Before I start this chapter, I have some news for you guys. I recently tested positive for rheumatoid arthritis. It was very surprising to receive this diagnosis at my age, but I'm staying positive about it. As it stands right now though it's difficult for me to sit still and type for long periods of time, so I'm afraid these updates are going to continue to be on a lower frequency than before. But I intend to see this fanfic all the way through to the end, especially since I spent a year planning it and even more so knowing that people enjoy this story. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Part Five

With Luciano's invitation, Daunte's group had no problem getting past the guard at the gate of the mansion. The magnificent double doors opened wide for them, and the group entered inside to see a sea of extravagantly-dressed men and women in a large open foyer. Yellow wardrobes lined the wall, and a buffet table filled with rich appetizers stood near the stairwell at the back. Two photorealistic paintings of two men hung on either side of the stairwell. Daunte looked at their plaques and read the names. The left was titled "Charlemagne", and the right was titled "Schtolteheim Reinbach III".

"I am Schtolteheim Reinbach III! The greatest swordsman in all of Middleport and all of the Island Nation Federations!"

Daunte arched an eyebrow as he remembered Nash's proclamation, and looked at the painting of the seemingly arrogant man. So this is who Nash was referring to?

"Everything okay, my Lord?" Caesar asked him.

Daunte gestured to the painting. "When I first met Nash and Sierra, Nash told soldiers that his name was Schtolteheim Reinbach III."

"Ah," Caesar said, nodding. "It's not surprising. For some reason, people love invoking Schtolteheim Reinbach III's name if they travel incognito."

"How come?" Gunther asked.

Caesar shrugged. "Apparently he had a considerable amount of luck. Maybe people wish to have some of his luck when they travel?"

"Maybe it's because it's a funny name?" Arin asked, laughing.

The partygoers were speaking with rich vocabularies in lofty tones. In the center of the room Kasios was playing a harp, but Daunte could not hear the notes over the accordion ringing in his ears.

"I-I-I can't believe it," Luciano sighed, clasping his hands to his cheek. "I can't believe I'm attending a party for the Milich Oppenheimer! And I'll be participating in the Male Beauty Contest! This is a dream come true!"

Daunte was starting to see some validity in both Caesar and Futch's reluctance in associating with Narcissists.

"Have you seen this skirt?" Josephine crooned, spinning around in a wide circle. She twirled her parasol in time with the spin of her skirt. "Only true DIVAS of Armes wear these kind of skirts!"

"Oh dear," Esmeralda sighed, looking into a compact mirror. She was adorned in exclusively white-stoned jewelry. "I knew I should've worn the other headdress. I don't have enough opals in this headdress!"

"It was one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life!" Augustine Nabor declared dramatically before a captive audience. "I wouldn't have ever been able to face Vincent without it! I can barely face him now as it is!"

"You needn't worry so much, Vincent!" another Narcissist assured him. "Sir Vincent is coming down the stairs! I'm sure he will understand if you talk to him!"

The Narcissists clamored and clapped aristocratically as three individuals came down the stairs. The man dressed in red in the center was identified to Daunte by Caesar as Milich Oppenheimer. The man to Milich's right brushing off his own shoulder dramatically was Vincent De Boule, and the man to Milich's left with his nose buried in a soft pink rose was Simone Verdricci.

"Thank you, thank you all for coming!" Milich announced to the party. Kasios stilled his music as the partygoers clapped again. "It is a wondrous pleasure to see so many—Caesar?!" Milich abruptly broke off, his eyes going wide.

"Oh boy," Caesar groaned quietly.

Milich hurried forward, closely followed by Vincent and Simone. Caesar forced a painful smile as Milich grasped his hand. "Caesar Silverberg! I am most honored to have a Silverberg attend my party! How long have you been back in Toran?"

"Just a few days," Caesar said politely. He tried to discreetly pull his hands free, but Milich's grip seemed to be unwavering. "A-Allow me to introduce you to my Lord, Daunte—"

"A Lord!" Vincent interjected. He pushed himself forward and did a dramatic bow. "My Lord, you do me honor with your presence! I am the great Vincent De Boule, hero of the Gate Rune War and Dunan Unification War!"

"A-Ah, thank you," Daunte said.

"And I am Simone Verdricci," Simone introduced himself. He almost hit Vincent with the dramatic swing of his arm as he bowed. "Hero of Dunan Unification War!"

"I am honored to meet you as well," Milich greeted Daunte, though his demeanor was a little more subdued. He let Caesar go to shake Daunte's hand. "I am Milich Oppenheimer, former General of the Scarlet Moon Empire and hero of the Gate Rune War."

Daunte was slightly stunned. The Scarlet Moon Empire? That was the empire that preceded the Toran Republic—which was founded over twenty years ago!

Yet Milich had a youthful demeanor that did not seem to reveal his actual age. Daunte pondered briefly how old this man was, but Luciano brushed past him to present himself before the trio of Narcissists. "I-I am so honored to meet all of you! I am Luciano, the Pale Viper of Zexan, and I am here to compete in the Male Beauty Contest!"

"That's wonderful to hear!" Vincent laughed. "And thank you for the reminder—attention everyone!" he called out to the partygoers. "The Male Beauty Content will start in approximately five minutes! All participants please go upstairs!"

Luciano hurried for the stairs, as did several other young men dressed in posh clothing. Daunte suddenly found his hand seized and he turned to see Vincent giving him a close look. "I require your assistance, my Lord."

"Uh, yes?" Daunte asked.

"Until this moment, I was in a most precarious position. My guest who was supposed to judge the contest with me came down with a cold. That left only two judges to judge my Male Beauty Contest—Lord Milich and myself. But with your appearance, my Lord, my troubles will be solved."

"Y-You want Lord Daunte to be a judge?!" Gunther asked. He sputtered on a laugh before he broke out into loud laughter.

"It would mean the world to me, my Lord, if you could assist me with this," Vincent said. "Pretty please?"

Daunte looked at him, and then looked at Caesar. The Army Strategist just shrugged at him. He knew he could refuse the offer. After all, he knew nothing about fashion or judging male beauty. Not to mention the fact that he was Luciano's guest to the party. Wouldn't that seem biased against the other contestants?

On the other hand, Vincent was asking him nicely and he knew how much this victory would mean to Luciano. So he shrugged and nodded. "Sure, why not?"

"Oh, thank you!" Vincent threw his arms around him. Daunte thought it was odd that he smelled strongly of roses, but he also knew he shouldn't have been surprised. "Then let's not stand idle any longer! It's time for the Male Beauty Contest to begin!"

Daunt didn't want to appear heartless, but he barely paid attention to the contest. Six men participated, and despite the 'ooing' and awing' of the Narcissists the men all looked the same to Daunte. He looked to his companions and both Caesar and Gunther looked like they were in great pain. Viki looked both bored and oblivious, and Arin had fallen asleep in a chair. Daunte only knew the presentation was over when Vincent tugged on his hand and he went downstairs with Vincent and Milich to choose a winner.

"I thought Ambrose had the best presentation of the night," Vincent said, fixing his wrist cuff.

Daunte had no idea which one of the contestants was Ambrose, but Milich spoke before he could. "Yes, Ambrose certainly had the right airs. But I thought Luciano was the most passionate out of everyone."

"Ah yes, Luciano does have a lot of promise," Vincent agreed. "But Ambrose has…a slight edge on Luciano, I think."

"Perhaps you're right," Milich said. Both men then turned to Daunte. "My Lord, which one do you think was best? Ambrose, Luciano, or one of the other contestants?"

Daunte was baffled as to why he had to be the tiebreaker, and he had a sinking feeling that whoever he chose would be the one that both Vincent and Milich would choose as well.

Luciano wants this victory badly, and I know it will hurt him if he doesn't win. I also know that he will know that I did not vote for him if he doesn't win. But this whole thing sounds so ridiculous anyway! It's just a contest! It's not like it will be the last contest ever held by this guy!

Daunte closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and made his decision.

"It is time!" Vincent announced when they returned upstairs. "We have chosen a winner for my annual Male Beauty Contest!"

Daunte followed Vincent and Milich onto the stage and tried to ignore the hopeful looks on the contestants faces. Vincent held up his hand for silence. "Everyone…allow me to present to you my newly designed Rose Brooch!" out of an inner pocket he pulled out a rose-shaped brooch and held it up for everyone to see. The Narcissists predictably 'ooed' and awed' the Rose Brooch, but Daunte distinctly heard Caesar say, "That looks the same as before!"

"Now," Vincent said, keeping up the dramatics. "The winner of the Male Beauty Contest, and the new owner of this wonderful Rose Brooch…" he paused for an unnecessarily long time, and the Narcissists clamored forward, holding their breaths with anticipation.

After the very long pause, Vincent spun around and gestured to the winner. "Luciano!"

"Oh!" Luciano shouted, flailing his hands. Two of the Narcissists onstage immediately burst into tears, and one (Daunte assumed was Ambrose) shouted in outrage and threw his hat upon the floor before stomping on it. The rest clapped good-naturedly for Luciano. The Narcissists in the audience clapped and cheered while Luciano wiped away tears as Vincent presented him the Rose Brooch.

"T-This is the happiest moment of my life!" Luciano sobbed. "I worked so hard for this victory, I cannot believe this is happening!"

Daunte was perplexed by his speech, and he discreetly scooted to the edge of the stage before jumping off. Nobody seemed to notice as he made his way towards the group. "Let's go."

"That was nice of you to give him the victory," Caesar said.

Daunte shrugged as he shook Arin awake. "I didn't know any of the other contestants."

"Let's get out of here," Gunther said. "Don't we have to go and meet with Tir McDohl?"

"Yes, we do," Caesar said.

They headed downstairs, which was empty due to the celebrations on the second floor. As they made their way towards the front door, something caught Daunte's eye. It was a chest directly to the front door's right. He noted that the chest wasn't locked, and he debated opening it. After a moment he glanced over his shoulder to make sure no one was watching them, and opened the chest. The chest was empty except for a tightly-bounded play written on pink paper. He picked it up in his hand and read the title out-loud. "'Imperial Love, Ninth Edition'?"

"Go ahead and take it," Caesar said. "Lord Milich has a million of those lying around, he won't miss this. It's based off a book he wrote about the Gate Rune Wars, but I would advise that you take anything written in that play with a grain of salt. Lord Milich kind of…embellishes history."

"How so?" Daunte asked.

"Well, the last time I saw a production of Imperial Love, it depicted Lord Milich single-handedly defeating Emperor Barbarossa," Caesar said. "But Apple told me that Master Tir didn't even select Lord Milich for his party when he stormed the castle." He shrugged. "Every time he re-releases his play and book it becomes more dramatic and more historically inaccurate. Hopefully this edition is more accurate?" he took the play from Daunte, quickly flipped through it, and handed it back to Daunte. "It's not. But you might as well take it."

Daunte complied, and shoved the play into his bag before they hurried out the front door.

"I'm hungry," Arin complained once they were back out in Gregminster's square. "The food at that party looked weird."

"It was good we didn't eat there anyway," Caesar said, leading the way across the square. "We'll have plenty of room for Gremio's stew."

"You mentioned that we're surprising Tir McDohl at his house," Gunther said. "What if he gets upset at our intrusion?"

"Oh, don't worry about it," Caesar reassured them. "I said it before, his home is open to the public. He's usually away but we got lucky enough to be in town at the same time as him."

Daunte felt butterflies in his stomach as they came to a stop at the front door of a modest-sized mansion. It felt more like a home than Milich's mansion, and it surprisingly wasn't as large. He was nervous about meeting the hero of the Gate Rune War, and he hoped he would make the best impression.

Well, we're kind of intruding on his house so we might not make the best initial impression.

Caesar knocked on the door, and the group waited patiently. After a few moments the front door abruptly swung open, revealing an exasperated-looking brunette woman in late her forties. "For the last time, we do not want to be bothered!"

"Hello, Cleo," Caesar greeted, grabbing the front door before she could slam it shut. "It's been a long time. How are you faring?"

"Oh—Caesar?" Cleo looked surprised to see him, and to Daunte's relief she visibly relaxed. "When did you get back to Toran? I heard you were back in Harmonia!"

"Not quite, I was in Nagarea."

"Nagarea?! Isn't that on the Southern Continent?!"

"Quite. Let me introduce you—this is my Lord, Daunte, and his little brother Arin. This is Gunther, you remember Viki, and I'm certain Sharon is still arguing with her mother."

Cleo also looked surprised to see Viki, and almost spoke to the girl. But she shook her head and looked to Caesar. "Well, what brings you all here?"

"I understand that Master Tir has returned," Caesar said, keeping his tone low. "I would like to introduce my Lord to himself. Would it be all right if we come in to meet him?"

Cleo blinked, and she clearly looked conflicted by his offer. She swallowed thickly, and Daunte felt a spike of discomfort for putting her in this position. "I…uh—"

"Absolutely not."

This sharp voice startled the group, and a man in his late forties came to the door to stand beside Cleo. He wore his faded blonde hair in a long ponytail, and there was a cross-shaped scar on his left cheek. He was frowning deeply at Daunte's group. "Master Tir has come home to relax. He didn't come home to be gawked at by a couple of strangers."

"Oh Gremio, I'm not a stranger," Caesar said, stepping forward. "Neither is Viki. You can trust us."

Gremio also looked briefly stunned to see Viki, but his expression remained hardened. "No exceptions, not even for a Silverberg. We're deeply offended that all of you came to us, unannounced, to make demands."

"But if sent word ahead, wouldn't Master Tir and you have just slipped away?" Caesar asked.

"That's beside the po—I mean, what do you dare accuse me of?!" Gremio seemed to be getting more and more upset with them. "Master Tir has been through enough, I will not subject him to anymore discomfort!"

"Discomfort?" Viki asked. "I-Is Master Tir okay?!"

"Master Tir and Gremio rarely return to Gregminster because President Lepant insists on a large welcoming ceremony," Cleo explained. "No matter the precautions that are taken, they are usually mobbed by overenthusiastic citizens."

"This time was the worst," Gremio fumed. "They ripped the shirt off of Master Tir's back! Just ripped it to tiny pieces, and then gloated about having a piece of him! It was appalling!"

"Master Tir's back and upper arms were scratched up as well," Cleo added. "So I hope you understand our desire to be left alone."

"We understand," Caesar said. "But we—"

"No buts!" Gremio exploded. His shout even startled Cleo. "Master Tir will not be disturbed! Now please be on your way, and do not bother us again!"

The two retreated into the entryway to close the front door, but Daunte shot his hand out and stopped it. "Please, wait! I apologize for our rudeness, but it's very important that I speak to Master Tir!"

"I already said no to Caesar," Gremio told Daunte sharply. "What makes you think I'll allow you in, when I don't even know you?"

"I'm the leader of Nagarea's Liberation Army," Daunte quickly spoke. Both Gremio and Cleo started upon hearing this. "I'm trying to free my country from tyranny. I know that Master Tir freed this country from tyranny, and I know that he was around the same age as me when he did it! I feel connected to him, and I want to learn from him his experiences as leader so that I know what I must do to lead! I-I know I'm imposing on you, but please!" he released the front door and bowed deeply. "Please give me this chance to meet with him!"

Both Gremio and Cleo exchanged a long look of silence. Finally, Gremio said, "We'll be right back." and closed the front door.

Daunte slowly straightened, and looked to Caesar. "I…My appeal didn't work?"

"Actually, no," Caesar said. "Gremio is going to talk to Master Tir about letting us in. Good work, my Lord."

"How so?"

"The fact that he's going to talk to his Lordship about letting you in means we're most likely going to be let inside," Gunther said, grinning. "If we had no chance then they would've just dismissed it again."

"So we can have stew now?" Arin asked. The group laughed.

Five minutes later, the front door opened again and Gremio quickly gestured to them. "Master Tir would like to invite you all to have dinner with us."

"Thank you so much!" Daunte said, feeling relief.

"If you make my Master uncomfortable, you'll be asked to leave," Gremio said sternly. Daunte nodded his understanding.

The house smelled wonderful as Gremio led them inside. He took them upstairs and into a large dining room. A giant pot was set up in the center of the long table. Cleo and a heavily-muscular man in his late forties were sitting to the left. Caesar quickly told Daunte that the man's name was Pahn. And across the table from them…

Gremio moved forward. "Master, you remember Caesar Silverberg and Viki. This is Lord Daunte, Arin, and Gunther."

Daunte felt a slight jolt as he took in Tir McDohl. It felt surreal to finally meet the hero of the Gate Rune War for the first time. Tir stood up from his chair and nodded to the group. Daunte was stunned to look at him. Tir—looked like a teenager. He still looked the same age as Daunte, even though the Gate Rune War ended two decades earlier.

That was before I was even born. But then how does he look the same?

"Tir McDohl!" Arin suddenly shouted. He ran around the table and to Tir's side. "Wow, it's you! It's really you! You look just like my figurine!" he ruffled through his bag and pulled out the figurine in question. "Can I have your autograph? Pretty please?"

Cleo and Pahn burst into loud laughter while Tir stared blankly at the young child. Gremio even looked like he was choking on laughter as he added chairs to the table. "The stew is ready. Let's eat it while it's hot."

Tir remained silent, but was kind enough to sign Arin's figurine as they settled down for dinner. Daunte started off with a large spoonful of stew, and even though it burned the inside of his mouth he was astonished by how delicious it was. Before he could help himself he was rapidly eating the stew without pause.

"This is amazing!" Gunther praised. "Can we get a copy of the recipe? I would like to have this at our HQ!"

"The recipe is my secret," Gremio said. "But thank you for the compliment."

"Where did you both travel to this time, Master Tir?" Caesar asked.

"We went to Kanakan," Gremio answered. "We tried to enter a drinking contest, but Master Tir wasn't allowed due to his perceived age."

"But you managed to bring back a bottle of their famous alcohol," Cleo said, smiling. "Thank you for such a lovely gift, Master Tir."

"You're welcome, Cleo," Gremio said.

Pahn added nothing to the conversation. Within seconds he'd finished off his bowl of stew and helped himself to another. He was eating loudly and sloppily.

"Would you like me to teleport you to your next destination, Master Tir?" Viki offered.

"Thank you for the offer Viki, but we'll continue to travel on foot," Gremio said.

Daunte looked between Tir and Gremio in silence. Tir focused solely on eating and did not speak. Gremio did all of the speaking for him. It puzzled Daunte slightly. Does he not like to talk? But how can I speak to him from leader to leader if he allows someone else to speak for him?

"Master Tir, how old are you?" Daunte asked before he could stop himself.

Both Cleo and Pahn flinched at the question, and even Caesar grimaced. Gremio looked visibly upset, and even started rising out of his seat. Daunte quickly realized he'd offended Tir McDohl, and quickly opened his mouth to apologize.

Before he could say anything however, Tir raised his right hand. Gremio noticed the gesture and quickly sat down. Tir calmly folded his hands on the table and held Daunte's gaze. Finally, he spoke. "I'm forty-one years old, Lord Daunte."

"F-Forty-one?!" Arin exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "B-But you look like a kid!"

The atmosphere became more and more awkward as the seconds ticked by. Daunte could feel the dirty looks Gremio, Cleo, and Pahn were giving him, but he couldn't look away from Tir. After a moment, Caesar spoke up. "Oh, wow! Forty-one? Look fast, Daunte, because you'll know what you look like when you turn forty-one!"

"What do you mean?" Cleo said.

Daunte leaned forward and pulled off his right glove. Pahn exclaimed in shock when he saw Daunte's battered hand, but Daunte brushed it off and pointed to the Rune symbol on the back of his hand. "The Rune of Restoration. I was chosen by a True Rune."

This revelation helped the mood considerably, and the table relaxed. "A-Ah," Gremio said, looking embarrassed. "You possess a True Rune as well, Lord Daunte?"

"Too?" Arin asked.

Tir removed his right glove and showed Daunte his hand. Daunte was startled to see that his right looked slightly deformed. On the back of his hand was a Rune symbol. The Rune symbol was golden brown, and…it was odd. It looked like it was in the shape of a deformed sickle.

"This is the Soul Eater Rune," Tir said, his tone turning dark. "The Rune of Life and Death."

"Soul Eater?" Gunther echoed, making a face. "That sounds ominous."

"It is ominous," Tir agreed bluntly. "It literally eats souls."

Daunte gaped at Tir in shock and horror. Caesar spoke in a gentle voice. "The Soul Eater has been known to eat the souls of the people closest to the Rune bearer. It is known as a Cursed Rune because of this."

"The Rune has not acted for a long time, but I must be vigilant," Tir said. "As the power dictates it will take the soul of anyone close to me. For this reason, it would be best if I remain alone, but—"

"Master Tir, we've told you this before" Gremio interjected harshly. "We won't abandon you. We won't allow you to ever be alone!"

"But the Rune may act at any time," Tir reminded him. "It may take your soul, Gremio. No—it will take your soul if you remain with me."

"As if I could ever be scared of some Rune," Gremio huffed, shaking his head. "You don't need to worry about me, Master. Or any of us, really."

"That's right," Cleo said. "Whatever happens, happens. In the meantime, we're here for you."

"Yeah," Pahn said around a mouthful of food.

Tir clearly looked frustrated by their responses. "You don't understand the—"

"What does the Rune of Restoration do?" Cleo asked Daunte, deliberately interrupting Tir.

Daunte shrugged. "I-I don't know the full extent of its power yet. Lady Leknaat however told me it was the parent Rune of the Resurrection Rune."

"Oh, you met Lady Leknaat?" Gremio asked. "I didn't know she was living on the Southern Continent now!"

"Wait, you MET Lady Leknaat?!" Caesar shouted, jumping to his feet. He looked stunned. "Why didn't you tell me sooner, Lord Daunte?"

Daunte stared at him for long moment before speaking. "I…didn't tell you before?"

Caesar waved a hand and sat back down. "Never mind, we'll discuss this later."

"Who's Lady Leknaat?" Gunther asked.

"She's a lady in white who teleports in a ball of light!" Arin said.

"That sounds about right," Pahn agreed.

"Lord Daunte."

Daunte looked back at Tir. The intense look on the other boy's face gave Daunte pause. "Ah…yes?"

"I hope you're prepared for the responsibility of being a True Rune user."

Daunte looked at Caesar, who nodded to him. Daunte also nodded. "I…I feel that I'm prepared for the responsibility. I've had the Rune for a few months now, and it's never given me any problems."

"Good," Tir said bluntly. "Because having the power of a True Rune comes with a heavy price. If you're not prepared to pay this price, then it will destroy you."

Daunte stared at him stunned again. Tir stared right back at him unflinchingly. His statement stunned the room, and silence filled the room once more.

"O-Oh!" Gremio suddenly shouted, standing up. "I see everyone is done eating! Let me go get dessert!" he hurried from the room.

The silence still hung in the air for several moments, and Daunte continued to stare back at Tir. Then Pahn said, "I'm still hungry" and grabbed the pot from the center of the table.