And so, we progress with Chapter 72 of the story. I've been pretty busy lately, so I haven't really had much time to think of anything to say for my Author's Notes.

Although, I will say that I'd originally intended to post this chapter alongside Chapter 71 but I needed more time to edit this chapter.

Anyways, enjoy the read.


Chapter 72: Forming a Stand

Ever since the trio had begun living on the Bastion, dreams were almost normal. Regrettably, nightmares were included.

Issei was in the throes of flashbacks that terrified him. In his sleep, he would see glimpses of the past. Corpses, explosions, and the red color of blood and flames were normal. However, his mind kept flashing images into his mind of Bahamut.

The memories that the dragon had of destroying planets and wiping out everything around himself kept replaying in his mind. He'd kept an observation of himself and knew that his temper was also getting shorter. Issei had wanted to tell the others but feared burdening their minds more, shelving his own worries. These dreams were growing more frequent ever since he'd left the Alliance.

He stared at the time, it being five in the morning. There was little time until they'd arrive in Denmark.


With the guidance of the Second Key, the trio ventured through the snowy wilderness. Issei couldn't deny being nervous since they were in the heart of Nordic power. The last thing he wanted was Heimdall spotting them.

"Let's get this done as quickly as possible."

The three ventured deeper into the snowy terrain, the Second Key showing more direction than the First Key had.

"I hope we don't spend hours walking in circles again." Issei mumbled to himself.

Naturally, the group were met by a thick mist up ahead, giving them pause.

"You just had to say something." Vali rubbed her temple in exasperation.

"Rexis?"

"Not getting much from it. It's probably another test."

"Or a trap."

"Be on your guard and don't separate from each other." Albion didn't feel any malice from the mist, but he certainly knew that it wasn't natural, either.

"Well then, let's make it so that we don't get separated." Adelaide hooked her arm around Issei's, with Vali following suit.

They continued into the mist, hoping for the best. For what felt like forever, the three continued in what felt like twists and turns. The only comfort they had was the fact that the Second Key never turned them around.

The eerie nature of the mist didn't help. Issei felt nothing but discomfort from being in its thrall. There were so many times that it seemed as if something was moving in the fog. The problem was that he didn't sense anything.

Adelaide had tried to dispel it, of course, but it didn't work, which unnerved the team even more.

Regardless, they were faced with the next leg of their search. They arrived in front of a wall of ice that led into a mountain.

"Odd. We didn't see this on the way here."

"It's probably because of the Key. It would seem that it lets you see past the enchantments on wherever's holding a Key." Albion felt something now. He felt something old deeper in the mountain.

Issei put the Second Key to the wall of ice, causing it to dissolve, exposing the entrance into the mountain.

The trio kept their guard raised, proceeding into the lower depths of the cavern. With the Second Key, they were able to keep progressing through the doors of ice that blocked their way. Eventually, they reached the final door that blocked passage to the heart of where they wanted to be.

They passed through a door of frozen stone to enter a massive library. Scores of scrolls and books were organized and towered in shelves and floors.

"A library?" Adelaide was amazed by the wealth of knowledge around them.

"This is an opportunity we can't waste. Learn all that you can but be careful. The ones who built this place might've left traps here." Albion could only feel that ancient power growing as the trio went further down into the mountain.

With all these foundations, hidden locations, and keys, Issei knew what he wanted to learn first.

He grabbed all the books and scrolls about the history of Atlantis and why these places were built.

(Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep OST - Aqua. Play Song.)

It is with a heavy heart that I write this passage. Our society is so close to the edge of collapse. The people grow restless and our council is unable to quell their fears and greed. Even with our magic and science, we cannot avert the coming crisis. It is not through the power of nature that our end comes. It will be by our own hand. For so long, has our prosperity come from the power to grant so many wishes to our every trouble. Only now, do we understand our folly.

I have chosen to accept the fate of Atlantis. Even in our twilight, our technology and magic may be useful to whomever inherits this world next. I have foreseen the fall of this galaxy as well and I place faith in the fact that the powers that be will carry on our collective knowledge.

I have ordered for four keys to be crafted, each key is part of a lock that will open the gateway to the reservoir of what treasures that will be left of Atlantis. One key shall lead to another. When all four are united, they will point the way to whatever can help those that have found them. I know not of the assured future. I do know that someone will find these keys. I can only pray to fate that they be in the right hands.

Issei flipped the page, skimming illustrations of the Four Atlantean Keys as the author of this book recounted events and the future that they saw.

For the sake of safety, I shall not divulge what is hidden in the vault I built. To whomever reads this, know that it is a key to ensure the survival of what is left of the world. I built this library to serve as a memorial and to serve as aide to any who would fight for the survival of this world and to serve in the name of righteousness and wisdom.

Though I say that, I know that it will not be so the first time. History shall repeat itself. From our ashes, gods, angels, demons, beasts, and humanity shall be born. By their arrogance, lust, depravity, and intolerance, they too shall die.

It is by the hand of the dreaded Abyssal Wyrm, Bahamut, that the Second Era of this universe shall come, forging the way into the Third Era. This galaxy will shatter in the conflict and the Abyss shall deem it fit to restore everything to a new world that carries all that was left behind. The land shall be new but sadly, the legacy of this one will be forgotten, save for whatever is transferred to the new one.

Issei felt a degree of melancholy for the author. He knew his fate and all that would come but he still resolved himself to do what he could to try and keep history from repeating itself.

All will be revealed once you reach the vault. Time is of the essence and the powers that be play a game that only they have answers to. The eyes of the enemy are everywhere, know that they too will become aware of the Vault.

It is my shame that I cannot do more aside from storing the last of Atlantean antiquities and leaving details of our lost society. Let us part with these last words. Do not allow your rage to blind you. History will repeat with the smallest of actions.

Issei continued to pour over books and scrolls, all of them detailing the Fall of Atlantis and warnings to future generations. Eventually, he came across an entry regarding Bahamut.

The Abyssal Wyrm shall spawn into this universe within the Second Era. He shall be a guardian tasked by the Abyss. When the Cataclysm War happens and he returns during its Autumn days, he shall be the Catalyst for the Third Era of this universe.

The seal placed upon him can only break under sheer unbridled rage. It is not within the intention of the Abyss to release Bahamut back into the world. His soul is forever binded with his host.

Issei felt a degree of sadness strike him. He would never be rid of the mad dragon, ever.

He scoured more books to continue learning. He soon regretted this decision as he found a passage that felt all to connected to the current situation.

(Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep OST - Aqua. End Song.)

Soon, the Third Era shall come towards its greatest conflict. Past and present will collide to decide the future. Where the Third Era began, an old soul shall end for the final time.

Issei began to grow unsettled as he set the book down. It was like a tiny spark that burst into an inferno of anxiety.

'Another death prophecy.' Rexis gasped.

It connected far too much back to him. The Novella Caelum represented the past and the Alliance represented the present. They were heading back to the original galaxy to find answers and his soul was old, having reincarnated so many times. It would make sense for him to die a final time.

Even so, that was the least of his worries. It was a thought he dared not finish but felt that he had to. What if this was a prophecy concerning Vali and Adelaide? They reincarnated too and shared the same origins.

"Issei?"

Said young man jumped as Adelaide called over to him.

"Yeah?" He slammed the book shut.

"We found a passage about the Aviturs. You might wanna see this."

Through the power of our seer magic and technology, we have been able to discern only a few secrets. Perhaps, it is because of these secrets that fate has deemed it necessary to strike us down for our hubris. The beasts that are to be spawned from the Void, the Aviturs, shall arrive at the end of the Second Era. They embody the elements that help comprise our world, meant to destroy and control the elements they represent. They will come in the shadow of catastrophe. They are seven beasts that will rip the land asunder. When the Abyssal Wyrm returns from his journey, he shall drown in fury, burning the galaxy in all his deathly glory upon laying eyes on the ruined world.

The Aviturs only have one purpose: terraforming the world for the progeny of the Void. This world is rich with resources and land, a bounty well-worth the Void's eyes. They will come like storms, nigh unkillable except by the power of the Abyss.

"This is old news."

"Read further." Vali flipped the page.

The key to permanently destroying an Avitur is ironic. The power of the Abyss must destroy their bodies and the power of the Void must undo the deep magic that reforms the Aviturs, keeping their souls from reforming their bodies.

This didn't bode well for Issei. This meant that to permanently kill an Avitur, they'd need to tamper with the power of the Void, a risk too great to attempt.

"I found this too." Adelaide showed a passage she'd found.

When the reincarnation happens from the Second Era to the Third Era, many will be exempt from remembering the events. It is my suspicion that the Abyss will allow the gods, demons, and the most ancient of supernatural folk to remember what will transpire. Perhaps this will be a lesson to them so that their hubris does not allow a repeat of the Cataclysm War. As for removing the memories of others, perhaps it is in an attempt to prevent the horrors of past lives to paint over new life. If I were to reincarnate, I would also choose not to remember such catastrophic times.

"This is why we don't remember some of our memories? To spare us trauma when it's coming, regardless?" Issei scoffed.

My other suspicion is that the Abyss does not want anyone to know of the possibility of life outside their own dimension. It is a reasonable fear. Interdimensional warfare is the last thing anyone needs. War on one planet is enough trouble. For it to occur across countless worlds between different dimensions is unfathomable to tolerate in imagination. Perhaps it is for the best.

Now, things made more sense. There was some truth to this passage. If resources or power could be exploited or taken from another dimension, then interdimensional warfare was very real.

At first, Issei wanted to take some records from this library, but thought better of it. There was a chance that the records would be destroyed if they took them, dimming whatever future hope and wisdom these passages could provide. No, the original wisdom left behind by the Atlanteans needed to stay here. They already withstood the test of time and would continue to do so if the Abyss had cared enough to carry it over from the original galaxy. Instead, Issei and the others recorded and scanned all documents, down to the very last letter so as to refer back to their wisdom.

"Shouldn't we worry about all this falling into the wrong hands?" Adelaide asked.

"That's the risk that everything empowering carries. We can only hope for the best and that only the right eyes see all this." Issei placed the Second Atlantean Key in front of the threshold to the Library, reforming the doors of unbreakable ice.

Suddenly, the ground began to shake, pebbles falling from the tunnel walls.

"What now?" Issei clicked his tongue in annoyance.

They rushed outside to see that dozens of Magitech ships had teleported into the sky.

"How did they find us?!"

"Wait, they're moving past us." Adelaide stopped Issei, who was about to dive into action.

"Why're the Novella Caelum here?" Issei was confused but soon, Vali arrived at the answer.

"Open warfare." She gasped at the realization.

Issei's jaw dropped. Not far from here, was a town full of people. If they got caught in the crossfire, there wouldn't be any survivors. He had no confidence in the Alliance's morality at this point. He wasn't going to place any faith in them caring about casualties.

"We've gotta get the people outta there." Issei sped off for the nearby town, with Vali and Adelaide in tow.


The moment they entered, they began grabbing the attention of anyone nearby.

"There's a massive storm coming! You all need to evacuate now!" Vali's declaration fell on several deaf ears, with only a few paying her any mind.

Issei groaned just as Adelaide ran over to the town's public address system.

"This is an emergency announcement. Please remain calm but act quickly. A massive storm is headed towards this town. A category 5 blizzard is headed for this town. Please evacuate to the South immediately." Adelaide then began blaring sirens, causing civilians to scramble.

"I feel bad for this hoax, but at least they'll survive." She mumbled to herself as she ran out to help evacuate civilians.

"Good thing local law enforcement aren't questioning this." Vali said as she helped someone strap essentials to their car.

"Can't argue with that." Issei pointed at the swirling cloud of ice and snow in the distance.

"It looks like a barrier. Maybe it's Skadi's doing." Vali knew that if it was said goddess's magic, then the Novella Caelum had upped the ante.

"Let's hurry."

"So, uh, how're they gonna explain all this to the authorities?" Adelaide turned to Vali.

"Every pantheon has liaisons to the mortal realm. They'll figure something out if they know about this."

"WATCH OUT!" Someone screamed as an explosion erupted, its shockwaves shaking nearby mountains.

"Wind's picking up and snow's coming in. We'd better hurry."

What started as a lie quickly became truth as a blizzard began swirling in the distance. Lightning flickered in the distance, causing many to jump as more people lost their calm.

"Don't panic! Keep moving calmly and quickly away from the town!" Issei bellowed through a megaphone.

"We've still got hundreds of people that aren't cleared out."

"Let's split up and scour the area. There might be people left behind." Vali ran off to do as planned, praying that there was no one left behind.

Much to her horror, people had been thrown aside, many of them unable to move quickly enough to escape.

"We don't have enough transportation to get everyone out." Adelaide had counted up all the vehicles and anyone who could drive. The numbers just didn't match.

They couldn't expose these people to the supernatural. That'd only invite unwanted consequences. Suddenly, a score of vehicles drove up to the town. They were all emergency disaster transports.

"Anyone who is without a vehicle is to immediately climb aboard transport. Only bring what food and essentials you may need such as identification and sensitive documents." An authority bellowed on a megaphone.

Issei was struck speechless. Without any warning or delay, a human government had come running to help evacuate a small town by a mountainside. It bolstered the passion in his heart a bit. He'd worry about how this happened later.

"Issei, come on. We've gotta get as many people onboard as we can." Vali dragged Issei away so they could get back to work.

They scoured each and every building and basement, calling out to people, and carrying them to emergency transports.

"Is that everyone?" The three met back up at the Town Square.

"Yeah."

They jumped as they felt a magical aura burst by them. They turned around as chaos unfolded in the distance.

"Alright, they need to go now."

"We're stuck!" Someone cried out.

"What now?!" Vali growled.

They ran over to see that the earlier shockwave had caused snow to block the path onward. Vali used magic to discreetly blast the snow aside.

Issei turned back to look at the hidden Asgard. A part of him wanted to intervene or at least contain the chaos. However, he knew he'd get caught and the civilians also needed protection. His morals and priorities began conflicting, but time wasn't afforded to him.

"We'll stick with the transports." He was reluctant, but things had changed.

Vali and Adelaide looked at him in worry. He looked so conflicted and regretful but these people were going to need all three of them to see them out safely.

"Let's go." Issei forced a snowcat open as they climbed in to follow the humans leaving.

By the hour, the battle behind them grew more intense. Even so, they kept moving. They blasted away falling snow solids and helped push the emergency transports out of stuck spots. Despite the good they were doing, Issei, Vali, and Adelaide all felt that they were committing betrayal, even if the Alliance was the one that betrayed them.

"Keep moving." Issei saw the doubt on Vali and Adelaide's faces. This was no time for that. The situation was only escalating, and they couldn't be held up.

"The designated emergency shelter's not far away now. Let's get them to the city's borders and then leave." Vali scoured the GPS, glad that one issue was resolved.

Even so, fate never agreed with their plans. Something crashed nearby from the sky, almost turning the trio's snowcat over.

They ran out to investigate, finding a lone Asgardian soldier barely clinging onto life.

"He's not looking so good…" Vali grimly inspected his wounds, noting the blood loss.

"You three…" The Asgardian wheezed. He recognized the three runaways and was even surprised to see them there.

The trio didn't respond, only staring at him, wondering how to help. While it was true that the Alliance had betrayed their faith, that didn't mean every single associate of theirs did.

"You're just kids…" He muttered, as if he was surprised. He looked down at his wounds and chuckled, realizing his time was running out. His eyelids were already growing heavy as his breath became shallower.

"Please…help my people…help Lord Odin." The Asgardian used whatever was left of his strength to give one last plea.

The three stood in silence, fighting logic with morals.

"We can't just leave Odin like this…"

"He was one of the ones who stuck by us whenever people accused us."

Odin had been a staunch ally that always spoke up for the Vali Team and Adelaide, all in the name of good faith and hope. It was obvious that things weren't going as easy as one might expect for Asgard. If this dead man was an einherjar, then things truly weren't going smoothly.

Issei grit his teeth in frustration. There was no other choice of action for him, all things considered.


Asgard was being blitzed by a rain of weapon fire as bombs went off here and there. Thor kept bringing down ship after ship but new ones just kept appearing.

"I need more time." Odin cursed as he continued powering the spell that would repel the Novella Caelum's invasion force.

"We're at a stalemate, I'll give them that." Thor chuckled as he relished the fight the remnants of the Second Era were giving.

He raised Mjolnir to the sky, filling it with lightning as he rained down another volley of bolts. The air was filled with smoke as fires burned Asgardian land.

"Lord Odin, another wave of enemies!"

"They destroyed one of our towers!"

Odin cursed. If their full fighting strength were present, then they'd fare better. The sad reality didn't allow that.

"Behold, Mjolnir!"

Thor charged his hammer with all the lightning in the sky before obliterating a cluster of ships ahead, overwhelming their shields before disintegrating them.

"Lord Odin, take cover!" Someone called over to him.

In the distance, a massive magitech warship was aiming all its weapons at him.

"Sleipnir!" Odin summoned his eight-legged horse, clopping through the air as he continued charging his attack.

He circled around, hoping that the enemy would turn in his direction. To his regret, the cannons stayed trained on Valhalla.

"No!" Odin stopped charging his spell, pointing his spear at the flagship.

If it fired its beam now, then Valhalla would suffer untold damage, with countless doomed to die.

(T.M. Revolution – Meteor. Play Song.)

A beam of mana howled through the sky, piercing the barrels of cannons of the magitech warship.

"What was that?" Thor looked above.

Odin looked amused, even glad as he recognized the three presences.

"I never expected that those three children would come to help."

Despite the damage done to the cannons, one went off, barreling straight toward Valhalla.

"[Divine Rejection]" Adelaide and Vali combined their powers to completely dissipate the attack.

The beam died down almost instantly, turning into particles before fading from sight altogether.

Together, the three raced across the battlefield. They set out with the intention of only disarming and maiming. Death was the absolute last resort.

Issei deployed his wing cannons, which zipped around the area, destroying all long-range weapons that the Norse and the Novella Caelum had.

"Why're they attacking both sides?" Thor was bemused by the strange actions. Were they wreaking vengeance on both sides? Did they go mad with power?

"That's their goal. They have connections to both sides and don't want to hurt either. Their bonds with us are what's keeping them from using more force, I'm sure." Odin chuckled to himself.

He'd feared that Issei would lash out at the world over the betrayal. Instead, he chose not to succumb to bitterness and chose the wiser path.

Odin turned to Thor.

"Do not touch them. Let them pass after they're done here."

"But, Father- " The god of Thunder was to protest, only to be halted by Odin's hand.

"Those three are a part of a much bigger game than we know. Their roles are bigger than ours. It would be best if we didn't interfere incessantly."

"We will be labeled traitors, Father." Thor slumped his hammer over his shoulder.

"Perhaps, but someone has to show the others reason. It was not by coincidence that Rizevim was nearly killed. As of now, there is a stalemate amongst our ranks and the perpetrators do not dare reveal themselves. Rizevim and his family got taken off the board. We should prepare because we're next." Odin couldn't hide his disappointment in what had become of the Alliance. What was a dream-come-true was twisted into a massive disappointment that would stain the honor of all who were foolish enough to be hoodwinked.

"Hmph, well if a fight does come, we'll be ready." Thor smirked as he looked on at the complete chaos Issei was unleashing.

Issei blitzed and weaved through enemy fire, and like a meteor, ripped through the turbines and engines of the enemy ships, bounding them to the ground.

Dozens of enemies latched onto him to restrain him. Issei spread his wings, flying higher and higher as he blew them off with his aura.

Vali tackled and struck everyone around her before using [Divide] on them, stripping them of more strength.

As for Adelaide, she would repel attacks from both sides and steer them off homes and buildings.

"You've got guts attacking everyone on both sides!" A Novella Caelum soldier came lunging at him, firing indiscriminately.

Issei backflipped, knocking his rifle out of his hand before cleaving off his armor and kicking him away.

"All forces, capture the Host of Bahamut!" Issei could hear the orders echoing around him.

Hundreds of rays and traps sailed at Issei, whistling together like a horde of fireworks.

"[Cosmic Crisis]"

Issei fired beams and homing spheres of mana across the battlefield, countering all attempts to capture him.

"[Limit Law]" Adelaide had finished charging her spell, nullifying everyone's ability to use mana for an hour.

Issei and Vali took their chance, decimating all the weapons and vehicles employed by both sides.

"Your head is mine, Bahamut!" An unknown Einherjar assailed Issei.

Issei spun to the side, drawing a sword in the same maneuver before slashing his axe in half.

"Not yet!" The Einherjar drew a dagger.

Issei formed a hammer in his hands next, bashing them aside.

He then looked to the skies as reinforcements for both sides appeared.

"All hands, retreat." The Novella Caelum's command was heard throughout the battlefield, signaling a victorious scream from the Norse.

"Let's go." Issei turned to Vali and Adelaide.

Just before they left, Odin gave them a grateful smile and a kind wave. A moment of understanding passed between the four. Despite all that happened, not once did Odin turn on them. No matter what, Odin would remain their friend and the same could be said for the trio.

(T.M. Revolution – Meteor. End Song.)


The three returned to their ship untouched, much to their surprise.

"That's not gonna go well for Odin." Vali sat down.

Since Odin let three fugitives go right as they were in front of him, the Council wouldn't just let him slide.

"I hope he's gonna be okay." Adelaide sat at a table, taking a moment to relax.

"We can only hope so. At the very least, we know that Odin's not going to immediately attack us."

"Did we do the right thing?" Vali nibbled on some dark chocolate.

The Novella Caelum's stance towards them was desperate. A part of them believed that they wanted the three back because of their past connections in the Second Era. Another part of them felt that the Novella Caelum wanted to use them as weapons or leverage.

Having said all that, since they had just announced themselves as a neutral party, having disarmed and attacked both sides. Would this mean two sides would be after them now?

"I don't know. Only time will tell. Even if it wasn't the smartest decision, we owe it to Odin for standing by us all those times. Whether he'll be an enemy now is going to have to be found out another time."

Adelaide walked over to one of the ship's consoles and began uploading the records they copied from the Atlantean Library.

"Well, we'd better get back to searching for the other Keys."

"Why can't we get a break?" Issei rubbed his eyes.

Suddenly, a red light blinked rapidly as an alarm blared.

"Hostility detected. Unknown signals locked onto the ship." The Bastion's AI began displaying screens of several magitech ships.

"How were we detected?"

"The ships cloaking and protective magic are recalibrating, causing minor glitches in the ship's glitching. Commencing optimization and repair of magical barriers. Hypothesis: a few seconds in the cloaking failure allowed passing enemies to detect the ship." The AI began typing and beeping magic circles.

"Intercept!" Issei ordered as he heard the sound of weapon fire.

The Bastion was equipped with enough weapons to be like a flying fort. Magical guns and missiles countered one another as the scouting party of the Novella Caelum slowly caught up to them.

Vali cursed at her slip up.

"I'll go deal with them."

"No, let me handle this. If they're Novella Caelum then they'll come searching if their scouting party disappeared." Adelaide ran onto the deck.

She cloaked herself in her aura, using the light of [Limit Law] to hypnotize the squad of magitech ships pursuing them. With one blast of her hand, the light covered them, causing them to pause in midair. Adelaide waited, hoping that her trick worked.

She wasn't eager to fight more of the Novella Caelum, many of them being her former subjects in her first life.

The ships began whirring before slowly turning away and leaving.

"How'd you do that?" Vali ran out onto the deck.

"I used my Limit Law ability. It lets me nullify certain powers and abilities for a set amount of time. If I tweak the spell a little and apply another type of magic, I can add a bonus effect. I was able to disable their guns and communications before I used [Rejection Zone] to hypnotize them. They're going to believe that they never met us."

"Computer, report status."

"Cloaking has been restored with improved performance. Damage report: rear left thrusters need repair. Recommended action: landing for drone repair. Do you wish to proceed?" The Bastion AI waited.

"Fine. Proceed with repairs. Land us away from any populations."

"Charting course for the Atlantic Ocean."

"Are we gonna be able to repair the ship on water?"

"The drones can repair the ship underwater, if necessary. We'd best stay away from any civilizations for now if we don't want to get detected again."

"How long will repairs take?" Vali asked.

"Estimated time: four hours."

That meant four hours of planning time for Issei.

"Issei, what else could you plan?" Rexis sounded annoyed, a rare tone for him to address Issei with.

Vali narrowed her eyes.

"You should rest, Issei."

"I'm fine." Just as he turned to walk away, Vali grabbed his hand.

"Nope. You've gotta learn to relax again. Ever since you came back to life, it's plan this, plan that, fight this, fight that. Issei, you're going to run yourself into the ground again." She firmly kept him from moving.

"Vali-" Issei started to defend himself, only for her to silence him with a finger to his lips.

"No more explanations. You can't do all the work and we can't do all the dawdling. The ship's drones can repair the ship. The AI can handle processing and planning routes. Vali fortified the defenses and I improved the ship's performance. We all do the fighting and searching. You're not dying anymore and we're already doing the best we can. You need down time so you don't burn out." Adelaide cut him off.

Issei had no choice but to accept defeat.

"Fine. I guess I'll take a walk."

"If I catch you working, I'm going to force you to sleep, mister." Vali called out to him.


Issei paced the ships corridors.

"Man, it's like a TARDIS in here. We've got a game room, a huge bath, several beds, lounge, bar, mess hall, armory, hangar, library, and deck."

"You've been so busy angsting that you didn't remember to explore. In another universe, I'll bet you're broody and no fun." Rexis snorted.

"How can I when so much is going on?" Issei opened a bag of chips as he walked and ate.

"Not opening that can of worms again. Look, just savor these moments like you used to. I know the world's bigger and scarier but don't forget the best parts of yourself, Issei."

Issei stopped as he reflected with himself. It was true that ever since he came back to life, he wasn't as relaxed as he used to be. Once again, he wasn't sure if it was because Bahamut was reducing the part of him that was a total goofball and hopeful. He then shook the thoughts away.

Vali and Adelaide were doing enough of the worrying. He didn't need to add unnecessary amounts more onto it. He chuckled to himself as he reminisced about his old self.

"I do miss being that guy." He muttered to himself.

"The guy that kept being nosy, couldn't shut up, and was way over the top? Yeah, I miss him too."

"For such a big world, it felt smaller then, and brighter." Issei looked at the sky, wondering just how much sourer his views had gotten.

"You don't have to look at the world in only one way. The stamps on your hands conceal your presence from gods. Maybe you and the girls can go out and relax for a bit. Take your minds off things. Maybe you can even reconnect with who you used to be."

Issei considered the time and where they were. They weren't too far off the coast of Ireland. Maybe he could take Rexis' advice.

"Hey, we've still got four hours till repairs are done. Wanna go out and relax for a bit?"

"Isn't that too risky?" Adelaide wasn't very fond of the idea, fearing discovery.

"We can just change our appearance a little with magic and our marks will mask our presence."

Vali and Adelaide looked at each other.

'He needs this, anyways.' They reached a silent agreement.


And so, we close Chapter 72.

I don't really have any notes to write so, I'll be seeing you all next time.