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"ANNA! SHARENA!"
The blonde and redhead whipped their heads towards the unmistakable sound of Alfonse crying out in panic, deeper within the great hall. The two women shared a worried glance before taking off, running towards what sounded like the location of the prince. Anna flung the door open with one hand, other hand reaching towards her axe in case of a surprise intruder making an attempt on the prince's life. Sharena burst through in panic, only to stop in bewilderment as there was no one else besides Alfonse in the plain meeting room. Nothing looked out of place; books neatly ordered and two chairs in front of a small wooden table. The navy-haired prince himself, however, had gone pale and his eyes as large as saucers.
"Brother, what's wrong?! You look like you've seen a ghost or something!" Sharena burst out, running over to her brother's side and laying a hand on his shoulder.
"K-Kiran!" he gasped, still staring in complete shock at the one of the empty chairs.
"Kiran? Uh, I haven't seen him around, but what does that have to do with him?"
"No, you don't understand! Kiran was sitting RIGHT here" the prince stuttered out, flinging a hand out towards towards the completely bare seat at the wooden table.
Sharena raised a delicate eyebrow, turning towards said deserted chair.
"Well, he's not here NOW, obviously?" she ventured, confused.
"I know that!" Alfonse snapped, frustrated.
"What I meant was, he was right next to me. And t-then, he just... wasn't! He seemed to flicker for a second and looked a little strange, as if something was affecting him, then he just... vanished!"
Both women gaped at him, barely able to believe it. It sounded ridiculous but by the look on Alfonse's face, the seriousness of the situation seemed to be very real. He clenched his fists, fear evident in his eyes and a completely helpless look on his face. Sharena turned to Anna, frowning.
"Have you ever heard of anything like that, Commander?"
Anna grimaced, crossing her arms and tilting her head in thought.
"I can't say I have. Of course we have the ability to send heroes back to their homes, but so far Kiran's been the only one able to do that. I hardly think he would send himself home without telling us, in the middle of a meeting with Alfonse no less!"
"But... what if he did? If he was planning to go home for the last few days and it only activated now?" Alfonse asked sadly, eyes troubled.
"He wouldn't do that to you, to us!" Sharena exclaimed, shaking her head.
Alfonse looked down, face unsure. Sharena's heart went out to him; she knew how much he had tried to avoid getting close to anyone not from Askr. Zacharias' fate had made Alfonse cold, closed off from any potential friends outside of their kingdom in an effort to shield himself. But despite that, Kiran had become one of Alfonse's most trusted friends... Perhaps more than friends, judging by the occasional looks her brother would send the summoner. But that was a conversation for another day; she had to focus on his disappearing act for now. She was sure Kiran of all people wouldn't abandon Alfonse without telling him first.
A horrible thought struck her, making her turn to Anna.
"This couldn't be some of Veronica's magic, could it? Flickering in place? Looking strange before he vanished?"
Anna closed her eyes, frowning.
"I don't think I've ever heard her being capable of such a thing, but this may have been something she's been working on. We know how desperately she wants to eliminate Kiran or get his summoning prowess for herself."
"Could he have been captured by some new dark magic?" Alfonse asked desperately, face grim.
"We... can't rule it out" the commander sighed with frustration, running a nervous hand through her red ponytail.
The three lapsed into bleak silence, pondering what to do next. Sharena desperately hoped their good friend was safe, wherever he was. She chewed her lip, taking a few strides around the room and examining the same chair Alfonse had pointed out earlier. It was plain brown with narrow curled armrests, of average make and entirely insignificant. She raked her eyes over the seat for any sort of clue, but none presented themselves.
"I suppose we should see if anyone has heard Veronica usin- KYAHHH!"
Sharena jumped back in shock, screaming as the empty chair was suddenly enveloped in harsh, bright light.
Anna put her two hands onto her axe, while Alfonse quickly took his sword out of his sheath and pointed it at the chair.
"Is that V-Veronica?! Who is that? Show yourself!"
The warm light settled from the room and revealed a robed figure in the chair, sitting in a perfect fit as if he had been there the entire time.
A very recognisable robed figure.
"Hmm? Did I nod off at some point...?"
At the sound, all three of them gaped in complete disbelief as the familiar white hood fell back to reveal the chocolate brown hair of their Kiran as he let out a huge yawn. He rubbed a hand across his face, looking blearily around the room before settling on the completely stunned Alfonse who was currently rooted to the spot in surprise.
"Oh, Alfonse! I can't believe I fell asleep in the middle of our meeting. I'm so sorry, I just don't know how it happened!' he exclaimed, laughing a little and shaking his head.
Alfonse stared back, mouth open like a goldfish.
"Al?" Kiran ventured, peering into the man's face with concern.
With a cry, Alfonse surged forward, burying his face into the white robe to Kiran's utter shock.
"What happened, Kiran?! You-you left me and I couldn't find you, I was worried sick, I-I-!"
Kiran stared down in confusion, cheeks slightly pink as the normally stoic prince was currently burying his face into his coat, on the verge of tears.
"I, uh, didn't go anywhere? I just dozed off for a minute..." he replied, not sure of what was going on and slightly flustered by the prince's attention.
"Told you he didn't mean to do it" Sharena laughed happily, watching giddily as Kiran turned to her in surprise.
"Oh, Sharena? I thought I heard you yell while I was just waking up... when did you get here?"
"That's what we'd like to ask you" Anna sighed, deeply relieved but bewildered at the current turn of events.
Alfonse drew back, suddenly seeming to remember the women's presence and embarrassed at showing such blatant affection in front of the two. Laying a hand on Kiran's shoulder, the Prince began to recount the bizarre phenomenon he had witnessed including Kiran's complete disappearance and later re-arrival back into the very same chair.
"This chair doesn't hold some secret magical property, does it?" Kiran questioned, brow furrowed as he studied the chair he had appeared in.
"It's seriously just an old chair" Sharena snorted, shaking her head.
The four shared some discussion for the rest of the afternoon, exploring different trains of thought in regards to the relationship between Askr and their summoner. Kiran theorised it had something to do with his home world.
"If the problem is originating back home, it could make my presence in this world unstable. We can't afford to have me phasing out of existence during crucial moments in a fight, or when you need me to summon a hero. It's not safe and I can't lead you all if my presence is inconsistent. Which means... I'll have to go back home, for a short while" he finished up, nodding.
They all agreed, though Alfonse had acknowledged the plan with significantly less understanding than the others. They all could see it; the prince was scared of letting him go and not getting the summoner back. Remembering Zacharias who had never returned from the World of Awakening, they marched to the ruins where Kiran had first arrived with anxiety in their hearts. Since arriving in Askr, Kiran had rediscovered a way to find his path home but had yet to use it; the risk of him never returning had been too great for him to attempt the leap back. And yet, fate had forced their hand; leaving things in this volatile state could prove even more dangerous.
A huge, gaping portal of iridescent light had opened under Kiran's command; the three Askr denizens could see brief flashes of different places and memories, could hear the voices of people they had never met. It was almost pulsing with life, the sheer power of ancient magic thrumming in the air. Kiran slowly walked up to the light, reaching out one gloved hand to gently touch the portal's opening.
"It's... it's ready."
He turned back to them and nodded, determination in his eyes. They nodded back, trying to hide their trepidation.
Sharena bit her lip, heart pounding in her chest. She silently begged Kiran to come back to them safely, trying not to let her traitorous eyes water. She could hear her brother's shaky breathing next to her; he seemed on the verge of calling out, begging Kiran not to go, but no noise left the prince's mouth.
'Please, please, please don't vanish forever...'
With one final glance, Kiran turned from them and walked through, the familiar white back of the robe the last thing they saw before he disappeared in a flash. With one great hum of energy and a beam of light, the portal slowly phased out of is existence.
In front on them, all that remained was the crumbling ancient ruins. The portal and Kiran were long, long gone.
Alfonse sighed morosely, walking down the same crumbling path to the ruins they had been frequenting for the last week. While Anna had remained back at the base as temporary lead strategist of their group in place of Kiran, the royal siblings had taken it upon themselves to visit the ruins daily. Each day they had hoped desperately to see a familiar gleam of a white robe, but it was for nought. Sharena watched her brother's face, sighing glumly as she observed the hopelessness in his eyes. Her brother had never really been a boisterous person, but he had been even quieter than usual after Kiran's departure. He ate less and talked less, but spent most of the day training with the ferocity of a man possessed. Sharena had almost been a little alarmed at his last practice, watching him tear apart the training dummies like a raging beast with his sword and face screwed up in frustration.
Still, Sharena herself couldn't talk. She spent most nights studying about the ruins, about Askr's legendary weapons and their related myths. Any tome that could lead her to a way to bring Kiran home, she read voraciously. It hadn't done her much good; it seemed the fate of Kiran was left to the man himself to figure out. Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice Alfonse stop in his place, or the gasp that wrenched itself from his lips.
"Sh-Sharena! Look!"
Sharena turned.
Out of the corner of her eyes, she was greeted with a gleam of white and it wasn't the white of ruins.
It was him.
"So, how DID you fix your whole, phasing out of existence thing?" Sharena laughed, after the two royals had practically tackled the poor summoner into a hug.
"You know, I don't know how or why it was connected to Askr, but it was a problem with my Wi-Fi..." Kiran said, eyebrows raised in confusion.
Sharena saw Alfonse's face fall almost comically fast.
"There was a problem with... your wife?" the prince asked tentatively, face crestfallen.
Kiran blinked in confusion, then burst out laughing.
"Oh no! No Alfonse, not my wife, my Wi-Fi! I suppose the name and concept must be completely foreign, heh... I'll try and explain it as best I can-"
Sharena humorously observed the utter relief on her brother's face when he heard the summoner was not married and resolved to have a conversation about certain feelings later.
For now, she was going to celebrate. Wrapping her arms around both of her favorite boys, the reunited three set off towards the main castle of Askr under a brilliant blue sky, hope alive and well in the air.