Orion and Amelia returned home a few hours later.

  "I got my ass whooped..."

  Dejected, Amelia jumped into the nearest couch and hugged one of the pillows.

  "You still managed to get a few hits on me, so it's not entirely true."

  With a smile, he sat on the couch's armrest and began patting her head.

  "I thought my arm was going to break trying to stop one of your punches."

  "That's what I get for not using light magic to strengthen my foundations."

  He laughed while gently rubbing her hair.

  "This is still incredibly frustrating! I know I can't win against you, but I wanted to remove that indifferent attitude out of you."

  Giving a quick glare of frustration, she sighed after seeing his expression.

  "Still, I guess it's fine."

  "I did improve a lot since last time."

  Nodding, he stood up.

  "One year was enough to make you shine the brightest. I'm a bit sad I wasn't here to see your development, though."

  After returning, Orion began to show more and more emotions, which she liked. Instead of reading his heart and thoughts, she could hear them from his mouth.

  Recalling the time he wasn't there, she frowned, letting her eyes drift away with a grave expression.

  "Why the sad face?"

  Seeing her expression, he knew that the topic of his presumed death was a sore spot for her.

  "It's just..."

  Lying on her back, she hugged the pillow tighter.

  "When I think that only one year went by for us, but almost an eternity passed for you... It just hurts."

  "Our pain is nothing compared to yours, and I don't know how to make up for that."

  His smile slowly disappeared.

  "That is true. I still remember that bitter feeling of emptiness."

  Eyes turned toward the ceiling, he sighed.

  "Living through so many years without any of you was enough to rip my heart into pieces and make me lose my reason to push forward."

  As his eyes drifted back toward her, he began to smile again.

  "In hindsight, it made me realize at last what was truly important. It wasn't neither vengeance nor Miasma."

  "It was everyone. Every single soul that trusted me and brought me to where I am today."

  "So smile. Be yourself, and never let this time bother you. Think of the opportunity we obtained while apart and use it to drive you to even greater heights."

  Clenching his left fist, he made a determined pose.

  "You became better with words."

  Sitting straight, she placed the pillow back in its original place.

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  "You can thank Noah and Tetra for that."

  As Orion turned around to make himself a cup of coffee, he fell face-to-face with the rest of the family watching from the corridor.

  "..."

  He stopped in his tracks, seeing everyone smiling at him warmly.

  Scratching his cheek in embarrassment, he walked past everyone and entered the kitchen.

  ...

  Later that day, close to sunset.

  "You've decided?"

  Elliott stared at Orion with a serious expression.

  "I have. I'm thinking of bringing him back."

  "You know I can't forgive him, right?"

  Lifting his shoulders, Orion came up with the perfect reply.

  "Nothing a good punch won't resolve."

  "..."

  For a moment, Elliott realized that his hatred was impairing his judgment.

  "That's what you felt... Now that I have a clear feeling of it, it is difficult to contain."

  "Right?"

  Starting to walk toward the new hub's direction, Orion continued.

  "Getting rid of that is the first step."

  Following behind him, Elliott carefully held Vanitas with his right hand at all times. That sword had a calming effect and acted as a charm to him.

  "I'm a knight. My honor is at stake."

  "Those are the words of a man in love."

  "Shut it."

  Turning his head away, Elliott smiled.

  ...

  Both walked through the building and entered a portal. Per Elliott's request, the name was changed from Frigoria Plains to its former name, Cepha?d.

  Feeling the cold air caress his face, Elliott inhaled deeply.

  "Even after all these years, it smells like in the past."

  "This place was special enough for you to conquer it back, even if it had to be alone."

  Orion crossed his arms and looked at the sky, which had slight tinges of orange.

  "It is special. I couldn't let corruption hold the land we lived on."

  For some strange reason, Orion could feel the longing in his words. The memories of a civilization long gone, with only one man to remember it.

  Watching Elliott's back, he closed his eyes and smiled lightly, leaving the man reveling in the atmosphere.

  As Elliott observed the land, he realized that the snow was almost entirely gone. After one year, the weather was starting to recover from thousands of years of severe winters.

  Vegetation was slowly growing through the green patches. Animals were coming back at a stable pace, repopulating an area that was ruled by corrupt beasts.

  "My home..."

  A chill ran down his spine as he pictured the land at its best.

  "That wasn't for nothing."

  With a satisfied smile, he turned around.

  "I'm good. I think I can make peace with those raging feelings."

  Orion nodded.

  "That is good to know. You really are a strong individual."

  "The same goes for you."

  With light steps, they entered the dilapidated building that was Miasma's factory, the birthplace of many monstrous corrupt beasts.

  Entering the last room, an eerie feeling could be felt.

  "Deranged thoughts were brought to life in this place. No wonder it feels heavy."

  Elliott knew what had happened here.

  As his eyes turned toward a certain pod, he grimaced.

  "I should have destroyed this place."

  "Let the man himself decide what to do with it."

  Orion lifted his left hand in front of him before it disappeared into a strange space.

  Out of that space, he pulled a translucent bead that radiated pure white, contrary to its previous state.

  "..."

  Silently watching that core, Elliott clenched Vanitas' scabbard strongly.

  "Alright."

  Seeing his friend and rival swallowing his feelings like he said, Orion imbued light magic into it to reconstruct the being called 'Blanc'.

  This required extreme focus, but also a will from the other party to accept being brought back.

  As no resistance was felt, Orion proceeded.

  The bead began to float above his hand as it shone brightly.

  When it had enough, he grabbed the bead and threw it forward.

  Instead of falling to the ground, it levitated a meter above it, slowly creating matter around the core.

  At last, the man named Blanc was back to being a pure being, freed of corruption.

  "..."

  Blanc slowly opened his eyes as his body finished forming.

  "Here."

  Orion walked toward him, handing him a new set of white clothes to cover his naked body.

  "Ah... Thank you."

  Reaching for the clothes, he gently nodded.

  It was light and day between him and Miasma. The gentle aura around him betrayed the horrendous happenings caused by his hands.

  Rapidly putting on what he had been given, he faced both men with his gaze lowered.

  The intense glare on his son's face, followed by the expression of pure rage that came with it, spoke louder than any words could.

  "I suppose this is our first meeting in such circumstances."

  Being the first to break the ice, Orion crossed his arms.

  "From one glance, I can tell that the memories of being a nuisance and a calamity are still vividly anchored in that head."

  Blanc nodded silently.

  Turning his head to Elliott, he spoke.

  "I intend to bring him along to settle that grudge over that Valkyrie's death."

  "You said that depending on my choice of sparring him, you would accomplish that promise you made, right?"

  "That I did."

  A blazing fire could be seen inside Elliott's eyes as Orion alluded to the 'Devourer of Purity' that killed Frey.

  Even Blanc, who passively listened, could be seen glaring down.

  "Those feelings should have been enough."

  Elliott glared at his father after noticing his determined stare.

  Surprised, Blanc lifted his face for the first time and looked into his son's eyes.

  He could see the hatred. One hand held Vanitas tightly, while the other was clenched into a fist. His eyes were brimming with anger, and his lips were oddly curved.

  But as the image of someone dear to him popped up, he calmed down.

  "Father."

  Elliott walked forward and stood close to him.

  "Welcome back. I hope you're prepared to take responsibility for the mess you've caused."

  "Elliott..."

  He pushed Vanitas flat on his father's chest and grimaced.

  "I would rather not hear any excuses or apology. The damage that has been done cannot be changed. Instead, you better turn a new leaf."

  "We only get one chance at killing that monster."

  Blanc nodded while running his finger over the scabbard.

  "Orion."

  With a concerned look in his eyes, Blanc asked a question.

  "I understand it might be presumptuous of me to ask after everything that happened between us, but..."

  "Would it be possible to save the Valkyries?"

  Both Orion and Elliott looked at each other.

  "This option never crossed my mind."

  "Me neither. What about the actual fact? Is it possible?"

  Pondering the question, he closed his eyes.

  "For now, my answer is no."

  "There are too many incongruities in this idea to make it possible."

  "What are those beings to begin with? Is my magic going to work on them?"

  "Even before all of that, I need to make sure I don't die at the first encounter."

  Turning around, Blanc clenched his hands into fists.

  "It's alright. Simply killing that monster is more than enough."

  It was a half-truth. In his heart, he hoped for a miracle.

  "If I survive one encounter and actually judge this option to be viable, I'll bring it up."

  "But otherwise, I won't risk my life and others for a slim chance of bringing the Valkyries back."

  He uncrossed his arms.

  "Make yourself at home here. It's your house anyway."

  "If you need anything, wait for us to come by and give you what you need."

  With that, Orion turned back and made his way back to the portal, making sure Blanc couldn't enter it.

  As he returned to his home, Elliott and Blanc stayed alone.