So you might regard me as silly for continuing this, but I did so anyway. It's been a bit since I've read any of my old fanfic and this one was the most promising to pick back up after about a year of it sitting around collecting dust. And what better timing to! P!ATD creating the sequel song to 'This is Gospel' gives this piece life. I'm ending it on a cliffhanger though. Mostly because I might write the rest of this in my normal format. We'll see.
I do not own 'Emperor's New Clothes'!


Welcome to the end of eras
Ice has melted back to life
Done my time and served my sentence
Dress me up and watch me die


Emil was now gone. Only he and Richter resided in this little makeshift purgatorial hell. The thought rolled over his mind with ease and made coping easier. They would stay here until Mana was fully gone and within that time, Richter would leave. They both could leave. Despite them being here together in this hell, it did nothing to satisfy Ratatosk's need of ridding loneliness. None at all. Richter never spoke much. 'Only spoke what was necessarily needed to be said'. It was annoyance, and he never wanted to ever succumb to the level of releasing his pent up emotions. They may be on better terms, but on any given day would Ratatosk prefer to be alone than be stuck with the red head.

Many long years of this lasted. Turmoil, no relief in sight. Two prisoners who hated each other locked up. However, it didn't last. Soon their time was up, they had served their sentence and could now leave. Richter to inevitably die one day, and Ratatosk.. Well he didn't know what he was going to do now that he was officially no needed anymore. Perhaps seek council with Origin and figure out his new purpose. He had long finished grieving. True the sadness would be with him forever, but he was able to sit with it better. Able to understand the emotion and let it be only an emotion to greet and let go. This was his second chance at life. He wasn't going to fuck it up this time.


If it feels good, tastes good
It must be mine
Dynasty decapitated
You just might see a ghost tonight


Life outside of the Ginnungagap felt like living again. For Richter it was a start of a new chapter in his life. Granted, everyone he knew was now long dead aside from Ratatosk. He started out simple. Traveling the world to get reacquainted. Many things have changed since he was out and about and in some ways, it slightly scared him. It wasn't anything he couldn't hand since change is a part of Nature's whimsical ways. There was one restaurant he frequented at often. The food was glorious there and he was always amused by the rumors that surrounded the place. One of them being that the head chef was supposedly a young boy who has worked there for over 500 years. The oxymoron of the rumor always made him curious. He at first thought it would be an elf or half elf but without their lives being supported by a Summon Spirit, they lived 1,000 years tops. Which meant this chef wouldn't be a young boy.

He wrapped up his travels and finally decided to settle in this town where the restaurant resided. It seemed like the head chef was quite popular since often would he hear girls fawn and mope about how they failed to attract the attention of the chef. Why he felt so compelled to learn about the head chef was beyond him. Perhaps the thousands of years stuck in the Ginnungagap with Ratatosk has made him go crazy and find peculiar interests. He didn't want to linger on why he was so interested. Perhaps it was a healthy growth to start developing interests. Goodness knows when the last time was that Richter actually allowed himself to enjoy anything for very long.

Building the courage he asked a group of upset females who it was they were trying to get the attention of. The girls looked to each other for a couple of seconds before coming to the same thought and giggling. Dragging Richter to an art store and pointing out a blonde who seemed to be picking out a sketchbook. Richter's jaw dropped slightly.

"Emil!?"


And if you don't know, now you know
I'm taking back the crown
I'm all dressed up and naked
I see what's mine and take it
The crown...
So close I can taste it
I see what's mine and take it


Meeting with Origin proved to be not such a great idea, Ratatosk learned. Origin was pretty blunt and to the point. "Care for the New world Tree." What if Ratatosk didn't feel he could be responsible with that job. It was for the best if he didn't know what the tree's name was. Martel had every right to keep it from him before. He wasn't reliable. Not at all. Granted he had learned his lesson before, but now.. The world was different, filled with different ideas… ideologies, beliefs. So much has changed. He took a breath and exhaled and met with Martel. If anything, if Origin felt he was ready, then it was best to not dwell on it.

Meeting with her was nerve wracking. Which he felt weird acknowledging since he is the older spirit in the grand scheme of things, but she technically held higher authority to him. He was a failed tree spirit, where she was only but a young tree spirit. Thriving in a world that no longer required Mana. As expected though, she was not thrilled with the news he had to bring of what Origin said to do. She started bringing up all of the reasons why he was unfit for the job and he stood there just taking it. Despite all those years in the Ginnungagap. She wasn't going to give him a chance.

Mixed emotions of rage and unfairness. So she felt the same as him. That he was not to be trusted. Origin felt he could do it though, so did that not count for anything. And who was this young spirit to judge so harshly. He wasn't allowing her words to make his defeat in the matter. Words dumped out of him. Calling her hypocritical and just as flawed as he. It was true after all. Who just decides to seal him up without once asking how he felt about all this. Who just decides that he wasn't needed. How did she planned on helping the new world without control of the mana flow!? Her plan had so many holes and a brilliant example of how much she actually feared him. If she couldn't make coherent plans either and acted on instinct, perhaps they both weren't fit for guarding the tree! If this was how it was, then it's best if she sucked it up and held dual care of the tree with her.


Sycophants on velvet sofas
Lavish mansions, vintage wine
I am so much more than royal
Snatch your chain and mace your eyes


Emil had led a pretty wholesome life. Granted he spent a year in fret and worry about the permanent separation. However, after much coaxing and pep talks, he started relaxing more about it. Spent life with his friends and enjoyed every ounce of it. It was everything he wanted. He still felt guilty though, because he knew that the person who needed this more than him was Ratatosk. He felt that the other never got a true chance at life outside of the Ginnungagap. What was done, was done, and there wasn't anything Emil could do about it despite his feelings. The only thing that bugged Emil was that.. Despite being told 'Go live out the rest of your mortal life', Emil wasn't physically aging. At all. It really bothered him. All of his friends were getting older and soon it felt awkward to hang with them because he looked so much younger than all of them. It must be hard to hang out with someone who never ages. He also found that staying in one place for too long only drew attention to him as some kind of 'Ageless wonder'. It was hard to deal with.

Over time he grew into taking it in strides. He thought he finally came to terms with never aging but then his friends deaths came and hit him like a ton of bricks. Attending funerals was harder because Emil felt so terribly bad. He couldn't even begin to understand what getting old meant. There were many times he struggled to cope and even contemplated on forcing an end to his own life once his friends were all dead. However, It never failed. One wave of friends would come and go and he would be immersed with a new group of friends, helping them on journeys and being encouraged by them to never give up. To not stop walking. It was hard but soon he found that just because he couldn't die, doesn't mean he had to give up. He just had to find a new meaning. A new purpose to living.

After many years of helping the world stay alive for a few more years longer, he needed a break. Decided to take on cooking as a job, opened a restaurant and didn't let his non aging features bother him. In fact, it was thanks to those rumors that people came to the restaurant. He wasn't going to complain if it was a good business lure. His business became so well and booming that it soon became a spot of tourism and he had acquired much wealth and while many figured he would lavish himself in superficial things like fancy housing and fine wines, Emil wanted only a simple life. So he took on other hobbies while still running the restaurant. He took up Art as one of the casual hobbies which in turn then later led him to meeting with Richter. Hearing his name called out caused him to turn around. Figuring it was another group of girls but to see Richter.. He got out of the Ginnungagap. This meant they had succeeded. Richter was free to live out the rest of his life. Tears bubbled over his eyes in joy even if there was a pang of sadness that one day, Richter too will join the dead.


If it feels good, tastes good
It must be mine
Heroes always get remembered
But you know legends never die


Martel wouldn't budge. Wouldn't change her decision. Blasted woman always did seem off in her head. He wasn't going to tolerate this any longer.

"So then, Martel…" A proposition. A dare. A coin flip in assuming. Was Ratatosk's luck high? No, but he wasn't stupid. That much he knew. He was going to prove just how foolish Martel was. "If I guess the name of your tree, will you secede and allow dual care? Or will you wither and die from fear." Martel looked him hard in the eyes. Granted, he knew Lloyd was the one who gave the tree it's name, but that didn't mean he couldn't figure it out. No, He was certain he could. Lloyd was kind, and always respected people. If he pieced the events that had occurred together correctly, He knows exactly what Lloyd would choose.

After all, He is Ratatosk. Guardian of the Ginnungagap, Spirit of the old world tree, and Lord of all Monsters. Martel doubted he could guess the tree's name but the look of doubt on her face was enough for Ratatosk to understand. The moment he utters the Tree's true name, he too will have access to powers only tree spirits could gain while a tree was alive. And seeing how he was the stronger spirit of the two, he could easily force the tree to reject Martel as a tree spirit and force her into a lowly spirit status. After all, what tree spirit couldn't control their tree's mana output or even where the mana goes? A grin forming on his face.

"Lloyd would have named the tree that not only gives tribute to Mithos, but also to its current Spirit. The only thing linking the two siblings would be, not only family blood, but family name. The tree's name is Yggdrasil." Sure enough the power flowed and ebbed into him. The familiar feeling was a painful reminder but not a rejected one. The look of fear of Martel's face caused Ratatosk to grin wider. How dull of her to think that he couldn't overtake the tree.


Mortal kings are ruling castles
Welcome to my world of fun
Liars settle into sockets
Flip the switch and watch them run