Meraki

A Dream Yet to be Dreamed Chapter 7: Halfdan's Sacrifice

A bright yellow light was coming out from the device as the Lector continued to monitor it. Dainsleif stepped forward a bit.

"Look, the amplification device!" Dain exclaimed, seeing the light fill the room. A strong gust of wind pushed Aether back a bit. The Hilichurls and Black Serpent Knights in the room were falling to the floor in pain. Dainsleif was holding a hand to his head and Sying was on his knees.

"I'm too late." Sying managed to say, trying to stand up. "This is no way for them to meet their end." He glanced over at Aether. "Find a way to stop that thing!"

"I will! You can count on me!" Aether declared summoning his sword. Through blurry eyes, Dainsleif and Sying were able to see Halfdan slowly moving toward the device. His shield hit the floor and he ran forward in a burst of speed.

"Halfdan! Stop, that's an order!" Astral shouted, taking a step forward. However, the added movement was too much for the adeptus, and he passed out onto the floor. As Aether watched over their friend, Dainsleif saw Halfdan jump onto the device to shut it down. The Twilight Sword remembered his time with Halfdan and the promise they had made with each other.

"I will be your shield and you will be my sword. I will protect you and in turn, you will protect me. We'll protect each other until the end." Dain echoed the promise as Halfdan stopped the device, and his life ended once more. The Electro Abyss Lector turned its attention to Halfdan.

"Meddling fool! Encumber us no more..." It spoke.

"Don't you have a greater encumbrance to worry about? Come on, this is your grand opportunity to get rid of me." Dainsleif said.

"Dainsleif!" The Lector roared, as Aether came from behind the Abyss monster and hit it with his sword. The Lector turned around to face the Traveler, and Dainsleif landed a hit with his Nova infused weapon. As he backed away, purple lightning rained down from the sky almost hitting the two. The fight continued for a while until suddenly, Sying appeared and stabbed the monster with his polearm, killing it.

"Sying, you're alright!" Aether yelled excitedly.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He replied. "Just tired."

"Liar. You passed out. Is your back okay?" Dain asked.

"How's your head?" Sying countered. The Twilight Sword stayed quiet.

"Anyway, the device is fully shut down right?" Aether asked.

"The burning sensation has indeed stopped." Dainsleif confirmed.

"We managed to stop the Abyss Order's plan, but Halfdan..." The Traveler trailed off. Sying looked at Halfdan's body and sighed.

"Let's go." He decided. The adeptus turned away and began to leave when he noticed a shining light from behind him. A young man with silver hair and blue eyes in a Khaenri'ahn military uniform was standing there. Halfdan. He gave the Khaenri'ahn salute to Sying and spoke.

"Apologies, Nova Archon: Lord Astral, King of Khaenri'ah. Back then, I failed you, failed Lady Chao-xing, and failed to protect our people." Halfdan apologized. Sying shook his head and gave Halfdan an identical salute.

"No, for five hundred years, you have faithfully done your duty. To this day, I am proud of you all." Sying declared. Halfdan smiled.

"Khaenri'ah, didn't fall, did it? Since you're still here?" Halfdan wondered.

"Khaenri'ah still stands to this day. It's still there in all of its glory." Sying reassured the soldier. Halfdan walked over to Dainsleif and held his hand.

"Dain, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you all alone." He spoke.

"You didn't. You've always been with me." Dainsleif answered.

"I'm glad." Halfdan gestured to his shield that rested on the ground. "I want you to take my shield. Use it to protect those close to you."

"I will." Dainsleif promised. Halfdan's spirit began to vanish into wisps of light and The Twilight Sword said one last thing. "Halfdan, I love you." A reply came instantly as those words were spoken and Halfdan's spirit drifted off.

"I love you too." Halfdan said.

"Dainsleif, Sying and I plan on going to Sumeru if you want to join us." Aether chimed in after a few moments of silence.

"I will not be joining you. I need to focus on stopping the Abyss Order's plans." Dain replied.

"Alright. We'll talk more next time after you've recovered." Aether agreed.

"Thank you for understanding." Dain said as he walked away. "I only hope that next time we meet, you know whose side you're on."