Guardian

"Th-this wedding is for.. Lloyd Irving and Zelos Wilder?! Those are the friends Aster was talking about..?!"

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“Oh, it’s okay Richter! I’ve tried to kill them both before too, and we’re friends now, so it shouldn’t be a problem for you!”

She listened, intently; feeling herself tense at the thought of being unable to help Richter in his time of need, but at least.. he was alive. She felt soaring relief for a moment, before the rest of Ratatosk's words truly hit her; unable to help the shocked expression that cascaded across her features.

『 Wh.. what? You're.. going to help them..? 』

All things considered, Aqua should have been happy. That was what Aster and Richter always wanted, for Ratatosk to restore the flow of mana, to help the world from its decline-- but all the Centurion felt then was burning anger.

『 After everything that happened.. after how badly you hurt Master Richter, after you killed Aster-- now you have changed your mind?! Why did they have to suffer so much before you realized you were wrong?! Why?! 』

Despite herself, as the words left her, tears began to stream down Aqua's face; pulling her arms tightly around her frame. They were emotions that Centurions shouldn't have felt so fiercely, but Aqua had been carrying the weight of them ever since that day, refusing to let them go even as the years went by.

『 I.. will never regret what I did. I don't regret staying by Master Richter's side, or helping him achieve his goals.. but.. 』

"My mind was changed by the hearts of the people who journeyed with me. I had closed it off, unwilling to listen to anyone. But... without my memory to cloud my mind, I was able to remember things I'd long forgotten. Trust, kindness... I owe it to them."

She was hurting so deeply, but he knew that he had no right to comfort her. And yet... despite everything, he wanted to. She was still his centurion, one of his first creations- an extension of himself, but so very much her own person.

『 Lord.. Ratatosk.. 』

Despite her last memories of him, there was something telling her that she didn't.. need to go on the defensive in that moment; though her clawed hands rose to her chest, clasping them close over the space where a human's heart might be.

"We defeated Richter, but we did not kill him. After our battle, Emil attempted to have our allies kill us, but they saw through him and convinced him to face me." It was a blunt way to describe things, but he owed Aqua the truth. "We faced each other, and came to accept each other. I no longer aim to destroy mankind- I will use my power to aid the spirit of the new world tree, and do what is necessary to fix the world's mana flows."

He hesitated for a moment, voice quiet and low.

In the middle of the woods, searching anxiously through the mist, a being that did not quite look human hovered; pressing herself against the flora, attempting to keep her position hidden. The feline-like ears atop her head flickered, a frown curving the pale skin of her lips.

'So please! Please use your Centurions to restore the balance of mana! If you do that, then the world will be saved.'

Aster's breath hitches in his throat. He'd heard about this meeting, from both Richter and Emil. He knows what happens next, but to see it...?

It almost feels as if he can mouth the words along with his past self, like it's something he would have said, something he did say, once upon a time.

"Seeing it now, it's... it's almost like I remember it," he says quietly. "The look in your eyes... you really hated us back then, right?" Aster makes no move to leave.

"Awaken, Centurions! Restore the bond with your monsters, and repair the mana of the world!" The summon spirit's voice turned bitter with hatred, fixing his gaze back down on the pair before him. "And then go and eradicate mankind who destroyed my tree!"

"Aster, I..."

In all honesty, he didn't want to see this. He didn't want to think about it at all, but he had to face his past. But even so, he didn't want Aster to have to watch his own death.

"Hey, Emil... where are we?" The mist around them had shifted, giving way to a space that, while sort of unfamiliar, felt eerily like he had been here before.

He's careful not to fall as they advance, taking a few steps ahead of his companion.

'We've heard that a new tree has been born.'

"Is that... me? And look, Emil, Richter's up ahead!" He keeps walking, then hesitates, looking back toward his friend.

"I don't remember this happening, so, it must have happened after I was brought here, right?" He closes his eyes... it feels like he's got a headache coming on.

"So?" The summon spirit looked down on the two in front of him, red eyes cold and dark.

gotta admit, the accommodations in archimedes aren't too bad. yuri's definitely lodged in worse. now he's exploring the rest of his residential district, perking up as a blonde kid exits a nearby condo. by itself, it isn't really notable, no -- what's really important is the tasty aroma wafting through the door behind him.

"that your cooking in there?" he gets right to the point, not bothering with any formalities, "smells friggin' amazing." familiar, too, like a recipe he's made before (no way the wonder chef's here, is he?).

"O-Oh, yes! Thank you." Emil smiled at the compliment, nodding his head enthusiastically. He quite enjoyed cooking, so it was always nice when other people would enjoy it alongside him.

At the very least, this place had allowed Richter all of his abilities back; retrieving his blade from the broken earth below him after finishing off a particularly ravenous monster. Placing both axe and sword back into their respective holds, he passed a glance to the world around them; emerald eyes narrowing in contemplation.

".. this place is at least somewhat similar to Aselia, but these monsters.. they're particularly aggressive. It would be wise to avoid them as we venture further. We weren't asked to fight, after all; just to chart what lies ahead. We can steer clear of anything that appears dangerous, and save ourselves the trouble of--"

But of course, midway through his words, Aster was already heading to a particularly dark looking cave, and Richter immediately lunged forward to grab him by the scruff of his coat.

"-- Aster!!"

"Did you not hear a single thing I just said?!" with a sigh, Richter reached up with his free hand to pinch the bridge of his nose, attempting to recollect his composure as he glanced at their friend. "He won't listen just to me at this point, Emil. Is this the direction you would like to go in, or would you prefer to listen to my advice?"

Even if he'd been here for a while now, there were still things he was going to be in a continual process of getting used to. And chief among them was now looking to be Aster, who'd quickly been scruffed by the half-elven scientist.

"Ahaha... well, um, I do think there's not much point to fighting if we can avoid it. Especially if we just need to get to the end, right?"

Hopefully Aster would listen to him, even if he wouldn't listen to Richter. Though... Emil knew better than to expect as much, honestly.