There she was, standing before Princess Alfin and I. I can kind of guess where this particular hallway led to. Princess Alfin's private quarters where I will be staying the night, then wander to one of the nearby guest rooms afterward. And yet, we saw Sherryl standing in front of the double-sided doors off to the right side. Sherryl's stature remained prim and proper. Sherryl observed us approaching her from afar.
Sherryl had changed out of her dress. I imagine she'd be in a nightgown to be ready to clock out for the night soon, seeing it was past 12:30 AM already. But no, Sherryl had her St. Astraia uniform on. Did she do that to tell me a message that she was attending an all girls' school? Nonetheless, it is good for her to see her in such a light. Sherryl found her way forward without me needing to step in. Albeit temporary, as if her intentions still hold true, she will be serving Grancel Castle in the coming future.
It has been a couple years since we last met. Not since the events took place back on Nemeth Island. I did hear from Zin that Sherryl came along with him to Grancel Castle when that Instance Dungeon was made, turning the entire city into a dungeon. Sherryl didn't join in the fighting and watched from the sidelines. I saw this behavior, and I knew then it wasn't time to step in yet. Not until now, where Sherryl and I were crossing paths once again.
I could see a hint of longing in Sherryl's eyes once we came closer and closer. One that was long overdue.
It was thanks to this resolution Sherryl reached on her own that I even allowed her to go on such a journey with Zin. Otherwise, Sherryl likely would have begun her training as a maid back at Grancel Castle when I made my return as Crown Prince with the Glorious.
"Naoto...", Sherryl uttered, and greeted me with a heartfelt smile. I couldn't even do anything before Sherryl entered a sudden dash, and gave me a big tackle. That tackle turned into a hug, and she wrapped her arms around me. Seeing Sherryl suddenly hug me like this, Princess Alfin raised her eyes, but didn't talk back to her. Instead, she said something different.
"So it looks like what you said back in our changing room earlier was true after all.", Princess Alfin said, glancing our way. "I take it Naoto is your knight in shining armor, Sherryl? Heehee.", Princess Alfin continued, and giggled while clapping her hands together.
It was my turn to become surprised hearing Princess Alfin say that. My eyes couldn't help but turn serious at the same time. Feeling this, Sherryl parted from her hug, and looked at me, likewise serious.
"Did you tell Alfin and the others what happened during our time in the Cult?", I asked. Sherryl nodded her head, not denying my question.
"Uh-huh. Her Imperial Highness knows. And so does Renne, Emma, Fie, Musse, and Elise. Renne and I showed them what happened as we changed into our dresses.", Sherryl explained.
I couldn't help but take a deep breath in. At the same time, I reached my hand out, and smiled. Sherryl let me ruffle her lilac-colored hair, similar to how Princess Alfin allows me to pat her head. During this, I could see Sherryl's eyes well. No longer were they dark and murky.
A healthy, colorful lilac hue shone in Sherryl's eyes. Unlike other people, Sherryl's eye color is a true one to one match with her hair. Quite rare nowadays. The death and gloom no longer lingered. To say the least, Sherryl's health had vastly improved. Her journey alongside Zin helped that, I'm sure.
To sum up what took place until now, that psychotic doctor, Joachim Guenter, cooperated with the Red Constellation, and kidnapped me into the DG Cult's main base of operations. The same location where the Zero Child was slumbering away, KeA. There, it was called The Cradle, but Joachim also operated out of the Sun Fort. He declared that my body was the perfect host for KeA to be absorbed into in an attempt to recreate God and deny the Goddess Aidios, but yeah. Clearly that didn't happen. Nor did I ever intend to let that happen.
Once I was taken out of The Cradle and into the Sun Fort, that was when I met Sherryl. She was the first group to get kidnapped, being taken to Sun Fort directly. When the second group came, that was when Ennea showed up. It was then I devised a plan with the two, forcing the DG Cult to transfer us to Altair Lodge. The very same place Lloyd and the First Division folks ventured into at the start of Trails to Azure, in an attempt to capture Hartmann and Ernest who fled their capture back during Trails From Zero.
I acted one step ahead of Joachim Guenter during that. By the time he realized what had happened inside the Sun Fort, we were already long long. I say that, but it would seem fortune shone upon him. By some ironic twist of fate, during my little disappearance act when I went to go get checked up at St. Ursula after my fight with the One of Swords, I met Joachim. He resided in his office, disguising himself as a doctor. Well, he really is one, and quite a good one at that, I won't deny that. He was quite on guard when I encountered him, and didn't sport much vigor in his energy as we conversed.
That's right. Even if it was just for a short time, I had a talk with Joachim Guenter. Not anything in particular, just going over my check-up and all of that. I still need him to show the existence of the DG Cult's records to the SSS, so I didn't do anything to him during my stay there.
Instead, what had changed was the fact Tio met me, instead of meeting Guy Bannings. Tio was rescued before the DG Cult Extermination took place. Because of this Tio did not meet Guy. That interaction didn't happen at all. When Guy's group raided Altair Lodge, there was nothing but sadness and blood. I do not know if this will impact Guy at all, we'll see. With me in the mix, Tio reunited with her parents ahead of time. Tio's estrangement with them still happened, and she wound up being picked up by the Epstein Foundation a couple years ahead of the plot.
I do not think this will impact the plot as a whole, apart from Tio interacting with other people, instead of being cooped up in a room somewhere. That alone has been improving her health as of late. When I met Tio last back at Grancel Castle, she still had that deadpan look in her eyes, but the healthy color of her skin returned already. She's on the path of recovery, just as Sherryl did.
With any luck, Tio will still join the SSS, based on how things are progressing.
Along those lines, I am quite curious as to how Randy will end up, given his current situation and all. I wasn't kind to him during the raid by the Red Constellation on the Osborne Villa. I had taken his eye, while the Scarlet Ogre declared the fight a draw. Will he still flee the Red Constellation, or will he hold onto that anger, and point it toward me some day, and become the next War God? I'm not sure.
Besides Tio and Randy, Van came along, and I became friends with the protagonist with the Daybreak series early on. To my surprise, in the latest letter he sent me, he had met Lloyd Bannings in Calvard while Lloyd was staying with his Aunt and Uncle. Another interaction that never happened in the games, but it did here.
As to the last member of the SSS if you ignore Noel Seeker and Wazy Hemisphere, Elie had apparently finished her studies in Arteria, and is now living in Crossbell City again. I haven't received many letters from Elie as of late, but in her last one, she told me she has some news she wants to share with me. Given enough free time, I should pay Elie a visit at Crossbell. The only thing at the time I didn't know was the fact Elie had joined the Gralsritter...
I say that, but from here on out, it may be more difficult for me to move out and about in the public eye. All thanks to Father's declaration of our engagement, haha!
Regardless, the fact remained. Sherryl's eyes were crystal clear. She had also gained quite a bit of strength and power from her journey, learning the Taito Style of martial arts from Zin. The funny thing about that is Sherryl's body remained slim. She barely had any visible muscle. It was all kept internal, and that was due to the unique physique Sherryl developed with the powers of Gnosis. She can freely adjust the flow of her blood, heightening all parameters to a certain degree. Speed. Power. Flexibility. Force. You name it. It's basically Luffy's Gear Second, but a cracked version of it.
Adding the striking power of punches and kicks of the Taito Style, and you have a force to be reckoned with. Given the time, I would love to have some spars with Sherryl to see how far she has come. Perhaps once things settle down here in Valflame Palace and the stretch of the three months begin, I'll try to squeeze that in during breaks from my training.
And as for me, Gnosis granted me that huge Resistance Skill. It blocks up to 30% damage, no matter what it is. And well, if Monsters attack me and their strength is too low, it's likely they'll deal zero damage. I wonder if that was the case. It just goes to show how terrifying fighting the One of Swords was that night. He dealt an insane amount of damage, even with all of my Skills. I want to see if Resistance can target both my Physical and Magic Stats. How insane would that be?
For now though, Sherryl and I just enjoyed a heartfelt reunion in silence. Seeing this even brought a tear to Princess Alfin's eyes. Wiping it away, Princess Alfin smiled. Now that we had parted from the hug, I spoke out to Sherryl.
"Do your scars still hurt, Sherryl?", I asked.
"They don't.", Sherryl responded. "Teacher was quite surprised to see them as we went around the continent. He always wondered why I hesitated, trying to get to know others. Especially whenever we took baths. Thankfully, Teacher wasn't kept out of the loop. He participated in the DG Cult Extermination."
"So that was the case. I still need to express my thanks to Zin. He even brought you to St. Astraia. I'm surprised you decided to enroll there. It's an all girls' school, unlike other schools.", I said, and smiled.
"Heehee. Teacher can be pretty persuasive, you know.", Sherryl responded, giggling. "But in the end, I do not regret enrolling at St. Astraia. Even if it is a bit far from home. Because of that, my return to Grancel Castle may be delayed for a little while. I do apologize for that, Naoto."
"Haha.", I laughed. "That is nothing to apologize for! You are doing something you want to do yourself. You want to study and make friends at St. Astraia. Why should I stop you from doing that?", I continued, smiling. I then looked at Princess Alfin. 'You'll look after Sherryl for the time being, won't you, Alfin?"
"I absolutely will!", Princess Alfin happily nodded. "Besides, Sherryl has already gotten acquainted with my other close friends, Musse and Elise. It is only natural that I look after Sherryl. That includes Renne too. Our group is as big as ever!"
"Naoto...Your Imperial Highness...", Sherryl uttered, only to wipe a happy tear from her eyes. "Thank you. Hearing that means a lot to me. I'll be sure to pass the message along to Renne too."
"You are most certainly welcome. And enough with that title business. Didn't I tell you to call me Alfin when we're alone like this? Naoto is fine. We are engaged now, so you can drop that act.", Princess Alfin said, and smiled again.
"Well...Alright. Just while we're alone like this, Alfin.", Sherryl said, and nodded.
"Good!", Princess Alfin said, smiling. "But now that I think about it, you introduced yourself as a Crossbellan, didn't you?"
"I did. Unlike other kids inside the Cult, my situation is more forgiving. My family is still alive. At least, I know my sister is. I am unsure of my parents' whereabouts. That matter is something I still have to tackle. It will happen soon, but not now."
"So you know you have to come to terms with that still...", I responded, looking serious. "You can't push it aside forever."
"I know. I will do it on my own terms. I will head to Crossbell City before long.", Sherryl said, and nodded.
"Your family, huh? It was definitely a surprise to know that your family used to be in service of House Bartholomeus back in Remiferia. Did something happen to your parents?", Princess Alfin frowned.
"I don't think so? This matter is mostly pertaining to me, specifically. I was kidnapped right before their very eyes, in broad daylight. They turned the other way while we were out on a picnic, then those Cult bastards swooped in, and nabbed me. I bet my family flipped over the entire city in an attempt to locate me, but as you can see, this happened. They might even have pronounced me dead.", Sherryl answered and frowned.
"How terrible...", Princess Alfin said, also frowning. "We'll need to fix that. Just say the word, and I'll personally charter you to Crossbell City so you can have that reunion!"
"Alfin...", Sherryl uttered, feeling genuinely happy to hear that.
It was then Sherryl's bottled up emotions began to flood out. Emotions she hadn't felt over the couple years she has been with our group, or during her journey with Zin. Tears began to pour out, not stopping. Seeing this, Princess Alfin stepped forward, and gave a hug of her own. A heartfelt moment soon passed in silence as Sherryl let it all out...