remember you're a foreigner in a country that knows very little about Nagarea, Daunte. You cannot travel freely like that. Of course, I can't necessarily travel freely in Nagarea can I? He snorted at the irony.

"What's so funny?" Futch asked him, though his tone was not accusatory. Daunte was amazed he could hear him so easily with the wind blowing so harshly in their faces. "Nothing," Daunte replied. "I was remembering something funny."

"Oh, you mean like that time Jantu caught Yaman cheating with bets over Mihr's duel with Gunther?" Arin chimed him. He laughed hysterically. "Jantu grabbed Yaman by his ankles and shook his pockets empty by hanging him upside down!"

Futch barked out a laugh at this. "That I wish I could've seen!"

Daunte's instinctive reaction was to ask him if he wanted to join the Liberation Army, but he quickly stopped himself. Futch was a Dragon Knight. It would be completely inappropriate to try and recruit him when he already had obligations to another army.

I'll have other opportunities to possibly recruiting other people for my Army. Maybe I'll find volunteers in Dunan?

It took just two hours to reach the Toran-Dunan border. It was still late morning, which was surprising and a relief. Daunte and his group disembarked the dragons once again onto unsteady legs as the Toran border patrol rushed over to them. "The Dragon Knights! Are these the diplomats from Nagarea you're escorting?"

"Yes," Futch replied. "Is the Dunan escort here?"

"Yes, they're waiting across the border. But tread carefully—they don't look happy."

A slight feeling of dread settled over Daunte, and he quickly looked at Caesar. But his strategist looked unconcerned so Daunte deliberately kept an outward appearance of calm as he looked at his comrades. "Let's go." He took Arin by the hand.

"Send word ahead when you're ready to leave Muse," Futch told them. "We'll meet you here to escort you back to Lukiae Ende Towayo."

"Thank you for your help, Futch," Daunte said, bowing slightly. His party quickly followed suit and bowed as well.

Futch for his part looked surprised by Daunte's thanks. "I'm just following orders, you know. It's not anything special." Bright let out a loud snort and nudged Futch with his nose. Futch snapped his head around and glared. "What does that mean?!"

Daunte decided he didn't want to glean what Bright may have said to Futch and led the way with the Toran guards towards the Dunan part of the border. His heart started hammering in his chest the closer they got. I've just visited a country that survived a great war thanks to a hero. I wonder what Dunan is like?

They were marched the short distance to the Dunan soldiers waiting for them. They were dressed in orange and black military uniforms, and all of them looked stiff. "Salutations! We've brought the diplomats from the Theocracy of Nagarea!"

"We've heard," the soldier in front said stiffly. It was a woman in her mid-twenties. She wore her yellow blonde hair short in a buzz-cut, and she was glaring at them with silver eyes. "You've come a long way just to speak about government with our President, haven't you?"

"Yes we have," Caesar said, stepping forward. He held up Shu's letter. "We are here by invitation."

The woman looked to Caesar, and very slightly relaxed. "You're Caesar Silverberg."

"That I am," Caesar greeted. "This is my Lord, Daunte. Are you part of the escort to Muse?"

"We are." The woman gestured to herself. "I am Viola, a lieutenant in the Dunan Republic Army. We will personally escort you to and from Muse. We are going to be watching all of you carefully, and if you do anything suspicious we will arrest you on the spot. Is that understood?"

Daunte didn't know why Viola was being so hostile, but he supposed that it was just part of her job. He nodded stiffly to her. "Understood, ma'am."

"We will follow the path here to the north where we'll reach the town of Banner. We won't stop there, though—we'll continue north to the town of Radat, where we will stop. From there we'll continue north, cross Lake Dunan, and reach Coronet. From Coronet we'll head northeast to Dunan. It should take us about a week to reach Muse. Does anyone have any questions?"

Daunte was amazed by how efficient she was. With the way Viola conveyed her orders, he knew they would most definitely reach Muse in seven days. He felt the urge to try to recruit her, but he knew she already had very little patience with them anyways and held his tongue.

Just as Viola said, they were escorted north to Banner. Along the way they ran into an assortment of beasts—tigers, bears, and the like—but the Dunan soldiers fought the monsters off on their behalf. Daunte was happy for the help, although he lamented the loss of battle experience and Potch that fighting the monsters themselves would bring.

Overall the trip through Dunan was a blur. Without the Dragon Knights they traveled on foot, and they went through three cities before reaching Muse, all of which were fishing villages. It gave Daunte more exposure to the Dunan countryside, although the Dunan soldiers were clearly hurrying them. Viola was incredibly unsociable, and said very little to them except to prod them along and encourage them to keep moving. But she was formidable warrior worthy of her title of lieutenant; she wielded a halberd with ease and made liberal use of a Thunder Rune. Most of the time the other soldiers under her command didn't even need to fight—she just did it solo. Daunte was impressed, and he could tell that the rest of his party was impressed.

Although Gunther didn't help matters by repeatedly flirting with Viola.

But their trip through Dunan was without incident, and it only took a few short hours to cross Dunan Lake. Daunte was amazed by the lake. The color of the water was onyx, but the lake looked clean and pristine. Daunte saw many fish swimming in the water, and—

"Whoa!" Daunte shouted, flying backwards and crashing into Gunther.

"W-What's the matter?" Arin asked fearfully.

"What is it?" Viola said. Both her soldiers and her snapped to attention.

"I-I-I…" Daunte pointed to the water. "I saw a giant octopus!"

The soldiers visibly relaxed, and Viola cracked a very slight smile. "Oh, that? That's Chuchara. He's a kraken, and his father Abizboah served in the Dunan Army during the Unification War."

Daunte gaped at her. A kraken served in the Dunan Unification War?! Did I hear that correctly?!

"He's been living in the lake ever since he outgrew his parent's cave," another Dunan soldier said. He laughed softly. "The lake has never been safer since Chuchara moved in! You won't find pirates or smugglers around these parts anymore!"

Daunte glanced at Caesar, who nodded his confirmation. Daunte shook his head, and focused on their destination.

True to Viola's word, they reached Muse within seven days. As Muse had known they were coming, there was a large crowd of civilians at the gate eager to meet the first-known Nagarean's to have ever set foot in Dunan. Daunte could hear the gossip and chatter of thousands of people as they drew closer. A large battalion of soldiers in blue uniforms stood at the city gate, and Daunte tensed briefly. Caesar however put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring nod. Daunte nodded in kind and they continued moving forward.

At the front of the group of soldiers stood a brown-haired man in his late thirties. His bangs were long in the front, but Daunte saw that he kept his eyes closed. He was dressed in well-tailored clothing, and he had emblems on the front of his coat. Daunte knew that this man was very important, but he also knew that this could not be President Wisemail.

"Lord Chancellor." Viola and her soldiers moved forward and saluted the man. "We have brought the dignitaries from Nagarea."

"Thank you, Lieutenant." The man spoke in a calm and serene voice. Viola stepped aside and the man moved forward towards Daunte's group. He smiled, though his eyes did not open. "It's been a long time, Caesar Silverberg. How have you been?"

"I've been well, Chancellor Klaus," Caesar said. He gestured to Daunte. "This is my commander, Lord Daunte. He is the leader of Nagarea's Liberation Army."

"I'm very pleased to meet you," the Chancellor said, turning to Daunte. "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Klaus Windamier, Chancellor to President Teresa Wisemail. I'm sorry we could not greet you as soon as you all arrived. On behalf of our president, welcome to the Dunan Republic."

I'm sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to get this uploaded as quickly as possible. The next chapter is going to be longer, and it should be up by next week. And don't forget to vote in the fanfiction polls! You can find the link on my profile page.