Echoes of Eternity

Chapter 2

---

Chapter 2: Paths Crossed

---

The sun was beginning to set over the city of Lugunica, casting a warm, amber glow across the rooftops. Frieren watched as the fading light softened the edges of the bustling city, creating a sense of calm that seemed to belong to another world. She had never lingered long in one place, but for some reason, this city held her attention.

The young group of adventurers—Subaru, Emilia, and the rest—were still in her periphery, their conversations filtering through the crowd as she drifted closer. Subaru’s determination intrigued her, and that rare spark of resilience she’d seen in his eyes felt strangely… familiar. She had encountered mortals before, driven and resolute, but Subaru’s resolve seemed to stem from a pain deeper than mere survival.

She caught a glimpse of Emilia watching her as well, a flicker of curiosity in the half-elf’s amethyst eyes. Frieren could sense that the young woman was both wary and intrigued, no doubt accustomed to the wary looks most gave her due to her unique heritage.

“Miss Frieren?” Emilia’s voice was gentle, yet held an air of authority.

Frieren inclined her head slightly. “You remembered my name.”

Emilia smiled. “It’s hard to forget someone who’s as… unique as you are. There’s an ancient magic about you, something that feels… timeless.”

“Timeless,” Frieren echoed, as if tasting the word. “That’s one way to describe it.”

Subaru, standing nearby, crossed his arms and tilted his head, his gaze intense. “So, you’ve been around for a while, huh? You must’ve seen a lot… faced a lot.” He paused, struggling to find the right words. “Maybe you’ve even lost people.”

The question held weight, a reflection of his own burdens, and Frieren felt the stirring of memories long buried. She nodded slowly, letting the silence between them speak of centuries of battles, friendships, and inevitable partings.

“I have lost many,” she finally replied, her voice barely above a whisper. “It’s the nature of those who wander. You live long enough, you lose things that were once precious.”

Subaru’s expression softened, as though he understood, at least in part. He, too, had known loss—perhaps more acutely than most. But even so, he clung to hope, an instinct to keep fighting, to defy the very idea of fate. It reminded her, in some ways, of a younger version of herself. Before time had worn away her attachments, leaving only memories.

The group fell silent, and Frieren could feel the weight of their collective struggles. Emilia, Subaru, and even the quiet figure of Reinhard, standing with quiet resolve in the background, had stories that interwove and collided, each carrying a burden they rarely spoke of.

“Tell me something, Subaru,” Frieren said, her gaze resting on him. “What is it you’re truly fighting for?”

He blinked, clearly taken aback by her question. His brows furrowed, and for a moment, Frieren saw a glimpse of vulnerability that went beyond his outward determination.

“I… I guess it’s because I don’t want to see the people I care about suffer,” he admitted, his voice barely above a murmur. “Every time I… ‘return,’ I get a chance to make things right, to fix the mistakes I made. And… if I can do that, if I can give them a better future, then maybe… maybe it’s worth it.”

Frieren studied him, her expression thoughtful. The concept of “returning” still puzzled her. In her world, death was final—a closing of one’s path, irreversible. Yet Subaru’s existence defied this very notion, challenging the boundary she had long come to accept.

Emilia glanced between the two, sensing the deepening connection forming in silence. “Frieren, have you ever… wished you could go back and change things?”

Frieren hesitated, her eyes distant. The memories that came to her mind were fragments—of faces, places, and moments she could never reclaim. If she could return, if she could change things… would she?

“There are things I regret,” she replied, her tone quiet. “But I’ve learned to live with those choices, to move forward because there is no other way. Dwelling on what’s lost can be… a trap, an illusion that never truly satisfies.”

Subaru gave her a long, searching look, as if trying to comprehend the weight of her words. He opened his mouth to respond, but before he could, a commotion erupted in the nearby market square.

They turned as shouts filled the air. A group of strange, robed figures emerged from the crowd, each of them bearing a twisted symbol etched into their foreheads. Their eyes gleamed with fanaticism, and in their hands, they held strange artifacts that seemed to pulse with dark energy.

One of the adventurers—Reinhard—immediately stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword. The aura around him shifted, a blend of holy magic and raw power radiating from his very presence. Even Frieren could sense the sheer strength in him, a mortal carrying an almost divine potential.

“Stay back,” he warned, his voice calm but commanding. “I’ll handle this.”

But the robed figures didn’t falter. They muttered incantations under their breath, summoning forth dark, ethereal creatures from the shadows. The beasts, twisted and unnatural, lunged at the crowd, sending people scattering in fear.

Frieren’s eyes narrowed. She had dealt with countless dark mages in her lifetime, but these cultists seemed different—more desperate, as though they were merely pawns serving a higher, unseen power. Their magic was crude yet potent, a sign of forces she had yet to fully understand in this world.

Without hesitation, she stepped forward, her fingers moving in an intricate pattern. A soft, ethereal glow emanated from her, coalescing into a faint, icy mist that spread across the ground, forming a barrier between the cultists and the civilians.

One of the creatures lunged at her, but with a flick of her wrist, she froze it mid-air, the ice crystalizing around it in a sudden flash. The creature shattered upon impact, a silent testament to the centuries she had honed her craft.

Subaru watched, awe mixing with relief as Frieren continued to dispatch the creatures effortlessly. He had seen many powerful beings in his time in Lugunica, but Frieren was unlike anyone he had ever encountered. Her movements were precise, unhurried, as though each spell she cast was simply a continuation of a lifetime’s habit.

The cultists, sensing they were outmatched, began to retreat. But Reinhard wasn’t about to let them escape. With a single, powerful slash of his sword, he sent a shockwave through the air, scattering the remaining cultists and their dark beasts.

As the dust settled, Frieren lowered her hand, her expression as calm as ever. She had seen such scenes countless times, and yet, in this foreign world, she felt a strange sense of purpose rekindling within her.

Subaru approached her, his eyes wide with admiration. “Thank you, Frieren. I don’t know what we would’ve done if you hadn’t stepped in.”

Frieren regarded him, her gaze softened. “It seems we all have a part to play in this world, Subaru. Perhaps mine is to learn… to understand what binds you to this place.”

Emilia smiled, sensing a quiet bond forming between them—a kinship born not of shared pasts, but shared resilience.

Subaru chuckled softly, though there was a hint of weariness in his voice. “I don’t know if you’ll ever fully understand. But… maybe we can help each other along the way.”

Frieren nodded, accepting his words with quiet grace. In this strange, unfamiliar world, she had found something worth staying for—a spark of humanity, a purpose she hadn’t known she needed.

---
[END]