Chapter 1
"On no," Noelle gasped as she stared with horror out her cockpit window.
Eldrant was collapsing. Large boulders were already falling dangerously close to the Albiore II, threatening to destroy it with even one hit. Noelle felt sick as she watched the heavy debris bury what was left of her brother's craft.
"Noelle!" Ginji shouted, "We need to take off immediately!" The man would have done this himself, were it not the fact that his wounded right arm hung in a sling tied around his neck. This unfortunate injury was a painful souvenir from when he slammed his airship into one of Eldrant's cannons earlier that day.
"But Ginji," Noelle pleaded, turning her fear-rimmed eyes on her brother, "The others…They haven't come out yet…"
Ginji clenched a fist, casting his eyes down in frustration. "But we're no good to them if the Albiore is destroyed! Besides," he said, shifting his gaze back to his sister, "We don't even know if they'll be exiting here. We'll have a better chance of finding them if we have an aerial view."
Noelle nodded hesitantly and made her way over to the controls. She didn't like the idea of leaving Luke and the others behind, but she knew her brother was right. This notion was confirmed shortly after takeoff, when a boulder crashed into the spot where the Albiore had been moments before.
Noelle circled the crumbling relic, desperately trying to locate her friends. "Ginji!" she called, after several minutes of failed searching. "Do you see them?"
Ginji shook his head. "No, I don't see any… What the hell?!" he shouted as the Albiore began to violently shake.
Noelle flew the airship away from Eldrant and managed to stabilize their flight. When she looked back to find the cause of the turbulence, she gasped. A glowing pillar of energy surged upward form the ruined city and into the sky. "What is that?"
"I don't know," Ginji responded, his eyes locking on five figures in the distance. "But I think I found who might."
Indeed, this group knew all too well what this towering light meant. Luke had fulfilled his promise to Lorelei. Now they stood watching, waiting for the fulfillment of a second.
The melodist of the group sighed as the last of Lorelei's power disappeared into the heavens.
She bit her bottom lip and shook her head, fighting desperately against the tears forming in her eyes. She was a soldier. She could not allow herself to cry, not even when a comrade had fallen in battle…Not even when she had lost someone she cared so much about.
The silence was broken as the Albiore II descended behind the group. Three sets of eyes shifted to the pilot as she emerged to greet the heroes. The gaze of Tear and Natalia, however, remained unchanged.
Tear was still sorting through her hopes and doubts, while Natalia was struggling to accept facts. The words, 'Asch is dead.' played endlessly through her mind. Unlike her companion, she allowed her tears to fall soundlessly down her cheeks as she recalled the day's events. They were the tears she was forced to hold back when she had first learned the awful truth.
But was it really the truth? Maybe Luke had been wrong; he'd been wrong plenty of times in the past. Maybe Asch would walk out of that rubble as if nothing had happened. Maybe he would take her into his arms and tell her that he'd never leave her again. Maybe… Or maybe he really was dead, and no amount of wishing would ever change that.
Natalia's thoughts were scattered as Guy came to stand in front of the two healers. "Natalia, Tear…" he said, pain clearly etched into his features, "We should head back to Chesedonia soon."
Natalia stared at him, horrified that he could make such a suggestion. What if Asch or Luke came back after they had left? What if they were hurt somewhere and no one was there to help them? What if…
"I'm not leaving," Tear said plainly, refusing to take her eyes off the ruins of the Glorious Land.
"Now Tear," Jade started, stepping forward towards the dark-haired Oracle Knight. "We've all sustained injuries that must be attended to; you are no exception. And I've no doubt that singing the Grand Fonic Hymn drained a great deal of your fonons…"
"I said I'm not leaving!" Tear shouted, her voice cracking under the strain of holding back her tears. But Jade was right. The loss of so many of her fonons was making her dizzy, and her sudden outburst threw her off balance, forcing her to fall to her knees.
Jade pushed his glasses farther up the bridge of his nose. "Guy, if you would, assist Miss Grants back to the Albiore. I'd do it myself, but you have more strength than a frail old man like me."
"This isn't the time for your jokes!" Guy snapped. But then he noticed that Jade's characteristic smile was missing. For once, he was being serious. Guy sighed as he hesitantly put Tear's arm around his neck. He was still suffering from his gynophobia, but the fact that his friend needed help was enough to suppress his fear.
Tear offered surprisingly little resistance. She was still adamant about leaving, but her exhaustion was stronger than her will to stay.
Natalia watched as Guy helped Tear, half dragging her, onto the Albiore. She and Tear were the only seventh fonists, and with the latter being forced to leave, Natalia had to stay behind. If Asch or Luke made it out, if they were hurt, it was her duty to help them, right?
Then Natalia felt someone tugging on her arm. She looked down to see Anise staring up at her, tears shining in her eyes.
Natalia sighed as she allowed the former Fon Master Guardian to pull her toward the airship. With one last glance, she looked back over the ruins she was leaving behind. Asch…Luke…Please come back…I can't protect our country without you…