Three years had passed since that day Cyrus and Glenn rode off in search of the Masamune. They have not been heard from since.
It was not long until I realized I had outstayed my welcome at the castle a year after they left, so I took up residence at Glenn's abandoned cabin north of the town of Truce. When I moved in I noticed that some things had been taken from it, namely Glenn's painting supplies and three of his favorite books.
I set up a smithery and general merchandise shop in town to support myself using some of the money that Glenn had left behind. Thanks to my knowledge of things that were yet to be in this world, I was able to create steel weapons, which were stronger in comparison to the iron weapons forged by other smiths. I also took apart and studied my gun so that I could reproduce it and sell the copies. I couldn't create anything of the caliber of the gun I had. What I made was more of an air gun that fired small darts, but it still gave me an edge over the competition, even if the dart guns weren't very popular.
Even though I was no longer welcomed to stay at the castle, Queen Leene still managed to convince King Guardia XXI to let me continue my studies there, so I still frequented the castle most evenings after I closed shop in town. Although I continued my studies, I was still no closer to finding my way home.
During that fourth year since I had last seen Glenn and Cyrus, I had become anxious as to their whereabouts. I decided one day not to open the shop and to go search for my friends instead. Even if they were dead, at least I could give them a proper burial.
Guardia Castle was on the continent called the Zenan Mainland. It consisted of two large land masses, divided by a canal that ran east to west. They were connected, though, by the Zenan Bridge, a large wooden bridge that crossed the canal where the two continents were closest. Guardia Castle and Truce Village were on the northern half, as well as a Cathedral just west of the castle; where Dorino and another town called Porre were on the southern half.
A three day journey brought me to the town of Dorino south of the Zenan Bridge. I spent another week there talking to people who were around three years ago. The information I gathered pointed me to one place: Denadoro Mountain.
Denadoro Mountain was a majestic mountain that sat just east of Dorino. There are many tales of strange things occurring on that mountain. Sounded like the perfect place to hide a legendary magical sword to me.
I arrived at the base of the Denadoro Mountain at about three o'clock the next afternoon. There I met the most peculiar person. He was a frog-man, standing just five feet tall. He had big yellow eyes and two fleshy whiskers on each side of his wide mouth. He wore a dark green tunic, light brown trousers, and a greenish-brown cape. At first I thought him a Mystic, but when he did not attack me when he saw me approaching I thought better of it.
"Ho!" he called out with a croak following his greeting.
"Hail and well met!" I called back.
"What brings thee here?" he asked as I dismounted my horse.
I eyed him cautiously. "I'm looking for a couple of my friends."
He nodded in thought. "I see."
An awkward silence fell between us. I decided to break it by announcing, "If I am to find my friends then I had best get going."
I started for the mountain path, but a croak from the frog stopped me. "'Tis not wise for thee to go onto the mountain this late in the day," he told me. "Best if ye wait till the morn."
I looked up at the sun. It was already beginning its decent into the western horizon. "You're right."
"Ye may make camp here with me tonight, if ye wish," the frog offered.
I looked into his eyes, but saw no ill-intent in them. "Very well. Thank you."
I released the reigns of my horse to let her go graze. I walked over to the frog-man and extended my hand to him. "The name's Wallace. Wallace Odinson"
He started for my hand, but decided against it and sat back down. "Ye may call me Frog."
I slowly took my hand back. "Well, it's good to meet you, Mr. Frog."
We spent most of the night in awkward silence, speaking to each other only when necessary. I couldn't tell which of us was most uncomfortable with the other's company, me, or him.
I awoke the next morning at dawn. I looked around for Frog, but he had already left. I took a look around and saw that his trail led to the mountain. We would meet again.
I started my trek up the mountain. I encountered few trials on my way, but I did see the remains of many beast that had been slayed with a sword. No doubt the handy work of the frog.
By nightfall I had found a good spot where the trees would provide good protection from any storm that would threaten to pour down on me that night, but I was not the only who thought so. Frog was already there.
"We meet again," I said as I entered his camp.
"So we do," was his response.
"Care if I join you for the night?"
Frog motioned to the nearest log. "I be certain the logs shant mind."
I sat down on the log and looked at my camp host. Then a thought occurred to me. "It appears we have a similar destination. Why don't we work together?"
Frog nodded and croaked as he thought. "'Tis a wise suggestion, young Wallace. Let it be so."
The next day we trekked to a plateau before a beautiful waterfall. There I found what I was looking for. I looked down at the burnt remains. "Cyrus," I said softly.
Both Frog and I looked down at the burnt remains. Laying next to the body was the hilt of a broken sword.
"If Cyrus is dead, then Glenn hath passed on as well," Frog announced.
I looked to him. "How did you know that Glenn was with Cyrus?"
"Thou said that ye looketh for two of thine friends. If Cyrus is one, then Glenn, his best friend, shalt be the other." He looked around. "I doubt thou shalt find his remains, though."
"What makes you say that?"
"They are not hither, thus they most likely fell into yon waterfall and were washed down stream."
I looked around. I saw a cave nearby. "I'm gonna go look in there."
I walked into the cave. In there I found a sword embedded into the ground and a small child running around crying out, "I am the wind! Whoosh!" I tried getting the boy's attention, but it was futile. Instead I decided to examine the sword, but as I approached it the boy stopped me.
He climbed up onto the ledge in front of me. "Do you seek the Masamune?" he asked me.
"The Masamune?" I asked.
"Oh Masa! Big Brother!"
Another boy stepped out from behind the sword. "What is it, Mune.... Oh, not again!" He looked at me angrily. "Why do you fools continue to seek what you cannot have?"
It took me a few moment to realize he was talking about the sword. "I don't care about that damn sword!" I retorted. "It's already gotten two of my friends killed. All I wanted was to find their remains so that I could bury them."
The Masa and Mune looked at each other. "He seeks not the sword?" Masa asked.
"No," was Mune's answer. "He cares not of the troubles in this world." He looked to me. "Sir Cyrus is dead. Do not take his remains to his home, nor let them be aware of his death, for they will turn against you. Instead take his remains to the ruins north of Choras and bury him there."
"What of Glenn?" I asked.
"You need not worry about him. He has buried himself."
I was about to ask more, but the two boys disappeared. All I could do is do as I was told.
I exited the cave to gather Cyrus' remains. When I walked out I noticed that Frog was no longer there. I also noticed that the broken hilt was gone as well.
I took Cyrus' remains and traveled across the sea for a week to the small continent east of Zenan on which the town of Choras laid. I then traveled to what had been called the Northern Ruins, a small keep that was crumbling apart. Down in the basement I found an empty tomb, probably made for the lord of the keep who never got the chance to use it. I laid Cyrus' body to rest there and, with the help of three men I hired in town, pushed the gravestone over the grave. It was then we were attacked.
"Mystics are attacking the ruins!" one of the men yelled as he ran back into the tomb as I had just finished chiseling Cyrus' name into the gravestone.
It was then that four large Mystics charged into the tomb. One of them made quick work of the man I had hired. One made to attack me, but I quickly drew my sword and stabbed him in his fat belly. He fell to the ground writhing in pain. The other three saw that I knew how to defend myself and attacked me all at once. It wasn't long before they had disarmed me and knocked me almost senseless.
Two of them held me up as an even fatter Mystic hovered into the tomb. He was pale green in color and long pointed ears on each side of his chubby face. He wore a long white robe.
"Well, what do we have here?" he asked in a scratchy voice. He floated over to the gravestone to examine it. "Oh ho ho! A grave for Cyrus!" He stuck out his hand, and with several bolts of lightning etched into the gravestone "The Fool Who Challenged Magus Rests Here." It was shortly after seeing this that my wits gave up on me and I fell into unconsciousness.
I woke up sometime later in the inn in Choras. Feeling down hearted about what had happened, I decided to return to Guardia.