Chapter 28 - Unkept Promises

12.31.1204 - Friday (The Final Operation)

Crow watched on from inside Ordine as Rean and Valimar continued fighting the Vermillion Apocalypse. He had intended to help deal the final blow alongside them, but he and Ordine were in no condition were no condition to fight. They had been stabbed from behind by the Vermillion Apocalypse, and as a result he was having trouble breathing due to them piercing through his chest. Ironic considering that was exactly where Rean and Valimar attempted to strike them back in Trista a few months ago.

"Ordine… begin… the emergency shut down..." Crow commanded.

"But Crow… if I shut down then you will surely-" Ordine countered.

"Don't worry… they didn't hit anything important… I'll... wake you up when I recover… I promise." Crow lied.

"Acknowledged…" Ordine reluctantly announced.

Crow silently sat in the cockpit, knowing full well this wouldn't be the only promise he'd be breaking that day.


3.25.1204 - Thursday (Last Day of School)

After finishing their last class. Proto Class VII decided to celebrate by going to Kirsche's Cafe & Inn.

"Welp guys, we survived our first year here. Pretty sure that means we'll be able to survive anything!" Angelica announced.

"I'm not sure that's how the saying goes." George noted.

"Alright you guys, here's our drinks." Towa greeted as she placed their four drinks on the table.

After giving a quick toast, the four friends started talking about what the next school year had in store for them.

"The tests are surely to be a pain, but at least I don't have to wear this stinkin' uniform anymore." Angelica commented as she took off her white uniform coat.

"You said it. These things are way too flammable to use in a lab." George said in agreement.

"I think I'll stick with my uniform. As the newly appointed Student Council President, I need to set an example." Towa responded.

"Not even a week since getting elected and you're already acting like a stereotypical Student Council President." Angelica teased.

"One of us has to act like an upperclassmen." Towa teased back.

Suddenly Towa, Angelica, and George noticed that something was off about the final member of their group.

"Is something wrong Crow? You've been staring off into the distance for a while now." George asked.

"Yeah, you've been unusually quiet." Towa noted.

Crow suddenly realized that his friends were staring at him.

"Oh, it's nothing. Don't worry. I'm just trying to remember which race horse I bet some money on recently." Crow lied.

"Oh really? If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to see if that new radio host was around." Angelica teased.

"Alright you caught me! But I swear that libido of yours better not ruin any more of my chances! How many girls did you date in the last month alone?" Crow said in an attempt to steer the conversation elsewhere.

"Sorry Crow, but nothing is going to stop me anytime soon. Say Towa, my offer is always available you know." Angelica teased.

"Angie, I already told you that I don't swing that way. Plus, unlike you and Crow, I came to Thors purely for the education." Towa responded.

"You say that now, but you just wait until your Prince Charming shows up in the Student Council Room and selflessly helps you with your work and takes you to lunch afterwards." Angelica joked.

"Haha, yeah right. I doubt anyone would be willing to help with that mountain of paperwork." Towa joked.

"Still, to think we only have one more year here." George commented.

"Yeah. Once we graduate I doubt we'll be able to hangout as frequently as we do now." Towa lamented.

"Almost makes you forget how badly we got along when we first met." Angelica said.

"Yeah, if it weren't for Instructor Sara I'm sure you and Crow would still be enemies." Towa recalled.

They weren't proud to admit it, but they weren't exactly the best of friends when they first met at the beginning of the school year.

Towa was a bit too strict about following the school rules, George was too focused on his portable orbal computer to talk with any of them, Angelica often ditched classes to go on dates, and Crow also ditched frequently but no one really ever knew where he went. Out of the four of them Crow was the most closed off one, as he dodged any questions about his personal life Towa, George, and Angelica threw at him.

As a result, their first Field Study in Raquel was nothing short of a disaster. Due to the circumstances, only Towa fully remembered what had happened. But she swore never to tell the others for their own sake.

Thanks to Instructor Sara's quick thinking however, their second Field Study in Jurai had gone on much better. Once there, Crow opened up to everyone and revealed that he was from there. He didn't specify too much about his personal life, but the others didn't really question him out of respect for his privacy. By the end of the Field Study all four felt like the best of friends.

"Are we still keeping the promise we made on the train ride back?" George asked.

"Of course! Too bad we haven't been able to figure out a place to vacation too." Towa commented.

"I heard some pretty good things about the hot springs in Ymir. Seeing how the Phoenix Wings in Ymir fall into Nortia Province territory, I might be able to pull some strings and get us some rooms." Angelica offered.

"Our promise was just to celebrate together, I don't think we should worry too much about where it is." George responded.

"You're right. I suppose it's one of those things we'll decide when we get there." Towa said.

"You heard her guys, we have a year to plan!" Angelica exclaimed.

"Yup, just like we promised!" George continued.

"Yeah… just like we promised." Crow said.


12.31.1204 - Friday (The Final Operation)

Crow watched on as Class VII surrounded him in his final moments. He tried his best to calm his classmates down. He tried every excuse he could think of, but they knew what was going on.

Emma, Celine, and Elliot did their best to use their healing magic, but to no avail. Crow could see the look of despair on his classmates' faces.

This wasn't how he wanted to go. This wasn't how Crow Armbrust would die.

Class VII watched on as Crow (tried to) lift himself up.

"Man… Same place I… shot Osborne… too… Haha… Karma's a bitch, huh?" Crow joked.

"Crow!" Rean yelled.

"Y-You don't have to talk!" Elliot advised.

"Sorry, Rean… Looks like I won't be able to keep that promise after all… Towa and Gelica… and George are… gonna have to…" Crow started saying as he recalled all the promises he had made while at Thors.

"It's okay! That doesn't matter right now!" Rean yelled.

"We need to stop the blood!" Alisa ordered.

Instructor Sara then turned to the visibility distraught Vita.

"It's hopeless, isn't it?" Instructor Sara asked.

"I'm afraid so… He's been pierced through the heart. Even our Witchcraft won't be enough. The most I can do is make it as painless as possible." Vita revealed as Emma and Celine confirmed her claim.

"Thanks, Emma… And you kitty… At least this way… I can say my goodbyes…" Crow lamented.

"No… Don't talk like that…" Rean said.

Crow then used some of his remaining energy to give Rean one last head rub.

"I swear… you're such a spoiled kid sometimes…" Crow teased.

Crow then turned to his other classmates.

"Elliot… that concert was really fun… Keep on loving music… as much as I loved yours. Alisa… try and get along with your mom… alright? You've got your differences… but at least she's still alive to talk to you. Machias, Jusis… stay good rivals for one another… okay? The Empire might change with the times… but you two should always be the same. Laura… Fie… Gaius… Millium… A lot's happened this past year… but I really enjoyed getting to know you… So, thanks. Sara… thanks for everything… these last two years… and Vita… a lot's happened between us… but I'm glad I had you there…" Crow said.

Everyone could only start to tear up as they began to accept Crow's fate.

Crow soon turned back to Rean.

"Hey, now… what's with the long faces? You're all going to be in for some… tough times ahead… I can't go any farther now… but you can… so keep going forward…" Crow continued.

Class VII watched on in shock as Crow used the last of his energy to stand up and point forward.

"Relentlessly, without looking back… heheh… As long as you do… I'm sure…" Crow said.

This was how Crow wanted to go. Not in anyone's arms, but standing on his own two feet.

Crow could see his eyes start to fail him as everything around him started to fade to white. Soon however he saw three figures making their way towards him. At first he assumed that it was his family ready to give him a scolding for the rest of eternity, but soon his ears filled him in on what was really happening.

"Crow!" three familiar voices yelled.

Crow suddenly lost all feeling in his legs and collapsed, but luckily the largest of the three figures was able to catch him. Soon the other two figures made their way to Crow's side.

Despite losing all his senses, Crow could tell that Towa, Angelica, and George had unknowingly made it just in time to watch him die. This wasn't what he wanted. He knew he was being selfish for trying to force Rean into being the bearer of bad news to his friends, but that was only because he was too much of a coward to face them himself. The last thing he wanted was to be around them as he passed on.

"Towa… Gelica… George… Thank you… for being the best friends a guy like me… could ask for… S-Sorry, but… looks like you'll have to celebrate… in Ymir without me..." Crow said with the last of his energy.

Class VII watched as their upperclassmen cried over their friend's corpse. It was a sight that pained everyone to see. Rean felt guilty over not being able to keep his promise to Towa, Angelica, and George, and he felt even worse for giving them the hope that Crow would return. He however also found it strange that George was the only one who wasn't crying, but he still had a pained look on his face.


Towa wasn't sure how much more she could handle.

One minute, she, Angelica, and George watched as their friend died in their arms. The next, Duke Cayenne in a last ditch effort to win, threatened to kill Prince Cedric. Only for Altina and her puppet to stop Duke Cayenne and pin him to the ground. Suddenly Rufus Albarea showed up out of nowhere and killed Vita's familiar and immobilized her. Then Captain Claire and Captain Lechter showed up to reveal that Rufus was an Ironblood the whole time.

Towa tried to follow along, but then she saw him walk up to Duke Cayenne. She felt her head start to hurt in an attempt to process who was in front of her.

"Am I seeing things? That man is supposed to be dead. I… No, we all saw Crow kill him. So why? Why is he alive and well? Did Crow die for nothing?" Towa thought to herself.

Everyone was equally as shocked at what they saw. Chancellor Giliath Osborne was supposed to be dead.

Rean felt a pain in his chest while Chancellor Osborne spoke. For some reason the Chancellor's mention of his heart made Rean feel a sharp pain in his chest. Right where his own heart was.

Towa listened as Chancellor Osborne revealed that he would be taking over Ouroboros' Phantasmal Blaze Plan, before sending Vita away.

The Ironbloods (including Millium) soon made their way to Chancellor Osborne's side. Everyone listened as Chancellor Osborne announced his plans to occupy Crossbell.

While the others were questioning Chancellor Osborne however, Towa noticed something different about Rean. She immediately realized that he finally snapped.

Everyone watched on in horror as Rean ran up to Chancellor Osborne and attempted to lift him off the ground.

Class VII did their best to convince Rean to stop what he was doing. They knew that Rean could face a harsh punishment because of it. But their words didn't reach him, not even Towa's.

"Why!? Why are YOU still alive!? Crow shot you! You're supposed to be dead! But in the end, he couldn't avenge his grandfather, he didn't get revenge on you! Was everything he did… Was his whole life for NOTHING!?" Rean yelled.

Soon Rufus put his hand on Rean's shoulder in an attempt to calm him down.

"That's enough. Just as you have your reasons that guide your actions, so, too, does his Excellency. And I believe you factor into those reasons more than you think." Rufus stated.

Once Rean got a good look at Chancellor's Osborne's face, he felt a sharp pain in his head as he recalled an event his mind had long forgotten about.


4.23.1192

It was a dark April morning, and an unexpected blizzard had overtaken Ymir.

A bloodied Goliath Osborne in a burnt coat was walking through the forest, and in his arms was an unconscious bloodied child no older than five years-old. Once inside the depths of the forest, Giliath Osborne laid the child down on the ground.

"Rean… I pray you grow strong and healthy. Oh, Aidios… If you're listening, hear me now. Please, allow this child…" Giliath Osborne prayed.


12.31.1204 - Friday (The Final Operation)

Rean immediately let go of Chancellor Osborne and took a step back as he tried to process the truth.

"Haha. I see you finally remembered the truth. I'm glad to finally see you again, my son. You've grown into a fine young man. Indeed, the Empire will soon know of the Ashen Chevalier, the hero whose brave deeds allowed us to reclaim the capital. And who better to assist me than a national hero?" Chancellor Osborne announced.

Everyone soon realized what punishment Chancellor Osborne had in store for Rean for even daring to even attempt to harm him.


Author's Note

*Insert "I'll Remember You" here*

Not much I can say about his chapter other than I hope you don't mind the minor changes to Crow's death scene.

Preview - "Having trouble breathing since she isn't here?" _ teased.