Mikleo left shortly after the new Shepherd's Pact was made, his friends would continue on, fight whatever threatened the peace Sorey safeguarded, while he journeyed to myriad ruins in memory of his best friend, until the day they would meet again, Mikleo had to believe such a day would find him.
On the way to a ruin he learned of in the lands north of Lohgrin, he sensed a presence behind him. Turning around, he found Zavied sneaking from a bush growing along the stony wall of the mountain to a brown spire behind him, turning pale when he was caught, "H-hey, Mikiboy-"
"Don't 'Mikiboy' me, Zaveid, what are you doing here?!" Mikleo roared.
"Well, we left together-"
"I left you back at Bors Ruins!"
"Yeah, but there was some kind of monster there," Zaveid explained, "something we've never seen before...so I followed you, make sure you didn't get hurt."
"Rose can handle it," Mikleo whispered bitterly, "she's the Shepherd now."
"And you're begrudging-" Zaveid began, playfully accusing Mikleo, only for the younger seraph to shove him into the spire behind him and glower viciously.698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJ3zCQZbfF
"And Sorey's not!"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ1Fc0JN58L
"I...see," Zaveid quickly regained his composure and waited for the water seraph to calm down, "well, I figured you could use someone to tag along with you, remind you to eat and all that, I'm sure you'd forget...just think of me as your to-do list!"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtq7d9qXJ0
"Lists are quiet...and dependable."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRsDfxxqrn
"Oh, hey, and you're saying I'm not?" Zaveid chuckled, "Well, I'll have you know I can do both! Plus you can talk about old adventures, you and His Shepherdness, back in the old days, you know? There's no way you can honor your friend's memory all gloomy like this, not when he was always so cheerful."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAQHVltdTB
"You think you can-" Mikleo clenched his fists as he yelled at the wind seraph, who quickly cut him off.698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zHY67rHmf
"That's why you're here, right?" Zaveid walked around Mikleo and pressed a protruding stone into wall of rock, "See, a ruin. I don't know much, but I know what I know well, and I know how hard it is to deal with this kind of thing."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqoPbK6kYiq
Mikleo took a breath and fell beside the entrance to the ruin, "You're right, I'd just be wasting my time...back when me and Sorey were kids, this was easier, there was no Malevolence to worry about, no humans turning into strange monsters, or seraphim turning into dragons, we just...had races to see who could find a treasure first and...and now, after all he learned, everything that could help him lead humans and seraph into a new world...he just...he had to, I know, but-"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoyEPBWE3iR
"It's not fair, and you're angry you couldn't have a say in how things went down, I get it...but taking it out on yourself isn't good...plus I bet we missed some pretty good times, I mean, now Team Rose is basically all girl now, kind of a pity!" Zaveid gave Mikleo a wild grin pointed his thumb in the direction they came from, "We could go back."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMXZtQUgJmX
"Zaveid?"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujH7NhMMdG
"Fine, fine, I'll shut up!"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVxC0NgC5d
"No...thank you."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSPuYv1lCdD
Zaveid stepped back, stunned by the former Sub Lord, "What for?"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNL1CQyAvU
"I wish I knew...for being yourself, I guess."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRG2LGFbfGZ
"Well, you can thank me later when you and me get to the next town, bet there's lots of nice young seraph ladies...if they haven't turned into dragons or something, I mean, you could ask them out...and if they are dragons, we'll just hunt down Rose and have her purify them!"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡplVC4KF1NY
"I'm going to have to miss the cities...I'd rather stay in the ruins for a while, find more, maybe."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjK7hA6BTz
"Well, if you ever change your mind, we can leave these caves for a town, and-"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXENvbkdnz
"You want to explore these ruins, too?"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQY2l1pJDBL
"Well, why do you think I'm here?" Zaveid wondered, "Not to look pretty, though I suppose I kind of kill it there, too, but the way I see it, everyone has a task now, Edna, Alisha, Lailah, Rose, they stop the world from turning into a nest of monsters, and I keep you from going dragon, and you keep me out of trouble...in some way, each of us is keeping Sorey's dreams alive, every one of them."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡELpE4dqBrW
"He...did have a lot more dreams than just this, didn't he?" Mikleo slowly stood up and turned to the mouth of the old structure before them "I wonder when he...if he can come back...as a seraph, I mean."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2bPRJOWy9K
"Ha, he was pretty pure, huh?" Zaveid chuckled, "But even if he does, he might not remember everything that's happened on our adventures together."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZje4EOtgSr
"I...I wonder if he'll remember me, he can only remember the really important things." Mikleo squinted his eyes and covered his mouth to fight back a sob.698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnZMEzc0Vf
"Mikleo...Sorey's not the kind of guy to forget, well, even me, I mean, I had the spiritual power of wind and stuff, but Dezel was there first, still you've got to be out of your mind to think he'd forget me that easily, he did shoot me at Heldalf, right?" Mikleo nodded and choked back a sob, "Hey, Mikster...remember that time Lailah treated us to tofu? After he comes back, we can celebrate properly by letting Lailah do dinner."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuHzfH0qY7l
"H-ha, ha, no way," Mikleo dragged his sleeve over his eyes and shook his head, "that was a disaster the first time around...besides, he's going to want something heavier than that."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡywqiO2mkZk
"Gee, Mikiboy, don't know that they make lead pies, but I guess if-" Zaveid stepped back after Mikleo punched him in the shoulder and laughed, "fine, maybe he could settle for a beef pie, unless he has a favorite food when he comes back."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcjUEa8J58i
"That'd be great."698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoWQnDRyFy
"But for now, there's moldy old places with our names smeared from top to dusty bottom!" Zaveid charged into the darkness and Mikleo smiled up at the clear blue sky.698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyc9C2QQLj2
"Yeah...hear that, Sorey?! You're going to have a lot of catching up to do, so you'd better help Maotelus purify the world, or you'll never catch up!"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9JKnTmChec
"Preach it, Miki!" Zaveid shouted from within the ruins, "And hurry up, to, I think I might have found a treasure...or it least it's pretty to look at!"698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAoqUgrlq7
"R-right, I'll be right there!" Mikleo took a breath before racing into the ruins, the first time in a long time that he was in a ruin with a friend, with no fate of the world hanging in the balance.698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Dvd3pD2Q1
ANs: For you, Rob!698Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhl0SifhiFY
