"We will leave it there then." Elder Virion turned around. "We can show ourselves out." He shot Aldir a look, and they turned away from the Retainers.
Arthur and I took one last glance at the two, and spun around, following Aldir and Elder Virion.
I whispered to Arthur. "Sorry, I had to ask about the mask, it just weirded me out. I'm still curious about it."
Arthur shot me a smile. "Me too, next time though, keep it to yourself."
"Virion, he's right, we were all weirded out by it, just don't bring it up in front of them." Elder Virion turned back and said, he must have overheard me.
"You aren't considering there offer, right?" Arthur asked him.
"Not really, but if they were to keep their word, we would be saving a lot of lives." Elder Virion was right, but the only reason Agrona would do that deal, was to get to Tessia.
"Are you willing to bet they do?" I asked as Aldir lifted them up off the platform, and into the sky. I looked at Cylrit and Jagrette, gave them a wave goodbye, and launched myself in the air after them.
"Agrona won't, it is just a ploy to get Dicathen under Vritra rule." Aldir spoke loudly enough for all of us to hear. "With two continents, Agrona could rival Epheotus after creating more half breeds."
"I know, it's still something to think about." Elder Virion shrugged in the air. "I'll be making the announcement tomorrow; I'll have my men start to arrange it." He used some mental transmission device to speak with people at the castle.
So, Arthur's speech is tomorrow, and I guess we both will be made Lances in front of the public.
Oh shit, I'm going to have to stand before millions of people, I hate crowds, I always say the wrong thing.
"When we get back, you two should spend some time with your family, because when the real war starts, there won't be as much time to spend with them." Elder Virion told the two of us.
"I can help with the set up for the announcement tomorrow." Arthur suggested, I had no intention of helping with that.
"No need, listen to Elder Virion, be with your family tonight." Aldir's third eye took a peek at both of us, and Arthur stayed silent.
It didn't take us that long to return, we all stood inside the portal room, with no one else inside of it. However, before we parted ways, Elder Virion told Arthur and I something. "You two did well out there, Virion, next time try to stay on track with the conversation, but other than that, I'm proud of both of you."
"Thanks, gramps." Arthur nodded toward him, and I did as well.
"Now go be with your family."
Arthur and I made our way out into the hall and walked alongside each other. Sylvie jumped from my brother's head to mine, and I started to speak. "That Jagrette girl has some sort of Acid magic, so I was thinking, it's probably a form of water or plant magic, but in their decay type mana arts."
"You might be right." Arthur answered. "Let's not think about it right now, where's mom and dad?"
"In their room, but I sense Ellie on the balcony with other kids, which is weird, because she didn't usually hang out with them." The kids here kept their distance from us, well, me, because of my magic. I was okay with it, they were kids, they don't know better.
"Let's go see what Ellie is up to." Arthur and I turned down a hall, and then turned down another one. The balcony came into sight, and as it did, Ellie did as well. "Is that Ellie talking to a boy next to Boo?"
"I think it is." I told Arthur as we got closer.
"Get him Sylv!" Sylvie jumped from my head and started to run toward Ellie. "Veer, use your blood magic on him."
"That's a bit over kill, but alright." I went to use it, but Boo intervened, he picked the boy up, and swung him to the side. "Damn, that was aggressive as well."
"Sylvie!" Ellie exclaimed as she caught Sylvie in her arms. Arthur and I walked onto the balcony with all the kids playing. "You two are back!"
"Hey El." Arthur patted her head as he walked up to Boo and her. "Nice work Boo." He also patted Boo's head.
Ellie had a weird face on her, like she was worried about something, but what was there to worry about. "Ellie?" I said questionably as she turned to me. "What's wrong?"
She spoke to the both of us. "Mom and Dad are joining the war."
We stood there in shock, and I went into my clone's consciousness, worried for the Twin Horns safety, and as I did. I watched over the fight that went on between our troops and a horde of mana beasts.
My clones made sure none of the Twin Horns died, which means, and I was pretty sure, that I prevented and changed Adam's fate.
So why where they joining the war?
I flicked back to my own conciseness. "Sylvie, Veer, you two should stay here, I am going to go talk to them."
Arthur turned away from us, and began to walk back inside, but I called out to him. "Let me come with you." I walked up to him as he waited for me. "Arthur, I know why."
He faced me as we exited the balcony full of children, leaving Sylvie behind with Ellie and Boo. "Why?" Arthur asked me.
"I left a clone inside of the dungeon we just left." His eyes went wide, he knew I could perform that spell. "A horde appeared as they were leaving, and attacked them, my clone protected the Twin Horns, but I think the whole thing scared our parents, making them want to go in and help their old team."
"But we were just there yesterday." Arthur exclaimed as we picked up our pace. "Is your clone still there?" I nodded; it was still with everyone. "If the Twin Horns are okay, what about Tessia's team."
"I already checked; they all made it out alive as well." I changed Adam's fate, and yet I can't make my parents stay out of the war. We stopped in front of their door, and both knocked at the same time. "Let me do the talking."
Arthur looked at me as we heard my mother's voice call out. "Come in."
The two of us swung the doors open, and what Ellie said was true, they were packing up. "Nope, unpack, you two can't join the war." I immediately said as I entered the room, and before they could say anything I continued. "I know about the attack, and you probably know why. My clone made sure the Twin Horns were okay, and also protected other soldiers from dying, this doesn't mean you have to join the war."
My parents looked at me shocked. "Veer, it's not your decision, we are going to join the war whether the two of you like it or not."
"What about Ellie?" Arthur spoke up.
"She is old enough to take care of herself her, and there are plenty of people here as well who care about her." My father threw a shirt in a bag. Why was them leaving, making me mad. "We aren't going to be in the main fight, but we still want to help out where we can."
"No." I shook my head. "No, you guys can't." Why was this hard for me to accept.
"It was actually your mother's idea."
"What?!" Arthur and I exclaimed. "Mom, you don't like to use your powers."
"She has been recently." I answered, thinking about Cynthia. "But I don't care, you are not joining the war."
"Veer, it's not your choice." My mother said sympathetically. "And Arthur, don't feel guilty about it." Before anything else could be said, I opened the door back up. "Veer, wait!"
"No." I answered, and walked out the door, slamming it behind me. I rarely get mad, but this was stupid. They should know that if they wanted to help Dicathen, they should stay in Dicathen, because if something was to happen to them, Arthur and I would break down, and possibly do something stupid that gets us killed.
I walked down the hall and heard the door open. "Virion!" My mother called out again. "Come back here." I froze in my tracks, taken about by my mother's tone. I spun, and made my way back to her, looking at the ground, I stopped when I got close to her. "Look up at me." I lifted my head and peered into her eyes. "Listen, I know you don't want us to fight, but we have an obligation as your parents to fight in this war." I went to speak, but she hushed me. "You have to accept it, and I promise you, nothing will happen to us." My mother rested a hand on my cheeck.
"But mom, it's better for you to stay here."
"No, it's better for you, if we stay here." She smiled at me. "It's not better for us, we can help out, and we will." I felt my eyes start to water, but I held back my tears. I couldn't get upset over something like this, the war was starting, and I knew that they were already going to join the war.
"If something happens to either one of you, I hope you realize, I'll lose it, and probably will end up slaughtering thousands of people, then get myself killed." I spoke honestly with my mother.
"Don't do that." She told me, but there is no way I would be able to hold myself back if either one of them died. "You are my youngest son, Veer, one of the strongest people in Dicathen, we all have faith in you, but now you have to put faith in us."
It's hard to do that when you know what's to come. "Mom, I do have faith in you, I love both dad and you, it's just hard picturing you out there during the war."
"I know." My mother caressed my face. "And we love you." She pulled me into a hug, one that brightened me up.
"You better not die out there." I said as my head was buried into her chest. I didn't know what effects my changes would have. There was a possibility that saving Adam, led to my mother's death, no one knows.
"I won't." She held me tight in her arms. "But that means you have to do the same, you aren't allowed to die out there as well."
"Tch." I made a noise, still holding my head against her. "I won't die."
"Haha." She laughed. "That is what I like to hear, but death is something that comes for us all."
We stayed in silence for a moment longer, and then we separated, and I spoke again. "Is Dad trying to convince Arthur?"
"Yes, I knew I would be able to handle you." She smiled at me. "How did your thing go today?"
"Ehh, it was boring, I shouldn't have went." If there was someone I didn't know there, then it would have been worth it, but seeing Jagrette there was a huge disappointment, and the fact I didn't get to fight sucked too.
"Why?"
"Nothing happened, they just talked." She grabbed me, and we began to walk back to the room slowly.
"What did you expect?" She continued to smile, I think she was trying to cheer me up, but trustfully I knew they were going to join the war.
"Well, I wanted to start a fight there, but they stopped me." I leaned into her as we walked.
"You wanted to fight? Who was there?" I didn't know if this was supposed to stay a secret or not, but it didn't really have any meaning towards anything, so it doesn't matter.
"There were two Retainers waiting for us." I could sense her surprise. "I thought we could take them."
"You got seriously hurt against one, and you wanted to fight two?"
"I wasn't alone, mom, but they were weak ones, I could have." We stopped in front of the door to their room.
"Let's give them some time, your father is telling your brother a story for me." Was this the story about her old teammate she basically killed.
"Alright." I replied, still in her grasp.
"Veer, I want you to know, that even though we are fighting in the war now, our goal is to make it out and return back to Ellie, Arthur, and you. Your father and I couldn't sit in the castle, while our oldest and youngest child both fought."
"I understand."
"I love you, Veer, remember that."
"I will mom, and I love you too."
I closed my eyes and kept on resting my head on her side, that's when Elder Virion showed up, walking towards us.
"Virion." We turned to him. "Did you hear about the attack?"
"Yeah."
"Some of the soldiers are returning to the castle, one of them should be the leader of the Twin Horns, and I believe Tessia's team is coming." He told me, and I shot out of my mom's arms.
"Alright."
"I would get Arthur and your father and come with me." My mother knocked on the door, and went inside, I heard her explain what was going on, and the three of them quickly came back outside.
"Lead the way." Arthur said, not knowing the directions most like. I sensed that my clone was coming back, I could give it more mana, or just replace it.