Leona followed the duo to the basement of the Arcadian castle, which was nothing more than a prison. Cells filled the dark and moist interior, despite the torches lighting most of the spacious central area, Robert had brought some lamps powered by mana that he left on each corner of the central area.
Xenovia brought the Empress on her shoulder, despite her protests and squirming—the warrior princess had a firm grasp on her as she approached the sage.
"Everything's ready." He said before pointing to a metallic vat filled with a transparent gooey substance. "Put her inside that thing and close the lid. I'll assume control from there."
"No! Xenovia! Don't!" Despite her pleas, the princess did as instructed and dunked the Empress inside of the vat. "Ack! No! Let go!"
Seeing how she couldn't close the metal lid, Xenovia grabbed her head and forced inside before closing it.
"Let me go!" Her voice was muffled behind the reinforced glass. "I swear on my name! You will die a painful death!"
Robert sighed.
"If only it was that simple." He then turned to Xenovia and grabbed both of her hands, which surprised her. "What I am about to tell you will come as a shock, but I need you to go back and prevent all of this from happening."
"Go… back? What do you mean?"
"To be honest, I'm not sure if this will work. It might not, it might result in us being sucked into the void and possibly wandering forever, but there is a chance where we might be able to use the same void that eats this world away to our advantage. But I need you to trust me."
"Even if I didn't, there is nothing to go back to." She slowly closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Once she had calmed herself opened her eyes and nodded at him. "Let's do it."
He nodded and sighed before taking a deep breath. He was nervous. Even Leona, who didn't know much about him, could feel it.
"Very well." He said before looking at the contraption before him. "You just need to stand right here."
He pointed at a metallic light blue disc beside the strange machine. He went to the side of the vat, where the Empress was still trying to struggle her way out of it—and grabbed two cables with pointy ends before stabbing himself with it.
"Ugh."
He grunted in pain.
"Master? What are you-"
"It's… a necessary procedure." He took a few sharp breaths before focusing his mana through the cables. The surge of mana traveled to the vat and the Empress' eyes suddenly went wide as her body began to tremble. "Xenovia…! No matter what you do, do not let Leona have that blade again."
The mana concentrations were beginning to exceed its own limits as the disc beneath her feet began to shine brighter.
"Master! Will I meet you again?!"
"It won't be the same me as you know now!" Blood started to drip from the corner of both his and the Empress' eyes. "If you meet again…! Tell him… tell him to protect his daughters with his life…! Stop at nothing from giving them the happiness they deserve! The death angels…! They are what dooms this world!"
Despite being simply a watcher, Leona started to feel dizzy as if the Empress' sensations and her own were becoming the same.
It was as if her very sense of self was being consumed and transformed. Time felt like it came to a crawl and her vision faded. Once she opened her eyes she noticed the orange tinted horizon welcoming yet another dawn.
The calm ocean waters and cool breeze brushing the foliage felt relaxing, yet she felt perplexed by what she had witnessed. Differently from evoking Xenovia's memories, this time it all felt real—personal. Almost as if she was there to witness it herself.
She let out a long relieved sigh before her eyes glinted with a light blue glow under each iris.
"I'll become what I must."
On another side of the mountain homestead both Leona and Krieg were staying, a simple wooden shack was built in order to better accommodate the sudden influx of people at Robert's household. Namely the two high elf sisters Phoebe and Kaeli.
The younger sister sat by the window overlooking the city of Nara. Her previously short black hair had grown just enough to be a nuisance which made her tie it into a small, defiant tail at the back of her head with a string made out of dried plant fibers she knotted herself. Her clothes were rather thrown together with whatever she could find in the old dusty wardrobe. A raw white-washed cotton shirt, dirt brown trousers and simple sandals made out of leather.
"Good morning, Phoebe."
Her sister's kind voice, although familiar, made her hands instinctively reach for her hip where she would normally store her daggers. An instinct she was well aware of, but still couldn't let go after so many years of training.
"...good morning, sister."
She took a short sharp breath and relaxed her arms as she returned to gaze at the waking city on the horizon. Kaeli, on the other hand, was wearing a tattered chemise as she looked into the clothes she had left on the chair in the kitchen. She quickly took it off and wore the workclothes she was given by Setsuna. It consisted of a long sleeved brown felt shirt, work green trousers with extra padding on the knees and long boots made out of leather.
"Say, what do you want for breakfast?"
She asked while putting on an old apron that had a few stains on it.
"Anything's fine."
Kaeli sighed while shaking her head. Although Phoebe wasn't looking at her, she could tell her sister's motions simply from the changes in her tone of voice.
"You say that every time."
"Because anything will do."
"How about some fried eggs? The young lady Setsuna taught me how to make them."
"I guess…"
Kaeli had a small bittersweet smile forming on her lips as she kneeled and reached for a basket of eggs that was inside a cupboard in the kitchen. She then took two white eggs out of it and set it on the counter before preparing to light the wood burning stove. She grabbed a piece of flint and steel and started to strike to create a spark.
That made Phoebe turn and look over the shoulder at her sister, who was clearly struggling to light the kindling she had put inside the stove. Since each strike wasn't generating enough sparks, Kaeli went ahead and used more force—but in doing so, she missed the flint and hit her own finger.
"Ack!"
She yelped before dropping both tools on the wooden floor—her left index finger had a small superficial cut that started to drip blood. Phoebe raised an eyebrow before reaching for her walking cane and standing up.
"Kaeli, what are you doing?" She asked while slowly making her way to her sister. "Aren't you a mage? Just use your magic instead of complicated tools like that. You're even bleeding."
She looked at her with a saddened smile.
"I… can't cast spells anymore."
"You… what?"
Phoebe tilted her head back as if she couldn't believe what she was saying.
"Master- I mean, Robert gave me two options. Either relinquish my powers as a paladin of the dragon god or die as one." She pulled a piece of cloth from the pocket of her apron—a textile stained with dried blood before holding it against her bleeding finger. "I'd rather use what time I have left to make up for the pain I caused you than dying at the hands of my former mentor. I wouldn't be a good older sister otherwise." After drying the wound, she picked the flint and steel again. "You can feel free to sit down and wait, I'll get it right with enough tries."
Phoebe watched her before taking slow and steady steps back to the chair by the window. A sense of guilt washed over her as she settled the walking cane against the wall.
'So what Leona told me that day was true after all…'
Not only did her sister sacrifice her dream of becoming a mage, she also sacrificed the very power she acquired in order to be there for her. Her right hand clenched her chest tightly.
"I…" Kaeli's voice came between each strike of the flint and steel. "I know it'll be hard. But I want us to go back—to when we could spend time together without a care in the world."
There was a moment of silence before Phoebe asked without looking back.
"Why? I hated you so much for so long, but why are you going to these lengths only to stay by my side?"
"Because you are my dear little sister."
"That answers nothing."
"Because—that is all the reason I need." One final strike and the heated flint landed on the kindling. She carefully blew air into the kindling, lighting the fire. "When mother told me I would become an older sister, I was overjoyed."
Phoebe's hand tightened into a fist as she spoke with her voice tinged in anger.
"And our mother was almost killed by your own hands. Why? Why did you do this for magic?"
"I… didn't have another choice."
"We are daughters of a legendary huntress! Were you willing, she would've taught you the way of our ancestors and yet…" She hit her own thigh with the closed fist. "...you chose to rely on magic…!"
Kaeli had a quiet smile on her face as she kept listening while leaving the iron frying pan on the stove.
"I sought power in magic because of how efficient it is to kill. Just like the firearms our father used, magic is equally as powerful if not more to deal with all manner of treats."
Phoebe snapped. She seized the walking cane and thrusted it against the wall—forcing the chair to tilt backwards. With the momentum of the fall, she tumbled and rolled backwards before spinning around and grappling Kaeli. The speed and her weight combined was enough to make the mage stumble and hit her back against the door which flung open as she fell on the grass outside with Phoebe's on top of her—the assassin's eyes were brimming with anger as she held the walking cane against her sister's throat.
"I should kill you right now!" Phoebe spoke with deep hatred in her voice. "You chose magic instead of your own family! How could you betray us?!"
Kaeli held the walking cane just enough to prevent from pressing on her, but Phoebe felt her grip softening as she spoke.
"I won't plead for my life." She said with a smile on her face. "Just how I gave up on my powers, my life is yours, do what you want with it. If you tell me to die I will take my own life without a second thought."
"You…!" Amidst her trembling anger, Phoebe saw for the first time in her life, a genuine face of relief coming from her sister's face. "Do you think you can just pick the easy way out?!"
"No, but know this, I regret nothing. If all my past actions resulted in you being alive here and now, it was all well worth the sacrifice."
Phoebe couldn't understand where this devotion stemmed from. Even if she was her older sister, there was nothing that inherently bound her to the duties of keeping a younger sibling safe. If anything, the time she spent with Yuna and Setsuna taught her that siblings would argue far more often than if they were just friends.
The assassin eventually got off her and stood up with the help of the walking cane. Kaeli remained on the ground while gazing at her sister as she headed inside the shack. The mage took a deep breath and looked up at the blue sky—her eyes filled with a hint of sorrow.
"I'm sorry Phoebe… I didn't want to cause this much pain and suffering to you."
Kaeli spent the rest of the remaining morning cleaning and fixing the shack with the spare materials she got in the city the day before. Although her sister didn't want breakfast, she left an extra portion of scrambled eggs and a piece of beef jerky on a plate before leaving the house.
She tied her long hair into a bun and hid it beneath a straw hat. Stopping by the doorway, she looked at Phoebe who was still gazing out the window.
"I'll be heading off. Take care."
She closed the door and started to walk towards the town. The way was somewhat perilous as the steep way down meant any slip up would mean a very rough and painful descent. In older days, she could've just used wind magic in order to fly her way down but that was in the past.
It took her almost half an hour but she managed to climb down the mountain slope without taking a tumble. Once she reached the city gates, she was met with the group of farmers that were heading to the fields. They carried many tools and one of them reached out to Kaeli and handed her a hoe.
"Here you go lass. It's not much but at least it'll help you in the upper parts of the terrace."
She hesitantly picked the tool as she asked the same man who gave it to her.
"I thought I'd be planting rice in the paddies."
"We thought it might be too tiring for someone starting out so we are giving you a less troublesome job."
"But I…"
Another farmer slapped her in the back with a wide smile.
"It's alright lass, don't worry about it."
"Right… thanks."
She headed together with the group of farmers to the south part of the city. Once again outside the city gates, a few more minutes of walk and they reached the farming terrace. An expanding field of rice paddies built into the hill like staircases.
"Alright people!" The same person who gave her the farming tool raised his own. "Another day of work to fill our children's bellies!"
"Aye!"
A sound cheer came from all of them which made Kaeli feel somewhat coerced to raise her hoe and give a quiet shout.
"A-aye…"
They all proceeded with their work. The leader in question reached for the high elf and pointed to the top of the terrace where there was no tilled soil.
"We'll be heading up there today."
Kaeli couldn't help but wonder how they were supposed to work in such a large field with so little people.
"Are you expanding these fields?"
"Yes, lord Miyamoto has been helping us not starve with the money from the old capital but it's high time we stand up for ourselves. Those damned angels took most of the farming land so we must make our own now."
"Aren't we still too short handed? I'd imagine we would need at least a couple dozen people to work on these fields."
"Aye, we are. But sitting around and doing nothing will do little to fill our kid's bellies now wouldn't it?"
"I can't argue against that."
They started to climb the dirt path on the sides of the rice fields while still talking. The man looked briefly at Kaeli before asking.
"Pardon my question but does Miss Kaeli have children?"
"Oh, no. I don't. I do have a little sister I'm taking care of."
"Ah, you're the oldest daughter then. I see. Must be tough living in the mountains."
"Making my way up is definitely the worst part of it. But it's quiet and it has a nice view of the city."
"Haha. Back when the capital was still standing I used to work on the fields surrounding the castle. Just the thought of working right beneath the protection of my king was enough to make us feel safe."
"I'm sure he'll drive the death angels back to where they belong."
"Aye, one day we will yet stand with the capital's soil beneath our feet."
After some chit-chat, they finally reached the top of the terrace. It was at least a few hundred meters from the bottom of the rice fields and yet it seemed like they were preparing to make even more farmland as the treeline behind her was slowly being chopped off by the signs of remaining tree stumps.
"Alright young lady, this is where our work starts. We need to till the soil to make another paddy."
"Understood."
Kaeli wasn't exactly a fountain of fortitude, in fact, her former position as an archmage showed just how physically inept she was compared to her peers in the army, but despite the lack of physical strength, she more than made up in the form of resolution.
Each strike unearthed dirt and rocks from the soil, softening the future paddy that would serve to feed the people. Such noble goals were beyond her as she wasn't doing for any other reason than feeding herself and her sister and yet, with each swing of the hoe, it would invite the eyes of other farmers that were alongside her.
How could a woman of her stature do such a physical labor with so much vigor despite not having any resemblance of a farmer?
Hours passed and the sun was at its peak. It was time for a break.
"Hey! I've brought some bread and ale!" A young farmer shouted from behind Kaeli, who turned around with sweat on her brow. "Ah, Miss. Do you want some?"
While panting, Kaeli responded with only a short nod which prompted the young kid to approach her and hand over the food and beverage. She walked under the shade of a tree and left the hoe against its trunk before sitting down and removing her straw hat that was almost sticking to her from the sweat.
She tilted her head up and enjoyed the breeze before turning her eyes back to the food on her hands. The thick tankard was filled to the brim with a dark brown liquid and the rye bread was almost the same color where she could swear there was a bit of mold growing off one of its sides.
She bit the moldy part and spitted on the side before taking a big chug out of the tankard. For her, that meal was somewhat familiar since food as well as beverages in taverns or inns back in Arcadia and Astera were the same. Although, the same could not be said for her farmer acquaintances.
"Bleegh! Argh! Why is this thing so bitter?!"
"This bread is hard and tastes like nothing."
Kaeli couldn't help but have a bittersweet smile on her face as she muttered to herself.
"That's ale and stale rye bread for you…" She quickly finished the bread and ale before standing up again. "Thank you for the meal."
She gave the tankard back to the farmer who brought it, who was rightfully surprised by the speed at which she finished it.
"Y-you're welcome miss."
She smiled before turning around to grab both the straw hat and hoe before going off to till the soil once again. The aching in her body was definitely painful, but it was a small price to pay in order to secure materials to keep a roof over their heads. As she was striking the earth with her tool, she heard hustling from a bush somewhere in the middle of the trees.
"Hm?"
She stopped and turned to where she heard the sounds. The movement of the foliage became more intense before a wild boar suddenly sprung amidst the foliage.
"What the-?!"
The farmers jumped from their seats as they saw the spooked animal frantically looking around before squealing and charging towards the young farmer that was directly in front of it. Instinctively, Kaeli pointed her left hand at it.
"Fulgent ligh-" At that moment she realized nothing would come out of a manaless person and instead she shouted. "Jump!" Snapping out of the fear, the young farmer did as she commanded and was barely able to escape being gored by the boar's tusks as it rammed against the tree trunk behind him. "All of you! Climb on the trees!"
The rest of the people around her started to desperately get themselves out of the ground, but in the boar's view, Kaeli was the only threat present and with nowhere near her to climb she was left with wielding the hoe as a makeshift weapon as the wild animal turned to her.
'Dammit… if I had magic this thing wouldn't be breathing by now…!'
Her grip tightened around the wooden shaft as she raised the tool like a knight would a longsword. As the boar started to grunt at her she steadied her feet and prepared to swing the hoe.
However, the wild animal was much faster than she expected it to be and it was almost in front of her in a matter of seconds. She swung the tool sideways and it managed to hit the side of its face, chipping the blade and sending the animal tumbling to the side. Its hide was so thick the tool was barely able to draw blood from it.
'Was this hoe always this heavy…?'
Her entire body was tired but her arms were specially fatigued thanks to the physical exertion she had to perform previously. That being said, the hoe in her hands felt more like a heavy club that she was barely able to swing thanks to the adrenaline rushing throughout her limbs.
Enraged, the boar regained its footing and charged again.
"Lass, watch out!"
She turned around into a swing, but she was too slow and the boar rammed at her lower body.
"Ugh!"
The impact from the momentum was enough to send her falling backwards into one of the rice paddies below. The straw hat flew off her head and was trampled under the boar as it fell together with her.
"Ah! A boar!"
One farmer that was working on the paddy suddenly sprung up and started to run. Meanwhile, Kaeli rolled through the mud in order to get as far away as she could from the wild animal.
"Tch…" The hoe broke with the fall and it was more or less a stick with a pointy end as she stood up covered in muck. "Dammit…"
With another squeal, the boar once again charged her. She reversed her left hand's grip and held the other end of the shaft under her armpit together with her right hand while crouching low.
'I can't run and if this thing breaks I'm done for…!'
She steadied her feet as the animal rushed her down. The way she held the makeshift spear made it so it would skewer itself against it. She hoped it would essentially kill itself by ramming against the sharp end of the shaft but instead—it found itself struck in the shoulder while its terrible teeth were gnawing at air trying to get a hold of her left leg.
"Nghhh!" The boar's strength was overwhelming. Her tired arms and exhausted body could barely keep it at bay while it kept pushing through its own wound in order to bite her. "Get away from me!"
As she shouted her lungs out, the spear snapped in half and the animal closed the gap in the blink of an eye. She instinctively closed her eyes and braced to get her leg bitten off but instead, she felt a warm sticky sensation splash all across her face.
"Hey, are you alright?"
A male voice came from her left and as she opened her eyes, the boar was decapitated and bleeding a pool of crimson in front of her. She looked to her side and Krieg was standing there with a lumber axe with a massive blade head embedded between the carcass and the massive pork head.
"Sir Krieg!" The farmer that ran away came back and was holding a pitchfork. "Where is the boar? Did you-"
"I killed it."
"A-already?"
"Thanks to the weapon you gave me."
"That's just… my pa's axe…"
"Worry not." He grabbed the middle of the shaft and removed the axe from the body before giving back to him. "Here you go. Ah, mind telling your leader that I'll be taking this lass back with me?"
"Huh? You mean Kaeli?" He nodded in response which prompted the young farmer to slowly agree. "O-okay, I'll let him know."
Kaeli snapped out of it and turned to the knight.
"Wait, Krieg, I-"
"You've done enough for today. Come on." He leaned forward and lifted her up by putting her left arm around his neck and supporting her waist with his right arm. "Thanks again lad."
He said to the farmer as he dragged a reluctant Kaeli away. The young man awkwardly waved at the knight as he held both pitchfork and axe in his arms.
"N-no problem sir Krieg."
Despite offering a bit of resistance, Kaeli let herself be taken away by the knight. After taking her to the city gates he stopped by a guard holding a halberd and asked him to keep watch on her.
"Where are you going?"
She asked him with a puzzled look on her face.
"I need to grab one thing before heading back."
"Ah… okay." He broke into a jog as he disappeared amongst the crowd of people, leaving her sitting on the ground with her head hanging low. "Ha… why did that have to happen today…?"
She recalled the encounter she had with the wild boar and the bitterness in her heart grew. If she had magic, that thing wouldn't have so much as put a scratch on her and yet not only she was covered in mud but her arms were still trembling from the sheer fear of the encounter.
She was never one to fight her opponents up close. That was the blessing of being a mage. Any opponent or obstacle could have been dealt with even before it could physically reach her but now, she was as defenseless as those farmers. She was no better than a civilian.
Staring at her right hand she realized just how much she had lost. The power she held at her fingertips were, to put it lightly, the very essence as to why she had become a mage at first. It was an assurance. Assurance that nothing she held dear would be taken away from her without a fight. But it was that same assurance that led her to be at odds with her own sister.
She closed her hand into a tight fist.
"No…" She muttered under her breath. "My sister is more important than magic…"
"Hey, sorry to keep you waiting."
She looked up and noticed Krieg holding a stack of firewood against his left shoulder. Not only the logs were thick but they were also in great quantity as each was split in quarters in order to fit more around the plant fiber cord that held everything together.
He approached her and extended his right hand. She looked at it for a second and noticed the various calluses that covered his big palm. Her eyes then traced up as she asked.
"What are you…?"
"Let's go." He glanced at the guard before thanking him. "Thanks for keeping an eye out on her."
"No problem. We're here for that."
The knight nodded. Kaeli took his hand and stood up—her legs still somewhat shaky. They made their way out of the city and towards the trail that led back to their homestead. Krieg, although carrying a sizable burden on his shoulder—was still walking at the same pace as her which made her wonder.
"Why are you helping me?"
"Because your sister asked me to." He answered without looking at her. "Plus Robert wanted some firewood so he asked me to come buy it in the city."
"Phoebe did?" She became lost in thought as she stared at the ground in front of her. "But… I never told her where I would be."
"You shouldn't underestimate her." He spoke almost laughing. "She told me you would either be at the docks or working in the fields."
Kaeli tilted her head back with a raised eyebrow.
"Huh? How?"
"Beats me. I'm not the one who trained to be an assassin." He adjusted the logs on his shoulder. "Thankfully I decided to check the fields first. That boar would have broken a few bones if I didn't kill it."
"Yeah… thank you."
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure you would've done the same if you were in my position."
She briefly glanced at him before focusing on the dirt road ahead.
"I don't know. I always thought the path I chose was the right one until just now. But after everything was said and done I came to realize I was nothing if not selfish."
"We all are to some degree." He said with a bitter smile on his face. "To be frank, I'd cut you down where you stood for the pain you brought to Leona."
She lowered her head.
"I'm… I'm sorry."
"But at the same time, seeing you seek redemption made her mature even more. So, you have my thanks."
His words made her feel a warm tingle in her chest.
"I'm glad."