Memories of Broken Melodies

by Sakura108645

The bell ran thrice. Three individuals are suddenly thrown into a new world. One who knew of it, two who did not. The three were separated and now desperately searching for each other. Accompany them are strange rings with the spirits of people like them. But, why were they in Elyos? Why were they suddenly in a place they had absolutely no connection to? Or...was there more?

19. Chapter 19: Fallen Emblem

{Chapter 19: Fallen Emblem)

"INCINERATE US, EMBLEM OF SACRIFICES, ARVIS!"

Dark flames burst from Hortensia's ring, so hot that those around the Princess quickly jumped back. The princess's eyes turned crimson as the flames that burst began to take on a human shape beside her. Despite the flames, a cold and dark sensation fell onto all, especially Sigurd as next to Hortensia now stood a man with fair skin, crimson long hair, dressed in a Judargal long black military uniform with gold. He wore a black cape and the inside of it was red as blood. In his hand, floated a red tome covered in gold. His eyes snapped open, revealing they were the same shade as the flames but they were void of any life.

"Sigurd, that's!" Sitonia said and turned to see how pale the Holy Knight had become.

"How...how is Arvis here?" Sigurd struggled to speak as Hortensia giggled happily as she jumped up and down.

"We have to destroy that Emblem!" Syrus yelled, making the group turn to him, "That power! Can't you all feel it?! That's a mixture of demonic and fell magic! That's a Fallen Emblem!" He yelled and they turned back to look at Princess.

"Handsome, isn't he?" Hortensia grinned, "The Lady of White said he was eager to fight The Ring of The Holy Knight. So naturally," she clapped her hands together, "I'm going to do that! A pity I'm not the one attacking the castle. Lucky big sis, getting to attack the castle instead..." the girl whined.

"The castle is under attack! We have to hur—Gha!" Alcryst took one step forward and then quickly jumped back as a ball of fire was sent down at his feet, it barely missed him.

"Nuh-uh! Tsk, Tsk, Tsk!" Hortensia wagged her finger with a smirk as Arvis put his hand down, "No way am I letting you get through." Her voice dropped low, "I wonder...will Father praise me if I bring The Divine One's head to him? Or if I bring your head, Prince Alcryst?" The ways she was talking...

"Hortensia, what has gotten into you?!" Goldmary screeched, "We have orders to not kill the Divine Dragon or any of the Brodian royal family!" She said as Hortensia scoffed.

"Goldmary is right!" The princess turned to Rosado now, who was looking at her extremely worried, "This isn't like you! Ivy said to not kill anyone in the royal family! We're not trying to get the entire world to attack Elusia!" He said but Hortensia just had a blank face.

Rosado saw that he wasn't getting through to her. Then…

"What would Nanami say if she saw you acting this way?!" Rosado screamed and at that moment, Hortensia's eyes went wide.

"Did they..." Miguel's eyes slowly widened, "Did they just...say Nanami?"

Hortensia went silent for a moment before she looked at the group and then at Rosado.

"Fine. We'll let them live. We're still taking their Emblems." Hortensia said and got on her peagus, "Everyone, prepare for battle!" She yelled and took off, Arvis following her.

Hortensia was waiting for them at the very end of the bridge.

"Soldiers of Elusia, take them down and make them regret EVER attacking our lands!" Hortensia screamed and the soldiers of Elusia unleashed their war cries of rage.

"A two pegasus riders on the left, two on the right. There are four armored knights, six mercenaries...piked fences...archers...more soldiers...and the very end of the bridge is where the princess and her retainers are with seven other soldiers plus the Emblem that I have a feeling is going to attack us as we move." Miguel muttered to himself but loud enough for Alear, Alcryst, and Alfred to hear, "Heading straight won't do well..." he looked at Alear, "Three groups. One to the left, one to the right, and one group for the middle. If we just head straight, they're going to flank us from all directions. With the way the bridge is built, our best option is to go at them at a three-way." He said.

"You get all that just by looking at the field?!" Alcryst gawked as Miguel nodded, "No wonder you're The Divine One's tactician." The archer smiled and Miguel blinked multiple times.

"Who the fuck appointmented me as Alear's tactician?" Alear and the rest of the group all looked away, "When was this decided?!" He looked at them before his eyes landed on the Divine Dragon.

"Umm..." Alear chuckled nervously, "We can talk about this later!" He looked at Alcryst, "Prince Alcryst, you're in charge of the left side of the bridge." He then turned to Alfred, "You're in charge of the right. As for me," Alear looked straight at Hortensia who grinned, "I'll lead the middle. Another thing!" He said out loud so his friends could hear, "Princess Hortensia and her retainers are to be captured ALIVE!" They looked at him shocked, "Do I make myself clear?!"

"YES DIVINE ONE!"

Alfred, Celine, Louis, Boucheron, Eite, Luna, and Chloe are on the right.

Alcryst, Citrinne, Lapis, Yunaka, Anna, Klaus, and Jean on the left.

The center: Alear, Vander, Framme, Clanne, and Miguel.

"Soldiers, march!"

Firenese and Lythos soldiers unleashed their war cries as the Divine as the royals commanded their armies. The pegasus knights came at them like how Miguel predicted. He noticed the weapons they were using weren't the typical lances, javelins, or tomes the soldiers would use.

"Hrk!" Miguel grunted as he managed to get up his lance in time to block the axe of a wyvern rider that came at him.

"Die, you Lythos scum!" The wyvern rider roared and just one look at the black scales axe felt like something in his blood screamed in terror at the sight of it.

The scent it had was similar to gunpowder and alcohol, he could see some sort of black liquid coated on the axe blade. What the hell was it about the weapon that made his blood scream to get away from it?

"DON'T LET THOSE THOSE BLADES CUT YOU!" Sitonia and The Lord Trio screamed, "Those weapons are Wyrmslayers! They are used to kill dragons and non-humans! Especially those with dragon blood in them!" Claude yelled for the army to hear.

Sitonia quickly had Miguel jump back before he stood up, and her ring glowed brightly.

"Right now, a lance will do no good. What you need, is something that will cut. Something that will slice the darkness. What comes to your mind?" She asked as Miguel took, a deep breath as he glared up at the wyvern rider.

"A sword."

Sitonia smiled warmly as suddenly it began to rain, confusing many before they continued fighting. The amount of water that was falling, allowed her to create a humanoid water human that floated and hugged Miguel from behind then covered his eyes.

"Let my tears forge your blade, let your rage pour into the lighting," water swirled brightly in his hands as thunder boomed in the sky, "let my memories become solid surge through!" Lightning became louder and louder before Miguel raised his right hand.

Lightning began to strike down randomly on the field. Sitonia made sure the lighting killed Elusian soldiers and their mounts were screaming frantically. The sound of thunder, just the sound, made Hortensia scream in terror and clutch her head, then hugged herself tightly as tears began to stream down her cheeks.

"COME FORTH, Raijinto!" Sitonia and Miguel screamed together and in his hands formed a katana in gold and white, its blade blue and cracking with lightning.

Knowledge of how to use it poured into his mind like a flood, he crouched, clutched the handle, raised the katana, and in a blink of an eye, seven Elusian soldiers fell onto the ground, all with their throats cut, making their deaths quick and painless. Many were stunned by the scene as water gathered on the right side of Miguel's body, forming into the armor they saw before when he punched the creature. The expression on his face was calm, cold, and collected.

"The seal is weakening..." It said in the shadows, "I really should stop playing games." And it raised a single hand.

[—-]

Arvis's eyes suddenly glowed red for a moment before they looked down to Hortensia, who was terrified of the lightning. Her retainers were trying to comfort her. In his eyes, their figures glitched and showed four children. A boy with crimson hair like his, a young girl with lavender-colored hair, another young boy with hair like his, and lastly...a young boy with dark purple hair and crimson eyes. The four were hugging each other, terrified by the sound of lightning. The Emblem remained silent before turning to look back at the field. The tome in front of him suddenly glowed bright and he moved to stand in front of the trio. The trio was confused that the Emblem was suddenly moving then he raised his hand.

"Rivers flow with dragons blood of heaven and hell..." he began to speak, "Crimson paints the fields as cinders burn..." A wisp of fire began to form above the bridge, "Flames of The Divine, Oh Great Fjalar, Lend me your strength! Holy Flames heed my call and bring down judgment on those who sin!" And the wisp of flames burst.

Sigurd was not sure but when flames in the sky suddenly appeared, a feeling of terror filled every fiber of his body as he had a flashback of the fields of Belhalla.

"SITONIA!" Sigurd screamed and Miguel and Sitonia ran quickly back towards the army but...

"Meteor!"

"NO!" Sitonia and Sigurd screamed, the sealed Emblem unleashed a bloody draconic roar as flames rained down on the army.

Even if the Star Seal was ripping her to pieces, even if she would not be able to appear again for a long time, she didn't care. Power exploded from the ring and surrounded Miguel. He could feel her desperation to protect everyone as the flames came closer and closer.

"Celica!/Machiah!" Yunaka and Celine screamed, the Emblem quickly Engaged with the women, "NOW!" Miguel screamed as the three flew into the air, and screamed "Nosferatu!" At the top of their lungs.

Ice magic exploded above the entire army, shielding them, from the rain of flames. Arvis gritted his teeth and channeled more magic into the spell but suddenly the world became still in an instant, as if a pair of eyes suddenly snapped open behind him. The gaze he felt...it felt so familiar yet foreign. But it was enough to distract him to allow Alear's army to charge and cut their way forward. Celine, Yunaka, and Miguel panted and gasped, then plunged as their engaged forms went away. Alfred quickly had his horse charge forward and catch Celine while Sigurd caught Yunaka.

"Too...Too much...magic..." Celine croaked, pale, "We...We used all our...magic to...cast that spell..." Yunaka whimpered and was handed to Vander.

"Hang in there!" Framme said as she began to use heal along with Jean on the two women.

"Miguel, are you alright?!" Alear was the one that managed to catch the man on time as the shield of ice above them shattered to pieces from protecting them.

His right eye, blood was pouring, his nose bled, and most of all, the glow on Sitonia's ring was gone, only small sparks of the seal crackled around it.

"She's in agony..." Klaus quickly ran up to them with Syrus, "Sitonia forcefully made her power go to so you could cast a spell to protect us all." He said as the group turned to look back at the bridge and saw that the army was now much closer to the end of the bridge, "As much as it pains me, doing that allowed us to opportunity to go forward." He said.

Alcryst charged forward with Citrine and Lapis, and unleashed three arrows that meant right to the head of the mage, a wyvern rider, and a mercenary, "Bloody hell! For a timid man, he sure knows how to kill!" Klaus chuckled nervously as Syrus narrowed his eyes at the field.

"The route to Princess Hortensia is open. Divine One, your orders?" Syrus said as Alear nodded and Miguel stood up, wiping his nose.

"Capture Princess Hortensia and her retainers, alive."

—- Three days earlier: Elusia -

She didn't eat or sleep for three days straight. Things like drinking water, hunger, her sense of taste, and even smell were no longer there. The purple veins had spread even more down her body and looked like they were forming a pattern of flowers and thorns on her. Not even exhaustion came to her, she could see clearly in the night, and her ability to use dark magic increased dramatically. Nanami knew it was the curse, still, she would abuse the power the curse gave her to create the warping stones she needed. She took deep breaths and then coughed a bit before she walked up to the recording magic tool and took out a marble crystal from it.

"There...my messages to them are done..." she said and walked up to the desk where everything she made was done, "Ah..." a strand of white hair came into her sight, and turned to look at the tall mirror, "Two days...I only got two days... hehe..." she whispered, "I sent a messenger spirit to Solm…That should help Ivy and the rest…"

What looked back at Nanami was a white-haired young woman with different colored strands of hair, white hair, pale skin, dark circles under her eyes, and purple veins that had spread all over the right side of her face and turned her right eye red with a gold pupil. The white of the eye had turned black. She let out a shuddering breath as she picked up a half-butterfly mask and put it on to cover the right side of her face.

"Put on a smile...don't let them see anything...close the jewelry box...hide your things so you won't be judged..." she kept repeating the sentence over and over again to herself as she went to the table.

On it were the wrapping stones she made, and a letter: One for Queen Lumera explaining the situation. The last thing was a recording marble that would play her final message to the four royals and Alear. She would give them her last knowledge of The Future of Elyos so they could use it. Deep breaths she took as picked up everything and walked out the door. Each step she took in the hallway felt as if she was walking on eggshells. Each step was like a crack being made in a glass till she reached the hall. There, everyone stood, some of the children were scared and others were confused but they had all their things packed.

"Nanami!" Queen Thyme cried out as she tried to run to her but the woman shook her head, "What has happened to you...?" The queen said as the children were whispering to each other worried, "Sister, what happened?" Lily asked all Nanami did was gently pat her head with a sad smile before she turned back to the queen and Sumia.

"Sumia, make sure to watch over everyone, okay." Nanami said as the older maid looked at her sadly and nodded as she was handed a warping crystal, "This crystal will warp you all to a safe place in Lythos. Make sure to give this to the individual waiting for you there." She said.

"But what about you?" Sumia looked at her sadly.

"I still have work to do." Nanami said and then turned to Bernadetta, "Bernie, I need you to stay behind with me. I have a message I want you to deliver." She said Bernadetta was a bit scared but nodded.

"Take care, everyone..." Nanami smiled as the queen, head maid, and children all huddled together and the crystal was shattered.

A magic circle appeared underneath them and they were warped away but she saw their expressions. A mixture of worry, fear, and confusion.

"Looks like everyone has been evacuated." Nanami said and looked at Bernadetta, "I'm...sorry for putting this burden on you. But I need you to deliver this message," she held out a small blue diamond shard, "to Ivy and Hortensia."

"Nanami, why do you want to say goodbye?" Bernadetta said as the woman walked up to her and placed the shard in her hand.

"You're one of the best archers and good at sneaking in." Nanami smiled, "I trust you to get this to them. And this as well," Bernadetta was also handed Soren's Emblem.

"You didn't answer my question..." The maid's lips trembled as Nanami just smiled, there was a hidden sadness.

She placed the crystal that would warp her to Brodia in her hand, "This crystal will warp you to Brodia's main capital. I want you to wait specifically for when a confrontation between King Morion and King Hyacinth happens." The archer looked at her shocked, "If King Morion and I are killed or taken away by King Hyacinth, I want you to deliver this message," she pulled out the recording crystal to show her, "To The Divine Dragon Alear. He has red and blue hair, the same as his eyes. Make sure Ivy along with the royals of Firene and Brodia are with him before you deliver the message." She said as Bernadetta's lip quivered.

The two women hugged each other one last time before Bernadetta shattered her crystal and was warped to Brodia. Nanami took deep breaths as she walked back through the hallways. She went to the magic lab and got everything she needed before she put on her cloak and held up the warping crystal. She also made sure to change into a Brodian winter dress so she would blend in.

"This is your last chance...Don't screw it up..." She whispered to herself and crushed the crystal.

In an instant, light engulfed her and she was gone. Right after she was gone the doors to the castle burst open and corruption poured in.

"Search the building! Capture everyone alive!" Zephia roared then sniffed the air, "Divine Dragon scent...Gross." She growled and walking into the building was the white-haired man.

"They left just a few minutes ago." The man said as Zephia growled, "They knew we were coming."

"Can you trace them, Francis?" Zephia said as the corrupt smashed the doors open, turned over furniture, and searched the building.

Francis closed his eyes for a moment then blinked multiple times.

"Huh...The one that warped away a few seconds before we arrived, they have the Devil's kissed." Francis's lips suddenly curved into a smile, "So Lord Demon was successful. We should head to Brodia. That's where our Lord's Vessel is heading to." He grinned before he turned to walk away.

"Now." Zephia chuckled, "It seems luck is on our side. The one we have been seeking will fall into our hands. I think I know what to do once King Hyacinth captures the king." Francis raised an eyebrow.

"What better way to nurture despair than to let someone grow attached and then have them destroy that bond with their own hands?"

—- Brodia -

She arrived in the alleyways of Brodia. She could hear people bustling and walking around as she carefully walked out but it was the sight of the gigantic castle that nearly made her pass out. The people of Brodia mostly wore burgundy and fur clothing. Soldiers wore black armor that looked like they were made of wyvern or dragon scales but Arisa had informed her before that it was a type of special ore that only grew in Brodia. The city was bustling with life but she could tell something was going on based on how tense the atmosphere was.

"A pity I couldn't bring Ingrid with me...I made sure Bernadetta took her." Nanami whispered to herself as she undid her ponytail and let her curly hair loose.

The scrunchy, she burned it to ashes, she wasn't going to need it anymore. She walked and looked around before she spotted a blacksmith shop. The workers were extremely busy, most likely preparing for war, still, she needed to buy a weapon for herself. She needed something else besides the dagger and the new wand she bought in Elusia.

"Excuse me," she called out to an older man who was cleaning the swords, "what swords do you have?" She asked and the man pointed behind him.

The back is a variety of swords as well as lances, axes, tomes, and a bunch of other weapons. But, her eyes landed on what looked like a canon.

"No...it couldn't be." Nanami thought and pointed to it, "Excise me, is that a canon?" She asked as the man looked.

"Huh!" The man blinked, "I thought I got rid of the damn thing." He looked at her, "But yeah, it is. We rarely have Mage Cannoneers here in Brodia, so it's not a best seller." He said.

"How much?" Nanami suddenly pulled out her pouch.

"I'm trying to get rid of it so I'll sell it to you for three silver." He said.

"Make it two silver with 50 copper and you got a deal."

"2 silver and 70 copper."

"...Deal," Nanami grumbled and bought it along with a Levatian sword and Javalin.

She also asked for directions to an inn and the man pointed to the west. Even it was the time of war, seeing just how lively Brodia has brought her a sense of peace. Suddenly the crowd started to sound excited and gathered at the sides.

"It's Prince Diamant and Lord Eden!" A woman yelled out and sure enough, the people were cheering seeing their prince and lord out in the crowd.

It was the first time she was seeing Diamant in person. Despite the man having a somewhat stern expression, the way it softened as he greeted his people showed the Diamant she knew from the game. She wondered who the man next to him was but since he was there...maybe...she quickly took out a small piece of paper and wrote in it a small message. It should be enough for her message to get across, she hoped.

"Prince Diamant, shake my hand!" Many girls cried out and Eden quickly stepped in front to shake their hands in their place.

Nanami took the opportunity to buzz through the crowd and made a beeline to the Brodian prince. She now stood in front of him as one of the people he shook hands with.

"Good luck, Your Highness!" Nanami grinned and slipped the paper, the prince turning stiff for a moment before Eden gently pushed him from the crowd and Nanami made a bolt for it in the opposite direction. Diamant was stunned as he saw her disappear into the crowd before he and Eden finally managed to get away from the crowd.

"Seriously, this is why don't like crowds." Eden grumbled and then looked at Diamant, who kept staring at the crowd, "Hey, you good?"

"Huh?" Diamant snapped out of it and then turned to him, "I'm alright. Just..." he narrowed his eyes as he looked at his hand and saw a crumbled paper, "One moment." He said and uncrumpled the paper.

The words written in it made his blood run cold.

In five days, King Hyacinth will attack and kill King Morion.

"What the hell..." Eden looked over his shoulder and then back to the crowd, "Was that one of our spies?"

"I don't think so." Diamant said, "We should show this to my father and Martha." He said and the two left to the castle.

[—-]

Martha narrowed her eyes at the note that was handed to her. King Morion had a pensive expression as Alcryst was silent.

"What do you think?" Diamant asked and then blinked multiple times when Martha sniffed the paper.

"Niffu! Achoo!" Martha reeled back at the scent of the paper and rubbed her nose, "Ugh...This the scent of a Divine Dragon." She said which stunned the trio, "The only other Divine Dragons I can think of are Queen Lumera and Divine Alear but this scent is different from them. It's foreign." She explained, "Still...I wonder if it's possible it's a mage dragon that mimicked the scent of a divine one..." She held her chin in thought.

"U-Um..." Alcryst spoke up, "W-What if it's a seer? Or some sort of spirit that gave Diamant the note?" The group looked at him confused, "I visited the magic tower recently and heard that one of the seers saw something. Maybe it's the seer from the rumors that gave the note." He said and Martha looked back to the note.

The magic and emotions she felt from it were as if they belonged to someone desperate to prevent a tragedy. If that's the case...then it's better to heed the warning than ignore it.

"King Morion," Martha turned to him, "try to remain in the castle. We know that King Haycinth is trying to resurrect Sombron and the only way to do that is with those who have the blood of Sovereigns." She said and the king scoffed.

"Father, this is serious!" Diamant said, "I understand that you are frustrated just staying in the castle but Brodia needs you. Brodia needs its king. Not just the nation but Alcryst, I, Mother, and our new sibling soon to be born." That made the king twitch.

"Sigh..." King Morion let out a frustrated sigh but nodded, "I understand but if King Hyacinth does attack, I will face him. I'm a father first. That means protecting you all first." The king said as he looked at his sons firmly.

Diamant prayed that the words on the note would not come true.

— Present Time -

They finally made it to Princess Hortensia and the said princess came down at Alear like a jet descending from the sky. Had Marth not jumped in front of time, the javelin Hortensia had gotten a hold of would have stabbed through Alear's shoulder. Still, Hortensia circled and shot down, and kept repeating this process up to six times to tire out Alear so she could one-shot him when the opportunity came. With each parry, Alear felt like his magic was being drained. Arvis was also beside Hortensia, using healing to help her recover at a rapid pace. Sitonia was out of commission and suddenly a scream from Goldmary being knocked down by Lapis quickly got Hortensia's attention.

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" The princess unleashed a roar and threw her javelin at a speed no one thought she was capable of.

Before their eyes, the javelin pierced Lapis's chest. It was the first time Alear had seen the death of someone in his army. A wrathful scream he unleashed, activating the time stone.

Time came to a still and the world before his eyes turned black and white. He watched as the javelin left Lapis's chest, the skin and bones healing as the blood poured back into her body. When time resumed back to the original scene, "MIGUEL!" Alear screamed and in the blink of an eye, Miguel was behind Goldmary, and whacked behind her neck, knocking her out.

"What did y-?!" Hortensia barely had time to react when Alfred suddenly appeared behind her, Fensalir was raised and he thrust it straight at her.

Arvis was quick to appear and cast the shield but Sigurd suddenly also appeared and rammed his great lance into it.

"We meet again, Arvis." Sigurd said coldly and the mage gritted his teeth, "It brings me great pity to see you in such a state..." he said as the two were forced to jump back.

Hortensia panted as her mount flew down, the gem of her ring was glowing bright red, and the anger she had hidden deep down was starting to show. Her breathing was becoming ragged and under the sleeves of her dress, crimson veins were spreading. Hortensia felt like her hand was on fire but she didn't care. She needed to kill The Divine Dragon, take their rings, and end them all.

They hurt Goldmary, she just heard Rosado scream before he was pinned down. The Elusian princess's eyes were flickering between pink and red before her eyes landed on Alfred and Alfred alone.

"Burn him! Sacrifices must be made to achieve the ideal future! Sacrifice your own, do not let anyone stand in your way! This is all for the ideal future you seek! NO HESITATION!"

"AHHHHHHHHH!" Hortensia screamed bloody murder and raised her hand as a ring of fire exploded around her.

All the soldiers screamed to get away from her as the young girl raised her hand, "All...For..." Hortensia grinned as her tears fell, "The ideal future."

"DON'T DO IT!" Sitonia screamed and Miguel lunged with her to the girl but it was too late.

"EMBLEM EN-"

Suddenly a pillar of light struck Hortensia, and the girl screamed at the light as if it was burning her alive. Emblem Arvis screamed as well and did the best he could to shield the girl. Everyone was stunned at what just happened but the opportunity was given for Alear to lunge and strike Hortensia down. The pink-haired princess fell to her knees, and the flames disappeared into smoke. Arvis disappeared as well. Sighs of relief were released from many and the soldiers of Elusia surrendered seeing their princess and generals defeated.

"I...lost..." Hortensia whimpered and heard footsteps running to her, "Hortensia, are you alright?!" She looked up and saw it was Rosado, "Oh thank goodness, you're not too hurt." He sighed in relief and hugged her.

Hortensia was stunned as she was helped up and looked to see Alear, Alfred, Miguel, and Prince Alcryst walk up. The pink-haired girl glared at them before she clicked her teeth.

"The ring," Alear said as he held, out his hand, and Hortensia hissed before she raised her hand to remove the ring but...

"Huh?" Hortensia blinked multiple times and tried to pull off the ring, "Why won't it come off?! Hhnnngghh!" She tried to pull off the ring but it was not budging, "Rosado, help me take the ring off!"

The group just blinked seeing Rosado try to take off the Emblem but it really would not budge. The poor young man was nearly sent flying back after trying to pull it off.

"It's not coming off!" Hortensia looked on the verge of tears as she turned to them, "I don't know why!"

"Divine One," Citrinne spoke up, "I know this is sudden but I'm sensing some sort of binding magic on the ring the Princess is wearing." She said.

"Binding magic?!" Rosado said, "Who wo—"

"Siiiiirrguuurrd!"

Arvis's voice rang around them like an echo in a mountain. Hortensia suddenly hissed in pain as she grabbed her head before she let out a blood-curdling scream. The Emblem on her finger began to ooze with demonic and fell magic, pouring out and causing all those around her to be sent flying back by a terrible gust of hot winds. Hortensia screamed and clutched her head, trashing and throwing her head back, her eyes flicking between red slits and her pink human ones. Black flames burst from the ground, and soldiers screamed and tried to get away, but were quickly protected by the mages and the Emblems.

"Hortensia!" Rosado screamed as he tried to run to her back, only to see Hortensia fall to her knees and black veins spreading on the right side of her face from the arm she wore the ring.

"How foolish..." The black flames gathered around Hortensia and soon took Arvis's form.

His eyes were no longer lifeless but filled with coldness as he floated beside the girl who was desperately trying to fight off the angry screams and voices inside her head caused by the flames.

"You have been granted an opportunity," Arvis spoke in a chilling tone, "The Blood of The Divine Ice Dragon Cirina flows through your veins. You are one of many princesses of Elusia who has the power to avenge your people who have been betrayed, killed, discriminated against, and prosecuted by the world!" The Emperor yelled as Hortensia let out a painful scream.

"What have you done to her?!" Goldmary managed to wake up, "What have you done to Hortensia?!" The woman screamed and the crimson-haired man chuckled.

"I am only going to do what she failed to do." Arvis said and Hortensia's screams came to an abrupt halt as her head slumped forward, "Rise, Elusian princess! Your people shall be free from the pain of prejudice, tyranny, and oppression!" He laughed as Hortensia stood up and looked up, her eyes now red slits void of life, as the red veins had now turned to a single black, rose marking under her right eye, "If your allies must die, but all things require sacrifice!" The man grinned.

Hortensia raised her hands and placed them over her mouth before she closed her eyes and removed her hands to sing...

"Laaaaaaaa! Laaaaa! Aaaahhhhhhh!"

The Song of Death.

The ground shook and dark cracks formed from the bridge, crawled-out corrupted but also, creatures, unlike anything they had ever seen.

"No, no, no!" Sitonia screamed, terrified when she saw the monster with single giant eyes, bat-like wings, a big body, and claws that oozed with dark magic, "THOSE ARE OUTREALM FIENDS!"

A mechanical cackle echoed through the place, and the Emblems recognized it immediately. The Demon was watching, laughing at their demise. Miguel felt like he was a puppet in strings, no matter what he did, it was as if the monster was at his every step, controlling the stage to make sure he suffered and saw the suffering of those around him. The demon's words kept echoing in his head, that everything that was going on was because of him.

"Damn!" Goldmary gritted her, "ELUSIAN SOLDIERS THAT CAN STILL FIGHT, KILL THE CORRUPTED AND THE FIENDS! MAGES, HELP THE WOUNDED AND GET THEM TO SAFETY! THE REST OF THE ARMY, WE WILL FIGHT BESIDE THE DIVINE DRAGON AND HIS ARMY! WE MUST SAVE PRINCESS HORTENSIA!" The woman yelled orders.

At that moment, the Elusian army, despite being hesitant nodded firmly. Goldmary and Rosado turned to Alear, nodding their heads. No words needed to be exchanged, it was a crisis that must be ended. The Elusian priestesses began to heal the wounded as fast as they could with the help of the Firene and Lythos.

"Divine One, Alfred!" Sigurd said to the princes, "I apologize but I must fight against Arvis." The knight and Alear understood, nodding along with Alfred.

"Vander! Yunaka! Celine! Framme! Clanne! Miguel!" Alear called out to the two, "I'm leaving you six in charge of the army while Alfred, Klaus, Luna, Alcryst, and I aim to go against Princess Hortensia." He said as they four nodded firmly then turned to Rosado and Goldmary, "I need you two to help us get through to the princess. And tell us exactly who gave that Emblem to her."

"Alright!" Rosado said as Goldmary turned to look at Hortensia's direction, "Hold on a little longer, Hortensia."

[—]

"I feel...something wrong..." Nanami whispered as she sat at her desk, "Arisa, can you check?" She asked and the Emblem nodded, closing her eyes.

She needed to be careful in using her energy, she was already using a good portion of it to surpass the curse as much as possible. Slowly in the darkness, she saw a single pink strand of magic and it kept going and going till she found herself at a bridge. A giant stone bridge with a sunset sky, yet the scent of ashes and the fire was so strong. But what she saw, made her blood run cold. There in the field were monsters she never thought she see again. During the first war, The Demon somehow managed to open a gate to the Outrealms, bringing forth the Outrealm Fiends into Elyos. The terror and horrors they brought at the command of the demon, Arisa will never be forgotten. She gritted her teeth and then blinked, sensing...

"Hya!" She watched the young man with half his body covered in water armor, cutting down monster after monster with a sword in his hand before he switched to using a bow, and shot down the monsters that flew in the sky.

She then spotted Alear, the Firenese prince, the Firene Court mage, the two Elusian retainers, and the Brodian prince fighting against...Hortensia.

"No..." Arisa gasped seeing the Elusian princess with red slit eyes, crimson hair let loose, a single horn that grew at the center of her forehead that glowed red, black and red lord clothing with tattered ends, and beside her was Fallen Emblem Arvis.

"Dammit!" Arisa cursed as her eyes snapped open and saw Nanami looking at her, "It's the Divine One, they are at the Grand Crossing like you said and currently fighting Hortensia but..." she paused.

"Something happened, didn't it?" Nanami said as Arisa nodded, "...Hortensia is wearing a bracelet I gave her. I put some of my magic in it." The Emblem blinked, "When I make things like charms or jewelry, I always add some sort of signature to show that I made it. I figured I put some of my magic in items and made them in case anyone ever tried to copy me." Nanami got off the chair and went to lie down on the bed, "Okay...Dreams...I just...need to connect to Hortensia. Can you help?" She said as Arisa looked at her worried.

"Nanami...you're trying to enter someone's mind when they are fully awake. This is dangerous." Arisa warned but Nanami just closed her eyes.

"I know...But I read that book from Abyss...It was written by Constance." Arisa gulped, "You're her teacher, I know we can trust her skills. So..." Nanami took a deep breath and closed her eyes, "Do forced connection with Hortensia."

[—-]

Alear and Alfred panted and wheezed as they were in their Emblem forms. The numbers of the monsters were finally starting to go down but the battle was far from over. Rosado was injured, Goldmary took a heavy blow to her ribs and was being healed by Jean and Micaiah. The Elusian soldiers along with the rest of the army were starting to lose energy.

"Divine One," Arvis's voice left Hortensia's lips, "is this truly your strength of a so-called Divine One? Ha!" The Fallen Emblem chuckled, "The Demon was right, you truly are pitiful."

"Arvis!" Sigurd's voice came from Alfred's lips, "This is wrong! You know siding with that monster will only bring destruction! Have you not learned after what we went through in our world?!" The knight yelled, "WHAT WOULD SIDNEY SAY IF SHE SAW YOU?!" He yelled and both men froze.

"Sidney..." Arvis whispered, his eyes slowly going wide as suddenly blurred images of a woman with dark purple hair and a smile shining like the sun flashed in his eyes.

"Why did I say that name?" Sigurd thought and noticed Princess Hortensia clutch her head in pain.

"G-Get out of me!" Hortensia screamed and her Emblem form began to glitch but Arvis was stronger.

"It is precisely why I had no problem manifesting in this sickening form!" Arvis growled and extended a hand, "You can feel it too, can't you Sigurd..." he muttered, "Not just me, all the other Emblems as well! This world," he grinned as he made of a ring of fire surround Alfred, "is already broken!"

SNAP!

WHOOOOSSSH!

"ALFRED!" Celine screamed, her hand reaching out to her brother but was only met but the scorching heat of the flames that exploded and engulfed him

It was as if the world around her ended in an instant, she could only hear the laughter of the emblem responsible when suddenly a bright came from the flames. The corrupted and Outrealms fiends screamed in agony then turned to dust. The scent of lilies, lavender, and peaches along with blue flower petals fell.

"Huh?" Celine said and the light disappeared, revealing Alfred back to his original self, and being a princess carried by...

"Oniyuri!" Lapis yelled as the blue-haired woman gently put Alfred down.

The blue-haired woman nodded before turning to look at Hortensia, but Arvis was looking at her stunned. Next to Oniyuri, Eden jumped down from the sky and landed next to her.

"That power...I recognize that power..." Arvis thought before shaking their head, "I see some uninvited guests have arrived." His eyes landed on the blue-haired woman, "You...that magic you used...It is a Judargal spell. Those of this world should not know it." He said, "Because I created that light shield: Luz." He glared at her.

"I appreciate it if a son of a bitch like you unhand the Elusian princess!" Oniyuri said which made the Brodian trio and her husband's jaw drop.

"L-Love?" Eden was too stunned to speak because rarely heard his wife curse and it only happened when she was angry, very very angry.

"How dare speak to me in such a way?!" Arvis growled as Oniyuri scoffed and pointed at him.

"You claim that this deal with that monster is a second opportunity but you are only being manipulated once more! Did you forget," her eyes opened revealing they were dark pink, the same shade as Hortensia's, "what happened to your son, Julius?"

"Oh no." Sigurd managed to force himself manifest, "I hope she's not about to s—"

"Did you forget what Manfoy did to Dierdre and your wife, Sidney?"

CRACK!

It was as if some sort of chain in Sigurd's and Arvis's minds suddenly cracked and forgotten memories began to pour into their minds like a waterfall. Hortensia screamed in agony, trying to fight off Arvis again as best she could. Her right eye turned back to pink, as tears streamed down her cheeks.

"H-Help me..." she whimpered and Oniyuri lunged at her.

"Forgive for what I am about to do!" Oniyuri yelled, spun her body, and kicked Hortensia, sending the girl flying to the ground.

"Gah!" The princess coughed out blood when her body made an impact on the ground.

She staggered to get up, forced out of her Emblem form, and Arvis bared his teeth calling Valefire once more.

"Not on my watch!" Oniyuri yelled as she dodged Arvis's flames but suddenly the mage appeared behind her with a smirk.

"Too slow." His voice was suddenly in her ear, she turned and his hand was right in front of her face.

"Goodbye." Arvis grinned and unleashed the flames.

From the ground, Hortensia managed to snap out of it for a bit and looked up. Her eyes went wide yet...despite how many years had gone by she still recognized that shade of blue like galaxy hair.

"PRIMROSE, LOOK OUT!" Hortensia screamed at the top of her lungs and the necklace Oniyuri wore burst with light.

Arvis growled as he was pushed back by Luz but once the light faded, his heart froze. The strands of silver-lavender hair, fair skin, lavender-colored eyes, and dressed in white, gold, a dark purple cape, the woman looked at him with a half-lidded gaze.

"It...can't be." Sigurd whispered as the woman's eyes trailed down to him and smiled softly, "Dierdre!" The knight yelled out but Dierdre shook her, a way of her saying to remain there.

"Wait, something doesn't right." Celica said as Syrus looked up with a bead of sweat running down his cheek, "The Seal of Stars...The Emblem Oniyuri has felt incomplete." Syrus thought, "I don't see Sidney...could it be that the Seal of Stars allowed only Dierdre to manifest? If so...it's preventing Dierdre from speaking." The Emblem touched his throat, feeling the invisible string that was wrapped around it, "Rose..."

"Why...?" Arvis's voice trembled, "W-Why are you here? Why do you stand beside them?!" He yelled and Dierdre remained silent, "We have been given an opportunity! An opportunity to live and breathe once more! To rebuild and correct our mistakes! The Creator was blinded and only cared to move the world forward but not anymore!" He raised his hand and balled it into a fist, "We rebuild our world to the ideals and vision we have dreamed! The blood of Loptous' scions flows in my veins, but there is so much more to me than that. My Loptrian heritage is that of Saint Maera, a man who fought for the rights of the people. And more importantly, I am the one true heir to the Crusader Fjalar, Loptous' sworn enemy. I swore to change our world for the better. Under my rule, humanity shall be free from the pain of prejudice, tyranny, and oppression!" He roared but Dierdre only shook her head.

"Why...? Why won't you speak?!" Arvis roared, "Julia! Julius! Argentine! Our children—" the man suddenly came to pause and looked at his hands, "Argentine...Why...why did I say that name?" He whispered.

Dierdre opened her lips and mouthed the words "Remember...Remember them..." Arvis read, "Remember the one who you truly gave your heart to...Remember the child born from the one you truly love..." she said as she did a closed eye smile.

But she sensed them...She sensed the Starfarer. All Deirdre did was stall time for...

"AHHHHH!" Hortensia unleashed a blood-curdling scream along with Arvis.

"No!" Arvis quickly turned to look at the princess trashing and throwing her head back, trying to fight him back, "I won't lose control!" He yelled and jumped back when arrows of light suddenly passed in front of him.

Slowly he looked up and saw it was Dierdre with a deep blue azure bow...she was glaring down at him.

"You...You shouldn't have that bow..." Arvis croaked.

"Protect the princess!" Alear yelled, "The rest," he pointed his sword towards the Fallen Emblem, "DEFEAT EMBLEM ARVIS!"

As that happened, invisible hands covered Hortensia's eyes, and a familiar voice whispered in her ears she closed her eyes, "It's okay...I'm here..." and fell into a deep sleep.

"Nana...mi..."

[—-]

Arisa wasn't kidding that it was going to be difficult. Nanami wheezed as she walked through the spirit world. Each step she took felt as if she was wearing brick boots. The spirit world was so similar yet different to the world of the living. It was vibrant, filled with colors that would hurt a normal human's eyes and at times its colors changed to cool ones or ever black and white. The number of different spirits and the shades of colors she saw, it was beautiful yet terrifying at the same time. The spirits were of humans, non-humans, and sometimes otherworldly beings, still, she didn't mess with any of them.

You will be in great pain and exhaustion. You are alive. You are not a Spirit Master, Emblem, or a Non-human, so this will be very difficult. Are you prepared?

"No shit." Nanami cursed as she gasped for air, clinging tightly to the pink string that was leading her to the Great Bridge.

She noticed quite a few spirits were watching her till they all ran for their lives. What she saw was horror. Bodies of soldiers lay on the ground, blood splattered everywhere, the scent of iron and copper was so strong that she quickly turned and vomited. She's seen corpses before, her parents, grandparents, great-grandparents before they were all cremated but now...

"This is the horrors of war..." The voice inside her head whispered in glee as she struggled to stay standing, "This is your future. This is your path. This is how Hortensia, Ivy, Alear, and everyone in this world will end up. This is..." She slowly turned to look and her eyes went wide seeing...

"This is how Miguel and Perla will end up."

"Miguel..." Nanami whimpered as she watched Miguel jump back and pull out what looked like their great-grandfather's gun and fire at the corrupted before he switched to using his bow again.

She recognized the Hoshido bow, Fujin Yumi. The young woman covered her mouth before her body started shaking and broke into a full-blown laugh. She didn't know if she should cry tears of joy or sorrow seeing her brother. Her brother was in this world, she just confirmed it with her own eyes, which meant Perla was here. Not only that, Miguel was part of Alear's army, then if Miguel was in Brodia, that meant that Perla was in Brodia. How the cowardly part of her screamed in rage, the thoughts of trying to avoid the Engage cast came back she knew she would hate herself if she ran away. The pink string, she turned her back on Miguel but whispered for him to win before she ran to Hortensia.

"What the hell?!" Nanami screeched seeing the black chains that were wrapped around the girl, "What the fuck are Arvis and Dierdre doing here?!" She looked around and spotted Syrus, "Who the fuck is that?!" Then she spotted the Three House Lords, "Okay, these three are here, good." She felt Arisa give her a judgmental gaze.

She managed to spot Anna, Yunaka, and Micaiah as well. She took a deep breath and tried to grab the chains but she hissed when she felt them burn her hands.

"Just what is this? Why is this happening?" Nanami whispered.

"Be careful. Those chains aren't normal."

Nanami jumped at the sound of a female voice and turned around to see behind her a translucent woman. Her hair was as long as Arisa's but it was tied in a long braid similar to Rapunzel's. The dress she wore reminded her of a medieval queen but it was knee length and she wore similar armor to a Holy Knight.

"Who are you?" Nanami said as the woman smiled sadly before bowing to her.

"I've been waiting for you, Starfarer." The woman said and Nanami looked at her confused, "I see Arisa has yet to explain. I'll just give you the gist. You can summon and purify Emblems just like the divine dragons do." Nanami looked at her shocked, "I wish to explain more but we're running out of time. I should be beside Deirdre but I am sealed away. Right now the only way I can help her is through the spirit world as I let her use my bow." The two looked up and saw Dierdre shooting arrows at Arvis with Sigurd beside her, protecting her.

Not only that, Alear and Alfred had turned to their Emblem forms and we were fighting beside a blue-haired woman, while the rest were fighting out the monsters and protecting Hortensia from them.

"I am an Outworlder like you." The woman said as she turned to her, "I am here to lend you my strength to help you free Hortensia from the fallen Emblem. This is going to be difficult but a fallen Emblem greatly amplifies a user's negative emotions. But the demonic magic in them sucks the life out of the user and corrupts them. It kills them slowly before it fully turns the individual into a corrupted." She explained.

"...I understand." Nanami said, "What do I need to do to free Hortensia?" With a look of determination in her eyes, the woman smiled warmly and nodded.

"One must free the heart of the shackles they imposed on themselves. I shall lend you my strength to break through the barrier placed by the fallen Emblem." She extended her hand.

"What's your name?" Nanami asked she took it, and the woman smiled.

"My name is Sidney." The spirit said and Nanami took her hand.

"I don't know why you said you're trapped if you are," Nanami gritted her teeth as her grip tightened, "and if truly can summon Emblems then!" A magic circle appeared under them, making the Emblem gasp, "BE FREE! BE FREE EMBLEM SIDNEY!"

Magic surrounded them like a blizzard and poured into the translucent woman, her form began to take shape, revealing herself in the storm that looked like rose petals. She had fair skin, and long wavy dark purple hair that braided itself with flowers of red, purple, white, and blue, her clothing became visible in colors of gold, white, and lavender. Her eyes snapped open, revealing they were a gradient purple peach. In her hands formed a beautiful staff with dark blue magic stones and rings hanging from it. Sidney gasped as she looked at herself and the invisible chains that trapped her became visible and shattered to dust. Her hands trembled as she looked at them before jumping to hug Nanami tightly.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Sidney wept tears of joy, "Finally, I'm free!" She said and wiped her tears quickly as both looked up to see Sigurd/Alfred and Arvis clashing brutally.

Dierdre suddenly paused and quickly looked behind her, she could see Sidney, nodding with tears of joy.

Dierdre grinned and nodded before she turned back and, "SIGURD AIM FOR HIS TOME!" At the top of her lungs, which nearly caused her husband to stop.

"You got a lot of stories to tell." Alfred thought as he heard Sigurd chuckle in his mind, "Let's finish him!"

"What do I need to do?" Nanami said as Sidney turned to her and smiled warmly.

"You and Hortensia share a bond similar to the bond she has with her siblings. A friendship that is pure, kind, and loving. It may not like it but with the time you have spent with Hortensia, she has grown to love you as a friend and sister. You are someone she looks up to." Nanami looked at the woman shocked, "That bond is the key." Both turned to look at Hortensia, "You will enter Hortensia's dream."

"The Dream Realms..."

[—-]

It was as if she was thrown into the darkest depths of the ocean. Each second that she sank further she felt as if knives were being pierced into her skin. The colder the waters became, she felt she was if she was going to be frozen solid. The deeper, the darker it became, and then...

"GO AWAY!"

"Gah!" Nanami screamed, covering her ears as if a sonic boom was thrown at her, the intensity of the scream was so loud, that she swore she heard glass shattering.

Sidney appeared next to her, making Nanami think she was a fairy for a moment before the Emblem waved her staff and made them float down gently. Light engulfed them and before they knew it...

"We're in...a ballroom?" Nanami whispered, shocked as they were giant ballrooms she would see in fantasy movies.

Chandeliers, candles, and curtains, in colors of dark purple, gold, black and green. Nobles dressed in fancy dresses and suites but most of all, the people were all silent as a woman with brown gentle eyes, long flowing straight pink hair with streaks of white, wore a mermaid-styled dress, twirled as she moved gracefully on the dance floor. On the throne, Nanami spotted King Hyacinth. His hair was a dark brown with a single white streak, his eyes were pink, and he looked healthy compared to the ghastly version she knew. But the woman next to him was that her attention the most, was a purple-haired woman with the ends of her hair turning a deep turquoise blue, tied in a high ponytail. Her eyes were purple and her pupils blue. She wore a lavender ball gown with a red rose headband.

"That's Queen Rose." Sidney said, her voice sad as she stood beside Nanami, "She was Elusia's Queen Mother. And the woman performing, " they turned to look at her, "Is Consort Calla, Hortensia's mother."

Consort Calla did one final spin and bowed, the people clapping and cheering.

"Mama!" Running out of the crowd and then jumping in the air was a tiny version of Hortensia, who was quickly caught in Consort Calla's arms.

"Sweetheart!" Calla giggled as snuggled her daughter, "You should be sitting with your sisters and brother."

"That was a splendid performance, My Consort." King Hyacinth said as Consort Calla bowed to him and The Queen, "It had been a long time since I had seen you dance." He said.

"Mama the best!"

And then the beautiful scene shattered right in front of her eyes as if a bat struck a window at full force. Shards floated all around them, different memories playing in their reflections. From the happy moments when Hortensia was a child, to when she would cry and her mother and siblings comforted her, the time she would spend with her father. They were all happy memories but then the world began to shake.

"What's going on?!" Nanami thought and screeched as the shaking nearly sent her flying forward and then staggering back.

All the crystals suddenly began to turn black, their surfaces cracking and parts of them flickering crimson like embers. The memories playing on them shifted to painful and terrible ones. The first right in front of her was Queen Rose's and Princess Primerose's funeral. The only thing that was recovered from the tragedy was a lock of dark blue hair that belonged to the queen and a piece of fabric that belonged to the princess's dress.

King Hyacinth's head hung as he stood in front of the bond fire that was in front of the states of The First King of Elusia and The Mage Knight. The people of the King of Elusia stood in silence in the rain, the only ones that could be heard crying were the elderly women, children, and Consort Thyme. Hortensia sniffed, tear stains on her cheek she held Ivy's right hand, and a little boy, Prince Cosmos held the left. The second Elusian princess, her eyes were lifeless, twitched when she heard whispers from some nobles.

"Princess Primrose is finally gone along with the queen." A nobleman whispered, "That means Princess Ivy is now the new crown princess. This is good news." They said.

"But what about Princess Hortensia?" Another said, "Oh, the disposed princess. Hopefully, King Haycinth will get rid of her. A girl with common blood has no ri—"

WHOSH!

Suddenly a hand fan was only a few inches from the noble's eye, it glinted with a sharp edge with the little light there was. The noble suddenly felt a terrifying aura, unlike anything they have ever felt. It reminded them at that moment of how terrifying Queen Rose was when she was angry. Slowly they turned and saw it was Consort Flora, her green eyes looked as if they had become slits, burning with rage. Not only that, that same anger, they looked down, standing beside the consort was Ivy with the same terrifying eyes.

"Guards." Consort Flora spoke coldly, "Take Count Gro to the dungeons." The guard quickly came and grabbed the noble.

"Consort Flora! I'm sorry! Consort Flora!" The noble cried out as the woman let out a huff before turning back the the girls and boy, crouching a bit to pat their heads, "I'm sorry you three had to hear that. Never let scum like them speak. Cut their tongues, be cruel if you need to, but never let anyone look or talk down to you." She said.

More scenes played, each one becoming more painful than the other. No, Nanami was physically feeling the pain Hortensia went through. From the pain and anger she felt when servants or nobles spoke coldly to her, to the pain she felt when Consort Flora passed. The pain she felt when her mother passed away and the anger that burned so deeply with how coldly she was treated in Elusia castle. The multiple assassination attempts she survived along with the crude nobles who spoke behind her back. And that anger grew when she learned her father hid she had more siblings, the children locked away in barely livable places. The young girl took it upon herself to watch the children.

"Nana, Nana," Hortensia went to Sumia and tugged her sleeve, "How do you raise a child?" Sumia nearly dropped the dishes she was cleaning.

"W-Well...Hortensia, why do you want to know this?" The maid asked, Hortensia wearily looked around and motioned her maid to come to her room so they could speak in private.

Lately, Hortensia had been feeling as if she was being watched. Not just here, she even sensed that Ivy and Cosmos were more cautious than ever. The only time they ever felt safe was in each other's rooms. The servants that once used to serve them were now gone and had been replaced by people their father had chosen. King Hyacinth had drastically changed since the death of Queen Rose. The kind man that the people of Elusia knew had become cold, cruel, wicked, a tyrant, and even cut off Elusia's communication with the world. Any who tried to leave Elusia were severely punished and sent to the dungeons. Very few had managed to escape, the only ones allowed to leave the kingdom were to protect Elusia's borders and the royal family along with their retainers.

"Sumia, I...I think I have...more siblings." Hortensia said once she made sure she was in her room and cast the soundproof spell, "I...recently discovered an underground room and... there were children in there. They all have...pink eyes like me." She confessed, that Sumia was too stunned to speak.

"Please, help me relocate them! And, tell Ivy as well."

When Ivy was informed of the situation, the princess was shocked. Still, just to make sure the children were of their blood, Zelkov did a blood test.

"What are the results?" Ivy asked, clearly nervous as the mage sighed.

"They are all of royal blood." Zelkov said, "But there is something else you should know." The royals looked at him worried, "The majority of the children of half-non-humans. The eldest, the one called Lily, told me there are more of their siblings out there, that "Father" said he is not done. That they will have more siblings joining them soon." It was safe to say poor Sumia had a heart attack and fainted right then and there.

Hortensia trembled before Ivy suddenly turned to her and Cosmos.

"Things are becoming dangerous." Ivy said, "Hortensia and Cosmos, this is sudden but I think you both should leave to the Magic Academia." The two siblings looked at her shocked, "I know you both are not supposed to start till next year but I think it would be better if you both left." She said.

"Ivy, what about you?!" Hortensia whimpered as the older princess smiled sadly at them.

"Don't worry about me."

Ivy always took on that burden...

Nanami suddenly felt like someone was standing right behind her.

"Do not look back," Sydney said, Nanami froze as hands with black translucent skin suddenly touched her face.

"Who are you..." the voice sounded like it belonged to Hortensia but possessed, "you just saw everything...The Nobles of Elusia hated me. They called me the Princess of Nothing, the Digraced Princess. They always tried to pin Ivy and Cosmos against me, the nobles split into three factions, they tried to put me on the throne so they could make me their puppet. I hate it..." the girl growled, her nails digging into her friend's skin.

"So Ivy sent us away. She sent us away to the academy so we would be far away from the Court of Elusia. Ivy...why did you do such a thing? It's so lonely without you...Miss Prim so much..." the girl sobbed, removing her hands from Nanami's face.

"Why...Father, why did you change so much? You don't even show you care about us anymore. It's always war...It's always war...Brodia...they took everything..they destroyed our home. They need to die. They need to pay."

"The ones that need to pay are the true culprits."

Hortensia froze and even Sydney looked at Nanami surprised because it was the woman who said that. Nanami gulped as her hand balled into a fist, taking deep breaths.

"Okay, I think know what to say." She thought keeping her voice steady, "Brodia has attacked your nation for hundreds of years, all with so-called intentions of keeping your people in check, but I want you to think about the individuals who wanted to forge peace. The Queen Mother Rose and Princess Topaz." She said, "Princess Topaz, she was the crown princess of Brodia, both worked together to bring peace to Elusia and Brodia, even if they faced hardships and backlash. But, they were both unjustly killed. Who was that killed them?" She said and fully turned to her.

"Sombron and The Demon." Nanami kept her eyes closed, "They are the ones responsible for the terrible things that have happened to Elusia. Even if Brodia attacked, the root of the cause is still Sombron and The Demon." She said, holding out her hand, "Hortensia, tell me, where does your anger and rage truly stem from? Does it stem from the attacks from Brodia, or is it something else?" She said and opened her eyes despite Sydney telling her not to.

What stood in front of Nanami was some sort of black cosmic liquid taking on Hortensia's form. It dripped but it had the girl's eyes but they were lifeless. But seeing how Nanami wasn't turning away...

"Don't believe her." A voice whispered, "She's lying. She's nothing but an outsider." It said but...

"It's so cold..." Hortensia began speaking softly, "Queen Mother was always there for us...she protected us. Mother despite how much she was mocked and spit at by Elusia's nobility, always smiled and protected me. After they passed...the nobility became even more fierce. Hate them...the nobility of Elusia, despite the war going on, all they cared about was filling their pockets. All they cared about was power. They tried to kill me and my siblings over the years and failed. Yet father never did anything...I don't recognize him anymore...he used to be so kind and warm." The girl crouched and hugged herself.

"So lonely..." Hortensia whispered as Nanami knelt and placed a hand on her shoulder.

What happened next was a tsunami of emotions flooding into Nanami all at once as well as fragments of memories.

Anger, pain, sadness, loneliness, greed, worry, fear

Joy, love, kindness...

"Acknowledgment..." Nanami thought as tears streamed from her cheeks, "Hortensia wants to be acknowledged. She wants to be accepted. But..." a small sigh left her lips as she hugged the girl tightly, "Ivy loves you. Your friends love you. You siblings love you. You're not alone Hortensia. So please..." she gently cupped her cheeks and made her look into her eyes, "wake up. Your friends and...someone you thought you lost, is waiting for you." Hortensia looked at her shocked and the world around them began to crack.

"Hortensia, please wake up!"

"Hortensia!"

"Hortensia!"

"Sister, please!"

Rosado, Goldmarry, Ivy, and her army along with one more...their voices rang in the darkness.

Nanami smiled sadly as a dagger appeared in the other hand that was behind Hortensia, and raised it.

"It's time to wake up. You don't belong in darkness. That's my place." Nanami said and stabbed it into Hortensia's chest.

The darkness that had consumed Hortensia suddenly began to scream in bloody murder as the dagger in Hortensia's chest shone brightly, burning it away. The mud that encased the princess turned to dust.

"Nanami?" Hortensia whispered as the world around them shattered.

"Go. It's time to go home."

SHATTER!

[—]

Arvis unleashed a blood-curdling scream along with the princess as black fog poured out of them. The emblem ring Hortensia wore was finally able to be ripped off by Oniyuri, and thrown away. The ring bounced on the ground before it landed with a loud cling against the stone. At that moment, Oniyuri hugged Hortensia tightly, her eyes snapping open, turning into slits as a magic circle with the Elusian Crest appeared underneath them. Ice magic poured out, going into Hortensia but it was not cold. It felt warm. The darkness that infected Hortensia had finally been dispelled, making her slump in the woman's arms, the rose marking fading away.

"Hortensia, Hortensia, look at me!" Oniyuri called out to the princess who weakly opened her eyes, "Ah...Thank goodness..." tears fell, her smile soft yet full of pain, "you're okay...You're okay..." she whispered.

"Prim...rose...?" Hortensia croaked as the older woman nodded, "So that's what she meant..." she whispered, "You're here... Zzz..." and into a deep sleep she fell.

Oniyuri's lips quivered as she hugged the girl, and the others of the army soon quickly ran to them. From afar, where the fallen Emblem was, Arvis fell, his body crumbling as he reached out to the group but most of all his eyes were on Sigurd and Deirdre.

"No...No...Not again..." he croaked but a gentle gust of wind blew, footsteps could be heard.

But what made him stop was the scent of lavender and the figure of a woman forming before him.

The army came to a still and looked in Arvis's direction. Many held their breaths as they looked at the lone woman who stood before him. She knelt and held his hand that reached out to her. Her smile, was gentle yet sad as she spoke.

"That's enough, Arvis...you've done enough." Sydney said as the mage looked at her with wide eyes, "It's time to rest..." she whispered as she let go of his hand and cradled his face.

"You're..." she placed her forehead on his and closed her eyes, his hand slowly placed on her cheek and soon the other as well, "I remember...how could I...forget you..." Arvis croaked as his gaze became half-lidded and looked down at the ground, "In the end...I made the same mistake here..."

"You did...But this time it wasn't your fault." Sydney said as one of their hands dropped as they intertwined, "Our son...he became a great man." She said as Arvis nodded.

"I'm glad..." his body started to crumble along with the ring, "I am...truly...happy to see you again, my love." And Sydney placed her lips on his, tears falling.

The Ring finally turned to dust, and Arvis did as well.

"Goodbye, my love..." Sydney whispered as she looked out the sky, "In another life...I hope we finally have the peace we always dreamed of."

She turned to the group, her eyes void of life before she floated to them. It had been years since she saw Sigurd, Deirdre as well, some with the other Emblems but now before her stood before Alear. Sydney bowed politely to them all and Dierdre went to stand beside her and do the same.

"It is an honor to stand before you again, Divine One." the two women said united, "I am Emblem Sydney," Sydney introduced herself, "And I am Emblem Dierdre," Dierdre said, "We are The Emblem of Spirits, know as The Necklace of The Damsels of Devastation, it is an honor to meet you all." the two said together.

"A reunion must wait," Deirdre said, letting out a sigh of relief when she realized she could now speak, "Sister, I will check on Princess Hortensia and Prim." She said as Sydney nodded.

"Thank you...both of you..." Oniyuri croaked but Sydney raised her hand.

"We are not the ones you should be thanking." Sydney said and pointed at an empty spot next to Miguel, "The one you should be thanking," she waved her hand, making gold dust appear and surround the empty spot, before them a female shape took form, "her."

Miguel backed away, allowing space for the form to complete, and what happened next, made Miguel's words stuck in his throat. Before them now stood a short white-haired woman with pale tan skin, wearing a black cloak that covered her body, and a butterfly mask that covered the right side of her face. She remained silent, a single brown eye void of life looked at them all.

Miguel didn't know what to say but finally, after so long, he managed to croak out a single name.

"N-Na...Nanami?" Miguel croaked as the white-haired woman looked up to him, "Nanami, it's you...isn't it?" He whispered, his hand reaching out to her but Nanami took a step back.

"What happened to you?" Rosado said, making Miguel look at him and Goldmarry.

"Don't." Nanami said, "I don't have much time but you need to get to Brodia Castle. Princess Ivy will soon be launching an attack but also, do what you can to prevent King Morion from fighting King Haycinth." She said and held out her hand, "King Haycinth intends to sacrifice King Morion to resurrect The Fell Dragon and Demon. If you don't, the king will die. I already warned Prince Diamant about this." She said, her body starting to fade.

"Nanami, wait! Nanami!" Miguel yelled and Nanami turned to look at him, "Wait, what's going on?! What happened to you?!" He said.

"Brother..." Nanami smiled sadly, "I'm glad to see you're okay. That means Perla is here too." She whispered as she placed a hand over her heart, "Big brother, please live a happy life! Tell Perla as well. I love you both! This is goodbye for real this time...Please, live a happy life." She said with a sad smile as tears fell.

"Nanami, wait!" Miguel yelled reaching out to her, "Nanami!" So close, so close, she was right there—-

SHATTER!

And she shattered in his arms.

Miguel remained frozen in his place, his eyes wide, stunned, his arms empty as he shook. Slowly, his arms dropped before suddenly the eerie laughter from before began to ring all around them. Like before, gravity hit them all, forcing them to the ground. Many grunted and gritted their teeth but the black fog came in and held them down. Footsteps echoed all around them soon five feet from them stood "Hortensia", with a smile with the right side of her body glitching.

"You..." Miguel growled as the Emblems were quickly in front of their people to protect them, "You did this...You did this..."

"Indeed, I did." It giggled happily seeing the enraged faces of everyone before their form changed into Goldmarry's, "With what little power I currently have it was so easy to create a Fallen Emblem. It's a power that I," it smugly placed a hand over their chest, "proudly stole. All I needed to do was mix some of my power with fell magic to amplify Emblem Arvis's regrets to make him fall from grace. He used to be a normal Emblem like the rest of you but once I got my hands on him and worked my magic, he was turned into a full-fledged Fallen Emblem." It smugly said.

"How dare you make my husband your plaything?" Emblem Sydney snarled but all the creature did was giggle before they turned to her appearance.

"Oh, like if you don't know, Sydney. Well, not that you have a choice. After all, when an Emblem becomes Fallen, you have to put them down." It said as it extended its hand, "But unlike them, your kind suffer a different ending. If you or another Outworld Emblem become Fallen, you must put each other down." it grinned as it turned to look at each Emblem's shocked expressions, "To destroy each other. As for Fallen Emblems, I create..." it narrowed its eyes at her, "a pity that the only way to free the individual from their influence is to destroy them. I need to find a way to make them permanent like the rest of you."

"What?" Marth said, slowly turning to look at Syrus, who bit his lips, his eyes only focused on the monster that now glitched into a familiar form.

The monster grinned seeing Marth's expression as well as the Emblem's of the rings. Looks like like they were never told of the "punishment" that was placed on Outworld Emblems. That "Outworld Emblems" must destroy their kind or themselves if they become Fallen.

"You dare take on the form of The Emblem of Aberration?!" Syrus roared but the creature only laughed but stopped when it noticed how rapid Oniyuri's breathing had become along with her enraged expression.

"You...You...I remember your voice. I can never forget the voice of the ones who killed my mother and Princess Topaz!" Oniyuri roared before the creature once more burst out laughing, "What the hell do you want?! Money?! Power?! Our souls?! JUST WHAT DO YOU WANT?! YOU ALREADY TOOK EVERYTHING FROM ME?! WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT?!" The woman roared.

Its form shifted to a raven-haired woman made Sitonia let out a hiss. It had turned into the form of Queen Makoto, her mother.

"What do I want? I have no memory of what I want but I do know that it is something only The Starfarer can give me. Or to be more precise," it placed a hand over its chest, "It is something that I must take. But if you want a proper answer..." it looked at her with a smile and half-lidded gaze, "I'm bored."

"You killed innocent people because you are bored....?" Alcryst croaked as the creature snickered.

It turned its back on them as it looked up to the sky, "Something about human flesh makes it so addicting to eat." It could feel the looks of disgust, "Oh, by the way," it turned to them with a smile as it turned to Ivy's appearance, "Unless you know how to cleanse demonic magic, that Elusian princess is going to die." It snickered, and Oniyuri looked at it in horror, "King Hyacinth sent her to die anyway. A pity you all managed to stop the corruption from spreading. She would have been a fine sacrifice. But," it licked its lips as it now turned to Queen Rose, "Lets...see...Zephia should have gotten to the hideout where Queen Thyme and your other siblings are hiding. There's a reason I kept making Hyacinth mate with humans and non-humans alike. After all, the more children born with the blood of the Divine Ice Dragon that was betrayed by her court, the better her vengeful blood will taste." And it disappeared in a shower of black dust.

"I'm so close to what I want. The north of Elusia will be destroyed along with Brodia's north. Blood of those with children in their wombs have such an exquisite taste."

Silence fell like a deadly blanket of ice. No one dared move even after the fog had disappeared. Just what the hell was happening? Miguel didn't know what to say or even do.

"Everyone," Dierdre called out to make them snap out of it, "It is alright. Princess Hortensia will not die. The once-called Nanami cleansed the darkness from her blood, so the Princess is okay. Unfortunately, because of the fallen emblem, the magic system from the right side of her body has been heavily damaged. We need a mage doctor who specializes in restoring magic systems to fully heal Princess Hortensia." She said.

Sitonia remained silent as the watched the events unfold. There was one individual that could help them but the problem was they wouldn't be able to contact them right now. But...

"Martha!" Oniyuri yelled, "We need to get to Brodia Castle! Martha should be able to help her!" She yelled as she stood up, with Hortensia in her arms.

"Rosado," Goldmarry spoke as the wyvern knight looked at their army, "You heard what that creature said. It said that Zephia..." a dark shadow cast over her face, "That was Nanami...what happened while we were at the capital? Zelkov said that Nanami was fine when he went to check on her. How is she here in Brodia? And are Queen Thyme and the royal children safe?" Her hands trembled, "What about Sumia and Bernadetta?" The Lord trio twitched hearing that name.

"Knowing Bernadetta and Sumia, they must have evacuated already. Nanami did mention she knew how to cast Extreme Warp." Rosado said and just when Goldmarry was about the speak, the two turned hearing Miguel and The Divine One walk up to them, "We know what you are going to say. We surrender. The only thing we ask is that you save Princess Hortensia. After that, you can do whatever you want with us." He said, his eyes cast down in defeat.

Alear stared at them for a bit before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Luna and Klaus," he called out and the two walked up, "Can you two take them and their army to Lythos? Don't worry, I'll get you both over there quickly." The siblings nodded, "Take Princess Hortensia as well." He said.

She turned to look at Oniyuri, her eyes lifeless as Deirdre and Sydney stood by her side, she was holding onto Princess Hortensia.

"My Lady," Sydney spoke softly, "I know you are worried but you can trust the Divine One." She said and Eden nodded as well, "Love, please. Martha said the same thing." Oniyuri took deep breaths before shakily handing Hortensia to Rosado.

"Watch her," Oniyuri whispered as the two nodded.

"Prince Alcryst, we will be back in a bit. After that, we head straight to the capital." Alear said as Prince Alcryst nodded.

"I understand." Alcryst said and the group warped away along with Princess Hortensia's army before the prince turned to look at Oniyuri, "You have...some explaining to do." Oniyuri hung her head as Eden suddenly stood protectively in front of her, "Should I continue to call you Oniyuri, or Princess Primrose?"

Primrose took deep breaths before she stepped for with Eden beside her. Everyone could now see her pink eyes, her hair became undone during the fight revealing it was knee length, but most of all, the Emblems that stood beside her. She locked eyes with Alcryst, never breaking eye contact with him.

"Call me with whatever you feel comfortable with. But now you know, my real name. So I shall reintroduce myself again." She bowed politely, the way Elusian royals do, "My true name is Primrose Valentine Lycinth of Elusia. The Former First Princess of Elusia." She said and looked at him.

"I am the new Guardian of Elusia's Dragon Crystal. My Lycinth name is The Luminance."

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A/n: A bit of a heads up, I will be going back to edit some of my earlier chapters due to name mix-ups, so I apologize in advance if you get update notifications.