//------------------------------//
// Part 2: Travlers Speak 
// Story: Returning Home 
// by dragovin08 
//------------------------------//

	They left the house leaving the bodies where they lie for Aeon didn't even have the audacity to even be near them anymore. As they left the town, Aeon was wrapping his hands with bandages he had in his satchel. 


"Now tell me boy, why were you afraid to touch the bodies or even stay near them?" Nier asked in a low tone.


Aeon didn't answer for a moment," That's none of your concern."


"Oh... that's the thing boy it is of my concern."


"No it isn't and stop calling me boy, I already told you my name," Aeon addressed to Nier," And I can deal with the sight of the dead."


"Well then excuse me for barging in while you trembled about," Nier chuckled.


Aeon huffed then said," very funny and why didn't you grab the bodies?"


"Because I felt it was better to leave the dead where they lie."


"That's a stupid excuse you know that old man and besides why are you even following me? Don't you have some medicine to go take?"


"No and besides wouldn't you like a little company while you walk through the desolate wasteland as you search," Nier proposed.


"No, I like being alone right now. Helps me think," Aeon harshly responded.


"Bullshit."


"Bullshit?!"


"No one likes being alone, people like having company, makes them feel as they are part of something."


"Whatever, cliched words don't mean a thing to me."


"You're a warrior are you not?"


"Yeah, why?"


"Well even the loneliest even wants the aid of some company."


Aeon didn't say anything and began walking faster leaving Nier behind him," I don't need anyone, foolish old man,” He grumbled. Anxious to get to the next town Aeon was storming as quickly as he could. Then Aeon felt a huge pain come into his chest, he fell to his hands and knees. It felt as if he was getting stabbed by one hundred swords and they just kept digging through him. He began cough profusely until he coughed up blood but it hurt to since it felt like his throat was sand paper. When the coughing was finally over Aeon sat down holding his chest wondering what just came over him.


“Are you alright boy?” Nier asked concernedly. 


“Yeah I’m, I’m fine,” Aeon answered huffing for air.


Nier looked and saw the blood on the road,” Are you sure?”


“Yeah.”


Nier reached to grab Aeon’s arm to help him up,” Come on let’s get you on your feet.”


Aeon pushed away Nier’s hand with his elbow,” I don’t don’t need your help, “ Aeon growled getting to his feet,” I can get up on my own.”


"I was just asking because I can see that you've coughed up blood," He pointed out.


"I'm fine just keep your concerns to yourself."


Shortly after continuing to keep on walking they arrived at a new town, the capital city of Lacerta. Aeon could see the king's castle was completely destroyed, only what was left of the foundation still stood. Most on the buildings of the city stood charred from the attack. Few buildings were still in one piece but they were barely clinging to staying that way. 


"If some kind of attack happened I would've expected to see bodies lying every where but why isn't there?" Nier muttered.


"You weren't here when they came?" Aeon asked.


"No... I haven't been home in decades... nor have I seen how much has changed."


"Oh, when they came, they killed everything turning our people to dust."


Nier saw Aeon's frill droop down," Who are they? If you don't mind me asking."


Aeon looked up at Nier who was slightly taller than him," The gargoyles."


"Demon spawns," He sighed.


"Yeah, but they're no more because I killed their king," Aeon began walking forward into the city.


"I wouldn't be so sure of that," Nier said walking next to him.


"Why?"


"Because when you kill a demon spawn its power will go inside you releasing out your sin and if there is enough evil within you it will take a phyiscal form becoming a new demon."


Aeon stopped with his eyes widened in realization," So it really is what I feared it to be," Aeon said squeezing his fist. 


Nier turned around," So your sins were released and took upon a phyiscal form."


Aeon hung his head down," Yes," He mumbled.


"Unfortunate, but that's not irregular for a warrior to carry a heavy burden of sin on his back."


They pushed forward through the city passing streets of burnt buildings and stepping over sets of empty dust filled armor. The sun was setting over the land and soon it would be to dark for them to see anything.


"We should stop here and camp out for the night and continue on in the morning," Nier pointed out.


"Why?"


"It would be too dark to see anything, that's why."


"You're right we'll stop here, but where should we rest?"


"How about there," Nier pointed his long finger at a small shack that had huge tears in the walls with the roof still intact and with small ropes hanging from the ceiling.


"I guess it should work."


They went inside the shack, Aeon set his satchel down and sat down leaning against the wall. Nier found a small lantern and lit it with a match he had setting it down. He unbuckled his belt and removed his coat, he had on a thin leather cuirass with chain mail underneath and he worn long faded black pants. As he was sitting down he took off his hat. On top of his head was a small fin that ran down the length of his neck. Aeon was eating some fish he had left over from sailing across the ocean, he stopped for a moment looking at Nier who sat looking at the flame of the lantern. He reached into his satchel pulling out a piece of bread, ripping it in half giving one to Nier.


Nier looked up," Thank you," He said taking the bread. He began ripping pieces off and eating them.


"How... how did that happen?" Aeon asked,"Your arm and your leg.


He didn't answer for a moment then he said," Sometimes your past actions can have the greatest consequences when they come back and find you," He moved his wooden hand around for a brief moment looking at it.


There was a marking on the shoulder part of his wooden arm, which Aeon knew was the enchantment so they could connect to his nerves and move freely like real limbs. 


"Did you make them yourself?"


"Actually yes I did but I did have some help since I only had one arm," He chuckled a little," What's funny is that we couldn't the foot right," He lift up his wooden leg," As you can see, we couldn't get it to look like my foot and every time we tried it would be so unbalanced I would fall over, so we decided to just make the bottom rounded," Nier chuckled a little more then stopped by sighing," I still remember that day."


"It kinda looks like a pony's hoof," Aeon commented.


"What's that?"


"Your foot it looks like a pony's hoof."


"Does it now."


"Sorry I was in Equestria for a while... I ended up settling in," Aeon said scratching the back of his head.


"That's nothing to worry about you found a new home... but, why leave to come back here when there's nothing?"


"Long story."


"Disagreements?"


"Was part of the reason."


"It's understandable two completely different races with two different ways of life and fractions of course conflict will arise."


"Yeah but I was stupid thinking it wasn't going to."


There was a moment of silence," there's someone there you love isn't there?"


"Yeah there is."


"Is it a pony?"


Aeon hesitated," Yeah," He said looking away.


"There's no need to hesitant, I'm not going to disagree with your choice in finding love."


"Thanks, for not being upheld by it."


"I can see how it could work out since the Equestrian ponies are peacekeepers, I can see how you two would get along, a wandering fighter who has turned himself away from the world and peaceful maiden who's as careless and as pure as a child," Nier chuckled little," Sounds like something out of a story book."


"Your right it does," Aeon chuckled.


Nier pulled out a small paper out of his pocket and looked at it with a smile on his face.


"What's that?"


"Oh this it's just a little picture," Nier handed the little picture to Aeon.


He took the picture eager to see what it was. It was a slightly faded brown picture of a young male zenthain in a general's uniform with a young female zenthain stand smiling next to him in a exquisite dress, the male was holding a little zenthain girl and there was a very young zenthain boy where his hat.


Aeon looked up at Nier," Is this you?" 


"Why yes it is, it's me with my wife and two beautiful children."


"What are their names?"


"My wife's is Freya, my daughter's is Precious, and my son's is Abel."


"You have beautiful children and a beautiful wife," Aeon said handing the picture back.


"Thank you," Nier said taking it back.


"Do you still see your family?"


"No we don't talk anymore nor have I seen my wife in years."


"Did she leave you?"


"It's complicated," Nier put the picture back into his pocket.


"Oh."


"Now what about you?"


"Me... well I don't have a family like you but I was going to be married."


"To that pony?"


"No, it was zenthain girl..." Aeon smiled trying not chuckle "... And the funny thing was is that she was part of a noble family."


"Was she now?"


"Yes and she was willing to give everything up just to be with me."


"You two must have been very close."


"Oh yes, we were very much in love... I still remember the first day I met her like it was yesterday."


"Tell me how you met her."


"Well it was the first day after earning my freedom out of the arena and I was getting food from the market. Then these thugs came up to trying to steal my stuff," Aeon started chuckling a little then stopped," I ended up getting into a fight with them which was a big mistake because there was at least fifteen of them, so I had to run from them and for a few miles I did. Then I saw a balcony with a door open and I climbed up there and went inside. What I didn't know was that I was where all the nobles lived, so as I got inside I walked on her changing."


"You're fucking kidding!"


"I'm not kidding, but she was going to scream bloody murder," Aeon sighed in esctacy," But the sight of her was like looking upon an angel, I still remember every curve of her body.


"Here's a thing I never understood about our women is how come us males would walk around with no clothes and we didn't care but the women would dress a bit conservatively sometimes."


"Well Hazel didn't really care she would only wear clothes when she had to go to parties or get togethers but the only thing she would always wear small white flowers on her head."


"Hazel?"


"That was her name, I remember having to keep her quiet when I was in there because I didn't want to get caught."


"Of course especially with nobles."


"After that she started visiting me since she found out I lived at the inn near by because the people at the arena gave me the money to live there even though I started working with a local blacksmith."


"How long did you two see each other?"


"A year and half but a day before we would get married her parents found out about us and forced her to go to a different land so we could see each other anymore," Aeon paused trying to keep his composure," I never even got to say goodbye."


Nier looked into the dimming flame of the lamp," It's hard to lose something like that... just when you're at the peak of happiness the world comes up and snatches it away leaving you in misery."


"Yeah," Aeon choked, he laid down resting his head on his satchel and closed his eyes. Nier saw a single tear run down his face; he took up the lantern and blew out the flame, then he sat in the darkness thinking.


Well Freya you were right, I've became an old washed up zenthain who's still barely able to understand the young.


Nier then fell asleep as well for he knew they were going to be traveling even farther than today. Sometime in the night Nier's right eye opened looking at Aeon who was still asleep. He reached over grabbing his sword; he got up and unsheathed his sword lifting it up into the air.


A voice overcame him saying," Kill him, kill him, kill him, KILL THIS HEATHEN!"


His other eye opened dropping his sword letting fall to the floor. He put his wooden hand on his head walking back a few steps away from Aeon.


"I won't let you take control," he whispered hanging his putting his fingers on his yellow eye," not again, never again." He grabbed his sword, sheathed it, laid down and fell back asleep.