A Wolf's Howl, A Fairy's Wing

With Emily soothed as well, Erik sent her back into his dimension and got back to his feet. As he did, his armour creaked and croaked as it retreated into its armguard form. It was still severely damaged from when he basically exploded his own body, and this would make it easier for Eira to work on restoring it.

"Are you alright now, Master?" an anxious Eira asked through their bond. Most of her energy and brain power was aimed at restoring the armour to working order, but she could still hold a conversation with him at least.

"Hehe, yeah, I'm fine, Eira," he chuckled in response. He laughed because he could hear the worry in her voice. He realized she'd already made a decision regarding the choice he put in front of her a little while ago, even if she hadn't said the words yet.

Why? Because she asked about his well-being before she asked about the obvious: his conversation with the old man, her mistress' partner.

"How about you?" he asked gently. "I'm afraid I busted up your medium a little."

"T— That's alright, Master," she muttered softly, and Erik could practically smell the mental fingers she was poking in front of her metaphysical chest. "I'm just glad you're still alive… But ehm… something strange happened while I was trying to heal you."

"Oh?" Erik muttered, carefully stretching his body and groaning a bit. He was feeling stiff from all the fighting, exploding, and regenerating. "You mean when the old man healed me?"

"N— No, before that," she answered, shaking her head.

Immediately, Erik smirked a little. 'She's still focusing on me and herself, rather than Ymir and Audumla… that's good.'

Meanwhile, Eira continued. "When you were, uhm, dying… I could feel my healing sigils and runes weren't enough, so… I started to panic."

A mental blush started colouring her words. "I wanted so desperately to heal you, but I only had access to the sigils and runes you crafted into my medium. So uhm, I started wishing I had more powerful runes to heal you with, and… well, hold up your hand."

Curiously, Erik did as she asked and was shocked by what he saw. There, shimmering across the metal of the armguard, appeared a rune he'd never seen before. It was intricate, dark green in colour, and clearly of a high rank. Yet, there was no way he inscribed it into the amour.

"What the hell…? Where did that come from?" he muttered aloud, stunned and shocked.

"I— I don't know, Master…" Eira sighed helplessly. "At some point, it was just... there. Instinctively, I felt like it would save your life, but… when I tried to activate it I couldn't, and then you were already saved by the old man."

"But, where is it even located?" Erik asked in a confused tone. "We covered the entirety of our medium in runes and sigils, there wasn't any room left!"

"There… seems to be a miniature version etched onto my core, Master," she answered thoughtfully. "But I'm sure it wasn't there before."
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Erik nodded, despite the frown on his face. "I guess your core would make the most sense then… Keep a close eye on it, alright? We don't know the origin or use of this thing exactly."

"Understood, Master," Eira nodded in assent, before, hesitantly, asking her next question. "Uhm… about the old man…"

"No need to be nervous, Eira," Erik chuckled warmly. "Let me share what happened…"

Through their mental connection, sharing the events in Ymir's dreamscape was quick and easy.

While Eira processed Erik's meeting with Ymir, Erik waved his hand to dispel the isolation barrier Elora had put up. Instantly, the bloody battlefield—or, rather, its remnants—was revealed to him.

During his alone time with the girls, it seemed that the Enkarians had reorganized and began to feel the strange combination of joy and grief that usually comes with victory in a large-scale battle like this one.

After all, they'd safeguarded their homeland and defeated the evil invaders, but… they'd lost many friends in the process.

Nearby, Erik noticed Ankhur and Enkai, so he strolled over there. Several Enkarians were surrounding them as they took orders and then ran off again.

At first, every soldier who passed him seemed a little conflicted, but in the end, every single one gave him a short bow of respect before continuing with their task. Not wanting to seem aloof, Erik answered them all with a nod and a smile.

'It seems they're already coming around to the new status quo,' Erik chuckled inwardly, happy with how his fledgeling empire was turning out.

Once he reached the two third rankers, he nodded at them. "Ankhur… Enkai… how are things going?"

Ankhur turned to give him a respectful nod. "Just dealing with the aftermath of the battle, Emperor. We've split the army up into sections, with some going out to hunt down the remaining hunters, and making sure they're all chased out of Djibouti, while the others are here, gathering our losses."

Erik raised an amused eyebrow. "I appreciate the sentiment, Ankhur, but you don't have to call me Emperor."

But, Ankhur shook his head, before speaking in a tone so soft that only third rankers could hear it. "And I certainly won't in private, or forever, but… for now, it will help your legitimacy."

Erik smiled slightly, clear appreciation shining through in his eyes. "You know, old man, for what it's worth, I like you, and I think my mother could do far worse than you."

"Indeed," Ankhur nodded confidently… before turning around again.

Erik's eyes widened slightly. "Woah, woah, old man! You're supposed to return the compliment! Haven't I proven myself to be a fine match for Naeku?"

"Hmpf, not until you're willing to dedicate your everything to her!" Ankhur answered in between orders, not even looking at him anymore, but still talking to him in a tone that only Erik could pick up.

Erik's eyes widened… but then he started laughing. "Hahaha! I can appreciate your protectiveness, old man. I'd feel the same about anyone courting Alice!"

Suddenly, he interrupted his laughing to look to the side with a hint of alarm. Quickly, he turned back to Ankhur and Enkai. "By the way… I'm sure we can keep that whole thing where I almost exploded between the three of us… right…?"