The Knightfall

by The Agent of Chaos

Destiny is like a wonderful wide tapestry in which every thread is guided by an unspeakably tender hand, placed beside another thread and held and carried by a hundred others. Sorry about my lacks, I'm an inexperienced beginner n I'm not a native speaker.

80. Get Ready, Get Set!

Chapter 80

"Wanting to erase bad memories from your heart is just as futile as wanting to touch the sky. There is no way for us to forget the sorrow in our past lives. The only thing we can do about it is taking a good lesson from those memories and move on, just like I did. That's why, I will never let any lowlives live...ever"

Lancaster Anderson (Wonderland)

The poem in this chapter belongs to Allison Chambers.

The next day...

When something unusual happens, we will definitely feel something is wrong. And so is Elraven. He is wondering why Fio didn't return last night. He spent the night on their room alone. Even after finishing his breakfast, the lord knight is still nowhere to be found in Building B.

"This is weird. Where is she?" The gunslinger deducts the problem to solve it, "She usually never left without telling. Or...is she still mad at me because what I said about her underwear? Nah, usually after she sent me to Quasar, we are all good again. Or...have I cross the line too far this time? Does that mean...I'm going to the sky again? Oh, no!"

Fear starts haunting El's mind along his way back to his room. He is afraid to go to Quasar again for two times straight in two days. But the fear is suddenly swept away by some noises inside his room when he is about to open the door, "Someone's inside? Who? Alexandria?"

"Alexandria?" Elraven opens the door to see Fio resting against the walls. "You're back! Where were you last night?"

"Sorry for not telling you, I went for some training" The light pink haired girl starts the story, "And...I decided to return this morning after a big failure"

"What training?"

"Do you remember my story about Balmung and the legendary Whitesmith?"

"Yes"

"I found him, and thanks to a magic from your gift..." Fio points the feather on her headband before shows the Spell of Odin, "He is able to forge Balmung in the next 27 days. He didn't ask for payment, but in return, he wanted me to master this, the spell of Odin Naght Sieger gave me"

"Let me guess" Stupid and sharp at the same time, that's Elraven for you, "You went somewhere in the woods last night, trying to master the spell but you failed. That's why you decide to take a rest this morning and returned here"

"Bingo"

"And that also explains why you look so sleepy"

"Uh-huh"

"Then, you should go get some sleep"

"I will if you can tell me one other thing"

"What is it?"

"You mastered The Spell of Dionysus in no time, right? How did you do that?"

"I only absorbed it using my light power. I didn't really master it in a certain way at all. Why did you ask?"

"All night long, I stared and concentrated my mind and focus on the spell but nothing came up. Since you mastered one of the Trinity Spells, I thought you can help"

"Maybe I can't" Elraven tries to dig inside his brain and finds a solution for the lord knight,"But, I know someone who can help"

"Who?"

"Gen Ed. He mastered The Spell of Bishamon , didn't he?"

"Right, maybe he can help" Fio feels enlightened and heads to the door, "I will ask him. Thanks for the info...and the light sphere"

Unfortunately for her, El grabs her hand and prevents her from getting out, "You can ask him, but not now"

"Why?"

"You're tired, you need some sleep. I'll prepare the futon for you" El kindly prepares the japanese sleeping bed for her so she can lie down and take a rest, "Here, have a nice dream"

Fio can easily refuse, but she knows Elraven means it this time. And since he's been worrying about her all night long, it would be cruel to refuse his offer. So, she chooses to yield this time. "OK, I'll get some sleep cause you asked me to" Fio can spots some smile on his face, "But, tell me. What are you going to do after this?"

"I'm going to help Emilio with the training at noon and I will meet Miss Helen in the afternoon. There's something I want to...ensure of"

"Good luck, El" And with that, the former princess turns into the sleeping beauty.

"OK, one problem is settled for now. Guess, I'll take my leave" The purple glassed gunslinger quietly closes the door so the sleeping beauty won't wake up, "Nice dream, Alexandria"

At the same time in Lutie Field...

Since Ty decided to go to Lutie as well yesterday, Sarkhan informed Frea and Fenrir that they can also rest in Lutie while the humans are having their training inside the toy Factory. Their meeting will start when their last guest arrive. But even in such a cold place as Lutie, Fenrir cannot stop teasing Frea.

"I think they will have cute children. Don't you agree with me, Freyja?" Fenrir cannot stop teasing Frea regarding Fio and El, "Their daughters will have the appearance of their mother but with the deep black eyes of their father. And their sons will have the appearance of their father but with the strong golden eyes of their mother. Wow, what a wonderful children, don't you think?"

And just like always, the former goddess of beauty is bitter about this issue, "They are not going to have children like that! They aren't going to get married!"

"Come on! You knew they are destined for each other, didn't you?" Can anyone tell me why Fenrir is crazy about Fio and El getting married by the way, "You're just jealous. Admit it"

"I'm not jealous! Why would I be jealous when the princess doesn't even stand a chance against me?!" And can anyone tell me why Frea doesn't want to admit the truth by the way, "Elraven won't marry her!"

"Yea, yea, whatever. But when you see them again in a month, I warn you...just don't be surprised when Elraven tells you this" Fenrir speaks like a true actor when he impersonates El, "Honey, I must tell you...the princess is carrying my baby. So, I want to break up with you because I will marry the princess once this war is over. Wish us good life for eternity, alright?"

"Noooooooooo! He won't say that!" And Frea speaks like a true heartbroken wife when she disagrees with the prediction, "Fuck off! You're being annoying! My boyfriend isn't going to dump me!"

Fenrir feels a bit guilty for what he has done, "There are millions of men in Rune Midgard; you can always find one"

"I don't want other man!" Frea sobs, "I don't know if I can love other man than him!"

And her answer got Fenrir thinks, "Right…come to think of it, Freyja didn't have a boyfriend or husband ever since I can remember. But…she got a wide array of wannabe lovers. And one of them was…"

"Good day, Freyja. And long time no see, brother" Someone shows up from their behind…and it was Beelzephir. His white clothes really unfit for the white surroundings. He is almost invisible in Lutie.

"Hello, long times no see…Beel" Surprised he may be, but maintaining his composure he forget not, "You're finally here, huh? You're as white as always"

"And you're as cynical as always" The white high wizard smiles, "So, is it just me or you also have something to say, Freyja?"

All her life, Frea never likes the high wizard, so she will be straight, "Why are you here?"

"Sarkhan invited me, just like he invited both of you" A reasonable explanation from a very unreasonable man, "I wanted to come yesterday, but a guest visited my place. So, I must delayed my coming for a day"

"You should have delayed your coming for millenniums, Beel" Fenrir chuckles, "That would solve half the problems we got right now"

"That's funny, Fenrir. I mean it" Beelzephir chooses to respond in a rather peaceful way, "Just like always; you have to get the last words and the last laugh for everything. You never changed at all"

"Yes. Just like you always put that stupid smile on your moronic face" But his brother doesn't think so, "Can't you be more natural? That's why I said you should have delayed your coming for millenniums. You can go to beauty shop and nurture your face for ten millenniums. And then in the next three millenniums you can get a tan and yellow cream for your skin. So, you can finish it with a manicure, pedicure, and perhaps some plastic surgery for your nose and lips in the next five millenniums. And ta-da! We got ourselves 'Belazephir The Tamale', the next Miss Universe in the year 1000000, coming straight from Beauty Parlor owned by Ming The Merciless partnering with Kang and Kodos. What do you say?"

"Pffft!" Frea does her best to hold her laughter, but of course the white high wizard also has the limit for his patience.

"Good joke, where did you learn it? Tyr told you about that when Odin imprisoned you?" Beelzephir is getting serious, "Or, did you learn it after the Eirnheinjars killed you when you celebrated your victory against Odin?"

"No. I learned it when I found out that one of my brothers is a sissy and he dresses like a gay looking for his soul mate" Fenrir still maintains his cynical composure, "Tell me, Bela. Did you find your soul mate in your long sleep on Ice Dungeon?"

"No, but I found out that one of my brothers was killed because of his own unnecessary arrogance in the battlefield" The white high wizard smiles and approaches the Black Reaper so they can get better look on each other, "It was true, wasn't it?"

"Well, it's true that I defeated Odin, the King of Gods" Fenrir purposely locks his eyes with his brother's, "What about you, Bela? Did you defeat someone back there? You couldn't even defeat Mjolnir, right? And I could recall that Thor beat your ass up. Oh, wait! Did you even participate in Ragnarok? I mean, you weren't too busy with Ming, Kang, and Kodos in the Beauty Parlor, right? I knew you always wanted to be Miss Universe, but you shouldn't leave a one time thing like Ragnarok, you know that?"

CRAAAAAAAAAAAANKKK!

"Uaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Fenrir flew away to the middle of Lutie Field. Beelzephir stroke him directly using the Jupitel Thunder.

"Oh, no! Fenrir!" Frea quickly hurries to Fenrir's side to check on him, "Are you alright?"

"I've been better" The Black Reaper hastily rises, "You're so gonna get it! Do you know that?"

Still with his smile despite his anger, Beelzephir accepts the challenge, "Bring it on".

Before the white high wizard could do anything, Fenrir appears right in front of him in blinding speed and strikes him right on his face, launching him to the ground. Without even holding back despite fighting his own brother, Fenrir blows Beelzephir's torso a dozen times after he quickly stands up. And then he finishes it with an Ashura Strike right on his neck, flung the white high wizard away to the air.

But Beelzephir was quick to regain his composure and throws some Jupitel Thunders from the air. Fenrir dodges, resulting in the spells hitting the ground and blowing the snow everywhere, but that is what Beelzephir after. Knowing the blowing snow would disturb Fenrir's vision, Beelzephir launches The Lord of Vermillion from the air and hits Fenrir perfectly, making the snow field even more destroyed than before.

Watching from far away, Frea knows she would only endanger her life if she barges in to stop the fight, so she chooses to watch how things go.

"Not bad" Fenrir rises again, some burns inflicted by the mighty thunder spell could be spotted in his body. The Black Reaper puts the Garm Claw knuckles on his hands, improving his power and adding ice magic on each of his attack.

"You're welcome" Beelzephir swipes away some bloods on his nose and lips. The strikes from Fenrir hurt him just as much. "I guess I will take this battle seriously then" Beelzephir reveals his Wizardry Staff and casts a Jupitel Thunder on it, making every strike he executes using the staff inflict a lightning attack on its target. Knowing Fenrir's weakness as an ice user would be thunder, the white high wizard is ready to take this battle on a whole new level.

Nonetheless, Fenrir beats him to it. The ice user throws a very hard blow right on the high wizard's face, freezing some part of his head. But the leader of Valdomir Kingdom quickly rolls back and hits Fenrir's head using his lightning powered staff before he falls down, resulting in both of them knocked down to the ground. But both sons of Loki don't want to lose their momentum. The two bust their composures and throws some hit to each other again. This time, Fenrir strikes his right knuckle directly on Beelzephir's stomach at the same time Beelzephir smashes his Wizardry Staff violently to Fenrir's left shoulder. The attacks pretty much hit both men; fortunately the two is quite unfamiliar with backing down. Ignoring the pain, the two gods continue trading blows with each other, shaking the snows in Lutie Field each and every time their blows meet.

Fenrir delivers another taste of his Garm Claw to Beelzephir's jaw after the high wizard inflicted a blow using his staff right to the Black Reaper's ribs. Fenrir head butts Beelzephir right on his forehead but the Chaos retaliates by using the same head butt on the same direction. Fenrir quickly turns around and firmly strikes the high wizard's torso using a roundhouse kick. Even though Beelzephir even the numbers as he firmly hits Fenrir's face by throwing his Wizardry staff as he falls, resulting on both men down again.

Making a good use on the field, Fenrir summons three ice golems as he stands back and orders them to smash Beelzephir. But three Jupitel Thunders from the high wizard seizes all the chance the golems got to smash him. Furthermore, Beelzephir summoned a dozen Jupitel Thunders and launches all of them at the same time towards his brother. The Black Reaper creates an ice block in the form of a giant shield in front of him to protect himself, and his plan succeeded. The spell destroys the ice block instead of his host. Yet, the magic battle doesn't stop there.

Fenrir encases himself in an ice block with the form of a blade of knives on his hands, legs, elbows, and knees. As a countermeasure for his brother's preparation, Beelzephir's cast a Jupitel Thunder. But instead of making it as an attacking spell; he veils the thunder all over his body so he is wearing a thunder coat for his defense. Although he knows ice wouldn't stand a chance against lightning, Fenrir dashes to attack his brother without hesitation at all. And much to the high wizard's surprise, Fenrir punches the ground instead of him using his left hand.

JRAAAASH!

Before realizing what is going to happen, a sharp ice pillar emerges from right below the point where Beelzephir is standing; so quick that he couldn't manage to avoid it and received a direct hit to his torso. The violent ice pillar pierced him and inflicted a fatal injury; creating a hole in his torso which makes him bleeds pretty badly. "That was outstanding" A rather calm respond for the attack from the white high wizard while he is looking at his wound, "I never expected such a great trick from you"

"Why, thank you. My Glacier Fist is always effective. Odin also fell for it, you know?" Fenrir replies, "You are bleeding pretty badly, you're going to die soon"

From her VIP spot, Frea couldn't believe what she is witnessing, "No way! Fenrir really defeated Beelzephir?! Just like that? That was rather easy! But as expected from the one who has defeated Odin…"

"Soon? I'm afraid not that easy, brother" Beelzephir shakes his head; still putting the so called stupid smile on his face, "Look at this"

Fenrir quietly watches as the wound he inflicted earlier closes; the high wizard's torso regenerated. "I gave The Quarter Kings The Spell of Dionysus, you know…" Beelzephir evilly smirks much to Fenrir's dismay, "What makes you think I don't have one? This is the…evolution I invented using The Spell of Dionysus"

"What are you talking about?"

"You see, have you ever wondered why Eisenheim didn't kill me when he had the chance to? He only sealed me, right?" The Chaos gives Fenrir some things for him to mind, "The reason is simple, he wanted to but he couldn't. He couldn't kill me, not because we were brothers, but because he didn't have the power to do so. Because…I cannot be killed, I'm immortal"

"Immortal?" Frea, who also heard the whole story, cannot just believe what the high wizard just said, "Gods and Goddesses are immortal, indeed. But, the immortality only lasts when no severe damage is inflicted upon them. They can be killed, Ragnarok proved that. So, real immortality sounds like…a lie"

"Are you on high or just incredibly stupid?" Same as Frea, Fenrir doesn't really believe him either, "The regeneration given from The Spell of Dionysus is limited. You cannot fool me"

"Really?"Beelzephir still maintains his calm composure, "Using all The Spells of Dionysus I found, I turned my regenerations into…an unlimited one. I cannot be killed"

"Bull crap!" Fenrir unleashes all the remaining Glacier Fist he got on his limbs at the same time, piercing the high wizard seven times in less than ten seconds. The Blue Breakers pierced through his entire body, destroying nearly all his flesh. The Black Reaper doesn't waste the chance he got as he continues the merciless raid by rampaging on him in an unmatched speed before flung his brother away using The Ashura Strike, right to his destroyed face. Fenrir then proceeds to gives the smiling high wizard another Ashura Strike blow from the sky the moment he invisibly moves and appears above his opponent. The blow sends him crashing deep into the ground, twenty feet under.

Fenrir lands and stops, taking some breaths before him finds out the result of his barrage, "Did I do it? Is he dead?"

The answer (unsurprisingly) comes out from under the hole. Beelzephir is pretty much alive, but totally destroyed. "You killed me about…thirty eight times. That was more than enough to defeat a normal spell of Dionysus user" Still with his calm tone while he is regenerating, the high wizard explains, "But, not this one"

"So, you weren't joking after all" Fenrir hisses when he shakes his head, "This is going to be troublesome. But, I'm prepared to destroy you over and over again"

"Prepared? Is it just me or…you seem to forget something?" Beelzephir shows both his palms to his brother. His palms are glowing with some kind of white spheres, "You already used you Ice Power from the start of this battle, whereas I…haven't used my Void"

Only a second away after Beelzephir finishes reminding, Fenrir reacts by moving at the opposite direction from Beelzephir's sight, because at that very moment, everything on the high wizard's sight in the radius of 500 m vanishes, leaving no trace behind.

"I knew this technique! Vanish everything on his line of sight in ten seconds, he called it Supernova!" Though he doesn't want to admit it, Fenrir feels a bit grateful knowing what his brother capable of from long ago, "He must have blabbed in order to buy himself some time! Had I failed to notice this, I would have gone with those ground and snows!"

"Oppenheim" Fenrir was surprised by murmur behind him. Without him noticing, the high wizard already throws the void sphere right to his direction, only feet away from the point where he is standing. "Damn!" When it's only an inch away, Fenrir reacts by casting an ice pillar to protect his back. His counter measure succeeded because the only thing the Oppenheim turned into nothingness was the ice pillar. But despite his effort, what Fenrir didn't notice was Beelzephir only used his Oppenheim to buy him another ten seconds for Supernova.

Realizing the trap, Fenrir moves his body to evade the Void power. But, Beelzephir did it.

"Voila" Beelzephir grins with pride, "It's gone"

Fenrir has lost his right arm. His eyes are still widened of surprise. He didn't notice it at all; perhaps because despite being a very dangerous power, Beelzephir's Void is soundless and painless.

"Fenrir!" Frea runs to her friend's side for the second time today as he slowly falls to his knees, "Are you alright?! Hold on!"

"Crud! I've been…had" Fenrir's voice is wavering. The damage Beelzephir inflicted is really fatal although no blood is visibly seen from his wound, "Damn…him"

"Stop talking! I'll get you to Sarkhan right away!" Frea carries The Black Reaper on her arm to help him walk, but the high wizard purposely standing in front of them. "Move away!" Frea yells with stiff eyes.

"My, my…leaving already? The battle isn't over yet" Beelzephir shows another Oppenheim on his right palm, "So, this is it? The Black Reaper, who defeated Odin, The King of Gods, is just like this? You're just a weakling after all? Oh, defeating Odin would be a lot easier than defeating you, I guess"

"Curse…you!" Those two words is the only reply Fenrir could give his brother albeit his condition.

"I've been cursed long ago, by something called Ragnarok. And you…you have been cursed by something called pride, Fenrir" Still maintaining the Oppenheim on his right palm, the high wizard speaks his mind, "Do you really think defeating Odin would make you the strongest of gods? Are you that blind to see truth?"

Fenrir and Frea give no respond to Beelzephir's question. Whether they like it or not, whether they admit it or not, what The Chaos just said gives food for their thoughts.

"Power isn't something absolute, brother. Power is something fluctuate, power never stays the same" Beelzephir carries on his opinion, "The prime example being you defeating Odin at Ragnarok. If he was so great, so undefeated, how could you defeat him? At one point, you were stronger than he was. But given a proper chance, Odin could be stronger than you. The same goes with Thor, Mjolnir, Heimdall, and other gods. At one point, they could be stronger than another. Defeating Odin didn't make you the strongest of our kind. Your power and my power aren't absolute. You underestimated me too much to realize this fact. Who said I couldn't defeat Odin? Who said you couldn't defeat Loki? Who said Eisenheim couldn't defeat Thor? Who said Sarkhan couldn't defeat Heimdall? Who said Ifrit couldn't defeat Mjolnir? You were consumed by your own pride, that's why you fail to see this idea"

"Are you trying to say…" Fenrir can pretty much make a conclusion, "You are stronger than me?"

"Our standing pretty much proved it" Beelzephir answers with bit arrogance in his tone, "In the last ten thousand years; do you think no one did anything to improve their powers? I did everything I could to improve my power, and I can pretty much say…I'm a lot stronger than I was. Odin, with his arrogance and filthy mind, wouldn't defeat me! I can make him disappear effortlessly!"

Beelzephir's yelling on Odin's name pretty much surprised both Frea and Fenrir. Although, the two can pretty much tell the reason: jealousy.

"Morroc has never truly unleashed his true power, but I guarantee, he is a lot stronger than Odin if he does" Beelzephir oppresses his point one more time, "I knew Ifrit has done something to insanely improve his own power. Something…unbelievable, and believe me, he would roast Odin even before Odin could realize it. So is Great Demon Baphomet. If he were to show you his truest power, he is fairly greater than Odin. And of course 'him'; 'he' is far greater than Odin"

"Him?" Fenrir looks at Frea, both not knowing what the high wizard meant, "What do you mean by 'him?"

"There's no need for you to know" The Chaos cunningly smiles to his own content, "And he shall lead me and my comrades to our heaven. You can enjoy hell"

The only thing moving and making a sound after Beelzephir's last statement is just the snow moved by the blowing wind.

"Oh, well. Sarkhan wouldn't like seeing this. So, I'm done for now" Beelzephir throws the Oppenheim and hits Fenrir's right shoulder before Fenrir or Frea could do anything. But much to their surprise, the Oppenheim heals and regenerates his right arm in less than three seconds. The Oppenheim is only a Spell of Dionysus made into another form all along. Fenrir tries to feel and move his newly regenerated arm without stop glaring at his brother. Frea also touches his right arm without taking her attention away from the smiling high wizard.

"Why did you do this? Do you want me to thank you?"

"No, I don't want to spoil the fun just now. This war is far from over and I would be disappointed if you cannot participate. I still…need you" Beelzephir turns away and finalizes before he teleports to Umbala Jungle, "And by regenerating your right arm, you will never forget your defeat against me. From now on, I can always say, I defeated he who has defeated The King of Gods"

After the high wizard disappears without a trace, Frea cheers her best friend, "Come on. Cheer up, you were just careless"

"No, he totally owned me. He was right. My own pride blinded me too much"

"Not anymore" The soul linker smiles because she knows Fenrir learns something today, "It will be different next time. Now, you know what he is capable of and what you should do if you face him again. Now, let's go back to Umbala Jungle. Sarkhan told us our meeting will finally start by tonight, right?"

"You have never changed. Ever since I first know you until now, you have never changed at all. Loving, caring, and kind…that's why Odin loved you. That's why Loki was crazy about you. That's why even a scum like Beelzephir fell for you. And that's why I…could never stop teasing you" Without telling how he truly thinks about her,Fenrir only gives a compassionate look to his best friend as his respond, "He is lucky to have you"

"Who?"

"The princess' favorite gunslinger"

"He is my favorite gunslinger too" Frea says as the two walks to the warp portal to Umbala, "And I like him more than the princess does"

"That's debatable"

"That's not"

Later that afternoon, after Emilio received another beating…I mean, training from El…

"Man, Emilio should have known that he is 1000 years to early to defeat me, let alone defeating Gen Ed" Elraven happily mumbles, reminding himself the result of yet another training today, "Sometimes, I wonder if he really got what it takes to surpass his father. I'm starting to think that he should get some kind of special power to improve his level. Ty got his eyes, I got my light, and Gen Ed possesses The Spell of Bishamon. Maybe having a spell like that would help him a lot. Is there any way I can help him?"

But his concern quickly swaps away by another concern, the poem Helen showed him yesterday, right when he spots Helen has been waiting for him in the same corridor where they met. "Oh, you're here, Sir. Shall we go to my place now?" Helen is being polite just like always.

"Sure"

And in five minutes, they arrived on her house in Terrace Inn. The other three family members are out for awhile, so that pretty much leaves the gunslinger and the mother all alone by themselves. "Please take a seat; I kept his poems in my room" Helen walks to her room while El quietly sits.

But, his mind wanders everywhere. He is still thinking why he got that weird feeling when he read the poem yesterday. But at the same time, he also feels that the feeling isn't a bad one. When Helen comes out with at least two dozen pieces of papers on her hands, El is ready to face the truth.

"Here, he wrote the total of twenty six poems. And these are all his poems" Helen puts the poems in the table beside El's chair, "And I will really appreciate it if you read them here. These poems are really important to me. They are the only thing I got as reminders of him"

"No worries, Miss Helen. Thanks for your help" El, despite being insensitive, acts pretty sensitive and pretty nice in occasions like this one. And just like a genius reading a difficult book, El reads the poems quietly and silently, contemplating each poem in his mind. Helen was first surprised seeing him so serious reading the poems, but a smile soon embellishes her face.

"Seeing this man reading a poem so seriously…really reminds me of him" The housewife think backs of her son, "Could it be that he is…no. How generous God would be if he is…"

"May I ask you something, miss?" Elraven finishes reading half of the poems, but he still has a thing to check out.

"Yes?"

"Did your son write these poems all by himself?"

"Yes"

"They are all beautiful" The gunslinger admits the beauty of the poems, "It's as if…he could write an amazing poem just by looking at something or when an idea crossed his mind. He was a genius"

"Thank you" No matter wouldn't feel proud when their sons are being praised, "Which of his poems you like the most?"

"This one" The black haired gunslinger shows up a poem, "I think this is actually another version of his other poem, the one I read yesterday. But, somehow it is still beautiful"

"Then, I'm sure you wouldn't mind reciting it" Helen concludes and persuades Elraven at the same time.

The gunslinger looks to her with surprise, but he soon smirks and steadies himself. Just as usual, he takes a long deep breath before reciting the poem,

Her wings lay torn and tattered where they fluttered to the ground,
Where once there was a song of joy there now was no more sound.
The air was filled with silence for there was no song to sing,
Gone was the love that lifted her...the Wind beneath her wings.

Gone the inspiration, the laughter in her soul,
She lay in broken promises with no one to make her whole.
For when the Wind beneath her wings so suddenly was gone,
The angel spiraled to the ground, falling broken and alone.

The air around grew silent, not a whisper in the wind,
Just the Fallen Angel's breaking heart was a distant sound within.
A soft and plaintive weeping sound swirled and danced across the sky,
As a single tear fell to the ground from the Fallen Angel's eye.

The tear fell on a seed of love that lay within her hand,
Clutched closely to her beating heart, so slowly it began.
From that tiny seed of love a song began to sing,
A song of a Fallen Angel and The Wind beneath her wings.

The song sang of undying love as it floated on the wind,
A song of true forgiveness with no beginning or no end.
It whispered to the night sky, it sang its melody,
It serenaded to the moon, to the flowers and the trees.

It sang across the meadows, past the stars and past the moon,
Then drifted 'round the Angel like a lingering perfume.
But still she lay in silence, a quiet broken thing,
Listening, waiting for the sound...of the Wind beneath her wings.

And for maybe the hundredth times in his life, El captivated yet another one with his poem reading gift. "That was…mesmerizing. Just like you did yesterday" Helen is almost in lost words expressing how she thinks of El's reading the poem, "The way you read it…was the same with his"

"Really?" Elraven, being a world class poem artist, starts deducting the meaning of the poem, "He wrote this for you, right?"

"…Right" And El hits the target, just like he always did with his shootings, "The poem…is actually part of…what to say, trilogy?"

"Trilogy? Trilogy of poems?"

"Well, sort of" Helen smiles explaining it, "My son…he tried to retell the story of my life with this Trilogy of Poems. The first part was the one you read yesterday. The second, you just read it. And the third…he never managed to finish it"

Recalling back sad memories will hurt anyone; Helen is no exception. As much as El wants her to stop, he doesn't have the heart to tell her to. So, he quietly listens and lets her finish her story.

"I was born in the family of miners at one of the small villages in Arunfeltz Continent. Although we were poor, we lived happily. We lived to our fullest. Every day was filled with joy, love, and passion. But, when The Steel Mill Rebellion ensued and emerged…the last think I remembered was…I lost my entire family during a raid by the rebels, simply because they wanted to prove themselves that they were serious to The Military of Einbroch by destroying a small village, my village. Ever since then, I lived mindlessly, thinking that maybe I would better off dead. I couldn't live without love; I didn't want to live alone"

"So…she came from Arunfeltz" El got her point, but this one sticks with him the most, "And what a sad story she got…"

"But then…my life started to change" Helen continues to the good part, "I was found unconscious by one of Freyja's servants outside of Rachel. She took care of me and later persuaded me to join her, to become the worshipper and the servant of The Goddess of Beauty and Prosperity. Thinking that would help my life a lot, I agreed and eventually became one"

"Wait a minute…she was one of Frea's servants?! That means she knows about Rachel?!" Elraven is startled by the fact, but he quickly regains his composure, "…Well, let's hear the rest of her story first. It would be impolite to stop her now"

"My life got better when I fell in love with a whitesmith who happened to visit Rachel. Although he is somehow extravagant, I still love him. He is honest, cute, and loving. But, I think he's kinda weird, though. He spent his money carelessly, he frequently throws away some mithrill coins to the street, and he paid a lot for things he wanted. But, he never got poor. Quite the opposite, he got even richer. And there were times when he proclaimed himself as World's Richest Man. And then…I married him. I finally got my happiness back; I wasn't wrong deciding to move on. We were gifted twin boys. One of them liked poems so much"

Helen stops there, staring blankly at Elraven, "Maybe just like you, sir"

"Carry on, miss" Elraven answers with a mirthful smile, feeling a bit happy of her sayings to him.

"He wrote lots of beautiful poems. And the trilogy, he wrote if for me. Originally, to symbolizes my life. From an angle who fell…to an angel who reached the sky again. But, he never had the chance to finish it" Helen finishes the story of her life, "Ever since The Fall of Rachel happened, he was never to be seen again…until now"

"I'm sorry to hear that" The gunslinger sincerely exclaims his condolence, "When you said…he never finished the last part of the trilogy…do you still keep that poem?"

"Yes" Helen searches the mentioned poem in the table and finds it, "It's this one"

Elraven slowly takes the poem and recites it,

Through the mist she steps,
Golden rings shining on her toes,
Bejeweled fingers gently sweeping the dew away as
they glide in her wake…
"She's walking on the water again," they say.

She's walking on the water,
She's plucking the strings, that…

The poem stops there. "So, this is the last poem Helen's son never managed to finish. Somehow, this poem looks rather…familiar. This must be the poem you were referring to earlier" Elraven takes an obvious notice on this one, "This poem seems…promising. And also deep at the same time; had he got the chance to finish this one, I'm sure it would be one of the most beautiful poems you've ever read"

"Thank you. He would be happy to hear that" Helen is just as kind as always although remembering her son pains her, "So, what about you, Sir? Yesterday, you said you wanted to read more of his poems because you felt some kind of attachment"

"Right, I got that kind of feeling yesterday. But…well, I didn't really get any of that feeling today, except for…" El doesn't really want to say this, but he doesn't have the heart to lie to Helen either, "Truth be told, this…unfinished poem really gets me"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, it's as if…" The gunslinger tries to find proper words to express his mind so he won't hurt Helen's feeling, "It's as if…I have heard this poem once before, but I forgot when. I think the 'deepness' of this poem captivated me and I feel like I want to know how this one ends. Pardon my rudeness, but I'm…tempted to finish it. Again, that's just me"

"…If that is what you wish for, then do it, Sir" Helen gives Elraven a very shocking respond, "I wouldn't mind seeing you finish the poem. And, I'm sure he wouldn't mind either"

"Are you being honest, miss?"

"Unquestionably"

"And how do you know he wouldn't mind?"

"Can't really say anything about it, Sir. I just…knew" Helen puts another warm smile on her face. The kind lady really likes to give her smile to almost everyone. And at times like these, her smile really calms one's uneasy feeling.

"Well, if you say so, then I wouldn't refuse. But beforehand, I must apologize if any of my act here today offended you in any way possible, Miss Helen" Elraven takes the offer without forgetting his decency.

"None taken" The housewife politely replies, not forgetting her decency either. Elraven takes his leave shortly thereafter. He is very pleased to get the poem on his hands. But, he isn't the only one who left the room mirthfully. So does Helen. "Seeing him brings back memories. And talking to him felt like talking to little El" Helen says to herself with smile, "Could it be that they…no, no way; that's too good to be true. But, come to think of it, I've never asked for his name…"

Several minutes later…

Fio finally wakes up after a long deep sleep for more than six hours. After hitting the shower and having a bread to eat as her breakfast (literally), she is ready to meet Gen Ed. "Now, where can I meet him?" Fio solves the first problem, "Let's try his room"

So, Fio goes to Gen Ed's room as planned. "Knock, knock" The lord knight swiftly knocks the door, "General Eduardo? Are you inside?"

"Please come in, Princess Fiorentin. How can I be of any help to you?"

"Huh? How do you know I need a help?" Fio feels odd on how the general takes a wild guess and hits the door prize.

"Well, a young girl coming to my room after asking Elraven on how to master a spell. What else would your business be if not for some help?"

"That's amazing" Fio doesn't feel the need for another chit-chat and straightly admits, "You heard that using the aura projection you spread earlier in this building, didn't you?"

"Ah, you noticed. So, I guess we're even, then" Gen Ed sneers to Fio's deduction, "Let's take a seat, so we can talk more properly"

So, the two takes their respective seat before Gen Ed starts explaining, "Well, so, you want to know about mastering a spell, right?"

"Yes"

"Then, let's get to the point" And, the man notably known as the strongest gunslinger alive starts telling his story, "As you know, I got my Spell of Bishamon after saving Amatsu. At first, all I knew about The Trinity Spell was that it would enhance my physical abilities by influencing what we called as aura. Basically, aura is an atmosphere surrounding us, both inside and outside. By controlling or to be exact, using, that atmosphere, we could greatly enhance my physical abilities. In El's case, his aura inside him helps him to greatly enhance his body ability to heal. In my case, the aura surrounding me helps me to become…some kind of superhuman"

"El told me stories about how strong the general is. So, he isn't lying" Fio reminds herself as the general continues.

"Just like that man named Naght Sieger said, The Spell of Odin would give you a godlike power and status. Honestly, I don't really know how an aura would help you to reach such power. The only thing I can think of for now is that The Spell of Odin is an entirely different spell from the other two spells. But basically, the key for mastering The Trinity Spell is the same, you have to let the power of the spell come inside you and become part of you"

"You mean…like I have to embrace its power?"

"Yes, when I first tried to master The Spell of Bishamon, I failed big time. The only thing I did was staring at it all day long. But, in the next try I tried to concentrate and literally 'communicate' with it. You know, like talking and asking the spell to help me mastering it. And then, my surroundings changed. It's as it were…I was on a dark space or something like that. The next thing I knew, the blue orb in my hand had vanished. And ever since then, I mastered The Spell of Bishamon and I had been able to control the aura surrounding me as I wish"

"So, I would have to try communicating with The Spell first?" But, Fio suddenly remembers something, "Wait a second, in El's case, he told me all he had to do was absorbing The Spell of Dionysus using his light. How is that possible? He didn't mention communicating or having his surroundings changed?"

"Maybe it's because…" Gen Ed quietly remembers what he saw when he accidentally took of El's purple glasses seven years ago. Maybe that 'thing' himself was pretty much an explanation, "It's his…gift"

"Is it just me or he seems scared of something? Well, guess he can't answer that one" Nonetheless, the lord knight still thanks him, "Ok. Thanks for your explanation, General. It's really helpful. I think I can do better in my next try"

"Glad to help you, Princess"

Fio politely excuses herself, leaving Gen Ed alone in his room, wondering, "If what I predict is right, then sooner or later, El would have to master what's inside him. But, the only problem is, how? I need someone to help me on this"

As the moon shows up, something is happening in Umbala…

Back to the land where battle is forbidden, the six gods are circling around an old stone tablet. Heroes, evils, and neutrals are all here today to ensure their needs over one thing, power. Fenrir still seems bitter about his earlier loss to the still smiling Beelzephir. Frea avoids as many contacts as she can with either The Chaos or The Fire God of Midgard. Randgris displeasingly gazes at Ifrit who remains calm. So, it's all left to Sarkhan to lead this highly unlikely team.

"Well, since we're all finally here, let's get started" Sarkhan takes over and starts the long awaited meeting, "I'm sure you all knew about what Eisenheim foretold in his prophecy, mainly on the fourth page:

When the full moon reigns on its throne in the abysmal night, two lionhearts will settle their destiny. And the outcome will seal whichever fate the earth is going to have.

And I think it's safe to assume that we all knew Eisenheim was referring to the promised battle between Alexandria and Naght Sieger"

"For real? That little girl is really going to face Naght Sieger? One on one?" Beelzephir shares his opinion in a very cynical tone, "I guess the difference between brave and stupid is just as thin as a piece of paper, then"

"What do you know about her?!" Frea defends her literal rival, "Are you going to say she stands no chance against Sieger?!"

"You read my mind, Freyja"

"Oh? And who told us earlier about power being something fluctuate?!" The soul linker refers to the improvement the lord knight had.

"Yes, fluctuate between the lowest and the highest. No results are certain in battles" The high wizard doesn't feel like losing this debate, "But no guarantee her improvement would make her stand a chance either, right?"

"Ok, Ok. That is more than enough" Sarkhan separates the two off of their tiny little debate, "Assuming Sieger wins; we can pretty much forget why we're here today. But assuming Alexandria wins, we must do our part of the deal. To refresh your memories, the 'secret' that Sieger promised to give her is the key to Asgard. Just like we all knew, ever since Ragnarok occurred, the door to Asgard via Odin Temple was locked until now. But ten thousand years ago, we as the survivors of Ragnarok pledged an oath to assist our sides if we were to cross path and if the world is at the stake. If Alexandria really acquires the key, then two of us would have to assist our respective sides in obtaining either The Valkyrie Armor Set or The Original Dark Lord Helm located in the highest temple in Valhalla"

"I'll do it" Frea is the first to offer herself to do the job for her side, Sagramore, "I'll help Sagramore obtain the Valkyrie Armor Set"

"INTERESTING" Ifrit finally speaks up, "THEN, I SHALL TAKE THAT ROLE FOR VALDOMIR TO ACQUIRE THE ORIGINAL DARK LORD HELM. IS THERE ANY OBJECTION?"

"No objection at all" Beelzephir quickly agrees with his current partner in crime, "I would be busy around that time. So, have fun, Ifrit"

"I WILL" Ifrit looks so happy when he is staring mirthfully at Frea, "RIGHT, FREYJA?"

"Who knows?" Frea is being really sarcastic. And this time, she stares back at Ifrit instead of avoiding another eye contact.

"Freyja, wait! Think about it, it's too dangerous for you to come to Asgard!" Fenrir objects to Frea' decision to go to Asgard, knowing a certain psychotic god would be there too, "I'll go there, OK? Just leave it to me"

"How thoughtful of you, thanks…but no thanks" The soul linker politely refuses her friend's offer, "This is something I have to do"

"What are you trying to prove?!"

"…Can't tell right now, sorry" The former goddess of beauty and prosperity calmly replies, "Maybe you will find out about it sooner or later. But for now, please let me take this job. I know I'm not as strong as you are, but please understand. Do me a favor just this once, OK?"

All his life, Fenrir only knew Frea as a kind goddess who loves humans; he never knew she could be this stubborn. And seeing her like this really leaves him in lost words.

"MAYBE SHE IS TRYING TO PROVE HER CREDIBILITY, SINCE SHE PRETTY MUCH LOST IT EVER SINCE BEING A WORM JUST LIKE OTHER WORMS" Ifrit voices his (unneeded) opinion, "IT MUST BE HARD LIVING AS THE LOWEST BEING ON EARTH. AM I RIGHT, FREYJA?"

"No one asked for your opinion, Ifrit" Fenrir strikes back, "And it must be hard living inside hell, right?"

"AND I SUPPOSED TO HEAR THAT FROM SOMEONE WHO JUST GOT HIMSELF KICKED TODAY?" Ifrit also strikes back in fashion, "MY, THE LEAST OF ALL LIVING INSIDE HELL IS BETTER THAN BEING A SORE LOSER WHO INHABITS THE BODY OF A LOSER WORM. MUCH LIKE EVERY OTHER WORM"

"What did you say?!"

"OK, that's it! Stop it! Both of you!" Randgris takes the initiative to separate both gods, "Sarkhan still have something to say, so you better listen"

"WHAT NOW? FROM ODIN'S CALLGIRL TO SARKHAN'S CALLGIRL?" The Embodiment of Hell calmly crosses the politeness line this time, "AREN'T YOU TIRED OF LIVING AS A CALLGIRL ALL YOUR LIFE, RANDGRIS? DON'T YOU WANT TO TRY SOMETHING NEW?"

"Excuse me? What did you just call me?" And of course Ifrit's unnecessary comment ignites Randgris' anger.

"YOU HEARD ME."

In a blink of an eye, Randgris' black spear, made by transforming her right hand, is only an inch away from Ifrit's smiling face if only he got a facial figure. But it stops there; Sarkhan stops her using his gravity spell. "Randgris, quit it" The wise slowly asks the angry Valkyrie, "Lower your spear down. We agreed not to fight in this land"

"I could careless about that agreement! He mocked Odin! He mocked Valkyries! And he mocked you!" Anger is written all over the mighty Valkyrie's face. Had Ifrit not born a god, he would have pissed himself and run.

"That's why you shouldn't fell to his provocation. That's what he wants" Sarkhan coldly stares at the still calm fire creature, "He only wants a reason to attack you back after you attack him. Now, please don't give him that reason. Lower your spear down and then we can talk about this"

Realizing her best friends is right; Randgris transforms her spear back to her normal hand. But she doesn't stop gazing at Ifrit; she is still feeling bitter of what he said earlier.

"How troublesome…" Frea really doesn't have any other thing to say after seeing the ruckus, "Ifrit doesn't want to stop making fun of others, Beelzephir doesn't want to stop staring at me as if he is careless about what just happened, and Fenrir still disagrees with me. Gotta clear all these problems later"

"OK, I guess that's it. Since we pretty much agreed about what we're going to do if the prophecy proves right, thanks for your coming" Sarkhan pats Randgris back to further calm her down, "Good night"

After the party adjourned Beelzephir approaches Frea, intending to speak with her. Although Fenrir seems ready to attack anytime, Frea tells him to stand back because she also wants to talk to him.

"Thanks for your understanding, Freyja. Don't worry, I'm not going to ignite a battle here" The high wizard ensures the safety of most likely everybody's around, "I will stay true to the agreement"

"That's calming" The soul linker shortly responds, "So, I guess you have something to ask, right? What is it?"

"I'm just curious about…you volunteering yourself to assist Sagramore getting their hands on The Valkyrie Armor set" Beelzephir gets straight to the point, "If Alexandria wins…that is"

"Oh, that one" Frea answers with a sneer on her face, "I don't think you will understand even if I tell you"

"You mean…my proficiency isn't enough to absorb the meaning of your answer?"

"No, because you don't have the heart to understand it" Frea politely takes her leave, "Ciao"

But before Frea can go far from the high wizard, The Chaos grabs her forearm from behind, stopping her to go even further. "Please let go of my arm" Frea cynically says without even bother to look at the high wizard, "You're hurting me"

"Do you hate me that much, Freyja?" Now, the talk is getting personal as Beelzephir starts pushing a sensitive subject, "Do you really prefer humanity over godhood? Do you really prefer a weak mortal to a strong god?"

"I prefer to be loved than to be lusted upon, Beelzephir" Frea defiantly stares at Beelzephir's eyes so that he would understand without her repeating, "Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"What does he have that I don't?" Beelzephir, still gripping her arm, obviously refers to Elraven.

"Since both of you got powers, the right answer would be friends, love…and heart" Frea smiles and begins to explain, "The people around him like him dearly. You? Do you have the people that like you dearly? All your so called 'comrades' are standing by your side because they want to fulfill their own desire. I pretty much doubt they dearly like you at all. You got no friends, whereas he got so many friends. He doesn't even need to try to make one. Everyone enjoys his companionship, some even love him"

"What about the heart?" Beelzephir doesn't want to give up just yet, "This feeling…how would I feel it if I don't have a heart?"

"I wasn't referring to the heart you use to feel for yourself, but the heart you use to feel for others. In other words, the will to protect and the will to care for the people around you" Frea clarifies her point, striking right to the heart of The Chaos, "All you care about is your ambition. Whether you have to win this or posses that. When did the last time you care about other people at all? That's why I said you would never understand even if I tell you my reason, because you don't have the heart for it"

Her answers hurt him. Even Fenrir, who has been overhearing the conversation, feels surprised of the soul linker. She owns Beelzephir The Chaos big time.

"I see…you have become a human, Freyja" Beelzephir smiles and finally let go of her, "How pitiful, I've been admiring you ever since I could remember. You have fallen so deep I couldn't even recognize you anymore"

Nonetheless, Frea doesn't seem to care at all of what he's thinking, "Have it your way"

"Fine, then maybe you will meet your end very soon" The high wizard walks away, but not before reminding, "Along with your lover"

Frea quietly looks at him as he vanishes. "Can I come in, now?" Fenrir comes out and claps his hands, "Wonderful, Freyja. You just owned Valdomir's boss big time. That's neat, even the princess and Elraven couldn't do that. That would surely teach him a lesson"

"Thank you" Frea cheerfully replies, "By the way, what is happening to you?"

"What? What are you talking about?"

"The dark aura surrounding you…it is starting to vanish" Frea points out at the dark aura that usually surrounds Fenrir's body.

"Hey, right! My aura is leaving me!" Fenrir panicked as the aura rapidly leaves his body and a single light brims out of his body, "This can't be! It's the seal!"

"What?! The seal inside your host?!"

"It's sealing me back again! Aaaaaaaaaah!"

The light veils Fenrir's body and there was nothing Frea could do about it. The next thing she knows, she is witnessing someone who looks stupid checking his surrounding. "George?" Frea finally lets out something from her mouth, "Is that really you?"

"Uh…" George looks at his surrounding before looks at Frea, "Where am I?"

Meanwhile, Emilio is resting on his room…

"Uh, another beating from Elraven…" The gunslinger complaints to himself, "I'm the captain of the squad yet my men could beat me up. If only I can find out a way to be stronger…"

But his wonders quickly swipes away by the signal from his talkie; someone is opening a communication line with him.

Em: Hello?

R: 'Hello'? That's what I got after waiting for your call for almost six fucking hours?

Em: Ow, isn't this the notorious horny bastard Red Valdes? Why, it's nice to have you calling this evening.

R: And I guess this is the filthy dimwit traitor Emilio Barragan, right?

Em: So, what's the big news? You didn't call me just for telling me that, true?

R: No chit-chat at all? Well, I'll send three of my men to Amatsu when you battle that stupid princess.

Em: Only three of your men?

R: And dozens of Juperos robots.

Em: Rekenber recreated all of them? All six hundred of them? Including Vesper?

R: Damn right.

Em: What's the point?

R: Well, say…to test if they are really good enough for us.

Em: Since we're not at the point where I need to do the deed I promised, can I test them too?

R: I see no harm in that.

Em: Cool. I'll make sure I test one of them.

R: Well, have fun. Oh, by the way…

Em: What?

R: Does Alexandria look more beautiful than in the picture?

Em: What the heck?! You should have asked Elraven!

R: That Angel of Darkness guy? What does this shit have to do with him?

Em: Because Alexandria is ogling him

R: …Nice

Em: What do you mean nice?

R: Well, that makes ending her life even worthier than ever.

Em: I don't think we're on the same page…

R: Killing someone who holds dear for something is always better than killing someone who holds dear nothing. The feeling they showed before their last moment would make ending their lives priceless.

Em: Sorry, still don't get it. But, that's understandable. You're psycho and I'm not.

R: I don't give a shit of what you thinking.

Em: Same here.

R: Well, bye-bye…traitor.

Em: Bye…queers.

Emilio cuts the communication line off, but he puts a weird look on his face, "That guy is insane…"

Several minutes later, deep inside the forest near the border between Amatsu's region…

To excel in one thing, you need an exercise. And to get the best result from an exercise, you need to stay calm. To sum it up, calmness stands above every other thing in the matter of doing a deed. If you're calm, you can think properly, decide wisely, and perform perfectly. So, that is what Fio is trying to achieve.

Isolating herself deep inside the forest of Amatsu, she tries to calm her inner self. She knows, if she wants to get herself some calmness she would have to go to a rather calm place. Not much people wander around at noon in Amatsu's forest, let alone at night. So, for a start she has chosen a good place.

"Ok, here we go" The lord knight takes her Spell of Odin out and observes it carefully, "General told me that I have to try communicating with this spell. That's weird, but worth trying nonetheless. So, what do I do know? Do I have to say hello to the spell? Nah, that can't be it. How would the spell reply to me anyway? Ow, Fiorentin you are so lame! Come on! Think like a proper adult! Ok, what about this? I will close my eyes and then I will try to speak to the spell from the inside. Ok, let's try it"

Closing her eyes just like she decided, Fio concentrates her mind to literally speak with the spell, "Focus, focus. Ok…the Spell of Odin, open up to me. Show me, give me a hint to fully master the power hides inside you. If you can hear me, if you would be so kind to listen to my wish, then give me sign"

And it does give her sign. In a second, Fio feels the change in her surrounding. That night was windy and cold, but suddenly she feels warmer and no winds blowing around her at all. Slowly opening her eyes, she finds herself in…Panorama.

"What?! How did I get here?!" Fio raises her eyebrows and looks everywhere on her new surrounding in disbelieve, "Did I die again?! But, I didn't feel dying at all!". The flowers, the white warm sky, and the quite garden, no wonder the lord knight feels something is going on in here.

"It's quite the opposite, Princess Fiorentin" Fio hears a familiar voice amidst her own panics, "There's no need to worry at all"

"This voice…could it be?" The young girl slowly looks over her shoulder and sees the white man, "It's you again…white man"

"White man? Is that how you call me now?"

"Well, yes. Because you didn't want to tell me your name and I think 'Just a man who happened to pass by' is too long to voice" Calming herself down, the former princess mirthfully smiles, "So, white man it is"

"You have a good sense of humor" The white man chuckles, feeling that she got him right now, "Nice to see you again, Princess Fiorentin. How are you doing?"

"Great. And you?"

"Perfect"

"Nice, so can you tell me why you brought me here?" Surprisingly, Fio has already deducted that the white man brought her to Panorama during her 'communication' with The Spell of Odin, "Are you going to give me another lecture about life?"

"Not really" The white man, still smiling, rolls his eyes before answering, "Actually it was you who called me to bring you here in the first place"

"Really?"

"You were trying to communicate with The Spell of Odin, right? Believe it or not, I could hear your voice in my ears when I was having a picnic with my wife and kids. I couldn't just leave you, considering that The Spell of Odin itself or to be more precise you, must have wanted something from me. And the only thing I can think of is…I have to lend you a hand on mastering the power inside the Spell of Odin in one way or another. So, here I am leaving my family alone by themselves in our free time. Be thankful, OK?"

"Oh, sorry" Regardless of what he said, Fio couldn't help but think, "You can have picnic in Panorama? That's kinda…cool"

"And, since I'm already here I'll let myself to test your wisdom"

"If I pass your test…I'll get that power?"

"Basically yes, although there are some concerns you need to consider on this matter" The white man sounds like a real teacher, "The Spell of Odin would give you a godlike power and at the same time, turning your status into godlike. But, you must be ready to accept that power, both mentally and physically. Now physically, despite your small stature…"

"Hm?" Fio frowns; she feels really offended of the white man stating the fact.

"I apologize for what I said, but it's the truth and I would have to say it" The white man quickly straightens the idea. Seeing the lord knight replying with a sneer, he takes it as a 'Go ahead, but I will not forget this'. So, he continues, "Despite your small stature, you have some good advantages. You can move in a blinding speed and you move your swords in surprisingly brute strength. You're capable of cutting fleshes and hard objects in one single strike. Even when you're bare handed, you can send a man one foot taller than you to the outer space"

"What?! How do you know that?!" The lord knight huffs, "Is this some kind of conspiracy?! "

"No, this isn't. It's a fact" The white man subtly smiles seeing how Fio reacted, "Back to the point; physically you have one lack, your durability. Just like other humans, you're fragile. One fatal blow and that's it, you're out for the game"

"Well, that's why I increased my speed. I wouldn't rush carelessly to my opponents; I prefer avoiding their attack to accepting it"

"It's a good plan, but that would only work when your opponents don't have the same or more speed than you do. Take Naght Sieger for example. He is a big hulking man, thrice your size, but he moves faster than you do" The white man starts touching the important subject, "He wasn't serious when he fought you at Glast Heim. That's why you're still alive. But, what about your promised fight with him in Endless Tower? It's only thirty days away from the next full moon. He won't hold back this time. If you fight the way you did at Glast Heim, you will get attacked furiously. One blow from him then you can kiss yourself goodbye to this cruel world, Princess Fiorentin"

In a really rare occasion, Fio cannot respond. Mostly because she knew and realized every word he said was right. She needs to improve, "How do I make up for my lack?"

"By doing what you do best, improving yourself in a matter of seconds" The white clothed man solves the problem, "You're usually in control on your battles, you're not used to your opponents leading the battle; when you meet someone who basically stronger than you, you would have to beat them in their own game. If Naght Sieger is faster than you, you would have to at least able to rival his movements. You would have to be able to react to his each and every attack. When you meet someone who possesses a Herculean strength, you would have to see the flaws in his attacks and seize your chance immediately. If you can really master The Spell of Odin, then use your spare time to master two other skills that knight class usually has, great but underrated skills, Counter and Focus"

"Counter and Focus?"

"Yes. Did you master them well?"

"Honestly…no" Fio knows lying to this man would be absurd, so she chose to tell him the truth, "I didn't really master passive skills"

"Well, Focus would be useful for you because you might be able to concentrate and add some physical abilities in your movements and attacks. Whereas Counter would make you automatically move yourself to retaliate against your enemies' attack. Using counter, it's rather easy to spot the flaws in your enemies' attack. But, these two skills can only be useful if you master them well. So, use your free time to develop more training with these two skills"

"I will" And of course, the lord knight couldn't help but feel grateful, "Thanks for the advice"

"Don't mention it. And fortunately for you, mentally, you're almost ready" Here comes the good news, "Ever since our last meeting, you value lives in different and better way. Your will and act to fight is stronger than before. All that is left for is…to hone your heart and believe in your fate. Do you know why I tell you this?"

Fio doesn't answer right when he questioned. She prefers understanding what the white man meant and think carefully, not only with her head but also with her feelings. The white man patiently waits for her to come up with an answer. Once she slowly puts a smile on her face, the white man knows she already found the answer.

"Why, Princess Fiorentin? What makes honing your heart and believing in your own fate so important?"

"It's because without believing in our own fate, we would never achieve anything. Believing in your fate will make you know no fear. And honing your heart will erase any hesitation hiding inside you. Believing in your fate and honing your heart will make every shed of blood you shed worth shedding, every battle you fight worth fighting for, and every day in your life worth living" Fiorentin swiftly answers. Needless to say, she fully understood what she said.

The white man feels amazed at the fact how she understood that much, "Great answer. I'm proud of you. You passed the test. You are really worthy of mastering The Spell of Odin"

"Thank you" Fio's respond makes the man warmly smiles. Somehow, on that very second, the lord knight feels something inside her moving. Something inside her is reminding her of one thing she longs so much, "That warm smile…the smile full of love and sincerity. I knew now…I've seen that smile before. You…could it be that you are…"

"It's nice seeing you again, Princess Fiorentin. But, I'm afraid I would have to take my leave now" The white man turns back, preparing to go, "In a second, you will be transferred back to Amatsu Forest. You have mastered one godlike power, so you better get used to your new ability once you get back. Don't forget to train your Counter and Focus. Good luck on your battle against Naght Sieger. Farewell"

"It's not a farewell!" Fio quickly disagrees, surprising the white man although he doesn't look back at her. She chokes when she said her disagreement earlier, as if she were holding back her tears, "Don't say farewell, because we will see each other again, sooner or later. Thank you for your guide. Please send my best regards to your wife and your kids. So, until next time…see you again"

"Good lord…she realized who I am?" The white man doesn't have the heart to look back at her. He can tell that she is shedding some tears. But he knows, nothing would change if he goes back to her, it would only pain her even more, so he gets a hold of himself and replies before he vanishes, "Alright, see you again…dear"

Before Fio could say anything anymore, the view in front of her and around her has changed to dark again. She has returned to Amatsu Forest. The young huffy girl quickly swipes her tears and concentrates back at her training. "Concentrate, Fiorentin. Now, try to unleash your new power before developing the Focus and Counter"

At the same time, in Sinclair's residence…

Howard just gets back home after one tiring day. Well, crafting Balmung isn't easy you know. And although Edward is still feeling bitter toward him, they eat their dinner together with Helen and Dana.

"I'm having a good day today, project Balmung is going smoothly" Howard starts a nice family talk.

"I sold several items today" Edward bitterly adds.

"I had a good experience with poems today" Helen happily adds.

"Wait a minute" Dana reminds her family of something important, "Don't you guys want to find my long lost brother called Elraven? We haven't progressing at all"

Too bad, her family is so full of shi…I mean, so insensitive, so they reply with,

Ho: We can find him after I finish my Balmung

E: We can find him after…dad finished the Balmung

He: ….What they said

"You are all helpless" Dana shakes her head. But really, if only they know Elraven is on the same building with them…

Meanwhile, Elraven is having a hard time finishing the poem…

"Wow, I'm in lost words" The gunslinger rags in his futon, "This is the first time after a long time I couldn't find the right words for a poem. I need something to inspire me…ow, if only Frea was here…I can spend a night with her and spend a good time, that would give me inspiration for sure!"

"Somebody is missing someone…" El is surprised by the sudden appearance of Fio from the door, "You're still awake? Are you working on a poem?"

"Bingo"

"What poem? Can I see it?"

"It's unfinished for now. Miss Helen let me borrow it" El gives Fio the poem, "The poem belongs to her late son"

"Hm? This seems like a good poem? Will you finish it?" Fio gives the poem back after gives it a small read.

"I will, but when? Dunno" El cleans up his stuff (including the poem) and prepare to go to bed, "I'll hit the bed. Good night, Alexandria"

"Good night" The lord knight watches as the gunslinger goes dreaming before she hits the shower, "Weird, is it just me or the writing style on that poem is almost the same with El's style?"

As the 27 days goes, all of them lives their live pretty much the same. Fio always goes for training in the morning and returns at the night. El is busy beating…I mean practicing with Emilio and finishing his poem. Helen is busy hoping and waiting. Gen Ed is busy enjoying Ty's products and searching for something regarding El. Howard is busy finishing Balmung. Hikari is busy practicing for her big fight. And the last but not the least, Kenji is busy praying to God he doesn't have to marry Cedric The Entertainer…wait, I mean Okama Masuo.

And finally, the promised day is here.

The gunslingers have already arrived in Amatsu Castle before the evening. There, Hikari has been waiting along with her parents, Tora and Dora. "Tora-san, Dora-san, nice to see you again after a long time" Gen Ed greets his brother and sister in law.

"Long time no see, Eduardo" Dora replies with a very puff up tone, "Good job raising your kid"

"That kid must be a playboy like him" Tora replies without even bother to look at Gen Ed. They still seem bitter about the elopement.

"He isn't a playboy" Gen Ed, maintaining his calmness, adds more fuel to the fire, "He is a good fighter…well, pretty much like me"

Seeing how smooths her enemy replying, Dora doesn't want to lose, "We'll see if he's better than Hikari"

"Hehe, we'll see" Gen Ed responds and takes a seat. El, Sasha, and Kenji are watching from the corner of the room.

El: "Good luck, amigo"

S: "This is really interesting"

K: "Tsukihime-sama, please don't lose! I don't want to marry that Freddy Kruger!"

And the two competitors take their positions.

"Tonight will be the night of my victory, Saruhime" Emilio shows his Hyperion and plays with it, "If you have any last words, say it now"

"Don't sweat it, Emily" Hikari pulls out her Refined Muramasa, "After I cut you into pieces, we'll see if you can still talk big like that"

And with that, they charge into each other, but suddenly…

Meanwhile, Fio is visiting Howard's workshop…

"Hello" Fio greets the whitesmith, who could be seen coming out from his workshop, "Am I interrupting, Mister Howard?"

"Oh, Princess Fiorentin! No, no, how would you interrupt me?" The legendary whitesmith looks so happy, "You come in the right time. The Balmung is almost finished. I'll take it out from the stove in five minutes and it's all yours"

"Great" Fio is being kind, "Thank you for your hard work"

"No, it is I who should be thanking you" And so is Howard, "Forging a legendary sword is every whitesmith's dream. And you gave me that chance, I'm honored"

But too bad, the good atmosphere doesn't last long as suddenly, the sound of something big crashing from the sky to Amatsu resounds everywhere in the city.

DRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAK!

The impact of the crash is so huge it even trembles the whole town. And before everything is settled down, hundreds of Dimik and Apocalypses emerges from Amatsu Forest and starts attacking the civilians. Panic arises, explosions occurs everywhere in a matter of minutes, to sum it up, chaos ensues.

"Kill them! Kill them all humans!" Vesper shows up from the thing that crashed to Amatsu Forest, it was Juperos Core complete with its inside, "Let's flatten this town to the dirt along with its people!"

"So, can we all go now, Vesper? Valdes would eat us alive if we don't" A man, standing around 6 feet tall, dusky skinned with short brown hair. He wears a green gunslinger uniform with the roman number VII written on his collar. Three figures, respectively they have number VIII, IX, and X written on their collar, could be seen standing calmly beside the man.

"Do as you wish" Vesper permits the four new Pythons members and they don't waste any second spreading to the battlefield.

"This is horrible! Juperos Core and its robots are attacking Amatsu!" Hikari yells when she sees the chaos ensuing in Amatsu from the old castle.

"Juperos? This must be Rekenber's doing" Gen Ed quietly guesses who is behind this mess, "Maybe they sent some Pythons members as well"

"Pythons? Those ten bastards?" Elraven chuckles as he prepares his HAVOX, "Now we're talking"

"If it is so, then this battle must be delayed" Emilio prefers to test some Pythons rather than battling Hikari, "The alliance is a priority. We can't let them interfere"

"For once, I agree with you" Hikari quickly takes charge, "Kenji, hide my parents and then tell all the ninjas to evacuate the citizens! Now!"

"Yes, Tuskihime-sama!" Kenji quickly does as he told, leaving Hikari with the four gunslingers alone.

"All of you" Hikari looks at them, especially at Emilio, "I know we have some differences, and I wouldn't apologize for that. But, if you would be so kind to assist me protecting this town, I'll consider my second condition done"

"Good deal" Gen Ed smiles and orders his gunslingers, "Ropera Squad, we have a mission. I hereby order you to defeat The Pythons and rescue Amatsu at all cost"

"Consider it done, Sir!" El quickly launches himself from the castle using his light wings and goes off to the woods.

"I'll assist you" Emilio says to Hikari, who replies with a sneer.

"I'll help Kenji and the ninjas" Sasha hurries to the rescue. The two young fellows remaining leave as Gen Ed goes to help healing the civilians.

At the same moment, Fio is about to help the civilians. "Sorry, Mister Howard! I'll get the Balmung later! I have to help the civilians first!"

"Princess Fiorentin, wait!" However, Howard stops her as he glances to inside his workshop, "The Balmung…it's ready"

The quite night in Amatsu has turn rather scary with the smokes lid the sky from its clouds and people clamor with their screaming. But one man is standing silently in Amatsu Entrance. A black falcon is resting on his right shoulder, a world map is in his right hand, a travel brochure is on his left hand, and two bald headed twins are standing beside him.

"This is Amatsu?" Marcus compares the current Amatsu and the one at the brochure, "The brochure says, 'Enjoy the beautiful view of Amatsu, meet its hospitable people and its delicious foods'. Is it just me or the beautiful view means smokes covering the sky, the people running wild, and no foods at all?"

"We don't know, leader. Right, Thompson?"

"Super right, Thomson"

"This city is under attack, morons! Why would the brochure lie?!" Gregory, just as usual, acts as the brain of the group, "Didn't you see that huge chamber on the forest?! It's Juperos Core! Vesper and his lackeys are attacking this town!"

"Oh, I see. So, that guy walking towards us is a bad man?" Marcus points out to man; rather tall well build man with an iron helmet covering his head. He is wearing green gunslinger uniform with X written on his collar.

"Presumably" Gregory replies, "Thompson and Thomson, you go help the civilians. We'll deal with this guy"

"Oki doki" The two swiftly goes from the scene. Marcus firmly picks his Refined Ballista as the man stops not far from him.

"I have information about you. You're Marcus Vidar, The Black Falcon, and also the leader of Arbalest" The iron helmeted man shows a Harpoon Launcher, "This is a good chance to seize you once and for all. I, Guido Mann, will tear you into pieces!"

"You knew me? Good" Marcus face turns serious as Gregory flies, "This won't take long, Guido boy"

"Why are you following me?" Hikari questions Emilio's decision when they are about to arrive in Amatsu's Uptown, "You could have chosen other places?"

"Well, what to say? I don't want to miss you in action" Emilio teases the serious princess, "I've been trained for a month. I'm not going to miss seeing you battling your opponent"

"Is that some kind of fetish?"

"No, it's preference"

The two halt their horses when they see Pythons number VIII and IX standing on their way. Pythons number VIII is a black haired Caucasian male with mechanical lips on his face. He carries what appears to be a Morning Star. Pythons number IX is a short yellow haired Caucasian woman carrying a whip.

"I knew them. Number VIII is a former convict, I heard he was a serial killer who enjoys cutting his victims' tongue, but he got his tongue cut in prison. People call him Licker. And that bitch is called Sarita Hen. She was a former prison guard who likes to whip her victims to death" Emilio prepares his Hyperion, "Be careful"

"You're welcome" Hikari prepares her sword.

"Th…ey…kno…w…us" Licker, preparing his morning star, speaks in wavering tone, "I…wi…ll…kil..l..the…ma…n"

"So, that whore is mine" Sarita moves her whip, "It would be fun whipping her to death!"

As the people rapidly evacuate from the town with help of the ninjas, Helen and her children also do the same. "Let's go the forest near the border; we will be safe in there!" Edward tells his mom and sister as they run as fats as they can inside the forest.

"Ed, wait! What is that?!" Dana points out to where a pile of dead bodies lie. They are all ninjas.

"Someone killed those many ninjas?!" Edward shows up his War Axe, preparing to retaliate if someone attacks, "Mom, Dana, be careful"

"Look out!" Helen notices a grenade is being thrown towards her and her son. Ed reacts by covering both his mother and sister. The explosion sends them flying thirty feet away from their standing point. That grenade must be an upgraded one.

"Ukh…Edward? Dana?" Helen quickly rises and finds both her children have fallen unconscious because of the explosion, "Kids?! They…they are unconscious?! Wake up; it will be dangerous if we stay here! Wake up!"

"Don't sweat it, mam" The attacker, Pythons number VII, shows up and approaches the Sinclair Family. He wears a Machine Gun Knuckles on his hands, "After I kill you, I will waste both your kids, you won't be alone"

"No…no…" Helen is really afraid of what destiny awaits her and her family right now, "I don't want to lose another child of mine. Kill me if you want, but please spare them"

"Sorry, can't do that" Number VII chuckles, much to Helen's dismay, "I dislike letting my prey lives"

"Then, die!" Out of nowhere, something made of metal smashes Number VII's face and overthrows him. Blood splatter from his face and his nose is broken, although he quickly stands back.

"Aaakh! Shit! Who did…" Number VII stops ranting the moment he sees…Elraven.

"Are you alright, Miss Helen?" Elraven, with his light wings intact and HAVOX on his hand, looks just like a guardian angel in Helen's eyes, "I'll deal with him. If it's possible, hide somewhere safe with your children"

"Sir…you…" Helen is rather surprised and content at the same time, "Ah…alright"

Turning his focus on number VII, Elraven prepares his HAVOX, "If I'm not mistaken, you're Bill Waldo, former deserter"

"And you must be Elraven Sinclair, the so called Angel of Darkness" Bill prepares himself for a big fight, "What are you planning to do with those wings? You want to become an angle that much? Couldn't believe you executed such a good sneak attack"

"Don't speak too much" Elraven smirks, "Anyone who is about to die shouldn't speak too much"

O.o.o...ke!

AOC: Howdy?! Meet u again in omake section! Please welcome our guest today, Frea!

Fr: Howdy?!

AOC: Hi, Frea. It seems that your relationship with El is dying?

Fr: No!

AOC: Alright, alright! I was just joking, OK? Let's start with my newest reviewer, Pupucachi! She got three questions. First, what are your three sizes?

Fr: 90-54-93

AOC: What the hell?! That's gigantic, sis! You surpassed even Fel's!

Fr: Pretty obvious, isn't it? I'm the former goddess of beauty and prosperity after all.

AOC: Second, are you happy knowing your three sizes are better than Fio's?

Fr: Of course. That means I have more appeal than she dies…I mean, does.

AOC: Third…what would u do if El…dumps you?

Fr: Wuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah! That won't happen! Elraven wouldn't dump me! If he does, the princess will pay!

AOC: What?! Poor Fio! Pupucachi, your question has put Fio in danger!

Fr: Serves her right!

AOC: Kogane, this is why…Ty never peeked on her. It's too risky!

Fr: What?!

AOC: No, nothing...the next question is from Aya, how many times you have…made out with El?

Fr: 349 times.

AOC: What?! Unbelievable! Did you do that everyday?!

Fr: 24/7

AOC: Doggone it! The next is from mikamika, do you know that El and Fio are destined for each other?

Fr: He is destined for me!

AOC: Well, not really…to be honest.

Fr: What did you say?!

AOC: Nothing, nothing! The next is from Tia Harribel, do you think Fenrir love you?

Fr: Well, he might. But, I don't really know.

AOC: Hm, something isn't right around here. From Castle43, will you bless Fio and El if they…get married?

Fr: What?! I'll tear the princess' womb so she cannot carry a baby for eternity if that happens!

AOC: …nuts. The next is from Allen, do you think Fio love El more than you do?

Fr: No! No,no,no,no,no,no!

AOC: (Bored) Well, the last is from my top contributor, Willy. What is your opinion on El and Fio possible pairing?

Fr: Not going to happen.

AOC: Actually, going to.

"Not going to"

"Going to"

"Not going to!"

"Going to!"

"Not going tooooooooooooooooooooo!"

"Going tooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"

And after an hour of yelling and yelling, Frea finally gives up. So, that ends the omake right here.

AOC: Well, in the next chapter we will have battles and bonus chapter again! C u next chapter! (^^)