The journey to Aboracies was far quieter this time. With Aston gone and the truth weighing down upon them, nobody was in the mood for conversation.

So, they made the long walk in silence. Elric and Cetri took turns carrying Gwyneth on their backs as she was easily exhausted, not having as much stamina as the other two. She much preferred being carried by Elric as she was constantly worried she'd fall off Cetri from how skinny the latter was.

Many of Gwyneth's dreams had been nightmares; either about Aston turning into Ares and killing her, or her killing Ares who reversed into Aston. Neither dream was desirable, to the point where she began pushing sleep off as much as possible, causing her companions even further distress.

Finally, seven days later, they made it to Aboracies.

Gwyneth forgot how calming the village was. The sound of the light drizzle from the rain tapping against the river brought peace to her, however little it may be.

"As I live and breathe..." The village elder was quick to greet them. In truth, they had hoped to pass by keeping most unaware of their presence. If it was just the village elder, perhaps it would be fine. "Your father's knights have been sniffing around lately; I was wondering what all the fuss was."

"T-They're not still here, are they?" Gwyneth flinched. Her parents must be looking for her.

"Relax, they left days ago. Running away, are we?" The elder tsked, wagging a boney finger back and forth.

"No," she said firmly. "The truth is, we have need of that sword."

"Because you're the savior, is that it?"

"How did you...!" Isla gasped before quickly covering her mouth realizing what she had let slip.

"You've already tried to pull that sword once! Or at least your shaggy friend did. If you're still trying to pull it, then that means you have reason to believe one of you is the savior!" Mathilda explained before giving a knowing smile. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"Thank you." Gwyneth bowed her head respectfully.

---

Gwyneth had hoped sleeping on a proper bed would supply a restful night of sleep. While her back felt better than ever, the nightmares continued. It was just another excuse to wake up at first light. She had never been a morning person before, but she was slowly turning into one.

The group tried to make light of the situation as they entered the cave. Elric and Isla went into great detail explaining to Cetri the giant golem they had faced before, and how the sword had seemingly spoken to Gwyneth.

"And you didn't think to try to pull it yourself?" Cetri glanced over at the Aecerian princess.

"After what it did to Aston?" Gwyneth shook her head. "Besides, I think we were far too worried about him to even think about letting someone else try."

Cetri came to an abrupt stop causing everyone else to nearly bump into her. "Is it just me or do these lights look similar to the ones in Elric's shield?"

"That's what I was thinking." Gwyneth nodded.

Once Cetri began walking again, Gwyneth quickly made her way over to where the sword still slept. She didn't hear it speak to her as it did before, but something about it called out to her as if she were inexplicably drawn to it.

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"Um..." She hesitated. "If it tries to kill me, maybe grab me from under my arms and pull me away? I think that's how we handled it with Aston?" Gwyneth looked between Elric and Cetri who nodded in agreement.

She took a deep breath, reaching one hand out to the sword as the rest of her body remained as far away as physically possible. When all her fingers grasped the hilt of the sword, she relaxed a little more. She pulled it on, but nothing happened. Nothing, including it trying to kill her. Deciding the sword was safe, she used both hands to pry it out of the stone. It didn't come out as clean as she expected, and she practically decapitated Elric as the sword went flying across the cavern.

"That was a bit dramatic, wasn't it?" A voice said, catching the rest of the group off-guard.

"Did... Did it just talk?" Cetri gawked before hesitantly walking to the sword and tapping it with her sandaled foot.

"Rude!" The sword(?) exclaimed. "You wouldn't like it if I kicked you, would you?!"

"Yep. It talked." Cetri crossed her arms, smirking in approval.

"Sorry! I'm sure Cetri didn't mean to kick you." Isla bowed her head in apology.

"I suppose I've been greeted in worse ways," the voice said. "Speaking of... Why didn't you let me finish killing that boy the last time you were here?!"

"We, um, kind of thought he was the savior..." Isla scratched the back of her head nervously.

"H-Him?!" The voice sounded like she could barely believe what she was hearing. "Ugh. I thought my magic would have picked someone smarter."

"Who are you and what do you know about the prophecy?" Gwyneth demanded; her voice filled with more vigor than usual. "What do you know about Ares? About me? How do you have magic? How are you a talking sword?"

"Do you always ask so many questions at once?"

"Yes. Yes, she does." Elric shook his head. He loved his princess (platonically), but she had her faults.

"Fine. I'll answer your questions. Most of them, anyway. But let's go somewhere else, shall we? A cave isn't exactly a place for conversation. Besides, there's too much energy here."

"Energy?" Isla asked.

"Uh, don't worry about it..."

Gwyneth didn't have the strength to lift the sword. Instead, she made Elric carry it around for her. If this sword really did choose her, you think it would mind its weight!

Once they were outside the cave, they assumed this spot was as good as any. It was a secluded area a good distance away from the village where the villagers would have had no reason to venture out this way. And it wasn't in the cave.

Elric placed the sword on the ground which Gwyneth was quick to stomp over to. "Explain," she demanded, placing her hands on her hips.

"Aren't we bossy," it snarked. "First, would you tell me what year it is?"

"Year?" Isla asked. "Um... 1048."

"AQ?"

"Achoo?"

"Never mind. You wouldn't know that. I've been asleep for several hundred years, I see... How is Zetheria?"

"Still cursed," Gwyneth answered, though she was growing impatient.

"So, you know about Zetheria. That saves me an explanation. Very well, then. My name is Thea; I'm the Keeper of Light. My counterpart is Ares, Keeper of Darkness."

"Light and dark!" Isla's eyes lit up as she recalled her theory from the castle. "Are you Elemental Spirits, then?"

"No. Nothing like that," Thea answered. "It's... more so that we bring balance to the world. Or we were supposed to, anyhow. Neither of us has been around in a while."

"What happened?" Cetri asked the question everyone was dying to have answered.

"Ares grew jealous of the humans' love for our friend Ballard and killed him. I tried to stop him, but I was too late; the fighting had already begun. If Ballard hadn't weakened him in their fight, I would not have been able to subdue him. Unfortunately, Lunelle used half of her strength to ensure that Ares would reincarnate. Solus helped me to send my magic to the future where a vessel would be waiting to claim it and put an end to Ares once and for all. In the meantime, I transferred my soul into this sword to ensure my vessel would be successful. I am, after all, a being of light. This sword is pure light."

Everyone paused, taking in the information Thea had told them; none of which could be found in any history book.

"Lunelle and Solus are real!" Cetri said quietly, not to alert the others. "I knew it!" Her excitement made the half-Fae giggle.

"Are we... the same?" Gwyneth asked, scared to know the truth. "Are you going to take over my body the same way Ares took over Aston?"

"No," Thea answered. "I never reincarnated. You have the magic that I passed on, but nothing more. Ares... Ares was always a part of that boy. A fragment of him seemed to awaken earlier than it was supposed to, likely caused by a traumatic experience. Awakening early could have been fatal to you."

Gwyneth remembered how she broke out in a sudden fever shortly before Aston arrived. Could it have been related to when Aston's— Ares' powers awoke?

"If you have nothing more to share, we should continue." Gwyneth urged the others.