Originally posted on Ao3 - 2021-01-22

Beta-readers: Folgoll, Derezade, mythicZed_YT, Matt
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A/N: Hi there. I've been posting this series for a while now on Archive of Our Own, but got some requests from a few readers to post it here for accessibility purposes. As a result, I'll be posting each new chapter as they come out on both here and on Ao3. More specifically, chapters 1 to 7 will be posted here in rapid succession as they've been out for a while now, but in future, new chapters will be posted here as soon as they are made available. Other than that, hope you enjoy the read!


It's been so long since I last reflected on our journeys together, and longer still since they took place. To think it's been nearly ninety years since then is a little hard to believe. I've changed and grown so much since then that I can't say I'm still the same person.

A word before I begin, though: much of what I am to mention in this autobiographical work is indeed true, or at the very least as true as I remember it to be. I know many of you will question it's validity, but thankfully with the recent discovery by several well-esteemed historians of letters that even I didn't realize existed will help to convince you.

Now, sometime before that long ago journey, I was on another one, one that many of you may know as the Purge of the Awakened, something the remaining warriors took up following the collapse of the Organization in order to wipe out all remaining awakened beings and yoma from this land. It was a long one, lasting six years and taking me all over, from small mountain villages to deep forests, from open plains to vast deserts. It was indeed an incredible journey, and one that I'm glad to have shared with the warriors who I accompanied.

That purge was as effective as razing a pile of dry leaves and hay, ridding the island so completely of awakened beings and yoma that towards the final two years, we found ourselves spending more and more time walking, climbing, or riding to our destination than actually fighting anything, and even then many reports of these beasts only turned out to be mere red herrings. As a result, we were forced to split up during the final year and a half, saving the overall group precious time, but even this stopped working effectively, forcing us to return to where that journey began.

The Holy City. Rabona.

The city was a familiar place to me since it was our base of operations following our descent from the northern region of Alphonse and the scene of what many would consider one of the most intense battles ever had. But given the handful of times I had been there since those events, it was more than that to me; it was like a home away from home, a place where both the past and present collided with each other, reminding me of my successes, failures, past mistakes, and how far I've come from the early days of my employment by the Organization. I was reminded of those more difficult times, but also of the moments of happiness I shared, the many nights where I stayed up pondering on what the next part of the plan would be and the fewer evenings where I found myself speaking and drinking with the other survivors whom followed me from the north. This flow of past memories would always appear whenever I entered those gates, like a warm and welcomed hug from the city, and it was a nostalgia I was always secretly fond of, having told no one except a close and familiar friend who resided within the city.

When I was last there, I was with nearly a dozen and a half warriors, but when I returned for the final time at the conclusion of this journey, we only numbered ten, though not from warriors dying off. Although we did lose one during a surprise battle against two strong awakened beings within those six years, the main reason for the number dropping was from the different groups splitting off. Of note was a warrior by the name of Dietrich, who split off from the main group to travel eastward shortly after I made the decision to travel from the western region of Lautrec back to the city of Rabona in Toulouse. But regardless of this, in that moment I was finally back after this long journey, regardless of how brief of a visit it was.

We were initially greeted by the guards stationed just beyond the city gates, of whom one rushed into the city to grab the head of the guard for a proper welcome. I knew only one of the guards myself as I had met them during the last time we visited, and we spoke to each other, my hearing about his training with a warrior by the name of Miata and a few others. Admittedly the others were bored of the conversation, but I was intrigued by this man since I was the one to convince the city guard to take him on in the first place several years ago. I will not go into details on that story, though, so it'll be for another time.

Quite a bit of time passed when the head of the guard arrived, apparently being at the other side of the city, thankfully saving the rest of the group from hearing further banter between myself and the other guards. Also around this time, I found that a group of onlookers was steadily growing, watching us from afar, many knowing who we were, or at the very least who I was, and wanting to catch a glimpse of me and the others. The head of the guard broke the growing crowd up, telling them to move on with their business, and after some talking between him and the others, we finally spoke to each other.

"Galk. It's been too long," I said to him.

"Miria," he returned with a smile. "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Of course not," I replied.

He turned to the guards and told them to stay at their posts, to which they obliged, and after that, he signaled to us to follow him and myself into the city.

"What brings you back?" he asked.

"Since we were last here? We just need more information on what remains for us to deal with. It's become touch and go lately on the accuracy of reports, so we were hoping to get a helping hand from Sister Latea."

"Ah, well I'm sure she'll be of great help to you."

"And what about you? How have you been?"

"I've been as busy as you'd expect."

He continued for a bit as we walked through the city, talking about his family and his work. Of course, the others behind simply spoke amongst themselves, but I was glad to listen to Galk, hearing about his family and his children, the city as a whole, and the few sparse details about incidents that occurred in and around the city since I was gone. Whenever there was a lull in the conversation, I found myself admiring the city as it existed in that moment, the residents and travelers going about their own lives, the bits and pieces of conversation that I could barely make out. It all showed how alive the city was, how much it had grown, recovered and grew some more since I first came so many years ago. It was magical to say the least, though I doubt many of the others would agree with me.

I'm getting old. I thought then, a desire to quietly watch things as they unfolded that often pulled at my heartstrings returning once more. Truthfully, it was a desire that came about a few years back, but for reasons I'll get into shortly, the desire was stronger than ever before.

We finally arrived at our first stop within the city, the grand cathedral at the heart of it all. It was a magnificent structure, several towers climbing higher than anyone could wish to jump, towering over the buildings surrounding it. Despite the imposing appearance, it's bland, light grey color, the shape of the shadows cast on its surface by the light of the sun, and the color of the stained glass made it out into a beautiful structure to behold. There, within it's hallowed halls, I would find some fellow friends of mine, especially one in particular whom I needed to see immediately. Galk and I stopped, as well as the others, and after he told us where to find him next, he took off towards another part of the city. I turned to the others and mentioned that I would be going in alone as I didn't want to spark too much panic or excitement, and with everyone nodding in agreement, I went in, making my way up the steps and into the structure proper.

Even though I had been within the place several times before, I was always taken aback with how large and magnificent the interior was, light from the stained glass windows shining in and illuminating everything in many vibrant colors. The size of the main room was so large it easily dwarfed any structure I had ever stepped foot in, manmade or otherwise. I heard stories years ago of how long it took to build the structure, something like a hundred and five years to build, and but regardless of that, it was incredible to stand within it and look up to.

I was approached by one of the nuns within, whom I presume had just finished prayer, and after explaining to her that I was there for Sister Latea, she told me that she would lead me to the sisters' chambers where she was located.

She led me outside of the hallowed halls and into the city square with all the other warriors, and once we all met up, we were lead further to the sisters' quarters, a small subsection of the city by the street near the church were the sisters of the faith lived, prayed, and worked. After entering the main hall and having to explain to the guards there why there was a crowd of warriors trying to enter, we were finally led in.

Once inside, the other warriors went off to do their own activities within the chambers; some chatted among themselves, others either talked to the older trainees or played with the still younger ones, and others still wandered off to find some peace and quiet, with a few leaving the building altogether. I was tempted to do the same, and was in fact planning on it, but I first needed to speak with Sister Latea as she was now known as.

Many of you are aware of her already so I'll save the trouble of retelling her story, but I knew her by her true name, Galatea. Although I've worked with her on occasion during the old days of the Organization, it wasn't until just before it's fall that our friendship truly began to blossom after she convinced the city to house myself and six other warriors from the Organization, keeping our existence as survivors of the Northern Campaign a guarded secret. We both became rather close after that time; I would write to her regularly, whether it be for advice, life, or any matter of mere conversation, and since my writing to anyone was something I almost never did let alone to her, I knew rather quickly that she was a cherished friend, a sister to me.

The nun from before hurried off after we went inside, likely to tell Galatea of who had arrived, and after standing around speaking with some of the other warriors, the nun returned with the woman beside her.

"Galatea," I said with a smile.

"It's been a long time, Miria," she replied, smiling as well.

"You wouldn't mind if we talked for a bit, would you?"

"Of course not. I have ample time." She raised her arm to signal me to come with her. "Come, let's go to my chambers." Nodding and affirming in reply, I followed her.


We spoke for a great deal of time, going over anything and everything given that we hadn't spoken in nearly a year and a half, and we went over so much during that time that I couldn't begin to get into detail on some of it since it's far too long since those days. The conversation was winding and long, something that I rarely had the chance to enjoy, and with her I had the opportunity to discuss a great deal of varying topics, more than what would've been discussed in our letters, whether due to the sheer volume of information or the timing of it all. In short, we laughed, we reflected, and enjoyed our time there.

But of this long conversation, the only part of it that is of importance to my story I'm telling you is the final brief topic or two we went over in this sitting. She knew of the hunts we had in the south and west, and she knew of my concerns in sensing an awakened being now that things were winding down, right down to my reasoning for sending Dietrich east to verify if there were others out there. From that point on, I recall most of what was said during that conversation with her.

"That would explain why you came to visit so suddenly," she said, responding to my summary of events.

"Yeah," I replied with a sort of half-sigh. "The last time I visited, you gave me some valuable information regarding a few remaining awakened beings, so valuable it enabled us to hunt down a sizeable number of them by splitting them up and taking care of them one by one."

"And so you've come to me for some more." I affirmed her question. Her eyes drifted down in thought, almost out of habit for when she could once see, but after a moment, she closed her eyes with a smile, only to open them once more after a pause. "Very well."

She again paused to think or perhaps sense her surroundings. "I've sensed a few over the course of a few months, but one by one they have been disappearing from my perception, likely from you dealing with them. So far, I can still sense a few in the north, a stronger one in the south, and one in the west."

"How many in the north?" I asked her. I heard rumors and sensed one or two there during my journeys these past six years, but given that the region was completed void of anyone, or at the very least nearly so, I didn't want to risk a push into the region with the possibility that there was a sizeable number hiding out there since the collapse, especially given that it was well known by the warriors around then that the organization created a large number of awakened beings while it was in its dying throws.

"Three, maybe four at most." She seemed to be struggling to determine the number. "It's difficult to sense with how far north they are and how much they are trying to hide."

"Excellent." I responded positively to the limited number she spoke of. "And given how much the others have improved in skill since we started, we should be able to split up further."

"There is another."

I was surprised by the tone of her voice, one of concern or even mere realization, maybe even a mix of several emotions. I didn't know what it was she felt at that moment, but given the expression and tone, I was definitely concerned. She was silent for a moment as she focused on whatever she was sensing, but this was finally broken with a soft sigh from her:

"There's one that's east of here, a faint one. But, it's in an area experiencing some unrest near the eastern board. I've only heard rumors so far, but there's likely a witch hunt ongoing in and around the town of Parinia as well, which is also located near the border. If I had to guess, it's likely the awakened being trying to protect itself."

"Interesting," I said, thinking of what the plan would be for the group. "Coincidentally, Dietrich split from our group a while back to head eastward. I wonder if she knows of it."

The warrior shifted position a bit to become more comfortable. "Maybe," she responded, "Maybe, but the only way to know for sure is getting eyes and ears out there."

There was a lapse in the conversation as I was continuing to think of our next plan, my mind racing of possible outcomes of the battles to be had, various groupings of warriors on each hunt, when to split up, and many other aspects of the whole journey to come. I was both excited and nervous for it all, but there was only one small issue that I had to plan around, one that I hadn't told her yet and wanted to do so in person.

"Getting information from me wasn't the only reason you visited though, isn't it?" And of course, she sensed something was up. "Something else was on your mind. I can tell."

I sighed as she saw right through it all, knowing full well that this would be the other primary reason for my visit, aside from wanting to chat and getting help in finding new awakened targets, but I knew that if anyone was to know first, it should be her.

"I didn't know a good time to tell everyone until we got here, but I wanted you to be the first to know." I took a breath just before saying it. "This next hunt will be my last."

"Your last?" She seemed surprised, shocked even, that I would say something like that. I decided to make an attempt to explain the whole thing to her.

"Yeah," I replied. "When I started this journey, I did it out of a sense of duty and respect for Tabitha, and with it came many great experiences and many different emotions, but after six years, all this fighting and traveling has lost its luster. I found I wanted something different, something quiet."

"You want to move on," she added, understanding fully what I saying. When I affirmed her, she suddenly smiled, saying, "If that's the case, then I'm glad for you. You've never settled down before as far as I can tell, and you've been at this for a very long time now. If anything, you truly deserve it."

I was taken aback by her kind words as I wasn't expecting such a wholesome response to my telling her. Then again, at that time, I didn't know what to expect from her, though now that I think about it years later, her response was rather likely, given how soft she had become from her years with the church. But no matter what the reasoning was, in that moment, I was truly touched with her supportiveness.

After a moment to take it in, I smiled and finally said, "Thank you, Galatea."

"When are you planning on telling the others?" She asked shortly after, though truth be told, I knew the answer to that question when I decided to circle back to the holy city a month prior.

"I was thinking once we reconvene here in the holy city as I don't want to cause too much uncertainty. Besides, with the one awakened being in the south, we should be able to bring Helen and Deneve up to replace me."

"And if they don't want to?"

I grinned. "They will. I know Deneve too well.

"And what of Tabitha's sword?"

The question hung for a moment as I wasn't prepared for it. For those of you unaware of who she is, she was one of the warriors-no, friends-I fought alongside during the Northern Campaign and whom traveled with me and five others for seven years following it's outcome. The reason why that name may not ring a bell, of course, is that she died during the Battle of Rabona, one of a handful of casualties during that great battle and, rather sadly, ended up as a mere footnote in history.

The truth, though, is that she was a dear friend of mine. We were close, at times even closer than I ever was with Galatea, and as a result, her loss hit me quite hard. In fact, avenging her death was one of the main reasons I decided to travel the island and purge the awakened beings and yoma in the first place. She was the first to point it out, seeding the idea in my mind all those years ago before the eventual collapse, so as a means of honoring her, I took up her blade instead of my own and carried on.

I had to sit and think about it for a moment, wondering if I should return it or keep it during the hunt or even keep it indefinitely, but in spite of wanting to swap for my old blade, I made the decision to keep hers as, to me, it still felt wrong to give it up, like I was letting the last living piece of her die.

"Once this is over, I'll return it and take back my own," I said after a long pause. Galatea seemed to subtly frown at my answer as perhaps she was hoping I'd return it, or perhaps she was thinking something else; in that moment, I had no idea.

"Very well," she said. After this, we carried on a bit longer in conversation before we left to speak with the others again.


Following the whole conversation, which lasted long enough for it to be late in the afternoon, we found ourselves nearly alone in the sisters' chambers, save for a few nuns mulling about and two warriors chatting quietly with each other at the end of the hall. It was quickly apparent to me that the two warriors were waiting for me and Galatea to finish speaking so they could alert the others as, once I turned to them, one of them said they would fetch the others before hurrying down the hall. This gave Galatea and myself some more time to converse and for me to devise a plan moving forward.

It was a great deal of time later until all of the warriors had grouped up once more, but once everyone was back, Galatea lead us to the dining hall for us to discuss the plan ahead. I had been in the room several times before over the years, treating it at times as an impromptu staging area for the warriors to lay out a plan or journey before taking off from the city, though this was always done with the permission of the head of the nunnery or, in one instance, the head of the church. Once inside the hall and the others quieted down, I began with the rundown of the plan:

"Based on what Galatea has told me, there are a total of seven awakened beings remaining, with four in the far northern reaches of Alphonse, one in the south, one in the west, and one at the eastern edge of this region. For the sake of speed, we'll split once more into several teams. Given the larger number in the north, we will wait until all other threats have been dealt with before reconvening and making a move there.

"Anastasia, Nike, Abigail, the three of you will be positioned just south of the Alphonic border to keep watch. If you sense any awakened beings making a move south, report back to Rabona to alert those stationed there."

"Certainly," Anastasia replied.

"Rachel, Audrey," I continued. "You two will be dealing with the awakened being in Mucha. You two will also be responsible for bringing in Helen and Deneve for the eventual push to the north. I recommend finding them first before taking on the awakened being as it's likely to be quite strong."

"Helen?" Rachel scoffed, a reaction that immediately caused Audrey to smile. "This 'aughta be good."

"Clarissa, Minerva," I further continued after grinning myself at her response. "The two of you will head northwest and wait in the Toulousean border town of Donora. I will send Dietrich there. Once she arrives, the three of you will be responsible for defeating the awakened being in the western region."

The two simply nodded in response. "Lastly, Nina and Noma. You two will travel east to deal with the final awakened being near the town of Urek. It's a likely a weaker one so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. Other than that, everyone else will reside in the city for the time being. Now with all that said, are there any questions remaining?"

Upon asking that, there was a small pause as all the warriors looked over each other, almost as if looking to see if anyone was either hesitant to ask something or waiting for the right time to ask. Eventually Minerva spoke up.

"What about you, Miria?" She asked. "Will you be residing in the holy city?"

Several others agreed with her question, turning to me expecting an answer.

"You gonna be kickin' back with Galatea?" Rachel asked suddenly, which caused a collection of scoffs, chuckles, grins, and smiles all around, including from me and Galatea.

"No, actually." I replied. "I'll be traveling with Nina and Noma eastward. I would like to be the one to tell Dietrich of the change in plans, that and I have some other business out there to begin with."

"What sort of business?" Nike asked.

"Nike," Anastasia responded in a low tone. "You know it's rude to pry."

"No, it's alright. If you must know," I replied, then sighing softly, "I'm looking for a place to live after all of this is over, as should all of you. If you don't have plans for when this war finally ends, I suggest making some as that time's quickly closing in."

All of the warriors seemed a bit surprised to hear it, but after a moment, they all were grinning, realizing that they were nearing the end of their long journey. I admit it was tempting in that moment to mention my retirement, when I was planning on moving forward with my life as all of them should as well, but I knew of what I needed to do first, to deal with this last mission and ensure Dietrich would join up with the group that would be stationed in the northwest, as frustrating as it was for me in that moment.


After the meeting, which continued on for a short while longer, everyone including myself went their separate ways once more, giving me some time to speak with others I hadn't seen in years once more. Although I can't recall what those conversations were about anymore, I remember I spoke with several other warriors who were either stationed in the city or retired there. Despite this of course, a single thing hung over my head as I did all this.

Galatea's question about Tabitha's sword, or rather her reaction to my answer, troubled me. At the time, I didn't know what went through her mind to cause the reaction, but it was enough to cause me to second guess my answer, and more over my final decision, on the matter. Thankfully I was not too distant to my fellow warrior in conversation, but it was there for a time, nagging at the back of my head.

Should I just return it? I thought at one point. Perhaps I was underthinking the decision.

When sunset approached, I made my way to the outskirts of the city beyond its walls, to one of the small church buildings that resided there, and ultimately to where she was buried. It was a long walk, giving me more time to think and reflect on things, passing by some of the others in the city who were closing up and headed home, with many other citizens having gone in for the evening. I confess I've never been comfortable in the city, not since the becoming a warrior and being on the move a lot, but for once I found myself in appreciation of it.

I finally made it out of the gates, letting the guards know of where I was going so they could let me in again, and once done, I continued down the road until I reached the church. From the street I could see the sword, it peaking over the fence and other headstones there, and weirdly it was like seeing an old friend in the street in the distance, a smile appearing on my face as I approached, knowing that she was still there. When I finally got to it, the sun was already partially below the mountains in the west, lighting the area surrounding her grave in an ethereal glow, and although my travels weren't over, for that single moment, I felt at ease, merely taking in the moment as the sun set further below the horizon until it finally disappeared.

It was my own sword in the ground as a grave marker to the fallen warrior, the blade itself swapped with the one on my back out of respect or symbolism. I took a moment to reflect on our time together, kneeling down to touch the ground. I mentioned already it was hard to forget her given how close we were when she died, but even in that moment, I felt an absence in my heart for her. I missed her, more than my family, more than my oldest, now-long dead friends. But more importantly, I found myself proud to have fought alongside her.

It felt like an instant for me until I stood up again, feeling the strings of life pull me back to reality, and soon I found out why that was.

"I thought I'd find you here."

Although the voice was a surprise, it didn't startle me as the tone and way of speaking was very familiar to me. The only thing I did was stand there looking at the sword before me, a smile on my face for both I knew who had found me here and that I was still basking in what some might refer to as the memories we shared.

"Galatea," I said simply. "Just paying my respects."

As I looked on to the grave, memories continued flowing through my mind as before, the silence surrounding me being peaceful and comforting, save for the sound of the slight breeze in the trees and the chirping of crickets starting as dusk was approaching. I stood there for quite some time before I finally spoke again, Galatea still standing behind me, perhaps enjoying the evening air as well.

"I still find it hard to believe that it's almost over. All this fighting and death, hurt and sadness, all of it. Soon it'll only be peace for us all, if only for a time. But..."

I hesitated to say it. The thought stung at me, the realization that she wouldn't being able to experience the peace we were about to experience then, more than it did with others. For me, I had a feeling that experiencing peace without her was wrong, like I was betraying her in some way, but despite that...

"But?" Galatea asked me.

"I can't help but feel..." I couldn't get the words out then, but with a sigh, I said finally, "saddened that she couldn't experience this with us."

"But, she is experiencing it," she responded. "She's at peace, no pain or suffering of any kind."

"So, you've told me," I said, turning slightly for a moment to say it to her. She chuckled softly.

"If I had to guess, it's you who needs this more than any of the other warriors, a conclusion to this chapter of your life, and an introduction to the next. You remember my question from before, about her sword?"

"Yeah."

"That's why I asked, to see if you were really ready to let go, for this final mission to be for you and not just for her."

I stood there thinking for a moment about what she just said, the words hanging in my mind and echoing about like a stone being tossed into a cave. What she said then was true, but it was something I didn't feel ready or perhaps feared to face all this time, that it was time to move on and focus on my own life, not on that of Tabitha's.

I sighed, both in sadness and in an relief. "Perhaps you're right," I said softly. "Maybe it's time to put things to rest."

There was a pause shared between us as I continued in thought. I didn't see it until some time later, but I was indeed scared to let go as if doing so would doom me to somehow forget about her. I was torn between the two options then, but eventually I was drawn away from it by the sounds of the wind picking up slightly within the trees, leaves and branches swaying from side to side. To this day, I swear to it that the sudden blow was her telling me which to choose. It was then that I decided which path to take.

I slowly reached for the blade in the ground before me, and with it in my grasp, I pulled, not just with physical strength but with the strength I mustered deeper down. Even though it was there for just over six years, it came out of the ground with ease, the metal ringing softly as it left the earth. Holding the blade in my left hand, I removed the one on my back with my right, it, too, ringing softly, and in one motion, I placed it into the ground, the soil swallowing it as it went in. Once I was sure it was deep enough down so it wouldn't fall over, I finally stepped back.

With that action, the wind died down, until the trees were nearly still now, and with that, it was quiet once more.

"Galatea," I said finally, turning to her.

She was smiling. "Yes?"

"Thank you," I continued simply. "I think that was the final push I needed."

After this, the two of us went into the city and to the sisters' chambers once more, the light in the sky now far dimmer than it was before, signaling the coming of night.

Much of what happened from that night to when we left the city are now vague memories, many of which I have forgotten over the years, but of what I do remember is fairly inconsequential. A sleepless night and a conversation with a few warriors, of whom some were nervous of the days to come; a night of drunken entertainment with all of them, of which I remember only having to keep track of them all to ensure no one destroyed anything; and a midday match between two warriors to settle a long standing bet, though I can't remember who won it. Despite it all, I only remember being happy to spend my time with them as it happened, glad to be alive and grateful for what the future would hold, though I have Galatea to thank for that.

After a few days of resting together, it was soon time for us to depart on our separate journeys, each of us arriving at the eastern gates of the city early in the morning just after sunrise. After sharing some light conversation with each other, we said our goodbyes and went our separate ways as we had planned earlier. To this day I can't remember what went on when I headed east with Nina and Noma over the course of several days, but one thing I never forgot was a single thought I had in my mind, that with the conclusion of this hunt I would finally be free.

Little did I know what was truly in store for me in those coming months.