Because what else would you call this chapter?


I woke up to my phone ringing. Really quietly. I pushed myself up and looked at the edge of my bed, where I usually kept my phone as it was plugged in. It wasn't there, and it wasn't on the unfamiliar nightstand. I swung myself out of bed and began searching the shuffled layout of my room. Actually, it wasn't shuffled. Nor was it my room, I was starting to remember. Technically it was my room, but, ya know. I searched the pile of clothes at the foot of my bed and found the ringing device in the pocket of my bathrobe. I looked at the screen and saw 'McDonald's' across the top. Oh, fock. I had work today! But it was five in the morning. Was it even Saturday? Eventually, the ringing stopped, and sure enough, it wasn't Saturday; it was Friday. I cursed them and crawled back into bed. "Wait." Why did I have service? Sure enough, there were four full bars next to 'AT&T' and three bars of wifi. And my phone was still at one hundred percent. "What in the hey?" I got back up, searched through the clothes again, and found my wireless earbuds. I connected them to my phone and saw that they had a full battery, as well, even though they should have been at about half charge. Wait, my phone shouldn't've been at one hundred, either. "What in the world is going on?" I checked my phone's clock. Five-o-four. I put it down and brought it back up again. Five-o-four. Until it changed to five-o-five. I wasn't dreaming. But was I home now? Or was I still in… Askr or whatever it was called.

I opened the heavy wooden door into the rest of the suite and turned on my phone's flashlight. Scanning the room, I saw the large wooden desk and its big leather chair, the fireplace and its surrounding furniture, the kitchenette, and the bookshelves. Realizing that I was still in Askr, I went back to bed.

Nah, I wake up at six anyway; I'll just stay up and listen to music. I woke up my phone, turned down the brightness, put it on low power mode and airplane mode, and shuffle-played all of my downloaded music. Setting it on the nightstand, I rolled over. Then I rolled back over to turn it up.


"Sunao ni I love you!" I sang quietly to myself as I closed the door to my suite. "Dadada kitto you love me!" I turned around and recoiled at Azura's amber eyes looking into mine.

"That's a nice song," she said with a smile.

"Uh… Thanks."

"Do you know the rest of it?"

"Uh, no."

"Ah. That's a shame. It's quite different from the other songs from Hoshido. Much faster and a lot more upbeat than anything I've ever heard."

"Huh."

"Do you at least remember the name of it?"

"No, sorry," I lied.

"I see. Well, I'm afraid I must be going; Ms. Anna wanted to talk to me this morning. I'll see you at breakfast."

"Bye."

Hoshido?


"I heard Maxis singing a fascinating song as I was going to meet Ms. Anna," Azura said.

Oh no.

"Really?" Sharena questioned. "What was it?"

Oh no!

"It went, 'Sunao ni I love you,' then something that I didn't quite catch, and lastly, 'Kitto you love me!' It was really quite charming."

I turned away from the two women slightly.

Sharena giggled. "That's so cute!"

I cringed.

"I wonder what it means, though," the blonde continued.

"It translates to 'Honestly, I love you,' and 'I'm sure you love me.'"

She is Japanese!

Sharena laughed again. "Aww, that's so sweet! Who's it about, Maxis?"

I elected to be silent.

"Maxis?"

"No one," I grunted.

"Oh."

I sighed quietly. "I's just a general love song, from any man t' any woman."

"Oh! Of course!"


We were back on the trail, and I had my earbuds in once again. At the back of the group, I bobbed my head back and forth to Hawks and Eagles. A noise startled me, and I pulled out an earbud. "What are you doing?" Anna asked from the front of the group.

"Huh?"

"You were waving your head around. Are you alright?"

"Yeah."

"Then, what were you doing?"

I paused for a moment. Nothin' for it. "I was listening to music."

"What? How?"

I held up one of the buds. "Earbuds."

"What?"

"Earbuds."

"What are those?" Sharena asked.

"They're…" I paused. How do you explain technology to the medieval? I chuckled, a large smile breaking out across my face. "Uh… They… Jeez, how do I explain this?" I paused for a long time. "I dunno, they're earbuds—best I can do," I said with an amused breath.

"What do they do?" Maria asked.

"You… put them in your ears. And then they play music."

"Then why didn't you just say that?" Anna questioned.

"Because… Look, it's not that easy!"

"It is that easy!"

"But—! Like—!"

"How do they work?" Maria asked.

"Y—! There, ya see?! It's not that easy!"

"It's magic; you don't need to explain it."

"It's—! What?! It's not magic!"

"It's not?" Maria questioned.

"No, it's— It's electricity!"

"And what's that?" Anna asked.

"I don't know how it works; it just does." I cracked a smile. "It's magic."

"Then why did you say it wasn't magic?"

"Because it's not magic; it's science!"

The commander rolled her eyes. "I know about as much as either of them. And that's not a lot, I'll admit."

"Wai', what?!"

Alfonse coughed into his fist. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we've arrived at the gateway."

"Good," Anna replied. She turned to me. "We can continue this at another time."
"Uh, yeah." Anna marched through the gateway, and everyone else followed behind her. For whatever reason, I hesitated, a feeling of dread passing over me. If I stepped through, I was going to fall.

I stepped through. "Oh."

"What was that, Maxis?" the commander spoke.

"What? Oh! Nothing! What d'ya need?"

"A strategy. What'cha got?"

"Oh, right!" I looked out at the field—the enemy was across a river that just kind of… s-stopped…? Wha— What…? Anyways, then there was a… forest… at the end. There's really no way to describe it. Describe it well. Anyways—and saw two cavaliers, an archer, and a red-haired boy with yet another fancy sword. "Who's that?"

"That's Lord Roy," Bartre spoke. "Just like his father, he's a natural leader and fantastic swordsman."

"…Uhhh-huh…" I put my hand to my chin. "Virion…," I muttered. "Because of course… Sharena… Then…" I looked between the three people with axes. "Gunter would be the best option here, wouldn't he?"

"You mean for the cavaliers?" the knight asked. "Yes, that is a good decision."

"I was thinking just for the lance cavalier, but if you can take on the other one, too, then that would be much appreciated. Just stay safe out there first."

"Thank you. I will be sure to be on my highest guard."

"And the fourth?" Anna asked.

"Fourth?" I questioned. "Oh, I suppose it would balance out the teams. But who…?" I looked at all of the others. "I guess Alfonse would be our best bet." I looked at the four assembled. "Hey, we have a sword, a lance, and an axe on the team; that covers the entire weapon triangle! I think we'll keep that up in the future, too."

"Sounds like a good idea!" Sharena commented.

"But there are no axe users on the enemy's side," Anna noted.

"Well, we don't have any other lancers on horseback," I replied.

"What about Azura? She was able to hold her own quite well against Xander."

"Oh yeah…" I winced at the memory. "But that was different; she knew what to expect."

"Xander, being a Hero, was a much more formidable opponent, though. If you're worried about how dangerous cavaliers are, they're not much more trouble than infantry unless there are multiple riders in a group."

"Yeah, cavalry charges, right?"

"Mm-hm," Anna hummed with a nod. She furrowed her brow for a moment. "I just realized that we haven't used either of our dancers yet."

I cocked an eyebrow. "Huh?"

The commander turned to the cotton candy duo. "Olivia, Azura, you're both dancers, right?"

"Yes, I am," the blue-haired woman spoke.

"O-oh dear…! I, uh, have been told that I'm good at it, but… not really…," the pink-haired girl murmured.

"Nonsense, my dear Olivia!" our boisterous archer all but shouted. "Your dancing is as the wind flowing through the trees! A gentle breeze on a beautiful summer's day!"

Anna coughed into her fist. "Yes, well, I recommend that we try utilizing their skills," she said to me.

I stared at her for a bit before forcing my eyes away from everyone. Anna must have known exactly what I was thinking as she rested a hand on my shoulder and pulled me away. "This is about your little… problem, isn't it?" she asked in a low voice.

"Yeah... And no."

"I seeee… " The redhead sighed. "I understand your concern, but… Look, it'll be just fine, okay?"

I nodded. "I'm feeling… decent… about the personal issue, but there's also the matter of sending a… scantily clad woman onto a battlefield."

"Maxis, she's a dancer; she— Hold on. Do you not have dancers in your world?"

I grimaced. "I don't think it would be correct to say yes or no to that. In terms of women on the battlefield, there are female soldiers, but women don't really have a special role in the military; they're treated about the same as the men." I cracked a smile. "We're very progressive about that sort of thing, using gender-neutral terms like expendable, cannon-fodder, and meat shield."

Anna frowned. "A-anyway, dancers are a valuable asset to an army. They can, as their name implies, dance for allies and inspire them to fight harder."

My eyes drifted away. "That still doesn't sound… great… to me."

"They're not prostitutes," the commander deadpanned.

I pursed my lips. "…That— Sure."

"Look, just give them a shot, and I'm sure you'll see how useful they are."

"Okay, fine." We returned to the others, and while not looking directly at the pink-haired woman, said. "Olivia, you'll be our sword user in this battle."

"I-I will be?! O-o-okay… I'll… I'll do my best!"

"And myself, Summoner?" the prince asked.

"Oh, uh… I guess you can sit this one out." I scratched the back of my head. "…Sorry."

"It's quite alright."

"Okay. Uh, get in there!"

"You got it!" Sharena exclaimed. She turned to our mounted knight. "Gunter, may I ride with you to battle?"

"Of course, Princess." He held out his hand, and Sharena climbed up behind Gunter before the armored man spurred his horse onto the field. At the position where they would meet the enemy, the princess dropped down and readied her shield for the two cavaliers approaching, the knight ready behind her to come to her aid. Virion moved forward and knocked an arrow while Olivia hid behind his back. Roy and the Emblians moved to meet their opponents, the two cavaliers rushing towards Sharena and Gunter. Simultaneously, the opposing archer made for a spot to shoot arrows from across the river. Virion and Olivia dodged the bolt from the enemy, and Virion countered with his own, the projectile hitting the other man in the heart. Sharena blocked a sword strike from one of the cavaliers and stabbed the man in the stomach. The other cavalier's lance darted towards Gunter, but the knight in black held up an arm, knocking the lance away. He grabbed the shaft, trapping his opponent's weapon. In one swing, Gunter lifted his giant axe into the man's neck, blood spurting high and onto his face.

Something cold washed over me. Sharena turned to the upright corpse, blood staining her. The sword-wielding cavalier's eyes widened, and he urged his horse away from his friend, clutching his bleeding gut.

The only one who moved was Roy. He charged Sharena as she continued to gape at the scene. He brought his sword back, readying a thrust at the girl.

"Sharena!" Gunter shouted. She turned towards the red-haired lord, reacting as a frightened child would rather than a warrior. Gunter's horse slammed into her, knocking her to the ground. The sword knicked one of the horse's legs, and Gunter's axe fell towards the redhead. Roy quickly dodged the blow, however, and swung at the horse. The swipe was stopped as an arrow pierced the boy's arm, forcing him to drop his weapon. Sharena bashed him to the ground with her shield and jammed her lance into his gut. She breathed heavily as she stared at the boy writhing on the ground. In the blink of an eye, we were all together again beside a river.

"Princess Sharena!" Maria called out. She rushed up to the blonde. "Are you hurt? That was a horrible injury!"

"Ah! Oh, uh… No, no, I'm fine, really," the princess spoke. "Just… shaken, I suppose. But… maybe you should look me over, just to be sure."

"Alright," the girl replied as she held her staff up.

Gunter approached the two and bowed lowly. "Princess Sharena. I must apologize for what I did in battle."

"No, no! It's okay, really! You just… did what you had to do," the woman said as she waved her hands around.

"Be that as it may, I regret that that was the only way that I could protect you."

Sharena swallowed and nodded hard. "Thank you, but…"

Anna and Alfonse approached the group, and Anna rested a hand on Sharena's and Gunter's shoulders. "You alright, Sharena?" the commander asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine!"

Anna looked down and shook her head. "Take a break this time around. Maxis! What's the plan?"

I jumped. "Plan…? Uh… I…"

"You, too. Take a break, too. Virion! Plan?"

Virion hummed in thought and started explaining his idea.

Alfonse rested a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Are you alright, Sharena?"

She nodded. "I'm fine. I just need a moment."

"Alright. If it's ever too much, just let me know."

"Yeah. Yeah…" The princess shook her head. "But I'm fine."

"Maxis."

I jumped and turned towards the voice. "Anna…"

"You alright?"

I ran a hand through my hair. "I… I dunno… I jus'… I dunno…"

The woman was silent for a moment. "I suppose you don't have many wars in your world. …Do you?"

I shook my head. "…No."

"Again, I'm sorry to have dragged you into this mess. It must be hard."

"…Yeah."

"Maxis?" another voice spoke.

I turned towards Sharena.

"Can… Can you tell us more about your world?"

"Yeah, you didn't really say anything about it last time," Anna said. "Besides that, it was… bad or something? Wait, you did say you have war in your world! …Right?"

"I believe his exact words were 'imagine a boot stomping on a human face forever,'" Alfonse spoke. "Er, I could be wrong, though. Forgive me."

"Your world can't be that bad, can it?" Maria asked with a worried expression.

I sighed, then shook my head. "It's… a different kind of war—a political one. One side is stupid, and the other pretends to be smart. I don' like talking about it because I don' know much about either side and I don' care to understand what they want."

"Which side are you on?" Sharena asked.

I stared at her for a moment. "Prefer not to say. Either way, it seems to me that it's more about making money than caring for the country."

"But—!" Alfonse exclaimed. He swallowed. "But isn't a leader's job to take care of the country's citizens and ensure that the country is peaceful?"

I nodded. "Yeah, but we have something called a republic. The citizens vote on a representative, then that representative becomes leader of the country. Problem is, there's no incentive to go through on their promises. Doesn't make money."

"But—! Surely that's not true!"

"President only sticks around for four years. Then it's the next guy's turn to get blamed for everything," I said. "'N' don' call me Shirley," I muttered to myself, cracking a grin.

"I don't—" Alfonse shook his head. "I just can't understand."

"Doesn' matter. Don' worry about it."

"Maybe…," Sharena started. "Maybe once we're done saving this world, we could save yours!"

I shook my head. "Tha'd take a lotta money, time, and patience. Nothin' t'do for it but pray. Unless you wanna commit an insane amount of acts of violence." I let out a humorless chuckle. "Become Hitler."

"Who?"

I waved a hand. "He's… You'd think he's as bad as Veronica, if not worse."

"What…? What did he do?!"

"Nevermind; it's not important! The point is that it's not a change that'll happen in… You just hafta let it play out and hope for the best. That's all that we can do, and I would thank you to not worry about it anymore."

Sharena looked down at her feet. "…Alright."

"Why do you always jump to politics?" Anna asked.

I looked at her and blinked. "…I dunno…"

"Perhaps it's something that you're concerned about," Alfonse offered. "Out of fear for your country and citizens."

"…I guess…"

"Anyway," the commander started. "What about your daily life—tell us about the mundane of your world."

I opened my mouth, ready to rant about cubicles, but then I thought better. "A'right."

"What do you like to do for fun?" Sharena asked.

"Uhh… Nothin', I guess."

"Nothing?"

"So you just sit around all day?" Anna deadpanned.

I looked down and nodded, the right side of my lips tugging themselves back.

"Reading?" the princess asked.

"No."

"Oh."

"Gods, this is like pulling teeth," the commander scoffed.

I looked up, my brow furrowing and my lips pointing downward. "What?"

"Nothing," Anna said as she waved her hand and shook her head. "Sorry."

"Did you say 'gods?'"

She winced. "Sorry, I'll be sure to watch my language better."

"Are you religious, Maxis?" Sharena asked.

I looked back at her. "Yeah, I'm Catholic," I explained.

"'Catholic?'"

"Yes, Catholic. I believe in one God, one holy Catholic Church, and life after death." Air escaped my nose as I smirked. "Great, now I'm in a bad mood for no reason! Ah-hah! Never woulda thought I'd meet actual pagans!"

"What are you talking about?" Anna asked, looking at me like I was insane.

"You guys don't believe in Jesus, so you guys are pagan."

"Okay…? And what're you so upset about?"

"The first commandment: Do not take the Lord's name in vain. Actually, wait, is that the first? I dunno, but it's definitely one of them! Er, well, you didn't actually say 'God,' but the notion still stands."

"I'm so confused…."

"What part of 'don't take the Lord's name in vain' do you not get?!"

"What's your god's name?" Sharena asked.

"'God.'"

"I thought you said his name was Jesus."

"That's— He's— Ya know the four-leaf clover? Three?"

"Um, yes?"

"Well, you have the God, the Father, Jesus, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Three parts making the whole. Pretty sure that's how St. Patrick explained it."

There was a flash of light, and we appeared in a desert. Rolling dunes crested the horizon and in the distance sat what appeared to be a fort.

"Another Raigh?" Bartre gasped.

I looked to the top of one of the dunes and saw a familiar head of green hair. I cocked my head, and my mouth fell slightly agape. "…Huh." I smirked as I turned back to our bookworm. "Look, Raigh, you have a twin!"

Without looking up from his book, he said, "I know I have a twin; I'm not stupid."

"Be nice, Raigh," Bartre admonished.

"Anyway," I continued, not at all bothered by the appropriate response to my joke. "Le's seeeee… Uh. Anna… The pink-haired kid…?" I questioned as I pointed to the little girl in question.

"She's a dragon."

"Oh, okay. WAI', WHAT?!" I whipped my head back and forth between the girl and the commander. "WHAT?!"

Anna winced. "Maxis, focus! What is the plan?"

"Uh… But the dragon… girl… thing…"

"Can wait. Where do you want us to go, and who do you want us to attack?"

I glanced away, a thought of inky blackness, unbearable stress, and death flashing through my mind. "A'right, everyone will stick together, and we'll save the dragon for last."

"Alright," the commander said with a satisfied nod. "Now that sounds like a good plan."

"So you want us to start with Sophia and work our way to Fae, right?" Bartre asked.

"Yeah, that's it."

"Let's do it!" He waved his hand and said, "Prince Alfonse, Miss Azura, Raigh? Follow me!"

We watched them march off, and Sharena spoke again. "Maxis, could you tell us more about being a Catholic?"

"Uh, sure? Wha'd'ya wanna know?"

"Well, what's it like to be Catholic?"

"I… go t' Mass every Sunday. 'N go t' Confession when I need to. Take the Eucharist, pray the Rosary every day… I-I dunno…! Wha'd'ya mean exactly?"

"Um…," Sharena started as she lifted a hand up to scratch her neck. "I don't really know, either."

"Well, tell me about your churches—what d'you worship?"

"Actually, I've never been to one of our churches."

"I don't think we even have churches," Anna chimed in.

"What, really?" I exclaimed. "Er, wait, is that a good thing…?"

"Why would that be good?"

"Uh, nevermind."

"Well, here, gods either don't do anything or are massive… jerks, for lack of a better word. So that's probably why we don't have any."

"But wouldn't people worship them out of fear?"

"It's probably more accurate to say that it's very rare for the gods to wreak havoc. That's how it's been lately, anyway. Alfonse would know more about it, so try asking him later."

"Maybe. If I remember." I looked back to the battle at hand and saw said prince and the three Heroes circling around… a giant… chicken. Or something. "I thought you said…"

The 'dragon,' or whatever it was, opened its mouth, and light started to shine within it. A pink laser shot out and narrowly missed Alfonse. A dark miasma hit the dragon in the face, and it fell on its rump before turning back into a little girl.

Suddenly, we were in a cold mountain valley.

"FIR?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THEM, DAUGHTER?!"

"Father?! How did you escape Embla's contract?!"

"Are anyone else's ears ringing?" I asked. "Whatever." I began to assess the situation and found that Bartre's daughter was a sword fighter, and above her was a pegasus rider. Down another path was another Bartre with an archer behind him. "Alright, I think it goes without saying that Virion will shoot down that bird. Pegasus. I forgot the word. Sharena will go after… You said her name was Fir? Alfonse can go after yourself, and that just leaves whoever with that archer."

"I'll take myself on if you don't mind," the muscled man said.

"I must protest," Virion interjected. "I scarcely believe that archer will allow a duel between… yourselves. Maxis, would you permit me to accompany Sir Bartre in this battle? If you are willing to let such a duel to commence."

"Uh… I suppose…? But then what about the pegasus rider?"

"I think we will be able to easily dispatch her if she approaches."

"Maxis," Gunter started. "I shall accompany Princess Sharena if the sky knight decides to attack her."

"A'right, sure. Let's do that, then."

The Heroes all approached their opponents and got into their battle stances. The enemy archer opened with an arrow aimed toward's our Bartre. He quickly deflected it with his axe, and Virion stepped out behind him to hit the other man in the heart. The other Bartre swung his axe across his body, but it was blocked by the mirrored weapon. Our Bartre chopped overhead, yet it was parried by his opponent. Before the other man could capitalize on his counter, Bartre slammed himself against the enemy. As the other warrior fell, the hatchet was buried in his skull.

Then we were in a flaming cavern. "Woah, wha— Okay, uh…" I took a step back.

Bartre rested a hand on my shoulder. "Might want to stand still if you're not sure-footed in here."

"Yeah. …No kiddin'."

"It looks like this is the final battle," Anna noted as she nodded towards Roy straight ahead of us. There was also a woman in heavy armor, a girl holding a fire tome, and a horse-riding healer.

"I used to have a hammer when I was with the prince's band," Bartre muttered. "That would be perfect for Gwendolyn."

"I think if we use our usual tactic, this will be pretty simple."

"Virion picking off their ranged attackers before we march in?" the commander asked.

"Yep."

"Let's do it then. The usual tactic, everyone!"

Sharena stood ready to take the lead with Bartre behind her and Azura at his side. Virion stepped away from them, and the blue-haired mage moved into his range. He loosed an arrow, and the ground beneath his feet erupted with flames, throwing him across the lava.

"What the—?!" I looked back to the others. "Go!"

Sharena dashed forward and swung her lance in a wide arc. Roy held his sword up to block the strike, but it was too much, and a wide gashed appeared on his chest. Bartre broke off to take on the knight, and at the same time, Maria ran away from us towards the lava that Virion had been blasted across.

"Maria!" I shouted.

She raised her staff in the air, and a glow surrounded it and the wounded archer. The man started to stand up, and the mage looked back and forth from him and the young healer. She locked her sights on the girl and started preparing a spell.

I ran forward, grabbed the girl, and started dashing away as the ground exploded once again. I could feel the heat on my back and see flaming rocks raining down around us as I carried her away.

"Are you two alright?" Anna asked as she helped me set Maria down.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied, a bit out of breath.

"That was really brave of you!" Olivia said.

"And nothing short of a miracle that you are unscathed," Gunter added.

"Yeah. No kiddin'." I looked back at the mage. "And a bit outta character for me, I feel."

Virion was back on his feet and had managed to subdue his opponent, and was now getting ready to take down the healer. The woman pulled back on her horse's reins and looked at the other Heroes. Seeing that they had been defeated, she directed her horse away and fled.

Sharena threw her arms into the air and shouted, "We did it!"

"Yes," Roy said as he stood up. "Thank you for freeing us from the contract." He shook his head. "I wish I could help you fight the Emblian Empire, but I need to make sure my people are alright, first. In the meantime, take these." He gave Sharena a small bag. "Chad managed to swipe them from Princess Veronica. They seemed important to her."

"Thanks, Prince Roy. I hope we'll be able to meet again!" Sharena waved back to him as she ran back to us. "Maxis, Commander, brother! We got more orbs!"

"Great. That brings us to ten," Anna said.

"Ten?" I questioned.

"Yes, Sir Laslow gave us five, as well once we beat Prince Xander."

"Who?"

"Prince Xander was the man with blond hair on a black horse."

"No, I meant who's Laslow."

"He's Prince Xander's retainer."

"Huh?"

"What do you mean, 'huh?'"

"I don' know what a retainer is! Look, I haven' been paying at all!" I said as I threw my hands up defensively.