Sixty days after leaving, Yuffie and Lin returned to the northern part of the Alliance, a small village called Lily of the Valley.

This is similar to the number of days they stayed in the village, but the things they experienced were completely different. Yuffie couldn't tell which time she preferred, but one thing was for sure, they were all precious memories to keep.

Because of this farewell, it may be a long time before I want to see the people and things that belong to this "Far Eastern Continent" again.

Lily of the valley and Yuffie don't remember much change. The young demon clan, including Ula, is still noisy, and you chase after me, as if you have inexhaustible vitality; Yan Bo was lying on her back on the meadow in the middle of the village, shirtless, basking in the sun with a few other monsters—a scene she had heard of before, but only now she had seen it with her own eyes; Peng Ye, with a huge mushroom on his head, leaned against the tree, his fan-like palms tapping lightly, humming an ancient and melodious tune.

Everything is vivid and serene, which is the best description.

She took Lynn's hand and walked to the hut that belonged to Qingluo, with Alicia and Yunyue in human form behind her. Several young youkai gathered around, clamoring for another contest against them. Yuffie shook her head.

"Not yet." She softly declined them, "Wait a minute, okay?" I promise. ”

The youkai agreed in agreement, and then dispersed. The girl knocked softly on the familiar wooden door, hearing the same soft voice as ever.

"I'm waiting for you." The door opened inward, revealing a woman in a long blue dress, "Come in and sit." ”

They walked into a simple and warm wooden house. The window was slightly open outward, and the sunlight poured through the lattice, spilling onto the table beside it. There are two folded fabrics, one red and one green, supple and elegant, with a unique charm of Gipney. Qingluo picked them up and handed them to her and Rin.

"This is for you." The snake-tailed woman said. "I wish you a safe journey."

Yuffie unfolded it, feeling as if he was holding a soft cloud in his hand, shining warm in the daylight. She could feel a blessing attached to it—no specific meaning, no shaped spell, but a little good fortune for the wielder.

I think it is Qingluo's talent and mood that are intertwined and condensed into this precious souvenir. This is also the charm of the "Far Eastern Continent", she is a little nostalgic, but she knows that she must leave.

"Thank you." The girl folded it up again and put it away earnestly, "What about Pfister?" ”

"I'm here." With this answer, 'Ahsan', dressed lightly, walked into the house. He looked first at Alicia, then at Yunyue, and finally at Yuphie and Lynn. His gaze seemed hesitant, but eventually he shook his head and exhaled with a smile.

"Since Frey, I didn't expect the two of you to follow." The long-haired man gestured to the bed and the wooden chair next to the table, then sat down on one of his own, "I thought you weren't there, Alicia. ”

"That's right, I'm dead here. But among the other 'possibilities', I am still alive. Alicia replied unhesitantly, pulling Yuffie and Lynn to her side, "They're the ones who are the protagonists now." Are you mentally prepared? ”

"Ah San" of Lily of the Valley Village was silent for a moment and nodded slowly. Alicia stepped aside, leaving the opportunity for the young two to talk.

Yuffie looked at Lynn and sat down on the edge of the bed. "Mr. Pfister......" she said softly and slowly, "the El Continent...... And "Miracle Brigade", what did it experience more than 500 years ago? ”

"Which time are you referring to?" Pfister asked.

"All." The girl replied, "Let's talk about the first time—twenty years before we came here, in the year 437 of San Leon, and it was also the moment when the Brigade was disbanded. ”

The Elna people scrutinized her, their eyes flashing with a mixture of regret and guilt, and quickly calmed down.

"It's actually quite easy to say." Pfister sighed, "The Brigade's actions have made many high-ranking officials feel threatened and want to get rid of us as soon as possible. He raised his hand and rubbed the corners of his brow, "Some people have bribed a veteran of the Fleld Federation to invite us to talk on the pretext that he has a task to entrust us. ”

Justice is not omnipotent, and power is fear—perhaps this is what President Collens has said that violence does not bring peace, and that may be what Yuffie thought.

"We knew it was a trap, but out of confidence in our strength, we still agreed to go to the appointment. When we got there, all that was waiting was heavily armed Imperial soldiers. "Not only that, but the other party also used an ancient book given to him by the 'Messenger' to summon the demon from the abyss and order it to kill us. ”

"What an old-fashioned approach." Lin pursed her lips, "But, those soldiers and demons alone can't win against the head of the Collens Academy, right?" ”

"Even if it is a fire demon, the "Brigade" at that time can be easily defeated." Pfister affirmed Lynn's words, then shook his head, "It's a pity that I was summoned that time—if I'm right, it's Mar." He added, "It's not Tiana, who is worshiped in Black Crow, but a male oracle who calls himself Io." ”

"In the mythology of the last century, the name of the 'father' who brought about destruction and rebirth—" Yufi cupped his cheeks, recalling what Leonos had said, "is it the lich who caused the 'Grey War', Huruman Stark?" ”

"I'm not sure. The only thing that is certain is that his power is far greater than you think. He easily killed the summoner and reduced the entire mansion to ruins. Pfister lowered his voice, clearly still reluctant to touch the experience, "If it weren't for 'she' banishing that guy back into the abyss at her own expense...... Probably "Brigade" experienced more than just disbandment. ”

"She?" Lynn asked, "Who is it in Brigade?" Templar Erin - but is she dead? ”

"Nope." It was Alicia who answered her. "Erin was still alive then, and so was she." She tapped her forehead and closed her eyes as she recalled, "For most people, the oath erases all traces of her existence and the arrival of demons. But I still remember. ”

"Merlene Gerla Flo." The woman raised the corners of her mouth and said leisurely, "That's her name." ”

"Lord of the heart in charge of cause and effect......" Yuffie murmured, and her mother's words opened the locks of memory, bringing everything before together in tandem, "I was...... She is the one who created "The Brigade". ”

"That's right. So when she left, "Brigade" was scattered. Pfister continued in a low voice, "She instructed us not to search for her whereabouts, and to let time decide where everything went." Vanka, Little Witch, Larum, and I kept her promise, and the Bear chose to return to his homeland, while the Silver Witch continued to travel. The Elna shook his head and chuckled, as if recalling the old days, "I founded the Guild, and the madman ...... Establish an academy to teach secret arts. ”

He swallowed, his face returning to seriousness. "The rest of them chose a different path." He said, "Barak and Hughes followed in the footsteps of Bayard and intended to avenge 'her' by following Io's trails. As for Irene......" he looked up and glanced at Yuf's mother, "she stepped into the abyss alone in order to find Flo, and was not heard from again for seventeen years. ”

Yuffie hung her head and folded her hands over her chest, combing through the story she had just heard. They fill in the unknown history and explain the little doubts of the journey. However, what she cares more about is the future after that-

"But Erin finally came back, didn't she? Brought you here. Lynn spoke her question first. In the letters Anya wrote to the two of them, she mentioned her memories of the past and what Pfister had called her. "What happened after the brigade was disbanded?"

The Elna looked away and was silent for a long time.

"It's hard to tell where it all started." He said, "The first sect on the mainland that followed the 'God Edda' caused a wave of chaos. Later, the followers of Mar, and even the followers of Protodis, were blessed and empowered by the gods. The sporadic conflict gradually turned into a war, and later, Nolan and Etias ...... Perhaps Flo, among them, were caught up in the chaos. ”

"That's when we finally got back together, but we couldn't stop anything." Pfister closed his eyes and recounted how it all ended, "Everyone is dying, the followers of Mal killed Larum, Hughes was badly wounded by the dragons, and Highland Thea was hit by Nolan. Barak was robbed of his sanity by Edda, and swung his sword at me. I had to kill him, and I fell into a coma from my injuries. ”

"The same goes for spirits, dragons, and other intelligent beings." Yun Yue whispered with sadness, "We are opposed to each other because of our own ideas, so that we kill each other. I wanted to protect the Elna, and Araksha came to my aid, but I died with Samaroth. And in the end, less than one in 10,000 children of the forest were able to leave the continent alive. ”

"It took us more than 90 percent of our people to understand the value of cooperation and compromise." She turned her head to look out the window, "The Innis Empire you see is born because of this. ”

"And what about the war, who will be the final victor?" Yuffie already knew the answer, but she wanted to confirm it again.

The mother looked at her gently, and her tone was still leisurely, "No one wins. At the end of the war, Protodis, Ada, Mar, Etias, Nolan, and Flo all fell. Out-of-control networks of magic are entangled, destroying everything they are supposed to protect. She tilted her head and propped her cheek with the back of her hand, "Except for a few who are particularly lucky, everything else...... It's all what you see. ”

"When I woke up, I was on this continent." "I heard Erin's last wish, but I couldn't see her go. The story after that...... "he let go of his clenched hand, "I think Anya will tell you." ”

Pfister was silent. The look of nostalgia faded from his face, and he returned to "Ahsan" in Lily of the Valley Village. The rest of the group was also silent for a moment.

"Speaking of which." Lin's voice suddenly sounded, not at all low, "What's the matter with the Gereor people?" ”

"The Ites believe in Flo, and they are naturally the luckiest." Alicia smiled lightly, as if recalling a bygone time, "They built huge ships and sailed their families to the east. Merlin blessed them, and the Sea of Storms took the lives of some of them, leaving the rest more united. When they arrived, they did not want to use their original names, so they called themselves the Genorians in honor of the oracle they once loved. ”

Yuffie thought of Noka Main and all about them, and couldn't help but quietly laugh. She calmed down, took a light breath, and raised the doubts that had been buried until now.

"Who was Eda at that time? What does he have to do with that sect...... Is the purpose good or bad? ”

Yunyue seemed to want to say something, but Alicia held up a finger and stopped her from speaking.

"You have to come up with it yourself." The mother's voice was soft, and her face was a little serious, "Witness everything and then make choices and actions." If you are influenced by the ideas of the past, perhaps the end of the world you see is an unbreakable reality. ”

"So." Alicia's expression returned to mildness, and she said the words of the previous day again, "Have faith?" ”

Of course she didn't.

Yuffie stared at the spots of light on the ground and bit her lip unconsciously—it wasn't a happy story, especially for her and Lynn. Disaster is coming, bigger than what she sees in the vision, and she doesn't know what to do.

Don't try to change the world with a few people - that's what Dean Corlens told her and Lynn not long ago when she came here. Pfister's previous story just confirms this view. The strength of "Brigade" cannot be shaken in the future, and no matter how optimistic you think about it, I am afraid it will be difficult to reverse it.

She closed her eyes, trying to draw courage from her past experiences. Eagle College, Holly Castle, Breeze Forest, Glowing City...... One scene after another flashed and faded, returning to the scene of the night before -

……

The doll girl is changing out of her long skirt and putting on a soft cotton dressing gown. She bent down, pulled open the drawer next to the bed, and handed a red book to the two of them.

It is covered with a hard cover, bound with gold thread, and carries a sense of history that does not belong to this continent. Yuffie gently turned the title page and was immediately drawn to it. She turned her head to look at Lynn, and her friend was also staring at the book, her eyes full of incredulity.

It was a vivid sketch that she could identify without any effort—Lily with wolf ears on her head and a greatsword in her hand; Bell, with a short face and a short beard; A dark-haired young man with an ordinary and gentle face who was grabbed by the arm by a mercenary, Alphonse; and Elena, a traveling nun with two braids and a warm smile like the rising sun.

There were others she didn't know. Among them are jubilant teenagers with long swords; The beard was tied up at the chin, more like a Beron man than Bell; and a thin young man, who held a lute in his arms, his lips pursed and smiled, and his eyes looked straight at her.

The last one surprised her a little—a young Erna woman sitting in the crook of a huge "humanoid" arm, with a face almost indistinguishable from that of "Rozhen".

Lily...... Nono Regiment? "But without me and Yufie...... she held out her finger and touched the familiar people on the paper, "do you mean that we have left our original era and come here, and we have never seen them again......?" ”

This is a reasonable assumption, but it doesn't fit Yuffie's intuition. She is confident that the two will be able to return to their homeland and continue their journey with the people they know – a history that has not yet been closed and should not be presented in this way. She looked at Renee quietly, waiting for an answer.

"In the year 458 of St. Leon's calendar, Gid Sheen rebelled in Winterfell. Lynn Campbell, the daughter of the Viscount, beheaded her and died of her own wounds. The doll girl turned her back to her, her voice unwavering, "Annaville Campbell passed the title to Jean del Woos, the current civil magistrate, and her whereabouts are unknown. ”

Lynn bit her lip and whimpered in exasperation, as if she was dissatisfied with her 'historical' self, "Gid's bastard...... So, what about Yuffie? ”

Renee turned. "There is no record." She adds, "I have read the family directory of the Kingdom of Hulun, and it is recorded that Baron Philippe Stemez was not married or had any children. ”

"...... alive?" Yuffie stared at the pair of sapphire eyes, trying to see something from them, "What year did the baron die?" ”

"Four hundred and forty-seven years in the Saint-Leon calendar." The puppet girl replied—she was eight years old, and the baron had had had a serious illness, and his mother had cured him with wonderful herbs, "and died of the cold." ”

……

She opened her eyes and licked her lips, "This world, and the ...... where I am What's the difference? ”

The question seemed to be clueless, but Alicia immediately gave an answer, which seemed to be expected.

"I stayed out of the history of the world until the last moment. And in your time...... I have you, and your father. ”

"And then saved Baron Stanmez's life." Yuffie answered.

"And mine." Lynn wrapped her arms around her neck from behind, "So, I owe you my life...... What do you want in return? ”

It's already been there, Yuffie thought to himself. But she still raised the corners of her mouth, "I haven't thought about it yet, so I'll keep it for now—don't die casually until I ask for it." ”

The friend put his head on her shoulder, and pressed her face to face. "Don't worry, trust me, we're going to open a store together sooner or later!"

Yuffie nodded slightly. 'History' has changed, so hope exists. More importantly, she is not alone. The road ahead was bound to be difficult, even futile, but she was no longer afraid to face it.

"I don't know." She replied to her mother, "The future is unpredictable, so anything is possible." ”

The mother smiled softly and reached out to caress the top of her head. She narrowed her eyes, enjoying the warmth of the moment.

A wisp of frost swept through the room, and the winter monster quietly emerged, light as snow and white as a cloud. Next to her is the "King of the Demon Clan" who has changed back into casual clothes, and she is as elegant as the first time she saw her.

Alicia grabbed Yunyue's hand, and the two of them left the hut together. Kanna turned around slightly and greeted "Ahsan" from Lily of the Valley Village. Anya came to Pfister and thanked him earnestly.

"I'm the one who should be thanked." The former Elna man replied with a smile, relieved, "Thanks to you, I can finally ...... Be open to them. ”

He walked out of the room, followed by Qingluo, leaving Anya alone with the two. The girl who was the demon king came to them with a hint of reluctance in her eyes.

"You ...... You're leaving soon, right? ”

Yuffie nodded. She had told Anya about her and Lynn's hometown, and why they came here - to find their mother, and their goals. Now that they've all been achieved, the separation is just around the corner.

"I'm going to let the people of Shuiyun come to this area, a little further south. With "Ahsan" here, they should be able to get along amicably. The girl said reassuringly, her expression as calm as ever, "We may not be able to travel together again, but I will always remember you, Lynn and Yuffie." ”

"Of course." Lin nodded earnestly, "It's not sure yet—maybe we'll be able to see you in a few hundred years when we go back?" Her eyes sparkled, "When I ask Pfister where your hometown is, it will be easier to find!" ”

This may sound exaggerated at first glance, but it's not very good to think about. If people in the next few hundred years are the same, it means changing the established trajectory, which may also be just talk. But Yuffie clasped her hands in front of her chest, bowed her head slightly, and made a silent wish in her heart.

It would be nice if there was some mysterious power that would allow Anya, Noka, Starry, and many others to be born in the future and meet them again.

Anya chatted with them for a while, and then left with Kanna. The next few days were busy and peaceful, and they took out the materials and drawings they had prepared and began to build the road to their homeland.

The finished mirror is left in Lily of the Valley Village, and if a youkai wants to go out, it can be used at any time. Alicia has made some changes to the blueprint - it will take effect after they leave, so that anyone who tries to travel with the mirror will only be able to reach the current world.

That evening, at the end of the day's work, Yuffie lay side by side on the lawn with her mother, looking out at the endless sparks in the sky. The sky was no different from nine hundred years ago, with a hexagonal crystal pedestal hanging overhead, and a bright star in the center twinkling as if winking at her.

"So, who is my father?" She asked casually.

"I'll see him when you get back." Alicia replied, "There aren't many people who can make me move, and he just happens to be one." ”

"So." Yuffie lowered her head, looked at her chest, and then at her mother, "Who are you?" ”

Alicia tapped her fingers to her lips, revealing her most familiar, mysterious smile.

"You already knew, didn't you? My daughter. ”