I feel so horrible. Absolutely horrible. I just..... what the f**k am I doing!? Why am I doing such horrible things to my characters!? Honestly, why!? I might as well have killed Ayu with all the tortures I made her go through. Oh wait, I put her into a coma, cut out an eye, chopped off some fingers, whipped her, drowned her, branded her, stabbed her, the list goes on! She should be dead! It's like Naofumi says "Her mind is dead but her body refuses to die." Okay, i'm getting way too into this. I need to just breath and calm the f**k down. I'll explained the thing about Seamus leaving in the next chapter. Now, enjoy!

After fleeing Idol's complex, we managed to lead the monster he summoned to a lakefront. There, we met the Fitoria, the queen of all the Filolial's. She dealt with the monster herself, ending its life with one swift strike. And then, she transformed before our eyes so she could discuss with Naofumi and miss Ayuma. 

"It really is you, Fitoria! Wow!" Melty said cheerfully. 

"Wait, you know her?" Noafumi asked her. 

"Who doesn't? Centuries ago, one of the heroes of the time raised a Filolial called Fitoria." Melty explained. 

"Centuries ago? So that means you must've inherited the name or something, right?" Naofumi asked the Filolial queen. 

"No, the name Fitoria has always belonged to me." She explained which was truly unbelievable. She's lived for centuries and still doesn't look a day over 13, at least in her human form.

"Do you think i'll ever be as big as she is!? I really hope so!" Filo said which made me giggle a bit. 

"If you ever got as big as she is, you'd have to be on your own." Naofumi said as Filo made a pouty face. 

"If she were to grow as large as I am, it would take her dozens of times longer than the average Filolial." Fitoria explained as Filo became upset that she probably would be as big as her. 

"So these are the parties of the shield and axe heroes, is it? Please, tell me your names." Fitoria asked. 

"Naofumi Iwatani" He said to her as she nodded. 

"My name is Raphtalia. It's nice to meet you." She said. 

"Likewise." Fitoria responded. 

"Hi, your majesty, i'm Filo!" She said as Fitoria nodded again. 

"My name is Neela. It truly is an honor to meet you." I said as she gave me a nod.

"I am prince Alexander Melromarc. But please, just call me Alex." He said as he bowed to Fitoria. 

"I shall." She replied. 

"And we've met before, haven't we? Thanks again for your assistance." Fitoria said, looking at Melty. 

"Of course! My name's Melty Melromarc, it's a pleasure to see you!" She said as she also bowed to Fitoria. 

"Yes, sweet Mel." Fitoria said as Melty looked confused. 

"You've met with her before?" Alex asked Melty. 

"Yes, I was on my way back to the capital after a diplomatic trip." Melty explained. 

"I see. And it seems you chose not to tell you big brother that you encountered the queen of the Filolial's, of all things. Trying to one-up me as always, I see." Alex said as I laughed a bit. 

"There is one more of you who has yet to introduce themselves. Please, tell me your name." Fitoria asked as she looked to Alex who was holding Ayuma again. 

"Oh, uh..... she's..... She cannot speak, right now. A terrible tragedy has befallen her, the axe hero and i'm afraid she's fallen into a coma-like state." I explained as Fitoria walked over and placed her hand on miss Ayuma's forehead. 

"I see. Your name is Ayuma Saruwatari. Your heart is fearless and your compassion spreads wide. Unfortunately, it seems not even my healing abilities can wake you from your sleep. I am indeed sorry for this state you have entered. As such, I will speak with your closest companion instead." Fitoria said as she removed her hand and looked to me. 

"You and the shield hero will come and discuss with me. We have much to talk about." Fitoria said to me and Naofumi. 

"Yeah, sure, we can chat as thanks for saving us from big ugly over there. Just let me grab materials from it first, then we can go." Naofumi said as he began walk over to where the monster perished. 

"I really don't like the idea of cardinal heroes using dragon materials." Fitoria said to him. 

"It's good fodder for the development of my shield." Naofumi replied. 

"Please don't. I sense an ominous aura in your shield. As can be said with the Axe hero's weapon. Curse and death powers can be impressive but the consequences of using them are dire. You must trust me." Fitoria said as I looked to the axe which was still strapped to Naofumi's back. 

"Don't worry about it. I've got it under control now." Naofumi said to her. 

"That won't be the case for much longer." Fitoria said as I became worried and looked to miss Ayuma. If she somehow woke and had to use her demonic powers again, then who knows what would happen to her?

"I appreciate the concern but I need dragon material and the curse shield to survive." Naofumi said as Fitoria simply sighed. 

"Fine. Do as you wish but you have been warned." She said to him as he walked over to the monster and ripped a piece of skin off of it. He absorbed it into his shield and then he came back over. 

"Finished?" Fitoria asked him as he nodded. 

"Good. Now,let's all be off." Fitoria said as the other Filolial's moved out of the way to reveal a beautiful looking carriage, almost like one out of a fairy tale. We all entered, as did Fitoria, and she began to use her magic. 

"Portal." She said as the ground below the carriage began to glow. We were engulfed in a bright light but it quickly dissipated. When the light vanished,we could see we were in a totally different area. We were still in a forest but the trees were of a completely different species. I'd never seen their kind before. 

"Amazing. She used some kind of instant travel magic." Melty said as we exited the carriage. Around us were old ruins, dating back centuries, easily. This was probably the sight of an old castle. 

"Supposedly, these are the remnants of the civilization defended by the original heroes." Fitoria explained. 

"You don't sound too sure." Naofumi said to her. 

"They've been like this since I was born. But I watch over them now." She explained. 

"This is a Filolial sanctuary, isn't it?" Alex asked as Fitoria nodded. 

"Yes. I'm not supposed to bring humans here." She said but I guess she was bending the rules for us just this once. 

"Guess we're safe here, for the time being at least." Naofumi said as I agreed. 

"Perhaps you should all rest here for a while." Fitoria suggested as we all seemed to agree. 

"Well, it has been a long day for all of us." Melty said, sounding exhausted. 

"I'm sure everyone's hungry. I'll start prepping dinner." Naofumi said but Fitoria stopped him. 

"No, you and Neela will come with me first. The others can all wait here." She said as Naofumi sighed. 

"Alright, fine. Raphtalia, start getting things ready. I'll help cook when I get back." He said as we both walked deeper into the forest with Fitoria. We walked for about a kilometer before stopping at a drop off point in the castle. We all sat down on the edge and looked at the view of the horizon. Beautiful mountains could be seen in the distance, the sow shining off their peaks. 

"First, I would like to know how that monster came to be released." Fitoria asked. 

"I thought you came to save us because you knew." Naofumi said to her but she shook her head. 

"I was there because I was told that a new candidate for the next queen had been found." She said to us. 

"Candidate for the new queen? Are you talking about Filo?" I asked her as she nodded. 

"Can I as you something? Why is it that Filo's growing so much differently and so much bigger than almost any other Filolial?" Naofumi asked. 

"She's like me. A hero is raising her. Now, tell me, why was that monster released from its seal?" Fitoria asked again. 

"Well, recently, because I've been named the devil of the shield based on false accusations, everyone, even the other heroes are against me. The only one who cared or listened to me was the axe hero and her party but, during the last wave there was an incident and she ended up...... in the state you see her now. Recently, our parties rescued the prince and princess from a corrupt nobleman and then saved the slaves he was torturing. But the nobleman used some sort of spell to destroy the monument that was sealing away that monster, hoping it was destroy us. He was killed in the process, but his intentions were all too clear. He released it only to kill, whether he could control it or not." Naofumi explained as Fitoria just sighed. 

"What is it, Fitoria? What's wrong?" I asked. 

"I am appalled. You cardinal heroes should all be ashamed. Squabbling with each other while the next wave is approaching." Fitoria said as she became a little angry. 

"Give me a break, they started it. And they're the reason the axe hero is in a coma." Naofumi explained. 

"The shield hero has always been shunned by the human supremacist countries. But, seeing this happen to a hero other than the shield is more than unusual." Fitoria explained. 

"Okay, then you can understand why we're trying to reach the border of this country. Maybe there'll be medicine over there that can help cure Ayuma." Naofumi said. 

"Leaving won't solve anything. Work it out. The humans and demi-humans hate each other. But the heroes musn't fight amongst themselves." Fitoria said which reminded me of miss Ayuma. She was always trying to unite the five heroes, even in the hardest times. She believed that if they joined together, that they could defeat any foe that confronts them. 

"Don't you know about the hourglass? All five of you certainly should." Fitoria said as we both nodded. 

"If you're talking about the dragon hourglass, then yeah, we all know about it." Naofumi said to her. 

"Then why aren't you fighting the waves of catastrophe across the world?" Fitoria asked as we both became shocked. 

"Wait a second. Are you saying the waves are happening in other locations besides Melromarc?" I asked as Fitoria shook her head. 

"No, they happen everywhere. Each hero is supposed to go to one country each. Every time there's a wave." She explained to us. 

"But.... nobody ever told us that." Naofumi said to her. 

"I've been traveling the world in your stead whenever i'm asked. But you five aren't helping anywhere else. Honestly, whatever happens to the humans doesn't matter to me. I'm only fighting because the hero who raised me asked me to do so." Fitoria explained. 

"He asked? Or told?" Naofumi asked. 

"My job is t protect the world and keep its people safe." She said which confused me a bit. 

"She doesn't care for humans but she wants to save them?" I thought as she continued. 

"But I can't do that by myself. I need the heroes to help me." She pleaded. 

"Honestly, you seem much more capable than any of us." Naofumi said as Fitoria nodded. 

"That may be the case for now, but eventually..... I won't be enough. Which is why, you and the axe hero must make peace with the other three. Otherwise, this world will fall." Fitoria said as I put my head down. 

"I don't think that's possible at this point." I quietly said. 

"You want me to make up with the other heroes? Good luck getting that to happen." Naofumi said as I nodded my head and agreed. 

"The cardinal heroes are supposed to work together. That is absolutely crucial for this world's protection." Fitoria said but Noafumi refused. 

"Not happening. The whole country, besides the other three want nothing more than to get rid of me. And it seems they already tried that with Ayuma. And thanks to them, all five of us can no longer come together and fight the waves at full force." Naofumi said as Fitoria nodded. 

"Don't worry, i'm aware of what's happening. Regardless, the heroes must stop fighting each other." She said yet again. 

"You're kind of obsessing about that, you know." I said to her as she nodded again. 

"Because it is completely unacceptable." She said as Naofumi sighed. 

"Well, it's a lost cause because they don't wanna play nice with me either." He explained. 

"Are you certain?" Fitoria asked him. 

"Yeah...." Naofumi replied. 

"I see. You've made up your mind, then. It's been a while, several lifetimes in fact. I can hardly remember anything. But I do still remember what this means i'll have to do. If the heroes are too busy fighting each other..... instead of fighting the waves of catastrophe..... then you leave me no choice. I must kill all five of you." Fitoria said to us as we both sat there, too stunned to talk. 

"That is all I wish to discuss for tonight. You may return to your comrades now." Fitoria said as she got up and left us. 

"She can't be serious. Can she?" I asked as Naofumi shrugged his shoulders. 

"I'm just as confused as you are. But, if she's done talking, then i'd bet we'll get no more info out of her tonight. Let's head back too. We'll try again with her tomorrow." Naofumi said as I aighed and agreed with him. We returned to everyone else ate dinner before heading to bed for the night. But I wasn't able to fall asleep at all. I just couldn't stop thinking about what Fitoria has said. Would she really kill all the heroes if they didn't come together?

When the morning came around, we all cooked up breakfast. Fitoria was nowhere to be seen though. However, we decided to cook for all her Filolial's as well so they didn't starve. They seemed to appreciate it.

"So, what did you two and Fitoria talk about last night?" Alex asked. 

"I don't think she'd want us to tell you. Sorry, but we can't say." I said as Naofumi agreed. But then, Fitoria suddenly appeared and she walked up to where Melty was sitting. She placed her right hand near her and began to say something. 

"Libertion: Wind Prison" Fitoria said as she suddenly surrounded Melty in a sphere of wind. 

"Wha!? What's happening to me!? What're you doing!?" Melty questioned as we all stood up to try and help her. But Fitoria stopped us all. 

"She's my friend! What're you doing to her!?" Filo asked. 

"I'm sorry. But, i'm going to have to claim you as my hostage." Fitoria stated which took us all by shock. 

"Why're you doing this!? Release my sister, now!" Alex demanded but Fitoria seemed to ignore him as she looked to me and Naofumi. 

"I need the promises of the shield and axe heroes. Promise me you'll reconcile with the others." Fitoria ordered. 

"And what if we don't? Are you threatening to hurt the crown princess? I already told you, that's never going to happen." Naofumi asked her. 

"Never the less, I must ask you to reconsider." Fitoria said. 

"Why are you so obsessed with making us all work together anyway?" I asked her.

"Because I had made a promise of my own a long time ago to the hero who raised me. And because, if this world is going to survive, the cardinal heroes must work together to fight off the waves. I beg you." Fitoria said as Naofumi sighed. 

'No matter how many times you ask, i'm not gonna make nice with those three idiots. Ayuma was the only one who showed respect, so she's the only one who I would've agreed to fight beside. But that's out of the question now." Naofumi said as Fitoria lowered her head. 

"Then there's no choice. If you won't work together, new heroes will be summoned. Which means all five of the heroes we have now must be removed!" She said as I stepped over to where miss Ayuma laid. 

"You'd kill all of the heroes just because they don't like each other!? One of them isn't even conscious, she's barely even alive! How could you do something like that to them!?" I shouted. 

"That is what's best for the world. But, if you all reconcile, I won't have to." Fitoria said. 

"I understand. But I still can't do it! And taking Melty hostage doesn't change anything! If you wanna kill me, knock yourself out! Bring it! But, I promise i'm not going down without a fight." Naofumi said as he raised his shield up. 

"No need. I understand how you feel, shield hero. I'll give you a chance. If you can prove to me that at least you and your party can defeat the waves of catastrophe without assistance from the other heroes, i'll let you and the axe hero live." Fitoria explained. 

"That's generous of you. So what? You want us to fight you right here?" Naofumi asked as Fitoria shook her head. 

"Actually, i'm quite familiar with your capabilities, shield hero. Filo must fight me alone." She said, pointing to her. 

"What!? Why me!?" Filo questioned. 

"If you can show me that you are in fact strong enough, then I will release Melty. And I also won't do anything to harm the heroes for the time being. They will live, for now." Fitoria explained as Filo clenched her fists. 

"I don't really understand what you're saying but, if I beat you, master won't be killed and you'll let Mel go, too, right?" Filo asked as Fitoria nodded. 

"Wait, hang on a-" Naofumi tried to say but Filo cut him off. 

"Then you've got yourself a duel!" Filo said as she took out her strength boosting gloves and put them on her hands. 

"I'm going to fight you in my human form, Filo. I ask that you maintain yours as well until it is all over." Fitoria asked as Filo nodded. 

"Filo, I told you to wait!' Naofumi said but she wasn't listening. 

"Let us begin." Fitoria said as she surrounded both her and Filo underneath a small pink dome. Judging by how powerful Fitoria's magic is, there was little chance we could break through it. 

"Alright, i'm coming for you!" Filo said as she leaped into the air, using her wings to fly higher until she reached the top of the dome. She then came down, readying her right foot to strike Fitoria. 

"Too slow." Fitoria said as she took a small step to her left and dodged Filo's attack, causing her to crash into the ground behind Fitoria. Fitoria then grabbed onto Filo's shoulder and threw her into the air with minimal effort. But Filo recovered and took flight, using the distance between her and the Filolial queen to prepare her next attack. But Fitoria vanished. Her speed was so incredible that no one noticed her move. She was now right behind Filo in the air. 

"Filo, watch out! Behind you!" Raphtalia called out to her. But as she turned to face the queen, she was struck and sent flying straight down into the ground. But Filo got back up. Her clothes were a little ripped though. 

"Something doesn't seem right. Why would Fitoria want to fight Filo, instead of any of the rest of us? And why have them both fight in human form?" I thought to myself. 

"Filo, you can't just keep charging in like that! You've gotta use your head! And regenerate your clothes as soon as possible! Put some mana into it so you can increase your defense!" Naofumi yelled to her as he began to creep over to where Melty was. 

"Don't think I don't see you." Fitoria said as she fired a projectile blast of air at Naofumi. He tried to block it with his shield but she sent him crashing deep into a wall. 

"Master, you're hurt!" Filo shouted as she took her attention off of Fitoria for a moment. 

"Eyes on your opponent." Fitoria said as she struck Filo down, making her fall over. 

"That attack was the prevent him from cheating. He deserved it. Do you know why he attempted that? Because you're weak, Filo." Fitoria said as Filo rose back up to her feet. But with Fitoria being so fast and strong, Filo didn't have any time to regenerate her clothes or increase her defenses. This was all just a losing battle for her. For all of us. 

"Can you tell me what you are fighting for?" Fitoria asked her as Flo started breathing very heavily. She was totally exhausted. 

"I would've thought..... that was obvious. I'm fighting for my master!" Filo shouted as she stumbled her way over to Fitoria. But she sidestepped to the left and Filo tripped over her own weight. 

"You couldn't beat the monster last night and you can't beat me now. How do you expect to be of any use to the shield hero?" Fitoria asked as Filo got up again. 

"I won't lose to you! I'll become strong for master and i'll beat you! I'm going to get so much stronger than I've ever been before!" Filo roared but Fitoria still didn't look impressed. 

"Will you, now?" She asked her as she began to suck in. Her body was beginning to glow and you could see her absorbing something. 

"She's absorbing all the mana particles in the air. I didn't even think that was possible." Alex said as I became even more worried. With her absorbing so much mana, Fitoria was no doubt about to end it all right here.

"Filo! Stop worrying about me or anyone else! We'll all be fine, okay!? Just stay calm and watch her attacks! You can do this, I know it!" Naofumi shouted to her as her body began to glow. She was also beginning to absorb mana in the air. 

"You're far too slow." Fitoria said to her. 

"Maybe so, but i'll still beat you!" Filo roared as she leaped high into the air and dove straight for Fitoria. Fitoria countered by creating a force field in front of her. 

"Spiral Strike!" Filo cried as she thrusted her right arm forward. Her hand morphed into three large glowing sharp pincers. She struck the force field with amazing force, you could literally feel the shock waves outside the dome they were in. Filo pushed and pushed and pushed, and then....... she broke through. 

Filo blasted through the force field but flew right past Fitoria, only managing to leave a small scratch on her face. Filo struck the ground hard and she was having a rough time getting back up. 

"I'll won't..... lose. I won't. I'll grow stronger..... I have to. For master. For Mel. For Raph..... talia. For.... everyone." Filo said as she rose up to her feet, walked over to Fitoria and gave her an ever so light punch to her body. Filo was through. She had no more energy left to fight.

"Good." Fitoria responded to her. 

"That way.... I won't lose.... ever again." Filo said as she collapsed to her knees in front of Fitoria. 

"That's enough, Filo. I believe you've beaten me. And you've earned Melty's freedom. You're strong enough after all." Fitoria said as she removed the dome around them both and then freed Melty from the wind prison. Melty ran over to her to see if she was alright. We all followed shortly after. 

"Did you see that, master? I won, did you see?" Filo asked him. 

"Sure did. You were amazing, Filo." Naofumi said as Fitoria placed her hand on Filo's chest. It began to glow and Filo's wounds were disappearing. 

"I'm quite glad you passed the trial." Fitoria said as Filo looked confused. 

"Couldn't tell? Fitoria was obviously testing you." I said as Fitoria gave me a nod. 

"Yes, but it was a serious test. Because if you hadn't passed it, the shield and axe heroes would've died. And you as well." She said as a tiara style crown appeared in her right hand. It looked so beautiful, encrusted with the shiniest and sparkliest jewels i'd ever seen.

"What's that?" Filo asked her. 

"You're reward. To honor you for overcoming my trial. Now, please lower your head." Fitoria said as Filo did as she was told. Fitoria placed the crown on her head and all the Filolial's around us began to squawk with joy. 

"Filo, I am delighted to appoint you as my successor." Fitoria stated. 

"Successor?" Filo asked out of confusion. 

"Are you saying that Filo's going to become the next queen of the Filolial's?" Naofumi asked as the crown Filo was wearing disappeared. In its place, a strand of her hair began to stick up. 

"I guess that's the symbol of Filolial royalty?" I questioned as I noticed Fitoria had some on her head as well. But she had three where Filo only had one. 

"Oh, it's so adorable!" Melty said but Filo seemed freaked out. 

"Get this weird thing off my head!" She yelled as she pulled out the strand of hair. But a new one instantly replaced it which made me laugh a bit.

"As you grow older and gain more strength you'll have more of them." Fitoria explained. 

"Does that mean i'm gonna look like you?" Filo asked as she made a pouty face. 

"And I have something for you as well, shield hero." Fitoria said as she turned to face him. 

"No thanks, I don't want a cowlick." Naofumi said which confused me. 

"What's a cowlick?" I asked but he didn't answer. 

"No, this will suit you better. First, i'll heal your wounds from my attack earlier...." Fitoria said as she placed her hand on his chest and healed him. 

"Now, may I see your shield, please?" She asked as he held it out in front of her. 

"What for?" Naofumi asked as Fitoria removed one of the three strands of hair sticking up on her head. She placed it over his shield and dropped it on it. His shield absorbed the strand into it the moment it touched it. 

"Wow, this is incredible. You just unlocked the entire Filolial series within my shield. Thank you." Naofumi said as Fitoria nodded. 

"Now, please hold out the axe hero's weapon." She said as Naofumi removed miss Ayuma's axe from the strap on his back. He handed it over to me as he felt I should be the one to receive the gift from Fitoria. 

"If she ever does wake, then this will help her. You may not be able to see what it does, but she will." Fitoria said as she placed another one of her strands of hair on the axe. It absorbed it just like Naofumi's shield. 

"Thank you, very much. Even in her current state, I can already tell my master is very grateful for this gift." I said as Fitoria gave me a nod. 

"You're both quite welcome. Now, if you don't mind, there's something i'd like to discuss with you two, privately." Fitoria said as the other Filolial's around us came in close and picked up everyone but me, Naofumi and Fitoria. They all ran off with everyone, and thankfully, they were extra careful with miss Ayuma. 

"Looks like we really don't have a choice then." Naofumi said. 

"Tell me, did you ever really try to make up with the other heroes?" Fitoria asked him. 

"Not this again." Naofumi said as he sighed. 

"Did you make any effort to clear you name?" She asked him. 

"No, I didn't. What's the use? They wouldn't listen, they've already made up their minds about me." Naofumi said as he lowered his head. 

"But one did listen. The axe hero." Fitoria said as he raised his head back up. 

"Did you ever consider that the fact that she listened and believed you was the reason all this happened to her?" Fitoria asked him. I was about to say something to her but Fitoria stopped me. 

"She followed you and believed you because you showed her hope. Hope that you were not who she wanted to believe you were. And, if you don't tell the rest that they're wrong about you, they'll take it as an admission of you guilt and you will have no hope left." Fitoria explained as I understood her reasoning for stopping me. She was making him feel guilty for miss Ayuma, and using her fall as a way for him to right his wrongs. 

"Maybe you're right. Maybe it was my fault all this happened to Ayuma." Naofumi said as he lowered his head again. 

"When I take you all back, i'm going to leave you by one of the other heroes. I hope you'll take the opportunity to talk to him." Fitoria said which made me curious. 

"You're not coming with us, then?" I asked her as she shook her head. 

"I won't involve myself any further. Not until the you can show me that you five are worthy of it." She explained as Naofumi sighed again. 

"Seriously? So now we're supposed to be best friends? Okay, i'll try my best. Was that all you wanted?" Naofumi asked. 

"Not quite. You need to understand that if even one cardinal hero is missing, fighting off a wave almost becomes impossible. In that case, it would be better to kill you all and have a new group of heroes summoned." Fitoria explained. 

"So, if Naofumi can't find a way to make things work with the other heroes, you meant it when you said you'd kill all five of them?" I asked but Fitoria didn't answer. All she did was give us both a stern look. 

"I can't say how many waves will have passed when it happens but, a time is coming when the world will demand great sacrifices from all of us." Fitoria explained as she walked over to some stairs and sat down on them. We both went over and sat down as well, sitting on either side of her. 

"What kind of sacrifices?" Naofumi asked. 

"There will be a battle in which the heroes will have to choose what they are fighting for. And that is the moment I am dreading." Fitoria explained. 

"I don't get it." Naofumi replied. 

"Are you fighting for the world? Or for its people? If you choose to fight for the world, many will lose their lives. However, it will allow you to fulfill your duty." She said to us. 

"And what happens if the heroes decide to fight for the people?" I asked her. 

"That'll be a thorny path." Fitoria replied as I just became even more curious. 

"How do you know so much about this?" I asked her. 

"There are too many things that I've already forgotten. And yet, I do recall saving the world and saving its people are not the same thing. The heroes that came before you have always hoped that their successors would fight for the latter." Fitoria told us. 

"I don't quite understand but I guess it makes sense coming from the heroes of the people." Naofumi said as Fitoria shook her head. 

"None of you heroes are ready to make that choice yet. It comes with many hurdles. And you cannot conquer them by yourself." Fitoria said. 

"Hey, why come to me about this? Wouldn't it have been better to convince one of the others to forgive me?" Naofumi asked. 

"I suppose it's because I consider you and the axe hero to be of higher worth than all the others." Fitoria said. 

"And why is that?" I asked her. 

"For you, Naofumi, it is because you raised Filo. Anyone who could take care of a future Filolial queen can't be all bad." Fitoria said. 

"I'm not so sure about that." Naofumi replied. 

"Whatever you say, shield hero. And as for Ayuma, she possesses the ability to bring others together. That is the greatest strength of them all. So it is imperative that you wake her from this endless slumber she has fallen into." Fitoria explained as I just became worried. I don't know if there is a way to do that.

"In any case, I do believe that you are up to the challenge, shield hero, of convincing the others to work with you. Even if you are a bad guy. And, if not, the five of you are far too weak. And, even if i'm not the one to do it, you're all going to die, sooner rather than later." She explained to us. 

"Wait a minute, are the upcoming battles really going to be that rough? Looks like i'll have to get used to the curse shield because i'm probably going to need it more than ever." Naofumi said as Fitoria turned her head to face him. 

"I'd advise against that, but if you truly think it's necessary...." Fitoria said as she put her hand on Naofumi's armored chest plate. A jewel that was encrusted in the centre began to glow.

"What are you doing?" He asked her. 

"That will slow the curse shields corrosion. And as for you, please hold out the axe." Fitoria said as I held it out in front of her. She did the same and the gem within the axe glowed. 

"That will hopefully restrain the demonic power from taking over the axe hero's mind and body. But, for both of you, it will not stop it completely so you must still be careful.You must use it as little as possible." Fitoria explained as we both nodded to her. 

"After all that talk about killing us, you really are a nice person, Fitoria. Thank you." Naofumi said as I agreed and thanked her as well. Fitoria looked surprised by this as her eyes lit up. 

"Well, I guess since you're doing so much to help us out, I kinda have to give it a shot. But you shouldn't get your hopes up." Naofumi said as Fitoria tipped her body over and laid across his lap. 

"Uh... could you please get off?" Naofumi asked but Fitoria didn't move. I felt a little awkward seeing this. 

"Please.... just for a moment, shield hero...." Fitoria began to say. 

"Hey, uh, I know that you were raised by a hero. Was it the shield hero?" Naofumi asked her. 

"I don't remember. The memory of a Filolial is short." Fitoria explained as Naofumi let out a small chuckle. 

"Gotcha." He said as he began to stroke her hair. Fitoria began to smile, the first time i'd seen her do so. And following that smile were tears of joy. 

"I believe I have said all that I wished to say. We can return to your comrades now. It'll be starting soon." Fitoria said as she got off Naofumi, stood up and began to walk off in the direction our friends were taken in. 

"What'll be starting?" I asked her as she turned and faced us. 

"The celebration for Filo. For becoming my successor and the future queen of my our kind. I would be grateful if you two would join us." Fitoria said as she left. 

"Well, can't keep them waiting. Let's go, Neela." Naofumi said as we both stood up. But, before we started to follow Fitoria, he placed his hand on my left shoulder. 

"I.... I just want to apologize. Hearing what Fitoria said to us, it's all true. I'm the reason all this horrible stuff happened to Ayuma." Naofumi said as he lowered his head. But as raised it back up and gave him a smile. 

"Are you kidding? Nothing here is your fault. She believed in you, and still does. And, if she ever wakes, then she will continue to follow you. And i'll be right there with both you and her." I said as he smiled back at me. 

"Thank you." He said to me as we headed off with Fitoria. We began the clebration for Filo as soon as we arrived. There were dances, a feast, the Filolial's played with all of us, there was so much to do. But, I sat out for most of them to treat miss Ayuma. I covered up her body wounds and sealed up her missing fingers to stop the bleeding. And I wrapped some bandages over where her left eye used to be to stop the bleeding there as well. It was all that could be done for her until she wakes. 

....If she ever wakes.....

-Alright, like I did a few chapters ago, this marks the end of the chapter in terms of story content. But, this is not the total end. I've got one last thing to share. If some of you were curious and wanted a better image of what our resident prince, Alex looks like, then please look below. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! It actually became my longest chapter to date of any of the series I've done! 6.34k words! That's just unbelievable! And i'm sure there'll be more as long as this one in the future! New chapters out soon and, remember, ENJOY!

-Sadly this is not someone's fanart this time and it is most certainly not my own work. Nope, just a simple image me and a fan of mine found that best depicts what Alex would look like. Hope you like his design!