Welcome back, guys. enjoy.
Have the preparations been seen to?" Queen Mireilla asked her guards who stood at attention the entire time they gave their reports in the throne room. Today would be the only day they would be afforded this chance to summon a new set of heroes. . .to summon the true protectors who would defend the world from the outside forces that wished ill will, and above all else. . .
Properly honor Naofumi's memory of carrying the kingdom on his shoulders the entire time he was sent into this cruel, cruel world.
"Yes, My Queen; everything is just as you ordered it to be, and the spell is ready for use," Ake looked on as his Captain gave their grace the report she told them to when all was said and done. "We also have taken the precaution to steer any citizens away from the immediate vicinity of the castle."
Good. Now this way, nothing unexpected would happen that she didn't account for. Summoning the new heroes would definitely be something that could not be interrupted, no matter what. The smallest disturbance could result in any number of issues from the hero not being summoned properly to it reaching the wrong person.
Her fingers absently rubbed against the gold armrests of her throne, the feeling being second nature as she could tell every small imperfection, groove, dent or chipped piece of precious metal. She would have to do this quickly, so to not provoke the other nations who were suddenly dead set on obtaining a Hero for their lands, as the Waves Of Calamity grew fierce and the number of deaths grew more and more.
It still gave her a migraine that her idiot ex-husband made the colossal mistake of summoning all of the Legendary Heroes; if it had been one, she wouldn't have been quite as upset, versus stripping the other nations of their chance of some salvation.
But, any positive of this situation would be that he would make a fine fertilizer for some Heirloom tomatoes.
"Thank you, guards. You may return to your post." Queen Mireilla said, slowly closing her eyes for the moment. She was tired; not just mentally, but physically as well. Having the best coffee in the kingdom did little to perk her up, especially when she detested such a drink; but it held its benefits nonetheless. "I cannot wait for this to be over with, goodness knows we could all do with a break."
Fitoria sat on the throne next to her; silently paying a watching eye to the mages who went back over the summoning circle to make sure that there were no imperfections that would hinder the process in any way. She would be inclined to agree with the ruler, but even she knew better. A few of the lessons the previous Shield Hero imparted onto her before his passing was one she put her best foot forward in practice.
"People in charge don't really get a day off; if they did, everybody else that depends on them will probably be lost. . .but that doesn't mean they're gonna work forever. Someone else will have to take up the mantle sooner or later."
She remembered that one all too well; alongside being strong and having the power to stand up and to never settle for what you have when you can't strive for so much more.
That's why she beat that lesson into Filo; she would have made a fine successor for her once her own time came; but alas, the incompetence of the other 3 Heroes made that non-existent.
Fitoria signed, slumping in the chair after she stretched out and yawned. She only hoped this next batch of Heroes would be better than the last. And more importantly; she wanted each of them to have the resolve, the courage, and the common sense of Naofumi, or else they may all die. "We can only truly rest when we're either dead or someone else has taken our job."
Mireilla quirked a brow and looked to her Filolial friend. What would compel her to say something like that? The both of them had plenty of life left in them, and she was more than certain that between the two of them, as well as the new Heroes and the help of the other nations, they may just be able to change this world for the better, if only just. "What makes you say that? I believe we can enough change with the time we have."
Fitoria shook her head, not disagreeing with her, but seeing the idea in a different way. She wouldn't understand it quite yet; she hasn't lived as long as Fitoria has, so it would make sense her thoughts were still young, in a sense.
She was the same all those years ago.
''When you lead a country; you often leave the extent of your rule to the people underneath your command. Everyone answers to you and takes in your 'opinions', but ultimately take their own course of action when carrying out the overall mission.'' Fitoria said, thinking about the numerous Filolials under her watch, and how they chose to do most of the different things that helped the mission of continuing life.
''How so?'' Mirellia asked.
''The damage that was caused by the other 3 Heroes will take years, if not decades to fully be eradicated from the public eye; regardless of if we are alive or not. The people we put in charge of what we will entrust them to do when we are gone will be just like us; they can, and probably will make mistakes. And we will have to have faith they understand said mission,'' Fitoria chuckled a bit at how much she's matured over the years; most of this stuff would be something Naofumi would say.
Mirellia hmmed, cupping her chin and absorbing the information. ''I just hope this next batch of Heros will be able to cooperate on helping the rest of the world in helping the trouble we face,'' the thought of Naofumi came to her mind as she began to play the possible events through her mind of how the world may be saved by the Legendary Heroes.
The thought of the Shield Hero still was a wound that was still fresh. As far as either of them could see, Naofumi held the highest regard out of the 4 of them. He was unafraid of taking risks, faced down countless monsters, devised plans that yielded fairly good results, and even managed to unlock a level of power unheard of to most.
All while being unwelcome into this world.
''The Three Heroes Church and Trash did conspire to make life in Melromarc for the Shield Hero a living hell, but he endured,'' Fitoria saw both entities as one and the same. Being forbidden from Class upgrades, sup-par or next to no service for dining, the leisure of rest, and just exploring the kingdom was indeed difficult for the man who they each knew very briefly. ''You've already disbanded that organization, have you not?''
''Indeed,'' Mirellia said, as she thought of the vigilant work her Shadows did in obtaining information. Had they not been there, a plot to kill Naofumi by outside means would have surly been enacted by Pope Biscas. The man's devotion to God drove him to orchestrate the plot to ambush the Hero in a moment of weakness with a replica weapon that had the ability to copy the Legendary Weapons. ''Any immediate problems that may have been set to arise have been swiftly taken care of, now all we can hope to do is do things the proper way. Prepare the incantation.''
''Didn't Trash do this exact same thing? Shouldn't the other world powers be present here to witness this?''
''You're right, but we do not have the time afforded to us for all of the other leaders to come to Melromarc. The last Wave that Naofumi died in was more vicious than the previous ones, and waiting for them to come around may be the very thing we would hope to not happen.''
''And how will this time be different?''
''Because-'' Mirellia sighed, rubbing her armrests again out of habit. ''I will dispatch each Hero to where they are needed, and without preferential treatment to our own kingdom,'' Fitoria watched as Mirellia watched as her mages looked onto their queen for their next command, a silent hurt in her eyes that cascaded down to her legs that shook a tad as she put on a brave face for her subjects; she would have to in this times of uncertainty. ''And I miss her, by the way, you know. Melty? I. . .miss my baby girl. I can't get her back, even if I tried; she was only 10.''
''Mirellia, I-'' Fitoria stopped talking when her friend gave her a silent hand to stop talking.
She had to get this out, or she may never muster the courage to pull it out of her and say it before it was pushed away to the back of her mind. ''I couldn't protect her; I couldn't protect Melty. She had so much life in her, a great future that I had put in motion for her so she would not have to worry about much, but just like that. . .gone. I couldn't even tell her how much I loved her the last time I saw her, and that's something I will regret for the rest of my life.''
Fitoria knew about loss and on more than one level. The previous Shield Hero who raised her was the biggest loss that she could remember; the second was the memories that she couldn't. As she told Naofumi that night she laid her head in his lap, she regaled him with a bit of the information that he either asked about or would need to know. One such would be the potential that Filo had to surpass even her with enough time, but also how it would be partly for not as Filolials have short memories, so she would have possibly ended up being one of the strongest beings ever, only to just be power and no technique.
And forgetting her Master would be something else. She hated the vague memories, she hated the times she was so close to remembering what his face looked like, only for it to be a blur in her mind. It aggravated her to no end.
''It may not mean much, but I understand how you probably are feeling now. But I think you know that you can't break down and cry about any of that right this second because there are bigger things to worry about now, but know I am here for you.'' Fitoria said as Mirellia passed her a glance for only a second, but told her all of what she needed to know with the glint of tears plotting to come out any second. Thank you.
''Do you regret letting her go with Naofumi? Do you blame him?'' it was a bold question, but one the pair both wanted to be known. Did she truly blame Naofumu for anything that went on? Even though the whispers throughout the kingdom may have seemed. . .ludicris at best, there still existed a certain air to them that made one listen, but just. The good that one man did in the stead of an entire kingdom was always something that she took into consideration the longer she thought about it, and also, her now-dead daughter's previous thoughts on the matter.
In a way, if she accused Naofumi, she would also be accusing herself.
"No, no I. . .don't think I can do that. I would be a hypocrite if I pinned all the blame on Naofumi; I sent Melty on those missions on my authority. All those times l I thought she was doing good, but I feel that I may have accelerated what happened. D-Does that-" Mireilla whispered, her breath hitching in her throat as she looked at the summing circle with tear-filled eyes. "-make me a bad mother?"
Fitoria didn't want to overstep her bounds and answer her, it was too personal for her own taste, as well as being something she would have to iron out versus Fitoria handling it for her. The pain that a mother feels over her child was one of the strongest feelings in the world.
Fitoria must have taken her silence as whatever answer she viewed it as and pushed onward with the summoning; everything was set in place, after all.
"I apologize; we should be getting this underway before long."
"Understood," Fitoria said, using a bit of Wind magic to whisper a phrase into Mireilla's ear that upon contacting her, made her crack a small smile.
The mages took their place right in the summoning circle, using their tomes to bring life into the drawing of lines and symbols. A bright blue light illuminated the throne room, making the pair shy away a bit until it died down. Voices began to whisper from the circle, some sort of foreign tongue being uttered every few seconds.
"Come forth, Heroes of Legend!" Mirellia observed the lead priest shouting at the top of his lungs, holding his hands up in offering as the magic flowed from him and his followers to the circle.
After the longest time, nothing had happened, making Mireilla wonder if the spell had worked at all. The throne room was dead silent, and only after a few more tense moments, did something happen.
The symbols on the circle began to catch fire, blazing away all of the hard work of the mages and burning the pristine carpet. Thick blankets of smoke filled the air, swallowing the clean air and blinding everyone. The heat was immense, and the flashes of light that sparked from the epicenter carried distorted voices along with it.
"What is happening?! Put out the fire!" Mireilla panicked and coughed, trying not breathe in the smoke.
"As source your power, I command you. Decipher the laws of nature and quench my target in a wave of the seas," Fitoria chanted, her hands clasped together and her mind focused. "Zwiet Water Wave!" Fitoria summoned a monstrous wave of water that helped to quench the fires before they grew to be too unmanageable.
The hiss of flame and steam rising in the air did little to deter the Filolial Queen. Holding her ground until it was done, the room began to reek as the mages who were nearest were severely burned.
Mireilla hopped out of her seat, intent on checking on her subjects and to asses the damage caused. What had went wrong with the spell? Did they not have enough magic, the wrong incantation, what was it? "Is everyone ok?" Mireilla covered her mouth with her dress and attempted to filter out the toxic air.
After having some of the windows opened to help funnel out the smoke, the thoughts of what went wrong was the only thing on Mireilla's until something caught her eye at the middle of summoning circle. Though vague, due the heavy smoke still being present in the air, she was able to make out a silhouette.
It was a person.
"What the heck? Where am I?"