It was the next day, and Akane woke up and yawned.
"Morning Maria." she greeted happily upon seeing the older girl awake.
"Morning Akane, ready to get moving? The storm seems to have stopped, and from the looks of it the sun is shining brightly. Hopefully that will make it bearable." Maria stated as both Sachi and Alessa appeared.
"Yep!" Akane said cheerfully with a nod, and put her sleeping bag back in her backpack.
"Alright, let's get moving, and find out where the heck Reinhardt is." Maria said and they left the cave.
Later: They had been walking for some time, both tired and annoyed.
"Man, we've been out here for two hours and still no sight of Reinhardt." she said with a sigh as they walked.
"Maybe because we're all walking in circles?" Alessa said with a raised brow; and Akane, Maria and Sachi stopped walking with sweat drops on their heads, realizing that was true.
"...Good point." Akane said, and Alessa would of said something had it not been for the sounds of a horse's hooves getting close.
"Don't tell me that's who I think it is..." she said then quickly hid with Akane, Maria and Sachi.
They looked over the rock, and noticed it was Reinhardt, and he stopped the horse, which was also his Eidolon, and looked around, before sighing.
"It should be here somewhere, but where. The lands couldn't have changed that much since I was last here, come on." Reinhardt said, and urged his Eidolon on, who hoofed the ground, before galloping off.
"That was Reinhardt...but what is he looking for." Maria said as they watched him leave until he was out of site.
"Was he...looking for this?" Sachi asked, floating over to a huge glacier, and inside looked to be a beautiful woman.
"Is that...Luciana?" Maria asked, eyes wide.
"I don't think Belenus was lying when he said he took Luciana and kept her here until he could find a way to bring her back to life." Sachi stated, a little shocked.
They looked at the beautiful, white haired woman, whose eyes were closed, hands clasped together, yet a smile and peaceful look were on her face.
"Well Akane...you look just like your mother. And she's beautiful..." Maria trailed off, eyes misty...she had never meet her own mother.
"I never thought I'd see her. Though I do feel sorry for her...she married Reinhardt." she said, looking at her mother.
"You do know that if she and Reinhardt never got together, then you'd never been born right?" Alessa questioned, sweating a little.
"Oh right..." Akane responded with a sweat drop.
"I can't believe Reinhardt actually froze her in a glacier though..." Alessa commented, looking at Luciana.
"I guess...he thought that by putting her in ice, he could prevent her decay, and then use the Cube to bring her back to life." Maria explained, before her eyes widened in horror.
"That's why he stole the Cube...to bring Luciana back to life. After using the demons to destroy the Church, he's then use the Cube of Gaia to bring Luciana back to life, and he believed that if the Church, and all life is destroyed, him and Luciana could live a life free of worry." Maria stated, looking at the woman frozen-in-time.
"But...does Luciana...really want that?" Sachi questioned, making Maria and the other two look at her.
"Do you think Luciana would want to live in a world run by demons? From what Belenus said, he said Luciana was a sweet woman, who loved nothing more than peace, and vowed her life to both Reinhardt, and the Templar's. I believe...that was Luciana was fading from life, she knew that something horrible would happen to Reinhardt, and maybe she asked Andre or one of the Templar's to get Akane as far away from Navea as possible. I think she knew something horrible would happen, and didn't want anyone getting caught up or captured by Reinhardt's never-ending-anger." Sachi explained, piecing everything together.
"Akane, do you know who got you to Port Skandia?" Maria asked the white-haired duelist, maybe Sachi was right.
Maybe Luciana could foresee what would happen as her life faded away? Maybe Luciana knew that Reinhardt would turn to evil, but knew she couldn't change her fate, and accepted what would happen.
"I think it was...Andre." she said as she bit her lip; thinking back to when Shelia and York told Akane she was adopted.
"When Reinhardt was in charge of the Templar's, Andre was second in command, she must of figured that if anyone could get you away from Reinhardt it would be him." Alessa stated as she looked at Akane.
"I don't think Luciana would want to live in a world full of demons or such. Plus knowing Reinhardt he would probably kill me, since he says I was turned against him and blah, blah, blah." Akane said with a nod.
"You never know...if Reinhardt can't turn me, he would try to turn you; and if that doesn't work, then Reinhardt will try to kill us. But I agree, Luciana wouldn't want to live in a world full of demons." Maria replied, thinking to how the Church spoke in high regard of Luciana's love for peace and tranquility.
"And I can see Andre getting you to safety for, despite how he acted, he does seem to be a softy." Sachi teased about Andre, she knew the two girls looked up to Andre as an older-brother/father.
"Yeah, he may have been mean in the beginning, but he certainly does respect us." Maria agreed, before looking at the frozen Luciana.
Maria closed her eyes, clasped her hands, and glowed blue, before she thrusted her hands out; and a blue glow surrounded the glacier Luciana was frozen in. It flashed, before fading, a faint blue glow around the glacier was visible before completely fading.
"I used some of the power I have with the cube to protect this spot, so that if a battle does ensue around this spot, the glacier will be protect...no matter what." Maria explained, sighing in content...Luciana's body was protected.
"I just hope Reinhardt never finds this place. Since I imagine Luciana would be too scared to move, if he does bring her back to life." Alessa stated, and Akane nodded.
"There's a reason why people say rest in peace to dead people." Akane said, and Alessa looked around when she heard a horse's hooves again.
"Crap! We gotta hide again." she said, worried.
"I got an idea. Got anything to make the snow hide the glacier?" Akane asked, looking at Maria.
"I can probably use my staff to pile the snow over to hide it, seeing as I can control ice and snow." Sachi explained, looking worried at hearing the hooves as well.
"What do you have in mind?" Maria asked Akane, curious.
"Well, when everyone dies they are meant to rest in peace; not be awaken from the dead." Akane replied.
"So in other words you want to hide Luciana, using the snow, so Reinhardt can't revive her?" Alessa asked, and Akane nodded.
"That might work...Sachi try it now!" Maria commanded as the hoof-beats got closer.
The arm-bands on Sachi started spinning incredibly fast, even as the tip of her staff started glowing, and she closed her eyes. When she felt she had enough power, she swung her staff toward the glacier, covering it with snow and ice so thickly, no one could even see anything but a mountain of snow...it seemed Sachi wanted this to be natural.
"Good job Sachi...now let's hide real quick, and see if it works." Maria said, grabbing Akanes' wrist, before she tapped Alessas' horn, grabbed Sachis' wrist as well; and jumped over a boulder.
Once they were settled, they looked over or peeked off the sides, seeing Reinhardt appear on Aschensturm; even as he growled...looking around.
"Okay, I know I saw them here...or at least felt them...maybe I was...mistaken; but I could've sworn Luciana was frozen in this area." Reinhardt said, and brought a map out, Aschensturm snorted, hoofing the ground.
"Thank Gaia that he's dumb enough to think we're not here." Akane whispered to Sachi, Maria and Alessa, and Alessa nodded.
"If he walks toward the glacier though, we should distract him." Alessa said.
"But how would we distract him?" Akane asked.
"Well, if he walks toward it, I'll run toward him, grab his attention, and then run off so he'll follow me. If he'll do what I think he'll do, he will chase after me." Maria stated, narrowing her eyes at Reinhardt.
"What?! No Maria, that's suicide!" Sachi whispered harshly to Maria.