{-Sharena-}

Fjorm was one of the first to notice their return. "It's a relief to see you all back safely." She paused. "Where's Alfonse?"

Sharena shrugged. "He left to talk with Mother."

Anna and Fauna both went to talk with some of the other Heroes, revealing Eir (who, after leaving the realm of the dead, trailed behind the rest of them). Fjorm only stared at her before Sharena realized what she hadn't done yet.

"Fjorm, this is Eir," Sharena explained. "She's the princess of the dead but wants to be around the living, so from now on she's officially a member of the Order of Heroes. Eir, this is Fjorm. She's—"

"One of Nifl's children," Eir guessed, tilting her head. "I can tell what she has done with that dragon blood. A rather… bold decision." Then she nonchalantly walked away.

Fjorm looked unnerved but didn't say anything about it.

…

The next morning, Eir gathered all of them together. She didn't really give an explanation for what she wanted to tell them; Fjorm tried to question what it was that she was there, but the only answer she was given was "I have gathered that this might benefit you as well." Lekra seemed to have an idea about what it was, though they apparently weren't confident enough to share with Sharena when she asked them.

Eir waited until all five of them came and sat down before saying anything. "As the daughter of Hel, I have overheard countless conversations she had with gods. I believe I can safely say, due to those conversations, I know more of your own gods than you do. What they discussed with her hardly ever matched with another's. But there was something two of them always mentioned, which the others later asked about as well: the prince of peace and the little dreamer." She planned her words carefully, next asking, "How familiar are you all with the Trickster and God of War?"

"We've encountered Loki before," Alfonse said, "though we've only heard things about Thórr."

Eir looked a bit more relieved to hear it. "At least that saves me the trouble of describing them to you. They were the two gods that kept coming to Hel about that matter and were originally the ones to introduce the topic to her. Due to the nature of the prince of peace and little dreamer, I can only say much for the prince of peace; the little dreamer, as you might imagine, dealt more in a realm far beyond Hel's reach. I do not want to overstep my boundaries by implying their purposes or telling them their mission before they are ready, so let us just say for now that they have a special place in this world.

"The prince of peace was the basis for Hel's deal with the Trickster. If Hel could kill the prince of peace, then the Trickster would give her all the power she wanted. They often came together to discuss it, where Hel would try to determine who exactly she was looking for. Eventually your gods also asked after this prince, hoping that perhaps if he was born in their kingdom—or their enemy's—they could recognize him and give him to the Trickster for the same benefits as Hel. Of course they, truly bound to no space or limits, lost interest when it became apparent that he will not appear anytime soon. Both of the times Hel invaded your world, she was seeking the prince of peace.

"The little dreamer… I know more of how she helps the prince of peace in their mission than of her individual role. Hel never focused on her and, thus, most times she was brought up was in passing. All I understand about her in specific is that the Dream-King and Lady of Nightmares watch over her. I am not sure if they are supposed to stop what she is supposed to become or encourage it, though likely unknowingly and certainly against the Trickster's will, it seems to be the latter.

"As for the identities of the prince of peace and little dreamer… a few of you might have already guessed it. They are Alfonse and Sharena."

Fjorm stared in disbelief at Alfonse. "You're the prince of peace? Nifl told me to find you!" She paused and glanced at Eir. "Wait, how did you know that?"

Eir shrugged. "We both know what you did. The children of ice were always closer with their patron god than the others."

Alfonse had a question of his own. "Why did Nifl tell you to find me?"

"To break the bonds that the gods created," Fjorm replied solemnly.

"It is best not to focus on that part now," Eir advised. "My hope is to prepare you for it so that you might be successful, but to explain the task now… I fear it might allow you to be played right into the Trickster's hands. She hopes that once you learn of it you will rush to fulfill it, but brashness will only lead to defeat." She slowly stood up. "That is all I wanted to tell you. Thank you all for taking the time to listen."

Sharena left with everyone else, finding a quiet place to sit outside. "You've been talking about me the entire time?"

"I thought I was being rather obvious," they remarked.

"So can you be more specific about what you meant when you said about me rediscovering my second home?"

"As a regular dreamer, like Fjorm and Ylgr, you've played with the Dream-King and have since forgotten him and his domain. But as the little dreamer, you will soon be able to return to the world that arguably holds a part of you locked inside it."

"That still doesn't make any sense!"

"You'll figure it out soon enough… once he finally comes back."

((A/N: Fjorm will always find Eir unnerving, even if Eir thinks she's being friendly… and unlike most misunderstandings, Sharena can't clear it up because she doesn't know why Fjorm feels like that.

Lekra's cryptic answer was definitely not what Sharena was hoping for.

This is the last chapter for this part! The next part will start with the next scheduled update.))