~Narrative~

"Indeed, at the very beginning of it all, Chaos summoned you in an attempt to mislead you into doing his bidding," Cosmos answered the winged mage's question. "But we are not to interfere with mortals from other universes directly, let alone whisk them away in this manner. He cast dark, forbidden magic in order to achieve this, which also greatly weakened him in the process. This is why you were able to strike back, against him."

"Well," the woman continued, "as you can probably gather by now, you could simply allow yourself to be defeated and you will return to your world, unharmed," she explained. "But we should be able to avoid such drastic measures," she smiled reassuringly. "Reversing taboo magic would require substantially less effort as it restores things to what should have been."

Garland - ???

Garland listened with rapt attention to Cosmos's exposition. A forbidden spell was responsible for this? That simply was further justification for the Enthroned leader's standing policy on so-called "forbidden" magic. The knowledge of such things could be considered dangerous, certainly, but ignorance was the greatest peril! It could never provide an adequate defense, not in a formal court of law, and certainly not in a magic-fueled contest of wills.

"All of that happened because he broke the rules.." The winged man shrugged his shoulders. He still wasn't any closer to knowing the kinds of edicts and agreements formed by the gods, and simply would have to accept that limitation (for now, at least).

A brief look of concern crossed Garland's face as he gazed towards Cosmos. It was a relief knowing that she had ultimately been with them the whole journey, even if meeting her only truly happened during the scheming god's farce.

"Knowing what Chaos has done, will you be able to prevent him from attempting such a scheme in the future?"

~Narrative~

"Only time will tell," the deity replied honestly. "I don't really have any way to stop him from ever giving this another try. But after his failure, I would expect him to be more hesitant towards a future attempt. I know him, and I know his pride. Having seen the effect of the forbidden spell on his own power, the drain it caused, I'm not so sure he would want to render himself vulnerable to being struck down by "mortal pawns", as he likes to say, again."

"I can tell you that this was an embarrassing defeat for him; one that he'll remember for a long time," the woman chuckled.

Papyrus
To say that Papyrus was overwhelmed was an understatement, to say the least. Garland had asked many thought-provoking questions that lead to the revelation that they were not actually here at all, but their spirits were. Each of them had managed though Chaos' interference to separate from their bodies to do battle, but would have returned home safe and sound. It made about as much sense as everything else, which means that it didn't. 

They were never in any real danger, so why had Papyrus fought so hard? Why had he felt such mortal terror, such intense grief and unforgettable desperation? The god of Chaos had done more harm then originally thought-and that was saying something. It left Papyrus with a sour taste in his mouth, and a rather intense frown on his face. 

"So we were really safe all this time? Then why did we feel death approaching when we got wounded enough?" He couldn't help but ask in a frustrated tone. What a cruel person Chaos was-to pull such an extremely underhanded trick!

And speaking of trick, hadn't Papyrus pulled off one of his own? Papyrus felt a bit guilty as the memory of the transparent and terrified image of Cosmos appeared before him, begging him not to do Chaos' bidding. Who would have thought he'd managed to trick not one, but two gods? And he's not even that good of an actor! (Unless honestly thinking his life was in danger played a part.) He immediately mustered up an apology to Cosmos before she could answer the question he presented:

"I'm, um, sorry that I scared you. With the whole-releasing-the-crystal-thing." 

He looked at Garland and Angela in turn. "You two as well. I just-I couldn't think of what else to do. It was never my intention to do his bidding. Not in the slightest." Papyrus felt his face flush a bit. "I didn't even think it would come close to working, let alone having it trick everyone involved! I hope you can forgive me."

His thoughts still on the memory of the crystal-the only one in Cosmos' possession made a second question bubble into his mind. He'd only decided to pull such an incredibly risky and stupid stunt because Chaos had frightened him so much. He'd explained the nature of the back and forth war, and the importance of the crystals and how it directly correlated to each of them. If what he was saying was true-and it was only one of the things that he DIDN'T lie about-it was that Cosmos was getting weaker and weaker with each crystal that had been turned to his side. 

So how did Cosmos manage to awaken with only one crystal left?

"How did you show up like that? I mean, I'm incredibly grateful that you appeared when you did-Lady Cosmos-If you didn't we'd be goners for sure. Or, somewhat goners? Maybe?" Papyrus paused for a moment, caught up with the technicality of finer details-before dismissing them with a shake of his head. 

"How were you able to do that with only one crystal? Didn't we seal the rest of your power?"

~Narrative~

The woman lowered her head as Papyrus vented his frustration about their whole unimaginable ordeal. "I do sincerely regret that you have had to go through all this trouble on my behalf, even through Chaos' trickery. Indeed, you would feel very real pain and exhaustion throughout the numerous battles you fought and countless strikes you endured. After all, through this physical manifestation, the essence of your own existence is located within this realm. Likewise, you would currently feel no pain at all if something were to happen to your actual body."

Her expression softened at the skeletal warrior's apology. "No one could have blamed you if you had succumbed to Chaos in fear, but it was very fortunate that this was never the case. You have nothing to apologize for; you only have my thanks for your bravery."

"Those five crystals hold the essence of our power," she continued, providing an explanation to the last inquiry presented. "Their magic is largely self-sustaining; if the energy of one of the crystals were to be released, the others would gradually restore it back to its full capacity, just so long that at least one of them still holds its power. During your trials against Chaos, the final crystal in your possession was actively recharging the remaining four, until they were eventually restored, allowing for my own return once they were all reunited and infused with the magical energy."

A physical manifestation... of their spirits? So technically, they are not even here at all? Then again, they are much more here than back home, so does that even matter?

Certainly, it did not. The thought of this only brought Angela a lovely headache, which got even worse when she tried to figure out how it was possible to get a headache when your body is not present, and whether that meant that her brain actually hurt here or back in her place. Thinking this through much longer was definitely not worth it.

Her two companions flooded the presiding deity with questions, as should be expected given everything that they went through. So Chaos was responsible for this little abduction scheme, but that was to be expected. And fortunately, she had enough power to send them back to their own words, without having to kill them off to do so. Yep. That was very fortunate indeed.

Angela frowned at Garland's follow-up question and Cosmos' reply. Truly, they had no guarantees that he would not proceed with his threats and simply try again. After all, he is not gone for good, from what little she could understand. Could all of this have been in vain, a mere delay to the inevitable? Cosmos was optimistic, at least, so Angela would have to settle for that.

The woman went on to explain how the crystals were able to endlessly recharge each other as long as one of them still had power, as well as why they felt so battered and hurt even though their actual bodies were not here... Which brought another question in Angela's mind.

"If we do not feel any pain... Could it be that something may have happened to our bodies during this time we have been here?" she pondered out loud. "That is, if time has passed in our worlds while we have been here... You-- Well, I mean, Chaos had said that not a single second would have passed once we were sent back, but was he honest in that? Or was it one more of his lies?"

~Narrative~

The woman in white turned to Angela as the girl voiced her own concerns. "Nothing fatal, that much is for granted," she said in response, "otherwise you would have simply disappeared by now. But yes, unfortunately, the current state of your physical being is largely uncertain; I do hope that nothing has befallen you during your mental absence," she went on to explain.

"And as you have quite right suspected," she continued, "Chaos was not quite honest in that part, either. This realm is not beyond the bounds of time; for as long as you have remained here, an equal amount of time has passed in your origin worlds. Your friends and families are probably worried sick about you, by now," she admitted somberly.

"Take as much time as you feel that you need; once you are ready to return home, simply close your eyes and allow the magic to carry you away," she instructed, acknowledging that they would probably want a moment to bid their farewells to their allies and friends.

Garland - ???

Good, the winged wizard thought to himself as Cosmos explained how the forbidden arcana used by Chaos allowed him to be struck down by the combined powers of the goddess and her chosen warriors. Cosmos certainly dwarfed their strengths by orders of magnitude, but the real reason for Chaos being defeated was his sheer arrogance and hubris. That would have to be a lesson for Garland to take to heart; he wanted to be exposed to other challenges so as to keep his ego in its proper place.

Papyrus soon made his attempt to apologize, prompting Garland to wave a hand in dismissal. "Don't worry about it. You convinced me that you were frightened by Chaos, but you did the right thing anyway - and that's the stuff of bravery."

Angela, meanwhile, seemed a bit miffed at the question Garland had posed to Cosmos in regards to whether Chaos would attempt a similar set of shenanigans in the future. Perhaps it was too soon to ask such a thing? The goddess had answered the guildmaster in a candid manner, so he couldn't find reason to be all that upset. Humiliating a deity with such a defeat might go a long way towards deterring such underhanded conduct, even if the exact scale of time was indeterminate.


Cosmos went on to answer Angela's queries concerning their ability to perceive with their ersatz bodies and what might have been occurring back within their respective home realms. She raised a good point about Chaos lying about the flow and passage of time, but this wasn't of immediate concern to Garland. He had been resting ever since his acquisition of Eldetrius, and the Enthroned's power structure was decentralized enough to where it would not require Garland's constant management.

Garland would need to return eventually, since his mere presence conferred a significant morale boost to every single person who worked or lived within the walls of his marble tower. Before that could happen, he would need to say his goodbyes.

Turning to face Papyrus, Garland approached the guardsman and spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture. He didn't want Papyrus to think that he had done something wrong. Heck, even if some mistake had occurred, the guildmaster wanted to emphasize that Papyrus had overall left a positive impression.

"Things were awkward between us at first, but you're a real fine guy. I'm glad to have met you; I don't think you have a single mean bone in your body."

Papyrus
Cosmos couldn't guarantee if they'd be okay when they returned to their bodies? Well, that certainly was something. Then again, this entire journey had been something. It didn't bother Papyrus as much as he felt it should have. He had more important things occupying his mind. 

He couldn't stay here forever. He'd made a vow to himself when he was at his lowest that he would be there for his friends and family to enjoy the future they fought so hard to achieve. That meant saying goodbye to the pair that he'd grown so close to.

Papyrus felt a smile spread across his face at Garlands' reassurance and gratitude. The compliment, however, was unexpected-and it took a rather embarrassing couple of seconds before he could regain his train of thought. 

"I'm...incredibly flattered you think so." He'd never considered himself the bravest person; though perhaps all of what he's experienced should make him reconsider. 

"It's been an incredible honor to have met you two. Can you imagine? Me-meeting a princess of a far away land; and a heroic human with wings-both of whom can use magic, of all things! It's like something out of an anime or action flick or something! To think that there are endless worlds out there that aren't like your own-" Papyrus stared up at the sky, soaking in the sunlight. "It's mind-blowing! It's fantastic! It really makes you think!"

He felt himself get misty-eyed, and quickly wiped his eyes. "Angela, you'll make a fine queen one day-I'm sure of it. And Garland, I could only hope to be as gallant of a hero as you one day. I just wish we didn't have to say goodbye."

So anything could have happened to their actual bodies while they have been trapped here. How lovely. Well, Lise and Charlotte would probably make sure that nothing happens to her, but that is only if nothing has happened to them in the first place, in all this time. In any case, they really had to go back soon.

Angela first exchanged her goodbyes with Samus and Lightning, and then turned to Papyrus who, rather characteristically by now, complimented her once more. "I-- I'll try," she replied with a blush; she was not confident she would ever be as strong and powerful a Queen as her mother, but she would do her best. As he kept going on, Angela admittedly had no clue what that a-ni-meh thing he mentioned was, but she hoped he meant something nice by that.

"I hope your future is peaceful, but at any hard times, I'm sure no one will have anything to worry about with you as head of the Royal Guard," she finally added. "Despite everything, it was at least a pleasure to get to know you, even this little..." she trailed off as she turned to Garland. "Who knows? Perhaps our little planar traveler will figure something out for a future reunion," she winked at him.

"But if we do not," she added more seriously, "it was good to meet you too. You have always looked out for us throughout this journey, you know, brainwashing incidents aside," she laughed off, "and we can only thank you for that. I still do not know that much about the Enthroned but I know only good things will come from them with you as their guildmaster," she commented with a smile.

Garland - ???

Garland blinked briefly at some of Papyrus's words, even though he understood the guardsman's heartfelt sentiments. What was an anime or an action flick?

Whatever these foreign concepts were, the words by themselves sparked an impulse of curiosity that Garland could swear he hadn't felt for months at a time. As decentralized as the Enthroned could be with their daily operations and finances, it still took a clear mind and sharp pair of eyes to keep his association of arcanists honest and accountable to the general public, which unfortunately ate away at a great amount of his available leisure time.

When Angela suggested the idea of a certain planar traveller being able to find a way to cross immense distances to reunite with his colleagues, Garland permitted himself a small grin and a quick nod of the head. Within reason, he could treat himself to an excursion - so long as he managed the due diligence of finding where to go first. With every leap across the planes of existence, the boundaries of reality seemed to retreat further away.

"My time as guildmaster is limited, so I want to leave a lasting example. It's a lot of work, and not everyone in Asvas appreciates what we are doing." Better that he not burden Angela and Papyrus with such stories during the last waning moments of their fellowship.

"However I'd certainly like to travel to each of your worlds," Garland declared while flashing a smile towards Samus and Lightning. For the short time they were together, lasting impressions were indeed made. "If you asked a certain gnome associate of mine, he would say this: 'With a skilled technician, who needs magic?'"


Garland's smile softened after a pause to reflect on the purple-haired princess's unwavering support. He turned to approach his fellow mage, stopping just before the presumed bubble of personal space.

"Angela, thank you for believing in me despite my moment of weakness; I can't pretend like I'm someone who is above temptation." Garland looked upwards, briefly closing his eyes to try and settle his thoughts. In many ways, Angela had reminded the winged magician of his own plucky fortitude during his late teenage years and early adolescence. After setting aside matters of physical attraction, Garland found the words he had sought to speak.

With some minor hesitation, Garland extended his arms to embrace her in a gentle hug - not as though she were a lover or a date, but as a trusted friend and confidant that would be dearly missed. "You have a strong spirit and a sharp mind, but calling you 'talented' is selling you short. Even without telling you how my magic functions, you naturally observed and then adapted your strategies."

A wry smile flashed over Garland's lips as he thought back to his 'formal' education with magic, soon being joined by a mischievous glint in his eyes as he met Angela's gaze. "You may be even better than me at the fundamentals. If we ever get to meet again, what would you say to the idea of a friendly spell duel?"

Angela was momentarily startled by Garland's intimate gesture, for no other reason besides having not anticipated it, but willingly returned his hug nonetheless. "You think so...?" she uttered softly as he complimented her on the skills that she had demonstrated in their journey. "I've always been struggling with using magic in the past, but I've been getting the hang of it, more recently," she hesitantly admitted. "Or so I think, at least."

She smiled back at his idea of a duel between magicians. "That would be fun. But I'm going to keep practicing until then; I don't plan on losing!" she exclaimed, sticking her tongue out playfully. Turning her attention to Papyrus, she threw a wink at him and motioned with a nod of her head to join them in their friendly embrace. "Get over here, you!"

~Narrative~

When all farewells and goodbyes had been exchanged among the group, the Goddess of Harmony addressed the five heroes for one last time. "Once more, thank you for all of your efforts, Warriors of Light. I sincerely wish that you all have good fortune in the future lying ahead of you."

~

With a wave of her hand, the two portals linking to the worlds of Samus and Lightning turned back into raw energy and subsequently vanished. Once the three remaining allies had closed their eyes and allowed their minds to relax as instructed, she extended her right arm towards them, her eyes glowing a bright white yet again.

In what would feel like a soft breeze, the spirits of the three were eventually carried away from the mysterious realm they had found themselves stranded upon, and finally returned to their own home worlds, where they would soon awaken...

Papyrus
After saying his goodbyes to Lightning and Samus, Papyrus eagerly took up Angela's offer of joining the hug. He ran up and took both of them in his arms, squeezing tightly and lifting them slightly off the ground while doing so. 

"I'll never forget you guys! Never!" He insisted, his voice cracking ever so slightly. After a moment, he released them smiling through a teardrop or two that had made it past his defenses. Sending friends off with a smile was a must-no need to look down in the dumps! Best to leave off on a good note, not a sorrowful one-this much Papyrus was certain. 

And so, shutting his eyes-Papyrus wished to return home. Back to the service that his kind had been kept from for so long. Back to the house that he lived in with his brother. Back to everyone. 


A swift yet calm breeze overtook all of Papyrus' senses. He could no longer feel the ground beneath his feet nor feel the warmth of the sunlight. He couldn't hear the voices of Cosmos, Angela or Garland any longer. It was an indescribable yet somewhat pleasant sensation, and Papyrus basked in it for as long as it held him. 

------------

Darkness was the first thing that greeted Papyrus when he opened his eyes-which was odd, to say the least. Last he remembered, he should be looking at the brown ceiling of his living room. Or the bright-green of the couch cushions. Or the television set that he'd fallen asleep watching. 

Yet here there were none of these things. Not a one. Perhaps he was still groggy? His spirit had been out of its body somehow-who knows what that might put a monster through. Papyrus rubbed at his eyes and blinked, his vision gradually adjusting to the dark room he now found himself in, and his heart skipped a beat. 

Other then being able to ascertain that the room was not some inky-black abyss, his original perceptions had not changed. He was, in fact, no longer in the living room. It soon became apparent that Papyrus wasn't even in his house. It was a small room, with plain white walls and shiny flooring that reflected a warped image of Papyrus when he looked down from a tall, metal bed-frame. The mattress that squeaked underneath him was oddly stiff. 

Well, this certainly wasn't anything he expected. Did something go wrong when he was being teleported back? Did chaos intercept it and send him elsewhere? Feelings of unreality overtook him as he went to get out of the bed as quickly as possible, only for his body to completely disobey him. He fell out of the bed and hit the ground hard.

"Owwwww..." He mumbled, laying there for a moment to rub his arm. It had taken the brunt of this slip-up, now it would be sore for a day or two. His fingers brushed across a bandage, followed by a slight stinging sensation. Papyrus winced. 

"What the-?" 

Upon closer inspection, it looked like he had something connected to him via a small needle that the bandage held in place. He followed the strange thin tube-ish wire and saw some sort of bag of liquid at the end of it, dripping a clear liquid into the tube one drop at a time. There were many machine screens attached to the walls behind it, their displays showing a variety of numbers and lines that Papyrus couldn't understand. Frightened and confused, he scrambled to his feet-which was more or less him floundering oddly-weakened and tired limbs about until something worked-and wobbled toward the door. 

Thankfully, it wasn't locked. Papyrus quickly stumbled out the door and immediately bumped into not one, but THREE humans. They were all dressed the same, in long white coats with blue clothing underneath, and they were all but gawking at him as he struggled to keep his balance using the doorknob as a small, makeshift railing. 

"Um...hello?" As soon as his tiny, uncertain greeting hit the open air, he was all but shoved back into the room and thrown back into the bed, the three humans rushing all about the room-nervously yet loudly chattering about a variety of things that he couldn't understand. They were glancing at the screens and were writing things down as quickly as they were flipping pages on their clipboards. After what seemed like forever, two of the three ran out of the room while the woman that stayed-staring at him with wide eyes.

"So! How are you feeling?" 

"Uh-" Papyrus was uncomfortable with the sheer intensity of her gaze. It didn't have any negative annotation-quite the opposite. She was practically beaming behind her professional facade she was trying desperately to maintain, hands shaking with excitement as her pen hovered above her clipboard-eager to hear what he had to say. 

"-Confused. What's going on? Where am I?" 

She seemed to relax a bit at that, though her excitement hardly seemed to waver. "Oh, of course! Where are my manners-of COURSE you wouldn't know! Doubt you had hospitals in the underground-what with the healing magic and all" -the latter of which she mumbled to herself. "You know what 'doctors' are, right?"

Papyrus blinked. "Yes? But why are you ask-?"

Suddenly a voice blared from a walkie-talkie she had clipped at her waist. She pulled it up and responded: "alright, go ahead. Just let them know I haven't finished talking to him yet." A heard of footsteps and clattering could be heard quickly approaching the door without any signs of stopping. The door-in fact-flew off of its hinges moments later, smashing into the wall that lay a few feet behind it, leaving a few cracks in it's wake. 

And there they were-his reason for fighting. And wow-did they look horrible! They looked incredibly frazzled an frightened, their eyes red and puffy. Even the most up-kept of jackets were dotted with creases and wrinkles. Undyne and Alphys especially-they were both normally so keen on outward appearances-more then his brother and as much as a fish-person and lizard-person could, anyways. And little Frisk-the poor child looked like they were going to cry! 

"Oh my gosh! Is everyone alright?" Papyrus couldn't help but spit out his immediate concerns. The group stared at him in what could only be described as disbelief, not daring to make a sound.

Sans, his brother-was the first one to approach. He stared at Papyrus as though he were a ghost. He took his steps deliberately and carefully as he reached for his hand, and held it in his own. He was shaking like a leaf, staring at him with uncertain yet hopeful eyes. 

And he laughed. Sans laughed and laughed and laughed some more, tears spilling down from his eyes as his body shook with relief. As if on cue, the rest of the group rushed the bed as they called out his name:

"PAPYRUS!" 

And more tears were shed. Undyne wouldn't stop swearing at him, Alphys kept babbling on and on as to how much of a miracle it was that Papyrus had awoken, and Frisk just straight up bawled-having been  of appropriate enough size to fit comfortably on the bed without disturbing him. Everything was happening so quickly and all at once, Papyrus could hardly fit a word in-and was just as confused as ever. 

"I mean, this is unheard of! W-well, there was only one other instance, or many-you know. And w-we all know how that turned out. What d-did the charts say?" Alphys had now broken from the group to address the trio of doctors, who only responded with a collective shrugs as they handed over the clipboards, which she began looking through in earnest. 

"You big, stupid lug, you!" Undyne had, at long last, stopped her long string of swearing as she ran out of words. She now held Papyrus in a surprisingly cautious hug. One of her hobbies was giving Papyrus huge painful ones, mixed with suplexes and surprise-attacks from behind. 

"You had me worried sick!" She pulled away from the hug and looked him dead in the eyes. He'd never seen Undyne like this before. "What do you have to say for yourself?" 

"I'm so lost right now?" Papyrus squawked as Frisk carefully maneuvered their way into his lap, hugging his torso. Sans face fell-but only slightly. He was grinning with the most genuine smile he'd seen out of his brother in years. 

"You fell down, bro." Sans plopped himself on the bed as well-being a considerate amount shorter then him, it wasn't that difficult to find a spot, now that Frisk has claimed Papyrus' chest as their tissue. "Though the humans up here have been calling it a coma. Didn't know they had a word for that." 

Papyrus heart just about surged with panic as the severity of the explanation dawned on him. The last time a series of monsters 'fell down' they never woke up out of it. Not until Alphys attempted to cure them, anyways. And nobody-especially not Alphys-liked to talk about the results. Nobody had ever found a cause for it either, a whole bunch of monsters just collapsed one day, their souls glowing so strongly it could be seen through their bodies. 

And apparently that's what had happen to him. No wonder he was so weak right now. 

"O-oh." Papyrus mumbled as Alphys popped her way back into the conversation:

"Are you in any pain? Are you feeling dizzy? Lightheaded? Any kind of discomfort you can sense in your soul-or any disturbance in your magic? What's the last thing you can remember?" It was understandable, considering her prior experiences with the fallen, but Papyrus certainly wished she would slow down so he could have time to think.

"I was...watching TV. Some hero movie." Papyrus stared at Frisk, who had stopped crying. They were staring back at him with pure, elated joy-the way only a child could. He ruffled their hair and they giggled, hugging his torso once more. 

"And I fell asleep."

"That's it?" Undyne eyebrows arched with genuine surprise. Even Sans seemed taken aback by his statement. 

"Huh. Go figure." He hopped off the bed and began to pace a little bit, as he gave the details that his brother was so desperately craving. 

"We'd all hung out and Undynes' place-you remember right? You wanted the house to yourself?" 

Papyrus nodded. 

"Well we're all just chillin' watching some anime, playing some games-nothing huge. And we decided to swing by and surprise you. To see if you got lonely and wanted to hang after all." Sans' face was overtaken by a darker expression as he continued his recollection. "You always answer your phone, Pap. 'Always do your best to answer the door, too. So I panicked. Teleported right inside without unlocking the door and there you were. Right on the couch, your soul glowin' like a lightbulb. All our shouting woke up the neighbors."

"-and the humans were r-really, REALLY helpful!" Alphys interjected. "They're the ones that took you here-the hospital. S-set you up with special monster-friendly equipment and everything! T-that way I could monitor you to k-keep an eye on your condition. They were really accommodating."

Papyrus had certainly grown concerned when Lady Cosmos had mentioned his spirit had been taken. Monsters cannot exist with their souls separated from their bodies after all. At least this seemed to be a solid enough explanation as to how his body handled the absence without vanishing on him. But wasn't that unlikely as well? The longer he talked with everyone, the more and more likely the entire quest had been nothing but a dream-an extreme fantasy brought on by the most intense ailment a monster can be afflicted with. 

It was enough to make his head hurt. He must have made some sort of pained expression without his knowledge, because the mood changed almost immediately.

"Pap, you okay?"
"What's going on, Papyrus?"
"Does anything hurt?"

"No-I'm okay. This is just...a lot." Papyrus smiled at his friends, who smiled in return.

They'd spend the rest of the evening staying with Papyrus in his room. Other monsters would pop in and out with more tears and explanations of relief. There were even a couple humans! He'd been the talk of the town in the few hours he was out-it had been reported on the local news, even! To say it caused a bit of a stir was an understatement-there would probably be more once news spread to the rest of the monster community. The monster that fell into a coma months after being free from Mt. Ebbot, only to awaken from it within hours with no explanation for any of it? The upcoming days were going to be quite busy for him.

But here he was, battle or no battle. Papyrus was home, safe and sound-surrounded by everyone he cared about.

It didn't take long for the others to gradually fall asleep, one by one. According to the doctors, they'd been crippled with worry the entire time he'd been admitted--they'd hardly left the hospital. It was very endearing to hear that they cared so much for him, but to see them worn out like this was heartbreaking. At least the doctors were kind enough to pull in more beds for the group-leaving the room to look like a oddly-cramped slumber party. He'd fall asleep eventually.

Before falling asleep, however, Papyrus was curious enough to check his stats. He would have done it earlier, but it's rude for a monster to check their own status in front of others, and it was a highly personal bit of magical introspection to do-normally done only when alone or in combat. And with that quick self-check, he'd gotten all the proof he'd needed.

If it had all been nothing but a dream, how was it that Papyrus stats had changed so much?

Garland - ???

Being able to share a hug with Angela and Papyrus was an uplifting experience, to say the least.

Garland had not expected his fellow magician to admit her prior difficulties with spellcraft, but he didn't think it was necessary to push for more details. After all, even he struggled with some of the basic concepts despite all the enthusiasm in the world. It was a hard wall to climb, but after overcoming the initial obstacle, it brought about an exhilirating sense of accomplishment and an urge to seek further opportunities for improvement. That was being offered to Garland in the form of a promising spell duel, were he to solve the mystery of finding and locating Angela's homeworld through the vast reaches of the greater universe! It wouldn't seem right, however, if Garland went to duel her without having Lightning, Samus, and Papyrus to accompany him.

The master of the Enthroned had much work to do in the proceeding days, but he needed to rest. Closing his eyes, Garland finally allowed himself to relax and to ride upon the strange astral winds that had ferried him to that realm in the first place.

---

Wake up, Garland..

Within his own quarters of the Enthroned tower, Garland Sulzanth suddenly awoke with a start. Color and shapes were gradually returning to his eyes, though with a mild amount of strain. The guildmaster quickly looked about his room, his momentary excitement lapsing away once he had visually confirmed that no other being was within the room.

He was certain that a female voice had called out, imploring him to awaken from his long rest. Was that Ethelle..? Was she here at the tower?

Garland sat up, swinging his legs over the edge of his comfortable bed in order to stand upon his two feet and inspect his own body for bruising. The injuries that the winged mage experienced within the distant holy realm still felt quite real in his mind, but did not transfer over to his own flesh back within the distant planet of Shayllan.

He need not lose such memories, however. There was a perfect opportunity for him to memorialize his experiences, and who would think to question them if they were presented within the guise of Garland's favored artistic medium?

Over the next few minutes, Garland had organized his painting tools, having prepared a blank canvas and an easel. There were no outstanding commissions to fulfill; there was just Garland, his brushes, the canvas, and an ample supply of pigments. Before he could begin mixing the powders into the necessary paint, however, a knock resounded at his door.

With a heavy inward sigh, Garland reached a hand out towards his door, briefly uttering a magic spell and gesturing as though he was turning the knob. The door's lock disengaged, and the stout wooden door swung inward to reveal the forty-inch frame of Glimmergleam, a young gnome who was recently inducted into the ranks of the Enthroned. He was an interesting fellow, having a rather rich taste in fashion and a rather upbeat personality.

"Master Garland, there is someone to see you at the tower entryway!"

The guildmaster listened closely to his junior associate and the forthcoming description. There was a single man at the door, matching the description of one specific scoundrel who happened to have a wide reputation around the Western Kingdoms of Shayllan. Though he had a name, the common mores involving the free-spirited rascal was to refer to him as Raker. This thrillseeker was familiar to Garland, being a man who would either stand out despite all efforts to blend in, or one who seamlessly melded into society despite his exotic nature and colorful (perhaps even lurid) tattoos.  To say he was a walking mass of contradictions was to suggest that the wind-scorched dunes of Pyshek had a few grains of sand. Rising up from his seat, Garland walked down to the front entrance of the Enthroned tower.

The guildmaster couldn't help himself but to wonder one thing concerning the nature of Raker's visit. For a man that could break through any locked door and go practically anywhere, including the golden gates of Ulesia or the infernal industries of Ixokax, why did Raker simply choose to knock and announce himself instead of teleport into the tower?

Perhaps he was doing it just to poke fun at those who thought they knew Raker well. Perhaps Raker was merely offering a kindness to Garland, given that the two had adventured together. The tiefling scallywag had proved to be an extremely insightful source of information for Garland's first venture beyond the Great Cage and into the Iron Dominion.


Once Garland arrived at the tower's entryway, he was quickly greeted by a lanky man whose facial features were familiar, and yet just different enough to keep him from being positively identified as from any specific nation within the Western Kingdoms. A quick glance over the man's arms was enough to confirm Raker's identity.

Raker was fond of dressing in concealing clothes, cloaks and robes, the exact colors and fabrics of which were always in flux. Beneath today's choice of attire, one arm was completely devoid of skin, flayed down to the moist muscles and sinew. The other carried a vast number of intricate tattoos depicting a number of various planar creatures. Some of them were beings that Garland could easily identify as succubi, possibly because of their varying nudity and postures. Others were either more esoteric or completely foreign to the guildmaster's knowledge.

"Gargar! I didn't think you would be awake today!"

Raker was being rather cheerful today, to a disarmingly happy degree. With a smile, the swarthy saboteur casually slapped Garland across the shoulder with his tattooed arm before offering a friendly (and brief) hug, rompting his friend to reflect on just how deft a motion he had to have used to completely avoid brushing Garland's wing or his feathers.

Gesturing for Garland to come closer, as if to whisper to him, Raker then leaned forward and lowered his voice. "Heard you've been out cold for at least a week.. but you're up now, yeah? I got a job offer ya might be interested in hearing."

Angela did not need to repeat herself; at her prompt, Papyrus rushed to the two mages into a group hug, even sweeping them off the ground in the process.

Once all had been said and everyone was ready to leave, she took a step back and exhaled deeply. She glanced at Cosmos for one final time, then at Lightning and Samus, and finally at Papyrus and Garland. "I won't forget you either! Despite everything, it was a pleasure to meet all of you. Take care!" she spoke out loud.

Finally, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to clear as a gentle gust of wind started blowing around them; a calming and welcomed sensation. Mere moments later, they were all gone, their insane adventure coming to a close at last.

~

Angela - Holy City Wendel


"Ugghhnnn... Where am I?" Angela mumbled groggily as she woke up from her slumber, finding herself lying on a comfortable bed. She briefly glanced around her, only to spot two familiar figures sitting on an other bed next to her.

"Angela! You're awake!" a tall blonde exclaimed.

"Yay! She's okay!" the shorter girl chipped in excitedly.

"Lise? Charlotte? What happened? Where are we?" the sorceress inquired.

"The inn at Wendel," Lise replied. "As we were making our way through the Mana Holyland, you suddenly collapsed out of the blue; not a warning sign, nothing! We had no idea what happened to you; perhaps you were poisoned by a monster? Either way, we couldn't go on like this, so we called Flammie and brought you here to rest. You've been out cold for hours!"

"Charlotte was so worried!" the other girl added with teary eyes.

Wendel... So she's back. Finally, she made it! Right...? It had not all been an elaborate dream, or something? No, everything felt too real to be a dream. Angela still remembered everything very clearly, right to the moment Cosmos instructed them to close their eyes so that they can return to their worlds. And here she was, just like the woman had said.

"H-- hey! Are you sure it's a good idea to get up so quickly?" Lise questioned as Angela attempted to straighten herself up.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Don't worry," she reassured, though the two girls gazed at her intently with narrowed eyes, their uncertainty evident in their expression.

She remained on a sitting position for a few moments, recollecting the events that had transpired. And the people she had met. Would she ever see them again? If anything, Garland did potentially have the means to make such a crazy idea come to reality, but it was still a long shot, she had to admit.

Angela glanced back to the other two girls as she finally decided to get up. That's right; she still had her friends here, and that's what mattered right now. She could only hope that Papyrus and Garland, as well as Samus and Lightning, would be okay, as well. And who knows? If fate allows, they just might meet again somehow, somewhere, someday.

Until then... she'd just have to keep going. There was still more work to do, after all. And with Chaos defeated, perhaps this was just the opportunity they were waiting for to strike back, for good. The odds might just be with them now.

"Come on!" she called out to Lise and Charlotte as she moved for the inn's door. "The Dragon Emperor isn't going to defeat himself, you know!"

The girls blinked twice, looked at each other in confusion and then back to her. "You literally just got up after being practically comatose for hours, and now you wanna go blindly to our hardest battle yet?? The Dragon Emperor absorbed the Sword of Mana; he's essentially a god now, you know!" Lise reminded Angela, hoping to make her realize how absurd and reckless she was being.

"Oh, we'll be fine," she dismissed the other girl's concerns with a wave of her hand. "Even gods can be defeated. Plus, I think fate is going to be in our favor, this once," she added quizzically.

"Huh?" Charlotte tilted her head, puzzled. "Why ya think so?"

"Oh, it's just a feeling~" she giggled and winked at the smaller girl. "Let's do this, girls!" she said with confidence as she dashed out of the inn.

Lise and Charlotte looked at each other again, shrugged, and made to follow after their purple-haired friend, but were stopped on their tracks as she weakly walked back in and plopped down onto the bed again.

"Never mind. Let's get something to eat first."