It was cold tonight.

It made sense. Fall was still in season, although that would change the month after, when the frost would grow more prevalent and snow would reach their lands beyond just the cliffs. By then, biting cold unlike anything else would be upon them, and the nights then will feel drastically different to tonight's climate.

Still, it was rather chilly this particular night; enough that his breath could condense as he exhaled into the night air, akin to a miniature cloud before his very eyes. It faded off into the darkness eventually, though with the few torches set up around the village, the warm glow here and there provided some comforting ambience.

Somehow, experiencing this quaint little moment all to himself felt… he wasn't sure how to put it into words. Eye-opening isn't exactly it, since this isn't the first time he'd snuck out late at night, but it feels so odd to do once more. Like revisiting an old place after years of having been away, engulfed by the sense of nostalgia and familiarity that plays upon the mind in a way that just can't be described.

And this little moment, all to himself with his own thoughts, was something he'd been hoping for.

'We're actually home. Back in Rulid.'

That seemed like such a crazy thing to consider, even if a part of himself had naturally anticipated it. Perhaps he'd also thought that, after the battle, everything would change; that he wouldn't come back here. And what relief it is, that he is home once more.

And somehow, nothing has changed. Thankfully.

'Luckily, Rulid was spared from any damage, since it was so far away. Guess it was a good thing we managed to keep it from breaking through Zakkaria; Fanatio and Charlotte helped to keep its eyes distracted too, so it couldn't fire off any dangerous blasts that might have reached this place.'

The possibility of such made him clench his fists tighter, sharply shaking his head to rid the scene. Blazing houses, scorched tree, torn-up lands… just the thought of the ruined landscape was bad enough. And he didn't dare to think of the possible casualties should such a fate have come to pass.

'Stop that,' he chided himself. 'It's over. We stopped it, and no one is dead. We got the best outcome possible. Don't get hung over it.'

It was paranoia. Nothing else. So many bad things had happened one after another, each one growing worse than the one before, so perhaps his mind had just grown used to anticipating something more. Always expecting the next big thing to happen.

But no. With the battle over and the people returned to their homes, as the moon waxes and wanes and the winds of calm blow across the world, life returns to simplicity. And his days from here on out should be no different than before.

A cold breeze comes from the east, making him shiver a little. Good idea to sneak out of the house on his own this late into the night, Kirito. Very good.

'Zakkaria's probably just as cold as it is here right now, though since we're way more far off and closer to the northern borders, Rulid gets chillier than usual.'

For a moment, his mind evokes a memory of their time in the larger town, with countless folks that lived minorly different lives than he did gracing them with hospitality that he knew the people of Rulid would have done similarly to any visitor. It was only short of a time, and even then he'd spent it doing nothing worthwhile, and yet…

And yet, for all that it was, he doubted he'd ever forget their kindness. And so glad was he to be home once more.

Once again, he's reminded that life here hadn't changed all that much when they—the two boys, the black-haired stranger (though at this point, the people of Rulid had all but accepted Charlotte as one of their own), and some children—had returned to them. Sure, the people had been more hectic than anything else, but things had quickly calmed down afterwards.

And how easily it could have been any other way. It hadn't been something on his mind during the fight at all, survival instincts in full drive and demanding that he focus on the battle and rescue everyone. But now, with the benefit of hindsight, things could have easily gone much more differently, and he could have not been here now—and that thought was far more nerve-racking than he'd given it credit.

If he'd been any less prepared, or they'd made a small mistake, or Fanatio or Charlotte had not been there, or if only he or Eugeo had gone into the beast, or…

The door behind him swung open with a slow groan, followed by light footballs. Kirito turned around, eyes wide in surprise. "Sulinea?"

"Good evening," she greeted, the green eyes inherited from her mother warm. She was dressed in a white nightgown and with a robe of sorts wrapped around her person. "Then again, it's gonna' be a new day soon enough, so I suppose that isn't actually accurate."

She steps over beside him, coming to sit beside him. He moved over to give her space, eliciting a quiet 'thanks' from the older girl as she settled on the porch. Without a pause, she stretched out her robe to cover his body as best as possible, turning it into a shared blanket of sorts.

"Thanks," he muttered, siding up a little closer to her to draw from her body heat. "Did you wake up because of me?"

"Mm. Could have been you, could have anything else."

He raised a brow but didn't question her on it. "Right," he opted for that, instead. "You sure you can handle the cold air like this? You're not exactly covered all that well."

"Pfft, same to you. And don't worry about it. I'm a Rulid-born kid, ya' know? We get used to the cold."

'Try telling that to Eugeo. Even now, he still can't handle the cold half as well as you.'

"But anyways, I had another reason for wanting to see you," she admitted, getting him to hum. "You… look deep in thought. Something bothering him?"

To any other person, he might have brushed them off with a quip or a smile. But Sulinea was too hard to shake off; she was persistent, and had that kind of intuition that an elder sibling has. She'd find some way to be so gentle yet so pushy to open you up no matter what.

And… it might be nice to open up to her a little bit. If there was anyone here in this village that he trusted more than even Eugeo, it was Sulinea.

"A lot of things, if you can believe me."

The battle with the Million-Eyed. Fanatio. Selena. Seeing Deusolbert again. The return to Rulid Village. The warm welcome they received at the gates. The sight of Sulinea breaking down in tears and pulling both him and her brothers into a strong embrace. Selka, in the distance, crying in relief. The idea that one mistake could have cost them their lives.

Certainly not the kinds of things that an eleven-year-old like him should ever be thinking of for his age.

"Thinking about what's gonna' happen from here on out," was what he'd decided on. It wasn't what he'd been thinking on at the moment, but he had considered it prior to returning home.

"What do you mean?"

"It's… How do I put it… Give me a sec, I need to try and put it into words."

Sulinea hummed back, then kept quiet. The silence might have made some uncomfortable, but Kirito appreciated it. She'd always been so kind, so thoughtful, and always knew how to make someone feel better. Just talking to her again is amazing in itself.

The kind of thing that he, for a moment before, had thought he'd never get to do again.

"It's just… Eugeo and I. We both went through a lot of crazy things."

"No kidding. You two fought that monster… That gigantic thing, didn't you?"

He nodded. "Can you believe it?"

"I can't. I look at you two and I just don't see you two as fighters," she admitted. "I only see you as my little brothers that I've raised since you were little. As those two boys who would always go out to cut a tree that no one has ever managed to cut down, and would then stay out for long with their third friend to eat and play together in the woods."

That she saw him as family left butterflies dancing in his chest, honoured beyond all words. "And now?"

"I… I don't know what to think," she frowned lightly, averting her gaze. One hand reached up to brush her hair back. "But then you come back with a sword, and when even the Integrity Knight coming with you vouched for you three… Well, it's official. You had fought the monster. My two little brothers had actually gone off to fight something so terrifying. Something that no children should have ever been tasked with doing."

"I never thought that was how the night would have gone," he said. "Maybe, I thought, Euden and Eugene were kidnapped by people. Or chased by monsters. Who would have thought that it ended up getting that bad?"

"And then you saved them."

"I suppose…"

"I still can't believe it, but that's something none of us can ever deny. You, Eugeo and Charlotte went out of your way to save people and kill a monster. People will remember that," and what a strange thought that was. That he, practically a brat, would be remembered for what might go down in history as a hero's legacy, when he was less of a fighter than even a novice. "But yeah, you guys really went through a lot. What's wrong about that?"

"I made a promise to someone," he said, remembering that their experiences went far beyond the Million-Eyed incident; the goblins and fighting Selena's curse. "And both of us will go to Centoria someday, but to do that, we'd have to cut down the Gigas Cedar."

"Err… W-Well, I know it won't be impossible for you boys, but—"

"We can do it now," he said. "The Blue Rose Sword," Sulinea fell silent. She must have understood what he was trying to say. "You know what it is, don't you?"

"…How could I not?" The girl sighed. There was an unease that presented itself in the minor fidgets that she did with her fingers. Without thinking, he reached to hold her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. She looked surprised at first, but the smile told him how she appreciated it. "We all grew up on tales of Bercouli, the hero of Rulid. The way I see it? He was a fool," she shrugged. "A hero that he may have been, that was no excuse to steal from a dragon that had been protecting our lands for centuries."

"That is true. It felt strange that he would have tried that when he should have known the dragon's role in all of that."

"Some sources mentioned how he hadn't known, but who's to say? Whoever that was by his side as a close friend or a loyal follower, who could have known his true motives at the time, are long gone now. Returned to Lady Stacia's side. 'From dust we come, to dust we return'. A part of this cycle we accept, we reject, we love, we fear—a cycle we are bound to. A course of nature."

What a simple concept. An end to every beginning—creation for every marked destruction. Balance in all aspects that would see no single force overwhelming the natural course of the world.

Kirito wasn't sure if he was meant to think about that sort of thing now. Shouldn't kids be most afraid of chores and the scary shadow man living underneath one's bed? Maybe even a little crush on another kid or what to eat the next day. Not thinking of the future. Of bloodshed. Of hopes and promises that beg to see the light.

And now that the thought had come to mind, he realized that he didn't want to die. That hadn't changed. And yet, death doesn't seem so daunting now. Had his heart accepted it already? Or was this a faux calm simply from having evaded it plenty of times that lets him find a way to minimalize its effect on his sanity?

"And now, you have the sword from the legends… What else remains fiction, and what is truly history?"

"The dragon existed. Her bones rest in the cave even now, surrounded by gold and jewellery she hoarded across the years—along with the sword. Eugeo, Alice and I saw them. Hell, the sword we have now is the exact same one from the story."

"So these 'stories' we've been fed when we were little were nothing more but a history lesson, disguised as a fairy tale to scare children from entering mysterious little caves," she giggled. "And you did just that. Not once, but twice, huh?"

"Err… Maybe three times?"

"Of course you did," she rolled her eyes. "Man… You really are something else, Kirito. And I mean it in a good way; you've always been good at doing things no one else could have dreamt of pulling off, let alone conceive to begin with."

"Is that a good thing or not?"

"Reckless in bounds, but no less an overachiever."

That seemed a little more flowery than he was used to, but he accepted it as a compliment either way.

"You know, we just talked about dying and all just earlier. And I have to admit, I don't want to die," her words made him look to her. She chuckled. "I know, I know. Shocker. But really, there's just so many things I want to do. Remember how you once told me that I could start a restaurant, and it'd become really popular?"

It had been nothing more but an idea. To hear her bring it up now was a surprise. "You thinking about it?"

"I just thought that I'd like to do something that I'd enjoy, and… getting to make good food for people, then seeing them enjoy what I make for them," she sighed dreamily. "It's a simple dream, but it would be so nice…"

"It really is."

"But that likely won't happen," Kirito quirked a brow at that. "Because if I'd want to do that, I'd rather go to a really big city—somewhere like Centoria. Somewhere I can take my craft and share it with much more people than our sleepy village. But my place is meant to be here, in Rulid," and then, she smiles. "Looks like that's not the case for you, huh?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Because of your supposed promise. It's why you'd have to go to Centoria. And who knows how long you'll live there by then? Years? Decades, even?"

"That's…" Not completely impossible, though it was a thought he quickly shut down. Not because he disliked it, but because he was surprised by the fact that he wouldn't have minded it all that much. "Nah. I'd rather be here."

"But you'd still need to go someday. And then, what then?"

"Who knows?"

And that really was the craziest part of all of this. He and Eugeo would finish their calling, becoming the people to put that particular calling to rest—that they break the cycle of tree-cutters doomed to face the Gigas Cedar every single day. And then, they would leave Rulid for Centoria.

Realizing that alone felt insane; he'd thought he'd go back to living in Rulid peacefully, integrating with normalcy as usual. But now, with so many things having transpired, all this change was just a little dizzying.

Sulinea exhaled deeply, reflecting all his inner turmoil. "…Man, who would have thought that our talk would go in all kinds of directions," she muttered. "And yeah, I get what you're saying. After all that's said, it won't be easy to immediately go back to how things are."

"Maybe someday we will," he hummed. And he actually does want that. "But for now, we have things we need to accomplish, so we need to focus on those. And then, we'd go to Centoria. Afterwards…"

Afterwards, he wasn't sure. The future seemed so far out of reach, but it would come someday.

Would he be ready by then? He wasn't sure. After all that they'd experienced, he felt so much smaller. So much certain that the world was a lot more challenging than he could ever give it credit, and that there was just so much more he had to learn.

In another life, he, Eugeo and Alice might have lived in the village together until the end of their days. It would have been boring, but so much simpler than now. And he'd never would have had so much to worry about to begin with.

But he supposed there was nothing else that could be done but continue moving forwards in life. Maybe then, he'd realize just what it was that he sought to accomplish or do in life.

"Have you thought about what calling you would take once you're done with your current one?"

Erk. "I… actually don't know," he admitted with a weak shrug. "I thought about something that would allow me to travel, I suppose. So long as I can go to Centoria, then that's fine. Maybe if it would involve any physical work. I've never been good at anything else."

"I see…"

"Well, I can decide that later once we actually finish our calling. By then, I'll probably have thought of something to pursue."

"That's a choice," she hummed. "…Well, I'm gonna' head back inside. How about you?"

"…I think I'll stay out here. Just a little longer. And then I'll come back inside. Promise."

"Alright. So long as you don't catch a cold. And Kirito?" He tilted his head to look over to his friend's sister—only to be pulled into a hug, burying his face in the crook of her neck. The suddenness caught him by off-guard, overwhelmed by warmth and the scent of lavender. "Thank you. For keeping your promise. And… for coming back home."

And then, the blonde lets go of him. It was so quick, so brief that it might have been nothing more than a moment of imagination, save for the robe she'd left on his person, the lingering traces of heat and the beautiful smile on her face. Sulinea didn't bother saying anything else, retreating inside and leaving the younger ravenette to stare at her until she was gone from sight. For a few seconds, he continued staring at where she last stood, before his gaze returned to the sky.

Stars. So many of them, dotting the sky and evoking a beautiful scene he couldn't believe. Such a natural sight, and one that must have accompanied them on the night that they'd gone out to fight the Million-Eyed.

Somehow, for as many things that had changed, so many more remain the same. 'What a strange world we live in…'

~ Chapter 15 ~

[ To Their Days to Come ]

Oh, normalcy. What a strange thing it is, now, and certainly one he's beginning to miss already.

He'd thought it would last. He really did, this time. After all, they'd returned from practically the biggest battle the world would have ever known, and came back with resounding victory. Doesn't that usually mean they'd get a bit of a break—and by a bit, he meant a lot of it.

Some thought he didn't like it, since returning to the simplicity of his routines in Rulid meant returning to the nature of repetitiveness. But it felt normal; felt nice to have something to do that he could count on because of how he's so used to it, just like working on his calling. It's tried and true, and the promise of no drastic difference is good. He liked normal.

He also disliked the kind of normal which is annoying to deal with. Those tend to be far and few in between, like listening to the cocks going cock-a-doodle-doe every darn morning. But those, he can live with. Not like they'll bring about the end of his world.

As he's starting to realize, his normalcy seems to involve getting into one bad situation into the next. And it looks like today was incredibly dead set on being a real pain in the rear.

This was a song and dance that they'd done so many times that it was almost ridiculous at this point. Enough so that, when he, Eugeo and Charlotte raced back into the village, he'd already predicted the scene; Rulid's people—farmers, hunters, the sole medicine maker, tree-cutters—had all gathered in the village square. It was a sight he was becoming increasingly used to, and not for the right reasons. If anything, it seems like an automatic warning that something was off.

And, just like all the times before, there really was.

The afternoon sun cast upon them was gentle, though for the shadows drawn upon the ground from high above, all had their gazes fixed upwards. Gusts billowed against them as three dragons descend, landing on the concrete road carefully. Everyone backed up in the process, forming a perimeter around the three of them as their riders descend their mounts.

Metal clinked. That was a sound that, even from this distance, he could make out clearly. How many times had he heard of a knight's full metal set clinking like that? How many times had he seen a dragon? How many times had he seen the banner of the church?

He wondered how Chief Gasupht could stay so calm. It felt like the umpteenth time that he had to step to the fore, ready to greet their guests with warm and welcoming words. Everyone else simply watched in silence.

Before, Kirito would have felt like the world was ending. Today, however?

"The hell do they want this time? I swear, if it's another monster, I am going to break someone's legs. Preferably that monster's."

"K-Kirito, don't say that. Someone might hear you…"

"I must admit, it's a little too soon for them to come to our village once more."

'Certainly.'

He agreed with Charlotte. And try as he might, Eugeo sounded just as exasperated as he was to keep seeing all these church members. Seriously, it'd only been seven days since the Million-Eyed incident. Hadn't all the issues been settled already?

Still, it was not a good sign for Integrity Knights to be showing up again so soon. Makes him wonder if another thing had occurred.

For the goddesses' sake, let his patience stay firm, because it was running really thin right now. There better not be something, or he really might stick to his words and start breaking some legs.

He tried to look over the crowd to see which knights had come here, since they'd met seen quite a number of them already. Unfortunately, being short usually meant seeing nothing but the people blocking your actual target of focus, and with more and more people coming from practically every direction, the crowd was only growing larger, further pushing them away from the centre.

Sighing, he opted to just give up trying, content with letting Uncle Gasupht handle them. It'd either be quick and they'd be on their way right after, or perhaps they'll stay here for a little longer for whatever. All he had to do was be on his best behaviour and not stand out too much. That was—

"Is Kirito and Eugeo here?"

Uncle Gasupht's voice boomed across the square. And, as one, all heads turned towards him, eyes reflecting surprise and curiosity.

…Eh?

Blinking, he looked around and noticed that people had immediately swivelled in their place to stare at him and his best friend, who flinched under their collective gaze.

"Please tell me he didn't say my name and Eugeo's."

"He did… Hurry, hurry, you should go…"

He opted not to stare at whoever answered him, realizing how they'd slowly parted to give him a straight path to the dragons. They stood tall, each one eyeing him with a kind of focus that made him distinctly aware that trying to flee from them would be absolutely impossible.

This was déjà vu all over again, though this time, they didn't have Alice around. Seriously, what is with this?

Someone took a step back. He realized that it was Eugeo, whose expression of unease was displayed to the world. He wished he could have offered a pat on the shoulder or a word of comfort, but with the look on Uncle Gasupht's face from afar, there just wasn't any time.

He sighed. Of all the ways today could go, this was not it.

'Welp, might as well face this moment without hesitation… Eugeo? '

'Seriously? In front of, of all these people? '

'There's no other choice, Eugeo. Just… be calm. I'm sure it's nothing.'

Masking his displeasure as best as he could, he moved forwards with a measured gait, Eugeo ever at his side. So quiet the village was, with the occasional mutter among the crowd, gravel and sand crunching beneath his boots as they walked forwards. He simply stared forwards, calm.

Internally, however, his mind raced as fast as it could manage, trying to determine what could have possibly drawn the Integrity Knights back to their village. Perhaps they sought details regarding the battle with the Million-Eyed? He felt like it wouldn't have been necessary, as Fanatio seemed like a meticulous person who'd have included everything in his reports.

And then, he thought of the possibility that he might have told them about…

'No, there's no way,' he shook his head. 'Fanatio promised to keep those sorts of things a secret. I don't think he told them about Gabura and Selena.'

It must have felt like a whole minute, but the entire walk was literally five seconds or so. By then, he was stood before the chief in his entirety, the man eyeing him up and down with thinly veiled sympathy before he nodded, dispelling his initial look. "Kirito. Eugeo."

"G'afternoon, Uncle," he greeted. Eugeo did the same.

Gasupht nodded before facing the knights once more. "I bring to you Kirito and Eugeo, our two saviours."

"Two? What about Charlotte?" He frowned. "And Sir Fanatio helped just as much. A little unfair to leave them out of it."

Having expected some form of chiding for having interrupted so suddenly, he was unprepared for the sound of an unfamiliar voice giggling. It was singsong, enough to cut the tension that had been building up in him. "My, my. Dear Fanatio had described you as rather spirited, though I'd certainly not expected this."

His gaze shifted towards her, and his body just… froze up.

Immaculate. That was the only thing he could describe this beautiful stranger, whom he swore couldn't possibly be human; her eyes colourless like crystals, her hair an endless river of soft lilac, her skin glistening and pale, smile so gentle. She wasn't dressed like a typical Integrity Knight, more akin to a maiden of sorts, and she seemed so dainty. Not at all a person who seemed fit for combat.

Which made his suspicion skyrocket. Why would they send someone like this with two Integrity Knights? What is her position in the Axiom Church? There must be some importance to her station.

If anything, a part of him was shocked he hadn't noticed her so much earlier, considering just how much she contrasted with the environment and the people around her. And she had an air about her that made it easy to draw anyone's attention. Like a star of a performance, captivating the audience with honeyed words and alluring movements.

Perhaps, in another world, he might have recognized just how important she is and opted to be more careful around her. That the knights on either side of her seemed to be standing protectively by her should have alerted him.

In this current moment, being a kid who was more of a say-before-I-think kind of person?

He practically blurted the first thing that came to mind. "Are you Sir Fanatio's wife?"

No one said anything.

And it was for a very long time as practically everyone just stared at him; the silver-haired woman, the two knights (well, one of them is the green-clad guy, but the other is some big guy in a… bathrobe? Is he even a knight? He does have a sword), their dragons, Uncle Gasupht and everyone else in the crowd.

Eugeo did more than just staring. "Kirito!" He gasped. "You don't just—That's rude!"

"What are you talking about? It was just a question! There was nothing rude about asking her that, of all things!"

"At least have the decency to be a little more reserved about things!" He whined, before bowing before the woman. "I-I'm so sorry for my friend's attitude! He doesn't mean anything bad from it."

"Yeah, I didn't mean anything bad by it—What are you giving me that look for? I was being honest!"

"Courtesy, Kirito! Come on, you don't just ask that sort of thing to just about anyone…"

"Look, you know the rules. Never ask a woman her age and weight. Pretty sure asking her if she's married or not isn't illegal."

Before their banter could progress even more, the lady let out a snort, hiding her smile behind her hand. "My, my. Many had assumed one thing or another about me, but that is the first time someone assumed I was a knight's wife. But no, I am beholden to no one," she didn't seem insulted. If anything, she was more amused than anything else—though the same probably couldn't be said for the green-clad knight. He was shaking, exuding some kind of displeased aura. The older knight was doing his best not to smile, which was to say he wasn't doing a very good job at it. "Pray tell, what gave you that sort of idea?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. You called Sir Fanatio 'Dear'. Most people usually call someone else that if they're close, or they're your romantic partner."

"True, but no. That isn't the case. Synthesis Two serves me as part of the knightly order."

"Serves you?" His brows furrowed. "Well… I guess being an Integrity Knight means they serve the Axiom Church. Are you a high-ranking member of sorts?"

"Blasphemy!" The green knight yelled, making him and some others flinch. He swept one arm to the side. "You would dare insult Her Eminence, the pontifex of the Human Empire? You would do well to beg for her forgiveness, boy!"

"Pontifex?" He looked back at the woman. "What is that?"

The knight... Entokia (right, that's his name) was probably shocked by his lack of knowledge, before his voice rose in chagrin. "Her Eminence, the pontifex, is the very ruler of the Human Empire," he slammed his fist against his chestplate, right where the emblem of the church lay. "She who oversees the lands and leads us knights in the service of the land's people. All knights, emperors, nobles and commoners answer to her."

By the end of his long tirade, someone made a sound of disbelief. It wasn't him, he noticed, but the realization had already set in by then.

The one who rules over the Human Empire was here.

Black eyes widened, mouth slightly agape as he took in the woman's appearance once more. She was smiling still, but realizing now that he stood before someone who practically held more authority than even the emperors—someone who could command them to do anything, and they would bend over backwards to fulfil it—was somehow mind-blogging.

Now, all the muscles in his body felt as tense as a bowstring pulled taut, his breath stuck in his throat, his heart drumming against his ribs.

Bow. Kneel. Prostate. Beg for forgiveness.

Who is she? Why is she here? What did they do? How did she—

He stops himself from breaking down in a panic, drawing upon whatever form of calm that he could pull out of his deep self. "…Oh," he ended up saying, looking away. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Sorry? That's it?" Entokia didn't seem well-pleased. "You have a duty to at least know who has protected you all your life! No such excuse should ever make up for your own negligence."

"Synthesis Eighteen," though the pontifex's voice remained serene, it had a chill to it. It was enough to make him freeze up. Even her gaze had narrowed. "Is that truly how an Integrity Knight carries himself? I suggest that you calm yourself. You might scare the children."

There was no hesitation. No denial. No words. Entokia simply obliged, slamming his fist against his chest. "Forgive me, milady. I shan't do that again," he nodded his head deeply, a sign of deep respect to his leader.

"You make mistakes from time to time. No use caring about it," she waved him off. Afterwards, she returned her gaze towards Kirito—and, rather than seeming upset, she simply smiled back. "And now you know. I am the pontifex of the Human Empire. Though, for the time being, let's not focus on that too much, yes?"

She doesn't even bother asking him for a response before turning to Uncle Gasupht. The man looked no different than before, though having known him for long enough, he could see the small vestiges of disbelief in his face—that the empire's very ruler was here, in his village.

"Now then, what say we take this conversation inside? Village chief?"

To his credit, he was able to regain his composure just like that, nodding as he gestured to his house. "Please, come with me."

Kirito and Eugeo sat at a table with two Integrity Knights and the pontifex opposite of them. If that sounded like the punchline to a joke, then that person's sense of comedy must be really poor, since they were playing out that exact scenario at the moment.

'Are you okay?'

'Yeah, yeah… Sorry. I'm just not mentally prepared for this.'

Neither was he, to be honest. This was all just too sudden, so being guarded from the start felt like a reasonable reflex. And watching the people sitting before him, being lax sounded like a very dangerous idea. The homey feel of Alice's house wasn't enough to do away with the tension in the room, leaving him feeling restless, hands repeating clenching and unclenching to distract himself somewhat. Eugeo bit on his lower lip, staring at his reflection in his green tea.

Uncle Gasupht was sitting in the other room, Aunty Sadina with him. Selka was still outside with the rest of Rulid—discipline kept them rooted to their places rather than go off to return to their work, in case the chief would call for any of them. And that meant Charlotte was outside too.

Kind of wish she's here, to be honest. Her unbreakable calm could do wonders for him.

'Listen, I… I'm sorry,' Eugeo aimed a look at him, biting his inner cheek. 'For getting mad at you just now.'

'It's fine. Really. I mean, if I was just being careless as always, I could have ended up insulting the Human Empire's ruler. Who could have seen that coming? '

He didn't. None of them did.

'Thank you, Eugeo.'

'No… thank you for, for keeping me steady.'

Returning to the present, no one said a thing. The pontifex, on the other hand, didn't bother hiding her curious scrutiny of the both of them, her gaze honed in on them with the intensity of a hawk while she rested her chin on her interlocked fingers. Her smile never faded. To her right, the knight not wearing anything sipped from his tea, while Entokia was likely staring at him in disdain.

Urgh. This is not the situation he wished to be in at the moment. He'd rather be back at the Gigas Cedar, enjoying the cold winds and doing his calling. It would be boring, but pleasant. And he'd take that any day.

"So," the pontifex began, getting him to perk up. A glint of mischief made itself present in her eyes. "You two must have been the ones to have killed the Million-Eyed?"

"Us, alongside Charlotte and Sir Fanatio," he answered slowly.

"Yes, I've already heard. Fanatio has told me everything that I need to know."

"Then wouldn't you like to meet Charlotte also?"

"I suppose I could, but I'll take care of that later. For the time being, I'd intended to meet you two first."

"Then, if you don't mind me asking, why do you want to meet us?" He gave a quick glance towards Entokia's way before quickly adding: "Milady."

"I was just curious," she shrugged with all the ease in the world, making him sweat-drop. "I mean, two children killing a monster a million times bigger than them? Absolutely unheard of."

"There's always been prodigies, though, and they tend to show amazing displays from when they're young."

"True, but nothing could possibly compare to what you two pulled off," that was a fair point, he supposed. "So, here I am. To see for myself just who they were. And I must say, neither you two were anything as I'd expected."

Kirito just shrugged back. If she'd expected some tall, buff guy with abs that could grate cheese, she'd be severely disappointed—beside him, Eugeo snorted, hiding it as a cough to the side. Ah, whoops. He must have accidentally imagined it, and Eugeo heard his thoughts.

'Kirito, p-please don't imagine those kinds of silly scenarios! Be serious!' He would have apologized if she wasn't obviously trying to hide her snicker.

"Hmm… You don't look particularly relaxed," he almost flinched when she said that. "Am I right with that?"

"Can I be frank?"

"By all means."

"Then yeah, we really aren't," being upfront on saying that he feel tense was somehow helping with his nerves, oddly enough. "I mean, the last time Integrity Knights came to our village… Someone got arrested the first time. The second was Fanatio, and that was supposedly to hunt down the Million-Eyed."

"Arrested..? Ah, yes. I know of her. Alice Zuberg."

He hadn't imagined her supposed interest when she said her name, had he? "Right…"

"Arrested for trespassing into the Dark Territory, so Synthesis Seven had come to take her away—"

"Please," it wasn't his voice. Black eyes widened. "Stop. We… We don't want to hear this…"

Anguish. Memories dragged back from their graves. Nails digging into his palm. A breaking voice. His hand reaching for his best friend's shoulder, grasping it tight and refusing to care if this kind of display was inappropriate. They needed to calm down.

'Breathe, Eugeo. Breathe. Think of Alice's smile. Don't think about anything else.'

Please.

It went unsaid, but perhaps his pleas reached his soul. One way or another, the blond eventually stopped shaking, lowering his head to hide his eyes from everyone at the table.

Thank you, Eugeo must have whispered. It was unnecessary; they'll always have each other's backs.

"Hmm. Well, I suppose we can leave that as it is," not even an apology. He wasn't sure if he would have felt any differently even with one. "Well, I'd expected this discomfort from you two, so I may as well be direct with this. Neither the two of you nor your friend are in trouble," she raised a hand. "If anything, your service to the Human Empire is one that has earned you much praise. You should feel honoured."

As upset he was, hearing her words was enough to leave him a little surprised. "Err. Thank you?"

She smiled a little coyly. "Oh? I was expecting a little more. Is that alone not enough for you?"

"No, nothing like that. It's just… I don't know. We're both still trying to wrap our heads around what happened. Being recognized and all is nice, but I guess it would be fine even without. Doesn't really change much."

A chair slid back harshly as he snapped to his feet. "Why you—"

"Calm, Synthesis Eighteen," she said, getting him to pause before he sat back down, albeit not without a huff of displeasure. She cared none of that. "You certainly speak your mind, do you not?"

"For-Forgive him, milady," Eugeo apologized in his stead, still keeping his gaze downwards. "Kirito has always been this way since we were little. It's a boon for him most times, though he could learn to be a little more mindful."

"True. And I'll apologize if I've insulted you for what I said, but I just… I mean, I didn't even know who you were. Now that I do, and now that we're being praised by the Axiom Church's pontifex? The one at the very top? That does mean a lot to us, don't get me wrong, but there're just so much more important things to us than that," this time, he had the decency to lower his head as a form of apology. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't worry about it. If anything, I do appreciate your clear honesty. It's refreshing," the pontifex stopped to take a drink from her cup, setting it down with a sigh. The porcelains clinkered. Sunlight danced through the windows. "Well, acknowledgement is one thing. But this deserves an actual reward of its own, right?"

That had both of them perking up, black and green eyes rising to meet hers.

'A reward? What for? '

'I guess it's an official way to acknowledge our work and thank us? Otherwise, it might seem that they're ungrateful to their subjects, which would sow discontent in the masses.'

Politics, basically. Generosity is often hard to find when it comes to such large-scale things such as this, though he couldn't blame her for that. She probably has enough headaches dealing with that sort of thing on a daily basis already.

"Of course, considering how you're still plenty young, there's much that the Axiom Church can't reward you with. But I do have an idea," she leaned forwards, looking like a cat that caught the canary. Her following words made his entire world stop. "To put it simply… you will become Integrity Knights."

'Become Integrity Knights..?'

No one said anything. Entokia and the other knight simply watched them, keeping their comments to themselves. The pontifex was just smiling the entire time, calm yet all too pleased. And he…

He didn't know what to say. Distantly, he was made aware of the time when Charlotte had spoken to him regarding his and Eugeo's fates should they pursue a road of swordsmanship, one of which leading them down to mercenary work… and the other as a knight of the Axiom Church itself.

Somehow hearing it from the lips of the very pontifex felt like a dream. Because it had felt like an impossible thing long before. But now..?

"If I'm not wrong, you two have the «Sacred Calling» of cutting the Gigas Cedar? Well, you can get your callings changed right away and join us as Integrity Knights. Obviously, you will return with us to Centoria, where you will then devote yourself to honing your skills and serve the Human Empire."

"Y-You mean, like, right away?" Eugeo asked.

In response, she simply shrugged. "Why not? Supposedly, you'd join an academy in one of the four empires and study for two years before competing in the Four Empire Unification Tournament. And only then, should you succeed, will you be allowed to enlist as an Integrity Knight. By then, you'd have been nineteen," she flicked a hand in the air. "Now, however? You can skip all of that and join early."

"That's…"

Kirito's world was spinning. How many people would kill for this opportunity? The lower-ranking nobles and even commoners, he bet. After all, becoming an Integrity Knight meant that the family would then be granted such a hefty reward that they'd technically be set for life. Some noble families are even given prestigious standings, so of course they'd jump at the opportunity to have their children study the sword.

And here she was. The very ruler of the Human Empire, sitting before them at the same table in Alice's house, making this very offer to them—no, a command, if anything else. Dressing it up as a pretty reward when it was basically a ticket to walk out of their current lives and do even more and serve their cause.

He should be honoured by it. He should be jumping at the chance already. He should be saying 'yes'.

Instead… "Milady?"

"Yes?"

In front of everyone at the table and even his best friend, he rose from his seat—and bowed.

"I… can't believe that you'd give us, two kids from some village out so far, this sort of chance. It's such an honour."

He couldn't see the pontifex's expression, hair slightly covering his vision, but he could imagine the sheer satisfaction. "Good. Then—"

"But I can't accept it. I'm sorry."

"Kirito…" His friend's voice was soft, almost awed. It took only a second before he, too, stood up and bowed beside him. Spurred by his own initiative, perhaps. "Forgive me as well, milady. I, too, do not have any intention to join the Integrity Knights now."

A shaky breath left his lips. When he raised his head once more, it was to an expression of surprise and slight annoyance on her porcelain face. "Oh?" She didn't sound too upset, which was a good thing, though there was a sign of a pout on her face. "And would you mind explaining why that is?"

"It's because of our calling. We…" He met Eugeo's eyes, and knowing that he shared the exact same sentiments as he did gave him the strength to continue. "We want to finish it, no matter what."

"What kind of excuse is that?" Entokia scoffed, crossing his arms. "Generations upon generations of tree-cutters have failed to fell the Gigas Cedar. Her Eminence seeks to give you a way out, yet you choose to turn down her offer. You wish to complete that quest?"

"It's possible," Kirito responded. The green-armoured knight hummed. "It wasn't before, but now? We have the Blue Rose Sword; the sword that once belonged to the dragon that guarded the north, and which the hero Bercouli once tried to steal from her."

It was barely noticeable, almost a trick of the light. But from the way the older knight's face twitched, it seemed to have struck a cord in him. Even the pontifex's eyes narrowed.

"Oh? Is that so…"

"And besides, if we go now, someone else would be given that job. It would change nothing," he sighed. "In fact, it'd just go back to how things were before; someone else would be saddled with a job that wouldn't end in days. Weeks. Months. Years. Nothing would be accomplished. We'd basically be condemning a man and his friend, and perhaps their children, and their children after them, to this very same burden—"

"—But we can change that. We have the opportunity to do that."

"…How high is your «Object Control Authority»?"

"Eighty-seven," both knights perked up in surprise. The pontifex seemed impressed. "Killing the Million-Eyed boosted my authority by leaps and bounds. And even before then, I had an authority high enough to use the sword in the first place, so there was never an issue. Eugeo?"

"Mine is around seventy-four."

"…You two certainly seem determined to go through with this, aren't you?"

He didn't respond verbally this time. This time, he hoped that his conviction shone through in his eyes. He trusted Eugeo to feel the same way, for what else could there possibly be in him?

They had spent years working on this thing. A burden passed down to two children who toiled at it endlessly for days, hoping for a day when they would finally bear witness to the magnificent thing come crashing down, signifying the end to a brutal cycle.

This had become personal. No matter what, they will cut it down with their own two hands.

They were stuck in what seemed like a very long stare-off, neither forces willing to give up, before the pontifex pulled away. She sighed, massaging her temple. "Well, no use trying to push a wall that refuses to budge, I suppose."

Kirito was pleased to see her accept, but he bowed all the same. "Thank you. And we're sorry, honestly. It's such an honour. But… there are just some things in the world that you just gotta' do, you know? Maybe it's pride or duty. But we can't give up on it."

"Yes, yes, I understand," she waved him off. "If anything, I suppose it would make the people very happy. And… I can understand that."

"Pardon?"

"Having something that you want to see through to the very end. That's something I very much understand, so I'll let you have that."

"Your Eminence, is that alright?"

"He's right. We wasted your time in coming here."

"It wasn't," her swift denial left both him and Entokia surprised. "I said it, didn't I? I was curious in the two children Fanatio had spoken of. I'm satisfied having come here already. I'll go see that Charlotte you mentioned later. Though, if you're willing, I do have one little curiosity remaining."

"Err," he met Eugeo's gaze, who shrugged back. "Sure. We don't mind anything," he said back. "Is there anything we can do for you?"

Maybe he shouldn't have said that. By the way her eyes gained a glimmer of sorts, he felt like he'd just been caught in a trip. His shoulders squared up immediately.

"Well, if you're offering…" Her voice came out in a sultry tone, and only now was he kind of wishing he hadn't said that. "It's simple, really. I just want to witness your prowess in action."

She gestured her head to the knight beside her. The one that still went unnamed, and who looked far too relaxed. However, he now had his attention on the boy, smiling back as if he wasn't just about to beat up a kid tens of years younger than him.

"Would you be so kind as to have a duel with Synthesis One over here?"

…Fuck.

Author's Notes:

And so, the world continues moving forwards. The pontifex and the children of fate finally meet. Also, starting my second year of university tomorrow. Yay to holiday month being over...

Just in case people are wondering; yes, the initial part of this chapter where Kirito talks to Sulinea and the one in last chapter where Selka talks to Charlotte are actually the same—but I edited Selka's part from this one. They happen at the same night, and I intended to include both to highlight the aftermath of the fight from two different perspectives; One, of Selka who hadn't been involved in the fight, and Kirito who had. Vice versa, Charlotte had been in the fight whereas Sulinea hadn't, so both scenarios are practically two coins with the same side and a coincidence.

Also, I'm expecting some to comment that it's a little too early for them to meet. Keep in mind that there was a timeskip of exactly a week, and I thought that was fine enough. Apologies if not so, but that's the way it is.