A/N: Two chapters and it hasn't been like seven months?! Who would have thought! I'd been poking away at this chapter, but it explains a few things about this new timeline everyone's in.

The fact that I found him so soon was… daunting, to say the least. I hadn't expected that he'd be lingering around the bridge to Marlind. Or that he recognized me, of all things. Despite what I looked like, he had called out my name.

"Rani!" Immediately, he made his way to my side and looked me over. "Huh. So you did lose your original body. Man, think Maotelus would make it sound less made up?"

"Wait, you only know it's me because of Maotelus?" I asked, literally staring at him. "Didn't he use up the last of his power to send me back in time? There should be two of me… But I wasn't there with the Sparrowfeathers."

"I think it's a little tricky to explain." Kain moved my head from side to side. I didn't understand why he was doing this, but then he sighed. "Well, your face looks like Rose's, but your body is definitely more towards your old one. How you were able to manage that, I don't know."

"Okay, so just help me figure this out. How strong are Sorey and Mikleo right now?" I questioned. Back home, if you started a New Game+, you basically got to carry everything over. If this reset worked the same, then they should've carried things over. Unless me being there when the New Game+ was initiated screwed things over.

"About the same as they were when they started the journey." Kain said, glancing me over. "But it seems like everything's fine with you. In fact, I'd say you're as strong as Sorey was before Maotelus turned back time. Do you have anything on you that could've been someone else's?"

"Rose's stuff."

"Did she have a bag?"

"Yeah, but I don't–"

"Check it." Kain watched as I pulled the bag out from behind me and knelt down, opening it. As I started to look through it, I noticed items that should've been in Sorey's possession. Siegfried, the Divine Artifacts, Lailah's sword… All of these things should've been on Sorey. Pulling out Siegfried, I gave the gun a lookover before holding it out to my side.

"This is yours." I said, feeling Zaveid take it from me. Dezel's hat was in here too, and here it would stay. Quite a few changes of clothes and….

The last thing in there was Izayoi's hammer. Pulling that out, I looked it over. She used this during our short time together, and I didn't really get to see her use it that much. With a frown, I put it back in the bag. "Everything from our journey's in there. What does this mean?"

"It means that it's all yours now." A New Game+ carried everything over. I was the receptor of this New Game+. Did this mean that now, I was a parallel Sorey? I shook my head at that thought. If that were true, the world should've imploded when Sorey and I were within proximity of each other. "I don't know anything else. Maotelus fell into a deep slumber once this world was reset, and it's just the malevolence now."

"That's fine. I've got… a few theories about why I've got all of these." I said, before closing the bag and putting it back on my belt. There was only two, really. One was that this was a New Game+ and that I'd basically become the Shepherd from the prior game, which meant that I had all the power Sorey had before the New Game+. The second was that this was literally a borked version of a New Game+, a glitch in the system. Either way, I had to get away from this line of thought for now. "So, you want to join up with me? Zaveid and I are gonna head up to Rayfalke."

"Where we first met. Kinda nostalgic." Zaveid chuckled. I rolled my eyes and elbowed him in the side gently. "Though I'd be careful. Sheps and Mikboy are gonna head up there."

"Your part is usually walk up to kill the Hellion, then fight those two and Lailah." I said, remembering my frustration with the first encounter with him. I could barely dent him with armatization! "But maybe we can come from the mountain and get Edna to join with them?"

"...You intend to kill Eizen, then?" Zaveid's tone was more serious, and that's where I shook my head with a smile.

"No. I don't." I responded, looking from him to Kain. "In fact, I promised Maotelus that I'd save him, so that's what I'm going to do."

"You can't save a Seraph who's become a dragon, Rani. If you were able to, Theodora wouldn't have needed to be killed." The pain in his tone was obvious. Even though a thousand years had passed, it still weighed heavy on his mind. The day that Eizen killed Theodora, and now he was to return the favour and end Eizen's suffering…. As well as Edna's.

"Here's the thing with that, though." I held up a finger. "Two months ago, I had a dream about Maotelus and Eizen. It was why I started my journey at night instead of in the day like most adventurers would. Maotelus told Eizen I would come save him with the Power of Purification. I think we need Siegfried for that. As you said before, it's basically what severs the link between a person and the malevolence."

"And I'm needed for that? It sounds like you two have it well in hand." Kain frowned a little. "What am I needed for?"

"Your sister is about this high, twin ponytails, barely wears what's constituted as clothing?"

"Yes, but you shouldn't talk." He gestured at both me and Zaveid. He had a point about that. "I've been looking for her for about a thousand years. Maybe more."

"...Symonne's your sister?" Zaveid looked a bit confused. "But you're a Fire Seraph."

"She was born from the same Earthpulse I was." Kain admitted. "But she wasn't truly affiliated with any element, which many Seraphim saw as a curse. She was my baby sister, and I cared about her a lot."

"Man, you're just like Eizen." Zaveid shook his head. "Melchior got a hold of her. I used to be teamed up with her on a near-constant basis, but don't know where she is now."

"We can find her with you." I said. "All you'd have to do is enter into the Sub Lord's pact with Zaveid and use me as a vessel. That being said, which one do you want? Sword, bow or gauntlet?"

"I'll take the sword." I pulled the sword out of my bag, and held it out.

"Alright, Zaveid. Make the Sub-Lord pact."

"..." Zaveid looked at me and then at Kain. "Y'know, don't think I know the whole thing. Lailah gave me the abridged version when I made my pact with her."

"She had to speed through it with Mikleo, so she probably got used to saying a more abridged version when she had to deal with taking on Rose." Though my own squire's pact had been the same length as both Alisha and Rose's, I wondered if it had any bearing on the timing if there was a fight going on. "Though the first part is usually either Sacred Currents of Peace or Firmest Resolve."

"Alright then."

Both Kain and I closed our eyes, and Zaveid started to recite the pact. Upon hearing Kain's true name, the two of us opened our eyes and looked at each other. Feeling a gentle warmth, I put my hand to my chest. "The pact's been forged. We should head up to Rayfalke, and get ourselves one more Seraphim."

Of course, the moment we tried, a hellion got in our way. The same hellion that had stopped Sorey, Mikleo and Lailah from getting up the mountain at first. This majorly sucked big time. Of course, upon our arrival, it decided that we were its targets and combat was initiated.

"Are you kidding me right now?!" Zaveid said, anger apparent in his voice as he dodged around it. "The hell is this thing's problem?! It wasn't this strong when I killed it last time!"

"There must've been an error when Maotelus turned back time!" I said, rolling out of the way of a club attack. "We should be able to handle it, but it's not… budging!"

I hated these pre-scripted events, especially since I should be stronger than this thing by now. But it didn't seem to go down no matter what we did. Kain flicked something from his hands, and I noticed that they fell onto the ground. Coins? None of this seemed to work at all, and I was definitely at a loss.

"Damn it! We're not makin' a dent in this thing!" Zaveid really did sound angry. Instead of sticking around, he returned to rest within me. Probably because he was too angry to really deal with this right now, which I didn't blame him.

"It's not budging, definitely not budging." I sheathed my daggers and moved out of the way as it slammed its club down. An arrow of water shot by, and I watched the hellion deflect it before looking back at where it came from. Sorey was there, in his Water Armatization.

"How did that not work?!" Sorey said, Mikleo's voice saying the same thing. Though it didn't take long for someone else to speak after that failed attempt.

"Man oh man, what a bunch of amateurs." I looked over to see… another Zaveid?! But how was this even possible?! No wonder the one I knew had vanished. And he was being awfully quiet, too. Though, this was something none of us could've expected. As he walked forward, he took out Siegfried and twirled it, pointing it directly at his head before pulling the trigger. Watching as the winds grew stronger, I knew what was coming.

"Can't take the heat, huh? Looks like Zaveid here is gonna have to show you first-timers how it's done!" Immediately, he ran towards us before skidding to a stop and using his Mystic Arte. Once the hellion was downed, I knew what was coming next. He walked slowly towards it before reloading the gun and pointing it towards the hellion.

The sound of the gun being fired sounded off, and the hellion returned to looking like a human being. I remembered being angry when I saw this the first time when I played the game. I screamed at the television of how that person had a family, and how the family would be sad that they were gone. It wouldn't do to get upset here, not when my goal was so close.

"He… he killed it?!" Sorey sounded upset. Mikleo stepped forward.

"You bastard!" That was easily brushed off as Zaveid walked over to the human.

"Hey, it was a hellion. And hellions belong in hell." I watched him as he crouched down near the body, and took a deep breath before exhaling and stepping forward.

"...I was having difficulty with it myself. Thanks for helping." I said, which cut off the rest of what Sorey was going to say. He couldn't have safely quelled this hellion. It was necessary for me to get up there. Starting to walk away, not wanting to get involved with the fight, I heard an indignant Hurry up and get the bullets from him! in the back of my mind. That made me pause and I turned to see the four of them looking at me.

"...What?"

Damn it, Rani! If we're going to do things your way, you have to take the bullets from him! Or get him to give up a few! I sighed, rolling my eyes slightly.

"The Spiritcrest is way outta your league. Both of yours." Zaveid said.

"Well, I have some business up there and I'm… going to need those bullets you have." I said, before backtracking a little. "Not all of them, just. Like. Ten. Maybe."

"You do know there's a dragon up there, right? If it yawns in your general direction, you'd be gone." He moved forward, towards me.

"Yes, I know. And that dragon's the reason I need those bullets. So if you could spare some, I'd be grateful."

His pendulum whizzed by my face. A warning shot. "If you're so eager to get eaten by the dragon and compound his power…" I dodged the next pendulum by Windstepping out of range, pulling out my daggers. "Then it's better that you die by my hand! Right here and now!"

"Hey, leave her out of this!" Sorey swung his sword, and Zaveid dodged out of the way.

"Kain!" I raised my hand up into the air, and felt the power of Fire cloak me in an armatization. I didn't know what I looked like, but the sword in my hands was all I needed. Running forward, using Windstep to close the distance between me and Zaveid, I swung it in a large arc. He backflipped out of the way, throwing his pendulum in my direction. I deflected it with the sword as Mikleo let loose a Seraphic Arte. It knocked Zaveid off-balance temporarily, giving Sorey an opening to attack. His sword met flesh, tearing a wound on Zaveid's arm.

Lailah started to cast a spell, but had to stop chanting and move out of the way as Zaveid's pendulum flew towards her. I rushed in again, swinging the sword shorter this time. His pendulum's wire wrapped around one of my arms, and I disengaged before my arm was torn to shreds. He was a lot tougher than I imagined, especially since I was having such a hard time with the hellion from before.

"I just–" Blocking another pendulum, I lowered the sword. To talk to him, to make sure my words were known. "A couple of months ago, I met him. I met Eizen!"

That got the entire battle to stop cold. Zaveid looked like he was about to say something, but stopped. I continued. "I was tasked by Maotelus to save him. I promised myself I would, no matter what. I don't care if dragons can't be turned back to seraphim! I'm going to try, no matter what! So please, lend me some of your bullets."

Zaveid stood up straight, as did the others.

"You can't use 'em, though." He pointed out. "You'll have to take me along, and I've already promised to kill him to save Edna."

"...Here's what'll happen. We go up the mountain, and let them recruit Edna. You, me and Kain will stay behind and deal with Eizen. But killing him is off limits. Maotelus will be cross with me if I allow it." I didn't know if the boy would be cross with me, but I knew I would rather not risk having one of the Five Lords being upset.

"Why are we being dragged into this?!" Mikleo asked.

"Because you three need an Earth Seraph, right? I just have to fulfill the task given to me by Maotelus a couple months ago." I turned around, releasing the armatization with ease. Kain appeared beside me, and fiddled with one of his coins. "So we just kill two birds with one stone and get both done. Let's hurry up, we're burning daylight."

With that, I started to head up the Spiritcrest.