“Vermilion’s Capital shined as the beacon of chivalry and honor. To watch its Knights and Mages march while singing their national anthem brought zeal to the masses and nobles both”

Wandering Minstrel Yoshaar's memoirs.

 

William watched as Margareth was carted off by her mother to their home. Arch-Mage Valtas looked tired and with a gloomy look on his face, he cleared his throat and spoke "Kaine, ready the carriage. We are going to visit Jinn" Kaine raised his voice to protest but William shushed him with a hand gesture.

He locked eyes with the young man, after spending so much time together they had developed a sort of wordless language where each could read their intentions rather fast, Kaine furrowed his brows but capitulated to his father's request and went away.

"You know how much that brat complains when I ask him for sugar in the afternoon tea? and now comes you making him clamp up and doing what he was told to do, I don't know how you Saal'Xhir people do it wrapping people around your finger like that... and you didn't even tempt him with your body like they are known to do!" Valtas laughed but it was a bitter one "I don't you if I commend him for his Immaculate mental and soul defenses or scold him for cheating me out of a grandchild"

"This. Is. Highly. Unpleasant!" Lucrezia roared in his mind "Rude bookworm of a man! A disgrace to our nation and the legacy of the title Arch-Mage! Aah!" William smiled, a shit-eating grin plastered on his face. Valtas hid his foul mouth and rude demeanor whenever he had to interact with nobles, at the behest of his wife of course but now that he was in his home nothing would stop the man from going off on very rude tangents.

Even if he was talking to the last heir of one of the big four noble houses and Duchess of the North.

"Jinn will deck in the face when I show up at his doorstep..." Valtas spoke to the air as he sighed.

"And kick you in the nuts" William couldn't help himself, in his defense, it was one of the funniest scenes in the game. Valtas glanced his way and laughed as he conjured a chair and table for them to sit.

"Aren't you the little oracle? Whore, Duchess, Warrior, Mage, and Inventor! quite the resume child, quite the resume" he conjured a teapot and poured a cup for him and one for William "Drink, Kaine will take a while" William drank the tea and felt his mana and divine well of energy flare up as the heat relaxed him, tea leaves from the shogunate had this effect and were loved by mages far and wide.

"Is it true? That Dragon gave you the artifact?" Valtas asked with a strange worried tone in his voice, in the original events of the game the Arch-Mage never had concerned himself with the protagonist when she went on the hunt for it and the necessary rituals to save Viviene as to keep up the pretense of neutrality towards both the Royals and the Arch-Duke, but it was later found out the man hated himself for not helping his old adventuring partner and was willing to go to war for it.

Alas his wife cooled his temper and they arrived at this compromise that ate at Valtas, he searched high and low for alternative ways to cure Viviene when he was blown off by the Red Dragon to offer his artifact, in a fit of rage he attempted to fight the dragon for it but it became a battle of attrition and even his arcane might was starting to falter against the beast.

His wife's refusal to help him take on the dragon also didn't help.

William took the measure of the Great Arch-Mage of Vermilion and found him wanting. To compromise, to not stand by his friend who more than once saved him and his wife from death was a cowardly act.

"Conviction as strong as ours isn't common William, even for someone as powerful as the Arch-Mage" Lucrezia gave him a nugget of wisdom as his mind went over so many questions he wanted to ask. This wasn't the NPC you met at the end of the Viviene questline who had a few lines of dialogue to explain his side of the story, this was a human being complete in all of his imperfections.

Why not stand with Jinn, How did you live with yourself for betraying the trust of your comrades in arms?! It was hard for him to not glare at Valtas, to let that outrage pour out and blast him.

After all, William was mighty but not enough to take on the Arch-Mage in his backyard.

"Yes, and the necessary ritual for it, Straight from All-Mother" William responded.

Valtas looked bewildered "Impossible, that old crone cares not for anyone but her overgrown lizards!" William got up and looked to his side where Saa'ryu stood silent and near blending with the background "Saa if you could" He pointed to his jacket and the maid nodded as she moved a few steps before the mage snapped his fingers and the thing got off on his own and went over a hanger that wasn't there a second ago.

"Thank you Lord Valtas" William gave the man a bow as he groaned "Gods I hate that" he was about to ask what William was doing when William tied his hair to a ponytail and slung it to his chest. He turned around and showed his back to Valtas, William knew he was going to demand proof of his status as a Blessed of the All-Mother and dressed to the occasion with an open-back dress, according to Lucrezia it was yesteryear's fashion but he still found the dress pretty, red and black which earned him a chuckle from Saa'ryu.

All-Mother's huge Sigil burned in his flesh as Valtas's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped for a solid minute before schooling his features and acting like a mage of high esteem.

"It is true then heh" He paused and asked "How much did you tell my children about...Viviene's situation?" William could see how he hated the secrecy, the beating around the bush.

"Your daughter wasn't one to ask me questions, And I told Kaine he was to ask you and your wife for the truth" William replied his voice cold like iron.

"And if we don't tell him?" Valtas asked.

"Then I shall tell him, and my report won't be kind" William waited for a reaction but the Arch-Mage dropped his shoulders and ran his hands through his hair, he sighed in defeat as he drank another cup. "Godsdamn, it all I told Sophia to stop this madness, to mend bridges with Jinn and put down that mad animal Galius I did! but she wouldn't listen, begged me to stay quiet to not ruin the reputation of House Antewood" he spat on the ground "Ha! as if those blue blood parasites care! we are nothing but upstart peasants to them" he drank another cup.

"And you compromised, for the love of your life, the mother of your children you kept quiet while Viviene was tortured and defiled by Galius" William had to reign his outrage in again "Galius was in league with entities from beyond the stars, my mages picked the scent of their mana after the battle, something one such as you could've proved easy enough and have ample grounds to avenge Jinn's Daughter"

Valtas anger made William have goosebumps all over his body, it was like being close to a storm so strong the pressure was on his body "But Sophia wanted craving ties with his faction and once again you compromised, even as your daughter became involved with one of his dogs you turned the blind eye to the truth"

He slammed his fist in the table as waves of mana rolled across William who flared his blessings. He became a beacon of rock-solid foundation amidst a storm of rage and pent-up anger. All over him, Valtas's mana sought to consume him but with the strength of 6 Gods on his side, he was an unbreakable monument of conviction and righteous fury against those who dared raise their hands against his companions.

"Don't you dare speak of compromise! Spoiled little noble princess" Venom in his voice was strong enough to kill a Dire Horse "What do you know about doing what is right huh? Had you been there at my place you would've done the same!"

"No father, no she would not" Kaine appeared with fresh new clothes but William could still sense the armor below them. The young mage kept his Magi-Tech staff strapped behind in back fully deployed instead of the portable mode, expecting a fight William guessed, yet no fight came to pass only Valtas throwing a few mean words and ranting at William's ear.

"I know not what happened between you and Uncle Jinn, between Vivi and Galius but I can tell you this father, if Lucrezia was in your position to fight back she would, 10 times out of 10 she would not even blink before acting" Kaine finished as Valta's pressure went away and the Arch-Mage sighed, Kaine helped himself to a cup of tea and sat down on the grass.

"I am glad you have such a high opinion of me Kaine" William replied feeling a bit bashful.

"Who would question the conviction of someone who made a public execution of their kin and kith, only to follow with regicide? A fool that's who, and Father is no fool even if he acts like one" Kaine looked to his dad and said "The carriage is ready Father" and so they went off, William had his jacket placed in his shoulders again as Kaine fell to his side as he was used to, Valtas watched with a sigh and walked towards the stables.

"Never seen dad that angry before, you are lucky mom took Margareth to get healing otherwise we would have an hour-long argument about this mess and they would probably start lobbing spells at you..." Kaine said defeated "No, please don't recall some obscure part of my childhood you somehow can recall with crystal clear detail. Dad would accuse you of using Mind Magic or Gods forbid Necromancy"

"There's not a whiff of both on her Arcane print Kaine, Please I am the Arch-Mage" Valtas spoke as he got into the carriage, Kaine shrugged and got in as William followed.

It felt weird seeing someone so powerful being so how could William put it-

"Open, Lord Valtas has some respect for us to not put on airs. Weak Willed he may be but he must've harbored a desire to avenge Viviene as well, they raised their kids together after all" Lucrezia's voice whispered to him "Yet he harbors antagonist emotions as well, no doubt thanks to the pain we inflicted in his daughter, perhaps that struck too close and the man got spooked. How strange to watch someone who could level cities with but a flick of his wrist be so-"

"Human" William finished her sentence and heard a soft laugh coming from Lucrezia. He sat beside Saa'ryu and Kaine and enjoyed the city view as the carriage sped along the streets of Aaar Yrthaar. Emotions deep inside of him and Lucrezia flared as he stared at the window, a small hum escaped her lips as did his and they hummed the main theme of the game which was also the national anthem for Vermilion.

"Tall Banners held high"

"Spears of Crimson Ever forward"

"Forward sons and daughters of the five"

"Forwards towards a brighter future"

"Until the setting sun engulfs our lands in his crimson glow..."

"If all else fails you could make a good bard Lucrezia," Kaine said with a smile on his face.

"I didn't know you were also blessed by a musical God Wulfgrem," Valtas said as he began casting a message spell, no doubt to Jinn.

"I'm not Lord Valtas, I just partake in the bardic arts as a stress reliever" William replied honestly "It helps ease the boredom of endless paperwork and meeting with traders and other important people"

"Combat? Magic and your what's called again?" Valtas asked and Kaine fired back "Magi-Tech Father, a combination of science and the arcane"

Valtas nodded "Yes, yes the godling came to petition my aid when his parents kicked him out, to be forced into what was considered an impossible task from birth is a rough fate even for a divine being, and yet He pulled through, and now I'm hearing you want to make chapels in the capital with the help of Silverbrand," Valtas said with a semblance of respect in his voice.

"Don't forget I am also on the same track as her" Kaine replied as Valtas sighed "Yes, yes Kaine, I will take with some people and get your church paperwork ready by next work no need to bug me about it. But that's as far as I will go to help you, I don't like Chronomancy and unlike your mother, I am not willing to get into the Goddess of Time shitlist thanks to mucking up Time-Space Continuum" he finished with a huff.

"It wasn't that bad c'mon on now, Gwenarius didn't even send a bolt of divine lighting to your house as she did with that other feller, what was his name again Do something?"

Valtas looked bewildered "How in All-Father's balls do you know about Doro-Ka's experiment? Kaine did you-"

Kaine shook his head in a complete display of honesty "I don't know how she does it, dad, somehow she knows stuff even mom forgot about it!"

Valtas narrowed his eyes "Gods must be whispering in her ear, Gotta be" Kaine nodded as William saw father and son bond over his meta knowledge, Lucrezia laughed in the background as Saa'ryu looked bewildered. William gave both an innocent smile and said "Lord Valt-"

"Please, just call me Valtas or Arch-Mage if you want to be respectful for inane reasons, I hate that Lord nonsense" he cut him off as Kaine nodded "I told you dad, should've said no to mom when she started acting like a noble, but you didn't and now we are here" he shook his head as Valtas sent him a glare and pointed at him "Quiet you! Don't you start again"

"Mister Valtas then" the mage looked annoyed but didn't interrupt William again "Could you please send a message to the headmaster, see that my paperwork and accommodations in the Academy are ready?" Valtas nodded and after a few minutes spoke again "Everything is ok but you lost the VIP room to some marquis son or daughter, you will have to share accommodations with the lower nobility"

Ahh, William recalled that particular drama nightmare of a situation, two whole questlines dedicated to fixing some bureaucratic error to get a better room, luckily for him he didn't mind sharing bunks with others.

"I do mind, it is my right to have the private room" Lucrezia spoke in mock outrage "Ha! got you good didn't I?"

"No, I can feel your emotions Lucrezia..."

"You are no fun, William"

---

William watched as a formation of Griffin Riders approached them from the skies. Among the lesser Griffins was one of the three Arch-Griffin, the huge scar in its face telling William who was it.

The Mother was Jinn's Stead and together with the Father and their Child who was raised together with Jinn's Daughter complemented the family of the Arch-Duke, these noble magical beasts were brilliant and had a deep bond with Jinn and his Family. That Jinn himself would take to the skies was something of a tell for William who had an inkling of what would happen when they arrived at his estate.

A small raven got into the cabin and poked William. Valtas was ready to send the bird away when a voice colder than steel spoke from the tiny animal.

"He has the heads, and won't lay a hand in thee or thy companions" William could see the raven smile in that twisted face Velkarius loved to make "Yet I sense that other forces move against thee, my precious Mortal. Be ever ready" the bird went away as Valtas sighed again " Dealing with that monster clad in divine flesh is a mistake Lucrezia, she and her mad sister who you unleashed like a mad dog in Talos"

William found it strange Valtas had reservations against the Goddesses who were one of the few who opposed the nobles in Vermilion, the man noticed his gaze and fired back "Yes I am aware they are the last line of defense against those blue blood snobs but they re too much. Alas I am preaching to the wrong audience here given you have the raven's sigil burning in your flesh"

The convo was cut short when they arrived at the gates of the Arch-Duke's estate. William put his head outside to see and he beheld a sight that was both inspiring and sad.

Two lines of Knights mounted in their Griffins, Spears held high as their faces stared at him, he could feel in the air a sense of deep anguish and wrath. Those emotions clashed with Hope and Joy as William's senses were overwhelmed.

"A Ki resonance, the Arch-Duke's Knights were always an emotional bunch, still a rare sight in this day and age" Valtas spoke as William's senses refocused themselves and he felt Kaine's hand on his shoulder.

"Happens the first time I know, I almost fainted when I saw it years ago...Mom still makes jokes about it" Kaine finished as Valtas opened the carriage door and walked outside. William gave Saa'ryu a glance and the maid pulled a piece of cloth from her person. Kaine nodded and left the carriage after his dad, William took a deep breath and stepped outside, the sun blinding him for a few seconds.

"Knights of Vermilion! HOH!" William heard Jinn Autumnflower's thundering voice coming from the horizon as the Knights raised their spears and gave their best war cries and so William walked as countless Knights gave him a warrior's welcome. By tradition, this was done only when a great deed was performed to another noble and represented a deep tie between houses.

William was also expected to do his war cry when he reached the end of the procession. With Kaine at his side (Valtas had teleported to Jinn already) they walked in silence while the Knights screamed their lungs out. the wave of emotions hitting him at full force as the men and women under Arch-Duke Jinn Autumnflower poured their bottled emotions to the outside world.

The savior of Lady Viviene, the Killer of the Fiend Galius, William took it all in as he approached the man who saved him from being cut down by Queen Malphas. Jinn Autumnflower looked old, his eyes betraying his shogunate ancestry, but the long hooked nose, sharp gray hair, and amber eyes made him a Vermilion nobility. Above all else he was relieved, William could sense the man was frayed at the edges for a while now but now?

Now he was whole again.

Before William could do his part of the ritual he watched as Misato Autumnflower came out of the darkness dressed in traditional warrior garbs from the shogunate. In her hands was a huge naginata, her golden eyes brimming with barely restrained violence and her hair flowing like a waterfall while her hime cut gave her face a sharp contrast. Her alabaster skin was untouched by the sun for many weeks.

The woman bellowed a harrowing war cry as if all the sorrow inside of her was spilled forth like a dam breaking apart. Silence blanket the grounds as she bowed towards William and gave him a nod.

William and Lucrezia got ready as he pulled his ax and pointed towards the sky, with a final gasp for air he screamed the loudest he could and even burned a bit of mana to enhance the effect of it, in his war cry he poured the suffering and pain his people endured, Lucrezia's despair and hopeless when she saw the deep seaport burning, William's anger, and rage as he tore through the streets and the final strike against Lucrezia's parents in that fateful day.

The battle against Galius's men, the all-consuming battle lust devouring his mind and soul, and the hope of helping Viviene to come back to the land of the living hale of mind-body, and soul, free from the prison those animals put her in.

Witness! Lucrezia screamed in his mind Witness he who delivered you revenge!

WITNESS!

---

Jinn watched with unblinking eyes as the pale womanchild walked among his best men, resolute, unwavering even as the best of the best screamed themselves hoarse and their griffons stomped the ground and cried in defiance.

A perfect welcoming to the one who delivered his family vengeance. There was something in those azure eyes of her, it was like she could pierce into his very soul and mind, Conviction burning in her eyes and then burning in the very depths of Jinn's soul.

He looked at his once trusted friend Valtas, the friend who together with Sophia who they had gone through thick and thin, raised their kids together as siblings. To know his brother-in-arms had turned his back to him and his family in their darkest moment filled Jinn with such bitter hatred it was hard to even focus on putting a foot forward. And yet he was the one to deliver Lucrezia to his doorstep, a common troubled look on his face, one Jinn hadn't seen in years.

Valtas got close to him and whispered "I know you will hate me for this Jinn but I-I want you to forgive me, forgive me and my family for the betrayal, the cold shoulder, the denial, and fake smiles...I wanted to, to do something!" Jinn heard his voice crack and a rare display of emotion flash in the face of his once old friend "But I took the coward way out and I regret it every waking day for doing it so"

Misato who was by Jinn's side spoke, her voice cold as winter but soft as a gentle wave "Words mean nothing, they have no weight, no value in the mortal coil we live. Actions do Valtas, and yours today marks the first step in paving the road to amend that which you and your wife watched being destroyed from the sidelines" She cast her gaze towards Kaine and said "They were raised like brothers and sisters Valtas, once this is over Kaine must know the truth"

Jinn watched as one of the most powerful mages on the continent held his head down in shame for a few seconds before nodding. He then turned to watch Lucrezia's war cry as they waited for the young woman to do her part of the ritual.

When her voice escaped her lips Jinn was frozen at the moment, at that slice of time he was transported to the cold reaches of the north as he watched Lucrezia command her men and eventually kill the vile fiend that had destroyed that of which was most dear to him. He felt the blood in his own hands as she executed his followers with the cold gaze of a born killer.

Jinn then recalled the moment he received her letter, a short small thing that explained her situation in the north, and spoke about how she had to kill her parents and shake the tree enough to get Galius to come up north.

"Give me your faction Jinn, your men and your word that the queen won't touch me and my people, and I will Kill Galius, and then his head will be delivered to you as it was promised by Velkarius"

And so she did, every word in that piece of parchment came true. Now all they need was to save Viviene from the clutches of her mind.

Misato stepped forward and stared Lucrezia down, where once his wife had been living only in flesh now a mighty bonfire roared in her spirit. She waited for the day her daughter would come back to her arms with fervor unmatched.

Misato slashed her palm with her weapon, Lucrezia somehow knowing about the esoteric ritual the old ones from Misato's clan had every one of their charges go through also extended her hand and Shogunate steel draw blood from the north.

Both women placed their bloody palms in each other's faces and slowly dragged their palms down to the neck. The blood flared in both Mana and Ki as Misato's blood pact was sealed and Lucrezia was made a charge of House Autumnflower. Part of both faction and family. The knights roared in approval as the Griffins stomped their legs in the ground, Jinn watched as his wife's Arch-Griffin smelled Lucrezia and huffed in approval.

With a gesture from Jinn, the Knights disbanded and they were rushed inside the house. The final act was ready to happen as Lucrezia slowly ascended the stairs to Viviene's room alone, in her hand the Dragon's artifact near to her chest.

---

Lucrezia was dreading every step in that stair as William moved her body towards the room Viviene Autumnflower "slept" She had seen the memories from the game, she knew the girl would be a wreck the second William opened that door.

Worse still was the ritual required for the artifact to work, Kallista with help from All-Mother had explained to him how he would need to weather her memories and emotions, take all the curses and negative emotions into himself, and act as a catalyst for the artifact to function and cleanse the young woman. William would be subjected to pain and suffering beyond human understanding.

And he would do it with a smile on his face.

Lucrezia wanted to scream, to tear her hair out and stop him but she couldn't, William in his depressed state had bonded deeply with these characters who in the game were nothing but pixels on a screen. Now with the weight of reality behind his every step, William could not say no to Viviene, for her he would go above and beyond the call and bring her back from the brink.

Was it jealousy? Did she want to keep him to herself? a part of her smiled when these thoughts flashed in her head. A nasty maniacal smile of domination and subjugation. yes yes, make him ours! body and soul he belongs to us and us alone! Lucrezia did her best to keep that darkness locked away far far away from her heart but it was hard, especially after she had promised herself to let William get hurt again.

As he entered the room his eyes adjusted to the darkness as a few candles provided barely any light in the huge room. William closed his eyes for a second and moved forward, closing the door behind him.

Lucrezia heard the bed crack and a small voice come from within the sheets, pain irradiating from it like a radio wave that engulfed her body.

"Mother, please...Please help me I-I can't grab t-" a pale arm with scars all over it raised itself trying to grab a cup only to miss it and send the thing into the ground, a hollow thud ringed as the cup rolled over towards William who picked it up from the ground and placed in a desk.

"Who, who are you?" The voice asked with fear so real Lucrezia could feel it. William moved with slow steps as he said "My name is Lucrezia Sommer Wulfgrem, Lady Viviene" he bowed as the young woman froze and screamed, the screaming was short-lived as she was reduced to tears of terror. Lucrezia never in her life felt so hopeless and sad like she did now.

"It is one of the many curses they placed on her, It keeps her lucid throughout these episodes and saps morale from people near her" William's voice boomed from the sky as he said "Get ready Lucrezia, from now onwards we are on the unknown territory" Lucrezia steeled herself. the game lacked any sort of information on what happened because in that the protagonist had to jury rig a ritual instead of getting the real deal from All-Mother.

Would the curses and memories breach their shared soul? or would be akin to the Blessing trial? Lucrezia didn't know and so with a sword in one hand and a shield in another she stood ready. Her armor made of gleaming steel stood against the darkness that threatened William in the waking world.

She watched as he kneeled by her bed and held his hand to the girl. Viviene in what Lucrezia could only guess was a spell of lunacy in this episode of one of the curses held William's hand in a death grip.

William and Lucrezia were standing side by side in a dark void, Lucrezia gasped but William shushed and pointed to his head "Can you hear me?"

Lucrezia nodded "No talking got it, we can handwave your soul as an avatar or something of the sort" and so they walked until hitting a stone door. William and Lucrezia pushed open and an intense smell of blood hit them.

Lucrezia gasped in horror and roared forward sword in hand. In this chamber, they had breached. She saw Viviene naked and hanging from the ceiling via arcane means as Galius and his people toyed with her body and mind. Outrage poured from Lucrezia as she bellowed threats and curses while fighting off the shades. William joined with magical missiles and aegis.

It took nearly twenty minutes to dispatch the shades for goods, as they kept reforming after being cut down. In the end, Lucrezia was tired and bruised as she gasped for air as they were kicked to the void again.

"And now all we got to do is eliminate these shades and save the fragments of her soul and psyche...This will be hard William, harder than anything we have done before"

William nodded, his face a mix of emotions "I know, let's get this on then"

Both went forward towards the next stone door, as more horrors waited for the duo.

---

It felt like days, methodically cleaning Viviene's soul was a slog and the morale was at the very edge of running out as William heard Lucrezia crying multiple times. His own emotions would often get the better of him as fought the curses and traumas. What was a 2-minute cutscene in the game became the most horrible battle he had ever fought in his new life.

He saw Galius and his people descend into the very bottom of human depravity. He was expecting to be numb after a while but the fire that burned in that fateful day at school was a raging bonfire today. Even as he dragged his feet towards the next door feeling like his body was made out of lead he would march on, he would save Viviene even if he had to make the ultimate sacrifice.

William watched Lucrezia stare at the empty void, he reached his hand towards her but she jumped away in fear. It stung him more than he was willing to admit but this was his fault, he was the one who volunteered for the deployment of the artifact after all.

"I didn't mean it, I swear it," Lucrezia said in an apologetic voice, William shook his head and proceeded to the final door.

Viviene stood alone in an inn, her mind fogged by Mind magic and Necromancy. In the dirt she lay like an animal who couldn't even walk on its own, she whimpered as a woman tried to touch her. Her addled mind begged for the sweet release of death and from the shame. The love of her life had done so much to her and now all she wanted was to give up and die.

Alas, fate was not so kind, Griffins in the skies circled her as she cried again, knowing somewhere deep in the recess of her soul that her parents wouldn't let her die, wouldn't let her be free from this accursed place.

She felt the cold hand of the woman in her back and screamed as her vision went dark. From inside her body, she felt like her very bones were trying to escape their prison of flesh and blood.

"The big one is coming, stand ready" She heard the voice of a man, too young but full of conviction and certainty. Viviene crawled as her body burned in pain only to hear the distinctive smell of magic being cast. And the sound of weapons being drawn.

Viviene made it to an upturned table and leaned on it, her vision was blurry but she could see a young woman about her age clad in armor with a sword and shield fighting a shadowy being, Her ashen gray hair floating as she clashed with the entity, behind her a boy with cold brown eyes and unruly dark hair floated and lobbed spell after spell at the creature.

Viviene cried in horror when the creature morphed into Galius as she started shaking and trembling "Close your eyes!" she heard the boy bark her an order and decided to follow it, the fear and horror became muted as darkness blanketed her in its cold comfort. "This isn't working!" she heard the young woman scream as the sword of swords meeting each other ringed across the Inn.

Viviene smelled in the air that distinct smell of magical lightning when she heard the crack of the spell hitting whatever it was aiming at, she opened her eyes again as she saw the boy raise both of his arms and pull great metal spikes from the floor then clap both palms together, another mighty lighting bolt smote the darkness as Viviene fainted again, the last thought in her minds being the face of that boy.

There was sadness in his eyes, and below that, a mighty fire roared and shone brightly even against the blackest of nights.

It was beautiful.

---

William dropped to the floor of whatever the hell the artifact had created and nearly blacked out. After defeating what he was calling the avatar of Viviene's curses and traumas he was having intense flashbacks from her point of view and they were knocking the wind out of him, Lucrezia was struggling as well as she dropped her sword and shield and decided to lay on the floor arms spread.

"Speak William, she can't hear us no longer," Lucrezia said as she closed her eyes "Explain what is going on with us, why are we having these visions?"

William grunted as his mana reserves were nearly over thanks to that last spell "I-I think the artifact is filtering the memories through us as it cleans them from her mind. She will have those memories but the trauma associated with them will phase through us into the thing and we will hopefully come out without any lasting side effects" he spoke as more memories came and went and he groaned in pain.

"I don't wanna even talk about the horrible shit I am seeing right now, nevertheless what I am feeling," Lucrezia said her eyes closed "How long?"

"I don't know Lu, the game cutscene was 5-6 minutes long but this isn't a cutscene nor the game," William said as the weight around his chest and head eased up a little, He felt All-Mother's Sigil flare in his back as did Lucrezia who got up and sat near him.

"You think she will remember you?" she asked.

"No, at best it will be like a dream, at worst she heard my name and didn't forget when the process is complete but I doubt it. She went out twice in that fight after all" William replied as he looked over and saw Lucrezia's eyes staring at the endless void.

"Something is bothering you, what is it?" William could see her body queues and feel the mass of negative feelings stemming from Lucrezia, she sighed and gave a sad smile to him

"You were ready to sacrifice yourself there...what if I can't take over my body William, what if we both get sent to the hells for consorting with something from beyond the stars or just deleted all together to nonexistence? You promised me, we would fix this together!" He could see the rage in her eyes, the feeling of betrayal and hopelessness. He knew Lucrezia disliked this but he couldn't help himself, not for those he had such an emotional attachment.

"Forgive me Lucrezia, Forgive me" William said, barely a whisper as she sighed again and responded "We, you must see this to the end alive William, no more playing the tragic hero, we will get out of this mess and whoever did this will have much to answer"

William watched as the void they were in faded and he was kicked back to Lucrezia's body, the outward damage the curses and physical torture Galius had inflicted in Viviene had all faded as her ivory skin returned to its flawless form, she slept soundly as the artifact from Kallista glowed in William's right hand. He waited for any after effect by closing his eyes but all he found was a dull headache behind his eyes.

"Lucrezia?" he asked.

"Nothing wrong down here, It is as Kallista said, bar the headache everything with our soul and mind is fine so far, what about the artifact? I can feel it burning from here" She replied.

William and Lucrezia might have dodged any nasty side effects but the experience still weighed on him heavily, he was glad he had put a bullet between Galius's head even more now. He got up and headed for the door before hearing a whisper coming from the bed.

"Thank-Thank you" Viviene said as William heard the telltale noise of tears, he gave her a small nod and headed for the door. He found the Arch-Duke and his wife by the door, their faces unreadable.

Many a doctor, priest, and even demon whispered came to aid the duke and all they failed, William on the other hand had not and so he broke the news without further delay.

"It is done, all of the evil she had to bear, the scars, the curses, the memories have been purged and she now rests in peace. The dragon told me it takes a few days for their kind to recover from it but I would give Viviene at least 2 weeks, plenty of food and family love as well" He smiled to Jinn and Misato as the man hugged him something fierce, he felt Jinn's tears in his shoulder as the man thanked him over and over before Misato prized him off.

He went to Viviene's room as Misato watched "He never forgive himself you know? we were lost He and I living just for the sake of it but you-you saved her" Misato tried to hold her tears in "Thank you Lucrezia, Thank you" William couldn't find the right words so he just nodded and patted the woman on the back as she rushed over to the room. William went downstairs and sent a ping towards Kaine.

The young mage picked up the arcane notification and pinged him back, William followed it and found him together with Father in a guest room, a maid who was in a corner poured a cup of tea for him.

Valtas frowned "I can feel that ghastly object from here, your pet lizard didn't tell you how long it takes to remove it from the artifact?" he asked.

"No, It will stay there for a good while" William looked to the side finding Saa'ryu and making a hand gesture towards her "Put it in the storage" the maid nodded as she pulled a strange bag from her person and placed the artifact there.

"Rare to find those, Silverbrand must've paid quite the sum for it," Kaine remarked "Those High-Elf bastards hoard their Dimensional storages like dragons do to gold, refusing to share even the most basic of arcane matrixes and weaving to the rest of the world" Valtas looked at his son with bewilderment "Kaine we had this talk before, that kind of power has been abused many a time before, the elves are-" He shut himself as Jinn and Misato walked into the room.

The duke's face was red thanks to the tears but the smile on his face was akin to seeing the sunshine after the last day of winter, the man beamed with hope and joy as he picked a chain from his neck and placed it in William's neck on it was a small griffin holding a sword in his beak and a spear in his talons.

"With this not a soul in this kingdom will not know you are a part of my family" Jinn said with pride. Misato on the other hand had a far more flashy badge of honor from the Autumflower family.

The Katana was forged from the bones of a metallic demon whose name time forgot. It looked rugged and worn, unlike the more ceremonial blades William knew from Earth. He took the weapon with both hands and unsheathed it.

Now I am motivated he thought with a silent laugh. after inspecting the weapon he placed in his hip with the help of Saa'ryu.

William exchanged a few pleasantries with both and was preparing to head for the Academy when Kaine took a deep breath and spoke.

"Uncle Jinn!" Jinn turned and motioned for him to continue "Could I, Could I come to visit Viviene when she's better?" Kaine stood resolute and didn't break eye contact with Jinn as the man stood quiet for seconds before smiling and saying "Of course Kaine, I am sure she would be delighted to see you and Margareth again" Kaine nodded happily with himself as Misato walked up to Valtas and said "If you wish to mend bridges old friend, aid Lucrezia when she calls for it" Valtas nodded a bit relieved with himself as he said.

"I'd say this went as good as we could've expected eh? I'll take those two to the Academy then, Jinn, Misato, Thank you for letting me and my son come to visit" Arch-Duke and his wife nodded and accompanied the trio towards the entrance of their estate where Valta's carriage waited for them.

After a final round of goodbyes, they went towards William's final destination and home for the next 5 or so years. The earlier events had done much to temper his expectations but he still felt a chill in his stomach. As they neared the place he started to recognize the streets, stores, and a few NPCs walking about. He felt his hands shaking as Saa'ryu glanced at him.

He shook his head as Valtas began to speak "I will teleport your stuff later after you put the wards in your room, Kaine just talk with the people in charge at the reception and they will give you the keys, same for you Lucrezia" He did a few hand gestures and continued "According to my people inside most of the nobles already sent their spawn and you two are quite late by their insane standards, the merchant kids and upstart commoners will come in tomorrow and the days after it but you will likely have to share a room with someone that's not a blue blood Lucrezia"

William shrugged "Not an Issue"

Valtas wheezed "Not an Issue she says! A bloody Duchess sharing a room with commoners and merchants! Oh those blue blood will seethe in outrage when words get out, Half wish hadn't paw off the Arcane classes to Mariah just to see it"

William looked confused "What do you mean when words get out? shouldn't they already know?"

Valtas shook his head "The scions of the high nobles maybe and the merchants of course but the rest of the rabble? their children spent their summer down south in th-"

"The Royal Island of Nuriemer" William dragged his hands across his face "Which means most of them won't be aware of the conflict in the north and me killing Galius, did the King put his jackals to suppress the information?" Valtas nodded "It won't last, I give it a week and a few days at best but that's way too big for the Jackals to suppress it" William sighed "Kinslayer, regicide, rebellion using enemy nation's tactics when word gets out it will be a mess"

Kaine spoke up "Think nothing of it, at best it will be talked for 2, 3 weeks before they move to something else" William had to agree as the game portrayed as such. As the carriage drew itself near William's heart started to beat faster, Lucrezia was also pacing around near the Monolith as a multitude of scenarios ran through his head. He felt sweat building in his hands as they came to a halt.

"End of the Line kids, remember to behave yourself and Lucrezia"Valtas spoke loudly "I intend to make justice to Misato's request, if you need me, just tell Kaine" William could barely compute the fact he had one of the strongest magic users on speed dial as Kaine opened the carriage door and went outside.

"Lu? Are you alright?" Saa'ryu asked.

"Yeah, just a bit tired" William replied as he stepped forward and the sun blinded him. It took seconds before the oh-so-familiar gates appeared as he froze for a second. This was it William thought, today he would finally set things right and get the answers he and Lucrezia so desperately craved. Saa'ryu stepped out of the carriage as Kaine spoke from upfront "C'mon Lucrezia, We gotta unload those chests of yours before the spell ends" he turned back and narrowed his eyes "Are you alright? I can cast a spell that can cure dizziness and upset stomach"

William shook his head and put his feet forward. Together with Kaine and Saa'ryu at his sides and Lucrezia watching over him from inside their souls he walked past the gates following the familiar path towards the reception building.

It was finally time he thought, time for the truth to set him and Lucrezia free.

And he would fight for it every step of the way, for no God, Queen nor Demon could stop him now.