The Healer Hero, her Paladin, and the Oracle…

With a snap of her fingers, robed servants and Sacred Shield guards step away from Lady Mezalune. Just a little bit – they’re still pretty close by. I realise, more than before, how big this damn throne room is.

Oh, and uh… is it just me, or does she feel a little… cold? I didn’t sense it till now, but now that she’s within arm’s reach, it feels like there’s an aura from her that’s chilling the air around us. I don’t remember this feeling ever being present in the previous timeline, so uh... yeah. I’d best be on my guard.

“So, what can I do you for today, Little Miss Anna?” Lady Mezalune asks with a sly smile. “Little Miss Eris has been talking to both you and Little Miss Hero over there, hasn’t she?”

“Eris would like her memories back,” Anna answers firmly and respectfully. “She asked us to convince you to change your mind.”

“Oh, that? Hmph! That Little Miss has asked me that question so many times already! And the answer is still no! No, no, no! Never! Besides, she’s the one who wanted it! But you already know that, don’t you?”

“I do. And she’s aware of this, Miss Mezalune. She still wants her memories back.”

“But is she truly aware of what she’s asking for? Like a moth to a flame… she unknowingly flutters towards oblivion, naively believing it to be her salvation!”

“It may very well be oblivion that Eris seeks,” Anna states unflinchingly before the Oracle’s piercing gaze. “But they’re her memories, for better or worse.”

“Even if they hurt her, Little Miss?”

“She suffers every day without them, Miss Mezalune. She misses her Manager and her Studio… they’ve all left her, and without them… she feels all alone…”

“Indeed. But can the current state of affairs be considered a fate worse than death for her? I say this, considering the alternative…”

“What do you mean?”

“When my Sacred Shield soldiers brought her to me, she tried to, well…” Lady Mezalune explains grimly, her tone suddenly deadly serious. “She…”

Sharply, she raises a finger, sweeping it horizontally across her neck.

“Why!?” Anna demands, frowning deeply as she steps away from Lady Mezalune. “Was it because of the Demon Cult?”

“Yes indeed. They kidnapped her,” Lady Mezalune answers matter-of-factly. “But I had a vision of Little Miss Eris’ fate, four months ago! Before I summoned you, Little Miss Hero! I acted as quickly as I could, and yet...”

She turns away from us momentarily, eyebrows furrowing deeply as she gazes off into the luxury around us, as if to take solace from the thoughts in her head within it.

“The Demon Cult had worked a deal with her Studio’s management behind closed doors, selling her away for vast riches from the dark corners of the earth. All I can say is… isn’t it a shame that some mortals value the lives of their fellows so cheaply?”

I exchange nervous glances with Anna. Good grief. Isn’t all of what Lady Mezalune’s telling us supposed to happen later on in a few months? At least it was that way, in the previous timeline! But here and now… it happened. And we're in the aftermath.

“My Sacred Shield saved her from the clutches of the Demon Cult. Unfortunately, we were too late for the others,” Lady Mezalune adds solemnly. “It was then, knowing what she knew, having witnessed what she witnessed, that she chose to forget. She begged me for it, at any cost, by any means necessary. And so… I did exactly that!”

“But how’d you do it?” I ask, though a part of me already knows the answer, more or less. “How’d you make her forget?”

“Magic! How else? I drew her soul out from her. One fragment of it, to remove her memories!”

“So that’s why she’s acting so weirdly…”

“It’s a side effect, unfortunately. But as I said, the alternative that I prevented is far worse.”

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

“What did Eris forget?” Anna interjects worriedly. “Tell me, Miss Mezalune.”

“You wish to know?” Lady Mezalune asks, shadows and black smoke manifesting in the palm of her hand. “Here’s your answer. This contains the memories Little Miss Eris seeks.”

Black as pitch, a crystal materialises, levitating from Lady Mezalune’s palm. Darkness coils around its dark surface like shadowy serpents, chilling the air around it. More than before. And uh… just looking at it makes my skin crawl as it dawns on me that this horrible thing is the source of that icy aura emanating from her, and the reason why her servants and guards are staying so close to her.

“By Rinnah…” Anna utters nervously, eyes wide with horror. “That’s…”

“It’s a Memory Crystal, Little Miss! Ultimately, these things are shaped by the memories they hold,” Lady Mezalune explains grimly, her eyes on Anna. “So, what will you do?”

“I…”

For a moment, Anna hesitates before the darkness. Even I would. However, she steels her nerves and stands her ground, eyes on the pitch-black darkness.

“It’s not too late to turn back,” Lady Mezalune adds solemnly. “You can tell her I refused you despite your best efforts to convince me otherwise. She already resents me.”

“Part of me wants to. And yet…” Anna answers, bowing her head before the darkness of the Memory Crystal. “Eris deserves to know the truth, if that’s what she wants.”

“And why is that, Little Miss?”

“I know how she feels, Miss Mezalune. That’s why.”

“Hmph. Hey, wait a minute! You’re not helping her just because you like her songs, back when she was a world-famous Bard, right?”

“No, Miss Mezalune. I’d do the same for anyone else,” Anna answers adamantly, shaking her head. “I know what it is like to have parts of your life missing from your memories. There are nights when I lay in bed, thinking about my life before the Order of Selene… and it’d keep me up trying to remember… something… anything…”

“Anna…”

Bowing my head solemnly, I place a hand on her shoulder. It’s what I can do for her as I stand by her side as her Healer, as hers. Because… good grief. Her heart pines for memories from a forgotten past… while mine mourns memories from a future undone. We’re two sides of the same coin, but the pain’s all the same. It hurts. And it sucks. It really does.

But hey, at least we have each other! The night before we left the Isle of Spirits, we held each other close till dawn. It doesn’t take away the emptiness within us forever, but at least now, I know I’m not alone, and it ain’t so bad, even if I feel this emptiness eating away at me from time to time. Because she’s here for me, and I’m here for her. Always. And now, she’ll be here for Eris too. And uh… so shall I, in this new timeline.

“It’s an awful feeling, knowing you’ve lost your past, Miss Mezalune,” Anna adds sadly. “It just… leaves you hollow. I wouldn’t wish this fate on anyone, least of all someone so gentle and nice like Eris, regardless of whether or not she’s my favourite Bard.”

Lady Mezalune remains silent, purple eyes gazing into Anna’s as she cups her chin and contemplates all that’s been said. Suddenly, those eyes of hers light up with joy.

“You’ll do it, then!? Great! Super special awesome! With that conviction burning within your heart, I believe you’ll be able to do what I can’t, Little Miss!”

“Miss Mezalune…”

“You’ll be there for her in her time of need,” Lady Mezalune answers calmly, smiling sweetly. “This much I believe you’ll do! She does like you a lot, after all!”

“You think so…?”

“Well… Little Miss Iris was a most generous patron of her Studio, all thanks to you liking her songs! You’re a VVIP to them by any stretch of the imagination!”

“But Mom didn’t know what happened to Miss Eris and her Studio?” Anna asks with a frown. “She never mentioned any of this to me when she told me that they retired.”

“She didn’t want you to worry. At least, not until you were fully prepared to fight demons and those who serve them. So, it’s on me to be the bearer of bad news!”

“I see. Mom…”

“I’ve known her for a long time, and she has your best interests at heart, Little Miss. Always,” Lady Mezalune adds gently. “Oh, but I digress! Here and now, I shall ask one final time – will you bear this burden for Little Miss Eris, and be there for her in her time of need?”

“I shall,” Anna answers solemnly. “And I’ll do my best for her.”

“Good! Place your hand upon the Crystal, and embrace the darkness.”

Reaching out steadily toward the writhing shadows, eyes focused upon the darkness, Anna places her hand upon the Memory Crystal. She flinches momentarily but keeps her hand pressed upon the Crystal’s shadowy surface as its darkness enshrouds her, as the air turns to a frigid stillness around her.

“It’s very cold…”

“It is, Little Miss,” Lady Mezalune remarks sadly as Anna winces from the darkness enveloping her in its icy embrace. “But don’t let your conviction waver.”

“Yes! I can handle this. I must.”

Right now, I can do little more than watch as Anna accepts the Memory Crystal, letting the darkness stored therein consume her. Part of me wants to put a stop to this. I should be the one bearing this burden. But I remember what she said to me back at the Highgrove Vineyard – that I shouldn’t bear the burden of being a Hero all by myself, and that I should trust those around me. Besides, she’s the one that Eris likes and trusts.

Good grief. I shouldn’t worry so much. She’s got this, after all! Even so… I pray for her strength and will to remain steadfast. I’m her Healer, after all. It’s my job to worry. Even if I’m being silly, thinking these nagging thoughts of mine.

“Arisa…”

“Anna!”

In the nick of time, I catch her as she stumbles from the stress of accepting the Memory Crystal, keeping her steady. She’s cold to the touch, barely able to stand with the accursed thing in the palm of her hand. Despite this, she forces herself to remain on her feet.

“I’m okay, Arisa…” Anna rasps, grimacing heavily. “Thank you…”

“No problem. No problem at all,” I answer, forcing myself to smile. “Let’s get this to Eris.”