Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

Shortly after, Dion and Mei were flying high above the valley on Gina’s back, who had enlarged her form for the trip. They circled the massive circular basin containing six towering obelisks, five visible at a glance, and a sixth tucked straight out at the far end of the cliff behind his parents’ grave, obscured from view at ground level. Dion carefully mapped out the locations of all six pillars while taking in the sprawling, dense dark forest shrouding the entire floor below.

After two full loops, they touched down back on the cliff near his parents’ resting place. Gina shrank back to her tiny size, floating limply toward Mei. Mei caught her in a warm embrace, and Gina snuggled close against her chest.

”Dion, she’s completely exhausted. Let me take her back,” Mei said.

”Yeah... let’s head in,” Dion replied.

”Kyuuuu,” Gina squeaked weakly, her eyes already half-closed.

”Alright, alright... sorry about that,” Dion murmured, gently petting Gina as Mei cradled her.

As they walked down the trail, Dion kept his eyes glued to the sketch in his hands, studying the placement of the obelisks, including the one right in front of his parents’ grave cliff. He drew a circle connecting the points, noticing that each pillar sat at a precise coordinate and bore a symbol corresponding to one of his personas. Jotting them down one by one, he narrowed his eyes at the diagram.

”Hmm... looking at it like this... where have I seen this pattern before? I’ll have to examine this closer later,” Dion muttered, scratching his head.

He glanced ahead at Mei, who was already walking ahead to bring Gina inside the mansion. He paused for a moment, pulled out his pen, and connected the points encircling the valley floor. The second he finished drawing the lines, ”thud!” Dion dropped his pen. The color drained from his face as he whipped around, staring back up at the hill.

Dion sprinted back up the incline, retracing his steps past his parents’ grave until he stood right beside the cliffside obelisk. He stared out once more over the vast, dark, circular valley blanketed by forest, lit only by the faint glow of the barrier overhead. A sudden chill ran down his spine. The paper slipped from his hands, caught by a gust of wind, and drifted down into the abyss below.

”The placement of these obelisks... it’s a hexagram... and this circular valley... it’s a massive magic circle for a giant seal... so this is the seal everyone was talking about,” Dion thought in his head, resting his hand against the cold stone of the obelisk beside him.

Despite the surge of unease, a wave of sheer awe washed over him. He turned to look at the obelisk beside him, taking in the detailed relief of a broadsword carved into its surface. He then cast his gaze straight ahead, past the central obelisk, toward the distant sixth pillar tucked away at the far end.

”That obelisk over there... the carving on it isn’t one of my known personas. It’s a man wearing a tiara, riding a massive dragon... as if his weapon itself is a giant dragon, unlike the others which only depict arms... could that be my remaining mystery persona?” Dion pondered in his head.

As he stood lost in thought, staring out at the giant seal hidden in the valley, ”tap!” a hand suddenly clapped down on his shoulder from behind.

”Whoaaaah!”

Dion jumped out of his skin and whipped around, coming face-to-face with Sheila. Her hair was a tangled mess, looking like she had just rolled out of bed, dressed in nothing more than a thin nightgown.

”Sheila?” Dion gasped. ”Please... don’t scare me like that,” he added, clutching his chest.

”Oh... Mei asked me to come call you. She said you were out back, though I was actually heading downstairs to grab a glass of water anyway,” Sheila said, rubbing her eyes.

”I see... alright... let me get down,” Dion said, hopping down from the ledge he had jumped onto when startled.

”What were you even doing up here?” Sheila asked.

”Nothing at all. Let’s go,” Dion answered.

”Hmmm... if you say so,” Sheila replied with a wide yawn.

They turned and walked down the hill together. Dion’s mind continued to race, though he stole a glance at Sheila, who seemed completely oblivious to the fact that she was standing right in front of a giant ancient seal.

”Sheila has no idea she was just looking at a giant seal... maybe it’s not just her. It seems nobody realizes this massive circular valley is actually a giant sealing formation... hmm... I’d better keep this to myself and not bring it up again,” Dion thought to himself. ”Still, I’m really curious about that sixth obelisk relief,” he grumbled silently in his head.

”What are you thinking about now?” Sheila asked, noticing his distant expression.

”Nothing,” Dion replied.

”Alright then.”

Without warning, Sheila locked her arm around Dion’s neck, pulling his head firmly into her headlock. Dion gasped, wriggling hopelessly against her unyielding grip, his face turning red as he struggled to catch his breath.

”How about you sleep in my room tonight?” Sheila offered cheerfully.

”Ugh... uguh...” Dion choked out, unable to form words.

”Great! That means it’s a yes, haha,” Sheila chuckled.

With that, Sheila dragged Dion back into the mansion, holding him to her word. ”Ugh... how did I end up in this situation again,” Dion thought, surrendering to his fate since he couldn’t overpower her anyway.

***

The following morning,

”Uuuh... my whole body aches. Sheila is so ridiculously strong I couldn’t move an inch... I was basically her human body pillow,” Dion groaned, rubbing his stiff joints as he walked toward the newly erected village gates that now blocked off the eastern approach right behind the river. He stepped past the heavy wooden doors, noting that the bridge spanning the river had been completely rebuilt and reinforced. He glanced up at the twin watchtowers flanking the gate, standing tall above the wall perimeter.

He smiled, massaging his neck.

”Dion!”

He looked up to see Aria crossing the bridge toward him.

”Morning,” Dion greeted.

”It’s afternoon already. Why weren’t you in your room last night?” Aria asked, raising an eyebrow.

”I was out taking a walk around the village, haha,” Dion replied.

”Village? Take a good look around. Our village has officially turned into a town... even if it’s just the front sector for now. The golems work at terrifying speeds; everything’s changed in just two weeks,” Aria said cheerfully.

”Yeah, you’re right,” Dion nodded, taking in the bustling development.

”Luna asked me to give you this,” Aria said, handing him a rolled-up letter.

”Huh... what’s this?” Dion asked, taking the scroll.

”Just read it,” Aria said softly, her expression darkening as if she had already seen its contents.

Dion unrolled the parchment, his eyes scanning the lines from left to right, moving down the page. Slowly, the expression on his face turned grim. He looked up at Aria.

”Where’s Luna? Why would the cathedral in the capital of Thetor summon her all of a sudden?” Dion asked.

”I don’t know. She already left with Cleo and Mei, but we both know what a formal summons from the cathedral implies,” Aria answered with a solemn face.

”Something about her class status, or something happening to her family... like what happened to me back when my parents passed away,” Dion said softly.

”Exactly. She left early this morning,” Aria confirmed.

”I see...” Dion murmured, lost in thought.

”Cleo insisted on coming along, and Mei joined right after reading the notice... honestly, judging by the wording... it feels like something much bigger than a simple family matter or a relative passing away,” Aria added.

Dion re-read the letter, weighing every single word. He recognized the formal phrasing of an official summons all too well, it was a non-negotiable directive that couldn’t be ignored. It reminded him of his past life, when his boss ordered him to meet with corporate lawyers upon a court subpoena to act as a third-party witness, a ordeal that ended up dragging him into an entire investigation where he had to testify on the company’s behalf in court.

”Yeah... something big is going on. Cleo as a former court mage and Mei as a former Shadow Hand member definitely recognized the gravity of this summons, which is why they went with her,” Dion reasoned quietly.

”What if we go after them? It’s been a while since I last visited the capital of Thetor anyway. Naturally, I’ll go in disguise,” Aria suggested.

”Hah... what about the town then? We can’t just leave it unattended, can we?” Dion asked.

”Hmm... no need to worry. We have three extra golem soldiers guarding the gate and two watching the eastern road, so we can temporarily pull those two back to help hold down the main gate,” Aria answered.

”Where are you guys heading?”

Dion and Aria turned to see Sheila stepping through the gate, cradling Gina in her arms. She looked like she had just woken up. Without a word, Dion handed her the letter. Sheila’s expressionless face immediately dropped into a scowl, and she handed the parchment back to Dion.

”Cleo and Mei went with Luna,” Dion explained.

”Oh... then she’s in good hands, though that letter looks troublesome,” Sheila noted.

”See? You get it too! Spoken like a true princess of the barbarian realm,” Aria said, giving her a quick thumbs-up.

”So are we catching up to them in Thetor? The letter makes it sound urgent,” Sheila asked.

”There’s no need. Luna is strong and can handle herself. Besides, she has Cleo and Mei with her, you two know what they’re capable of,” Dion reasoned.

Aria and Sheila exchanged a quick glance, while even Gina stared up at Dion as if he had lost his mind. Suddenly, ”tap!” both Aria and Sheila placed a heavy hand on Dion’s shoulders, flashing synchronized, bright smiles.

”We’re going,” they declared in unison, leaving absolutely zero room for argument.

”Ugh... fine,” Dion surrendered.

”Kyuuuu!” Gina cheered happily, raising her tiny paws in celebration.