Sometime later.

Moonlight Tower’s first tower meeting room.

"Everything is set, Cirrus." Said Ai.

"We have double-checked everything and gone through everything we are set to go tomorrow." Said Rethusa.

"Artemis?" said Cirrus.

"All of our Familia and even the Loki, Hephaestus, and Hestia Familia are all good for tomorrow."

"Then we will begin our expedition to the 72nd floor. What is the progress on the Knossos?"

"Good, we got reports from their town, Xenia, on the 50th floor that they expanded it past the 19th floor and into the 20th." Said Bree.

"Then it seems everything is a go; everyone can have the rest of the day off and enjoy themselves," Cirrus said, getting up from his seat.

"Yes, captain!!" they all shouted, taking their leave.

"Artemis, we will be gone for a while, so if anything—"

"I know Cirrus. We have been over this on past expeditions. I even asked Circe to help, so no worries! Besides, if anything does happen, you will need Fafnir to quickly rush back."

"I’m worried they will try to come along." Said Ai. "Calli in particular has both of your sneakiness."

"Then I need to keep her close until you leave. Oh, speaking of when, should Malion return? She left for her home forest a while ago, didn’t she?"

"Hm, the Lionash Forest; it’s supposed to be in the frontier, but she has long left it years ago."

"Well, she is also a few months pregnant as well, so…" Ai looked at Cirrus.

"I told her I would go with her, but she was reluctant on going with the people she trained, and I even have Hecton guarding her."
The door opened, and the brother and sister entered.

"Dad, are you done with your meeting?" said Callisto.

"Yeah! I wanna practice with Mom!" said Haku.

"Yes, we are," Cirrus said, walking towards them. "Haku, would you mind letting your mom spar with me for a bit?"

"Is it to test her?"

"Yes."

"Then I’m fine if I can watch."

"Oh! Oh, I wanna watch it too!" Callisto said.

"That’s fine, Ai?"

"I’m fine with it. Art, do you mind if you make it harder?"

"Like usual, I see."

Down in the training area.

Cirrus and Ai spar with one another while Artemis fires at them both.

Whoosh!! Clack!! Whoosh!!

Clack!! Clack!!

Thud!! Whoosh!!

"Whoa! They're so fast!!" said Callisto with starry eyes. "And Mom is so good with the bow! I can’t even hear when she fires the arrow!"

"…" Haku watches as his parents fight it out with such strength and power with only wooden weapons.

‘One day, I will reach such feats.’

Haku watches with keen eyes, soaking in how they move and fight.

Callisto however watched as her father swung, thrusted and in general moved.

"Ooh..."

She paid no mind to Artemis nor Ai, no, she was more interested in how her father reacts to situations.

'Ooh. So he makes quick glances while twisting his body, how and why does he do it? Doesn't it hurt to move like—no it's centrifugal force. He moves in a flowy kind of way. Hm, it makes it hard to pin him down and shoot him or even approach him, he even makes abrupt sudden stops making it even harder.'

 

The next day.

"Alright, you two stay out of trouble, alright Artemis and Aunty Circe will be watching you guys while we are away," Ai said.

"When are you coming back?" asked Callisto.

"Should be before December, so our trip to Yamato is still up, but no promises alright." Said Cirrus, bending down. "Listen to your mom and Aunty Circe, alright?"

"Alright," she said, looking a bit sad.

"That’s my girl." He messed up her hair before standing up again. "Haku you as well." He patted his head.

"Fine… just come back, okay?"

"Of course."

"Bye, sweeties!" Ai said, hugging and kissing them both. "I’ll miss you a lot so we will get back as fast as we can, alright!"

"Okay!" they said happily.

They then leave with the rest of the Familia for the Dungeon.

"So any of you kids wanna play me in some board games?" Circe said to Haku and Callisto.

"Oh! Oh! Can we play mahjong!" said Callisto.

"Of course! Artemis, do you wanna play as well?"

"Might as well."

 

Later that night, Callisto got up quietly from her parent's bed, where she and her brother were sleeping with Artemis.

‘Security has been really lax since they left!’

She went down to the locked room, where she found it unlocked.

"Wonder who unlocked it?"

She slowly entered it to find a room littered with books, musical sheets, and dust.

"Needs dusting…" She looked at the bed by the window.

Under the covers was a magnificent weapon. It immediately caught her eye as it showered under the moonlight.

"Such a pretty sword... Why doesn’t Dad use it?"

She placed her hand on it, and she entered a trance. Memories began to slowly tinkle in now that Vesta had worked on them some more.

 

The first thing that she saw was an open field of night phlox and a woman dyed in the night sky.

"Mother, please! I do not wish to leave your side," said a woman in pure white.

‘Hm? Who is that?’

Callisto watched from a third-person point of view.

"My daughter, I have created you to help humanity. I am sorry for this." She then placed her hand on her head, and a white light filled the area before the scenery changed to prairie. "May we meet one day, my child, and may you live a life you are proud of?"

Those were the last words that rang in her ears before going into a lull.

"…Ah, I feel empty…" She looked at her hand, and she couldn’t form a fist in anger. "…Mother."

___
__
-

Laying in a prairie, the woman looked up at the clouds.

"Hey!" said someone.

She turned to see a handsome man with golden hair and eyes.

"Another spirit?" She said, looking at him.

"My name is Gratuito Vento! I felt your arrival! So I thought I come and help you out!"

"…Vento, was it?"

"Yup! That’s my name!" he said with a carefree spirit.

"I thank you for your help, so can you tell me where I can make a contract with someone?"

"Well, I don’t know where the nearest human settlement is, but if you travel with the rest of the group, I made the group so we could find some people as safely as we could!"

"Very well, lead the way, Vento."

"Sure thing! But can I get your name?"

"…My name is Candidus Nox, Spirit of the Goddess of the Night."

 

Back to reality and in the present.

"Hah…" Vesta sighed. "Let's see how this goes. I followed her instructions. I hope my changing how they spoke won’t affect her too much. That old English-type way of speaking was hard on the ears."

Vesta watched over Callisto as Nox’s memories are slowly dripped into her.

 

Frontier, Lionash Forest’s outskirts.

"Such destruction," Malion said, gazing at a sea of poison that chokes her home forest.

"Yes, Lady Dökk, we are sorry you had to come when we are in this state." Said a dark elf of her home forest.

"The forest…it’s dying." Said Primo Libera, a level 2 elf of the Hestia Familia.

"We have been doing our best, but the miasma has made it extremely difficult to save the trees and soil."

"Do you know who is causing this?" said Sophia Flores, a level 3 human of the Hestia Familia.

"It was something; it corroded everything and made its way to the sacred tree, tossing the Odin Familia out of their town. At first, we were overjoyed that they were kicked out the same way as our ancestors, but then a miasma began to spread and kill everything. Even the Surtr Familia in the south has taken to fending off the poison."

"Which Familia is stronger? Odin’s or Surtr’s?" asked Sophia.

"That would be Odin with a level 4 child by the name of Brynhildr."

"We should return to Orario, Lady Dökk." Said Primo. "This could be where that spirit ran off to."

"Dammit… if not for my current state, we would have easily gone in and taken care of her, but…tell me, did you get the one responsible name?"

"She said it was Wu, and I should mention she drank Eitr from what we heard from the Odin Familia as they ran away."

"Are you sure?"

"Highly likely."

"Dammit… Primo, Sophia, we will go to the Odin Familia’s base and confirm that Wu has drunk the Eitr. Ulli tells the rest of us that we will send for help."

"Lady Dökk, I think the people would—"

"You know where I stand with my parents. Let us go."

She went on, with Primo and Sophia close behind her.

 

They rode for an hour to reach the Odin Familia.

"Halt!!" said the guards.

"Move aside," Malion said. "I am here to see Lord Odin."

"Hah! What business does a Dark Elf like you have?"

"Keep speaking to me like that, and I will be seeing him with a different business."

"And that will be what? We," he said, looking to the other guard. "Are both level 2!"

"Amazing, this one is level 2." Malion gestures to Primo. "And this one is level 3." She gestures to Sophia.

"Gulp!" They both began to sweat.

"And I." She gestures to herself as she smugly smiles. "Am level 8. So step aside, or I will throw you into the miasma."

"!!" They both immediately moved aside.

The three of them enter the settlement, going towards the largest building.

As they went towards the building, a beautiful woman with emerald hair and pale blue eyes appeared. On her back was an ash-white spear with a gold and silver tip. Several runes were engraved onto the spear. Covering her was mithril armor, also covered in runes.

"What is your business, Dark Elf?" she said, ready to draw her spear.

"That hair. Are you Brynhildr’s girl? Áslaug?"

"?" She raised an eyebrow and slightly lowered her guard. "What is your name? I have not been called that since I took on the name and title Brynhildr."

"I am Malion Dökk Nida, a former member from years ago."

"Ah. Lord Odin and my mother spoke of you."

"Where is Brynhildr? Is she still around?"

"She died a few years back. I am Brynhildr VIII (8th). Have you come to rejoin the Familia after so many years after you failed to slay the Black Dragon?"

"Hah! No. I came because other reasons. Had it not been for the Spirit that threw you and the Familia out, I would have been long gone."

"Then why are you still here? Just to gloat?"

"I came to confirm information. Such as, did the Spirit drink the Eitr?"

"I’ll save you the trouble, yes. Now leave. Lord Odin has been in a foul mood since it all happened three years ago."

"My, what a horrible three years," Malion said unenthusiastically. "But I am sure you are used to his bad temper. He gets one whenever something is up to his specifications, which is always."

"Are you done?"

"I am. Let us go." Malion turns her horse. "She cut us the time and patience of meeting with him."

They left as quickly as they showed up.

"Haa~" Brynhildr breathes out a long sigh. "I hope she brings help."