A soft and cheerful whistle came out of Yulia's lips as she was sitting down on her chair with papers on her desk that she was writing on, she had to report to the main branch of the guild in the capital of what has happened last night

Although usually this process would suck the life and enthusiasm out of Yulia, it seemed that today was an exception as her whistling and smile on her face was a clear indication of that

"You seem awfully happy today" Maria told Yulia, who raised an eyebrow to then chuckle and scratch the back of her head as the other was sitting down across her desk and helping her deal with the reports

"Do I?" She answered Maria who could only let out a sigh that ended with a smile

"Ah right, Faylar was looking for you" Maria then said, bringing Yulia to raise an eyebrow

"I told him that you were taking a break after the battle but we still couldn't find you afterwards" Yulia chuckled softly

"Yeah sorry, was helping Fae with some stuff" Then all of a sudden the door of her office opened as it attracted the duo's attention to the black haired man that entered

"Hey y'all" He said with an enthusiastic tone, bringing Yulia to slightly furrow her eyebrows

"Knock next time, Faylar" Her immediate stern tone made him laugh

"Oh come on Yulia, we're all friends ri-?" As he wanted to continue speaking he could see a blue translucent dagger appear in her right hand while a forced smile appeared on her face to complement her intimidating aura

"I will next time" He answered her with a polite bow as Maria sighed while Yulia dropped her smile and made her conjured knife vanish

"Anyway, I'm back from scouting the surrounding areas and I can give you a confirmed zero enemy presence around our town" Dragging the second guest chair as he sat down on it, Faylar continued

"No green skins that are organized enough to be a threat anyway" He finished with a confident nod

"Weird" Yulia rubbed her chin

"They ran as fast as they came" She continued, Faylar put his arm around his chair's back as he relaxed himself

"Well maybe they were gathered from everywhere and now that nobody's forcing them to tag along" A smirk surfaced on his face while he imitated a silhouette running with his index and middle finger

"They all ran back to their territories" He finished, Yulia however, crossed her arms as she tilted her head to the side

"What kind of power did their leader have to force them to come this far" She asked him yet he held no answer as he made it clear with his shrug

"Got no idea, boss" He then wore a cunning smile

"If only somebody fought with their leader to give us an idea" Finishing his playful hint with a wink while Yulia could only sigh

"Athena told you, didn't she?" She asked him but he paid her no mind as he continued on

"I heard that person is the same that delivered my unconscious body back to the guild too" Smirking as his eyes locked with Yulia's, Faylar finished his speech

"And I also heard that you were very chummy-chummy with her, aren't you pushing new grounds"

Yulia narrowed her eyes as her previous dagger appeared yet again in her hand

"You really are looking for a fight" She threated him and his mischievous laughter

"Now I wonder how that woman would look like" He said out loud, looking up with his hand rubbing his chin

"Would probably look like Athena but with even more muscles" He laughed at his own words and while he was bathing in his charade at the expense of Yulia's short patience and Maria's temper, the door was opened again

"Oh uh" All three of them looked at the person poking her head in

"Am I coming at a bad time?" Fae asked while Yulia smiled and immediately got up

"Alright Faylar thank you very much for being such an outstanding adventurer" A forced pat on his shoulder was all Yulia did before she jogged towards Fae

"Hey how come she doesn't have to knock!" He exclaimed his displeasure with the situation as he too got up, making eye contact with Fae

"Maria you're free to go too! thanks for the help!" Yulia said loudly as she gently pushed Fae out and closed the door while Faylar's curiosity reached its peak making him try and follow the two

"Mister Cassindar, correct me If I'm wrong but you did complete a quest today morning haven't you?" Maria's words made him stop in his tracks

"Oh that, I'll give you a report later I have to catch up with those two-" But as he wanted to keep moving his legs froze again

"I'll have to remind you, failure to meet the deadline will result in a failed quest and your demotion after many, and you have already failed many" He gulped and slowly looked at Maria and her professional smile that he cursed under his breath

"I thought you were the nice girl of the group" He said to her with meek eyebrows, she kept her smile unwavering as she cocked her head to the side in an attempt at playing ignorant

"I have no idea what you're talking about"

....

"Thanks for letting me crash at your place for the morning" Fae thanked her friend who gave her a smile first as both of them walked out of the guild's building

"No problem at all, you obviously looked like you needed to rest anyways so all worked out" And then words second

"What time is it now?" She asked Yulia while her face donned a curiously arched eyebrow, the latter looked up with a hum

"Just a little past noon I'd presume" She then looked back at Fae with a similarly raised eyebrow

"And I also presume you're set to leave?" Yulia asked Fae as she looked at her wearing the clothes she previously gifted her alongside her backpack

Fae slowly nodded

"Yeah, I'll go take Yuna there and come back, shouldn't take more than a day" As she finished her words Yulia gave her a quickly growing smile

"You're a great friend Fae, I'm sure Yuna appreciates your help" Yulia said as she could see her friend chuckle behind the back of her hand

"I'll take the flattery" She answered her

"Ah that reminds me" Fae continued, gaining Yulia's attention that was represented by a raised eyebrow

"I wouldn't mind another cloak like the one I had, any ideas where I can buy one?" Yulia, with a small smile gave the question a slow nod and with that both women headed to the market

It was refreshing for Fae to not be stared at weirdly by passerby's and the actual merchants that they interacted with as only now did she wear clothing that was familiar to them, both her and Yulia had small yet enjoyable talk between themselves and in the end the former bought herself sparse provisions for the road stored in her backpack while she wore the dark black cloak

"Alright then Fae, this is where I'll be leaving you" Yulia told her, a small smile plastered on her face as herself and Fae were at the front gates of the little town of Freesia

"Thanks, I really appreciate the company" Fae replied to the now chuckling Yulia that approached the former

"Believe me It's the least I can do" Yulia added, grabbing the cloak Fae was wearing and tucking it around

"Right, this isn't the nicest thing to say but..." She then looked at Fae's curious eyes

"Hide your silhouette as much as you can with this cloak and keep the hood on you" Her tone turned to a much serious one as her previous smile could barely be noticed

"Bandits already love to jump on somebody walking by themselves, let alone if that somebody is a woman" Fae slowly nodded to those words

"Now I know you're not weak, and you have a literal spirit guarding you" She said, chuckling at the last words and bringing out a soft smile out of Fae

"But my mind would be at ease if you avoided any unnecessary fights" Putting one hand on Fae's shoulder, Yulia tilted her head in a pleading way with raised slightly furrowed eyebrows

"Could you at least do me that favor?"

"Of course, I promise" Fae immediately replied, seeing Yulia close her eyes and let out a sigh of relief that ended with a bright smile

"Thank you" Putting her hand away from Fae, Yulia backed one step away

"I'd hate to see a woman like you be wronged" putting a hand on her waist, Yulia softened her smile and gave Fae a quick nod

"Well then, I wish you a safe road Fae" She told her friend who gave her the same warm smile

"Thanks, I'll make sure to come back as soon as I can, take care for now" With a wave of her hand Fae took one step behind

"You two take care of each other as well, see you around" Addressing her words to both Fae and her spirit friend Yulia bid them farewell as she waved back

Seeing her friend slowly walk off in the distance, Yulia looked at the sky and took in a deep breath to then slowly let it out through her lips, her hand moved to rest on her chest while her head looked down at her feet for a couple of silent seconds, a growing smile appeared on her face until it turned into a smirk that brought out a scoff

"Guess I'll have to give a hundred and ten percent too" She then turned around and walked back into town, filled with determination

....

Fae followed the road that was supposedly leading to the border between Aralia and Flora, even though her map supported that claim Fae still felt some sort of discomfort walking a path that seemingly no on was taking

Putting a hand in the pocket of her pants and bringing out her phone, she noticed that she had already walked for around four hours

With a groan of discontent she put back her device where it was to then let out a sigh

"Do you have anything that can help with remembering that place?" Fae muttered loudly, it seemed that it wasn't loud enough until Yuna replied

"I will recognize it" With that tone of voice Fae decided to just not bother her further on, even though she took a slight offense from it since she's only trying to help, Fae could understand the frustration that Yuna had deep in her heart

Losing all what links you to the physical realm would make anybody lose their mind, let alone frustrated

Fae's sorrowful eyes that looked down suddenly jumped up as she noticed faint piles of energy forming a silhouette

Yuna by her own will left the path laid down to phase through some bushes, Fae not really given a choice immediately decided to follow her using her shortsword to cut the leaves as best she could

Groaning lightly as she slashed the leaves that blocked her path, the woman kept following her spirit friend inside the forest until she could see that same spirit stand in a empty patch of green land, staring up at a huge ancient tree who's roots were anchored in one of the greenest hills Fae has ever witnessed

Fae slowly walked up to catch with Yuna at where she stood right next to her, both of the women's eyes were locked with the tall and ancestral looking tree

Fae's eyes however, were more interested in something else as they deviated to see Yuna's expression

Yet they found an expression that carried no emotion, as white as a new page

The spirit began walking towards the tree and when it reached the base of that same tree, she rested down on her knees

A deafening ringing starting surging up as it made Fae squint her eyes and grimace while her hand put pressure on her right ear, muffled voices began haunting Fae's senses as she slowly turned around to Face them with squinting eyes, squinting eyes that opened wide as they could see an army charging under a stormy night, an army made of swordsmen and archers with eastern armor and curved swords, an army that was right in front of Fae

Standing shocked as she couldn't move a fiber of her being, Fae could see the warriors seemingly pass right through her, but as she caught the Face of one of them her mouth dropped

A Yuna that looked no older nor younger was at the tip of the spear, leading the charge with a heavy heart and watery eyes as that same Yuna of the past phased through Fae, leaving the latter to slowly turned around with a distraught expression

But her heart could finally have some semblance of solace as she could see Yuna still kneeling down in front of the massive tree

Gulping, Fae took one step forward, and then walked

As the sound of footsteps quieted down, Yuna gave Fae that now was standing next to her a sidelook, one that made Fae's heart skip a beat before those empty eyes turned back to look at the dirt

"Is this the place?" Fae asked, but it seemed as if Yuna had no answers to give, or at least none that she had the emotional strength to give with

"Fae-san?" She finally heard a word from her friend yet with a tone of voice that she wished to not hear

"Yes?" Fae replied

"Is life just a sick joke from the gods?" Yuna asked, prompting Fae to purse her lips as the question she was given wasn't one that she could swiftly answer

"Do they enjoy seeing us suffer?" Her tone of voice started becoming louder yet her head still looked down

"Is our tears merely water for them? is our gushing blood a pleasing sight?" Fae could hear a sigh that was one of surrender come out of her friend

"So many lives ruined" She tried to grasp the grass tightly with her hands, but her fingers phased through them

"Hopes and dreams, all poured in the mud" She added

"My countrymen slaughtered, our children robbed out of their innocence, and my nation buried for scholars to find" A wheezing breath was taken from Yuna

"And the best out of all of this" Her head turned to look at Fae with a dark smile

"The gods denied me from death itself" Chuckling, she turned away

"It's comical"

Then all out of a sudden, before Fae could even react, Yuna unsheathed her sword and put her free hand on the tip of the blade before driving the edge through her throat

Leaving Fae with a shocked expression as she looked at her friend that could only let out a scoff while her throat merely vanished to only form yet again

Slowly moving her head to look at Fae, Yuna opened her mouth

"You wouldn't want to bless me with death" Slightly furrowing her eyebrows and taking a pleading expression, Yuna continued With a broken and crackling voice, begging Fae

"Would you?"

But she couldn't bring herself to, even if she knew that stabbing Yuna wouldn't hurt her in any way Fae still couldn't imagine herself doing so

"I'm sorry, I just can't" With a shake of her head Fae sternly gave her opinion

Yuna looked back at the dirt for a silent second and then vanished

Fae's eyes still didn't move from where Yuna was, taking in a deep breath into her lungs as she looked up, she hoped that this little trip was fruitful at least

All her body suddenly tensed up at the sound of a screaming woman back towards where the duo came from

"Should we check?" Fae asked, yet only the howling wind seemed in a good enough mood to reply

With a sigh, she headed straight for the noise

Slashing through leaves and jumping over malignant roots, Fae tried to move as quickly towards the source of the screaming, and when she thought she lost it, she heard it yet again

But that just meant that the danger was still present an that thought alone pushed her body to move faster

Pushing some leaves gently to be granted vision, Fae could see exactly what was transpiring

A lone black haired woman cornered against a broken carriage by viciously armed men, next to her were two male bodies on the road, blood was slowly forming a pool around each of them

Fae pursed her lips as she could count three men around the victim, can she help her?

And as that question dawned on her head, so did a kick with enough strength to shove her into the open

"Well lookie here" And so Fae counted four highwaymen, gritting her teeth against each other as her hand was gently pressed on the side of her head, feeling a slight burning sensation on her skin

"Thought ya could sneak past us eh?" As she lifted her eyes that locked with the black haired and scarred man, Fae saw the machete that he had in his hand as he walked closer to her

"Don't ya worry, I'm into getting paid more than having fun" His lengthy grin didn't support the words he was saying as he towered over Fae, her hand slowly moving towards her sheathed sword

But it didn't matter as she saw the hand of her assailant fly in the air, leaving a trail of blood that was gushing out of his arm as he screamed in agony, his weapon on the ground to hold his cut off arm with his other hand

"I apologize Fae-san" Blue mana slowly formed her spiritual friend that looked down at Fae with a regretful expression

"I was slightly out of focus" And as Fae gave her a small yet comforting smile, Yuna turned around to face the man that was in agonizing pain, barely able to stand on his feet and face the wraith that appeared out of nowhere, but behind him were the three of his friends that immediately rushed to his help

Fae took the moment to slip past and towards the poor woman that was sitting on the ground

"Are you okay ma'am"? She asked her

"Y-yes! I t-think so at least!" As she now was closer Fae could see how dark the hair of the woman was while her skin was the polar opposite with a snowy white tone, if anything she had all the facial features that the Yuna that appeared in her hallucination had

"Alright I'll help you walk out of here" Offering a helping hand to the lady, Fae got her up and then looked behind to see a complete slaughter

The man that had his arm cut off was already beheaded and on the ground, while another was stabbed through the chest and sliding off Yulia's blade as she herself got stabbed from behind, she however could feel northing as she turned around to lift her blade to the horrified expression that her next victim made

Fae could feel that Yuna wasn't fighting normally, she wanted to see as much blood as their bodies could give, she wanted to put all her anger and frustration from her existential crisis into her sword

"Let's just hide for now" Fae told the woman who was so terrified that she didn't even dare to disagree with her savior

....

"Thank you! thank you so much!" The woman expressed her gratitude in great volume as she held the nervously laughing Fae's hands

"I shouldn't be the one getting praised, without my friend here I wouldn't have been able to do anything" Fae let go of the woman's hands to gesture at Yuna that was standing beside her

"Y-yeah you're right I'm sorry, thank you miss!" The woman took on a much more scared tone as she addressed Yuna, even going to the point of lowering her whole upper body in an over the top bow of respect, or was it one of fear?

"I too apologize, I was more violent that I needed to be" Yuna replied to both Fae and the woman as she slightly bowed her head

Fae smiled at Yuna when they locked eyes

"Don't worry, you did what was right and I'm thankful to have you with me" She tried to wear the most comforting smile she could, but Yuna merely nodded to her praise and looked back at the woman who seemingly had more to say

"She's right, without you I don't think I would've been able to see the next dawn of day, thank you" She said with such a charismatic smile that Fae felt the need to figuratively shelter her eyes from the light of that smile, Yuna replied with a nod that had the fleeting traces of appreciation

"Actually now that you mentioned it, one of them said that they'd rather get paid than "damage goods", does that mean they wanted to kidnap you?" Fae asked the woman

"Then they must have been slave traders, or human traffickers" She replied with a rub of her chin as she pondered that thought

"Are those type of crimes infamous in these part of lands?" Yuna asked her, but the woman answered with a shrug

"I'm not from this nation but as far as I know Flora was supposed to be more stable than Aralia" With a nervous chuckle, she scratched the back of her head

Yuna hummed to herself as she had her own thoughts to think of, she then raised an eyebrow when she looked at her friend

"Fae-san?" She asked

"Yes?" With a smile Fae turned to look at Yuna

"You looked deep in thought" She answered Fae who only chuckled

"Oh it's nothing don't worry" Fae then looked at the woman

"Nice to meet you Fae, my name is Ichikawa Ichiya" She introduced herself with a small bow

"Nice to meet you too Ichikawa" Fae said with a small smile

"Oh no, my name is Ichiya not Ichikawa, my people start with the family name" Ichiya corrected the misunderstanding while Fae gave her a small smile

"I..." Yuna tried to speak her mind but she started with such a low reluctant voice that none of the other two heard her

"What about you miss?" Ichiya asked the wraith, who could only look at her with slightly furrowed eyebrows

"Yuna" She answered briefly, making Ichiya raise both an eyebrow and a finger to her face

"Yuna...? like The Naginata Yuna?" She inquired as both Ichiya's curious eyes and Fae's sorrowful ones looked at Yuna and the answer she was going to give

Yuna in her mind, knew what was happening as this little conversation gave her the insight she needed all this time

Her nation died, the Kingdom of Blades was no more, but her culture survived, they fled to another country and became wandering vagrants

Even though she should have been happy she still felt like her heart was imploding on it self, she wanted to see her countrymen proudly standing next to their nation, she wanted to see the Kingdom of blades above the dirt, not for people to talk about it like an ancient civilization, she wanted her death to be the epilogue of her own tale and the prologue of her nation, but it was a bitter ending to both

"I'm sorry, maybe I shouldn't ask these questions" Ichiya reserved herself and apologized with a small bow

"It's just that it would've been an honor meeting her" Ichiya chuckled to herself and scratched the back of her head

"My grandparents and parents always seem to be fired up when talking about the Naginata siblings" As Ichiya was speaking Fae slowly looked at Yuna and her saddened eyes that were gazing at Ichiya

"If I had a coin for every time they remind that the only reason I lived a peaceful life is because of the Naginatas... well I wouldn't be here getting assaulted would I?" Ichiya laughed out loud as Fae let out a soft chuckle

Yuna on the other hand cocked her head to the side

"What do you mean peaceful life?" Yuna asked her with slightly raised eyebrows

"Uhm, well for starters I don't think our nation has been at war ever since The Naginata bloodline ended" She rubbed her chin as she looked aside

"Which was like, a century ago?" As Ichiya looked back at Yuna she raised an eyebrow, the expression that she made was one of pure shock with widened eyes and an open mouth

"What's... what's the name of your country?" Yuna asked with a soft yet frightened voice as she wasn't sure that she wanted to hear the answer of the question she just gave

"The Empire of Blades" Ichiya said nonchalantly as she had no idea what was going on, but for Yuna

For Yuna, it was a life changing answer

Staring at the confused Ichiya for a couple of silent seconds

"F-Fae?" Yuna slowly looked at Fae with an expression begging for guidance

"Well..." Fae gave her a beaming comforting smile

"I guess we won't be going back to Freesia anytime soon"