Amare stared at the twin Therians, a small smile forming on her face. Never before would she be granting the items within the box to two of her friends' descendants, but she felt happy. Why was that the case...
"Your bravery to protect us was admirable," Amare began, pushing aside her own thoughts for the time being. "and you two proved that you care for each other, despite the flaws you have inside you. If Caelum was alive right now, he'd be overjoyed at this sight..."
"I'm sure that he's smiling as he looks upon us. I just know it." Keiko hummed, growing a smile on her face, which made Amare's smile more visible to her and the others.
"I'm sure he must be..." Demetria concurred. Amare looked up at the 'taller' Therian. "Keiko, though you may not have realized it at the time, you radiate the same kindness as Caelum once had. For that, I believe this sacred relic will suit you just fine..."
Amare placed her hand into the box, grabbing a strand of tiny, curved beads, each radiating a different color for every third bead. Drayce tilted his head in confusion upon seeing what the Necromancer picked up. "Is that a necklace, or something?" He inquired, as Amare turned to face the dragoon.
"What exactly does a necklace have that makes it sacred?" Korey added. "This isn't an ordinary necklace... This is the necklace Caelum once worn - Yasakani no Magatama." Amare explained, holding the necklace of beads in front of her for everyone to see.
"Ooooooh, it pretty looking necklace!" Ion commented, gazing at the necklace from where he stood. Kyo and Hilda, though standing from afar, can easily see the necklace that was on display, rather awestruck by how pretty it looked.
"This necklace always made whoever wore it filled with benevolence. I suppose that's how it can explain why Caelum had such a kind-hearted personality. Just looking at it again is bringing such nostalgia to my heart..." Amare sighed, looking at the necklace for a few seconds before having the courage in her to move towards Keiko.
"...I'm afraid you're gonna have to kneel if I can hope to get this necklace around you." She commented, being rather shorter than she had hoped to be. "O-Oh, like this?" Keiko asked, sitting on her knees.
Amare nodded, before unlocking the necklace, and proceeds to carefully wrap it around Keiko's neck, locking the necklace in place once she found the right spot. Despite the cold temperature of the beads, Keiko still gazed down at the necklace she now wore with amazement in her eyes.
"It definitely suits you, sis." Her twin sister spoke, helping her sister stand up. "Yeah! Ion think necklace fits Keiko to a T!" The orange-red haired Celestrian complimented, as she gained a blush on her cheeks.
"Indeed it does! I can already feel the benevolence flowing through me!" Keiko beamed, hugging her sister for a bit as she returned the hug for a few quick seconds. The pink haired Celestrian soon went back to the jewelry box, obtaining a bow that appeared to be folded in half. The colors were not that of a regular bow, yet it brought questions to the two guilds, regardless.
"Observe." She blankly told them, seeming to press something on the bow, as the other half of the bow swiftly attach itself to the end of the bow Amare held. A mysterious red light appeared from both ends, likely forming the string of the bow itself. Some parts of the bow had been decorated with spikes, though whether they're sharp enough to hurt or not remains to be known.
Everyone gasped in surprise at the sudden, yet swift transformation. "I-It changed! That's so cool!" Drayce exclaimed, his surprise changing into one of amusement.
"Now it's an even different bow." Zohar simply commented, though Blayke wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not. Hilda placed a finger on her chin, blinking a couple of times as she stared at the bow.
"Why does that color scheme of the bow remind me of something?"The white haired Harbinger muttered to herself. She can't help but wonder if the bow was even made to look like that at all. Regardless, it gave her shivers just looking at it. It was radiating an unseen aura that felt all too familiar to her, yet she cannot recall what exactly it was.
"This weapon was once used by Caelum, as the people of our era claimed it fell from the Yggdrasil, having a rather tough endurance. None knows how it was formed, or where it fell from the Yggdrasil, but it was a relic worthy of the Therians to witness and wield." Amare explained all that she knew about the bow held in her hand.
"Does it have a name?" Kamali asked. Amare blinked a few times, both at Kamali, and at the bow in her hand.
"Well, the Therians at the time believed it to be an eternal bow, meant to never break no matter how hard they tried. Thus, they named it, Aeterna, the eternal bow." She disclosed, tracing a finger along the string of the bow. "And despite using the bow many times over in the past, Caelum never brought this bow to the Legendary War." Altum added, speaking up as he hands the jewelry box back to Korey.
"Why would he not use it, then?" Korey asked the Celestrian before him, but he simply didn't respond. "Maybe he didn't want it to be lost in the battlefield." Zohar shot a guess, trying to answer the brown haired fencer's question.
Beta soon started growling as everyone turned to see a Rabid Acorn staring at the hound, making little movement. Amare, though not proficient at using bows, held the bow and placed her hand on the red light, pulling it back. Before the others could question what she was doing, bits of miasma from the air around them gathered into the bow, forming an arrow-like shape on the bow.
"What the hell?! The miasma's forming an arrow!" Blayke exclaimed, surprised that such a bow can manipulate the miasma around them.
"This bow uses the miasma from the surrounding area for its ammunition. But the miasma gets changed once it hits the intended target..." Amare explained in a monotone voice, releasing the string as the arrow went straight towards the Rabid Acorn. The monster barely had time to register the hit, as it soon felt the arrow pierce through it, causing it to slowly walk around in pain before falling to the floor with a rather solid sound than the sound of wet grass.
Seconds passed before Ion gasped at what happened next. The color the Rabid Acorn once had started to slowly change into a strange stone-like structure. The miasma arrow soon vanished afterward.
"Rabid Acorn lost all color! What happened?!" Ion gasped, turning to the Necromancer and asked her what happened to the monster standing before them previously.
"The miasma that flowed into the bow created a petrifying arrow," Amare began. "Depending on how much the target resists the miasma, the faster it is to petrify them. That fact alone was what soon made Caelum want to seal it before he went to the war." Altum added, placing his hands in his coat pockets.
Zohar placed a finger on his chin, rather intrigued by the bow's function. "But despite that, wouldn't normal arrows still suffice?" The male Necromancer spoke up, wondering if it was still able to fire off typical arrows.
"Caelum was well aware of the bow's function, and was prepared well with tons of arrows at his disposal. But even with that in mind, he wanted to simply seal it away before someone with evil intentions got their hands on it." Altum responded, recalling his old friend's exact words before they were tasked to overlook the box in question.
The pink haired Necromancer walked towards Demetria, holding the bow out in front of her. "That said, I entrust you with this bow, praying it will be of use to you as you travel through the Yggdrasil. Keep your strong will about you as you use this. A misfire can be rather severe to you, or your friends."
Demetria picks up the bow, doing her best to not prick her finger on the spikes it. She turned it around to look at the finer details, though the bow itself felt like it was made from scales of some kind. "T-thanks, Amare. I'll be sure to to keep this protected."
Amare simply smirked back at the smiling Rover Therian. "No need for thanks, great descendant of Caelum." She started to make her way back to Altum.
"Wait, what are you planning to do now?" Charon inquired, stopping the Necromancer halfway through to her destination, as she turned back to face Charon. "Going to find something to end our lives... we aren't worthy of living for as long as we have." She spoke, her voice rather shaky and frail.
"You're just gonna end it all after living so long? Is that how friends- no, is that how a married couple is supposed to act?!" Charon busted into anger, startling everyone in the room.
Married? Those two were married and no one in the room noticed the rings the had on their fingers? Amare sighed, blinking as she turned to face him.
"It's not like we wanted to live this long, you know. Words can be a curse, sometimes..." The way Amare spoke back to him was really ticking off Charon.
"So what? Now that you're free of that burden, you can finally raise a family without worry over one stinkin' box! You can even join the Lux Guild, for all that it's worth!" Charon exclaimed, trying to calm himself down little by little.
Ion wanted to walk up to him and calm the Harbinger down, but he felt like it was mere instinct to just let Charon let out all of his anger and not provoke him. Hilda felt like she was witnessing the same event that happened to her and Byron... though the circumstances were quite different than before. Altum had a bit of guilt in his eyes, unable to utter a single word as he let the Harbinger's words sink in.
"You can do both of those options," Drayce finally mustered the courage to speak up, after what seemed like an eternity. "Honestly, it wouldn't hurt for you to finally live your lives after holding onto this burden for so long. Besides, you can be of help to both the Angelward and Lux guilds with the knowledge you two possess!" He continued, feeling rather proud of his statement as Amare spotted a smile forming on the Dragoon's face.
Was it worth it, though? Amare didn't really feel like she accomplished much, aside from releasing the box she sealed of the curse she placed on it. She wasn't sure if she would do much in a battle... Given her and Altum's age, it felt like they would only slow them down.
"But it won't be the same..." Amare groaned, clutching her left arm, as if she is unable to truly decide what to do next. Life, or death... Was it that hard to choose?
"...Hm?" Keiko's ears perked up, feeling like she heard something approaching them. Demetria turned upon hearing the sudden noise from her sister. "What's up, sis?" She queried, wondering why she's looking around.
"Is it just me... or do I see a ghost approaching?" Keiko responded with a question of her own, as everyone else started looking for the sign of the ghost she mentioned. "Where, though?" Blayke groaned, turning all around, a bit worried something from higher up on Yggdrasil might have made its way down.
"Over there!" Amare turned to where Keiko finally stopped and pointed, gasping for a bit, as she was unable to believe her eyes. It had the same presence as a Necromancer's Wraith, but... for some reason, it looked more... Therian, than a Wraith.
"What the..." Ion could only muster, rather surprised upon seeing the Therian-shaped Wraith. Although the colors of the wraith had more priority than the color it took shape in, it looked like it had the same skin and eye color as Keiko and Demetria, albeit a much higher shade of color due to the overlaying color of the wraith, and he looked like he was the same height as Yorick, his garb looking like that of a male Rover. But there was no mistaking it... That smile of his...
"C-Caelum?" marveled Amare, as the gray haired Celestrian turned and soon found himself with a perplexed look on his face. It seemed too real to be one of Amare's wraiths...
"You look surprised, Amare." The wraith known as Caelum spoke up, with a rather easygoing tone about in his voice. The tiny Necromancer could only walk towards him, her movements now similar to that of a curious child.
"B-But I... I thought you were just a regular wraith when I found you wandering the labyrinth." Amare quavered, at a lost for words as to how her old friend was standing here through her wraith.
The Therian merely smirked back at Amare, placing his ghostly hand on her head and patted her on the head. "The necklace that I once wore allows for its bearer to see wraiths and ghosts with good-intentions." He chuckled, looking over to see Keiko, Demetria, and the others approach him.
"I must say, I didn't expect twin descendants. But you two definitely have my colors down to a T!" He noted, rather glad to meet his great-grand children in person- er, in the afterlife in the form of a wraith.
Keiko simply smiled, as Demetria knelt to her knees to be able to communicate with Caelum better. "That's so sweet of you." She hummed, seeing the smile on Caelum's face. Guess even in the afterlife, his kind spirit still remained.
Caelum soon placed his hand on Amare's shoulder. "Listen, Amare. I know living for a thousand years is no easy feat... but I think you should move on from the burden of passing on." Caelum began, taking a deep breath as if he expected this conversation of his to drag on for hours.
"B-But I-" Amare was stopped when she felt Altum's hand place itself on her other shoulder, bending down to her height, and silently urged her to listen. Her eyes drooped in defeat, before gazing back at the wraith speaking to them.
"I know nothing about what happens beyond this point in our lives, but know that I'm watching over you and my great-grand children with a watchful eye. I want you two to move on from wanting to pass on, so you can teach the world about what happened at the Legendary War." Caelum continued, almost speaking as if he was giving a mission to soldiers.
The Therian male looked up at the sky, almost as if contemplating something. "There may be treasures remaining within the ancient battlefield... waiting to be rediscovered. With you two there, you can assist my descendants, and the red haired gentleman over beside the brown haired fencer."
Drayce let out a chuckle as Amare and Altum turned to face the two males Caelum mentioned. "Please, Amare... I refuse to lose anyone to the labyrinth, or to that black haired Harbinger." Charon insisted, as the Necromancer turned her head to the male harbinger.
Those people were wanting them to live their lives out til they can no longer move. Was it really worth living out more than a few years just to hope they can finally start a loving family? Or was it merely an out-of-instinct situation for them? The questions started to fill her mind, making it harder for her to make a single decision.
"Come on, Mrs. Amare," Keiko chimed in, kneeling beside the pink haired Necromancer. "We'll make sure you're well cared for in our guild!" She chirped, before giving Amare a sudden surprise hug, as they heard a chuckle from Caelum.
"She really does have my inherited kindness. That's someone worthy of the Caelum name for ya." Caelum hummed, placing his hands in his pocket.
Silence filled the room for a few minutes, as Keiko finally removed herself from hugging the tiny Necromancer. Amare, who was the one who did the most thinking than Altum, finally spoke up. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to look after your great grand-children, old friend..." Altum finally smiled, wrapping an arm around Amare, trying not to shift his weight on her as he gave her a hug of his own.
"I guess that settles that, then." Caelum sighed, waiting for Altum to finish his hug before the Therian wraith can approach the two of them and gave them a hug, as the old couple returned a hug of their own. "It's a shame we only got to see you after so long..." Altum sniffed, feeling tears come to his eyes.
"I know, bro... But I'll always be watching over you all, waiting to fight by your side as a wraith." Caelum reassured the elderly Celestrian male, before finally vanishing, as the two separate from the spot where Caelum once stood.
"Need a hand?" Charon queried, extending his hands to the two Celestrians. They each extend on hand of theirs to take his hand, as he helped them up. Korey let out a huge sigh of relief, as the red haired dragoon turned his attention to the brown haired fencer.
"A bit tired or something?" He inquired, seeing Korey's blue eyes gaze at him. "A little," Korey replied. "But I'm also glad we also stopped more deaths from happening."
Drayce simply smirked and patted Korey's back. "Well, I can allow your guild to stay at my guild house for tonight. Think of it as thanks for letting us help out with this treasure hunt." He disclosed, getting the fencer to perk up from his nearly exhausted state.
"That would be great, Drayce. Thanks." Korey hummed, as the dragoon let out a simple 'no problem' in response.
Blayke approached the two males. "I hate to interrupt, but Drayce, you should probably report the news of the two ancient treasures to Ramus." He suggested, seeing Drayce place a hand on his hip. "Don't worry, we'll get to it. Ramus will be pleased to hear about this."
Hilda tiled her head upon hearing Drayce speak something about Ramus. "Ramus is interested in treasure?" She queried, getting a smirk from the dragoon. "Yeah, that's the whole reason me and my guild are out exploring the labyrinth." He replied, before turning to Zohar and Kamali.
"Zohar, Kamali, I want you to take the rest of the Lux Guild back to the Crescentia. Me, Korey, the Therian twins, and the elderly Celestrians will speak with Ramus about the treasure we found." He issued, as the two Celestrians nodded in confirmation. "Hopefully by the time you'll be back, dinner would be ready." Blayke commented, overhearing the conversation at hand.
Drayce couldn't help but chuckle at his best friend, before making a motion to get going to the Crescentia. The dark skinned Necromancer called out to the other members of the Lux Guild, urging them to follow them as they make their way out of the labyrinth. Korey soon turned to see Amare and Altum holding each other's hand.
"Do you two do that often?" Korey mindlessly asked, as the two Celestrians halted a few feet in front of him. "We do it a lot more often than you think. It's more for the safety of our hearts that we know we stand together as husband and wife." Altum argued, quickly shutting down the conversation as quick as it began, as the fencer merely nodded in understanding.
Since the limit of an Ariadne Thread was limited to five guild members, the group of six had to walk out of the labyrinth, taking note of the guard who watched over the chickens was burying the corpses of the mercenaries. Guess Ion must have told the guard what happened, so he the one guard in the labyrinth to work with burying the remains of his old friends. Korey let out a sigh as they make it past the guard, who waved at Drayce.
"Are you still upset that you were unable to save the mercenaries?" Keiko asked, seeing Korey nod his head in response to her question. "It hurts, but I was hoping we weren't too late... And here I'm worried we might not make it for anyone else we meet." He continued, trying not to let his sadness get the best of him.
"Relax, Korey," Altum spoke up, as the fencer glanced at the elderly Celestrian. "Don't dwell on it too much. You managed to save a few people from death's grasp, and that's all that counts, right?" The gray haired Celestrian asked, letting the fencer dwell on it, hearing Korey utter 'yeah'.
The group soon reaches the stairs, back on the trail to head to the Council Hall in town. Walking from the entrance to the hall wasn't that long, as they got there relatively in time to see a passing guild walk by them, seemingly done with their business with Ramus. Drayce motions for the group to follow him, not wasting a second longer.
Korey perks up to see Ramus adjusting some things on his desk. Something like, books or something, it wasn't important at the moment. The young prince does eventually look in their direction, letting out a sigh of relief upon seeing Drayce and Korey.
"Ah, Drayce, Korey. Didn't expect to see you here together." Ramus greeted, as the group before them sat down on some nearby chairs. "Well, Drayce and his guild assisted us with the recover of two sacred treasures we believe might peak your interest." Korey explained, doing his best not to yawn mid-sentence.
Ramus turned to see Keiko and Demetria both having items they previously did not have on them before, before turning to see the married Celestrians. "I suppose these two Celestrians are with you, guys?" Ramus queried.
"They're with my guild, your majesty," Korey began. "They helped us retrieve the weapons from the box we found on the first floor." He explained, as Amare and Altum soon quickly bowed to Ramus.
"I'm Amare... and this is my husband, Altum." Amare introduced herself, along with her husband. "You see, we're from an era that eventually reached a certain part of the year where the Legendary War takes place in. Though you're free to interpret us as survivors of the war, if it pleases you." Altum began, seeing Ramus' expression change in surprise upon him hearing that the two were survivors of the ancient war.
"That's interesting... Survivors of the Legendary War. That's something I never thought would happen..." Ramus muttered to himself, before looking back at the two Celestrians.
"I am Prince Ramus. It's an honor to meet with survivors of the Legendary War, so I hope I'm not bothering you two so much with questions..." Ramus introduced himself to the two Celestrians.
"You're fine, Prince Ramus... We've been asked many questions in the past, it makes no difference." Amare commented, before Ramus' attention soon faces the twin Therians.
"I've noticed Keiko and Demetria both have new items..." Ramus began, seeing Korey lean forward in the corner of his eye. "The items they got are the two treasure's we speak of." Korey disclosed, as Keiko held the necklace up so Ramus can see the beads more clearly.
"This necklace belonged to me and Demetria's ancestor, who was given great amount of benevolence upon wearing it. It also allowed us to see wraiths and spirits with good intentions, revealing what they look like originally." The Masurao described, soon unhooking the necklace so Ramus can easily see the necklace in his hand, as he looks at the necklace a couple of times.
"Most interesting... a necklace that allows one to see ghosts and wraiths. A strange concept, but an interesting treasure, nonetheless." Ramus commented, giving the necklace back to Keiko.
Keiko attempted to recall what the name of the necklace was- she kind of forgotten it when the whole ordeal in the labyrinth occurred. "It's called the Yasakani no Magatama." Amare chimed in, as Keiko thanks her for reminding her of the name.
"Regardless," Demetria began, after helping Keiko place the necklace back on. "This weapon Caelum- our ancestor, used is a rather mysterious bow."
The female Rover shows the him the bow, as he looks at the full design of the bow. "Mysterious in what way, may I ask?" He queried.
Demetria gulped, unsure if she wanted to discuss any further on it. "Come on, sis. Don't keep him waiting!" Keiko assured her sister, putting her hand on her shoulder.
It took a while for Demetria to muster up her courage to speak. "T-The bow uses miasma-shaped arrows to try and petrify the enemy." She finally explained.
Ramus placed a hand on his chin, most curious by what she explained. "Miasma-inducing petrify? Sounds rather dangerous if it got in the wrong hands. I suppose it was a good thing you and the Angelward Guild found it first."
Demetria could only muster a tiny smile. "I suppose so... guess it was also why Caelum didn't use it in the Legendary War- to prevent those with evil intentions from getting their hands on it. The Aeterna has quite the mysterious origin..." She commented, telling the prince the origin of how the bow came into Therian hands.
The prince nodded with intrigue. "Most interesting... Perhaps you will likely find the origin of the Aeterna if you traverse through Yggdrasil." He wondered, wanting to know more about how the bow was made.
Ramus turned to Drayce and Korey, with a rather pleased smile upon his face. "I suppose this discovery of ancient treasure will be shared alongside the both of you, since the two guilds worked in co-operation to obtain them." Ramus began, as Korey couldn't help but chuckle.
"I dunno, I feel like it was rather simple, at best." Korey argued. "Yeah, as if having to fight another guild to ensure these two Celestrians over here weren't dying is what I would call 'simple'." Demetria commented, getting a stare from the fencer, and a chuckle from Ramus.
"Regardless of how or what happened to get the treasure, I trust that Keiko and Demetria will make sure that these treasures do not fall into the wrong hands." Ramus continued, picking up where he left off earlier. "We'll do our best, your highness." The twin Therians responded simultaneously, catching them a bit off guard before giggling at each other and scratched their heads. Ramus couldn't help but smile at how adorable their connection is.
"Sun's nearly set." Altum spoke up, as everyone turns to see Altum look through a window. "I hear it might get cold tonight, so the sooner we head out, the less we'll face the cold." He added.
Cold wasn't Amare's favorite temperature to be around. No less due to not having that much clothes, she always had to zip up her hoodie just to ensure that she wouldn't be cold. "Just wish I had an extra layer of clothes..." She sighed, feeling rather bummed about having to deal with the cold.
Keiko looked at Demetria, before looking at Amare. "Then I guess that settles it! We're gonna shop for clothes!" Keiko hummed, grabbing Amare's hand and pulled her out of her seat.
"R-Right now?! Are you crazy?!" Amare shouted, as Keiko and the tiny Necromancer left the Council Hall, leaving Demetria to sigh and get up.
"I'll keep an eye on them. We'll meet at the Crescentia when we're finished." She groaned. Although her sister is persistent, she had to keep an eye on her, regardless, as she called out to Beta to follow her, to which the hound obeyed without delay.
Korey couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "Those two are inseparable twins..." He hummed, getting up from his chair, alongside Drayce and Altum.
The boys thank Ramus for taking the time to talk to him, as he wishes them a good afternoon, seeing the three boys walk out of the Council Hall.