The end of our Double Feature and… well, I won't spoil anything.

Onwards.

In truth, Naofumi could not remember how or when his eyes had shut, but he knew that the moment he opened them once more that he was no longer in Melromarc.

Once more the Shield Hero found himself wrapped in soft blankets within the White Room, the regal woman sitting by his bedside and smiling down upon him… though, something had been wrong.

"What… happened to you?" Naofumi asked groggily as he began to shift and stir, the woman giggling as she helped him up with blackened hands.

Darkened spots had adorned her features. Purple pools of coagulated blood, scorch marks of blackest coal… yet despite these horrific wounds, the woman still found the strength to smile so gently.

"It is nothing, Iwatani Naofumi," The woman replied as she smoothed a hand along his cheek, Naofumi doing nothing to impede her, "Nothing in comparison to the trials forced upon you. Trials of which you have not faced alone…" Naofumi blinked at this as he saw a softness in her eyes, his wary mind losing all tension and frustration, "I have seen the love you share with them. I shall admit I am… jealous~"

Naofumi only rubbed the sleep from his eyes as the woman before him laughed at what he supposed was her own private joke before he decided to speak, "Sorry but… just who are you?" He asked with rampantly growing curiosity.

The woman brought a finger up to her lips as she began to tap them tentatively, "Oh Naofumi… asking me such questions~" Her reply had not filled him with the greatest confidence, his miffed expression causing her great pleasure as she motioned to the White Room's only door, "Instead of telling you, why not see for yourself?"

Blinking, Naofumi carefully maneuvered himself out of bed, eyes never leaving the sight of the regal woman. Even as his hand found the door's pearl white knob, her smile never once faltered. The world… it had changed once more. No longer had his vision been filled with the serene alabaster of the White Room, now… now his vision was filled with stone. He stood before a cave entrance, or an exit, he could not exactly tell. Looking back, he found that the door he had left was no more, instead, a darkened gray insectoid adorned with neck fur, elongated antennae, an even darker grey colored cloak, and large bulbous eyes sitting upon a menagerie of throw pillows and surrounded by crimson cloths.

"A strange sight indeed," A feminine voice called out, no doubt belonging to the insectoid before him, "You are the second visitor I have had in recent time."

"Woah, woah! Wait, who are you!? Where am I!?" Naofumi shouted as he took a battle stance, flinching ever so slightly as he took sight of his body. Black, thin arms. Clawed hands. Looking down, he took note that he no longer had feet.

"The last of my kind," The insectoid replied, "I am Seer to the moth tribe, and you my dear bug, you are in Hallownest."

Hallownest. That was not at all what the Shield Hero expected to hear, "H-Hallow… Nest… no. No no no… where's Raphtalia!? Firo!? How the hell did I get here!?"

"Answers I do not have, dear bug," She replied, "However, I believe the answers you seek are closer than you believe."

"Don't fuck with me…" Naofumi growled as his shield had formed Hegemol's Bulwark, "How the hell do I get out of here!?"

The moth seer did not flinch beneath his enraged gaze, instead, her eyes brightened as she looked up at him, "What an interesting power you wield, dear bug. Come, I shall give to you the key to that which you seek," Her words held no malice, and despite his worry, this Moth Seer had no connection to Melromarc's royalty and absolutely no reason to harm him.

Sighing, Naofumi drew close until his 'feet' tread softly along the many cushions and knelt down, "Alright, what do you want?"

"Not what I want, dear bug. What you want…" A hand was placed upon his head, a great light shining forth as Naofumi felt himself become one with the universe itself…

Naofumi had awoken with a sharp gasp, chest heaving as memories of another world invaded his thoughts, "It was… just a dream…" He whispered to himself as he raised his arm up to rub the sleep from his eyes… only to flinch and fall backwards head first onto the log from before. The cause of Naofumi's shock had been the Legendary Shield, a new form having been unlocked in his sleep.

[Dream Shield Unlocked!]

[Dream Shield Rank: 1/100

Defense: 40

Damage: 10

Passive: Collect Essence

Active: Summon orbital shields]

The shield was an almost shining copper, or a tarnished gold. It had a strange domed flower-like shape and adorned with a spike in the middle and adorned with sharpened edges, "Damage… ten!?" Naofumi shouted, the chick that had clung to his armor having roused from their sleep along with an alert Firo and Raphtalia, "Oh… well, guess we should get going now."

The now group of four had soon continued their travels, Naofumi hiding his new partner underneath a massive gilded Book Shield. Along their path, the party had come across a brightly smiling merchant.

"To be able to ride a carriage pulled by the divine bird!" The ever smiling and rotund man cheered.

"Divine bird?" Raphtalia asked curiously.

"You don't know?" The merchant's words had even caught Naofumi's attention, the chick in his care shuffling about as if to listen as well, "It is said the Master in the carriage pulled by the Divine Bird brings miracles to every town he visits. That is the rumor quickly spreading now."

"Miracles you say?" Naofumi chuckled in amusement, "We are mere traveling merchants selling goods, medicines, and anything our dear customers request."

"What a humble person you are!" The merchant cheered, "You're the one in charge of the medicines, right?" He asked curiously as he looked upon Naofumi's gilded tome, "Don't tell me that book holds all the secrets for synthesizing medicines!?"

"Well…" Before Naofumi could reply, Firo began to laugh.

"That's a relief! Right? Master? They didn't know the owner of that book is the-"

"Firo!" Naofumi quickly shouted, Firo giving a quick apology as the merchant in their company began to laugh heartily.

"Wonderful! It's rare to find people interested in apparitions," The merchant exclaimed, "As expected of the Divine Bird!"

"Heheh… Firo got praised~" The 'Divine Bird' muttered much to Naofumi's bother.

The group soon parted ways with the merchant within a nearby town. The merchant to his business and Naofumi and Co. setting up a small post within the town's market.

As the sun rose to its apex and Naofumi's stock lessened, the group had packed up for the next town… but had come into a small problem.

"An investigation?" Raphtalia asked as Naofumi grit his teeth.

"Either way, the road to Mirso is blocked this way," Naofumi explained, "We'll go around through uncharted forestry, but something about the royal soldiers walking around is making me nervous. Let's get out of here…"

As the group left, they failed to notice a set of malicious eyes upon them.

Their continued travels had proved uneventful save for wild forest monsters. Firo's ravenous nature as well as experimentation with Naofumi's new Dream Shield had proven their saving grace. With a bit of Mana, the orbiting ethereal shields had grown in size to match the carriage. Between the giant Filorial and his giant shields, no monster or beast had dared disturb them.

In theory at least…

"Naofumi-Sama?" Raphtalia muttered as she looked to her master, the Hero's breathing having become heavier as sweat formed and fell from his face, "Are you alright?" Blinking, the orbiting Dream Shields wavered before solidifying once more.

"I'm… fine. I'm just a little tired, that's all," He replied much too quickly. Raphtalia wasn't the only one worried as the griffon chick had climbed onto Naofumi's shoulder and began to rub her cheek against his own.

Raphtalia soon joined her new partner, occupying Naofumi's free shoulder and holding his arm close, "Master, if keeping those shields up is hurting you-"

"Nothing hurts me, Raphtalia," Naofumi quickly replied once more, "You know that…" His reply had not filled her with the greatest confidence, but she let the matter be. Thankfully, the sun had finally begun to set as the party had come upon another clearing… this one occupied by wild Filiorials.

"Master! Look!" Firo called out, "There's a flock of birds that look really yummy!"

"Yummy… birds?" Naofumi asked with some concern as he looked to Firo's ever growing malicious smile, "Firo! Those are wild Filorials! They're your kin!" Naofumi shouted chastisingly, Firo's grin only became wilder.

"I can finish em' all off right now!" The giant avian challenged.

"Listen to me, damn it!" Naofumi shouted, "No eating them! Understood!?"

Whining, Firo deflated in defeat, "Hmm~ But I'm so hungry…"

Sighing, Naofumi checked their stock of fruit and decided to plant a tree as he saw no problem in doing so. This had naturally drawn the wild birds surrounding them as the tree soon began to bear a plethora of fruit.

"Gah!?" Firo squawked, "Master! They're going to eat my fruit!" Naofumi only smiled as he rolled his eyes.

"Play nice! We're turning in for the night!" Naofumi shouted, "And if you eat any of them, I'm going to leave you here!" His avian wailed in reply before tackling him and offering apology after apology.

The risen moon had brought with it dreams of another world, Naofumi having found himself once more in the presence of the moth seer.

"So you have returned, dear bug," She had stated more than asked, Naofumi nodding reluctantly as he knelt before her.

"Guess I have… don't exactly know how though," He replied as he sighed.

"Answers will come in time, you need only know who and what to ask," The seer replied cryptically.

Nodding, Naofumi began to form his thoughts, "Alright… I have a few for you if you're willing to answer."

"Ask away, dear bug."

"My body, this body. Are there others here who look like me?" Naofumi asked as the seer nodded.

"Many like you, if certain rumors are to be believed. Many dead…" She replied softly, "One recently slain, the other, recently ascended."

"Hollow, do you maybe mean Hollow?" Naofumi asked quickly, the question shocking his host.

"The Hollow Knight…" She began as magic began to form and weave into the image of Hollow standing tall and proud, body shrouded by a long cloak, "Hallownest's last hope. Recently slain by another like him. Now… now the Nest is ruled by a lawless king, a ravenous chaos having been allowed to rise from its depths."

Her regretful tone had caught Naofumi's attention as he pressed further, "You don't sound too happy about that? Why?"

"It is… a sore topic, but I shall tell you Dreamer, if only so that another will not commit my mistakes," The seer had thusly begun to weave a tale of a mysterious bug. The bug looked a lot like Hollow despite the clear difference in size. The seer had trained this bug personally in the art of Dreams so as to put an end to an infection caused by her people's god.

"Radiance…" Naofumi whispered as the images and words the seer weaved had shown him an all too familiar sight, "I've seen this! It happened in my own world!"

"Then I am afraid we are too late," The seer said sadly, head drooping in defeat, "Our god, the Radiance, she draws life from remembrance. If what you say is true, then there is one in your world who holds a great memory of her."

"Hollow… you're saying this is Hollow's fault?"

The seer flinched from this question, "No, that cannot be possible. The Hollow Knight lay slain, and if he were to hold existence in your world… his memory as strong as it would be would require anchors…" Naofumi couldn't actually believe it, but the moth's bulbous eyes had actually widened in disbelief.

"I'm the anchor," Naofumi replied in understanding, "Not just me… two others," His Dream Shield had quickly formed Hegemol's Bulwark, "There are three of us with weapons like this. Are we… is Radiance alive because of us!?"

"I apologise, dear bug… I only hope you master these Dreams before it is too late…"

"Too late for what!? A zombie apocalypse!?" Naofumi shouted.

"I can not say… Awaken dear bug… awaken…"

Naofumi had awoken in startled fright, the griffon chick in his care shivering on his chest. Sighing, Naofumi took the quivering thing and held her close, "Firo didn't do anything she shouldn't have, did she?" The shivering chick shook her head, but she did motion to the sleeping Filorial… clothing scattered around her.

Blinking, Naofumi slowly took to his feet and placed the chick upon the ground, "Go wake up Raphtalia…" He said mindlessly as he prepared his Dream Shield and stalked closer to the giant avian. Firo had not stirred as Naofumi examined the clothing. It had looked incredibly refined, not a speck of blood, dirt, nor any holes or signs of harm.

"Naofumi-Sama!" Raphtalia shouted as she rushed out, chick clinging to her shoulders, "What happened!?"

"I don't want to make any assumptions yet," Naofumi whispered, "But I think Firo ate a little girl."

"Oh, I thought she may have-," Realization had struck Raphtalia like a ten ton weight as she cried out, "SHE DID WHAT!?" The outburst had thankfully been enough to jolt the avian awake as she began flapping about… a child popping out from her body.

The sight itself had caused Naofumi and Raphtalia to shriek which in turn caused the naked child to shout out as well. Once calm and reason had regained control and the blue haired girl had dressed, Naofumi had started a fire so as to prepare the day's meal.

"Alright…" Naofumi sighed, "Who are you, why were you sleeping inside of Firo, and where'd you come from?"

The girl had smiled brightly, the griffon chick curled on her lap and Firo propped against her back, "My name is Meru!" She replied cheerfully, "I stumbled into this grove at night and found your giant Filorial as I started to fall asleep. As to where I came from…" Meru had looked away as she started idly petting the chick.

"You're lost?" Raphtalia asked, the child nodding sadly.

"I was separated from my caretaker…" Meru replied, "I thought to awaken you for aid, but it was so late at night and your Filorial looked so soft…"

Sighing, Naofumi pinched the bridge of his nose before passing around bowls of stew, "What made you think we wouldn't try and harm you?" He asked once everyone was happily eating, Meru's cheeks even glowing as she happily savored her meal.

"Firo told me about you before I went to sleep!~" Meru replied happily, the bird in question glowing as she munched on fruit.

"Heheh~ Firo was helpful~" Sighing at the Filorial's lack of shame, Naofumi looked to Meru with a calm yet serious look.

"Alright, we'll take you along, but only because getting you home safely will benefit us financially," Naofumi stated. Meru was more then pleased with this.

"Of course! My father would gladly pay you for your service!" The child cheered

Sighing, Naofumi shook his head and simply watched the child play happily both with Firo and the griffon, at least until she stopped to look at him curiously, griffon chick hanging off her arms much like the half cat it was.

"Mister Naofumi?" Meru asked curiously, "Firo had told me your names, but I'm curious as to your little one's name," This did give him some pause as Raphtalia looked scandalized.

"Master Naofumi! You haven't even named her!?" The Demi-human questioned chastisingly, the Shield Hero scratching his chin in embarrassment as Meru and the chick began to giggle.

"Well… might as well name her now, right?" Naofumi asked as he knelt down before the griffon, amber eyes staring back up at him expectantly, "Uru," He finally spoke after a rather long moment of silence.

"Uru?" Raphtalia questioned as Naofumi began to pet the happy chick, "Why Uru?"

"It was the easiest thing I could think of," Naofumi replied, "Plus, it sounds cute enough," Both Meru and Uru were pleased with the choice, but Raphtalia had been beside herself.

"Really…" The Demi-human muttered as she began to rub her temples.

It was not long before the party departed, Meru riding atop Firo with the newly named Uru hanging off Meru's shoulders.

"They've really hit it off, huh?" Naofumi asked as he looked at the trio.

"It looks that way… are you jealous?" Raphtalia asked worriedly, Naofumi only smiled softly at her… before that smile became a grimace, "Naofumi-Sama?"

"Things are only going to get harder for us from here," Naofumi muttered, "I don't have any details, but between a zombie plague and some god-eating monster…" Before he could continue and before Raphtalia could question his words, the carriage had stopped as Uru cried out.

Looking out, Naofumi quickly took note that Meru had hidden away just enough to not be vulnerable. The world outside the carriage had been… bleak. Houses had been abandoned, corpses both human and monster littered the streets and the putrid smell of rotten flesh adorned with copper permeated the air.

"Raphtalia, stay inside…" Naofumi whispered as he took Uru to investigate.

Some structures looked to be destroyed, corner stones shattered, doors broken in, shattered glass shimmering upon dust covered floors… It unnerved Naofumi to no end, especially as it felt as if hundreds of eyes stared back at him despite there being absolutely no one around. Shaking away the looming dread, he had mindlessly allowed himself to be pulled along by his new companion to a fairly large body of what appeared to be a griffon much like Uru.

There had been nothing wrong with the body per sé, but there was something off about how well preserved it looked. There had been no obvious decay, no rot or gangrene… even the usual grub worms that would infest a body after death had been non-existent. Uru either hadn't noticed or hadn't cared about the oddities as she walked to the corpse and nonchalantly tore off a mound of feathered flesh before presenting it to Naofumi.

Blinking, Naofumi began to wonder if this was normal for the species, if it had something to do with himself in regards to Firo's apparent cannabalism, or if Uru had maybe seen how he used his shield…

"No… that last one doesn't make much sense," He whispered to himself as he inspected the offered clump before placing it in his shield.

[Shield Wing Unlocked!]

[Shield Wing Rank: 1/50

Defense: 60

Passive: Jump once more in the air at the cost of Mana

Active: Hover in mid-air at the cost of Mana]

The shield itself had been a mass of feathers forming a spiral, the eye of the spiral being adorned with the Legendary Shield's gem. With nothing more to do and the sense of dread increasing, Naofumi scooped Uru into his arms and jumped into the carriage.

"Let's get out of here, it feels like we're being watched…" Naofumi whispered as Firo nodded, moving as gently and quietly as possible…

Had they waited any longer, and they would have met with quite the surprise… Unfortunately, an entirely different surprise had awaited the party as Meru completely hid herself within Firo's feathers.

"Something wrong?" Naofumi asked as he looked out, eyes widening at the sight of several fully armed knights wielding swords, spears, axes, bows and some torches.

"The Church of the Bow and Spear has marked you for death!" The lead knight shouted as he pointed a finger at Naofumi, "And the Inquisition obeys!" The torches flew and struck the carriage, Naofumi and Co. quickly abandoning the burning carriage.

"Shield Prison!" Naofumi shouted as the battalion of Inquisitors had been trapped within a green orb covered by chains. Sighing in relief, the Shield Hero took a moment to assess the situation and blast his carriage with an Air Strike Shield. As the flames died, a piercing ring caught the attention of the Shield Hero party before a great light burst forth from the Shield Prison.

Looking back, the knights had been hunched over as they radiated light… but a great empty darkness was all that existed within their helms, "Kill the Demon!" The lead Inquisitor shouted as he pointed his blade at Naofumi, the battalion rushing in. Even their archers joined the fray, quickly knocking and releasing arrow after arrow with inhuman precision.

Uru had let loose a shrill cry as Meru hid the chick in an attempt to shield her from harm as Firo became their own shield as Raphtalia met the battalion along with Naofumi. Utilizing the Balloon Queen Shield, Naofumi had summoned a mass of Balloons to hopefully confuse and stall the Inquisitors, but they only cleaved through those they could and ignored those that latched on.

Three of the the eight assailants had quickly fallen upon Naofumi, locking him in combat while the remaining five slowly encroached Raphtalia and Firo, the duo doing their best to to knock away the flying arrows.

"Get off!" Naofumi shouted in frustrated desperation, the three Inquisitors not even fighting against the Shield Hero as they kept him in place, forcing him to watch as his party was slowly overtaken. Raphtalia had begun to shout as steel clashed, Firo let loose her own warcry as she did her best to defend Meru and Uru, even tanking a few arrows.

The sight only spurred Naofumi on as he began to cycle through Shield after Shield. The Bat Shield's cry gave them no pause, the Splash Shield only bathed them, entrapping them in a Shield Prison had done nothing to impede them… Anger soon bubbles within him as his Shield took on Hegemol's visage… only…

It was as if the world had slowed to a crawl. Raphtalia had fallen, an axe having embedded itself behind her shoulder. A mass of arrows littered Firo's body. All he could hear was Uru's ever growing cry.

[Wyrm's Carapace Unlocked]

Something within the Shield Hero had snapped. What had once been Hegemol's noble form had become something far greater… yet far more dangerous as a great Worm of palest silver had struck and devoured the trio of Inquisitor's before digging deep into the earth, rising from below the remaining battalion as the sound of grinding steel and torn flesh consumed the world…

As the Worm faded, it's job finished, Naofumi had lain before his party. Exhaustion had soon taken him, his last sight the saddened face of the Pale Lady of his dreams.