About a week later...

"You know, she'll just escape again," Alyza was sitting up in her old bed. A clean, white wrapping was wrapped around her shoulder. She had an open book rested upon her lap.

The room itself was large, with white wallpaper that matched the all-too-fancy furniture. Pictures of her family lined the walls, positioned in such a way that the abundance looked minimal. A few stuffed animals were lying in bed with her, and there was a stack of books she'd finished reading on the nightstand beside her bed.

"Yeah, I know," Victus was sitting in a chair at the corner of the room. He was dressed nicely, likely given a suit to wear while present in her household. "She probably won't attack you guys unless I'm around, so.."

"So you're leaving?" She tilted her head, not bothering to hide her sadness.

"It's not just that..Loki said there were other relatives of mine out there somewhere. I've got to find them and warn them about the Yrylis, before the curse overtakes me."

Alyza sat up some more, "Victus, if it's really true, then.."

He sighed, "I've lived enough of my life. That child deserves it more than I do."

"Vick.."

Alyza frowned, tilting her head some more. He noticed this, and with a heavy sigh, he placed his hands on his lap and got up, walking towards the door.

She immediately perked up, "You're going so soon? You could at least wait until I'm better. And the funeral is tomorrow. You should stay and pay your respects."

He moved his head to the side slightly, staring at the floor as he spoke, "I know. I'll stay. I'm just going to get some fresh air for a bit.."

"Oh..Okay.."

Victus opened the door. Before he could take another step, she spoke again.

"I love you, Victus.."

"..I love you too, Alyza," he replied with a heavy heart.

After exiting the house, Victus crouched in the snowy yard, piling snow in front of him. It had been years since he tried to make a snowman. Maybe it'd make him feel better.

Doing so triggered memory of building a snowman with his father. He was a sick boy then, and shouldn't have been playing outside, sparking an argument between his parents. His mother had the same silver hair, pointy ears, and vibrant red eyes, except her hair was much longer than his. At the end of the argument, she stormed inside. His father, though upset, did not take his anger out on the boy.

Instead, he encouraged him, acting impressed by the small chubby snowman. They put some rocks on its face and gave it a smile. He remembered saying, "It's okay, father, I'm not sick. I'm not afraid of the cold. I like when it snows."

"Is that so? It's alright to be afraid of things, you know," he placed the small boy on his lap, sideways. "The cold is dangerous. Being scared of dangerous things keeps us safe."

"Is mama scared?" He asked innocently, looking toward the house.

His father chuckled, "Yeah. Your mother is the bravest person I know, but she gets scared too sometimes."

"She's scared of the cold?" Victus sounded surprised to hear that his mother could be afraid of something that didn't scare him at all. She warded off all his fears of the dark like it was nothing. His train of thought was interrupted by his dad lightly poking his nose.

"Not just the cold, but what the cold brings. What it takes away. Heh, you should see her every time you sneeze. She jumps a little."

Victus giggled, smiling brightly, "So she's afraid of me when I sneeze?"

"Mhm! So let's go inside and make sure you don't get anymore sick, otherwise you'll scare mama with all your sneezing."

"Okay!"

He nodded excitedly and got up and ran inside the house. His father watched him with a smile that was then interrupted by a sneeze.

Victus sneezed in the present, wiping his nose with his finger. His snowman somehow looked more awful than the one he made as a kid. Even the rocks couldn't force a smile on its wide, round face. He sighed, "I wish you were here, dad..Even if you didn't know what to say, it'd be nice to talk to someone.."

"You're going to catch a cold, you know."

He quickly turned around, seeing Vackerie standing on the porch. She was dressed in a fancy dress lined with fur, likely another gift from the Sylvains. The outfit looked to be more comfortable than practical.

"Oh, it's you."

"Wow, that's rude! Considering I'm the one who told Andarius about Fang's betrayal, I expected some more gratitude. If you didn't have that backup.."

"Don't remind me," he pinched the bridge of his nose, inhaling sharply. "Sorry, I'm just..I'm having a hard time."

She pat her dress down as she sat beside him, "I'm kidding. You don't owe me. If anything, I owe you. Which is why.."

"What?"

"I'm not from here, you know. I mean, obviously, but..I want to help you, so there's this witch I know, and I talked to her.."

"I don't want her to erase my memory, if that's what you're getting at.."

"No, no, not that. She knows a ritual that can give you your humanity back."

He raised his head, almost in disbelief, "Really?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "I invited her to the funeral tomorrow. Stick around afterwards, 'kay?"

Vackerie winked, getting up and patting snow off of her dress. Victus looked up at her, "Heh, you've kinda changed, Vack.."

"Yeah, well, I had a good leader. Speaking of, I'm hereby resigning from the Mythic Mastria."

"What? Why?"

"I've got some other stuff to tend to. Promise I'll rejoin after I get it done."

Victus got up, "Okay, well, I'll hold you to it then. It was good having you around."

"Mhm. See ya tomorrow, Vick."

"See ya," he went back inside the house after, bumping into one of the Sylvain brothers. He was a tall, muscular human, with a cleanly shaven face and long, braided brown hair. His clothes belonged to that of an aristocrat. When they exchanged gazes, there was some hostility between them.

"Watch where you're going, Virunian."

"So sorry, sir, I'll make sure to keep a better eye out next time."

His tone didn't match his words. They brushed past each other, and Victus returned upstairs, only to find his beloved fast asleep. He gently removed the book from her lap and set it upon the nightstand, then pecked her on the forehead, sitting back in the chair. He crossed his arms, closing his eyes.

When he awoke in the depth of his dreams, he found himself in the dark, still sitting on the same chair. A light gently shined from above, and Lily was hovering before him. She looked largely the same, though a scar formed of various branching arcs riddled her skin. Upon seeing her, he immediately tried to get up, but he was chained to the chair.

"L-Lily.."

Duncan faded into view behind her, faced away. Beside him, Davon, who had his arms crossed. Magni walked through the both of them, turning them to ashes. Mjollsverd was in his hand, and he impaled Lily with it, incinerating her yet again.

"No..! Lily!" He glared at Magni, who stared back at him. A fiery red Fenrir then appeared behind the god of power and lodged one of his legs between his jaws, messily tearing it off. Finally, he broke free of the chains and sprinted at Magni, tackling him into the black, non-existent floor. He landed with a heavy thud, unaware of where he or anyone else was. Distantly, he could hear a baby crying.

Alyza appeared, turned away from him. He whipped around, spotting her. She slowly turned, revealing the baby in her arms. The infant opened their eyes, their bright red gaze instantly causing him immense pain. He looked at his hand in terror as it cracked apart, breaking off bit by bit. Underneath was a chaotic red energy that felt all too familiar to him: the Yrylis.

The crimson chaos flowed towards the crying baby, and as it did, his body broke apart, until he had finally faded away into nothingness. The black split open, his eyelids opening to reality. Alyza was shaking him, her face concerned.

"Victus..?"

"Sorry..What time is it..?"

"It's almost morning..Dear, you're shaking like a leaf.."

She lifted his hand into view, showing him how it trembled. Her fingers were far warmer than his.

"The cold must have gotten to you. Come, you shall lie with me."

"No, no, I'm okay..I should probably go help the servants with the chores-"

"Victus, please," she lightly tugged his arm. "We've been away from each other for so long.."

His stiff expression softened when his gaze met her desperate eyes, "..Okay.."

Her bed was as soft as the clouds, as warm as the sun, and simply being in her arms could cause him to melt like the wax of a nearby candle. Like this, it was apparent how much taller she was than him, and that made him less confident. She couldn't help but smile at his nervous exterior, "You're like ice."

"Heh, if I am ice, then you turn me to water."

She leaned in closer, "Perhaps I could have a sip?"

He blushed, "O-Of course, but..I have to tell you first.."

"Tell me what?"

He scooted back slightly, "I may have laid with another woman. But, I gave no prior consent, and it was more harmful than loving.."

"Like..sex?"

"N-No, just..Well, I'm not really sure if she did anything like that.."

"Oh, okay. I suppose if you're not comfortable with any of this, I can.."

Victus immediately shook his head, "No, no! I love this..I'm just worried I'm not good enough for you.."

"Vick," she gently caressed his face. "You're the best thing to ever happen to me. I don't mind the hardship I've endured, and I'll endure even more if it leads me to you. There's no one else I'd rather be with."

He smiled, "Me neither.."

"Come here," she kissed him.

The morning quickly passed, and soon it was noon. The door to the Sylvain estate had swung open, and Alyza walked out first, dressed in a fancy black dress. Victus followed after her and shut the door behind them, dressed in black attire as well. He helped her down the stairs and into the carriage, where they sat together for the whole ride. When they arrived at the cemetary, he wore a firm expression, attempting to be as respectful as possible (a first for Victus.) There was a casket next to a wide hole in the ground.

"We gather here today to honor the lives of Agnes Crestibul, of Daunfel, and Lilith Morelli, of Virunia. May you two be free of sin, and live gracefully among the gods.."

Victus, Alyza, Vackerie, Ember, and Davon were all standing around the grave. They all looked bothered by the priest's words. He began to pray, but Ember interrupted him before he could finish, "Could you just get on with it?"

The priest looked confused, then gestured to the volunteer that was accompanying him that day. The man pushed her casket into the grave and began shoveling a pile of dirt onto it, until it was completely covered. Vackerie placed some flowers at her tombstone, "Thanks for saving me more than once, Agnes.."

Davon stared at the tombstone titled "Lilith Morelli," holding back tears. Victus put a hand on his shoulder, but the bounty hunter immediately shot him a glare.

"David-"

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

"Do not call me David."

"Okay, but, listen..I'm so sorry, okay? I never intended for her to be hurt..Truth is, she saved me on several occasions, and if it wasn't for her, the whole world would-"

"I don't care about any of that!" He pulled away. "You were supposed to protect her. Not the other way around. Don't you know that she.."

"..She what?" Victus still seemed troubled by her final words that he couldn't hear. "Davon, if you know something.."

"Just get away from me," he shoved past him. "Consider this your final warning. Next time we meet, it will be your final encounter."

"Don't be like that," Vick tried stepping towards him, but Alyza put a hand on his shoulder, shaking her head. He sighed, "Fine then.."

After paying their respects, they exited the cemetary. Parked next to the carriage was a large, oddly decorated coach with a giant cat-like creature tethered to it. Vackerie quickly approached the coach, "Urzula!"

"Hm?" An elderly toad woman opened the wooden shutters on the side of the coach, "Oh, Vackerie, dear! It's so nice to see you again!"

"You too, miss Urzula! You got my call, right?"

"Oh! That's why I'm here! Sorry, I my memory isn't what it used to be."

"It's alright, ma'am. Say, would you be able to reverse the ritual you performed on me a few years back?"

"Which one?" The toad witch rubbed her chin.

"Erm," Vackerie took a few steps back, gesturing to her legs. "Remember?"

"Oh, yes! How could I forget? Step right into my carriage, dear, we'll hop to it right away!"

"C'mon Vick," Vack gestured to him, and he followed her into the back of the carriage.

Alyza waved to them with a small smile, "I'll be in the carriage when you're done, Vick. Be safe, okay?"

"I will!" He called back.

The interior of the Urzula's coach looked much larger than the outside implied, and it was much warmer too. There were all sorts of bobbles and gizmos that definitely belonged to a witch of this caliber. Speaking of which, the frog witch scooted a large wooden tub of water into the middle of the room, gesturing to it.

"Step right in, dear!"

Vackerie did as she said, lifting her dress so that it wasn't damaged by the water, "Like this?"

"Perfect, now just stand there," Urzula searched through a large chest of odd magical items, tossing them aside until she found a jar of aquatic essence.

It appeared as a floating orb of water with a small tentacle in its center. She took out her wand and tapped on it, then pointed her wand at Vackerie, chanting, "Vicissum contrarium, humano de cephalopoda, mutatio!"

A yellow energy violently swirled around Vackerie's legs, causing them to glow a bright white. Vibrant purple energy then suddenly flew out from the jar and around her legs as well, transforming them. Once the ritual was complete, Vackerie was sitting in the tub of water, the lower half of her body replaced by an umbrella of tentacles. She watched her tentacles move beneath the water, as if seeing them for the first time all over again. The jar containing her aquatic essence had now been replaced by human essence, represented by the shape of a star.

"There we go," Urzula looked at the jar. "Is that all, dear?"

"Er, not yet. Do you think that you could exchange that human essence with my friend's demonic essence?"

"Oh," she looked at Victus. "Of course. You can just stand right there, young man."

"Hold on!" Victus raised his hands. "If you take my demonic essence, then won't I lose my strength?"

"Hm? Strength? Demons aren't any stronger than other creatures, dear."

"Okay, but..What about my speed? Stamina? Power?"

"Heh, you must have a casual perception of power, young man."

She began the ritual. A bright magenta was pulled out from his soul, replaced by human essence. Peculiarly enough, he didn't look different at all. The jar now contained a dark claw surrounded by black and pink swirls. Victus looked at himself, then at the frog witch, "Thanks."

"No problem, dearie. Now do you want to keep this, or..?"

"..No, uh..You can keep it. Thanks anyways."

"Okay," she put the jar into the chest, then closed it. "Anything else?"

"No, but do you think you could give me a ride? The ocean's not very far from here."

"As you wish, dear. I assume you will be taking your leave, misterrr.."

"Victus," he nodded. "Thanks for everything again. See ya later, you two."

"See ya, Vick!" Vackerie waved goodbye.

He left the coach and rejoined Alyza. The sun was setting as they set off, the bumpy road causing the carriage to bounce every now and then. She felt motion sick, "Urgh.."

"Are you okay?" He was sitting beside her.

She held a hand out, "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little nauseous.."

"Hm. Sorry."

"Sorry for what?"

"Well, it's my fault, that whole thing.."

"We made our choices. This was bound to happen at some point.."

"Listen, Alyza..In case I don't make it, I was thinking..Maybe we could finally tie the knot.."

"Y-You mean, marriage?"

"Yeah, I mean," he looked out the small carriage window, watching the sun slowly descend. "I should still look for my relatives, but..I can do that after we get married. And I promise I'll be back before the baby's born. But I wanna get married in Virunia, with all our friends."

She didn't respond. He turned to see her tearfully smiling, "I thought you'd forgotten.."

"Alyza..I could never forget my feelings for you.."

"I know, I'm just..I'm so happy.."

"..Me too."

They arrived back at the house, where Victus asked her parents for their blessing. Her father stood up, his heavy gaze worrying Alyza, who was peering through the doorway in worry. He closed his eyes and lowered his head, then finally nodded. Victus did his best to restrain a smile, but once he left the room, he couldn't help it any longer. Alyza ran into his arms, and he did a short romantic twirl as he caught her, holding her tightly. The older brother he'd bumped into the other day saw this and shook his head in disapproval.

They were escorted back to Virunia on a large fancy ship, and reunited with Jearicko once they arrived in Kamren. Clyme was dressed in armor similar to the one he made for Victus nearly three months ago, except it had a white and yellow color scheme. He even made a variation of his mask, though it was yellow as well.

"Wow, look at you!" Victus crossed his arms, impressed by his fashion sense. "Did you make one for Wolfe too?"

"No sir, he refuses to wear much armor, and that beard of his would get in the way of a mask."

"That's what I told him! I heard you guys drove the rest of Fang's bandits out of the city."

"Haha, we've been busy within the time you were gone. Come.."

He showed him to the small building they purchased, "We got this recently. Wolfe had begun taking on quests to build up our ranking and money, and I've been selling some of my artwork to any that are interested. It isn't much, but.."

"This is freakin' great!" Victus quickly opened the door, a large puff of dust bursting out of the doorway onto his person. "Achoo! Still great.."

"We've been meaning to fix it up," Clyme was standing beside Alyza, the both of them behind Victus.

"We can handle that," Alyza smiled. "Just keep doing what you guys have been doing, okay?"

"Yes ma'am!"

Truthfully, Victus and Alyza spent the day cleaning their guild's headquarters. As it grew later, they lit the lanterns, surprised at how much better the place looked. There were even some stairs that led to a second floor, where extra rooms were located. Victus looked over the place from the stairway, "You know, we could probably use this place for our ceremony."

"You don't wanna get married in a church?" She set a broom down, standing on the lower floor.

"Well, I know that's much more traditional, but," he vaulted over the wooden railing and landed beside her. "Frankly, I hate the gods and you should too."

"Good point," she was a little excited by the idea, but that vault he did also made her heart race.

After some more setting up, Wolfe hosted the ceremony less than a month later. Vackerie, Ember, Gunther, and Aura all attended. Even little Auburn was the flowergirl. The chairs and tables were set up to make things look more traditional, and Victus wore the same suit her parents gifted him. Alyza entered the room with Clyme at her side. She was dressed in a simple white wedding dress, with a veil that covered her face. He walked her down the aisle and gave her to Victus, who lifted the veil before taking both of her hands. Jearicko stood next to Victus, his best man.

Wolfe made the vows, and Auburn presented them with two golden rings. He carefully removed Fenrir from his ring finger and put it in his pocket, then put the golden ring on his finger. Alyza giggled, carefully removing Gemini and Excelsior off of her fingers, then allowed Victus to put the golden ring on her ring finger. He took the magic rings and placed them in his pocket as well. They sealed the marriage with a kiss, then walked down the aisle out of the building.

A few minutes later, they were invited back in, seeing that the whole place had been rearranged to suit a reception. They danced and sang and ate, much like when they'd first met. Shortly after the party was over, Victus and Alyza were sent away on a carriage for a few days. He helped her out of the carriage and lifted her into his arms, sprinting towards a familiar house.

She giggled, hugging him while he ran. He kicked the door open, setting her down on her feet inside. She was still in her wedding dress. He waved to the carriage in the distance and the driver got off, dragging a large chest to their door. Victus gave him some gold and the driver nodded in thanks, then left.

"Heh, that was fun. It was starting to get really cramped in there."

"Tell me about it," he shut the door, looking around until he spotted the fireplace. He walked over to it.

She watched him, "So this is where you used to live..? It's a nice house.."

"Mm, I haven't been home in years..But it's also been vacant for years, so..It's basically mine."

Alyza hugged herself, rubbing her arms, "It's a bit chilly this far north in Virunia, though.."

"Yeah, but you get used to it," he got the fire going, and she walked over, kneeling and warming her hands.

"My, that's so much better."

"I'll get some more firewood since this isn't enough for tonight. Maybe get dressed in something warmer?"

She nodded, doing such after he left. He didn't come back for nearly an hour, and when the door swung open, she was relieved.

"Finally, you're back! I was beginning to get worried," she looked to the side. "The fire was just about to go ou-"

The silhouette at the doorway was wearing a cloak not belonging to Victus. She immediately stood, taking a few steps back as the mysterious figure entered. They took off their hood, revealing themselves to be a middle-aged woman with longer silver hair and pointy ears. Upon seeing those vibrant red eyes, Alyza knew exactly who this must be.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house? I don't take too kindly to travelers," her voice had a nonchalant attitude, but her sharp gaze made it sound more frightening than anything. She moved her cloak aside at the hip, revealing a bloody sickle. "There's a window behind you. You can leave through there. Otherwise, you go through me."

"Hold on, I'm not..Look, I know this is going to sound crazy, but I'm your son's wife."

"..What?" She turned her head to look down at the floor, "That idiot..You're not pregnant, are you?"

Alyza shook her head, "No..And, I, uh..We didn't plan on doing that..I'm not capable of having kids.."

"Really?" The woman stepped closer, unsheathing her sickle.

"I can hear your heartbeat, you know," she continued. "You're lying."

Alyza stepped back more, until she was up against the window, "No, I'm not.."

"Bullshit!" She charged at her.

Alyza dove back out of the window, avoiding an attack from her sickle. She landed on the thin snow with a soft thud, then quickly rolled to avoid another stabbing attack from his mother's blade.

"This is really messed up, you know!" She glared from the side, crouched in the snow. No ring, no powers. All she had was her wit.

His mother slowly stood, flipping the sickle in her hand, "You don't know what you're talking about. I've done everything for him!"

"Does leaving count?"

"It does!" She raised her sickle, but Alyza quickly shoved her back, kicking snow into her face to stun her. She jumped onto the window and climbed through it, running over to the chest at the doorway. Quickly, she opened it, searching for a weapon.

Luckily, there was a fancy new bow inside, "Thanks Em. Too bad my first hunt won't be for dinner.."

She heard a fast whipping sound and turned her head, ducking as the sickle lodged into the wall behind her. Alyza drew her bow, firing at Victus's mother in the distance. The woman snapped and the sickle disappeared from the wall, then reappeared in her hand as she slashed through the arrow Alyza fired at her.

"You don't understand! If you two have a child, he'll die! I need to protect my baby!"

"He's not a kid anymore!" Alyza ran forwards, sliding to cover beneath the window as the sickle flew over her head yet again.

"He's only in his twenties! He deserves to live a long life!"

"That's not for you to decide!" Alyza vaulted out onto the snow and fired another arrow at her. His mother stepped to the side to dodge it. "You weren't even there for him!"

"I've done so much for him! You think I didn't want to stay with his father?! But if we had another boy, I would have lost him! I won't let you take him away from me!" She threw the sickle at her again, but this time it was so telegraphed that Alyza smacked it out of the air with her bow, knocking it into the snow.

"Are you crazy?! I don't want to lose him either! But this is the choice we've made, together! You can't decide this for us!"

"Shut up!" His mother dismissed her sickle and reformed it in her hand, then charged at Alyza and slashed again.

Alyza evaded and parried as much as she could, until she got the upper hand and took the sickle from her, shoving her against the wall. She stabbed the sickle onto the wall, just around her neck. The curved shape of the blade was her mother's last saving grace, or perhaps Alyza was showing mercy in respect of Vick's morals. Either way, his mother finally submitted.

"If that child is a boy, and my Victus is taken from me, I promise you I will not lose next time."

"I'll be ready," Alyza gripped the sickle and pried it out of the wall, tossing it aside. "Get out."

With a disappointed grunt, his mother shoved past Alyza and took the sickle, walking away into the woods. It was getting late. Victus finally arrived some time later, carrying an abundance of firewood in his arms. He had some bruises and scratches on his face.

"Victus!" She hurried over to him. "What happened?"

"Ran into a pack of wolves," he handed her the wood. "I'm fine though. It seems like I don't heal as fast as before, but at least it doesn't hurt as bad now. Oh, and I can still hit things really hard."

"That's good," she put the wood into the fireplace and quickly set it ablaze, warming up the small living room. "You didn't run into anyone else, did you..?"

"No, why?" He took off his coat and put it onto the nearby rack, seeing the scratch from the sickle in the wall. "Hey, has that always been there?"

Alyza shrugged, "I think so. Maybe some animals got in here while you were away?"

"Yeah, that's probably from a deer or something. Speaking of, I've never had wolf meat but maybe it's not so bad?"

She nodded, "We can try it."

The two made dinner and ate, then went to bed. She was kept awake by his mother's words, worried if the half-elf woman would make an appearance again. Victus then cuddled against her, and she decided she'd worry about it later. Smiling, she hugged him, and the two went to sleep. Months passed. Her belly had begun to grow in size, and their worries along with it. Fortunately Victus had spent ample time reading about how to deliver a baby, though if the baby was a boy, the process would be especially difficult.

When that day finally came and her water broke, he rushed her to bed and gave her some medicine she told him to give her (she made it of course), and he did his very best to help with the birth. After some time, the sound of a baby crying gave both of them an enormous sense of relief.

"W-We did it.." She breathed heavily, sweating. "Is it.."

He smiled, looking up at her with the crying baby in his arms.

"It's a girl!"