Raphtalia winced and whimpered as Aris pressed a holy water-soaked bandage into the curse-induced wound on her right arm.

Aris stopped applying pressure and met Raphtalia's gaze. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes," said Raphtalia. "Actually, it's not so bad. It stings for a second at first, but then the pain goes away pretty much immediately. And it feels like the wounds heal really fast."

"Good." Aris added another bandage. "In...other news...the next Wave will arrive in about ten days."

"Right," Raphtalia agreed. "We should be prepared for anything and everything."

"And given the high risk of casualties in the smaller towns and villages outside the capital," Loretta added, "we should try to procure as much medicine as we can."

"Maybe we can spend the next few days looking for potential areas we might have to fight in," Sora suggested.

BGM: Separation - The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Ness, meanwhile, sat in the corner of the room, looking rather glum. Loretta looked at the young boy. "Is something bothering you?"

Ness sighed. "Yeah...it's...I'm just not really used to being away from Melty, is all."

"How long have you two known each other?" asked Sora.

"A while," replied Ness. "I've been in this world since a few weeks before the Heroes were summoned. At first...I was homeless. Just wandering around, sleeping under trees, that sort of thing. But then I met Melty. She took me to the castle, helped me clean up since I'd gotten so dirty, she even washed my clothes herself. And then she gave me money to stay in an inn not far from the castle. I...I feel like I owe her a lot, and I've felt that way since she helped me. So I asked to travel with her when she had to leave the capital. And...since then, I've kinda acted as her bodyguard along with being her friend. So...well, it's kinda hard to be away from her."

Loretta smiled fondly. "You care a great deal about her, don't you?"

Ness nodded. "I...I've been trying to find time to look for a way to my home world, but I can't bring myself to leave her behind."

"What else do you like about her?" asked Sora. "Aside from how she helped you?"

"Oh, boy, I could go on for days," Ness mused. "She's...I don't know if words are enough to show how amazing she is. She's smart, wise, kind, funny...I don't think there's a bad bone in her body. And...one time, she told me her goals for when she's queen. One of them...is to end Demi-Human slavery. That's when I knew she was different - someone worth protecting. A girl worth fighting for."

As Ness spoke. A revelation dawned on Sora's mind. Could...Could Melty be one of the Seven?

While that conversation was transpiring, Aris and Raphtalia were having one of their own.

Raphtalia overheard Ness's words and frowned, tears welling up in her eyes.

Aris leaned closer. "R-Raphtalia? Is something wrong?"

"Aris..." she said, "o-once the Waves are gone, and...and all of this is over...what will you do?"

Aris thought for a moment. He had been so focused on preparing for the coming Wave that he never gave any thought to what he would do when the Cardinal Heroes were no longer needed.

"I'll likely return to hopping between worlds and fighting evil in them...as I did before," he said finally. "That's the reason I would like to be able to defeat the Waves quickly and efficiently - other worlds need me. They need a hero."

Raphtalia's voice began to break at her realization. "Th-That...That would mean I'd never see you again...wouldn't it?"

Aris gasped, placing his hands on her shoulders. "I...I don't know...but I don't want to have to leave you. I know I will eventually...but...well, I...I suppose I could come and visit you occasionally, once I'm back to my travels."

"I..." Raphtalia shuddered at Aris's touch, "...I don't know if that would be enough. I...I want to stay by your side because I promised you I would."

Aris averted his gaze with sorrow. "I...During my travels, I...I try my best to not become too attached to anyone in particular...because I know that I will always have to leave them, one way or another. And...I don't want to have to see them saddened by my departure...and I don't want to have to leave such people behind. But, you...I don't think I can help but grow attached to you, Raphtalia. So...perhaps we really don't need to separate at all."

"What do you mean?"

Aris met her gaze again, gently holding her hands with his own. "If you would like...I would be more than happy for you to join me on my journey."

Raphtalia gasped. Her hands squeezed Aris's. "I..."

She didn't know what came over her. She started to lean in a little.

End BGM

Aris wasn't stopping her.

Raphtalia's leaning screeched to a halt when Sora noticed. The Keyblade Wielder cleared his throat, beckoning their attention as he smirked teasingly.

"Err..." Aris blushed, "...w-we should turn in for the night."

"Hold on, what!?"

The gatekeeper sighed. "Yes...sadly, even with a trader's pass, you need to pay a toll. It's only two silver, but it's still stupid. But, well, I don't make the rules. Ever since the..." he hesitated, "...it's hard to talk about. Things...they haven't been so well in the village these past few weeks."

Aris exhaled, taking two silver coins out of his pouch and handing them to the gatekeeper.

Before Filo could pull the wagon through, Aris stopped her. He turned back to the gatekeeper, reaching into his pouch again and producing a few more silver coins. He offered them to the gatekeeper. "Here. I'll give you a few extra coins if it helps you get by."

The gatekeeper accepted the extra money with gratitude. Filo pulled the wagon into the village, which Aris noted was in noticeable disrepair.

The ruling governor of this region likely isn't fit for his position, Aris reasoned in his mind as he and his comrades conducted their business in the village. If I still needed to pay a toll despite having a trader's pass...

As Filo's wagon trundled into a very much defunct village, Aris and his party were bombarded by people so skinny their bones were almost visible. They had been starved for a long time.

"P-Please, sir..." one of them croaked with a voice so hoarse it sounded as though a frog were in his throat, "w-we'll trade whatever you want for food...please..."

Aris stepped out of the wagon. "We can provide that, but what happened here? Would the royal court not have sent you aid by now?"

"We're...not from Melromarc, you see," said one of the starved villagers. "W-We're refugees from a small country to the north."

"We heard about an adventurer who was sent from this place to muster a resistance force and start a revolution in our country," said another one. "And...now this."

"This...adventurer," Aris said, curious. "What was he like?"

"We're not sure," said one of the villagers, "but the rumors say he wielded a bow."

"A...bow?" Aris gritted his teeth at the realization.

An infant started crying in its mother's arms.

"We need to help these people," Loretta decided.

"I agree," said Aris. "We're going to set up an emergency kitchen."

For the remainder of the afternoon and well into the evening, Aris and his party cooked appetizing, tasty meals for the starved villagers, not daring to charge even a single copper coin.

"Is this really everyone from your village?" asked Ness as he handed a bowl of soup to a villager.

"Y-Yes, and no," replied the villager. "We're...We're all that's left. Everyone else is dead - killed. After the revolution, well, our lives did get a little better at first. But then the resistance started taxing us even heavier than the ruler they overthrew."

"But...why?" said Raphtalia. "Why would they do that?"

"I'm...not very well-versed in politics," replied the villager, "but I'd wager they realized it takes a lot of money to run a country, even a small one. In hindsight, perhaps the previous ruler was thinking the same thing."

It had been a few days since the incident in the defunct village.

"The Wave will arrive tomorrow," Aris announced to his party. "Though it seems our preparations are nearly complete. I just need to pick up my new armor from Heatwaker Armory.

"In the meantime, can we get lunch?" asked Filo.

Aris nodded, taking the party into a small tavern to grab a bite to eat.

"So, I overthrew this tyrant in a country to the north," said Itsuki to Ren, "but you know what happened after that? When I went to the guild to pick up the reward, they'd already paid it to someone else."

"I had something like that happen, too," Ren mentioned. "Lost a job request completely out of the blue."

"I think someone might be going around impersonating you and me," Itsuki reasoned.

Ren nodded. "Seems like there's an impostor among us."

A woman cleared her throat and approached Itsuki, handing him a slip of paper. "Itsuki, we just received another request to overthrow a torn lord not far to the north. What do you make of it?"

"From the guild?" Itsuki took the paper and read it. "So...the local lord is heavily taxing the townsfolk."

The woman nodded. "Way beyond the court's set limits, too. And he's using the money to hire mercenaries to execute dissenters."

Itsuki chuckled to himself. "Interesting. Looks like someone needs to learn that with great power comes great responsibility."

Someone to Itsuki's left spat out a drink and started laughing like a hyena.

"What's so funny?"

Aris and his party looked up from their meals to find Ren and Itsuki standing over them.

Ness laughed. "Were you bitten by a radioactive spider or something?"

Itsuki looked nonplussed. "...What?"

"Oh, you don't get the reference?" Ness sighed.

Itsuki narrowed his eyes at Aris. "It's you, isn't it? You're the one who's been impersonating us and stealing our jobs."

"What would I have to gain from that other than some extra money?" Aris pointed out.

"And beef with the two of you," Sora added.

Itsuki opened his mouth to refute.

Aris stood up. "You've been putting more of your attention on playing vigilante because you seem to think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread," he quipped.

"Right!" Loretta agreed. "And what's more, you're far from good at it."

"What do you-"

Aris leaned closer to Itsuki, raising his voice slightly. "You were that adventurer who helped the resistance in the northern country, weren't you?"

Ness chuckled and whispered to Filo, "Nothin' like dinner and a show, am I right?"

"I...was," said Itsuki.

Aris narrowed his eyes. "Then allow me to inform you what happened after you completed your mission: the new leader began taxing the people even harder than the old one - the one you dethroned. The people were left with no money to buy food and had to flee their country and attempt to make a life for themselves in an abandoned border village. And that was after the new leader executed almost all of them for not paying his heavy taxes. You did nothing but put that power into new hands - worse hands. You didn't solve any problems; you only created more."

"Don't change the subject!" Itsuki admonished. "We're talking about-"

Ren held out a hand. Itsuki held his tongue.

Ren turned to Aris. "How do you explain my case?"

"It wouldn't happen to be related to some sort of...epidemic, would it?" Aris asked knowingly.

"So you do know," said Ren. "Why'd you steal that job?"

"Because you failed to do it correctly," Aris retorted. "The carcass of the dragon you slayed began to rot, releasing noxious fumes that caused an epidemic - one that nearly wiped out the entire village."

Ren's eyes widened. "It...what?"

Aris nodded. "My friends and I cleaned up that carcass - after some heathen named Hades resurrected it and turned the beast into a zombie that nearly killed us! Does that answer your question, Sword Hero?"

"That...really..." Ren was almost in tears.

Aris narrowed his eyes further. "I speak the truth. If you disagree, I suggest you travel to that village and see for yourself - see how much blood lies on your charlatan hands. And you as well, Itsuki - the deaths of each and every refugee from that northern country - every single one is because of your failure to solve the problem correctly."

Ren noticed Raphtalia's bandages - and the purple-ish burns peeking out from under them.

"I..." Ren hung his head shamefully. "...I'm sorry."

"You believe him!?" Itsuki was appalled.

"Why shouldn't I?" asked Ren. "He has no reason to lie. Besides..." He glanced at Raphtalia, "look at the burn on her arm. That must've come from the poison...right?"

Raphtalia nodded.

Ren met her gaze. "Again...I'm sorry."

"Just...don't make a mistake like that again," Raphtalia cautioned.

"Right," said Ren. "If...you don't mind me asking, does it still hurt?"

Raphtalia shook her head. "Not as much, no. I've almost fully recovered, actually."

Ren smiled just a little. "Good. Now...if you'll excuse me."

He returned to his table to finish his meal.

Meanwhile, Aris and his party got up to leave the tavern.

Finally, Aris and his friends arrived at Heatwaker Armory. Erhard stood outside as if expecting their arrival.

He smiled at the group. "Hey, welcome back. Aris, I just finished those upgrades you wanted."

"Good," said Aris. "Would it be alright if I put on the armor now?"

Erhard nodded. "Go right ahead, kid."

Aris disappeared into Erhard's shop to don his newly upgraded gear.

He emerged with his trademark armor, this time with a new cloak fastened around him by an ornate medallion with a purple crystal embedded within.

"That cloak is a recent addition," said Erhard. "I worked with the tailor who made Filo's dress, and she said she had some magic thread left over. So, she wove that cloak."

"If it was woven from magic thread," said Aris, "what can it do?"

"Simple," said Erhard. "Just imagine...no one can see you. You're completely out of sight, no matter where you are, even right next to someone."

Aris closed his eyes. He opened them as his party gasped.

"What!?" exclaimed Loretta.

"Papa! Where are you!?" shouted Filo.

"I can't see him!" said Sora.

"I-I'm still here!" said Aris. "But...you're unable to see me?"

Raphtalia's face lit up at the realization. "Oh, he's invisible!"

Aris reappeared just as suddenly as he had disappeared.

"That's amazing!" said Ness.

"Isn't it?" Erhard laughed. "I call it the Cloak of Shadows. You can use it to turn invisible like you did just now. But be careful - people can still hear you, and if they get close enough, they can touch you, too."

Equipped Headgear (Aris): Cloak of Shadows

Headgear Type: Magic-Imbued Cloak (Hooded)

Acquisition: Gift from the owner of Heatwaker Armory

DEF: 2

Equip Bonus: One With Shadows (Allows the wearer to become invisible at will)

DESC: "Woven from magic thread, this cloak not only provides the same benefits as a normal hooded cloak, but also gives you the ability to become one with the shadows by turning invisible at will."

"Understood," said Aris. "Even so, this is incredible."

"Oh, and about the armor," said Erhard. "That crystal medallion holding the cloak together gives your armor an automatic repair ability. That way, you won't have to pay me every time it gets damaged."

"Really?" Aris was confused. "I would have assumed you welcomed the payment."

Erhard shrugged. "I was feeling generous. Besides, even I don't like to work all day, as much as I love my job."

"Oh, he's here!"

A familiar face - multiple, in fact - rounded the corner. Ake and his party had arrived.

"Ah, it's you again," said Aris. "What is it?"

"We've purchased some better equipment for ourselves," said Ake. "I...I like to believe we're prepared for the Wave tomorrow."

Aris used his status magic to analyze Ake's party and their equipment. Sure enough, it was significantly stronger than the gear they had been wearing before.

"It will do just fine," said Aris. "Ake and company - welcome aboard."

"Wonderful!" Ake cheered.

"Now, we have less than twenty-four hours until the Wave arrives," said Aris. "We should discuss our plan."

"Right!"

Everyone followed Aris into Erhard's shop.

Erhard sighed. "Seriously!? I run an armory, not a conference room."

"Oohoohoohoo! It's almost time! Oogie's pullin' out all the stops for this one!"

Malty sighed. "Will you please take this seriously, you overgrown rucksack full of insects?"

"Hey, relax a little," Oogie Boogie chided. "I barely ever get to help Maleficent these days, ever since what happened back in Christmas Town. That little runt with the Keyblade and those two clowns helped that Jack Skellington guy send me packin'. But Jack ain't here this time around."

"That doesn't mean we can goof off," Malty warned. "Whoever this 'Jack Skellington' is - chances are our enemies are ten times stronger."