Syrin knew where the throne room was, despite never being inside of it himself. He had lived in Melior and worked in the castle for reconstruction when Ike had his lordship, so he attended several meetings inside the castle but none of them took place in the throne room. Elincia always met them elsewhere, in a room that was better suited for such meetings.

Leaving Nasir outside of the room, Syrin entered the giant, double doors. The throne room was exactly how he expected it to be. Eero had backup in the form of three armoured sandmen, each with a sword that were along the back of the room, beside the door he entered. There was a red carpet that led up to the throne that he sat atop, his hands wrapping the end of the armrests, and there was brilliant stained glass windows that bathed Eero in a rainbow of colours. Torches ran along the wall, lighted but unnecessarily so.

He wasn't sure what he expected of Eero prior to actual meeting him. He didn't dedicate any time to thinking about how Eero looked, he only played different scenarios in his mind, so it came as a surprise that Eero resembled himself in many ways. They both had long hair, they were both mages with similar builds, and add their brands on top of that, then they were far more similar than Syrin would have liked. In fact, he wondered if he would have ended up more like Eero had Ike not tried the soften the blow that his death caused, or if Ike didn't give him the mission to try and live for himself. Syrin watched him die, he was the only one to see just how mortal he truly was. To people like Eero, he only disappeared, so it was easy for Ike to become a legend.

For a moment, neither seemed sure of what to say. They stared at each other, waiting for the other to make a move first.

"Disappointed?" Eero asked, leaning his head on his right hand, which he took off of the armrest. "Were you expecting somebody else?"

"I didn't expect much so it's not as though my expectations were shattered," Syrin mumbled back. "I spent a lot of time thinking about what I would say to you."

"And what is that?" He looked almost amused.

"... Just, why?" Syrin mumbled. "What do you think you're getting out of this? Why do you have to tarnish Ike's memory and twist him into something he would never want be? Even if you did bring him back, why do you think he would even go through with any of the plans you set out for him? As far as I can tell, it was all for nothing!"

Eero only seemed amused, a grin appearing on his face. The grin was the only thing he could see, thanks to all of the shadows on his face and the way he parted his hair. "Ike's memory was already tarnished. I don't know how you spent your time back in Tellius to have not noticed all of the god-worship he was getting already but all I did was make it official. Some force and back pedalling was required. Besides, a grand hero needs a grand stage for his grand return. I'm surprised you don't want him back."

Sometimes, Syrin did. He wanted to hear Ike's voice again. He wanted to spend time with him. He wanted Ike to tell him it would be alright whenever he hit a rough patch in his life. It was difficult to live for himself because he spent so long living for Ike that he never considered what he wanted or what value he still had to society. Having Ike back was simply the easy answer, not the answer that was of use to anybody.

"The dead should stay dead. We have to learn to how to solve our problems without Ike or any other person that was remembered fondly. It's not Ike's fault that the branded still have a bad relationship with the beorc and laguz. We didn't help ourselves by hiding ourselves away the entire time. If we wanted something to change, we should have done something to make it change." Syrin didn't know when he decided to include himself in the collective.

"I never said it was Ike's fault!"

"Then why does he have to fix it? You could have used your position and power to do something to promote the branded but instead, you try to raise the dead. You ought to know how ridiculous that sounds. If you wanted a better world, you have done something to make that way. No, all you want is your – ugh!" Syrin was interrupted when two of the sand creatures grabbed him from behind and lifted him off of his feet. His arm burned with pain as it was twisted in the grasp of the sandman. He hissed.

"You know, I never did answer that second question of yours," Eero mumbled, the grin reappearing on his face. "How do I get Ike do to what I want? I figured he might be an unwilling participant, since he didn't keep that lord title for too long. It's not that hard to figure out that he might not enjoy being a god either. However, I only need some bait and that bad arm of yours makes that so easy. But Ike's a good man... he might even patch things up between the branded and the rest because it's the right thing to do."

"Stop pretending that 'helping the world' is what you want to. We both know that's not true," Syrin growled. "Or perhaps you're just lying to yourself. You want to look like you're doing the right in the end, that the end justifies killing people who disagree with you, but what you do want is some sort is some control over the people who never showed you any sort respect when you grew up. With Ike backing you, nobody can look deny you the respect you think you deserve. I'm surprised you even considered the rest of us when you came up with this crazy idea."

Eero only responded by making the sandman on his left twist his bad arm again.

"Twisting my arm only proves I'm right," Syrin said with a smirk.

Eero suddenly stood up and approach Syrin. Even though Syrin was hoisted into the air and Eero had to look up at him, he somehow made his glare look condescending.

"You can say all you want. Unfortunately, it matters little. The reasons, whether you believe them or not, don't matter. What matters is that I accomplish my goal for all of the branded who are bitter and want something more than a simple apology for all that's happened! Ike is the only one who can fix it. Ike was the only one who could make beorc and laguz listen to each other, so naturally, he's the only one who can make them listen to us. But you know what?"

Syrin didn't respond but he heard the third one come from behind, only because it was dragging its sword across the floor. Eero's control over them was exceptional. He didn't need move his hands, he only need to whisper under his breath to get the spirits to listen to them. He didn't notice it before when Eero was sitting on the throne, he was simply too far away.

"I think I need to show Ike that I'm serious about this. Your arm... did that happen before or after Ike died?"

"Why does that matter?"

"Considering that you've tried to take my goal out from underneath me, and may still succeed in prolonging it, then I'll take something precious from you too."

Syrin realized what Eero meant quickly but he was powerless in stopping him. With his arms being held, he couldn't cast. He was also far from strong enough to try and escape their grasp. He watched as the sword came over his arm and came down. He wasn't sure if even screamed, he was only aware that anything happened because he was only being held up by arm and his feet were sliding on the floor, not because he registered the pain.

He could barely react when Eero began to wave the severed arm in front of his face, almost like he was greeting him. Syrin felt his heart race and he began panting heavily, already dizzy.

"Do you think they might try to reattach it?" Eero wondered out loud, tossing his arm to the ground and grabbing one of the torches on the wall. "You don't look too good. We'll have to do something about that," he said with a smirk as he brought the torch to his stump.

This time Syrin did struggle but he realized that it was a waste of energy and he didn't have that much of it. He was dizzy as it was without trying to fight Eero. The torch was brought to his stump and he hissed as his arm burned, cauterizing his wound.

"I can't have you dying on me. Ike may not listen to me if you're not around."

Syrin wasn't much in the mood to talk anymore – he struggled to even listen to what Eero was saying, just trying to stay conscious until Nasir got to him. He didn't wait long. Nasir burst into the room, alone and surprisingly, armed with nothing more than a dagger that he took out from his robes. Nasir stabbed the sandman that took his arm and it immediately fell into a pile, the armour clattering as it hit the ground. Before the other could react, Nasir stabbed that one too. Syrin's head was swimming but he couldn't remember ever enchanting a dagger. Somebody else must have done it behind his back, Micaiah popped up in his mind for some reason, but he was grateful for it. He stabbed the final one, catching Syrin before he could fall to the ground. He set him down gently.

"You look like you would be the Goldan I've heard so much about!" Eero mumbled. Syrin managed to push himself up on his good arm, slumping forward when he did so, but at least he was upright. Nasir held him in place, offering a him a bottle. He popped the top of with his thumb and brought it up to Syrin's lips, never taking his eyes off of Eero. Syrin drank, trusting Nasir to give him something that would help him. The dizziness left and his heart slowed rate. It must have been an elixir, extremely potent, luckily for him. Bleeding out wouldn't be a concern for him, in the very least. "Do you have a speech for me as well?"

"No. I could hear you from outside. There doesn't seem to be a use in talking to you."

Eero wasn't impressed with that answer. He began chanting and fired a thunder spell at Nasir, one that even Syrin felt. Thankfully, Nasir was fast and being a white dragon, he probably wouldn't get killed by the thunder magic. He dodged nimbly but Syrin was still worried, as Eero was actually a quick and efficient caster. Nasir had no time to actual do anything against Eero, constantly side-stepping both the thunder magic and avoiding the piles of sand instead of being able to approach him. It didn't help that Eero was able to move just before casting.

The door opened and Ema, Darius, and Misha rushed inside. Nobody immediately went for his aid, which Syrin was grateful for – he didn't like to be the centre of the attention in any regard, especially while he was injured. He was also not important in the battle anymore. His arm wasn't bleeding and Eero was still a very real threat, especially with two new laguz in the room. Ema transformed, pouncing for Eero only for him to dodge and turn around to cast a fire spell against her. Misha and Nasir teamed up, with Misha running up to him before he could turn around again and put her lance over his chest, hugging them close together. Nasir pointed the dagger at his throat.

"You knew you were going to lose today," Syrin mumbled angrily. With the emotional high of the confrontation and the physical shock of getting his arm severed, he never thought to contemplate the fact that Eero only used his magic and three sandmen to protect himself with. It didn't ruin the outcome of the day but still, he shouldn't have missed that sort of detail. What was the matter with him? "You would have protected yourself if you thought you had a chance."

"I didn't get far enough fast enough. I sent Liam away for a reason – my work was more important than my life. If we managed to work faster, we wouldn't be here today," Eero answered simply. "I even prepared to die today but since that dagger hasn't gone through my throat yet, I assuming I might live today."

"We're going to let Crimea decide what to do with you," Nasir mumbled. "Unless you did something to the king."

Eero smiled a little.

"So you were willing to die for all of this?" Darius mumbled, helping an untransformed Ema to her knees. "I can't tell if you truly believe in all of this or if you would rather die than be wrong."

"It doesn't matter," Ema hissed. "Darius, make yourself useful and get some rope to bind him. I might be weak to fire magic but I'm fine." Before he got up, the next groups came in together, Peter, Gus, Chifee, Rylar, Rykuu, and Aletta all came in but Rylar and Gus immediately dashed out again. He was naturally the centre of Peter's attention, with Peter all but flying to his side. He didn't even bother asking for permission to look at his arm, he just pulled up what remained of his sleeve to look at it.

"Syrin, come on, let's get you out of here," Peter mumbled, picking him up off of the floor with ease. Syrin didn't fight or protest. There was nothing left to see anyway.

Kaetar ran out of arrows a long time ago, leaving Vaughn the only thing between him and the sand creatures that tried to attack them. The rogue sandman was still beside him, silently still holding onto an unconscious Elymas, but it wasn't going to join the fight anytime soon, even if it would benefit him. It was more than just a sandman but that wasn't helpful in combat at the moment, so all it could was just to keep still.

He was nervous. Vaughn's energy always looked endless, like he couldn't ever settle down, but he knew that wasn't the case realistically. Vaughn was beginning to tire and tire quickly, though Kaetar had no idea what caused him to tire out so quickly. Perhaps those enchanted weapons were not made for the long term use that he was using it for – it was okay when he wasn't the only one fighting them all. When he was alone though, the enchanted axe was starting to take its toll on him, especially since he bounced a lot during his fight with Elymas. He stopped dodging, putting all of his energy into destroying the sandmen in front of him even if it meant that he was getting burned or cut with their magic. He wasn't sure just how long Vaughn was going to last.

"Vaughn, are going to be okay?" Kaetar asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

"I have to be!" he shouted, cutting through another sandman. "Your father trusted me to keep you safe and I don't plan on disappointing him! Somebody's going to realize that we're still down here, and I can last until backup comes. It should be soon."

Kaetar frowned. It was hard to watch Vaughn fight so hard and being unable to do anything to help him out. His arrows had been largely useless, littered all over the floor and just out of his reach at the moment, but at least he was doing something. Even if he wasn't accomplishing much, it was better than feeling helpless. The only thing he could do now was just to stay out of Vaughn's way.

However, there was suddenly a shout and a blur as a sandman collapsed without Vaughn hitting it. In its place, even as it tried to rise again, was Stefan, already bouncing on another one. Vaughn seemed to be filled with new energy, striking down the sandman in front of him with a grin but Kaetar figured that this new bout of energy wouldn't carry him too far. With Stefan around though, Vaughn didn't have to last too much longer.

"Arum and Zara are looking for the mage, so you just have to hang in there a little longer," he announced.

Kaetar was confused. While he was glad to see Stefan, he thought he must have been from the basement as well, just from the other side. If Arum was there though, then they must have been from the first floor. Who was with them in the basement then? Was that group in trouble too? He could see Stefan looking at the rogue beside Kaetar curiously but he didn't say anything about it, perhaps also realizing that while it was odd, it wouldn't attack. Maybe he was just saving it for later.

He was distracted by a sharp scream, a voice he didn't recognize thankfully. The next sandman that Vaughn sliced into didn't rise again. Kaetar sighed deeply in relief.

Between Vaughn and Stefan, it didn't take long for all the sandmen to be taken down. Kaetar quickly recovered what arrows he could from the sand pile as Vaughn and Stefan took off down the hallway. The rogue waited patiently for him the entire time, only moving when Kaetar was. For anybody else, it would be eerie to have something follow them like that but Kaetar likened it a temporary bodyguard, even though its combat abilities against other sandmen were limited. He felt safer with it following him.

They met up with Arum and Zara just down the hallway but they didn't slow down, wordlessly heading down back to the direction that Vaughn and Kaetar originally came from to the other side of the basement. Again, nobody questioned the rogue.

"Oh shit, it got dark pretty fast," Zara mumbled. He had to agree, the darkness did seem rather sudden. Kaetar could barely see her putting a hand to the wall. There were hardly any torches down the corridor and the only ones that were there only cast a slight glow to their surroundings. It wouldn't have been a problem with they were numerous but that wasn't the case. Vaughn went strangely silent.

"We could go back and grab a torch," Arum mumbled.

"Safe," the rogue muttered. Kaetar couldn't see anybody's faces but he could tell they were all surprised just by their silence.

"Yeah, it talks," Vaughn said. He sounded strangely proud, almost like he was bragging about one of his wyverns. "But let's grab that torch just in case. You can go, Arum, since it was your idea and you're so tall. Unfortunately, Ashunera didn't bless me with any height. I'm the shortest in my whole family, in fact!"

Arum mumbled something but he did quickly returned with a torch. It was better than nothing, at least. However, it quickly became apparent that there was no sign of a battle. Aside from the darkness, nothing seemed particularly odd. "Who is supposed to be on this side?" Kaetar asked. "You guys came from upstairs, right?"

"Joel, Mike, and Nicholas are down here with you two. I'm sure they could take care of themselves in a pinch but then again, you two needed a lot of help," Zara mumbled. "I could hear that there was fighting on your side but it's pretty quiet over here. Something else must be keeping them."

"We'll find out soon enough," Stefan said simply.

Soon came quickly. The cells weren't particular strange in an old palace, the palace in Daein had them too. Kaetar could remember accidentally locking himself inside one of the cells when he was younger but thankfully, his absence was quickly noticed and he didn't spend too long in that cell. No, they weren't inherently odd but something still wrong to him.

"Stefan? Vaughn?"

Joel was leaning against the wall under some torches, his lance at the ready. Mike and Nicholas were inside one of the cells, hunched over two people laying on the ground. He barely recognized King Ramon with the amount of weight he lost, though he knew part of his ability to recognize him was hampered by the fact that he only met him once. Even then, it wasn't for very long. Ramon raised a shaky hand to him, as if in greeting. Kaetar had no idea who the other man was but it had to be someone close to Ramon if they were both imprisoned. A loyal retainer, if he had to guess.

"I... didn't expect you."

"How long have you been down here?" Kaetar asked. "Since you left the meeting early?"

He got a nod in return. He was down here for over a year then. No wonder he looked so bad. The other man was probably down there with Ramon for just as long but it was clear to Kaetar that Ramon was the favoured one. Ramon didn't look like he would drop dead at any moment. Nobody could say that about his companion.

"Is it clear upstairs?" Nicholas asked quickly. "They really need some medical attention... they had some water so far but that's about it." Kaetar couldn't help but to be intrigued with Nicholas, just a little bit. He wasn't a healer for too longer, at least compared to Peter, but he was already beginning to sound like Peter. He knew his parents were healers but Nicholas spent most of his separated from them so they couldn't have left such an impact on him.

Stefan nodded. "The first floor is clear. There's a bunch of servants in the big room up there, they should all be able to do something. Ellie, Soren, and Chibuike are in there with the servants so while it wouldn't be comfortable for these two, they would be safe."

"That's good enough. Let's go," Joel muttered. "Does anybody here know how to pick a lock? Ramon didn't have a shackle but his retainer wasn't so lucky."

"We can just break the chain, no?" Vaughn asked.

"We could hurt him even more so-"

"You don't have to cut too close. The chain looks like it wouldn't be that heavy, so I should be lift him and the chain easily. If I somehow can't, Zara can," Arum said simply. Nicholas looked apprehensive but he stepped aside, leaving the cell altogether.

"Be careful," he warned.

"Vaughn, let Mike do this," Stefan said suddenly. Vaughn grumbled something under his breath but he stepped aside, as did everybody else, so that they only people in the cell were Ramon, his sickly looking retainer, and Mike. Mike held the axe over his head, holding for it in the air for what felt like years, before bringing it down on the chain. Luckily, it broke on the first hit, perhaps because it was rusty but Kaetar couldn't exactly see to be sure.

Arum was easily able to lift the retainer and when Arum was out of the cell, the chain of the shackle hanging in the air, Zara scooped up the king in both of her arms. He looked a little uncomfortable, with his head against her chest, but Zara never did seem to care about stuff like that. In the very least, she had more important things to worry about and it wasn't like Ramon was strong enough to keep his own head up for long anyway.

"I don't think there's anything still down here but if you guys take them somewhere safe, then Mike and I can check the rest of the corridor."

"If you don't think there's anything left then let's all just go together," Kaetar mumbled, looking at Joel. "Whatever we don't get, Daein will. We should stick together." He had no idea how long they were down in the basement for but he had a feeling that everything would wrap up soon. The palace seemed surprisingly empty for a final battle. Despite how tired Vaughn was, he was still able to hold his own. Thinking back on it, it was a little underwhelming.

Maybe it didn't take long for everybody else to sweep the castle. The groups on the first floor were able to meet quickly and rush down to their aid. Maybe the other groups were already at the throne room and it was already all over, they just didn't know.

And certainly, when they arrived upstairs, they found it was most empty. There wasn't much sign that any battle sort of battle occurred. They followed Zara and Arum into the room they mentioned earlier, although he noticed that Stefan splintered away fairly quickly. Kaetar wanted to follow Stefan, just to be able to see the man behind it all, but he felt like it was more important for him to be with Ramon.

However, the biggest question was what to do with the sandman. It couldn't go in the room with a bunch of civilians and yet, he didn't want to leave it out on its own. He stopped for a moment, turning around to face it and Vaughn, who ended up falling behind. Kaetar wasn't sure if that was Vaughn's exhaustion but maybe he liked the rogue, Kaetar wouldn't put it past him. Joel and Mike stopped as well, keeping a close eye on him, while Nicholas continued on ahead.

"Vaughn, can you go outside with it?" he asked, gesturing towards the rogue.

"I'll stay with him too. I can keep Vaughn company," Mike said, raising his hand.

Kaetar nodded and ran to catch up with Arum and Zara. He was finding that he was getting exhausted too but he knew he could sit once Ramon and is retainer were somewhere safe. Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to get there and the rebellion members quickly took action. Arum, Joel, Kaetar, and Soren all used their shirts as temporary pillows, while Nicholas' cloak, and Zara's jackets became ill-fitting blankets. Arum sat down beside them, pulling his knees up to his chest, quickly covering the scar on his chest. He almost looked like he was hiding from the servants, the way he was focusing on Nicholas and on the two men on the floor and the fact that he managed to make himself so small. Elli sat down beside him, leaning her head on his stiff shoulders.

"You could have given up your cloak," Joel growled at Chibuike, who only chuckled slightly as he bent down and stuck something long and thin into the shackle. It only took a moment of fidgeting for the shackle to be released.

"'Sides, that's more useful, no?"

Shivering, Kaetar squatted down beside Nicholas, who was quickly looking over the festering wound under the shackle. "Nicholas, tell me what they need." He was sure that he could get the servants to get whatever the need for them, they just needed some assurance the floor was safe and somebody with confidence to guide them. Kaetar certainly didn't look the part, with pants that have seen better days, boots that were still lightly dusted with sands, and the lack of any shirt. However, he spent a lot of time getting people to believe in their cause, so he was confident that he could get the servants to cooperate.

"Some clean water, bandages, and some clean towels," Nicholas answered. Kaetar nodded and stood up.

"Everybody, I know you're scared but your king and his retainer really need your help!" That got their attention. They were all looking at him know. His heart thumped but he took a deep breath and continued. "We can't let a moment go to waste if we can help it. They need clean water, bandages, and clean towels. You guys have been here longer than we have so we need your help to get those things here as soon as possible. We can assure you that-"

The servants got up suddenly, shouting for the different things that they were going to get. They didn't bother to wait for Kaetar to finish what he was saying. Zara patted him on the shoulder. "You have quite the presence when you need it," she said with a grin. "You kiddos wait here. I'm going to go outside and see how your father's soldiers are handling things. I have a feeling that things are alright at the throne room."

"Tell him that I'll be in here if Father asks for me," Kaetar muttered.

"Sure thing," Zara mumbled as she headed out. Kaetar took another deep breath, mentally preparing himself to be the leader in the room.

Kaetar didn't feel the end come. He stayed in the room the entire time, as the injured Daeins were brought in, directing the servants on what to do and who to find. Micaiah and Daein healers came with the first wave of injured Daeins. She switched with Nicholas, and he helped the healers take on the bulk of the Daeins, most of them suffering from minor cuts and burns. Their injuries were nothing major but it was probably more comfortable for Nicholas to deal with. He hadn't been healing for long, after all.

But then again, he was taught by Peter.

He didn't even think about the rebellion until Father entered the room with Loiya and Zeke in tow behind him. Father only raised an eyebrow at the state of his dress but Kaetar didn't care, running across the room to throw Loiya into the tightest hug he could muster. Loiya hesitated for a moment before returning the hug, his hug not nearly as strong but Kaetar was fine with that. Nothing could beat actually being able to feel that Loiya was alright, to be able to touch him and know that he was actually there. Loiya pat him on the back and broke the hug, turning Kaetar towards his father.

"I missed you too," he said with a soft smile, just as Joel joined them from behind. They looked at each for a moment before Loiya looked away awkwardly.

"But how he's still standing is a mystery," Father muttered, his eyes darting around the room. "I heard that... ah, there they are. Kaetar, go get some rest now. Joel, Loiya, you guys go with him." Kaetar didn't miss that his father's gaze settled on Micaiah.

"It feels wrong to go away now! I'm not tired, I'm staying here until the end!"

His father put his hands on his shoulders. "The end is already here, Kaetar! It's over, you can rest now, catch up with Loiya, do whatever you want to relax. Eero's been contained, the mage that Vaughn and Mike had is bring brought to the dungeons, and I have Daeins picking up any mages that been left behind. We can take care of everything from there."

"We missed it all, huh?" Joel said with a sigh.

"Hey, at least you guys made it into the castle," Zeke offered with a simple shrug. "Loiya and I didn't even make it to the front lines. That was to be expected though, it was a wonder that we weren't turned back by Arkit in the first place, then to be able to fight alongside your father. It was pretty amazing to be involved at all!"

"And I'll tell you if we find anything interesting. If not me, I'm sure you ask Micaiah for anything. Vaughn gave me a heads up about what we would find in the basement."

Kaetar hated the idea of leaving but his father had that 'don't argue' look on his face and he decided not to argue, especially if the rebellion was essentially over. It kind felt like a dull ending to a long journey, having never saw Eero's face and listened to whatever reasons he had. Everything happened without him because he was stuck in the basement, which was perhaps climatic in its own right. It was definitely not the way that he imagined the rebellion ending. He merely nodded and headed out of the castle, unsure where he should be going anyway.

"If anyone needs a nap, it looks like Loiya. You were doing fine, what does he have to worry about? Especially if it's all over anyway," Joel muttered with a sigh. "Where to?"

"Well, if you're not that tired, we can go to Melior," Loiya answered. "There are people I'd like you to meet but I saw them run into the palace and now I have no idea where most of them are. I know where one of them is though, and I can take you to meet him."

"I guess the question is... are you going to be able to make the trip?" Kaetar asked. Loiya looked almost as tired as Vaughn did, now that Kaetar had a better look at him. He was also a lot thinner than Kaetar knew him to be, so Kaetar had reason to worry. Loiya simply waved it off.

"I can make it there and just take a nap."

Kaetar pondered for a moment before nodded. "Well, I'm curious now. Let's go."

"You're going to go missing again," Joel said with a grin.

"Father said I could do anything I needed to relax." It was perhaps a bratty response but he was still feeling a little rebellious, especially when there was something that made him curious. He wanted to meet whoever Loiya had in mind. "Besides, it's not like I'm running off to Gallia. We'll be close at least. We better get going."

He began walking, forcing his bodyguards to follow.

This chapter was a pain, which is why it took so long (the biggest reason, not the sole reason). I'm not exactly happy with it, especially since I've been planning some elements for a very long time and I'm not sure how well they were executed.

But I wanted this out before October.

It's looking like there will be one more chapter and then epilogues, which will probably be shorter than my limit but I'm sure that's fine.