Although Gwayne had only been with Rebecca—his supposed many-greats-granddaughter—for less than a full day, he already had a deep impression of her. And honestly, more than once, he'd seriously wondered if her head had been caught in a door as a child.
Logically speaking, that shouldn't have been possible. Even putting aside the elite education all nobles received, Rebecca's prowess as a spellcaster alone was proof she had brains—anyone capable of casually tossing out fireballs wasn't exactly dimwitted.
Still...
The others had no time to care about Rebecca's occasional lack of filter. Even Hestia, normally strict with the girl, now wore a deeply troubled expression.
"You're saying..." Hestia said slowly, "the monsters that appeared in Seawright are the same ones from seven hundred years ago?"
Gwayne sighed. "Judging by how unfamiliar you all are with them, I'd wager they haven't been seen in centuries."
"After the early days of the Pioneer Era, the wars against monsters faded into history," Hestia said quietly, shaking her head. "Although the records are still there, the last actual encounters date back at least six hundred years. From what I learned, the creatures that once spilled from the ruins of the Old Empire harassed Andraste for decades—but after the Elves helped build the Sentinel Towers, the monsters disappeared. They became legend."
Gwayne frowned slightly. "Sentinel Towers, built by Elves... Those don't fail easily."
Rebecca suddenly clenched her fists, her face serious. "We must inform His Majesty at once! Monsters that vanished centuries ago, suddenly reappearing within the kingdom—that's dire news. And Seawatch... Seawatch has been devastated. We'll need royal assistance to rebuild..."
Gwayne smiled confidently, thinking of the grand legacy "he" had left behind. "Don't worry. With the Seawright name and the influence I left behind, the capital will surely rally to your aid."
But instead of relief, both Hestia and Rebecca wore extremely complicated expressions.
Gwayne blinked, confused. "Wait... what's wrong?"
Could it be that, after seven hundred years, the name of Gwayne Seawright no longer carried any weight in this kingdom?
Hestia hesitated, bit her lip several times, and finally steeled herself. "Ancestor... there are things I should have told you back in the tomb. But I couldn't find the courage."
"Speak," Gwayne said calmly. "I'm listening."
"Seawright's glory is no more," Hestia said, voice heavy with shame. "You're still honored as a legendary Founder across the kingdom... but the family itself—"
She glanced at Rebecca before continuing, "Rebecca, who now holds the title, is only a viscountess. And this... is our last remaining land."
Gwayne gawked. "Wait, what? Last I checked before I... uh, 'departed,' we were Dukes! Our lands stretched from Seawatch clear across the Holy Plains! What the hell did my descendants do?! Rebel against the Crown? Try to kill a king?"
Hestia lowered her head even further. "...A lot can happen in seven hundred years. Both families and kingdoms change. Andraste itself is no longer ruled by the First Dynasty... the Second Dynasty reigns now, and the Seawrights are no longer proud pillars of the realm, but disgraced outcasts."
Rebecca stepped in, voice low but firm. "A century ago, King Daeron III of the First Dynasty died suddenly without an heir. Even before that, there were fierce disputes over his legitimacy. After his death, the Queen and Chancellor failed to maintain order—and what followed was the Mistfall Uprising."
"In Mistfall, Year 635, royal claimants and their powerful backers began battling for the throne. The fighting escalated into outright civil war by the third week. And the Seawrights..." Rebecca paused briefly, "...were dragged into it."
Gwayne facepalmed. "Let me guess—one of ours got ambitious."
Hestia nodded, picking up the explanation: "Lord Groman Seawright, heir to the house, felt threatened by his aging but vigorous father. He seized control of the family's power, stole your legendary Founder's Shield from the tomb, and tried to back various royal claimants in succession."
Gwayne groaned. "So it was him who stole my shield."
Hestia winced but pressed on: "Groman first supported Prince Tosh. When Tosh was assassinated, he switched allegiance to Prince Fiddick. When Fiddick lost and killed himself, Groman then tried to ally with Daeron's uncle."
She drew a long breath.
"But before he could declare support for the new royal candidate, he was torn apart by both sides' forces on the battlefield."
Gwayne: "..."
"And that," Hestia said grimly, "ushered in the Second Dynasty. Officially, the conflict lasted only a year. But it completely upended the kingdom's power structures."
Amber, who had been quietly listening, added, "Everyone knows that story. The war ended with a so-called 'bastard prince' on the throne—thus, it's often called the Bastard War."
"And since Groman Seawright switched sides so shamelessly and spectacularly, no one in the new regime had any reason to spare us," Hestia finished. "The Seawrights were ruined. Only the old duke's reputation, and sheer mercy, saved the bloodline from extinction."
Gwayne followed Hestia's gaze—and found himself staring at Rebecca.
The girl noticed and turned her head. "Ancestor?"
"Ah... what a tragedy," Gwayne muttered, rubbing his forehead. "House Seawright, brought low by its own foolishness... and the bastard took my shield, too!"
Hestia & Rebecca: "..."
(Another round of the Ancestor cursing the great-great-grandfather... not exactly ideal.)
Fortunately, Gwayne was quick to recover. After all, he wasn't really that Gwayne Seawright—the real weight of history didn't fall on his shoulders. To Hestia and the others, though, his quick acceptance looked like remarkable wisdom and magnanimity.
He waved a hand. "Enough about the past. Right now, we have more urgent problems. Whether the Crown still favors House Seawright or not doesn't matter—those monsters are a threat to all humanity. Even the king cannot afford to ignore this."
Hestia nodded firmly. "You speak true, Ancestor."
With the heavy topic concluded, the group pressed onward in silence. The oppressive darkness of the underground tunnels drained the will for conversation; all that mattered now was reaching the surface.
Fortunately, the ancient earthworks—blessed by the Stonewrights—had survived the centuries intact. After some distance, Gwayne determined that they were nearing an appropriate exit.
Clearing away roots, vines, and loose soil, they finally felt fresh air brush against their faces.
They emerged, one after another, onto the open ground.
Rebecca scrambled out and, despite herself, let out a small, joyous cry. "We made it!"
Gwayne followed her, his heart pounding not with fear—but with exhilaration.
A vast, open world lay before him.
His first instinct was to look up— At the sky.
Unfortunately, it was still night. But in that night, Gwayne finally beheld the stars of this new world.
They were faint, scattered, and veiled in mist, a cold and distant constellation utterly unlike anything he had ever seen.
On the horizon, pale light was beginning to bleed into the darkness. The night was ending. Dawn was coming.
And Gwayne, standing among the survivors who had escaped the ruins of Seawatch, spread his arms wide—as if to embrace the sun of a brand-new world.
That's when he saw it.
A colossal arc of light—vast beyond imagining—rising slowly over the horizon. It shimmered with a soft misty glow, bathing the earth in otherworldly radiance.
It was not the sun.