Part Five

"…What?"

Shock filled Daunte's body as he gaped at Priscilla. Pieces of food fell out of his mouth but he didn't notice.

"Oh, didn't I tell you my Lord?" Priscilla asked sweetly. She flashed her left hand at Daunte, and Daunte saw a ring with a large glittering stone. "Gusoku has made an honest woman of me!"

"Too late for that," her mother muttered.

"You're engaged to be married?!" Freyr exclaimed. "You?!"

"Why, is that a crime?" Priscilla asked him sarcastically.

"N-No! It's just that Lanny told me—"

"Say," Surya interjected, putting his elbow in front of Freyr. "You said Gusoku? The armorer?"

"That's right," Priscilla said proudly. "A good man handsome man with a good constitution. We make a lovely couple, don't we?"

"Is this Gusoku?" Her mother asked, jabbing a thumb at Mihr.

"No," Mihr quickly responded.

"Mihr is spoken for," Priscilla said cheekily. Mihr glared at her. "No, my fiancé is back in Nagarea and he's the perfect man for me."

"I-I, ah, have n-n-never seen you two together," Lysander said.

"And that's a good thing," Priscilla said with a wink. Her mother gagged.

Daunte cleaned his food embarrassedly as her declaration finally started to sink in. Priscilla is engaged to Gusoku. This—This is why I saw him crying uncontrollably after the massacre at Winter Hill. Pricilla died in that battle. He most likely saw her body on the field…

Daunte felt extremely foolish for never noticing that something was going on between them. He looked at Caesar, who shrugged. "I wasn't aware of it, either. Not even Oboro figured out that the person writing those love letters to Gusoku was Priscilla."

"Wait, you read those letters?!" Prsicilla cried out. She flushed and stood up from the table. "Those letters were for Gusoku's eyes only!"

"Ah—" Daunte began.

"So you're engaged," Prsicilla's mother snapped suddenly. "So what?! Am I supposed to be proud of you from graduating from destroying marriages?!"

"Hey, I didn't destroy his marriage!" Priscilla snapped defensively. "Last I checked he was still with his wife!"

"You were in a relationship with a married man!"

"Yeah, and I learned my lesson from it Mom, just shut up!"

"Don't you talk to me like that! And this is a HIGHLY inappropriate conversation to be having in front of children!" Priscilla's mother gestured to Arin angrily for emphasis.

"YOU brought it up!" Priscilla shot back.

Arin looked at Daunte in confusion. Daunte stood up, pushing his chair back harshly so that it scratched loudly agains the floor. "Thank you for giving us brunch," he said with forced politeness. "And I apologize for imposing on you—"

A sharp knock at the door interrupted Daunte. Everyone looked towards the door but it was Priscilla who raced to the door and flung it open, revealing a nondescript Razril soldier. "Pardon me, Madam—Priscilla?! He exclaimed. "When did you get back?!"

"Tony!" Priscilla cheered, throwing her arms around the soldier. "How are you?!"

"O-Oh, I'm fine," the soldier, Tony, responded, patting her back awkwardly. "Ah…A-Are you with the people who came on that weird bird ship thing in the harbor?"

"Oh, you're here for that? Lord Daunte, Lord Caesar!" she called over her shoulder.

Daunte and Caesar hurried over to the door. "Yes, how can I help you?"

"So you own that thing—whatever it is?" Tony gestured in the direction of the harbor.

"Hero owns the skyship, I'm just a passenger," Daunte said. "But you can speak to me. Is something wrong?"

"Well, two things," Tony said. "First off, the thing—skyship—has taken up the majority of the dock space in the harbor. Almost none of the other boats can dock."

Daunte flushed with embarrassment. "I—"

"Oh come now, we didn't take up THAT much space!" Priscilla scoffed. "There should still be room for other boats to dock!"

"Ah—perhaps," Tony said uncomfortably. "B-But you see, Admiral Egan has docked her vessel in the harbor and both of your ships have taken all the—"

"Admiral Egan?!" Priscilla exclaimed, slapping a hand over her mouth. "S-She's not here for me, is she?! I was already retired when I immigrated to Nagarea!"

"To be with a married man!" Priscilla's mother shouted from the dining room.

"Admiral Egan?" Surya said as he came to the door. "Bernadette Egan?"

"Do you know her?" Tony asked him.

Surya shrugged. "She's Freyr's and I's great-aunt so I would hope we would know her."

"Great-aunt—PRINCE SURYA?!" Tony hollered. His voice echoed down the street outside and he saluted the Prince. "It's an honor to meet you!"

"Prince Surya from Falena?!" Priscilla's mother exclaimed. She quickly looked at Freyr. "T-Then this is—you invited foreign dignitaries into my house without telling me ahead of time?!" She hollered at Priscilla. "This place is a pigsty! You've embarrassed me once again, Priscilla!"

Daunte didn't think the house looked like a pigsty. He didn't even see a speck of dust on any surfaces. "A-Ah, let's go down and see the Admiral," Daunte said. "I-I don't want to create further problems for this town."

"I will go down there as well," Lazlo said, joining them at the door.

Tony looked at Lazlo and then blinked a couple of times in silence. "Hey…do I know you?" He asked. "Your face looks familiar."

"It should—" Priscilla said.

"It doesn't," Lazlo interrupted her. "Let's not leave the Admiral waiting."

Daunte knew that Lazlo did not want his identity revealed in the moment because then Priscilla's mother would freak out even more at having a legendary hero in her house. "Thank you again for your hospitality," he said, bowing to Priscilla's mother.

"No, thank YOU for saving my idiot child," the woman scoffed, shaking her head.

"I'm not inviting you to my wedding if you keep talking to me like that!" Priscilla shouted.

"Wedding?!" Tony exclaimed, his eyes going wide. "You're getting married, Priscilla?!"

"Yes! Why is this such a shock to everyone?!"

"If what Lanny said was true—" Freyr mumbled.

"It's best not to finish that sentence, Prince," Soturi admonished him.

"Hopefully Hero isn't causing issues at the dock, Caesar said. "He's a bit abrasive, after all…"

The group followed Tony back to the docks, but Daunte's head started aching as he hard Hero's voice echoing from the square. "Why do I have to move my skyship?! It's better than any boat!"

"You are impeding other vessels from docking!" a woman's stern voice yelled in reply.

"That's her," Priscilla said sheepishly.

"Let's move up front," Surya said to Freyr. "Maybe Aunt Bern will calm down once she sees us?"

"I don't remember her," Freyr complained.

"What? You met her like four years ago!"

Daunte hurried to the front with the princes. Down at the docks he saw the skyship and a large war vessel obscuring any view of the sea. James and Xi An were standing at the skyship with alarmed expression while Hero was yelling at a brunette woman in her forties in military uniform. "Excuse me!" Daunte shouted, waving his arm as he reached Hero's side. "Hero, what's going on?"

"This person is telling me to move the skyship!" Hero snapped, gesturing at the woman. "But I don't want to move it until we leave!"

"You will move it now," the woman said sternly. "Or else I will place you under arrest!"

"Ah, Admiral Bernadette Egan?" Daunte said quickly, facing her. "Our apologies. We'll be leaving shor—"

"Aunt Bern!" Surya called out, waving as he hurried over. "Long time no see! You're looking well!"

"Aunt Bern?" Bernadette echoed, confusion flickering across her face. "Who—" she turned and cried out when she saw Surya, startling her subordinates. "Prince S-Surya?! And Prince Freyr?!"

"Uh, hi," Freyr said awkwardly, looking embarrassed as he approached them with Surya. "Has she always addressed us by our titles?" Daunte heard him whisper to Soturi.

"I do not know," Soturi responded.

"W-What are you both doing here?" Bernadette demanded. "I had heard that—" she stopped abruptly and looked at Daunte. "Then…This is him?!"

Him? Daunte thought.

"Yes," Surya said proudly, clapping Daunte on the shoulder. "This is him, Aunt Bern."

Daunte didn't understand, but Caesar stepped forward and threw an arm around Daunte's shoulders. "Lord Daunte is the one who personally saved all of the Falenan royals, Admiral Egan. We apologize for any inconvenience we have caused."

Daunte almost corrected him, but he refrained from doing because he was afraid it would make them look bad. Bernadette was gaping at him in shock, and she stammered for a moment. "I-I…I must…" she rubbed at her forehead awkwardly, and glanced towards the rest of the group. Whatever else she was about to say broke off in a loud yelp and she slapped a hand hard over her mouth. Daunte looked towards his group, thinking she had spotted Prisiclla and recognized her, but then he saw Lazlo trying to discreetly move to the back of the group. Ah. The Admiral recognized Lazlo.

"My ship!" Bernadette shouted hoarsely, looking back at Daunte. "I—all of you! Come on to the Lino en Kuldes right this minute?"

"Lino en Kuldes?!" Daunte heard Lazlo shout from the back of the group. The soldiers with Bernadette began to mutter amongst themselves. "A-Ah, as you wish," Daunte interjected.

They were taken to a handsome state room on the vessel. There were only a couple of couches in the state room, but more chairs were brought in for everyone to take a seat. Hero had adamantly refused to leave the skyship, but Bernadette insisted that everyone come onto her war vessel. He was the only one who remained standing, glowering out the window watching the skyship carefully.

Daunte sat on one of the couches between Surya and Freyr, while everyone else except for Hero sat in chairs. Before Lazlo could sit down however, Bernadette suddenly clasped his hands. "Please excuse me," she said, her voice filled with awe. She bowed deeply and pressed her forehead to his knuckles. "Lord Lazlo. It is an honor to finally meet you face-to-face."

Lazlo looked uncomfortable at her deference, and Daunte saw a soldier bolt out of the room out the corner of his eye. Lazlo continues to get attention around here. But I guess it's to be expected.

"The name of your ship," Lazlo said, not responding to her show of respect.

"Ah, yes," Bernadette said with a smile, straightening her posture. "The Lino en Kuldes. The flagship vessel of the Islands Federation Navy is honored to carry the name of your father. We change the vessels from time to time of course, but the leading ship will always carry his name."

Lazlo nodded stiffly. "He…would appreciate it."

"Now you," Bernadette said, turning to face Daunte. "Lord Daunte, is that correct? I'm thankful to you for saving my family. I came here with the intention of confronting you, as I've seen your airship—"

"Skyship," Hero interjected harshly.

"Ah, yes, skyship," Bernadette said calmly. "I have seen it fly over our waters in flagrant disregard of our tolls. As such you had an outstanding balance with the Islands Nation Federation, but given the circumstances and who you are I will allow it to slide."

"I-I didn't realize we were avoiding tolls," Daunte said. "How much do we owe?"

"You owe nothing," Bernadette responded. "You saved my family. The least I can do is waive your tolls."

"This is quite interesting," Caesar said. "House Egan married into the Falenan royal family. Lord Commander Ferid kept up pretenses of being a commoner."

"That's because he renounced his claim here and went to Falena as a commoner," Bernadette responded. "I don't have any memories of my oldest brother, but my father said that Ferid deliberately withheld his name as to not make appearances that a Falenas was trying to form a foreign alliance. He loved Queen Arshtat and wanted to marry her for love. There was enough going on in the Falenan royal family that neither my brother or Queen Arshtat wanted to add to the drama."

"The Succession Crisis," Surya said solemnly. "No one in my family speaks of it, but I've read about it in textbooks."

"Ah!" Arin shouted, standing up. "That was in the book you gave me! Two princesses did bad things each other to become queen! It was awful, wasn't it Brother?! I-I remember it because I couldn't believe sisters would do that to each other!"

"Well we're not here to hash out a civil war most of us weren't alive to see," Caesar said. "Ah, except for you Lord Lazlo—"

"I wasn't in Falena when it happened," Lazlo responded.

"Regardless I was not aware of my own connection to the Falenan royal family until after the war, when my father told me," Bernadette said. "You can imagine my own embarrassment, as I had treated Prince Freyjadour like the little brother I always wanted but in reality I was his aunt!" she shook her head. "After the war my father and Queen Lymslesia didn't see the need to keep up pretenses anymore and we've maintained strong political connections to Falena ever since."

"That's good," Daunte said. "A-And I wanted you to know that we didn't come here as an invading force. We're just visiting."

"And the Island Nations is open to you," Bernadette said. "Not just for what you've done for the Falenan royal family, but before our arrival here we received a message from Schtolteheim Reinbach IX about your efforts to catch a pair of killers in Middleport. We are thankful to you. And, ah—Ruggiero and Arisoto?" Bernadette addressed them. "I have heard what happened to you two and on behalf of the Federation I apologize for how you both were treated."

"You have nothing to apologize for, Admiral Egan," Ruggiero said. "Lord Daunte righted the wrong against us."

"Will the couple who did this be executed?" Daunte asked.

"If they decide to plead not guilty we're going to relocate their trial to Obel, as the judicial system in Middleport will understandably not be impartial to them," Bernadette said. "If they plead not guilty, you will need to return here to testify, as they had tried to rob and kill you. I have heard that you are fighting your own civil war in Nagarea, so we will do what is necessary to ensure you don't need to make a trip back here unless absolutely necessary."

"If I have to come back then I will," Daunte said. "But thank you for your understanding, Admiral Egan. A-And ah, I did have one request," Daunte said, standing up. "One of my allies, Bax, was framed for an attack. He's a Nay-Kobold. Admiral Egan, would you mind relooking into his case?"

"I have heard of him," Bernadette said. "The evidence against him was strong, and he did flee custody."

"I know, but I ask that you look into his case. He has told me that he is innocent and I believe him."

"…All right," Bernadette said finally. "As one Commander to another, I will look into this. I hope that you are right and that your comrade is innocent."

"Thank you, Admiral."

Bernadette shook her head and smiled. "It's only fair to be nice to the fiancé of my great-niece."

"They are NOT engaged!" Freyr shouted, jumping to this feet. Daunte however felt a headache as everyone began laughing.

They could not stay for long, as Bernadette needed to be on her way to Middleport to help assess the arrests there. As they prepared to leave, Lazlo grabbed Daunte's arm and pulled him into a room that was empty except for two chest. "I-Is something wrong?"

"Have you had your True Rune for long?" Lazlo asked him.

"I-I was in a coma for awhile, but I believe I've had the Rune of Restoration for at least a year now," Daunte said.

"You love your friends," Lazlo said. "And you love your brother."

"Yes." Daunte rubbed at the back of his nape and looked away. "I know what you're going to say. Most of my friends and my brother are going to die long before I do. I'm aware of it, but I'm not thinking about it right now. It will make me depressed, and I would rather have my emotions under control to succeed in this war."

"So you have met other True Rune users then?"

"Oh yeah, lots of them. And they've all given me warnings about what to expect as well."

"This is where we part," Lazlo said. "But we are bound to meet again. Please take care of Ruggiero and Arisoto. They've been good to me and I'm grateful for their friendship."

"I will," Daunte promised. "But before you go, I have another question."

"What is it?"

"The Rune of Punishment…you said your Rune entered its Forgiveness Phase because of the power of the 108 Stars of Destiny. So your True Rune only reach its fullest potential with all of the Stars?"

"In a way," Lazlo said. "But also because of the power of my own forgiveness."

"Your…own forgiveness?"

"I was blamed for the death of my Commanding officer," Lazlo said. "People who I thought I could trust—people who I thought were my friends—believed in my guilt without giving me a trial or listening to my side of the story. My own best friend tried to kill me multiple times. I was angry with him—with them. These people who betrayed me. But I learned in time to let go of my anger. And in time, I…I was able to forgive them for what they did to me."

"You forgave them," Daunte said. "And because you forgave them, the Rune of Punishment learned forgiveness, too…"

"Yes," Lazlo said. "And I cherished them as my allies and friends. And when they died…I grieved for them, too."

"H-How did you cope with this? Watching all of your friends die?"

"I didn't watch them all die. I made sure to be there for my closest friends and family when they died. My father, my sister, Paula, Keneth, and Chiepoo. And…I made sure to be there for Snowe when he died."

"Snowe?"

"He was the best friend who betrayed me the most," Lazlo said. "And he could not conceive that I would forgive him after everything he did. Even on his deathbed he asked for my forgiveness, when I had long ago given it to him. It…wasn't easy." His tone was quiet and painful. "To see my friends die. I learned from that experience that if I must have companions I will not keep them for a long period of time. They have been understanding and they are still my friends. But I can't allow myself to have those same emotional attachments again. It's too painful."

I'll have to face this, too. Roen, Felicity, Arin…they will die before me. Kass died before me, even though I didn't see him die. Kass died alone. I…I don't want my friends or my brother to die alone. But then this would mean I would see them all die anyway…

Daunte shook his head. You'll drive yourself nuts thinking about it. Don't worry about it right now.

"Thank you for sharing that with me," Daunte said finally. "And I know you carry a terrible burden with that Rune, trying to maintain its Forgiveness Phase. I…hope that everything becomes easier for you, Lazlo."

"I don't know when the Rune of Punishment will leave me," Lazlo said. "It will leave me someday, and I'll be able to join my friends and family in the beyond. But then its curse will be inflicted upon the world once again. It's a weird feeling, both dreading and looking forward to the day when the Rune will leave me."

"Go to the Northern Continent," Daunte said. "You'll find several True Rune users there. Looking for Master Tir McDohl, he's the new holder of the Soul Eater Rune. I'm sure you both would become friends."

"Well, if I should make longterm friends it may as well be with another True Rune wielder," Lazlo said. He held out his left hand to Daunte. "I'm glad to have met you."

Daunte accepted his handshake. "I'm glad to have met you, too."

Lazlo left the room first. Daunte turned to leave, but the two chests caught his eye. He hesitated for a brief moment before going over to them. I'll apologize later if the Admiral is upset.

The first chest had what looked like a dilapidated painting in it—I'll have Gizli look at this later—but when he opened the second chest he gasped throatily. Another play?!

Daunte grabbed the script in both hands and lifted it out of the chest. His heart was hammering in his throat as he read the title out loud. "'The Foreboding Ship, Thirteenth Edition, by Micky'," he read aloud. He flipped to the next page and his eyes widened. Oh—that's Lazlo's name!

"Lazlo?!" Daunte called out. He threw open the door and looked down both ends of the hallway, but his heart sank when he didn't see Lazlo. Did he leave already?

"Having fun?"

Daunte stiffened and turned to see Bernadette standing there with an amused expression. He shrank a little as he realized he held the two items that were in the chest. "Ah…there's a good explanation for this."

Thankfully Bernadette didn't care that he took from those chests and was happy to let Daunte walk away with the items. Lazlo however had disappeared completely; no one could find him. Ruggiero and Arisoto were crestfallen to have lost track of their companion, but did not complain. They had, after all, joined the Liberation Army.

"If I may suggest," Caesar said to Daunte as they entered the ship. "It's a bit early, but because of the excitement we've experienced over the last few days I think we should head back to Nagarea."

Daunte nodded. "Yeah. It's a shorter trip, but more than enough people now know who we are."

"PRISCILLA!" a familiar voice shouted from the square. "YOU HORRIBLE BRAT! YOU INVITED LORD LAZLO INTO MY HOME AND DIDN'T TELL ME WHO HE WAS?!"

"Yes, let's go back," Priscilla said hastily.

"Please let this trip go by quickly," Surya groaned.

"This has been f-f-f-fun," Lysander said. "I s-s-still would like to see Northern C-C-C-Continent someday."

"I enjoyed this trip," Brennus said cheerfully. "I want to bring my family here after the war. My dad could use the vacation."

"I did not do enough on this trip," Mihr said quietly to himself. "I haven't fully redeem myself…"

"You saved my life with your bare hands," Daunte pointed out. "What can I do or say to convince you that you're being too hard on yourself? If I tell Keiran what you did, he will agree that it's enough!"

"He didn't want me to do this to begin with," Mihr responded. "So of course he would agree with you."

"You may as well back off, Lord Daunte," Caesar sighed. "You cannot convince a warrior from the Warrior's Village that they haven't dishonored themselves if they believe it so strongly."

"I still say you're being dramatic," Priscilla sighed.

"Ooh, Soturi!" Mokuren exclaimed, leaning over the seat. "What are you holding? It's beautiful!"

"…I bought it in Middleport," he responded uneasily. "The merchant said it was something called a "mermaid" carved out of jade."

"A "mermaid"?" Freyr gurgled, leaning in close. "I heard out—OH!" He shouted, pointing at the jade statue Soturi held. "That face! That's Elina's face!"

"Oh lord," Surya groaned as the color drained from Soturi's face. "Oh, that's so CUTE!" Mokuren squealed. "You love Elina so much that you bought a statue that looks like her!"

"That poor lad looks like he wants to disappear," Ruggiero laughed. He shook his head and looked at Daunte. "I've never been to Nagarea, but Arisoto and I owe you. We will be happy to help you win."

"I really appreciate it, thank you," Daunte said.

"Hey Brother," Arin said, showing Daunte Lazlo's figurine. "Lord Lazlo signed it, but—why does that look like an 'R'?"

Daunte and Caesar squinted at the signature. After a moment Caesar laughed loudly. "That does look like an R!"

Though they had only visited three islands, they departed from the Island Nations Federation and were back in Nagarea by dusk. The shift from tropical climate to frigid weather was unpleasant, but the group had known what to expect. The Liberation Army was happy to see them, and Daunte admittedly was happy to be home. Ruggiero and Arisoto quickly found a place in HQ and many people were fascinated to see a hippogriff who was friendly with humans.

"He's friendlier than Öt at least!" Gunther laughed.

Nāṭaka of course was happy to accept a new script and Gizli was impressed by the painting. "It's some knight, but it's worth half a million bits."

Daunte didn't need the money, but he didn't know what to do with it. "This probably shouldn't go in the bathhouse—"

"Definitely not," Gizli agreed. "That's an oil painting, it will melt."

"Why not hang it up in your room Brother?" Arin asked him.

"My room?" Daunte asked. "But—"

"You should," Felicity said. "Your room is still pretty bare, after all!"

"But this isn't my treasure—"

"Didn't you say it was given to you?" Roen asked.

"Actually, I took it without permiss—"

"But she let you leave with it, didn't she? So go ahead and hang it up in your room!"

Daunte sighed, unable to argue with his friends. "All right…"

It took him awhile to figure out where to hang it in his room, until Surya suggested he hang it over his desk. The painting was so large that Daunte's arms stretched as he held it, but he was able to hang it on the wall. He stepped back and looked it over. "It…looks all right, I guess."

"Yay!" Arin cheered, clapping his hands. Kibbeh barked from his bed.

"That was a great trip," Surya said. "Never take me again."

"But didn't you say it was a great trip?" Felicity asked.

"Oh I did. But—"

A sharp knock on Daunte's door silenced him. "Come in!" Daunte called out.

"I would prefer not to," came the reply.

"River?!" Daunte hurried to the door and swung it open. River was indeed standing there, his expression strained. "Is something wrong?" Daunte asked. "What happened, River?"

"I need you to come with me, Lord Daunte," River said. He nodded in the direction of the elevator. "My people are waiting on the fifth floor."

Fifth floor? The war room? Daunte glanced at his friends before looking back at River. "Okay," he said, nodding. "Whatever you need help with, I will help you."

River reached out and placed a hand on his arm. "I need to do this. Please come now."

Daunte felt very uneasy by his demeanor. River was upset, which wasn't new, but he also looked sick. "I'll be right back," he said to his friends.

"I'll come with you," Surya said, his tone on edge as he came over. "I remember the last time he put his hands on you—"

"I'm not here to fight Lord Daunte," River said. His tone was flat. "This a matter between him and I."

"You put your hands on Daunte?" Felicity said, her tone turning dark.

"Okay everyone," Daunte said, raising his hands as he also saw Roen's face dark. "It will be fine, I'll be right back. Hey, let's have another sleepover tonight okay?"

"YAY!" Arin cheered.

"Oh good!" Mokuren said, clapping her hands. "If we do it tonight we can avoid associating sleepovers with bloodshed!"

"Yes, right," Daunte said quickly, seeing Roen and Felicity still glaring at River. "Go and order snacks and get some futons! We'll play games and pig out like before!"

"Hey, go and get Lysander!" Arin shouted, grabbing Roen's hand and tugging on it.

Daunte left his friends and left with River. He watched the elf carefully as they rode the elevator up. River was staring straight ahead and wasn't looking at him. Since Daunte woke up he had not had a personal conversation with River. He remembered grimly the last time they really spoke face-to-face was after the battle at Winter Hill. River had lost Clover, and all his people, and he blamed Daunte for it.

"YOU KILLED THEM! You said you would take care of us! You said you would not let us die! BUT YOU DID! YOU LET US ALL DIE! YOU LIED TO ME! LIAR! USER! SELFISH SCUM HUMAN! YOU CARE ABOUT NO ONE BUT YOURSELF!"

River's anguished screams rattled in his ears, but River wasn't screaming now. He was stiff and silent, and it made Daunte uneasy. He said his people are upstairs. Is…Does this mean he's telling us he's resigning from the Army? I wouldn't blame him, but…but I need them and I want to take care of them. But I let them all die before. I may have revived them, but they died because of me…

The elevator opened on the fifth floor. Yuber was absent but Pesmerga was still standing in his usual spot. "Where's Yuber?" Daunte asked.

"Somewhere," Pesmerga said vaguely. Daunte decided to leave it alone for now.

"Hello, Lord Daunte," Caesar called to him. Chinmaya was standing beside him, and Clover and the other elves were standing near the far table. The room fell silent as they entered. "As you can see, River and his people requested this meeting from us."

"Yes," Daunte said. "And I'm glad to see all of you. I-I haven't met with any of you since I woke up and I'm so—"

He heard movement behind him and turned. To his shock he saw River kneeling on the floor, his head bowed. "…My lord," River said, his tone soft. "I beg your forgiveness for how I treated you."

"W-What?" Daunte sputtered. He collapsed to his knees in front of River. "Please, get up! You have nothing to be sorry for!"

"I acted out in grief and was horrible to you when you had also suffered great tragedies. I have been so focused on my own suffering—and the suffering my people have endured—that I have been willfully blind to the suffering that other people endured. I made the decision to join this Army. I took myself and my people to that massacre. And what did I do in the aftermath? I whined and screamed like a fool. While you—" he shook his head, still bent forward. "You, Lord Daunte. Sacrificed 30 years of your lifespan to restore the lives of my friends. To restore my wife. I…" he trembled.

"Please don't apologize," Daunte said quietly. "I don't deserve the apology. Please, I…" he looked at the other elves over his shoulder, but they all look sad. Clover herself was already crying as she stepped forward. "You've saved us three times now, and we have done nothing for you. We are grateful, and sorry for how we've treated you."

"I'm not offended, please," Daunte insisted, looking between Clover and River. "Please, just—what has happened to all of you should have NEVER happened. It was unintentional but I contributed to your suffering. I—"

"Lord Daunte, if I may?" Chinmaya asked. Daunte nodded wordlessly. "You may not think River or any of the Nagarean Elves owe you anything like an apology, but they want to give it to you. They also want you to give them forgiveness for transgressions they believe they committed against you. I think you should listen to them, and understand why they must do this for you."

"Well said," Caesar said.

Daunte was glad that they were alone in the war room. He turned back to River, feeling awkward as he stared at the elf. He was trembling slightly, and Daunte saw droplets fall towards the floor. "I'm sorry for demeaning you," he said softly. "I feel that you owe me nothing, but if you want my forgiveness then it's yours. In turn, I ask for your forgiveness for my careless that cost all of your lives." Daunte leaned forward and bowed to him. "I didn't take care of you, and I'm sorry. I swear on my life that it won't happen again."

"I believe you," River said. "Because you have already given a piece of your life for us." he held out his hand in front of Daunte's face. Daunte looked up at him. "You have our thanks…and our pledge. The Nagarean Elves will do anything to ensure your victory. If anyone or anything stands against you, we will take up arms to defend your life. We still do not want to be involved in your future government, but you are our friend."

Daunte looked at his hand for a long moment before taking it and squeezing. "Then this is my pledge," he said. "That we will defend you and allowed you your own self-governance. If anything or anyone stands against you, I will fight for you. And if I'm not here to fight for you, then the government that we will build will fight for you. I accept your friendship, and I hope that you will accept mine."

"Yes," Clover said, ?stepping forward. "You are our friend, Lord Daunte. The Nagarean Elves will forever remember your care with us."

"There," Caesar said, clapping his hands. "All is forgiven. That that the air is clear, let us move forward with a clean slate okay?"

"Sounds good," Daunte said with a smile, helping River to his feet. "We are allies and we are friends with a common goal. We will succeed, together."

Together. So help me, I will do anything to protect my people on the road to victory.

He couldn't breathe. Which was strange, because breathing was not a requirement for his survival.

Yuber had shed his armor, and it lay around him in multiple pieces. The ground felt cold under him. His breathing was heavy and ragged as he stared at his palms, where he had cut himself deep with his own swords. His blood was bright red, soaking his sleeves and dripping onto the ground. He had been bleeding for hours now…but it wasn't enough.

It keeps coming out. I bleed and bleed and bleed, but no matter how blood I spill from my own body, I still feel the tether of the contract. I am still bound to HIM. My head still hurts, and my heart—

Yuber formed fists with both hands and punched himself hard in the forehead. He ground his knuckles against his forehead. "No," he said flatly. "Not true. My head hurts because I'm surrounded by idiots. My heart doesn't hurt because I have no heart. This is stupid."

The heart he was convinced didn't exist was slamming against the wall of his chest hard. "Stop it," He snapped, punching himself in the chest. "I have no heart. I am a demon. I did not shed tears, it was waste coming from my eyes. Waste, like the worms that surround me on a daily basis. They are all waste and useless."

What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so out of character?! Fleeting emotions and tears?! He cried in front of that bastard Pesmerga! Why was this happening?!

It's because of that brat! He bound us together through his blood! He's an emotional simpleton, and his emotional simpleton blood has infected me like a disease! I would kill that brat if I could!

Yuber lifted his head. He did not know where he had teleported himself. "I'll kill him," he panted through clenched teeth. "I'll rip his throat out with my own teeth. I—" He lurched as he felt another uncomfortable feeling. He gripped his blonde hair tight in his hands and curled his body inward. "Stop it," he hissed. "STOP INFECTING ME!" He shrieked to the empty air.

There was no reply. Yuber dropped his hands away from his head, his breathing louder and labored. "…Stop it," he said pathetically. "Leave me alone. Empty…I want to feel empty…"

He grabbed his Black Knight armor and reassembled it sloppily. He thought of where he should go, and an idea came to him. He teleported back to HQ and stopped at the restaurant, which was empty. He grabbed a bottle from the table and then teleported right in front of Viki.

"AHH!" Viki screamed and jumped away from him. "W-W-W-Where did you come from?!"

"The sea," he hissed at her. "The place you sent me before when you sneezed. Send me there now."

"B-But you threatened me to not do it again!" Viki protested.

"That was then, this is now." Yuber stepped closer, narrowing his eyes. "Send me there now."

"I-I can't! It happened when I sneezed, I don't know how to—"

Yuber raised the bottle, and shook it into her face. Pepper sprayed from the bottle and onto Viki's nose. The result was quick—"AH-CHOO!"—and in a flash Yuber was in the open air. He saw the open sea below him and was exhilarated. He hit the water hard and forcefully, and within seconds he sank like a rock in his heavy that was what he wanted. The water was icy cold and dark, and he slowly closed his eyes as he darkness surrounded him.

This would not kill him. Nothing could kill him. But for a brief moment, he had reprieve from the sickness that threatened to claim him. The sickness that was feelings.