Sorry it took a while etc etc. Still, I'm at least finding more motivation to update this compared to before so hopefully people don't need to re-read the fic to figure out what's going on.

This is a less action-y chapter. Apart from the whole Estelle thing I'm following some requests people had so now we've finally got the Siesta reconciliation chapter some readers have been requesting. Hopefully it stacks up.

This was wrong.

Raziel leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. They had dragged themselves to a roadside inn half an hour away from the noble's mansion. It was risky considering what they had just done, but they had little choice. Estelle had gotten injured and it would have been foolish to drag her back to the capital in her state. For once in his unlife he wished Julio had been here as well to heal her.

The one who shared his face.

He grunted and looked down at the dirty wooden floor. Ever since he had arrived in this land he had been assaulted with insanity. Even finding out he was Manus and responsible for his own 'birth' was something he had grown numb to. It all seemed so...petty in comparison to the doom that hovered over them. And yet now he again found himself blindsided and questioning all she knew.

And he wasn't the only one.

Ciaran had been silent since Estelle's panicked declaration. She was currently brooding across from him, back against the wall and sitting in such a way that made it clear that if anyone so much as looked at her she wouldn't hesitate to use her tracers. Solas, their new addition, wisely decided to leave them to their own demons and went down into the bottom floor to have a drink.

It was just the two of them in the hallway. Estelle was in the room currently being looked over by the time displaced Karin and Agnes. Raziel looked down at his left hand and clenched his fist, the faded runes stretching across the pale skin. He had come here as a Familiar - a slave, so much as Louise did not like the term - and now he was one of the few that kept this land from sliding into madness. A daunting task considering it felt like he was mad himself.

He sighed and brought a hand through his bloodstained hair. He'd managed to change out of that gods forsaken dress and yet he felt even more restricted than before. Agnes told them not to garner attention. For all they knew a few of the servants who escaped their attack would take shelter here as well and the last thing they needed was to draw even more attention to themselves. If they got lucky then the other nobles would think it was just another spat between nobles and wouldn't look closer. Apparently nobles had a habit of conflict in this country, according to Solas.

The shift of movement across from him made him look up slightly. Ciaran had raised her head and looked at him with cold, hard eyes. Most people would have been intimidated. He simply gave her the same look back, "...You have a child."

"I was wondering when you would retrieve your tongue." The barb was dry and loud in the confines of the abandoned hall. The assassin's face knotted in distaste and her body tensed in a way that made it clear she was willing to attack him then and there, orders be damned. He spoke again, "I am as much in the dark as you, assassin. Do remember that I learned the truth of my past not long before you did."

"She looks like you. Surely you don't mean to tell me that it is just coincidence that she has joined this group alongside you or that you are blind as well?"

"Believe what you wish." He scoffed, "I did not plan for this and I have no inkling as to her origins." She called him father. Ignoring the time discrepancy the chances of him even being fertile was even less than their chance of breaking this mad cycle. Even if he was no longer considered a normal Undead - insofar as the Undead could be considered normal - the idea that he could make a woman pregnant was laughable.

"Manus...you propagate like insects," she muttered, so soft Raziel wondered if she meant for him to hear. Either way Raziel gave no comment and silently looked on at the closed door. The wound Estelle received was unpleasant but hardly fatal. He surmised that it was less about healing her and Karin trying comfort her friend.

Half an hour more of silence passed before the door finally opened and Agnes stepped out with Karin behind him. The blonde chevalier gave him a tired look and shrugged while Karin bit her lip, "...She wants to talk to you alone." Karin glared up at him protectively. Then and there she looked just like her future daughter, "Don't say anything to hurt her or you'll regret it. Do you hear me?"

"Difficult not to." Raziel sighed and walked past her without another word. He wasn't looking forward to this conversation any more than his child(?) was.

Estelle sat up on the bed with the blankets up to her waist. Looking at her now with her armor stripped from her it was clear just how small she was. The white shirt they'd gotten from the innkeeper hung lose on her frame and the numerous scars that lined her face only made her appear more frail. The cuts on her cheek were covered in a thick bandage stained brown with dried blood.

She looked up at him and tried to smile. The gesture lasted for only a moment before she looked back down with pained expression, "..." For once Raziel found himself tongue tied. He grabbed the chair and scraped it across the ground loudly. Ciaran was likely eavesdropping and he saw no point in muffling himself for her sake. If she wished to understand this madness as he did then she was free to do so.

Raziel set the chair down next to the bed and sat. Estelle refused to look up and he kept silent, waiting for her to speak the first word. She really did look like him. Almost exactly like him. There were a few differences. Her hair was longer and braided and her eyes didn't have the same harshness, though they shared the same fatigue. The way she wrung her hands spoke of a nervousness he hadn't felt in months.

Finally, after minutes of silence, she looked up and met his eyes, "I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

"For...all of this." She bit down on her lip and blinked quickly. Holding back tears? "I never planned to show my face to you. To make things complicated. I just...wanted to help."

"Hm..." Raziel leaned back on the chair and breathed out softly. She wasn't the first to claim to be his family. Alsanna claimed the same and, while he agreed that she was correct in their shared origin, he considered Louise more his family than he did her, "...Are you another Manus shard?"

"What?" She blinked in confusion.

"A Manus shard, the same as I." He leaned forward slightly and pressed his hands together, "You called me father. I am not Manus, not him as a whole. I am a castoff, same as his other 'children'."

"N-No, I'm not." She shook her head and took a deep breath, "I'm...your daughter."

Raziel's eyes narrowed. No sign of falsehood. Either she was a well-trained liar or she truly believed it. Or she was telling the truth, "...I hope you do not need me to tell you how that does not make sense."

"What was it you always said? Time in Lordran is convoluted." Hearing his own words thrown back at him was an odd feeling. Like his face being shoved into a mirror, "I told you before that I wasn't from this time like Karin. You were the one who assumed that meant we both came from the past." She smiled, soft and strained, "It would've been better if it was kept that way."

"You came from the future..." Years past when this damned cycle came to its conclusion. The world wouldn't end in two years - Lordran, after all, didn't spontaneously destroy itself when the Undead first appeared. But it was the beginning of the end. Once that threshold was passed any hope of ending this eternal war was finished for any that remained. The best they would be able to hope for was to survive until the gods forsaken Souls started the cycle anew.

Judging by her appearance alone she appeared to be a teenager. The same age this damnable body had trapped him in. How must the world have looked in her time. In Lordran it took decades before the rot had infested into the earth's very core and if he hadn't stoked that infernal kiln they would've had a few years at best before it all collapsed into nothing.

"The world I left behind was dying," Estelle said. Raziel wondered if he'd said his thoughts aloud. The teenage girl looked on ahead with empty, haunted eyes, "In my time one of your sisters, Nashandra, had won. The world was consumed in darkness and mankind was...corrupted into monsters. Those of us that were 'lucky' enough to avoid such a fate struggled to survive day to day."

"Nashandra..." Alsanna had mentioned her before. One of his 'sisters' who corrupted a land in order to gain more power for herself. Alsanna was the same prior to her change, "She corrupted the land of Drangleic and now she is attempting the same."

"Mhm." She nodded, "I only ran into Corrupted once when I first came here with Karin. I think...she is here in Germania. Nashandra did not corrupt the world overnight. She broke it piece by piece, slowly breaking any and all resistance till we were helpless. By my time there was no hope of victory. Your only choice was to lay down and die or stave off your death in a dying world."

"Just like Lordran." Raziel breathed out in soft frustration. Perhaps it was foolish of him to believe that he could have escaped when Louise saved him. Lordran, Drangleic...was Halkeginia simply another name for these doomed lands or did this damnable cycle follow him in search of more victims? "How did you come to be here?"

"I don't know." Raziel sighed. A disappointing albeit expected response. In Lordran individuals could flit in and out of various time periods without realizing it. Even the way days passed were affected. One moment you were in a dark forest and the next you were in a brightly lit burg. The fact that night and day passed at regular intervals here made him wonder for those first few days. Would they lose that as well in the coming days?

"Do you remember nothing at all?"

"It wasn't planned. Vent and I were struggling to survive and we stopped to make camp. Nothing was out of the ordinary. I went to sleep and when I woke up I was in that field with Karin." Raziel pursed his lips. It fit what he knew of how time bent itself around them, "I haven't seen him since I arrived. Either he was taken somewhere else or...he's still back there. Alone."

Raziel grunted softly and looked up at the ceiling. This...complicated things. He was aware of how much time they had before things became irreversible but how else would it affect them? He doubted Estelle would've been the only one who'd come to this time in the coming days.

There was also their...relation.

"I admit that I thought myself infertile," he said, more to himself than her. She said nothing, "That aside I question the logic of procreating in a time like that. Surely 'I' would have known the futility of bringing a child into a doomed world."

"It wasn't done to give us a future." The way she said it was blank and devoid of resentment despite the words, "Most of you realized that you needed someone to keep fighting and death would come regardless. We were the last chance. We were meant to keep going and ensure humans as they were didn't become extinct even after you fell. Some did want us to have a future, but they were the exception."

"'Us'? There were more of you."

"Most of the people you knew made children. There were...we were a group simply trying to survive." She licked her lips, "They're dead now. Claire and I were the only ones left and we...went our separate ways." There was more to it than that. Raziel didn't press her; he saw no point in drudging up bad memories, "As far as soldiers we all failed. We spent more time fighting each other than the Corrupted."

"Hm..." Raziel stood and walked to the window. The sunset crested over the village and the people returned to their homes in preparation of the night.

Things were getting far too complicated. He thought Louise's mother being shunted forward in time would be the most absurd thing they'd have to deal with this week but apparently he had underestimated the insanity this world could bring.

"...Did I make you mad?" Estelle asked softly.

"No." It was the truth. He felt many things at this moment but anger wasn't one of them, "...You are not my daughter. While we share blood that makes us no different from the relation Alsanna and I share." They weren't family. Whatever some future version of him had done need not weigh on his shoulders, "I will respect you decision to not draw attention to our...relation."

"Thank you." He heard the sounds of the blanket shifting, "I'll explain our circumstances to the others. Queen Henrietta is partially aware of my circumstances but hasn't yet pried. I will tell her when we return." Silence, and then, "Do you...want to know who my mother is?" she asked, so soft he wondered if she'd meant to ask it or was merely speaking to herself.

"...No." No use for dwelling in what-if's. If he asked that would he believe they were destined to be together? By that logic nothing they did mattered and they were fated to die. He refused to believe it. Fate had to broken else there was no point in this struggle.

"I understand. Just tell me if you change your mind."

He was about to respond when the door behind him opened and Julio's all too familiar voice reached his ears, "Well now, this is interesting." Raziel turned around with an unamused look as the priest strode confidently in the room. He halfway expected Ciaran to be behind him but the assassin was nowhere in sight, "When I heard the explanation from Agnes I wasn't sure if I believed it and yet the resemblance cannot be denied."

"Sir. Julio...welcome back." Estelle forced a smile.

"How did you find us?" Raziel asked.

"Daphne has a keen sense of smell and the scent of your blood is unmistakable. I imagine she could track you across the whole of Germania if she had a mind to it. But enough about that." He took up the seat Raziel vacated and looked at Estelle with a smile, "To think that Raziel, of all people, would have a child. Tell me, are you the daughter of Lady Cattleya?"

"Fa- Raziel said that he doesn't want to know and I respect his wishes. I'm sorry, I cannot tell you."

"Oh? That's a shame. Could I ask if I perhaps had any descendants? I'd given up hope since my joining of the priesthood but perhaps I changed my mind in the future."

Estelle looked past Julio to him. Asking for permission, perhaps? Raziel said nothing and simply shrugged his shoulders. If Julio wished to know what some theoretical version of him did in the future then it was his choice.

Seeing his silence as consent, Estelle turned back to Julio, "Yes, you had a son. Cecil. He was...kind to me." Her smile was much more genuine now, "He inherited your ability to use miracles. I suppose it only made sense since Lady Louise was still alive when she gave birth. He wouldn't have inherited the void magic."

And that was his cue to leave. The last thing he needed to hear was about any version of Louise and Julio procreating. He left the room and closed the door behind him softly. Ciaran was still there and judging by the look on her face she wasn't any more pleased with this revelation than he was, "Keep eavesdropping if you wish but I doubt they will have anything worthwhile to share."

He stepped past her into the other rented room and practically collapsed on the bed. This was the last thing he needed.

They arrived back at the capital in just a couple of days. Ciaran had kept silent on the trip back, which was made easier with their new recruit. Solas was a chatty man, rambling off on whatever took his fancy and doing his best to ingratiate himself with the group. Normally Ciaran would've found it irritating but the fact that he was an Oolacilian - or Elves, as the humans here referred them as - made it easier to swallow.

Still, her mind was focused on the revelations they'd received. She looked back at the two children that lagged behind them. Even with her identity revealed Manus' spawn chose to keep her face covered. Ciaran looked back ahead and tightened her hold in the reins. While the child had undoubtedly given them some valuable information she couldn't bring herself to be too grateful.

Manus had a child...the thought of it was sickening. Nevermind his juvenile appearance, how corrupted was his daughter? So far she'd showed no signs of going feral like her progenitor but could she trust her to keep her sanity? A part of her was tempted to nip this problem in the bud before it got worse but she reined herself in. Not only would she antagonize Manus but the queen and that scantily dressed knight would've had something to say as well.

They were at the gate and stabling their horses when a woman came up to them, "Sir. Agnes." She bowed slightly. Even with the hood that covered her non-descript armor her rigid body movements were enough of an indicator. A knight of some kind.

"Maribelle. What's wrong? Why did you meet us here?"

"There's been an incident at the castle. Her majesty instructed me to direct you to the fireside inn and convene in Room 103."

"An inn? ...Very well. Thank you."

"I think that's my cue to leave," the priest said, "Solas said he's familiar to with the mercenary guild here so I will accompany him and help him settle in. I'll also hash out the small details of his new contract."

"Hey I don't ask for much. Wine, women and song is all I need," the Oolacilian mercenary grinned, "Feel free to drop in if you guys have a job or just want someone to chat with. Gonna have to start making new friends."

They said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Amethyst stated that going all together as one group would have been too suspicious and decided to split them in two with the Vampires and the pink haired knight in one group and the rest of them in the other. It was clear the tempremanetal teenager was reluctant to part with Manus' spawn but she'd reassured her that everything would be fine.

Instinct bade her to keep an eye on their surroundings. Whatever it was that drew the so-called queen out of her castle couldn't have been minor. Manus was the same, walking in slow, measured paces and ensuring that anyone who drew close was no threat. It pained her to admit that he was the most cautious in the group. Even the chevalier wasn't nearly as practical.

The Queen was waiting for them. Despite the shabby accommodations she found herself she sat tall and regal with nary a hair out of place. Almost impressive, "It's good to see you back." She leaned forward slightly on the bed and kept her gaze held high, "I assume this means the mission was a success?"

"Before that, Your Highness. Forgive me for being imprudent but why the change in location? Something has happened?" The chevalier asked.

"Indeed." She sighed softly and smoothed the edges of her skirt, "It appears that Isabella didn't let slip her contact out of arrogance, at least not entirely. While you were all on your mission she sent someone to try and claim my life."

"An assassination attempt?!" The chevalier balked.

"Calm yourself, Agnes. That I still sit here proves that they failed." She frowned, "I expect that this was more a message than anything. Isabella clearly knows - or at least heavily suspects - that we are responsible for her father's death. While she bides her time till she can declare war I expect she'll keep up these gestures. It's why I slipped away from the castle."

"Won't your subjects panic at your disappearance?"

"For now, but I've instructed Cardinal Mazarin to inform everyone that I have taken ill and will require days of bed rest. It will suffice till I've made some countermeasures to ensure this can't be repeated."

"How did you repel an assassin? Even a cursory attempt wouldn't simply lay down and die," Ciaran said.

"I-"

"That's thanks to me, actually." A new voice said. Ciaran pursed her lips as the red-haired Undead strode into the room confidently. She looked far more human than Manus ever did but the rot underneath couldn't be hidden, "I was visiting her Majesty here when the guy decided to hit. Guess he figured I was just another courtier trying to gain favors and he could add me to the body pile. Didn't work out so good for him."

"Yes. Her contribution aside we need to focus on more important matters. The mission?"

Ciaran kept silent as they recounted the details of what had happened. It was a different feeling from her own experiences but she saw the similarities. Back then she was a loyal knight who followed orders. Lord Gwyn entrusted her and her sisters in the Lordsblades with the task of eliminating any who posed a threat to his reign. When diplomacy failed and war was to be avoided a single death could mean the safety of thousands. It was an easy price to pay. That madman Joseph was not the first time she had to kill a a power hungry king.

To the would-be Queen's credit she showed little surprise even when they told her of the true identity of Manus' spawn, "Your child? I...see." She looked down briefly before nodding, "Well, I suppose it's hardly the most...illogical event we've dealt with this past year. It stands to reason that if someone like Sir. Karin could journey from the past then one could come from the future as well. Though I am surprised that Raziel could be...fertile."

"That's definitely new." The red haired Undead whistled, "Didn't think we had working parts once the rot set in."

"It is a surprise to me as well." Raziel grunted, "Regardless that is not our concern. Estelle has news."

"Yes." Manus' spawn nodded, "I hadn't intended to reveal myself but this does allow me to be more honest. Please, if you want to save this world then we need to go after Nashandra. She's a corruption in this land and she won't stop until we are all her thralls. Surely Alsanna has told you this."

Manus' eyes narrowed by the barest amounts while Ciaran's focus snapped to the name. Alsanna, "Who is this Alsanna?" she asked. Manus said nothing and, for once, the queen as silent as well. The young spawn suddenly looked both surprised and guilty while the red haired Undead discreetly laid her hand at the sword on a nearby table, "I asked you a question. Who is this Alsanna who knows of this Nashandra's capabilities?'

"You're out of line. You shouldn't-"

"Lest you forget, chevalier, I am not on your subjects," Ciaran spat, glaring at the burned knight, "Now I asked her a question and I am owed an answer. Who is this Alsanna that Manus and his spawn are familiar with?"

The would-be queen shook her head, "I-"

The sudden chill in the air almost made her shiver. A flit of movement to her right made her blades only for the pale, dark haired figure to raise both hands in surrender, "Hold, child of Gwyn." This time she did shiver. Her voice was like whispered claws at the back of her mind, "I mean you no harm."

"Who...what are you?" She stepped back. The others watched silently - warily - in various degrees of caution and disbelief.

"A piece of the one you hate so." She looked up and, through the thick veil of dark hair, Ciaran saw a beautiful face that reminded her far too much of Lady Dusk, "As with Raziel I am one of Manus' castoffs. A Child of the Dark, born to destroy and corrupt. But I have fought against the nature."

Ciaran laughed, a soft, bitter sound that sounded alien coming from her mouth, "You knew about her." She rounded on the queen. The pretender monarch kept her expression neutral and nodded, "...How long, hm? How long have you all known and kept her hidden from me? Playing me like a fool?"

"You would have attempted to kill her if we revealed her to you," Manus said. He moved and stood in-between her and his corrupted sister, "The same as you we need her. She understands this cycle better than anyone else."

"And so you were content to trick me, then? Keep her hidden while you used me as a pawn?" Ciaran scoffed. It was what she expected. Humans and the Undead they turned into were dark, untrustworthy creatures. Lord Gwyn gave a piece of his very soul to their four most trusted kings and yet they betrayed him, turning to the abyss in order to satisfy their lust for power.

"I understand this situation is unorthodox, Sir. Ciaran. If you would only let me-"

"No. I am done listening to you." Ciaran interrupted, "Lies upon lies you spew, thinking that you will never be caught. I refuse to continue to play your game. If you wish to continue this deluded crusade of yours then do so without my assistance."

Ciaran turned and, before they could say anything, left without a second look back. She kept walking and cut through the crowds to ensure that she wouldn't be followed. She was a fool. A blind, naive fool. The queen had allied herself to Manus' castoffs in order to end these cycles. But for who, she wondered. For the humans that took everything from her? So that pieces of that mad ape could continue on while those he'd killed and corrupted remained gone? Why had she even considered fighting at their side?

She ran until she'd made it outside the capital and into the surrounding forest. She continued long after the sun had finally set and stopped only when she was sure she was alone.

She gripped the nearest tree and, with a loud growl, punched it hard enough to break bark. Her knuckles throbbed but she punched again and again even as the skin split and golden ichor marred the wood. As a Lordsblade she was trained to restrain her emotions. But she couldn't. She'd lost everything. Her love, her friends, her duty as a knight. And what did she have left? A wolf that feared her as much as he obeyed her? The daughter of Princess Dusk who resented him for her attack on the one who obsessed over her? A world filled with humans who despised her once they realized she wasn't one of them?

She had nothing.

Ciaran stopped her blows and panted, ignoring the throbbing pain that ran up her hand, "You deserve more." A voice whispered, so close to her ear that she felt their breath. The former Lordsblade kept her eyes shut even as she heard the fluttering of wings, "I can give you what you seek - power to defeat the one who has taken everything from you. But the price you pay for such a gift will be steep."

The voice was hypnotic and bade her to ignore any reservations. Opening her eyes, she turned to the voice and looked them in the eye, "Yes. I will pay any price."

It had been a couple of days and they hadn't seen any sign of Ciaran. Estelle blamed herself but Henrietta had assured her that it wasn't her fault. They couldn't have hidden Alsanna presence forever and it would've been better if they had told her of their own volition rather than an accidental reveal.

Raziel didn't trust her but he assumed she would have enough self-preservation to avoid killing Henrietta in a rage. Still, her lack of presence was...disquieting. Until she returned - assuming she did - they had chosen to postpone the choice of who would become Tiffania's Familiar. Although it was clear for him to see that Tiffania would've chosen him. Perhaps as a way to rekindle what they had lost.

True to his word he hadn't told anyone else of his and Estelle's relation. The last thing they needed was to draw more attention to themselves.

He kept to his promise with Siesta and spent time with her while they waited for their next task. Solas had settled in easily enough while the younger Karin took up the majority of Cattleya and Louise's attention. He didn't mind. For them she truly was the past identity of their mother than a theoretical one. If this Karin were to die the one in the present would not be affected.

"I am surprised you did not return to the academy," Raziel said. He and Siesta sat across one another at a small table in the back with two glasses of wine. They nursed the alcohol more than they drank, however. Intoxication was the last thing they needed.

"I was going to, but I wanted to be closer to my family. And...there are bad memories there." Raziel nodded and swirled the drink slowly. Even aside from his own death the academy had been threatened how many times by now? It was a small miracle that they hadn't been shut down yet, though according to Cattleya it might have been just a matter of time before that happened.

"I suppose work here isn't much different from what you did back in the academy."

"Mhm. Jess told me I didn't have to dress up if I didn't want to so I just do regular work. Washing dishes, cleaning up after the place. The girls here are nice, though I do miss Chef Marteu and a few of the other maids. Despite how they dress most of the girls here don't share my...interests in books."

"To be expected." Raziel laughed under his breath, "How is your family, by the way? I had not checked in on them when I came back."

"They're fine. Me and anyone who was recruited for that war made it out on the ships." The ships he told her he'd also be on before he left to die with Louise, "Actually I was...no, forget it."

"I will not pry. I understand that it will take time to mend our friendship." If it could even be mended. He had burned that bridge so thoroughly it was a wonder she was even speaking to him.

"No, it's not that. It's..." She bit her lower lip and took a long, deep breath, "I'm...planning to go back to Tarbes. Alone." Raziel's brows furrowed, "I...haven't been there since we came back. None of us have. Even father's stopped claiming that we'll come back and rebuild everything." Before the war he'd tried to earn money for Tarbes' reconstruction. Now that money was being used to help with their plans to stop this damned cycle. What was one village against the whole world, Henrietta had told him. He couldn't disagree.

"What do you hope to find there...?"

"I don't know. I just...I hate thinking that I'm running away from what's there. It was my home, and now it's gone. I need to see it again and lay it to rest." She smiled wryly, "I must sound like an idiot, huh?"

"You are braver than I. I would rather die permanently than return to Lordran for even a moment." He drummed his fingers along the side of his glass. Would it have been presumptuous to... "Could I...come with you?" Siesta's eyes widened and he flinched, "Ah, only if you are comfortable with it, of course. If you wish to be alone then that is fine. I just-"

"I...think I'd like that." Siesta smiled, and despite the strain it was very genuine, "I was planning to leave later to make sure my family couldn't stop me. Are you free now? It shouldn't take too long now that we're not stopping for treasure."

"Do not remind me of that." Damn prism stone mimic, "I will get Derflinger then we can go."

The caravan they hitched a ride on was cheap. So long as they kept quiet and they offered help in menial tasks such as carrying and cooking they were only made to pay a minimal fee. The whole trip there took a day and it'd take another day to go back when the caravan rounded back to pick them up. Thankfully Henrietta had assured them that they wouldn't be needed for at least a week. Especially with some of Agnes' chevaliers being sent to search for Ciaran.

The place was a burnt out husk. He was too focused on the aftermath of that damned siege to focus on it before but now, with no fires burning and with no one but Siesta at his side, he saw the the ruins for what they were. Gone was the village Siesta had so excitedly invited him, where the villagers had held a celebration for a wedding and someone like Sieglinde had found peace. Now there was nothing more than broken and abandoned buildings that held nothing but the ghosts of who once lived there.

Siesta took a deep, shuddering breath and closed her eyes. Her shoulders shook and Raziel raised a hand to comfort her before he stopped. What could he do, really? Would he embrace her and tell her it would be alright? That he was here for her till he inevitably died again, which he still hadn't told her about? It was a miracle in and of itself that she had allowed him to come with her.

All he could was stand there in silent vigil as Siesta held back tears, "Seeing it like this...it just makes it that much clearer," she whispered. Her hands balled into shaky fists and she walked ahead with Raziel silently following, "It's...almost unrecognizable. I...remember playing with Dominic in that field, and my neighbor Rosie and I always climbed at the top of that windmill." She pointed to the broken down structure, "Brimir, I can barely recognize it."

"...I am sorry."

"It's not your fault. My father wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for you." And she wouldn't have been here if not for Chester. Yet it didn't stop him from ending his life, "Seeing it here...we're never coming back here. Even if we could there's nothing left. The friends I lost, all the people that died..." This was a graveyard. The fact that some buildings still stood felt more like an insult rather than a testament of some kind.

"...Should we leave?" he asked.

"Not yet." She wiped away what little tears escaped and walked to the field. More than anything that field always stuck with him. The silver flowers of Tarbes, which Siesta had proudly boasted was their village treasure. According to their folktales it all started when a maiden planted a single flower in remembrance of her lost love. After that they bloomed through the generations till it covered the entire field.

And it was all gone. He'd seen the decrepit grounds before but seeing it once more was a sobering understanding. Siesta closed her eyes and clasped her hands together in prayer, "...Did you come here for a reason?" he asked softly.

"Mhm." She set the pouch on her belt to the ground and opened it. Seeds, "Dad brought the seeds with him, said that when we got back he wanted to plan them and grow the field again. I thought...I know that I'll be long gone before the field even gets a glimmer of how it used to be but-"

Raziel took a handful of seeds and pressed it to her right hand. They looked at each other and, without another word exchanged, begun planting them. Even with the small shovel she'd brought it took them some time. Raziel did his best to not think about the last time he'd tried to dig something up in this field.

It took them hours before they finally emptied the bag. Raziel wiped his hands on his trousers and ignored the dirt clinging to his fingers. Siesta was similarly disheveled with her hands and dressed also covered in soil.

"...You look terrible," she said.

"You would know, wouldn't you." He tried to wipe from of the dirt from her cheek. He only made it worse.

Siesta laughed. It was soft at first before it eventually rose to a louder pitch. Raziel did the same, laughing even as he saw nothing to laugh about. Here they were covered in dirt in a dead field. Tarbes was just the beginning. The kingdoms warring with each other was another sign of the cycle's fast descent. If they didn't stop this then this would be all that was left.

Siesta set up a campfire with the meager supplies she'd brought. He refused her offer of sharing the tent and laid a blanket under the open night sky. He remembered back during his first days here when he'd been so intrigued by the two moons. Sleeping under their twin gaze would've been fine.

They ate a dinner of fried meat and fish in front of the fire. Raziel dug into the meal quickly, more to occupy himself than anything else. Even now in the state he found himself in eating wasn't something he needed to do. He supposed it made sense given his condition. No longer a true Undead and yet not human the way the rest of his friends were. He was stuck in-between.

"So..." Siesta started. She was staring straight ahead at the fire, "Could I...ask you what happened with that Tiffania girl you were with? I know you said it didn't work out but I don't know anything more than that."

"I...back in Albion I lost my memory. You know this. That battle - massacre - at Saxe-Gotha broke my mind and it took everything Derflinger had to bring me back. I met Tiffania shortly after. I - or Robin, if you prefer - fell in love with her. I had nothing and she had given me a home, a family to be with...to one with no memory she was salvation. I did not wish to let her go."

"So what happened?"

"I recovered my memory." He tossed the stick into the fire, "Manus...I did not tell you much of him before, but he is the reason for my...abilities." He raised his chained left hand and let the skin blacken for a moment, "You could consider him my progenitor, in a way. He was obsessed with a woman named Dusk and Tiffania is...her daughter." He almost laughed at the absurdity of it, "A part of Manus lives on in me and I could not risk this obsession transferring to her."

"Is...Is that the only reason?"

"Would you believe me if I said yes?" He smiled bitterly, "Aside from a certain someone's disapproval I cannot be with her. I...I am dying." It felt odd saying it aloud once more. The side of Siesta's mouth twitched but she kept quiet, "Manus awoke back in Albion and my mind is...deteriorating. And yet I cannot be rid of him because the only way we can survive whatever may come next is if I use his abilities."

She tucked her knees to her chest and hugged them, "...Does Lady Cattleya know?"

"Yes. She believes that I can live and be with her. I...I do not wish to disappoint her. I want to give her what she wants, but..."

"Does she make you happy?"

"Huh?"

"I'm asking you. Does she make you happy." He turned his head to the side and saw Siesta looking at him intensely.

"...Yes. Being with her is...different, but I cherish it all the same."

"Then do your best to make her happy too. Even if you can't find a cure spend as much time with her as you can so there aren't any regrets." She clenched her shaking hands, "I mourned you twice, Raziel, and I want you to be happy. So please...promise that you won't have any regrets."

"...I promise." He felt the pinprick of tears at his eyes and hastily held them back. She was too kind to him even after everything that happened, "...What about you? Have you found anyone to share your life with?"

"Nothing so serious, but...there's someone. Thomas is his name. He's been coming around the shop lately. At first I thought that he was just trying to flirt with Jessica or one other girls but no, he's...actually very sweet. I haven't given him a reply due to everything that's happened."

"Then promise me the same. No regrets." He forced himself to smile. Months ago in what felt like a lifetime she'd invited him to stay in Tarbes, to live his life for himself rather than a bloodied Familiar. Even now that distant fantasy appealed to him. No more killing, no more living with the weight of the world on his shoulders. To just be human and live a simple life.

Seeing what remained of Tarbes was a sobering reminder of just how futile that was.

They finished their meal and went to sleep. Raziel laid down on the mat and looked to Siesta's sleeping form hidden under the tent. So much time lost because he was afraid of seeing her again. And they didn't have much time left. With a small sigh, he adjusted Derflinger's place next to him and closed his eyes.

His planned rest was cut off when he heard the soft patter of footsteps. For a moment he wondered if he'd imagined it when Derflinger suddenly screamed, "Partner, look out!"

Raziel opened his eyes to a golden blade coming straight for his head.

This is even worse than my usual cliffhangers :/ Anyway, next chapter is Raziel vs Ciaran rematch in the burnt out city of Tarbes. I figured it was a decent setting considering what it represented for Raziel.

Like I said above hopefully the chat with Siesta was sufficient. A few readers also want Raziel and Guiche to start talking again but that's a bit harder since they weren't nearly as close as Raziel and Siesta were. I'll see what I can do.

Review answers:

Jaciro500 - It's shown here that Raziel doesn't wanna know and Estelle respects that.

Jaquan - Something tells me Ciaran's in for a rude wake up call next chapter :P As for Raziel, yeah, he's a really pretty girl. I did base his appearance off Brother One from Drakengard 3.

Remvis - Yeah, the issue is that Ciaran was raised in a society that would look down on humans. Gwyn trusted humans with his partial Lord Soul and they betrayed him to the abyss. Humans are the ones who become Undead and kill people. Humans are spreading the Dark which ended the Age of Fire.

Manus especially since, as you said, he took everything from her and now she finds out she's running around with THREE Manus shards/descendants in order to save a world full of humans who would fear and hate her and Tiffania. As for the three suggestions...well, we gotta wait till next chapter to see given what just happened to her.

Shadowlance - I agree there. He does need to talk more with Tiffania, though with Siesta he does kind of come to an agreement in this chapter. And while his relationship with Cattleya did start off in dodgy circumstances they clearly understood and befriended one another before they got together. They were pretty close before the Albion arc.

As for Guiche it's hard but I'll try my best. Unlike Kirche who I can tie to the Germania arc Guiche has no practical purpose, as you attested to.

Dr. Fail - You could also argue that Raziel is a selfish, murderous psychopath that's a jerk besides. All of these characters are flawed and in many ways flat out hateable. Even heroes like Raziel, Henrietta and Julio tend to do some really dodgy shit.