Arthur and the other lances stood patiently inside Etistin castle wearing their white Lance uniforms, right by the balcony where all of the major announcements to the continent were made. Arthur was leaning against a wall collecting his thoughts, as Jasmine conversed with the other senior lances. They all welcomed her openly as one of them, and were impressed by her progress in training. Before the attack against Seris she was close to Varay's level before training with Arthur, but now she had nearly caught up to the others.

It had been several days since the meeting with Seris, and they had still yet to hear anything back from her. It was possible that they were being monitored during the meeting, and that Agrona had already captured and killed her. At the same time Arthur wasn't aware of how easy it was for her to move back and forth between the two continents. If she wasn't technically in Dicathen officially, that would mean she may have to sneak back, meaning it would take longer.

"So is your speech ready, or are you just going to wing it again?" Virion asked as he approached, the rest of the council behind him as they exited the teleportation gate.

"It's ready and memorized," Arthur replied as he tapped his head. "Although I wish you would do this. I don't exactly like giving speeches."

"No, you're better at this than I am." He then leaned in and whispered, "Must be all those years of practice." He straightened up and cleared his throat. "Besides, the people seem to respond better to you than the council. A commoner who was able to climb his way to the top."

"That was never my intention."

"I know, but the fact that it happened gives them hopes of greater achievements, that greatness isn't limited to the nobility."

"I guess."

"Good. Besides, this was all your idea to begin with."

——————————————————————-

Several Hours after the meeting with Seris

"Welcome back generals," Virion greeted as the lances filed into the council chambers. "Considering how you all look I'm going to guess that you encountered the scythe."

The lances entered, still wearing their armor, looking completely disheveled from the battle, with both blood and dirt on their armor. Only the lances entered, Tess, Elijah, and Sylvie left to return to their rooms to clean up.

"We did," Varay stated flatly as she and the others took a seat at the long table.

"However she's still alive," Bairon added.

The council looked to Arthur.

"Was she more powerful than expected?" Marcus asked.

"No. In fact we didn't even fight her." Arthur pulled out the photograph artifact, walked to a blank wall, and activated a projection feature. "But we did deal with the mages responsible for the attacks."

On the wall was a clear image of multiple Vritra blooded mage corpses, laid out side by side in a line.

"My gods," Alduin breathed out.

"You all accomplished this?" Merial asked.

"That we did," Mica replied proudly.

"It seems all of that time training has finally bore fruit," Marcus stated as a small smile crept on his face.

"I believe the council should hear our full report before praising this victory," Bairon interrupted with a scowl.

Arthur then proceeded to explain everything about their encounter with Seris. As he explained the deal, the council started to become visibly nervous.

Even though they all trusted Arthur, none of the lances felt good about the deal Arthur and Seris struck. Not only were they uncertain if Arthur could actually defeat an Asura, but they didn't trust Seris would hold up her end of the agreement. Even if Arthur was strong enough to defeat Agrona, the concern was also that he would be left if a state where he would be unable to defend himself, and that Seris would finish him off. Then if she were to decide to continue the war, without their most powerful Lance it would only be a matter of time before Dicathen fell.

At the same time they didn't realize just how much Agrona was holding back. If he were to unleash the full force of his military, even Arthur would become overwhelmed by their numbers and fall. Arthur didn't trust Seris completely, but he also knew defeating Agrona was the only way to end this war. Taking her deal was the best chance, and showing his overwhelming power would hopefully become a sort of nuclear deterrent of future wars.

"Arthur, did something happen in the previous timeline with this scythe that you didn't tell us? A reason why you're trusting her?" Alduin asked.

"Nothing that I didn't already tell you. I'm just... pfft, thanking a leap of faith."

"A leap of faith? You're putting all of Dicathen at risk over a leap of faith?!" Bairon question, anger starting to rise.

"Hey, calm down there Pikachu. We got this under control," Regis commented from beside Arthur.

"Pikachu?" Barion questioned, as everyone else held the same questioning expression.

"An electric mouse mana beast from Epheotus," Arthur lied.

"Ha, a perfect nickname for you Wykes," Pasta laughed.

"Anyway," Arthur said, bringing everyone back on topic. "It's not desirable, but this gives us the best chance of success," Arthur replied matter of factly.

"Explain," Virion said as he leaned back in his chair curiously with his arms crossed.

"Like I've said before, her actions in the previous timeline were indicative of someone planning an uprising. I've long come to the conclusion that she isn't loyal to Agrona and the Vritra clan, and was somehow planning to use me in her efforts to overthrow them." Arthur leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. "I don't know if she'll betray me or not, but I do know she wants the vritra clan defeated just as much as we do. So for now I'm going to use her to get to Agrona. With him dead the Asura can come and take care of the rest."

"You've been to Alacrya, and can create portals. Why not just go over there yourself to kill Agrona?" Priscilla asked.

"Because I don't know exactly where he is, or what kind of defenses he has in place. His castle is somewhere in the central domain, and I could probably find it on my own, but the problem lies in his vritra blooded mages. I could probably kill quite a few of them, but their numbers were enough to hold off the Asura. I would fall if I went against that army. With Seris' help, I should be able to get around them and to Agrona. Escaping will be a lot easier than breaking in."

"I see, so you're betting on her not betraying you out of some debt to you after you kill Agrona," Buhnd sermized.

"Essentially." Arthur sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, if she does betray me we just need to wait on the Asura to finish the job. Agrona might not be powerful enough to make a big difference in a battle, but the ensuing chaos should put the odds in their favor."

"Then we just need to hope the Asura are aware that Agrona is dead," Jasmine chimed in.

"I've already got that part taken care of. I learned the identity of one of their human spies in Alacrya before my return. All I need to do is get to him before I go kill Agrona and hopefully he'll be able to pass the information along in time."

"So now we just wait for this scythe to contact you?" Merial asked.

"Yes, however there are plenty of other things we need to worry about in the meantime."

"You want the people to see justice served don't you?" Virion guessed as he gestured to the image on the wall.

"Yes. The people have been fortunate enough that they've been kept out of direct conflict, but with this they've seen the horrors of war. They saw the Lances drive them off, so they see them as heros. So now they need to see those heros deliver justice."

"And on the topic of heros," Marcus then looked down to Jasmine with a proud smile. "Introduce the people to a new hero."

"You've read my mind."

——————————————————————-

"You just don't want to do this do you?" Arthur accused.

"It's not that," Virion replied dismissively. "I just want the people to see more of you, and for you to get more used to it. Like it or not, you're going to be playing a major role in Dicathen's future."

Arthur eyed the old elf suspiciously. "You're not planning on trying to give me your job too are you?"

"Hahaha, no. Unlike my son, I don't think the time is right for you to have a desk job like us. Although I do plan on retiring after everything about this war is done with, I'm not going to drop this burden on you." He looked Arthur in the eyes with a smile. "You do plan on being a father soon right?"

"That is our hope."

"This job takes a lot of time away, as does any leadership position of this scale." Virion smirked and whispered, "but you already know that." The smirk faded. "As king I didn't have the luxury of choosing when I would take on the role, it just happened and I had to deal with it. I didn't spend nearly as much time as I wanted with Alduin while he was growing up, and it was the same with him and Tessia. Since you don't have to take on any roles other than being a Lance, I'm not going to burden you with any more responsibilities."

Tess and her parents then entered the room.

The elder elf placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly. "This way, you can focus on being a good husband and father."

"Thank you"

"Grandfather," Tess started with a suspicious tone. "You aren't  being mean to Arthur are you?"

"Oh please," he scoffed. "At this point if he hasn't realized what you call, "being mean" isn't just friendly joking he's a lost cause."

"So you never intended to pour hot tar on me and beat me with a cactus?" Arthur questioned.

"Ahem," Virion cleared his throat. "I'm going to go see how much longer until we start." He then walked off.

Arthur and Tess laughed quietly.

"So are you ready?" Arthur asked.

"I think so," she replied nervously as she smoothed out her white uniform. "I honestly never expect to become a Lance."

"The people need heros now, and a princess who fought on the frontlines in the war, and reached the white core stage fits the role nicely."

In all truth, if not for the war or the formation of the council, even if Tess had reached the white core stage she would not have been allowed to take the title of Lance. The idea of giving a princess such a title would have been seen as a joke before, that a spoiled princess was only getting an honorary title. But with her years fighting in the dungeons, and the monarchy becoming little more than a powerless symbol, few would actually argue with it.

Even the senior lances had given their support after seeing how hard she had work and progressed. Ever since entering the sanctuary Tess had been working with Arthur, not only training to become stronger, but also refining her skills. Unlike a normal mage who's skills improved as they got stronger, her sudden rise to a silver core cost her the valuable experience she would have otherwise gained through steady progression, leaving her combat skills severely lacking for her stage. However with Arthur's help she was able to fix problems with her swordsmanship, and refine her combat skills to a level appropriate of a white core mage. This training not only improved her skills but also her power, bringing her to a level well beyond the lances bound to the artifacts. She still had a way to go before reaching the integration stage, but power wise she now was stronger than a scythe.

"Alright everyone, it's time," Virion announced.

With that the council began making their way onto the balcony, seconds later the lances and Pasta followed. Arthur took the rear, leaving Jasmine, Tess, and Elijah waiting to be announced.

Unlike normal, Arthur walked up to the front where a voice enhancing artifact was waiting.

"My fellow Dicathen's, on behalf of the council, I thank you all for your time and joining us today. Today I, Lance Arthur Leywin have been given the honor to speak on behalf of the council." Arthur paused for effect, then continued. "War is a gruesome and terrible thing that no one should ever have to experience. But when we must, it is supposed to be limited to those brave men and women who chose to take up arms to fight and defend those who do not fight, but instead support them from behind. The soldiers of Dicathen uphold a code of honor, a code that tells them to never harm the weak, but it appears that Alacrya has no such code! Two weeks ago Alacrya launched a cowardly attack on Xyrus and Zestier. Using a group of their elite mages they attacked civilians, men, women, and children, who could only run in fear in the face of their power."

A clear growing anger could be heard in his voice as he spoke. "Over ten thousand died in the massacre, but thousands more would have died if not for our own elite mages," Arthur stepped sideways and extended his left arm as he gestured to the other four lances and Pasta behind him standing proudly at attention. "If not for the Lances who were able to drive them off."

The crowd erupted into a thunderous applause. After an appropriate amount of time Arthur raised his hand in an effort to call for silence. Once he achieved this he continued, sounding more calm than before.

"Only a fool believes killing a murderer is justice for killing the innocent. However those who's hands were I stained in the blood of the defenseless citizens were not murderers, but monsters! And in proper fashion, the lances hunted down these monsters," Arthur's voice rose as he pointed to the projection above him, that switched to the image of the defeated Vritra blood mages. "and several days ago we the lances subjugated those monsters so they would never harm our people again!"

The crowd erupted into cheers at the image of the dead mages. Arthur allowed the cheers to continue for a few more seconds before he raised his right hand up, requesting silence to continue.

"However there is almost never a such thing as a victory without loss." Arthur closed his eyes as he lowered his head and tightened his fists. He didn't want to do this, but it would be easier to tie up these loose ends now. "That is why with great sorrow I must announce the deaths of Lance Alea Triscan, and Lance Olfred Warend."

Even from the balcony Arthur could hear gasps and crying from the crowd below. The screen above Arthur split showing the two lances.

"I ask all of Dicathen for a moment of silence in honor of these two heroes, who died fighting those monsters."

Arthur bowed his head as everyone else did. Alea had not been seen since well before the war began, but the council kept her death a secret so as to not alarm the people. But now after Agrona decided to use so many of his more powerful mages openly in battle, the people saw the power they wielded, so losing two lances in a battle where they were outnumbered wouldn't have as dire an effect. With this now Alea could finally be recognized as a fallen hero of Dicathen.

However calling Olefred a hero after he betrayed everyone was a hard pill to swallow. Everyone aware wanted nothing more than to label him a traitor and forget about him. Unfortunately this revelation being revealed would have much more wide reaching consequences. Not only revealing the treachery of such a pinnacle of Dicathen strength would shake the faith in the lances as a whole, but would also lead to the people learning of the deep rooted corruption in Darv. Creating even more tension and ultimately making it even harder for dwarves to be able to work and fight in the war.

"Thank you." Arthur paused for a moment before continuing. "Even as we mourn our fallen heroes, we must not forget that heroes are not born but forged. Through blood, sweat, and tears, through hard work and a strong resolve. This war has forged many heros, and today three will rise to the rank of Lance. These three mages, through this war have reached the white core stage and joined the lances in our recent battle with the Alacryan elite force."

He could feel the anticipation in the air. Despite the sorrow of losing two lances, the people were excited and eager to meet the newest additions.

"Allow me to introduce you to your new Lances. First from the kingdom of Darv, I present to you Elijah Knight."

Elijah walked out onto the balcony to a thunderous applause. He did his best to hide his nervousness and excitement, but a small smile still formed, which actually made it look more natural.

"Next, from the kingdom of Sapin, I present to you, Jasmine Bloom."

Jasmine walked out with a composure one would expect from a seasoned soldier. However as she looked to Arthur and her uncle a proud smile formed. Deciding that she didn't want to give house Flamesworth any reason to feel proud of her accomplishments and try and hold them as their own, she severed her last tie to that side of her family. Instead she chose to embrace the only side that encouraged and supported her, and changed her last name to Bloom, in honor of her great Uncle.

"And lastly, from the kingdom of Elenoir, Tessia Leywin."

Tess walked out, completely unable to hide her smile. There were many in the crowd that still believed that this was only an honorary title, that it was planned to bring her to this stage through elixirs and beast cores so she could hold the title. They were only half right. Since Arthur's return he had already planned to get Tess to the white core stage, so that if needed she could better defend herself if he wasn't there, but the title of Lance was never part of the plan.

Arthur stepped back as the three new Lances stepped up and waved to the crowd below, as symbols of Dicathen's strength.