Chapter 21 - Reunions
11.29.1204 - Monday
"Ugh… Where… am I…?" Rean questioned as he woke up.
The last thing he remembered was trying to stop Crow's Divine Knight from attacking Towa and George before collapsing inside Valimar, but now it looked like he was on a mountain.
"Am I dreaming?" Rean asked aloud.
"Of course not." A voice answered.
Rean suddenly turned around to see who had answered him, and was shocked to find Emma's cat Celine and his Divine Knight Valimar.
"So you've finally woken up." Celine continued.
Celine explained to Rean everything that she saw happen after he collapsed, mainly how she ordered Valimar to fly them to a safe location so they could heal. She also answered some of Rean's other questions. Like informing him about what his status as an "Awakener'' meant and his connection to Valimar.
Unfortunately for Celine, Rean quickly grew impatient and tried to plead with a resting Valimar to return him to Trista. After Celine explained how Valimar was in no shape to wake up, Rean got up and left to figure out where he was. One way or another, he planned to reunite with his schoolmates as soon as possible. Fearing that he would do something reckless Celine joined Rean on his little exploration.
They soon found his tachi and Arcus unit a few arges away from where they were resting. Rean tried to contact all of his classmates, but it soon became obvious that there was no signal.
Rean and Celine continued exploring before they were met with a large figure. It wasn't a Divine Knight or a Panzer Soldat, but Rean knew he was in no position to fight it.
Rean was ready to retreat before remembering a promise he made.
"President Towa… That's right, I need to get back to Trista." Rean said as readied himself.
"Yeesh, Emma's books were right. Boys really are only powered by hormones." Celine joked knowing full well Rean wasn't listening to her.
Rean was able to hold his own for a while, but it was becoming clear that he still wasn't in a good enough condition to fight that thing.
Luckily, assistance came in the form of Toval… and Elise… and Princess Alfin.
"At this rate I expect Prince Olivert and Viscount Arseid to pop out to lay in the final blow!" Rean yelled as the four of them fought the magic knight together. In the end they were able to defeat it by pushing it off a nearby cliff.
The five of them made their way to Ymir. Apparently Valimar had decided that the mountains next to Ymir were the best place to hide.
Once they got to Ymir Rean was more or less tackled by his parents. Apparently news had spread around Ymir that Rean had died defending Trista. So when Toval arrived the previous day, his family and Princess Alfin feared that he had arrived to confirm the news of Rean's passing.
Thankfully, Toval had arrived because the airship he was on was given an anonymous tip telling them that something important was waiting in Ymir. To everyone's surprise that important thing was Rean all along.
Despite his objections, everyone sent Rean to his room to rest a bit more. Apparently, his month-long "nap" wasn't good enough for them.
The next day Rean, Elise, and Toval went back to Ymir Valley to investigate a monster sighting. It turned out the magic knight they had fought the day before had slowly been making its way to Ymir. Luckily, the trio were able to destroy it for good.
Unfortunately, while they were gone the Noble Alliance sent one of their members along with a group of Jaegers to kidnap Princess Alfin and by extension run amok around Ymir.
By the time the trio made it back Baron Schwarzer had been shot, and a girl with white hair and a puppet similar to Millium had taken Princess Alfin. She also managed to take Elise, while no one was looking.
In his rage Rean had awakened his ogre form. But before he could harm anyone, Vita's familiar Grianos flew in and had a projection of Vita appear. Apparently Duke Albarea had sent the girl and the Jaegers without telling anyone, so Vita decided to cast a spell on the Jaegers and had them leave.
Unfortunately, it seemed the white haired girl had flown away on her puppet with Princess Alfin and Elise as the commotion happened.
Rean and Toval quickly took Baron Schwarzer to his bed while Lady Schwarzer went to get the local priest.
After Rean and Toval made sure that Baron Schwarzer was in stable condition they agreed that they needed to find all of Class VII. Only then would things become somewhat more manageable.
The following day Rean and Toval made their way to where Valimar was located. Celine had gone earlier without them and informed them that Valimar had enough power to use the Spirit Path to travel across the Empire, but unfortunately he only had enough power to get to Celdic.
"Celdic actually sounds like the perfect spot to go first." Toval said.
"What makes you say that?" Rean asked.
"Well, one of my crewmates on the airship I was on told me that some members of Class VII were hiding in Celdic." Toval revealed.
"Really? Who's the contact?" Celine asked.
"Confidential." Toval responded.
"We don't have all day you know. Shall we?" Rean asked them.
Rean and Celine were able to wake up Valimar and inform them of their plan.
"Acknowledged." Valimar announced as they opened up the Spirit Path.
12.9.1204 - Thursday (Departing Ymir)
Over the course of several days Rean was able to slowly reunite with the rest of Class VII along with some other allies.
In Celdic, Rean was able to reunite with Machias, Elliot, Fie, and Captain Claire. He was a little concerned when Machias told him that George and Towa were supposed to meet with them in Celdic a month ago, but had never arrived. As much as Rean wanted to stay in Celdic to look for them, he decided to place faith in Towa and George and pray to Aidios that they found safety somewhere else. In the Nord Highlands, Rean was able to reunite with Gaius, Alisa, Millium, and Sharon. And finally in Legram and Bareahard, Rean was able to reunite with Laura, Emma, Jusis, and Instructor Sara. Jusis was also kind enough to have brought Rean's orbal bike to Bareahard after convincing his father that it was gifted to him.
Soon everyone was safely transported to Ymir. Now with everyone in one place, Class VII started to wonder what their next move would be.
12.13.1204 - Monday
It didn't take long for Class VII to question what to do, as the Noble Alliance had returned to Ymir the previous day.
After a brief skirmish they agreed to leave Ymir if Rean agreed to leave with them.
Seeing no other option, Rean agreed. It was clear after his Divine Knight rematch with Crow, that he still wasn't good enough to turn the tide of battles just yet.
Now Rean was sitting in his cabin. He'd been there since last night. While he had no plans to assist the Noble Alliance, the thought of his collaboration being enough to end the war sooner rather than later had snuck into his head.
Rean soon heard two voices from outside his door. It seemed that Crow was getting reprimanded by Duke Cayenne over something.
"What's the big deal?" Crow said.
"What's the big deal? You not only failed your scouting mission, but lied about it to me! I sent you to locate and kill the other awakener. Your reports stated that the Ashen Knight was nothing but scrap metal and that the awakener was dead inside the cockpit. You're lucky that Rufus thought up a backup plan. At least now the brat is under our supervision." Duke Cayenne ranted.
"Listen, if you're really that butthurt about it, you can always just dismiss me y'know. Ordine, Vulcan, Scarlet, and I will happily walk if you want us to. Our goal was to kill Osborne after all." Crow responded.
"Fine! I'll look past your mistake this once, but next time I order you to do something you better do it." Duke Cayenne said.
"Thank you very much your Majesty." Crow said.
Rean could hear Duke Cayenne angrily storm off before Crow entered his room with a small bag.
"Soooo, how've you been?" Crow greeted.
Rean and Crow ate for a few minutes. Crow had brought two fish-burgers that he made for himself and Rean.
Despite it being a rather casual thing to be doing, Rean could still feel the tension in the room.
Once they were done, they sat in their seats quietly. Rean was preparing himself to ask Crow about everything. His connection to the Imperial Liberation Front, his involvement with the Noble Alliance, and most importantly: why he assassinated Chancellor Osborne.
"You must be worried about Towa aren't you?" Crow teased. It was as if they were having a conversation back at Thors.
"Why wouldn't I be worried!? President Towa and George were supposed to be in Celdic, but according to Machia, Elliot, and Fie they haven't been seen since your invasion of Trista." Rean angrily responded.
"Relax, will ya? I should rephrase my question, I am speaking to Captain Oblivious after all." Crow continued teasing.
"Captain what?" Rean asked before getting interrupted.
"You're scared that something's going to happen to Towa aren't you? You want to know where she is right now so you run out of here and have Valimar fly you to her location so you can protect her don't you? You want to be her knight in shining armor and shield her from all the trouble in Zemuria don't you?" Crow continued.
"I want to protect everyone! I-I believe in President Towa to be able to keep herself safe. For all I know she made it safely back home to Heimdallr. I believe President Towa is more than capable of taking care of herself and doesn't need someone like me, George, Angelica, or even you to constantly keep an eye on her. I mean, she did get a surprise hit on you and your Divine Knight after all." Rean responded.
Crow simply stood up from his seat and made his way towards Rean.
Rean admittedly expected to get punched by Crow for that last comment, but was surprised to see him start rubbing his head.
"So this is how it feels to get your head rubbed? It's not that bad, although to be honest I'd be more embarrassed if it was President Towa giving it to me rather than Crow." Rean thought to himself.
"Alright, I'm satisfied with your answer. Go ahead ask one of your dumb questions now." Crow said. Despite being enemies Rean felt nothing but sincerity coming from Crow.
Rean tried to think carefully about which of his questions to ask, but in the end his words failed him. "Crow... why?"
"Going for the vague one I see, fine I guess I should explain myself to someone on the other side." Crow started.
Rean listened as Crow explained his past; his youth in Jurai, his grandfather dying a disgrace because of Chancellor Osborne, making his way to Ordis and getting captured by Duke Cayenne, Vita giving him the role of the Azure Chevalier, Duke Cayenne organizing the meeting where he met Gideon, Scarlet, and Vulcan, the birth of the Imperial Liberation Front, and their shared hatred of Chancellor Osborne.
"Judging by the look on your face you must be pissed with Osborne as I am. Not the big hero most of the Empire makes him out to be huh?" Crow said as saw how distraught Rean looked.
"Crow, I had no idea-" Rean said before getting interrupted by Crow.
"Don't bother apologizing. It's not like you're connected to Osborne in some way. Wait, don't tell me you were a supporter of his or something." Crow questioned.
"To be honest, I've never been all that big into politics. For one, Ymir is normally so disconnected from what usually happens within the Empire. Also as you may know already, I'm the adopted son of Baron Schwarzer. Just because I'm older than Elise doesn't mean I'm next in line to become the next Baron of Ymir. Unless Elise marries another noble with their own land to take care of, then she'll be the next Baroness of Ymir. So admittedly politics were never of high importance to me. To be honest, I've never heard my dad once say Chancellor Osborne's name. It wasn't until I got to Thors that I first heard about him." Rean admitted.
"And? I'm sure being surrounded by people like Machias have made you a big supporter I assume." Crow responded.
"The opposite in fact. If you couldn't tell by my sword style, I have a deep respect for Calvard's culture. So I think it should be obvious how I feel towards someone who I hear is always rising tensions between the Erebonian Empire and the Republic of Calvard." Rean continued.
"President Towa and her family having roots in Calvard also doesn't help." Rean also thought to himself.
"I see then." Crow responded.
With that conversation finished, the two remembered their current situation.
"I think you should chat around the ship before deciding to join us or not. There's someone upstairs who'd probably be glad to see you." Crow said before leaving.
After chatting with the other affiliates of the Noble Alliance; like Vulcan, Scarlet, Duvalie the Swift, Phantom Thief B, Zeno and Leonidas of Zephyr, Altina, and McBurn, Rean decided to check who the person upstairs was. To his surprise, it was Princess Alfin.
After talking, Rean had come to his decision and formulated a plan. Him and Princess Alfin would run while everyone's guard was down and escape via Valimar.
"If I really want to protect everyone, then I need to stop running away from it. No matter how much it scares me, I need to control its power if I want a fighting chance against anyone who threatens to hurt them." Rean thought to himself as he felt the resolve in his heart assure him that he had gained control of his ogre power.
Before he knew it, he and Princes Alfin had snuck through a nearby vent and ran towards the exit. This time nothing would stop him from protecting anyone like before.
"Spirit Unification!" Rean yelled.
Before he knew it he had picked up Princess Alfin and ran past everyone. If he could just make it to Valimar then he could ensure Princess Alfin's safety.
Nothing could stop Rean. He'd already gotten past Bleubanc, Duvalie, Scarlet, Vulcan, Xeno, Leonidas, and Altina. He knew that if the pattern continued then Crow and McBurn were waiting for him outside. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to beat them in a fight, but as long as he could manage to get Valimar to get away with Princess Alfin then he'd consider it a successful escape.
To no one's surprise, Crow and McBurn were waiting for them outside. They were standing in front of Valimar. If Rean's plan were to work then he'd have to distract them while Valimar and Princess Alfin escaped.
After setting Princess Alfin aside, Rean told her his plan. At first she refused to leave him behind, but she knew full well that Rean wasn't going to listen to her.
Rean turned to Crow and McBurn, his blade already in his hands and walked towards them.
Before McBurn could prepare himself, Crow signaled that he wanted to face Rean by himself.
"And here I thought my sob story was going to cause you to switch sides. Glad to see you grow a spine for once." Crow said as he took out his staff.
Before the battle could start, Rean sensed a small breeze pass by him.
The cavalry was on their way.
"Well Crow, unlike before I won't lose to you this time!" Rean yelled as he ran towards Crow.
"Talk is cheap!" Crow retorted as he countered Rean's first strike. He could tell that Rean was making great use of his newly controlled ogre powers.
Rean and Crow's battle went on for a few minutes. Neither got any good hits in. Even when Crow tried to go for some low blows, Rean kept on countering. Most of Rean's strategy was to counter all of Crow's attacks. His goal wasn't to beat Crow, but to stall for enough time for the cavalry to arrive.
To Rean's surprise, Crow jumped back.
"Sorry for the breach of privacy, but I figured you'd want to have this." Crow yelled before throwing something at Rean.
Rean caught it and realized what Crow had thrown at him: his locket. After a quick look, Rean saw that the picture of Towa was still inside.
Before Rean could ask for answers the cavalry arrived and the other members of the Noble Alliance also caught up.
Even though he'd already reunited with Class VII earlier, seeing all of them along with Toval, Captain Claire, Sharon, Instructor Sara, Prince Oliver, George, and Viscount Arseid made it feel like a proper reunion.
After an unexpected light-hearted chat, Rean and Princess Alfin got inside Valimar and made their escape with the others who had used Emma's magic to get back on the Courageous.
Once everyone was on board the Courageous, Prince Olivert ordered whoever he left on the Bridge to get them out of there.
Once on board the Courageous, Rean was finally able to return to reel back in his ogre powers.
Him and Princess Alfin were welcomed aboard almost immediately. It was nice to be surrounded by everyone again. Although Rean was disappointed to see that Towa wasn't amongst them.
"Alright everyone, go and rest up. You've all certainly earned it. Alfin there's something I want to discuss with you, can you come with me to the royal chambers? Oh and Rean, I order you to rest in the infirmary. I imagine that you're still very tired." Prince Olivert announced.
Soon everyone scattered around the Courageous.
Rean was able to find the infirmary without much issue.
When he stepped inside he realized that there wasn't a doctor onboard.
"Looks like I'll be able to rest here by myself then." Rean told himself.
Suddenly he sensed the door opening and someone else coming in. Instinctively, Rean turned around to see who it was.
"Rean!"
Without a second to process who it was, Rean felt the person run up to him and put their arms around him and started hugging him. It was the tightest hug Rean had ever received in his life.
"It's really you… You're really okay… No sooner had we found out that you were still alive, we got told you'd been taken by the alliance! I-I've been so, so worried about you!"
Upon looking down to see who it was, Rean was shocked to see that it was Towa. Despite doing her best to hold back her tears, Rean could tell she was close to her limit.
Without much thought, Rean returned the hug. Although he was a little embarrassed that his grip couldn't match Towa's. He also did his best to hold back his own tears.
"I'm a real troublemaker, aren't I? Sorry, President Towa. But I'm glad to see you made it out okay. Everything I've said to you has been at the back of my mind ever since we parted ways in Trista. And it's kept me going every step of the way. So… thank you." Rean greeted Towa.
"Oh… Heehee. You remembered. You promised me you wouldn't die, and you didn't. And then there was the promise you made during the festival after we danced… You said that next year, you'd work to make the academy even more wonderful than it is now… We still need to work on that one, but I know you're not the kind of guy who'd go back on his word. T-Then there's our conversation from the festival that we never got to finish…" Towa responded.
They could feel each other grow warm upon remembering what exactly that conversation was about.
Despite both saying everything they wanted to say, neither wanted to let go of the other. Rean even felt Towa's grip get even tighter. With neither seemingly wanting to let go, they both continued hugging each other for a few more minutes. It was a good thing they were alone.
If only that were true.
"It's been ten minutes you two. Looks like my prediction was spot on. See, I told you sending Rean to the infirmary was the best way to get President Hershel and him away from the others Victor." Prince Olivert said as he entered the infirmary unannounced.
Rean and Towa immediately separated from each other while Prince Olvert laughed at their expense.
"Please excuse the interruption, but it was important to separate you from the others President Towa. Rean, I hope you don't mind waiting outside for a minute or two." Captain Arseid said as he entered the infirmary.
"O-Oh sure." Rean said before making his way to the door.
"Actually, I think Rean's presence would be most useful for this discussion." Prince Olivert said as he blocked the exit.
"If you say so." Captain Arseid responded.
Towa and Rean were both unsure what in the world Prince Olivert and Captain Arseid wanted with them.
Soon Captain Arseid and Prince Olivert turned to Towa.
"We originally wanted to bring this up in a meeting with the whole crew, but Captain Boring over here insisted that we discuss the matter with you beforehand." Prince Olivert explained.
"President Herschel, due to rising tensions on the western front of Erebonia, Prince Olivert and I decided it would be a wise idea to entrust the Courageous to the students of Thors while we go and assist the Imperial Army. Of course, we see no better candidate to be the captain of the Courageous in our absence than you President Herschel." Captain Arseid informed Towa.
"W-Wait! You guys are leaving? Wouldn't it be better for all of us to stay together and help across the whole empire and make sure all the Thors students and staff are accounted for?" Towa objected.
"Unfortunately, the Courageous as it is lacks the resources to go back and forth across the empire to both look for Thors students and staff and help in battle." Captain Arseid explained.
"But if Victor, me, and a few others can leave and assist the western front, then the Courageous is free to go search around the eastern half for Thors students and staff." Prince Olivert continued.
Suddenly Prince Olivert turned to Rean.
"Well what do you think Rean? How would you describe President Herschel's leadership ability?" Prince Olivert asked.
Rean suddenly understood why Prince Olivert wanted him there.
Rean gave it some thought before answering Prince Olivert. "If I had to describe President Towa's leadership ability, it would be ruling with a kind fist. No matter who or what, she's always ready to give it her all. She won't let anything stop her from helping others. It's the reason she's the Student Council President in the first place."
"Well President Herschel? With a recommendation like that, I feel nothing but confidence leaving the Courageous in your more than capable hands. What do you say?" Prince Olivert asked Towa once again.
Towa wasn't sure what to say. Prince Olivert and Captain Arseid were giving her a position she wasn't sure she was capable of. But even then she gave it some thought. Prince Olivert was right, the Courageous was already running off limited resources. They had just spent the past month going across the empire delivering supplies and sending doctors to battlefields to take care of the wounded. But in all that time her and George weren't able to get any leads on the whereabouts of any Thors students or staff. If she wanted to make sure her schoolmates and instructors were safe, then she'd have to take the position. Plus, it wouldn't be as if she'd be left to do things by herself. She'd have Rean, George, Instructor Sara, and the rest of Class VII assisting her.
Towa took a deep breath and gave Prince Olivert and Captain Arseid her answer. "Prince Olivert and Captain Arseid, I humbly accept the position. You can count on me to take care of the Courageous in your absence."
Prince Olivert couldn't be happier with her answer, and gave Captain Arseid a nod.
"Congratulations President Herschel, or should I say Captain Herschel." Prince Olivert said.
Before Towa knew it, Captain Arseid took off his captain hat and put it on her. It was a bit large, but at least it didn't fall off her head.
"We'll hold a meeting with everyone else in an hour. I'll tell them about the plan then. From there you all can decide what to do with the Courageous. Be it searching for lost classmates or helping around with requests. I'll make sure to let Mueller know to send you guys any requests we receive." Prince Olivert continued.
With all that said and done, Prince Olivert and Viscount Arseid left the infirmary to let Towa and Rean rest. Or as Prince Olivert described as "letting them continue where they left off" before making smooching sounds. Towa and Rean were not amused.
Towa soon took off her captain hat and set it aside on a nearby table. She'd come pick it up when Prince Olivert told everyone of her new position.
"Well Rean, you have an hour. Make sure to get some rest." Towa told Rean.
"Rest? How in the world can I rest when my captain is awake working hard?" Rean teased. He had no intention of letting Towa overwork herself on her first day as captain of the Courageous.
"You can be so stubborn, you know. Fine, if you really want to help your captain, then I know what you can do. I need to look over some recent requests that were sent by Major Mueller, so you can start by making me some coffee." Towa ordered.
"W-Wait coffee?" Rean said. With the way the conversation was going he was expecting Towa to ask him to help her look over the requests.
"Well, or is that too much work for you? You better make sure to add lots of sugar. Nothing beats sugary coffee." Towa teased.
"Sugar huh? Personally, I think the best coffee is black coffee." Rean retorted.
"Black coffee? That's no fun. Fine, you can make one for yourself. But you better not hold back on the sugar for mine, don't think that I won't notice." Towa responded.
The only person she knew that preferred black coffee had been her grandfather. She remembered sneaking a sip from his cup when she was younger and finding it atrocious. How anyone could like it was a mystery to her.
"Alright, I get it. But you better leave some of those requests for me to look over." Rean ordered.
The two immediately started laughing. It had definitely been a while since Rean had helped Towa out. It felt nice.
"Okay, it should take me ten minutes. See you on the bridge." Rean told Towa.
"I'll make sure to save you a seat by the computer." Towa assured Rean.
With that the two went their separate ways.
True to his word Rean showed up ten minutes later and took the seat Towa had saved for him. One cup of black coffee for himself and one cup of sugar filled coffee for her.
To Towa's joy, Rean didn't hold back on the sugar. Everyone she knew did their best to limit the amount of sugar Towa put in her coffee, her aunt and uncle even put all the sugar on top shelves just so she couldn't overdo it. It was quite sweet of Rean to do that for her.
Despite everything that had happened since October, Rean and Towa quickly found comfort in helping each other again after so long.
Author's Note
Originally this chapter was meant to be two separate chapters before I decided to combine them. It really came down to both sections (Rean with Class VII and Crow and Rean with Towa) fitting the title of "Reunion". Hope you enjoyed it!
Expect the next few chapters to be a bit more laid back as Rean and Towa's relationship sort of takes center stage of the chapters taking place in Act 2.
I also decided it would be fun to start including a piece of following chapters without context as a nice little preview.
Preview - "As I left, I saw Captain Herschel giving Schwarzer mouth-to-mouth resuscitation." ? revealed.
