Hello Scrolls and Nazarins we have a war to end in my fanfic The One Who Came Back.
Néia's destiny approaches.
With you
The One Who Came Back
Chapter 90: Endings
At the top of the Dark Tower, Neia clung to the edge of the parapet with her fingertips, only for a second before falling.
During her plunge, she could see Remedios a few floors below, still trying to strike something. Seeing such a scene comforted her, knowing that she would witness the paladin die first. But to her surprise, something flew by and grabbed her-something fast... and silver.
"'So, this is it! She lives, and I die,'" thought the Archer as she saw her nemesis being taken away.
During the fall, Neia remembered her childhood.
Despite having the same terrifying gaze as her father, she only recalled how loving the man's eyes seemed to her. Her mother's, on the other hand, were always severe; still, she felt loved in her own way. Gustav, even while sympathetic, seemed to fear her, and Remedios only had contempt. The rest of the people saw her as a strange creature, and after losing her parents, only one person looked at her without fear, without prejudice: the Sorcerer King. During the brief time they were together, he showed his greatness through his actions in the Holy Kingdom and taught the strength of justice.
For this, she would dedicate her life to defending his ideals.
"'Maybe I can be resurrected... I hope it doesn't hurt,'" she resigned herself during her final moments.
At that moment, something hit her before she crashed into the ground. Whatever had grabbed her did so with such force that they slammed into the wall. There was the sound of something scraping against the stone, and finally, they fell in front of the main door of the tower.
Neia was alive, dazed, and dizzy. When she managed to stand, she saw fresh white blood on her.
"Rali'ah! No, no, no, no, what have you done? Wake up, WAKE UP! DON'T DIE!" the Archer cried out in despair over the still body.
"I'MNOTDYING!" responded the dragon suddenly.
"Oh! I'm sorry, I thought..."
"Just... let me... rest a bit."
"Yes, of course. Thank you for saving me, Rali'ah," Neia said emotionally.
"You would do the same... if you could fly... or were bigger... or..."
"Stop, you fool, you worried me. All these wounds." Tears of joy welled up in her eyes.
"I know, I'm sorry about that, I'm getting better," she said, extending an almost-healed wing. "You worried me too, and now we're safe, but I think there are others who need attention."
Neia looked where Rali'ah was pointing, toward the crowd that filled the square and side streets.
The Archer stood up and wiped away the white blood as best she could. She ran her hands through her hair, pulling it back, which made her look like a legendary warrior fresh from an epic battle, something that had just happened.
Rali'ah watched the human and thought:
"If my breath was enough to revive her, what did all this blood of mine do to her?!"
The crowd continued to grow. Since Caspond's death, it seemed the entire city had come to the square of the Dark Tower, drawn by the battle, seeking a safe place, or in anticipation of an ending.
Neia stopped at the top of the stairs and looked at the people below, then raised her fist.
"VIIIICTORYYYYY!"
The crowd erupted in joy, shouting along with her, crying out in jubilation.
"VICTORY! VICTORY! VICTORY! VICTORY! VICTORY! VICTORY!..."
This cry spread through the city and overflowed beyond the walls. The royal army, hearing the roar, advanced with greater conviction to finish expelling the southern invaders.
"LONG LIVE THE HOLY KINGDOM!" Neia proclaimed.
"LONG LIVE THE HOLY KINGDOM! LONG LIVE THE HOLY KINGDOM! LONG LIVE, LONG LIVE THE HOLY KINGDOM!..."
"LONG LIVE THE GOD OF JUSTICE!"
"LONG LIVE THE GOD OF JUSTICE! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE!"
"LONG LIVE AINZ OOAL GOWN!"
"LONG LIVE AINZ OOAL GOWN! LONG LIVE AINZ OOAL GOWN! LONG LIVE AINZ OOAL GOWN!" shouted hundreds of thousands of people.
Somewhere in the crowd, someone yelled:
"LONG LIVE NEIA BARAJA!"
"LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE!"
"LONG LIVE THE FACELESS SAINT!"
"LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE! LONG LIVE!"
"LONG LIVE THE HOLY QUEEN!"
"LONG LIVE THE HOLY QUEEN! HOLY QUEEN! HOLY QUEEN! HOLY QUEEN! HOLY QUEEN! HOLY QUEEN!..."
The shouts of the crowd continued, and Neia stood speechless, without the strength to stop the acclamation.
...
The battle outside the walls lasted only an entire day.
The invaders could not withstand the pressure of two fronts of combat. When it was all over, the Theocratic commander presented himself before the only authority in the city.
"Commander Crisan Maru, it is an honor to be in the presence of Her Holiness Neia Baraja."
"The honor is ours, Commander Maru. Your arrival was unexpected but very welcome. Although I want to know the situation on the front beyond these walls, I need you to tell me what brought you to us. We sent no request for aid to the Theocracy or other countries since the Argland Council signed a non-intervention treaty."
"A treaty we never signed, nor were we invited to participate in. And even if we had been, our people are now without land; we have abandoned the Slane Theocracy."
"What? Why? I heard your capital fell, but the rest of the kingdom remained."
"Yes! Kami Miyako fell, everyone there perished. Only the worshipers of Surshana and the God of Earth survived. So, we saw this as a sign."
"A sign? From whom?"
"A sign from our reborn god, Surshana. He spared his servants so that we could spread his word. We abandoned that lost kingdom."
"And you came to ours, where something similar was happening. The religion of the Six is fractured; it seems the Four will remain separate after all."
"As well as the other two faiths. Ours will be upheld by those who have seen the truth: that our god has returned, and we will follow him wherever necessary. That is why we came here, where your belief, though different, still honors our God and needed our help."
"The worshipers of the God of Justice and the God of Death, living together."
"After all, death comes to all equally, and that is justice," completed the commander.
"It seems we'll get along well, commander. Now, how is the battle situation?"
...
One week after the end of the conflict in Hoburns
"Welcome, Blue Roses," announced Neia Baraja in her office atop the tower.
"We thank you for granting us a few minutes of your valuable time, Holy Queen."
"Please, Lady Lakyus, don't call me that. Despite the public acclamation, I have no interest in entering that dispute when there's so much to be done. Besides, I'm a commoner."
"Even so, you are a strong religious leader, of a strong military group, and one of the Nine Colors. And, despite not claiming the title, everything seems to converge here: the military, the paladins, the religious, the people, and the nobles."
"Some nobles. Most of them seem to dislike climbing so many stairs or discussing the kingdom's actions with me. As for the title, others will claim it, other families. Let them fight among themselves. All I want is to keep this kingdom alive."
"Probably the only way in the end will be for you to take command, to avoid another civil war among the noble houses."
"Maybe, but that will have to wait. There's much to be done. We need to check the other fortress cities. Prart was only surrounded to prevent them from sending reinforcements. Rimum was attacked by sea and suffered major damage. Kalinsha... just yesterday we received word, it held out but at a high cost."
"It won't be an easy task, but you seem to have the strength to face this new challenge."
Néia scratched her covered arm.
"I hope we all do. Any news of the remaining Scriptures?"
"No, since the Lancer left, none have appeared. The man with the shields must have gone with him, and it seems they didn't care much for their comrades. The bodies weren't recovered."
"Even so, they might have regrouped with that cardinal. We'll need to stay vigilant. What will you Roses do? I'm sorry I can't offer titles and treasures as a reward."
"Don't worry about it. We're just repaying a debt. From now on, we will go with Surshana's army to the south, expel the remaining invaders, and after that... we'll see."
"Then may Justice be with you, and until we meet again."
"See you soon, Holy Queen Néia Baraja," said the knight, as she departed, leaving those final words.
The Roses then went to bid farewell to the Sentinels of Justice, who waited in the other room.
"Goodbye, Marin, I hope you all stay well."
"You too, Lakyus, may Justice be with you," the archer said, already holding a new crossbow.
"So, this is goodbye, Brutt. Thank your wife for all she did for me," said Gargaran, giving the monk a hug.
"I will thank her. She sent you a lunchbox. And if you need help with that, remember we'll be here," the Monk said in farewell.
"Once again, I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help that day," Godia lamented. In her light, revealing clothes, the scar from the wound on her abdomen was visible.
"You helped more than you think. The theocrat's name was of great value, after all. Farewell and thank you for looking after this person," said the vampire, pointing to the trembling girl.
Evileye waved goodbye, thinking about the sword she had stored. She didn't want to touch the weapon, but her lady would punish her if she didn't take something so unusual. And she definitely didn't want to go back to that disturbing and disgusting place, full of creatures crawling on the floor and walls, which her lady called a room.
"Hey! Come on, girl! If you want to stay with us, you'll have to find a new name. The one you used won't do," Evileye called out.
"You c-can call me T-Tiresias," stammered the former Astronomer of a Thousand Miles as she tried to keep up with the Blue Roses.
"Goodbye, Thief. It was... interesting learning from you," said both twins, shaking Rapushin's hands before leaving with their companions.
"As if," the boy laughed to his comrades. "Out of everything that happened here, at least I got those ten rings from that weirdo," the thief bragged again, showing his hands.
"Eight! You got eight rings," Godia pointed out.
Rapushin looked at his fingers and noticed the missing ones.
"SON OF A...!" The boy smiled as he spun his wrists. "...So proud of them."
...
Three weeks after the end of the conflict in Hoburns
"Don't scratch!"
"How do you know I'm scratching?" Néia asked, scratching the arm where small scales were growing.
"I can feel you doing it. You'll only hurt yourself. So stop. The itch should pass soon," Rali'ah said, wondering what other effects her blood would cause and how long it would last. "How many days will you stay in Kalinsha?"
"At most three days. I'll stay just for Commander Rudhi's funeral, along with the Nazarins and those who fell defending the city. After that, I plan to go with the army to the south, we need to establish new control."
"Then I'll go to the Sorcerer Kingdom. I need to check on some things. I'll be back in three days," said the dragon as she flew over the city of Kalinsha.
...
Sorcerer Kingdom, later that same Day
"Do you know who I am?"
"You are Rali'ah Drian, Lady of Ice, Heir of Cold, Harbinger of Winter..." replied one of the creatures made of ice and snow, listing the titles her mistress had given herself.
"Yes, yes, yes. Do you remember anything before today?"
"No, my lady. We were just born, but we know what you know," the other answered.
"All right, you may go then."
"Where to, my lady?"
"I don't know, anywhere. Just go, I'll call when I need you."
The two Frost Virgins left. With nowhere to go, they decided to climb the highest tower in the city to look at the surroundings.
When they got there, they admired the city of E-Rantel.
"The Sorcerer Kingdom is beautiful," said the first.
Watching the snow on the rooftops glisten in the sunset, the second replied,
"I know."
...
Author's Note
Hello Parchments, ending this phase of the war, the text was a little expository, but I like it that way, a fanfic can't leave many issues unanswered or unexplained.
We don't have that luxury of resuming in another book.
About Néia, do you remember in the previous chapter where she was surprised that Remédios didn't try to kill her outright? So, yes, she tried, but Neia was already stronger because of all that dragon blood that fell on her. The binding spell was still working and so far she had taken two dragon blood baths.
Yes, the Thousand Mile Astrologer is now part of the Blue Roses.
About the Frost Virgins, I loved these two characters in the short time I gave them, so I had to bring them back somehow.