Your newest installment of melancholy.

…

"...Hey, Sir Bedivere. Teacher? It's funny how time flies, right?" the bald, mustached man that was now Himmel said, shuffling up to Bedivere as the rest of the party left the clearing, now that the meteor shower was over.

"It has." Bedivere nodded, smiling sadly. "Basically fifty years. Basically, we're looking at the beginning and ending of a life."

"You certainly still have time to spare, though." Himmel said.

"There is a thing such as living enough, Himmel." Bedivere said. "Are you happy with your life?"

For a moment, the two stared at the starry sky once again. Despite the fact that the meteor shower had ended, the fleeting, brilliant event was still in their minds.

"...Yes." Himmel said. "Yes, I think I am."

"That's good, then." Bedivere said. "My life, however, is like staring at this night sky forever, waiting and waiting for the meteor shower fifty years later, without a hint of dawn in sight. Eventually, even the sky will feel like a prison."

"I didn't know you were a poet." Himmel said, grinning.

"One of my friends were." Bedivere reminisced.

"Tristan, right?"

"You remember?"

"You did spend a lot of time teaching me. Almost ten years." Himmel said.

"Right. Ten years." Bedivere said. "...I'm sorry for not coming back to visit you, my student."

"It's okay. You have your own quest. I myself spent many years on my own quest to slay the demon king, and I didn't come back at all for visits." Himmel said, his beard then beginning to curve up at the ends a bit. "...But there is a way for you to make it up to me."

Bedivere stayed silent.

"This will be kind of weird to ask, but… eventually, when I die… will you accompany Frieren?" Himmel said. "It would just be convenient for you. You would get to find the magic that you need, and Frieren… she's old, but she still doesn't understand much about… living… and humans. Despite everything, you can stick around. You can guide her."

Student and teacher continued to stare at the night sky, their ages entirely at odds with how they actually looked.

"Himmel, you coming?" Heiter shouted. "Or do you need somebody to carry you back?"

There was another moment of silence. Bedivere contemplated the proposal. It was a useful agreement. He would gain access to a competent mage, and Himmel's party member would be taken care of.

It was fair.

"...Okay." Bedivere nodded. "I'll do it."

"Good. There is another thing of utmost importance." Himmel said very seriously.

"What is it?"

"...Please, carry me back to town."

…

"How nostalgic." Himmel had said, upon reaching the lake that reflected the meteor shower nearly perfectly. "It feels like we've gone back to the old days."

The second to last thing that Himmel had said to them all ran through her head.

We ventured to many places, didn't we? Everything sparkled to my eyes like new, exciting sights, and my comrades were always a part of those beautiful memories.

Standing in the hall, looking at Himmel's body lying in a casket of glass, Frieren just stared. Around them,

So thank you, Frieren. Because of you, we managed to have a really fun adventure in the end. I… had been hoping for a day like this where we could all reconnect.

At that moment in her memory, the meteors had began to fall. The sky had suddenly shined with a light that suddenly left everything blurry, with the sheer intensity of the light at that moment.

How majestic.

Despite everything, despite the bright sun shining through the stained windows of the hall, despite the glint of the jewel on the pommel of Himmel's old sword, clasped in his hands as if the artifact had never left his side, despite the ceremonial candles, lights, and the glint of tears in many other mourner's eyes, Frieren still could see Himmel's body very, very clearly.

The old man, a far cry from the blue-haired human in her memory, was both foreign and familiar at the same time.

Many, many people were here. From old men to young children, a vast number of the people that Himmel had aided in the course of his life mourned his passing. Outside the hall and down the stairs of the ceremonial site, thousands of people attended the fallen hero's funeral, all looking up and crying at the sight of the sparkling glass casket.

Frieren remained expressionless.

They had just journeyed together for ten years. It had just been ten years.

"I believe that Himmel was happy." Heiter said, smiling sadly, in only a way that a priest could.

"He did tell me. Before we left the lake." Himmel's swordsmanship teacher said, confirming Heiter's statement. "He had lived a full life, and he had fulfilled his quest and mission to the world. The fact that his life wasn't marred further by strife is something to be celebrated."

"...Indeed." Heiter said, bowing his head briefly.

Frieren remained silent. She was just… standing there, looking at the glass casket. It felt like… nothing.

It made sense, right? Ten years for her was effectively nothing. As she grew older and older, those ten years would be the human equivalent to a weekend camping trip.

One didn't grow attached to people that you just had one, singular camping trip with, right?

But still, her ears caught whispers of people around her. And for some reason, she felt like… she cared about what they were saying.

"So heartless…"

"She was one of Himmel's companions? How uncaring can you be?"

The whispers slowly grew in strength. It was just a couple of people, but after a minute, it threatened to devolve into a full on seminar about how uncaring the mage of the hero's party was.

Looking between Frieren's figure and the crowd, Heiter decided to speak.

"Now… now…" Heiter spoke up, pointing to himself from behind Frieren. "We're both doing fine, too!"

Eisin pointed to himself very uncharacteristically as well, his hand reaching out of his red cloak and disturbing his symmetrical appearance.

The crowd exploded.

"Be more serious, you priest! You… you heartless man!"

"I can't believe that the Himmel had such… such… scum as comrades!"

Some rocks were thrown, and the moment of seriousness had been shattered. Still, out of the corner of her eyes, Frieren noticed something odd.

Himmel's teacher had an expression that was tinted with hints of… envy?

…

The ceremony had ended.

The sun had began to set, and despite the stained glass's set colors, the orange that permeated through the tinted lenses stubbornly reminded everybody of its existence, stretching across the hall's stone floors in a stunning show of defiance.

Frieren was still standing there, near one of the pillars. Heiter and Eisin stood with her, and Himmel's teacher was seemingly staring into nothingness, one of his hands clasped around a sword that was very different from the thinner longsword that he seemingly favored.

Finally, the elf's expression cracked.

"But… I don't even know a thing about him…" Frieren muttered. The casket seemingly wobbled before her eyes. "I simply traveled together with him for ten years."

Memories flashed in her eyes. Memories that ranged from roaring campfires to sputtering dragonfire, and from eating outrageously large meat patties served by Eisin… to drinking obscene amounts of alcohol with Heiter.

They were simple, somewhat monotonous memories. Frieren had had food and drink for what felt like millions of times. She had been on adventures, slayed monsters, and acquired magic countless times before. The adventure was only one measly percent of her life. Just one percent. If ten years were deducted from her lifespan, she would probably have attributed it to her chromic mimic exposure instead of some sort of supernatural force.

But that was all she had of Himmel. Ten years of memories, and nothing more.

…

"...You have no physical wounds in need of healing." Heiter assessed, looking over the man that was supposedly Himmel's teacher with an appraising eye. His mana detection didn't really detect all that much. Sure, the knight had more mana than the average person, but Bedivere really didn't have all that much magical energy, even compared to just Eisin.

"And you are sure you're a human?"

"Definitely." Bedivere nodded.

"Humans were not made to live so long." Heiter muttered. "In truth, I have no idea what would happen to a human with such an unnatural lifespan. The church has no prior record of a human surpassing even two hundred years in age, much less fifteen hundred."

"...I see." Bedivere nodded.

"Well then, I must be off." Heiter said, waving goodbye as he finally entered his carriage, waving to the three that remained. "If you ever come by the holy city, be sure to offer up my grave some alcohol."

"Are you dying, as well?" Frieren asked, looking at the aging priest.

"Well, we all are. Just at different rates." Heiter acknowledged. "Not all of us can be alive for fifteen hundred years."

Bedivere nodded back. "If I could give my life to you, and live just twenty years in a fulfilled, correct manner, I would."

"Now, now. That's no way to think." Heiter said. "Think about all the drinks you could taste! All the sights you could see!"

"It seems as if, rather than old age, god is smiting you for your drinking." Eisin said stoically.

"Nonsense! We are heroes, members and associates of the hero that slew the demon king." Heiter said dramatically, waving a fist in the air. "We're definitely going to heaven."

"...So you aren't afraid of death?" Frieren asked.

"If my place in heaven is secured by me fighting with you, then yes, I am not afraid." Heiter smiled.

"Damn corrupt priest…" Frieren muttered.

The carriage door closed, and Heiter's face would disappear forever. The next time Frieren saw him, the human would be very different. Perhaps, old and bald like Himmel was, or a lot grayer.

Humans were still a mystery to Frieren.

"I suppose you'll continue on your journeys." Eisin said.

"Indeed." Frieren nodded. "I still have more spells I want to find, and since I'm still young, I can take some time to understand humans better."

For a moment, the three stood in silence, looking at Heiter's carriage disappear over the crest of the hill.

"Do you want to join me? As a mage, I do need a vanguard."

There was another moment of silence. Eisen gazed off in Heiter's direction, and sighed.

"I apologize, Frieren. I'm no longer in my prime."

"I see." Frieren nodded. "Then you'll suffice, knight. I hear you have a quest of your own?"

"Yes." Bedivere nodded.

"Fine, then. You help me with my task, and I'll help find whatever it is you want to find. Farewell, Eisen."

"...Farewell." the dwarf rumbled.

The two white-haired, young-looking millenia old human and elf slowly walked away from the hill, leaving the dwarf to stare at the horizon.

…

"What is your situation?" Frieren asked, sitting against a tree, after pausing to find directions on where to go next.

"I am almost certain that I have gotten myself stuck in another dimension." Bedivere confessed, while standing and crossing his arms, looking at the sun slowly set.

"Another dimension?" Frieren said, suddenly mildly interested, before looking at Bedivere in fascination. "Do humans always live this long in that dimension?"

"Well… no." Bedivere said, scratching his head. "Only supernatural creatures live longer. I don't see how that's-"

"Are you sure you're a human compared to this dimension's humans, then?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then, how have you stayed alive for this long? Some kind of anti-aging spell?" Frieren asked.

"My quest keeps me alive." Bedivere said. "It's both a blessing and a curse. Also, how is this relevant?"

"I'm getting to the point. How long have you lived again? Fifteen hundred years, right?"

"Indeed."

"That's… older than me…" Frieren muttered. "It must be especially powerful magic keeping you alive, then. Well, this isn't the strangest thing I've encountered. Does an artifact sustain you?"

"Yes." Bedivere said, patting the sword at his waist. "My king's sword has a magical power that maintains the bearer's youthfulness."

"And if you return the sword… what happens?"

"My quest ends." Bedivere said.

"So… you'll die?"

"Indeed." Bedivere nodded. "But I have stayed past my welcome. Additionally, I suspect that my dimension is not as it should be. Something has to have happened to it in order for me to be sent here."

"...Is interdimensional travel even possible to do voluntarily?" Frieren pondered. "If not, couldn't you just… give up?"

"It is my duty." Bedivere said simply. "I failed my king in the past, and so I must correct my own mistake."

"Even if it costs you your life?" Frieren asked.

"Yes." Bedivere nodded, continuing to stare into the distance. His grip tightened on his metal, artificial arm, but he didn't say anything else.

He didn't expect Frieren to understand, anyways. She was fundamentally inhuman. His seemingly eternal quest was nothing but a phase for her kind.

But she was a mage. The only mage that already stated their intention to help.

"Is there interdimensional magic?" Bedivere eventually asked.

"No." Frieren said. "Why do you think I was so interested in your circumstances?"

"Ah." Bedivere sighed. "I do have this, though."

Reaching into his pack, Bedivere pulled out an aging grimoire. It was leather bound, and had faded purple markings on its covers.

"A standard grimoire." Frieren nodded, looking at the cover. "The language will take a bit to decode, but it will add well to my collection."

"Is it not… rare?" Bediviere said. "I found it in some islands off the coast of the continent. I've traveled across the continent for fifty years as well, and I've been to both the northernmost point and the southernmost point. This is the only grimoire that I've found."

"Let me see your map." Frieren said.

Bedivere fumbled around in his organized backpack. Each item was meticulously tucked into a little pouch within the heavily patched backpack. From firestarters to armor maintenance tools, everything had its little compartment. After a moment of looking through the pouches he had been so familiar with for so many, many years, within a canvas cloth-wrapped bag, Bedivere thumbed through a collection of papers, the papers seemingly trying to resist his attempts at flipping through their dry, cracked texture, before finally withdrawing the map that he had discovered all those years ago, within a dungeon.

Taking a look at the map and comparing it to hers, Frieren sighed.

"Knight, your map is inaccurate."

"It is?"

"If you look at these places, you can see that it's very, very inaccurate." Frieren said, pointing between the narrow edges of the seas. "This map is missing two islands off the coast, first of all. Two rather large islands. Secondly…"

Listening to the elf ramble on about the inaccuracies of the map, Bedivere felt a forlorn hope flutter just a bit.

"So, are you sure that you're in a different dimension, or is it just that you can't find your way home?" Frieren said.

"I did circumnavigate the continent, though." Bedivere sighed. "A couple of islands doesn't change anything."

"Okay, that's fine." Frieren shrugged. "The point is, you probably haven't been to every location on the map, have you? You've just been taking straight lines. And there are tons of undiscovered spell, littered across the continent. Spells that may, say, include how to travel across dimensions."

"So there can be spells like that?" Bedivere asked.

"Yes." Frieren nodded. "There are spells that make rock golems dance, and spells that can let you look for accessories that you've lost… Magic is very varied and strange. There are spells that you wouldn't even think of… that exist?"

"And all of them can either be found or learned?" Bedivere said.

"If you have enough time, yes." Frieren nodded. "But a lot of it involves danger and adventure. Which is why I roped you into journeying with me."

"...Okay." Bedivere nodded. "So, where are we going right now?"

"Now?" Frieren said. "We are starting a fire and set up camp. Journeying isn't just done in a year or two. You should know."

"Yeah." Bedivere sighed. "I'll get the firewood."

"Good." Frieren nodded. "I'll be interpreting the grimoire."

…

With a quick tap of her staff, the fire was lit, just as the sun began to crest over the horizon. The familiar smoking smell of a campfire wasn't something to feel comfortable or proud about, but rather, it was a chore to deal with. Eventually, Bedivere would have to wash his armor and clothes again to get rid of the soot that slowly accumulated on his white fabric.

As the elf huddled before the fire, making notes on sheets of parchment, Bedivere set up sleeping bags, and eventually, got some rations out of his pack to eat. They were nothing more but dried grains, and because of Excalibur, Bedivere didn't even need to eat that often. Still, his body did need sustenance, being a human one.

"Where's food?" the elf demanded, looking at Bedivere.

Bedivere passed her some rations.

"...This?" Frieren said, looking at Bedivere strangely. "You just eat this all the time?"

"Food is more of a logistical concern." Bedivere said. "Besides, the powers that keep me alive also allow me to eat less."

"Nonsense." Frieren shook her head. "Part of living this long is finding ways to enjoy living. You shouldn't view eating as a chore, even if you don't really need to. And I thought you were older than I am…"

"Fine, then." Bedivere said, standing up and placing his rations in the pack. "I'll go hunt something."

They had some venison that day, cooked to a beautiful medium rare. It was delightfully seasoned with some old seasoning Bedivere found in his pack, served on an oak plank, and supplemented with wild potatoes and thyme.

However, it did take three hours to prepare.

…

Bedivere woke up at dawn, as he always did.

The morning dew had yet to dry, and the grass all around him was still damp. The morning air was brisk and chilly on this day in early autumn. Leaves cascaded down from the trees not in a gentle descent, but rather, in a clumsy tumble, burdened by the dew and light rain of the night before.

Stretching, Bedivere took in the morning air within his lungs and flexed his prosthetic, each finger clicking against each other softly. Then, taking out a cloth from his bag, he began to dry the mechanical contraption. It would not do for it to rust, even if it was enchanted.

Then, he began to manage yesterday's fire pit. Having put some dry firewood and tinder in his tent, the morning's fire was started rather easily. Normally, Bedivere didn't need to eat more than half a meal a day, but given the fact that he had a companion, preparing a breakfast became rather necessary.

Absent-mindedly, he used a flint and steel to start the fire, before slowly adding on logs until it resembled a tiny, wooden tent in the middle of a ring of stones.

The deer meat from yesterday, already cooked and salted, had not spoiled. Putting it on a couple of skewers and holding it over the fire with his mechanical hand, Bedivere rubbed his face with the other.

It had been a long while since he had cooked breakfast.

At last, after a good ten minutes, the meat seemed to have gained a new sear. It was by no means perfect, but it was food prepared in the wilderness. Bedivere tasted one skewer. It was slightly salty, but that was natural for all preserved meat. However, it was hot all the way through and not exceptionally dry. And so, it would suffice.

"Hey, Frieren." Bedivere said to a wrinkled mass that was probably a sleeping bag. "Breakfast."

The sleeping bag did not stir.

Gently, Bedivere prodded it with his foot.

There was a grumble and a sigh.

"Five more minutes."

Well, okay. Bedivere thought. Just five more minutes.

…Five hours later…

Shouldering both packs, Bedivere dragged the elf out of the clearing. Holding her staff in one hand, Frieren stumbled after her much taller companion. Looking up at his slightly exasperated, but still calm face, Frieren sighed, before looking up at the horizon.

The sun was much too bright now, as it was nearly already midmorning. They would have to make a faster pace if they wanted to get to a town before night fell again.

Shrugging, Frieren continued to allow herself to be dragged forwards by Bedivere, her footsteps clumsy and somewhat random.

…

'Frieren… I have one last request to make of you.'

'What is it? Oh, it's about my teacher, Sir Bedivere. I can see that the only thing keeping him going is his quest.'

'If he still hasn't accomplished it, even after fifteen hundred years, then it must be a very, very difficult quest. All the while, he hasn't had a single companion. I may have been his student, but I was never his companion. Nobody could have been his companion, after all.'

'Journeying without anybody can be very lonely.'

'Well, maybe not for elves. But for humans? Definitely.'

'Just… keep him company, okay? Make sure he's not that lonely. Besides, he can help you on your journeys, as well.'

…

"You're too hasty…" Frieren mumbled. "You need to take things more slowly. What's a couple more months, after all?"

Bedivere said nothing, and continued to walk forwards.

Frieren didn't understand much about the knight, or his motivations. But it was the last thing Himmel said to her, for her to accompany the knight. And for old time's sake?

She would honor his request for a while. Maybe a couple years, at most.

After that, if he was useful and continued to tag along, Frieren foresaw no reason to say no.

…

AN

That's the end. Yay.

Of the second chapter.

What did you think I meant?

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(Also, check out "Beyond World's End" by WitnessofFate. They're in the same discord server as me, and they also cooked peak fiction with a Frieren crossover fic.)

-SpiritOfErebus