Chapter Text
Sei picked up a book secured by a chain, giving it a once-over as we hung out in the forbidden section of the library. "Yikes..." she murmured. "Security's tight in the forbidden collection."
"It IS called 'forbidden' for a reason," I reminded her. "Kinda drab-looking too, but I guess not many people are allowed in here anyway, so it makes sense,"
"You KNEW this was here before me? How?"
"Sei, I'm a ghost. The laws of physics can't stop me from checking this place out every now and then when we visit,"
"Ah...right. Should've known."
As part of the compensation Sei had asked for in return for Prince Kyle's lack of acknowledging her as the Saint, she was also given access to the forbidden section of the library to help with her magic study. She was looking for ways to make even more effective potions, better than high-grade, but what she needed couldn't be found in the main shelves. So, she decided to browse this secluded area for answers, though I was soon to find out making better potions wasn't the sole reason she was here.
"So, Lucas, since you've technically been in here before..." she asked me. "Do you think you could help me search for some titles?"
"Huh? Like what?"
"Well...I want to find some books on the spirits and the afterlife,"
"Wait, for real? How come?"
Sei toyed with the ends of one of the chains securing the book she was holding. "I mean...that talk with Commander Hawke got me thinking...what if there was some kind of spell or enchantment that WOULD allow mortals to see spirits? Without requiring a spirit talisman, I mean..."
I was surprised, but very touched she was searching for answers for such a thing. "Sei, you don't need to do that-"
"Of course I do! Commander Hawke misses you so much...yet you're right there in front of him! If I could just let him know you've been watching this whole time...it might put his heart at ease."
I let out a pleased huff. Sometimes, this woman was just too good to be true. "Well, then, consider me your first source! I can tell you what I know about the spirit realm and we'll find out a way together!"
"Really?" she looked excited. "That's great! So, where can we start?"
"Well, to answer your first assumption, no matter what, a mortal DOES need a spirit talisman to be able to see a spirit...but a spirit can't possess more than one talisman,"
"Then, without one...there's no way for Commander Hawke to see you at all?"
"Most likely...what I mean is, it's not going to be as simple as splitting the Snowflake Blossom in two and giving him one half."
That got Sei thinking a bit more, rubbing her chin. "So, theoretically...what if I WAS able to give him a piece of your talisman? Then what would happen?"
"Hm...I guess the level of his interaction with my spirit would vary. He might be able to see me or hear my voice, but just the one. He won't be able to obtain the spiritual bond that you and I have established."
"I see...well then, let's start researching!"
We then got to work searching the library, but all it gave me was a reality check. Any books we found on the dead depicted them as terrifying creatures, demonic beings that brought about ill fortune, and books on theories linked to the miasma crisis. Humbling stuff.
"Gosh..." Sei looked disappointed as she closed a particularly gruesome title about the horrors of the undead. "You weren't kidding when you said Salutania doesn't regard the spirit world kindly."
"They needed to pin the miasma crisis on SOMETHING, I suppose..." I sighed as I slumped on the desk next to her. "No matter, though. Thanks to a few good eggs, here I am today. Still, I'm starting to have second thoughts about letting Little Al know I'm still around. I mean, his sword is LITERALLY pledged to wiping out the miasma and its causes."
"There's no way Commander Hawke would believe something that horrible!" Sei insisted. "Especially if it involved you! Spirits are composed of the deceased of Salutania, right? Surely that includes the loved ones of many families?"
"Not everyone is lucky enough to come from a loving family, Sei. Some spirits ARE vengeful, and though they probably don't have anything to do with the miasma, they CAN cause damage to what's around them while they struggle to tether themselves without a spirit talisman. Some destroy their entire afterlives just to have a few more moments in the mortal realm for revenge,"
"Like...what kind of damage?"
"Well, did you know not all plants and herbs weren't poisonous to begin with? Some were affected by the presence of vengeful spirits, to the point where their fatal taint spread to their seeds,"
"Hmmm...then maybe we need to look through those next. It could have some kind of clue. Hand me that volume over there!"
Shrugging, I pushed one book towards her and Sei started to flip through it, particularly interested. "Okay, this is frickin' incredible! None of this info was available in the MAIN library!"
However, I noticed we were no longer alone, lifting a finger to point behind my unsuspecting ward. "Uh, Sei-"
"Interesting...are we planning on killing someone?"
Sei jumped back a good few feet, startled by Ser Drewes' presence. "When the heck did YOU get here?!"
"When indeed, I wonder...poisonous plants, correct?"
Their conversation drifted back over to Sei's mission on making stronger potions, where Ser Drewes informed her of the presence of magic in herbs and all living things and how she could possibly imbue the herbs themselves with her Saintly power in order to achieve her goal. At the very least, we walked out with ONE of our answers, or so we thought. Sei tried imbuing the water they used for the plants with magic, a sort of "holy water", as she called it, but no luck. This then led her to bringing it up with Ser Drewes during one of her lessons, where he informed her of the Saintly Conjuring, a powerful spell in the form of a blessing, but no one knew how to cast it, or if it was even real.
So, we were once again at square one. This little wall followed Sei all the way into the evening, where I accompanied her while she went out to check on the herbs, her lab coat pulled tight around her shoulders. She glanced at me, noticing how unbothered I was by the wind. "Aren't you cold?"
"Uh...no? I just think the scarf makes me look cooler. Really goes with my hair, doesn't it?"
"Right, you're a ghost...dumb question."
Noticing she seemed a bit spacey, I floated closer to her. "You seem fixated on the sky tonight...any particular reason why?"
"I can see so many more stars in this world...it's incredible," she admitted, in almost a whisper. "Lately, I feel like it's gotten harder and harder to remember the place where I came from." She took her eyes off the sky and laughed to herself. "Am I that callous? Did I really care so little?"
"Nothing's wrong with appreciating the places you explore compared to home," I assured her, staring at the skies with her. "I miss my family to bits, but there was a lot I wasn't allowed to do as the eldest son of a margrave. Now, I can go and do as I please, and I have so much fun doing it!"
"Yeah, that's a fair thought," Sei laughed quietly. "Still...there's no denying this world is so much warmer than the one I left. And so many good people have reached out and lent me a hand since I arrived. I wish I could do something to help them too...and repay the kindness."
All of a sudden, something unexpected happened. Sei's chest began to emit a golden orb of magic, pinpricks of light springing from it and dusting on the herbs, coating them with a layer of magic. She seemed surprised at first, but ultimately utilized it, clasping her hands together in a quiet prayer. Light settled over the entire garden, the herbs shining brighter than ever.
We shared a look of shock, glancing from the newly-blessed herbs to each other. "What...did you just do?"
Johan threw the garden gates open, attracted by the explosion. "Sei! What's going on?!"
Sei didn't have an answer for either of us. "Not gonna lie...I have no idea."
In the span of time since that fateful night, everyone became able to make even stronger potions using the herbs Sei had inadvertently blessed. However, she was unable to figure out how to cast that crazy spell again ever since, so we were once again right back where we started. At the very least, we knew it was possible.
But our little experiments had to be put aside, as Sei had more pressing matters to attend to. As the Holy Saint, the Knights needed her for subjugation missions, which meant we were off to the Western Woods with Albert and his troops.
Sei was just stretching out after getting off the carriage in the woods, after being hounded by Ser Drewes over the spell she'd cast, when Albert approached her. "Sei. I hope your carriage ride was uneventful?"
"Yes," Sei nodded. "And once I started talking to Ser Drewes, the time just flew right by. Plus, if I'm ever achy post-trip, I can just heal,"
"Heh...I'm glad. You know, when I was younger, carriage rides used to be a bore for me as well. But, one time, Lucas hijacked the driver's reins and he took us on a joyride down the scenic trail. We were frazzled at the time, but looking back, it was a fun memory."
Sei cast a side-eye at me as my ghostly aura sheepishly went red. "Sounds like he got you and your brothers in a lot of trouble as kids."
"Oh, he did," Albert laughed. "But he never let us take the fall. I think he just wanted us to have some fun every now and then,"
"That's big brothers for you, I guess...you sure do like talking about him,"
"Ah...I suppose ever since you found out about him, I find myself looking for every excuse to bring up the good times. My apologies,"
"N-No, no, don't say sorry! You can talk about him as much as you'd like. It's great that you can look back on all the memories you made. I wish I could do the same..."
"Why? Don't you have brothers and sisters?"
"No, I'm an only child...I never had anyone to look up to or to stick up for,"
"Oh, dear...that sounds rather lonely,"
"It's alright, I'm used to it anyway. Besides, now I've got company all around! It's a nice change of scene-"
Sei trailed off as Albert's hand lifted, his fingers brushing over the Snowflake Blossom. “I noticed…you’re wearing your hair ornament.”
She blushed profusely. “Oh! That’s right! With a big travel day, I thought it’d be best to keep my hair out of the way. And I-”
“I’m not sure if you knew this, but…it’s actually enchanted. No matter what may come your way, it will keep you safe, always and forever. I’m glad you’re wearing it on this day.”
Something about Albert’s words touched me as well as they did Sei. It was like he could sense my presence there, whenever she had the Snowflake Blossom out in the open. And the way he was always eager to share his memories of me with such fondness...would he really recognize me as his older brother if we found a way to reveal me to him?
Unfortunately, Sei was too flustered to remain with him any longer. "Uh...I, uh...I forgot, I need to go help with dinner!"
We ventured further into the woods, where the air grew denser as we approached a black swamp, where a horde of miasma panthers lingered. It made me float lower than before, which Sei noticed. "You okay, Lucas? You look unwell..."
"I'm fine..." I assured her. "The miasma around here just makes my aura a bit weaker. When it gets dense, not even spirits are completely immune to it. Don't worry, it's not serious."
"AAAAAAAAAAGH!"
We were distracted as we heard the Knights in the back flank screaming. Whirling around, we realized that a salamander had caught us off-guard from behind, blowing an angry red fireball at them. Luckily, Sei reacted quickly, casting a reflection spell to block the blast.
Unfortunately, that alerted the horde ahead of us, so we had trouble on both sides. Albert took care of the salamander while the others fought off the miasma panthers. Sei rushed about, healing the wounded soldiers so they could keep going, but with that swamp nearby, more and more beasts kept crawling out. Neither side was giving in, but it was only a matter of time before Sei ran out of healing energy and we got overwhelmed. What to do...
"Okay..." Sei kept a cool head. "If we can keep the salamander focused on the Grand Magus, then maybe-"
*RAAAAAAAAAAAAAR!!!*
A furious roar cut off her thoughts, and the salamander spewed another fireball in Sei's direction, causing Albert to twist around wildly, too far away to help. “SEI!!”
She could only sit there, frozen, as the salamander’s fireball came hurtling at her. There was no time to move, no time for anyone else to reach her. Sei could only stand there in horror as she braced herself for her fiery fate…
*THOOOOOOM!!*
The Snowflake Blossom suddenly blazed with icy energy. Using all of my strength, I conjured an ice wall in front of her, blocking the roaring blast before it struck her. She was only able to remain standing for a couple seconds before falling to her knees in shock, probably from the near-death experience.
The wall crumbled shortly after, but the job was done. I had protected her, as I was meant to, much to everyone’s relief. The Grand Magus was by her side in an instant, advising her to keep her legs steady, as they weren’t through yet.
Sei only paid him so much attention, as her trembling eyes were on me, her unseen hero. I may have joked and prodded fun at her more than she could bear, but I had merely reminded her exactly who I was to her. But, soon enough, she was about to remind me who SHE was as well.
“Commander!!”
While we were distracted, a miasma panther bit through Albert’s blade, pouncing on him and sinking its teeth into his shoulder. But if I was worried for him, it couldn’t compare to Sei’s reaction.
“No…STOP IT NOW!!!”
A burst of golden light, the same kind that she'd emanated that night in the garden, exploded from Sei, vanquishing all the miasma beasts, including the one that attacked Al. An aura of healing energy expanded all around, healing the wounded soldiers and turning the swamp’s waters from black to blue.
When the light faded and golden particles showered on us, I wasn’t the only one staring at her in utter wonder. I made light of her so often, I had nearly forgotten just who my ward really was: none other than the Holy Saint.