Aegina Union Episode 1: The Fugitive Bearing Hope

Disclaimer: I do not own Yggdra Union or any of the characters.

"Despite the Royal Army's cowardly flooding tactics, I could see victory in our grasp. Sir Baldus, despite all odds, was still fighting bravely, confronting the Royal Army's vanguard with his loyal knights. He is truly the god of war, charging into the enemy's rank without fear and defeated the Royal Army's Royal Knights one by one. When Sir Baldus finally reached the Royal Army's leader, princess Yggdra, we all had thought victory of the war was all but assured. Even with the so-called holy sword, princess Yggdra never stood a chance against the god of war. When Sir Baldus was about to deliver the final blow, we all thought that the war was going to end as soon as it started.

But then, the Royal Army unleashed the devil.

Was it a man or a monster? I could not tell. My heart still trembles even now just for remembering the sight. It was dark, I could not see the devil's face but I could remember the ominous aura from him. It was as if he was the embodiment of the devil itself. It overwhelmed Sir Baldus with inhuman speed and ferocious attacks. Even Sir Baldus would never have survived if Lady Emilia had not flew in from above with her griffon and saved Sir Baldus.

So long as the Royal Army has the devil at the side, we will never be able to win the war. I am quitting the Imperial Army!"

-A survivor from Fort Ishnad. His request to quit was rejected and was recorded to be killed-in-action when the Royal Army invaded Flarewerk.

-WE'LL NEVER FIGHT ALONE-

Instead of the Royal Army, Aegina and Milanor clashed with the Royal Guards led by Russell to kill the late King's secret daughter.

Outnumbered by superior numbers, Aegina and Milanor have to find a way to break through their blockade, or else it would be the end of the last hope of the Bronquia.

Chapter 3: Hope

"Ace guard? It isn't like you to use a knight's tactic card. Aren't you going to come straight for my head?"

Milanor taunted when Russell and his two other squad of fencers moved to surround them warily. The Royal Guards surrounded Milanor and Aegina fully, enclosing them in a circle with their tactic card defending them from any charging attacks.

"It's useless to tempt me. I am not so suicidal to charge against you after that incident at Fort Ishnad. Really…this could have all been an easy job if you had just kept quiet."

Russell's voice leaked his annoyance as he and the Royal Guards slowly moved forward, their swords at a stance to defend than to attack at split second.

Though confused, Aegina decided that this was not yet the time to clarify her questions. First, why was the supposed elite Royal Guards so wary of the two of them- or rather, Milanor? Second, what was this incident at Fort Ishnad? Third, she does not seem to matter to this fight anymore.

"Milanor, what now? I doubt we can break through easily if they are being so defensive. In fact, what did you do? You were at the battle of Fort Ishnad?"

"Well... I was in Fort Ishnad, being something like a mercenary to the Royal Army back then. I didn't do anything much though, Sir Russell was just exaggerating."

"Uwaah… that sounds so fishy."

"Well, this is not really a time for me to make up a good lie after all."

Milanor chuckled until the Royal Guards stopped right out of the two's reach. Honestly, Milanor felt that it was pretty amusing to see the Royal Guards, the ones who had acted all mighty back at the palace to be so cautious now. He had never liked them but the thought of fighting against them had actually never crossed his mind before.

Milanor and Aegina stood back to back and readied themselves in their own fighting stance. If the Royal Guards were to fight with patience and cautious, this would be a fight of attribution, to see which side would last longer.

Of course, it was apparent which sides have the privileges in that matter.

The sound of clashing metal signified the start of the fight. Milanor, despite being in disadvantageous class, used his bulky axe to deflect any incoming attacks from the fencers. Behind him, Aegina parried the enemy's swords with contrastable elegance. The two stood their ground against their surrounding enemies and never evaded a single strike, for it may hit the person behind them.

"Honestly don't you have a plan!? I thought you would have one after anticipating we would be ambushed!"

"It's hard to make do with just two people! For now, the best plan is to keep staying alive."

"And how is that going to help us to get out of this mess!?"

Aegina shouted in frustration, trying again for a kill for one of the Royal Guards but they quickly pulled back before Aegina's Gran Centurio could reach them and surrounded the two again. Since the Royal Guards was fighting extremely defensive, Aegina and Milanor had not been able to kill a single member of the Royal Guards at all.

"How about you two give up already? Both of you know that there is no escape. I will promise you two a swift and painless death."

Russell suggested and striked, deflected by Milanor and then went out of reach before Milanor's axe could graze him.

"Promise me something better and I will think about it."

"Don't think about it! This is not a time to be joking with your enemies!"

"But didn't you joke with me just now?"

"I was serious about it! How are we going to get out of this mess! This is getting frustrating!"

Aegina then swung the Gran Centurio with a loud yield and parried back another wave of synchronised attacks from the Guards.

"Don't worry! Things will work out by themselves eventually!"

"When is this eventually!?"

"About-Now!"

"…Hu-Eh!?"

Aegina let out a cute shout when Milanor suddenly took her into his arms and dragged her onto the ground. Aegina ended up falling on her back, her remaining left eye was instinctively moved to stare at Milanor's. Their face was the closest they have ever been since they met. Aegina could feel Milanor's breath, and blushed when she knew Milanor could feel hers too. Aegina stared into Milanor's eyes, if he lowered just a little, they would be ki..ki-kikis-

Aegina's head is hot on fire and her face was burning red right now. She could not think clearly anymore.

"WaitMilanorWhatAreYouDoing!?ThereIsAlwaysATimeAndPlaceForEverythingAndThereArePeopleWatchingIAmNotReadyForThisYet-"

Medusa's Eye

"O memories of sin faded by time...

Let it end with this conviction of stone."

"Shit! Sir Russell! Don't look behi-"

One of the Royal Guard's warnings stopped when he started turning into stone. There was at least a squad of Royal Guards facing the same direction, towards Russell, getting petrified.

Russell's eyes widened. He recognized this petrification. He, alongside the main Royal Army and even Milanor had fought against these dark arts users before. If it was really them behind him, then-

"Retreat! Don't look back! Watch out for arro-Argh!"

"Sir Russell! Who is the coward behind-"

The Guard beside the arrow-wounded Russell turned around to face the new enemy. However he too turned into stone.

"Shit! At the very least I will finish off these two!"

Another Guard cursed and went forward to bring his sword down towards the huddled together Milanor and Aegina. Aegina gasped. She could not move under Milanor and Milanor couldn't-

Milanor leapt up with a push from his hand and swung the axe in a wide arc. The axe slashed deeply into the Guard's abdomen and threw his body to the side. In case of petrification, Milanor had done it with his eyes closed.

"Retreat! Let's go!"

Russell's second yield got the remaining rest of the unpetrified guards to start moving. Two supported the injured Russell while the remaining rest hurried after Russell, acting as a human shield and supported each other when one of them got shot.

Before long, Russell and the Royal Guards were gone, leaving behind their petrified comrades, Milanor, Aegina and the third party. In the midst of silence, the loudest sound she could hear came from her own heart. It was beating so loudly and so fast that she thought she was going to lose it.

Just before the split second she wanted to confess whatever she thought she had, a cough came beside them. Aegina jumped. Even if her heart was loud, she did not hear anyone else walking so close to them. Just who-

"Milanor-sama. Please refrain from committing sexual harassment in front of me. I am actually still a minor so…"

Milanor immediately jumped off Aegina and faced the mysterious third party with a reddened face. Now with Milanor off her, Aegina could see the face of their saviour. In fact, she recognized her. Purple hair and purple eyes with metallic claw and crossbow as weapon, she was the one beside Zilva most of the time. She's…

"Wait, Elena! You got it wrong! I was trying to protect her from you petrification!"

"Don't worry, Milanor-sama. They'd say great men have great sexual needs after all. You are a great man and madam Aegina is beautiful and safe after all…Just give me two more years and I would be safe to help satisfy your sexual needs-"

"Where do you even hear that from!? Don't talk as if I am a pervert!"

"Milanor… to think you would be going after underage girls…I never knew you were such a perverted beast…"

"Not you too Aegina! Do I look like I would do something like that!?"

"You jumped onto me without any warning at all! That could already be considered sexual harassment! Do you know how embaras-"

Aegina stopped herself before she finished. There was no way she could let Milanor knew that she was embarrassed! She must be a calm and cool leader-

"What did you say-"

"Nothing! Shut up!"

Aegina punched the air out of Milanor and left him coughing for air on the ground. Aegina turned away and faced Elena. She needed to take her mind of that man or she would not be able to stand the heat.

"Elena of the Imperial Special Forces, was it? I have seen you with Zilva sometimes. The whole force went Missing-In-Action after the battle at Fort Ishnad. What happened?"

"…It was shameful but we were ambushed and captured at the night before the final battle of Fort Ishnad. We were kept alive because the Royal Army wanted us to help them train assassins in dark arts for them. With our comrades captured as hostage, we have no choice but to help train assassins for their Army. Please forgive my comrades and me for this treachery! We really don't have a choice…"

Elena has her head lowered in shame. According to the Imperial assassins' code, betrayals could only be punished with deaths, even the Imperial commanders knew that. So if Commander Aegina decided that they needed to be punished…she and her comrades would not have a choice, they were trained to accept their punishment.

"…So the Royal Army has assassins now…that's new. So how did you escape from the Royal Army?"

"… …Well…that is because Milanor-sama…"

"When people are talking to you raise you head. Just because we are not in the Imperial Army doesn't mean I'd let your improper behaviour of the hook."

Elena slowly raised her head, confused.

"…What about my punishment?"

"Punishment? Oh that, well that could not be helped. It's a pity that the Royal Army also has assassins now."

"But according to the Imperial assassins' code I needed to be punished with death! I deserve it!"

"Idiot. No one deserves to die. I told you before already, didn't I?"

Milanor got up and said. Elena looked at the two with conflicted emotions. She has betrayed the Imperial Army, yet these two does not seems to care at all…Why…

"You should not talk lightly about death punishment. I believe that no one deserves to die for whatever reasons. Besides, you called me Master, didn't you? How can you serve me if you go and die?"

"…That's right…It wouldn't be right for me to die before I repay you. Thanks you, Milanor-sama."

Elena felt her heart finally relaxed and she smiled. That's right, although she still thought that she deserved to be punished.

It could wait until she repaid Milanor-sama, right?

At the side, Aegina could not hold in her question anymore.

"Milanor. Why did this girl keep on calling you 'Milanor-sama'? Is this a fetish of yours?"

"It's not! I already told her to stop that but she insisted in calling me that. Thanks to her, the other assassins also decided to call me that too. It's actually very embarrassing to be called that when you are just a thief, you know?"

"The other assassins? There are others who escaped?"

"Yes… It was Milanor-sama who broke us all out of our prison and let us escaped. During the escape, my leg was shot by an arrow and I had planned to give up escaping so that I would not be a burden to the others. However Milanor-sama then came and picked me up. He carried me and risked his life when he could have escaped unharmed by abandoning me. It is thanks to him that I am still alive right now. I am indebted to him and in a sense, Milanor-sama owns my life. That's why I want to serve him as my master."

Elena said proudly. She could remember how weak she was when she was wounded and alone. However she remembered more about Milanor's face when he carried her in his arms; although it looked impossible to escape alive, Milanor never showed doubt about saving her. She could remember seeing Milanor gritting his teeth, enduring the cuts he got from gracing past the enemy's attacks. The face of Milanor struggling but never showed hesitation, Elena remembered it all.

She shall treasure those precious memories forever.

"You want to serve Milanor, right?"

Aegina smiled and asked. Despite seeing her quite a few times with Zilva, she has never seen her being this happy before. Milanor was the one who gave her hope too. It was quite mysterious what Milanor could do.

"Yes. But what about you, madam Aegina? Why would you be with Milanor-sama? And isn't that the Gran Centurio? How did you get that?"

This time it was Elena's turn to ask question. Aegina never thought it through and instantly answered.

"Just Aegina is fine. Milanor kind of saved me last night and gave me the Gran Centurio. He promised to join the Imperial Army and help me free Bronquia from Fantasinia's control. Seeing that he has already saved the Imperial Special Force, I now believe we have a chance to save Bronquia."

Aegina silently praised herself for her charismatic answer. Yes, that was the kind of answer that would motivate people to fight for freedom. If she continued this kind of charisma, she would be able to gather enough people to free Bronquia soon.

But apparently in this case, Elena did not really care about a fighting chance to free Bronquia. She has more pressing concerns.

"But Milanor-sama has said that he has no interest in freeing Bronquia before…did you make a deal with him?"

Ya, I did. I promised to give myself to him if he would give himself to me now.

Like Hell She Could Say That!

"That's right. Aegina made a deal with me to-GuArgk!"

This time, Aegina's elbow met the same place and send Milanor flying. She quickly head towards Milanor and dragged him away from Elena. Elena looked at Milanor worried from the side, wanting to care for him but aware that Aegina wanted to have a private talk with him.

"What gives, Aegina…Is it that time of the month?"

"… …"

"Sorry. I was wrong. Please forgive me."

The sound of Aegina's cracking her knuckles made Milanor apologized before things got worse. Aegina was tempted to punch him in the face but sighed in frustration. To think that this guy was the same one who made her heart beat so loudly just now…

No! She did not want to talk about that!

"Listen Milanor, no one must know about the deal we have with each other, got it?"

"Hm? Why not?"

"Just be quiet about it!"

Milanor nodded after seeing Aegina's persistence. The two got back to Elena and continued their conversation.

"How is Zilva? Is she alright?"

"… …Zilva was sent and imprisoned in Paltina. She was no longer in Castle Karona when Milanor-sama freed us."

"…It's alright. I am pretty sure she would be safe. We will have to rescue her soon, wouldn't we?"

"Ehem. As much as I don't like to interrupt you discussion, the petrification effects are starting to lose their effect. We better get out of here before they turned back to normal."

It was just as Milanor said. The petrified Guards were starting to lose their paleness. It was only a matter of time before they turned back to normal.

"Elena, where are the rest of the Imperial Special Force?"

"As per Milanor-sama's recommendation, the rest, along with Canaan and Monica went to the place he said to be Inzaghi's hideout. They should be there already. If we go now we should be able to reach there by the evening."

"Inzaghi? That lazy mercenary? Why there?"

Towards that answer, Milanor smirked and replied.

"That guy crossed the Royal Army quite a few times. If the Imperial Special Force leaks to the Royal Army about Inzaghi's hideout, he would be done for."

"Blackmail? Are you sure it would work? How did you know that Inzaghi's hideout is there if the Royal Army doesn't in the first place?"

Milanor's grin widened.

"I never said that the Royal Army doesn't know about Inzaghi's hideout."

"…Pff. I don't know whether that is genius thinking or plain cruelty."

Aegina chuckled. It was a sound plan to temporarily blackmail Inzaghi for a place to stay. In fact, she was trying to think of ways to convince, if not blackmail Inzaghi to her side. While lazy and quite ineffective, he does have the reliable manpower she needed to free Bronquia.

"Then our destination shall be East Orlando! We will go there to join up with the Imperial Special Force and convince Inzaghi to join our revolution! By the way Milanor, I will leave it to you to blackmail him if negotiations fail."

"Leave it to me, consider Inzaghi already part of your union."

Milanor replied with a confident smirk. Aegina thought about her comrades; Milanor the Royal Traitor, Elena the second-in-command of the Imperial Special Force, Inzaghi (already included) the grunt (that was part of the plan) and herself, Aegina the bearer of the Gran Centurio.

Once they met up with the Imperial Special Force, they would go around Bronquia and recruit allies to free Bronquia. Freeing Bronquia had been an impossible dream when she was fleeing alone. However Milanor came and brought her hope, freeing Bronquia was not a fleeting dream anymore but an achievable challenge.

She is going to do it. No matter what stands in their way, she, with Milanor, will make her dream come true!

Aegina took the Gran Centurio and pointed it high, towards the direction of their destination. With renewed hope, she shouted with cheerful charismatic voice.

"Our comrades awaits us at East Orlando! Let's go!"

From above the cliff of the Jaws of the Wolf, a woman watched the three started their journey. As much as she wanted to be there with them, she only looked after them from afar. She could not join their revolution yet, she still have her duty to fulfill.

"Zilva, aren't you going to warn them of the Royal Army's approach towards East Orlando?"

"What about you? If you did not take any action, that means you know that they will be fine, right? You have never been wrong after all."

"Of course, I am the Gulcasa's most trusted strategist, Nessiah after all."

Nessiah stood beside Zilva and looked down on the three silhouettes traveling below them. He did not need eyes to know who was who among the silhouettes, all three of them were different from each other after all.

"Zilva, I need you to locate Gulcasa's whereabouts. Once we know where he is, we can teleport in and rescue him like how I save you. Then we can proceed with our revolution from our side. We adults cannot lose to these youngsters, can we?"

"Order acknowledge."

Then she was gone. Nessiah could not help but still be fascinated by Zilva's skills. She was some of the few mortals he respected, he knew her skills did not come from being talented after all. There were few mortals Nessiah concerned himself with. The first to come in line was of course Gulcasa, the selfless idiot whom he would even worry for because he was simply that rash and too-selfless. Sir Baldus was surprisingly an enjoyable company for chatting over war and human philosophy. He treated most veteran Imperial commanders who had fought with him in the civil war with respect and found himself to have an attachment with the Imperial Army.

But other than the Imperial Army, there was two more individuals who caught his attention. The first, he smirked at the thought, would be Yggdra Yuril Artwaltz. Despite being just seventeen-year-old, she inherited the Gran Centurio and waged many battles with it in the name of justice. What really surprised him was probably how after being betrayed by her lover and taken away from her Gran Centurio, she managed to confront Gulcasa head on and even defeated him in an one on one duel. It was a duel he missed and regretted till this day.

And of course, there was the last, the most interesting mortal among all mankind. Nessiah looked over the cliff and smirked at the silhouette taking the left among the three. There was no way to mistake him from the others. He had created two weapons to prepare his vengeance against the Asgard. The first being the Gran Centurio. The second was a bit more...different.

"Milanor, the last of the royal Vanir blood, I anticipate great things from you."

"I gave you the Gran Centurio as you had requested after all."

A/N: WHY THE HELL IS EVERY CHAPTER I WROTE SO LONG!? In fact why is this one longer than previous two!? I wanted to write short continuous stories not this.

Now this is better, I had originally planned to end this chapter another way but it kept feeling wrong... now this is the kind of ending I want for a chapter.

This chapter covered Demon at Ishnad, Elena, Milanor's assassins harem and of course, the misunderstood hero Nessiah who could have saved the worlds if the Royal Army had not interfered in his revenge. Is the pace fast? I will be introducing Inzaghi, former Milita leader Canaan and Monica next chapter, they will be part of Aegina's main force and become crucial to the story.

Thanks for the 4 reviews guys! As promised I managed to bring this early! Although it's unintentionally big but it's still here and done!

Again, please read and review!