#hes not coming back. because this is sorey and mikleo we are talking about. but i wish they had talked about it more

[mxdotpng]

its actually something i think about often which is sad. nobody sees this vision more than i do. or at all actually

[mistbow]

Water Armatus, Bow and Arrow

I’ve always thought that it is interesting that the Water Armatus wields bow and arrow, especially since it holds many significances in the Japanese culture that Zestiria draws many inspirations from. I believe it’s a deliberate choice that the Divine Artifact needed for Water Armatus is a bow too, so I will try to elaborate more on this, since the many meanings for it might not be apparent to people who aren’t familiar with it.

Remember: Symbols can have more than just one meaning.

First off, and I know we start with the ending part here, but since it’s actually stated in the novel, I will talk about how Mikleo offers to go first, as the whistling arrow (嚆矢). Our first symbolism, but far from the last, for the Water Armatus.

「スレイ、最初に僕を撃ち出せ」

「ミクリオ……！」

息を飲むスレイをミクリオは決意に満ちた瞳で見つめる。 最初に撃ち出す仲間を迷うであろうスレイの気持ちをくみ取った提案だった。

「この旅の終わり、僕が嚆矢となる」

僕たちの決意と覚悟を最初に撃て。

“Sorey, shoot me out first.”

“Mikleo...!”

Mikleo looks at Sorey, who gulped, intently with eyes full of his determination. It was a suggestion that took into consideration the feelings of Sorey, who had been hesitating about which friend he would shoot out first.

“At this journey’s end, I will become the whistling arrow.”

Shoot our determination and resolve first.

The whistling arrow (嚆矢) often symbolizes “dawn” or “beginning”, since it’s used to signal the beginning of battle. Particularly, around the time of Heian period, an arrow with a whistle (kabura, 鏑) attached (so often known as kabura-ya, 鏑矢 as well) would be shot, not only to alert the enemy, but also to ward off evil spirits and alert friendly kami to lend their support through its whistling sound. Befitting for the seraph whose Divine Artifact is a bow, since he does this to reassure Sorey, as well as to ask for support for him from the friendly kami—other seraphim that will come after him. Mikleo is also the one seraph who has been with Sorey since the beginning too, even before Sorey became the Shepherd. Since the dawn of the Shepherd (導師の夜明け).

(An arrow that flies straight and steadfast signifies no hesitation for its resolve.)

But bows and arrows mean so much more than this, so I would like to take a look at other meanings too, as well as going earlier than straight-up the final battle. The first obvious thing that stood out to me is that in Japanese, bow and arrow (弓矢, yumiya) is often a symbol for the battlefield, since 戦 (read as ikusa), meaning war or battle, used to be written as 射交矢 (also read as ikusa), roughly meaning exchanging arrows (射交わす矢). Hachiman (八幡神), the Shinto-Buddhism syncretic divinity of archery and war, is also known as Yumiya Hachiman (弓矢八幡), because his messenger is a dove that symbolizes bow and arrow. Hachiman’s wife, Himegami (比売神), often refers to Munakata Sanjoshin (宗像三女神), the three matriach kami associated with water born from the ukehi or oath (宇気比, 誓約) between Amaterasu and Susanoo (I will talk more about this when I talk about Mikleo’s association with water divinities in Japan, since it can get even more interesting if you dive deep and go down this rabbit hole, and I tend to overthink this kind of stuff anyway).

However, going back to a time even older, the ancient times, bow and arrow used to be written as 箭霊 (read as sachi), with 箭 being the outdated kanji for arrow and 霊 being the kanji for spirits, representing 霊威 or mysterious power. The word 箭霊 (sachi) here has the same reading as 幸 (sachi) meaning happiness, thus bow and arrow are also associated with happiness and blessings. As such, in Japan, where the animism of primitive religion remains strong, the bow and arrow is also a tool for divination of good fortune. In terms of shamanism/sorcery (呪術, jujutsu), often it is also called 天之返矢 (ama-no-kaeshiya, Divine Returning-Arrow), and this word comes from the myth in Kojiki, where a bird named Nakime (鳴女) who was sent down to earth to check in on Amewakahiko (天稚彦 or 天若日子). Amewakahiko shot the bird with his bow. The arrow pierced through the bird, but the arrow flew all the way to heaven. Takamimusubi (高御産巣日神) saw the arrow and threw it back at the earth where it hit Amewakahiko while he was laying in bed, killing him.

There are also Narugen (鳴弦), which is used like a weapon or musical instrument to exorcise invisible demons and evil spirits, and Hama-ya and Hama-yumi (破魔矢・破魔弓), symbols of the bow and arrow’s magical power, as seen in myths and legends.

Hama-ya, in general, has come to mean ceremonial arrow to ward off evil. In Buddhism, there is a legend that the gold bow and arrow held by Umarokya (烏摩勒伽), one of the four yaksha who follow Shoumen Kongou (青面金剛), the blue-faced Vajra, is the origin of the Hama-ya, and Ryuujin Hamaya (龍神破魔矢), the dragon deity, is named after it. The tip of hama-ya needs not to be sharp, since it is used to purify, as to remove the obstacles, not to target and break the person themself.

(I’d like to also remind that the seraphim are based upon Four Symbols, and Mikleo is based on the Azure Dragon. This can even be seen in the Water Armatus’ Banish Blast, 水神・清龍, which can literally be translated to Water Divine: Azure Dragon.)

There is this one story, the tale of extermination of Nue (鵺)—a Japanese mythical creature with a monkey’s head, tanuki’s body, tiger’s limbs, and a snake tail—in “Heike Monogatari” (平家物語) where the Emperor was afflicted with an illness, but when Minamoto no Yoshiie (源義家) plucked the bowstring three times, the evil spirit was dispelled and the Emperor was restored to health. However, the source of the disease itself was not dead and continued to threaten the Emperor. Minamoto no Yorimasa (源頼政), then, climbed to the rooftop of the Imperial Palace at night and shot an arrow, and in just that one shot, slaying the source of the disease, a monster called Nue, with Yumiharidzuki (弓張月, representing the bow or the Moon, the crescent moon that looks like a bow).

And thus, the bow and arrow is associated with purification or exorcism (祓い清め) of the mind (心) from taint (穢れ), malice (邪気), evil (魔), and disaster (厄), as seen in a lot of metaphors in Japanese. The pure-hearted is said to be able to immediately hit the bull in one hit. The arrow of the noble is destined to strike the enemy and hunt the beast of fables.

Now we turn to Buddhism. Senju Kannon (千手観音) or Senju-Sengen Kanzeon Bosatsu (千手千眼観世音菩薩), the bodhisattva of compassion and mercy, is perhaps the most widely worshipped bodhisattva in Japan. Senju-Sengen (千手千眼) literally means Thousand Arms and Thousand Eyes, originating from the fact that she has one eye in each palm of a thousand arms. These thousand arms and thousand eyes represent Kannon’s vastness of mercy and the abundance of means to save, as endeavors to relieve every living thing. In her many hands, she holds many objects, and each of these objects varies in meaning.

Two of them are houkyuu (宝弓) and houzen (宝箭), a bow and an arrow, respectively. Houkyuu stands for “increasing the honor” (“栄官を増す”), but more relevant is the meaning of houzen, which is “chance meeting with good friends” (“良き友に巡り会う”). A poetic way of saying reconnecting with true friends.

The final version of Aqua Limit, Aqua Limit: Ultima, is actually called アクアリムス・リユニオン, or Aqua Limit: Reunion, in Japanese. This indeed foreshadows their reunion in the epilogue, that they will meet again, and it is by chance (through a connection that ties them, that cannot be seen, yet can be felt, or it is precisely because it’s not seen that it can be felt stronger). Neither knew how long it would take, perhaps it would take centuries, but they could finally get there, reuniting with each other, in the end. Reunion of true friends. Mikleo, the bullet, the whistling arrow, is that connection with true friends that will never fade way, even as he is shot to the risk of his death in the final battle, and after this, Sorey will go to sleep to purify Maotelus for who knows how long. Eons, perhaps.

(Mikleo himself doesn’t consider himself as Sorey’s true friend, since he thinks that as a seraph, he can’t perceive the world the same way as Sorey does. It’s why he invited Rose to join the party. But true friends complement each other, just like how Sorey and Rose have different approaches [sees in different ways], Sorey and Mikleo complement each other through their differences.)

In Buddhism (especially Shingon Buddhism), there is a deity that is often associated with bow and arrow, Aizen Myouou (愛染明王). He has a very distinctive appearance, wearing a shishi (獅子, magical lion)’s crown on his head and sitting on a lotus flower. Sometimes, he is depicted with two heads: of his own and of Fudou Myouou (不動明王, and I believe I’ve talked about Sorey being a Fudou Myouou figure here), symbolizing a commingling of subjugated, complementary energies, and in Japan, they are both enshrined together, Fudou Myouou and Aizen Myouou on the left and right of Dainichi Nyorai (大日如来, I talked about him and his symbolism more in the context of Zestiria here) as the principal object of worship. In Nichiren Buddhism, in the Great Mandala Gohonzon, Fudou Myouou’s bīja “हां” is placed on the right and Aizen Myouou’s bija “हूं” is placed on the left (more on Sorey and Mikleo and Right and Left here and here and here, also while we’re at this, the Left, when paired with the Right, has significance in Shinto here, so there are many layers of meanings to this).

Aizen Myouou is known for transforming worldly desires (kleshas) into spiritual awakening, as seen from his name literally meaning “Love-Stained Wisdom King.” In Nichiren Buddhism, it is said that if Fudou Myouou embodies “life and death (saṃsāra) are precisely nirvana” (生死即涅槃, shouji-soku-nehan), then Aizen Myouou embodies “worldly desires (kleshas) are precisely enlightenment (bodhi)” (煩悩即菩提, bonnou-soku-bodai), which are the two tenets of hongaku (本覚, the innate or original enlightenment). This is because Aizen Myouou doesn’t deny love, and he is indeed known as the Buddha in charge of love, marriage, family harmony; of relationships and connections in general. His name, Aizen (愛染), can also be interpreted as the color(s) aizen (藍染).

I say uniquely Japanese, because the colors are indeed called Japanese blue; depending on how many dips, the shade changes--not just in value but also hue. The lighter it is, the closer it is to blue-green hue. The deeper it is, the closer it is to indigo blue hue.

(I also must say that the lighter green-ish blue shade is called 水色 too. Literally the color of water. Commonly translated as aquamarine.)

Like the traditional Japanese blue shades, Sorey's blue is more on the deep indigo blue side in its hue and Mikleo's blue is more on the light aqua blue. Meanwhile, Water Armatus (the two of them) is the "balanced" blue in the middle.

(I have an entire Twitter thread too for this too here)

Finally, I want to talk about a certain saying that also originates from Nichiren Buddhism:

やのはしる事は弓のちから、くものゆくことは・りうのちから、をとこのしわざは・めのちからなり。

The original writing is rather hard to read because it’s written almost entirely in hiragana, but it can be transliterated as follows:

矢の走る事は弓の力、雲の行く事は竜の力、男の仕業は婦の力なり。

Which can be translated to:

It is the power of the bow that determines the flight of the arrow, the might of the dragon that controls the movement of the clouds, and the strength of the wife that guides the actions of a man.

(Remember, again, that Mikleo is connected to dragons/竜, that he is based on Azure Dragon/清龍, and clouds are connected to rain/water and thunder/lightning, two elements associated with Mikleo and Sorey respectively.)

This is from the letter of Nichiren Daishounin (日蓮大聖人). I hope the meaning is obvious enough even without my explanation.

The bow and arrow work in tandem. Without the bow, the arrow cannot work. Without the arrow, the bow cannot work either. It is in the relationship, that even a relationship between a husband and a wife is likened to this.

The same dialogue from the first Water Armatus battle above is repeated again in this scene:

MIKLEO: Sorey, I’ll do the aiming. SOREY: Right. And I’ll pick when to fire.

Despite the Armatization being literally a process of becoming one, of two different physical bodies becoming one, interestingly the human and seraph still retain each of their own consciousness. They don’t blend into one, and the workings of this can be seen in Sorey and Mikleo coordinating to handle the timing and aiming, respectively, when in Water Armatus. Armatus does work in mysterious ways, and it perhaps cannot be described in feelings known to common humans.

SOREY: By the way, Mikleo. SOREY: Because of the Squire pact, I can’t see out of my right eye anymore. SOREY: So... SOREY: Lend me your power! MIKLEO: Got it, Sorey. I’ll do the aiming. SOREY: Right. And I’ll pick when to fire!

The manga outright makes Mikleo act as Sorey’s eye when aiming at the target, while Sorey handles the timing because of this. This communion, tacit understanding is a major part of their bond, after all, even without the Armatization. The novel also makes it a point that Mikleo offers to do the aiming because he has realized for a long time already that Sorey is blind on his right eye.

異体同心 種族は違うが、同じ想いを抱いて育った。人と天族の可能性を示す。

One Heart in Different Bodies They are of different kinds, but they grew up embracing the same feelings. Showing the possibilities of humans and seraphim.

Exactly because they’re different that they can understand each other, can complement each other, as has been said before. I’ve talked about how Mikleo had needed to learn this, shortly, when I said he didn’t consider himself Sorey’s true friend, but even Sorey needed to learn about this.

SOREY: Wait, hold on now! MIKLEO: You’re right, I am stubborn as a rock! SOREY: Huh? MIKLEO: I admit it. I’m hell-bent on becoming a Sub Lord. MIKLEO: But there’s something important that you don’t understand! SOREY: I do understand! I just didn’t want you to get involved! MIKLEO: Get over yourself. SOREY: ! MIKLEO: Do you really think this is your dream alone?

SOREY: This is our dream.

Sorey’s flaw in the beginning is that he tends to carry everything by himself, that he doesn’t want the people he cares about to be hurt because of him (or what he thinks as his own responsibility, and not anyone else’s). He was alright with sharing happiness, but afraid to share anything else, even though it was implied that Michael failed as a Shepherd because he carried that burden alone. Even when Sorey and Mikleo fought (because they cared too much about each other), this had already had an effect on Sorey: he didn’t feel the excitement of exploring ruins, he couldn’t see the Earthen Historia, he wasn’t able to de-Armatize at will; and it was only when he accepted Mikleo’s offer to help him, that he could do all these and more (like how Alisha was finally able to hear the seraphim’s voices.)

MIKLEO: I know because it’s you; you were thinking that you didn’t want me to be involved, or that you didn’t want me to carry the burden. MIKLEO: But it’s too late for all that. MIKLEO: Our journey began a long time ago already. MIKLEO: It’s not just your dream. SOREY: ...Yeah. SOREY: This is our dream!

A relationship is balanced if it’s two-way. Their bond is meant to show the limitless possibilities of how a human and seraph can work together to reach their dream together, the dream of coexistence, of being together. To be together is to share not just happiness but also sadness. It’s because life is not lived just by yourself alone, but also with others.

I won’t let you carry this by yourself.

Even until the very end. Just like the power of the bow determines the flight of the arrow, the arrow that flies straight and steadfast without any hesitation for its resolve, warding off anything that is evil, purifying the heart from taint, calling for friendly divinities to aid them. It will reunite them, the true friends, no matter the odds, just bet on that one chance. And this love is not to be denied.

You’ve matured through the course of this journey, and I’m proud of you for that, but don’t forget, I’m also here, right next to you, and I won’t let you carry everything by yourself.

唯一無二の 互いに誰よりも負けたくない相手。だから成長できる。今までも、これからも。

The One and Only They do not want to lose to each other more than anyone else. That’s why they can grow. Until now, and from now on.

Mikleo is the best support Sorey could’ve gotten, even if he didn’t ask for him himself.

May these bow and arrow represent happiness and blessings, just as they used to in the ancient times long past.

弓を構えて真実射抜け

Pull the bow and aim for the truth.

[lnkedmyheart]

In response to your post about Mikleo getting flustered by girls: Most likely, it has to do with the way they were raised. Since Mikleo is a seraph, the seraphim in Elysia knew to raise him to "seraphim norms" (which we know from Berseria are most likely human norms, due to them at one point living in harmony.) With Sorey, they did NOT know if human society had changed, and with Zenrus being well aware of Sorey's destiny to return to the human world, they were unsure how to raise him as someone who fits in there. (As a side tangent on this, with Mikleo coming to Zenrus as a seraph baby, there may have been genuine concern that seraphim can reproduce among the community, leading to this behavior as well, but this isn't backed by canon in a obvious way. If I'm wrong, I'd love to know.)

Thus, Mikleo gets flustered around girls because Mikleo was raised and socialized in seraphim culture (and thus human culture, by accident) properly. Sorey doesn't because he's not a seraph and thus had to be taught in a different, possibly archaic or strange way. (This is also why multiple people in this area of the fanbase tend to state Sorey is autistic/schizophrenic coded - due to his complete disregard for what goes in a society and just following what he knows very well.)

Thank you for taking the time to send me this I appreciate a good discussion.

Hmmm. Well I could see this but there's a few things that make me think that's not the case.

The key point of the story is the harmony and cohabitation between Seraphim and Humans with Sorey and Mikleo being at the center to show they are no different outside of the main thing. I'm pretty sure the canon makes it a point to highlight how Sorey and Mikleo were literally raised in the same exact way with the seraphim taking on the habits of eating, sleeping and living in houses for Sorey. Its also made clear in a skit (though its anime so meh) that Mikleo actually goes out of his way to ask Zenrus about talking to girls his age while Sorey has never really had an interest in such questions prior to meeting a girl his age. Whether Mikleo asked this in regards to help Sorey along in the future or because neither knew how to talk to a human girl before is uncertain.

Seraphim are never stated to reproduce but with a chief as old as Zenrus and typically seraphs being as long lived as they are, I'm pretty sure while rare seraphic rebirths aren't unheard of since they have happened before with kids so the idea that baby Mikleo might have raised concerns about seraph pregnancies is shaky at best. The only thing that surprises people (like with Zaveid) was the idea that Mikleo was an actual baby.

Going off of the last point it also doesn't make sense for them to suddenly give Mikleo sex ed and crush talk 101 if his arrival was what raised seraphic reproduction concerns because they'd be as ill equipped to handle it as with Sorey. Also its not been THAT long since Zenrus mingled with humans at Camlann and canon to be that out of touch with human culture.

I still don't think Sorey doesn't get sexuality or attraction. Its made clear at several points that both Sorey and Mikleo are somewhat innocent about the more kinkier side of things often missing innuendos but Sorey is always aware of love talk. He is incredibly sharp when he picks up on Zaveid's plans to read the wind at the sauna and is equally as disturbed by the idea of Dezel stalking Rose at the sauna. He is distressed about walking in on what he thinks is Alisha changing and berates himself for not knocking as he did invade her privacy but shows no further interest whatsoever. He also realises and is horrified at the prospect of Edna mock flirting with him early on and is unimpressed by Sergei continuing to see him and Rose as a married couple. Basically he showcases absolutely no true interest in women as a whole so much so that despite several scenarios which are typically shippy he never really reacts in a manner suggesting any interest or attraction. Meanwhile he is quite giddy about the idea of romance in general, he finds angsty passionate love poetry nice, he quite clearly states to Zaveid that romance does come up in his life. He is also pretty flustered about his connection with Mikleo early on post water armatization and doesn't quite talk about it. He is never quite flustered by women or the thought of women. Hell he shows more fascination at Mikleo's whole babe scene while being very "girls have nice skin 😀" about them in bathing suits in the dlc.

Overall Sorey shows a healthy interest in romance and can pick up on and even makes a small sex joke at one point (I can't remember when exactly but he does). He simply shows no attraction to any of the girls and doesn't react to any of the moments with Rose, Alisha or Edna in ways that suggest an interest. And this lack of interest is actually brought up by everyone at several points. You'd think at 17 hormones would override a chaste archaic upbringing because regardless of our awareness, attraction isn't a concious thing.

I have no opinion on him being autistic coded or schizo coded (????). I'm neither and therefore don't relate or assume.

I'd love to discuss more anr bounce ideas and theories off of you. I like the idea of baby Mikleo causing a mini panic wave amongst the seraphim even if I think its unlikely. 😂

[theblackbutterfly02]

Hi! I saw your reblog of the sad prompts list and because I love your writing so much is it ok for me to request a sormik themed one? I don't really have a preference on the prompt, rather I'd like it to be a tainted AU? (repetitive plotline I know). Can be either meebo or sorey, just not the two of them unless they both get better, that's just too much malevolence :(. Sorry, if I did a bad job, I've never requested something before :O

Heyyy, first off aaaaaaa I'm so glad you like my writing enough to stop by in my inbox! Don't worry, your request is clear and understandable! Also! Never feel bad about requesting tainted AU's, they are great!

This turned out to be more introspection and less plot than I wanted it too but I hope you can enjoy it anyway!

When he came back after collecting herbs and berries Mikleo found Sorey still sitting in the same spot he did this morning, looking out to the horizon with his feet dangling over the cliff. He wondered if it was the light that shone through the trees or just his own imagination, refused it to be reality that made the aura of malevolence around Sorey seem that much stronger than before. With a sigh he set his basket aside.

When the malevolence first settled in Sorey he noticed something was off before anyone else did, though he couldn't quite name what it was. Once Mikleo understood what it was though, he forced Sorey to as many breaks as they could afford, to get his mind off the duty bestowed upon him, to try and get the shepherd to talk to him. Even now he still was...

"You know", Mikleo said as he sat down with his back pressed against Sorey's. "It was easier when you were lying to me and thought I didn't see right through it." He was almost glad when he heard Sorey grunt in acknowledgement of his words. It meant he was listening and that was more than what he usually got out of Sorey when he tried to talk to him. "At least I could try to understand what you were thinking or.. feeling when you were still talking to me. Like this.." He turned his head to the side, looking over to the ruin they stayed in. The sun was slowly setting, shining it's last rays through the tall trees. He used to think sunsets were romantic but now the orange-red colour of them had his stomach turning. It shouldn't have been like this. "I don't even know if you still want me by your side anymore. Or rather.." Mikleo tugged his legs to his chest, hugging his arms around them. "I know what you told me when I first came with you, but even though you told me to leave back then, I could tell you wanted me to stay. Right now, I can't tell what it is you want anymore."

But after Lailah broke their pacts, after Sorey had lost the ability to purify and everyone could tell malevolence had settled in the shepherd Sorey had told Mikleo to leave. And that was the last word he spoke to Mikleo in over a week now.

"We all pushed you too far", Mikleo continued after a short break. "We shouldn't have asked so much of you. You had a whole world to consider and still you kept smiling." Mikleo chuckled. "You had us fooled pretty good with that one. I always thought I knew you so well, but I really should have noticed what was going on sooner. I said I wasn't going to be a burden anymore and yet, how many times did I push you forward when I should have opted for a break?" With a sigh he let his head sink down onto his knees. "So, if you don't want me by your side anymore, I get it. If you're telling me to leave again and you really mean it, I'll go this time. I won't keep bothering you. Just know that.. I still want to support you in every way I can. You just..", Mikleo had to suppress a sob, his eyes burning with unshed tears all of a sudden. He longed to hear Sorey's voice again so badly. "You just have to talk to me."

But Sorey stayed silent and Mikleo waited. He waited until the sun had sunken below the hills and the cold blue hues of the night covered the almost cloudless sky. He waited until the first stars sprang to life. And he sighed. Not today either, then, he thought.

"Well, I should prepare dinner then", he said and pressed his hands to the ground to push himself up.

But he stopped when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist.

"Stay", Sorey whispered and it was so silent Mikleo almost missed it. But he heard it and despite his smile his tears finally fell. Sorey had asked him to stay and that might mean that he was finally ready to talk, that he had something more to say than this one word. But even if he didn't Mikleo was so, so happy for this single word didn't only mean for him to stay sitting like this. Somewhere behind this simple word he heard Sorey telling him to stay by his side, not only today but forever.

"I wouldn't dare go anywhere else", Mikleo whispered just as silent. He hoped it was reassuring enough, even if Sorey's hand didn't move away from his wrist. He didn't mind the contact at all.

And so Mikleo waited again. For Sorey, he would always wait.

A wind picked up as the night went on, not warm but not unpleasantly cold either. Mikleo allowed it to play with his hair, thinking back to Dezel. He knew Sorey must be doing the same.

The wind seemed to push the last clouds out of the sky as well and an almost full moon shone down bright on the two of them. It was so silent Mikleo almost jumped when Sorey spoke again.

"It wasn't your fault", he said and relief spread through Mikleo at the honesty in the other's voice. "Or anyone's, really. There's no one to blame but me and that's what makes it so hard. No matter how many times Lailah told me 'You don't become the strongest shepherd in a day' I kept pushing too far. And when I met my limit I hated myself for my weakness. I still do. I keep thinking back to the cardinal and to Dezel and my head keeps repeating the question of what else I could have done. It keeps haunting me even in my sleep - I'm sure you noticed, I remember waking up to your concerned glance more often than not."

Mikleo nodded, knowing Sorey would feel the motion. He knew Sorey kept having nightmares, knew he didn't even sleep some nights. But he never dared to ask what they were about.

"Wanting to change the past is selfish and no one should decide who lives and who dies", Sorey said. "Knowing that.. I feel the malevolence inside myself grow stronger every time I think about it."

Just as he said that Mikleo felt the pang in his chest grow stronger again, felt the malevolence around them grow and knew it came from Sorey. Then he heard Sorey take a shaking breath, then another and the waves coming from him dimmed down a little.

"I felt bad for rejecting you as my Sublord but I felt even worse for dragging you along with me, through all this danger."

Mikleo was sure Sorey said that and yet it sounded so far away. The whole Sublord drama - they never really addressed it again after Sorey fainted in the Galahad ruins that day. To hear him talk about it now..

"...the reason I rejected you in the first place", he remembered to focus back on Sorey's voice. "There were so many instances you could have died because of my inexperience! That time in Marlind, with my vision.. I tried to hide it so no one would worry and then it almost killed you because no one knew what was going on. Or on that battlefield, when I insisted on going against Heldalf and I lost my resonance. I could've lost y-"

"But you didn't", Mikleo interrupted him before his malevolence could act up again. It was still his job to reassure Sorey after all. "You can't get rid of me that easily." He took a deep breath before he continued. "And I came along because I wanted to. I may not have known what I was getting into fully but I was aware of the dangers the path of the shepherd would bare."

"It wasn't supposed to end like this though."

"Is it really over, Sorey?"

"I no longer have the power to purify Hellions. How can I defeat the Lord of Calamity if I don't even dare call myself the Shepherd?"

"Is that really what we set out to do?", Mikleo asked, urging Sorey to think back to that first time they left Elysia together. "We wanted to see the world, remember?"

He could hear Sorey take in a sharp breath, then felt the other's hand cup his own, squeezing tightly. "With all the things going on", Sorey breathed, "I almost forgot about our dream."

"Even if saving the world isn't within the range of our possibilities, the things we did manage sure didn't go unnoticed. And we can still follow our dream, even now. Let's focus on us for now, instead of the world, how does that sound? We can walk a new path, in our own pace for now. Small steps towards a bigger goal."

"Our own pace..", Sorey repeated with newfound wonder.

He let go of Mikleo's hands and Mikleo felt his heart sink to his stomach as Sorey stood up. Did he say something wrong?

But Sorey walked in front of him, smiling through the dried tears that shimmered in the moonlight and extended a hand towards Mikleo. "Just us, right?", he asked as Mikleo took his hand.

"Yes, just us."

"I think I like that."

[lloydart]

A brief summary of Asteria - Recollections of Eden (Part Three)

In case you haven’t seen the previous posts they are here;

Part One!

Part Two!

Apologies for not doing this last night but here’s the third part of Lloyd and Colette’s role in the Asteria arc ‘Recollections of Eden’.

At the end of the last part the group had freed Velvet from the delusion world Lazaris had imprisoned her in. Lazaris then surrounded Shangrace in crystal so no one could approach, even Colette who has the power to repel/destroy Lazaris’ crystals.  

Van and Lazaris’ ultimate plan is still unknown but we do get this snippet from Van in the next scene;

The group decides they need to regain the memories of Roar, Fang and Claw to hopefully find out how to break the barrier (and also because they want their friends back!)

They come to the conclusion that their White Lion friends are most likely not in Shangrace with Van and Lazaris because the city is already being protected by crystal. At the same time three pillars of light appear in the nearby area.

I’m a little unsure of the next part but I think they meet with Harold who seems to have worked out that the crystal barrier is being fuelled by these three pillars and works out which white lion is guarding them. Colette and Zelos chase Fang. They are again accompanied by Mikleo and Sorey after a cute scene in which Colette finds a stray puppy and Mikleo, despite his dislike of dogs, helps her find its mother. They have a nice moment talking about Colette wanting to be strong enough to protect the people around her.

On their way to the pillar they run into another familiar person

^ I did enjoy this interaction.

Raine has no memory of Colette and Zelos and says she was just checking out the forest with a bodyguard because she heard there was a temple hidden where the pillar of light is, although she couldn’t get in.

The group bid farewell to Raine and after awhile of searching they find a door guarded by some White Lion guards (no one important)

They break in and fight a bunch of monsters. During this time Colette takes a hit for Mikleo and hides her injury for awhile until Mikleo finally notices.

Mikleo berates Colette for hiding it and says they can’t help her if she’s not honest with them. That in the end its more dangerous to hide it and she needs to rely on them more.

^ again sorry for bad photos here

They patch her up and make it to the top floor where they once again meet-

Lloyd still hasn’t regained his memories even though they try really hard to remind him of his true self. And before you fight him there’s a cool moment where he finally takes off his mask.

Colette and co manage to take out a bunch of the other white lions but Lloyd is very strong. Sorey and Mikleo attempt to armatise but Lloyd, remembering when they did so before, forces them apart so they can’t and ultimately wins the fight, knocking out both Zelos and Sorey.

Colette is taken under arrest by the guards so it’s just Mikleo left. Mikleo uses twin flow but misses Lloyd. It turns out he was actually attacking Colette’s guards and freeing her.

Colette takes the opportunity to attack the crystal, destroying 1/3 of the barrier around Shangrace. Lloyd has to admit defeat but then they hear a rumbling noise and the monster they fought before in the tower appears.

Colette tries to take down the monster on her own but her injury slows her down and Lloyd steps in to help her. They both defeat the monster and stop it from hurting anyone else (Sorey and Zelos are still unconscious somewhere around here lol). This seems to finally trigger Lloyd’s memory returning

^ good life advice

Mikleo tells Lloyd to keep pretending to be Fang so he can get more info from Van and Lazaris.

They need to separate for awhile but this way they’re hoping Lloyd can gather information for them.

They’re sad they need to separate but promise to see each other again.

Here’s part four!

[alteredphoenix]

Making some last-minute predictions before ToArise drops. I don’t care how wildly inaccurate they are, I want to see how many I get right:

- Law’s the traitor - And if it’s not him, then Dohalim will be the traitor - However, if the game is pulling the famous SUBVERTING EXPECTATIONS meme, then no one will be the traitor - But if the game wants to be cruel, then Hootle will be the traitor (this isn’t likely) - Basically I’m banking on Law - Probably gonna get some Christmas Cake/thicc memes on Kisara because this is somehow looking to be her legacy out of universe and ASS is the only thing that springs into most people’s minds when there’s a Reddit/Twitter post about her - Alphen won’t be secretly Renan like people are hoping - Also the rest of his face that’s covered by the helmet is fucked up and Bishounen Lite like the DLC costumes are making it out out be - Shionne stops being a frigid bitch after maybe 50% of the game but she has to Pay the Price for happiness - There’s a sci-fi experiment reason as to why Rinwell, a Danan, can use Renan magic - Either that or there’s some interracial consummation that went on with her ancestors so she’s a half-blood - When Law says that Shionne’s going to have to choose between her people and the Danan rebellion he’s really talking from EXPERIENCE because the dude sold out his own people to get in with Renan secret police; this will come back to bite him in the ass later because that’s Karma For You - If the game is pushing romance like people are hoping for, then Alphen needs to make a comment about Shionne being a ‘bright-eyes’ but it’s (affectionate) rather than (derogatory) - We’ll be able to ride shotgun on a spaceship we steal or get gifted one - AS IS TRADITION with Tales, everyone’s going to have some kind of Bertie Bott’s Every Flavour Beans’ flavor of Tragic Backstory. I say it’s a toss-up between Rinwell, Shionne, and Alphen; I want say Kisara, too, because this chick’s too nice, she’s gotta be brimming with ANGST somewhere. - Bad guys die, idk who they are and don’t really care - But I don’t think the Water Sword Guy is related to Alphen - When Alphen gets his memories back it turns out he was legit a Bad Guy; getting his head knocked around makes him forget he was Bad and probably going off the traumatic deep end from whatever he was doing prior to the start of the story - There is no Tales superboss; instead it’s The Owl King - you didn’t get all those other little Hootles for nothin’, you HAVE TO PROVE YOUR WORTH TO HIM - But if there is a superboss, it’s Yuri because Popularity Sells - If it’s not Yuri, it’s probably Sorey and Mikleo/any of the seraph because he can bring a gun (Sigfried) to Alphen’s swordfight

ENDING PREDICTIONS! - We get some mish-mash of Symphonia where Dana and Rena or whatever their current homeworld is gets smashed into one uber-planet. Everybody lives. - We don’t get the uber-planet but Dana and Rena are cut off forever. Everybody lives but they might be sad because idk Alphen’s on one side and Shionne’s on the other so they don’t get to pal around for the rest of their lives, idk - Two-thirds of the cast die. Idk which ones, they just do - We get a Bad End a’la Xillia 2 where Rocks Fall, Everybody Dies - even Hootle - More realistically, AS IS ALSO TRADITION with Tales games, Alphen and Shionne get hit with the They Both Die At The End trope like that Adam Silvera book and I get to watch the salt flow on the forums - Or the game can mollywhop me over the head and surprise me where Everybody Lives/Nobody Dies and there is an actual Happy Ending. - But AS IS TRADITION I’m banking on that quintessential, controversial Bittersweet Ending where sacrifice is metaphorical to death

[sheps-shepherd]

Title: Perfectly Perfect 

Pairing: Mikleo/Sorey; Mikleo & Sorey

Rating: T (for non-explicitly implied sexual content)

Written for @sormikweek​ 2020 Day 8: New Moon - New beginnings; Blank page / El Nath - Neutrality for good or evil; Symbolically called the Shepherd

A/N: This is by far my favorite piece that I wrote for the entire week. It's also the piece that started the whole idea to use this week to expand this universe that I'm really excited to build on and share. Expect not only the rest of the week's prompts, but many more independent works from this world.

"This world" being a BBC Merlin AU in which magic is illegal, Mikleo is a sorcerer hiding who he is, and Sorey is a prince living his best sunshine life. In case you haven't heard that spiel already.

Enjoy!

Read on AO3

---

“What if I changed my name?”

Mikleo turned from the spellbook he was reading with a smile on his lips, sure that Sorey would greet him with a matching one. But Sorey wasn’t even looking at him, let alone smiling. He was standing by the window, arm braced against the stone wall above it, staring out into the courtyard with a shadowed look on his face. Mikleo’s smile faded. He’d been catching Sorey with that kind of look on his face more often these days than he liked. 

“Where did that come from?” Sorey offered a half-hearted shrug and stayed silent. Mikleo didn’t buy it for a second. He closed the book and stood from his spot, crossing over to the other side of the window. “Is this about the coronation tomorrow?” Sorey winced like he’d been hit, which was as good as an admission in Mikleo’s eyes. “Sorey, it’s okay to be nervous-” 

“That’s not it,” Sorey said, shaking his head insistently. “It’s not nerves.” 

“Then why have you been thinking about changing your name?” 

Sorey’s jaw worked like he was wrestling with the words inside his mouth. Mikleo waited patiently, leaning against the wall as he watched his prince. 

King, Mikleo mentally corrected himself. Today was the last day that Sorey would be a prince. Although, in Mikleo’s opinion, Sorey had been a king for a long while already; it just hadn’t been official until now. 

“Because I don’t think I can do it.” Mikleo opened his mouth, ready with another protest. But Sorey finally turned to look at him, and the shadows hiding in the green of his eyes made him pause.

Sorey finished, “I don’t think I can take the crown if I still have his name.”

“Sharing his name doesn’t mean anything. You couldn’t be more different than him.”

“I know that. I know that, but….” Sorey squeezed his eyes shut and bowed his head. “Mikleo, I can’t stop thinking about it. And if I can’t stop thinking about it, then how can I expect anyone else to?”

Mikleo reached out, placing his hand on Sorey’s shoulder as gently as he could. The muscle beneath his palm was taut with what he now understood was several days worth of stress and anxiety - this had been on Sorey’s mind for a while, probably ever since Velvet’s abdication.

No. Probably longer than that.

“You’re not Artorius, Sorey,” Mikleo said. The name tasted vile on his lips, and hearing it made Sorey flinch again. “You could never be. The darkness in him didn’t come from his name. It doesn’t work like that.”

“But that’s what I’m talking about,” Sorey argued weakly, cracking his eyes open and peeking back over at him. “It feels like that, doesn’t it? It’s like it’s a curse now. No one wants to say it. No one wants to hear it, and I’m supposed to accept his crown in front of the entire kingdom like I don’t know that’s what everyone watching will be thinking?” He pushed himself away from the wall, away from Mikleo. His hand went up to tangle in his hair. “I won’t do that, Mikleo. I can’t.”

“Sorey,” Mikleo said, as calmly as he could with his heart racing so frantically in his chest. “This is your destiny. You accepting the crown tomorrow was the only thing in Camlann’s history ever meant to be set in stone. And no, not everyone is going to understand that, but you will. You do.”

“But what does knowing that change? That becoming king of the kingdom Arthur broke should make me feel good? That doing it with his name should make me feel proud? Because I don’t feel anything but afraid.” Sorey raked his fingers the rest of the way through his hair, the strands sticking out wildly in their wake. Mikleo had always poked fun about how Sorey’s hair seemed to constantly look some semblance of messy, but there was nothing charming about seeing it that way now. “Arthur wasn’t even my real father, but I’m still destined to get stuck with all his mistakes? I know destiny means a lot to you, Mikleo, but that doesn’t solve anything.”

Mikleo’s magic stirred in his chest. It trembled in the anxious atmosphere that had filled the room like it understood it had become a topic of their conversation. No one knew the burdens that came with destiny as much as Mikleo did. Not even Sorey.

His magic strained against his fingertips. He knew what it wanted to do. He let it.

“You aren’t destined to be stuck with any of Artorius’ mistakes.” Mikleo looked back to the window and felt his magic rush out of him. The latch clicked and the window pane creaked open on purposely rusty hinges. A gust of wind flew into the room, buoyed by the sweep of his magic as Mikleo focused back on his king.

As he expected, Sorey’s eyes were wide; he still got starstruck every time he saw Mikleo’s eyes flash amethyst, even though he’d seen it plenty of times at this point. The breeze blew through Sorey’s hair, righting the strands that had been tousled in his frustrated pulling, circling around his head like a halo until it deemed every piece in its place. It sent his earrings fluttering across his cheeks as it swept down towards his shoulders and dispersed with a flutter of his sleeves. Sorey still stared at him, wonder replacing the shadows that had haunted his eyes. Mikleo stared back.

“You’re destined to fix them.”

Sorey - who was Mikleo’s destiny, and always would be - blinked slowly. Mikleo watched the anxiety bleed out of him, watched as his shoulders dropped and his fingers uncurled and his face softened. He suddenly looked exhausted, but it was better than seeing him look so hopeless.

“Yeah,” he said softly. “Yeah, okay, that was what I needed to hear. Thanks, Mikleo.” He brought a hand back to his face and rubbed at his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to dump all that on you.”

That sounded more like the Sorey he knew. “Don’t apologize. If anything, I wish you had dumped this on me sooner.” He crossed the room again, and this time Sorey was there to greet him with a hand at his waist and a sheepish smile. “But I should have realized this wasn’t as easy on you as you were making it seem, so I’m sorry.”

Sorey opened his mouth, paused, then closed it again, like he had changed his mind about what it was he wanted to say. “It’s not easy,” he admitted finally, and Mikleo was sure he’d scrapped some kind of I’m fine, don’t worry about me speech. “It’s… been a lot to process. And sometimes it feels like I don’t have enough time to go through it all.”

“You don’t have to go through it all right now,” Mikleo said. “And you don’t have to go through it by yourself, either.” He placed his hand on Sorey’s arm, squeezing carefully. “I know Velvet’s leaving, and I’m not her, but-”

“I don’t want you to be like Velvet.” Sorey reached up to press his other hand against Mikleo’s cheek. “I want you to be you. Who else is going to tell me when I’m in over my head or being too dumb?”

“Velvet, but I see your point.” And his Sorey really was here again, because he threw his head back and laughed. A full, rich sound that made Mikleo think of sunshine - or maybe there were just things about Sorey that still left him starstruck, regardless of how many times he’d seen them. “As long as you’re okay with me taking up that mantle,” he continued once the other’s laughter died down, “I suppose that settles that.”

“I’m more than okay with it.” Sorey cocked his head then, staring at Mikleo with a fond grin on his face. “Sometimes thinking about all the destiny stuff makes my head spin, but I know it’s not all bad. After all, destiny brought me you….” His green eyes sparkled with mischief as he snuck his thumb beneath Mikleo’s fringe of hair, tracing across the skin of his forehead right beneath where his circlet rested. “...Luzrov Rulay.”

Like clockwork, Mikleo’s magic rose to the call. It swirled wildly in his chest, an involuntary spark that shot through his bones. The feeling wasn’t as alarming to him now as it had been when he was young with no idea of where it was coming from, which had resulted in his mother gifting him the circlet in the first place. Mikleo hadn’t felt that terrifying slipping feeling again until he met Sorey, although he eventually realized it wasn’t a rebelling of his magic, but instead an answer. The tampering enchantment he wore did nothing to block Sorey’s voice if he called, and Mikleo’s magic would never ignore their king. It pulsed in his palms, spiked aches in his knuckles on its way down to his fingertips, and then Mikleo felt the tell-tale rush that came with the beginning of a spell.

The window pane swung back and closed itself. The latch clicked. The drapes drew themselves shut with just enough of an opening for a sliver of light to keep the room dimly lit. But Mikleo still saw the stars that twinkled to life in Sorey’s eyes, also like clockwork as his own eyes flickered back to amethyst.

Sorey’s thumb moved again, now tracing a gentle path below his eye, watching intently for the moment the amethyst faded back to his natural blue. “There we go,” he murmured, and his magic sang from the praise as it settled back into his blood where it belonged.

Which then shot up to Mikleo’s face and burned his cheeks. “You know I hate it when you do that.”

“You know that I hate it when you use magic around me when I can’t fully appreciate it. It was only fair.”

“I was just trying to remind you.” He cleared his throat. “Which it seems I did.”

“You did.” Sorey’s other hand came up, and he tipped Mikleo’s head back as he properly cupped his face. “You definitely did.”

Sorey kissed him, and his magic simmered happily. It was all Mikleo could do to hold onto Sorey’s arms as he leaned into him, all warmth and comfort as Sorey thanked him in his own way.

Mikleo let him take his fill, felt his head begin to get that floaty feeling that came with Sorey’s more intense kisses; the kind of kisses they shared when they were alone that often built into something more, which were finally becoming more common between them, much to Mikleo’s delight. But when he felt one of Sorey’s hands leave his cheek in favor of moving down to press against the small of his back, Mikleo reluctantly twisted his face away, and brought his own hand up to keep the other at bay when he tried to follow.

“Wait,” he said, and Sorey’s pout was immediate. Mikleo pointedly ignored how cute it made him look. “The name thing. You need to tell me more about that first, before we get distracted.”

Sorey blinked. “Oh. That.” His brow furrowed thoughtfully. “Yeah, that wasn’t supposed to spiral into what it did. I really did just want your opinion.” His fingers flexed nervously at the small of Mikleo’s back. “So, what do you think? About maybe changing my name?”

“I think the question you should be asking me,” Mikleo answered, “is what I think of whatever name you’ve already picked out.”

Sorey was surprised enough to take a step back, and Mikleo rolled his eyes. “Honestly, Sorey, I’m not stupid. You wouldn’t have brought it up to me at all if you hadn’t gotten that far with it.” The pout returned. Mikleo ran his hands up Sorey’s arms, settling on his shoulders where he gave him a light shake. “Come on, tell me.”

“I really can’t get anything past you, can I?” Sorey sighed and straightened his shoulders. “I thought about just taking Velvet’s name. I mean, it would have made sense. The Crowe family is technically the one that should be on the throne. But.... I didn’t like the way that made me feel either. I’m not really Velvet’s brother any more than I was Arthur’s son.”

Mikleo opened his mouth, but the hand on his cheek shifted to cover it before he could speak. “And I don’t mean that in a bad way,” Sorey hurried on. “I just mean I think I’m finally ready to make my own name. I don’t want to be defined by Velvet any more than I do Arthur. I think it’s time I finally start just being Sorey, don’t you think?”

He took his hand away, dropping it awkwardly onto the bend of Mikleo’s elbow. Sorey stared at him with the most hopeful look Mikleo had ever seen on his face, and he didn’t know if it was possible to fall in love with someone twice, but their relationship had braved greater unknowns than that.

“Yeah,” he said softly, “I do.”

The smile that split across Sorey’s face put the sun itself to shame.

“I like Shepherd,” he said, voice quiet like it was taking everything he had not to burst with excitement. “I thought it fit nice. I came from something simple, just like all the people I’ll be leading. I want them to know that.”

Mikleo nodded as his eyes stung with pride. Hearing that made him prouder than any ancient script of destiny ever could. His destiny was to make sure Sorey took the crown tomorrow, but Sorey made himself worthy of it all on his own.

“Sorey Shepherd.” It was like magic, sizzling on his tongue. “I like it, too. It’s perfect.”

You’re perfect, Mikleo didn’t say. Sorey looked happy enough to cry without hearing that part.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’re right; it suits you.”

The pressure that suddenly appeared at the small of his back told him what Sorey’s next move was going to be, and he held up his hand again before Sorey could swoop back in. “But,” he chimed, maybe just a little teasingly as he watched impatience paint Sorey’s face, “to answer your original question, I think the whole thing’s a great idea. You of all people deserve a new beginning.”

Sorey smiled at him, something softer and more tender but just as warm. It matched the way he cradled Mikleo’s face. “You’re my new beginning,” he murmured. “You always were. You always will be.”

And while Mikleo would normally shove him for saying something so horribly cheesy, he let Sorey have that one. He wouldn’t have been able to stop the stupid smile that spread across his own face anyway.

Sorey’s fingers twitched against his cheek. “If there’s anything else from that spiel you want to talk about, you should say it now. Because once I kiss you again, I’m not going to be able to stop.”

Mikleo shook his head with absolutely nothing but fondness. He glanced over Sorey’s shoulder, eyeing the lock on his bedroom door, and his magic rushed to do his bidding. He heard the heavy click a moment later. The drapes were next with a glance over Sorey’s other shoulder, the sliver of light vanishing and shrouding them in darkness - but only for as long as it took Mikleo to light the candles on the walls.

The flickering flames sent shadows dancing across Sorey’s face, and Mikleo took a moment to appreciate the way he looked, just like he knew Sorey was doing as he felt his magic curl within him once more.

“No,” he answered, belatedly. “You can kiss me again.”

And Sorey, his sweet and shining king, was true to his word.

The next morning, His Majesty Sorey Shepherd of Camlann was formally sworn to the throne. The crown glittered where it nestled in his brown hair, caught by the sunlight streaming in through the windows as he stood on the dais, surrounded by his people. Rose and Zaveid were the ones who started the chant, passing it along to Velvet and Alisha and soon to everyone in the room. But Mikleo whispered his piece to himself, and his magic glowed with understanding. They would do everything they could with every bit of power they had to make sure the wish was fulfilled.

Long live the king.

[somefinelipstickonthatpig]

Of Tunnels and Light Fic #6, Zestiria - AtlA AU

[Read on AO3]

In order to avoid the ever-encroaching Fire Nation, Sorey and the gang need to sneak out of the valley surrounding the mountaintop city of Omashu. Luckily, the Sparrowfeathers know intimately well the songs and tales of the "Secret Tunnel" that cuts straight through the mountains.

o - o - o

“Ohhhhhhh my gooooooooshhhhhhh! Would you look at him? Would you just wook at ‘im! He’s adorable, yes he is!”

“You probably shouldn’t get too close, Rose.”

“Aw, he’s harmless!”

“Right now. Atakk isn’t known for being friendly to anyone else that isn’t Lailah or Sorey.”

“Oh, but I think we can make an exception for me, right? Because you’re just so cute and friendly! Aren’t you?” Rose deepens her voice and puffs out her cheeks as if she were talking to a baby as she squeezes the sides of Atakk’s snout. From where Mikleo stands a few feet away, it looks more like she’s hugging his giant nose. 

“Aren’t you sweet, you big, adorable, scaley, big, winged, big dragon, you?” 

Mikleo fists his hands at his side and huffs. “Rose!” 

“Lighten up, would ya, Mik?” The merchant-turned-ally turns to toss a grin over her shoulder. Her hands rub all over the snout of a very happy, contended black dragon. Atakk rumbles, a sound not too unlike a purr emanating lowly from his chest. “He’s like a little pupling. He’s fine.” 

Atakk rolls over and kicks his claws into the air. The surrounding forest shakes under the toss of his weight; trees shudder and shake loose idling birds. Leaves flutter slowly to the earth. Mikleo blows off the one that fell on his nose and rolls his eyes. 

Rose squeals.

“Then again, maybe it’s just Fire Nation assholes he likes,” he mumbles and, despite what Sorey and Lailah said about keeping watch as Rose was finally introduced to Atakk, turns around to wander back to camp. 

o - o - o

“We’ll have to cut through the mountain.”

“What? Are you kidding me? That’s the last thing we should do. You’ve heard the stories about the tunnel, right?” 

“We only sing them twenty times a year--”

“--and whenever the spring comes because spring brings romance and romance brings paying audiences,” Eguille finishes, his voice overlapping with Dezel’s dry tone. He turns to Dezel and shakes the map in his hands so that it rustles very loudly in the forest clearing. “That tunnel is a tunnel of death. We’re not guiding the Avatar through a place that could potentially kill him.”

Sorey turns the instant he hears a rustle of leaves. A broad and relieved smile breaks out on his face. “Mikleo. How’d it go?”

“Well, Atakk seems to have a new best friend.” Mikleo tries not to sound too glum about it. He plops down on the log next to Sorey and props his chin in his hand. “But I think I traded one annoying situation for another. Doesn’t sound like things are going too well over here either.”

“Yeah…I hope Lailah is having better luck than us with the twins and getting food.” 

Dezel sighs as if this conversation is taxing him. “He’s going to die anyway if we take the main or back roads. There was a reason we had to leave Omashu.”

“I know it as well as you do. If the Fire Nation takes Omashu…”

“So you don’t actually disagree with me.”

Eguille sighs and rolls up the map. In lieu of an answer, he turns behind him. “What do you say, Sorey? You’re the one we’re trying to smuggle out of the way of the Fire Nation’s raids. Do you think this entire crazy venture is worth risking the tunnel?”

“Tunnel?” 

As Eguille walks over to unroll his map before them, Dezel mutters, “There’s a secret tunnel, known only through legends and folktales, that cuts through the mountains surrounding Omashu. As occasional performers--at Rose’s behest--we’re well familiar with the songs and tales.”

“Does that mean you sing?”

Dezel’s mouth quirks at Sorey’s question. Mikleo’s pretty sure he saw Eguille’s eyebrow give a funny twitch. 

“I want to hear the song!” Sorey asks with fisted hands. Mikleo’s pretty sure those are stars he sees in his friend’s eyes.

“No.” Eguille shakes his head and quickly rolls up the scroll. He straightens to a stand and turns around. “Besides, that has nothing to do with determining our way out of this spirit-forsaken valley. If we want to get away from Omashu and the encroaching Fire Nation, then we need to decide how.”

“Well, you know what my vote is.”

Sorey and Mikleo turn around. Rose stands behind them, her feet shoulder-width apart, with her arms crossed proudly over her chest. She winks at them and then with a flourish of miming a guitar solo, belts unceremoniously, “SECRET TUNNEL!” 

Eguille slaps a hand over his face. Mikleo stifles his snicker behind his hand.

Sorey gasps excitedly. “Is that the song?”

“You bet it is!” Rose grins. She makes a dismissive gesture. “I mean, more or less. Usually I make Eguille sing; he’s got the much better tenor. But that’s besides the point!” With no warning, she squats down behind Mikleo and Sorey and loops an arm around each of their necks, sticking her head in the space between them. “With you two along, it’s practically a no-brainer for us to take that Secret Tunnel, because we’ll be out through that labyrinth in no time!”

“Labyrinth?” Mikleo asks at the same time that Sorey wonders, “How’s that?”

“Uh, duh, ‘cuz the legends always say that if you trust in love, then you’ll make it through okay.” 

“Trust in--” Sorey looks to Mikleo immediately.

At the same time, their faces burn bright red. Mikleo looks away first, stuffing his hands in his lap.

“See?” Rose straightens up and claps her hands in the center of their backs. “With you two dorks around, I think we’ll be just fine.”

“It’s not--” Mikleo tries to say but Rose has already stepped around the log, her attention on Eguille and Dezel as they talk about travel plans.

In the awkward silence that follows her departure, Sorey risks a glance at Mikleo’s profile. His eyes fall to his bare neck. 

They still hadn’t talked about what happened that night in Omashu.

Sorey doesn’t think he knows what he wants to say of the bubbly, twisting feeling in his gut. He doesn’t know what he wants to say about, “Hey, sorry I freaked out and went all Avatar state when you got hurt,” or “Hey, do you want me to make you a new necklace? Would you even wear a new betrothal necklace? We aren’t eight anymore, but I think maybe my feelings about you haven’t changed so much as deepened, but now I kind of wonder: does a necklace even encompass everything I feel about you now?”

The words never come.

“It’s just a legend. Right?”

Sorey blinks, eyes snapping back up to Mikleo’s. His friend’s eyes seem lost in the shadows of the trees far beyond their camp. “What?”

“Nothing.” Mikleo stands up with a heavy sigh, not meeting Sorey’s eyes. “We’d better get everything packed.”

“Right…”

o - o - o 

Atakk is afraid of the giant, gaping tunnel. Sorey isn’t sure what to do to calm him down, especially when even Lailah seems to be at a loss. They both walk with one hand on either side of the dragon’s belly, bringing up the rear of their wandering group as they stride deeper and deeper into the tunnel’s maze. Floating above their free hands, palm-up, are small balls of fire.

It’s Mikleo’s idea to use a map and mark the directions they came from. He borrows a blank scroll from the Sparrowfeathers’ cart and scribbles furiously at every turn. Every once in a while, his tongue peeks out between his lips when his face tightens in confusion.

Sorey thinks it’s adorable.

When they find their tenth dead-end, Dezel sighs. “This isn’t working.”

“Course not.” Rose doesn’t sound the least bit surprised; with both hands clasped behind her head, she seemed to be the epitome of relaxed. “The legends don’t say to uh, try and create a map of the tunnels’ twisting labyrinth and maybe you’ll find your way out.”

Mikleo spins around and glares.

Rose shrugs. 

They retrace their steps.

When they arrive at the previous intersection of tunnels, Mikleo gets into a heated debate with Rose and Eguille, one in which Dezel occasionally throws his two cents into. Sorey straightens the same instant Atakk does--a thing Mikleo chalks up to the strange connection the two have--until Sorey worryingly mutters, “Hey. Guys, you hear that?”

Atakk grows more agitated. He wriggles and backpedals, eyes scanning the many surrounding dark tunnels. 

Felice cups her hands around the back of her ears. Her twin answers for her, quiet and frowning: “No.”

Sorey’s eyes snap to the same tunnel Atakk’s does. “I think there’s--”

With an ear-piercing shriek, a giant mole-bat launches itself out of the shadows with mad flaps of its two, veined wings. Its mouth is open as it flies for their faces, teeth gleaming sharp in the dark. 

Rose yelps and squats low, covering her head. Eguille throws up his hands in front of his face. 

Dezel throws up a gust of wind that buffets the mole-bat, knocking it up and away before it can sink its teeth and claws into anyone. As if he had stirred a hornet’s nest, a dozen more mole-bats immediately drop from the ceiling and flutter together in a swarm. The mole-bats form a cloud of unearthly, cacophonous screams, gushing out from the tunnel and over their heads.

Atakk freaks.

Roaring loud enough to drown out the panic of the mole-bats, Atakk darts away from Lailah and Sorey’s hands, backpedaling in a mad haste.

“Atakk, wait--!”

Atakk thrashes against the walls, squirming and screaming. The bellows rising up from his chest augment the moment he realizes, beady eyes wide, that there’s no escape. There’s no sky. There is only the earth and this tomb and already, Atakk had been uncomfortable in this underground tunnel; now, it is suffocating and terrifying and Atakk wants out--wants out--wants out--

Sorey presses the heel of his hand to his temple with a quiet groan.

In a flash, Mikleo is at his side. “Sorey!”

“Calm him down!” It is perhaps the first time they have ever heard Dezel raise his voice beyond a murmur. “That damn dragon is going to bring down the entire ceiling if he--”

A sudden crack drowns out the rest of his words. It booms, reverberating throughout the underground cavern. Two more thunderous cracks follow, and then giant, lumpy chunks of rock drop. 

In a brilliant spin that fans out the ends of his black coat, Dezel jumps. 

It is the last thing Mikleo and Sorey see before they are flung to the side by a mighty gust of wind.

Dust fills the chamber.

o - o - o

Atakk’s screams have quieted into pitiful whines. His claws scrape and pull against the piled stone in front of them. Mikleo and Sorey hold onto each other with wide eyes, fingers fisting tightly in the dirtied blue other’s water-tribe wear.

It is so, so quiet on this side of the cave-in. It would be so, so dark without Sorey’s fire.

“Should we help him?” Sorey murmurs.

Mikleo can still taste a filmy, grainy layer of dust on his tongue, coating his mouth and drying his tongue. He shrugs weakly. “I’m not sure what good it would do.”

“Sorey! Mikleo!”

Sorey jerks up to his feet. He stumbles over to the mountain of rocks. “Lailah! Lailah, we’re here! We’re both here and okay!” With one last, meek wimper, Atakk collapses against the stone and slides down to the earth. Sorey swallows and bends to put his free hand on the side of his head. “What about you? Are you okay?”

“Oh, thank goodness! I was so worried!” There’s a pause before Lailah’s muffled voice reaches them again. “Yes! We’re all fine, thanks to Dezel’s quick thinking. I imagine you’ll learn that trick yourself sometime, Sorey!”

“Y-yeah…”

“In the meantime!” Rose’s voice drifts over. “It’s no use trying to dig through this. We’ll meet you on the other side of the tunnel, all right?” 

Mikleo’s presence is warm as he joins Sorey’s side. “The other side?” he sputters. “How?! How, exactly, are we supposed to find our way out when the tunnels themselves keep on changing! This is impossible!”

“No, it’s not! You just gotta trust in love, my dude!” Rose calls back. “Sing the song if you want! You know the words by now!”

“I’m not singing!”

“Then that’s Sorey’s loss!”

Sorey’s ears burn bright red. He thinks he sees Mikleo’s face tinged red, too--or maybe that’s a trick of the firelight still burning above the palm of his hand.

“You guys will be fine! Trust me! Or rather…” Rose pauses dramatically and then adds, “Trust in love.”

Mikleo groans and shouts, “Rose!” but Rose’s laughter grows distant. When he grabs at the stone and calls for her again, there’s no answer. “This isn't funny!” he adds and with a huff, he pushes away from the pile. “Fine. Whatever. If she’s going to be like that and we’re on our own, then we’ll just…we’ll…” 

“Mikleo?”

“C’mon, Sorey. I don’t think we’ve tried this tunnel yet.”

“O-okay. C’mon, Atakk…”

Atakk makes a pitiful sound but lifts himself from the ground to slunk after them.

o - o - o

The tomb is the last thing Sorey expects to find in these Secret Tunnels, but the one thing Mikleo was most anticipating. With help from Atakk, the heavy round stone blocking the entrance is shoved aside and immediately, eras-old, undisturbed dust wafts over them.

“Eugh. Gross.” Mikleo scrunches his nose up and coughs.

“But so, so cool,” Sorey breathes and when Mikleo looks to his friend’s profile and sees the wonder in his green eyes, he starts to smile.

“Yeah,” he murmurs. “I guess.”

Sorey turns to Mikleo to give him one bright grin, before he bounds down into the crypt. Mikleo follows.

In the antarctic tundra of the South Pole, Sorey and Mikleo have had little exposure to underground tombs and crypts and dusty rock walls covered with hieroglyphs. This feels like hallowed ground: two sarcophagi in the center of the chamber and two giant statues carved into the wall at the back, bent into a tender kiss. The ancient stones whisper stories to anyone willing to listen. Mikleo and Sorey have never seen anything like it.

“I think I want to keep this close to my heart,” Sorey murmurs, voice lost as if he were in a happy dream. “Y’know?”

“You want to keep close a tomb?” Mikleo chuckles. 

“You know what I mean!” Sorey huffs and when Mikleo has to press a hand to his mouth to keep from laughing more, Sorey turns away with a sheepish smile. “I just think there’s something so neat about this. We were so, so afraid of being lost forever in these tunnels and then, all of a sudden, we found something incredible. Isn’t that amazing?”

“Well, the timing surely is convenient.”

“Yeah. And maybe it’s silly, but I think if I weren’t the Avatar, maybe I would like to find more cool, forgotten things with old stories. I think I love exploring,” Sorey whispers. Mikleo watches him, something tightening in his throat as Sorey’s fingers trace the tragic romance of Oma and Shu on the cavern wall. “I think I love this.” 

Mikleo doesn’t know why his chest feels tight and at the same time so warm. Why is he, in turn, so happy to see Sorey so happy? Shouldn’t they be frustrated and hungry? Afraid? Why, of all things, is he only glad to hear Sorey talk about something he loves?

Because I think I--

Oh.

Mikleo’s breath hitches in his throat.

Oh.

Sorey doesn’t notice. His hand not occupied with keeping a fire going continues to trace the tragic romance of Oma and Shu. 

Mikleo’s fingertips brush his bare neck.

“Sorey.”

Sorey lifts his gaze from the wall. “Yeah?”

“I think…I think you should let the fire go out.”

“What?”

Mikleo turns around, violet eyes burning in the firelight like iridescent burgundy. Sorey can’t take his gaze away, not when his childhood friend looks at him with such intensity and certainly not when Mikleo presses himself so close to his side. Sorey feels his heart flutter high in his throat. 

“It’s okay,” Mikleo breathes. He gently takes Sorey’s hand holding the flame. Sorey turns bright red. “Let it go out.”

“Mikleo--”

“It’s okay.” Mikleo feels a thrill of pride at managing to sound so calm and so sure, so steady, despite the fireworks show his nerves are putting on at their close proximity. “It’s love. Right? The only way out is love. We have to trust it.”

“Okay.” Sorey swallows hard.

And there it is: the smallest tense of a slender eyebrow--a bend just near the curve of his eye--that probably tells Sorey a million things about what Mikleo is really feeling in this moment. Sorey has known Mikleo his entire life, far long enough to recognize what that flicker probably means, what that crack in the careful mask of his cool composure reveals:  that he is afraid, that he is nervous. That he isn’t sure about what is to come. Uncertainty has always put Mikleo at his most uncomfortable; he is a young man of careful planning and thoughtful action. Not spontaneity. He is not Sorey.

And yet, if he could be just as brave… 

“Sorey,” Mikleo begins, his voice soft and small. He can feel his own cheeks begin to burn. “...do you…love me?”

There’s a beat.

A brief snapshot of time where Sorey stares at Mikleo and Mikleo hesitantly raises his eyes to gaze back.

And then--

The fire goes out the same moment Sorey leans forward.

o - o - o

“Hey! You guys made it! See, I know you would!”

Sorey and Mikleo turn away from the dry valley ahead. Up in the sky high above, Atakk happily curls and uncurls, a slender, dark string sailing through the thick clouds at his leisure. His shadow passes over them as Sorey lifts a hand and jogs over to hug Lailah once she has slipped down from the giant badger-mole’s back. Over Lailah’s shoulder, he smiles at Rose and her Sparrowfeathers as they, too, descend from the back of two other badger-moles.

“You guys made it out okay, too!” Sorey passes a glance over them once the badger-moles have retreated into the tunnels. He can’t see any signs of injuries. “How did you get those badger-moles to help? That’s amazing!”

“We sang,” Rose says and puts her hands on her hips to sneer at Mikleo. 

Mikleo rolls his eyes.

“How about you two?” Lailah’s hand cups Sorey’s face. She tilts his head left and right and Sorey laughs. “You didn’t get hurt, did you? How did you get out of those tunnels?”

Sorey’s face reddens. “Well…” He looks to Mikleo.

After a long moment, Mikleo shakes his head. “That’s our secret.”

“Yeah, right. Ha! I bet you two--” 

Immediately, Eguille plants a hand over Rose’s mouth, dragging her by the arm ahead of the group. The bottom of Rose’s boots leave twin divets in the dirt as he marches along. “Let’s just all be glad we’re finally free of that spirit-forsaken Secret Tunnel and get on with our lives, yes? Yes,” he says.

“Agreed,” Dezel rumbles. He stops in front of Sorey. “Now that we are out of the valley, we should begin making our way for the Northern Air Temple. I will teach you airbending as we travel, but you should know that it will do you well to learn among your predecessors.” 

Sorey looks up to Dezel. “My predecessors?”

Dezel nods as if this is the end of their conversation and what he has said makes complete sense. He strides ahead. Lailah giggles and follows on his heels, motioning for Sorey and Mikleo to hurry.

Sorey looks to Mikleo.

Mikleo shrugs back and smiles. After a moment, he sticks out his hand.

Sorey takes it slowly and intertwines their fingers easily. Perfectly. Finding every space in between the other to weave and to hold. 

When they walk forward, it's together.

[sormikbigbang]

Masterpost

We’ve come to the end of the SorMik Big Bang 2019! Before we move on to the master post for 2019, we would like to express our sincerest thanks to all of you. It has been a wild ride and us mods couldn’t thank our participants enough for being such lovely people to work with. There’ll also be a feedback form the participants can fill in! The link will be distributed through email and shared in our discord server. We would like to know how you think about us and how you would like us to improve through our feedback form!

If you missed your chance this year, don’t worry, we’ll be back again in 2020! Do stay tuned for some exciting information on where this event will be going next year!

Without further ado, here’s the master post for all entries of SorMik Big Bang 2019!

Masterpost

(Announcement: Not all artists/writers have posted their works yet, so this masterpost will be updated gradually as they post until everyone has posted.)

As Soft as Feathers by Kagaminekupcake | Art by Melly Mel (still yet to be posted) & KimmySnacks

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary:  Two kingdoms lay near one another, and with the queens sharing a friendship, they thought it only natural to continue the friendly relations through their successors. Prince Sorey and Prince Mikleo grew up, therefore, spending their summers together and sharing memories over the pages of dusty novels. However, upon Sorey’s near coronation, Selene informs Mikleo that she plans to betroth him to a princess of another land. Mikleo argues heatedly with her before storming out of the castle, but he was never seen afterwards. All Sorey could find in the rain was his circlet- a prized possession he knew Mikleo would never leave behind. Maybe the swan he discovers in the forest in the following days can give him a clue as to where Mikleo has gone…

Fanfic still yet to be posted by Dola625 | Art by  mallowkey 

Ranting:  General Audiences

Summary:  Luvdisc love fortune has set its sight upon a pair of childhood friends who need just an extra push with tons of water, a sunset and of course Mikleo and newly smitten Luvdisc.

La Fragilité Des Grues en Papier by Naminette | Art by Kinsdura

Ranting: Mature

Summary:  Was it possible that his mother's tales were true?  A sacred mountain where the Kamis' sanctuary lay. Away from the human world they lived in. Wings adorn their back, divine beings that were one with nature. This is were Mikleo place was, where he would be safe and happy. Until years after a plague broke into the village in the valley and a young human had no choice left but to seek the gods' help without knowing how it would change Mikleo's world.

Everything you left behind by Strikedawn | Art by Retto

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary: After his uncle's death, Mikleo is forced to run away from his office for the weekend and tend to Camlann, Michael's old manor and his own childhood home. The house has seen better times-- Mikleo definitely won't be able to sell it like this.

(Does he even want to?)

But his uncle's metaphorical ghost isn't the only thing within those walls. There is Lailah and Zaveid, who have made of Camlann their house as much as Michael did. There is Sorey, with his lovely smile, his pure intentions, and his love for the decrepit house. They are everywhere in the house, making it theirs, making Mikleo feel... things. Mikleo definitely won't be able to sell the house like this.

(But then again--does he even want to?)

Demons, Mysteries, and Feathery Celestialness by Sage | Art by Oliver Niko & Vonderer

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary:  Sorey is a cop. When his current case turns out to involve elements both demonic and angelic, he suddenly finds himself both in over his head and with a new partner. Neither he nor the angel Mikleo are particularly happy to be saddled with each other. Can they work through their differences to solve the case?

Moon Phases by Melly Mel | Art by Raine 

Ranting: General Audiences

Summary: "The Sun has long fallen in love with the Moon and has done everything in his reach to conquer its heart, but the timid and stubborn Moon has always rejected it, afraid of these feelings. Time will teach that one cannot simply ignore such a strong and true love for so much time."

A story that tells how Sorey, the sun prince, falls ill for love after so many years trying to conquer the love of Mikleo, the moon prince, who’s not willing to believe him and misunderstand everything.

Fountain of Youth, the Elixir of Eternal Life by MegumitheGreat | Art by ZYO

Ranting: Explicit

Summary: At Lailah's request, Sorey and Mikleo take a break from their adventure and go through Pendago Shrinechurch's library. Coming across a legend titled "Shelanoir's Forest", they find themselves trapped within its pages and living the roles of the characters inside.

Resonance and Resistance by Eachainn | Art by Illium

Ranting: Mature

Summary: After eight years apart, Mikleo is more than ready to pick of the threads of the hopes and dreams that they had left drop when Sorey had left for Pendrago. But things are rarely that easy, especially when the Shepherds are involved. After all, it is a truth universally acknowledged that a Shepherd in possession of a good resonance must be in want of a seraph.

A Sormik Regency Era AU

Chasing Dreams by RoyalDelirium | Art by Mewnia

Ranting: General Audiences

Summary: And this is where their tale begins, they did not really know what would await them out there, but they had dreams to chase and questions to answer. As long as they were together nothing could escape their grasp.

The Best Tour by  Spectrum-sanctuary | Art by ArdentKnight & Unko (still yet to be posted)

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary: In the archaic city of Ladylake where there are more canals than brick pathways, boats called gondolas are the major mode of transportation and location of work. The most renowned of these occupations are those who guide tourists around the romantic and historic marvels of the city while rowing the gondolas, the gondoliers.

Seventeen-year-old Mikleo is among them, renowned for not only being young but also graceful and skilled with the oar. When he meets the newly-arrived student Sorey in the city, his usual life among the waves and ruins transforms into a tale of adventure and excitement... and perhaps even love.

The Gang Crashes a Party While in Drag by Pengiesama | Art by Nami & Minstrels

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary: Sorey and the crew investigate reports of a black market trafficking ring, and zero in on a particularly nasty noble at the center of it all. Luckily, said noble is opening his chateau to host a masquerade – the perfect opportunity to get close. Unluckily, the Shepherd’s fame has spread wide, and Sorey needs a disguise to make sure he’s incognito.

This is achieved by the obvious solution, and that's to disguise him in a dress and pass him off as Rose's sister. What could possibly go wrong?

Sir Sorey and the River Dragon by Treya-barton | Art by Kishi

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary: Sir Sorey is a curious, gentle knight from the kingdom of Ladylake ruled by a fair and beautiful Queen. One day she is approached by a village with news that they are being plagued by a dragon that is blocking their access to a river they use for trade. Sir Sorey is sent on a quest to investigate this dragon in order to resolve the villager's dilemma.

The Benefits of Being Impulsive by  FortunesRevolver | Art by Aimi

Ranting: General Audiences

Summary: It had all started out of sheer spite -- Sorey’s own bizarre desperate need to prove to his grandfather that he wasn’t that impulsive. Really, if he really wanted impulsive, Sorey could be impulsive. Or, maybe, somewhere deep down, he’d just wanted to talk to the really, really pretty boy sitting by the pool with stunningly white hair who just happened to be holding a copy of his favorite book series ever.

Art by MegumitheGreat (Their writer wasn’t able to get to finish due to personal reasons, but still asked MegumitheGreat to post their art anyway because it’s so cool!) 

Trust, Betrayal and Beyond by Sabi | Art by Mikleohno

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary: A long time ago, the country was separated into two factions: the Lotus faction and the Lily faction. Both factions had opposing ideals, which resulted in a war that lasted for decades. The war finally ended when the Lotus faction killed the Lily faction’s leader, thus bringing peace back to the land. Our story takes place a century later, focusing on Mikleo, the prince of the kingdom, who is doing everything he can to repair this country, as well as his new servant, Sorey, whose background is shrouded in mystery.

Eyes on the Horizon by Oliver Niko | Art by Siciel

Ranting: Mature

Summary: Mikleo is a nobleman kept captive for the magic he possesses. Sorey is a pirate, his crew determined to grant freedom to those with said magical capabilities.

The two are brought together not by this alone, but also by their similarities; the goal to do whatever it takes to protect Rolance's people from its corrupt emperor, and find the truth behind their missing mothers along the way.

The Color of Twilight by Luneath | Art by Succu (still yet to be posted)

Ranting: Teen And Up Audiences

Summary: “Ever since that day, Sorey has been looking for something. Desperately, yearningly, painfully. It's like chasing after a dream that’s hiding underneath his eyelids, almost there but not really. Just within reach, but could never be grasped fully. It’s like running after a figure — a blurred one, tinted blue, who owns half of his soul; his heart and his life. But he can’t remember. He knows, but never for sure. He just feels his heartstrings being tugged, but never to where or by whom. The more he tries to make sense of everything, the more he realizes it would hurt more to never find whatever’s — whoever’s gone. The only thing that gives him hope is the writing on his palm, tattooed in elusive curves that makes him feel warm and safe and nostalgic and a little like breaking. What’s written there, the meaning and the purpose — he doesn’t understand it at first. Not until some time. But even then, he swears he’s going to find whatever it is. And when he does, he’s never letting it go ever again."

[A Kimi no Na Wa (Your Name) AU featuring time travel, fluffy angst, switching bodies and switching lives, plus true loves and true names.]

Fanfic still yet to be posted by Miranda | Art by Okke (still yet to be posted) & Narain Yuna

Ranting: Explicit

Summary:  Clergyman!Sorey x Non-Believer!

Mikleo The heavy wooden doors opened and closed with an echo throughout the chapel, all but empty save for the decorative lanterns with the names of the twelve apostles lining the pillars leading up to the alter, the hand-carved plaques in the right-wing hallway depicting the Stations of the Cross of the same number donated by the generous family, and the overwhelming but whole-fully welcomed presence of Him which he felt. 

Sorey loved getting to do this-- well, he loved pretty much every aspect of his stay here as part of his training, but this was probably one of his top favorites: waking up to the early morning sun and say his morning prayers, picking some berries from his little garden as part of his breakfast before freshening up, and coming down to the church before Gramps arrived to start the day. He wasn't sure what made him want to say another morning prayer in the chapel when there was no need whatsoever. Perhaps it was simply just seminary habits or wanting the chapel to feel less... big? Lonely?

Or dusty? 

He chuckled at the thought and shaking his head, and joyfully continued to walk towards the alter. Thinking back to his childhood, it use to be a dark green stone like the rest of the flooring. In it's place now was a white marble with gray veins scattering sparingly here and there. Gramps wasn't sure who thought it was a good idea, and Sorey didn't really pay it much attention.

As he approached the alter and began to kneel, pulling out his mini prayer booklet from his pocket, the front double doors opened and closed yet again. Hm, strange, Sorey thought for a moment. Normally Gramps doesn't come in this early since traffic from... 

When he turned around to greet the wise old man who practically raised him from birth, Sorey was taken aback to see a young man with long dyed hair, faded black skinny jeans, and a somewhat revealing white and blue sweater with a v-neck that fell to show the side of his collar bone. Wait, was it dirty...?

It could've been the way he seemed to hold himself together-- just barely and could hardly seem like he wasn't shaking. It could've been the way his eyes, a deep blue from this distance, almost pleaded for mercy and safety. It could've just as easily been the way the light hit his unblemished face, his aquamarine tresses... 

Sorey knew, deep down, that he would never forget this moment. Someone or something must have whispered something to his heart or to his soul that day, to never let this memory go.

Fanfic still yet to be posted by Mogseltof | Art by Lynxlantern & Ammerynth (still yet to be posted)

Ranting: Mature

Summary: Since he was young, Sorey’s been friends with the curious, withdrawn sailor everyone in his seaside town avoids. Now he’s an adult, struggling to find material for his research, but his withdrawn friend has recently been made captain of his ship, and Sorey is offered the opportunity he’s been looking for -- the chance to get out of his town and see the places he’s actually researching. But Sorey has another reason to want to be out on the sea; they say there are mermaids in the waves, and Sorey has to know if his memories ring true, or if he imagined the boy in the river so many years ago. However, the voices of the dead sing loudly from the deep, and the captain is hiding something that may get them all in trouble.

We hope you enjoy the masterpieces made by our talented participants! See you again next year!

[troofless]

Just finished watching a walkthrough of Tales of Zestiria, and I must say it is as HYPE as its opening.

My favourite parts:

Sorey and Mikleo bickering — actually, every sormik scene

I swear 99.9% of Mikleo revolves around Sorey, the other 0.1% is him getting teased by everyone (this could be his biggest writing strength and flaw depending on who you ask)

The opening song. A BANGERRRRRR

The different branching routes you can take in Ladylake. Sell the knife? The pipe? Don’t sell both? Sell the pipe later on to get a cool hat as well? How do you enter the Sacred Blade ceremony? YOU CAN CHOOSE

Mikleo leaving Sorey, in the game: Oh don’t worry, Mikleo will be fine, I trust Mikleo to take care of himself :) :)

In the anime: dkjasfnlD MIKLEO DID WHAT??! LAILAH WE MUST GO AFTER MIKLEO RIGHT AWAY

Tbh the argument ‘arc’ he has with Sorey? One of the best parts of the game.

'Does a frog think of getting rid of snakes?’ ‘OH SO AM I A FROG NOW?’ ‘Your LIABILITY will be waiting in the inn’

When in the manga this slow burn (JUST GET CONTRACTED WITH MIKLEO ALREADY) gets extended to after Sorey contracts with Edna

When Mikleo calls Sorey out on his blindness in a skit THEY NOTICE EVERYTHING ABOUT EACH OTHER OKAY

Yeah also, just thinking about how Sorey’s known Mikleo’s true name for a long time now HNNNRNNHSDGGGGGHHHH

Mikleo using his rod not as a conduit for magic but as a whacking tool. He has a mystic arte Crystal Rod where he throws his rod at the enemy saying NOPE (best...) and a mystic arte Final Player where he uses it like a hammer saying “I’ll crush you! Again! Again and again!!” smacking the enemy into the ground LOLLLL

That One Mystic Arte where Edna rides on her umbrella like it’s a flying broomstick and shoots out earth rocks with a finger gun

Zaveid coming out of nowhere at random times, busting out his persona shooting himself in the head and demanding that they fight him

Rose shaking her hands with Sorey at supersonic speed when Sorey gets her to hear the seraphim and she thinks she’s hearing ghosts

The whole ‘we’re married’ scene when they get to Rolance, and the whole joke of Sergei continuing to think Rose and Sorey are married

Dezel laughing at Lailah’s lame animal jokes in the background

Dezel not being able to see, but that’s okay… because he can read the wind!

Dezel being the walking encyclopaedia for all animals and plants bc he’s been everywhere

Rose wants to catch a butterfly and sell it for money, but Dezel interjects and tells her it’s a ‘shae monyurose’ moth, so Rose gives up on catching it, saying people don’t pay a lot for moths

Another skit where Sorey and Rose want to catch these rabbits to eat, (they’re cute... AND delicious.) Dezel is horrified and chases them away by shouting really loudly (HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT??!!)

Everyone who plays Zestiria complaining about how Alisha isn’t a permanent team member, then having mixed debates about whether the anime saved or broke the story with Alisha-Armatization

ZAVEID RUNNING DOWN A WALL

“My way is to put the hellions back in hell” Zaveid says while doing the Dio pose

WRYYYYYYY

I love how he just appears out of nowhere and gets him to fight you, multiple times, in both Zestiria AND Berseria

Dezel suggesting they could just fly all the way to the top but Sorey and Mikleo go “But we WANT to see the ruins...!”

In the bad ending Heldalf is just like ‘nothin doing… just standing here…’ when the team goes in and slays him

Heldalf: You want to defeat me, right? But if you do, you can’t get the TRUE ending… bitch

Sorey:

I love how Rose and Alisha are uncommon heroines, using lances and twin blades instead of magic (Mikleo takes that one, hah). 

It’s like the writers of Zestiria were like Hmm. How do we explore the dark elements in this game by showing how people in Age of Chaos possess immense malevolence in their hearts and align it to the main story, and then went, Got it. Assassins. (Story of how Shepherd Sorey went gallivanting around with a princess *cough cough redactedbecauseshedoesn’texistinthegame* and an assassin~~)

Mikleo: Zaveid, there is literally NO REASON for us to fight. At all.

Zaveid: You gotta beat this ass first

And I think that is very sexy of him

Apparently if you take Dezel out of your team during the third fight with Zaveid, he will yell at you

Zaveid, T-posing on the ground: oh don’t mind me, just setting death flags for the only other wind seraph in this game so I can fill the XXX-shaped hole in your team later on in the game. Also here, take my glock

Dezel 🤝Eizen

    being the same person

GIVE ME THE HIDDEN DEZEL AND ZAVEID LORE (but Dezel doesn’t appear in Berseria…)

Rose “I just noticed, whenever Mikleo gets angry, it always has something to do with Sorey” after merchants look at Sorey and think he’s a con artist Shepherd, then in a later skit comments that No, that’s not true Mikleo does get angry even when it doesn’t involve Sorey, then Sorey says, Nah, he’s not angry, just overreacting.

When the plot says Sorey and Mikleo were destined to be the Shepherd and Sub Lord all along :o :v :O

THEY ARE FRIGGIN MARRIED OKAY

BOTH OF THEM. FROM THE SAME VILLAGE. BABIES. RED STRING OF FATE AAAAAA

Sorey and Mikleo in a skit talking about how they’re not really affected by their past bc their real family now is Elysia. It’s a really quiet and sweet moment.

Zaveid in a skit doing flower fortune readings bc he’s worried that the group hates him bc he was all FIGHT ME! before, but Lailah cheers him up with her own flower fortune telling (‘Uh, your origami flower only has... one petal Lailah’) saying Zaveid is their friend AWWWW

GIVE ME THE HIDDEN LAILAH AND ZAVEID LOREEEEEE

gdi I know we see more Pacifist!Zaveid in Berseria but I want a sequel nowwwwww

Sorey and Mikleo having a final conversation under the stars

SOREY FILLS IN MIKLEO ON HIS PLAN breaking the trope of not telling his team that he’s going to save the world by disappearing

One of the main messages Zestiria delivers is how one person shouldn’t take all the burden on themselves and how Sorey learns to rely on other people

Like Lailah staying silent bc of her oath and how that pains her

Like Mikleo... forming a pact with Sorey.....

God I love Zestiria for breaking tropes everywhere

Did I mention how Alisha and Rose have such good platonic relationships with Sorey? Yeah and you can take out the romantic hinting and it is still a good relationship? Without any shoehorning of ‘forced het couple’?

Sorey calling back to the time he had to close his senses to get Alisha to hear Lailah, tying it back into the main plot!!!! :o GALAXY BRAIN

SOREY PUTTING DEZEL’S HAT ON IN THE STARRY SKY CUTSCENE AND ROSE AND ZAVEID TRYING TO TAKE IT BACK

How the hell is Muse alive and not, like, a hag

Love how the final part is Sorey going “I’ll defeat you with the power of friendship!! And this gun I found”

*flashback to AFOvsAll Might* Sorey: You thought it was over with that punch? I have TWO HANDS!!!!

Ok no lie the final fight was epic

THIS... IS MY EVERYTHING!!!!!!

fsdljfnsdkflsfs;fsf look all the seraphim went into the battle not expecting to live and Sorey went in fully expecting to kill his seraphim friends and prepared to KILL

Compared to the start when Sorey was full-out 'don’t kill hellions Zaveid how could you!!!!’, you can see how the darker themes shine here

What I wouldn’t give for a corrupted!Sorey though, I was expecting it bc of clips I saw on Youtube BUT IT NEVER HAPPENED!!! Lowkey sad tho. Would love an arc where Sorey gets overcome by malevolence and becomes, like a jerk, but as like a morally grey character not fully blown evil (like Jerk Rose ig)

The epilogue with everyone!!! The Lord of the Lands (yeah Uno is very pretty)!!! Lucas!!!! Sergei and Alisha!!! The little drawings in the credits detailing Sorey’s journey!!!! Awwww

Overall a happy ending for Sorey and friends which is GREAT

SMOL SOREY AND MIKLEO EXPLORING RUIN TRAPS AT THE END

oh god I swear they are lowkey married they just don’t mention it to anyone look if you go back and play the whole thing with that in mind NOTHING ABOUT THE PLOT CHANGES

Mikleo my friend you have too many cape thingys on your back PLEASE

The callback to Sorey catching Mikleo though is so cute. In the anime we get the callback to “So this is the world!” htgdgmfgmmmmgfg idk the anime is one hole I don’t want to explore rn

sfaljdfsdlf but yeah though the epilogue was nice and clean and up to reader’s imagination, I wished they expanded more on the epilogue (LET US SEE SOREY..... *fighting back tears*), at least THANKS TO THE ANIME we get to see post-Heldalf Alisha and Rose tho hnggggrrgh

*chanting* D-L-C, didn’t know they had a D-L-C

DLC

ROSALI VIBES jkahdfjksdfs give it all to meeeee

Rose and Alisha catfighting sjdnflsjdfadfhgnfghth THIS IS THE ICONIC ROSALI VIBE I SWEAR

Because of this, this DLC is now elevated to god standards

Edna and Lailah casually talking while Rose and Alisha roll in the background LMAOOOO

Rose must be the most unconventional Shepherd ever and that is GREAT

Bruh is Alisha wearing an abbreviated costume of Mikleo’s

Anyway she’s so cute in her DLC outfit!!!

Alisha ditching keigo is so. Very. Cute.

Alisha and Sorey: :) :D :)))

Alisha and Rose: Bitch. }:(  >:V

Love the girl’s party vibe, and how we get cameos of Zaveid and Mikleo (LET US SEE MORE DEVASTATED MIKLEO PLEASE....) along the way

Sadly no more DLC episodes :( wonder why that got axed, bc fans didn’t like it?

Overall I must say the Zestiria cast is awesome, I really like all the characters and how they are fleshed out very neatly with their own quirks and goals. Edna being god tier with her monotone sarcasm (she is QUEEN....), Zaveid being that dumbass that looks like a stripper (HIM.... baby...), Mikleo being ultimate waifu and how his comedic moments shine with Edna and everyone else when he’s being teased, Sorey being so pure and cute when he geeks out with Mikleo and how his character arc is just such a refreshing take on the hero archetype, Dezel with his stoicness Imma Get Revenge but also his cast knowledge and love for animals, Rose for exploring the side of reality in the malevolence in people’s hearts and her :3 smile and her determination to get things done and how she’s so different from Sorey which only brings out her charm, Lailah with her awful puns and eccentricity and quiet compassion. And uh, Alisha for being the bait-and-switch heroine but a decent character with her own personal goals that are separate from the main character. Sergei and Lucas are also very lovable.

As for the setting, Rolance and Hyland as two kingdoms seem a little small scale compared to lets say if they added one more kingdom, but seeing as this is a 2015 game I think the exploration map is pretty good (then I compare to Xenoblade Chronicles which came out in 2010 and just change the subject). Love the outside game mechanics Giant’s Fist, Wind Stepping and Water Shield (when Mikleo protects Sorey with that!!! And Sorey calls him out by saying he’s been practicing it for a long time... And you recall every time Mikleo asks Dezel and the other older seraphim to teach him stuff so he can get stronger to help Sorey and how 99.9% of his character revolves around Sorey). ‘That spinny mist thing sure gets the job done’ haha. 

Anyway, great game and plot, please go check out if you have time, esp rn since animes and other games coming out will be stalled it is a great time to check out older games aaaaaaa

[ice-cream-beat]

Title: A Tale of Two

Author: 狸コージ Circle: Mr.マグロ

Series: Tales of Zestiria Main characters: Sorey, Alisha, Mikleo + party cameos Ships: Sorey/Alisha

Content rating: G Warnings: None Pages: 14 Ease of reading: you don’t even need to read | super easy | know some grammar first | tricky | advanced

Summary:

This is another doujinshi that’s split into several small stories. Since the book isn’t very long, I decided not to post a scan from every segment since that’s a bigger scan-to-total-pages ratio than I’m comfortable with doing, with respect to the author.

Story #1: A Tale About a Secret

The party has gathered for a snack break with some strawberry macaroons that Alisha made. While Sorey is beside himself with praise over how good they are, Mikleo makes the offhanded comment that they're the best thing Alisha has made to date. Sorey asks if he's tried Alisha's cooking before, and she informs him that Mikleo has been giving her secret lessons for the past few days.

Annoyed, Sorey snaps at Mikleo for not inviting him along. (Meanwhile, Edna and Lailah keep eating the macaroons in the background lol.) Alisha gets nervous as the boys bicker and promises to bring Sorey along next time, while Mikleo tries to comfort her by assuring her that Sorey's mad at him, not her.

That night, Sorey wakes Mikleo up and begs him to teach him how to make snacks. Confused and mildly exasperated, Mikleo says he'll teach him something basic, but Sorey interrupts and specifically requests that he learn something that Alisha doesn't know how to make.

And then Mikleo gets the best expression on his face that I've ever seen, and immediately exposes Sorey's obvious plan:

"So that's how it is--you learn to make a snack that Alisha can't, and then she comes to you to learn it instead of me, because you want to teach her, and--"

"How could you figure that out when I barely said anything?!"

After getting Sorey to admit that he's jealous, Mikleo agrees to teach him. He does so for three days and nights, encouraging him even when Sorey's attempts fail terribly... because at the end of the day you can’t say Mikleo isn’t a good friend, lol. In the end, Mikleo comments that Sorey's "just the type of guy" who would be willing to ask for help from the very person he's so jealous of.

Story #2: A Tale About the Things We Like

The party comes upon a field full of flowers, where Sorey asks Alisha if she’s into things like flowers and butterflies (and adds that he likes them, too). She says she does, and he excitedly starts asking what other kinds of things she likes, such as her favorite foods and books. When his enthusiasm confuses her, he explains:

“If I know the kinds of things you like, then I can tell you about them when I see them! I’ll get to see your smile a lot more that way, too.”

Alisha also gets excited about the idea and insists that she do the same for him, so they agree to talk about their favorite things, and in the end the whole party partakes.

Story #3: A Tale About an Argument

In a shorter segment, Sorey and Alisha are arguing about some kind of misunderstanding. When Zaveid butts in and asks what they’re bickering about, Sorey pulls out the attachment plushie of Alisha, Alisha pulls out the attachment plushie of Sorey, and they both demand that Zaveid tells them if he thinks their plushie is cuter than the actual person, lmao.

Background!Edna rightfully comments that they’re both idiots.

Story #4: A Tale About Taking Shelter From the Rain

H I G H  S C H O O L  A U !

Sorey and Alisha are walking home from school when it starts raining, so they take shelter under a shop’s awning. He comments that they might have to stay there a while considering how heavy it's falling, and Alisha narrates that even though it could be considered an unlucky situation, "I don't think it's unlucky at all. Rather--"

Sorey then speaks up and says that they're a bit lucky, since they get to be with each other while they wait for the rain to stop. She's surprised that he was thinking the same thing she was, even as he self-consciously admits that his comment wasn't very discreet. She impulsively assures him that she's very happy to be with him, too, which flusters them both a little.

He tries to say something, but she interrupts when she notices that the rain has stopped. She suggests that they keep going, all while secretly wishing the rain would have gone on a bit longer, but Sorey stops her.

"Um... how about we take a detour on the way back?"*

"I... I'd like that!"

*(As the author's note indicates, he unconsciously uses the polite form when he says this, which is cute. lol)

Story #5: A Tale About Seeing You Vulnerable

Another smol AU story--Alisha falls asleep with her head on Sorey's shoulder as they're riding the train. Noticing how peaceful she looks, he kisses her hair and wonders out loud if he's the only guy who's seen her this unguarded. It turns out she’s awake since she answers "yes" in an embarrassed voice, which embarrasses him in turn.

A little while later, they've both fallen asleep against each other despite that the train is packed with people, lol.

Impressions:

ALL THE STORIES WERE CUTE but the first was probably my favorite (largely because Best Wingman Mikleo) followed by the rain one because I'm weak for rain tropes. c: I like how the high school costumes have contributed to so much fan content so now we just need more beach AUs, yes? yes.

This book's more on the rare side as far as buying it goes, but it was still pretty cheap when I bought it (from a JP site, anyway). A nice collection piece if you're into grabbing up everything you can (like me) and don't mind a collection of really short stories versus a single longer story.

[eachainn]

(Sormik Week Day 3: Peony {Anger}

“Pride makes the tyrant – pride of wealth And power, too great for wisdom and restraint; For Pride will climb the topmost height; Then is the man cast down To uttermost destruction. There he finds no escape, no resource.” – Oedipus the King, Sophocles

---

Sorey frowned, trying to concentrate on something, anything. He had been told that Maotelus had powers that stretched into the Earthpulse, but that had been the most he had gotten from the seraphim at the meeting. Most of them had been too in awe of him to say anything. So, he was left wishing that he had gotten a message or something, anything from Maotelus before being brought back to life.

Or maybe it would have been better if he hadn’t come back at all.

Sorey opened his eyes, breathing out slowly. That wasn’t true, not at all. It was just some black desperation talking, and the weight of what had been put on his shoulders again. He had died an emperor and come back into nearly the same position. The seraphim were counting on him again, and he had more to lose this time around.

He took a deep breath, curling his hands on his pants before carefully breathing out. He tried to settle into some kind of mediation, anything to reach out.

Sorey had found that it was easier to get to his powers when he was relaxed. Any other time it was flitting just out of reach and surging forward when he didn’t want it to. He bit his lip, trying to sense the power that ran beneath the surface of the earth.

According to Mikleo, there was a point where the Earthpulse came close to the surface nearby, which should have made his task easier. Sorey could sense it in the distance, a spill of something. He reached out for it, feeling his fingers twitch like he wanted to grab onto it himself, but it was further away from where he was sitting. Somewhere buried in the depths of Artorius’ Throne. It would take some searching to find it, but Sorey didn’t feel up to it. It was just a distraction after all, one of many.

He frowned, trying to ignore the flashes of brilliance that marked the seraphim. There were so many of them, which made him both proud and frightened. So many seraphim had survived the horrors of the long war, but now they all depended on him. But it was still hard to drag his gaze away from them.

When he had been human the seraphim had felt different. He’d been around Mikleo the most, so he knew him well. The air was always slightly humid around Mikleo, like the water was flocking to him. Sorey had gotten bits and pieces from Rose’s seraphim, but they’d been using their artes at the time, so he didn’t know how far he could trust that.

Now he couldn’t feel any of that at all. Now it was like he was sensing their power directly instead of how it was directed at their element. He could feel Selene’s power, a feeling like looking at good, dark earth and knowing if he dug his fingers into it, it would go from dry to moist.

Sorey shook out his fingers at the thought, like the earth was clinging to him. He didn’t linger over the feeling of his daughter somewhere close for long before his attention was yanked to the village just down the road, Sorey overwhelmed by the rush of seraphim there. They flashed around him, warmth like a summer’s day, mud, a winter breeze, rain falling, deep underground, a fire out of control. It was wonderful and too much.

He tried to jerk away only to stumble into something else. Something wider than him and far deeper, it threatened to pull him down, reminding Sorey of the slow leaking of his consciousness when he was dying.

Sorey panicked, trying to pull back even as some part of him urged him on. He got the feeling of seraphim, first a handful, and then all of them. It was so fast it made his head pound, and it took him a moment to realize what had happened.

He had managed to stumble his way into the Earthpulse, although he didn’t feel in control of it at all. It felt like he was barely hanging onto his connection and on the edge of being sucked back in. Sorey sucked in a deep breath, trying to hold himself steady and he tried to figure out how to use the thing that was his domain.

It only lasted a moment before he longer before he lost his hold and he was tumbling out, Sorey coming back to himself with a jolt.

He opened his eyes, taking deep breaths and staring at the garden around him without really seeing it. If that was the Earthpulse, then he was in trouble. He was in trouble anyway considering that he couldn’t even manage to handle his artes. He didn’t even know where to start.

Sorey sighed, running his hands through his hair. When he dropped them back onto his lap he saw the flicker of silver flame. It was small, just barely enough for him to notice, but it was something.

He focused on them for a moment, trying to get himself to focus despite his exhaustion. Sorey cursed when the flames guttered, struggling to hold on for a moment before the flames flared up.

Sorey jerked his face away, staring at them before trying to coax them down. The flames didn’t listen at first, Sorey leaning back as the raced up his arms.

The flames slowed at his shoulders, remaining there for a moment before finally stopping. Sorey stared at them breathlessly before turning his will to getting them go back down.

They hesitated for a moment before listening, Sorey breathing easier the smaller the flames got. The inched back down his arm until he was cupping them in both hands.

Sorey stared at the silver flames, in awe of them. Now that they were there, it seemed so simple, but he couldn’t figure out how to get them to appear when he needed them. Maybe it was tied to presence of malevolence or with his emotions. Either option didn’t sit well with him, he wanted to be able to do this on command in case the worst happened. After all, the seraphim had just struggled against a Lord of Calamity. When another one appeared Sorey wanted to be ready. He didn’t want to be unprepared and then end up like Maotelus. He had a feeling that he had been a lucky substitute, and that they wouldn’t have that luck again.

He closed his fingers slightly, halfway expecting the flames to gutter out, but they stayed steady. Sorey smiled ruefully to himself. He had managed one thing, he could at least keep the flames up once he managed to get them to appear. That had to be worth something.

Sorey relaxed his fingers, so caught up in the flames that he didn’t notice someone approaching until they crouched down beside him. Sorey turned his head, tensing when he saw Mikleo there.

The seraph smiled, reaching out for Sorey’s hands before he stopped himself. Instead, he let his hands hover a short distance away like he was feeling the warmth that wasn’t there. Sorey curled his fingers around the flames, nervous when Mikleo wasn’t deterred by that, He shifting in place, watching as Mikleo smiled at the silver flames.

“You did it.”

Sorey blushed under the praised before closing his fingers more over the flames. “It wasn’t on purpose.”

“But it’s progress.” Mikleo leaned in to brush a kiss against Sorey’s temple, and Sorey leaned into it. He sighed at the touch, relaxing a fraction.

It was always easier when Mikleo was around, he didn’t feel like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Mikleo was there to help brace him up.

He wanted to lean into Mikleo, but the tingle of the flames in his palms was enough to stop him. Sorey held himself tense, taking a deep breath.

He had seen Mikleo purified once, and the screaming that had followed. Mikleo wasn’t malevolent anymore, but that didn’t stop his worry. He had no control over the flames. If anything, they seemed to be just content to stay in his cupped hands. But it wasn’t just about Mikleo.

This close he could smell the slightly milky tone to his scent, a softening to the wet earth and rain that meant that Mikleo was pregnant and he shook at the thought. Sorey belatedly remembered to close his hands over the flames before they flared up again. He could feel them reaching even in the cage of his fingers, but he couldn’t let them get to Mikleo.

Mikleo had told him once, two weeks ago, seven hundred years ago, what purification would do to him while pregnant. A baby was something foreign, something not quite enough like him to let it pass safely. And it would be all his fault.

Sorey was distantly aware of his hands shaking, but his attention was on Mikleo and the way that the seraph was leaning towards him. Sorey glanced over him, the intent look on Mikleo’s face enough for Sorey to close his hands entirely on the flames. 

They didn’t snuff out entirely, Sorey feeling a tingle as they tried to leak out. He hunched over his hands, turning his back to Mikleo as he breathlessly trying to will the flames away. They sparked up, almost in reprimand before dying away. Sorey felt their lack, a panicked though entering his head that he had lost it all, and that he would be snatched away, but then it was back.

He took a few deep breaths before looking back over his shoulder at Mikleo. He flinched away from the outreached hand, still feeling the power thrumming through his veins. “No.”

“Does it hurt?”

Sorey was surprised at the question, enough for him to turn and look at Mikleo. He stared at the seraph, his shock enough for Mikleo to touch him and the artes in his body to sing.

He must have looked confused because Mikleo scooted close, tucking up against him. Mikleo rubbed his cheek against Sorey’s with a long sigh. “I remember attempting to learn my arts. I froze my foot once.” Mikleo chuckled. “But most of the time it was rough. Don’t forget to pace yourself.”

Sorey stared down at Mikleo, shock making the words slip out. “Pace myself?”

“Yes.” Mikleo stroked his arm. “It won’t come in a day or two weeks. It’s experimentation, I guess, considering there’s no one else.” Mikleo seemed not to notice his wince , because he nuzzled back in. “Selene and I could work with you. I don’t know that it will help, but we might be able to find something out.”

“How long will that take?”

Mikleo shrugged, but it was not an answer that Sorey was willing to take. He had an eternity of a seraph stretching before him, and it was too long.

He stared down at Mikleo’s head before pushing away. Sorey ignored the soft sound of surprise, preferring to stumble to his feet and pace. It didn’t help much, because he could feel the eternity of a seraph stretching before him, and the press of now.

Sorey ran a hand through his hair, looking around. Things felt alright here, right now. But there was no telling elsewhere. If he let himself slip sideways or twisted his mind the right way then he could see spots or feel the pockets of something. Sorey could only assume that they were malevolence, and they would grow. He remembered all too clearly what it had felt like to live in a world drowning in malevolence and he wouldn’t let it happen again.

“Sorey?”

He shook his head, pivoting to look at Mikleo. “I don’t have the time.”

Mikleo stared at him, his hand reaching out before dropping. “I…I don’t understand.”

“There’s isn’t time for me to learn at my own pace. I’m needed now.” Sorey waved with his hand, not sure what he was gesturing to, but it didn’t matter. “You said yourself a Lord of Calamity had just been defeated, and there was that meeting where everyone was trying to figure out how to go on.”

“We figured that out.”

“Yes, but not of it will work if the answer doesn’t work. If I can’t use this then we’re all in trouble.”

“Sorey, we have the Shepeherds.”

“What if it happens again? What if the same things happens and they die because I’m not good enough? That can’t happen.”

“It won’t.”

Sorey shook his head, hearing the words but not the meaning. “This whole thing could fall apart, and it can’t. We worked to hard to get to this point for it to fall apart.”

Mikleo huffed, carefully getting to his feet. “The Shepherds have things under control.”

“There’s only two.”

“There can be more. You can make more.”

“Don’t you understand?! I can’t.” The word felt like it was being torn out of him, Sorey flexing his fingers. For a moment, he was of the earth, of all of the continent, and then he was jerked back to where he was and the loss roared through him.

Sorey turned, burying his hands in his hair as he turned to start pacing again. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself even as he felt the power flood back through him. Sorey bit his lip, trying to hold, but he felt something slip and twist and the flames were back.

Sorey stumbled back, shaking his arms in an attempt to get them away, but they kept going. Sorey stared at the flames before holding his arm out, but he was careful to keep it away from Mikleo. “Look at this. This isn’t in control. But it’s all I can do. How can I protect all of you like this?”

“You don’t.”

“You’re right.” Sorey cradled his arm against his chest, staring at the silver light. He almost wished that it was warm, because they he would at least feel something other than the power behind it. As it was, it felt like it was building up with nowhere to go. He clutched his arm closer. “I don’t, not like this, which is why I need to figure this out.”

“That’s not what I meant.” Mikleo took a step forward. “You don’t have to do this.”

Sorey looked up at Mikleo in incomprehension, realization dawning when Mikleo gestured at the flames. Sorey looked down at them, curling his hands into fists. “You want me to…stop?”

“What I want is for you to slow down.” Mikleo turned slightly back towards the house. “Selene’s Shepherd will recover and she’ll go off again. She’s waited to meet you for centuries. Spend time with her, with us.”

“Haven’t you been listening to me? We don’t have the time.”

“We have plenty of it.”

“Mikleo, listen.”

“I am, but if you would just-”

Sorey made a wordless sound of protest when Mikleo stepped closer, edging backwards even as the seraph came forward. “Mikleo, no.”

“This isn’t the same as before.”

“Mikleo, please.”

“We’re not the same.”

“Mikleo, stay back, before I hurt you.”

Mikleo froze, staring at him with wide eyes. Sorey was just glad that he had stopped, it meant that he was out of danger, unless he was doing it on purpose. He glanced at Mikleo’s stomach, remembering how he had flinched away before, when he had been carrying Selene. It hadn’t happened yet, but Mikleo kept coming over when he saw the silver flame, and he knew what it could do.

Sorey swallowed, wrapping his arms around himself. “Do…do you even want them?”

Mikleo tipped his head to the side, Sorey relieved when Mikleo’s gaze fell to his own stomach before he sighed. “Sorey.”

“It’s a simple question.”

“It’s not a simple answer.”

“Why isn’t it?”

“Because it’s seven hundred years!” Mikleo snapped the words out, Sorey almost relieved with the anger in Mikleo’s voice. That was familiar, something of the Mikleo he had known. And it was a horrible part of him that preferred it because it was familiar.

He curled into himself, watching as Mikleo glared at him. If it had been the Mikleo he had known, there would have been more snapping, not a softening. And Sorey felt bad for finding himself preferring the one that he had known.

Mikleo stayed quiet for a moment longer before meeting Sorey’s gaze. “It’s seven hundred years, Sorey. And I wasn’t careful.”

“Then you don’t-”

Mikleo shook his head. “It’s not that. I wasn’t careful, but I don’t care. Sometimes I dreamed that things were different and we had more than just Selene, but there were just dreams and future plans. But I’m tired of both of those. I just want now and I want this.”

Sorey stared at him, trying to make sense of it all, but it was just a muddle in his head.

He must have been silent for too long because Mikleo took a step forward. “I’m not about to live with hopes and dreams when you are here.”

“And that’s why?”

“Yes.” Mikelo hesitated for a moment before running a hand over his face. “Because I still want what you promised, just the two of us and all the ruins in the world.”

“I never promised family.”

“No, but you never said anything about not having one.”

“Because I couldn’t!” Sorey could feel himself starting to shake again, no matter how tightly he held himself. He swallowed hard, trying to keep his voice down. “You hated the…” He stumbled over the word for a moment before banishing it with a shake of his head. “We couldn’t talk about it. And I couldn’t think about it. I was just…making promises.”

“I know.”

“Then why did you let me!”

“Because I needed it. You needed it. We needed to keep going or we both would have died.”

“They didn’t seem to matter in the end. I still died.”

“They mattered to me. They kept me going.”

Sorey stared at Mikleo, trying to see through the cracks in his façade like he had before. Except they weren’t there. Sorey wasn’t sure if they had shifted or had healed over. It was just another thing that he didn’t know.

He clutched at his arms, looking anywhere but Mikleo.

"There are more people willing to support you this time. There's no need to carry all the burden on your own."

Sorey shook his head. “Who else can?”

“The Shepherds. That’s what they’re there for.”

“I told you, I can’t.” Sorey took another step back. “All I can do is this. I can’t purify anything, I can’t make Shepherds and I don’t have seven hundred years to figure it out.”

“It won’t take that long.”

“How do you know?”

Mikleo hesitated for a moment before stepping forward again. “Because I know you.”

“That’s not helpful.” Sorey ran a hand through his hair, pausing with his fingers still buried in the long mess. “It doesn’t mean anything.”

“If it didn’t mean anything we wouldn’t be here. Everything would have gone differently and I would have ended up a dragon, or stuck in a weapon.” Mikleo gave him a level look, that as much as the calm recitation enough to send shivers down his spine. Sorey looked away, preferring to stare at the flames than see the expression on Mikleo’s face.

“Instead, you were the only one who did something. You stood against your own family, your councilors, your nation. You kept pushing and caring when no one else did. That’s why I’m sure it won’t take seven hundred years.”

“You can’t call that a victory.”

“Sorey Vass!”

Sorey flinched at his name, turning to look at Mikleo with wide eyes.

The seraph was glaring at him, Sorey surprised at the imperiousness there. Mikleo lifted his chin slightly, taking another step forward.

Sorey watched him in awe, only belatedly realizing that the flames still flickered along his arms. He pressed his hands against him, panic rising when they didn’t go away.

“Mikleo.”

“I know you probably thought of victory as a celebration or maybe your death. I don’t know, we didn’t talk back then. But you will not convince yourself that all you did was for nothing. We won Sorey. They weapons were broken. All of them.”

“Mikleo, please.”

“Rolance and Hyland came to peace talks.”

“Mikleo, the flames.”

“Rose and Boris were able to go out and cut down the malevolence and train new Shepherds. It took generations but everyone was willing.”

“Mikleo, I-”

“It wasn’t a single victory celebration, but thousands. Thousands of small ones that meant more than any huge victory. And you did it.”

Sorey stumbled back, as Mikleo kept coming on. “Mikleo, the flames. I don’t…I don’t want to hurt you!”

That finally got Mikleo to stop, the seraph swaying in place. Sorey breathed out a sigh of relief, It didn’t last long before a look of determination crossed Mikleo’s face and he started moving forward.

Surprise kept Sorey in place, Sorey just shaking his head. “No.” He patted at his arms, staring at the flames that were still dancing along them. “Mikleo, please. The flames and I…I don’t want to hurt you.”

“You won’t.” Mikleo stopped in front of him, too close. Mikleo shifted in place there, Sorey watching him take a deep breath before he reached out. Sorey could only whimper out something that might had been a warming before Mikleo’s hand was hovering over his arm. Mikleo met his gaze, holding it as he lowered his hand. “You won’t.”

Sorey shook his head, not sure what he was trying to do. All he could do was watch as Mikleo’s hand fell towards his arm.

He could feel the flames, the tingle, the potential. He felt it more keenly now, the flames and the thunder of the Earthpulse like a heartbeat in his chest and into his ears. It consumed him like the pulse of every seraph on the earth. That had frightened him once, but it was nothing to the fear he had watching Mikleo reach out for him.

Sorey took a deep breath, trying to put the flames out, to command them to leave. And then Mikleo’s hand was on his arm, and nothing was happening.

Sorey stared down at the hand on his arm, distantly aware of how heavily he was breathing. But that was nothing, not when he was staring at his arm and where Mikleo’s hand was resting on it, unharmed. The silver flames were gone now, Sorey not even sure where. Sometimes, he thought he could feel something like a curl of the power, but then it was gone as mysteriously as it always was.

He licked his lips and dragged his gaze up to Mikleo, surprised to see Mikleo smiling at him.

Mikleo squeezed his arm before taking a step forward to rest their foreheads together. “See? You’d never hurt me.”

“How can you be sure? I put you through all the madness of the empire. I made you malevolent again. I broke all my promises to you. I died.”

Mikleo took a deep breath, Sorey watching as he shook with it. Mikleo was slow to nod. “Yes. Yes, you did, but you would have. You only promised me eighty years.”

“It’s all I had.”

“It’s all I wanted, but it would have happened. But I don’t know if I would have gotten this.” Mikleo squeezed his arm. “And I’m not willing to argue. I have seven hundred years of what ifs and I am done with them. You are here now, and you are the Sorey that I knew and loved. Not the prince and certainly not the emperor.”

“You can’t know that.”

“I might be one of the few that do.” Mikleo wrapped his arms around Sorey, drawing them close. “I see you, Sorey Vass. And I love you for it.”

Sorey shook, reaching out to clutch at Mikleo. The hold must have been too tight to be comfortable, but Mikleo didn’t say anything. He just held Sorey tighter. Sorey nuzzled into him, enjoying the novelty of being about to tuck his head under Mikleo’s chin, feeling safe and protected. There was no more running, no more praying for a miracle to get through the day, no more immediate danger. There was just this.

He curled his fingers into Mikleo’s jacket, taking a deep breath of rain and wet earth. It was comforting, the closest thing he had to home anymore. Even if he hadn’t burned his bridges back when he was human, seven hundred years was too long. Everyone he had known and loved was gone. All he had was this.

He must have said the last part aloud because he felt Mikleo tense. Then a hand was smoothing down his back. “You’re not alone. You don’t have to be anymore.”

Sorey sighed, shaking his head. “I had you before.”

“You have the other seraphim and Shepherds now. You don’t have to carry this alone. I won’t let you.”

Sorey was surprised at the vehemence in Mikleo’s voice, but it was something that he didn’t think he could challenge, not when he could feel the roil in the calm river that was Mikleo’s power. With that, Sorey didn’t doubt that Mikleo would do just that, but that didn’t stop him from patting Mikleo’s back. It was meant to soothe Mikleo, but Sorey was sure that it helped him more. He could feel Mikleo’s body under his hand, the usual chill settling him.

He took a deep breath, feeling the distant thrum of the Earthpulse. “I’m not…I’m not sure what I am anymore.”

“That’s fine.” Mikleo pressed a kiss to his hair. “You’ll find it again. I’ll help with that too.”

Sorey pressed his face against Mikleo’s collarbone, feeling himself shake as he clutched Mikleo tightly. “Thank you.”

[mistbow]

I want to talk more about right and left (if you’ve followed what I’ve been saying about it in the context of Zestiria, you should realize that they pay a lot of attention to this).

There’s actually a reason why the right-hand side represents the human, the physical, the body whereas the left-hand side represents the seraph, the spiritual, the heart, which surprisingly not many people know or realize, not even Japanese people from what I’ve seen around (which tells you just how disconnected a lot of people are from their spirituality).

In a lot of major religions in the world, like Christianity or Islam for example, the right is what is considered sacred, and this is so pervasive that even you can see it in the international language, English.

Do you know why it is called “right” meaning “the opposite of left”, even though the Old English word it comes from, riht, did not have this sense but meant “good, proper, fitting, straight”? It’s partly because the right hand is often the stronger, more dominant one, but also partly because of religion-related reasons.

In Christianity, after the resurrection, Jesus ascends to heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father. The “right hand” in this case is seen as a place of honor, as seen throughout the biblical text. In a simplified manner we could say that in the biblical worldview the right side is good, noble, and heavenly, while the left is bad, low, and earthly.

Ecclesiastes 10:2

A wise man’s heart turns him toward the right [which is the way of blessing], but a fool’s heart turns him toward the left [which is the way of condemnation].

However, Shinto sees things differently from the majority of the English-speaking side of the world.

For example, and this is surprisingly a shrine etiquette that not many people know of, but when passing through the torii gate, you should step from your left foot. The reason for this is because in Shinto, the left means kami and the right means person (左は神、右は人). But why is this?

If you know about ancient Japanese mythology, as described in Kojiki, when Izanagi-no-Mikoto purified himself after visiting Yomi in a failed attempt to rescue Izanami-no-Mikoto, Amaterasu-Oomikami, the sun kami and supreme deity of Japan, was born when he washed his left eye. I hope you see why the left side is sacred now from the view of Shinto, and by the way, Maotelus is modeled after Amaterasu.

Even the sound of “左” (hidari), the word for “left” in Japanese, is similar to “日照り” (hideri), the word for “drought” in Japanese, a period where sun keeps shining without rain. Translated more literally, “日照り” can also mean “sun-shine”. The more the sun rises, the hotter it gets; to the ancient people, this meant that the Sun that looked as if it moved from the East, the right direction in the compass, to the West, the left direction in the compass, would be at its strongest when it was on the left. The more the Sun shines, the more the power of the Sun increases, which relates back to Amaterasu being the kami of Sun.

(Speaking of cardinal directions, I’ve also talked about this before, but despite the seraphim being partially based on Four Symbols [四象], their directions are actually inverted [Mikleo on the West/Left instead of Azure Dragon’s East, Lailah on the North/Up instead of Vermilion Bird’s South, Edna on the South/Down instead of Black Tortoise’s North, and Zaveid/Dezel on the East/Right instead of White Tiger’s West]. They’re actually this committed to associating Mikleo with the Left side [to Sorey’s Right side], even to the point of breaking this rule for him. EDIT: It appears I have been looking at this the wrong way, because I assume the cardinal directions used is the Japanese one, when I should’ve considered what the Chinese use too.)

(By the way, despite all this, the right side is not ‘discriminated’, so to speak, in Shinto, unlike what has been said about the left side in, for example, Christianity.)

Aside from myths and all that, there’s actually one more reason, though still based on spirituality. Heart (心臓), the organ, is located on the left side of the human body, and this organ is said to reflect the state of your mind (心). I’ve said before how kami also describes the mind, the heart; the Japanese word “精神”, containing the kanji for kami (神), represents mentality, will, ethos, and this concept isn’t even exclusive to the Japanese only, since the word “spirit” is used in a similar way in English anyway.

This is already getting too long but I hope you get the idea! I wish to talk more about other Shinto influences in Zestiria in more detail next, like how Armatus (as the main focus/gimmick of Zestiria battle system; it’s even in the name, FC-LMBS, which stands for Fusionic Chain Linear Motion Battle System) might be related to the concept of shinjin-gouitsu (神人合一, “kami and human become one”), etc.

[tsorin]

Connections: Getting Invested in your Tales of Plot

I was trying to think about why the Zestiria plot fell so flat despite all the cool characters, especially compared to things like Berseria and Abyss, and I think one huge issue is that the Zestiria cast don’t seem to have any investment in the actual world.

What do I mean by that?

(This will be comparing the Zestiria story to Berseria, because of the similar world building and themes, and Abyss, because it’s my favorite and I Said So.)

There are what I would consider to be three big areas where Zestiria lacks that the other games I’m using don’t: investment in the world, connection to people, and connection to the antagonist. Let’s go one by one.

ALSO LIKE SPOILERS WHOA

Investment in the World

Sorey and Co. don’t really have any investment in the world of Glenwood. Sorey was born and raised in Izuchi/Elysia. That’s his home and those are his family. We get a little of them in the beginning but we don’t go back for a WHILE. The Seraphs are disconnected by nature (hard to get attached to people who 1. can’t see you and 2. could actually kill you). Rose has the Sparrowfeathers but again, not present much. The only exception is Alisha and she goes off to Get Shit Done pretty early on. Sorey doesn’t care about the Hyland vs. Rolance war and goes between them pretty freely.

Berseria does a little better here. Eleanor has the most invested in the world itself as an exorcist, but the others are kind of wrapped up in their own problems. But I’d say Aifread’s pirates are better integrated than the Sparrowfeathers.

Abyss does far and above the best here. Natalia and Luke are both royalty of Kimlasca. Jade’s here for Malkuth cough Peony cough and Ion and Anise represent Daath and the Order of Lorelai. They’ve all got stakes in the coming war and personal reasons to want to stop it. It makes the war a lot more impactful than the one in Zestiria.

Connection to the People

Here, by ‘people’, I’m talking about NPCs. In Zestiria you’ve got Sergei in Roland, Alisha in Hyland, and...? Arguments could be made for the chief of Marlind and Mayvin. Maybe. But that’s like it? There aren’t many towns in Zestiria and so fewer people in general so maybe that’s the cause of the issue but there’s almost no NPCs to care about.

Berseria starts off strong with Aball and Niko. Later on you have characters like Dyle and Kurogane and the Therions. (Leaving out antagonists for now because they’re the next point.) Again, a lot of the characters are wrapped up in their own issues and their biggest relationships are with the villains.

Abyss has SO MANY in this category. Foremost is Ion himself of course, but you also have people like Peony, Nephry, the McGoverns, Rose, King Ingobert, Duke and Madam Fabre, Friggs, Cicelle, Tritheim, the Dark Wings... The list goes on and on. And those are just the ones off the top of my head. All of them have their own little stories and show up more than once. Like, just mention Cecille and Friggs and people will get upset. These characters all have ties to at least one of our playable characters so our characters feel like a PART of Auldrant.

Connection to the Antagonists

Zestiria is a poster child here for too little, too late. Why does Sorey clash with Heldalf, especially at the beginning? Because Heldalf’s the Lord of Calamity and Sorey’s the Shepherd and Lailah says you gotta. Like, that’s it until basically the veeeeeeery end when Heldalf kidnaps Gramps and then there’s the Sorey and Mikleo backstory reveal. (Which honestly lacked impact I gotta say.) That’s at the last 5 hours of the game. That’s ridiculous. Lailah, Zaveid, Rose, Edna, and Alisha lack any connection to Heldalf period. Dezel at least has beef with Simone but that stays hidden until, again, basically right before he sacrifices himself.

Berseria blows this one out of the water. Like DAMN. Velvet’s hatred of Artorius drives the plot from the beginning. She says she’s gonna get him AND THEN SHE DOES GO GIRL. Even the Empyrean Innominant has an impact given that he’s basically Velvet’s brother. This whole conflict is very much personal. Then Eizen and Magilou have beefs with Melchior, Rokurou has Shigure, Eleanor’s kind of cheesed at everyone, and Phi gets tangled up in Velvet’s Everything. AND GOD THAT ENDING

Abyss also does well here in that I want TO PUNT VAN OFF MT. EVEREST. So Luke’s relationships with Van and Asch are the strongest here. His sense of self is deeply tied to both of them and he spends most of the game figuring out what that means. Tear has conflicts with Van (her brother) and Lagretta (her teacher). We have Guy vs. Van, Dist vs. Jade, Natalia vs. Largo, Anise and Ion vs. Arietta and Sync, literally everyone against Mohs because Mohs is SLIME.

And these connections lead to some of the best scenes in any video game I’ve ever played. Both this scene from Berseria and this scene from Abyss always make me cry. Also A+ music choices here go team

“I.. I loved them all... I loved Laphi, and Celica... Arthur... Everyone. To have it all stolen from me... Why them? Why not me? It hurts so much!” - Velvet, Seriously, tears for like everything in this scene.

“Now is all I have too. I don’t even have a past to lose! But I’ve decided here I'm me. It doesn’t matter what you think. Here I am. If that’s the source of the strength you’re talking about then I won’t lose!” - LUKE BABY PLS

(Again these are off the top of my head. I literally can’t remember any super emotional line of dialogue from Zestiria.)

I like Zestiria. I like the characters and their relationships. But because of the reasons above, I can’t get invested in the world they live in and that is a big shame.

[ruination-fangs]

Jude Stage 8: With His Feelings in His Heart

*  from Asteria’s fourth chapter, “Recollections of Eden”

[<- stage 7]

Scene 1

Leia is impressed by Jude's fighting, and how even though he doesn't remember anything, his body does. Jude wants to stop, but the moment he lets his guard down, Leia attacks.

Leia: I guess that's it, huh... Seems all you remember is what your body knows. You may have forgotten the rest, but my mom's hardcore training can't be erased! Jude: Your mom's training... Leia: It's kind of nostalgic somehow, doing this again... Haah!

She continues to strike at Jude, musing about how they used to spar all the time as kids. Jude moves the same way now as he did then; Leia predicts that after his next move, he'll leave an opening, but Jude dodges her attack. He's even more confused than she is about why he understands what she’s going to do.

Jude: It's as if I've seen it before... in my head... No, but that's... Leia as a kid...? It's the same patterns... Urgh...!?

His vision blurs. Seeing that Jude seems to be remembering something, Leia attacks again, but this time Jude doesn't manage to dodge.

Leia: Huh... In the old days, you would easily have seen through that. Was it all a coincidence after all...? Jude: Have I... faced these attacks before...? Urk...!

Everything spins again. Leia tells him if he still doesn't remember, he should accept his defeat and go back to the village, but he blocks her next attack - and then several more in a row.

Jude: How did I...? I've never seen that attack before, but my body just... Leia: Jude...! Then how about this!?

As Jude's vision swims, he continues to counter, confused about why he knows all Leia's moves. It's like her attack patterns have been etched into his mind, and he reads them perfectly.

Jude: That's right... We've fought like this countless times, ever since we were kids... I understand. I know what you're going to do next... No, I remember... There was that time we were cleaning, and you used that move with the broom... Leia: Jude!? Y-Yeah, that's right! And then we got yelled at for playing with the brooms! Jude: You were always the one to start goofing off. You were always getting scolded... but I was always right there with you, so... Leia: Yeah. You've always looked after me... Jude, you really do remember... Jude: Still, we never learned... Skipping out on our punishments... Sparring sessions... Until we were experts at dodging... Urgh! What is going on...?! We were kids... and Master Sonia... Aaaaah!

Leia: ...Jude? Jude: Right... That's right... But then, what have I been doing...? Leia: Jude, do you... Jude: Hey, Leia. I... Leia: Dropped your guard!

Leia attacks unexpectedly, but Jude dodges again. He remembers everything now, and he shows Leia one of the forms they learned from her mom to prove it.

Jude: We were neighbors when we were kids. Your mom introduced martial arts to us. We sparred like this over and over again... day in and day out, hundreds, maybe thousands of times. Leia: Then you should recognize this! Haah! *Smack smack... bam bam!* Jude: It's nostalgic, doing these moves again... Even though the training was brutal. Leia: Yeah, Mom worked us to the bone every day. We'd end up covered in scrapes and bruises. Jude: But it made us so much stronger...! Leia: I always beat you, though. Jude: Not this time, you won't!

Leia informs him that she hasn't changed her mind just because he's gotten his memories back. She's not really sure what's going on with the world right now, but she knows criminals only cause trouble to others, so she refuses to go back to the village. Jude insists that he's not giving up either; if she has any doubts at all about what she's doing, he'll make sure he doesn't lose.

He continues to block all her attacks. Leia starts to think that maybe he's right and she does have doubts - but that's all the more reason for her to win and convince herself of her decision. Jude recognizes the stance she takes right before using Soulstoke Celebration. He can hardly move afterwards, but he refuses to lose, and Leia is stunned that he gets back up. He hits her with one final attack.

Jude: ...I'm sorry, Leia. I can't afford to pull any punches against you... Leia: Jude... I'm so glad you've remembered...

Leia falls to the ground, unconscious. As Jude is preparing to take her back to the village, one of the guards wakes up and tries to threaten him, but he can't move. Jude tells him to rest for a while. The other guard informs Jude that he's a fugitive now, and promises that the White Lions will find them if they try to escape.

Jude: ...Right, that is a problem. Leia had them thoroughly fooled, after all. Guard 2: What...? Jude: Pretending to be a criminal herself, in order to lure out the real criminal... Everyone thought we were accomplices, when she was just using herself as bait and getting captured by the White Lions to lure me in. I'm gonna need a new strategy to get myself out of this! Guard 2: So that's what happened... I thought something was off. This was all the Rolando Family's plan, then... Jude: Yep. But it's not going to work. I'll have to retreat. And I'm taking Leia as a hostage, so I can get my revenge later. Guard 1: Stop...! I can't let you do that, even to a criminal... Wait, no, she's not a criminal, is she...? Guard 2: She's assisted us greatly... We have to help her! Dammit... I can't... get up...!

Jude makes his exit before the guards can get back on their feet.

Scene 2

Back in Rikka Village, things are a little tense. Jude doesn't expect Leia to forgive him, as he knows what he did was contrary to what Leia had decided for herself, but he still feels it was the right thing to do. Even so, Ludger thinks they're probably going to put a warrant out for him now.

Magilou seems to find it funny, though Leia doesn't think it's any laughing matter. She asks what Jude plans to do next. Jude also expects he'll be on the wanted list by the next morning, so he intends to leave before then. He wants to look for everyone - Milla, Elize, even Sorey and Stahn might be in the same predicament that they were. He doesn't know what he'll do if they've lost their memories too, but he has to go see.

Leia points out that if they're living peaceful lives, they might be happier to be left alone. Jude agrees that since they don't know what's going on right now, they'll have to be careful about how they approach the matter.

He's thinking of heading to Reisvale first. That's where Mikleo is supposed to be from, and Rowen was with him. The first thing he wants to ascertain is whether they've lost their memories, or are just playing along.

Now that she thinks about it, Leia finds their "roles" a little strange, with Mikleo a nobleman and Estelle her subordinate.

Jude: Yeah, really. But everyone here accepts that as perfectly normal... Leia: No one would believe us if we suddenly started saying Estelle is a princess... even though we remember it clear as day. Jude: Right. We probably shouldn't mention it. I want everyone to get their memories back, but it could be dangerous to go about it the wrong way.

Ludger hesitantly interrupts to ask if Jude has become a criminal like Leia. He doesn't understand what happened, or why Jude brought Leia back. If this was a case of one criminal setting another free, he has a duty to report them. Alarmed, Jude reminds him that the "criminals" are just people who've regained their memories, but Ludger can't be sure that's true; all he knows is they've been talking about crazy things no one else understands. He apologizes, because he knows they're both good people and he wants to believe them, but if it comes to choosing between Lazarus and the claims of wanted fugitives, the choice is clear.

Jude suggests that there might be a way for Ludger to confirm that the memory bit is real. He remembers Ludger from before he lost his memories - that Ludger used to live with Elle, and his older brother Julius, and a cat named Rollo. Ludger thinks, but none of it sounds familiar to him, and he's concerned Jude is lying. Leia reminds Jude that he was the same way; it seems words alone won't make people remember.

Jude wonders if there's some action, then, that would jog a person's memory, like what happened to him. Then he remembers Ludger saying he feels like he's made some promise to cook for someone, and tells him it probably was something he said to Elle. Maybe Elle feels the same way. Ludger also once said he gets a funny feeling when he looks at families together - that would be because deep down, he remembers living with Elle and Julius.

Ludger still isn't sure, but Jude pleads with him to just trust him for now. Elle should be in Reisvale, which is where he's going anyway, so Ludger should come and see for himself. If at that point he still wants to turn Jude in, it won't be too late; Jude promises he won't run or hide. Ludger knows turning the criminals in to the White Lions is the right thing to do, but he gets the sense he might regret it if he does that, so he agrees to come. However, he's not saying he believes Jude and Leia yet, and if he meets with Elle and can't confirm anything, he will report them both. Jude accepts that deal.

Then Ludger asks Magilou if she'll agree not to report them for now. Magilou agrees surprisingly easily, since it seems they can prove or disprove Jude's claims readily enough. Leia asks what she knows about it, and Magilou admits that she's been investigating the criminals herself.

Magilou: There must be some hidden meaning to the "nonsense" the criminals talk about, right? Something we civilians don't know. So I thought, if I checked out these restricted zones... Leia: You were in the restricted zone?! So that stuff about a trespasser... Magilou: And what's a wanted criminal going to do, report me? Leia: Ugh... Don't remind me. Magilou: But that's exactly the problem! That the Rolando Family's leader should turn out to be a criminal herself... I joined thinking that if this is an organization worthy of Roar's attention, maybe I could get some information on the restricted zones or the criminals... But if the leader is a lawbreaker, the whole ship is sunk. All that effort, totally wasted! ...But thanks to Jude's quick thinking, the fact that Leia is now a criminal is our little secret, yeah?

In conclusion, Magilou has no problem protecting Leia if there's some benefit to it. They can always report Jude later. For now, she'd rather they all cooperate in her little investigation.

Leia is fine with that, but Ludger wants to know why she's looking into the criminals in the first place. Magilou's reasoning is simple: Lazarus doesn't want civilians interacting with these people. If she can figure out where they're coming from and why they're appearing, and come up with some preventative measures, there might be a sizable reward.

Ludger: If you're trying to please Lady Lazarus, doesn't it kind of defeat the purpose to break her laws and sneak into the restricted zone? Magilou: You gotta break a few eggs to make an omelette, right? We can only do this if we play by our own rules.

Jude wonders what would drive Magilou to do that, and Magilou admits that the Menagerie's last performance was a total flop. She has a debt that's going to be very difficult to repay, hence her interest in receiving a reward. Ludger sympathizes.

Magilou: Don't get me wrong now, I'm not saying I'm on your side. But if that's what it takes to keep observing you, I'll keep your little secret. Jude: Well, that's good enough. We'll need your cooperation for Leia to go back to the Family. Leia: ...H-Hey, Jude. What if instead of going back, I go with-

At that moment the door bursts open and Estelle and Suzu rush in, having heard that Leia is back.

Suzu: Jude, why didn't you tell us right away!? Jude: S-Sorry... Magilou: Because they're too busy sharing secrets they don't want you to hear... Jude: Magilou, don't tell them that! Estelle: We figured something was going on. If you say it's a secret, we won't force you to tell us. But Leia, please, don't shut us out and leave again! Leia: I-I'm sorry, you guys. But I think I'm going to be leaving again anyway... Jude: Leia... Sorry, but you can't come with us. Leia: What!? Why!? Jude: Because I saw what happened to Estelle and Suzu when they read your letter. You're an indispensable part of the Rolando Family, and this village. Estelle: He's right. If it's ever too much of a burden on you, I can always help out more. But we need you as our leader, Leia. Suzu: I agree. Leia: You guys, too? You really think...? Both: Of course!

Leia promises not to run off again, but Suzu picks up on the fact that she’s speaking only for herself. Leia explains that Jude has something to take care of, so he and Ludger are going on a little trip. She asks Jude about Meredy and the others, and he assures her he'll let her know as soon as possible if anything happens.

Suzu: In that case, how about we lend you a sylphjay? Jude: Sylphjay...? Like, the bird? Suzu: We use them as messenger birds. They make it easy to get in touch with distant people quickly. Ludger: Distant people... That's right, I need to let the dining hall know I'll be gone a while longer... Jude: Can I send a message, too? I should let them know I won't be there to deliver the milk... Suzu: Then let's do it now.

Jude and Ludger write their letters, and Suzu sends the bird off, telling them it should be in Carmina by morning. They're trained, so they can fly all night.

With that arranged, Jude and Ludger prepare to set out, though Estelle is surprised they're leaving so soon. Before they leave, Jude asks Leia about the father they had in custody, but Leia tells him not to worry about it.

Suzu: ...What are you talking about? Jude: Oh, uh, it's nothing. I'll leave it to you, Leia. Ludger: Let's go, Jude. Jude: Right. First stop, Reisvale.

[codeadleaves]

Happy fourth @tozanniversary !

My contribution for today’s prompt will follow later, for the moment here’s my answers to the ask game.

How did you get into ToZ?

Exactly on the first day of 2015 because of this gif set.

Truth be told, I’m not a tales fan, I had only played Symphonia on gamecube (which is one of my favorite game btw) but had no interest for the rest of the franchise, and Zestiria didn’t make exception despite the few pictures I had stumbled upon while the game was still in development. Actually those pictures made me think it would be a generic jrpg with a dumb protagonist and an awful love triangle, there was absolutely no appeal there xD I coudn’t be more wrong.

And then I saw the gif set. The boys aesthetic was pleasing to look at so I watched the full oav, then I read about the game and then I learned there was dragons in it and everything was lost.

I’ve been living into the zesty pit ever since, and there’s no way out. Not that I want one, it’s all nice and comfy down here.

Favourite character to PLAY as?

Sorey, because he's the easiest to play with. Sometimes I switch for Lailah cause her fighting style is pretty, and I played the whole Alisha dlc as Rose.

Favourite location in the game?

Elysia, Lastonbell, Airfread's hunting grounds, Cambria caverns, all 4 elemental trial shrines.

Favourite party setup?

Sorey-Mikleo, Rose-Lailah, because though I adore the whole party those four are my faves. I tend to switch seraph whenever it feels appropriate though, like pairing Sorey with the seraph corresponding to the trial shrine.

Personal grade record?

Don’t be fooled, this is all because the NG+ grade shop makes chaos mode super easy to go through. I normally suck at video games, I can never dodge or guard to save my life so instead I went completey crazy on the equipment, like this no boss can resist me. Even the game called me out on it:

And trophy %?

100! Once again I’m not that good at games, but I love Zestiria so much I couldn’t get enough and needed to reach the 100%. Although it was only possible thanks to the lack of minigames from hell.

Favourite/most used armatus? EXCEPT water, we all know you’re gonna pick that.

WATER Favorite to play with after it is Fire, but though Wind is annoying to fight with, it's good looking with the blade wings and most importantly the artes mystic is really effective to farm equipment xD Before I started with the farming the order for most used was Water, Fire, Earth and Wind.

Favourite attachment?

Dezel isn't happy Zaveid took his place.

Favourite costumes for each character?

The delfaut ones + Alisha’s dlc outfit (though I wish she had pants instead of a mini skirt). Sometimes I switch for the school set so it looks like a school expedition gone wrong xD Here's a picture of Lailah just because.

Favourite boss fight?

Don't think I have one? Like I say I'm not really good at games, so I just wait for the party to finish talking and destroy everything as fast as possible. But I guess Tiamat and Eizen where nice with the music (no I didn’t enjoyed killing dragons, killing dragons is heartbreaking, even more in zesty) and beating up Landon and Lunarre was satisfying.

Do you run into enemies so you can windstep? Come on, you can admit it

Who doesn’t? The best combination is to run in circle while eavesdropping on townsfolks and keep it going by slaughtering everything on the way. It's rather funny to look at Sorey running at full speed, even more when paired with the lord of the land blessing that increase the speed.  

How do you prefer to play? (eg “on the sofa with chocolate bars in my mouth and a cat in my lap”)

This description sounds like the ideal way to play video games, unfortunatly my cat is way too distracting, between the random moment like “I’m gonna stand in the corner and meow until mom gives me full attention” and “let’s lie next to mom in the most ridiculous position ever so she will be too busy laughing and will lose her fight”, the best moment to play a game is to wait for him to be sound asleep, preferably with a safe distance between us so my eyes and hands don’t drift toward his soft looking fur… Add a nice cup of tea and it’s perfect.

Who or what is most fun to draw/write if you’re a creator?

I'm possesed by the spirit of Numin. She hijacks all my fics...

Anything you wish we could have learned more about?

Before Berseria I would have said Zaveid. Now I would love to learn about the ancient times, siegfried, the original Lady of the Lake, the first shepherd, stuff like that... A prequel to Berseria could be nice though I’m not sure I would trust bamco on this...

The game’s theme is “passion”. What part of the game are you most passionate about?

Very hard question. The characters. The story. The themes aborded. The Music. The aesthetic. The fact Natalie is looking toward the place Mason was killed. The cat on Sindra’s back. The dog that you all better have not let Lunarre kill. Everything. Here’s the game’s thoughts on the matter:

I’m very passionate about the whole game and will defend it against every injustified bashing I come across. …well, even against some justified stuff sometimes xD. Same goes with characters bashing, Zestiria is one of those rare game where I love every single party members, and hearing stuff like “Rose is a mary sue it’s impossible for her to be a killer and still be pure that’s shitty writing” make me lose it like have you even played the game ffs??

Free prompt: just talk about your personal ties to the game, go go