"...Uhm..."
Jean was standing in the midst of the Ashen Burial Grounds, lost out of his mind.
One second he was surrounded by bloodthirsty spirits, and the next second he was here.
Nothing made sense—
"Where are we?"
Kyto glanced around, searching for signs of Grimhild, but she was nowhere to be found.
"It's a long story..." Liz approached them from afar, holding large pieces of firewood in her hands.
"Elizabeth...?" Jean questioned why she was holding pieces of wood whilst he looked around for spirits.
"I'll explain everything once we make camp, alright?" Elizabeth dropped the firewood, and sat down, visibly exhausted. "These Burial Grounds are so barren, it was hard finding pieces of wood to create a fire." She wiped the sweat from her forehead, and slumped to her side, laying on the massive eagle-
Wait...
"What the hell is that?!" Shouted the perplexed Kyto.
He realized the humongous eagle next to Elizabeth that was curled up, sleeping in a ball.
"I can't wrap my head around any of this..." Muttered Jean with a hefty sigh.
"Can someone just start the fire, please? It's getting cold." Said Elizabeth.
"You have a lot of explaining to do." Kyto approached the pile of wood, extending his hand to cast a magic circle. "Nulma." A miniature ball of fire blasted from his hand, igniting the pile of firewood.
It viciously crackled as it lit up their surrounding area, providing them light.
Jean walked over to the campfire, sitting down next to the massive eagle.
"Is it a she?"
"Hm?" Elizabeth glanced at Jean. "Oh yeah, it's definitely a she! Actually... you can even say that it's Grimhild herself!"
"Ehhh??" Jean widened his eyes, jaw-dropped. "G-Grimhild? You're joking, right?"
"...Well, I do sense a familiar magic coming from that eagle." Said Kyto, concerned.
"Ahahaha!" Elizabeth held her stomach, cackling. "I'm just kidding!" (Her words nearly gave Jean a panic attack).
Liz turned to her side, hugging the eagle's massive frame before digging her face into its feathers.
"This Eagle saved my life. I must thank Grimhild for that!"
Jean sat crisscross, mutating his expression into confusion.
"Alright Elizabeth, we are ready to know. Tell us everything."
Kyto sat down and crossed his arms before nodding his head.
"Yes, start from the beginning, Liz."
"...Alright alright, now where do I begin?"
+
"Merlin lives within the At'ama, the Realm of the Spirits."
Chroliosa closed her eyes, feeling as if she was a traitor, but she belonged to a new master now.
"She spends her time studying spirits and how they work, so that she may take control of them for her own beneficial gain."
Opening her eyes, they were filled with a hint of dismay.
"She tortured, killed, and experimented on countless Elufray Spirits until the entire realm of At'ama feared her presence."
Grimhild heard everything but showed no reaction. It was as if she expected something like this to happen.
"I see."
The Witch of Destruction sighed, averting her gaze from the spirit.
"This is partly my fault." She paused, contemplating her past actions. "I am Merlin's teacher. I was the one who taught her all the magic she knows in order to protect King Arthur, but now I see she's using it for the wrong reasons."
Bewildered by this, Chroliosa couldn't help but widen her eyes, and plead with her new master.
"L-Lady Grimhild, if you're claiming to be able to stop Merlin, then may you save my people from her tyrannical ruling? Please, I beg of you."
Chroliosa bowed her head, relying on the witch to help the spirit and her people.
It became obvious that Chroliosa was only loyal to Merlin out of fear—
Nothing more.
"I'm afraid I cannot."
Lifting her head, the spirit of time gazed upon her master.
"Please, master! I'll do anything that is in my power to pay you back."
Grimhild bonked Chroliosa's head with her staff.
"Agh!"
"It's not that I don't want to, it's that I can't."
Chroliosa rubbed her noggin, evidently confused.
"I'm afraid I don't understand..."
"I was removed from the At'ama ages ago. I'm not allowed back in from the Dark Mother. She made sure to seal me from the Spirit realm."
Chroliosa widened her eyes.
"Y-You mean the Idea of Evil herself?"
Grimhild nodded.
"Yes. The Alufray spirit that represents evil in its truest form. Apparently, she sees me as a threat to her existence, so she removed me, permanently."
"You have many enemies, master."
Grimhild chuckled.
"That's what happens when you live well over thousands of years."
Chroliosa smiled at her comment until her expression became one of despair.
There was no hope of saving At'ama at this rate.
"Hmm." Grimhild rubs underneath her chin in thought. "Now that I think about it; Merlin rules over At'ama, so naturally she would have dominion over the Dark Mother. Perhaps it was she who persuaded the Idea of Evil to remove me from the Spirit World."
"Ah!" Chroliosa widened her eyes with hope. "If that's the case, then perhaps I could persuade the Dark Mother to remove the banishing spell that targets you, master."
Grimhild shook her head in denial.
"Don't be foolish, Chroliosa. If you think you have what it takes to speak to that monster, then you're mistaken. You know just as well as I, that the Idea of Evil is an immoral spirit with no sense of righteous Integrity."
Mortals questioned the concept of evil, and what its purpose was in the world. Nobody understood its nature. Life was once beautiful, filled with love, compassion, and kindness, but that all fell apart during the Mystical Age. Mortals differentiated what was good, and what was bad, thus, they claimed that the demons and undead were evil and that the elves and humans were righteous.
This caused division.
People of Yggdrasil believed that there was a higher entity responsible for the concept of evil, thus, this almighty Alufray spirit was born to fulfill the collective's belief.
Mortalkind unintentionally created the Dark Mother, and now they must face the consequences of their actions, as unfair as it may seem.
"Perhaps you're right, but I'm willing to sacrifice my life for my Elufray brothers and sisters. I've changed from Merlin's heartless teachings, and I want no part of it any longer." Chroliosa's eyes were filled with determination, which made the Witch of Justice smile.
"...Very well." Grimhild couldn't deny her with those determined eyes. It was impossible. "I will help you in defeating my student, but first, I have other matters to attend to. Is that clear?"
Chroliosa widened her eyes, almost tearing up. Grimhild truly cared for her and was willing to do whatever it took to save her people.
"Thank you... master Grimhild, you won't regret this, I'll make sure of it."
Grimhild nodded her head.
"Now, let us be off, Chroliosa."
"Yes, master!"
The Spirit of Time turned into a beacon of light, merging with Grimhild's subconscious.
With Chroliosa at her command, the witch cast Flonta to take flight, heading towards her companions in worry.
+
"Are you serious?"
Kyto sat crisscrossed by the campfire, bewildered at Elizabeth's story.
"Chroliosa? Stopped time? Merlin is Grimhild's archenemy? Grimhild is the Witch of Destruction? Yeah, that sounds accurate." Said Jean, crossing his arms with a smile of approval.
"You seriously can't believe this Jean." Said Kyto.
"No, Elizabeth is definitely telling the truth, trust me. I've only known Grimhild for two days, and I've seen the craziest things I would never expect to see in my lifetime."
Kyto could only stare at them with a puzzled look on his face.
The sound of the campfire crackled in silence until the Cyrodel realized it wasn't a joke.
"By the Alvamon, you guys are serious, aren't you?"
Liz nodded her head, laying on her Eagle companion.
"Yup! Grimhild Yorgana is the Grimhild Yorgana from the Mystical Age that you'd read about in a history book."
"H-How can we be so sure...?" Asked Kyto.
"Because, her appearance fits the description of history, and so does her magic." Said Elizabeth who sat up straight, invested in their conversation. "This can't be some coincidence, or some well-thought-out joke. It's really the Grimhild Yorgana!"
Kyto was contemplating their situation, unable to believe it at first.
"If this was really the Witch of Destruction, wouldn't she have killed us by now? History states that Grimhild was a sadistic, ruthless destroyer who enjoyed the suffering of other people."
Jean gazed at the Cyrodel, smiling.
"That just proves that people can change, Kyto. That's why I followed Grimhild, so I can see the woman she's become. I know that she's the Witch of Destruction, but it's obvious that Grimhild wants to bury that past and start all over. She wants redemption."
Kyto frowned in thought, unable to make up his mind. He was thinking logically above all else.
"But it's dangerous..."
"Mmm." Jean nodded. "It is. But we shouldn't leave Grimhild behind! We should stick by her side and show our gratitude to her for saving us from the Spirit of Time!"
Elizabeth nodded boastfully.
"That's right! If it wasn't for Grimhild, we wouldn't even be here right now."
"Arghh... damnit... fine! I hope you guys are right about her!"