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ephemer8 · 3 days ago

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A Star From the Multiverse - Ch 10 is OUT!

Chapter art by the one and only @chipper-smol

Fic summary (Mature rating): After FINALLY beating the King after thousands of tries, Siffrin is STILL sent back to Dormont. They. Just. Can't. Do. It. Anymore. They drag themself through the day and to the Favor Tree in the dead of night, begging, wishing for help...and they get it in the form of a strange creature with talons and feathers and fangs.

Memory of Desperation Chapter summary: CRUNCH HERE WE BLINDING GO! Loop takes on the King. They reach the end.

[Read on Ao3] (Suggested for better formatting + chapter content warnings)

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"Loop!" Siffrin screams as he finally processes what he sees.

"Stardust," they glance behind them, that visceral shade dripping from their jaw. "I—"

FWOOM!!!

The King's fist connects with their wing and chest, making a series of sickening, wet snaps. They're sent crashing into the wall with a wheeze, sliding down and crumpling to the floor in a heap of bloody feathers. The sound alone is enough to make Siffrin's stomach churn and heart freeze.

"NO!" He takes off before they even hit the ground, ignoring the calls of his allies and the hand that grasps at his cloak. All he can see is Loop.

The King turns to him and shakes the terrifying shade from his gauntlet, painting the room further. His wheezing breaths can be heard echoing through the hall. He reaches for the spear embedded in his neck and, with a trembling hand, rips it out, crushes it, and throws it to the ground. A stream of dark blood spurts out after it, and he presses his fingers to the puncture. He holds his other fist in front of him. And waits.

Siffrin is on Loop in a heartbeat. He slides to his knees beside them, ignoring the rubble that digs into his legs and the King’s tears that float dangerously close.

Loop groans and tries to move their shattered wing.

"Owwie," is all they can say.

"Loop! Loop! What are you doing?" Siffrin reaches out but stops, hands inches from their body. Loop's breath shudders; they're absolutely covered with deep gashes, all leaking that same shade of blood. Something is very, very wrong with their chest; part of it is curved inward when it very much should not be.

"Sif! Get back!" Isabeau's footsteps thunder louder and louder.

"Siffrin! What is that!? Wait!"

"Boniface, stay by the door!"

He ignores them.

"Oh no, oh no no no. Oh stars, oh stars, fuck, shit, dammit." It's bad. It's really bad. Not even Mirabelle could come close to fixing it. "I don't—I don't know what to do, why did you blinding do this, Loop!?"

They cough and raise their head; several teeth are missing around a break in their lower jaw.

The King’s thundering approach just barely catches Siffrin’s attention. He towers over them, channeling Craft energy into his gauntlet. They glance over as he readies his fingers to snap, and they throw themself over Loops’ head.

He st—

Isabeau strikes, slamming his fist right into a dent in his chest plate. It cracks more, and the King stumbles back, slapping a hand over it. Mirabelle and Odile rush between them a moment later and let off their own attacks, pushing the King back further.

The King's rumbling voice scratches the back of his mind.

Shut up. Shut up!

"Oh, y'know," Loop slurs. "Tired'f'tis'shit."

"What?"

"I'll'b'fine's jus'som'brusis."

"Loop!" he chokes. "You're dying! No, no, this isn't supposed to happen! We could've—we would've been fine! We found a shield spell!"

The King speaks again. It sounds garbled and nonsensical.

"Yaay." They let their head fall. Something else cracks. Siffrin holds back bile. "S'thisws'pointless?"

"What? No, it—" Movement from the King catches his eye.

He's powering up his attack. No. No. No!

"Mira! USE YOUR SHIELD!"

"What? H-hold on!" She raises her rapier and calls out the Craft through the tip. The air sparkles around her, Isabeau, and Odile...

But not them...

No, no no, they're not close enough!

They have to—

[You see a vision of the ?̴̐ͅ?̷̹͝?̸̡̈?̵̛͓ ]

Visions upon visions pile up over each other, surging through his mind.

It hurts, it hurts! It hurts it hurts ithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurtsithurts!!! They can't—they see...fire. Fire! Fire fire fire teeth fire it burns it's so hot it hurts it hurts it hurts their skin their face is—

They collapse.

The burning is replaced with a dull, distant throb. It’s so dark.

Something... tickles their neck. Feathers?

"Sif! Siffrin!" His words sound so distant, as if they’re all underwater.

"Frin!"

"Siffrin! Don't move! I'll—eek!"

The King wails and the floor shakes, but Siffrin hears Mirabelle's distinctive footsteps dance away.

Good. She's safe.

"I'm coming, Frin!"

They blink as Bonnie rushes them from the other side of the room.

"Boniface stay there!"

"But Frin's hurt!"

The King swipes at the trio. They all stumble back, barely avoiding the attack until they're up against the opposite wall. Bonnie skids to a stop.

He cries, and more tears spill out, joining the many already spilled and blocking the party in.

"Sif! Hold on, we're coming!"

Siffrin blinks some vision back. Still dark. But he can make out some shapes.

"L-Loop?"

"Nnh..."

They're lying limp beside them. The tip of their shattered wing drapes over his body.

Their breath is so weak, so wet and raspy. It rattles slower and slower each time.

"Fffffffffffuck." They turn their eye toward Siffrin and reach out.

"W's'hopin' didn'hav’t'dothis." They freeze as a series of violent, but rapidly weakening coughs wrack their body. More of that shade sprays from their mouth and onto Siffrin's cloak.

"Wha—?"

"Sorry, stardust." Their talons close around his neck, digging lightly into his skin. They shut their eye.

"Loop, what are y—"

There's a light.

Another

Weird

shade

it's...

warm

like the morning

sun

He feels...

pressure...

Pressure, so much pressure, through his throat into his head in his head in his head—

He sees

He's...flooded

Glimpses of

memories?

Rukemis. So many. And humans. Strange clothes. And some... other..? Huge buildings. Complex devices. Stars. Stars. Stars.

Loop's?

They're there for the briefest of seconds and gone from his memory in a flash.

Can't even process.

The light wraps around him and rushes inside. He can't keep up. There's so many, so many thoughts, feelings, it's too much he can't focus he can't—it hurts—it's making him...

making

him

...

Everything

goes

dark.

Siffrin collapses.

The King raises his fist.

Their allies scream.

He brings it down over their body.

Siffrin...

Launches away.

They land on all fours, shaking rubble from their hair as it rains down on them from the attack; their hat lies flattened where they had just been.

Everyone freezes.

They scramble to their feet. Shaking, trembling, arms dangling in front of them. Gloved hands twitch, then dig through hidden pockets, searching for a weapon.

"Ohhhhhhhh ohhhhhhhhhh..... Bright one........... You stand again. Good........... Let us fight to the death............."

They launch past the King's attack, landing on his armored gauntlet and scrambling upwards on all fours. The King thrashes, but fails to dislodge his attacker as they claw their way onto his pauldron. The knife is dug into his throat opposite the still bleeding spear wound, deeper, deeper; blood sprays out onto a snarling face as it’s twisted around. Their eye is wide, intense, and glowing in that second strange shade.

Raw Craft sparkles from their hands, and it’s shoved toward the wound. It arcs back and fizzles out in every direction, sending them tumbling to the floor. The party cries out, but they're back on their feet in an instant and strike again. They let out a more directed, yet chaotic burst of Craft energy, breaking through the crack in his chest plate. They leap back before they can dig the knife in deep, as the King swats at him again.

The party keeps blasting the tears with craft, pushing them aside bit by bit to make a safe passage through. Almost there! None of them can keep their eyes off the battle waging on without them!

Bonnie stands far back, gripping a tonic to their chest.

Nobody says a thing. The fight continues. Attack after attack is launched at the King. Erratic. Violent. Animalistic.

The knife is shoved into a weak spot on the King's arm, and he clenches, snapping the blade off inside his flesh. He wails, but the shockwave is no longer powerful enough to knock them far.

They don't let up. The King swings again, misses again, but the action was enough to cause them to slip on the rubble and land hard on their back. He takes the opportunity to snap his fingers and slam Craft energy square in their chest.

They collapse again, but they’re back on their feet before the King can follow up. Blood leaks from their knees where they were ripped into by shards of glass and stone.

They're slowing. The King is slowing.

Isabeau finally breaks a passage through the wall of tears, and the three rush out and surround them.

Shaking, the King Crafts another rock attack, hitting them all point blank. Odile, Mirabelle, and Isabeau stumble but stay steady, but Siffrin lands hard on the ground. More debris tears into their arm.

"Sif!"

"Siffrin!"

"Frin!"

Everyone calls out Siffrin’s name as they rain attack after attack on the King. He's nearly defeated. He's on his knees, thrashing weakly. His attacks barely pack a punch.

He curses at the party.

Curses at Siffrin.

Curses at Loop.

No one responds.

Mirabelle casts her shield once more and pours healing craft into Siffrin’s body.

Their wounds fade just a bit, and they haul themself up.

Gripping the knife, rage glowing in their eye as brightly as that unnatural shade, they lunge forward, past the party, straight at the King's face.

With a final burst of feral energy, they channel a stream of Craft through their broken knife as they plunge it directly into his left eye.

The King can only grunt as his brain is obliterated.

He reaches out, and...

Falls.

His corpse shakes the entire room, causing more bricks to tumble from the edges of the holes.

Siffrin jumps back just in time, stumbling on some rubble and falling to their knees. They let out a weak groan.

Their party rushes to their side, everyone talking all at once.

"Sif! Sif please please be okay, we got you, we're here. How did you..." He gestures at everything.

"Siffrin, don't move, please. Let me heal you."

"FRIN!? ARE YOU OKAY!? THAT WAS SO COOL! THAT CREATURE IT'S SO COOL AND THOSE SHADES ARE SO WEIRD! YOUR EYE IS ALL… I DON'T KNOW!!!"

"Siffrin what the gems was all that? How did you--"

"Nngh. Rude," they finally mumble, grimacing. "Not an it. "

Everyone gasps and jerks back.

"...Sif?"

They shake their head clear and smile wide and lopsided, as if they were just learning they have lips. Their eye turns up to match their grin, still glowing warmly, though dimmer than before.

"Stardust isn't home right now! That creature, speaking! Would you like to leave a message?"

Loop grimaces and presses Siffrin’s palm to their forehead as they’re bombarded with much-too-loud questions and demands. "Oh, don't worry, he's fine," they grunt and wave them off. "You'll get him back any minute now~!"

Finally, there's a moment of silence. They all stare. Isabeau is the first to compose himself.

"You're not... going to harm Sif? But how... how did you do—"

"Now hold on, I'm sure you all have many, many questions for me, but I don't exactly have the time or desire to answer them right now.” They stand up, wobbling like a newborn fawn. "Oh, oh, here it comes! The void calls, or whatever. Someone catch me~!" They stumble over to Isabeau, swoon dramatically, and collapse into his arms.

Something hurts.

Everything hurts.

It's loud. So loud.

So much talking.

Why can't they shut up? Let him sleep in!

They try to cover their ears, but they can barely manage a twitch of their arms and a wheezy groan.

The talking cuts off for a brief moment before his body is shifted, and his name is called by several people.

He feels something warm and soft cradling him from behind.

It's nice.

But—

Ugh...

He takes a deep breath in and grimaces. Another breath, and he pries his eye open.

It's bright, so bright. There are figures around him, blocking out some of the light, but not enough.

"Sif? Sif buddy, are you with us?" Isabeau. There's a waver in his voice.

"Frin, are you still possessed by the weird flying dog thing?" Bonnie. They're so loud. They sound so scared.

"Wh—wha?"

He squeezes his eye shut and, with great effort, brings a hand to his face.

He's so stiff, so sore, like he stumbled around drunkenly using muscles he's never even heard of to move.

"Hold on," Mirabelle's voice calls out. A wave of cooling Healing Craft rushes through them, and some of the soreness evaporates away. He sighs and lets his hand fall against his face.

"Wha happen?"

"Sif—you—well... a lot has happened. I don't even know where to begin." Isabeau trembles.

???

They press their palm to their eye.

His mind is filled with mud as he wades through it, picking up the pieces of his recent memory.

They were...in the house...about to fight the King and...

and...

His eye flies open, and he bolts upright.

"Where are we!? What happened to—!" He grimaces as all his muscles scream in protest. He falls back against strong arms, and he doesn't even have the energy to flinch at the contact.

"Whoa! I got you, Sif."

"The King is dead, Siffrin," Odile says.

"Dead?" It takes all he has to fight the tension in his body to open his eye a crack.

They look around. Everything is light. So, so bright. There's a cool breeze blowing in over the walls, and the sun feels warm and gentle on their skin. Their allies surround them, as does an incredibly tall woman with billowing, darkless hair he doesn't recognize. She watches silently off to the side with a curious expression on her face.

"Dead?" He repeats. "The King? Dead? Dead!?"

"Yeah, Sif!" Isabeau smiles, the waver is even stronger. "It's over, it's finally over! Vaugarde is safe! Everyone’s being unfrozen now!"

He's silent for a long moment, slowly looking between each one of their allies. All look relieved, tired, alive, but with a hint of something he can't quite place.

They defeated the King?

They—did they break the loops? Was that it? They're outside, not in the King's chamber. But they don't remember... any...

A shock runs through his body, and he flinches.

Clarity floods back into his mind. He bolts upright and nearly falls back down when his vision goes dark. A thousand images flash through his mind all at once.

Visceral blood fear pain pain fire teeth fire fire pain warm light nothing.

"Wait, Loop, Loop! Where are they what happened are they okay!?" They grimace, blinking away the darkness.

[Right here stardust~!]

"WAUGH!" Siffrin jolts out of Isabeau's arms and lands face down on the floor.

"Sif!"

They all cry out. Isabeau's hands hover over them but don't touch.

Groaning, they roll to their side.

"Easy, buddy. Do you need help up?" His hands are shaking.

Mirabelle edges closer, hands gripped together against her chest. "Do you need healing, Siffrin? Are you hurt?"

"Nnf, no, I got it. I'm good. I'm fine." They struggle into a sitting position beside Isabeau and hold their head in their hands.

[Whoopsies, tee hee~! Sorry about that! I'm sure you're pretty confused right now!]

They jump again with a choked sound but manage to stay upright that time.

"Loop!? You're in my head? And you're talking to—"

He gasps and looks at his allies.

"Sif!?"

"Siffrin, are you still possessed?"

"Hey! Get out of Frin's head!"

Why did you say that? Why did you say that!?

[Oh, good job, stardust! Real smart move there!]

“Shut up!"

"Wha—"

"Not you! Them—I—hold on." He grips his head and curls over. "I need a minute."

"O-okay," Mirabelle worries.

"Tell us if they're hurting you, Sif. We'll find a way to get them out."

"No, no, it's fine. They're ok."

"Are you sure?" Mirabelle leans a bit closer.

They nod. "Just..."

[You can talk to me in your head, you know, you don't need to speak out loud. And don't worry, I still can't read your mind unless you consciously think at me… For the most part.]

(What are—how are you doing this?)

[Just a fun little rukemi perk when we expire! We can transfer our spirits to another being. If we want. I could have easily returned to the void of nonexistence, but you were about to be turned into a fine paste if I didn't act fast!]

(...Expire?)

(Oh.)

[Yep! Whoopsie! Bummer, isn't it? Hahah ahh h hah h . . .]

(Wait. So you... died and... possessed me? And fought the King? And... won?)

[Yep! Isn't that neat? Though we don't really call it possession. Twining is what we call it. Like intertwining.]

(What's the difference..?)

[Consent, obviously. Well... usually. I diiid plan on asking first, but again, paste prevention . And, as you can see now, I'm not currently in control of your flesh prison and won't be able to pilot it again for a while! I'll need my beauty rest to regain my energy as I burned most of it off when I took over earlier.]

(I need to lie down.)

[Well, I have good news! You're halfway there!]

(Not enough.)

[Tee hee, sorry, stardust. I know this is a lot to take in at once. Usually humans have the luxury of being educated on this whole thing before it happens, but as you may know, I'm a little ways from home right now and had to keep my mouth shut and self hidden.]

(Why?)

[Oh, silly, don't start assuming I'm going to blab all my top secret information now that I'm literally in your head. Just enough so you don't die of confusion~!]

...

Loop is silent for a moment. Siffrin takes the time to take some deep breaths, focusing on the strange, darkened bloodstains on their cloak. Their allies continue to hover around them; the tension radiating from them is palpable.

"Sif? You good?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, you weren't responding."

"I'm okay."

Odile speaks up. "Siffrin, you know this… creature?” She looks them dead in the eye, squinting, studying.

"I—" He shifts back a bit. They all saw him; there’s no hiding now.

He nods, squirming.

“Why didn’t you tell us about them?”

“M’Dame,” Isabeau says softly. “Maybe we should—”

Bonnie pushes forward. "YEAH FRIN! What was that!? That was so cool! And those weird shades too! Like their blood was all angry and everywhere and weird and creepy! And then that one in your eye well not anymore but it was like—" They pull their left eye wide open with their thumb and forefinger. “Light but like… over there somewhere!?”

“Huh!?”

[Weird… shades?]

"Bonbon, wait," Isabeau pleads.

(Yeah, like—)

Mirabelle closes in on him, hands clasped against her chest. "Are you okay, Siffrin? Do you need any more healing? They're not hurting you, are they? This isn’t permanent, I hope?"

His nails dig into his palm. They shrink in on themself.

Isabeau holds his hands up. "Okay, everyone, please, please let's hold off on the questions for Sif until later, okay?"

"Aww!" Bonnie pouts.

Odile sighs. "You're right, my apologies. You're probably still overwhelmed by everything; I can wait until later to... interrogate you, but not much later."

That’s not very reassuring. "...Thanks."

Their allies all sit back and wait. The other, tall woman continues to sit off on the sidelines, watching curiously.

[Wow, so many questions about me! I'm really popular now, aren't I?]

(There's too much happening.)

[There sure is! Not surprising at all! Anyway.] Loop's 'voice' lowers into something smooth and even. [Guess what, stardust? You're stuck with me forever now. Just like you wanted! Yaayy...]

(Forever ?)

[Well, I can leave if you really don't want me, but there's no coming back from that. I'll just fizzle out into nonexistence if I do.]

(Wait! Don't. I—just give me some time. This is a lot.)

[Sure thing, stardust.]

(Loop.)

[Yes?]

(I'm sorry. I'm so fucking sorry. I didn't mean to distract you. If I didn't say anything you—)

[Ah, it's no biggie, stardust!] He feels a little twinge in his chest. [I wasn't expecting to survive much longer anyway.]

(What!? What do you mean you weren’t expecting to survive!? Why did you do it?)

[Do what?]

(Fight the King, alone?)

[...]

(You always refused to help before. So why now? Was it because of last night?)

[... I don't want to talk about it.]

(... Please?)

[Nope!]

(Loop.)

[I said nope!]

(... Okay.)

[Anyway! You said something to me, before we twined. It seemed important.]

(Oh…) They close their eye, digging through the mire for the answer. (Well, I asked you why the blinding stars you would do that! And you said—) He pauses and digs his fingers above his eye. ( Something about being tired. And then—)

...

Do they say it? Loop's reaction was...

But he can't exactly hide it from them if they're literally in his head forever.

(... I found a Crafted shield spell for Mira.)

[A... shield spell? But we… Did it... work?]

(...It did. The King’s attack barely scratched the others, but... we were too far for the spell to reach.)

[...]

(Loop?)

[So was everything I just did pointless?]

(Loop…)

[Was it? Would you have defeated the piece of shit on your own this time!?]

(...Maybe I don't know.)

[So. Yes? ... Ha. Ha. Haha. Hahah hahahahhaHAHhhahahahh! Hhahahh ahhahahahh hahah! Ohohohaoh hahahhhah! Of course! Of course! Why would I expect anything different!? Of course! The moment I try to do anything everything all goes to shit! Why do I even try!? hHAhahh oh it's hahahah just so funny! Just a cosmic fucking joke I am! HhhahahahhHAHhahahhHAHHAHHA!]

The laughter reverberates through their mind so powerfully that it starts to bubble out of Siffrin’s throat as well. He has to grip his head and throat to force himself to shut up until their laughter fades into a high wine. He lets out a whine just like it.

"Siffrin!?" Mirabelle holds her hands out, hovering above his shoulders.

"Sif, are you okay?"

"What are they doing to you!?"

"I'm fine! I'm—this is just a lot to get used to."

"Do we need to find you an exorcist?"

"No. No. They're okay, really. They won't hurt anybody."

"Okay." Isabeau pulls his arms back to his sides.

"If you're sure." Odile scratches something in her notebook. “But I can’t say I trust anything about them, as it stands.”

"How are you feeling now?" Mirabelle asks quietly.

"Fine," He smiles.

"Are you sure?" she murmurs. "Do you need anything? More healing? A tonic?"

"I'm fi—" They rub their throat. Feels like a desert. "Water. Please."

"I got it!" Bonnie dives into their bag and pulls out a bottle and all but shoves it into Siffrin's face. "S' crafted water but it's hydrashing and that's what's important!"

"Hydrating, Boniface."

"Yeah, that. It's good water."

"Thanks, Bonnie," he smiles and pops the cork. He takes one sip, letting the cool liquid coat his throat, then downs the entire thing in seconds.

Oh, that feels much better. Still sore and disoriented, but not quite so intense.

(Loop?)

Nothing.

(Loop, are you still there?)

His chest starts to prickle with anxiety the longer the silence stretches. They didn't leave, did they?

(Loop!?)

[Yes.]

(Are you... okay?)

[Fine, stardust, I'm just dandy! Wonderful! Thanks for asking!]

(...)

[I don't wanna talk right now.]

(...Okay.)

[Go have your victory lap. You did it! You won! You defeated the King and broke out of the time loops, and now you have me as a buddy forever and ever or something! Wahoo!]

(Loop.)

No response.

Siffrin closes his eye and breathes deeply.

They... broke the loops? They did something? They got further than last time. They're out on the rooftop, and nothing seems wrong... aside from... well... everything regarding Loop.

Was that... all that was needed?

Did Mirabelle make the final hit then? Was that it?

Did they do it?

He...

Refuses to get excited.

It can't be that simple.

But they're here.

And nothing's happened yet.

He takes another breath and slowly, cautiously, stands up. They feel the buzzing of invisible bees flying around their chest.

Their allies stand with them. Isabeau and Mirabelle both hold their hands out toward him as he shakily rises to his full height.

"Sif..? Are you... okay now?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I'm great! We did it haha!"

Isabeau brightens, and the whole party seems to relax a bit. "Yeah!” he laughs. “We did! We defeated the King! Though it was mostly you and, uh, Loop, was it?"

Siffrin's smile wavers. "I hardly did anything."

"Either way, Siffrin," Odile sighs. "I'm glad to see you in one piece. But don't run off like that again, you nearly gave me a heart attack."

"Yeah, that was... really crabbing scary, Sif. I'm glad you and Loop are friends, but whew, seeing all that without context was too much for my delicate heart."

"Hahaha, are you sure you don't need Mira to heal you then, Isa?" they wink.

"Haha, no, I'm fine! Well, physically, at least." He scratches the back of his head.

Mirabelle bites her lip and looks away for a moment. "Oh, Siffrin! I'm so, so, so sorry I wasn't able to shield you back then."

"I-it's fine, Mira!" they chuckle. "Everything worked out, so don't worry about it at all!"

"But it still—you almost died, Siffrin. That attack was so powerful." She holds herself like a dog who’s just been caught doing something wrong.

"But I didn't die, so it's fine!"

"Siffrin." She squeezes her hands. "Well, thank you. Thank you all. I-I wouldn't have been able to do it without everyone here!"

She's met with a chorus of triumphant agreements and reassurances.

"I'm just so... th-thank you… And… Euphrasie…" She finally looks to the tall woman, who smiles and steps forward.

"Well," she says in a low, airy voice. "This certainly wasn't what I was expecting to find when young Mirabelle returned!"

"Neither did I!" Mirabelle almost yells. "I mean, I guess you heard all that, but it was a surprise to all of us, too."

"It seems so! But though the methods were unconventional and unexpected, you still defeated the King and saved Vaugarde. That's something to be proud of!"

"Yeah," she mumbles. "Yeah! You're right! The King is gone, and that's what matters in the end!"

The woman turns to Siffrin, smiling warmly, her head slightly tilted.

"Siffrin, was it? If I could speak to you for a quick moment?"

They jump, then nod. The others hover around him for a moment but eventually start to meander to different parts of the roof. He feels like he can breathe a bit better, but also...

"First, I want to extend my deepest condolences for the loss of your friend." She holds a hand to her chest and gives him a soft frown. "Their sacrifice was not in vain; if not for their and your combined efforts, young Mirabelle might have had to endure so much more to defeat him."

"...Right."

"And, it seems they are not truly gone?"

"Oh... no, they're not."

You already blabbed it all, can't hide it now.

They still physically hide under their hat.

"They're in my head now. Haha..."

"Well, that is fascinating, and I do hope a good thing for the both of you."

"Haha, it'll be nice to have a second opinion on things from now on," they laugh, but it’s dry, empty.

The Head Housemaiden lets out an airy chuckle. "That sounds like it can come in handy. I would very much like to know more about them, but I’ll avoid interrogating you for now, as well. But first, what would you like us to do with their body? I've had my partner, Claude, close off the entrance to the King's antechamber and is currently studying it, but no doubt everyone is very curious about the destruction and the fate of the King."

He feels a shudder deep within him.

[Oh stars ew, destroy it, destroy it completely until there's nothing left and don't let anyone else see it, and they better not keep any of my feathers or teeth or whatever parts they try to rip off me.]

"Cremate it," they murmur. "All of it. Right now. Don't let anyone look and don't save any parts."

"Understood,” she nods. “I will tell her right away. She may need help moving the body to the morgue, but I will have her cover it thoroughly and avoid any questioning about it."

[They have a morgue?]

"Thank you."

[Ugh, though, poking and prodding my body like I'm some sort of case study is just... she better not try anything.]

"Of course." She gives them a gentle bow. "I will be back shortly. In the meantime, why don’t you go talk to your companions? I'm sure you all have a lot to talk about. When I return, will you come see me again? I'd love to have a conversation with one of Vaugarde's saviors, after all!"

"Okay!"

He steps away and closes his eye, breathing deeply, letting himself shake off the ever-growing tightness in his entire body.

It's over. It has to be over. Whatever changed this time had to have done it.

But, what if...

No! It. Is. Over.

They glance at Odile, who's standing nearest to him, scribbling in her notebook.

She looks up when she hears him approach and gives him a sly smile. "Ahh... Siffrin. Woop woop, we did it, we won, etc." She stretches her back. "Urgh. Whatever."

"We did it, Odile," they smile.

We really did it this time, no going back. No. Going. Back.

She grabs her arm, raising it high over her head and leaning to her side. Siffrin can hear a few joints pop the further she goes. "This was... quite a workout. My entire body is screaming, even though you and Loop did all the work."

"Not all of it," they mumble. "You all did a lot, too. And we all would have been toast if Mira didn't have her shield."

"The shield she learned because of the hidden library you found." She raises an eyebrow, crossing her arms.

"...Right."

"Siffrin?"

He hides under his hat.

"I hope you know how much restraint I'm using not to pummel you with more questions right now. You can't blame me for being curious about how you know a talking, horse-sized, flying creature who bleeds a weird shade, can possess people, and can hold their own against the King."

“Hahah…” Their laugh is weak, and they grip their arm. “Well, as long as you’re pummeling me with questions and not your fists, later,” they shrug with a crooked smile.

"Ha!" she barks. "Well, everything worked out in the end, for the most part. So I can't be too upset about this little secret of yours."

"Pff, I get to live another day then," they snort, sticking their tongue out.

"Maybe just one more day," she huffs. "But really, if you need me to exorcise the friend in your head, let me know before I return to my travels in a few days. I'm sure I can figure something out."

He grips his arm. "They're fine. Really."

They're the one trapped with you, after all.

"If you say so. Personally, I wouldn't like someone just living in my head like that, even if they were a close friend."

As long as they can't actually read your horrible, disgusting thoughts.

"Just something to get used to!"

"Heh, you're really taking this in stride,” she smirks. “Offer's still open if you change your mind, though."

"Thank you." They hide.

Odile's smile falls, and she tilts her head. She won't stop staring. They pull their hat down.

She sighs. "Anyway. Savior of Vaugarde, huh? That's something to add to my list of accomplishments." She thumps her fingers on her book. "But now I can finally go back to traveling. I'd be curious to visit some more Vaugardian cities and hear what they have to say after an event like this." Her fingers still. "It'll be weird to travel alone now, but I'll get used to it again. Or I could just go home to Ka Bue... Hm..." She gazes at him pensively for a moment, running her nail down the spine of her book. "Or... Siffrin..."

"Yeah?" They look up quickly with the biggest smile they can muster.

She grimaces and glances away briefly. "...Never mind. I'm sure you're looking forward to getting back to your travels, too."

His eye twitches.

"Siffrin?"

"Yeah."

"Ah."

A pause.

"I'm going to go talk to the others, now."

A sigh.

"Alright, take care of yourself, Siffrin."

"You too."

They quickly turn to hide their falling smile and spot Bonnie gazing over the precarious railings. He wanders over. They look... sad? Kind of?

"Bonnie?" he asks cautiously.

They turn to him, eyes downcast. "Frin... It's... It's really over, right?" They look up. "Like, for real for real? It's over? The King is gone?" They're hugging themself.

"For real, for real, Bon." He lets his smile be as warm as he can.

Please let it be the truth.

They squeeze their arms. "So I can go back to Bambouche and see my sister again? She'll be okay? She'll move around?"

"I'm sure of it!" he beams.

They don't seem to believe it yet. Siffrin purses his lips and digs into his mind. He pulls a smug smile back on. "How about this? If she's not moving when you go see her, you can punch me three times."

They look off to the side, then nod. "... Deal." They gasp and squint at him. "Wait, that's such a long journey though!!! I'm not gonna go find you just so I can punch you if you're wrong!!! That's dumb!!!"

He sticks his tongue out. "Just as dumb as your sister not being okay when we just won!"

"Oh..." they gasp. "OH!!! YOU'RE RIGHT!!!!!" They point their finger right at Siffrin's face and shake their arm a bit. A huge, adorable grin spreads across their face. "Okay, then I'll believe you!!! Hopefully I won't have to walk forever to punch you!!!"

"Tee hee~!" They stick their tongue out.

Bonnie giggles a bit.

"But Frin, are you okay?"

"Huh?" He feels a chill blow through him.

"Like, the King almost got you! And the whole possessession thing! Like it was SUPER COOL seeing you—or them, I guess, fight, but it was also really scary. You—they—were all like woooo." They hunch over and wiggle their arms around. "And then waaah!" They mimic frantic stabbing. "And the King was all," they deepen their voice as much as they can, "aaaaugh noooooo~ bleh." They squeeze their eyes shut and let their head flop over with their tongue hanging out.

"Ah, haha, yeah! Just a bit jealous they managed to pilot my flesh prison better than I could!"

Bonnie scrunches their nose. "Ew, don't call it that."

His smile wavers.

"And, and also those shades! That was their blood, wasn't it? And your eye! Why was it like that?"

"...I don't know."

[..?]

(..?)

"Are you sad, Frin?" They squeeze their hands together.

"About what?"

"Well, they were your friend and now they're—well, they're not d—are they dead? But they're in your head now, so..."

He lets out a light chuckle. "Don't worry about me, Bonnie."

They squint at him. "You sure you're okay? They're gonna be nice to you, right? I can get Dile to exercise you if they're a crabhead!" They perk up. “Or! Or! Nille can beat the crab out of you if they take over until you’re you again if you come to Bambouche! She’s strong! That’s how you un-possess someone, right?”

"It's fine, Bonnie," he smiles. "Nobody needs to beat me up, please. Also, exorcise."

"Yeah, that." They raise their voice. "Loop! You better be nice to Frin! Don't make him do embarrassing stuff or look at his memories! That's mean!"

"Haha, they can't. It's okay."

"Good!" They cross their arms and nod, satisfied. "So what are they, anyway? Dile didn't let me get close to look. They're like a dog bird horse dragon creature. A Dogorseirdon."

"I dunno!" he lies. "I guess Dogorseirdon is as good a name as anything."

He feels another strange twinge in his chest.

(Loop?)

There's a groan in the back of their mind.

"Oh, also—"

"Boniface, don't pelt Siffrin with questions, give him some time to acclimate, please."

"Aw, okay. Sorry, Frin." They hang their head. "But, but you'll tell us more later, right?"

"Of course!"

"Okay!" They smile widely. "Everything's gonna be okay, okay?"

"Okay," his smile softens to something genuine.

But will it? Is this really the end?

Will it be okay?

Are they really free?

"I'm going to talk to Mira now." He points to her.

"Okay, bye, Frin."

He turns around and lets out another stiff breath.

Don't think about it.

It'll be fine. You're already past the King's room.

Just... enjoy your last moments with your allies. . .

He approaches Mirabelle, sitting on the bench with a complicated look on her face. She barely notices him as he sits down beside her. She turns to him and blinks once, twice, before she seems to realize he's there.

"Oh, Siffrin," she says with a gasp. "I'm—I'm not dreaming, am I? We won, didn't we? Are you sure? We really won?"

"We really won, Mira." At least that part is true.

"That was so scary. I didn't expect any of that to happen! I thought you were going to... because I... A-and when Loop, right? When they started talking in your body, I was so worried about what they were gonna try to do to you, or us! B-but they're okay, right? I mean not okay, like... I mean like nice, they're nice, right?"

"More or less," they shrug.

"More or less?" Her grip on her dress tightens.

Oh no, don't make her worry all over again!

"Haha, they're not going to harm anyone, Mira."

"Okay, okay. I'm sorry, I know they're your friend and you've probably known them for a long time, but it's all so new to me! And—and I know I shouldn't bother you with questions now like Isabeau said, but I just wanted to make sure I didn't have to worry about anything new at least. Sorry."

"It's okay, Mira. I appreciate it."

She sighs and smiles with a small laugh.

"And you seem to be handling it well, I think. I know I wouldn't!"

"More or less," they repeat.

"Hah, I—I still can't believe it, I don't think I can believe it just yet, to be honest??? W-We fought the King and—and I feel like I hardly did anything! It was just you and Loop!"

"What? Mira, if it wasn't for your shield, we'd all have died."

"I—you're right but I wouldn't have learned it if not for you and still that was all I did and I still wasn't able to shield you two and you almost died because of it and they still did die and I barely got any hits in on the King because he blocked us in like that I felt like I went through this whole journey just to not do anything useful... at the very end when everyone's... expecting me to and..."

Oh no, she's shaking!!! She's crying!!! Do something!!!

"Mira. Mira. Breathe with me?"

"O-okay..." Her voice wavers. She grips her own hands so hard her knuckles lighten.

Together, they inhale slowly, then let it all out. He holds his hand to his chest and exaggerates his breaths until Mirabelle's slows and evens out to match.

"Hhah..." she sniffs. "Hahah hehe..."

"Huh?" His heart rate jumps.

"Oh, no, I'm just thinking..." She smiles so warmly, hands clasped together, tears in her eyes. You can be so nice, Siffrin."

He feels his cheeks burn.

"Oh, you're blushing!!! Siffrin!!! Oh!!!"

Oh no!

He hides in his cloak.

"Heh, you don't look like you believe it, but it's true! You know, um, um... Um!!! I know we haven't known each other for that long..."

...If only you knew, Mira.

"B-But I hope you know I really treasure your company! I do! I really really do!!!"

They can't hold back a small gasp.

"And so... Thank you! Thank you for accompanying me on this journey! ...I'm sure you're excited to go back to traveling on your own..."

...

"But don't forget me, okay?"

"I'll never forget you, Mira."

Hah! You'll forget her just like you'll forget Odile and Bonnie and Isabeau. You'll forget them all, no matter how hard you try! No matter how hard you cling to the scraps you have left.

Just like they'll forget you.

"Come see me at Dormont anytime! I'd love to hang out! Promise!!!"

Oh. Oh!

"I promise."

"Yay!" She claps her hands. "Okay, I won't hold you any longer, you probably want to finish talking and get washed up, don't you?"

"Hah, yeah, I could go for a nice bath." They scratch at a bloodstain on their cloak. The strange shade has dulled and darkened a lot, but is still very clearly wrong.

When was the last time you actually had a bath? Have you ever had a real bath?

"You can use my bathroom! Take as long as you need. I have plenty of soaps you can try!"

!!!

"Thank you, Mira." His chest tightens. "You're too kind."

"What? Aw, Siffrin. This is the very least I can do for you."

You don't even deserve that much.

...

Isabeau time.

He's standing by the railings, arms crossed, swaying lightly just like he does at the Favor Tree. He opens his eyes when he hears their footsteps and jumps slightly, then gives them the biggest grin.

"Sif!!! We did it!!!"

They smile back.

Don't think about it. He's right. He's right!

"We did it, Sif, we did it! We did it! We stopped the King! We can finally go back to our normal lives! Isn't it great???" His warm smile fades, and he looks at them with concern. " Will you be able to go back to your normal life? With uh..?" He taps his head with his finger.

"Oh. Yeah!" They smile. "They're fine. It's like they're not even there!"

"Oh, okay, that's good at least." Isabeau's lips twitch. "They are still there, right?"

"Yep."

"Okay. I'm glad they're not completely gone, and you still have them with you. I mean, that is good, right?"

"Yeah." He clutches his chest.

"Okay, phew." He wipes his brow. "Okay, good. Man, I have so many questions, like how'd you become friends with such a cool creature!? And how'd they even do that? I mean—er—if you're okay with that. Sorry, don't wanna overwhelm you. If you're feeling better before we go our separate ways, is it okay if I ask more?"

They hide in their cloak. "I'll tell you what I can. They're pretty private. Not sure how much they'd want me to share."

"Ah. That's okay. Understandable." He scratches his arm. "I'll back off, then." He is visibly sweaty. "Really, though, that was pretty scary. I thought you—never mind. Are you sure you feel safe, um, traveling on your own now?"

"Mhm," they smile. “I’m fine, really.”

"And I'm glad. I'm so glad." His eyes seem to glisten in the light. They feel something stir in their chest at the sight. “But um, Sif?”

“Yeah?”

“Ah, don’t worry about it, I trust your judgment. Anyway! Uh! Your cloak! Do you want me to wash it for you?”

They glance back down at the stains. Oh right. Still there, still vaguely threatening.

“That would be nice.” They hide in their collar. “Thank you.”

“Of course! Anytime!” He squeezes the back of his neck, face darkening. He looks happy.

Oh!

They're at the end! They beat the King! That means Isabeau can finally say the thing he's been trying to say for the last thirty million nights!

Siffrin leans a bit closer. "You wanted to tell me something? At the Clocktower?"

"Huh? OH! HAHA!" He clutches his arm, looking away. "Yes! I did! Um. Okay." He takes a deep breath. "Okay, so. The thing. I said I would tell you. Is... Is..."

Isabeau stares at them thoughtfully.

"Eh, it's not important."

Huh?

He feels a punch to the gut. "What? Why?"

"Because! You've been through a lot today. I don't want to overwhelm you with this on top of everything else."

The invisible hand digs its knuckles into his stomach. "But I'm fine, Isa. You can tell me now."

"It's okay, Sif! Later, okay?"

They bite their cheek. "But you can still tell me now ."

"Wow, you're really curious about it, huh?" he chuckles. "But nope! I will not say a thing!"

They hold back a scream.

"Oh! But I will say something, though." He beams like the sun. "...I'm glad we're friends, Siffrin!"

Friends? They lightly gasp and tilt their head. They feel a sigh that is not their own try to force its way out of their chest.

"Sif?"

They blink and grin widely. "...I'm glad we're friends too, Isa." He wraps his arms around himself.

Isabeau gasps and grabs his arm again. There are dark finger marks from the last squeeze. "Oh! Oh...! Aw. Aw!!! AW!!!!!! Oh, crab, I think I might cry. Haha! ...We're friends!"

Friends.

Isabeau thinks you're his friend!

His cheeks are so dark. They're sure theirs are too.

They both smile.

"Okay, well. I'll let you go then. I'm sure you wanna finish talking with the others and have a nice long bath and a nap."

Wouldn't that be nice?

"That sounds nice," they smile. "Bye, Isa."

They glance over their shoulder as they walk away and almost, almost see his smile fade as he falls out of view.

The Head Housemaiden stands in the center of the balcony, tall and imposing, watching a bird flutter by. There’s a slight tint of the weird shade at the hem of her dress that touches the ground.

They don't know why they have a sense of unease looking at her... maybe it's just her towering height, she's huge!

He meanders over and stands before her, craning his neck to even see her face.

The bird flies out of view, and she looks back to see them standing there. She smiles.

"Traveling one! Are you done talking with your companions?"

They nod.

"Yes, wonderful, wonderful! I'd like to thank you for accompanying young Mirabelle this far. I'm very grateful."

"I would do it again in a heartbeat."

And again.

And again..

And again...

"Siffrin, yes?" She clasps her hands together, much like Mirabelle does. "If there's anything I can do to thank you, please don't hesitate to let me know! I know you will go back on your travels soon, but I do hope you'll keep in touch, if only for young Mirabelle... But no matter what, know that Dormont will always be open to you! Please come back... any... time..."

She gasps and freezes. Her eyes go wide, and she clasps her hands in front of her mouth. Siffrin feels a chill rush into his chest.

"Oh... Oh no. Oh no, no, no, no, no..."

What?

[What the..?]

(Loop?)

"Oh... Siffrin...!" She cries, tears already streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry! There's no way we can stop it now...!"

The air around them feels weird.

His stomach drops.

He tries to move, but—

No! NO no no no no NO NO NOT AGAIN NO!

[Stardust what's going on!?]

(I don't know! It's the same as before! Why? Why? Why!?)

"I'm sorry! You'll be going back! Back when everything started!"

They taste burnt sugar in the back of their throat.

"What do you mean? What's happening?!?"

"I know you thought your quest was over, but it can't be!" She continues on as if he hadn't even spoken.

"No. No! Please don't send me back again! I can't do this again!"

"Something's broken, something's failing, rotting!!!"

"What did I do wrong? Why am I still trapped here!? Listen to me!"

(We made it further than last time! Did Mira not make the final hit?)

[...]

(Loop?)

[No... We did.]

(...)

They can't move. He can only watch as the Head Housemaiden cries and her image warps. "I can't fix it on my own, not before it all ends... If only I had noticed sooner!!! I should've seen it, prevented it!!!"

They feel a tug on their stomach. They want to run, to scream, to fight back, but they're frozen.

(Loop, why didn't you—no! No, please, do something! Please! I can't go back, no no no no!)

[I can't! I can't do anything! I don't know either!]

"No, no please, please, not again please don't do this! Please please please no more! Please!"

"It's my fault that you have to suffer like this.

I just hope that one day...

You might learn to for—"

End Act [∞ + 1]

#in stars and time #in stars and time spoilers

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