Lady Calamity and the Shepherd (Tales of Berseria × Tales of Zestiria Crossover)

Chapter 18: Mother of The Shepherd

Velvet followed Artorius hesitantly. She didn't know how to feel with Artorius in front of her. She should feel more hatred and anger in her. More despair from the memories she had from him and their happy life with her brother and sister. Though, instead of hatred, she felt annoyance. It felt like an older sibling nagging a younger sibling. "I should feel angry at you. Hate you even. Though, I don't. Why?" Velvet suddenly asked. Artorius chuckled and stopped moving. Velvet stopped as well. He turned, but as he turned, his for shimmered. His clothes changed. He wore beige jeans, a white button-down shirt and a blue overcoat thrown over his right shoulder. He had an arm brace on to support his left arm. His sword, instead of the gold and white scabbard, was back in his brown leather scabbard. "Because you avenged Laphicet." Was all he said.

Velvet just stared wide eyed. "Wh... Huh!?" she stuttered. Artorius just chuckled and nodded at her. She looked confused and looked down at herself. Her eyes widened even more. She wore a red villager shirt with a black undershirt. Her sleeves were rolled up to her elbows. A brown satchel was wrapped around her waist. She had on black leggings and her large, untamed, black braided hair was more tamed and instead of her hair being wide and bushy in the braid, her hair had now become neat and tidy in the braid. Her left arm wasn't wrapped in its bandages and looked like a normal arm again. On her left ring finger was the Sorcerer's Ring. It was a simple platinum band with two small golden patches that were parallel to each other. "What the hell!?" she exclaimed. "It's the Earthpulse reacting to Laphicet and Maotelus' memories of you. Maotelus' memories are extracting away all the hatred and despair while Laphicet's memories brought back the look you were happiest." Artorius stated, turning back around and continuing.

Velvet followed, still awestruck. "Where are you taking me?" Artorius was about to reply when a loud roar of pain rang through the air. An orb that was swirling with colors popped up from the ground and a bright flash blinded both of them.

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A burning village in a canyon was the setting of the scene. A woman with long brown hair, which is braided down to her back, with bangs swept to her right. She had lavender eyes, ones that held fear, betrayal, and sadness. She was wearing a white dress with black sleeves and a red coat with a ribbon tied around her neck and long black boots. Around her head was a golden circlet. In her arms was a bundle of cloth, stained with dried blood. She was limping as she made her way to an elderly man. He was short, about 4'4", and had white hair, with a small tuft of yellow hair. He also wore heeled sandals, giving him an extra inch or two. He wore a blue ancient robe. He had a pipe in his hand and was looking around with a saddened look. Beside him stood a brown-haired man in a red ceremonial robe.

"Zenrus!" the girl called weakly, grabbing the elderly man's attention. "Muse!" he called, approaching her with the man. "What happened?" he asked, sadness filling his voice. "We were betrayed... The Rolance Empire used this place as their battleground when they promised us protection." Muse said, looking down at the bundle of cloth in her arms, tears slowly falling. Before the old man could reply, they heard a ghastly scream ring through the air. All three of them quickly rushed to an ancient structure. A little boy, dressed in a white, ancient robe was screaming in pain, Malevolence flowing from him. Beside him was a dead body, charred black from the fires on the Shrine like structure. That was the body of the previous Shepherd, the cause of the boy's Malevolence and the destruction. "Lord Maotelus!" Muse called, rushing towards the boy. Zenrus sent the brown-haired man away with the objective to find any survivors and quickly followed Muse.

"Velvet! Help!" the boy called out in pain. A magic circle appeared and a red daemon hand came out. It slowly grabbed Maotelus, halting both Seraph and human. The Malevolence began to flow into the hand, helping Maotelus. The hand then opened leaving an exhausted Maotelus. "Lord Maotelus! Are you okay?" Zenrus asked the young boy. "I-I'm fine... Muse... I'm so sorry for your child." Maotelus told the woman. A tear fell from her eye as she looked down at her deceased child. "Lord Zenrus! Come quick!" the man from earlier yelled from the village. All three of them ran down to the ruined village to find the man with a bundle of cloth in his hands. A soft cry was coming from the bundle. "Where did he come from?" Muse asked, taking the bundle from the Seraph. "Selene had her body around the child in a protective manor." The Seraph explained. "She had a child? When?" Muse asked. Lord Zenrus and Maotelus ignored them and looked from both bundles of cloth. The silent and bloody one to the soft crying and dusty one.

Both sensed a strong presence from both. "Zenrus." Maotelus called. Zenrus raised his pipe and both bundles floated and circled each other. The crying stopped and left slight laughter. The living baby released a white light to the point where he was rivaling the Sun. "Incredible... He is the new Shepherd." Zenrus exclaimed with fascination. "Argh!" Maotelus grunted raising a hand to grip his chest. "M'Lord?" Muse questioned. A blast of light erupted from the altar back on the hill. "Ahhhh!" Muse screeched in fear. A large ball of Malevolence rose from the light and shot towards the two boys. "No!" Zenrus yelled, stomping his foot, erecting a barrier around the two boys. The ball hit the barrier and broke it immediately. "Velvet!" Maotelus called. The ball stopped above the two bundles and hovered. It slowly formed into a female figure with long hair. The female had her eyes open, but they were scarlet red like her body.

The woman reached for the dead child and kissed his forehead. The dead child shined and everything about the child changed. The bundle of cloth changed into teal and white clothing. The dead child wasn't dead anymore as he cried. Muse's tears fell and her eyes widened. "He's alive..." the other male Seraph said in wonder. "She turned him into a Seraph..." Maotelus said in wonder. The woman let go of the floating child and reached for the living child. The child giggled and reached for the woman. "M-M... Mamma!" the child laughed out as the woman tickled the child. The woman laughed and kissed his forehead. "Sleep well little one." She said as she let go of the bundle of cloth. "Velvet..." Maotelus said with tears and a smile. The woman gave the boy a closed mouth smile. "Laphicet..." she said, messing up his hair.

Maotelus, or better yet Laphicet, just laughed and pushed her hand away. The woman smiled and dispersed into many different fragments. The scene then faded into darkness.

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Velvet gasped as she and Artorius were tossed from the past. "Maotelus... is Phi..." Velvet stated in wonder. "It seems so... My own child has exceeded my expectations." Artorius said with a smile.

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Sorey slowly woke up. He had a strange dream. A woman made from Malevolence had been holding a baby, which reminded Sorey of himself, and kissed his forehead, giggling. "Damn it, Sorey... You need to be more careful out there!" Mikleo yelled in Sorey's head. "Poor Shepherd, all alone." Edna said in a patronizing and similar way. "How vexing. We're right here, yet he can't hear us!" Lailah said, annoyed. "You guys!" Sorey called out, sitting up. "Sorey. Are you back to normal now?" Mikleo asked, as Sorey started to smile. All three of the Seraphs came out from him in a burst of light. "Oh, thank goodness!" Lailah said, giving the teenager a hug. "I was really freaked out when you guys suddenly disappeared!" Sorey said happily, hugging her back. "So that lion-head guy, Heldalf... What on Earth did he do back there?" Mikleo asked. "Haven't you ever thought of what would happen if two domains overlapped? Which one would be the most affected?" Edna asked back.

"What do you mean?" Sorey asked, getting serious. "The domain you cast as a Shepherd lost to the one of that man back there." Lailah explained. "So that was enough to momentarily paralyze Sorey's resonance?" Mikleo asked. "It's to be expected. That corrupted domain of his is even stronger than a dragon's." Edna stated. "But it should have done more... why didn't it?" Lailah muttered quietly, wondering. Looking away, Sorey asked "Heldalf... Is... is he the Lord of Calamity?" "It sure looks like it," Lailah answered. "No one other than the Lord of Calamity can be cloaked in such Malevolence." "Well," Sorey said, taking out a glowing orb, and Iris Gem. "There's gotta be some reason, some story behind why he came to hold such Malevolence and power." "You got that right. Something like that doesn't just naturally happen." Mikleo said with a smile.

"I would not challenge him again without first finding out the answer and understanding the truth." Lailah said with a smile. That's when Lailah notice someone at the doorway "Oh, Sorey." Lailah said, pointing over his shoulder. Sorey looked over his shoulder and saw Rose there, looking at him with a stern face. With Rose were the rest of the Sparrowfeathers. "Are you... talking to yourself?" Eguile asked. Sorey blushed, embarrassed. "I, uh... my friends are here with me." He said, looking towards his Seraphs. "Can you guys go for a second?" Rose asked. "Sure thing Boss!" one of the Sparrowfeathers said, leaving with the rest of the group. Dezel was in the background. "What happened back there?" Rose asked, stomping towards them. "W-What are you talking about?" Sorey asked, confused. "After fighting Kitty-Beard, Dezel and your friends vanished and I couldn't hear or see them. Why!? And also, I couldn't see him before and then, after the Red Night, I could all of a sudden hear him and see his existence!" she asked, angry and scared.