Prologue

Gawr Gura knelt down listlessly on the rocky, grey sands of an ancient beach of the Portuguese Azores Islands while torrential rains fell from the stormy heavens. Wounds and scars of her ordeals in the forsaken realm of the Infinite Library remained on her body and on her tattered clothes, but the weight in her heart proved heavier and more painful than it all. All that pain was concentrated in the palm of her right hand.

Ame's golden pocket watch.

The Atlantean recalled how cold Ame's hand was when she grabbed a hold of it through the collapsing portal. She remembered the harrowing moment when Ame's hand seemed to phase out of existence before her eyes. Tears started clouding her vision. Her short, turbulent yet painfully memorable adventure with the plucky detective came to an abrupt end.

Holding that pocket watch in her hand now, Gura felt a bitter taste in her mouth. For a moment, she wondered if her life would have been better had she not met Amelia Watson at all. That journey with the detective gave her hope, after all. Hope that would be dashed against the stones in the end.

With every tick of the watch, in spite of the pouring rain, Gura's heart ached more and more. Then, the owner's name escaped her lips with a frail, trembling voice.

"... Watson."

While Gura was grieving, she felt Ina's hand on her shoulder. Was the almost-Priestess trying to console her? Ina was spared because Ame was taken in her place.

Ina, at that moment, was the last one she wanted to hear sympathy from.

"Leave me alone, Ina." Gura brushed Ina's hand away.

However, Ina touched her shoulder again.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" Gura snapped now and snarled at Ina.

Ina was taken aback by Gura's outburst, but she turned away with a frown and spoke without looking her in the eye, "We have company, Gura."

Gura paused. She turned her head to her companions and saw them taking up combat positions on the beach. It was a familiar sight. All of their weapons were drawn in the pouring rain: Calli's scythe, Kiara's broadsword and Jenma's katana glistened and were turned to the direction of the green subtropical forests nearby.

There was a lone man with a large frame who was wearing a yellow raincoat and was wielding what looked like a pitchfork. He was twice as tall as Gura and had a menacing aura about him that made that mere pitchfork seem like a weapon of war. Deeper in the forest, Gura could see a brown-haired lady in loose-fitting clothes and a blond younger man, both of whom carried old rifles.

Were these locals? Or were they more of Knowledge's minions?

"I know now's not the best time, Gura, but let's get through this one first." Ina proposed her truce and drew her pistol.

Gura hummed weakly, but that was enough to reach Ina's ears and give her okay.

Rain washed away the tears that had formed at the sides of Gura's eyes and she prepared herself to draw her weapon. But at that moment, Gura's hands trembled. Adrenaline from their arduous campaign lingered in her blood, but she and her companions were all running on fumes.

Another battle… huh?

Gura hesitated to draw either of her weapons.

What's the point of it all? If I fall here, will this damn nightmare finally end?

Her head lowered once again.

Then, Ina's voice rang sharply through the beach.

"GURA!"

Her voice dragged Gura back to the present. The Atlantean instinctively pulled off her fishbone pendant and transformed it into her aquamarine trident. Her trident sparkled in the rain like a brilliant gem of the sea, but Gura herself felt like garbage.

Does someone like me really deserve to carry a weapon like this?

While Gura was lost in her thoughts, however, the man with the pitchfork suddenly stopped his advance. The man's hood fluttered from the winds and the rain but the blue eyes beneath it looked at Gura discerningly. In spite of the pouring rain, he called out with a booming voice of heavily accented English.

" Lokhagos Gura? Is that you!?"

That voice…? I recognize it!

The man pulled down the hood of his raincoat and let his short beach-blond hair fly out in the stormy winds. His chiseled jaw lined with battle scars that lingered from decades ago rang a bell in Gura's mind. In a daze, Gura gave her reply.

" Tagmatarchis Bloop?"

The blond-haired man named 'Bloop' lowered his pitchfork and grinned kindly, showing off his sharp saw-like teeth that were just like Gura's. Then, his raincoat shifted around a bit and his shark's tail swayed behind him.

"Oh, Poseidon. To think I'd get to see you again Lokhagos ! And you brought friends!" Bloop cheered, "Welcome to Flores Island, the finest island in all the Azores!"

AlterMyth

Upon Reflection

Seventy-Third Scene - A Família Flores

With that exchange, Gura and her companions lowered their weapons. Bloop and his companions followed suit too and everyone heaved long sighs of relief. Despite this, the howling winds and the pouring rains intensified. Bloop gestured to Gura and her friends to follow him into the forest and seek shelter from the elements.

All of them hurried over to the relative shade of the forest and got acquainted under a large cedar tree canopy. Bloop introduced his companions to Gura's group proudly.

"This is my wife, Karolina, and our eldest son. Together, we're the Flores family. Or at least a part of it, hehe. And no - we don't own the island. We just took up the name when we moved here!"

Karolina and the eldest son slung their rifles over their shoulders and nodded to Gura's group cordially. The wife then wore a bright smile for everyone and spoke in less accented English.

"So, you're acquaintances of my husband." Karolina hummed with intrigue and gave everyone a once over, "Don't worry about hiding your identities with me. I'm married to an Atlantean. I've probably seen it all."

Indeed, despite being a human, Karolina didn't seem to panic in the presence of a Phoenix, a Grim Reaper or an almost-Priestess of the Ancient Ones. Up close, Gura got to see Mrs. Flores' bright purple eyes and her wavy brown hair. It made her wonder how someone like Bloop got to marry a beautiful woman like her.

At the same time, Gura noticed that the roots of Karolina's hair were more auburn than the rest of her brown crown.

Was she coloring her hair, perhaps? Her accent's milder than Bloop's too.

Mrs. Flores noticed Gura's curious eyes and smiled knowingly when they shook hands.

In contrast, the eldest son didn't speak much. He just stood in stoic silence, kept his hand on the sling of his rifle and looked like he was keeping watch over the beach in the distance. Gura learned that the boy was in his late teens and inherited his father's physique, including a shark's tail hidden beneath his raincoat, and the bleach blond hair - a typical Atlantean color. His human-like teeth and purple eyes, however, came from Karolina.

Too bad he didn't inherit any of his mother's charm.

"He's shy around ladies." Karolina whispered to Gura and chuckled, "He spends more time on the fishing boats, catching shrimp with his dad or working the fields."

The boy furrowed his brow but didn't say a word even then.

Sounds a little bit like me when I was in the States.

By the time that everyone had introduced themselves to each other, the torrential rains subsided into a lighter drizzle. That was Bloop's cue to speak.

"Our house isn't far from here." The Atlantean veteran offered with a smile, "If you don't have anywhere else to go, you can come stay with us. We've got plenty of room!"

"Plenty of room?" Gura commented, "Are you sure about that, Bloop? Just how big is your family?"

"Four kids." Karolina answered this time. She gently rubbed her small yet noticeable belly underneath her loose clothes, "And we have a fifth one coming soon too."

Gura glared at her former superior officer and jabbed, "You've been busy, huh?"

Bloop blushed uncharacteristically and turned away from her former ward.

"Karolina and I love each other that much." Bloop scratched his face pensively and guessed, "Perhaps it's her…" Bloop, however, stopped himself halfway, "Well, er…"

"Hmm…?"

"Anyways! My offer is on the table, Lokhos Gura." Bloop changed the subject and channeled some of his old authoritative voice to speak, "I'm not speaking to you as your former Tagmatarchis . I'm speaking to you as a friend."

Gura turned around to her companions to see what they thought. All of them, dead tired from endless battle, agreed without hesitation. Then, out of habit, Gura instinctively searched for Ame and asked without thinking.

"Hey, Ame. What do you…think… oh."

The absence of the detective and the silence that answered her pierced her heart. She clenched her fists and forced herself to shore up her resolve.

"Sorry about that." Gura apologized weakly and made her decision, "If you don't mind having us, Bloop. That'd be great."

Bloop looked concerned, but he just nodded with sympathetic silence.

The Flores family led Gura and her friends through the forest path. A short while later, they found a clearing and entered the outskirts of a small Portuguese village nestled along one of the island's many pristine rivers. The house was a large, fenced-off woodland chalet with a vast front yard dotted with tilled fields and adorned with a modest cattle barn.

"Damn, that's a big house." Gura's honest thoughts slipped from her lips.

"Old habits die hard, even though we have to hide our Atlantean roots." Bloop confessed, "Us Atlanteans are so used to living large… but that's not always a bad thing." He pointed proudly to the newly tilled soil in the vast front yard of his house and boasted, "The folks around here love the autumn greens and the cheese we make here. My son and I catch a lot of good seafood too! It doesn't hold a candle to the feasts at the Aquamarine Palace but I'm proud of what I can make with my own two hands."

The Aquamarine Palace… Now that's a name I haven't heard in a long time.

Gura shook away her disdainful thoughts and smiled for Bloop, happy that he had broken free from the shadow of the crown and found his place in the world. It was a feat that Gura felt she had yet to do.

Seventy-Fourth Scene - Thirty Year Exiles

When Gura and her friends stepped inside the Flores household, they were welcomed by the rest of the Flores family at the door: the eldest daughter who had a toothy shark grin, the second son who had no tail but would have been wagging it with excitement if he did and a sleepy toddler daughter who held her sibling's hands.

All together, with varying degrees of enthusiasm, the younger Flores kids greeted the guests.

" Bem-vindas a nossa casa! "

Seeing those kids brought a smile to Gura's lips. The rest of her companions were charmed too and lifted up their spirits after their long campaign. The toddler daughter broke rank and ran towards Bloop, begging him to carry her in Portuguese. Bloop obliged dotingly and lifted his daughter up in his arms, drawing joyful giggles from the toddler. Karolina, on the other hand, rallied the rest of their children to prepare their house for their guests.

Despite the chaos, the Flores family was quite organized and catered to their guests with efficiency that rivaled the Atlantean military. It didn't take long for Gura, Ina, Kiara, Calli and Jenma to get fresh changes of clothes - though Gura wasn't happy to get little girl clothes - and then have their turns to take baths.

After their baths, most of Gura's companions claimed mattresses set aside for them or one of the many cozy couches in the living room to catch some much needed sleep. Gura, on the other hand, decided to stay up after her bath.

The former Lokhagos sat with her former Tagmatarchis by the living room fireplace and shared a pot of tea. All the while, Gura stole glances at the rusted aquamarine trident hanging above the fire.

"You've got a really cozy house, Bloop. Charming family too." Gura praised her old chief and sipped on her tea leisurely, "Who would have guessed that the Μάστιγα της Μεγάλης Ελλάδας, the Scourge of Magna Graecia himself, to be one hell of a family man?"

"Believe me, I would have been horrified if you told me this would happen to me thirty years ago!" Bloop laughed heartily again, just as he always did in the old Aquamarine Palace feasts after the Atlanteans won wars, "Take some time and take a step back from your day to day life and you'll learn something about yourself, though." The Tagmatarchis paused, "It won't always be the answer you want, but it could be the answer you need."

Gura looked into her teacup with somber eyes and spoke her honest thoughts.

"I wonder about that, chief. These past thirty years have been me stepping back… or rather running away from everything. I don't think I've found the answer to anything. Every time I feel like I'm getting close, that happiness just gets snatched away at the last moment. It happens every damn time… just like these past few days."

The sounds of pouring rain and blowing winds continued to fill the living room and reflected the turbulence that Gura felt in her heart. She then brought out the golden pocket watch that belonged to Ame, showed it to Bloop and told him about her journey thus far - from her time as a wandering gunslinger in the United States to her stint as a passenger ship maid to her brief adventure as a member of the Watson Expedition.

Every time that Gura spoke about Ame, the anguish she felt spilled out into her voice.

"That Amelia Watson was the girl you were looking for earlier weren't you?" Bloop spoke sympathetically, "The one you turned to but wasn't there."

Gura nodded sheepishly.

"Ame was the one who helped me defeat the Sea Serpent, Bloop. She was the one who carried us through our journey and she fought like a madwoman for our sake." She paused and held the pocket watch firmly, "She was the one who made me think I could finally stop running. Then, she disappeared into thin air before my very eyes."

"I'm sorry about that, Gura." Bloop sympathized.

"I don't know what to do, Bloop. I've been following orders all my life, so I haven't really thought that far ahead." Gura turned to her old superior with pained, tearful eyes, "I'm afraid! What if this was all for nothing!?"

The Tagmatarchis stood up from his seat and walked over to Gura. He then laid his hand on Gura's head of white hair and gently patted it.

"I wish I knew the answers to your questions, but I don't right now." Bloop apologized and ruffled Gura's hair tenderly, "The best I can do is offer you a place to stay and let you gather your thoughts. You're free to stay as long as you need - until the storm clears. Okay?"

Which storm Bloop was talking about? He didn't elaborate.

Gura simply nodded.

"Okay. Thanks Bloop."

Seventy-fifth Scene - Frango Grelhado da Casa Flores

After her conversation with Bloop, Gura took a short but much needed nap on the living room couch. She didn't dream much, but she briefly imagined that she was back on the bar car of the Portsmouth-bound train after drinking too much alcohol. The scene of the small bar car office gave way to the large and spacious home of the Flores family and brought Gura back to the present.

The past few days weren't a fever dream of mine.

A part of her was disappointed.

She forced herself to sit upright and fold her borrowed blanket. While she was getting up, she noticed Bloop's wife Karolina going through the room with an upbeat air about her. Ina'nis Ninomae was tagging along with her and the two of them were chatting leisurely.

When they passed by Gura's couch, Ina's eyes met with Gura's but the Atlantean turned away with a snort. Karolina, however, called out to Gura with her warm smile.

" Bom dia , Gura. Though it's almost evening behind the clouds." Karolina greeted, "Ina'nis said she wanted to help me prepare dinner for everyone. Would you like to help us out as well?"

Gura pursed her lips and stole glances of Ina. It seemed the almost-Priestess was avoiding her gaze too. However, Karolina's motherly smile told Gura that their situation wasn't lost on her. It was a look that wordlessly yet sternly urged Gura to say 'yes'.

Was this how Mrs. Flores keeps Bloop in check?

"S-sure thing." Gura muttered. Karolina's smile grew brighter now.

With that, Gura and Ina followed Karolina into the kitchen but they stayed three paces apart from each other the entire time. The mother sauntered over to their icebox and announced her plans.

"Bloop and our son had a good haul on their last fishing trip." Mrs. Flores opened the icebox and rummaged through its contents while humming a tune, "They caught some octopus lately, so I was thinking of making some Polvo a Lagareiro …"

As soon as Mrs. Flores mentioned octopus, however, Gura's and Ina's faces went pale and they promptly refused. After the things they had seen in the Underworld and in the Infinite Library, it would be a good long while before either of them would consider eating octopus again.

Perceptive as always, Karolina put the tray of octopus back into the icebox and brought out some chicken instead. This time, Gura's and Ina's eyes sparkled a little bit and Mrs. Flores knew she had a home run.

"Grilled chicken it is! Spices and side dishes too!" Mrs. Flores revised her announcement with just as much enthusiasm, "But not just any grilled chicken. It's a Flores family recipe that will delight you and make you think, ' ah, das ist wunder…!' " Halfway through her announcement, however, Karolina stopped herself and cleared her throat, "What I mean is, I think you folks will like it."

Karolina speaks German, huh? I wonder if she and Kiara will get along well.

Gura kept her thoughts to herself for now and helped Mrs. Flores and Ina prepare dinner for ten. Karolina prepared wood for their stove while Gura butterflied the chilled whole chickens. Ina, on the other hand, quietly chopped up vegetables and mixed up spices according to Mrs. Flores' recipe.

Standing side by side, Gura remembered how she and Ame made meatloaf to make Ina feel better on the RMS Teutonic. Now, she thought, their roles were sort of reversed - but not exactly. Neither of them were throwing things at each other like before, but neither of them could look each other in the eye.

Honestly, this feels a lot worse.

Mrs. Flores returned with firewood and set it in the cast iron stove as if it were second nature to her. She looked at her two apprentices and observed their handiwork.

"The two of you cut things a little too big." The mother commented, "Cut them smaller so that they'll cook more evenly. Here, let me show you."

Gura and Ina were astonished and watched Mrs. Flores skillfully cut the chicken and vegetables into finer slices without missing a beat. They watched the mother wield the knife from the side and they couldn't help but imagine a younger Karolina wielding a sword. Mrs. Flores noticed the eyes of her apprentices on her and she smiled.

"You know, there's a story to this recipe we're making right now." Karolina washed her hands and returned the knives to her helpers, "I was an exile from a far away land too. Just like Bloop, and just like you folks come to think of it, I landed here on Flores island seeking refuge. And gosh was I hungry! Ravenously hungry!" She folded her arms and continued, "That was when I saw a chicken running through the beach, clucking away as it went. Ooh, it made my tummy grumble."

"Did you manage to catch it?" Ina mused and finished up the rest of the veggies.

"I did!" Karolina grinned, "The problem was, I also found the chicken's owner running after the fellow."

"Bloop?" Gura chimed this time, chopping up the last of the chicken.

"Yes, it was Bloop!" The mother laughed and recalled her fond memory, "He was swinging his pitchfork and was yelling at me to get away from it. I was too hungry to think straight and I drew my sword to fight for my dinner!" She took the trays of vegetables and chicken and revealed, "It was an even fight. I'm sure I could have won too, but my fatigue and my hunger caught up to me. I lost the battle - and I lost my dinner. Or at least that was what I thought."

"What happened after that?" Gura and Ina asked in tandem now, eager to hear more.

"I woke up in this house - though it was just a little hut back then." Karolina looked around the kitchen now fondly, "I wasn't restrained and I was sleeping on a nice little sofa with a blanket." A smile formed on the mother's lips, "And the best part was, Bloop cooked a nice little chicken dinner for two. That's how the two of us met~!"

Gura and Ina were impressed by the story and gave the mother a bit of applause. Karolina held her head up high and accepted their praise wholeheartedly. However, Gura tilted her head and realized something strange.

"How were you able to fight toe-to-toe with an ex- Tagmatarchis of the Atlantean military though?" Gura rubbed her chin.

"It's a story for another time, but…" Karolina raised her hand and a peculiar ball of fire magically appeared with a flash of orange light. That fire took the shape of a feather before Gura's and Ina's eyes and then ignited the firewood inside the stove, "Let's just say that Bloop isn't the only mythical creature in this household. But that's not what I meant to tell the two of you." She laid her warm hands on Ina's and Gura's shoulder and brought them a little closer together, "The bonds you form on your journeys are valuable, irreplaceable treasures. I found Bloop. You found your friends. I know you kids have been through a lot, but try and cherish the time you have together, okay?"

The way Karolina spoke reminded Ina and Gura of the way Kiara did when she talked about losing her family and friends. Knowing this, even though they resisted at first, Ina and Gura turned to each other and looked each other in the eye for the first time in what felt like a long time.

They nodded to each other but turned away once again. The two of them still needed a little bit more time to bridge the gap that had grown between them, but at least they were taking steps in the right direction.

That was enough for Karolina. She smiled warmly at her two assistants and gave them their next instructions to finish up their dinner for the night. Slowly but surely, as they prepared dinner together, the gap between them grew smaller and smaller.

Seventy-Sixth Scene - The Starswept Pact

Dinner at the Flores household was a delightful affair, thanks in no small part to the delicious food that Karolina and her helpers were able to whip up and the lively conversations that everyone at the long dining table had. Kiara and Calli took turns playing the small upright piano in the living room, recreating the small concerto that they played in the lobby of the grand hotel in Paris many days ago. All the while, the younger Flores kids sang along, Jenma nursed a glass of red wine and Bloop and Karolina danced the night away like a couple on their honeymoon.

In the midst of the fanfare, Gura and Ina found themselves sitting together on a sofa in a quiet corner of the living room. They watched the storm finally die down beyond the window and enjoyed the cheerful sights and sounds from a distance. After all, their bitter memories were still fresh in their minds.

Ina broke the silence first and turned to Gura with hesitant eyes.

"If you want to blame me for what happened in the Infinite Library, you're free to do so, Gura." The almost-Priestess offered her olive branch, "I wish I could have done more for Ame. I really do."

"We all did the best we could, Ina." Gura shook her head and reassured Ina, "None of us wanted to lose anyone in that damn place. I don't think Ame wanted to get caught either, but she did everything she could to protect us. We're alive here and now because of her." She clenched her fist and looked up to the starry sky through the window, "I'm not yet one hundred percent, but we have to start thinking about what happens from here on out. Ame's still out there - and we're going to find her."

"I'll do everything I can to help, Gura. I'll study Ame's watch together with AO-chan and find out what I can." Ina promised wholeheartedly, "I don't want things to end like this. The Ancient Ones can't just do what they want on a whim - especially after everything that Ame did."

"Yeah. As much as I'd like to, we can't stay in Bloop's house like this forever." Gura agreed and faced Ina now and offered her hand to Ina, "Let's work together again, Ina. We're not gonna stop until we bring Ame home. I can't even think about doing this HoloMyth thing without her."

Ina shook Gura's hand firmly. They looked each other in the eyes and finally managed to smile together again.

"You've gotten a lot stronger, Gura." Ina commented happily.

"I already cried enough from losing somebody before. I'm gonna do my darndest to make sure it doesn't happen again." Gura explained confidently. She then brought out Ame's pocket watch and swore, "We're not gonna let Ame's sacrifice be for nothing."

Under the light of the stars above, the animosity that Gura and Ina had towards each other faded away.

Epilogue

While the Flores family was entertaining their large group of guests, a quintet of men and women wearing aquamarine cloaks gathered outside the gate of the large farmhouse. A large, muscle bound man led the group and regarded the farmhouse with sharp disdain. He kicked open the wooden gate and crossed through the tilled fields together with his companions, trampling over many of the freshly sown autumn greens.

The man went over to the sturdy wooden front door and knocked on it with superhuman strength, stopping short of tearing it off its hinges. It didn't take long for Bloop to answer the door with a candle lamp in hand, albeit with a displeased scowl on his normally placid face.

As soon as Bloop opened the door, the faces of his uninvited guests and the muddy remains of his newly sown crops on their boots were illuminated by the candle light. Bloop's frown grew even more sour.

"Former Tagmatarchis Bloop. A pleasant evening to you." The man spoke with a rambunctious voice, "Surely you know who I am."

" Polemarchos Bakkhos, commander of the Aquamarine Palace imperial guard." Bloop grumbled with an openly venomous tone, "How could I forget? You snake. You wouldn't even let me raise a Lokhos to investigate the Sea Serpent incident back then!"

"Now, now. Don't look at me with such a sour face." Bakkhos shook his head with disapproval, "You may be in exile, but that doesn't mean Atlantean laws don't apply to you. The Aquamarine Palace governs all Atlanteans, after all. Even your despicable half blood spawns."

"What is your business here?" Bloop demanded now, holding onto the frame of his door with a crushing grip to contain his anger.

"The Aquamarine Palace , by the grace of Poseidon, has commissioned me and my office to search for fugitives at the request of the Ancient Ones. The fugitives we seek are as follows." Bakkhos produced a scroll from his satchel and proceeded to read from it, "Calliope Mori, a scythe-class Reaper who has rebelled against the Lord of Death. Kiara Takanashi, a Phoenix who has broken the rules of natural law. Ina'nis Ninomae, a false Priestess of the Ancient Ones. Jennifer Mathers, an otherworlder who should not exist in this realm. Gawr Gura, the fugitive and deserter of the 88th Lokhos of the Atlantean Army." He then rolled up the scroll and wore a smug grin, "My colleagues and I shall inspect the premises for these fugitives and leave no stone unturned. Know that harboring these dregs of society is now, henceforth, a breach of standing Atlantean law."

"So, we're just lackeys of the Ancient Ones now. Is that it?" Bloop protested sharply.

"That's for the Aquamarine Palace to decide, Tagmatarchis Bloop." Bakkhos countered bluntly, "Now. You have thirty seconds to comply."

Sweat dripped down Bloop's brow. All of his guests were just a stone's throw away from the front door. There was no time for any of them to get away from Bakkhos and his goons.

However, a pair of footsteps from behind Bloop reached his ears. The veteran Atlantean turned around and saw Gawr Gura standing at the entrance with cold, steely determination. She faced Bakkhos fearlessly.

"I'm right here, stinky." Gura spat dismissively.

"Gura…" Bloop gasped in fear, "What are you doing?"

"It's been thirty years. I'm not running anymore, Bloop." Gura answered firmly, "That's what I'm doing."

"By Poseidon!" Bakkhos laughed at the small Atlantean facing him, "The rumors were true! Lokhagos Gura was still alive!" He reached out before him and summoned an aquamarine trident with a flash of powder blue light, "Submit yourself to the judgement of the Aquamarine Palace or face the wrath of Poseidon himself!"

"After all these years? Hah! Wrath of Poseidon, my ass!" Gura summoned her own trident now as well and growled defiantly, "Poseidon can eat a fishstick!"

To Be Continued