And so begins CS2. It's going to be a bit tricky for me to write as there aren't any major deviations from canon planned until the end of this arc and everything happens over such a short period of time that there isn't as much free time to work with, but bear with me. Gonna do my best to make the most of what little time is available. Expect to see more chapters from other POVs, plenty of fluff, character moments... and possibly a little smut at some point.
...It remains to be seen if Rean will survive his encounters with a certain pair of jaegers and an overprotective swordmaster dad.
The first thing he felt was the cold. A bitter stinging cold that only the wind could create. It wasn't one wholly unfamiliar to him, but it was troublesome all the same and compelled him to open his eyes and move his body.
This led to the next sensation – A stiffness in his limbs that threatened to halt his efforts in their tracks. It felt like someone had attached heavy weights to his body and now nothing was working the way it was supposed to. It didn't help that his back felt like he had been sleeping on rocks.
Wait, rocks? A glance down with bleary eyes confirmed that he indeed had been sleeping on rocks. Or more specifically, the large rocky ground most commonly seen on the tops of mountains. "...Where... am I...?" He muttered aloud to himself in a voice he barely recognized, as weak and raspy as it was.
Sitting up he observed that he indeed had been sleeping outdoors on top of a high mountain. A part of him felt a sense of familiarity with his surroundings, but those initial thoughts couldn't possibly be true. "...How did I get here...?" He was so confused.
Eventually, a few scattered memories made it through the haze that consumed his mind. "I feel like I was fighting, and then..." But none of that made any sense. Giant robots? Crow being a terrorist? "...Am I dreaming...?"
"Of course not." What he wasn't expecting was for someone to actually answer him. A voice that he knew he had heard before, but couldn't immediately place. Rising onto steady legs he turned around and both answered his unspoken question.
That giant robot – Valimar – was right there. And on top of him was Emma's cat, Celine. It was her who responded to his question. "So you've finally woken up." Her tone was just as haughty as he recalled.
"Y-You're..."
If they were there then that meant... "And I wish it were, but this is no dream. This is reality. Cold, cruel reality. And you're going to need to hurry up and accept that, because you haven't got time to waste." The cat turned her head to look at the armored knight. "His core's been damaged, which means he's not going anywhere any time soon. So you're gonna need to protect yourself, Ashen Awakener."
"Ashen Awakener? What are you talking about...?" It was all slowly beginning to come back to him, but it was such a jumbled mess that he found himself even more lost. Memories of him fighting inside that machine... "What's going on here, anyway? What IS that thing?! Wait. Never mind that – What are YOU?!" He knew he wasn't being rational, but more and more memories were coming to him and he could feel his heart racing a selge a minute as the pieces slowly came together and began to form a mental image that worried him greatly.
Something which the cat appeared quite annoyed by. "Argh, knock it off! How am I supposed to answer anything when you keep bombarding me with question after question?!" She paused to seemingly regain her composure as much as a talking cat possibly could. "You're a chosen one. Chosen by a fragment of the ancient Great Power."
"Great... Power?" Memories of the Old Schoolhouse and the cryptic trial and he the rest of Class VII came to mind and he knew he had heart that term before.
"That's right. Those fragments were the origin of the Great Knights that appear in Erebonian legends. At times, they protected people from harm and disaster, while at others, they were the cause of harm and disaster themselves. And the being in front of you is one of them, a Divine Knight known as the Ashen Knight."
"The Ashen Knight... Valimar?" The small part of his mind that was still thinking rationally cringed at how he was just repeating whatever the cat said, but the rest of him didn't care. His brain was a total mess at the moment. That being said... "Wait... I remember when I... called him."
Celine nodded her furry head. "You got it. You've known that name for a while by now. But he's not the only Divine Knight that's active – the Noble Faction has one under their control, too. That one is known as the Azure Knight, Ordine. Remember? That's the one you fought... and lost against."
That's when everything fell into place. The attack on Trista. His friends protecting him while he was forced to run away. "Why...?" His hands were shaking as realization gave way to dread. "Why did it come to this? Why did everyone...?" And the root of all the miserable things that had happened... "Crow..."
For once even the all-knowing magical cat appeared flummoxed. "He had me fooled too." She muttered with a sigh. "How could I have known that irresponsible playboy was the Azure Knight's Awakener? He's obviously had plenty of experience piloting it, too. He must be pretty dedicated to his cause, whatever it is."
He needed to get back to Trista, right now. Laura and Fie had promised him that they would be alright, and he wanted to believe them, but... He approached the still robot as quickly as his wobbly legs would allow him to move. "Hey! Get up!" He banged his fist on its leg in an attempt to get its attention. You can hear me, right?! Take me back to Trista! Take me back to my classmates!" If Valimar heard him, it certainly didn't give any sign of it.
Celine, displaying the kind of acrobatic talent one would only find in a cat, or a certain catlike girl, leapt from the top of Valimar onto the ground below. "You're wasting your time." She announced as she approached him. "His core was heavily damaged in the battle with the Azure Knight. Didn't I just tell you that? And despite that, he strained himself flying all the way out here afterwards. Even when he was barely hanging on, he prioritized your recovery over his own. You exhausted yourself during your first synchronization with him, you know." Even in his conflicted state he noticed the hint of appreciation she directed towards Valimar's efforts.
"Damn it..." So he was stuck here. Wherever here was. Finally taking the time to truly look around he really did find this place to be somewhat familiar. Looking over the mountain he could see a misty valley ahead of him with more mountains further in the distance. "Hmm..." It all came together for him. "This must be somewhere in the Eisengard Range, on the northern side of the Nortia province." That being said, it was a large mountain range and he wasn't exactly sure what part of it he was in. For all he knew he could be close to Ymir, or possibly even Nord.
"Huh." Celine muttered, somewhat impressed. "I'm surprised you were able to work that out just from a glance. I guess that's what happens when you're raised in the mountai-" He didn't have time to listen to the cat, his friends needed him. Not to mention he still wasn't sure what to think of Celine, period. She seemed to be at least partly responsible for the mess he now found himself in. So despite it being rather rude, he walked away without waiting for her to finish. "Hey! Where are you going?!"
It was just a few steps down the mountain path when he realized that he was sitting on top of a monster-filled mountain without his tachi. Luckily he spotted it lazily resting on a rock not too far from his position. Alongside it was his ARCUS unit. He wasn't quite sure how it ended up so far from where he had been sleeping, but decided it didn't matter much. And where had all his quartz gone? Celine, who had been following at a distance, did look away when he glanced back at her, but just because cats liked playing with round shiny things didn't mean that she was responsible for most of his quartz being lost... right?
Either way, with weapon and orbment in hand he could truly begin to descend down the mountain. As a single solitary traveler he was almost immediately beset by monster seeking easy prey. In this case it was a pair of large shelled creatures somewhat resembling scorpions. Tachi in hand Rean moved to engage.
Fighting multiple monsters by oneself was always a hazardous proposition, but fortunately these monsters weren't all that dangerous. The stingers they possessed looked quite powerful, but their attacks were slow and easily evaded. Fie would have had a blast dancing around them.
He, sadly, did not have that luxury. He needed to hurry down the mountain and find the others as soon as possible. As soon as the nearer creature attacked he sidestepped and removed the offending stinger in a single strike. The monster seemed confused at the loss and was wide open for a second swing to take it out for good. The second one tried to avenge its fallen comrade, but without help it too soon fell beneath his blade.
"Not bad." Celine commented from her position behind him. "The monsters around here shouldn't be a problem if you can keep that up."
That... wasn't true at all. His entire body felt so wrong. Every movement was so sluggish and his arms just didn't have the strength they used to. Had all his extra training been for nothing? As he was now he didn't think he would be a good sparring partner for Elliot, let alone Laura or Fie. He had no idea why he felt so weak, but knew he needed to get back into shape fast if he wanted to be of help to the others once he got back to Trista.
"Hey! Slow down a minute!" Celine didn't seem to appreciate his need for speed. Rean honestly didn't care. He needed to get to civilization as soon as possible. "Excuse me! You can't seriously be thinking of leaving him out there in the open, are you?!"
He didn't respond, but did allow his mind to think back to that mysterious Valimar he was leaving behind. It was just a machine so it wasn't rational to blame things on it, but he couldn't help himself. Were it not for him none of this would be happening. Him and...
"H-Hey... Say something... Are you mad at me or something?"
"...Why would I be?" He asked in a perfectly calm voice. "You only completely disregarded and overruled my decision." While blaming Valimar might have been irrational, blaming Celine for forcing him to retreat felt perfectly logical. Even just thinking about those agonizing moments was enough to cause him to clench his fists in barely contained anger.
The cat sighed. "What else was I supposed to do? If we hadn't flown away when we did, you'd be dead by now. We probably would have lost Valimar, too. If anything, you should be thanking me."
"...Forget it." She just didn't understand. While he had no desire to throw his own life away anymore, being forced to abandon those reasons for wanting to survive to an unknown fate while he escaped... Death might have been preferable. "Right now, I just want to focus on finding the others." They had to be alright. Crow wouldn't... "If I keep going this way, I should end up on the highway at some point..."
"Sorry, but that's a huge waste of effort." The annoying cat seemed determined to keep getting in his way. "It's been over a month since all of that stuff happened back in Trista." Couldn't she just shut up and let him-
Wait... What?
He froze in shock as her words finally seeped in. "A month?!" He gasped out in shock. "You can't be serious! There's no way it's been that long!" He wasn't sure what kind of game Celine was playing, but this wasn't funny.
The black cat closed her eyes with a sigh. "Oh, sure. don't believe me... Like I said. You completely exhausted yourself during your first synchronization with the Ashen Knight. And I do mean completely. There was a real chance you could have died."
It was just as much the matter-of-fact tone she used as the words themselves that convinced Rean she was being truthful. "Wha...?"
"It's a miracle you're able to walk around like this a mere month later, and it's all thanks to him." She continued, ignoring his befuddled expression. "He used what little mana he had left to heal you rather than himself. And just so you know, I've been here this whole time, watching over you. So I really don't think I deserve all of this animosity I'm getting from you."
"...I... This can't be..." Rean was completely floored. An entire month had passed just like that? It would explain why his body felt so sluggish. But if that were true then what about the others? He couldn't go back and help them in the battle if the battle had long since concluded.
Still, he needed answers. By that metric his mission remained unchanged. Although his anger towards Celine had faded after that explanation he was unsure of how to act around her. So he instead opted to turn around and continue moving down the mountain trail without a word. "H-Hey! Wait a...!"
It wasn't long until he was beset by more monsters, and even if his sword struggled to pierce their thick hides in his weakened state he still prevailed thanks to his ARCUS, despite his lack of a quartz setup. Just another painful reminder of how weak he had become. He shook off that thought as irrelevant for now and resumed his journey.
The journey continued like this for some time, with Celine trying, and failing, to get his attention between monster encounters. Rationally he knew that ignoring his only companion was a terrible idea, but his mind was such a mess that he needed the time and space to sort everything out. Was everyone alright? Where were they? What had happened to Erebonia during the past month? What about Elise, who had been in the capital when it fell? There was so much to worry about that he didn't know where to begin.
In a way the monsters were a gift from Aidios. Not only did they give him a chance to stretch his muscles, but they also gave him something to focus his mind on, as any warrior knew to give their opponent their undivided attention lest it end poorly for them.
And it also gave him a good chance to truly gauge his strength. Although his body was slow and sluggish and his orbment barren, at least he was able to confirm that none of that was enough to hinder his techniques any. All of that painstaking training to master his Eight Leaves One Blade techniques was bearing fruit as he could pull all of them off – Even his Azure Flame Slash – despite his weakened state.
Eventually he ceased his rampage. As much as he wanted to get his strength back as soon as possible, he knew that exhausting himself while in the middle of the wilderness was a terrible idea. Who knows how long it would be until he reached a place of safety? Better to conserve his limited strength as much as possible.
Thus, his mind was allowed to wander again. This time he allowed himself to ponder on his new companion who was silently padding along behind him. Given all the insanity that had been going on at the time the idea of a talking cat was just another drop in the bucket, but now it was something for him to consider.
He sighed aloud. Although he had stopped being angry at Celine after that last painful revelation, his ignoring her was equally childish and accomplished nothing. Even though her personality was a tad annoying for his liking, she had been nothing but helpful if her words were anything to go by, and he had no reason to doubt them. He had a suspicion that he was going to be relying on her in the future, so it was best to get back on speaking terms. And there was one question he was just burning to ask.
Stopping, he turned around to face his current partner. "I'd asked this before and didn't get an answer – probably because I was 'bombarding you with question after question' – but better late than never, I guess." Despite his resolve to get back in her good graces he couldn't resist that bit of snark. "Just what are you, anyway? Why do you know so much about... everything? And don't even think of saying you're just an ordinary cat, because last time I tried talking to a cat, it did not talk back." He really did, too. Elise still teased him about it on occasion.
Despite the potential rudeness of such a question, Celine seemed amused. "Oopsie." She let out a little giggle. "Totally forgot about that, didn't I? I'm what you'd call a familiar. I faithfully serve the witches of the Hexen Clan and aid them in fulfilling their duties."
Sure, he had heard about witches from many folklore. But those were just tales told to kids, right? He was just about to dismiss the idea outright when his traitorous brain recalled all the events that had just happened to him. Suddenly the idea didn't seem so far-fetched. Still, better to get some clarification. "Witches? As in the witches in Erebonian legend?" The cat only grew more amused. "First the Great Knight legend turns out to be based on a true story, now this? I feel like I've stepped into a fairy tale."
"Well, you know what they say: truth is stranger than fiction." Rean suspected that Celine would have shrugged if she had shoulders to do so. "Whether you believe me or not is up to you. I'm not going to try and convince you."
"Oh, I've got no real reason to doubt you at this point." As much as he wanted to pretend that none of this had happened, he understood that that was not a valid solution. "So do you serve Emma, then?" In hindsight it seemed obvious, given how the cat had followed the class president around a lot, especially near the end. Looking back on it, why nobody saw fit to really question Celine's inclusion in the final trial of the Old Schoolhouse was a huge oversight. "Rather, does that mean she's a witch?" He clarified his question.
"She's still a novice, but she is a witch, yes. My job's more to keep an eye on her, though." If nothing else Celine definitely seemed to be a proud little talking cat familiar thing.
The news was surprising, but in hindsight, it really wasn't. Most of the signs had been there from early on. Her knowledge of all the weird stuff relating to the Old Schoolhouse and Lohengrin Castle, that 'medicine from her grandmother', and even the time she literally showed him magic with a wand. Despite the situation, Rean couldn't help but feel amused. It really was obvious looking back on it.
"Hmm? What's with the goofy grin?"
"Oh, it's nothing." Although he felt like he had made a breakthrough and was now on better terms with Celine, he wasn't quite willing to start discussing his silly thoughts with her. "Anyway, let's get going."
The trip down the mountain continued with Rean doing his best to avoid the myriad monsters standing in his way. He wasn't always successful, but what few monsters got in his way were dealt with swiftly and efficiently. Still, he could feel his already limited strength begin to wane from the exertions. Camping out (mostly) alone on the mountain in his weakened state was a risky idea. He really needed to reach safety and fast.
Still, despite the situation he wasn't all that worried about himself. There was something familiar about the path he was on. Something that reminded him of safety and home. Even though he had yet to identify the cause of that familiarity, it was enough to calm his fears.
Either that or he was just so worried about the others that he didn't have time to care about himself. In a way it was good that the others weren't around and couldn't hear his thoughts as he had learned enough to know that such things would not go over well with the others. Just imagining Laura's serious frown or Fie's deadpan stare of disappointment were enough to make him feel guilty. But not so guilty that he changed his mindset, of course.
He sighed aloud. "I need to take a deep breath and calm down." He muttered to himself, briefly forgetting that there was a talking cat with him. "I can start figuring things out once I get a little farther down." He did feel the stinging pain of humiliation when realization sunk in that Celine had heard him talking to himself, but the cat didn't say a word. If anything she simply looked relieved that his head was now on straight.
A little further on and the trail opened up into a large clearing with a great view of the surroundings. That was when it all clicked for Rean. "Could it be...?" He ran forward in his excitement to get a better view and confirm his suspicions, a confused Celine chasing behind.
Looking over the side of the mountain was the final piece of evidence he needed. For the first time since his awakening Rean felt relief. "I knew it! I've been here before." Since the cat was looking at him curiously he elaborated for her sake. "Master Ka-fai brought me here as part of my training."
"That's the name of your former instructor, right?"
He wasn't quite sure how Celine knew about that, but considering she had been spying on them for a while it wasn't the biggest surprise. "Yeah. He was the founder of the Eight Leaves One Blade school of swordsmanship that I follow. His full name's Master Yun Ka-fai, thought most just know him as the Sword Hermit."
Explanation finished he allowed himself the chance to relax and take a look around the clearing. "Man, when was the last time I came here?" He asked himself. "Must have been... I don't know, five years ago?" That sounded about right. Of course remembering that he had been here previously brought a more important thought to mind. One which he quickly shared with his companion. "In fact, if I remember right, my hometown of Ymir is only a few hours away."
"Oh, really? Well that's convenient. Want to head there? We might be able to get there by sundown."
"If we hurry, yeah." A safe place where he could rest up and one that would let him check in on his family? Absolutely perfect. Seems like things were starting to look up for him. "As soon as we get to Ymir, I want to try and gather information on what's been going on-"
He was interrupted by the sound of something crashing in the distance. "What was that...?" He muttered as he sought out the cause of the sound. Whatever it was sounded quite large. Something which was reinforced as they heard the sound of heavy footsteps. It almost sounded like a soldat, but he didn't think those machines would be capable of scouring a mountain range like that. "It feels like it's coming closer!"
"It couldn't be...!" Celine at least seemed to have some idea of what was approaching.
Whatever it was let out a loud bellow as it grew closer. A few seconds later it finally strode into view on a ledge high above them. In a way it did look similar to the soldats and Divine Knights he had seen, but it was still quite different. It was a large armored construct adorned with crimson lights wielding an even larger blue sword. "It's a magic knight!" Celine confirmed her suspicions out loud.
"You know what that thing is?!" Given the way it was looking down at them Rean had the feeling it was hostile. And the fact that he was all alone and at a glance he suspected it might be as powerful as the Drakkhen that Class VII faced together, he knew the odds of him winning alone were slim to nil. Perhaps Celine knew of a way to handle it?
"They're magic golems made during the Dark Ages... and they're incredibly strong!" While useful info, none of that helped them out of their current predicament. "Damn it... What's one doing here?!"
In a feat of acrobatics that he was not expecting from the big lumbering machine, the magic knight leapt from the ledge and landed in the clearing alongside them with a heavy thud. "Ugh..." Celine muttered helplessly. "We need to get out of here! Now! You don't stand a chance against it on your own!"
"...Maybe not." He had a suspicion that her warning was sound, but at the same time knew that running away wasn't viable either. Although it didn't seem particularly fast, he didn't want to lead it in the direction of Ymir, and going elsewhere would just end with him lost and exhausted in the wilderness. "But that's not going to stop me from trying." The young swordsman drew his tachi and prepared for battle.
"You idiot! You're still recovering! You don't stand a chance!" Needless to say, Celine was not impressed by his declaration.
"We'll see about that. All I know is that it's standing between me and everyone I care about... so if getting to them means taking this thing on, so be it!"
It looked like the cat wanted to continue arguing, but she seemed to understand that she was unable to change his mind. That and the fact that the magic knight was advancing upon them with sword at the ready. "Unbelievable..." She muttered in dismay as she retreated to a safe distance.
It soon became clear that her warnings were well founded as the golem swung its sword with enough force to create cracks in the ground where Rean had been standing just a second prior. Fortunately the swing was telegraphed enough that it wasn't too hard to make a clean escape. Still, all it would take was one slip up for him to end up as a mess on the ground.
Seizing the brief opening, the young swordsman quickly slashed at the nearest leg. To his surprise and delight, the results were more successful than during the battle against the Soldat, as his tachi actually scored a shallow, but not insignificant cut on the enemy. With enough persistence he felt like he had a good shot at crippling it if he focused his assaults there.
Hastily scrambling out of the way of another wide swing, the noble prepared to redouble his assault on the same limb, but his eyes widened when he failed to notice the visible effects of his earlier attack. Not allowing his confusion to distract him in the middle of the battle, he decided to pay more attention this time. Deciding to use a more powerful attack he shifted to the third form and let his energy flow into his tachi, coating it in flames. With a yell he drove his Flame Impact technique down onto the heel of the magic knight, this time cutting deep and causing the sentient machine to stagger backwards as it let out a roar.
This time, however, he continued watching the damage and much to his shock almost immediately it began to repair itself. The regeneration was so potent that within a few seconds there was little to show for his efforts except a scorch mark that was already fading away. He wasn't sure if there was a limit to its ability to heal or not, but knew that even if there was he would not be able to reach it in his current state. In a battle of attrition he was destined to fall first.
And to add to his worries the machine seemed to understand that it wasn't having much success with those easily telegraphed sword swings and instead opted for a surprising new approach. This time, instead of swinging at Rean, it instead opted to drive its blade deep into the hard rock beneath their feet, causing the earth to shake. This was enough to unbalance him to the point where he lost his footing and his collision with the ground was rather painful. What would have been more painful was its attempts to follow-up by bisecting his prone form on the ground, but a desperate roll was just enough to evade the swing.
He rose to his feet as quickly as possible. Although he had escaped from that surprise attack, it was a close thing indeed. There was no way he could beat it head on and it was only a matter of time before it managed to score a blow on him that he would not be able to recover from. He was in dire straits and he knew it.
But Rean paused as a thought came to mind. Even though his Flame Impact did no lasting damage, didn't the malevolent robot stagger back from the impact? Given their location on the mountain and the fact that the cliff's edge wasn't all that far from their position...
But to do that he needed more power. Power which he possessed, loath as he was to use it. Something especially true in his current state. In optimal condition when sparring against Laura and Fie he was able to stay in his enhanced form for upwards of ten minutes before the exertion became too much. But with his body weary from a month of disuse and his already limited energy nearing its end, just how long could he possibly go? It seems that he was about to find out.
"Spirit Unification!" That increasingly familiar surge of energy encompassed Rean as he bathed in his inner power, allowing the transformation to take hold. He could immediately feel his body straining under the burden of that intoxicating power, but didn't allow that to slow him down as he let out a roar and immediately began the renewed offensive against the dangerous knight.
Since his plan involved pushing the magic knight back the ten arge or so it was from the cliffs, he couldn't give it a moment to push forward. This meant he had to play aggressively. He opened with an enhanced Arc Slash, which did no real damage, but was enough to halt the machine in its tracks long enough for him to close the distance with an Autumn Leaf Cutter. That collection of hits was enough to force it back a step.
Nine arge to go.
Next he repeated his earlier actions with another Flame Impact on the staggered knight, but this one, infused with his demonic power, was far more potent. Although he knew the regeneration would render it a moot point, he still felt some satisfaction as his fiery blade carved far deeper into the steel and mana that comprised his opponent. It let out a roar of pain as it retreated even further.
Seven arge.
In an attempt to regain the initiative the golem swung its sword in a wide arc to force him back. Not wanting to relent, Rean instead gambled on the strength of his enhanced form and took the blow head on. It must have been a comical sight for the observing cat to watch an eighteen year old kid stop the swing of a blade as tall and wide as he was with his much smaller tachi, but that was what happened. The force was enough to push him back a little, but he didn't relent and as soon as the momentum of the attack had faded he slipped around and unleashed a flurry of blows on the body of the now vulnerable knight.
Five arge. Halfway there.
Despite the progress he had made, he could feel his body suffering under the strain he was placing upon it. He needed to finish this fast. And what was faster than the second form? A part of him felt like it was unfair to rely on his special power to mimic the superior Arcane Gale perfected by Arios MacLaine, but fairness in battle was a silly concept, especially when the opponent was a nonliving automaton seeking his death.
With a speed that made Fie grumble in envy and annoyance he darted forward and began slashing at the armored juggernaut. He did have to be careful to limit his attacks to only those that worked in his favor of pushing it back, but that was still plenty of strikes. Returning to his original spot he spun around and launched one massive arc of energy into his defenseless foe, once again forcing it to take an unsteady step back.
Three arge. Almost...
He suddenly seized up as the power inside of him threatened to burst out of control. After a worrying second he got it back under control, but knew that he was almost at his limit. From what he could tell, he only had one good attack left before he had to either give up the power or let it fully consume him. The next one would have to finish it.
"Flames, gather on my blade!" And if he only had enough strength for one more powerful attack he knew just which one it needed to be. He did have to modify his Azure Flame Slash slightly as running through an opponent who was standing at a cliff's edge was the quickest route to a painful suicide, but that was something he was more than capable of doing.
His most powerful attack, enhanced by the power within. He could tell that the damage he inflicted upon the machine was significant, and even its remarkable ability to regenerate would be sorely challenged by the hit. But that wasn't what he was aiming for.
Instead he watched with baited breath as it staggered back a step... And another... And a third. One foot was practically hovering over the abyss. Just one more step...
The magic knight straightened as it regained its balance, despite only having the one leg on solid ground.
Rean cursed audibly. So close! And his earlier guess that he was reaching his limit proved accurate as his body was consumed by an agonizing pain. Physically he had nothing left to give. This left him with an awful choice to make.
Did he relent and let the energy fade, knowing that without it he was completely defenseless and at the mercy of an unfeeling machine out to kill him? Or did he allow it to fully consume him, giving him the strength to prevail, but possibly losing himself forever to it?
That was an easy decision to make. Even if he might have been willing to risk losing control normally, he wouldn't do it with Ymir so close by. The thought of him potentially harming his parents or people he grew up alongside...
It took every last bit of remaining strength to close the valve that was releasing that mysterious energy into him. With no strength remaining he fell to his knees and could tell he was about to lose consciousness. Celine was rushing towards his position, but wouldn't make it in time. He had many regrets, but one stuck out most to him. "Fie, Laura..." They had promised that they would return to him, but he wouldn't be there to greet them. He could only hope that they would forgive him, in this life or the-
"Not today, buddy!" Came the sound of a vaguely familiar voice. "Golden Sphere!" Rean looked on in disbelief as a group of gold balls slammed into the knight as it was righting himself. If it wasn't obvious just how close he had been to success, seeing the low-level art finish the job made it obvious. The magic knight toppled as it fully lost its balance, letting out a roar as gravity took control and it fell out of his vision and down the mountain below.
"Rean!" "Rean!" Came the cries of two very familiar, but wholly unexpected voices. He wondered if he had already blacked out and was simply dreaming, as the sight of Elise and Princess Alfin approaching him in the middle of the Eisengard Mountain Range defied belief.
And with them was the bracer, Toval, ARCUS in hand. "Whew... Made it without a second to spare. Good to see you're still in one piece!"
"I'm so glad we hurried..." The princess muttered. Rean could barely hear her from the distance as his consciousness began to fade. "I don't want to imagine what could have happened if we weren't in time! You aren't hurt, are you?"
How could he possibly answer that question? His mind was such a confused mess and his body felt like it was made of steel. "Your Highness? And Toval... and..."
"Rean!" His sister cried out to him. "Stay right there!" She then proceeded to run as fast as her legs would take her towards his position, with the others following at a more sedate pace. Please, tell me you're all right!" She pleaded once she reached his kneeling form. "You look so exhausted..."
"Who's she?" He had completely forgotten about Celine's presence until she spoke up from her position next to him.
"Elise? It's really you..." A wave of exhaustion rolled over him, but Rean didn't mind it all that much. "Haha... I feel like I'm dreaming. I never would've expected you to come all the way out here..." His speech slowed as darkness crept into his vision.
He could barely see the concern marring his sister's face. "Rean, please! There's no need to speak right now. Save your strength. We'll take you back to Ymir as soon as we've seen to your injuries!"
"I'm just... so glad you're... all right..." She was supposed to have been in the capital when it was occupied, right? But if she somehow was able to make it out... Maybe the others were fine, too? It was something of a reach, but it was something his rapidly fading mind latched onto. "But how did... you know I was... here...?"
If Elise chose to answer that question he would never know, as that was when his body finally gave out and he was once again consumed by darkness.