Leon’s return to consciousness was slow. His senses came back a little bit at a time, with the relatively soft feeling of bed sheets as his first sensations. Next came a burning perfumed candle that had the familiar scent of pine assaulting his nose. Then was his hearing, with the muffled sounds of conversation just outside of whatever room he was resting in finding its way to his ears.

Last was his vision. He deliberately kept his eyes shut as he relished the comfortable feeling of a proper bed for the first time in more than a month. But that couldn’t last long as he heard the soft sounds of someone sleeping close by. He didn’t want to wake them with a random pulse of magic senses, so he slowly cracked his golden eyes open.

The first things he saw were timber support beams above him. They weren’t bare and dusty as he would expect from, say, a farmhouse near the battlefield, and, in fact, were quite ornate, with bulls, lions, stags, and other animals carved into them.

So, he was somewhere fancy enough to decorate its roof support beams, and as he pushed himself up into a sitting position, he found that the rest of his environment was similarly well-furnished, with hardwood floors, elegant furniture made of southern wood, and rich velvet curtains over a nearby window.

By the standards of nobility, it wasn’t much, but it was still rich and comfortable.

Leon was in for a much more chilling realization, though, as he found not only was he not wearing any clothes beneath his bedsheets, but Valeria was also slumped over fast asleep in a nearby armchair. She was almost fully armored, with only her helmet missing. Her silver hair was tied back into a tight bun, though, ready for her to summon her helmet from her soul realm at a moment’s notice.

Forcing himself to remain calm and to remind himself that he was now a seventh-tier mage and had little to fear in the Bull Kingdom, Leon immediately summoned some clothes from his soul realm. He remembered that when he’d passed out, he’d been wearing his armor and holding his blade, meaning that he hadn’t had the opportunity to call them back into his soul realm before losing consciousness for several days. A cold feeling of dread settled into his stomach until his eyes landed upon his black armor in a heap on a nearby dresser. Even from across the room, though, he could tell that his armor was horribly damaged.

That left his sword missing, but as he adjusted his position in the bed, his hand brushed against something hard and metallic, and when he glanced down, he found his family’s blade there right next to him in the bed.

He breathed a sigh of relief, though he was more than a little curious as to why it was there, of all places. Without delay, he quickly pulled it back into his soul realm, then reached out with his magic power and did the same with his armor, taking some small pleasure in how easily he was able to do so despite almost twenty feet between him and the armor.

Leon then turned his attention back to the slumbering Valeria. From the way she was leaning back, he guessed she must have been keeping an eye on him for any changes, only to fall asleep while on guard.

He briefly considered waking her up with a sarcastic comment about how attentive she was being, but he held his tongue. They didn’t have the kind of relationship that would be needed to make a comment like that appropriate.

So, instead, he just leaned back in his bed and took further stock of his surroundings. He gently released a pulse of his magic senses to get a better idea of what was outside, but he kept it low-power enough not to overly disturb anyone who would be able to feel it.

He found that he was within a relatively large mansion in the countryside, with a dozen buildings as part of its estate all behind a low decorative stone wall. The land outside of the walls was mostly given over to agriculture and a farming village, but Leon didn’t think it was grain or potatoes being grown in the swampy fields. Regardless, he was still undoubtedly in the Southern Territories.

The rest of the buildings in the compound were filled with injured troops, their healers, and a number of guards. All-in-all, Leon guessed there were several thousand people packed into this compound and the nearby village.

Nowhere did he see Prince August, Roland, Marquis Aeneas, or anyone else in the leadership. Neither did he see Marcus or Alcander, but Alix he saw in the stables brushing Anzu’s brilliant white coat. He smiled when he detected that she’d ascended to the fourth-tier in the time he’d been unconscious.

Finally, he cleared his throat loudly enough for Valeria to jerk awake and conjure a glaive from her soul realm. Leon almost armed himself in response, but he kept himself in check and just waited for her to make another move.

She didn’t, choosing instead to set her glaive aside once she saw that he was awake—as only a fifth-tier mage, she couldn’t just will her weapon back into her soul realm without a good deal of time spent concentrating.

“You’re awake!” she excitedly observed.

“As are you,” Leon drily replied, unable to help himself.

“Your sword!” Valeria quickly realized it wasn’t where it had been left.

“Already back in my soul realm,” Leon explained.

Valeria nodded, giving Leon a small, embarrassed smile. After a long awkward pause, she said as if she couldn’t think of anything else to talk about right now, “… Ah. We weren’t able to get it out of your hand when you were unconscious… Everyone who tried was painfully dissuaded, so we just had to leave it with you as you slept…”

Leon cocked an eyebrow at her. “Define ‘painfully dissuaded’…”

“They’d be shocked by the Thunderbird’s lightning,” Valeria replied, startling Leon with how open she was about speaking of the Thunderbird, which he wasn’t used to at all.

But as her words registered in his head, Leon grimaced. He guessed that his power must’ve still been flowing through the blade, but that didn’t explain why they’d been unable to pry it from his fingers and had to have him sleep next to it.

‘Just something to ask the Thunderbird later, I suppose…’ Leon thought to himself, putting it out of his mind for the moment.

“So, I suppose that happened… What’s been going on in the time I’ve been out?”

Valeria jumped into her explanation with a strange enthusiasm, giving Leon the impression that she was desperate to talk about anything other than the elephant in the room. “We defeated Duke Duronius and his army. The Duke himself managed to escape to the south, and Prince August and the rest chased after him. For the first time since we entered the Southern Territories, we have a numerical advantage over Duronius and his survivors, so Marquis Aeneas has been using that to apply pressure on our enemy. I don’t know much else about their activities, I’m afraid. We were left behind to watch over you as you recovered here in the camp made for the wounded.”

“When you say ‘we’, I assume you mean you and Dame Alix?”

“Oh! Uh, yeah…”

“All right,” Leon said as he sat back up, leaning against the bed’s headboard. “Marcus? Alcander?”

“They elected to continue with the army,” Valeria replied.

“Thought so,” Leon said. He never expected them to wait for him, but it did sting just a little bit. “Will we be interrupted here?”

Valeria’s cheeks flushed a few shades darker, but she shook her head in the negative. Before Leon could continue, though, she said, “You should know, you weren’t that subtle in your last moments before you lost consciousness… There have been a lot of rumors going around that I’ve managed to overhear about… you and House Raime…”

Leon silently cursed, but he otherwise took it in stride. “Had to happen eventually,” he bitterly said. “Though, I can’t deny that I would’ve preferred no one noticed anything… Hmm… I’d rather you don’t confirm who I am with anyone who asks.”

“Done,” she instantly agreed.

“Should I be worried about this getting back to your family?”

The color in Valeria’s face drained as fast as it had appeared as Leon began to broach that most important of questions. “I… I don’t know…” she honestly answered. “I haven’t been in contact with my father since before his arrest warrant was issued by Octavius… I don’t know where he is or what he’s doing right now…”

Leon sighed. “Then I must assume that it will get back to him and prepare accordingly. So I suppose we ought to hash some of this out between us beforehand. I’d rather we both know where we stand before we make any mistakes. How do you feel right now? Do you trust me? Should I trust you? I’d ask more questions like that, but I don’t think I know enough about your situation to be making any suggestions…”

Again, Valeria fell silent, and Leon gave her all the time she needed. His confrontational attitude died during their last conversation and hadn’t returned, nor did he want it to. She started to speak several times, but she was understandably hesitant. After almost a minute of them sitting and staring at each other in silence, though, she managed to find at least a few words to respond with.

“I… don’t know…” she muttered. “I’d rather not lose either of you, but…”

“… that doesn’t seem quite possible,” Leon finished.

“… You blame my father for your father’s death?” Valeria asked, though it was more a statement than a question.

“Do I blame him? I suppose I do, how can I not? It was his order that resulted in my father’s death.”

“He was forced to give it, the order itself didn’t originate with him.”

“So you say, but what proof of that is there?”

Leon kept his voice calm and measured. It wasn’t so difficult after having some time to work through some of his emotions on top of ascending to the seventh-tier and finally learning something about his mother, but that didn’t necessarily mean he was willing to forgive Justin Isynos.

“I have no proof to give you,” Valeria admitted. “If it means anything, though, I can swear to the truth of it.”

“You’d swear upon your Mana Glyph?” Leon asked incredulously. That was a serious oath and one that came with a correspondingly serious penalty. If such oaths were broken, they could injure a person’s connection with their soul realm, weakening them immeasurably.

“I would,” Valeria unhesitatingly replied, and from what Leon was able to tell of her stony expression, she meant it.

Leon sighed, his respect for her only growing in light of her determination and conviction. But that alone wasn’t necessarily enough. “… I can’t let go, though. My father is dead because of yours. I don’t hold that against you, but neither can I forget it. I… don’t know how to proceed, though…”

“I understand that you’re angry, Leon,” Valeria said softly, tenderly, her expression softening for a moment, “but making peace is always an option.”

“Peace,” Leon growled, the concept rather alien to him. He’d never known true peace. Even in the Forest of Black and White, his life depended on the taking of lives and the evasion of ice wraiths and their pet banshees. “I’ve never tried that before… But I hesitate to try it with someone I don’t know, who I don’t trust…”

“But it might secure your future,” Valeria countered. “I don’t pretend that I knew anything about him, but from what I know about you and knowing that he raised you, I can’t help but think that your father wanted you to live above all else… That he wouldn’t want you to waste your life on revenge, or to get yourself killed seeking to avenge him.”

Leon gave her a sharp look, his golden eyes seeming to pierce through her every defense, but he said nothing. What she said was true, Artorias wasn’t a man who valued vengeance as much as Leon did. If he had been, he wouldn’t have run away from the Kingdom to keep Leon and himself safe. Vengeance always came after ensuring the safety of what was left of his family. Still, Leon didn’t know what Artorias would’ve done if he hadn’t had to take care of him for sixteen years. His father might’ve gone on an avenging crusade for his missing wife and murdered father and brother.

But Leon couldn’t speak to that. He only knew Artorias as a father, and Artorias wanted Leon to remain safe more than anything, more even than seeking revenge.

As he thought about his father, Leon found his thoughts eventually turning toward Trajan. The Prince had taken Leon under his wing after learning that he was the last scion of House Raime, and he tried to instill in the younger man certain values that Leon felt aligned well with Artorias’ lessons. Artorias had always taught Leon to be merciful and not to think with his blade, that murder wasn’t always the best solution to his problems. Leon thought back to the last lesson that Artorias had ever taught him in that regard—it had been a small thing, consisting of paying a troll two silver coins to let them use its bridge rather than simply killing the creature as Leon was more willing to do.

‘Maybe I’ve lost sight of all that a bit…’ he wondered. ‘Would either of them approve of my decisions? Probably not… I’m sure they’d pressure me to make peace if they could talk to me right now, assuming that’s an option… If it isn’t, they’d advise me to kill my enemies, that I know for sure. Maybe… Maybe I’ve been wrong about this… Maybe there’s room for compassion, mercy, and forgiveness…’

Leon scowled and glanced back at Valeria. Her sapphire-blue eyes were locked on him, radiating a warmth that Leon had never seen there before. She was usually so cold and aloof, but here, she actually seemed… friendly? Maybe a little vulnerable?

“So… how do you think we’d move forward if I were to agree with your plea for peace?” Leon asked. “Do you even think any offer you make would be honored? Won’t your father just ignore it and try to kill me? This is your mission, isn’t it? And doesn’t the life of your mother depend on its successful completion?”

“I suppose that is our mission, technically speaking,” she replied. “Under any other circumstance, my father would be more inclined to protect you from Lord Kamran, I think. In practice, this mission is more of an exile. I don’t think my father truly believes he’ll see my mother again…”

“We’re not under other circumstances,” Leon observed. “That means he’s still my enemy, and from where I stand, it would seem we’re irreconcilable. Peace may not be in the cards, here.”

“As I said, peace is always an option, you just have to have the will to agree to it,” Valeria replied with an uncharacteristic amount of sudden passion. “What I propose is an alliance!”

“An alliance?” Leon asked with both incredulousness and bemusement.

“Yes!” she said. “My father and I want to rescue my mother from Lord Kamran! You want to find and kill those who ordered your death! Kamran is ultimately responsible! My father is only the weapon he’s using! When someone is beheaded, do you blame the ax or the man wielding it? Or the Arbiter or Lord who ordered it?”

“I think I might just blame all three,” Leon sarcastically replied, eliciting a glare from Valeria that drew a wry grin from him.

“Sir Leon,” Valeria said with the utmost seriousness, “ally with us. I can persuade my father that doing so is in our interest. Your goal is the Nexus, correct? You want to rebuild the Thunderbird Clan?”

“I suppose that’s one way to put it…”

Valeria shrugged, accepting his statement even though he made it clear she was wrong on some level.

“My family knows the Nexus, we’re from there! We can help you establish yourself! And when you’re ready, we can help you wage war against Kamran!”

“What would you want in return? I doubt that this aid would come for free…”

“I want my mother back,” Valeria simply replied. “Kamran is our enemy, too, and with your help, we might stand a chance in a few thousand years.”

“That’s a long time to wait.”

“For us, maybe. Not for the most powerful in the Nexus. Not for those that have achieved Apotheosis.”

Leon cocked an eyebrow at her use of that term, but he figured that since she was from the Nexus, then there was no reason to have assumed that she didn’t know of it before he did. In fact, she seemed to be staring at him as if she were expecting him to ask what it meant…

… or she was just waiting for him to respond. Could be that, too, he couldn’t say.

“Ally with you, kill Kamran with your help, free your mother?” Leon asked for confirmation.

“Essentially, yes,” Valeria said.

Leon took a long moment to think about it, and he made a big show of leaning back and looking around the room, deliberately not turning his eyes toward Valeria.

When he turned his attention back to her, she was practically sweating as she awaited his answer to her offer.

“I’ve always been taught about the virtues of forgiveness,” Leon slowly said as if he were working through these ideas out loud, “but I’ve rarely supported its merits. Many people close to me, in fact, have actively encouraged me not to indulge in such ideals…” Leon thought of the Thunderbird and Xaphan when he made that statement.

Leon continued, “I’ll say this, Valeria, I don’t hate you. I’d actually like to think of you as a friend if it weren’t for my own… shortcomings in that regard, and I trust you more than I trust just about anyone else in the world. I think you’re being absolutely genuine in your offer. You make me want to give forgiveness a shot. But I will never believe in forgiving someone who shows no remorse for their actions. Any alliance between me and your family is impossible without your father’s agreement and sincere attempt to apologize and make up for my father’s murder. Your father would have to show me that he wants forgiveness and that he’s willing to betray his Lord.

“If that doesn’t happen, then no alliance between us can work.”

“That’s… reasonable,” Valeria replied, though she still looked quite discouraged and pained, turning her eyes down and shrinking down into her seat.

“I’ll promise you this,” Leon said, not wanting to see someone who’d been so helpful otherwise, someone who’d never once held any kind of genuine hostility toward him, be so obviously hurt, “I won’t go hunting for your father. I won’t make myself vulnerable, either, and if he attacks me, then I will defend myself with all available means. But beyond that, I’m willing to give this alliance a shot. I will trust in your belief that it’s possible, I will trust your word when you say that your father is a good man worthy of making this alliance with, I will trust in your word that this is possible at all.”

Valeria looked up at him in surprise, which quickly turned into gratitude and happiness, and then back into stoic seriousness to give this moment its proper weight.

“Thank you, Sir Leon. You won’t regret this!”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Leon replied. “But, I’m willing to give peace its fair shake.”

Valeria gratefully nodded.

“Now, let’s work this out a little bit more,” Leon said. “Obviously, I don’t want you telling everyone about who I am, so I want to know how you’d get in contact with your father and what you’re going to tell him. No one else gets told who I am.”

“I understand, Leon,” Valeria replied. “I wasn’t planning on spreading it around, anyway. And as for my father, I wasn’t intending on telling him everything, anyway, at least, not at first. Enough to bring him to the negotiating table without running off to find and attack you.”

It was Leon’s turn to nod. The two continued to talk about this for a while longer, and Leon slowly got used to the idea of actually giving this a shot, even if in the back of his mind, he didn’t truly believe that this would work out as well as Valeria seemed to hope.

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