Not before long, Lass indeed emerged at the entrance of the town hall through all the dust. His friends breathing a huge sigh of relief, he simply stood there, gazing at the crowd with a blank stare as they did the same, creating a small moment of silence that filled the once bustling with music, cheers and war cries area. And to finish it all, looking up at Terna before he dared say a word and signaling her with his eyes, he inhaled deeply. Two words were all that needed to be said.
Lass exhaled, "It's over."
Everyone exploded in cheers as they finally came to the realization that their days of pain and misery were finally over, all sorts of foods, drinks, guns and clothing tossed around in a fit of happiness to have gotten the gray clouds lifted off their heads. Lass quickly made his way out of sight, back down towards everyone else and avoided further public detection.
"Had me worried for a second, big guy! Man, I'm glad everyone is alright and that I don't have to stick around that glowing reactor thingy anymore. The shield honestly worked exactly as intended, which makes me even happier!", Anya rejoiced.
Terna dropped from the float, "Very nice! Thank you! All of you! Are you used to doing this? You were all so good at it, especially you, Risa! You blew me away!"
Lass rubbed his forehead, "Hmm? What did she do after I was gone?"
Anya got excited, "Dude, she like, punched, kicked, dropped, rolled and annihilated everything in her path."
Ikarisa made a peace sign, "Yeap, I guess I got determined!"
Lass gazed in awe, "Interesting..."
Lora approached them quickly, "Terna, you are not going to believe this! Take a look!"
Everyone bent over to look at Lora's phone, showcasing a livestream taken from above in the rooftops, scrolling through the comments.
"Wow, it looks great!", Terna happily said.
"You are not going to believe this either. The comments, the rebels and the general public want you as the new mayor of the city. Hell, they specifically requested the city to be renamed to Eternal or Eterna city."
Terna got stunned, "Say what?"
"Oh, yes. They were simply over rejoiced that a relatable individual took up arms and the lead against Neviro. He was truly disgusting while he was up, and everyone is blown away, especially when you lead everyone from the center of the stage, drawing in fire while protecting them and being as inspiring as you were. And it's not a stretch to say you are good at leading anyway. Aside from the running away part...man, you did good."
Anya stepped in, "Honestly, the way you made the plan, being as decisive as you were and actually passing it through to everyone, despite the obscurity of a big float with an idol in war was flawless as well. Not to say the fact that you were previously known for being able to boost everyone with your Obsulyte didn't play a part in them accepting it, but that fire in your eyes and your wording was spot on. Take it from someone who studied that since little...and of course I'm talking objectively, else I wouldn't be saying what I am."
"Yeah, especially the lines to your song! For a moment, I really did get so pumped up and excited to come and sing with you but...guess my fear of the main stage took the better of me there. However, even down bellow, aside from you powering me up, the song drove me to perform just that much better! The lines were absolutely epic! I wish we had a bit more time to practice all of them, but we won in the end!", Ikarisa applauded her.
Terna laughed, "Thank you all for your kind barrage of compliments, truly! Though...I will decline. Lora, I'm sorry, but in the grant scheme of things, it's even more absurd than what we did here today, to have a singing idol being the mayor of a city state."
"Huh? What do you mean? There's countries like Galatea, with restaurant owners in the actual board, or even Terra with their president being an ex-janitor for one of their public schools in the outer parts of the country...think it was Millenia Rockfall High somewhere in the Kivet area. Spoke with the guy very recently when we were planning a tour around Terra and he's pretty genius, so much so what I wouldn't have guessed for a second that he was a janitor before doing some research on the guy. Research being a quick NNET search, that is.", Lora encouraged her.
"Well, my goals also differ from being stuck behind a desk. Now that I'm finally free of Musica's grasp, I plan to freelance around the world and ride this popularity wave before my time as a hot topic is over...though, with the scale of things, I probably have a few months with the media stories that will go around once it escapes local Delpha media. That being said, naming the city after me, although sounding a bit too...privileged? Entitled? I don't know what the word for it is, but I'm not opposed to it, honestly. Ternalia Matune is my full name if you want to use it.", she giggled, "Chopped it a bit for the marketing, but it's always there."
"Let me guess, you want to hop on the trend of gaining a new member for our brigade at every place we go to?", Lass sarcastically said.
"If that's ok with you, that is. Especially since reconnecting with Anya, having this adventure with you...life is so strange, and it seems like a lot of that strangeness follows after you! And the more I experience, the more I can write, better songs that will tell their own story, maybe even dedicate thematic songs that tell all of your stories once I get to know you better!"
Yuno finally morphed out of Lass, shaking softly, "Sensing a bit of main character wannabe syndrome?", he joked around.
"Where were you all this time?", Anya asked.
"Dealt with things that don't concern you, so back off!", he aggressively answered back.
Anya paused briefly along with the other, making an open handed gesture, "Ok, sheesh. Sorry for asking. I'll get back to you when your stress has worn off, I guess."
Terna cleaned her throat, "To answer your question, every story needs a main character, Yuno. Doesn't matter who it is, because everyone has their own story to tell, weather through books or lyrics to a song! So, will you let me come with you?"
"That we will. Just hoping that this won't keep going until we reach a capacity of people we can't support. Less the merrier if we want our bonds close.", Lass accepted.
"Oh, sweet! Risa, that means you'll get to show me what your dazzling, puffy hair can do when we dress up again! We will dress up again, right?", Terna asked with puppy eyes.
"Yeah, it was actually fun!", Ikarisa giggled.
From the crowd, a powerful presence started to approach, having multiple yelling members of the rebel army and the rooftop audience direct their anger, as a small pathway slowly formed from being somewhat violently pushed to the left and right. Slowly but surely, before they continued their after victory chat, it creeped up to them until they realized who was behind it all.
The voice closed in, "On official business...wear more clothes...get back to school, kid!"
"Wait, that voice...oh. She got here already?", Lass wondered.
Magi finally made her way to them, "God! What the hell happened here?!"
"Would you believe me if I told you that we caused a mass uprising with the help of professionals, against some sort of tyrant that just got one-hit KO'd?", Lass sarcastically told her.
"You did what?", Magi was surprised.
"It's true! Neviro had us all under his clutches for the better half of a year, and he was doing some major extreme things at the industrial zone. Thanks to everyone's efforts, however, we put that worry to rest!", Terna confirmed.
"Honestly, seen fire rain from above, this I haven't seen yet. So a bunch of kids solved a tyrannical city-state's issue with the power of friendship and love?"
"Count in the power of incredible violence, and you got yourself an answer. Plus, it's not like we took too many hits, the enemy army were still people around my age, facing against their friends and families, so they backed down after a certain point.", Lass explained.
"Don't expect this divide to end, by the way. I'm picking through Lass's memories right now, and some rebels said some really extreme stuff. There's gonna be some stigma following the enemy side for a while.", Yuno though.
"All the more a reason to let everyone do their thing and get out then. We were along for the fighting ride, but riding this train that's coming too...oof. I don't think I want to center myself in this controversy, especially when we're supposedly on a journey of convincing people to accept coming in for some alliance of war and stuff."
"They send *you* to do that?", Lora looked at Anya, "Your skills of speech are commendable but...with what qualifications?"
"The qualifications of having a goddess that Vardard will definately bend head over heels for, me and Lass who beat the crap out of everyone in the tournament, including totally humiliating a Victorian demi-human dragon guy. They're gonna listen once a high and powerful figure such as him reaches a country full of pent up warriors and conquerors throughout history.", Anya explained.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Those facts do hold true...Vardard will definately be your easiest ride, but still.", Lora thought.
"We also hold the unaffiliated third party tag, for the most part. The order and accesses needed were given by Insinia's Reingard, but none of us have any ties with officials, previous jobs around that subject or ever been negotiators for it. I myself am definitely unaffiliated completely, given how my dad's company is of course, neutral since it's a multi national one. Hell, we've got a spot on almost every country's board from the real estate we expanded to, so they will listen to me at the very least. Wouldn't also say no to getting a couple drinks from different regions while we're at it as well. Gardardian whiskey is actually sick around this time of the year, practically every bottle is less than a week old on the shelves.", Anya reassured her.
"I vouched for them too, mind you. I'll join around in every country you go, so we might be able to grab a drink or two.", Magi sighed, "Long travels ahead, so I'll need something to cool off from all the black suited shits."
"Wow, really?! Great, but how so?", Anya got excited.
"Negotiations are up to you, so you do your part there. Documents are up to an official, like me, to collect. It's sectioned somewhere in the Trifecta Pact, which also states that we go completely old school and do it on paper instead of digital, with at least 3 other officials present, one from the requesting country, two from the signing one, the one who signs the actual thing excluded. Bunch o' bullshit to keep me busy. I swear, I sometimes feel like instead of being a 'Paladin', a.k.a., head of security, I'm the buss-girl at a restaurant. They see me standing around, they'll tell me to do some completely random shit to get me off my ass whenever they feel like it."
"Well...at least you'll be there if we need you, right?", Ikarisa politely asked.
"For you, Risa, anything. Can't let a shorty like you get an undeserving hit on her.", she answered.
"I remember when instead of friendly talk, you exchanged glares. What about the rest of us?", Lass asked.
"Call me back when you're Anya or a third of a meter shorter and cuter.", Magi sarcastically said.
"Great.", Lass said with a straight face.
Magi laughed as she rubbed Lass's head, "Ha, ha! Anya was right about you, kiddo. Cuter when you're angry. Just kidding, I'll be there for everyone, shall you need me to interfere. With that funny looking Hyrusa here too, I think I might slap a couple more training sessions with the both of you too, to get you going better.", she turned around to face everyone else, "Speaking of going to places, I need to get going too, towards Gardard. So, which one of you guys will be considered an official here? Need the papers."
"No one at the moment. We would put the previous ones back in office, but the moment we seized communication with Reingard, it was also the moment Neviro decided...well, to off everyone. We also have a city rename underway, apparently, so we will be keeping busy.", Lora explained.
"You're joking, right? God dammit...I'll have to run circles around the planet now? Seriously?", Magi annoyingly said.
"Give us a month or so to stablize, and I'll personally call you to get them.", Lora confidently said.
"Right...in any case, I'll take a walk with you guys out of here, before I leave the city. I can't be bothered stopping in one place for long, so what do you say?"
"No drinks.", everyone but Anya and Terna said.
"Hmm? I don't think that drinking is an issue in a celebration like this.", Terna said.
"That's not the issue, moderation is the issue. Just...trust us. Plus, we won't go through the cycle of, get to place, fight in place, drink to victory and piss Lass off. Find a hobby.", Lass warned her.
"But this *is* our hobby!", Anya took Magi's side.
"Who thinks it's a hobby?", no one raised a hand while Lass looked back.
"Dude, seriously? We're not doing that.", Anya said with annoyance creeping up to her voice.
"Who thinks it's a dependence?", everyone, including Lass and Magi raised their hands, "Checks out."
"What the-Magi! Who's side are you on?!", Anya slapped Magi's hand down.
"Hey, I'm an ass, not delusional. Facts are facts.", she shrugged, "Also, the sooner we agree, the sooner we can sneak out for it. Trust me, better to play the 'good girl' card to quickly end this.", she whispered at Anya.
"Thank god we got that cleared as fast as we did.", Yuno said.
"Wow, ok, we agreed to it, so shut up. You guys are boring.", Magi sighed.
"Don't worry, I'll sneak out while they doze off.", Anya whispered at Magi.
"Well then, I'll get you guys to our base's living quarters! It'll take some time for the hotel businesses in the commercial to recover from the riots, and that's the least I can do for all the help. It is a makeshift one, but comfortable nonetheless, and we're all lacking sleep since yesterday, so let's get going!", Terna happily lead the way.
"Yes please...", Ikarisa yawned, "I may need more coffee tomorrow too."
Not much disturbed them as they headed back to the campsite, taking a nearby army vehicle, slowly distancing themselves from the ongoing uproar and partying as they universally decided to take a load off their shoulders and alas, rest. Coming back to the same open area as before, the feeling was much more different than before. A relaxing sensation filled the area, knowing full well that a raid from their recent enemies was no longer plausible, victory securing the safety of the place they were in. At the living quarters that Terna guided them, they found but simple yet comfortable beds laid in rows, alluding to what their use was for. Not having to worry about further intrusion, they knew full well that those who once occupied these beds were to comfortably rest in their homes now, their nightmares being over as normality was to once again follow. Wasting no time, Ikarisa was the first to head inside the living quarters with Terna and Anya, chatting between themselves while Anya was the first to drop from exhaustion. Outside, by the car and looking towards the late day horizon, Lass was leaning back alongside Yuno and Magi, lost in his thoughts as he always was.
Lass broke the silence, "Why...why do I feel awful?"
"Hmm? What?", Yuno awkwardly looked at him, "You mean you don't...remember?"
"I fought with Neviro, right? Killed him, I suppose? Must've blacked out and let Mellistar do his thing."
"What the hell do you mean? You did it by yourself, loud and clear!", Yuno angrily said, "And the images that I saw passing across your eyes...god! Nevermind the bodies we saw at the hall!"
Magi jolted, "What...images?"
"Some dead people, bodies and also Neviro but...not Neviro? I have zero idea!", Yuno kept his anger, "All I know was that for someone who prayed to never kill or use his powers, you're more than a liar when you acted like that! Not Mellistar, you! Only you!"
Lass's face dropped, "To anger you like that...Yuno, what did I do?"
Yuno flew away, "Screw that, I'll go rest and relax too. I can't...I need to process this. If you really did black out...I don't know. I really don't know, Lass.", he left.
Magi exhaled deeply, "Take over...now.", she said with a serious tone in her voice.
His posture and face changing, not fighting it for a moment, Lass gave his body to Mellistar once again, who folded his arms as he looked at the same horizon with a stoic face as he always did with everything else he had witnessed leading to this point.
"It's starting, Magi. His powers overthrew everything you did...you knew it was coming, so did I. Yuno will never break through my head, Lass will never remember what I say...but I won't have to where this is going."
"What exactly did he remember?"
"Neviro being Kagh. I don't know about Riko, since he disappeared off the face of the planet, but had he been there too, things could've been much, much worse if he were to get more out of it. He lost control, blocked me and Yuno off and began doing his own thing. Kagh is dead. He decapitated him in a few moves."
"Wait, what?! But...no, impossible! He was the new sentinel chosen by Makaro and Kikaro, the Obsulyte they forced on him was...it was immense, like mine!"
"Take notes then. Because you knew from the start how terrifying his powers were, when you faced him back then...not in Reingard's arena. You should fear him as Ikarisa will eventually do, once she stops doing the same thing you did to him. Granted, what she does to Hikari is what I could also do, but you and your friend took a load off my shoulders. I pity humanity as a whole. I do not pity Lass, rather than feel sorry for what me and Ikarisa did to him and her respectively. And I will not allow him to fall, so long as I can exist...not that it'll be long anyway."
"I never once feared his powers, Melli. If anything, after what I did, it's more than deserving. What goes around comes around. But...the kid. Lass is...he's a good kid. I screwed a good kid up, because of my stupidity."
"You love him?"
"Before I left him with Glady, he was still a kid. He was like...my kid."
"You are one shitty, sidetracked train wreck, Magi. The absolute most delusional of the bunch."
Magi teared up, "I fucking know...I know! But this soon, I...I wasn't expecting it this soon after I saw him again."
"What's important now, as it always was more important in the first place, is his powers. He is still a victim of himself, and he will die if he keeps it up with these sudden bursts. I was barely able to keep him intact back when we were at the town hall. Unless you want this world completely destroyed, you will follow the plan, whether you like it or not."
"I don't want Lass to die, but even then..."
"You cannot save everything, Magi. Definitely this one. The very least you can do is be a distant ally. Not a friend, not a teach and god forbid a mother figure. Just...let it go. I'm saying this as factual truth, you know it too. Ease the pain on yourself in the coming days, if lucky, months, unless you are as sadistic as your powers of 'hate' are. You can absorb not peoples 'hate' but their Obsulyte when their adrenaline pumps it higher...you'll never be able to absorb his actual hate once it really comes out. Because he will hate you, like I do."
"I never quite understood why you hated me...more so than I hated myself.", she recovered.
"Because you are like me. You ruined him twice over, like a virus or illness coming to take a part of him away permanently. He never had the chance to be a kid, because I robbed him of it. He never had the chance to grow up as he should, because you robbed him of it. If they preach that free will is one of humanity's guiding factors, making you more 'human' than the monsters you face every day, like you always wanted to separate your true nature from them...then he never had free will. He never had a choice. Ready yourself for what's ahead...he doesn't want to kill, but he will kill unintentionally, en masse or otherwise be driven by his own powers' madness to direct it to someone like you. But when that happens...I'm sorry. But I'll choose him over you. Over anyone."
"As you should.", she bravely said, "I made a rough, unheard promise then, as I will to him now, even though he won't hear. I will do whatever it takes to help him realize that he matters to me, like to others, unlike what he thought ever since that day. If to protect him and to that, I must die, I will. And I'm not doing this because I want to atone or out a necessity for validating myself or saving the world. It's...it's for him. For Cecilia, those kids in the tend, as they were back then, and those who watched him be taken away. I will help him the same way they will."
Mellistar bounced off the car, leaving Magi behind, "Good. But you also need to keep one key thing in mind, to save Lass from the abyss he cast himself into over the years.", he moved away.
"And what's that?"
"You can't. Show him only the way...because he can only save himself."
Like a stab in the stomach, Magi burned up inside as she heard those words, not daring to shed a tear where the sun shone upon her to be seen, instead taking in the horrific yet true words spoken. Her will almost broken in an instant, the promise she gave but moments ago kept her intact as she festered deep inside her heart and mind...and even then she knew that she hadn't had much time to ponder on things, before another figure approached.
"Yo, Magi. Sneaked out already! Read for an outing? Hey...wait, something wrong?", Anya approached her.
"Nope, just tired."
"You always are, so how about a drink to get you going again?"
"Ana...I could use a damn drink right about now.", she affirmed.
"Sweet, let's go! I've got bar locations pinned down and ready to go!"
Anya thankfully dragged her away from herself, leaving behind a heavy scene as Mellistar headed inside and forced Lass into sleeping, along with the others. The end of two long days came about, as more uncovered by the second. Yet, based on his words, it wouldn't be many days more that things would be forced into hiding from plain sight.