A/N

I finished this game a bit ago and one of the first things that struck me was why the hell there was so little fan content. I've never been so disappointed by the internet before. So yeah, finished the game, got depressed, got hungry, and wrote this out. Idk how big I want it to be, idk how often I'll update considering I still need to finish 7 and 9, but here's what I have for now. I hope this satisfies you just a little bit. Because hell knows I miss ys 8 so fucking much. I wish so damn badly that Dana will come back in some way, but that's too much copium. Until then, I'll be writing this.

21 AC

"I can hardly believe this day has come," Thanatos said as a soft smile began to creep into his face.

"Hah!" Sahad laughed. "That's probably because you've been here the longest out of all of us. It's probably yet to sit in for you."

"Perhaps so. Finally, I can return to my true calling as an explorer."

After a week of loading the ship with provisions and essentials, the day had finally come when it was time for all the castaways to say farewell to the isle of Seiren. Laxia was quietly chatting with Kathleen and Miralda, while Sahad was helping Dogi load the last of the supplies onto the boat.

Thanatos had decided to do one last walk around the coast, and as he made his way out of the village, Ricotta joined him. Hummel was overlooking the mountain area with Franz to make sure the village wasn't going to be attacked anytime soon.

Adol was sat on the cliffside that held Captain Barberos's grave. Quina was beside him planting some flower seeds.

"There," she smiled, "now the captain won't be lonely when we leave the island."

Adol pat her head.

Quina frowned. "Hm…"

"What's wrong?" Adol looked over.

"If we left like this, the captain might get wet when the rain comes," Quina scratched her head, "wait here Adol, I'm gonna ask Dogi if he can help us build a shelter for the captain."

Adol smiled as she dashed off to find him. She held a kind heart. Exactly the kind of thing Captain Barberos would've wanted to protect. It got quiet, and all Adol could hear were the sounds of the waves below him.

It was a calm week, no raids, no problems loading supplies, yet Adol still felt a little restless. He should've felt overjoyed that they were just about to leave the island. After all, he'd be able to get back to adventuring, meeting new people, and exploring more of this world. But all he could feel was… a bit of sadness, as they were about to leave the deserted island they spent months on. It was almost as if, he wanted to stay a little longer.

But he knew that wasn't plausible. Everyone had something they had to return to, he couldn't ask them to wait any longer. Sahad had a wife and child waiting for him, while Laxia was ready to find her father. Hummel was anxious to get his career back on track, Ricotta had the whole world waiting for her, and Dana…

Dana was no longer with them.

Adol's chest tightened, and he started to fiddle with the ring Dana gave him. He had said goodbye to many people over the years, but he had never felt this way before. It didn't sit right with him that she was left here and practically forced to oversee the very thing that killed her people.

Well, Adol doubted anyone could sit restfully with that. Especially not the people who traveled with her. Even though everyone seemed as though they were ready to part ways with Dana, the atmosphere in the village that night was somber. Ricotta and Laxia cried, Sahad tried to comfort them but ended up crying as well. Hummel kept his hat down the entire time, and Adol felt a deep emptiness start to take refuge in his heart. They would never be able to see their friend again after all.

The days passing the day they said goodbye felt short and slim. The others started to cheer up by thinking about how close they were to getting back to their old lives. And by all means, Adol should've begun to cheer up as well, but he felt no different than when the last time they all saw Dana.

"Paying your respects to the captain before we leave Adol?" A voice came up from behind him.

Adol turned his head to see Hummel standing behind him and gave him a slight nod.

"I should do the same," Hummel sat down. "He was a great help in establishing the village and helping everyone adjust to the island. I wouldn't be able to return to transporting without him." He took his hat off and pressed it against his chest, then closed his eyes.

For a moment, all that was heard was the crashing of waves and a soft gust of wind. Then the moment passed, and Hummel opened his eyes and put his hat back on. "You've had the same look in your eyes for the past few days Adol. Something on your mind?"

"A few things. But right now, I'm just thinking about leaving the island," Adol flatly said.

"You don't seem overly excited."

"I guess I don't."

"Are you thinking about Dana?"

Adol stiffened a little. "Yeah."

Hummel glanced at him but did nothing. A few moments passed before he spoke again. "Can I tell you a story Adol? It's about something that happened in my childhood."

Adol turned his head slightly in interest. Hummel never shared anything personal.

"I never planned to become a transporter, you know. The Trabaldo family had been transporters for many generations, but they often worked in the underbelly of society. That caused many people to despise us, doing dirty work for other people, and as a young child, I resented my father for deciding to carry on that legacy."

"Eventually, I had a fight with my father that caused me to run away from home. I didn't have anything, until I was taken into an orphanage by a kind elderly couple. I stayed with them for years, until by some strange fate, I met my father again on the street, with a knife in his back. I don't know if he recognized me or not, but all the same, the first thing he did was give me the item he was transporting that day and pleaded with me to bring it to his client."

Hummel paused for a moment to look towards the sky. "He died shortly after. His last words to his son were to transport illegal goods. At the time, I hated him for that. But I followed through and fulfilled my first transport. And I learned that the client was actually an underground doctor, and that the illegal item was a rare ingredient to create a medicine to help contract a deadly and highly contagious disease in the slums of the city. Afterwards, the doctor told me about my father and gave me journals that he wrote, and I learned about him more than I ever did when he was alive."

"Eventually, I forgave my father, and decided to inherit his legacy," Hummel drew in a sigh, "to this day, I carry on his will, and will continue to carry it. And after everything that's happened on this island, I have another person's will to carry on."

"Dana's," Adol whispered.

Hummel nodded. "She did more for us than any of us could ever repay. That is why I believe that all of us who remember her need to move on and carry on her will, so that her actions do not end in vain. In that way, as we carry on her will, she will always be with us."

"She'll always be with us," Adol echoed, as he hung his head and thought for a moment. He stared at the ring in his hands, before putting it back on. Somehow, it felt heavier since wearing it earlier. "You know, I don't think I'll ever forget the time we spent here, and I don't know how long it will take for me to fully accept Dana's absence. But your story, it reminded me the people we cherish will always stick with us. Thank you, Hummel."

"No need to thank me. I just did what I thought I needed to do, after all. But I'm glad it helped," Hummel evenly replied, "Healing takes time, I just hope it won't be overdue for you."

A few footsteps came up behind them, along with a high-pitched voice. "Adol! Hummel! Dogi said we'd be able to make a quick shelter for the captain before we go!"

"There you are buddy!" Dogi held multiple pieces of wood along with some tools. "Mind giving me a hand here?"

It took some time, but eventually, a small roof was made for the captain's gravestone. After that, Adol and Hummel helped Dogi load up the last of the supplies. Once everything was packed, the castaways did their last checks of the village and started to make their way onto the boat.

During the last few moments, the members of the exploration team met up one last time to remember everything they went through on the island together. Dana's farewell was still heavy within their hearts, but they decided to reciprocate Dana's promise and send her off with smiles. Once they finished, and everyone boarded the boat, they set off to Sounion.

Not before long, the isle of Seiren had only become a distant figure on the horizon.

The castaways reached Sounion in the evening and decided to rest one last time together before going their separate ways. Except for Sir Carlan of course, who went to the local authorities and demanded that he be sent home to Romn.

It was a tearful morning. Alison, Ed, and their son Luke said their goodbyes and made their way back to their tailoring shop. Miralda set off to help Reja return home to his family safely, before returning to her own family. Dina decided to stay in Sounion to rebuild some of her stock as a merchant. Alongside her, Licht and Katthew also decided to stay, so that they could join another crew in the port.

There were many different castaways who had Romn as their destination and decided to travel together. Silvia, Sister Nia, Kathleen, Austin, and Euron gathered together to pay for a carriage that would carry them back. Griselda was offered to go with them, but she declined to gather some information in Sounion before departing to Romn by herself.

After tearing up and hugging everyone present, Sahad took a boat to return to his home on Creet. Before Laxia and Franz started to make their way to the Gllia region, Laxia promised Adol that the next time they saw each other, she'd find her father and introduce him to Adol. Quina wasn't sure what to do, so Hummel decided to take her in for the time being, and they began to travel to Romn. Thanatos wanted Ricotta to adjust more to normal life so they stayed in Sounion so she could learn more about the modern world.

As for Adol and Dogi, they stayed with Thanatos and Ricotta for a while, before leaving to travel west.

One Year After Leaving the Isle of Seiren, 22 AC

Adol was sitting in a less than lively bar with a hood over his head, patiently waiting for his drink to come. Travelling west was proving to be a more complicated task than he thought it was going to be. When he and Dogi had arrived in Romn a few weeks ago, he had started to feel as though he was being watched. As they attempted to buy travel permits to move west, they were oddly declined, because of 'complications with registration'.

Soon after that happened, he suddenly remembered what Euron and Griselda had said to him, about being a person of interest to the Romun military. Warning Dogi about it, Adol decided it would be in their best interest if he kept a low profile for now, while Dogi found out more information.

"Here you go, sir," the bartender handed him a drink.

"Thank you," Adol quietly responded.

He went to take a small sip, but when he raised the mug, he found a piece of paper beneath it. Both curious and suspicious, he flipped over the paper. Behind the bar from the right, there's wall lined with pictures. Knock on the frame without any picture.

Adol slipped the paper quickly into his pocket and waited a moment, before taking his drink up and doing as the paper told. As he knocked on the wall, it opened up from the otherside to reveal a replica bar, albeit smaller. He entered and the door shut from behind him.

There was no one, not even a bartender, except for one man sitting at the bar. Adol smiled. His clothes had changed a bit but the hat and the hair sticking out remained the same as he remembered.

"I thought I'd have to travel all around the continent to find you Adol, but luck would have it you'd be in Romn right now," the man turned around as he spoke, "lots of people have been wanting to see you."

"Hummel!" Adol laughed.

Adol went to go sit down at the bar and the two of them began to catch up on lost time. Hummel told him how he and Quina got to Romn, and how she's now with the orphanage he spent his childhood in until he can find out where Quina's parents are. Adol told him all about his travels before Romn, meeting up with Laxia briefly, and how he's currently having trouble making it past the Romun officers to travel west.

"Actually, Adol, I'm not just here to catch up," Hummel said after they were done describing the past year. "I'm also here to deliver a package."

"For me?" Adol narrowed his eyes.

"Yes," Hummel leaned over to grab a briefcase. "This is for you."

Confused, Adol accepted the briefcase. Hopefully it didn't have to do anything with the Romun military. He opened it to find nothing but photos.

"Are these?" Adol asked, picking one of the photos up.

"Yes, all castaways sent these to Romn for me to give to you."

Each of the photos were from the castaways in their different walks of life. Some with their families, some with other castaways, some pursuing their passions. Laxia was studying in an academic facility in Gllia, Sahad was fishing with his daughter and wife, and Ricotta and Thanatos were standing in a village most likely in Afroca. Something about it all made Adol want to cry. But he couldn't, and that feeling turned to emptiness. He didn't know why.

"You're still thinking about Dana aren't you," Hummel asked with concern in his voice.

"Is it that obvious?" Adol smiled.

"Maybe just a little. I just hope you haven't been tormetting yourself this past year."

"It hasn't been like that thankfully. But… there are moments when I really feel her absence. I do want to move on, I really do. I know how unhealthy it is to keep dwelling on the past. But it just feels like I've lost a part of myself." Adol let out a sigh.

"I suppose, in a way, you have," Hummel synpathized. "You practically shared a consciousness with her, didn't you? Even though we saw what happened in her past alongside both of you, it must've been nothing compared to feeling everything from her past. As a companion, I miss her deeply, but it must be entirely different to what you're feeling."

Adol took off the ring that Dana gave him and started to fiddle with it. "No matter what we did, Dana was always going to have the most burden, wasn't she? Without her, no one would've been able to make it home."

They continued to reminisce about their journey on the isle of Seiren for a while longer, until the time came for them to part ways once more. Adol thanked Hummel for the package, while Hummel thanked him for being nearby. They promised to meet again, next time, with everyone from the exploration party.

One and a Half Years After Leaving the Isle Of Seiren, 22 AC

"Hard to believe we were just here only two years ago, hah hah!" Sahad bellowed as he stepped foot onto the land.

"It really doesn't feel as though its been that long," Dogi said as he tied the edge of the boat to one of the logs implanted in the ground, "time flies without any care in the world."

Arriving in castaway village, Sahad, Dogi and Adol were all impressed to see how little had changed. Some of the shelters were run down by water and most the facilities were most likely unusable, but everything generally looked the same. The watchtower was still standing and the gathering around the main fire pit hadn't changed.

"Thanks for helping us sail here, Sahad," Adol turned to the fisherman. "The trip wouldn't have been as smooth without you."

"Ga ha ha! No problem, Adol! I've been wanting to come back for a while now anyway. I wanted to see how the captain was doing," Sahad smiled.

Since meeting with Hummel in Romn, Adol resolved to relieve himself of the feelings of sadness and emptiness whenever he thought of Dana, and hoped revisiting the island would help him with that. It was a selfish request he made to Dogi, to go all the way back to Greek and sail to the isle of Seiren. But Dogi was a dear friend. Even though he didn't remember Dana, he believed Adol's feelings and wanted to help him. Adol really couldn't have asked for a better partner.

Along the way, they met with Sahad and his family in Sounion as they were coming from a fishing trip. They had a great time catching up, and they explained why they were back in Greek. Once Sahad knew they were going back to the isle of Seiren, he offered to go with them. His wife, Damia, was apprehensive about him leaving to the isle that kept him there for months, but ultimately let him go. She said to Adol one of the reasons she married him was because of his dedication to the people he cared about after all.

Now that they were on the island, Adol knew where he had to go. But first, he'd have to scale up Mt. Gendarme once more. He asked Sahad and Dogi if they wanted to come with him, but they seemed to be overwhelmed by the thought of climbing a mountain right after coming from the sea. They said they would be coming after him after a days rest.

So, Adol visited Captain Barbaros's grave, which was now protected by a flowerbed, courtesy of Quina, and began his journey to the other side of the island.

Mt. Gendarme was still as difficult to climb as the first time he and his party climbed it. He only barely made it to the shack that Ricotta and Thanatos lived in when nightfall hit. Exhausted, he entered the shack and took liberties with the bed inside.

When morning came, he found a note on the table. The handwriting was shaky and difficult to read, but overall, Adol could still make out the message. It was Ricotta, writing down all the things she had learned so far about the outside world. Apparently, she and Thanatos had returned to the isle of Seiren sometime before they did. Adol smiled, happy that Ricotta was able to come to visit her home again.

Adol was about to leave but noticed there was another note posted on the door.

Apparently, you decided to come back to this island as well! Couldn't get enough could you? Unless this is your first time here, then enjoy your stay! Anyway, if you're reading this and you know of a man with flaming hair under the name Adol Christin, tell him to come to Afroca and meet up with his favorite explorer. There's something here I need to tell him about.

Something that he needed to know? Adol took the note off the door and stared at it for a bit, before putting it into his jacket pocket. He'd have to look into it after he got off the island.

By noon he reached the peak of the mountain and rested for a bit. When he had first reached the peak two years ago, it was a sight to behold. Ancient buildings as far as the eye could see, accompanied by walkways that expanded for miles. A royal palace supported by a tree that practically floated over the archeozoic chasm, and the great tree of origins that overshadowed the city.

But now, there was nothing but forestry and rivers. No evidence left that the Eternian civilization even existed. Everything was gone.

His journey down was much rougher, with none of the preexisting paths being present anymore. But there were also less hostile monsters. Herbivores filled the land, feeding on the greenery that was no longer run over with man-made paths.

A few hours passed before he burst through the forestry and made it into a clearing surrounded by a waterfall. In the middle of the clearing was the same orange-leafed tree.

Catching his breath, Adol began walking to the tree. Each step he took felt heavier than the last, and a hot lump began to sit in his chest.

It had felt as though hours past, but suddenly, the tree was in front of him. And once he made it, he felt his body become lighter and the heaviness in his chest disappeared.

"It's been a while," the words came out of Adol's mouth before he could think.

"I've been thinking a lot these past few months. Probably too much if I'm being honest. Every so often when I've been traveling, I think of you, and how much I wished you could've seen the things I was seeing. I think of the times you said you had to eventually part ways with us, and wished it didn't have to be true."

Adol could feel the tip of his nose heat up. "I think of how brave you were, and how you took on more burden than any person could have ever imagined. No matter how cruel life had become, you always took it on with a smile and more courage than anyone I've ever seen."

"And sometimes, I think of how lonely that must be."

His eyes began to tear up. "Dana, I-"

Adol had to interrupt himself to take a breath. "I've been feeling this for this past year, not knowing what to do. Hummel came to talk to me when I was in Romn, and he gave me a package. A suitcase filled with pictures of all the castaways and how they were doing. And when I saw them, I was so happy to see that they were doing well, but those feelings vanished faster than they should've."

"I thought of how you should've been in one of those photos too."

Silence came down for a few moments. "But I'm clinging too much to the past, aren't I? To wish for something that's impossible, I could spend my entire life chasing after that, only for it to end in vain. And it's not what you gave yourself up for."

"Dana, I came back to resolve myself. I don't want to cling to these feelings anymore. You made your decision, and now I need to honor it by making it mine."

Adol shuffled through his jacket to pull out the photos he received from Hummel and presented them outward. "But, at the very least, I want you to see everything you protected."

A few moments passed, filled with the echoing of the sounds around him. The crashing waterfall, the swaying of the leaves through the wind, the distant cries of wildlife. And gradually, Adol could feel some weight being lifted from his shoulders. Everything he had been holding on to was slowly disappearing. Finally, after a long two years, Adol felt as though he could move on with his head held high.

"Thank-"

Adol was cut off when his vision suddenly grew blurry, and the thumping off his heart started to echo in his head. As he brought his hands to his head in confusion, the world started to feel like it was tipping over. His balance began to waiver and he stumbled to the soft ground, spilling the photos around him.

His left shoulder began to heat up at an incredible rate, until Adol began to cry out in extreme pain. It felt like his entire left arm was on fire. He started to claw at his shoulder, begging for it to stop, but it only intensified. He had felt this pain before, hadn't he? Though it was a distant memory, Adol hadn't forgotten about the feeling.

The feeling of being marked by the insignia of the wardens.

But the pain hadn't been nearly this extreme. Adol fell to his side, still gripping his shoulder, and hot tears started to stream down the side of his face. The pain hadn't wasn't letting up. Instead, it seemed to get even worse. Unable to clearly see and deafened by the noises of his heart, Adol thought he was going to pass out. But various voices began to pop into his head.

How…re's…

…ing… wrong…

They….cause…

…'ll… deal…

Will… not…

The words were barely understandable, but there was an undebatable fact in the cacophony of voices. That one of them belonged to Dana Iclucia.

A/N

Again, I don't know how big I want this to be, I mainly wrote this to satisfy myself after finishing ys 8, but we'll see, I honestly really enjoyed writing this. It also hurt but whatever.

Any comments or suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks for reading.