Finding Their Place

3 months after the funeral

"Honey, we have a visitor."

" Just let me finish saying my prayers, I'll be there in a minute.

" Hurry up, I don't want to keep your guest waiting too long."

"Who is it? Don't tell me the neighbors need help again?"

"Oh, I think you should welcome this guest yourself."

The former soldier put away his tag and welcomed his guest. However who stood in front of him took him completely by surprise.

"Hello, I hope I'm not intruding. Actually, I was hoping to talk to you about Leo and your journeys. If it's too hard for you, then I can just-

"Don't worry, meanwhile I can talk about it quite comfortably. Besides, one of the chosen ones must not address me as her equal. That phrase is wasted on a mere man."

"Oh, it's just my nature to be careful with people."

"That's a good attitude, then I welcome Marah, the black mage to my house. Do make yourself comfortable, I think this is gonna be a long conversation, don't you?"

The girl nodded and entered his house. It was in good condition, even had a second floor and a small garden was behind the house.

"Don't be so hesitant, all guests are welcome. So just relax, can I offer you a drink?"

Just as the girl was about to say no, two children came down the stairs and waited for their mother.

"Freo, I'm going to the marketplace with the kids. We'll be back later, take as much time as you need. It' s not every day that you have a celebrity of the kingdom in your home."

When the children saw the young girl they realized it was in fact Marah, one of the chosen ones they had seen from afar.

"Woah, you're the real one am I right? What's it like being a mage? Where do you guys always go on your travels? Are you really as strong as everyone says?"

"Krau, you're supposed to listen to your mother and not question our guest. We have something important to discuss."

" Alright father, it's just cool that she's visiting us of all people."

"Krau, let's go. Go get dressed, the show is about to start and you two certainly don't want to miss it."

There was a show once a week in the marketplace with different actors showing off their extraordinary talents.

As they were about to walk out the door the smaller boy came up to them and looked at her.

"Thank you so much for protecting mommy and daddy."

He then quickly ran to his mother and the three of them went to the marketplace.

"That was Halinus, he is always very curious. He's always been a fan of you guys, you probably made him feel happy for the next few weeks."

"I don't deserve that much praise. If it weren't for the others I'd be nothing, plus there's not much to do lately so I'm not very useful. I've been meaning to come by for a while now but didn't have the courage."

Freo saw that Marah was just as Leo had described her. Likewise, he knew what her next questions would be.

"I already know what you want to talk about so I will share everything I know about him with you. Beforehand, you must know that before he disappeared he always saw you as friends, never forget that."

And so Freo told Marah about all the adventures and travels he experienced with Leo. Freo left out no detail and told her everything as precisely as he could. About how Leo gave the decisive order in their first battle. About his rise as a general and their first mission in the small village. About how they defeated the barbarians and crafted special equipment. About how Leo fulfilled Alias's wish and got on better and better with his other comrades. About how he was accepted by everyone, from his tavern visit and the invitations from the different families as a gratitude. Then of the promotion to commander and the reassignment of the Yakura squad. From the beginning of their hard journey and the troubles between them. About the fights, which at the beginning were pure horror but got better with time. About Leo the teacher, who told his squad his ideas and strategies and tried to convince them of them. However, none of them understood his complex thinking, and so they simply suspended his plans, which they considered crazy, yet they always succeeded. You could think what you wanted about Leo, but he was an excellent leader. Over time, the other men learned what it meant to be more understanding and accepting of other people, to put aside their prejudices and focus on what was important. He was more than just their leader in battle, they learned much more from him than they could have ever imagined.

By now all emotions were raging inside Marah. From joy, wit and amazement to sadness, reflection and anger.

Sadly, Leo never told his soldiers about himself. Whenever the question came up, he changed the subject or ignored the request. Thus, his soldiers were the ones who told him and each other about their lives. About their first love, about their embarrassing and funny memories, and about their families and dreams. Leo would listen to them closely and tease them frequently during their travels. From time to time, Freo noticed that he was restless inside and that his anxiety showed through. Leo managed that the group was neither completely tense nor panic-stricken, but rather worked as a team and assured each other of their lives. Together they visited several villages and small towns, met new people and fought off enemies and monsters. Folks wanted to thank Leo, but it was hard for him to accept the thanks since he couldn't handle compliments very well. Even when things got bad and they were about to panic, he assured them that the young man from another world was their survival guide and so they trusted his words.

Nevertheless, as he got closer to his last encounter with Leo, Freo found it difficult to tell about it in a proper way.

After Freo finished he saw that Marah was completely calm, she was deep in thought at the moment. Thus she asked many things once again and how Leo was acting and Freo answered truthfully by sharing his memories. After she finished her thoughts, she felt it was only fair if Freo also learned about her time together with Leo.

Hours passed, Freos family came back and let them talk in peace. Meanwhile it had gotten late and so the two finished their conversation after which Marah went back to the palace. Once there, she noticed that Blade was missing, but she didn't need to worry about that. For weeks, there had been no noticeable events or missions. The only duty was their collective training, otherwise they were free to stay in the city or accompany squads of soldiers on their travels. From time to time they would travel through the kingdom to watch for danger and enemies. Initially, this was the only purpose, but over time they began to use these missions for their own personal travels and adventures.

One day, when they returned from a mission, they were asked to participate in the annual festival. The group was supposed to show themselves officially to all the people and perform a little show. Strangely, each of them was shy or reluctant to present themselves in front of a huge crowd in their own way.

But finally Grae could change their minds, he himself wouldn't participate because of his own family.

The festival lasted 5 days, it was an event like the four would have never imagined. Everywhere there were stands, talent shows, a circus and even a theatre play. It was the first time they felt like they were at home, like this could be their new place. However, thoughts of their own families quickly returned. In order not to give in to sadness, they distracted themselves with the various activities. This should be the beginning of a new period in their lives, to feel like a normal person and to find inner peace more often than not.

Directly on the first day of the festival, the chosen ones were to take over the opening act. Their task was to create yet another magic show. As soon as the stage was clear the show started if one was able to call it a show. It was more a mixture of clumsiness and desperation, more of a comedy than a theatrical performance. Luckily for them it was enough to amaze the crowd as well as make them laugh.

Taking the wheel, Blade focused all his attention on himself. His clothes suddenly caught fire and the flames burned on the fabric yet did not destroy it. Being proud of his achievement, he noticed a young lady who looked just as impressive as he did. Her hair was brown and her eyes were green, just like the meadows in summer. She had a face filled with both amazement and slight embarrassment. After all she was looking at one of the most important people in the kingdom. But as she looked into Blade's face she realized that he was staring straight into her eyes. This time, it was him who was overcome with amazement and embarrassment. He never had a girlfriend even though he had the opportunity at school. Many girls found him attractive but he avoided their glances. This time, however, the young lady had a tight grasp on his gaze. When the show was over, he left the stage and walked through the crowd until he finally saw the lady again. He puffed up his chest and offered to accompany her for the rest of the evening. Once she agreed, they got to know each other a little better, and for the next few days, the two of them spent time together. It was soon clear to the others that Blade found his match. Not only did he spend time with her, but she managed to change his manner, bringing him down to earth and making him more relaxed. When he had to leave her due to the missions, she stole his first kiss. She was hoping for his return and her hope was always granted. At last, people on the street were talking about the two of them, about Blade and Karin being lovers. When she introduced him to her parents, Blade was more nervous than ever but managed to show his self-confidence. Karin's father was a blacksmith, packed with muscles and a rough nature. That's why the two got along at sight. Blade also got along well with her mother. While living in his own little world, he was oblivious to the real one, to his past, and to his fears. Indeed, his love made him temporarily blind.

For the most part Adrian didn't know what to do, pretty soon exercising became his hobby. Thus he could get rid of his boredom as well as improve himself physically. That is why he participated in the training sessions of the new soldiers. After observing them for months, he eventually became or rather made himself their personal instructor. Being a strict teacher, he made no exceptions and made them go through hell. However, it always worked out in the end and eventually they were able to endure Adrian's manner. He himself was also able to open up and learn how to be social with people naturally.

At first Luke was not able to get rid of his boredom, but soon he found something to do. Not only did he heal the injured soldiers, but he started to provide additional services. As in every major city, there was an area for the less fortunate people who could afford fewer things. In the beginning he helped these people by giving them food until he eventually met Janine. She was an older priestess who had been taking care of these people for years. She had created an own building for this purpose, which she called "homeland". Despite the fact that it looked like a monastery from the outside, it was used for the care of the poor people. Luke offered his healing skills to her and soon the herbs and ordinary medicine were substituted by his abilities. Using healing magic, the young man was able to heal both wounds and minor illnesses. As time went by, he got to know more and more people who were forever grateful for his help. Though he did not show it on the outside, he felt an inner happiness through those services which he had never felt before. After he returned from missions, he was always greeted by Janine and immediately began to work. He saw these deeds as his own little destiny and continued to work with full heart and concentration until the very end. In the process, he neglected his own health a few times and had to be taken care of by Janine herself for a few days. Every day he spent in the " homeland ", he really considered it as his home. Even after 2 years, he performed these duties almost every day unless he was on a mission. One day after returning from one, he headed straight to the "homeland". Upon arriving at the building he couldn't find Janine, when he asked the families he had cared for they walked along with him to visit Janine. Instead of going into the large monastery, the path led around the outside. He knew that she was an elderly lady, but he wished that she would live another thousand years. Alas, his wish should not come true and so he was shown her grave next to which several bouquets of flowers and even toys were to be seen. Many people who had been in her care had thus said goodbye to her. Once again Luke realized how much she meant to these people. He spent a few more hours at her grave and then went back to her building, in which he had stayed for a long time now. That night was consumed by tears, for the first time in his life he was able to cry that way knowing what it means to feel true sorrow. After her death, he vowed to take over her legacy and continue the caring. For the next few weeks, he took over all the duties alone, his ambition and determination never wavering. Still, people noticed how it drained the young man and wore him out inside, so they took care of him a little as well. It was clear to Luke that he couldn't continue to work like this, that he couldn't continue to provide help like he was used to. So he made another wish, and this time it came true.

A couple of teenage boys and girls were amazed and captivated by his efforts, and so they offered him their help in their spare time. Luke was overjoyed that he no longer was alone here. As time went on, he taught them things they should be able to do and how to assist him. Once Luke realized that their missions were piling up, he realized what he should do. He requested a few days of his helpers' time to show them all he knew and all Janine had taught him. He watched their progress closely and reviewed their work until he was satisfied. Knowing that there was nevertheless no future for them, he thought of an idea for which he required the help of his friends. After he explained his idea to them, they agreed with him. All of them appeared before the king to make the request. Together they managed to realize Luke's plan. Thus, he had succeeded in having this care station acknowledged as an official department of service. This meant that the staff was exempted from military service and received pay. The number of official employees was not great, but more than sufficient for the work they had to do.

Thus each of the three young men found their own way into this world, each through their own means. Whether it was affection and love, whether it was responsibility and idle curiosity, whether it was determination or good will. The world had more to offer than just battle and danger, yet the fourth in their group required something else to realize this fact. Something that made her travel through the past once again.