Rean grimaced after departing Valimar alongside Celine as a combination of exhaustion and pain from his injuries caused him to sway on his feet. The Awakener did his best to battle the inexorable force of gravity threatening to topple him, but it was a futile effort. He could feel the moment his legs finally gave out as he began to fall-
"Rean!" ...Or at least he would have had he not found himself subjected to the biggest group hug in history as all of his classmates mobbed him almost immediately. The force of the many impacts was jarring, but at the same time it kept him upright so he had no room to complain.
That and it finally allowed his mind to catch itself up on what had just happened. The battle was over. He had done it.
Against all the odds he had finally defeated Crow.
Amidst all the congratulations and cheers from his classmates the young Schwarzer couldn't help but laugh. After waking up from his escape from Trista and learning about what had transpired he had set three goals for himself.
Reunite with all of Class VII.
Rescue Elise.
Stop Crow.
And right now he found himself surrounded by the entirety of Class VII after defeating his rival with Elise currently safely aboard the Courageous. For someone who had spent almost the entirety of his known life without purpose, having set and fulfilled major goals was a very new and alien sensation for him. It was a liberating feeling.
In that moment he was well and truly happy.
Still, as wonderful as this all felt Rean knew he couldn't allow himself to truly celebrate just yet. With great reluctance he slowly freed himself from the fleshy prison he willingly found himself in. It wasn't easy, but the others managed to get the hint and pulled away one at a time, giving him the space he needed.
That being said, he did notice Laura remained rather close to him with a worried look on her face. Knowing her she had seen just how wobbly his stance was and was ready to support him should he flounder again.
"Ahaha..." He didn't need to look hard for Crow as the terrorist freely gave away his position with his laugh, "You make a big speech about wanting the fight to remain between us but the second I think I've got ya you go and turn the tables with those combat links of your."
Rean couldn't help but laugh sheepishly in response as he appraised his rival. Despite losing Crow didn't really look much worse than what he currently felt, but Vita was fussing over him all the same, "Sorry about that."
He actually did feel a little bad about that ending, but as much as he would have loved to beat his rival on his own merits he knew that wasn't in the cards... yet.
"Naw. You got nothing to apologize for. If anything I'm more annoyed at myself for letting my guard down around you like that. I definitely should have seen it coming." The Azure Awakener's amusement faded as he turned his attention to his witch, "Sorry about this, Vita. After you did so much for me I ended up letting you down."
The Anguis surprised them all by giggling happily, "Oh, don't trouble your pretty head over that. True, this wasn't what I had in mind, but I'm perfectly content with happy endings."
"Enough of this!" All eyes turned to the Duke as he scowled with a red-face, "What is the meaning of this, witch?! Do you mean to suggest that is all you intend to do?!"
"Oh. I forgot he was there."
"Haha. Yeah, same here. Totally forgot." Privately Rean agreed with Fie and Millium's comments and he was pretty sure he wasn't alone in that sentiment.
Vita however seemed to share a different opinion as she rolled her eyes before turning to the fuming Cayenne, "From the beginning, the society's objective was to prepare this stage for its participants. I seem to recall telling you I had no interest in anything other than the battle between 'Azure' and 'Ashen.' Did you forget, perhaps?
"V-Vita...?" Emma's confusion was one he shared. So Ouroboros only wanted him to fight Crow here?
It was Celine who asked the question on his mind, "But what was the point in this battle to begin-"
"Silence! You will be silent!" Sadly for him, Duke Cayenne saw fit to ensure none of them were getting that answer, "If that's how you want to be, then I'll simply have to do things my own way!" With his piece said the Duke began running up the ramp towards where Cedric and the Vermillion Knight was located.
"He can't mean..."
"Wait! Don't do it!"
To see both Vita and Crow being alarmed was enough to terrify Rean as he quickly pieced the situation together. Unfortunately, however, neither he nor anyone else present were close enough to stop the duke before he reached the prince and grabbed the young man, "Come now, Your Highness... The time has come to rule with force. Let the ancient Arnor blood course feverishly through your veins!"
"N-No, please... Please..." The Crown Prince's pleas went ignored as Cayenne pressed him against the Divine Knight. It didn't take long for something to happen as the young prince appeared to get sucked into the ancient machine, thus completing the apocalyptic ritual.
Almost immediately the Infernal Castle began to shake violently as all the coalesced miasma sped towards the Vermillion Apocalypse. Fortunately for the sake of the building they were stuck in the earthquake ceased relatively quickly, but that gave way to a much more significant problem.
The cursed Divine Knight was now awake and standing before them.
The energy it unleashed was almost overwhelming in its intensity and were it not for Vita's quick thinking in establishing a barrier it very well could have been. Emma soon joined her elder sister and together they were joined by their familiars to form a stable wall around the group. One that probably wouldn't last long giving how hard even the Anguis was straining herself.
"Hehehe... Hahahaha!" Unlike the rest of them Duke Cayenne didn't seem to be affected by the malevolent energy emanating throughout the room. Instead the mad duke gazed upon his creation with absolute bliss, "Behold, Testa-Rossa, the vermillion demon lord! The demonic god with a thousand weapons! The absolute ruler given form by Emperor Orthros two-hundred and fifty years ago!"
Even as the witches continued to struggle against the inexorable force being sent against them Crow looked surprisingly calm and thoughtful, "Vita, can you help me make an opening?"
She furrowed her brow in thought, "An opening? With that enhancement technique?"
"Yep. The same one you used on me in that trial three years back. You think it'll work?"
The Anguis nodded, "It's worth a shot."
"You got something in mind?"
Crow nodded towards his former teacher, "I think so. Vita and I are going to try and make an opening so you can get closer. Once we've done that, try and hold out against it as much as you can."
Hold out against... Of course! Rean's eyes widened in realization. They stood no chance against the cursed Divine Knight, at least not as they were. But if they could keep it distracted for a few minutes while Valimar and Ordine regained their mana from their previous duel...
Rean knew his body was at his limits. He was painfully exhausted. The others probably weren't in much better shape. And yet somehow their mission to retrieve their wayward classmate had become a battle against an ancient evil that threatened everything they cared about. There was no other option.
They needed to fight, one last time.
"Okay! Let's go! Vita! Crow! We're counting on you!" Luckily he still had one final ace up his sleeve. One he had managed to resist using thus far, but it was all or nothing now. The surge of energy gained from utilizing Spirit Unification was a welcome one, even if he couldn't help but worry about relying on it with his body in its current state.
As Crow, Vita, Celine, and Grianos worked on whatever spell they were using Rean glanced at his classmates. None of them could use Spirit Unification like he could, but all seemed to have gained enough of a second wind to stand tall, determination writ plain on their faces. They were ready.
"Oh azure breath which arises from the abyss..." Vita's incantation caused Crow's saber to glow brightly, "Reside within his blade and cleave through the vermillion flames!"
"Take this! Deadly Cross!" His signature attack did just what he had promised it would, cleaving a path through the mire and giving an opening for them to attack. With a battle cry he and the others charged towards the massive foe even as it in turn gazed upon them with scorn and malice in its mechanical visage.
With Spirit Unification active he was able to beat both Fie and Instructor Sara to the enemy with his Arcane Gale. That victory was tempered by the fact his powerful strikes failed to even scratch the paint on the demonic machine, a result that was shared by the speedsters when they caught up with their own attacks.
Testa-Rossa seemed to barely acknowledge the gnats at its feet, but Rean noticed the machine's hand reaching towards its side as if about to grasp a blade. Though there was nothing there he still felt compelled to place some distance between him and it. It was a move that ended up being quite prudent when a massive sword appeared out of thin air, cleaving the spot he had been standing a second prior, before vanishing back from whence it came.
It seemed there might be a kernel of truth to Duke Cayenne's boast that it had a thousand weapons if it could summon them out of nothingness.
The others didn't seem too keen on experiencing any other weapons it possessed as they assaulted the distracted machine with a barrage of powerful arts while Laura, Millium, and Gaius moved in to strike with strong blows. It was similar to the strategy they employed to defeat the soldat outside of Trista. While Rean wasn't expecting quite a decisive result, he was at least hoping to see some damage done upon their foe.
So it was disheartening when the smoke cleared to reveal a completely unharmed enemy. Even worse, it now had a massive bow in its mechanical hands pointed Elliot, Alisa, and the others near them.
Not wanting to see what damage an arrow as large as a vehicle could inflict upon his friends Rean did the only thing he could think of and launched a hasty Arc Slash. Not at his foe as he knew it would do absolutely no damage, but at the weapon in its hand. The attack was just enough to divert the arrow away from his friends, causing it to explode harmlessly some distance away.
Despite their inability to inflict any actual damage none of the others seemed to lose heart as they recommenced the assault. They didn't need to actually win so long as they could hold it off long enough for Valimar to recover.
Something which seemed increasingly possible as the fight continued. While Testa-Rossa was infinitely more powerful than anything they had faced prior, it was still just a single enemy against the eleven of them. So long as they continued to watch each others backs and prevent it from isolating any of them he was confident that they could-
The Vermillion Apocalypse let out a roar. That in itself would have been worrisome, but even Rean could feel the enemy machine's mana spike. Was it still gaining strength after being awoken so suddenly!?
"Everyone get back, it's about to attack!" Emma cried as the young witch hastily formed a magical barrier around the group.
Her call was a good one as the now empowered Testa-Rossa waved its arms wildly, causing a myriad of giant swords to appear around it before launching it towards the group in a wide-area attack that they had no way of evading. Emma's barrier proved futile against such an onslaught and they could only watch in horror as it began to crack...
...Only for Vita to lend her aid to the cause with a barrier of her own. The Azure Abyss's support proved enough to save their lives, even as the vile machine launched more and more weapons at them. Eventually the barrier faded, but not before the attack had receded.
Unfortunately, by providing support in that moment Vita had been unable to keep the malevolent energy swirling around them at bay, and neither Celine nor Grianos were enough to handle it by themselves. Almost immediately Rean could feel his energy being sapped as the miasma washed over them. What little second wind Spirit Unification had provided him was all but spent and the others were looking even worse for wear. There was no way they could continue the fight for long-
"Mana regeneration complete. My apologies for the delay."
In that moment Rean could have kissed Valimar as his Divine Knight rose up, recharged and ready for battle. He was pretty sure neither Laura nor Fie would mind that action at all, either.
"My regeneration is complete as well." Ordine too rose to its feet, "Climb inside, Crow."
Huh. With everything happening so quickly Rean hadn't even considered that he would be fighting alongside his rival for the first time. Despite the terrible situation they were in he couldn't help but feel a twinge of excitement at that thought. Perhaps it wasn't impossible for everything to return to the way it had been...?
But those were thoughts for after they prevailed against this final trial. Even as the rest of his friends retreated to a safe distance he instead ran towards Valimar, with Crow doing the same with Ordine. Entering his Divine Knight both gave him both a means of fighting back and protection from the agonizing energy that had been sapping their strength.
Even as Rean inside Valimar approached the evil knight opposing them a thought came to mind - His friends were spent. Her wasn't sure he could hope to rely on their links for another fight. But he didn't need to, did he?
Tentatively he reached out with his ARCUS towards the azure knight standing next to him. Much to his delight the connection was accepted and established by the second year terrorist. The link between Valimar and Ordine gave him renewed confidence, even as Testa-Rossa finally moved to assault the two of them.
When it attacked them after summoning its sword while they were on foot there was no alternative but to dodge. Being in a Divine Knight, however, afforded them the option to block. Even with Valimar's strength and the safety afforded his Zemurian Ore tachi, Rean still found himself being pushed back. That was alright, however, as Crow took the opportunity to strike the enemy with an overhand chop from his saber, doing less damage than he would have liked, but far more than what their combined efforts had accomplished earlier.
It also had the added benefit of diverting attention away from him. Crow was initially surprised when it summoned a single spear to jab at him, causing him to take a glancing blow to Ordine's shoulder, but that cost Testa-Rossa dearly as it allowed Rean the time to utilize one of his Eight Leaves techniques despite being inside his Divine Knight. The flaming downward slash caught Testa-Rossa in the side, causing the mechanical monstrosity to stumble back from the blow.
Were it a human opponent the pain from his assault might have disoriented it for a bit, but unfortunately for him the unfeeling robot merely responded by once again summoning its bow before taking a shot at him. His first instinct was to dodge, but it didn't take long for him to realize that at that close range there was little chance of him evading the approaching missile. Instead he attempted to swat the arrow out of the sky with his tachi.
While successful, the action still had consequences as the arrow exploded in his face, with the concussive blast nearly launching Valimar off its feet. Though he remained upright, the force of the assault still caused considerable pain. Because he wasn't an unfeeling robot like his foe the results of the attack left him slow to react when Testa-Rossa once again approached with its spear ready to pierce Valimar.
Rean was saved from such a fate by the timely intervention of Crow's saber. The weapon – having been thrown a great distance from its owner – slice into the crimson machine's leg before flying back to a waiting Ordine. Even as the Vermillion Apocalypse recovered quickly, the time afforded by his attack allowed Rean to recover and resume his stance.
Through their shared link he could tell that Crow was chomping at the bit to act instead of react, a sentiment he couldn't help but agree with. Sure they had the numbers advantage, but it was readily apparent that none of their attacks were inflicting significant damage on the empowered Divine Knight. He wasn't sure they could prevail in a battle of attrition. Thus he signaled his acceptance back to his rival turned ally.
Given this was their first time fighting together inside Divine Knights he had little idea what Crow intended to do, instead opting to concentrate on their combat link to allow his body to move on autopilot. It was similar to the final moments of their previous duel where he allowed Laura's strength to empower him into using an unknown attack, but this time was different. This was two equals fighting side by side in complete unison with each other.
Azure charged left. Ashen charged right. Ordine sliced with his double-bladed saber. Valimar slashed with an overhand strike of his tachi. Crow leapt back and unleashed his signature Deadly Cross upon Testa-Rossa. Just as that attack hit Rean connected with his own Enlightened Domination.
Their shared link even provided the duo with a name for their impromptu assault, "Union Slash – Deadly Domination!"
Even with the success of their combination attack Testa-Rossa remained upright and looked ready to continue. The only sign of their assault landing was that the armor on its chest was completely shredded revealing a glowing orb inside of it, "Is that...?"
"That's its core with the crown prince it it." Crow confirmed, "I'll clear a path. You focus on rescuing him!"
"Got it!"
Rean prepared his final strike even as Crow once again took the lead. The crimson knight wasn't about to allow them to have their way, however, as again it unleashed a rain of blades upon the Azure Knight assaulting it. His rival was up to the challenge as he fended off the barrage of blows by spinning his saber in front of him.
...But in doing so missed the true attack as Testa-Rossa launched its spiked-tail into the ground before unleashing it into Ordine from Crow's blind spot. The Deadly blade pierced right into Ordine's chest, causing the knight the slump over and Rean's heart to catch in his throat, "Crow?!"
"I'm fine! It barely scratched me. You keep going!" Despite his attempts at reassurance Rean could readily tell just how labored Crow sounded. "You're the only one who can save him now, so don't you dare look back!"
Even with worry gnawing at his chest he couldn't help but agree with the command. He might never get an opening as good as this one. It was now or never. Instead he cleared his mind of all thought and focused what little energy he had remaining into his blade, "Eight Leaves One Blade, Seventh Form..." Darting forward he did his best to ignore the stricken Azure Knight, instead focusing entirely on the crimson fiend with his final attack, "Enlightened Domination!"
Testa-Rossa tried to stop him, but it was far too slow for Rean's more nimble knight. Taking great pains to avoid Cedric's prison the student launched his assault in the area around it, focusing on shearing through what remains of the armor. After completing his assault he threw his tachi away before grasping onto the orb with both hands and pulling with all the strength that remained.
His efforts bore fruit, and with Cedric safely in his arms he leapt away to watch from a safe distance as Testa-Rossa vanished into a ball of light.
It was finally over.
After carefully setting the crown prince down he exited Valimar. Once again he was beset by a wave of exhaustion, but using considerable will he was able to remain upright long enough to check on the unconscious prince.
"Rean...!" For the moment he ignored the approach of his classmates while focusing on the task at hand.
Much to his relief... "He's exhausted, but his life doesn't appear to be in any danger."
"That's our mission complete." Jusis proclaimed with a rare grin, "We recovered the other one of this nation's greatest treasures."
Their collective feeling of exultation and relief was palpable as they basked in their accomplishments. That feeling lasted until Vita let out a tired sigh, "I can't believe how wrong this has gone. I can't imagine the Grandmaster is going to be very pleased with me when I get back."
"That's Ouroboros' leader, right?" Instructor Sara asked the question on all their minds.
"The very same." The Azure Diva confirmed, "The only absolute figure to we Anguis. The supreme existence carrying out the Orpheus Final Plan, who will guide the souls of all..."
Rean shared a glance with his nearby classmates, seeing the same confusion on their pace that was probably on his. He was certain that that statement was very important to the future of the world, but right now he was too tired to even begin to figure out her words.
Emma, however, was the one exception in Class VII, "So that's why you broke the taboo and left seven years ago..."
The elder witch nodded, "That's right. I became a guide for the second part of the Grandmaster's plan, known as the Phantasmal Blaze Plan. A plan to use the hollow Phantasm in Crossbell to awaken the Blaze in the Empire... Regardless, thanks to you and Crow, I was able to advance it-"
Vita paused, her previously confident expression morphing into one of grave concern. Frantically she glanced towards the stationary Divine Knights, "...Crow?"
The Ashen Awakener froze as dread settled upon him. His Azure counterpart had not left his knight. In the heat of the moment he had brushed aside Testa-Rossa's final assault on his friend in order to win the battle, but now that he gazed upon Ordine he could see the true scope of the damage - That last attack had pierced completely through Ordine's chest.
He felt a brief moment of hope when Crow exited his knight in a ball of light, but even that light seemed to fluctuate weakly as it made its way back to the earth. And when the pilot finally appeared all of Rean's worst fears were confirmed.
There was a massive hole in Crow Armbrust's chest.
"...Heheh..." And yet despite the grievous injury Crow seemed rather amused about something. Rean was the first to make it to his friend's side, and just behind him was all of Class VII and Vita. Cradling the badly injured man Rean couldn't help but watch in wide-eyed horror as Crow coughed up a glob of blood.
"This isn't happening..." Machias murmured quietly.
Emma, despite her own horror, was quick to act. "I'll heal you right away! Help me, Celine! Lux solis medicuri eum!"
The hope Rean felt from the quick actions of his classmate was short lived as to his untrained eye it didn't appear her healing magic was doing much to slow the bleeding. From where he was holding Crow he could feel the heartbeat of his friend growing weaker...
"Man... Same place I... shot Osborne... too." The badly injured man muttered before laughing weakly, "Karma's a bitch, huh?..."
"Y-You don't have to talk!" Elliot sounded like he was on the verge of crying. Rean couldn't fathom the emotion in that moment. Instead he simply felt numb. There was no way that after everything he had gone through that it was about to end like this... right?
Weakly Crow affixed his gaze upon him, "...Sorry, Rean... Looks like I won't be able to keep that promise after all... Towa and Gelica... and George are... gonna have to..."
"It's okay!" It really wasn't, but Rean didn't want Crow to keep talking. Both because he wanted his friend to keep his strength up and because if he wasn't talking Rean wouldn't be forced to face the seemingly inevitable for a few more seconds."
"I-It's not working..." Emma was struggling to keep the flow of healing magic going as she began to panic.
The Azure Awakener coughed once more, "Thanks, Emma... And you, kitty... At least this way... I can say my goodbyes..."
"...Crow..."
"No... Don't talk like that..." Rean refused to accept that this was the result of all the hard work everyone put in to get to this point. It just wasn't possible!
"...I swear..." Despite everything the dying man seemed rather amused, "...you're such a spoiled kid sometimes."
Slowly he turned his head to his nearest classmate, "Elliot... that concert was really fun... Keep on loving music... as much as I loved yours..." This was too much for the young musician as he continued to sob, but at least he was able to nod his head in understanding, "Alisa... try and get along with your mom, all right? You've got your differences... but at least she's still alive to talk to you..."
"O-Okay... Okay..." Said girl was barely holding it together, but still managed a fake smile and a reply.
"Machias, Jusis... stay good rivals for one another... okay...? The Empire might change with the times... but you two should always remain the same..."
"Of course we will!"
"...I refuse to accept him as a friend, but I'll accept him as a worthy rival."
After hearing the rivals he looked beyond, "Gaius... Millium... A lot's happened this past year... but I really enjoyed getting to know you... So, thanks."
"We should be the ones thanking you."
"I know I'm an Ironblood, but it was real fun for me, too..."
"...Sara... thanks for everything... these last two years..." His voice was barely a whisper at this point, but still he continued, "And Vita... a lot's happened between us... but I'm glad I had you there..."
The instructor let out a pained laugh, "You were as much of a model student as I was a model teacher, but still..."
"...I should be the one thanking you." Had Rean been in the right state of mind he would have noticed the genuine grief on the face of the Ouroboros Anguis.
Instead he could only listen in stunned silence as he turned to the final two members of the group, "Laura, Fie... things are gonna get rough soon, so keep looking out for this guy, alright. I know... that with the two of you at his side..."
"...Got it."
"I won't let you down. I swear it."
"Hey, now... what's with the long faces...?" Weakly, Crow turned his focus back to Rean, "...You're all going to be in for some... tough times ahead... I can't go any farther now... but you can... so keep going forward..."
He raised his arm out, "Relentlessly, without looking back... Heheh... As long as you do... I'm sure..."
He never finished his sentence. Instead his arm dropped with painful finality.
Crow Armbrust was dead.
"N-No..." He wouldn't believe it. It wasn't possible. T-There was no way that everything he had done was for nothing, r-right?
A part of him waited for Crow to open his eyes again and show that it was just a tasteless prank from the trickster. T-That was the only possible explanation his mind could come up with to rationalize what was happening.
Rean was so focused on the body in front of them that he barely noticed that Duke Cayenne was now holding the unconscious prince at knife-point. What little bit of rationality still existed in his mind railed at the horrific action occurring in front of him, but the rest of him simply couldn't bring himself to care.
W-Why did Crow have such a peaceful look on his face? It was completely alien, both to the irreverent clown that was their classmate and the intense focus that defined the terrorist leader. It was wrong. I-It was all wrong!
The arrival of Rufus and Altina was enough to partly rouse Rean from his fugue state, especially as the former betrayed his comrades by attacking Vita while the latter rescued Prince Cedric from the Duke before apprehending the Noble Alliance's leader. The arrival of Captain Claire and Captain Arundel shortly after only served to heighten his confusion about the entire situation.
The others must have had more clarity of mind as they were able to solve the riddle that he was struggling to recognize. It was Jusis who made the shocking announcement:
Rufus Albarea was an Ironblood.
Rean's brain was slowly working to process this new wave of critical information after the tragedy that caused him to freeze in the first place, but the pieces finally began slotting into place for him. Not only was Rufus an Ironblood, but he was also the secretive leader of the group, unknown to even the other members. All of his work with the Noble Alliance had been to undermine the organization from within.
He was pretty sure he still wasn't thinking straight because there was one huge flaw with that entire scheme.
"What could you possibly have to gain from professing your allegiance to a dead man?!" For once, he was grateful to Duke Cayenne for asking the question on his mind.
"He would gain nothing. Which is why it's rather fortunate I'm very much alive."
Even though he had only heard that voice once in person Rean recognized it immediately, as impossible as it should have been.
It was a voice that all Erebonians knew well.
It was the voice of a dead man.
It was the voice of Chancellor Giliath Osborne.
"G-Gramps?!"
The now very much alive dead man smiled slightly as he looked towards them, "I'm pleased to see you again, Millium. Greetings to you as well, Class VII, and to your esteemed instructor." The smile turned far more dangerous as he shifted his gaze towards the defeated duke, "...And to you, Your Grace."
"Y-You... How are you still alive?!" Duke Cayenne appeared to be on the verge of a mental breakdown.
"How indeed?" Osborne's smile was mocking as he pretended to ponder over the question, "Perhaps the years have dimmed your eyesight, or perhaps I had a body double... Whatever the truth may be, I think that's the least of your worries right now. All you need to know is that our loyal ally Rufus Albarea will be bringing the situation in Erebonia under control... and he'll do so with minimal conflict, while ensuring that the Noble Alliance's power is deeply diminished. That was the task I entrusted to him, and in that he shall not fail me."
Duke Cayenne began to laugh madly, accepting his defeat with absolutely no grace. Neither Rean nor anyone else paid him any mind as Altina used her combat shell to take the defeated duke into custody.
Instead all eyes turned towards the injured Vita as she spoke up, "As obsessed as Crow was with making it happen... I had a feeling all along you weren't really did. You made it quite clear that you were someone not to be underestimated back when we were working with you regarding the situation in Liberl."
That was right! Rean glanced down at his friend, even as he still struggled to accept Crow's death. Everything Crow had done had been for the sake of killing Chancellor Osborne. It was why he was laying there with such a peaceful expression on his face...
But now Crow was dead and Osborne was very much not.
As he chewed on that thought he forced himself to return to the conversation at hand, "...But I could never have predicted you would have taken a branch of the Thirteen Factories under your control. What exactly do you plan to do?!"
"I'm taking over that Phantasmal Blaze Plan of yours and my first order of business will be sorting out the mess you left in Crossbell." His words seemed to shock the Anguis, who took a reflexive step back, "I'll allow you to leave this time, witch. Slink back to your master and the rest of that brood of serpents, and tell them: If they even think of trying to stand in my way, I'll crush them beneath my heel."
The Azure Diva seemed to take his words at face value as she began to incant a spell that Rean understood was some kind of teleportation magic, "Vita?!"
Emma's words caused the elder witch to give her a sad smile, "I'm sorry you had to see me like that. Give my regards to the elder." She turned her gaze towards Rean and the corpse by his feet, "And... I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused you all. Please, take good care of Crow for me?"
With those parting words she vanished from the castle, much to the dismay of Emma and Celine. For his part Rean couldn't find it in himself to be angry at her, despite her being an Anguis and one of the masterminds of this entire conflict. The grief and anguish on her face as she gazed upon his friend couldn't have been faked.
Plus, someone else had just arrived who he was starting to think was a much more worthy outlet for his fury.
Lechter and Claire both moved to join the Chancellor and Rufus, and after a brief hesitation, Millium too. The older man seemed to gaze upon them with uncharacteristic fondness, "You've all done excellent work. Icy Maiden, White Rabbit, Scarecrow... and you, Jade Rook."
"Thank you, Your Excellency. I'm overjoyed to see that you are alive."
"Can't say I honestly thought you were dead in the first place."
"Well, if anyone could survive being shot through the chest, it'd be you, so I did wonder..."
"I don't imagine you intend to reveal your secret to cheating death, do you?"
Rufus' question caused Osborne to let out a hearty chuckle, "And rob you of such a splendid conundrum to puzzle over? This castle will return to its original form within a few hours, but our work is far from over. I'll be giving all of you new assignments. As always, I expect only the best from each of you."
Both Captains Claire and Lechter were quick to action, with the latter picking up the still unconscious prince. Millium again hesitated and Rean noticed her glancing back towards him, but even she began to assist Claire in securing Duke Cayenne for imprisonment.
While that was ongoing the Blood and Iron Chancellor turned his attention to the elder Albarea, "Rufus, I want the situation here resolved within the week. As soon as you have things under control, move forward with the occupation of Crossbell."
"With pleasure, Your Excellency."
Those words caused a few gasps among his classmates. That they were having this conversation in earshot of Class VII showed just how irrelevant they were to the powers in charge. Rean found himself glaring hatefully at the powerful man who had just upended everything he held dear.
From sending Crow down a dark and unforgiving path, to manipulating the entire country into a civil war... Now he was about to bring war to another nation entirely?
And most importantly, his actions had led to the death of Crow.
An unfamiliar feeling bubbled within his chest. No amount of emotional control could hold it back. This wasn't the raging inferno that consumed him when he lost control of his powers. This was a cold fury that desperately needed an outlet.
And that outlet would be Giliath Osborne.
The others must have realized his intent when he stood as he could vaguely hear the alarmed warnings from around him, so focused as he was on his destination. Powerful but slender arms tried to restrain him, but his anger gave him the strength to break free. A flash of silver tried to intercept him, but he barely noticed as he shoved past as he was too focused on the man responsible for everything.
Even though he was surrounded by his loyal children the path to Osborne was clear for him to approach the chancellor. What small amount of rationality still existed in his brain knew that grabbing the most powerful man in the country like he was was a terrible idea, but that thought was burned away by his anger, "Why?! Why are you still alive?!"
Despite his violent actions and angry words Osborne didn't flinch, prompting Rean to continue,"Crow shot you! You're supposed to be dead!" But in the end, he couldn't avenge his grandfather, he didn't get revenge on you...! Was everything he did... Was his whole life for nothing?!"
He heard movement behind him. One of the Ironbloods was surely about to strike him down for his actions. A part of him was ready for it.
What Rean wasn't ready for, however, was for Rufus to place a firm but non-threatening hand on his shoulder, "That's enough." He chided gently, "Just as you have your reasons that guide your actions, so too does His Excellency. And I believe you factor into those reasons more than you might think."
"Wha...?" There was something about those words... Or perhaps it was the minute twitch of Osborne's facial expressions. But something caused Rean to remember something he had long since forgotten.
This earliest memories had always been of snow. He was fairly sure it was the same snowstorm his father had found him in. A field of white with no end that drowned out everything that had come before it in his mind.
But there had also been a voice in those memories. It had been muffled and quiet to the point where his young mind had chosen to forget it. And with that voice came the memory of a face, almost completely obscured by shadows and the ongoing storm.
It was in that moment the storm inside his head faded, causing both the face and the words to become clear as if the memory had happened that very morning. The face – despite being wreathed in sorrow at the time – was completely identical to the one in front of him. As for the words...
"Rean... I pray you grow up strong and healthy... Oh, Aidios... If you're listening, hear me now. Please, allow this child..."
He gasped. The implications were clear. But a part of his mind stubbornly refused to accept what it meant. Because if those memories were true...
Osborne must have noticed his turmoil as he gave a soft laugh, "I see you finally remembered the truth."
No... No... It couldn't be true! He released his grip upon the older man as he took a reflexive step back.
"I'm glad to finally see you again, my son. You've grown into a fine young man."
T-There was no way. If this was true than that would mean...
The anger that had carried him to this point was doused by horrid realization. In its place was...
"Indeed, the Empire will soon know of the Ashen Chevalier, the hero whose brave deeds allowed us to reclaim the capital. And who better to assist me than a national hero?"
In its place was a hollow despair that completely consumed Rean, leaving nothing in its wake.
And so we finally reach the end of Cold Steel 2... Technically speaking. There's still the brief epilogue to cover in time.
But that doesn't happen for three months. Three long months with very little detail given. Three months of almost complete freedom on my part.
And after that...
Needless to say I am both very excited and deeply dreading the chapters to come. Here's hoping I can do it justice!