When the moon reaches its end, You rise from slumber and prepare to make for the cardinals' room. Seraphine speaks to You along the way.
Seraphine: Here we are… The day of our first official mission. I don't know what we can expect from this, but if all goes well, this should be a strong foot to start our fight on.
You nod and say that with the Knights of Seiros, You may be able to come up with a plan to push back sooner than expected.
Seraphine: And the sooner all of this is over, the better off everyone will be… For now, that starts with us going to find the others and hear what they have to say. Let's get to it.
You leave your room and make for the cardinals' room on the second floor of the monastery as Seraphine falls silent. Your comrades within the Church of Seiros are waiting for You when You arrive, all of them eyeing a map that has been spread out on the table.
Niko: We're set to be targeting this fort not far from the monastery. It seems as if Malice forces have overtaken it, but this should provide us with a perfect place to both reunite with the Knights of Seiros and continue to push back against our foes.
Herwig: In that case, I suppose all that we can do now is march in that direction. We don't want to lose track of this opportunity as long as we still have it.
Adrian: I agree… Though I must admit that something about all of this is bothering me. It's hard to put a finger on, but it feels as if something is wrong…
Roy: Captain Torryn sent us a letter in return once she heard from Niko, and I must say that her vagueness surrounding this fort is starting to strike me as strange.
Reese: Do you think that she's sending us there for reasons aside from it simply being a perfect place to reunite?
Jill: It's difficult to say for certain, but it wouldn't surprise me if she knew something that we aren't yet aware of. She's been doing a lot of good work recently to track down our foes.
Nesreen: We'll just have to be careful when we get there then. We can work out the details as we get closer, because suspicious behavior or not, we need to meet up with those reinforcements.
Aisa: I agree wholeheartedly. Let us be on our way so that we may reunite with them and return as soon as possible.
With that your allies set a course for the entrance of the monastery, off to see what is waiting for them in the fort that Cordelia has designated as the reunion point. However, You feel strangely about this given what You have heard previously. You wonder what could be so peculiar about this fort as You trail after your comrades.
You arrive in the vicinity of your destination a few hours later, and You look up to see a small fort on the horizon.
Nesreen: Well… Here we are. That certainly looks like the fort we've been searching for, though it seems somewhat empty.
Roy: Malice forces have been gathering there for quite some time now as far as I can tell. In other words, they're all holed up inside.
Jill: If they're hiding within the building, then they're going to have strong fortifications and the terrain on their side. This battle won't be easy.
Adrian: Captain Torryn seemed confident that we would be able to take them on if we fought together, and I have faith in her thoughts on the matter.
Herwig: If we can take the fortress from this side while the knights turn their focus to the other end of the building, we should have few issues reclaiming it.
Reese: The enemy won't be able to defend themselves from all sides regardless of how hard they try to win against us.
Niko: The Knights of Seiros will be arriving within the hour. I believe it would be for the best if we waited until we saw them reach us before we started our attack.
Aisa: Hold a moment… It appears as if there are soldiers exiting the fort. Do you see it as well?
You turn your focus to the fortress as well, and your eyes go wide as You realize that Aisa is right. There are soldiers streaming out of the fort's exit, and they are moving in your direction.
Reese: They've seen us. We're not going to have the benefit of a surprise attack with them running at us like this.
Herwig: It seems as if we won't be able to wait for the Knights of Seiros to arrive. We're just going to have to start fighting now.
Niko: As long as we can draw out the fight long enough for the knights to get here, we should be alright.
Nesreen: In other words, we're going to be playing a waiting game… I hope we can last long enough against them.
Adrian: There are more soldiers here than I would have liked, but the best thing we can do right now is try to hold them off.
Aisa: I agree. We cannot abandon the knights to fight this battle on their own. They will arrive in time, and when they do, we will redouble our attacking strength.
Jill: In that case, we had better get into position… Unless we want the enemy to overwhelm us before our reinforcements can back us up.
Roy: I agree. Be ready for the fight of your lives, everyone! This battle won't be easy, but we must be ready to meet our assailants at once!
You nod and move into your position as the battle draws near. You can see many soldiers approaching You from the fort, and You can tell that they are leaving the back end of the building unguarded. Their intention is clearly to wipe out your numbers before You can get close to the fort, but they believe that You are the only ones attacking. As long as You can hold out long enough for the Knights of Seiros to arrive, You will be able to win this battle through a pincer attack and the element of surprise. Until then though, You know that the fight ahead will be long and arduous.
You and your allies push forward with as much strength as You can muster, but despite your strength and coordination, it is clear that You will have no luck in winning this battle on your own. You notice that the enemies all have pale skin and white hair, and You find yourself thinking of Evenor with each glance at them, desperation sinking into your mind. You keep an eye out for the Knights of Seiros at all times, praying that their arrival will be enough to end the battle.
At the start of turn four, Cordelia appears with the Knights of Seiros at the back of the map behind the fortress. The leader of the knights raises her weapon high before looking out at the battlefield with a heavy frown. Her hair is tied half-up with a ponytail at the back of her head. Her armor is white and lined in a striking gold color. A green cape falls from her shoulders, the Crest of Seiros stitched upon the fabric in gold. Her boots are black, the same color as the dark gloves upon her hands.
Cordelia: My apologies for the delay. It appears the battle started before we were able to catch up with you.
Kaeta: At least we're here now. You have nothing to fear now that we're here to back you up!
Derric: I hope that the battle hasn't been too much for you to handle thus far…
Cordelia: We can discuss everything in full after the battle. For now, we must seize that fort as soon as possible! Knights of Seiros, onwards!
With the combined strength of your forces and the Knights of Seiros, You continue to charge towards the fortress, more determined than ever to find victory. It takes quite a bit of work, but You are eventually able to find it, and once the battle is over, You stand with Aisa, Roy, and Cordelia in front of the building.
Aisa: At long last, the battle is over… It is nice to see you again, Captain Torryn.
Cordelia: We can save the pleasantries off a little bit longer. I'm glad to see all of you are still alive, but we have to search the fort before we can continue. Come on.
Cordelia walks away and enters the fortress, the rest of the Knights of Seiros hot on her heels. You watch them with wide eyes and confusion in your heart as Seraphine speaks to You.
Seraphine: She wanted to come here because she's searching for something… I'm not entirely sure what we're supposed to be looking for, but it wouldn't hurt to at least put in the effort. She seems rather intense about all of this… Something tells me that she wants to get this done quickly.
You nod before following Cordelia into the building and searching the fortress from top to bottom. There are no soldiers within the hallways or rooms, and even though your blade remains primed at the ready, You never need to swing it. The entire building is completely empty, and when You return to the front of the fort, You find yourself disappointed that there was nothing You could do to help Cordelia in her search. The other Knights of Seiros as well as your comrades within the church have gathered together by the time You return, and Cordelia is frowning deeply.
Cordelia: Damn it all… We were too late.
Herwig: If you don't mind my asking… What exactly were you searching for to begin with?
Derric: We were looking for someone… We were led to believe that an old foe of ours was hiding within these walls.
Derric's hair has grown longer, and a red cape falls behind him. He wears armor that is mostly silver with highlights of gold and green. Shoulder guards rest on his upper arms, and both have the Crest of Dominic carved into them.
Reese: The enemies that we were fighting… They all had unnaturally pale skin and white hair. I think I can guess where this is going.
Miriam: It was Evenor. We thought that she would be here.
Miriam wears a turquoise dress underneath plates of blue armor. Her waist bears a light blue sash, and two segments of fabric extend downwards to her knees. The Crest of Seiros is stitched in silver on the fabric. Her golden curls fall over her back, layered above her pink cape.
Cordelia: Unfortunately, she was already gone by the time we arrived. There are tunnels beneath this fortress, and I can only imagine that she ran with the rest of the fighters that were guarding the fortress when they realized it was a pointless effort.
Wynne: I was really hoping that we would be able to find her and get a few answers out of her, but I guess that just wasn't meant to be.
Wynne is wearing brown, blue, and green attire that You recognize vaguely as belonging to Almyran culture from your battles before the war's beginning. Gauntlets are on his hands.
Kaeta: I was praying for that too… Well, there's nothing we can do about it now but continue to search for her. She has to be out there somewhere.
Kaeta hair is rather short, and half of it has been shaved off. She wears a white shirt with dark blue leggings black boots. Her gloves are turquoise, and a dark teal jacket is wrapped around her waist. A sword is attached to her belt, and the Crest of Seiros is stitched into the fabric on her right calf.
Jill: While you were trying to find Lady Aisa, you were searching for Evenor as well… Though I suppose it was easier to find one of them than the other.
Rodain: I honestly thought we were going to find Evenor first… Though I'm certainly not complaining at all… However, I have a few questions, if you don't mind answering them.
Rodain's hair is tied in a ponytail at the base of his neck. He wears black armor with white highlights. A red scarf is wrapped around his neck, and a navy cape trails behind him. Both the scarf and cape are heavily torn, barely being held together.
Niko: If you're shocked to see Lady Aisa here, you wouldn't be the only one. All of us were surprised at first too.
Adrian: I'm just glad that we were able to find her. I was worried that we would never track her down again for a while.
Piers: It's the small mercies, I suppose… And now that we have more people on our side, we can redouble our efforts to track Evenor.
Piers' black hair is left long and loose. He wears brown and white armor, though it has faded from use over the years. A knife is attached to his waistband in a small sheath.
Roy: That much is true. We've got quite the journey ahead of ourselves in order to find her, but we'll get there eventually, I'm sure.
Yuliya: We shouldn't stand around here while we're talking though. If we're going to talk, we should get back to the monastery. I don't want to get ambushed here.
While only five years have passed, Yuliya seems much older. Her hair now flows wildly around her, and she wears a black dress over transparent tights. Her shoes are black as well, and she has a lengthy cape on as well. A golden locket hangs from her neck.
Aisa: Yes, of course. Perhaps it would be for the best if we retreated for the time being…
Cordelia: I'll leave a battalion here to look after the fort and make sure that no trouble befalls this place in the future. We can talk more back at the monastery.
Roy: Let's get back there then. Perhaps the rest of your troops can settle down and see what we've made of the monastery while we talk. Quite a bit has changed since they were last there.
Cordelia: It's a deal. Let's go.
You follow the knights and the church staff back to the monastery once the fort has been fully secured, and upon arriving, You move to the cardinals' room with Aisa, Cordelia, and Roy. The other members of the church have gone to help the knights settle in once more, leaving the cardinals' room primarily empty.
Cordelia: It certainly has been a while since I was last here… Though I'm not complaining. I didn't know if I would ever be able to come back to the monastery with everything going on.
Roy: Once we were able to clear out the bandits, it didn't take us long to reorganize the monastery and get everything back in order. It's a fine base of operations now that everything is cleaned again.
Aisa: We will likely be using this space for quite some time to come. After all… The war will not end easily.
Cordelia: …I still can't believe that you're back here to fight in the war. After what happened five years ago… I knew that you were still alive. A clump of your cut hair isn't enough to tell me that you're dead. I just couldn't figure out… Why? Why did you run?
Aisa: That… That is a complicated question to answer…
Cordelia: I want to understand. I've been searching for you with the rest of the knights for the last half a decade. The least you can do now that you're back with us is answer my questions. I've waited long enough to see you again and hear the truth behind why you disappeared.
Aisa: The truth… It is not something I am ready to share yet. It is not something I believe that you are ready to hear.
Cordelia: Lady Aisa, you can't just say something like that. We've been waiting for ages to see your face and hear your voice again, and now that we're finally here… You won't even tell us why you went missing?
Aisa: The truth of my motivations will change the course of everything you have known about this land. There are some things that a person is better off knowing, and the last thing I want to do is shatter your heart and mind by telling you a truth that may destroy all that you have ever understood.
Cordelia: I always had a feeling there was more to you than met the eye… I suppose I'm starting to see that in intimate detail now.
Aisa: I do not say these things because I wish to hurt you or antagonize you. All I desire is that you are kept safe from the truth of the past. The pain is something unlike all that you have seen up to this point, and…
Cordelia: …You're afraid of talking about it. I can see it in your eyes. Even after all this time where you've been outrunning the truth… You didn't realize that it was going to catch up to you.
Roy: Lady Aisa, we're not trying to push you in a way that makes you upset or uncomfortable. We just want to know why you were gone for so long. We've been serving you for ages now, and we wouldn't have spent five long years of our lives searching for any traces of you that we could find if we didn't think that it was worth it to finally find you.
Cordelia: Precisely. All we want is to understand, and we can't do that if you're pushing us away and keeping the truth out of our reach.
Roy: Please, Lady Aisa… We want to help you, but we can't do anything until you let us in.
Aisa: …Malice's forces… They have a master.
Roy: What?
Aisa: I knew her many lifetimes ago… The mastermind behind all that we have seen. A woman who will do anything in the name of her own ambitions. She pulled apart the weaknesses in this land and allowed them to thrive. She is the one that we must target above all else.
Cordelia: How do you know this?
Aisa: As I told you, I knew her many years ago. Times have changed since then… But I doubt that she has changed much. The passage of time means little to those who will live until the earth caves in.
Roy: You're trying to push us to pursue this leader of Malice then… And she has something to do with the reason that you disappeared.
Aisa: Yes. That is the truth. The finer details… I believe I will have to save those for a bit later. I am not ready to disclose the full story of my disappearance, but… We must do all that we can to stop the one who sparked the flames of war to begin with. All it takes is a single moment to change all that we have ever known… And the master of Malice is the one responsible for this inferno that we have been wrapped in for the last five years.
Cordelia: What are we supposed to do to find her then? I haven't heard anything about there being a specific leader of the Malice forces.
Aisa: You had no way of knowing. She has been hiding in the shadows. Such is her way. We will find her soon enough, but for now… We must destabilize our foes and their forces by striking at their pillars of strength.
Cordelia: Perhaps we can continue to pursue Evenor for the time being then. The people who share her appearance… We know little about them, but if we can find them, then perhaps we'll find a few more answers about what we should be doing next.
Aisa: I agree. When we have defeated a few more battalions of the enemy forces, we may set our sights higher… On the woman responsible for all that we have seen and endured for the last five years.
Roy: Alright… We can come up with a plan of what to do next soon. After that… We'll strike.
Cordelia: Of course… But, Lady Aisa… I do hope that you understand that this won't be the last time we have this conversation. I want to know the full truth and nothing but the truth the instant that you're ready.
Aisa: I understand… Until that time comes, thank you for standing at my side. All of you.
Roy: Of course. Now, Captain Torryn, we ought to check up on the new recruits, yes? I hope they're doing well.
Cordelia: You're right… Until next time, Lady Aisa.
You watch as Roy and Cordelia leave, and You turn to face Aisa once You are alone with her.
Aisa: I truly do hate to keep the truth secret for so long… I simply know that the time is not right. Not yet. Times will change eventually, and when they do… You will understand. Thank you for remaining at my side until then.
You assure her that You will do everything in your power to continue fighting no matter what.
Aisa: Thank you… I truly do appreciate it.
You leave the cardinals' room soon afterwards and make for your own quarters. Once You return, Seraphine's voice echoes in your mind.
Seraphine: The forces of Malice have a master… And Aisa knows who she is. I have a bad feeling about this… She must have heard the truth somehow, but why keep something like this a secret? She could have changed the tides of this war ages ago, but…
You say that You are going to stay there until You can hear the truth.
Seraphine: But I know that you're upset about this. You, Roy, Cordelia… All of you want to hear the truth. Aisa is keeping the truth from you. I just want to understand… But I suppose we won't find any answers if we bolt off early, huh?
You shake your head.
Seraphine: Then patience it is… I just hope she starts talking sooner rather than later. I don't know how I'm going to bear the suspense…
You lay down for the night soon afterwards, a frown laced across your features. You cannot help but feel nauseous about all that You have learned. Malice's forces have a mastermind, and You will have to find her with time. Even though You do not know the name of your foe, the mere idea of her rings in your mind like a bell, and You find yourself imagining potential phantoms of her face even as You drift off to slumber…
Sorry again about the delay everyone!
-Digital