Meeting Loki and subsequently having an Adventure in the Alf Royal Forest was not quite how Finn imagined himself four years after he left his village. Still, it ended on a good note as they got the second member of Loki Familia in Riveria Ljos Alf, a High Elf princess who has quite the character.
After leaving the Alf Royal Forest, the party consisted of Finn, Loki, Riveria, and her friend Aina were currently walking along the main road of Karuna city.
"Look, Aina! This is another race's city!" Riveria said, full of excitement. The strangest thing in Finn's mind was how dignified she still was, even in her excitement. He guessed royalty was bred differently. Even Alkittiene could switch between the playful Felice and the graceful Alkittiene flawlessly.
Although, he wished Riveria was a little warmer.
"Karuna City is a place for travelers to rest before continuing the journey," Finn explained. "That said, why is the fourteen years old explaining things to the seventy years old?" He said under his breath.
"Oh well, cheer up, Finn. How about we hold a party to celebrate Riveria joining us?"
"Oh, you're fourteen years old, Mr. Finn? So young..." Aina picked up his mutterings.
"If we translate it to Elves age? Are fourteen years old still sleeping in the crib?" Finn smiled, playfully ribbing the elves.
"That's rude," Aina replied, although her face sported a smile.
"Hey, hey, what about my idea?!"
"I apologize, but this is my first time casually talking about ages with Elves. Usually, I treat them according to their appearance instead of their age," Finn's mind recalled Ryulu. That annoying bard.
They used the name Wishe to spread the heroic tales of old. They even had songs about him. How silly.
To his sadness, the Song of Light, a collection of poetry and songs about the Knight of Fianna, was the only piece of history that survived to the modern day that depicted him, the second Fianna, as a man. Everything else thought that since Fianna is a female, of course, her successor would also be female.
"Riveria! Let's have a party!"
"Truly?" Aina replied, a little surprised. "You have met other Elves?"
"Hm? That's right. You and Princess over there lived in the Royal Forest. Have you never met Elves outside?"
Aina shook her head. "Usually, they come to the forest to meet the High Elves. Although, the other High Elves in the forest have a low opinion about the Elves outside."
"What a shame," Finn closed his eyes. Looking to Aina, he continued. "I've met a particularly annoying Elf before. I didn't know their age, but I treated them like I treat an adult because that's how they look like."
"What about Riveria and I?"
Finn smiled. "I know better than to answer."
Helga and Melia would constantly torture him in the past when he talked about their age.
"Aina," Riveria called her friend. It was then that Finn noticed the gaze targeted towards their group.
"Oho, it seems that the two beauties caught everyone's attention, huh? That aside, what about the party, everyone?"
"The Elves' gaze is worse than the leery male looking at Riveria and Aina," Finn noted, humming.
"You have to excuse them, Mr. Finn. Imagine if a princess walks down the peasant street. It'd be full of the people's reverence."
It was an apt analogy by the Princess' friend because it was what happened.
Riveria should've worn a disguise, Finn mused with amusement. To think he would walk side by side with royalty once more. Truly, life was full of twist and turn.
They decided to enter a low-class pub to avoid the Elves. Once they were seated and ordered their drinks ("Finally, the party can begin!"), Riveria opened their talk.
"So, what are you going to do?"
Loki grinned. "We're going to be the strongest Familia! Isn't that right, Finn?"
"It's a rather big goal, but I believe we can accomplish it. No, I know we can." He slapped the table in reflex. Whoops, looked like his Finn persona came out again.
"Don't be too full of yourself. I don't know what I'm going to do, but after I repaid the two of you for getting me out, I'm going to leave," Riveria crossed her arms.
Aina looked at her friend before turning her gaze to him.
"Orario," Finn began. "The center of the world. Heroes come from there. It is famous for being the entrance to the infamous Dungeon. "
Riveria opened her eyes and looked at him, interested in where this was going.
"I know the Elves keep records from long ago and are unfamiliar with the modern world. Maybe you'll be more familiar with this word: the Great Hole," he heard Aina gasp. "A city built on top of the Great Hole. You can say that it functions as a lid to keep the hole from being open. That's what Orario is, and that's where our real journey as a Familia begins. How about it? You interested?"
As expected, the mention of the Great Hole would make the Elf Princess interested. It had already been several hundred years since Orario was founded, and yet the two didn't understand the term 'Dungeon' but were familiar with the Great Hole.
"Hmph. Fine," Riveria scoffed.
The door of the pub was opened, and a group of Dwarves entered the premise.
"Master! A drink for all of us!"
Finn's ears caught a familiar voice. It couldn't be, ...could it?
His eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice. Soon enough, he found it. It came from a Dwarf with a remarkable resemblance to Galmus. What are the chances? Finn wondered.
"Hm? Is something wrong, Finn?" Loki, catching sight of Finn's restless form, questioned him.
"Nothing is wrong," he smiled. Although, he hoped the resemblance was just that, a resemblance.
Who was he kidding? He was a carbon copy of his last self. Well, except for the ponytail. He cut it off this time. If there was a Galmus lookalike, there was a slight, minuscule chance that it was Galmus. The proof? He was the proof.
"I think it's time we go."
"What are you talking about, Finn? We haven't even started the party!"
Finn winced. Don't go shouting his name out, Loki.
Sure enough, he found the Dwarf he did not want to meet looking at him. He tried to avoid eye contact as long as possible.
"Hey, Gareth, what are you doing approaching the Elves like them?" Another Dwarf caught eyes of what the Galmus lookalike (named Gareth) was doing.
Ah, the familiarity with Finn's name answered it. He really was Galmus.
Hearing that, Riveria and Aina narrowed their eyes, and the Princess even grabbed her staff.
"Calm down, Riveria, Aina."
"Finn?" Loki questioned him.
"It's just an old friend."
Loki's eyes widened, and she took a good look at the approaching Dwarf. Her jaw dropped.
The day Finn swore his allegiance to the Goddess Loki and had her Falna was the day his new Goddess watched an entire life play before her eyes.
She did not really expect to see an old soul inside a new vessel, in her own words. Finn took that as a confirmation that he really was reborn in the present day. Seeing another case of reincarnation must be shocking for the Goddess
Incidentally, the truth about him was still unknown to the two Elves. But it seems that he needed to explain things to the Princess and her friend.
After all...
"Finn?" Gareth called him as he stood beside him. "Are you really Finn?"
"In the flesh, Galm-"
Finn couldn't finish his words because Gareth's fist met his cheek.
A/N: mostly used Gareth origin story from the wiki.