Garden Of The Abyss

The light around them cracked, beginning to dissipate as the sable sky filled with stars and rain returned, but Strife stayed on his single knee until Charlotte finally picked herself up, brushing the dirt that stuck out vibrantly on her otherwise pristine gown. 

With a smile indifferent to the past, she extended her hand down, placing it softly on the man's crown of silver hair. 

"You can do whatever you want, you're free now so you can return to your--"

"What I want is to be by your side, Madam Charlotte."

Strife's words were concise; there was little room to sway his mind. It was clear that the once brooding, distant man was now one of conviction with his memories returned. 

"...If that's truly what you want, I won't try to deny you. But...are you really willing to fight against your former allies…?"

Standing himself up, Strife smiled as his silver locks damped beneath the rainfall, standing radiant despite his somber uniform that held the colors of the Argonauts. He shook his head slowly, looking at the girl with his kind, golden irises. 

"They were never anything more than reluctant colleagues of mine. In fact, I think I might actually enjoy battling for the first time--if my bow is drawn against them."

"Then let's go!...I saw a lot of explosions that way, it must be Fai...We have to help him."

"I recognized the mana signature clashing against his; it's no doubt Avdima. I don't know much about Fai, but he will likely need our assistance against that man."

Without any hesitation, Strife swooped Charlotte up in one arm as he began sprinting--much to the confusion of the girl as they took off at high speeds. 

"...Eh?!"

"Forgive me, but this is our fastest route, Madame Charlotte." 

Holding on tightly to the damp fabric of Strife's sable cloak, Charlotte shook her head before replacing her perplexed look with a determined gaze, "No, keep going! Also--it's just Charlotte!"

Strife nodded his head slowly with a smile before continuing off in a sprint with the girl held with one arm, swiftly evading jutted-out branches and stones as he moved elegantly yet swiftly through the dense forest. 

Keeping him on his path was the potent gathering and mixture of mana in the distance; the clash of two powerful magical energies belonging to the most powerful mages within the entire valley--without a doubt, it was Avdima and Fai. 

As Strife traveled with his new maiden in his hold, something tingled his instincts--jumping back suddenly as an object flew by him. 

"...Hm."

"What was that?"

With both of them turning their heads in near unison at the tree by their side, a sharpened ice projectile was lodged into the core of the tall-standing cedar. 

"Ice…? Donatien?"

"Unhand her, fiend!"

Before any words could properly be exchanged, the voice familiar to Charlotte's ears called out as the muddy ground beneath Strife's feet shifted into a frosty essence. 

"It seems your friend is the type to kill then ask questions later."

Jumping up, the elven man managed to evade the grasp of the newly formed ice while still holding the girl in one arm. At last, the two men met each other's gazes; Donatien looked as if he had been through a war of his own--his shirt missing along with his glasses, blood staining various portions of his face. 

Still, he doesn't look gravely hurt...I'm glad, Charlotte thought. 

"Wait...what is the meaning of this, Charlotte?"

Now with a better view, the way Charlotte stayed relaxed in the hold of the ex-argonaut put into question Donatien's preconceived notions. 

"Maybe try talking first before throwing magic around, dummy…!"

Being scolded by the usually sweet as candy girl sent even the stoic Donatien into silence for a moment as he attempted to adjust his non-existent glasses. 

"...That man is without a doubt an Argonaut, no? Forgive my hesitance for small talk, but we're not on very talkative terms."

Donatien narrowed his eyes on the elven man, who didn't shy away from the cold gaze of the blue-haired man before sighing. 

"I'm not an Argonaut. Not anymore, at least."

"Oh? Charlotte, is this--"

Before Donatien could get his question out, the girl fervently shook her head, knowing what he meant to ask, "This is by his own volition!...He didn't have any choice to become an Argo--"

Charlotte's words were cut short as Strife raised his hand to stop her with a smile, his simple look telling her, "it's okay". 

"Up until just an hour ago...I didn't know my own name or the faces of my own parents. She gave--she returned that to me. I promise you that I wish for nothing else than to repay Charlotte; I will stay by her side and protect her until the very end."

It was before those eyes of the pragmatic, seasoned mage from Earth that deception held no foundation to exist. 

"...Mm."

Donatien's eyes didn't waver in the slightest, bringing himself face-to-face with the elven, silver-haired man as his presence alone sent a cold chill over Strife's body. 

"I understand the value of such things to your people, I also know that elves typically are quite shit liars. It's not my decision to make--so for now, you'll help us out…?"

"Strife."

"Right. Strife. Assist us during this battle and I might just give you my favor when we decide your fate after all of this."

Even if Charlotte tried to contest Donatien's pragmatic resolution, she was stopped before a single utterance could leave her lips as once again, Strife stopped her with a raise of his hand, gently shaking his head. 

"He's kind. Honestly, I wouldn't expect anyone to believe something like this. What he said is more than fair."

Now moving alongside one another, Donatien and Strife, with Charlotte tucked close to his chest, ventured towards the source of the battle that raged on with the raw destruction of raging divinities, feeling tremors echo throughout the ground as they stepped forward. 

"Still...I have to wonder."

"Donatien?"

Charlotte muttered his name as the man spoke, unknown if he was referring to her or simply speaking his thoughts as he normally did. 

"Strife, you know the nature of this mission, don't you?"

"...I know what I was told."

"Then tell me this: was the main goal here to exterminate the present Outlanders, or to eliminate Beatrice herself?"

With this question, the two men came to a halt as Charlotte stayed rather confused at the nature of this conversation. It was impossible to avoid Donatien's gaze; Strife didn't attempt to tuck his words or truths away before the discerning man. 

"Both, but...you're correct. While it was in our mission to eliminate all the Outlanders here--our initial task was more so to separate all of you and stall you."

"...!"

Hearing this, Donatien's eyes widened slightly before turning to their natural state as he placed his hand against his chin, "You struck when it was clear we were at our weakest, didn't you?"

"...I honestly don't know anything about that. Avdima isn't the type to really divulge many details--that's why he picked Fleisch and I. We aren't the type to ask many questions."

"I can see that. Then I can assume...there is still one more Argonaut here--one who set their sights directly on Beatrice?"

"...Yeah." 

As the rain continued to fall against the muddied ground of the forest floor, the three stood there in silence as Donatien's mind seemed to be running at full capacity. 

Should we go back and assist Beatrice? Should we help Fai? Should we split up? I've got it, Donatien thought. 

"I'll--"

"It's too late."

The moment Donatien chose to speak of his new plan, Strife interrupted him with words coated in absolute confidence. Even without further clarification, Donatien realized the man was likely to tell the truth. 

"What do you mean?"

"Strife?"

Donatien and Charlotte both looked at the elven man for clarification of his claim as he briefly shut his eyes, opening them once more as their golden sheen rested on the form of the glasses-less man. 

"The Argonaut that was sent to deal with Beatrice...their ability was factored in. In fact, they were recruited first and foremost for this raid before even Avdima."

"Before Avdima…? What does that entail, exactly?"

"That person's ability--it is an absolute, impenetrable barrier that can't be entered or exited until they die or shut it off."

Rain pelted against Strife's silver locks as he spoke, his calm voice further solidifying these words into the harsh reality before them. 

"The plan was for them to set this barrier once you Outlanders were separated; then they alone would seal off that great tree and handle Beatrice alone. I'm sorry…"

A guilty look came over the man's expression as his lips quivered for a moment, biting down on his bottom lip in an attempt to halt this. 

"...It'll be fine."

"Huh? How can you be sure?"

"Beatrice is a tenacious witch; a greedy woman who won't roll over into a grave until her dream is seen through to the end. Pain, failure, emotions--human concepts like those won't stop her. Am I right, Charlotte?"

Nodding her head in response to Donatien's unusually confident, smiling words, the vermillion-haired girl returned his smile slowly with her own. 

"Well...there's just one more thing." 

Despite the lift in the dreadful atmosphere, Strife once more seemed to have words that sought to dampen the mood once more. 

"...The Argonauts--no, King Held himself alongside his council made sure failure was the slimmest possibility it could be on this mission. I'm sure you're both more than well aware of the desire Mastorn has to squash the Outlanders."

Around them, the trees croaked beneath the growing winds, the quiet rain shifting into a howling storm as the limbs of the great cedar that inhabited the valley swayed. 

"Spit it out, Strife. What're you getting at here?"

"As powerful as Avdima is, he is not insurmountable--they're well aware of his eccentricities and made efforts to even it out with a third party. The scenario in which even Avdima is unable to win was factored into this mission--in which case, "Plan C"...or "Plan Cataclysm" would be enacted. I don't know the details--but there is some sort of failsafe that will ensure Grandeuve is annihilated in the scenario in which the Argonauts fail."

It was news as bitter as chalk; Charlotte merely stared blankly at Strife as Donatien clenched his fists tightly, staring up at the sky occupied by rain-filled clouds. 

"...Petty bastards. They want us dead that badly, do they? Even winning will result in a loss...I expected nothing less from that pig of a king." 

Donatien huffed, placing his hands on his sides as rain coated his shirtless torso like a layer of sweat. 

"I believe the only thing we can do now is find Fai and assist him."

"Yeah...also, I believe I already know the answer, but you handled Fleisch, didn't you?"

"That I did; he was a crazy bastard, but not anything I couldn't handle."

Hearing this answer from the confident, navy-haired Outlander, Strife smiled as his shoulder-length, silver locks flowed in the stormy winds. 

"What's with that smile? It's a bit weird to be jovial after hearing your comr--ex-comrade be dismantled." 

Donatien teased as he stretched his arms, holding his biceps close to his pectorals before doing a few swift squats to warm his legs up once more. 

"I'm just relieved to have such a powerful comrade."

"Temporary comrade. Don't get comfortable yet, Strife. First, we'll have to all live through this mess. I, however, like our chances; if there is one constant in this world, it is that Outlanders are quite proficient at kicking the teeth in of Argonauts." 

"Right."

"Right!"

Charlotte chipped in alongside Strife--the mood packed with moonlight resolve returned to the unlikely trio as they set out towards the remaining two combatants.