Mikleo left shortly after the new Shepherd's Pact was made, his friends would continue on, fight whatever threatened the peace Sorey safeguarded, while he journeyed to myriad ruins in memory of his best friend, until the day they would meet again, Mikleo had to believe such a day would find him.
On the way to a ruin he learned of in the lands north of Lohgrin, he sensed a presence behind him. Turning around, he found Zavied sneaking from a bush growing along the stony wall of the mountain to a brown spire behind him, turning pale when he was caught, "H-hey, Mikiboy-"
"Don't 'Mikiboy' me, Zaveid, what are you doing here?!" Mikleo roared.
"Well, we left together-"
"I left you back at Bors Ruins!"
"Yeah, but there was some kind of monster there," Zaveid explained, "something we've never seen before...so I followed you, make sure you didn't get hurt."
"Rose can handle it," Mikleo whispered bitterly, "she's the Shepherd now."
"And you're begrudging-" Zaveid began, playfully accusing Mikleo, only for the younger seraph to shove him into the spire behind him and glower viciously.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKh99jJXnTM
"And Sorey's not!"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhA9Tx3t5K
"I...see," Zaveid quickly regained his composure and waited for the water seraph to calm down, "well, I figured you could use someone to tag along with you, remind you to eat and all that, I'm sure you'd forget...just think of me as your to-do list!"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF3QpPCKk3x
"Lists are quiet...and dependable."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbwuzzMyx4v
"Oh, hey, and you're saying I'm not?" Zaveid chuckled, "Well, I'll have you know I can do both! Plus you can talk about old adventures, you and His Shepherdness, back in the old days, you know? There's no way you can honor your friend's memory all gloomy like this, not when he was always so cheerful."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpDD9VHWpK
"You think you can-" Mikleo clenched his fists as he yelled at the wind seraph, who quickly cut him off.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJcBFAECsc
"That's why you're here, right?" Zaveid walked around Mikleo and pressed a protruding stone into wall of rock, "See, a ruin. I don't know much, but I know what I know well, and I know how hard it is to deal with this kind of thing."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyCSnu0gku9
Mikleo took a breath and fell beside the entrance to the ruin, "You're right, I'd just be wasting my time...back when me and Sorey were kids, this was easier, there was no Malevolence to worry about, no humans turning into strange monsters, or seraphim turning into dragons, we just...had races to see who could find a treasure first and...and now, after all he learned, everything that could help him lead humans and seraph into a new world...he just...he had to, I know, but-"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4moMYvbGLO
"It's not fair, and you're angry you couldn't have a say in how things went down, I get it...but taking it out on yourself isn't good...plus I bet we missed some pretty good times, I mean, now Team Rose is basically all girl now, kind of a pity!" Zaveid gave Mikleo a wild grin pointed his thumb in the direction they came from, "We could go back."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ12oXOeTSXR
"Zaveid?"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdwldzXWQFj
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up!"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj6SVmxs1rq
"No...thank you."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAtcq1JKp4g
Zaveid stepped back, stunned by the former Sub Lord, "What for?"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DGptYW7zn
"I wish I knew...for being yourself, I guess."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uklZCVnHA
"Well, you can thank me later when you and me get to the next town, bet there's lots of nice young seraph ladies...if they haven't turned into dragons or something, I mean, you could ask them out...and if they are dragons, we'll just hunt down Rose and have her purify them!"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMtwYQuQSZX
"I'm going to have to miss the cities...I'd rather stay in the ruins for a while, find more, maybe."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyL7MtcHwLB
"Well, if you ever change your mind, we can leave these caves for a town, and-"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdqmaO6eF7
"You want to explore these ruins, too?"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDHRZjxHX77
"Well, why do you think I'm here?" Zaveid wondered, "Not to look pretty, though I suppose I kind of kill it there, too, but the way I see it, everyone has a task now, Edna, Alisha, Lailah, Rose, they stop the world from turning into a nest of monsters, and I keep you from going dragon, and you keep me out of trouble...in some way, each of us is keeping Sorey's dreams alive, every one of them."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXnYm7j1IxO
"He...did have a lot more dreams than just this, didn't he?" Mikleo slowly stood up and turned to the mouth of the old structure before them "I wonder when he...if he can come back...as a seraph, I mean."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOUNw5iPyPn
"Ha, he was pretty pure, huh?" Zaveid chuckled, "But even if he does, he might not remember everything that's happened on our adventures together."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7Ugd5igYgB
"I...I wonder if he'll remember me, he can only remember the really important things." Mikleo squinted his eyes and covered his mouth to fight back a sob.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZaz2gWL22
"Mikleo...Sorey's not the kind of guy to forget, well, even me, I mean, I had the spiritual power of wind and stuff, but Dezel was there first, still you've got to be out of your mind to think he'd forget me that easily, he did shoot me at Heldalf, right?" Mikleo nodded and choked back a sob, "Hey, Mikster...remember that time Lailah treated us to tofu? After he comes back, we can celebrate properly by letting Lailah do dinner."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9GKq32yRa
"H-ha, ha, no way," Mikleo dragged his sleeve over his eyes and shook his head, "that was a disaster the first time around...besides, he's going to want something heavier than that."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgGaOhWnKy
"Gee, Mikiboy, don't know that they make lead pies, but I guess if-" Zaveid stepped back after Mikleo punched him in the shoulder and laughed, "fine, maybe he could settle for a beef pie, unless he has a favorite food when he comes back."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT1S9GyyRy0
"That'd be great."839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYm15xeu90V
"But for now, there's moldy old places with our names smeared from top to dusty bottom!" Zaveid charged into the darkness and Mikleo smiled up at the clear blue sky.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwcVaYB9aMh
"Yeah...hear that, Sorey?! You're going to have a lot of catching up to do, so you'd better help Maotelus purify the world, or you'll never catch up!"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFP6e1vFk3E
"Preach it, Miki!" Zaveid shouted from within the ruins, "And hurry up, to, I think I might have found a treasure...or it least it's pretty to look at!"839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqc3uMqK0Wj
"R-right, I'll be right there!" Mikleo took a breath before racing into the ruins, the first time in a long time that he was in a ruin with a friend, with no fate of the world hanging in the balance.839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8o8i8fXsz
ANs: For you, Rob!839Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfeL2wQe8IX
