"Wait, what do you mean by that?" Ren asked with a curled eyebrow.
I shared my idea with him and Kalia, since she would be vital to this part of the plan I had in mind. "T-Thoma, you can't be serious! That would mean…" she began, but I raised a hand to cut her off before she spoiled the surprise.
"You know just as well as I do that it'll work. Best part is? That fuck knuckle will never see it coming, either," I snickered, now having a much firmer grasp on just how valuable the training I'd had with her really was.
Realizing what I was talking about, I noticed a smirk growing on her face. "Only if Ren agrees, now that Thorn's going to leave with Ardrin," she said, curling an eyebrow in his direction.
"What reason would I have not to agree with a devious plan like that? Besides, my best friend will be off having fun, or at least what he might consider to be fun, anyway, and I'd be remiss to miss out on any of it," Ren asked with a wry grin.
Kalia turned back to me, then the rest of Nightfall's Blade as we all held the same expression on our faces. Irun and Athar already knew what I was thinking, since they'd spent so much time with me in the dome.
"If you say so, I'll do as you ask, battle-brother," she said, offering me a Caegweni bow. It was still a little awkward for her, but it certainly helped to get her point across.
The others, however, were absolutely, entirely lost in our conversation.
"What are you scheming, shit-bird?" Bernar asked, leaning in toward me. I cocked an eyebrow at him and shared what I had in mind with him as well. "Oooooh, you sneaky little shit," he chuckled, though Vyra, Eirenne, Derion, and Haldir still looked at us with utter confusion.
"Can you stop being so fucking mysterious and just tell us already?" Eirenne pouted. "Nope. In all honesty, it's probably best you know nothing about it right now. Well, nothing other than the fact that you're all coming with us," I gestured to the four of them, who returned a confused huh as a reply.
Does this mean we're getting more members in Nightfall's Blade? I think it's about time we did, right? Athar sent me excitedly. Are you asking me that question? You were the one who came up with the name, so you tell me if you think I'm making the right call here, I sent back with a mental chuckle.
"Yeeeeees!" his alternate's voice cried out as he pumped his fist, confusing Mom's teammates even more than they already were. Not knowing what else to say, the four of them shrugged, but there was something coming from my connection to Mom that made me take a moment.
"What's the matter, Mom?" I asked, causing her to put a hand on her chin. "Well, I know Syldir told us to get some rest, but if Aurae would assist me, there is something I'd like to do to help them before Ren gets back," she said, getting a knowing look from Aurae in response.
"Of course. It's about time they reached it, anyway," Aurae chuckled. "W-W-Wait, are you saying you're going to help us reach the fifth stage?" Eirenne asked with no small amount of astonishment in her voice.
Hold on, they weren't already? How the…? I wondered, but Mom held up a hand to keep me from continuing. "It's because the requirements to enter their next stage are a much calmer environment than we've had in the last eightyears we've been together, closing all those damned portals," she sighed, walking over to the twins, who'd clearly become emotional.
"I promised you I'd help you once all that was over, didn't I?" she said, putting a hand on each of their shoulders when tears began to well in their eyes. "Thank you, Commander," they said in unison, though Haldir and Derion were a bit more composed.
I was glad to see the fruits of their labors finally paying off.
Later that evening, Ysevel lay her head on my chest, gently rubbing my shoulder with her thumb as I stared at the ceiling, idly running my fingers through her hair. Even after over a decade together, we still slept the same way as we had from the start, knowing it was a good habit to have throughout our relationship.
"Do you think she'll be ready for it? I mean, you saw her today. She didn't look… well," Ysevel said, referencing Meliss's reaction from earlier. "What do you think?" I asked, genuinely wanting her opinion on the matter.
"I mean, if she's anything like Athar was, it will take some time for her to adjust to her new reality. She was possessed by a powerful being and forced to fight her allies against her will, after all," she began, letting out a worried sigh.
"You're not wrong. Although I am curious as to how much she actually remembers, given her reaction from earlier," I began, taking in a deep breath and knowing there wasn't much I could do to help her. Ysevel lifted her upper torso to look at me.
"If it's enough to cause that much of a response, what do you think she remembers?" she asked, but I could feel she likely already knew my answer.
"Enough to break her will. However, that doesn't mean she can't overcome it. She's survived every hardship in her life so far, but with a little bit of hope this time around, I think she'll be alright in the end," I said, pushing a loose strand of her hair behind her sharply pointed ear.
Ysevel rested her chin on my chest and chuckled lightly through her nostrils. "You've always had a way of looking on the brighter side of things," she subtly shook her head. "You know that's not true. I've had my moments," I chuckled with a half-scoff, causing her to shrug.
"Sure, you've had a few over the years, and most of them involve her or Irun, if I'm being honest. But, like you showed me and everyone else, whether we were on the Isles or going down memory lane, you're always looking out for the best for others around you. It's an admirable trait, to say the least; one worthy of the Uncrowned Prince of Caegwen," she said with a warm smile.
I took her words into consideration for a moment and wondered what she meant by that. Sure, there were times when I'd pushed people to be better, or maybe that's the outcome I'd wanted from them, but I hadn't realized just how many cases there were of what she was getting at.
Taking a deep breath and holding it for half a second, I slowly released it, feeling the weight of it all slowly lifting from my shoulders. "Eh? Eh? Come on, I know I'm right," she said playfully, jabbing her finger into my chest. "Alright, alright! I admit defeat," I said with a chuckle, pulling her wrist toward me to give her a kiss.
"You couldn't have won that fight even if you tried," she smiled, giving me another one before staring into my eyes with hers that she'd reverted to violet for a moment, before tilting her head to lie on my chest with a victorious humph.
The following morning, however, we were surprised to see her standing on her own two feet, conversing with Leona in the palace's main hall.
"Meliss!" Ysevel called out from where we'd entered with a wave, prompting her to turn toward us. Her eyes widened with a mixture of surprise and joy at the sight of us, but her expression quickly faded. She probably just remembered everything that happened, I sent Ysevel. You're right. We should take it slow with her for now, she returned with a nod.
As we approached her, Meliss offered Ysevel a welcoming bow, though her movements were still a little awkward. "It's good to see you again, Your Highness," Meliss said with no small amount of humility. "Seriously? After all we've been through, you're going to call me by my title?" Yesevel asked with a light-hearted chuckle, hoping Meliss would feel more at ease.
"I-I wasn't sure how else to address you here," she admitted bashfully. "Understandable, I suppose," Ysevel shrugged, then moved to wrap her in a tight hug, prompting Meliss to stare at me in confusion. "We're just glad you're alright," Ysevel noted as she pulled away.
"Th-Thank you. Although I will admit, it was a bit strange to wake up and see that woman with slits in her eyes pouring mana into me. As if that hadn't been strange enough, I had no idea where I was; thinking I'd died and gone to the afterlife or something of the sort," Meliss managed to say through a nervous giggle.
"Ah, that would be Syldir. She's the one who finished healing you after Ryfon had helped keep you stable," I said, though the mention of their names seemingly meant little to her, since all she did was offer me a raised eyebrow.
She really doesn't know, does she? I realized, but shook the thought from my mind.