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"So here we are again."
Temenos' remark breaks the awkward silence that had been hanging around the campsite for a while now, ever since the excitement at their reunion had faded and even Partitio ran out of topics for idle small talk long after the rest of them. It wasn't quite discomfort—the setting sun was still shining brightly enough to hold any unease at bay, but night was approaching, and someone had to say something to alleviate the tension. This was supposed to be a happy occasion.
"It's really been eight years, huh." Partitio's tone was casual enough, but by now everyone knew how much he left unsaid. Eight years since…
Osvald kindly put it into words for everyone. "Eight years since we defeated Vide."
"Way to put a damper on our joyful reunion, Professor," Throné remarked dryly. Out of the eight of them, she she had been the most silent regarding the aftermath of that fateful battle, but even she couldn't deny the chilling effect simply mentioning Vide's name still had on them after all this time.
Temenos wasn't having any of it today though. They had barely been here for an hour, and this was no time to be dealing shadows of the past.
And Hikari was starting to fidget again.
"If any shadow monsters show up this time, we are prepared," Temenos said before the mood could drop further. "I trust you all still know how to fight?"
Throné wordlessly produced a dagger seemingly out of nowhere; Osvald raised his book, no doubt a weapon just as deadly as his magic, and the rest of the group whose weapons were safely tucked away near their other belongings just nodded along.
Hikari relaxed a little. "I hope that won't be necessary. I've fought enough shadows for a lifetime." Temenos didn't miss the hint of sadness in his voice.
Agnea didn't either. "Nobody blames you for feeling this way, Hikari," she said softly. "It was… a lot."
"Still," Hikari said, staring into the fire. "In the end, I couldn't save anyone."
"Neither could I." Castti spoke up, to everyone's surprise. In her efforts to rebuild her life, she rarely brought up what had happened in the past any more than necessary. "Sometimes I wonder, if I had seen the signs earlier—"
"You lost your memory," Partitio interrupted her, "and then he was too far gone to listen."
"And it was the same for Oboro." To everyone's surprise, it was Osvald who spoke up. "It's not your fault he refused to see another way."
"But that doesn't mean we should stop trying," Ochette chimed in. "Even if all we can do is make it a little better in the end, it's worth it."
"As long as we keep trying, there will always be hope," Agnea agreed.
Throné just shook her head. "Spoken like true chosen ones," she teased them, but without her usual sting behind it. "I'm still not sure why we're in this, but I guess it's our job to keep the world out of trouble for now."
"Who knows what the gods are thinking. But it seems Aeber in particular has a certain sense of humor." Temenos dodged the handful of mud Throné threw at him with practiced ease, then looked at the others. "None of us wanted this, but here we are."
"What's the difference?" Partitio spoke up. "Gods or no gods, I'm still gonna make the world a better place."
"Right." There was a rare smile from Castti. "That's all we can do for the people we lost."
"To make sure no one ever feels like they have no other choice." Hikari looked up for the first time.
Osvald snorted. "I suppose we are the only ones who know what needs to be done. If anything, teaching is one thing I'm good at."
"And so it falls on us to guide the world to a better future." Temenos sighed and dramatically dropped on the ground between Ochette and Throné. "Goodness. I thought my days of herding wayward lambs were over."
"Yeah, right. As if you ever stay out of trouble, detective."
There would be no trouble this night. Vide was defeated. For how long, they didn't know—perhaps the darkness wouldn't return in their lifetime, but in a time far from their own, or maybe in a different place altogether.
But the gods and their chosen ones would be ready to cut a path towards a brighter morning.
There were others before them, there would be others in the future, for as long as the world was worth saving.