The last remnants of the Horde dispersed with time, running back to the forests they had come from. Jubilation spread across the Genesis troops, who celebrated with battlecries and thankful prayers to the Saints that no doubt had guided them to victory that day. It had been a quick battle, hard fought and bloody, but the lightning called down by the Saints had saved the armies of the Church from what could have easily become a massacre. The remaining citizens of Caen received the soldiers as heroes when they finally arrived at the harbor, applauding thunderously and throwing flowers and herbs upon them… this had to be the first time in recorded history where a city was able to repel the Horde so thoroughly.

It was in the middle of such celebrations that, away from the amassing crowd that was forming around the arriving soldiers, three ladies approached one of the ships still stationed in the harbor. They had been asking around, looking for any boat willing to take passengers that paid for a trip to Doggenband, and after a bit of negotiation with the Captain of “The Persecutor”, they had finally found themselves a little safespot on a relatively good looking ship.

“Again, I have no words to thank all of your help, miss Lucrece.” Arianna bowed her head repeatedly while holding the blonde lancer’s hands. “Without you, Gabi probably wouldn’t be here with me again! Really, thank you so much.”

“R-Really, you don’t need to tell me this much, woman! I only did what I had to, that’s all.” Luci wasn’t sure how to take the repeated praise, quickly pulling away from the bowing nun and crossing her arms. “Just make sure you arrive safely to the isles, these are dangerous times…”

“We will, we will!”

“So… you are staying.” Gabrielle sighed. “Will you take care, too?”

“Bah, are you worried about me Gabs? You should be more worried about yourself!” Lucrece smirked. “Remember to practice posture and movement, okay? No more swinging around like a madwoman.”

“Move like a pendulum.”

“Exactly! Good girl, yeah.” The blonde casually patted Gabi’s shoulder. “Now go. The captain will not wait on you forever.”

With a confident smile, Lucrece simply watched as both Arianna and Gabrielle jumped on the ship, while the last boxes of cargo were pushed into the boat’s poop deck as well. The redhead and the nun smiled back, waving as the sails were hoisted and The Persecutor began moving once again. Sailing away at a lazy, slow pace first, while the winds started to pick up. Luci waved back, standing at the harbor and observing how the boat got lost in the horizon, just as the sunset rays began pushing away the stormy clouds that otherwise covered the entire sky.

She felt it again, that strange hole growing in her chest, a deep longing that could not be easily satisfied. It pulled everything inside, an uncomfortable feeling of mourning that Lucrece couldn’t really explain… until a realization hit her in the back of the head like a moving wagon.

“Oh Saints… have I really fallen for this dumb girl?”

Despite her great efforts, there was no real way to deny it anymore, or anything she could do about it now. Love, a force stronger than any other, always finds a way to push through the barriers of the heart. No matter how much she had resisted it, the bounty hunter had no choice but to admit it, at least to herself.

Lucrece sighed, shaking her head slowly… only to realize she had not even recovered her hat from the girl after she left. 

“Damn rascal takes my heart and my hat.”

All that was left to do was laughing, shaking her head once again and turning around. It was time to move on, to continue with her life trying to ignore the feeling of absence growing on her heart. After all, life didn’t wait for anyone and she knew it very well.

But there was someone else observing the leaving boat. 

A figure covered in silk robes from head to toe, his golden eyes staring at the redheaded girl on that ship. It had been a confusing encounter, but Mustafá had seen the girl wield the Lightning Rune with the elegance of a rampaging toddler. No talent, no sense of finesse or real wit to the way she used magic; and yet, there was a hint of potential in her attitude, in the way she stood up and took the blunt of the spell’s energy into her own body.

For the first time in a very long time, Mustafá smiled with interest. He had found a diamond in the rough, a potential new assistant… and he was excited. Beyond excited! A new pupil, one with a spine for a change. And this time, he wouldn’t mess it up like he had done with every single one before.

This one would be perfect.

—---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Both Gabrielle and Arianna took a seat inside of The Persecutor, more specifically in the cargo room alongside boxes of coal and chopped wood. They sighed, feeling relief wash over them for a moment. They had so much to talk about, so many stories to share… but the exhaustion was too much, too real to ignore. Despite their best intentions to speak, Arianna soon found herself closing her eyes and dozing against the wall, sleeping calmly for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

Gabrielle, on the other hand, couldn’t  sleep so easily. She took the hat off her head and looked at it for a few good moments. She missed her friend already, but it was not only that leaving her restless. She felt afraid of the future, of the challenges to come. The visions may have stopped for now, but she did allow some of the Demiurges escape that day. Would she have to hunt the ones remaining? What was Fate going to do with her now?

For a moment, she wished she could just stay in one place, rest a little bit. Maybe staying home would be a good idea, for a while. Forgetting about her promise, just for a bit… and taking a chance to recover her energies.

With that thought in mind, Gabrielle finally managed to close her eyes, and sleep deeply; dreaming of what she would see when arriving back in the place of her birth.