Nelia wakes up one early morning, slightly teary-eyed as she begins to take long deep breaths in an attempt to calm her nerves. She curls up, clutching onto her pillow

“Dammit,” she says to herself. She starts to regain her composure as she slowly wipes away her tears. “Will these terrors ever leave me?” She asks herself.

She sits up on her bed, looking all around and notices everyone has already gone to do their daily activities. Nelia starts to stretch all over, her limber body, now more prevalent as it moves into positions not humanly possible. A loud purring comes with each movement, preferring to sleep in her underclothes to better appreciate the softness of her plushy bed.

Unbeknownst to her, not all of her party members had left as one watches the spectacle unfold before her. Nelia continues purring as she starts to groom her forearm, beginning to lick her arm excessively as her mind trails off.

“You really should not do that,” a voice says coming from the doorway.

Nelia’s hair stands up along with her tail as her widened eyes slowly make their way to where the voice originates from. The Neko’s face slowly begins to turn red as she slowly retracts her tongue. “Kryuny, you know it’s rude to watch people as they bathe, you creep.”

“It’s Kryuune,” she sighs in frustration, “and when did Kryuny start being a thing?”

Nelia merely sticks her tongue out goofily. “Right now,” she giggly responds. “But what are you doing here? I thought you wanted to see this new face paint shop that opened up?”

“It is a make-up shop and yes I did, but Malena wants us somewhere near the center of Alnus so I decided to stay back to make sure you got there. And besides… you seemed a bit distressed so I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

“Ahhh… you do care,” Nelia teases as she leaps and tries to hold onto Kryuune but a minor gust spell sends her right back into her bed.

“You’re no fun,” Nelia responds.

“So, it is okay for me to guess you are all better now?” Kryuune asks while adjusting her pink bracelet.

“Yup, I am all good, so go. You don’t have to wait for me. I actually have something amazing planned but I don’t think it is something you would like to do.”

“No. That is why I am here. Malena says she wants to see us, and that means all of us.”

Nelia groans and gestures to her to go. “I am fine so go. Besides, I want to finish bathing.”

“Do you even know where we are supposed to meet?” The siren asks.

“Yeah… the center of town.”

“I’ll wait for you in the kitchen. Don’t take too long,” Kryuune finishes as she exits.

Nelia sighs once more as her smile quickly fades. The thoughts, the horrors, of her past never ceased and it has begun to get more and more frequent. ‘Why won’t you just leave me alone,’ she thinks to herself as she finally gets out of bed.

She takes a deep sigh. “Well, no use in dwelling on it. Let’s get this day started,” she says to herself.

— — — an entrance to Alnus — — —

A lone figure casually walks up to the gate separating the wildlands of Falmart to the flourishing civilized city of Alnus. His blonde hair, practically shimmering under the bright flare. He wore a cloak that concealed his clothes. A smile forming on his face as he faces forward, finally being able to make out another figure waiting for him, Malena.

He reaches into his pouch and takes a canteen of water, casually strolling over to the Warrior Bunny. He closes the gap and after taking a good long drink, he faces her boss and asks, “did you really miss me that much? Have you been waiting long?”

Ignoring the remarks, she asks, “So how was your trip? Did you learn anything from that fledgling nation?”

Aldon removes his cloak and reveals a beautifully decorated garb. Upon closer inspection, you can tell that it is elven inspired. Vibrant colors of green and gold decorated his wardrobe. It was a splendid mix of eleven culture with modernized American inspiration.

“It was amazing. Honestly, I never thought an elven nation would ever exist again in this world. And there was no shortage of women, drink, nor food. That, with the accommodations that the new world has to offer, has me excited to see what this nation can become.”

“Hmm, I didn’t know you could give an honest smile,” Malena responds with a giggle. “I’m glad you found some enjoyment there, and it looks like the influence of NATO is beginning to be deeply rooted within this world. Anything else?”

“The people there were genuinely happy. They looked content, grateful; no fear of what the future might hold was seen in their eyes.”

The Warrior Bunny ponders on that thought, slowly beginning to nibble on the knuckles of one of her fingers.

“Malena, you are doing it again,” Aldon says with concern as she pulls her hand away from her mouth. “Look I know how badly you want this clan to continue, but the world around us is changing. Everyone else is moving forward with the changing times. Eventually, there will come a time where the Dark Blade Clan might not be needed, at least not on this continent.”

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Malena sighs as looks up into the sky. “I know. I know that… alright. Nelia and Kryuune seem to be adapting to this new world. Sebille, well she seems to be enjoying her time at the school, and you?”

Aldon stands there for a moment before answering. He can tell all these changes were deeply affecting his leader, and she wouldn’t take what he was going to say easily, but he had to say it.

“I’m thinking of moving into the Elven kingdom. It is a good start for my people, but I feel like I can really help there. I have expertise with these lands and have interacted with many people.”

Malena swallows the lump in her throat, fighting back some tears before responding. “What about our clan? We can still start once again, we just need a new qualified leader.”

“Boss, I will be here for you, always,” Aldon reassures her while placing a hand on her shoulder. “I know what I want to do, and everyone else seems so as well, but know that we will never leave you alone. Despite it all, we are all still family. If you need us, we will still be there.”

“Thank you,” she responds with a sigh. “But let’s go, there is another reason why I am here. I told everyone to meet at the center of town, near one of the mercenary companies.”

“Looking to see if our skills have rusted then?” Aldon responds with a chuckle. “Alright, let’s not keep them waiting.”

Malena nods and they begin moving toward the entrance checkpoint.

— — —Alnus school— — —

“Sorry I couldn’t stay longer than this, but I have to go somewhere today,” Sebille apologizes sincerely to Sarah.

“It’s alright. You are volunteering here so I’ll take any help I can get. But if you have something important to do, then go ahead,” Sarah replies.

“But it’s just that I know how important this-“

“Sebille. I said it’s fine,” Sarah interrupts with a smile. “Go ahead. I have it covered.”

The little fairy gives a slight bow before making her exit. She lost track of time and has only realized that she is running late to a meeting her and her clanmates agreed upon. She frantically zooms through the exit doors of the school and onto the streets ahead.

‘Crap, crap,’ she thinks to herself as she continues to move faster, slowly reaching her destination.

Sebille floated there as she pants, trying to catch her breath. “So.. sorry. I.. I.. there was traffic.”

“Fairy traffic?” Kryuune points out while raising a brow.

“Hah, it’s okay. I’m never on time either unless Kryuny is with me,” Nelia reassures the fairy.

“Kryuny?” Aldon asks while staring at the Siren and Neko. “Since when has-“

“Ignore that. She’s just getting lazier, it seems.”

“Ahh, I see,” Aldon nods in understanding.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Nelia asks defensively.

“Nothing at all,” Aldon teases while directing his attention back at his fairy friend. “Well whatever the case, punctuality was never your strong suit, little friend.”

Sebille’s exhausted posture dissipates as an annoyed look comes over. She flies up to Aldon’s face and begins to say some ‘not so friendly’ words as he responds with a cheeky smile. Nelia faces Kryuune, not wanting to let her off the hook with her lazy comment.

Malena watches her brother and sisters squabble just like when they were a part of their old clan. She gives a slight smirk, knowing that even though they moved here, they still haven’t changed much, but she did notice the slight differences. Aldon’s earlier words slowly crept in on her mind once more. Sebille looks cheerier, Nelia finally has a place that is safe once more, while Kryuune and Aldon’s attire hints at where they should belong. She sighs, realizing that maybe it was time to end this crusade. The Dark Blade Clan was over with Atilius’ death and maybe it should stay that way. She builds her nerve and interrupts.

“Enough. Why can’t we all just meet up like this without any type arguments? Can’t you all just act like adults for once?”

“Now where would be the fun in that?” Aldon responds while receiving a smack in the back of the head by Kryuune.

“Honestly, it’s like I’m dealing with children.”

‘Huh, where have I heard that before?’ Sebille thinks to herself, before Malena grabs everyone’s attention once more.

“Look, I am going to speak plainly so do not interrupt until I have finished. I don’t know where we will all be after this conflict with the Empire ends. But I think the clan… is finished, maybe I was too obsessed with continuing Atilius’ legacy that I hadn’t realized that the world is changing. But I see it all around me,” she says as she looks at all her companions. “But I’m not such a fool where I can’t see where the wind is blowing.”

Aldon’s expression changes from his laid-back demeanor to a more serious demeanor. He remains silent and only watches as he sees his companions’ reactions. He could tell they were shocked by what they were hearing, but they remained silent as well. At some point, they each began to come to this conclusion but none would dare voice their opinion due to their loyalty to Malena.

They indulged in the benefits of these changing times and enjoyed every bit of it. With the gate bringing many changes within this land, there was something for every member to enjoy. Slowly, they began to worry less, and less about their purpose here until it was the last thing they thought about, but the time had come to address it.

“I knew this day would come, eventually,” Sebille begins.

“But, what about our fallen comrades? We can’t give up on this clan. They wouldn’t, Atilius wouldn’t want-“ Nelia responds but is quickly interrupted.

“I know, and maybe that would be the case if the Gate hadn’t opened when it did. If NATO, America wasn’t as generous they are now. But look all around us,” Malena gestures to this fledgling town.

“Eventually, towns like this one will be seen all around Falmart,” Aldon chimes in. “The old ways of doing things are dying. It’s already happening with different guilds being disbanded. There will be a day where people like us won’t be needed anymore.”

“You too Aldon?” The Neko asks.

“Nelia, don’t forget one of Atilius’ lessons. We have to learn to adapt to the changing times eventually,” Kryuune tries to reassure her friend.

“No,” Nelia tearfully answers. “Please, I don’t want to lose another family. I’ve lost too many.”

Kryuune and Sebille embrace their friend as Malena speaks up once more. “This isn’t for certain yet. I will not judge nor scold you all on your decisions. Whatever path you choose to follow, I will fully support you, and I will always be there to help you all if need be. You are still my family, and I hope you all see me in that light too,” she finishes while Nelia hugs her. They join in the hug as Aldon nods on the side.

“Don’t be stubborn. Come over here,” Sebille encourages.

“Well, what can I say? You all can’t seem to get enough of me,” he says.

“Never mind, stay over there.”

Malena chuckles while wiping a tear. “But before we decide, would you all be interested in a few more hunts? At least until this war is over, and we can decide, then.”

They all look at each other and agree for old times’ sake.

“Alright what do you have in mind?” Aldon asks.

“Here,” Malena points up to a nearby building with a sign reading ‘KnightWatch’.

“Apparently, NATO can’t be everywhere and are looking for individuals with special skills to help in contested areas along with clearing monsters,” the Warrior Bunny explains.

“It’s a job practically made for us,” Kryuune adds.

“Yes, it will be good to see if all this peace hasn’t dulled any of your skills,” Malena teases. They begin moving ahead to the building to see what adventures lie ahead.