Three days later, in front of Babel.

“Ah!! The sun again!” said Ai.

“Hmm!!!” Callisto stretches in the same way as Ai.

“I can see why Cirrus was so quick on his toes. You always swing for the legs.” Ottar said, walking back home.

"See yeah, Ottar! Thanks for the match!"

“Hm!” He said waving goodbye,

“Alright! Time to get back home!”

“Hm! Let's go! I wanna take a nice bath! Nox, are you awake?”

‘Quiet. I am still... Hm?’

Nox could feel the presence of a spirit, a strong one.

“What’s wrong, Nox?”

“Hm? Is something wrong?” Ai asked, noticing the tone in Callisto’s voice.

‘…We need to head back home. I feel another strong spirit.’

Without hesitation, Ai grabbed Callisto, and she kicked off towards the Moonlight Tower.

 

When Ai arrives, Nox tells Ai it is in the second tower.

“Where is the spirit!!” Ai said, with her blade already drawn.

“Hm?” Says everyone looking at Ai with Callisto in her arms, carrying White Night.

“…Oh!!” Virgo immediately gets up. “It’s my king's childhood love!"

“Um… Who—Flash!!”

Nox gets out of Callisto’s grip and glares at Virgo while pointing at her.

“Who the fuck are you, Spirit?" Nox goes up to her. “And where the hell have you been?"

"Well, I can see you're as well-versed in language as my king is!” Virgo lightheartedly smiles.

“King?” Callisto and Nox said.

"Oh, then you are—”

Virgo cuts Ai off.

“I am the Spirit King of Sung Tales! Virgo!! At your service!" She makes a regal bow.

“Ooh! Cool!” Callisto said, amazed by her regal bow.

“There are more of you?” Ai said, sheathing her blade.

“Ah, I see…” Nox said, walking up and around her. “Then why are you here and not helping your creator?”

“He gave me permission to travel! Speaking of, the day is burning, and there are many more places to visit!” She walks away. “See ya later!” She said waving goodbye.

“…So tell me, Ai.” Nox turned to Ai. “Are there more of her?”

"Yeah, but they're all stronger than her.”

“Hm… Callisto, we are—”

"Callisto!” shouted Artemis, coming in. "Finally, you are back!" She quickly placed her arms on her shoulders. “We need to—”

“Hey, Art, can you update my status? You aren’t doing anything, right?”

Artemis could see the look in Ai’s smug eyes.

“… I will update your status soon. I need to speak to my daughter.”

“Of course. Hey Nox, you wanna come with me to the third tower?”

“Sure thing. I needed a bath.”

 

Callisto’s room.

“So… I need to talk to you about possibly… converting."

“Hm? Why would I do that?”

“Well… because I am leaving the Familia to be with your father.”

“Oh… Hmm…” She looks a bit conflicted about it. “C-can I see Dad?”

“Of course you can! Your father said you and the kids are more than welcome to come and see him!”

Callisto’s eyes lit up.

“Then I won’t convert! I can just travel to get my status updated!”

“But it will be several miles and days away.”

“Not a problem! I can just travel there on my own! Or well with Nox!”

“Oh… Well, if that is what you want then I will respect it, but... aren’t you going to be sad that I’m not here?”

“Of course I will.” She hugged her mom tightly. “We couldn’t have much time since I learned you were my actual mom, but... maybe we can spend more time together?”

A warm smile stretches across Artemis’s face.

“I would love that. What would you like to do?”

“Oh, can we go hunting? I want to go again now, knowing you're my mom!”

“Of course, sweetie! We can spend as much time together as we can! Right after I finish helping convert everyone else to Astraea. And also updating Ai’s status…”

“I can wait!”

“Thank you.” She hugs her tightly and kisses her forehead. “Alright. I’ll try and get everything finished as quickly as I can.”

 

Master bedroom.

---

Shirakusa Ai

Lv. 9

Strength: I0→ D578     Endurance: I0→ D532

Dexterity: I0→ E465    Agility: I0→ C621

Magic:I0→ G291

---

“Hm! Hm!” Ai said proudly.

“You and your skill…” Artemis said under her breath. “Fighting Ottar in that manner... the amount of high-quality Excelia is... to be expected.”

“Well, I need to get going! One more place to visit before I go! Say, how many do you have left, Art? Hmm?? Hmm??”

Her gloating tone annoyed Artemis.

“…A lot. Some of them are either in the dungeon or out doing quests outside of Orario.” Artemis sits down and drinks a potion. “Are you gonna see your son?”

“He knows what I am doing! Well, I’m off!"

Ai walks away in a brisk walk.

“… Why do I seek a challenge?" Artemis laments her choices.

Ai goes straight to Alise’s room to get the map Hecton was making for her.

"Hecton!” she said, entering.

Thud!

“Oh, Lady Ai,” Hecton said as Alise punched his hand.

“What are you two doing?”

“Hecton is helping me throw a punch!” Alise said it with her fists up. "Oh, look what I can do!” Alise’s eyes sharpened. “Hm!!”

Thud! Thud!

Thud! Thud!

Thud! THUD!!

Alise performed a very surprising and agile six-hit combo, with the finishing attack being a Spartan kick.

But the way she fought gave off the same feeling as Cirrus. Alise attacks in a flowy kind of way while being light on her feet.

"Where did you learn to do this?” Ai asked very curiously.

“Some of it I came up with.” She replied.

“And some I taught her,” Hecton added. “Lady Alise is a quick learner.”

"Ah, I see.” It made sense now, Hecton was teaching her. Ai did feel a bit bad for Callisto, who tries to copy Cirrus’ style of fighting, but without Hecton, it will never be a perfect replication.

“So what do you think, Mom?” Alise asked, looking at Ai for praise.

“It’s very good, sweetie! Does your mom know?”

“No, I wanna make it a surprise!” She nodded her head.

“Well, when you do she will be very surprised! Hey Hecton, do you have the map?” She glanced at him.

“I do.” An arm sprung out of his shadows with Gram and a map. “Here you are.”

“Great!” She takes Gram and the map. “Bye Alise! I’ll see you when I see you! Bye-bye!!” Ai waved.

“Bye-bye Mom!”

 

Ai immediately began to travel. She forgoes horseback travel over her own speed. Going as fast as she could.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

She ran.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

And ran.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

And ran.

“Huff! Huff! Huff!”

After running for six days and nights, she finally arrived at Odin’s Familia home, a large town built around a massive tree.

“Whoa… Well, let’s see if he can fix it,” Ai said, standing a bit from the gate.

'The poison seems to have left the land.’

The guards were looking at her but had done nothing yet. Until she walked towards the gate.

“Halt! What is your business here, stranger?" a guard said.

"Oh, uh, are you part of the Odin Familia?”

“We are. Why?”

“Then could you go and tell him I would like an audience?”

“Why would we do that? We have no obligation to do what you say.”

“Because.” She takes off Gram which was completely covered to not let it get any more damaged and slightly removes it to show it to the guards. “I need something fixed.”

Their eyes widen as Ai holds up the handle of Gram, which still has some of the blade attached.

 

Odin's Hall inside his Familia home.

Crackle! Crackle!

The sounds of the wood crackling from the fire echo through the hall.

“So…” Odin says upon his wooden throne. “You are his wife, Ai Zephyr, The Red Crown, and vice-captain of the Artemis Familia. I saw you back at the funeral; you look healthier.”

“Thank you for the compliment.” Ai nodded.

"My guards say you came to have something fixed? Is that right?”

Next to Odin were his captain and vice-captain, Brynhildr and Sigurd. Both were ready with their hands on their weapons.

“Yes. I came here to have Gram repaired. It was broken during my husband’s bout with the Black Dragon.”

“Yes, I know very well. I must give praise to him. I doubt even the heroes of old could do what he did. The valor to put his life down while also battling the poison in his own body.” He gets up from his throne and walks to her.

“Lord Odin, please stay there; we will—"

"Brynhildr, she will not hurt me. Besides, how could I not repair the weapon that allowed such a hero to finally finish the last of the Three Great Quests? But…”

Ai knew what was coming—a request of some sort.

“What do you request?” She said it with her eyes narrowed.

“I like you.” He grinned. “Sharp and to the point. Well, let me get to it. Nothing much, just that we need your help on something. My children here can’t seem to be able to deal with it, but seeing as you are at level 8—"

“That’s level 9 now after I cut down the Leviathan.”

Odin's children now knew why Ai wasn’t worried about them being so on guard; with her strength, she could easily cut them down with her fingernails.

'She feels completely different from her husband.’ Brynhildr thought. ‘He had a very open and wandering feel, but her... She had a much more tempered and sharp feeling.’

“So what’s the request?” Ai asked.

“There has been a black creature that moves with absurd speed; it has been going around the small settlements of the Lionash forests, killing the inhabitants.” He holds his hand out. “Let me see Gram.”

“A creature?” Ai hands Gram over. “From my understanding, your children here are level 4, correct? You two can’t beat it."

Odin goes to the table and begins to untie Gram.

“It is not that we can't; it is simply... far too fast for us to land a hit.” Said Sigurd.

“It also makes almost this Vrrr sound as it travels, leaving no tracks at all to hunt.” Said Brynhildr.

“So you want me to hunt it down while you fix Gram?”

“I see no problem in this exchange.” Odin had unsealed Gram to see only the broken pieces of it come out of the sheath, like sand. “Besides, it will take a few days to fix Gram.”

“Hmm…do you have a description or anything I could go on?”

“No. What we have are reports and eyewitnesses to the creature. By eyewitness, I do mean these two.” He nods to Brynhildr and Sigurd.

“Fine. I’ll be back when it is complete.” She turns and walks away.

"Sigurd, follow me.” Odin walks off as well. “You as well, Brynhildr; I will need your fire.”

 

Out on the outskirts of the Lionash Forests.

“P-please! Don’t Cough! Cough! kill me!?” said an elderly man.

“You are already dead.” Said Charon, looking down on the sick and elderly man. “You will still die within a matter of days from the remaining poison in the forest.”

“T-that has been purified years ago! How can I—"

“It has seeped into the ground and affected the water. It still lingers in the roots of the trees and flora that adapted to the poison.”

“T-then…”

“Yes, that coughing is already the first sign of your painful death. I can take your life without pain and take you to paradise.”

“Paradise? What are Cough! Cough!” The old man looks at his hand to find blackish blood.

“What do you say? Do you wish to live your last few days in pain and alone? Or shall I quickly end your life and take you to paradise?”

“…What is the catch?" He said trying to pick himself up.

“All I ask is a single coin,” Charon said, helping him up. "Gold, if you have any.”

“A single gold coin?” He said looking into the spirit's eyes.

“Yes. A single one, and you can find yourself never feeling hunger or thirst. Your bones will no longer be fragile and old. You can regain the vigor of your youth.”

“…” The old man looks at his home, which is only a cold, empty home. “I do not have gold… or any coins.”

"Oh, then what else do you have of value?”

“Like what?”

“Anything. Knowledge, a story, anything.”

"Ah, well, Cough! Cough! Ugh.” They groan in pain. “Can… can I tell you when I am dead? I will give you all that I know.”

“Hm.” Charon nodded as they extended their slender, pale hand. “Thank you for your patronage.”

The old man reaches out and holds their hand.

Swirl~

The old man could see a light smoke coming out of his body.

“Oh… I feel warm.”

His body soon burns away, leaving only their soul. It was a painless act that looked as if the paint had been stripped off a figure.

“Come along.” He walks them out of his home, still holding his hand. “The price must be paid.”