The years passed.
Throughout this time, Emrys continued his research.
He traveled through numerous regions, explored unknown territories, and tried to uncover the slightest clue that could bring him closer to his mother.
But despite all his efforts, he found nothing truly conclusive.
The world, meanwhile, continued to change.
The Holy War eventually came to an end.
But it ended in a way Emrys could never have anticipated. The entire demon race was sealed away.
Every demon throughout Britannia was sealed, with the exception of those present in Unlimited Blade Works.
The Goddesses lost their physical bodies, once again with the exception of those who were in Emrys's kingdom.
The conflict that had opposed the different clans for thousands of years thus came to an end.
At least, officially.
Emrys was not particularly interested in the consequences of the war.
As long as Ulster remained away from the conflicts, he had no reason to get involved.
So he continued his research.
Until the day he passed near the Fairy King's Forest.
---
Emrys slowed his pace slightly as he stood before the Fairy King's Forest.
The forest stretched across a vast area, housing a considerable amount of magical energy.
If Emrys had to be honest, this forest did not leave him with a particularly good impression, despite the joy it should have brought him due to its concentration of magical energy.
His last visit here had left him with a painful memory.
But this time, a piece of information came back to his mind.
The new Fairy King.
Dahlia.
He had heard that he had decided to withdraw the fairies from the Holy War.
A rather interesting decision.
Emrys had tried to learn more about the matter at the time but had found nothing and had decided to let it go.
But now that he was near his territory, he figured that paying him a little visit probably wouldn't hurt.
After all, he was curious to meet the person who had made such an important decision.
And besides, if the information he had received was accurate, they might have a few things in common.
Emrys slightly altered his trajectory.
He headed toward the forest.
Then, before crossing its borders, he dematerialized.
His body disappeared into a mist of magical energy.
Within moments, it became impossible to perceive his presence through ordinary means.
He entered the forest without causing the slightest reaction.
The trees, plants, and various creatures living there continued their activities without realizing he had passed through.
Emrys extended his Observation Haki.
It did not take him long to identify several presences.
Fairies.
Some moved between the trees.
Others were gathered in small groups.
There were also several creatures whose identities he did not know precisely.
But none of these presences particularly interested him.
He was looking for one specific person.
The Fairy King.
Emrys gradually expanded his field of perception.
Then he sensed it.
An immense magical energy.
It dominated all the other presences in the forest.
There was no doubt.
It was the person he was looking for.
Emrys altered his trajectory and headed toward the source of that energy.
He crossed several wooded areas before reaching a clearing.
And there...
He stopped.
The owner of that immense magical energy was quietly settled in a corner of the clearing.
He was not doing anything in particular.
He simply seemed to be enjoying the tranquility of the forest.
Emrys remained motionless.
He observed his presence through his Haki.
Dahlia.
The second Fairy King.
The one who had decided to withdraw his people from the Holy War.
And he was currently...
Doing absolutely nothing.
Emrys remained silent.
A few seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Then two.
He simply continued watching him.
Dahlia did not seem particularly busy.
Nor did he seem to be waiting for anyone.
He was simply enjoying his free time.
Emrys began wondering whether he should just leave.
After all, he had come out of curiosity.
He had no reason to remain there waiting for the Fairy King to finally do something.
But just as he was about to move, an unexpected reaction occurred.
Dahlia straightened up.
His magical energy changed slightly.
Then he turned his head in the exact direction where Emrys was standing.
The latter froze.
...Huh?
Silence settled in.
Emrys did not move.
He was still dematerialized.
He had made no sound.
He had left no trace of his passage.
And yet...
Dahlia spoke.
"Well, there's no point hiding anymore."
Emrys remained motionless.
The Fairy King continued calmly:
"I know you're there."
Silence.
Then Dahlia added:
"Are you planning to keep watching me like that for much longer?"
Emrys did not answer immediately.
He was genuinely surprised.
This was the first time someone had managed to detect his presence while he was using this form of dematerialization.
He had encountered enough opponents throughout his life to know that this was not something common.
And yet Dahlia had detected him without the slightest apparent difficulty.
Emrys reappeared.
His body regained its consistency within the clearing.
"Well..."
He paused briefly.
"I have to admit, I'm surprised."
Dahlia turned completely toward him.
Emrys continued:
"This is the first time someone has managed to detect me while I'm in this form."
Dahlia remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he burst out laughing.
"Really?"
He shook his head.
"Then you really haven't fought many skilled opponents."
Emrys slightly raised an eyebrow.
Dahlia continued:
"If no one has been able to sense the enormous mass of magical energy you represent, allow me to doubt the kind of opponents you've encountered."
Emrys remained silent.
He was not particularly offended.
But he had to admit that the remark was rather direct.
Dahlia finally stood up.
He was truly massive. More muscular than any of the fairies Emrys had encountered.
He stretched casually before speaking again:
"Well. Now that you're here, perhaps you can explain what you're doing in my forest."
He paused.
"And above all, what you want from me."
Emrys answered without hesitation.
"I simply came out of curiosity."
Dahlia raised an eyebrow.
"Curiosity?"
"I heard that the new Fairy King had decided to withdraw his people from the Holy War."
"And?"
"I wanted to meet that person."
A smile appeared on Dahlia's face.
"Ah..."
He crossed his arms.
"In that case, you've come to the right place."
Emrys waited.
Dahlia's smile widened.
"Since you came all the way here to get to know me, we might as well get to know each other better."
Emrys immediately felt something change in his energy.
His instincts sent him a warning.
But it was already too late.
Dahlia suddenly propelled himself toward him.
His fist shot in his direction.
Emrys was caught off guard by the sudden attack.
"...Seriously?"
He activated Blink.
His body disappeared from where he had been standing.
Dahlia's fist cut through the air.
Emrys reappeared one meter away.
He did not even have time to formulate a remark before Dahlia burst out laughing.
"Excellent!"
He turned around sharply.
"You dodged!"
Emrys sighed.
"Do you always attack people like this?"
"Only the ones who interest me."
Dahlia extended one hand.
A massive spirit spear appeared behind him.
Darrenheart.
The weapon of the second Fairy King.
Emrys immediately sensed its danger.
He summoned two Drainda.
The two anti-magic swords appeared in his hands.
But he stopped almost immediately.
He had not come here to fight.
Emrys made the two swords disappear.
Then he replaced them with two Hrunting.
Dahlia immediately noticed the change.
"Oh?"
His smile widened.
"So you have even more surprises."
Emrys did not answer.
He simply took a stance.
Dahlia attacked.
Darrenheart cut through the air in a swift movement.
Emrys dodged using Blink.
The spear passed within a few centimeters of him.
He took advantage of the opening to throw one of his Hrunting.
But the Fairy King reacted immediately.
Darrenheart pivoted in his hand.
The spirit blade deflected the weapon before it could reach its target.
Dahlia continued his movement without slowing down.
He closed the distance with Emrys and threw another strike.
This time, it was a punch.
Having already seen it coming several seconds in advance, Emrys leaned slightly to the side.
The fist passed in front of him.
He followed up with a swift movement of his second Hrunting.
Dahlia jumped backward.
The blade passed in front of him.
"Not bad! All your attacks are perfect. You systematically aim for the right spot to the point that it's almost miraculous."
Emrys sighed.
"You could at least warn me before attacking."
"And miss an opportunity like this? Certainly not."
Dahlia spun Darrenheart.
The spirit spear changed shape.
Several points appeared around him.
They simultaneously headed toward Emrys.
The latter used Blink to evade the first attacks.
Then he threw a Hrunting toward the Fairy King.
Dahlia moved to the side.
The projectile passed close to his body.
Emrys did not know why, but when he threw Hrunting without transforming it into an arrow, it behaved like any other sword. There was therefore no automatic targeting or pursuit of the opponent when he threw it.
Dahlia immediately responded with another attack.
This time, Emrys had to retreat.
The battle continued like this.
Dahlia used his spirit spear to attack from different angles, alternating between long-range strikes and close-quarters attacks.
Emrys, for his part, mainly focused on dodging and counterattacking with various projections whenever an opportunity presented itself.
He avoided direct exchanges as much as possible.
Dahlia was powerful.
Very powerful.
And his fighting style was particularly suited to close-range combat.
But Emrys was no slouch either.
His Blink allowed him to reposition himself quickly.
His projections gave him a wide variety of options.
And his Observation Haki allowed him to anticipate his opponent's movements.
Dahlia seemed to particularly enjoy this ability.
Every time Emrys dodged an attack at the last moment, he laughed even harder.
"Again!"
Darrenheart cut through the air.
Emrys disappeared.
He reappeared behind Dahlia.
A Hrunting flew toward him.
The Fairy King pivoted and deflected the projectile.
Then he turned sharply.
His fist shot forward.
Emrys dodged again.
"You're really annoying!"
Dahlia burst out laughing.
"And you're really interesting!"
The fight continued.
The two men moved throughout the clearing.
Their attacks kicked up dust and made the branches of the surrounding trees tremble.
But neither of them seemed to truly want to hurt the other.
Dahlia was mainly trying to test Emrys's abilities.
And the latter simply responded to his attacks while trying to understand his opponent's personality.
Eventually, several hours passed.
───
When the fight finally ended, the clearing looked noticeably different from what it had been before.
The ground was covered with impact marks.
Almost all the trees around them had fallen, and some were even burning.
This part of the forest had been completely devastated.
In the middle of the clearing, two figures were lying on the ground.
Emrys and Dahlia.
Both were panting.
They were not injured.
But the fight had demanded enough effort from them that they needed to catch their breath.
"This will be my final attack. Try not to die."
Darrenheart flew into the sky, its tip pointed toward Emrys, dense magical energy emanating from it.
"Tch. That reminds me of some bad memories. Go ahead. Give it everything you've got."
"Spirit Spear Darrenheart, First Form, Darrenheart!"
Dahlia swung his arm down just as Gloxinia had done before him and launched the spear toward Emrys.
As for Emrys, gray lines appeared across his skin beneath his armor.
He extended his hand behind him, ready to withstand the impact.
"I am the bone of my sword... Rho Aias!"
Seven layers of light petals instantly appeared before him.
The impact was absolutely brutal.
BOOM!
Three layers were instantly destroyed, and the fourth and fifth soon followed.
Argh! At this rate, even the seventh layer might have trouble holding!
On the verge of defeat, Emrys did something new with this particular weapon.
The two remaining petals turned black.
Not a dark, absorbing black, but a shiny metallic black, surrounded by a red tint.
He had coated Rho Aias with Armament Haki.
This stopped the spear's advance dead in its tracks, although the sixth petal was also beginning to crack.
But in the end, he managed to hold out long enough.
The giant spear shrank until it reached the size of a normal spear and fell to the ground.
Dahlia stared at the whole thing with amazed eyes.
"Incredible."
After a few seconds, Emrys dispelled Rho Aias and let himself completely fall onto his back.
Dahlia, having run out of magical energy, did the same.
Silence settled in.
Only the sound of their breathing disturbed the tranquility of the forest.
Then Emrys spoke.
"You're pretty damn good, bastard."
Dahlia slightly turned his head in his direction.
"How many tricks do you have up your sleeve, asshole?"
Emrys let out a laugh.
"As many as necessary."
"Asshole."
"Bastard."
"Asshole."
"Bastard."
"Asshole."
"Bastard."
They remained like that for a few seconds.
Then Dahlia sat up.
Emrys did the same.
The two men slowly got back to their feet and walked toward each other.
They stopped a few steps apart.
Silence settled in.
They remained like that for a few seconds.
Then, without either of them being able to truly explain why, they burst out laughing.
A genuine laugh.
Spontaneous.
The kind of laughter that required no explanation.
After a few moments, Dahlia dropped back to the ground.
Emrys sat down in front of him.
The two men caught their breath.
Dahlia was the first to break the silence.
"Well. Now that we're done beating the hell out of each other..."
He paused.
"What's your name?"
Emrys answered without hesitation.
"You can call me Faker."
Dahlia frowned slightly.
"Faker..."
He thought for a few seconds.
"I've heard that name somewhere before."
Emrys did not answer.
Dahlia continued:
"But I can't remember where."
He shrugged.
"Meh, whatever."
Emrys nodded.
The conversation continued calmly.
They talked about the forest.
The Holy War.
The different races living in the world.
And Dahlia's decision to withdraw the fairies from the conflict.
The Fairy King briefly explained his reasons.
He saw no reason why his people should continue participating in a war that did not directly concern them.
The Goddesses and demons had their own disputes.
He had no intention of sacrificing the fairies to settle their differences.
Emrys understood this logic perfectly.
He had never liked unnecessary conflicts.
And as long as his people could live in peace, he had no reason to send them to fight for interests that were not their own.
The conversation continued for a few more minutes.
Then Dahlia asked another question.
"Well, Faker."
Emrys slightly raised his head.
"What?"
"Now that we've gotten to know each other..."
Dahlia paused.
"What is the real reason for your visit?"
Emrys sighed.
"I already told you."
"Yes."
Dahlia crossed his arms.
"You came out of curiosity... But that's not all."
Emrys remained silent.
Dahlia continued:
"I can read minds."
"I know."
"And even though yours are extremely well protected..."
He smiled.
"I can sense that you have something else on your mind."
Emrys sighed again.
"...Fairies really are a pain."
"We get told that often."
Emrys remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he decided to explain.
Not in every detail.
But enough for him to understand.
"I have, in very loose terms, a kingdom."
Dahlia fell silent.
"It's called Ulster."
Emrys continued calmly.
"I gathered people from different races there. People who simply wanted to live in peace."
He paused.
"I wanted to give them a place where they could live without having to worry about the conflicts ravaging the world."
Dahlia remained silent.
Emrys continued:
"I'm not going to go into details. But Ulster has existed for quite some time now."
The Fairy King slowly nodded.
"I see."
He remained silent for a few seconds.
Then an expression of recognition appeared on his face.
"Wait..."
He straightened slightly.
Emrys did not answer.
Dahlia continued:
"Now that I think about it..."
He began thinking.
"At one point, entire groups of fairies were disappearing, refusing to participate in the war."
Emrys remained attentive.
Dahlia continued:
"I wondered where they could possibly be going."
He paused.
"So that was where they went."
Emrys nodded.
"Looks like it."
Then he nodded again.
"I understand now."
He did not seem particularly upset.
On the contrary.
He seemed rather satisfied to have finally obtained an answer to a question he had been wondering about for a long time.
Emrys continued:
"When I learned that you had withdrawn the fairies from the Holy War, I thought that we might have similar ideologies."
Dahlia did not answer.
Emrys continued:
"So I wondered if we might get along."
He paused.
"And who knows..."
He shrugged slightly.
"Maybe we could even form an alliance between our two kingdoms."
Dahlia's smile disappeared.
His expression suddenly became serious.
He did not answer immediately.
Silence settled in.
A few seconds passed.
Then a minute.
Emrys did not pressure him.
He knew that such a proposal was not insignificant.
An alliance between two kingdoms could not be decided on a simple whim.
And even though Dahlia seemed like a rather laid-back person, he was first and foremost the Fairy King.
He had responsibilities.
Duties.
A people to protect.
Several minutes passed.
Finally, Dahlia spoke again.
"Give me one good reason to accept."
Emrys remained silent.
He thought for a few seconds.
Then he answered honestly.
"I don't have one."
Dahlia slightly raised his head.
Emrys continued:
"I came here assuming that we had similar ideologies."
He paused.
"That we were simply two people who wanted to live in peace with those close to us."
He shrugged.
"I thought that might be enough."
Silence.
Then Dahlia burst out laughing.
A powerful laugh.
Genuine.
He laughed so hard that he had to place one hand on the ground to steady himself.
Emrys remained silent.
"...What's so funny?"
Dahlia continued laughing for a few seconds before finally calming down.
Then he spoke again:
"You're absolutely right."
Emrys did not answer.
Dahlia smiled.
"I accept."
Silence settled in.
Emrys remained motionless.
"...Pardon?"
"I accept the alliance."
Emrys remained silent for a few seconds.
Then he asked:
"Are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Just like that?"
"I can read minds, that's true."
He crossed his arms.
"But I trust my body more to judge people's personalities."
Emrys did not answer.
Dahlia continued:
"And judging from that fight..."
He smiled.
"You're a damn good king."
Emrys's face immediately tightened.
"...Damn it."
Dahlia blinked.
"What?"
Emrys sighed deeply.
"Not you too."
Dahlia burst out laughing, even though he had no idea what Emrys meant. His expression alone was enough to make him laugh.
Emrys soon joined him in this burst of amusement.