Welcome back to Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End and the beginning of the highly awaited second season. When we last saw Frieren, Fern and Stark, they had just departed AuBerst after the First-Class Mage Exams and were continuing on to Ende, a place where souls find peace in the afterlife. But their path is a long one, and though good vibes are plentiful, there’s also danger and excitement at every turn. So let’s get going! WARNING: Full details for Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End Season 2 Episode 1 follow. Seriously, spoilers ahead! On The Road Again The group leaves AuBerst in a horse-drawn carriage, where Stark tells them that they could use some money. Fern, ever the pragmatist, says that they’ll have to find work in the next town. The chat about needing to find work feels familiar to Frieren, likely because she had many similar discussions with her last adventuring party. Later, in the Saum Marshes, Stark is only able to catch a tiny fish while Fern gathers copious plants and vegetables. Meanwhile Frieren, up earlier than usual, is searching for something in the bushes. It turns out to be a beautiful blue stone, but that discovery isn’t the biggest concern. Fern finds that she can’t conjure fire, as it turns out, the stone is a crystal that nullifies magic. If you’re within three meters, boom, no magic for you. Frieren tells them that, with a stone that size, they could probably sell it off and buy a mansion. Maybe an end to their money woes? Fern says that they can’t take it with them, as without magic, they could get in trouble. Frieren shows them one final trick with it (she places a lot of mana in it, causing the stone to glow blindingly bright), and then they head on their way again. Frieren tells the group that they're heading to a region with inactive volcanoes that have formed hot springs. However, a hole suddenly opens up beneath them and they plummet into a cave. In Too Deep Turns out, the cave is full of those blue crystals, meaning that Frieren and Fern can’t just levitate the group out of there. Luckily, they both land safely on Stark’s spine. Stark tries to cut a piece off the stones to take back, but it’s impossible as the mineral is too hard to break for a human. Frieren tells Stark that they’re counting on him to get them out, and that she also hasn’t forgotten that he once called her an “old hag.” After a while, they make camp, and Fern and Stark discuss a large pile of bones they saw earlier. The cave might be the home of a monster, and without the ability to sense mana, Fern is extremely scared. They’re then attacked by a venomous apex dragon, and Stark confronts the fact that, right then, he wants to flee from danger like he’s done in the past. But Frieren has a plan. She imbues a stone with a glow and tosses it toward the dragon, while Stark picks her and Fern up to run. Fleeing We’re dropped back years earlier with Himmel’s party. Himmel tells Eisen that he trusts Eisen with his life, even if Eisen once fled at a crucial moment. If he wants to flee, Himmel reminds him, then they’ll all flee together. That’s what a party does. Later, when faced by a gigantic fire-breathing dragon, they do just that: flee as a team. Back in the present, Stark runs from the dragon as Frieren smiles. Eventually, they find an exit and enter the Great Sanft Forest. This time, Stark gathers the veggies, but when he returns to camp, Frieren and Fern are gone. Stark decides to go fishing and he finds his partners near a stream, bathing and washing their tools and jewelry. Those keepsakes are important to Fern, as she had previously lost everything she owned during a war. It’s a nice conversation, and then Stark’s arrival completely kills the mood. Awkward Arrivals As the trio walks, Frieren picks up on the fact that things have gotten awkward after Stark saw them at the stream. Frieren says that if Stark feels uncomfortable, he needs to tell her, seeing as she’s the one who made him join their party. They locate a nearby inn and prepare to rest there for the night, but they run into Wirbel, who they’d met last season during the First-Class Mage Exam. Wirbel asks Stark if he’d thought about Wirbel’s offer to join him in the fight against demons in the north. Stark tells him that he’s the frontliner of Frieren’s party, but Wirbel hasn’t given up yet. He continues to try to "persuade" Stark, mostly by giving him more drinks. That night, Stark tells Fern that he once again turned down Wirbel’s offer, but Fern questions his choice. Stark reminds her of how lost and hopeless he felt back when he first joined them. It was due to Fern and Frieren’s encouragement that he became a part of their party, not Frieren forcing him into it. The next morning, Stark reaffirms to Wirbel that he’s on Team Frieren, though Wirbel knows that, eventually, he’ll meet Stark in the far north. And with that, after yet another parting, Frieren, Stark and Fern carry on. What will Frieren, Stark and Fern encounter next? Be sure to find out in the next episode of Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End right here on Crunchyroll.
