Chapter 153: The expected reunion.

Mash turned her head down the street, glancing left and right before turning back to the two others at her side. There was a moment of silence passed between them before she shook her head in a negative. "There isn't any sign of anyone down this street either…"

She trailed off at the annoyed grunt that came from the horned knight, Mordred stomped past her and into the open. The helmet swung left and right as the Saber stared out into the open, then loudly clicked her tongue in a show of obvious annoyance before she swung back around to face both Mash and Vordt. "I wasn't hearing shit."

"No one said that you weren't." Vordt offered a placating response before the Saber could get more defensive. Mash nodded her head in a show of support towards the Rider, she had similarly been hearing distant sounds of thunder in a consistent manner. She might have thought it was a storm were it not for the fact it was the first time she had recalled such a thing happening and there wasn't much in the way of storm clouds above her head.

Add onto the fact it seemed to be getting further away from them as time went on, it lent credence to the belief that someone was out there fighting with something. If there truly was someone battling out in the snow, then it could be safely assured they were no ally of the Servants controlling this place, though Mash herself had yet to encounter any hostile contacts. She had seen the aftermath of their battle, Vordt stumbling inside with several daggers buried in his back was proof enough that something was out there, but she hadn't seen them.

Whatever initial plan they had of finding out whom was putting dreams into everyone's head sort of fell through. Mordred hadn't even been able to get to sleep before she came back through to the room and started shouting about hearing explosions from outside. It had prompted everyone to get ready to move out not long after that.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, the explosions had continued on long enough for them to get a general reading on where they were supposed to be going. However, Mash was quickly noticing that many of these buildings were looking increasingly similar to the point where it was starting to get difficult telling them apart from one another. Fears of walking in a circle were only dissuaded when Mordred had loudly, and rather vulgarly, dismissed the notion that they were lost.

Her exact words being 'Do I look stupid enough to walk in a circle to you!?'. While Mash couldn't speak on behalf of Vordt, she thought it best not to try and provoke the Saber further with more doubts about her ability to navigate.

Though as they travelled, there was still one thing that played upon her thoughts.

It was slightly concerning in her mind that there was a distinct lack of hostile contacts in the time they had been outside. After a few seconds, she reached towards the talisman around her neck and held it between her index fingers. Medea had rushed to get even these small talismans completed so that she could maintain contact with the group outside of the base and track where they were. It was a simple measure and the Caster said they would fail against the simplest of Bounded Fields with the rush job she had been pressured into - she made her complaints about that rather vocal - but Mash didn't mind. "Caster? Can you sense anything through this location?"

The symbols on the talisman shone in dull purple as the voice of Medea echoed through. "There is a great deal more residual magical energy in this location than there have been in the previous locations you have travelled through. Leaving open two possibilities, the first being that parts of the Reality Marble are different or there was a recent altercation between Servants and the excess of mana has yet to bleed out into the world."

Mash felt a well of hope rise inside her as she looked at the other two "That could mean someone from Chaldea was here and they were fighting."

"Perhaps." Medea didn't argue against it, but Mash noticed that she wasn't quite as enthusiastic as she was. It wasn't like the Shielder was expecting her to shout and cheer in joy, Medea wasn't all that emotive at the best of times, but she thought there would have been at least a bit more enthusiasm in her voice at the prospect of finding their allies.

"Suppose it is the latter option, I cannot help but notice that the surroundings are…remarkably intact." A comment by Vordt drew her attention as she moved to join Mordred out in the open, briefly pausing and turning to give the scenery another sweeping gaze. Sure enough, there was very little to show that there had been a battle here in the first place. The slight offsetting of snow aside, and only in some locations, the location was very much intact.

Mash felt a frown come onto her features "But…if there was a fight between Servants, then shouldn't there be more damage…unless-"

"Hit and run." Mordred answered before she had a chance to, though it was the same conclusion that Mash had been coming to so she didn't mind the interruption. The voice of the Saber, meanwhile, was far less reserved and slightly more annoyed. "The work of a coward…probably couldn't take whomever they were fighting in a head on fight and decided to lure them away." she glanced around "Probably why we haven't run into anyone yet."

With a click of the tongue, the Saber kicked at the snow "Leading someone away into a trap so they can jump 'em with numbers…"

The sudden quiet was far more eerie to Mash than it had been earlier, as expected as it brought with it far more disturbing implications. The idea of any one of their allies being caught out in an ambush flashed through her mind, the image of her Master being first and foremost. "We should follow." She stated before the image had even faded from her mind, the words rushing out so quickly she didn't even have time to alter them to be more polite.

All she was focused on was getting to the sound of distant explosions which…

Which hadn't sounded in a while…

"Heh, straight into the thick of it, eh?" Mordred chuckled, Mash blinked as she realised the Saber was right next to her and was left even more dumbfounded when the Knight gave her a playful elbow jab in the side. "I like your style! Much better than the other asshole I know!"

"...Uhmmm…" Mash just stared at her with incomprehension, there was a strange tone to Mordred's voice as though she was making a reference to someone that Mash was supposed to know, but the face and the name escaped her. An odd sense of deja vu to be sure and some weird flicker of something filtered through her mind but it just as quickly vanished. "...What are you talking about, Saber-san?"

The horned helmet of Mordred stared at her in silence for a brief moment, then she loudly scoffed and shook her head from side to side. Walking away from Mash and further down the street before she eventually called out an answer. "Nevermind! Just get a move on, will ya?" Before Mash could ask further, the Saber was already splitting away from them.

With nary a moment of hesitation, Mash took off after her with the heavy clunking of Vordt being just behind her. The Rider moved in step with the large made in his right hand slung over his shoulder. He was nothing at all like the other Rider's Mash had seen before, which left her with the impression that his mount was something large and mildly threatening. Especially with his thick plate armour and full covered form which meant he was likely going to be very heavy on ordinary mounts.

Perhaps he rode some sort of dragon?

Actually, she might as well ask. "Um, Rider-san?"

"Hmm?" Vordt turned to her, his voice humming with confusion before he made a brief grunt of understanding. "Ah, yes. We're in the open now, aren't we? Secret names and all that…Yes, Shielder, what is the matter?"

Mash blinked "Ah, you don't need to call me Shielder." she gave him a faint smile, though she was happy he extended the same sort of courtesy to her regardless. However, she didn't have a 'True Name' so to speak so there was no reason to conceal her identity. "I'm only a Demi-Servant so I don't have a name like yours and Sabers. Speaking it out loud won't change anything…"

"Nonsense." Vordt dismissed with a wave of his hand, turning his helmet from her "You shall be extended the same treatment as us. Demi or no, you remain a Servant and our names are only ever given as a show of trust. I shall not carelessly let yours slip merely because you feel it lesser." he pointed at her "Be aware of your own value as a Servant, girl. Such things as 'only' do not matter."

"But-" She didn't really know what she was supposed to say to that, she was only a Demi-Servant at the end of the day and one who was working under a false name for her Noble Phantasm. It was a partial deployment and she was left with no illusions that it would be weaker than the genuine article. Not to mention even with the training back at Chaldea, she was working on muscle memory against hostile entities that came with the Servant who granted her their powers.

She…really wasn't like other Servants, she couldn't do what they could do. She'd only ever been supported by them so…

"But nothing." Vordt chuckled "We can't all get so dour about whether or not we have any value now, can we?"

Mash supposed not, all the same…

"Are you…" She fought back a grimace, now more curious than anything else as she stared at the knight. "Are you not offended by the idea of me using someone else's abilities?" she imagined that would be a point of pride in some Servants, these things they worked hard for all their lives suddenly being dumped in the hands of someone who had - quite frankly - never had the chance to do much of anything before. It almost seemed like a waste to Mash.

Let alone how it would appear to someone else.

Vordt merely shrugged his shoulders "If someone is inclined to make you a soul inheritor, then they are entitled to do that. It is not my place to question the wisdom of those who cannot be present to explain themselves." the diamond shaped helm spared her a glance "And perhaps you should focus less on the 'why?' and more on the 'what?'"

"The…what?"

"Hmm. What are you going to do with these abilities? Not, why do you have them?" Vordt explained with a wave of his hand, moving the armoured gauntlet to his hip. "Quite frankly, even thinking about such a thing in the first place would seem a little silly to me. You've gotten this far, haven't you? I can see a glimmer of true experience in your eyes, not something just handed to you."

"Me…Senpai has cleared three Singularities so far-"

"Senpai?" Vordt made a noise "Odd name but I suppose that is just one of those differences between worlds." he muttered under his breath, Mash felt a rush of panic flow through her as she realised that Vordt was now under the assumption that Ritsuka's name was actually Senpai. "And you were there as well, weren't you? So it's just something that you played just as big a role in."

"Senpai's name is actually Ritsuka." Mash blurted out, ignoring the slight heat that crept into her cheeks at speaking his name aloud. It was mitigated by the fact that he wasn't actually present so she wouldn't have to speak with him. She'd read somewhere that speaking the first name of people without a suffix attached to it was a show of intimacy in Japan, or something along those lines.

She should probably read up a little more, now that she thought about it. Something to consider when they returned to Chaldea after this, perhaps put a little more effort into making Senpai feel more comfortable around Chaldea by making it appear more homely…she could even ask one or two of the East Asian Servants about that sort of thing.

Well…Certainly Kiyohime, just so she was aware of the attempt from the very beginning and they could avoid unpleasant misunderstandings.

"Ah, so Senpai is just a title then." Vordt made a noise of understanding, then gave a good natured chuckle "That makes more sense, now that I think about it." There was a brief silence before he continued onwards "I know for a fact that my previous…superior would not have wished his name to be spoken so…carelessly by those beneath his status." bowing his head slightly, Mash widened her eyes at the ashamed tone of voice "Forgive me for misunderstanding."

"N-no, no!" A hasty shake of the head and a sputter from her was the first reaction she could give to the clear shame from the knight. It was completely unnecessary in the first place. "It's mainly just me that calls him Senpai, he prefers people to call him by his name but doing that sort of thing is…uhm…It's…" she fidgeted as best she could, trying to learn how she was supposed to phrase this.

"Ho?" There was a deeply amused nature to Vordt's tone now, especially in the way his helmet turned full in her direction and his eyeports now glowed with a faint blue lighting to them. Though it was entirely unlike the Berserker self that shone of brilliant insanity, this was a more gentle lighting. Which was why Mash now found herself utterly confused by the strange warning she was getting in the back of her head right now. "So that is how it is? Feeling a touch more intimate than should be expected for a Knight and their Lord?"

Mash was straight faced.

For all of two seconds.

Then heat shot up her features, turning her face bright red and leaving her reeling from the comment of the knight, so much so that she couldn't even hear what he had said next. It wasn't like her feelings for Senpai were romantic in the least, it was just a deep seated respect for him and a genuine desire to be someone he could rely on. It wasn't romantic or anything like that! "T-that isn't what it-"

"There is no need to be bashful." As if he was willfully ignoring what she was trying to tell him, Vordt continued on with what was - in her mind - nothing shy of a gross misunderstanding. Waving his hand from side to side as if to shoo away her arguments "I know the signs well enough, if I were to confess…I was in your position once before with someone that I was instructed to guard…" his voice turned a touch softer "She was someone whom I cannot truly describe with words…"

Mash stared at him, her previous embarrassment now starting to fade away as she took notice of the tone of voice of Vordt, it was sombre and full of grief. She fought back a grimace at his words, while he hadn't said anything specific she could infer that it hadn't ended well for them. If Vordt's qualification for a Berserker was any indication of events, at least.

"Therefore, as one who has been in your shoes before!" He whirled around, facing her and bringing his left hand up, stabbing a large finger in her direction. His words surged out from behind his helmet as a rush of goodwill and enthusiasm, which only made Mash feel a greater sense of horror at where this was going. "You shall have my full support in any romantic endeavours you wish to pursue with this man. I even have some helpful tips if you wish for me to impart them onto you-"

"T-th-that's quite alright!" Her words almost caught in her throat with how desperate she was to get them out of her mouth, just so long as he didn't say any more then that was alright.

"What if the guy already has a wife or a partner or something?" Mordred called on from up ahead, turning around to face the duo and reminding the pair that she wasn't actually that far ahead of them. Mash blanched at the idea the Saber was now left with the impression that she was trying to seduce Senpai.

…

Wait, what was that thing she just said?

"Senpai doesn't have a partner." She stated with a frown, briefly surprised with the certainty of her own words for a moment before she continued on "I'm sure he would have said something if he did."

"You sure?" Mordred pressed onwards "What if he just didn't want to talk about it?"

"But…umm…I…"

"Rubbish." Vordt declared "What man wouldn't boast of being with the love of his life? If you do not make regular declarations of love towards your spouse or partner, for all to hear, then you are not demonstrating your love well enough…T-that being said, Carwen did have one or two issues with me shouting out my love for her in the courtyard beneath her window…"

"You're a goofy dumbass, aren't you?" The Saber asked in a blunt tone of voice, not sounding all that annoyed "Save this weird talk for when you actually make a move in the first place. We're trying to find them." she turned back on her heel "...Just don't go after married people, that shit never ends well."

"Eh?"

The woman only approached so far, stopping a good ten or so metres away from them and standing in the midst of the icy field. Not a single word was spoken for a good ten or so seconds, then Ritsuka leaned towards Llew and whispered slightly. "Do you think she wants us to begin or get closer?"

"Getting closer would be foolish." Llew replied back without even hesitating, Ritsuka imagined that was what the answer was going to be in the first place. "And I know of no one who would meet in a field so open without protection. Simply because we cannot see these foes does not mean, as Caster suggested, that they do not exist…Though the path we shall take is reliant on where your foot meets the ground. What shall you do?"

Great, no pressure then? Ritsuka thought to himself as he kept his face composed, even ignoring the slight chill that rushed up his back, shooting a glance over his shoulder just in case there was anything behind him. He wasn't sure if he was expecting to see the Archer or not, but he couldn't see anything except the distant streets of London(?) which grew denser the further along they went.

Turning his head back around, he stared at the woman dressed in pale white robes and a black hood, then took a single step forwards before calling out to her. It was actually fairly quiet, the wind had died down more than enough that he could shout this distance without having to worry about his words being lost to the storm. "Hello there!"

"Servants of Chaldea." The woman called back in a loud voice, it wasn't a shout but it was almost boosted, if that was the best way to describe it. Like she was supported by the very air with her words by the way they almost rippled when they left her throat. Like she had spoken into a microphone. "I welcome thee to the Painted Lands. Though this meeting is long since overdue, it is still one that must occur."

Ritsuka raised an eyebrow. Was she making a joke or something? Their greeting consisted of getting shot with exploding arrows and a very close attempt on his life that would have probably killed him had it not been for the fact that Caster was inside his body. Unless she was just going into pre-amble and was just doing some kind of 'Bond villain' play on words.

"Yeah…definitely a memorable welcome…" He voiced back to her, raising his words though still keeping the shake in them as he was left unsure as to what sort of response she was after.

The woman nodded her head up and down "You speak of the actions of Berserker? While it is true that I orchestrated your coming to this place, I did not order the means by which you would arrive. Berserker is rather overzealous when it comes to the defence of this land, you understand that as her enemies, she would not be so welcoming to you." she did sound regretful, but Ritsuka wasn't all that convinced.

There was just something about her that put him on edge, either the way she was stood out in the open with complete confidence or the way she had been wielding a scythe as a weapon up until a moment ago. No visible sign of armour and an elongated weapon probably meant that she was like Cu and Scathach, a swift fighter.

"Overzealous?" Llew remarked in a flat tone of voice "Her first act was to try and slay one of my comrades." he gestured to Ritsuka "Had it not been for his enhanced senses, they would not have survived the encounter. This goes beyond 'guidance' and is a direct attack on his life and our lives."

"Do not so hastily use such words, Knight of Lothric." The woman responded a moment later "Lest we forget the reason that all Servants who are not aligned with the Goddess were summoned here. You are all here to end our existence and restore the natural flow of history." a tilt of the head "To that end, you are already our enemies, is thinning the numbers not a valid tactic in the mind of a knight?"

"So that means we are enemies." Ritsuka confirmed aloud, though he already harboured suspicions about it. All the same, he would rather learn about why they were in the first place. He could see neither rhyme nor reason to turn London into a frozen wasteland or drag the people of the city into this frozen world. Which meant he was missing something here. "But if we're enemies, why did you call for us to meet here? Wouldn't it have been smarter to just try and kill us?"

"You assume me some manner of savage, young child?" There was a slightly indignant tone about the woman that almost sounded as though she was scolding him. "Though we remain enemies to one another in terms of our goals, that does not banish the option of discussion before the inevitable clash. An extension of the hand is customary between those of civilised backgrounds, is it not?"

An extension of the hand?

"You're…asking us to join you?" It was a rather peculiar thing for her to offer, he wasn't sure if she was confident they would even accept or not. If she was just making the offer on account of trying to, then that was fair enough. Like asking someone to surrender just so you gave yourself peace of mind that the offer had been made and your enemy had chosen their path. "...Really?"

"It is a hollow gesture, I know in my heart that you shall reject these words, else you would not have accepted the call to aid human history in their restoration." The woman continued on after he finished speaking, confirming in his mind that the option had always been just for show.

"But if you knew we were going to reject it, why did you offer it?"

"As I said, it is a customary thing to speak with one another as civilised folk." She explained, tilting her head ever so slightly to one side. "Though it also offers me a chance to educate you on matters such as these." her hands slowly came up, not in a show of aggression, rather she spread them wide as if to show off the scenery to them. "You have walked in this land, you have seen the people of this world and thus, I ask what your opinion of them is."

"My opinion?"

"All of your opinions." She corrected herself "This cold world that embraces all those who enter equally, regardless of sin, regardless of pain and regardless of loss. The land makes room for each and every soul that shall enter it. Their burdens lifted from their shoulders and scattered to the winds." lowering her arms, she gestured to them "Have you not seen that human history is fraught with suffering and death?"

She gestured down, her words picking up in intensity though never once losing her posture nor her composure, she was a talented speaker, Ritsuka had to give her that. "That even this era we stand in is no different? The industrial age of man left so many alone in the cold, bringing so much misery to the people of this country. How many thousands do you believe were left behind in the age of progress? How many thousands lost their loves, their lives, their passions? How many were simply cast out into the shadow of civilization and left to vanish without a tear shed for them?"

Ritsuka's lips pulled themselves into a thin line, looking left towards Fran and Nursery, neither one of them were showing much emotion on their faces, Fran simply stood there with a vacant look on her face, her eyes shadowed by her bangs and her lips pulled tight into a thin line. Her posture was lapse, no longer a show of tension that it had been.

Nursery was slightly different, glancing down to the ground with a strange look in her eye that was rather disconcerting for someone who looked around ten or eleven years old. Perhaps even younger, it was a look that he really wasn't comfortable seeing in a child.

"If you are to expect all progress to be bloodless and without loss, then you are deluding yourself." His head snapped to the right at the voice of Llew, the knight speaking in a dismissive tone of voice, thrusting his greatsword, point end, into the ground and planting it there like a flag. His left hand came up in a sharp motion and extended a finger in the direction of the woman. "There are always sacrifices made in the name of betterment, that is as true a thousand years ago as it will be a thousand years from now. It is not a matter of numbers or stories…it is a matter of whether those deaths amounted to anything. If those who perished did so in the name of bettering the whole, then their deaths worked to save many more lives."

"Progress is Progress." Caster mused through his head "Clean progress is a fantasy, a dream pulled forth by the mind of optimists who believe in such a thing as utopia's. This woman might delude herself with preaching peace in the name of the whole, yet she will just as swiftly kill those who disagree with her vision. A hypocrite through and through."

Ritsuka wasn't sure of that just yet. "Alright, I'm not going to argue about the deaths of the industrial revolution. Even I know that much about it." It really was something that just didn't escape anyone's notice, especially since the first world war would begin soon. "But I don't see how putting everyone into a coma is a solution here." He pulled his right hand out from underneath Nursery, the girl clinging tighter to support herself, and waved it around "And this? What is the point of making it like this? What's the aim here?"

"This is salvation that can be offered to those who have nothing left." The woman's words came out without a moment of hesitation, full of conviction and complete and total confidence. The type that was so utterly convinced they were correct that arguing with them might well have been pointless. Ritsuka was still going to give it a go, however. "To those who stumbled along the path, to those who could not match the step with the strong…to those who were simply forgotten about. This land…is there hope. Something that you and all your allies threaten the peace of."

"I cannot fault her for being blunt, at least." Caster remarked though the mental link, even sounding a touch amused. Though how he was finding mirth in this situation was a bit of a weird thing for Ritsuka at the moment. "Though…she claimed 'all your allies' which implies that they intend to - or have already - made similar declarations to the other Servants scattered about this land. Though their knowledge of Chaldea is…surprising."

That was one word for it, considering that people shouldn't really have known about it in the first place. Scathach had only been aware through using super powered spells to divine their existence in the vaguest sense, the certainty of this woman was rather alarming. Though the fact she hadn't deduced he was the Master meant they didn't know what he looked like. He would have to hand it to Llew for keeping up the illusion.

"I'm not going to deny that we want to restore human history." Ritsuka called back, frowning more openly. "But it is not like you're innocent from causing harm here. This Singularity is a result of the creation of this paradise of yours. You're aiding in the incineration of countless people." pausing, he tilted his head "Can you really call yourself any different from those who caused the suffering of the people you claim to protect."

"There was never a point in which I claimed to be better than them." The woman replied immediately, not even hesitating. Ritsuka was surprised by the admittance, he was expecting her to fight him on that statement. "It remains true, I am a hypocrite in this instance. I create salvation for some while discarding the lives of many others…even still, it remains a choice I shall uphold. I am indeed a sinner, through and through."

She gave a careless shrug "Yet, I truly believe in the vision of the Goddess all the same. It is not a thing that can be understood through merely seeing the world. You have not experienced all these people have, their losses are total. Cutting so deeply into them that their very spirits are wounded beyond recovery…what the Goddess offers them is a land free of their burdens. That is all there is."

Ritsuka furrowed his brows, narrowing his eyes slightly "A land free of burdens?" that was really open ended and not exactly what he was seeing. Unless there was something he was missing. "...The sleep that everyone gets put into. Is that supposed to be the freeing of burdens?"

"Of course." The woman nodded her head once "Which leads us to the crux of the matter, your presence here threatens the peace of those who reside here. It is something that cannot be allowed to continue, in both the name of the Goddess and for the sake of those who hold faith in me to lead them down the righteous path, I shall offer you this one chance." her next words were delivered with cold finality. "Find your Master and your allies and leave this place. The Goddess will extend this single act to you once and only once. After this point, you shall be deemed disturbers of the peace and sentenced accordingly."

Before Ritsuka could speak up, he felt Nursery shift on his shoulder and raise herself up slightly. "What you are doing is wrong." She all but declared "While I have no love for sad endings, you cannot force a happy ending onto one who does not wish for it. What you suggest and what is offered here is nothing short of self-gratification. The belief you are aiding those who have lost their way is enough to keep you going…but you are doing nothing more than hiding their problems from them and declaring yourself a saint for having saved them."

He wasn't expecting that level of insight for her, especially considering she was literally made from story books. Servants really were something else, that Rhyme could go from being childish to being almost wise at the drop of a hat was rather…well, he was certainly going to look out for it more in the future.

"A declaration from one who has something to lose. When you have experienced a true loss, you crave nothing but the abandonment of your woes. To lay down in this world and take leave of your grief is all that should be craved. The path of restoration is a thorny one indeed, and not one that all might find the courage and strength to walk. Why, then, should they be forced to writhe in their own misery?" She tilted her head, her lips now pulled into almost a snarl "Why should they be left behind? You might speak of me as one who pursues my own worth in this act, but it is not one without meaning to others. They find comfort in this cold."

"Comfort in this cold?" Llew scoffed loudly and dismissively "The magics woven into the very air force their minds to conform to your cowards beliefs. They should have the strength to face their own problems or the courage to reach for aid if they cannot. Those who fall down and remain in the dirt, who spit and curse while doing nothing to better themselves are deserving of their fate."

She turned to Llew in silence for a moment, then spoke in a soft and curious tone. "Do you belong to those who deserved their fate, Llew of Lothric, consort of the Queen?"

"...How very much like her, rarely content with a single lover. Though to pursue her own royal guard? She was either desperate or there is some hidden attraction that I have missed upon…every single glance spared to him."

Ritsuka wasn't sure what the words meant, well he knew the definition of them but he wasn't sure what they meant. However, the manner in which Llew suddenly locked up as though he had turned into a statue wasn't missed by anyone. Especially with the shuddering noise of metal as his shoulders tightened in and his arm dropped back to his side with a hefty clang.

"I wonder how long you writhed in the dirt and cursed your own weakness, the man who sent his own son to death and lamented the end after doing nothing to prevent it." There was a succulent pause before the woman continued on, a touch of accusation now in her voice. "Worse, you forced him along the path that you did not believe, not truly. How cruel a man you are, to sacrifice one's own kin in the name of salvation and then insult me for offering a place." a gesture to him "Perhaps you would not have taken your own life had you known this land existed, where you might have fled your worries and found peace within the rot."

Llew was still tellingly silent, now at a point where Ritsuka was genuinely concerned for the man.

"Have you no more biting insults for me? No further curses to heap upon my desire for salvation?" Another pause "Perhaps you would if-"

"Be silent, wench." Llew spat with more venom that Ritsuka had ever heard from the man, a grunt before the sword with torn from the ground, showering them all in snow and dirt as it was hefted with but a single limb, the weapon that was easily his size and his superior in weight being swung around with a single hand was a humbling sight. More so when he extended the arm with the sword pointed at the woman without a sign of his sword arm trembling. "Do not utter another word of my fate. I died with what little dignity that remained of my, do not dare claim that I would have sought out this sordid life…this is no existence to be justified…I would rather death claim me than contemplate for even a second slumbering in this cursed land like a frozen statue in your collection of living corpses."

The woman retracted her arm, not at all looking put off by the sudden violent outburst and instead turning her attention away from him. Now looking at the one member who had yet to make a single noise. "And what of you, creation of the arrogant man? Is there not a part of you that would wish your quest for companionship over? Do you truly intend to struggle for as long as you draw breath to find that which you know is an impossibility?"

"G-guuuh?" Fran croaked back, taking a half step backwards and looking away for a short moment. Ritsuka felt the doubt start to cloud her mind, or he could see as much from the slight wavering of her expression. There were many things he would not tolerate, this was one such.

"You're just using her troubles against her now." He stated, taking a half step forwards and standing in front of the girl. His eyes narrowed upon the woman with his mind now incensed. "Whatever the demands of you or your Goddess, you have no right to use her struggles to justify your own actions here. You're not giving these people a choice in whether or not they accept you. It's just you showing up at their worst moment and then throwing them the chance to never feel pain again. Of course they'd take your hand…because it's those little things at the worst times that can mean the world to someone."

"...U-uuuh?"

"Maybe Fran might not succeed, but I'm not going to let you wave trauma and despair in her face just so you can manipulate her into saying you were right. You can offer your salvation all you want, if people want to accept it at the end? Fine, they can do that without a single complaint from me." Straightening himself out, he let his next words come out as clearly as he could. "But salvation that you force on people against their will isn't salvation."

"Why would you assume this is against their will?" The woman inquired, not sounding offended but more curious.

"Because if it wasn't the Reality Marble we're in, you wouldn't be trying to sap away at your mind until you wanted nothing more than to sit down and fall asleep. That isn't saving people…that's just drugging them into a blissful state of acceptance."

"...When has humanity ever known what is best for their well being?" She said after a moment "If the end result is them accepting their lives as they are, their chains of torment being shattered and experiencing an existence free of pain, then what harm is there if they are guided along the path? You speak from a position that these people never have. You still have something to lose. If there was the chance, I would prefer you wait until you have lost everything, then pose the same question to you once more. What would you do to let the pain leave? Then we would see if your answer remains the same."

"You have no words left to trade and by now you can guess our answer." Llew spat at her, drawing his sword back to himself and moving his left hand to clasp around the handle, his gauntlets creaking and groaning as he crunched the grip of the weapon as hard as he could. Though his voice had been kept measured, the trembling of his form was evidence enough that the woman's words had affected him in some way.

"...So be it." She remarked with finality, then rose her hood and looked past them "Berserker." the group tensed "Revelation from the Goddess. Assassin is in peril, please lead her to safety. The Goddess moves against the traitor and his flock…'' There was a moment, her right hand came up as if to grip something, the space between her fingers fluttered before the long black scythe came into existence in her palm, fingers wrapping around the pole in a loose grip.

Twisting the weapon, she turned it in her grasp so that the weapon was facing downwards with the curve of the blade side on to the group. With almost lazy motions, she started to advance on them, no warning nor sign of her entering any sort of stance. Nonetheless, Ritsuka wasn't going to be fooled with her intentions, evidenced by her next words.

"I shall snuff out these pests for good."

Ritsuka widened his eyes, already throwing himself backwards as the woman charged directly towards him before the words had even left her mouth. Even with his enhanced speed and reflexes, he could tell that she still eclipsed him in her movements judging by the fact his feet had only just left the ground by the time she was upon him.

The black scythe in her grip cleaved through the snow in a single smooth line as it was dragged upwards with the clear intention of eviscerating him, not that she managed to get far as Llew stomped forwards, cutting off her line of sight with him and bringing his sword down in a powerful overhead strike, both hands now on the blade. The moment the blade made contact, there was an explosion of frost.

Ritsuka turned his head, cringing slightly at the wall of snow that slammed into him from the shockwave, staggering on his feet as he made the landing a good three metres away from where he had been, turning his head back to the direction of the combat to see that the woman had avoided the strike, having stepped back before the sword could fall and instead having it hit the ground, though he had already determined as much with the scale of the destruction and the flying debris as a result.

Llew was already moving, tearing his sword from the ground and showering them all with displaced frost as he advanced on the woman, swinging the sword once more with motions that dragged the falling snow behind the weapon as a trail of ice with each swing of the sword, the woman danced away from his strikes, putting more and more distance between them as he charged her down.

"Gah!" His head snapped to the left at the noise, just in time to see Fran smash her mace into the face of what looked like an emaciated man…or it would do, if they didn't have the face of a crow instead of that of a man. The long beaked face crumbled with the strike of metal against bone, a crunching sound like dry pasta filled Ritsuka's ears as he was granted a front row seat to the implosion of the beak. If that hadn't been violent enough, the mace suddenly thrummed to life with brilliant green electricity, the arcs of light danced across the bird man immediately and covered their body, illuminating them as they were cooked alive or dead, one of the two.

It lasted all of a second before the force of the strike sent the barbequed body flipping through the air and into the distance, there wasn't even a moment of peace before another bird man came charging towards them and another half dozen behind those.

"Behind!" Nursery called into his ear, Ritsuka had already felt something tickle the back of his neck and threw his body to the side, not a moment later as something whirled past where he had been stood, catching himself at the last moment before he could hit the ground and somehow keeping himself from falling over. Turning on his heel, his head snapped towards the direction of the blur and found himself briefly stunned at what looked like a wheel carving through the snow, already in the midst of turning to come about at him once again.

"What the-?" He blinked, feeling no small sense of confusion. Especially when the wheel lept out of the ground and seemingly sprouted arms and legs, though it quickly made sense as it was revealed to be not just a wheel, but a built into the body of a human skeleton, the design was the type that would have been used on an old cart, the spokes moving through the ribs at a slight angle. Running along the rim were a variety of sharpened points, from crooked nails to savage looking splinters and even some barbed wire.

The skeleton stared at him for half a moment, then jumped from the ground and launched themselves towards him. Taking a half step backwards, Ritsuka found the sight of a skeleton contorting their body inwards and somehow accelerating towards him rather intimidating. It lasted all of a second before a strong gust of wind came blasting from behind his head with the force of a cannon, slamming straight into the skeleton wheel and shattering it like a dropped doll, the different parts being punted in several directions rather violently.

"Keep focused Mister!" Nursery warned him "We're going to be surrounded."

It was already worse than that, they had been split up as well. Llew was away fighting the enemy Servant, Fran was now caught out trying to fight whatever the weird crow people were and Ritsuka himself was now with Nursery trying to fight off skeletons that transformed into rolling wheels of death, a grim and slightly childish name but very apt.

"Keep them occupied, we're going to have to get into a fighting retreat." He replied to the girl just as quickly, his eyes sweeping from left to right before finally taking notice of Fran not too far from him. The distance between the two of them hadn't been lengthened that much, but it was more than enough to be noticeable. Turning his body, Ritsuka made it all of a step before his instincts screamed out loud and he looked up.

He felt his heart stop as a skeleton nearly twice his height loomed over him, a large double bladed axe poised above their head and already in the midst of swinging it down towards him. Another burst of frozen wind slammed into the skeleton, forcing it into a stagger but otherwise unharmed, a distraction suitable enough to give Ritsuka enough time to put further distance between himself and the undead. The corpse gave a soundless roar as it charged him down, swinging the axe through the air towards him.

"Hand!" Caster called out in his ear, Ritsuka just reacted rather than anything else. Pulling his left hand up on instinct and then blinking as luminescent orbs flickered between his fingers for all of a second, the light condensed and solidified, accompanied by the sound of shattering glass as they formed the rough shape of a thirty centimetre long shape, the crystal flew from his palm like a bullet and slammed into the skull, the bones were utterly obliterated, turned into a fine powder with the rest of the body grumbling into the ground a second later.

The axe that had been poised to gut him thudded into the snow with the remains of it's previous owner.

Ritsuka found himself openly gaping at the display, staring at the remains and then looking towards his hand in surprise "Since when could-?"

"Not now. I am using all of my abilities to keep you at the same level as the girl on your back. Maintain your focus, I shall handle the spell work. You need to worry about aiming."

It was a more polite way of saying 'shut up and shoot' but Ritsuka didn't mind, Caster was right in that regard.

The snows parted with each step he took, the staff held out in his right arm aimed towards the ground, a faint light emanating from the top of the instrument and a flickering motion heralded the parting of the snow, carving out a metre wide path in the ground to allow for ease of moment. Sully kept his eyes on either side of the street as he kept walking.

A grimace played upon his face as he stared at row upon row of different houses, his mind drifting to the fact that each one contained perhaps half a dozen people at most and some might have possessed more. All of them trapped in this endless slumber with precious little hope of waking them until the Reality Marble was destroyed. It was a grim sight indeed for him, and he would wish for nothing more than to take them all with him in the hope he could find some way of waking them.

A glance was spared over his shoulder, his left hand pulling his hood back slightly to grant him a wider degree of vision on those who were walking in step behind him. Three followed half a metre behind his steps, Tom walked with Timmy's arm draped over his shoulder and the boy's crutch thudding with each step he took. Nancy supported his left side, the girl only a year Tom's younger did her best to aid the cripple, her face hardened and her dull red hair now splotched with frost. A dark blanket flung over their shoulders and dragged behind them.

He had to focus on keeping them safe first, looking further down the column he caught sight of the remaining two moving blankets, each with a small contingent of children in them, the next having Jake, Rose and Emily, and the final one near Jeanne having Maggie and Clara. It wasn't much but it was more than enough for him right now. Turning his head back around, he looked on ahead to the streets and frowned to himself.

Something should have happened by now, either a spotting of a Corvian or perhaps something else entirely but there should have been something. "How fair your legs?" he threw a question back, just so they could have something to talk about. "I did what I could to find shoes that fitted you but I had little to work with."

"It's alright, Sully." Tom called back to him, the boy sounded a touch strained "'s long as it fits, I got no grumblings 'bout it."

"A weight less on my shoulders then." Sully muttered under his breath, feeling only a small sense of relief at the lack of complaints. It was a minor thing, in light of everything else, but he would still prefer the children were kept as comfortable as possible. "Timmy?"

"Fine, Mister Sully." The crippled boy spoke out, clearly attempting to hide his discomfort but he was a poor liar. Sully bit back a grimace at the tone of voice and fought the urge to turn around and hoist him onto his own shoulders, doing so would free the boy of the pain of walking but would also serve to make them all more vulnerable in the event of an attack. It was a cruel choice he had been faced with and perhaps the others had recognised it, offering instead to take the burden onto themselves.

A wondrous thing to behold, unity in the face of adversity.

He stopped walking, the sensation of something in the street ahead brought his focus away from the optimistic place it had been and back into the here and now. Amber coloured orbs narrowed at the street that would have otherwise been deserted, at least to the regular human eye. Certainly to the children, but Sully was no fool in this instance.

The sensation was obvious enough.

"I know you're there." He called out into the tundra, the children made sharp noises behind him as the figure he knew had been there slowly manifested, black steel armour with a fine cloth clipped to the shoulders ran over the length of the chest piece, the gold trims on the full covering helmet and the long blackened greatsword held in the right hand were proof enough of the identity of the man before him. Using his Class Skills would have been a pointless endeavour.

Nor was the black knight of Friede alone, several more figures dropped down from the houses. This did put him on edge, those he had not sensed. Which meant that someone had been cloaking their location and if they could do something like that, then there was no telling how many more were currently waiting in the shadows. Sully tensed his body only slightly, his hand tightening it's hold on his staff as he altered his posture.

"...Sir Vilhelm." He greeted in a cordial tone, nodding his head to the knight ever so slightly as the Corvian enforcers came to the side of the opposite warrior. All of them brandishing their long bladed wrist claws, chirping noises coming from their beaked mouths. "A curious coincidence we find ourselves in. You have not come before me once during my time here and now I find you before me now."

Vilhelm said nothing, the only noise to be heard in the street was the panicked breathing of children and the whistling of the wind. Sully strained his ears slightly, the crunching of snow behind him growing louder as he sensed Jeanne coming away to his side. His left hand came up and his palm opened wide, facing the direction of the woman as best he could guess without turning his head, giving her the nonverbal demand of stopping. He didn't want the backs of the children exposed, especially not if the enemy could hide themselves as well as they did.

Jeanne gave no reply, though the movements from behind him did stop. Then she spoke in a quiet voice that barely reached his ears "Come to me, children. Do not leave my side." Her words were a touch above a whisper but it was not found lacking in commanding, Sully felt his lip twitch upwards at the strange aura her words gave out, not a stern order from a King but perhaps the concerned words of a guardian.

As the children moved behind him, he continued to speak out. "This is a poor time for you to come and greet me, Sir Vilhelm. As you can see, I am in the midst of leading a small flock of my own." his eyes fell upon the Corvians on either side, briefly wetting his lips and letting his words hang in the air for a moment. "Though I suppose it would be foolish of me to imagine you would never visit me…though I must say, you're here sooner than expected."

Vilhelm moved, slowly pulling the greatsword out of the snow and holding it at his side, there was a brief moment before the blade was engulfed in black flames. The snow beneath the tip of the sword hissed as it melted away, the knight spoke in a slow tone which meant only one thing. "In the name of Lady Friede and the Goddess, you are to be detained as an enemy of the Painted World, Sapling Sulyvahn."

He knew this was coming, but mentioning only his name as being detained was a faint warning to him. "And what of those behind me? What fate awaits them?"

The knight spared them a brief glance, his body leaning to the side to look beyond him before returning to his original posture. "There can be no mercy for those who threaten the world of Lady Friede and the Goddess."

"...Are you threatening children, Sir Vilhelm?"

"Their fate will be determined after yours has been decided."

"They are not the subjects of this world and they are not for Friede to punish for having the strength to resist this hell." He almost snarled out, but held himself back at the last moment. Instead his words came out as a stiff growl, eyes narrowed dangerously at the knight as the Corvians twisted themselves.

"They are not the subjects of the Goddess and Lady Friede, you are quite right Sulyvahn." Vilhelm nodded his head, not at all put off by the clear aggression in Sully's words. "Not yet. Though the moment they embrace the wisdom of Lady Friede and this world, they shall become hers." a tilt of his head, tone now curious "Will you consign them to a fate of struggling against impossible odds? Has this cruelty of yours always been there to see?"

"It is not cruelty to wish for betterment of yourself. Nor is it cruelty to show the path to making ones life matter to them again. You might well be content in letting those who have suffered wallow in their own misery, but I am not." He shot back instantly, pulling his staff from the ground and holding it at his side, his left hand moving towards the crooked branch and snaking around the pole. "And this is certainly not a debate I shall entertain."

"So I see." Vilhelm replied "Then this shall remain the final choice you are offered, as you were summoned by the Goddess and are one of her children. You may stand down and allow me to execute the Servant behind you who threatens the peace of this world…" His next words were delivered with deathly finality. "Or you can join your other self in committing treason against your home."

His older self…

Much as Sully hated the comparison with his future self, he could not deny that wisdom sometimes shone through. Perhaps the reasoning behind his rejection was rooted in something else, but the end choice mattered little. His other self had rejected this world in a clear sign of intelligence.

There was a human analogy about a broken clock telling the right time twice a day that felt rather prudent at the moment.

Closing his eyes, he channelled his magical energy into the staff. The branch vibrated as the mana condensed around it, light shot upwards in a straight line before it halted, splitting along either side and tracing downwards and solidifying into a widened shape, two points jutting from either side of the new shape around his hands, slightly down the staff and in the shape of a forged piece of steel. His eyes opened, the shape of a longsword sprouted from his grip on the staff, shortening the length of the wooden polearm by around half a foot. The wood plainly visible behind the transparent ice blue light, generating the shape of the weapon.

"...It's treason, then."

He launched himself forwards, brandishing the staff like the swordspear it had now become.

AN: Insert high pitched screaming and corkscrew spin.

Anyway, you guys have waited long enough for these stats of his.

Sapling Sulyvahn "Sully."

Servant: Ruler

Strength: C

Endurance: C

Agility: B

Mana: B+

Luck: B

Noble Phantasm: C+

Voyage from the Cold - He who flee's the world of painted ice: C+ (Support) Max Target: 50, Max Range: 0-10

This support NP is Sulyvahn's tale of leaving the painted world of Ariandel.

A journey from a bleak world into one with a possible future. Once activated, it will protect allies during tough situations.

Their stats are improved and it remains active for as long as the danger remains, or as long as Sulyvahn can support it.

Class Skills:

True Name Discernment: D

Territory Creation: D

Item construction: D

Magic Resistance: C

Personal Skills:

Shapeshift: D

Can alter his physical appearance due to his status as a half-fae to resemble a human.

Craft of the Chilled Sapling: B

The sorcery of the Sapling Sulyvahn, he is rather skilled at cryomancy.

Mixed Blood: B

Child of the Tree Woman, as such grants him high resistance to the cold, poisons, toxins and bleeding.

However is extremely vulnerable to flames.

Fairy Eyes: D

Relatively low rank due to his mixed blood.

He has a strong inkling towards deception, able to see through most lies with relative ease.

Hope for the Future: C

Fresh faced and still with green upon his limbs.

This is the Sulyvahn who - above everything else - wanted to save the World.

The Inspiring presence of one who could have been a great hero, had he taken another path.

Summoning

"Servant, Ruler. I am Sulyvahn of the Painted world of Ariandel…Though, I'd feel more comfortable if you called me Sully. Pleasure to meet you and I look forwards to saving the world together."

Dialogue 1

"It's rather lively around here, isn't it? Not at all what I was used to back home. Ah, my memories of things I have actually experienced only go up until I left the Painted World…everything that comes after that is…"

Dialogue 2

"I've noticed that you have a kitchen around here. I didn't actually eat much of anything back home, I was able to live off the magical energy of the world so I never saw the reason for it. Maybe I'll stop by the cafeteria and see what all the fuss is about?"

Dialogue 3

"Master and Servant? Ah, you don't need to worry about that sort of thing. I'm perfectly comfortable in my role, we're both working to save the world aren't we? So it's best to think of it like comrades or something."

Dialogue 4 (If you have EMIYA)

"...It's weird, there's that Red Archer in the cafeteria who glares at me sometimes before he seemingly catches himself. I don't know what that bastard's problem is-hm? I called him a bastard? Huh…I guess I did. Don't know what that was about…but there's something about him that rubs me the wrong way."

Dialogue 5 (If you have EMIYA Alter)

"...He's even worse than the Red Archer when it comes to glaring, though he looks more lost than anything else. I did offer to help him…he refused rather suddenly and got this sickened look on his face when he did so."

Dialogue 6 (If you have Artoria Pendragon)

"The blue Saber? King Artoria. I know her, yes. We talk sometimes, I find her to be a very agreeable person. We've had more than our fair share of meetings. Is that a strange thing to say? Well…I suppose there are some things we argue about but it's more of an agree to disagree notion."

Dialogue 7 (If you have Sulyvahn)

"...Yeah…I know where the path leads. I'm trying hard to save the world and not wanting to let go of the hope that drove me to try in the first place. Maybe you're content with fuelling our quest with cold logic, but I'm not. Sure…I might destroy myself when I fail again and again…but this dream of mine is to save people and show them the path to hope…this dream is not a mistake."

Dialogue 8 (If you have Kiara)

"There's something insulting about that woman. Like dragging claws along the back of my neck when she speaks. Then there's that look in her eye when I glare, like she's pleased at me for doing so. But drugging people into some blissful state is not saving them, no matter what she says."

Dialogue 9 (If you have Illyasviel)

"Hey, Illya. How come I don't see Chloe or Miyu with you today? They not around here? Oh, you just wanted to visit me? Hmmm. Alright then, I suppose I can spare a couple of hours."

Dialogue 10 (If you have Chloe)

"Maybe it's the fact that I'm so used to the cold but the idea of her running around in something like that is a little weird to me. She wouldn't have lasted five seconds in Ariandel with something like that on. I have told her to change it before…she just says 'typical blockhead' and then runs off."

Dialogue 11 (If you have Miyu)

"I've seen Miyu around Chaldea, yes. She's a rather quiet girl but she can talk your ear off when she wants to. I'm not complaining about it, there's something nice about her. Though, I'm not sure…she says I remind her a little bit of her brother but I'm also very different at the same time. It's a nice sentiment, I guess, but I don't want to feel like I'm being used to replace someone."

Dialogue 12 (If you have [Completed Lostbelt 1])

"...I know my older self would be laughing at me right now. He's probably doing that, telling me how it should have been obvious that some had to die so others could live. We're in a rough spot, Master…but I don't want us to ever get used to what we're about to do. Can you…It might be weird to ask, but if I start to accept what's happening…can you kill me?"

Dialogue 13 (If you have Jack the Ripper)

"Jack the Ripper…yeah, I know all about her. Really…she's the sort of person I want to save. Do you think that's weird? No? That's good. I don't either, it might be impossible but I want there to be a time where she doesn't need her mother anymore, you know?"

Dialogue 14 (If you have Friede)

"It's not that I hate Friede, it's just that I think she let her good intentions go sour…she really did care for the people of Ariandel. She still does and if she agreed to this summon, then she cares about the people around here as well. But…I don't think she knows how to help them back up. No, I know she doesn't. She can provide comfort to the people who fall down, but she can't pick them back up."

Dialogue 15 (If you have Gael [Saber])

"Uncle Gael…he showed up as well, did he? Ah, don't get me wrong…I'm really happy he's here but…you know, he's been around here for a while. Tell the old man to take a rest, I'll pick up the slack for him."

Likes

"Things that I like? I just like helping people. It…when you come from a land where everyone has lost something, you tend to find that when you have lost nothing…you stick out a fair bit. So I…I just want to make sure people don't end up like that, that's 's the sort of thing I like."

Hates

"I hate people who don't acknowledge the value of faith. Not faith in the Gods or faith in some greater belief…but faith in yourself. All you need is to believe in your own power and your will to keep on going. Anyone who ignores that or tramples upon it…I won't forgive them."

Wish for the Holy Grail

"Wish? I don't have one. I'm a Ruler Servant anyway. All I want is for people to see the chances they have more than anything else, you know?"

Bond Level 1

"I think we're getting the hang of this, right? You think so too? Glad to hear it."

Bond Level 2

"You want to know more about me? I…well, I'm a little surprised. Though…I suppose if you've met the other me you'd be more than a little curious. I don't know how I ended up like that either, or perhaps I do know but don't want to admit it. Who can say?"

Bond Level 3

"The Cold World of Ariandel is a land without hope, living there is not really living. It's just existing, there isn't any passion or sense of betterment. There's no joy and no misery. There's just passive acceptance. It's a horrible world to be born in, though…I suppose that's where my life began. I was born and when I opened my eyes…I saw hell."

Bond Level 4

"I saw Hell where others saw home. I saw hell in the eyes of the frozen bodies, I saw hell in the eyes of those who swore to protect this world…I saw hell in the eyes of the woman who birthed me. My mother, who could not even tell the truth to herself, she was that lost. In the beginning I…I walked through it like everyone but then…I met Gael…"

Bond Level 5

"Uncle Gael told me such stories, such wondrous adventures but they all ended the same way. Tragically, I think that's because the tragedies were the things that stuck with him most. Then I realised what it was…what I wanted to be in the land where no one wanted to be anything. I wanted to save these people. I wanted to be a hero of their hearts, I wanted to show them that it was possible to never lose faith and no matter how dark it became, there was always a glimmer of light. That's what I wanted…I wanted to stop this hell from ever happening again. Instead…I made a hell worse than I could have conceived…and in spite of all my hard work…I couldn't save a single person. Not a stranger…and not the woman who gave me life. Just once, I wanted her to say something and truly mean it but…maybe I was much too selfish."

Birthday

"Birthday, eh? Happy birthday!"

During an Event

"It's getting a little noisy outside, isn't it? I wonder what that is all about."

1st Ascension

"This is Ascension, right? I like it. I feel much better than I did before. Thank you for placing so much faith in me."

2nd Ascension

"Again? I'm not complaining about it, though. I'm just surprised. Still, I'm glad you're giving me this chance once again."

3rd Ascension

"My clothes? Yeah…I made these myself. I'm purposefully keeping them. Why? It's so I'll never forget the place where I am from and what I'm fighting to protect."

4th Ascension

"So this is the end, huh? I'm glad I could see it. Now then…we've got some people to save and bad guys to beat up, right? Yeah…that sounded pretty childish, didn't it? Hmmm? You don't mind? Well…I guess that's alright then."