The final few days of their journey, Sorey and Mikleo wandered alongside an incredibly powerful barrier; neither of them dared even touch it, recalling Zenrus' warning about never heading in that direction. Malevolence most foul was contained behind, though for what reason neither of them could fathom.

Now however, three weeks since leaving Lastonbell and after Winter's cold winds embraced the land, they had finally arrived. Sorey watched the surprised but also impressed looks their entrance garnered as he slid over the mountaintop on a swirling river. Mikleo's control improved greatly from their time in the wilds and the two of them waved as everyone gathered around them giddily; Sorey could not help but smile, being home once more. He shared high-fives, bumped fists, exchanged greetings for several minutes before the entire area fell into a sudden lull.

As men and women made room, he saw just why the mood grew a little tense: there stood Zenrus himself, bent by age and tiny of a man with a long, white beard. Nonetheless, his presence felt as if he towered over everyone; the old seraph studied both brothers curiously. "I did not expect you back so soon, my boys," he then greeted them with a faint smile. "How did your journey go?"

The smile vanished when Sorey's expression clouded over. What remained of the good mood from before was gone at that point, though Mikleo thankfully took it off him to break the news: "A lot happened, gramps." He put a comforting hand on Sorey's shoulder before he even began. "Sorey bonded with Lailah and became Shepherd, so we spent a lot of time cleansing Hyland. But when we made for Rolance, we ran into the Lord of Calamity." Sorey clenched his fists and tried not to think back to it, but everyone's agitation and Zenrus' worry only filled him with shame again.

"We couldn't do anything," he found himself admitting. "He turned Lailah into a dragon in a single strike and she chased him away. Then she said to see you before running off." It hurt almost as much as it had the day he lost her.

Upon hearing the news, Zenrus appeared to age ten thousand years; he slumped in resignation, something none of them had ever seen before. "Zui was right," the ancient seraph muttered to himself, but did not elaborate. When someone out of the crowd asked about who Lailah was, he sighed and filled them in: "Seraph Lailah is... was the last active firekeeper. With her lost, there will be no more shepherds until another seraph takes up the Firekeeper's Oath and carries on the flame." An air of misery followed this declaration, perfectly fitting how Sorey felt on the inside.

A deep sigh shattered the silence and the hand on his shoulder receded. Mikleo stepped forward, expression set. "What kind of Oath is this? Lailah told me a little bit before, but no details." Sorey's eyes widened at that; he did not need to see Zenrus' surprise to get what his brother was thinking of doing.

"Mikleo, no! You don't have to do this!"

"The world needs a shepherd, Sorey. And all shepherds need the silver flame."

"But it still doesn't have to be you!"

"Yes, yes it does! Who else do you want to put this burden on? Saphira? Maisen?" The named seraphim flinched back when Mikleo pointed at them. "Edna? Gramps?" Sorey had no retort to that, but he still did not want his brother to go this far just because he felt he needed to.

Zenrus appeared to agree, seeing that he stepped toward them with a cautious question: "Are you certain? Such a choice should not be made lightly, Mikleo. Once made, an Oath can not be broken except under the most dire of circumstances or with great preparation." Their eyes met for several long moments, though Mikleo crossed his arms and frowned at the older seraph.

"We can't afford to waste time fretting about this," he implored and Sorey knew he was right. "I had weeks to think it through and this is what I will do. Glenwood needs the shepherd, and we need to hurry so we can grow stronger to catch up to the Lord of Calamity."

Much to Sorey's displeasure, Zenrus began to smile. It seems he had been convinced. The mix of surprise and pride radiating from the other seraphim only reaffirmed that this would happen; he knew he could not stop Mikleo after he made up his mind, but it would take time to make his peace with it. Zenrus inclined his head. "Then it shall be. Preparing the arte for this Oath will take me about two or three weeks, so you can rest up here for the time."

"Wait, that long?"

The question earned Mikleo a bop on the head and a short lecture: "Oaths are amongst the most complicated artes in existence and this one is an Oath I know particularly well! Were it not for that, you brats would be stuck here for at least two months, so be grateful!"

"Oh. Sorry, gramps."

The old man sighed and let it be.

So it was that the brothers began their stay at Elysia, though returning to his old life felt decidedly odd to Sorey. It was not the same after everything he experienced, though he appreciated the break. This tranquility no longer felt perfectly safe and protected, but rather a little oppressive despite him knowing he could leave anytime. Perhaps it was related to Mikleo, whom Zenrus continuously called away for some kind of lesson that he was sworn not to speak to Sorey about. All the erstwhile shepherd got out of his brother was that the elder taught him what a firekeeper needed to know; from lost history over general conduct to interaction with hellions and harnessing of the flame.

After the first week, both of them had joined Zenrus for tea. It was the first time Sorey could finally bring up something else that had been quietly gnawing at him. "Hey gramps," he started slowly, "do you remember Alisha? The girl I brought here a few months ago?" When he received a curious nod, Sorey continued: "Well, the thing is that she became a hellion. And I don't mean the usual kind, but... it's weird. I think she's still completely herself, and she wants to stay a hellion. We, uh, tried to cleanse her, but it didn't work." He made a pause to consider his words, unfortunately not being interrupted by questions as he had hoped. "Lailah agreed that we have to cleanse her, but Edna was annoyed with us later. I still don't know what to make of all this, you know? There are some hellions who seem just fine as they are, but..."

He trailed off at that point, uncertain how to phrase his question and doubts. Was it truly necessary to cleanse all hellions, or could there be a select few this did not apply to? Could they live happily despite being warped by Malevolence?

Zenrus, likely having read all of that out of him regardless, sighed. "I was worried about that," he admitted to the two brothers, head bowed. "Hellions that retain their personalities are not particularly rare, but those who wish to retain their altered state are. Of those, most are so disassociated with humankind that they either separate from it or wish to destroy it. This is difficult to teach a child and they are so rarely benevolent that I decided not to bring it up in the past. I expected that if you met any, they would turn out to be enemies." A rueful smile was offered to them. "And then I forgot to get back to it as you grew older. I hope you two can forgive me for that, it was my mistake."

After a momentary pause in which neither boy knew what to do in this unfamiliar situation, Zenrus straightened up and caught their eyes sternly. "The lesson I should have imparted on you long ago is a simple one: be careful who you trust, regardless of whether they are human or hellion. Though finding goodness in the latter is more rare, it is not impossible; you might just find good friends or allies in some of them."

"What about you?" Sorey could not help but ask. "Did you ever meet hellions like that?" He wondered why he never met any such friends the elder implied he had. Zenrus nodded, though it was followed by a sigh.

"I admit to negligence on that part. What few hellions I became acquainted with over the millennia have long since died. Or, wait." He hummed in thought and stroked his white beard, then perked up. "No, no. Rokurou might still be alive, now that I think about it. I have no idea where he went since the last time I saw him, but that was only two, perhaps three hundred years ago? He is one of the greatest swordsmen in recent history, with centuries of training and experience. Right up there with Claudin, Artorius, and..." He paused there, disregarding the way Sorey's eyes lit up in excitement. With a frown, Zenrus shook his head. "Dear me, I forgot her name. One of Artorius' students that ended up matching him."

Sorey could hardly believe that there were others on par with Claudin and Artorius, aside from perhaps Eleanor. It made him giddy but also puzzled about how that was mentioned nowhere. Zenrus successfully distracted him, though: "Anyway, Rokurou. A bit of a hothead whenever there was a chance of fighting a strong opponent, but generally a mellow fellow. He could easily be mistaken for a human if you do not know better." A quiet chuckle followed before the elder returned to their original subject: "That said, bring Alisha back here if you get the chance. I would like to talk to her."

He deflated visibly, unable to meet the old seraph's eyes. "Got to apologise to her first," he muttered. "And find her, she's somewhere in Rolance right now."

"I'm sure she will forgive you," Zenrus encouraged kindly, clapping his shoulder. "You are an earnest boy, Sorey, and she is an earnest girl. If turning truly left who she is unchanged, she will." He managed to coax out a smile and stir some hope of reconciliation in Sorey, who perked up.

When Elysia's only human resident left soon after to do some hunting, leaving behind his brother and parent, Mikleo slowly lowered his own tea. "You lied earlier," he accused calmly. "Who was that student under Artorius?"

Zenrus met his gaze evenly for a long winds sealed off the area around them. "You were always more cautious than Sorey," he grouched. "I remember that girl's name because she was the very first Lord of Calamity, the woman to coin the title. Artorius died by her hand." Mikleo's jaw fell in shock, but there were more revelations to come: "By her hand, the elemental Empyreans awoke and by their power, the archipelago from a thousand years past formed a single super continent that we now call Glenwood. By her hand, the Age of the Gods came to a close."

Mikleo forced himself to breathe deeply, unnecessary as the exercise was for a seraph. "Then why don't you tell him that?" he inquired sharply. "Knowing the past is important to make a better future!"

For some reason however, this prompted a humourless chuckle from the elder. "My boy, she made the future better." Mikleo blinked, caught by surprise yet again. Zenrus explained it to him: "Truly, many hundreds of thousands died through her machinations, perhaps even more. But in the end, through her actions, Maotelus stepped forward. Saint Eleanor could rise to be the person we now remember her as. The line of shepherds that remains unbroken to this day, if it were not for her, it might never truly have begun.

"This is another lesson for you: not all evil is the same. Not all who do evil do so for bad reasons and not all of them wish the world harm. You act as the shepherd's guide, but you also need to teach them to judge individually and not generally. I... failed to impart that lesson on both of you so far, but it is one you need to learn. Not necessarily for Sorey, but for whoever might come after him. And the one after that. No two people are the same and at the end of the day, Lords of Calamity are people, too."

He adopted a wry grin somewhere throughout, perhaps it even grew a fraction from seeing Mikleo at his wit's end. He could understand that her actions led to good things, but not believe it had been intentional. "B-But, that doesn't make sense," he found himself arguing. "You just said she did all these horrible things, killed so many people. Why was she any different?"

"Ah, that." Zenrus inclined his head. "Mind, Mikleo, I am not absolving her of the deeds she committed. Understanding is not absolution." He had a point there. "But I long since learned that all she did, she did not do out of any drive to harm the world or its people. She held personal hatred for Shepherd Artorius, strong enough to disregard anyone who would stand in her way to him. Everything she did, every death and every action, was to that purpose. There is a difference there, even if the result appears similar to the Calamities that came after."

Everything began to come together; Mikleo mulled it over while Zenrus refilled his tea, though a burning curiousity forced him to inquire further: "What did she hate Artorius for?"

"That, my boy, is a matter best left lost to time. It concerned only the two of them."

"I see. And the difference you mean... is it that if this hatred of hers hadn't been there, she never would have left her mark on the world?" He must have gotten it right, seeing that the elder offered him a rare smile.

"Correct," Zenrus praised, though he remained stern in tone. "Keep this in mind, Mikleo. Many goals can affect the world if they belong to great people, but many of these may not involve the world itself. To understand what they are truly after is important, for it may allow you to prevent a fight."

They continued the lesson in this vein, to the point that it took hours for Mikleo to realise he never learned the first Calamity's name; knowing that this ancient seraph did few things unintentionally, he concluded that this was not knowledge he would gain in Elysia. Ultimately, he decided not to bother about it for the time being and focus on the present.

The second week after their arrival, Sorey and Mikleo had already fallen back into their old rhythm. They explored less than they had before their journey and rather spent time with the other seraphim, but no one paid that much mind. Just as every day, everyone sat together in the village's center for breakfast; a tradition that had been born with Sorey, for Zenrus was concerned the toddler would not understand his need to eat otherwise.

The elder was just explaining to Mikleo that the Oath was almost ready when he perked up and turned his head. "Someone entered my domain," he informed everyone calmly. Conversation ceased at once. "In roughly the same direction as the boys arrived from."

"Were we followed? Hellions?"

"No, Mikleo. A human and two seraphim." A gentle breeze caressed the group as a whole moments later; every single wind seraph stiffened up and Zenrus exhaled slowly. "They found us." Everyone rose almost as one, forming a protective circle around Sorey and Mikleo just in case, though the young men stepped to the front moments later. The gust grew in intensity, becoming a minor storm that tore at the area yet damaged nothing and merely ruffled their clothes.

Then a person surged over the mountain's edge and onto the plateau right outside Elysia, the winds settling. Two seraphim became tangible by their side, their sight merely adding to Sorey's surprise; he could not help but watch in awe as Rose of all people strolled up to the entrance and pushed through Zenrus' barrier. What was more, not just Dezel but also Zaveid flanked her, all three of them taking in the place.

"Rose!" He failed to even notice how his cheerful call dispersed the tension, already jogging over to the older woman. Some others followed, though he reached first and bumped fists with Rose.

"Heya!" she greeted him back with a grin. "Sorry for dropping by unannounced, the guys refuse to send mail for me!" Dezel huffed and shook his head, though Zaveid paid her no mind at all; he was busy winking at the lady seraphim around. Rose continued to rake her eyes over Elysia, whistling appreciatively. "But man, this place looks odd up here. Never thought this is where seraphim would live. I like it!"

"Heh, thanks." Despite the surprising reunion, Sorey could not help but appreciate Rose's presence; seeing another familiar face was nice, although it did not sate his curiousity. "What brings you all the way out here?"

Rose hesitated, glancing at the seraphim studying her before folding her hands behind her back. "Well, uh... here's the thing, I heard what happened with Lailah." Sorey's smile dropped and she grimaced, but kept going. "Yeah. So I figured you'd need all the help you can get. And so here I am, one squire ready to go!" Upbeat once more, Rose grinned at the dumbfounded shepherd. She was momentarily distracted when Zenrus chuckled behind him, waving. "You the boss-man around here?"

"Correct, young lady. I am Zenrus. Allow me to extend my gratitude for coming to Sorey's aid."

"Eh, it's no big deal! Don't mention it."

"She's going to preen for days, ain't she?"

"Of course she will."

"Oh, can it, you jerks?" Rose whirled around to glare at the men behind her, who had been stage-whispering at each other. The banter earned some chuckles from the crowd

Which was when Mikleo arrived, stepping in front of Sorey with a glare directed at Zaveid. "And you?" he demanded. "What are you doing here?" Zaveid was visibly unimpressed, merely rolling his eyes.

"Well gee," he drawled back, "whatever could the great Zaveid be doing here of all places, right now? I heard what happened, too. Same deal as Rose, you guys need all the help you can get."

"We don't need the help of a murderer!" There was some agitation among the crowd over his accusation, though Zaveid just shrugged in response. Zenrus sighed and was likely the only one who noticed Rose drag her feet for a moment. Sorey was still trying to understand his own feelings on Zaveid's presence, uncertain if he should be indignant like his brother or happy the other seraph wanted to help.

Zaveid made to respond but paused, reconsidered, and then shook his head. "Look, I don't like this anymore than you do, but that's how it is. We don't get what we want with the world at stake, we take what we can get." His grin returned at that point. "If it helps, I'll promise not to kill anyone or anything unless you do it first."

Mikleo made to retort, but stopped himself before Sorey could; Zaveid had a point. Mikleo sighed. "It's not really my choice anyway." He glanced to Sorey, who understood his meaning; as shepherd, he had the last word in who to take along. This would be a difficult decision to make, he knew.

"I need to think about it," he deflected the question, which everyone accepted well enough. Then however, he realised something important and turned back to Zaveid and Dezel: "Wait, aren't you both wind seraphim?"

Rose pre-empted them both cheerfully: "Yep, that's how we got here so quickly. It's incredible how fast these guys can go!"

"Right," Mikleo mused, a little more calm now. "That would be an issue. With Edna, that leaves us without a fire seraph."

"So what?" Zaveid earned several confused looks, equally as befuddled before it dawned on him. "Wait, seriously? Lailah fed you that bullshit about needing a seraph of each element? And you never asked yourself... forget it, of course you didn't." He slapped his forehead in exasperation, ignoring the surprise and murmuring around them.

"Language, young man," Zenrus' voice cut through the chatter, though Zaveid just laughed off his stern stare.

"Come on, pal! I'm already offering your baby boy to help out, meet me halfway." He spread his arms wide in a peaceful gesture, though the elder frowned at him. He did not insist though, shocking both Sorey and Mikleo; he had never once let off about something like this.

"Wait," Mikleo realigned the conversation, "that's beside the point. What did you mean that not all elements are needed?" Rose had turned to Zaveid as well, making it clear he knew something most did not. The wind seraph heaved a sigh, but indulged them anyway.

Raising one finger, he began: "Simple. First of all, the sublord's pact has no requirement for only one seraph of each element. Technically not for the number of seraphim either, but three is usually the maximum most prime lords can take. Need to be a good bit older than Lailah or I to support more, or be a Great Lord." Sorey nodded in understanding and a second finger was raised. "Second, there's no such constraint on the Oath for the prime lord either. I know that for a fact 'cause I met the lady that made the arte." The disbelief from the crowd was ignored and a third finger rose "And lastly, it's good to have a seraph from each element! Most shepherds start like you, wide-eyed goody two-shoes that need every advantage they can get. A complete elemental coverage is part of that. Heck, if ya wanted you could have a team of four of the same element, but that sucks if you run into something highly resistant to that one element. So the prime lords tell their new shepherds to recruit one of each element instead of doubling up. Dezel and I are just fine on the same team, we just need to compensate for anything that takes fire to fight effectively."

Leaving a momentary pause for it all to sink in, Zaveid then pointed at Zenrus. "Right, old man?" As all eyes went to him, the elder inclined his head.

"Correct, in all points," he confirmed.

Sorey considered what he just learned, but found no real reason to deny Zaveid. "Okay, that's fine then." A moment later, something occurred to him. "Wait, gramps? How many sublords could you support?"

"Hm? Is he, like, super old or something?"

Regardless of whether anyone wanted to answer Rose's question, Zenrus chuckled and answered Sorey's with a wry smile: "More than enough, my boy. But I am a little old for a journey like yours."

From there, the new arrivals spread out and mingled with Elysia's native seraphim. Rose fielded questions about her merchant life and the dangers on the road, to the point she brandished her dagger to emphasize she could keep up in battle. Sorey attempted talking to Dezel, who brushed him off more or less gently; they only got to talking when the wind seraph found an injured eagle some ways off and began treating it.

Aside from it all, Mikleo and Zaveid stood. Both were observing the goings-on and both were surprised by the other. "Any reason you're not in the thick of it with your buddy?" Zaveid first broke the awkward silence between them; Mikleo was tempted to ignore him or start another fight, but forced himself to be civil.

"I'm practicing not to get myself involved too much," he explained slowly. "Gramps' order." He got an understanding noise and little else in response, upon which both of them relapsed into quiet contemplation. As he pondered however, a recent memory stirred and Mikleo glanced to Zaveid again. "Say, how old are you?"

"Uh... 'bit over a thousand years, why?"

"So you were around during the Age of the Gods? The first Lord of Calamity?"

Zaveid's previous curiousity turned into an owlish look, which was followed by a laugh. "Heh, damn right I was! Met the lady a few times, too. Why'd you ask?" He remained amicable, but Mikleo noticed the air shifting all around them; much like Zenrus, Zaveid had sealed all sound from carrying past them. He left it uncommented and rather answered the question honestly.

"Gramps is teaching me about the past so I can fulfill my new role even after Sorey... you know." Just the thought of him dying one day filled Mikleo with dread and sadness; he could hardly even allude to it, though Zaveid thankfully understood and clapped his shoulder. He took a deep breath and cast that existential nightmare aside. "Anyway, he told me the first Calamity was not after the end of the world like most of those after her, and that I have to learn about the reasons behind peoples' actions if I want to understand what drives them. He didn't tell me her name for some reason, or the exact details of what went on. Could you tell me more about what happened back then?"

Zaveid heard him out, then crossed his arms as he considered the request. Contrary to what Mikleo expected, the older man neither ridiculed nor dismissed him out of hand. When Zaveid did speak however, it led to a bit of a tangent: "Your gramps is a smart guy. Think you can actually do it, the understanding part? Maybe even put your own biases aside?"

"I don't know yet," he admitted after some hesitation. "I'm trying, but it's hard."

"Yeah, it always is."

"...come to think of it, why do you feel you have to kill those hellions?"

"Was waiting for that one." Zaveid ceased to look at Mikleo now, rather observing Sorey still following Dezel around in the distance. "Tell you what, I'll give you that one as a peace offering. Keep it to yourself."

He did not like to keep secrets from his brother, but Mikleo felt it was only fair to heed Zaveid's request in turn and nodded. "Okay."

At first, Zaveid only sighed before pointing toward Sorey. "Truth be told, I used to be just like him," he revealed to his baffled audience. "Followed my own creed, a fighter, not a killer. Even protected some dragons on the way." Mikleo barely managed to suppress his initial exclamation.

"That is, well, a little hard to believe."

"Yeah. Had some personal stakes back then that aren't your business, but I was perfectly willing to die for those. It took Eizen months to hammer that out of me, and decades more before I got really comfortable with it."

Mikleo could not help but interject again: "Wait, Eizen? As in, Edna's brother Eizen?" It earned him a knowing wink from Zaveid.

"Big surprise, huh? Anyway, the point is that he was right. All seraphim will one day turn into dragons, a curse upon our entire kind. We lose who we were and even lash out against the people we loved most before we turned. That's no longer being alive, it's just a mockery of who they were. So killing them is a kindness, an end to the madness that will never end. Edna knows it too, but she refuses to accept it yet. That's why I'm going to kill Eizen the moment I can, for both of them. I owe that guy for setting me straight."

Mikleo wanted to argue, but be it his own experiences over the last few months or the lessons with Zenrus, he could see Zaveid's point. Dragonhood was inescapable at this point in time and after seeing Lailah's dragon so... afraid of even being near them, likely well aware of the death she would bring, he understood it. He still did not like it, but he understood. Nodding his head to the older seraph, Mikleo then probed a little further: "...and the hellions? Those can be purified."

Zaveid actually huffed, throwing him an incredulous look. "If you're a fancy pancy shepherd, sure. But guess what, shepherd's are a rare breed. So I've got to make do with what I can do." Again he had a point and this time Mikleo's own mind even added to it.

"Not to mention that some hellions can't be quelled."

"Exactly! Now you get it!" He clapped Mikleo's shoulder again, an odd sense of camraderie between the two of them. "Now listen up, I meant it. Don't have any reason to kill hellions if I can burn away the Malevolence." This was indeed reassuring, though Mikleo still wondered; he voiced his worries while watching Rose and Sorey begin to spar in a ring of spectators.

"And... if the hellion can't be cleansed, but is not evil?"

"What, like his girlfriend?" He nodded toward Sorey and chuckled over Mikleo's unamused stare. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna kill someone who doesn't need killing. If they've got their marbles together and don't cause harm, why would I?"

"I see. That is good to know, thank you for sharing."

"Ah, don't mention it, buddy."

At this point, Mikleo felt that he understood Zaveid a little better; in addition however, he suspected that the other man's aggression toward Sorey may result from being reminded of his past self. For his own safety, Mikleo wisely kept that assumption to himself and rather commented on the spar they were watching: "Rose is good."

"She is." They were in easy agreement, seeing that the redhead just trounced Sorey. She was not quite running circles around him, but it showed how much more real combat experience she had. Sorey's defeat repeated itself twice more before Zaveid spoke up again, getting to a different subject: "Wanna know something curious?"

"What would that be?"

"Way back when, Lady Calamity was big on forging her own path and never faltering until she reached her goal. Alisha's a lot like her in that regard." Zaveid shrugged when he noticed Mikleo's frown. "I just noticed is all. That girl is determined and powerful, so be careful when letting Sorey deal with her. She won't stop, not even for him." The frown deepened; Mikleo caught his meaning and it worried him.

"You think she would kill him?"

"Pft, no." Zaveid actually chuckled for a moment, dismissing the question like it was foolish to be concerned. "Not without a lot of pressure. But if push comes to shove? She could. That's the lesson you really don't wanna learn on your own: don't push a good man or woman too far, else you create a monster."

"I see." He had a point once again; Mikleo learned a bit about Alisha and saw her go through life with her head held high, regardless of what happened. He vividly remembered the darkness suffusing her and the abject horror when she snapped; for a moment, Mikleo truly though he would die that day in Lastonbell. Only standing before Heldalf had been worse, though the memory of that day made his chest clench. He suppressed a sigh and, thinking of people and monsters and a past conversation, found something else to inquire about: "By the way, I was wondering: what's your blessing? Mine lets me heal all kinds of sicknesses, though no wounds." When Zaveid threw him a look, he shrugged. "Sorey and I recently realised that we never asked Lailah and now we... we can't."

"Ah, gotcha." Zaveid nodded in understanding, crossing his arms behind his back. "I'll start off with Lailah 'cause I actually know about hers. Don't look so shocked, I've met her before. She got an aura of fertility. Helps human women conceive and makes the baby more healthy." Mikleo nodded slowly, though still incredulous about Zaveid of all people knowing that. At least he did not have to prod for the other man to continue. "My own isn't anything to write home about. It's just wanderlust. The longer I'm around, the more everyone feels this itch to go out and travel, see the world."

"Huh, that's interesting. Is that why you never stay in one place?"

"Kinda? No idea if it affects me or if I'm just like that, but I like to travel. 'sides, if you look over there you can see Dezel's at work." Successfully distracted, Mikleo's attention turned to the other wind seraph; he was still busy treating that eagle he stumbled upon, the feral animal sitting and allowing his touch without any fuss. "Animals just love the guy. Doesn't matter how big or how small or how angry, put Dezel in front of it and it's completely tame."

"I see." He never considered just how varied blessings could be. "That might come in handy... say, do you know what Edna's blessing does, too?"

"Nope. She never told me and I'm not sure Eizen knew 'cause he didn't, either." Zaveid shrugged, likely aware that they had little chance to learn about this one. Talking of her however, Mikleo decided to inquire about their absent companion next.

"Actually, have you seen Edna? Is she still in Lastonbell?"

Zaveid chuckled again and threw Mikleo a grin. "Oh, absolutely. Was about to catch herself a cute girlfriend, and a boyfriend at the same time. We might have to go pick her up there."

"Oh, really?" he could not help his own curiousity. "I had no idea she was fancying anyone." By the way Zaveid laughed then, he might have just missed it. Regardless, he felt glad that she had someone to take care of her. "Well, at least one of us is happy these days."

"I'll drink to that!" Zaveid clapped his shoulder one final time and Mikleo had a rather odd realisation: somehow, they seemed to have become friends.

. .

. .

The day after Rose's arrival, Mikleo took his Oath; no one but him and Zenrus were present for the occasion, though. Much to his displeasure, Sorey had been refused from witnessing this important moment. To further bring his mood down, Rose decided to try whipping him into shape in the meantime. It hardly helped that Dezel fared about as well, sparring with Zaveid nearby. Some of the local seraphim were watching, sometimes discussing artes and techniques with the new arrivals.

Thankfully, Mikleo arrived sometime between the sixtieth and seventieth time Sorey left an imprint in the fresh snow. His presence hushed the ongoing conversations and everyone took a moment to appreciate the water seraph; he appeared unchanged, though there were more white trims to his light blue robe now and every seam had changed colour. Both he and Zenrus moved with an air of purpose.

"Did it work?" Sorey could not help but ask; Mikleo silently held out one hand and produced a silvery flame from his palm. It licked the air greedily, its sight drawing a smile from Sorey; Mikleo smiled as well and they nodded at each other in silent agreement. Now the shepherd had a fighting chance.

As all were focussed on the brothers however, only Dezel noticed Zaveid doing something behind his back. He did not get to ask about it though, for they then began establishing the necessary bonds; first Sorey and Mikleo, then Rose's Squire's Pact, followed by Zaveid's and Dezel's sublords' pacts.

Almost as soon as the final bond was forged, the ground quaked. Several people lost their balance and fell, then another tremor hit. Earth seraphim pointed to the distant mountains and Sorey prepared for trouble, now knowing that this was not nature's doing. Yet there were no hellions and, as nothing else happened, Zenrus began to huff. "What a lively girl," he commented.

A third tremor tore through his confusion, followed by a familiar form bouncing over the mountaintop. She sailed gracefully through the air, gliding with her orange umbrella; each step of hers cleared a hundred metres as she pushed back into the air. A pillar rumbled out of the ground as her last leap carried her close, turning to sand at the base and slowing Edna's descent. She came to stand right in front of Sorey and the villagers, dropping a curtsy without a single hair out of place.

After several moments of flabbergasted silence, Rose began to clap. Zaveid followed her example and soon Edna sported a satisfied grin as she received a proper applause. "I'm here," she greeted when the noise subsided. "Guess I'm a little late, though. I was held up."

"Nah." Rose waved her off cheerfully. "It's fine. Mikleo just finished taking the Oath, so you're just in time for the party!"

"Oh, so Mibu is my boss now. I might have to reconsider."

"Hey, what is that supposed to mean?!"

Edna showed one of her normal grins as she turned to the annoyed firekeeper. "Water boy with fire," she deadpanned. "You're going to go pshhh on us and evaporate before Winter is out." The comment earned some laughs from the crowd. Sorey was just happy that she seemed to have recovered from losing Lailah, so he let the banter continue.

"No way, that's not how the silver flame works!"

"Are you sure about that? If you aren't and mess up, it's over. Mikleover."

Rose broke into giggles at that point, skipping forward to clap Edna's shoulder. "Heh, come on, be nice, shorty. Just for today?"

Edna just stared up at her pointedly before shrugging. "Being big is for losers. Big losers." Though she did leave Mikleo alone after that. Sorey took the moment to introduce Zenrus, at which point she adopted a prim and proper posture; she even curtsied again. The elder obviously did not buy it.

"Go easy on Mikleo for a while, young lady," he chided her gently. "That stubborn boy takes more of burden on himself than he knows."

"I know."

Twirling her umbrella behind herself, she held Zenrus' gaze calmly. Sorey had no idea what they were trying to tell each other, but the old seraph seemed to understand well enough. Mikleo crossed his arms defensively, staring between them. "Really now? How so?"

"Shush, the grown-ups are talking. You need to be at least a thousand years old before you can join this conversation." Edna waved the younger seraph away and many others around them shuffled a little awkwardly as well.

Rose nudged him with her elbow then, whispering a question: "Think that rule goes for humans, too?" He could only shrug.

As far as Mikleo was concerned however, a little teasing could not actually turn the day completely horrible. They finished forming the sublord pacts and then the newcomers began to experiment with their flames; Zaveid took charge instructing Dezel with surprising insight while Sorey explained to Rose. This left the new firekeeper at the sidelines, standing with Edna of all people; just as he intended. "I just need to make sure you'll follow orders," he explained as they watched the others, "we can't afford to fight when we're in the field."

"Fighting is what we do in the field," she retorted with a lopsided grin, to which he rolled his eyes. She turned serious right after. "But I get it, and I will. As long as you don't tell me what to do all the time, we're fine."

Admittedly, this stung a little. "I know you don't think much of me, but could you at least have enough faith to not believe I'd abuse my power?" He really thought they were past that point. Edna kept quiet for a few seconds, mulling it over.

"You know what, that's fair."

Her response was surprising, though. He threw the girl a sideway glance. "Huh. I thought you would make more of a fuss about it."

"You're the boss now and we can't afford to squabble over everything," Edna replied with a shrug, though her nonchalance was soon broken by another grin. "A lot of things sure, but not everything. I wouldn't have taken the Firekeeper's Oath even now, and I can respect that you did." The sudden praise surprised him even more, but he took it and raised a fist; Edna bumped her knuckles against his a moment later, but he knew things would not be completely different.

"You aren't going to leave me alone from now on."

"Not at all."

Mikleo huffed, but rather changed the subject: "I heard from Zaveid that you are in a relationship now." The non-sequitur threw Edna for a loop, seeing as she first paused and then frowned.

"I am. Why do you bring it up?"

"No real reason," he quickly reassured his sublord. "I just wanted to say I'm glad that you found someone you like." He actually meant it too, though Edna was even more confused now.

"I... see. Thank youuu?" She drew out the response as she tested it, drawing a huff from Mikleo which he followed with a conspiratory grin.

"Now I only need to figure something out for Sorey and that's that."

Seeing her so befuddled was actually amusing; Edna usually appeared in control of the situation, so he gladly offered her a few of his own thoughts. The girl eyed him cautiously. "How so?" she asked, to which he just gave her the truth.

"I don't know much about romance, but I know having a caring partner improves one's mood. You look happier now, you know?"

"...okay. So you want to find Sorey someone so he... why?"

He shrugged at her. "It's interesting to observe how people change. I thought he was interested in Alisha, but that ran into, uh, problems." He winced, though Edna gave no indication she processed that part; her owlish look still remained.

"Did you always think in that kind of way?"

"Yes, most of my life?"

"Huh." Edna quietly mulled over what she just learned; Mikleo never made much of a secret out of his favourite activities. Most just failed to notice that he liked people-watching. They were both drawn out of the introspective silence by a loud yelp from Sorey, who was currently completely on fire; Rose laughed at him while he tried to pat out the silver flames. They continued to watch, neither moving to help him. Edna glanced up at Mikleo curiously. "Lailah said that Sorey knew your true name even before you bonded."

"Ah, that." He felt a little sheepish about the reminder, but inclined his head to the other man. "He's my brother, of course he knows my true name." He almost messed up their moment by asking if she knew Eizen's true name, stopped from that blunder merely because Edna spoke up first.

"Makes sense. Are you actively trying to get him with someone?"

"Not actively," he began, but corrected himself: "Not at all, to be honest. I'm just watching, and maybe I would give him a nudge if I think someone he is getting close with is bad company."

"I see, so you're Mama Mikleo."

"...can we please not do this for five minutes?" His annoyance was not as great as it probably sounded right now, though the request did wipe Edna's grin away.

"Okay." She stood motionless for a while, but finally added a quiet "Sorry" that astonished Mikleo; knowing her like he did however, he kept quiet.

Soon after their conversation concluded, Sorey decided for their newly formed team to head out. They were seen off with waves, cheers, and fireworks while Zaveid's and Dezel's winds carried both Shepherd and Squire over the mountainside. Their first stop was Lastonbell, just where they left off before.