Chapter 89: Kiss

"Hm...? What the...? Where am I? What's going on?" Raven thought to himself groggily, as his eyelids fluttered open and the sight of the ceiling of his room in The Irregulars' hideout met his gaze, before his eyes suddenly widened and he sat up with a start, "What happened!? The last thing I remember is the Undead King about to attack Celia, it's a complete blank after that, I don't remember-...!"

"Hm? Oh, hey, you're finally awake! It's about time!" Suddenly came Celia's voice with a relieved tone, startling Raven slightly.

"Celia! You're okay!" He exclaimed in relief, as he leapt out of bed and rushed over towards her, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"H-hey, calm down, I'm perfectly fine. I guess this means you don't remember what happened after you tranformed. Well, in a nutshell, you saved me and then beat the shit out of the Undead King, draining all his energy and giving the Knight Commander an opening to seal him away," She informed him as her face turned red and she awkwardly patted his shoulder, before adding, "Oh, and everyone else is fine too, though we were really worried about you...you've been out cold for three whole days."

"Wait, what? Three days!?" He exclaimed incredulously as he let go of her, a guilty look appearing on his face as he added, "I...I'm sorry for making you worry."

"Hey, come on, there's no need for that...we would probably all be dead right about now if you didn't tranform when you did," She pointed out.

"I can't really take credit for that, I don't remember any of it. Still, I'm glad everyone's okay. Wait, I didn't attack you guys, did I?" Frowned Raven with a look of dread on his face.

"Well, uh...you did-...or rather, you tried. Oh, but don't worry, none of us got hurt. Aster was able to trap you in his Telekinetic Zone and hold you still until your transformation wore off, before you could hurt anyone, so you didn't so much as scratch any of us. Oh, but you did knock out the Knight Commander. She's still alive though, so it wasn't anything serious," Celia informed him, leaving out a few details to avoid making him feel too bad.

"I see, that's good...while she is technically an enemy, she isn't a bad person, I'm glad I didn't end up killing her. I still feel kinda bad though...I got lucky that Aster was able to stop me from hurting anyone else, it could easily have been a whole lot worse. What about Ravella? I hope my berserk form didn't freak her out or anything."

"She was surprised, but she didn't seem particularly freaked out...it just stoked her hatred for the church. She's currently out training with Lexia, she should be back in a couple of hours or so."

"I see...I still feel pretty guilty about this, though. Me losing control may well have helped us win, but it would've been a lot better if I'd managed to maintain my consciousness and control it like I did last time," Said Raven with a grimace, as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"There's no need to beat yourself up over it, you know...and based on what the Undead King told us about your powers back in the Quartz Ruins, it couldn't be helped, controlling your Dark Raven form with how much stronger it had gotten would've been next to impossible," She pointed out, as she sat down beside him and lightly bumped her shoulder against his.

"Maybe so, but still-...no, I suppose there's no point in dwelling on it, I'll just have to focus on getting strong enough that I won't ever need to rely on that form again. I'm glad you're alright...I'm not sure what I'd do if something had happened to you, especially if it had been my fault."

"Well, as you can see, I'm perfectly fine, never been better! You still look worn out though, seems the stronger your Dark Raven form gets, the greater the physical toll it takes on you. You should get more rest," She suggested, before adding with a wry smile as his stomach rumbled, "But before that, you should have something to eat, you must be starving."

She then nodded at his bedside table, where a basket of fruits and jug of water were set on top of.

"Oh, I didn't even notice those. Thanks, I appreciate it," He smiled gratefully.

"You're most welcome, it's the least I could do. Eat your fill, hydrate and then rest up, I'll come check on you again a bit later," She responded, as she placed her hand on top of him.

"Okay...thank you, Celia, I really can't say it enough," He replied as he took hold of her hand and gave it a light squeeze, before pausing and averting his gaze slightly before adding quietly, "You should know, um...you really mean a lot to me. I...I care about you, a whole lot."

Celia's eyes widened slightly as she felt her face heating up, before she took a deep breath to compose herself, a look of determination appearing in her eyes...

"The feeling's mutual, Raven...and before I go, there's something cool I want to show you. Close your eyes for a sec," She replied, cringing a bit as her voice cracked towards the end, as she made a show of reaching into her pocket.

"Huh? Uh, okay...," He nodded before shutting his eyes.

She took a moment to settle her nerves, before steeling herself and leaning towards him, pressing her lips against his softly, as she cupped his cheek with her hand.

"Wh-wha-...?" Stuttered Raven with a stunned look on his face, completely dumbfounded as she then pulled away and gave him a warm smile.

Her face then broke out into a wide, cheerful grin as Raven's face turned red, before she stood up and walked out without saying a word, shutting the door behind her as Raven struggled to process what just happened...

...

...

A week later, in the Capital...

"Thank you all for coming," Remarked Lyra with a smile, as she looked around.

As of a day ago, she was no longer the Crown Princess, and had been coronated as the new Queen of the Kingdom of Persona.

Before her coronation took place, she invited a few individuals to attend a secret meeting to be held today, regarding the future of the nation.

In attendance were the Pope, Jules, Siele, both the First and Second Squad Captains, and those among the highest-ranked and most influential Noble houses who weren't prejudiced against Commoners.

"What is this about, your Highness? I imagine you must have something important to discuss," Remarked Countess Romi Brave.

"Indeed, I do. Let me start by saying how glad I am that there are even this many individuals in positions of power in our era who are opposed to the current state of our nation and the unfair treatment that Commoners are faced with.

And with my father, the late former King, meeting a tragic demise, those among the Nobility who most actively enforced the discrimination and prejudice towards Commoners will no longer have such support. And now, finally, we can take some real steps to change the Kingdom of Persona for the better," Stated Lyra, a look of determination in her eyes.

"I agree, this is a great opportunity to improve our nation, an opportunity we cannot waste. However, there is one matter that needs to be addressed," Spoke up Duke Crowes Edge, the younger brother of the Pope.

"Yes, if we fail to properly address it, we'll have a much tougher time of things," Nodded Pope Micre Edge in response.

"Hm? Wait, what are we talking about?" Chimed in Duchess Foxe Mozill, who'd been spacing out.

"It's simple, we need to do something about The Irregulars. We-...," Began Jules.

"I agree! We need to eliminate them, immediately!" Snapped Fyre seethingly.

"Woah, calm down, brother...it's not like you to get so riled up," Responded Foxe, Fyre's older sister.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, Captain Fyre...eliminating them is only an option as a last resort, if all else fails. It's been clear to me for some time now that they aren't an evil group...they've been risking their lives to change the nation for the better, in their own way. Yes, the way they've gone about things hasn't been ideal, but given the circumstances of their situation, enforced by the very laws of our nation, they likely felt that they were left with no choice," Reasoned Jules objectively.

"I can't believe you're seriously defending them, Commander...then, what are you suggesting we do with them?" He frowned in response.

"I must say, this is a bit hypocritical from you, Fyre. Before you fought them, you were sympathetic towards them, understanding of their circumstances...but you've completely reversed that stance after one of them killed a member of your squad, Drote Amethyst. Who, by the way, we've confirmed was oppressive towards Commoners...I'm sure you were aware of what kind of a person he was, so you should have known that he was someone The Irregulars would target," Pointed out Rione.

"I-I...that's not the point! I can't deny that he had his issues, but he...he was getting better, he was slowly but surely becoming a better person, I know it!" Shot back Fyre.

"Enough! You're in the presence of the Queen, maintain your composure," Stated Jules with a frown.

"Oh, it's fine, Jules. I don't mind," Lyra shrugged it off with a smile.

"That won't do, your Highness, you're the leader of the nation now, so-..."

"It really doesn't matter to me...and more importantly, let's get back on track. It's undeniable that The Irregulars have made a significant positive impact on the nation, there are many cities, towns and villages in which the Commoners residing there are leading easier lives thanks to the efforts of The Irregulars. However...if they continue to target the church and Nobility, they'll be an obstacle to our cause," Surmised Lyra with a grimace.

"About that...I think there's a possibility that they might stop their attacks once they see us making significant changes for the better. We encountered a pair of them in the Capital during the battle against the Undead King's forces, and they seemed to be quite reasonable," Said Crowes thoughtfully.

"Yes, but such changes cannot be made overnight. The easiest solution to this issue is elimination, but that would be a waste...based on the Commander's report of the battle against the Undead King, it's clear that we almost certainly would have been defeated and wiped out if it were not for their contribution to the battle. A number of the citizens in the Capital were saved by them as well.

They're incredibly capable and powerful, and more importantly, they don't fight for selfish reasons, they put their lives on the line for a cause bigger than themselves, to make Persona a place that's better and kinder to Commoners...with all that in mind, it would be a tremendous waste to kill them," Remarked Romi objectively.

"Yes, I very much agree with everything you said. Now, then, I've put a lot of thought into this matter myself, and I believe that I've come up with the ideal way to approach this...," Began Lyra, before explaining her idea to the others...