Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Zestiria. All affiliated characters are property of Namco-Bandai. No copyright infringement is intended; no profit is being made.

As with so many of my fics, this one was born out of frustration. The main goal of this fic was to accurately portray the shock and pain Sorey would experience after napping for a few centuries. I'll leave it up to you, my readers, to determine if I succeeded at all.

...Sorey really is a strong character, though.

Thank you, Hiki, for being my very own enabler. :)

The sun filtered down through the hole Mikleo had fallen through, the resulting shadows obscuring the face of his rescuer. His face, but not his aura. Not the feeling of that hand, once so familiar, now a distant, but still distinct, memory. The despair of years spent waiting, wandering, hoping and praying and grieving fled.

He reached up, closing his hand over Sorey's.

Still strong and steady, his long time friend heaved him from the hole. Stumbling, he staggered forward, falling over top of his rescuer and straddling his legs. Balanced on his knees, Mikleo took a deep breath...and looked up. His gaze was met with a familiar pair of green eyes, an easy smile, a strong jaw—

"Nice hai—"

Mikleo didn't bother withholding the sob that escaped his lips as he lunged forward, arms linking behind Sorey's neck as he yanked the other man to his chest. He said nothing, only clung to Sorey as tears leaked down his cheeks. After a moment, Mikleo felt arms encircle his waist.

"Missed me?" Sorey asked after a few moments, the weak smile clear in his voice.

Mikleo's only response was to tighten his hold.

"I'll take that as a yes," Sorey murmured after a moment.

Footsteps echoed down the hallway leading into the chamber, and Mikleo felt Sorey shift in response. He ignored it for the moment, however, too caught up in his own emotions.

Sorey was finally back.

"Mikleo, are y—"

Releasing Sorey reluctantly, he sat up, wiping his eyes with one gloved hand. The chamber they were currently in was massive, though it only had one entrance that they had found thus far. It was towards there that he looked, blinking back more tears.

"I'm fine, Luke, Jazz," he assured his companions, standing hesitantly...and not without a few glances to his best friend.

"You're...sure?" Jasmine asked hesitantly, arms folded as she shifted to lean against the wall. "You're not hurt?"

"No, I...Sorey—" he glanced at his friend again, and words failed him.

Sorey had stood too, an easy smile on his lips as he watched Mikleo. Sorey looked...so similar to how he had looked that day so long ago, but also...different. He seemed smaller, somehow, and those unruly, brown locks were now tipped in...purple? And was it just his imagination, or did Sorey's eyes look more pale?

He looked...like a seraph. The weight of that took a moment to sink in, but when it did, he found himself feeling...light. It was just good thing after good thing happening right now, and it was leaving him feeling downright giddy.

"Try to look a little less smitten," Jasmine teased him, toying with a lock of her long, brown hair, "and take a sec to introduce us to your friend...?"

Mikleo couldn't even bring himself to blush. At his age, and after waiting so long, he couldn't waste time being embarrassed. He had learned the hard way what dragging his feet and putting it off got him.

Luke, Jasmine's twin brother, frowned at his sister. "Leave him be, Jazz."

"No, I'd like to meet you both," Sorey said cheerfully. Sending Mikleo that brilliant smile, he strode towards the twins.

After only a moment, Mikleo hurried after him. He did not want Sorey out of his sight—or out of arm's reach, for that matter.

"I'm Sorey," his friend introduced, hand outstretched.

"Jasmine. You can call me Jazz, though. Everyone else does," she said, shaking his hand.

"...Luke," the younger twin said, frowning slightly. Blessedly, Sorey seemed completely oblivious to the faint animosity coming from Luke.

"You two look familiar, have we met before?"

"Nope, don't think so," Jazz replied, grinning. "At least, I don't think so."

"...guess not," Sorey agreed, shrugging. "Mikleo?"

"Huh? Uh, no. You haven't." That would have been sort of difficult.

Sorey shrugged. "It's weird. You do look a bit familiar..."

"They're Rose's descendants," Mikleo supplied, letting an amused smile appear of his lips. "Maybe that's why."

"...you knew Squire Rose?" Luke asked, eyes widening slightly as he stared at Sorey. "That's—" he trailed off, shaking his head.

"Rose's...descendants? Like, grandkids? How is she doing?"

Mikleo felt the lightness in his heart fizzle out at that one question. "...she's dead, Sorey," he said slowly, carefully.

The ever-present smile slipped from his lips, and Sorey's brow furrowed. "What—she was fine—! I did—I got her..."

"You got her out," Mikleo assured quickly. "She didn't die fighting Heldalf...but she did pass away a long time ago."

"Obviously," Luke muttered. "You been under a rock? She died like—"

"Luke!" Jasmine snapped, elbowing her brother. The girl's brown eyes flittered to Sorey's face, which was twisted into an expression of tentative hope.

"Mikleo, come on...you're just kidding, right?"

He stepped up, slipping his hand into Sorey's and giving him a reassuring squeeze. "Why don't we head outside? I don't trust this floor."

He needed time to think. Sure, he had had centuries to think about how to explain this to Sorey, but no amount of planning could prepare him for the real thing. He had also hoped against hope that maybe Sorey could be more aware of just how long he had been gone...

"...Mikleo."

"Please, Sorey," he said stiffly, running his thumb over the mark of the shepherd emblazoned on his friend's glove. "I'll answer any of your questions. Let's just go outside."

"...okay, Mikleo," Sorey agreed, forcing a smile at him. "And don't worry, I'm okay."

He was still a terrible liar.

They headed outside in silence, both unwilling to release the other's hand as they walked. As they travelled, Mikleo tried to ignore the suspicious glances Luke sent them, and the curious ones Jasmine did. He had more important things to think about.

He glanced over at Sorey as they walked. His friend was...Sorey did seem smaller, but he realised that that was because Mikleo had grown himself; it seemed strange to be nearly as tall as Sorey. If the mood had been lighter, he might have commented on it. However, the way Sorey was clinging to him screamed that that would not be welcome.

Honestly, he did not feel like joking around, either. How was he supposed to explain to Sorey just how much things had changed? How many people were gone?

A hand curled around the back of Mikleo's. Glancing down, at his own hand cupped between both of Sorey's, he smiled sadly. Mikleo squeezed reassuringly, to which Sorey responded with a weak smile of his own. However nervous Mikleo was, he knew Sorey had to be miserable. The reality was only going to make it worse, and it seemed like Sorey could sense that.

"When did you—?" Mikleo asked weakly, hoping to divert Sorey's attention from whatever he was dwelling on.

"...get back? Just...a few hours ago, I guess," Sorey replied softly. "I, uh...asked Maotelus—well, he asked me where I wanted to be returned. I asked him to get me close to you."

Mikleo blinked in surprise, then found himself smiling slightly, but genuinely. "Guess he got it pretty close."

Sorey nodded. "He also let me keep my memories."

Mikleo had been wondering about that, but hadn't wanted to ask just yet. "Good. I admit, I worried you'd forget all of us..."

"I couldn't forget you, Mikleo." His voice was low and hoarse, but the words burned themselves into Mikleo's mind anyway. "Not when I knew you were waiting for me."

"...I would have waited longer."

"...how long? How long did you wait?"

Mikleo glanced ahead at his two companions. Jasmine kept glancing back, her gaze curious. Luke was not trying much harder to hide his eavesdropping.

"Outside," he said softly. "We'll talk outside."

They weren't far from the exit, now. Mikleo was not sure whether to be anxious or happy about that, but the dejected way Sorey glanced to the floor swayed him towards the latter. It was not fair to leave him stewing like this, but Mikleo still did not know what to say...and he knew he wanted to say it in private.

"...is it really that bad? Mikleo, please," Sorey begged, voice low and choked up.

Mikleo stopped, Sorey also jerking to a stop from his grasp on Mikleo's hand. Ahead, the twins stopped to look back.

"Jazz, Luke, go on ahead. We'll catch up."

The twins hesitated a moment. Framed in the dim light of the passageway ahead, the two glanced at one another. Jasmine, her shoulder-length hair pulled back in a ponytail, shifted her weight from foot to foot and fiddling with the strap on her black overalls.

"...you sure, Mikleo? It's not safe to be in here alone."

"I'm not alone," he said immediately, frowning slightly. "Sorey is with me."

"And what does he know about spelunking?" Luke demanded, using his intimidating six-foot-four height to glare at Sorey.

"Plenty," Mikleo snapped back defensively. "We grew up exploring ruins before you were even born."

"Grew up...? But you're like...over three hundr—"

Beside him, Sorey stiffened noticeably, a soft gasp escaping.

Jasmine, though not nearly as tall as her brother at barely five-five, was intimidating in her own right. Stepping up, she eyed Sorey critically. "You're a seraph, then? I wasn't sure—"

"Out!" Mikleo finally snapped. Beside him, Sorey was trembling. "I'll explain later. Just out. Please."

Jasmine pulled a face, her brown eyes sceptical. She caught her brother's shirt tails, though, and tugged him away. "Just be safe, guys."

Once the sounds of the others' boots faded into the distance, he turned to Sorey.

His friend's eyes were boring holes in the stone floor, and his breathing was unnaturally heavy. Using his free hand, he laid it on Sorey's shoulder. The brunet flinched.

"Sorey..."

"...three...three hundred? How long, Mikleo?"

"Three hundred forty-three years," he said softly. "Three hundred forty-three long years."

Sorey released his hand, staggered towards the wall, and vomited.

"Sorey..."

His friend let out a weak bark of laughter. "Anyone want three hundred fifty year old mabo curry bun?"

Mikleo pulled a face. "Sorey..." he said softly, stepping still closer and reaching down to rub his friend's back.

Sorey straightened from the wall, turning to bury his face in Mikleo's shirt. "They're all..."

He rubbed Sorey's back, his other arm looping around the other's waist. "Not all," he said softly.

"Alisha, Rose, Eugille, Sergei...!" Sorey's legs gave out, and Mikleo lowered them both to the floor, never once releasing his hold on his friend. He could feel tears soaking his shirt, but made no comment. This was a lot to take in.

"...and...and Gramps..."

Mikleo's breath caught in his throat. Of course. To Mikleo. It had been over three hundred years since their caregiver had passed.

To Sorey, it had been less than a day.

"Gramps is..."

"...yeah," he said softly.

Sorey screamed then. The sound tore through Mikleo's core, drawing tears to his own eyes. Mikleo held him close while Sorey screamed himself raw, impervious to the tears soaking his shirt.

"I'm so sorry," he said softly. "I'm so sorry, Sorey."

"I-I thought..." he hiccuped softly, "I thought..."

"You thought you'd sleep a few years, then wake up and reunite with everyone," Mikleo supplied softly. "But..."

"I...guess I knew..." He let out a long, shuddering sigh.

"It was always a possibility," Mikleo finished for him.

"Can you tell me everything?"

"Sorey..."

"Just let me hear it all. Any more bad news?" His voice was broken and hoarse, but determined. And stubborn.

"Zaveid is gone," he said quietly.

Sorey stiffened. "...what?"

"It was a few decades after—well, you know. We had a lot of work ahead of us, purifying hellions. Rose helped us for years."

"Did she...?"

"No, she remained your Squire," he said, understanding the implied question. "With you technically still alive, our bonds with you were still good, so we just...carried on as best we could. Zaveid got...bored, I guess. He left to take care of things on his own, and..."

"Why? Why would he...?"

"He was a wind seraph. They need to wander," Mikleo offered after a moment. "I...don't think we could have stopped him." That was something he had spent nearly a century convincing himself of. Now...well, now he thought he actually believed it.

"Edna? Lailah? What about Elysia?"

"Edna and Lailah were fine the last time I saw them." It had been a few years, but he doubted anything had happened to them. "Elysia...it's changed," he admitted softly. "Without...without Gramps..."

Sorey let out a soft, choked sob, face burrowing into his shoulder. "Mikleo, I can't..."

It broke Mikleo's heart to hear the pain in his normally-cheerful friend's voice. He wanted nothing more than to make everything better, but that wasn't possible. Sorey didn't deserve this, though. Nobody did. All he had wanted to do was save everyone. How was coming back to learn that all of his human friends were centuries dead fair?

Sorey cried and cried, his pain more than obvious. Eventually, he cried himself to sleep. Keeping a tight hold on Sorey, Mikleo propped himself against the hard wall of the ruins and let his own eyes drift closed.

It was only a short time later that the sound of footsteps and the sight of faint light woke him. In his exhaustion, Sorey did not stir.

After a few moments, Jasmine's lantern-illuminated figure came into view. "Mikleo? We heard screaming, and you guys never came out..."

Mikleo frowned, subconsciously running a hand down Sorey's back. "We're fine," he assured.

"...was it him screaming? What happened?"

"Some harsh discoveries," he murmured. "He found out every human he ever knew is dead."

Jasmine frowned. "...his hair. He is a seraph, right?"

"Human turned seraph, yes. We grew up together, in Elysia."

"That was a long time ago," she said, moving to sit next to Mikleo. Her gaze, normally so mischievous, was strangely serious.

"He was gone a long time."

"How long?"

"Nearly three hundred fifty years," he said, grimacing slightly.

"...you're only a little older than that," she said softly.

"I said, we grew up together. We were together from infancy, right up until that day..."

"What happened? Where was he?"

"Sleeping. He was the Shepherd who your ancestor squired for."

"Wait—like in the legends? He's the guy who merged with Maotelus and purified an entire continent?" She huffed. "Guess that explains the goofy clothes..."

Mikleo waved, shushing her as Sorey stirred slightly against his chest. She fell silent, and after a moment he settled down again. Mikleo let out a tense sigh. Sorey needed rest right now.

"That's...not quite how it went, but yes. He was that Shepherd."

"...you know, Lailah told me you were his friend. I always thought she was kidding."

Mikleo huffed softly. "Why is that?"

"I dunno. You just have no interest in fighting...or really the world at all." She pulled a face, wrinkling her nose. "You just want to be down in ruins all the time."

"That isn't true..." he protested weakly. He knew it was a little true, though. After Sorey was gone, and Rose and Alisha had passed...the world had lost some of its lustre. He had thrown himself into the bowels of the world, living Sorey's life vicariously through their shared dream.

"C'mon, Mikky. You know I'm right."

"Don't call me that," he protested, sighing.

"Don't change the subject."

"Maybe I have been a little distant for the past few years—"

"—centuries—"

"—but I've had my reasons," he muttered, speaking over her interruption.

"What reasons? You're a recluse?" she asked, snorting softly.

"I promised," he bit back, perhaps a touch more sharply than he should have.

Jasmine looked taken aback for a moment, before collecting herself and smirking. "Promised? Who?"

"...Mikleo?" Mentally cursing at himself for his overreaction, the water seraph glanced down at Sorey, who was slowly sitting up, pulling free of his grasp as he did so. "Wha—where...?"

"You fell asleep," he volunteered, leaving out the part where he had blatantly cried himself to sleep. There was enough pain without rubbing it in his face.

"...right, I guess I did," he muttered. "Sorry."

"Don't apologise," Mikleo said softly, reaching up one hand to cup his cheek. Sorey leaned gratefully into the gesture. "You can go back to sleep if you need to." It might be best if he did.

"No, I...I'm okay," for now, his eyes said, "I don't want to hold everyone else up."

"You aren't holding us up," Jasmine said brightly. "It's almost sunset now, so we have to stop for the night, anyway."

"Oh..." Sorey's gaze was unfocussed, but he was at least seeming to pay enough attention to understand the conversation.

Mikleo caught his gaze, and dear gosh, had he really thought Sorey's eyes were lighter? No. They were exactly the same, beautiful shade they had always been.

"...I like the long hair," Sorey said after a moment, reaching out to push Mikleo's bangs back out of his eyes. "Suits you."

Despite himself, Mikleo found himself flushing faintly. Sorey just had that sort of hold on him. "Sorey..."

"Why did you go long?"

"Is that really important right now?"

"I want to know everything you've done while I was sleeping."

Beside them, Jasmine made a really mature gagging noise. He ignored it, beyond shooting her an annoyed glare.

"I—" he cut off at the blush on Sorey's face, his friend refusing to meet his gaze. It was in that moment that Mikleo was struck by a sudden thought: Sorey hadn't aged a day. He remained the same teenager he had been over three hundred years before.

In that moment, Mikleo was not sure how he felt about that.

"...I just wanted to try something different." For some reason, that made Sorey's face fall. Mikleo could not figure out why.

"Well, it looks really good. I always thought you'd look good with it grown out."

That made Mikleo remember. Somewhere, in the hazy days of the distant past, he recalled Sorey telling him that very thing. He had forgotten until just now. He made a decision.

"I remember. I just don't need it going to your head, thinking I did it for you."

The smile Sorey sent him made the lie more than worthwhile. He found himself returning it.

"I do like it," he said, reaching around to run his fingers through the dirty, white locks. "You need a bath, though."

Mikleo snorted. "You don't smell like a bed of roses yourself."

Sorey's face fell almost instantly. "I bet Rose would have liked it."

"After she was done mocking me? Probably," he said carefully. He wanted to encourage happy memories...right?

The gesture did not really work. He had managed to say exactly the wrong thing, and Sorey had slipped hard back into his depressed mood, though Mikleo could hardly fault him. Sorey leaned forward into him, and Mikleo ran a hand up and down his back.

"I'm sorry. I'm okay. We should go meet up with your other friend."

"Take your time," Jasmine encouraged. "Luke's a butt, but he's patient enough."

That might be a stretch of the truth, but Mikleo was not going to argue the point. Instead, he nodded agreement. "He can wait."

"No...I'm okay," Sorey said—he really was still a terrible liar—and moved to stand. "Let's go."

Jasmine shrugged and stood, leaving Mikleo little choice but to follow. This time, Sorey pointedly did not cling to him, instead walking stubbornly at the front of their small group. Mikleo left him to it. If it was what Sorey felt he needed to do, it was hardly his place to remark otherwise.

Luckily, it was not too far to get outside, and just a few minutes later they emerged into the fading daylight. The campsite the twins had chosen was not too far from the entrance, and the three headed over.

Sorey settled down a fair distance from the fire, unnaturally excluding himself. Luke was crouched over the fire, checking on some animal or another that was roasting over the flames. Nodding briefly to him, he made his way over to Sorey, moving to sit beside him.

"Hey, Mikleo? Think...I could have a few minutes alone? I...need to think."

"...are you sure?"

"Yeah. I won't go anywhere. I just..."

Reluctantly, he stood, patting Sorey's shoulder as he did so. "Okay. I'll be over there. Don't be afraid to speak up if you need me."

"Right. Thanks, Mikleo," he said, offering a small smile. It was a far cry from the grins Mikleo remembered, but it was an effort.

Reluctantly, he returned to the fire and settled on the fallen log that had been placed nearby. Luke glanced up, huffed, and turned back to his cooking.

"Do you have a problem?" Mikleo finally demanded, annoyed with his friend's behaviour. He had been acting like a child ever since Sorey had appeared.

"He's jealous," Jasmine teased, smirking.

"Shut up, Jazz," Luke snapped.

"Jealous of what?" He did not have time for this.

"Your new friend," she replied.

"New? I've known him my entire life."

"Okay, you knew him when you were a teenager," Jasmine pointed out. "No offence but that was like...literally centuries ago."

Mikleo paused, frowning. "Doesn't matter. He's my closest friend, and he always has been."

"Sheesh, no need to get defensive," Jasmine replied, rolling her eyes. "It's not really Luke's fault if he's a bit put-out by this guy suddenly appearing out of nowhere. You never mentioned him before, ever, and suddenly he's your best friend? You gotta admit, Mikky, it's a bit weird."

"That's none of yo—"

"Oh, none of that. We're your friends, too. Stop treating us like we're expendable."

Had he...? He considered for a moment, and was forced to admit that perhaps he had been a tad callous towards the twins. It was not intentional, of course, but he had sort of been focussed on Sorey. He had good reason for doing so, but it was not fair to them regardless.

"...you're right. Sorry," he muttered, "but he needs me."

"So, let us help," Jasmine said, rolling her eyes playfully.

"And just how do you plan to do that?"

Instead of replying, Jasmine stood, turning towards Sorey.

"Wait! He asked to be left alone."

"Nonsense. Nobody wants to be alone when they're upset."

"Trust me on this, Jazz," he said seriously, taking her wrist gently. "Give him a bit of time. He's not the sort to ask to be left alone lightly." He was the sort to smile off his own struggles and stay strong and cheerful for everyone else.

"...okay, fine. But I'm not waiting forever."

She would wait until Sorey came to them, but he kept that to himself. For now, he dropped the subject and turned to Luke. "Look, I'm sorry if I made you guys feel like I don't care about you."

"That's not what's bugging me," Luke muttered, turning angry brown eyes on him.

"...so, what is?" He was too old for this. He had had enough of teenage foolishness when he was a teenager—and none of them were teens anymore, though the twins were only two years outside of it.

"Were you two a...thing, before you parted?"

"A thing?" he asked flatly, eyes narrowed. "Like, were we dating?"

"...yeah."

"Luke..." Jasmine murmured, but neither paid her any mind.

"It was a long time ago, and we were still children...but yes. There was something there." And there still was. If Mikleo was honest, time had only intensified his feelings; Sorey was the only one for him. Three hundred years later and he knew that with certainty.

Oh, sure, he had experimented a little—three hundred years was a long damn time—but nothing had ever come from any of it. His feelings for Sorey had always gotten in the way, and he had never really tried to stop them from doing so. Perhaps it had seemed obsessive, but he could hardly bring himself to care.

"...and now?"

"I waited three hundred years for him," he muttered, "what do you think?"

Luke hesitated a long moment before muttering, "I've been with you for years, too."

So that was what this was about. Truthfully, Mikleo had had some suspicions, but he had done his best not to respond in any way. It seemed he was left with little choice, now.

His young self might have blustered about in response to Luke's words, instead he simply shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry, Luke, but it was never a possibility."

"...you've really been waiting this long for him?"

"I have," he admitted. He did not care if it sounded pathetic, because it was the simple truth.

"That's kind of sweet," Jasmine chimed in, making Mikleo sigh.

"Okay. I'll drop it," Luke muttered. "He better be as cool as the stories make him seem, though."

"He's kind of a dork, actually," Mikleo replied, smirking lightly.

Jasmine chuckled. "Tell him to stop moping. I wanna talk to him."

"When he's ready," Mikleo insisted. "Why don't you two eat while we wait?"

"Right, yeah, okay. Not as good as mabo curry buns, though..." Jasmine complained, moving to retrieve plates from her pack.

Sorey wandered over while the two were eating, settling in on the log next to Mikleo. Tiredly, he leaned against the water seraph's shoulder, prompting Mikleo to wrap an arm around his waist.

"How you feelin'?" Jasmine asked, speaking with a mouth full of food. Mikleo frowned at the poor manners.

"I'm okay," he promised. "That smells good."

"Want some?" she offered. "I know you don't have to eat, but..."

He chuckled. "Reminds me of the time Rose and I were stuffing our faces with mabo curry buns. The seraphim all got jealous." He jostled Mikleo playfully.

"Huh. I don't remember that, but I don't think I would have done that."

"Oh, you did. You had this really cute pout... You guys stuffed your faces when we finally shared. Even Edna."

"Can you tell us any other fun stories about Mikky as a kid?"

Sorey grinned. "Can I... Let me tell you about the time we tried to steal Gramps' pipe."

Mikleo jabbed him in the side. "Don't you dare." He remembered that one.

"So, he decided—"

"/I/ decided? All those terrible pranks were your idea!"

"I think your memory is going in your senior years."

Mikleo did the only rational thing that he could in this situation: he tickled him. Sorey wasted no time in responding, and the two quickly devolved into a fit of playful swipes and jabs. He could hear Jasmine laughing in the background.

"So, Sorey," she called after a moment, "can you tell us about our ancestor?"

Sorey stopped, and for a moment, Mikleo thought he was going to close up again. After a moment, though, the brunet settled comfortably into his side.

"She was...a lot like you, actually. Larger than life and full of good humour..."

They stayed up late that night, just talking about the past. Sorey stayed close the whole time, and Mikleo was not entirely certain which one of them took more comfort in the closeness. It really did not matter. What did matter was the relaxed way Sorey discussed their friends and family.

Many of the stories had faded in his own mind, but remained fresh to Sorey. It was a nice look into the past for all of them, and he thought...maybe it did Sorey a lot of good. He knew Sorey was resilient, and no matter how bad things were, his best friend would bounce back.

How could Heldalf ever have even hoped to taint Sorey? Foolishness.

They took first watch together. Snuggled up under a tree in the dark, they spoke of more personal matters. In the end, he found himself once more holding Sorey while he cried himself to sleep. That was okay, though...because he knew now that his friend could and would come back from this. It was terrible, but Sorey was...Sorey.

The following morning was bright and sunny as they broke camp. Jasmine glanced towards the entrance they had left the day before.

"So, we goin' back in? You're welcome along of course, Sorey," she said, smiling.

"Actually," he said, rubbing the back of his head, "I sorta wanted to head home. Don't let me hold you back, though." Mikleo did not miss the almost worried look Sorey sent him as he was speaking.

"I haven't been home in years," he said immediately. "A trip back would be nice."

Sorey's smile was worth the world.

"Oh, well, we could go with you...?" Jasmine offered hesitantly.

"You two can go ahead and keep exploring," Mikleo said. "We'll...catch up when we're done doing what we need to do."

"That sounds good," Luke agreed. "Just no falling into holes, you here?"

Mikleo snorted. "No, that's his job." He gestured to Sorey.

"Hey! I pulled you out of one yesterday."

"That was a fluke, or have you forgotten that time when we were kids and you kept nearly dropping rocks on my head!"

"That was one time!"

"You did it twice! In a row!"

Sorey got that look in his eyes, and Mikleo immediately stepped away, lest he get tickled. Again.

"Good grief, kids. Off to the playground with you," Jasmine said, as the twins shared a laugh at their expense.

With that, they made their farewells, the twins heading for the ruins, and the two seraphim heading for Elysia.

"They seem nice."

Mikleo nodded. "They were good companions these past few years. It got lonely without you." He sent him a smile, though, hoping to convey his feelings in the look.

But I'm glad you're back.

"I'm glad you haven't been alone. What else have you been up to?"

"Living our dream, mostly, and watching the world change."

"How many surprises am I in for?" Sorey asked tentatively.

"I'll tell you all about it while we travel. We have a few weeks."

Sorey just nodded. "Once we're done, can we visit Lailah and Edna?"

"And anyone else you want," he promised. Rose and Alisha, and everyone else's graves, too. "And the rest of the world, if you want."

"We should take Jazz and Luke with us. Travelling is more fun in a group."

He nodded. "I agree." But it was most fun with Sorey. "Before that, though...we should practice your magic. You're a seraph, now." And a lightning one, like Gramps, if his guess was right.

"...uh, yeah. Maotelus said...well, he managed to salvage a part of Gramps' power and gave it to me. I'm clueless on how to use it, though."

"I can probably help with that."

"It'll be fun sparring with you again."

"You mean getting your butt kicked."

"You wish." He jabbed Sorey in the ribs.

"Good luck, Mikleo."

He returned Sorey's smirk with one of his own. He had missed this.

They did not rush the trip home. It always felt strange, entering the region that had once been Gramps' through and through, only to feel...nothing. This was not the domain he had grown up in, but at least it still felt clean. They had Sorey to thank for that.

The trip was short from there, and they arrived at Elysia's border before dark. At the entrance, Sorey stopped and stared.

Elysia had grown, becoming even more of a haven for seraphim. Unsurprisingly, there were also humans, Sorey's goal becoming a reality at least here, in his hometown.

It remained peaceful, though more stone houses dotted the mountainside than before. Children, mostly human and a few seraphim, ran down the dirt path chasing a ball. Adults mingled, going about their work, or otherwise living their lives.

It was not long until Mikleo was recognised by some longtime residents, and following that, Sorey was also quickly recognised, much to the glee of Elysia's longest residents. Not everyone was still here, but enough remained to bring a real smile to his friend's face.

Eventually, they slipped away, making for Sorey's house. Mikleo had long since abandoned his own, leaving it to be overtaken by a family and moving his own things into Sorey's. He had kept it tidy, recruiting friends in the village to check in at times while he was away.

Moreover, he had spent the years collecting. He had gathered every version of their journey that he could find—including the one he had written himself—as well as a plethora of other books. Anything he had found that he thought might interest Sorey, he had stockpiled here. Furthermore, he had written several books himself, including a few he had never shown to anyone. All of them, as well as any souvenirs he had collected, were accumulated here.

Sorey's face lit up when they stepped inside.

"Mikleo..."

"I didn't want you to miss anything," he said honestly, gesturing to the handwritten books lining the top shelf of one bookshelf.

Sorey turned and faced him, their eyes meeting intensely. "Thank you..." he said softly, stepping forward.

Mikleo reached out, cupping his face in one palm. They had some things to overcome yet, three hundred years had left their mark on the entire world, but Sorey was still Sorey, and Mikleo still loved him.

"You deserved better," he admitted, closing his eyes with a soft sigh, "but I did what I could."

"...I still have you."

He had waited three hundred fifty years for this, and Mikleo finally gave in to the urge. Sorey was only a little taller than him, now, so it was easy to lean up and kiss him. Their lips met softly, gradually growing in intensity as they each grew more comfortable with the kiss.

Three hundred years or three thousand. They had all the time in the world.