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.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIIU7p3LtJR
"And Sorey's not!"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZYSIPST3c
"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!"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4psomQ5cK1
"Lists are quiet...and dependable."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiFyIW4oQcu
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45DsINvbr3
"You think you can-" Mikleo clenched his fists as he yelled at the wind seraph, who quickly cut him off.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObj5GugPIU
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1xGXvzCJ9
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-"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiwODx9ueiw
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhq2W08onx
"Zaveid?"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhn2czDeQf2
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up!"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyTDuUmFq4
"No...thank you."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8rgJAJqXz
Zaveid stepped back, stunned by the former Sub Lord, "What for?"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡskYlYjxQnE
"I wish I knew...for being yourself, I guess."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kEHpCUQRO
"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!"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRlpZBSrDu
"I'm going to have to miss the cities...I'd rather stay in the ruins for a while, find more, maybe."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6i5OFr1lBl
"Well, if you ever change your mind, we can leave these caves for a town, and-"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh9usOAgkuM
"You want to explore these ruins, too?"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgig0YWKfk9
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxwhYwXWJ1u
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgAsFTiuY0Q
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCyChfgLPp9
"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.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8W7LXpibR
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Ney6umD31
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVETAxhCM8U
"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."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRXAGrwDiFs
"That'd be great."841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUPYkP6OzXD
"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.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu61A3ncL0V
"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!"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcyjqDjy6vk
"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!"841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPpo7YNeeWI
"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.841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlNKaYUrSlp
ANs: For you, Rob!841Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg362bHNU2y
