"How long have they been here?" asked Loretta.

Sadeena sighed. "Ever since Raphtalia's parents and I left the country."

Aris gritted his teeth. He took an arrow from his quiver and snapped it over his thigh. "Fuck all this 'Heavenly Emperor' shit! If they really came all the way here to look after Raphtalia, why didn't they step in during the first Wave?! Why didn't they do anything when Raphtalia was sold into slavery?! Why would they just abandon her?!"

His eyes flickered with golden light. "I'm going to fly all the way to wherever the hell those sons of bitches came from and wipe them out with my bare fucking hands!"

"Hey, easy, easy!" Joker chided, calming him down. "No need to resort to ethnic cleansing!"

Aris sighed. "Okay...okay. I'm calm. But if they're gonna fire on us, we're gonna fire back."

Dante nodded. "Ignoring this whole thing definitely won't help anyone."

Itsuki glared at Aris. "You do realize this whole thing only happened because Raphtalia-mmph!"

Rishia covered his mouth.

All eyes were on Raphtalia, silently asking for her approval.

She sighed. "We won't have any other choice if they just keep coming. This isn't an obstacle we can just go around. We'll have to force our way through it."

"Then it's settled," said Aris. "As soon as we can, we head to the island nation of Raphtalia's lineage. Sadeena, what's it called?"

Raphtalia's eyes were downcast as she helped with preparations for New Hyrule's "invasion" of Q'ten Lo.

Aris saw her in his peripheral vision. "Hey," he said softly. "Come with me for a second."

She followed him out of sight and earshot of everyone else.

"Dear," Aris said gently, "something's bothering you, isn't it?"

Raphtalia nodded. "It's just...had I never been born, you wouldn't have to deal with all this. Lighthaven wouldn't have to deal with all this. I just...I feel like such a burden for everyone. Just...dead weight."

With no hesitation, Aris threw his arms around the Demi-human he loved. "You are not a burden, Raphtalia," he whispered into her ear. "And even if being with you was a burden, it would be one I'd be more than happy to bear. But that doesn't mean you are. And don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

"But...from what Dante told me, us being in a relationship could be part of what's causing problems in Q'ten Lo," said Raphtalia. "And because of that, they're causing trouble here. Because of me."

"And you think that's gonna stop me from loving you?"

Aris held her waist with his right arm, softly holding her chin with his free hand. Their eyes met; Raphtalia's were filling with tears.

"I want you to promise me something," Aris told her. "Promise me you won't blame yourself for any of this."

Raphtalia nodded through tears. "I promise...I promise I won't."

Aris smiled at her, planting a small kiss on her forehead. "Good. Now come on. We'll regroup with the others. I'll assign people to come with us to Q'ten Lo and people to stay behind and hold down the fort in case something comes up again."

In the end, Aris chose Raphtalia, Loretta, Pit, Filo, Joker, Rishia, Sora, Atla, Fohl, Sadeena, Ost, and Dante to join him in Q'ten Lo. Meanwhile, Ness, Cloud, Riku, Kairi, Keel, Motoyasu, Ren, Rat, Gaelion, Wyndia, and Itsuki would stay behind.

"We'll have to go through Siltvelt," said Aris as he and Sadeena briefed everyone on the mission. "It's the farthest mainland country to the east, and Q'ten Lo is off the eastern seaboard."

"But even once we're out of Siltvelt and on the boats to Q'ten Lo," said Sadeena, "we'll have some chaotic currents to deal with. Not only that, but the Water Dragon patrols the oceans around Q'ten Lo and creates a barrier that not even I can break through."

"Can't we just kill it?" asked Atla.

"It swims too deep," replied Sadeena. "If someone here knows how to take it down, tell me, because I'd definitely like to know."

"Could we try getting there by flight?" Ost suggested.

Sadeena shook her head. "The barrier prevents inbound air travel, too. As far as I know, the only way to get in is by Siltveltian trading ship."

"And we probably can't smuggle ourselves into one," Raphtalia pointed out. "There's way too many of us for that."

"Yeah," said Sadeena. "And they'll be on high alert after what happened to you, Raphtalia. We'll need some serious support from Siltvelt."

"I mean, Aris is the Shield Hero," Sora mentioned. "Maybe they'll listen to him?"

"The Shield Hero is highly revered in Siltvelt, yes," said Sadeena. "Almost worshiped, in fact."

"Which means I might be able to get them to prepare a boat for us," Aris concluded. "But, on a different note, I can use my teleport skill to return us all to the village whenever I want, but I only tend to use it when absolutely necessary. So, if anyone in the invasion party is too tired or injured to keep going, I'll teleport them back here and someone else can substitute for them."

A hand lifted from the audience. "May I say something?"

Aris recognized S'yne's voice. S'yne now wore a strange choker-like gadget that Loretta had recently finished. The voice it produced for S'yne had a bit of a mechanized drone to it, but aside from that sounded entirely human.

Aris nodded at S'yne. "Go ahead."

"I think I left a teleport pin about halfway from Melromarc to Siltvelt. I can take the leaving party there to make things easier for you guys."

"Sounds like a plan," said Aris. "Good thinking. But, Lighthaven and New Hyrule will need all the defense they can get while we're away. I'll need you to head back here after you're done warping us."

S'yne nodded. "I can do that."

"That was pretty dangerous for me to do that," S'yne pointed out upon the group's arrival. "My Vassal Weapon is deteriorating, so me teleporting so many people like that is pretty risky. Something could've gone wrong."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Aris. "We'll make the return trip ourselves if it's at all possible. I don't want you dying on us."

S'yne smiled at him. "If something happens, let me know, and I'll be around to back you up."

"Noted," said Aris. "But don't push yourself too hard."

With a dim flash of light, S'yne disappeared back to Lighthaven Village.

Filo began pulling her wagon along the road as Aris and Raphtalia drove beside her on Aris's motorcycle. Sora traveled on his Keyblade Glider. Loretta flew via her armor. Joker and Rishia borrowed Loretta's Corviknight, and everyone else rode in the wagon.

Fohl started to gag. Atla looked at him with her blinded eyes. "If you're going to vomit, don't do it on the floor of Filo's lovely carriage."

Without hesitation, Fohl leaned over the side of Filo's carriage and deposited the digested remains of his lunch.

"Zenith Blue Needle Rat, huh?" Loretta remarked. "Almost reminds me of someone I met on one of my trips."

"As much as I'm enjoying all this monster hunting," said Dante, "we should probably focus on getting to Q'ten Lo."

"Agreed," said Aris. "We've only got so much time left."

Sadeena sighed. "I'm kind of glad I'm not a Cardinal Hero. It sounds like tough work."

"It is," Aris affirmed. "But with great power comes great responsibility. And, yes, Lorie, I watched Spider-Man."

Loretta laughed; her question had been answered before she could even ask.

"Anyway," Aris pulled up a holographic map on his motorcycle, "judging by our current pace, we'll be in Siltvelt by tomorrow."

"But once we get closer, we'll probably be sent away," Rishia pointed out. "I mean, a good chunk of us either look human or are human."

"I have an idea," said Loretta. She activated her armor's built-in CD-Comm and phoned Queen Mirellia.

The queen responded, "Mirellia Q. Melromarc speaking."

"Hey, your highness," said Loretta. "Aris and I are about to go through Siltvelt on a little trip of ours, but we're worried they might try and attack those of us who are human."

"I see," said the queen. "How far are you from Siltvelt?"

"A day or two," replied Loretta.

"I can send word of your arrival there," the queen offered. "I believe that should suffice for your safety."

"Sounds good," said Loretta. "Thanks!"

"I'm happy to help," replied the queen. "However...going to Siltvelt will likely cause some problems from a diplomatic standpoint. Be careful there."

"Will do."

"Two more things," said the queen. "First, the nobility of Siltvelt may try to offer their daughters to Aris in the hopes that he might take their hand in marriage. Do keep that in mind."

Aris felt sick to his stomach.

"Secondly, if you can," the queen suggested, "I would advise disguising the humans in your group as best you can."

"I'm still confused as to how the hell you can do that, Sora."

Aris eyed the Keyblade wielder, who had attained a strange, beastlike form with gray fur. Sora's trademark jacket remained, however.

Using a combination of monster materials, Aris had crafted inconspicuous animal-ear headbands for Rishia, Joker, Dante, and Ost. He figured that he and Loretta would be able to pass as Demi-humans thanks to their pointed Hylian ears.

A crowd of Siltveltian Demi-humans had begun to form around the traveling Knights of New Hyrule. A few of them waved a banner that read, "Welcome, Shield Hero and friends!"

"Jeez," Loretta remarked. "They really do worship the Shield Hero."

"I know," Aris muttered in agreement, not entirely enjoying all the unsolicited attention. "It's like I'm some kind of demigod taking his disciples into a city."

For some reason, Aris found himself glad he wasn't riding on a donkey. He had no idea why.

"Shield Hero! You've arrived!"

A Demi-human emissary greeted the Knights of New Hyrule outside of Siltvelt's royal palace. "On behalf of Siltvelt's royal family, I wish all of you a warm welcome!"

"Thanks," said Aris.

"Oh, you needn't worry about your Filolial's carriage, by the way," said the emissary. "Adaman, would you take the Filolial's carriage and park it for her?"

A red-haired bull therianthrope arrived and took the carriage from a reluctant Filo.

Fohl gulped. "I'm a little nervous."

"Walk tall, brother," Atla chided. "We're basically on our home turf now."

The emissary led the Knights of New Hyrule into the castle, where a man with large red wings greeted them. "Ah, the Shield Hero and his band of warriors have arrived!" said the winged man. "Greetings, greetings!"

Werner

Shusaku Represent!

"Nice to meet you, Werner." Aris exchanged a handshake with him. "I'm Aris."

"A pleasure, Your Excellency!" Werner smiled warmly at the others. "And you must be the Shield Hero's band of warriors from beyond! Please, tell me your names, if you would."

"Name's Loretta," said the eccentric inventor. "I'm Aris's twin sister, and an up-and-coming scientist."

"Ah, His Excellency has family here!" Werner said excitedly. "How amazing!" He turned to Raphtalia. "And you, fair maiden! Who might you be?"

"Raphtalia, sir," said the katana-wielding tanuki. "And this is my partner, Vulpix."

Raphtalia's Vulpix yipped from her shoulder.

"I'm Pit," said the brown-haired angel. "Nice wings, Werner."

"Ah, thank you," Werner replied. "I must say, yours are quite fascinating."

"Akira Kurusu, but I go by Joker," said the Phantom Thief. "And this is my...apprentice, Rishia Ivyred, codename Zephyrus."

"I'm Sora," said the beastly Keyblade wielder.

"Fohl, sir," added the hakuko brother. "My younger sister, Atla, and I bear hakuko traits, but we have no interest in claiming any sort of authority here."

"Indeed," agreed Atla. "Our duty is to help protect New Hyrule."

"Name's Dante," said the Devil Hunter.

"Sadeena," added the guardian therianthrope.

"Ost Hourai."

"Oh, such a pleasure to meet all of you!" Werner said jubilantly. "Now, what brings you to Siltvelt, my friends?"

"I'll...cut to the chase," said Aris. "I'm not here to claim any sort of throne, none of us are. We're on a pretty important mission and needed to come through here to get to where we actually need to go."

"Ah, a pity, really," Werner sighed, slightly disappointed. "I was hoping you would stay a while. I'm certain our lovely princess wouldn't mind an audience with you."

Aris stopped Werner immediately. "I'm not interested in marrying the princess. I'm already in a relationship."

"Well, it's certainly no surprise that you are," Werner mused. "But, if you wish, I may be able to help you with whatever you may need. Speaking of, what is it that you need?"

"A trip to Q'ten Lo," Aris replied. "By trading ship, if possible."

Werner hesitated. "...I see. There...seems to have been a misunderstanding."

Aris blinked. "Huh?"

"Since you're here," said Werner, "please take some time to refresh yourselves after your long journey. We'd like you to join us for a gala this evening, and we can discuss business after that, if it pleases you, Your Excellency."

"Thanks, but no thanks," Aris rejected. "We're in a hurry. A big one. Not to mention us being here is probably gonna cause some problems for the higher-ups, right?"

"It certainly may be problematic, yes," said Werner, "but I believe eliminating such corruption is necessary, should it exist. But, above all else, it is imperative that we show our devotion to the Shield Hero. Think of it as a rite of passage, if you wish."

Aris looked at Sadeena, who just shrugged.

Werner clapped his hands together. "Well, don't let me keep you waiting! Please, relax and make yourselves at home. We can discuss business after you've rested up."

"Fine," Aris sighed. "But we're getting to Q'ten Lo one way or another."

"Ah, of course!" Werner gave an exaggerated bow. "Now then, if you would follow me, I will show you to the guest bedrooms that have been prepared for you. Please use them to your leisure."

"Wait, we all get separate rooms?"

"Yes, of course," replied Werner. "I'm afraid our treatment of others as your equal would be desecrating our religion."

Raphtalia looked worried. Aris noticed and nodded at her. "Werner," he said, "could Raphtalia take a room right next to mine?"

"I suppose I don't see why not."

This room could probably fit everyone in Lighthaven, Aris remarked as he sat alone in the massive "guest" bedroom he'd been told was his. It was essentially the castle's equivalent to a penthouse suite, at the top floor with an amazing view. All this expensive shit for me probably means that Raphtalia and the others have mediocre accommodations, he reasoned.

His Sheikah arm beeped. Aris opened his shield display. Shield of the Beast King? And what the hell is this Territorial Reform malarkey?

A few soft knocks echoed from the door. "Your Excellency?" said the gentle voice of a maid. "The Siltvelt leadership has gathered. They wish for you to join them in a meeting."

Aris sighed, getting off of his bed. "Alright, I'll be down there in a minute."

Aris sat down at a round table with a group of Demi-humans and therianthropes. Some members of the latter species were rather large in size, he noticed.

"His Excellency has arrived!" one of them declared. All of the nobles rose from their seats and knelt before Aris.

"Hey, skip the formalities, would you?" Aris groaned groggily.

As quickly as they had dropped, the nobles rose again and took their seats.

"Your Excellency, we are truly delighted that you have finally returned home to Siltvelt," said a noble who Aris presumed was a chairman of sorts.

"Siltvelt isn't my home," Aris deadpanned. "I have a home, and it's New Hyrule."

"Of course," explained the chairman, "but the Shield Hero is Siltvelt's hero. Even if you were summoned into another nation, your time there is but a temporary expedition."

"My time here is temporary," Aris sighed. "Look, don't take it personally. There's...a lot of people in New Hyrule that I care about. Now can we just get this over with?"

"Y-Yes, Your Excellency," said the chairman.

"Can we just skip to the part where I tell you why my friends and I are here?" Aris complained tiredly. "We didn't want to spend too long in Siltvelt for a reason, you know."

"W-We can discuss that at a later time," the chairman stuttered. "First, we would like you to give us an account of your time in Melromarc. And after that, we would like to demonstrate to you the strength of our soldiers, and acquaint you with Siltvelt's history."

"Look, I love history and stuff, but this all seems like a big waste of time."

"But, with all due respect, Your Excellency, it is prudent to be prepared for the coming Waves," said the chairman. "Not familiarizing yourself with such matters would be problematic."

Aris hesitated. "...you got me there. But isn't there a Vassal Hero that oversees this country?"

The nobles exchanged worried looks. I guess they know something about the Yiga Clan and Q'ten Lo's assassins, thanks to Queen Mirellia, Aris thought. Maybe the Yiga or Q'ten Lo have something to do with it?

"About that," said the chairman. "The Vassal Hero of Siltvelt is...very devoted to his training, to say the least. He really only appears when absolutely needed."

"So you don't know where they are."

"He comes to us when he is summoned," replied the chairman. "However, following the Spirit Tortoise, he departed on a personal journey to train and grow stronger."

"Then look for him," Aris requested firmly. "Find him and bring him here. Considering what's going to happen in the future, this world is gonna need all the protection it can get. Make sure he's here before the Phoenix awakens."

"A-As you wish, Your Excellency!"

"Anyway," said Aris, "you know why my friends and I came to Siltvelt, right?"

"Ah...we are currently in the process of verifying that information," replied one of the nobles, a rather large mammoth therianthrope.

Another noble joyously chimed in, "Siltvelt shall spare no expense in celebrating His Excellency's glorious return!"

The chairman, a lion therianthrope, let out a booming clap. "Everyone! The word of His Excellency is our law! Surely His Excellency's wishes must be prioritized above all else, should they not?!"

Everyone voiced their agreement. Aris breathed a sigh of relief.

The chairman continued, "His Excellency the Shield Hero wishes to leave our country at once and act on behalf of all the world! This is a true sign of His Excellency's intention as the Shield Hero to make this world a better place! As such, it is the duty of Siltvelt to eliminate all war from this world!"

"Wait, wait, wait, stop the presses!" Aris interjected to no avail.

The nobles applauded in agreement.

"Your Excellency!" the chairman roared. "We, the people of Siltvelt, eagerly look forward to having your blessing bestowed upon us!"

Aris started to object, but was stopped by the nobles rushing out of the room. "Farewell, Your Excellency! We shall meet again!"

Aris slumped against the wall. I'm fucked six ways from Sunday now...