Paralogue 16: Wayfinder

A day had only passed since they found Yarne on the Island and helped the village move on from the occupations of the rival bands. With the bodies buried and the fields attended too, the Shepherds left with eyes glued to the horizon. For soon, they would be reaching the shores of Plegia.

Originaly, they had intended to continue along the coast and dock at Port ferox, yet Lucina and the others insisted they docked near Charon Isle. Yet when ever they asked why, the future kids only stared away, or dodged the question.

Whatever it was that they knew, they did not want to talk about it. It was for this reason that Chrom agreed, and soon, they were treading through the forests of the Isle, towards a lone mountain surrounded by several villages.

"A quiet little place." Chrom says as he looks over the vista. "I still don't know why you wanted us to come here Lucina. The next rumour we are to investigate is over in Regna Ferox." He looks at his future daughter, who was looking at the mountain with a faraway look.

"It's something that can wait no longer. Honestly, we should have delt with it the moment we arrived, but since we were all scattered we couldn't." Lucina replies before glancing back at the Shepherds as they make camp. Chrom raises an eyebrow at his daughter. Even know, she and the others continued to dodge the question. If they were going to fight something then they should know what it is. Yet still they remained tight lipped.

"I say, that village over there." Virion suddenly says as he and Roxas scan the horizon, his finger pointed to one of the villages. "Is there more smoke raising from that place, or am I going, how you say, crazy?"

"No, you're not." Roxas immediately says with a frown. "There is definitely more smoke rising than a few seconds ago. A fire maybe?" It was a reasonable guess, yet the amount of smoke rising to the sky looked too thick to be an ordinary fire. Suddenly hit with a bad feeling, Roxas looked to the other villages and saw more smoke rising from another one in the distance. "Hey! That village has smoke rising from it as well!" A feeling of unease swept through the Shepherds and Guardians. Smoke rising from two villages at the same time? Unless there was a festival using fire, it only meant one thing.

"Everyone! Prepare to move out!" Chrom suddenly shouts. "I don't know what is causing those, but we can not sit here!" He turns his gaze back to the last village, only to see a sudden cloud race towards it. A dark and purple cloud with what looked to be riders with it. Chrom's eyes widened in shock before morphing into anger. "Risen! They are heading for the village!" Chrom shouts before rushing forward. While caught off guard by his sudden charge, no one questioned the urgency in Chrom's voice as they chased after him. While Sumia led the flyers ahead, Frederick took the riders and charged forward ahead of Chrom and the others. Speed was vital.

But their hearts sunk when they saw smoke rising on the horizon.

"How could this happen?" Cordelia asks as she and the other flyers head towards the village, smoke rising to the sky. "How could these Risen escape our notice? And so close to Regna Ferox as well!"

"We can worry about that later!" Xion says as she flies close. "For now, saving as many as we can is important." Cordelia nods at Xion, although her faced conveyed her thoughts. Soon, they were arriving at the village, yet before them was a gruesome sight. Fires burned and raged, villagers ran in all directions while the Risen flyers darted down and slaughtered any that they saw. But what puzzled them was that some of the Risen were picking up the bodies that they left. Xion grimaces internally as she brings out on of her tomes, before her eyes fall on one of the Risen.

It was a Falcon Knight, and it seemed to be leading the horde. But that was not what grabbed her eyes. Xion could only look in horror as the Falcon Knight flew around, several arrows sticking out her chest. Her skin was that of the Risen, her eyes blood red as the Risen smoke rose from her. But her golden armour with light blue cloth, even though it was tarnished and dented, was still recognisable to her. And she was not the only one.

"No…That's Captain Phila!" Sumia cries in horror. Her cry drew the attention of Cordelia, who looked on with horror as her former captain circled above the village.

"You mean the former bodyguard of Emmeryn?" Cherche asks with shock. "Was she not killed three years ago?" She looks at Sumia, who slowly nods her head before looking back at the Risen. Cherche's face falls into a wince as she turns her gaze. "This is, unexpected… And unwanted."

"We can stay. We must attack now." Gerome suddenly says, breaking the four out of their thoughts. While he was being blunt, he was also speaking true. The longer they stood, the more people died. Nodding with grim resolve, Sumia and Cordelia dived towards the Risen Phila, while Xion led the others against the Risen flyers attacking the villagers. Per of Xion wanted to go after the ones carrying the bodies, but she knew the ones creating them took priority.

A blast of ice from her towards the nearest one signalled the opening to the fight, as she took down two wyvern riders who were flying too close to each other. It had also attracted the attention off Phila, before Sumia and Cordelia fell upon their former Captain. Yet despite her life having long faded from her body, the Risen proved to hold onto her highly honed skills as she dodged the two riders with ease.

While Sumia and Cordelia continued their dance, Gerome and Cherche focused on eliminating any Risen on the ground, both of the Minerva's using their claws, tails, wings teeth and fire breath as Gerome and Cherche swung with their axes, and in Cherche's case, spear.

As for Xion, she led Gaia and Cynthia in a Triangle attack on the Risen flyers, with Gaia glowing a silver-white, while Cynthia glowed a dark blue. Xion had to hold a chuckle at the fact that the auras around them was the same as their hair colours. But as she slew her fifth rider, she glanced at Sumia and Cordelia as they thought Phila. Or rather, tried to.

For some reason, the Risen Phila would not attack them. Even when Sumia left her self exposed on purpose, Phila refused to take advantage. It left the both of them confused at her action. Even more so when she suddenly turned her dead mount around and fled back to the mountain, followed by the flyers carrying the corpses.

Cordelia and Sumia were ready to pursue, but Gaia and Cynthia blocked their way. "Don't! You'll die if you chase after them!" Gaia says, stunning the two. Xion and Cherche join them while Gerome flies around on patrol. "We can explain later. But we need to join the others." The four look to each other with bewildered looks, but decided to follow Gaia as they returned to the village.

Just as Chrom and the others emerged from the tree line.

"That sick creature…" Kitai growls as he looks over the three burning villages from a hill. "The moment I stop his 'shipments', he attacks the villages around him? Why did I not see that!" He mentally hits himself before turning his eyes to the mountain nearby. "Enough is enough. Time to put him down like the mad dog he is." He motions his horse towards the hill before glancing at the village below him.

He could see the Shepherds moving into the village, looking for survivors. But his main focus was on the Guardians. A part of him wanted to go down, reveal himself to them. To see his parents. But he had another job to do.

"Not yet. Not until Algol is dead. I wont loose them like last time. Not again." He shakes his head before heading into a gallop. His destination closing over the horizon. He had a necromancer to put down.

"No survivors here either, Chrom." Sora sadly replies as he walks away from a ruined home. Chrom grimaces as he looks around the village, homes smoking while blood stained the ground. For three villages to come under attack by Risen flyers in quick succession? Someone had to be behind it. But that was not the only thing that was bothering him.

Phila. She had become a Risen. But what bothered him more was how she didn't mindlessly attack Sumia and Cordelia. As though on some level she recognised who they were. However, it was what Gaia told them when they tried to pursue her that had him curious as well. Turning to look at Lucina, who was standing with Oceania, Akeru and Brady, he walked over to her.

"Lucina. I know that we haven't been pressuring you to tell us why you wanted to come here. But after seeing this, I think I have an idea." Chrom says, while Sora, Kairi, Robin and Tiki join them.

"I know." Lucina replies. "In all honesty, we did not know if the villain we faced would even be here. We were hoping to be wrong, that Algol would not be here."

"Algol? Who is Algol?" Sora asks with a raised eyebrow.

"A monster. That's all he is father." Oceania replies, holding her arms while a shiver runs up her spine. "The things he did, it last with you forever." The five look between them with concerned glances. Whatever this Algol does, it was clearly not something they want to remember.

"Can you tell us anything you remember?" Robin asks gently. "Anything at all?" The future kids look between each other, before Akeru stepped forward.

"All we know is second hand accounts. But according to the survivors who led the raid, it was a scene out of their nightmares. The entire complex is littered with traps and pits, while spikes extend from the walls and ceilings. Some even said they could hear people crying in pain, yet the cells were baren and empty. Many of the men who went into that place fell victim to the traps. And that was before they encountered the Risen."

"Algol has been dabbling in the darkest of arts." Brady continues as he leans on his staff. "The sick bastard has been trying to find way to get Risen to obey his commands, while having them retain some form of their personality. He even managed to turn some high profile people into Risen as well."

"For some reason, no one in the Shepherds, Guardians, or the foes you've faced have become Risen." Lucina adds on. "Lady Tiki had theorised that, since you all fought beside her, and that Gangrel, Walhart and Basilio all died before Grima was resurrected it rendered you immune to being Risenafied."

"But Algol. He found a way." Oceania replies with anger behind her eyes. "He somehow found a way to turn everyone into Risen. Even those who had died before Grima returned. Seeing both a Risen Gangrel and Walhart years after that proved it." That was an image none of them wanted to see. But there was one thing that they said that sat ill with them.

"Brady, you said that you were told this by survivors." Tiki begins with a look of horror on her face. "Did this attack take place—"

"After Chrom, Robin, Sora and Kairi died? Yep. As for how many, about a quarter of them survived." Brady replies with a gloomed expression. "It happened about a year after that day. Heartless-Risen attacks were growing by the day, as everyone found themselves holding up in the cities. But the constant fighting was taking its toll, as by then about a quarter of you had been killed."

"It was then that a rumour began to circulate." Akeru cuts in. "Rumours about a necromancer, stealing entire villages under the cover of night. Leaving nothing but burnt homes and bloodied soils. It wasn't long before his hideout was found, and a force was assembled to remove it. Khan Flavia led the attack, with Lady Aqua, Sir Terra and Kitai taking part. No one else could be spared unfortunately."

"Wait. Kitai? Did he come back in time too?" Kairi asks. The future kids look between each other before nodding in confirmation. "I had a feeling he would. He and you are practically inseparable right now Lucina." Lucina had to looks away as a blush formed on her face as Oceania, Brady and Akeru chuckled at her. Even Chrom couldn't help but smile, before his frown returned as he glared at the mountain.

"Well. I believe it's time we solved this mess before it gets out of hand." He says with finality in his voice before looking at the kids. "Do you know the entrance into his base and where the traps are located?" The four nod before Akeru pulls out a faded map. It held a withered yet detailed layout of the complex, highlighting the traps and pitfalls, false hallways and doors. But what drew the eyes of the five was a large room located in the centre, with what looked to be cages around it. Casting a glance at Robin, Chrom could already see the gears turning in his friend's head.

"I can see now how they took so many losses." Robin says with a glum look as his eyes narrow at the mountain. "But now that I'm here, I won't let that happen.

The forest around the mountain was thick, the foliage vast and deep. To anyone on the outside, it would look like a typical vista. But to Kitai, he knew it for what it really was. A front. Motioning his horse through, he arrives at an outcrop of rock near the mountain's base. Nothing abnormal was on it besides a piece of rock jutting out slightly. Bashing his spear against it, the rock wall before him shook as a small door opened before him. Inside was a dark and foreboding hallway, with torches lighting the way and a putrid smell of blood, rust and decay.

"Just as bad as back then…." He mutters to himself before motioning his horse forward. As soon as he entered, the door behind him closed, leaving the place as it was before. But while Kitai ventured through his own path, Chrom and the others were taking another.

Following a road up the side of the mountain, the Guardians and Shepherds arrived to a cave entrance, wide enough to accommodate a small army. While horse and carriage tracks marked the ground.

"Sumia, you and the other flyers must stay out here." Robin says as they get ready to enter. "I don't think there will be enough room for you to move about." Sumia looked prepared to argue, but she reluctantly nodded at Robin. Taking one moment to embrace Chrom, with Cordelia, Xion and Cherche doing the same with Gaius, Riku and Lon'qu, the flyers took to the skies. With a nod from Chrom, the remaining Shepherds marched into the cave.

They first felt a sense of dampness, the scent of cave moss wafting around them. Not surprised by the humidity, they were near Plegia, after all. They continued on with Lucina and the other kids leading the march. They soon stopped at a stalagmite as Akeru suddenly cast Flux not far in front of them. No sooner does it materialise does a swarm of arrows rain from above, creating a field of arrows before them. The group collectively gulp at the sight as they look at the trigger for the trap, a seemingly ordinary piece of rock that had been moved by the spell.

"Well…That would have been icky…" Lea quietly quips as they continue on, arriving at a hidden door behind a boulder. The moment Kellam and Terra opened it, they were suddenly bombarded by the smell of decaying flesh and blood, with rust and rot mixed within.

"By the gods!" Panne cries as she and Yarne hold their noses. "The smell is unbearable!" If it was terrible for everyone else, I was worse for the enhanced senses of Panne and Yarne. With comforting words, the two return to the entrance to stand guard while the rest, after wrapping their faces in cloth, continue on. Around them, the scenery changed to steel and iron, with claw marks marking the walls.

And at every interval was an empty cage, the room filled with spikes on the walls, floor and ceiling. It was more than enough to make their stomachs churn at the depravity of Algol. It wasn't helped with them encountering pitfall traps laded with spikes, arrow traps or even falling ceilings at every turn. There was even a hallway rigged to have walls close in from the sides.

All the while, the stench around them continued to grow.

Eventually, after what felt like hours, they reached the central room on the map. It's layout was like that of the cells, only extended to a ridiculous size. The spike were the size and height of Kellam, with numerous cells dotting around the room on three levels. Thankfully, there was still room to move around, yet the patches of blood on the spikes and floor did nothing to sooth their worries.

"Gods…this is worse than I imagined…." Chrom remarks as he looks around with disgust.

"Guys, remember how I compared some of our foes to Xehanort?" Sora says as he and the Guardians walk to the centre of the room. "Cause what I'm seeing here is worse than he ever did."

"I'm not sure if that's a good thing or a bad one…." Terra utters as he scans the room before spotting what looks to be one of the villagers before them. "Found someone." He quietly says to the others. They look his way to see the villager, only to tighten their hands around their weapons. They would have assumed it was an average villager if they were not told about what was happening here.

But they knew otherwise.

Soon, more appeared from the shadows, joined by Swordmasters, Assassins, Sorceress, Berserkers, Warriors, Heroes, Snipers and the Falcon Knights who attacked the villages. And leading them all was Phila.

"Phila…Why did this haft to happen to you?" Lissa quietly asks as the groups converge, weapons pointed at the Risen around them. Chrom grimaces as he looks at Emmeryns former bodyguard before casting his gaze in an angry glare.

"Show yourself, Algol! We know you are here!" He shouts in anger, brandishing Falchion. Silence followed until a maniacal chuckle echoed from above. Casting their gaze to the top, the Shepherds and Guardians see Algol step into a beam of light, his deranged face of glee looking down at them.

"What do we have here? A bunch of sellswords stumbling around where they are not wanted?" He asks no one in particular. "I would ask HOW you managed to find my home, let alone avoid my traps. But I'm feeling generous. Run along now and leave me to my work."

"Sorry, but we came here to stop your work!" Sora shouts back, a fire in his eyes. Algol looks down at them with a bored expression before tilting his head.

"Don't you realise what it is I make here? Assassins. DEAD assassins who have no emotions to hold them back. Only their skill and thoughts. Glorious, are they not? Why even the Grimleal have taken a liken to my work! Did you know they bought several last year to send them against the Prince of Ylisse?" His words stun the group as they glance between them.

"Of course, I have bigger plans than nameless assassins." Algol continues on. "You see, I have always admired the heroes of yore, yet it saddened me that they died of old age. Never to rise again due to the 'holy' aura that keeps them safe from reviving." He says in a mock sad tone. "But that was when I thought, 'Why should I not try?'. And so, after years of testing, I had revived one of those Heroes." He points to Phila with a mad grin.

"She is but the first! Soon I will revive countless more for my bidding! The strongest warriors in the realm will walk the lands once against as my personal slaves!" He starts chuckling before devolving into a burst of insane laughter as everyone below him glares at him with anger.

"You freak…" Aqua says quietly before yelling in rage. "You sick, deplorable freak! You think you can just get away with this! We won't let you live a second longer!" Around her, the Shepherds and Guardians roar in agreement, weapons ready, bows, nocks and tomes flaring. Tiki and Nowi take on their dragon forms and roar in rage. But Algol was not impressed.

"Hah! Over my dead body!" He shouts back as his looks becomes more unhinged. "But you all, you intrigue me. Yesssss….you will all do nicely as pawns of my army!" He points his staff forward with glee. "Go, my children! Make your master proud!"

Without a word, Algol's forces charge towards them with blind obedience. While Phila hovered in the air above them. The men and women Algol had brought back were good, their skills filled with years of experience and knowledge. But they fought with no emotion, no drive and no will.

The Shepherds and Guardians, by contrast, were filled with emotions. Greif, anger, rage, sadness, pity. Their drive is focused and forefront. And their will is stronger than ever. Torrents of magic screamed through the gaps in the spikes while the riders rode around in Hit-and Run tactics. Tiki and Now flew above, raining down holy fire while the rest formed a circle with healers, mages and archers in the centre.

As more of his warriors fell, their bodies reverting to normal as his magic left their corpses while breathing their final words of freedom, Algol's face grew into a rage. Noticing that Phila had still not taken to the fight along with her riders, he slammed his staff into the floor. A purple bolt seemed to pass through her head before she suddenly motioned her dead Pegasus into a dive towards the Shepherds.

Phila's sudden attack took them by surprise as they ducked under the swing of her silver lance. Virion and Roxas took aim at her before launching arrows towards her. Yet their aims were off, along with her experienced flying.

But even with Phila now in the battle, Algol's forces still failed to break through. Snarling, he had decided enough was enough before slamming his staff down again. In an instant, the spikes around the room glowed a deep purple with a black core before suddenly bursting out with purple light, enveloping the room. The Guardians and Shepherds screamed in pain as the light blasted against them, with Algol's forces being cut to ribbons. Phila had managed to dodge the blows as she hovered in the air, as her fellow dead riders fell to the ground. The pain was so great it forced Tiki and Nowi back to their human forms as Frederick and the riders were knocked from their mounts.

"I had hoped not to use that." He mutters in annoyance. "To have been forced to use my ultimate trap…." His eyes fall on the injured group as the healers among them struggle to mend their wounds. "Oh well. At least I have some new toys to play with." He mutters as his grin returns. "So, who shall be the lucky ones?" His gaze falls on them like a predator. "The one in blue hair and the fancy sword? Or the Manakete woman and ashen-haired man?" He says, pointing to people like a kid in a shop. "Or how about the spiky-haired one with the redhead?"

He grins wildly as he looks them over before his eyes fall on Terra and Aqua. "Ahhh. Those two shall do." He says as he holds up his left hand. An orb of darkness forms with purple flames as he locks his eyes with the couple. "You shall be the first in my new army!" He says with glee as he raises his hand into the air. Everyone struggled to move, Naminé and Lissa rushing to erect a barrier before them as the orb of darkness grew. Anyone with a bow took aim at Algol, hoping to interrupt his spell, only for Phila to fly before him to block their strikes. "There is no hope for you! You were all doomed the moment you entered my home. Now, say your last words." His eyes widen in deranged glee as the energy around him continues to build.

Aqua and Terra close their eyes as Terra puts his shield in front of them. It seemed that this would be their end.

"Why don't you say your words first!" A voice suddenly yells from Algol's right as the sound of hooves slamming against metal echoes into the room. Turning, Algol's eyes widened in shock as Kitai emerged from a passageway on his level, spear aimed directly towards him. He was so focused on channelling his spell did he fail to see or hear his approach until now. Turning his attention to Kitai, he hurls his charged attack towards him. But with its size, it moved too slowly for it to be a threat. Against weakened opponents, it would have been fatal. But for Kitai on his horse? A simple jump to the side and the orb flew past harmlessly before impacting on the wall behind.

Phila, seeing the danger to her master, flew towards Kitai with her silver lance, only for the young man to duck under her attack, focusing his attention on Algol alone. The necromancer backed away from Kitai in shock and fear before finding himself at the edge. Instinctively, he glanced back to the spikes below him. An action that proved to be his fatal mistake.

Catching this lapse in judgement, Kitai's horse reared on his hind legs before kicking Algol in the chest and plummeting to the ground. One of the spikes broke his fall by piercing him straight through his stomach and spine.

As Algol died on the spike, Phila suddenly cried out in pain before she and her Pegasus fell from the sky and landed on the floor below, missing the spikes. As the fog faded from her, she weakly opened her eyes, seeing Chrom and the others gathering around her as blood once again flowed from her arrow wounds.

And yet, even though she was dying once again before them, she showed no grief. Instead, she smiled at them, uttering one final sentence while her eyes closed before her life faded again.

"Free…Thank…you…"

Silence filled the room as Kitai looked down from above.

The sun was falling when they left the mountain. After they had won, they decided to bury the victims of Algol's experiments in one of the villages. At the same time, a monument was placed at its centre. Chrom vowed that a proper one would be built once he informed Flavia of what had transpired here. Phila's body would be brought with them to Ferox before being sent back to Ylisstol for a proper burial.

That is, if he could stomach remembering what they saw.

Deciding that no one should ever return to this place, the cave entrance was collapsed, sealing off the vile evil in the mountain forever. After all, if no one knows it existed, no one will go looking for it.

But even so, it did little to ease the pain of guilt they all felt as they left the ruined villages. If they had only been quicker if they had only arrived earlier. These thoughts would forever haunt them as they set up camp on a hill as the sun vanished behind the horizon. But for one person, the mountain in the distance still had his attention as he held the broken Wayfinder in his hands.

"Kitai?" A soft voice echoes behind him. He stiffens slightly before turning around, greeted by the sight of Aqua, Terra, and the rest of the Guardians. He had been avoiding them as they left the mountain, unsure when to approach. But now that was not possible. Swallowing, he pockets the Wayfinder before walking forward a few steps, meeting Aqua and Terra's gaze.

"Hello, mother and father. It is good to see you again." He says before breaking eye contact with them.

"What's wrong, son? Why won't you look at us?" Terra asks as he and Aqua walk forward. Was it something they did? Were they too strict with him? Kitai sighed before turning away, his gaze locked on the ground.

"How can I?" He asks quizzically. "How can I look my parents in the face when I am the reason they died in the first place?" The Guardians gasp at his remark while Aqua and Terra look on wide-eyed. "Lucy and the others told you about it? The mission we took on? And that the three of us were a part of it?" Aqua and Terra nod slowly, motioning for Kitai to continue. "Well, during that mission, I saw you die."

Flashback

"That's right, my children! Kill them all!" Algol yells with glee as his minions attack the Ylissean force. Terra growls in anger as he swings his spear around in an arc, cutting down several Risen before rushing into a Sonic Blade attack. Meanwhile, Aqua alternated between water and ice, catching several Risen in mini whirlpools before freezing them solid.

As for Kitai, he was busy charging into the Risen with a calm fury. He could recognise the faces of several of the Risen, all from villages in Regna Ferox's borders. How could this man, this DEAMON, do this? As he continued to strike down the Risen, he soon saw one that nearly broke him. It was a young girl, no older than six, wielding a silver bow with the miasma of a Risen around her.

At that moment, when he was forced to end her horrible fate, Kitai lost his focus. He charged directly at Algol in a rage, spear levelled at his head. Yet the necromancer was not worried. With a staff slam, he sent a shockwave towards Kitai, knocking him and his horse to the ground.

"Well, aren't you a feisty one?" He says, mocking as he channels an orb of darkness in his hand. "I think you will look nice in my collection. Gya hahaha!" He raises the sphere above his head, hungry eyes boring straight into him. Kitai struggles to his feet as his horse rises, but before he can move, Algol tosses the orb towards him. At that moment, he felt his legs turn to stone as the sphere zoomed towards him.

But before it could get close, someone else stood before him.

"KITAI!" Aqua and Terra cry as they leap before him, shielding him from the orb as it comes closer. It exploded when it neared them, consuming the two while knocking Kitai and his horse to the ground. As he shook his head free of the concussion, he looked to where his parents once were.

Only to see the remains of their Wayfinders left behind.

Flashback ends.

Everyone is silent as Kitai finishes his tale, sadness filling their eyes. While Oceania and the others look away, Aqua and terra look on in shock at Kitai, his gaze locked to the ground.

"That's why. That's why I can't look you in the eye." He says. "How can I? It's because of me that you died. If I had only kept my emotions in check-!" He begins to rant but is cut off when Aqua envelops him in a hug. Tears threatened to leak from her eyes.

"That's enough, Kitai. You can stop hurting yourself." She says softly. "Stop holding this blame on yourself. It's not your fault that we died. Nor is it your fault for letting your emotions get the better of you."

"But—!" Kitai tries to make an argument, but Terra stops it by simply placing his hand on his head.

"But nothing. No one can be blamed when their emotions get the better of them. I know that better than anyone." He says with a faraway look. "So listen to us, Kitai. You are not alone anymore. You don't have to shoulder any blame on your shoulders. And if it makes you feel any better, we don't hate you for what you did." At that moment, any form of resistance Kitai had melted away as tears began to race down his face as he returned Aqua's embrace.

While the rest of the Guardians look on a few feet away with warm smiles.