Hours earlier...

"Wait…" Eydis narrows her eyes as she catches a bird's-eye view of a massive, marching Dark Knight force in the Dark Territory. For some reason, however, they're heading south, not west. "Are they coming to us? They can't be trying to attack me… Maybe they deployed a decoy army? But it's almost night… Yeah, I should definitely hurry. Full speed, Kirimai!"

As Kirimai begins to pick up speed, a strange green light appears in the sky, freaking Kirimai out. "What... Kirimai! Stay calm, girl!" The light soon disappears, and with it, the Dark Knights. Only a large crevice remains where the dark army was. "What? What is this?" The only person she knows to have such power is Jaymes, as his Memory Release allows him to wipe out the existence of anything his sword touches, but never has it been on a scale so grand. If it wasn't him… "It's said that when Vecta rises, the forces of darkness will invade. And if that's the case, then the one who shaped this world...is the work of another goddess? Enough, it's too early to come to any conclusions. Many of my comrades are out there. I must hurry!"

At the raid camp…

Kirimai drops down just outside the camp south of the Eastern Gate. Upon dropping off of the dragon, Eydis spots the Knight Commander and Renly walking in her direction. "Oh! Commander! Did you come to meet me?"

"Yes. Renly told me that you were flying here."

"Lady Eydis, I have prepared a place to rest your dragon!"

Eydis smiles and pats Kirimai. "Oh, really? Thanks! This poor girl has really been overworked. Rest up, Kirimai."

As Renly leads the dragon away, Bercouli speaks to Eydis. "So why come flying so urgently in the middle of the night? Is there some major crisis?"

"That's what I'd like to know! The fighting over here got very intense around evening, right? I saw them spitting fire. And then there was light crashing from the sky, earthquakes… What's going on?"

"Ah, yes, I don't suppose you would be able to tell from such a distance."

Eydis pouts. "Stop stalling and answer me!"

Bercouli chuckles. "How about I tell you over a nice meal. Aren't you hungry?"

"Hungry? Oh, now that you mention it…"

"I'll get us dinner right away. Also, I'll need an update on the conditions on your end."

"Oh. So Eldrie and Dakira…"

Bercouli nods. "They both went down bravely. It was because of them that Fanatio and Alice survived."

Eydis sighs. "They both went down bravely… That's comforting to hear. I always thought Dakira was cute. And what a waste for her to cover her face with that mask. Well, she did worship Fanatio. Almost to a fault."

"True. She did."

"I never spoke to her much, but I would have loved to."

"Fanatio seems to have taken her death quite badly. She was fond of Dakira, in a way. And this girl that she loved...died protecting her."

Eydis faces Bercouli and smiles. "I think she could use some comfort from her Commander. Right?"

"Well, I'm not…"

Blushing Bercouli is such a rare sight. Eydis lets her smile linger a moment longer before the other fallen knight weighs on her mind. "Eldrie was an annoying fool. But he did seem to genuinely care for Alice. And in spite of it all, I enjoyed my interactions with him."

"The two of you always filled the Cathedral with clamor. Alice was tired of it from time to time, though."

Eydis scoffs. "Well, that's because Eldrie gave her a hard time. Then I had to console her!"

"I'm sure Eldrie would have told that story differently if I'd asked him."

"He always obsessed over Alice, never considering how he might be annoying others. But...his final moments were noble. That grandstanding fool."

"Yes. Not only did he save Alice, he saved the rest of us Knights and the Human Empire's army, too. We could never thank him enough. I'm bitter we don't have time to give them proper burials."

"Oh, they haven't been buried? That's a shame."

"Yeah."

Now for the other subject. "And...what was all that light from the sky? It didn't look too ominous to me. Was that Jaymes' power?"

"Oh, yes. That was divine intervention. Our lives were saved, but not by the young man. That light was from a young lady named Asuna, descending into our world."

Eydis gasps. The story is familiar, as she first encountered Jaymes as she was riding Kirimai from Wesdarath, the boy falling from the sky and hitting her in the chest. "A woman...descended into our world?"

"As soon as she landed, she split the earth, swallowing the enemy."

"She…'split the earth'? Commander, that's hard to believe, even for me."

He agrees. "If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it either. But it did happen. And because it happened, we are all alive today."

"Then is she truly...a goddess? No, it can't be…"

"'Goddess' is neither the right nor wrong word to describe her. She, like Jaymes and another young lady who descended with Asuna, are not from this world. They came from Jaymes' world, like him, to save Kirito. Crossing worlds to save someone, even if it's someone you love, that is no easy feat."

Eydis contemplates on it. "Kirito's sweetheart...friends of Jaymes… So that's what he was waiting on." She sighs and smiles to herself. "No wonder the Pontifex was transfixed on the Orthinanos family. Kirito, Jaymes, and others could get here, why not find a path to their world? Well, now I know about the light, I'm glad it wasn't an enemy. So, where is Alice right now? Is she okay?"

"Yes. She's strong and active. However, she seems a bit restless right now."

"Restless? In the middle of the night?"

"The young ladies I mentioned, Asuna and Koharu, they went to see Kirito."

"Well, if Asuna's his sweetheart, of course she would… And Koharu… I've heard that name before... Oh. Now I get it,"

"Exactly. That place is something Alice will defend with her life. And now it's filled with girls who are all gabbing passionately."

Eydis frowns. "Filled with girls? That cad… Alice wasn't enough for him?"

"The girls in question are his mentor and pages from the Academy, your comrades from the ACTF."

Eydis sighs in relief, but it doesn't calm her one bit. "What a cold-hearted snake! How dare he cheat on Alice!"

"You might as well join them. I'd like to stay out of it, though. Not even Jaymes wanted to be there."

Eydis cups her chin. "Hmmm… Well, I could go, but this isn't the best time to give Kirito a piece of my mind. I would like to speak to Jaymes, though… Oh well, I'll just call it a day."

Bercouli nods. "That would be the wisest choice. So, what are you going to do now? Want to come with us?"

"Hmmm… I want to be with Alice and Jaymes… But it seems like it would be best if I just went back."

"To be honest, I would feel the most at ease if you stayed by the Great Gate. I don't think Fanatio and Deusolbert can be picked off that easily, and little Medina is with them, but still…"

"Well, you've got three god-like folks here as well, so I'll go back. Kirimai is probably finishing up her dinner by now. Once she's finished..."

"Easy now, can't you at least wait until the morning. You've been fighting all day."

"I'm still wide awake. Every second matters in war. Besides, there's a place I want to go."

"Where's that place?"

"To Eldrie. You said you didn't have a chance to give him a final send-off. If you tell me where he is, I'll go to him and give him a proper farewell."

Bercouli is relieved. "Well, thank you. I'm sure Eldrie will be pleased."

"He'll just have to forgive me for not being Alice." Eydis stands up and heads for the opening of the tent. "Well, Commander, see you later. Be careful out there."

"You too, Eydis."

"Ready to go, Kirimai?" Eydis pats the cooing dragon on the head as it responds favorably. "Don't worry, just a little more before we're done for the night. We'll be back with Deusolbert, Fanatio, and Medina."

"So you're just not going to say hello?" Eydis turns and gasps as she spots the red warrior standing nearby, still in his battle gear. He smiles warmly as he stands a small distance away. "It's been a while, Lady Knight."

Eydis nods and approaches him, though keeping a respectable distance. "Hero-King. You're up late. I heard the gossiping of girls possess little interest in you, despite not seeing your friends in a while."

He shrugs. "I guess it has been a long time since I've seen them. But there's not much for me to talk about with them. Not yet, at least. Besides… I've been worried about you all day."

Eydis blushes. So he has? "Uh...um, well, I guess I have been absent. So much happened on my end, you see. But I must return to the Eastern Gate. You and this Asuna and Koharu are more than enough here."

"Maybe...but how about I escort you back? I need to speak to Medina as well… We have a little bad blood between us recently."

Eydis rolls her eyes and shakes her head as she boards Kirimai. "I do recall telling you not to annoy her. What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything...except not handle it the right way. Ugh..." Jaymes swings his green-lit fingers around him and starts to hover. "I'll tell you along the way."

Eydis' mind is blown with surprise and immense jealousy as she processes the details Jaymes told her. "Her family wants her to...marry you?"

Jaymes nods. "Yeah."

"What did you say?"

"If I said something, Medina wouldn't be angry with me right now. But I don't know how she feels about it, and that's probably making things worse. If this was my world, I would know how to handle it, but this one… I know Medina too well to just outright deny her. So I left, deciding that the war is my only focus, and headed for the World End's Altar before coming to the Eastern Gate."

"So that's where you were. She was worried sick about you. I was too."

Jaymes looks to Eydis apologetically. "Sorry about that. I should have said more than my warning about Rulid to her."

"Yeah." Eydis looks away, scanning the ground below her. Her eyes catch a certain spot, remembering what Bercouli told her. "Hey, come with me." Eydis veers Kirimai to the left and dives down into the ravine, close to the opening into the Dark Territory. Sliding off Kirimai, her eyes immediately spot bloodstains on the ground. Jaymes lands right beside her, seeing the same marks, but appears to be unaware of who they belonged to.

"Eldrie, thank you. You protected Alice. But weren't you too reckless? That sort of thing is a task for your elders. Knowing you, even in death, I'm sure it's all 'Lady Alice this' and 'Lady Alice that', right? So, please… Please keep taking care of Alice."

Eydis feels a hand on her shoulder and turns to Jaymes, who places his hand on top of hers that's on the dried blood. "Eldrie Synthesis Thirty-One… We didn't know each other well, but I sensed an admirable dedication to Lady Alice. I know how it feels to be in Alice's shoes, having a person who looks up to you as their mentor or master. I'm sure she's hurting right now, but I know that, in your final moments, she was proud of you… I promise I'll keep Alice away from Vecta and the Dark Territory, and escort her safely to the World's End Altar. So watch over us."

"Hm, what's that?" Eydis leaps off of Kirimai, landing softly on the ground. Jaymes does the same, though he doesn't know why Eydis became alarmed...or now he senses it. They keep their back to the reason of their presence as Eydis speaks. "You're really good at hiding. But you can't fool me!" Eydis draws the Dark Slash Sword and zips over to a rock, letting it hover just inches away as the rock becomes a dark-hooded figure.

"Well spotted." The man tries to attack, but Eydis moves her head back and swings, her sword going through the man's knife and severing his left arm.

"Sorry, but I don't have time to entertain you."

"Looks like they don't care."

"Huh… Oh, dear. Now there's a bunch of creeps." Eydis stands side to side with Jaymes, swords between them and the assassins. Two of them spring forth, both deflected by Jaymes as the swordsman cuts them down with ease.

"Hmm, been a while since I've dealt with black-robed assassins. This time, I guess there's no guilt in taking you all out!" A battle proceeds between the "creeps" and the heroes of the Human Empire, easily going in the heroes' favor. Eydis makes note that it is because there are two of them that the fight is going well. Eydis knows that if she was alone, she would have some trouble, and if Jaymes was alone, the defensive fighter would have a tough time.

In time, only four remain. They circle Jaymes and Eydis like a pack of wolves, careful to not make the same mistakes as their allies. If they were smart, they'd try to throw the pair off-balance. If they were mindful of their surroundings, they would have retreated. Red flowers scorch the assassins around Eydis and Jaymes, leaving nothing but their blades behind. As the flames vanish, the two sheath their swords and look at the attacker who came to their aid.

"Eydis, Jaymes, sorry we're late."

Eydis smiles. "Medina and the wayfarers! Don't worry, we're fine. I think we've taken care of all the enemies around here."

Jaymes folds his arms. "Doesn't seem they were really dressed for battle."

"Yeah. They were disguised at first as boulders and such. So they can't be soldiers."

"Hmm. Probably scouts or assassins."

Jaymes nods. "That's my theory. And they're back here with the defense unit, which means our plan is being found out."

Medina crosses her arms. "Hm...another bothersome enemy. Fortunately, you both are here. This sort of enemy is neither my forte, and I bet I can say the same for Sir Deusolbert and Lady Fanatio. We would have been in danger if not for you."

Eydis chuckles. "Oh, you flatter me. Though it's true. We're all in peril, Integrity Knight or not. We need to bolster our defenses. I'll go have a word with the Vice Commander. I have a few things I need to tell her."

At the defense camp…

"We've had a stalemate here for a while. To be honest, these conditions work in our favor."

Deusolbert agrees with Fanatio's assessment. "Indeed. Our archers are still out of range. This means our soldiers can relax a bit."

"But meanwhile, Commander Bercouli's troops are suffering. We also saw the dragons spitting fire, and then there was that mysterious light that crashed to the ground. Was that you, Hero-King?"

Jaymes shakes his head. "As timely as it was with my disappearance here, no. Let me explain the situation with Bercouli and Alice." Jaymes explains the source of the light being the power of Alice and Koharu who entered the Underworld, and the Dark Territory's goal of capturing Alice and bringing her to the real world.

Deusolbert looks confused. "Someone was summoned from another world? So...wouldn't that make them a real Integrity Knight?"

Fanatio smiles. "Kirito's sweetheart and friends of yours, you say? They're rambunctious just like you two. But, in trying times like these… I hate that I'm in no position to help right now."

"But you are helping," Eydis remarks. "You're luring the main enemy force towards us. If we left the Great Gate, all the enemy troops here would head where they are. Consider how you're saving our other platoons from danger."

Jaymes nods. "Believe me, it's helpful you are here, even if it doesn't seem like it."

"True… Defending the Eastern Gate is our duty. Besides, this is the Commander and Alice we're talking about. I trust them to bring the fight to us. Trusting them is our only choice. Thanks, Eydis, Jaymes."

Eydis smirks. "You're welcome. You really have changed, Fanatio."

"I-I have?"

"Yes, totally! But don't worry, I mean that in a good way!"

"Don't tease me!"

"Sorry to spoil your fun," Deusolbert interrupts, "But we shouldn't get too comfortable. You three just fought with a band of what could have been assassins."

"Assassins… Now that's a problem."

Medina agrees. "And from what I saw, they were rather skilled too. If all our soldiers were attacked, we would be in trouble."

"Then we should make sure no one moves alone and be wary of any unfamiliar faces. Additionally, we must increase our troops on patrol, and make sure to rest up at strategic times."

"Agreed. Deusolbert, can I entrust you to lead the patrols?"

"Of course."

"Lady Medina, leave some of your people with Deusolbert, and we'll head to the front lines. Eydis, you should rest a bit. Jaymes, you're returning to the raid group?"

"Mhm. My abilities will be better served there, now that Vecta has his eyes on Alice."

"Oh! It's Eydis and Jaymes!" Fizel and Linel run up to the named knights, happily looking upon them.

"You're back!"

Eydis sighs heavily. "Argh, Spare me the racket… I'm exhausted."

"Hey, who're you calling a 'racket?'"

"You're loud yourself, Eydis. You...come from the south, correct?"

"Ooh! I've got a question for you!"

"Fine, fine. Just keep it short!"

Linel nods and begins to tug on Eydis away from the others. "Okay! So! We have a humble request!"

Fizel joins in. "And don't say no just because we're kids."

"Oh, good grief! Let go already!" Eydis removes herself from the girls.

"Aw, come on, be a sport!" Fizel points to Fanatio and Jaymes and smiles at Eydis. "We wanna go to the front lines toooo! Boss says no, but can you put in a good word for us?"

"But you two are still in training."

"But we were helpful during the Clamp Crisis. I think we could really shine in battle. We've even got proper weapons now."

"Oh. Not your usual poison daggers?"

"Of course not. We don't need to rely on those things to fight anymore!"

"The answer's still no… What, glare at me all you like..." Linel suddenly moves and throws her dagger past Eydis' head. The knight hears the impact behind her and turns her head slightly to the dead assassin.

"You still think we can't fight?"

"Listen, I did notice the bandit!"

"Did you really?"

If she did or didn't, Eydis isn't going to let the kids know. "You kids are so annoying."

"Enough squabbling," Deusolbert commands the young girls. "Eydis is right. Bandits are afoot. I told our soldiers to stay sharp. We need to scout the area, so I'm assigning you guard posts here."

"HUH? Awww..."

Jaymes chuckles. "Hey, you two had your moment with the goblins. so maybe you'll get another… Fanatio, Deusolbert, Eydis, Medina, I leave this to you."

Fanatio nods. "Do me a favor, Jaymes. Watch over Bercouli and the knights."

"I'll do my best." Jaymes then turns to Medina and walks her away from the group. The conversation is short and private, but it ends with a wayfarer approaching and handing Jaymes a large, wrapped object and the pair hugging each other. He smiles and leaves Medina before stepping over to Eydis. "Well, this is farewell for now."

"Right… Take care of Alice for me, will you?"

"Take care of yourself and Medina." He steps away towards a golden light on the ground. Acting in pure instinct, Eydis pinches his cape.

"Jaymes...will we… Will we see each other again?"

He turns halfway around and smiles, raising his hand to pat her on the head. "When this is over...let's meet again not as Hero-King and Knight of the Abyss, but as Jaymes and Eydis. Sounds good?"

She steps forward and leans her head on his chest. "Promise me you'll come back."

"I promise I'll return, Eydis."