Chapter 80

Saito's eyes slowly regained their vision, though they were still blurry. He looked around his environment, trying to figure out where exactly he was.

"Saito?" Alex said as his vision came back to him. "Where did you take us?"

"I don't know where we are." Saito said. "I didn't run too fast, so we can't be far."

"We have to go back!" Alex said, worrying about his wife.

"Alex is right." Louise said.

Saito thought for a moment. Shion had clearly told them that they would be of no use in that fight, but the risk of her dying was also extremely high.

"Alright, let's go." He said. "If he's still there, we grab Shion and retreat. Understood?"

Louise and Alex nodded, so they started to make their way back. Because Louise was weak, they couldn't utilize her 'radar' to find the battlefield.

It therefore took them longer than it otherwise would have to reach it. When they arrived, they saw all of the flattened trees from Lucifer's initial attack.

Alex paid no attention to the scenery. He immediately began searching for Shion. His vision was still blurry, so he couldn't see very well.

They searched by hand for about an hour before Louise finally found something.

"Saito, Alex, look." She said, standing over something.

When they arrived, they saw the body of Lucifer laying on the ground, decapitated.

"This must mean Shion won, right?" Alex asked, hopefully.

"I guess." Saito said, disgusted by the corpse. "But where is she?"

"Maybe she went to look for us?" Louise said.

"She would have found us by now." Saito said.

"You don't think something happened to her do you?" Louise asked with worry in her face.

"Keep looking." Saito said, not wanting to jump to conclusions.

They continued searching for another 45 minutes. As he was digging through debris, Alex caught the glint of something silver on the ground in the corner of his eye.

When he went over to look at what it was, he was able to see that it was a person. Even though his vision was blurry, he knew it was Shion.

He immediately ran to her, then knelt down. He was horrified to see her wounds.

Her wings were all severed burned, her skin was burned and cut in some places, and of course, she had a long blade stuck in her abdomen.

Her eyes were closed and she was unresponsive, so he immediately began to fear the worst.

"Saito! Louise!" He yelled to get their attention.

Both of them knew immediately that he had found her. They ran to where he was, where they saw the silver haired girl laying on her back, covered in wounds.

Although she was shocked by what she saw, Louise immediately placed her fingers on Shion's neck.

After waiting for a few seconds, a look of relief came onto her face.

"She's alive." She said, looking at Alex. "Her pulse is very weak though. We need to get her to a doctor as quickly as possible."

Alex sighed with relief.

"Thank goodness." He said. "Do you think my mother will be able to heal her?"

"With the medical tools we have in the palace, she may be able to." Saito said. "Louise, do you have enough strength to open a world door?"

"Barely." She replied. "Alex, make sure the blade stays in the wound. It's stopping the bleeding a little."

Alex nodded and held onto the blade, making sure it didn't move while Louise created the world door.

In Saito and Louise's Palace

Sasha's eyes slowly opened after resting for several hours in her sister's arms. She sat up and looked around her. Max was sitting on a chair, letting the wind from the balcony blow his long hair. Her sister was right next to her, waiting for Sasha to say something.

"Good morning." She said, drowsily.

"The sun hasn't risen yet." Mariel replied. "How do you feel."

"I suppose I'm okay." She replied, rubbing her eyes.

"You seemed happy in your sleep." Mariel said, wiping a tear stain from her sister's cheek. "What were you dreaming about?"

Sasha seemed to stiffen up when Mariel asked her that. She took a few moments to think before she answered.

"I was dreaming about...the old days." She said.

"And what exactly was happening?" Max asked, his interest now piqued.

"My time with...him." She replied, rather quietly.

"Him?" Mariel asked.

"Brimir..." Sasha said after a long pause.

"Ah." Max said, slightly uncomfortable. "I won't delve any further."

"I will." Mariel said. "What was happening in the dream?"

"I don't have to tell you." Sasha replied, defensively.

"You're right. You don't." Mariel said, softly touching Sasha's cheek. "I know you're all grown up. It's just hard for me to let you go. I'm still your older sister. I care about you, but I know it bothers you."

"It...doesn't bother me." Sasha replied, touched by her sister's words. "I really appreciate you, it's just hard for me to...you know."

"It's okay." Mariel replied. "Just know that I always mean the best."

"I know you do." Sasha replied, holding her sister's hand. "I'll...tell you about what I dreamt. In all honesty, it felt more like a vivid memory than a dream. It was when we first met."

5,998 Years Ago

Sasha walked through the middle of the dark woods of what would be modern day Gallia wearing a heavy fur coat and boots.

Night had fallen and the ground was covered in thick snow. As she kept walking, she came across a small town.

As she walked through it, she entered a tavern where she could eat and spend the night.

She sat at a table and waited to be served. After a while, one of the bartenders came and gave her a mug of ale.

"Hello, miss." He said in a deep, gruff, and yet polite voice. "How can we help you tonight?"

"Umm, hello." She said in a sweet, nervous voice. "I'm looking for a place to stay for the night. I ran out of money about a month ago, so I can't pay you with that. But I could work for you for the duration of my stay."

"I see." He replied. "Yeah, that'll work. What's a fine young elf like yourself doing wandering around one though? It's dangerous out there."

"I wanted to see the world with my own eyes like my sister did." She replied, taking a gulp of her drink afterwards.

"Still, to come alone?" He said. "You really should have a travelling companion."

"If my sister could do it, then so could I." She replied. "Besides, what's the worst that can happen? The Cataclysms have been really docile lately. There haven't been any attacks or anything."

"The Cataclysms are the least of our worries." He replied, sitting down. "Humans are at war constantly. It's gotten really bad lately with those barbarians in the north East and Albions in the north. There's a bunch of warring factions around here too."

"I did see a few burning villages on my way here." She replied. "I heard humans we're at war, but it doesn't seem so bad."

"It's only a matter of time before the war reaches these parts." He said. "What's your name, little lady?"

"Sasha." She replied. "What's yours?"

"Matthew." He replied. "Let me get you a plate of food."

He walked away behind the counter and started to prepare her a plate of dinner. As she waited patiently, she suddenly heard a strange sound.

It sounded like a distant whistling getting closer and closer. Before she could even wonder what it was, Matthew knocked her to the ground and shielded her.

It was then that the whole room seemed to explode. Sasha could feel the heat in the room rapidly increase from the attack.

Debris was thrown all around the room. Eventually a brick hit her right on her head, knocking her out.

When she woke up, she was still in the same place. Matthew still lay on top of her, but was motionless.

She rolled him off of herself and looked around. She was still in a daze, so she didn't quite take in what was happening.

"Hey, Matthew. What happened?" She asked, nudging him.

However she didn't get a response. When she observed him more closely, she saw that a wooden beam had impaled his chest. He was clearly dead.

She scurried away from the dead body, starting to panic. She had never seen a dead body before, especially one covered in wounds, so she was very shocked.

Before she was even given the chance to come to her senses, a group of nearby soldiers spotted her.

They immediately rushed to her and roughly grabbed her and began dragging her somewhere.

They knew she was an elf, so they were especially careful in not letting her go. They dragged her into their nearby camp, where she saw hundreds of other women and children in hand cuffs, presumably from the same village.

Sasha was taken to a separate tent and shackled to a wooden post. She looked around with panicked eyes. She was hyperventilating and looked scared.

After about an hour, two soldiers wearing metal armor and helmets walked into the room.

One of them seemed rather shocked to see her. He was silent for a few moments, then turned to his companion.

"Go get me a plate of food and a jug of water." He said.

"Huh? You just want me out of the way so you can have your way with her." The other one replied. "If that's what you're up to, no deal."

"I'm not so vile that I'd do such a thing." The first one said. "Just do what I asked."

"Jeez. The first elf girl we ever find and you act like a saint." The second one replied as he walked off. "You're no fun, Brimir."

When the other soldier left, Brimir turned his attention to Sasha. She was even more terrified after hearing their conversation.

Seeing that she was very scared, Brimir chose to stay away. After a few minutes, his companion came back with food and water.

"It's my turn next." He said after handing Brimir the two items.

"Get out of here." Brimir said calmly.

His companion walked away and shut the tent be hind him. When it was closed, Brimir started to take off his armor, making Sasha even more frightened.

She desperately tried to free her hands, but she lacked the strength her older sister had, so she couldn't.

When Brimir was now wearing just his shirt and pants, he took off his helmet, letting his blonde hair sparkle in the candle light.

He then picked up the plate of food and mug of water and walked closer to her. When he was only a few feet in front of her, he sat down.

He picked up a piece of meat from the plate and lifted towards her mouth. However, rather than eating the meat, she bit his hand as hard as she could, making him pull his hand back.

"Listen, I'm not going to harm you." He said.

"Why should I trust you?" She said, looking quite angry.

"If I wanted to hurt you right now, I would have done it." He said. "You need to eat. I'm just trying to help you."

"If you really want to help me, let me go." She said.

He thought for a moment, then made up his mind. He pulled out his knife and cut the rope that tied her to the wooden post, much to her surprise.

He then sat down again, wearing a friendly smile.

"Even if I free you now, you can't actually run away." He said. "Anyway, your food is getting cold."

She was very suspicious, but couldn't deny the hunger she felt in her stomach, so she sat down and begun to eat.

"Who are you?" She asked with her mouth full.

"My name is Brimir." He said. "I'm just a soldier for another town."

"Then why are you helping me?" She asked, still not trusting him. "There are dozens of human women you can help out there instead."

"Well...I guess you interest me." He said, rubbing the back of his head.

"Interest you?" She said.

"Nevermind that." He said. "Listen, when you're done, I'll have to tie you up again."

"I refuse." She said quickly.

"Listen, you can't escape right now. There's too many soldiers around." He said. "Don't worry. As long as I'm around, I'm not going to let anything happen to you. Trust me."

He gave her a very reassuring smile. She didn't know why, but it made her want to believe him in that moment. Perhaps it was her naivety, but she nodded.

When she finished eating, she allowed him to tie her back to the post, although he did it more comfortably for her. He also made the knot loose just in case he couldn't be there.

When he was done, he put his armor back on, then left the tent. Outside, there was a line of men waiting for their turn. Such savagery disgusted him.

"You will do nothing to her." He said. "She is mine to look after and mine alone."

"Hey, no fair!" One of the soldiers said.

"I'm going to submit a request to the commander to have control over her." Brimir said. "If it is approved, you may not touch her."

With that, he walked away to the commander's tent. Inside, the commander, a bulky, tall, gruff looking man with a thick brown beard and curly brown hair, was busy having his dinner.

Brimir saluted before beginning to talk to him.

"Commander Samson, I come with a request." He said.

"Ah! Brimir! Anything for you, lad!" He replied in a deep booming voice.

"A black haired elf girl was brought to the camp in the last raid of that town." He said. "I request that she become my possession and becomes subjects to our laws regarding ownership of an item."

"You realize that the law states that anyone who tampers with some else's possessions may be killed by the owner?" The commander said.

"I am well aware." Brimir replied.

"And you are aware that as such a beautiful elf, many men will want to "tamper" with her? Perhaps even your friends?" The commander said.

"Yes. They will be subject to the laws of possession." He replied.

"Very well. You may brand her as you wish." The commander replied.

"Thank you. Enjoy your meal, sir." Brimir said.

He walked back to the tent she was kept in. However, he was worried when he heard laughing coming from inside.

When he opened the tent, he saw several men surrounding her. They had already torn some of her clothes off and some were even masturbating around her.

As soon as he saw them, Brimir pulled his dagger out. He quickly stabbed each of then in the neck. He was unnaturally fast, much too fast to see. In only a few seconds, all of them were on the ground, killed.

Brimir then looked at Sasha, who looked quite traumatized. He cut her hands free and hugged her.

"I told you I wouldn't let anything happen to you." He said.

He kissed her forehead and escorted her to his own tent. Despite barely knowing him, she suddenly felt safe in his arms.

Present Day

"So that's how you two met..." Mariel said.

"Why would that memory make you happy?" Max asked.

"It seems that a part of me, maybe even all of me, still loves him." Sasha said with a hint of guilt. "I can't help but wish he was still with me."

"Even after what he did?" Max asked.

Sasha didn't say anything. She just nodded.

"Maybe after losing Aigle, I realized that so many of the people I held dearest are gone." She said. "Even him. When I lost him, it felt like I lost a part of myself as well."

"I understand." Mariel said, much to Sasha's surprise. "When I lost Maxi and Alexandre, I felt like I lost part of my soul as well. They mean so much to me."

Max felt rather guilty hearing about how hurt Mariel was by his death and loss if her son, but was also touched by it at the same time.

"If you love him, will you be able to fight him?" He asked.

"I killed him once before." She said. "I don't know if I can bring myself to do it again."

"If that's the case. We will do it for you." Mariel said.

At this moment, a world door suddenly opened on the balcony. Louise was the first one to step through it.

She was feeling very weak though, so she fell onto her knees immediately.

Before anyone could ask her a question, Alex and Saito also stumbled through the portal carrying Shion.

She was in a horrible state, but she was still alive. Mariel rushed to her and looked at her wounds.

"What happened?!" She asked, alarmed.

"We encountered Lucifer." Alex said, holding back many emotions. "Can you help her?"

Mariel laid Shion on the ground and then put her hands over her body. Magic from Mariel's hands soon enveloped Shion's body.

"Alex, pull the blade out as quickly as possible." She said.

He nodded, then, on Mariel's mark, pulled it out. Blood immediately began to pour from the wound, but Mariel's magic soon closed the wound and stopped the bleeding.

After a few minutes, Mariel finished healing her. Shion's wings lacked feathers, but they were no longer burned. Her skin was also healed for the most part.

"She isn't fully healed. Saito, when you're rested, heal her entirely." She said.

Saito nodded and sat on the ground. He was happy that, at the very least, they had one less strong enemy to deal with.

"What exactly happened?" Max asked.

"Lucifer blinded us, so Shion was the only one capable of fighting." Louise said. "She told us to run away and when we came back, he was dead and she was injured."

"Why didn't you take her to the Germanian Empress?" Sasha asked.

"That's the other thing." Saito said, looking quite angry. "Augusta, her children, Soren, Tempus...our own kids. They've disappeared."

"What?!" Mariel exclaimed. "Your kids...the gods...if the enemy has them..."

"I think I saw the guy who's in control." Alex said. "I saw a guy in a glass capsule. His body looked like it was rotting."

"It had to be him." Saito said. "The tomb that had the skeleton before had been opened by someone who could use magic like mine. And that skeleton...it was gone."

"We have to end this quickly." Sasha said.

"You will do no fighting for a while." Mariel said.

"I am physically capable of-" Sasha began.

"But you are not mentally or emotionally capable." Mariel interrupted. "For now, no fighting."

"She's right." Max said.

Sasha was not in the emotional or mental state to argue, so she remained silent.

"Maxi, we will have to meet with Sasha's kids soon." Mariel said. "We'll need their power."

"I'll go myself, Mariel." He replied. "You're the only one who is ready to fight here. You can defend everyone."

"Very well." She said. "Please be careful."

He smiled at her and gave her a kiss. He also made sure to give Alex a hug, then walked off the balcony, out of the palace, and made his way towards Gallia.

Alex remained sitting next to Shion, holding her hand and waiting for her to wake up.

Saito and Louise held each other, both of them extremely worried about the well being of their kids.

Mariel held Sasha, stroking her white hair. Still exhausted, Sasha quickly fell asleep in her sister's arms.

Given Aigle's death, the loss of the gods, the Empress and her family, the loss of Riza and Gabriel, and Shion's injuries, the atmosphere between them was one of sadness and sorrow.

Author's Notes:

Hey guys! This chapter was longer than I thought it was going to be. Sorry about that. I hope you still enjoyed it. See you next time!