Loss

Oh, Gustav...

Father...

When he said that our family had
suffered a loss and that we must
move forward...

He wasn't talking about Alfonse. He
was talking about himself.

I...

Alfonse, don't blame yourself.

He was glad to sacrifice himself to
save you. Never doubt that.

But Father... I... How can I compare to
him?

Alfonse, listen to me. Your father was
ill. He hadn't long left.

Ill? Father? He looked as strong as
ever.

That's your father. He was hiding it.
He wanted the people to feel at ease;
and Askr's foes, on guard.

His plan was to hide all this until you
were ready to succeed the throne.

How little I understood...of his plans
and of his heart.

Alfonse...

He showed me a dead branch... Was
there something to that? Tell me.

Oh, yes. The sword of bravery...

The sword of bravery?

That's what you called it. You can't
have been much older than three...

You were just starting to learn about
what it meant to be the Prince of
Askr.

You brought your father a branch
and presented it to him quite
solemnly.

You had your own branch, too, and
posed like a warrior.

You looked up at him and said,
"Father, together we'll protect Askr!"

"I want to help!"

Your father...the king...could barely
hide his smile.

Father...

The conflict has reached a stalemate.
The enemy has inundated the area
by the gate to the realm of the dead.

The king's knights have contained
them there, so battle hasn't spread...
yet.

Reinforcements continue to spill from
the gate. Hel's forces seem to have
no end.

The longer this stalemate lasts, the
more of an advantage she gains. She
can pick us off one by one...

And the commander of the king's
knights has fallen.

The queen and the captain of the
knights have things under control,
but we're on the defensive now.

There's no time to waste. It's up to
the Order of Heroes to stop Hel.

Alfonse and I spent last night
scouring the royal library for clues.

There were some passages that
seemed promising, but in the end,
nothing we found was useful.

But we're not done searching for
answers.

Where next? I'm ready to go!

We must cross through Death's
gate.

What?!

You intend to scout the realm of the
dead...

Hel is its sovereign. Where better
to uncover information on our
enemy?

The enemy's numbers are
increasing...slowly but steadily.

We have to slip a handful of troops
through their lines and into the realm
of the dead, or else...

This is a dangerous mission. We
might not come back from it.

But it's also crucial that we find a
way to put a stop to Hel, and this
gambit offers us that chance.

The Order of Heroes is built for
small-scale operations like this.
We can do it.

All right, then! Here we go. We'll
take the fight to Hel and save Askr.
Who's with me?

Tell me, 【Summoner】...

This plan... What do you think of it?
Will you enter the realm of the dead?

Eir...

Why do you resist? I've seen you
struggle. Why? You cannot win. Not
against Death.

All will be killed, and the ranks of the
dead will swell with Askr's citizens...
That is what Mother wants.

She is the ruler of the dead, and she
can kill as she pleases. She will not
be defied.

I don't believe it. It is not that simple.

What?

She's just not that powerful. If she
was, everyone in Askr would be dead.

Askr would have fallen already. If
she could have, she would have
eliminated us all in one strike.

...

Her curse must have its limits.

At least nine days are required for it
to come due, for one...

And only one person can be cursed
at a time, I'd wager.

That's not to mention that Hel herself
had to show her face—both to lay the
curse and to claim her victim.

There's been no other sign of her.
Why? Because she has a weakness.
There must be a way to defeat her.

You have your own mind... And you
don't fear my mother.

Oh, I fear her. But cowering here
won't accomplish a thing.

Come to think of it, when I was a
child, I was terrified of monsters.

Monsters?

Run all you want, but they'll find
you. You can't hurt them, either.
Horrifying, wouldn't you say?

But Hel is not a ghoul from a child's
imagination. She's real, and I have to
face her.

I must defeat her. And I can defeat
her! I'm sure of it.

Defeat my mother? Defeat Death?

Indeed. There's always a thread...
Pull on it, and things start
unraveling.

We just have to find the thread.