13. To Hold—
The monk and the paladin had little time to catch up; their respective forces still required their aid. They split up for the moment, Agrias assisting the Doman reinforcements arriving from the north, and Kiro joining his monks on the southern side of the shore. The demon beasts were raging, and they were dangerous, but they simply were not strong enough or numerous enough to handle the kind of united front put up by the forces of the eastern continent. As a beast lunged at one of the monks, he deftly sidestepped its claw, grabbing it and flipping it to the ground, while his comrade delivered a fatal punch to the creature's skull.
On the northern side of the coast, a Cornerian paladin fought alongside her erstwhile enemies. Doman and Cornerian metal flashed as the beasts received blow after blow. A corrosive substance issued forth from their wounds as blood, signifying their demise. Being low on armament, each nation only could afford to arm their best fighters, with the remaining personnel employed in making new weapons and armor, and in doing so with an eye to advancing new technologies, granting increased quality. With the bar set higher for active service, and the need so great, the motivation of the troops-to-be was increased, bringing the caliber of soldier to the field to a higher level than ever before. Several noble fighters lay dead, but for each that fell, the paladin threw herself more fully into the fray, spurring on all who still fought. Those that remained redoubled their efforts to defend their homeland, and eventually, it was clear that the demon beasts' numbers were dwindling.
The screams of the cursed beings filled the air along with the shouts of exertion from warriors of all types, and of the clashing of bone, sinew, and steel. Foot by foot, the beasts were pushed back into the water and slain, until they attempted to retreat what few of them remained on the warships by which they came. It was too late, however, and the victorious forces set these ships ablaze with torches and flaming arrows. The ships crumbled and fell into the sea as they began to drift away, inciting cheers of elation from the soldiers gathered on the shore.
After that last onslaught, the coast was held, and the eastern continent was essentially purged of the demon menace, at least for the time being. However, it was generally decided that, without any further knowledge of what lay beyond the Western sea, the people of the eastern continent could not rest easy, for it could not be known whether the force they had destroyed was the sum total of evil the West could muster, or merely a small fragment thereof. The forces that remained were being regrouped to cross the Western sea. Their mission would be to find and destroy the source of the horde. Meanwhile, the monk and paladin responsible for saving the day had some catching up to do.
A great feast and celebration was called for, in light of the momentous victory won by the forces of the east. Balamb, being the nearest town to the coastal battlefied that was still intact, played host to the victorious soldiers' party. Rounds of wine and ale were awarded to the heroes on the house, and songs were sung celebrating the love they felt for their homelands, and for the hope they held for the future.
Meanwhile, the monk and paladin spent hours telling of the adventures they had undergone since last they parted. Agrias had become quite interested in White magic after Kiro left, and after several sorties in the Cornerian-Doman war, Agrias had decided to take time off from battling the Domans to study White magic's essence. She had chosen to do so at the Corneria academy. Though she did not find anyone there she recognized, she had been hoping to do so. Regardless of the absence of any familiar faces, she plunged into her studies as an outsider, combining white magic with her own version of swordplay to become one of the first few paladins in the land. There were now a few paladins in training who had been students of Agrias, but only a fraction of them were actually in service, and Agrias was the most distinguished among them, at least as far as Corneria was concerned.
Kiro told Agrias about his departure from the academy, and of his wanderings. She held his hand in a gesture meant to comfort him. She had no idea the effect she had had on his life. She told him that she wished she could have helped him through it, but she understood why she could not have done so. It was something he had to do and find on his own. Kiro assured her that finding the monastery of Wutai and dedicating himself to their art had truly been a transformative experience, one he would not trade for anything, despite all of the pain and confusion that had preceeded it.
As the evening waned on, and it began to get dark, they realized that it was about time to be heading to their quarters.
"Kiro, I am so glad for all that you have done for me, and I am especially grateful to have seen you again…. Would you like to come back to my room?"
"Absolutely."
That night was the best night of Kiro's life so far. He shared his mind, heart, and body with Agrias, a woman who had come to mean so much, not only to him, but to the entire continent, and he did so without reservation, with his whole heart, without a trace of guilt or shame. Truly, in ways no one could have predicted, their love had brought salvation to the eastern continent, at least for the moment.
In the morning, Agrias and Kiro boarded one of the many warships headed across the sea to assault the main Western lands. Looking out across the sea to where fate would lead them, they held hands and looked into each other's eyes. Kiro knew who he was, and Agrias knew who she was. They knew each other in ways that surpassed any common friendship, and they had finally found their place in both the world, and for each other. Come what may, no matter what they would face on the Western shore, they knew this, and they knew that they would face it together, without regrets. For the time they spent on that ship, that was all that mattered.
There it is. This is all I have. I hope you enjoyed it, but I just do not know what happens after this. If you really want me to continue writing more to this story, let me know, but it may take some time, as this is as far as my original brainstorming sessions ever got me. As always, constructive criticism is always appreciated. Thank you for reading. It has been a pleasure sharing my imagination with you.