"Father!"

Ashton lurched forward as a pair of small arms encircled his neck. He chuckled as Arawn held on, kicking his legs about as Ashton turned around.

"Huh? Ah, my mistake, I thought I heard someone calling me," Ashton grunted, shading his eyes with one hand as he exaggeratedly looked around. "By the goddess, but there's no one around! I wonder who could have called out to me?"

Arawn proceeded to try his best to keep from laughing, failing in the end as he dropped down and spun around Ashton.

"Ah, there's a fine young man. Do you know the person who called my name a second ago?" Ashton asked, crossing his arms.

Arawn pursed his lips and shook his head. "Nuh uh. I don't know nothing."

"It is 'do not know anything', Arawn," Seiros sighed, "I have you to thank for this, Ashton. He picks up these phrases from you."

Ashton chuckled. "Let him talk the way he wants while it's still acceptable, my love."

In Imperial Year 46, such luxuries as spending time together as a family were few and far between, what with preparations for Nemesis' next possible invasion and the many other issues that needed addressing within the Empire. And yet, Ashton, Seiros, and their son were able to find a spot of time for them to spend together, out upon the open fields of Enbarr. Disguised, of course, in Seiros' case, though Arawn required little other than a hairstyle change to hide his ancestry.

Sometimes it was difficult to see anything of himself in Arawn, if Ashton was being honest. His hair was a darker green than his mother's, but he held some of her finer features, and definitely had her eyes. With the pointed ears from his Nabatean side, the only thing that seemed to come from Ashton was the slightly darker skin tone. The young boy even wore a braid like his mother, such was the length of his hair.

Even still, Ashton noticed himself in the boy's temperament. He remembered being Arawn's age, and he had acted almost exactly the same with his own father. Ashton ignored the pang that struck his chest at that thought before he hoisted his son up by his arms.

"Besides, Arawn's focusing on his studies, isn't that right?" Ashton said, watching his son squirm about trying to break free.

"Don't make me go with Lady Griselda again!" he begged, and Ashton could see him trying to put his hands together in a praying gesture. "Yes! Yes, I do my studies! You know I always do!"

"Good!" Ashton said. "Now, should I throw you like a football? Perhaps we will strike Uncle Macuil in the face."

"Do it!" Arawn shouted.

"You are not going to throw our son," Seiros said, her voice cutting through the air like a cold wind.

Ashton shrugged. "Sorry, kid. God-Queen said we couldn't do it."

Seiros scoffed. "I do hope he does not pick up your incorrigibility. I can barely stand one of you. The thought of two frightens me beyond compare."

"That hurt. A lot," Ashton sniffed. "Are you saying you do not love me?"

"I am saying that you are a cad," Seiros replied, not taking the bait. "And a scoundrel, though I suppose there is a certain charm about you. I would not be here otherwise."

Ashton smiled. "I love you too."

Arawn, who had been placed on the ground, made a gagging sound as Ashton turned to him with a brow raised.

"What's the matter, boy? You do not like your parents showing affection?" Ashton asked.

Arawn looked away, his arms behind his back as if he wasn't the one who made the sounds.

"This petulant child," Ashton sighed, "In a few years time, you will understand. I am sure of it."

"I dunno," Arawn replied, "I don't feel anything yet."

"Oh, but you will," Ashton laughed. "Reminds me of one of my cousins. I never saw him often but he swore up and down that he would never get married. Said he didn't like girls. For a long while I just thought he didn't swing that way, but then his sister told me…"

Ashton stopped for a moment, his eyes glazing over as he looked off into the distance. Seiros frowned at that, looking to Arawn who had a confused look on his face.

"My son, perhaps a game is in order, before the sunshine fades," Seiros said. "I will count to ten, and you find someplace to hide. I will look for you, but if I do not find you for ten minutes, show yourself. Does that sound like fun?"

"Is it training? It sounds like training," Arawn asked.

Seiros smiled. "Yes. You can see it as that. Now hurry, I will begin counting any moment now."

Arawn looked between Ashton and Seiros and gave his mother a thumbs up, before scarpering off. Seiros kept her gaze on him for a moment before turning to Ashton.

"You miss them, do you not? You think of them," she stated, moving forward and placing a hand against his shoulder.

"I have not thought of them in a long time," Ashton replied, his voice tired and strained. "I do not know why it hit me just then. This is one of the few times where we can act like a family and yet-!"

"It is not your fault," Seiros interrupted, trailing her finger up until she touched the side of his neck.

"They were gone before me," Ashton said, closing his eyes. "I would not be surprised if they are out there, somewhere. I know I spoke of this a long while ago, but it has only just hit me: I have been here for fourteen years. I have you. I have our son. I will never be able to return to my world permanently. Perhaps I will never receive that chance. And the most disturbing part is that I do not think I mind anymore."

Seiros looked down. "Once our business here is done, you know that I will follow you wherever you may go, right?"

Ashton opened his eyes. "Yeah, I know. We will need to find a way on our own. Even if the goddess herself brought me here, the way back might not be so simple. And if she is the reason Alex and Liz were sent away as well, then they may have a role to play yet."

"I can only reiterate what I told you before," Seiros said, moving her hand up until she cupped Ashton's cheek. "If we find them, I will welcome them with open arms. And if they find themselves under Nemesis' sway, I will do everything within my power to bring them to us."

Ashton's lips quivered slightly before his expression hardened, and he nodded.

"Thank you," he whispered, closing his eyes again and he leaned into Seiros' touch. "For everything."

"It is I who should be thanking you, silly man," Seiros said, smiling. "Where would I be without you at my side, I wonder?"

"Let's hope we never have to find out, eh?" Ashton replied.

Seiros leaned forward and kissed him deeply.

That vision of peace Ashton had grown accustomed was shattered mere days after his outing with Seiros and Arawn.

It had begun. Nemesis returned.

A beleaguered scout from the Ailell River Valley had returned with claw marks visible on his chest, cutting through his leather tunic. The fact the poor bastard was even walking was a surprise to Ashton. Of course, that information paled in comparison to the fact that the clawmarks were almost as big as his entire torso.

"Get ahold of yourself, man. Tell us what you saw! We already know it was Nemesis; who else?" Ashton shouted, holding the man in his arms.

At the gates of Enbarr, the final words spoken by the scout sent chills down Ashton's spine.

"M-monsters… things of scales, claws, and teeth. Goddess help us…"

The scout breathed his last, and Ashton turned to the knights and guards that surrounded him.

"Alert the Emperor. Summon the Saints. Nemesis has returned, and it will be ugly."

It had happened so fast, Ashton could barely believe it. After so long since Nemesis' last excursion, he half-expected the damned bandit to have finally given up his ways. Of course, a part of Ashton always knew better. That traitorous voice in the back of his head that always whispered such horrific things was occasionally right.

Within an hour, the grand hall of the Imperial Palace was filled the bursting with nobility and knights alike. Ashton stood in his usual place, among the Knights of Seiros, yet everyone else seemed disorganized and panicking, if not from the news that Nemesis returned, then from the ominous words the scout had uttered before dying.

Neither Emperor Wilhelm nor Seiros seemed to be able to get the nobility under control. Too many voices were speaking out. Ashton watched and waited, knowing that something was going to break eventually.

When Seiros' voice drowned out all others, almost as if she was speaking in her dragon form, Ashton stood at attention.

"Enough of this foolishness!" she snarled, slamming her fists into her podium. "I will have order in this chamber! I raised you from perdition not to argue, but to cooperate, and cooperate you shall!"

The room fell silent at Seiros' declaration, and Ashton restrained himself from audibly breathing out a sigh of relief.

"Nemesis' forces are numerous, but not infinite," she said, pushing herself away from her podium. "His strength is great, but our belief in the goddess is greater. Will you so easily fall upon your own blades rather than face him?"

"No, my lady," one of the nobles spoke up. A gaunt man with black hair, Ashton almost mistook him for a vampire. "But the news from this lone scout is telling, is it not? We have not heard further reports, and this tale of monsters has us… concerned."

"Whatever foul creations Nemesis has brought on our shores, we will destroy them just as surely as we will the man himself," Macuil spoke up. The surly saint had returned from Fhirdiad weeks prior, ostensibly to test some new creation of his own, but Ashton was not privy to the details. "I believe this is a fine opportunity, should this tale hold any weight."

Ashton did not miss the way Seiros' eye twitched. "Are you questioning my Knights?"

"Not at all. The account of a lone, dying scout is cause enough for concern," Macuil admitted. "You will see what I mean soon enough. It was only a matter of time before Nemesis found something new to use against us. Luckily, I have something to use against him."

"We will speak of your project later, Macuil," Seiros hissed, stepping back to her podium. "Know this, nobility of the Empire, loyal subjects of the goddess: she has not abandoned you, no matter what horrors Nemesis brings upon us. Know the with every monstrosity he unleashes, the goddess will deal unto him a thousand-fold."

We cannot expect the goddess to do all the work.

With the combined forces of Fhirdiad and Enbarr, there would be an army strong and big enough to combat whatever Nemesis had conjured.

Other scouts had poured in since the first, all in various states of injury, with several dying upon finally making it to Enbarr. All of them spoke of draconic monstrosities with glowing red eyes peering at them from behind hollowed sockets. Some were even winged, taking to the skies to pursue them long after they had outrun the bulk of the horde.

Confidentially, Ashton was worried. He could fight men, had been doing so since he had arrived, but fighting monstrous beasts was something he felt was beyond him, even with his Crest. Of course, that could just be the fear speaking; he was much stronger than before, and even before he had received his Crest he had fought against wyvern riders and lived.

When Saint Macuil rolled out his answer to the talk of 'monsters' under Nemesis' command, Ashton felt his stomach sink.

They were things of metal and wood – or what appeared like wood, at least, with cast iron faces that stared forward with spade-shaped heads. Others were even more terrible to look at, with what looked like gold and silver plate armor, knightly helmets, and lions emblazoned on their chests. It was said they would be accompanying the Adrestian army as they marched to the east, and Ashton felt sick at the prospect.

Nemesis' army had made landfall at an odd little village to the northeast, amongst houses floating on the sea. From what little the scouts could say, the village itself had remained practically untouched. Nemesis' forces occupied it, but the people remained unharmed.

Judging from the extent of the injuries dealt to their scouts, however, Ashton knew that the same courtesy was not being extended to those under the banner of the Church. Not that he expected as such. Nemesis was destined to die at Seiros' hands, and Ashton would be there at her side. Even if his plans had been altered, it did not mean that Nemesis was a monster no longer.

"You find them to be unsettling too, I take it?" Roland said, watching alongside Ashton as the golems, as they were called, moved through the streets of Enbarr. They were gathering outside of the walls, where they would wait until the army was ready to march.

"Why do they have faces?" Ashton hissed, "That is the part that gets to me the most, Roland. He put faces on them. I cannot help but feel they are staring at me as they walk past."

"Perhaps Saint Macuil has acquired a taste for the macabre," Roland suggested.

"Maybe. These are weapons of war, of defense, and yet they are intimidating to the people they are sworn to protect. I hope they prove effective," Ashton replied, crossing his arms.

With the sun setting, Ashton could feel his heart calming down. He let out a sigh.

"I was hoping this would be over already. Is this what we are destined to do, for eternity?" Ashton asked.

"We have been at war for nearly half our lives, even if it is filled with times of peace," Roland answered, placing his hands behind his back. "But there is something different this time. Surely you have felt it as well."

There was some truth to Roland's words, Ashton would admit. Ever since they had received the news that Nemesis had returned, he could feel his stomach churn, almost like he was coming down with an illness. He still felt fine physically, but mentally it was like he was looking down the edge of a sword.

"Yes, I have. And I do not like it," Ashton replied, running a hand down his face. "This will be the first real conflict in over five years, Roland. I am nervous."

"I would say you have nothing to be nervous about, but we with both know it would be a lie," Roland said.

"Well, that makes me feel better," Ashton mumbled, watching as the last of the golems walked through the streets, their robotic movements catching his eye.

"Look, my friend. There is nothing we can do about that. Nothing. Just look forward, not back. Push yourself to greater heights. And if something should happen upon this next battle, know that we will be with you, always." Roland said, placing a hand on Ashton's shoulder.

Ashton nodded. "And I with you, as well, old friend. These past fourteen years have been full of bloodshed and war, but I will never forget you, or anyone else. You and the others have made these years worth living."

Roland smiled. "I am pleased to hear you say so. When this is over, and we can finally look upon this world, perhaps we will turn inward, and save ourselves. Problems plague the Adrestian Empire even now, and I will not allow us to suffer them for long."

"One thing at a time, Roland," Ashton said, "first, we deal with Nemesis."

"I am going to attempt it, Ashton," Seiros said bitterly, placing her hands upon the sill of her balcony, overlooking the city of Enbarr. "I am done. I want him gone, no matter the cost. It ends here."

"I understand," Ashton said, standing beside her. "I just- be careful, alright? I know you're strong. I have seen you enough times on the battlefield to be assured of that. But still, I cannot help but think…"

"You think of Zanado," Seiros finished, closing her eyes as she hung her head. "Oftentimes I find myself doing the very same. You were not there, when he and his fellows butchered our people, fashioned their remains into wicked abominations. I would do anything to go back as I am now and prevent that atrocity. But I cannot, and I will not abandon my duty now. Not while he draws breath."

"And I will not abandon you," Ashton declared, looking up to the stars, so clear in the night sky. "I will stand by you until the very end. I promise."

Promises are meant to be broken.

Seiros opened her eyes and turned to Ashton, taking his hand in hers. "I know you will, my dear Ashton. And I will keep my own promise, once this is all over."

Ashton stood there for a moment, before a small laugh escaped him. Seiros tilted her head in confusion.

"Does something amuse you?" she asked.

Ashton waved his other hand. "Not so much that. I suppose I was just reflecting on all that has happened. I feel so different, you know? Fourteen years ago, I would never imagine being in a situation like this. All of this. If I take a step back and look at it for what it is, it just all seems so crazy."

"I am glad you are able to find some humor in that, at least," Seiros replied, turning her head slightly and moving an errant strand of hair away from her face.

"Not so much humor, really," Ashton said, shaking his head. "Sure, the circumstances behind this, all of this, is so far out there I cannot even… well, I cannot even. I know that makes no sense, but it is what I feel."

"Ashton. My dear Ashton. You do not make sense a majority of the time. I would not be so bold as to expect as such from you right now," Seiros replied, turning to him with a smirk on her face.

"That hurts. It hit me right here, in my soul," Ashton whispered, placing a hand against his heart. "Maybe I should just leave; I am clearly not appreciated here-"

Seiros grasped his hand as he moved to turn away. Without warning she lunged forward and kissed Ashton on the lips, placing her hands behind his head so that he had no way of moving. Ashton closed his eyes, enjoying the contact for all it was worth. It was so often that they could go days or weeks without seeing each other; whenever they were allowed to show themselves to each other, it was automatically the best day he'd ever had. Until the next time.

When they parted, Ashton moved his hand up and cupped Seiros cheek. She leaned into his touch, placing her own hand across his as she closed her eyes. For another moment, she stayed like that, as content as Ashton had ever seen her. When she opened her eyes again, her eyes brightened.

"I love you, Ashton. You know that, right?" she murmured.

"This would be very awkward if you didn't," Ashton chuckled.

"And no matter what happens out there, in the coming battle or in the years that follows, know that I will treasure you and the time we spent together, always," Seiros continued, "This is so very nearly perfect, all of this. I wish she was here, to witness this. To see her children and her children's children. Perhaps she is, as you said. Maybe that will have to be enough for now."

Ashton frowned. "Do you have that feeling in your gut too?"

Seiros' lips trembled. "I would be lying if I said I was not. I cannot place it. We have a counter for these monsters we hear tell of, but even so, this ill feeling, it is so strange. It almost feels like the day before… before Zanado."

That caused a shiver to race up Ashton's spine. Instinctively, he held Seiros close, and she did not resist. She nuzzled into his chest, the warmth from a moment prior eclipsed by trepidation.

Ashton resolved to himself that, whatever he was feeling was going to happen, would not come to pass. He would do everything within his power to ensure that everything would be alright.

Promises are meant to be broken.

On the eve of their departure of Enbarr, Ashton saw his son one last time. Seiros had already gone off into the fields in her full regalia, having said her goodbyes already, and Ashton was eager to join her and the Knights of Seiros. That horrible pit in his stomach refused to go away, even as he met with Hera and saw his son.

Still a child of only seven, Ashton picked him up and hugged him.

"When will you be back?" Arawn asked, his voice quiet as his arms barely reached around Ashton's torso.

"I can't answer that, kiddo," Ashton whispered, "could be anywhere from a few weeks to a few months, but I'll be back. We'll be back."

"Mother was worried," Arawn said, "she didn't wanna say she was but I could tell. She was shaking."

"Your mother has gone through a lot. Of course she's scared," Ashton said, placing his son down.

"Are you?" Arawn asked, looking up at Ashton with big green eyes.

Ashton looked up, trying his best to ignore the clawing dread in his stomach.

"You kidding me? Not a bit," Ashton replied, pounding his chest once. "Your old man has a lot of fight in him, kid. Don't worry about it. When we get back we'll go out again, get some fresh air, you know? Away from all this. Hopefully by that time all this will be over for good. No more hiding, no more fighting. Just the three of us."

Arawn's lips trembled, and he lunged forward and hugged Ashton's legs. "I-I'd like that."

Seeing his son at the verge of tears was almost too much for Ashton. He knelt and hugged his boy again, feeling his small body wracked with sobs after another moment. A part of him wanted to stay. A part of him never wanted to fight again; it was too risky. The uncountable events that he would be missing if he never returned from battle was staggering.

In the end, however, Hera placed her hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts as Arawn disentangled himself from Ashton, and scarpered off, probably towards his room, if Ashton had to guess.

"It's time, Ashton," Hera said quietly. "You know I will take care of him. I always have."

"Thank you, Hera," Ashton murmured, "thank you for everything these past few years."

Hera giggled. "You make it seem as if we will never see each other again."

Ashton shrugged. "I have had an awful feeling about this coming battle. Do not tell Arawn I said that. Seiros felt it too. If something happens to me, please take care of him. I do not have anything to give you even if you do, but I-!"

"Ashton, by the goddess, not another word," Hera said, shutting Ashton up. "You will return, and everything here will be waiting for you. I do not want to hear anymore of this fatalistic talk. Now, get out there and show them what a Knight of Seiros can do, soldier boy."

Ashton barked a laugh. "Do you mean 'soldier man'? I'm over thirty, I'll have you know."

"Decades younger than me, and until you get to that point you'll always be a boy to me," Hera said, smiling smugly. "And take care of Seiros while you are out there, alright? And Cichol too. That man, honestly, some of the wounds I have seen him return with are horrific."

Ashton merely nodded and made for the door.

Above all else, Ashton prayed that it would not be the last time he saw either of them.

I promise I'm gonna stop teasing this so goddamn much. I promise. The next chapter is the last one that completely takes place in the past, lol.

Anyway, here's a link to our Discord server: discord .gg/9XG3U7a

See you guys next time!