Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Ten hearts beat together as one!

They fight until the battle is done!

In sync, they join hand with each hand,

As they make their way across the land!"

Mikel’s voice carries across the field, as it has almost every day for many years.

"Though the evil will fight tooth and claw,

We have the power to lay down the law!

In this showdown between love and hate,

The winner will decide the world's fate!"

Today, however, marks the beginning of a special time. While little is known about his distant ancestor, one who is said to have saved the world from a great evil centuries ago, it is known that this will mark the passing of the thousandth year since then.

All that remains now is an amulet that has been passed down in the family ever since their death and now rests around his neck, and the song that they carried with them.

It's a thought path he's gone down many times before, wondering what was lost to history and how many of the myths are true.

Mikel is about to head back to his house not far from here when he sees something flit in the corner of his eye.

He turns around, microphone held as a makeshift weapon just in case it's dangerous, but he's not sure why it would be- Greenhorne hasn't known danger since quite some time before he was born.

One second. Two. Three.

Probably just an animal. Mikel shrugs and starts heading back again-

"WAUGH!"

Something hits him from behind, knocking him down. He props himself by his arms, confused as to what the hell is going on. He opens his mouth to yell something, but closes it again when, hovering above him, he sees-

A butterfly larger than his head.

With human eyes on its wings.

"OH FUCK THAT!" he screams, scrambling to his feet and bolting as fast as his legs can carry him. He’s not dealing with that today or any day of the week! He doesn’t dare look back until he sees the familiarity of Greenhorne Town around him, his sister playing obliviously in the front yard while his mother watches over her.

The sound of Mikel panting with exertion is enough to alert his mother, who runs to his side.

“Mikel?!” she exclaims. “What’s going on?!”

“Somebody else’s problem, that’s what’s going on!”

“What?”

“Look, you’re not gonna believe me, so I’m not even gonna try. Just…” Mikel trails off. He’s trying to think of his next words when several screams of terror ring out, and he whips his head around to see that the sky has been abruptly overtaken by darkness.

“Huh?!”

There’s terrified clamoring around him, but it falls quiet as shadows coalesce high in the air, forming into a massive entity, dark teal with piercing, blank purple eyes.

“Well,” the entity booms. “At least you people know when to shut up. Not like the last ones…”

Mikel’s mother runs forward, holding herself in front of her daughter, who clings to her skirt. “Wh-what are you doing here?!”

“Looks like I spoke too soon,” the monster snaps. “I suppose I could deign to introduce myself. I am the Dark Lord, Malachite.”

“Dark Lord?” someone calls, who Mikel recognizes as his obnoxious neighbor Delaine. “I didn’t know edgy teens came in extra-large.”

Mikel recoils in secondhand fear as the monster sighs. “Almost a pity you won’t be missed,” he snarls, before snapping his fingers. Mikel can only watch as Delaine yelps in apparent pain, before collapsing to his knees-

His face floating away from him, leaving blank remains.

Terrified gasps sound throughout the town square, one woman Mikel recognizes as half of that PDA-obsessed lesbian couple running to the side of what’s left of Delaine, only to stumble as she, too, has her face peeled off, quickly followed by another.

Frozen with terror, Mikel can only watch and listen to the screams of worry around him, breath coming in desperate gasps.

“Very nice,” Dark Lord Malachite begins, “but let’s be honest. You’re just small potatoes.” He grins wickedly as he points at Mikel and his family. “You. You carry his blood. And the sins of the fathers shall be visited upon the sons.”

A searing pain crashes down on Mikel, enough to send him to his knees, but his mouth won’t obey him as he tries to scream. He clutches his face, knowing what’s to come, knowing there’s nothing he can do-

And then, all at once, it stops. 

He gasps for breath and looks up, seeing his mother reeling, but with face intact.

Seeing the Dark Lord panting heavily from apparent exertion.

Seeing the faces of his sister and his grandmother.

“These…” Dark Lord Malachite hesitates. “These will do nicely for now. Oh, look at your faces! Mary Ventia, look upon your darling daughter and mother, and despair! ”

… no.

“Ahahaha! Get used to being my toys, little faces!”

No.

“So long~!”

With that, Dark Lord Malachite dissipates into the same shadows he formed from, and Mikel stares at where he once was with wide eyes.

No.

To hell with somebody else’s problem! That wasn’t somebody else’s baby sister or dear old granny that bastard took from him!

Before any more thoughts can form in his head, Mikel runs out of town, grip tightening on his microphone.

Chapter Text

“MALACHITE!” he screams, not sure what he’s hoping for from it.

He doesn’t know where he’s going. He doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do to help. He just knows that he can’t let this stand.

He skids to a stop and looks around, as if hoping that the stolen faces will simply manifest if he wills it hard enough. He’s just through asking himself what to do next when he notices a shadow looming behind him, whipping himself around to see that it belongs to none other than Dark Lord Malachite.

“Well, well, well,” Dark Lord Malachite begins. “Did I piss somebody off?”

Though shaking so much that he’s certain the Dark Lord can tell, Mikel forces himself to hold his microphone up in something hoping to be a threat. “G… give their faces back.”

“Heh… Hahaha!” The Dark Lord throws his head back in laughter, before once again looking down on the young boy. “Notice how you’re here and your mother isn’t? Maybe your family isn’t worth all that much after all.”

“GIVE THEIR FACES BACK!”

“Stubborn, are we?” For just a moment, Dark Lord Malachite’s expression shifts into something unreadable, before resuming its cocky state. “Well, then.”

Dark Lord Malachite waves a hand out, and Mila’s terrified face is called down.

“Mikel, help!!” she calls, and Mikel holds a hand out in vain, earning naught but a smirk from Dark Lord Malachite.

“I’ll give you a chance to get that little sister of yours back… but you’ll have to earn it.”

With a wave of the Dark Lord’s other hand, the ground in front of Mikel begins to lurch and squirm, as if alive. Mikel steps back on instinct as something yellow begins to issue from the earth, piling on itself and congealing into slime.

Mila’s pleas for help have devolved into sobs that twist Mikel’s heart. Dark Lord Malachite draws the moment out for a few seconds more before calling the face down towards the slimy being-

Everything goes silent, and with a flash of light, the two entities have become one.

“I wonder if you can fight something bearing your sister’s face… If you can fight at all!” Dark Lord Malachite once again indulges a fit of laughter. “Good luck!”

With that, the Dark Lord once more vanishes, leaving Mikel alone with the monster. It shambles towards him, and Mikel backs away, raising his microphone in a threat-

One he can’t follow through on. 

The moment of hesitation is long enough for the slime to leap at him, knocking him onto his back, pain searing through his body on contact, as if it was trying to eat into his skin. Mikel snaps out of it, but it’s too late, the weight of the substance restricting his limbs, leaving him helpless to even struggle.

It’s true what they say, how one’s life flashes before their eyes in their final moments. Thoughts, memories, fears flicker before him, how he failed, he failed, he already failed-

A noise somewhere between a whoosh and an explosion echoes around him, and the slime is no longer on top of him.

He gasps for breath, reeling from shock and trying to catch up with what just happened.

“Mikel?” he hears a voice call from close by. “Mikel, can you hear me?”

The voice is faintly familiar, but at the same time he’s certain he’s never heard it before. He forces himself into a sitting position, wiping the last of the caustic slime off of him as he looks around for the source of the voice. There’s a glowing blue bubble around him, translucent enough for him to see the slime pressing against it, trying to get him again.

“No, I’m not out there. I’m in here, in the Ventia Amulet.”

“... what?”

“Look, that bubble you see was me. I just saved your life. You’re going to have to trust me.”

“Okay…?” He can’t catch up with this situation at all, but he’s more interested in making it out alive. “What… what do I do?”

“I can’t keep this bubble up forever. There’s only one thing you can do- slay the monster.”

“But-”

“Just do it! It’s the only way to save your sister!”

With that, the bubble flickers out, and Mikel just barely avoids the slime as it jumps at him again.

“Go!” the voice urges. “Hit it with your microphone! It’s all you got!”

Mikel quickly nods. Though shaking wildly, he runs at the monster and, squeezing his eyes shut, swings at it. He hears the sound of the hit connecting, but the monster leaps at his stomach, sending him stumbling back. He just barely regains his footing and swings again with all his might. 

The slime splatters across the ground and trembles in place, and Mikel swears he hears his sister whimper just before it disperses into shadows, leaving the face floating off in the direction of home.

A few seconds pass as Mikel registers no longer being in mortal danger, before he stumbles in place, falling back into a sitting position from sheer exhaustion.

“Not bad!” the voice praises. “Her face should be safe now.”

“Cool,” Mikel mutters. “Can I just have like… a moment? To process?”

“Sure.”

He lays down, breath still coming in gasps. Is Mila okay? Did she see all that? What about… 

He sits back up.

“What about Gran? What about the others that were taken?”

“Er… I’d wager they’re facing a similar fate as we speak, why?”

Despite every instinct in his head screaming at him not to, he forces himself to his feet, expression resolute even as he wavers in place.

“I have more to do, it would seem.”

Chapter Text

Mary’s the only one left.

Mikel ran off and Mila doesn’t have a face and neither does her mother and she doesn’t know what to do. Watch over her faceless family, for she can’t just run off and leave them unattended, but what about Mikel?!

Why does she have to choose who to protect? What sort of mother is she?!

… no, think clearer. If that thing is where she thinks it is, Mikel is in more danger.

She quickly drags Mila's faceless body inside the house, then searches the kitchen- if anything she can use as a weapon is around, it’ll be there. She grabs a frying pan and runs back to the door, hesitating as she holds the knob- but she brought Mikel into this world, and she is not letting him leave it.

She mutters a quick prayer for her family’s safety, then throws the door open and runs for it before her self-preservation can stop her.

“MIKEL!!" Oh gods , where did he end up?! It’s only been a few minutes, surely he couldn’t have gone that far!

She stops sooner than she’d like, needing to catch her breath, and her eyes dart around as she does. She jumps at a movement in the corner of her eye, some vain part of her hoping it’s Mikel-

No! What is that?!

A huge pink butterfly, with human eyes on its wings-

She retches and backs away, barely suppressing the urge to break into a run. It’s a monster, there’s no other word for it, and it doesn’t look friendly.

And as long as these things are out here…

Mikel’s in danger.

With a shaking hand, she swings at it with her pan. It lets out a loud, pained noise, and as it glares back at her, she realizes she made one hell of a mistake.

Another strange noise echoes from it, and seconds later, another butterfly flies down.

And another.

And another.

And another.

She's quickly swarmed by more than she can count. They rush and batter her relentlessly, dizzying in their numbers, and for each one she knocks down it feels like two are taking its place and-

"HOLD ON, MADAM!"

An unfamiliar voice calls out to her, in Common rather than Greenhornian, and moments later, the horde of butterflies is expertly cut through, falling down and fading into shadows and dispersed eyes. She lets out a breath she didn't know she was holding and looks up at her savior- looks to be an older teenage… elf? A Peaks elf, from the looks of it... what's he doing here?

"Hi. Let's get you out of here." He nods at the town still in sight nearby. "You live there?"

Mary nods, and doesn't hesitate to follow as the elf leads her back.

"Are you sure, Mikel? You seem-"

"I'm not tired!", he blatantly lies. "But even if I were, which I'm not, I still have a grandmother to save, and did you not see me prove myself capable?"

The voice hesitates. "Well, I'm pretty sure I was around your age when I saved the world, so I can hardly stop you."

Mikel nods and starts to head off, only registering what the voice really said a few seconds after the fact.

"Hold on, you did what? Are you- wait, what do you mean, pretty sure?"

"... I'll explain as best as I can when you're in a safer place, alright?"

"Alright, fine," Mikel acquiesces. He grips his microphone more tightly, looks back at his hometown in the distance, and leaves, only really able to hope that he's going the right way.

He whips his head at a movement in the corner of his eye, jumping at the sight of the same sort of butterfly he saw before the Dark Lord's attack. Gods, that's not a sight he's getting used to anytime soon- but he can fight now. 

He swings at it with all his might, knocking it back. The butterfly flies at him, ramming him hard enough to send him stumbling. He's about to recover when another strikes him from behind. 

He props himself up, pulling himself to his feet, and looks up. More of them are flying down from seemingly nowhere- there's a whole swarm of them, now, circling above him.

"... oh, fuck," he mutters.

"Alright, hold on," the voice in the amulet pipes up. "I've got one more trick up my sleeve."

A pulsing yellow light emanates from the amulet, alongside a ringing noise that seems to come from inside it and around Mikel at the same time. Seeming just as confused, the butterflies hesitate for a moment.

"Oh? Oh!" a voice calls from afar, and before Mikel can question it, someone runs to his side- a girl about his age, holding a large stick.

"Hey, uh, you can run along, I don't-"

"Don't be stubborn, Mikel!" the voice says. "Young lady, can you help us out here?"

"Uh… alright! What should I do?"

The girl yelps suddenly as a butterfly hits her over the head.

"Hit those things," the voice answers, and the girl doesn't need to be told twice. She smacks the butterfly who hit her with her stick, as Mikel gets up and whaps a few more. Their numbers quickly thin, and soon enough drop to zero.

Mikel breathes heavily, causing the girl to look over at him in concern.

"Hey, you alright?" she asks. Before Mikel can answer, she gently taps him with her stick, a bright orange light emanating from it and washing over him. The effect is immediate- the exhaustion that's taken over his mind seems to have subsided, the pain gone.

"Uh…" Mikel trails off. "I didn't need that… but thanks, I guess."

"Of course!" She holds out her hand for a handshake, a bright smile on her face. "Hey, I'm Alvena!"

"Mikel Ventia," he answers, accepting the handshake.

"Well!" Alvena leans her stick against a nearby rock and sits down on it, smiling as Mikel joins her. "What were those things?" she asks, tilting her head. "I think they could be kinda cute, if you took away the freaky eyes. Shame I had to hurt them."

"Those were monsters made by Dark Lord Malachite." Mikel looks into Alvena's eyes, a steely expression forming on his face. "He steals faces and puts them on monsters. That's all I know so far. He still has my grandmother's face, and who knows who else."

"Oh no! That's no good!"

"You're telling me. You ever had to fight a monster with your sister on it? I hope you never do."

Alvena goes quiet, in a way that already feels uncharacteristic, just getting up and grabbing her stick. Mikel considers questioning it, but decides against it.

"Well…" Alvena shakes herself out of it, the bright smile returning to her face. "Where do we go now?"

Mikel opens his mouth to answer, but the voice pops in before he can. "You two need rest. Healing magic is no substitute for the natural healing process, not for long."

"But--!"

"Your grandmother will be fine for a night, Mikel. And you'll never be able to save her at all when you're as tired as this."

"But--!!" Mikel hesitates, then sighs. "Fine. So where do you propose we get this rest?" 

"Hmm…"

"Oh!" Alvena chirps. "I think I actually passed by an inn on the way here." She gestures for Mikel to follow. "This way!"

"Huh. Incredibly convenient," he comments, following her despite his skepticism. Sure enough, there’s an inn not that far away.

As Mikel and Alvena walk through the doors, a man perks up from behind the front desk, one with eyes, but no other facial features. He squints at the two, before perking up in apparent recognition and gesturing them closer. The two obey, and the- innkeeper, Mikel guesses- looks around for something, coming up with a paper and pencil a few seconds later. He scribbles something on it and passes it to Mikel.

"'Thanks for getting my eyes back!'" Mikel reads aloud. "'Still waiting on the rest of my face. You look tired. You can stay free!'"

"Oh, thank you sir!" Alvena says, and Mikel nods in turn.

Chapter Text

On one bed, Mikel lays down atop the blanket, hands folded over his stomach as the amulet sits on the nightstand. On the other, Alvena sits wrapped in the blanket like a burrito, fiddling with the corners. Despite the exhausting day they've had, neither seem in the mood to sleep.

"So," Alvena begins. "Mikel, right?"

"M-I-K-E-L," he confirms.

"I like your necklace. Why does it talk?" She asks it as though she were asking why the sky is blue.

"I can answer that," the amulet says. "You've heard of the Ventia legacy, right?"

“Uh.. a few things? Apparently some Ventia a while back saved the world?” Alvena flits her eyes up, searching her mind for more, but comes up empty. “I really don’t know much about it.”

“Hey, neither do I,” Mikel pipes up, “and I’m their descendant.”

" My descendant, you mean."

Mikel laughs. Then pauses. Blinks. “Wait, what.”

“Come on,” the amulet deadpans. “You think I'd have stuck my neck out for just anyone?”

“But… wouldn’t that make you the badass hero that saved everyone before?”

“And? Would you be here now if it weren't your grandma's face on the line?”

“Well-”

“Wait,” Alvena interrupts. “So you're really really old?”

“I mean-”

“Oh, right, Mother and Father told me that's a rude thing to say! I'm sorry, Mr. Ventia!”

“Just call me Merle, and I don't really see how it's rude to point that out, at least in my case. I have existed for over a thousand years, I am indeed old.”

“Wowwww! Can you tell me what it was like in the old times?”

Merle hesitates. “I can tell you what I remember in the morning, okay? You've had a really long day, you need to sleep. Both of you.”

“Thank you, sir, I thought I was done for!”

Mary sighs heavily as she closes the door behind herself and the elf that saved her hide.

“Hardly a problem, unlike whatever's going on now.” His ears flick as he looks up from examining the knife he used to slay the beasts. “I've hunted things like these before, but they never attacked unprovoked. Or were nearly this big.”

“Or had humanoid facial features?”

“Or that.” He looks over at the door cautiously, as if expecting something to bust through any minute. “Do you know anything about what’s going on?”

“Well, some- some really big monster thing just appeared, introduced himself as Dark Lord Malachite, and started peeling faces clean off!” She pauses, and takes a deep, shuddering breath. “My son’s out there all alone, trying to save my daughter and mother!”

The elf listens intently, and nods once she’s done talking. “That is helpful information, madam. Do you have any idea where your son headed?”

“I believe so,” she says, opening the door to give him a better idea of the direction, only to be stopped dead in her tracks.

A familiar face is floating back towards her home.

Mila’s face!

The two watch as it slips between them, and moments later, hear a long gasp from the room Mila was kept in. Mary bolts towards her daughter, seeing her hold her arms out and wiggle her fingers, clearly trying to get used to having control of her body again.

Mila turns around, and her eyes light up.

“Mama!” she cries, practically leaping to her feet, and despite a brief stumble, running to her mother’s side. “Mama…” she says again, voice trembling, before she bursts into tears.

Mary kneels down to hold her daughter close, letting her let it all out.

A few minutes pass, Mila's sobs slowly quieting into whimpers.

“Mila, sweetie,” Mary begins, as gently as she can, “do you know what happened? How did you get back to yourself?”

Mila sniffles, her answer coming in a mutter. “I got put on a weird slime thing… but Mikey saved me.”

“Mikey?” the elf asks from behind, making Mary jump- she had completely forgotten he was there. 

“Mikel,” she confirms once she's back to herself. “My son.” She slowly pulls away from the hug. “He saved you, Mila?”

Mila nods. “T-the slime hurt him and I couldn't stop it, but he beat the slime and he got me out of there!”

Mary's mind races with the implications of what Mila just said. 

The elf steps forward and lowers himself to Mila's level. “Thank you, Mila,” he says. “That tells us a lot about how to stop this. You've been a great help.” He stands back up and looks towards Mary. “And don't either of you worry. I'll find Mikel. He seems to be taking care of himself, but I'm sure you don't want to push any luck.”

“I would owe you greatly,” Mary replies. “I think he went roughly that way,” she says, gesturing the direction she means.

The elf nods and starts to leave, but looks back one last time.

“By the way, if we meet again, my name's Jerry.”

Chapter Text

The sun rises over the horizon as it had just a day before, as if nothing else had changed.

As Alvena awakens with a gasp, she notices Merle’s amulet laying in her hand, warmer than she expected. It takes her a few moments to remember why, before she gets up and somewhat sheepishly puts it back on the nightstand next to Mikel’s bed with a whispered “thank you”.

Mikel doesn’t really need to know about how rough last night was.

She looks out the window, and gasps. The situation is worse than it was last night- or maybe she just didn’t notice? She does fail to notice a lot of things. But either way, now she can see a landscape teeming with monsters.

That’s really not good!

“Alright, Alvena,” Merle pipes up from the nightstand. “Time's a-wasting, we should wake Mikel up and get going.”

“Okay!” she says, sounding as cheerful as though she were discussing going out to eat, as if exhaustion wasn’t still tugging on her body. She makes her way to the side of Mikel’s bed, and shakes him.

Mikel murmurs something incoherent, before jolting awake with a start. “Shit! Right! My grandma!” 

“Hey, that’s not a good word!” Alvena protests, but Mikel ignores her completely. He only stops long enough to grab Merle’s amulet off the nightstand before bolting through the hall, about to run out the front door when he hears a knocking noise behind him.

It's the innkeeper, who gestures for Mikel to come to the desk. Mikel rolls his eyes, but does so, watching the innkeeper scribble something on another piece of paper and pass it to him.

“‘Breakfast’? Sir, with all due respect, I don't have time for breakfast. My grandma is out there as we speak-”

He's shut up by the innkeeper knocking on the desk again, before grabbing the paper back and pointing at it insistently.

“... fine,” he sighs, just as Alvena arrives.

“That’s not nice!” she pouts. “You could have waited for me!”

“I don’t like wasting time,” Mikel snaps. “Especially not now.”

The two get their food- some fruit and eggs for each, Alvena because she prefers it and Mikel because it's quick.

“So, Merle.” Mikel’s silverware clinks against the plate as he sets it down with his food half-finished, stands up straight, and grabs the amulet. “What do you know about this threat? Is this the same dude you saved the world from?”

“Well, uh… The face thing is definitely familiar, but not Malachite specifically.”

“Damn. What can you tell me about the ‘face thing’, then?”

“... Mm…”

Mikel raises an eyebrow. “Just answer the question, mate.”

“I’m trying! But when I try to go back that far, everything’s just… scrambled!”

That earns a cry of anger from Mikel, who slams one hand on the table and starts wildly shaking the amulet with the other.

“Hey, stop that!”

“It’s very convenient, isn’t it?! You don’t know shit about this threat you’re claiming to want to help with! How do I know you’re not some kind of mole?!”

“If you needed the reminder, I’ve been with your bloodline as a damn necklace for a millennium before I saved your life! How the fuck would I-”

“CUT IT OUT!”

The two abruptly stop arguing and look over at Alvena, who has shrunk down in her seat, with her hands over her ears.
“Aren’t you family? Why do you have to fight?”

Mikel opens his mouth to point out that he had only met Merle yesterday, but decides against it. Merle did save his life. He stares at Alvena, then at the amulet, then at Alvena, then gingerly puts the amulet around his neck and sighs.

“I’m… sorry. I’m letting stress get out of hand.”

“And I shouldn't be arguing with a thirteen year old,” Merle continues, making Mikel scowl.

“I can still throw you out the window, you know.”

“Anyway,” Alvena says, composing herself as if nothing had just happened, “which way are we going? Do we even know where your grandma is?”

“No,” Mikel sighs. “Wandering blindly isn’t going to help us, but how can we get that information?”

“The innkeeper was a monster, right?” Alvena tilts her head. “Maybe he’s seen her!”

“... you’re alright, Alvena. Come on.”

The two get up to return to the front hall of the inn, where the innkeeper still is, resting his head on one hand, only perking up when he sees Mikel and Alvena.

“Okay, I had breakfast, you happy now?” When the innkeeper nods, Mikel continues, “So. Before I got your eyes back, did you see the faces of any old women attached to anything? Old enough to be my grandmother, perhaps?”

Another piece of paper. Scribble, scribble, pass to Mikel.

‘A few. Narrow it down?’

“Hmm… well, she was annoyingly cheerful, and mom always said she was even like that in the worst situations. That help?”

The innkeeper’s eyes light up, and he nods.

‘Went with Malachite. Towards the castle view.’

Mikel gasps, eyes flicking over towards Alvena, who is a few shades paler.

“That's… not great,” Merle says, ignoring the surprise of the innkeeper who just heard a third voice from nowhere.

“Understatement,” Mikel snaps, already leaving. “Let's go.”

Alvena turns to follow Mikel out, but first turns back to the innkeeper, yawns, and then asks, “What's your name?”

‘Simon. I'll let other innkeepers nearby know about you two.’

“Thank you,” she says, following Mikel out.

A boy in a dark blue jacket, Mary had told him. Should be simple enough. Maybe not so much with the monsters around, but he's hunted these creatures long enough. They're much more aggressive, but they're still butterflies and goblins.

Even then, he's just one person without infinite stamina. He slinks behind a rock to catch his breath- he's definitely gonna be nursing some bruises tomorrow, but he's been through worse. 

Removing faces without otherwise harming the body. That's a thing only spoken of in some interpretations of the myths behind the Ventia hero, and they were always considered just that- myths. Yet, here it was, unfolding right before his- er, right in front of him.

A boy in a dark blue jacket. He has to find him.

“Ouch!”

Mikel looks behind him at that, seeing Alvena on the ground, jolting herself awake. He sighs and walks back, holding out his hand, which she takes.

“Don't trip over things,” he says as he pulls her up. “That's gonna get us done for real fast.”

“Sorry,” she replies. “It was weird, though. I stepped in something… sticky? And it threw me off.”

“Sticky…? That's weird. Keep your guard up.” He looks around, but doesn't see much that could have done that.

Or… anything, really. That's suspicious. It's a random spot in an endless monster-infested plain, why is it so empty?

“... Something's off,” he whispers.

It was only at the moment he realized this that a shadow loomed over the two.

Mikel cries out first, grabbing Alvena's hand and diving out of the way of a swooping attack. It's a giant silver butterfly, bearing a face vaguely familiar to Mikel.

“Called it!” he shouts, charging towards it. His microphone connects with its wing, and it recoils. Alvena takes her chance to swing her stick at it.

It rushes them, sending Mikel stumbling. When he looks up, Alvena's stick is in the air, followed by Alvena herself, who misses her catch and flumps on top of the butterfly.

“Huh?! What was that for?” he snaps, running to grab the stick and give it back.

“I was trying to do something cool,” she pouts, before being thrown off the monster's back.

“No time for cool!” he shouts, taking another swing. It's struggling to fly, and when Alvena whacks it with her stick, it's sent to the ground.

The two catch their breath and step a few paces back. A few tense seconds pass before the monster vanishes, leaving only the face to head back to its owner.

“Whew,” Mikel sighs. “That's not Grandma, but it's someone I've seen for sure.”

“Not bad,” Merle comments. “You're getting good at this.”

Mikel looks at Alvena, who nods off for a moment, then shakes her head rapidly. Mikel opens his mouth to comment-

“Hey!” a voice calls behind them. Mikel whips around, seeing a red-haired elf running towards him. “Are you Mikel Ventia, by any chance?”

After a few seconds to remember the words in Common, Mikel says, “Who's asking?”

“Mila is safe, and your mother is worried about you.”

“Okay, but who's asking?”

“Sorry. My name's Jerry.”

“Wow!” Alvena interjects, trotting to Jerry's side to look at his ears. “Are you an elf?”

“Half-elf, actually, but sure.” He lets Alvena fawn over him as he continues. “You're really far from home, I think it's time we start heading back.”

“And leave my grandma to languish?” Mikel retorts. “I think not. I've been doing fine.”

“But can you really beat the Dark Lord?”

“You ask this to a Ventia. I am not going back until my grandmother is safe.”

Jerry stares at him, and then sighs. “I can see I'm not winning this argument. You did fight that beast well, to be fair.” His ears droop. “If you must insist on going, though, at least let me come with you. It's always good to have people on your side.”

Mikel hesitates. This is a total stranger, but then so is Alvena, pretty much. Plus, he knows Mila's name, implying he does know his mother, and that she trusts him.

“... It's a deal,” he grumbles at last.

Chapter Text

The newly formed party of three has stopped by a new inn, where despite sleep tugging at his bones, Mikel is dictating a letter to his mother.

Hey mom,

I’m handling myself fine. I’ve met some people- Alvena and Jerry, their names were, though I think you’ve met Jerry considering he knows Mila’s name. Speaking of Mila, I’m glad she’s safe, but I won’t rest until that Dark Lord is thwarted. It’s not just about my grandma anymore, and it stopped being just about her when I learned the castle is about to be in trouble, because if that’s the case, shit stuff has officially gotten real.

That’s right, this is my official departure from home, and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.

-Mikel

PS: Any way you can arrange for Mayor Sapphira to help us get into the castle? For the aforementioned reason.

He stops by the front desk to hand off the letter to the new innkeeper (who’s missing one of her eyes, but is otherwise intact).

“Postwoman Pierra should be in the area soon,” the innkeeper says. “I’ll pass this off to her.”

“Thanks,” he says, before disappearing to head to his room again, glad that his letter is in good hands. Pierra’s gained fame across most of Miitopia for her sheer dedication to what she does- come rain, shine, storm, or probably even Dark Lord attack, your letter is getting to where it needs to go if it’s in her hands.

If Mikel’s being honest, he’s always admired that.

That’s neither here nor there, though- right now, his feet are thanking him for getting off them, as he lies in the bed he claimed. Alvena is in the other bed, with Merle's amulet on Mikel's nightstand and Jerry a room away.

Alvena tries a few times to start a conversation, but after Mikel tells her he just wants to sleep, she backs off. Last Mikel knew before he went to sleep, Alvena was still awake.

Alvena is still awake when he wakes up, too. The way she looks, he almost wonders if she got any sleep.

“Good morning,” she greets, as cheerfully as she can, but weariness undercuts the effect. 

“Mornin’,” Mikel responds, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and grabbing Merle's amulet.

The two meet Jerry in the hall, and with some strong-arming, Mikel is convinced once more to not skip breakfast.

“So, the castle,” Jerry begins. “How long do you think it should take to get there from here?”

“From my hometown to the castle, it’s a few days’ walk,” Mikel answers, “and we’re already most of the way there, I imagine. The real issue is getting in- I already asked Mom to get Mayor Sapphira to help me, since she’s chill with the King.”

“I don’t think I should go in,” Alvena pipes up, earning curious glances from her companions.

“Hm? Why not?” Jerry is the one to ask.

“Uh…”

“What, are you a fugitive?” Jerry asks it as if he were asking what her favorite ice cream flavor was.

“No, no!” Alvena throws her hands up. “Nothing like that! I just… uh…”

“If you don’t want to discuss it, that’s fine.”

“Phew!”

Mikel regards the conversation with a raised eyebrow, but decides not to press. It’s not worth it- Alvena really doesn’t seem like the type who could be a fugitive. The three finish up, and with Jerry wishing the innkeeper well, head out.

Mikel had never really seen Jerry in action before, and to say he’s impressed would be putting it lightly. Jerry seems like a natural with a dagger, cutting down five monsters in the time it takes for Mikel or Alvena to handle one.

“Hey Jerry,” he calls, and Jerry looks back at him. “Where’d you learn to fight like that?”

“Peaks,” Jerry says. “Behind you!”

Mikel leaps to the side just as a goblin is about to hit him, rights himself, and finishes it off, before giving Jerry a thumbs-up. “Thanks.”

Jerry nods, before resuming his prior monster-bashing. 

It’s not long later that the monsters come to a lull, and Jerry takes a moment to catch his breath. “We’re helping a lot of people,” he says. “Come, sit. You’ve taken a few hits.”

Mikel rolls his eyes. “I’m fine.”

“And I’m god-emperor of the world,” Merle comments. “Where’s Alvena?”

“I am- ” Mikel cuts himself off. Alvena is with the party, indeed- collapsed over the grass in a dead sleep.

“Hope she’s okay,” Jerry says, but Mikel just sighs.

“She had her chance to do that at the inn. What if she gets attacked!?”

Jerry opens his mouth to respond, then closes it. Then opens it again, looking above Mikel.
“Hey, uh… Heads up again.” He sounds a lot less self-assured this time, looking at the sky with widened eyes- and just as a shadow appears over the three, Mikel realizes why.

“How are you still alive?”

Mikel whips himself around to come face-to-face with the Dark Lord. Barely noticing Alvena jolting awake, he backs off a few steps before holding out his microphone in a threat that he knows isn't worth much.

“You may be a Ventia, but you’re still a thirteen year old boy who has only known peace! How are you still alive?!”

“B-Because fuck you , that’s why. Now where’s Grandma?”

“You’re still on that?” Though lacking pupils, Malachite makes a head motion reminiscent of rolling one’s eyes. “Well, I’ll tell you… if you survive this!”

The trio's eyes widen as Malachite holds out his hand, generating a ball of darkness larger than Mikel.

Gasping, Jerry grabs Mikel by the arm and pulls him away-

Mikel evades the attack by the skin of his teeth, the force of being dragged away sending both people to the ground. He looks up, seeing Alvena running to his side, seeing Jerry holding his arm in front of Mikel on instinct, seeing a spark of attempted magic from the amulet, seeing Malachite charging up another attack-

“NOT SO FAST!”

A woman's voice thunders above the sound of the magic charging, just as a blast of violet lightning evaporates the dark magic from existence. 

“Who dares-?!” Malachite yells.

“I dare,” the woman says, stepping between Malachite and the party, brushing her pink-and-purple hair out of her eyes. “Are you this Dark Lord Malachite I've been hearing all this buzz about?”

“So what if I am?”

“Well, then we'd have a right and proper problem,” the woman snarls, holding out her staff. A burst of pink flame issues forth from it. “Now, do we want to do this the easy way or the hard way?”

Malachite squints, and the woman quirks an eyebrow at his visibly shaking hand. Moments pass, then he bursts into laughter.

“Hahaha! You're-” Pause. “You're not even worth the effort. I'll let you live… this time! But next time you get in my way, you won't be so lucky.”

“We'll see about that,” is the last word the woman gets in before Malachite disperses into shadow.

She turns around to see three teenagers with dropped jaws.

“Hi. I'm Faelyn,” she greets, holding her hand out to pick up Mikel.

Alvena blinks, then gasps. “Faelyn? You mean like… Blossoms? The Great Sage?”

“The very same,” Faelyn confirms as she helps Mikel up. “Though that title's a bit lofty, don't you think? Anyway, it looks like you've bitten off a little more than you can chew.”

“N-no,” Mikel bluffs. “I was gonna kick his ass when you stole my thunder!”

“Uh-huh. You know, your stubbornness is going to be your undoing one day.”

Mikel scowls. “Say that to my face.”

“Where are your parents?” Faelyn asks.

“Dead,” Jerry answers as if it were a perfectly normal thing to say.

“Oh. Uh. S-sorry for your loss,” Faelyn stammers. “But what about you two?”

Alvena shifts uncomfortably, relieved when Mikel speaks up.

“I'm seeking out my grandmother's face,” Mikel answers. “And then hoping the castle isn't too shot by the time I get there.”

“Hm.” Faelyn looks Mikel over. He didn't exactly make a good first impression of his fighting abilities, especially against the Dark Lord, but before she can say that, something catches her eye.

“That amulet… I've seen it before in my studies.”

“That's because I'm Mikel Ventia. Yes, as in that Ventia.”

“Hi.”

Faelyn's eyes widen at the new voice. “Who was that?”

“I'm in the necklace. I'm sure you've heard the name Merle Ventia before?”

“... I'm sorry?!” Faelyn puts her head in her hand, sighs, then looks back up. “Are you claiming to be-”

“Sure am. Apparently I did some badass shit a thousand years ago, but I'm frankly just as lost as all of you about what that is.”

“See? And I'm his great great lots-of-greats grandson. That means I can handle myself!”

“Not necessarily…” Faelyn sighs. “Come now, let's see you home-”

“No!” Mikel shouts. “I-I can still fight. In fact, let's you and me fight! So I can show you what I'm made of!”

Faelyn stares blankly at Mikel, weighing her options.

“Hm. I really shouldn't, but if it's the only way you'll agree to go home…”

She steps back, her staff once more burning with her pink flame.

“Then I have no real choice but to accept.

Chapter Text

“Alright, let's go!” Mikel shouts as he rushes Faelyn. She doesn't even flinch as she calls down a weak lightning strike in front of Mikel, forcing him to duck back.

“First lesson, don't be reckless,” Faelyn says, folding her arms. “Try again.”

Mikel's eyes dart around as he tries to come up with a new strategy. A pebble on the ground crosses his eye, and he picks it up and throws it past Faelyn's face, distracting her for just long enough for Mikel to get in a hit.

She yelps, rubbing where she was struck. “Not bad, not bad. But it'll take more than that to prove yourself.”

Mikel's second attack is interrupted as Faelyn sends a burst of flame at him, knocking him back. Something in the back of his mind begs him to calm down, but he can't. He just… can't .

As Faelyn strides over to Mikel, she feels a sharp pain in her back, courtesy of a strike from Alvena.

“Hope that's okay!” she says. “Don't see why it should be one on one when we'll be here on the journey too.”

“Fair point,” Faelyn concedes. Mikel uses the time to get closer to Faelyn, but she notices and calls down another lightning shock. She wards Alvena off with a swing from her staff, then turns around and backhands Jerry before he even knows she's aware of his presence.

“I'm holding back quite a bit, you know,” she says. “No one else will.”

Mikel grumbles, taking another swing that Faelyn easily parries. The two struggle against each other for a moment before Faelyn shoves Mikel away. He tries to attack again, to a similarly ineffective result.

After a few more fruitless attempts from Mikel, Faelyn sighs and raises her staff.

“Sorry about this!” she says, calling forth an explosion centered around herself, which sends the members of the team flying and stumbling a fair few feet back.

Mikel struggles to get up, propping himself up on his arms for a second before they finally give out. Faelyn approaches him, tapping her staff to his head, sending pink and purple washing over him to soothe the pain.

“You fought well, but not well enough. It's time to go home.”

No.

It's not over.

He has to prove himself.

He is worthy of the Ventia name.

“I WON'T!!!” Mikel shouts- no, that's the wrong word. His voice echoes like in a tunnel, a blue blast of pure sonic energy emanating around him. 

Everyone else is left on the ground, covering their ears, and Mikel, almost as stunned.

Jerry is the first to recover, shakily rising to his feet, mouth open. “I… I've never heard of that. Or heard that, for that matter.”

“That was awful!” Alvena pouts, hands still over her ears.

“... huh. That…” Faelyn, too, gets up, and looks over Mikel once more. “Like all oceanic magic, song and sound-based magic is rare outside of the Realm of the Fey. Rumor had it that Merle Ventia could use it, but I was never sure…”

“Wait, I can do that?”

“If Mikel can, then most likely. And if he can… what other potential does he have?” Faelyn shakes her head. “Far be it from me to let such potential go to waste.”

“Does that mean-”

“Yes. You have my blessing for this journey of yours.” Faelyn steps closer, putting a hand on Mikel's shoulder. “Refine that spark, and whatever you do, don't die. I'm not sure I could live with myself.”

“Not planning on it.”

“Good. I can’t, however, send you about on your own in good conscience. How about you get some rest, and tomorrow we can train?”

“... alright, fine. I can agree to those terms.”

“Mayor Sapphira!”

Mary practically busts down the door of the town hall, waving Mikel’s letter. She can hear her own heart pounding in her ears, that the castle is in danger and her baby is refusing to come home-

“Ah, Ms. Ventia,” Sapphira says as she steps out of her office. She’s shaking and clearly exhausted, but trying her damndest to stay focused. “It’s… it’s been a busy few days- I’ve been looking for precedent for this situation to guide us, but as I should have expected, found none outside of unreliable myths.”

“Well, I must have really bad timing then- Mikel wrote me, and apparently the castle’s in danger!”

Sapphira freezes. Blinks. “ Crikey. ”

“Yeah! And he’s refusing to come home! He told me to ask you to help him get in the castle, but I think you should talk some sense into him!”

“Hm…” Sapphira puts her hand to her chin. “But my secretary says a lot of people in town are getting their faces back, and saying it’s because of him-”

“To hell with that!” Mary slams the wall behind her. “Has the world gone mad?! He’s thirteen! I’m not letting him get hurt out there!”

“Look, Ms. Ventia. I will let Mikel warn the King, and I will give him the assistance he needs to get into the castle in order to do so. Once the King organizes forces to deal with the threat of the Dark Lord, I will make sure Mikel comes home. Okay?”

“With all due respect, considering how the King is, I’m not sure I trust-”

“Who’s the friend of the royal family between us?” Sapphira interrupts.

“... you.”

“And I have absolute faith that the King can deal with this. I’ll get your son home safe once that’s in place, okay?”

“... okay.”

Chapter Text

Another restless night trudges along. Maybe Mikel is more shaken than he thought by his second near-death experience in the last week or so, because no matter how he tries to quiet his mind to sleep, it just keeps playing the Dark Lord's nearly successful attempt on his life.

“Mikel.”

He says nothing.

“Mikel,” Merle says again.

“... what?” Mikel finally responds, under his breath.

“You seem unsettled.”

“Not as unsettled as the Dark Lord will be when I kick his ass.”

“Really now.”

Mikel scowls. “Look, I know we've yet to make any significant progress, and I know we're outmatched on every level, and I know I've been nearly killed twice so far…” He trails off, taking a few seconds to bring himself to admit, “I don't know where I'm going with this.”

“Hey, it's okay!” Alvena pipes up from her bed. “I don't know where I'm going with anything half the time.”

Mikel glances over at Alvena and quirks an eyebrow. That was her takeaway?

“You know, you can be really smart sometimes, and really dumb others.”

“Yeah, my sister said the same.”

“You have a sister too?” Mikel asks. “Older or younger?”

“Older… but that's all I really should say.”

Mikel is now staring directly at Alvena. “You keep dropping hints about your family and then dodging any further questions. Why?”

A few seconds of silence fill the air, and then Alvena says, “Maybe I should come clean-”

The inn rumbles, and both kids hear a banging from downstairs.

“Hold that thought!” Mikel yells as he grabs his microphone and bolts out the door, Alvena tailing behind him. They meet up with Jerry, who clearly was woken by the event, in the hall.

“It's coming from downstairs!” Mikel shouts, rushing down before Faelyn can come out and tell him not to.

The foyer is a wreck- the innkeeper is cowering under the front desk, smashed glass and broken floor panels giving Mikel pause. But there, too, is a woman lying unconscious on the ground, and a gang of goblins causing all this havoc.

Alvena and Jerry follow behind him, and Faelyn behind them.

“The girl!” Mikel exclaims. “Help her, I'll handle the monsters!”

“Mikel-” but before Faelyn can finish, he's already dashing into the fray. He throws a goblin off him and strikes it with his microphone, but he knows he's outnumbered.

He can do this. He knows he has a trick up his sleeve- he just has to find it again.

In the background, he can hear goblins falling to his allies’ attacks, but when he glances over they seem overwhelmed. That brief lapse was enough time for the goblins to pile onto him, and he's not proud of how inelegantly he must be flailing to get them away.

Focus, focus, focus-

“OFF!” Mikel screams, that same echoing pulse around the word as the monsters are thrown off and evaporate into faces around him. He takes a deep breath that leads into a coughing fit, then glances over at his allies, all of who are clutching their ears and Alvena looking as though she could cry.

“Please stop doing that,” she pleads.

Mikel sighs, but whatever he's about to say is cut off when he sees Jerry holding what is clearly the leg of a goblin.

“Ah… what is that, Jerry?”

“Oh, yeah, this.” Jerry looks at it as though he were seeing it for the first time too. “We won't always have convenient inns to eat in. And when we do, sometimes stuff like,” he gestures with his other hand, “this happens. So it's always good to have some extra food on hand.”

“Like… goblin?”

“I only hope the poor thing wasn't alive for that.”

“Enough,” Faelyn cuts off. “We still have an unconscious woman to take care of.”

“Of course,” Jerry says with a brief bow. “I know some first aid if magic isn't enough.”

“It should be. Alvena, you're a healer, yes? Follow.”

Alvena and Faelyn come closer to the woman. Now that they have a closer look at her, they're surprised by her green-tipped pink hair. Still, with a mutter, Faelyn casts a bright pink light over her, and Alvena calls forth an orange one in turn.

The combined power of the two is enough to bring the woman back, her eyes- green with black sclera- shooting open.

“Yay!” Alvena cheers, watching the newly revived woman prop herself up to a sitting position, with a yelp as she touches the broken glass around her.

“Uuugh…” she groans, then says something in a language Mikel doesn't recognize.

“Hold up,” Mikel interjects. “Is that… a vampire?” The long furry ears, fluff on the neck, and bat wings were all giveaways. “All the way in Greenhorne?”

“Greenhorne…” she echoes in Common. “So that's where I am?”

Faelyn nods, while Alvena tilts her head.

“How do you end up here and not know it? You're pretty far from home.”

“That attack must have gotten her really good,” Jerry pipes up. “Which is bad, amnesia by a blow to the head can mean a lot worse is happening too.”

“In that case, you three head upstairs. I'll figure out what this woman knows and what to do with her.”

“But-” Mikel tries.

“I'll get you if I need you, okay? I just don't want to crowd her.”

That satisfies Mikel enough for him to shuffle past Faelyn and follow the other two back upstairs.

“Th-thank you,” the woman says. 

“Of course. Do you remember your name?”

The woman strains for a moment, then shakes her head. “No. I'm not sure I ever even had one.”

Faelyn is taken aback by that statement. “Well, surely people called you something.”

“I don't… think so, but I can come up with something.”

“Do you need help with that?”

The woman shakes her head. “I got this. Hmm…” Her eyes light up. “I remember the word ‘diminuendo’. I don't know what it means, but it sounds nice.”

“Di-mi-nu-endo…” Faelyn echoes with some difficulty. “Any way you could shorten that?”

“Okay, how about Dimini?”

“That sounds good. Now, Dimini, you've had a rough night, and no lie. How about we get you to bed, and we can discuss this situation more on the morrow?”

“But, the room-”

“I will help fix it, because I'm not the one who was knocked unconscious by goblins.” Faelyn gets up and holds her hand out for the newly-christened Dimini to take. “Come with me.”

Chapter Text

Faelyn's voice can be heard from downstairs as Mikel lays back, trying once more to get some sleep.

“Well, that was certainly a series of events,” Merle remarks.

“No kidding,” Mikel responds. “I think that's been my motto this entire week or so.”

“I hope she'll be okay…” Alvena says.

“You're not that bad a healer. I'm sure she will.”

Alvena smiles at that. “Thank you.”
“I don’t say these things unless they’re true.”

The talking downstairs stops, and footsteps can be heard heading up. Mikel hops off the bed and trots up to the door, which Faelyn is passing with the woman in tow.

“What's her name?” he asks.

“Dimini,” the woman mutters behind Faelyn.

“I'm leading her to her room,” Faelyn says. “She needs rest. So do you. I'll attend to what's left of the inn.”

“You sure I can't help?”

“You need rest,” Faelyn says again.

“She's right,” Merle pipes up from his place on the nightstand.

“Fiiiine…” Mikel groans, shutting the door and turning on his heel back to his bed.

The rest of the night passes without event, and the sunshine heralds a new day. Mikel looks over at Alvena, who is once again already awake. He nods at her, and she waves back as he leaves the room.

The foyer still very clearly needs work, but Faelyn’s efforts have at least made it not a danger to traverse. Mikel supposes that’s more than can be expected from a night’s work. He gives the innkeeper a dirty look for cowering in the face of danger, before turning into the dining hall, where Faelyn is chatting with Jerry and Dimini over breakfast.

“Hey, Mikel,” Jerry says, prompting the other two to turn to him. Dimini quickly turns away, while Faelyn lights up.

“Mikel, good to see you. Where’s Alvena?”

“Right here!” Alvena says, a few steps up the stairs.

“Good! Come sit down.”

The two do, and Faelyn clears her throat.

“While Dimini is still amnesiac, she appears to be impaired in no other way.”

“Quite a wonder,” Jerry adds.

“You could have let me say that,” Dimini pouts.

“You're right,” Faelyn says. “I apologize. Take it from here.”

“So I’m doing pretty good!” Dimini says. “All things considered, anyway. I’ve been caught up to speed.” She furrows her brow. “I’ve heard the name Malachite before, even though I don’t remember any encounters with him, and it’s driving me crazy.”

“Well, maybe you’ll put it together.”

Dimini jumps and looks around for the new voice.

“Merle, you really have to stop doing that.”

“Doing what? Talking?”

“Out of nowhere, yeah! Nobody really expects a dead hero to be inside my amulet!”

Dimini just blinks.

“Right,” Mikel says. “The long and short of it is I’m the descendant of a hero of myth and he’s in my amulet. I don’t get it either, but he seems helpful, so whatever.”

“What’s with that emphasis on seems?!”

Mikel ignores him, and continues, “You want in on our little journey to save the world?”

“And how!” Dimini exclaims. “I don’t know much, but I know that Malachite makes me sick!”

Dimini slams her hand against the table, and Jerry flinches at a sudden wave of heat coming off of her.

“I didn’t make the best first impression of my abilities,” she continues, “but I can handle myself when it comes time to settle the score!” She snaps the fingers of her other hand, and a burst of pale pink flame sparks from it, making everyone jump.

“Whoa…” Alvena says. “Another magic user! I say we bring her along!”

“You’re kind of out there,” Mikel grumbles, “but at this point, why not?”

“Then it’s settled,” Jerry says. “Welcome to the team, Dimini.” His voice becomes quieter. “And please cool down, I’m not exactly from a very hot place.”

Faelyn watches all this with some bewilderment, before smiling. “Well, you have an adult with you now-”

“What am I, a roach?”

“-a corporeal adult, so I think I can go to assist others.” She turns to Mikel. “Not before the promised training, of course. You’re more competent than I gave you credit for, but I still can’t send a thirteen-year-old out there without at least some knowledge.”

“Alright,” Mikel concedes. “When are we starting?”

“A little bit after you finish breakfast. Fighting on too full a stomach is ill-advised.”

“... fair enough.”

It’d be a really nice day out, were it not for the stakes at play and the sounds of monsters in the distance.

Mikel can’t focus on that, though, through the rigors of his friendly duel with Faelyn.

“You’re doing pretty well for so little experience,” Faelyn says as she looks over Mikel, “but I’m afraid that’s not saying as much as I’d like.”

“Rude,” Mikel mutters.

Faelyn either doesn’t hear him or doesn’t care to respond, because she continues, “First of all, are you quite sure that’s the weapon you want to use?”

“I’ve used it this long and it’s been suiting me fine.” Mikel rolls his eyes. “I don’t want to have to learn a sword or something from scratch.”

“It might be better advised-”

Mikel interrupts her with a solid microphone smack to the face.

“Huh?!” Faelyn says, hand over where she was struck.
“Two things. The element of surprise, and proving to you my weapon is just fine.”

“Whoop! Get ‘er!” Merle exclaims.

“... alright,” she concedes. “It does pack more of a punch than I thought, I’ll admit it-”

Mikel hits her again.

“Hey-!”

“We don't talk during a fight. We fight.”

Faelyn nods and takes a step back. “Fair enough.” 

The sun is midway through the sky by the time the two decide to stop. Mikel catches his breath, wondering at what point the team came out to watch.

“You’re far from ready, but I do understand that we are on a time limit,” Faelyn says. “We don’t know what Malachite will do next, and it’s best not to risk what might happen if a person is without a face for longer than necessary.”

“Understood.”

“I’m going to choose to trust you, Dimini, to take care of the team in my absence. Don’t make me regret this.”

Dimini nods. “I won’t let you down. That Dark Lord is dead to me.”

“Jerry, you’re not half bad. Keep doing what you’re doing.”

“Thank you, ma’am.”

“And Alvena… just… try to get some sleep. To be blunt, you look terrible.”

A troubled expression crosses Alvena’s face as she nods.

“And finally…” Faelyn puts a hand on Mikel’s shoulder and smiles. “Good luck out there, Mikel Ventia.”

Mikel gives a curt nod, and the amulet flickers a few times, a silent show of approval from Merle.

“Thank you for everything, Great Sage Faelyn,” Jerry says.

“Again, you can just call me Faelyn.”

“Apologies; it's a habit. Goodbye, Grea- Faelyn.”

Faelyn chuckles as she turns away. “This is hardly goodbye. More like see you later.”

And with that, she's off, leaving the team behind.

“Wait…” Dimini says. “ Am I an adult?”

“Oh boy,” Jerry mutters.

Chapter Text

They’re in Riverdeep Cavern, getting close to the castle view. They’re unsettled by the echoes of their footsteps amid the sound of rushing water.

This is where they were told Mikel’s grandma was headed. At least, a few days ago. 

These new banshee monsters are much more difficult than the butterflies and goblins they’ve faced to this point. The only saving grace is that Jerry recognizes a similar species from the Peaks, but even then he’s noted distinct differences from the beast he recognizes. The party is huddled in a gap in the rocks, taking a breather on Merle’s insistence.

Mikel is anxiously bouncing from foot to foot. This is the only lead they have, but why would they have stayed at the view all this time? For all he knows, he’s suffering through these banshees for nothing.

Still, like he said, it’s the only lead they have.

“Okay,” he says, taking a deep breath and stepping back into the open. “I think it’s time we get going.”

The rest of the team follows suit, on their guard (to varying degrees, given Alvena is still very much half-asleep).

“Look out!” Jerry calls, whipping around to slice a group of banshees that snuck up behind.

Couldn’t have even given them a minute, could they?

Mikel reels back, taking his stance, before leaping at the banshees. He grabs one by the hair and slams it into another, causing both to relinquish their faces. A flash of pink distracts him, and another banshee gets a good hit on him. He’s pulling himself up when the banshee disappears in a burst of flame.

That came from behind him.

Wait a minute-

“Thanks, Mikel!” Dimini cheers as she darts out from behind him.

“Did you just-?!” Merle snaps, echoing Mikel’s thoughts.

“Well,” Jerry says, interrupting Mikel’s thoughts by taking care of the last banshee, “that takes care of that.” He side-eyes Dimini, his voice dripping with irritation. “I did see that, by the way, and I would advise not using our young friend as your meat-shield in the future.”

“I don’t wanna get hurt!” she protests.

“Neither does Mikel,” he out-and-out snarls, before composing himself. “Anyway, I think I see the exit nearby,” he says, gesturing to the direction he means.

Couldn’t have come soon enough…

Mikel holds his hand up to his eyes as they re-adjust to the light.

“Hey!” Dimini shouts behind him. Alvena claps her hands over her ears, but looks up with the rest of the party-

Oh.

“You’re awfully sturdy for a bunch of children,” Dark Lord Malachite grumbles.

“Hey, I might be an adult!” Dimini calls. 

Malachite stares at her, raising an eyebrow.

“How are you even still-” he stops. “Whatever.” His hands crackle with dark energy, and Jerry pushes himself to the front.

A few tense seconds pass, before the darkness subsides. “... On second thought, it’s beneath my dignity to kill a bunch of mere children by my own hand . This should be more than enough to end this facade!”

Malachite raises a hand, and a dark fog issues forth from it, splitting off into three and coalescing into new monsters.

One, a yellow, mouse-like beast with the face of who Mikel recognized as Lana, half of that lovey-dovey couple.

The second, a giant, round boulder bearing the face of Delaine, the rude neighbor who had taunted Malachite when he first attacked.

And the last, a demonic creature-

Grandma.

Malachite bursts into laughter, seeing the distress on Mikel's face. “Won't it be something, losing your life to the very woman you set out for?”

“Why you…!” Mikel snarls.

“And that pile of stone over there, that must be Greenhorne Castle, yes? Hehehe… Those worthless royals have something special coming for them!”

Alvena gasps.

“Well, ta-ta!”

Malachite disperses into darkness, and the team readies themselves for action.

The Lana Mouse strikes first, whipping its tail at the four of them. Mikel is thrown in front of the Madi Imp, who raises its pitchfork. Mikel just barely manages to gracelessly scramble away. He catches his breath and swings at the Madi Imp. 

He doesn’t notice anything else until he hears Alvena cry out in alarm.

“Hm?!” He turns just in time to notice Rocky Delaine rocketing towards him-

- huh?!

Jerry stands between the team and Rocky Delaine, holding his arms out and grunting under strain, with Rocky Delaine held fast by an invisible force.

He turns his head to call, “Deal with the others! I can handle this!”
“R-right!” Mikel says, mind racing. The spell he’s taken to calling Out of Tune would be useful right now, but it would break Jerry’s focus. 

He side-eyes Dimini as she speeds past him, but calms down when she just calls down a lightning strike on the Madi Imp. Alvena whacks the Lana Mouse with her stick, and Mikel strikes it in turn.

Still, even with one less enemy to deal with, they also have one less party member.

The Lana Mouse knocks Alvena off her feet and into Mikel, sending them down like dominoes. Dimini joins the pile, and the three look up at the monsters readying their attacks-

“Ten hearts beat together as one!”

Even Mikel is thrown off by what he just did, to say nothing of the others, but he continues.

“They fight until the battle is done!”

He claws his way out of the pile, noticing the monsters having stopped in their tracks.

“In sync, they hold hand in each hand!”

His allies look up at him, fidgeting to the melody.

“As they make their way across the LAND!”

A shockwave emanates from him, and the monsters start… dancing? Well, there’s no time to question what just happened, so the party gets up, and with the monsters not defending themselves, dispatch them easily.

“Whoa…” Lana says as her face drifts off. Grandma’s face stays in place, so Mikel steps closer.

“Grandma… do you have any idea what I just did?”

“No. But I guess I have to thank you for doing it, because it saved my neck.” Grandma laughs. “Or my face, as the case may be!”

Her face floats off, and Mikel instinctively reaches after it.

The last face, that of Delaine, grumbles, “Can I go back to having a normal life now?” before it, too, floats back home.

“Uuugh…” Mikel groans. “Well, Grandma’s safe.”

“But the castle isn’t…” Alvena sighs. “Wait!”

“Hm?”

Alvena looks around to find Jerry, just in time to watch him collapse onto the stones.

“Oh no…” she says, rushing to his side. She closes her eyes and taps her stick to him, but it does nothing.

“Well?” Mikel says. “You gonna do something about that?”

“I’m trying!” Alvena cries. “But once someone’s knocked out, there’s not much I know how to do!”

“Okay. Here’s the plan,” Merle says. “We take a pit stop here- it seems safe now, and it’s an awful long way back to a proper resting spot. Once Jerry wakes up, we’ll assess the situation again.”

“Understood,” Mikel says. He and the rest of the team work together to get Jerry onto a nearby bench- holding him like this, Mikel can tell Jerry is concerningly skinny, but at least he's breathing normally.

Mikel looks down at Jerry, and sighs. Whatever happened in the heat of that battle, Jerry did it for the team that he still barely knows- he should extend courtesy in turn. 

He pulls off his coat- it's kind of cold up here, but he'll live- folds it up, and places it under Jerry's head. It feels like the right thing to do.

Chapter Text

The sound of Jerry groaning alerts the other three adventurers, who rush to his side as he cracks his eyes open and pushes himself up. They're all burning with questions, but bombarding him now would not be smart.

“Ugh… What happened?” He holds his hand up. “Don’t answer that, it’s starting to come back to me.”

“Are you okay?” Alvena says. “I tried to heal you, but-”

“No, I get it- Father was a healer too. It’s pretty high-level to bring someone back from unconsciousness.”

Jerry then looks over at Mikel. “Wait, why aren’t you wearing your coat?”

“... Well-”

Jerry notices a flash of blue in the corner of his eye, and when he looks at it, there the coat is, folded up where his head had been.

“... think nothing of it,” Mikel mutters as he accepts his coat back from Jerry and slips it on.

“Good to see you okay,” Merle says. “Are you good to get going, or should we wait a little more?”

Jerry picks himself up, pats himself down, and nods. “I think I’m good. Wouldn't be the first time.”

“Wait, huh?” Alvena pipes up.

“Well,” Mikel interrupts, “let's hope we aren't too bombarded on our way back.”

“Hey, that wasn't so bad!” Dimini cheers, but Jerry looks grim.

“Exactly. Suspiciously not bad. Almost like the Dark Lord isn't paying attention to this area anymore…”

“... and has moved on to the castle,” Mikel finishes, blood running cold. 

Alvena gasps, breath picking up speed as she backs away from the group. Dimini is the first to notice.

“Hey, hey, hey, uh…” Dimini tries, hovering her hand over Alvena's shoulder, unsure whether to touch her or not. “It's okay! We're gonna kick his ass!”

The way Alvena looks up at Dimini, it's clear she did not help.

“Mikel, give her my amulet,” Merle says.

Mikel opens his mouth to object, but decides to trust Merle's judgement about the panicking Alvena.

She takes the amulet with shaking hands, and it starts to warm up. “Remember what I told you,” Merle says. “Focus on the heat and my voice, okay? One, two, three, four…”

The other three are silent- whether it's out of respect or shock is unclear- as Alvena's white-knuckled grip on the amulet begins to loosen while she syncs her breathing to Merle's instruction.

When Alvena finally relaxes enough to function again, she mutters an apology and holds the amulet for Mikel to take back. By instinct he snatches it, and has to stop himself from glaring at her.

“Hey, be gentle, she just had a panic attack.”

“... fair,” Mikel responds. 

“Are you feeling a little better now?” Jerry asks, and Alvena hesitantly nods.

“Well…” Dimini trails off. “Should we, uh… get going again? It's probably safer to discuss whatever happened here inside a building.”

“True,” Mikel says. He most certainly has questions.

By the time they make it back to civilization, though, the sun set half an hour ago.

“I think you kids need sleep,” Merle insists. “We'll make for the castle come morning.”

“But-” Alvena says.

“You especially.”

After a little more arguing, the innkeeper slams his hand down and asks if the party wants to stay there or not, so Alvena panics and forks over the gold for two rooms.

Mikel awakes with a start. His breath comes in gasps, visions of the Dark Lord still dancing before his eyes before they fade away, leaving nothing but terror behind.

It's not day yet- probably not more than an hour or two since he fell asleep. Fuck.

“Hey,” he hears, and it takes him a moment to register that the voice is a surprising thing to hear at this hour. Alvena looks over at him with concern.

“You alright?” she continues.

“Y-yeah,” he bluffs. “Just… uh… internal alarm's all whack. What are you doing up?”

“It's okay if you had a bad dream,” Alvena says. “I get them pretty much every night.”

“I-I didn-” Mikel begins, but stops as the words actually hit him. “Wait, every night?”

“Yeah… I don't know why, it's not like I've had anything that bad happen to me! I just…” she sighs. “Even before,” she gestures vaguely with her hands, “I've been scared to sleep.”

“Is that why I've never seen you asleep in your actual bed? And why you keep passing out in all the wrong places?”

Alvena nods. “I haven't slept yet,” she says, glancing over at Merle's amulet. “Don't know how I'm supposed to, with…” She gestures again.

“I feel you,” Mikel responds, sitting up to face Alvena. “You poured your heart out to me, so I think it's only fair that I do it too.”

“Are you sure?” Alvena asks.

“Not really… I just don't want to go back to sleep yet.”

Alvena nods again. They're both surprised Merle has nothing to say to that, but don't call attention to it for fear of pushing their luck.

“... do you know where HP bananas come from?” Alvena says at last. “‘Cause I do.”

“Hm.” He never considered asking that question, but it's better than sleeping. “Go on.”

“So they're a crossbreed between regular bananas and what's called the Hanna-Perkins fruit. It was discovered by two best friends with those last names. On its own, the Hanna-Perkins fruit makes you get sick, or even get cancer.”

“Huh! So how did they turn into something that heals you?”

“Well, that's the thing. In their pure form, they heal you too much.” Alvena sits up, and even in the darkness, Mikel can see her face starting to light up. “People can't handle the strength of the healing. But once plant breeders realized it, they figured they could dilute it with a few generations of crossbreeding. And it worked! Now we have super-healing bananas.”

“I never knew that! Why bananas?”

“Well, bananas actually have this tiny bit of harmful magic. Just a tiny bit! You get more of it in you just by being alive than by eating bananas. But it helped counter the Hanna-Perkins fruit's over-healing effect.”

Mikel nods. He didn't think he'd be so fascinated by the inner workings of fruits, but the way Alvena's so clearly excited about it is contagious. “We should probably get some before we head out tomorrow.”

“Right…” Alvena sighs. “That'd be a good idea.”

“Uh…” Mikel looks out the window again, as if enough time has passed for it to be day. “Do you know about MP Candies?”

And the conversation continues for a few hours, until Merle pipes up for the first time in that timeframe to remind the two that they really do need sleep- which both do much more soundly this time.

Chapter Text

The sun shining through the window once more heralds a new day, and Mikel is starting to feel the effects of having stayed up chatting into the night. It was pleasant, sure, but this clearly isn't the time for pleasant.

Alvena yawns, expressing the same sentiment, even though she's clearly more used to it. (Seriously, every night?)

“Mornin'”, Mikel says.

“Hey,” Alvena replies, a monotone edge to her voice that just sounds wrong. Merle's amulet flickers in response, but Mikel shrugs the whole thing off- he's got bigger fish to fry- and heads downstairs, where Jerry and Dimini are already finished with breakfast.

“Heyo!” Dimini says as Jerry stacks her plate over his own. “We got a letter! It says it's from Greenhorne Town.”

Mikel groans. “If it's Mom trying to drag me home, I swear…” He takes it anyway, and rips it open. Inside are two letters- Mikel reads the one with his name on it.

Dear Mikel Ventia,

Your service to Greenhorne Town is recognized. Since you are in such close proximity to Castle Greenhorne anyway, you will be tasked with convincing the King to organize forces, but after that, we want you to come home. Our faith is that forces trained for combat situations-

Mikel rolls his eyes and crumbles the letter before bothering to finish.

The King is many things, but to his knowledge, reliable is not necessarily one of them. And forces? Greenhorne has been sworn to pacifism since before Mikel was born.

Surely Mayor Sapphira had to have known all this about her best friend?

Alvena's yawning comes from the middle of the stairs, and as she arrives, she waves stiffly at the rest of the party and sits down.

“Hey, Alvena, you okay?” Jerry asks. “Yesterday was pretty rough.”

As Jerry checks in on Alvena, Mikel reads the other letter. It's more a certificate, intended for the royal guard, to state that Mikel and any of his associates are authorized to an urgent meeting with the King.

“Alright,” Mikel says. “We have our next order of business. We done dallying?”

Neuria, the town that Greenhorne Castle overlooks, wasn't much farther, but the four of them are grateful to be back in settled ground nonetheless.

Dimini looks particularly captivated by her surroundings. She stops to look at every bench and streetlight, and Mikel is starting to get frustrated with telling her to stop breaking off from the group.

“Dimini, we have a mission here,” Mikel sighs. “Stop getting distracted.”

“Hey, what if I'm looking for the guy we gotta give that note to?”

Mikel stares blankly at Dimini, who is forearms-deep in the fountain, splashing the unfamiliar statue in the center.

“You very obviously are not.”

As this happens, Jerry looks over at Alvena. She's fidgeting with her stick, refusing to look anybody in the eyes.

“... Okay,” Jerry begins, the other two glancing at him. “I don't think we need all four of us to go.”

“You may be right,” Merle says. “You and I can look after Alvena, while Mikel and Dimini-”

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait,” Mikel snaps. “You and him?”

“Yes? Judging by the reception I've gotten thus far-”

“If you think I'm letting my family heirloom out of my sight for even one godsdamned moment-”

“Do remember I am the family heirloom and have a say on where I go.”

“Okay, okay, you two, break it up,” Dimini says. “People are looking at us.”

There are indeed whispers buzzing around town at the four strange people screwing around in the middle of it.

“Excuse me, citizens!”

An authoritative woman’s voice calls out, and Alvena scampers away just before the woman gets close enough to the party to tell who she is.

“What is this commotion? Why did one of you run away? Why are-” she squints at Dimini. “Why are your sleeves soaking wet?”

“I know this doesn’t look good,” Mikel says, stepping in front of the others, “but hello. I am Mikel Ventia, and I have a message for you.”

“A… message?”

Mikel hands over the certificate, and the woman looks closely at it.

“An urgent meeting with the King? This… this does look like Ms. Mayor Harris’ handwriting.” She nods. “Understood. Sorry to keep you waiting.”

She says that, but Mikel notices her tone has not changed in any way. He does not blame her- this was a poor first impression to make of a squad of heroes out to slay a Dark Lord.

Mikel and Dimini, as agreed, follow the woman as they head into Greenhorne Castle. (He would have preferred Jerry, but they weren’t exactly given much more time to discuss.)

Dimini’s jaw drops as they get closer. Mikel is a bit intimidated, too- he’s never seen the castle up close, or really been anywhere where he didn't know most people. What's he supposed to do? Curtsy? Wait, that's for girls. What do boys do again?

He’s still trying to reach the word “bow” in his brain files as the woman stops them in front of the drawbridge and calls for it to be lowered. 

Before them stands the entrance to Greenhorne Castle in all of its grandeur.

Dimini feels like her heart is going to pound out of her chest. She has a very slight sense of deja vu about being near a castle, but it's not enough to temper the awe.

As the massive doors open and the two are led inside, she looks over at Mikel. His jaw is set a little too tightly, and he's not masking his shaking very well.

This is, in a weird way, reassuring, even in the face of so many perfectly ironed banners and beautifully-made sculptures.

The halls wind and twist, but the woman leads them as though she's taken this route a million times before- which, to be fair, she probably has.

Eventually, they come to a door larger than all the rest, and the woman stops them as if it wasn't an obvious sign on its own.

“Your Majesty,” she says as she opens the door to reveal the King and attendants. “We have guests.”

“Thank you, Rui,“ the King says, waving her arm to-

Her?

“Why are you a woman?” Dimini asks, causing Mikel to recoil from secondhand embarrassment.

“Dimini, you don't ask the King why she's a woman!”

“Don't worry,“ the King says. “It happens fairly often with foreigners. Though not as much in recent years. Still, I take no offense.”

“... my apologies for assuming,” Mikel mutters with a quick bow.

“So,” the King continues, “you find yourself in audience with King Edith the First of Greenhorne. What led Rui to bring you to a personal meeting with me?”

“Well,” Mikel's hands shake as he pulls out the certificate. “This was a personal request by Mayor Harris.”

“Ah, Sapphira! Haven't spoken to her in person in far too long,” King Edith says. “This is unusual for her, though.”

“Well, this is an unusual cicumstance, Your Highness.” Mikel takes a deep breath. “Highly unusual, in fact. How much do you trust Mayor Sapphira's judgement?”

King Edith hesitates. “Implicitly. Why?”

“Because people's faces are just being peeled off like stickers and slapped on monsters and I'm frankly really surprised you have yet to hear of this!”

The room goes silent for a good ten seconds. King Edith is the first to break it.

“What.“

Chapter Text

The bad news is, this fic is being canceled...

The good news is we're getting a comic instead! If you've enjoyed Lost Star thus far, do consider keeping up!

And that won't be all for Lost Star's AO3 presence, either: once the comic is further along, there will be offshoot fics here set in the universe. Lost Star will be greater than ever!